"I'll show you what I can be"

----Chapter 3----

She smiled as she greeted Mamoru. However, he did not smile back.

"Where were you Usagi?"

His tone sounded harsh, rude, and unforgiving. He did not even call her by his normal pet name, 'Usako'. She was scared. It felt like it did the last time he called her Usagi instead of Usako. At the time, he had broken up with her in order to save her. Now, however, it sounded like he was genuinely mad.

"I had work to do. You know how I'm trying to get into college. I've been losing a lot of sleep. I'm sorry I didn't come, but I figured you and the others could..."

Usagi stopped mid-sentence. Were his eyes really watering? What in the world?

"Usagi. Naru's gone missing. I was there, I saw what happened. The youma, regardless of having all the scouts there and myself, was unable to be defeated. Without the ginzuishou or your scepter, it was able to run rampant. It took her hostage after it beat her within an edge of her life. We couldn't stop it."

Usagi's eyes, which had previously been holding back tears, now let them fall freely.

"It's all my fault..."

Mamoru did not interject to tell her it wasn't her fault. Usagi noticed this. So they agree, they think it is my fault. Just because I didn't henshin, just because I wanted to live my life...

"Usako..."

Mamoru spoke softer now as he seemed to realize the chord it had struck in Usagi to not be called by his pet name for her. The fact that her best friend's bloody body was kidnapped did not help matters either. She didn't need punishing right now, she needed a shoulder to cry on. She felt his arms wrap around her small body and her forehead fell to rest upon his shoulder. She let herself go.

"I'm sorry, I've just been so busy and stressed and..."

She was mumbling now. Even she couldn't understand what she was saying anymore. Everything just seemed to be like one big blur. Her friends probably hated her for not showing up, Naru might be dead or dying somewhere, and some new enemy has appeared somehow and no one knows where Naru might be. Almost as if reading her mind, Mamoru tried to comfort her.

"I'm sure we'll find her. We don't have any leads as to this enemy who would want to capture Naru instead of simply kill her for her... whatever they are trying to collect now. Energy, heart crystals, star seeds... I don't know."

His tone made her smile a bit. It was always comforting just to hear his deep, soothing voice speaking to her in a soft, loving way.

"It looks like we have a lot of work to do."

"I thought you were giving up Sailor Moon, though?" Mamoru inquired.

"I am. However, with the presence of a new enemy, I have to at least try to help research this new enemy. Even if it doesn't include henshining."

Usagi tried to give him an encouraging smile. Though he did return the smile, in the back of his mind he thought, We're doomed without the silver crystal or Sailor Moon's power...

A/N: Please read and review. Comments/Flames/Suggestions/etc are all welcome. violintides at hotmail dot com.