AN: Thanks, as always to FloraOne for her and beta skills (the last line is totally hers) and to TinaCentury for providing me with this chapter's prompt!

Hope you enjoy, and let me know what you think!

oOo

An exploration of the aftermath of the final battle in S (since it's your favorite).

Mamoru was no stranger to the all-encompassing world of dreams. For many years, they were his constant and only companion. He even welcomed the nightmares that plagued him as a child, an escape from the crushing loneliness of daylight.

But Usagi…his bright, blinding ray of sunshine…she wasn't supposed to suffer from nightmares.

Her dream world was never meant to be anything but a reflection of the beauty she brought to everyone around her.

And yet, night after night for the past two weeks, he'd sat by his bed, keeping a near constant vigil over her as Usagi fell into unrelenting nightmares.

She had, once again, been prepared to sacrifice herself to save the world, when she'd jumped head first into the core of Pharaoh 90, refusing to let Hotaru face this ultimate evil alone.

Usagi had succeeded, appearing no worse for the wear physically, besides a few decent scrapes, bruises and exhaustion.

But unlike Hotaru, who had been reborn to live a (hopefully) normal life, Usagi's memories of the horror she had experienced remained fully intact.

He would never forget the look in her eyes when she'd appeared on his doorstep that first night. Frightened, tired, haunted.

"I didn't know where else to go," she'd said quietly, and he just shook his head, pulling her inside and crushing her to him, trying his best to chase everything away.

Mamoru had tried to gently coax some of her experiences out of her, and he was incredibly relieved that she seemed to want to talk about what had happened, but the words weren't coming easy, and when they did come, it made his eyes sting in hurt for her.

"It was like dying a thousand deaths."

She had spent every night since then with him, sneaking out or claiming to be at one of the senshi's places. It made her feel safe, being here with him, she'd said, and he would never deny her that feeling.

Though why she chose him he didn't understand. She would probably be much safer with any of the girls, all legendary warriors with actual powers to speak of. But he would never complain about having her here, especially if he was able to provide her even a small bit of comfort for a few hours.

Mamoru wasn't able to stave off the nightmares, though. And this night had been the worst of them all.

She had woken up with a heart-piercing scream of his name, flailing limbs, her eyes wide in terror. He had her engulfed in his embrace within two seconds, rocking her back and forth, smoothing her hair as she cried into his shoulder, placating lies of, "It's ok, they're all gone, you're safe now," spilled from his lips.

The night stretched on, as did Usagi's sobs, her body shaking with the effort.

"Will it ever stop, Mamo-chan?" she'd asked, when she'd finally calmed what seemed like hours later, silent tears still making tracks down her cheeks.

"I don't know, Usako," he answered honestly, unable to offer any other answer with her eyes boring into his so intensely.

She sighed softly, seeming to accept his answer with a wisdom far beyond her years, as she snuggled deeper into his arms, eyes shutting blearily.

"I'll be here no matter what," he murmured against her temple, breathing in her scent, while he fought the losing battle against beckoning sleep.

Her lips curled up in a small smile.

The city lights dimmed outside, when a circus tent darkened the view of the window above his bed.