A/N: Ookay, this wound up a little sappy. But the heart-to-heart needed to come in somewhere.

Enjoy.

The Night Sky

Chapter 6

Usagi left Naru's house a little past six; the girl had gotten sufficiently distracted over the conversation circling her missing ring and they'd lapsed into casual conversation thereafter. She felt rather relaxed after hanging out with someone not connected with the fate of the world, and noted with a bit of guilt that she really had been letting their precious friendship slide away.

For someone who'd be alive to see two Milleniums, there certainly were periods where she didn't seem to have enough time. Like when she'd shot off of Naru's bed remembering she was supposed to fetch a few things for Chibiusa. She'd been halfway to the store before realising her future daughter was back in her own time and the only place she was expected in the near future was her home for dinner.

Which she was at least an hour too early for. Two if her father was working late.

She passed a sale on at a clothes store. She considered entering and looking for a new shirt; she needed one anyway, but ultimately decided against it. Minako was the best person to shop for clothes with, and with her luck, Usagi would get buttons and zippers caught in her hair and make an embarrassment of herself with no-one else around.

Besides, the bed in her room was looking more comfortable with the soft wind battering her.

–

'I'm home,' Usagi called, toeing off her shoes at thee door before blinking at a pair she recognised at Mamoru's.

'Welcome back,' her mother replied from the kitchen.

There was a bit of clattering, and then Mamoru himself poked his head into the hallway. 'Hello Usa-ko.'

'Hello,' Usagi responded, blinking. 'Did you come here to surprise me?'

'No, I bumped into your mother doing the shopping,' Mamoru responded sheepishly. After a brief moment's silence to which the blonde simply nodded a little vaguely, he found himself thinking of months ago when Usagi would have pulled a face that melted all resolve while whining that he hadn't come out of his way to visit. 'But there was something I wanted to talk to you about.'

'Uh-huh.' Usagi nodded, Naru's voice filling her head again. 'Actually, there's something I need to talk to you about too.'

Ikuko chose that moment to make her entrance. 'Why don't you two lovebirds go up to Usagi's room then?' she suggested, hiding a smile while waiting for the tell-tale blush. She'd seen plenty of those until about a year ago, when Usagi seemed to hit her mental growth spurt. Now she wondered if it was the meeting with the handsome and polished young man that did.

And how they departed – sadly, without the blush…but then again, she didn't have her camera handy either – up to Usagi's room suggested they were perfectly comfortable together.

In all honesty, that worried her. Just a tad. Usagi was her daughter after all, and while she had no reason to mistrust her judgement (so far as people went in any case; things were another matter altogether), it was slightly concerning how she'd missed the transition between a crush and something serious.

The weight of the ring, still on its chain, was heavy in her pocket.

'Leave the door open!' she called up the stairs.

–

Luna greeted them before slinking downstairs. No further words needed to be exchanged for her to know she would be in the way of the future King and Queen if she stayed.

Usagi made to close the door after her before remembering her mother's instructions and left it half-slanted. Enough for four Lunas to squeeze through if they wanted…and even Shinji if he wished to risk his elder sister's wrath. Still, it blocked out the harshest of the afternoon sun creeping up the stairs – one of the advantages of having a window that faced the morning.

Of course, it's main purpose of waking her bright and early normally failed.

'It's funny,' Mamoru said thoughtfully. 'We've known each other for ages now, and this is the first time I've been in your room alone.'

He looked around; it was exactly as he remembered it.

'You're right,' Usagi replied, looking around herself. 'We're normally at your apartment, or the girls are over as well.' She paused. 'I don't seem to remember ever introducing you properly to my parents, now that I think about it.'

'No, I don't think so,' Mamoru agreed. 'But I think your mother knows in any case.'

'It makes me wonder…' Usagi fiddled with the catch to her window, opening it a little slower than she normally would. 'If they know about Sailor Moon…and Chibiusa and Chibichibi…'

Mamoru took a seat on the bed and looked at his de facto fiancé. 'Why do you think that?' he asked.

'I don't,' Usagi confessed. 'Actually, it was just that I talked to Naru-chan – really talked, you know – after so long. We were inseparable up till last year, but now we've drifted apart and I can't help but wonder what other relationships suffered in me being a Sailor Soldier.' She took a seat on the bed, leaning her head on her boyfriend's shoulder and letting her long hair tumbled behind her. 'But Shinji's crazy about Sailor Moon…and yet he can't stand his bratty older sister.' She chuckled into her shoulder. 'Go figure.'

'Makes me wonder how he feels about Tuxedo Kamen,' Mamoru teased gently.

'Oh, he thinks you're cool enough,' Usagi prodded back with a small grin. 'Always riding into danger for the girl you love. He's not too impressed with how Sailor Moon always winds up bailing you out though.'

'It's hardly my fault,' the other countered in a faux injured tone. 'Roses are delicate things; they simply prefer to dig their roots and ward off the dangers closest to them.'

'Hmmph, sounds like your roses are a little selfish.'

'Well, you can't blame them for wanting some peace.' Mamoru shrugged, then looked closely at his companion. 'Is something bothering you, Usa-ko?' You've been very quiet today.'

'Not particularly,' the other responded, fiddling with her sneakers. 'Do I look different?'

'Well…you've tanned a bit…' Mamoru shook his head. 'I'm sorry; those months really felt like a blink of an eye.'

'Mmm-hmm.' Usagi closed her eyes. 'It's weird; everything's over now. This morning, I felt like I had all the time in the world, but it's all slipping away again.'

'I know what you mean,' Mamoru replied. 'Motoki visited around breakfast time, and we talked all the way till lunch.'

Usagi sighed. 'Mamo-chan?'

'Yes?'

'Do you ever think of Crystal Tokyo beyond Chibiusa?'

Mamoru blinked. 'What do you mean?'

'I mean us living that long,' Usagi clarified. 'The girls will still be there, and Luna and Artemis; you and I will still be in love, but everything else will be so different. Sometimes I wonder if 'kaa-san would ever know she had a granddaughter; Chibiusa's future is so far away from our own time. So what happens to the other friends we have here? What happens to…' Her voice trailed off, but Mamoru knew what she meant to say. For him, he had no family other than Usagi, but Usagi had her parents and little brother in this life. And while Makato's circumstances weren't too far from his own, and as far as he knew Hotaru was orphaned as well and Michiru and Haruka were estranged, the other girls had families they'd miss as well…although Rei's was a little unconventional.

'I see what you mean,' he said aloud. 'I can't imagine Motoki disappearing from my life a few years down the track.' He twirled a lock of yellow hair. 'But that's all the more reason to enjoy our time with them now –'

He broke off as he felt tears on his free hand.

'Usa-ko?'

She laughed. 'I guess I'm still a crybaby,' she confessed. 'But yesterday…' Her voice trailed off. 'I felt so alone, after Chaos was sealed and Galaxia was freed and had gone with the Star Seeds to guide them.' She buried her face into the chest offered. 'All of you were gone – and I thought –'

Mamoru couldn't help but smile. 'Silly Usa-ko,' he said softly, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of her ear. 'Even if we're not beside you physically, we'll always be in your heart.'

'But you're always teasing me about having a big heart,' the girl whined. 'You could get lost in there!'

They both burst into laughter at that, collapsing backwards onto the bed.

'Mamo-chan?'

'Yes?'

'Do you love me?'

Mamoru smiled slightly at their little tradition.

'I love you,' he replied.

'More than anything?'

'More than anything in the world.'

Usagi snuggled closer to her love, his warmth spreading from her heart to the tips of her toes. 'Enough to spend more than a thousand years with me?'

'Enough to spend a lifetime with you,' was the reply. 'I can't look that long into the future though, and it's probably not a good idea to.'

'Yeah…things wouldn't have any meaning, would they? If they were pre-determined.'

'But we're different people than we were on the Moon,' Mamoru pointed out. 'And the future King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo looked and sounded like different people again. So I think I can honestly say that even if we hadn't been married in a past life and won't be married in the future, I'd still ask you to marry me.'

Usagi shifted on his chest; he supported her and sat up, looking her in the eyes.

'Marry me?' Usagi repeated, her hand coming up to her throat, before coming away. 'Oh no, I forgot –'

Mamoru blinked as the blonde suddenly scrambled off the bed, disappearing under the pink lace. 'What are you looking for?'

'Your ring!' she cried. 'Oh, I know I took it out to shower this morning. I hope I just forgot to put it on.'

'Wouldn't it make more sense to look on the dressing table?' Mamoru wondered aloud, before ignoring the thought. Usagi was Usagi after all. Even in the middle of a serious conversation – or an overdue proposal – she could find a way to lighten the mood…even if she didn't mean to.

Although striking the conversation up would be a little harder.

'Usagi –'

They both jumped at the shrill phone, and Usagi squealed as she banged her head.

'Stupid phone,' she grumbled, worming her way out from under the bed and reaching for the receiver on her handstand. 'Moshi moshi…oh, Seiya-kun.'

Mamoru couldn't help but feel irritated.