Upon a Flash

by Rakusa

She had thought she was just caught out in the rain. When it became so much more than that, she clung to the only one she could.

7. Part 7

Part 7

AN: So I know I promised that this would be the last chapter, and guess what? It is! Tada! However, I still think there will be an epilogue that lead us into the one I was talking about earlier. So... it's not actually, really, truly complete, just this section of it. It's still a wonder how it all managed to work out so perfectly for me. Hehe... totally by accident of course. It just morphed its way there. I love when things happen to go your way.

AN2: I just now realized that I had her accepting in the last part a smoothie from Mamoru, especially odd considering the scare she'd had just days before. I apologize for the oversight in judgment... let's just say she accepts it because it's broad daylight, Motoki made it, and Mamoru would never have hentai thoughts about her, he couldn't even stand to be in the same room. Hence, it's acceptable to take the drink from him. (? :$ ) (I know I will probably be getting a lot of flack about that little back splash, it hadn't been intended at the start, but it does make sense later on. I wanted to set up the very real reason that her senshi are so against Kamen, even if he doesn't deserve it.)- and on a side note, it seems none of you even realized it so I worried in vain.

AN3: I will have the epilogue out after break, and maybe edit this part as well... I was hesistant to give it to you, because I feel like it still needs some work. I have more of Endymion and A Week from Sundry and have had it for awhile, but if it's not amazing, I feel bad for waiting so long to update.

Usagi's dreams, even her day dreams were always a funny mixture of the real and the unbelievable. It might have something to do with the fact that when she was told she was told she was Sailor Moon by a talking cat, that Usagi had just shoved the cat out of the window and went to hide in her covers again, hoping the dream would change. So she was used to it. When the senshi bit because reality and she was in fact a sailor suited champion for love and justice- which just didn't even make sense- she'd stared at the cat and said the first thing that came to her mind. "Is your name Binx?"

Luna had bristled and was going to pounce on Usagi's uncomprehending face but she'd managed to with-hold the anger for the time being. If only she was that lucky every day.

That though was another story, this dream she was having could probably top that one for the real factor. However the weird factor was a lot higher too. Usagi was in a fancy white gown, the fabric almost something seen on a window covering, that was how sheer the glossimer fabric was. She felt stiffer, taller, and more graceful than she'd ever been in her life. She was walking down golden hallways when she rounded a corner and fell into a chest.

Arms caught her and she looked up, laughing. "Seems, we never outgrow this habit."

The man looked down at her with a large smile that seemed permanently etched there and he agreed with a swooping laugh as his lips reached for hers. When he pulled away from the almost chaste kiss in comparison to the one they'd shared just the night before, she noticed that he looked a little different. He too was older, his features suggesting mid to late thirties. His hair was dark as coal freshly poured with streaks in it that following the same pattern but only after being burned through. "You're getting gray, Mamo-chan." She told her dream lover, something which she had yet to call the real one.

"That's because I've gone unnaturally gray earlier because you are always shortening my life with the scares you give me." He was chuckling and grabbed her hand. "Come, small lady is waiting for us."

"Usagi." Usagi twisted, what was he talking about?

"Usagi!" But she didn't understand, this was nothing like the dreams she'd had before. Images that made no sense. Death and destruction, crawling up her nose as if to warn her. This one was like those. She had her normal bizarre ones then she had these types where scenes would play for her, but she couldn't piece together the puzzle. There was always something missing, something that would let her see the face.

"Usa-chan, wake up!" Mamoru was shaking her shoulder now, she was having a pleasant dream, but it was midday and he promised he'd awake her from the nap before too long otherwise she'd have trouble sleeping that night, and might have nightmares. He'd seen them, felt them as they wracked her body. He knew he shouldn't let her have naps, it only caused problems down the line.

He had dreams that didn't make sense as well, but not ones like she described, she talked as if they had happened, had come from the past. His felt that way too sometimes, but he couldn't imagine it ever taking place, as if it was meant to appear that way, but was truly in the present.

Usagi knew the youma fighting would have adverse affects on her, she just hadn't realized that they would change her already weird dreams of big fluffy animals squatting out ice cream to ones that everyone was screaming and those fluffy animals became reptile like and cruel. So when Mamoru's voice reached her ears, she gladly awoke from this strange dream that was unlike any before. She imagined Mamoru being old? He seemed so young and full of vitality, what a strange thing to dream after kissing the young man of her dreams, better yet, her imagination, for dreams could no longer be trusted to offer her pleasant things, even if odd.

Usagi blinked up at Mamoru and smiled, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him down for a repeat of the good morning kiss they'd shared only a few hours previously. "Thank you for waking me."

He smiled back and swung her up into his arms. "No problem." He carried her down the stairs and let her back onto her feet. She sat in front of the lunch that was brewing while she napped.

Usagi pushed around her food in thought, she ignored the hunger pains by only rewarding it with occasional bites of the delicious morsel, her mind had more pressing matters to attend to. "Are we ever going to get out of here?"

Mamoru looked at her slowly, wondering where this train of thought was going. True it had been over a week and a half since they'd first taken shelter in her house, but it could last much longer. The snow was melting very slowly, but it was melting. "I don't know if it is wise to think that way, it'll only depress us. Besides, I've rather enjoyed my time here with you."

"Yeah, but everything here seems make-believe when you're not out in the real world."

"Where is this heading, Usa-chan?" He set his spoon down and gave her his full attention. "What are you trying to tell me? That we're not real?"

"No." Usagi back tracked. "I was only wondering what would happen out in the real world. What that would make us, since we haven't had to face it, though we knew it would eventually happen, and now it has, and we might yet have awhile to face it still, but I'd rather know and not get my heart broken when we're free to roam about."

"I was thinking along the terms of master and mistress."

Usagi chucked a bread roll at him and he laughed at her twisted scowl. "Seriously!"

"I don't know, I mean if we went any slower than we are now, we'd be eighty by the time we were 'dating', so I think we should skip all of that, because I know where my heart lays, do you?"

"Yes." She wanted him to say it though, it would mean so much more, and make this so much more a true committed relationship, especially on his part if he said it.

"I think we should call each other boyfriend and girlfriend, even though I think we are so much more."

Usagi smiled brightly and leaned across the table to seal it with a kiss. "Deal, and I couldn't have said it better myself."

He returned it and had to pull back before he grabbed her across the table and settled her in his lap to continue the kiss until both were out of breath and the food would be spilled all over and cold. "Don't worry about what comes after this, for my heart won't change." He continued. "It will forever be in your hands."

It was the closest either of them had come to saying 'I love you', and Usagi abandoned her food and came over to sit in Mamoru's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning in until their noses touched. She looked deep into his eyes and said the words that had been missing. "I love you, Mamo-chan."

His lips parted in a small gasp, he had never been told that before and it meant so much, more than just the love of a girl, but the love of this girl and he would never be alone again. "I love you too, Usako." He went to kiss her just as she was as well, their foreheads smacked and she moved away to rub at the spot. He laughed when she pouted, disappointed. "They can't all be perfect."

"I don't know, I think that one was pretty perfect. Want to try it again?" She angled her face so they wouldn't hit each other again and he closed the gap.

In another few days, the electricity came back on. It was a good thing too, as the supplies were dwindling and Mamoru was debating whether or not to sneak out to go cut down a tree. He doubted she'd notice the extra bundle of wood, but she probably would notice the heater laying next to her missing. Not to mention her pillow.

He'd first noticed the lights flickering on as they laid in bed, too much still in the process between sleep and awake to move much. He held her against his side, it made the sleeping accommodations that much sweeter to know that they loved each other and were able to sleep in the same bed and hold on to each other, even in the dream world. They went back out soon afterwards, and he wondered why those would turn on unless the switches had never been moved to off.

It would make sense, if Usagi was coming home late, to have a house lit up so anyone watching her, would think she wasn't alone and so would leave her that way. He still couldn't get over the fact that her parents had taken off for two weeks, probably longer now with the snow covering everything, and left her to her own devices. He didn't think that was very responsible of them, or legal. But then again, Usagi was fifteen, in theory she could take care of herself.

Mamoru pulled Usagi into a seated position and told her that he was going to go check out the furnace but he'd be right back. She grabbed at him and almost tackled him to the ground when his words filtered through her sleep clogged mind. She laughed embarrassed after that, and scratched the back of her neck. "Let me do it, I'm a little worried of a repeat performance." She tried not to glance down at his hand, which he'd left unwrapped the night before, to see if it would be all right that way. It was a little odd not to have the casing over it, but for the most part, it was ok as long as he didn't try to make a fist or use it too much. He'd probably broke it but it was healing at the abnormal rate he was used to. Not becoming Kamen in the mean time however slowed it down slightly, otherwise it would have been as good as new by now. He felt guilty for giving her so much grief over his hand, she hadn't known it would happen, and it wasn't her fault. "It's unlikely I will trip on the same toy that I did the first time."

"I don't think it was a toy." Usagi bit her lip and looked away. "I searched for it, but I couldn't find it."

"All the more reason to let me go. If it's a rodent, I don't want you to get bitten." His uninjured hand cupped her cheek as he looked down at her. It was soft against her flesh and she leaned into it as she looked up. "I'll be all right, love." He leaned down and kissed her before going. It would be a blessing if this kind of situation was all that they would have to worry about.

As Mamoru headed down the stairs he mused over what would happen in a few years, Usagi would live with him, and then what? What would she say to him running out of the apartment often times through the balcony? What would he say to her? He'd eventually have to reveal his identity to her, it wouldn't be as easy to avoid questions as it was to avoid Motoki's when he left the arcade. This instead would be the middle of the night, and she'd be seeing him do it all the time, instead of snippets. Would Moon hate her? Not that they were likely to meet, hopefully. But what would would happen if someone found out that Usagi was dating Kamen? He'd never had to worry about these things as he was always alone, and even the girls he dallied in dating never got too close to him, only going on a date or two and then ending it with them.

It was probably better that he was alone. It suited his alternative life all that much better, but he couldn't break with the promise he had recently made to the girl still trying to rouse herself out of bed upstairs. He couldn't do it to her, and he couldn't do it to himself either, Usagi offered him so much with just her presence. She offered him a way out of his depressing lifestyle and love with just a glance in his direction. He was becoming utterly sappy, he shook his head as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He looked over the heater and discovered that it was struggling to start up again. He tinkered around with it for a little while before it kicked on and then resumed the normal process it would have had the snow and ice water had not knocked it out of commission.

The electricity was now in full force and he found the switch for the lights, so he could turn the flashlight off. Ah it felt good to have light again. The lights flickered on before bathing the entire area in its warm yellow glow. Thoughts about Usagi connected to danger floated out of his mind, it would work itself out, he had faith. And besides, it was years off, and there was always the option of never living together, it kept the questions to a minimum, most likely. Or he could try to quit being Kamen, unlikely and as impossible as that sounded, if it kept Usagi safe, he might be willing to sacrifice Moon. Then again, how would Usagi ever be able to love him if he gave up on the heroine and left the world to chance?

---

"Yes!" Usagi squealed as the lights came to life in her parent's room. It probably hadn't been the smartest idea, so she kept it from Mamoru, and would forever keep it from him, but she'd turned the lights on that first day, hoping eventually it would be her first clue when the electrician repaired the circuits to the houses. She hadn't realized it would take over a week and a half, but she was now dancing around the room, in happiness at the progress.

Then she realized something and she sprinted down the stairs and tripped on the last step, flying forward and into the couches which still had not been replaced to their original setting as Mamoru was attempting to teach her more complicated steps.

She tumbled over the arm of the couch and flopped into it on her back. She grinned, for it was exactly where she wanted to be. She searched though for the remote and found it sitting innocently on top of the television. Usagi rose to her feet and snatched it before plopping herself down at a distance, her grandfather would remind her was bad for her eyes and health, but she ignored the voice in her head and prayed feverishly that the stations worked and the electricity emitted enough to work this technological box.

The TV whizzed to life after weeks of disuse and so it appeared slowly, the lines stretching until she had a blue screen. She frowned at it as all she got as she pushed the up button was the same sight. Then as she landed on one, she realized that Shingo had left his game plugged in and with the return of electricity, the game turned on again. She was over the TV, her fanny waving in the air as she worked on the cords behind it, trying to right it back to the way it was supposed to be, but she didn't attempt this very often. She either had her dad do it or yelled at Shingo to fix it.

She heard a chuckle behind her and she snapped upright, only to bang the back of her head against the hanging shelf which housed many of the DVDs and family pictures.

A hand was there before she could rub it, helping to guide her away from the offending objects. "Careful, we don't want to repeat all of our time together, do we?" His tone was gentle as he led her to the couch and sat her down. He knelt in front of her and looked carefully up into her eyes. "How are you feeling? Blurred sight?"

"My head is thicker than that."

"It has to be." He was teasing her but there was still a slight worry line around his lips. Usagi reached out and smoothed it away.

"Really, I'm fine. The other day- I hit the corner of the building really hard, this type of head bonking, I'm used to, as it happens all the time, getting into cars, going through doorways, sitting up too quickly in inappropriate places." She wiggled her eyebrows at him with the last one and a grin split his features.

"Any males I need to beat up, if they want a repeat performance?"

"Ew, no Mamo-baka!" She covered her face with her hands and turned away from him. Usagi was thoroughly mortified, she only meant like before, or the one occasion when she'd been under a table, discussing with him, the very importance of not allowing her friends to find her on that occasion. They were going to drag her off to the gym and she was just not interested. She'd banged her head then too as he ratted her out and she tried to remove herself from the situation. She'd laughed off the compromising position she was in by claiming she dropped her necklace and was only looking for it, when the girls were giving Mamoru the evil eye for allowing her to be on the ground. She'd saved him that day, unlike his own actions. But hers was just a temporary discomfort, where he'd probably have been castrated.

She shrugged off the hand at her back, angry at him now in both the past and the present. "Sorry, inappropriate?" He tried a different tactic.

"Why'd you send me to the gym that day?"

He was looking at her absolutely confused when she peaked a glance through her fingers, wondering what was taking him so long when silence fell over the duo. "Eh... excuse me?" He questioned, figuring he was probably forgiven for his comment.

"Remember, when I didn't want to go, and somehow the table I'd chosen to hide under was the one you'd chosen to sit at on one of the only days you'd dare be in the mall? You told my friends exactly where I was and then proceeded to laugh at me. Do you know the very real danger you were in, not just from them, but from me as well, for that action?"

Mamoru shook his head, remembering Usagi practically between his legs as she tried to scrunch herself up between them, so her friends couldn't find her. It had been... an interesting experience, and on that she had fueled without knowing it. He'd told on her, just so he could relax without her knowledge of what her hands had inadvertently done when gripping his legs, moving them so she could peer over one to see if the coast was clear. Looking down at her had not helped matters, nor the appearance that he was talking to his lap when other customers walked by. "Eh, at the time, I figured you could do with a little exercise."

Usagi pouted. "Thanks for helping me out."

"We weren't on the best of terms at the time, remember?" Mamoru sighed, even then he couldn't really hide his feelings towards her, or ignore them. He'd always known what a catch she was. He sought to change subjects, Usagi's memory could get him into a lot of trouble if she was bored enough to call him out on some of the things that didn't make sense or went against their relationship at the time. "What were you trying to do with the TV?"

"Watch it, but Shingo-baka has the cords all messed up."

"Let me handle it, ok?" Usagi waved him at it, knowing if she was given the opportunity to mess with it more, she'd probably make it explode, or at worst, make the house explode with it. Then they'd be living in an igloo with weird chunks jabbed into it.

He sat back with her and she turned on him. "Any luck?"

Mamoru shook his head with a sigh. "I got the cords back to normal, but the cable is still out. It means if you want to use the TV, you'll have to watch anything previously recorded as your entertainment value."

So began their new form of distraction method, and it lasted for a few days as neither had really realized how much they missed the mind numbing methods of the digital output. However it also freed their hands and eyes as the TV said what it was doing as the characters did it, for the most part. Allowing them plenty of make-out sessions.

They still tried to find other methods too, and one day Mamoru discovered Usagi's picture albums. She caught him looking through it when he was sprawled out on her brother's bed, figuring it would take her awhile to find him there. Usagi had been working on washing the clothes and linens they'd used for the last two weeks. The electricity allowed them to heat up every room in the house to a nice comfortable level and use means that had not been available to them before. Like real lights, and the microwave and running hot water. Oh the showers were so nice, the baths were too, but there was just something about the pressure of water coming from a source above you that just rejuvenated the spirits.

She put the load in, put food in the microwave, the intended method her mother had prescribed, and something that was easy to follow, by just pressing some buttons accordingly. She was filling the sink up with water when she realized she was doing all the work around the house. Mamoru had promised to help out, but she didn't hear the vacuum cleaner running or see him dusting. Her ipod was fully charged and she was listening to it on low volume but still mom's vacuum was old and made a lot of noise. She checked every room on the main level, which was fairly easy as they all opened up to each other and checked all the closets and basement before heading upstairs. She'd forgive him if he was taking a nap, but he wasn't there, and he wasn't in their guest room either. As she stood looking into this room, she wondered why they hadn't slept here, instead of invading her parent's space but then again, they had a bathroom, whereas the guest room still had to share with the kids. That and the sheets were already dirtied by her wet form shivering in it that night.

She moved on, she knew he probably wouldn't be in there, and then checked her own room. She was moving past her brother's room, forgetting it in her confusion, but heard chuckling through the wood. She creaked it open, and when her eyes spied what he was so intrigued by, she darted for it, scooping it out of his arms and trying to run off with it. It was so embarrassing! He caught her easily though at the head of the stairs and pulled them back into safety.

"Give it back, Usako."

"No!" She stubbornly refused, trying to stuff it where he couldn't easily steal it back, but the book was slippery and there was no way to get a firm hold. Which he was already trying to pry from her fingers. "Stop! I don't want you to see!"

"I've already seen you in diapers. It can't get worse than that."

"Oh but it can! Leave it be, please?" She turned her pouting puppy dog eyes on him and his fingers automatically released without his permission. He couldn't believe she turned that look on him, and couldn't believe it worked so easily.

"Fine. I'll just look at them another time. Perhaps your mother will want to show me them, when I come over for dinner after they get back."

Usagi burst out laughing. "I'd like to see you get to my mother after my father puts a slug into your skull for daring to step foot on our property."

"Because it's me?" He was a little wounded by her reaction, didn't she want him to meet her parents.

"No, you could be perfect and my father would still hate you."

"I'm not... perfect?" He tried to sound hurt by her words, he just wanted her closer, so he could grab the photographs back.

She melted at the tone. "No, of course not." But she wasn't going to fall for it.

"I thought I was in your eyes."

Usagi laughed harder. "You are, but I'm not blind or have a fish memory. I know what you were like, and my mother heard all about you and your meanness as well. So if he doesn't kill you, she might."

"No, she'll love me." Mamoru predicted with annoyingly accuracy, her mother was a sucker for cute boys who were charming, a hundred times more so than Makoto, Minako and Rei combined, then throw in his fan club, and she'd be the president of it, kicking out whoever was currently in that spot. So he was probably right, no matter what hurt he'd put on her, Usagi's mother would love him at first glance. Her father on the other hand, would probably hate him that much more for it, which allowed Usagi to smirk at the thought.

"Anyways, I don't think right after they're back is the best time to announce your presence, they might be a little confused how I could swing a boyfriend while buried under forty feet of snow."

"Eighty." Mamoru corrected, thinking through the situation. He ignored her whatever and returned that smirk still playing at the edges. "I suppose telling them I was with you the entire time, is out?"

Usagi's face wrinkled at the thought. "I think so."

"I was afraid of that. What happens when the snow melts and your parents are at the door?"

"I'm going to kick you out long before that, as soon as the tree is visible, you are going back to your place, I don't care if you have to scale the other balconies to get there. You are not going to be around for any witnesses." She shuddered, thinking of all the harm that would befall him if anyone knew about him being alone with her for two weeks. The phones were still out, so she had no idea when her parents were going to get in, but the snow was still only half way down the upstairs windows, maybe a fraction more than that.

They'd have to come in through them if they were going to try and find her and offer their reassurance. Seeing as how they wouldn't be able to fit through the windows, even if the snow wasn't there, Usagi felt pretty assured that they were safe for another week at least. Another week with the handsome man across from her, was not a bad thing, no matter how restless and antsy she got at times.

Mamoru threw it all to the wind and dove for the book in her hands, he wanted to see the pictures she really did not want him to view, and knew if she got away with it now, he'd be wondering for the rest of his life. Somehow they'd both managed to end up on the ground wrestling for it, and then Usagi put it under her and laid on it, unfortunately his hand was also on it, so it too went behind her back and he was pulled down so they were nose to nose. Mamoru smiled broadly at her. "I like our new position, thank you."

Then he kissed her, with a slight shift in his hand under her, it being his left one, he grabbed her bottom and pulled it to him. She didn't fight off his hand, rather running hers up his chest and fisting her hands in the knit sweater, pulling her chest against his as she fought to be closer to his mouth.

They were breathing heavily by the time they separated and Usagi grabbed the book before he could and darted away, leaving an Usagi size space between him and the ground. He shook his head, trying to clear it from the awe inspiring power she possessed with that wicked mouth. He knew she'd dated other guys, just as he'd dated other girls, but he'd never done more than kiss them, despite what they wanted from him. He had it on good authority, as Motoki knew all her secrets, that the furthest she'd gone was kissing to. How she learned to kiss like that, he think he might kill someone if he found out. Usagi was his alone to kiss and to teach each other.

Except, for the first time in his life, he didn't want it to end there, and wished, well half wished, that she was more experienced so he wouldn't feel so awkward when he had to pull away for reasons he didn't think she could handle yet. So they could take care of the problem together. He also liked these playful moments, where she was blissfully unaware of the tension in his body, and sometimes he would chase her after she'd coiled up his stomach and made his blood burn.

However at the same time, he wanted to be her first, just like she'd be his. However he did not want to mess it up with her, and put them both off of what everyone always claimed was the most life altering thing in existence. He didn't want any man to have any claim to her body, not even a brush of shoulders. He was half serious the other day about pounding any guy's face in who thought they could lay claim on her, either present or past.

Her pictures would forever be lost to him as he finally pushed himself to his feet, reasonably assured that he calmed down enough not to scare her. He wasn't used to having so much room in his pants and so didn't normally have to worry about the tent effect.

As he walked down the stairs, looking for her, he smelt something burning. He ran into the kitchen and pulled out the culprit. "USAGI!" He bellowed, seeing the charred microwave and feeling annoyed that the easy way was taken away yet again.

Usagi bounded down the steps, saving herself from a repeat of her own face plant the other day, she'd been doing so well, she didn't want to screw it up in his presence again. "Yes?" She asked sweetly, thinking it was still about her history in images. He held the container out to her and her face fell. "Oh."

"Oh is right. The microwave is shot now, thanks to your genius. Wasn't it taught in preschool never to put metal in the microwave, and that tinfoil is a metal?"

Usagi bit her lip, he was angry with her and going back to the way they used to insult each other, going with the one that had started it all, her brain power. She was poking the offending object that was still in her line of sight, she could have sworn she would have taken it off, had she seen aluminum. She pulled open the fridge and pulled out a package that could have been its twin. Except the top was plastic. "I threw the wrong one in." She whispered, holding it out for his inspection.

He opened his mouth and then looked at his girlfriend's eyes, which were refusing to look at him, he could see tears there that she was trying to push aside, and he realized what he'd said. He hadn't learned how to talk nicely to people when annoyed. He'd learned how to diffuse a situation if someone else was or if it mattered in a business sense, but Motoki received some of his wrath too as he'd never learned how to handle it in a personal bases. He put the burnt package in the sink and pulled the one out of her hands as well, tossing it onto the counter, and wrapped his arms around her loosely.

"I'm a right old prick aren't I? I'm never going to get this right, and it's a great start to our relationship, me already yelling at you."

"You'll get better." Usagi was staring at the center of his chest though.

"I hope I do, I hate upsetting you, and I don't even realize I'm saying these things sometimes, as its habit and just comes out of my mouth. I'm going to work on it, but please know that I don't mean them, they're only sculpted to hurt, they're not the truth. It's a trait I learned as one of my first memories."

"What's that saying? Things said in anger have some ring of truth? Or drunken words are sober thoughts?"

"Never towards you, Usako. I have never actually once thought a truly negative thing about you. I was annoyed at first with how cheerful you always were when the world just didn't work that way. I see now, I was just jealous and took it out on you. Then with the brains thing, it's one I fall back on often, to different forms, as I had always thought everyone was dumb in comparison, but I know you aren't dumb, you just see things differently."

Usagi dared to lift her eyes to his and his were pouring out only the truth to his words and she nodded, he had been getting better, it was just a lapse. "I will help you then." She beamed. "I will put you in your place every time you do it to me or Motoki, or someone who doesn't deserve it."

"You'll have your hands full, as I am rather nasty to the fan club."

"Oh, they probably deserve it, because you're mine and they shouldn't be panting over you like that." Usagi's eyes twinkled, and he couldn't help the kiss he pressed against those upturn lips. She was too tempting with every move she made. It would be impossible to hide it at first in public, with wanting to claim her every time she did something cute or sexy or a guy's eyes wandered over her petite form. He used to glare at them and they'd turn, but now that she was officially his, he'd have to find some new way to protect her from the advances of other men.

Usagi's stomach grumbling, split them apart this time, and she blushed in a cute fashion, he wanted to pull her back into his arms, but instead he set out to making them dinner, without the use of a microwave.

After dinner was cooked in the oven, and then eaten, they settled into the pattern they'd developed over the last few days. Dinner today though had been delayed and so the movie they put in was as well. The movie chosen for tonight had been an especially long one, and they hadn't realized it at the start. Towards what Mamoru was hoping to be the end, he felt the breathing shift in the bundle on his chest. He glanced down and the eyes were drooping shut and didn't reopen. "Time for bed?" His quiet words barely reached her and she shook her head in the negative.

He sighed, it wouldn't hurt her to fall asleep down here, and he was rather interested in the movie. When it finished, she was well and truly asleep and so with some maneuvering managed to stand up and carry her up the stairs.

Mamoru laid her in the bed, and was pulling off her heavier layers, it was getting hot at night under the covers, he heard a beeping noise. He mentally checked that he'd turned everything off in the kitchen and living room, he recalled all of his steps, he'd even disabled the smoke alarm when it appeared as if the microwave would cause serious issues with it. The beeping was coming from closer however and he glanced at the clock, which read 5PM, which he knew it wasn't, as it was closer to midnight. Perhaps the alarm had accidentally set. He checked it, but it wasn't the one going off. He nudged Usagi's shoulder and she briefly surfaced from her slumber.

"I thought you said you didn't have a cell phone."

"I don't." Usagi mumbled, the next part the lie that was so engraved in her, that she said it now, even though she probably shouldn't have, as it wouldn't make sense in this situation. "It's just my pager." The noise was too familiar to forget, but she was too tired to think clearly and as soon as the words were out of her mouth, all thoughts of sleep evaporated. Her eyes snapped open to stare into his confused ones, but also vaguely suspicious.

"Why would you need a pager?" He questioned, any teenager in any time in history, it was considered to be a sign of gangs and drug deals. More recently however it had more to do with drugs as well, but usually as a reminder to take them or a parent searching for a child.

"Eh- mind if I get back to you on that?" She was gone from the room in a flash and she slammed her door shut in his face when he moved to follow her. He shamelessly pressed his ear against the door, but heard almost nothing.

---

Usagi couldn't believe how stupid she was. Of course he'd be suspicious, he'd never seen her carry a pager around before, and it'd never gone off in his presence. Also why then would it be going off now, in the middle of the night? Usagi tried to settle down and think of a logical rational, but either way, she'd soon be of fighting a youma, and there would be no explanations for that. She hadn't realized that she'd be breaking the silence of identities so soon and to Mamoru of all people.

She'd claim it was just her parents, it explained the time difference. Then she'd drug him or something, so she could escape. She flipped the communicator open now that she had at least some idea of a plan, even if it was staggered with holes a mile long, like where would she get the drugs?

"Yes?" She whispered, aware of his presence ghosting her door, she could see his shadow at the base.

"We need you." Jupiter called out, and Usagi could see her dodging a spiked arm.

"Eh... I'm buried under eighty feet of snow. How do you think I can manage that?" Perhaps if she could stall and claim incapacity, both disasters would be avoided?

"Dig yourself out!" Mars shouted shrilly into the phone. "This is one fight you can't miss."

Mercury pulled the communicator away from Jupiter and shooed her into the fray with the other two senshi. "I've discovered the only way to defeat or even mortally harm this youma is by an attack only you possess."

Usagi sighed in defeat. "Shingo's curious, he's pacing outside my door after the initial surprise of a strange beeping and then holing myself up in my room. What do I do about him?"

"Knock him out?" Venus suggested, pulling Mercury out of the way of an attack. "Apologize in the morning."

Usagi frowned, obviously she didn't have siblings, and where did she gain that bright idea from? It was mean to do that type of thing, and Mercury noticed the look on Usagi's face. "Look, just lock him in his room. He'll be angry, but you could just start a fight with him beforehand to explain it away."

Usagi nodded and after getting location details shut the device. She shoved it back into her subspace pocket where Mamoru couldn't find it, no wonder he'd been very confused, there was no reason to have it on her in the first place, she should have just left it on her bedside table, but she had a feeling that Moon would be needed before things were settled with the weather, she was only glad they hadn't happened before this.

At least now, she could escape out the same windows her family was too large for, it was the first time in her life she was glad to be so small. She braced herself and tried to find a way to entice an argument with Mamoru, it went against everything they'd discussed only earlier this day, but instead of locking him in, she'd be locking him out, if she could get him to say something that should piss her off.

"What was all that about?" Mamoru's question was present the moment the door was opened, and she was caught off guard with the preparedness he had, himself.

She had to grope and make it up on the spot. She wasn't usually very good on her feet, but Mamoru always managed to help that skill along, at least. "It was my parents. They'd text'd my beeper, it's pretty fancy, it can receive texts but not send them. Apparently their flight will be coming in tomorrow afternoon or evening sometime and they're sending out a search party for me, in case I'm still alive after 2 weeks of defending for myself. The fact they can't get a hold of me is only cause for warning."

"I can't leave." Mamoru saw where it was going. "They'd have to find us first before I could make my escape, and where would I go then? My apartment? I live on the top floor, it won't happen Usako."

"Why would this be the first time your parents tried to contact you?"

"Because they probably tried before but the snow blocked the reception, just like the radio and power." That and this would be the first attack; someone was probably out, driven nuts by being kept in the house, or someone was trying to kill them. Who knew what drove someone outside when they still couldn't even see out of the window normally. She thought she might win this argument, but he wasn't giving her any reason to be mad.

"Ok, we'll deal with it when it comes about, but in the mean time, it's bed time Usako."

Usagi followed him, if she didn't go soon, they'd be calling her again and he'd know something was up by how insistent they were being. If he'd fall asleep soon as his head hit the pillow- but he slept with his arms locked around her and he'd wake up if she tried to get out.

She sighed and grabbed the metal lamp just inside her parent's door, she guessed Venus's suggestion was going to win. Mamoru was pulling back the blankets with his back to her, and she crashed the butt of the lamp down on his head. He collapsed with his top half strewn on the bed, and she pulled up his legs and covered him, placing a soft kiss on the spot she'd hit. "I'm so sorry Mamo-chan, it couldn't be helped." She felt completely terrible for hurting him, but he'd be more hurt if he followed her.

She bolted for the door and locked it behind her as she fled to her room, locking that door as well, transforming as she stepped. She threw open the window and braced herself for the cold that was bound to settle over him limbs in only a moment as she fought her way through the remaining snow.

Mamoru would be all right, she reassured herself with a final glance back to the doors separating them. She didn't hit him hard enough for a concussion, and he'd be out at most 10 minutes, long enough for her to escape.

She was out the window with mild abrasions, but otherwise all right from the hard top layer. With her first step, she broke through that layer and her leg was stuck until she flapped herself forward on the snow, spreading herself out to divide her weight and fought to free her leg. She scrambled up and rand as fast as she could, to avoid a repeat and her feet only sank an inch with each step. She was relieved she didn't have to snake her way there. She was going to use rooftops, but they had snow almost as deep and it would just be more work.

The major problem on her mind right now though, was the fact that her footprints could connect her to Usagi if anyone were to investigate before she could devise a way to hide it. She was very much doomed if Jadeite noticed either direction and Kamen wouldn't miss it. But as she got onto location, her mind was forced from her personal worries and instead concentrated on the battle.

"About time!" Mars shouted to the new arrival, having counted the minutes since the original push of the button to contact the Moon senshi. Although, how she could concentrate on that while avoiding the spiked arm swinging at her, she considered a matter of pride for multitasking so well.

Moon ignored her fiery scout and instead looked on at the youma. It was like a deranged octopus. It had large purple bat wings sticking out of its back and the color of the youma itself was an ugly yellow color. "Oh, ew." She complained as she looked on at the creature, really, viking colors? Didn't everybody know that opposites on the color wheel were just a bad idea, unless it was green and pink?

"Quit your whining!" Mars grumbled, and Moon stuck her tongue out at the dark haired senshi. They would have gotten into one of their mini battles but one of the tentacles of the creature struck out at the newest addition.

"Fresh meat!" It cackled and wrapped its rubbery limb around the Moon senshi. It whipped Moon around until she was throughly ensconced in the tentacle, the barbs sticking into her skin, and bringing it closer to the mouth it was opening wide to eat her, or at least swallow her whole.

"Moon!" Venus shouted and sent a crescent beam towards them, but missed as the youma was warned with the shout, and moved out of the way, bringing the Moon senshi into the fray instead, and Venus' beam hit Moon instead, and was quickly recalled once Venus realized she was hurting her own team member. "Sorry!" She called out, and readied to attack again.

After the initial scream in pain, Moon for her part tried not to add to Venus' guilt and winced, at the idea of Venus trying that again, with a youma just a hair smarter than the typical one. That hurt. She moaned to herself and struggled to free herself from the youma that was slowly squeezing the life out of her like a boa constrictor. But her arms were trapped at her sides and the youma had no intention of letting its meal go. Closer now, Moon could see the rows of sharp teeth, similar to a shark's mouth but much, much worse. She'd be sliced to ribbons long before she reached the internal acid chamber. Moon found it a relief she'd be long dead before she was eaten, unless those would only cause surface wounds and a lot of pain and would still be alive, sitting in its gut like granny red, either until she died of her skin burning and melting off or being freed by the butcher.

Moon closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, either more pain from her own senshi, or from the youma itself.

Mercury gasped in surprise and pulled Venus' hand away. "Are you a fool? You'll just hurt her more!"

"But we have to try something!" Venus replied, they were all dodging the remaining tentacles that would love to just put them all in the same position as their leader. How did she always manage to need saving, anyways?

Jupiter was rearing for a little hand to hand combat, her skill at knocking down walls with just a tap of her fingers, wanted to try it out on youma brains. Mars was considering frying it, but even if she did hit it, it still might transfer over to their friend.

The complication was taken out of their hands as a rose cleanly sliced through four of the limbs, including the one squeezing the life out of Moon. He swooped in and dodging the other ones that came to replace the fallen octopus arms, while those grew back, he ducked, jumped and barreled through them until they were safely out of reach.

---

Mamoru was furious. He'd been pulling the bedsheets back when suddenly he was out, and when he came too again, he had no idea how he'd managed to faceplant in the pillows with the blankets tucked nicely around him, and a huge headache forming in the location that was throbbing. A hand to the back of his head confirmed the bump now there. Usagi had knocked him out, then pretended as if she hadn't just caused him injury, by acting all sweet and making sure he'd stay warm and be mostly comfortable.

There was also the sensation that Moon needed him, more anger towards the blond brat he'd been calling his girlfriend, Moon was in danger, and because of Odango, he wasn't there to help her, like he promised he always would be. The delay could have cost her, her life and Mamoru would never forgive Usagi if she caused Sailor Moon's death.

However he didn't have time to look for Usagi, who'd locked the door he was currently occupying, and while it would be easy to barge into her room to find her, he just didn't have time to give her a through debriefing on how stupid it was, and why the hell had she knocked him out?

He pushed through the window in the back of this room and pulled himself out, everyone would be sleeping and so he transformed on the spot, vaulting over the snow covered roof and landed on the other side, near her's, a mistake if she was looking out, but easily rectified, but he could see an indent that was clearly Usagi's body. She'd decided to go running off? Why the hell would she do that?"

He was torn between chasing after his love, no matter how pissed he was at the moment, and helping Moon. But since both led in the same direction, he decided to follow the footprints. He'd wring some sense into her pretty little neck when he caught her. And to go traipsing off into a youma fight? He finally reached the end of the footprints before they became a mash up of many feet depressing the snow. If the senshi had to come out into this weather, because of Usagi- he might just have to be withheld from beating her himself, on just how stupid she was!

He saw that Moon was being held, but Venus was taking care of it, and so he looked around for the golden haired odango, no doubt shivering in the cold, not being properly attired. A quick glance around showed him neither his love standing, protected by the senshi or laying out of the way, unconscious. He winced both at the sight and the pain that ran through him with Venus' attack on the leader of the senshi.

He knew it hadn't been on purpose and the things that followed were very fast moving as he rained down several roses, effectively cutting the limbs off as the two senshi argued about how to best free her when they were all aggressive powers, save Venus' herself who had a mixture of both, but Moon was too close.

He sprinted in, pulling the girl out of harms way, her breathing was the first thing he took care of and using another rose cut through her bindings. He would have done this earlier, but his trust in the senshi it seemed was too large. As he leaned over her, checking her for other injuries, his gaze widened as he realized that he wouldn't be finding a blond odango unconscious on the ground, until now. It all made sense, why she'd ran off, why she'd run here, even hitting him over the head to knock him out, made it all very clear. It was stupid, as she'd harmed her protector and delayed him from helping her, but she had thought she had no choice, either admit it to him, or flee without his notice.

"We are going to have to talk after this." He growled in her ear, and even though the gaze was wide-eyed, she nodded, and he wasn't being fair, she hadn't known he was Kamen. He probably would have knocked her out too, except his would have been a lot gentler, by just putting her to sleep. The soft pounding in the back of his skull though was a sure reminder of that and his anger.

When Moon knocked him backwards, all he could do was put out an arm to brace himself and the other remained wrapped around her. He landed with a thud and a groan, which had instantly encouraged her concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just my wrist." He paused, seeing if she noticed the slip up, but she was frowning over it as they stood.

"I hope it's not broken. Someone I know just broke theirs, it's such a pain how long those injuries last." He completely agreed but shooed her off in the direction of the fight, she was needed to end this, but he stayed close. Especially now that he knew it was Usagi behind all that glamor.

She was concerned about him, and he was having a difficult time remaining mad at her. As the fight continued, he watched her purposely try to stay on her feet, though it wasn't always successful. But her senshi glared at him when he moved to go in and help her up, taking the spot for themselves.

---

Moon was aware of her senshi stiffening when she and Kamen spent too long together, and she tried to keep their attention off of him, and save his skin by not making him save her.

After she finally managed to attack the youma with her tiara, the youma lost a limb but managed to survive. She switched to her moon wand, she really just didn't understand how it was resting on her shoulders alone to defeat this enemy. Kamen's roses had saved her, so clearly it wasn't her powers that were the only one needed to take care of it. Then again... on the other hand, when Venus attacked, it seemed to hurt only Moon, and the youma only continued on what it was doing. Perhaps it needed a physical attack like Kamen's roses, but then her tiara hadn't worked either- she twirled the wand in her hand and focused some of her energy into the attack.

She drew on her own power source, one that wasn't supposed to exist- now where had that thought come from? She cleared her head of strange thoughts that made no sense, not even a little bit, nobody had ever claimed her magic was false, and it clearly wasn't, if she defeated the enemy.

Usagi released the energy at the youma, making short work of it, and she sighed in defeat, she was needed, she'd only wished that Mamoru would forgive her. She turned to go, seeing that Kamen had already disappeared, and her senshi had darted in front of her to stop her from the retreat, they wanted to talk to her.

"Come back with us Usa-chan!" Venus clomped onto Moon's arm and Moon glanced around fretfully, the enemy had a habit of staying, Venus hadn't known that, but they had taken to never calling each other by their citizen names unless they were in that form.

"I can't!" Gods, Mamoru would be furious, especially if he suspected that she'd abandon the house.

"Why not? You must be awfully lonely there."

"Shingo's there!" Moon whispered harshly, if Jadeite over heard any of this, her identity would be shot for good. "Wouldn't he think it was suspicious if I never let him out of his room? He might die of starvation!"

"So we'll come with you!" Venus dropped her arm around Moon's shoulders.

For a senshi so dedicated and strict about things, she was awfully dense about others. Mamoru would never see what was coming if the girls suddenly arrived at her house and saw a boy with her. Not just any boy, but one they disliked just because he argued with her so much, and wondered what else he could possibly do to her if given a chance. Not that he would, but they thought evil things about the guy. Rei less so than the others as she'd had a crush on him from the moment he'd opened his big mouth and called her Odango, a nickname she'd picked up instantly. They didn't think he would try anything sexual but he might just spike her drink enough so she'd fall out of a window, or lock her in a closet and claim it was a diet tactic he was trying on her. Things of the like, if they knew that the two had admitted to falling in love- and- Moon couldn't think past that, Mamoru was officially going to be hidden from their view, until at least they could think of a way to break it to them without them flaying him alive.

He'd have to start by being nicer to her during their arguments, and then work from there. Moon winced at the idea of having to put on those arguments for the others' benefits. They argued enough as it was, but to make it that bitter, mean way, she was not looking forward to the harsh barbs that would only hurt more because it was coming from the one she loved. However on the other side of that idea, it could go the other way as well, she could say all the words, but not feel it, as she knew how much he loved her underneath and he could reassure her when they were alone.

"Venus-baka, wouldn't you think it was weird with four girls suddenly appearing in their house when the snow is still up to the rafters? How would we pretend that we got in there, or why?" Mars grumbled, finding a girl that annoyed her worse than Moon.

"Well, we could say that we were worried about her! And we can get in the same way she got out, by digging our way in!"

Moon shook her head. "Where's Luna?" She asked instead of continuing that conversation.

"She's at my place sleeping." Mars admitted. "She and Artemis are curled up on the bed near the great fire and haven't moved much in over two weeks. Too lazy to come check out the battle. Besides, it falls into the same thought, how would Luna suddenly show up at your place?"

Moon breathed a silent breath of relief, glad for once that she didn't need to come up with a diversionary tactic for Luna. Luna came up with it herself in this case. She cheered at her silent battle, for once she was going to win without resorting to violence. However Moon felt defeated at having to return back to Mamoru who would kill her for knocking him out and as she trudged her way past her friends, and she caught sight of two pairs of footprints leading the way she had come and another going back in the same direction. Moon gulped, Jadeite could have made the treks, he could have followed it back to her place, and then finding where she lived, come back to the battle, but then why wasn't he here to gloat?

Or why didn't he just transport back here after following there? Moon looked around frantically for Mamoru, wondering if he'd followed her, but she didn't see him anywhere, and didn't recall him during the battle either. She was in a hurry now to return to him and make sure he was all right. She turned though, a few steps into the direction she was intending to go, but if she told the senshi- they'd follow her back. Moon waited until they disappeared out of sight and were on their way back to the temple and she was half way home when she contacted Mercury on the communicator.

"I just thought of this- what about our tracks?"

"I'll add a light dusting of snow to cover them, they should at least make it difficult to follow or understand that people made them."

Moon accepted it, Mercury would wait until we were all back safely in our respective locations before doing so, Moon just had to contact her with the message. Moon again wondered why the battle even took place, there was nobody to save, she'd have to ask at the next meeting, if the youma was just wandering the streets, it shouldn't have brought the senshi's attention to it. She was surprised that she hadn't felt the attack, but maybe she could only feel it if someone was in danger, not just a general youma attack.

Moon stopped outside of her house and contacted Ami, anything inside, she would have to deal with on her own. Moon slid through the window, having every intention of going back to normal once inside, and the curtains drawn, hoping nobody would have seen Moon slipping into this house. Moon squeaked when she saw a tall man inside, sitting comfortably on her bed, with his feet out in front of him, the shoes on her comforter.

Moon's eyes went from the dark boots, fully expecting gray pants to follow, but was confused when it was black instead. Her eyes skimmed all the way up to his broad chest. Where most tuxedos were black coat, black vest and white shirt, his was a little different, with a white vest instead of black. She didn't need to look any further, but she did anyways, and was faced with a domino mask over the eyes that had always fascinated her in what color they could be, and the black locks that peaked out of his top hat and brushed that white mask.

"Tuxedo Kamen?" She whispered in surprise. "Wa-what are you doing here?" She felt like she couldn't talk straight with him lounging casually in her bed, totally taken off guard. "I knew you wanted to talk, but to follow me here?" She was starting to get angry, Mamoru was still in the house no doubt, what would he do to him, or has already done? Her mind asked silkly.

"I didn't follow you here. As you can see, I've been here longer than you have. I should be asking you what you are doing in this girl's house." He gestured at the pink decorations and Moon started to boil over, for he was dodging the issue here.

"Fine!" She snapped. "You followed the footprints back, you should be ashamed of yourself for breaking my trust like this and commandeering my identity. The only thing I care about is what you have done to the guy that was in this house!"

Kamen grinned, pleased that she was worried more about his safety than her own, or her identity. "If you'll notice, the door is still locked, just the way you left it. I only came in through your window to wait for you."

Moon glared at the masked man, furious that he'd play this game with her. "What do you want?"

Kamen raised a tailored eyebrow at the demand. "Aren't I in charge of this little meeting, as I have the upper hand?" Moon huffed and sank onto the window seat, her back to the falling snow that Mercury had conjured up. She really was torn by the light powder, she never wanted to see snow again for making her holed up in the house, but at the same time, she was pleased with it because it allowed her and Mamoru to get to know each other so well and grow so close in the short span of time.

"Whatever. Just get it out and go. Unless you want to kill me or take me to your leader." She waved him on, pulling her legs up.

"I'm surprised, you don't trust me?"

"I used to whole heartedly, but sneaking into my house like this is a little sketchy."

Kamen swung his legs around and stood up from the bed. She thought he was just going to tower over her as he came closer but he knelt down in front of her. "What would possess you to have any doubt now? I could have followed you back at anytime, but I never did."

"I'm just worried about my friends." She looked away but his gloved hand turned her face back towards him and she sighed. "I still trust you, which is why I haven't called the others here."

"What lie did you weave for them to believe you safe to go off on your own?"

"I told them my brother was here, and it would be weird if I suddenly disappeared or they suddenly arrived when we're snowed in like we are."

"You're brother isn't here." He encouraged.

"No. Yet you are, don't you know that already?"

"I told you, I haven't left this room since I've entered it, leaving everything as you have set it up."

"So you don't know if he's all right?" Moon jumped to her feet to go check on Mamoru, there were three sets of footprints, before her own joined them. Kamen could have easily taken a different path that she'd just didn't notice. She reached for the handle to the door, but a gloved hand wrapped around her elbow, just above her own and pulled her back into a warm embrace.

"He is all right, smarting from a headache, and an abandoned lithe pixie, but other than that, he is unharmed. Are you injured from the battle at all?"

Moon shook her head. "No, you saved me in time."

"Knocking out the one who protects you, isn't the smartest thing you've done Usagi."

"I know, I have to apologize for it- hey wait, what?" She glanced up at him in confusion. "How did you know my name and what do you mean, the one that protects me?"

"It seems as if I've been assigned that role in all of my forms." He knocked off the top hat and hesitated before removing his mask. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Moon didn't move, confused and concerned what this could mean, so Kamen lifted her hand up to the mask and wrapped her fingers around the edge.

"It's only fair you find out my identity on your own, as I have yours."

Moon's hand slipped away, intending to leave his privacy in place, but unfortunately succeeded to knock it off with the movement.

Standing there was a dark haired man, with the bangs brushing along the corners of dark eyes, eyes that were so blue in color it was like looking at the sky in nighttime with the moon to cast a sheen onto the heavens, making it glitter in the darken sky. "It's like my drawing." She whispered. "It was only a joke, Kamen being Mamoru. But Mamoru is Kamen, Kamen is Mamoru." She sank forward, her hands sliding down his lapels and eyes closing in a faint.

Mamoru dressed still as Kamen caught the soldier of justice as she slid down his chest, and held her against him. She must have just fainted from the surprise of it all, not for any disappointment or shock, he reassured himself and pulled back her comforter on her bed and placed her in it, before allowing himself to become fully Mamoru and slipped in with her. It was tighter quarters than her parent's bed, but he felt it wiser to allow her to adjust to this news in the same place where she first learned it, so she wouldn't press it off as only a dream.

The next morning found Mamoru under Moon's slight weight, she laid on him for the most part, although she was stationed between his legs and her head was flopped onto his chest. He was running his fingers through her hair when she blinked those soft blue eyes open up at him and she smiled sleepily. "Morning Mamo-chan." Then she looked first at their strange position then at the room as a whole and her eyes widened as she too realized she was still Moon.

"Surprise!" He said gently looking kindly down at her, all anger spent and gone. Then as he reached to spread his fingers at the top of her long golden hair again, she scrambled to her feet and pulled at her clothes and hair. "Don't harm yourself please, I spend enough time chasing the enemies off, I don't want to have to worry about what you can do to yourself if I'm not watching."

Moon whined in distress before she glanced around, and at the blinded window before she released her powers, and sank onto the bed at his feet. He sat up so he was in a similar position as earlier only it was Mamoru and not Kamen that greeted her. "You're not disappointed?" She questioned and he laughed loudly.

"That's my question for you!" He explained when her face fell.

She shook her head before she moaned and buried her face in her hands. "This isn't going to work, it was bad enough when it was just Mamoru, being both is the ultimate stupidity! You'll be dead before I can even start the first word."

Mamoru leaned forward and pulled her hands away from her face, trying to look into it, and had to duck down to be on eye level. "What are you talking about?"

Usagi didn't want to make sense of the dreams she had the night before, so much clearer, crisper and informative than she was used to, and they all pointed towards one thing, the one thing everybody wanted but would die if they knew the truth. So she'd blocked it out, but if it were the truth and they did learn it, she'd never be able to get close to a male, not even Motoki. Motoki would have to give her food to one of them and then they would bring it to her table, where they had blocked off any adjacent to it. No, Mamoru wouldn't be dead on the first word, he'd be dead before she even walked into the crown with a smile plastered on her face with the new she would share. "We have to pretend we still hate each other." She finally told him, and he still didn't understand. "The girls can never know we're dating. We have to just not, pretend this never happened."

"Woah, wait a minute, what are you saying? You want us to break up before we've even started?" Usagi's head bobbed in agreement, it was the only way to keep him alive. "Forget that notion! What makes you think I would ever agree to that?"

"The senshi will kill you." Usagi whispered, deadly serious. "If they know that we are close, in any way other than what it has been, you will be a dead man."

"So, they don't have to find out that I'm Kamen." He thought he figured it all out. "We'll just keep that part a secret."

"They will kill Mamoru for even daring to touch me. I think they trust him just about as much as they trust Kamen. At least Kamen saves me, only thing you ever do is keep me from hitting the ground when I run into you."

"I'm not just going to give you up!" He vehemently denied. "I will prove my worth to your senshi, and they'll just accept it." Usagi winced at that idea. "No dice?"

Usagi shook her head. "I'm afraid if things are as they seem at the moment, the girls will hate for any guy to be in a hundred foot radius, enough to even see me."

It was bad enough being leader of the senshi, she was protected to the hilt, especially because they saw her as so weak. When they found the Moon princess, Usagi felt bad for her, as the moon princess was supposed to be pure and protected at all costs, a male was not to ever desecrate her space with his impure thoughts, and anyone who even looked at her funny could have their eyes gouged out. There was a man, in the history of the Moon who had managed to get close to the princess, and had caused the down fall of the silver millennium. That man if ever found, or even his contenders to the princess, would have a similar fate as in they'd be castrated and then murdered to look like an outsider's assassination, leaving the senshi's hands clean.

As there was no Moon Princess to ensure this position currently, that same fate fell on anyone who looked at their leader funny. As she was to be the one clear headed and not to be distracted by any male and on whose shoulders the fate of the world rested.

Hence, Usagi and Mamoru's relationship was thoroughly fucked. Usagi buried her head into Mamoru's chest. "We can't date, I can't let any harm befall you, and it will, if they learn any of this."

"Usako, honey." Mamoru was determined to not let her go. He would never allow any real harm to grace her, physically or emotionally, and if that meant being selfish then he would do so. They'd be torn apart if they remained apart, that much was obvious to him, and he could never do that, but he couldn't let her either. "I'm willing to date you in secret, and keep Kamen and Moon from presenting a folly driven front. If this means arguing with you in public and loving you in private, I'm willing to work on that."

Usagi looked at him with wonder. Maybe over time, she'd figure out a way to keep the girls from destroying him on the spot, but she didn't want to part from him either. With a deep sigh she nodded. "I'll work on getting around them as well. They don't follow me everywhere I go."

"Usako, it will all work out and we will be together."

Usagi sighed, before wrapping her arms around his neck. "Yes together, I won't let this tear us apart." She leaned in close when she suddenly stopped. "Mamo-chan, why is even your tie white?"

EAN: So I had a lot of ways I was going to have them learn the identity of each other, but in the end, I guess I kind of tried to combine most of them. I'm not sure how well it worked out, perhaps you could tell me what you think? I was kind of tired of writing this story and writing in general by this chapter, though I still like the story as a whole. We've only got an epilogue now! Tehehehe, and after that... eventually I'll type up a story I wrote a long time ago on paper, but it's currently at home, and I only have the first chapter, so I'll save you the stress of looking for it! It won't be until at least winter break. I think I was just done with school and typing up a hundred papers all 5-10 pages each. Not to fear my lovelies, I wont abandon you!

EAN2: So I was looking over my profile and I've been very naughty it seems. It looks to me as if there are several stories I have not updated in quite some time, five years I think is some of the more extreme cases. I had not realized this. I thought for sure I update more frequently, and some are just so close to the end.... oh me. Well... It does give me a project to work on this weekend, the only trouble is trying to figure out which version on which disk is the most recent one. I'll try working on that while I work on my homework as well. It's a good avoidance tactic.