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Afew weeks later Mamoru was sitting in his room looking over a course guide from Tokyo U his father had given him. He was happy things had gone back to normal. Usagi was super joyous again and annoying as ever creating chaos in the house. His mom was also annoying as ever and to top things off Shingo and Usagi bickered non-stop. This didn't stop him from wanting to kiss Usagi though. She was like a drug that he had to stay away from. If his mother ever found out the way he felt about her it would be the end of him. Chiba Hina would be planning a wedding tomorrow not caring that they were only eighteen and seventeen.

There was a knock at his door.

"Mamoru?" He heard Usagi call his name.

"Come in Odango." He said amused that she was at his door for once. She cracked it open.

"Can I bother you for a minute?" She asked from around the door. She had her glasses off and he had to look away from her.

"Sure."

She walked in looking around. "I've never been in here." She told him.

She looked around at his room. Gray walls. Navy blue bedding on a queen size bed that had a dark wood frame. A side table with practical items. A lamp and alarm clock. His desk was neat and tidy, unlike hers. Books were lines up on the top of it neatly in size order. There was another tall book shelf on a wall and it too held books. And one nice comfy arm chair she deemed was for reading all of his books. The walls were bare with the exception of a cork board, also neatly organized, and navy curtains that framed his window that led out to the balcony he shared with Usagi.

"Your kind of boring, Mamo-chan."

"Mamo-chan?" He asked her with a laugh. She had called him this nickname before but that was during a 'moment'.

"Well Mamoru Chan is a mouthful." She smiled at him. He loved her smile.

"Anyway. I made you this." She presented a good luck charm for his test.

"What is it?" He asked not knowing if he should take it.

She rolled her eyes. "A good luck charm." She tied it to his bag that was sitting next to the desk.

"Usagi?" She questioned as he watched her nimble fingers knot the strings firmly to his bag.

"Yeah?"

"What is it you want to do when you are older?" He asked her. True curiosity in his tone.

"I will be the supreme ruler of Sol, also known as our Solar System." She winked.

He starred at her. Such an Usagi answer. "Okay, your highness. No seriously what is it you want to do?"

"Don't laugh." She told him seriously. He nodded. "If I had my way I would go to college get some pointless degree that I could never do anything with. Then I would get married, have kids and be the best housewife ever." She said with fervor. "That's kind of my dream." She said with a far off look in her eye. She bit her lip knowing that it would never happen. Her destiny had been set in the stars for thousands of years.

"Minus the college part, that sounds like a pretty achievable goal." He joked. "Oh and the fact that you cannot cook at all and you are messy… and then the part about getting someone to marry you…"

She hit him with the pillow on his arm chair. He laughed and grabbed it from her.

"Why? What do you want to do?" She said annoyed are his assessment of her. She had all of the skills she needed to rule a solar system and keep it safe.

"I have no idea. I am not even sure I want to go to college." He mused out loud. He had never told anyone this.

She gasped. "But you are so smart! I thought that you wanted to take over your dad's company?"

He spun in his desk chair, catching himself on the desk with his hand. "It's honestly the last thing I want to do. I am sick of my parents pushing me to do everything they want. If they had their way I would be at Toyko U, take over the business, and marry you."

She looked away, uncomfortable. But then she turned back to him. "Mamoru, do whatever you want to do. You only get one life. If you want to be a garbage man and live in a hovel then do it. It would be a waste of potential, but hey. It's your life. Some people have no say in their future." She told him trying to hide her hurt.

"I just want to do what I want. I do not want to be bound to anything." He told her.

The realization dawned on her that they really never could be together if this is how he felt. If he were actually ever with her the way she wanted, then he would be king. It would be a binding contract. He would be miserable being chained to so much responsibility.

"You should do whatever your heart tells you to do. Good luck tomorrow on your test." She told him leaving his room quickly.

The moment she left her cell phone went off. "Never a moment of peace." She said to herself answering the phone.

"I will be there as soon as I can. I am across town."

She ran it to her room putting on a coat and slipping her gym shoes on. It only took them a week to re-group with Jadeite and now she needed a new plan. She wondered which shintennou would be her next target.

She opened the window and jumped out and off the balcony. She transformed as soon as she was out of sight.

She ran in to a shit storm. It was so bad that even Uranus and Neptune were fighting. A deep submerge rocking the city.

Nephrite floated over the chaos, sitting in midair as if he were on a throne.

"Your pathetic, Nephrite!" Sailor Moon yelled at him. "Attacking innocent shoppers!"

"My queen needs energy." He smirked at her. "Yours was amazing when I almost killed you."

"Yeah? Your queen? What about your wife? What does she need?" Sailor Moon taunted him.

Nephrite righted himself. "Sailor Moon, your pathetic attempts may have worked on such weak minds as Jadeites, but they will not work on me."

He threw a ball of energy at her and Sailor Moon threw up a shield blocking him.

She heard General Jadeites' attack of "FIRE DRAGON!" And she smirked at Nephrite.

"Look around, Jadeite has been re-united with his wife. He is wearing his true uniform of white and blue. I am going to go destroy your youma while you think about who you really are and not what you have been brainwashed to be." Nephrite's jaw went slack and then he roared disappearing.

"Huh, well that may have worked." Sailor Moon jumped down in to the fight.

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Usagi lay sleeping in her bed. Artemis had to transport her home after she passed out from awaking so many people. She didn't even kill the youma her scouts took care of that on her behalf. Two youma, twice as much energy she had to give of herself. Artemis needed the senshi to work faster to change the shinteou back and he would express his concerns tomorrow to them. He was worried that there would mass attack and take as much energy as they could which could result in Metilla being released.

He gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and went down to his room.

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Mamoru was running late. He was never late but for some reason he did not hear his alarm. Rushing down stairs everyone was waiting for him.

"Son, are you not going to eat?" Hina asked when she saw him putting on his shoes.

He looked around for Usagi but she was nowhere in sight. She must still be sleeping.

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"You are late!" Motoki said rubbing his cold hands together.

"You're here?" Mamoru chided back swiping his train pass.

"I might as well take the test." Motoki shrugged as they got on to the train.

Being late was not even the worst part of the day. When the doors on the train closed the charm Usagi had tied on the night before had gotten stuck in the door. He couldn't even take it off and he had to wait for a worker to come and dislodge it.

Running to meet Motoki he fell down a flight of stairs and landed on his leg all wrong.

"Mamoru!" Motoki came running over. He tried to stand up but he was sure his ankle was sprained.

"I think Usagi gave you a cursed charm…" He sighed.

"I am going to throw this damn thing away." Mamoru grunted under his breath and Motoki helped him to the infirmary.

"Don't do that. Anything Usagi does she does with love. Look what she did for Jadeite san and Rei Chan just so they could be together." Motoki told him.

"You mean almost dying right? What did she do jump in front of the damn youma to try and save him?" Mamoru growled.

Motoki grimaced at his words but Usagi was strong and he was sure nothing could kill her. She was unstoppable. "Even if anyone tried to stop her… she wouldn't listen if it was for someone she cared about." He said.

"What do we have here?" The nurse said looking at Mamoru as Motoki helped him limp in.

"I fell and I think I sprained my ankle." He told her wondering if it was fate he may miss the exam.

"Sit here." She pointed to the bench.

"I don't mean to be rude but can we make this quick? I need to take the exam that starts soon."

She nodded. "For a handsome boy like you anything."

Mamoru and Motoki rushed to the exam room just in time but while taking the test a migraine appeared like he had never had before. He must have hit his head when he fell down the stairs.

The paper blurred and he did the best he could to finish the exam.

"How did you think you did?" Motoki asked after the test.

"I think I failed." He told him honestly.

"Honto!" Motoki yelled. "Is this all because of Usagi Chan!"

"Even if it is... it's okay." Mamoru told him.

"Usagi is going to be devastated when she finds out." Motoki said as he unlocked the door to the Crown so they could open for lunch.

"I will treat you to some coffee. Go sit in the booth and put your feet up." He said to his best friend.

Mamoru walked to the bathroom first, but stopped.

"Onii chan!" He heard a familiar voice call out.

"Usagi?" He heard Motoki ask.

"Eh! It's just me. I was coming up to make some coffee." She answered.

Mamoru strained his ears to hear.

"Usa… Did you sleep here, again?" He asked her.

"I had stuff to take care of on the computer. Will you be here tonight? It's my shift." He heard her say. "Trouble loves company."

"You and Minako?" Motoki asked.

Usagi flushed. "We have the most fun."

Usagi watched as Motoki looked around.

"Looking for someone?" She asked with a sly smile.

"Mamoru is here with me. Maybe he went to the bathroom." Motoki had forgotten. He was so used to Usagi being here in the mornings.

"Motoki!" Usagi hissed.

"Shh. I am about to open anyway."

Mamoru made his presence known. "Morning Usagi. Always come here early?"

"Mamoru!" Usagi faked surprise. "What are you doing here?"

He raised an eyebrow at her playing along. "Motoki surprised me this morning taking the entrance exam also."

"Oni! Honto? It thought you were coming with me to college." She said to Motoki.

He laughed. "I may as well take the test to see if I am smart enough to transfer in two years."

She nudged him. "Of course you are. Maybe not as smart as Mamoru but smart enough."

"Hey!" Motoki said pretending to be hurt.

"You two sit down. I will get some cups for coffee." Motoki told them. "Rest your foot, Mamoru."

"Nani? Your foot?" Usagi asked with concern in her eyes looking down at his feet.

"What did you do! Are you okay?" She asked fretting over him.

"Fell down some stairs." He retorted. "I am okay."

She gave him an appraising look.

"Usagi!" Motoki came back with the coffee. "I just realized you are not wearing your glasses! Go get them!" Motoki scolded looking at Mamoru with an annoyed expression.

Usagi scrunched her nose. She reached in to her subspace pocket quickly like she was pulling them from a back pocket and put them on.

"Why does she have to put them on?" Mamoru questioned about to take them off Usagi's face.

"Have you seen her without them on? I can't have her running around the streets with men after her all the time." Motoki told him seriously.

"TOKI!" Usagi yelled. She turned to Mamoru. "He is exaggerating."

"Keep them on, odango." Mamoru ordered her sternly.

She put her nose in the air. "For now I will but I will not be wearing them come Uni."

He was going to retort when the doors of the Crown slid open.

"USAGI! TOKI!"

"Minna!" Usagi jumped up to meet them.

"Oh, Mamoru san is here too." Minako wiggled her eyebrows.

Usagi blushed. "It was just coincidence. I was using Motoki's computer to finish some homework." She said loudly so Mamoru would hear.

"Oh today was the big test day, huh?" Jadeite asked, Motoki walking back in the room with Styrofoam cups and a pot of coffee. Ami went to help him pour for everyone.

Mamoru and Motoki nodded.

"How did it go? I bet you did really well Mamoru-san." Ami said.

"I think I failed." He shrugged.

"Nani!" Everyone's mouths dropped except for Jadeite. He laughed getting a nudge in the gut from Rei.

"Did my charm not work?" Usagi asked tears in her eyes.

Mamoru looked at Usagi in her eyes. "No. It worked perfectly." And he gave her a smile.

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The next couple months, things went by the same as before. The team had failed to change Nephrite even though they could tell he was wavering. Makoto almost had a stroke when Nephrite started getting close to another girl in their class named Osaka Naru during his attacks. He even saved her once and Makoto was really starting to lose it. The grades that they had begun to keep up started to slip for Makoto as her stress built. She found her solace is baking and even though Usagi felt for her, she had to admit she loved the food.

Artemis talked about how important it was for them to defeat the youma before they could take more energy which required more overnight shifts one of them staying in the command center and one of them out patrolling the more populated parts of Tokyo. Even though Motoki's system worked fine Artemis stationed someone back in to the control system over night. Time was everything. He worked during the day in the control center and worked from there at the same time. It was a blessing that they had Jadeite to take night shifts as well with the odd numbers. That meant instead of a weekend shift only once or twice a month maybe two, they all had two shifts once a week. Every time they thought it was pointless, Nephrite would release holy hell his attacks getting stronger from the excess energy he was stealing. But with their new system they got their twice as fast and ended the battles quickly.

It was luck that school was almost over. Two more months left.

Usagi rejoiced when she found out that Mamoru passed his pre-test with flying colors and he was leaving early today to take his final qualifying exam. She had done a full overnight but she was home and changed by five am and by six she was waiting for Mamoru at the door.

"Usagi?" He asked as he grabbed his bag surprised to see her waiting.

"Motoki told me what happened with the charm." She bowed her head in shame. "So I am going to go with you to make sure you make it alive." She told him with a determined look on her face.

"Even if I told you no… you're still going to come aren't you?" He asked her slipping on his shoes.

"Yup!" She nodded, her odangos bobbing up and down.

"Let's go then, odango." She gave him a stank eye but went and grabbed two the thermoses of coffee. Hers was extra strong and they were off.

Mamoru and Usagi were silent as they walked side by side to the train platform. She couldn't help but to be impressed by him and proud. He was so smart and handsome. He had not kissed her since last year but she was okay with it. The love she felt for him was growing stronger, a bond she could not explain. The bond with him started to form right after he kissed her in her room. It was almost like if she wanted to know where he was she could find him if she tried hard enough. This comfort helped since she saw him less as attacks came more frequently. It was scary.

Motoki was waiting for them on the train platform giving Usagi a quick hug.

"Worried he was going to die on the way there?" Motoki joked.

"Possibly." She smiled.

"Aren't you tired? He asked her. She shook her thermos of coffee at him.

"Tired from what? Odango goes to bed super early and has been getting up later and later every day. She runs to catch up with me on the way to school." Mamoru scoffed.

Usagi blushed scratching her head. "He's right." She giggled but Motoki didn't find it funny. She was up all night with the new patrolling and sleeping in the command center with the other girls. He put an arm around her. Mamoru saw red but kept his face unreadable. The only give away was the way his fists clenched.

"I'm going to the temple after this to help Rei chan." Which was code for I am going to sleep for as long as I can.

"Good." Motoki stated.

"Don't worry so much. You are going to go gray. Oh!" She jumped up and down. "Ami is taking the test today too! The University practically begged her to." She remembered her pride for her friend evident.

"I am glad you have at least one smart friend, Odango." Mamoru teased her.

She just smiled. "I thought we were friends? And Toki is smart so that makes three smart friends."

He rolled his eyes but he was glad she still considered him a friend.

The train stopped and before they knew it they were at the gates of the university.

"Okay! Good luck both of you! You are super early so go and study more!" She told them with a cheer.

"Cut down on the caffeine." Motoki told her.

"Just go." She said waving them off.

"She is really something else." Mamoru told Motoki as they walked in to the gates and toward the building.

"You know what I think." Motoki said. "I think you like her."

Mamoru stopped walking and looked at his best friend. "Nani?"

"Tell me you don't?" Motoki challenged him, his arms crossing across his chest.

But Mamoru didn't have time to answer him back. An explosion took place behind them causing screams from everyone trying to enter the school.

"USAGI!" Mamoru started to run toward the chaos. He knew, he didn't know how but he knew she was still close by. He followed whatever force was pulling him to her. Motoki was behind him trying to keep up.

He saw the youma in the center of the area that surrounded the train stop. Mamoru had never seen one so close up before. This one was huge and had at least six tentacle arms. The mad youma's semi-human face was purple as it grabbed a car and threw it in to another one causing them to explode.

The boys looked on in shock. They were both scanning the people looking for Usagi when Mamoru's eyes landed on a small child crying. It was about to be too late as a tentacle came flying toward the little girl.

Mamoru and Motoki saw as Usagi ran toward the kid at full speed, her hair trailing behind her like ribbons. She grabbed the kid out of harms way before she was hurt, with a tuck and roll, the child securely protected. Mamoru's heart was about to ease as she handed the screaming child to its mother. "Run." He saw her mouth and the mother took off.

Then the arm came back around catching Usagi off guard hurling her through the air in to the brick wall that made up the steps leading to the train platform. She fell to the ground the wall crumbling behind her.

"USAGI!" He yelled again going toward her trying to make it through the crowd of people running away. She was dead. She was dead was all he could think. He never made it to her. The tentacle reached out and grabbed up Usagi out of the rubble, laughing.

Usagi screamed as the tentacle wrapped around her like a vice stealing her energy.

"MECURY AQUA RAPSODY!" Cried out over her scream.

The blast hit the youma dropping Usagi unceremoniously to the ground.

"FIRE SOUL! Blasted away another wounding a tentacle as Mamoru made it to Usagi and lifted her up out of the wreckage. He ducked as he ran with her toward safety.

Meanwhile the scouts were taking a beating by the dark energy that was being flung at them. Their leader down and Artemis's warning in their head they had to come together to stop this menace.

"SAILOR PLANET POWER!" Rang out as they gave it their all. The youma screamed in defeat before it was destroyed. Many people still lay in the street, as their energy could not be given back. They didn't know how to give it to the humans the way they could heal each other. Only Usagi could through her crystal, taking from herself to give to others.

The senshi looked on, breathing hard. Venus training kicked in.

"Mercury scan them. We were quick and with Uranus and Neptune here maybe it is not as bad as it looks." She ordered taking the lead. This was not the first or last youma they had taken down without Usagi.

Mercury pulled out her computer and scanned over the people. Venus was right. Only 25% was taken. They would be okay. Ambulances and fire trucks pulled up on the scene and Venus went to meet with them to explain that everyone would be okay. She told them to start preparing coffee, tea, and fruit. And if they couldn't get that candy, sweets and soda would work as well. Anything with sugar would be helpful.

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Mamoru sat next to Usagi's bed in the hospital. He had asked for Dr. Mizuno the moment he ran in with Usagi limp in his arms. She had to be rushed in to surgery and Mamoru had to wait for Artemis to come before they could start operating. It had been a tense time but somehow Artemis was in the hospital only minutes later claiming to be in a business meeting close by.

Her appendix had exploded either with her being thrown in to the wall or from the grip of the monster arm. Half dollar sized welts covered any exposed skin that came in contact with the tentacle.

Her face was bruised and she a gash above her eyebrow. Her shoulder was dislocated but they fixed that during surgery.

It was with sick realization that last time she was attacked she must have taken a direct energy blow. Usagi was tough and really stupid he thought. He had seen what she looked like after her last attack having snuck in to her room to lay with her. Her body was covered in what seemed like burn marks and she was bruised all over. She was crying in her sleep and the moment he was next to her she slept soundly. It was insane that she had healed so quickly but Mamoru had attributed it to the magic of the youma.

Artemis had told him and Motoki to go take their test once they knew the extent of Usagi's injuries.

Mamoru didn't want to take the damn test. He wanted to go to college with Usagi at Azubu University. He wanted to be able to protect her. Motoki and Ami both didn't take the test either as the waiting room had been filled with her four friends, Jadeite, his parents and Shingo, Haruka Tenou and her girlfriend, who Mamoru had to admit was one of the most beautiful woman he had seen… after Usagi that is. He could not believe that Usagi knew Kaiouh Micharu. She was a famous musician and she was just as frantic as everyone else.

His father had been smart not to argue with him about not wanting to go to Tokyo University. He said he would in two years just like Motoki's plan.

Motoki eyed him as if he knew the real reason, but he also knew that Mamoru would never admit to it.

Artemis had gotten Usagi a private room, a luxury private room. Mamoru did not realize that he had so much money. He knew he paid rent to stay at his house in addition to paying for all of the food but one of these rooms was reserved for millionaires. Mamoru snorted looking at Usagi. Artemis did need to pay for food. Usagi ate like a sumo wrestler.

Her eyes opened slowly and she looked over at Mamoru who was smiling.

"What's so funny?" She asked, her mouth dry.

"You are awake." Mamoru said letting go of her hand. She realized this and frowned.

"What? What's wrong?" He said nervously.

"I like you holding my hand." She pouted.

"Geeze. You're the only person I know who would be upset over that when you could have been killed."

"Got to take what I can get." She smirked. He had to laugh at her and he grabbed her hand again. She smiled.

"What happened? Was the youma destroyed? Were people killed?" She said the worry starting to come through in her voice.

"Calm down, no one died and yes they defeated it. You were the only one who was almost killed, baka."

"That little girl would have died if I didn't save her. She never would have survived that blow." She told him sternly.

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Mamoru snapped at her. He didn't want to have to relive those memories. How had Usagi survived that blow he now wondered? She was still awake when the youma grabbed her up.

She bit her lip. "How was the test? How did you do?"

"I didn't take it." He said letting go of her hand and sitting back in the chair, crossing his arms.

She tried to sit up and winced. He came to push her down but she slapped his hand away.

"What do you mean you didn't take it?" She asked, tears in her eyes. "Did everyone not take it because of the attack? Was it pushed back?"

"No, I didn't want to take it. I am going to go to Azubu University."

"Why? You are too smart for Azubu." She told him quickly.

"Well, all three of your smart friends are going to Azubu." He retorted.

But this smart-ass comment only made her start to cry. She was so sick of everyone giving up stuff for her. All of her friends and her senshi. Even Diamond. Seyia was the only one who made the right choice not to come back.

She wiped at her tears. "Well it makes me happy to know that this was your choice. I don't think I could bare it if you gave up Tokyo Uni because of me."

"Have I ever given up anything because of you, Odango?" He scoffed at her.

Except his sanity, his control, his lock down of his emotions, now a prestigious college. The more he thought about it…. It wasn't like he gave them up for her. It was frustrating yes but he seemed to be a willing participant in the enigma that was Tsukino Serenity Usagi.

"Did I have surgery?" She asked him confused as she patted her abdomen.

"Yes, your appendix burst." He told her. She looked perplexed.

"Huh. I would have thought that I would have not been born with such useless body parts. Oh well."

He couldn't help it he burst out laughing. She had been serious.

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Usagi was allowed to go home the next day, unlike other patients. Dr. Mizuno didn't want anyone to see how fast she recovered. The scouts also had multiple injuries from the youma. The girls, Jade, and Artemis met in Usagi's room while Mamoru and Shingo were at school, Mr. Chiba at work and Hina shopping.

"Sailor Moon was down for only one attack and you all had to use Sailor Planet Attack to defeat the youma. We need to power up a level but we are not on the moon so we can't actually train with our attacks." Artemis started. This is when he needed Luna. She had this insight of how to gain power. If his wife, Queen Selene, had been reborn then she also could have solved this issue. She had been wise beyond her many years, a wonder queen, mother and wife but she was a warrior. He thought of his deceased wife and the pain of the knowledge he hurt Luna. He had caused Usagi to lose her mother figure and that is why he stayed in the Chiba household. Hina was filling a void in something that Selene or Luna could never have given her. Normalcy.

"Power ups are usually emotional though." Minako mused. "We each had one after defeating that stupid tree and Wiseman."

"If the youma are getting strong that must mean they are also expelling more energy to create them. So if we can become stronger and take them down faster we will have time to break down each general until they are released from Beryl's spell." Ami rationalized.

"And we cannot use Sailor Planet Power to do it. Heaven forbid anything like that happens to Usagi again and too much energy is taken from the people." Micharu stated grabbing Haurka's hand in the process.

"They will all die or be in a coma until they regained their life force." Usagi said softly, not wanting it to be true.

"Nephrite still consults with the stars for all of his plans. I think that is why he picks odd dates and what type of youma he creates. We need to refocus taunting him by changing his approach to what he asked the stars." Jadeite said thinking out loud.

"Like what?" Artemis asked interested.

"Nephrite is not looking for all possible answers to a question. He is only looking for one answer. So we need to refocus him. He only asks the stars for the best energy he can obtain. So we need to start putting things in his head to ask the stars like… If this is his actual destiny, or who is he. The answers from the stars will most likely be more than one answer, something I don't think he will be expecting." Makoto said thinking about her husband.

"So we can mess with one general, how can we power up?" Haruka said annoyed.

"I do not know. But I will find out. Even if I have to contact Luna." Artemis stated.

He stood up as did the senshi and the lone shintenou as they bowed to the king.

Authors Note:

I kind of slacked in this chapter because I honestly did not want to write about all of the awful things that happened to Mamoru while getting to his test.

Give me some feedback and I will keep them coming.