Author's Note: This is kind of long and drawn out but it goes with the theme I guess. I wanted it to be better but it was hard to tackle this one.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.


32. Rain At Midnight
545 Words

She woke up in a cold sweat. Her mouth was open but no sound entered the cold night air. A tiny blonde was sitting up in her bed. Her heart was pounding and she was clutching the sheets. This was the reason why she was late every morning. This was the reason she couldn't concentrate. She continued to dream of dying over and over. She knew that she had to find this princess so that the nightmares could stop. So that she could just go back to being clumsy, lazy Usagi again. That's who she was. Not this other person. Not this Sailor Moon.

She slid into a pair of sweats and a pink hoodie with a bunny on the front. Luna was stretched out at the end of the bed, snoring as usual. Usagi smiled. She knew her mentor was way too far deep into whatever dream she was having to try to stop her. This was her nightly routine, aside from being awaken by youmas. As soon as her feet touched the pavement, she ran.

Nothing could stop her. Nobody was in her way. She didn't have to think about being as strong as Rei or being as smart as Ami. She didn't have to think about Luna's long lectures or detention with Miss Haruna. She could just be who she was before all of this started. She could finally let go of all of her built up stress and tension. She could cry. With every step she took, fourteen year-old Usagi cried and cried. She cried for being scared. She cried for feeling lost. She cried for feeling alone. As if the earth understood her pain, it began to cry with her.

Usagi found her self standing alone in the middle of the sidewalk, crying for everything she had lost and who she had become. The rain only continued to fall down on her as she held herself and cried. "I can't do this anymore!" She yelled out into the air. The soaking wet blonde looked up into the cloudy night sky as searching for an answer and found nothing. She only dropped her head and sobbed. She sobbed until she no longer felt the rain on her head. A tear-eyed Usagi looked up above her to a familiar person holding a black umbrella.

"Don't tell me you're stupid enough to run out into the rain for no reason, Odango. Did you lose your homework out here or something? What are you doing out here?" Mamoru asked all at once. He didn't get an answer. He just watched as she wiped her tear-stained face with her even wetter hoodie sleeve. "Odango? What's wrong?"

"I'm fine Mamoru-baka!" Usagi spat back. "I'm fine." She felt the tears in her eyes. He would call her a cry-baby. She couldn't give him another reason to make fun of her, even if he was right.

"You don't look fine." Mamoru stated. "Odango..I..you..I won't hurt you. Look at me." Mamoru grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close. "I won't hurt you Usagi." He watched as more tears formed in her blue eyes and maybe it was guilt but he felt pain in his chest. Usagi found herself in his arms. In Mamoru's arms. In the rain at midnight.