Author's Notes: Hey, wadda ya know, I'm still alive! Hehehe… As of now, I'm not sure as to how many chapters this fic would be; I just write it as it comes.

Just to keep you guys up to date, Usa arrived Thursday evening, Hotaru 'supposedly' arrived Friday evening along with Galaxia and Minako. This chapter is the morning after the encounter with the three newcomers.

Please don't forget to read and review!

Arigatou!

---Aimee Hime

Warning: Major fluff!

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi

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Saving Time

Chapter Ten: Soul mates

Recap

"Listen, Motoki-onii-chan," Usa started, "I know you mean well, but right now, I think it would be best if you not be included."

The pair had walked over in front of the door. Usa still latched onto Motoki's arm.

"Not that we don't want you here," Usa explained, "but trust me, it's for the best."

Motoki just sighed. "Fine," he grumbled.

"Just remember," Usa winked at him, Motoki having already stepped through the door's threshold and was now standing in the hallway. "It's a secret."

"I know," Motoki smiled at her, "I promise," he placed his finger in front of his lips. "My lips are sealed."

"I trust you, Motoki-onii-chan," Usa smiled back at him. He waved goodbye and proceeded to walk away. Usa closed the door, leaned back and sighed.

"Are you sure about him?" Luna asked Usa. Everyone else had kept quiet. Even Mamoru had kept himself silent.

"Don't worry," smiled at them. "I trust Motoki-onii-chan," she looked at Hotaru and smiled. "Besides, everything happens for a reason."

"It does?" Usagi asked.

"Yes, imouto," she replied, then turned towards Mamoru and smiled knowingly, "it does."

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Mamoru's POV

Seven girls and two cats.

This was not how I envisioned my living room to look like on a Saturday morning.

But there they were, chatting like long lost friends, momentarily forgetting that I own the apartment they had camped into. Usa had changed into comfortable street clothes, more appropriate for receiving visitors, not that there were any strangers in the group.

"I still don't know why you had to tell him."

I looked up and met pink feline eyes.

I sighed. I still have to get used to talking to a cat.

"Luna does have a point."

The agreement came from the second cat in the room.

'Great, now there's two of them,' I thought.

"I was getting caught between a rock and a hard place," I explained to the group, sitting on the couch beside Hotaru, right across Usagi. "Besides, he was starting to put two and two together."

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked, crossing her legs at the same time. Damn that girl! It's not as if she's doing it on purpose, I know her better than that. But those legs…

"Oi, baka! You there?"

I blinked. Apparently, I had been staring too long at Odango. I looked around and saw everyone else looking at me strangely. This is bad.

"Sorry," I mumbled, before clearing my throat. "Motoki was starting to ask the right questions and coming up with the wrong conclusions."

"Eh?" Makoto asked, clearly confused.

"He asked about Usa's presence here," I started, looking towards Usa. "He obviously thought you were Usagi."

"What did you say to him?" Luna asked.

"I told him first that Usa stayed in ALONG with her friend," I looked towards Hotaru, "for a school project both needed to work on."

Everyone held their breath, waiting for me to finish my speech.

"It just so happens that my bedroom is facing the street in front of the building and has a very big window." I stopped for effect. "And it just so happens that Motoki was looking out the said window during our talk."

"And?" Usagi craned her neck, waiting for the inevitable.

"And… he distinctly saw five girls and two cats approach my building, one girl having a very unique hairstyle all her own. Even though I am six floors up, my window has a pretty good view of the street downstairs."

By this time, I was looking at Usagi but I could see, through my peripheral vision, the remaining girls shifting uncomfortably in their seats.

"And he started asking questions," I continued on, "questions which led to his own absurd, although very close, conclusions."

"I see," Luna murmured. "Then I guess it couldn't be helped, then."

"Far from me to tell him that the two of you were twins…" I shrugged. "I just told him the truth straight on," I said, placing my elbows on my knees and lacing my fingers together. "He accepted it rather… nicely."

Usa coughed. I looked in her direction and she quickly averted her eyes from me. 'She must have heard the shouts.'

"Look," I continued on, "Motoki is a good person. And he also isn't stupid. But I trust him with my life."

"I agree," Usa nodded, before standing up and putting her hands together. "Now that we've cleared that up, let's start planning."

"Planning? Planning what?" Usagi asked

"Really Odango," Rei disdainfully sniffed at Usagi. "Get with the program, why don't cha?"

"Rei, you big meanie!" Usagi retaliated back.

"It's not my fault you're such a dumb blonde!"

"HEY!" Three blonde girls exclaimed, making Rei look abashed for a second before blowing a raspberry at Usagi in which the young girl returned, ensuing a full-fledged tongue war.

"Really Rei," Makoto scolded the fire priestess. "Stop picking on Usagi. You've been at her back since yesterday. Lay off a little."

Rei simply glared at the tall brunette.

I curiously took this all in. Rei had been acting spiteful at Usagi since yesterday. Well, more than the usual, anyway. I wonder what Odango did that made Rei so mad.

Usagi was alternately sniffling and wailing that Rei was 'soooo meeaannn'. Honestly, this girl's lung capacity is amazing.

"Oh shut it, Odango," I complained, leaning back and crossing my arms over my chest. "And Makoto's right Rei, you have been acting weird around Usagi since yesterday."

Everyone gaped at me as if I had grown two extra heads. What?

"You are actually siding with Usagi?"

I looked at Ami with surprise. Normally, the blue haired girl would stay quiet during Usagi and my petty arguments, but now, SHE actually spoke up first to intercede.

"Yeah, Mamoru," Luna said, raising an eyebrow at me. "Since when have you been at Usagi's side?"

"It was just an observation!" I started, still unable to comprehend how a cat can have basic human facial expressions. "It doesn't mean anything!"

"Defensive, aren't we?" Usa murmured, keeping her eyes averted from me.

I heard her comment, as well as everyone else. The reaction, though, was something all of us weren't really expecting.

"You know something we don't?" Rei scathingly asked Usa, crossing her arms over her chest.

Usa simply stared at Rei. Everyone was looking at the two back and forth, tension filling the room.

"Rei," Usa slowly said, looking intently at her, "is something wrong?"

Rei continued to glower, but kept silent. All of a sudden, she stood up and mumbled an apology to the rest of the room. She then proceeded to run off, leaving a stunned room in her wake.

"W-what just happened?" Minako asked the group, looking around confused.

"Continue with the meeting," Usa stood up, and proceeded towards the door. "I'll try to talk to her."

With that, she ran after Rei.

Girls.

I can't seem to understand them.

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. 'Now what?'

Rei's POV

I just had to get out of there.

I pushed the elevator down button, waiting for the lift to arrive. I can't describe it, but something was going on between Mamoru and Usagi. Or maybe it was Mamoru and the future Usagi. Arrgghh!

Either way, something is definitely happening between the two… three… of them, that…

"Rei-chan!"

I looked back and saw Usa jogging towards me. Why is this damn elevator taking so long?

"Rei-chan," she caught up beside me, looking at me with this gentle look in her eyes. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I looked at her. She was smiling a small smile, sad and happy at the same time.

Weird.

"Whatever," I shrugged.

Immediately, the lift gave a soft 'ding' sound and the doors opened. Stepping in first, I looked back at Usa to see if she would come with me. She did.

As we felt the lift move downwards, the small space was quiet, except for the soft music playing through the lift's speaker system. Almost immediately however, the elevator gave another 'ding' sound and opened to reveal the front lobby.

The morning sun was shining down on us as soon as we stepped out of the apartment complex. A soft breeze was also making its way through the cacophony of cars and people passing by.

"So," Usa said, shifting uneasily from one foot to another, "where do you want to go?"

"Stop that," I scolded her, "you look like you need to pee really bad."

"Oh, okay."

I turned left and walked away from her. I could hear her walking behind me, mindful of the distance separating us both. Not too close to invade my space, and not too far either, to lose sight of me.

I wasn't really sure where I wanted to go. I just let my feet do the walking. This went on for about ten minutes. Me walking aimlessly, and Usa following me close by. This was going nowhere.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked her, stopping underneath a sakura tree near the park's entrance.

I still had my back facing her, so I couldn't see her facial expression, but I could tell she was trying to find the right words to say to me.

"Um…" she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. "Rei-chan, how are, I mean, how is… ahh…"

"Just spit it out Usa." I said, finally turning around to face her. "What do you really want to say?"

"Ano…" Usa again started. She wasn't looking at me, but rather at the ground where her foot was making invisible circles on the pavement.

I sighed.

This might take a while. I mean, I don't get it. She knows something about Mamoru, and I can feel it involves me, too. And it hurts to see her acting all cute and happy with MY Mamoru. He IS my boyfriend. Unless…

"Usa-neesan, in the future, will Mamoru and I still be together?"

She gasped.

I actually heard her sharp intake of breath. Obviously, this wasn't what she was expecting. Looking at her face, I could see her getting pale. I wonder…

"Re-rei-chan," she whispered, "I can't really tell yo-"

"Screw the time line!" I shouted. "You said so yourself, everything happens for a reason, so I demand to know, what the answer to my question is!"

"You're right," she said, her voice still barely a whisper, but at least her eyes were now focused on me, rather than on the ground. "Everything that has happened here happened for a reason. The timeline is already screwed up so bad, I don't know if there is still a way for me to go back home."

"But one thing I do know," she continued, her voice and gaze unwavering. "Is that you and I are the best of friends, always have and always will be. You and the girls are important to me. As well as…"

"As…?" I prodded her, seeing that she has suddenly turned quiet.

"As Mamoru…"

"I see."

When she said Mamoru's name, I could see her eyes turn soft and the expression on her face almost… wistful?

"Usa-neesan," I started, bracing myself. "D-do you like… Mamoru-san?"

Her eyes widened for a second before she again bowed her head.

Guess that answers that.

"Well… not exactly." Usa answered, sighing before again looking at me straight in the eye. "Y-you see, Mamoru and me…"

"You're hiding something from me, Usa-neesan," I stared at her, intent on finding the truth. All of a sudden, I remembered her first words upon waking up from her trauma two nights ago.

Flashback

"Mamo… chan…" she whispered.

I turned to look at Mamoru. He had seemed to turn into three different shades of red upon hearing the pet name.

"O-oi, odango," he stuttered, "You okay?"

Usagi was looking at him, eyes clouded with confusion. Luna was looking at Usagi in a weird way, and I then looked at Mamoru and then Usagi and back again.

Usagi's eyes shifted from Mamoru, to me, to Ami, then finally resting on Luna.

End Flashback

"You called him Mamo-chan, do you remember? What's with the pet name, Usa?"

I could see her balk from the incessant questions I was rapidly firing at her.

"Mamoru… Mamoru and I are… somewhat… connected to each other, Rei," she slowly explained, her voice barely audible.

"Connected? Connected in what way?"

"Um, well… haven't you noticed that Tuxedo Mask always appears whenever Sailor Moon is in danger? And, and… and when Sailor Moon transforms, he actually feels her transformation as well as any danger she is in. I don't really know why or how because I never feel anything whenever he transforms, but… you know… that type of connection."

I raised an eyebrow at her. She was blabbering, if her twiddling thumbs were any indication.

"And… and, Tuxedo Mask appeared at the same time as Sailor Moon, so… so, that's another connection! And, um…"

"Look, I get the point, Usa," I stopped her. Her explanation was going in circles. "I was asking about YOU and MAMORU, not Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask."

"B-but we're the same."

"You are the same, but its one thing to have a professional relationship as Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask, as compared to Odango Atama and Mamoru-baka. You get my point?"

"H-hai."

I leaned against the trunk of the tree and looked up. The leaves were starting to turn yellow, signaling the approaching autumn season. After that, winter. I don't like winter. Winter means cold, and I don't like being in the cold.

"Rei-chan," Usa spoke up. "Do you believe in soul mates?"

I looked back at her and saw that she, too, was looking up at the falling leaves. She also had a hint of a smile on her face. But it was a pensive smile, not the same smile as Usagi.

"Soul mates? Yeah, I guess so." I whispered, looking at her, curious with what it was she was getting at.

"Soul mates are two people who are destined to love each other, no matter what. It might take some time for them to find each other, but eventually, they do, in the end."

Usa then looked at me, her eyes full of hope and at the same time, regret. "But sometimes, fate tries to be funny, for even though two souls have found each other, they still do not realize that they are destined to be together. They do not realize that they are meant to love one another and be happy ever after."

"They may be different from each other, but they compliment one another. Like night and day, sunrise and sunset… earth and moon."

"And sometimes… sometimes, there comes two people whose love is so strong, so pure, that even fate and time cannot break. Not even death."

I was holding my breath the entire time. When had Usagi been so profound and eloquent?

"I have found my soul mate, Rei-chan," she smiled at me. "You don't have to look alike and like the same things. Sometimes, the one you least expect is actually the one you were meant to be with all along."

"And apparently," Usa then shifted her eyes somewhere behind me, "yours is already here."

"Wh-"

"Rei-san!"

I turned around and saw Yuuichiro running towards us carrying two bags of groceries.

"Y-yuuichiro?"

He stopped in front of us and, although gasping for breath, smiled. "You're out early for a Saturday morning."

"W-well, I was-"

"Ah, gomen ne, Rei-chan," Usa spoke up, bowing towards me and Yuuichiro, "I have to go back. They must be worried by now. I'll let you know what we have discussed."

"D-demo-"

"Ja, Rei-chan, Yuuichiro-kun!"

With that, she took off, her blonde pigtails flying behind her.

Sometimes, the one you least expect is actually the one you were meant to be with all along.…

"Rei-san?"

I looked up and saw Yuuichiro looking at me curiously.

Soul mates, huh?

Normal POV

(Back at Mamoru's Apartment)

"So I guess that's it, then," Luna said, making eye contact with all of the room's occupants. "We spread out and try to find the last crystal, and then report back at the shrine for any developments."

Everyone nodded. After Rei and Usa left, the rest formulated a plan to find the last rainbow crystal. With Luna being the only link to it, as said by future Usagi, she will scout with Artemis. Ami and Usagi will pair up, Makoto and Minako will go together, and Mamoru on his own, refusing to go with the cats.

"I will not go around Tokyo with two cats in tow!" was his vehement reply.

With that, the girls decided that he do an aerial sweep of the town, while the rest do ground work. Hotaru, in the meantime, will stay in the apartment to wait for Usa.

"Okay then," Makoto stood up and stretched. "Let's go!"

As the four remaining girls and two felines stepped out of his condo unit, Mamoru made a mental note of vacuuming the place later on. He never really liked pets, what with their fur and all.

"Hey, baka! What 'cha doing? You coming with us?"

Mamoru looked at Usagi and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, yeah" he muttered, "as if I had a choice in the first place."

"Hey, you want to find the crystal as much as we do, too, you know!" Usagi stuck her tongue out at him.

"How old are you again?" Mamoru winced, but his insides were in turmoil. 'She had better stop sticking out that tongue of hers, or so help me, age or no age…'

"Um, what about Rei and Usa-neesan?" Ami asked the group as they were waiting for the elevator to arrive.

"I'll contact them later, tell them about the plan." Luna explained.

Stepping out into the street, the group then parted ways to find the last rainbow crystal. Unbeknownst to them, they were not the only one.

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"KUNZITE!"

The silver haired general winced.

Queen Beryl's shout reverberated throughout the castle, making the other minions of the dark kingdom cower in fear.

He then shimmered and reappeared in the throne room, bowing low, in front of his queen.

"You called, my queen?"

It was a good thing that Kunzite kept his head bowed down low, not seeing the rage in his mistress' eyes. If looks could kill, he would have died on the spot, twice.

"What happened? Report!"

Slowly, Kunzite stood up tall, ignoring the burning sensation of his wounds, still fresh from the battle with Zoicite.

"My queen," he started to explain. "It seems that there are new Sailor Warriors. Two have appeared last night. One of which, seems to be very powerful."

Beryl sat silently on her throne, her eyes still burning with anger at the recent disaster in their plan.

"This new Sailor Senshi, what are their names?"

"One is called Sailor Venus, the other a Sailor Galaxia."

"Galaxia?"

"Do you know of her, my queen?"

"No, I can't say that I have," Beryl then waved her hands at the crystal ball in front of her.

First, smoke appeared, swirling around the crystal, then it changed, forming shapes and figures. It then refocused and the battle from last night appeared, showing her an instant replay of the fight. Her brows then furrowed, upon seeing Zoicite becoming a phage and attacking Kunzite.

"This… Sailor Galaxia," she began, motioning the crystal ball to focus on Galaxia's face. "She is not what she appears to be."

"I agree, Your Majesty, " Kunzite said, keeping a tight rein on his emotions upon seeing Zoicite as Sailor Ice once again. "Her powers seem to be in a whole different range compared to that of the other Senshi."

"Find out more about her and report back to me."

"What about Zoicite?"

"He is the least of our problems right now."

Kunzite bit back a retort. Better not to make Beryl angrier with his opinions on Zoicite. He'll deal with Zoicite his own way.

"And the last rainbow crystal?"

"Don't worry," Beryl then smiled, showing her sharp teeth. "I have sent someone for it already."

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Luna was lost. And running scared.

She had just spent the last ten minutes dodging the dozens, if not, hundreds, of alley cats chasing after her. A small, pink kitten had managed to catch up and latch onto the end of her tail. The pain was the last thing on her mind, however, since her first instinct right now is to find a place to hide.

The urban streets of Tokyo were nowhere to be found, having been trapped between wide, high rise buildings where the only escape seems to be up.

Luna ran, turning right, then left, then another left, not really knowing where she was headed.

'Why did I even suggest to Artemis to split up in the search?' Luna thought, amidst her racing heartbeat.

Earlier on, she had told Artemis that they split up, seeing that it had been almost hours and they still didn't have any leads. Artemis refused, stating that it could be dangerous, but she chastised him, saying that she can take care of herself, and that the girls were just a communicator's call away.

If only she had listened to him. She can't even stop to REACH for her communicator.

'There! Is that an open space? It must be a street!' she thought, running towards the open area.

She realized too late that the open area was no busy street but a parking lot.

A parking lot with a very, very high wall.

Luna skidded to a stop in front of the high wall. This does not look good.

She looked back at her pursuers and it seems that they, too, had stopped. Upon seeing the trap she had set herself into, they grinned maniacally. An orange and black stripped cat stepped forward, looking at her, his eyes unreadable, his smile, terrifying.

'Oh no, what am I going to do?' Luna panicked, frozen in fear.

All of a sudden a whooshing sound pierced the air and a sharp object imbedded itself on the pavement, inches away from the orange cat's paw.

A fishbone.

Everyone looked up. Luna saw a shadow on top of a truck. As soon as her eyes adjusted to the light, she realized it was another cat. Not your average alley cat. But a HUGE white cat.

Luna sweat dropped. 'Not quite what I had in mind for a knight in shining armor.'

The other alley cats, however, seemed to be scared of the newcomer, slowly backing away from Luna.

Luna simply stared, surprised at their reaction. It was only a matter of seconds before they all disappeared.

Except for the pink kitten.

It was still happily munching away the end of Luna's tail. She glared at the kitten, prompting it to release its hold and scamper off, leaving behind a red, throbbing lump at the end of her tail. She stared mutely at the pink vermin's retreat.

'Why that little…'

All of a sudden, Luna felt a tickling sensation, turned around, and was surprised to see the fat, white cat licking her injury.

The cat, upon seeing her acknowledge his presence, proceeded to lean towards her, his small beady eyes inching slowly towards her face.

'Now what?!?' Luna thought, still unable to move from shock.

"Rhett Butler!"

Amazingly, the white cat seemed to respond to the name and bounded off to the maze of parked cars.

Luna peeked behind one of the cars and saw a small girl of about ten, reach down and lift the fat cat in her arms. The white cat was so big that it was more than half of the little girl's size.

"Rhett Butler, where did you go? I was so worried about you!" The little girl said, hugging the cat.

'Doesn't look like a Rhett Butler to me.' Luna thought, before turning around in search of Artemis. Somehow, this experience has taught her a lesson.

Stay away from dark alleys.

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A/N: Bleh! Lame ending!

Gomen ne, minna! Has it really been almost two whole months?

I am so sorry for the long wait! I have valid reasons, I promise!

One, I spent the holidays with my family. It has been two years since I spent Christmas and New Year with them, so I didn't really have time to write fan fictions, what with all the catching up with family and all.

Two, upon returning after the New Year, my luggage actually got lost. The tag supposedly got removed, so I spent one agonizing week of waiting for any news about my missing luggage. Thankfully, they found it (it got left behind in HK) and was sent to me a week later after I arrived (I just said that, didn't I?) anyway… That's what happens when your flight has too many stopovers. –sigh-

And three, after that week of lost-baggage-panic, my friend was set to leave for the US, thus I had to help with her packing and all, plus, I had to move out of my flat. I have until the end of January to vacate the premises, so yeah… happy new year to me…

On a positive note, I found a new job now, albeit temporary. Still, better to be paid for doing something than nothing at all, right? XD

I spent the holidays in my home country. It's been a while, so for everyone out there – Manigong bagong taon sa inyong lahat!!! – and for the rest of the world – Happy new year, everyone!!!

And I need a refresher course – what were the names of the DD girls? You know, the five winged enemies they fought which led to the death of the inners? They were in episode 45. Did they mention it / them in the anime' or is that just wishful thinking on my part? And what does DD mean? It's Doom and something, I think. Help!

The last part was the episode with Rhett Butler, the cat with the rainbow crystal. I hope Naoko-sama won't mind. After this, everything will be a lot different from the anime episode. What with copyright and all. Heh!

Please don't forget to leave your reviews! I know this chapter is not up to par, must be jet lag or something, but still, I would appreciate any comments or suggestions. The last chapter had fewer reviews than the previous ones. I hope you guys can step it up a notch. I wanna reach 400! XP

Coming up in Chapter 11: Galaxia and Beryl will have a face off (maybe?) – what will happen to our heroes? Stay tuned!!! (Give me a month or two for it, k?)

Arigatou! Ja ne!

---Aimee Hime