Disclaimer: Wooooo! Go Happy Police Officer! (he and Grumpy are in a major brawl and- wow- nice sucker punch, Happy! Nail him where it hurts!) Can you believe this is all over me owning Sailor Moon or not? (Which I don't, I don't! I'm serious!)

A/N: Wow, love ya my faithful reviewers! This is for: Ummster, Double G, jasmineflower001, Lady Razeli, angelsea, Bin82501, Mistoflees, merangelgal, Bunny101, Baby Luna Kitty, and Counterfeiting Shakespeare.

Thanks very much to my birthday well-wishers!

Saving Bonds of Love

Rated T

Part 10: "The Lovers' Quarrel"

"Oh my god!"

"What's wrong with them?"

"That was so sudden and weird..."

"Look! She's waking up!"

The voices permeated slowly into Usagi's foggy mind, sounding slow and resounding as they only vaguely made sense to the girl. She felt her eyelids flutter open a few times, blinking rapidly to get used to the bright light. What a contrast to the darkness she'd been floating in for the interminable hiatus of time!

Finally, after what seemed hours of trying to become accustomed to the piercing sunlight, Usagi noticed many faces and figures all around her own. She appeared to be lying on the ground, for the faces seemed high, high above. She groped around sharp grass and pulled herself up weakly. The Moon child could feel a hand on her back, supporting her, but didn't know who's. Another hand joined the other and she was pulled up to her feet, leaning heavily upon Rei. She realized Rei's hand had been one that had been holding her up.

"Are you alright, Usagi?"

"Mm-hm," Usagi answered non-commitally and a bit untruthfully. Actually, she felt like crap, and there was a strong urge welling up in her throat to vomit... which in fact was becoming incredibly overwhelming...

"Sick," was all she moaned before her breakfast came up and decided to make itself colorfully known all over the ground next to Rei. The fire priestess choked in revulsion but skillfully dodged the stream. When Usagi was done, she wiped her mouth and felt incredibly better. Her vision, which had been dizzying and hazy before, seemed to return to normal. At least, there wasn't two of everyone now...

"Are you alright?" Rei asked, letting go of the one named Sailor Moon as she regained steady footing.

"Yah, I'm-"

The odangoed one didn't finish, because she caught sight of someone lying right next to where she had been dorsicumbent.

"MAMO-CHAN!"

She fell to the ground at his side, grabbing his hand to hold in her's for comfort. "What's wrong with him?"

"What's wrong with the both of you, is what we'd like to know," Ami said a bit weakly. "All of the sudden you both just fainted, at the same time."

"I did?" Usagi inquired, surprised. She didn't remember anything after she'd sweetly asked Mamoru to carry her picnic basket... after that, everything just got blurry and black. "Why?"

"That's what we want to know," Haruka spoke up, but Usagi was no longer listening because Mamoru had just stirred.

"Mamo-chan? Mamo-chan? It's me, Usagi! Are you okay?" Usagi asked in a hurried tone, her anxiousness seeping through like water through cracks, desperately trying to contain her fear. She leaned in close to his face, cerculean gaze sweeping over his features for any signs of waking up. She received one in the form of his eyes opening, revealing the dark midnight orbs she so loved to drown in.

"Usa-ko?" he murmured, eyelids fluttering.

"Oh, Mamo-chan! I was so worried!" Usagi cried, flinging herself onto him whilst holding back tears. He pushed her away weakly.

"You shouldn't be so teary over me," he mumbled, holding her at arms-length from him. "I'm fine."

"O-okay," Usagi replied, a little shakily with some dubiousness lurking behind her eyes. She stood and offered him a hand, which he didn't take. Instead, the college student pulled himself up. Usagi bit her lip at his sudden change in attitude, more than a little confused and hurt at the rejection of something he normally would have taken.

"Let's continue on everyone, hmm? We won't reach the overlook until late afternoon at this rate!" Makoto put in lightly with a cheery tone in place. The mood had suddenly gotten really tense, and she decided to break it before something heated began.

But, this was Usagi and Mamoru! They never argued...

This is all just way too weird, Makoto thought. Mamoru must have hit his head on the way down or something...

"Mamo-chan!" ChibiUsa chirped, grabbing his hand and clinging to it possessively. She apparently hadn't noticed the stiff exchange between her parents, and was looking out for number one, as always. "Can you carry me on your back?"

Mamoru shook her away. "Aren't you a little old to be getting piggy-backs?"

ChibiUsa pouted childishly. "You let me before..."

"That was before," was the nonchalant, almost apathetic reply. No one noticed the pensively fearful look Usagi was portraying, or the way she shifted farther away from Mamoru.

No, this wasn't her Mamoru, her Mamo-chan. Something was wrong with him and she intended to know what. Resolve overcame her soft, youthful features and a determined bunny of the moon replaced the crybaby.

She was going to find out what was with her boyfriend, if it was the last thing she did!

oOo

They reached the cliff later in the afternoon, as Makoto had predicted. The rest of the trip up had been a quiet one; everyone was still reeling from Mamoru's odd behavior towards his family. Said man had ignored everyone and marched ahead alone, body stiff and jerky to his movements on the unsteady path. Usagi had followed at a few feet's pace behind, expression watchful and wary. ChibiUsa stayed close to her mother, as if sensing the change as well. Under normal circumstances, she would've bawked at being so showing of her need and care for Usagi, but these were not normal circumstances. Everyone had by now sensed the distance that had grown between the royals, and considering how sudden it was, they knew that the one man of their group was not saying something.

But he wasn't going to tell, as his withdrawn posture and attitude allured.

"Mmm, isn't the view just breathtaking!" Michiru sighed, gazing out over her element with reverence. She set down her food and spread out the picnic blanket, gesturing for everyone to put what they'd been carrying down onto it. Mamoru seated himself at the edge of the rich red cloth and turned, staring out at the ocean with a somewhat blank expression. Usagi settled down close to him, but far enough apart that no part of them touched. She had a sorrowful expression on her face, and none of the girls could blame her for being so quiet.

"Anyone want cookies?" Makoto asked, drawing out all the goodies she'd baked.

"Me, me!" ChibiUsa squealed, and many of the Inner Senshi joined in on the cry as well. Excluding Ami and Usagi, of course.

"No, thank you," Usagi answered dully, not taking her eyes off the back of Mamoru's ebony head.

"Mamoru-san?" Makoto pressed softly and nervously.

"No," Mamoru's deep voice intoned harshly.

"Mamo-chan, that's no way to speak to Mako-chan!" Usagi snapped, body going taunt in anger and blue eyes flashing, never a good sign on the usually docile blonde. Mamoru swirled his upper body to face her, features taking on the same heated look as she bore.

"Really? And who are you to talk to me like that?"

"Excuse me!? Do you own me? Do you tell me what to say?"

"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black," Mamoru sneered sarcastically.

Usagi huffed as imaginary steam poured from her ears. "Well... well... I don't know what that means but what is with you today!? You're all snappy and irritable! First you don't even listen to me when I'm talking and now this!?"

"Why should I listen to someone so useless?" Mamoru scowled to himself under his breath. That one comment hit Usagi's heart like a thousand knives, chopping away at her painfully. She suddenly was finding it very hard to breath as tears began welling up in her eyes. She heard rather than saw Rei and the others hissing in furious breaths, but before they could say anything instinct took over and she shot,

"Well, I'd say a guy who only throws roses as his power is pretty useless too! Considering they don't even work half the time! I thought you were my protector!"

It was like the old days, when fight and flight were what constituted most of the two's meetings, except this time it was different. This time, they were not enemies. They were lovers; lovers who never fought anymore! Right?

Why why why why!? Usagi's brain shrieked.

"You wouldn't need protecting if you could learn how to stand on your own two feet half the time," Mamoru snarled. Usagi let out a vehement yell of disgust, fists clenched and shaking at her sides.

"That's it! That's IT! I'm leaving!" Usagi screamed, so loud her throat hurt. "I can find my own way back!"

And then she stormed off, fire riding on her trail as the blonde stalked down the trail and out of sight of the astounded, wide-mouthed Senshi. Mamoru raked a trembling hand through his hair and growled to no one that he was going down to the water. And then he was gone too.

Then it was just the Senshi.

Eight girls let out the unbelieving breath they'd been holding in, unable to come up with anything to say to fit how they felt...

That is, until Minako coined everything they felt in three simple words:

"What the hell."

A/N: Oooh, Mamoru made me so mad in this chapter! LOL but I wrote it, ha! Is this a simple couple's quarrel? Or more? Find out in the next chapter, and review because the more who do the faster I update!

Yours,

AngelMoon Girl