One Month
October 9
Voyage Home

***Artemis' POV***

There was something to be said for being a very small cat. Artemis, sitting on the back of the captain's chair with Luna, was trying his best to stay out of the way of the comings and goings as the others loaded everything back onto the boat. Motoki, who was standing on the dock assessing the damage, had told him that there would be little activity in the wheelhouse until it was time to leave, so the two of them had chosen to hide there.

The girls had been out collecting fruits when he'd woken that morning, and he hadn't had a chance to really talk to any of them. He wanted to make sure everyone really was okay with each other before they left, but there had just been no time. At least from where they sat the two cats had a good view of what was going on.

Mamoru and Usagi were busy carrying the futon from the little vine and MoonRose house Mamoru had built. He and Luna had seen it the day before, while Usagi was busy talking to the girls, and he was impressed by the work. It was obvious the boy was getting very strong in his powers. He'd grown by leaps and bounds in the week or so they'd been gone.

The storm was impressive, but had been an uncontrolled outpouring of emotion. It was the house, the small wave, and the dock he thought of now. Those Mamoru had consciously done. The MoonRose was an entirely new creation, and that was the most impressive. The flowers themselves were opalescent, with hints of various colors when the light hit them. Greens, blues, even reds shone out, sparking and beautiful.

Usagi had been sad about leaving the little house behind. He'd heard her talking to Mamoru about it that morning. The boy had promised to create her own little arbor of roses on his balcony, or perhaps in her back yard.

Artemis wondered if he really could duplicate the feat, until Mamoru had created little vines in Usagi's hair, circling her buns with one rose on each side, and little vines braiding through the long locks that fell from them, several much smaller roses decorating each streamer of hair. The look was beautiful, he had to admit. Considering he lived with a teenage girl, and spent time with four other teenage girls, he should know.

"Usagi and Mamoru are the Moon Princess and Earth Prince," Luna said, bringing him out of his reverie.

"I know," Artemis nodded. "I actually knew since Minako took me aside about Mamoru, and I've known all along about Usagi."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Luna asked, sounding hurt and a bit angry.

"It wasn't an easy decision. I was afraid you would unconsciously treat her differently, and it might be noticeable to the Dark Generals, or to Usagi. She needed to learn on her own, and her only safety was in anonymity."

Luna sniffed at him. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. "Oh, I guess you're right." She admitted finally. "I probably would have gone crazy trying to keep her safe and it would have given her away."

"At least now she has Mamoru, you, me, and Minako who know. Between all of us we should be able to keep an eye out and protect her without too much trouble."

"I think the other girls need to be told," Luna said, "but not quite yet. The two of them need time to deal with the old memories, and honestly, I think the girls have a few things to learn first."

"I agree. Mamoru is the best bet for keeping her safe, and she's going to be his protection as well. Eventually though, he'll need his guards too."

"I'm pretty sure Usagi and Mamoru have a plan for that already." Luna gave a Cheshire cat smile. "And I am quite looking forward to it!"

"You heard something didn't you?"

Luna nodded and leaned forward to share the secret.

***Mamoru's POV***

Mamoru was in a much better mood today, and his temper seemed to be back fully under his control. As they finished loading the last of the supplies onto the boat, he and Usagi worked on their master plan in whispers, changing the subject whenever anyone else came near. It was an interesting concept, what they'd chosen to do. While there were elements of revenge, it was a kind sort, one they both knew would make the others happy.

Neither wanted any of the others to know just yet, and so they talked of other things as everyone boarded the boat. Usagi's hair was beautiful with the MoonRose vines woven though it, but he wished it was in it's normal streamers so he could watch the wind flow through the strands, and maybe play with them a bit. She was absolutely adorable, standing just past the prow of the ship, hollering some line from a romantic movie.

Of course as soon as she shouted, Motoki ran up to her hollering about bad luck and telling her she had to apologize and beg the kami not to sink them. Mamoru overheard enough to know it was from the movie Titanic, and he shuddered. He hadn't seen it, but he'd seen documentaries about the actual sinking, and didn't really want that as an opening for their trip back to Tokyo.

So he prayed a few prayers of his own, and let down an offering of fruits and roses. It was the best he could do. He was surprised to realize he was sad to leave the island. He hadn't thought that would be possible, but it was where he and Usagi had admitted their love, shared their first kiss, consummated their relationship, and had formed their Soul-Bond. In spite of all the bad things that had happened, much that was good had as well, and he would never forget that, or this place.

He went into the wheelhouse with Motoki. He'd learned to drive this boat years before, and he and Motoki planned to take turns while Usagi and the other girls went down to the galley kitchen and prepared a meal. Soon they were pulling away from the dock, and he took one last look at the island. Usagi, standing now at the back of the boat, staring back at the shore, wiped away a few tears.

::I'm actually going to miss this place.:: Her voice sounded in his head.

::Me too. There were some wonderful memories.:: He thought of the day they first kissed, and the day they shared the strawberries, and the forging of their Soul-Bond. She stared for a few more moments before coming to kiss him.

"I'm going downstairs now. Let me know if you need anything. And don't forget to drink some water."

He bowed his head, grinning at her, and gave her one more kiss before he let her leave. He'd never really had someone to care for him before, to nag him into taking care of himself. He enjoyed it more than he would have believed possible.

"You seem happy," Motoki said after she left.

"For the most part, we are. We have things to work through, things to get over, but I love her so much it's painful to be away from her." Mamoru sighed. Even having her out of his sight was hard, though he knew she was just downstairs. Their relationship was still so new that he couldn't bear to be away from her for long.

"I'm glad you have her. Makes me miss Reika."

"She'll be back in a few weeks," Mamoru reminded him. It had been an interesting time as Reika had gone to study abroad for a semester. Motoki had moped quite a bit in the first few weeks she was gone, and it had been hard to see his best friend so sad.

"So, what were you two whispering about?" Motoki asked, a sly grin on his face. "Anything I can help with?"

Mamoru laughed. "You behave yourself," he ordered. "Actually, Usagi and I have a plan we are working on, but it's not something you can help with, except..." Mamoru stopped and thought for a few minutes. "Does your dad still have that open apartment near the college? The four bedroom?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so. I know he plans to show it when they get back from America."

"How soon are they coming back?" Mamoru was curious. He hadn't seen them in a while.

"The eighteenth I think, but I'd have to check with Unazuki."

"Well, let your dad know I might have some people in mind for it."

"Now you have me curious," Motoki turned and looked at him, using the puppy dog expression that always seemed to get him his way. Not this time. Mamoru steadfastly refused to look. He stared out over the ocean, looking at the other islands as they moved swiftly through the waves.

"I'm not telling," Mamoru muttered, noting that several minutes had passed and Motoki was still giving him the look.

"Please?"

"No," and Mamoru had to laugh at the outraged huff that followed.

"I'll get it out of you eventually." He gave an attempt at an evil laugh.

"Not happening Motoki." Mamoru said, grinning.

***Kenji's POV***

Kenji paced his study. He'd taken to doing that a lot over the past week. Something didn't sit right with him. Something about his daughter going to a class for art. Sure, the girl liked to draw, and he had hopes for her to possibly make a living creating Manga, which she seemed to enjoy, but he didn't remember being asked about it, and when he'd checked her room, nothing had been packed. Her little suitcase with the little bunny zippers was still where it always was when they weren't on vacation.

No, Kenji was certain something had happened to his daughter. And he was even more certain it had to do with the secret she'd been keeping for so long. How she could possibly think he and her mother couldn't figure it out was beyond him. Ikuko had started finding bloodstains in clothing months before, and both of them had seen an increase in cuts and bruises. There had even been times when she'd barely been able to move.

At first they'd suspected an abusive boyfriend.

Then Kenji, leaning on his abilities as a reporter, who often trailed people, or even went undercover for his stories, had decided to find out exactly what was going on. He had watched her carefully for weeks, seen her sneaking out of her room. She always returned quickly though. She never showed signs of drug use, and from what he could tell the only boys in her life were Umino, who was now dating Naru, Motoki, who was dating Reika, and Mamoru, who teased her mercilessly.

It was during his time tailing Usagi that Ikuko had first heard the cat yelling at their girl. When she'd come to him and told him about it, he'd felt her forehead, thinking she had a fever. But she'd led him upstairs, finger covering her mouth, and pressed her ear up against the bedroom door. Sure enough, he heard two voices in the room.

"Usagi," the unknown voice said. "I know you trust him, but we don't. You have to understand, we don't know why he comes to save you. What if he has an ulterior motive?"

Usagi had given a harsh laugh. "Luna, (so it was the cat) do you remember when we met Ami? How you thought SHE was working for the Negaverse? Or how about your suspicions that Rei was actually involved with the missing busses? Or when you thought Makoto was too dangerous because she'd been kicked out of her old school. You even tried telling me Sailor V was an imposter. Seriously. I have never been wrong. I'm not Naru to get caught up in every Youma attack. I have... instincts about people. I just wish you'd learn to trust me."

"I do trust you Usagi, I do." Luna said. "I just worry. You've had a crush on him since that first battle..."

"And I would have died in that first battle if he hadn't been there. And at least thirty other times besides. You know how long it was before I had other back-up." There was a loud sigh. "You know how hard I'm struggling Luna. I may not be great with math or learning English, but when it comes to my duties as Sailor Moon, I just know, okay?"

"I'm sorry Usagi-chan. I don't mean to be so negative. I just get so afraid something will happen to you."

"Then lets drop the Tuxedo Kamen talk for now, shall we? He wouldn't hurt me. He's almost died saving me. Twice. Just let it go."

"Okay Usagi. So, what time is training tomorrow?"

Kenji and Ikuko pulled away from the door. They stared at each other wide eyed for several long minutes before making their way to their own room. Kenji had shut the door, and turned when Ikuko had throw herself into his arms, weeping.

"So," he'd whispered. "Our daughter is Sailor Moon."

Thinking back on that day, several months before, Kenji couldn't help but think something was very wrong. Luna had been around for a few days after Usagi had disappeared, but then she'd gone missing too. He knew the cat was doing something to his memories. He didn't know what, or how she did it. He just knew she was doing something. And because he knew, he was able to fight through it.

Ikuko never had a problem with it. She just pretended her memories were changed and went on like nothing had happened. She'd confessed though, that whatever the cat was trying, she'd never felt a single thing. Not even a hint of a false memory.

Now, he was feeling like something was about to happen, and he couldn't figure out what it was. There had only been one Negaverse attack since she'd gone, but they were overdue for one now. He just hoped the other Senshi could manage on their own.

***Usagi's POV***

The constant rocking motion of the ship was making Usagi sleepy. Luna had come down with her, and was sitting on her shoulder purring. She felt warm and safe, and very cozy. She couldn't quite get used to all the clothing she was wearing, but she knew within a few days she would have no problem. It occurred to her she didn't even know what day it was, or how long they had been gone. She hoped her classes weren't too far ahead of her, and that she could catch up quickly.

Her mind wandered. She had so many new memories to sift through, seeking answers to questions she'd never known she had. One question, how she could find the Silver Crystal, had already been answered. Since becoming Sailor Moon her genetic makeup had slightly altered. She had Lunarian blood in her veins as much as Human blood. That was important.

As a Lunarian Royal, she would always be able to sense the Crystal, even use it without being near for some things. For instance, if she was in danger, the crystal could protect her without her trying to access it.

The truth was, she'd had access to it all along. It had only been waiting for her to call it forth. She hadn't done so yet, feeling it was safer hidden for now, and she hadn't had a chance to tell Luna yet. Mamoru knew of course. He'd been helping her try to find it when she'd realized it was hidden inside her chest. That's when they'd discovered an echo of power coming from him. The Golden Crystal.

The two Crystals, when working in tandem, could do miraculous things. Each on it's own was wonderful, but it was said that together they could create planets and destroy suns. Neither she or Mamoru would chose to do such a thing, but the ability was there. Her memories of training with the Crystal were complete, but the truth was her training had not been nearly done. Neither had his.

The Crystals would not have passed to them until their was an heir for each. A person to take over the Crystals once they passed. A person related by blood. They'd been preparing to have children before the end. Excited at the prospect of parenthood... until Metallia had come, and turned poor Beryl. She in turn had created hordes of mindless people to follow her.

And then the Generals had been taken. Tortured, turned against the ones they loved the most. They had each been sent to kill their own soulmate. When the deed was done, Metallia had lifted the mindcontrol so they could see what they had done. None had survived their own grief. And then Beryl, attempting to kill Serenity, had killed Endymion. At his death, and with the loss of everything and everyone she loved, Serenity had taken her own life.

The rest she knew from Luna. Her mother, locked in a fierce battle of her own, had cried out when her daughter had died. She had pacified the creature she'd fought and divided it into seven pieces, which she made human, and added crystals to hold the monster at bay. She'd then turned and used the Crystal to lock Metallia away. The rest she had wished to give a second chance. The Crystal granted her wish, and she had put Luna and Artemis into a deep sleep and sent them to earth to watch over and guide the reincarnated Princess and Prince, and the others whom she'd saved.

She'd hoped to give them a normal life.

Now, Usagi knew there was something the two Crystals could do when joined. Late the night before, when everyone had been asleep, she and Mamoru had done a part of that. They had made their way back to the cave, where the mattresses from the boat had been laid out, and Usagi had quickly made sure they would stay asleep until they were finished.

She and Mamoru had each called their Crystals then, and together they had woven an old form of magic, something that should have been done in their last life, but they had not been taught. This they'd discovered on their own, using hints from their teachings and from things the two of them had already been able to accomplish in this life.

They each knelt, facing one another, and held their Crystals in their right hands, covering the other's crystals with their left. They'd closed their eyes and focused carefully on their needs. The need to protect the others from being turned against one another, to protect them from the influence of evil, and to protect their memories against tampering. They did not awaken the old memories. It would not have been fair to do so in that way, so they simply left them alone, and guarded them.

First the guides. Luna and Artemis had been easy. Being from Mou, the were able to manipulate memory, but it was very difficult to manipulate theirs, or to sway them to evil. So the hedge they'd formed over them was more for practice than anything. They woven the light of the Crystals together, a four strand braid, before they'd settled it over the two of them. Linking back to themselves, Mamoru and Usagi wove a pattern that connected the cats souls in a subtle way to their own.

It was not a Soul-Bond. Nothing was taken from the advisors, and nothing given. It was simply a link, that would allow them to help should anyone ever try to turn the two cats to evil purposes. It now could not be done unless both cats, Usagi, and Mamoru were all turned in the exact same second.

It was why they were separating the cats from the girls. Because if something happened to all four of them, chances were the girls would be free, even just one of them, so they made the same protection link with the four girls and themselves. It doubled the protection, making it nearly impossible to turn any of them.

They wove a different form of protection over Motoki. It made him nearly invisible to anyone who worked for or harbored evil. They could see him, but like the glamour that hid the identities of the superheroes, they would never remember who he was when they turned away. They would do the same, they'd decided, for Naru. She, more than anyone else, needed such protection. Youma seemed drawn to her.

They had a list now, of everyone who had suffered through multiple attacks, and they fully intended to make sure every one of them was protected. But it would remain a secret. They would tell their guides, and the other Senshi of course when their memories returned.

They'd quietly left them and had gone back to their little MoonRose house to sleep.

Now, Usagi was wishing she could sleep again, but she had to keep her wits about her. They would be back in Tokyo soon. In less than an hour if the galley clock was right. She was dressed and ready, and had her communicator, wand, brooch, and Luna Pen in hand again.

They had checked the radio. No attacks had happened during their absence, and Usagi was worried about that. Something was brewing. Something big.

***Minako's POV***

Dragging Usagi up to the deck, Minako searched for a place of privacy. She could feel Mamoru and Motoki watching them, but the other girls had stayed below. They were less than ten minutes out if she was judging correctly, and she wanted to make sure everything was clear first. Mamoru came out of the wheelhouse, perhaps sensing that she wanted him to know, or perhaps at a plea from Usagi. She wasn't sure which.

Artemis came out with him and Luna hopped onto one of the long bench seats where he joined her. Minako gestured for the other two to sit down and stood before them trying to word things carefully.

"You both know my role in the Millennial Kingdom. You know my responsibilities." She waited for them to nod. "Right now very few are aware of who you are Usagi. I am your double for a reason. I know things are different now, but I feel that if anyone should learn the princess has been found, I should play the part and keep both of you out of it unless there is no other choice."

"Do you have a feeling?" Usagi asked, tilting her head.

Minako nodded. "I can't put my finger on it though. Just... something."

Usagi inclined her head. She looked to Mamoru and Minako could tell they were communicating silently.

"Alright. First, we continue our "search" for the princess. No one should refer to either myself or Mamoru as Royalty. Second, if someone discovers we have found the princess, then you can take that role, but only if it is absolutely necessary. I don't want you in danger needlessly. Finally, we will have to make the others aware only if their memories should return, but we need to tell them not to speak of their memories at all until they have spoken to us first. Not even to each other. We tell them only as they remember. We can't take any chances."

"Thank you Usagi."

They were pulling into the dock now, and Minako turned to watch. Mamoru and Usagi remained sitting, but Minako headed for the lines to tie off the boat. She heard the two of them murmuring, and then they were kissing. She rolled her eyes, but felt a happy flutter in her heart. She was happy they had each other. It was too bad she could never have her love. She missed Kunzite desperately, which was strange as she'd never even known him in this life. She knew him only as a Dark General now. And that was so sad it had to be pushed down so she didn't think about it anymore.

Motoki's truck was loaded up, but they had to call a Taxi for the rest of them. The cats rode with Motoki and Mamoru because they wouldn't be allowed in the cab, but she didn't mind that. A few minutes without their chaperones was a fine thing. The girls sat in the Taxi and waited for the others to drive out ahead of them. The cab had orders to follow the other vehicle.

Laughter marked the ride back to Motoki's house. A lot of laughter. Minako could tell it was annoying the driver, but she didn't care. It was good to have Usagi back, and not angry anymore. She wanted to stay happy. They paid and followed Mamoru and Motoki inside the house, deciding, since it was already late in the evening, that Mamoru and Usagi would stay there for the night.

Makoto decided to make everyone dinner, and it was another happy meal with talking and laughter and friendship. Minako didn't want to leave, but eventually she waved good night and slipped out into the darkness with the others, each separating to find their own way home.