AN: Sorry this one is a little late. It's been bugging me for a while. It's not quite up to my standards, but for the life of me I can't figure out what to change. Maybe you all will let me know? Sometimes you have something pictured in your head, but for some reason can't seem to convert it into words. Well, I hope you all like this one anyways.

Thanks to all my reviewers, and keep them coming!

Ria

The part of Mamoru that was also Endymion balked at someone talking to royalty in such an abrupt manner. It thought that Ami should be on one knee, head bowed, asking if it would be in Usagi's convenience if they could speak. The rest of Mamoru snorted mentally and reminded the other part that Ami did not know that Usagi was her Princess. Endymion retorted that it was obvious who Usagi was.

Mamoru looked up to see that Motoki was staring at him like he suddenly grew an extra head. "What?" he whispered, annoyed. Had he been talking to himself?

Motoki shook his head. "It's nothing. You just looked like you were arguing with yourself silently. It was weird."

Usagi was looking at him in the same way. Frustrated, Mamoru pushed his mug towards his friend and demanded more coffee.

With a small smile at Mamoru, Usagi turned back to Ami. "Sure, what's up?"

Ami jerked her head to the back of the arcade. "Not here, if you don't mind. This is between the two of us."

Surprised as she was at Ami's determination, she still saw the thread of uncertainty in the girl's eyes. Ami had never been one to walk into a confrontation, and the need to flee was evident.

With a nod to both Mamoru and Motoki, and a smile to Ami, more to calm the girl down than anything, Usagi rose and walked to the booths at the back.

As Ami slid into the seat across from her, Usagi noticed for the first time how haggard the girl looked. Her hair lacked its usual bounce, there were dark circles under her eyes, like she hadn't slept in days. Her skin was pale and drawn tight like she hadn't eaten either.

Usagi was taken aback by the fact that this situation had worried poor Ami to the point of exhaustion. It had seemed that she wasn't the only one who wanted things back to normal. She felt a stab of guilt for putting her friends through such a trial. Then she felt a wave of reassurance come from Mamoru, and relaxed a little. He didn't seem to blame her, but then again, she didn't think he would blame her if she intentionally set his apartment on fire either.

"So Ami," Usagi began, sensing she was the one who needed to start the conversation, or else they would just sit there staring at each other the whole time, "what's up?"

Ami folded her hands together on the table and took a deep breath. "I've been trying to figure something out Usagi-chan. It's been bothering me for some time."

Usagi nodded. She knew what Ami was leading to, but had to act like she didn't. So she asked, "What is it?"

"You know something." It wasn't a question. "It's something that the rest of us don't. Or at least some of us don't. Luna is in on it, as is Minako, which leads me to believe Artemis is as well. It must be important if you've abandoned us over it." The last statement sounded almost like an accusation.

"I have done no such thing," Usagi retorted, trying to keep her anger out of her voice. "I'm trying to teach you all something. I've been trying to do so for three years. How much patience does a girl have to have?"

Ami sat back in her seat. "When a sensei tries to teach, they let the students in on what the lesson is."

Usagi's eyes widened. How was it that the most intelligent member of the group missed the subtle hints she'd been throwing around for years? And even now Minako was doing the same thing in her place, and yet it was like it went in one ear and out the other.

She crossed her arms. It was time to bring out the attitude that Makoto supposed she had. "You nearly got killed the other night Ami, and why was that?"

Ami blinked, taken aback by the question. "Well," she stammered, "the youma was pretty strong."

Usagi snorted. "Wrong answer Ami, and you know it. That youma was no stronger than any of the other one's we've been fighting lately. Try again." She leaned forward when Ami went silent. "You all were like a pack of animals fighting over one bone, snapping at each other if one got too close to the prize. Meanwhile, Venus, your leader, might I remind you, is standing there trying to tell you all what to do, and you all ignore her. You nearly died, Ami, because you guys don't know what a team is, what it consists of."

Whether Ami felt insulted or not, she couldn't tell. And right now, couldn't care less about. She couldn't believe the resistance she was getting out of this girl. She thought she'd have to fight Rei tooth and nail, but never shy and reserved Ami. She sighed. "But I don't need to tell you that, do I Ami-chan? You came to that conclusion on your own."

Ami gave her a tight nod. "You know we can't be anything more than what we are."

"And right now you are being less than you can be."

---

"Do you think they are working things out?"

Mamoru shrugged. "Who knows?"

Motoki glanced at his friend, confused over his nonchalance. "Don't you want to have Usagi get her friends back?"

Mamoru's cobalt eyes locked with his. "Usagi doesn't want them back unless they want to come back on their own."

To Motoki, that was Mamoru's way of saying end of discussion.

---

Ami seemed to agree with Usagi's pervious statement. "I've always thought that we have worked like a team," she admitted quietly. "But apparently I've been wrong. And I am confused because I don't understand what you are intending us to be. What have we been doing wrong?"

Usagi nibbled on her lower lip as she tried to figure out a way to describe what she wanted, without sounding like a complete idiot. She decided to go with something that Ami might know about, something that came from a book.

"I've been reading a lot about ancient cultures," she began, an almost faraway look in her eyes as she remembered. "It's amazing how many of them have been wiped out by others who were larger in strength, be it in numbers and physicality, or in faith in their cause. The one thing I noticed, was that if there was any doubt anywhere, no matter how small, the structure of that civilization crumbled. That belief in what they stood for held them together, made them able to withstand almost anything.

"There were armies out there that made their foes weak at the knees, because their defeat was inevitable. These forces lived and breathed each other. Thousands of men, but one living unit. Everyone was coordinated with everyone else.

"One person led them, and they would willingly die for that person, because they personified everything they believed in. There was no jealousy, no envy, nothing that would jeopardize their cause."

She pinned Ami with her gaze, the intensity in them making the other girl involuntarily swallow. "That is what I want us to be," she declared, stabbing her finger onto the table to emphasize her point. "I want us to be so solid in our belief in each other, in our capabilities, and what we stand for, as protectors of this world, that nothing will ever stop us. I want our enemies to quiver in fear of facing us. We have a role on this planet Ami-chan, and if we cannot stop fighting each other, what do the people here have to rely on? There is enough corruption in this world, and I do not want it in my soldiers."

Ami was looking at her, eyes wide, but full of respect. While she could feel proud of herself, Usagi instead felt a little resentment, that even Ami thought so little of her. She could easily admit to herself that when she was younger, anything she said was either way off base, or considered so stupid it wasn't even worth thinking about. But to still think the same way, three years later, when she had proven otherwise over and over again, was ludicrous.

"Minako realized what was happening, didn't she?" Ami's question was so quiet Usagi barely heard her.

"She had a slight edge, but only because of her empathy. She was not the first. Mamoru and Luna were."

Ami's eyes, which had previously been on her lap, raised to hers. She saw embarrassment in those blue depths, embarrassment over not being able to solve a simple problem, even though the answer to stood next to you on a nightly basis. She didn't need to be told who Mamoru was, it seemed obvious now.

"I am sorry Usagi-chan," the girl apologized after a moment. All the defiance she had before was gone, like the wind had been taken out of her sails. She sounded defeated. "You're right, you have been giving us hints. I've been so concerned with staying out of the middle of things, that I've missed what's being said. No wonder you didn't want to tell us."

Usagi's eyebrows drew up. "Tell you what, my friend?" There was no emotion in the words, no implication that she either knew nor did not know what Ami was talking about.

Ami didn't answer, instead shaking her head and chuckling sadly. "We've been horrible guardians, haven't we Princess?"

Usagi reached forward and grasped the other girl's hands, restoring her memories with the touch. When Ami regained her senses again, moments later, she smiled at her. "Never that, Mercury. You just lost your path for a little while. But I've come to lead you back. Will you follow me?"

Ami didn't answer, but then again, she didn't need to.

---

That evening, Usagi stood on the balcony of Mamoru's apartment, watching the sun slowly set in a wave of fiery colors on the horizon. The lights on the street below one by one came on, chasing away the spreading darkness of the encroaching night.

Oddly enough, she had never watched a complete sunset. The whole ordeal seemed too depressing; the sun having to give up it's supremacy to the moon each and everyday.

Not that she hated the night. It was in fact the complete opposite. It was just the fact that both the sun and moon had to surrender something so precious to eachother everyday, never knowing if anyone would be around when next they came. Life was so fleeting.

Usagi sighed and scrubbed her face with her hands. When she was younger, thoughts like these had never entered her head. She had been so carefree and innocent. Now, she was battle hardened, causing her to be almost impassionate to everything. She had to be, with some of the things she saw daily.

She sometimes caught herself wondering why she even bothered to follow the path that Fate had seemed to dump in her lap. Most of the time, the very people she bled and sweat for didn't even know that she was out there fighting for them. They didn't care what was happening, unless she failed in some way and disaster struck them. Then, they blamed her, not even knowing that a little part of her died every time she was too late to save someone. She cried when they cried, mourned when they mourned.

Being a superhero was something every child dreamed about. Being able to save people gave you a certain sense of accomplishment, a sense that you had the power to change the world. No child ever though about the dark side of the role. The pain, exhaustion, the defeat. In your dreams, you always saved the people in trouble. There just was no other way.

Even with thoughts like these, she continued on anyways, because she wanted everyone else on the planet to have what she didn't; a chance to live their lives as they saw fit. The life that was taken away from her. But a life she didn't want back. Once you saw the other side, you couldn't go back to the way you were. It changed you.

"Usako?"

Usagi turned from the emerging stars to Mamoru, whose hair matched and blended in with the emerging night. She noticed he looked worried, and scolded herself for letting him in on her internal conflict. She gave him a small smile and turned back to the city.

He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, resting his chin between her odangos. "Brooding is my forte, love, not yours," he chided lightly.

"Sometimes I can't help it," she replied, reaching up to grasp his forearms with her small hands. "Seeing this side of things puts things in perspective."

Mamoru snorted softly. "That is if you can get out of the sudden pit of depression you dug yourself into."

Usagi turned in his arms to gaze up at him. "That's what I have you for."

He raised an eyebrow. "And what about before you had me?"

Usagi buried her head into his chest, reveling in both his warmth and scent. She wished that if she stayed right here in this place, with him, that every worry and problem would just wash away, like the tides that her Moon controlled here on Earth. But such was not to be.

Mamoru's arms tightened around her. "Usako, let me in," he pleaded. "I can't help if I don't know what is bothering you. You're giving me feelings and sensations, but nothing else."

"It's just silly worrying," came a whisper from his shirt. "Nothing more."

"And it's dragging you down, and everyone is starting to notice."

There was a sigh. "Not everyone. Only the people who want to see." She raised her head to look at him in the eyes. All he saw was sadness. "I had to fight Ami to get her to understand Mamoru. Ami! The one person I expected the least amount of resistance from. Why are they hiding from the truth? Why don't they want to see?"

He wiped at a tear that had escaped her eye with his thumb. "They are comfortable to leave things they way that they are. Not everyone likes change."

Usagi looked away. "But that's what the world does. Nothing stays they same, not even us."

"Not everyone has that philosophy."

She suddenly shivered. "Something's going to happen soon, Mamo-chan," her voice was choked with tears. "I can feel it in the air. And I'm not going to be able to stop it." When her eyes met his again they were frightened. "Someone is going to get seriously hurt, and I can't do anything about it!"

"Are you sure?" Inside, he knew she was right, but he had to ask anyway.

Usagi nodded fervently and took a deep breath to try to calm herself down. "You know I am. The city was practically deserted today, and it felt like it was holding it's breath, waiting to see what was going to happen." She smoothed down his shirt that she had crushed in her fear. "This seems to be centered on us, but everyone else is feeling it as well."

She looked up at him again and the only thing that could describe her eyes was liquid agony, and it broke his heart. What could you do when you didn't know what you were fighting against?

Not knowing what else to do, he scooped her up into his arms, brought her inside and placed her on the couch. She instantly curled herself into a small ball.

"Mamo-chan?"

He kneeled down until he was eye level with her.

"Can I stay here tonight?" It was almost a plea. "I don't think I can stand being alone right now."

Without saying a word, he placed a kiss on her forehead and rose to make a call to Minako.