Okay... so, I missed a few holidays/months... So sorry! Here's the next installment, and I'll try and get caught up as soon as possible!

"You're not going to know until you open it."

Usage ignored Mamoru's teasing as she continued to fiddle and crinkle the envelope in her hands. Taking a deep breath, she placed the letter on the tabletop and ran her hand over it firmly in an attempt to smooth it out. Unfortunately, the poor piece of paper had been clenched and twisted to the point where it was pointless—it would never get its figure back.

"You do it." She pushed the parchment to him.

Mamoru wrapped an arm around her and began tearing the envelope open. Her blue eyes never left his fingers as he pulled the folded paper out.

And suddenly the silence had been broken.

"I mean, they couldn't send the registration packet in such a small envelope… and I did have a bad two years in high school and it was worse in middle school—but you remember that—and I didn't do any extra curriculars… so I would completely understand if they didn't want me. Maybe I should have studied harder for the entrance exam… been like Ami. Then they wouldn't have been able to reject me at all! And-"

"Usako, you were accepted."

"Nani?" the blonde blinked and ripped the paper from her boyfriend's hands, "I… nani?"

"You were accepted for the 2010 fall semester. The acceptance letters are sent before the registration packets."

"You KNEW that?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and brought her in closer to him, "Hai. And I knew you'd get into Uni without a problem too. Congratulations Usako."

"Hai, congratulations Odango!"

The couple's attention turned to the priestess.

"Hey there Rei!" Usagi leaped out of the booth, "I got in! Can you believe it?"

Rei laughed and shook her head at the blonde's excitement, "Of course I can. You've worked really hard the last couple of years Usagi. We're all proud of you. I hate to ruin your date, but we have that *thing* to take care of today…"

Usagi's puzzled look only lasted a mili-second before she grabbed her things and gave Mamoru a peck on the lips, "Gomen, Mamo-chan. I will see you tonight?"

He only nodded and watched as the two made their way out of the arcade.

"Don't even think about it."

"I'm not," Mamoru took one last gulp of coffee and slipped on his green jacket, "I'm doing."

Motoki simply sighed as he watched the tall regal figure walk out, only a few feet behind the two women. Everything in him knew that what Mamoru was about to do was a bad idea…

"Reading? That's what you pulled me away from Mamoru for?"

Rei rolled her eyes and smacked the blonde upside the head, "Quit complaining, this was your idea!"

Mamoru had ducked behind an ally and transformed before continuing to follow the two from the rooftops. He could hear their conversation—an adaptation from his transformation he was sure—and part of him knew that eavesdropping wasn't the best route to go about discovering his girlfriend's secrets. However, if the girls were continuously having senshi meetings, that meant Usagi could be aware of a new enemy he was not and her life could be in danger. He was always the last to know about an invasion, and couldn't figure out why.

"I didn't realize it would involve so much…"

"Work?"

The blonde sighed, and Mamoru chuckled to himself as he saw her shoulder's sag. His attention turned to the matter at hand when the two girls reached a bookshop—one he had only visited once his first semester of college. He wondered why the two would stop there… the contents of the shop were primarily children's stories, mythology, and a small section of magic books for neo-pagans. The outlet was too small for him to be able to enter unnoticed—so he was forced to wait.

Usagi took in the sight of the bookstore. The area had an old musty smell, but wasn't unpleasant. The large front window let in massive amounts of natural light. The walls were covered with books, and the center of the store was left open for walking. Other tables and shelves were decorated with mysterious figures, and a section in the back was dedicated to foreign items Usagi wasn't sure of. However, something small caught her eye. Before she could examine it, Rei was yanking her to a particular section of the store.

"Ow! Watch it." She glared at her raven-haired friend, only to receive another eye roll.

"Look at that."

Usagi followed to where Rei was pointing—it was a massive portrait of the moon and the Earth at war. To any on-looker the piece would have been seen as an expression of explosive energy and honor for the planet and it's moon. For the two senshi, it was a symbolism of history.

"Why am I here? Couldn't you have just bought whatever it was and—" at the glare, Usagi stopped and pulled out her purse, "Right right…"

"I didn't get the chance to come in until just now. I'm doing all the spiritual hunting; I'm not going to be your personal shopper too. Besides, I only get a sense of when I'm in a key location… not what items are significant about it."

The previous evening, the girls had spent their time discussing how to conduct more research on the Moon Kingdom. Because the Silver Millennium has been told as a myth, Ami was researching any and all books that could have some fragment of truth to them. Rei was scouting out various locations throughout Tokyo for any significance they may hold. Makoto, Minako, and Artemis had taken another trip to the moon to look around the palace. Usagi would be the one to put everything together—as best as she could. Luna seemed to believe that the project would help her with her future Queen duties. And while Rei had more focus on where key items would be, Luna advised Usagi to be the one to go to the location and get whatever items caught her eye and explained that those items would represent Usagi's home to her.

"Don't over think it, and don't worry about the price. You need to get these items based upon your instincts. It's the Lunarian in you."

"Can I help you ladies?"

The two girls smiled and turned to the gray haired woman with a turban around her head.

"Hai!" Usagi nodded, "I would like the picture, and these three books." She pulled down three large texts while Rei grabbed the painting and the two followed the woman to the counter.

"You have marvelous taste young lady," the woman complimented, "Anything else for you today?"

"Iie—" Usagi paused and noticed the golden sparkle behind the counter, "Actually… how much for the locket?"

"13,000 yen."

Usagi fumbled around in her purse, "I'll take that too."

"Your total comes to 33,391."

Mamoru watched the two exit the store—now with their arms full—and head toward the temple. Once there, he heard the girls settle themselves inside. Minako, Ami, and Makoto were already there; confirming his initial thought. Senshi meeting. He braced himself in an outside tree, being mindful to stay in the shadows. The position kept him in hearing-range and he was able to see through one of the larger windows, which Rei had left open because of the heat.

"Okay Usagi, what did you find?"

Mamoru's brow furrowed at the unfamiliar voice. Who else could there be? There were the outer senshi soldiers… but he had already narrowed down their identities to Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna, and Hotaru respectively. But what he didn't expect—

"Really Usagi? A painting, a trinket, and three books in Latin?"

A talking black cat.

He nearly fell out of the tree!

"Hey, you said not to think about them."

The cat growled, "Hai, I did didn't I?"

Mamoru blinked and removed his mask to get a better view. 'Was that Usako's cat Luna?' He paled as he placed the mask back over his eyes. Well, he'll certainly have to be more careful about what he says around that creature.

And suddenly he wondered why he wasn't more weirded-out by the idea of a talking cat. Perhaps it was because he was supposed to rule the Earth one day. Or that he had a Princess haunt him for nearly five years. Or he's faced demons of various sizes, shapes, colors, and oozings. And because of all this, it only made sense when Minako's white cat began speaking as well.

"Ami can translate the texts from Latin into Japanese with her Mercury computer. She should be able to scan in the portrait as well and determine if it was a piece of the royal art collection. But as far as the locket…"

The golden shimmer instantly stole Mamoru's attention. It was a star shaped locket, one that made the back of his mind tug as his consciousness… but he couldn't pin point why.

"I don't remember anything like it," Luna examined the jewelry, "It's beautiful… but not quite what I gave you that money for."

Usagi fiddled with the clasp trying to get it to open, "It's stuck. I wonder what's inside of it. You said to purchase whatever called out to me… and I did."

"Are you sure you just didn't want a new piece of jewelry?" Minako teased, "It is lovely though Usa." The other blonde fingered the locket—now around Usagi's neck.

"Hmm…" Ami typed away on her computer, "This could take me a while before I will have all of the pages scanned… but I can export the files and load them onto my e-reader. You can take them with you anywhere. And it's less damaging to the environment."

Makoto shook her head, "Ami, Ami… always thinking. Classes don't start until this fall."

"Oh!" Rei squealed, "Tell them the good news Usagi!"

"I got into Uni!"

"Congratulations!"

"Well done, Usagi."

"I knew you could do it!"

"Way to go!"

"Arigato!" Usagi beamed, "I can't wait for next year! It's going to be so exciting—all of us on the same campus."

Mamoru yawned as the girls continued to talk about school, Minako's latest boyfriend, Ami's latest academic discovery, Makoto and Motoki's relationship, and Rei's grandpa. He began to doubt any other valuable information would be discussed and almost settled for the information that he now knew he'd have to get his hand's on Ami's reader.

"—Earth Prince."

Well, any guilt he had been feeling about eavesdropping and invading his girlfriend's privacy suddenly vanished. Apparently, the group was talking about him. So… that made his invasion less… invasive, right?

"I'm not sure Usagi, but hopefully there will be some information in here," Ami's voice rang through the window, "After all, we can't break the betrothal without knowing some history first."

…he was betrothed? Mamoru nearly fell out of the tree. Surely he hadn't heard correctly.

"I still don't see how a marriage between the Moon Princess and the Earth Prince could have brought about peace," Makoto pondered.

His mouth dropped. He knew the senshi were sworn protectors of his princess… her guardians during the time of the Silver Millennium. But what they were talking about… that would mean… his Princess in his dreams was his betrothed.

He heard his girlfriend's frustrated sigh, "And why their marriage is the only way Crystal Tokyo can be created."

"Holy shit."

DING.

"Hi welcome to—oh, hey Mamor… what's wrong with you?" Motoki stopped cleaning the milkshake glasses and wiped his hands on his dishtowel. After flipping the 'Open' sign to 'Closed,' he sat down next to his best friend.

"Remember that trip I had to take? Why I couldn't go to the States?"

Motoki nodded but remained silent. He hadn't received a lot of details, but had been told by Mamoru that the fate of the world depended upon the results of that trip. And who was he to argue with a superhero? The fact the girls had all skipped town around the same time clued him into the severity of the situation.

"I went there and visited what was called Crystal Tokyo."

Another nod.

Motoki was aware that his best friend would one day rule the world. The two had a good laugh over the cliché.

"Well, I followed Usako and Rei today, and before you scold me I did it for the primary reason that I wanted to know what senshi business the two were doing; to know of any enemies that are already here or that the girls have sensed are arriving. Only to find out that the only way for the future I saw to be created is to marry the Princess that was in my dreams; who I was betrothed to in the Silver Millennium."

"Wait, wait, wait…" Motoki held up a finger and shook his head, "So, in order for you to be able to create the future you went to save, you have to marry a Princess you dreamt about for three years, who is also your betrothed to your past self?"

Mamoru thought for a moment, "Yea, that's it in a nutshell."

"Oh Kami," Motoki mumbled, "Are you sure you heard them right? Eavesdropping isn't the most reliable way to get information."

"Ami is translating some ancient texts Usako and Rei purchased today and putting them into an e-reader. I'm going to try and get into it and see what exactly they're up to."

"Why don't you transform and request a meeting with Sailor Moon?" at Mamoru's glare, Motoki retracted the question, "Right. You walked out on her."

"I didn't walk out on her!"

"Gomen, bad joke…" Motoki apologized before he was beheaded, "Listen, I know you haven't had much experience in the whole, relationship-date thing; but I'm telling you. Spying on your girlfriend is *not* a good idea. If anything, it's the worst idea ever and will end you up in the doghouse for a minimum of six weeks or even break the two of you up. The fact that your girlfriend is a super hero only magnifies the situation by like, fifty."

"You're that afraid of Makoto?"

"Hai."

The next day…

"Sooo… Usagi, when ARE you going to tell Mamoru that you're… well, Sailor Moon, an ancient Moon princess, and the future Queen of the Earth?"

Blue eyes met blue eyes.

"Nani?"

Minako rolled her eyes and the two began walking toward the arcade, "I know you didn't break up with Mamoru, but you are going to tell him about the super hero thing aren't you? And the Princess? And the Future Queen stuff? I mean… if we figure out what to do about Crystal Tokyo and what-not, you're gonna tell him right? You can't keep something like that a secret from him."

"He told me he loved me," Usagi grinned.

"AAAAH! When? How? What?"

"Well, we were talking about sseeehxt—"

"Huh?" Minako blinked, "I can't hear you when you speak that softly, Usa."

"We were talking about hesh."

"Nani?"

Usagi sighed, "Sex."

"AAAH!"

Usagi slapped a hand over Minako's mouth, "We were just talking Minako."

"Oh, right right…" the girl blushed, "He told you he loved you because you talked about sex?"

"Iie! He said he wanted to talk about something and I thought it was about sex because he asked if he ever did anything that made me feel uncomfortable, and I said no, but because I brought up sex he wanted to let me know that he wasn't expecting anything and wasn't going to pressure me into anything, and then I asked him what he wanted to talk about, and he said he loved me."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Did you say it back?" Minako asked exasperated.

Usagi laughed, "Of course, dork. I love him." The two stopped in front of the arcade doors, "I love Chiba, Mamoru."

"So when are you going to tell him?"

"I don't know," Usagi sighed and honest truthfully as the two walked into the almost ready-to-open restaurant. The two were meeting the rest of the group to help Motoki and Makoto get ready for the grand opening the next day.

"When are you going to have sex with him?"

"MINAKO!" Usagi scanned the room mortified that such a question would be bluntly asked by her best friend in a highly… empty space.

"We're the first ones here Usa," Minako laughed, "I wouldn't ask if we didn't have privacy."

"I don't know."

Minako nodded, "Hey, wouldn't it be moronic if Mamoru turned out to be Chibi-Usa's father?"

"Moronic?"

"You know… when things turn out funny."

"I think you mean ironic."

Unknown to the odango-haired blonde, the rest of the group were all at the shrine discussing her up-coming birthday.

"A surprise party? Don't you remember the last time we tried to host a surprise party?" Makoto groaned, "It was a complete disaster."

Rei rolled her eyes, "Hai. Demo… Usa isn't part of the planning."

Mamoru chuckled, "Cake, food, presents, friends… it shouldn't be that hard."

"Easy for you to say…" Rei grumbled, "You know, Usagi would be happy with anything. But I think we should do something special this year."

Ami took a sip of tea, "Hey, why don't we plan a beach trip?"

"No car," Makoto frowned.

Motoki puffed out his chest playfully, "You have us men! We have cars!"

His girlfriend rolled his eyes and smacked his chest to get him to lose the pose.

"Really?" Ami looked at the two of the men in the room.

"I have a beach house we could go to this coming weekend. We can leave Friday night and be back by Sunday afternoon," Mamoru offered, "There's plenty of room for everyone. Invite the boyfriends."

Motoki and Makoto shared a look, "Plenty of time before we have to open officially," he reassured her with a smile.

"Speaking of which, we should probably get going," Rei was the first to stand, "I'm not sure how much longer Minako can keep Usagi from asking where the rest of us are."

Makoto laughed, "Hey, at least the two blabbermouths of the group are together. No one will ruin the surprise this year!"

"Where is everyone?" Usagi asked annoyed and pulled out her cell phone. After sending Mamoru a text, she and Minako began walking through the restaurant and the arcade.

The business had undergone an entire makeover. The 90s look was out, and a new décor for the 21st century had been installed. Basic neutral colors with various accents. Simple tiling and counter tops, but being new, gave the entire place a polished and consumer friendly atmosphere. Neon lights and signs decorated the new game stations and lounging areas of the arcade. Sound-proof glass sliding doors separated the area from the restaurant—newly decorated to mimic a coffee shop and bistro; and matched Makoto's specialized menu. The arcade would continue to serve the traditional Crown entrees: burgers, fries, milkshakes, ice cream, and sandwiches.

"I don't see what it is we need to do," she half whined and checked her Blackberry for a new message—only to see none, "Motoki needs to do all the ordering and inventory."

Minako giggled, nodding in response, "I totally agree."

"Then why are we here?"

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Minako shrugged, "Beats me. I should be at the mall spending the rest of my budget on a new bikini."

Usagi squealed, "Oh me too! Why don't we go? I can let Mamo-chan know we'll be at the mall. He and I don't have plans until later anyway."

"Well, looks like we can keep planning on our own." Mamoru typed away on his phone and then stuck it in his pocket, "Usako and Minako went to the mall to find swimsuits."

Rei rolled her eyes, "Of course they did. Hey, what are you planning on getting Usagi? A cell phone is a hard act to follow up on."

Mamoru chuckled and shift into third, "I thought about giving her a key."

"A key?" Rei blinked, her eyebrows coming together in confusion, "A… oh! A key! Really?"

"Well, she's over all the time anyway," Mamoru eyed Rei as he drove and let out another chuckle, "Don't worry. I plan on getting a traditional "it's my girlfriend's birthday" gift as well."

"Don't you think this is going awfully fast?" Rei asked, "Don't get me wrong, I'm all for you and Usagi's relationship."

"Possibly," Mamoru parked the car, "But we've known each other for four years. Been getting along for eight months and dating for four."

"That's true," the priestess agreed, "But there's still so much that you two don't know about each other yet."

'Like the fact she's a reincarnated Princess, heroine, and future Queen…'

Getting out of the car, Mamoru removed his sunglasses and gave his friend a shrug, "That's true too. But I'm okay with figure it out while living together if she's willing to."

Rei sighed in defeat. She couldn't tell Usagi Mamoru's gift, or it would ruin the surprise; and she couldn't spill the beans to Mamoru about Usagi's identities. Guess she would just have to push the Moonie into telling her secrets. Soon.

Usagi's Birthday

"Good morning sleepy head."

Usagi groaned at her mother's voice, shouldn't she get to sleep in? After all it was summer and… her birthday! The realization caused her eyes to snap open. She laughed at the sight before her. Her mother was wearing her famous pink apron, and had a plate of pancakes with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and a cherry on top in her arms.

"Happy birthday Usagi!" her mom beamed, "I can't believe my little girl is 19 today… now eat up and get dressed. Mamoru called and said he is going to pick you up in an hour to go out."

Happily stuffing her face, the blonde wondered what exactly Mamoru had up his sleeve for her birthday. She really did have an amazing boyfriend.

Once she finished her sugary breakfast, Usagi jumped into the shower and spent a good half hour figuring out what to wear. She had sent Mamoru over a dozen messages trying to get him to tell her where they were going. All he would give her was that they would be outside—so wear sunblock. As she fingered through the various tank-tops and camis in her dresser, her mind wandered to the conversation she and Mamoru had previously.

Sex.

She gulped at the thought and threw down the light pink, low-cut, lace trimmed cami she held up to her upper body. Was she ready for that step in their relationship? They said I love you… and she knew she meant it. And she could tell Mamoru meant it. He gave her this look every time they were together… the one she hadn't seen since…

Usagi shook her head. No way was she going to ruin this day with another thought about Tuxedo Kamen.

A few moments later she found a plain white tank-top and her favorite jean shorts. It was simple, and didn't make her think about sex… okay, well, if she was finding clothing specifically that wasn't sexy, wouldn't that mean she was thinking about sex, even though she was trying not to think about sex?

Usagi let out a frustrated growl.

"USAGI! MAMORU IS HERE!"

Well, looks like any wardrobe contemplations would be forced to a halt. Grabbing her purse and sunglasses, Usagi sprinted out the door.

"Ja, Mama! Ja, Papa!"

Usagi giggled as Mamoru held open her door.

"So what are we doing?" she asked as soon as he was inside the car.

"Turn around."

Usagi rose an eyebrow, and seeing Mamoru bring out a black cloth, did as she was told.

"Blindfolded… really?"

Silence was her only answer. She rolled her eyes, then remembered he couldn't see—so she shook her head and smiled at him.

"Are you going to tell me anything?"

"We can play 20 questions if you'd like."

"Deal," Usagi smiled, "Um… how much longer?"

"About an hour."

"Is it just us?"

"No."

"Who else is going?"

17 questions later…

Mamoru erupted in laughter, "No, I'm not taking you camping."

Usagi had just shared her family's annual camping trip fiascos. The year her mother's food was stolen by a bear and the family spent the night in a tree, the pranks she and Shingo would pull on one another, the year her father accidently pulled off his shirt with the fishing rod, and the time she and the girls got lost in the woods and had to wait until nightfall so Ami could navigate their way back to the lake.

"Well, are we—"

"You're out of questions," Mamoru chuckled, "And we're here."

"Can I take the blind fold off now?" Usagi whined, and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout for added effect.

"Hai," Mamoru answered and pulled the blindfold down for her.

Usagi blinked a few times to get used to the light, and gasped as she saw the view from her side of the car. A large house on the beachfront with a balcony and deck sat near a lighthouse. She could already see the other girls and their boyfriends laying out in the sun or splashing around in the water. Makoto was cooking, of course, and Usagi could see large leaves on the ground with smoke rising—which meant a pig roast.

The blonde sprinted toward her friends as Mamoru Usagi's bag. He had asked her mother to one pack for her; then he headed toward the house to put their things away. He laughed as she nearly tripped—something that rarely happened these days—as she made her way toward Makoto… undoubtedly to ask about the dinner menu.

Once inside the five-bedroom, three-bathroom beach home, he sighed as the cool air from the air conditioner hit his face. It was unusually hot for Tokyo this June. He had spent the previous day cleaning the place, and it resulted in memories he had thought he had dealt with. The beach house was where he and his family were headed for his birthday—and then the crash took place. Mamoru had only been to the house once before… when he finally regained the memories of his past, he came to the house. A huge family portrait sat above the fireplace in the living room and everything had remained the same. Everything from the spare key underneath the fake rock under the southwest corner of the deck—along with the memory of his mother telling his father that anyone in their right mind would know it was fake, while his father would defend the idea—to his mother's recipe cards and the family's board games. The visit was a short one. He cleaned the place up and packed all of the items away, and never returned. Until now. The house was always meant for happy memories. Spending the weekend with the woman he loved seemed appropriate; and the perfect time to start building new memories.

After putting her bag in the master suite, Mamoru changed into his trunks and a button down shirt before making his way down to the beach.

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi whined, "I don't have—"

"Your mother packed you a bag while you were in the shower, your belongings are in the master suite in the house."

Usagi's face lit up, "Arigato!" and she sprinted toward the house.

Mamoru only chuckled, and put his sunglasses on.

"This was a great idea, Mamoru," Motoki complimented and handed his friend a beer from the cooler.

"I didn't become a doctor without some sort of intelligence."

Usagi scrunched her face at the bikini Minako had helped her pick out. Solid baby-pink bottoms, and her top was a white halter with pink and gold moon and stars. She twirled around in front of the mirror, and suddenly felt more naked than she thought she should. Sure, she had tried on the suit, and Minako had assured her it was the one to buy… but now that she would be wearing it in front of Mamoru… she gulped. Looking through her bag, she saw her mom had packed everything she'd need. Including… condoms?

Her face turned crimson red.

"I wonder what's taking Usagi so long?" Rei scowled.

Minako laughed, "Chill Rei, it's her party. She can be late if she wants to."

The two girls lay out on beach towels a few feet away from the surf.

"Who's up for surfing?" Ami asked, finishing waxing her board.

"I'm sure Yuichiro would be up for it," Rei commented from her towel before flipping over onto her stomach.

"Totally!" Yuichiro agreed and grabbed his own board before running out into the water with Ami only a few paces behind.

Usagi made her way to the beach, a sheer oversized shirt over her bikini. Makoto was building a sandcastle with Urawa, Ami and Yuichiro were surfing, Mamoru and Motoki were talking, and Rei and Minako were busy tanning. And tanning sounded like the perfect way to waste a few hours of her birthday.

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi hugged her boyfriend from behind, "Arigato. This is wonderful."

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself Usako." Mamoru smiled and leaned in to give his girlfriend a quick kiss on the lips. Usagi smiled and helped him out by flexing on her tiptoes.

"I will be sleeping in the sun with Minako and Rei," Usagi said matter-of-factually before letting go of Mamoru and spreading her own beach towel down.

After a few hours, the girls had tired of tanning and Ami and Yuichiro had long been finished surfing. Mamoru and Motoki had started a contest with Minako and Urawa on who could create the better sand castle with Usagi being the judge—birthday girl privilege. As Usagi critiqued the castles being built, Rei had gone for a swim and Makoto checked the food.

"Well, the pig is ready… everything else will be shortly," Makoto waved Motoki and Mamoru over to lift it out of the pit, "Ami, you want to get everyone and tell them we're ready to eat?"

"Happy Birthday to Usagi! Happy Birthday to you!"

Closing her eyes, the blonde thought for a moment before blowing out the candles on the vanilla cake with strawberry and lemon cream filling Makoto had baked and decorated.

"What did you wish for Usagi?"

"She can't tell Minako! It won't come true," Ami scolded and scooped up the cake to cut. Minako's response was sticking out her tongue at the bluenette in fun.

"Today was so much fun you guys," Usagi gushed, "Arigato!"

"We're not done yet!" Yuichiro piped in.

Motoki nodded, "Present time!"

New hair clips and body glitter from Minako, a novel from Ami, spa gift certificate from Rei, an iTunes gift card from Yuichiro, flowers and gourmet chocolates from Makoto, a new stuffed bunny from Motoki, cell phone accessories from Urawa, and a necklace from Mamoru.

"It's beautiful Mamo-chan," Usagi was in awe over the jewelry. A gold crescent moon with a pink-tinted pearl sat in the moon's curve. Mamoru helped her put the necklace on and kissed the back of her neck lightly. Usagi tried to ignore the goosebumps that ran down her spine, and was thankful the rest of the group had missed the small, yet heated, sign of affection.

"So what's the plan for the rest of the day?" Ami asked as she distributed the cake pieces.

"I'm up for back out in the sun," Minako voted, "I'm loving this weather."

"I'd rather stay inside and watch a movie," Usagi chimed in, "For doing nothing all day, I'm exhausted."

"Yuichiro, help me get the firewood for tonight," Rei half ordered-half asked, and the two headed out of the beach house with Minako.

Ami and Urawa chose to go swimming together, while Makoto and Motoki packed up the leftovers and began washing dishes and cleaning up the kitchen.

Mamoru had silently taken to the DVD rentals he had brought with him—knowing he and his girlfriend weren't going to go a weekend without their routine. He smiled at the thought he had as he placed the new release into the player; the words 'girlfriend' and 'routine' sticking out in his mind.

45 minutes later proved that the two truly did have a routine. The first 15 minutes of the movie, Usagi would chatter though declaring they weren't missing anything good anyway because it was mostly previews. The next 15 minutes involved watching the film, sneaking a kiss every now and then. And by the last 15 minute stretch, she was sleeping in his arms. He watched her breathe in and out… she was so quiet when she slept—something that he wouldn't have guessed in a million years. He was sure that she snored something awful.

"I promise, I will return to you Princess!"

"Prince Endymion!" Princess Serenity cried out, tears flowing down her face, "Please! The Dark Queen… she'll—she'll kill you! I know she will. Please… if you must go, please surrender yourself to her. You know you are what she wants. It will save the universe. Please…"

"No, Princess," the shadowed figure's voice was firm, yet warm, "I cannot."

"You condemn your people to death!"

"Death is a far better outcome than how they would live with her as Queen."

Usagi woke up with a start, gasping for breath, and tears coming out of her eyes.

"Usako."

She turned to see Mamoru watching over her, his eyes filled with worry; but his mouth set in a firm line.

"Are you alright?"

Usagi nodded taking in her surroundings, "Hai, Mamo-chan. Just a weird dream."

"Did you want to talk about it?"

"I don't really remember it," she lied, feeling guilty, "I just remember being scared."

Her guilt intensified as he tightened his embrace around her.

"I'm here. Nothing is going to happen to you."

Hmm... kind of a fluff chapter huh?... R&R! :)