Hi everyone,

I hope you all had an amazing last week of December. We're in the final hours (some of you might already passed it) of a decade, and I hope you all look back at these 10 years with a smile on your face and light in your hearts.

Thank you as always, to my amazing beta DarkenedHrt101, for being an amazing friend. She truly helped out with my last two instalments, even though it was Christmas holidays and today it's NY.

And thank you, to all my readers. You've truly inspired me to try to become a better storyteller and writer. Each review gives me a new path to take.

DarkenedHrt101, you were one of the best parts of 2019 for me:)

moon romance: Thank you my friend:) It's good to be back:)

DarkenedHrt101: I had so many doubts about the breakup scene (between Ayane and Mamoru) but I knew that it was an inevitable part of the story. You truly inspired me to understand how I needed to write that section. I love you:)

SailorMoon489: I kinda like Hiro:) I mean, since he's my own creation and all:D:D But I see your point. But trust me, you'll probably feel very sorry for him once this story is finished. Happy New Year:)

TropicalRemix: Yes, that could have been the case. But you know what? I don't believe in people's meddling pulling two people apart. One way or another, if they are destined to be together, they will find each other again; maybe in a different lifetime:) Happy New Year.

Zanahana: The queen has spoken. Another chapter is being installed for ye :D I love how majestic you make me feel:D The Ayane part just came to me when I spoke to DarkenedHrt101. I felt like her story needs to be told. I'm glad you liked it:) I really hope you like this chapter. Happy New Years my friend. And I bless you with the power of my queen-ness:D:D:D

hime-futatsu: I kind of feel bad for Mamoru too:D You might feel bad for him in this chapter as well. Let me know your thoughts. Happy New Years:)

moon romance: Thank you so much for your lovely words. It boosted my ego to the max:D I'm so glad you liked the last chapter and I sure hope you like this one as well:) Have a great year ahead my friend. Happy New Years:)

Nicole7579: I'm glad you are liking the story overall:) Yes, Usagi might seem a little harsh right now, but you have to understand that she is a confused teenager, being thrust in a life she never thought she would have. I'd give her some time to adjust to having a concept of a husband and a boyfriend:D Anyways, let me know your thoughts about this chapter and have a great year ahead:) Happy New Years.

SailorGuardian314: I just received the email notif for your review as I was writing these:) I hope you had a great vacation and I'm so glad you've stuck around for this story. Have a great year my friend. Happy New Year:)

Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2020 is a start of so many amazing, magical things in your lives.

Kisses and hugs.

Enjoy.

Golak.

Grandpa Hino cursed politely under his breath, as he slowly climbed the stairs of Hikawa Shrine. Had it always been this many stairs? For crying out...it took him a good eight minutes to reach the main entrance; how in the world did Rei and Yuuichirou manage to climb up and down these stairs a few times a day, he did not know.

He lingered when he reached the top for a moment to catch his breath. Yuuichirou had gone to one of his friends' for God knows what; Grandpa Hino had stopped listening to his

exaggerated explanations a long time ago. The boy never learnt how to say his peace in one short sentence.

He knew Rei was still at the Shrine; he could see her lit up room from here.

The weather had been crazy lately; it'd be partly sunny with a pleasant breeze one minute, and the next, it'd be raining as if they had to expect a tsunami; and then, it would turn into a light drizzle with chilly winds. Grandpa Hino never knew what to wear outside anymore.

He took his time walking towards the main building. He looked around the garden as if he'd only seen it the first time. That had been his routine for the past forever. He often walked around the garden with calculating eyes. This Shrine was a place of worship and peace and he wanted to make sure that anyone who came up those endless stairs, was greeted with the comfort and beauty that they deserved.

He could hear voices coming out of Rei's room; her girlfriends were probably inside, chitchatting like the teenagers they were. Grandpa Hino loved having them around; for one thing, Rei seemed less lonely and so much calmer when she was around them; but there was also this sense of tranquility, a certain glow, that seemed to engulf them when they were all together. Grandpa Hino couldn't quite point out what it was, but he felt so much safer, so much more alive when those five were together under his roof.

For the past few weeks, he had noticed how every time they got together, one of them was missing; and most of the time that missing person had been Usagi. Then, for a long time, he hadn't seen Minako around. He would ask Rei about it, but he didn't want to be the end receiver of that look she gave people whenever they pried in her business; he'd seen the way she screamed at poor Yuuichirou now and then and he really didn't want to experience that first hand.

He was just about to walk around the building to his own room when the sliding door to Rei's room opened, almost violently, and a small blonde rushed out.

This wasn't a surprising sight for him; it hadn't been the first time that that door had pulled open with a loud thud and Grandpa Hino had heard hurried footsteps disappearing into the distance. He'd seen Rei sneaking out in the middle of the night so many times he had lost count. Sometimes, when they were all there after school having an afternoon tea, or on a weekend, still tired and sleepy from the week they'd just had, in the middle of their friendly bantering and girlish laughter he loved so much, they'd fell silent, just for a split second, and the next moment, he would hear them scurried away as if the devil himself had been at their heels.

Grandpa Hino never said a word to Rei, but in his solitude in front of the holy fire, he never missed a day of praying for them all; keep them safe, let them lead with their hearts and show them the path, he hung his head humbly in front of the fire and said the words with tears in his eyes.

He followed Usagi as she took hurried and unsure steps towards the garden; he watched her as she stood underneath the cloudy sky and tilted her head towards the hidden stars and he wondered if she was crying. He took a deep breath and decided to go to her. These girls...God knew what they did whenever they disappeared at odd times and under odd circumstances, but they were still teenagers; Grandpa Hino was reminded of that fact every time he saw them gathered around Rei's room, with their heads buried in shojo manga and their eyes widened in that innocent way distinct to a youth. Whatever they did, whoever they were, they still needed guidance; they needed someone to look them in the eye and tell them that everything was going to be alright.

He could hear faint murmurs from Rei's room and wondered who else was in there with his granddaughter; Ami most probably, he thought to himself. He knew Makoto had started working at that little bakery close to Juuban high in the afternoons and Minako's presence always included loud voices and loud laughter and loud everything else. Grandpa Hino could never imagine Minako any other way.

Usagi's head was still tilted at the sky and for a moment, Grandpa Hino wished that the clouds would just go away so that girl could find whatever she was looking for up there.

He was just about to move towards her when he heard stealthy footsteps walking out Rei's room. Whoever this person was, they took measured and light steps; if it hadn't been for his superb sense of parenting he had developed over the years, Grandpa Hino might not have even heard them.

He pulled himself back into the shadows when his eyes fell on a tall form that walked towards Usagi. From where he stood, Grandpa Hino could see the boy's dark hair and dark jacket. He stood a few feet away from Usagi and buried his hands into his pants pockets.

Grandpa Hino narrowed his eyes and tried to remember if he'd ever seen that boy before. He seemed unsure, maybe a little frightened by the way he held himself. He wanted to take another step towards the blonde and didn't; he repeated the act two more times.

The silence was unnerving; even the hushed murmurs in Rei's room had stopped the moment that boy had walked to Usagi's side. The wind had picked up once more and Grandpa Hino felt a little cold. But he couldn't leave his watch now; not when Usagi's shoulders had started to shake in obvious cry and the boy standing behind her had tensed up in apparent frustration.

The wind was getting stronger and Grandpa Hino tightened his collar and wrapped his arms around himself.

Usagi was still crying and he was on the verge of abandoning his hiding place and walking up to them; he never liked seeing any of them cry.

But then, Usagi turned around and faced the boy and even from that distance, Grandpa Hino was able to see her tear-stained face and rosy cheeks. A sudden gust forced him to close his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, his eyes filled with tears and he didn't even know the cause.

Usagi's shoulders were still shaking with her sobs and Grandpa Hino's heart went out to her. But he stood rooted where he was, all thoughts of revealing himself forsaken.

He watched the boy he didn't know, hug Usagi's trembling body close to himself. She went willingly, Grandpa Hino could tell, as she buried her face in the boy's chest and let out the most doleful cry he'd ever heard in his life.

It took him a moment to feel his own tears damping all the soft and deep wrinkles on his face; he couldn't remember the last time he had cried this silently.

He turned away and walked back to his room. There was no point standing there anymore.

The wind had settled into a light feathery breeze.

Minako took a deep breath but didn't make a move to lift herself off the floor. She didn't know how long she had been laying on the soft tatami of Rei's room, but she knew she was still not ready to get up.

She turned her face to the left and looked at Rei, as she sat by the ajar sliding door and hung her head slightly down; she was probably still praying. Minako had always been envious of that. Sometimes she desperately wanted to have something she could cling to when her heart felt this heavy and her mind was void of any rational thought.

She turned her head to the right; a tiny smile came to her lips as she looked at Usagi. She was sitting lazily with her elbows resting on the chabudai table. She had pulled one long tail over her shoulder and was mercilessly picking on imaginary split ends; Minako knew for a fact that Usagi didn't have any split ends. She was the one who usually did her hair after all.

"I'll be back in 15," Mamoru had mumbled, to no one in particular, as he had slowly let himself out of Rei's room. None of them had questioned him; none of them had the energy to speak.

Her mind still whirled with the conversation they all just had. At some point, Minako hadn't been able to handle all the emotions coursing through her. They yelled at each other and accused one another of betrayal; Rei had been too close to blasting Mamoru's ass with a fire attack. In return, he had threatened to throw a rose or two; at that, Minako and Rei had laughed out loud. But they all knew that laughter had been anything but mocking or even happy. They were all too close to the edge of insanity to allow any feeling besides frustration and confusion to enter their minds.

Minako remembered Usagi's reaction the moment she had seen Mamoru in Rei's room, and she snorted.

"Why you…" Usagi had walked the length of the room and stood right in front of him, "could you stop invading my dreams? You are ruining my life—"

Mamoru had clearly woken up on the wrong side of the bed that day, "I'm invading your dreams?" He'd cut her off, "You're the one parading in my sleep as if you own the damn place—"

"As if I want to own your hentai dreams…" Usagi was mad, Minako could tell from the way her nose had turned pointy and red, "why can't you keep your dreams and your pants to yourself—"

Minako saw the way Mamoru's eyes widened and the red hue that covered his face. The Minako part of her wanted to jump up, push herself between them and demand to know every bit of detail of those dreams. The Sailor Venus part of her told her to sit still, that they were not there to argue about that; however much that seemed more interesting.

"You're the one to talk...stripping the moment I fall asleep…"

But then again, she was the Senshi of love; what could be more her business than this?

"Both of you...shut up," Minako had finally stood up, "you're giving me a headache," she gave them a pointed look; they both looked away from each other.

"Now…" Minako swayed on her heels, "if you want to fight over these dreams, the least you can do is to tell us what they are about...in detail…"

"Minako…" Rei shrieked scandalously, "What is wrong with you?" she walked up and stood between her and Usagi, "they should start from when these dreams started…"

At that, Usagi had groaned in frustration and for a moment, it seemed that nothing sad and gloomy held them by the neck; they bantered and argued like they always did. The only difference was that now, they had Mamoru there to bicker with as well. For all the times he had stood on the other side and had received dirty looks and not-too-kind words, now, he was right there in the middle.

And he proved to be worthy competition.

"I didn't say you're bad at the Sailor V game. I said 'you suck' because you do…" he growled at Rei.

"Oh yeah...you think you're better than me?" She shrieked like a 12-year-old girl, "Let's go to the arcade right now and I'll show you, pal…"

"It's not that you don't know how to behave...it's the fact that you are always so rude…" Minako pointed her finger at Mamoru and then stuck her tongue out at him when he batted her finger away.

"Oh almighty, forgive me for ignoring you…" he rolled his eyes and then looked at her with a mocking glee in his eyes, "oops. That might've been intentional…"

"You said 8:30 Usa-chan...8...thirty...not 8:45, or 9:15...8:30…" Minako threw her arms up and sighed in irritation.

"Well excuse me for missing the bus—"

"You always miss the bus. Because you're always so damn late…"

A floodgate had opened and they couldn't close it anymore. All the exasperation, hurt and regret they'd felt for the past few months was now laid on the table and none of them knew how to deal with them; they didn't know which one to deal with first.

"You mock my hair one more time…" Usagi went up on her tiptoes and spat the words into Mamoru's face.

"What are you gonna do? Deafen me with your loud screeches?" He didn't stand down. He towered over her petiteness and smirked, "I'll mock whatever I want...Odango-atama…"

Minako had to bite her lower lip hard so she wouldn't laugh at the look on Usagi's face.

"What...the...fuck...did you...just...call...me?"

Mamoru's smirk couldn't get any more infuriating. He leaned towards Usagi, "Odango...atama…"

For a little while after that, they had all screamed over one another. Usagi yelled at Mamoru, he yelled back at her; Rei yelled at Minako, she yelled at Mamoru instead. There was a mayhem none of them could control.

"Well, you seem to like my hair in your dreams baka…" Usagi screeched; tiny baby hair stuck out of the buns on top of her head; damn you, Chiba, Minako thought, now I can't stop thinking about odangos anymore.

"As much as you like my abs…" he shot back and this time, he didn't even flinch.

"Eww...who would ever like your abs?" Usagi's face had turned crimson.

"Oh, Mamoru...I love your body…" Mamoru said, in an obvious imitation of Usagi's voice; he even narrowed his eyes in flirtation and pushed his lips forward; he looked just like Usagi if she ever begged a man to give it to her hard; Minako couldn't contain her snort.

"You…" Usagi hissed dangerously; she took a small step towards Mamoru and Rei prepared herself to pull her back if she decided to do some damage to the boy's health.

But Usagi never took another step. She huffed and without looking around, she walked towards the sliding door, pushed it open with a loud thud and went outside.

Minako could see her standing in the middle of the garden staring up at the sky; she could also see the aura of anger and confusion around her.

The tension in the room had been suffocating and Minako needed a moment of relief, a moment of familiarity, or else, she was going to strangle someone right then and there.

"So…" she said and turned to look at Mamoru, "I take it you guys do it in your dreams?"

"Minako…" Rei hissed.

"What? It's a legitimate question."

The miko seemed stunned for a moment, but as Mamoru had noticed before, the two of them shared this weird connection; he had seen it on the battlefield and he had seen it so many times in their civilian forms. And as more and more memories of the past resurfaced, he had started to remember how Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars had shared the same bond.

Rei stood beside Minako and stared right at him, "What the hell. Usagi-chan isn't here to get mad...so, fess up Chiba. What have you been doing to our friend?"

Mamoru rolled his eyes and turned away from them.

"If you won't tell, we're gonna think the worst…" Minako wiggled her eyebrows. When she had become this comfortable around Chiba, she didn't know. But there was just something about him that pulled her in. And she wondered if the love he had for Usagi had been the cause. She was a hopeless romantic, everyone knew that. But when it came to Usagi, she couldn't stop loving those who truly loved Usagi. Was that true? Did Chiba truly love her friend?

"So think the worst…" Mamoru said nonchalantly. He was looking at Usagi, "Is she...crying?"

Minako's head whipped around and she had to narrow her eyes; damn it, she really needed glasses.

Usagi was still looking at the sky, and from this distance, Minako couldn't tell if she was crying or not. But the hue around her had changed colours.

"I think so…" She said and moved to go to her friend.

She stopped when Mamoru held her forearm, "Let me."

Rei plopped down on her neatly folded mattress and hugged her knees. She seemed far gone in her own world and Minako respected the silence in the room. After their ridiculous encounter, they all needed a moment of peace.

She sat beside the chabudai table and leaned her face into her palms. She looked straight at the duo outside.

She couldn't hear them, with both their backs turned to her, but she saw how Mamoru tried to speak a couple of times and didn't. But she could see Usagi's shoulders shake with her sobs and her heart twisted. God knew how much pressure and emotional turmoil her friend had been under.

Then, Usagi whirled around and stared right at Mamoru. Even from that distance, Minako could see her teary eyes and blushing cheeks.

"Damn you…" Minako heard her hiss at Mamoru, so very brokenly.

Minako leaned forward to rush by her side. She stood beside the door when Mamoru stretched out his arms, without a word, and pulled Usagi into a tight embrace. She went willingly, Minako could tell. Because, not only did she bury her face into his chest, but the silver aura around her started to mix with a pretty pinkish tint; Minako knew that aura, she had seen it around Serenity so many times.

"I'm sorry…" she heard Mamoru's hushed voice, "I'm so sorry…"

"What is it?" Haruka asked from her lounged spot Michiru's favorite chaise.

Setsuna didn't answer her right away. She walked to the spacious balcony Michiru had filled with plants and a gorgeous indoor water fountain and stood by the railing.

Haruka followed her with an arched brow, "You didn't need to explain that detailed," she mocked and threw herself on their new outdoor bamboo chair and looked at the other woman's back, "I'm so tired."

Setsuna still didn't say a word.

"Are you having a vision?" Haruka leaned forward and tried to peep at Setsuna's face, "Or a breakdown? That looks like a breakdown."

Setsuna took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and wished she could also close her ears.

"I'm so bored…" Haruka whined, "Michiru's practice schedule is dumb. Don't you think?"

Setsuna pursed her lips together and didn't utter a word.

Haruka slung her feet on one side of the chair and went deeper into the cushions, "I'm also hungry...are you hungry?

Setsuna balled her right fist and tried to really focus on shutting off her ears.

"I can make some ramen. Michiru won't be home until," she looked at her wristwatch and sighed, "another hour. Damn it. If I only knew this concert was going to take her away from me this much…"

Setsuna balled her left fist.

"And do you know what she did to me this morning? I was giving her some of my best moves and then she just jumped out of bed and started getting ready for a stupid meeting she had and—"

"For God's…" Setsuna finally opened her eyes and turned around, "I'll tell you…"

Haruka regarded her with a victorious smile. She did a hand gesture which probably meant "go ahead."

Setsuna exhaled sharply, " Fist of all, Michiru will have your head if she saw you right now," she lifted one perfectly trimmed eyebrow and glared at Haruka.

The other woman dangled her feet and smirked, "She has a weird fascination with her furniture—"

"Secondly… 'some of your best moves'?" Setsuna turned her body facing Haruka and leaned against the railing, "I could hear the frustration in her voice even from my room. I think you're losing your touch…" She smiled mischievously when Haruka's eyes widened.

But before she could say anything, soft footsteps captured their attention.

Michiru stepped out onto the balcony and looked straight at Setsuna, "Did you feel that too?"

The other woman nodded.

"What do you think that means?" Michiru walked towards the chair opposite Haruka, nudged her feet down on the way and settled down.

"I'm not sure—"

"What?" Haruka looked at them simultaneously, "What is it?

"But the bond had never been broken though, right?" Michiru ignored her partner.

"A bond of a soulmate can never be broken. It can be meddled with, but you can never break it."

"Can someone tell me what is going on?"

Michiru narrowed her gorgeous eyes at Setsuna and nodded, "So, do you think the bond is now complete?"

"Whose bond is complete?" Haruka looked at them with irritation, "Damn you psychics...tell me what's going on…"

"It's not completely complete...but it's restoring—"

"What does that mean?" Michiru batted Haruka's hand away from her face. She could act like a spoiled child sometimes.

Setsuna looked down at Tokyo, stretched out in all its night glory in front of them, "It means that the princess' heart is finally opening up."

Mamoru pushed opened the sliding door to Rei's room, "I brought food…"

He took off his shoes and pushed them neatly on the side. He could feel two pairs of eyes on him and he found himself a little intimidated by the look Rei was giving him.

Minako was laying on the floor, and when he looked at her, she pushed herself up on her elbows. She didn't say anything; in fact, none of them say a word and somehow, Mamoru welcomed the silence. After the yelling match, they had but an hour ago, the quietness was much needed.

He put the paper bags on the table and shed his jacket. Rei went out of the room and when she returned, she had four cups and cutlery in her hands.

The two of them spread out the dinner in complete silence; Minako continued looking at them as she lazily stretched out her arms.

"Is she sleeping?" Mamoru looked over at Usagi, who was laying on Rei's mattress and had her back to them.

"She's mooning…" Rei said under her breath, "Hey Usa-chan...let's eat."

Usagi didn't move, "I'm not hungry…"

Rei and Minako shared a look, "That's got to be a first…"

"There's dorayaki…" Mamoru sat on folded legs and reached out for one of the boxes on the table.

Minako noticed the tiny smile on his face when Usagi turned her head, only halfway, "Dorayaki?"

"And Dango…"

Rei handed Usagi a cup of hot green tea as she settled beside Minako. Her nose was still a little red from her cry and her hair was tousled; she looked a little calmer from before and Rei hoped that she would remain just as calm for the rest of the night.

She looked over at Mamoru who had one eye on his plate and another on Usagi, "Thank you," she told him and when he looked at her, she looked away.

"I'm still mad at you…" Usagi took one of the freshly baked dorayaki without looking at any of them.

"Who? Me?" Mamoru pointed at himself.

Minako coughed, "She means me…" she said slowly and looked at Usagi, "I know—"

Usagi chewed down her food; her eyes were still glued on her plate, "I can't believe you would go behind my back like that…"

"I didn't go behind your back. I was just trying to protect you…" Minako turned her body towards Usagi.

"How was that protecting me?"

"He wasn't good for you…" Minako looked at Mamoru's unhappy face, "I'm sorry. But you weren't. You weren't good for each other—"

"And who made you the decision-maker?" Mamoru's frown deepened, "Who gave you the right to meddle in our business like that?"

"Well excuse me for being the goddess of love…" Minako said sarcastically, "with the animosity between your planets, your union was doomed from the start…"

"How would you know that?" Mamoru hissed, "You never gave us a chance. No one ever gave us a chance—"

"Don't yell at her…" Usagi finally looked up and right into Mamoru's eyes.

He stared right back at her, "You were just yelling at her yourself—"

"I can...you can't…" She shoved another dorayaki into her mouth and gave Mamoru a challenging look.

"Shut up...shut up…" Rei was massaging her temples, "shut up…" She looked up and pinned the three of them with a nasty glare, "we can't continue yelling at each other…" she pushed away her plate and stood up, "So...we're going to do this my way…" she snatched away everyone else's chopsticks.

"Hey…" Usagi whined.

"You've lost the privilege to eat," Rei snapped, "I'll let you eat when you start acting like an adult and listen to each other...now, I understand you both have some hard feelings towards Minako—"

"Not just Minako…" Mamoru hissed at her.

Rei ignored his comment, "We need to get to the bottom of this tonight…"

For two hours straight the four of them sat, walked and turned in Rei's small room, remembering and retelling the past they all had tried so hard to forget for the longest time; but fate, as they all had understood, could only be avoided for so long.

"You were never good enough for the princess…" was the first thing that came out of Minako's mouth, "you made her feel inadequate—"

"I never did that," Mamoru growled, "You were all just blind with prejudice to understand what we shared—"

"You married her in secret…" Rei interrupted him, "when she could've had anyone, anyone in the entire galaxy. But she chose you and your sorry ass thought that it's okay to marry her in secret—"

"I wanted to marry him…"

Usagi's voice stopped Rei mid-sentence, "I wanted to be with him so badly that I…" She was staring at her hands; her right massaged the fourth finger of her left and Mamoru's heart twisted.

"I wanted to get married… and Endymion...he wanted us to wait, so we could have what we always dreamed of, but I…" she sighed and looked outside.

The moon had been hidden behind dark clouds all night and Usagi longed to see its light.

"But I didn't want to wait...I think...I think I felt that our time was limited. That that was all we could ever have. Those short hidden meetings...always behind closed doors...exciting and so very…" she gulped hard.

In his mind's eye, Mamoru saw Serenity's blushing face, as she clung onto him and hushed the words he'd desperately wanted to say out loud, "Let's get married. Then we'll have our eternity…"

"Nothing could take away the harshness of when we had to say goodbye…" Usagi was still looking outside and Mamoru desperately needed to see her eyes.

"I didn't…" Minako struggled to find words; Mamoru could see the confusion and horrification on her face.

"I never got the chance to tell you that…" Usagi met her friend's eyes, "because...I found out that he was cheating—"

"What?" Mamoru's scream was like a 14-year-old boy; sharp and on the edge of maturity.

"I never cheated—"

"Oh please…" Rei put her hands on her hips, "you travelled around your planet like a dog in heat. You think we didn't know that?"

"Know what...what…" Mamoru looked directly at Usagi, "What is she talking about?"

Minako folded her arms against her chest, "You paraded around your own planet like you'd been this free man...free of responsibilities and love—"

"I'm talking to her…" Mamoru glared at Minako and she hated how every time he looked at her like that, she just automatically bit her tongue; damn you Chiba; damn you and your stupid, unbinding charisma.

Mamoru stood in front of Usagi and looked down at her, "What are they talking about? When was I ever disloyal to you?"

"Endymion was—"

"Cut the crap Usagi…" he crouched down, "there's no Endymion and Serenity anymore. There's just you and me…" Usagi looked away, "no...look at me...this has to stop," he took her chin into his hand and forced her to look at him, "you throw these little things at me, bits and pieces of what you remember and what you think you know and then rob me of telling my side of the story…"

From the side of his eyes, he saw how Minako stood and moved beside Rei.

"I never cheated on you...I wanted to...but I never did…" Usagi's eyes widened as she looked at him and he figured that to some extent, she had wanted him to deny everything all together. But time was running out. Something was coming, he could feel it. It was similar to the feeling Endymion had, right before their world had shattered in ruins; and he needed her to know.

"The time I spent with you, was the happiest I'd ever been in my entire life. You made me believe in myself. You made me believe in the strength that I knew I never had…"

He loosened his hold on her chin and Usagi leaned away from him, "And then...I heard every day how the Alliance was plotting against the earth; how everyone wanted us to stumble at their feet. And I'd hear...how every man out there wanted to woo you with their power, and I hated every moment I had to sit there and hear how their unworthy beings were allowed to be near you and I had to ache for you...my own wife…"

He let go of her chin and stood up.

He had opened a can of worms, and now, he couldn't stop the words coming out of his mouth. He had spent months pushing Usagi away, and after he had confessed his feelings to himself, he had spent weeks avoiding ever talking about this. This sad and lonely and outright pathetic side of his life.

"And I got so jealous...I was so pathetically jealous and outraged and hurt that I thought…" he pushed both hands into his hair and closed his eyes for a moment.

Usagi was looking at him as if she'd seen him for the very first time. She felt so many feelings inside, she didn't know which one to focus on.

"I thought that if I made you jealous, then I would never have to worry about losing you...I…" he looked at her with realization and Usagi supposed that he was just realizing the truth behind his own words as well.

"I'd been a fool…" he confessed, "I thought...fuck," he took a deep breath, "I don't know what I thought. I just did what I thought was expected of a prince. I accepted every damn invitation they gave me. One royal family after the other. And I watched as they flung their daughters at me; at this illusion of a prince, a noble. When in truth, I was only a scared little boy. Afraid of losing the one thing he ever wanted in life. Fuck…"

He walked to the sliding door and pushed it open. He needed oxygen. When had he stopped breathing?

Minako regarded him with sympathy. As the goddess of love, she wasn't unfamiliar with negative feelings such as jealousy. "The greatest love stories are always burdened with the direst feelings," her mother used to tell her, "But none of them can ever compare to jealousy."

"I wanted to hold on to you so badly that I started pushing you away…" Mamoru leaned his head against the frame and looked outside. The moon was still nowhere to be seen behind dark clouds, and he longed to see it just as much as he needed to feel the power of his own planet in his veins.

Just then, an image came to Usagi; of Endymion's frightened face, as he tried to pull Serenity into his arms

"Don't do this... please...there's got to be another way…" He begged.

"This is the only way…" Serenity cried and pushed away against him.

A memory was trying to resurface. She could feel it and yet, she couldn't focus enough to capture the vision.

She looked at her friends; Minako was watching Mamoru and Usagi could feel the air of empathy around her. Minako and her big heart; no wonder she could never stay mad at her for too long.

Rei was fidgeting on her spot; Usagi knew she was probably struggling to keep quiet.

Then she looked at Mamoru. Had there always been that gold hue around him? She narrowed her eyes; how come she had never noticed that about him?

"I never told you about the baby, did I?"

She saw how his shoulders tensed up; but he didn't turn to face her, "No…"

"I wanted to...I think…" she whispered, almost to herself, "I'd come down to earth to tell you, right before the gala, but Kunzite…" She looked at Minako.

The other blonde hung her head in shame, "I'd asked him to turn you away. After we pulled that stunt with Sailor Uranus, I thought...if only Endymion refuses to see you, then you might just move on from him. So I asked Kunzite…" her voice broke and even though Usagi felt anger gripping her throat, she didn't push any further. Because it had become clear to her that their past, hadn't only broken her and Mamoru into pieces; it had broken all of them.

"And then the war came…"

Usagi looked at Rei. She had sat beside the table and was slowly putting the chopsticks back on their plates.

Her actions were slow and almost unconscious; as if her hands were doing this with her mind flying elsewhere.

"Usagi…"

She looked back at Mamoru. He'd turned around and was facing the room. His eyes pierced her soul; "Blue magnetic...just like your eyes…" How many times had Serenity whispered that into Endymion's ears?

"Did you…" he pursed his lips together; probably trying to find the right word, "did you really kill yourself?"

It was as if someone had punched the air out of Usagi's lungs. She struggled to breathe when images started bombarding her mind.

She could see feet running around. She could hear shouts of anger, screams of agony.

She saw a pool of white skirt running; underneath, she saw a sea of blood.

And then the skirt and the small feet stopped. Usagi could hear heaves of disbelief.

She hid her face in her palms and tried to push the images away.

But how could she, when Endymion's lifeless body was as vivid as Mamoru's tall form standing in front of her?

"I…" she whispered; Endymion's eyes were closed and she could no longer see those magnetic blues. She could never hear him laugh. He'd never know that he was going to be a father.

For Serenity, it had seemed definite to just bring up the blade Sailor Jupiter had given her as a gift and thrust it deep into her heart. To her, it was simply unnatural to live in a world without her soulmate. If Endymion was gone, she had no desire to be there anymore.

"I died...even before that blade touched my skin..." Usagi looked up at Mamoru.

It was weird, but even though she could hear Minako's sobs and Rei's not so subtle curses, she didn't cry.

Mamoru's eyes probably mirrored the emotion in her own; he looked at her as if he'd only seen her for the first time. As if he'd only rose from the dead, there, in between the corpses of his generals and the enemy, and had found her eyes seeking him out.

"Life just seemed trivial when I saw you laying there…"

Silence filled the room then; the only sound they could hear was the rustling of ancient trees around the garden. The wind had picked up once more and Mamoru knew rain would follow soon.

Hiro scratched another line on his notebook and pushed his books away in irritation.

Fuck, this exam was going to kick his ass. How was he ever going to finish this entire chapter, this entire book?

The library had been packed with first-year science students and his own peers. But now, there were only a few people here and there; they'd all looked pristine and poised when they had walked inside the main hall, and now, Hiro snorted to himself. Hairs were pulled into messy buns and sticking up in all the wrong places. Pens were tucked behind ears and every now and then, he could hear a pencil smashing against a book. Students really went nuts during exam season.

Usagi had gone to the shrine and Hiro was hoping that she'd been able to patch things up with her friends. He really didn't know what had happened between them, but he could see how it was affecting Usagi.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched out his arms and legs. Did everyone else have the same anxiety when they studied?

His mind took him to the conversation he'd had with Mamoru a few months ago.

"Why won't you drop out, if you hate it so much?" He'd asked him.

Why didn't he drop out?

Studying these complex subjects seemed natural for so many of his classmates. Kosuke never complained as much as he did; Mamoru surely looked like he knew his game.

He stared at his notebook and the heavy book sprawled in front of him.

"I just like saving people's lives…" Mamoru had told him, once in this very library, "I don't know. It just makes me feel alive."

Damn you Chiba and your humanitarian beliefs.

He picked up his pen, stretched his head from side to side and tried to summon his focus.

"Mamoru-san was born to be a doctor," Kobayashi, another classmate had said, "he's a natural when it comes to healing."

"We kissed...and it wasn't the first time…" Usagi's tiny voice invaded his thoughts and he flinched. No matter how hard he tried to forget, something always seemed to pull him back in that spot where he resented Mamoru's disloyalty.

"I'm Sailor Moon…and well, my friends…"

"Don't fucking tell me they're the Senshi?" he remembered his own embarrassing scream.

Biology was not only kicking his ass, but it was now kicking his balls. Why the hell was he not getting this?

"I mean, we all have different powers…" Usagi had said; as she leaned her head against his chest, "and I'm pretty sure mine is the lamest."

"But if you can't go to a hospital, or a doctor...what happens when you get hurt?" He'd asked her after he had seen that nasty pinkish line around her abdomen; it looked like a displaced yarn against her porcelain skin.

"I mean, Sailor Mercury, Ami-chan, has so much knowledge about medicine; you know she wants to be a doctor. But…" had she hid her eyes from him then? "You know, Tuxedo Mask...I mean, he has healing abilities; and he helps us out a lot…" she had definitely looked away from him.

"We kissed...and it wasn't the first time…"

His hand stopped taking notes and his eyes settled on page 134.

"Mamoru is a natural when it comes to healing…"

"Tuxedo Mask has healing abilities…"

Something gripped his throat.

"I died...actually, I killed myself when someone dear to me was killed…"

"We kissed...and it wasn't the first time…"

He leaned back and dropped his pen. He turned his head towards the tall windows of the main hall.

Had it started raining again?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or its amazing characters. All rights are reserved for its genius creator, Naoko Takeuchi. I just own the story I tell.