After two days of hard work by the actors, the big day came and the audience gathered in the theater. The whole hall was fully booked and everyone expected the play to start at any moment. Until the very last moment, Kousagi had refused to participate in the rehearsals because her role was so small that she decided to present it as a surprise for the group to intensify the dramaturgical aspect.
"As you said, it's art, isn't it? What if a clown drives around at the end of the play that no one knew about before? I like the idea of the unexpected so much!"
He was defeated by her strange reasoning and ended up accepting Kousagi's suggestion. The problem of missing a dwarf was bigger than an odd-looking clown bouncing on stage on a unicycle.
So Usagi and her friends Umino and Naru as well as the sailor Senshi stood behind the stage and, together with Mamoru and Natsumi, excitedly waited for the curtain to open so that they could start the piece.
As soon as the stage became visible to the audience, a spotlight was directed at a strange, unknown silouette.
‚Kousagi? What is she doing here now? '
Mamoru was confused to see the clown at the beginning of the show but immediately got a strange feeling that this was not his future daughter. Meanwhile the pink bun head had seated herself next to her uncle Shingo who she recognized a little earlier and watched in complete shock the cheap copy of her clown disguise starting to destroy the whole set.
A screaming Natsumi in her meaningless eggshell yellow Snow White dress entered the stage and tried to stop the evil laughing clown but was thrown back by its outbursting energy. A brave, costumed Mamoru wanted to help her but was pushed back to the ground as well.
'What the heck is going on there? This is not the original plot, is it?'
Kousagi was highly worried when the clown who called himself the whole time 'bipierrot' was about to finalize the destruction of the scene. Before she could decide to step into action, the star of her childhood bedtime stories appeared and uttered her catchphrase.
"How dare you destroying this stage and thus the dreams of the crew performing a great show at this theatre tonight? I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon I will punish you!"
The clown seemed rather unimpressed by her words and instantly spread out some greenish tentacles which wrapped the senshis waist so she was unable to move.
'Mhm this looks pretty much the same when Jupiter got caught in the park the other day.'
Kousagi was highly alarmed that the copy clown was probably a proper kardian. While she stood up and wanted to pull out Artemis T, a sharp noise was heard followed by a white rose hitting the ground. It froze the capabilities of the monster and freed Sailor Moon out of her green prison.
„Moonlight Knight!" The Sailor girl cried out in pure delight. He stood onto a big pale moon hanging from the ceiling and rewarded the clown with an utterly distainful glance.
Four other shadows appeared on the stage. One after the other introduced themselves as no one else but the legendary inner sailor Senshi Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Venus.
Shingo was excited to see his idols gathered on the stage and together with the other people he started to cheer on the magical girls. With much of success. Mercury and Mars weakened the clown with their attacks, so Sailor Moon took her moon cutie rod and finally dusted the perplexed kardian mercilessly.
'This has been an awesome show, congrats Sailor Scouts!" The white knight pointed out happily and disappeared from the stage.
Kousagi was fascinated to see her mother and the girls being so determined and strong. A feeling of proud reached her heart when the audience applauded excitingly.
'They are wonderful, I've never thought that they were such stars in this time.' Tears of emotion ran down her cheek. She got up from her seat and joined in with a joyful screeching.
The curtains fell, the show was over, and the dark pink pigtailed teen suddenly remembered that Mamoru was still lying behind the stage, been knocked out all the time when the whole action took place.
‚This is my Dad...always without his consciousness!' She rolled her eyes and went to the backstage area.
Mamoru woke up when Sailor Moon came on stage and with astonishment he had seen the Sailor team's show.
‚What the heck did just happen here? Why are the senshi here again and where is the rest of the team anyway?!'
„Congratulations, it was a fantastic interpretation of Snow White. Everyone was sooo excited. You'll definitely receive tremendously good reviews. Well done!"
He turned around and noticed Kousagi clapping her hands cheerfully.
„Errr, was it? Frankly speaking, this was far away from the original plot and apparently I was knocked out for a certain time by a strange creature wearing a copy of your clown costume. I missed a part until Sailor Moon appeared onto the stage and took over the play together with her team." He still felt really dizzy and was unable to make head or tail of the whole twist in the course.
„Don't worry, the play was a huge success and that's what counts. Again, congratulations...Here!"
She handed over a bouquet of red and white roses to a stunned Mamoru.
„I hope you get the deeper meaning of it" Mischievously she grinned at him while he took the flowers and lifted up an eyebrow.
„Honestly, I don't know what to say." She could see that something was working inside him he couldn't express but he seemed to be aware of that their living together in this life would come to an end shortly.
„Let's go for a walk Mamoru, shall we?"
He nodded in agreement and offered an arm to her
„Happy to, Kousagi."
They departed from the theatre and weren't talking at all until they were approaching a park close to the Game Crown Arcade. Mamoru hesitated before he stepped in and frowned
„It's strange but I think I ve been here before with the blonde Odango."
„Really? Have you?" Kousagi was jumping inside that the lost parts of his memory seemed to be replaced gradually.
Without giving an answer he passed through the park gate and headed off to a bench standing a little away from the main path. Kousagi followed him wordlessly and took a seat next to him.
"Sort of, indeed." He finally replied and gave her a confident glance.
‚A happy outcome is worth waiting for.'
She chuckled and felt relieved that she wouldn't leave him in a condition of not remembering anything. She knew that he wouldn't hesitate to rescue Sailor Moon and the connection to her civilian appearance had been made in Mamoru's heart already.
„You know, I have a slight feeling that she is somehow related to you."
Without looking at her he continued by carrying a light smile on his lips „Apart from your unique hairstyle you both do have a lot in common; Within a short period of time you occupied my normal, boring life and changed it into a complete chaos. You are both close to being lunatic and have awakened feelings in me I wasn't even aware of I would possess. The most important thing I have realized is that with both of you I have experienced something I never knew about and hopefully will have in the future again...whenever it will be."
"What is this something you mean?" She asked him curiously to get his drift.
He turned his face to her and answered with one word
"Family."
She smiled. Kousagi smiled sincerely and felt an inner piece of mind. This had been her mission; spending time with her father in order to get him know better and help him to find his lost memory. The mission was accomplished. It was time to go.
She reached out for the golden key hanging on her necklace and held it up. In the bright sunlight it sparkled and mirrored thousands of little crystals. Carefully she eyed the spectacle and whispered
"It was an honor and I really appreciate that you let me into your life although I can be a pain in the neck sometimes. I know I will be a Mamories but...Please don't forget me."
While she was uttering this, Kousagi had pulled out the star locket and began to let the wonderful melody play. A single teardrop reached the upper part of her cheek. With a fast move she wiped away her emotional lapse and turned her attention back to Mamoru who was studying her with a concerned expression.
"I don't know if you are aware of the fact that I tend to spend a lot of my lifetime with only a fractional part of my memory" A smirk crossed his face "but - and I am quoting here - 'Regardless what time, date or situation might come. I will always and forever recall this melody since it touches my heart so deeply.'"
Kousagi couldn't help it and poked him in the side but only to hug her future father the next second as much as she could.
As he responded to her future daughter by hugging her back, she felt blissfully happy. She let go of him, got up, and took a few steps back, holding up the time travel key.
„Take care of Mum" she said and from one moment to another she had disappeared. From him, this park and his current life.
He stood up as well and replied to the void
„I will!"