Thank you to every single person that reached out and commented or reviewed this fic it means SO much.

I hope I struck a balance here between 'if you haven't seen R in a while you aren't lost' and 'literally a lifeblog of R'. Let me know how I'm doing.

Thanks so much to Floraone for beta'ing, brainstorm and cheerleading.

Chapter 2

I guess I truly don't have my finger on the pulse of Juuban, because until I saw the crowd, I had no idea a VR theater had opened in the neighborhood.

And it seemed like every third person in Tokyo was lined up outside; bearded college kids and young couples, tough guys and grade school kids with their parents.

Perhaps I'd visit later on, once the hype died down. Who would I go with, I wondered? Motoki perhaps, or Asanuma. Or maybe—

"Odango Atama?"

Sure enough, it was her. Standing alone in a sea of couples.

Or, not completely alone - her company was a singular black cat. And she was paying such close attention to ranting at the animal, she didn't even notice me walk up.

"Hey, don't take your frustrations out on that poor little cat!"

She turned around, eyes wide and cheeks pink, but focused completely on me. I felt a small victory, a feeling that I hadn't bothered to examine at the time.

"It's not the cat's fault you can't get a date," I said, guessing at a sensitive topic, and guessing correctly by the way she scowled.

"Shouldn't you be better spending your time at the library, Odango Atama?" I threw in another sore subject, and her eyes narrowed. You're batting a thousand, Chiba. "Studying so you don't keep getting 30s on tests?"

"That's none of your business!" She yelled, flinging her arms out like she was about to take flight, shaking her fists like an old man. "I could get a date if I wanted to!"

"Of course you could, Odango Atama," I said, amused that that was what she was harping on. Undoubtedly she would have no trouble getting a date, but I couldn't say the same about a good grade.

With a chuckle, I moved on through the crowd, feeling inexplicably cheered up.

My good mood was not meant to last, dying as soon as I recognized Odango Atama's friend from the other day - and she stood glaring up at a large, menacing looking guy.

In hindsight, I definitely think part of me was hoping Odango Atama was watching, and might be impressed at the way I stood up to him and defended her friend.

But it appears I had impressed the wrong girl.

There wasn't even time for me to take a breath before the redhead girl had her arms thrown around me. "Mamoru! I owe you such a big debt of gratitude! You really came to my rescue!"

She either didn't notice or didn't care how rigid my body became, how I recoiled from her instinctively. This wasn't my way - I was far from a touchy-feely person at the time.

I still tend to shy away from physical affection - even today - from people who aren't named Tsukino Usagi (Usako and Chibi-Usa that is). Usako is the type to greet even acquaintances with a hug, I prefer a reserved bow. Perhaps it's because of how I was raised, or maybe because with my latent powers, even the simplest of touches would leave my already frayed nerves buzzing with sensations and feelings and knowledge I didn't understand.

And at this moment, even without psychometry, even through the layers of my clothing, I knew this girl's touch was… wrong.

"As my way of saying thank you," she continued, "I'll be your date today!"

What? I opened my mouth to say an unequivocal 'no,' but I was interrupted.

My other arm was grabbed in a vice-hold, and I was tugged so far over I almost fell. "Hang on a minute, he's with me!" Usagi snapped.

I am?

"Natsumi, what's going on here?" A sharp-eyed boy stood off the side, addressing the girl who was clinging to me like a barnacle. Ah, that was her name, I remembered now - Ginga Natsumi.

Ginga jumped away, giggling, introducing us to the boy - her brother.

"I've met Usagi," the brother said, his gaze shifting over Natsumi's shoulder to land on Usagi, who was still clutching my arm. I resisted the strange, unexplained urge to shift my body and block her from his view.

"I don't believe you know Mamoru Chiba though?" Natsumi said. "He really would like to join us for this event!"

Oh. No. No, he really wouldn't.

"I'm actually busy so— "

The fingers which had been resting - not unpleasantly- on my elbow suddenly tightened almost painfully. "Then I'll join you two!" Usagi desperately shrieked, "We can have a triple date together!" She laughed in a way I'd never heard before, it made me cringe.

Even looking back, this was not Usako at her best. She explained after everything that she'd been panicked that without my memories I'd fall for pretty, confident Natsumi and never look twice at silly little Odango Atama. She definitely needn't have worried.

But all I saw at the time was an Odango Atama who had no interest in going to the VR place with me before, but now that Natsumi and her ogling brother showed up, she's practically pulling me along? Whatever her ulterior motive was, I thought, I wanted none of it.

"You know, I really wasn't planning on going today," I said, as soon as Natsumi and her brother were out of earshot, having their own hushed discussion a few feet away.

Usagi grinned at me, cheekily, bumping her arm into mine. "Why? 'Fraid ya might actually have fun?"

"'Fraid I'll be killed in a klutz attack maybe," I shot back, feeling the familiar smirk settle on my face.

"I'm baaack!" Nastumi was clinging to me again, and then Usagi's death grip was back, pulling me the other way while glaring at Natsumi - suddenly I felt like I was the prize in a competition I had no say in.

I'd missed my chance for escape, and we were ushered into a special VIP entrance, skipping the line, and I remember hoping only for this to be over soon.

The beginning of the ride was mostly a miserable, headache inducing blur. I was wedged between Usagi and Natsumi in a vehicle meant to hold two, and the brunette's grip on my arm was beginning to cut off circulation.

It was "Mamoru, I'm scaaaared!" in one ear and "Get your hands off of him!" in the other. A headache was starting to build at the bridge of my nose.

Usagi was living up to her namesake, hopping about. She wiggled around to argue with Natsumi, and to have loud, animated conversations with people in other cars. Her hip and knees hit mine every time she moved.

I decided as soon as the car stopped, I would jump the hell out and leave. Just find the exit and walk off. I was miserable, I was angry, and there was no reason for me to stick around and be tortured like this!

But that was before Odango Atama leaned a bit too far out of the car and tumbled out. Straight into the arms of the sharp-eyed boy from before.

He tightened his arms around her, fingers digging into the fabric of her denim jacket. One of the odangos on her head bumped right under his chin and I swore he sniffed her hair.

"What are you doing, brother?" Nastumi sounded scandalized, especially for someone who'd practically been on my lap a second ago.

He blushed so hard, I could see it even from feet away in the dim light.

"It— it was an accident!" he insisted, still not letting her go.

Usagi jumped away, having finally seemed to find her feet. Her cheeks were also pink. "It just sort of happened, ha ha ha, sorry!" She laughed, flashing a 'peace' sign and not meeting my eyes.

Well. The hell I was going to leave now.

While we were strapping on our gear - shin guards and chest packs and pretty hefty laser guns tethered to our backpack -Natsumi worked her way over to me and batted her eyelashes.

"Mamoru, I'm having a little trouble with this thing," she gestured to the chestplate, which was slipping off her shoulders and needed an adjustment in the back. "Do you think you could help me with it?"

Before I could open my mouth to reply, my view was obstructed by a pair of broad shoulders as her brother stepped between us, smoothly. "I can help," he said, adjusting the straps for her and buckling it in the back.

"Usagi, perhaps you need help as well?" he said, turning toward Usagi - who was making a total mess of everything as she tried to fit the plastic armor on her petite frame.

"No, ha ha haha!" she said, blushing with a hand behind her head. "I'm fine, I'm fine!" She waved her arms and tried to step back, stumbling and just catching herself in time.

Without a word, I quickly buckled the back of Usagi's armor, and she finally shrugged it into place. "Thanks," she said, quietly.

Natsumi was holding her brother by the arm, and she turned and grabbed mine too. "Let's go boys…" she said, "I'll need you two both to protect me!"

The hologram monsters were pretty silly, the scenery over-the-top and cheesy. I figured the faster I 'killed' the monsters, the faster I could get out of there. I hit the first monster dead on, and I heard Usagi and Natsumi cheering me on.

The next monster was hit before I could get to it, and Nastumi's brother smirked at me. He glanced behind him to the girls, raising his chin at them with a spark in his eye.

What did he think? That Odango Atama would swoon into his arms all 'my hero!' just because he shot a blinking red light at a projection?

I made sure I was the one to get the next monster.

Natsumi stepped up as well, but Usagi just screamed and flailed around - as if the projections would become frightened of her screams and run away.

I opened my mouth to tease her, something like: "It helps if you use the gun, Odango Atama" but I never got to say it.

Because right at that moment, Natsumi suddenly got 'scared' and jumped into my arms. "Uh…" Honestly, I was just about at the edge of my rope with this girl.

She rubbed her face onto my shirt, "This is so nice, I could stay like this forever!"

"Not gonna happen," I snapped. I gently pushed her away and took a step backward. "Now, go on." She looked at me in confusion. "You can't make people like you by forcing yourself on them every chance you get!"

I can't say I was proud of losing my patience, but someone else sure was.

Usagi reached way up to pat my shoulder, nodding her head while frowning seriously. "Well said, Mamoru," she said. "It's important to have boundarieeee— aaaugh!"

Startled again by the stupid fake monsters, Usagi took off into the dark.

Was she crazy? This was a maze! We shouldn't get separated.

"Wa—wait, Odango Atama, you'll get lost!" I chased after her without a second thought, a sort of muscle memory of what I'd done a thousand forgotten times before.

I caught up to her soon enough, she was blindly shooting her laser in all directions, missing each monster from less than two feet away. She hopped from foot to foot, frustrated. "I hate this! Why can I hit them!"

I took aim and got them all in less than five seconds. "You could try opening your eyes when you shoot." A flash of green light indicated a monster appearing right behind her, and I turned and took it out before she even noticed.

"Woah…," she said, and looked at me like there were hearts in her eyes. "Thank you! You're so cool!"

Shooting monsters was suddenly a lot more fun than it had seemed just a few minutes ago. I grabbed her wrist and ran, "C'mon Odango Atama, let's you and me get the best score in here!"

The monsters kept popping up and getting shot down just as quickly as we ran through the maze. Usagi didn't do much, but I counted her in our teamwork.

I tugged her hand to move her along, but suddenly there was a little kid tugging on her other arm. "Sis!" said the mini, male version of Odango Atama. "Dad's in big trouble!"

Like with her name, with her cat, with every tiny speck of information I was slowly learning about Odango Atama, I filed away the fact that she had a kid brother in the same place in my mind. As if it was important, precious knowledge I could ruminate on later. I didn't bother to question why.

"What happened?" I asked.

Odango Atama's brother looked frightened, "One of the virtual monsters is real, and everyone's dropping like flies in there!"

"I'll go check it out," I said. Not knowing where my fearlessness or confidence came from, except that Odango Atama's family was in trouble and I knew I had to help. "You two stay here."

The little kid ran up to me. "Wait for me!" he argued, Odango Atama's brother to the end. "I'll show you the way!"

"I'm coming too!" Usagi insisted.

"No way, sis! Leave this to us men!" the boy said.

I wasn't sure about that - I didn't want him getting in danger either. I figured as soon as her little brother showed me the way, I'd find a way to get help and keep him out of the way. But, better that Usagi stay safe than having to worry about her as well. Only in hindsight did I realize how incredibly presumptuous and laughably wrong it was to assume Usagi was as helpless in real life as she was at shooting holographic monsters.

The boy led me through a couple turns in the maze, to a horrifying scene.

The bodies of people strewn around - hopefully just unconscious - and a bespectacled man attempting to shoot his laser gun at a very large, very solid, and very real anamorphic bug thing with glowing, tentacle hair. It was like something out of an anime.

"Dad!" Shingo cried in horror.

There wasn't really time to think - just to act. I threw my backpack at the monster, hitting it smack in the head. It turned toward me and the kid, and I managed to grab him and dive out of the way just in time.

"Shingo! Run!" Odango Atama's father threw a fire extinguisher at the monster as it lunged toward us, and then detonated a second extinguisher right in its face. It was a pretty smart move, I thought, but unfortunately it didn't have the effect he hoped for. Didn't even slow the thing down.

We were grabbed, flung around, and slammed against the wall. I struggled to my feet, and saw a person in costume - an employee? I thought dizzily, a cosplayer? - standing by the monster. She had long pink hair, green skin, and a form-fitting red bodysuit, and she was looking at me with concern in her red eyes.

"Stay still, or you'll get hurt!" she said. Another green skinned cosplayer, in a blue bodysuit silently glared at me.

Stay still? Like hell!

I still had to get help for Shingo and his dad. Odango Atama was counting on me! I tried to dive out of the way, dodging another tentacle by mere inches.

"Stop it!" A new voice echoed across the cavernous room.

The strange green skinned people, the hideous monster, and myself all turned toward the newcomer with identical 'huh?' expressions.

Another cosplayer. This one stood there, defiant, gloved fists clenched, eyes sparkling. She had long hair, an inappropriately short skirt, and it was totally not the time for me to notice she was pretty hot.

"Hello Sailor Moon," the blue-suited cosplayer said, his voice dripping with hostility.

"How dare you bully the people who are the dearest to me!" she cried out, all righteousness and confidence,standing up to love and justice. "I am Sailor Moon and in the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"

They sic'ed the monster on her, and she bravely stood her ground, tossing a glowing discus right at it - which then clattered uselessly to the floor. Her face crumbled.

"I don't know who you are," I said, "but if you are gonna fight, you have to do better than that!" Ya know, throw a fire extinguisher or something.

She looked at me in wet-eyed horror, and then it was back to dodging monster-hair tentacles, only this time with her screams as a soundtrack.

And then, things got weird.

Or, ya know, weirder.

A white rose, a guy in robes - spouting poetry that seemed to really piss off the green cosplayers.

Sailor Moon jumped to her feet and gushed. "Moonlight Knight!" Her entire attention was focused on this pretty boy, all thought of fighting the monster with me completely gone.

"Great, now another weirdo is here." I didn't bother to keep the acid out of my voice. Odango Atama was still back there somewhere, her dad and brother were unconscious, and no one seemed to be doing anything about it.

"I admire your courage," the robed man said to me. He looked like someone out of a kids' show I vaguely remembered from childhood. "However, no moral human is a match for them."

He stood beside Sailor Moon like he belonged there, ready to fight beside her. "Stand aside," he added, effectively dismissing me. All I could do was glare, feeling oddly out of place.

Moonlight Knight got some damage in, but ended up wrapped in those monster tentacles anyway, screaming in pain.

And then, things got wei— well, you get the picture.

Some more sailor-suited girls showed up, protected Sailor Moon, and defeated the monster like they knew what they were doing. Like this wasn't the first time they'd done so.

It was impressive, and I wanted to tell them so, but Moonlight Knight beat me to it.

"Even in battle, your friendship is beautiful," he said, and the girls looked at him in awe. "Adieu." He disappeared and I spoke up before the sailor girls could do the same.

"Hey!" I demanded. "What's going on here? Who are you girls anyway?"

Sailor Moon looked at me with immense sadness, and the others mirrored her expression. I knew that look in their eyes - intimately well. I'd seen it before, all my life. Sympathy. Pity.

This time, I just didn't know why.

It was the second time I appeared as Moonlight Knight and instead of looking at me in awe and wonder, Sailor Moon had looked… crushed.

She glanced between Mamoru and myself, eyes wide and disbelieving and utterly heartbroken.

I felt a flash of anger toward the empty shell of myself, who stood there in clueless callousness - totally unaffected by Sailor Moon's proximity, by her vulnerable openness, by her bravery through her fear, by her breathtaking beauty.

And here was the gorgeous, powerful Sailor Moon - radiating disbelief and disappointment, because I wasn't him.

But, in any case, there was work to do. I jumped down from my perch and addressed Mamoru, who looked at me with ice-shard eyes. I told him to step aside. Told him that he was merely a mortal human, he needed to leave the fight to myself and the Sailor Senshi. Besides, I knew Sailor Moon would never recover if he were to be hurt.

Despite the charged emotion of the moment, I did allow myself to enjoy the rush of attack. Having a sword was, frankly, awesome. I couldn't help a dramatic flare, cutting off the Cardian's tentacles and sheathing the sword before they even fell.

I ended up captured anyway, I'd made myself corporal in order to fight and it had become a liability. I was made of pure psychic energy and it burned under the Cardian's grip, and I screamed in pain despite myself.

The other senshi showed up, just in time. The Cardian dropped me, and I watched them protect Sailor Moon, comfort her when she cried over her tiara not working - I felt her frustration and pain as sharply as I had felt the Cardian's attack - and then finally defeat the Cardian itself.

I was so grateful, so awed at their love and duty to their princess, their genuine love for Sailor Moon, for Usagi… I told them so, sincerity radiating from my words. I allowed myself one last look at Sailor Moon, her soulful, endless eyes.

I would see her again. Be able to hold her again. I had to believe that.

"Adieu."

Yes, it is odd, remembering the same scene from two perspectives. At the time however, to myself as Chiba Mamoru, the priorities were shifted to the unconscious people who were coming to.

My mind struggled to process it all, and so I dove into action. I was checking over Mr. Tsukino and Shingo as help arrived, when Usagi ran up to me, breathless and panicked. "Papa! Shingo!"

She knelt by her family, who were slowly coming to. "Usagi?" her dad said. "Thank god you are okay."

The first responders' took Mr. Tsukino and Shingo to be checked over, and I waved them off. I had some bruises, but I'd be fine. I was always a quick healer.

"Mamoru -," Usagi started, then paused. She was looking at me with a soft, almost forlorn expression. "Thank you so much. For protecting my dad and brother." She reached out, hesitantly, then pulled her fingers back.

"Before the attack, I was having a good time with you," she added.

I was too, I wanted to say, but the words stuck in my throat. For some reason, I felt my cheeks heat up. Had she always been this pretty?

"Usagi!" Mr. Tsukino called, waving her over to where he and Shingo had been given the 'all clear' by the first aid staff.

She smiled at me, waved, and ran off to her family.

"Later, Odango Atama," I said, quietly, although she was out of earshot by now.

I found Natsumi and her brother - Seijuro, I learned - in the crowd and confirmed they were safe. They looked shaken up and I felt bad about my outburst at Natsumi before. What if she'd been hurt or killed in the 'malfunction' (what the officials were calling it) and the last thing I'd said to her was that she was pushy and unworthy of love?

"Listen, Natsumi I'm…," I put my hand behind my head, sheepishly. "I'm glad you are okay."

"Oh, Mamoru!" she gushed, throwing herself into my arms again. I let her, but I didn't hug her back.

"Have you seen Usagi anywhere?" Seijuro asked, and Natsumi bristled. I was getting the impression that maybe she and Odango Atama were not friends after all.

"Yes," I said, resisting the urge to tell him it was none of his business where Usagi was. "I did. She's fine. She went home with her family."

He started to say something else, but Natsumi was looking at him closely and he decided against it. Instead, he gently tugged on his sister's arm, "Shall we go, sister?"

"Byeee, Mamoru!" Natsumi said, waving cheerfully as Seijuro led her away.

Turns out Natsumi wasn't so bad after all, I thought as I walked home. Seijuro though… something about him I didn't like.

That night I had a lot to process… the attack that was certainly not a malfunction of any kind. Sailor Moon, and the others and the fact that they seemed to be used to this sort of thing… how often did monsters attack, anyway?

Oddly, though, it was something else that occupied most of my thoughts that night.