Welp, I know I said I wasn't posting here anymore, but given the response to my other fic, At World's End, as well as my subscribers telling me they found me here, I kinda have to, lol! This is a fic I already posted on AO3 as well as on my other page you can find on my Tumblr. I hope you guys like it and if you do, you can shoot over to AO3 or to Tumblr for the recent chapters! I'll post them here too but not as quickly as a page jump.

Chapter One

Be careful what you wish for, you may receive it.

-W. W. Jacobs

"God, you are such a JERK!"

She stared down at Mamoru -seething. All while he remained calm. Arms and legs crossed, he sat on his high stool without a care in the world even as he tore her down. If there was one thing in this world she could count on, it was Chiba, Mamoru's ability to make her feel 'less than'.

Man Usagi hated him; his cruel, clever tongue and his unshakable cool demeanor. This is what she focused on, forcing herself to ignore the hard beats of her heart as he shifted in his seat. The movement revealed the expanse of Mamoru's chest and caused his arms to flex. Add his chiseled jaw, deep blue eyes that pierced her, and the shaggy black locks that fell into them, and you had a man that was far too good looking to stand.

And yet Usagi had to stand before Mamoru day after day while he mocked her.

"The guy is just pure evil, attacking an innocent girl like me!" Usagi whined in her head.

The grin he wore wasn't helping, her knees getting weak. "How old are you again? Five?!"

She was sure her heart could be seen thumping through her shirt, so she crossed her arms over her chest to hide. "No, I'm sixteen! And what are you? Thirty?!"

Mamoru's grin didn't falter, and neither did his eyes, sticking to hers. "A girl your age should be able to come up with something better than 'jerk' as an insult."

"And I guy your age shouldn't be picking on girls! Didn't your mother ever teach you how to treat a lady?"

Mamoru's lip quivered for a second, but she saw it, his fake grin plastered on his face to try and hide it. "You are no lady, Usagi."

"How would you know? I bet you wouldn't know a lady if she slapped you in the face!"

"If she's a lady, what is she doing slapping me in the face?" He asked; his brows knitted in confusion.

"Because you're a jerk!"

She swiveled on her heel and made quick leave of the arcade, once her haven now haunted by Chiba, the boy she loved to hate.

Why, of all places, did he have to come to the Crown? For years it had been safe; the only people going there ignored her or were her best friends. Okay, so she forced Ami, Rei, and Mako to come, but they had a good time! And it wasn't like they met there all the time, sometimes they met at Rei's temple. But that was when they were exclusively taking Senshi business.

"Oh… wait…. I was supposed to meet them there this afternoon!" Usagi cursed herself.

Now she was late. Very late. Usagi's phone rang as she ran, but there was no point she knew who it was already, and she didn't want to hear it. Usagi was stumbling, sweat-covered and panting when she entered the temple grounds. The three loves of her life were standing before her: ticked as hell.

"Usagi, this is getting ridiculous!" Rei started.

Mako grimaced back at Usagi. "Rei's right; we've been waiting an hour."

"Where have you been, Usagi-chan? Are you hurt?" Ami asked gently.

She could lie, say she fell, or twisted her ankle. It wouldn't be far-fetched either since it was Usagi they were talking about. But even as a lie bubbled in her chest, it retreated just as quickly. They were right; it was ridiculous of her to act this way.

"I'm really sorry, guys. I forgot."

Rei threw her hands up with a huff and stormed back inside the temple. Mako sat on the edge of the porch. "Let me guess. You got into it with Mamoru-san again?"

Her silence was her answer, Mako laughing dryly. Ami put a hand on Usagi's quiet shoulder. "You should give Mamoru-san a chance. He's a really…."

"Nice guy?! You've all said that many times now. Do you guys not see how he treats me?!"

"You give as good as you get, Usa. I don't get it; you're such a sweet and nice person to everyone else, yet you treat Mamoru-san like garbage." Mako mused.

"I don't do that!" Usagi screamed even though she knew it was true. "He always starts it!"

Usagi knew that wasn't true either, but the truth was, she was tired of her friends always sticking up for Mamoru and never being on her side.

The Senshi meeting was over anyway, so she spun on her heel and left. They didn't even call after her or try to stop her. Aggravation and anger twisted inside her belly, distractions from the sadness and disappointment she mostly felt. At her friends, at Mamoru, but mostly, at herself.

A lonely spot in a park, Usagi sat and watched the sun fade. Pulling her coat tighter around her, she released puff after puff of hot air from her mouth, the moist breaths turning white instantly. A few stars were out when she got off her butt and decided it was past time to go home. Mom was going to be mad as it was -another person to yell and give her a hard time. Maybe if she cried, mom would go easy on her. Usagi felt like crying. The only reason she hadn't already was pure stubbornness, refusing to let the situation get to her in the form of sobs as she wanted.

Then she would be just like the child Mamoru always said she was.

Stepping out of the 'hole' she had been in, not paying attention to her surroundings, Usagi looked up for no real reason, only to come face to face with a monster. "Hello, little rabbit."

It sneered at her, mouth full of yellow teeth as it hunched over from its height. Sick green skin, its bones stuck out painfully underneath, and all it had for clothes was a ratty pair of khaki shorts. It was all so weird, wallowing alone for hours like a pouty child only to walk right into a Youma? And the way it looked was… odd for a Youma, that is. Its long black hair was stringy and hung around its face. A face that was terrifying on its own; the toothy grin it hit Usagi with while staring at her with dead eyes made it worse.

The scream (that was involuntary) stuck in her throat, as was the rest of her body, frozen with irrational fear. Rational for a human, but she wasn't one, not really. Everything clicked in place just as a body collided with Usagi's, lifting her and pulling her away from the monster. But this was normal, something she experienced almost daily. Just not in her human form; swaddled in Tuxedo Kamen's arms as he bounced across the park to a safe spot.

Quickly shaking her head of all thought, she kept herself from showing any recognition or familiarity when he set her down and pushed her into a crouch with his hands on her shoulders. "Stay here. You'll be safe."

His eyes bore into Usagi's, and even though the haze of his glamour kept her from seeing any kind of color to them, they still gave her a sense of nostalgia. Probably from all the times he had saved her as Sailor Moon? But what he did next, pressing a gloved hand to her cheek to cup and then stroke, was new.

He'd never done that to Sailor Moon.

It left Usagi spinning in her confusion, her heart trying to rip out its cage. Tux left her a while ago, but she was still struggling. It was the pinging of her communicator that knocked her out of it. Just like before with her phone, she ignored it, knowing who it was and what they had to say already. Instead, she just transformed, dashing out to help Tux.

He tossed her a grin, extending his cane to leap over the monster. Then disappear, leaving her alone with the creature. "Gee, thanks," she said to the air.

The Youma laughed haughtily, making her cringe. "Even he doesn't want to help you."

"I don't need it!"

"Don't you?"

Its limbs extended, cracking like branches in a heavy breeze. It was sickening. And distracting, the arm of the monster sweeping under Sailor Moon and knocking her feet out from under her. Along with the breath in Sailor Moon's lungs, coughing and gasping as the air left her hard. It gave the Youma time to place itself over her, looming with the sick grin it had earlier. Whatever it had to say, she didn't want to hear it. It was going to be hard enough as is to sleep tonight, the image of its face darkening her dreams later for sure.

A foot to its face and Sailor Moon rolled while it grabbed its nose with a shriek. Assessing herself, she wasn't hurt. A bruise or two on her back and a headache but otherwise fine. So she charged her tiara and hurled it… only for the creature to rally and dodge.

It was releasing a snarky laugh while she waited for her tiara to return. But it was taking far longer than usual. "I know your tricks, Sailor Moon."

A gasp and a scream, and both her and the Youma turned. A couple had happened on them by chance. The Youma leaped and, in a flash, was before them, its long arms wrapping around them and tying them together. Sailor Moon got her wits together just as it started draining them. Her tiara was still missing, so she slammed her fists into its back over and over again and screamed.

"LET THEM GO!"

It listened, only to backhand her hard. Sailor Moon flew, landing roughly without her breath again. Her brain was gone, too, left somewhere along the way as she couldn't focus on anything. The stars raced around in a circle above, dancing around the full moon above. But all that disappeared as the Youma stood between her and the sight. Its hands curled and flexed and extended before her eyes, and she couldn't move. There was no other reason other than trauma and fear, but not even her arm would lift from the ground.

The Youma shifted to the side just as it dug its fingers under the skin of Sailor Moon's arm, sucking energy from her quickly. No one else around; there was no one to save her. She couldn't even do it herself, it seemed. All she could do was watch the moon as it blurred in her vision. She didn't want to die. Sailor Moon also didn't want to have her friends yell at her and take the side of Mamoru, who treated her with nothing but disdain. She wanted to live another life, but mostly, she just wanted to live.

"I wish I was anything but me right now…."

"Be careful what you wish for." The Youma warned, but it was too late; her heart and soul wanted that more than anything.

The pain in her arm slipped away, and the Youma stretched up this time, its entire body lengthening and growing. Her body hurt all over, feeling as if her bones were shifting under her skin. But then she realized it felt that way because they were.

The Youma had done something to her, changed her, and she didn't know what, only that she could feel the difference. And see it, now barely standing above the grass. She had to twist her neck to see the Youma, who was wide-eyed, looking down at her. But that soon turned to a grin, yellow teeth staring back at her.

Without a word, it reached for her, so she ran. Even that felt different and weird because it required her hands to do it as well.

Usagi didn't have time to worry over it now; she had to get away. So she raced, her vision not what it was before either; it was just off, which was why Usagi ran into a foot, rolling over it and crashing like a car. A squeak released, but she got back to her feet -her four fuzzy feet.

Now, she stood as best she could behind Tuxedo Kamen, who had returned to the fight for some reason. Beating back the Youma, she watched as his eyes swept around the area. Then he growled at the Youma. "What did you do to Sailor Moon?"

The Youma sneered. "Why do you care? You left her behind."

Tuxedo roared at that and extended the end of his cane right into the Youma's chest. It cried out as it flew backward into the dark. With the few moments he had, Tuxedo was searching again.

"Sailor Moon?!" He sounded upset and guilty. "Usagi?!" Now he sounded frazzled and desperate. How differently he said her two names…

Neither person answered him, even though Usagi really did try. All they came out were squeaks and whimpers. The Senshi appeared and took up the fight. Would any of them be able to slay the creature without her?

They were searching, too, calling out for Sailor Moon. It was a distraction, and the Youma used it to its full advantage, slapping the Senshi and Tux around a bit before disappearing completely. They had failed; the Youma was gone.

Usagi pushed her little body around, trying to get someone's attention but falling short on so many levels. Mars was pacing, repeatedly searching around the same areas as if things would somehow change and Usagi would appear. Mercury was more efficient, using her computer, while Jupiter just grabbed Tux hard.

"Where is she? Where is Sailor Moon?!"

"I don't know," he grunted.

"Bullshit, you were here first, before any of us."

Pushing Jupiter back, so she dropped her hold; Usagi was surprised he didn't just leave. Instead, he went back to his search. "She has to be around here somewhere. Regardless of what you all think of her, she is perfectly capable of taking care of things." The slight swell to Usagi's heart was pointless. As were Tux's words were since she couldn't even get their attention now. "I left Sailor Moon to help a… friend caught in the battle."

"You have friends?" Mars scoffed.

Tux ignored them, getting more and more frantic with his search. "Usagi!"

The others looked at each other, Mercury stopping for a second to glance at Tux and then Mars and Jupiter before picking up her pace. "Your… friend is Usagi? Usagi Tsukino?"

"You know her?"

Mars blanched while Jupiter grimaced. "Yeah, we do. She was here tonight?"

"I was… she walked right into the thing, not paying attention…."

Had he been watching her? How did Tux know that? He had been pretty quick to get to her. And he knew her name -her real name. She somehow knew Tuxedo Kamen as Usagi as well as Sailor Moon.

"Guys…" Mercury's voice was watery, "I found something."

They all held their breath, including Usagi, as Mercury held up her lifeless tiara. "That doesn't make sense. It should be on Sailor Moon or disappeared with her henshin. How are you just holding it right now?"

Mars sounded manic, trying to rationalize while Mercury just snapped her computer shut. They were giving up. "I think… I think that Youma took her? Or did something to her?"

Usagi tried to move closer, but the arm that the monster stuck its claws into was stiff now, pain starting to sleep through her confusion and fear.

Jupiter rounded on Tux, grabbing him up again. "Where were you?!"

"Where were you?!" He screamed back in her face.

"We got here as fast as we could…." Mars choked out through a sob. "Where is she?!"

Mars' scream went unanswered even as Usagi tried as hard as she could to answer. All she got out were some strange squeaks.

"We should spread out. Keep looking." Tux suggested, leaping off before anyone could say otherwise.

Somber and sad, the girls spread off as well; Mercury with her computer, Mars with her rage, and Jupiter with her long legs jumping up high for a better view. But Usagi was right here, right before them. Sure she was a little short… okay, really short, the grass was tickling her cheeks. Wait, that wasn't her cheeks getting tickled. It was something else. Something long...

Alone, she had a moment to figure out just why no one could see her, but then another raced out into the darkened park. "Usagi?!"

Heart in her throat, Usagi watched -confused and torn- as Mamoru now searched the park for her.

"Come on, Odango, where the hell are you?"

She squealed again and tried to move, lifting her injured paw… wait….

"Usagi! Usag…" Mamoru stopped short of stepping on her, and Usagi breathed a sigh of relief. Someone finally saw her. "Oh… hello. You're not the Usagi I was looking for."

Bending down, he scooped her up as if she were a broken doll, which wasn't too far from what she felt like at the moment.

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you there. I almost stepped on you, didn't I?" Her vision blurred, feeling overwhelmed as she tried and failed to communicate in any manner. "You haven't seen a pretty, blonde catastrophe on two endlessly long legs running around out here, have you?" Did Mamoru know another Usagi or was looking for someone else suddenly? No way he just called her pretty. "I guess… she went home?"

He sounded as if he believed it as much as it was true. Usagi hadn't gone home; she was in his arms! "Somebody help me!" But not a sound came out of her lips.

"I'll check on her a little later. But first, I need to take care of you!" He touched her injured paw, and she flinched. "Calm down; I'm not going to hurt you. Let's get you fixed up, yeah?"

That was how she found herself in Mamoru's apartment. In his bathroom, he held her in the sink filled with warm water. "This will warm you up and clean that dirt and blood off. Then I can take a look."

It all felt nice, and if she wasn't wholly freaked out (fitting in a sink with the mention of fur), then she might have leaned a little more into his gentle touch. But as it was, she was trying to keep herself from leaping out of it. The shaking that had started since he picked her up in the park had yet to stop.

Carefully drying her off with a small towel, Mamoru picked her back up and cradled her in his arms. "There you go, see? All clean."

Mamoru stood her up in front of his mirror, and instinct kicked in. Meaning she kicked him. She didn't mean to, but she couldn't stop, scratching at his hold to get free, even if it was a long drop to hard tile.

But Mamoru held on even as she tore up his fingers and palms. "Whoa, calm down, calm down! I'm not going to hurt you, I swear!"

Usagi didn't know what to think, too much in her mind already. She stopped fighting, but her heart was beating so fast it hurt, as did her lungs. Probably due to the difference in size now, a fraction of what she was used to. Because Mamoru didn't hold a smaller version of herself with him in the mirror, he had a flawless, fluffy, and adorable white little bunny.

And yet, he was still holding Usagi.