Blueeyeddevil06, thank you for being my beta!
Makoto sat down on the foot of Rei's bed. "She's only three minutes late."
"But she's late," Luna argued. "She should be taking this more seriously!"
Minako shrugged, "She is. She's just not the type to ever be on time. Her mom said she was even born a week late."
Artemis chuckled at that, "That sounds like our Usagi. She'll be here, Luna."
He then gave Minako a meaningful look. They both knew she was the Moon Princess, and even in her first life, she showed up late to everything.
It was three minutes later when Usagi walked into Rei's room with Mamoru. Luna and Artemis flopped down and pretended to be normal cats instantly. Everyone missed Usagi rolling her eyes since the focus was on their joined hands.
Minako was up and across the room hugging Usagi before she could even comment. She then said, "I knew you liked him! I'm so happy you're together."
"You did?"
"You were hardly secretive about your feelings for him. You don't love quietly," Makoto said.
Minako glared at Makoto, "You never mention love before you know she did. What are you thinking?"
Mamoru looked down at Usagi and smiled. "Usako already told me she loves me."
"Eeee!" Minako squealed. "Usako! That's so cute!" She then said to Usagi, "I could tell you loved him. "
"Even I knew," Ami agreed. "I'm happy you're together."
Rei nodded, "So am I, really, but this was supposed to be a private meeting. This isn't a plus one event."
Mamoru chuckled and tapped his knuckles twice on the door. It opened and it caused shock to run through the room.
"You found a twin brother?" Ami asked in confusion. "He looks a bit older though. I don't get it."
Future Mamoru said, "Actually, I'm him from the future. I came back in time from over two years and… seven plus months." He skipped doing the math for him coming back before she died. He was used to keeping track of time since her death.
"What… how!?" Minako asked in shock. "What happened to Usagi?" Artemis sat up and looked in expectantly. She knew what they were to each other, and it had to have been about her.
Current Mamoru spoke up, "She dies, and you could have stopped it! You know what she is, and you're keeping it from her."
Usagi looked at him in confusion. "Future Mamoru forgave her. Why are you upset?"
"Because her keeping it a secret still has you on the path to death. He might forgive her, but I haven't."
Makoto stomped her foot, "Stop talking in riddles! Usagi can't die! We wouldn't let her!"
"You do!" Current Mamoru roared.
"Stop it! I would have made the same decision if I had known I was the Moon Princess," she said, arguing with Mamoru instead of answering Makoto.
"Enough!" Luna yelled, giving up on hiding what she was. "She's the Moon Princess, and Minako knows!?"
"So does Artemis," Future Mamoru added.
Minako wiped tears from her cheek, "She dies?"
Rei crossed her arms and said, "Why the hell would you keep that a secret?"
"To protect her," Artemis said.
"And she still died!" Future Mamoru said. "I held her while she lay bleeding out on the street, choking on her own blood!"
"How? How were you there?" Ami asked.
"I'm… we're Tuxedo Kamen," current Mamoru said.
Future Mamoru sighed and closed his eyes. This was the first time he'd been back to this room since he'd read the letter. "I showed up here the next day when you said Usagi had sent a letter. None of you could bring yourselves to read what she wrote, so I did."
Usagi looked at current Mamoru with sad eyes. He knew her heart was breaking for future Mamoru having to relive that day. "Go ahead," he whispered and dropped her hand.
She went over to future Mamoru. He handed the letter to his current self, and he wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head.
She choked back a sob when he recited the whole letter from memory, while current Mamoru held it loosely in his hand.
When he was finished, there was dead silence. He then added, "She died in Tuxedo Kamen's arms, not knowing I was Mamoru. Before she died, she asked me if she was being brave. You don't know the hell I lived through."
"How did you come back?" Ami asked, choking back a sob.
"I have a Golden Crystal. I discovered it as I fought alongside the four of you. I can heal with it too. I'm going to teach the current me how to use it to save her. I could, but she deserves to be saved by the man who will remain with her."
Current Momaru was fixated on Usagi still being in future Mamoru's arms. He gave up his internal battle and pulled her out of his arms and into his own then held her tightly.
Artemis chuckled, "You always were the jealous type. I guess that didn't change either."
"Nope," he didn't even argue.
"What does that mean," Rei asked in frustration.
"They were born for each other. He's the Earth Prince and her reincarnated love. He died protecting her, and she killed herself," Artemis said. "Beryl wanted to marry him, and it was her jealousy that caused her to attack the moon to try to kill Serenity, the Moon Princess."
"All this would have been nice to know before!" Rei huffed.
Mina couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She wept, knowing she had been on a path to losing Usagi, her best friend, and her princess—again. Only Artemis tried to comfort her. The others were upset with her for withholding the truth.
"Any questions?" Future Mamoru asked.
"Tons!" Ami replied. "Time travel is fascinating."
"Normally, I'd agree, but I stopped giving a shit about anything the day Usagi died in my arms. I'm here, and we're going to fix this, so my history doesn't repeat itself."
Ami picked at a loose thread on her sleeve, "Oh… yeah, I get that." She then sighed, "I don't want to lose her. She…" she couldn't finish. She was now crying too.
"Now's not the time for tears," future Mamoru said. "Now is the time to plan and protect her. She's alive and will stay that way."
They spent the rest of the time trying to develop a plan to train Mamoru on the Golden Crystal and a practice schedule so they could get used to fighting alongside his new powers.