I do not own the characters or the show. The only thing that is my own is the original story line within the copy written characters and show.

Key for Symbols:

= = ". * ." = = : POV change

Italics - used for character thought or emphasis.

/Italics/ - past event

Bold - indicates a heavy action.

As One

Chapter 1

The Interrogation

",~~,"

= = ". * ." = =

"~ , , ,~'"

"Can you tell me what happened?" asked The Officer as he adjusted his dark blue cap.

The lights of the hospital entrance cast a shadow over his face, leaving only his mouth and chin visible. He stood a few feet away from three teenage girls. An ambulance was parked just beside them with its back doors wide open. On the bumper of the ambulance sat one of the girls, her dark hair draped over her face solemnly. The doors of the hospital slid open and several people hurried past. A few of them turned their heads to take a glimpse of the commotion.

"She was walking home," said the blue haired teenager, tugging on her sweater. She kept her eyes on her feet.

"From where?" The Officer asked while scribbling down on his notepad.

"My house," she whispered. The Officer murmured an 'mmhmm,' wrote down on his notepad, and asked for her name. "Mizuno, Ami." The Officer's head tilted up for a second before going back down.

"Mizuno Ami," he said aloud, "five foot seven, dark blue hair, aqua eyes, born-"

"September 10th."

"September 10th." He echoed, jotting on his notepad. "Meek demeanor -"

"Hey!" shouted the brunette next to her. "You don't know her."

"What about the bruise" He asked, ignoring the girl's word.

"Bruise? What bruise?" The brunette exclaimed. The Officer, whose eyes were still on his notepad, motioned to the side of his torso.

"Paramedics informed us that there is a fairly new bruise that's taken up nearly half of her torso."

"That was from class," Ami replied. "Although, I didn't realize…she was late to class, she's always late to class…"

/

She had come in, in a flurry. Her feet were not quick enough to respond to her brain's warning. She crashed straight into the desk and toppled over in tears. Her cries filled the room and there was a collective sigh that emitted from the students.

"Just in time Usagi, I was just instructing the class to turn in their homework." Haruna Sensei carefully stood up. Her small swollen belly slightly lifted her blouse. "Pass the homework front." Usagi quickly turned her desk upright and ruffled through her bag. She pulled out the homework and felt the color drain from her face.

"Just forgot to write my name," she mumbled as she took out her pencil. She quickly scribbled over the page before passing it forward.

/

"And you are?"

"Kino, Makoto. December 5th," she remarked smugly. The brunette stood hotly, her arms crossed against her chest, her chin thrusted forward. She gave the impression of someone who was used to interrogation. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow, "Do I need to spell it for you too?"

"Kino, Makoto, five foot eleven, mahogany hair, emerald eyes, broad shoulders, born December 5th, deviant-"

"I'm not a deviant!" Makoto interjected. She clenched her fists.

"Are you a classmate of the victim?" The Officer continued his tone unchanged.

"No. No, I'm her friend."

"Whose friend, the victim or Ms. Mizuno?"

"Both. We're all friends."

"I see…" The Officer paused, his head moved slowly left to right. Despite not seeing his eyes, Ami shivered and tugged at her sweater again. His face was still hidden in the shadow of his cap, but juts of soft blond hair glistened under the florescent lights. He scoffed and mumbled something under his breath. "And if you're not a classmate, how do you know her?"

"I…I went to the Academy for a week, but the state couldn't afford-"

"So you're a foster child."

"Ward of the state." Makoto let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders drooped. Amy reached out and took her hand, squeezing it lightly.

"So, you all met up with the victim after school."

"No, she had detention," Ami replied.

"Detention?"

"Yes…she fell asleep in class and kept eating during Ms. Haruna's lectures."

/

Golden tendrils covered the desk and draped down her legs, pooling at the floor. She pressed her head against the desk. Her arms hung limply to the side. The orange rays of the setting sun filtered through the room. Usagi sighed.

"Ahem."

Usagi's head flew up. "I'm up! I'm up! I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't sleeping!"

"You've finished your lines?" Haruna Sensei asked while she walked back to her desk and sat down. Usagi nodded her head and proceeded to pick up the papers that had flown to the ground in her panicked state. She handed them over and bowed low in apology.

"Before you leave Usagi," Haruna Sensei retrieved a folder from her desk. "I've graded your midterm project." She opened the folder and looked at Usagi.

The bright red D popped off the paper and Usagi took an inward breath.

"This was being lenient. Usagi did you even read the book?" When Usagi didn't respond she went on, "The only reason you didn't get an F was because you, at least, turned something in." She shook her head, "I mean, what's going on with you Usagi? I've been with you since you were in grade school and ever since the end of your freshman year, your grades have been deteriorating. You've gone from being a B student to nearly flunking. I don't know what's wrong with you but whatever it is you need to fix it." Usagi nodded her head and bowed low, apologizing. "Don't apologize, just do better," Haruna Sensei paused.

She removed her glasses and put them on the desk.

"As you know Usagi the Spring Carnival is coming up. Our class along with three classes from each grade level will be participating by running several tents and games. This participation is not being graded, it's during our free time that everyone'll need to plan. If you can't bring your grade up by then, I can't allow you to participate."

"Yes, Sensei."

Usagi limped through the hallway, clutching her side. She bit her lip and walked into one of the open classrooms. There were several students in the room with books out, chatting. Surprised, she walked into the front desk, toppling over.

/= = ". * ." = =/

Naru leaned back into her chair. Her eyes fixated on the brunette a few seats away. She had the overwhelming urge to pounce on her, but restrained herself from doing so.

"Oh you're so funny," the brunette giggled in her American accent. Stupid Americans think they're so special, she sneered. She continued to stare down the American girl until the sound of a loud crash disrupted the entire room. There was a high pitched whine that followed. Naru recognized it instantly.

"Usagi-chan," she ran over to the front of the class. "Are you okay?" Naru helped her blonde friend up and led her out of the classroom.

"Yea, I just tripped," Usagi laughed. "You know me." A soft chime began to emit from Usagi's watch. The blond quickly covered the wrist band. "Alarm, must be broken." Naru nodded and led Usagi out to the courtyard.

As they reached the courtyard the sun was beginning to set. A small peak of orange colored the horizon, as its colors faded into a hue of pink and purple in the beginnings of the evening sky. Naru pushed the hair out of her eyes. Usagi's watch started to go off. Her blonde haired friend covered the accessory with her hand in an attempt to stifle the chime.

It was weird. They'd been best friends since forever, but it'd been almost two years since they really spent any time together. Most people would think that years of secrets and sleepovers would be able to overcome the separation. But, they stood awkwardly staring at the cement. Naru kicked at the small pieces of broken concrete.

"So what're-"

"How've you-"

Both girls spoke at once.

"You go first," insisted Naru.

"So what were you all doing in there, detention?" Naru shook her head, her auburn curls bounced in response. She shrugged and glanced back at the school.

"No, it's this tutoring, study group, hang out, weird thing…" Naru shrugged her shoulders again; she wasn't exactly sure what to call it.

"Oh, you tutor people-"

"Oh no, no, noooo," Naru waved her hands. Just then she heard her name being called from the school entrance. Unimo stood just in the entrance hall of the school, he called out that the group was moving to Yuta's house. She responded that she'd meet them later and he and the group left out the back.

"Woah, who's the hottie?" Usagi asked as soon as the group left.

"Which one?"

"The one talking to you."

"Unimo?"

Usagi's eyes widened, her eye brows furrowed. She shook her head. "No, that's not. Is that? It can't be, I mean…is it?" The guy Naru had spoken to did not look like the boy she remembered. Naru laughed.

"Yea, he's changed a bit."

"A bit? Try a lot."

"Well after," Naru paused and reached for her necklace. She clutched on to the dark jewel and continued, "after Nephrite passed and a few months went by Unimo started going to the gym, he shot up a foot or so, and got rid of his glasses. He even tried growing his hair out, but I made him cut it. I think he did it to try and be more like…him."

Naru thought back to Nephrite, his dark wavy hair and his light blue eyes. She felt the raw emotion reach up to her throat and threaten to choke her. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, in and out, clenching the only item she had left of him.

A year ago he'd whispered in her ear and dropped the crystal in her pocket. And then she watched him take his last breath and disperse in a flurry of lights, he was gone. Sometimes at night, when she closed her eyes really tight, she could remember the feel of his hand on her face. But with time, her memories were beginning to fade, and trying to recall the sound of his laughter was getting harder. He was slipping away from her again, but this time, it didn't hurt so much with Unimo by her side.

"It's been a year?" Naru opened her eyes and was surprised to see tears falling down Usagi's face.

"Usa, what's wrong?" Naru moved over and wrapped her arms around her blond friend. She felt Usagi slowly reach around her waist and then after a minute, Usagi gripped her tightly and began to sob. They two stood that way for quite some time, the chime of Usagi's watching going off every so often. She ignored it and held onto Naru tighter.

The sun had set and the light posts around them lit up around them, illuminating the walk way. Naru continued to hold Usagi as she cried. The shoulder of her uniform was soaked through and she could feel the wetness on her skin, but still she hung on. It was Usagi's alarm watch (the fifth time it'd gone off) that ended up putting a pause on her tears. Usagi pulled back and flipped the top of her watch up and then quickly down.

"Are you alright?" Naru asked. Usagi roughly brushed her tears away. Her eyes were swollen and her blond bangs were matted.

"I'm so sorry Naru. I am so sorry. I can't believe I wasn't there for you and I've been such a horrible-"

"This Saturday, there's a Doctor Who marathon," said Naru, cutting Usagi off. Usagi looked surprised, her eyebrows furrowed, but after a moment the look melted away. She smiled and realized what Naru meant.

"All day just me and you," The blond reached out and took her friend's hand.

Naru squeezed and responded, "Just me, you and The Doctor."

Usagi smiled and nodded, "I won't miss it, not for the world." And with that Naru parted with her friend and looked forward to their sleepover on Saturday.

= = ". * ." = =

"Rei...that'd be you." The officer pointed his pencil toward the long raven haired girl sitting on the ambulance bumper. As his hand extended out, his shirt cuff rose, revealing a peculiar gold watch. How does a police officer afford a gold watch, thought Ami. Rei nodded her head. "And your last name?"

"Hino."

"Hino, Rei. Five foot..." he looked up from his notepad and quickly took in the girl's frame once more to be sure, "nine. Long raven hair, violet eyes, tan complexion, quiet." He scribbled quickly on his notepad. "Are you also a classmate of the victim?"

"No. She's my best," she paused, her voice cracked. "She's my friend."

"And you know her from?"

"I'm a Shinto priestess at Hikawa Jinja. I live there with my Grandfather, he's the Head Priest. About a year and half ago her class came on a field trip to the temple, that's when we met."

"I see," The Officer tilted his cap some. "So Usagi met you at Hikawa Jinja?"

"No we-" Ami began, but she stopped, her eyes widened and she quickly tightened her lips. Her eyes flitted to Makoto.

"No?" The officer asked.

"We didn't get the chance," Makoto finished.

"The victim had a cell phone. Why didn't you call her from the temple?"

"We don't have phones at the temple," said Rei, her hands clenched at the bottom of her skirt.

"I don't have a phone," Makoto responded.

"And I turned my phone off once we reached temple grounds," replied Ami.

"Why?"

"Why?" Ami repeated, her voice reaching an octave higher than normal. She cleared her throat, with her eyes on Makoto she said, "Out of respect..for the temple."

"Why didn't you call her before you left Ms. Mizuno's?"

"We thought," Ami paused, her eyes still on Makoto. She shook her head and then looked back at The Officer. "We forgot."

/

He watched as she clumsily ran and fell straight into a bike rack. Mars fired an attack and Jupiter swore. Their blond leader jejunely stood up from the mess of bikes, clinging onto her side as she stood.

The youma had dodged five attacks from Sailor Moon. However, it wasn't any amazing feat, Sailor Moon's aim was anything but close. So in reality the youma hadn't dodged anything, he could've been stationary for an hour and she would, in all likely-hood, continue to miss. Sailor Moon was completely off her game tonight, but then again she wasn't the greatest warrior in the first place. The battle had been going on for at least twenty minutes before she (Sailor Moon) appeared. The sailor senshi were worn down.

"Sailor Moon look out!" The youma raised its claw, the dark energy gathering in an electric ball. Sailor Moon was slow to react.

If he was going to jump in to save her it would have to be now. However, he'd also been watching the battle and knew that after the youma attacked it'd be vulnerable for, at least, three seconds. Those few seconds would be just enough time for him to snatch the rainbow crystal from it. But if he saved her, he'd forfeit the ability to surprise his adversary. The ball of energy reached its peak and the youma sent it towards the senshi leader.

If he was going to save her, he needed to do it now. He quickly analyzed the situation, weighing the importance of both things, and decided to stay in the tree.

Mercury, who was over half a yard, sprinted to her leader. Sailor Moon stood frozen, her eyes widening as the ball of dark energy came hurling her way. Just as it was about to reach her, Mercury pushed her out of the way. Sailor Moon was pushed out of the way just in time, but Mercury took the brunt of the attack.

Tuxedo Kamen made his move then. He leapt from the tree and snatched the crystal from the momentarily defenseless youma. Sailor Moon pulled herself up and staggered towards Mercury.

"NOW!" Mars shouted. "While its defenses are down!" Sailor Moon nodded slowly and reached for her tiara.

"Don't miss," Jupiter growled as Sailor Moon finished casting her attack. The tiara wobbled before it gained speed and hit its target. The monster screamed before turning to dust. The blonde warrior staggered over, her hand to her stomach. She began to make her way to her fallen comrade. Mars and Jupiter blocked her way.

"We've got it," Mars said. Jupiter bent over to help Mercury stand.

"Are you okay?" Sailor Moon called over to Mercury.

"What do you think?" Jupiter spat.

"I…I'm sorry I didn't respond,"

"But that's just the point isn't it?" Mercury grumbled. She leaned against Jupiter for support. "You were late, again. You're always late."

"Always slow," continued Jupiter.

"Always in need of rescuing," Mars threw her hands in the air. "I mean what kind of leader are you? You whine about everything, you cry all the time, you fall asleep in class, at meetings..." Sailor Moon groaned and tightened the hold on her torso. The girls rolled their eyes.

"Not to mention your clumsiness. You're constantly injuring yourself in and out of battle," said Mercury as she shook her head. Sailor Moon looked up to Tuxedo Kamen, who stood crouching in a tree. He flashed a smile.

"Can't complain. Thanks to you, I got the crystal." He let the gem sparkle under the light before quickly putting it in his pocket and disappearing.

"Great. Now he's got two!" Jupiter cried.

"Look, we've come to a decision," Mars began. Sailor Moon moaned in pain. "Stop crying and suck it up!" Mars snapped. "You're not qualified to be our leader."

"We've decided Mars should lead," said Mercury. Sailor Moon cried and keeled over.

"Omigosh you don't have to be so dramatic!" Mars spat. On her knees Sailor Moon swayed slightly. The senshi looked back in revulsion. "Get up."

Sailor Moon collapsed. Her locket flickered and her uniform quickly dissipated into her school clothes. The three scouts stood stunned for a second. Mercury was the first to respond, she moved next to Usagi and put her fingers against the girl's throat.

"I..I…I can't find her pulse!" Mercury yelled.

= = ". * ." = =

The Officer stared back and forth at the trio.

"You want to know what I think?" When the girls didn't respond he went on, "I think you led your friend into a trap."

"What?"

"You waited till dark and then you attacked her and beat her unconscious."

"No! We would never!" They exclaimed.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Motoki had just come out of the hospital when he spotted the girls and caught the end of the conversation. "They told you they got into an argument and Usagi went home. And if you knew them, you'd know they always argue. If they'd beaten her, why would they run to my house to call emergency? Does that make sense to you?"

"What I know is that we have three young girls acting very suspiciously, girls whose stories don't seem to make much sense!"

"They wouldn't hurt her."

"Then why do they look so guilty?"