Love Will See Us Through

Disclaimer: Neither Allure-chan nor I own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. Please don't sue us, all I have is a broken blow dryer and a few Hershey kisses left over from my Easter Basket last year -_-'

Note: This is a little idea that I came up with and I thought it'd be kinda cool *giggles*. Anyway, I got the idea for this fic from a picture of Duo as Shinigami and ever since I saw that pic, I've wanted to write a fic to go along with it and here it is *holds up hands by title, presenting it*. Anyway, this is going to be kinda weird but just bear with us k? It'll be GREAT!!! Anyway, that's all I really wanna say now, hope you enjoy!!

Chapter 7 - The Edge of a Shadow

"Don't bother me dream phantom…" Duo mumbled sleepily, shoving the dream figure off of him. He knew it wasn't real to begin with.

"Open your eyes Duo-chan." A voice whispered close to his ear. Duo felt a pair of soft lips brush gently against his earlobe and trail down to nibble gently on his neck.

"Iie, you're not real. Leave me be." Duo said, gently pushing the ghost away again.

"Duo-chan, open your eyes, o-negai." The pleading voice whispered as the lips brushed gently against his skin again, this time they trailed down over his jawbone and slipped over his own lips in a gentle kiss. "Let me see your eyes…" The voice whispered again. Duo opened his eyes and found that he was staring into a pair of sky blue eyes that in no way resembled Usagi's. "That's better Duo-chan." She said, smiling down on him.

"You're not Usagi, go away." He muttered almost disappointed as he pushed her away and rolled over, facing the wall. The scent of tea roses didn't surround her and her eyes were not those of the one he loved. She may have some of Usagi's looks but she contained none of Usagi's extraordinary beauty. He would not let this test defeat him; he would not give in to his own greed. He loved only Usagi and would not let this test sway him from his one true love.

"Duo-chan, I am Usagi. I still have your gift." She said as she held the cross in front of his face.

"I did not give it to you, I gave it to my Usagi-chan," He said grabbing the necklace and pulling it off of the blond. "Leave me alone Minako." He muttered as he faced the wall, still clutching the necklace tightly.

"N… nani?" She stammered. "Why won't you accept me Duo-chan? Ai shiteru!" She yelled as she rolled Duo over and grabbed his face, kissing him firmly. She forced her tongue into his mouth, feeling his hands on her shoulders. She smirked slightly as she found him almost start to kiss back but gasped outraged as he shoved her roughly away.

"Go away, you traitor." He muttered as he stood up and walked toward his bedroom door. He walked outside, slamming it shut behind him. He made his way toward the stairs and walked out the front door, leaving the stunned blond to stare after.

"Iie… no one refuses me…" She growled as she rose up, the familiar school uniform melting away into a black dress with a red underlining. "Jadeite-chan…" She growled his name out as her fists clenched at her sides.

"Hai, Minako-chan?" Jadeite said, smirking as he appeared beside the blond.

"Can we kill him now?" She asked, giving Jadeite a cute pout. He smirked and nodded, wrapping his arm around the blond's waist and pulling her against his body before disappearing into nothing.

****

How could Minako betray them like that? Duo thought to himself as he made his way toward Usagi. He slipped the elegant silver cross around his neck and tucked it inside of the T-shirt he wore. He'd give it to Usagi in a few days. He wanted to see if she'd remember him, he had to know if she still loved him as he loved her. Minako would get her punishment for this betrayal, that much was already known. It was the way the gods worked, he should know; after all, he was the God of Death himself. Eventually, she would get her just punishment for selling out her friends and Senshi.

He hadn't even realized where he was walking until he found himself standing outside of Usagi's house. He stared up into a window on the second floor and realized it to be Usagi's. He could make out a figure on the inside sitting on the edge of a bed. It looked like she held a phone in one hand and was making some gestures with her hands as she spoke. He could see the silhouette of her body and smiled slightly to himself.

"Beautiful…" He murmured as he stood and looked up toward the window. He was feeling slightly frustrated. He wanted to climb up to her window and take her into his arms. He wanted her to remember everything they had gone through; he wanted to have her to himself again. He wanted all of her love and affection like in years past. Gods it hurt to watch her grow, fall in love, get married, and die over and over for thousands of years. He was grateful for his second chance and vowed not to blow it.

****

Who's that baka standing outside of Usagi window? A thought floated through the dark-haired man's head as he drove by. He didn't know why he really cared but there was something about her. He'd been having a strange dream for the past few days. There was a girl that looked like Usagi only she was dressed in a long flowing white dress. He called her Selenity-hime only he didn't know why. She was so different; she seemed so much more grown up than that girl did. He could have any girl he wanted that were older and mature than she. He couldn't get the figure out of his head and Usagi, being the only one that resembled her, became his target.

"Usagi-san… I won't let this 'boy' have you," Mamoru said as he drove by, watching to guy with the braid as he drove by. "I'll figure out why you're in my dreams and I'll take you away from that Seiya guy." Mamoru vowed to himself as a small smirk spread across his lips. "Usagi will be mine."

****

Usagi threw herself down on her bed. It was late, yes, but she wasn't ready to sleep. She decided she'd call Seiya. She hadn't heard from him in a few days and needed someone to talk to. She picked up the cordless phone and dialed in Seiya's cell phone number, listening as in began ringing.

"Ossu?" Came the sleepy voice of Seiya as the ringing was cut off.

"Ossu, Seiya-chan." Usagi said brightly.

"Usagi-chan?" Seiya questioned, yawning slightly. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Hai, I couldn't sleep Seiya-chan," Usagi said as she leaned forward on her elbows. "When are you going to be back?"

"Not for another few days." He said, his voice still groggy with sleep. "Are you all right, Usagi-chan?" He asked, slight hint of worry in his voice.

"Hai, I'm fine. I miss you, though." Usagi said frowning to herself. She talked to him for another ten minutes about the things that were going on with him but she made no mention of Duo or of that creepy 'Mamoru' guy that seemed to be following her.

It was already well past midnight so Usagi figured she'd just go to sleep now, she did, after all, have school early. She threw herself down on her bed but felt like there was someone watching. She stood up and walked over to the window and peering out, saw Duo standing on the sidewalk. Usagi could see a look of shock and slight embarrassment register on his face. She opened the window and called quietly down to him.

"What are you doing here Duo-kun?" She asked quietly, hoping that she wouldn't wake her parents. He didn't answer but instead just stood there, looking almost too shocked to speak. "Hold on, I'll come down there." She whispered back as she climbed out onto the branches of the tree by her window. This wouldn't be the first time she'd used that tree to escape or to sneak in.

"Usagi-chan…" He breathed as he saw her feet touched the ground lightly before she silently ran toward him. She was dressed in a pair of pink pajamas that had rabbits covering them. He was nearly stunned to see her hair flowing freely around her face. He hadn't seen her with her hair down on many occasions. It was surprisingly wavy and curled around her face attractively.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Duo-kun?" Usagi asked, her cheeks slightly pink as she refused to meet his gaze. He seemed embarrassed and immediately looked away, letting his eyes fall to the ground instead.

"Nothing Usagi-chan, I've just never seen you with your hair down." He lied, not wanting to tell her how incredibly sexy he thought she looked. The pajamas were definitely 'Usagi', her name was written all over them. He couldn't help his attraction to her, she just stirred so many emotions up inside of him. Just the sight of her, with a few branches and leaves in her hair, her skin looking so pale under the moonlight made him want to take her in his arms and just hold her for eternity. She was the most beautiful creature he had seen in all his years of life and his love for her withstood his time as Shinigami. Each time he saw her reborn, though, she became all the more beautiful and the further away his reach to her grew. The more times he saw her death, the more he lost hope of ever holding her again. Now here he was, alone with the woman he loved in a peaceful night under the full moon. This was his only chance to let Usagi know how he felt, to see if she truly remembered or if she was just getting the edge of the shadow of her past memories.

"You're still staring Duo-kun." She said, her cheeks turning a little pinker. She stared at him and wondered something. She felt so close to him, like she'd met him a long time ago in her dreams. The strange dreams she'd been having lately were filled with him, it was almost as if they were memories of another life. It disturbed her, she wanted to know more, and she wanted to become closer to him. She wanted to learn everything there was to know about Duo Maxwell and much more.

"Gomen," He said as he looked away. He felt his hand reflexively go to the necklace that he wore but forced himself not to reveal it yet. He wanted to wait to give it back until she remembered everything. Now he just had to keep the Senshi away from her until her memories returned. "I was just passing by and decided to stop for a minute to look at your house." He said, trying to pull his normal carefree personality off.

"Ah, so in other words, you were being a peeping-tom ne?" She asked, giving him a sly grin. This prompted a blush on Duo's cheek and he quickly denied it.

"Iie! It's nothing like that, honest!" He said, waving his hands in front of him.

"It's all right, though. I really wanted to talk to you about something Duo-kun." She said, looking down at her feet. "Who are you?" She asked, looking up to meet his eyes after a minute. This question took him by complete and total surprise and he staggered back a few steps in effect.

"N… nani? What do you mean Usagi?" He asked as his look turned somewhat solemn.

"You know what I mean, Duo-kun. Who are you? Are you that guy that was in the alleyway a few nights back?" Usagi asked, her face somewhat blank.

"Well… hai, I couldn't let that guy hurt you." Duo stated his voice unsure. He wasn't really sure how he was supposed to respond to her question.

"So, I know that was you… demo, why? I mean, you seemed to hate the Sailor Senshi, I want to know why." Usagi said, her face looking confused and slightly sad. "They're good, they protect us from all these strange things that have been happening."

"Hai, I know that demo… there's a lot more than just that Usagi… I can't tell you what it is though. Gomen." He said, he couldn't stand that look on her face. It was so sad and confused, he wanted to do something to make that look go away but there wasn't anything he could do at that moment.

"I should probably get back inside before my father finds me outside with a boy." Usagi said as she headed back toward the tree. She quietly climbed it and went into her room, closing the window behind her.

"Ai shiteru… Usagi-chan…" Duo whispered as he watched her close the window.

****

It had been almost an hour since Usagi had talked to Duo and she was even more confused than she had been before. She lie on her bed, waiting for sleep to claim her but it seemed to her that she would be awake for eternity with the same thoughts constantly filtering through her head forever. After a while, her mental anxiety gave way to sleep and her eyes finally closed and sleep engulfed her.

****

She was running down the street wearing a nightgown with her long blond hair floating behind her in the wind. Why she was running, though, she knew not. She was just trying to get away from everything and everyone. She wanted to die and let the pain of life fade away. She couldn't take the pressure everyone had been forcing down upon her. She was a figure skater and a very good one at that. She was beautiful and graceful and was a three-time Olympic gold-medallist at such a young age. She had been a prodigy from the day she was old enough to walk. Even her parents hadn't expected her to make it as far as she had. She had an incredible agility during her childhood that few adults were able to pull off.

'Gomen…' She thought to herself as she approached the cliff. She walked to the very edge and stood there, listening to the waves pound on the jagged rocks below. She wanted to be free of all the stress, of all the pain. She thought back suddenly on her life, saw everything that had happened. She tried to block out what had happened only the previous day at the Winter Olympics.

She was skating on a practice rink waiting for her turn to perform. There was a young man that had been eyeing her for the entire length of the time the Olympics had been taking place. He had asked her out several times but she had refused him each time. He didn't speak Japanese and her English was very broken so she was unable to understand much of what he said especially when he used slang English words.

"Usagi, what does that mean?" He asked mockingly in English. Usagi didn't reply, only having understood a few of his words. "Are you a little Japanese whore?" He asked, using the slang term purposely so she wouldn't understand him. She knew enough, though, to know that he had not used a polite term with her.

"Go away." She said in English, putting a hard glare on him. She went back to doing her routine and gasped when she felt his arms encircle her waist.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked as he pressed his lips against her. She fought against him and finally managed to get free. In her struggle, though, her skate had caught him in the stomach and he slumped to the floor, a pool of blood surrounding him.

"I… iie…" She whispered as she staggered backward and landed hard on her butt. She felt her body go numb and hoped down deeply that he was still alive.

"H… he's dying!" One of the medics said as a stretcher was rushed out onto the floor.

She felt a tear slide down her cheek as she saw his image again. She had killed him… they'd rushed him to the hospital but it hadn't mattered, he was dead before he left the arena. The blade had ruptured his spleen and he had bled to death in mere minutes.

"I'll do this world a favor by leaving…" She whispered as she prepared to jump. Her eyes were squeezed tightly shut when she heard a man's voice.

~O-negai… I can't watch you die again…~ The voice had said close to her ear. She felt imaginary arms wrapped around her waist from behind. ~I have already seen it far too often, don't do this…~ The voice begged quietly.

"I can't live any longer with the guilt of what I did." Usagi said as another tear fell from her eye.

~It was an accident…~ The voice continued. It was a hushed whisper close to her ear.

"I have to…" She said quietly as she turned around with her back to the cliff, standing on the very edge. When she looked behind her for the source of the voice, she saw a translucent figure. It was strange, he was dressed in black robes with a long chestnut colored braid and held a scythe in his hand. "Shinigami-sama has come for me…" She whispered as she fell straight back into the crashing torrents of waves below.

Usagi's head shot up off of her pillow as the dream-girl fell. It had been so real, she felt pain in her heart as she saw the replay of the girl's memories and an earth-shattering realization hit her.

"Duo-kun… Shinigami-sama…" She whispered as her eyes widened in fear and shock.

****

Mamoru stopped in front of the school and waited for the bell to ring. He would offer Usagi a ride home and then he'd take it from there. She was going to be his, he already had it all planned out. He just had to make sure Seiya was out of the city or better yet, out of the country and he had a plan to do that. He wasn't worried about that kid with the braid, he wouldn't stand a chance against him. Mamoru was sure that Usagi would choose an older guy over that boy. There was something familiar about the guy though, sometimes a figure resembling Duo would attack Mamoru in his dreams. He looked much older and carried a huge scythe. He looked like the God of Death himself in his dreams. It was just a dream though, he didn't believe in gods or anything along those lines.

"What a nice car you have Tuxedo Mask." A familiar voice said breaking into his thoughts and plans. Mamoru turned to the side to face the figure of Zoicite leaning up against his car door.

"N… nani?" He stammered in slight shock as he heard the familiar feminine voice of his enemy. He turned his head toward the voice and saw that Zoicite was leaning up against the side of his car.

"Did you really think Beryl-sama would forget a face like yours?" Zoicite asked as a smirk spread across his lips. "Now, where is Serenity-hime?" Mamoru chuckled to himself lightly as he climbed out of the car and closed the door behind him.

"I haven't the slightest clue," Mamoru said nonchalantly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." Zoicite scowled as Mamoru turned his back and started to walk away.

"I'm not done with you Tuxedo Kamen!" Zoicite snapped as a long black-crystal blade appeared in his hand. He lunged toward Mamoru and drove the blade through his shoulder. Mamoru's eyes went wide and he gasped audibly as he gripped the growing pain in his shoulder. Zoicite took a step back and watched as Mamoru sunk to his knees, gripping his shoulder in pain. "Bring your crystals to Cleopatra's Needle tonight at midnight or we'll kill that little girl you've had your eye on."

"Nani? What are you talking about?" Mamoru asked, playing dumb as pain streaked his face.

"Don't give me that, I know you have a thing for that little blond girl that you've been following along. We'll have a duel for the crystals, whoever wins, takes all, the other dies." Zoicite said as he disappeared in a flurry of rose petals.

"Kuso…" Mamoru muttered as he gripped his shoulder in pain.

****

Usagi was walking home from school all alone, clutching her bag close to her chest when she saw Mamoru slumped forward as he trudged along the sidewalk. He was gripping his shoulder tightly and grimaced slightly as he walked down the street. She glanced down behind him and saw that there was a trail of red following him.

"He's… bleeding?" She asked, surprised to have noticed. She felt that odd feeling that gave her the chills again as she watched him walk. She knew she should help him since he'd helped her when she'd gotten sick on the street but she couldn't get that feeling of uneasiness out of her stomach. She approached him anyway, her compassion for someone that was injured winning out. "Mamoru-san?" She called as she approached. He didn't seem to notice her as he hunched his way along the street. She ran up and slapped him on the back playfully. It was obvious that he was depressed or something, so maybe if she acted cheerful and playful, he'd cheer up too. That's just the type of personality Usagi had, always wanted to make those around her happy. He winced and turned toward the blond, tugging his jacket tighter around his body.

"Hello odango atama." He said as he winced again.

"What happened Mamoru-san?" She asked as she saw a trace of red left on her hand from her slap.

"It's nothing odango, just go home all right?" Mamoru said as he kept on walking.

"Stop calling me that." She said with her arms over her chest and a pout on her lips. "I don't like that name."

"All right, I won't call you that again Usagi-chan." He said as he kept walking. "You should just go home though."

"Iie, you need to get a doctor to look at that shoulder Mamoru-san." She said as she tried to take his jacket off.

"It's not bad, just get out of here." He argued, pushing the blond away.

"She definitely fits the description." A man's voice said from behind. Usagi turned to see a man with blond hair wearing a strange gray suit trimmed in red. Beside him stood a blond girl that looked surprisingly alike to Usagi.

"Nani? Where did they come from?" Usagi asked, her eyes wide in surprise. "Wait a minute… you… you're that guy! The one that hurt Duo-kun!" She said as she took a few steps back, leaving Mamoru to stand in front of her. She saw from the corner of her eye as Mamoru pulled something that looked like a rose from the inside of his jacket and flung it at the man… what was his name again? Jadeite? Was that his name? Usagi couldn't remember, but she knew he was bad news.

"I see you remember, you are that little princess aren't you?" The man called Jadeite asked with a smirk on his lips.

"Princess? Me?" Usagi asked with a quiet chuckle. "You're joking ne?" She couldn't help but laugh at him asking her if she was a princess.

"Just let her go!" Mamoru demanded as he clutched the rose. "My duel is not with you, it's with Zoicite, where is he?" Mamoru demanded.

"First, we need a little insurance that you'll hold up to your end of the bargain, so I'll be the crystal holder as well as the holder of the princess." Jadeite said calmly as he appeared behind Usagi and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Let me go!" Usagi cried, pulling against the blond man. "You're all crazy! Let me go!"

"Let her go…" A low menacing voice called from above. All eyes looked up to see the silhouette of a young man... correct that, a young god. His large bat wings were spread out around him and the scythe was clearly visible. He wore long robes that fluttered in the breeze and to Usagi's surprise; the sun glinted off something that hung from his neck.

"My… cross?" She questioned as the slight breeze fluttered the figure's hair which looked to be pulled back into a braid that reached his butt. "Duo-kun?" She questioned, squinting against the light.

"Once upon a time…" His voice said with a hint of sadness to it as he lifted himself up on his wings and landed in front of Usagi and Jadeite.

"You… look so familiar…" Usagi breathed out as she saw the figure of Shinigami land in front of her. She knew that she should be frightened but there was something warm and caring in those indigo eyes of his. It was so deep, though, that she couldn't bear to tear her eyes away from his. He looked like a much older version of the Duo she knew from school… there was something different, though… he looked so… so sad… What could have happened to make him so sad? Usagi wondered to herself.

"I was sad… because I couldn't be with you, Usa-chan…" He whispered quietly so only she and Jadeite could hear.

"How touching, Shinigami has come to save his precious princess. Are you going to succeed in banishing us all to hell this time Shinigami-sama?" Jadeite said mockingly.

"Only you…" Shinigami said in a low cold voice. He lunged forward with his long scythe fully extended and prepared to slice into the soft flesh of Jadeite's body. Jadeite pulled Usagi in front of him and held a blade of black crystal to her throat.

"Come one step closer and you'll have to see her die again, just like you had to see her die during the Silver Millennium." Jadeite said confidently.

"That's where the Sailor Senshi come in…" Shinigami's voice was quiet.

"Mars Fire SOUL!!" A voice cried out and a blast of pure fire hit the black crystal and destroyed it completely. Another object went flying and hit Jadeite's hand, causing him to stumble back a few steps. Usagi was surprised to see a man wearing a cape, he's just thrown a rose, at least it looked like a rose, maybe it was just one of those cheap plastic flowers. Usagi couldn't really tell, but she recognized them all right away. It was the Sailor Senshi minus one… Venus? Where was she at? And the man that stood there was readily recognized as Tuxedo Kamen. What a stupid, tacky costume. Usagi thought to herself as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. What kind of a weirdo would dress like that?

"Shine…" Shinigami whispered as a truly evil smirk spread across his face. With a quick swipe of the blade, Jadeite was down on the ground, lying dead in a pool of his own blood. The body quickly disappeared into streams of black smoke that swirled around a little bit before disappearing.

Usagi watched the whole scene in shock as different images flowed through her mind. She wasn't quite able to place the pieces into a full picture though. It was all so frightening to her; it was like she was recalling memories from a dream. They were incomplete though… she didn't understand any of them. She saw these giant machines that looked like they came straight from a sci-fi movie or maybe out of a video game. She also saw a cold boy with prussian blue eyes and a green tank-top but she didn't know his name or anything about him. He didn't really even resemble a person from a movie she'd seen recently. Then she saw this woman with silvery-blond hair and lavender eyes and these two cats with crescent moons on their foreheads. She saw something else, though, the silhouette of the one that had given her the cross necklace she always wore. It was all so vague, she couldn't even be sure they were true. In all of her mental anxiety, though, she fell to the ground unconscious.

"Stay back!" Shinigami yelled as he watched Usagi from a few feet away. The look on her face was unmistakable… she was remembering something, what of, though, he wasn't sure yet. The Senshi tried to approach her, but he placed his scythe right in their path. "Don't make me break the rules and take any of you early." He said menacingly.

"What do you want with her?" Mars demanded, fire dancing in her eyes. The blond girl that resembled Usagi had long-since disappeared and strangely enough, Venus had come running around the corner almost at the same time.

"I want her to remember at her own pace. I won't let you get your hands on her. You only want to use her as your tool, once her usefulness is done, you'll just do away with her like yesterday's garbage." Shinigami said coldly. "Don't think I don't know when her name on my list comes. I've seen her death before, many times before. I won't let it happen again, especially not by the ones that are supposed to protect her. I won't let her remember that time; all she had was pain during that life. The only steady thing she had was her mother, which is all she has now… her family…"

"It's her destiny!" Mercury argued, her face looking pale and kind of sad. "She is destined to be our Queen and protect this world."

"That is one destiny that lies in her future, there is an alternative. SHE has to decide which path to follow and I WON'T let you interrupt her decision!" Shinigami yelled, his wings flexing in anger as they spread out around him. "She's had far too much pain in her life as it is, I WON'T let her suffer any more!"

"You're only doing more damage! WE know what's best for her, we're her Senshi. She HAS to be told what lies before her!" Mars demanded angrily.

"NO! She must make that decision on her own! You can't force her to be someone she doesn't want to be! That princess is dead, the only thing that is left is Usagi! Her spirit has lived for millions of years and I've been around to watch EVERY minute of it! Don't TELL me what's best for her!" Shinigami spat in disgust. He had had no distaste for the Senshi of old… only of Endymion… The Senshi had always done their best to protect Usagi, even gave their lives in her protection. But they were starting to piss him off… that one thing you DON'T want to do… piss off the God of Death.

"Duo-chan?" A single name escaped from Usagi's lips before she fell to the ground unconscious. Shinigami knelt beside the girl and picked up her limp body. He held her tightly to his chest and smirked at the Senshi once more.

"Looks like she's remembering me before you…" He said confidently before opening his wings and flying off into the sky.

::Fin::

February 27, 2002

Well, finally finished this chapter. I know it's been a while but I haven't really had time to write lately. Hopefully I'll have a snow day tomorrow so I can get caught up on a few more fics. Looks like Allure-neechan gets the next chapter… email me at pokahydee@hotmail.com or Allure-chan at Allure_chan@duo.zzn.com That's all for now… not much of a cliffie, but a nice long chapter so *shrugs* Guess that makes up for it ne? *flies away and disappears in a puff of pink smoke and silver sparkles*