**DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and other characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi,
Cartoon Network, etc. None of these characters belong to me. **

Author's Notes: Konnichiwa, minna-chan. I hope you like this chapter. Always
remember that this is an AU. Please send some feedback or review! Enjoy
reading!

Rating: PG
*******************
"Not the glittering weapon fights the fight, but rather the hero's heart."
~ Proverb ~


Silver Eyes
by: The Silver Princess


The night seemed oddly quiet: no yells, no screech of tires, no honk of
horns. Just eerie silence. The figure moaned again, jerking Usagi from her shock.
She quickly dismounted her motorcycle and knelt by the figure. Moonlight
puddled around them, conveniently providing clean light as she tried to work out
what had happened. Fear rose in her throat as she realized that the darkness
that covered him wasn't just fabric but also blood.

"Tuxedo Kamen?" Usagi murmured softly as she lightly touched his
shoulder, praying that she wouldn't hurt him. He groaned and she quickly jerked
her hand away as he curled into a tighter ball.

She bit her lip uncertainly. She certainly couldn't leave him like this, but
that would mean being in his company for an extended period of time and in
close proximity. An ambulance? No, there was his disguise to think of as well.
She shook her head decsively, banishing her selfish thoughts. She couldn't leave
him.

"Come on, Mamoru-san," she whispered, hoping that his more familiar
name would be more comforting to him. It seemed to work because he seemed a
lot more cooperative as she settled him on her motorcycle. Her hands ended up
in some awkward places as she tried not to aggravate his injuries further, and a
hot, red blush settled over her face even though he was practically insensible.
Finally she had him as secure as she could manage with her arms wrapped
tightly around his torso and her chin resting on his shoulder so that she could
see. She put her bike in gear. "Let's hope I remember where your apartment is,
since we certainly can't go to my place," she said lightly as she roared down the
dark streets.

It was awkward holding him in her arms and steering at the same time,
and she had to use all her abilities to keep him intact. She was just going by her
school when her stomach jolted into her throat. He had passed out in her arms.
She clenched her jaw, muttered a quick prayer, and floored the gas. Her tires
protested at the sudden acceleration, and the streets soon became a passing
blur as her bike shot into the night.

Usagi had been nervous that someone would notice a masked girl in a
black halter top toting a masked man in tuxedo up the flights of his apartment
building, but the place seemed deserted. Her anxiety jumped a notch as she
picked his lock—that would be impossible to talk her way out of—and only when
they both were safely inside did she relax.

"Alright, Mamoru-san," she muttered as she settled his prone form on his
couch. "Let's get you taken care of and then figure out what on earth happened
to you." She grunted. "It's a good thing I'm stronger than I look."

His apartment was neurotically clean, everything exactly positioned and
meticulously spotless. Polished glass table supported picture-perfect vases of
rainbow-colored rose bouquets. Even the tiny trashcan looked tidy. Usagi winced
when she realized the amount of dirt that she was tracingd over his carpet as she
rummaged through his cabinets. She grinned in delight and fished out a fully-
stocked first-aid kit.

"Please don't jump to the wrong conclusions, okay?" she told the
unconscious man as she removed his shirt. She winced at the red slashes
across his chest—a chest that she reluctantly admitted was very tan and
muscular.

She stitched up the deeper wounds with a steady hand and then
disinfected each one. He muttered and fidgeted as she dabbed on the stinging
solution but she soothed him by putting her hand to his forehead and whispering
reassuringly.

With a sigh, she studied his face in a way she'd never had the chance
before. He really was a handsome man and only two years older than she was.
She laughed at herself when she realized the direction her thoughts were
heading. It could never happen. Talk about a doomed relationship. The Usagi he
knew was one that he teased and was mean to constantly. As for—what had she
told the boy to call her?—Serenity, well, that would be just asking for trouble.

Still, she could have her silly dreams. She brushed her fingers through his
locks of ebony hair, feeling them slide across her fingertips like silk. He was so
handsome, she thought again with a tinge of embarrassment. She wished she
knew what it would be like to see those stormcloud blue-gray eyes gaze at her
with something besides disdain. Although, to be honest with herself—and she
always tried to be—that was part of the reason she liked him so much; he never
put up with the antics she pulled as Odango Atama the way others did, yet even
then he could still be so sweet at times. His teasing only held dislike not hate,
and he always was willing to help her when she truly needed it. He seemed so
right for her night self, Serenity.

She brushed her fingertips over his lips a little too longingly. "If only—" she
began wistfully

"What!" he suddenly screeched, his eyes popping wide open.

Usagi recoiled in shock. "You're awake!" she yelped.

He groaned, relaxing back onto the couch. "Who are you?"

Usagi blinked, her mind frozen. Why were his hands clutching hers? When
had they gotten there?

"Silver eyes…you're that woman, aren't you? The one who's always
helping us?" he realized, seemingly oblivious to the problems his hands seemed
to be causing her.

"Yeah, I am," she finally said with a soft smile. Good, her voice worked

"Thanks for last night," he murmured groggily. "Sorry 'bout your arm."

"That's alright," she said embarrassedly. She worked her hands free of his
and reached over to the table to place a cool cloth on his forehead. He smiled his
appreciation as his eyes cleared.

"Are we in my apartment?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, Mamoru-san," she admitted, figuring that if he realized she knew his
address she must know him.

He raised an eyebrow. "You know who I am," he observed.

She nodded. "But I'm not telling you who I am," she interjected quickly,
seeing the question forming on his lips.

He conceded, too drained from his injuries to argue. His hands explored
his stitched and bandaged chest. "That's another I owe you," he said with a bright
smile just for her.

Usagi hid the pleasure that that smile elicited in her. "Just tell me what
happened," she said gently as she sat on the floor by his head.

He sighed. "I was on my way to fight with the senshi when I was
ambushed. That's all there is to tell. I don't know anything else, though you could
bet your last yen I'd kill to figure it out."

"So would I," she murmured to herself. "I have to go," she said in a louder
voice as she stood up.

"Wait—"

"No," she said sharply, hating herself as she did. "I really do have to go."
She reached his door, her fingers grazed the doorknob, but she couldn't bring
herself to open the door. She glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but I
do."

He nodded slightly and closed his eyes. "At least tell me your name," he
insisted.

"Which one?" she asked teasingly.

"What—"

"Just," she interjected as she noticed he was trying to move to look at her.
"Just call me Serenity."

Barely after she finished saying that, Usagi quickly opened the door and
was halfway out before she could change her mind. Behind her, she heard him
inhale sharply. "Serenity-hime!" he called, his voice layered of conflicting
emotions.

Something in that tone shuddered its way inside her, knocking her about
before finding a niche in her mind that just said 'important.' Her stomach lurched
and her breathing became unreliable as she shut the door and then leaned
against it. Serenity-hime? Who was that? He sounded as though he knew her,
but then…why would he think that she was this royal person? Come to think of it,
how would Mamoru know royalty?

She frowned in confusion as she stepped into the elevator. Her finger
hovered around the button but she didn't push it. Each step was bringing her
closer to day it seemed. She shook her head as she glanced down at her watch.
Sunrise would be approaching, and she needed to get home no matter how
reluctant she felt about it. The elevator dinged closed as she pushed the button
for the ground floor, and it carried her away from Mamoru who was also Tuxedo
Kamen—both of whom she was in love with.

Tokyo was a nonexistent haze to Usagi as she rode back home in a daze.
Why was this Serenity thing bothering her so much? The hope, surprise, the
disbelief, the suspicion—all of the feeling in his voice seemed to echo inside her,
stubbornly refusing to fade away into forgetfulness. What had made her choose
that name?

She arrived home just as sunrise did. The sun leaked over the horizon,
struggling with the purpling sky. Tendrils of pink and gold inched their way
outward, staining the sky with delicate colors. For one instant, Tokyo was lit with
a light that gilded it a beautiful gold and changed it from what it was to a fairy-tale
maybe utopia. Usagi's eyes reflected the golden light, turning silver into farseeing
colorlessness. In that instant, life vanished for her, and she felt as though she
were breathing in time with the earth and the sky and the universe. Then the sun
began to burn the colors into a pale blue, and the effect vanished like sleep from
a bed. Emptiness filled her, and she unlocked the door, staggered inside and
collapsed wearily.

The few hours that she spent sleeping were restless and filled with
fragmented dreams. A faceless Serenity wandered in Usagi's head like a lost
butterfly—though how she knew that the ambiguous figure was called Serenity
she did not know. There was blood, there was screaming, there was kissing,
there were roses, and there was Usagi, trapped in the center and desperate for
something solid to cling to. Images ran together like a streams becoming one
gushing jumble of disjointed thoughts.

She woke in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. The last images faded from
her muzzy mind even as she tried to recall them. The two Serenity's—herself and
another—seemed to combine her mind only to fragment apart again. She
squeezed her eyes shut, trying to send it all away. Just get rid of it. There were
so many emotions bumping around in her, like flotsam on a turbulent sea. She
pressed shuddering hands over her face, trying to escape from herself.
Everything in her was fighting itself, in conflict. What was happening? Who was
she? And most importantly: Why?

A clock rang the time in another room, jolting her from her thoughts. She
frowned suddenly as she removed her hands from her face. What was she
doing? This wasn't her. She opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling with
decisiveness. This strangeness wasn't going to get to her; she would get to it.
She was going to find out whatever she could. She was going to take control of
the situation and discover just who Serenity-hime was.

Usagi stood up, fierce anticipation coursing through her. Purpose filled
her—a direction in her life she hadn't realized she'd wanted until now. She smiled
and dressed herself in her clothes for the day.

Her grin widened at a sudden thought; in order to get information,
somehow she was going to have to get back in touch with Mamoru. Her silver
eyes twinkled merrily before she went to the bathroom to put in her contact
lenses.