Author's notes at bottom - enjoy!

Flee to Destiny
By: Bethany
Editor: Meara
Rated: PG

@------
Chapter Five: The Power of Wishes
@------


The light was bright, warm, intense.... and there was absolutely no
doubt in my mind that it came straight from the enemy. Groaning loudly, I
reached for the edge of my pillow, pulling it over my head. "Just a little
longer.." I begged the sun outside my window. "For the love of all that is
good, let me sleep!"

"Demo, Usagi," Rei said, failing to restrain her laughter. "You have
been asleep for going on seventeen hours now. I think it may be time to get
those lazy bones of yours up."

I peeked outside of my dark seclusion and glared at the black haired
priestess. "Then I still need another seven hours to be fully at my best!"

"It's already seven in the evening!" Rei bellowed, standing with her
hands on her hips. In an instant the warm covers were jerked off my bed
and a cold chill shot up my pajama pant legs. "Ami-chan says that you need
to get up and move around a bit; and eat too. Since she happens to be
the smartest one of the lot of us, you're going to listen to her."

"Says who?" I retorted, removing my pillow long enough to stick my
tongue out at Rei and grab my blanket. With every intention of going back
to sleep, I burrowed deep in the quilt and closed my eyes.

"I say!" Now, I might not be fully awake, but I knew that deep baritone
voice definitely didn't exit from Rei's mouth. I started to look up when I was
swept off the bed and into a strong set of arms. I squealed with more joy than
fright when I realized who had me, even though at my angle the floor did seem
a ways down.

Summoning the angriest look I could muster, I lightly hit Mamoru on
the shoulder and glared. "I want to sleep." My fake anger was not lost on him,
however, as he saw right through it and laughed loudly. In turn this only
helped to produce more anger at being awakened and suddenly rather cold instead
of under the warm confinements of my quilt.

"It's no good Usa, I know you're not really mad at me," he said down to
my pouting face. His laughing blue eyes were filled with more joy that I had
ever seen them possess. And, of course, he was right - I wasn't really mad at
him. Just the fact that he was alive and holding me this moment made me want
to cover his face with kisses.

With this revelation, every memory came crashing back to me. The last
time I remembered actually seeing Mamoru, he was laying helplessly on shattered
glass and in a pool of his own blood. Frantically now, thinking this too may be
a dream, I reached up and brushed my hand across his cheek. The small stubble
of growth greeted my finger tips as I cupped his face against my palm. The small
black hair lightly pricked my hand, sending waves of joy through my body. He's
real! my mind screamed. And he's alive!

I felt warm tears of relief flood my eyes, threatening to spill forth and
stream down my face. "But how...?" I finally whispered, looking from Mamoru
to Rei. "I thought..."

Mamoru sat me down on the bed, sitting beside me to place his arms
protectively around my body. It felt better than my quilt to have him hold
me, his body heat protecting me from the chill in the room. I wanted to snuggle
up to him, but there were too many questions on the tip of my tongue to get
caught up in the moment. Questions I had to know the answer to.

Instead of trying to explain the situation herself, Rei said she would go
get Ami. In mere seconds they were back, followed by Minako, Luna and Artemis.
Minako explained that Makoto had taken Shingo to the store with her to keep his
mind off my being asleep so long. Oh, the poor thing, I thought guiltily. He
must be worried sick. I made up my mind that as soon as I found out what was
going on, I would spend the rest of the evening with Shingo.

Ami waited until she had my attention before once more pulling out her
small computer. Silently I wondered if she ever got an ache in her arm from
using that small wrist movement so much, but I figured it wasn't time to ask
such things.

It wasn't too much later than she closed the devise shut with a click
and smiled warmly at me. "All's well that ends well," she said smartly, sitting
down heavily in a chair. "Though you gave us all a fright beyond imagination."
She looked anxious, excited even, as she began to tell what had happened. "The
power of the Silver Crystal which you hold may have showed it one of it's most
precious - and dangerous - gifts of all. The gift of life."

Completely dumbfounded, my gaze left Ami to look at Mamoru. So that was
how it happened. Somehow, I saved him. My powers granted my wish for him to
live, and that was how he had not one small sign that he had ever been hurt.
But on the other hand, what had happened to me when I performed this act of
life? Sleeping for seventeen hours wasn't something even I could pull off without
a reason. My questioning eyes fell back on Ami, who looked ready to explain, in
detail, everything she knew.

For a moment Ami stared in my general direction, though I don't think she
was looking at me as much as her thoughts. Finally she blinked, ready to place
her explanation into words we would all understand.

"Usagi-chan, you hold a stone that can give life, end pain and evil. This
stone, the Silver Crystal, appears to be controlled by your heart, not your
mind. I don't believe it was a conscious thought that told the Crystal to heal
Mamoru, or you would have remembered it. So, that leaves the subconscious. Your
desire to heal, instead of your explicit command. When the Crystal relied that
wish, it began releasing power. The shock of the purity of that power was what
killed the creature we were fighting, and healed Mamoru. However, this is more
dangerous than just returning a human to normal after being attacked." Ami sat
back in her chair, gently pressing the tips of her fingers together in silent
thought for a moment. When she looked into my eyes again, I felt the dept of
her fright. "The amount of power you drew to heal Mamoru killed you. Fortunately,
Mamoru seems to be able to enter the lapse that you withdraw to. The seconds
between life and death, if you will. In those precious few moments, he was able
to seek you out and help you find your way back to us. But you were still not
out of the woods, sleeping for seventeen hours was your body's - and the
Crystal's - way of restoring itself."

I couldn't remember the last time I blinked. It was all so mind-numbing,
this information. I'd been dead. It wasn't almost, close to or even on the verge.
I died. I felt my entire body begin to shake with the knowledge before a sob
reached my throat, demanding release. "Dead?" I croaked, looking at Mamoru. His
arms automatically wrapped around my body, holding me tightly. "I.. died? I was
actually dead?" I questioned.

Ami's voice came to me like a doctor with bad news. She didn't want to
say it, but knew she had to. "Yes, Usagi-chan, you died. I had no vital signs
for almost a full minute. If it hadn't been for Mamoru...." her voice trailed
off, leaving the rest unsaid. But in my mind they were said, spoken loud and
clear for the entire world to see. I had saved Mamoru's life, and in turn he had
saved mine.

It look a few moments for the shock of Ami's words to wear thin. So I had
died, I thought. Okay, but I'm fine now, right? So that's all that matters. I
rubbed my hands over my face and looked to Luna. She looked as heart sick as I
felt. The next words were on the tip of my tongue, but it took forever it seemed
to say them. "Was... was that all? There was no other.." I paused, looking for
the right word. "..damage done?"

Ami shook her head. "No, not damage. But there was something else -
Minako-chan?"

The blonde sitting crossed legged on the floor had a tear stain on her left
cheek which she wiped at in vain. Putting on her best smile, she rubbed her hands
together like a mad scientist. "Being the Senshi of Love has some most wonderful
advantages. Each of us have a gift that is not our powers, granted to us by our
protective planets. Ami's is being a genius, Makoto's is her strength and so on.
Mine is being able to see soul bonds between people. Whoever said there is a
person out there meant for everybody, was correct. And I can detect those bonds
when the mind is at it's least protected."

Woo-whee! Was this our Minako talking? Using complicated statements that
were mere centimeters from going completely over my head? I stared in shock at
Minako, who in turn blushed and ran her fingers through her slightly tangled hair.

"Let me try it this way.... usually we guard our thoughts. Not on purpose,
it's just something we normally do without knowing. While Mamoru was speaking to
you, both your guards were down and I could see a, eh, well - a soul bond. A love
line, so to speak. In other words," I could tell from the way she stood up and
grinned that this was her favorite part. "You were meant for each other!"

I blinked, looked at Minako dumbfounded, turned my gaze onto Mamoru - and
dashed out of the room so fast I'm sure that no one saw it coming.

My heart raced madly as I darted down the steps, sliding my hands down the
railings to prevent myself from falling face forward to the bottom. It didn't
matter for the moment that I was on the twelfth floor when I began my descent.
All I wanted to do was get away from it all. The stories of death and reincarnation,
fairy tales of soul bonds and Princesses. I felt a need to run from the lies my life
had turned into. My entire body ached from the toll it had taken from my power
drainage, but still I pushed my legs to descend the stairs at break neck speed.

When at last I came to the first floor, I burst out into the sun light and
ran down the streets of Tokyo. My side screamed with pain that flooded my entire
body, but something pushed me on. I couldn't stop. All the lies. The hours of
sitting on my bed with my mother, talking about my wonderful future. Meeting the
right man, falling in love - everything I dreamed of, ripped away from me in a
split second. Death was a common visitor to my door, lurking just in the shadows
of my life, ready to snatch everything at a moment's notice. Dreams... nothing but
dim illusions of a small girl with the world at her feet. The small girl that no
longer existed.

I realized, as I slowed to a painful walk and attempted to catch my breath,
that those dreams shattered the moment I found my parents dead. The pretty paintings
that my mother drew for me as a child were all washed away with her death. There was
nothing left of that now. I had been pushing myself for weeks to do what they would
have wanted, but it was with horror that I realized that perhaps what I was doing
isn't what they would have wanted.

Would they have wished for their first born to be risking her life day in
and day out? Fight an unseen enemy through it's minions, not knowing where Shingo
would go if something didn't go in my favor? Would they be proud of me for risking
everything to go after the enemy, or be mad at me for putting Shingo through it?

Tears came unbidden to my eyes, but I didn't try to stop them. I yearned for
my mother's warm breast to lie my head on. I wanted so badly as to unload my troubles
out on a table, and sort through them with my father. Nothing ever seemed as bad
when we finished. But those moments were nothing but fading memories, never to be
reality again. They were gone.

I rounded a private fence and came upon the beach. The ocean cast out
in front of me, giving me a sense of strength as I neared it. Slowly I walked
forward, feeling the sand give under my weight and sink down. The waves crashing
on the coast was memorizing as I neared them. Something from my memory sparked,
a lesson from science class. The waves affecting the Moon somehow. Suddenly it
felt right to be so drawn to the salty water.

Gently I sat down, the ocean a blazing blue inferno before me. Deep and rich
in color with hints of sparkle where the sun gently kissed it. The sky turned pink,
purple and orange hues so vivid and breathtaking that I couldn't move my eyes from
it. There was something about the sun setting on the ocean that radiates such peace
and calmness. Something awe inspriring in nature's ending scene of each day.

I picked up a handful of sand, letting it slide trough my fingers and take
a brief flight through the air before falling to the Earth. The sands of time,
like the sand gently pulled by the wind, must go on. The memories in my heart of
my parents can never be taken from me, but I must move on. As the last rays of
the sun gently grazed my face, I knew from the bottom of my heart my parents
were proud of me. I couldn't explain it, even to myself, it was just a deep
knowledge. And it calmed my fears and allowed me to breath easier.

I leaned back on my hands, taking in the last seconds of light before the
darkness claimed the day. There was barely enough warmth left in the sun rays to
kiss my face one last second before it disappeared completely within the gentle
waves of the ocean.

"Ready to go home?"

Startled, I looked up and seen the ocean colors reflected in Mamoru's eyes.
He knelt down beside me, brushing my hair behind my ear and gently reached over
to kiss my forehead. I didn't answer and he sat beside me, watching the night
ease across our world and enclose it in darkness.

For a long moment nothing was said, but just under the surface of the
silence I could feel something. A yearning to find words. I reached my hand
over and grasped Mamoru's.

Mamoru flashed me a quick smile and tightened his grip on my hand. The
wind encircled us, playing with the dark strands of Mamoru's hair, causing it
to move wildly for a moment. "I..eh.." He stopped, sitting up as if to stress
the importance of what he was trying to say. "Usa, I want to.. eh, well..." His
deep blue eyes fixed on mine, and I felt swept away by the feelings there. If
I had ever believed the eyes were the windows to the soul, I believed it now.
And through those small window panes, I seen a world of endless love for me
alone.

Without warning, he stood up, bringing me with him. Hand in hand, we
walked towards the water and looked out into the darkness. The water lapped
up to our feet, taking sand from under us as it returned out to sea. The
darkness surrounded us like a blanket, the world took on an unreal quality,
only lit by the quarter moon high in the sky and the soft glow behind us that
was the city.

"It's strange, ne? How the sky and ocean seem to have no ending or
beginning. Just blackness all the way from our feet to the sky above. Beautiful."
Mamoru's voice sounded odd, monotone. His eyes flashed heavenwards for a brief
moment before locking with my own gaze. "Not nearly as beautiful as you, though."
His voice was now full of sincerity and my heart quicken pace. "The other night,
when you...when you saved me. It wasn't just my body you saved, Usako."

I felt my face flush with the endearment, but he wouldn't allow me to speak.
If he didn't say it all now, I knew he may not regain the nerve to say it again.

"A part of me wanted to die, wanted to end the insanity I called my life.
But then I heard... I heard a faint whispering, your voice above me. I opened
my eyes and blocked out everything but you. Your light, your tears for me, your
angelic voice telling me of your love.." One strong arm came around my waist,
pulling me closer to his body. His opposite hand sought my chin and raised my
lips up nearly to his own. "Usako, I love you. I love your nerve and your bravery.
I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you in the fruit parlor." He chuckled
lightly and I could feel it vibrate deep in his chest. "I loved your coffee,
though I said I didn't just to find another reason to talk to you."

I opened my mouth to speak, but he quickly laid his finger over my lips
and shook his head. "Your light, Usako, saved me. The darkness that pulled at
me had almost won, but when I grasped your hand - it all disappeared. Thank
you, Usako. Thank you for loving me." Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.
Reaching my hand up, I pulled Mamoru's head towards my own and claimed his lips
in a kiss so sweet and pure that the world seemed to tremble beneath us.

More in need of air than to get away, I gently pulled back and laid small
butterfly kisses on his lips one at a time. His strong arms pulled me closer
to his chest and I found my head just below his broad shoulders. It felt like
a warm haven, a peaceful place reserved for me alone.

I wondered what my parents would say about Mamoru. Would they like him?
Would my father approve of the man who held his little girl's heart? New tears
formed in my eyes, sliding soundlessly down my face. They fell onto Mamoru's
shirt, seeping through and touching his skin. I would never know. They would
never meet him or see us together.

"What's wrong, Usako?" Mamoru asked, lifting my tear stained face towards
his. His thumb gently wiped away a tear before it could fall down my face.
"Please tell me," he urged.

Biting my bottom lip, I stared out into the ocean. "I miss my parents,"
I whispered, crying for the first time since their death. "I miss them so much."

Mamoru's embrace tightened and I felt small kisses being laid on my head.
From the moment I had found them dead, my body went numb. Through the funeral
and wake, I had not shed one tear. I mustn't cry, I had told myself. If I do,
I may never stop. So for weeks on end, I had fought the urge to give into my
grief. But now, standing with Mamoru on the white sand beneath the moon and
stars, I gave in. There was relief, like a large weight being lifted from my
shoulders.

Hours could have past as I sobbed against Mamoru's chest, under the
gleaming quarter moon. Time made no difference. My tears fell in steady streams
until I gave out. Dry sobs, every now and then, was my only reminder of the
heavy grieving I had done before. Sniffling, I looked up at Mamoru's handsome
face. "Gomen ne."

"Usako, you have nothing to be sorry about," he assured me, hugging me
tightly to his chest again. "I will always be here to hold you when you need it.
You can cry all you want, or scream and yell - I just want to be here for you.
Always."

Unbidden, a smile crept onto my face. This was deep, unyielding love.
My heart spilled over with it, drowning me. But I had no desire to be rescued.
This was where I was meant to be.

Mamoru wrapped his arm around my shoulder and lead me to his car. After
I got in, he ran around to the other side of the car, got in, and we sped off
into the night.

@------

The morning sun rose to find me in the bathroom, clutching the toilet
as I vomited the last of what little I had ate the night before. Breathing
heavily, I stood and soaked a wash cloth with cold water before pressing it
to my face. My face was flushed and red as blood and my throat sore. The
person in the mirror staring back at me looked horrid - swollen, blood shot
eyes and wild hair.

I stumbled back into my bedroom, falling onto the bed and covering up.
"Oh Kami," I whispered. "I feel horrible." My stomach still felt like it
had jumping beans in it as I fell back into a deep sleep.

Not one hour later, my alarm went off. Groaning, I struggled with the
covers for a minute before I managed to get out of their grip, and turned
the buzzer off. Lying on my back, I stared at the ceiling. Surprisingly,
my stomach felt fine, in fact, I was actually hungry. How weird is that, I
thought, shrugging it off. "Get up Shingo, we have to get ready for school."

The blonde haired boy beside me groaned and turned over. "It's too
early," he mumbled.

Laughing to myself, I rose and went to shower and dress. As I went out
of the bedroom door, I yelled back at my brother: "You better be up when I
get out of the shower!"

Of course, when I returned to the bedroom Shingo was sound asleep on
the bed, snoring softly. It wasn't really a big surprise, after all, I used
to do it to my mom all the time. I grinned to myself as I went over and yanked
the covers off his small form. "Tsukino Shingo, you have to the count of five
to get off that bed and into the shower. One. Two. Three..."

"Okay! Okay!" Shingo sprang up off the bed and, giving me the evil eye,
walked past. I could hear his feet slap against the hardwood floors as he went
into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.

I laughed to myself, shaking my head. He absolutely couldn't be any more
like me. I was never a morning person when mom would get me up for school. And
now that I'm in her shoes, it serves me right to get the same treatment from
Shingo. "Oh Mom, I hope you're proud of me. I hope I'm doing good by your
youngest."

"Usagi-chan?"

Startled, I looked over at the door way and seen Makoto standing in it,
looking rather confused. She took a step in, wringing her hands in front of her
stomach. I wondered how much she heard, and it wasn't long until I found out.

"Um, ohayo* Mako-chan," I said brightly, although it may have came out
a little nervously.

"Eh, Usagi-chan," Makoto started, sitting down on the edge of my bed.
"I wasn't ease-dropping or anything.... but, well, I came in here to say..
and I just heard..."

A deep sigh left my chest and I sat down beside her. I felt relief and
a little nervous about telling the truth to Mako-chan. I didn't want to lose
Shingo, but I felt bad about lying. And truth be known, I know I looked bad
supposedly having a six-year old at my age anyways. "Shingo is my younger
brother," I blurted out in a near whisper. "I didn't want anyone to take him
from me since I'm only seventeen years old."

The truth sat in the air between us for a long moment. I wondered what
Makoto would think about me telling such a lie to her and everyone else. I
was ready to defend myself and my motives when I felt Makoto's arm around my
shoulder. "Don't worry about it, Usagi-chan. Minna** will understand, and we
won't ever let anyone take him away from you."

I smiled and hugged her back. "Thank you, Mako-chan. I'm so glad you
aren't mad at me for lying to you."

"Think nothing of it," she insisted. "I can understand why you done it."

"Ewwwwie!" Shingo interrupted, when I was about to tell Makoto more about
what had happened. "It's girly mushy stuff!" he exclaimed, giggling.

"Come here you," I laughed, grabbing Shingo up in a loose head lock and
scrubbing my fist over his wet hair. I started to pick him up when he let out
a squeal of pain that almost made me drop him to the floor. Regaining myself,
I set him down and searched his pain-ridden face. "What's wrong?"

When he didn't answer me, I lifted his shirt up where I had grabbed his
waist and stared in horror at what I seen. There was a large angry looking
bruise on his side, just above the hip. The purple and black where deep in
color and stretched at least one inch. "Oh my God, Shingo," I whispered.
"What happened? How did you get this?"

"I don't know," he answered quickly, pulling his shirt down and looking
away from me.

"Shingo, don't lie to me," I reprimanded, trying to pull his hand from
his shirt. "This is a bad bruise, you may have cracked a rib or something. Tell
me how this happened!"

Shingo's eyes grew watery when he fastened them to mine. The blue swam
with salty tears that threatened to fall down his face. "I don't know, I just
woke up with it yesterday. It's just there. Maybe I did it in my sleep?"

Biting my bottom lip, I looked to Makoto with questions burning in my
eyes. She looked as worried as me, but pushed it aside like I couldn't. "I'm
sure it's nothing big," she lied for Shingo's benefit alone. "He may have done
it playing at school. I used to come home with bruises all the time, and never
remember where I got them." She walked over and clasped her hand on Shingo's
shoulder. "Shingo-chan, I made you some pancakes. They are in the kitchen,
you better go eat them before they get cold."

Shingo sniffed back his tears and smiled at Makoto. "Domo arigato,
Mako-chan!"

I watched him run down the hall and towards the kitchen before I turned
to Makoto questionably. She picked up a bag off the floor that I hadn't noticed
before and handed it to me. "This is your school uniform. If you're going to eat
breakfast, you'd better hurry, we don't have much time before the first bell."

"Mako-chan.." I began, but she shook her head.

"When he's not paying attention, have Ami scan it with her computer. She
should be able to tell you whether he cracked anything or not, but I'm sure it's
nothing more than what it looks like." She smiled at me, all traces of worry
gone from her face. It frightened me more than reassured me. "All little boys
hurt themselves playing rough with friends," she told me. "Shingo is no different."

I nodded my head, but the memory of the dark purple and blue splotch on
Shingo's side was fresh in my mind. And it filled me with worry that I couldn't
explain.

@------

I found, despite my fears, that basically all schools were the same; even
in different countries. Everyone looked me over from head to toe in my first two
classes, trying to size up my character, just as my friends and I used to do to
all the new kids. The classes were slightly smaller than those in the U.S. - but
otherwise it was no different. My teachers gave me my books, tried to get an idea
of where I was at in my last school and gave me assignments accordingly.

After I was seen with Makoto at lunch, most of the girls that seemed a
little uneasy with me stopped giving hateful glares. When I asked Makoto about
this, she explained that because of her size - not to mention a couple of fights
she had been in - most of the stuck up girls stayed away from her and her friends.
To this I only laughed and silently was thankful I was on her good side.

Rei was the only one who didn't attend the same school. Ami, Minako and
Makoto were in most of my classes. It felt a little strange not having Rei around,
but Minako assured me that she was always waiting when the last bell rang. Every
afternoon they gathered at her temple to do homework and then to discuss the enemy.

When the last bell rang, I was deeply grateful. The day seemed to last
forever and my backpack was constantly getting heavier with homework. I wasn't
too far behind, but my teachers still gave me a couple of assignments to make
sure.

I stood up and moved my head from side to side, waiting for the small pop
that would release a bit of the tension that had gathered at my shoulders. Since
it had been roughly a month since I had been to school, I had forgotten how
tiring it could be just to sit at a desk for so long. My legs longed to walk around
even as my eyes begged to close for a short nap. I tried to stuff my last classes'
books into my backpack, but failed and ended up carrying them.

"Looks like you have your work cut out for you," Makoto remarked as she
held my bag closed so I could zip it. "Don't worry though, Ami-chan will help
you with anything you don't understand."

"Surprisingly, I don't think I'm that far behind. I guess I'm lucky, since
I was out of school so long with everything that has happened." We walked into
the hall where we met up with Minako and Ami. "And one thing's for sure, I don't
think I'll have a problem passing the English class I signed up for."

Minako laughed and readjusted her books. "I don't think they should let
you take the class since you spoke English more than Japanese all your life."

"Well, I'll have you know," I replied, hoisting my shoulders higher and
trying to hold back my laughter to make a reasonable impersonation of our English
teacher. "My knowledge of the language can be of great help to the other," here I
glared at Minako down the bridge of my nose, just as Himme-Sensei had done earlier.
"...lagging students in the class."

We all burst out of the school and into the warm sunlight, filled with
laughter. My mind briefly skipped back to my happy laughter with my friends
at my old school - and it seemed impossible that such a short time later I
could feel that careless again. The only difference was that careless laughter
and fun could end at a moments notice now.

Just as we rounded the corner of the school grounds, I spotted Rei leaning
against a lamp post; books in arm. She smiled when she seen us and hurried up
to stand beside Minako. "It's about time you decided to come out of there!"
she bellowed, but her eyes betrayed her act. When we all just rolled our eyes,
she grinned and fell into line.

The bus ride from the school to Rei's temple was barely ten minutes. The
stone steps leading to the Shinto Priestess' home were beautiful and plentiful.
By the time I reached the top step, the bag on my back seemed to have gained
twenty pounds. I breathed a deep sigh of relief when I dropped it at my feet
and laid back on the soft pillows on the floor around the table. "Time for a
nap!" I declared, snuggling into the soft fabric.

"Iie!" a voice rang out. "It's time for tea!"

Blinking, I stared at the paper door as it was slid open and a short man
wearing a kimono walked in carrying a tray with a tea pot and cups. His feet
were slid into wooden sandals that made small clunking sounds on the floor as
he walked. Rei stood up and took the tray from his hands, sitting it down on
the table.

"Arigato, Grandpa," Rei smiled, then noticed his eyes on me. "This is a
new girl at Juuybun High, Tuskino Usagi."

I stood up and bowed briefly to the old man. His slightly wrinkled brow
turned together as he studied my face. Slowly he walked towards me, keeping
constant eye contact. "It is a pleasure to be in your presence," he said before
bowing once more and going to the door. "If you need anything, Rei, I'll be at
with Yuuichirou in the training room."

Rei nodded her head. After he left the room, she sat back down. "That
was certainly strange," she noted, sitting her tea cup down. "Grandpa usually
only says a quick hello to my friends. It was as if he knew you were a princess
or something," she remarked, looking at me in deep thought.

"Well," Minako said finally, breaking the long, uncomfortable silence.
"It's not written on her forehead, so I think we're safe." The Princess of
Venus slammed her math book down on the table and opened it up. "Oh, Usagi-chan,
where is Shingo?"

For a split moment I forgot where my younger brother was, but just as
quickly I remembered. "Oh, Mamo-chan is suppose to pick him up at school and
take him on a couple of errands with him so I can get started on my homework."

A pin could have dropped and sounded like an atomic bomb after I finished
speaking. I blinked, looked around and cleared my throat nervously. "Nani?"

In a high pitched voice, nothing like my own, Rei clasped her hands under
her chin and batted her eyes. "Oh, Mamo-chan is suppose to pick him up..." she
mocked, bursting out in laughter.

"Mamo-chan?" Minako asked, sliding closer to me and peering at my
embarrassed face curiously. "When did we acquire pet names?"

I felt the blood rush to my face, burning like fire on my cheeks and
forehead. I will not be embarrassed, I told myself. But I couldn't stop the
flush in my cheeks or the way the ground demanded my gaze. "It's just something
we started doing, nothing special..." I mumbled.

Ami leaned over her book and smiled at me. "The name Mamo-chan is adorable,
I just couldn't imagine you calling Mamoru-san that. It's so.... strange. Young
Protector," she said in English. "How kawaii!"

"And what, pray tell, does he call you?" Minako asked, still in her rather
close position next to me.

"Usako," I whispered, feeling even more blood rush to my face.

"Kawaii!" all four girls chorused, hearts in their eyes.

"Oh brother," I mumbled, burying my face in my arms.

@------

I looked up from the book in my lap and saw Shingo peer out of the
bathroom door, a towel wrapped around him. The water droplets on his hair
fell down on the floor around him as he dashed into the bedroom and grabbed
up his pajamas and then ran back. A few minutes later he came back in the
bedroom, a comb in his hands. "Can you brush my hair?" he asked, placing
the black comb next to me. "Just like Mamoru-san's?"

"Just like Mamo-chans?" I inquired. "Why do you want to look like
Mamo-chan?"

"Because I want to be just like him," he answered seriously. "One day
when I'm bigger I'm going to have a car just like him, and an apartment just
like him, too!"

It never occurred to me that Shingo needed someone to look up to a male
that he admired enough to follow in his footsteps. I smiled at the thought of
Shingo growing up with Mamoru's morals and sense of responsibility. I also felt
relieved that Shingo approved of Mamoru so much, since I for one didn't want to
give him up any time soon.

"So you like Mamo-chan a lot, ne?" Shingo nodded his head yes immediately,
giving me the courage to go on with other questions I was wanting to ask. "Does
that mean you don't mind me dating him?"

Shingo pondered on this a moment while I combed his hair over just as
Mamoru brushed his. One small lock of blonde hair in the back resisted the
change and kept sticking up. "I don't mind," he answered carefully. "But he's
not going to go away like Daddy, is he?"

The comb in my hand dropped to the floor as I pulled Shingo close to
me in a hug. I rubbed his back soothingly and rocked him back and forth,
assuring him that no one else in his life would leave him the way that our
parents did. "Mom and Dad didn't want to leave us Shingo, but they couldn't
help it. You understand that, don't you?"

Shingo nodded his head yes and laid back on my shoulder. In moments,
he was asleep. My heart felt heavy as I laid him down and brought the covers
up to his chin. Please Lord, I prayed silently. Don't let my words be false.

I watched Shingo sleep for a moment longer before going back to my desk
to work on my homework. I had no more sat down when a semi sweet taste filled
my mouth. In seconds it was gone, but my stomach seemed to come alive, twitching
with pain. The feeling was the same as this morning and I ran for the bathroom,
barely lifting the toilet lid before I vomited. Again and again, wave after wave
hit my stomach until I couldn't breathe. Finally it subsided, leaving my body
weak and my face flushed. I crawled over to the counter where I pulled myself up
and looked in the mirror.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked my reflection. Of course, it didn't answer.
If it had of, I'm sure I wouldn't know what to do with the information anyways.

Weak now, I walked back to my room and crawled into the bed. I don't
remember going to sleep, that is how fast it came over me. But the dreams that
would come to my head tonight would answer some of my questions - and leave
more in their place before dawn broke.

--End Chapter 5.

* "Ohayo" translates to "Good morning"
** "Minna" translates to "Everyone"

Hello everyone!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter - my editor is fixing to have
surgry in a couple of days, and since I doubt I will get chapter six done and to
her in time, I might not have the next installment for a while. I'll try, though ;)

In case anyone was wondering, I don't own Sailor Moon or any of it's characters.
I have, however, spent a lot of time and effort in this story and would be horriably
mad if someone tried to copy my idea, or copy and paste some of my story - so
please don't.

Huge thanks to everyone who emails me, and who reads and reviews on Fanfiction.net.
I *LOVE* feedback ^_^