Tea in the Orchard
Standard Disclaimer: All recognizable characters, places, worlds, and creatures belong to their owners. I make no monetary gain from anything related to what I write in fandoms.
Author's Note: I have been playing with this idea for a few weeks now, especially after sitting down and watching Sailor Moon Crystal. Unless specified these chapters will be based on the manga as well as Crystal for later chapters as I haven't made it that far in the manga. If there is a change these will be stated in an author's note.
The Dark Kingdom
She's been reticent these past few days and now I can't find her.
Luna's worried words reverberated within Chiba Mamoru's head. He was well aware that something was off with Usagi, it had been present since the high of victory in the battle and the return of her guardians had dissipated. She waved it off as fatigue and she would bounce back like she tended to do. However, it wasn't like her to be quiet or disappear. It was something Serenity had done. Hell, Endymion had been the same way hadn't he? How many times had Endymion, no he, snuck away when obligations had become too much? It became more frequent when he met the Moon's Princess.
Closing his eyes, Mamoru pulled at his bond with Usagi and felt it tug at his chest. With slightly glassy eyes, he began following the unseen string that led to her. He had told Luna he would go find Usagi but he would do so alone. If she was willing to find a way to hide then there was a good reason to do so. Luna had reluctantly agreed and left him to the task. He had a good idea of why she would go off to find solitude. She had gone from being an unsuspecting student to a Legendary Senshi to the lost princess in months; that wasn't even on top of the epic battle against Beryl and Metalia. He imagined it would take a huge toll on her. He imagined it took a huge toll on everyone but they had all died before she did during their last encounter with the malevolent queens. Those memories would be fresh in Usagi's mind even though they had happened an untold amount of centuries earlier.
Stopping when he felt a pulsating sensation through his body he looked around to see that he was in a small secluded park and a petite girl on a bench. It was no wonder Luna couldn't find her, if he didn't have the bond that he did he would have missed her as well within the privacy of the trees. Gone were the odangos as her long blonde hair now flowed free. Mamoru was sure he had never seen Usagi's hair down like this, but the shifting of his feet and the heat on his cheeks reminded him that Endymion had seen Serenity in such a state in the orchard near the palace.
"Is Luna looking for me?" Her voice was quiet, almost ethereal in its tone.
"She is." His was just as quiet in his reply. "Do you wish for me to leave?" He didn't want to but if she needed this solitude then he would give it to her. If he ran across Luna he would lie and tell the feline that he hadn't found Usagi.
"No." Her head shook, and her hair rustled lightly at the movement. "Not you."
He couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. To be needed by her brought peace to his heart, it always did. It always would.
Catching her movements, he watched as she reached for a nondescript to-go coffee cup, taking a sip she handed the cup to him in an offering as he came closer. He wasn't sure what to expect from the drink but the honey-like sweetness of chamomile wasn't it. He must have made an interesting face because she laughed. A feeling of happiness rolled through him, pleased that some of the tension he had felt from her was dissipating. Not all of it but even a small amount was a good start.
Handing back the cup he sat next to her and willed his tongue to stay silent. He desperately wanted to ask her what was wrong but it was never in his personality to force someone to talk. Usagi was a different story, he wanted her to open up to him, to tell him what was going on in that beautiful mind of hers.
"Usa-"
"I used to have night terrors as a little girl." Her voice wavered with emotion. "For the longest time, I thought they were just bad dreams, now I realize they were memories. " Her gaze lifted to the sky, the blue long gone and now the hues of oranges and reds painted it. "It's hard to grasp that those nightmares were real. That everything was real."
"There were good times too." He added quietly.
A small smile graced her lips at his words before leaving just as quickly as it had come.
"I know it's been many many years but need I remind you of the promise we made in the orchard?" Mamoru tried his best to keep his tone jovial but the hurt he felt was still present no matter how hard he tried to cover it.
"I'm sorry, it's just…" Taking a deep breath she turned to him, the conflicting emotions of love and sadness she was feeling present in her eyes. "Do you think if I obeyed the laws of the gods, any of this would have happened? Would you have suffered? Would your knights have betrayed you? Would…"
"It takes two to tango." He cut her off from the spiraling of her depressing thoughts.
Regardless of doing what Queen Serenity didn't or couldn't do, destroy the Dark Kingdom for good. Regardless of saving the world. She would take full responsibility for how everything turned out lifetimes ago. Never mind that he chose to ignore the laws just as much as she did. Never mind that he never wanted to be married to Beryl with her heart twisted and black. He broke that engagement and Beryl's hatred was a beacon to Metalia.
Her eyes caught his and her brows furrowed in confusion.
Mamoru smiled gently. "It's an English phrase. It means both parties involved in a situation are responsible for it." The back of his hand caressed her cheek and he feels contentment as her eyes fluttered closed. "We are both at fault and if I am being honest," he stopped and waited for her beautiful blue eyes to open before he continued. "I would do it again. I would defy the laws of the gods and man to be with you."
"Mamo-chan," she whispered.
"I would do it in a heartbeat." He swore. "I made you a promise that summer night and I intend to keep it no matter how many times we are reborn."
Usagi's face hid none of her thoughts as memories ran through her mind followed by a blush.
Shifting, she lay her head on his shoulder as he stole her tea and took another sip. Both were lost in their thoughts. Memories of a happier time. No, not happier. Despite falling in love, their kingdoms were at war with each other. Endymion's father fell in line with those who hated the White Moon. Serenity's mother held a glacier chill towards those of Earth who wanted war. The love between the crown prince of Earth and the Moon's sacred princess was never going to help anyone no matter how idealistic the two thought it could end the hatred between their people.
Now though they could live in this new life with the promises that were made in times past, that was happiness. They could be whoever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. The obligations to their royal titles and duties were no longer weighing down on their shoulders. With Beryl and Metalia vanquished the world could be at peace. No more secret meetings, no more intimate caresses hidden from the light. Endymion and Serenity had to live in secret. Mamoru and Usagi were not bound to that. They could meet under the light of the sun. They could share their love in public, without ridicule or threat to their lives.
"Come on," Mamoru stood and held out his hand for her to take. "It's getting late and I should get you home."
Another change. Mamoru could take Usagi home.
The walk back to her home was silent. It would take time for centuries-old wounds to heal but he would heal them, a new promise he makes to himself.
Mamoru doesn't realize they have made it back to the Tsukino house until Luna's voice calls out, "Usagi-chan!"
The feline advisor has been worried. Mamoru thinks that it will take time for Luna to forgive herself for whatever pain she has perceived to place upon Usagi.
It seems like it will take time for all of them.
The street lights catch the beautiful blue of Usagi's eyes. There is a spark of mischief there and he finds himself feeling happy to see it but braces for whatever she is about to do. It is to his astonishment that nothing scandalous comes but a light kiss on his lips.
"Good night, my lord." Her words are barely a whisper but he catches them all the same.
Heat expands across his cheeks, a blush is present on his face he had no doubt about it.
"Goodnight, Your Grace," he says back loud enough for her to hear. He takes pride to see a blush rise across her cheeks.
He caught Luna's confused glance between the two. There was no need to explain the words of jest that were shared in the orchard so long ago.