Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon nor am I affiliated with it.

Chapter 10

Today was the day of the welcome back party for Usagi and Mamoru. She had insisted that we not hold one for them, but I had wanted to. I think she was getting annoyed with me sticking around all of the time, but what can one do? I was really happy to see her. Cosmos was supposed to leave, but since the outer senshi were still missing, Usagi persuaded her to stay. She was bombarded with questions about the future, most of which she couldn't answer, because she didn't want to change the past for the worst. I actually think that Usagi got a kick out of seeing her future self.

This morning we had questioned Usagi about where she had been and what had happened, but she couldn't tell us anything other than what Chibiusa had said. She told us that there was a black crystal and it could make evil copies of the sailor senshi. Usagi had been kidnapped while in her vulnerable state as a star seed and a copy had been made.

We did learn something the night we rescued her, though. They needed a person to meld to make the evil copy of a senshi. For ChibiUsa that person was Mika. It turns out that Mika was on the missing children list for almost a year and a half, so it's needless to say that we were happy to return her to her family.

At this moment, though, I was doing one thing – shopping for the perfect welcome back gift for Usagi. I looked in every mall I could, but nothing seemed good enough. I struggled with disappointment as I shuffled down the street. I had hoped to find something. As a last desperate attempt, I decided to go home and see if there was anything I could make or anything I owned that I could give to Usagi.

The first person I saw in the store was my mother. I ran over to her and embraced her in a large hug. "Have you heard the news?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"Usagi is back!" I practically squealed, like a five year old screams when she gets a new toy.

Tears flowed for the third time that day, as my mother hauled me into a long, warm embrace. "I'm so glad." She said.

Then I left to go to my room. In my room were many pieces of fine jewelry, so I thought that maybe a jewel would be pretty. Then I realized that Usagi had the silver crystal. What was more precious than that? Then I thought about giving her a brooch. That was a good thought. I told my mom and she picked out a nice one for me from the store. I insisted on giving her the money for it but she wouldn't hear of it. Now all I needed was something nice to put in it. A glance around my room for the second time gave me the answer. A small jewelry case sat on my night table. It glowed almost as if to say, "Pick me!" I opened it and Queen Serenity's star seed glowed like never before. It transformed itself into a beautiful crystal star seed as if to accept my idea and I placed it into the brooch. The heart brooch now shone with a new brilliance. The gold sparkled as the shimmering light hit it from all directions. It was glamorous – something a princess would wear – perfect for Usagi. I put it in a case and wrapped it up. I then began walking back to Rei's house.

I spotted Umino walking toward me. I waved to him and he came over. He was wearing a blue jacket with a black top inside and navy jeans. It looked good on him, even though it was a change from the clothes he usually wore. I couldn't help but keep dragging my gaze to his eyes, something I hadn't seen much in the years we dated. They were gorgeous. I noticed him like never before and he noticed me noticing him.

"What's new, Naru?" he asked.

My heart fluttered. He had matured since he'd left and his voice was deeper, something I hadn't noticed when I had seen him last.

"Usagi's back." I managed to utter.

"Oh really! That's wonderful! I'd like to see her, if that's possible." He said.

At first I felt a twinge of jealousy, remembering how she used to be his flame, but then a picture of Mamoru popped into my head. Therefore I agreed to take him along with me to Rei's.

When we reached the temple, I could see a noticeable change in it's appearance. Walking inside, I noticed balloons, banners, streamers, and many more things everywhere. I don't think there was a space not filled on the wall. Come to think of it, I couldn't really see the wall. The smell of freshly baked pies, cookies and muffins wafted out to where I was and delicately touched my nose. This was going to be a great party, especially with the gift I had. I looked down at the package in my hand. I couldn't wait for her to open it. I laid it down into a pile with the other gifts, but not before marking 'Handle with care' on it. I didn't want it to break. Then I turned and explained to Umino about the party.

Minako walked out into the room where I was and immediately began to gush. "Who is that?" she asked me.

Before I could answer, she had ran to get Ami, Rei, and Mako. When they returned, I almost felt sorry for them, since they didn't realize that they knew the guy already. "It's Umino!" I said, laughing.

"No way!" Minako exclaimed. "There is no way that you're Umino!"

"In the flesh." He said. "I scrapped the glasses and got contacts."

Minako smiled at him. "You sure did..." she gushed.

Mako's expression turned to that of a love sick puppy. "He looks like..."

"...my old sempai." I finished, anticipating what she was going to say. Realizing that she had said it again, she decided to leave and go back to baking.

"Umino, you sure have changed." Ami said. "You look great."

"Thanks, Ami, that means a lot." He said. "What have you been doing with yourself?"

"Oh, not much. I'm here and there. Still studying hard, you know, to be a doctor and all. But I'm not denying myself fun anymore, the girls make sure of that." Ami said, grinning.

He nodded. "Naru, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked me.

I nodded, and we walked outside.

"I don't want you to be angry with me." He said. "I'm sorry I didn't write or call, I really am. I want us to be together, like it was before."

I looked into his eyes. I couldn't resist him. I never could. "I forgive you, Umino." I said, "But will you promise to tell me why you couldn't call?"

He looked at me, his expression torn. He wondered if he could. "I don't want to put you in danger." He said.

"Don't worry about that." I said. "I can handle myself."

"I'm sorry Naru, but I just can't say."

"It's ok." I reassured him. "Just promise me it'll never happen again."

He held in his arms. "I promise." He whispered.

Next: Tuxedo Who? And Usagi has her party, with unexpected results!