I can't begin to apologise to all of you enough. My computer pretty much died before Christmas and I've had it back barely a week. So this had been a long time in the coming, and I hope its not too big a disppaiontment. I have mocks to revise for, but since I'm on half term, I might squeeze in another chapter soon. Sorry for the wait!

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Beryl smiled as she gazed at it all. Admittedly this was a perfect idea: have Sailor Moon disguise herself in normal human clothes and pretend the youma was attacking her. Not only were the senshei here but they were all panicked from seeing their once leader "in danger"; the simplest target possible. Beryl couldn't help but laugh as the enemy were hurtled backwards by a jet of water from the youma's outstretched hands.

The youma (being completely liquid) could shape himself in anyway she pleased, and couldn't be hit by solid attacks. The senshei were getting beaten back each time they tried and they knew it. Finally Jupiter had enough; seeing the next gush of water streaming at her face she screamed:

"SUPREME THUNDER!" the bolt engulfed her and as she jumped back the rest of the senshei watched in satisfaction; the whole lake sparking with electricity and the youma's screams filling the air.

The youma seemed to flop back into the water leaving nothing but a splash and ripples speading out. The senshei already at the bridge looking in vain for Usagi, but Sailor Moon had been just as quick. She was already perched under the bridge: silent, waiting and ready.

"Usagi? Usagi, where are you?" Minako had run to the end of the bridge and was beginning to wade in when Tuxedo Kamen arrived.

"What's going on? What happened?"

"Usagi… she was in the water, there was a youma, it attacked her!" Ami-chan was far from composed, scanning the water for any trace of Usagi.

"Tuxedo Kamen was about to jump off the bridge when something stopped him. Something underneath the bridge had moved.

"What is it?" Rei was at his side.

"Shh… listen a minute". That was unmistakeable, the sound of something moving in the water. Mako had heard it too:

"What is it?"

There was a splash as a figure leaped over their heads, landing on the barriers on the other side of the bridge. She crossed her arms watching them for a second; before opening her mouth:

"Dark Moon Escalation!" Tuxedo Kamen didn't know what was happening to him. There was some force on him, and it was coming from Usagi but he didn't understand. All his thoughts were confused and he couldn't make sense of anything.

"Mars Fire Soul!"

Everything was burning hot, and Tuxedo Kamen fell back, still in shock. Usagi remained standing where she had been, the stick brandished in front of her, reflecting the heat. She raised it once more, crying louder:

"Dark Moon Escalation!"

This time there was no escape: the force seizing him must be eating him alive. The senshei were screaming and yelling and attacking, but it was all fading. Tuxedo Kamen looked up. Sailor Moon was standing there: beautiful, bathed in angry light, looking at him.

"Please…Usagi…" Tuxedo Kamen could do no more, and slumped to the ground.

Sailor Moon smiled, and lowered the stick. The other Senshei were recoiling on the floor, though not as severely affected as Tuxedo Kamen. They were unable to fight but that didn't stop them from crying weakly at her.

"Usagi…. Stop"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Usagi it's us! Please!"

Sailor Moon tilted her head in disapproval and strode to where Tuxedo Kamen lay unconscious. Standing over him, she looked down at his face, still twisted in pain. He was handsome, as far as humans go. She reached down to pluck the mask off, in order to see properly who it was she had defeated. Her gloves (for some idiotic) reason were too thick to remove the mask. She rolled her eyes, tore off the glove and reached again.

As soon as she touched his skin, it felt as though a bolt had gone straight through her. From her fingers came this electrifying feeling which spread until she might have been a lighting bolt. There was a feeling coming over that she couldn't explain, as it was inside her and around her and everywhere. Everything was a thousand flashing rainbowed colours. There was a presence; there was someone else here in her mind. Sailor Moon flinched inwardly, but realised that it was as shocked as her, and it too was feeling this… this thing, like nothing she had ever known, this had to stop before she-

Sailor Moon opened her eyes. She saw that Tuxedo Kamen was pulling himself up, looking at her in shock, pulling his discarded hat back on. He must have felt it too: that was his presence… why was he looking at her so expectantly?

Come back. You are required this instant. Queen Beryl's voice was clear in her mind, but Sailor Moon remained where she was, grasping for her glove and never taking her eyes off him.

Sailor Moon. Leave him. Do as I command.

Sailor Moon knew she must obey. She got to her feet and realised she was shaking. Taking one last glance at her enemies (for that is what they are she reminded herself) she left.

She reappeared in front of the Queen's throne and bowed immediately, her eyes fixed on the floor. There was a deafening silence as the Sailor Moon waited for the Queen to speak.

"Rise," said Queen Beryl. Sailor Moon did so, but did not raise her eyes. "Look at me." Sailor Moon hesitantly raised her eyes; she had ruined this plan, she must have..

"Would you care to explain what you were doing? Why did you remove his mask?"

"My Queen; forgive me. It simply irritated me that I did not even see the face of the human I had defeated."

"And why does this matter to you?" Sailor Moon tried to put it into words:

"Queen Beryl, its- It feels wrong not to see the face of the one I have defeated because I had won," Sailor Moon suddenly found it was easy with the Queens powerful gaze upon her, "When we are victorious, I would prefer to know how we gained our victory, and against who. It seems, wrong otherwise." Sailor Moon may have got the words out, but the tone of her voice suggested she was waiting for confirmation.

Queen Beryl said nothing, judging the child as she struggled to articulate herself: unsure whether this was still the honour left in Sailor Moon, or something more desirable, the pride in the defeat of the enemy. As Sailor Moon stared back waiting for a response, Queen Beryl realised that she would need to consult Queen Metalia on this matter.

"The next time you return to Tokyo, you will be accompanied by Kunzite. You will follow him unless I say otherwise. Is that understood?" Sailor Moon nodded ardently.

"But my Queen, the youma?"

"They will deal with it most probably, if not it will simply dissipate. It is aqueous after all, and was only there as a distraction. You may leave."

Sailor Moon nodded and bowed again before turning to leave. She wondered whether all the youma were this disposable.

Mamoru wasn't sure whether he was dreaming or awake. He could see his curtains flapping in the breeze, the clear day behind them misted over by the light fabric. His head was spinning and he felt as though he might vomit at any moment. He sighed and looked at his clock flashing on his bedside table. It was 4.26pm. He must have been asleep all day.

He painfully pulled himself into a sitting position. The senshei must have brought him back here after the youma had gone, after Usagi had attacked him. He hated to use that term, but it dawned on him that this was, after all, what she had done. The throbbing headache, the weakness in all his body, the nausea he was feeling was all because of her. And she had known it; she had been intent on doing this to him.

But then what? He couldn't remember how it had happened. Mamoru just remembered the feeling of everything between his ears spinning at the speed of light. He remembered feeling Usagi as though she was there in his mind, Mamoru remembered trying to reach out and touch her and feeling her recoil in shock. And just like that she had gone, Mamoru had opened his eyes to find her staring at him in shock, before pulling her glove away and hesitantly disappearing. The senshei were upon him at once checking he was alright and asking what had happened before he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Mamoru vomited violently into the bucked beside his bed: one of them must have left it there for him. It was only water and bile, and the sight and smell of it made him retch once more, depositing even more of the stuff into the bucket with a sickening splat. Sucking in deep breaths, he gagged again but this time kept it all down. The smell was sickening.

Turning away from the bucket, Mamoru pulled on his dressing gown and stood up, only to fall straight back down onto the bed again. What had Usagi done to him? He tried once more, only just managing to keep himself level. He stumbled into the living room and over to the chest of drawers, fumbling against the walls like a blind man. Steadying himself, pulled open the top drawer, and rummaged through all the pointless objects inside until he found he wanted at the very back.

He pulled out the locket he had given Usagi and looked at it. The shape of a five point star, it was so simple, but so beautiful. He tottered back over to the sofa and slipped down, looking at it. He lay back, tracing the circle at the centre of the star. He pressed down on it and waited for it to open, the little beam of light flood out.

Inside he watched the golden crescent moon go round the red jewel in its centre, and that haunting music drift out, almost lazily. It was almost hypnotic, hearing that familiar tune that had haunted him for so long and watching that little moon go round and round endlessly, dependably.

Mamoru reminded himself that Usagi had kept this. This was something of his and she had looked after it with all her heart. The Usagi he knew had kept this and his Sailor Moon had tried to give it back to him, once. He'd realised these two were the same, but whether they still existed was another question Mamoru didn't want to think of.

Eventually he drifted away again, with the locket clasped tightly to his chest like a token of love, filling his hollow apartment with music and light.

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Please review, I'm curious to know whether I lost the thread of this story. Thank you!