Chapter One
The bloom of young desire and purple light of love.
Thomas Gray
"Usagi-chan, that boy is looking at you."
The cheerful voice cut unpleasantly through a naughty daydream of Mamoru in spandex, and as the picture faded, Usagi turned towards Minako in annoyance. It took several moments for her friend's words to register (with Usagi, this was not unusual), and when they did, she noticed how excited the self-proclaimed goddess of love looked. Minako's cheeks were flushed and her blue eyes sparkled. On top of it all, she couldn't stand still; she wrung her hands and bounced up and down as if she was on a trampoline.
Several paces ahead, Makoto paused to see what was keeping her friends. Usagi waved her over with a grin and turned back to the bubbly blond.
"What did you say?" she asked with perfect innocence, even though she knew exactly what had been said. Minako frowned and stamped her foot.
"I said that boy is looking at you! Don't you ever listen?"
"Only when I have to," Usagi replied sincerely.
Minako sharply jerked her head to the left. "He's still looking at you."
"What do you want me to do about it?"
Minako widened her eyes and squirmed. "Usagi-chan! He's tall and gorgeous. Just look at him!"
"I'd look if he was staring at me," Makoto commented, peeking over Usagi's shoulder with interest. For some reason, that scared Minako and she gasped sharply.
"Mako-chan, no! He'll see you!" she cried, flailing her arms in a panic.
Makoto grinned, her green eyes mischievous. "You told Usagi-chan to look," she teased, pausing to nudge her. "And if I were you, I would. Minako-chan is right - he's beautiful."
"No," Usagi said firmly and both girls eyed her with disbelief.
"Why not?" Minako asked, sounding dejected, as if her whole world had been turned upside-down. She looked as if she might burst into tears.
"Because," Usagi answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world (and perhaps it was), "if I look, I might get interested, and you know there's no one in the world for me besides Mamo-chan." Usagi explained this carefully, so as to dissuade her friends from bothering her, but also as a red flag to herself. She couldn't look at every Adonis she passed anymore and sometimes had to remind herself why. She had total devotion to Mamoru.
"But Usagi-chan," Makoto urged in a ribbing tone, "he's tall and has beautiful golden hair." Usagi winced... why must they do this to her? They always seemed to know how to break her thin will when it came to men.
"What color eyes?" she asked warily. Makoto smiled, knowing she'd won.
"Green. Very vibrant. Are you going to look?"
"If I have to," Usagi said, not very reluctantly, and did. She had intended for it to be a quick glance to please her friends, but when she turned, she found she couldn't look away.
He was exactly as her friends had described, and the crowd of adoring school girls around him proved his good looks if they hadn't been clear already. The feel of his eyes on her was a strange sensation, but not a bad one. She tried to shake her head and turn away, but her body wouldn't let her, as if this boy had her hypnotized. Ridiculous, of course, but there was something about him...
The air around her buzzed and the rest of the world dropped away. All she could see were his green eyes calling to her, almost pleading... for what? She didn't know, but had the strangest feeling she was about to find out.
He looked so sad and she had a sudden desire to comfort him. To make him smile with that heart-breaking grin she loved to see, and laugh like he used to, before... Usagi's head cleared a bit as a gust of wind blew past - before what? What was she thinking?
Makoto's hand on her arm broke the spell and she whirled around so quickly that she would have stumbled if Minako hadn't steadied her. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to slow her heart. What had happened? Who was he, and more importantly, why did he have this effect on her?
Luckily, Makoto saved her from thinking. "I see. So you're just as dazzled by him as anyone. I said you'd like him, didn't I?"
"But I don't!" Usagi cried, a little too loudly, her eyelids flying open. Her friends stared at her with surprise, for this wasn't a typical Usagi reaction. Normally she would get annoyed and firmly shake her head, or grin and feebly try to deny it. Never would she speak to them in such harsh tones.
"I don't," she repeated softly. "He isn't Mamo-chan and that makes me lose interest forever." Even as she said this, she could feel his eyes on her back and fought a longing to turn, but bit her lip and willed her feet to sink into the ground. This seemed to be working, but for how long? She had to get away.
"Let's go," she suggested, tugging on Minako's sleeve, but her friends weren't finished.
"You should be a little more excited," Makoto said with disapproval. "What do you think? Is he as wonderful as I said?"
"Yes." The word slipped out before she had a chance to stop it.
"There, you see?" Makoto finished triumphantly, beaming. "Having you drooling over Mamoru-san is getting a little old. Thousands of years old." Usagi suddenly lost her interest in the mysterious eyes behind her.
"Mako-chan, how can you say that?" Minako asked, shaking her head. "In case you haven't noticed, they are destined to be together."
"Sure, it's destiny, but do they really want it?" Surely Makoto meant no harm, but her words chilled Usagi to the core.
"Mamo-chan loves me," she said quietly, "and I love him. I'd die for him. I…"
"Hey, relax, Usagi-chan! I was kidding. I'm sorry I offended you, and I think you two are perfect together, okay?" Makoto said with a grin and glanced back at the boy. "And speaking of destiny, aren't you getting positive vibes about him and me?" The look of admiration on her face was enough to make both girls giggle.
"And you?" Usagi asked wickedly, happy for the chance of revenge. "I thought he was looking at me!" And boy, did she know it. The shift of conversation back to him made her more aware than ever.
"Well, he doesn't know it yet," Makoto continued, "but he's about to get a huge load of Mako charm!" Usagi and Minako grinned at each other.
"Think we should warn him?" Minako asked, nudging Usagi with a wink.
"I don't know. He's going to need more than a warning. More like the National Guard for protection!" They laughed while Makoto glared at them with fiery eyes, before succumbing to giggles herself.
"Well, shouldn't we talk to him?" she asked as they started away.
"No," Minako and Usagi answered together. Makoto fiddled with her hands and glanced back over her shoulder.
"Are you sure? I mean, isn't it kind of rude to leave him like this?"
"No!"
"I guess you're right," she said with a sigh, hurrying to catch up. ""Still, it would have been interesting."
That, Usagi felt, was the understatement of the year.
0 0 0
He couldn't believe his eyes. Maybe he shouldn't, because who would believe that after all these years, she would appear before him looking very much like she always had? It seemed too easy. The gods had to be playing with his mind, punishing him… but somehow he knew that his long search was over.
She had the same long golden hair swaying in the breeze, blue eyes sparkling with laughter and a small frame that seemed fragile, but he knew she had a toughness unmatched by many. Any half-wit would sense the aura of life and love surrounding her like a heavy fog. If she had one flaw, it was her open and trusting heart. She hadn't understood Evil back then and most likely still didn't. She kept her heart in her eyes for the world to see.
Oh Serena, how I've missed you… he thought just as she turned like an angel to answer his prayers. His breath caught. She was more beautiful than he remembered, but something was different. He felt it in the way she looked at him. Not only did she appear not to know him, but there was also a new firmness in her eyes and stance that hadn't been there before. The difference made him long more than ever for the past.
Oh, darling, please remember me…
Her eyes were widening. Did she remember? He tried to smile, to comfort her, but his lips wouldn't work. He was too frozen in his adoration to attempt movement. And it seemed for a moment that she felt something, as well. But just when their connection was growing deeper, one of her friends grabbed her arm and she turned, shattering the moment. He took a deep breath and patiently waited for her to turn back, but she and her friends left.
He groaned: whatever had happened had been lost, but no matter. He wouldn't give up. Ignoring the girls around him, he took a step forward, hearing sighs of disappointment as he left.
Ridiculous children, he thought with a smile and a shake of his blonde head. He had no patience for giggly little girls. Serena hadn't been like that. Sure, at times she had acted silly, playful - more than often truthfully - but when things got tough, she had always been the first to take a stand.
A twig cracked under his foot and he jumped, laughing at his nerves. He had to relax; he couldn't afford to lose himself, not this time. He glanced around and took time to gather his characteristic cool, noticing that his fan club was entering a nearby arcade and attacking their new victim, a blond boy who was sweeping the inside.
But that wasn't what caught his attention. His eyes were drawn to a poster on the window advertising a new video game. As if in a dream, he floated closer and narrowed his eyes. What he saw was a girl wearing a colorful costume with wings, triumphantly holding a decorated rod over her head. Stupid, but oddly captivating.
His lips moved as he read the caption, "Eternal Sailormoon." His eyes swept over the picture in confusion. Who was this? Some new creation of the media to bring in more money? Likely, and yet, the other senshi stood strong and proud beside her, as natural as ever.
It wasn't until he looked into the familiar blue eyes of the picture that he knew. He simply knew. With a start, his eyebrows lifted and he glanced at the retreating figure in the distance. It made sense; he should have realized earlier, but the question was why? And how?
Without another thought, he turned and hurried after her.
0 0 0
"Who's up for ice cream?"
"Mako-chan, we just had lunch," Minako groaned. The brunette shrugged and grinned, showing it made no difference.
"I can go for ice cream," Usagi chirped. "I always can!"
"Good girl." Makoto smiled with approval.
Minako warned, "Just one this time. You don't want to make yourself sick again."
Usagi made a face at her, but shrugged and ran ahead, shouting, "Hurry!" Minako obeyed, but Makoto hung back to watch her friends. Why did Minako judge Usagi, when she usually got two or three herself? Makoto smiled. Those two were crazy, but she couldn't love them more. And who was she to rank insanity? Surely people had said worse about her.
She started after them but gasped as a strong hand closed over her shoulder. All right, who's the jerk? she thought angrily, spinning around and preparing for a fight, but when she saw the culprit, her belligerent glare dissolved into a look of surprise. It was the boy. The one who had been staring at Usagi.
Or maybe it was me, Makoto thought with a sudden fleeting hope. After all, he's here with me, not Usagi-chan.
"I'm sorry to startle you," he said, smiling kindly. Makoto felt her face burn and immediately hated herself for it.
"Oh... you didn't!" she said quickly, and then thought, Oh, brilliant, Mako. Obviously he did. Could you sound any more foolish?
"Great. I wanted to talk to you, and that would be a bit difficult if you ran screaming down the street from me," he said and grinned as if he had said something tremendously funny.
"You... you did want to talk to me?" she asked hopefully. Whatever it is, the answer is yes! she thought dizzily.
"One of you," he corrected with a shrug. "I wanted to ask about your friend." Makoto's hopes fell and shattered at her feet. She should have guessed. He wanted to talk about Usagi. The world was so kind in affairs of the heart.
"Usagi-chan?" she asked, suddenly tired. She knew she shouldn't be sad, for she didn't know him, but that didn't stop her heart from wrenching painfully in her chest, an unsettling feeling that was all too familiar.
"Is that her name?" He looked to where Usagi was laughing and ducking out of the way as Minako playfully socked her. "She's very beautiful. She reminds me of someone I used to know."
"Mmm," Makoto muttered. Just the thing she did not want to hear from him. Somebody shoot me now, she thought in misery. The boy tore his gaze from Usagi and smiled at her in an embarrassed way.
"I'm sorry," he said. "That was very rude of me. My name is Averill." Instead of bowing the traditional Japanese greeting, he stretched out a hand.
"Kino Makoto," she replied, taking his hand a little uneasily, trying to slow her heart. Looking into his green eyes was an unsettling experience, and she couldn't quite disregard the feeling that she knew him from somewhere.
Or sometime, she corrected with a shiver. Something about him seemed... well, eternal was the best word she could come up with, but it didn't make sense.
Instantly, Averill's grin faded. Makoto swallowed and managed a watery smile, yet he continued to stare at her in shock. Now what? Was there something wrong with her face? It seemed likely the way the day was going.
But he surprised her when he spoke. Instead of pointing out her flaws, he simply whispered, "Lita?"
Makoto wrinkled her nose. "Excuse me?" Averill blinked and his expression cleared. He seemed to give himself a mental shake, for the next instant he was smiling again.
"Oh, nice s… meeting you, Makoto," he said with an absent shrug and left. Just like that, with her eyes following his every step. How strange, he hadn't attached an honorific to her name, as if he felt he knew her well enough not to… or didn't know it was needed.
Where was this boy from? And more importantly, where had she seen him before?
Why was he so interested in Usagi, who could care less, instead of herself who had immediately thought the world of him?
"Mako-chan! Aren't you coming?" Usagi yelled from ahead, always anxious to get to her ice cream.
"J... just a sec," Makoto called. She hesitated long enough to send one last look after the strange boy before hurrying off to join her friends.
0 0 0
"Ugh."
"Can't say we didn't warn you," Minako chided Usagi, who was doubled over, clutching her stomach. "Right Mako-chan?" She looked pointedly at Makoto, but the girl's eyes were distant.
"Mako-chan? Mako-chan?" she persisted, poking her several times before delivering a punch to her upper arm. Makoto stirred and rubbed the spot lightly.
"I'm sorry, did you say something?" she asked absently before her eyes grew vague again. Minako frowned: she was not one to tolerate being ignored.
"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, her hands on her hips. "You've been like this for the past half hour!" Makoto snapped to attention.
"I have not! I've just been thinking about something."
"Something or someone?" Minako asked, her eyes lighting with understanding. "I saw you talking to that boy. I think someone's in love! Right, Usagi-chan?"
"Ugh."
"Serves you right," Minako expressed cheerfully, turning her attention back to Usagi and her eating habits. "I warned you."
"I have no regrets," Usagi said, grinning even as she winced. Minako sighed, sensing a lost cause, and turned back to Makoto.
"I'm fine. Truly I am," Makoto said, trying to smile at her friend's concern. Minako gave her a worried look and opened her mouth, but was cut off by a sharp gasp from Usagi.
"Usagi-chan?" she said in alarm and watched as the girl paled and took a few fumbling steps back to cower behind a street light. She barely noticed when her friends rushed to her side and grabbed her shoulders protectively.
"Hide me!" Usagi requested, eyes fixed on something across the street. "I can't let him see me!"
Confused, Minako and Makoto followed her gaze just in time to see Mamoru emerge from a cafe, his fingers entwined with those of a very beautiful girl. Waist-length black hair, pale blue eyes, and a supermodel figure - the kind of female every girl loves to hate and every boy wants to get his hands on. But that wasn't what scared Usagi: she was worried about the way the girl leaned into him and hung onto his words, smiling as though he was her personal Messiah. Worse, he smiled back, proving she wasn't an unwanted admirer.
"What does he think he's doing? Who is she?" Usagi demanded, eyes flashing jealousy and suspicion. She chewed her lower lip, the debate clear on her face: what was it going to be, go undercover and spy or rush over and confront the pair?
"Hey, I'm sure it's nothing. You're not thinking straight. Mamoru-san is allowed to have friends, isn't he?" Minako asked. Usagi looked at her and the muscles in her jaw relaxed.
"You're right," she said. "I don't know what came over me. Why would he do anything to hurt me? I'm sure…" she broke off as Mamoru lifted the girl's lily white hand to his lips and held it there for several seconds, gazing into her pretty eyes. It wasn't much, but the message was clear. Usagi gave a kind of half sob/half growl and Minako uttered a naughty word.
"All right, he's dead," Makoto announced, taking a step forward.
"No, Mako-chan, please don't fight him! Whatever is going on is my problem! I'll talk to him. I'll confront them. Now." And yet she didn't move.
Makoto waited a long ten seconds before saying, "Usagi-chan, if you're going to do it, go. You can't close your eyes and hope problems go away. You'll have to confront him eventually, and now is as good a time as ever."
But the girl wasn't buying it. "This can't be what it looks like. I trust him."
"Then prove it," Makoto urged. She gave her friend a little push and Usagi gasped as she stumbled onto the street. Well, the moment had come for Mamoru to prove himself. She had no doubts of his innocence, of course, but that kiss lingered in her mind...
Across the street, the girl was leaving. She smiled and waved before disappearing around the corner. Mamoru was also smiling, a happy grin that faded as soon as he saw Usagi. Something about his expression brought a stab of doubt to her chest. But Mamoru was surprised to see her, that's all. His pale expression couldn't possibly be guilt.
Several more steps and she stopped. Looked at him without words. He stared back, a twitch in his jaw. She found her stomach plummeting to the ground, all sensations going wild. Oh God, this couldn't be happening…
"I wish you hadn't seen that," he said. Not an extremely long or sufficiently cold statement, but it was enough to destroy everything she had relied on. There he was calmly admitting it with no sign of regret. Her anger died and was replaced with tears. How could he do this? There had to be some mistake, and yet her body turned, preparing to flee.
"Usako, no, that came out wrong. Wait!" he cried, not wanting her to leave before he had a chance to explain. Usagi had no intentions of waiting. Normally, she'd do anything he asked, but the day's events, from seeing that boy, the heat and finding Mamoru laughing with some strange girl made the event boil into ten times its worth, and she felt like running away and screaming.
Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough and he caught her swiftly around the waist.
"Please wait," Mamoru urged, and she obeyed, only because she couldn't move. As soon as he relaxed his grip, she jerked away and spun to face him, carefully keeping her emotions under control. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her break down.
"So explain," Usagi said as evenly as she could. "That's what you want, right? I'm waiting. Tell me, Mamo-chan, why you're spending time with another girl and kissing her. Tell me why you're so calm about it. Tell me..." she broke off with a gasp as her eyes started to fill. Not now. She couldn't do this. Not facing him.
She presented him with her back and started again.
"Please, Mamoru-san," she continued formally. "I saw you kiss her hand and smile. Who is she? Is she the one in your life now?" She realized how bitter, jealous and jilted she sounded, and immediately hated it… but that was precisely what she was.
Why wasn't he saying anything? Didn't he know his silence condemned him worse than words ever could? This couldn't be happening. After everything they'd gone through together, how could he discard her like a worn out toy? Didn't she mean more to him than that?
She was about to escape when he spoke. "Usako, did you have too much ice cream again?" It was good he wasn't giving her the silent treatment, but his words were a bit of an anticlimax. She'd been expecting... more, wanted more, even if he said he didn't love her anymore. At least she'd know and could run away crying, throw herself in a ditch and pound the earth, cursing his name. She'd almost prefer that to this confusion.
"What?" she said in disbelief, turning to face him. Mamoru was digging in his back pocket and a minute later retrieved a clean handkerchief.
"It's all over your mouth," he explained, gently cupping her chin with one hand and wiping the ice cream off with the other. Usagi was confused. A minute ago, she had been ready to bawl her eyes out in front of him, and now she felt warm and so much calmer at his touch. Of course Mamoru loved her, what was she thinking? Even if he didn't say it, she could feel it in his eyes, his smile, his touch…
But he still hadn't answered her question.
"Don't change the subject," she whispered. "You haven't explained about her." He looked at her then, his blue eyes sad.
"I told you I wished you hadn't seen that," he said, choosing his words with care, "but there isn't anything to worry about. You know I'd tell you if I could, but I can't, so why don't we leave it at that?"
Why not leave it at that? So simple, and yet so infuriating!
"We've never kept secrets from each other," Usagi reminded him, a bit untruthfully. "If you're in some kind of trouble, I could help!" She wanted to make sense of this, to think he was on the run from the law, or a member of the junior mafia or a secret agent of Yugoslavia. Something other than this silence…
"Oh no, nothing like that," Mamoru assured her, catching her trembling hands. "Just trust that I can't say anything now, but I promise I will. Someday." Usagi's eyes lowered to the ground. She wasn't sure what to think. She had never doubted him before, but this felt different.
"Usako," Mamoru whispered, taking her chin and tilting her face towards his. "Don't you trust me? You must know you're the only one." He had pressed the magic button, for she lost her suspicions as quickly as she had gotten them.
"Of course I do, Mamo-chan," she said happily, reverting to her old name of endearment. Mamoru sighed and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm glad," he said, resting his head against hers and closing his eyes. Usagi was very happy. She leaned against him and smiled, not caring about anything in the world but being with him. She held him tighter and lost herself in his arms, feverishly wishing she'd never have to let him go. Not to that girl, not to anyone. When it came to Mamoru, she was never in a sharing mood.
0 0 0
Usagi yawned and stretched in front of her window. What a day. Shopping with Naru, senshi meeting at the temple and getting into a huge fight with Rei, sharing a shake with Mamoru... absolute Heaven. She broke into a smile. The best part was... no monsters! There hadn't been a single problem since the Galaxia affair and she couldn't say she missed her wilder days.
"This is the life," she murmured, stretching her arms over her head.
"Don't get off guard," a voice reminded her sharply and she jumped. "You must be alert at all times."
"I know, Luna," she said, tossing the ever-cautious black cat a careless smile. "I'm in control of every situation.' She attempted a mock salute and stumbled.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Luna said miserably as Usagi flailed her arms for balance. A sweat drop appeared on the cat's forehead as she remarked, "Like you're in control of your homework?" Luna looked pointedly at the pile of books and papers strewn over the desk and Usagi's face crumbled.
"Luna, it's too late to think. Besides, I have more important things to do."
"Like dreaming about Mamoru-san?" Usagi's mentor asked, knowing her mistress too well.
"You've got it!" Usagi exclaimed. She giggled and seized a pillow, hugging it to her chest. She closed her eyes and tried to conjure up an image of Mamoru and herself in a rowboat on the lake, but her figure was replaced by another... a girl with long, silky black hair and teasing blue eyes. Smiling at her, laughing, her sweet voice echoing through the air…
Usagi swiftly opened her eyes and gasped.
"Usagi-chan? What's wrong?" Luna asked, rushing forward as the girl collapsed on the bed, blinking rapidly until the picture dissolved from her mind. "Usagi-chan?" Luna repeated anxiously.
"Oh Luna, it's nothing," she said once her heart had calmed. "I saw Mamo-chan with someone."
"Yes?" Luna prompted.
"A girl," Usagi blurted. There was a pause.
"That's all?" Luna asked. "Usagi, why are you so upset? What happened to worry you?"
She shrugged. "Nothing. I overreacted." She hesitated and shook her head. "I trust him. After all, we are meant to be together. It's destiny and he knows it."
She reminded herself of the times she had held onto faith for him. Like when he would torment her daily and call her names, she knew somewhere deep inside that he didn't mean it. And when he lost his memory after the battle with Queen Beryl, she'd held onto the belief that someday he'd remember and they could be together once more.
Usagi frowned. And the time he was plagued with dreams of the future and completely ignored her, even though he knew he was breaking her heart...
And the time she saw him in a crowd and he didn't wave...
And the time he forgot her birthday...
"Good night, Luna," she said, suddenly depressed. Usagi burrowed under the sheets and pulled the quilt over her head. Maybe if she couldn't see, she wouldn't think.
"But it's only 8:30," her cat protested.
"Yeah, well, I'm tired," she insisted, shutting her eyes. Just sleep, sleep, sleep and don't worry... She waited patiently as Luna got up to turn off the light. Usagi didn't move as the cat jumped up and curled into a ball next to her. After a brief hesitation and a sudden need for comfort, Usagi placed an arm around her and gave in to the demands of sleep.
0 0 0
He stood in the street, looking at the second floor window as it went black. A moment ago a girl had stood there talking to… apparently herself; he was quite certain no one else had been in the room. He smiled dreamily. It was her. So what if she'd gotten a little crazy since he'd known her? She was the same at heart. And he wasn't quite the boy he used to be, either.
He was surprised he could track her down. After seeing Lita, his mind was reeling so badly he couldn't concentrate, and when he came back to his senses, they had both gone. It was confusing; he'd thought only Serena had been sent to the future. He couldn't believe how dense he was, especially after seeing the picture of the senshi at the arcade, but at the time all he could think of Serena… or Usagi, as she was called now.
After cursing himself for losing his girl again, he had wandered the streets alone, until when walking down a random residential road, he had happened to glance up and see her at a window.
It was fate. Maybe his luck was changing.
He had to see her… why wait until morning when he finally knew where she was? Intent upon his decision, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His magic pulsed around him in golden waves, and when he opened his eyes, he was in her bedroom.
His breath caught as he gazed at her sleeping figure. For an instant, an image flashed before his eyes of a time long ago when he had held her bleeding body close and she lay still in his arms. No matter how he'd tried to stop the flow of fresh blood, he couldn't relieve the shining torment in her eyes and his tears stained the front of her once white dress. He had known the instant she died: he had felt the life leave her. At that moment, it was as though time had stopped and only his cry of anguish could be heard in the night...
No matter how lifeless she looked now, she was very much alive. As if to reassure him, she rolled over and mumbled something incoherent. Shaken from the flashback, he took a cautious step forward, hand outstretched, as if comfort could only be guaranteed by touch. How he longed to hold her, to feel her warm body next to his again. She was so close...
As he approached, the black cat next to her yawned and its eyes fluttered open. He stopped, coming back to himself, and gently touched the feline's forehead. "Sleep," he commanded softly and the eyes obediently shut. The last thing he needed was for some cat to notice a stranger in the room and go ballistic. The sleeping girl would awaken, and now that he had regained his senses, he didn't want her to know of his existence. Not yet. The timing wasn't right.
Feeling longing deepen, he bent down and brushed his lips against her forehead, just the barest touch.
Sweet dreams, my princess, he thought.
And then he was gone.
Alright, a few notes on the names, so I don't confuse everyone too much. When I first wrote this, I was unsure whether or not to use the English or Japanese names, since at the time I had only seen the English version, but I still liked the Japanese names. I compromised: Japanese names for the present, and the English names for the past (Silver Millenium). This is why Averill calls Makoto 'Lita' and thinks of Usagi as 'Serena'... it's how he knows them. To complicate matters more, I also gave them inherited titles. This is already in the series - Usagi is Princess Serenity and her mom is Queen Serenity. I made them up for the others. I think Lita's was Princess Tinia... things like that. It won't come up until much later, but I thought I might as well mention it now as long as I'm on the subject.
Mmm... Averill. I'd almost fogotten how much I love him. Oh well, onward, right?
PoW