Little Moments: 100 Themes
#11: Past
Lillie Bell

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon

YAY for more bonding... (and not the type in Mistake!)

"Usagi," Luna spoke softly from her position at the back of the couch. Sad eyes looked into those of her princess. "If you could go back and change any part of your life would you?"

The blonde disentangled herself from Mamoru and walked over to Luna at the couch. She stared quizzically at the small advisor. Scooping her up, she took note of the slightly glassy, blue eyes of the cat.

"That is to say," Luna clarified, not able to meet Usagi's intense stare. "Is there anything you regret about your life?" Usagi still seemed confused at what she was asking. "Like being Sailor Moon?" she whispered, her ears falling back and she guiltily lowered her head. Her tail twitched in sorrow.

The blonde's eyes grew large at the implications of Luna's question. Seeing the cat's slumped posture, she pulled her trusted friend close and pet her gently in an attempt to ward away her fears. Usagi held her for a while; dispelling the grief she could feel inside of Luna.

"Luna," she said in typical Usagi fashion, which mostly was an over enthusiastic scolding. "I cannot regret any part of my life." At her cat's blinking eyes, she continued. Staring out the balcony, her voice calm and serene, Usagi spoke gently. "The trials that we go through in life, though sometimes hard, force us to endure. I may not have made the best decisions, but the consequences of those have taught me lessons immeasurable.

"Every trial I have ever faced has made me stronger, Luna, and shaped me into the person I am today. If I regretted any part of my life, then I must also be ashamed of who I am right now, and that's not possible. I don't need the girls or Mamoru or you to tell me I've grown into someone greater than I was at fourteen; I can feel it in myself."

"But all those times you died," Luna sobbed softly. Her princess was becoming such a lovely woman and Luna was berating herself for having missed it. "Resigning you to a life that you were not born into, basing your entire existence upon who you were in a previous life, these are not the destiny that most people dream of having, Usa."

"You have suffered so much because of me," she rasped before the arms closed around her and allowed her to sob into Usagi's blouse. Choking sobs issued from the thin garment as the two stood together looking so tragically beautiful that Mamoru could hardly bring himself to interrupt.

After a few minutes, he carefully placed his hand over Usagi's at the top of the cat's head. The women were startled by him, having forgotten his presence. Mamoru smiled softly at the two, understanding the bond between his wife and her guardian, and the need for the past to be justified.

While Usagi and the senshi were a strong bunch with an intense, sisterly bond, the one between Usagi and Luna transcended even that status. Though Luna didn't know it, Usagi looked up to the small cat that had changed her life. Luna had been the first to be with Usagi in battle as Sailor Moon, which meant everything to his bunny.

However, their bond didn't only encompass an idolization by Usagi, who thought Luna to be the mature, serious woman that she herself wanted to become, it surpassed to a bond between two woman born into a similar life. Luna herself, without realizing it, wasn't made for battles or strategic involvement. The small cat had been the diplomat for Queen Serenity, not any kind of military guard. This meant that at the onset of Sailor Moon, both were fumbling with a limited understanding of the enemy and tactics. Luna had expected in this life to find a soldier from the past with prior knowledge of battle and instead found a hesitant but loving princess who could hardly harm a fly.

Mamoru smiled at the two women in his life constantly now. Even married, Luna spent her time in their apartment. Though her relationship with Artemis had escalated, she stayed with her princess, ever the watchful and vigilant guardian. Usagi, he knew, secretly adored Luna's devotion. The two had seen so much that was not for their eyes; they had conquered so much that they should not have had to face, that the bond between them had simply grown to a level near what he shared with his wife. Though not soul mates, their experiences were common to the two that they had developed a strong bond. Their bond was one of those on a similar journey and who understand each other completely on every level having faced the same dangers and overcome.

Thus, when Luna felt the need to question the time when she came into Usagi's life he knew the blonde's large heart constricted painfully in her chest. The two had grown so much from their experiences, had strengthened their bond to amazing levels, and suddenly Luna wanted to say it was a mistake; even worse a regret. Though he agreed with the suffering, he felt a stronger truth behind his wife's words. Hence, as they blinked at him surprise, tears tracing their ways down both their faces, he smiled in encouragement.

"Luna, without the bad times in life you can't appreciate the good times."

The cat's large blues eyes blinked away her tears, staring at her prince. His large hands gently ran down her back, his golden energy calming her nerves instantly. She watched as his other arm wrapped around Usagi's shoulders and he pulled the two of them into his protective embrace. He kissed the crown of his wife's head as she buried her face in his chest. The man smiled at Luna, and in his eyes she saw a fierce joy that usually simmered below the surface.

The cat snuggled into the arms around her, those of the two most important people in her life. This was her duty, she knew, to protect these two and lead them to greatness; but beyond duty she would have committed herself to them without regret. She was devoted to the princess who was stronger than anyone she had ever met, had a fathomless heart, and would continue to amaze her, and to the prince who lost everything countless times in countless lives but could still appreciate the joy in his life.

No, she realized, she could not regret having met them.

Oops, these are supposed to be short, eh? Guess I missed the memo! Heehee.