Chance Encounter
An Alternate reality Sailor Moon Romance
by Time Guardian

Note: Lyrics in this chapter come from a poem of my creation called "The Way Back Home" and are an original work of mine that is posted on this
site. If you reuse them, please credit me.

And without further ado:

Final Chapter- The Past Returns

Mrs. Chen huddled near the door of the barricaded office and listened for any noise.

Soon after they had been huddled into the office and the door was blocked off, she struggled to hear something, anything to find out what was going on.

"Mommy..."

Keiko's voice sounded smaller than usual. Whenever she was scared or confused, her voice dropped to just above a whisper.

Mrs. Chen turned and gently wiped away the tears from her young daughter's eyes. "Keiko, don't be afraid, everything will be all right, I promise."

Keiko however was having none of it. She sat on the ground and stared up at her mother with a big frown.

"What about Usagi-chan? The bad man is going to hurt her."

Mrs. Chen cast a worried glance over to Chibi-usa who still laid in the chair whimpering. "Keiko, remember when you promised to take care of Chibi-Usa the way Usagi took care of you? That is what we can do for her right now. She will feel better knowing that her daughter is in good hands."

Keiko looked over at Chibi-USa. "Okay. I'll sing to her, that way she won't be so scared."

Mrs. Chen smiled as Keiko bounded over to the chair. That would keep her daughter occupied at least.

She resumed her vigil beside door. Usagi had to be all right- she just had to.

Usagi staggered back from Sachi. Revulsion filled her voice. "How could you hurt your own brother?"

Sachi's smile broadened as he leered towards her. "He was not supporting me in the least. After I got Toya out of the way, I had hoped that would bring you closer to me, so I could comfort you and let you know my true feelings. Akuma however, thought I was sick, so he decided not to pursue you after you ran. He thought you would stay away so you would be safe from the likes of me, he said. He thought I was a head case. Akuma couldn't see the truth. I just wanted to give you all of my love."

Usagi choked back a sob - She finally had the truth. "You killed Toya?"

Sachi held his hands up in protest. "Toya was corrupting you, my Aria Aure. It was simple enough to tamper with the boat, though I wanted it to just sink, not explode. For that you have my apologies."

Usagi shook her head in disbelief. She stressed her next words carefully. "My name is Tsukino Usagi- I am not a possession. You had no right to interfere in my life-"

She had little time to react as Sachi quickly pushed her back into the room, making her fall over backwards.
Following her into the room, Sachi shut the door behind him and locked it.

Laughing, he turned to face her.

"Now you will be mine, Aria Aure, and nothing will stop me."

Mamoru pulled the bike up to the curb of Titan records, and shut off the engine. Taka yanked his helmet off and watched as Mamoru yanked off his helmet and took off running.

He called out. "Wait, Mamoru-kun, shouldn't we wait for backup? We don't know what we are getting ourselves into."

Mamoru turned on his friend. "What if she is in trouble, or hurt? Usagi left my place saying goodbye. She knew she was going into trouble. I can't stand idly by if it means I lose her."

Taka sighed and then motioned ahead. "We better get in there then."

The two men ran into the lobby and spotted the security guard that was standing near the elevator.

"Excuse me," Taka inquired, "did a woman by the name of Usagi come in here by chance? Blond Hair, blue eyes?"

The guard nodded and pointed to the elevator. "Yeah, she did come in here. I gave her the note that I was asked to. She read it, got a weird look, and then hit the elevator, why?"

"What did she do with the note?" Mamoru asked.

"I saw her throw it away in the trash can on the other side of the elevator."

Mamoru spotted the small trash can the guard pointed out and searched through the contents until he found the crumpled piece of paper that he was looking for.

He smoothed out the edges of the paper against the wall and quickly scanned the note.

After Mamoru finished, his face paled. "It's Sachi. He's the stalker."

Taka sounded incredulous "The record president's brother?"

Mamoru carefully folded the note and shoved it into his pants pocket. "Yeah. It's no wonder Usagi looked guilty. He would have the power and the clout to insinuate himself in her life and leave no tracks. We have to get to the top floor."

The guard protested. "Just a minute now, you have no right to go up there."

Mamoru whirled around on the man in a near panic. He grabbed a fistful of the guards shirt.

"Listen, the woman I love is trapped up there with a madman-he has probably killed once and may kill again-"

Anger blinded him to the guard's wide-eyed stare, until he heard a noise from behind him.

"Step away from the guard, Mamoru-san."

Mamoru turned his head and saw that Makoto had her firearm drawn and trained on him. Two male officers stood behind her, eyeing him warily. Mamoru released the guard, put his hands in the air and pleaded.

"You don't understand. Usagi is on the top floor right now with a madman who has been stalking her for months.
I have the proof here in my pocket."

Makoto hesitated a moment before she holstered her weapon. Mamoru dug in his pants pocket and handed the note over to her.

It took her a few moments to read over the note before her eyes widened. "Sachi? That is the brother to the Titan Records president."

Mamoru nodded. "And unless we can get upstairs, her life and the lives of Mrs. Chen and the children will be in danger. I believe that he had them kidnapped to lure Usagi here."

Makoto sighed. "You had better be right." She turned and flashed her badge at the panicked guard. "I am from the police. We have reason to believe a crime is taking place upstairs. We need to use the elevator."

The guard stared at the group, shaking his head in disbelief. "And I took the evening shift cause the boss promised it wouldn't be as busy. Go on up."

Makoto pocketed her badge and motioned to the officers behind her. "Follow me."

Sachi loomed over Usagi, grabbing her wrists and holding them high above her head. As much as she struggled, his grip seemed to grow tighter. Kneeling, he straddled her legs.

Surprise was in his voice. "My dear Aria Aure, why do you struggle so? I only want to show you my love for you."

She was near the edge of panic now. -He's sick- "My name is Tsukino Usagi-"

Usagi yelped in pain as Sachi backhanded her hard. "Your name is Aria Aure, and you will be forever mine!"

She tried to focus her vision as she felt him release his hold on her wrists only to tear at her blouse, exposing her breasts. Fear quickly replaced the panic as Usagi thrashed frantically in his tight embrace.

"No, what are you doing? Stop it!"

He scowled at her. "Isn't this what you did that night on the boat with Toya? I thought that was what two people in love were supposed to do. Instead you sleep with him like a slut and he got you knocked up."

Usagi cringed at the cruel description and balled her hands into fists. "I was in LOVE with him! We were due to be married the next day until you took that away from us. My daughter will never know her father, thanks to you!"

"Shut up!" Sachi roared. "I saved you from him. He would have dragged your name and reputation through the mud further if I haven't interceded. Now that you are finally mine, I need to 'purify' you."

Adrenaline flowing quickly through her veins, Usagi pummeled Sachi with her fists, but she was having little effect.

What she needed was a plan.

Mamoru and Taka exited the elevator with Makoto and the two other officers in tow.

Looking at the line of office doors down the hallway, Taka groaned. "How are we supposed to know which office they are in?"

"We can only take it one office at a time," Makoto replied. She turned to the two other officers. "I'll start with the first office. You two go check the next one and go down the line."

As they rushed off, Makoto drew her gun and walked towards the first office. Mamoru and Taka drew In close behind her as she tried the knob.

"It's unlocked," she mouthed quietly. Pushing the door inward, she quickly rushed into the room. "Police!"

"Looks like there is no one here," Taka commented as they stepped in behind her.

Mamoru flipped on a light switch illuminating the massive office. Nothing seemed out of place, but he did notice a separate door over near one of the corners. Walking over, he tried the door only to find it locked. "Hey, is there anyone in there?"

The reward for his efforts was a small rustling noise followed by a baby crying.

Mamoru motioned the others over and started heaving his shoulder against the door. After a few moments it finally gave, and splintered open. When he stepped inside he saw the huddled figures of Mrs. Chen and Keiko over by a chair.

Makoto followed him in and helped the relieved woman to her feet. "Are you all right? What happened?"

"We are fine." Mrs. Chen said as she picked up Chibi-Usa from the chair. "Have you found Usagi-chan?"

Mamoru shook his head. "No, we were hoping she was in here."

Her face paled. "We haven't been able to hear a thing for quite a while now. You have to find her, Mamoru-san. He's insane. Sachi tricked me into keeping tabs on her. He thinks that Usagi is his possession. He will kill her."

Keiko wrapped her arms firmly around her mother's legs and looked up at Mamoru. "Please don't let the bad man hurt Usagi-chan."

"We will get her back safe and sound, Keiko, and that's a promise." Mamoru turned to his friend. "Taka, take Mrs. Chen and the children. Get them to the first floor and find them someplace safe. I'm going with Makoto to check the other offices."

Taka smiled grimly and put a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful, you knucklehead, and bring Usagi back safe. I still owe her a free dinner, you know."

Mamoru watched Taka as he led Mrs. Chen and the children away to the elevator.

Sachi moved to kiss her, and that is when Usagi came up with her plan.

He leaned forward, easing the pressure on her legs. Usagi used her hands to push herself across the floor, allowing her to slip under and away from him. Rolling over, she scrambled to her feet and ducked around Akuma's prone body to head for the door.

It was no good. Sachi scrambled to his feet and beat her to the door. He then turned and slowly advanced towards her.

Usagi backed away from him and soon found herself against the wall.

Sachi's smile was chilling. "There's nowhere to hide, Aria Aure. I will purify you and you will be mine."

Usagi screamed as Sachi lunged towards her. He managed to grab her shoulders before being suddenly pulled back. She looked up and was shocked to find Akuma standing behind Sachi. He had grabbed his brother from behind and whirled him around to face him.

Akuma's hands were balled tightly into fists and a trickle of blood flowed down the side of his head. His voice was low and even.

"I will not allow you to hurt anyone ever again."

And with that, he threw a punch that sent Sachi sprawling to the ground unconscious.

Mamoru and Makoto went back out into the hallway and spotted the two officers listening in at a door near the end of the hallway.

She called out to them. "Did you two find anything?"

They looked up and frantically motioned to her. "We heard a scream from behind this door. Hurry!"

They rushed over to where her fellow officers were ramming the door using their bodies. The first time, the door barely gave an inch, but they quickly regrouped and rushed the door again. This time when they connected, the door gave way. Mamoru pushed the two officers out of the way and made his way inside.

He was taken aback by the sight that greeted him.

Usagi's clothes were torn, her hair twisted and tangled. She leaned against the far wall, fearfully eyeing the prone form of Sachi lying unconscious in front of her. Sachi's brother Akuma stood wavering over the prone form of his brother. As if sensing their presence, he turned to look at them.

"This man is scum, and is no longer my brother. Get him out of my sight."

A sense of profound relief washed over Mamoru as he took a tentative step forward into the room, followed by Makoto and her fellow officers who went to check on the brothers.

He held out a hand to her and called out gently. "Usako- It's ok, it's over."

She turned her head slowly at the sound of his voice. When she spotted him, Usagi stumbled towards him quickly.

Mamoru caught her in mid stride and held onto her tightly as Usagi started to sob.

Epilogue - Two Months Later

The day was sunny and bright, the park's ampitheatre was filled to capacity, and Usagi Tsukino watched from offstage as the crowd cheered wildly over the performance of Minako Aino.

Usagi had seen heartache and tragedy in the last few months, but thanks to Mamoru and ongoing sessions with a counselor, she was able to move on with her life. Dressed in a simple green knee length dress with spaghetti straps, she felt free and at peace for the first time in months.

Minako walked off the stage and handed the microphone to her.

She gave her a wink and a smile. "I've got them primed for you, Usagi-chan, now go out there and knock 'em dead."

Nodding, Usagi gripped the microphone tightly and strode out onto the middle of the stage and faced the audience, who had fallen silent. So much for a build-up.

She spoke slowly into the microphone as she scanned the crowd for familiar faces. "Welcome, I hope you have enjoyed the show so far. Minako Aino has been a good friend of mine every since the beginning of my own tour, and it is good to hear her own career taking off. How about another round of applause for her?"

The audience dutifully clapped in response.

Smiling, Usagi waited for the crowd to quiet down before she continued. "And now, I would like to offer an apology. To the many fans of Aria Aure, I kept you hanging, and for that I am sorry. I let someone steal my life away, and instead of standing up to them, I ran. I am here before you today to say that Aria Aure is back, and she is here to stay."

She heard a small amount of cheering and applause, and relished it. Usagi knew it would be a while before the news totally filtered out to the media that she was not a murderer and that it was a Titan records executive that had committed the crimes. Makoto had told her that Sachi was ruled insane and unable to stand trial for his crimes, and that he was being committed to a mental institution.

Usagi noticed a waving motion near the middle of the audience and spotted Mamoru cradling Chibi-Usa, trying to find a seat. Taka and Makoto followed close behind them. Mamoru had told her that they would probably arrive late, but they had all promised to be there to cheer her on.

She lifted her microphone. "And now I dedicate this song to two of the great loves of my life: my daughter, Chibi-Usa, and the man who stayed by my side throughout all of my troubles. This song is for you, Mamo-chan."

Behind her, two lone musicians walked onstage wielding acoustic guitars and began to play a haunting melody.

Closing her eyes, Usagi let the music wash over her as she silently counted the beats through the intro.

-3..2..1-Showtime-

She began to sing:

Memories fade of true love long ago,
Heart is empty, cold, and alone.

I journey forth to find my love so distant and so far.

I wanna go back, to love long ago,
but it's so far away.

Lost in a sea of misery,
and I can't find my way back home.
Loneliness plagues my soul,
and I can't find my way back home.

No, I can't find my way back home-

The journey is hard and the rewards are few,
but I still knew in my heart,

Love was out there, my destiny,
and it called out to me-

Journey forth, it's worth the fight,
and you will find your way back home.
Keep searching, you will find true love,
and you will find your way back home.

Oh yes, you will find your way back home.

After a long journey, I found it at last,
my true love, salvation at last,
filling my heart full of love,
I was alone no more.

The search is over, my quest is done, my dreams are so real,
I've finally found my love so true-

and I've finally found my way back home.

The song over, Usagi lowered her microphone and was moved to tears by the thunderous applause she received from the crowd.

When the song finished, Mamoru sat transfixed in awe. Usagi's voice was just as beautiful as the night her heard her sing to Chibi-Usa, and it was filled with love and beauty that he would never get enough of.

A gentle nudge brought him back down to Earth. "So, Mamoru-kun, when are you going to pop the question to her?"

"One step at a time Taka, one step at a time," Mamoru admonished. "First I have prepared a couple of surprises: dinner at a fancy restaurant I know-"

"Hey, it better be mine," Taka interrupted.

Mamoru laughed. "Where else, my friend? Next, before I got here I placed a call to her parents. They are going to meet us there and finally get to see their granddaughter for the first time. Also, it will allow me to formally ask for Usagi's hand in marriage."

"You're a soft touch, you know that Mamoru-san?" Makoto teased.

"Damn straight," Mamoru shot back as he glanced down at Chibi-Usa. "After all, I have two lovely ladies in my life, and I owe it all to a chance encounter with love"

This work is finally complete! It has taken a little over a year, but if you have stayed for the long haul, I hope you have enjoyed it.

It has been five long years for me, but this will be my last story for this fandom. Original fiction and other things have taken over my interests these days, so that is where I am headed. However, if you see a plot thread here that you think you can continue on with through your own writing, just email me for permission, that's all I ask.

It has been a pleasure entertaining you.

I remain faithfully,

Time Guardian