Title: Sanctuary
Author: Maetel
Email:
URL: N/A
Rating: M 15+
Summary: When Sailor Moon witnesses the death of an innocent, Usagi ends up turning to Mamoru in her darkest hour. Minor alterations have been made on the timeline so that Mamoru knows who he is, while Nephrite is around.
Chapters: 10/10
Status: Complete

Year Completed: 2005

Nothing left to make me feel anymore

There's only you and everyday I need more

If you want me

Come and find me

I'll do anything you say, just tell me

"Anything for You" by Evanescence

Mamoru watched as each of the senshi sat on his couch and on the floor. They all looked at him as though they were being judged, waiting for some sign of approval. Why they looked at him in such a manner, he didn't know. Perhaps they were hoping that through him, they would find some sort of pardon for their actions which had taken place during the previous few minutes.

"What did you wish to speak with us about, Mamoru-san?" questioned Ami from where she sat between Makoto and Rei.

"I wanted you to give me your words that you'd keep Usagi from getting into too much trouble," he said as he looked over towards the door to his room. "Something is coming, and I'm not sure what. I have a feeling that I'm not going to be here to protect her, as much as I wish I could. I know that she isn't the princess, but she is impulsive, and that may bring her to face more dangerous foes than any of us can realize."

Minako blinked at his words. "You've felt it too?" she asked softly. "The enemy is closer than we could have imagined?"

Mamoru nodded. "I- I'm not sure how to explain it. I can feel them. They aren't on the planet, but their influence is spreading, and I'm going to try and go do what I can to stop them. I might not return, and if I fail, I want to make sure that Usagi-chan is protected."

"Why not wait until Usagi is fully recovered from her ordeal, and then go with us to find this enemy?" Rei asked.

"If I choose to wait that long, it might be too late. Besides, the ginzuishou has yet to be found. We all know that it is necessary if there is any hope of defeating this enemy. My going should buy you some time to find it and have Usagi-chan properly train to use it," Mamoru said with a sigh. One look at his face made it obvious that the decision he was making was a painful one. It simply didn't answer one question.

"What is the real reason you are doing this?" Makoto questioned. "There has to be more to it. You're going into this with the belief that it is going to be a suicide mission. That much is clear since you didn't discuss this in front of the princess."

"I don't want the enemy growing strong enough to capture Usagi-chan again. What happened... You didn't see what happened when she reached her breaking point. You didn't feel the anguish through our bonds. I don't want her to have to go through that again. She means too much to me to let her go through that hell again."

"But you'll be causing her more pain if you go about doing this," stated Minako as she pushed a lock of her long blonde hair behind her ear. "The princess needs you right now, Mamoru-san."

"I know that, but this time, I'm not going to put her in as much danger as she was in the past life. The war waged too long when I have a feeling that it could have been stopped while it was still on Earth. I'm not letting it completely reach my planet this time," he stated, his dark blue eyes almost glowing with an internal fire. "She may be angry with my decision, but I will leave it to you to make sure that she understands that I do this in order to make sure that she will be safe and well prepared."

"What are you going to do if you are captured?" Makoto asked. "They might torture you, or worse."

"I'm prepared to deal with that. I believe that Usagi is strong enough to handle anything that this war may throw at her. She's fought as Sailor Moon, and look what has happened to her over the course of the battles that she has fought. I know that she will do whatever she has to, despite anything that happens."

Artemis looked down at his paws for a moment. "I believe that he is making the right decision, but I have to ask… Are you going to be telling the princess of your plan?"

"I'm not quite sure," he replied. "I… I've not thought that far ahead. I'm not quite sure if I'll even tell her that I am going. I don't want her to do anything rash."

"If you don't tell her your plan, you should at least go see her once before you go. If you tell us, but not tell her, she'll be hurt all the more," Rei said as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "She… She is strong, but she hasn't completely recovered from the ordeal with Nephrite. Thinking you've gone and been killed might be…"

"I'll see her before I go. I just wish for one of you to stay with her for the night. Make sure she makes it home in the morning safely. I don't want her going anywhere tonight. She needs to rest," he said.

"What are you going to tell her?" the blonde asked.

"I'll tell her that I received a letter concerning something urgent that needs to be taken care of immediately," he replied. "That should keep her from worrying too much."

"I'm not going to lie to my princess," Minako asked. "If she asks, I will tell her the truth."

"I understand. Just…" Mamoru stopped unsure of what to say. "Just make sure that she doesn't do anything when you tell her. I… I don't want her fighting the Dark Kingdom head on until she is ready."

"Very well," she replied. "I understand. Be careful though."

"I will," he told her before he turned and faced his bedroom door. He looked at Minako one more time. "Thank you."

She nodded once before Mamoru headed into his room. He opened the door slowly, as to prevent any sort of squeaking that he knew wouldn't occur. He shut the door behind him, simply staring at her with a sad smile before Luna raised her head to look at him.

"Mamoru-san, are you all right?" the dark coated feline questioned.

"Hai, Luna," he said. "Would you mind letting me speak with Usagi alone for a moment? I'll not be long."

Luna nodded and hopped off of the bed a moment later. She looked at Usagi for a second before heading out of the door which Mamoru was holding open. Before he closed it, he called her quietly asking, "Whatever the senshi tell you, would you please not relay back to Usagi unless it is absolutely necessary?"

She looked at him for a moment, confusion clear on her face but she nodded nonetheless. "I'll do as you ask, Mamoru-san."

"Thank you," he said simply before closing the door. He then turned once more to see Usagi, who was slowly waking up. She looked over at him and smiled sleepily.

"Did you and the girls have a nice talk?" she asked.

"Hai, Usagi-chan," he said as he walked over and sat beside her on the bed. "I just received a notice though. I'm going to have to go away. Something's come up concerning an inheritance. I'm not sure how long I'm going to have to go."

She looked at him as though she were trying to see if he were lying, but apparently he kept his face blank enough for her not to tell. With a sigh, she spoke. "Are you sure? There's still a lot to do?" she asked. "We still have to find the ginzuishou."

"I know, and I'll be doing everything I can to help," he told her. "This is something that I have to do. I'm sorry."

Usagi looked down trying to hide the tears that threatened to fall. She wasn't sure if what she was feeling was enough for him to sense through their bond, but in case it wasn't she didn't want him to see how much it was affecting her.

"Usagi-chan," Mamoru started. "Look at me, please. I know that this is going to be hard on the both of us considering everything that has happened, but I'm afraid that I don't have much choice."

She lifted her head to look at him with cheeks that were sporting tracks of tears, and eyes that were quickly becoming rimmed with red.

"What if something happens while you're gone?" she asked. "What if we need you? What if… What if I need you?"

"I'll do all that I can to return to you as soon as possible. I promise," Mamoru told her as he lifted his hand to caress her cheek. "There are two new senshi out there to help you fight if you ever need any help in battle. Luna and Artemis will be here to guide you."

Usagi nodded and smiled sadly at him. "Just return to me soon?"

"As soon as I possibly can," he said as he pulled her to him in an embrace that he hoped and prayed would not be their last.

Usagi wrapped her arms around him tightly, unwilling to let him go, though she knew that she would soon have to. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you as well, Usako," he said, letting the name slip. She looked at him with a small smile on her face.

"Usako?" she asked.

Mamoru simply nodded as he formed a rose behind her back. He slowly pulled away from her so that he could hold the rose in front of her. He watched as Usagi stared at it.

Instead of the normal red rose he pulled from within his tuxedo jacket, he'd formed a small white rose that had yet to completely bloom. Usagi took it from him, gently cradling it in her hands as she looked up at him. "It's beautiful."

"Hai, and it holds special meaning. This rose will never wilt unless something happens to me. This is my way of letting you know that I am all right and that I'll come back to you, no matter what," he told her.

Usagi smiled. She then quickly leapt up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Arigato… Mamo-chan."

Mamoru blinked and smiled at her name for him as he returned her embrace, burying his face in her hair, memorizing its scent and its feel.

"When are you leaving?" she asked.

"I was told that I needed to leave right away, so I'll be going in a little while," he told her. "You are free to stay here for the night, as well as come back whenever you need to. The extra key is with Motoki-kun. If you choose to stay here tonight, one of the girls will stay with you and take you home in the morning since your parents need to be told that you're all right as well as shown that you are safe."

"I understand, Mamo-chan," she said sadly. "Just… I don't want you to go."

Mamoru sighed. "I know. I… I wish I didn't have to, but this is urgent enough to require my immediate attention. I'll… I'll find some way to contact you."

"All right. Just be careful," she said. "Even with special powers, none of us are 100 safe. I'm worried that something might happen."

"If something does, you'll be the first to know," he told her. "Just have faith that I'll come back to you though."

"I do," she said.

"I've better get going," he said softly. "I'll have to grab some clothes out of my dryer and then leave."

"Be safe, my prince…" she said as she watched him walk towards the door.

"I will. You have my word, Usako," he told her before walking out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving a tearful blonde in his wake.

As he walked back into the room, the six beings occupying it looked at him.

"What did you tell her?" question Artemis.

"I told her that I would be gone for a while because I have been called away on business concerning an inheritance. She… She might have some idea, but if she did, she didn't let on. She's… She just needs someone with her for a little while. I just want to make sure that she's ok."

"We shall, Mamoru-kun," said Rei.

"Arigato," he said before heading towards the exit. He turned to look back at each of them. "If anything does happen to me though, tell her I'm sorry."

The four girls nodded solemnly.

Mamoru then walked out of the apartment, though whether or not it would be the last time, he didn't know.

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The following morning, Sailor Mars escorted Usagi home. The raven haired young miko was surprised when they not only embraced their daughter tearfully, but her as well. They muttered soft words of thanks to the raven haired senshi, asking her to relay the message to anyone who had any part in bringing their daughter home.

Mars nodded, and as she turned to leave, Usagi's mother sent her daughter, son, and husband inside before calling out to the young senshi.

"Sailor Mars, might I ask you something?" the blue haired woman inquired.

"I suppose…" Mars said hesitantly. "What is it you wish to ask?"

"My daughter. She's involved deeper in this than anyone has let us know. That much I have gathered on my own, and my intuition has led me to believe one thing. There is only one person who could be put in so much danger for such seemingly simple reasons." For a moment, the older woman hesitated. "Usagi-chan… She's Sailor Moon isn't she?"

Mars blinked, but nodded. "That's correct. Can I have your word that you will not tell anyone this? She's been… She's been through a great deal over the recent past, and she doesn't deserve the stress that comes with being unmasked to the public."

"I'll keep her secret. I honestly had no intention of telling it. I just wanted to know for sure. Just… There is one more thing that I need to ask you. I hope you do not mind, but what happened to the young man, Tuxedo Kamen? I thought that he would have accompanied her home," Ikuko questioned. "When he was here last, he seemed almost devoted to her. That much is even more apparent when considering Usagi's… Public persona."

Mars looked to the blue haired woman and sighed. "He was… Devoted so much that he's gone to try and do everything he can to ensure her safety. She doesn't know, and we're trying to protect her from finding out what he is doing. Knowing that he's going to possibly sacrifice himself to ensure her safety could prove to be too much for her."

"I think I understand. Thank you, Sailor Mars."

The senshi of fire simply nodded in response before walking away leaving the woman with thoughts concerning just who her daughter really was weighing upon her mind and her heart.

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Two nights later as the time neared midnight, just as two of the girls were preparing to go to bed, and the others were up working on all that they could to try and track Tuxedo Kamen's progress against the Dark Kingdom.

It was in those moments that the four girls were forced to stop what they each were doing and jumped to their feet after receiving an unconsciously psychic cry that rang throughout each of their heads. A cry which no one knew the meaning of, but intended to find out as soon as possible.

They each quickly henshined and raced to Usagi's home to find Luna as well as Usagi's parents trying to comfort the young blonde as she clutched to her breast a small wilted rose.

In all of the commotion, while only one small black cat noticed the incandescent gem lying helplessly on the floor, no one noticed the small rosebud that had developed and was quickly getting ready to bloom.

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That is it for this fic. I have started on the sequal. Hopefully everyone will enjoy it as much as they enjoyed Sanctuary. I'll try to post soon, but since I am at home over the winter break, it might be a while.