Serenity and Endymion. Usagi and Mamoru. Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. Whatever their identities and whatever the era, one thing always remains constant between these two souls. Mixed manga/anime canon. Written for UsaMamo Week 2022 Day 7 'Rebirth and/or Mirror' and the 30th Anniversary of the Miracle Romance.

Rated: T -Romance/Humor - Words: 2,908 - Mamoru C./Darien S./Tuxedo Kamen, Usagi T./Serena/Bunny/Sailor Moon, Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion

A/N: This fic is a gift for ReisPinkOveralls

I'd like to thank Heavenly Pearl for beta reading this story for me!

Mamoru's hands were slowly moving upwards when she stopped kissing him.

For an instant, he felt a flash of annoyance, but it was swiftly replaced by mild concern. Had he done something wrong?

"Could you…close your eyes?" Her voice was slightly tentative.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"I have a little surprise for you. So…close your eyes?"

Mamoru did as she asked. The sound of rustling fabric tempted him to peek, but he held his resolve.

"Alright, open them."

She was illuminated only by the neon city lights from beyond the window. Despite this, Mamoru could clearly make out each and every rose printed against the black underwear.

At first his eyes widened. Then they abruptly shut as he began to laugh.

"Mamo-chan!"

Mamoru's laughter died down. Through slightly teary eyes, he beheld his girlfriend's angry and embarrassed face, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"I'm sorry, I really am. You…you just caught me off guard, is all."

In a huff, she crossed her arms and looked away from him, her face fixed into a pout.

Composing himself, Mamoru gently closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her waist. She still refused to look at him, but her composure began to falter as he started to plant kisses up her neck.

"So…you like it?" she breathed out.

"I do. Thank you."

At last, he made it to her lips.

"I love you, Usagi..."

Fancy clothes. A windswept drive. Dinner by candlelight. And now…

Usagi had almost forgotten her flailing efforts to prepare for the evening, how worked up she'd been to make tonight…Well, "perfect" wasn't the right word.

Sophisticated.

Satisfying.

And, at this specific moment, sexy.

After her previous efforts on this front hadn't quite worked out, she'd opted to leave the rose print underwear at home and go with something more understated.

It wasn't that their previous date had been unenjoyable; far from it. It wasn't even that she disbelieved him when he said he liked her little gift. It was just…It hadn't been the effect she'd been after.

Having observed (not spied) and overheard (definitely not eavesdropped) Haruka and Michiru about a week ago, Usagi had been motivated to emulate the pair. She wanted to feel as elegant as Michiru. She wanted to be as confident as Haruka. And, most of all, she wanted to have the same effect on Mamoru they seemed to have on each other; and just about everyone else for that matter.

Unfortunately, she'd tried to run before she could crawl. Those particular black and red garments were always going to be associated with the time she tried to be a sexy and sophisticated seductress but had merely made her boyfriend split his sides instead. She was certain he felt the same way, too. He'd kept giving her odd looks all night, after all. He must've been wondering if he was in store for another good laugh tonight.

Although, right now, he didn't seem to be in a particularly humorous mood, nor a romantic one for that matter.

She was lying in the bed, raised upon her elbow, and down to her underwear. He had one knee on the mattress and was topless, but seemed hesitant to go further. His body had stiffened and his jaw had clenched.

Oh no! Had she done something wrong? Had her efforts for a mature and perfect evening made him feel pressured?

Or worse, was she somehow turning him off? Rei had warned her not to have three desserts at the Crown!

"…You alright?" she asked, hesitant herself now.

"Y-yeah. It's just…" He sighed. Then, almost under his breath, he muttered, "This wasn't exactly how I wanted this to go…" He sighed again and reached for his buckle.

In confusion, Usagi watched as his pants came off and hit the floor.

Something welled up in her stomach, made its way up her chest, her throat, and finally reached her face. It was too much. She couldn't control herself. She burst into laughter. Her guffawing intensified as she continued to behold the light pink boxers dotted with cartoonish white bunny heads.

A good half-minute later, her vision cleared enough for her to spot a crimson face of embarrassment looming over her. She felt guilty, although not enough to stymie her laughter. Raising onto her knees, she moved her hands up his chest to his shoulders and pulled him towards her.

"Thank you," she tittered, planting a kiss on him.

And she meant it.

Alright, maybe they weren't much like Haruka and Michiru. But maybe they didn't need to be either.

His face was still red, but no longer due to embarrassment.

"I love you, Mamoru…"

Lightning cracked.

Thunder clapped.

Usagi instinctively pressed herself into Mamoru.

If she'd been more on time, maybe they could've gotten a different table, one that didn't have a window view. Or at least one that didn't force them to sit side-by-side.

She heard a light chuckling noise and glared at Mamoru in annoyance.

"Don't laugh! I was caught in a storm when I was little. I've been scared of the thunder ever since. It's not like I'm just being childish!"

Shaking his head, Mamoru suppressed his laughter but was clearly still amused.

"I didn't think you were being childish. It was just sort of so…so surreal I couldn't help but laugh."

"Surreal?"

"The most powerful woman in the universe-"

"Scared of a little thunder?" she cut in.

He shook his head again. "The most powerful woman in the universe turning to me."

Usagi was taken aback. "Come again?"

"I just mean…" His brow furrowed as he searched for the right words, "Compared to you, I'm nowhere close to your level. I'm not capable of doing even half of what you can do. I never really could."

"What're you talking about? You've always protected me."

He gave her a small smile. "And I always will. But let's be honest, when push comes to shove, I can only do so much. You're already so powerful, and you're growing so much more powerful…" He gave her a casual shrug, "You don't really need me to protect you. My…" A haunted look crossed his face for just a moment. "My 'time away' proved that…"

Mamoru had been perfectly casual about what he'd said. Nevertheless, his words made Usagi ache inside.

"I would never have grown this powerful if it wasn't for you. Even during my first night with Luna, I'd have died if not for you. I'd never have finished off that monster if it wasn't for you. I can't count the number of times you were there for me. Or the number of times I made myself stronger because I thought I might lose you…Or because I had lost you and wanted to get you back…"

Mamoru's casual demeanor dissipated.

"I know I'm more powerful than you. And maybe you're right. Maybe I don't, strictly speaking, need you to protect me…But I still want you to…"

The blues of their eyes locked.

"…I still appreciate it. I haven't played hero in a long time, but it wasn't easy. It was stressful and really, really, really scary. But it was a whole lot less scary because in my heart I knew that there would always be someone there for me no matter what." Their faces grew closer. "Someone who wasn't as powerful as me, who couldn't do it for me. But who, despite the risks to themself, could make it just a little bit easier for me…" She lowered her voice. "…Who cared enough that they wanted to make it a little bit easier for me…"

A flash from beyond the window.

A booming rumble that seemed to invade every corner.

Usagi recoiled away, giving a little yelp.

Usagi berated herself for ruining the moment. She rallied herself, and tried to deflate some of her embarrassment.

"Hope this storm doesn't last all week. Otherwise, I'll never get any sleep back at my dorm," she said, her tone lighthearted. It was then that she noticed Mamoru hadn't moved at all.

"If it does, then maybe…maybe this might help?" He lifted his hand from beneath the table, the item within it appearing as though from thin air. "It might…make it a little bit easier…"

Gently, Usagi took the rose from his hand.

Another flash.

Another booming rumble.

Usagi didn't notice as she pressed her lips to his and whispered.

"I love you…Tuxedo Mask…"

It was a dark and cloudy night, the start of a new moon. And Mamoru was just fine with that. After all, it was never really that dark in Tokyo.

The restaurant was dimly lit. And Mamoru was just fine with that too. Really, he was.

The waiter showed them to the table tucked away in the corner, a single candle its only source of illumination. And Mamoru was…

He took a look at Usagi's face. Her eyes had a starry quality to them. He'd seen it countless times whenever she found something particularly dreamy or romantic.

He'd be fine.

For her, of course, he'd be fine.

He just had to…

"What's the matter?"

Usagi was tilting her head in befuddlement.

"Nothing."

"You don't like the table, sir?" asked the waiter.

"It'll be fine."

"Are you sure? We could always move?" Usagi turned to the waiter, "Right?"

"Of course. Would you prefer this one?"

He indicated towards another table, this one considerably brighter.

"Mamo-chan?"

"I…It's…Sure…If you don't mind, Usako?"

The confusion deepened on her face. "Of course not. It's your birthday after all."

A few minutes later, they were sitting at the table and observing the menus in silence. Mamoru made a show of nodding his head in approval. "They have a great selection here." He could feel her eyes upon him. "To be honest, though, I'd have been happy with something more modest. You didn't need to go all out on a place like this, Usako."

No good. She was still staring at him.

"Mamo-chan…what was that all about earlier?"

He rallied himself to cover, deflect, and otherwise avoid giving her a proper answer. In the end, he decided to invoke 'birthday privileges' and simply tell her he didn't want to talk about it right now. However, he made the mistake of reflexively looking up to address her. Inevitably, he was lost in the unadulterated concern in her face.

A slightly out of body experience overtook him as he replied, almost like he was speaking on 'autopilot'.

"I've told you before about how…How I lost my parents. How I lost my memories…And how it happened on my birthday…"

Usagi carefully nodded in acknowledgment.

"Well...the doctors told me about that the first day I woke up after the accident. I don't know why exactly, but every birthday I remember that first day…and that first year after the accident."

He paused, unsure how to proceed, lost in memory.

"…I can understand how your birthday would make you think back to that time. But...But I don't get what the table has to do with it?" Usagi seemed to catch herself, a glimmer of shame passing across her face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't press you. We don't need to talk ab-"

"No, no. It's fine really. It…" He pressed his lips together for a moment before proceeding. "When I woke up, I was really confused. And alone. And it was…dark. It was the middle of the night. So I guess because of that, maybe I sort of…" his eyes narrowed slightly, "I sort of developed a fear of the dark."

Mamoru wasn't looking at Usagi now. He could still feel her eyes on him, but he didn't dare look, afraid he might be unable to continue if he did.

"It might have been more than that, though. I was in the hospital for a long time, and they didn't have too much space. I had to make do, so you know…it was dark most nights. It wasn't much different at the orphanage either."

"Didn't they let you have a night light or something?" she asked quietly.

He gave a little shake of his head.

"I didn't have a room to myself, and it would've disturbed too many of the other kids. A few times I tried it, they got rowdy with me."

"Y-you were bullied?"

"No. Not really. Not more than any of the other kids. We all had it a little bit at one time or another. It was normal." He shrugged.

"So you spent every night afraid of the dark…for a whole year?"

"No. Not every night. My…" Mamoru stopped himself. He'd replied without thinking and now felt embarrassed.

"…Your what…?" Usagi caught herself, obviously ashamed that she'd pressed him after all. Mamoru hated seeing her like that.

"…My bed was near the window so sometimes, if the skies were clear…I could see the Moon. That'd make me feel a little better." He saw the shame dissipate from Usagi's face. He could've stopped there, but something inside pressed him onwards. "Every other night, though, I felt like the darkness was going to eat me. Like it was clawing at me." There was a detached quality to his voice. "I used to…I used to wish someone was there to protect me. Someone gutsy enough to stand up to the monsters in the dark...or kind enough to just tell me it'd be alright…" He was back there. At the orphanage. In the dark. All alone. "Eventually, I began imagining I was that person. But every night, for a long time, I always hoped someone like that might still…"

"Mamo-chan…" her voice sounded distant, "Tonight, when you are lying in the dark…" and gentle, "…I could hold your hand…"

The restaurant was still dimly lit, and yet Mamoru could see Usagi all too clearly.

He leant over, joining his lips to hers just as she joined her hand to his.

"I love you…Sailor Moon…"

Ami and Mamoru had explained that technically the big event would be next year. Nobody else cared.

Minako meanwhile had sourced the venue and party. It was an 'American themed' party, though few people had dressed in the stars or stripes. The emphasis was placed more upon the large silver ball that was set to drop soon enough and, Minako had delightedly explained, the American 'tradition' when the countdown hit zero.

Makoto had danced. Rei had argued. Usagi had just about avoided drinking anything.

Now the moment was almost upon them.

"FIVE!"

Motoki and Reika moved closer to one another.

"FOUR!"

As did Ami and Makoto.

"THREE!"

Yuichiro blushed crimson, prompting Rei to roll her eyes as she threw her arms around him.

"TWO!"

Minako's eyes darted across the room, uncertain which guy to choose.

"ONE!"

Haruka and Michiru stood stoic, but no one doubted they'd go for it when the time came.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

A blazing '2000' lit up as the silver ball reached its destination.

Everyone at the party locked lips. But there was one couple that held their kiss for a moment longer than everyone else. Upon parting, and despite the noise, they could still make out one another's softly spoken words.

"I love you…Endymion…"

"I love you…Serenity…"

A/N: I freely admit I am being very 'loose' with this final day's theme by having the ends of each scene 'mirror' each other.

The inspiration for this fic was kind of a spin-off from what I did for Mamoru's 30th anniversary fic where I explored his different identities. It seemed appropriate for the day's theme and for the 30th anniversary. One of the scenes also took inspiration from ironically a British sitcom that nevertheless had a very touching scene in it.

A big thank you to DinkyCharlie, Silver and A_Reptile_Dysfunction for organizing UsaMamo Week 2022!

Also, just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!