"The Silver Crystal... Gather the Rainbow Crystals to grant me the Silver Crystal..."

Her distant figure was a shimmering deity upon the balcony, just far enough away that he could not make out her features. She had her back to him, but he could tell she was a beautiful woman; long, flowing light hair and a billowing white gown. He did not know her name, nor even her face, despite the fact that she haunted his dreams nearly every night. But he knew her. He could not say how... only that she was the key to everything. Every cell in his body thrummed to do her bidding.

"Grant me the Silver Crystal... and all will be revealed... The truth of your past..."

Mamoru jolted awake in a cold sweat. His eyes flickered wildly over to the clock at his bedside before relaxing ever so slightly upon seeing that while it was way past his usual alarm, it was Saturday - he hadn't needed to set it before bed. Sunlight streamed in from between the slats in the generically beige curtains, the errant rays warming whatever part of the covers they hit. It was this coruscating display Mamoru chose to focus on as he gasped gently, dragging himself from the last dregs of his dream.

The Princess.

It was what he had been referring to her as, and though he had no proof, the title just felt... right.

She was his nightly specter... his reason for all that he did as Tuxedo Kamen.

Or... so he'd always thought.

But somehow along the way, his emotions had gotten entangled with the welfare of that other mysterious blonde-haired woman, Sailor Moon. Her unexplained disappearance was becoming his new obsession... almost more than collecting the Crystals. He buried his face in his hands, feeling inexplicably guilty. That dream had been like the metaphorical shaking of his shoulders from the Princess... a reminder of what he should be doing. Unlocking the secrets of his past was very important to him. But he couldn't. Not yet. Not until he knew what had happened to Sailor Moon, could he truly focus on his mission. It was becoming next to impossible.

And then there was the other blonde.

Lord help him, three blondes were wreaking havoc on his life, and he was helpless to their whims. He didn't have a type, oh no, not at all!

He never would have believed it... never would have thought in a million years that Tsukino Usagi would have carved out a space in his heart. But he cared about her. Was invested fully in not just her recovery... but her happiness, too. He ached to see the spark of joy in her face; that massive smile only she could produce. It was strangely intoxicating. He still found himself replaying that moment he gave her the cane...

Which is why it had been a most difficult decision, cancelling their lessons for this weekend.

He would make it up to her. Oh, would he ever. He was almost embarrassingly excited about it. After a few sort of torturous days of (trying and failing) to teach her Braille... they both deserved a fun break from the books.

But first, there was something he needed to do. Something that, hopefully, would succeed at putting his mind at ease about Sailor Moon. Because he just couldn't stand not knowing anymore.

He would get answers... one way or another.

And he knew just the person to help him with that.

oOo

She entered the room and immediately screamed.

Inside, he cringed.

He hadn't been trying to go for imposing or menacing or creepy as hell standing in the middle of a schoolgirl's bedroom but... he supposed it couldn't be avoided. He hadn't known where else to deliver this message to her than at her house, and he really hadn't wanted to accidentally encounter her mother so...

Osaka Naru made to bolt from the room but in barely two seconds flat, Mamoru had crossed the floor and gently grabbed her wrist.

"Please... don't run. I won't hurt you. Do you know who I am?"

"T-T-Tuxedo Kamen," Naru stuttered out, torn between staring terrified at his masked face and the ajar balcony door. He jerked his head that direction.

"You shouldn't leave that unlocked, you know."

She didn't even twitch at his bad joke, so he sighed, getting right down to it.

"I'm only here to ask a favor of you. You know Sailor Moon. So I need you to pass a message on to her. I wish to give her my Rainbow Crystals. Tell her to meet me at 11pm, tonight, at the clock tower in Juban Cemetery. I will not give her this chance again. Alright?"

He hadn't exactly considered what he would do with the Crystals if she did show. But he would figure that out later. For now he simply hoped that the offer whet her appetite; would coax her out of hiding like nothing else had yet. Perhaps they could reach some sort of deal... the Moon Senshi did, after all, still hold the Yellow Crystal in her possession.

But he was more concerned with knowing she was still alive.

Naru couldn't speak; she just opened her mouth and let out an apprehensive little squeak that Mamoru took for affirmation. He nodded briskly and let her go, not even looking back as he swept from the room and out the balcony from whence he came.

Step one, initiated.

Naru was in a state when she called Usagi, begging to come over with something that "just couldn't wait". She was almost in hysterics, to the point where Usagi was all ready to saddle up, truck herself over to Umino's and murder the idiot genius for breaking her best friend's heart.

She was almost floored with surprise when the reason for Naru's panic was nothing to do with Umino at all.

"No. No way! Tuxedo Kamen-sama was at your house!?"

Naru nodded tearfully, leaning forward on Usagi's bed to grab up her friend's hands as she filled the girl in on what had occurred. Usagi could hardly keep her jaw off her lap. Had it really been him? It sounded like him. But what brought this on, out of the blue? Maybe... maybe he was having a change of heart and wanted to join Crystals with the Senshi! Luna had said all would need to be combined for the Princess and her legendary Silver Crystal to appear; the princess with ultimate power to defeat the Dark Kingdom. That it was their duty to protect this woman. Could Tuxedo Kamen want that too? But then, why had he been stealing them in the first place?

Usagi shook herself from going too far down that road; she still had a very frightened guest to comfort.

"I just don't understand!" Naru was practically wailing. "Why me? I don't know Sailor Moon! I can't pass on a message like that! And what if he gets angry when I can't do it, what if he comes after me-"

"Hey." Usagi shifted one of her hands out of Naru's death-grip to firmly grasp her shoulder. She gave it a quick squeeze. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama is one of the good guys, right? He's always with the Sailor Senshi. He's good." She wasn't sure who she was trying to convince, herself or Naru, but the latter seemed to be hanging on to every hopeful word so Usagi kept going. "He probably just figured since you've been involved in so many battles, you might know Sailor Moon."

"But I don't," Naru choked. "I never wanted any of that!"

Usagi hesitated. She bit the inside of her cheek, wondering how much trouble she was going to be in for doing this, but - "I think I know someone. A friend of a friend who claims to have some sort of 'in' with Sailor Moon. If you want, I can pass the message on to them and then, hopefully, it will get to her."

"Oh, Usagi-chan! Do you think that would work?" Naru asked around a sniffle, her voice already becoming lighter and less burdened. Her shoulder that Usagi was still clutching contorted, as if she were reaching up to dab at her eyes.

"I think it would," Usagi said soothingly. "But on one condition - don't tell Umino about this, kay? You know how he is. He'd want to go to the cemetery tonight and be right in the thick of the action. He'd risk his life just for some stupid pictures or something."

"Ugh, tell me about it," Naru moaned.

"And you stay away too," Usagi urged. "You did what he asked. Now hopefully he'll leave you alone and he can discuss whatever he needs to discuss with Sailor Moon."

Her heart gave a couple strange thrills at the thought. Whether they were of the pleasant or unpleasant variety, Usagi still wasn't sure. It would help if she knew what to expect. Could this be it - the turning point in the war? Was Tuxedo Mask finally officially going to join their side?

"So what do you suppose Rainbow Crystals are?" Naru suddenly wondered aloud, her unexpected curiosity nearly causing Usagi another coronary. She hastened to adopt a look of stupefied innocence.

"Erm... Beats me."

oOo

"No."

"But Rei-chan...!"

"How many times do I have to tell you? No!" The sound of Rei's pacing stopped as she pivoted to face Usagi, seated by the coffee table on the floor in Rei's bedroom. "No, no, no, NO!"

Usagi huffed in frustration, gazing over to where she knew Makoto and Ami to be, seeking their back-up. But she would find none.

"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. I'm with Rei-chan on this one," Makoto sighed.

"Ami-chan? Ami-chan, please! I know him. I know this won't work. If you'd just let me-"

"The idea has merit," Ami conceded, but Usagi sensed the soul-crushing however headed her way, and she was not disappointed. "However - only if this is not some ruse on his part. And we have really no way of gauging his true intentions. I for one think that the likelihood of Tuxedo Kamen wanting to capitulate is very slim. It doesn't fit his M.O. up until this point. So no. Rei-chan's right. We're not sending you out there as Sailor Moon. It's a risk we cannot afford to take."

"He would see immediately that you're blind," Rei continued. "It's all in the eyes. And if he realized you were vulnerable, we would probably be too far to come to your aid in time, should he choose to attack you."

Usagi frowned, a sick feeling taking over her stomach, and she curled her arms around herself. She swallowed painfully when a warm hand perched itself on her back, rubbing a gentle circle.

"We only want to keep you safe," Makoto said. "Your life isn't worth a couple Crystals to us. And you're not ready to be fighting any battles yet."

"But it won't become a battle," Usagi pled for them to understand. "Tuxedo Kamen-sama is not our enemy... He's protected me so many times. Why would he do that if he wasn't on our side! It just doesn't make sense! He's good... I know it!"

There was silence following this pronouncement; silence that was rife with looks being exchanged over her bent head, she was sure. Probably all full of exasperation and sympathy and regret. She waited for the figurative pat on the head and to be told to wait here like a good little useless Senshi.

It didn't take long.

Some failed arguments later, Usagi was left alone with Luna at the shrine while the girls went to go stake out the cemetery. In Rei's defense, she had taken pity on the odangoed blonde after her harsh words of earlier and gave an uncharacteristic hug to Usagi, asking her to please stay the night - that as soon as this meeting with Tuxedo Kamen was concluded, they'd fill her in on everything, then spend the rest of the night pigging out just like the sleepovers of old. Normally that would have excited Usagi. But when she called her Mama to let her know the night's plans, it was all she could do to hurry the conversation along before she broke down.

She should be out there with them.

She should be out there... for him.

Usagi crawled into Rei's bed, shaping herself into a miserable ball, only adjusting when she felt Luna paw her way up under her chin. She held the cat close, and they simply laid there, neither saying a word.

It was going to be a very long night, and she had a terrible feeling the news she was waiting for would not be the news she wanted.

The moon cut a striking figure in the sky, the sharp-edged crescent casting only the most minimal of light. It was the perfect night in which to conduct illicit dealings, with the cemetery as empty and silent as its inhabitants... all but the man lurking upon the clock tower, and his quarry below. He watched as she leaned upon the unwavering marble, looking darkly but determined. But she was not the one he sought.

"You're not Sailor Moon," he observed, the tone unaffected, and when she pushed off the wall to whip her raven head towards him he made sure his pose looked the same. Legs crossed, weight resting on his elbows, cape splayed out behind him. She only let her shock show for the briefest moment, then her expression schooled once more. She's a seasoned vet at this, isn't she, he thought belatedly. Her whole demeanor shifted to mirror his, but instead of the lower half she crossed her arms tightly over her chest.

"Very astute," the warrior drawled, piercing purple-onyx eyes staring unblinkingly up at him. "Would you like an ovation?"

"I asked for Sailor Moon," Mamoru said, cocking a brow at her from behind his trademark white mask. "I was very specific."

"Well perhaps something got, ah... lost in translation," the Senshi replied, still in that irritatingly bored sort of tone. But there was a spark of fire in her eyes when she narrowed them slightly at him. "Don't ever use that unreliable method of delivery again. Osaka Naru is nothing but a civilian; she's not involved in this battle in any way and will only compromise us and you. Presuming you are on our side, Tuxedo Kamen."

"It was a one time thing," the ebony-clad crusader promised, and in one swift movement he leapt from the tower, landing gracefully, almost cat-like, upon his feet. He straightened and donned a small, lopsided smirk. "Sailor Mars."

If anything, she looked even more annoyed.

"Dear me. Have I lost all my charm?"

He hadn't interacted very often with this particular Senshi, and he was coming to realize it was something he should count his blessings for. She was blunt, bordering on nasty.

"What do you want?" Mars sneered. Tapping one gloved finger with impatient incessancy.

"I think I was pretty clear in my message. I want to meet with Sailor Moon. Then, and only then, will I consider a surrender of my Rainbow Crystals."

"Well, you're out of luck. Sailor Moon isn't here so you've got me."

Mamoru scoffed. His eyes began to scan the surrounding area, soon alighting upon a dense thicket of bushes set between a copse of trees. "I hardly doubt it's just you and I. Your little posse is never far behind. Where is she?"

Mars stepped unflinchingly into his vision, blocking sight of the bushes. Her eyes flashed fire again. "She's not here. So if you want to do business, I suggest you take it up with me."

Mamoru snapped his head back to properly accost her, leaning in, their angry faces only inches apart. "I'll say this one more time. I will not play games with you. Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon alone is who I wish to speak with. If she's not here, then we have nothing to discuss and the Crystals stay with me."

"Why do you want them? What need of yours is greater than keeping the world safe from the evil clutches of the Dark Kingdom?" Mars shot at him, but Mamoru would not be deflected. He shook his head at her in disgust.

"My reasons are my own. And if you cannot procure Sailor Moon for me, then you are of no use to me, and this was nothing but a failed endeavor. Goodbye, Sailor Mars," he said harshly, turning his back. No sooner had he done so when he felt the beginnings of scorching heat building behind him.

"Fire Soooo-!"

She was unable to finish; the power of flame dying on her fingertips as surely as her breath when Mamoru's extendable cane caught her flush between the ribs. He shoved Mars up against the clock tower and growled fiercely at her, pinning her there with the cane.

"What are you playing at!?"

Mars' voice was deathly cold as she glared into his eyes, but it felt like his very soul. She didn't even struggle. It was disconcerting. "There's no two ways about it. You're either with us, or against us. So if you walk away now, with the Crystals, there is no further doubt about you. You're our enemy."

Off in the distance, Mamoru heard calls of "Mars!" A quick glance told him it was a worried Sailors Mercury and Jupiter, jumping from out of the bushes he'd pegged them to be hiding in earlier... and still no sign of the missing blonde member of their team. They were running for the dais, lurching up the stairs, arms already raised and preparing to call forth their elements to do battle with the man threatening their fellow soldier. He had maybe seconds left. Seconds, in which to make a snap judgment decision.

If Sailor Moon was truly gone...

He really had no reason, no desire, to risk his life for these loud, boorish, inexperienced girls anymore. Because he realized... it had never been about them. Nor duty. Nor even about saving the world or 'the greater good'...

No... it had always been about her.

And without her...

"I guess I'm your enemy, then."

He pulled back, releasing her. He watched as the ice that had been in Mars' voice seeped into her eyes, the irises almost black with newfound hate, but still, she remained frozen to the marble. Just... staring at him. Like a warning. And it seemed to be intimating more than just an unspoken watch your back...

No, somehow he knew...

She was warning him away from someone.

"Shabon Spray!"

Mercury's fog descended on the group, but Mamoru was no stranger to this particular form of trickery. It was under the cloaking ability of her own attack that he slipped away from the Sailor Senshi, mind reeling with all that had transpired; all that had been revealed, and not revealed.

Sailor Moon was still alive.

Mamoru bounded along rooftops, keeping to the shadows, eyes on his high-rise gleaming under waxing moonlight.

He hadn't been certain before. Was even dreading the worst.

But now he knew, from the way Mars had been glaring so ferociously at him - like a provoked mama bear - that she was protecting her leader. All her non-answers about Sailor Moon's whereabouts suddenly made sense; were proof that somewhere out there, she lived, shielded by her Senshi. He didn't know why she was keeping away... Whether it was injury or choice... But she was still a part of this, somehow, and that gave him hope. Hope enough to chase away the heaviness that had settled in his gut at having spurned the other Senshi.

It might not have been the smartest idea to burn that bridge. He just prayed that one day he would have the chance to explain himself.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note: KAY SO I LIED. Not Mamo-only POV. As with all stories this chapter just started going in another direction than I had initially planned. Naru wasn't originally involved... but then I decided I liked Mamoru using her to relay a message better than my first plan! I hope you guys liked it! I drew somewhat from episode 43 for the location of the meet-up. My homage for one of my favorite episodes :)

Speaking of favorites! THANK YOU Ruk, Princesakarlita411, karseneau1, NikkiBC, JBubbles, Rufael, Daire123, and lolopptt for reaching out last chapter, y'all keep me motivated! So proud I managed to get this chapter out so quickly, and that's very much due to your feedback! Nothing would warm my heart more on this snowy snowy day than receiving a review letting me know what you thought this time around too ;)

Next chapter is Usagi's birthday! And it's a DOOZY! I might have also drawn from another season one episode... Any guesses which?

AngelMoon Girl