The monumental realization left Mamoru reeling within a very tangled mess of emotions. He was as elated as he was confused; it made so much sense and yet none at all. On one hand it felt wonderful, relieving even, to finally admit to himself what about Usagi had been causing such an intense reaction in him, especially lately. He felt supremely protective towards her; wanted so much to be the one to make her smile. She even commented blithely at one point that this had to be the longest he'd ever gone without teasing her; what he didn't tell her was that he was coming to prefer finding out all there was to know about the ever-surprising Tsukino Usagi instead.

But there was still Sailor Moon, and he couldn't lie, that blonde had intrigued him as well. It was not perhaps as fully formed a crush as the one he had on Usagi, but she was fierce and gutsy even through her sometimes goofy naivety, and he liked that. Something about her called to him like a siren song... literally. When she was in danger, it was like he knew exactly where to find her. But it had been a very long time since he'd felt that irresistible pull...

Speaking of pulls - Usagi's clutch on his hand was most insistent as she dragged him toward the midway, where all the attractions - and subsequently, loudest noises - were. Her eyes were like twin shards of light, glowing sapphires, such was her excitement. He soaked in every second.

"Woah there, Speed Racer - and just where are we off to?"

"The Ferris Wheel of course! I hope you're not afraid of heights!"

"If I was I wouldn't live at the tip-top of my apartment building," Mamoru joked. In reality, he wasn't a huge fan of amusement rides. But today, for her? He'd do just about anything she wanted.

Usagi slowed down soon as they hit the center of the action. She looked up at him with a pleading and bashful little smile. "Well... this is as far as I can take us. Now I'll follow your lead!"

He chuckled, now dragging her by the hand until they were in the Ferris Wheel line. Usagi bounced on the balls of her feet the entire wait.

"It sucks missing out on the cool city view. But I can't wait to feel the air whooshing as we drop. I love that sensation."

Mamoru slipped a few yen at the controller to take them round a couple extra times. The cabins were front-facing two-seaters, and Mamoru had to admit... he was immensely grateful for that fact. The traditional gondolas wouldn't have allowed him to feel every inch of Usagi's side squished up against his own. He helped buckle her in, which was difficult... she was still so excited she could barely keep still. The ride attendant made his final walk-through.

"Ready, miss?"

"Ready!" Usagi squealed, complete with a fist pump.

The Ferris Wheel gave a lurch. Usagi shouted with pure joy, throwing up her hands. Mamoru had never been very vocal on amusement rides; if anything he clammed up. But as soon as the wheel started turning and the wind blowing through their hair, he relaxed... enjoying the sight of Usagi, appendages flailing, odango sailing heavenward at the first drop. She shrieked with sheer delight as they made their downward descent... grabbing Mamoru's hand as the contraption executed its circuit and began again. His heart somersaulted.

"Don't clench the bar - hands in the air and let the moment take you!"

She pried him from his white-knuckled grip and illustrated once more the proper positioning. The lift continued up. "See... not scary!"

She was right - it was more fun this way.

The Ferris Wheel dipped and he felt it - he felt the moment take him. The whoosh, the free fall, the ruddy cheeks and the whoop in his throat. He glanced at Usagi and somehow she knew, or maybe she was looking first, he didn't know, but their gazes connected and though she could not see him... she did. Eyes were not necessary. It was as if their hearts were seeing each other instead. He just wondered what hers was saying about him.

oOo

They went on the Ferris Wheel at least three more times before Usagi had her fill, and then she was itching for the next thrill.

"Well... there's a Redman show happening over by the grandstand in just a few minutes," Mamoru said, scoping out the area, but Usagi's scoff was enough to stop him there.

"Blegh! Sounds boring. That's the kind of thing Umino will take Naru-chan to," she giggled. "Poor girl. What else is there?"

"Let's see... we've got a tilt-a-whirl, the carousel, looks like a fun house over there-"

"Yes!" Usagi exclaimed. "That! I want to do that!"

Of all the options... In line, Mamoru bent down to her just before it was their turn to enter. "Are you sure? Sometimes these things are a little creepy..."

"Mamoru-san. It's a fun house. Not a haunted house!"

"Yeah but still... those mirrors are weird."

Usagi snickered. "Well lucky for me, I don't have to see myself as an awkward giant."

"Touché!"

They were signaled in as a pair and Mamoru had to resist the urge to once again ask if she wanted to turn back. He just felt oddly disconcerted by these places. It reminded him of childhood nightmares. But Usagi was just too gosh darn happy and he decided to indulge her, guiding her through room by creepy room. Although he hated the maze-like section of umpteen distorted mirrors, the worst was probably the hall of textured walls. It felt like petting matted animal fur and snake scales all at once. Of course Usagi loved it.

There were two exits when they at last completed their hellish adventure. One was just a narrow door Mamoru had to crouch to get through. The other was a rotating tube that Mamoru was not surprised Usagi chose. She giggled and rolled and tumbled the whole crawl through. Okay... that had been mildly entertaining. Mamoru stifled a grin. Maybe the fun house wasn't so bad after all.

Back out front, Usagi tugged on his sleeve to go again. He groaned, but she immediately went into mollification mode. "It's okay, it's okay! I know you don't really like it," Usagi said graciously. "Just wait for me here?"

"You're going alone?" Mamoru's eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets at her uncharacteristic bravery. She shrugged like it was no big deal but even that failed to diffuse her true enthusiasm.

"If I did it once I can again, right? It wasn't too hard to follow the way... and I liked all the funny textures on my hand!"

He sighed, figuring it had to be a little different for her, what with relying so much on touch to be her gateway to the world. "I mean I guess if you want to go stroking snake skin again, be my guest!"

He took up vigil outside the fun house, crossing his arms. It was hard letting her go her own way, but he supposed, that's what this all was about, right? Teaching her how to live independently without her eye sight. Mamoru ignored the unsettled stirrings in the back of his mind that queried, where would that leave him, when she no longer required his services in her life? Would there still be a place for them as friends... or more?

He dearly hoped more.

Strangely... that prickly feeling in the back of his mind was increasing - becoming something else entirely. Mamoru shifted restlessly. He glanced uneasily to and fro. Something... didn't feel right. A dark foreboding, if he were to try to pinpoint it.

It was just as Mamoru had this thought that all the lights in the surrounding area began to sputter and flicker, before the electricity died entirely. A chorus of screams rent the air as everywhere, rides halted in their tracks.

Suddenly, he knew - without at all knowing how - that Usagi was in danger. It wasn't exactly like how he felt when Sailor Moon found herself in peril... she almost possessed her own homing beacon, such was the power of her magical signature... but it was eerily similar. Fierce in its own right. He could only attribute this to his growing connection with the blind girl.

Mamoru didn't hesitate - he bolted for the fun house just as the carnival erupted into madness around him.

The screams were Usagi's first indication that something was amiss. She froze with her hand on the glass, having reached the mirror room. All delight that had been urging her forward now seeped from her like a candle doused. She barely had time to wonder upon what was wrong when a bunch of things happened very quickly.

The floor beneath her began to vibrate like a raging stampede of wildebeests had overtaken the fun house. In actuality, it was all the occupants devolving into a complete state of panic, their terror at not being able to see in the dark spurring them into their most primal instincts which in an unfamiliar environment was - escape. At all costs.

Bodies began to blindly bumble their way through the hallways, and Usagi was helpless to react as people began to run past and into her, buffeting the teen this way and that. She cried out, struggling to keep her balance, but her plight was unnoticed under the pall of sheer darkness that had fallen and the crazed frenzy to evacuate. She tried to move off the wall and join the crowd, knowing she needed to get to safety, but a particularly strong arm caught her by surprise and knocked the wind out of her. She fell, twisting as she went, feeling the sudden sharp snap in her ankle at the unnatural motion.

Her fingers scrabbled for purchase but the floor was some sort of epoxy, smooth, giving none. And still, the bodies barreled by. She yelped when a foot trampled across her outstretched hand. She felt defenseless, weak, and it was the worst feeling in the world. In pain and unsure what to do anymore, Usagi curled in on herself, endeavoring to protect what she could from further harm. She pulled her knees to her chest and tucked her head into the cocoon of her arms. Although she was not swimming, she had the distinct impression that she was drowning...

Help... Please... Someone help!

A hand was suddenly on her back. Not rough, like those of before, but gentle. Purposeful.

She opened eyes she hadn't even realized she'd been clenching shut and he was there, her golden savior. Not just there but protecting her, shielding her with his body, shoving at those who got too close with a fiercely growled "Watch it! Get back!" that struck a chord somewhere deep inside her; reminded Usagi of... someone. But she was too dazed to pursue that train of thought, and even more dazed when he turned his voice on her, more kind and solicitous than she'd ever heard it from him.

"Usagi-san! Are you alright?"

The mob seemed to be thinning and screams dying off, but Usagi's ears still rang in the aftermath as he helped her to sit up. She gasped as her leg shifted.

"My- my ankle! I think it's sprained. What's happening!?"

"Do you trust me?"

"W-what?"

"Do you trust me?"

The intensity of the question, so out of the blue, had thrown her off, but she gathered her wits enough to answer that which she knew had grown to be true:

"Yes."

She remembered that day in the car as they drove to the garden; how outrageous it had seemed then that they should declare a truce, let alone build something so sacred as trust between them.

And now, here they were. She did trust him... as much as a member of her family; of her Senshi team. Amazing how something so profound had snuck up on her so quietly.

"Good. Then hold on tight." Startled, Usagi felt Mamoru's hands carefully reaching beneath her, and she was lifted up into his arms like precious cargo, held fast to his strong chest. Light jostling let her know he had begun to walk, but mercifully, he appeared mindful of her injured ankle as it did not bump into anything, not once. "The power went out. I'm not sure what happened but it's total chaos out there. We need to get to a safe spot."

The fact that he managed to track her down in the pitch black at great risk to himself was not lost on Usagi. They stumbled around for a few minutes until Mamoru was able to find the exit, the whole time Usagi clinging desperately to his neck. When they emerged outside it was obvious Mamoru had not exaggerated; there were even more people out here yelling and running for cover; from what, it was still not clear. But off in the not-too-far distance, there were great echoing rumbles seeming to shake the very earth and the acrid, pervasive smell of smoke. Mamoru sensed that she was afraid; her slight trembles gave her away.

"It's alright... I've got you... We're going to be okay."

There was a warm feeling that pulsed within her then, or maybe between them, as he whispered these reassurances into her ear and she hid her face against his chest. It was the same as when they shook hands and she had felt a strange flash of warmth and gold... she had almost forgotten about that, but now it was happening again, more powerful than the first time. His aura if possible gleaming even brighter to her. What was it? This feeling nearly impossible to describe that surrounded her and filled her and imbued her... It was like Mamoru's very essence but something so much more... and it was... calling to her...

"Usagi-san! Us- Odango! Talk to me!"

"H-huh?" Like ripped from a dream, Usagi shook herself and came to to Mamoru shouting at her, an edge of fear lacing his voice, and she blinked in confusion. She didn't appear to be in his arms anymore and was no longer feeling the goldeny warmth he had been exuding before, but still... something about him seemed different. The aura was definitely more pronounced. It loomed larger in her vision as Mamoru inched closer, placing a concerned hand on her cheek. She could feel spiky blades of grass and cold dirt beneath her hand, and the sounds of panic - while still present - seemed a little more muted here.

"You zoned out on me there... Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, I..." Usagi trailed off as she suddenly remembered something important. Something incredibly frightening to consider. "My friends! Naru-chan and Umino! They're here! They could be in danger! Oh god... oh no..."

"Usagi-san, calm down. They probably found shelter-"

"Please! Please, Mamoru-san!" Usagi gasped, reaching for him, squeezing at his shirt; his shoulders. The drowning feeling from before was starting to creep up on her... "You have to find them! I can't... they can't protect themselves..." She choked on the last like it was a sob, and maybe it would have been, if she could only breathe properly. The words I can't protect them playing over and over in her mind like some macabre chorus of a song she couldn't remember anymore. Mamoru sensed that she was bordering on hyperventilation and did the only thing he could; he promised to help.

"Okay... okay... just breathe, Usagi-san. Breathe! I'll go check, see if I can find them. You stay here, alright? Stay hidden. I'll be right back."

Usagi nodded as Mamoru raced back out into the fray to see what he could do; she meanwhile began to rock herself in a mostly futile attempt to self-sooth. So much worry gnawed upon her insides, like a beast uncaged. If anything happened to Naru or Umino she didn't know how she would bear it...

oOo

Mamoru did come back, but he was empty-handed. He rushed to assure Usagi that it was not for lack of success - he discovered the cause of all the commotion was a rogue youma at the Redman show, and that while Umino and Naru had indeed been in the thick of it, the Sailor Senshi arrived and ushered Usagi's friends to safety. Usagi released a long sigh of relief, muscles finally beginning to un-tense.

"They got the monster?"

"It's gone," Mamoru affirmed, but as an aside he murmured, "Still no Sailor Moon though."

Usagi swallowed loudly. She hurriedly stuck an arm out to him. "Help me up? I wanna see how bad this ankle really is."

Mamoru hurried to her side, grasping her beneath the elbow. "You know... it's no problem at all if you just want me to carry you to the car. No sense injuring it further-"

"Oh." Usagi furrowed her brow, flexing her foot this way and that.

"What?"

"Well... it twinges a bit. But nothing like before. Huh. It must have just seemed worse in the moment, I guess?" She could have sworn she sprained it back in the fun house. The initial pain had been agonizing.

"It definitely could have," Mamoru said, with a strange note in his voice. Usagi gazed up at him curiously but he was already switching topics.

"Power looks like it's back on but the park is pretty well cleared out now. Guess no one really feels in the mood anymore after that scare," he commented mildly. "I have to say I kind of agree... I'm so sorry your birthday was ruined, Usagi-san."

"Are you kidding me!? That was one of the best birthdays ever!" Usagi insisted, shaking at him with disbelief.

Mamoru's voice was rippling with either shock or humor when he replied - it was hard to discern. "Truly?"

"Truly! I had a blast! Well... minus the whole nearly-getting-trampled part," Usagi tacked on, cringing at the memory. But she sensed Mamoru needed the reassurance that she was really okay so she plastered on a cheerful smile. "Thank you. For getting us those tickets. It really was very thoughtful of you regardless of what happened and I had so much fun spending time with you today, Mamoru-san."

The man appeared lost for words after that, because it took him a while to respond.

"I... You're welcome. I had- so much fun with you, too."

He squeezed her elbow, and it was as if deeper emotions than what he was letting on were contained within that small gesture. They stood there for a moment, not moving. Then -

"So erm... where did you stow me away, anyway?"

"Oh... uh. I think it's some sort of food storage area? I snuck behind the vendors."

"Wait... are you telling me... I've been sitting next to free food all this time!?"

Mamoru couldn't help it - he laughed. And after the roller coaster ride today had been... it felt good.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note: That chapter was one I've been dying to write for a while. It's SO nice to finally put it out there and not just have it living solely in my head anymore ;) I continued to draw from episode 32, but I also - weirdly enough - was influenced by Stranger Things season 3. Funny where we find our inspiration!

Next chapter, Usagi makes a few shocking discoveries... ;)

BIG LOVE TO Ruk, Moon Bunny, moon romance, Princesakarlita411, Tina Century, Rufael, lolopptt, CassieRaven, MyIndy13, Daire123, and JBubbles for motivating me like no one and nothing else with your AWESOME reviews!

MWAH!

AngelMoon Girl