It was a long time before Usagi finally de-transformed. She couldn't say how long she simply sat there, in the guise of her alter ego, savoring the fuzzy black-and-white version of sight. When she did morph back into civilian form, the return of sudden darkness was rather like having a blanket tossed over her head - not such a scary thing anymore, especially when she knew there was light on the other side... and that it was at long last within reach. She felt so emboldened. She was blind and a superhero. Two things she never thought she could have together. She was whole again.

She went to bed that night with a gentle smile tugging at her slack features.

Morning, however, brought concerning news. Luna still wasn't home yet, so Usagi checked in on the communicator. The cat sounded exhausted when she picked up.

"Rei-chan and Ami-chan both developed fevers last night. I roused poor Mako-chan and together we managed to get them out of the water but... it was touch and go for a while. They're all still sleeping it off and likely will be for most of the day."

"I'll come over," Usagi insisted, gut clenching most uncomfortably. Luna shook her head.

"There's no point. We're fine now. They desperately need their rest so it's honestly better if you stay away. Anyway, don't you have a lesson with Mamoru-san in just a couple hours?"

Usagi crinkled her nose in suppressed irritation but she knew the feline was nothing if not stubborn. She wasn't going to win this one. And deep down, she knew Luna was right. The Senshi might not sleep if they knew she was there. She definitely didn't want to disturb their healing. Nothing was more important than refueling their magical reserves right now.

But Usagi had a new resolution, burning within her, decided the moment she transformed. She was not going to let them shoulder this burden anymore. No longer would they have to band together to use her crescent moon wand... no longer would they need to recover from a power that wasn't theirs. This forced convalescence would be their last. The next battle that came their way, she was going to be there too.

And she was going to reclaim her title.

oOo

Mamoru came to collect Usagi at their usual time, and almost immediately he inquired about her ankle.

"It's barely bothering me at all!" Usagi announced with relief evident. She still didn't understand how that was possible when it had hurt so horribly in the fun house; she could only chalk it up to heightened emotions. But still... it made her wonder.

"So if you were to walk a lot...?"

Usagi cocked her head at the weird phrasing but answered in the affirmative; it wasn't until later that she connected the dots. When Mamoru's car veered off from their usual route to his apartment sooner than expected, she looked to him in open confusion.

"Mamoru-san, what...?"

He set the vehicle into park and coyly ignored her question. "C'mon, let's get out."

Usagi was utterly flummoxed, but she complied. The door opened into a bustle of activity. This was clearly a congested area, and over the swell of many voices was a lingering scent of... Usagi sniffed the air... smoke? The loud locomotor whistle that followed cemented her suspicions. "The train station? What are we doing here?" She narrowed her eyes at the breathtakingly golden aura that drew closer to her. "What are you up to, Chiba Mamoru?"

This time Mamoru replied, and it was accompanied by a ginger hand reaching out to the collar of her floral pink sundress. Her skin tingled where his brushed against it. "I saw you had the necklace on again. I know you wear it when you're troubled. I figured what would one more day of skiving off hurt?"

Usagi's face melted into a cheeky grin that nearly split the sides of her cheeks. "I have been a bad influence on you, haven't I? You better be careful. I'll start wearing it all the time now!" Inwardly, her heart skipped beats that he would remember such a small throwaway thing about her.

"Tomorrow it's back to the books," Mamoru warned with a stern finger wagging. "I will teach you Braille, if it's the last thing I do! But... I couldn't in good conscience drag you off to do something you hate when I know you're not feeling your best. Sometimes... mental health is more important than studying and schooling. Know what I mean?"

Usagi let out an expiratory noise. "I do."

"So," Mamoru continued, the grin back on his face and in his voice. "We're going on a little impromptu adventure. You in?"

"Don't I get to know where we're ah, taking a train ride to?" the girl pressed, gaze flickering towards the source of all the hubbub.

"And ruin the surprise?" Mamoru clucked. "Not a chance, Odango Atama!"

The old nickname sounded different coming off his lips now. It was no longer tainted by an insulting affect; instead, it was playful... endearing, even. What a difference just a few weeks of holding constant company could make. In a roundabout way, it reminded Usagi of the unexpected trust he had garnered in her, and it was with this in mind that she proclaimed, "Alright, alright - I'm in! But you better not breathe a word of this to my Mama, she'll start getting suspicious as to your intentions!"

Mamoru chuckled deep and rumbly. "I wonder sometimes about her intentions."

"Yeah, me too," Usagi rolled her eyes, beginning to follow as Mamoru led them to a row of ticket booths, her cane tapping away. She felt that they were treading somewhat slippery ground with where this conversation was heading, and since she definitely didn't want to expound upon on her mother's apparent desire for more to happen between them, she left it at that. No need to over-inflate the man's ego with tales of how handsome Mama thought he was, and what a good catch he would make.

Usagi blushed.

Mamoru's attention was luckily on the man in the booth, and Usagi arched a single brow in frank interest when she heard that he had ordered two round trip tickets to Chigasaki.

Why on earth were they going there, nearly an hour away?

A beach.

But not just any beach. A mostly hidden cove that few knew of, save the locals. It wasn't really swimming friendly, because the waterline was heavily strewn with rocks and coral and shells alike, but it was peaceful, and most every time Mamoru went he was either the only beachcomber there or close to it. It was the kind of place one could give their cares over to; the kind of place a person felt truly one with nature at. It was Mamoru's hope that the sea air and a plethora of new and interesting textures for Usagi to explore would help drive her mind away from whatever dark cloud had been plaguing it. He didn't think it was the carnival; she had seemed so adamant that their time together was enjoyed. Too, it had been a long time since he had seen her so blissfully happy (hence the unplanned trip to Chigasaki in hopes of bringing back that joy). But he remembered she had also worn the locket yesterday when he picked her up, and spoke vaguely of a difficult weekend. It was strange. On one hand, she carried herself a little differently today. More sure of herself. On the other, she still possessed a certain haunted quality in her expressive eyes. Whatever had happened, it seemed to be trailing her like a persistent specter. Mamoru would be lying if he said he wasn't dying to know just what this troublesome weekend had entailed. He was no therapist and would never pretend to be so for Usagi, but he had visited his fair share over the course of his lifetime to know talking it out really did help ease psychological pain.

Maybe it was time for part two of that game Usagi came up with?

Mamoru cleared his throat. They were seated across from each other in the moving train car, the world flying by their large picture window, Usagi oblivious to all but the crepe she was mowing down that he had graciously purchased for her off the snack trolley. There was pure pleasure painted across her face.

"Hey... do you remember that game, truth for a truth?"

Usagi looked up at him, flecks of powdered sugar stuck in the corners of her mouth. Mamoru itched with some insatiable need to clean them for her. And not with his hands. He swallowed thickly and forced his attention back to the matter at hand. He observed as she inclined her head, curiosity flickering on like a light bulb in those fathomless blue eyes.

"Yes," she hedged, cautiously.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to play a round or two... you know, help pass the time. Same rules as before, of course. If a question is too personal no need to answer. Especially if it, er, would be damaging to reputation or safety." He hoped he sounded nonchalant enough to not raise speculation as to his true intentions. The blonde considered it for a minute, her tongue darting out to catch the straggling remnants of sugar.

She really needed to not do that, he almost groaned aloud.

"I'm in," she declared, and not for the first time that day. It was testament to all they had endured together, Mamoru thought, that she would agree so readily and without complaint, even when she hadn't been given full explanation. Not long ago such scenarios would have elicited distrust and dragging feet. He had to pinch himself sometimes, just to prove that this newfound rapport between them was real. Real and wonderful.

He wasn't sure he'd ever been this close with someone before, save Motoki.

Of course, he'd never felt this way about Motoki, either. So in some ways it was utterly uncharted territory for Mamoru.

"Can I go first?" Usagi asked, something indiscernible to Mamoru flashing through her eyes. He all of a sudden felt a little wary about suggesting this game. She sounded far too confident.

"...Sure."

Usagi sat up straighter, setting the remains of her crepe aside as she pinned him with her gaze. It was almost unsettling the way she had inadvertently found his own. So too was the implacable, determined edge he saw there.

"The newspapers you're collecting... seems like more than just a passing interest. Why are you so obsessed with the whereabouts of Sailor Moon?"

Mamoru started. Whatever he had been expecting, it wasn't that. He wrestled for long moments just how to answer that potentially damning question, all the while very aware of how his silence would be interpreted. Usagi seemed to be growing impatient, but he noticed too that the hyper-focus she had been paying him before was beginning to increase. He wondered belatedly if she knew something he didn't. He toyed with giving her a supplicating white lie, but every prevarication that passed through his mind sounded dumb; every defense weak... and anyway, he didn't particularly feel like being deceitful with this girl he'd come to care for so much.

But he could not under any circumstances tell her the truth either. The truth would only put her in danger.

"I can't tell you that," Mamoru said at last, in a low voice.

Usagi blinked, clearly thrown for a loop. She raised a sardonic brow, and he couldn't tell if what followed was just her poor attempt to coax further information from him, or if the words masked actual uncertainty. "What, embarrassed at what a huge crush you have on her?"

"I don't have a crush on her." He hadn't quite meant to put the emphasis where he did, but he couldn't seem to take it back either. Let her think of it what she will. He closely watched her reaction; she was guarded, but he thought he detected confusion... and something else.

"So you won't answer? Or... can't."

"Can't."

Usagi hesitated. "Because of reputation or..."

"The other one," Mamoru murmured, now starting to worry he was crossing a line. Too much, Mamoru, too much information! Dial it back!

Usagi's mouth had formed itself into a small "oh", her previous expression morphing into one that was slightly more bewildered. He prayed he hadn't given her enough to show his hand, but he was certain the fact that she now knew he couldn't tell her because of reasons of safety was causing concern if not downright suspicion. How had such a simple game devolved to this point? He was supposed to be teasing the story of her bad weekend out of her, not dropping breadcrumbs as to his secret tuxedo-wearing identity. It was definitely time to switch gears.

"What did you do this weekend?"

Usagi was so shocked at the turn, she looked as if she might burst out in laughter. "That's your question?"

Mamoru shrugged, unwilling to clue her in to his ploy to start light and lure her into enough complacency to answer meatier questions later.

"Um... I spent time with my friends," Usagi responded, mouth still twitching.

"Are they the reason you've been wearing the locket?"

Usagi narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. Ah, so she was catching on.

"I guess you could say that," she agreed slowly, but remained tight-lipped as to anything beyond that.

Mamoru decided to press his luck. He plowed ahead as carefully cool and indifferent as possible. "What about your friends has had you so bothered lately?"

Usagi chewed on her bottom lip. She seemed to be deliberating fiercely with herself. He almost sensed that part of her wanted to talk about whatever this issue with her friends was, to get it off her chest, but that another part of herself was warring with this desire. At last she offered with obvious reluctance, "They're in over their head and it's my fault."

Mamoru was thrown. In over their head? Her fault? What on earth did that mean? He was having a hard time believing that the sweet Tsukino Usagi could ever be the cause of something destructive to another person. He immediately thought of Ami, who he'd worked alongside to make Usagi's special cane, and wondered if she was one of those friends to whom Usagi was referring. Would it be uncouth of him to reach out to her about this? Worry gnawed upon the pit of his stomach as Mamoru queried, "Why?"

It seemed Usagi had hit her limit. She clammed up with wide eyes and a sort of deer-in-the-headlights expression that Mamoru could definitely commiserate with. "I can't say."

"Because of reputation or..."

"The other one," Usagi said in direct mimicry of his own interrogation, and there was a gleam in her eyes as if she'd just realized this too. If he hadn't known her as well as he did now, he almost would have thought she was being purposely evasive, copying him just to be spiteful of his own non-response, but... he could tell that wasn't the case. And that was far more disconcerting. She really couldn't say because she deemed it unsafe. Surely she wasn't hinting that she or her friends were in... danger?

No. No, that couldn't possibly be it. He was thinking with the superhero side of his brain. Whatever reason Usagi's friends were 'in over their head', it likely wasn't due to anything nearly as frightful as the things he was familiar with, such as energy-sucking youma and pompous Dark Kingdom generals, he wanted to scoff. Probably it was something mundane and school-related. Usagi did so love her flights of fancy and of course she would overreact over something completely insignificant to most normal people. Feeling mollified, Mamoru relaxed a bit, but he still felt as if she had given him food for thought.

They spent the last twenty or so minutes to Chigasaki dwelling deeply within their own heads.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note: Since you last heard from me things have changed a bit. My work saw a marked decrease in paperwork all of a sudden, and so to save money all our hours got cut to twenty a week. I had to file for unemployment for the first time in my life. We'll be okay, but it was very unexpected and I still worry some about finances. Anyway, life's been about the same if not a little boring, the Stay At Home order is in effect here, and I am trying to use the extra free time to my advantage with more writing. I miss my family and friends SO much. But we're still healthy as is everyone we love and that's what matters. This weekend however has been the one from hell. I didn't realize you file for unemployment weekly, so I missed the deadline for filing and it's possible I might not get paid this week. Then I fudged the chocolate banana bread I was baking, or presumably used the wrong size bread pan, because it overflowed in the oven and nearly started a fire. I come back from cleaning that mess to find all I had written for this chapter - which I was super proud of - didn't save and was lost. I had to re-write everything. Suffice to say there was a lot of crying. I could REALLY use a kind word to get me through this current misery. I'm just sick of everything and it's raining outside too so I can't even go for a head-clearing walk and I JUST WANT NORMALCY BACK. Sniff. My only consolation is at least I'm not facing this alone... the whole world is struggling right along with me and that's strangely comforting. Love you guys. I hope this chapter impresses even despite my personal frustrations with it. BIG stuff ahead! Particularly the next three chapters ;) There'll be fluff, there'll be drama, there'll be action, there'll be angst... I promise to run the whole gamut!

I DIED when I saw how many reviews came in for last chapter... you guys went above and beyond and that meant EVERYTHING. It really encouraged me to finish this even despite the struggles. I don't relish making you wait any more than like two weeks between updates; I know the interest in this story is strong and fanfiction is one of the few joys we have left in these scary times. I will try to keep you all entertained and often :) MUCH LOVE to Jwalla1986, Astraearose-silvermoon, Guest (x3), karseneau1, Guest005, aldoraspritelette, Princesakarlita411, lolopptt, Sesshy's Rose, Tina Century, beets6669, Sonata IX, Daire123, Ruk, Moon Bunny, SereStarOfGaea, Serenity Red Eclipse, CassieRaven, James Birdsong, tryntee13, MyIndy13, RogueAlly, NikkiBC, starlights12, and Oreo596. In addition to my coffee shop regulars - LOL ;D - it was cool to see some new faces in the mix! Thanks for reaching out!

Until next time, stay safe and healthy!

AngelMoon Girl