Usagi and Mamoru finished a little early, which gave Usagi the perfect opportunity to ring up her friends and ask if they'd accompany her on an impromptu trip to the mall. Because, holy crap, Mamoru just asked her to a fancy hospital function and she had to get a fancy dress to go with and it was already Thursday!

Usagi could still hardly believe it. That he would ask her out of all the other older, prettier girls Usagi was sure roamed his campus. She shook her head. He had made it crystal clear this wasn't a date date, and she wasn't sure how that made her feel, except he must just be trying to be nice after all the pushing he'd been doing lately, like when he took her to the beach when she was sad. He seemed to do that a lot; know exactly when to push and when to pull back. She had been feeling fairly cooped up lately what with all the dismal weather, and this would be an outing that not only was excitingly out of the norm, but a good way to spend time together that wasn't training or studying-related. Mamoru could be an awful lot of fun when he wasn't being her teacher.

Though... he's a pretty fun teacher too, Usagi amended, with a gentle smile and fluttery swellings of warmth deep in her tummy. She had rather enjoyed taking him down today during their combat fighting, and showing him just what she was capable of when she put her mind to it!

The girls were shocked to hear of Mamoru's invitation. After spluttering her way through denial after denial - "No, he's not my boyfriend now!" "It's a friend date, not a date date!" - Rei and Makoto proved an easy sell. They were all too eager to make sure Usagi would drop jaws. Ami, they only managed to drag out under the promise that she could study on the side, since she was missing cram school to be with them. She spent most of the time with her nose buried in a book, occasionally coming out to offer a brief "That looks nice" or "Not that one" before disappearing once more, but it meant everything to have all her friends there so Usagi didn't complain. In fact, she was starting to appreciate Ami's tact, because with Rei and Makoto it was a little overwhelming trying to sort through all the selections they kept plying upon her.

"Ooh, this one! Try this! It'll accentuate your eyes."

And her less endowed chest, apparently. Makoto seemed to have chosen a dress that might have done wonders on her own figure, but Usagi felt like she was wearing a droopy garbage bag. It dipped way below what she deemed an appropriate cleavage line. May as well just wear a bra and a skirt and call it a day. Wouldn't Mamoru love that?

Rei's were always too stiff and she took offense to the fabric, usually made of some scratchy or sequined material that irritated her skin. She loved her Senshi dearly, but clearly they just had very different tastes in dresses. She wished so much that she could see what she was trying on, but Sailor Moon in a fitting room would've surely attracted just a teeny bit of unwanted attention. Would the fuku even come off? Usagi hadn't exactly ever made the attempt...

Just as she was pondering the finer details of her transformation, there was a tap on her shoulder.

"Need a hand?" an unfamiliar voice said.

Usagi blinked.

"I couldn't help but notice your plight. These are all pretty, don't get me wrong, but I've got an eye for these things. In fact I'm pretty sure I know just the dress!"

Usagi was still surprised into speechlessness, and it seemed her Senshi were too. She could sense Rei's bristle and Makoto's open mouth as acutely as if she had sight, and she could tell even Ami was paying complete attention now. The mysterious girl came back in a purposeful clacking of moderately heeled shoes, like what Usagi would don when wearing her school attire. She accepted the next offering with a slightly startled,

"T-thank you."

"See if you like it! It's a Dior knock off. Can't go wrong with frills and white." The stranger had an uncanny ability to sound pompously self-confident and yet achingly kind all in one breath. She didn't seem to care at all that Usagi was blind, treating her just as normally as any other customer in the store. It was refreshing.

Usagi retreated back into the fitting room, pulling the dress over her head. Immediately, she loved the feel of it - silky and flowing and hugging her curves without restricting her movement like the ones Rei had preferred. The dress brushed the floor at a perfect length, and it had an interesting pattern of swirls and beads and cinched fabric at the top, that continued until reaching her shoulders, where swaths of fabric hung off in halfway sleeves. It had the feel of a thick tulle. She instantly felt at ease in this dress; it filled her with a strange sort of familiarity, like she once wore something similar. A silly thought, because she'd never had cause for fancy dresses before today.

The odangoed blonde came out with a wide grin stretched across her face. "I love it!"

The girl who had helped her squealed. "I knew it! That dress looks killer on you! You have such pale skin and light hair, white is a perfect fit. Simple but elegant!"

Even the Senshi agreed, Rei perhaps a tad grudgingly, but Usagi knew it was mostly because her priestess friend could be standoffish at first. She also didn't relish being pointed out as in the wrong.

"Are you... do you work here?" Usagi asked her new companion, in awe of the girl's skills. The aforementioned stranger laughed heartily.

"Oh no! Just a frequent customer with good fashion sense. I'm Minako."

"I'm Usagi. And you have a really really good eye!"

"What can I say, it's a gift!" Minako chirruped, and it sounded like she had flipped her hair back. "I'm like a one smack wonder!" It also sounded like Rei snorted and mumbled under her breath "Not another one!" which confused Usagi. Not another what? But Usagi was feeling fairly taken by this girl's bubbly personality and she grinned again in response.

"Er... I think you meant 'one hit wonder'..." Ami corrected weakly.

"Whatever, whatever," Minako chuckled.

"Well, it was really nice to meet you," Usagi said, meaning it. "Thanks for the perfect dress! We should be checking out now though. Mama and Luna won't appreciate me getting home too late," she said, offhand to her Senshi.

"Luna?" Minako piped up. "That's a different name."

"Er... she's my cat. She's pretty needy. I um, have to feed her," Usagi supplied quickly, and Minako moaned in commiseration.

"Needy cats, tell me about it! I have one of my own."

Usagi had already almost instantly liked this girl. The feeling increased. "Is yours naggy? Mine is always whining about- ow!" Usagi rubbed her arm where it had been swiftly pinched. Rei quietly cleared her throat. "Er, anyway, I hope I see you around again, Minako-san! Thanks again!"

They hurried off, Rei berating Usagi for not being more careful with her words, Usagi hissing that it wasn't like she was being obvious about it, all the while no one noticed that Minako was continuing to watch them as they rounded the corner... a curious look on her face.

"She was kind of full of herself, wasn't she!" Rei groused.

"I don't know, I kinda liked her," Makoto mollified, and Usagi nodded voraciously.

"She was super nice and funny!"

"You would say that," Rei rolled her eyes.

"Meanie Rei-chan!"

Friday was the last training session before the art gala. But although it was inside again, this one was quite unlike the last few.

They did practice Braille again just to start, but Usagi was finally making good headway thanks to her intense desire to read manga, and Mamoru had felt like their efforts were better spent on fighting. As he told Usagi, it was such an incredibly useful skill to hone. Given that they were often dealing with magical beings, it was an unexpected maneuver to revert to physical means of attack, and sometimes that was enough to buy the time needed. Usagi brought up his recent assault on Zoisite and how he got the crystal in reward; Mamoru nodded and smiled.

"Exactly like that."

He was surprised...

She seemed so much more confident this time around. Maybe it was just that she had done it once, now she figured she could do it again, but he found himself having to actually stay on his toes around her. She was small, that gave her an advantage - where he had the power of force on his side, she excelled at dodging and her thin frame gave her speed. Now that she wasn't holding back, they were a good match.

A really good match.

The heat of battle spurred them on. Sweat ran in rivulets down the nape of Mamoru's neck. He jumped away from Usagi's punch, and sent a karate chop her way. She danced back; punched again, he mimicked the move and this time his hand landed true. She bit her lip but ignored the hit to her shoulder, and he was inwardly proud at her persistence. She continued driving him back with her own hands and even the occasional kick.

They weren't paying a lot of attention to their surroundings, and it was still a tiny apartment, with his furniture only pushed haphazardly into the corners.

Mamoru took another step back, but there was no longer floor, and he lost his balance - tumbling backward. Usagi suddenly realized their mistake in that moment too, for her eyes widened, and many things happened simultaneously.

"Watch out!" she gasped, reaching out for him. She was too far and too late to do any more than wriggle her fingers uselessly as he toppled, and were he any lighter Mamoru might have been safe. But he wasn't, and it was with a sudden lancing of pain in his right forearm that Mamoru felt himself go crashing through his glass coffee table.

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi wailed, falling to his side on her knees. He winced, shifting upon the pile of broken shards. Usagi reached in as if to help him.

"Careful!" he grunted, grimacing. He looked to his still throbbing arm to see a piece of glass sticking out from it. Mercifully, that appeared his only injury, and he very cautiously extricated himself, sighing at the sight of his permanently damaged table. Usagi only had eyes for him.

"Sit down," she mother-henned, and he complied, still feeling shaky. Usagi herself looked very white, but somehow she was managing to retain a composure of calm that he wouldn't have expected from the normally excitable and overly emotional blonde.

"We need to get that glass out. It doesn't look too deep," Usagi said firmly, starting to grab hold of it.

"No," Mamoru said tremulously. "No... you have to... get the first aid kit... It's in the kitchen in the cabinet under the sink."

Usagi nodded brusquely and darted into the kitchen, then back with the aforementioned kit. "What next?" she demanded, cracking it open and glancing through the medical supplies.

"Scissors... cut the sleeve here and here... it'll repair itself next transformation... we need to see what we're dealing with... then alcohol swab, then tweezers..."

She was surprisingly adept at following his directions, for which Mamoru was immensely grateful, as he was still out of sorts. Usagi herself was chattering on about the dress she had gotten, in a very sweet attempt to distract him. She would actually make a decent nurse, Mamoru thought, if she weren't legally blind. But Sailor Moon had no problem navigating his injury.

"-and I actually couldn't resist just a little peek so soon as I got home I transformed to take a look at it, and oh Mamo-chan, it's just so lovely, I feel like a princess in it, I can't wait for you to see me in it..." Usagi suddenly trailed off, blushing fiercely, as if just realizing she'd said something she hadn't meant to.

"Your blush is nice..." Mamoru murmured, stupidly. Usagi looked up, brow furrowed, then he caught himself. "Er, I mean, the dress, the dress is going to look very nice, I'm sure."

He gasped as the shard was tugged from his skin, but maybe Usagi wouldn't have been the greatest nurse in the world because there was still a tiny piece snagged inside. "Oh shoot," she moaned apologetically. She went to dig at it with the tweezers but Mamoru held her off. He could feel himself getting whiter.

"It's too small... there's a sterilized needle in the first aid kit, you'll have to gently break the skin around the glass until it's out enough to use the tweezers."

Usagi must have noticed the change in his demeanor, because he definitely was starting to feel sick; sick and cold and clammy. Her voice was quiet as she observed, "You don't like needles... do you?"

He had to give her credit; there was not a single smidgeon of mockery in her statement, but his was laden with enough self-deprecation to make up for her lack. "Terrified, actually. And yes... I know. The wannabe doctor, terrified of needles. It's ridiculous. I can't explain my irrational fear. I'm fine seeing it done, even sticking others. But on myself?" Mamoru shivered. "Maybe it's something to do with my past. Maybe it was my time in the hospital after the accident. But I just..."

He fumbled with his words, unable to speak past the terrible heat spreading across his face. He was so embarrassed. Too embarrassed to even look at Usagi, averting his eyes until it was impossible not to, because her humble admission that followed was just so... kind.

"Hey, you wanna talk irony! My name literally means 'bunny' and I hate carrots. Also my worst fear is of the dentist, which is pretty ridiculous too, if you think about it," she smiled encouragingly. "I'm telling you, if I ever end up ruling the world, they'll be the first to go! I'll even abolish needles for you, too!"

They both shared a hearty laugh, and amazingly, she had managed to relax him enough where Mamoru didn't feel like fainting at the sight of a needle digging around in his skin, though it was still a miserable experience. She fished out the last bit of glass just as blood began to bubble out, and after one last swab with alcohol had his arm wrapped up in gauze.

"You're a natural," Mamoru complimented, inspecting her handiwork with appreciation.

"I have a good teacher," she replied, resting back upon her haunches. Her voice had gone contemplative and she was looking at his wrappings in a strange way. "Mamo-chan... what if you... I mean, are you able to, to heal yourself?"

Mamoru's face fell. "Believe me... I've tried. So many times. I just can't seem to control it. It comes and goes sporadically. The only person it seems to react most to is... is you." He blushed again, but Usagi didn't seem to notice. Her eyes were getting big and excited. She leaned forward.

"Well, I'm here! So you should at least try! Maybe you'll get it this time!"

Mamoru sighed. He didn't want to disappoint her, so he put his other hand upon the bandages and closed his eyes. But he didn't hold out much hope, he'd done this before, and if he'd tried once he'd tried a hundred times. Nothing happened. He concentrated and he pushed and he felt around inside himself, but he just didn't get that rush of gold he was coaxing for. He opened his eyes and smiled forlornly at the odangoed blonde.

"See... I just can't. It's like there's a block. It's gotta be something else."

Usagi pouted and placed a comforting hand over his own, patting it. "Maybe you're just tired. Don't worry. We'll figure it out."

The ever optimism in her reassurance buoyed Mamoru like nothing else had, and a significant part of that had to do with one simple word: we. It gave him hope that one day, with her help, he would find out the key to unlocking these strange powers deep inside himself; that he would gain the answers to his questions of self that had been plaguing him for as long as he could remember.

He knew, somehow, it all connected back to her.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to all my fellow Americans! I hope you are managing to celebrate in a way that still ensures the safety of yourself and others! It may not be the fantastically firework-filled holiday we all usually enjoy, but hopefully it's still special :)

In other special news... since the last update I have discovered that I am PREGNANT! I can't even begin to tell you guys how HAPPY and EXCITED I am! For anyone that has followed me for a while now, you'll know that I had a particular attachment to my previous story "The Bun Head in the Oven" because it was like I was getting to live vicariously through preggers Usagi. Since I was barely a teen all I have wanted is to be a mother. It's going to be difficult for sure, what with this new COVID world we're living in, but I'm ready to handle whatever life throws my way just to have that precious bundle of joy in my arms :) Yesterday I told hubby and he's super excited too, albeit very nervous like any first time daddy! I'm only about five weeks so prayers would be very appreciated; the first trimester is always a nerve-wracking time and I'll feel so much better once we hit that second trimester milestone!

I hope everyone liked this chapter! Quite honestly I didn't even know I was going to introduce Minako this early until I did, LOL. Funny how writing works. And now that I've done it I just can't imagine her entrance any other way. I feel it will be more meaningful if they've already "met" her once!

The biggest hugs to last chapter's reviewers. You guys motivated me to update even faster than usual this time around: Astraearose-silvermoon, aldoraspritelette, lolopptt, RogueAlly, year07, Ruk, moon romance, Princesakarlita411, Zanahana, chastityjk, karseneau1, Daire123, GraphicsChyk, Jwalla1986, CassieRaven, smoon4409, and DrakiSwan. THANK YOU LOVELIES!

Until next time,

AngelMoon Girl