Usagi's Promise! The Memory and the Story!

Usaka's eyes flew open. He had his back up against another wall, and the cut marks upon it were in serious in pain. He winced as he moved forward, glancing back at the small, bloody spot where he had been. His arms were in about the same condition. "I'd better… get this fixed…" He murmured, heading back to his apartment building.

He'd locked himself in the privacy of his room, removed his first aid kit from his bottom drawer, and sat down on his bed Indian-style. "Oookay…" He said, pulling his shirt off. "This is going to sting…" He assured himself, pouring a bit of alcohol onto a cloth pad. He placed it regretfully against his arm, then forced himself not to scream.

You're in pain because of me…

"What?" He looked up into his mirror across the room. "Usagi-chan!" He exclaimed, seeing her sitting in his mirror, looking regretfully at him.

"I never did get your name," She said, leaning her cheek on her hand, crossing her legs.

"Usaka… and um… you never did get any clothes, did you…" He blushed.

"Well, I'm in your mind. Imagine me some," She said innocently.

He looked down at his own clothing, and when he looked back up, she was wearing them. "Gomen…" He said.

"It's all right! They're nice," She said happily. "Domo arigatou, Usaka-kun!" She beamed at him.

"You… you're welcome…" He muttered. "So, um…" He started cleaning his other arm. "How are you inside of my mind, and… what's this crystal that the freaky monster thing was after?"

"It's a really long story," Usagi said, laying down on the reflection of his bed. "Oi… so long…"

"Is it? How far does it go back?" He asked.

"Back to when I was fourteen… and even before that when I was the princess of the moon so many years ago."

"Princess?… of the moon?"

"Mm," She responded, raising up. "I was Princess Serenity, daughter of the queen. We lived on the moon in our kingdom, and we were happy and peaceful. I had four protectors, the Sailor Senshi, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, and Venus, and they were my best friends…"

She went on to tell him about Prince Endymion, the rise of the Dark Kingdom, and the fall of her own. She told him about the ginzuishou and how her mother had used it to save everyone at the cost of her own life, sending them all away to be reborn on earth.

Usaka was infatuated with the story. "Go on," He urged.

She continued about when she was fourteen, and she came across Luna, the talking cat from the moon who at the time didn't know she was Princess Serenity (neither did Usagi for that matter). Luna gave her a special brooch that transformed her into the pretty senshi, Sailor Moon. She then became the superhero who went out to protect others on behalf of the moon. On this journey, she gained help from her protectors, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and the ever handsome and mysterious Tuxedo Kamen. Usagi was soon revealed to be the princess they had been searching for, and she remembered her past, and her love for Tuxedo Kamen, who in the past was Prince Endymion. The Dark Kingdom took him away and brainwashed him, and only after playing him their song on her locket did he return to her. She used the ginzuishou upon her moon rod and destroyed Beryl and Metallia (the Dark Kingdom's leaders).

"Wow…" Usaka whispered.

"There's more…" She said, sighing.

"Who is Tuxedo Kamen?" He asked.

"Oh… my love… he was my boyfriend… until I died."

"-and you just called him Tuxedo Kamen?" He said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, of course not!" She giggled. "I called him Mamo-chan!" She said.

"Mamo… chan?… Ah! You mean Mamoru!" He exclaimed, standing.

"You know Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked eagerly.

"Not personally, but I ran into him on the street today! I felt like I'd met him before, and now I know why! He was your lover, Usagi-chan!"

"Oh, I'd give anything to see Mamo-chan again!" Usagi squealed with delight, imagining him.

"I'd give anything for someone to love me like you love him…" He said, smiling shyly.

In her room, Haru slowly turned on her futon and slowly whispered, "Usaka… kun…"

Usagi finished telling him her story, up to when The Three Lights had left to their home planet with Princess Kakyuu.

"Tell me… about how you died," Usaka said, staring at her reflection with enchanted eyes.

"I was eighteen years old. Mamo-chan and I were engaged to be married, and we were so happy… Then, Rei-chan sensed a disturbance on the horizon, and the senshi and I figured we should check it out. The shadows were changing, becoming monsters, like Shadia this afternoon. We attacked them, and we had almost won, when…"

"When…"

"When their queen arrived… She… I never saw her face. I only saw her cloak, and she extended her arm before I could even blink… It ripped my brooch off of my chest, and my henshin was cancelled out. Before I could even return to normal, she smashed her hand through my chest… through my heart… and I felt myself dying… Mamo-chan caught me, and she disappeared into the horizon, laughing, as if I was a joke…. But I wouldn't give up. I took my brooch into my hand and opened it, setting my crystal, the ginzuishou free, for no one could use it anymore. It floated above me, and it absorbed my soul… as I died… I looked into my friends' eyes… They were all crying… and I promised them… That I would always be there to protect them."

Usaka bit his lip to prevent himself from crying. "You… gave up your life… so you could save them… and… you never got to stay with Mamoru…"

" Nineteen years ago, right after I died, I sent my crystal in search of a body to reside in, so that I could be reborn. Your body was the one that it chose… I'm sorry… I'm a burden to you…"

"NO!" He cried, running to the mirror and placing his hands against the reflection. "You're no burden, Usagi-chan… I promise I'll help you, Usagi-chan… Usagi…chan…" He was crying, placing his face up against the mirror. "I promise! I'll help you be set free!"

Usagi busted into tears, but she smiled and touched his hands with hers, and his face with hers. "Domo… Arigatou… Usaka-kun…" She sniffed. "I'll do what I can to help you too…"

"W… with what?"

"With anything…" She said. "We're connected now… so we should be friends…"

"Yeah… friends…" He said, smiling. "Friends…"

"Usaka-kun! Usaka-ku-" Haru said, pounding on his door.

"Yes?" He opened the door, dressed in a black pair of pants and a red, long-sleeved shirt. He had his bag over his shoulder and a smile on his face. "Konnichiwa, Haru-chan!"

"Usaka-kun… you're ready to go?" Haru exclaimed.

"Sure am!" He said happily. "Let's go, or we'll be late!" He walked off ahead of her.

"S… sure…" She whispered, a blush running across her cheeks. Usaka-kun…

Usaka glanced down the bus. Is Mamoru here? I've got to find him for Usagi-chan! He checked every seat for him, but there was nothing. "Hmm… Damn…"

"What?" Haru asked.

"Oh… I was just, er- looking for someone…" He said, rubbing the back of his head, glancing back at her.

"Oh, really," She said flatly, an all but happy expression on her face.

"AH--- excuse me? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, never," She said, crossing her arms and looking away. "So… what's her name?…"

"Huh?" He blinked dumbly. "I'm looking for a man."

She scoffed, shocked. "USAKA-KUN! You aren't-"

"Hm….?… I'm looking for a man named Chiba Mamoru…. For a friend… Wait… You didn't think---"

"O-of course not!" She sputtered, blushing.

"Why would you care anyways?" He blinked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, um… we're friends… I want to know what's going on in your life, you know?…" She said, twiddling her thumbs. "I don't want any major secrets between us… We've been friends since we were little…"

"Yeah…" He said, sitting in silence for a moment.

"Do you remember… when we were little… and you told me that you dreamed about a beautiful princess with long, golden hair?…"

"Huh? No… I didn't remember that until now…" He said, staring at her interestedly. "How do you remember that?…"

"I remember everything you tell me, Usaka-kun…" She looked up at him suddenly, deep into his saddphire eyes. "Usaka, I---" Her shoulders slumped. "Nevermind…"

"What?"

"Nothing!"

"Really, what?"

"NOTHING!"

He laid his hand on his knee and stared at her back curiously for a moment. Haru-chan sure does act strange sometimes… How could I have forgotten about my dream… That must have been… Princess Serenity of the moon…

He folded his hands together, propped up on his knees by his elbows. He leaned his face on his hands and stared off into space.

Usagi-chan… She's pretty cute and very sweet… No wonder Mamoru loved her so much…I hope one day a woman will love me that way…

Haru slowly glanced back over her shoulder for a moment and watched him, starry eyed. Oh, Usaka-kun… one day I'll tell you how I feel… but until then…I'm just going to have to keep my mouth shut… I'm not brave enough to say anything now…but someday… someday…

The bus sped off down the road, the two off in their own little worlds.

(A/N: This was basically a filler chapter of sorts to explain what happened to Usagi and also to open up the relationship between Haru-chan and Usaka-kun --. In chapters to come, he'll be meeting up with the senshi! Sorry to say that Mamo-chan won't be making an appearance for a little while though. I must build the tension! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! -ahem- Please review if you would be so kind. Domo arigatou! This chapter goes out to you Diamond Forde, 'cause you're so nice to me! )