The glow of morning was still rolling through the sky when we arrived.

A misty dew coated the blades of grass, paralyzed by the stillness in the air, glimmering like confetti across the park lawn. I looked up, and looming above was Tokyo Tower. He had taken me right back to where it had begun.

My eyes drifted over to the shrub where my brooch had skidded. It's not as if I expected the crystal to still be lying there—something like that was sure to catch someone's attention at some point—but a small part of me was hoping to see it safely hidden alongside the path. All that laid there was a few twigs and fallen leaves that had turned from forest green to a dull brown.

Where could it be? Several days had passed since I had been there, who knew where it could've gone or who could've taken it. I took a deep breath and tried to read the energy of the air, picking up any trace of it. The crystal didn't exactly call out to me, but I could feel it's lingering power—a trace of a familiar scent, a whispering voice. In my soul I searched, beckoning it to reveal itself. When I heard nothing, I felt a little silly for believing it would be so simple.

"Usagi," Dimande asked from behind me. "Do you know where your crystal is?"

I didn't want to say no, but if I wasn't completely honest with him now, he might think I intended to trick him. If he thought that, there was no way to guarantee getting away from him, and if he went back on his own…

I had laid up all night consumed by him. The warmth of his body still pressed into mine as I wrangled against him, begging to fling myself down into the River. Without him I would've died and traveled with the rest of the souls, unable to help anyone. I would've never seen my friends again, my family or Mamo.

My thoughts turned to Mamoru. I wondered how he was, whether he had noticed my absence. He had to have, right? His name rolled over and over across my lips, each syllable prodding at me with a poison tipped arrow. I was disappointed in Mamo for what he was doing to me, but that did not mean I wanted to see him suffer.

My feet back on Earth, I had to focus all of my concentration on finding the crystal. I had to block out everything and try to pull its power toward me. I closed my eyes and clenched my jaw, cementing myself onto the ground as hard as I could, and tried to muster up whatever it was I needed to find the crystal.

Several minutes passed and I stood motionless. Nothing was happening. All those years it had just been an afterthought to me, always stationed right by my heart, a place where it should never have left. All this time I was blaming everyone else for not noticing how I faltered, and I had never taken the time to consider in what ways I had given up on myself. Everything in my life centered around that crystal, and yet I let it just slip away from my hands.

I had taken it for granted.

The buzzing of the city started to fade away, and I was encapsulated by an unnatural silence. Warmth filled my body as if I had been standing underneath a most brilliant ray of sun and a sugary taste bloomed on the back of my tongue. At first, it was small spindles, tiny little threads that pulled from the crystal and wove into me. And then, as the strands spun thicker and thicker, energy burst around me and I felt lighter.

I opened my eyes to see, but nothing had happened. Dimande looked at me curiously and I couldn't tell if he was annoyed or merely confused. What was clear, though, was that the power I felt was all from inside. Not a drop of magic had spilled out-at least, not one that could be seen by the eye.

"The crystal," I said. "I think that it's over that way."

I pointed my hand east before I realized what was in that direction: Mamoru's apartment. While I had no way of actually knowing, somewhere deep inside I realized that Mamo had come looking for me that night and he found my brooch. Guilt gripped my stomach. He cared so much about me and I just threw him away.

And then a bigger issue came into focus. If Mamoru had my crystal, that meant it was inside his apartment. There was no way I could get in there without him noticing. Dimande must've noticed my expression change, because when his eyes met mine, they were strained and pensive.

"Something the matter with that direction?" He asked.

"That's the direction of Mamoru's apartment," I sighed, a hint of dissatisfaction ringing through it. Dimande's twisted smile appeared across his face.

"Ah." He sounded smug. "Not happy to see him? I thought he was your one true love."

My cheeks blushed. Why was I conflicted about seeing him now? Our reunion should've brought me comfort—not anxiety. So why was I hesitating? Why couldn't I just walk up to his apartment door, announce that I was back and explain things to him?

"It's not what you think," I said quickly. "I just don't think he's going to understand."

"Understand what?" Dimande asked, but he already knew. His singsongy voice told me he knew, and I hated him for making me explain.

"Why I have to go back," I continued. "The promise I made to you."

Dimande nodded unconvincingly, smiling at me still and laughed to himself. He brought his fingers to his chin and tapped on his lips, his grin growing larger as his eyes rolled over me.

"Well," he said. "Luckily for you, my magic does work here, though it's not as strong as it is at the Crystal Palace."

"What are you suggesting?" I asked.

"I can get you inside undetected, but only for a short time—a few minutes at most."

"Like some sort of invisibility spell?" I didn't know Dimande's magic could do anything like that.

"Well," he clarified. "Less invisibility spell and more of a, well, how do I describe it? It will be as if no one can't see you or feel you, but they might be able to hear you, to smell you. He might think it's just a passing memory. But if you take too long, then he will be able to see you."

I nodded my head. It wasn't the perfect option, but it would do.

Dimande and I walked down the streets of the Juban district, and the city was starting to really come alive. In a place as big as Tokyo, there's never really a time where it's completely quiet. Life is always happening somewhere: Vendors opening up their shops, children playing or walking to school, businessmen discussing important matters over a beer at their favorite restaurant. In the lulls though—the in-between times where people are stopping and starting—there's an energy that is unlike the bustle of the day. It's one full of promises. What will today bring? What will tomorrow ensure?

Before we left, Dimande had given me a more Earth-appropriate outfit: A simple, fitted light blue skirt and a white, sleeveless top with a high neck. Even just putting on the clothes made me feel more normal. After a few days of wearing nothing but opulent gowns and silk nighties, these clothes were an anchor of a life that felt lightyears away.

Dimande also looked alarmingly normal. He had exchanged his usual black-on-black combo for a fitted white t-shirt and blue jeans. He walked around the street with an annoying ease, like he had always been part of this world, like this was just his regular walk to work or school or home, and seeing his confidence made me wonder if maybe he could live here among the rest of us.

If Dimande was just a man on Earth, what would he be like? Would he find a girlfriend—a wife—and start a family? Would he be a businessman? Would he sit with friends on a warm summer afternoon in the park, aimlessly staring at the clouds drift overhead, taking sips from a soda, snacking on something while listening to someone tell a funny story?

So many men vie for a life of normalcy. Dimande was never destined for such things.

The road leading to Mamoru's apartment never seemed this long, but on that day the sidewalk seemed endless. His building sat tucked away, just off a busy corridor, and when we finally reached the glassy face, we both looked up to stare. It loomed above us.

"So what do I do?" I asked Dimande. "For the spell, I mean."

"The moment you walk through those doors, the spell will start," Dimande said. "But as I said, it won't last forever. So be as quick as you can."

I nodded, gave him one last look for reassurance and pressed forward.

I didn't feel any different when I walked into the lobby, but the cheery doorman who normally greeted me with vibrant enthusiasm seemed completely unfazed. A man walked off the elevator and I jumped in, and he, too, did not acknowledge my presence, not with his eyes or his body language. I pushed the button for Mamo's floor and arrived within seconds in his hallway.

At his door, I searched the top of the doorframe for the hidden key, gently put it in the knob and slowly pushed the door open. Inside, it was silent. Mamoru probably wasn't even awake yet. The clock on the wall was at almost 6 a.m., and despite being an incredibly hard worker, Mamoru did value his sleep.

Usually, his place was pristine. Nothing was ever out of place. So to find it in such disarray was an immediate red flag. Plates were stacked in the sink and dirty glasses and bowls lined his kitchen counters. Blankets from the couch were unfurled and thrown about, almost as if someone had been sleeping there.

A ticket stub from a Tokyo-bound train laid on the credenza. Kyoto to Tokyo. Kyoto? The only person I knew who lived there was Rei. My eyes shifted around the room.

Fresh cut flowers filled a vase. Makoto.

Gossip magazines lined the end table. Minako.

A laptop plugged in, perfectly positioned on the far corner of the coffee table, as if to allow more faces into view of the camera. Ami.

The girls had been here. Mamoru had called them when I went missing, and they had congregated here to look for me—clearly for what had been several days. My throat tightened. My friends had come together for me. I didn't know whether I felt relief or frustration. They showed up, yes, but they showed up only after I had been taken. How quickly would they have come if I had asked them to before?

I made my way over to Mamoru's bedroom and peeked my head inside. Curled into a blanket was Mamoru. His soft, black hair fell on top of his face and his eyelashes brushed the tops of his cheeks, fluttering gently across his skin. His chest moved up and down as he continued to sleep, the light of day barely breaking through the sliver of curtain he had left open.

Mamoru has always been beautiful. Even when I first met him—and absolutely loathed him—there was no denying that he was handsome. His kindness and bravery had only fueled my attraction to him. That first time we kissed it was an uncontrollable flame burning through my skin, keeping me warm in the darkest parts of the world, and as our lust grew to undeniable love, I wore him like a tattoo, a red ink that snaked from my heart down through my fingers, drawing the lines his hands used to carve out of my skin late at night.

Everything I was—everything I had—was inextricably his.

I wanted to go over to him and touch his face, but Dimande's warning about the spell kept me at bay. Instead I scanned his room looking for my brooch. A prism of light shifted through the curtain and fell directly on it. Mamoru had placed it on his bedside table. He wanted it close.

I eased my way across the room and grabbed it, trying my hardest not to make a sound. When I pressed it into my hand, I slowly backed away, inching for the door and making my way through the room. By the time I had made it back to the entryway and opened the front door, I heard a rustling come from the bedroom.

"Hello?" Mamoru's voice was coated in sleep. I stiffened. It was too late to shut the door now, he would hear it latch and come chasing out. Slowly, I crept into the hallway, but as I laid my hand on the knob to pull the door semi-ajar, he was already up and out of bed.

"Who's there?" He said sternly. "I know someone is here."

I don't know why I stood there and watched. I should've just ran. I didn't know how long the spell was going to last, and if I reappeared in the hallway with the brooch in my hand, Mamoru would surely try to convince me to come back. Or—and possibly worse—he would think I had left on my own accord and was working with Dimande. That would be a betrayal like no other.

But watching him stand in the living room, his jet black hair tousled from his bed, his hard body exposed from the waist up, I couldn't bring myself to leave. I wanted to reach out to him more than anything—my desire for him was deeper than something physical, it was all consuming. That's why it broke my heart when he showed me he no longer cared about me.

To stay would mean to accept his apology and forget about Dimande, and I wasn't ready to do either.

I hurried down the hallway, lit up the elevator button and when finally inside, I frantically pressed to close the door. Mamo must've heard the elevator start, because he had come out into the hallway and shouted down it, asking whoever had been in his apartment to reveal themselves. By the time he made it to the doors, though, they were only ajar an inch or so, and it was too late.

When the doors opened, I bolted out into the hallway.

"Usagi!" The doorman chirped. "I haven't seen you in a few days. How have you been?"

He could see me? The spell had already worn off? His eyes searched my face, clearly seeing the strained expression, and I quickly painted on a smile.

"Oh hi, Hayato." I tried to make my voice sound as light as I could. "Sorry I can't chat, I'm in a bit of a rush. I'll see you soon!"

"Always late," he chuckled. "Have a good day, okay?"

I nodded politely, slowing my pace to an inconspicuous jog, but as soon as my feet crossed the threshold back onto the street, I went into a full on run. Dimande grinned as I rushed by him and turned on his heel.

"Hey there," he called out. "Slow down and wait for me!"

Hesitantly, I stopped. My lungs were burning and my heart was thrashing inside of me. I looked down in my hand and looked at the brooch. Dimande came from behind and sidled up next to me, his eyes fixated on my hand.

"Good work," he said. "Shall I take us back?"

I nodded, but kept walking. He cocked his head and nudged in the direction of a nearby park. Following his lead, I walked along a cement path that snaked alongside a huge swatch of trees. Cover like this is somewhat unusual in a city like Tokyo, but this plot of wood was just thick enough to conceal Dimande and his magic from onlookers.

We walked along a dirt path that was littered with trash and old pieces of clothing when we finally reached a small clearing. Dimande went to reach for my hand and I went to grab his as well when a loud crack from the woods startled us both.

"What was that?" I said.

Dimande scanned the area. The light of day was stronger now, but in the center of these trees, it was still somewhat hard to see. My best guess was that an animal had made the sound, or possibly a person who was back here for some reason or another. My head swiveled as I tried to lock in on where it came from and next to me Dimande was doing the same.

Another crack of a branch echoed between the trees, and something stirred.

A black creature hurled out from behind a tree. Its face was twisted like a wolf's, a long snout and piercing red eyes, but its body was more like a man's. Its skin was almost shadowy—like heat rising from asphalt on a hot, humid day. Its fingers were long talons and it moved like I had never seen a monster move before, as if it was not bound to the same gravity as we were.

It lunged right toward me and Dimande quickly reached out his arm and jumped in the way. The beast latched onto his shoulders and Dimande pushed right back, shoving it down onto the ground where they wrestled with one another.

"Usagi!" Dimande yelled. "Run!"

Dimande was on his back—the creature looming over him—and he used one of his legs to thrust into its core, sending the monster flying backward into a tree. Dimande got to his feet and turned to me. On his shoulders, where the creature had dug in its claws, there was a sea of red.

"Go!" He pleaded. "Get out of here!"

As soon as Dimande had thrown it, the monster was back. Dimande quickly reached up and grabbed a thick, heavy stick from the ground and swung, hitting the creature square in the jaw. It howled in pain and Dimande swung again, pressing the wood against the other side. Despite being injured, his body was responding in rapid time. Back at his home—back before we had even met—he must've had some training with a sword.

The monster came back and swung, his claws grazing Dimande's waist, and the prince let out a shriek of pain. His body turned and fell to the ground, and the creature ground itself into him. But Dimande wasn't done fighting, he took his elbow, jabbed it back and connected again to the creature's core.

I was so transfixed by all of this it never occurred to me to transform, but as my fists clenched watching Dimande struggle against the creature, I felt the cool metal of my brooch. It snapped me back to reality.

For the first time in forever, I was going to be Sailor Moon again. I raised it above my head, called out to the crystal's power and started my transformation.

"Moon crystal power make-up!"

Just like that, the ribbons of magic surrounded me and I donned the suit I so longed to put on for years. Power glittered off of me and the air felt cleaner, fresher, brighter than it had in years. The wings adorned to my back stretched against it, as if they had been cooped up for a day too long, and the fabric of my skirt fluttered in the wind. Even feeling the gloves against my soft skin was like greeting an old friend.

Dimande and the monster had not stopped struggling. Now, Dimande was trying to use his magic to stave off the creature. A black cloud of smoke engulfed the creature and it whined in pain, but because Dimande's magic was so weak here on Earth, it was only a puff compared to the beast's mighty strength. When it died, the monster sprung through it and pinned Dimande to a tree, its claw painstakingly close to his throat.

"Stop!" I screamed holding out the scepter that had appeared in my hand. "Enough."

The creature released Dimande and he slumped down to the ground, covered in dirt and blood. It stalked toward me slowly, a low growl coming from its snout and its gnarled feet clicking along the dirt. Its shoulders fell and it crouched readying itself to jump.

"Starlight honeymoon crystal power therapy kiss!" I shouted.

A purple beam pierced the sky, a flurry of feathers broke free from my back and swirled around the light. The creature let out a sickening howl and lunged, but before it could reach me, the beam was going right through it. The squawking sound was like metal scraping against metal and it made my ears ring. Purple light surrounded its shadowy body and soon it was gone completely.

I looked around to see if there were any others, but there were none I could find. A low groan from the tree grabbed my attention, and I saw Dimande getting up from the forest floor.

"Dimande!" I rushed over to him, crouching down to be closer.

He looked up at me and his eyes were dancing with concern.

"Usagi," He reached up with his arm, fresh blood still dripping down it, and touched my face. "I'm so sorry."

His expression was heartbreaking. It was a mixture of fear and failure. He had tried to protect me, he had defended me against this monster even though he knew his power was not as strong here as it was at the palace, and yet he willingly jumped into harm's way. He hadn't even considered that I could—that I would—transform. He wasn't going to wait for me to protect him. He cared about me, more than himself, more than the crystal.

Everything he needed sat within my hands, but he told me to run. He wanted me to protect myself even if it meant slipping away.

His thumb brushed my cheek and I could feel the grittiness of the dirt.

My throat ached and I felt my lips trembling. My body was suddenly moving on its own and my skin was prickled with static electricity. Every piece of me was screaming, demanding I move one way or the other. I had to decide. One inch forward would seal a much different fate than one inch back.

And I leaned in, I caught my breath, and then I pressed my lips against his.

A fan fed a fire and a soul once searching for warmth was now engulfed in a white hot heat.