A/N

Let me tell you guys something, finding the official titles of royalty is a pain in the ass because there are like ten different ways to refer to a princess like this is absurd pick one and be done with it.

FUN FACT: in Imperial Russia there's a title called Serenity. Your Serene Highness Princess Serenity sounds like a mouth full, no?

Disclaimer: I'm sick, and my patience is gone.


Time was of the essence.

I was stunned at what the crystal had helped me accomplish, of the sheer power it had gifted me, but I couldn't dwell on it; Jupiter would have felt that rush of energy, there was simply no way she could have missed it, so I needed to act quickly. I studied Jadeite for any signs of reacting, hovering over him and bringing my hands to his face, tilting it towards me. I tapped his cheek a few times, and then a bit harder.

His lashes fluttered before slowly opening.

Jadeite blinked, once, twice, as his vision worked to focus. A sound escaped him, somewhere between a sigh and a moan as he tried to turn his head. He seemed to be struggling to sit up so I backed up a bit and slipped my palms around his elbows to help bring him up. Jadeite was dazed, disorientated and as much as I wanted to wait for him to get his bearing, I feared we would not be given the time. I tilted his chin up to meet my gaze. "Jadeite, please, I know you're confused, but I need you to answer a question. Do you know who I am?"

Jadeite scanned me, wearily but with effort all the same, and I could see it the moment he realized. The widening of his grey eyes, how his lips parted and his brows rose ever so slightly. Jadeite's tone was a mix of astonishment, disbelief, and maybe even a little horror as he said, "Your Royal Highness… I…"

"No." I shook my head, firm yet gentle in my denial. "I am not her, I'm not Princess Serenity."

Jadeite furrowed his brows. "…No, you-"

"I'm Sailor Moon. Do you remember?" I exhaled, dropping the topic. One thing at a time Usagi. "Jadeite. I need you to listen to me, alright? We don't have much time, so you're just going to have to trust in what I say. Reveal nothing about the events of the past, do not tell anyone anything until we have had a chance to further speak, and under no circumstances are you to address me that way. Do you understand?"

He appeared to sense the gravity of my words, but whether Jadeite would listen I didn't know. He opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment the sliding door was thrown open and Jupiter appeared. Her expression turned from thunderous to surprised as she took the two of us in, and she faltered. From the looks of things, Jupiter had arrived with the intention of duking it out, and now that she saw this wasn't the case, she was more or less at a loss. "I- Holy… Usagi-chan, you did it!"

Her grin was bright as she moved to my side and clapped me on the back. Behind her Matsuo trailed, equally impressed; looking at him, I couldn't help but notice that he appeared a little disheveled. My narrowed gaze went from him to Jupiter, studying the two of them; she was flushed, all pink cheeks and red lips while Matsuo's shirt was creased as though someone had gripped it, his untamed hair more messy than usual. Upon meeting my gaze, Matsuo cringed, turning pink and I threw him a dirty look before turning my attention back to Jupiter.

"Do you think you could run and get him some water?"

"Yeah," Jupiter stood. "I'll be right back."

I waited as she left, footsteps padding softly against the wooden floor, until I was sure she was gone. Then I turned to Matsuo, who flinched and held his hands up, spitting the words out before I had a chance to say anything. "Look, you wanted me to keep her busy and I did, alright? Makoto-chan is a beautiful girl and she was giving me signals, signals Usagi-chan, how was I supposed to deny a face like that? I can't be held responsible-"

"For the love of god, do not start with me right now." I snapped. "We have bigger issues to deal with. If you want to go out with her then just do it already; she's around all the damn time and it's not like you were ever actually listening to me in the first place." It stung, but I smothered the feeling for the moment.

One thing at a time.

"Look, Jadeite really cannot stay here tonight. We need to get this under control now before everything goes to hell in a hand basket. Either we can sneak him in the Tsukino residence or-"

"He can crash at my place." Matsuo said. "I don't want to risk making any more problems at your house right now."

I hesitated, unsure; the last thing I wanted to do was put him out or bring any more danger anyway near him, but at the moment my options were limited. "Thank you. It's temporary, just until I can figure out what to do with him."

A loud crash sounded just then from further in the house, followed by a cacophony of stampeding footsteps. I jumped to my feet in alarm, arm instinctively going to Matsuo's back as he swiveled around to face the door; his shoulders straightened, knees bending as he took on a defensive stance. In any other situation, I might have taken a moment to comment on the backwardness of this; he never shut up about me being Super Usagi, but when push came to shove he was the one standing protectively in front of me. I had a hand gripping the back of his shirt, ready to yank the two of us out of the way if needed.

But then Mars tumbled into the room with Luna at her feet, followed by Venus; both in their Scout uniforms and, surprisingly, with a tagalong. Mamoru was right on their heels, and when Mars came to an abrupt halt he just managed to catch Venus from slamming into the other girl's back. He let go as soon as she was steady, and what's more, Venus even looked over her shoulder and gave him a short, but genuine thanks. It had only been five days since that battle in the park; when had they found the time to settle their differences?

Mars looked from Matsuo, to me, to Jadeite, and then back to me. She spoke hurriedly, out of breath and alert. "I sensed it, the moment the wards were broken, I thought it might have been the Dark Kingdom. Is everything okay? Where's Makoto-chan?"

"Right here, actually." Jupiter said, startling the lot of us. She was in the doorway behind the scouts, glass of water in hand. "I heard you guys coming in, and followed the sound of the noise. Everything's good though, Usagi-chan managed to purify him."

Mars whipped her head back to me, tone that of sheer disbelief as she murmured, "That was you?"

I blinked. "Yeah. Is that really so surprising?"

Whether she was insulting me or not, I couldn't really tell but at this point I had grown so used to her remarks that they hardly fazed me anymore. Mars shook her head, brows furrowing as her gaze drilled into me. "No, you don't understand. The wards didn't just go down or break apart; they were shattered, decimated. That's… I've never felt anything like it before. To be able-" Mars cut off suddenly, jaw tightening.

Venus stepped around her, taking hold of the conversation and the room at large. "So then, your attempt was a success?" She examined Jadeite curiously, and Luna padded over to give the man a closer inspection. Jadeite, however, paid them no mind; his attention was solely on Mamoru, gaze drowning in apology and guilt. "Prince Endymion…" He choked, struggling to get to his feet. I turned around and aided him, though he seemed to have trouble standing in general.

I eyed him. "You're in no position to be standing on your own."

He didn't listen, and I sent Mamoru a look, one that said Say something already.

His gaze went to Jadeite's, and slowly, Mamoru walked over. He took my place as Jadeite's support and eased the man back down to the ground. "You should probably sit, if you aren't feeling well. There's no need to stand, not for my sake."

Jadeite was at a loss for words.

"What… What is that?" Luna questioned, and as one everyone followed her line of sight to the crescent moon adorning Jadeite's brow. "Where on earth did you get that mark? You are not a descendent of the Moon Kingdom. The color…"

Oh, right. "It, uh, might possibly be from me. It happened when I broke the enemy's hold on him."

Luna's sharp gaze fell on me. Her eyes flickered to my brow momentarily before focusing back on my face. "How exactly was it that you accomplish this again?"

With the help of the Silver Crystal, but she didn't need to know that.

Luna's relentless gaze had begun to give me unsettling vibes, but I didn't show it as I shrugged. "I'm not exactly an expert here, but since you asked I'd probably say by the celestial power of the motherland? You know, Guardian of the Moon, descendant of its kingdom, blessed with remarkable powers like the rest of your team? Rather straight forward, if you stop to give it some thought."

"I have, actually." Venus interjected. She stared at me, not in a particularly kind or menacing way, but more… musing; like an interesting new riddle, one she was slowly unraveling. "Given it some thought, that is."

"Oh?" I replied neutrally, relaxing my stance. Venus tilted her head, studying me as she advanced. I kept my gaze on her, that fight or flight instinct growing louder with each step she took. Venus was perhaps my biggest threat, a natural born leader with the most experience hunting her prey. How easy it was to forget this, when she chirped and teased and gossiped with the others or threw withering glares my way. The difference between Venus and the evil whatsit was that Venus wasn't really trying.

She merely lacked the motivation to come after me.

"Mercury's specialty is water." Venus began. "Jupiter's, thunder and lightning. Mars uses flames and my powers more or less fall into the realm of light. Your powers, from what I've observed, don't fall into any elemental category."

"Yes, very astute of you." I eyed her, uncertain as to just where she was going with this. "Is that all then?"

"The moon is most often associated with water." She went on, ignoring me. "Pulling the ocean tides, that sort of thing. Only, I get the feeling that water just isn't your specialty, or in your skill set at all. So if it isn't water, then based on what you've shown me, I can only guess that your powers lay within the realm of healing."

Venus seemed to be connecting dots to a picture that I couldn't see, and it was starting to put me on edge. This revelation of hers seemed to mean something, so for what purpose was she sharing it with me? Her voice lowered as she came to a stop in front of me, gaze probing, looking for something I didn't understand. Her voice was quiet as she said her next words, though in the dead silent room it didn't sound as hushed. "Back in the hospital; you healed Naru, didn't you?"

I stilled in surprise; that certainly wasn't where I had expected this conversation to go. She was wrong though, I hadn't done anything for Naru; the girl had recovered on her own, the district's very own walking miracle.

Right?

Suddenly, I wasn't so sure and that seemed to be enough for Venus. Her eyes brightened, the edge of her lips twitching upward in an action so miniscule that anyone else would have missed it. She was amused, like she'd won a prize and it rubbed me the wrong way; I tried not to bear my teeth as I acknowledged her theory. "What would it matter if I did or didn't?"

"Oh, it doesn't really." But her gaze was knowing, pleased. Venus had answers to questions I hadn't even been aware of, and from the expression she wore I gathered that whatever conclusion she was approaching could only spell trouble for me. The thought only served to throw my senses into high alert; some deep, animalistic part of me felt backed into a corner and screamed for retaliation, demanded the threat be eliminated.

I took a deep, calming breath, and silenced the feeling.

One thing at a time.


Jadeite was reluctant to leave Mamoru.

The Sailor Scouts, in turn, were reluctant to take their eyes off him, which was understandable. Jadeite had been causing terror all over Tokyo, and the scouts had been fighting off his attempts for months so of course now that the chance was here, they wanted to get as much information out of him as humanely possible. He was the key to securing the other Generals, and therefore the war; Jadeite was invaluable, and he presented an opportunity too good to pass up.

However, the final say belonged to me.

"I was the one taking care of him." Mars argued. "It was my house that he stayed in, protected under my wards, and if you think I worked so hard just to have him taken away then you are dead wrong."

"Plus," Venus added, "You're the one that said he was to be our ally; he's supposed to help us with our mission, so by right-"

"-By right, he is mine." I snapped. "You all seem to have forgotten who it was that gave you this opportunity. I captured him, I was the one that showed you his worth, and it was me that purified the malevolent hold over him. Jadeite is my spoils of war, and I will not hand him over until my business with him is done."

Mars stepped forward threateningly, and I met her challenge. "Go on then, take him from me. I assure you that one General will not be enough to overthrow your enemy, but if you don't believe me then you are more than welcome to find that out for yourself. Take him, Mars; see if I'll be inclined to free the other three once they've been captured."

Her lip curled, but the priestess made no move to defy me.

They could not do this without my help.

"Matsuo," I addressed him, never taking my gaze off Mars. "Take Jadeite home, and make yourselves comfortable. I'll meet you when my business is finished here."

There was no more opposition to be found as Matsuo helped our guest up.

In the end, I think the only reason Jadeite left with Matsuo was because of my previous warning; no doubt he was anxious to hear what I had to say, and the reason behind my insistence he not call me princess. Mamoru's eyes followed him out the door, and it was easy to see that he too wanted to speak with Jadeite, likely to find out more about his tragic past life. I almost pitied Jadeite then, for he would be the one that had to explain to Mamoru why exactly this war had turned ugly so quickly.

It was not every day that your generals betrayed you and you failed to protect the love of your life.

"So, what now then?" Jupiter asked, eyes still firmly trained on the door. "I mean, now that we know it's possible, obviously capturing the rest of the Generals is the goal. The thing is, where are we going to keep them all? What's the long term solution?"

She made a surprisingly good point.

They couldn't stay with Matsuo, not forever anyway.

The temple was big, but somehow I doubted Mars' grandfather would be open to housing four random men for an extended period of time. The fact of the matter was that with the added presence of the Generals and Mamoru to their ranks, the Sailor Scouts needed a new base of operations. Somewhere they could do their training and scheming without arising any suspicion. I knew this, and yet the suggestion couldn't seem to push past my lips; after all, it didn't really concern me in the long run.

We weren't on the same team.

Plus, there was the fact that I now had another advantage up my sleeve; a blessing and curse it was. "You all can figure that out one your own time. Now that we know I can bring the General's to your side, I think it's time for us to come to an agreement."

"We'll capture them, and you'll heal their minds." Venus guessed. She didn't look all that thrilled, but really, what else had they expected?

"I'm giving you your best shot at winning this war." I reminded her quietly. "It's a more generous offer than any of you could have ever expected to receive."

Why was that not enough for them?

Venus didn't have anything to say to that, apparently, and neither did anyone else. She considered me for a long moment, then stepped aside, out of my path to the door; I took the opportunity, allowing the transformation to slip away and leaving them behind to discuss their own issues. I exited the house, painfully aware of the hair brushing at my calves, and as I made my way down the staircase, a thought dawned on me. The four of them had arrived within ten minutes of the wards breaking; ten minutes, when by all means they should have been across town.

Had Mamoru and the Scouts ditched Naru in the middle of her date?

They must have lured her to a nearby location, there was no other explanation as to how they arrived so quickly. It was possible that Venus and Mars had simply lied about going with Naru or changed their minds soon after, but that doesn't account for Mamoru. The whole event was off, but if I was right and Mamoru had ditched Naru at the last minute, followed by Mars and Venus…. Yikes.

Naru was going to be a nightmare tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the trip to Matsuo's on alert for the red headed girl, peeking around corners and the like to avoid ambush.

When I arrived at Matsuo's apartment unscathed, Jadeite was freshly showered and looked like a new man. The moment I entered, his gaze was on me, accusing and impatient. I slowed in my movements, unaware as to what had riled him up though Jadeite was kind enough to read my hesitation. "Ah, Sailor Moon; Matsuo-san here was just catching me up on a few things. He said something I found to be rather odd, about Princess Serenity's second life here as the daughter of jewelers, if I recall correctly."

Damn. I'd forgotten about that. Matsuo wouldn't have known that Jadeite knew better, so of course he'd have stuck with the lie. I turned to my friend. "Matsuo, you'll be late to work if you don't get going soon."

Matsuo glanced at the clock on the wall dismissively. "I could call Harumi."

"Yes, of course, and tell him you're too busy plotting the destruction of an empire to make it tonight?"

"Kingdom, Usagi-chan. It's a Kingdom." He sighed, raking hand through his hair. "But it is last minute, he probably won't be able to find a replacement in time. I'll have to go in, but he'll probably let me cut out early. Will you be here when I get back?"

I paused, really taking the time to look at him.

Matsuo was a bit shifty, and more serious than usual; he wanted to talk about something then. I swallowed a sigh, rubbing at a temple and nodding my agreement; I had homework and other things to work through tonight, but I couldn't just leave Jadeite alone when we were done speaking. The list of problems never seemed to end, did it? Matsuo shot me a grateful look and gave me free reign of the kitchen before heading out. The moment the door closed behind him, Jadeite pounced. "I sincerely hope you have an adequate explanation prepared."

Was that any way to speak to someone he (wrongfully) considered royalty?

I moved and sat on the couch beside him, legs crossed, and smiled. "I daresay our definitions of an adequate explanation will differ greatly. I assume you want the full, unadulterated version of events?"

"You would be correct in your assumption."

"I thought as much." I nodded passively. "Well, that's too bad then, because you won't be getting it. I'm not going to lie to you, Jadeite, but neither am I going to spill all my secrets to appease you. I don't have all the answers to your questions, but I do happen to have enough, so let's make a trade. I'll shine some light on whatever it is that plagues you, and in return I hope you might be able to answer a few questions of my own."

Jadeite looked vaguely scandalized at my words, but he was smart enough to realize that my mind wouldn't be changed. "Fine then. Firstly, explain to me why you are allowing a common girl to pose as the princess."

"Bear with me then." I said, gathering my thoughts. "Though I'm not entirely sure how it happened, somewhere along the way the Sailor Scouts simply decided that Naru was the princess they were looking for. I have absolutely no clue as to why or how they came to this conclusion, but I intend to drag it out for as long as humanly possible."

"…Is the rest of your knowledge this vague?"

"Rude." I didn't have time to solve every single mystery around me, and quite frankly, even if I did Naru simply wasn't all that high on the list. Information was valuable, but so was time and it just so happened that I had very little of that.

"Why though?" He seemed genuinely confused. "Why put a mere girl at risk as a decoy?"

"Because," I met his gaze head on. "This war we're in, it's only the beginning. The Silver Crystal will always attract the greed of others. If no one knows where it is, then no one can take it for themselves. The princess… she is dead, along with her people and her kingdom. The Silver Millennium is over, and the last thing we need is for a repeat of past mistakes. I am not Princess Serenity, I do not carry her memories and I hold no ties to your prince or the Sailor Scouts. My concern lies with the safekeeping of the Silver Crystal, and nothing more."

Jadeite was quiet, expression going from disbelief, to shock, to anger, to closing up entirely. He studied me, and after about a minute, he murmured, "You truly aren't her, are you?"

My smile was grim.

"If… if the princess is dead, then where is the Silver Crystal?"

"Hidden." I told him truthfully. "I have not laid eyes on it myself."

He leaned forward then, breaking our stare in order to rest his elbows on his knees, hands supporting his face. "Tell me then, why should I keep this secret from Prince Endymion? I serve under him, so what could you possibly have to say that would secure my silence? Do you intend to hold the debt I owe you over me?"

Thoughts of Serenity came to me then.

"I would never do that." My voice was soft, and Jadeite tilted his head to watch me. "It would be easy, wouldn't it? A neat solution to be sure, but at what cost?" Maybe I would have done it a few months ago, but things had changed. "I'm going to do what someone should have done for us long ago; I'm going to give you a choice, Jadeite. Reveal me and my intentions, or don't. It will be up to you, but know this; so long as the so-called true identity of the Moon Princess remains secret, the Silver Crystal is safe.

"I might be the closest thing to the Moon Princess, but make no mistake; I am not her. Is that not for the best anyway? Endymion died for her once, and if you give him the chance he'll probably try to die for her again. It would be a pointless sacrifice on his part; to die in vain, for the ghost of a love long lost."

Mamoru was stubborn, stupidly so; it would be better if he never learned the full truth.

Princess Serenity had died to be with him, and she wasn't coming back.

"…I see." Jadeite murmured. His expression was stricken, as though this pained him to say, but there was determination in his gaze all the same; he truly did see the severity of the situation. "You have my word then."

The tension in me eased.

Finally, finally, the victory was mine.

Now all I had to do was keep it.


Matsuo returned later than expected.

While we waited, I cooked Jadeite and myself dinner, and he kept his end of the deal by answering the questions I had. I phrased them carefully, asking only what I deemed to be the most critical questions, ones that I doubted others would think to ask. I knew that whatever information he gave to the Scouts would eventually circle its way back around to me anyway, so I didn't linger on the obvious.

What Jadeite told me was rather interesting.

Queen Beryl did not have the unlimited resources that I had expected. The youma serving under her had to be made, a process that was not easy. They were loyal to her, unsurprisingly, but their strengths lied in harvesting energy. Queen Beryl had a few high rank youma that would undoubtedly cause some trouble. I might have slipped a suggestion or two his way, mentioning how I would deal with a problem like that. We seemed to be on the same train of thought concerning the enemy, which was nice.

Queen Beryl, and the thing she was feeding energy to needed to be destroyed before it gained too much power.

Hopefully, the Scouts would realize the same thing.

After dinner I left Jadeite to his own devices, allowing him to rest in the spare bedroom while I waited for Matsuo's return. When my friend finally made it home, I was half asleep, spread out on the couch. Upon seeing me, he said, "Sorry, it was a busy night. I didn't wake you did I?"

"No." But then I yawned, and he sent me an unconvinced look. "I'm awake, really."

Matsuo hummed but didn't push the subject. "Up for another hair cut?"

"God, yes." I stood quickly, making him laugh. "Hey, sitting on your hair hurts, okay?"

We moved to the kitchen, where, after retrieving the scissors Matsuo plopped down into her chair. I sat myself on the floor at his feet, head leaning back in pleasure as his hands ran through my hair, gathering the locks. He began snipping, and as the weight of my hair lightened I found myself murmuring, "You should ask Harumi to teach you how to cut hair."

"I would," Matsuo began, "But he's a bit cross with me at the moment. Thanks for that, by the way."

"It's Harumi." I said, as if that explained everything, which it kind of did.

"Fair enough." He answered. "Still, if your hair is going to keep growing every time you transform, we're going to have to come up with a different solution here."

I sighed. "I'll add it to the list."

After that I let him work in silence, not wanting to distract him. I tried not to get lost in my own thoughts, or the ever present line of problems that hovered at the back of my mind. Just for this brief moment, I wanted to pretend that none of them existed; that I lived without a care in the world. During the half hour it took Matsuo to cut my hair, I remained in blissful ignorance. It was fleeting though, and as soon as he was satisfied with his work, that tension, worry, came back into the air.

I closed my eyes, counted to six, and stood. "Let's have it then."

"You don't want me dating Makoto-chan." Matsuo stated. He gestured for me to take the seat next to him at the table, and waited until I sat before adding, "I… I really like her."

I swallowed, hollowly replying, "Yeah, I know."

Hearing him acknowledge it, it killed me in ways I had never imagined possible. I hated it, hated that this was happening, that he felt this way; it was probably the worst thing he could ever say to me, and I could do nothing about it. What did you say in a situation like this? He was my best friend, so how did I ask him to forget about the girl he liked, how could I possibly deny him his own happiness? I couldn't, not to him, never to him.

But oh, how badly I wanted to.

Not her, anyone but her.

I didn't want this life for him, this future ripe with danger and violence. Jupiter would always be part of whatever battle came hurtling this way, she was never going to break free from it, and even worse, she could eventually end up dragging Matsuo into it. One day, someone would want to hurt her, and they would realize they could do it through him; Jupiter was going to be his downfall, and as long as she was around…

He was never going to leave with me.

Those dreams I had of the two of us, getting away from this nightmare; they had gone up in flames. Matsuo was never going to turn his back on the supernatural world, or her; he just wasn't that kind of person. I looked at him then, at the struggle in his gaze and the tight lines on his face and I knew; he would not chase her until he was certain he had my blessing, even if it made him unhappy, he would wait.

"I have to go." I choked, moving to my feet. He reached out to stop me, but I scurried out of reach. "Just- I don't want to discuss this. If Jupiter makes you happy, and god knows she does, then you should be with her. She's smitten with you, so don't put this decision on me. I am not a part of your relationship."

"Usagi-"

"Do you understand?" Under my stare he nodded. "Then let's drop it alright? I haven't decided if I'm going to school tomorrow, so if not then I'll swing by and pick Jadeite up; the Scouts will be glad to have him."

Neither of us spoke, and after a heartbeat I turned and walked away, unable to stand looking at him or another second. I closed the door to his apartment behind me, and walked off into the night, ignoring the pressure at my temples and the tightness of my throat. I wandered without much thought, focused on simply getting away and putting some distance between me and that place. It didn't matter how far I walked though, or for how long; the truth couldn't be escaped from, and eventually I was forced to stop and face it.

I had lost him.

There would be no convincing him to flee with me.

I couldn't stay here, wouldn't stay; I had already vowed to myself, I would not die in this town, not for a war I wanted no part of, and not for a bunch of strangers. Matsuo wanting to stay… it changed nothing. One way or another, I was fleeing this city; the only difference was that now when I went, I would be leaving him behind. It was going to happen slowly, I knew; Matsuo liked Jupiter, but he would never betray me to her. Still, that didn't mean I could continue to confide in him, not when the secrets I knew had the possibility to put a strain on their relationship.

I didn't want to lose him, but… I couldn't hurt him either.

I wouldn't put him in that position, where he would have to choose between keeping my secrets or helping Jupiter. The only way to spare him from that any further is to keep him out of the loop. I wouldn't be able to bounce ideas off him or rely on his help when it came down to it. I couldn't shake my own feeling that the day would come where, for whatever reason, the Scouts finally decided to come after me. I felt that sooner or later, it was going to happen, and when that day came how could I ask Matsuo to aid me?

I wouldn't be able to.

It was a knife to the chest.

I doubled over, arms wrapped around my torso and took one deep shuddering breath after another. One thing at a time, one thing at a time, it will be okay, one thing at a time. But the problems just kept building and building and building, never ending no matter how many I tore through. Fixing the generals, staying ahead of the scouts, keeping the Tsukino family at bay, trying to survive Naru and whatever the hell she was doing to me, keeping the Silver Crystal safe, constantly burying the royal identity attached to me.

Losing aikido, losing the dojo, losing my last sanctuary, losing my best friend.

One thing at a time.

The hair on the back of my neck prickled, standing on end.

Suddenly, I could feel it; at the center of my back, burning between my shoulders.

I was being watched.


I froze where I was as the certainty hit me.

I was not alone.

Slowly, I picked my head up, scanning the area in front of me, looking for anything familiar. It was then that I realized I had no idea where I was; the street was sparsely lit, lined on both sides by warehouses looking abandoned and half forgotten. Not a single light was on in any of the buildings, and not a single person to be found.

The neighborhood was dead silent, and without sign of life.

My own heartbeat, quick and echoing in my ears, felt like the loudest sound for blocks. I stood, and reluctantly turned, not because I wanted to but because there simply was no other option. The opposite direction looked no different to me, just as dark and lifeless; it took me a moment of staring to see it. There, at the end of the street, barely visible in the dark, was a figure standing in the middle of the road. My breath caught the moment it registered, and then I couldn't tear my gaze away.

It moved then.

Each step it took seemed to echo, bouncing off the buildings around us as it closed in on me. My feet were lead, frozen in place on the ground; my mind was blank, and I watched in horror as the figure approached, caught in an echoing trance of footsteps and the racing of my heart. Faintly, I thought to myself that I should go, run, but the thought just wouldn't stick; I couldn't move, couldn't stop looking. Somehow, without getting a clear view of it, I just knew; that was not an ordinary human. The air felt heavy with intent, and I felt small, feeble under its weight.

I blinked, and it was two feet away, hand reaching right for me.

I snapped to life, twisting out of the way and kicking out desperately.

The figure dodged.

It laughed then; a smooth, baritone sound, and somehow it was that noise that unraveled me.

Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight.

Fight or flight was no longer an option, no longer a concept as adrenaline began coursing through my veins. I was a cornered animal, and this figure was the one standing in my way.

The threat.

A scream, and I pounced, knocking us to the ground.

The figure wheezed, caught off guard and without breath; I did not hesitate. I slammed my fists into it's face, again, again, again, until it finally reacted, flipping us and trying to pin me down. I cracked my forehead into it's own, making the figure reel back slightly. It was enough though, more than enough to kick and struggle; my hands were slick though, and I couldn't seem to keep a lasting grip. The figure pressed down, using it's weight against me and when my mouth came into contact with it, I bit down onto flesh. Blood filled my mouth, and the figure cursed, landing a blow to the right side of my face, once, twice, but I wasn't letting go. It ended up yanking me off by my hair.

Tears stung my eyes at the pain, and I bared bloody teeth.

Something red shot between us then, and the figure jerked away to avoid the object.

A rose.

I stared at it stupidly, taking my attention off the figure of only a fraction of a second.

My attacker was tackled then, pinned as the person on top wound his arm back and slammed his knuckles into the figure. There was a crack as he did it again, and then once more; by then my attacker was no longer moving. Panting, Mamoru turned, gaze landing on me immediately; he moved off the figure, kneeling in front of me as I stared up at him.

"Christ, Usagi." His hands hovered, gaze running down the length of me as if he didn't even know where to start. "Why, what are you doing in a neighborhood like this?"

I shivered, unable to choke the words out.

Mamoru's eyes widened, and then he was no longer hesitating. His arms went around me, and I found myself burying my face into his chest, fingers gripping the fabric of his tux. A gasp escaped me, followed by another; Mamoru held my shaking body, one of his hands threading through my hair. "It's okay, you're okay. I've got you, Usagi-chan, you're safe now."

He continued to hold me as my trembling eased and breathing calmed, murmuring reassurances into my ear all the while. When I finally came to my senses, it took everything I had to release the death grip I had on his shirt, to pull away and stumble to my feet. I didn't want to get up, didn't want to see the face of what had come after me; more than anything I would have liked to stay in his embrace, under the illusion of safety that he so effortlessly conveyed. That was the issue though, we weren't safe yet, I wasn't safe yet and my mind would not allow me to pretend otherwise.

The threat was still there.

In the dimly lit street it had been hard to get a look at the figure; at the time, I had been more concerned with staying alive. Now though, it was out cold, and I needed to see. It was bloody, sprawled on the ground with dark, long hair covering it's face. Fear thrilled up my spine, nausea welled up in me and my legs felt heavier with every step, but I approached despite my body's adamant refusal. I crouched down next to the figure, finally getting a better look at it; Just as I convinced myself to reach out and brush the hair obscuring it's face away, the clothes it wore registered in my mind.

A uniform.

A very familiar, military one.

"Oh my god."


Matsuo opened the door and jumped out of his skin at the sight of us.

It was a fair reaction, really.

The blood had dried around my mouth, and from the throbbing at the right side of my face, I could only assume it was bruising nicely. Mamoru's tux was stained with blood, likely from me and between the two of us was an unconscious man, beaten to high hell. So I couldn't really blame the stupefied look on his face; he scrambled backwards, holding the door open wide enough for the three of us to enter. We managed to stumble in and make it over to the couch, depositing our new acquaintance onto it.

"What the hell happened?" Matsuo looked to me. "My god, Usagi-chan; are you okay?"

"Get Jadeite please." I plopped down onto the coffee table and raked a hand through my hair. "We found another General."

He looked from me, to Mamoru, then back to me. "Well, damn."

Matsuo disappeared down the hall, off to wake the blonde. I glanced at the clock, which now read 11:30, and groaned; I was never getting sleep tonight.

"Hey." Mamoru said, startling me. I looked up, focusing on him as he continued. "Before, why didn't you transform into Sailor Moon? Were you taken by surprise or ambushed?"

I paused, gaze travelling downwards to the brooch on my school uniform.

It… had completely slipped my mind.

In the heat of the moment, I had been panicked and it never even occurred to me. I'd only become Sailor Moon twice; I wasn't used to having super powers, so when my life was in danger, my instinct had been to fall back on what I knew. Months and months of aikido, of thinking the strength of my own two hands was all I had, had put me in a dangerous mindset. A laugh escaped me, slightly unhinged, and Mamoru shifted uncomfortably as I looked back up to him, an empty grin on my face. "I told you I wasn't meant for this sort of thing."

He opened his mouth, but when he couldn't find the proper words Mamoru pressed his lips together and looked away, dropping the subject. My eyes drifted over to the General's slumped form on the couch, and I flinched. Fighting him, it had been so different from Jadeite and the park. Being the victim was terrifying; I had frozen in fear until it'd been too late to run, and if Mamoru hadn't intervened…

I shuddered, tearing my attention away.

It had been nothing like my last fight; this one had been far, far worse. Maybe it was because this time, I had been entirely alone; this time, there had been nothing to keep me going, no injured Matsuo to make me rise up, vengeful and willing to do anything to protect him. It had been just me, and this time I hadn't been angry, but frightened.

How paralytic fear could be.

Matsuo returned to the living room with a tired Jadeite trailing in his wake. The blond rubbed his eyes tiredly, before looking up and catching sight of us and freezing in place. His wide eyed gaze surveyed the three of us, and it seemed to take him a moment to decide where exactly to focus. Finally, he looked to the man on the couch, tone shell shocked as he muttered, "You captured Nephrite."

I sent Nephrite a contemplative glance. "Well… sure. I think he might have been trying to capture me, in the beginning. Only he didn't seem to have any clue who I was."

After all, I'd managed to catch him off guard; it was a feat that wouldn't have been possible had he been expecting a Sailor Scout. That was twice now I'd been attacked by a General unaware of who I was.

"Oh." Jadeite said, something having dawned on him. "I see. He was trying to make you into one of his servants; have a youma possess you. He had no idea what he was getting himself into when he targeted you." He sent his comrade a sympathetic look, as though he understood his plight, and muttered something under his breath.

"So it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time." Matsuo commented. I got the feeling he wasn't talking about me, and he only strengthened the feeling by saying, "Poor bastard. I mean, lucky for us of course, but still, rather unfortunate for him."

Jadeite hummed in agreement, and I sent the two of them a dirty look. "I'm right here."

Mamoru didn't appear to agree with them though.

His gaze was knowing as he watched me, the only one here that had seen my desperate struggle. He was the only one that knew how shaken up it had left me, and somehow, I couldn't stand the thought. What I would give to go back and put on a tougher front; hadn't I said it before though? I wasn't brave. Matsuo had seen me take on men twice my size, but they had been mere humans; the Scouts and Jadeite had only my performance in the park to go off of. From Mamoru's expression, he seemed to the sole person beginning to understand that I hadn't been exaggerating my fear.

I sighed, unwilling to deal with any of this right now. "If I'm going to purify Nephrite, I'll need to concentrate and I can't do that with people staring. Out, all of you."

I stood and ignored their protests, shooing them into the spare room.

"This is my apartment you know." Matsuo said.

"You can all come out when I'm done, and not before. Give me fifteen minutes, talk about your hopes and dreams for the future or something. Bond over your manliness, I don't really care so long as this door stays closed." The three of them gave me perturbed looks, but before anyone could say anything I slammed the door shut.

Returning to the living room, I eyed Nephrite.

He really was beat to hell; nose broken, bloodied face beginning to swell and bruise.

A better person would heal him. I thought idly as I clasped my brooch.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up."

I wasn't a better person.


A/N

Sorry for the short chapter, would have done more but I am sick as all hell (thank you, flu season), and I just got a promotion at my hellish work with new, horrific hours, so I wanted to post this while I had the time and livelihood to do so. Not my best work by any means but I'll make up for it. To those of you darling readers that can't stand the MakotoxMatsuo pairing, that's totally okay, I can respect that.

But boy do I have some bad news for you guys…..

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