user disclaimer- purely a work of fiction I do not own Sailor Moon and never will but we can all dream ne?
For Sessediz
Authors note- This is only the second fanfiction event I have ever done that has been tied to a deadline. I have extremely enjoyed working on this project. If it wasn't for my Beta, Sailor Silver Ladybug, it would have never happened. Olive juice
On doing my stalking I mean researching my giftee I noticed she had a huge thing for fluffy angst soo I hope this lives up to expectations girl
Usagi is 16 and Mamoru 18.
Anyways, on to the story... please enjoy and leave Feedback
Unchained memory
Chapter One
Crown arcade 2:40 pm
The tinkling of a bell alerted Furuhata Katsuo that two high school seniors were entering his cafe. He looked up and smiled at the teenagers.
"Afternoon, Mamoru-Kun, Motoki-Kun." He grinned at his son and his best friend as he spoke, happy to see them.
"Afternoon Sir." Mamoru sat on his usual stool.
Katsuo put his cloth down. "We stopped with the formalities years ago Mamoru. What's happened?"
The black-haired teen looked up at his father figure with tired eyes. "Gomen Katsuo, the dreams are getting bad again."
"You're telling me! You were staring up at the sky so much I don't think you even noticed Usagi-chan staring out the window and her face light up when she saw you walk past the public high school," Motoki said coming out of the back with his apron on.
"You good here son?" Katsuo asked before the 'boy' talk got more serious.
Motoki nodded his head. "Sure dad. Una-chan will be here soon."
Katsuo nodded and passed his son the keys, "call me if you need anything."
Motoki nodded and his dad left. He turned back to Mamoru. "Dude seriously, you need to give your head a wobble. You nearly got yourself killed out there. I don't know what force stopped you from crossing the path of that speeding car but I thank the kami for it," Motoki said, looking him in the eyes.
Mamoru shrugged and gave a heavy sigh. "Usagi hates my guts, so what do I live for?" he asked, not looking at his friend.
Motoki shook his head. "That girl doesn't have a hateful bone in her body. You rile her up as much as she riles you up. Trust me I know I've known that girl since she was born. Even when she was younger and she was bullied she stopped to wonder why they were bullies. If, maybe, they had a hard life and that's why they were lashing out at little kids."
Mamoru shook his head and just hoped his Odango would be at the arcade that day.
Azabu Juban high school
Five girls walked out of school together. Usagi heard the others talking, but nothing was registering. She had failed a test. She had maintained a 'B' average since first grade, but now she had failed. "Dumb test," she muttered.
"Usagi-chan, don't be so hard on yourself," Ami, the blue-haired genius spoke quietly as another girl much taller than her, put her arm around Usagi's shoulders and bobbed her brown-haired ponytail in agreement. Makoto's warm hug made Usagi feel a little better.
"But Ami-chan, you always pass your tests with ninety to a hundred percent," Usagi lamented and stared darkly at the fifty marked in red ink.
Ami shook her head "I barely passed with seventy-four this time. Some of the questions I was completely unprepared for."
"Ami barely passing? A cataclysm must be on the ocean," the other blonde, who could be Usagi's twin, said. She tossed her long hair and adjusted her red ribbon. This made Usagi smile.
"It's 'on the horizon' Minako-chan," Rei, who was a dark-haired Shinto priestess said, pinching the bridge of her nose to fight back a laugh or a growl, she wasn't sure which.
"It means the same Rei-chan," Minako argued. And so the Great Raspberry War's treaty was broken. Little did they know how right Minako was.
"Guys, let's get to the arcade," Makoto said, pulling the smallest of them along.
The air changed ever so slightly as four men who had been watching them disappeared.
None of the girls had seen them, but Minako turned her head, sensing a familiar presence. The shadow of destiny was growing ever closer and more difficult to escape...
"You're right Mako-chan. I could do with some American food and Toki-oni-san's milkshakes."
"That's our girl," a black cat said, jumping down onto her shoulder, her white counterpart jumping onto Minako's.
"Luna, Artemis? I thought you died," Ami gasped.
Usagi POV
Shocked was the understatement of the century, Usagi saw them die, she was sure. But it was a lifetime ago, maybe in another life? When Usagi felt the heat of the cat on her body she started, but almost instantly relaxed.
The tension was thick as the two cats looked at each other with great sadness. Artemis shook his head sadly."We are so sorry."
The five girls were slack-jawed as the two cat's Moon marks began to glow. Slowly a lifetime of memories began to filter into their minds. The intensity of them grew worse and worse. When they were done with the horrible cascade of bitter memories, they were all weeping.
The horror was still very evident in their eyes
"We will save your husbands," Luna promised.
The four girls nodded swiping at their tears. "Endymion hates me," Usagi murmured, unable to stop her own weeping.
"We have only just recovered your full memories as much as we can. The dark kingdom is stirring. Unfortunately, your vacation from fighting evil is ending," Artemis said, mourning the loss of his own race all over again.
"Can you redeem Endymion's memories?" Makoto asked.
The cats regretfully shook their heads. "We have tried, but with his crystal being the Golden Crystal it is protecting him until it is time. He is too closely linked to Elysion."
Crown arcade
Mamoru was getting anxious. It was forty minutes after her high school let out. Where the hell was she? Had something happened to her or the other girls?
He felt a pang of sadness, pain, and then self-loathing. "Endymion," a voice cried out in his head.
"Endy?" he murmured.
"Dude, you're doing it again," Motoki said, waving his hand in front of Mamoru's face.
The bell-ringing bought Mamoru out of his reverie and he jumped up out his seat and stalked towards the odangoed blonde. He looked her over carefully.
"Mamoru-Baka?" her voice sounded small, even pained.
"You're not hurt." It was a statement, not a question.
Usagi shook her head and hid behind her tall friend. She was scared of him? No, she couldn't be. It was just his actions that spooked her.
"Dude," he turned around to see Motoki glaring daggers at him. He grunted like a lion who had just lost its plaything and went back to his coffee.
The girls sat at their usual booth. "What's gotten into Mamoru-san?" Ami murmured. The girls shook their heads, just as clueless as she was.
Motoki approached them. "Usual girls?" he asked cheerfully, completely different from the man who not even two minutes ago had been glaring daggers at his best friend.
The girls all nodded and began to talk quietly, each sparing glances at the brooding teen on the stool at the counter, Usagi looking more often than the others, and the longest.
"Mamo-chan," she whispered.
Mamoru looked up and around. He saw Usagi, her black cat, who was her constant companion, sitting on her knee. The white cat was dozing at Minako's feet.
"Later Motoki," Mamoru said standing up.
Motoki looked up and then whispered. "You need to calm down dude. I can feel your energy coming off you in waves. Yeesh! Go have a shower and cool down," he ordered.
"My temper is perfectly in check," Mamoru whispered back.
"You know I don't believe you, so don't give me that BS. She hasn't given up Mamoru. I am sure by the forlorn look in her eyes she will be here until closing. Go for a run and come back with your car as she will need a lift home and you will be a gentleman to her." He hissed the last part.
Mamoru nodded, picked up his school things, and spared one glance at Usagi, who held his gaze as a tear slipped down her cheek. He ran out of the arcade when he just wanted to go to her wipe her eyes and ask who or what had made her cry.
Usagi shook away her tears as Motoki bought them burgers and fries, which made her grin big and forget all her troubles. For a little while anyway.
Mamoru ran. He had scared his Usako. His little bunny. Now he was expected to be a gentleman to her? Motoki sure knew how to play his cards.
He didn't realize how long he had been running but he looked up to see he had arrived at his block of apartments. He went upstairs in the elevator and changed out of his uniform and into slacks and the, as Usagi would say, 'dreaded ugly green jacket.'
He picked up his car keys and his wallet and by the time he pulled the car out of the garage, it was edging into darkness for the night. It was chilly so he didn't put his roof down. He arrived a short time later at the crown and saw Usagi sitting on the stool next to his usual spot, her friends having obviously gone home. So she kept Motoki company.
She had obviously been crying again and this time he didn't need to stop himself. He walked up to her and wiped her tears away then gave the all-knowing smirk. "What's up Odango, your friends ditch you?"
Usagi looked up at him with barely any fire. "Mamoru-Baka, no I failed my first test. Mom is going to kill me."
"Parents with high expectations?" Mamoru asked.
"No more like a brother who constantly boasts he is smarter than me and it's rubbing off on mom and dad."
Mamoru pulled her against his chest. "What's the subject?" he asked, to his own surprise, and the surprise of his best friend and the blonde in his arms.
Usagi gave him a deadpan look and he winced. "Math?"
"Hai. I am pretty good with mental math, but the rest of it... even though I wrote notes doesn't seem to stick. Ami-chan has tried bribery, taking away Manga, rewards, and everything else she could think of. I passed middle school math but this is all totally new to me."
Mamoru nodded. "I can tutor you."
Usagi felt the rumble of words through his chest even though her heart was doing flip flops at that very moment. "You would do that for me... I mean you would do that?" Usagi asked, looking up.
Mamoru nodded.
"Okay, so you tutor me and if I pass my next test you have to stop calling me Odango," Usagi smirked; the fire was back.
Mamoru inhaled, then exhaled and stuck his hand out. "Deal?" he asked apprehensively.
"Deal," Usagi replied shaking the offered hand.
There was the sound of a phone call. Usagi scrambled almost tripping over her own feet to get to her bag. "Hello?"
"Usagi-chan it's close to curfew where are you?"
"Sorry mom, I got caught up talking to Motoki-san, I'm on my way now."
"Ten minutes Usa, try and get home before your papa."
Usagi's eyes widened as she nodded. "Love you, mom." She hung up and looked at Mamoru, not really wanting to say goodbye.
"Come on, I will give you a lift. See you later 'Toki," Mamoru said, putting his hand at the small of her back, which made Usagi blush wildly.
The two walked round to Mamoru's car and Mamoru let her into the passenger side. He got into his side and they began to drive home. Mamoru just followed instinct and soon they were at the yellow house.
"How do I know where you live?"
Usagi wet her lip. "You walked me home once," she lied. He had walked her home many times before, whether unwittingly or not.
"I really don't like memory gaps," Mamoru huffed.
Usagi reached over and kissed his cheek. Blushing, she retreated out the door and to her gate. "Goodnight Mamo-chan", she whispered, then she ran to her mother at the door.
"A boyfriend eh?" Ikuko said, her eyebrows wiggling.
"Moooooommmm nooo. Not yet at least," Usagi added, then blushed.
End chapter one