Title: Remembrance

Author: Lisa

Chapter: Epilogue

Rating: PG

Author's Notes:

Yay one more story to check off my list! :) Enjoy this short, mushy conclusion, and don't forget to leave me a note at the end!

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and the others don't belong to me, but this story does.

Whoever said reality never exceeded expectations clearly had not been kissed, fully and soundly, by one, Usagi Tsukino. I hadn't proper words to describe the feeling, the taste, with any justice—not that I had ever been some poet by any stretch of the imagination—but the closest comparison would probably be to sugar-sweet snowflakes that melted on my tongue, irresistibly soft lips made icy by the cold that somehow ignited an insatiable fire in the pit of my stomach. I had never understood others' relentless and often blindly foolish (in my mind, at least) pursuit of passion and pleasure. Yet now it slammed into me like a swift punch in the gut that left me breathless and wanting more, more, more.

My lips broke free from her too-addictive mouth momentarily to a small gasp of complaint from the blond. I drew in a much-needed breath of air and soon turned my attentions to the perfect curve of her neck. I kissed every part of her silky skin that my lips could comfortably reach, marveling at its softness and drowning in the heady scent that was so uniquely Usagi. She moaned quietly in my ear to reward my efforts, and I felt an electric shock travel all the way down my body until I swear I could feel my toes tingling. To think that this was what I had been missing out on all this time…well, I certainly had a lot of catching up to do.

I could've lost myself in her warmth and caresses all night, but we needed to talk about what she had just said. She had spoken that last sentence to me a lifetime ago, those deceptively simple words that had blessed my dreams and given me hope during the darkest depths of my loneliness.

"Usako," I began breathlessly, unable to help the smile that curved my lips upward as I studied her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. "Not that I want to stop kissing you…believe me, that's the last thing I want..."

"I know." She fortunately saved me from my uncomfortable rambling and let out a breath, and I watched the puff of air with fascination as it flowed up toward the night sky. "Look, about what I said…"

"You remember." It wasn't a question so much as it was outward confirmation. I could see it her eyes, like heavy black clouds giving way to a clear blue sky after a thunderstorm. "How much?"

"Not everything," Usagi admittedly slowly. "It's like…how can I describe it..." She seemed frustrated at the limitations of human language, an aggravation that I had shared more than once just this evening. "It's more like…like bits and pieces of an old movie that I'd seen long ago, where I remember the overall plot and some specific scenes…but not every detail." She pinned me with those beautiful orbs once more, as if willing me to understand with those too-blue eyes. "Does that make any sense at all?"

"Hai," I replied quietly, "it makes perfect sense." Sensing her hesitation, I forced myself to continue. "You must wonder why I never told you. After we first met again. Why I pretended to get to know you all over again, like some stranger on the street."

"But weren't we?" Usagi let out a long sigh as I tensed instinctively from shock. She noticed my visible discomfort and grabbed my wrist. "Hear me out, Mamo-chan. When we first met again…I felt inexplicably drawn to you ever since I almost broke down your door thinking it was Minako-chan's," she laughed a bit, "but…I didn't know you." Usagi shivered, and I wrapped my arm around her slender shoulders, taking comfort in the feeling of her body pressed tightly against mine. "We grew into different people, Mamo-chan. We had to—what choice did we have? And I'm happy that we have the past to connect us now too, but make no mistake." Her hands were grasping my arm so tightly that it started to hurt, yet I didn't mind. "I'm in love with you, the man you are now. The man you've become, regardless of what happened in our past." Usagi's grip loosened, and she was suddenly unable to make eye contact. My heart skipped a beat in fearful anticipation. "And I hope…I hope you feel the same about me…not…well, not just because I'm her, the girl who gave you that framed rose on your nightstand, but me, Usagi Tsukino, the girl who always eats an obscene amount and talks too loudly and falls over too much for her own good and…"

My lips silenced her speech, as I couldn't bear to hear her tear herself down anymore. I had to put an end to her doubts, now and for always. Usagi was right, of course, and her insight and wisdom made me love her just that much more. She was her, my tiny angel from ten years past, but she was also this incredible young woman standing before me now. That Usagi had blossomed into my Usako, and it was my Usako that I wanted to spend the rest of my life loving, if she'd allow me the honor.

"I love you," I whispered fervently, "the girl who can eat whatever she wants and still maintain a flawless figure, who brightens up any room just by appearing and making everyone feel comfortable with her lively chatter, and who makes my day everyday by giving me an excuse to catch her when she trips."

"Mamo-chan…" I wiped the twin salt trails that slid down her cheeks before shooting her a lopsided smile.

"You're perfect, Usako. Just the way you are."

Usagi was quiet for a moment, her eyes glazed, and I would've given anything to be privy to her thoughts. "I don't think I ever forgot you," she said finally, and I drew in a breath. "I don't think that could ever be possible." Usagi shook her head and rubbed her temples, as if trying to unearth and unlock the treasure chest of memories buried in the deepest recesses of her memory. "I remember dreaming about you for weeks, months even, after I left the hospital. I asked my parents about you. I wanted to write to you…" As difficult as this was to hear now, to know we had lost our chance to re-connect so long ago, my heart soared in learning that she hadn't promptly discarded our time together like yesterday's trash. "I think my mom even asked for your contact information after you'd been released, but the hospital couldn't give that out for confidentiality reasons." Her words spilled out faster now as the barrier that once sealed her memories melted away. "Over the next months and years, as I went to school and met new friends and, I don't know, grew up...my parents never talked about that time anymore, and I guess I started to doubt everything. Were you really real, or had I made you up to deal with my time at the hospital? Had I been lonely and scared and imagined a friend to cope? It was all so confusing, and I…shut down, in a sense. I pushed away those memories of you and moved on the best that I could."

"I understand," I replied simply, thankfully. And I meant it, with every fiber of my being. I understood and accepted what had happened now and received the best gift of all as a result—closure. That chapter of my past could finally be closed, so I could begin writing a new chapter with my Usako.

She brushed away that infuriating lock of hair that was always falling in my eyes, despite my best efforts to tame it. "So what now, Mamo-chan?"

It was a simple question with no simple answer. The old me would've tried desperately to grapple with our future, to anticipate every twist and turn and possible threat to our budding relationship, to control the uncontrollable. The new me, however, no longer feared the unknown. As long as I had Usagi by my side, we could stumble into the future together.

"I have hot chocolate," I offered with a smile.

"Well, why didn't you say anything sooner?!"

We walked hand-in-hand back into the apartment, and I slid the door closed quietly behind me, all-too-ready to enjoy this roller coaster of life and all the adventures to come.

And, done! Thank you so much to all my reviewers – you guys are the best. I know sometimes updates are few and far in the between, but hope it was worth it in the end. Let me know what you think!

This story was written and posted March 2016.