Chapter Three

Usagi wanders into the shrine, knowing that she will be able to think in private, and maybe get some divine guidance. Looking up at the sky she asks, "What do I do now?"

A vaguely familiar female voice softly whispers an answer in Usagi's mind. "Listen to the advice of others."

As Usagi is pondering this reply Rae's grandfather enters the shrine without her noticing.

"Hello Usagi."

"Oh, hey Gramps," Usagi replies distractedly.

"You seem distracted Usagi. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Is there anywhere private we could talk?" Usagi asks, desperate to talk to someone.

Gramps nods and leads Usagi through a doorway into a small room.

"This is my own private room. No one will disturb us here, not even Rae will."

"Whoa, thanks for giving it up to talk to me Gramps."

"You're welcome," he says taking a seat on a bench, and patting the seat beside him.

Usagi sits down, her eyes looking determinedly at the floor. "Have you ever had a secret you can't tell anyone Gramps?"

"I've had a few," he says amusedly. "But I found that it was best to tell someone about it, it's never good to keep something bottled up for too long."

"Okay," Usagi says with a sigh. "This will sound weird, but, once a year I relive an event from the past and my friends and family play a key role in it. But the thing is, the next day I remember and no one else does."

"Is that why you didn't know you'd arranged to meet up yesterday?" Gramps asks softly, patting Usagi's hand gently.

Usagi's eyes shoot up from the floor to look at his face, startled. "Y-you believe me?"

"Yes. One would miss most of the wonders in this world if one looks only at the 'normal' things. Plus it wouldn't be good for a temple Priest not to believe in the supernatural would it?" he asks with a grin.

"No, it wouldn't."

"On a serious note Usagi, I know there would be a reason why you find it difficult to tell them, but it is a good idea to at least try it. You would be amazed how understanding friends can be."

"Thanks," Usagi whispers.

"Feel free to use this room as long as you need to." After that is said Gramps leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Usagi starts thinking, "Okay, so that voice told me to listen to the advice of others. Well Mamo-Chan told me to think about what was wrong with the situation and figure out how to make it better, and Gramps told me to try telling the others. Maybe I'd be better off taking Gramps advice first, and then if all goes well the others can help me figure out how to make it better!"

"Usagi!" Mamoru calls from somewhere within the temple.

Usagi runs out of the room, throwing herself on Mamoru, almost knocking him over. Laughing, Mamoru lifts her up and spins around. Usagi is slightly dizzy when he sets her on her feet, but just uses it as an excuse to lean against him. Mamoru kisses the top of her head and holds her tighter.

"I came to look for you because the others said you weren't being yourself, but you seem just as happy to see me as normal."

Usagi's smile falters for a second, then she gives up the effort and bites her lip. "Mamoru I have to tell you something." Usagi looks around them. "But I don't want to be interrupted," Usagi says looking up into Mamoru's concerned eyes.

"Okay," Mamoru says, taking her hand in his.

Mamoru leads her to a bench behind the Temple, just private enough for their conversation while not secluded enough to make her friends worry more.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Mamoru asks gently.

Usagi looks at the ground. "This is hard to say," she thinks to herself. Usagi gives herself a mental shake of the head and begins, "Mamoru you know how this morning I asked if you remembered what I said to you yesterday and you said that we didn't meet up yesterday?"

"Yes," he replies, curious as to where she is going with this.

"That's because I had a different yesterday than what you remember." Usagi looks up and seeing his confused expression ploughs ahead. "Every year on the same date I relive the final day of the Moon Kingdom, namely my friends and family are horrible to me, and the next day no one remembers but me."

"Exactly what happens Usagi?" Mamoru asked, concerned.

"It's a long story, which I've told you once already," she says jokingly.

"You're worried about me knowing aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit worried about what you would say to the others. I'm the only person that remembers what happened yesterday, and I've just found out that I'm the only person that remembered what happened on the final day of the Moon Kingdom."

"I don't remember either. Why don't you tell me?"

"Okay," she says with a small smile, leaning on his arm and taking strength from his warmth. "I woke from the most horrible dream, all about blood and death," Usagi pauses as she shudders. "I woke up screaming and Luna yelled at me because she wasn't able to wake me and I wouldn't stop screaming. I went to my friends expecting them to believe me and they didn't, 'Rae would have gotten a vision not me', and they said I was a worthless Princess if I couldn't be serious at such a tense time, when a potential war was brewing. I went to my Mother and she said she didn't have time to hear it. I started an argument with her because I knew it was important and she ended it by saying I was being childish and I should know better than to try my games when things were so tense between the planets. You were the only one who was nice to me. You held me when I cried, listened to me and you believed me. You were even going to go to my Mother to talk to her for me. But when we got there we found out that the war had begun, and all you said to my Mother was that you would fight with the army to protect the Moon Kingdom. I watched my dream become a reality before my eyes. And all of us know what happened after that."

Mamoru holds her tightly in his arms. "So I take it that yesterday was the same as it was then?"

"Basically."

"With the nightmare and …"

"My Mum and Dad."

"Your Mum and Dad yelling at you, your friends arguing with you and your parents yelling at you again later?"

"Yeah, but you missed out the good bit, where I asked you to meet me and you listened to me and believed me."

He kisses her cheek and whispers in her ear, "Then allow me to be there for you when you tell the others."

- - -