Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wings. There will be notes included at the end of the chapter for things that don't belong to me.

Note: This story is supposed to take place roughly 6 years after the battle with chaos. If there's any grammar or spelling errors, please do not hesitate to correct me. I've been writing this story over the span of 3 months sporadically, always around 3am. There's only so much that spell check can help me with XD;;

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Awakened

Introduction Part. 2

Usagi found herself waking up in her own bed, a pair of strong arms wrapped around her little waist. She looked at her bedside counter and saw the time on her digital clock—10:05 AM. She was surprised at the time, seeing as Mamoru was still in bed, until she remembered that it was Saturday, his day off. She carefully pried his arms away from her waist and walked over to the window. She opened the blinds and for once, the outside didn't seem gloomy to her. She looked out of the window to her 5th floor apartment to see children running around in the park across the street, to see couples walking around enamored with each other, to see birds flying around leisurely in a clear, light blue sky. To her, she finally saw a day that was full of hope and promises of a good future. She heard a groan from behind her and looked back. Mamoru was sitting up in bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes. His hair was a mess, sticking out at random places. She smiled softly, thinking that he looked like a little boy. She felt the warmth of the sun on her body and she gave a smile of contentment.

"Good morning love. The sun came to see you. [1]" She doesn't know where that phrase came from, but she felt as if it was fitting. To her, the sun finally came out of hiding and she owes it to her Mamo-chan, her protector. She saw him get up, eyes fixated on her. He looked completely mesmerized as he got closer to her. She cocked her head to the side, confused. He just lightly caressed her cheek and slowly descended his lips on hers. She doesn't know where this kiss came from, but it made her heart beat faster. She vaguely heard him say 'tenshi', and then she found herself lost in a flurry of memories and emotions. Only when he pulled away did she come back to reality. She didn't know what she saw. All she was certain of was what she felt, and it was a great sense of love that threatened to make her heart burst. She assumes that it has to do with her knight in front of her, so she smiles and kisses him again. She pushed back the feeling that she was wrong to the deep corners of her mind.

Mid-afternoon, she told her Mamo-chan that she wanted to visit Rei. At first he was hesitant, he wasn't sure if she was ready to see her. She was stubborn, and she soon convinced him to take her. First, they went to drop Luna off with Makoto, since Artemis was staying with her. When they got to Makoto's door, she looked shocked to see Usagi, but then Usagi quickly found herself in a steel-strong hug with little room to breathe. Thankfully, Makoto quickly took notice of her complexion change and let her go. When she heard that Usagi was thinking about visiting Rei, she also didn't think that it was a good idea. She thought it was too soon, but she knew that Usagi wouldn't back down. A few hugs later, Usagi and Mamoru were on their way to the hospital. As they drew near Rei's hospital room, Usagi grew more and more nervous. She wasn't sure what to expect, she was afraid. She tried to prepare herself for the worst, but when she walked in that room she couldn't help the gasp that escaped.

Rei was always a beautiful person, with a gorgeous pale face, an amazing womanly figure, luscious black waist length hair that anyone would die for, and a fiery personality. She always wore a serene face, yet her amethyst eyes always burned with a deep passion for anything that she did. That wasn't the person who was laying in that hospital bed right now. Instead of the gorgeous Martian princess that she knew and loved, she saw someone else. A stranger. Her face pale and gaunt. Her figure thin and bony. Her beautiful black hair dull and stringy. Her face etched in a pained expression. But that wasn't what scared her the most. Her eyes. There was no passion in them. They seemed lifeless, the fire in them extinguished. They didn't shine as brightly as they used to.

It was as if she lost the will to survive.

She walked over to her, in disbelief of what she was seeing. She felt her hand reach out to her, but she saw it shaking, trembling in fear. She was afraid. Afraid that if she touched her, she would break her. She looked into Rei's eyes, and she saw that it sparkled. She became hopeful, until she realized that it sparkled with unshed tears. She couldn't contain it anymore. She collapsed at her bedside, sobbing. She couldn't understand her own words. All she knew was that she was apologizing. She was apologizing to Rei, for not coming to see her sooner, for not helping her, for being selfish. She felt herself apologizing for everything. She couldn't stop. She couldn't bear to see her like this. She was one of her best friends, and yet she let her get like this. She didn't interfere to help her get better, so now Rei was like this, dying in the hospital, and it was all her fault. She felt a hand on her head and she looked up. Bony fingers were wrapped in her hair. Her eyes travelled up to the owners eyes and saw that Rei was smiling at her. It wasn't until Rei repeated herself again did she realize what Rei said in the first place.

"Leave it to an odango to cry when it's not necessary. You're dirtying my bed sheets."

Usagi blinked. Once. Twice. She kept staring as Rei cracked another smile. "Close your mouth Odango. You look like a fish."

Usagi didn't waste another second. She launched herself at Rei, hugging the priestess fiercely as the said priestess laughed contently.

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Many hours passed in Rei Hino's hospital room. It was the first time Usagi felt better in many months. Makoto swung by to visit with Artemis and Luna as hidden contraband. They spent hours talking and sharing memories. They cried whenever they mentioned their fallen friends, but this time they comforted each other and leaned on each other for strength and support. Luna even managed to say a few words. It wasn't much, but it was an improvement everyone was happy for. Luna slept on Artemis at the foot of Rei's bed. Artemis just stared at her lovingly, happy to see Luna getting better. Usagi had an idea, so she told Mamoru that she had to go and said goodbye to everyone. Once they were outside of the room, Mamoru asked her why she wanted to leave. She told him her plan: to buy Rei's favorite flowers before visiting hours were over.

She soon found herself at a flower shop, looking at white Casablanca lilies with Mamoru. After they paid, they headed back to the hospital. It had gotten dark pretty quickly, but she didn't mind. As long as she was with her Mamo-chan, she felt safe. They walked back in silence, hand in hand, when a grungy man intercepted them. They simply walked around him without a word. Big mistake.

Usagi suddenly felt someone hard press against her lower back. She stopped in fear.

"Give me all your money," a harsh voice said in her ear. She squeezed Mamoru's hand in fear. They emptied their pockets, hoping they'd be left alone unharmed.

Unfortunately, the burglar wanted more. "Jewelry next." Mamoru took off his watch and his earring while Usagi took off her bracelets and earrings. It wasn't enough. "Give me your necklace." Usagi spun around in shock. She couldn't give him her necklace. It wasn't a diamond, it was the crystal [2] and she would never give him that. He reached for it, but she slapped his hand away and told him he would never get it. He merely smirked.

"Wrong move."

Everything seemed to go in slow motion. The burglar aimed the gun at her and pulled the trigger. She saw the bullet slowly head towards her and she knew that she wouldn't make it out in time. She merely closed her eyes waiting for the impact. She heard a cry of pain.

But it wasn't from her.

She opened her eyes and saw Mamoru in front of her, shielding her from the bullets. He told her to run, but her legs wouldn't move. It wasn't until Mamoru collapsed did she run. She ran for cover to attempt to transform, but she never made it. She felt extreme pain shoot up her back, and she found herself lying face down on the ground. She heard screams and cries, but that didn't matter. She turned around and dragged herself up to where Mamoru laid. She couldn't make it. She extended her arm as far as she could to hold his extended hand. She pushed herself up little by little, making her way pass the white lilies that were tainted with blood[3]. Once she finally made contact, she realized that his hands were cold. As she held his hand tightly, she cried. Not from the pain shooting throughout her body, but from the pain in her heart. She started sobbing as she realized that he will never open his eyes again. The future was finally over. There will never be a future. She felt a scream erupt from her throat. Then she felt nothing.

Notes:

[1] I got this from a pon and zi picture. It's the one where the yellow one opens the curtains and looks back and says "Wake up love! The sun came to see you!" I changed it a little bit, but I still don't own it, it is not mine!

[2] I got this concept from the manga. In the manga, when Usagi first gets the crystal she asks her dad to have the crystal made into a pendant. She wears it as jewelry. I like certain aspects of the manga, and certain aspects of the anime. I shall use both interchangeably, and I'll make a note about it every time i do.

[3] The whole "white lilies tainted with blood" is not mine. I got this concept from a fic called "White Lilies" by Gackt Camui. It's one of my favorites. Idk, ever since I read that fic, I started liking white lilies. It just might be the sadistic side of me coming out. Ok, what's the moral of this note? I do not own it, it is not mine! Thankyouverymuch :3

So yeah, that's it. 3 more pages to add to the collection. I won't add the 3rd part of the story until I'm finished writing it [yes, I haven't finished yet. So sue me XP]. I hope to finish up the 3rd part in 2 weeks? I'm aiming for at least 3 pages, and I'm on page 1 right now, so it might take me 2 weeks [I'm a slow writer, and I'm very picky XD] So yeah, hope you guys like it. Remember if I have any grammar and/or spelling errors please don't hesitate to comment and let me know. I also welcome criticism! I like to learn :3

Have a great day! :D

- Jiyuu no Megami [maybe I'll change it to my sorority nickname, if it isn't taken already XD;;]

p.s. I'm still not satisfied with the title, so I might change it in 2 weeks, maybe. :P