Flee to Destiny
By: Bethany
Original Release: 3/2002
Revised date: 7/2015

Chapter Two - The Opposite Sex

The sun sat over the city majestically; the red, orange and pinkish tints fading away to let through the night sky. The stars shined back at me as I looked up at the heavens, as if trying to soothe my troubled heart. My first home, the Moon, lit up the night sky with its soft glow. I leaned back in the chair on the balcony of my hotel room and let the rays wash over me. The day had been productive, even if I hadn't found my guardians. I did enroll both myself and Shingo in school and found an apartment that I believed I could afford. This afternoon I had contacted my parent's lawyer in the states and had them wire the rest of our money to me, which was enough to put the first and last month rent up on the apartment.

Shingo had decided that he loved anime, and currently sat happily in front of small television set in the hotel room, eating chips and watching Fushigi Yugi. I sighed and closed my eyes, trying to find some peace in myself. I wanted so much to find the three girls I talked to this morning, explain to them why I had acted so rashly, and beg them to be my friends. It had been a wonderful feeling being with them - as if I was part of the family. They seemed so much more than friends, as if they considered each other sisters. I wanted nothing more than to have people like that close to me. I needed people like that in my life.

But instead I had saw him again. And in seeing him, reality came crashing back down onto my happy little world - reminding me that my parents had died ruthlessly at the hands of those who were after me. I couldn't allow that to happen a second time. I refused to put these girls' life in danger because of my destiny. And still a part of me yearned to have friends and be happy.

"Usagi?" a small voice to my left whispered softly. Blinking, I looked over to see Shingo standing beside the chair I sit in, holding a stuffed animal and his favorite blanket. Gently, I reached over and pulled him into my lap, and together we watched the moon shining brightly, like a beacon, in the sky. "Are you unhappy?"

I bit my bottom lip and re-adjusted Shingo in my lap. "Why would you ask that?" I replied innocently, staring up at the sky again.

"You don't look happy." Shingo sat in silence for a moment, staring out at the night as if trying to see what I was looking at. Suddenly he laughed and I turned to him curiously. "Did you see her?"

I looked up at the sky and then down at my little brother questioningly. "See who?"

"The woman on the Moon." Shingo pointed his small finger towards the large glow in the sky and smiled softly. "She says you will be alright, and that I am going to have fun at school!" The little boy on my lap snuggled down into my arms again, a smile of contentment on his face. "That's good, I was scared the other kids wouldn't like me." As if now that he had a great weight lifted off his shoulders, Shingo closed his eyes. I watched him for several minutes until his breathing slowed and his grip on the stuffed animal loosened.

I watched my home for a few more minutes before carrying Shingo into the room and placing him in bed. He instantly snuggled into the covers, a soft smile playing on his lips as he stared to dream. I watched him for a long moment before the eerie feeling of being watched washed over me. With as much caution as I could muster, I turned and saw Tuxedo Kamen standing on the balcony. The vision of Shingo sleeping peacefully invaded my mind and anger replaced the fear I usually felt upon seeing this man. Without a second thought I ran over to the sliding glass doors and swung them open.

To my delight, surprise registered on the man's face and he stepped back as I burst onto the balcony. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" I demanded. "I'm sick and tired of you following me. If you want to kill me, then go ahead and try - but don't drive me crazy by following me!" We both stood on opposite sides of the small balcony, staring each other down. He didn't move one muscle, as though he was a statue. As for myself, I was sure I had stopped breathing long ago. His mask betrayed him and allowed steel blue eyes to stare through and directly at my soul. I felt my heart speed up, pumping so loudly I was certain he could hear it where he stood. My body felt warm even though I tried to fight off any pending blushes. I felt a longing in my soul to be nearer to him, although I couldn't for the life of me figure it out.

Finally, the silence was broken by a siren passing by on the streets below. Tuxedo Kamen looked down and watched the direction the fire truck was heading and then turned back to me. "Shimatta," he grumbled as a small beeping noise to filled the silence between us. I watched as he turned his back to me and brought a small devise on his wrist up to his mouth. "What?"

"There is a Youma attacking at Tokyo Station. This one is looking pretty strong, hurry!" the voice said and then a short lived scream cut the transmission.

Tuxedo Kamen turned and looked at me for a moment before climbing up on the banisters. "Until we meet again." Before I could react, let alone try and
stop him, he was gone. I saw his form disappearing as he jumped from roof top to roof top.

For a long time I fought the urge to tell Luna about the encounter and follow him. The voice on the communicator he wore said there was a Youma attacking. It was bluntly obvious if he was the enemy, he would have known that. So what did that make him - a friend? And if the person on the communicator was telling him to help, surely that made him an ally at best. "Who is he?" I whispered to myself.

"Usagi-chan," Luna said as she approached me. I gasped and looked over to see my feline guardian sitting on the balcony. She walked in slowly, sitting before me and drawing her tail up beneath her. She hung her head low. A pang of guilt pulled at my heart, but then I remember all too vividly what all she had said earlier and my anger tried to surface again.

"Your memories of the Moon Kingdom and your former life are slowly coming back to you now, so I feel as if I should start to explain more. You know that your home was destroyed by an evil force which your mother fought off with the Silver Crystal - which in turn.."

"Took her life," I whispered softly. I often wished I could remember my real mother, so perhaps I could understand why she felt she must sacrifice herself. "And she restored all life on the Moon Kingdom by placing them in the future, which is how we were reborn," I finished for her, having heard this story a million times.

"That's not all," Luna said softly, looking out towards the Moon as if she could still see that fateful day in her mind. "Do you know why your mother took her life? Why she felt there wasn't another way?" Slowly I shook my head no, knowing something of great importance was about to be said. A solitary tear slid down Luna's face and she swatted it away with her paw. "Months before that battle you had fled from your guardians and stole away to Earth, where you had meet a young man whom you fell in love with. He, too, gave his heart willingly. However, it was a doomed love that should have never happened to begin with." Luna turned her large eyes towards me and cocked her head to the side. "Do you know who it was, Usagi-chan? Why you should have never fell in love with him to begin with?"

I searched my slowly returning memories, but found nothing. In my dreams I have seen the silhouette of a man sometimes, and I felt a yearning for him, but I could never see his face. The image haunted my mind now as Luna began speaking again.

"Prince Endymion - the young prince from Earth - was the man you loved with all your soul. Your mother forbid you to return to Earth to see him, but you were of strong mind and will and her words only drove you head strong into his arms. An evil force began feeding on the jealousy of the Earthlings souls, turning them evil and vengeful. They attacked the Moon Kingdom, bent on taking the Silver Crystal for their own. The last night on the Moon, Endymion came with those attacking - but he came to protect you. Bravely he fought against his own people, up until the end he begged them to see reason."

I felt my breath draw in sharply when Luna spoke the words "until the end" - the vague silhouette of the man came before my frightened eyes again, only this time I pictured him with dark hair and eyes as blue as the planet I had longed for. "No.." I whispered.

"As the evil witch Beryl pulled her sword up to kill you, Endymion jumped in the path of the blade and took the blow. I stood to the side, horrified, as he fell into your arms, blood pooling around you. I couldn't hear the words exchanged, but in a swift moment after his last breath, you raised the sword and brought it down into your chest." Luna now cried openly, still staring at the gorgeous Moon high in the sky. Crowds talking all at once, frightened voices, rang out in my head as my memories once more invaded my mind. "Queen Serenity saw it all. Her face bore salty trails of tears as she raised her Moon Rod and let loose the mighty power of the Moon Kingdom. Her last words before Artemis and I were placed in sleep were to see you safe - and to let you love your prince this time, without worlds to keep you apart."

The final words that left Luna's mouth stayed in the air between us for a long moment. I felt sick to my stomach, as if I could vomit whatever I had ate today. Tears swam in my eyes and fell in short streams down my face. I had committed suicide. And then it made sense, all the times I thought Luna was being over protective - she had reason. She had watched me die once in her lifetime. I fell out of my chair and onto my knees on the floor, wrapping my arms around my guardian and hugging her tightly to my chest. "I'm sorry Luna, so sorry you had to see that."

We sat silently for a moment, bathing in the light of her revelations. She had lived with that for so long, remembering as she watched her world crumble down around her. Suddenly I was afraid to remember my home. Even as I longed to remember my mother and this Prince of Earth - a part of me didn't want to remember the horror or the heartbreak that came with it. I sat up on my knees, wiping my tears with the back of my hand. "Luna, how do I find my guardians? Do I have the power to stop this evil that they are fighting? Are you sure that I have it in me?"

Luna stared, wide-eyed at me, as I began rambling on about the uncertainty of my future. I always thought Princess' were these beautiful women in long gowns that walked around and told everyone what to do. In real life, however, I was finding that past all the glamour I thought I would have as a "Princess", there was much, much more to it. These guardians that I had yet to meet were counting on me to save this world - and that frightened me to the very bone. I was frightened by failure, but determination ran deep in my blood. I wouldn't let what happened on the Moon repeat itself, even if it meant spending the rest of my life fighting.

"Bring out the locket I gave you," Luna instructed. "The stone inside is the Silver Crystal of the Moon people - your people. The same stone your mother, Queen Serenity, used to place us all here." Luna took a deep breath. "Repeat after me." I stared at the small heart shaped locket in my hand. I knew that once I done as Luna instructed, there would be no turning back. It was time to run head long into my destiny - and embrace it like the Princess I am. Closing my eyes, I did as Luna said.

"Moon Crystal Power - Make-up!" Luna said.

"Moon Crystal Power - Make-UP!" I called. I wasn't sure, but just as the light consumed my form and the power surged through my veins, I thought I saw the vision of a woman. She had hair done up in pony tails with buns at the top, and a form fitting dress curved with her figure. What caught my eye though, was the Moon symbol on her forehead. She smiled at me and then was gone. The warm light engulfed me, giving me a rush of power that surged through my body and sang out at the tips of my fingers. My senses overloaded with the sweet taste of the power that ran deep in my veins, giving me a feeling of courage that I knew I didn't normally possess. What could have been only seconds went on for an eternity before everything seem to calm down and give way for my eyes to see the hotel room in which I stood. Luna watched me as if she were holding her breath, and waited for my reaction.

Slowly I realized that I had one hand on my forehead and one on my waist. Feeling foolish I pulled them down and examined myself in the full length mirror on the bathroom door. The outfit I wore covered little, to say the least. I felt half naked standing in the short skirt that barely covered my bottom. A white body suite with a blue skirt and large red bow across my chest caught my eye in the mirror. My hair that was normally down was suddenly up in two pony tails with buns at the top, and a beautiful moon symbol shined proudly on my forehead. The vision of the woman came to me again, and suddenly I understood that what I had seen was my mother - and she looked so very proud. I turned around to see my reflection from more than one side before looking at Luna again.

"Well?" my feline guardian said impatiently.

"I'm cold," I stated flatly and cracked a smile. "It doesn't cover much, does it?"

Luna looked at me quizzically for a moment before bursting out laughing. "Well, I don't believe we can help that." The smile dropped off her face and she did a little jump in the air. I found myself wondering what else Luna had hidden in that magic spring of hers. The Moon shaped object that she had earlier appeared again. "This is your weapon. You have other attacks, but this is your strongest. It will release the power of the Moon on whoever you point it at. But it also drains your energy to an extent, be careful when using it for a long period of time. It draws it's power from the Silver Crystal. And as I explained earlier, this will help us in the search for your guardians."

I took the wand gingerly and held in the palm of my hand as I examined it. There were some words inscribed on it, but in a language that I couldn't understand. "Luna, what is this?" I asked, pointing to the words on the handle.

The black feline looked at the wand curiously, cocking her head to the side and studying the inscription. "I'm not sure, it's written in the old language used by the ancient Queens of the Moon. It was a language that only the Queens and daughters knew. I'm sure once you regain your full memory of your life on the Moon, your old lessons in this language will come back to you." Swooshing her tail back and forth, Luna began pacing the room. "I overheard the short conversation - if that is what you want to call it - between you and the man dressed in the tuxedo. Use that wand and go find the fight, even if you do nothing but watch from the sidelines. We need to determine how strong the enemy has become since arriving on Earth."

I stared blankly at my guardian, wondering exactly how much else she knew that she thought she would drop on me at a moment's notice. Clutching the Moon Wand in one hand, I headed towards the balcony in determined strides. Turning back to Luna, I smiled faintly. "And what if Enemy is too strong, do I join in the fight?"

Luna blinked and looked at me again, as if gaining a new respect for me as I stood in the Moon light on the balcony. "Yes, but please be careful, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon, huh? I liked the ring of that. I jumped from the balcony, using my new found source of strength to land gracefully on the concrete below. I then took off in the direction I had seen Tuxedo Kamen go in earlier. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, causing my ears to throb with the painful reminder that if I failed tonight - I wasn't only failing as a Princess - I was failing at saving the world. But there was no going back now. It was my duty as Sailor Moon to fight beside my guardians and save the world from the enemies that threatened it. I ran faster.

I wasn't sure what it was I was expecting to see. Perhaps in the back of my mind I pictured this awesome monster that stood ten feet tall with razor sharp fangs and black empty eyes. But what greeted me in the small clearing by the lake's edge was far from the hideous creature in my mind's eye and almost made me double over in laughter.

Instead I was face to face with a tall woman - though if fashion statements this scary counted as gruesome, then she had scared me to death. She had red hair blazing out in all directions and her evil laugh cackling in the air. Earlier I had thought I was underdressed; but this monster put me to shame in my rather revealing skirt. She wore nothing more than a bikini top that revealed an enlarged chest area that currently bore a small hole that was pulling in life energy from a nearby pedestrian. Her long red nails clawed unmercifully out and towards the Senshi that surrounded her; leaving long scratches on their skin and had them staggering backwards.

"Venus Love Me CHAIN!"

From the blonde haired Senshi standing to the left of the monster came a long chain of small golden hearts that flew at the under-dressed Youma at lightening speed. It struck her hand that was stretching out to claw the Senshi dressed in red. It recoiled back, and then lost interest in the life force of the young man in its grasp as it flew out to attack Venus. Suddenly my mind filled with another battle, the long golden chain of love striking out at a large black mist that covered the sky. The dark power that seemed to hover over the entire planet sucked the chain in - dragging my friend and guardian with it. My terrified scream covered the dark air in my memory. Shaking my head, I rid my mind of the horrible scene.

As my eyes came back into focus, I saw the Youma holding Venus by the leg, dangling her high above the ground and threatening to drop her. With speed I didn't know I possessed, I jumped into the clearing and grabbed a stick, puncturing the beast's arm and grabbing Venus. Both of us landed rather hard on the ground, rolling to a stop about a yard from the enraged monster.

The Senshi of Love opened her eyes slowly and looked at me for a long moment before she opened her mouth to speak. Gasping for air, she fought to put her thoughts into words. Finally she managed a slight mutter. "Sailor Moon.." she whispered, her eyes wide. "You came... finally..."

"Shine Aqua Illusion!" I turned my head to the side just in time to see the monster standing in a giant shields of ice. Within it you could see it fighting to break free. "Hurry!" the Senshi in blue yelled, a small computer looking devise in her hand. "We don't have a lot of time to attack it before it breaks free!"

Without thinking I stood and faced the source of our problems. I wouldn't sit back and watch as my guardians were defeated again. I could vaguely remember wanting power so bad during that last battle. To be able to do something, instead of sitting by and feeling helpless. And in this life, I had gotten my wish. No sense in wasting it. Pulling the Moon Wand out that Luna had given me earlier, I noticed it was shining brightly. I lifted it above my head and closed my eyes. "Selene, please help me," I asked quietly before I felt the power in my body gather and rush towards the weapon in my hand.

"Moon Healing... Escalation!"

What happened next would be told to me later as I awoke with the warm feeling of the Earth beneath me. As it was told by Sailor Mercury, I released the power of the Moon and killed the Youma that possessed the human with the light of my power. However, because I had no previous experience using this power - I nearly drained myself to death.

The next thing I remembered was the sensation of falling towards the ground, and a pair of strong arms catching me in mid air. I blinked my eyes open slowly and saw a familiar set of stormy blue eyes looking worriedly into mine before I passed out.

"...she hasn't used that power before. I told her to be careful," I heard Luna explaining this to someone else - though at the time I couldn't say who. My head felt heavy and my body exhausted. Swallowing, I found my throat was terribly dry and irritated. The only thing close to words I could manage was a faint sound from my throat that reminded me of a frog sitting on a lily pad in a pond.

"She's awake!" a voice rang out as I closed my eyes in exhaustion. I opened them again and saw Venus sitting above me, biting her lip worriedly. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, brushing a piece of stray hair away from my face. I tried to nod my head yes, but the heaviness wouldn't allow it.

Venus looked over to my other side at Sailor Mercury who sat there scanning me with a small computer devise. She typed, pushed on her earring, which let out a small visor, and then began typing again. A distressed look covered the blue haired Senshi's face as she closed her computer and visor. "It would appear that the same energy she drained that put her in the situation she is in now - is the same power that is helping her recover. So herefore, I see no reason why she is in any immediate danger. However, if she had released all of the power, there would be none left to heal her, and the damage would be irreversible."

"In other words," another voice interrupted, it's origin pushing through the crowd, "she will be just fine."

I blinked back some of the heaviness in my eyes to look up and see another woman dressed in a Senshi outfit. She had short blonde hair and a sword clutched in one hand. She peered at me over the shoulder of Venus and squinted her nose up in a superior fashion. "Sailor Moon, eh? I was beginning to wonder if the day would ever come that we would be in your presence."

My body seemed to draw energy from within myself, feeding off a source of power I hadn't known existed. The longer I grew aware of everyone around me, the easier it became to move my head and open my eyes. Slowly my limbs began listening to the instructions my mind yelled out, and moved at my will. In what seemed like an eternity, I found the strength to sit up with Venus' help. The crowd around me was larger than I first thought. It seemed there were women in Senshi uniforms everywhere. Sitting next to me on the ground was Luna, her tail tucked neatly under her form as she watched me take in my surroundings.

"Well, it's about time you decided to wake up," Luna said matter of factly, peering at me as she stood and walked closer. "I told you to be careful..." Sighing, she hung her head. "I suppose since it was your first time using the power, I'm lucky you're alive." I blinked and looked at her suspiciously, wondering where this new air of authority came from. It wasn't an hour earlier she when had looked scared when I left the hotel to fight this battle - the first of many, I was sure.

Instead of addressing Luna, I looked around again. To my left was a Senshi in red, one in green and one in aqua. More stood to my right, two in blue, one in yellow and another standing off to the back in green. In front of me was Tuxedo Kamen, watching me with a strange glint in his eyes. I shivered involuntarily and looked at Luna. To my surprise, another cat sat beside her, white with the same moon symbol that stood out so proudly on Luna's forehead glimmering on its forehead. "Exactly how many Senshi are there?" I asked softly, trying to remember the other three - but not placing who they were.

Venus looked the most willing to answer my question. Biting her lip softly, she pointed to herself. "I am Sailor Venus, this is Sailor Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Uranus and Pluto," she explained, pointing to the different Senshi who nodded their heads. "And I don't know about anyone else here, but I'm glad we finally have you among us."

"I hate to break up this little reunion," Jupiter broke in, coming closer to me. "But it seems the police have shown up and that means it is time for us to split."

Nodding her head, Tuxedo Kamen came closer to me and reached out. Instinctively, I jumped back.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered, the slightest hint of a smile playing softly on his full lips. "But we have to get out of here and I don't think you are in any condition to be running."

Nodding my head, though I wasn't too ecstatic about the idea, I allowed him to put one arm under my legs and one on my back. Easily he picked me up, as though I weighed no more than a feather, and pressed me firmly against his chest as he sprinted towards the sky. Gracefully we landed on the tree above us and he began springing from limb to limb through the park. Fearfully I closed my eyes, waiting for him to hit a weak limb or to drop me. The further we made it without incident the more comfortable I felt, and the warmness and heart pounding began again in earnest. I tried to avoid his eyes, but I could see him trying not to smile.

A few moments later we landed on the ground again, this time breaking into a run. "I won't drop you," he said lowly, smiling at me as I peeked out from under my tightly closed lids. "I would never hurt you, Usagi."

The shock of hearing my name from the lips of Tuxedo Kamen didn't register until we stopped a few blocks away in an alley. Being extra careful, he put me softly on the ground and kept his arms around me until I regained my balance. Waving my hands at him, I blinked a couple of times. "I'm okay." Looking around, I noticed that the other Senshi had also made it to the alley way and were conversing softly a few feet away. I looked back at Tuxedo Kamen and tilted my head to the side. "How do you know my name?"

"I just do," he replied, walking past me and rejoining the rest of the group.

The nerve! I wanted so bad to ask him what kind of games he was playing; one minute I would bet my life he cared for me, the next he seemed to go out of his way to make me mad. Resolutely I walked up to the group, determined to set Tuxedo Kamen straight before the night was over. Rather than take it up with him in front of everyone, however, I bit my tongue and pushed my way through the crowd of Senshi.

When I joined the conversation, Luna was talking. "How long have the attacks been happening?"

"On and off for a couple of months," Uranus answered, running her hand down the length of her sword. The moon light shined on it, creating a small sparkle that traveled from one end to the other. Placing it back in its case, she attached it to her side and moved her weight to her other foot. "So now that we have Sailor Moon among us, I suppose we start the search for the Princess, ne?"

Startled, I looked from Luna to Uranus and back again, making my eyes wide at my guardian. I was the Princess, wasn't I? Why didn't they know that? Clearing her throat, Luna stood. "We should go."

"Luna.." I said lowly, motioning towards the Senshi in what I hoped was a secret way. Then what she said hit me, Shingo was alone? What if he woke up? He would be frightened to death! My eyes wide, I scooped up my guardian cat and left everyone staring at me with surprise as I left them standing there.

As we began towards the road, Luna cleared her throat. "Put me down," she ordered. From the tone of her voice, I didn't want to argue the point. Quickly I put her down and crossed my arms, vaguely realizing that the Senshi weren't twenty feet behind me watching us. "Shingo is alright, I left him not twenty minutes ago with Sailor Saturn."

"You left him with a stranger, and you say he will be alright?" I asked sarcastically, glaring at her. "If he wakes up looking for me he will be scared to death, Luna. You shouldn't have left him," I accused her.

Luna looked to the ground for a moment, as if trying to gather what she was going to say. I expected her to lash out at me, or something to that nature. So that when she looked up at me with tears in her eyes, I felt myself gasp in surprise. "Usagi," she began whispering. "Saturn came to me, telling me that you had passed out and had not yet begun to recover. The first thing I thought of was that you were going to die. I can't explain what started running through my mind, so my reaction was to get to you. I'm sorry you feel like I acted rashly, but please consider my feelings here, too."

For a long moment I debated on whether to continue the conversation or just get back to Shingo. Finally I bent to one knee and reached out my hand. "I'm sorry, Luna." She said nothing as I reached to pick her up again. Stealing into the shadows so not to be seen dressed as Sailor Moon, I slipped quietly in the night, still wondering why the Senshi didn't know they had already found the Princes-but determined to ask Luna about it later.

When I re-entered the hotel room, a small girl was sitting in the chair across from the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest. She couldn't have been more than fourteen years old, yet still she was dressed in a purple fuku. As I quietly shut the door, she slowly lifted her head and violet eyes blinked back in shock.

"I didn't mean to wake you," I said softly, quickly going over to the bed and tucking the covers around my young brother. Quietly he snored on, not even realizing what all had happened as he slept. For that I was thankful. He didn't need his life disrupted more than he already had been.

Sailor Saturn stood, barely four and a half feet in height and walked over to me. "He didn't wake up at all. I'm sorry to have fallen asleep, Princess."

"How do you know..." I began, baffled by the petite Senshi.

Gracefully she bowed to one knee. "I am the Senshi of Destruction, Sailor Saturn. And you are the one whom we have waited so long for, Princess Serenity." She didn't wait for me to answer before she continued. "The Prince told me where to come and find Luna, I hope you are well now."

Before I could answer I was fine, everything in her short sentence became clear to me and quickly I sat on the bed. "The Prince...?" I breathed.

Saturn's short black hair moved like a gentle wave around her head as she nodded. Softly she sat back down in the chair and placed her hands in her lap. "Long ago I was the guardian of the dead planet, Saturn. As the Solider of Death, I wasn't allowed to roam the universe as the other Senshi did. But in this life I was reborn here, on Earth, with the ability to be a normal child without my past haunting me. However, evil soon found its way to this time and I was awakened again. This time the Powers-That-Be granted me my wish from long ago. I can now fight beside the other Senshi and not be so lonesome. I see your wish was granted, also."

I looked down at my fuku and nodded my head. I could still remembering vividly my wish to fight. I hated to stand by and simply watch as others risked their lives to protect me. I looked back at the young girl in front of me-so much had been placed on her shoulders at such a young age. I felt bad for her, but she didn't seem to mind it much. It was as if she was content with who she was. I wish I could find the same peace within myself. "Where were you and the other outer Senshi in the last battle? I don't remember you being there..." my voice drifted off as I meet her gaze.

"The Outer Solar System had already been defeated, the enemy was too strong for us and one by one we failed. Foolishly, I didn't use my ultimate attack. I didn't bring down the end of it all for hope that perhaps your guardians would be the ones to win. From what I have gathered, after your death, the end came anyways-but not in the form in which my attack would have lead us. I can end the world, but only you and your mother have the power to bring life back."

Saturn's words rang in my ears long after she left. As she walked towards the balcony, she had turned to me and smiled softly, whispering that all would work out in the end. She then jumped from the balcony, like so many had been doing tonight, and left me sitting and wondering. It didn't occur to me until later how she had avoided my question about the Prince she spoke of, but I had this deep feeling that I already knew.

The morning sun didn't greet me as it had the day before. Instead it was as if the clouds had burst and rain poured drearily over the city. The occasional thunder rolled through out, reeking havoc on my poor soul. Every time a flash of lighting lit up the room, my heart seemed to stop until the thunder clap behind it was done.

Seeking comfort from the thickness of my pillow, I pulled it over my head and easily went back into a deep sleep. This wonderful retreat from the frightening world around me was not to last long, however. The television I had kept on to entertain Shingo if he awoke before me was not as enthralling to my younger brother as I had hoped. Instead I was awakened by a pillow being thrown repeatedly at my head.

"Usagi!" he whispered, hitting me again. "Usagi, are you awake?"

"I am now," I groaned, rolling over to avoid the constant thud of the pillow against my head. "Go watch television," I pleaded, pulling the blankets up around me. "I'm tired."

For a surprisingly short minute, I thought he was going to listen. Then as I felt his small body bounce on my bed once more, I remembered exactly how much like me he actually was. When I was his age, there wasn't anyone in the house sleeping past seven a.m. - why should I expect him to allow me to?

"Usagi.." he drawled out, whispering as if he was trying to not disturb me.

When had sleeping late become a crime, anyways? Between him and Luna, there wasn't to be a moment's peace. Then I had to wonder, why wasn't Luna over here telling me to get up? I knew we had to check out by eleven, which meant she should have been telling me to get up by now. Slowly I peeked out from underneath my pillow...and practically screamed in fright.

While I was laying there debating if I really wanted to know where Luna was, Shingo had gotten as close to me as he could muster and was barely two inches from my face as I peeked out. The sight of his disordered hair and huge blue eyes staring at me when I wasn't expecting them, nearly had me clawing at the opposite wall for an escape.

The look on my face must have been extremely funny, as Shingo plopped down on the floor and broke out in a fit of laughter.

Not nearly as amused as a certain child on the floor was, I pulled myself up off the bed and into a sitting position. After blinking back the sleep in my eyes, the room became more clear and I noticed that the rain had finally stopped, though it looked as if it might begin again any moment. As if Mother Nature could hear my thoughts, a small roll of thunder sounded off in the distance. "Ugh," I moaned, feeling a cold chill travel up my body. "I don't wanna get up. This is a good day for sleeping." Determinedly, I pulled the covers up around my body and began to lower myself towards the bed when I heard the sliding glass doors being pushed opened. For a split second I thought it might be Tuxedo Kamen, or worse, an enemy. As I watched, a small flash of lightening cracked across the sky, silhouetting Luna's form as she squeezed through the small opening.

Letting out a breath of relief, I sat up on the bed once more. Luna looked around the small room expectantly before looking at me. "Do you know what time it is?"

Puzzled, I reached for my wrist watch and stared in horror at the small digets. "Oh my God, it's a quarter to eleven!"

Without a second thought, I leaped from the small bed and grabbed Shingo's clothes from the suitcase. "Put these on!" I instructed as I ran from one end of the room to the other, gathering up clothes and throwing them haphazardly into suitcases and backpacks. I glanced in the mirror just long enough to pull the brush through my hair before the brush was jammed into the suitcase.

Ten minutes later I stood in the lobby of the hotel, Shingo looked around as if he was scared of what would happen after we left. It was a large world out there, and we stood alone in the middle of it. Where were the riches that came with being a Princess now?

After leaving the bank, we dragged our bags down the sidewalk as I searched for the address of the apartment I had rented. I hadn't had nearly this much trouble finding it the day before. It seemed as if I had turned myself around and we were walking in circles. Shingo groaned, his feet hurting, but I kept pulling him along, looking frantically for the correct road sign.

When I came upon the same restaurant for the second time, I stopped and put my bags down on the ground. "Sorry Shingo," I mumbled, turning one of the suitcases on it's side so he could sit on it. "It seems we are lost."

Luck may have been on my side today, for seconds after I said that, a car holted in front of us, the horn blaring. One tinted window rolled down, revealing a blonde haired man. "Usagi, ne?" he asked, smiling at Shingo and waving.

As I approached the car, I saw Michiru, the woman we had meet in the arcade two nights before, sitting in the passenger seat. "Konnichi' wa, Haruka-san, Michiru-san," I said politely as I leaned down to the window.

Michiru smiled, her hair flowing down around her as she leaned forward to see me better. "How are you?"

Nervously, I bit my bottom lip. The clouds above threatened to let go another round of storms soon, and I didn't want to be caught in it. Especially with Shingo, Luna and all of our belongings spread across the sidewalk.

"Well," I admitted slowly, looking back at Shingo. He was sitting on the suitcase, swinging his feet back and forth. "I seem to be a little lost." I brought
out the piece of paper that I had the address wrote on and handed it to Haruka.

Looking at it quickly, he nodded her head. "I know where that is, but it's a little far to walk, especially since it looks like it's starting to rain." Quickly he handed the paper back to me. "Want a ride?"

As if to make up my mind for me, a small drop of rain fell on my nose, sliding slowly down the side of my face. I looked over at Shingo and saw him swatting a drop off himself. "I would appreciate it," I replied, smiling.

Haruka jumped out of the car, easily picking up most of my luggage and laying it in the trunk of his car. Shingo slid in the back seat, holding tightly to the Tuxedo Kamen plushie they had won for him two nights before at the arcade. As Haruka pressed the gas and we sped off, Michiru turned around in the seat and smiled at Shingo. "You still have that, ne?"

Shingo nodded his head, smiling and hugging the doll to him. "Yes Michiru-san, thank you again."

"Your welcome," she said polietly, then spotted Luna sitting on my lap. "Oh!" she exclaimed, reaching out to rub her head. "How kawaii!" Luna purred, leaning up so that Michiru could rub the rest of her back. "I would like to get a cat, but I'm afraid my daughter is allergic."

"Speaking of Hotaru," Haruka interrupted, looking at me in the rear view mirror. "Do you mind if I stop and pick her up? She was suppose to be shopping over near where I'm taking you."

Shaking my head, I smiled. "I don't mind at all." Who was I to object anyways? Since they had offered me a ride and got both myself and Shingo out of the rain that was now beginning to pour down around the car.

Suddenly I caught sight of something that I wasn't expecting. The small strap of a bra was sticking out of the collar of the shirt Haruka wore. Blinking, I looked again. It was still there. Michiru saw my gaze and giggled lightly, turning in her seat as if she could read my mind.

Haruka cleared his throat and looked in the rear view mirror at me once more. "Are you going to bring Shingo down to the race track this evening? The race begins at seven. Rain or shine."

"Please?" Shingo pleaded immediately from beside me, his blue eyes large and his bottom lip pouting out adorably. "I want to see Haruka-san race!"

"We will see what kind of nap you take," I said, wagging my finger at him playfully. "If you take a good nap, then we'll go."

Shingo nodded his head enthusiastically and grinned. "I didn't know that girls drove race cars. Are you very good?"

Somewhere in the back of my mind, about two seconds later, what my brother said sunk in and softly I said to him, "Haruka-san is a man."

Michiru began giggling and Haruka look bewildered. It was one of those embarrassing moments in life that you would you didn't have to go through. Those, that when looked back on years afterward, still made your face flush a deep red. My face burned as Michiru turned around and smiled at me, still trying to contain her laughter. "Oh no," she corrected, trying to regain control of herself. "Haruka is a woman."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that was coming, but still I blushed a even deeper red and tried to clear my throat before I could speak. "Gomen," I squeaked.

Haruka finally laughed lightly, shaking her head a little. "It's okay," was all she said before pulling off the side of the road in front of a young girl. Stepping out of the car, Haruka pulled the seat forward to allow her to get in. "This is our daughter, Hotaru. Hotaru, this is Usagi and her son, Shingo."

The petite girl nodded polietly and handed her bags to Haruka to put in the trunk. Nervously, I smiled at her. Still trying to let the word "daughter" sink in my mind. After all I had seen in my life, you wouldn't think that this would come as such a shock to me. Indeed it had, however.

"Haruka-papa," Hotaru said, pulling out a credit card. "Here is your card back. I didn't spend too much," she giggled.

We drove around another block before Haruka pulled the car over again, this time in front of a large apartment building. Haruka cut the engine and got out.

After we had gotten our bags from the trunk, Haruka stepped back into the car. "You make sure you take a good nap, Shingo," she said seriously. "I'll be looking for you at the race tonight."

I smiled as Shingo once more nodded his head and we stepped back from the car. "Thank you so much for the ride, Haruka-san."

"Anytime, neko-chan*," she said, winking at me before pulling away from the curb and back into traffic.

I let out a deep breath and began gathering our bags together once more. The lobby of the apartment was simple, two large elevators were straight ahead. The landlord's apartment was just to the left, the maintance man's to the right. Slowly we made our way to seventh floor and started down the hall. Every door looked the same, and I couldn't help thinking it would be funny if someone was to come down and take all the names and numbers off. It would be extremely hard to find one's room then.

The next to the last door on the left was our apartment and I dropped all the bags at my feet and searched for the key. The door groaned slightly when I opened it and picked up our bags to place them inside. Shingo ran from room to room, looking for something interesting. Suddenly he came out of the bedroom at the end of the small hallway, screaming that he wanted that one for his own. Since he hadn't wanted the larger bedroom, I happily agreed - letting him think it was his idea from the start.

The apartment had said furnished on the papers I had, but their idea of furnished and mine was totally different. The living room held one couch that looked as if he had just escaped World War II. A coffee table and one other chair on the other side of the room matched - well, it might have at one time - the couch. In the middle of the kitchen was a small table surrounded by four chairs. Each bedroom held one twin size bed, a bedside table and a small dresser.

After Luna was done inspecting the apartment, she jumped up on my bed. I opened all of the suitcases and began to rummage through them. I began pulling out my clothes and placing them on hangers in the closet. Shingo had his bags and was suppose to be putting his stuff away, though I imagined I would have to go and redo it all when he was asleep.

"I think you should take those quilts your grandmother made and place them over the couch and chair. It would cover some of the stains on the upholstery and give them a more at home look," Luna suggested, curling her tail around her.

"I wonder if they have yen stores here, like our dollar stores in the U.S.?" I asked, half seriously, but mostly joking. Luna shrugged, well, I suppose that is what you would call it. Since I'm not sure if cats can shrug or not. "Either way, we need some cleaning supplies, groceries and some curtains," I mused almost silently, looking at the windows and out into the city. Sitting down on the bed, I pulled out my purse and began counting money. Sighing, I dropped it all back in. "Well, looks like we'll be eating instant ramen and rice for a while."

The ringing of the doorbell caught me by surprise, especially since I wasn't expecting anyone to be visiting me. The only people who even knew where I lived were Motoki, Haruka and Michiru. I doubted it was any of them. Slowly I walked to the front door and tried to look in the peek hole. There was so much dirt in it, I couldn't see through it. "Hai?"

"House warming!" a chorus of voices rang out.

Puzzled, I cracked the door open and saw Rei, Makoto, Minako and Ami standing on the other side, each holding bags in both arms. "Can we come in?" Minako asked.

"Eh, yeah," I mumbled, holding the door open wider and allowing them to file in. I felt so badly from the way I had treated them the day before that I couldn't turn them away. Surely no enemies knew where I was. I just moved in an hour before hand.

Makoto went straight for the kitchen with her three bags and began pulling things out. "I hope you don't mind us barging in like this," she began while pulling out cakes and casseroles. "Mina-chan talked Motoki into telling us where you moved to and we thought we would get you some house warming gifts. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to cook!" she giggled. She placed the containers in the refrigerator after opening one and setting it on the table in front of Shingo. Shingo looked like he could hardly contain himself.

"Mako-chan is a master chief!" Minako boasted. "She makes all sorts of mouth watering dishes. I love when she cooks."

Hearing them babble on in such a friendly way, I couldn't help but smile. They barely knew me, I had been rude to them. Yet here they were bringing wonderful things over and acting like we had been friends all our lives. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to be friends with them, as long as I was careful.

Rei brought out some beautiful curtains and began hanging them on the windows, as well as some wall scrolls of a forest scene. "If you don't like these, just tell me," she said pointedly.

I shook my head, expressing that I thought they were beautiful. But really what made it more so was that I wasn't alone. Their happy chatter filled the rooms with a beautiful melody. One that I was sure minutes before would never be heard in these rooms. Surely for a few hours it wouldn't hurt to forget my past, forget my future and just live. Be a teenager, and live.

I should have known better. To be honest, nothing in my life was that simple and in the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn't be now.

Minako opened her bag and out jumped a white cat. "I hope you don't mind me bringing him along," she said. But I barely heard her. Flashes from the night before clouded my mind, another white cat sitting beside Luna, talking. With the same yellow crescent moon symbol blazing on it's forehead that Minako's cat had.

I suppose whoever said it first was right - it is a very small world.

-End Chapter 2.

*neko-chan translates to "kitten"

I am so thrilled how many people are reading and following my story! Thank you for reading! I hope you continue to enjoy the story.

I am currently watching Sailor Moon Crystal. If you have Hulu and can watch it, do it! It's awesome! I'm so excited that it follows the manga! I read several bad reviews but I can't imagine what their problem is - I LOVE it. Of course, I was always disappointed in the first anime and how little it followed the manga storyline, so of course this is thrilling me to death :)

I'm off work for four days, so I imagine I will get several more chapters re-done and published in the next few days.

God bless!

Beth