Here we are with chapter 5! I think this is the longest chapter I've written so far, lots of Endymion/Usagi going on here. I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews, it really keeps me going on these now cold nights of writing. It looks like we're going to be a ten chapter, or nine chapter and possible epilogue, fanfic now. That's much longer than the initial one shot this was supposed to be!

Thank you again for all of your support!

A Little Late

Chapter 5/?

With Endymion's declaration and Usagi's agreement, the immediate danger of attack didn't seem quite as imminent or dangerous. It felt more like a cold war with each side holding their finger over the button, just waiting for the other to make their move. Even Makoto's arrangement with the Tsukino's seemed superfluous with Usagi taking the risk she was with Endymion and, with Usagi's encouragement, she went back to her own home, which she had actually missed. Increased surveillance was still encouraged around Usagi, including someone walking her to and from school every day.

It had been three days since Usagi and Endymion had had their five minute meeting and Usagi was taking a break from her Senshi by having lunch with Naru and Umino, two sorely neglected friends. They were sitting under the shade of a tree for lunch at the front yard of the school, enjoying the mild weather and talking about what life had been like for them over the past several weeks. For Usagi's two friends, that involved mostly each other.

"And then Umino was like 'But Naru-chan, it doesn't smell like that at all!'" Naru laughed at the butt of her joke.

Usagi joined in her laughing, but Umino blushed and stammered about how Naru had misunderstood what he meant. Naru waved her hand and popped a piece of fried shrimp in her mouth. "I know, Umino, I know. So, Usagi, what have you been up to lately? I feel like I hardly ever see you anymore. Not that I don't understand that you aren't busy and all, but I've missed you."

Trying not to look uncomfortable, Usagi stuffed her mouth full of food and mumbled under her breath. "I've been spending a lot of time with my family."

"Oh yeah, you've got to spend time with your family, Usagi-san. It seems like you spend a lot of time with Makoto-san and Mizuno-san, too, tho-" he was cut off by Usagi shoving a piece of shrimp into his mouth and growling at him to shut up.

Naru looked a little put out, she'd been trying to not mention how much time Usagi had been spending with her new friends and she'd been hiding how much it hurt for months. She'd known Usagi for years and suddenly being dumped like this was upsetting to the point where she had wondered if they were even friends anymore. When Usagi had come to sit next to them during lunch she had been so shocked she had almost asked if Usagi was feeling alright.

"It's such a nice day today! It's too bad we still have to go back to school, isn't it?" Usagi tried changing the subject. "Maybe after school we could go to Crown and play some video games, Naru-chan! That would be fun, wouldn't it? We haven't done that in forever!"

Naru's face went from troubled to all smiles and she folded up the last of her lunch. "That sounds perfect, Usagi." Naru looked puzzled and then giggled behind her hand. "Hey, Usagi, over there at the gate, isn't that the college guy who's always teasing you about your hair?"

Usagi straightened up and glanced behind her to where Naru was looking. Standing at the gate to the school wearing a sports blazer, black pants and dark sunglasses was Prince Endymion. His gazed locked with Usagi's and she swallowed hard as her pulse sped up. He made a motion with his head and Usagi stopped breathing for a moment, not sure exactly what to do.

"Usagi, he wants to talk to you!" Naru squealed, grabbing on to Usagi's arm.

"Well, maybe…" Usagi drawled, hoping he would at least wait until after school. He motioned again, grinning at her when he noticed that she was with her other friends who seemed to be more encouraging than her Senshi.

"He really wants to talk to you! Hurry, go, before a teacher sees you!" Naru cheered, pulling Usagi to her feet and then pushing her towards Endymion. "I'll cover for you."

Tripping a little from the push, Usagi regained her balance and glanced back at Naru before cautiously approaching the front of the school. She passed by Ami and Makoto on her way, who saw what she was doing and when Makoto moved to stop her, Ami put a hand on her arm. It was an agreement, even if it was a terrible one.

Makoto glowered dangerously at Endymion, who smirked right back at her over Usagi's head.

"What are you doing here?" Usagi asked once she got to the gate that separated her from Endymion. "I agreed to see you, but you shouldn't have come to my school!"

He was so close that she could reach through the gate to touch him if she wanted to, but she folded her arms and did her best to glare at him, angry that he took advantage of their agreement so soon, let alone at all. And at school of all places! She then gripped the bars and leaned her head forward so it rested against the steel in front of her, her hair billowing around her.

Endymion snatched her hand and gently caressed the back of it, entangling their fingers together which caused Usagi to blush. "Walk through the bars," he instructed. "We're going out for the day, Usagi."

"I can't just walk through the bars!" Usagi said in disbelief. "That's a trick for people like you, not me."

Endymion kept ahold of her hand and tilted his head to one side, a grin still on his face. "You doubt me?"

"No, I doubt me. I can do some pretty awesome things, but walking through walls just isn't – oh shit!" she exclaimed as Endymion yanked on her hand and transferred power through their linked hands, causing her to slip through the bars as though they weren't there. She looked behind her and saw that she was now on the other side of the school's walls and she hadn't been hurt passing through the bars at all. "I just walked through metal."

Endymion grinned at her and let go of her hand. "Feels pretty good, doesn't it?"

"That was so cool!" Usagi exclaimed, drawing attention to herself from her friends who were still on the other side of the wall. She dropped her voice and eagerly faced Endymion again. "How did you do that?"

"I just transferred some of my power to you, it was easy really."

"Oh," Usagi said, fidgeting nervously. "Well, why are you here?"

Endymion brushed a bit of hair away from her cheek and looked at her tenderly. "Why else? To see you. I want to talk. Now, let's go, Usagi," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist and whisking her away from her school and off to where they wouldn't be found by either the Senshi or Kunzite.

They reappeared in a dense forest dusted with snow and Usagi shivered as a snowflake touched her skin and melted into a drop like a tear. Endymion removed his jacket and helped Usagi shrug it on so she was a little warmer. The cold didn't bother him so much with the Dark Kingdom's base being in the North Pole, one of the coldest places on the planet. Cold was always present around him when he was there, it was something he had quickly adapted to.

"Where are we this time?" she asked him, rubbing her arms to keep from shivering.

Endymion gazed up at the stars through the thick fir trees. "North America, Canada. They have cold winters here, much like your Hokkaido. I'm sorry for not bringing you proper attire, it didn't occur to me."

"I've survived worse," Usagi reassured him, straightening her posture and trying to make herself look more dignified in the frozen forest. "It's beautiful here."

"I thought you might appreciate it. You seem to have an eye for such things."

Usagi, hope still in her heart that the ginzuishou's healing light had touched him in some way. That maybe he saw this beauty as she did and was bringing her there to tell her this, or show her that she had facilitated a change in him and he liked what was happening.

"Do you like these things?" She looked up to him with that hope shining in her eyes only to have him look back at her coolly.

"This planet will not hope to have such aesthetic trifles once the Dark Kingdom takes over. It matters not to me," Endymion said in a mildly bored, but authoritative voice, certain of the Dark Kingdom's victory.

"O-oh. I see," Usagi stammered. "Well, what does matter to you? You seem to like roses at least. Even if they are black and kind of depressing."

Endymion moved a little closer to Usagi and a black rose appeared in his hand with a flourish, causing her breath to catch in her throat. She had never actually watched him do that before, only seen him pull a rose out of his jacket that time at the Starlight Tower. It may have been black, and kind of depressing, but she took the offered gift and sniffed it tenderly, finding that despite its outward appearance it still smelled just as beautiful as his red ones always had. His fingers brushed against hers when he handed her the rose and Usagi bit back a whimper. It was always the brushes, the tiny touches with Endymion. As though he was tormenting her with his touch.

"You don't seem so depressed to be receiving it," Endymion chuckled.

The sound brought Usagi back to earth and she opened her eyes, staring at the blackness before her. Startled, she dropped the dark bloom to the snowy ground and watched her breath come out in quick puffs before her. For a moment she had allowed herself to be drawn into his charms and forget the war, forget the battles. It had been so easy.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, feeling truly sorry for her actions, but not sorry that she had remembered her loyalties. "I can't accept any gifts."

"It was just a flower," Endymion said, his voice angry. "It wasn't going to harm you."

She retracted her hand from his and put it close to her heart, feeling the traitor beneath her breast pound ever faster as it told her that he was right, it was just a flower after all. "I can't be too careful, you use those to attack, after all," she reasoned.

Now Endymion did get angry and he lashed out at Usagi, pinning her against a large pine tree and she quaked with fear, his arms around her head. "We worked out an agreement, Usagi! I wouldn't threaten your family and you would come whenever I called. You are in no danger, what could possibly make you think you are in danger?"

Usagi winced and pushed as far back into the tree as she could, afraid of what he might do to her. Then she found her courage, remembering that just last time they had met she had almost purged his body of the darkness within. She was Sailor Moon, Princess Serenity, she couldn't be afraid of someone masquerading as an evil-doer. She had to take courage and show him that she wasn't going to be bullied by him.

"Endymion, if you don't back up right now, I'm going to transform and kick your ass back to the Dark Kingdom for trying to intimidate me," she said in a deadly voice.

Painstakingly slow, reminding Usagi that she was still not the one in charge of the situation, Endymion took a few steps back from her and lowered his hands down to his sides, a glare evident on his chiseled features. "I could – "

"You could what?" Usagi asked. "What are we even here for? What did you want this time anyway? You just showed up at my school, demanded I come with you and then we've been doing nothing!"

"I just wanted to see you, Usagi!" Endymion roared, cutting her off from saying anything else. "Ever since last time I saw you I've seen, in my head, images of you all the time. You yelling at me about something, sometimes you throwing things at me. Battles as Sailor Moon that I don't recall but seem to have happened. I don't know what's happened since our last battle, but you did something to me and I want answers, and I know that the only one who has those answers is you. It's all you, Usagi."

"Mamoru-san…" Usagi breathed, feeling relief watch over her at the confession. "You really are still in there. That is," she regained herself, remembering that this was Endymion, not Mamoru, and clammed back up, "do you want to know more about what you're seeing? I could tell you, maybe fill in some of the blanks!" she said eagerly. "Ask me anything! Anything!" Taken aback, Endymion blinked at Usagi's sudden enthusiasm. She spread her hands up towards the sky and twirled around, laughing joyfully in the falling snow at the only good news that she had heard in weeks.

"Well," Endymion began, grabbing Usagi's arm and pulling her to his side and stopping her from spinning, "I remember something about a shoe landing on my head. Your shoe." Usagi flushed bright red and turned to face him. He pressed his body close to hers and brushed his fingers against her cheek. "Is this a bad place to start?"

Usagi coughed, noticing how close they were, which caused her to blush even more. "No…it's just a simple story. I was on my way home one day and got really excited. I kicked my shoe off my foot and it landed on your head and you called me a name and we fought for a while before I took my shoe back and we went our separate ways."

"So we knew each other outside of the Dark Kingdom?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"Not especially, but I'd say we were friends. What happened to make you forget that we knew each other, Endymion?" Usagi asked him. "You have to know at least that much."

Endymion frowned and dropped his hand from her cheek to her shoulder, suddenly realizing that in all of the blind adoration for Queen Beryl he had never asked himself several crucial questions. "I was told there was an accident during a battle with the Senshi…"

"There was," Usagi confirmed. "But it wasn't something the Senshi did. I'm just not sure I should be the one to tell you what happened, or if I should let you remember on your own." She thought about what Ami would do, about what the others would suggest she do, and she thought this seemed sound. "I think it's better if you remember on your own, or let me heal you, and then make your own choice on what side you want to be on."

"You talk about healing me, but what else would you do when you had me one your side?" he sneered.

Usagi touched his face and felt how chilled he was , despite how he seemed to be immune to the cold. "Don't you see, Endymion, those flashes you're having aren't something that someone else is telling you about, it's something that you're telling yourself about. The Dark Kingdom is keeping these things from you, and I'm not. I'll answer any question. Keep asking them. I promise, I'll answer them and we can work through this mess together until you're satisfied with what you remember."

Endymion regarded her cryptically and then he reached up and took her hands in his, enfolding them in his to help keep them warm. The snow had started falling harder and he recognized that she wasn't going to be able to stay outside much longer. But she had the answers to the questions that had plagued his mind for the past several days.

"What about 'odango atama'? Is that significant?"

Usagi wanted to get angry, she really did, that of all things he would remember, it would be that name. Of all things. But she couldn't, she was too happy that he remembered something. "Remember when I called you an SOB the other day?"

"Yes."

"It's because of that name."

Endymion blinked, and then he seemed to get it. "Your hair!" he laughed. "It's about your hair! Oh, that's clever!"

"It's not clever at all!" Usagi argued heatedly. "It's stupid and-and hurtful! And you're mean for calling me that."

"Odango atama, don't cry."

"It's Usagi! U-sa-gi!"

"I have done this before," Endymion said with a note of reflection in his voice. "It's very familiar, arguing with you."

Usagi pouted and rubbed at her now numb ears. "I never liked arguing with you, Mamoru-san."

"Endymion."

"Endymion."

Laughing at her expression, Endymion pulled her closer to him and dropped his lips close to her ear. "I think I used to like fighting with you. But don't tell anyone, I think it was a secret." He stood up straight again and took her in his arms. "I think it's time to get you back to Tokyo. It's a little cold here, even for my tastes. By the way," he continued as he prepared to transport them back to Tokyo, "how is your arm where Kunzite hit you?"

Usagi grinned up at him and flexed her arm. "It's almost fully healed. Third degree burn, though. Sailor Mercury was worried about infection for the first day."

"I was worried as well," Endymion said. "Now hold on tight," he instructed her. Usagi did as told and shyly wrapped her arms around his waist. He put an arm around her and they appeared in the living room of her home, right in front of Luna and Ikuko, who were having tea together. Ikuko dropped her cup and Luna hissed as soon as they appeared, her defenses kicking in.

"Let go of Usagi-chan this instant, Endymion!" Luna demanded.

Usagi jumped out of Endymion's arms and Endymion, with some reluctance, let Usagi go, his fingers lingering in her hair. He smiled at Ikuko and tipped his head. "I wasn't expecting to run in to anyone today. Forgive the intrusion Tsukino-san. Until next time…odango atama." And with that, he vanished from sight into the nether reaches of the Dark Kingdom.

Usagi sighed now that he was gone and Ikuko jumped up and hugged her. "Usagi! I got a phone call from your school that you left in the middle of lunch and I had to lie and say I picked you up for a doctors' appointment. Ami-chan and Mako-chan called and said Endymion was there and he got you. He didn't hurt you, did he? You're alright, you look alright," she said as she examined her daughter from head to toe.

"Mama, I'm fine, I'm better than fine! He's remembering!" Usagi gushed returning her mother's hug and then grabbing Luna and hugged her to her chest. "Luna, did you hear him? He called me 'odango atama'! And he remembered the name on his own! After using the ginzuishou on him he started to remember things and he wanted to talk to me about it. Isn't it wonderful?"

Luna went to answer her but she was already forgotten as Usagi moved to contact the girls and call a meeting for later that day to discuss what had happened between her and Endymion.

XxXxXxXx

Endymion rematerialized in his bedroom and felt it was much colder in here than it had been outside in the Canadian wilderness. He brought up an image of Usagi, who was now reassuring her mother that everything had been fine, and allowed himself to smile at her before Kunzite walked in to his room without knocking and he banished the image before him, hoping Kunzite hadn't seen her. If he did, Kunzite gave no indication and instead crossed his arms in defiance of being called upon to fetch the wayward prince once again.

"We have a job."

XxXxXxXx

Sailor Mars jumped out of the way of the youma's lethal sharp picture frames and glass and rolled into a crouch just out of its reach. Sailor Jupiter ran as another blast of fire was released from its mouth and landed on the other side of the store, hiding behind the counter, which partially melted. Having seen enough, Sailor Mercury put her computer away and opened her palms.

"Shabon Spray!"

The room was engulfed in fog, confusing the seven foot tall youma, which was covered in a red leotard and had once been a mirror shop clerk, which caused it to send glass flying everywhere in the confusion. Sailor Venus, who had been the accidental target during this set up, charged forward and kicked the youma in the back of the head, knocking it flat on the ground.

"Where the hell is Sailor Moon?" Mars finally barked out. They had been at this for nearly ten minutes and the shop wasn't getting any prettier.

"I called her!" Venus said. "She said she'd be here soon!"

"For your sakes, you had better hope she arrives soon," Tuxedo Kamen said, appearing behind Venus, a smirk apparent on his masked face.

"You," Jupiter swore. "You took her again today." She dodged more glass and pointed an accusatory finger at him. "One day I'm going to take you down for daring to lay a finger on her!"

"All we did is talk, Sailor Jupiter, you can't be angry about that."

Mars scoffed. "We can be angry about a lot more than that."

"Fire Soul!"

"Supreme Thunder!"

Mars had been aiming at Tuxedo Kamen, Jupiter at the youma, both shots missed their marks and it was Tuxedo Kamen's turn to scoff. "With aim like that, I'd certainly be angry."

"Crescent Beam!"

Venus' attack his Tuxedo Kamen in the arm and he cursed at how badly the beam of light burned him. The Senshi went back to fighting the youma, but Tuxedo Kamen swore that if there wouldn't have been severe repercussions from Usagi if he did something, he would have made a move against them at that moment.

But where was Usagi, anyway? She should have been there soon enough.

"Hold it right there!" The five people on the battlefield visibly relaxed, though there was a mumble from Mars that sounded suspiciously like 'About time'. "For love and justice, a pretty girl soldier in a sailor suit, Sailor Moon! In the name of the moon, I will punish you!"

"Sailor Moon," Tuxedo Kamen greeted her smoothly.

Sailor Moon smiled politely at Tuxedo Kamen before Jupiter whistled at the two of them. "Excuse me, we have a problem that throws glass over here."

"Right. Throwing glass youma!" Sailor Moon said, pulling out her Moon Stick with the ginzuishou. She ducked out of the way several times as the youma took aim at her, and even had to be pulled to safety once by Tuxedo Kamen when she tripped and couldn't move in time. She smiled gratefully at him and raised the Stick above her head.

"Moon Healing Escalation!"

"Refresh!"

The shop keeper, an older man with greying hair, slumped to the ground unconscious, but apparently unharmed. Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to Tuxedo Kamen to thank him for helping her when something struck her.

The battlefield, Sailor Moon realized. She could attack him.

Steeling her eyes she raised the Moon Stick again and began again.

"Moon Healing – "

Tuxedo Kamen jumped away and appeared behind Sailor Moon, who also switched her positions, aiming at him again. "I gave you memories before, don't you want more of them?" she asked. "I'll give you all of your memories! Everything you ever questioned!"

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Because I'm odango atama!" she begged. "I wouldn't lie about that. Please. Moon…"

He vanished.

XxXxXxXx

Kunzite watched the battle with interest. He had been ordered to set up the shop and to order Endymion to help out, and then to watch and see what became of everything after that. Of course both he and Queen Beryl had known that he would help Sailor Moon, he always did, it was a habit they couldn't seem to break him of, but they wanted to know more, see if there was something else going on that they should know about. He was hopeful that there was because he just wanted a reason to call Endymion a traitor and take his head before his mistress.

And as he watched Sailor Moon try to heal him, for what she said was a second time, it would appear there was something else going on.

"Because I'm odango atama!"

Kunzite's eyebrows shot into his hair at the nickname and the subsequent calming effect it appeared to have on Endymion. Oh yes, there was something going on that he needed to look into.

XxXxXxXx

Sailor Moon landed on the roof of her home and climbed down onto her balcony. She had left the door unlocked, as always, so she could go back in once the battle was over. She detransformed and yawned, glad the battle was over. She was so tired and wrapped up in herself, however, that she didn't notice Kenji sitting on the bed waiting for her to come home until he cleared his throat and startled her out of her reprieve.

At first she thought Endymion had returned for her, but breathed a little easier when she saw it was only her father. "Papa, it's only you."

"Only me? Ouch, Usagi, that hurts your papa!" he joked, knowing full well what she was talking about.

Usagi, who was in her pajamas, sat next to him on the bed and curled her legs under her. "What are you doing here? It's late, you should be in bed."

"So should you."

Usagi shrugged. "Duty calls. Someone caught Minako-chan in a trap and we had to go rescue her. I don't think she'll ever look at a mirror the same way again. I know I won't."

"So that boy…"

"I tried to heal him again," Usagi whispered softly, disappointment evident in her voice. "But I wasn't able to save him."

"I'm sorry. I know you want to help him. Is there…is there anything I can do?" he asked her, seeming a bit nervous.

Usagi shook her head and smiled at him. "You do enough, papa, you don't need to do any more."

"So you're sure there's nothing else I can help you with? I can't…be there in any other way with this whole Sailor Moon thing? I feel like I'm spinning my wheels with this." He looked off into the distance and seemed lost in his own world. "I don't know what to do to help you. Your mother's handling it so well and I don't know if I'm going to come home one day to find out that you died while I was just working like every other day of the week."

Usagi knew for a fact that her mother was only handling it as well as she was, and she wasn't handling it all that well, because she had Luna to confide in. "I'm not going to die, papa. I promise that I'm not going to die."

"You can promise that, but it doesn't mean those people can't hurt you."

"Papa, they will never get close enough to me to do more than scratch me. I won't die, I refuse to die. I'm too stubborn to die."

"And that boy…"

"Mamoru-san doesn't want to hurt me. He's too curious now, he wants to know about his past and how he knows me but doesn't know me. He didn't even ask for the ginzuishou this time around."

Kenji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess that's a good thing."

"It's a good thing," Usagi reassured him. "I wish there was something you could do to help me, but all you can do is everything you've done right now and that's be right here and tell me I'm doing a good job. I am doing a good job, right?"

Kenji studied his daughter's face and his heart melted. "The best, Usagi."

Usagi smiled at him and threw her arms around him. "I love you, papa."

Well, it is a family story, too. Gotta have the family sap going on as well. Please remember to review, it's right over there! Thank you again to all of you who have, and continue to review, it's always appreciated! See you next week with chapter 6!

-Ginzuishou