Usagi blinked a few times and tried once more to focus on the words that were beginning to swim on the page in front of her. With a groan she relented, folding her arms on the table and dropping her head into them after shoving her copy of What To Expect When You're Expecting sufficiently out of the way. She heard Yohji chuckle from his post at the sink, where he was washing the dishes they'd used for their dinner. The blonde glared at his back and he turned to grin at her despite the cigarette dangling from his lips.

"I hate reading," she said by way of explanation, reaching instead for a pamphlet that had at least some pictures to study. Her brain was resistant in processing these as well and she sighed.

"Maybe you should let it go for today. You've been going through that stuff since we got home," Yohji paused to glance at the clock, "four hours ago. Rome wasn't built in a day and all that."

"I guess." Usagi put the pamphlet down and relented to stacking her reading materials into a neat pile in front of her, letting the sound of the running water at the sink flood the educational materials from her mind. She tried to remember the first time Chibiusa came from the future. Part of her wanted that strange feeling that came over her when she learned that this pink haired kid, annoying as she may be, was a product of her love with Mamoru. Someday she would be a mother.

It was easy to recall all the things she had contemplated; herself heavily pregnant unwrapping tiny pink outfits and laughing with her friends, Mamoru in the delivery room with the pink blanket in his arms, smiling at her, Ikuko and Kenji coming to visit as proud grandparents, with Shingo as the reluctant uncle.

I never expected it to happen like this.

"There's no way you could have, kid. You have to make the best of it." Usagi looked up, startled, before she realized she must have spoken her final thought aloud. She studied Yohji's back for a moment, wondering what he must have truly thought of all this, what he thought of her.

Heavy footsteps approaching the kitchen distracted her, and she turned just as Aya appeared. He stopped there at the threshold, taking in the scene before him. Usagi felt he looked as though he'd just been incredibly busy, in motion, and suddenly came to a screeching halt. His violet eyes moved over her to the books on the table, and then back to Yohji, who had paused in his task to study Aya as well. Without a word the redhead walked across the kitchen, grabbed the cigarette from Yohji's mouth and tossed it into the dishwater, effectively putting it out.

"Smoke outside." Then he turned and left, continuing whatever task he'd been intent on before he came upon them. A silence hung over the kitchen in his wake, before Yohji turned away from the sink.

"Hey, Usagi, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about it." But Usagi shook her head, cutting his apology off, while she continued to stare after Aya.

"Neither did I."

xXx

It was hard to focus. Thankfully she had been arranging flowers long enough that it was almost second nature for her, but the gloves she was now forced to wear made her actions clumsier than usual. It was a precaution; her doctor had warned her that pesticides could penetrate her skin and possibly reach the baby, so she wore the gloves while handling the flowers.

The bell on the door gave its cheerful jingle, but she didn't look up. A few moments passed and she forgot the door had even opened until she heard the man clearing his throat. Her blue eyes finally left the piles of ribbon she was tying into bows across the table. A flicker of recognition scurried across her brain, but she couldn't grasp it. She stayed silent as the man looked at her, waiting for him to speak.

"Miss Tsukino, I've been trying to get a hold of you since yesterday." There was the spark of recognition again, and this time she grabbed hold of it. He was Detective Arashi, the lead detective on her case. Usagi paused and tried to collect herself as best she could. "Your phone is going straight to voicemail and your parents haven't seen you."

"My phone broke," Usagi interrupted, surprised how easy the lie came the second time. The Detective was clearly annoyed at being unable to reach her. "And I've been staying with friends. Didn't you tell me I shouldn't stay alone?"

"Ah, yes, well." The detective cleared his throat again, this time from discomfort. An unsettling silence lingered for a moment too long before he continued. "I wanted to let you know that the coroner has released Mamoru Chiba's body. Since he has no next of kin and you were his fiancé, it is released to you for funeral arrangements."

"Oh," She gulped over the lump in her throat, nodding, and glanced down at her knuckles turning white as she clenched the edge of the table. "I see. I'll take care of it." Detective Arashi glanced between her and the rainbow of ribbons across the table uneasily for a moment longer before digging into his inside coat pocket. He produced a small white rectangle that could only be a business card and placed it on the table.

"This man is trying to contact you as well. Due to the nature of the business he can only give details to you, so you'll have to call him yourself." The logo on the card, as it came into view, sent another unexpected jolt of shock through her. Both hands fell lax in her lap as she stared at it. The detective looked as if he wanted to say something more, but instead turned to go, shaking his head.

"Wait," he paused and looked at her over his shoulder. Usagi raised her blue eyes to him once more, steady, and asked, "Are there any new leads?"

"None yet, Miss Tsukino. We'll keep looking." The door jingled again with his departure, and with it the world seemed to speed up to real time once more. Usagi recalled where she was, and noticed that both Omi and Aya were looking at her from near the counter. She reached for the card and tucked it into her pocket, before she stood and walked over to them.

Bowing to Aya, she said, "I'm sorry but I have to take care of this right away. May I be excused for the day?"

Aya nodded when she looked up again and turned back to what he was doing without a word, surprising her a bit. He had always disapproved of her being late or missing any work. She supposed he was being lenient given her current situation, which made her feel guilty more than anything. Removing her gloves and apron, she put them away and collected her purse, trying to avoid the worried looks from Omi.

Before she could make it out the door, he asked her, "Do you need someone to come with you, Usagi?"

"No thank you, Omi." The answer came quickly, automatically, because the question caught her off guard. The door jingled shut behind her and she stood on the sidewalk for a moment, gathering her wits while people walked around her, eyeing her, wondering why she wasn't moving. Taking a deep breath, she set off, digging the card from her pocket in the process. Staring at the hauntingly familiar logo, she let the memory wash over her.

"Let me guess, one of your friends at work has put you up to this and you couldn't say no yet again." The blonde grinned over her cup of tea while her dark-haired fiancé tried not to look sheepish. She'd hit the nail on the head.

"Usako it really is a smart idea, you never know what could happen, right? I want you to be taken care of."

"I will be, you'll be there taking care of me, right?" She smiled playfully at him as she set her cup down. "Besides, I've been known to take care of myself pretty well in a bind."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Usako." Usagi sighed at the serious note in Mamoru's voice and regarded him for a moment.

"I just don't get it. Life insurance? Does it include stipulations for getting sliced to bits by youma?" Usagi grinned as Mamoru attempted to look annoyed by her lack of seriousness. He eventually gave in to his laughter, however, and she joined in.

Mamoru was right, as usual. Usagi shook off the thought and glanced up at the logo imprinted on the glass doors, a larger representation of the one printed on the card in her hand. She stepped into the small, air-conditioned waiting room and looked around, her apprehension building. The silence in the room was penetrated only by the clicking of the secretary's keyboard. One other person was present, a thin woman sitting in one of the plastic chairs with one leg folded over the other, her dangling foot tapping in the air a mile a minute.

"I'm Usagi Tsukino," the blonde said as she reached the desk. The woman behind the desk finally stopped typing long enough to give Usagi a searching glance with her dark brown eyes. "I was told that Mr. Yamani was trying to get in touch with me."

"One moment please." The secretary whirled in her chair and reached for the phone. "Mr. Yamani? There's a Usagi Tsukino here to see you. Yes, sir." She replaced the receiver and moved back to her computer, adding almost as an afterthought, "Go right in."

Usagi sent an apologetic look to the woman still waiting in her plastic chair, who was now glaring at her, before walking past the desk to what she assumed was Mr. Yamani's office. As she closed the door softly behind her and finally glimpsed the man sitting at the large desk, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Shoji?"

"Usagi, it's good to see you again, though not under these circumstances." The blonde moved across the room as he gestured to the chair across from him, still a bit dazed at the unexpected encounter. She and Mamoru had been to dinner with Shoji and his wife, Hana, on several occasions. It was fair to say that the man was one of Mamoru's best friends. When she thought about it, Mamoru had mentioned the man was an insurance broker before. It made sense that he was the one to get Mamoru to buy into the insurance policy in the first place.

"How is Hana?" An excited grin lit up his face at the mention of the brunette woman, replacing his somber expression, which in turn brought a small smile to Usagi's face.

"As big as a house," he returned affectionately, miming a large round belly with his hands. Though it may have sounded like an insult, Usagi knew that Hana was pregnant, and was actually surprised that she hadn't had the baby yet. She'd attended the baby shower some time ago. "I'm expecting a call any second really." The happiness faded from his face, and he suddenly looked sheepish, or maybe guilty, "But that isn't why you're here."

"It's okay, I'm very happy for you two." She smiled encouragingly to him.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Usagi. Mamoru was a very dear friend to us. When he took out this policy, I never expected," Shoji let the sentence trail, his eyes glazing over. He shook it off quickly, "I wanted to contact you, not just about the insurance, but to make sure you're okay. Do you need any help?"

"Well," Usagi looked at her hands, nervous, and then at the older man once more, "I know this is unexpected, but the detective on the case told me that they've released Mamoru's body." A shiver went through her, and the lump in her throat swelled before she could fight the emotions back down. "It isn't fair of me to ask, but I can't do it. I can't make funeral arrangements for him. I don't even know who to call-"

Her voice broke, and she put a hand over her mouth to prevent the sob from escaping. She wasn't even sure how she'd kept her composure in front of the detective earlier. Some part of her was still sitting in the back of her mind, curled up like a child with her fingers in her ears, humming, swearing that none of this was true. None of it had ever happened. Yet reality refused to let her rest, hitting her at every turn. Shoji rose from his seat and moved to the chair next to her, putting his hand on her shaking shoulder.

"Usagi, would you like me to do it for you? This may be something you come to regret. Maybe you should think about it." He spoke gently, full of concern, and it just made it all the more hard. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't go and pick out a casket, invitations. A tuxedo. She shuddered. Least of all she couldn't call everyone they knew and listen to their condolences. She wasn't ready.

"I know it's not fair of me to ask," Usagi said again, trying to regain composure as he passed her a box of tissues. "Your wife could be having a baby at any moment." Her hand subconsciously shifted to her stomach, where she knew the tiny Chibiusa was growing. "But he was such a solitary person, and I know that he valued your friendship so much. I know I can trust you to do it."

"If it's what you want, Hana and I would be honored to do it for you. We were going to make you and Mamoru the godparents of our son." Usagi looked up at Shoji, wide-eyed. He was smiling gently at her, and still offering the tissues. "Would you still be the godmother?"

"Are you sure?" Her voice was soft. She wasn't quite sure what to say. When Shoji nodded, she did as well, almost reflexively. "You're doing so much for me. I would love to."

Shoji returned to his original seat while she wiped at the last remnants of her tears, gaining some bearings on her emotions. While she balled up the used tissues and located the trash bin, he looked over the papers that had been laid out on his desk. When she turned back to him, he was looking at her once more.

"The policy itself is fairly straightforward. The funeral costs will be included. Mamoru took out a million dollar policy, and you were the sole beneficiary. As soon as the detective informs me that you are cleared as a suspect, we can move forward with no problems." Usagi's world shuddered to a stop. Her grip tightened on the handles of her chair while she could only stare at Shoji in disbelief. He appeared concerned for a moment, before he had the epiphany and suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"S-suspect?" She couldn't keep the tremor from her voice.

"It's not saying they think you did it, Usagi. They just haven't eliminated you as a potential suspect yet. It's routine procedure." His words fell flat while her mind reeled. She recalled her encounters with Detective Arashi, as few as they were. Had he regarded her with suspicion? She never picked up on it, but she wasn't exactly sharp at the time. A constant string of stressful and emotional events may have thrown her perception off.

"You can call me here," the blonde dug in her purse until she produced a card for the flower shop, "if you need to be in touch with me. Thank you so much, Shoji. I have to go."

He tried to stutter some sort of response, but she was up and out the door before he could manage even a word.

xXx

Usagi's resolve faded before she made it half way to the police station. The logical side of her brain, as neglected as it usually was, kicked in to gear and made her analyze the situation. She and Mamoru had lived alone. She was the one who called the police. She'd been stubbornly trying to move on and seem happy to throw off the person she knew was the real killer, but how had that looked to the detective leading the case, who expected her to be a strung out mess? Vaguely she could remember the expression he gave when she claimed she would stay in her apartment by herself.

"Idiot Usagi," she chided to herself, sighing as she changed directions to return to the flower shop. There was still a sizeable stack of orders that needed attention. Hopefully they would help her stop thinking about the funeral, the insurance, her pregnancy, and Rei.

Her footsteps slowed as she felt a strange prickle on the back of her neck. Strange, but not unfamiliar in these recent days: the feeling of being watched. Picking up her pace, she took a deep breath and told herself that she was just stressed and extremely paranoid. But years of being Sailor Moon had taught her, if nothing else, to trust her instincts. The relief flooded her when the flower shop finally came into view.

That feeling, however, was short-lived. As she stepped inside, Aya was there to greet her. She opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but the look on his face stopped her cold. It was a hybrid of anger and what she perceived to be concern, but could never be certain in Aya's case. That's when she heard it.

"Usagi!" Aya stepped to the side and allowed her full view of Makoto. The young woman, who Usagi had always admired for her strength, was totally distraught. She was sitting by the counter, on the stool that Omi usually used. The blonde boy was beside her, doing his best to comfort the tall brunette, but looking vexed and uncomfortable.

A haze seemed to fall over her in that moment. The person that was Usagi receded in the back of her mind, joining the same one who was curled in a ball and still spouting denial about Mamoru. It was someone else who stepped forward, awkwardly and robotic, to wrap their arms around Makoto's shaking form, someone else's voice who said it was going to be alright, whatever it was.

She only wished it had been someone else's heart shattering when Makoto finally stuttered out the one word, a name. Ami.

xXx

It was perfect. Poetic.

He watched her trembling steps, unable to wipe the grin that spread across his lips. If only he could be there, beside her. He would tell her exactly how he'd done it; detail every moment, every precise incision and every emotion that had played across those dark blue eyes. Fear. Anger. Pain. Understanding...he grimaced, and shook it off.

Most of all, he wanted to share those final words before he'd silenced her, please don't hurt Usagi. He almost wanted to cackle.

It was so perfect. Poetry.

xXx

Tenchi Arashi sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose with a thumb and forefinger. The case file laid out in front of him was causing the first wave of a severe migraine, visible in the stars that were creeping into the edges of his vision. He fumbled through his top desk drawer without opening his eyes until his fingers closed around the prescription bottle. The pills rattled together happily as he worked off the top and took two of them. He couldn't afford a three-day stretch of crippling pain in a dark room right now.

"That the Chiba case?" Tenchi glanced up at the man standing in the doorway, a weathered man of twice his age who worked as the medical examiner. He nodded in response and tucked his pills away with as much discretion as he could, but figured the extremely observant man hadn't missed any moment of it. "Someone really did a number on that guy."

"Yeah," Tenchi shrugged and tapped a finger on the report he was reading, the very one that the medical examiner had turned over after the autopsy, "so you've written, Taka."

"I've seen some brutal stuff in my day, but that was really something else. Pure torture," he came over and turned one of the guest seats around, straddling it as he sipped his cup of coffee. "It was the fiancé, you know."

"What?" Tenchi reflexively turned to the picture of the blonde woman that he had set beside the open case file, frowning. Taka chuckled obligingly, drawing his eyes back to the older man.

"Detective school 101, kid. It's always the significant other." Tenchi, frown still on his face, pushed the picture of the small blonde closer to the medical examiner.

"You're telling me this 90 pound woman successfully brought down and tortured Mamoru Chiba? I don't think she's physically capable." Taka clicked his tongue condescendingly, which sent a wave of frustration through the detective that only heightened the slow throbbing of his oncoming migraine.

"It's easy to gain an upper hand on someone who trusts you completely. Ligature marks on the body confirm that he was tied up." Taka smiled knowingly as he sipped his coffee, "She is a looker, though. Is that why you haven't pegged her yet?"

"It's not that," he meant to sound as annoyed as he felt, but he was too busy thinking. Why wasn't Usagi Tsukino his prime suspect? He remembered the repeated emergency calls where she'd claimed someone was after her, but they had never turned up anything, had they? Both crime scenes had been totally clean. There were no other suspects, yet he hadn't really pursued Usagi as a suspect at all.

"And the other vic, the best friend," Taka tapped a finger on the other file on his desk, open to the crime scene images of the dark haired woman known as Rei Hino. "She was probably sleeping with the fiancé. Happens all the time. The blonde probably found out about it and decided to get even. Now she's stringing you along with her damsel in distress act."

The both of them were interrupted by the abrupt sound of running shoes on the tiled floor. A few seconds later one of the junior detectives appeared in the doorway, winded, with his eyes on Tenchi Arashi.

"There's been another death in the case. They want you on the scene immediately." Tenchi was out of his chair in an instant, one hand reaching for the coat on the back of the chair, the other for his keys. In a blur he was headed for the door, but paused again when Taka called out his name.

"Remember kid, the simplest solution is usually the right one." He frowned again, but didn't respond, leaving the room and the smiling medical examiner behind.

xXx

I'm going to stop this chapter here, as I feel it's an appropriate spot. I apologize for the extremely long wait, and just know that you can thank Sesshy's Mistress directly for the efforts to update this story. She sent me a message months ago requesting an update, and due to a streak of inspiration recently I finally managed to work on it. Lack of enthusiasm for the past couple of chapters I think killed my confidence in the story a bit, but that was unfair to the readers, so again I apologize.

Now that I've completed a few other stories, and almost finished Oniisan, I will try to focus on getting through this story a little more. Let me warn you that some things may get a bit rushed in favor of seeing the story through to the ending. I just don't have as much time as I'd like to fully develop the plot.

Thank you for reading, and please, review. (: