Author's Note:

Here's chapter three! I know it's moving slow, but I want to fully explore lots of characters and I have some pretty grandiose plans for the plot, so please hold on! In this chapter I included both original lyrics of mine and a song called "A Little Pain" by Olivia inspi' Reira that aired in the Nana anime.

I want to say thank you to the people who took the time to review. Snow-Soar, LoveInTheBattleField, princesslolitatheorca654, you guys don't know how much your reviews mean to me. Please keep them coming. Also, another reviewer moonchild310 had the brilliant idea to write a Nana x Sailor Moon crossover years before me and it's really great too so if you like mine, be sure to check hers out!

And finally, I want to give a shout out to my glorious Beta Reader / Editor FemL. She's a thousand times the writer I am so be sure to check her stuff out as well!

"It's right up here." Naro skipped ahead, his steps light despite the heavy amp he was carrying for her. Jin jogged to catch up with him, laughing as he chatted like schoolgirl with the brown haired man. Great, now I've got two over-bubbly optimists to deal with, Usagi mused, watching them with mild interest from a few steps behind.

Jin had come home to their dinky apartment two nights ago from his job at the host club with a big case of cheap-ass beer and a triumphant grin. "I've found the rest of our band," he declared, his enthusiasm raising his voice nearly to a shout.

"Couldn't you have gotten a better beer then?" She had growled, reaching for a can of the tasteless liquid.

He continued, not phased in the slightest, "They're so cool too, Usagi, I can't wait for you to meet them. They're brothers and they both have cool long haircuts!" It took her an hour to talk him down from his high on accomplishment so he would listen to her voice of reason.

"Look, I think it's great that you've found two interested musicians, but they'll need to try out. Call them to schedule a time and don't get your hopes up." She warned, emphasizing her caution with a raised brow. His confidence remained, unscathed by her harshly spoken concern.

Usagi couldn't help but be skeptical. When she was little her mother had repeatedly told her, You have to kiss a few frogs, Usagi. Don't be discouraged if you don't find your prince on the first try. It was humorous now, in a dark way, to think her mother had settled for the King of all Toads.

"This is it." Naro said, pushing up a large metal garage door with practiced ease. They'd wandered into what appeared to be an abandoned junk yard and were now standing in front of a decent sized warehouse. "Keito and I found this place last year. The man who owned this junkyard passed away and his son is a friend of ours. He gave us a key so we could play here whenever we wanted."

There wasn't much to the room. An old sofa that was more holes and poorly sewn patches than original fabric sagged in the far right corner, angled toward the door. Dust motes drifted lazily in the air, disturbed by the sudden draft coming from the open door. The floor was sandy concrete with a spider web of cracks branching out from where it met with the wall and spreading across the room. Usagi didn't even want to think about the walls, also faded grey concrete but stained in certain places with paint and other, miscellaneous fluids. At first glance, it seemed like a dump but, she had to admit, it had promise.

The three men set to work immediately, setting up Usagi and Jin's equipment. Naro tuned his bass, while Keito fiddled with the settings on the speakers. Keito hadn't said much on the journey to the warehouse, and Usagi could tell he, like her, had his own demons. His platinum hair was pulled back into a ponytail and his faded white muscle shirt had large cut off sleeves, revealing an elaborate tattoo of a silver dragon swirling around a beautiful blonde bombshell. He wore a tattered leather glove on his left hand.

"We're all set." He spoke, staring at her as if to tell her he knew she was watching him. She stood quickly and took her place at her mic.

"Usagi and I will start playing and you guys can jump in whenever you want. I already showed Naro the baseline I wrote, but Keito will have to improvise on drums."

Usagi took a deep breath. "Let's do this, then."

It wasn't until Jin began to strum the chords to the song they'd been working on that Usagi truly understood the magic of this place. The acoustics in the warehouse were incredible. The beginning of the song he'd written was slow, with a complicated guitar riff, and later built upon itself. His sound was bouncing from the metal walls and concrete floors and surrounding them. Usagi felt inspired.

~"Another day spent chasing the thought of you"~

~"You're slowly sinking me, it's quicksand"~

Naro joined in on his electric bass, outlining the harmony perfectly with a rhythmic pulse. The song gained tempo as Jin ripped on his guitar. It was then that Keito jumped in on the drums, pounding the bass drum while banging rapidly on several snares. The combination was so mind blowingly good, Usagi couldn't help let out a yell enthusiastically into the microphone before continuing to sing whatever lyrics came to her mind.

~"Don't want to run but don't know what else to do"~

~"to escape from Wonderland"~

When they finally stopped playing, nobody spoke: there was no need to. It was clear that they'd formed their band.

Usagi smiled despite herself as she walked down the street of the shopping district near her apartment. It had been a few hours since she'd left Naro and Keiko's 'yard, but she hadn't come down from her high. The brothers were perfect, they had a band! On top of that, she didn't have work her shitty bartending job today and she'd finally saved enough for a new microphone. She turned down Ito Street, making a beeline for her favorite music shop, her cash burning a hole in the pocket of her well-worn jeans.

The shop spelled like wood and brass cleaners. They sold everything from electric guitars to cello's at this place, and Usagi loved the classy atmosphere. As she wandered slowly towards the microphone section, she noticed a large banner in the CD section depicting the members of Venom for their new release. Curiosity pulled her closer. The lead singer of Venom went only by V, a catchy, easy to remember title that few artists could pull off. Upon first glance, Usagi believed the singer looked incredibly similar to her. They shared the same lengths of blonde hair, deep blue doe eyes, and impossibly long legs. However, as Usagi bothered to study the woman closer, they were like night and day. V's hair was brassier, like spun gold, where Usagi's own was pale as moonlight. In the advertisement, V wore her trademark red ribbon tied around her neck. Fans were crazy about the style, though the bow reminded Usagi more of a collar than an accessory. V was curvier than Usagi and much more prone to showing off her figure. She wore a backless, slinky red shirt and high-waisted cut offs. Her expression was suggestive and confident, the mark of celebrity. She was beauty, but very self aware. The music shop's speakers played a preview of their first single. Usagi hummed along, though she was a bit bitter about it. The more she wanted to hate Venom the more she found herself loving their music. The arrangements were haunting and beautiful and stayed with Usagi for days. She glanced towards the picture of Makoto, the drummer, who stood in the back looking cool and imposing. Her heart ached a little as she wondered if the chestnut haired woman was okay for the hundredth time.

Keep singing Usagi, she'd said.

"I will, Mako-chan."

Usagi exited the shop cradling her new microphone and Venom's self titled album against her chest with her right arm. She lit the Black Stone cigarette that had been sitting idly in her mouth with her left. If anyone ever discovered the album in her possession, she'd already decided she'd claim she was merely checking out the enemy.

Her previous unbridled joy dulled slightly as she made her way back to the apartment. A few blocks into her walk, she caught glimpse of a tall, raven haired mess of hair on the other side of the street. Her heart stopped. Without thinking, she let her cigarette drop to sidewalk, smoldering in neglect. Usagi dashed across the bustling street, forcing two taxis to come to a screeching halt. She ignored their angry horns and angrier words while her eyes desperately searched for what she hoped hadn't been a cruel trick of the eyes. She found him again, and still out of breath, sprinted in his direction. The man made an abrupt left, into a hip coffee shop and Usagi finally caught a glimpse of his profile. Though handsome, this man had brown eyes and the roots of his deceiving black hair were speckled with grey.

"Idiot," Usagi scolded herself, spinning on her heel back towards her apartment. Red, hot embarrassment made its way to her cheeks.

What's wrong with me? Her mind admonished her for her impulsive behavior. It's been nearly a year, why are you still so obsessed?

Frustration pulling at her from all sides, she threw open the door of her apartment and yelled for Jin.

"Yes, your highness?" He appeared, wet and wearing only a towel. Living in such close quarters, they had abandoned any modesty they'd once had long ago.

"Put some pants on, Jadeite. We're going to karaoke. I need to sing."

All of the ice in his whiskey had melted and the outside of the glass was slick with condensation. He wasn't really in the mood for a social outing but his friends had insisted he take a break from work. In the end, he was glad he came, despite having little desire to drink.

Ren had insisted they go to a popular karaoke bar in a busy area of Tokyo. They had been seated in a special roped off VIP area of the bar and had their own designated waitress. It was amateur night so after a few mediocre songs, they'd all tuned out the singers and focused on catching up. Ren sat next to him on a large faux leather couch, laughing as he talked to his bandmate Takumi.

"Mamoru?"

"Huh?" He turned Takumi, who looked at him with a air of frustration at being ignored the first time.

"I asked how work was going." Takumi repeated, while waving at their waitress to bring him another drink.

"No work talk!" Ren interjected, "It must be my curse to constantly surround myself with friends who are workaholics."

Mamoru laughed. Takumi and Ren had been on tour with their rock band Trapnest in America for the last few months and had just arrived home earlier this week. Ren would never admit to it, but Mamoru knew his best friend well enough to know that he was beyond exhausted. Though he put on a good show, wearing his usual cocky grin and leather jacket, his eyes were hollow.

This is the burden we must shoulder to make it in this industry, he thought to himself.

"Alright, I won't say much about work other than it's going really well, I've got a couple new things I'm working on for the girls now -" Ren put a hand over Mamoru's mouth.

"Shhh. The girl who just took the stage said she's going to sing a Trapnest song."

"It's too bad Reira stayed in America for a few extra days. She would have loved this." Takumi mused, referring to Trapnest's half American lead singer. Mamoru had only met Reira a few times, but she wasn't anything like he'd imagined after listening to her music. She sang with an angelic pitch and he wrongly assumed she'd be as mature and perfect as her voice. Regardless, he couldn't imagine an amateur being able to cover one of her songs with any kind of success. Both Ren and Takumi turned around in their seat to face the small karaoke stage, but Mamoru didn't bother.

~"Travel to the moon"~

~"Kimi wa nemuri, yume wo toku"~

~"Dare mo inai, hoshi no hikari, ayatsurinagara"~

Mamoru heard Takumi gasp. He couldn't help but smile at that, Takumi was always so cold and composed. Still facing forward, he closed his eyes, surprised at how relaxed he suddenly felt. The voice that rang out around them was completely different than Reira's but somehow Mamoru preferred it.

~"I'm here waiting for you"~

~"ima to wa chigau mirai ga attemo"~

~"I'm here waiting for you"~

~"Sakebitsudzukete"~

Her range was incredible. When her voice dipped it became sultry, like velvet. It sounded like the voice of a 1940's beauty. And then just as quick she elongated a high note and her voice turned silvery, high and airy. Mamoru had never heard anything quite like it.

The three men listened in silence as the karaoke singer approached the climax of the song. Mamoru spun around, unable to resist taking a look at the singer. The girl who stood on stage was younger than him, her white blonde hair was braided into a loose fishtail, long pieces falling around her face.

Could it be? He stood, an unexplainable ache urging him to get closer. He made his way towards the stage, taking care to stay in the shadows of the elaborately draped VIP area. Her eyes were closed tightly as she began to bring the song home, towards the final verse, in English.

~"In the constant moment,"~

~"You will find me where it's quiet"~

~"Listen closely, listen closely"~

~"Let the blood flow"~

~"Through all the spaces of the universe"~

It's her. Usagi. Mamoru stood, mesmerized. He'd thought of the girl he'd met at Ren's concert several times over the last year. Her harsh criticisms of his life philosophy had kept him up that night, tossing and turning as he tried to decide if he hated her for her naive and honest nature or if he was infatuated with it. He knew could have easily found her again, but after that eternal night he vowed to never look. From the moment she'd spilled his drink on her, he'd had the unshakeable feeling that if he kept her around, she'd turn his world upside down. It terrified Mamoru to his core.

~"No need to cry."~

And here she was.

Final Note: These are the translated lyrics to "A Little Pain". (I don't own Nana or Sailor Moon or this song, etc)

Travel to the moon - you sleep, solving a dream
Controlling the light of the deserted stars
The smile you forgot in order to be stronger
Together, I'm sure we can find it again
Please realize
I'm here waiting for you
Even if the future is different from now
I'm here waiting for you
I'll keep shouting
I'm sure my heart is pulling in the string connecting us
So the me of that time will awaken
No need to cry
Travel in silence - if I reach out, I can touch you
But you're so far away inside my memories
If I close my eyes, I can hear your voice
Even a little pain is precious