Thank you all for your reviews and votes of confidence. You guys are really what keep me going! Also thank you to those for your condolences. It was 9 years ago but if you can't tell, it still some how manages to be a sore scar. Everything that Usagi feels is what I went through myself. Sorry this is a bit late, I was on the road for 11 hours yesterday as my husband and I drove from Indianapolis to our home town, Greensboro, NC. Plus I was up for almost 48 hours due to the trip and meeting up with friends. I have never gone that long without sleep before and I have to say it really is like being drunk! I was giggly and saying whatever came into my head. I was always a loving drun,k so hubby put up with it.

I do want to send out an apology. Anon, I am soooooooo sorry I messed up your dinner! I didn't think to add any caution to the last chapter simply cause I gave warning about the violence in the preview a gave at the end of "The Customer Is Always Right". It didn't occur to me to warn new readers. Plus my second favorite genre is horror. I watch it by myself in the dark. Also I use to design costumes, makeup, and create creatures for a hunted trail so my idea of what is shocking is a bit skewed. To any of you who were shocked in the last chapter I am sorry for that and will give you a heads up from now on. If you guys think this fic needs a higher rating, let me know. I based it off of other fics I have read. The only ones I saw rated M were ones with sex scenes so I thought a T was appropriate. Again, sorry guys. I'm pretty sure that was the worst of it, though, that is in my opinion.

This chapter holds no violence like the last so you are all safe! Alright, enough of that, on with the fic!

The Truth About Tragedy

Ch. 4

"What we have once enjoyed deeply we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." - Helen Keller

Once again, Usagi found herself awake at 1:34 am. After last night, she was terrified of going back to sleep. She slowly moved around the room, dressing in jeans, thick socks, and her warmest sweater in her bag then tip toed out of the room with her boots in her hands. In the living room, Mamoru slept soundly on the couch. She watched for a few minutes as his chest gently rose and fell under the covers in the dimly lit room. A blush once again seeped onto her face. She tore her eyes away and grabbed up her winter gear: a pink toboggan, white knit scarf and mittens, and a tan double breasted pea coat. She had just slipped on her boots when the light flicked on.

"Just where do you think you are going?"

She turned to see a groggy, and miffed, Mamoru. She took a moment to take in the sight of him. He had on an undershirt and boxers, that was it. She blushed at her lapse and answered him as honestly as she could.

"I'm afraid to go to sleep."

He looked at her for a minute, probably judging her sincerity or the ridiculousness of her statement. However, he began putting on his clothes as well without asking her to explain any further.

"What are you doing?"

"You can't go out alone. I live downtown and it's past midnight on a Friday night."

She didn't fight him about it, heck the company might not be a bad idea. At least with him around she wouldn't have to worry about the drunk crazies bothering her. Mamoru grabbed a sticky note and scribbled something on it then left towards the bedroom only to return a second later. Both fully bundled they headed out the door and down to the street.

They managed to make their way to the park. It was total silence as the snow covered the noise of Tokyo up. It was really coming down, quickly sticking and accumulating. It was already up to their ankles when they reached the park. They passed the rose garden and the lake till they arrived at the playground. Dark and abandoned, it looked ominous this time of night. Normally, the sun shone bright on the multicolored bars and the shrieks of children playing could be heard all through the park. Her mother use to bring her here and then Shingo as well. She remembered how she had to learn to share her sandbox toys with him the first time. Her mother's words "sharing is caring" seemed to echo in the dark like a ghost. She knocked the snow off of a nearby swing and sat, swaying slightly. Clinking metal echoed across the park as Mamoru follow suit. They both sat and watched the world turn white for a little while.

"So...how long did it take you to feel normal, after your parents died?"

She didn't know for sure if she wanted the answer or not. But it would be good to have some kind of time frame for normality.

"I'm not really the person to ask that."

She twisted in the swing so that she was facing him. He continued to look towards something in the distance.

"I was in the car with them when they crashed but I was thrown from the car before it went over the edge of the cliff. My parents died instantly while I was left with a head injury that wiped my memories."

She took in a quick breath of air. Not only had he lost his family, but he didn't even have any memories of them. Nothing to hold on to, to keep him warm through his dark days.

"So in a way, I will never get back to normal because I will never know what normal is, but at the same time I don't mourn them because I can't remember them."

The sound of the chains dinged as the links bounced off of each other from the sudden lack of weight, echoing across the snow drifts. She was hugging him again. She had swiftly left her swing and wrapped her arms around his head in what should have been an awkward hug. If it had been any other two people, hugging this way, it would have been. But it just felt nice. After his shock wore off, he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her a little tighter than earlier. Time seemed to stand still as they held each other. She held him for his past pain and he held her for her current. Nothing touched them but the snow that fell on their shoulders.

A scream pierced the dark night. It sounded so wrong on this silent and serene night. So out of place, that it took Usagi an extra second to put two and two together. Mamoru jumped up from the swing.

"Did you hear that?"

She didn't move. Partly to see if she could hear the scream again, but mostly because Mamoru was so close to her it was overwhelming. He smelled of roses and pine and she found it comforting. She looked up to his face to see he was staring down at her. Time seemed to slow down as they watched each other. Then it sped up to make up for lost time as the scream popped their little bubble. She turned and raced towards the direction of the scream. She faintly heard Mamoru calling after her as she fled.

She arrived at a small clearing where it looked like a bunch of kids were having a party. However, in the center of their party was a yoma. It was beautiful with long green wavy hair and light pink skin. It was covered in all the appropriate places by what looked like shaving cream or snow. It had on thigh high boots and a black top hat. Usagi pulled out her communicator and called the other Senshi.

"Luna, Senshi, there's a yoma in the park. Just past the playground. I can't wait, there are civilians involved."

"We'll be there as soon as we can!" Luna barked.

She closed the communicator and in a flash of ribbons and light transformed. The buns on her head felt foreign since the last time she wore them was two days ago. Power surged through her tired body and adrenaline pumped in her veins. She needed this, she needed to take out some of her frustration. She stepped out of her hiding place and faced the yoma head on.

"Anyone who terrorizes a night of youthful fun should be ashamed. Everyone should be allowed to let off some steam with their friends once and a while. I am Sailor Moon, champion of love and Justice. In the name of the Moon, I will punish you."

The yoma turned to coal black eyes to her for her entire speech and even gave her a round of applause when she was done. Not only did it seem to have the top hat and eyes of coal but it also had a button nose. Sailor Moon refused to be caught off guard by the eerie "Frosty" replica, keeping her fighting stance. The yoma picked up a fistful of snow and made a snow ball. It gradually got larger and larger with the yoma's energy. The yoma danced around so she couldn't get a shot off with wand or her moon disk. Finally when the ball was as big she her, she tossed it right at Sailor Moon. Seeing her opportunity, she ran to the right of the ball and as soon as she had the yoma in sight, she tossed her tiara at it ripping it easily in two. She had managed to kill a yoma all by herself! With no help from the girls or Tuxedo Kamen! However, the big ball of energy didn't dissipated with the yoma, instead it continued its path right at Sailor Moon. She kept running to the right but as the ball rolled towards her it gained mass like it was drawing strength from the snow. She wasn't going to make it. Black and white obstructed her view as strong arms wrapped around her and lifted her into the air. Knowing at once who it was, she didn't feel any fear as she clutched Tuxedo Kamen's lapels. The ball continued down the hill and crashed into a line of trees, crumbling slowly into a very large bank of snow. Her feet touched the ground again but the arms didn't retract from her like they always did.

"Are you okay Sailor Moon?"

She was what looked like guilt on his face. What did he have to be guilty about?

"Yes, I'm fine thanks to you."

"Don't thank me, I was late. You were almost crushed."

"I'm fine. Seriously, don't worry about it."

He looked like he wanted to say more but he was interrupted.

"Back away from Sailor Moon!"

It was Sailor Jupiter. The other Senshi soon surrounded her with Luna in tow. They all gave looks of warning, backing up the Sailor of Nature's unspoken threat. Tuxedo Kamen released her reluctantly and put his hands up in defeat as he slowly backed away from her.

"Till next time, Sailor Moon."

His form disappeared along the trees. It was by far the longest conversation they had ever had. They had close calls before, what made this one so different. Her friends misunderstood her staring into the now empty distance where Tuxedo Kamen's retreating form once was for longing. A heavy hand landed on her shoulder, breaking her attention. They were all looking at her with concern and pity. The last things she wanted them to feel for her. Behind them the party had resumed but now they were busy drunkenly climbing and sliding down the snow mountain that was left from the yoma. A small smile graced her face and the other Senshi turned to see what she was looking at.

"Usagi, do you wanna go play in the snow with us? It could be fun?"

Ami watched her as her question floated in the air to all the other Senshi and Luna. They all waited for her reply with hopeful, baited breath, but she knew she couldn't give them the answer they wanted no matter how much she would love to.

"No. We should all head home. It's late and someone could notice that we are gone. Besides, those guys are drunk, we could be asking for trouble."

The Senshi looked from one to another with worried faces. She was trying to be a more responsible leader, what was wrong with that. The only one who seemed to respect that was Luna as she hoped up on her shoulder.

"Sailor Moon is right. You should all go home and get some rest."

The girls said their goodbyes and de-transformed as they walked towards their destinations. Usagi's hair fell with a thump as the magic left and returned her to her original from. Luna, still sat perched on her shoulder, was blanked with a golden shroud.

"You should really try and stay away from Tuxedo Kamen Usagi-chan."

"I don't have much of a choice. Even when I try to do my best, I screw up and he has to save me."

"I know you are trying hard Usagi-chan. The Senshi and I are very proud of the improvements you have made the last months. You are really starting to become the leader I knew you would be."

She scratched under her chin, earning her a cheerful purr, "The girls seem worried about me."

"Well with recent events, of course they are. But they are just as concerned with Tuxedo Kamen as I am. We don't know if he is working with us or for himself."

"Would it be so bad if he was working for himself?"

Before she answered her question, Luna started meowing loudly in Usagi's ear.

"Luna? What are you doing. Come on girl, use her words..."

"USAGI!"

A livid Mamoru stood a mere foot away from her, wading in the now shin deep snow. He looked at Luna with odd fascination while he gave her a look of pure anger.

"Where the hell did you go?"

"I...I...I thought I heard Luna crying! And look, here she is. She must have been looking for me and got lost."

He eyed them both suspiciously.

"What about the screaming I heard?"

She pointed to the large snow mound behind them as the screaming drunks slid down it over and over again.

"Funny...I don't remember a hill that size there." He turned and continued his suspicious glare at the both of them. She just shrugged her shoulders and walked past him towards his apartment. Luna leaped and bounded ahead of them. She would appear above the snow as she jumped out from each hole her little body made like a black mole on a whack-a-mole game. It was almost humorous. Mamoru continued to watch her with a cautious air she ran into the lobby ahead of them. Darting across the lobby like a black streak, head looking left, right, up and down as if for predators. Only stopping when she came to the elevator, she sat in front of it facing the door, tale twitching with anticipation.

"That's one clever cat."

It was clearly a statement, but he said it in a way that made it imply that there was more to the story. But he didn't press the issue, just the up button. She scooped up Luna so she couldn't do anything else suspicious and carried her all the way to the bedroom. Shingo was still sound asleep, he probably never even noticed that they were going. She only let go of Luna after she shut the door. Striping down and returning to her pink night shirt, she lifted the covers to the bed. She paused when she noticed something stuck to the bedroom door. Dropping the covers, she walked back to the door to see the post-it that Mamoru had scribbled on before they left.

Shingo,

Your sister and I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't budge. So we went to play in the snow without you. Don't be mad, your sister really needs this. We will be back soon.

Mamoru