Please read the Author's Note at the end of the story!

Thorny Roses

Chapter 1

6 Months Later

Usagi jumped from tree to tree, branch to branch. However fast she could move, the rustling behind her was always present. She worked to jump faster, her thigh muscles stronger after six months of extensive training.

She flipped, landing on the ground daintily, after she jumped off the last tree in the forest. She landed a few feet from her rental home. The cherry blossom trees were shedding their petals, making it seem as though it was snowing pink snow.

Usagi turned around to face the person who had been pursuing her. He stepped from the shadows; his steps were quiet but Usagi could hear them. He was tall and muscular, with long silver hair that ended mid-back. His gray-blue eyes shone in the light of the setting sun.

"Good job, Princess. You beat your record time of 9.5 seconds," he said in a clear, masculine voice.

"Kunzite, I told you to stop calling me that," she rolled her eyes at him, smiling gently. She never really grinned or laughed anymore. "Call me Usagi."

"Of course," Kunzite smirked, though he didn't plan on calling her anything else.

"USAGI-CHAN!" Some of the generals, however, had no problem calling the princess by her other name. Nephrite rushed out of the house, carrying a bottle of water and a towel. Kunzite held out his hands for the objects but Nephrite ran right past him. Kunzite watched in bewilderment as Nephrite tended to the princess instead of him.

Kunzite chuckled. He would have done the same.

"Thank you, Nephrite," Usagi smiled. "I'm cooking dinner tonight."

"Usagi, it's alright, you can rest. You've been training for seven hours straight. That's two hours longer than yesterday."

"Sure, sure," Usagi stretched. "I'm going to go take a bath."

The two men watched her walk inside. She had changed quite a bit since they had last seen her. She had grown taller, undergoing many growth spurts. She lost a lot of weight but gained toned muscles. Most shockingly, she had cut her hair. It now ended in golden waves at her navel.

The two men wondered what had brought on such a change, but when asked, Usagi never answered.

Usagi walked towards her room, passing the small study on the way. Zoicite was inside, reading as usual.

"Hey, Zoicite? We're still studying later on, right?" She asked, stopping in the doorway. Zoicite looked up from what he was reading. He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we'll study history and chemistry after dinner."

"Okay, then." Usagi walked on, taking a good twenty minutes to get to her room.

The property Rei's grandfather was lending her was quite large. Though it was a square shape, the courtyard in the center of the traditional Japanese house was extensive: it had a large, vibrant garden and two secluded hot springs—one for men and one for women.

After picking up a towel and a t-shirt and shorts, Usagi headed to the hot springs.

"Usagi!" She turned around to face Jadeite. He was holding a small net in one hand and carrying three large salmon in the other. He had been catching dinner.

"How was training?" He asked, his dark blonde bangs falling in front of his navy eyes.

"It was fine," Usagi smiled. She motioned towards the salmon. "I take it that's dinner?"

Jadeite laughed. "Yup. Believe it or not, I actually lost two of them. We could have been having a feast tonight!"

"It's alright. I'll make sushi tonight," Usagi smiled. She nodded waved and continued on her path.

Usagi sighed as she walked out into the gardens. It had been a long, painful six months. She wondered if she would ever go home. She followed a stone path to the women's spring. She passed various flowers and many cherry blossom trees. Fireflies glinted in the setting sun and a full moon was quickly rising.

Usagi was glad there were no lights in the courtyard. Otherwise, not only would her roommates see her taking a bath, but they would also see her crying among the steam.

She always reserved the crying for her baths. That way, there was no way that the generals would try to talk to her. Besides, if she ever walked out with red eyes, she could say that she had gotten soap in her eyes.

In her opinion, the women's spring was much more beautiful. Whereas the men's spring was lowered into the ground, the women's spring was raised, surrounded by cherry blossom trees and overlooking the cliff. Below, the ocean swirled a deep blue.

Just like Mamo-chan's eyes, Usagi thought. She shook her head, trying to remove him from her mind. He doesn't love you…he doesn't love you…he doesn't love you…

This had become Usagi's mantra—it kept her going and it kept her strong. By repeating this over and over again, Usagi is able to come to terms with reality: that Mamoru didn't love her. She sighed, sinking deeper into the warm waters.

She tilted her head back, letting her hair swirl in the water, as though it were the tentacles of an octopus. Above, the moon was shining an iridescent glow in the midst of the stars.

Suddenly, her mother's form shimmered to life; not her present mother, but her mother from the moon. Queen Serenity floated above the springs, an opaque shadow against the moon. She smiled at her reincarnated daughter.

"Daughter, how have things been?" Her voice seemed far away, echoing but gentle.

"I'm very well, thank you. I've come to the mountains for a little bit of secluded training."

"Is that the only reason you've abandoned your duties in Tokyo?" Her mother teased.

Usagi stuck her tongue out at her mother. Though she had changed drastically, there was a little bit of the old Usagi still in her. "Yes, it is. And I didn't abandon my duties."

"Princess Serenity! Don't you dare lie to me," Her mother chastised calmly.

Usagi winced, looking down. "Mamoru—Endymion doesn't love me, Mama," Usagi sobbed. "He doesn't love me anymore."

"Sweetheart," her past mother kneeled down to her daughter, still floating above the pool. "Of course he loves you. Don't you remember how he looked at you for the first time all those years ago. He was head over heels for you."

"But that's just it: he doesn't want to be with me just because of who we were!" Usagi said. Queen Serenity smiled. She knew her daughter wouldn't understand if someone were to just tell her. She needed to find out on her own.

"Regardless of whether he loves you or not," she said. "You still have to go back home. You have a new enemy to defeat and the Senshi need you. They also need the new generals, if you understand what I'm saying," Queen Serenity winked.

Usagi smiled through her tears. She nodded. "Alright, I'll go back home. Thank you, Mama." Her mother nodded, slowly fading away. Usagi smiled up at the shining moon.

/~\

Usagi and the reincarnated generals sat around the large kotatsu, eating the sushi Usagi had made. She watched as Nephrite, taking twice as much as the other generals, bathed his sushi in soy sauce and wasabi. Zoicite preferred pickled ginger while Jadeite opted for the spicy sauce. Kunzite ate his plain.

Usagi giggled at the antics of each general. Zoicite had a book while Kunzite and Jadeite were engaged in a heated debate about fighting techniques. Nephrite was busy stuffing his face with food to actually communicate with everyone else.

Usagi remembered how she had come to find the generals five and a half months ago. She had spent half of the first month alone. Then, her mother had appeared again in her hazy form. She had handed Usagi four stones, saying nothing but, "Do what you want with them." After that, she had disappeared, leaving Usagi to stare at the stones in confusion. Of course, Usagi knew what they were. She remembered the day she defeat Metalia and Beryl as though it was yesterday: but she was confused as to how her mother had gotten them. As far as she knew, they were locked in a box in Mamoru's closet. Usagi knew what she needed to do. The rest of the six months were spent with the generals.

Usagi played with her sushi. Just as she had decorated each of the generals' plates with sauces and sides, she had decorated her own. She had dipped the bottom of each piece of sushi in soy sauce and topped each with a miniscule amount of wasabi. She had arranged the sushi pieces in a circle and squeezed the spicy sauce onto each piece. The most beautiful component of her dish, however, was the rose that she had made out of the pickled ginger.

"Guys," she spoke up. The men immediately quieted down, their attention pinned on her. "I have some…news. Whether it's good or bad is up to you." Usagi waited until she was sure they were all ears. "I think we should go back to Tokyo."

Unlike her parents' explosive reaction, the generals were quieter. They looked at each other before nodding.

"When do we leave?" Kunzite asked.

"Tonight."

/~\

Usagi stared at the moon hanging above Mt. Fuji. It was probably one of the last times she would ever see this sight. But she would come back one day.

"I'm coming home, Mamoru," Usagi whispered.

Sorry it took so long but I want to thank you all for reviewing! I want to dedicate this chapter to the following people:

Icelynne

Moonlight Phoenix

Lord Halcyon

Crystal ()

James Birdsong ()

loveinthebattlfield

honeylove90

Annab1119

SerenityMoonGoddess

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you like this story, you may like my other stories, so please check them out.

Love,

Pegasus'Horn