Hello, my loves! It's been a while, but here is the new chapter, finally! I didn't forget about this story and I hope no one thinks I'm going to stop updating or anything. I'm super busy this semester and I'm trying my best to manage my time efficiently, but it's tough. I will try to not let more than 2 weeks pass without an update because even I think this one took way too long. I'm almost positive that my next chapter will be up next Friday, but don't get too mad at me if it isn't.

Thank you to everyone that's reviewed and I am especially grateful to those that take their time to write me wonderfully long reviews. I genuinely want to know what readers like or dislike and why, because it better develops the characters in my head (and hopefully the story). It feels amazing to read your thoughtful comments and I cherish all feedback. THANK YOU FOREVER AND EVER. Shout out to Spike, mantis macabre, tangled6, Starberryblossom, yamy89102, DrummerAnimeNerrd, GinnyPotter0183, fmafan94, M, SerentiyMoonGodness, Maeko11, sazbelle, freakblueangel, SV-LL, mandii-xo and even to my lovely guest reviewers. Love love love you all.

(Standard disclaimer: I do not own any of the Sailor Moon characters of which I am writing about. This story is an original that I wrote for fun and without compensation. All characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi.)

Two More Weeks

Chapter 14

Things Forgotten

*Mamoru*

He woke up to the sound of a bird chirping, but it was louder, higher pitched and much too close. Lifting his head from whatever it was on (his crumpled up shirt), he looked for the source of the noise. It was one of the many cell phones on the table. Sitting up, he rubbed the crick in his neck and stretched. Usagi lay by his feet on her stomach and Cass, who slept sitting up, was now also stirring due to the noise.

"Gimme," Cass mumbled, stretching her arm out toward the phone on the far left. He handed it to her and she checked the time, groaned and rolled off the couch into a lump on the floor. Somehow she managed to sit up and with both eyes tightly shut blindly helped herself up using the coffee table. "Goddamn, my head is pounding. Shut that shit off already."

The screeching culprit was Usagi's phone who had not ceased to stop jumping around demanding attention. He looked over at Usagi. She had yet to budge from the ruckus; no wonder she was always late to school. He silenced her phone and placed it back. He put his pants on and headed to the nearest bathroom.

He couldn't figure out why he thought it had been a good idea to sleep over. He hadn't done so in years and it made him feel immature. He hated not waking up in his own bed. His body ached all over and he was still tired and wanted a massage and a hot bath. After a phone call to his assistant there was a fresh outfit being sent out and he waited for the delivery in the tub. The jet streams on his back soothed some of the soreness and he nodded off a few minutes until his phone rang.

After his delivery was brought up, he changed into his clean and pressed outfit and felt new. Walking back to where he'd left Usagi, he hoped she was still sleeping so he could poke her until she woke up. She was gone from the couch, but he heard her voice coming from the next room. He followed it.

Usagi sat on a stool overlooking the servers set up the dining table. There was a large muffin she was shoving into her face, her head bobbing along to the tune of the songs coming from the kitchen radio. He thought she'd appear crankier but she didn't act like she was hung-over.

"You're still here," Usagi muttered when she noticed him. She glanced at him briefly before turning back to her crappy pop music.

"It's noon. Aren't you going to even attempt to get ready?"

"Leave me alone." She licked the grease off her fingers. "I can lounge around however I want."

"You must enjoy looking like a slob," he said watching a large crumb fall on her sweatshirt. Usagi sighed and stood up to get rid of him but he followed her around. Her shorts were loose fitting yet short enough to be sexy. He could get with that.

"I don't need to impress you." She was right, he'd fuck her regardless but they both knew she would try anyway. "You can't handle my effortless beauty." Right then Cass came down the stairs and made her double take. Cass was alert and dressed, make-up and hair done; everything Usagi wasn't. She cursed under her breath.

"Now you really look like shit," he laughed. She threw her muffin at him. He slapped it away and it landed with a plop by their feet.

"Stop!" Cass screeched, hurrying down the stairs. "My carpet is too expensive for you two to throw crumbs all over the place!" Cass got down on her knees, short dress and heels and all, and picked up after them.

Usagi apologized but then stuck her tongue out at him and disappeared up the stairs. He headed back to the dining area. Cass eventually joined him and he apologized (she was obsessive when it came to her pristine décor), but they both knew that his apology extended beyond Usagi's muffin-y mess. Last night, their truce had been brief and he knew that it was due to the alcohol, but there were a few things he needed to clear up.

"I'm really sorry about everything that's happened. Especially yesterday."

"I told you that it was over." Cass was lining up grapes in a basket by size order. "And I was serious." She had also told him yesterday that she'd forgiven him, but seeing her face now proved that she had only said it because they'd been in public—and his hopeful mind hadn't realized it. He should have known that it was foolish to think she'd forgive him overnight. "You couldn't honestly think that I'm going to let it go just like that. Just be grateful I'm still talking to you." They silently meddled with their phones ignoring each other until Usagi returned.

"Is the food ready? I'm starving!" Usagi bounced towards them a half-hour later, finally dressed and looking alive.

Her hair was straightened and smoothly hugged her neck. She wore a short, long-sleeved, black dress that kept her shoulders bare. There was so much smooth skin exposed he didn't know where to focus. Wasn't she aware of the winter weather outside?

She took the seat closest to him, giving him a smoldering look with her thick winged eyeliner. She definitely took his words seriously. He couldn't wait to play with his sexy little cat.

"Are you going to wait for me?" Cass asked Usagi once the trays had been placed on the table and they'd started serving themselves. "I don't want to leave the staff in here while I'm gone. I have to meet Prisma in a few, but I'll be back in an hour. Watch things for me until I get back. Mamoru, you can skedaddle as soon as you're ready, please." He ignored her request. If Usagi was staying, then so was he.

"Sure, I don't mind," Usagi replied filling her plate. "I'll hang around here for a little while until I have to go home." Usagi looked at him innocently. "My daddy needs me home by four."

It took all his effort not to smile. So he was her daddy now… She had no idea what she'd just started.

Reaching underneath the table, he grabbed her knee and watched her swallow hard. Trying her hardest to appear normal, she continued eating, but Cass wasn't even paying attention to them. He moved his hand up her thigh, slowly going in between her legs. She paused her chopsticks midway to her mouth and bit her lips instead. She turned to him.

"What are you doing after this?" she asked him, the best fake-annoyed expression he'd ever seen on her. He stared back knowing that she was asking a hidden question. And the answer was yes; he was definitely planning on fucking her the moment Cass walked out the door. "Or are you going to bother me all day until I leave?"

"Don't flatter yourself. I'm busy, too." He moved his hands higher up, up, up her inner thigh, his finger moving over her underwear. She immediately shifted her chair away from him and he pinched her leg in displeasure. Couldn't she handle a little teasing? "I don't have time to waste with you even if I wanted."

Usagi gave him a warning glance as Cass's phone rang. Taking advantage of the beautifully timed distraction, he reached over and cupped her mound, pressing hard into her. There was a brief moment where he thought he felt her shudder before her hand yanked his away. She bent her head low and whispered furiously.

"Stop it, you disrespectful asshole!"

"Horny slut."

Usagi gasped as if slapped and turned away from him, forcing her focus back to Cass's conversation. She knew he was right. There was no point denying it.

"You're starting early?" Cass stood up quickly, her voice rising. "No! No! No!" She grabbed her purse off the table almost knocking off her plate. "Please wait for me! I need to be there!" Cass ran down the hallway and they heard the elevator doors open and close without a single farewell to either of them.

He and Usagi looked at each other. That had been so much easier than he'd expected.

"Aren't I lucky?" He pulled the leg of her chair closer to his. "I can continue to harass you without interruption."

"Our date doesn't start until later," Usagi said going back to her meal. "You're going to have to wait."

"Wait? Are you serious?"

"I'm not doing anything until we're on our date. Period."

"Come on, Odango. The way I see it is that we usually eat." He rubbed her belly and she squirmed away but he held her waist. "And then I get to fill you up."

"You're gross," she shivered but laughed. "Let me finish eating and I'll think about it."

The only reason he complied was because some of the staff came to collect used plates and refill their cups with tea. He kicked her chair away from his and she gave him a nasty look as he interrupted yet another food item from going into her mouth. He forgot that they weren't completely alone yet and he'll be damned if he trusted anyone to not say something about them. Last night, he had been careful to not be seen interacting with her, but one could never be too sure about what was truly noticed.

He went into the kitchen and dismissed everyone. They needed to pack it if he wanted to be on the safe side. He had no idea how long Cass would actually take and it was his mission to get something out of Usagi until then. After he personally made sure that the cook and servers and even Cass's hairstylist that was upstairs left, he went back to Usagi and pulled her chair backwards.

"Stop!" she whined as she had been attempting to take a bite of her food. "I told you already, Mamoru. No."

"I know you don't mean that." He lifted her from the chair to the room they'd all slept in because it was the farthest place from the entrance—just in case they had bad luck. He sat them on the couch and held her by the waist. She jumped away, sliding off his lap.

"Don't!" she yelled. "This is Cass's house and I don't want to fool around here." She cocked her head. "Do you understand?"

"No, I don't. Just a few hours ago you seemed perfectly fine flirting with me in front of her." His hand went to her breast and squeezed. "Now that she's not here show me what you wanted to do to me last night. If you even remember, that is."

"Get a grip on yourself." She pinched his hand off her. "I'm not stupid enough to do something in front of her; I wasn't that drunk."

"Oh, I think you were." Her cheeks turned pink at the accusation, just like they'd been last night. "You said some interesting things. Don't you remember?"

"Of course I remember." The look on her face betrayed her. He laughed. "Fine! So my memory's a little foggy," she admitted, "but I did not flirt with you last night. Not here anyway…"

"Then you must remember nothing." She started to protest. "Prove it. What do you remember?" She growled in frustration.

"I went out with Cass. We bumped into you. I met up with Rei. I danced a bit. We came here." He waited for her to continue. "Then we fell asleep. That's it."

"Is that all you did?"

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. He pursed his lips and she turned away.

"Drinking so much that you can't remember anything the next day? No, that's not stupid at all." She averted her eyes. "You can't do things like that. You'll get raped one day."

"Don't say that!" She hit his arm at the suggestion. "Besides, it was all your fault I drank so much in the first place!"

"My fault?" he snapped, "I'm not your babysitter. You're old enough to make your own decisions, Usagi. Take responsibility for your actions. I told you not to drink, but you didn't listen to me."

"You humiliated me!" she yelled. "How was I supposed to react?" They fell silent. "I felt horrible," she finally said. Her voice was so small that his anger turned into guilt. "Why did you ignore me all night?"

She looked at him pleadingly and he was forced to turn away. He didn't have a decent reason to give her, at least not one that made sense in retrospect. He'd been trying to teach her a lesson, but he knew now that it had been a mistake. Usagi required more of his consideration that he'd allowed, but it was so much more complex than she knew.

"You should know why." His life was more public than anyone could want. Maintaining his distance was something he had to do to keep her away from the spotlight and him away from trouble. If she knew the type of people that had been around them last night she'd be thanking him for the favor. "There's no need for anybody to know what we do."

"Of course." She sighed. She sounded defeated.

"It's more complicated than you realize."

"Whatever." She turned away but he knew she was rolling her eyes. "Let's not talk about this anymore." She took a deep breath and forced them to move on. "Is there anything I did that I should know about?" He thought for a minute.

"You threw my expensive cigar in a pitcher of sangria." She shrugged, not exactly looking remorseful. "You reached out for my bodyguard's gun." Her brows went up this time. "You're lucky that I stopped you in time because you were very close to being slammed to the ground." She covered her face. "And last, but definitely not least, you drunk texted the entire night."

She looked at him disbelievingly. One second, two seconds, three full seconds passed until it started dawning on her the possible damage she may have unknowingly caused. Her head turned toward the table in front of them, staring at the same place where her phone had been sitting since this morning. Her eyes went wide.

"You're one big train wreck, aren't you?" He made a grab for her phone just before she was able to reach it. "I wonder what embarrassing things you messaged people." Usagi looked like she was ready to cry.

"Give. It. To. Me." He shook his head. She attacked him in an attempt to wrestle the phone from him, but his hand was too large for her tiny fingers to pry off. "I am going to kill you!" He laughed. She was so worked up about this. It must be a juicy secret. "MAMORU GIVE IT BACK!"

"I don't want to." He opened her home screen and looked for the message icon. "I wonder who you were texting." When he noticed her genuine fear of him looking inside, he felt a nasty pang in his chest and wondered if it was really his place to snoop. In his moment of hesitation she was able to snatch it back.

She quickly leaped away from him and started clicking buttons furiously. What could be so horrible that she wouldn't want him to see? He dove to her, pinning her hands down since he couldn't deny his curiosity.

"Got it!"

He was able to take her phone without any resistance and quickly realized why. After opening the home screen he had no access past it without a code. She'd somehow managed to turn on the passlock on her phone in just a few seconds. He almost couldn't believe it. Now he really wanted to know.

"You little bitch." He mushed her face, but still couldn't muffle her maniacal triumphant laughter. "Why can't I see?" She looked up at him, kissing his cheek softly. The fact that she felt guilty enough to forgive her previous anger was telling enough. "It's that bad, huh?"

"It's nothing," she said sweetly, but the gleam in her eye made him believe she'd gotten away with murder. "Mind your own business."

He smiled at her words. She was going to regret saying that to him.

Distracting him with a slowly rising hand on his arm, she kissed up his chest delicately. Such a clever tactic was usually employed by a woman with something to hide and while Usagi definitely had some secrets, that knowledge didn't bother him all that much (see? it was already working). Her mouth was on his throat and his mind was blanking out by the second.

"She'll be back any moment," Usagi whispered nipping along his jaw. "You should go." He pulled her face closer to his. He couldn't remember the last time they'd kissed on the lips. "Mamo-?" His tongue went over her bottom lip then inside. She moaned, her hand coming up to his cheek then down to push against his chest. "Stop."

He pulled away. There was no use in arguing. It was nearly one in the afternoon and there were only a few hours until they'd meet up again. That was enough to keep him patient. She had no clue what was going to happen at his place and there surely be no escaping him then. He wasn't kidding when he said he was going to spank her, among other things. He stood to go but she held him back.

"Mamoru." He looked down at her. "Even though you piss me off like no one else can," she released a deep breath. "I'm so happy you're back." She managed a shy smile. Since this wasn't the first time he'd heard her say it, it wasn't surprising, but the reminder was still sweet. His annoying little Odango wanted him around all the time. "I never imagined you leaving would actually make me miss you."

"Things change, I suppose." Just one year ago, he would never have been talking to Usagi much less spend time with her like this. "And it's hard to stay away from good dick."

"Damn right impossible," Usagi agreed. After the amusement passed she asked, "What do you think is going to happen with Cass and Motoki?"

"I don't know." He honestly didn't know what they were going to do. "Their relationship is complicated. It's always been."

"Isn't every relationship complicated?" She was staring up at him asking so many things at once.

"Not necessarily," he said. "But I think the best ones tend to be."

"Not true." She glanced wistfully at him. "I think that it's just hard to let go even when you realize it won't work. Maybe that's why Cass let him leave in the first place."

He thought back to when he had told Usagi he had to go for the summer. She'd dodged him saying she didn't care but both of them dropped the topic immediately. It was something neither of them had wanted to talk about but both knew how the other felt.

"Why did you let me leave?" He was curious. "We both knew you didn't want me to go."

"So?" she shrugged. "It's not like asking you would have changed anything." Her confidence in those words took him aback. "You seem disappointed," she teased. She poked his chest playfully. "What would you have done if I had asked you to stay?" she asked her hand playing with his pocket square.

"Nothing," he teased back. "It wouldn't have affected my decision in the slightest." She laughed.

"That's what I figured." He winked at her, rubbing her side.

"But maybe you should have tried anyway." He pushed her hair away from her neck. Sometimes women didn't understand the power they held over men. Usagi surely didn't. "I would have at least thought about it."

"Oh really?" she asked breathlessly. He nodded and pulled her chin closer. The secret was: he had thought about it.

"I'm baaaack!" Cass sang from the foyer, perfectly spoiling the atmosphere in 2 seconds flat. Usagi kissed his chin quickly before scampering off to greet Cass and he was secretly glad for the interruption. He let out a deep breath at his holy save and was forever grateful that Usagi hadn't realized that he'd just had a terrifyingly illuminating moment.

*Usagi*

She was running as fast as she could. It was five minutes to 2pm and she was supposed to have arrived at the temple already. The Senshi were all meeting again for the first time and she was the appointed mediator between Mina and the rest of the girls. She had to admit she was a little nervous, they all were, but she couldn't wait until everything was over and done with so they could get back to being friends again.

There were a few things on her mind that were distracting her from being more excited about the reunion. The first was her situation with Mamoru. He was as confusing as could be and their talk earlier gave her inexplicable hope for something more. When he'd said that she should have asked him to stay, her soul ascended. Was he admitting that she had some kind—however miniscule—power over him? That man always knew how to confuse her.

Then there were the not so good thoughts, i.e., Diamond and Ichigo, because after some concentrated memory digging, she started remembering very disturbing things from last night. After Mamoru had left Cass's house earlier, she went through her phone and wanted to slap herself. Not only was everything Mamoru said about last night 100% true (as bits and pieces were slowly coming to her), but it wasn't even the entire story—by far. Like she'd prophesied, Diamond had indeed been at the club yesterday and not only did she end up dancing with him, but she also promised to meet him today. Crazy, right? But it got worse. She'd sent Ichigo a slew of texts throughout the night, the first being at 3am, 'I miss you so much :) :) :)' and finally ending 12 messages later with 'You smell sexy, I want to lick you like ice cream' at 5am. There were so many things wrong with her, she didn't even know where to begin.

She'd never gotten to the point where she was last night and she swore to herself that she'd never let it happen again. It was way too dangerous for her to drink so much and she couldn't even trust herself to do the right thing. She had taken drinks from Rubeus and Jed, practically two strangers, and those were just the ones she remembered. Who knew what else she did that she still couldn't recall and shame on her for being so reckless.

While she'd been able to straighten things out with Diamond over the phone quickly, things with Ichigo were a little more complicated. When she'd finally called him back after Mamoru left, he'd been furious with her. He yelled at her for 5 minutes straight about being stupid and irresponsible. Not only had she woken him up in the middle of the night, but she'd continuously bothered him until he was forced to silence his phone at around 5:30am when she kept calling him. Ichigo told her to stop hanging out with older people (Cass) because they put her into situations she normally wouldn't be in and pressured her to act like them. Though she saw his point and agreed with him, she had no one to blame but herself. It was her sole concern to do the right thing not anyone else's, but she was going to take to his advice anyway and steer clear from any more late night invitations. Mamoru's criticism earlier had already made her feel like shit and it was clear that she wasn't responsible enough to be partying like a rock star.

Her jealousy over Mamoru last night had taken the best of her and turned her into a spectacle. Looking back on it now, she was stupid for letting his actions get to her. What Mamoru did with other women… she didn't want to think about it. She herself had just gotten a huge pass by the universe when she'd been able to password protect her phone in time. While at the time she hadn't known what she'd written, she'd had her suspicions and acted accordingly. Thankfully that had been enough. Mamoru had been so close to seeing her desperate texts to Ichigo and then where would they have been? Maybe it wouldn't have mattered much, but it still reflected badly upon her and she took this as a sign to end things with Ichigo once and for all before she really got caught in the act.

Whether he knew it or not, she was in for the long haul with Mamoru and she had no intentions of stopping whatever they had anytime soon. Breaking off with Ichigo was necessary if she ever had the hopes of convincing Mamoru to take her seriously. She couldn't ask from him what he was reluctant to give only to be found a hypocrite and swore to herself that the next day of school she would call it quits with Ichigo. She would write it on her phone memo and everything, stick a post-it note on her forehead, whatever it took to get it done. She couldn't go on like this. She didn't like hiding things from Mamoru. It made her feel sleazy. Never mind the fact that it was actually Ichigo that she was cheating on, but that was yet more reason why this needed to stop. She didn't care all that much about Ichigo's feelings (although her texts to him last night made her question that), but she still needed to spare him as soon as possible.

Finally arriving, she raced up the stairs towards the temple and headed straight for Rei's mediation room. When she went inside, the girls were all there except for Mina and she was glad she wasn't late. Everyone tensed when she came in, but quickly settled down once they realized it was just her. The screen door opened a tiny bit after her and they all got whiplash turning to see who it was.

"Luna!" Makoto rushed to the extra large feline and they all copied when they saw her sagging belly. "You naughty kitty you!" Luna was ready to pop! They all wanted to squeeze and pet the soon-to-be mother, but resisted in case they hurt her. Instead, they all kissed the top of her head.

"Why have you been gone for so long?" She didn't know why seeing Luna made her so emotional. She was still technically Luna's caretaker and yet Luna had run off on her like she didn't care about her anymore.

"Usagi-chan, don't be a crybaby." Luna slowly walked to her and climbed on her lap. "I just needed my space from Shingo. And your room is on the second floor." When Luna rubbed her fuzzy face on her cheek, she tried not to tear up.

"Luna, I missed you so much! You should have at least told us. Don't you think you were being a little mean by keeping the news?"

"Maybe she thinks we were going to steal her kittens away and adopt them off," Rei joked. "We won't, Luna, we promise."

"Luna is only having one kitten."

Mina walked in and they all looked up to see their long lost friend smiling down at them. She wore a bright red coat, her cheeks pink from the cold, and kneeled down in front of her. Outstretching her arms, Mina pulled her into a hug and they embraced for a long while.

"Mina-chan! Thank you for coming." They let go and stood up, Mina removing her coat and dropping it by the corner. Rei and Mako shyly stepped forward and embraced Mina together.

"Thank you all for letting me be here," Mina said gratefully.

"Of course, Minako," Makoto smiled. "What are girlfriends without the occasional catfight?" They hugged again and everyone started apologizing to each other. Ami lagged behind silently.

The moment Ami and Mina looked at each other, Ami turned away immediately. Bringing one hand up to her forehead, the sob they heard come out of Ami afterwards was the most surprising thing she'd ever done. Everyone stood where they were as Mina walked over and kneeled in front of Ami placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ami-chan?" Ami continued crying, her shoulders heaving in the effort.

"Minako…" Ami whispered, "I—I am the worst person! I'm so sorry!" Another wave of sorrow washed over them as Ami cried harder yet. She, Rei and Mako all mouthed to each other silently. They were not expecting a breakdown from Ami.

"Everything's fine, Ami. Don't worry about it." Mina hugged her.

"I didn't know, I'm sorry! I was so stupid! And Zoi—because of you-!" Mina pulled her into her chest, muffling her cries as Ami apologized over and over while Mina soothingly shushed her. It was the most out of control they'd ever seen Ami. She wasn't even making sense.

"Give us some time."

Mina's tone allowed for no contest and they walked out into the hallway, Mako carrying Luna out with them. They met with Artemis, who'd been waiting outside the door, and chatted quietly about the weirdness that was going on. Both cats remained unexpectedly mute until Mina called them in again and they all quietly took their seats around the fire. Ami wasn't crying anymore, but her face was still red.

"Mina, I think you should start by telling us why you did what you did," Rei requested sternly. She'd never been more appreciative for Rei's ability to be frank. While she didn't have the gall to ask Mina that, it was what they all wanted to know. "You should at least apologize to Ami in front of us. You did slap her so it's the most respectful thing you could do."

"No." They all looked at Ami as she wiped her eyes. "Mina doesn't need to apologize. You girls don't understand what's going on." Ami sniffled a bit more. "I deserved it." They all stared at Ami in shock, but she was only looking at Mina. "Are you going to explain?" They all turned to Mina as she nodded, taking a deep breath before talking. Her seriousness made her uneasy. Why did she have the feeling they were about to be blown away?

"What Ami means is that I, as the leader of the Senshi, have not been entirely honest with you." All their heads perked up and she, Rei and Mako looked at each other. Ami's head remained downcast in a clear indication that this information would not be news to her. "I'll start with what you all know. The Senshi's goal is, and always has been, to protect the Moon Princess. As Luna explained to you all before, the Moon Kingdom was destroyed millennia ago by evil forces. In order to preserve her kingdom in the hopes of it one day being reborn again, the Moon Queen was able use the remainder of her power to assure the reincarnation of her daughter and only heir, along with her guardians. They would live on with the goal of restoring peace in the solar system and since her powers could not destroy the villains who attacked the Moon, she left the responsibility for us Senshi to finish."

"But I have nearly ended them all. After all, I have been Sailor V for a long time." Mina's eyes lowered and for the first time she'd concluded that Mina couldn't have had a normal childhood. She'd heard about Sailor V since she herself was 8, so Mina has been an awakened Senshi for at least 10 years. She looked around at the other girls. None of them had even realized… "And have been able, due to my ability to retain my previous life's memories, to prevent ties or free those in which were previously affiliated with the Negaverse, thus severing the bond between such alliances completely in this present time. There aren't as many youma attacks as there should be is because I've freed their leading queen and commanding officers. Due to that, the Negaverse is weak, much weaker than they were when they attacked the moon. The reason why Artemis and I returned to Japan was because we felt that the time was quickly approaching for us to eradicate them once and for all."

After Mina finished, there was a blanket silence over the room. It was a lot to take in and none of them knew what to say. Mina thought they were ready to fight the head honcho in the Negaverse, but she did not agree. Sure, they'd all gotten stronger and she was now able to bring down the youma all by herself, but the other Senshi (aside from Venus, of course) could not. They were simply not powerful enough and she was beyond afraid at the thought of a confrontation. Mina had to understand that they needed more time.

"You all seem skeptical and I understand your concerns, but we are stronger than you all realize; you just haven't come to recognize your full powers. This fight in inevitable and the longer we wait, the higher risk we take of them finding reinforcements."

"I am with you, Venus," Mako said, bowing her head. Ami echoed after her. She looked over at Rei, who had hesitated, but whom also bowed her head in agreement. Mina finally looked at her and she felt trapped. She didn't want to agree to something she didn't believe in. How could it be that she was the only one that was afraid? Thankfully, Mina did not wait for her response to continue.

"I want you to reintroduce you to someone," Mina announced, gesturing to her left. Kunzite appeared out of nowhere to stand right beside her. She, Rei and Mako's mouths were on the floor. She blinked her eyes over and over, wondering if she was hallucinating. "This is General Kunzite, the ex-commander of the Negaverse army."

"How did he get here?!" She and Rei were pointing their fingers at him, looking around wildly to make sure everybody was seeing what they were seeing: Kunzite, Mina's boyfriend and Mamoru's coworker, was standing in front of them dressed in full armor and a flowing white cape. Ami, Artemis and Luna stared back at her, Mako and Rei calmly, not impressed.

"I used a technique only known to the Royal Guard," Kunzite answered. "Simply put, teleportation."

"Isn't he so sexy in his uniform?" Mina swooned. She blew him a kiss before remembering that she had a lot of explaining to do and addressed the Senshi again. "Well, you all heard him. My Kunzy-kun is the Commanding Officer of the Earthen Royal Guard. Before the battle against the Moon, he'd been captured, along with his other generals, and brainwashed into fighting alongside the Negaverse. I have awakened him in this life so that he is once again on the right side."

She always got the vibe that there was more to Kunzite than met the eye and she'd been right, but this was still a huge shock. Not only was this information too much to take in at one time, but how could Mina have thought it was a good idea to have him pop in before their eyes like that! And the 'Earthen Royal Guard'? What the heck was that supposed to mean?

"Earth has a royal family? There's an Earth kingdom, too?"

"But you just said he was with the Negaverse!"

"WHAT is going on here?!"

"Someone please!" Makoto yelled over her and Rei. "Explain this! None of it makes any sense!"

She was only able to calm herself down by covering her face in her palms. She was having an information overload. They were supposed to find the Moon princess, but now they were telling her that there was another royal family and what if they were supposed to find that princess too? Was their job to hunt down princesses forever? How many princesses were there? Was there one for each planet in the universe? Their search would never end. Kunzite cleared his throat, effectively stopping her escalating thoughts.

"In terms that you may understand, I am part of the royal guard very much like the Senshi. We, the Shitennou, are guardians to the Earth Prince."

"The Earth Prince?"

"Who is he?" Rei demanded. "Are we supposed to find him, too? Is he an ally?"

"Don't worry about him too much. Essentially," Mina quipped, "he's the reason for the demise of the Moon Kingdom."

They all froze and stared at Mina. The Earthen prince destroyed the Moon Kingdom? This was getting crazier and crazier! But hadn't Mina just said that the Negaverse destroyed the Moon Kingdom, did that mean that the Earth was allied with the Negaverse? It probably explained why they hadn't heard of it until now… but it still didn't make sense. So was Kunzite good or bad? They all stared at the couple in confusion.

The fury in Kunzite's eyes as he glared at Mina was unparalleled. Mina was trying not to laugh at his expression, clearly she had been joking with him about something, but he looked like he wanted nothing to do with her. No one had any idea about what was going on.

"Nonsense!" Kunzite ignored Mina's playful hand on his shoulder and addressed the rest of them. "It is well known that your princess is the one chasing after him. That is the way it has always been and the way it will always be. Do not go accusing our prince when your princess brought that fate upon her own kingdom." In a heartbeat, Mina's cheery smile was gone. She looked pissed. "You have no one to blame except yourselves for not keeping her in line." Luna and Artemis both hissed at Kunzite and she had a sickening feeling of dejavu. Oh no, they were going to fight again. "It was your duty," Kunzite stressed. "You were all supposed to maintain a close watch on her, keep her away from Earth. But you failed and now you have nothing."

"Those are harsh words coming from a man weak enough to be indoctrinated by the enemy." Ami stood beside Mina and Kunzite looked down at her, eyes stone cold.

"Maybe I was weak," Kunzite said. "But even in my diluted state, do not forget that I killed all of you."

She was beyond lost, but even in her confusion was able to understand a few things. Part of her wanted to tackle Kunzite to the ground and beat him senseless, what was this about him having killed them before? Was this asshole was threatening them, again? But the other part of her just wanted answers. Nothing was making any sense to her. Kunzite, Ami and Mina needed to explain themselves quickly before they all lost their cool.

"KUNZITE!" Mina was livid. "First of all, that was simply a joke I made about your precious prince, so please pull out that pole from up your ass before you start babbling. We're all aware that neither side is entirely blameless. Secondly. Don't talk to my Senshi that way. Apologize." Kunzite bowed his head without hesitation and she'd never worshipped Mina more than she did at that moment.

"I am sorry, Mina." He didn't look apologetic, but he would do anything she said (close enough). "Senshi, forgive me." He didn't care to wait for their acknowledgment before speaking again. "Just understand one thing. I love Mina, but that doesn't mean I care about any one of you. My loyalty lies solely with the prince and the Shitennou. I work only in the interest of those parties involved."

"I don't understand!" Everyone turned to look at her. "What is going on? Why are you blaming each other? What does the Earth prince have to do with the end of the Moon kingdom? What else happened that you're not explaining? And why are you two the only ones that remember everything?"

"Everyone regains their memory differently," Mina answered.

"In order for this to all make sense, allow me to give a little more backstory," Ami started. "Back then, the Earth and Moon kingdoms were not allies and travel between them was forbidden on both sides. Somehow," Ami's 'somehow' sounded very questionable, like that in itself was another mystery, "the Moon princess and the Earth prince met and fell in love. There lay the heart of the problem because they could not be together. Taking advantage of the chaos between kingdoms as they publicly declared their relationship, a hidden power, led by the prince's intimate confidant, attacked the Moon in the name of the Earth. That was the first time we heard of the Negaverse and the beginning of the war."

"And by 'intimate confidant' what exactly do you mean?"

"Lover."

"A former lover of the prince betrayed him and attacked the Moon? Why?"

"She was angry because she had assumed the prince and her to be eventual rulers," Kunzite answered. "It is still unclear as to whether she was in on it from the beginning, or led astray by the Negaverse after hearing about the prince and princess. What we do know was that she killed our prince in revenge and the Moon princess took her own life in grief."

Now those were serious issues. Mina and Ami appeared deeply regretful by the story, while she and the other Senshi looked at each other in disbelief. No one could make that kind of stuff up even if they wanted. Forbidden love, murder, war, suicide; those ancients sure knew their drama.

"Okay. I have a couple of questions." Makoto looked at a paper she had written things down and quickly made a few more notes before proceeding to read them out loud. "I'm still confused about the whole ex-Negaverse General deal. Could someone please go over this 'brainwashing' thing again? Also how many Shitennou are there? Are any of them still brainwashed? How many of them are aware of the Senshi? And why haven't any of them tried to form an alliance with us before? The Senshi have been publicly known for years so why have no attempts at communication happened on the behalf of the Shitennou until now? Also, have you found your prince and if so, could we know who he is? He may be able to lead us to our own princess… Then, curiously, when did you two meet (Kunzite and Mina) and how long have you known about each other's secret identities? How long has Ami known? And finally, why the hell haven't you told us any of this sooner?"

Makoto put her paper down, folded her hands on her lap and looked at Mina expectantly. Those were the most amazing set of notes she'd ever heard. No wonder Mako did so well in school. She and Rei imitated Mako.

"Please answer all of those questions." Mina and Ami looked a little flabbergasted, but Kunzite stepped forward.

"Do not interrupt me," he started. "First and foremost, no, you may not know the whereabouts of the Earth prince. He is under the proper surveillance and that is all any of you are allowed to know. I will answer no more questions regarding that manner. As for the rest of the Shitennou, that information is highly sensitive and I will not say how many of us there are, but it is enough. Yes, we were all captured by Queen Metallia, and forced to fight against our people and even our prince, but we have all since regained our proper consciousness in this life because of Mina."

"The Shitennou met Mina 9 years ago (though we didn't know that at the time) when she first ventured out into the Negaverse's headquarters in the North Pole. She freed us before our full transformations were completed, stopping Metallia's plan to turn us into governable minions. From that day forth, the Shitennou have set about regaining parts of our past and locating for our prince. The reason why we have never approached the Senshi is simply timing. Eventually we may have the same goals," Kunzite spoke in a clipped tone emphasizing his point, "but not currently."

"I have a few questions of my own now," Kunzite continued. "Who is the Moon princess? I wager you know." He was staring at Mina and she diverted her eyes. "I only ask because whoever she is, I demand that she is kept at bay. The prince does not need that sort of distraction right now."

Then it hit her. So the prince was close, close enough for Kunzite to be worried about their princess finding him even though they haven't even found her yet. The way Kunzite spoke of the prince at first made it appear as though he had him hidden away in another continent. She imagined the poor prince locked up in a room somewhere, interaction with the outside world kept to a bare minimum because Kunzite was a paranoid Nazi. It would seem feasible that he would be in a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific since Kunzite could teleport and had access to him anywhere he was. However, his fear of the Moon princess led her to believe the prince was closer, perhaps on this island, in this same city even. Considering the protectiveness of Kunzite, the prince was probably being kept under his wing the entire time. So… did that mean that the princess was somewhere right under their noses as well? But even more importantly, was Kunzite right in believing that Mina knew who the princess was and wasn't telling them?

"I will insist that you all perform the job you were not able to do formerly."

"You know we have no control over that," Ami said. "They'll find each other regardless."

"Then let it be of their own accord and in due time." He was staring them all down and she felt like his eyes lingered over her longer but she was just being paranoid. "Do not attempt to pair them up like your foolish past lives did. We all know how that ended. The Prince needs more time to discover himself and his powers, and prepare himself to rule before he can think of love."

"Rule?" Rei looked bug eyed.

"Your kingdom may have been destroyed," Kunzite answered, "but Earth still has its people. And a King. I will not let the future of this kingdom be compromised again by the likes of your ward. She must not distract him." Kunzite was always a severe man, but the seriousness in which he spoke to them now raised even more distress. "I strongly advise that you all keep her under control because this time around," he seemed to zone in on her. "I will not hesitate to kill the princess if she dares come between the prince and his throne."

*Usagi*

The Senshi meeting hadn't gone as planned and because of the mayhem, aka collective yelling at Kunzite, everything took much longer to resolve than should have been necessary. The meeting was successful in that it not only brought them all together again, but clarified their roles as Senshi and revealed their past. After Kunzite vanished from the room, Mina had done well in assuring her control over him and the safety of their princess, but the conversation immediately shifted to lighter material. Rei's mediation room turned into a full-blown gossip forum as everyone spoke over one another to fill in the missing details from their time apart. It had been so much fun that she couldn't find herself leaving until many hours later.

She was finally back at Mamoru's and beyond petrified because it was after 5pm. He was always warning her about punctuality so it should have been no surprise what the first words out his mouth were when she stepped out the elevator.

"You're late."

"I know, I'm sorry."

She pulled her coat off and walked into his new apartment for the first time. It was even grander than the last. Before her, the foyer led to a large doorway surrounded by double semi-circular stairs with thick mahogany banisters. Mamoru led her past the entrance through to the middle and into another spacious area. He took the coat from her.

"Don't give me that look!" she pleaded. "I texted you that something came up. I'm sorry!"

"Twenty minutes would have been too much, but you're over an hour late." He threw her coat on top of the nearest chair they passed. "Now it's a matter of you making it up to me."

They walked into an area where the entire corner was glass, from floor to parts of the roof, and there were flowers everywhere. The smell was intoxicating. Some plants reached up to the ceiling, emerald vines decoratively intertwining around gates mounted on the window. There were even vines overcoming a loveseat and table. She couldn't believe he had a green house in his apartment. Everything was so vibrant, the air a little misty, but it made her remember why she loved summer so much. Gardens like this were little plots of heaven and Mamoru lived in paradise!

She stood in the center, staring around her with inspiration. It always seemed that whenever she visited his home she could easily envision herself living alongside with him. He had such good taste, but she supposed anyone could live this outrageously fabulous if they had the means. Her admiration was cut short when he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her up some stairs and down a short hallway.

They were in what she presumed to be his bedroom with more glass and tall ceilings and a small living space commencing the sleeping area. He sat on the edge of his bed, the deep blue duvet almost as mesmerizing as his eyes.

"Come."

She obeyed and stood in front of him. He gave her a slow once over and it took all the strength in her to remain where she was and not tackle him. Just a few months prior, such attention would have made her crumple to the floor, but now it only fed her. If she could strip their relationship down to the root, this was it. While not entirely pure, and probably all kinds of wrong, it was simultaneously beautiful and dirty. And it was just fine with her.

Removing her dress she stood before him. He pulled her by the arm until she climbed on top and encircled her waist. She guided his head over her shoulder and collarbone, keeping him at the base of her neck while his arms kept her close, grinding her down to him. She pulled his face back up to hers and slid her tongue along his bottom lip. He opened his mouth and followed suit, their tongues playing briefly before he forced her face closer.

She moaned into their kiss and held his face with both hands, reacting to each caress. He squeezed her ass and thighs tighter to keep her moving on top of him, his erection crushing into her harder and harder. She was already soaring. These moments with him were what she lived for, what she needed. She was the moth to Mamoru's flame.

Tugging on his pant leg, Mamoru quickly got the hint and they separated, his hands fumbling with his zipper. She hopped off him and finished removing her underwear with his eyes only focusing on her body as he impatiently removed his pants. His look was of a wild animal caged and she loved it. He was restless and ready to attack the next opportunity he had. It didn't get more erotic than that.

Removing the rest of his clothes, he kneeled on the floor so that he was leveled with her pelvis and moved her legs apart. He traced her inner thighs while flicking his tongue in between her. She bit her lip. It was an awkward position, but it didn't matter. This was the answer to her prayers. He had the right kind of technique—no, magic—that would elevate her higher than anything else.

His assault on her clitoris caused her body to clench. She was tensing up wondrously, the hand currently caressing the back of her knees and thighs now moving enticingly higher. His two fingers entered her and curved into her g-spot. She thrust her pelvis into his face. She was at his mercy.

He finished her off and the affair left her seeing stars. He had no idea how much she missed his mouth on her. Mamoru's navigation skills were unparalleled and always sated her uniquely from other ways. Her orgasms from oral were beyond satisfying and all consuming and nothing compared to it, ever.

"Aren't I so good to you?" Mamoru kissed up her navel. "Even when you don't deserve it."

"Ow!" She pushed his head away when he bit under her ribcage. "So I was a little late today, who cares? I'm here now." She kissed him and tasted her tanginess in his mouth.

"I should have made you beg."

She laughed because this was so like him, always trying to find a way to punish her. It didn't upset her anymore; as a matter of fact she embraced it. Mamoru merely reflected her own hidden perversion and now that she understood that, fewer things seemed absurd. They both really liked when he took control so who was she to stop their fun.

"I still can."

Mamoru smiled up at her, enjoying where she was headed. He forced her on the bed and climbed on top.

"Then tell me what I want to hear." His arms went underneath her knees and she was re-inspired as soon as he slid his head in. "How badly do you want it?"

"So bad!" She arched her back as he licked in between her breasts up to her neck. He was teasing her with just the tip and she wiggled to get more of him in. "Fuck me, please!"

"What do you want?"

"Your cock!" She burst into giggles because it was still too much to say. Mamoru was amused, his chuckling low by her ear. He kissed down to her chest.

"Say it again."

Ok, now he was just screwing with her. But as his teeth clamped on her nipple, the need for him to be inside her became overwhelmingly strong. She never in her wildest dreams imagined she'd be role-playing with Mamoru and yet here she was.

"I want your big cock-!"

He thrust inside her fully and she choked on her words. Her plead came out as half a laugh, half a groan, but was one hundred percent exciting and nothing else mattered after that.

Hope you all liked the chapter :)

Don't forget to review!

-CattyKitty