Hello, there! It's so soon, but I had this chapter already finished, and since people are actually reading, I thought it would be a good time to release it! Thank you to everyone who has viewed so far, and thank you TropicalRemix for leaving a comment! I won't spoil it for you. ;)

Chapter 1: A Second Chance

On a quiet morning, Usagi sat at her small kitchen table attempting to read the textbook in front of her. The sunlight filtering through the window struck her hair just right, giving it a gentle glow, and the only sound was the slow drip drip of the coffee maker's last bit of liquid falling into the scalding glass pot. She breathed in deeply, soaking the rich, nutty smell of coffee into her lungs. She wanted to enjoy what would otherwise be a relaxing morning, but she just couldn't.

The words on the page seemed to dance around- not too fast for her eyes to catch, but they wobbled just enough that she felt sick when she tried to read them. When she was able to will the characters on the page to be still and could read through a passage, she felt like she couldn't remember any of it for more than five minutes anyway.

With a heavy sigh, she slammed the book shut and shoved it away from her. What a waste of time, she thought to herself.

"Are you okay, Usako?"

She looked up and forced a smile on her face as Mamoru entered the kitchen. He put his hand on her shoulder and bent down, kissing the top of her soft hair. Months before this, he would have commented on how early she was in the kitchen doing her school work. The sun was freshly up in the sky, and the Usagi he had known for so many years was an oversleeper who would rather do anything than jump out of bed before 7am to work on a homework assignment. However, he didn't live with that Usagi.

"I'm fine, Mamo-chan. I'm just tired," she said. "I just made some coffee, would you like some?"

Mamoru nodded and took a seat at the table. "That would be great," he said. When Usagi turned her back, he slid the exiled textbook closer to himself so that he could read the cover, and then pushed it away again. "Were you up late last night?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. He held her as she cried in her sleep. When she had finally woke up and crawled out of bed at 4:30am, he was just starting to fall back to sleep.

"I couldn't sleep," she answered softly. She felt ashamed for having nightmares. She also felt guilty that those nightmares kept Mamoru up too.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. He watched her as she poured dark coffee into two matching mugs with feline features - one white and one black. He noticed the way her body tensed, but all he heard was the clink of the metal spoon against the porcelain wall as she stirred in cream and sugar.

Usagi pushed down the feeling of dread. She swallowed back the nausea that crept up her body as she thought about her friends dying in front of her and dissipating into nothingness.

"No thank you, Mamo-chan. I can't even remember it. I just know it was so scary," she said as she scrunched her eyebrows and looked down at the floor, hoping she looked as if she were trying to remember something important. She shrugged and then set Mamoru's cup down on the table in front of him. "Thank you for asking though," she said with a smile.

Mamoru pursed his lips and looked at his fiance with concerned eyes. He could tell she was trying to sweep it under the rug, but he decided to let it go. "Thank you, Usako," he said, taking the mug into his hands. "Well… since you're up, there is something I need to talk to you about," he said.

Usagi looked up with curious eyes and sat down across from him. "What is it, Mamo-chan?"

Mamoru looked at her intently for a moment, searching her blue eyes for something. Usagi knew that look immediately. He was trying to decide if she could handle what he wanted to tell her.

"Whatever it is, Mamo-chan, I can take it." Usagi said strongly. She felt a sharp pain in her stomach and immediately she thought, This is it. He's done.

"I… well, you know, I reapplied to the university in America," he began. Usagi nodded. They had talked about it a year ago when Mamoru decided he was ready to go back to school. He was worried about leaving her, but Usagi encouraged him to try.

"It was such a competitive spot," he had told her. "It's a long shot."

"The worst they can say is no, right?" She encouraged.

"I got a letter in the mail yesterday."

The pause was too suspenseful for Usagi. She nodded quickly, urging him to continue.

Mamoru let out the breath he had been holding, and with a proud smile, he said, "They're giving me another chance."

Relief hit Usagi like a wave, and a large smile broke across her face. She quickly reached across the table and grabbed Mamoru's free hand in hers. "Mamo-chan, that's wonderful!" She said excitedly. And she meant it. She was so proud of him for continuing to pursue his dream. Though, deep down, terror began to throb in her gut.

What if…

She clenched her jaw and mentally pushed that down.

"You'll be safe flying to America," she said sternly.

He squeezed her hands and leaned in. He knew she was trying to reassure herself. "Yes, Usako. I'll be safe. You saved the world, remember? No one will hurt me."

She held his hand and closed her eyes, focusing on the feeling in her stomach. She didn't want to say it out loud, but for the first time in what felt like years, she felt like she needed to open up to someone.

"Mamo-chan... I'm scared."

He nodded and brought her hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on it. "I know, Usako. I'm nervous too. Getting back on a plane and after what happened is… I'll be honest Usako, it's scary for me too. But I trust in you. I know that you defeated Chaos. And I know that if I by some wild chance I come across someone who tries to hurt me and who I can't overcome, I know that you will defeat them."

She smiled wryly, "Okay, no pressure."

He laughed and kissed her hand again. "I have faith in you. Everyone does." He squeezed her hand and added, "There's another thing."

"Oh?"

"I was thinking… maybe you can take a semester off when you're done and join me for the second half of the year." He smiled nervously. "It makes sense that I go ahead alone and live in student housing for my first semester there, but if you're open to it, I want to talk about you joining me. I can't imagine spending the whole year away from you."

Usagi grinned brightly and leaped forward, catching Mamoru in a tight hug. "Woah!" He laughed, holding his coffee out of the way and trying his best not to let it spill onto the wood table. Setting it down and pushing it aside, he freed his hands so that he could envelope her small body in a warm hug.

"I'd love to!" She cried. "I don't care where I go, as long as it's with you."

In that moment, Usagi felt something she hadn't felt in a long time-

She felt like the happiest girl in the world.