Chapter 3

"Hope can be a powerful force. Maybe there's no actual magic in it, but when you know what you hope for most and hold it like a light within you, you can make things happen, almost like magic."

― Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone

It was so loud, even without the overwhelming silence they had just left. Voices mixed and mingled; different accents and languages mixing at all other tenors and tones. It was almost too much.

Luna led her around, Artemis taking the lead once again. The crowd was thick, the three of them struggling to stay together at times and to keep moving. Usagi kept getting distracted, looking over the different items for sale. One sold shoe strings. Just shoe strings! And there was a line! A few sold loaves of bread and baked items. Others sold cloth and clothes, and a few sold pottery, broken pieces mended together with dried clay. A lot sold camping supplies, something she actually could see being useful.

Luna stopped; Usagi ran into the back of her while Artemis loomed over them both. "We should get her something to eat."

Artemis took them off in another direction with a nod, letting Luna continue to pull her along. The market shrunk behind them and her heart stung with the loss of humanity they left behind.

They came to another room, less filled but still as significant, the noise level half it was in the market. Looking around as Usagi passed, a few looked up at the group, and those that did barely spared them a glance, let alone a second one. Long tables took up most of the space, all mismatched and worn-looking. Chairs and benches were pulled underneath, and the people in this room occupied them; most of them ate in silence while a few just sat together in clumps to talk.

Making it to the front (or back of the room, depending on how you looked at it), they came to a halt at what looked a lot like the soup kitchen Usagi used to volunteer at. A few people sat behind large steaming pots of what smelled like a vegetable stew and oatmeal.

She watched as Artemis pulled out (what looked like) a bobby pin. Just like the ones that used to be in her hair. The woman who sat at the front of the line looked at the item, her eyes going wide as she snatched it from him. "Is this real?!"

The woman put it in between her teeth, biting on it to test it. "I assume that is more than enough to pay for all of our rations?"

Without another word, the ones with the ladles began scooping up large amounts of food and plopped them onto plates for the three of them. Taking Luna's warning to heart, she kept her voice low and her hood up even as they sat away from all the others.

"What was that about? Did you just use one of my bobby pins to buy us food?"

"Metal is very scarce now." Artemis leaned over from his side of the table, whispering just as she had. "Even small pieces like your bobby pins are worth a lot. And being Mauian, Luna and I could reach inside your…cocoon. Sorry, but we needed them, and you should keep your hair as is."

Reflexively, Usagi touched the braid hidden in her layers. "I understand."

Her plate empty, she stood, fully planning on taking it back to the front/back for another helping. It felt as if she hadn't eaten in five years! Usagi snorted at her little inside joke, causing her to miss the slight dip in the floor. No one noticed the strange girl now on the ground other than laughing or giggling at her shortcomings.

"Great. Five years later and I'm still a clutz." She mumbled (no one listening anyway). Luna and Artemis watched her closely from their seats while she collected her tray. Still, on the ground, voices picked up in the hall. It was hard to tell how many, but they were all excited as their noise bounced off the walls.

Getting up on her knees, she glanced up over the table, peeking over the crowd to see a group of scruffy-looking people making their way through the hall. They were varying in size and gender but mostly men. It was a group of five, two of them women from what Usagi could tell. The men that came in were all carrying a -now dead- animal on their shoulders, blocking their heads and faces from Usagi's view.

The man in front was silent, carrying a deer over his shoulders. The two behind him brought smaller animals; one had rabbits and some kind of bird piled on his shoulder closest to her. His face was turned to the other man, jabbering with their excitement. Usagi couldn't see either of their faces and the younger-looking man had a deep voice that cracked from time to time -something the man he talked to picked on every time it happened.

The women at the back were rough-looking, hair pulled tightly back with weapons slung over their backs. The two of them watched the men before them, whispering from time to time and giggling. An action that did not match the ripped and stained clothes or the haggard looks on their faces. They had been pretty once, that much Usagi could tell. But years of stress and fear, and struggle had aged them prematurely. And according to Luna, that was probably for the best.

The man at the front sauntered on back, past the people working the food. The others followed him without any word otherwise. They must be scavengers that Luna told her about. Probably the bravest people she was yet to see, given their occupation.

She went back to her tray, making it up front and handing it back to the woman for seconds. Usagi was busy smiling at the workers and watching the food appear on her plate that she missed the group's return.

"Hey, Ona. You giving food out for free now?"

"This one already paid Saori; calm down."

Usagi's shoulder was pulled back, the woman scavenger looking at her face no matter how much Usagi tried to hide. "Ooooh, this is a pretty one. That dirt is hiding nothing, you know. Better if you cut your face up."

The one called Saori pointed at the scars on her face as an example for Usagi. "You did that? To yourself?"

Saori furrowed her brows at her. "Of course, I did. A few scars on your face are nothing when it comes to your life!"

"Luna?!"

Startled, Usagi looked at the man who shouted, his back to her and Saori with the other two men standing beside him. The only thing she could make out about any of them now was their hair color -two blonds and one with black hair. Her heart raced at the sight of it. Even in Japan, the multitude of races mixed into the stronghold made the color more scarce; something pulled inside Usagi's chest at the sight of the dark locks.

His shoulders were still and broad; the shirt he wore was thin and showed the taut muscles and bones on his back. The height was another thing, making Usagi's lungs feel tight with her anticipation. But she still didn't see his face, only heard his voice.

That was enough, though.

The three men moved towards their table, Luna and Artemis standing quickly and moving to meet the threesome. Luna's eyes darted to Usagi's as the men neared as if to warn her to stay back, but Usagi was already slowly making her way back to them in almost a trance.

"What the hell are the two of you doing here!"

The dark-haired man was angry; his voice still sounded deep and smooth to her, warmth growing in Usagi's veins for the first time since she woke up. The shorter blond with the squeaky voice took a step closer, dangerously close to Artemis. "You're supposed to be watching her!"

It was a harsh whisper, the boy trying to contain his anger at the two of them. "Perhaps we should have this conversation elsewhere?"

Artemis' eyes were darting to Usagi, and it caused the dark-haired man to turn around finally, his dark blue eyes crashing onto hers. She had known it was him long before she saw his face, but her mind, body, and soul still reacted to him. Her breath caught in her throat painfully as his eyes searched her face, eyes wide at the sight of her as if she were now a bobby pin.

Tears welled up yet again; her feet moved on her own and propelled her into him. Her tray clattered to the dirt floor, and her arms wrapped tightly around his ribs, finding she came up to his shoulders now while his arms rounded her tightly. All of him was shaking along with her.

"Usa… Usagi."

She squeezed even tighter at the sound of her name on his lips. "Mamoru."

The next several minutes passed in a daze; Mamoru was practically picking Usagi up and carrying her away while the others followed. They all moved quickly, taking multiple turns and various tunnels. Door after door and Usagi was sure she would never find her way back to the mess hall ever again. The last door had a seal on it; metal doors that were out of place in the dirt hovel. Mamoru punched a code quickly into the small keyboard next to the door, and the two pieces of metal slid apart instantly.

Shoved into the room, the four stepped in quickly behind them; Mamoru made sure no one else came in before shutting the doors again. Now light blue and bright green eyes were on her, looking her over closely.

"Toki?"

Motoki grabbed her, pulling her in just as tight as Mamoru had moments ago. The strange boy stood off to the side, watching in silence. "Is it really you?"

She looked at the boy closely for the first time, and her heart stopped. "Shingo."

It came out as a whisper, but he heard it, pulling her from Motoki's arms and into his instead. Tears fell without recourse as her baby brother held her, no longer a baby as he was taller than she left him. But then again, so was she. When Shingo finally let go, he held her at a short distance, looking Usagi over.

"God, Usagi, we all thought you would never wake up!"

She wiped at her face, the dirt she had on it coming off with her tears and redepositing itself on her hands. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry about that."

Her hood fell back in all the hugging, so she freed her head from the scarf as well, a hush falling over them all.

Shingo picked up her braid, the heavy knots twisting in his hands. "Been a long time since I've seen this."

Usagi pulled it back from his grasp, "What? Hair?!"

"It's a very particular color, Usagi."

Mamoru stood right behind her, sneaking up on Usagi with his hand on her lower back as he spoke. He was looking Usagi over just as intently as the others. Each of them assessed her as if looking for something.

"Mom and Dad are going to flip."

Her head snapped from Mamoru back to her (not so little) brother. "Mom and Dad are here? They're alive!"

Shingo chuckled. "And kicking, yes."

Grabbing Shingo roughly by the collar, Usagi pulled him to her. "I want to see them! Now!"

Her brother pushed her hands away, chuckling as he did. "Alright, alright, I will take you to them. But first…" He reached over, pulling her hood back up over her head. "There, that's better."

Toki went with them to the door; Mamoru, Luna, and Artemis remained behind. When she glanced back at them, Luna gave her a small smile. "We have a few things to discuss with Mamoru-san. We'll catch up with you later."

She found Mamoru's eyes still on her, giving them a nod before Shingo and Toki ushered her out the door.

The place was huge. How Usagi was ever going to get a lay of the land was beyond Usagi. But, at least Toki and Shingo knew their way, guiding her carefully around. A few people stopped and looked at them with curiosity.

"Why is everyone staring at you two?"

Usagi knew they weren't looking at her; no one had paid her notice since she arrived. "They aren't used to seeing us with a strange but pretty girl. We don't usually show newcomers around."

"And just how -exactly- do they know I'm a newcomer? There are hundreds of people here, no way everyone knows one another!"

Shingo looked back at her, leading the small party. "Everyone is weary these days, Usa. Not paying attention can get you and everyone else killed."

She dropped her eyes to the floor; Toki wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her. "Don't worry; you'll get used to it soon enough!"

Now Usagi stared at the floor with a new purpose, unable to look at them with a straight face. No way she could stay; she had to keep moving and get to Beryl. She owed it to everyone: to the world.

They came to yet another large room, the largest yet. It had multiple levels; the first level was filled with tents and makeshift camp sights. Pale light came from above, a few small holes poked in the ceiling. But it was so far above the first level; most had small campfires or small oil lamps. The upper levels looked more like the rooms in the strong hold she woke up in, holes carved into the walls that people came in and out of. Even this room, as large as it was, was nearly overflowing with people.

"This place… it's huge! There are so many people here!"

"It took five years, but we got what you see dug out, and we are working on another residence quarter now. It's only a quarter of the way done, but it will be just as large when it's done so these people won't have to stay in tents."

She looked over at Toki. "How is all of this possible?"

He shrugged. "Human ingenuity? A sheer will to survive? And Mamoru mostly."

"Mamoru? He did all of this?"

"Well, not by himself," Shingo chuckled, "but he got it all started with the help of the Senshi."

"The Senshi helped with this?"

Shingo nodded, a small smile on his face. "A lot of us refused to leave. Mom and Dad and I stuck around till the very end, waiting for you." He glanced back at her, trying to be reassuring. "But time ran out, and Mamoru came and got us. He had to drag Mom out. But he assured us you were safe. He never gave up hope on you."

Her cheeks burned, but she maintained her eye contact with Shingo. "And what about you? Are you a scavenger? How on Earth did you get Mom and Dad to agree to that?! I've been outside Shingo, so don't you dare try and tell me it's no big deal!" She turned her glare over to Toki. "How could you and Mamoru let him go with you!"

Toki gave Shingo a small shove. "Mamoru and I wanted him to come just as much as your parents, but this guy snuck out one too many times. So we had no choice but to take him with us and teach him, or he would have gotten himself killed."

They were up on the fifth level now, making their way on a precarious ledge towards one of the 'houses'. Letting all other thoughts fall to the wayside, she held her breath as they came to a door and stopped, a thin curtain hanging and blocking her view.

Shingo entered without hesitation (Toki following right behind), leaving her to come in last. The room was much larger than the one she had seen before, more than just a singular space. It had been broken up by furniture into different areas with a table in the middle that sat six.

Her mother, long flowing lavender hair, had her back to them, glancing over her shoulder as she continued doing something in her 'kitchen'. Leave it to her mother to find a way to make any place like home.

"Ah, Motoki, are you joining us for dinner? And where is Mamoru? He isn't skipping meals again, is he?"

Shingo walked over to their mother, gently grabbing her shoulders and turning her around to face Usagi while she pulled her hood off her head. It was good Shingo held up their mother as she fainted straight out at the sight of Usagi, rising after a second to run to her. She squeezed Usagi so tight that she struggled to breathe, but she didn't dare pull away.

After a few minutes, her mother released her, but only so she could look her over, holding her face in her hands. "Oh, my baby. I didn't want to leave you behind. But… Mamoru promised us you would come to us, no matter where we were. We never gave up hope."

The ruffle of the curtain caught their attention, Mamoru standing in the doorway with her father.

"What is all this about? Mamoru dragged me off the line to….. Usagi?!"

"Papa!"

She jumped on the stunned man, a mixture of laughter and tears filling the room. He squeezed her tighter than her mother had, picking her up off the ground and stumbling back a few steps. "You've returned to us… finally."

Usagi's eyes squeezed tight as she tried to fight off her tears. When she opened them, she found herself almost face to face with Mamoru over her father's shoulder. He was staring at her, a sad smile on his lips. She offered him a bright one in return and whispered, "Thank you, Mamoru."

Her parents had yet to take their eyes off of her, Mom leaving her side to make and put more food on the table. Usagi sat -silent- listening to stories from Shingo, Toki, Dad, and Mom; Mamoru only speaking when talked to and only to confirm a tale told that seemed a bit tall.

"Remember that time Shingo tried to take down that Ezo?" Toki teased.

Shingo shrugged while the others laughed. "All I saw was a big animal with the potential to have a lot of meat."

Now serious, Motoki yelled. "It nearly tore your arms off!"

Her mother shook a finger at the young teen. "You were lucky Motoki and Mamoru were there!"

Shingo shook her off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. And I thanked them, you thanked them, hell even Dad thanked them!"

"Language!"

Usagi looked back at her Mom, who was shaking her head at them. But she felt there was a bigger elephant in the room no one was mentioning. "What about Youmas? What do you do if you come across one of those?"

Everyone grew silent, looking at her intently. And then over at Mamoru. "We hide. That's what we do. But we have gotten pretty good at our timing."

"I've never seen one myself. Not so sure Youma aren't some tall tale cooked up by the resistance to keep us inside."

She looked over at her father, a grimace on her face that had him dropping his smirk. "They're real, Dad. None of you should be going outside while they are around."

"Relax, Usa," Toki put a hand on her shoulder, effectively silencing her, "your Dad knows they exist. He just means around here. We all know the Youmas are real and run several of the cities nearby."

His stare was angled at her father, and she found herself looking at Mamoru, sitting across from her, a sheepish grin on his face. "There are cities run by them?"

She was asking him, knowing somehow that Mamoru would know and answer honestly. "Yes. Those that submitted to Beryl with little to no fight."

"Yeah, those that haven't been reduced to rubble and can still be called cities!"

Her mother hushed her father, her eyes darting over to Usagi. "Don't worry, mom, I know about Tokyo already…. I saw it myself."

Shingo and her father nearly jumped out of their seats at Usagi. Talking on top of each other. "You saw it?!" "When!"

"When I walked here."

"From where Usa?"

All eyes watched her -curiously- save for Mamoru and she was sure that was due to Luna and Artemis telling him already. She looked at Mamoru, trying to figure out from him just how much she should tell. But he sat still and stoic: she was on her own.

"Um… from a small stronghold West of here. It took us about…. two and a half days to get here from there."

"You must have been at the Celestial camp." Her father shuddered at the thought, and Usagi gave him a confused look. "Those are a bunch of crazies who believe in the return of Sailor Moon. Calling her a Goddess or some weird shit like that."

Mom landed a smack on Dad's shoulder, a threatening look on her face. While she looked around the table, searching for any sign of…. knowing. "Sailor Moon?"

Shingo put an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a seated hug. "Sorry, Usa, I know you were a fan of hers. But she died right after you left."

Confused, she looked around the room again; the only one with a clue seemed to be Mamoru but how much he knew was unclear. She was about to ask them what they were talking about (how she supposedly left them) when Luna poked her head through the curtain.

"Excuse me, is this the Tsukino residence?"

Mamoru jumped up, going to greet Luna and Artemis as their bodies entered the 'house'. "Ikuko-san, Ken-san, this is Luna and Artemis, the ones that brought Usagi here."

Both her parents jumped up from their seats, going to greet her would-be heroes and thank them. While at a distance, she leaned over to Shingo, whispering. "What do you mean I left?"

Shingo leaned back into her ear. "That's what we told Mom and Dad that you ran away. Back when we thought you would wake up… sooner."

"Just how much do you know, Shingo?!"

He grinned. "Enough."

They sat back, eyeing one another, and Luna and Artemis joined the table, a couch getting pulled over to make up for the lack of seating.

After a few more hours of gratitude, Luna and Artemis left again. Shingo fell asleep on the couch at some point, and Toki left to get a few hours of sleep before his 'shift'. Usagi had no clue what Toki's shift was—leaving her mother, father, and Mamoru to sit around the table whispering.

"I can't believe how much Shingo has grown."

Usagi was staring at her sleeping brother's face when her mother grazed her cheek with her hand, bringing her attention back to the table. "I can't believe how much you have grown, Usa."

Tears were in her mother's eyes, looking over Usagi's face at all the changes yet again. She could only wonder what her mother saw since Usagi hadn't seen herself since waking up. "Yeah… I guess so…."

"Goodness, look at the time. Usa, you must be exhausted."

Taking a moment to assess herself, she found she wasn't. "Actually, I'm not." Both her parents looked at her closely with concern. "Mom, Dad, I promise I'm fine. Just go to bed. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

"She'll be here. I won't let her go anywhere."

They all looked at the dark-haired man, having been silent for so long; she would have forgotten he was there if it was possible. Instead, Usagi found herself acutely aware of his presence, just as she had five years ago.

Seeming to trust Mamoru more than her, her parents finally got up and kissed her goodnight with sloppy wet lips to her forehead and cheeks before disappearing behind a small door covered by a curtain. Leaving her alone with her dark puzzle of a man.

They watched one another in silence until she could take it no more. "Thank you again, Mamoru. I owe you…. everything."

"You owe me nothing, Usagi."

Shaking her head, she diverted her attention from his stare to her braid; the heavy and long plaid resting over her shoulder went well past her stomach to the floor. "You saved my entire family. Kept them safe and healthy. Shingo told me what you did, how you got them out of the city just in time. They are alive because of you…."

"Please… Usagi…. don't thank me." Dropping her hair, Usagi found Mamoru's eyes still on her, no shame in staring. "God… you look so different and yet… the same. It's…"

"Weird?"

He shook his head. "Startling."

She really looked at him for the first time, taking in the changes to his face and body. Mamoru's face mainly looked the same, save for a few small scars on his chin and one on his nose. The rest of him, however, was completely different. Gone was the lanky, toned boy she knew. Instead sat a muscled man, thick arms and chest from years of surviving and getting stronger to do so.

"You look different too."

Mamoru quirked up an eyebrow. "I do? Surprised you noticed?"

She copied his look. "The same could be said for you." Tension was building between them, one she attempted to break with a laugh. "I have no clue what I look like."

Twitching with a smile, Mamoru refused to show; he didn't question such a strange thing to say. He just stood, going over to the small kitchen and digging around for a moment. When Mamoru returned, he held a shiny silver pot up to her face, showing her what she looked like after five years.

Usagi's face had slimmed, her baby fat gone and getting a little longer than she remembered. Her eyes looked a little bigger, but that could have been the shape of the pot. They were still the same color of blue, though, which she was happy for, always liking the color of her eyes the most. Her hair was lighter in color, strange since she was pretty sure the journey here was the first time it had seen sunlight in five years.

Setting down the pan, she once again found Mamoru watching her without shame, standing over her. "What do you think?" She shrugged, not knowing what to say. "I think it's not too bad, considering."

His eyes searched her face while she searched his in return. "Considering?"

"Considering the mess it was in when you fell asleep."

Her mouth popped open, and she struggled for a moment to find her words. "You know about that?"

Mamoru finally looked away from her, hiding his full reaction and moving, so the table sat between them. "Who do you think helped Luna with your care for the first year?"

Leaping up, she had to catch the chair she sat in before it hit the floor and woke everyone up. "You did? Why?!"
"No one else was… qualified." For some reason, now he struggled to look at her. Mamoru was outright refusing to do so.

"So… were you the one that told Shingo? About where I was?"

"He can be more annoying than you sometimes."

She tried to take that as a compliment, but it was a struggle. "He worked it out of you? Really?!"

"Is that so hard to believe?" He was looking at her again; it had only a few moments, but she found she missed his eyes in that short amount of time.

"He said… he knew… enough…."

They stood in silence, neither of them breaking away from the other's intense gaze. Usagi was hoping to get more out of him, but she could both see and feel Mamoru shutting down. "You should get some rest."

Usagi's arms crossed over her chest, in both defense and irritation. "I'm really not tired."

"You walked fifty-eight hours straight; no way you are not exhausted."

"Well, I guess I got all the sleep I need in this lifetime. I did have a rather long nap." Mamoru hadn't changed that much, closing himself off to her and others just as he always had. She didn't bother to hide her irritation with him, not telling her everything.

Tired of his glare, she turned away from him and stood over a slumbering Shingo. His chest rose and fell with ease, out cold. In need of a haircut, she brushed a few strands out of Shingo's face, and Shingo didn't even stir from Usagi's touch. The whole time, she knew Mamoru was still watching her.

"I can't stay…. you know that, right?" Mamoru said nothing, but somehow she knew he was nodding. "I know you said you don't want to hear it but…. thank you. For saving them. From the bottom of my heart, thank you."

When he remained silent, she turned back to him. Mamoru was trying so hard to keep from crying with his eyes squeezed shut and his teeth gritted. She didn't know why (what he had to cry about), but she was sure (given what she knew about him) that it had to be for a good reason.

Something terrible.

His own family, perhaps? She had yet to hear him, or anyone mention them. Maybe that was why he didn't want her thanks, having saved her family in place of his own? It was hard to imagine Mamoru leaving his own family behind. If he did, it was no fault of his own; no way he would just leave them behind.

Lost in her thoughts, Usagi had been pulled to Mamoru, standing right in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him, just as she had when she first saw him. She had been so startled to see a familiar face, all she wanted to do was grab him and hold onto him tight. A piece of Usagi's past had been returned to her, and again, she found it hard to let go, Mamoru's arms wrapping around her as well.

But just like her family, she had to let go, knowing she couldn't stay long. She took a step back from him, and Mamoru relaxed once again. "Can you take me to Luna?"