Usagi has finally saved/healed Mamoru. After everything that has been said and done in the last few months, they needed to have a conversation. What will they talk about? What will the outcome be? Will they still be on the same side?

(Friday Night)

Sailor Moon walked over to where Prince Endymion had collapsed after seemingly receiving his memories back. She was crying from relief and finally won him back from Queen Beryl. While she kneeled down in front of him, she hoped she would never have to fight him again.

Her Sailor Guardians, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus, stood just feet away. They watched Sailor Moon and Prince Endymion carefully and were prepared to protect her if he made one wrong move against their princess, against his true love.

"He's going to be okay," Ryo Urawa confirmed, answering the unspoken question everyone had on their mind. "Sailor Moon saved both of us."

Sailor Mercury took his hand and squeezed his hands. "Thank you," she told him and turned to hug him. "For everything."

Prince Endymion awoke at that moment. "Sailor Moon?" he asked. He shook his head shaking off his foggy memory and said, "No, Usagi." He saw tears were falling from her gorgeous midnight blue eyes and the relief in them when he said her name. He lifted himself up and hugged her close to him. When he closed his eyes, memories of the Silver Millennium, their reincarnated lives, and what he had done while he was under Queen Beryl's spell started to flash in his mind which made him hug her even tighter against him. She felt like coming home to him, finally, especially when she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry," he whispered several times in her ear. He was apologizing for everything, what happened in the Silver Millenium, for all the months he teased her so much when in actuality they were falling in love, for being under Queen Beryl's spell.

Sailor Moon laid her hands on his chest. "Don't be," she told him when she looked up at him. The tears kept falling from the relief, and she couldn't stop them to alleviate his guilt.

"Sailor Moon, Prince Endymion," Ryo started, knowing he should address him as such. "I think we should find somewhere else to talk."

"Kunzite," Prince Endymion said, still keeping Sailor Moon in his arms as well as helping them both to stand. "None of us are in good condition for another round of fighting." He looked over at Ryo. "Is my identity safe?" He knew the boy understood what he was asking.

"Only Zoisite knew your identity, and he's dead now," Ryo confirmed. "Queen Beryl is only aware of your past life identity, not your current identity. Your apartment is safe as well."

At that moment, Sailor Moon collapsed in Prince Endymion's arms and fell unconscious. He was surprised when she collapsed.

"She's just exhausted," Ryo told them.

"She's been really worried about you," Sailor Mars informed him.

Prince Endymion's eyes widened when he realized he actually knew the identities of the Sailor Guardians, except for Sailor Venus, because he knew Sailor Moon's real identity. "Mars, I'm…"

Sailor Mars crossed her arms, knowing he already figured out who most of their identities were. "I'm already over it," she told him.

"That can wait," Sailor Mercury said. "We should leave here."

Prince Endymion hoisted Sailor Moon into his arms with ease and without a second thought. He laid her head against his shoulder to use as a pillow. He closed his eyes when they started making their way to his apartment and remembered all the times he had her in his arms. He always felt there was something familiar about her in his arms, and now it all made sense. He remembered Prince Endymion loving Princess Serenity with all his whole heart, but he needed to figure out if Mamoru Chiba was in love with Usagi Tsukino. He couldn't deny the relief both parts of him, Prince Endymion and Mamoru, felt knowing Prince Endymion's Princess Serenity and Mamoru's Usagi were safe.

Everyone was quiet on his way to his apartment. He knew they were all lost in their own thoughts and also were worried about their princess and how she felt.

When they were close to Mamoru's apartment, Roy stopped them. "You can release your transformations," Ryo stated. "We're far enough away and nobody will see you."

The Sailor Guardians and Prince Endymion looked around before releasing their transformation. When the Sailor Guardians had released their transformation, Sailor Moon's had also released as well. "Neat trick," Mamoru stated when he realized he was holding Usagi.

They had walked into the elevator and Ryo hit the button for Mamoru's floor.

"You're very handy," Mamoru told him.

Ryo shrugged as if it was no big deal.

When they were at his door, Rei Hino took his keys out of his pocket as he refused to put Usagi down, even if it was just for a moment. Rei slid the key in the lock and unlocked the door. When everyone was inside and the door was closed, Mamoru had laid Usagi on his couch gently. He knelt down beside her on the couch and just looked at her. "Rei, I really am sorry," he said again.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Don't," she said. "She and I had already gone a round or two over this, over you, Mamoru. She's more sorry than you will ever know, but love her for who she is. Okay?" Rei looked over at him pleading with her eyes.

Mamoru looked at her amazed. "How…?"

Rei snorted and crossed her arms. "Please," she said. "How can we not figure out that you love her? Especially after today? After tonight?" She gave him a knowing smile.

"She has been worried about you," Ami Mizuno told him. "The relief of having you back was what she needed."

"She hasn't been sleeping well," Minako Aino told him.

"And hardly eats anything," Makoto Kino added.

"And tries to hide it from us," Rei finished.

Mamoru closed his eyes. "Two of her favorite things," he said, starting to feel the guilt creeping up inside him again.

"That's the last thing she wants you to feel," Rei told him when she recognized his guilty expression. "Guilt is not what she needs from you, Mamoru."

Yeah," Ami said in agreement. "Let her sleep, and when she wakes, she's going to need you."

Minako had a thought and knew the best way of how to get around a problem they would have otherwise. "Do you mind if I make a phone call?" Minako asked him, pointing toward his phone.

"Yeah, go ahead," Mamoru asked.

Minako walked over to his phone, dialed a phone number she had just memorized without having to look it up. "Hello, Mrs. Tsukino… Yeah, it's Minako," she said and waited a moment. "Yeah, she's with me, and you know her… When she gets up in the morning, I will let her know… Thanks… Have a good night… Bye-bye." Minako hung up the phone and looked over at the group. "Her mom thinks she's spending the night at my house. When she wakes up in the morning, her mom wants her to call just so she can check in with her."

"We're going to leave Usagi in his capable hands then?" Makoto asked. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Minako nodded, making the executive decision of letting the love of her friend's life take care of her. "We are," she confirmed and crossed her arms as she faced her friends. "When Usagi wakes, she will need to know what happened tonight wasn't a dream, and there's nobody here except Mamoru who can make her understand that, convince her of that, or make her believe that."

"What if Kunzite or someone from the Dark Kingdom comes to collect him?" Makoto argued, still worried they could have a repeat of the events of Tokyo Tower.

"Wait," Ami said before any more arguments could break out and looked over at Ryo. "Is there a chance of that?"

"Ami, there's always a chance," Ryo told her, "but not tonight."

"Are you sure of that?" Minako asked him. "We need to be certain." She looked over at her best friend and her true love. "We're not going to leave our princess and her true love if there's any doubt."

"Not tonight, Minako," Ryo confirmed. "But once when she wakes, you might want to have a conversation with Luna and Artemis about finding the Dark Kingdom's base of operations." Ryo looked over at Mamoru knowing he understood that he knew where to go.

"Luna and Artemis?" Mamoru asked, confused. "Isn't Luna Usagi's cat?"

"You may not have all of your memories back from the Silver Millennium," Minako said with a chuckle. "Luna is Usagi's advisor as Artemis is mine. They both will be very happy she was able to save you."

"Wait," he said. "I think I remember them. Black and white cats who can talk?" Mamoru looked over to Minako.

Minako nodded. "That's right," she said. "Girls, let's go." Minako started to head for the door and the girls started to follow.

Rei lingered as she wanted to get her point across. "Mamoru, take care of her," she told him.

Mamoru gave her a soft smile. "I will," he promised her. He stood up and looked down at Usagi's sleeping form. He didn't want to leave her unattended even just for a few moments because she could wake up without anyone around. It worried him because she had never been here before.

"It'll be alright for a moment," Ryo told him.

Mamoru nodded and followed them out so he could lock the door behind Usagi's friends. Rei lingered for an extra moment. "You were always hers," she told Mamoru. "I could see there was a far off look that wasn't centered on me when we had dated. Me, the rest of the Sailor Guardians, Luna, and Artemis have been worried about Usagi; we can only do so much, but only you have the power to make her believe everything is going to be okay." She knew she as well as the other Sailor Guardians were a broken record going on about the same thing, but she needed to make sure it got through his mind. He needed to know this about Usagi and how she felt about their time when they had dated.

"That was Ryo," Mamoru said, trying for some humor.

Rei gave him a look that gave away her feelings, but she didn't say a word about them. "If she needs any of us, she knows our numbers," she told him. She walked out of his apartment without a backward glance without any guilt, saying everything she had wanted to say to him.

Mamoru closed and locked the door behind his true love's best friends and her Sailor Guardians. As he walked back to the living room, her friends trusted her with him, and he couldn't quite fathom as to why they would trust her with him now since that wasn't the case in the Silver Millennium. He knew and felt all the way down to his bones Prince Endymion had loved Princess Serenity with his full heart, but could he truly feel that he, as Mamoru Chiba, could love Usagi Tsukino with his whole heart? He had admitted to himself that he had fallen in love with Usagi.

Mamoru looked down at Usagi's sleeping form on his couch. He knelt down to take off her shoes and put them aside before he picked her up again and laid her on his bed. He felt like she belonged there in his bed. He wanted to lay down with her, but he didn't know how she would feel waking up beside in his apartment, let alone in his bed. However, he sat on the edge of the bed and laid a loving hand on her face and stroked her face.

"Mamo-chan," Usagi mumbled in her sleep, turning into his touch as their star locket fell out of her jacket pocket.

Mamoru's eyes widened. He couldn't say if it was because of the nickname or the fact she carried their star locket like it was a good luck charm. He laid the star locket and her transformation broach on his nightstand, so she could easily locate them within reach. If he had any doubts about how Usagi felt about him, she quelled them with just the item she carried on her as well as the nickname she bestowed upon him. "Oh, Usako," he said, without thinking. "What have I put you through? And yet you still love me?"

Mamoru closed his eyes and willed the tears away. He didn't deserve her love, but he felt her love and was humbled by it anyway. "I promise I will do everything I can to make it up to you," he said. "I will always protect you."

Usagi awoke at that moment. "Mamoru?" she asked, confused and sitting up. She started recalling all of the events of the evening. It scared her and made her realize maybe it wasn't a dream, maybe it was real. Maybe she had been strong enough to save him, to heal him. "Tell me this isn't a dream."

Mamoru smiled at her lovingly. "No," he said. "It's not a dream. You healed me by using your Moon Stick and using your move Moon Healing Escalation." He had used the knowledge he had of their past lives to recall the name of the item that was no doubt passed to her.

"Please don't lie to me, Mamoru," Usagi begged him. It sounded like she was on the verge of crying again.

Without a thought and on pure instinct, Mamoru turned to her, took her into his lap, and just held her knowing they both needed this contact. He rubbed her shoulder just enjoying the fact she was in his arms, and she wasn't fighting him. "I'm not lying, not about this," he promised her. It hurt his heart that he and Queen Beryl had put her through so much anguish. "We're in my apartment. Rei and the others just left not that long ago." He thought about it for a moment, recalling everyone's name, but there was one name he could not recall. "I didn't get Venus's name." He knew it was because he was kidnapped and brainwashed before he could meet her formally.

"Minako," she answered him without hesitating about giving him the answer to his unspoken question.

"She had called your mom and told her you were sleeping over at her house," Mamoru told her. "We walked back to my apartment with that Ryo kid in tow who could tell the future."

Usagi started to calm down and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I was just so scared I wouldn't be able to save you," she told him as the tears started to fall down her face anyway. "I wasn't sure if Moon Healing Escalation would work."

Mamoru closed his eyes as the feeling of being able to hold her made him feel like she was his home. "It did work. You did save me, save us," he told her. "You were so brave. I'm so proud of you for saving both me and that kid."

"What about Kunzite and Beryl?" Usagi asked him.

"Your Sailor Guardians wanted us to have the night as they believed I was the only one you would listen to," he told her, "but Rei told me you had their numbers."

Hearing one of her best friend's name hit her like a ton of bricks and made her eyes go wide. "Rei…"

Mamoru kissed her temple knowing this was one of the many reasons why he loved her; she would worry about the feelings of those she loved. He knew Rei would definitely be on that list. "She told me that you two had gone a round or two over me," he said.

"We had," Usagi told him. "I just…"

"You haven't been shy about sharing your feelings with me before," Mamoru said, rubbing his hand along her back. "Just what?"

Usagi laid her head on his shoulder as if it was always meant to be there. "I just am not sure if she's all the way alright," she said and then thought about it. "I mean I guess she does have Yuuichirou now."

"I'm so glad she was able to get over me so quickly," he said with a hint of sarcasm, though it was mostly to make her laugh. He remembered the name of the apprentice priest at Hikawa's Shrine under Rei's grandfather.

"Mamoru," Usagi scolded.

Mamoru chuckled and laid his hands on each side of her face. He could feel her tears drying on her face, as he gave her something else to think about. "If that's the case, I'm sure it'll be alright," he said. He laid one hand on her hip and the other on her shoulder. Holding her like this felt right to him, and it had nothing to do with their previous lives, and everything to do with who they are here and now.

"How did I get to your apartment anyway?" Usagi wondered out loud, realizing she still hadn't asked that important question.

"I carried you," Mamoru told her in a matter of fact tone like it was normal. "And it felt completely natural. I don't know if it was because of our past lives, or if we're just made for each other, or yet still could be a combination of both." He couldn't understand why, but he felt safe explaining himself to her.

Usagi didn't say anything at all for a moment. She was just feeling so content in his arms, and she never believed she would ever make it into his arms. "Mamoru, I could feel how much Serenity loved Endymion," she said, knowing she had to give Mamoru this option. "But we barely know each other."

Mamoru smiled knowing (and appreciated her thoughtfulness) she was trying to give him a way out, but he didn't want it; he wanted her and to be with her. He realized he wanted to give their love a chance in this life. "We know a lot more about each other than you think," he argued. "Remember I had a long walk home with you being held in my arms. I had a lot of time to think about this. You have had time since the Dark Kingdom kidnapped me and brainwashed me to figure out your own feelings."

Usagi sighed. "Don't apologize," she said, knowing he would have that urge to do just that. Usagi closed her eyes and gathered the courage she needed to tell him what he needed to hear. She got up from his lap without having to fight him and walked to the sliding glass door to look at the night sky and gaze at the moon. "If you were awake and weren't injured by Zoisite from the previous battle the day before, you would have fought like there was no tomorrow to keep me and the Silver Crystal safe. If you had been at full strength, if you hadn't been injured, Mamoru, if I had been stronger or wiser, you would not have been kidnapped nor brainwashed. My Sailor Guardians had just arrived while I awoke as Serenity and you as Endymion. If we could have just held on just a little while longer, I believe everything would have been alright." She turned to look at him. "The odds were already stacked against us as it was Zoisite we were fighting against, and we couldn't be sure if Kunzite would come back."

Mamoru was surprised she was hitting on his thoughts he had on the walk home, and he now had to wonder how often she played the what if game scenarios in her head. He knew he would have protected her and kept her safe. He took the Star Locket off of his nightstand, walked to her, and wrapped one arm around her. "I noticed you had this with you," he told her as he flipped it open and the melody started to play.

Usagi smiled as they let it continue to play, letting it soothe both of them and making them both feel a little nostalgic. "It's the only thing that kept me sane, and I had made a habit of carrying it with me and playing it when I thought of you," she told him as she took it from him. "It's the only thing that gave me hope that I would be able to save you."

Mamoru wrapped his other arm around her as he felt her love. "Then I'm glad you had it then," he whispered in her ear.

"You should take it back," Usagi told him. "I gave it to you back then." She reached out for him to take it.

Mamoru shook his head realizing she was giving him his heart back if he didn't want her. He wrapped her hands around it knowing she would keep it safe with her always. "No," he argued, realizing he wanted her to keep his heart. "Serenity gave it to Endymion in the Silver Millenium. This time I, as Mamoru, am giving it to you, as Usagi. You keep it with you."

"Thank you," Usagi said, holding it close to her heart.

"It's been a long night for both of us," Mamoru said, suddenly now feeling awkward. "We both need some sleep before we can figure out what our next move is against the Dark Kingdom."

"Right," she said. "Do you have something a little more comfortable that I could sleep in?" Usagi clasped her hands together, feeling embarrassed to even ask.

Without a word, Mamoru dropped his hands from her, went to the dresser, and took out a couple of garments for both of them to sleep in. He walked back over to Usagi and gave her a shirt. "You're a lot shorter than me, so this should cover everything," he told her.

Usagi took them and blushed. "Thank you," she said. She walked toward the bathroom.

Mamoru grabbed her arm, giving into temptation. "Usako," he said. "Wait."

Usagi's eyes widened after hearing that nickname, and she paused.

Mamoru took her in his arms once again, lifted her chin down for her to look at him, leaned down, and kissed her gently and drew it out until he heard her moan. When he lifted his lips from her, he heard her say his nickname again and had been prepared for it to spill out of her mouth. He could say see that her eyes were hazy.

"Mamo-chan," she said, dreamily. To Usagi, it felt right having those lips on hers. It was as if it was the most normal taste in the world to her.

The way she said his name was everything he needed to know. "I've been wanting to do that again since the Masquerade," he confessed to her. "My bathroom is through there." He pointed to the other door.

Usagi nodded and walked into the bathroom without a second thought. She closed the door behind her and leaned against the door. It was the first moment tonight since he wasn't in her space, and she could breathe. She hugged the clothes he gave her to her chest. She finally had him back and she knew that's why she had collapsed earlier in his arms. Even knowing he carried her all the way to his apartment and her Sailor Guardians even believed she was safe with him, she felt a sense of calm she hadn't felt in a very long time. She knew Princess Serenity felt that sense of calm when she was with Prince Endymion, and she wondered if she was having that same feeling with Mamoru. She knew she was not Princess Serenity and he was not Prince Endymion; they had their chance. This was their chance if he still wanted it. She changed slowly and then let down her hair, and she noticed he was right; his shirt laid against her knees. When she walked out of the bathroom, she noticed he had already changed as well.

Mamoru smiled at her softly as she exited the bathroom. "You can take my bed, Usako," he told her, nervously. "I'll sleep on the couch." He started to walk toward the door that led to the living room.

"Wait!" Usagi told him as she turned to look at him. She wasn't sure what he saw, but she tried to mask her feelings which wasn't something she was skilled at. She had always been someone who wore her feelings. She never wanted to hide from them.

When Mamoru looked over at Usagi, he could sense she looked shy and was trying to hide it which he knew was unlike her. He wondered what it could be, wondered what could give her that kind of reaction.

Usagi fisted her hand and knew what she had to say. "I want to share the bed with you if you're alright with it," she continued. She turned away from him as she didn't want him to see how embarrassed she was.

Mamoru realized, then at that very moment, they were both being awkward because of what they both had gone through and because they had been separated from one another once again. He realized then they wanted each other, but neither one of them was certain how the other truly felt or what they wanted or needed from the other or even how to express it. He walked over to her. "I want nothing more than to lay down next to you," he told her, "but I just don't want to take advantage of you."

Usagi laid a hand on his face. "Mamo-chan," she said slowly. "You couldn't do that even if you tried. That's not in you. You wouldn't hurt me, not intentionally." She laid her head against his chest and could hear his beating heart, and it calmed her nerves. "I want nothing more than to sleep in your arms tonight and to know I don't have to fight you ever again." She laid her other hand on the other side of his face. She wanted to see his reaction when she told him. She had a lot of time to think about her feelings for him, especially when she played their Star Locket, and she knew she wanted him with all of her heart. She knew he would need her to make the first move for more reasons than he knew she was aware of. She rose on her toes and brought his lips to hers again. "I love you, Mamo-chan," she whispered against his lips. "You're not just my first love; you are my one true love."

Mamoru felt her love envelope him and his heart like it was a protective shell as he listened to her declaration, and he understood she was someone who knew her own feelings and knew them well. He knew her love and her heart would always keep him safe, protected. He had a fleeting thought maybe that was the difference as to why Queen Beryl was able to get him in her grips in this era; he knew in the Silver Millennium, Princess Serenity had loved Prince Endymion, and Prince Endymion knew she loved him. However, he hadn't been sure until now how Usagi felt about him as Mamoru. "Usako," he said, dragging out the O sound in his pet name for her, making it sound as if it was a plea. He hugged her close, tight against him, making sure she was real and getting the same feeling of being at home when he had his arms around her hoping, praying, that will never change when he holds her. He let her go only to just look in her eyes. "After everything I have done and said before and even while I was under Beryl's control, I don't deserve your love…" he took a breath "...but I love you. You're my home."

Usagi gave Mamoru a look of pure joy and went into his arms, and his arms went around her waist as her arms went around his neck, and the sense of calm and being at home returned to them both. She felt his head rest against the top of her head and knew this is always going to be like this. Always.

They knew the other wasn't perfect and didn't even try to hide that fact from the other when they were falling in love without either one of them realizing it. They would have their fights, but they knew, as long as they knew they loved each other, they could overcome anything. Anything.