Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory

Act 63: Kinmokian Law

By: Sora Kazeno

The rest of the concert is a blur for Seiya. His eyes kept going back to Usagi's empty seat hoping each time he looked back she would be sitting there. She never came back, nor Rei. He feels numb by the time the last chord is played.

He exits the stage as fast as he can. He ignores the irked expressions of Taiki and Yaten over his subpar performance tonight.

His anxiety hits a new level when he finds Rei waiting for him back stage, alone. Usagi is nowhere to be seen.

"I can't find Usagi anywhere," Rei frantically tells Seiya. "Something is wrong."

Seiya can feel the dread. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Rei is panicked, and she's usually one of the senshi that tends be more level headed.

Usagi transformed and went to the Silver Millennium to be away from everyone. She collapsed seconds after she arrived in the gardens. Her anxiety was too much and she blacked out. What she witnessed in the darkness were the two sides of her soul duking it out.

Neo Queen Serenity walks down the corridor of the palace. She is back at home but something doesn't feel quite right. She sits down on her throne, rubbing her forehead. She pictures Prince Endymion losing his starseed in this very spot. The horrifying image tugs at her heart. She opens her eyes to see that she is not alone.

Sailor Cosmos is glaring at her. "Your time has passed Neo Queen Serenity."

"So has yours Karin." Neo Queen Serenity shoots back.

Sailor Cosmos shakes her head side to side. "Usagi has made her choice more than once, why are you still resisting? It's over."

Neo Queen Serenity looks down at the Guardian before her. "It will never truly be over. You know that one day she will become Neo Queen Serenity and being Tsukino Usagi will be a thing of the past." She smirks as Cosmos knowingly. "Besides you should realize that Usagi is currently…"

The images of the two talking fade to nothingness. Usagi slowly opens her eyes, vaguely aware of her surroundings. She is in her chambers she had as Princess Serenity. How did she get here? She collapsed when she first arrived, didn't she? She takes several deep breathes as she tries in vain to make sense of what just happened. She looks down at her fingers to find eight pearl rings. Her eyes immediately move to her clothing confirming she is in her Sailor Cosmos fuku.

She can feel a few tears escaping from her eyes. Ever since this morning when she left the hotel room, everything has been a mess. She hasn't been in complete control of her abilities. Why is she struggling so much? She is exhausted from lack of sleep due the nightmares.

Seeing Shiori with Seiya in that manner unnerved her. A little of the anxiety was reduced after seeing Seiya's message but she ended up with more questions.

She tries to stand up but her legs woggle too much. But somehow she feels a little better, a little more in control than she has in the past few hours. Did the Cosmos side of her do something to Serenity?

Who can she talk to about this? Ever since she has returned from the other timeline her nightmares have returned and they seem worse than ever. She hates that it leaves Sailor Pluto as the best person to talk to since she is the only one that knows exactly what happened in that timeline. She's not ready to talk to her and face her. Just thinking of the conversation makes her stomach feel uneasy. She does the only the other thing she can think of, she cries to reduce the stress that is slowly consuming her.

When she can't cry any more, she stands up. Her powers have been unstable since she touched Seiya's Change Star. Why did her ring have to active at that moment?

She gasps. Seiya. She left in the middle of the concert. He's probably worried about her after the abrupt exit. She wipes the remaining tears out of her eyes. She needs to talk to him after seeing his message. It is the only way to resolve all of this. She grabs her staff tightly and teleports to Earth.

Usagi arrives back at the venue and it is empty. The fans have departed. How long was she gone? The door to the front entrance is locked. Did everyone leave? She looks at her watch, there is no way everyone is gone. She walks around the side of the building, there has to be back entrance somewhere. This was the last concert in this city and everything needs to be packed up. She stops in her tracks. Seiya had purposely cleared his evening schedule tomorrow night so they would spend all night together after some fan events in the morning.

What is she going to say to him? She didn't think it through before she returned. With a sigh, she pushes herself forward, following the building. She hears some voices up ahead. She recognizes the manager of the Three Lights and Minako talking with crew members loading items into a truck. He tells her the Three Lights are still inside with Minako gathering their things.

Usagi walks in through the back without an issue. First obstacle was solved, she is in the building. She has never been in this section. She turns down a few long corridors that look identical. Within in a few minutes she is completely lost. Maybe she should have followed the workers that were loading instruments and items from the stage. Too late now.

Usagi keeps walking until it ends at a closed door. There is light coming from underneath it. She looks up at the door, squinting at the writing but it is in Spanish and English which she can't read. She teardrops. She pulls at the handle and finds it is open. An alarm didn't sound. She sighs in relief. She continues on and hearing lots of voices talking. There are a lot of large black curtains. She looks up at them in awe at just how large they are and bumps into a small table nearby. She scowls at the table and rubs her thigh, knowing it is going to leave a mark in a day or two.

There are a lot of staff clearing off the rest of the stage that she managed to find a back way onto. She looks around and sighs. She doesn't see Seiya or any of the others. She is about to leave and try to find the dressing rooms when she comes across two familiar figures.

Minako and Yaten are looking into each other's eyes talking in low voices. Minako giggles at something Yaten told her.

"...hi!" Usagi calls out as she moves a little closer to the happy couple.

Minako and Yaten are flustered by Usagi's sudden appearance for a moment. They're not used to other people seeing them together.

"Usagi-chan! There you are," Minako rushes over to her. "I was wondering what happened to you. You seemed to just disappear. Seiya-kun and Rei-chan have been looking for you all over."

"It's a long story," Usagi doesn't want to explain everything right now.

"Usagi-chan what is going on lately? I'm really worried," Minako studies Usagi as she speaks.

Usagi looks down embarrassed. She is supposed to be this great Guardian but she has felt like anything but all day. "I've been struggling with my powers today."

Minako gasps and her eyes widen.

Yaten's eyes narrow. This is one of the very things Queen Kakyuu wanted to know if something ever happened. "What do you mean?" He walks over to Minako, very interested in what Usagi has to say.

"The past few days have been really rough with nightmares," Usagi reveals. She had never told Yaten or Taiki about them.

"I've heard about that," Yaten comments but is careful not to say from where.

"Running away won't make it any easier Odango."

Usagi's eyes widen for a moment when she hears his voice behind her. She presses her lips together for a moment. Was she ready for this? She turns around to face him, "Sei… Seiya." She finally finds her voice.

"You guys talk, we'll make sure everything is packed up," Minako grabs Yaten's hand and leads him away giving Seiya and Usagi a chance to talk, much to Yaten's dismay. He wanted to learn more information on just what is going on with Usagi. It was hard enough to pry the information out that Usagi was having nightmares from Seiya. Minako is not around Usagi enough to know everything. All he can do for now is keep a close eye on Usagi when he is around. He'll talk to Taiki later tonight.

Usagi looks at the ground; she doesn't know what to say to Seiya or where to start. What she seen this morning, the message he sent during the concert, or why she ran out of the concert. It is a lot at once.

Seiya walks a few steps closer to her, "Odango, we really need to talk."

A few more stage hands walk past them with a drum set.

Seiya knows this is the not the best place to have the kind of conversation they need. "Can we go somewhere else to talk?"

Usagi nods her head in agreement.

"Come on," Seiya gestures for her to follow him. He leads them off stage and down some of the rows into the empty crowd seats.

Usagi's eyes fall on the seat she sat in earlier. She ran out because everything was too much. Some of her anger from this morning resurfaces and she can't keep it bottled up a second longer. "Why did you keep it a secret?" She blurts out.

Seiya's shoulders slump slightly. He was the one that was always pushing for no more secrets and yet here is one he kept from her. It was time for him to come clean about everything. "I didn't tell you because no one knows what happened that night. I'm angry that it even happened. It never should have." He doesn't see a reaction from Usagi so he continues. "It didn't mean anything."

"It looks like it meant a lot of Shiori-chan… and still does," Usagi interjects looking at Seiya.

"Odango, I don't think you understand why that was so serious. She tried to take advantage of the situation and the consequences that could have resulted would have been unbearable." He pauses. This is not the best location to have this kind of discussion. There were still too many people around here and there. "We should really talk about this somewhere else; especially when it involves Kinmoku."

Usagi stares at him a moment, annoyed he is trying to avoid the subject. She doesn't want to wait any longer now that they are finally starting to talk. But there are a lot of people around and they can't talk freely about some it. She sighs. She doesn't dare teleport them somewhere given the difficulties she's been having.

Seiya reaches forward and grabs her hand.

Usagi's attention shifts back to the present. She looks up at him and sees the agony in his eyes. His hand feels so warm and calming in hers. "I'm still mad at you." As she looks at him, she wonders when he developed this power over her. She keeps her voice low. "We do have a lot to talk about… but I'm also hungry…"

Seiya teardrops. He looks back at the stage. "There's a telephone back there, how about I order something and have it sent to the hotel so it will be there by the time we walk there?" They need to be away from everyone or they'll never be able to talk.

Usagi eagerly nods her head. "Pizza!"

After food is ordered, they head to the building exit to start the relatively short walk to the hotel. He is glad Minako offered to help take care of everything to give them time alone to talk.

The cool evening air is refreshing at it greets them seconds after the door opens. The journey is a little uncomfortable. They walk silently next to each other, each contemplating what they are going to say to each other once they reach their destination.

Usagi has so many questions swarming in her mind.

Seiya has his hands in his pockets. He hates this awkwardness between them and it won't go away until they have this conversation. He didn't want to try to talk in his dressing room since the staff is cleaning it to prepare for the next performer tomorrow night. He is trying to order his thoughts to determine the best way to tell her everything that happened.

He is distracted until he hears, "Seiya-san! Oh my god!" He looks up and immediately recognizes the three girls in front of him and Usagi. It was the same three girls that had to be pulled away by security during an event the other day after they tried to kiss the Three Lights. He cringes. This is the worst possible timing.

The girls run over to him, surrounding him, essentially pushing Usagi to the side. They start gushing to Seiya about how amazing the show was.

"I wish you were doing more performances!"

"The show was great!"

"You're so amazing!"

"Where are Yaten-san and Taiki-san?"

"Can't you stay longer?"

The questions are endless as they keep moving closer to him. Seiya tries at first to politely answer while looking for a way to escape.

Usagi glares at the girls, especially the azure haired girl. She has some nerve to approach Seiya like that after the stunt she pulled. She is also bold for doing this right in front of Usagi. Her fingers on her left hand feel warm. She looks down and sees her pearl rings for a moment. She exhales deeply, calming herself down and they vanish. It was an improvement from before. No light was emitted this time. Looking over at Seiya she can see he doesn't relish being in this situation either. She keeps her distance in case the rings reappear.

Seiya is slowly putting a little more space between him and the girls. He is trying to be nice to the fans but these three are making it extremely difficult. "I'm sorry but I need to be leaving. It's been a long night."

The girl with azure hair takes this opportunity to move closer to him. "I'm sure I can find a way to relax you," she bats her eyes at him coyly, with a large smile.

Seiya is tongue tied for a few seconds. He has never experienced a fan be this forward. "...I have an early event tomorrow…" he is finally able to move around the rest of the girls.

The azure haired girl is shocked by his rejection. She was sure she was going to leave with Seiya tonight after her proposition.

"Good night," he tells them as he moves over to Usagi. He doesn't turn around to look at the three girls again as he places his arm around Usagi's shoulders and walks off with her.

Usagi looks up at Seiya. "That blue haired girl is really persistent."

Seiya chuckles a little. "Yeah, but she'll never succeed. She could never win my heart." He assures Usagi.

The three girls stare at the couple. "Who is that girl?" One of them whispers.

"Why is she with Seiya-san? It's not fair!""

"I told you he has a girlfriend but you didn't want to listen!"

Seiya and Usagi walk in silence for a bit, not daring to look back in the direction of the three girls. They want to get far away from them.

After a few blocks and she knows the girls are gone, Usagi frees herself from Seiya's arm, preferring to walk separately next to him.

Seiya frowns at Usagi's actions, he had been enjoying the closeness after how hectic today had been.

Usagi can't keep it bottled in anymore. No one is around. "I was really angry this morning and it makes me wonder what else you are keeping from me."

Seiya verifies they are alone before he responds. "Kinmoku has different rules governing senshi and some things, some types of relationships are forbidden." He begins to explain.

"What does that have to do with Shiori-chan?" Usagi asks, not following what Seiya is saying.

Seiya lowers his voice. "Senshi that are physically involved with one another while serving Kinmoku, are thrown out of the palace and their Change Star is taken away. If my Change Star was taken away, I would never see you again." He can't look at her as he reveals the rest. "… that would have happened if I didn't stop Shiori-chan."

Usagi stops to stare at Seiya, in a shaky voice she asks, "Is our relationship…" she can't finish the rest.

Seiya nods his head. "The kind of relationship we have now… is forbidden on Kinmoku."

Usagi stares at him wide eyed inhaling sharply, trying to calm her racing heart at what Seiya is implying. "You mean when we…"

"According to Kinmoku law, it crossed the line the night you visited me in Brazil." Seiya confirms.

This doesn't make sense. "Why didn't you say anything?" She looks at him.

"At the time, it was the furthest thing from my mind." He looks ahead, directing them down the next block. "When Taiki found out, he was quick to remind me of Kinmokian law." He looks at Usagi as he continues, "But this is not Kinmoku. You're also not a senshi of Kinmoku…." He pauses for a moment. "I'm assuming you don't have rules like that for senshi here…? I know we never discussed this."

Usagi gulps. "Well no… I mean, I never thought about it. Everyone just protects me and helps me defeat the enemy that's it. I want everyone to be happy in their own lives as well."

Seiya nods his head. "Being a senshi is a lot less complicated here… but from what I understand everyone has been a senshi for a few years?"

"Yes."

"There have been senshi on Kinmoku for millenniums. It's another reason things are so different." When Usagi doesn't respond so he continues. "Though Taiki doesn't see it that way. He believes Kinmokian laws should be followed regardless of what planet we are on." He turns to face Usagi. "But Queen Kakyuu created a new role for us and told us to protect you which is why we are on Earth."

Usagi's voice is terrified. "Seiya… if Queen Kakyuu calls the Starlights back to Kinmoku…"

"That is not going to happen." Seiya assures her. "It was made clear to us that watching over Sailor Cosmos is our first priority and Kinmoku second. It was a difficult adjustment for Taiki and Yaten. I was glad because it meant I would stay with you."

Usagi blushes a little at his words. Her face turns serious; she still needs to get to the bottom of what she seen this morning. "So that incident with you… and Shiori-chan…"

"I was embarrassed that it happened. It never should have. Shiori-chan was out of line. It didn't help that I drank too much hoping to stop feeling miserable. The follow day, we spoke again. And we both decided never to talk about that night again because of the potential consequences. No one else in the palace knows what happened and we plan on keeping it that way." Seiya explains, pausing to click on the button on the street light to change the light.

Usagi nods her head, beginning to understand why Seiya never brought up such a difficult topic and why it was a secret from everyone.

"She's been angry with me since that night, thinking she might still have a chance if I ever gave up on you and stopped being a senshi," Seiya continues to explain. "It was really stupid that anything continued after she first kissed me."

There is a long silence between them.

"I understand why you didn't tell the others but Seiya… I've been trying to figure out why she hated me when we first met." Usagi pauses for a moment before adding, "I thought it was because… you were heartbroken to leave Earth and I didn't return your feelings."

Seiya turns to Usagi, surprised by her comments. "Heartbroken…?"

"That is was Shiori-chan told me when we first met." Usagi's voice grows softer. "I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how I really felt…"

The conversation ends here as they arrive at the hotel. "We can talk more once we get upstairs," Seiya assures her; he knows this discussion is far from over. They are about to head inside when a pizza delivery guy shows up.

"Great timing!" Seiya flags him down.

The delivery driver looks at him shocked. "The order was actually for you? I thought it was a fake name!"

Seiya quickly pays for the food. He is about to head inside when the delivery driver asks for his autograph for his girlfriend that is a huge fan.

A few minutes later, Usagi and Seiya are in the elevator. Usagi stares at the pizza in Seiya's hands. "It smells so good!" She looks at the top of the elevator to see the numbers tick up as it ascends. "This is taking forever!"

Once they are in the hotel room they start eating. After a few minutes, Seiya breaks the silence to finish explaining to Usagi. "It's actually nice to talk someone about what happened. I've kept it hidden for so long… kind of like what you did by not telling the other senshi what happened when we fought Galaxia."

"This is a lot different," Usagi counters while reaching for more food. Her mood is improving as talks to Seiya and is no longer has an empty stomach. "Why exactly did you drink so much?"

"Everyone was so excited for the progress we made restoring Kinmoku but it was also a reminder of how long it had been seen we left Earth and I last saw you. That realization hit me hard. Everyone was so happy and I ended up having a lot more than I anticipated. I lost track of how much I had. I know Yaten and Taiki were tipsy at the end of the night as well but not to the same level. The Starlights in training, Shiori-chan, Yuna-chan, and Sakura-chan were there. Princess Kakyuu asked them to escort us back to our rooms…and…" Seiya's voice trails off. "You know what happened next."

Usagi nods. "Seiya… you missed me that much?"

"It was horrible. No matter what I did, I couldn't stop thinking of you." He admits. "The wine only made those feelings worse." He looks down at the empty plate in front of him.

Usagi puts her empty plate down and looks at Seiya. "I think I understand, and it was before you returned to Earth because of the prophecy, right?"

Seiya nods his head yes.

"And way before we were together," Usagi finishes.

"Odango, I would never do anything to hurt you. I want you to know that." Seiya studies her carefully. He wants to put this part of his life behind him.

"I know," she comforts him, placing her hand on top of his for a moment. "This morning when I touched your Change Star, I was shocked and hurt you never told me this part of your past. I understand why now. But what I don't understand… why is a relationship between senshi forbidden on Kinmoku? Why is that even a law?"

Seiya leans back in the chair at the table. "That started after the previous Sailor Cosmos actually. There was a concern about loyalty to protecting the royal family. If two senshi were in love with each other they would put each other before their duty as senshi. Kinmoku believes duty as a senshi always comes first. The duty to who you are sworn to protect." Seiya can't help but smile. "I guess I luck out in this case too."

Usagi blushes slightly at him. Concern covers her face. "But you still have responsibilities to Kinmoku too… it's all so confusing."

"There's something else I never told you."

Usagi looks at him apprehensively. "There is?" She is afraid of what else she is going to learn.

"When we found our Princess… now Queen, on Earth, I was conflicted. Here we spent countless months searching for her and when we finally found her, all I could think about was you."

Usagi gasps. She remembers seeing the Starlights tears when Princess Kakyuu appeared at the school. "Even back then…?"

Seiya nods his head. "It was a really confusing time for me. But I had to put my duty above all else… it was nearly impossible. I couldn't deny my feelings for you anymore. After you become Sailor Cosmos and returned my feelings… I don't know what I would have done if Queen Kakyuu did not change our mission to protect you, Sailor Cosmos."

Tears trickle down Usagi's cheeks. "I'm sorry I put you through so much, I…"

Seiya stops her by placing a finger on her lips. "I fell in love with you first, remember? I tried to stop myself knowing nothing would likely come of it but I couldn't help myself." He looks into her eyes. "I hope you're a little less angry now that we talked."

"Yeah…" Usagi started to respond but another thought troubles her. "Seiya we talked about visiting Kinmoku soon. What will happen to you then?"

"I think everything will be fine. We are still citizens of Kinmoku but we're also citizens here and follow whatever rules the new Queen has set here." Seiya really hopes all of his assumptions are correct.

Usagi blinks a few times. "New Queen?" She looks at him confused for a moment until it starts to sink in. "You mean me?"

Seiya smiles at her. "Of course."

Usagi places her chin on top of her hands. "I never thought about it that way….I mean I'm Sailor Cosmos but at the same time I'm also Neo Queen Serenity."

"It is a really unique situation. A Queen is not supposed to be a senshi… but somehow you are." Seiya explains. "This is all new territory."

Usagi thinks about when she was in the other timeline. "I was Sailor Moon again briefly in the other timeline… because I hadn't become Queen yet." This reminds her of how hard it was for her to summon her abilities as Sailor Cosmos. "And the entire time I kept wishing to have these powers back."

This question has been nagging Seiya. "Do… you regret coming back here?" He asks with a lot of hesitation.

Usagi is startled by the question and then reaches for his hands to soothe him, "No, never. This is where I belong."

Seiya stands up to kiss Usagi on the forehead. "I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't have you."

Usagi looks at him, trying to hide a blush. He always knew just what to say to her.

"It's getting late and we're moving on to the final city soon." Seiya explains.

Usagi gives him a questioning look. "Final city…? I thought there were two more?"

Seiya shakes his head no. "It was changed this morning, the last city was canceled. They had several safety concerns so it is being skipped. Some kind of protests about land rights so we are ending in Sao Paulo, the southern part of Brazil." He sighs at the next part of the change. "Since we are going back to Tokyo sooner, the manager has added some additional post tour things to fill in those extra days."

"You mean we'll be back in Tokyo next week?" Usagi is excited at this thought. She was missing Japan and thrilled at the thought of not having to use English or attempt Spanish any more.

"Yes. Taiki and Yaten also want to go to Kinmoku when we have our much needed break."

Usagi stands up. "Seiya, is it going to be a problem for you… or either of us to go to Kinmoku?" She can't let this go so easily and asks again.

"I don't think so," Seiya tries to reassure her but he isn't sure.

"Maybe we shouldn't go," Usagi looks at him worried.

"It will be okay Odango."

"But what if your Change Star is taken away?" Usagi can't believe Seiya doesn't appear more worried.

"Then I guess you'll be stuck with me on Earth." Seiya touches her lightly on the forehead. "I need to get some sleep; I have some early events tomorrow."

Usagi frowns. "You never get a break do you?"

Seiya laughs slightly. "No, but I knew what I was agreeing too when we returned as the Three Lights."

Usagi looks at him confused. "Wait, why are we going back to Brazil when we were already there?"

"We were in the northern part and we'll be going to the southern part now. We were near Manaus last time."

"I don't really remember. Rei-chan helped me find it on a map and I was more focused on talking with you."

"Talking…" Seiya looks over at her with an eye raised.

"Well yeah, we talked for a long time what did you think-" Usagi stops to stare at Seiya with her mouth agape.

Seiya laughs at her reaction and heads to the bathroom to shower. Once the door is closed, he exhales slowly. Of course he is worried about going back to Kinmoku; he was just trying not to show it in front of Usagi. Maybe it won't be so bad. But he can't avoid going to Kinmoku forever.

He feels better they talked but discussing everything brought back a lot of unpleasant memories. After that night, every time the Starlights were summoned by Princess Kakyuu he kept asking himself, is this it? Is today the day his powers will be taken away? Every time he still left with his powers intact. Things were different with Usagi, and a lot more complicated.

A short time later he steps out of the bathroom with a towel still on his head and finds Usagi sleeping. He hopes it will be peaceful for her and she won't have a nightmare. She needs a break.

Sailor Cosmos stares at Usagi. "You need to rein Neo-Queen Serenity in. She is starting to cause too many problems."

Usagi looks at the senshi form of herself in front of her. "Everything was fine until Sailor Pluto sent me to that alternative time; it brought back all the hurt she felt having to give up Endymion. I can understand her pain." Usagi swallows. "I felt it too. It was hard to be married to Mamo-chan knowing it wasn't real."

"It might not have felt real to you, but Neo Queen Serenity didn't see it that way. She was reminded of everything she lost and the future she thought was promised to her. Your anger over happened with Seiya and Shiori-chan is making you more unstable. You have to keep your emotions under control." Sailor Cosmos explains to her. She walks over to Usagi, looking at her in the eyes. "You have to do something."

Usagi looks at Sailor Cosmos apprehensively. "How can I possibly stop Neo Queen Serenity when she is a part of me?"

"There is no stopping me until you wake up!" A fuming Queen shouts.

Usagi's turns around, anger written across her features. "Me wake up?" She shouts back. "The Earth was almost destroyed because you wouldn't work with me until the last moment to save everyone! You almost ensured everyone died."

Neo Queen Serenity shakes her head in disbelief. "I will not give up on Chibi Usa, especially right now!"

Usagi can feel tears pooling at the bottom on her eyes. "But she's already gone…" She hates how the other timeline reminded her of this fact. Neo Queen Serenity is struggling to acknowledge this as well.

"Chibi Usa is not meant to exist in this world." Sailor Cosmos confronts the Queen.

"Don't you dare speak her name!" Neo Queen Serenity screams at her.

"You've already seen the future of this planet, a peaceful one." Sailor Cosmos continues, unfazed by the outburst.

Usagi looks up to address Neo Queen Serenity again but she is gone. She glances around and Sailor Cosmos vanished as well. She's alone again.

"I want to meet Ami-chan. We need to talk to Usagi-chan about it," Ayumi repeats herself after receiving a strange look from Mamoru at the suggestion.

"That is going to be a bit difficult since we only know what city they might be based on whatever the tour schedule is. We can't just wander around all day and hope we find them," Mamoru counters back.

Ayumi shakes her head at him. "It looks like I need to teach you more about your powers again."

"What?" Mamoru looks at her in utter confusion.

She smiles. "You have the ability to locate anyone on Earth. I can only locate someone if they are close by."

Mamoru states are her, his eyes unblinking.

"What?" Ayumi raises her eyebrows. "You think I'm joking?"

Mamoru isn't sure what to say. "Ummm…"

"Okay. Go and walk somewhere. I'll wait fifteen minutes before I start looking for you."

Mamoru gives her a skeptical look but decides to give it a try. He's seen enough a strange things in life to know if someone says they can do something that seems impossible, don't doubt them.

"Then I'll start training you to be able to do the same thing," Ayumi finishes.

Mamoru shrugs and gives it a shot. He leaves the room heading for the staircase. He thinks it over and decides to go to the basement. Ayumi would probably assume he would have left the building.

He sits down in a chair nearby listening to the humming of a few washing machines. He sits in silence wondering how Ayumi would even be able to find him.

He looks at his watch and realizes twenty minutes passed. If she doesn't find him soon he'll return to his room.

Out of nowhere, Ayumi taps him on the shoulder.

He jumps and turns around. "…how?"

Ayumi grins. "Told you." She grabs his arm. "Come on. It's easier to show you outside."

Ayumi takes them to the side of the building as the sun is gradually climbing in the sky. It's empty on campus at this hour. She goes to a spot with several large trees hiding them from the walking path. "This place is the best spot near the hall to use this ability." After she verifies no one is around she continues. "The easiest way is to touch the Earth." She lowers herself to the ground, firmly placing her palm on the grass. She closes her eyes and a green light appears on her forehead quickly becoming the symbol of Earth. After a few seconds she stands back up. "Give it a try."

"I'm not even sure who how to look for someone," Mamoru counters. Ayumi made it look so easy.

"Hmm," Ayumi thinks things over. "You have the strongest connection to Usagi-chan and it might be easier to start there but she is pretty far away."

Mamoru pales slightly. "Could this ability… give me some kind of warning if Usako was in danger? I've always been able to find her when she was in trouble after she transformed into Sailor Moon."

It was Ayumi's turn to look at him surprised. "So this ability has already surfaced."

"Is that what it is? I always thought I could find her because of the connection we have," Mamoru is surprised to learn this is part of his abilities he didn't even know he could use.

Ayumi nods her head in agreement. "Was she ever able to find you when you were in danger the same way you could?"

Mamoru shakes his head. "Not that I know of, unless we spoke over a communicator or telephone." He begins to see how one way this ability is.

"Probably because you were channeling your power without even realizing you were doing it. I'm impressed," Ayumi encourages him. "Since you are familiar with being able to find her, try her first. But this will be different. You'll actually be able to see her." She pauses. "But you might not always like what you see…" Her voice trails off. She wants to caution him in case he sees something unpleasant.

Mamoru appreciates the warning. "I understand. But I need to learn how to use this power." He kneels down onto the ground like Ayumi had a few minutes ago. He focuses his thoughts on Usako but nothing happens. He tries a few times and nothing happens.

He is determined. He tries a few more times, frustration starting to set in when everything seems the same.

Ayumi clenches her lips together. "We can try again later. Start with someone that is close by."

The symbol of Earth began to flash on Mamoru's forehead in response. His eyes are closed tightly in concentration. For a few seconds he can see Usako standing in front of a mirror in the bathroom brushing her hair. The image fades as quickly as it came, the symbol of Earth fading from his forehead.

Ayumi kneels on the ground next to him. "Did you see something?" She is hopeful he was successful.

Mamoru rubs his eyes, tired of using his energy in a way that is foreign to him. "I saw her brushing her hair for a moment and then the image faded."

"That's great! Did you figure out where she was though?" Ayumi asks trying to assess how successful he was.

"No."

"We can try again later tonight to focus more on her location. It's a great start considering how far away she is." She encourages her brother.

Usagi slowly sits up and stretches. Her sleep was more restful than the ones she has had in the past few nights. While she was visited by Neo Queen Serenity and Sailor Cosmos briefly, she was able to sleep for the rest of the night. She hopes it will continue like this. It was like she blinked and it was time to wake up. She stumbles out of bed half asleep to go to the bathroom and nearly runs into Seiya coming out of the bathroom.

"Ah!" Usagi exclaimed startled by his sudden appearance nearly falling over.

Seiya is quick to catch her before she can fall over backward. Their eyes meet for a moment but no words are exchanged.

Usagi moves closer to him and throws her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Seiya is surprised by her actions at first but then returns the embrace equally as tight. He whispers, "I'm sorry Odango, I never meant to hurt you."

Usagi can only manage to nod her head as a few tears escape her eyes. She brushes them away quickly. "I know," she responds before nuzzling her face into his chest more. "Are you still free tonight? I know you had something planned for us."

Seiya smiles. "Of course, I wasn't sure if you still wanted to go."

Usagi pulled away to look up at him. "Hmm."

"I know how much you enjoyed walking on the beach at Waikiki and I was recommended this great place to take you to for dinner off the beach."

Usagi frowns. "Is it a really nice place? Because I didn't bring any dress clothes and I've spent just about all of my money…" Usagi sighs. She always has an issue with spending her money too fast. Since she was going home to see her parents here and there she purposely left some behind to grab each time.

Seiya walks over to the dresser at the other end of the room where his Change Star remains. He pulls out some money from his wallet to give to Usagi. He pauses to grab his transformation item wanting to avoid a repeat of yesterday morning. He walks back over to Usagi and hands her the money.

Usagi stares at him shocked when she sees how much. "That's… too much…" Usagi looks at it. How can she accept that?

"Don't worry about it," Seiya assures her. "Have fun today. You've have some pretty rough days."

Usagi smiles and then tries to hide a yawn that snuck out. "I think I'm supposed to be meeting Rei-chan soon and you know how she gets if she has wait for me."

Seiya nods his head. "I need to be going as well. I'll see you back here at 5pm?"

"Five?" Usagi repeats; surprised at how early he will be back. "You really do have the whole night off."

"And I plan on spending every moment of it with you," Seiya brushes a few fingers against her cheek.

Usagi beams. "I'd like that."

Seiya leans down to kiss her on the forehead before leaving.

Usagi grabs his tie to bring him closer and lower to her so she can kiss him on the lips instead.

Seiya is surprised by her boldness but welcomes the change. "Odango…" he murmurs between kisses.

Usagi can't help by smile as she leans in to kiss him a few more times.

Seiya reluctantly pulls away, pausing to whisper in her ear, "save that for tonight."

Usagi blushes for a moment and then giggles. She starts pushing him to the hotel door room. "You have to be going; you don't want to be late!"

Once Seiya is gone, Usagi finally makes it to the bathroom. She frowns at the large knots in her long hair. She picked up her brush and starts the process of the removing the tangles.

Haruka looks at Setsuna with a lot of skepticism. "You've been spending a lot of time with Mamoru-san lately is everything alright with him?"

"He is trying to adjust to everything and it's helpful to have someone to talk to," Setsuna explains, making a note to be more discreet when she leaves. "There aren't many people he can talk to regarding senshi matters."

Haruka doesn't quite believe the Senshi of Time's response. "You're not plotting something and not telling us, are you?" Thinking back to how long it took for Setsuna to share her plan to restore the timeline. Setsuna might have told her and Michiru there was nothing she could do but Haruka struggles with the idea of just giving up.

Michiru interjects. "Setsuna-san already told us she is out of options Haruka."

"Right now we have to let Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san be so they can sort this out. If they can work it out, they will," Setsuna tries to explain for the umpteenth time.

Michiru looks at Setsuna with curiosity. "What is going to happen?"

Setsuna can only smile at Michiru. "I'm going to let this timeline play out. It is still stabilizing from recent events and I want to make sure there are no ripples or lasting effects."

Haruka sighs, shaking her head. Setsuna was never one to give a straight answer on anything involving the future. "It's bad enough Kitten is with him, what could possibility be worse?"

And Haruka jinxed everything. But that answer is little later down the road.

Sorry, no snippets were used in this one either because I ended up splitting the chapter. I did not want another 20K word chapter. The editing process is horrible that way. There will be one in the next chapter, so be on the lookout!

That is the rest of the backstory about Kinmoku and why it is such a big deal. Will everything be fine like Seiya hopes? That answer is also down the road a bit.

Seiya and Usagi's dinner along with Usagi having some expected visitors! Find out in Act 64: A Night Out, to be posted just in time for Valentine's Day on February 10th.

Thank you for all your feedback, it really means a lot to me!