Phèdre: Hello everyone. Sorry it took so long to update.

Hiei: It's mostly your fault. You didn't need to go back and redo chapter three.

Phèdre: Yes, I did. It was horrible.

Kurama: What about the other reason it took so long?

Phèdre: Oh, yeah. Seems my computer decided it would set itself on fire, so we lost all our files. Meaning I would have had to retype the chapter anyway, seeing as I only had chapters one and two on my disk.

Yusuke: Well, at least we got a break.

Phèdre: (growls) And just what do you mean by that?

Yusuke: N-nothing.

Hiei and Kurama: (snicker)

Phèdre: A-hem. Kurama, it's your turn to do the disclaimer.

Kurama: (sighs) Phèdre Nó Delauney doesn't own Sailor Moon, Ruroni Kenshin, or Yu Yu Hakusho. She is merely borrowing the characters for an extended period.

Phèdre: Why did you mention YYH?

Kurama: Because technically, we are in this story too.

Phèdre: Oh.

Chapter 3: Lingering Memories

Usagi glanced around the street where she and her 'sisters' had appeared. She was a little shocked. She was standing in late 19th century Tokyo.

"Usagi," Hotaru said softly. "We should find a place to stay and some work. The money Setsuna gave us won't last very long."

Usagi blinked, "Yes, maybe I could get a job at a restaurant."

"Shouldn't we work too?" Chibi-Usa asked.

Usagi frowned, "I don't know if you should be working, but if they'll hire you, you won't work for less than minimum wage. We'll discuss what hours you two can work later."

Ten minutes later, Usagi, Chibi-Usa, and Hotaru had jobs at the Akabecko. It was a good job and it gave them a place to stay. The owner, Tae, said that they were welcome to stay with her and Tsubame as long as they liked.

A few days later...

"Hurry up, Busu!" called a child's voice. "You and Kenshin are so slow."

A tall man who had been here a few times since Usagi had been hired said, "Cool it, Yahiko-chan. Jou-chan's already in a bad mood without you adding to it."

The boy glared up at the man. "Don't call me chan!" he shouted.

"Ano," Usagi said. "May I help you?"

"Sure," the man shrugged. "We're just waiting for two others to show up."

"I see." Usagi said. "Would you like to sit down or wait for them here."

"Sit," the boy proclaimed. "Kenshin and Busu can find us when they get here."

Usagi showed them to a table then took their order, the beef pot. When she came back with their order, she saw that the other two members of their party had arrived. One was a young woman with long black hair and clear blue eyes. The other was a redheaded man, whose long wild hair was pulled into a low ponytail at the base of his neck. His back was to her, but the sight of him made her heart quicken. He turned his head, and Usagi gasped and lost her grip on the pot she was carrying. It was Battousai!

At the sound of a gasp, and a pot falling, Kenshin spun to see what was happening. His breath caught in his throat. It was a beautiful young woman with long golden hair and the most enchanting blue eyes he had ever seen. And she was staring right at him! But what really confused him was the feeling that they had met before. "Miss, are you all right?" The question was out of his mouth before he realized it.

"Yes, I-I'm fine." She stuttered. "I'm so sorry. I ruined your meal. I-I'll go fix it." She hurriedly ran off to get stuff to clean it up with.

Kenshin heard two other waitresses a little older than Tsubame talking. "What's Odango-Atama's problem? She hasn't klutzed out for days now."

The other answered her, "I think that's him. She must be really nervous."

"I'll say." The first girl said thoughtfully. Kenshin looked at her for the first time and realized that she had PINK hair. She and her friend (who's hair was black) also seemed somewhat familiar. Well, the black-haired girl seemed familiar, but the pink-haired girl didn't seem so familiar really, just similar to someone he'd seen before. He just couldn't quite place whom.

"Who was that?" Kaoru asked. "I've never seen her before."

Yahiko shrugged, "I don't know. Last time I was here, Tae was fussing about having to train three new girls. I guess she's one of them."

"Oh," Kaoru said and let the subject drop.

-1-

"Usagi-san, are you alright?" Tsubame asked timidly.

Usagi smiled kindly at the young girl. "I'm fine, Tsubame-chan. I was just nervous." She glanced at Tae. "I'm really sorry, Tae-san."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Usagi-chan." Tae said cheerfully. "We all make mistakes. Besides, it's only your second day on the job."

Usagi bowed gratefully, "Thank you, Tae-san."

"It's quite alright, dear." Tae laughed, "It's been a while since Kaoru-chan and I talked, so I'll just take their food to them."

-2-

"Kaoru-chan!" Tae's cheerful voice broke into their conversation, if it could be called that. (It had consisted mostly of 'Busu', 'Yahiko-chan', and 'Tori-Atama's.) Everyone looked up to see Tae carrying their dinner to them. After everyone had dug in, Tae commented, "I apologize for Usagi-chan. She's not usually so clumsy."

Kaoru stopped eating and asked, "She's the waitress who tripped?" (They all assume she tripped over something.)

Tae nodded, "Though over what, I don't know. I just hired her and her two sisters, Hotaru-chan and Chibi-Usa. All three are very good workers."

Kaoru nodded, "That's good. So, what's been happening lately?"

Tae's eyes lit up as she proceeded to inform Kaoru of all the latest gossip.

-3-

Later that evening, Usagi found herself being cornered by her 'sisters'. "All right, Odango-Atama," Chibi-Usa said. "That was Battousai, wasn't it?"

Usagi nodded, blushing slightly.

"So why didn't you talk to him?" Chibi-Usa demanded.

Usagi just looked at the ground, suddenly finding it to be very interesting.

Hotaru spoke up, "Are you nervous?"

Suddenly Usagi looked up, tears forming in her eyes. "It's just... What if he doesn't remember me? What if he doesn't want to? What if he hates me? What if...?"

Chibi-Usa shook her head. "Himura-san doesn't hate you. He's your bodyguard in the future, so that must mean he still wants to protect you."

"You really think so?" Hope shone in Usagi's eyes.

Chibi-Usa grinned, "Sure, Himura-san adores you."

-dream-

Kenshin watched as a handsome man, a prince, in armor fell to his sword. A sickening feeling of satisfaction washed over him. He whispered to the fallen man, "Now, she'll love me."

"Battousai?" a voice came from in front of him. He looked up and saw his princess, his love, his golden-haired goddess before him. She came towards him, a frown marring her beautiful face. "I'm sorry, my love." She told him quietly. "I don't expect you to forgive me."

"Serenity—," he began, but cut himself off when she picked up the god-forsaken prince's sword. Realizing what she was about to do, he rushed towards her, amber eyes wide. "No, my love, don't—!" But he was too late. She plunged the sword through her chest, killing both herself, and his hopes that everything would turn out all right in the end. He reached her side just as she fell. He cradled her bloody body in his arms, crying as the one woman who had been able to capture his heart died in his arms.

-end dream-

Kenshin woke with a start, his sword partially unsheathed in his hands. Adrenaline surged though his veins, urging him to kill the one who'd stolen HIS princess from him. Slightly frightened by the onslaught of dark emotions, he pushed back his darker side; the side called 'Battousai' by his friends. Thinking back on his dream, he realized why Usagi was so familiar. She and Princess Serenity were the same. He realized that the dream had been a memory of his past life. He'd had them before, but never had he been able to recall them in any real detail. Now that he'd had the dream, other memories started flowing in.

He remembered begging Sailor Pluto to give him another chance, to prove he could love Serenity without destroying her. He also recognized Usagi's little sister (the one with black hair) as Sailor Saturn. The pink-haired girl's identity, however, remained a mystery.

-End Chapter-

Phèdre: So, what do you think?

Hiei: I think you need a new hobby.

Phèdre: (growls)

Kurama: Now, Hiei, remember what I said aboutconstructive criticism?

Hiei: Hn.

Yusuke: Please review.

Kurama: One last note, if you leave your e-mail address, Phèdre is going to assume you want to be e-mailed when she updates. If this is not the case, please let her know.

Reviewers Response:

Clueless97: I can't wait either. I had it completely planned out, but then I realized that it was really bad, so I'm having to redo it.

Happygirl91: I don't know, but for the record, I don't have Hotaru or Chibi-Usa with anyone. Hotaru is my favorite senshi as well, but at this age, I'm thinking Hotaru and Chibi-Usa are just a little too young for romance. They might develop crushes, though. Sorry.

Serenity Komoshiro: Well, I like the Outers better than the Inners, but I don't think any of them would hurt Usagi like that, despite what some people say. I probably shouldn't have had Mamoru cheating, but I couldn't think of any other idea to get him out of the picture. If you have any, let me know. As for Chibi-Usa and Hotaru, in my opinion they're a little young to get involved romantically. I'm not going to say anything as far as crushes go, (wink) but definitely no dating or anything like that.

Mage Raistlin: I don't really think Kaoru's necessarily best for Kenshin, but she's better than anyone else is. I don't have anything against Tomoe, mind you. In fact, I rather like her, and I consider her and Kaoru to be on an equal footing as far as Kenshin is concerned. I don't really like Mamoru; I just think he takes Usagi for granted. A century in your dungeon, huh? I'd ask if you could accommodate Hiei, but he'd probably enjoy himself.

Also, many thanks to: Flame Ivy Moon, Lady Love, Shadow Nightress, angel, sylverwind, chibi hikaru1, Lady Suga, Hopeful Artimas, and Moonlight.

Glossary:

Jou-chan— Little Missy; Sano's nickname for Kaoru
San— Mr.
Odango-Atama— Meatball-head; Usagi's nickname
Tori-Atama— Rooster-head; Sano's nickname
Busu— Ugly, hag; Yahiko's nickname for Kaoru
Chan— Little
Ano- Um