"I don't understand Usagi-chan...this can't be happening..."

"I know, I can't believe it either. I'm going to miss the next season of 'Sex and the City'!"

"How can you joke at a time like this, Usagi?!?! You're dying!!!"

From the bed, the small woman, grown smaller as the illness slowly sapped away at her life, smiled at her friends. "It's okay, Rei-chan. I accepted it a long time ago. I'm scared, but in my heart, I know that everything is going to be all right. We're all going to die eventually, right?"

"But Usagi-chan..."

"And we'll see each other again in Crystal Tokyo..."

"One thousand years from now?!?!?!"

The woman on the bed paused, then looked at the tallest woman in the room. "Puu-chan...we'll be together again before that, right?"

She didn't answer.

"Puu-chan...answer me..."

Silence.

"ANSWER ME!"

"Usagi-chan, calm down!" Monitors were beeping, and the woman on the bed was gasping.

"Oh my god...Mina-chan get the doctor..."

The woman on the bed collapsed. "Answer me, Pluto..." she whispered, then she was still.

L1, AC 187

The little blond girl sat up in bed gasping, then looked out the window at the full moon.

"A dream...?" she murmured.

ONE:

Life

Brussels, Belgium, AC 199

My name is Usagi Hisakata. I'm 19 going on 20, and I was born in the Sanc Kingdom. When it fell for the first time, my parents and I went up to the colonies where my dad got work as a contractor, but when Relena Peacecraft took over, we came back, and this time we stayed, even through Romefeller's rule. I even got to attend the princess's institution, although I didn't graduate near the top of the class. Still, I made some good friends, and I got a decent job...

"So you had the dream again, Usagi-chan?"

"Yeah. I have it pretty often, actually. All I can see is some cancer patient or somebody laying on a bed, talking to people in the dark all around her. Her name's Usagi too, but I know she's not me," the young woman remarked as her bagel ejected itself from her toaster. Crap I'm gonna be soooooo late...Une's gonna kill me...

"How do you know she's not you? What if it's like, a vision or something?"

"That's silly, Mina-chan. Anyways, I'll talk to you later. I'm running late already."

"I will never understand why YOU of all people took a job that required you to be at work at 6 AM," Minako remarked.

"Bye, Mina-chan," Usagi remarked, closing her phone and dropping it in her purse as she shoved the bagel in her mouth and checked her watch. "Oh sfit!" she cried around the ring of carbs, then dashed to the front door. Jamming her feet into her shoes, she raced out of the apartment and down the stairs to the street. She could see the bus at the corner. Again, she cursed herself for not running track in high school, and kicked into high gear as she raced for the vehicle.

She made it just in time. For the doors to close and the bus to pull away. Letting out a screech of rage (which was muffled by the half-bagel still hanging out of her mouth, she quickly turned left and headed down the street. It was twelve blocks to Une's place, and she had approximately five minutes to get there.

Careening past other commuters, a few homeless people, and nearly tripping over a mangy stray dog, Usagi managed to finish the bagel without choking and at the same time zip up her jacket AND check the time on her phone again. Long pigtails streaming behind her, she left the urban area for the residential district where the streets were lined with trees and huge houses. Slowing in front of one, she raced through the open gates and up the winding drive to the garage. Climbing the steps to the house door, she reached for the knob.

The door opened, revealing a very displeased looking woman with long brown hair and a business suit. "You're late, Hisakata," Une remarked, walking past the younger woman and beeping her Benz's locks up.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Une. It won't happen again..." Usagi apologized, bowing her head and trying to look as sorry as possible. It always worked on men, but Une was hardcore. Considering she used to be the right-hand woman for Treize Khushrenada and was now the head of the Preventers organization, she had to be.

"It better not. Go get breakfast started. I'll be working late tonight, so I'll need you here until midnight at least. Also, I need the second floor guest rooms cleaned and the linens changed. We're having company over the weekend," Une remarked, getting in.

"Yes, ma'am," Usagi answered, not daring to raise her head until the Benz was heading down the driveway. Rolling her eyes, she let out a huffy breath. "Madam fortress mommy," she muttered, then turned around and went inside.

Depositing her coat and purse in the laundry room, she took her apron off the hook and tied it over her blue sweater and brown skirt. That was one perk of being Une's housekeeper and nanny; she didn't have to wear the stupid french maid uniform she had originally envisioned when Minako told her about the job. Sure the hours sucked, but the work really wasn't that hard (she kept the TV on all day) and it paid great. Plus the kid...

"Usagi!" A shrill voice called from the hall. The blond woman turned around and smiled at the little pink-haired girl standing in the doorway.

"Good morning, Mariemaia," she greeted warmly.

The child glared at her. "You're late. Again," she scowled, feigning rage. Usagi giggled and clapped her hands to her face.

"Oh please, Miss Mariemaia! Forgive me!" she cried theatrically. "It won't happen ever again! I swear!"

"Unless you stay up too late talking on the phone again, right?" Mariemaia hissed. "I don't know, Usagi..."

"Oh come on," Usagi answered, sounding a little more irritated. "I don't do it that often!"

The nine-year-old gave her a look.

Leaning forward onto the butcher block in the center of the kitchen, the nanny folded her hands. "All right squirt, here's the deal. You get pancakes, and I don't have to listen to your lectures about my cell phone abuse. Sound good?"

Mariemaia narrowed her eyes and leaned onto the block, meeting Usagi's gaze. "Quit calling me 'squirt' and you've got a deal," she countered.

"Fine." They shook on it. "But really, Mariemaia, what are you even doing up this early? You don't even have to leave for two and a half more hours yet! If I were you, I'd be in my bed sleeping right now," Usagi remarked.

The girl shrugged, then took a seat at the table where her nanny had placed a glass of orange juice. "I didn't sleep well last night," she answered.

"Bad dreams?"

Mariemaia didn't say anything. Usagi didn't press. Her charge had been going to therapy regularly since she was seven and had been shot by her own grandfather upon failing to lead a revolution and take over the world. Add in the fact that Une wasn't the greatest parent (To be fair, she tried, but work always came first with her. Plus, Minako had told her about Une and Treize's love affair, and both were sure that Usagi's employer harbored some hostility towards her adopted daughter simply because she was the product of Treize's romance with another woman), and it was obvious that the kid was going to be a little screwed up. She was a genius at school, but had almost no friends, and she also had the tendency to get sick a lot. But for better or worse, Usagi liked the kid, even loved her a little. And even though they did squabble a great deal, she knew in her heart Mariemaia cared for her too.

Besides that, Usagi had learned the secret of helping Mariemaia out of her quiet spells, which was to talk about her own personal life until the kid got so sick of hearing it she told her to shut up. Usually she waited until Usagi started gushing about her boyfriend, but today she simply let it all pass. When the nanny put the stack of pancakes and syrup jug before her, she barely seemed to notice.

Sighing, Usagi sat down next to her. "All right kid, spill it. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm fine," Mariemaia answered robotically.

"Liar liar, pants on fire," the woman chided. "Come on, you know you can trust me. And if you're not gonna eat your pancakes, give 'em over. I'm not going to sit here and watch good food go to waste."

"I just got in a fight with her, okay?" the girl snapped. "That's why I couldn't sleep. And that's why I got up so early. I want to take advantage of all the time I have when she's not around. I want to be with you."

"Aw...I'm touched," Usagi smiled, putting an arm around her shoulders. "What was it about?"

"A grade."

The nanny winced. "Yikes...I know how that is. But you're like, really smart. How could you have trouble with a grade?"

"Group project."

"Oh," Usagi answered, only to well-aware of Mariemaia's issues when it came to working with others.

"It sucks!" she cried. "If I do everything myself, the others are just leeching off my grades. But if I try to make them work, then they pick on me! They say...they say..." Her breath was breaking up into little sobs, and her Usagi could see tears welling up in her blue eyes.

"Whoa, calm down, Mariemaia," she murmured.

"They call me dictator. Tell me I'm trying to rule the world. Shit like that..."

"Language," Usagi reminded gently, then squeezed her charge tightly. "I'm sorry, Mariemaia. What did you do then?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. We failed. And she spent all last night after you left lecturing me. I hate her!"

"You don't hate her, and you know it, Mariemaia," she responded, taking a tissue from the box on the counter and wiping the girl's eyes. "But do you want me to call you in sick today? You can help me out around the house. I'll tell your mom you had a fever when you got up. And I don't even have to lie about your appetite being gone..."

Mariemaia shook her head. "No, she'll know it's a fake. And you don't want to get her mad, Usagi, not on a day when you were late. I'll go."

She hugged her nanny tight. Usagi smiled. "Well, whatever your mom thinks, Mariemaia, I still admire your drive. I totally would have taken my offer if I were you. Plus I never did work on group projects anyways. It's a miracle I passed through class at all."

"Is that why you're stuck working as a nanny instead of having a real job?" the child giggled.

Usagi pulled her away. "Watch it kid, or you can kiss the oreos in your lunch goodbye."

"Sorry!" Mariemaia laughed. "Can you hand me the syrup, please?"

Happy to see a smile on her charge's face, Usagi gladly handed her the jug before heading down the hall to the basement stairs. Collecting the laundry at the bottom of the chute, she came back upstairs and began sorting it out on the butcher's block, turning on the news and quickly switching it over to a talk show.

"That stuff rots your bra-ain..." Mariemaia sang.

"Eat your fricken pancakes..." Usagi answered, matching her tone. After doing the laundry and breakfast dishes, she took out the supplies to make Mariemaia's lunch, helping herself to a few extra cookies and about half the jug of juice in the refridgerator. That was another stipulation of her contract with Une; she got all the free food she wanted, it just had to stay in the house. No making off with the prime rib.

When Ryan, the driver/handyman, came to collect Mariemaia and drive her to school, Usagi paused and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Mariemaia...I had an idea."

The girl tilted her head slightly. "What is it?"

"Do you want me to go talk to your teacher friday? Your mom gave me the afternoon off. I can go with Ryan when he picks you up and talk with her then."

Mariemaia's face lit up. "Would you, Usagi? That would be awesome!"

"I know. I'm awesome. Now go on, get out of here," she grinned, mussing her charge's short hair and waving to Ryan.

She spent her day cleaning the house and watching soaps on and off. Minako called her cell later in the day, allowing them to continue their gabbing from earlier that morning. Of course with Minako up in the colonies, it was really from earlier that evening (she was getting for bed right now). When they finally hung up, Usagi sighed. When Minako talked, it was always dramatic and interesting. She was determined to win the most eligible bachelor in space, namely Mr. Quatre Raberba Winner, but unfortunately he had his eyes on Usagi and Minako's school friend, Rei Taiyou. All three of them were very rich and powerful, making the drama in the triangle all the more delicious. And while Minako assured her that any gossip she could pull out of the Une household was just as savory, Usagi knew it couldn't hold a candle to what was going on in her friends' lives.

"Ugh...why doesn't anything interesting ever happen to me?" Usagi groaned as she sprayed Windex on the stained glass separating the kitchen from the dining room.

She thought her wishes were going to come true when the phone rang. So sure was she that this was THE life-changing phone call that she dropped the windex, knocking off the loose top and spilling the blue liquid all across the tile floor. However, she didn't seem to care as she scrambled across the room to the phone.

"Une residence," she answered, pushing one of her long pigtails over her shoulder.

"Hi, Miss Hisakata? This is Lucrezia Noin," the voice on the other end remarked.

Usagi's face fell. Damn. One of Une's business associates. Oh well, at least it was one of the nice ones. "Hello, Miss Noin. Ms. Une is out right now, can I take a message for you?" she offered, looking around for the pad and trying not to let her attention get drawn out the window at the beautiful spring weather. She was so used to these boring business calls that even the voice of a caller could instantly make her unable to focus.

"No, that's all right, Miss Hisakata. Or, well...I just wanted to say that I won't be able to make it there this weekend, but as far as I know, Zechs and Sally will be there."

"Zechs...and...Sally..." Usagi repeated, scribbling down the message on a napkin. She would write it on the pad later. Sally Po she'd met in person, and actually liked a great deal. Zechs she only knew from the news during the war. Would he be at the house this weekend? Would she be expected to work as usual?

"Miss Hisakata?"

"Sorry! Sorry, Miss Noin. I um...wandered off there a moment. Was there anything else?"

"No. I'll call back later this evening."

"All right. Thank you."

"Good bye."

"Bye."

Hm...company for the weekend. Had Une ever entertained before? Not that Usagi could remember, and she'd had the job for almost a year now. Oh well, you never really could tell what went on inside the lady's head. Usagi didn't think she was a bad person, not at all, but she was definitely weird, no question about that.

Removing her apron, she slipped her outdoor shoes back on again and headed out to the mailbox. Retrieving the treasures, she sorted through the multitude of bills and junk mail until she came to a flyer. Frowning, she opened it and peered at the picture of a black cat.

LOST: CAT. ANSWERS TO THE NAME LUNA. IS SOMEWHAT FRIENDLY. REWARD. IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL. WE MISS HER DEARLY.

Usagi frowned, looking for the number to call. There was none. No address or e-mail either. "Wow, you have to be REALLY stupid to forget to put a number on your flier," she mused. "That, or you don't really want your cat back." Her blue eyes fell on the black and white picture of the cat. It was a very ordinary-looking cat, save for a mark on its forehead that looked like a crescent moon.

A shiver ran down her back, for no apparent reason. Shaking her head, Usagi folded up the flyer and deposited it in her purse, then got out the bread to make Mariemaia's after-school sandwich.