Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Sailor Moon or its characters

Authors note: Usagi is approximately 25 years old in this fic. Out of high school and attending college part time.

The Project

Usagi sat on the grass outside the University she attended. Sighing she leaned against the tree behind her, closing her eyes and enjoying the sun. She was finally done reading the novel for her English class. She still had a few hours before she had to head to work at the Crown Parlor; maybe she could squeeze in a nap.

Spring break had just ended and Mamoru had headed back to America to continue toward his degree as a doctor. Why he had even come back, she didn't know; he had spent most of his time cramming with Setsuna, who was also studying to be a doctor.

She understood that medical school was hard, but wasn't the whole point of Spring Break to take a break? Mamoru had barely even spent time with his future wife. She had taken a few days off work to spend some time with him, but he was just too busy. She had found herself hanging out with the girls instead.

Setsuna had spent most of her break with Mamoru instead of Hotaru, Michiru and Haruka like she had planned. Hotaru had been really upset about the whole ordeal. They'd all had a nice dinner the night before Mamoru and Setsuna had to board their plane and head back to America, but that had really been the only time the group got to spend with the two aspiring doctors who went to school together.

Usagi often found herself wondering if her prince loved her anymore. They rarely spoke on the phone, and if she wrote to him he never wrote back. Things were not the way she had thought they would be. Weren't they supposed to be married already, and King and Queen of Crystal Tokyo?

She scoffed at herself; that will probably never happen at this point. He loves being a doctor, being King is not on the top of his priority list, she thought to herself. Stretching, the Moon Princess opened her eyes to find a figure standing in front of her.

"Hey Odango," Seiya's voice greeted her.

"Hey, Seiya," she replied, shading her eyes to look up at him. "What's up?"

He took a few steps forward so she could see him better. "Well uh . . ." He blushed a little and looked down at the grass. "I have a favor to ask of you."

Was Seiya nervous? The usually confident Starlight was standing in front of her rubbing his hands together and fidgeting like a little boy.

"Is everything ok?" Usagi asked getting to her feet and walking closer to the man.

He smiled. "Yeah."

"What do you need?" Her blue eyes looked up at him with worry.

He scratched the back of his head. "Well, I was wondering if you'd be willing to be in one of my music videos."

Usagi's eyes went wide. "What?"

"Well, we're shooting a new video and it requires me to be really close to someone, and I'm not comfortable getting that close to just anyone, so I was wondering if you'd be willing to do it for me," he spoke really fast, almost too fast. "Yaten and Taiki are comfortable enough to work with the models chosen, but I'm not."

The Moon Princess cocked her head to the side a little. "How close exactly?"

"Well . . ." He cleared his throat. "One scene is a dancing scene, and there are a few other scenes too, but one requires me to be in a bed with nothing but my underwear," his voice trailed off as Usagi's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she went bright red. Before she could say anything he quickly added, "You don't have to be in your underwear, they're giving you a nightgown."

She was speechless. Seiya was telling her he was comfortable being with her in only his underwear. She pictured it for a moment and blushed again.

"We'll pay you," Seiya continued. "The shoot will go for a few days, early morning to late night, and they'll want photos too. But you get to be pampered and fed. Plus, you get to hang out with me."

"Well, I suppose I could do it, I'd just have to make sure I can get that time off work."

"I already talked to your boss, he's okay with it."

Usagi smiled. "Well then, I guess that's a yes."

Seiya smiled at the blonde. "Thank you so much, Odango." His eyes met hers and for a moment they just stood there. Finally finding himself again Seiya looked away. "The shoot starts tomorrow morning. I'll come pick you up at five a.m. Don't do anything to your hair, and be all natural. Comfy clothes are the best."

"Sounds good."

"Okay, bye."

Usagi watched the black-haired superstar walk away and sighed. She got to be in a music video! She was so excited! Then she remembered what he said about the bed and blushed once more. Her mind wandered as she gathered her things and prepared to head to work.

Usagi starred at herself in the mirror. She was beautiful; the stylists had loved the fact that she had such long and beautiful hair, relived that they wouldn't need to use extensions. Her hair had been curled and placed delicately on her head. Gold eyeshadow and black eyeliner made her eyes look sultry with a cat eye. And the rest of her face seemed to glow. Her lips glimmered with a light pink lipstick and gloss. She had been given a beautiful golden dress and heels to put on and now that she saw the full effect, she couldn't believe what she saw. This was her; the girl who used to throw herself together in the morning and didn't care a thing about how she looked, the girl whose nails were often short and broken; was now a beautiful woman, nails perfectly manicured and makeup on point.

Staring in the mirror she felt as if her past was melting away. Gone was the 14-year-old crybaby who had become Sailor Moon, now she was Usagi; the mature woman who had grown to love school, waking up early and even working out. In this moment, she felt she was a new person.

She quickly snapped a picture of herself with her cell phone and sent a picture to Mamoru, asking what he thought.

"Are you ready?" A female asked peeking through the door. Usagi turned and the woman gasped. "Wow, you are way prettier than any model we could have found, I'm glad Seiya asked you to come."

Usagi blushed. "Thank you."

Walking toward her, the woman smiled. "Ok, here's what's going to happen."

Seiya was so nervous. Standing with Taiki, Yaten, and the extra's in their video, he began to wonder if he'd made a mistake asking Usagi to be here.

"Alright everyone, the girls are in position, let's get this party started," the director called.

The Starlight's walked to their positions; Seiya was in the middle wearing a white tux with gold accents and a cape, Taiki and Yaten stood on either side of him wearing the same thing but with silver accents. They couldn't see their partners through the large group of extras.

Music began and the crowd began to slowly part as the musicians began to sing. A slight glimpse of blonde hair made Seiya's heart begin to pound. Usagi's back was to him and when she began to turn, it took every ounce of his willpower to not stop dead in his tracks.

"Dance with me through life," he sang offering her his hand. She took it and they began to dance.

The world faded away as Seiya led her through the dance, singing to her even though he was only supposed to be lip-syncing. His eyes had found hers immediately and had kept her enraptured the entire time.

The music began to fade as the boys sang. "I promise to always love you." Seiya pulled Usagi close and dipped her slightly. They were so close now, his nose only inches away from hers; his eyes wandered down to her lips and before they knew what was going on, they were kissing.

Usagi's heart was pounding even harder than it had been. The kiss threatened to deepen when the loud call of "CUT!" pulled them out of their world.

They parted and looked away from each other blushing.

"Seiya, that wasn't in the script," the director said.

"I'm sorry sir . . ." Seiya began.

"But I LOVED IT!" The director exclaimed. "It was perfect! Alright people, let's do makeup and hair touch up and run through the dance again."

Seiya turned to Usagi. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen."

The blonde smiled at him. "It's okay, we just got caught up in the moment."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, please don't worry about it."

For the next five hours, the crew worked on the dance scene; doing different angles, with and without the Starlight's signing. Sometimes having only one couple dance at a time. When finally, the director called it good.

"Dancers, you can go, thank you for your hard work! Starlight's, Usagi, Sakura, and Anna, we are going on location to take some photos. There will be blankets and picnics set up. You can eat whatever you like, and when we're done with the shoot we'll break for a real lunch," the Director explained.

The Starlight's and their partners were taken to location in two separate vehicles. Taiki looked at Seiya with questioning eyes.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to have Usagi as your counterpart?" He questioned.

"Why?" Seiya asked.

Yaten spoke up now. "We know how you feel about her. She is engaged, and that kiss wasn't scripted. We're just worried about you."

"I'll be fine," Seiya assured them. "Even Usagi said the kiss was fine. It only happened the once."

"Just be careful," Taiki warned. "She has a future as Neo Queen Serenity, and you don't play a part in that future."

"I know that," Seiya nearly shouted. His face fell and he looked down. "I know, you don't need to remind me. I remember every time I see that stupid ring on her finger."

"Seiya," Taiki said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Usagi looked out the window of the moving car, her mind wandering. Why was her heart still pounding so much? She kept thinking about the kiss she had shared with Seiya; it had been so long since she had been kissed like that. Mamoru only gave her quick pecks when they actually saw each other. She loved spending time with Seiya, he was such an amazing person.

The sound of her name snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry, what?" She asked the two girls sharing the car with her.

"We were just wondering which agency you're with," Anna said.

"Oh, um, I'm not with an agency," Usagi replied.

"How did you land this job then?" Sakura queried "It was super hard for us to get this gig, we had to try out a thousand times, I swear."

"Seiya is a good friend of mine, he asked me to do this for him as a favor," the blonde explained.

"Oh wow!" Anna exclaimed.

"Well, as pretty as you are, you really should be a model. When this shoot is over, you should join our agency," Sakura told her.

"Thanks," Usagi said. "I'll think about it."

They arrived at their destination; a beautiful rose garden, and were directed to their spots.

Seiya and Usagi were placed on a wide white blanket with a picnic basket placed in between them.

Usagi arranged herself on the blanket and pulled the basket over to her. Her eyes lit up at the sight inside.

"What's in there? I'm starving," Seiya admitted, while sitting down next her.

"Let's see." She smiled as she pulled out a plate of chocolate strawberries, some grapes, deviled eggs and small sandwiches.

An assistant walked over to them and handed each of them a small champagne glass and an open bottle.

"Champagne?" Usagi's eyebrows rose.

Seiya laughed. "It's just sparkling cider. It looks like champagne, but won't get you drunk."

A photographer walked over to the couple. "Alright guys, I'm gonna be taking pictures while you're here. Just act like two people who are in love."

Usagi pulled out her phone really quick and glanced at it. Nothing. She had sent a picture to Mamoru over five hours ago, and he hadn't even replied yet. Her face fell.

"Is everything ok?" Seiya asked, concerned.

The future queen forced a smile. "Yeah, I'm ok." She looked away from him and sighed.

Seiya placed a hand on her cheek and made her face him. "Is it Mamoru?"

She looked down. "I'm sorry Seiya, I'm ruining things."

"No, not at all." His hand traveled down to her arm. "What's the matter?"

"It's silly really. I sent him a picture a while ago, and he hasn't responded. I just wanted him to see how I look."

"He doesn't know what he's missing." His eyes found hers. "You look magnificent. And if he can't see that, he's blind."

Usagi blushed and looked away from his eyes. "Thank you."

"I mean it, Usagi. You are beautiful."

They did the shoot and took a break for lunch. Everyone ate in silence, enjoying the break. But it ended all too soon and they were all sent back to the rose garden for different photos.

Seiya and Usagi sat on a stone bench, one on each side of the bench, facing each other. Daniel, the photographer, positioned them just right and started taking photos.

"Ok, Seiya," Daniel said, "I want you to lean your forehead against hers, and after a few seconds, kiss her."

Seiya looked as Usagi with wide eyes. "Is that okay with you?"

Her heart began to pound. "Sure," she sounded hesitant.

"Usagi, you don't have to if you don't want to," Seiya reassured her.

"It's just for the shoot, right?" She asked.

"Yeah," Seiya said. But secretly, he'd been wanting to kiss her again all day. Having her that close to him, he realized just how much he wanted her. He placed his forehead on hers and tried not to lose himself right there and then.

"Okay," she whispered. She felt like a little girl again; her heart was pounding and her breathing grew more rapid. Her eyes met Seiya's and she could no longer contain herself. She leaned in and kissed him.

Was he going crazy? Had she just initiated that kiss? Her lips were so soft. Not wanting the kiss to end, he placed his hand behind her head and deepened it.

Usagi melted into Seiya, even letting a small moan escape her as he deepened the kiss. Her hand automatically traveled up to his cheek, savoring the passion behind the kiss.

The sound of his name pulled him out of heaven. He slowly pulled away from her, leaning his forehead against hers once more, refusing to open his eyes and accept reality once again.

His name rang in his ears once more and he grudgingly opened his eyes, only to be met by Usagi's blue orbs; he could have gotten lost in those eyes, so beautiful and accepting. Looking into her eyes he could see all the hope in the world, so much strength, and was that, love?

His name once again. Aggravated he pulled himself away from her. "What?" He growled.

Taiki stood close by. "Seiya, we need to talk."

Suddenly Seiya felt a surge of guilt hit him. His face fell, like a puppy who had been caught eating his owner's favorite shoes.

"Is everything ok?" Usagi asked, concern filling her voice.

Taiki walked up to them. "Princess," he said quietly, kneeling beside them. "I'm sorry for Fighter's actions."

"He hasn't done anything wrong," the Moon Princess told him.

"Usagi, Seiya has . . ." Taiki began.

"Stop," Seiya nearly yelled. "Please don't." A look of determination and hurt washed over the man's face. "I get it, Taiki. Just stop."

Daniel approached the group now. "Have I caused some kind of problem by asking you to kiss her?"

Taiki looked up at the young photographer. "You asked him to?"

Daniel looked confused. "Well, yeah. This is a shoot for a love song after all, they are supposed to be in love; he's just playing his part."

"A little too well," Taiki mumbled.

"Taiki, get back over here," Anna called to him. "We're ready for our next shoot."

Sighing Taiki stood and walked away.

The shoot lasted for many more hours. After more pictures, they went through the song a few more times in the garden.

Night fell soon, and they were given the okay to leave.

Daniel sat at a park bench looking at the photo's he'd taken on his computer. Seiya sat down beside him. "You know Seiya," Daniel said to him turning the computer slightly so the Starlight could see. "If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you two were really in love."

Seiya looked at the picture Daniel was showing him. "Wow." It was a picture of them on the bench. He scrolled through the pictures.

Usagi had walked up behind the men and heard what had been said. She saw the pictures and her heart began to pound. Oh god, she thought to herself. I'm in love with Seiya.

What happens now? Will she acknowledge her love for him, or keep it hidden in order to preserve the future she is supposed to reign in? Please Review!

Gohaun