Author's Notes: Happy Holidays everyone! This chapter is my gift to you all for being so patient with me! Thank you all! God it's been quite a while since I last updated. But my muse disappeared for a while and is only now coming back, except now it goes by the name of Bumblebee. Anyway, sorry for the long wait, but school is school and I've been working for a few more families than normal lately…three… but it's okay because I should be starting work for a couple with six month old twins. Gah! I can't wait! So on with the story. I hope you all enjoy it and leave me notes to get my lazy ass in gear.
Chapter Six-- Back on Track
Minako's visit to his home had caused a change in him, though perhaps not quite what the blonde had wanted.
He had sat in a brooding daze for some time after she left. His mind and heart warring against each other on what to do over his beloved.
His head kept reminding him of the danger to her if he should become close to her. Yet his heart's argument was much more compelling: he loved her. And he would do all in his power to keep her safe and happy.
But then his head would retort that she wouldn't be safe near him until he found out what the dreams were about.
So after a long while of listening to these arguments he decided that there was nothing to be done, except for a compromise.
And this again is where Minako came into play.
She had been right. He had not treated Usagi like an equal in the relationship. But not because he thought her too young or immature. No, he knew that where it really counted she was mature beyond her years.
No, his real reason was to protect her. He never wanted to see her hurt and he knew that he had done just that on any occasions before this.
He held back of himself in the relationship because he knew that she deserved so much better than himself.
He had hurt her so many times already. He had been cruel to her when they had first met because he was scared of the feelings she stirred within him. Then he had caused her worry and pain when Queen Beryl had brainwashed him. The senshi thought he didn't remember that period, but he did.
A groan escaped his mouth as he thought of all the pain he had brought upon her. Worse still he had felt something even then for the blonde angel. Beryl had pushed all memory of her out, but he was still a male and she still called to him in a primal way.
When he had seen her that time by the lake he had pictured taking her. And when he had revealed himself she seemed more than willing to go with him. And since he had been filled with such evil energy he had contemplated simply taking her from the human world and making her completely his, to use however his lusts wanted.
Then when she had healed him he had forgotten her once more. True he had been extremely interested in her and plotting with Motoki to get her alone, but that Natsumi girl had shown up and he had been forced to avoid the girl, which meant he hardly saw Usagi either.
He knew now that Usagi had thought he had been avoiding her and so he had brought her even more heartache.
But this is why he always held back from her. He had done so much to hurt her. What right did he have to remain with her? True she had forgiven him without a second thought, but he could not yet find it within himself to forgive all the hurt he caused.
And what if she realized that he was not good enough for her? He couldn't stand the thought of her leaving him. His heart would not be able to survive the pain it would bring to him.
But that made him feel even worse about holding back from her.
He felt as if he would forever be tainted in this darkness he had brought on with harming her. How could he ever return to being her Prince Charming with such horrible stains on his armor?
This then is where he'd start. He would become the Prince she had first fallen in love with. Then he would get her to fall in love with him anew and they could start over.
He sat straighter in his chair, a small, but hopeful smile playing on his lips. He would need to find a way to recall all of his memories from their past, but perhaps he could do so. He did have the Golden Crystal after all.
But if he were to get close to her again without the fear of harming her he would have to get to the bottom of whatever was causing these dreams and find out for certain if there was a threat to her safety.
He glanced about his apartment and sighed. He would need to get back to living then. And that meant cleaning. But first food. He rubbed his neglected stomach.
Minako's eggs had done nothing but make him realize that he need real food to eat. So that meant that shopping was the first thing to do on his list.
Grabbing his beloved, ugly green blazer he grinned a bit goofily. Usako loved food. Maybe he should start practicing meals and desserts that he knew she liked.
In a much better mood than he had been in since the first night of the dream he left his apartment. Maybe he would stop by the arcade first to visit Motoki and fill his stomach. He might just be able to catch a glimpse of Usako there if he were lucky.
Chibi Usa ran happily towards the black Mustang that had become a daily feature in her life. "Suma-chan!" She threw herself easily into the young man's arms. He too had become more prominent in her daily life lately, and Usagi's too. For which she was extremely grateful. She had been truly worried about the older girl until Itsuma had come.
Said boy smiled down at her, his amber eyes watching her fondly. "Hey Chibi Usa. How was school?" He turned to the car, setting her down in the back seat before getting in himself.
"It was great!" She began to babble happily about her day when she realized Usagi was missing. "Suma-chan, where's Usagi?"
Itsuma smiled at the slight whine he heard in the little girl's voice. "She had to do something with the girls today. But I was hoping you'd come with me to pick her up. We can even get a shake if they aren't done yet. And maybe play a few rounds of Sailor V."
The pink haired girl grinned excitedly, "Really?" At his nod she let out a happy squeal, almost identical to one of Usagi's. "Let's go then!"
Motoki sighed in boredom as he wiped the spotless counter for what seemed to be the thousandth time that hour. Besides Usagi and her friends the arcade was sadly deserted of costumers. Not that he could really blame them what with the coming Holiday and all the shopping that would need to be done for it. And he supposed he really shouldn't complain as it gave him a small break from the mad rushing around that had been in here earlier in the day for the lunch hour. It gave him time to think. The problem with that was he had nothing interesting to think about. His most loyal coffee costumer and best friend hadn't shown his face in days so he had had no real entertainment.
Not hearing the door opening he continued to sulkily wipe at the counter.
What was wrong with Mamoru anyway? The man had been completely head of heels for Usagi-chan and happier than Motoki had ever seen him. Then suddenly one day he had come in looking like hell. Apparently he hadn't been sleeping due to some nightmare that he wouldn't tell his best friend about.
No, you read right. Even though Mamoru told Motoki everything going on--including the bit about being a dashing superhero with a knack for saying corny speeches and throwing roses (Motoki had never let him live it down once he found out)--he wouldn't tell him anything about this dream he kept having.
It really bothered him, but he didn't push at all because all it seemed to be doing was making the young man lose sleep. But now it was thoroughly out of control.
He scowled slightly in thought. Mamoru hadn't been in here for a while now, and Motoki already knew about the breakup between he and Usagi because he had comforted the girl on more than one occasion.
Now don't get him wrong, he loved the dark haired man, but Usagi had been like a little sister to him since he had first met her years ago. And he wouldn't let Mamoru get away with hurting her like that, especially since he knew without a doubt that the baka still loved her.
So he owed his friend a good tongue lashing and a smack upside the head to fix him up. And if the man didn't show up soon he would search him out because if Mamoru didn't act fast this new guy was going to snatch Usagi up instead.
He didn't mind Itsuma so much. It was hard to deny that he was definitely kind and extremely charismatic. Plus the guy really cared for Usagi and Chibi Usa, obviously. But he knew that Mamoru had been through so much more with Usagi and he just knew that the two belonged together.
So he would do all in his power to make the situation meet his ends.
Mamoru raised an eyebrow as he watched his best friend carefully. The man was quite amusing when he was lost in thought. Though he had to admit that the dark glare had been a little bit frightening, not nearly as much so as the mischievous smirk gracing the man's face now. That look always led to trouble.
With a grumble from his abused stomach he decided he would have to risk interrupting the thought process of Motoki. God save him if this turned out badly.
"Motoki I thought that as an employee you were supposed to see to the costumer's needs. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I happen to think that I'm a costumer and my needs are definitely not being met."
The blonde haired man jumped slightly, dropping his rag and turning his green eyes quickly to Mamoru.
When his friend simply continued to stare blankly at him, much as if he had seen a ghost, he sighed again. "Did you have too much coffee again Motoki? You know you can't handle it at all. It always makes you slightly crazy."
As if finally realizing he wasn't just seeing things, the dark scowl came back. "Mamoru no baka!"
Mamoru winced as his friend yelled and drew the attention of all those in the arcade. All those being the senshi and his Usako. Though the blonde was clearly avoiding looking at him whilst the other girls just glared. Well no, not all the girls. Minako simply smirked knowingly and winked at him.
Gritting his teeth he turned back to Motoki only to notice his friend was no longer present.
Gasping, he felt hands spin him quickly around and haul him up by collar of his shirt. There he was.
Motoki was glowering at him and Mamoru wondered how he never noticed just how strong the man was before this. "We need to talk. Now." The words came out low and through gritted teeth and Mamoru could do nothing but nod dazedly as his friend proceeded to drag him into the back room, then close and lock the door.
No escaping now. Mamoru straightened himself slightly, preparing himself for whatever his friend had in mind to torture him with. Inside though he felt his stomach whine pitifully. He still hadn't gotten any food.
Back in the main dining room of the arcade the senshi could only stare blankly at where the two had disappeared. That was certainly something they had never seen before.
Minako broke the tense silence by laughing softly, causing the other girls to stare at her. She just smiled innocently. "Well you can't say he won't deserve whatever he gets."
Usagi sighed shaking her head as she fought to keep her mind focused on the task at hand. "Can we get back to the matter at hand? Itsuma wants us all to pick a time for training."
Ami smiled as she stared at the blonde haired girl. She had been in such better moods lately thanks to the young man, and surprisingly enough, Chibi Usa. Where the two had always argued before they were beginning to get very close now and Usagi seemed to be getting more and more protective of the little girl.
"You're right Usagi. We also need to discuss what we're going to do about the sisters. There have been more and more attacks lately and they've finally started attacking more than one place at a time."
Rei shrugged, running a hand through her dark hair. "It was only a matter of time before they started doing that. But that does mean that we really need to start training seriously. If they keep this up we won't have nearly enough energy to fight them all."
They stilled as the door to the arcade opened again, only to relax when they saw that it was just Itsuma and Chibi Usa.
Makoto nudged Usagi, grinning slightly. "Go talk to them for a while. We'll call you back when we need you."
Usagi blushed lightly, but instead of protesting she stood obediently and walked over to the two.
Rei sighed softly as she watched her go. "She's really changed this past week, hasn't she?"
Ami smiled, "She's been doing all her homework and getting good marks on it too."
Makoto chuckled. "It's more impressive that she's been getting to school not only on time, but early. And she's gotten much more serious about all our senshi business."
Minako glanced between the three and sighed, "I'm still worried about her. She may be doing better and that's great. But she's still suffering so much. She's just gotten stronger, but she's still so fragile in ways. I just don't want to see her hurt anymore."
Author's Ramblings: Again this area is just for me to get out my post writing thoughts. Nothing important, though it does give you a bit more about the characters than the actually chapter does.
So, was it worth the wait? I certainly hope so. It was fun to write, but the shift in point of view kept giving me trouble. Oh well.
A little explanation about Mamoru's contemplating: I really liked the thought of him remembering his time with Beryl makes his decision to go along with the dream seem more logical to me. And I have to admit I like forcing characters to suffer so the idea of him agonizing over it was appealing, also one of the reasons I thought he would make the decision without consulting Usagi. I also really liked the idea of him still lusting after Usagi during that period. I kind of wanting to show there was more to their relationship than all the awkwardness and cuteness they show in the anime. I mean come on, young male, how can he not notice and react to Usagi's looks. Just didn't make sense to me. So that's where this came from.
And I also wanted to get across that Mamoru is young man still, one that has a myriad of conflicting and at times confusing emotions, especially since he seems to block them often. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that I am not a Mamoru basher. I happen to really like his character, I just think it could do with some expanding on his reasons behind why he does everything. But if that were the case it would be called Tuxedo Kamen and not Sailor Moon. So I'll expand as I see fit to make him more complete in my mind. Any complaints can be filed with someone else as I won't care.
Oh also I still have no idea who Usagi is getting with. It's honestly like dead even between the two. Which makes it so much harder to write, but fun at the same time cause Usagi gets to be a player. Any ideas to help me decide?
Okay I have no idea where the Motoki part came from, honestly. I was just writing to get this to you guys by the end of today and listening to my muse music--Transformers score-- and then suddenly poof Motoki was there and demanding attention. I was trying to write about the girls, but no Bumblebee said it was not to be. What can you do?
Also I can't promise the next chapter will be out soon, but I will try. I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this though as Bumblebee sees fit to only give me bits and pieces. If anyone would like to be a beta or if you guys want to have like a chat room convo to throw ideas around with me I would love that. It would be really helpful to know what you guys would like to see in the story so don't hesitate to make suggestions or offerings of ideas.
I hope you enjoyed it! If so let me know why, if not let me know why.