I look back on that day, and wonder what would have happened if I had shown up just a few minutes later.

I had been so excited, I was nearly skipping when we landed in America and were allowed to leave the stuffy confines of the plane. It had taken me some time to get a cab, the driver was a young man with the nice smile.

It took exactly twenty-three minutes to get from the airport to the apartment complex Mamoru was staying in while he did his internship in America. I had to do something to keep my mind occupied, even the glamour of being in the United States wasn't enough so I counted each minute as it passed.

I remember climbing the stairs to the fifth floor because I was too impatient to wait for the elevator. It had been months since I had seen him, since he had held me in those arms, and I couldn't wait for that moment to arrive again. Oh, we spoke almost every day on the phone... but it wasn't quite the same as seeing him smile and that sparkle in those blue eyes.

His apartment number is forever embedded in my mind. 562, a small studio apartment I know because I helped him pick it out back in Japan.

I knocked first, just to be polite and then walked in. He was my fiancé after all, there shouldn't be anything left that he has to hide from me.

I was terribly, terribly mistaken.

The apartment was tidy, by this I wasn't terribly surprised, my Mamo-chan was fastidious by nature unlike myself. I'm an ungodly slob. How were we going to live together? Quite an adventure that would prove to be. I was prepared for it, because we loved each other and love could conquer anything... even a few piles of dirty laundry and a sink of dirty dishes.

The living room and kitchen were open to each other, separated by a low bar that was littered with papers and bills, two sets of keys... that was odd. His coat was hung up on a hook beside the door. Another coat was draped across the couch.

This should of been my first clue.

"Mamo-chan?" I called curiously, naively. Stupidly. The response is not words, no, but a serious of thumps coming from behind a closed door. Did I surprise him? I moved towards the door and just as I reached out to grasp the knob it turned and the door was wrenched open.

"Usagi?" Mamoru said. Yes, definitely looked surprised and he was holding up his pants by the waist. "What... what are you doing here?" He asked.

He was kidding right? "You're kidding right, Mamo-chan?" I asked curiously, a brow rising in slight confusion. "It's the fifth of August..." I explained, as though that would help wipe the bewildered expression from his features.

It did. "You forgot." I said dumbly.

"Usagi, I-"

"It's okay!" I replied brightly, forcing a smile to my face even as I fought so hard not to cry. "You've been busy studying and working, I understand."

Mamoru didn't seem to think it was okay though. "We need-"

"Mamoru, who is it?" Someone called from the bedroom.

A woman.

"Mamoru..." I began.

"Usagi, please just-"

"Move." I shoved past him into the room. Despite the fact that I knew what I was going to find it still surprised me. There she was, some red-headed vixen, lying curled up in the middle of a very messy bed. Sheet was drawn up over her chest.

Modesty? I almost laughed.

"Who are you?" I hissed.

"His girlfriend, Liana" she snapped back, sitting up a bit straighter. I felt as though I had been slapped in the face. She seemed to take my distressed look as one who had just been told off. "Who do you think you are?" She replied rather haughtily.

"His fianceé," I growled in return, I didn't feel any great need to share my name with the her. The girl's face fell; she didn't look terribly happy.

"Mamoru? What is she talking about?" The girl asked. No, she didn't look happy at all. "She's lying. You're lying." She said, looking from me to a stricken Mamoru, to me again.

"I wish I was," I replied softly, realization finally setting in. "Don't worry, he's all yours." I replied feeling a rush of unexpected anger. I turned back towards the door and Mamoru finally seemed to find his voice again.

"Usako, wait," he said. I cringed at the use of such an intimate pet-name. However, I ignored him, shoving past him again and back into the living room. He stopped me, taking hold of my shoulders and turning me around to face him.

"It's not what you think," he said softly, those blues eyes pleading with me. I wanted it to be like he said, not what I thought, but I wasn't a child anymore. I wasn't naivé or innocent.

"What? You going to tell me that you were doing an intensive study of the human anatomy? Or, no, maybe you were playing doctor?" I tugged out of his grasp and started towards the door again.

"You're being rather immature about this, Usagi," Mamoru shot back. I stopped dead, grit my teeth and turned to face him again. He had a rather smug look of satisfaction on his face. "Will you just let me explain?"

I offered a sickly sweet smile and moved back across the living room. "Mamoru," I said as calmly as I could. That anger had doubled and it was all I could do to contain it. He opened his mouth to speak again and I lifted a hand to silence him. "Don't ever speak to me again." And then I smacked him, as hard as I could.

I ignored the cry of surprise that came from the bedroom, if I acknowledged it, I might not have left. I knew if I stayed a moment longer I would be more susceptible to Mamoru's 'explanations' and I didn't want to risk that. I had to hold firm in my resolve that I would not let him use me, or anyone else for that matter.

He called out to me again but I ignored him, pulling the door open and stepping into the hallway. That anger was giving way to the anguish I felt. The realization was sinking deeper and deeper into my heart and left a ball of lead heavy in my stomach.

I brushed the back of my hand quickly over my eyes and started for the elevators. The ding had just sounded and the doors were sliding open when I heard Mamoru call my name again. I risked a glance down the hall and saw him fully dressed now, marching towards me.

"Coming, miss?" someone inside the elevator asked. I nodded numbly and stepped on.

"One,"I whispered softly. The person closest to the panel pushed the button and the doors started sliding closed.

"Usagi!"

The doors slid closed, blocking both view and voice of the man I had loved.

"Everything all right?" one of the other elevator patrons asked me, no doubt seeing the tears shining in my eyes.

I nodded quickly, unable to find the words to say at the moment. This seemed to satisfy the inquisitor and he fellt silent. Thus, I was left to my own thoughts as the elevator brought us downward in a slow decent.

"Have a good evening, miss," the man said when the elevator stopped and out I stepped. I offered a weak smile and a nod of thanks before pushing the lobby doors open and escaped into the evening twilight. Well, people were more polite here then I had originally expected and for that I was grateful.

As I walked down the sidewalk I tried to think of what I was going to do now, anything to keep my mind off the scene so recently witnessed in Mamoru's apartment. My flight didn't leave for three days and even if I could get an earlier flight out it probably wouldn't be until some time tomorrow. So, I would need a place to stay for the night.

Unfortunately, my mind was too frazzled at the moment to even attempt to concentrate on anything other than walking.

It wasn't until I felt that cold break through the numbness in my mind that I realized darkness had fallen and I had no idea where I was. I couldn't say that I minded much; it made me feel that much more alone and that was definitely a feeling I needed right now.

I rubbed at my bare arms a bit, the afternoon had been so warm, so hopeful, so promising, and the night just seemed bleak and endless. Still unsure of where to go and not quite prepared to talk to anyone, let alone complete strangers, to find a place to stay, I searched for some place to go that would offer me privacy and solitude.

To my left the sound of waves rolling onto the shore caught my attention and I gravitated towards its familiarity. While I couldn't say I went to the beach often back home, I still found it to be a pleasant and relaxing place to think things through when they seemed to have hit rock bottom.

Soon enough I found myself on a small wooden pier overlooking a rather calm, deep blue sea. I leaned up against an ancient wooden railing, confident that it would support my weight, and let out a soft sigh. Stars were just beginning to grow visible on the velvety black sky and the last dregs of sunlight were disappearing into the horizon. I should have been out on the town with Mamoru right now. Eating dinner, dancing, seeing a movie or here, walking along the beach.

My hand lifted again to furiously swipe at tears that were spilling free. My lips trembled as I fought the age-old urge to cry and lost the battle I had never been able to win.

Both hands rose now, cupping my face as I let the tears spill free. It did not offer the release I had hoped it would. That pain still gripped my heart in an iron fist and twisted my stomach up in knots I knew would never come undone. I felt so betrayed, that my love which I had felt so strongly, and painfully still did, had been walked all over like a welcome mat.

It was at moments like these that I needed him the most, when I felt that I had no way out. He was my rock in stormy seas, my solid foundation, and he had done this to me. Almost as if in a dream I felt those arms wrap around my shoulders. Strong and confident as they drew me in close. I wanted to sink into them, to let them take my troubles and burdens and carry them far away. The old Usagi might have, the chittering girl who tripped all over herself and cried at the drop of
a hat. She would have let him take the pain away. But me, I knew better.

"Let me go," I whispered hoarsely, not giving him a chance to comply before I was pulling away.

"Usagi," Mamoru replied shaking his head a bit as he let his arms drop limply to his sides. The look upon his face was pained, as though I was the one hurting him. "I've been looking for you for hours. You have to listen to me, Liana, she doesn't mean anything."

I felt my heart leap into my throat. She doesn't mean anything? She doesn't mean anything?

"She said she was your girlfriend," I replied curtly, knowing that I should trust my better judgement and just leave.

"I told her that so... that doesn't matter, Usagi," Mamoru said lamely. My eyes grew rather wide as what felt like the other shoe dropped.

"So she would sleep with you," I finished for him. I shook my head, a feeling of disgust creeping over me. "I can't... I just can't believe this. No," I said, slapping away his hand. "Don't touch me. It's over, Mamoru."

I don't know if it was my words that finally reached him, or the finality in them, regardless it drew forth a scowl. His face grew hard, and cold. A look I hadn't seen since Beryl had taken control of his mind. I almost wished that such a thing was the case now, that someone had taken over the Mamoru that I once knew and loved and replaced it with this... whatever it was that stood before me now.

"You would forsake the future?" he spat, his words as harsh as his features. "Forsake it out of jealousy?"

I took a step back as though he had slapped me, it might have been better if he had. That smug look was back on his face again. He thought he had won.

"That's what I thought," he replied coolly, reaching out his hand again. "Come on, Usako, let's forget about this and have some fun while you're in the States."

I looked at his hand, a part of me told him to take it, to do as he said and forget it had ever happened.

"Think about Chibi-usa," he added, that smug grin turning into a smirk.

That was the final straw. I drew back my hand, balled it into a fist and punched him. Either I hit him harder then I thought, which had been pretty hard considering my knuckles were now aching painfully in retribution, or I had caught him quite off guard. I'm guessing it was the latter.

He stumbled back a few steps, tripped over the curb and landed rather painfully in a sitting position on the ground.

I stomped over to him, ignoring the stream of curses, both English and Japanese, now escaping his mouth.

"Keep in mind that I will not stand by and watch you cheat on me just because you think the future depends upon were you spill your seed," I hissed. I'd read that in a romance novel somewhere, spilling seed and what not. "Chibi-usa will be born, whether it's by you or someone who really cares. It is over."

That night in her cheap little hotel room, I called the airport and changed my ticket to the earliest flight possible.

It would leave the airport at eight the next morning.