Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Prologue

"Come what may, I will love you until my dying day."

- Moulin Rouge

There he stood, a lone figure amongst the bustling crowd. His back was turned toward her, unaware that he was being watched. As she gazed upon his form, a single tear escaped her eyes. She quickly brushed it away and assumed a cheerful facade, a pretense that masked the sorrow within her heart.

"Mamo-chan."

He turned around and found himself face-to-face with the blond angel. She was a vision of loveliness: Her golden tresses fell elegantly past her waist, and the sunlight that filtered through the airport window cast a soft glow upon her figure, gracing her delicate features. And yet, something didn't seem right to him. The eyes that had always shone with so much joy and happiness were now dull and lifeless, replaced by sadness and grief. It broke his heart knowing that he was the cause of her pain.

"Usako-"he began.

"It's alright, Mamo," she interrupted him. "I know you told me that I didn't have to see you off, but I just had to. After all, I won't be seeing you for almost three years."

She gave him a reassuring smile, but somehow, it didn't quite reach her eyes. He knew that she was faking a happy countenance to be supportive of his decision.

Three months ago, Mamoru had received a letter of acceptance from the University of Pennsylvania in America to study at the Wharton school of business. For him, this was beyond his wildest dreams; he was half-way through his second year in college and was planning on becoming a business major. To have the opportunity to study at the top business school in America was the chance of a lifetime, and he wasted no time sending back his reply. The only downside of his decision was that he would have to leave Tokyo, his friends, and most importantly, Usagi behind. He would never forget the look on her face when he told her that he was leaving for America. Her eyes said it all: the hurt, the anger, the heartache, the sorrow. But she was supportive. She accepted his choice without question and stood by his side till the very end.

"Hey, three years isn't that bad," he said, trying to be optimistic. "We can still call and write to each other. Besides, I'll come back as soon as I can. I promise."

She looked up at him, her heart in her eyes. "I know, but it's just going to be so hard, knowing that I won't be seeing you everyday," she replied. At the thought of this, the tears she had tried so hard to keep at bay fell freely down her face, betraying the hurt that she had sought to mask. Ashamed by her sudden sign of weakness, she roughly wiped the tears away in frustration.

"Damn it, I promised myself that I'd see you off with a smile today."

Mamoru looked at the woman he loved. Usagi was always so strong. It broke his heart to see her like this, so helpless and vulnerable. This wasn't the Usagi he knew. He longed for a glimpse of the girl he loved, a girl who has always carried a smile on her face and laughter in her eyes. He pulled her into an embrace and held onto her tightly, as if trying to wipe away all her pain.

"You don't always have to be so brave, Usako. It's okay to cry," Mamoru muttered.

Usagi sighed and nodded. She wished that they could stay like this forever; being in Mamoru's arms made her feel safe.

"I have something for you, Usako," Mamoru said as he gently broke the embrace. He reached into his pocket and took out a small, velvet box. Inside was a silver ring set with pink stones and diamonds in the shape of two hearts entwined together.

Usagi gasped.

"Mamo-chan…"

"Ai shi teru, Usako," Mamoru said as he slide the ring unto her finger. "I promise, as soon as I'm done in America, I will return to you." He looked down at her, his eyes filled with love and adoration for the golden-hair girl before him.

For the first time in three months, Usagi smiled a genuine smile, a smile that made her twins pools of cerulean dance with happiness.

"And I'll wait for you, Mamo-chan, I'll wait until my dying day."

AN: So, what did you think? This is my first fanfic, so feedback would be good. I'm actually doing this for a class project, and I've always wanted to write a Sailor Moon fanfic, so I decided to hit two birds with one stone and post this on the site. I initially started using the Japanese names for Serena and Darien but decided against it b/c it will seem weird to my teacher when she reads it. When I have time, I will go back and change the names to Japanese.