I am back! And I contribute my sudden burst of fanfic writing to Sailor Moon Crystal. I can't believe it's been five years since I've written anything… but this story needs finished and I hope to do that this go around. I was rereading old stories and in my search, found this story in a thread titled "The Best of Sailor Moon." I cannot tell you how flattering that is!

The most obvious thing here is that… "back to school" isn't really a holiday, is it? I'm kinda getting away from my original theme, but after rereading it, I noticed the story started to evolve in a different direction and instead of a rewrite or retitling, I'm going to keep it the same – I'll attempt to tie in holidays somehow!

So, here it is; the next chapter. The good news is that I've stopped with the lengthy author's notes Enjoy!

Usagi tried to concentrate on her professor's lecture. But was failing miserably. Her head would drop down as her eyes began to close, then she'd snap back up; only to stay awake for a few minutes before repeating the same motion. Sighing, she checked her cell phone. 38 minutes left. Groan.

As she struggled to keep her eyes open, her mind kept wandering to the previous night.

Earlier that morning, approximately 2AM…

"Sailor Moon."

Instantly, Usagi's eyes snapped open.

"Sailor Moon."

No, flipping way…

"Tuxedo Kamen?" Usagi replied telepathically, in a groggy half-asleep way.

"Hai. I need to speak with you. Meet me this Saturday at midnight on the rooftop of the Tokyo Tower. Alone."

And the connection was gone.

However, that didn't stop Usagi from staying up for the rest of the morning.

Restless, the Moon Princess tossed and turned, twisting the blankets with her legs, as she tried to get into a comfortable position to be able to get back to sleep. But her mind wouldn't shut off.

Tuxedo Kamen's contact with her was not only confusing, but highly inconvenient. She was supposed to have a date night with Mamoru on Saturday. And, while she knew she should say something, Usagi wasn't thrilled with the idea of telling her senshi that the man who broke her heart and left them second guessing his motives every time they came into contact with each other, had just scheduled a reunion.

The thought of a new enemy made her nervous too. How was she going to be able to balance college, a boyfriend, and saving the world? Her senshi duties were the reason her grades suffered so much in the past. But whatever was going on, had to be a big deal.

Why else would he have contacted her after all this time? What could he possibly want? Hadn't he already done enough? He left her without so much as a goodbye, let alone an explanation.

Maybe this was her chance to get answers… she wasn't a klutzy teenager anymore. She had grown up. She was over him. Wasn't she? She was happy with Mamoru. She was in love with Mamoru. But… did that mean she was over Tuxedo Kamen?

And he had been so cold about the whole thing. Maybe it wasn't even about their… relationship. Or whatever you could call it. Maybe he knew of a new enemy and wanted to meet with her to finally be a team with the senshi.

Crap.

A new enemy.

Holding in a frustrated groan, as to not wake Ami, Usagi kicked off the blankets and made her way to the kitchen to get a glass of milk. She squinted at the flash of bright light when opening and closing the door, and made her way back to her room.

For the rest of the morning, Usagi continued to pace in her bedroom; stopping in front of the mirror occasionally to try and formulate what she was going to say to her former non-officially-a-boyfriend-so-he-wasn't-technically-an-ex. All the while making sure she wasn't disturbing her roommate.

How was she going to get out of her date with Mamoru? Wait. Did she want to get out of her date? Usagi's brow furrowed. The senshi leader knew she had a responsibility to meet with the masked hero – if there were a new enemy surfacing, she and the others would need to prepare, start recon missions and gathering intel. Along with the new responsibilities of college… and her boyfriend. On the other hand, she didn't want to reopen wounds that had fully healed. Well, at least felt like they were healed. Usagi couldn't deny hearing his voice had stirred something in her that she thought she would never feel again. And what could she say to Mamoru to explain why she would cut their date short.

That's when the obvious came to her. She could just tell Mamoru she was Sailor Moon. After all, if there was a new enemy, he would eventually need an explanation for her disappearing at random intervals for unknown lengths of time.

But that little stunt was why she could barely keep her eyes open. At least she had the class with Rei and Ami so she could get a summary of what she missed and the assignment the professor gave before dismissing the class. Homework on the first night, really? Ugh… Usagi was sure Ami would be the only one excited about that factoid. At least it was something easy—a narrative essay on common communication mediums an individual used daily. Or at least it sounded easy…

"Hey Usagi!" Minako beamed as she saw her blonde peer enter the cafeteria, "Whoah, why the yawn?"

Usagi shook her head and took the empty seat next to her friend, "I was up for most of the night."

At Minako's perplexed look, she continued.

"I heard from Tuxedo Kamen."

"Nani?!" Rei slammed her tray down onto the table as she took the seat across from Usagi, "What did that loser want?"

Usagi sighed, frustrated that her current state made her forget the fact that telling the girls was not part of her plan, "I don't know. But I'm really worried about a new enemy. I think that I should tell Mamoru about… well, us."

Minako and Rei shared a look—something that didn't go unnoticed by their leader.

"Nani."

Although it should have been a question, the two senshi recognized the tone. It was Usagi's, "I'm the Moon Princess and possess the entire universe's power in my hands, don't mess with me" tone.

"We should probably wait until tonight's meeting," Minako stalled, "Gotta go! Don't wanna be late for my next class!"

Usagi and Rei shared the same glaring look at the scampering form of their friend as she exited the room. However, Rei's expression changed in to a wary smile as Usagi turned to face her.

"What's going on, Rei?"

The raven hair girl sighed as she started to pick out the onions in her garden salad, "I really think it should wait until tonight's meeting—but I think telling Mamoru is a good idea. Have you decided what you'll say?"

Sighing, Usagi grabbed the table's ketchup bottle, squirting some on her plate next to her fries. Rei was right… even though her diversion was completely transparent.

"I have no idea," Usagi shoved a few fries in her mouth, "But I think you were right… I need to say something."

"Does this have anything to do with Tuxedo Kamen contacting you?" Rei stabbed a cherry tomato and popped it into her mouth.

Usagi smirked, "Guess you'll have to wait until the senshi meeting tonight."

"How's it going, Mamoru?" one of the new waitresses at the crown asked as she topped off his mug.

"Fine, thank you." Mamoru answered politely, not remembering the girl's name—just knowing Usagi would be jealous of the flirtatious behavior he was receiving, "Is Motoki in?"

"Hai!" the chipper girl answered, "I'll let him know you're out here."

While he waited, Mamoru took in the sounds and sights of the arcade. It was packed now—on a regular basis—and he liked watching the kids…err, teenagers, interact. An earlier afternoon had let him watch a couple, approximately sixteen, that reminded him of Usagi and himself. They taunted each other, challenged each other, and just flat out couldn't stand each other. He smirked as he watched the two's screaming match, recognizing the looks the two gave each other. That must have been how Minako felt for years.

"Hey Mamoru," Motoki stepped out from the kitchen, waving to his friend to come back.

Mamoru nodded, understanding the signal, and took one last drink of his coffee before making his way to the back.

"So what's up?" Motoki asked taking a seat in the familiar recliner—he refused to let Makoto throw it out, "I don't normally see you in here on your lunch break."

"I arranged a meeting with Sailor Moon," Mamoru answered, leaning against the wall of the break room.

Motoki remained silent in his chair, "And?"

Mamoru shrugged, "I don't know. I just thought I should tell you."

"This is good!" Motoki beamed.

"It's good that I arranged a secret meeting behind my girlfriend's back, even though the meeting is actually with her?"

"Iie, it's good that you're telling me this kinda stuff. Man, I can't believe it's taken almost eight years to crack you," Motoki teased, "But seriously… this whole thing has you really bent out of shape, doesn't it?"

Running a hand through his hair, Mamoru sighed and flopped onto the couch, "It's lying. All of it. I should just come clean. I don't even know what to say when I do see her except, 'I hear you've been looking for me. Here I am! Ta-da!'" his tone sarcastic.

"Maybe that's all that you should do," Motoki shrugged, "I mean... is there anything else that you really can do? You've been sneaking around Usagi's back for a while now; going through her things, following her around, eavesdropping on her senshi meetings—"

"Alright, I get it. I get it," Mamoru sounded annoyed, more with himself than Motoki, "I guess it's all coming down on me at once."

"How'd the promotion thing go?"

Mamoru smiled, "Got the job. I start on Monday."

"Congratulations! Have you told Usagi yet?"

"Iie, we're going out Saturday night." Mamoru admitted, "I think I may be pushing the testing limits of my relationship with Usagi."

Motoki gave his best friend a questionable look, "How so?"

"Saturday is also the night I asked Sailor Moon to show up."

"Dude, bad idea."

Mamoru sighed, "Probably."

"But you're doing it anyway."

At Mamoru's silence, he continued.

"You're totally messing with fire," Motoki warned, "I'd rethink this if I were you. One of you—Kamen or Chiba—should reschedule. We both know what she'll do anyway. We both know Usagi and we both know Sailor Moon."

Mamoru thought over his friend's advice and re-thought his options from before. Deciding to try and keep things as normal and separate as possible, Mamoru had chosen to not tell Usagi about his alter-ego and about his knowledge of her friends and senshi first. This was a bit on the cowardly and selfish side. However, keeping the two worlds separate let them both keep a bit more normalcy until he was forced to explain to her his identity. And it would give him time to figure out who the princess was in this lifetime. Sneaking around wasn't Mamoru's favorite option, but if he kept his recon missions going, maybe he could figure out the identity of the Moon Princess and end the betrothal on civil terms without hurting Usagi. After all, what type of person would still want to marry someone after a thousand years?

However, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous over his girlfriend still having feelings for his superhero identity. Mamoru resolved that he would have to just trust her and see what happens.

After all, isn't that what you're supposed to do when you're in a relationship?

You know… when you're both secret superheros and aren't ready to tell each other?

"So, Usagi really wants to tell Mamoru?" Makoto asked, opening a bag of tortilla chips. Grabbing a few for herself, she passed the bag along to Minako.

Minako nodded, taking out a chip and scooping a large amount of Makoto's homemade salsa onto it before shoving it into her mouth, "Yup."

"And Tuxedo Kamen contacted her?" Luna asked.

Minako nodded again, holding her hand over her lips as if to keep the food from exiting her mouth.

"And you just ran out of the cafeteria," Luna sighed frustrated.

Nodding again, Minako shoved another salsa filled chip into her mouth.

Artemis rolled his eyes, "Really Minako…"

The blonde shrugged, "What else was I supposed to do? Just spill the beans about how he's the Earth Prince and her betrothed?"

Makoto grabbed a few more chips from the bag, "True. I'd probably be chicken too." She laughed as Minako threw couch pillow at her.

"I don't see anything wrong with telling Mamoru," Artemis shared, "It would certainly make things easier if a new enemy shows up."

Luna sighed, "She's going to have to tell him all of it. Even her being the Moon Princess and her future engagement."

The four-some fell quiet at the realization.

"So, am I missing anything not living here?" Makoto changed the subject to something lighter.

Minako shrugged, "I don't think so. But then I live here. How are things with Motoki?"

"Great!" Makoto smiled, "But sometimes I wonder if we're moving too fast."

Minako thought about it for a while, "Well, you guys have known each other for a long time. I mean… four years is a good enough time to know someone. And he knows about all of us, so there's no secrets or anything."

Makoto nodded in agreement, but Minako noticed the spacey stare her friend was having with the apartment ceiling. Knowing better than to push it, she was thankful when Rei, Ami, and Usagi made it home to start the meeting.

"It's about damn time!" Minako complained playfully.

Ami laughed at her friend and made her way to her and Usagi's room to put away her things. Rei followed suit, while Usagi took her traditional habit of throwing her stuff on the kitchen counter, then heading to the living room—but not before grabbing a bowl for the chips.

"How many classes do you have Minako?" Ami asked, taking a seat on the couch next to her. Luna hopped up onto her lap, and Ami automatically began scratching behind the cat's ears.

"I took four. Two each day," Minako answered, standing, "Anyone else want a drink?"

After all hands were raised, Minako shook her head, "Why do I even ask?"

"Slacker!" Rei called out, teasing.

"Hey! Just because I took my counselor's advice doesn't mean I'm a slacker," Minako defended, "I'm realistic about my course load, thank you very much."

Rei made a face, accepting the can of soda Minako had brought her.

"Okay, so the highlight of this meeting is… Tuxedo Kamen," Ami started, routinely being the efficient one.

"And telling Mamoru about us," Usagi added.

"And Yuichiro."

"Nani?!" Usagi nearly fell out of the recliner. "You didn't say anything about that at lunch!"

"Don't use that accusatory tone with me, Odango brain. Maybe I would have spilled if you had said more about Kamen-baka!"

"Oh, real MATURE, Rei," Usagi rolled her eyes.

"Come on you guys… one thing at a time," Ami prodded.

"Well, I think Rei's item is the easiest," Minako chimed in, "Soo… all those in favor of telling Yuichiro, who probably knows about us anyway?" she mumbled the last part as the other senshi raised their hands, "Okay! Unanimous approval. All those in favor of telling Mamoru?" … "Unanimous approval. Now Usagi, what's going on with Kamen-sama?"

"Baka." Rei coughed, smiling sweetly at Usagi's glare as she took a drink of her soda.

"He wants to meet me, alone, this Saturday at midnight at the top of the Tokyo Tower."

Luna shook her head, "Iie. No way are you going there alone to a guy nobody in this room trusts."

"That's not fair," Usagi's irritation easily showing, "We don't even know what he wants. He could be notifying us of another enemy."

The other girls remained silent.

"Nani?"

"Usagi… there could be another reason why he wants to talk to you," Ami was the first to speak.

Luna and Artemis looked around the room. Being out of town for four months doing Moon research probably wasn't the best thing now that the two thought about it. Apparently a lot had gone on without them, and communication from the Moon was just restored with the senshi's communicators—one of the main objectivities for their most recent trip.

"We've found out who the Earth Prince is," Minako started, "And it's Tuxedo Kamen."

Usagi visibly paled, "Nani? Are you sure? You're positive it's him?"

"Hai," Rei confirmed, "I consulted the fire three times and Ami performed an age reversal on the Neo-King," her violet eyes were sad for her friend, "We wanted to wait until we knew his identity before we told you," she continued, "We wanted to get his identity so we could try to reason with him… see if there was a way to get out of the betrothal."

Ami continued to explain, "If he wants to meet with you, it could have something to do with your impending marriage rather than a new enemy."

Usagi nodded, letting everything sink in, "Why didn't you tell me when you knew?"

"Rei just told you, we—" Makoto started, but was cut off.

"Iie!" Usagi screamed upset, her eyes narrowing, "You should have told me. This directly impacts me, and you keep it a secret? I may be your princess, but I'm also a part—I am the LEADER of this senshi team. You cannot keep something like this from me. And what's worse, is that it's not just me you're hurting here. What if Mamoru had asked me to move in with him, and I accepted? Then to find this out? That you KNOW who my millennium-old fiancé is? How would I explain THAT to a live-in boyfriend, along with all of the senshi crap? How long have you known about this?"

"We've only known for about a week," Rei rushed to answer, hoping to calm down their Princess, "I had a vision one night—an old memory of sorts. Princess Serenity was sneaking out of a ball and was accompanied by Tuxedo Kamen. I watched myself as Sailor Mars, and…" she trailed off as a realization hit her.

"And what, Rei?" Artemis asked, his tail twitching with anticipation.

"You guys, I think we can trust him."

"Nani?!" was the unanimous question.

"When I was watching, Sailor Mars seemed—relieved—that the Princess was with Kamen," Rei looked at the others, "I know that may not mean much in this lifetime, but it's something. I mean, if he existed in the Silver Millennium and was an alliance figure, there's a good chance he really is on our side in this lifetime."

Usagi gulped, "Did he love her?"

Rei met Usagi's eyes with a sorrowful expression, "I'm afraid so."

"Go Tokyo-U!"

Usagi's smile was forced—and her friends could tell—as she jumped and posed late Friday afternoon.

Rei yawned as they watched their leader and the other girls jump around. Adjusting her sunglasses, she looked over to her fellow senshi, "Do you really think she'll make the team?"

Shrugging, Minako continued munching on her bag of popcorn, "I don't see why not. Four years of senshi training should give her a leg up on the competition."

"She really shouldn't be adding this on her plate right now," Ami sighed, leaning over the rail that lined the first row bleachers, her chin in her palm, "With everything that is going on—"

"Oh lighten up, Ami." Makoto downplayed the girl's concerns, "I think she'll be fine. Besides, who takes college sports THAT seriously anyway?"

Just then a herd of jocks and fans came stampeding into the area.

"Never mind," Makoto sweatdropped, "Forget I said anything."

Saturday…

The week had flown by.

Usagi had managed to maintain some sort of distance from Mamoru without appearing too suspicious. She blamed college and how much more difficult it seemed compared to high school. Her instructors were fierce but she was still confident in her studies. She did have free time and she felt bad for avoiding him, but that free time was spent thinking about how she was going to handle the Tuxedo Kamen situation, how she would tell Mamoru the truth about her identity and how she was going to figure out how to juggle her workload with her senshi fighting in addition to the monthly moon trips Luna was insisting on.

Luna watched as Usagi paced in the living room waiting for Mamoru to pick her up for their date. Finally, after the twelfth time, the black cat sighed.

"You're being worried over nothing."

Usagi rolled her eyes, "Sure Lu. Telling my boyfriend I'm a super hero is REAL small potatoes compared to telling him I'm a Princess. What if he breaks up with me?"

"Is that what you're worried about?"

"Give me a break, Luna!" Usagi snapped at her guardian's disgusted tone, "You may not care about what happens with my relationship with Mamoru once the ice age happens because the rest of my life is planned out for me, but I DO."

Just then there was a knock at the door, and before Luna could say another word, Usagi had answered it, revealing her classy-dressed boyfriend.

"Ready to go?"

"Hai," Usagi beamed, her smile nervous. She grabbed her purse and the two headed out.

"Wow, Mamo-chan," Usagi breathed as the two entered the restaurant, "This place is gorgeous."

Mamoru smiled at Usagi's approval. He had brought her to THE finest restaurant in Tokyo. He wanted to celebrate his promotion—which meant a regular schedule (well, as "regular" as a doctor could have) and a hefty raise; but of course, more responsibilities and longer hours.

"You never said, what's the occasion?"

The two thanked the hostess for seating them, and Mamoru took a drink of his water, "We are here to celebrate."

Usagi gave him a confused look, tilting her head to the side, "What are we celebrating?"

Before he could answer, their waiter came up to the table to introduce himself.

"Good evening, may I suggest a merlot for this evening? Our house wine is one of our most popular."

Usagi shook her head and smiled politely at the waiter, "I'll have a glass of water, please."

"Of course, and for your sir?" The waiter turned his attention to Mamoru, who simply nodded to confirm he wanted the same as his date.

Once he left, Usagi waited for her boyfriend to answer her question.

"We, my love, are celebrating my new promotion."

Usagi squealed, causing neighboring tables to look at the couple in surprise, and rushed around to give Mamoru a congratulatory hug.

"That's wonderful Mamo-chan! I'm so proud of you," Usagi pecked him on the cheek, "When do you start?"

"Monday morning," Mamoru replied, smiling at his girlfriend's enthusiasm, "But I wanted to spend the evening celebrating with you."

The rest of the evening was perfect. Just the right amount of romance and spice. Charming and engaging conversation mingled with a kisses and warm embraces.

As the two continued their walk on the way back to her apartment, Usagi looked at the time. She has 40 minutes to end the date and get to the Tokyo Tower. She chewed on the inside of her cheek. She hadn't meant to procrastinate this long, but she didn't want to just spring the news on him either.

"Mamo-chan," Usagi hesitated and exhaled slowly, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

Mamoru looked down at Usagi, trying to read her features, "I'm off for the day and have some things to take care of at home. Would you like to do something in the afternoon?"

Usagi nodded, "Hai. I feel like I owe it to you. We haven't seen each other very much at all this week. This evening was spectacular and I am so proud of you, Mamo-chan!" she explained, "Demo… I could really use a night in. Just the two of us."

Her boyfriend smiled, "Hai. Anything you wish, Usako. But don't feel bad; I remember college – it wasn't THAT long ago."

Smiling at his teasing, Usagi wrapped her hands around his arm as they kept walking, "Take me home?"

Mamoru nodded, half-relieved Usagi hadn't spilled the beans of her secret, yet half-disappointed for the same reason.

"Yuichiro, there's something we need to talk about."

The young man visibly paled. The serious tone of his girlfriend was not a good sign. He was used to the feisty spirit of the raven-haired beauty. Truth be told, he was more comfortable when she was emotional and in hysterics. He knew how to handle her during those stages of emotion. It was the calm, cool and collected Rei that had him truly nervous. It meant something serious was about to happen.

"Hai," Yuichiro answered dutifully, taking the seat on the couch she had shown him too. Fearing the worst, he blurted it out, "You're breaking up with me, aren't you?"

Rei's eyes widened, "Why would you ever think that?"

"I'm not stupid, Rei," Yuichiro snorted in half disgust, "You're a gorgeous girl with the world at your feet. You've left the shrine to better yourself. You need someone who can do the same. Someone who you go well with; not some washed out musician who—"

Rei cut him off with a kiss.

It was by instinct.

His lips were slightly rough, but Rei didn't mind. She actually enjoyed the feeling and deepened this kiss; slightly opening her mouth and letting her tongue dart out briefly so it would sweep across his bottom lip.

Pulling away, Rei shook her head, "Iie. I'm not breaking up with you. And you shouldn't say such horrible things about yourself! I don't think that way and so you're not allowed to either. Where is that even coming from? Has someone been saying you're not good enough for me? Who said that?" Rei's voice had turned to its familiar screech and angry tone, so Yuichiro was able to relax a little as she continued her rant, "I will personally make sure they never say, let alone think, anything like that about you!"

Yuichiro had the grace to blush, and it was his turn to kiss her silent.

"Arigato, Rei… but, you wanted to talk about something?" Yuichiro's nerves had calmed over his girlfriend not wanting to end things with him; which was probably the only reason the next question even came to his mind, "Are you… are your pregnant?"

Rei's face grew hot; half out of embarrassment and half out of annoyance, "Iie! I'm not pregnant."

Rolling her eyes, regained her composure and tried once more to tell him the news she was sure would be far worse than wanting to break up with him or being pregnant with his child.

"I don't know how to tell you this… and it's complicated. And a long story. But I don't want you to worry. And you can ask any questions you want and I'll answer them as best as you can. But I'm telling you this because I feel like I can trust you… so I hope I am right about you and I won't be risking too much; or asking too much. The girls already said they are okay with me telling you… but after this, you may be the one to dump me. I mean, I hope you don't! You know I like you and I really like our relationship and where things are and where they're going; and where they could go. But I don't know how you'll take this news and I don't want to put you in any kind of danger. But I know that if this keeps going the way that it is, you should know and I understand if you need time to—"

Yuichiro chucked, "Rei, are you trying to tell me that you're Sailor Mars?"

:)