In this story, I screw up the timeline like crazy and I
don't really stay with the actual storyline at all.
Anyhoo, nobody has any memory to the Moon Kingdom,
but all the scouts are known, and they know
Tux is a friend. Usagi and Mamoru still bicker,
and Usagi has no idea who Tux is. I think that
covers most, if not all, of it...


**Three Down, One To Go**
Written by Moon Feit
moonfeit@hotmail.com
http://moonfeit.homestead.com


          I woke up to the smell of pancakes drifting
up the steps. I excitedly jumped out of bed,
displeasing a sleeping cat at the end of my bed, or so
my temporarily deaf ears told me. I quickly slipped on
the horrible school uniform, which was still unmended
from when I tripped on the sidewalk a week ago. The
small rips in the cuffs and the the hastily patched
elbow proving my point. I stuffed my bookbag with unread
textbooks, and I shrugged. Perhaps I'd get there early
for once and I can read them quickly. I laughed at the
mere word of early. I slung the bookbag on my shoulder
and ran into the kitchen.
          My sighing mother awaited with two pancakes on
a paper plate with lunch money in her hand. I grabbed
them both expertly and somehow managed to kiss her goodbye
on the cheek in the chaos. I hollored a goodbye to my
grumbling father as I raced out the door. I heard my half
on, half off shoes slapping against the sidewalk, and I
hopped in place for a moment to get them on completely. I
threw away the paper plate in the corner trash can, again,
expertly while going what must have been a world record
breaking speed. I even wondered if I should join the high
school track team.
          I turned the corner and wouldn't you know it, I
ran into the scum of the earth. Dear old conceited,
annoying, pesterly, irritating, bothersome Chiba Mamoru.
Ha, didn't think I could come up with such big words, did
you? Typical, everyone else doesn't believe I can do it,
either. Most people think the biggest word I can come up
with is 'gomen' because I say it so often. I guess only
special people will ever get to know the brainy side of me.
And so far thats nill. It will be a shock to most people in
the future.
          "Have you ever had a day where you could actually
walk to school, Odango Atama?" he said. Sometimes I think he
sits in the arcade waiting to test out the new insults he
figured out all by himself in his apartment.
          "I don't need you ruining my day before it has even
started baka. I'm just going to forget that you ever spoke to
me today," I replied hastily, and sprinted off towards school.
I didn't look back. Hearing him laugh at me is bad enough. I
didn't need to see it to confirm my fears.
          I reached the school gate just as the bell went off.
I bet I could have made it if that darned baka hadn't stalled
me. They won't let me in without a doctor's note. I've been
late so many times they almost gave me in school suspension.
I had no doubt they'll do that after this time. Being on time
once a month just isn't good enough, they said. I had it in my
mind to tell them I didn't care what was good enough, and that
they should be happy I even go to their rotten school
whatsoever. I mean, my parents pay for it. That's all they
really care about, but I didn't. Unfortunately my father
interrupted with a ear chopping ceremony of his own. My mother,
as usual, just sighed.
          I decided I would go to the park instead of the
arcade. I already had beaten the new Sailor V game in two days
of its arrival. All I had to do was wait for someone to beat my
score, which was highly unlikely. I reached the park and I
walked in, gracefully, for once, I might add. I went over to
the pathways that led into the dark woods. I loved those woods,
whether they were gloomy or not. I liked to lose myself in them.
Now it was getting hard to lose myself at all. I had gone through
the woods so much I practically knew them like the back of my
hand. Almost. There was one trail I had always wanted to take, but
it had a feeling of forbidden trespassing to it. Today, though, I
didn't care. We only live once and we need to make the most of it.
          I wound through paths of dirt and grass, taking numerous
turns without a thought, knowing the whole while how to get back.
I tossed a fallen branch aside my path once or twice from the
previous windstorm we had a few days back. It was like I was the
only person to ever travel back here. Somehow I knew I wasn't.
Sometimes I could feel someone else's presence, but a feared to
call out, for some reason hidden in my heart.
          I looked at my surroundings. There it was. The path that
had a bush next to it that bore a mysteriously perfect rosebud. I
have never seen it open, but somehow I knew it would have been the
most beautiful of roses if it ever did. I gently touched the tip
of the rosebud with my left index finger and brushed past it, onto
the almost invisible forbidden trail. Well, not entirely forbidden,
there were no signs around, but it still had that feeling to it,
like when a small child can reach the cookies on the counter, but
doesn't, because even though untold, the child knows the cookies
are off limits. I laugh at myself, relating a lonely pathway in
the woods to a child and some cookies.
          The path was longer than I expected. I had been on it
for about three to five minutes, but I had a strange feeling
I'm not even halfway through. I tread, almost fearfully, forward
on the path. The path had two beautiful, rippling streams
running on each side. The water was crystal clear and you could
see the small tadpoles swimming against the gentle current. The
water had tiny swirls in it as it passed some protruding
pebbles, and had tiny areas with white foam as the water fell
down a six inch fall where the path made a step. The ground
from this step on was made of stone, placed as if it were a
sidewalk leading to a person's house. The stone intricately
fit together like a puzzle and a beautiful picture of a rose
formed from the many peices of colored claystone. Most of the
path built yellow roses.
          I stared at them with awe as I continued, until I
saw the first stone rose, of many, colored the most life-like
red I had ever seen. I felt that if I touched it, I would feel
the silkiness of a real rose at my fingertips. I reached down
to test the texture, and to see if my eyes decieved me. They
had. The stone was as hard as any other stone surrounding me.
          I stood up and looked ahead, to see if there were
any clues to as why the roses in the stones had become red
all of a sudden. I almost fainted. It was a white marble statue
that stood at my height. But the thing that surprised me the
most is that it was a statue, of, well, ME! The facial
expression was that of when I was longing for something, not
mad, sad, or orverjoyed. Just plain longing, and looking at it
felt like looking into a mirror. The odangos were an exact
likeness as well. It looked like the wind was crying through
them. I almost felt if I touched the white marble I'd feel my
own hair beneath my fingers, just like the rose in the stone at
the end of the path. Every strand of hair was set perfectly in
place. Then I looked over the rest of... me...  Thinking about
that scared me to the bone. So I didn't, and continued looking
at the statue. The hands were a perfect match, I even put my own
hand against the open one to prove it to myself. The hand I
touched was resting at the statues stomach, except reaching out
barely, as trying to contain from grabbing a retreating person's
wrist. The other hand was at the heart, it seemed like it was
clutching at a feeling no one would be allowed to take. The dress
that was carved on the statue was simple, but regal and magestic.
The marble cloth had many, many flowing ripples in it and the top
was strapless, with a circle design surrounding the entire frame
just at the bust. I walked to the back to see a perfect three
dimensional figure of myself. The dress, I noticed, was so
intricate you could even see the small latches in the back that
were to hold the dress up, and the waves of the dress showed it
looked like the statue was deciding whether to walk or not.
          I went back to the other side and looked at the face
again. There was something I missed looking at it the first time.
There was a tiara on the statues forehead, with an upside down cresent
moon at the cornering tip, like the tiara I have in my Sailor Moon
form. I walked around the statue a few more times, looking at it
from all angles possible. Everything was done in exact detail,
and the overall feeling was that off a love left, of wanting to
follow someone and get their attention. It was so surprising to
me, seeing I never modeled for something of any sort whatsoever.
          For some reason I mimicked the statue, taking the exact
position, facial expression and all, and closed my eyes. I imagined
myself in the cloths the statue was wearing. My eyes snapped open
in shock and fear. It seemed eerily familiar, that pose. I had
never done that before that I can remember. It was so freaky. I
just collapsed to the stone tiled ground, staring up at the statue
in confusion and shock. The sun beat down on me, and the wind
played with my long pigtails. I declined my face, and looked at
the ground for a moment before I closed my eyes, wondering how
someone could ever have made such a likeness to me.
          Suddenly I had the feeling I wasn't alone. I stood up
quickly, ready to become the legendary klutzy Sailor Moon, if need
be. I looked around me and saw no one. I gazed past the statue and
my eyes fell upon a huge amount of roses. Roses of all colors
filled my sight. I never thought I could see so many perfect
flowers at one time before. Who did this? Who owned all these
maginificent roses, and also, who grew them?
          I let my gaze drift across the multitudes of beauty,
leaving the statue out of my concious mind. I looked for anyone
or anything that could have made such wonderful, perfect, velvet
and silky roses. I noticed someone moving at the other side of
the sea of grandeur. I cautiously stepped toward the person,
already making up apologies for trespassing if they
brought it up.
          I ducked out of view as I saw the person stand and
turn around. I saw him brush his hands on his pants, his face
still out of sight. He touched one of the roses and it seemed
to thrive under his touch, growing yet more beautiful and
perfect. Then I saw him hold out his hand and a rose appeared
in his palm from out of nowhere, just as perfect and pure as
Tuxedo Kamen's.
          Tuxedo Kamen? I was going to find out who Tuxedo
Kamen was when he was in civilian form. The thought thrilled
me and yet made me feel guilty as I would know his identity,
but he would not know mine. I grudgily shook off the thought
and continued to watch him from my hiddin spot.
          He looked up towards the silvery blue sky as he
fingered the rose he had created. I could see his profile,
but I didn't recognize it. I could see him talking to an
unknown spirit inside himself, but I couldn't make out the
words, much less hear his voice. The only thing I heard was
the lonely breeze dancing with the rose bushes.
          I was startled as a bluejay swept near to my arm
and I fell, making a loud gasp of pain as I made new friends
with the stone tiled floor. I darted back to my spot, but he
noticed me. I saw his face then, and shock was evident at the
thought someone was in his garden without him knowing, and
that that someone was me. Though it was entirely possible that
I could have been shocked even more at the fact that the owner
and other identity to Tuxedo Kamen was none other than my
personal rival, Chiba Mamoru. Somehow, though, I think we
were at least surprised to the same amount.
          I was frozen in place as he ran towards me. I wished
I could move, but all I could do was face the ground and wait
for him to shout and yell and insult me. I saw his feet stop
next to me and then his knees as he collapsed beside me. I
couldn't do or say anything, more or less from knowing he
wasn't telling me to leave. He wasn't saying anything at
all, actually.
          "Usagi? Why'd you come here?" I finally heard him
ask. He sounded overwhelmed with surprise, and, was it, fear?
          I gathered my strength. I could never know something
about somebody unless they knew it. I would feel guilty until
they knew. I just whispered. "Mamoru. I know who you are."
          "What do you mean, who I am?" he asked, his voice
filling with dread, hoping I didn't know what I did.
          I moved my face to look into his curious and
bewildered stare. "Tuxedo Kamen," I whispered again, almost
choking on the name as if it were poison to my tongue. He
just collasped further onto the ground and his face was
unmasked completely, showing the dread I heard in his voice,
the confusion as on how I knew, and, what really confused me,
relief. I didn't give up though. "And since I know who you
are, Mamoru, it is only right for you know to who I am," I
said, with a tone and expression that said simply, 
'I'm-telling-you-and-you-can't-stop-me-from-saying-it'.
I got to my knees and I opend my grip on my broach and
presented it. I had begun to think he couldn't show anymore
surprise, bewilderment and shock on his masculine features,
but I guess you could say I thought wrong. He just stared at
me. It was eerie, almost, but for some reason I felt
perfectly fine with him knowing. Something on his face
though, showed that he half thought my broach was a fake,
so I went into transformation. Within seconds the heroine
Sailor Moon was standing in my place. Mamoru looked like he
was about to faint.
          I quickly powered down and gripped his shoulders.
I looked into his eyes and I told him, it was only fair that
he know, since I had discovered his. But what he told me
practically scared me past Pluto.
          "Usagi, I've already known. I just never thought
you'd admit to it so openly," he said, averting his eyes
from my overwhelming stare. "But now that it is out in the
open for both of us, I guess we can't fight each other
anymore, huh?" he joked. He turned to me and looked me
straight in the eye. He really had never done that before
and seeing the admiration in them scared me silly.
          "Darn, it was kinda fun," I joked back, ignoring
the 'what-on-the-pretty-planet-earth-is-going-on-here?'
feeling that was turning my stonach into knots.
          He raised an eyebrow at my reply. "Really, and all
this while I thought you hated me for it," he commented. He
had whispered it so quietly I strained to hear him. But I
heard it and I shrugged, a grin playing on my features.
          "Do you own all these roses?" I asked suddenly. There
was something itching at the back of my mind, but I had no idea
what.
          "Yea. I bought this area of land just for them. I
think roses are amazing," he said, touching a rose nearby that
was beginning to close. It perked up immediately and its
petals unfurled and its golden color deepened. I just watched
as he caressed a few others, gettting the same reaction from
each and every single one of them. Then I felt his hand on mine.
I looked at him, he just smiled his quirky grin. "Do you know
the myth behind the rose, Usagi?" he asked me. I shook my head,
and relaxed against the ground. I had a feeling I was going to
be sitting there for a while. "Well, myth says that on an old
kingdom on the moon, there was a princess named Serenity, and
she loved a man, from earth, the prince Endymion. When they first
saw each other it was when the earth kingdom came to the moon to
visit and make allies with the moon. They met in the moon
kingdoms royal garden, and the first rose appeared between
them, as they looked at each other. The color of this rose was
yellow. The yellow rose represented the kindness and respect
the two had for each other. As their friendship grew stronger
another rose, a pink one, appeared. This rose was to stand for
realization of complete trust for each other. Soon the two
royalties realized they loved each other, and the red rose was
then seen. They became engaged, but almost a year after the
engagement a great evil came and threatened the moon kingdom.
The only battle that was fought on the moon was horrific.
Everyone from the moon kingdom was lost and earth was taken
over. Both kingdoms died at the same night, as did the prince
and princess that had planned on a peaceful life with one
another for eternity. The first red rose, which was said to
be blood shaped as a flower, closed into a single rosebud on
a lonely bush. The two lovers are said to come back after
milleniums, and the white rose was to come to being.
The white rose represents the eternal love they feel once
they join rule and marry after they have found each
other again. I've seen white roses around, and I can grow
them, but they aren't as easy to find or grow as the other
colors. It almost makes the myth seem true, doesn't it,
Usagi?"
          I didn't say anything. As Mamoru was speaking,
I kept spacing out, visioning the things that he said. The
battle I saw was truly horrifying. Bloody bodies were
everywhere, littering the lifeless ground. Part of the
vision flashed to the two lovers lying dead next to each
other, the prince killed, the princess with suicide. After
I had seen that the vision had shown me people Mamoru had
not mentioned. I saw my friends, dead, all in their Sailor
uniforms, and a queen, lying still with a crystal, the crystal,
MY crystal in her hands. Then I saw the prince and princess
again. It was none other than Mamoru and myself, and I was
wearing the dress the statue in Mamoru's rose garden was shown
in. I wonder now, did Mamoru have the same visions?
          "Mamoru, did you just see strange things of a battle
and the prince and princess?" I asked, my voice shaky and
breaking. Mamoru reached over and pulled me into a deep hug.
"I take that as a yes, then?" I joked, trying to let my mind
release itself of the pressure of the fact I was a princess
on the moon in the past. I felt Mamoru nod barely, and I
shuddered. He held me tighter. Suddenly I had an idea.
          I pulled out of his grasp and pulled him to his feet.
I took him by the hand and took him to the yellow flower I had
seen him touch moments before. I ignored the quizzical look on
his face and plucked it, then handed it to him. Then I took a
pink one. For a moment I marveled at how they were all
thornless, but I remembered. He was Tuxedo Kamen. His roses
never had thorns. I took a hold of the yellow rose that he
still held in his hand.
          "The yellow rose is for our friendship. Even
though you teased me, you were always a good friend. I might
not have treated you as such, and I know I said more than
once I hated you, but I don't. Now the pink one is for the
trust I share with you. I trust you fully, and you said it
yourself when I opened freely that I am Sailor Moon.  I just
have one thing to say. Two colors down, two to go." I smiled
at the fascination on his face. For a moment there I didn't
think I could get the nerve to say 'two to go'.
          Mamoru smiled at me in return. "I think that's a
good progress. Two roses in one day," He silently took my
hand and we walked together.
          Soon we passed the statue I had seen earlier.
The weird sense of de-sha-vu took over me and I collapsed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Flashback

          "Dear Serenity, my love, I promise you I'll
come back. My father wants me to visit the other
kingdoms and meet the other royal families. I shall be back.
I promise," Endymion whispered into Serenity's ear. He
stepped back and held her a blood red rose of perfection.
          Serenity took it gingerly. "I know you will
return Endy. You always have, and you always will.
I will miss you more than anything when you leave.
Come back soon, as fast as you can," She murmered in his
embrace. He let her go reluctantly and gave her a
passionate kiss goodbye, and turned towards the ship.
          Serenity fought with herself. She fought
whether she should grab him and refuse to let him go,
or see him take off to spend a month away from her.
She knew if she refused to let him go her mother would
scowl at her, and Endymion would insist even more that he
must go. So she just stood there helplessly as she
watched him leave her for a month that seemed it would
never end. Her hand placed itself near her heart as she
thought, 'You always have my love, Endymion'

~~~~~~~~~~~~End Flashback

          I woke up again, lying on my back with my
head in Mamoru's lap. He was calling for me, and seemed
like he was thanking the stars I awoke. I took his hand
and sat up, assuring him I was fine. That wonderful man
was so stubborn I had to tell him about the vision, and
how the statue was in the same posture that I was that
day so long ago. Finally he was satisfied and he helped
me up to my feet. He smiled at me and pointed at the
statue. "You have no idea how much trouble it was to get
the artist to get that right, Usako. I had it begun when
I started having dreams of our past. Seeing you in real
life helped a lot, even though at the time I had no idea
you were the princess," he winked at me. I laughed and we
continued down the path that had then turned to yellow
roses again. We walked in perfect silence. His arm soon
found it's way around my waist and I leaned against him.
My arm that was in between the two of us held the hand of
the arm around my waist. Everything seemed perfect. I felt
perfect. Nothing could ever go wrong anymore. The sun was
at its highest peak, shining through spots of bareness in
the trees. The breeze blew wildly through my hair, causing
it to tumble with the wind behind Mamoru and I. My spirits
felt like they were as high as the sun, at the highest
peak imaginable. I sighed contentedly as we quicky reached
the end of the path, though we took our own good time.
          The one rosebud that was on the lonely bush was
a rosebud no longer. I pointed it to Mamoru and told him
how I had always seen it closed, and never opened. He
nodded, and told me to get a good look at it, there was
something I would want to see. I looked close and the
petals were a blood red, and they almost seem like they
were flowing with the liquid. I gingerly touched the rose.
It actually felt like real blood. I looked at my hand.
I gasped loudly. My fingertips were stained red.
"Mamo-chan! Is it true? Is the rose actually made of the
blood from our deaths?"
          Mamoru just took my hand and kissed where blood
was, and I giggled. He smiled and took my chin in his
fingers. I looked into his eyes, the stormy, restless deep,
dark blue. I could have gotten lost in the depths, but the
message that read in them wouldn't let me. He leaned towards
me until our lips were not even an inch apart. I felt me
eyes slowly close and his lips press gently at first with
mine. Soon the kiss deepened into what one could call a
silent proclamation of love. The only thing I could thing
about before I stopped thought completely was the message I
saw in my eternal love's eyes.
          'Three down, one to go'

**The End!**

SO WHADYA THINK? HUH? HUH? HUH? GOTTA E-MAIL ME OTHERWISE
THIS IS MY ONE AND ONLY STORY! YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT! EMAIL
ME OR FORGET MORE STORIES!

Ok, that's enough shouting for now. just e-mail me!
-Moon Feit
moonfeit@hotmail.com
http://moonfeit.homestead.com