Transformations of Time
A Sailor Moon fanfic by Beholder

Standard disclaimers apply.  I do not own Sailor Moon, those characters are owned by 
Naoko Takeuchi.  All other characters are owned by me.

Thanks go to:
DQBunny, Lady Snowbreeze, Lady Amethyst, Ai, and many others for editing/critiquing
DQBunny, Ajax, Elizabeth Turkwood, Tim Nolan, and John "P-chan" Laughlin for 
writing some very good stories that inspired me to write this, and some ideas which I 
borrowed from those stories, changed and incorporated into mine.

The book "Applied Molecular Genetics" is a real book and can be
found on www.amazon.com, for those who are curious.

CHANGES IN THIS REVISION:  Changed Mamoru's line of study from computer science to
geneticist, since this was his major in the anime and manga, as one of my editors brought
to my attention.





Chapter 1d:  Promises and Second Chances

	"Tsukino Usagi!" the voice echoed through the auditorium
	Rei's memories once again focused on the present as she saw a figure begin to 
walk up the stairs.  "Oh, God, I hope she doesn't have a klutz attack!" Rei thought to 
herself.  She watched as Usagi carefully climbed the stairs and noticed Usagi had 
removed her customary odangoes in order for her mortarboard to rest on her head 
properly.  Usagi gracefully strode across the stage, beaming, as she accepted her diploma 
from the headmaster, shook his hand, walked to the other side for the photo, and then 
carefully descended the stairs.
	Rei looked over to Mamoru and saw the proud smile on his face as he watched his 
Usako accept her diploma.  The proud smile spread to Rei's face as she turned away, and 
thought about how her dearest friend not only found herself, but found a new maturity out 
of enduring a terrible loss.

	Usagi's junior year at Juban High School started out much as the previous years.  
She showed up late for classes and failed the first round of major exams of the semester, 
except for her history and geography exams which she narrowly passed.
	Late in November of that year, Usagi was at Mamoru's apartment one night, 
attempting to study, but Mamoru was too much of an easy distraction for her.  She 
watched him diligently work on his university work, as she sat with her books open, her 
pencil in her hand, and a blank sheet of paper before her.  She had been this way for an 
hour.  She had nearly convinced herself that it was more fun to watch her Mamo-chan 
than to do her own work when the charade she was creating in her mind broke down.
	"Mamo-chan?"
	"Hm?" he asked, not looking up.
	"Mamo-chan??" she asked again, a little more insistently.
	"Yes, Usako?" he responded, still punching buttons on his calculator and writing 
on his paper.
	"Mamoru-san?" she asked, softly.
	Mamoru stopped.  She never uses that name unless something is really bothering 
her or she wants my undivided attention, he thought.  He put his pencil down, marked his 
page in his book, closed it, and looked up.  "Yes, Usako?"
	He saw the tears already starting to well in her eyes.  It made her eyes ever bluer 
than they usually were.  "Mamo-chan," she said, reverting back to her pet name for him, 
"do I embarrass you?"
	Whoa, where did this come from, he asked himself.  "Why, Usako?"
	"I failed another test, Mamo-chan, and....well....I just feel like.....I'm...."
	"What is it, Usako?  What do you feel like?"
	"A disappointment."
	"Usako..."
	Usagi suddenly stood up and walked out to the balcony, right across from where 
Mamoru was sitting.  He saw Usagi lean against the railing and begin to sob quietly, then 
he got to his feet and joined her.  He put his arm around her, but she gently shrugged him 
off.  He became a bit alarmed, but could see that she wasn't in a mood to be comforted.
	"Mamo-chan, I'm supposed to be a future queen, your future wife, and a future 
mother, and right now I feel like someone's made a hideous mistake.  I'm stupid, I'm a 
klutz, I can't sing or dance or cook or tell a good joke or...or...anything!"  Usagi turned 
back to Mamoru and embraced him.  "I'm sorry, Mamo-chan, I just want you to be proud 
of me for something!"
	Mamoru put his arms around the softly sobbing girl.  "I know, Usako, and believe 
it or not, I am proud of you."
	Usagi looked up with doubt in her eyes, and he could see it.  She didn't even have 
to say it, but she did.  "Arigato, Mamo-chan, but I still feel like you deserve so much 
more than I have to offer you.  I mean, you're in college, studying things that I can't 
understand, and here I am barely able to remember what four times four is."
	"Usako, I think you are being hard on yourself."
	"Mamo-chan, Ami-chan's a genius and loves to study, Rei-chan can tell your 
fortune and is a great singer, Mako-chan is a terrific cook, and Minako-chan is a great 
athlete.  What am I good at?  Am I good at anything?"
	"Everyone has a talent, Usako.  What do you like doing?"
	"Besides reading mangas and eating ice cream?"
	Mamoru chuckled.  "Yes, besides that."
	"Well.....I tend to doodle when I'm bored in class," she said with a slight blush.
	"Really, Usako?  Can you show me?"
	"Hai!" she said, suddenly invigorated.
	Usagi went back inside and dug through her book bag.  She returned after a few 
moments with a notebook labeled "Math" and opened it for him.  Mamoru flipped 
through it, astonished at what he saw.
	First off, there were more doodles than math notes, which upset him but he said 
nothing.  Second, the doodles that were there were skillfully drawn, although they were 
in a manga style.  He saw pictures of himself with Usagi, dressed up in their future 
wedding garb, as well as several doodles of just him, and especially one that made HIM 
blush.  He looked up from the picture, over the notebook to the blonde, and she could tell 
by his expression and how red his face was what picture he had found.  She began to 
blush with him.
	"Odango-atama, I never knew you thought of such things," he said with a sly tone 
to his voice.  She poked him in the arm, and turned away, blushing even redder.  He 
suddenly closed the notebook, and gave it to her.  "Usako, I am very impressed.  Have 
you ever thought about taking an art class?"
	Usagi shook her head, but she was smiling.  She never realized that he'd be 
impressed by her little doodles.  "Do you think I should sign up?"
	"I think it might be worth trying out.  When can you sign up?"
	"Well, classes are already filled for this semester, but I could sign up for spring!"
	"Then that is what you should do," he stated, smiling himself.  She did have a 
talent, she just never realized it.  "However, if you do get into an art class, you have to 
promise me that you will study just as hard for your other classes as you do for your art 
class.  Understood?"
	Usagi nodded enthusiastically, then clasped her arms around him and hugged him 
like she was never going to see him again.  She suddenly broke the embrace and said, 
"Let's go get this homework over with!"
	He nodded back to her with a smile and they went back inside and both of them 
attacked their schoolwork with renewed vigor.
	Usagi came home at about nine o'clock that night.  She came in the front door and 
was about to ascend the steps to her room and get ready for bed when she heard a low 
moan come from the living room.  She put her books on the steps and curiously walked 
into the living room, and found her mother, Ikuko, lying on the couch, propped up with a 
pillow, watching TV, and a bottle of extra-strength Ibuprofen next to an empty glass on 
the coffee table.
	"I'm home, mama," she said softly.
	"Did you have a good time at Mamoru's?" she asked, with a bit of pain in her 
voice.
	"Hai, mama.  Are you alright?"
	"Hai, Usagi-chan, just another headache."
	"Mama, that's the fourth one this week."
	"I know.  I'm probably just tired.  I haven't been sleeping well lately, either."
	"Well, get better, OK mama?"
	"Hai, Usagi-chan.  Goodnight!"
	"Goodnight!"
	Usagi walked back to the stairs and collected her books, but she was consumed 
with concern for her mother.  She was usually such a vibrant and enthusiastic woman.  
The only times she ever got like this was when she was sick.  Usagi said a silent prayer 
that her mother would be all right, then walked upstairs and to her room.
	The rest of the school semester barely changed.  Usagi was still late to school, but 
her grades on exams did improve, although not significantly.  She still regularly flunked 
her math and science exams, but in her other classes, she was barely passing.  "Some 
future queen," she still often thought to herself when getting back her exam grades.
	Unfortunately, Tsukino Ikuko's condition was not getting any better.  She was 
still experiencing frequent headaches.  The family doctor took a look at her several times 
over December and early January, but only would prescribe other pain-relievers and more 
rest.
	Usagi was able to sign up for a beginners' art class for the spring semester and 
within the first two weeks of the semester, got her first assignment.  She was to do a 
pencil drawing of a person, a landmark of some kind, or some other object.  What did 
Usagi choose to draw?  Mamoru, of course.
	On a Monday night in late January, Usagi spent most of the evening at Mamoru's 
apartment.  He sat, as still as a brick wall, in a chair as Usagi drew and drew for what 
seemed like eternity.  By the time, Usagi finally shouted, "Done!" Mamoru nearly 
collapsed from exhaustion at holding his pose for so long.  He stood and walked around 
by Usagi and was astonished at the picture she had drawn.  It was so detailed and 
carefully drawn that he felt a surge of pride come from deep inside and he hugged Usagi, 
pleased at the terrific job she had done, although he could still see a significant manga 
influence.  Usagi smiled at her own work, pleased that Mamoru was pleased and showed 
his confidence in her.  She only hoped that her sensei would agree with him that it was a 
terrific picture.
	Usagi turned the drawing in the next day and that Friday she got it back and got 
her grade.  After school, she immediately ran to Mamoru's apartment to tell him how her 
first assignment turned out.
	Mamoru opened the door and nearly was knocked over by the blonde as she 
screamed and leapt into his arms.  "I GOT AN A!"  She held up the pencil drawing of 
Mamoru and let him see the red circled "A" in the lower corner.  They celebrated there 
for several minutes, Mamoru jumping up and down, holding Usagi in his arms, Usagi 
flailing and kicking with joy.  Unfortunately, Mamoru lost his balance and they both went 
crashing to the floor, but neither of them cared.  Usagi landed, straddling Mamoru and 
began to kiss him over and over, in brief, sweet pecks, but then she let one of them linger, 
and the whole mood changed.
	Passion began to sweep over them both and as they lay on Mamoru's floor, Usagi 
began to kiss him deeply.  Mamoru returned all her kisses in kind and put his arms 
around her tiny frame.  He began to sit up, with her still straddled over him and they sat 
like that for several minutes, kissing and caressing each other.  The drawing was tossed 
aside, and Usagi began to run her hands through his hair as he began to gently place 
kisses along her neck and jaw line.  She lightly sucked on his earlobe, but soon was too 
swept up in the sensations he was generating to do much except enjoy it.
	Mamoru rolled himself and Usagi over so that she was now on the floor and he 
was over her.  But he quickly puts his arms around her and lifted her up into the air once 
again, and carried her, in a reverse piggyback, to his bedroom.
	He playfully dropped her on his bed next to the open window and she landed with 
a giggle.  Mamoru quickly hovered over her and continued their exchange of kisses from 
the living room.  Soon, though, Usagi, with a heave, rolled them over so that she was on 
top and began to plant kisses on his lips and cheeks as she began to frantically unbutton 
his shirt.  He caressed her shoulders and arms as she kissed him and one-by-one, the 
buttons came open until very soon he was bare-chested.  Usagi began to kiss down and 
around his chest for a while as he ran his fingers over her hair and odangos, then played 
with her two ponytails  that had splayed out to each side.  Usagi continued to kiss lower, 
down his firm abdomen and stomach, then put her fingers just inside the waistband of his 
slacks, then froze.
	"What's wrong, love?" he asked her.
	"I nearly lost myself, Mamo-chan.  I hope you won't think me a tease, but I don't 
think I feel comfortable going any further.  Not yet, anyway."
	"I don't think you're a tease and I understand if you aren't comfortable.  I know 
you want your first time to be in the right time and the right place.  I also know that right 
now isn't either of them."
	Usagi took her hands from his waistband and put them on his sides.  "A part of 
me really wants to give myself to you, completely, though, Mamo-chan.  Right here and 
right now."
	"I know, Usako.  I feel the same."
	Usagi looked up at him and saw him smiling warmly down to her, and she was so 
happy he understood, even sympathized with the situation.  She couldn't express to him 
just how excited she had gotten in just that short amount of time, but when she moved 
down his body, she brushed him and knew that their passion had had the same effect on 
him.
	Usagi crawled back up to be in his arms, which he gladly obliged her.  She rested 
her head against his warm, bare chest and heard his heartbeat, which comforted her 
greatly, like it always did.  "I love you, Mamo-chan," she whispered.
	"I love you, too, Usako," he whispered back.
	In time, Usagi and Mamoru drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.  They laid 
there and slept in each other's arms for several hours, then Luna appeared on the 
bedroom windowsill, with a distressed look on her face.  "USAGI-CHAN!" she cried.
	Usagi and Mamoru jumped at Luna's shout.  "Luna?" Usagi said, wearily.
	"Usagi-chan!" Luna cried again as she jumped from the open window onto the 
bed next to them.  "Come, quick!"
	"What's wrong, Luna?" Usagi asked, still half-asleep.
	"It's Ikuko-san!"
	Usagi suddenly wasn't tired anymore and raised off Mamoru's chest.  "Nani?"
	"She's in the hospital!"
	"NANI?  Mama's in the hospital?  Mamo-chan!  Can you drive us?"
	"Of course, Usako!  Let's go!"
	Mamoru quickly buttoned up his shirt, grabbed his keys, Usagi made herself more 
presentable, scooped up Luna and all three of them were gone in moments.
	Hey ran down the staircase as fast as they could and out to Mamoru's car.  They 
jumped in and sped off.  Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the Azabu Medical Center 
and were directed to the Emergency Room and a Dr. Mizuno.
	As Usagi, Mamoru, and Luna turned the corner to go down to the ER, they say 
Ami sitting outside.  She saw them and jumped to her feet.  "Usagi-chan!"
	"Ami-chan!"
	The two girls raced to each other.  "Ami-chan, what's happening?  Where's my 
mother?  What's wrong with her?"
	"Usagi-chan," Ami started in a calming voice, "my mom is in with her right now, 
and they are checking her out.  My mom called me as soon as she realized this was your 
mom and told me to come down in case you needed someone.  I don't have all the details, 
but your dad said that your mom went to sleep late this afternoon complaining of a bad 
headache, and when he came to wake her up at about eight o'clock, she wouldn't wake 
up."
	"Nani?  Mama!"  Usagi tried to pass Ami and get into the ER, but Ami held her 
back.  "Ami-chan!  Let go of me!  Mama!"  Mamoru quickly dropped Luna and helped 
Ami.
	"Usako, you can't do anything right now.  Relax!  They're going to do everything 
they can for you."
	"Usagi-chan, my mom is in there.  She'll do her best for her, OK?  Come, sit 
down!"
	Usagi struggled for a few more seconds, then seeing she was outnumbered, went 
nearly limp in their arms, her eyes in a faraway look.  Mamoru and Ami put Usagi into a 
chair by the entrance to the ER and waited.  A few minutes later, Usagi's father and 
Shingo walked out of the ER, and both were in tears.  Usagi jumped to her feet and ran to 
them, embracing them both at the same time.  "Papa!  Shingo!" she cried out between her 
sobs.  "What's wrong with mama?"
	"They....they're not sure yet, Usagi-chan.  They're taking her for a CAT-scan and 
to run some other tests," Usagi's father said, solemnly.  "All we can do is wait."
	The three Tsukino's sat down and waited.  Several hours passed and everyone's 
stomachs were rumbling, but no one felt like eating, even Usagi.
	Three hours later, Dr. Mizuno slowly walked out of the ER.  Everyone waiting 
outside jumped to their feet and started to bombard her with questions.  She held up her 
hands for everyone to calm down then said, "I'd like to see the immediate family in my 
office, please."
	"Mama, can I come, too?"
	"No, Ami-chan.  This is for the family only."
	"Hai.  We'll be waiting for you, Usagi."
	"Arigato, Ami-chan," Usagi sobbed.
	Dr. Mizuno led the Tsukinos to a small room with a window, on the other side 
was a hospital bed with Tsukino Ikuko on it, hooked up to all sorts of machines.  Usagi 
walked to the window and gazed out in astonishment.
	"Please, sit," Dr. Mizuno said.
	They all did as she said, but Usagi got her first question out before she had sat.  
"Is my mama going to be all right?"
	Dr. Mizuno glanced down then back to Usagi with a grave expression.  "It's not 
looking good."
	"What's wrong with her?" Usagi's father asked.
	Dr. Mizuno opened a folder she had been carrying and switched on a lighted 
panel.  She removed a black piece of film from the folder and jammed it up against the 
panel to illuminate the picture on it.  It looked to be a cross-section of someone's brain.  
"This is a CAT scan we did only an hour ago on Tsukino-san.  If you will note-" Dr. 
Mizuno pulled a pen from her pocket and started to use it as a pointer.  "-this dark area 
here a little right of center of her brain."  Dr. Mizuno paused for a moment.  "We believe 
this is a tumor of some kind."
	"A tumor?" cried Usagi as a new round of tears began to form in her eyes.
	"Yes, I am afraid so.  Its position in her brain makes it very dangerous to try and 
operate on.  Attempting to could result in additional brain damage."
	"How long?" Usagi's father asked, holding back his own tears.
	Dr. Mizuno pondered for a moment.  "Not very.  Could be a couple of weeks to 
maybe two months.  It's hard to say."
	"Could this have been the cause of her headaches?" he asked the doctor.
	"Quite possibly.  This tumor does appear to have grown at a faster rate than 
normal.  There's no telling if it had been caught sooner if we could've done more."
	The sound of three people crying briefly filled the room.  "I'm sorry," Dr. Mizuno 
added.  "All we can do now is keep her comfortable until..."  Her voice trailed off.
	Usagi slowly stood and walked back to her father.  She hugged him as Shingo, 
who was seated beside his father, did the same.  "I'll leave you alone for a little while," 
Dr. Mizuno said, then turned off the light panel and walked out of the room.
	Dr. Mizuno waited patiently just outside the office as the Tsukino family consoled 
themselves.  A few minutes later, the door opened and Tsukino Kenji, Shingo, and Usagi 
solemnly walked out into the hallway, the tear-stains clearly visible on their faces.
	"May we see her?" Kenji asked.
	"Only for a few minutes," Dr. Mizuno responded, then opened a door leading to 
Ikuko's room.  Usagi, Shingo, and Kenji slowly walked into the room and surrounded the 
hospital bed.  Usagi sat along Ikuko's right side and Kenji stood along Ikuko's left side.  
Shingo stood at the foot of the bed.  Usagi and Kenji each took one of Ikuko's hands in 
theirs and held it tightly.  Usagi held the hand against her cheek and she fought back 
another round of tears.  The family stood and sat for a long time, listening to the beeping 
and whirring of the machines around Ikuko, keeping her alive.
	An hour later, the Tsukino family emerged from the ward along with Dr. Mizuno.  
Usagi immediately went to Mamoru and Ami and gave them both hugs and whispered to 
them, "She's dying."
	"I'm so sorry, Usagi-chan," Ami said, her own tears starting to well up.
	"Usako," Mamoru whispered and held her tightly.
	Usagi and Mamoru stayed at the hospital all that weekend, Usagi spending it by 
her mother's side.  Ikuko was unconscious for most of the time, aside from some 
unintelligible mumblings that neither Usagi nor Mamoru could make out.  Kenji and 
Shingo spent most of the weekend in the hospital as well, but Usagi could not be torn 
from her mother's bedside and refused to leave her, except when Rei, Ami, Makoto or 
Minako came to keep her company and comfort her.
	The following Monday morning, Ami and Makoto were in class, but Usagi did 
not show by the time the first bell rang.  This was hardly unusual because Usagi rarely 
made it to class on time.
	The teacher opened the door and walked in and began to take roll call.  Curiously, 
he did not mention Usagi's name.  Makoto raised her hand.
	"Hai, Makoto?" the teacher said.
	"Sensei, do you know where Usagi is?  I noticed you did not call her name."
	The teacher sighed briefly and lowered his head.  He looked back up and said, 
"Tsukino Usagi has been granted a temporary leave from school for a family emergency.  
Her mother is apparently very ill.  I was actually planning on asking you and Ami if you 
would take Usagi her assignments, since it sounded like this leave could be fairly 
lengthy."
	"Hai!" Ami said.  "We'd be happy to, sensei."
	That afternoon, Ami and Makoto both journeyed to the hospital and dropped by 
Tsukino Ikuko's hospital room.
	Usagi was still sitting by her mother's side.  She was starting to look very tired, 
the odangos in her hair were starting to fall out.  Usagi's father, Shingo, and Mamoru 
were also in the room.  Luna was even curled up by Ikuko's feet.  Ami and Makoto 
greeted everyone.  They returned their greetings except for Usagi who had fallen asleep.
	"How is she doing?" Ami asked Mamoru.
	"She's been here ever since they brought her in.  She hasn't been home, she's 
barely eaten, she hasn't showered or anything.  We can't pry her away from her mother's 
bedside."
	"She's very loyal to those she cares about," Makoto said.
	"Yes, but that loyalty could put Usako in a hospital bed as well."
	"U......Usagi?" a weak whisper came from the bed.
	Everyone's eyes turned to Ikuko whose eyes were slightly open.  Ami and 
Makoto shook Usagi until she finally raised her head and also saw that Ikuko was 
conscious.  "MAMA!" she cried and tried her best to hug her mother through all the tubes 
and wires around her.
	"Usagi..." Ikuko whispered in response.  Kenji and Shingo crowded around her 
as well, relieved to hear her speak again and see she was awake.  "Minna, I must speak 
with Usagi-chan alone, please?" Ikuko croaked.  Kenji and Shingo were startled by this 
request, but guided everyone out and allowed Ikuko some time alone with Usagi.
	"Usagi-chan," Ikuko started.
	"Mama..."
	"Usagi.  You must listen to me.  I want you to know that I always loved you.  
Even when I was hard on you for bringing home bad test grades, I loved you.  You have a 
wonderful boyfriend in Mamoru-san.  Please, Usagi, make him, me and your father 
proud."
	"Hai, mama," Usagi whispered back.  "I will."
	Out in the hallway, Ami, Makoto, Kenji, Shingo, and Mamoru were leaning 
against the wall when the door to Ikuko's room suddenly flew open and Usagi charged 
out with a look of determination, followed by a befuddled Luna.
	"Mamo-chan, would you take me home so I can shower and get some things?" 
Usagi asked.  Mamoru nodded.
	"Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" Ami asked, alarmed by the sudden change in 
Usagi's demeanor.
	"Nothing is wrong, Ami-chan.  I must do something, though.  I'll be back 
shortly!"
	Without another word said, Usagi pulled Mamoru down the hallway as Kenji, 
Shingo, Ami and Makoto watched, confused.
	Mamoru drove Usagi back to her house.  She rushed inside, shed her clothes and 
jumped into the shower before Mamoru and Luna had barely made it in the front door.  
Mamoru waited in the living room while Luna went up to Usagi's bedroom to try and 
figure out what got into her.
	Ten minutes passed and Mamoru finally heard the shower turn off, then loud 
footsteps as Usagi went to her room and closed the door.  For the next ten minutes, he 
heard various noises and even heard Usagi and Luna's voices.  He could do nothing but 
sit and imagine what she was doing up there.
	Finally, Usagi emerged from her room again and walked down the stairs, carrying 
a large bag.  Luna was perched on her shoulder, and seemed very pleased about 
something.  "What's going on?" Mamoru asked as he stood and met her at the bottom of 
the stairs.
	"You'll see," Usagi said cryptically.  "Let's head back!"  Mamoru shrugged as he 
followed Usagi and Luna back to the car.
	A half an hour later, Usagi, Mamoru, and Luna returned to Ikuko's room and 
found Kenji and Shingo sitting by each side of Ikuko, talking softly with her.  Luna 
hopped from Usagi's shoulder to rest by Ikuko's feet as Mamoru sat down in a chair in 
the corner.  "Where did Ami-chan and Mako-chan go?"
	"They said they were going to go home, change, and come back with your other 
friends after dinner," Shingo replied.
	Usagi nodded to him in acknowledgement then reached into the big bag and 
pulled out a large drawing tablet and a large box of pencils.  Mamoru became curious as 
to why Usagi brought her art supplies with her as she sat down at the foot of the bed, but 
unfortunately sat on Luna's tail.
	"YEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOWW!" Luna screeched.  Usagi jumped back to 
her feet and Luna sprung into Mamoru's lap.
	"Sorry, Luna," Usagi whispered, apologetically.
	"Usagi no baka," Luna grumbled under her breath, only loud enough for Mamoru 
to hear.
	Usagi sat at the foot of the bed again, turned over the cover of the tablet, picked 
up a pencil from the box and began to sketch.  Mamoru watched with interest as he 
suddenly realized that she was sketching Ikuko.  He continued to observe Usagi drawing 
on the paper as an outline of a face began to form.  Even Luna began to watch as Usagi 
started to add definition and some basic features to this face she was drawing.
	Ami, Makoto, Minako, and Rei stopped by the hospital after dinner and Usagi 
was still drawing, but from the three crumpled-up wads of paper on the floor, it seemed 
that Usagi was less than pleased with what was coming out on the paper.  The girls talked 
to Usagi for a while and asked about her mother, and Usagi replied, but never took her 
eyes off of Ikuko or the paper.  The other senshi stuck around and talked with Mamoru, 
Shingo, and Usagi's father for a while, trying to be as supportive as possible.  When the 
other senshi left at ten, Usagi was still drawing intently, and only added one more 
wadded-up ball of paper to the collection on the floor.  Kenji and Shingo left shortly after 
the other senshi, and even though Usagi desperately wanted to stay, Mamoru finally got 
her to put her drawing pad down and go home with him.
	By the time they arrived at Mamoru's apartment, Usagi was nearly asleep.  She 
had gone nearly three full days without a good night's sleep and it was catching up with 
her fast.  Mamoru unlocked the door and opened it for Usagi, who staggered in, almost 
like a zombie.  She headed straight for the bedroom as Mamoru closed and locked the 
front door behind them, then followed her.  He walked into the room and saw Usagi had 
passed out on the bed already, still wearing her clothes.  He quietly entered the room, 
grabbed his pajamas, changed in the bathroom, then grabbed a blanket and pillow from 
the closet.  He leaned over the sleeping form of his beloved and placed a gentle kiss on 
her forehead.  She stirred slightly, but did not wake.  Mamoru then walked out of the 
bedroom, closed the door behind him except for a crack, then got comfortable on the 
couch and went to sleep himself.
	For the next week, Usagi would go to the hospital early in the morning, sit by her 
mother's bedside and sketch all day long, stopping only to use the restroom or get food.  
Kenji and Shingo visited every day as well, but were unable to stay as long as Usagi did.  
Mamoru spent as much time as possible at the hospital when it did not interfere with his 
studies.  He often felt bad that he could not stay with Usagi all the time, but she was not 
mad at him, and understood that he could not put his life on hold.  She, on the other hand, 
was putting her life on hold, but frequently told him that she hoped something beautiful 
would result from it.  Rei, Ami, Makoto, and Minako also frequently stopped by, as did 
several of her other friends from school.  The other senshi became worried though that 
this would severely hurt Usagi's schoolwork.
	They were all shocked when Ami and Makoto came to the senshi meeting the 
Wednesday night after Ikuko was taken to the hospital with curious news.
	"Guys, something is seriously wrong with Usagi-chan," Makoto started.  Rei and 
Minako dropped their pencils in horror.
	"Usagi-chan's not dying, too, is she?" Minako cried.
	Makoto shot her a glare.  "No, Usagi-chan is not dying."
	Minako and Rei sighed in relief.
	"No, it's something more....odd, than serious," Ami continued.
	"Nani?" Rei asked.  "What has odango-atama done now?"
	"She did all of her homework," Ami said, in a state of utter disbelief.
	"NANI?" Rei and Minako shouted in unison.
	"I guess maybe nothing's really wrong with her, but something is right?" Ami 
said, puzzled.
	"Usagi did her homework?" Rei asked again, not sure she heard right the first 
time.
	"Hai.  We took her the assignments Monday night after class and stopped by 
Tuesday morning and she had them all done."
	"Yeah, OK, but I bet she got 30's on all of them, right?"
	"No, Rei-chan.  She got 70's," Ami said, still puzzled.
	"Are you sure that our Usagi-chan hasn't been kidnapped and a duplicate is in her 
place?" Minako said with a questioning glare.
	"Minako-chan!  Of course it's her!  What's really maddening is she's getting 
better grades than me, now!"  Makoto said, then burst into tears.
	"It's probably just a fluke," Rei said.  "Sensei was probably just feeling sorry for 
her."
	"I thought that right at first, too," Ami said, blushing at the lack of confidence that 
statement showed in their princess, "but I looked at her math homework and double-
checked it myself."
	"Maybe she copied from someone?" Rei said, more insistent, almost accusingly, 
with a scowl on her face.
	"No!  Usagi-chan would never do that!" Makoto said, sternly, returning Rei's 
scowl.
	Rei's expression suddenly softened.  "Maybe it's finally happened?"
	"What has?" Minako asked.
	"Maybe Usagi has finally grown up?" Rei said.
	The room went silent for several seconds, then everyone suddenly shouted in 
unison, "NAH!"
	As the days passed, however, Usagi's improved grades were looking less and less 
like flukes.  Ami and Makoto kept Rei and Minako posted on all of Usagi's scores, and 
while Usagi hadn't vaulted from 30's to 100's, she was now regularly getting passing 
scores on all her subjects, except for her Art class, where she was regularly getting 90's 
and 95's.
	"So, odango-atama has a talent after all," quipped Rei at a senshi meeting the 
weekend after Ikuko was admitted to the hospital.  "Who'd have guessed that reading all 
those mangas would rub off on her?"
	"Surprising, isn't it?" Ami added.
	"But then you have to give some credit to the girl who loaned Usagi all those 
mangas in the first place," Rei said with a self-satisfied grin.  Everyone facepalmed.  
Rei's mood suddenly changed.  "How is Usagi's mom doing?"
	"The doctors say she's slowly getting worse.  She'd having bouts of delirium and 
frequently falls unconscious, even when she's in the middle of a sentence," Ami sadly 
replied.
	Rei thought for a moment, then slammed her book shut and put her pencil down.  
"I say we adjourn tonight's study session and go see Usagi."
	The room was silent as Rei looked around at the others.  Then, the one person that 
Rei would never have expected to second her motion did so.
	Ami slammed her book shut and stood up.  "I agree!"
	"Ami-chan?" Minako and Makoto said.
	"Are you feeling all right?" Makoto asked, concerned.
	"Of course!" Ami said, slightly annoyed.
	"Let's go then!" Minako shouted, closing her own book.
	The senshi all grabbed their coats, put their books in their bags and headed for the 
hospital.
	After a very long walk through the Juban district, then eventually reached the 
Azabu Medical Center and made their way to the floor that Ikuko's room was on.  As 
they walked down the hallway, the began to hear several voices shouting around the 
corner.  As the senshi turned the corner for Ikuko's room, they saw the source of the 
shouting.  Mamoru, Kenji, and Shingo were holding back a frantic Usagi.  Before the 
senshi could fully comprehend what was happening, a group of three men and women 
dressed in white coats ran past them, nearly bowling over Minako who was too far out 
into the middle of the hallway, and darted into Ikuko's room.  Usagi was shouting, "No!  
No!  Mama!  You can't!  I'm not done yet!" and fighting to get past the three men and 
back into the room.
	Rei, Ami, Minako, and Makoto bolted down the hallway and helped Kenji, 
Shingo, and Mamoru to restrain Usagi, but she was in such hysterics that she didn't even 
acknowledge the girls' presence.
	"What happened?" Ami cried.
	"Ikuko-san had some sort of seizure!" Mamoru shouted over the blonde's cries.  
"We were sitting in there, talking to her, Usagi was drawing, when suddenly she took a 
deep breath, her body arched, and then she started having convulsions.  Shingo-kun ran to 
get Mizuno-sama, Usako went ballistic, so Kenji-san and I had to get her out when 
Shingo-kun came back with help."
	Usagi was still going bananas, fighting Mamoru, Kenji, Shingo, Rei, Minako, and 
Makoto as another man in a white coat came running down the hallway, pushing a cart 
with equipment on it into Ikuko's room.  Ami followed the men into Ikuko's room, 
unnoticed by anyone.  Ami looked back to her friend being restrained and then ventured 
into the room.
	Ami silently crept into the room.  Five people in white coats were surrounding 
Ikuko's bed where she was still heavily convulsing.  Ami looked around at the monitors 
and saw that Ikuko's heart rate was going berserk and her breathing was erratic.  Ami's 
mother and another doctor were barking orders to the others, injecting Ikuko with 
medications, then called for the "crash cart" that had just been brought in.
	One of the nurses around the bed grabbed two metallic paddles and handed them 
to Dr. Mizuno.  She looked up as she took them and saw Ami standing there by the door.  
"Back in the hall, Ami!" she shouted, and Ami immediately complied as she heard the 
whine of the defibrillator charging followed by the dull "thunk" of it being applied.
	As soon as Ami got out of the room, she was mobbed by everyone, being 
bombarded by questions about what was going on.  Ami told them that Ikuko looked to 
be in some sort of cardiac arrest and was still convulsing.  She tried to assure everyone 
that they were doing all they could, but between the shouts in the room and the hysterics 
out in the hall, Ami couldn't get much in edgewise.
	Finally, everyone was so exhausted that they all just sat down on the floor.  Usagi 
crumpled to her knees in the middle of the hallway, though, staring down at the floor and 
quietly sobbing as Mamoru, Kenji, and Shingo crouched down around her and tried to 
comfort her.
	After several more minutes, the loud shouts in the room ceased.  The crash cart 
was rolled out, and everyone who had been at bedside walked out in single-file, all 
breathing sighs of relief.  Dr. Mizuno was the last one out and stopped to fill everyone in.  
As soon as Usagi saw her, she was on her feet.
	"Is mama OK?" she asked, frantically.
	"Yes, she's stabilized now.  It was close.  From the looks of things, it may not be 
much longer, and if this happens again, we might not be able to bring her back," Dr. 
Mizuno said.
	"Can we go back in?" Shingo asked.
	"Yes, but she is unconscious, and she could remain that way."
	Usagi was first to burst past Dr. Mizuno into the room.  Kenji, Shingo, and 
Mamoru went next.  The girls hesitated, but finally also walked into the room.
	Usagi was standing at the foot of the bed, while Shingo, Kenji, and Mamoru stood 
along the sides.  Ami, Makoto, Minako, and Rei stood by the doorway.  No one moved or 
said anything for what seemed like forever, simply looking at Ikuko and saying silent 
prayers.
	Usagi noticed that she looked older now.  Granted, being in a hospital doesn't 
help your grooming habits much, but she was different somehow.  Usagi knew her time 
was drawing short.  She quickly grabbed her tablet that had been placed against the wall 
when Ikuko's episode started, picked up the pencils, and resumed her sketching.
	Rei became curious and walked over to Usagi and stood over her shoulder to see 
what she was so intently drawing.  She let out an audible gasp as she saw a very 
beautiful, detailed, colorful drawing of a younger-looking Tsukino Ikuko.  Usagi had 
sketched out Ikuko's face and shoulders and was working on coloring the image, but it 
was only partially done.  As Rei watched, Usagi suddenly stopped drawing, picked up a 
big eraser and ever-so-gently erased a tiny bit of color, to fix an error that Rei couldn't 
see.  She suddenly started thinking that maybe Usagi had become obsessed at drawing the 
perfect picture of her mother before she died.
	"That's very good, Usagi," Rei commented quietly.
	Usagi nodded, but otherwise did not acknowledge Rei.  Usagi was totally focused 
on her task and nothing could distract her with time no longer on her side.  Rei suddenly 
announced to the room that she, Ami, Minako, and Makoto would be outside if anyone 
needed them.  Mamoru, Kenji, and Shingo all thanked them for coming and helping with 
Usagi.
	As they walked out, Minako asked Rei, "What is Usagi-chan drawing?"
	"Her mother," Rei responded.  She was still in a state of shock from seeing 
Usagi's drawing.  The level of detail was incredible, and unlike all of her other drawings 
up to this point, there wasn't a hint of manga influences.
	"It's so sad.  She's so young.  I hope Ikuko-san doesn't suffer," Ami said, sadly.
	"Neither do I, Ami-chan," Rei said as the four of them slowly walked down the 
hallway.
	Ikuko's stay in the hospital stretched into a second week, and Usagi was right at 
her bedside the whole time, sketching and coloring away.  Ikuko's condition continued to 
worsen.  Her deliria were intensifying and her periods of unconsciousness were becoming 
more and more frequent.
	It was during one of her periods of consciousness on the Thursday night of the 
second week that Usagi was alone in the room, sketching, when she suddenly stopped 
and put her pencil down.
	"Finished," she whispered with a tone of accomplishment mixed with surprise.
	Ikuko was barely conscious, but she heard Usagi's announcement.  "What, Usagi-
chan?"
	Usagi gazed at her tablet for a long while, then stood and approached Ikuko and 
turned the tablet around for her to see.
	On the page was a head-and-shoulders portrait of Ikuko in her healthier days.  The 
sky around her was a dark blue gradient, with a small crescent moon in the background.  
The detail and coloring were so striking that aside from the texture of the paper and 
pencils, it could have been mistaken for a photograph.
	Ikuko began to cry as soon as she saw her image on the paper.  "Oh, Usagi-chan!  
It's beautiful!"
	"Thank you, mama," Usagi said quietly.  "I am going to frame it and put it in our 
living room.  I hope you will be able to see it."
	"Oh, Usagi-chan, I would love to, but the doctors...I know I don't have much 
time left."
	"Please don't leave us, mama!" Usagi cried, kneeling by the bed, clasping her 
hands together around Ikuko's hand, dropping the tablet on Ikuko's stomach, a tear 
running down her cheek and more on their way.
	"Don't be sad.  This is my time.  I will be going somewhere beautiful, Usagi-
chan, and I will be waiting for you, your father, your brother, Mamoru...minna!"
	Usagi could no longer contain her tears and they began to flow freely down her 
cheeks.
	"Usagi-chan, I will always be with you while you have this picture of me.  I love 
you, Usagi-chan."
	"Mama..." Usagi blubbered, then gave her mother a sudden tight hug.
	Usagi hugged her mother for what seemed like eternity, her mother's hands on her 
back holding her tightly.  Usagi's senses began to become very attuned to everything in 
the room:  the respirator, the oxygen flowing through tubes, the heart monitor.  That was 
why she wasn't surprised when Ikuko's grip suddenly began to get weaker and weaker 
and the beeping of the heart monitor began to shift from a good steady rhythm to an 
erratic one.  Usagi couldn't help but hear the sounds and feel her mother's body 
becoming heavier and her grip looser, but she would not let her go and in fact hugged her 
tighter.  The beeping became more and more erratic and Ikuko's body was getting 
heavier and heavier to Usagi until the hand behind Usagi's back slid off and plopped on 
the bed.  Usagi hugged her mother as tightly as she could as the heart monitor began to 
emit a single long beep and Ikuko's body went totally limp in Usagi's arms.  Usagi's 
cries came unhindered and she whispered through her tears, "I love you, too, mama."
Seconds later, Dr. Mizuno rushed in and saw that Ikuko was gone.  She solemnly 
walked along the other side of Ikuko's bed, across from Usagi and checked Ikuko's pulse, 
pupils, and breathing.  She let out a long sigh and switched off the heart monitor and 
respirator.  Then in a low voice she announced, "Time of death, 7:48 PM."
For several minutes, neither Usagi nor Dr. Mizuno moved an inch.  Suddenly, 
Kenji, Shingo, and Mamoru walked into the room, and as soon as they saw the scene, 
froze.  After the realization sunk in, Kenji crumpled down and began to weep at the foot 
of the bed and Shingo rushed up next to Usagi and also hugged his mother.  He and Usagi 
slowly lowered Ikuko to the bed and let go.  Shingo knelt by the bed.  Usagi immediately 
rushed to Mamoru and buried her face in his chest and wept.  Mamoru held back his own 
emotions, even though he felt the loss.  He had to be strong for Usagi, he thought, but he 
couldn't stop a few tears from escaping his own eyes.

	Rei pulled the covers up around her as she curled up in bed, hoping to get a good 
night's beauty sleep.  No sooner had she closed her eyes than she heard a light rapping at 
the window over her bed.  She sat up with a scowl, angered that someone dared to disturb 
her as she tried to get some rest.  With a swipe, she whipped the curtains clear of the 
window, fully ready to rip whoever was there a new one, but when she saw who was 
outside, her expression disappeared and became one of surprise.
	Usagi was outside, shivering, looking at Rei with very sad eyes.  Instantly, Rei 
knew why she was there.  Rei jumped out of bed, ran to the nearest door and let Usagi in 
out of the cold.  Rei closed the door behind Usagi.
	"Usagi...can I take you coat?  Is everything all right?" the raven-haired girl asked.
	"No, it's OK, Rei-chan.  I'm not staying long and Mamo-chan is waiting for me in 
the car.  I just came by to tell you that my mom passed away."
	"I'm sorry, Usagi," Rei said sorrowfully, and took Usagi's hand in hers.  Usagi 
suddenly lunged and wrapped her arms around her dearest friend and hugged her tightly, 
Rei, startled at first, returned her hug just as emotionally.  "Will you be all right, Usagi?"
	Usagi sniffled a little and replied, "Hai, I'll be OK.  Would you please come to 
the funeral?  I'd appreciate it if you were there."
	"Hai, Usagi.  Of course, we'll all be there.  When?"
	"We don't know for sure yet, but we're hoping Saturday afternoon."
	"I'll be there, Usagi."
	Usagi and Rei slowly pulled away from each other, and began to wipe away the 
tears from their eyes.  "Arigato, Rei-chan," Usagi said, softly, with a tiny smile on her 
face.  Rei smiled back at her as Usagi opened the door and ventured back out into the 
cold.  As she locked the door after Usagi, Rei felt her own sorrows overcome her.  She 
turned and leaned back against the door and hung her head.  After a few moments of 
contemplation, she walked back into her bedroom, opened her closet and began to search 
for appropriate funeral clothing.
	Usagi and Mamoru drove to Ami's apartment, Minako's house, and the restaurant 
where Makoto worked and delivered the sad news.  All three quickly agreed to come to 
the funeral and began to make arrangements to be free on that day.
	Mamoru pulled up to Usagi's house at about eleven p.m. after informing the 
senshi of Ikuko's passing away.
	"Here we are, Usako."  Mamoru leaned over and gave his beloved a soft kiss on 
the lips.
	"You're going home?"
	"Hai, but I'll come back tomorrow morning."
	Usagi suddenly buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around him and 
held on for dear life.  "I love you, Mamo-chan."
	Mamoru wrapped his arms around the small young woman and gently caressed 
the side of her face with his hand.  "I love you, too, Usako."
	Usagi rose and kissed Mamoru for several seconds, then broke the kiss, gave him 
a couple of quick pecks, then opened the door of the car, climbed out, closed the door, 
leaned down and blew him a kiss through the window, then stood, turned, and ran into 
the house.  Mamoru watched his love disappear into the building and hoped that she 
would be all right tonight.  He threw the car into gear and drove off.
	Ikuko's funeral was scheduled for Saturday afternoon, as Usagi and her family 
had hoped.  The Tsukino household was a busy place in the morning.  Usagi dressed in a 
black dress that she had once worn for a dance, but it was the only thing she had that 
would have fit the occasion.  For this occasion, Usagi opted not to wear her hair in her 
customary odangoes, but to simply let it fall down around her.  Kenji wore a black suit 
and Shingo wore a white button-down shirt and black jeans.  Mamoru arrived first, 
wearing what could have been a variant of his Tuxedo Kamen guise, and helped Usagi 
make the house presentable for her relatives.  Makoto, Minako, Rei, and Ami arrived 
next, all wearing black or dark-colored dresses, and they each brought a dish of food to 
offer to visitors.  Usagi also put together some small cold meat and cheese sandwiches, 
something that not even she could mess up on.
	By late morning, the house was slowly filling with relatives from all over Japan 
who came and spent time with Kenji, Usagi, and Shingo in mourning.  Aunts, uncles, 
cousins, nieces, and nephews that Usagi had rarely seen, if ever, were there and after a 
while, it was getting overwhelming.  After a while of trying to remember new faces with 
new names, she grabbed Mamoru's arm, dragged him over to where Makoto, Minako, 
Rei and Ami were sitting, gathered them up as well, and the whole group walked upstairs 
to Usagi's bedroom and simply talked amongst themselves, along with Luna and 
Artemis, for the remainder of the morning until it was time to go to the funeral service.
	It was a short service at a church in Usagi's neighborhood.  Following the church 
service, Ikuko's casket was taken to the cemetery next door to the church and was laid to 
rest.
	After the final words were spoken and the ceremony ended, Usagi turned to her 
friends.
	"Arigato for coming, minna-chan," she said with a smile.
	"You are welcome, Usagi-chan," Minako replied.
	"Are you going to be all right, Usagi-chan?" asked Ami.  "You seem to be taking 
this very well."
	"I'm all right, Ami-chan.  I just feel...happy that mama is in a better place.  I 
don't have any regrets.  I got to see her before she left us and tell her that I loved her.  I 
would have been devastated if I hadn't had that chance."
	"You are definitely growing up, Usagi," Rei said, smiling to her friend.  "And we 
are all proud of you."
	Usagi smiled wide and then hugged each of her friends, one at a time.
	After the round of hugs, Minako asked, "Will you be in school Monday?"
	"I don't think so, but I will be back Tuesday.  Are we going to have a study 
session tomorrow, minna-chan?"
	The girls looked quickly to each other.  "We hadn't planned on one, Usagi-chan," 
Minako started, "but we can have one if you like."
	"Thanks.  Can we meet after lunch?"
	"Hai, Usagi-chan!" Ami answered, brightly.
	"Usagi!" shouted Kenji from the Tsukino family car.  "Time to go!"
	"Hai, papa!" Usagi shouted back, then turned again to her friends.  "Well, I gotta 
go home.  See you all tomorrow!"
	"Ja ne!" Ami, Minako, Makoto, and Rei shouted simultaneously.
	Usagi took Mamoru's arm and they walked to the Tsukino car.  Usagi kissed 
Mamoru, then climbed in.  Mamoru watched as the car pulled away, then walked to his 
own car.
	"Hey!  You girls need a ride somewhere?" he shouted across the cemetery to Rei, 
Ami, Minako, and Makoto.
	"HAI!" they all shouted in response and ran as fast as they could to Mamoru's car 
and pushed and shoved their way in as Mamoru chuckled and sweatdropped.
	On Sunday, Minako and Rei were the first to arrive at the senshi study session, 
when Usagi arrived early, which caused their jaws to drop.  What was stranger though 
was that Usagi did not ask to see if Rei had any new mangas, or ask if anyone was 
hungry.  Instead, she greeted everyone, immediately opened her books, found what she 
needed to work on, pulled out her paper and pencil and went right to work.
	Makoto arrived next and was floored when she saw Usagi concentrating hard on 
her studies and only stopped to flash Makoto a quick smile and say, "Kon'nichiwa, 
Mako-chan!"  She sat down at her place, returning everyone's greetings, and eyed Usagi 
warily, as if she were expecting Usagi to jump up, shout "Ha!  I fooled you all!", and 
then start draining everyone's energy.  The odangoed girl sitting here was a very different 
Usagi.  She was working so hard at her homework, math homework at that, which she 
hated!
	Ami arrived last, which was unusual, but still ahead of time.  She was overjoyed 
to see that Usagi had already started her studies and plopped down next to Usagi, pulled 
out her own books and paper and immediately went to work after greeting everyone.
	It was fairly typical for Rei, Makoto, and Minako to ask Ami questions about their 
homework and get a little help from the blue-haired girl, but when Usagi did it, straight-
faced, seriously, the room went silent again, except for Ami who seemed to get strangely 
giddy at having Usagi seriously ask for her help.  Ami gladly helped explain a math 
question to Usagi, and instead of expecting Usagi to space off or fall asleep, she paid 
attention.  Even though Usagi didn't fully understand Ami's explanation, she did her best 
and Ami corrected her.
	Half an hour into the session, Usagi closed her math book and tore her homework 
paper off the notebook.  "Are you done?" Rei asked, with a hint of disbelief in her voice.
	"Hai, Rei-chan!  I have more to do, though, like my English and Chemistry 
assignments."
	"But you finished your math?" Rei asked.
	"Hai," Usagi said again.
	"Usagi-chan," Makoto said, "don't think us cruel or anything, but can we check?"
	"Sure," Usagi replied, sounding suspicious.  She took her math book and 
homework out again and handed it to Ami.  Ami opened it and looked it over.
	"It's not that we don't believe you, Usagi-chan," Makoto said again.
	"It's just that normally you'd only have one math problem done in this amount of 
time," Minako finished.
	"Wow!" Ami whispered.
	"What is it, Ami-chan?" Rei asked.
	"She is all done, and from the looks of it, she's gotten all the problems done 
correctly except for three, seven, sixteen, and thirty-two!" Ami announced.
	"Nani?" Usagi said, then grabbed the paper away from Ami and began to recheck 
her work on the problems Ami listed off.  She stared intently at the paper, and then 
shouted, "Duh!", grabbed a pencil, erased something and wrote something back on the 
paper.  She thrust the paper back to Ami.  "Is that it?" she asked.
	"Hai!" Ami replied with a joyous smile.
	"Yay!" Usagi shouted and clapped her hands.  "Now, gimme it back so I can fix 
the others."
	Ami handed her the paper back.  "The other ones looked to be fairly simple 
mistakes as well, except for thirty-two," she said.
	"Hai," Usagi said, then re-opened her math book and went back to revising her 
homework.
	The rest of the session was similar to the first half hour, and Usagi completed all 
of her assignments.  The other senshi were stunned.  Usagi had completed all of her 
homework in the time it used to take her to complete one subject's worth, if that.
	It was only when Usagi was done that she suddenly jumped up and shouted, "OK, 
who wants a double-fudge and butterscotch sundae?"
	Everyone sweatdropped and facepalmed.  "Well, some things will never change," 
Rei grumbled.
	Usagi's new commitment to her academics continued through the spring semester 
of her junior year, and after final exams were done, she received a C- average, which was 
a huge improvement from previous years.  Usagi's first-ever A came from her art class, 
and it was her final exam assignment that really earned her that grade, when she was 
lucky enough to have a teacher who made it an "open" final, meaning the students could 
choose what to do for their final exam.  Some did paintings, others did sculptures.  Usagi 
turned in the picture of her late mother, and earned an A.
	After an enjoyable and relaxing summer with her friends, Usagi entered her senior 
year.  At first, things seemed like they were back to the way they were, with Usagi not 
wanting to do her homework and failing exams.  After her first round of exams and bad 
grades, she attacked her classwork with a vengeance.  Of course, the fact that she also 
took more art classes helped her refocus on her work and what she enjoyed doing.  Even 
so, Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and especially Mamoru were all happy to see Usagi's 
relapse be brief.  At the end of the fall semester of Usagi's senior year, she earned a 
semester cumulative grade of a B-, again, a significant improvement.
	That improvement would suddenly become extremely important.  Ever since the 
Galaxia affair, Mamoru had always regretted not fulfilling his invitation to study in 
America.  It was always a dream and a long-term goal to once again be invited to study 
abroad.
	One night during Usagi's final semester of high school, she joined Rei, Ami, 
Makoto, Minako, Luna, and Artemis at the shrine for a cram session.  Tonight, though, 
Usagi invited someone to join them, Mamoru.
	The session had gone into its second hour, when Usagi decided to take a short 
break.  Actually, Usagi decided to take a break, everyone else decided it would be short.  
Usagi sighed in defeat and was about to dig the latest manga out of her book bag when 
she noticed the book that Mamoru was reading and making notes from.
	"'Applied Molecular Genetics'?" Usagi said in a monotone voice as she read the cover
of the book.  "Light reading, Mamo-chan?"
	"Hmm?" Mamoru replied, looking up from the book.  "Light reading, Usako?  
Hardly.  This is for my research project."
	"Your research project?  The one that got you invited to study abroad a couple of 
years ago?"
	"Hai!  I need to revise it if I ever want to get invited back to study in America.  A 
lot of things have changed in the past two years."
	"Mamoru-san," Ami asked, looking up from her papers, her curiosity piqued, 
"what exactly is it you are researching?"
	Mamoru put a bookmark in the book and closed it.  "Well," he began,"three years ago,
during an advanced genetics course, I began to think about viruses and the new diseases that
are plaguing mankind.  I had always wondered if it were possible to create 'good' viruses--
viruses that could return an infected cell back to normal.  I began to do some reading about
the subject and wondered if such a 'good' virus could be used in the treatment of AIDS or
cancer where the genetic code of a cell became mutated or otherwise changed."
	"What the hell did he just say?" Minako asked Rei and Makoto under her breath.
	"Shush," Rei replied sternly.
	"When I applied to go to Harvard a couple of years back, when Galaxia emerged, they
said that my theories looked promising and gave me a scholarship to come and work on them."
	"Wow!" everyone said in unison, except for Usagi.
	"Mamo-chan, don't think me stupid," Usagi started, "but what did you just say?  I 
couldn't understand any of it."
	"Usako, if I can develop a genetically-engineered virus that could reverse the effects
of destructive viruses, it's be a breakthrough in medicine!"
	"Sugoi!" Usagi shouted, then threw her arms around Mamoru, still not fully 
comprehending what he had described.  "I'm so proud of you, Mamo-chan!"
	"Don't give me too much praise yet.  I still need to submit my theories to a 
university, and hope they'll invite me to continue my work," Mamoru said.
	"That is very impressive, Mamoru-san!" Ami exclaimed.  "I hope you are able to 
succeed!"
	Shouts of "Me, too!" rang out from all around the table, even from the two cats.
	The following week, Mamoru spent alone in intense study.  Usagi stopped by 
every now and then to visit and make sure he was doing all right.  She also came to study, 
but it mildly annoyed her when he barely would even acknowledge her.  But she knew 
his project was very important and hoped once he got it done, he'd make it up to her.
	She wasn't disappointed.  At the end of the week, Usagi came to see Mamoru and 
not only was his apartment cleaned, but he was sitting in his favorite recliner, with a beer 
bottle in his hand, staring up at the ceiling with some music playing softly in the 
background.
	Usagi stared at him as she closed the door.  "Kon'nichiwa, Usako!" Mamoru 
shouted to her, raising the beer bottle in a toast.
	"What's this?" she asked, thoroughly confused, yet happy that his demeanor was 
much different.
	"I finished my papers and mailed them to thirty schools in America today.  I 
thought I deserved to relax and celebrate a bit, and I really was hoping that you would 
come by so you could celebrate with me."  At the end of his answer, his tone became 
very hinting.
	Usagi put her book bag down and took her jacket off.  "What did you have in 
mind, Mamo-chan?" she asked, nonchalantly.
	Mamoru held his free hand out to her and she walked to the chair, took his hand, 
and he pulled her playfully into his lap.  She wrapped her arms around him, then again 
noticed the beer bottle.
	"How many of those have you had?" she asked, indicating the bottle.
	"Oh, just this one.  You know I don't drink much.  I like a beer now and then, 
though."
	"That's fine, but it makes your breath smell, Mamo-chan."  Usagi stuck her 
tongue out in mock disgust.
	Mamoru suddenly put the beer on the small table next to the chair and nearly 
dumped Usagi onto the floor as he jumped out of the chair.  "Gomen, Usako!  I didn't 
even realize!"  Mamoru quickly bolted to the bathroom and proceeded to brush his teeth.
	While Mamoru was occupied in the bathroom, Usagi's curiosity got the better of 
her and she took a very small sip of the beer, and immediately turned a pale green from 
the awful taste.  How can he drink this crap, she thought to herself.
	Mamoru returned and came up behind Usagi who had taken over his recliner.  
"What did you want to do tonight, Usako?" he asked, still slightly embarrassed.
	"I was thinking a nice dinner, maybe a movie, then back here..."
	Mamoru's face softened and his embarrassment disappeared.  "Sounds wonderful, 
Usako."
	Usagi leapt out of the chair and into Mamoru's arms and kissed him deeply.  She 
broke the kiss and whispered to him, "Much better, hon," then kissed him deeply again.  
After a few minutes, he broke the kiss and said to her, "It's the least I can do.  I 
owe you a week's worth of attention."
Usagi nodded, and then they grabbed their coats and left for an evening on the 
town.
	Mamoru waited patiently for a reply.  It took nearly two months, almost right up 
to Usagi and the girls' graduation, before he got his first reply.  Unfortunately, they felt 
that while he had a good concept, if Mamoru could have shown more data or shown more proof, 
they would have invited him.  Then the replies began to come back at a brisker pace.  
Unfortunately, all of them either were flat-out refusals, or they offered to have Mamoru 
come study, but offered nothing in the way of a research grant or even a scholarship.  
Mamoru began to think that maybe Galaxia's interference cost him his one chance.  He 
became increasingly depressed, which concerned Usagi.  Right when Mamoru was about 
to give up, though, the letter he had been waiting for arrived.
	Penn State had offered him not only a research grant to work on his theories, but 
also offered him a salaried teaching assistant's position and tuition reimbursement, 
should he choose to pursue more education.  Mamoru's mood changed abruptly yet 
again, to Usagi's delight.  She had never seen him so happy, and now his dream to study 
in America was going to come true.
	There was just one problem, though.  Usagi now had to work very hard at her 
classes to have any hope of joining him at Penn State.  She very much wanted to go with 
him.  She attacked her schoolwork with an attitude that nearly rivaled Ami's.  Her 
diligence paid off.  She ended her high school career by earning a solid B average for her 
senior year, mostly due to an A in her art classes.  She went on to prepare for her 
graduation, knowing deep in her heart that her mother was looking down on her from 
above, and smiling.