Notes (5/18/00): WOW, after a two year hiatus I RETURN!!! BWAHAHAHAH!!! ok I admit it, I had some weird Sailormoon withdrawl thing but it's all good now.. I remembered I was writing a fanfic and I came across it and realized it needed fixing, so fixing here I come! It won't be drastically different than the original chapters, I probably won't change the plot or anything, there's just some little stuff I'd like to fix and work out. Right now I'm going to concentrate on editting my past three chapters, and then I'll continue with the fic ^_^ Oh, DOES ANYONE OUT THERE EVEN REMEMBER ME?? I had a few emails commenting on my fic but I don't know if anyone out there still wants to read my stuff.. sniff.. hehe oh well. My email addy is savagegrl2@hotmail.com, mail me anytime!!!! This fanfic takes place about a week after the end of SailormoonStars, so it would probably be easier to understand if you saw the season first. I guess there are a few spoilers, if you haven't. No, it's not a whole new season I'm making up, just my way of explaining the open ends that Naoko Takeuchi left us with. In other words, this will probably be a relatively short fanfic, 3 or 4 chapters, with little or no fighting scenes. It's simply about Usagi and her love for Mamoru with some... interference. Thanks to Lianne, Chris Davies, and Janelle for especially inspiring me with their wonderful works of fanfiction. Can't forget the disclaimer: Sailormoon, its characters and all of that stuff are copyrights of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha LTD, and Toei Animation. I am not in any way associated with any of them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ STARLIGHT MEMORIES By, Debbie Hsieh Chapter 1 (re-editted version) The golden sunlight sparkled upon everything, as if it wanted to make a lasting impression before it had to surrender its playground to the moon and stars. It danced with the waterfall, teased the wispy clouds, and kissed the face of a lone figure, before it finally chased its origin past the horizon, not wanting to be left behind. With one last glance at the dissolving glimmers, the onlooker sighed and stood up. ************************************************************************ "Usagi? WHAT ARE YOU DOING???" "Haha, Luna, very funny." Usagi grumbled. "It's 7:00... Do you know what that means?" Luna asked, practically tripping down the stairs. "What." Usagi said indifferently. "You're not going to be late!" "Well, I figure if I can save the world over and over again, I can easily make it to school on time!" *Well, at least on the last day of school*, she thought to herself, imagining the cookies and candy the summer would bring. Luna smiled. *She is going to be a good ruler. A terrific ruler, actually.* Luna glanced at Usagi, images of food dancing above her head. *Well, she will! When the time comes. I hope.* Usagi continued down the stairs, thinking of the long, lazy, schooless days which would be her's in just a few hours. "U-Usagi?" "What's wrong? Are you feeling alright?" "Are you... Going to be on time?!?!" She opened her mouth to say something, but her clever comeback was forgotten and replaced by something even better. "SUGOI, MOM! These pancakes are delicious!" *Wow, the walk to school sure is pretty. And peaceful.* Usagi thought. For the first time in her life, she actually had the time to notice the gentle breeze: the way it whipped her hair around her neck, the way it rustled the leaves, the myserious music it made when it blew through the trees. Music. The word entered her heart like a knife. "They're gone. Back to their planet." She said numbly. *Come on, Usagi, this isn't their home. They came here to do their job, and now that they have, they're gone*, she said to herself. Shaking the thought from her mind, she opened the door to her school and walked to her classroom on the second floor. "Wow, I'm the first one here!" She giggled happily. Suddenly, a thought hit her. With an evil look upon her face, Usagi ran to the chalkboard and started writing. AMI LOVES UMINO MAKATO LOVES MOTOKI Usagi frowned. "Motoki's too cute.. I need to write someone worse." As she picked up the eraser, a voice interrupted her evil thoughts. "Usagi-chan!" She turned around, hiding the chalkboard rather inconspicuously with her hair. "What are you doing here so early?" Makoto said, surprised. "Oh, I just decided it's time for me to be more responsible!" Usagi answered. A sweatdrop appeared on Makoto's head. "I can't believe it's the last day of school already! Summer, here we come!" She twirled around happily. "Hey, Ami-chan, Are you okay?" Usagi asked, noticing her friend's sad look. "Oh, I'm just thinking about what Seiya would have said. I wish the Three Lights were still here, I really do miss them." Ami sighed. "Um. Look! Out there!! There they are!" Usagi pointed. "NANI? NANI NANI NANI???" Ami and Makoto leapt out the door, only to crash into the teacher. "Gomen! Gomen gomen gomen!!!" Usagi took the chance to erase what she could off the board. "Hey, where's Minako?" Usagi asked, changing the subject. "Remember, she usually comes at the same time as you." Ami pointed out. "Oh." The three girls noticed students filing in and stopped their conversation. Instead, they watched with amusement as Minako came running in just as the last bell chimed. The class looked the chalkboard, which read "AMI LOVES MAKATO" as a result of Usagi's poor erasing skills. Ami and Makato shrunk into their seats as the class snickered. "But Ami, dear, I thought you loved ME!" Minako batted her eyes at Ami and the class laughed even more. Usagi smiled and sat down in her chair, purposely avoiding the empty one behind her. A man in a green jacket stood by Usagi's door, feeling nervous. *I wonder if she honestly didn't know what she was accepting when I gave it to her* he thought, pacing. After a few minutes, he finally sat down on her front steps. "Okay, Mamoru. Get a hold of yourself," he said out loud. "There's nothing to be afraid of, she loves you, you love-" "Mamo-chan!" A voice interrupted his own and a bundle of sweetness and energy barreled into him. "Usako..." He murmured, hugging her. "How have you been?" "Wonderful! I was early to school today, and I passed on all my subjects! A C in history, a C- in math..." Her voice trailed off as Mamoru took her left hand and brought it up to eye level. "Rei told me you didn't know what the ring meant." He said, looking at the heart-shaped diamond. "Rei told you that? Of course I know what it means! It's a symbol of love from you to me!" She replied indignantly. Mamoru looked relieved. "Oh, good, so you accepted it while knowing what it meant?" "Of course! I'll accept a gift of love from you any day!" "A-A gift of love?" Mamoru looked like he was about to faint. "Of course! That is what you meant it to be, isn't it?" Usagi asked, oblivious to the fact that the ring was positioned on her LEFT hand, INDEX finger. "Oh... wait..." She whispered, her happy mood fading. "Did you mean this as a goodbye ring? Did you not want to see me anymore after you left for America? Was this a way of saying 'I don't want to be with you anymore'?" She asked, hyperventilating. "N-No!!!!!!! No, Usako, I still want to be with you. I want to be with you... Forever," Mamoru explained , taking both her hands into his. "And since you didn't understand what this ring meant then, I'll show you what it means now." He slipped the ring off her finger and got down on one knee. "Tsukino Usagi, will you marry me?" It was a picture perfect moment. Usagi stared at the heart-shaped crystal in his hand for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, she gracefully slid her left hand out to him. Mamoru gently took hold of her hand, and placed the ring on her fourth finger. He slowly stood up and found himself drowning in her deep blue eyes. "Chiba Mamoru, I'd be honored to marry you," she whispered, a single tear rolling down her cheek. Usagi quietly walked into her house, hand in hand with Mamoru. Once they reached the kitchen, she realized her parents were sitting at the table, anxiously watching them. Her heart sank. *Oh, no. I didn't think about how my parents would react,* she realized suddenly. She saw her father glance down at her ring. She quickly started to think of some excuse. "So, you said yes, I suppose?" He asked calmly. Usagi looked up at her father with surprise and stammered for an answer. "H-Hai, I agreed to be Mamoru's wife." She turned to Mamoru. "Did you let them know?" Mamoru turned to Usagi and smiled. "Of course, I couldn't ask for your hand without your father's consent." "A-A-A-And you're okay with this?" Usagi asked her parentsincredulously. "Usagi, we want you in the hands of someone who can take care of you, who can make you happy, and most importantly, who can love you. This young man has displayed that he is capable of all these things. And even more important, is the fact that you want to spend the rest of your life together. Your mother and I respect that, and know you two will have a very successful and happy future together," He answered quietly. Next to him, his wife nodded. Mamoru sweatdropped. *They seem to have forgotten the "NANI??? Are you SURE you want to marry OUR daughter?" they had asked him when he had gone to ask for their permission.* Usagi stood still for a moment, then walked up to her parents and embraced them, tears streaming down her face. "Arigato... I love you." That night, Usagi happily sat on her chair, taking her odango's out. She heard her cat quietly slip in the door. "Ooh, Luna! Where have you been, so late? Out with your boyfriend?" She taunted. "Haha, very funny," Luna grumbled. Then she noticed the big smile on Usagi's face. "What are you so happy about? I know school is over, and-" "Oh, nothing much, maybe... just the fact that..." Usagi waved her right hand in front of Luna's face. "So, your ring. You've had it for months," Luna replied, annoyed. "Maybe so, but now I know what it means!" Usagi said, getting frustrated. "Mamoru and I are-" "- getting married!?!" Luna answered, the realization dawning on her. "Yes! Two months from now, I'll be known as Mrs. Usagi Chiba!" Usagi giggled with joy, imagining her wedding day. *Red, no, pink flowers... Mamoru in that black tux he's always looked fantastic in, me in a beautiful white wedding dress, Rei-chan fuming as I stroll down the aisle...* As Usagi relished in her fantasy, Luna thought about her last phrase. *Yes, you'll be known as Mrs. Usagi Chiba... They're so young. And where am I going to stay???* Luna put the thought at the back of her mind and instead gave Usagi her congratulations. "I'm sure you two will be very happy together!" "Ooh, I know we will!" Usagi replied as she crawled into bed. "Good night, Luna!" Usagi yawned and reached over to turn off her light. "Sweet dreams, Usagi," Luna murmured, barely audible. Two minutes later, both human and cat were asleep. ~~~ She looked around her, everything was shining, twinkling, glittering. It was a beautiful palace, overlooking an even more beautiful land, she realized as she glanced out a crystal window. Sparkling light filtered in through another wide window and seemed to be drawn towards illuminating a certain figure. "You..." Usagi whispered. The figure slowly walked up to her. Usagi looked down at herself and noticed that she was wearing a shimmering dress made of sequins... No, not sequins, but stars. She looked up again into two clear blue eyes. He took her hand and bent down to kiss her. Usagi closed her eyes and tilted her chin up, but their lips never met. She opened her eyes and saw him staring at the hand he held in his own. After what seemed like an eternity, he threw down her hand and quickly walked away. Usagi tried to call out, but her voice didn't seem to reach him. She slowly looked down at her left hand to see what had made him walk away, and saw her ring, shining clear and bright. Usagi looked up to see the figure looking back at her. Suddenly, it was too much for her. Just too much. She opened her mouth. "Seiya." she called out. The one word. Suddenly, Usagi felt a burning sensation on her finger. She looked at her ring and realized the stone had turned black. She screamed as the ring bit into her finger... her hand... her arm. Usagi screamed as her whole body caught on fire. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that's the end of this re-eddited chapter! Remember to tell me what you guys think at savagegrl2@hotmail.com