I would like for someone to help me write on this, because I usually 
have trouble keeping an idea going.  I have odd hours online, and it may 
be hard for us to cross paths, but I think something can be worked out.
   Also, if I used any Japanese words in here that you don't know, 
please let me know and I will be happy to translate them for you.
   Comments are intensely requested and welcomed.  Arigatou!

Mi Inbasu

~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~

Mi Inbasu ~ mibeibi@hotmail.com
ICQ: 14168181 (Authorization required)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know next to -nothing- about Japanese schooling, particularly college, 
so please excuse me
if I am at all inaccurate in my portrayal of how things may be.

~~!Disclaimer!~~~
I am, quite obviously, not the creator of Sailor Moon.  Sailor Moon was 
originally created
by Takeuhi Naoko-sama, and I in no way take credit for the characters.  
However, the
situation and plotline are all my own.  Arigatou. ^.^

~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~!*!~~~
~!Infidelity!~
Ichiban


Usagi yawned.  She would never understand why Mamoru had insisted that 
she go on to college, especially with her grades.  She stretched 
boredly.  'I suppose I should be taking notes,' she thought as the 
teacher rambled on.  But, as always, there seemed to be minimal point to 
the lecture, and Usagi was just plain exhausted.  When Mamoru had argued 
her into going to college, she figured that saying she would major in 
drama would mean she would have an easy run all through the grueling 
four years of college.
   Of course, as is to be expected, Usagi was wrong.
   'There are other required courses you must take to graduate,' she 
recalled Mamoru informing her after she had expressed her interest in 
acting.  'Don't expect college to be a free ride in any way.'  She 
sighed.  The teacher continued speaking.  The man appeared to like the 
sound of his voice more than anything else.  He was notorious in the 
school for long-winded, pointless speeches.  Being subjected to them was 
put right up there along with 'cruel and unusual punishment.'
   Usagi stretched, her shirt coming up a little past her belly-button.  
She pulled it back down with a slight blush.  She noticed from across 
the room that someone was watching her, someone that she had been 
observing as well.  He had transferred into the class only the day 
before.
   He was tall with brilliant brown hair that fell in gleaming waves to 
his shoulders.  He had glasses, but escaped the whole 'nerd' look that 
often accompanied them.  He was built strong and for looks.  And his 
eyes were absolutely perfect for drowning in on a moonlit night...
   "Tsukino-san!" the teacher called out, the tone of his voice making 
it apparent that it was not the first time he had tried for her 
attention.  "Tsukino, do you or do you not know the answer?"  Usagi 
gulped and looked at the scribbles on the board.  Well, that is what it 
seemed like to her, all senseless scribbling.  Of course the day she 
zoned out they would cover new material.
   She took a deep breath and tried to calm down.  She was about to tell 
him that she didn't when her eyes happened to wander in the direction of 
the handsome man again and he was pointing to something written large on 
a piece of paper.  In a faint daze.  Usagi repeated what was on the 
paper word for word, and the teacher gave her an amazed look.
   "Well, Tsukino, it appears you have been paying attention.  Keep it 
up," he mumbled gruffly.  Usagi crinkled her nose and made a face at his 
back as he turned around, then nodded in gratitude to her saviour.  The 
paper he was holding up had already changed.  It said to meet him after 
class, and named a time and place.  She nodded dumbly and stared vacant 
eyed at the teacher for the rest of the lecture.

Usagi had always had a light heart, seeing any cute guy and 
automatically thinking him the equivalent of a god.  The problem hadn't 
gone away when Mamoru had come into her life, as she had hoped it would.  
Every time she noticed a cute guy - and it was often - she felt so 
guilty, but she couldn't help the faint pattering of her heart as she 
looked into one beautiful pair of eyes after another.  It didn't help 
any that Mamoru was still away in America for college.
   The pangs of guilt slammed into her one after another as she sat 
across from the man, looking at her reflection in an untouched cup of 
tea.  "Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice thick and deep, sending 
shivers through Usagi's small frame.
   Usagi looked up at him.  "No, of course not.  I was just thinking 
about, uh..."  She paused, unsure of what to say.  She wracked her brain 
for something at least mildly intelligent to say, and then the first 
thing in her mind came rolling out.  "I just feel a little uncomfortable 
because I have forgotten your name.  I'm sorry."
   He smiled at her, the expression on his face melting her down to the 
tips of her toes and all the way back up again.  "My name is Katai 
Daichi," he said.
   She smiled at him, trying to hide the discomfort in her eyes.  "Are 
you as strong as your name implies?" she joked.
   Daichi gave her a slightly mysterious look.  "I am as strong as a 
situation demands me to be," he said, his tone a little more serious 
than Usagi would have expected.  But her mind was too busy trying to 
keep her calm to process any hidden implications.
   At twenty-one, she didn't appear much older than when she had 
acquired the powers of a Sailor Senshi seven years before.  There were 
discrete differences in her physical appearance, like she now wore her 
hair down most of the time.  She also acted more mature (usually), but 
she was truly young at heart.  She was shy in Daichi's presence like a 
girl half her age would be.  It was almost as though Mamoru was nothing 
more than a dream.  Even Chibi-usa, when she made visits, wasn't much of 
a reminder of her relationship with Mamoru.  She didn't want to say so, 
but she was worried that spending so much time apart was going to ruin 
their relationship.
   Usagi fidgeted, intertwining her fingers in her lap.  She kept her 
eyes averted from Daichi's face.  Something about him kept Mamoru fixed 
in her mind, and she wasn't sure what it was.  She was utterly 
fascinated with him.   "Usagi-san," Daichi said.
   "H-hai?" she said.
   Daichi seemed momentarily perplexed, as though he was unsure of the 
words he was about to speak.  "I was wondering if you would like to go 
out for tea regularly.  I am very curious of you, and I would really 
like to get to know you better."  He tried to catch her eyes, but she 
was gazing out the window.
   She nodded mutely and murmured, "I would like that very much.  To 
have tea with you."

Usagi walked home feeling emotionally drained and numb.  She wasn't sure 
what was going on in her heart and mind.  Daichi brought out feelings in 
her heart, yet they were so different from the feelings she got from 
Mamoru.  "Masaka!  What am I thinking, I'm in love with Mamoru, not..."  
She swallowed back the rest of the sentence to avoid speaking out such 
things so close to home where people may hear her.
   It was true, she did love Mamoru.  But the problem was she sometimes 
felt more like she was in love with a dream or a fairy tale than an 
actual man.  He spent so much time away in America, she felt as though 
she hardly knew him anymore.  Over a thousand years ago, they had met on 
the moon.  Lately, Usagi had been having mixed feelings about the whole 
situation.  She felt too much like she were living a life other than her 
own, that she was trapped.
   Usagi sighed.  She was having more and more trouble believing that 
she was actually a princess from the moon reborn on earth.  Even saying 
it sounded ridiculous.  Truly, she was a senshi with fabulous powers.  
But that seemed more a part of this life than it did of the fading 
memories of an old life on the moon.  It seemed to make a sort of sense 
that she could be a sailor-suited senshi than a moon princess.  It was 
just a matter of how logical it was.
   She opened the door to her house.  She was still living with her 
parents.  "Tadaima," she said with little enthusiasm.
   "Okarinasai, Usagi-chan," said her mother.  Her mother didn't seem to 
have aged a day in nearly five years.  She had a youthful beauty to her 
that echoed throughout every part of her body.  Even though a few 
streaks of gray had found their way into her hair, it only complimented 
her features.  "How was your day?"
   Usagi shrugged.  "I had tea with Katai-kun."  Her mother looked at 
her with curiousity.  "A man in one of my classes.  He helped me out 
when I didn't know the answer in class.  He is very..."
   Luna dashed past Usagi at top speed and headed up the stairs.  She 
made a gesture that could barely be mistaken for one a cat would make, 
signaling for Usagi to come up and talk to her.  She then dashed in the 
general direction of Usagi's room.  "I have a lot of homework, 
okaa-chan," Usagi said.  "Catch ya later."  She hurried up the stairs 
and into her room.  Shingo's door was open.  Usagi peeped in.  He was 
wearing headphones and headbanging faintly while working at his desk, 
hopefully doing homework.  Usagi smiled and closed his door.
   She lost the feeling of urgency and walked slowly to her room.  When 
she entered and closed her door, Luna gave her an angry look.  
"Usagi-sama, what are you -thinking-?" she asked furiously.
   Usagi casually opened a little glass jar resting on the shelf beside 
her bed and popped a jelly bean in her mouth.  She looked at Luna, 
confused.  "What are you talking about, Luna?"
   Luna made an impatient and disgusted sound.  "You should know very 
well what I am talking about.  That...man!" she growled.  "The one you 
were speaking so favourably of to your mother.  Don't think I didn't 
recognize the tone of your voice when you spoke of him!"
   Usagi blinked.  "What are you talking about?"
   "You're in love with him!"
   Usagi looked momentarily startled, than laughed.  "Luna, that's 
ridiculous.  For a thousand years, I have waited for Mamoru.  He has 
always been in my heart.  How could you think I am in love with someone 
else?"  She laughed, a hint of hysteria in her voice.  She had worked 
herself into a safe state of denial on the way home, and now Luna was 
jeopardizing that safety.  "You're crazy, Luna, crazy!"
   Luna shook her head sadly, understanding.  "I think you and Mamoru 
have been spending entirely too much time apart.  I don't think he's in 
your heart as strongly as he once was."
   Usagi nodded blankly.  "Yeah, when he gets home...things will 
probably go back to normal."  She smiled faintly at Luna.  "I'm just a 
little lonely, I guess."  She pulled out her books and started to flip 
through the pages.  Luna realized that, even if she had more to say, the 
conversation was over.  She sat down to clean herself with a sigh as 
Usagi stared sightlessly at her books.

"Usagi-san," Daichi said, tentatively.
   "Just Usagi," she mumbled around a mouthful of odango.
   He looked at her.  "What?"
   She swallowed and wiped her mouth on a napkin.  "You've bought me 
lunch and tea for ten days now.  I think that it is alright to drop the 
formalities a little, Katai-kun."
   "Just Daichi," he said with a laugh.  She rewarded him with a smile.
   For not the first time, he was struck by just how beautiful she was.  
Her blue eyes were large and innocent, yet there was a hidden 
intelligence somewhere behind them.  Her hair was just a shade deeper 
than April sunshine, flowing like sweet water to her waist.  She tucks 
some hair behind her ear, and most of it comes back down in individual, 
graceful tendrils.  He fought a never-ending battle within himself not 
to reach out and touch her cheek, to brush her hair back for her and 
feel it tickle his hands.  She had let her forehead hair grow out.  He 
shook his head, gazing at her.
   "Mm, doushita no?" she said.
   He smiled and continued shaking his head.  "Nothing's wrong.  You..."  
He took a faint breath.  "It's just that, you're so beautiful.  
Sometimes I have a hard time being all the way across the table from 
you, and not beside you."
   She looked up sharply, gasping.
   "Usagi-chan, you have captured my heart.  Ai..."
   "Stop," she said, reaching over and pressing a finger to his lips, 
keeping him from saying what she thought he was going to say.  "You 
haven't known me even a month, be careful that you aren't rushing, or 
mistaking your feelings."  He shook his head and started to say 
something again, but she stopped him.  "Please."
   He looked at her with a slight sadness in his eyes, but nodded.  
Shortly after that, they were ready to go.  Usagi gathered up her 
backpack and Daichi moved to hurry out without saying good-bye, hurt and 
sad.  She reached out, just short of touching his arm.  "Daichi," she 
said.
   He turned.  "Don't take it the wrong way, Daichi.  I just don't want 
to see you say something that you may later regret," she said softly, 
trying to salvage the situation.
   Swallowing thickly, he nodded, then scurried out the door.  For the 
first time since they had been drinking tea after school together, she 
would be walking home alone.

Each step seemed to drag him closer to the ground.  The ground, his 
namesake, seemed to draw him closer and closer to itself.  "I can't 
believe it," he murmured.  Eyes were drawn to him to stare for a long 
time.  He was used to it.  Reaching the apartment complex where he 
lived, he dug his key out of his pocket and unlocked his door.
   "Tadaima," he said bitterly, though no one was there to hear.  Not 
even a plant.  Sometimes he felt like he was being torn apart from the 
inside out.  The place where he lived had nothing living in it.  Since 
he had been in Tokyo, he had felt death and emptiness all around.  Until 
he met the exquisite creature known as Tsukino Usagi.  She was more 
alive than anyone, anything, he had ever met in his life.
   And for the first time in his life, what he wanted evaded him.  She 
eluded his grasp with such dainty grace that even her evasions made him 
feel more and more strongly for her.  He had never been so conquered by 
anyone, mortal or otherwise.  And now he had found the most beautiful, 
most alive creature in all the universe, and she didn't seem to love 
him.
   For the first time in fifteen-thousand years, Katai Daichi, prince of 
the Universe, wept.

Usagi lay on her bed, staring up at her ceiling numbly.  Luna had asked 
her what was wrong, but all she Usagi did was occasionally mumbled, "I 
can't believe he almost said that."
   Luna watched Usagi, worried.  "Usagi-sama," she whispered.  Usagi 
appeared to be asleep with her eyes open.  "Usagi-sama, I have been with 
you in this incarnation for seven years.  It hasn't been easy for you 
living like this.  Even now, so long after I appeared, you have so much 
to learn.  There is yet much about your past, your present, that you 
don't know."  Luna sighed.  "Serenity-hime-sama..."
   The young woman stirred.  "Luna?" she whispered.
   "Hai?"
   She drew in a shuddering breath.  "Daichi...he tried to confess love 
for me today."  Luna's eyes got wide, and she opened her mouth to say 
something.  She changed her mind a moment later, thinking better of 
whatever she was going to say.  "There is just something about him, 
Luna, I can't fight it, I can't deny what my heart whispers to me."  She 
shook her head sadly.  "I can't help it, I don't feel the same about 
Mamoru, do I?  I have had little side crushes, over and over again.  But 
this one hasn't gone away like all the others..."
   "Usagi-sama!" Luna cried.  "What about Chibi-usa?  Mamoru-sama?  What 
about the Senshi?!  You're the princess, the one that binds us all 
together.  What will everyone think if..."
   Usagi's eyes welled up with tears.  "It doesn't seem possible!" she 
cried, grabbing Luna in a sudden, intense hug.
   The cat shook her head, somehow understanding all the meanings 
implied in the comment.
   "I don't see how I can be a princess from a civilization on the moon 
over a millennium ago!  Mamoru doesn't seem like my destined lover, 
either!  He seems...he seems like some average guy that just left me 
behind!"  Usagi began weeping so hard she couldn't sit up.  "Forget it," 
she sobbed, "I'm not going to wait around for Mamoru anymore.  I...I 
love Daichi!"

Chiba Mamoru knocked gently on the front door of the Tsukino's 
residence.  He had been away in America for far too long.  He had so 
many things to tell Usagi, so many memories he had made that he wished 
to share with her.  He closed his eyes and smiled, taking in a deep 
breath of Tokyo air.  He smiled at the familiarity of it.
   Usagi's mother opened the door.  She gasped faintly at the sight of 
Mamoru.  "Well!" she said, smiling brightly.  "It's nice to see you 
around here again!  How was America?  Please, come in!"  She moved back 
away from the door to allow him in.  She chattered at him all the way up 
to Usagi's room.  Mamoru raised his hand to knock when he heard Usagi's 
voice from in her room.
   "I'm not going to wait around for Mamoru anymore.  I like...I like 
Daichi!"
   Mamoru's face went expressionless with shock, his knuckles mere 
centimeters from connecting with the wood of the door.  Daichi.  Not 
Daichi-kun, Daichi-san, but Daichi.  She knew him well, maybe was close 
to him.  His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he couldn't 
breathe, couldn't even move.  His chest ached.
   Usagi's mother looked horrified.  "Oh, Chiba-kun," she started.  "I 
didn't know..."
   His hand dropped to his side, the only emotion on his face a bit of 
confusion.  He opened and closed his mouth a couple times to say 
something, then shook his head.  He turned around and walked down the 
stairs, making it to the genkan without looking back.  Usagi's mother 
came running down the stairs after him.
   "Chiba-kun, chotto!" she cried.  He stiffened, but stopped with only 
one shoe on.  "Gomen, I..."
   He shook his head faintly and whispered, "You don't have to 
apologize.  It isn't your fault.  I guess...we must have...grown 
apart..."
   Sliding on his other shoe, he sighed.  "Thank you, though.  For 
caring."  Tears welled up in her mother's eyes as Mamoru walked out the 
door, maybe for the last time.  Probably for the last time.  She 
couldn't speak a good-bye past the lump of tears in her throat.

There was a brisk knock at the door.  "Hai?" Usagi called.  The door 
opened to reveal Shingo.
   "Why did Mamoru-san leave like that?" he asked, running a hand 
through his unruly hair.
   Usagi's face went white.  "Mamo...Mamo-c-chan was here?" she said, 
her sentence ending in a squeak.
   Shingo nodded.  "He left looking like he'd seen hell and was barely 
alive to tell about it.  Did you two get in a fight?"
   Her knees turned to jelly, her mind turning to loud fuzz.  Her vision 
blurred and she fell to the ground.  Shingo cried out and ran to get his 
mother for help.  Luna shook her head.  "The kingdom will never be the 
same."

A short, pink haired girl stood on the doorstep of the Tsukino 
residence, about to enter, when she felt a stabbing pain in her heart.  
She fell and began to fade from sight.  A white cat was darting by at 
that moment, and when he saw what was happening, he stopped dead in his 
tracks.  "Usagi-sama," he said, eyes wide.  "What have you DONE?"

...Tsuzuku...

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com