Mamoru didn't acknowledge her words right away. Instead, he just said, "Come on in, then," and took a step back to open the door wider. Usagi took off her shoes and jacket, sitting down on her knees in front of his coffee table with careful deliberateness.

His books and schoolwork were spread out on the table, and she touched the end of his notebook, scanning the page. His careful handwriting filled the page, mostly in English with little glosses and notes scribbled in kanji and kana in the margins. Usagi felt over her head. This man was so utterly different from her. How were they together? What did he see in her? Was that a mystery her missing memories would be able to solve, she wondered. So, what would happen if she never recovered them?

"So," he sat next to her, began to gather his books and papers together. "Why do I have to leave, again?"

"It's just," Usagi took a deep, shuttering breath. "I am not remembering anything. I am sure I will! But we don't know how long it will take. Everyone's life is on hold for this, and it shouldn't be."

Her heart hurt a little, trying to imagine going back to her day to day life and just shelving an enormous matter like this. Without her memories, without their history, how could she expect him to continue to wait for her? It wasn't something she could ask of him.

"I don't want to leave before this is all settled," he said, firmly.

"Mamoru, that could be weeks! Months!" she twisted so she was facing him, meeting his gaze with a stubborn look. "What will happen? Will you fail out of college? Do you think I want that on my head?!"

He opened his mouth to protest, but no words came. He hated to admit it, but she had a point. It wasn't fair of him to lay all this at her feet.

"Maybe once you go, and the pressure is off, I might even remember on my own," Usagi said hoping her tone conveyed the confidence she didn't feel. Mamoru didn't seem to buy it, either. "Michiru seemed to think it was possible..."

"Michiru has been known to be wrong before," Mamoru pointed out, raising his brows a little. But at Usagi's pout he conceded.

"Alright," he sighed. "I'll think about tying things up here and heading back."

"No," she said, shaking her head determinedly, "Book your flight. Now. I'm watching." She pointed her finger at him and narrowed her eyes, and Mamoru was reminded instantly of all the times she'd made that exact face at him ("eat your peppers!" "finish this chapter tomorrow and go to sleep!" "don't eat the last piece of cake (it's mine)!"). It was lonely being the only one to remember those situations. It would be lonelier still in America, without knowing if she even cared to wait for him back home.

Reluctantly, he stood and walked to the phone, punching in the number for the travel agency while returning to his seat next to Usagi. While he spoke on the phone, Usagi clenched her teeth and tried not to cry.

"Oh, that may be too soon," Mamoru was saying into the phone. "Hold on." He turned to Usagi, with his hand over the mouthpiece, "The next available seat is on a flight early tomorrow morning."

Usagi nodded. "Take it," she said. Might as well pull the band-aid off quickly, right?

For a moment he looked at her, eyes sad. Then he turned back to the phone, all business. "Yes, I'll take that one," he said, jotting down info on his notebook with a pencil.

"Okay, done," he said, hanging up the phone.

"Thanks," she said. It felt strange to smile when she felt like crying.

"I guess I better pack," he said, giving a calculating look around the apartment.

"Yeah, I should... let you get to that..." Usagi twisted her fingers through her hair. "I guess this is... good bye."

"For now," he said, giving that same look he'd given her his first night back, outside her house. Fond. And subdued. And something she initially couldn't place, but now seemed to be longing.

Usagi shut her eyes so she wouldn't have to see it.

"I want you to go back so you don't throw this away for me!" she cried, her eyes still squeezed shut. "Because I couldn't live with myself otherwise! That's why you need to go. Not because I don't want you here, but because if you don't and you lose this chance it will break my heart!" When only silence greeted her outburst, Usagi cautiously opened one eye to see Mamoru looking at her with a soft expression.

"Funny, you said almost the exact same thing to me before," he murmured and she blinked in surprise. He gave her a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"I'll be back soon, for a real visit," Mamoru said, a little later, bringing an empty suitcase out of the other room. "And you call me as soon as you remember everything, got that? Even if it's the middle of the night."

She nodded, giving him a watery smile. "'Kay."

"Here," Mamoru said, opening his school bag and pulling out a tiny manila envelope. "Minako reminded me to pick this up at Osaka's for you."

She took it with a confused look, and shook a sparkling ring out into her palm. "This is..."

"Apparently it wasn't fitting you right and you were worried you'd lose it, so it was being resized," he explained. "I want you to have it, no matter what."

Usagi picked up the ring and held it up. Even in the dim light of the apartment it sparkled, pink and gold and beautiful. "This is from you?" Her heart was pounding. He'd given her a ring?

He nodded. "You don't have to wear it," he said, "I just thought you should have it. Maybe it'll make you think of me sometimes."

She didn't look up from where she was staring at it, glittering in her palm. The implications of such a gift were hard to ignore. "This is an engagement ring, isn't it?" She asked, throat dry.

It was a while before he answered, almost sheepishly. "Yeah," he answered, running his hand through his hair, suddenly nervous. "The idea was we'd wait until you graduated high school."

He hurried to add, "Obviously, it's different now. You are so young, and you probably didn't expect to be engaged to someone you barely know," he laughed, humorlessly. "There is no need-"

"It's beautiful," Usagi interrupted, her eyes damp again.

So, he wasn't just her boyfriend, he was her fiancé. They were going to get married.

And she'd forgotten it all.

The dam burst.

"You won't lose me," Usagi cried, suddenly. "Remembering, not remembering, I don't care!" She stood in front of him, the ring held tightly in her fist. "You w- you won't lose me, Mamoru. Mamo-chan." She corrected, the name sounding strange in her mouth... but not unpleasant. "I want to be with you!" She looked at him apprehensively, while his eyes searched hers intently. "That is... if you... if you still want me."

He looked surprised, and she barreled into him before he had a chance to answer. She wrapped both her arms around his waist, tightly, burying her head in his chest and fighting sobs. Why did she always have to cry at times like this?

Mamoru leaned into the familiarity of her embrace and tried to stay afloat on the tidal wave of relief that had rocked him as soon as she'd shouted those words. You won't lose me.

Oh, thank god.

"Usako," he tried to gently push her shoulders back, but she stubbornly held on. "Usako, look at me."

Finally she let him pull back, tears still falling freely from her eyes.

"Of course I still want you," he said, quietly. Then his lip pulled up, just a little. "Don't be stupid, odango atama."

"Really?" she sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "Even if I don't ever remember?" the thought made her lip tremble.

"Yes," he said, "but you will, Usako, I am sure of it." He took her hand and led her to sofa. Usagi sat down and he sat beside her, rubbing her back comfortingly.

She put her fists on her knees and opened her hand. The ring had left a heart-shaped indent in her palm. She traced it with a fingertip, thoughtfully.

"I wonder..."

Usagi slid the ring on the third finger of her left hand, and it felt for a moment like habit. Then she cried out, putting her hands on her forehead.

"Usako, are you okay? What's wrong?" Mamoru put his hand on her shoulder, looking worried.

"It feels like I ate ice cream too fast," she said, still pressing her hands to her head. The pain dissipated quickly, leaving as quickly as it came.

"Put your tongue on the roof of your mouth."

Usagi gave him an exasperated look. "I didn't actually eat ice cream too fast."

"Oh, right."

Usagi let her gaze shift to the papers on the desk, Mamoru's handwriting was suddenly as familiar as her own. The apartment was a second home.

It wasn't like remembering. It was like having never forgotten.

Mamoru was still looking at her with confusion and concern. For a moment she took him in, really looked at him, reading his expression like an open book. Every movement of his eyes, every line of his face, the tug of his lips.

Her eyes softened, and she tenderly brushed some hair back from his eyes. "Oh, Mamo-chan," she breathed. He'd been through so much these past few days.

Mamoru looked at her, hardly daring to hope. But her touch was suddenly confident, her gaze understanding. Usagi was looking at him like she knew him, better than anyone had ever known him, better than he knew himself, and in that moment he knew she was back.

"You remember."

"Everything," she said, a smile breaking across her face. "Sorry for making you wait, Mamo-chan," she said, as he pulled her into his arms. Like second nature, she settled on his lap, facing him, knees on the sofa and forehead touching his. This was familiar, this was perfect, this was home.

And then, for the first time since he'd landed in Tokyo, she kissed him.

Really kissed him - like she'd been missing him for months, like she'd been loving him for years. Frantically, with teeth and tongue and the exact way to pull on his lower lip to make him growl, deep in his throat. He curled his hand around the back of her head, the other pressing into her waist, pulling her closer and responding with nearly unhinged desperation.

"God, I missed you," he breathed, pressing his lips to her neck.

"Mamo-chan, I really asked you if we'd ever kissed before," Usagi reminded him, pulling back a little and giggling.

"You did," he confirmed, "It was adorable." She giggled again, before closing the gap between them one more time.

"So I guess I remembered as soon as I put on the ring?" Usagi's voice echoed through the phone and on the other end of the line Ami slapped herself in the forehead. After talking with Usagi for a few more minutes, Ami hung up the phone, shaking her head, and relayed the conversation for the inner senshi, who were still hanging out at Rei's, talking and eating.

"Of course!" Minako said, "It's heart-shaped and everything! How did I miss that?"

"It makes sense, too," Ami added, "Usagi wasn't wearing the ring when she was attacked. The spell didn't stretch to that object, it was a physical representation of their love-"

"Are you going to say 'the power of love', Ami?" Minako teased and the other girl flushed a little.

"Well, maybe it was!"

"So Michiru was wrong," Makoto said, thoughtfully. "She seemed so sure."

Ami shrugged, "It was as good a guess as any. And, who knows, Usagi said she asked Mamoru to return to school and he agreed so maybe that did help."

"Maybe it was coincidence," Rei said, "and the spell had a time limit? Or maybe something else triggered it entirely, something Usagi said or did beforehand..."

Minako shrugged, tossing blonde hair over a shoulder. "Who cares? Point is: it worked, she remembers him, everything is totally cool now. Let's eat."

"Wait, though, is Usagi coming back?" Makoto asked. "'Cause I baked her favorite cookies and everything."

Ami shook her head. "So, I guess Mamoru is leaving super early tomorrow morning and Usagi's gonna stay for a bit and help him pack."

"'Help him pack'," Minako said, deadpanned. "Gross. That's gross, Ami."

"Oh come on you pervert!," Rei cried, throwing up her arms. "Not everything is a double entendre! They probably just want some time together now that she's actually knows who he is."

"'Time together'? Gross, Rei."

Rei seethed slightly, sucking in breath through her teeth. "Minako, I swear to god-"

"Aww, is Mamoru gonna leave without saying good-bye to us, though?" Makoto said, "I mean, with everything we did to help them!"

"True, I would like to see him off, as well," Ami agreed.

"Well, I think the only thing to do is gather up the snacks and head on over there," Minako said, nodding decisively.

The girls exchanged looks and seemed to agree. "Could be fun, a mini bon voyage party," Ami said, "Now that everything is alright again."

"Sounds like a plan," Rei said, getting a bag to put the food in. "Let's head over there now."

"Just ya know, we'll be sure to knock really loudly first."

"MINAKO."