AN: Hello, dear readers! It's been TOO LONG since I updated this fic, and honestly, I was missing it. I had a dream about this chapter a couple of nights ago, and it actually didn't turn out too strange on paper, so hopefully you'll enjoy it 333

A huge thank you to floraone, who took time out of her crazy busy (and it's not just like 'oh, she's so busy' but like DAMN SHE'S SO BUSY) schedule to beta for me, as she always does. I literally couldn't do this without you, love! Also to tinacentury for her encouragement to write down this weird dream I had and her ever present brainstorming offers. You are appreciated, friend 333

And without further ado, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter, and your reviews are always, ALWAYS loved and appreciated!

oOo

Mamoru reached into his messenger bag, fumbling around for his wallet to pay for the coffee he'd just ordered. He'd normally always keep it in his back pocket, but these ridiculous skinny jeans Usagi had insisted he buy the last time they'd gone shopping made the bulk of his wallet as ridiculously uncomfortable as the jeans looked.

But instead of finding his wallet, his hand came into contact with a cool, metal object Mamoru was certain he hadn't placed in his bag. He pulled out the offending object, and when a golden, star-shaped locket emerged, his breath caught as he stared at it with a mix of confusion and awe.

How on earth had it wound up his bag? He hadn't seen it, nor thought about it since…

"Uh…sir?" the brown-haired barista asked with an obvious amount of trepidation. "It's still 675."

Mamoru blushed bright red. "Sorry," he murmured, while he resumed the digging in his bag.

He finally found his wallet and paid for the coffee, not meeting the barista's eyes when he took it from her, his mind wandering back to the locket that now resided at the top of his bag.

Perhaps Usagi had placed it in there for him. She was constantly leaving little notes for him everywhere, and he found them in his bag quite often. But why would she leave something like this for him? Was he supposed to glean some secret message from it?

As he left the shop, he was making a mental note to ask her about it the next time he saw her when he collided with an all too familiar warm body.

It was a delicate balancing act, for sure, catching Usagi and managing to not fall or spill his coffee, but after a year of practice, he'd gotten quite good at it.

He steadied her on her feet, her hands splayed across his chest, as their eyes locked and happy realization dawned in her eyes.

"We really need to stop meeting like this, Usako," he teased, leaning down to kiss her nose.

She adorably crinkled the appendage. "It wasn't my fault this time, Mamo-chan! You were the one not paying attention."

Mamoru shrugged, reluctantly removing his hands from her waist. "It was your fault, you cloud my brain," he retorted, enjoying the dramatic huff she sent his direction.

But Usagi could never stay mad for long.

"Have time for a walk?" he asked, holding out his free hand, and smiling at how her entire demeanor changed instantly.

She nodded happily, grabbing his hand, and they soon found themselves strolling through the park, and inevitably settled on their usual bench.

He listened to her chatter on about her day, (Umino had apparently discovered a juicy piece of gossip about Haruna) eagerly watching her face light up with different expressions as he sipped his coffee, but eventually she did grow fairly quiet, snuggling up to him and asking about his day with bright eyes and a small voice.

"You know," he began, "the strangest thing happened to me just now while I was getting coffee."

Usagi perked up at his side, "What's that?"

Mamoru reached down into his bag, feeling around for the cool of the metal. "I found this in my bag. Any idea how it got there?"

He pulled out the locket, and Usagi let out an excited shriek.

"You found my locket!"

His brows drew down in confusion at her reaction. "You mean, you didn't put this in my bag?"

She shook her head fervently in the negative, her pigtails flying as she did so. "No! I've been looking for it for ages. It disappeared after…" she trailed off, and bit down on her lip, her eyes turning away from him.

"After we died?" he said quietly, and she nodded once sadly.

He couldn't help the slight turn of his lips, as she clutched his arm and buried her head in his shoulder. He was always grateful, too, for her closeness, but especially in moments like these when the burdens of their lives weighed on them so heavily.

"But that's so odd," he mused quietly after a while, running his thumb over the smooth surface of the locket.

Usagi reached out to touch it as well, the tiny lid responding to her touch, popping open while a familiar melody started to play softly.

"If you didn't put it in my bag, how did it get there?"

Usagi sat up slightly and shrugged, still not letting go of his arm. "Dunno. I probably cursed it when I had it made for you, so that it would haunt you forever."

He turned worried eyes towards her, her serious tone throwing him for a loop.

"Just in case you got any funny ideas about falling in love with someone else," she finished, the mischievous gleam he knew so well, shining up at him.

His responding laugh resonated deep in his chest, and he rolled his eyes at her affectionately. As if there could ever be anyone else but her.

"It's just so odd," he said again, still completely perplexed by the presence of the locket in his hand.

"Really, Mamo-chan?" Usagi said, and his eyes flew to hers, confused this time, so she went on. "Of all the things that have happened to us over the past year, this is what you find weird?"

Mamoru frowned in thought, opening his mouth to retort, but he closed it quickly, realizing he didn't really have a comeback to her statement.

"I mean, it's entirely possible the ghost of my mother put it there. Or it just decided it was tired of wandering through space and time, and wished really hard to be back with you," she said, leaning her head back down on his shoulder.

He couldn't stop the laugh that escaped him. "The locket is a sentient being, now?"

She shrugged. "I'm not going to pretend like I know what sentient means, but sure."

They sat in amiable silence for a few moments before Usagi spoke again. "Hey, Mamo-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"Where did you get the locket to begin with?" she asked. "You know, before you gave it to me?"

"That," he said with a deep sigh, "is one of my earliest memories."

Usagi sat up, detaching herself from him fully as she turned to face him, eyes wide with piqued interest.

He focused on the locket in his hands, unable to meet her eyes, knowing how full of emotion they would be.

"I was allowed to go through my parent's house after they died, and I was released from the hospital. The social workers said I could take a few things that felt special to me, before it was all sold. Of course, nothing did, but I saw this locket on my mother's dresser, and it…" he broke off searching for just the right word, "...called to me I guess."

When he finally did glance up at her again, her eyes were filled to the brim with tears as he figured they would be, her lower lip trembling with the force of holding in her sadness.

"Usako, don't cry," he said softly, reaching out to brush her cheek. "I'm fine, really!"

But she would hear nothing of it, as she threw herself against him, her arms squeezing around him in one of her infamous bear hugs.

"I'm so sorry, Mamo-chan," she said against his chest, sniffling loudly. "You went through so much, and I wasn't there-"

"But Usa, you didn't even know me then!" he countered, interrupting her.

She simply sighed in response, and shook her head against him.

"You were there for me when I needed you the most," he said, a firm but gentle reminder.

He pulled back from her embrace, and grabbed her hand, placing the locket in her palm. "Even when I didn't know you, yet, you were there."

A watery smile and a nod met his statement, and he couldn't resist pulling her back in for another hug. "Come here, you," he said, enjoying the feel of her in his arms almost as much as anything else in the world.

"So," he said when he settled her back in the crook of his arm a few moments later. "What are we going to do with this?" he pointed to the gold star in her hand.

Usagi held it out to him, with an expectant look on her face. "You keep it," she said, smiling brightly at him. "It was made for you, and I want you to have it."

Mamoru took it from her with a grateful smile. "And what exactly am I going to do with this, hmm?"

Her face lit up at his question. "Ooo! You could buy one of those fancy vests and wear it like a pocket watch!"

He groaned in response. "Yeah, that would look so great with my new jeans, I suppose?"

She nodded enthusiastically, and he groaned again, placing his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees.

Her delighted giggle brought him back to reality, and he shot her a withering look. "Are you not so subtly trying to tell me you don't like the way I dress?"

"Of course not, Mamo-chan!" she cried so loudly, any normal person would have flinched, but he was no normal person. "I love everything about you!"

"Uh huh," he said back to her with a wink. "Sure you do."

"Mamo-chaaaaannnn," she whined, playfully slapping his arm. "Stooppp teasing meeeee!"

He laughed outright at her antics, leaning down to kiss her before she could manage to disturb the entire park.

Of course, he was no closer to finding out just how the locket had ended up in his possession than when he started, or even how a gift he'd received a lifetime ago as the prince of Earth had somehow managed to make it into his personal effects in this life, but as her lips moved so enthusiastically against his, Mamoru realized there were much more important things he could focus his time and energy on.

AN: The bit about Mamoru finding the locket amongst his parent's belongings comes from FloraOne's amazing fic, Becoming. If you haven't read it, (or you're in need of some serious angsty amazing goodness) you should really check it out! Thank you for letting me steal from you so often, Flora! xD