Hello, everyone! This is my first time posting a fanfic of any kind - what a weird feeling! This story takes place after the anime version of Sailor Stars. I'm sure I'll make some artistic choices on this journey, so try not to get too irked if things are changed or manga/anime is melted together. Thank you for taking the time to check this out! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Prologue: Lost in Time

Time didn't make sense to Usagi anymore.

Ever since the battle between her and the entity known as Chaos, Usagi felt like she couldn't judge the flow of time. Sometimes it felt like it had been decades since the battle. Sometimes it felt like days. Sometimes, late at night when her chest felt heavy and her breathing was tight, she felt like she was still there.

After saying goodbye to the Starlights, everything felt like such a blur. One moment she was caressing Mamoru's forehead, watching him fall asleep, and the next she found herself sitting on the floor of Makoto's apartment with Minako, Rei, Makoto, and Ami. She didn't remember putting the pizza on her plate, but she picked at it anyway as the sound of a news report on TV filled the room.

Everything felt so surreal.

"Hundreds of reports are coming in from all over the world of families reuniting with loved ones who had mysteriously gone missing over the past six months. As families feel secure in knowing that their loved ones are safe and that they were not alone in this tragedy, their return has only raised more questions. Why wasn't a connection made between these disappearances? Why wasn't the media covering this story? Where were they? A look into Tokyo-based broadcasting station Ginga TV-"

"Please, turn it off," Usagi muttered.

"The girls all turned to look at their friend. After a long shower and an even longer cry in her friend's bathroom, Usagi sat on Makoto's floor in a borrowed shirt and sweatpants. Rather than fixing her hair into her usual odangos, she allowed her long, golden hair to flow down her back, pooling behind her. It was at that moment that the girls really started to notice the bags underneath her eyes and the heavy tiredness in her voice.

"You're right, we don't need to hear any of this crap. It's all speculation anyway," Makoto said firmly, picking up the remote and pressing the off button with a click.

"What if one of the victims remembers? Don't you want to know what they're saying?" Minako asked. Makoto cringed at that statement, no doubt annoyed that she was being labeled a victim.

Ami shook her head. "I don't think it's possible. Even Mamoru with his abilities doesn't remember being conscious at all after Galaxia took his star seed. It was just black. Nothing."

Rei nodded in agreement, pausing to tuck a strand of jet black hair behind her ear. Her violet eyes looked serious and far away. "I don't remember anything either." She paused for a moment, a tiny smile on her lips, "I remember right before... that warm light and-"

She stopped as Usagi abruptly stood up. "I'm going to go home. I could really use some rest," she rushed out.

"Usagi, I thought we were going to have a sleepover and talk about everything," Rei said, a confused expression on her face.

"I was there." She said shortly. "I don't need to talk about it." Before anyone could say anything else, she quickly slipped out of the door. As soon as she was outside, felt like she could breathe again. She inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, trying to focus on the feel of the ground beneath her feet. Once she felt steady, she began to walk toward the nearest bus stop.

"Usagi-chan! Wait! Usagi-chan!"

The blonde let out a heavy sigh and stopped, slowly turning around. Running up to meet her was Minako, her own golden hair flowing behind her as she ran to catch up. Her eyes were calm and gentle, like a warm pool of water. Suddenly, Usagi wished Minako would hold her.

"Don't you want to stay?" Minako asked gently. She stepped forward and took her friend's hand in her own. "We've just been through so much, Usagi-chan. Let's spend some time together. We need each other right now."

Usagi pulled her hand away, but quickly plastered on a large, forced smile. The need to be touched - to be held - dissipated quickly. "I'm okay, Minako-chan. I just need some rest. I just need to be positive right now. I think you all should talk about what you went through together. I'll come see you in the morning, yeah?"

Usagi was already walking away before Mina could protest.

Usagi furrowed her brows at the memory. It felt like it could have been that morning, yet as she looked at herself in the mirror, she reminded herself it was nearly two years ago. Her face was thinner than it used to be - slender, more defined, and she thought more grown-up. Her hair was a bit shorter than it used to be, but the color had gotten lighter. As she studied herself, she realized that the feature that changed the most were her eyes. When she looked at old pictures of herself, she saw wide blue eyes that saw the good in everything and everyone. She didn't see those eyes anymore. She had grown up on the outside, but she knew she had changed on the inside too.

"Are you almost ready?"

Startled, Usagi broke the eye contact she had with herself and looked to the reflection of the man standing behind her. Mamoru stood in the doorway, sliding a belt through the loop of his black dress pants. He wore a freshly-ironed olive-green button up and his hair looked like it had just been styled.

Usagi looked down at herself - still dressed in a fuzzy white robe and not a bit of makeup on her face. She looked down at the countertop, and when she saw the spread of cosmetics on the counter, she realized she had gotten side-tracked.

Mamoru looked up after buckling his belt and gave his fiance a once-over. "Usako, what are you doing? You've been in here for a half hour," he said, his blue eyes showing concern and a hint of confusion.

"Oh, you know, Mamo-chan. I just was having such a hard time choosing which colors to wear," she said with a smile. It no longer surprised her how quickly the lies came out.

Mamoru sighed again and shook his head, showing Usagi a wry smile. "Anything you decide will be beautiful, but you need to hurry. We're going to be late."

Usagi made it a point to pick up the tube of tinted moisturizer, "I'm on it, Mamo-chan! Give me ten minutes." She leaned into the mirror as she quickly spread the cream on her face, and then picked up the tube of black mascara.

"Usako, do you have class tomorrow?" Mamoru asked from the bedroom. She could hear the creak of the bed and guessed he was sitting on it to put on his socks.

"Yes, but not until 10. It would be nice if we weren't out too late though," she said. Going to parties was yet another thing Usagi dreaded these days. Though she loved Michiru and Haruka and was thrilled that they were celebrating yet another anniversary, the thought of smiling and mingling all night sounded tedious. Making small talk and pretending to be a normal, well-adjusted college student felt so draining.

Usagi waited for Mamoru to say something. She could guess what he was thinking. What happened to the Usagi who wanted to spend all of her time with her friends? What happened to the Usagi who loved going out?

But always the supportive fiance, he called out, "I'll do my best to get you out of there early, Usako."

In the early days, Usagi would respond to that statement with an appreciative smile. She felt grateful and oh-so-lucky to have such an understanding partner. Now, as she painted her face to look less tired, she wondered how many more times he would say it before he finally gave up on her.