AN's are at the bottom. If you want to know more about
 Romancing in NY, please read them.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Chiba Mamoru. Who cares
 about the rest of the SM characters? 

'Paper Hearts'
By: Lelu
Rated: PG
E-mail: ETLCHSIEH@Aol.com

	"Brat!"
	
	"Egotistical jerk!"

	"Lazy teenager!"

	"Heartless boy!"

	"Indignant little girl!"

	"Woman-hater!"

He stopped. "I do ~not~ hate women, Odango." A smug look
 of indifference. "I just merely tease you."

Usagi sniffed and turned around, her bright blue eyes
 rolled upwards. "Baka! Well, don't ~I~ feel special?"

Mamoru grinned. "You should, Odango! Because, of all the
 girls in Juuban, ~I~ take the time to talk to you!"

She turned around, eyes flashing. "Well, spare me the
 joy, ~Chiba-san,~" he flinched. She had never called
 him that before, no matter how mad she was... "And
 ~leave me alone!~" 

With that, she turned around, and stormed off, her blond
 pigtails swinging behind her. Mamoru looked after her
 longingly, watching until the last streak of blond had
 disappeared. 

'Usa-ko...'
	
Tsukino Usagi was ~not~ happy. She was storming through
 the streets of Tokyo, and pedestrians began dodging
 from her path. 'What right does that baka think that he
 has? Just because he may happen to be the hottest guy
 in all of Tokyo,' she blushed, 'that does ~not~ give
 him the right to call me whatever he likes. Although
 most people may think that I enjoy our little verbal
 batterings...~I~, for one, don't!' She halted in the
 middle of the sidewalk, and the poor person behind her
 nearly crashed into her. 'However...I just wish that
 Mamoru would give me a chance, and see me. ~Me~. Not as
 the clumsy little teenage girl from Juuban Jr. High,
 but as...Sailormoon. Maybe then, he would think
 differently of me...' She sighed, and began to walk
 again, this time, a little more slowly and a little
 more cautiously. 'Oh well...It's not like he would know
 Sailormoon or anything. Only Rei-chan, Ami-chan,
 Mako-chan, and Mina-chan really know who I am. Well,
 besides Luna and Artemis, but...who are they going to
 tell?' Usagi burst out laughing, at the image of her
 parents' faces, if they were to find out that Luna
 could talk! And that their daughter, was Sailormoon!
 She wrinkled her nose. 'Well, perhaps if I was a bit
 more responsible, and actually paid attention in
 class...? NAH! How much fun would that be?' With that
 last careless thought, the blond-haired goddess began
 to skip home, careful not to trip over any more
 objects.


The infernal object began to beep around 1:30AM that
 night, and a sleepy Usagi turned over, pulling the
 blankets tighter around her head. 'Not now-' were the
 only thoughts that she had, before a certain  black cat
 had yanked them back.

"Usagi! Usagi! USAGI!"

The cat was tired, grouchy, and desperate. "USAGI! Get
 up," Luna hissed, trying to keep her voice as low as
 possible, while yelling. Usagi groaned and slowly sat
 up, reaching a hand over to her desk for the
 communicator.

	"Usagi-baka! What took you so long?"

The angry little face of the Shinto priestess was fuzzy,
 but it was still there.

"Forget it, Usagi, I don't even want to know. Hurry up
 and get to the Juuban Park. One of those youmas are at
 it again. It should be easy to dust, so come on!"
 
Rei had cut off the communicator, as a signal for Usagi
 to hurry up. 

	"Usagi! Let's go," Luna commanded. "Hurry up and
 henshin-yo!"

	"Oh, all right, Luna!" Usagi shot one arm up
 into the air, and shouted quietly,
 "Moon...Prism...Power...MAKE-UP!" A swirl of energy
 surrounded her body, and she let it take over. Then,
 suddenly, the thrill was over. Usagi stood there in her
 fuku, with her fingers in a 'V' pose across her
 forehead. And so the fun begins. Luna and Usagi quietly
 opened the window, and Sailormoon bounded out the
 window. They quickly ran to the park, and Usagi made
 herself known.

	"Matte! I am the pretty soldier Sailormoon, and
 for disrupting the peace and serenity that this garden
 enimates, I will punish you!" She gracefully leapt down
 from the tree, and stood in front of the rest of the
 Senshi. "Minna-chan, what's going on?"	

Sailormercury stood off to one side, typing calculations
 and what such into her tiny computer. "Sailormoon,
 Mars' flame has not worked against this youma, nor my
 bubbles. Sailorjupiter and Venus have yet to try their
 powers, and since the youma will not stand still to let
 me analyze it, you'll just have to sit back and see
 what happens. If they cannot defeat it, "she paused for
 an intake of air, "then you will have to try to do
 so...by yourself." 

	Sailormoon gave a big smile. "Don't worry so
 much, Mercury! I know I can do it!" 

Mercury shut her mini-computer, and smiled right back at
 her. "I know you can, Usagi-chan," she said softly. "I
 have a great amount of faith in you." Then, Mercury
 suddenly stepped back, pulling Usagi with her.
 "Jupiter, Venus...if you will...?"
	
Sailorjupiter grinned. "But of course, Mercury-sama,"
 she replied teasingly, keeping her eyes on the youma.
 Suddenly, her shout echoed throughout the park.
 "Jupiter...THUNDER!" A tiny crackle of electricity
 built up, and left her tiara, heading straight for the
 youma. All held their breath, to see as to whether or
 not it would work...It did. The youma staggered around,
 holding one of its' many heads in its hands.

Venus smiled. "My turn!" She, too, stepped forward, and
 began to chant her mantra. "Love-me...CHAI-" She was
 cut off, when she noticed a black ball of fire coming
 her way. Shocked, she couldn't move, even if she wanted
 to. The youma had psychic abilities, and it had
 'willed' Venus to stand stationary. She closed her
 eyes, and braced herself for the inevitable. Suddenly,
 a force came hurtling towards her, but...it didn't
 hurt? Opening her eyes, she looked up, and an
 out-of-breath Sailormoon lay next to her. 

"Venus! You must be a little more careful! We could've
 lost you!"

Sailorvenus' eyes began to well up with tears.
 "Arigatou, Sailormoon. I owe you."

Sailormoon gave Venus a big smile. "Iie...I think that
 we're just about even. Now, if you'll excuse me..." She
 got up, shakily, and aimed her tiara at the monster.
 "For hurting my friend, this I shall not forgive you
 for! Moon....FRISBE-" And like Venus before her, she
 too had stopped, for the youma had frozen her in spot.
 Except, in this case, no one would be able to reach her
 in time. Sailormoon instinctively closed her eyes,
 thinking, 'Tuxedo Kaman-sama. WHERE ARE YOU?!' And
 suddenly...ZING! A whoosh of air went past Sailormoon,
 and she tentatively opened one eye. And there he was,
 standing on the branch of a nearby tree.

	"How dare you," his voice rang throughout the
 park, "try to kill this innocent girl. For that, I,
 Tuxedo Kaman, will not forgive you!" He quickly whipped
 out a rose, and slung it at the monster's heart. It
 howled out once, and Tuxedo Kaman quickly yelled to
 Sailormoon, "Now!"

She nodded her head once. "Moon...FRISBEE!" It hit the
 youma straight in the chest, and yelled out once more
 before disintegrating into a pile of dust. Sailormoon
 shook her head, glad that she was no longer under the
 youma's spell. She turned around, ready to congratulate
 the scouts on a job well done, before a strong grip on
 her arm stopped her from doing so. 

	"Sailormoon...A word, please?" 

She lifted her head to meet his eyes. Cold blue
 domineering eyes, which were nearly hid by a white
 kaman. Sailormoon sighed. "Of course, Tuxedo
 Kaman-sama." Turning to the girls, she added,
 "Minna-chan, I'm going to have a talk with Tuxedo
 Kaman. You can go home and go to sleep." Before Luna,
 or anybody else, could protest, she held up her hand,
 palm upwards, signaling that she did not want to hear
 any arguments. The Senshi, respecting her decision,
 turned, ready to walk away, but Luna had to voice
 herself.

 "Sailormoon! We know nothing about him! You can't tru-"
 She was cut off by a large hand, covering her tiny
 feline mouth. Sailorjupiter stood there, giving Usagi a
 grin. "Sailormoon, I'll take her home." The grin faded.
 "Just...be careful."

Sailormoon could feel Tuxedo Kaman tense beside her.
 How, she didn't know, but...She just knew. And that
 frightened her, more than it should have. She sighed.
 "Alright, minna. Ja ne." She watched their retreating
 backs, before turning to ~him~. His eyes were
 unreadable, fists clenched, and breathing hard. 

"They still don't trust me?", were the first things that
 he had spoken to her. Sailormoon's eyes grew wide. 

"Of course they do, Tuxedo Kaman-sama," she protested,
 but he knew that she was lying. How, he didn't know,
 but...He just knew. 

"Don't lie to me, Sailormoon." His voice was steely and
 hard, not giving her any slack. 'Change the subject,'
 she thought.'

"Tuxedo Kaman, was there a reason that you needed to
 speak to me?" Sailormoon peered up at him through thick
 black eyelashes, and, though she didn't know it, he had
 taken a tiny gasp. She was so beautiful, and he
 wished...He didn't know what he wished. 'You must stay
 loyal to your princess,' he commanded to himself.
 Building up the 'walls' again, he spoke.

"Sailormoon, I was very proud of you tonight. You did a
 very good job in destroying the youma."

She looked back at him, large blue eyes illuminated in
 the darkness. "Really, Tuxedo Kaman? Do you really mean
 that?" She held her breath, waiting to see if he would
 add some type of insult to the compliment. He always
 did...

"Hai, Sailormoon. Really." He turned around, ready to
 leave, before a tiny hand grasped his shoulder.

"T-t-tuxedo Kaman," she stuttered, "Will you tell me who
 you are?"
She had heard him gasp when asking that question, for
 she had asked it before, and every time, he had glared,
 and left. 

	"Sailormoon..." His voice was cold. Very cold.
 "You have asked me that question before, and each time,
 I say no. What would make you think I would give you a
 different answer?" 

	"I...I..." She hung her head. "Nevermind," she
 whispered. "It's just that..." She looked up at him,
 shocked, to find that he was still there. And what was
 even more suprising, he had tilted his head to one
 side, a sign telling her to continue. "I am just like
 any other teenage girl, Tuxedo Kaman-sama. I have
 hopes, dreams, and...fantasies." She blushed. "And like
 any other teenage girl, I've always wondered if I
 would..." She broke off, not wanting to continue. A
 gloved hand lifted her chin slightly, his dark blue
 looking imploringly into her own.
	
	"Continue...please..." was all that he had said.

Sailormoon nodded her head. "I've always wondered if...I
 had," she whispered the next part, "a chance...with
 you."

The hand holding her chin suddenly dropped, and
 Sailormoon knew what his answer would be.

"Sailormoon..." He said, his voice wavering a bit, "You
 are, by far, the most extraordinary girl that I have
 ever met."

She raised her face to him, blue eyes glimmering with
 tears.

"But..."

She knew. 

"I can't...I am destined for the Princess, and when I
 meet her, I will give my heart to her...I'm sorry,
 Sailormoon. Believe me," he said, cerulean eyes looking
 honestly into hers, "If it weren't for the Princess,
 I'd be with you, but...I can't. I'm sorry."

She closed her eyes, willing the tears back. "I...I
 understand. I hope, however," she said, her voice
 beginning to crack, "that this conversation will, in no
 way, pre-prevent us from working together...?"

"Of course not, Sailormoon. Ja ne." With those last
 words, he jumped up and left.

"Ja ne, Tuxedo Kaman-sama," she whispered dejectedly.

'Aishiteru....'

As she trudged home, the pretty soldier Sailormoon asked
 out loud, "Why do both of the men I like...Why don't
 they want me as much as I want them...?"

****Crown Arcade 3:45PM****

A tired, grouchy Tsukino Usagi could be found in the
 back booth of the arcade, her odangos drooping, and
 blue eyes fighting to stay open. A hard slap on her
 back nearly sent her flailing across the room.

	"Kon'wa, Usagi-chan!"

She looked up. Mako-chan, Ami-chan, Mina-chan, and
 Rei-chan all stood there, looking at her in surprise.
 They had noticed her slumped figure, and had all
 agreed, though Rei had been a little harder to
 convince, to, by any means, cheer ~her~ up. 

	"Kon'wa, minna-chan. Mako-chan," Usagi teasingly
 asked, "I'm guessing that it was ~you~ who hit me?"

Makoto blushed. "Hai, Usagi-chan...Next time, I'll be a
 little more gentle."

	"Usagi-chan," a soft, but inquisitive voice
 asked, "What's the matter? We noticed that at school,
 you seemed a little down, and when we came to the
 arcade, we observed that you were a little..." She
 searched for the right word, "morose."

Usagi gave a wavering smile. "Minna-chan, perhaps I'll
 tell you another time, but...right now, I just feel
 like being alone." At their looks, she quickly hastened
 to fix her words. "I'm not mad, minna! Really! I just
 need some time to think. Why don't you guys go
 somewhere, and we can meet back here in half an
 hour...?"

The senshi looked at each other, before nodding to
 confirm it. As they began to leave, Minako stayed,
 looking at Usagi.

	"Usagi," Minako inquired, "It's a matter of the
 heart, isn't it?" At Usagi's look of shock, she added,
 "I'm Venus, the Senshi of love, remember?" She winked,
 and called out over her shoulder, "Cheer up,
 Usagi-chan! I'm sure that he'll change his mind." 

Usagi blushed. 

In another booth close-by, Chiba Mamoru clenched his
 fists. 'I'm sure that he'll change his mind... Who,
 Usa-ko? Who has left you this way?' He stood up, making
 his presence known to Usagi, who had, when she first
 came in, noticed him, drinking water and reading one of
 his high school books . 'He's so kawaii,' were the
 first things that she had thought. And then a, 'He's so
 intelligent, too. I wish...' Oh, she didn't know what
 she wished anymore. Two men, both of whom she had a
 crush on, and she was so undeserving of either man's
 attention. He had made eye contact when she first
 walked- or rather, trudged- in. The sardonic lifting of
 his brow was a clear, 'What's the matter with you?'
 look, but she had ignored it, choosing to sit down in a
 booth, which was 2 behind his. He had left her alone,
 and she was grateful for that. And now, he was walking
 with a grace that only he could carry, towards her.

She panicked.

Quickly, Usagi grabbed her belongings, and had almost
 stood up, before a wall had come into her view. His
 chest. Blushing fiercely, she sat back down, only to
 crane her neck to meet his eyes.

"Konnichiwa, Odango Atama. Daijabou?" 

"Kon'wa, Mamoru-san." Inside, Mamoru rejoiced.
 'Mamoru-san! She's not mad anymore!' 

"Daijabou," she replied. "Why?"

Sitting down in the seat opposite hers, although he did
 not miss her delicate eyebrow lifting, he replied, "I
 don't know, Odango. You just seemed so...sad. So ~I~,"
 he said, trying to rouse her, "being the great person
 that I am, decided to come and cheer you up!"

She wrinkled her nose. 
	
	"Thanks, Mamoru-baka, but no thanks. Besides,"
 she added, while rising from her  seat, "I have to go."
	
"Usagi..."

The word was whispered so delicately, that she had
 almost missed it. Turning around, she saw Mamoru,
 watching her, his eyes beginning to shimmer.

	"Am I really that bad to you...?" 

Now her eyes began to fill with tears. "Oh, Mamoru.,"
 she sighed, sitting back down, "You really know how to
 get to a girl. No, you're not. It's just
 that...Well...I...I didn't exactly have a good day
 today, and so, I just wanted to go home. Demo...now
 that I think about it, I remembered that I have to meet
 the girls here in," she looked at her watch, "20
 minutes, so..."

It was an invitation, and they both knew it. 

	Settling for a wide grin, Mamoru replied, "Sure,
 Odango! I've got time to spare."

	She mock glared at him. "Mamoru-kun, I'm warning
 you..."

A bigger grin.

	"I know, Usagi, I know. Anyway," blue eyes
 filled with concern, "What happened to you today that
 was so bad?"

Usagi sighed and stood up. He followed suit. "It didn't
 happen today, Mamoru, demo..." She stopped. 'I can't
 tell him about the battle, so I'll just edit some
 parts.' "Well, last night, I finally built up enough
 courage to tell this one guy that I liked him. Really
 liked him."

He clenched his fist and could feel his heart speed up.
 'Odango...how could you? Can't you see...'

	Frustration.

'Aishiteru, Usa.' Unevenly, he replied, "And...wh-what
 did he say?"

Usagi turned her head away in embarrassment. A gentle
 hand cupped her chin.

	"Usagi..."

	"Mamoru, he...he..." She launched herself into
 his arms, which he immediately brought up to stroke her
 hair. 

Heart wrenching sobs.

	"He told me that he was destined for another,
 and that...when he m-met her, he...would give his
 heart, t-to her!" Unbearable to go on any further, she
 kept on sobbing.

Shock and shutdown. His hands dropped from her head, and
 immediately to his side.

	'Give his heart to her...'

Pulling back, he set her at arms length, and began to
 look- very intently- at her. He squinted hie eyes, and
 began to scrutinize a blushing Usagi. 

	"Ma-Mamoru...What are you doing?"

	'Comparing you to Sailormoon.' "Ya know,
 Usagi...I've never noticed how alike you and Sailormoon
 are."

A quick in-drawn take of air.

	"S-Sai-Sailormoon?" She let out a nervous
 giggle, blue eyes daring left and right. "Me and
 Sailormoon...alike? Oh, Mamoru-kun, you say the
 funniest things!" 
	
He could feel his heart melt.

She continued to ramble. "There's no similarity, Mamoru!
 I mean-"

A warm hand covering her mouth cut off all rational
 thoughts.

	"Usagi, I think you look a ~lot~ like
 Sailormoon...And I think that Sailormoon is very
 beautiful." He turned to leave, but called, over his
 shoulder, "And Usa?" 

She blushed at the term of endearment.

	"The man who turned you down...he's a fool."

Usagi watched his retreating back, until he had left the
 arcade.

'Mamo-chan...'
******************

As Usagi walked home that night, the communicator began
 to beep. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket.

	"Hai?"

	"Usagi-chan!" The normally placid face of
 Sailormercury was shown. "Hurry! We're at the lake, in
 the center of the Rose Gardens! The youma...it's very
 har- MARS!" The communicator had been torn from her
 hands, by a stray ball of energy that the youma had
 thrown.

Without wasting any more time, she thrust one hand into
 the air.
 
"Moon Prism Power...MAKE UP!" In two seconds, the
 legendary fighter for Justice, Sailor Moon, had
 appeared. 

While running to the park, she thought sarcastically,
 'Darn youma! It's nearly eight, and-' All thoughts
 halted, when she turned the last round in the garden,
 and came across the pond. The Senshi- all of them- had
 fallen, and the only person- or thing, in this case-
 left standing, was the youma. Its bulging eyes glanced
 at Sailormoon, who stood there in shock, and a faint
 gleam appeared. It spoke.

	"S-so..." it warbled out, "The lasssst of the
 Sssenshiiii hassss comme. I can asssuuurree, you,
 Sssailooor Moooon...you will not beeee sstannnding
 foooorrrr long."

She defiantly glared at the youma, and gave her speech.
 "I am the pretty soldier Sailormoon. On behalf of the
 moon- and my friends- I punish you!" 

Wasting no more time, she brought an impatient hand to
 her forehead and screamed out, "MOON FRISBEE!" She
 flung it as hard as she could, but it was deflected by
 a swipe of its hand. The youma had caught the tiara in
 its hand. 

She grinned. It had fallen for the trick.

In a blink of the eye, the tiara changed into a large
 circle of light that surrounded the youma. It began to
 diminish, thereby making the tiara cut into the youma.
 Still in shock, the youma watched on, as its body began
 to cut. 

It felt pain.

Screaming out, it said to her, "Ssssaailormoon...I give
 you one...lasssst gifffft." And before it had totally
 disintegrated, a ball of fire shot out from its hand. 

She couldn't move.

She was terrified now.

There was no one to save her.

Like timing, the red rose flew by, deflecting the deadly
 ball of flames. She turned her head, and there he was.
 "Tuxedo Kaman-sama...You came," she whispered.

"Of course I came, Sailormoon." His voice wavered for
 less than a second. "I...I could never let you die.
 It's my job...to protect you." Clearing his throat, he
 spoke one last time, before leaving. "Sailormoon,
 tonight, I am, once again, very proud of you."

She blushed and turned around, her back facing him.

"Ja, Sailormoon...Until we meet again."

She turned around to call his name. To tell him to wait.
 But he was gone. And in his place...half of a heart?
 She quickly sprinted over to where he had been
 standing, and picked up the object. It was a three
 dimensional red paper heart. Half of one, rather, and a
 sheet of paper was neatly tucked in it. She pulled it
 out.

Sailormoon,
	The other half of this heart will be given to
 you very soon. Think of it as ~my~ heart...Half of it
 belongs to you already. The princess...she is not a
 tangible person, and so I am giving her up. I belong to
 you.
				Aishiteru,
				 Tuxedo Kaman

Her eyes began to water, and her heart felt like it was
 going to burst. Then, suddenly, it deflated. 'What
 about Mamo-chan...? What am I going to do?' Her
 thoughts were cut off by a moan in the background. She
 turned around, and saw Mars, whose eyes were beginning
 to flutter open. Blinking, she focused her eyes on
 Sailormoon.

"Sailormoon..." She tried to get up, but stumbled. Usagi
 ran to her, the heart, which was still in her hand,
 momentarily forgotten. 

"Mars-chan! Daijabou?"

Mars gently smiled and teased her. "Odango, of course
 I'm fine! I was only hit into a brick wall by a
 tentacle-y thing." Seeing Sailormoon's eyes beginning
 to water again, she asked, concerned, "Usa, what is
 it?"

Wordlessly, Sailormoon handed the note, along with the
 heart, to Mars. Her eyes began to scan the note, and
 when she had finished reading it, she looked at
 Sailormoon. "Sailormoon..." Mars said slowly, "Do you
 know what this means?" At Sailormoon's nod, Mars began
 to grin, the pain forgotten. "Sailormoon! This is
 wonderful! Now you can finally be with him. Don't you
 see-" A hand was placed at her mouth.

"Mars...What about Mamoru? I...I love him, too."

Mars' eyes began to water. "Oh...Usagi..." she
 whispered. She could feel her own heart breaking by the
 amount of sadness that Sailormoon's aura was
 projecting. Another moan was heard in the background,
 followed by 2 others. Quickly grabbing the note and
 heart, and stuffing it into her dimensional pocket,
 Sailormoon spoke quickly to Rei. "We'll have a meeting
 at the temple, as soon as minna-chan wakes up, okay?"

"Hai, Sailormoon."

Jupiter and Venus, who had fallen at nearly the same
 spot, both arose, shaking their heads. Jupiter suddenly
 remembered the youma, and jumped up. Darting her head
 back and forth, she asked, "What happened to the
 youma?"  Mercury, who had also awoke, tilted her head,
 waiting for the explanation. Venus and Mars did the
 same, their eyes boring into Sailormoon. 

"Minna-chan," she whispered, "I beat it. Alone." 

They believed her.

"Sailormoon," Jupiter said, her eyes beginning to water,
 "I believe that I speak for all of us when I say
 this...We are very proud of you. Very proud. You took
 out a youma that even the four of us could not beat,
 with our powers combined. Jupiter walked towards
 Sailormoon, and wrapped her in a big hug.
 "Congratulations, Usa-chan. I knew that you could do
 it." She pushed Usagi away. "You have the power, Usagi,
 in here," and she pointed her finger at Usagi's heart.
 "So use it, Sailormoon..." The other girls quickly
 walked towards Usagi, and gave their own praises. 
Sailormoon, however, heard none. She could only
 concentrate on the beating of her heart, the confusion
 in her mind. Mars noticed this. 

"Minna-chan," she quietly said, "We're holding a meeting
 at the temple. Now." At the inquisitive looks of the
 others, she merely said, "De-transform. I'll tell you
 why we're meeting as soon as we get there."

While Mars, Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter willed
 themselves to de-transform, Sailormoon reached a hand
 to meet the broach that would make her become Usagi
 again. Five beams of light could have been seen by any
 passer-byers, as the five soldiers for justice became
 themselves again, each happy to be that way.

****The Shrine****

"So, Rei-chan," Minako chirped, "Why the meeting? And
 why isn't Luna here?"

Rei shook her head. "It isn't my place," she said, "to
 go into this. Ask Usagi."

All heads turned to look at the quiet blond, who was
 sitting on the bed, pensive. She had heard the
 question, and though she looked at Minako, she directed
 her answer to all of them. "Luna is not here, because
 this will not concern her. Do you understand?"

Scared at her serious voice, they all shook their heads.

	"Good. The reason why I called this meeting, is
 because I have to show you something." Reaching behind
 her back, she pulled out the heart, and the note at
 once. She handed it to the closest person, Ami, to look
 at.

Ami read it and gasped, handing it onto Makoto.

Makoto read it and gasped, handing it to Minako.

Minako read it and grinned. "FINALLY!" She shouted
 aloud. She began to pass it to Rei, who shook her head.

 "I've already read it, Mina-chan." 
	
Minako shrugged her shoulders. "So, Usagi-chan, what's
 with the solemn face? I would have thought that you
 would've been happy about this. Especially after what
 happened last night...?" Her voice was soft, but
 inquisitive. 

	"Mina-chan, Ami-chan, Mako-chan," Usagi
 whispered, "I am happy. Demo...I don't know if I'm as
 happy as I should be."

All tilted their heads, as a sign of question. Ami was
 the first to catch on.

	"It's Mamoru-san, isn't it, Usagi? You can't
 accept Tuxedo Kaman's love, because you love Mamoru.
 And Mamoru..."

	"Mamoru is not Tuxedo Kaman-sama," Makoto
 finished, eyeing the fragile blond with wary eyes. 

Minako spoke. "You can never love Tuxedo Kaman as much
 as you love Mamoru...Is that it, Usagi? You don't want
 to love anyone else as much as you do Mamoru."

Usagi nodded, and burst into tears. "Minna-chan," she
 sobbed, "It's horrible...Just yesterday, I was
 practically begging Tuxedo Kaman to love me, to show me
 his identity, and now...He confesses his love to me,
 and Mamoru was just so sweet at the arcade today. I
 love him, too, but...Tuxedo Kaman is there. I know that
 he likes me, now, but Mamoru...he..." Another sob, "He
 doesn't even like me, and there's nothing that I can do
 about it." She stopped, the force of her sobs, and the
 grief from her heart, wracking her body. "I don't know
 how much more I can take." She lifted her head to meet
 the eyes of the others. "How much more pain must I go
 through?" Her voice broke. "How much more...?" Her sobs
 echoed throughout the room, each of her friends trying
 to comfort her, in one way or another.


	Tsukino Usagi woke up early the next morning,
 for she had been having trouble sleeping the whole
 night. Her dreams...There had been mist...lots of it.
 And a figure...a man, she supposed, who she called out
 to. 'Endymion,' she mused. 'I wonder why that name
 sounds so familiar...' She left for school, twenty-five
 minutes earlier than she usually did. Because of that,
 she had time to walk. She stopped at a street corner,
 and noticed Mamoru, who was calmly checking his watch,
 and trying to tuck in his uniform at the same time. His
 black hair had been ruffle by the wind, and so it was
 just brushing his dark blue eyes. 'He so kawaii...'
 What she didn't know was that he was trying to time
 himself, so he would be at that corner when she came
 running. The outcome? She would crash right into his
 willing arms. Pushing all thoughts aside, she called
 out, "Ohayo, Mamoru-kun! What are you doing?"

	She would later remember that as soon as he
 heard the first word spoken, he looked at her and
 blushed.

	"Ohayo, Odan-" He paused. "Ohayo, Usagi-chan."

	She beamed.

	"Are you feeling better today?"

	She crossed the street, and went to stand next
 to him. In a quick move, she grabbed his wrist to see
 his watch.

	Electricity

	"Mamoru-kun...if you don't mind...I have an
 extra 20 minutes, and the school is only 3 minutes
 away. Would you mind talking to me?"

	Would he mind?

	"Sure, Usagi-chan! Anyway, you look a lot better
 today! Did something happen between you and your
 mystery man?" He grinned, knowing that she would give a
 bright bouncy answer.

	It was quite the opposite.

	Her face fell, and her eyes clouded. She didn't
 want to think about ~him~ right now. Not with Mamoru
 standing right next to her. She knew that she was going
 to have to choose between the two of them. Quietly, she
 said, "Mamoru, if you'll excuse me...?" It was not a
 question, rather a statement. His eyes darkened. 

	'What the hell...? I would've thought that she
 would've been more than happy to tell me what was going
 on...' He noticed her trying to discreetly walk away.
 'Sorry, Usa-ko, but I'm not going to let you go that
 easily.' He grabbed onto her wrist, before she could
 take another step. 

"Usagi, what's going on?" He was concerned. Very
 concerned. 

She had planned on just looking up at him, smiling, and
 replying, 'Nothing, Mamoru. Really!' It didn't happen
 that way, though. She took one look at him. His
 eyes...'Kami-sama! Were they always that blue?' His
 eyes were concerned, his whole posture taut with
 anticipation...She did the only thing that a girl in
 her position, in her state of mind, could do. She flung
 herself at him, and his arms went to encircle her tiny
 waist.

"Oh, Mamoru-san..." She began to sob again. "It was
 horrible...He...He's confessed his love to me..." 

Puzzled, he stroked her hair, her back, until she was
 ready to speak again. When she didn't, he took matters
 into his own hands. 

"Usa...I thought that you wanted him to do that?"

"I did, Mamoru, I did! It's just that...I was so happy
 when he told me, but...I love another."

He froze. 'She loves...another? I'll kill him.
 Usa-ko...But...I love you! Usagi, I LOVE YOU!'

"Mamoru...what did you say?" She had heard him. She knew
 she couldn't have mistaken those words for anything
 else, but...where had they come from? His lips hadn't
 moved, and she hadn't really 'heard' them
 physically...She had heard them -strange as it might
 sound- in her heart, and they were echoing...until she
 felt like her heart could not contain the speed at
 which it was beating at.

"Usagi...I didn't say anything."

Despair.

"I heard you, Mamoru! You said that 'You loved m-'" He
 hand flew to her mouth, and her indigo eyes widened.
 'Oh, Kami-sama...What have I done?' She blinked her
 eyes once or twice and pulled herself out of his arms.
 'It's better not to cling onto things that really
 aren't yours...' Turning around, she spoke in a gentle
 voice. "Mamoru-kun...I'm sorry to have inconvieneced
 you...Ja n-" 

"Usagi, what were you talking about?" He was curious. He
 really hadn't said anything, except for what he had
 screamed in his....his head. Had she really heard him?
 Were they telepathic in some way? But, how...How could
 she have heard him this time, and not the rest of the
 times? 'Because,' he chided himself, 'you were never
 this desperate to tell her your love for her...' He
 focused on the blond who was beginning to talk.

"Mamoru-kun..." She looked up at him through thick black
 eyelashes, a mock pose- although she did not know it,
 but he certainly did!- of how she had made him stay
 when he was in Tuxedo Kaman form, and she in
 Sailormoon. "Mamoru...I...I could be wrong, but...I
 could have sworn that...you..." Her voice fell to a
 whisper, "That you...said...that...you loved me...?"
 Blue eyes were filled with hope as she looked at him,
 waiting for his reply. 

This reply...
	
	It could crush her forever...
		     or
	It could make her be the happiest person
 alive...

"Usa..."

She held her breath...
	
	"There's something that I need to tell
 you...I...I..." He blushed. He pulled out a box from
 his white uniform pocket, and handed it to her.
 "I....Usagi...Thisisforyou," he blurted out. "Open
 it...please...?"

She gave him a confused look, but complied. Slowly, she
 took the yellow ribbon (AN: Remember the 'S' movie, and
 what the 'yellow ribbon' means...?) and untied it,
 letting it flutter to the ground. And slowly- oh, ever
 so slowly- she began to open the box...

	A heart.

	A three dimensional heart.

	A three dimensional red heart.

	A half of a three dimensional red heart.

	A half of a three dimensional red heart that
 would perfectly match that of the one that Tuxedo Kaman
 had given her the night before.

She looked at him with her beautiful blue eyes...and
 fainted, right into his awaiting arms.

****Chiba Mamoru's Apartment****

	Usagi woke up, in an array of white down
 pillows, and a white comforter. At first, she panicked,
 and then- quite accidentally- inhaled the scent that
 was on the pillow.

	'Roses...'

She was at Mamoru's apartment. 'How...' She remembered.
 Everything. And looking at his desk that overlooked
 Tokyo Bay, she saw the box that contained the object
 that had made her faint. As quietly as she could, she
 stood up- and noticed that the time was now 12:30p.m.
 'How ironic,' she thought. 'I finally got up to go to
 school early, and I never made it...' Her stocking feet
 padded across the thick carpeting to grab the object.
 'This heart...Is Mamoru...Could he be-?'

	The doorknob began to open, and ~he~ stuck his
 head in the room. Upon noticing that she was not in the
 bed, he walked in fully, anxious to discover where his
 rabbit had disappeared to. Then he saw her.

	'She's so beautiful...'

	He had caught the goddess in one of her most
 serene moments; the sunlight was playing in her hair
 and surrounded her body, making a cape of shadows for
 her. Eyes wide, shimmering with tears...She was truly
 the daughter of purity. Now who would break the silence
 first...? She did. Slowly, gracefully she walked over
 to him, until they were less than a foot apart. 

	Her close proximity, the smell of her hair, the
 smell of her, was making his knees weak.

	"Mamoru..." She wetted her lips, and watched his
 gaze focus on her tiny pink tongue that had moistened
 them. "Where did you...Where did you get this heart?"

A simple question, a simple answer.

	"I made it."

She believed him.

	"Usa...did you read the note in it?"

She shook her head, and took the heart out of the box
 again. Her delicate fingers plucked the note from the
 inside of the heart.

	Usa-ko,
   The other half of this heart has already been given
 to you. Think of it as ~my~ heart...All of is it yours,
 now, and I am powerless to prevent you from doing what
 you want with it. My heart completely belongs to you.
		
					Aishiteru,
					   Mamoru

She lifted her head to meet his stormy blue eyes.
 "Tuxedo Kaman-sama," she whispered. She hoped against
 hope that she was right.

He nodded.

She gasped. "Mamoru...You're...you're..." Realization
 struck her. "Oh my god! Then you've known about me
 being..." her voice became smaller as she spoke,
 "Sailormoon...You've known all along, haven't you?"

Another nod.

"And then...you would know about how I...love...him..."

A small grin.
	
"But...I don't really think that I could love
 him...as much as I do the other man..." She tried to
 hide a small grin.

His face blanked out. His eyes were just cold spheres of
 sapphire blue. 

	"Mamoru-kun...you really must help me out of
 this dilemma. Onegai?" She smiled sweetly at him.

He responded with all honestly, although it was killing
 him inside. "Anything for you, Usa-chan...~Anything.~" 

	"Mamoru...I could never love Tuxedo Kaman-sama
 as much as I love..."

He held his breath. Perhaps it wouldn't be good to hear
 this man's name, for he was sure that he would beat the
 living daylights out of him as soon as he did.

	"You." She began to whisper again. "Mamoru...I
 love you so much that it hurts." She placed a tiny fist
 on his chest, right above the spot where his heart
 would be. "Every time I saw you, I felt as though my
 heart would leap from my chest...demo...I could never
 say anything nice to you before you said something mean
 about me." She noticed him getting ready to apologize,
 but stopped him with a soft kiss on his cheek.
 "Aishiteru...Mamo-chan..."

	"Usa-ko...Are you sure...?"

She laughed a beautiful silvery laugh. "Am I sure? Am I
 sure?" She began to giggle. Then, suddenly, she
 stopped. "Mamo-chan...Did you know that, last night,
 when I received half of that- your- heart last night, I
 began to cry? And not out of happiness...I began to
 cry, because I knew that I was going to have to reject
 his love."

His eyes widened in surprise.

"It's quite true, Mamo-chan. I was going to tell him the
 next time I saw him, because...He was a fantasy,
 Mamoru. Someone who I loved, but could never love as
 much...as you...It hurt so bad, Mamo-chan, in my heart,
 when I thought about you, and how you could never begin
 to love me-"

"Usa-ko, I do love you...I don't understand, though, how
 you could ever love a horrible, horri-"

"Don't. Don't say those things about yourself." Another
 light kiss on his other cheek. "We both said things,"
 she whispered into his ear, "that we didn't mean..." A
 kiss on the tip of his nose. "However," she confided,
 "I hope that your half of the 'I love you', really
 means something to you."

His next move was totally unexpected.

	He circled his arms around her waist, and began
 to spin her, around and around and around...Until she
 was breathless from her giggles, and he from spinning
 her. Gently, he set her down, and waited for her to
 catch her breath before he began to speak. 

"Usa-ko...It hurt me, too...When you first told me about
 your mystery man...And then, I realized that it was me
 you were talking about, and I...I felt like the
 happiest man in the whole world! It was the most
 incredible feeling, Usa, to know that you, Tsukino
 Usagi, loved me, Chiba Mamoru. I couldn't even begin to
 describe the feeling that I got." He grinned at her,
 and she couldn't help but think how much of a little
 boy he looked right then. "And then...so I found out
 that you, of all people, were Sailormoon." At her pout,
 he hastened to correct his words. "But then I began to
 think about it...and it all made sense. Her attitude,
 her looks...they all matched you, and then I thought to
 myself, 'How could you have been so blind...so stupid?'
 And then I realized...the Princess...She's been there
 for me, yes, but...she's just a dream, Usa-ko. And
 you're not. You're here for me, everyday, and for
 that...I worship you. And I love you, too."

She gasped, her sky-blue eyes swimming with tears, and
 her heart bursting. The last piece of her heart had
 been given to him. She reached into her space pocket,
 and delicately brought out the first half of the heart
 that he had given to her last night. Carefully,
 delicately, she put the two pieces together, and so
 they became one. She had been leaning into his chest,
 so her back was pressed against his hard stomach, and
 now...She could feel him leaning down to nuzzle her
 neck. 

"Usa-ko...Aishiteru..."

	And in that moment, she saw how clear everything
 truly was. She was just Tsukino Usagi, and he, Chiba
 Mamoru. And even though they had alter egos and secret
 identities...it didn't matter. They were just a boy and
 a girl, hopelessly and madly in love with each other.

	"Mamo-chan..." 

He stopped laying the small butterfly kisses on her
 neck, to meet her eyes.

	"Kiss me."

And he gladly complied, spinning her gently around, so
 he could meet her lips, which were partially open...She
 was waiting to receive her first kiss...And this would
 be his first, too...

****Flashback****
	
"Endymion...kiss me..."
	
	"Serenity...Aishiteru...My heart belongs to
 you...only you..."

****End Flashback****

They stopped, only a few millimeters away...And in that
 instant, they knew. She knew that he was Endymion,
 Prince of the Earth, and he knew that she was Serenity,
 the last heir to the kingdom of the Moon...And they
 weren't even surprised.

	"Princess...I've found you..."

Her eyes watered with happiness.

	"And I've found you...Endymion!" 

And so they kissed, bathed in the light of the setting
 sun, the mixture of the violent colors of the sunset-
 blue, purple, pink, red, and yellow- framing them in an
 kiss...One that would last for eternity and beyond.

Fin Paper Hearts

AN: Wow!  I just can't believe it! I've finished my
 story, and...I'm kinda sad now. This story has to have
 been the story that has flowed the most for me...I'd
 just sit at the computer, and the words would just come
 out. Thank you's go to: Mandy- ::giggles:: Um...did I
 force this story upon you too much? And she, BTW, came
 up with the whole 'half of a heart' thing, so I am
 forever in your debt...Kinda! Brandon- Thank you *so*
 much for being so nice! And thank you for actually
 reading the story and liking it. It takes so much to
 impress you! Suzanne- Hey, we hardly ever talk anymore!
 What's up with that? LadySpring16- Thank you for
 pre-reading my story, and for telling me what you
 honestly thought. Anyway, for you Romancing in NY
 fans...That story has been put on a short hiatus. Well,
 until Eternal Angel and I finish our new fic, 'Lonely
 Lonely Heart.' If you haven't read it yet, please go
 and see it! It truly is a nice story! PLEASE remember
 to e-mail me. Feedback is very important to me, and I
 ~always~ write back! Until next time!
Lelu