I cannot believe that it took me the entire summer to 
finish one story.  oy vey...so many things have happened in my 
life in the last few months, and I guess you could say this story 
gave more to think about than I had expected.  Thanks to all of 
you who put up with me for the last few months.  Now I'm the 
end of my first week of school (not to mention the antics of 
having roommates again ^_~) so who knows what will lay in 
store for me. 
	Before I let you get onto the important stuff, I have to 
thank the group of people responsible for helping me all along 
the way with this:  Sailor Europa and Sidnei for your late night 
brainstorming sessions, as well as Azurite (Andi), Mehgth and 
Auston.  Each of them are talented writers in their own right, 
so I encourage all of you to read their work as well.
	Now, onto the good stuff!  Hey, did anyone catch the 
cameo senshi in the last chapter?  See if you can spot it in this 
one... *grin*  You think of a disclaimer right now, I'm too busy 
trying to remember how to study... :P



More Than Meets the Eye
chapter four
by Sailor Elysia [julcie@juno.com]
Rating: gee golly whiz, I still think it's a G.





	The next few days were all a blur to Usagi.  Dr. 
Kenko wanted Mamoru in the hospital the night before the 
operation so they could monitor him for every little thing.  
Not wanting to leave his side for a minute, Usagi followed 
silently behind them throughout everything, only once leaving 
his room that evening to talk things over with the doctor.  
She had heard him mention something under his breath to one 
of the nurses, and what she had caught of it had concerned her.  
As soon as they were out in the hallway, she pulled the doctor 
aside.  "Kenko-sensei, just how serious are the consequences?  
Please, I need to know."  

	Dr. Kenko glanced at Usagi, and sighed deeply as 
they started to walk back out to the waiting room.  "Well, I 
wasn't going to tell you everything, what with your condition 
and all."  Usagi's eyes widened.  "What do you mean by 
'everything'?"

	He sighed again.  "In these types of cases Usagi-san, 
it's not the actual operation that is so risky, although there 
are chances the operation may not work at all.  What we are 
worried about the most is the consequences that could happen 
after the operation is over.  It's been sixteen years since your 
husband has had use of his eyes.  He's grown accustomed to 
the blind world, and to throw him back into the world of sight 
like we are about to do is what we are worried about the most.  
The effect of regaining his sight almost immediately is 
something large enough to throw him into shock, maybe even 
cause permanent damage to the way Mamoru-san functions 
now."

	So what you're saying is that this whole operation 
could be enough to throw him into a deep shock, and possibly 
even kill him?"  Usagi hoped her inhibitions were wrong.  
Dr. Kenko's brows furrowed, and he placed a hand on Usagi's 
shoulder.  "Iie, I wouldn't think like that, Usagi-san.  This 
operation has been performed over in the States a few times 
before, and as far as we know, they've never documented a 
case like that.  I hate to say it, but I wouldn't rule out any 
possibilities until the operation is over and we're absolutely 
sure."  The doctor looked sympathetically at her.  "I suggest 
you get some rest, Usagi-san.  We'll call you if anything 
comes up."

			^*^*^*^*^*^


	That night, Usagi couldn't sleep a wink.  It was hard 
enough to sleep without Mamoru by her side to comfort her, 
but to think that he was alone in that hospital room, awaiting 
an operation that would decide his fate forever was too much 
for her to bear.  The doctor's words echoed inside her mind. 
"'I wouldn't rule out any possibilities until the operation is 
over and we're absolutely sure. . .'"

	Gathering the thin jacket around her shivering figure, 
she laid quietly in the dark, slowly breathing in and out, trying 
to psyche herself out of the fear she felt within.  Being alone 
caused her thoughts to start wandering again, and soon she was 
drifting off into a dream world unlike she had ever known. . . 


	. . .holding a small, chubby hand in her own, she 
guided the happy child to the large doors of the elementary 
school, a pride welling up within her soul that this child, her 
own flesh and blood was growing up so well.  

	As Usagi transferred the little hand into that of the 
cheerful teacher, she waved goodbye with a smile, and left 
with the sincere promise that she would return later in the day. 

	Standing outside the entrance of the school, a sudden 
lurch in her heart made Usagi falter.  Someone else should 
have been standing next to her on this day.  He should have 
been here, watching his child enter school for the first time.  
And yet, he wasn't.  Because of one simple and naive wish that 
they had both wanted so badly, he could never be.  Not in this 
life. . . 


	Usagi shot up from the couch she had fallen asleep 
on, sweat dripping down her face, matting her hair to her face 
and neck.  A pain shot through her, and her hand stole down to 
her stomach, where she thought she felt something, not sure of 
it was the baby or her own queasiness.  "My baby. . ." she 
whispered.  "I couldn't bear to lose Mamo-chan.  Not now, not 
when I need him so much."  Her mind made up, Usagi jumped 
from the lumpy couch in the waiting room, and ran down the 
hallway to Mamoru's room.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	Clutching her light jacket together, Usagi pleaded 
with the nurse in desperation.  She glanced at the name tag on 
the nurse's shirt.  "Please, Mizuno-san, you just have to let 
me see him, I have to talk with him, before tomorrow comes."  
Ami was about to protest again, but she saw the amount of 
pleading in Usagi's eyes and couldn't do it.  She knew herself 
that if someone forbade her to see her husband that she 
wouldn't stand for it.  She sighed in agreement.  "All right, 
Usagi-san, but you can't keep him up all night.  Mamoru-san 
has to be well rested for tomorrow."  Usagi nodded mutely, 
and walked down the stark and dreadfully silent hallway to 
Mamoru's room.

	Rapping lightly on the open wooden door, Usagi 
glanced into the room that was lit only by the dim light from 
the hallway.  She hated to wake him from the peaceful sleep 
he appeared to be in.  "Mamo-chan?" she whispered softly, 
loud enough to get his attention if he happened to be awake, 
but softly enough not to bother him if he wasn't.

	Sure enough, he was awake, but just barely.  
"Usako?" he called out groggily, turning his head in the 
direction of the doorway.  "Are you all right?  What time is 
it?  How did you get past the nurse?"  he replied with a 
chuckle.

	Sighing in relief that she hadn't awakened him, 
Usagi rushed into the room and sat down at Mamoru's bedside.  
Taking his hand in hers, she clasped it tightly in her own, 
and sat there in silence, her emotions preventing her from 
saying anything more.  Mamoru realized that something more 
was bothering his wife, more than she was leading on to.

	Sitting up in the bed and leaning forward to prop a 
pillow behind him, his other hand came up and grazed the side 
of Usagi's face softly.  "Usako, daijobu?  I sense there's 
something you aren't telling me."

	She sighed in defeat, knowing that she couldn't keep 
any of it hidden for long.  "Mamo-chan, I'm so worried," Usagi 
whispered, holding her husband's hand gently between her 
own.  "About you, about us, about the baby..."  She proceeded 
to tell him everything that had happened to her that evening, 
including all the details of her dream.

	Usagi felt so humbled by this strong man, who went 
with courage in a difficult situation.  He was trying to comfort 
her, while he himself needed to be comforted.  "Mamo-chan, if 
something happens, I'd. . ." Usagi didn't know what else to say 
to comfort him.  She loved him so very much.  He was her 
other half; things were never the same when he wasn't around.  
Now she knew why she had felt the way she did in the days 
before she met him.  Usagi needed Mamoru to show her the 
beauty of life in other ways, while she was his helping hand 
in a world that often shunned him for the way he was.  

	Bringing a hand up, Mamoru caressed her face 
gently, and rested his hand on her cheek.  "Oh, Usako.  We 
knew what could happen when we said yes to this whole thing.  
And as for your dream, I promise I will be there every step of 
the way for you, and for our child."  She kissed his hand 
gently, then bent over to kiss him more fully on the lips, 
before he drifted off into sleep again.  "Aishiteru, Mamo-chan.  
I love you more than my own life."  Taking his hand in hers, 
she brought it to rest on her belly.  "And your baby will be so 
proud of you, too.  You'll be able to tell him everything you 
went through, and he'll look at you with such love in his eyes."

	Mamoru nodded quietly, his eyelids drooping, fading 
off into sleep quickly.  Usagi kissed him on the forehead, then 
pulled up the sheet to cover his sleeping figure.  Without 
another word, she sat down in the hard plastic chair in the 
corner of the shadowed room, all of her thoughts still 
consuming her as she drifted off to sleep again.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	Peeking through the thin cotton curtains in the 
hospital room, the rising sun shone into Usagi's eyes, waking 
her from an uncomfortable sleep.  She rubbed her sore neck to 
rid it of the crick that remained from sleeping in the hard chair.  
Looking about the room, she noticed that the nurses had just 
left the room, taking Mamoru with them.  Jumping out of the 
chair in shock, Usagi winced slightly as her body adjusted to 
its suddenly different position.  Shaking off the feeling, she 
sprinted out of the room, and ran smack into Dr. Kenko.  

	"Gomen nasai, Kenko-sensei, but I have to talk to 
Mamo-chan before he goes in. . ."  The doctor looked down at 
Usagi's disheveled figure and shook his head.  "He's already 
been put under the sedative, Usagi-san.  You'll have to wait 
with the rest of us."  Her lip quivered, and she hung her head.  
"I didn't get to tell him that I loved him again."  Dr. Kenko 
placed a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.  "I'm sure he 
knows, Usagi-san.   Just pray that all will go as planned, and 
that will be enough."  With that, he turned and followed the 
others down the hall, leaving Usagi alone.  Slowly, she turned 
and returned to the waiting room for a long wait.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	A soft hand on her arm jolted Usagi out of the light 
sleep she had fallen into.  Glancing up, she looked into two 
familiar faces, and a smile creeped onto her lips, the first 
in many days.  "Mama, Papa?  What are you doing here?"  Usagi 
sat up and swung her legs around on the small couch so they 
could sit down. 

	"Dr. Kenko called us a few hours ago.  Said he was 
worried that you were waiting alone," Ikuko replied, brushing 
stray hair from Usagi's face.  "What is going on, Usagi-chan?  
We haven't spoken in a week or two, so you can imagine our 
shock when the doctor told us you and Mamoru were down 
here at the hospital."  

	Usagi realized that it *had* been a while since she 
and her parents had last spoken.  Since her marriage to 
Mamoru four years ago, the Tsukinos were still a little distant 
in their attitude, but as the years had passed, they had become 
much more lenient to Mamoru and finally welcomed him into 
the family with some reluctance.  From the occasional times 
that Usagi and Mamoru would visit, Kenji and Ikuko could see 
that they had been wrong about their first assumptions of 
Mamoru.  Kenji even learned to like Kage, though his allergies 
would increase ten-fold when they brought him along.

	Her face crumpled.  "Oh, Mama, Papa, I'm so scared.  
The doctor said that everything will be fine, but my mind 
keeps wandering, and all these 'what if's' keep appearing in my 
head."  She proceeded to relate the rest of the story to her 
parents to help them understand better.

	"And when I told him about the baby, that's what 
clinched the whole thing--" Usagi's mouth clamped shut when 
she saw their eyes widen.  She had forgotten to mention that 
detail to them in her whole explanation.  Well, nothing like the 
present. . .  "Mama, Papa, in a few months, you're going to 
have a grandchild," Usagi replied, giving them her biggest 
smile while tears rolled down her cheeks. 

	However, the Tsukinos didn't look too pleased.  
"Usagi, how can you think of bringing a child into this kind of 
situation?  It's one thing to have to take care of Mamoru, but a 
baby is a completely different story!"  Usagi groaned inwardly, 
as her parents droned on and on about the responsibility of 
caring for a baby.  They hadn't changed, and they probably 
never would, but this was not what she wanted to be hearing 
right now.  Enough was enough, and it was time to let her 
parents know.  

	Standing up and taking a deep breath, Usagi replied, 
"Mama, Papa, we've had this talk before, but I guess you 
weren't listening the first time.  I love Mamoru, and he loves 
me.  We are our own family now, and we plan to welcome this 
baby into our lives with open arms.  I respect your opinions, 
but you cannot tell me what to do with my life any longer."  

	Kenji and Ikuko were stunned by her outburst.  "I 
can't believe you, Usagi-chan,"  Ikuko replied bitterly,  
"you never acted like this at home.  You must have learned 
to act this way from Mamoru-san."  Usagi shook her head 
immediately.  "Iie, Mama. It's just the other way around.  
Mamo-chan took my hand, and helped me to grow up.  He 
showed me that that it was easier to stand up for myself than 
to let the whole world trod all over me.  And that's what 
you're doing.  By saying these things, you're taking away 
the happiness that Mamoru and I have struggled to create for 
ourselves."  She shuddered from all the emotions she was 
trying so hard to hold in.  "Mama, Papa, just love us, and 
that will be more than enough.  Please."

	She couldn't take it anymore.  The only thing she 
wanted at the moment was to be held in Mamoru's arms, with a 
promise that he would never let go.  Usagi leaned over and her 
body began to rack with sobs as she held onto that thought, 
praying her heart out that all would go well.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	The Tsukinos had left a few hours before, and Usagi 
still couldn't believe that she had blown up in their faces they 
way she did.  But perhaps it had been for the best.  By telling 
them what she felt, they knew that she was capable of taking 
care of herself and Mamoru, something they had failed to see 
so many times before.  Tired out from all the emotional stress, 
she laid down and fell asleep on the couch again, nothing else 
for her to do anyway.  If anything, it helped pass the time until 
she could see Mamoru again.  

	"Usagi-san?" A deep voice brought Usagi out of her 
sleep again.  She had grown accustomed to drifting in and out 
of her sleep the past few nights anyway, so this was nothing 
new.  She cracked an eye open, and found Dr. Kenko staring 
down at her.  "Usagi-san," he replied again, "everything is 
going well.  He's out of surgery, and recovering quite nicely."

	Emotions flooded through her, relief and elation lit up 
her face.  The first words out of her mouth were, "When can I 
see him?"  The doctor chuckled.  "He's not back in his room 
yet, but as soon as the heavy sedative wears off, they'll be 
moving him back.  You'll be able to see him then."

	Usagi jumped up and hugged the doctor, thanking 
him profusely.  Startled by her sudden action, Dr. Kenko 
laughed and said, "Don't thank me just yet, Usagi-san.  That 
will come when we remove the bandages."  She stepped away, 
blushing that she had acted so impulsively. "Domo arigato 
anyway, Kenko-sensei, for taking such good care of my 
husband.  He trusts you so much, and so do I."  He nodded.  
"I'll let you know when you can go in."


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	Usagi sat in the dimly lit corner of the hospital room 
wringing her hands nervously, squirming on the hard plastic 
seat in anticipation.  With her lack of sleep, the shadows began 
to play tricks on her.  Her eyes darted around the stark white 
room, and finally came to rest on Mamoru's form lying 
peacefully in the bed.

	Throughout the day and long into the night, she sat 
had there, mostly in silence--not daring to close her eyes to 
rest, for fear that she might miss the moment Mamoru first 
woke up.  She knew that the doctor wouldn't remove the 
bandages from his eyes for another day or so, but she wasn't 
about to leave his side in the mean time.

	Deep down, she still feared what Mamoru's first 
reaction would be at his first glance of her--provided the 
operation was really successful.  Even now, the doubts 
wouldn't stop coming.  Though he had reassured her time and 
time again that he loved her for who she was, she knew that 
was based on everything but sight.  She was so sure of her love 
for him, and it would be a enormous heartbreak if she were to 
lose his affections from all of this.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	As Dr. Kenko slowly peeled the top layer of gauze 
away from his eyes, Mamoru tried to sense the overhead light 
shining through his eyelids and layers of gauze, but could not 
open his eyes yet.  For the first time since he was seven years 
old, Chiba Mamoru might have the chance to see again.  And 
though there were hundreds of thousands of things he could 
look at, nothing excited him more than being able to see the 
face of his wife, his little bunny, for the first time.

	"Where's Usako?" he mumbled groggily, the 
anesthetic still having an effect on him.  "I want to see my 
wife," emphasizing the words.  It had to have worked.  He 
wanted everything to turn out in his favor.  He tried sitting up, 
but Kenko-sensei gently pushed him back down onto the bed.  
"Now, Mamoru-san, I can't be having you strain yourself so 
much so soon after you've come out of the operation.  I won't 
be removing any more of the bandages for another day or two.  
We have to give your eyes time to adjust.  Lay back down and 
rest, and I'll have Mizuno-san bring your wife back in.  She's 
been here all night and all day, the poor thing.  The nurse 
finally had to take her back out to the waiting room, she was so 
exhausted."

	Mamoru reluctantly laid back down on the bed, 
waiting impatiently for the moment when he could lay eyes on 
the world, especially his wife.  Literally.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	Passing a hand over her tired eyes, Usagi was just 
starting to feel the effects of her sleeplessness from the last 
few days take over.  With a hand on her back to keep her 
walking straight, Ami guided Usagi back to Mamoru's room.  
As soon as they reached the opened door however, any signs 
of sleepiness suddenly disappeared from Usagi's face.  She 
rushed to where Mamoru was sitting in the hard plastic chair in 
the corner, Dr. Kenko at his side, readying himself to remove 
the remainder of the bandages.

	The doctor glanced in Usagi's direction with a kind 
smile.  "Usagi-san, will you pull the blinds closed?  The less 
light we have in here, the easier it will be on Mamoru when I 
remove all the gauze."  She nodded and immediately pulled 
the drapes shut, shrouding the room in semi-darkness, but just 
enough light for the doctor to see what he was doing.

	Reaching for his hand, Usagi sat in the other chair 
and scooted closer to Mamoru, sending him all her strength 
and support.  He grasped her hand tightly, just as anxious--if 
not more--for what was about to happen.

	The doctor then began to unwrap the last of the thin 
gauze holding the thicker gauze to his eyes.  "I'm going to take 
the bandages off now, Mamoru-san.  There's not much light in 
here, but I would advise you not to open them too quickly."  
Dr. Kenko peeled the thick cotton pads away from Mamoru's 
eyes at that moment, and Usagi squeezed his hand so tightly to 
the point that it almost hurt her to keep holding on.

	It had never taken Mamoru so much of his strength to 
open his eyes.  Still a little swollen from yesterday's operation, 
he struggled to lift his eyelids.  Slowly, ever so slowly, his 
eyes opened, and he was introduced to something entirely 
different.  "Wow. . ."  he murmured.  The blackness that had 
been his world for the last sixteen years finally began to give 
way to a whole new feeling, one that he had not experienced 
since he was seven years old.

	His eyes began to gain their strength, and soon they 
were halfway open.  Dr. Kenko broke the silence by asking the 
first question.  "How do you feel, Mamoru-san?"

	"Good question.  How am I supposed to feel?" he 
replied plainly.  Everything was just a mass of blurred shapes 
and things he knew of, but couldn't describe.  He turned 
towards where Usagi was sitting, and all he could make out 
was a small blurry shape with different shades and colors 
(what he thought were colors) sitting somewhere in front of 
him.  "Usako?  Do I look any different to you?"

	"Still as handsome as ever, Mamo-chan.  Your eyes 
are still the same wonderful color of blue that they always 
were," she remarked with a grin.  Standing up from her chair, 
Usagi leaned over and kissed him soundly on the cheek.  He 
held her there, and tilted her chin so he could kiss her firmly 
on the lips.  "Gomen, Usako, but you're just one big blur to me 
at the moment," he chuckled.  Taking his face into her hands, 
she gazed at Mamoru fondly.  "But the important thing is you 
can see, ne?"  Mamoru nodded.  "I think so, if this is what 
you call seeing."

	Dr. Kenko broke into their conversation at that 
moment.  "I'd like Mamoru-san to stay here for one more night 
for observation, then he's free to go home with you, Usagi-
san."  Not even thinking it over for a moment, Usagi replied 
firmly, "Then I'm staying here as well.  We'll go home 
together, and I won't take no for an answer," she finished 
quickly, seeing that the doctor was about to object.  It was then 
that he realized no one should mess with Usagi, especially 
where Mamoru was involved.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	Finally, Mamoru was released from the hospital, and 
Usagi gladly took him home.  It was like a baby learning to 
walk; Mamoru had to re-learn his way around the apartment, 
bumping into things that he had always been able to walk 
around with ease. and so on.  Even though his sight was very 
slowly and remarkably returning, it was still very blurred 
and not much of a help to him just yet.  Other than that, 
Mamoru had little trouble adjusting to the new effects.  
Even the doctor remarked that it was incredible the way that 
he handled everything.

	It was hard for Usagi to believe that only a few days 
had gone by since everything had happened.  Though she no 
longer stressed over what the results of the operation could 
have been, the level of stress had increased enormously.  
Thankfully, Usagi's morning sickness was not as bad as it 
could have been.  With all this added stress, it was a miracle 
that she got through the day without having to rush to the 
bathroom more than two or three times in a row.

	Naturally, Mamoru was worried about her with the 
condition she was in, but there was little he could do to 
help her.  He wished with all his might that the haziness 
would go away, and that he could assist her like a normal 
husband should.  Usagi reassured him time and time again 
that he wasn't in the way, but Mamoru felt otherwise.


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	It was a quiet afternoon, nearly a week since the 
operation, and Usagi had laid down on the couch to catch a 
quick nap while Mamoru was resting in the other room.  As 
she fell into a deep sleep, she briefly wondered what their 
life would be like after the baby was born.  Hopefully, she 
thought to herself, Mamoru would had adjusted enough that 
he would be more of a help.  With a yawn, her eyes slowly 
closed, and she quickly dozed off. 


			^*^*^*^*^*^


	At the same time Usagi was falling asleep out in the 
living room, Mamoru was just awakening in the bedroom, 
feeling slightly uncomfortable without Usagi next to him.  It 
had been torture for him to be in the hospital for so long and 
not be able to cuddle up next to his wife, but now it was all 
over.  He was finally home, and things would soon be back to 
normal.  Mamoru still couldn't make things out clearly, but 
anything was better than the darkness before.  All he wanted 
now, more than anything, was to see Usagi clearly.  

	Sitting up on the bed, and stretching, Mamoru 
glanced around the room and suddenly noticed that something 
was different.  The haziness was gone, completely gone.  
Every object in the room was crystal clear and full of color.  
Turning sharply to his left, he shielded his eyes from the light 
as he looked to the window and watched as a small bird 
perched on the sill, noting that he could see the shape of it 
perfectly from where he sat on the bed.  

	It was incredible.  Mamoru wanted to cry out in joy, 
but was afraid that he would scare Usagi out in the other room.  
He wanted to surprise her with this instead.  Getting up from 
the queen-sized bed, he padded softly to the door, and grasped 
the handle, still amazed that he could see it so clearly.  Pulling 
the door open quietly so it wouldn't squeak, Mamoru walked 
out from the hallway into the living room, looking around for 
Usagi, but finding her nowhere in sight.  

	As he glanced in the direction of the kitchen, out of 
the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a golden ponytail 
hanging over the arm of the couch.  Mamoru moved closer to 
investigate, and as he glanced over the back of the couch, he 
came face to face with a peacefully slumbering Usagi.

	Moving slowly to the front of the couch, Mamoru 
stared in awe at his wife, uncontrollable tears springing to 
his eyes and trailing down his cheeks.  How could he have 
been so fortunate to win such a gorgeous woman as she?  Kneeling 
down to her level, Mamoru scrubbed the tears away from his face 
as he continued to gaze upon Usagi's beauty, no words coming 
to his mind to describe what he saw before him.

	Moving in and out a deep sleep, Usagi shifted into 
another position, trying to make herself more comfortable.  
But something pulled her out of her nap.  Feeling as if 
something or someone was watching, Usagi began to fell 
uncomfortable.  Cracking an eye open, she looked around 
bleary-eyed, and was startled to find Mamoru sitting in front of 
her.  Both eyes open now, she sat up in shock.  "Mamo-chan?  
How did you get there?  Did you trip over something?"  
Glancing closer at Mamoru, Usagi gasped.  "Why are you 
crying, Mamo-chan?"

	His hand came up and stroked the side of her face 
gently.  "Why didn't you ever tell me how beautiful you are, 
Usako?  All this time, I had no idea that I had my very own 
angel in my life."

	Now tears were flowing from Usagi's eyes.  "You 
mean. . . you can see?  Everything?"  Taking her hand in his, 
Mamoru brought it up to his lips and kissed it.  "Everything 
from the dimple in your left cheek to the top of your shirt that 
isn't buttoned,"  he replied with a smile. 

	Usagi threw herself into Mamoru's arms, and he held 
her in a tight embrace.  "Oh, Mamo-chan, I can't believe it!  I 
never thought this day would come."  She backed away from 
him, still slightly worried that he might not like what he saw.

	"What's that look for?"

	"What look?"

	His thumb came up and wiped away a stray tear from 
her cheek.  "The look that's on you face right now.  I've never 
seen that look before."  Usagi was still a little puzzled.  "The 
look that's on my face now?  Well, at first it was a worried 
look, but now it's a happy look."

	Mamoru got off his knees, and sat down on the couch, 
pulling Usagi into his lap.  "I'm not sure I understand.  Why 
was it a worried look before?"  Usagi bit her lip, realizing that 
she had to let her secret out.  She leaned her head against his 
chest, and looked up into his face.  "Because, Mamo-chan, 
I've always wondered what your reaction would be if and 
when you could see me.  I thought you wouldn't like what you 
saw."

	Chuckling, Mamoru tightened his embrace around his 
wife, and kissed her on the cheek again.  "Oh Usako, my 
lovely angel, how could you ever believe that?  You are the 
most beautiful person that I've ever laid eyes on.  But I didn't 
fall in love with you because of your looks, you know.  First it 
was your voice that mesmerized me, then your laughter, and 
most of all, your touch.  I would go crazy if I could never 
touch you again.  Seeing you all at once has only enhanced my 
love for you.  Believe me now, Usako, if that's you had, I'd 
still love you the same."  He finished by kissing her soundly on 
the lips.

	Usagi clung onto Mamoru, putting full force into their 
kiss.  It was just like their first kiss had been; taking them to 
an entirely different level, strengthening their love even more 
than before.  Breaking away only for a moment, Usagi whispered, 
"Aishiteru, Mamo-chan.  Aishiteru."









	Hi.  I came back, but only for a moment.  My computer 
is on the verge of dying, so I have to make this fast.  There 
will be an epilogue to this, and I hope to have it done for next 
week.  I'm ready to see this finished as much as you are.  ^_^
	Again, gomen for making you wait so long to see the end.  
I admit to being a perfectionist, and it often leads to my 
undoing.  *sigh*  If you email me in the next few days, I'm not 
sure how things will be around here, but please send your comments 
and other notes to ely_chan@yahoo.com, that way I'll know I'll 
get them and I can answer them from there until I get all this 
worked out.  Ja for now!

Sailor Elysia