A/N: Happy holidays, everyone! This is the fic I wrote for our Tumblr Holiday Fandom Exchange. My giftee was, to my great shock, FloraOne! This is shocking because my first exchange fic ever (and my first published Sailor Moon fic) was for FloraOne at the beginning of this year! In that time, FloraOne has become a dear friend. I've gotten to know her fairly well, and I think that this story will play to her tastes as well as two of her prompts: "Sailor Moon x Mamoru / Tuxedo Mask x Usagi" and "post-reveal/pre-relationship in season one before the others show up."

Now, I did do one of my Smutember ficlets in a universe with a similar concept and plan to delve deeper into it at a later date, but this is not part of that. I wanted FloraOne's fic to be all for her. So here's to hoping I've succeeded in keeping them sufficiently different! Due to time constraints and issues with health, mine and hers, this is not betaed by the lovely Ninjette Twitch, so all mistakes are my own. Maybe by the time I get this concluded, we'll be able to get together and she can help me polish it up a bit.

Originally I intended for this to be a one-shot. But as these things go, I will be breaking it up into a multi-chapter so that I can start posting it on my scheduled date. I promise not to make you wait too long for the rest, FloraOne!


Mamoru flipped a page in his physics textbook, for once barely paying attention to the words in front of him. A certain golden-haired heroine kept interrupting his thoughts, his memories of the two fights he'd helped her with disrupting his normal quiet study time. Eventually he tossed his book onto the black couch beside him and ran a hand through his dark hair. His head dropped back against the form cushion, and he allowed his eyes to close.

As it had for the past few weeks, his first encounter with Sailor Moon played through in his mind. The way the moonlight reflected off her hair as she charged forward just as he'd been about to jump down from the upper story window he'd used to sneak into that jewelry store. The terror he'd glimpsed in her blue eyes as she looked around, obviously unprepared for the monster she found waiting for her. Each fragment of the encounter blazed to life in his memory, as well as the searing jolt of pain he'd experienced in his knee when she scraped hers, as if her injury had superimposed itself onto his body somehow.

In the days after that first fight, he'd tried to convince himself that self-preservation had prompted him to intervene with that monster as it reached for her. Fear of another burning wound must have been what caused him to pull a rose from nowhere as if he'd done it a million times before when in reality he'd been almost as surprised as Sailor Moon when it landed in front of her, distracting her attackers. It had nothing to do with the despair and panic he felt coming from her in waves as she screamed. Certainly he hadn't wanted to protect her for her own sake. He didn't even know her.

Of course, that didn't explain the words of encouragement that had flown from his mouth before he even realized he was going to say them. Mamoru's hand raked through his hair again as he thought of those trite, inane words. How could he have thought that would help? "Look within your heart and find the warrior within you?" Really? And how did he know anything about her destiny? He didn't even know his own, especially not lately!

He'd been so distracted by those unexpected words that he had hardly paid attention to the rest of the fight. One thing was clear, though. Sailor Moon was very new at this, and she needed help if she was going to continue. Normally, he could have turned away from that. He didn't indulge in many personal attachments.

Something about her drew him to her, though, and he'd jumped down from his perch in the window to land next to her. Her gasp had amused that part of him that seemed to know what he was doing before he did. However, the blood on her knee and tears on her cheeks had kept him from smiling.

"Who are you?" He had been able to tell, somehow, that she was trying to put on a brave face in front of him, perhaps wondering if he was another enemy.

"You may call me Tuxedo Mask." The name had come out of nowhere, just like his earlier words. He'd barely restrained the grimace at how trite they sounded.

"You need more practice, Sailor Moon." He'd stated the obvious to her and raised his eyebrows when she turned her head away.

"No, I don't. I'm never doing this again," she had assured him.

"And if you're the only one who can?" The words had been pulled from him again, coming from that inner source he had no control over.

Her lips firmed and her luminous blue eyes met his again. "She'll have to find someone else."

With that, Sailor Moon had run off before he could ask what she'd meant. He'd spent the next week or so wondering who "she" was, not to mention who Sailor Moon herself was. It had been a bizarre week on top of the supernatural fighting, one where he kept bumping into a lovely yet annoying girl who seemed to have something against his head, given the number of things she supposedly accidentally threw at it. On top of that, a recurring dream had come roaring back into his life, one where the princess he knew so well pleaded with him to gain Sailor Moon's help in locating the Legendary Silver Crystal, an object she claimed would help her return his memories.

When he hadn't magically changed into a tuxedo and top hat until the next time he felt drawn into the night to help her fight, Mamoru had concluded that Sailor Moon's transformation must have something to do with his own. His irritation had grown as he'd jumped from rooftop to rooftop, not sparing a thought as to how he even knew to do that or where to go. But all annoyance fled his mind when he reached the site of the fight and found a tall blond man pacing menacingly toward Sailor Moon where she lay sprawled on the ground.

A flick of his wrist sent a red rose flashing between Sailor Moon and her adversary. Their eyes flew to where he stood, cape flapping in the wind around him. He thought he saw a smile on Sailor Moon's lips, but the smirk that lifted the corners of the other man's mouth distracted him from her. He narrowed his eyes and drew himself up, ready to jump into the fray. However, the man disappeared before he could respond with more than a few scathing words.

Tuxedo Mask jumped down to where Sailor Moon lay, all wide eyes and golden streamers of hair pooling around her. He reached down a hand, relief coursing through him when she grasped his gloved fingers with her own. He drew her up, throat constricting when he realized how close she was.

His voice came out gruffer than he intended. "What happened to finding someone else?"

"Apparently, that isn't an option." Her clear blue eyes dropped to regard the toes of her red boots. He watched a tear slide down her creamy cheek.

"You should train, if you're going to be fighting. I may not always be there to distract your enemies."

Her lips trembled. "Isn't it enough that I have to fight these things even when I don't want to? Do I have to give up every piece of myself, too? All my free time?"

It was a valid question. Tuxedo Mask sighed, wishing his hat away so that he could drag his fingers through his hair once more.

"Maybe after you've gotten good enough, training wouldn't take up too much of your time. Isn't it worth it, to be able to keep yourself safe?" For some reason, he needed her to want that as much as he did. She needed to stay safe, always. He knew that like he knew that day would give way to night, summer to fall.

Mamoru watched a red flush stain her cheeks as she peeked back up at him. She bit her lip, distracting him from her blush.

"Maybe, um, if I had help? I'm not sure I could train all by myself very well, anyway. My mentor says there are others like me, but she hasn't found them yet."

The offer to train with her stalled on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to, more than he'd wanted anything in a long time. There was something about her that drew him in, beyond whatever magic took over when he transformed and leaped across rooftops to find her.

Instead, he gulped and stammered, "Well, I hope you find them soon. I don't want to see you get hurt."

He nodded stiffly and spun around. Although he thought he heard her call out name once he was already several buildings away, he didn't turn back.