A Sailor Moon Fanfiction: The Pledge of the Sun.

Chapter 66

It was another morning at the Tsukino residence. Everyone in the house was fast asleep, everyone that was except for Harusuke, who had just woken up. He quietly snuck out of his room, tip-toed over to Usagi's, opened the door a crack, and peered inside. He could see Usagi and Chibiusa sharing Usagi's bed, sleeping soundly along with Luna, who was sleeping in her cushion next to them.

Harusuke could still remember back to when he snapped at Mamoru the other day and Usagi's face when he said those hurtful things to her when he arrived as Tuxedo Mask. The mere thought alone still made him angry with Mamoru and feel helpless being unable to help. He knew that whenever Mamoru showed up, Usagi would end up feeling sadder and would most likely get even worse, which was why he made a decision.

"Usagi. I promise you," Harusuke said to himself. "I am going to get stronger, so you can rely on me and not Mamoru."

He then quietly shut the door, not wanting to wake them up, and went to get dressed.

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Soon, it was morning, and Usagi and the other family members were all up, awake, and were going about their daily routine. Then, however, they all noticed that a member of theirs wasn't there this morning.

"Say, Mom. Do you have any idea where Harusuke went?" asked Shingo.

"I honestly have no idea," said Ikuko. "I haven't seen him all morning."

"Well, that's certainly odd," said Kenji. "Harusuke doesn't usually take his time getting up. Usually, he's bright and early."

"Maybe he's having trouble waking up or something," suggested Chibiusa.

"I'll go see if he's up," said Usagi.

She then went upstairs and knocked on the door to Harusuke's room.

"Harusuke," Usagi called. "It's time for you to get up."

But there was no reply. So Usagi tried knocking again, and yet again, there was no answer. So finally, growing impatient and a bit anxious, she opened the door. She was surprised to find that Harusuke's room was empty as she peered inside. Luna then walked up.

"Something the matter, Usagi?" the black cat asked.

"It's Harusuke. He's not here," Usagi told her. "Did he leave early for school or something?"

Luna then went inside and noticed something on Harusuke's desk. She walked on over and jumped on it, inspecting the paper. "Usagi, look at this," she said. "Harusuke left us a note."

Usagi entered and looked at the letter. It read in small letters: Don't wait up for me. I went out early for something important. I'll see you later.

Usagi was puzzled and also a bit worried. "What the heck is this about?" she wondered.

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Usagi soon arrived at school and made her way to Ms. Haruna's classroom. She saw Harusuke sitting in his seat as he usually did in class when she entered. She then went over to his desk.

"Hey, Harusuke. Where did you go this morning?" wondered Usagi. "Mom and the others were wondering where you were at."

"Oh, sorry, Usagi," apologized Harusuke. "I... had some prior business to attend to that morning, and I couldn't miss it. So it's nothing that you need to be concerned about."

"You sure nothing's wrong?" asked Usagi, still feeling a bit unsure.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. I just - had something to do this morning as I said," replied Harusuke. "Anyway, Class is about to begin, so you better get to your seat."