Revelations
Setsuna disrupts the girls' romantic plans by requesting to borrow Makoto's house for the weekend.
This next story in the series begins on the Thursday following 'Iron Chef Mako-chan'.
. . . . .
Chapter 1:
Thursday evening, at the Hikawa Jinja...
Minako stared aghast at her future sister-in-law. "Nani? Why can't we all go to your house this weekend, Mako-chan? I've been waiting all week to be with my Taro again! Five whole miserable lonely days without a single second in my love muffin's strong warm arms!"
"Like I told you twice already, Setsuna met me this morning when I was leaving for school and asked if we'd all mind making other plans for the next few days. She said it was really important." Makoto calmly sipped her tea and placed the cup down in its saucer on the shrine's study table. "So I agreed, and gave her my house key."
"You agreed?" Minako groaned. "Just like that, with no explanation at all? Mako-chan, how could you?" The blonde fumed, "And now the big romantic weekend I've been longing for with my Taro-honey is ruined! Thanks a lot, Mako-chan!"
Ami looked up from her algebra textbook and giggled at the boy sitting close beside her. "Ryo-kun, perhaps Setsuna has a romantic weekend of her own in mind, and wishes to spend the time with her date in a more picturesque location than her small Tokyo apartment."
"With Nobuo?" Rei asked from the end of the table.
"Hai, that would have been my first guess, Rei-chan" the blue-haired girl nodded. "But he's not-"
Minako interrupted her, "When Usagi and I set her up on that blind date with him, I never imagined she'd try taking over Mako-chan's house and turning it into a love nest too! This is a complete travesty of justice, that's what this is! And I simply won't stand for it!" She slapped the table hard, making Makoto's teacup clatter in its saucer.
Sitting slumped forward with one side of her head resting on top of an empty chip bag, Usagi stirred from her slumber and mumbled, "Would everyone mind keeping the noise down? I can't sleep with all the racket around here."
"You're supposed to be studying, not sleeping, you baka!" Rei grumbled.
"Please be quiet, minna. And that goes especially for you, Rei-chan!"
The raven-haired girl responded by loudly drumming her fingers against the top of the wooden table until Usagi opened her eyes and angrily sat up. "Ohh! I'm supposed to be in charge of the Sailor Senshi but no one ever listens to me! No one cares!" She glared evilly at the grinning miko. "How about showing your future Queen a little respect from time to time?"
Rei laughed, "Respect? For an idiot with a chip bag stuck to the side of her head? You've got to be kidding me, right?"
"Nani?" Usagi blushed, reached up and peeled the bag away. "There! Is that better?"
"Not really" her friend chortled. "In fact, you look even worse now."
The blonde crinkled the bag into a ball and threw it at the miko. "How about now?"
"Don't you dare do that again!" Rei scowled back. "And stop littering the shrine with your garbage!"
Ami softly spoke, "Um... as I was trying to say, Nobuo can't possibly be the reason for Setsuna's request to stay at Mako-chan's house this weekend. He's out of town, along with Mamoru and his other classmates on a university field trip."
"Don't remind me about that, Ami-chan" Usagi grumbled. "My Mamo-chan said he'll be away until Tuesday, so I'll be stuck sitting at home, bored completely out of my mind! More wasted days and nights because of that stupid university and their dumb field trips! I hate those!"
"Then if it isn't Nobuo, I wonder why she needs to use my house" Makoto pondered. "I was looking forward to some quality time there with my Yuji too, but I guess my apartment will have to do instead."
"Who knows what Setsuna's ever doing, Mako-chan?" Usagi frowned at the tall brunette. "She's probably being all secretive and mysterious again, and won't tell us why. As usual!" she muttered.
"Setsuna doesn't drive" Ryo remarked. "Perhaps she may ask you or one of the other girls to take her there, Ami my love. That could be an excellent opportunity to ask her why she wishes to spend this particular weekend in Nerima."
"No way!" Minako scoffed. "If she expects me to give her a ride, she's clucking up the wrong tree, Ryo-chan! Not after ruining my precious love-love time with my Taro!"
"Minako-chan, don't act so petty" Rei scolded the girl. "Setsuna is a very close friend too."
"I already asked her about that" Makoto spoke before sipping her tea again. "She won't be asking anyone here for a ride. Haruka is driving her there on Saturday afternoon."
Minako's head slowly swiveled to face the brunette. "What did you just say?"
"I said Haruka is-"
"That's what I thought you said!" Minako blurted angrily. "So that's her wicked plan, is it? It's all nothing more than a lame excuse Haruka dreamed up for that blonde hussy to get up close and way too personal with my sugar muffin! And now she's even got Setsuna in on it too!"
"Paranoid much?" Rei smirked at the distraught teen. "How many times does everyone have to tell you that Tenou Haruka has no interest in your Taro? Why can't you get that one simple fact straight, Minako-chan?"
The upset girl promptly ignored her. "Hai!" she steamed, her eyes narrowing and her imagination running wild. "I can picture it now! My Taro lives just a few kilometers away, and Haruka will do something sneaky to trick my sweet, innocent boy into going over to Mako-chan's house! And then" she gasped, "she'll pounce on him!" Minako abruptly leapt from her seat at the table and began rapidly pacing back and forth across the room. "Minna, I need to think of a way to put a stop to this before it goes too far. Hussy Haruka is obviously out of control and my handsome love dumpling and his sexy body is her target!"
"Good grief!" Makoto groaned. "She isn't out of control. You are! You're going to stick your nose where it doesn't belong and wreck Setsuna's weekend, Minako-chan! Leave things alone!"
"No!"
"Why do I even bother?" Rei muttered to herself. "When it comes to thinking like a normal, reasonable person, baka Minako is a lost cause."
"Minako-chan, if this worries you so much, why don't you drive to Nerima on Friday after school and bring your Taro back here?" Ami suggested. "Then he won't cross paths with Haruka and everything will be fine."
"I can't do that because there's nowhere for him to stay, Ami-chan. My parents are home all weekend so we wouldn't have any privacy there at all, and we can't stay at Mako-chan's apartment either because she ripped her stupid sofa apart!"
"I'm half way through reupholstering it, Ami-chan" the brunette explained. "The fabric is badly worn and I thought I'd try mending it myself." Makoto chuckled, "It's taking longer than I thought because I need to replace a few busted springs first."
"Springs that none other than Minako and Taro probably destroyed when thay last spent the night with you" Rei scoffed. "Those maniacs!"
"It isn't my fault the silly springs broke, Rei-chan!" the blonde stopped her pacing and defensively replied. "How was I to know they were so flimsy?"
"I'm sure they were fine until you and your fiancee bounced them to death with your wild antics!" the miko shot back, causing Ami to blush and giggle.
Minako frowned at Rei and placed her hands on her hips. "Well! Excuse me for having an active love life with my guy!"
"Any more active, and Mako-chan's entire apartment building probably would've collapsed" the raven-haired girl chuckled.
Ami giggled again. "And all this time, I had assumed those tremors we occasionally feel in Tokyo were because of earth movements, my Ryo-kun."
Minako glared at the blue-haired girl. "Hmph! You're one to talk, Ami-chan!"
. . . . .
The following Saturday afternoon...
The front door of the Aino residence swung open and Minako poked her head outside, peering left and right through the light drizzle that now fell across Tokyo. "Good! Mako-chan isn't anywhere in sight!" The blonde stooped down to grasp a large cardboard box, carrying it from her home and up to the rear of her orange Toyota. "It's time for a little fiancee intervention, Aino Minako style!" she cackled as she opened the hatch and stuffed the box inside. "Hussy Haruka thinks she's going to have her wicked way with my boy behind my back, does she? Well, no chance! She's not smart enough to pull the wolf over my eyes!"
She slammed the hatch closed and hurried up to the driver's door, unlocked it and leapt behind the wheel.
"Going somewhere?"
"Aagh! Mako-chan! You scared me! How did you get in my car?"
"You gave me your spare key, remember? I've been sitting here for the last hour, expecting you to try another one of your crazy stunts" her brunette friend spoke from the passenger seat. "And I was right, wasn't I?"
"Uhh... so what if you were?" Minako blistered. "I'm still going to Nerima to save my Taro from Haruka's evil clutches! And there's nothing you can do to stop me! So if you wouldn't mind, please get out of my car and I'll be on my way."
"I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you" Makoto growled. "Listen, I don't know why Setsuna wants to use my house this weekend, but I promised her she could, and I'm not letting you interfere with whatever she's supposed to be doing there."
"Mako-chan!" Minako gasped. "Are you in on Haruka's evil scheme too?"
"I'm not in on anything. And what's in that giant box?"
"Nothing you need to know about. Just some... stuff." She stared at the brunette. "Anyway, why aren't you at your apartment with Yuji?"
"Because he isn't here yet, Minako-chan. Yuji promised his father he'd help him paint their living room today, so I won't be seeing him until later tonight. And I'm not leaving this car until you do."
"Fine. Have it your way" Minako shrugged. She gunned her engine to life, ignored her friend's yelled order to stop, and sped out onto the rain-slicked street. "Since you won't let me handle this problem alone, we're both going to Nerima!"
"When will I ever learn to mind my own business?" the brunette sighed.
. . . . .