They ran, guided by their own instinct. Though unsure of where their destination is, they still kept on running, feeling as if an unknown force is attracting them.
'USAGI-CHAN!' 'USAGI!'
They called, in their hearts. They called for their missing friend's name. Yes, she was—is their most important friend, the friend who had gathered them and brought them together from their own different loneliness.
'USAGI-CHAN!!!' 'USAGI!!!'
The four girls gathered at the open plaza, reaching their destination. The four girls: Mizuno Ami, Hino Rei, Kino Makoto and Aino Minako, are shocked to see each other, yet somehow also expected to see each other there.
They had forgotten each other, forgotten about their bond formed through out that one special year. They had gone on with their lives, happy, yet empty, without knowledge of what they really did in that year. Without such knowledge, another half a year had passed.
Now, memories are coming back to them, flashing in their minds. Memories of happy times and sad times, enjoyable times and hard times.
They looked at each other knowingly, not needing any word to understand that the same thing is going though each of their minds. They turned to the bridge in front of them, looking and searching.
"GUYS!!!"
In the distant, they saw Usagi running towards them.
"USAGI-CHAN!"
"USAGI!"
"USAGI!"
"USAGI!"
Ami, Rei, Makoto and Minako began to run as well, their right hand outstretched to reach their common and important friend.
They reached each other, huddled together, laughing with pure bliss.
They turned, and walked towards the open plaza once again, meeting Chiba Mamoru, Luna and Artemis when they reach the road.
"USAGI-CHAN! Everyone!!!" Luna cried, rushing towards them, jumping into Usagi's waiting embrace with Ami, Rei and Makoto at the side. The girls and the blue plush laughed.
"MINAKO!!!" Artemis cried as well, rushing to his charge, tears in his eyes but joy in his voice. Minako hugged him tightly without hurting him, tears of joy in her eyes as well.
As if the reunion of the two had wakened the others as well, reality hit them.
"MINAKO-CHAN!!!!!!" Usagi cried, hugging Minako tightly, realizing that their idol friend is back with them. More hugs and laughter erupted, everyone huddled together mainly centering Usagi and Minako.
It was one crazy half an hour, spent with simply laughter, loving hugs and indescribable joy, including Usagi's squeals and hugs with Mamoru. They were lucky that no one had crossed that bridge at that hour of the day, or else people would be looking at them with weird eyes.
After they calmed down, they decided that they should go to Karaoke Crown for a better chat. Mamoru joined them as well, wanting to check on his best friend – Furuhata Motoki.
Just outside of Crown, they met someone unexpected.
"Nephrite!?" Mamoru called.
The human form of Nephrite turned his attention from the basket in his hands to Mamoru, and looked as if he had seen a ghost.
"Ma--Master!?" Memory hit him, remembering everything about being the reincarnation of one of the Shitennou.
"Eh!?" The girls and plush cats exclaimed, not knowing till now that the person in front of them was Nephrite the whole time.
"None of you realized that?" Mamoru addressed the girls with amusement.
"No… Motoki-kun kept calling him different names before… so we didn't really know." Usagi replied.
"How…?" They turned their attention back at Nephrite when he spoke.
"Usagi righted the world, you continued to live just like us." Mamoru smiled.
Nephrite nodded.
They joined Nephrite and walked down the stairs to Crown.
"Akai! Right on time, I need your help…" Motoki stopped in mid-sentence as he raise his head and saw the group. He looks as if a car just hit him.
"Ah! Mamoru! Mako-chan???" Motoki exclaimed, memories flowing into his head, replacing his fake ones without the girls.
"Motoki, you remember the girls?" Mamoru asked, eyes wide. He thought Motoki wouldn't remember the girls, since they shouldn't have met in the pass year without Usagi.
"How could I forget? Right, Kamekichi?" Motoki asked, frowning, then laughed at his turtle.
The girls and men laughed, not caring one bit of the awkwardness.
"So… your name is Akai now?" Mamoru asked human form Nephrite with curiosity.
"Yes, my name is Matsumoto Akai in this life." Akai nodded.
The girls showed their respective annual passes (re-given by Luna and Artemis], and then slipped into their secret quarter. Leaving the men to chat outside.
"So… that's Motoki-kun, huh?" Minako nudged Makoto knowingly, giving her a teasing smile. "He's cute, I must say."
Makoto blushed.
"Eh!? Minako-chan knows about Motoki-kun?" Usagi asked, surprised.
"Yup, I heard Makoto mumbled his name in her sleep once."
"Hey! Don't tell them!" Makoto's face got even redder.
They got into their own designated sits and started the gossips. Luna and Artemis settled themselves on the round table.
Behind them, Ami and Rei, always the less eager ones to gossip, looked at each other knowingly and smiled. They then joined the group and sat down as well.
They laughed and chatted, then laughed even more for old time's sake.
Author's Note:
Hi, this is my first ever fanfic I decided to publish, though this is my third to start writing.
I will upload the other two later when I finish more of them.
Yes, I am aware that in the Final Act, time actually went backwards to when Minako's CD Venus is just released, but I didn't want the memories of the girls together got lost in outsider's head in the process, such as Motoki and Saitou Sugao, so I altered the timeline and made time flew forward instead. (Besides, I always wondered how Makoto and Motoki got together if Motoki didn't know her when Usagi righted the world. =P)
Thanks for reading.
