UPDATE! Please read!: Oh, my god... I feel so foolish! I made a huge mistake in this fanfiction. In the episode where the two animators are featured (Protect the Children's Dreams! Friendship Linked by Anime!) Hiromi was the main character with the short haircut, and Kazuko was her more feminine brunette friend. *slaps her face* Sorry, sorry. I try to be so accurate in my stories, and apologize for the mix-up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon nor the characters.

Warning: Contains femslash.

Note: Kazuko and Hiromi are one-show characters from episode 21 of Sailor Moon. They are animators for the Sailor V movie. They're friendship was portrayed as a very close one, so I took it a step further and made them have a relationship. Even though Hiromi was the one mainly portrayed in the show, I figured Usagi would better relate to Kazuko who was more feminine, than Hiromi with the boy-cutish hair. Anyway, on with the show!

Her hands curling into fists under the kotatsu, Usagi clenched her teeth, feeling like hurling. "Mamoru-san this, Mamoru-san that," Rei was droning on, laughing so vacuously about what she had done with the college student the day before it was all the blonde could do not to reach over and lock her hands around the black-haired girl's neck. Even Luna was beginning to look peeved.

Curled up on top of Rei's bed, the small black feline's eyes were beginning to narrow. Deciding to take pity on her just so one of them could have some relief, Usagi reached over and trailed her fingers lightly over Luna's ears the way she knew she liked. Surprised, Luna purred and pressed into her hand, her red eyes meeting the blonde's; Usagi just smiled tiredly at her.

The alter-ego of Sailor Moon probably would have joined in the other girl's tirade not too long ago. Not about Mamoru-san, of course! Probably Motoki or Tuxedo Kamen, she shrugged internally to herself, loving how soft Luna's fur was. However, Usagi Tsukino had realized something.

She had been hiding. Seeing the way Kazuko-san and Hiromi-san had regarded each other, so obviously caring of each other… Usagi bit her lip, no longer paying any attention to Rei. She pulled Luna onto her lap.

Tuxedo Kamen and Motoki were just diversions. There had been a connection between the two animators, a connection Usagi was oddly attracted to. Even though Ami had been the first one to come into contact with them, Usagi had felt the desperate need to talk to one of them. Tadashita Kazuko-san had immediately intrigued her and made her feel at ease.

Stuttering, the young blonde had hesitantly asked the animator to tea the next day, bowing nonstop, her hair flopping over her shoulders nervously. Smiling so understandingly at her, Kazuko accepted, giving her a rough cel with contact information on it. Her face scarlet, Usagi had escaped, her heart beating so hard in her chest and her palms so sweaty she almost dropped the cel as she ran home.

Kazuko had been so nice. As Usagi had anxiously clutched her milkshake to her hand the whole conversation, sipping constantly, her shoulders hunched to her ears, the older girl had been so laid back and friendly that it didn't make Usagi feel as if, for once, she was a complete idiot.

"Sure, I've always wanted to be an animator! It was Hiromi's and mine dream, after all. We wanted to bring children's hearts entertainment and joy. Usagi-chan?" The brunette looked at her, smiling, "You like anime, don't you?"

Red crept up her face, and she twiddled with the straw in her drink, her right hand becoming cold and wet as condensation on the glass sides started to collect. "I know it seems childish, but I do." Usagi looked away, something huge in her chest pressing against her throat she had to let it all out, "I'm in awe, Hiromi-san, of just how dedicated you and Hiromi-san are! How did you become such good friends?"

"Friends. Yes, I guess Hiromi and I are good friends." Kazuko smiled brightly, her eyes closing with her joy. "I don't know where I would be now if Hiromi hadn't been there for me. She's so good, you know. To me."

She looked so happy Usagi had to watch her, entranced. That expression was what she had been missing in her life. How could someone just a couple of years older than she find someone to love like that?

Usagi suddenly sat up straight, the straw popping out of her mouth to splash into her chocolate shake. Kazuko watched her silently, her eyes so caring Usagi knew she could be as quiet for as long as she wanted to be. She dropped her eyes, looking down at the wood of the table.

This had been why she had invited Kazuko-san to tea. Finally releasing her shake, Usagi reached up and laid her cold hand against her cheek, expecting to feel nothing, all of the blood having rushed from her face. Her heart had pounded hard in her chest once, tripping over itself and quieting, a small fanfare to what the blonde had realized.

"Usagi-chan."

Looking up, tears spilled down her cheeks, slow and loud in their meaning; she hadn't even known they had been there. She opened her mouth, but she had nothing to say. There was a pressure in her head, but she didn't know what to do with it.

Kazuko's hands were relaxed around her tea cup, and her voice was soft and comforting; Usagi's gaze centered somewhere around her neck, watching her throat move with her words, "I'm glad you found me to talk to."

Yes, me too, she thought, brought back to the present when Luna rolled over, wanting Usagi to stroke her belly. Chuckling softly, she rubbed her fingers delicately through the warm fur. As much as Luna was a talking cat, she was still a cat. Usagi could feel her energized purring against her legs.

Rei was still talking avidly to the air, too caught up in her fantasies to even realize that she didn't have an audience anymore. Usagi didn't envy her. Although it was easy to go on and on about what you wished would happen, what ended up was usually not what you expected.

Thoughts of Mamoru always eventually turned to thoughts of Motoki-onee-san, and from there, Tuxedo Kamen. Usagi shivered. Tuxedo Kamen was cool, true, but who was he really, and whose side was he on? She brought her fingers back up to scratch under Luna's chin.

It was always easy, she mused, mistaking admiration and respect for a crush. And, feeling propriety over men was easy, especially if you felt like you had been the first to find him. But still… She paused, looking up to watch Rei's zeal, that doesn't mean you're attracted to them.

Letting Luna climb out of her lap, feeling nice when she rubbed her cheek against her knee in thanks, she propped her head onto her arms and slid down the table, stretching out her thighs and back. "Where's Ami-chan?" she whined, interrupting Rei's impassioned speech.

"Usagi-no-baka! Didn't you hear anything I said over the communicator? She's at cram school. Where you should be, I think." Rei stuck her nose up in the air, crossing her arms impatiently.

Pouting at her, Usagi closed her eyes and yawned, shifting to get comfortable, "Then I'll just go to sleep…" Without ceremony, she closed her eyes and pretended to.

Hearing Rei voice various sounds of disapproval, the Shinto Priestess finally quieted, breathing softly, flipping pages once in a while, reading a manga, no doubt. Luna had settled into her side, a warm little bundle deciding to join her.

It was always when Luna was quiet that Usagi felt the closest to her. When she talked, she reminded the blonde that she wasn't really just a cat, and she wasn't, definitely, a human. When Luna was just a cat, Usagi didn't have any responsibilities, and she could just relax, stroking her soft fur for hours. Her mind would turn to who she really was, not what people told her she was.

She opened her eyes and studied the girl across from her. Rei was an enigma. She was so cool, her presence so commanding. But when she let her guard down, when she was done defending her grandfather, she let herself become a teenage girl again, no longer just a priestess, Sailor Mars, but just plain, eager, excitable, stubborn, Rei Hino.

Usagi yawned again. It was hard pretending to sleep and not ending up doing so. Realizing that Rei wasn't going to stop reading at her noise, she resettled her gaze onto the black-haired girl.

She wondered idly what it would be like to kiss her friend. Looking at how curved her lips were, and how plump they were, she tried to imagine them touching her own. Would Rei's hair fall over her shoulder to brush against her face? Usagi absently brushed the side of her cheek, pushing away the phantom strands of ebony. How soft would her skin be? Her eyelashes? Her lips?

She let those thoughts drift from her mind. No matter how beautiful Rei was, Usagi wasn't attracted to her. It was just open curiosity. Sure, Rei was fit and curvy in the right places, but she didn't appeal to the blonde past being a friend. Her own personality and Rei's were just too… quarrelsome.

The clattering of Rei's wooden door sliding open caught Usagi's attention too much to let her slide back into her thoughts. Propping up her head, she smiled to see her sweet blue-haired friend step in, slipping off her afternoon shoes with ease.

"Sorry I'm late," Ami apologized, taking the seat next to Usagi at the low table. She was in a soft orange dress, an orange and white headband keeping her bangs out of her face. Usagi almost felt silly; she loved that look on the other girl.

As much as Rei was Usagi's opposite attraction, Ami was complete magnetism. Something inside of her was so pure and passionate that it drew the blonde to her. But Usagi wasn't going to go crazy over her without good reason. She was still young, and she had a lot to work on. If her feelings grew deeper, though, what could she do?

Ami's blue eyes flicked over to her, and the other girl smiled, a touch of red still on her cheeks from where she had hurried to make the meeting. Stretching, Luna sat up from Usagi's side and padded over to her, jumping up to twine around her shoulders, her black fur blending into deep blue tresses.

Usagi rested her head on her hand, reaching up to idly play with the hair by her ear. One day, she hoped that she would have the effortless grace Ami had. Now, though, she was attracted to it as yet she felt too rough and inexperienced to be close to her.

Deep down, Usagi was scared and intimidated by everyone, feeling like she drifted between two worlds: what people wanted her to be, and who she truly was. Fortunately, she was already an eager person, and she could hide behind that. But no one had gotten close enough to see the real her, not even Luna. Ami had gotten close before there had been a Sailor Mars, but that period of time had not been nearly enough to really bond with or crack the normally quiet girl's shield completely.

But she wanted to. Usagi really wanted to.

Rei put down the manga she had been reading, straightening up and brushing her hair behind her shoulder. "This really bothers me," she said, placing her fist onto the table solidly, "Everything Nephrite's been coming up with lately seems to be more desperate."

"That's true," Luna agreed, "What is he afraid of?"

"Wait a minute!" Usagi burst out, tilting her head, "Doesn't this mean that he's about to be replaced? The last time Jedite got desperate, Nephrite came in."

Rei chewed on the nail of her thumb, thinking deeply. Ami nodded, giving Usagi another of her supportive smiles. Usagi grinned back at her, thinking, what could I do to make her always smile at me?

Luna made a sound of agreement. "Usagi has a good point. Maybe Ami-chan and Rei-chan are rubbing off on you!" She jumped off of Ami's shoulders, done with her greeting, landing with quiet paws on the table.

Usagi drew her eyebrows together, pouting. How come she never got the credit? Her stomach rumbled. Feeling disappointed always made her hungry. Deciding that she had been subjected to sitting for too long, she stood up, stretching out her legs and back.

"Usagi?" Luna asked, alarmed, "Where are you going?"

"Yeah," Rei chimed in, crossing her arms, "We're not done talking about this."

Usagi threw cross looks at the both of them. She was beginning to think that when they got together, Luna and Rei were worse than Mamoru. "What makes you think I'm going to leave?" she flopped back down, leaning back on her hands so she could keep her legs straight.

"Guys," Ami interjected, her soft voice cutting the tension in the room, "Please. We won't get anywhere if we fight all the time." Her small hands were resting on her thighs, and just because she looked, Usagi could see that there was some anxiety in her grip. She knew Ami never liked it when they bickered, usually taking Usagi's side.

Blowing air up at her bangs, Usagi decided that she would be the mature one for once. Dropping her shoulders, she leaned back, relaxing all of her muscles so she felt like a blob. "I'm not leaving. I just wanted to stretch. We should continue talking about the Dark Kingdom."

"Hmph," Rei grumbled but seemed to accept the explanation. Luna settled back down, the tip of her tail flicking back and forth.

There was a knock at the door, and Luna immediately shut her mouth, ready to become the silent cat again.

"Rei-chan," the voice of Rei's grandfather spoke through the door, "would the pretty girls like some rice and tea?"

Rei sweatdropped, opening her mouth to speak, but Usagi beat her to it. Jumping up, the blonde threw open the door and glommed onto the tray that the small man held, thanking him profusely. Seeing the blonde, Oji-san grinned widely and started hopping from side to side, waving his prayer sticks, "Pretty girl, would you like to become a part-time priestess for this shrine? It would give you much fortune!"

Rei quickly ushered her grandfather out before Usagi could answer, shutting the door quickly after him. "Honestly, Oji-chan," she muttered to herself, sighing.

Usagi blinked, holding the tray. She had been tempted to accept the offer, but whenever the old man got close, Rei always pushed him away or shut him out. It was kind of sad, but the blonde knew it was just because Rei was ashamed and embarrassed by her surrogate father.

She set down the tray, quiet. Ami looked at her with concerned blue eyes, but Usagi just smiled reassuringly at her. One of these days, Usagi would sit down and have a real talk with Oji-san; without Rei there to be stubborn. Something in him seemed so kind, yet there was loneliness in him also, and Usagi was drawn to loneliness, experiencing so much of it herself.

She sipped her tea, bringing her attention back to the conversation happening around her. Was it her fault she was so bored? She didn't quite think it was.

***

Walking with Ami back towards their homes, Usagi sighed and looked up the street, carrying Luna around her neck. Sneaking quick glances at the girl next to her, Usagi suddenly couldn't take it anymore. Whirling around and grabbing Ami's hands into her own, she looked earnestly into her eyes, ignoring Luna's digging claws into her skin.

Surprised, Ami stopped, her mouth opening and a slight blush appearing high on her cheeks. "Usagi-chan?" she asked curiously.

"Mm?" Luna meowed into her ear, and Usagi sweatdropped, dropping the other girl's hands. Scooping Luna off of her shoulders, she leaned over and deposited her on the ground, patting her head.

"Luna? Can you walk home alone tonight? I want to talk to Ami about something." Flashing her guardian a cheery smile and victory sign, she didn't even wait for the black cat's answer, taking Ami's arm into hers and leading her down the street. She could hear Luna's perturbed huff.

"Usagi-chan?" Ami asked again, looking at her so sweetly Usagi had to blush. Her heart started to become louder in her chest, and her hands were beginning to sweat, so she dropped the blue-haired girl's arm. Smoothing them onto the fabric of her shorts, she asked, her shoulder bumping against the taller girl's, "Ami-chan?"

"Yes?"

Usagi couldn't believe how patient her friend was being. Her heart constricted, and she absently reached over and laced her hand with Ami's.

Ami's breath hitched with surprise, and her fingers were hesitant to hold hers in return. Finally, they squeezed back. Amazed, Usagi looked down at their joined hands.

It wasn't the first time she and Ami had held hands, but it had never been so intimate, their fingers entwined. Taking a deep breath, she looked just above Ami's nose, her eyes barely meeting the blue-haired girl's.

"Did you want to go on that cruise with Rei?"

Ami searched her face, and the blonde felt she had to clarify. "I mean… Did you want to go with… Rei? Not… Someone else?"

"Someone else?" Ami repeated, her voice quiet. There was an unreadable expression on her face, but her eyes were nervous when they met Usagi's.

"Like…" Usagi licked her lips. "Like me?"

Ami's eyes widened, and red suddenly blossomed on her cheeks. "Usagi-chan, what?" Her words were broken, and she took a step away, dropping her hand. "What do you mean?" She wouldn't look at her.

Usagi took a step forward desperately, feeling a sudden choking sensation engulf her chest. "Ami!" she cried, wanting the blue-haired girl to look at her. "I just – I just… wanted to know…" Seeing no reaction, she sniffed and turned away.

Stupid stupid stupid! She yelled at herself, using her arm to wipe her eyes. Slapping her face quickly and repeatedly, she mustered a smile from the bottom of her stomach, and twirled back around. "Aheheheh," she laughed nervously, almost wincing at how fake it seemed even to herself, but not willing to lose her smile, "Don't mind me!" With her hand behind her head, she laughed again. Seeing no reaction from Ami's hunched shoulder, she lost her smile, but bravely mustered forth.

"See, I was just wondering, cuz' we haven't had a chance to hang out together lately, and I know that was a stupid way to phrase a question, but I really didn't think I was doing any wrong, and…"

"Usagi no baka!" Ami finally cried, whirling around, slapping her hands down on either side of Usagi's shoulders, stopping the blonde cold. Startled at the usually quiet girl's actions, Usagi blinked, unwilling to move. "Ha-hai?"

"Just… Shut up!"

"Eh? Hai!" Usagi jerked her head forward, an automatic response. She was about to say more, but the tears beginning to crowd the corners of the other girl's eyes shocked her to silence.

And then, as if surprised by her own violent actions, Ami blinked and dropped her hands. Her expression crumpling, she issued a strangled, "I'm so-sorry!" and ran down the street.

"I… Ami-chan!" Calling after her, Usagi blinked for a second before taking off to sprint after her.