Summary: a long-awaited reunion, until…
Featuring basically all our Senshi and the pretty boys. Rated T for alcohol, deceit and crack-ness :p
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Usual disclaimer.
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Thanks to: Spirit-hime and Queen for giving me feedback and for their reviews when I posted this on my LJ a while ago; Lilian for both the feedback and for melting my writer's block on the ending; lastly, Caytlyn Rose for beta-ing ---huggles---
Jack-in-the-box
It had started as a pleasant - although crammed - general meeting at the newly-wed Chiba's place, as a proper introduction of The Boys to the Outers as well as a celebration for the Happy-Reincarnation-Free-From-Evil-And-Stone-Confinement of said boys. The initial uneasiness of the poor darlings under Haruka's and Michiru's stern countenance had soon dissipated under the formerly Mistress 9's and Black Lady's sympathetic enthusiasm ( "Been there, done that too, no biggie." complete with puppy eyes targeting the two elder Senshi) Besides, both Hotaru and time-travelling-for-the-occasion Chibi-Usa were now old enough - and had been in a mostly' women's world' environment enough - to adequately appreciate a healthy dose of dashing, male acquired 'uncles' ). Topping this with a little help from Makoto's dishes, and massive amount of booze for the adults, the mood had soon turned as joyfully serene as one could wish.
Until the doorbell rang. "A delivery for Mr. Chiba, airmail"
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The box was big and strangely light - almost hiding Rei's face and upper torso carrying it inside - Still, she hadn't sensed anything dangerous. Kunzite's rapping and slight shake of it had not noticed anything abnormal - seemed just like having a lot of safety stuffing -, save for the resulting, ornate paper origami, slipping out of the wrapping and falling on the ground.
Usagi's voice reading the message in it faltered " To Chiba Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen/once and future Endymion..." Alert gasp from the audience, save Pluto. The Princess kept reading nonetheless, her eyes widening and face paling a little
"... with all our devotion and unrelenting, eternal love..." Makoto dropped the tiramisù in Neph's hands and rushed to steady her before Mamoru could. He then picked the paper from her wife's hands and glanced at the last line, Zoicite almost reaching for him as his Lord's face turned from pale to red to a slight green of his own ...
"...your Sailor Moon fans from all over the world. You're always our best emo boy-toy. Smooches"
The lights went out.
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Silence fell like a blanket while Jed was holding the fangirls' gift at arms' length in full view. Well... as much as the now candle-lit room allowed.
A jacket. And its colour was...
Among the female groans of recognition rising and the silent questioning glances of all males save one, you could hear Usagi's feeble "No... please no... I thought I had got rid of it at last..." before she blacked out.
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A bit of recovery care, clothing habits explanations and return of the light later...
"Oh, man... you'd need a self esteem the size of Japan-" or a lack of self-preservation sense? selective colour blindness? " - to walk with it in the open and not beg the ground to swallow you." Jed eyed his prince, suspended between respect and newlyfound worry.
Surprisingly, it was Kunzite the one to actually talk after this. And in favour of the item of clothing, at that. He couldn't desert his prince in his time of need. Or maybe Minako's and Zoi's obsession with fashion had started to rub off on him too.
"It could be worse. For example, if you'd wear it with, let's say, lilac trousers.." - Zoi's warning elbow in the side went unnoticed by the hard-rock muscles - " and a black turtle neck... "
Mamoru had the grace to blush. Usagi shuddered. Ami by her side turned purple. Jed and Neph and Haruka smirked. Rei was suddenly fascinated with turning her unused ofuda into a nice paper fan, then with smacking Jed's - and possibly Kunzite's - unrespectful foreheads with it. Minako's shoulders shook as she tried not to laugh at her prince's and her boyfriend's expense. Michiru and Hotaru 's faces went neutral, the first thanks to her impeccable manners, the second to her blissful ignorance of her anime-verse Earth Prince's 1st and 2nd season fashion taste (or lack thereof). Setsuna twitched so slightly only Luna sitting in her lap felt it.
Chibiusa rose to her father's honour. "Daddy looks great in lilac trousers!"
Two snapshots were exhibited to prove her point: Kunz's eyes widened as soon as he took in the green jacket+lilac trousers+black turtleneck ensemble. But it was the second photograph (taken in Crystal Tokyo) that wrapped the room in dreaded silence for the second time, until...
"Please, release me from my duties as your Far East Shitennou".
Rei's hands searched for the paper fan again, only to see it secured behind Jed's back. She seriously considered smacking her own forehead instead.
"Seriously, Mamoru... what possessed you to wear that? And to dye your hair" -surprisingly enough ;P- "accordingly with it?!?" At this time, only the joint efforts of Neph and Zoi could bodily restrain their blonde comrade's shaking form and pointing finger-
"And where in the whole friggin' universe did you find that lilac tux! "
-but not his mouth
"It was a vow!" Chibiusa piped in, after casting a glance towards Setsuna (who seemed to have drifted into lalala land at the 'L' and 'T' words herself)
"Mommy told me one evening all of you were a bit on a booze, then you ended talking about formal royalty clothes, and uniforms and the like. Mama was fine with her traditional gown, but Papa claimed he was going to wear something comfortable. Besides he was fed up with his TM Endymion armour. After much talking and sketching, Puu offered to make a tux jacket to match his favourite lilac trousers."
All the eyes shifted to Setsuna, who displayed a dreamy smile and was fondling Luna while whispering over and over: "The colour of the sky in the early morning... so beautiful..."
Usagi's grip on Mamoru's kneecap increased as all the eyes shifted back to them. Zoi voiced the unspoken question in a small voice: "And you'll let her?", his fay-eyes growing impossibly shiny and large with apprehension.
The couple was saved by their future daughter's ongoing report:
" Everybody agreed" -the presents' facial mimic at the word would have put Munch's 'Scream' painting to shame "and they all made a solemn promise." Dreading silence.
"It's written on parchment and had the Royal Seal too! It's framed in the royal bedroom."
"How in the name of Terra do they manage to sleep in there then?!?" Jed's voice sounded suspiciously squeaky.
"Oh, they don't sleep very much anyway" was Chibi-Usa's matter-of-factly reply "Yeah. There are my sibl-"
"Enough information, Small Lady" Pluto had come back to her senses, much to everybody's curiosity displeasure.
"Aw... Sets..."
The Senshi of Time sweatdropped under the whole group's pouting performance . Even Jed pouted, as gagged and tied as he had ended up at that point.
But the garnet-eyed woman kept true to her tough and silent nature.
As they say, though, love is both one's greatest strength and greatest weakness...
Her peripheral vision had just caught a glimpse of Chibi-Usa's mouth and hand rising to Neph's ear, causing him to stop merrily wolfing down the tiramisù leftovers and to nod slightly before repeating something in hushed tones to his comrades, when another voice from the other side of the room claimed all of her attention.
"Setsuna-mama, pleeeeease..." soon joined by "Puuu..."
Argh, she was on the receiving end of THE LOOK now. And a combined attack of it at that.
Uh-oh...Nice team-work, girls.
You could almost, ALMOST, see Setsuna sinking just a tad in her chair under the twin attack of those cinnamon and light-violet eyes inching closer and closer. Luna's feline instinct - and possibly Artemis' meeting-long, territorial stare - had her wisely deserting the woman's comfortable lap and oh-so-magic fingers.
Hotaru and Chibiusa stared. Pluto stared back. Unblinkingly.
The seconds ticking by were the only noise in the room.
No one in the audience - who had drawn close in a circle - dared to breathe.
tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...
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"And, then..., what happened, mommy?"
Setsuna smiled at her present enraptured audience: a child with hazel-brown eyes and a mane that was a glorious nuance of green a bit lighter than her own, while the other was a study in midnight-blue waves, pale skin and almost cat-like eyes.
Her twin babies. She scooped them up in a hug.
"Mommy was tackled by everybody for a big, biiig, tickle-fight" and she accordingly started tickling them on their necks and bellies.
Amongst the ensuing shrill laughter and gasps for mercy, she kept speaking : "But your Mommy is veeeery strong, so she kept her mouth shut". Oh, well... mostly. When you have -blessed Chronos - fifteen individuals equipped with wings in their henshined state and ready to use their feathers at you...
Knowledge is power. It looked like her children hadn't inherited her resilience to tickling, as their next cries confirmed: "Daddy, heeeelllp! "
And soon after, of course, the male subject in question came to the rescue.
His breathless descendants now safely clinging to his arms, neck and torso, he just quirked and eyebrow upwards at her before directing her to the door and outside with a glance. "We're late to the Palace, dear"
"Just a moment"
"Forgotten something?"
"Oh, no. Everything is where and as it should be" the glint in her eyes didn't go amiss by her husband's sapphire gaze, but he knew better than meddling with her business on some occasions. If anything, his life as a Nemesian second-born prince had been good training.
She straightened her bun, then patted at seemingly thin-air. Sub-Space-Pocket, how I love thee.
Time Gate surveillance system set. Check. Birthday gifts for Small Lady and Queen Serenity. Check. Parchment and frame. Check. Absolute Parma Violet hair-dye. Check. Lilac Tux paper model. Check. Yearly Green Jackets from the fangirls...
She glanced at the stunning picture her hubby and her twin children made. Fanon, how I love thee too. How could she not return the favour? Check.
She fumbled a bit more for the last, but not least, items. Ah, sweet revenge.
Four extra Green Jackets for the Shitennou. Check.
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AN: The plot-bunny was sparked by the '100 themes' drabble challenge, theme #41, for the 'UsakoMamoru' community, but soon grew way out of proportion (and out of track). And finally Setsuna stole the scene.
To all the Jadeite fans: please forgive me, I've exploited him mainly as a comic relief. ---bows---
Also:
Shitennou: Four Heavenly Kings
Henshin: transform
Aaand…
Can you tell which reborn characters are Setsuna's husband (easy) and children :) ?