Author's Notes:
I hold no rights to PGSM, or any of the wonderful characters who were orginially created by Takeuchi Naoko. This story was written for fun, and to answer the December 2005 pgsm-fanfiction DOT net fic challenge "SNOW" I just realized that it's one of the few stories I have over there that I did not mirror here, so decided to rectify that as it is also being currently worked on, as I endeavor to finish certain plot-bunnies before starting any new ones.
I also must say a thank you also to: tdrfan DOT com because their wonderful website helped me check I was describing Tokyo Disney correctly.
It's a rare day: Usagi is up early not on a school day, and also cheery about it; but then we are going to a theme park. Disneyland, to be exact.
"Where are they? Where are they?" We're the first ones at CROWN. Our usual meeting spot. Waiting for Makoto, Minako and Mamoru.
Rei is exempt because of shrine obligations, despite Level 3 cajoling from Usagi for several days.
"At least you can make it this time," Usagi declares, apparently having been rambling about Rei while I've been reading, "Maybe I'll call her..."
I'm wondering if I made the right decision to come, myself. At this point Makoto arrives, brushing herself down, apparently trying to restore warmth, "It's getting cold..." she remarks, full body shiver to emphasize, "I saw Mamoru pulling up..."
Usagi barrels up the stairs past her.
"You okay?" she asks.
I nod, "Mmmm..." close my book and put it in my purse.
"It'll be fine. The last time we went to a theme park it was really fun."
"Except for the youma?"
She shrugs, "Off chance that something does show up we're more than capable to kick it's ass," she turns as I come up the steps and we start the short walk to the outside, "besides things have been quiet the past few months since..."
None of us talk about the almost-end-of-the-world. It's an unwritten rule.
Outside, it is getting chilly. The air nips and bites. Usagi has her arms around Mamoru's waist, hands buried in his back pockets. Her nose going slightly pink, "Minako-chan's circling the block," she says, giggling and a cloud of air showing from her mouth, "Come on!"
In a few minutes we're all piling into Minako's car, rubbing chill from our arms, and trying not to fall into the middle of the seats. Minako slides easily over to make room, glances from one to another, to another and tactfully doesn't bring up Rei's absence and set Usagi off again,
"Does anyone else think it looks like snow?" she asks, "S'a bit weird, huh?"
"Oh, I hope it does!" Usagi remarks, leaning into Mamoru as the car turns a corner, "Imagine how romantic the park will look in the snow."
"It's not unheard of for us to get snow..." I point out, trying not to let the worry resurface. Things can be nice. Not every random occurance has to be something sinister, but we do all tend to have these moments of 'it's too quiet', "It just doesn't happen very often."
"Rei is going to be so disappointed she missed out on the trip," Usagi continues, "We'll have to take lots of pictures! I should call her, maybe we can pick her up on the way?"
"She's busy, Usagi-chan," Mamoru clasps his hands over Usagi's to prevent her opening her phone, "Best not to annoy her."
Insert characteristic Usagi pout, "but she's missing out."
"Mamoru-san is right," Minako says, "She's working. It's not polite to bug her. Maybe we can call her around lunch time instead?"
Makoto steps in with distraction, thankfully, by suggesting a travel game, which keeps Usagi in particular busy until we join the line to get into the parking place. Here Minako having VIP access becomes very handy, the roads are extremely busy, and if we'd come by ourselves, well, we would have probably taken the train anyway, so it might have been easier. We slip away to the side away from the main traffic, and find ourselves parking almost immediately, very close to the entry to the park, and we walk our way up.
"I think we should go to Fantasyland first..." Usagi says, "I want to see the castle up close. I wonder if it's like the place on the Moon?"
"It's made after the Disney film isn't it? Did that remind you?" Makoto asks.
Minako scrapes her hair up into a hat, and puts on glasses. She's dressed slightly away from normal today, wearing a slightly oversize blue tank top with a screen print of Keropi on it, over the top of a pale orange sweater, rather than her normal black and white, and jeans.
"But we can still go there first, right?" she looks pleadingly towards Mamoru.
"It's up to everyone else..." he says, pulling his jacket more tightly around himself.
All of our noses are pink, I can see, and the sky is very grey. As we walk to the ticket line with the passes, we had pre-ordered, we notice other people complaining to each other and bouncing up and down in line trying to keep warm. We've just made it through the entry gate, and are waiting for maps from the vendor on the other side of the booth, when the first flakes start to fall. Slowly at first, drifting like feathers on the wind, and then with more vigor, soon the top of Minako's hat is dusted with sparkling frost, and it catches in our hair and eyebrows, and on our jackets.
"I should have brought those mittens you made me," Usagi complains shaking her fingers around and then clasping her hands to her face to blow on them.
Makoto nods in agreement, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket after she has wrestled the zipper closed, "Maybe the first thing we should do is go to a store and get some hot drinks..." she says, "and then we can go to the castle."
We don't take long to agree.
We find a small cafe with no problem. According to the maps there are many littered around the side streets, charging extortionate prices for small portions of familiar drinks with styalized names. We huddle inside, watching the attendants bustling about, one of them, is fiddling, arguing with, and threatening the thermostat.
Another more than willingly serves us steaming mugs of cocoa and coffee, which make our fingers tingle painfully as they restore warmth.
"Can't you do something about this?" Makoto murmurs to me, only half joking, as she passes her cup from hand to hand trying to spare her fingers.
"But you're weather..." I point out, although I know what's coming.
"Thunderstorms, lightening mostly," she reminds.
"You do have water, and snow..." Minako puts in.
"I know, water in it's three states, theoretically," I nod. If anyone knows Boyle's laws, it's me, "but we're incognito...and it's really not fair to use such a thing for personal gain like that..."
Minako giggles, "But all the other patrons would benefit too," she chides, as we go back outside, with what's left of our drinks and try to manage swallowing the hot liquid without scalding ourselves and before it cools in the weather.
The snow is falling very thickly, and the people wandering around look very sluggish and melancholy. I try to think back to the last time I remember there being a snowstorm of this ilk. I was very young, but the people seemed to be enjoying things more in line with Usagi's enthusiasm than these people are...
"If you were smiling and happy you'd be a lot warmer!" Our princess chides a gentleman who is less than thrilled with having to wait two seconds for us to move aside and let him by.
"Maybe it's just Disney," Makoto says, when I mention this to her.
"It's supposed to be the happiest place on earth," Usagi says.
"Maybe just in California," Mamoru answers.
Usagi gives him a look.
He shrugs in response.
"Ami-chan?" Minako asks.
I sigh, "I hate to say it but something does feel 'not right'," I glance around, "I'd like to think I'm being paranoid..."
Minako gets out her compact.
"If we take things systematically we can still make it by the castle," Mamoru remarks, nudging Usagi playfully.
"It would be the best for it's location..." I concur, looking at the map.
"I told Rei-chan she had to come with us!" Usagi points out, "But, no, nobody listens to me. If she was here we'd have everyone to fight this...possible thing..."
"It's not as if we planned on there being a youma attack, and we've fought youma before without all of the senshi," Makoto chides.
Usagi pouts at her, and then at Mamoru when he laughs at her face. We gather into a tight group to try and fight the wind and weather, and then we continue on, to the next section of the park. Hoping against hope that there really isn't anything sinister going on.