Usagi studied the book in her hands with a puckered frown. She had been extremely careful to keep it hidden within her English book. This was for two reasons. One, the book was written in English, something that was frustrating to no end. However, it was one of the best modern day books of its kind, so she did the unthinkable; she studied English to properly translate it and work her way through it. She'd even snuck in after class to ask extra questions of Haruna-sensei, whom had practically feinted when Usagi first broached the subject. The teacher hadn't understood exactly why Usagi was so determined to the read the book, as it was of a subject that Haruna was absolutely certain Usagi could care less about, but she was glad the blond was finally taking initiative in her studies.
Ami was sitting across Usagi. She'd been practically spellbound the moment Usagi opened the book and began reading silently. She'd about combusted when Usagi even began jotting down notes.
Of the many months that they'd known each other, Ami came to the well versed understanding that Usagi would never be a scholar. Ever. There were just some things in life one had to accept, and she'd finally come to terms with that. And now this. A part of her wanted to jump to her feet and dance, but she was not accustomed to such frivolous activity and didn't see Usagi's change of behavior affecting hers that much. So, she watched with silent awe as Usagi patiently worked through her English book.
She knew the others wouldn't believe her. She was tempted to take a photo to prove it, but decided she didn't want to jinx whatever mysterious force had taken hold of the blond Odango. The original reason she thought Usagi had come here was to drag her out after a ten minute pretext of faux studying. As things went, this was a day to be remembered forever.
"Ami?" queried the blond, pulling her blunette friend out of her dazed stare. "What does this word mean?" Usagi had written a word on her notebook and slid it across the table for Ami to see.
Ami blinked several times. She couldn't believe her eyes.
Usagi's handwriting was improving! Had she truly been studying that much that her handwriting was now legible?!
"Ami?" The blond was growing concerned at her friend's unusually long silence.
The blue haired girl blinked. "Oh, forgive me! I was lost in thought. This word is 'trap'."
Usagi frowned. "Okay, so that's how it sounds, but what does it mean?"
Ami smiled. "It means to confine, to snare. It is to place a means to bind someone or something. It can also mean lying in wait to make a surprise attack." It was clear to the blunette that it wasn't quite sinking in. "Think of it this way. What does the Negaverse like to do best? They are trying so hard to catch us, and to do so, they make some elaborate plan to draw us out and attack us."
Usagi's blue eyes lit up. "You're right! Thank you!" She gave Ami a beaming smile before jotting down the answer and returning to her book.
Ami was starting to wonder if she'd hit her head sometime during their last battle.
Her hand was exploring her scalp for any signs of bumps or scabbing when Usagi snapped her book closed.
"Time for action!" stated the blond. She had an oddly determined look upon her visage.
"Action?" questioned Ami. She was hoping this was a sign Usagi was returning to normal.
Usagi nodded happily. "Yup! I have to prepare! I can't start anything until I have the right materials!" She gave Ami an exuberant thumbs up.
Those were not words Usagi was prone to using… EVER. "What are you preparing for?"
Usagi chuckled. "Well, I have to see if it will even work before I share my success!" She grabbed her school bag and slipped on her shoes.
Ami found herself fretting in the doorway, unsure if it was safe to let the blond wander off on her own in such a state. "Will you be careful?"
The blond laughed merrily. "Of course!" She waved energetically at her blue haired friend before taking off at a jog down the street.
Things did not improve at all.
Three days later, Makoto had called everyone on the communicator about a youma in a retail store selling cooking wares. The tall brunette had been there hoping to snag a good deal on the sales the store had announced that morning. Low and behold, a youma attacked. This one looked rather deadly with knives for hands and meat tenderizers for feet.
The four girls were quick to jump into the fray, as the downed civilians were clearly loosing vital amounts of energy. They were holding their own well, though Mars was sure to voice her disapproval of Sailor Moon's absence. Just when they were starting to push back the enemy, Zoisite appeared with a sneer.
"How boring. Are you not about finished?" He gave the youma a dark look.
The youma roared, sending a shower of sharp and pointy objects at the Senshi who dodged best they could. Zoisite laughed, happily lounging against a counter to watch the spectacle.
A shock of power made Zoisite flinch, moving just enough that a golden flare of energy only brushed his cheek instead of taking off his head. He leapt away in alarm, holding his bleeding face. Everyone in the room froze at his shout of pained rage.
"YOU!" he roared.
Sailor Moon stood with her hand outstretched to catch her tiara. She had a rather focused determination gathered around her, and she seemed a little miffed she'd missed. "Well, that plan didn't work as well as I had hoped."
"I'll kill you!" shouted Zoisite, hand twitching over his wound. He waved his free hand at Sailor Moon. "Destroy her!"
The youma responded instantly, charging the blond warrior with the singing sound of blades being drawn rapidly. Usagi, to the Senshis' horror, just stood there, arms crossed.
"Move you idiot!" shouted Mars, her voice shrill.
Just as the youma was within striking distance, Usagi smirked and tapped her foot on the ground.
Huge fifty pound sacks of flour began tumbling from the ceiling and right on top of the youma. Everyone gaped as the youma was beat mercilessly to the ground by the food product, Usagi readying her baton. With a simple quick incantation, the youma was no more.
Zoisite was beside himself. He couldn't even form coherent sentences. As soon as Usagi took a step towards him, he disappeared with a snap of his fingers.
The blond rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Coward," she muttered.
A squeal filled the air. "Oh my gosh! You totally kicked his butt!" Venus bound over energetically, arms splayed wide. She scooped Sailor Moon into a spinning hug before depositing her with a beaming smile. "I knew you had it in you!"
Moon blushed, scratching her head sheepishly. "I was only testing something out. I didn't know if it would work well." She looked up and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "It did work better than expected, though. I think I can start preparing for the real thing!" She thumped her fist in her palm. "Right! It should work perfectly!"
Venus blinked. "What would work perfectly?"
Moon smiled charmingly. "Ah, it will be so exciting! I can hardly wait!" Her eyes widened. "Oh! But that means I only have a few more days left!" She moaned and slapped her forehead. Her head snapped up, locking eyes with Venus with an intensity that made the other blond take a step back. "You must help me!"
"M-me?" stuttered Venus. She'd only just entered the group recently. Having Sailor Moon asking for her assistance was both flattering and confusing.
"Of course!" The Odango nodded sharply. "You're the only one!"
"Uh, sure! I don't mind at all!"
"Great!" She grabbed Venus' hand and drug her towards the exit.
The other Senshi stood gaping, completely blindsided by their leader's behavior. They exchanged worried looks.
Mercury sighed, drawing the others' attention. "I was hoping it had been a fluke."
"What are you talking about?" asked Jupiter.
The blunette shook her head. "She was acting very strange the other day. I had hoped it was just my imagination, but I'm starting to really get worried…"
Mars snorted. "Why should we worry? That's the first time she's taken this so seriously! I'm… actually kind of impressed." The raven haired girl gazed at the pile of flour still sitting on the floor.
Mercury frowned. "I understand that, but it is not normal. She has said many times that she doesn't like fighting, doesn't like being Sailor Moon. It is out of character for her to go above and beyond in any of these fights."
"I hate to say it, but she has a point," replied Jupiter. "This isn't like her. Do you think something's wrong?"
The blunette shook her head. "I wouldn't necessarily say wrong… just off. I feel we should keep a closer eye on her."
"It can't be that bad, can it?" questioned the brunette. She shifted her weight and crossed her arms with a frown. "If it's a good thing, I mean. Doesn't it help our situation?"
"Normally, I would say yes, but it's just… so sudden. I'm worried there's an outside force that's causing it." Mercury cupped her chin thoughtfully.
"She's with Venus, now, right? She'll keep an eye on her, won't she?" pushed Jupiter.
Mars frowned. "I hate to speak ill of her, but she is new to our group. She might not notice anything peculiar about Moon's behavior."
Mercury nodded. "A valid point as well."
The three exchanged looks and sighed.
"Well, this is getting us nowhere. We're just going to have to start keeping a closer eye on her." The raven haired girl gave the other two a pointed look.
Jupiter held up her hands. "Hey, don't give me that look. I'll do my part. We sit next to her in class, after all."
Mercury nodded. "She and I walk a similar path home, as well. I'm sure we'll have ample time to observe her."
Mars nodded. "Fair enough. If she stops by the Temple, I will see if I can spot anything suspicious too." She sighed. "Well, I will bid you two a good evening. I have chores to finish."
The other two nodded before leaping away. Mars watched them disappear before giving the flour one last final look. A small smile passed across her face before she leapt out a window in the other direction the other two had gone.
The next occurrence was even less expected than the previous two.
Usagi showed up to class on time.
Ami and Makoto almost hit the roof when they discovered the blond sitting demurely in her seat studying her English book.
Makoto moaned in despair. "It's true! Of all things sacred! Something is seriously wrong!"
A pale looking blunette gently patted her arm. "There, there… maybe we're reading too much into it."
The two of them completely missed the victorious look Haruna was giving Usagi.
Once class actually started, it kept getting more bizarre. Miss Haruna would call repeatedly on Usagi, who answered eagerly each time. During lecture, the blond was dutifully writing notes, notes without her usual doodles and chicken scratch. If Usagi got a question wrong, Miss Haruna was actually careful to explain the correct one to Usagi with a patience that was unheard of. The entire class was staring at the two like they'd been thrown into a twilight zone.
When class ended, Usagi volunteered to stay after to go over some of the class work.
The nurse that day was rather overworked as the entire student body from that class visited to make sure they weren't ill or hallucinating.
When Makoto and Ami arrived at the temple, minus two blonds, both whom said they had stuff to do, Rei thought Zombies had come to raid the place.
"Be gone foul creatures!" roared the priestess, slapping a specific paper slip onto their foreheads.
Both gave her baleful looks.
"Rei, do you do this to everyone who enters this place, or are we just special?" deadpanned Makoto. She pinched the paper and yanked it off her face.
Rei blinked several times. "You live?" Her eyes sparked. "Hey! If you two hadn't wandered in here like the walking dead, I wouldn't have reacted that way!"
"It's not our fault!" argued Makoto. "Usagi is creeping us out!"
The priestess stumbled. "What? What'd she do now?"
Ami looked up slowly, gently peeling the paper from her head as she did so. "She… was attentive, productive, enthralled…" she whispered.
Makoto nodded along with the blunette's comments. "It was like nothing we've ever seen. The entire class thought they were imagining things. The nurse told the principal to check in during lecture, and he reported back to her that nothing seemed unusual." She scratched her head with a sigh. "But he doesn't know Haruna Sensei and Usagi like we do…"
Minako came skipping up the steps that very moment. "Hi guys!" She stopped. "Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
Makoto looked like a thug, Rei gave off a rather threatening mysterious aura, and Ami's eyes were hidden behind the glare of her glasses.
Makoto was the one who stepped forward. "What's the deal with Usagi and Haruna-sensei?"
Minako laughed and waved her hand airily, a little on edge at their behavior. "That? Haruna-sensei said that she'd only help Usagi with her side studies if Usagi applied herself during class."
"Side studies?" questioned Ami, glasses glinting oddly in the afternoon light.
Minako swallowed nervously. "Yeah. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but Usagi is pretty determined about it. Why? Is that not normal?"
Mars gave her a level stare that was both breathtaking and terrifying. "It is not."
Minako began edging her way back down the stairs. "W-well… th-that's odd. Wonder what it's all about…"
"Minako…" murmured Makoto.
All three took a step forward.
A wail of terror peeled from the blond's lips as she turned tail and raced down the steps.
The others were hot on her heels. Minako lunged forward, a single ray of hope gleaming at her from the bottom of the steps.
"Saaaaaaaaaaaaave me Usagi!" wailed Minako, throwing herself behind the blond who was just about to climb the stairs to the temple.
Usagi froze as Minako trembled behind her. Towering above them, the other three Inner Senshi stood with eyes glowing dangerously.
Usagi huffed, breaking the standstill they'd gotten locked into.
"Seriously guys, what's your deal? Stop picking on Minako already. She's one of us!" The blond pushed her way through them, toting a still trembling Minako behind her. The three watched the blonds closely, unmoving for several breaths before they began following them back up the steps.
The group remained mute until they all seated themselves around their normal table, snacks splayed out before them.
Noticing no one looked ready to start the meeting, Usagi cleared her throat. "Alright, has anyone discovered anything new?"
"What, like that you managed to set a trap for the enemy that no one knew about?" snarked Rei.
"That?" Usagi rolled her eyes. "I already told you I was just testing something."
"That doesn't answer anything!" argued the priestess. "How did you even know they were going to be there?!"
"I set it up," promptly answered Usagi.
Everyone froze.
"Say again?" asked Makoto. "You did what?"
Usagi rolled her eyes. "I set it up. We all know they can't resist large gatherings of energy. So, I simply helped arrange a sale that would draw a large number of people and energy."
"How?" whispered Ami, eyes wide.
"Well, my mom was talking about a sale at a bakery down the street, so I brought it up casually near the manager that it would be nice if the store would host a sale before the bake sale so that we could buy stuff we needed before the bakery's sale started."
Ami's eyes fluttered while Makoto thumped her head against her palm. Rei just stared blankly at her.
"That's brilliant!" exclaimed Minako, clapping her hands together once. "Why didn't we think of that sooner?"
Usagi shrugged. "Actually, it was a bad idea. It puts people in harm's way needlessly. I mostly just wanted to see if they would take the bait. I don't plan on using that trick again."
Everyone gaped.
"You can't be serious!" exploded Rei, slamming her hands on the table. "It's the perfect opportunity to-!"
"To what?!" interrupted Usagi harshly. "Get more people hurt?! I don't think so! Naru and her mother were almost seriously injured, if not killed when their shop was attacked! I'm not going to purposely put people in such danger myself! If anything were to go wrong, we would be responsible for it!"
Rei's jaw worked soundlessly for a moment. Blue eyes met amethyst with frightening intensity. It was the raven haired girl who finally looked away.
"I'm sorry," murmured Rei. "You're right. It would not be right to intentionally put people's lives in danger. We're supposed to be preventing it."
Usagi gave her a soft smile. "Let's look at the bright side. We know what types of events to keep an eye on, now. We've interrupted them at different stages of such plans before, so it was more difficult to pin them down. With this, we know a weakness. We can use it to our advantage." She tapped the table thoughtfully. "I suggest we keep an eye on the bakery sale. We should also pay attention to other large gatherings, like concerts and festivals."
The others nodded.
Usagi grinned. "Well, I think we've got an idea where to start. I will check the newspaper ads, as my dad gets it delivered every morning."
"I will check bulletins on the internet," commented Ami, pushing her glasses up her nose. She'd forgotten to take them off earlier while in her daze.
Makoto grinned. "I'll keep an eye on the markets! I go there regularly, so I can keep an ear out for anything!"
Minako winked. "I will check magazines! There's always stuff going on in there!"
Rei nodded. "There isn't a lot for me to check. If you send me a heads up, I can compare notes so that we aren't talking about one event like it's two."
"Great!" Usagi claps. "We've got a plan! I'm going to head home. I have a lot to do!" She got to her feet and started heading for her shoes.
"Wait for me!" cried Minako. She wasn't ready to be alone with the other three, not so soon after their little confrontation. "We can talk about that thing!"
Usagi smiled. "Awesome! We'll see you guys later!" She waved for them both as they headed towards the temple steps.
The other three waved back robotically. They'd wanted to question the two further, but they'd gotten derailed by Usagi's admission.
Rei sighed heavily, sinking onto the tabletop. "When did she get so complicated?"
Makoto shrugged. "To be honest, I always thought she was complicated. I just didn't see her apply it often."
Ami slowly nodded. "That's true. There have been glimpses of it before, but nothing to this extent."
"Well, we didn't really learn a lot, but we definitely know something's up." Rei lifted her head. "We still keeping at it?"
Two firm nods answered her.
It was two days later that Rei got a chance to encounter Usagi. Sadly, it was only in passing. Rei was climbing the Temple steps after running errands for her grandfather. Laughter floated down from above, and she looked up to find Usagi waving goodbye to her grandfather. She stopped, waiting for Usagi to meet her on the stairs.
"Usagi? Um, if you give me a minute, I only have to put things away and we can talk."
The blond smiled. "Sorry, not that I don't want to talk, but I was only here for a quick visit."
"I'm sorry I wasn't here," began the priestess.
Usagi laughed. "Don't worry about it, Rei. I came to ask Grandpa some questions, that's all."
"Grandfather?" questioned the raven haired girl, brow puckering.
"Yup! He was very helpful!" Usagi scooted around Rei. "I hate to leave so quickly, but I have a lot of work to do! I'll see you tomorrow at the Meeting!"
Before Rei could protest, the blond was already hopping down the steps and away down the sidewalk. The priestess turned to find her grandfather still standing at the steps, watching the whole exchange with an oddly wide smile. When Rei reached his side, he took half of the bags in her hands.
"What did Usagi want?" she asked.
He smiled. "She just wanted to ask this old man some questions, that's all." He grinned up at her. "She's a very sweet girl. I like it when she visits."
Unsure what to make of the comment, Rei decided to let it slide.
It was the very next day, before the Meeting, Makoto received a surprise visit from the blond. She said she'd come to learn how to bake, and though Makoto knew Usagi's cooking skills were terrible, she was always willing to help anyway. The brunette began the daunting task of going through each step of making cookies with excruciating detail. She pointed each step out on paper and made Usagi repeat them aloud twice before making her do said step. It took three times as long as it would have if she'd done it herself, but she enjoyed herself thoroughly as the blond was paying decent amount of attention to what she was doing this time and asking questions when she was confused.
The end results were actually pretty good, and Makoto gave her stamp of approval even if the cookies were a little darker than normal.
Usagi was so excited she took a good portion of them with her. The rest, Makoto declared for the Meeting, as she'd already promised to bring snacks.
The Meeting ran smoothly this time. Every time they tried to question Usagi about her antics, she somehow managed to avoid the topic by bringing up a relevant one about the Negaverse. Once Ami and the others realized this, they were subtly impressed and yet more concerned. Minako was the only one unfazed by their interactions, and was happy to chat with her co-blond when the others were exchanging silent looks.
When it ended, Minako was the one to drag Usagi away. There was hardly time to exchange goodbyes before both blonds were already gone.
Three weeks passed without another seeming change to Usagi's new behaviors. Despite the fact they were odd, nothing new seemed to occur, giving the other Senshi a bit of relief.
They should have known not to let their guard down.
The first sign of trouble was Usagi's extra bag slung over her shoulder when she came to school. Ami and Makoto didn't really notice it because Minako was carrying one as well; they should have, but they were too busy talking about the way Haruna Sensei was practically singing in the front of the room.
The second sign was Usagi's large smile. It was huge. It probably should have broken her face, considering she wore it the entire day without once letting it dissolve. It didn't. It only seemed to get bigger, which was making other students give her odd looks. Ami and Makoto were discussing when the next Meeting should be held, as Ami had some extra tests coming up and Makoto was competing in a cook-off. Minako simply whispered things here and there to Usagi, who would giggle and nod.
Who the heck ignores the third sign? It's usually the most obvious. The THIRD sign was the man who greeted Usagi at the school gates, handing her a clipboard with a pen. She smiled widely at him and signed without hesitation. He bowed to her and handed her something before walking away. Minako squealed, and started racing Odango down the street. Ami and Makoto missed the exchange, and only saw the two blonds running off in the direction of the arcade. They took this as a good sign, and didn't think anything of it other than relief.
They headed towards the Temple, hoping to chat further with Rei and see if there was anything else concerning with Usagi's behavior. There hadn't been anything they'd noticed, so they hoped that maybe they could relax and just accept this new side of their blond friend and be done with it.
Along the way, they stopped for some tea, enjoying the warm weather and chatting about things that didn't involve Usagi or Senshi duties.
It was only this reason Rei was alone to deal with the consequences.
Cresting the top of the Temple steps, the raven haired priestess felt an odd sensation cross her skin. It felt like a blanket of magic just ghosted over her, making the hair on her neck and arms rise. She perched carefully on the cusp of the Temple grounds, eyes carefully scanning the area. Her school bag was clutched tightly, knuckles white from the strength of her grip. The wind sent her plaid skirt and hair tossing.
When it stilled, she sensed something coming at her. She moved her hand instinctively to catch it. She flinched when an unexpected softness met her hand. Turning, her jaw dropped to find a red Camellia in her hand. She blinked at it several times, befuddled. Her eyes rose, searching once more her surroundings.
A jingle of bells lilted through the grounds, and like a signal, a small flash burst forth and sent the feeling of magic cascading everywhere at once. Rei fell into a defensive pose, arms up… only for her arms to drop just as quickly; her bag landed on the ground with a thump.
The entire temple grounds were covered in red white amaryllis. Oddly, as amaryllis was not ones to carry much of a scent, the scent of lilac filled the air instead.
Rei spun in a circle in awe.
The breeze picked up again, creating a swirl of red and white petals everywhere. Rei stilled, eyes going wide. Slowly, she turned.
Sitting in a traditional seiza, Usagi was demurely positioned in the middle of the path leading to the temple. She was dressed in a kimono of elegant design, mostly of a pale red that had white and golden cranes embroidered beautifully along the hem and up across the back to her right shoulder. Her hair had been painstakingly coiled in Kanzashi style with two small flower accents. Her face had been delicately touched with small traces of makeup, bringing stark contrast to her eyes that looked like pure unblemished lapis lazuli.
Said eyes lifted from the ground to lock Rei within their grasp.
She forgot how to breathe.
Rising with a grace that was ethereal, Usagi slowly made her way closer to the enthralled priestess. When she was five feet away, she bowed low. It allowed the blond's scent to catch on the wind and waft over to the rigid figure of Rei. The raven haired girl's eyes fluttered when the peachy vanilla scent teased her senses.
A slim hand came into view, drawing Rei's attention. A single finger gently brushed the petals of the camellia in the priestess' hand. "Did you like my gift?" Her voice was soft, smooth; it held traces of mystery and promise.
Rei lifted the flower, eyes taking in the curve of the petals, the vibrancy of their color. "It's beautiful…"
"It suites you well," responded Usagi, a serene smile warming her face and eyes sparkling.
Rei's brow puckered, mouth dry. "What does it mean?" she asked, voice husky. She was certain her hands were trembling.
Usagi's smile became radiant. Rei thought she'd gone blind, as the rest of the world faded to nothing.
The blond leaned forward to place a chaste kiss upon the petals of the flower. "Flame of my heart," she murmured, lips caressing the petals with each word.
The priestess was certain her own heart just stopped beating entirely.
"May I offer you a treat?" asked the blond. She pulled a small red bag from her obi. She untied the strings and drew out a small cookie. "I'm afraid I am no pastry chef, but this batch came out well enough."
Rei instinctually opened her mouth as the blond lifted the small cookie to her lips. It was not the most amazing cookie she'd ever eaten, but it was the best tasting cookie she knew Usagi had ever created.
A small hand brushed the crumbs from her lips, and she inhaled sharply at the soft touch. The fingers lingered a moment on her cheek, blue eyes locked with amethyst.
"Angel…" The word slipped from Rei's tongue before she even was conscious she'd been thinking it.
A beautiful pink blossomed across Usagi's cheeks. Before either of them could register what was happening, Rei leaned forward and kissed the blond's flush cheek. A soft sigh brushed past the raven haired girl's ear, causing her to smile as she pulled away.
This was the part where Ami and Makoto had walked in. They stood gaping at the scene before them, thinking they'd walked into a romance movie set.
Makoto misjudged her footing on the last step and fell face first onto the ground.
The noise broke the atmosphere that had been so heavy around them, drawing everyone's attention.
Despite all of her struggling, Usagi couldn't contain the guffaws that burst from her loudly. It was one thing to momentarily play the role of elegance, and entirely another to live it continuously.
Luckily, Rei chuckled beside her as Ami hastily tried to help the tall brunette to her feet. Giggling to their right found Minako holding an armful of amaryllis and watching the scene with equal amusement.
Once everyone calmed, they found themselves seated around the table in their normal positions, except Usagi was sitting rather intimately close to Rei.
Ami was the first to lock Usagi with a demanding stare. "What is all of this? What brought it about?"
Usagi blushed, scratching the back of her head. "Well, I really admire my mom and dad's relationship… They're really close, you know? I decided to ask my dad how he managed to get mom's attention."
Ami's brows drew together, her mind already starting to pull pieces of the puzzle together. "What did he say?" she asked.
"Well, he said it took a while to hunt her. Said she was feisty, and that the key to catching your prey was to be patient and know their habits, their preferences. He said it was very important." Usagi nodded sagely.
"Ah!" Ami said loudly, thumping her fist in her palm. "That's what the English hunting book was for! You took him literally!"
Usagi gave her a strange look. "Of course! It was very informative. It took me a while to understand, but I managed to lay out a proper trap after testing it."
The others now were looking at her strangely.
"You… literally hunted her?" asked Minako. At Usagi's nod, she had sparkles in her eyes. "Wow! Just like a great romance novel!"
The last three now gave both blonds weird looks.
Rei's eyebrow twitched. "So all that strange behavior and studying was to 'catch' me?"
"Of course! Do you know how hard it was to pull it off?! You're complicated! I had a lot to learn!" Usagi threw her hands up. "Months! Months of hard work!"
Rei's face was contorted with indecision whether she was touched or irritated with the fashion the blond had approached her 'courting'.
Usagi already knew what she was thinking however. "Rei," she said lowly, drawing the raven haired girl's attention. "I would hope that you appreciate the time and effort I put in to this." Her voice was velvet. "I would think it shows how much I value you, and how far I'm willing to go to grab your attention." She caressed Rei's jaw.
The other three were blushing nearly as much as Rei was.
"O-of course!" stuttered Rei.
The blond smiled sweetly and placed a kiss on the girl's cheek. "Good." She giggled. "Because you're a catch I'm not willing to let go."
Minako's perverse giggle rang through the entire Temple.
A/N: I'm starting to wonder if plot bunnies are just continuously stalking me and wait until my guard is down, or if they just like attacking me in general because I humor their rabid assaults. This is another one of those. It was supposed to be an Usagi POV type of story, but it ended up being third person again... and not at all what I'd been thinking to start with. And... you can blame those darned bunnies for distracting me from my other stories. I've been meaning to update others, but these fluffy bits of horror are insistent little bastards...
Anyway, hope you find it humorous. -salute-