A/N: So this was originally supposed to be a "short-story." Soon as I actually started to write it though, it took a life of its own. This is largely inspired by one of my best friends. She's my real life Seiya and has been going through some tough times, so I originally wrote this to try and cheer her up. We both adore Usagi and Seiya together, so I thought a bit of cute would do her some good. She encouraged me to put this up here, so. Enjoy! Comments/feedback always welcome.
It had been a rough few weeks.
The Sailor Senshi's new enemy they learned had the ability to bring back enemies of their past. Any and all of them.
So not only were they currently fighting the new enemy, but also the old enemies that they were calling back. That meant having to deal with some ghosts of their past they thought they had already conquered.
As if that all weren't bad enough, Usagi had been acting a bit off in the past few months. They had tried to poke and prod to see what was the matter, but to the best that they knew their princesses lips had remained sealed. All they could do was try and chase away the raincloud that seemed to be hanging over her head. Whatever was bothering her hadn't interfered with her ability to fight at least, so that was something.
Usagi and the others, minus Mamoru who was studying late at his University, had all gathered at Haruka and Michiru's house one night for an impromptu senshi night. Things had been a stressful so they'd gotten together to have a nice dinner together. They had only gotten to see much of each other when the enemy was causing problems. That meant they hadn't gotten to just hang out and spend time with each other.
"This was a good idea, Koneko-chan," Haruka spoke up, smiling over at Usagi.
Beaming, Usagi nodded, helping to wash the dishes. She hadn't been allowed near the food, for fear she would burn it, so she'd happily taken clean-up duty.
"Thank you, Haruka-san," she beamed, turning back to the sink full of soapy dishes. It was quiet for a few as she hummed to herself.
Quietly, the other senshi gathered in the living room all exchanged happy glances to hear a note of happiness in Usagi's voice.
"Mako-chan, your cake smells so good!" Minako cooed, inhaling deeply. "How much longer do we have to wait?" She whined, earning laughter from the others at her impatience.
"You sound like Usagi," Makoto teased, glancing at the clock to check though. "About ten more minutes until they're out. Then twenty minutes to cool and ten to frost. Sorry."
Mina just pouted and sunk down deeper in the couch. "You're lucky it's more than worth the wait!"
Michiru laughed and shifted to settle against Haruka's side. "This is nice," she whispered to her lover, leaning up to place a soft kiss to her cheek. "Long overdue."
The blond nodded, draping an arm around her shoulders to tug her even closer. "I think it was just what everyone needed," she agreed.
"Go ahead and start the movie without me," Usagi called from the kitchen. "I forgot how many dishes get dirty when we all get together!" She laughed, happily going back to her task.
Ami, sitting closest to the TV, got up from her spot on the floor. "We decided on this one, right?" She asked, holding up the case for a light, romantic comedy movie. Something happy and funniwardsy was just what the doctor ordered for the senshi to get their spirits high again. Waiting until she'd gotten nods of confirmation, Ami plucked out the DVD and set in in the tray, glancing up when she heard a knock at the front door.
Turning towards Haruka and Michiru, Ami frowned. "We're not being too loud, are we?" She asked, afraid it was maybe neighbors or something to complain.
"Nah. We're far enough away the nearest neighbors would only hear us if we were having a wild party. And as much as we are a wild bunch," Haruka laughed, reluctantly untangling herself from Michiru. "I think we're just fine. I'll go see who it is."
The girls left in the room didn't pay much attention to who could be at the door until they heard Haruka's voice.
"What are you doing here?"
"Well that can't be a good sign," Rei mused, getting to her feet to sneak a peek at who had gotten Haruka so unhappy.
"Can see you never got much better at greeting people," an all too familiar voice laughed out.
The voice echoed down the hallway and reached Usagi's ears all the way in the kitchen. The glass she'd been drying slipped from her grasp and fell, shattering on the floor.
"Usagi?" A chorus of her friend's voices called out to her.
"F-Fine!" She called back, kneeling down without thinking to begin to pick up the broken glass. She shaking and slippery hands weren't cooperating with her, causing her to slip and cut the palm of her hand open on one of the shards of glass. "Ah!" She winced, looking around for a napkin or paper towel to place over the cut.
"Maa, Odango still just as clumsy hm?"
Usagi froze, blue eyes widening as her head spun. She knew that voice. Could never forget it. But why was she there?
"Hey!" Haruka shouted, right behind Seiya. "I didn't say you could come in!"
"Relax, would you? I heard the glass falling. I wanted to check on her."
"We can check on her just fine ourselves."
"Oh yeah? Then you might want to get to checking since she's bleeding." Smugly, Seiya grinned at Haruka before turning to go around to see to Usagi.
Twitching, Haruka just glared daggers at her back. "Pain in the ass," she muttered, turning to go back to the others. "Well since Seiya just barged in you may as well all come in too," Haruka conceded, clearly not too thrilled with the idea.
Sheepishly, Taiki stepped into the room, managed to look a little embarrassed for the brazenness of her fellow Starlight. "Sorry about her," Taiki apologized, smiling and looking at the others.
"Don't apologize for her," Yaten spoke up, shaking her head. "Yo." Giving a wave, green eyes surveyed the room, lingering for a few seconds on the one she'd been hoping most to see. "Long time no see."
"No kidding," Makoto said, looking over the group.
Kakyuu stepped up, smiling some. "We didn't mean to show up without announcing ourselves, but. We only just got here and wanted to see you all."
Hotaru tilted her head to one side, regarding the three women. "It's weird to see you all as women again," she mused, earning mildly appalled looks from Michiru and Setsuna. Haruka on the other hand just laughed. "Well it is!" Hotaru huffed.
Taiki smiled and nodded. "For now. If we're going to stay here for a little while, we'll likely use the Three Lights ruse again," she explained, eyes going over to Ami and smiling as she said, "We've missed you."
Pink dusted Ami's cheeks and she looked away.
"Regardless of Haruka's cold welcome, most of us missed you too," Rei smiled. "What brings you all back? Is everything alright?"
Michiru reached up to take Haruka's hand, pulling her back to sit beside her on the couch. "If we're going to chat, why don't you all sit and make yourselves comfortable," she suggested, smiling and keeping a hold of Haruka's hand to keep her comments to herself. For now.
"Thank you," Kakyuu smiled, moving over to sit in an open chair. Taiki drifted over and settled herself beside Ami on the floor while Yaten happily squeezed herself between Mina and Rei.
In the kitchen, Seiya was applying gentle pressure to the gash on Usagi's palm while sighing. "Should be more careful, Odango," she chided gently, lifting her eyes to look into hers. "Figures you're hurt the first time I get to see you again," she laughed. "Stay here and keep pressure on it, alright? I'm going to go brave it and ask Haruka for her first aid kit. Be right back." Winking, Seiya stood to move into the living room. "Oi! Grumpy blond," she joked, moving over. "Odango cut her hand nicely. Do you have a first aid kit I could use to patch her up?"
Haruka eyed the black-haired Starlight for a moment, before sighing. "Yeah." Turning, she pointed down the hall. "Second door on the left, beneath the sink." The slightest smile showed on her face, grateful to Seiya for playing nurse even if the Starlight got under her skin easily. "Thanks."
Nodding happily, Seiya went off in search of the kit.
"So why the sudden visit?" Makoto asked, wanting to know what was up.
"We heard about your new enemy," Kakyuu explained, her hands moving to fidget with the skirt of her dress. "Not that we don't have faith in your powers, but. If this enemy were to bring Galaxia back…," her voice trailed off as she shook her head. "I couldn't help but worry and it had been a while since we'd visited. So. We thought we'd stop by to make sure things were alright."
Silence settled over the others as they nodded. "Can't blame you for being concerned about that," Ami said.
"How bad has it been?" Taiki asked, concerned eyes looking over the blue haired girl.
"Well we're still in one piece. But having to fight old demons hasn't been very fun," she explained. "Sooner this is over, sooner we'll all be happier."
"Well hopefully we can lend a helping hand," Yaten said, smiling. "I mean. If Haruka won't murder us." She smiled, eyeing the blond.
"You've proven to not be completely useless," Haruka said smugly, eyeing the silver-haired Starlight. "So I guess it would be alright."
"Oh how very gracious of you!" Yaten mocked, laughing.
"Odango," Seiya said, carefully wrapping her hand without looking up to meet her eyes. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" She asked.
"I didn't…I didn't think we'd ever see any of you again." She admitted voice quiet. "So seeing you is just…I wasn't expecting it."
"Ah." Nodding, she secured the bandage. "Sorry for the shock then," she apologized, lifting Usagi's hand to press a gentle kiss over the cut.
Color flooded Usagi's cheek as she looked at Seiya in amazement. After all this time she could still be so sweet, and could still so easily fluster her. "Thank you, Seiya," she smiled.
Nodding, she got to her feet. "Just be more careful next time, hm?"
Usagi too stood, putting a glove over her cut hand so she could quickly finish the dishes. "It's nice to see you again," she admitted, smiling just a little more.
"You too, Odango."
So easily the Starlights and their princess integrated themselves back into the senshi's lives. They stayed the night, watching the movie and sharing Makoto's delicious cake. Throughout the night, Taiki seemed to settle closer and closer to Ami while Yaten was inching her arm around Minako's shoulders. The others just pretended that they weren't seeing a thing. It was clear that no matter how long they'd been away, no one had forgotten about them.
Enjoying the surprise and each other's company, the senshi pulled out blankets and pillows and settled down to watch the next movie in line. It was getting late and there was a pretty high likelihood the girls would be fast asleep before the next movie was even half way through. But Haruka and Michiru had insisted their friends stay the night and make it a true sleepover. Haruka, with gentle prodding from her lover, had even extended the invitation to the Starlights and their princess. Having them there seemed to brighten their spirits and Haruka didn't have the heart to put an end to that. They all deserved a little happiness.
Half-way through the movie, Haruka and Michiru got to up head to their own room for a little privacy. Before heading to bed though, Haruka moved over to the sleeping Hotaru and gently lifted her up. They'd taken on a family dynamic, with Michiru and Setsuna serving as mother figures while Haruka took on the role of a father. It was odd perhaps, but it worked for them.
Carrying the sleeping girl up to her room, Haruka tucked her into bed and kissed her hair. "Sweet dreams, Hotaru," she whispered, turning around to see a smirking Michiru in the doorway. "What?" She demanded.
"You've gotten so soft," Michiru teased, turning to head to their room.
"Think I'll need to prove otherwise," Haruka countered, eyeing her lover as she followed her into their room.
Setsuna had followed them up to settle Hotaru in her bed. Although the girl was now a teenager, the three women fussed plenty on her as if she truly were their daughter. Watching the other two retreat to their room, Setsuna just shook her head. "Keep it down," she warned them with a smile. "We have company after all."
In the living room, the girls were all in varying degrees of consciousness.
Mina was curled up against Yaten's side, the silver-haired Starlights arms wrapped around the blond. On the floor, Ami and Taiki were laying curled up, Ami's head resting on Taiki's chest. Makoto was snuggled up in a chair under a small pile of blankets and Usagi was curled up in the corner of one of the couches, Kakyuu sound asleep on the other end.
The only ones left awake were Rei and Seiya, both of whom were laughing quietly at the fact they were had out-lasted the rest.
"Guess they finally realized how they really felt about each other?" Rei asked, nodding towards the two pairs curled up with each other.
"Guess so," Seiya chuckled, shaking her head. "Never would have thought. Guess being away for so long made them get their heads out of their asses, huh?"
"Better late than never, right?" Rei asked with a smile.
Seiya nodded, her eyes moving over to Usagi with a sad sort of smile. "Rei," she started, looking over to the raven-haired girl, "Where is Mamoru?"
Frowning, Rei sighed. "Usagi said that he's at the university. Studying late."
"Oh?" Seiya asked, not liking the hesitation with which the girl had answered her question.
"Yeah," Rei answered too quickly this time, smiling and nodding. "He's very busy trying to become a doctor. So he has to study very hard. When he's not studying, he's working at the hospital."
"Has…," Seiya paused, struggling to find the right words. "Is Usagi alright?" She finally asked, eyes drifting back to the sleeping princess. "She seems off."
"She has been. But we're not quite sure what's going on," Rei said. "She'll be just fine though. This new enemy just has us all a bit out of sorts." Dark eyes looked over Seiya, suspicion shining behind them. "You've missed her, haven't you?"
"Of course I have," she said, blushing brightly enough for the color to be seen even in the dim light of the television. "But she's not mine to miss is she?"
"Still. I think she's happy to see you." Looking over to Usagi's sleeping form. "Been a while since we've seen her smile like that."
"Well. Not sure how long we'll be here."
"We'll take what we can get," Rei assured her. "How've things been for you all?"
"Well. We'd have liked to come back much sooner, I'll say that much. But…," voice trailing off she looked over to her own princess. "She hasn't wanted to let us out of her sight. I think she's afraid we'll fall too much in love with it here on Earth. Which, being back now, I can see why she worried so much."
Rei just kind of looked at Seiya, nodding a little. "Either way. We're glad to have you all back. Even if it's under these circumstances."
"With us here, we'll help you get rid of this new enemy," Seiya promised, smiling. "Sweet dreams, Rei." Standing, Seiya moved over to curl up on the floor in front of Usagi, wanting to keep close to her. Something was off with the moon princess and Seiya was going to keep an eye on her until she figured it out.
The next few days after that were relatively quiet. The Starlights went back to parading as the Three Lights and moved back into an apartment with their princess, saying she was their sister who wanted to stay near her brothers this time. Their fans bought it thankfully.
Their new enemy had been lying low, so the other girls had been enjoying a bit of peace and quiet.
The Starlights had enrolled themselves in the university they all attended, wanting to keep close to the girls and to keep up appearances. Mina and Yaten were still quite close, earning plenty of dirty looks from Yaten's fans. Ami and Taiki were thankfully more subtle and had avoided detection by the fans so far.
Seiya was back to his usual antics of flirting with and keeping close to Usagi. They'd been back on Earth for about a week and Seiya had yet to see Mamoru. And that just didn't settle well with him.
"Maa, Odango come get lunch with me!" Seiya said, falling into step beside the blond with a big goofy grin.
"Won't that make your fans jealous?" Usagi asked, looking up and eyeing him.
"So what?" He grinned more, being bold and settling an arm around her shoulders. "That boyfriend of yours isn't around to stop me."
A wince flickered over her features and Usagi looked away, head lowered. "No…he's not." The hurt was clear enough in her voice that it made Seiya stop and look at her.
"Usagi?" Seiya sighed and stopped, turning to settle a hand on both her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. "What's going on with you, Odango?" Concern laced his voice as he searched her eyes. "You look so sad."
Usagi averted her eyes, not wanting to look at Seiya's. If she did, she was almost positive she'd cave and tell him everything. "Let…Let's get lunch!" Usgai proposed, twisting out of Seiya's grasp to instead grab his hand. "Come on. I know a little place not far from here. They have the best American food!" She gushed, grinning as she tugged him along. She couldn't break. Not now when they still didn't know what their enemy was up to.
For now, he let the diversion slide. Seiya would just hope Usagi would decide to open up to him soon.
"Ooh I'm so late!" Usagi muttered to herself, pulling her phone out to look down at the time. She'd promised the others she'd meet them at the temple to discuss "Rei's going to be so mad!" She huffed, shifting her bag higher up on her shoulder and stepping up the pace. She'd been staying late with a tutor to help her in her math class. She wasn't doing badly, but she wanted to be doing better. The tutor session just ran later than she'd expected.
As she turned onto the street the temple was located on, she found herself face to face with what they had gathered to be one of the minions of their new enemy.
"Out all alone?" She asked. The woman was eerily tall and dressed from head to toe in orange. Her hair was a violent shade of green and she spoke with venom to match the color. "That's just too perfect." She grinned. "I brought an old friend of yours to play with. Just for you," a girlish grin that didn't fit with her face issued from her lips. "I hope you have fun."
Usagi had immediately gone on the offensive, instantly clasping the broach at her chest. "Moon Eternal… Make Up!" She shouted, knowing that with so many questions left unanswered about this enemy she couldn't risk not taking quick action.
"Oh I don't think that will help you much," she simpered, snapping her fingers. On cue, a mist seemed to issue up from the ground. The mist solidified, and Akumuda stood in front of Eternal Sailor Moon.
Eyes widening, she instantly recognized the monster. It was one of the sisters of the Black Moon had used on her to lull her into a deadly sleep. Well not this time. "I know his tricks!" Sailor Moon shouted while taking a few steps backward. "I won't fall for it again!"
"Oh I'm sure," the woman sighed. "You are smart sometimes. I sadly have to give you at least that much credit."
Huffing, Sailor Moon glared at the woman. "I'm very smart thank you!"
"Then you should be able to guess that we've given Akumuda a little power boost here," she grinned. "But since you're so smart, I'm sure you already knew you'd have a much harder time dealing with him now."
The color drained out of Sailor Moon's face as she looked around. She was only three blocks away from the temple. She knew the others would catch on and be there before any damage was done.
"So. I'll leave you to play with your old friend!" The woman grinned, waving a hand. "I hope we won't be seeing each other again." And with another snap of her fingers, she had disappeared in a fog.
"Sailor Moon," the wavering voice of Akumuda addressed her. "It's been so long. How have you been sleeping?" The monster moved closer to Sailor Moon, looking her over. "You have bags under your eyes. Something troubling you?"
"S-Shut up!" Sailor Moon huffed, glaring at the monster and backing away.
"I could make it all better for you," Akumuda assured, following after her. "You could escape into a sweet, sweet world of dreams. Nothing would bother you. You could just rest peacefully."
"I don't want to sleep! I slept in this morning and was late for class! No more sleeping!"
"But you look so tired," Akumuda said, his voice beginning to work its magic over Sailor Moon. "It would help you feel so much better," he soothed, eyes fixing on Sailor Moon's to further lull her to a deadly sleep.
"I feel…just fine!" She struggled to form the sentence as suddenly her eyes felt heavier than they should. "H-Hey! Stop that." Holding her ground, she pulled out her scepter. "You're not-"
"Just relax." He cut her off, advancing on her the whole time. "Relax and just sleep. Take a break. You've been fighting so hard."
Sailor Moon wavered on her feet, knees giving out and falling forward. Catching herself, she shook her head to try and force herself awake. "It's not…going to work…" She gritted out.
"Oh it already has, sweet princes," the monster cooed. "You're already deep under my spell. If you fight less, you'll be able to sleep that much sooner."
"N-Never," she choked out, forcing her body to remain upright.
"Too late," Akumuda said, reaching a hand to touch the top of her head. "Time to sleep."
"No," she groaned out, but the moment his hand touched her head she fell to the side, limped.
The others arrived just in time to see her fall.
"Sailor Moon!" They yelled in chorus, running up.
"That's that thing that put her to sleep!" Sailor Jupiter shouted, twitching at the memory.
"To sleep?" Sailor Uranus asked, looking to the brunette confused. "That was before our time."
"Take him out first then we'll explain," Sailor Mars said. "And whatever you do, don't listen to his voice!"
"Or look into his eyes!" Sailor Mercury added in.
Sailor Star Fighter wasted no time, spurred on by seeing Sailor Moon lying still on the ground. Not moving. The sooner they got rid of this guy, the sooner they could help Sailor Moon.
"Star Serious Laser!" She shouted, blasting the monster back off its feet. "Whatever you did to her…un-do it!"
Akumuda just grinned. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." He snickered.
"Jupiter Oak Evolution! "Sailor Jupiter's attack knocked Akumuda back down in his attempts to get up.
"Just finish him off so we can save Sailor Moon!" Sailor Mercury spoke up. "So long as he's around we're at risk. And we can't save her if we're asleep too."
Sailor Mars nodded, wasting no time. "Mars Flame Sniper!" She shouted aiming right for the monsters head. She had no time to waste messing around.
"Uranus World Shaking!"
"Neptune Deep Submerge!"
"Pluto Dead Scream!"
The three outers all combined their attacks to result in one kick-ass attack.
Akumuda let out a blood-curdling scream. "She won't wake up just because I'm gone!" In the blink of an eye Akumuda had dissolved into nothing but dust, being blown away easily by the wind.
Once they were sure he was gone, they all rushed over to Sailor Moon's side.
"You don't think he was telling the truth, do you?" Sailor Venus' voice was strained with concern.
"I don't know. We killed him. So shouldn't that negate whatever he did to her?"
Sailor Uranus knelt down and lightly shook Sailor Moon. "Usagi!" She shouted, shaking her again. "Usagi wake up! This isn't funny!"
Sailor Mercury moved to settle beside Sailor Moon, a hand reaching out to her. "She's…she's getting cold again!" Mercury said, a note of panic in her voice.
Mars narrowed her eyes. "That creepy glow is surrounding her too," she said, looking towards the other Inner senshi who were there that night. "Just like that night."
Mercury nodded, hands shaking slightly. "Her energy is leaving her body again. She's trapped in her dreams."
"Well what snapped her out of it last time?" Star Fighter demanded, her voice raised in concern.
The four inner senshi lifted their heads and exchanged glances. "Mamoru-san."
Star Fighter twitched, not liking to hear that. "Then someone get the bastard!" She yelled. "Where the hell is he? Shouldn't he be protecting her?"
"He's probably at the university again." Mars figured, eyes looking over to the pair of cats. "Guys?"
"We're on it!" Luna and Artemis said in unison, turning tail and taking off running.
"He should be at the University studying!" Mercury called after them, to make the task of tracking him down hopefully easier.
"What will he be able to do?" Star Healer asked skeptically, eying the unconscious Sailor Moon.
"Well last time his kiss woke her up," Venus explained, an arm wrapping around herself. "Sort of like Sleeping Beauty."
The others nodded.
"Just hope he gets here in time," Neptune murmured, frowning to see their still princess.
"He will." Uranus said, her voice not leaving any room for argument. The blond shifted Sailor Moon in her arms, holding her close. "She's already so cold."
"That happened last time too," Mercury explained. "Her energy is leaving her body."
Looking down at her closed eyes, Star Fighter frowned. "She's…crying." Leaning down closer, she reached out a hand to brush the tears away. "Why?"
"She's trapped in nightmares." Mars explained, shifting uncomfortably. "Or at least that's how she explained it to us last time. So who knows what she's stuck in right now?"
Fighter just settled down to sit next to Sailor Moon, reaching to hold onto her hand. "Hang in there, Odango," she whispered.
Luna and Artemis found Mamoru easily enough, tracking his scent to one of the study rooms in the library.
"Mamoru-san!" Luna huffed, hopping right up onto the table he had his book spread out over.
Rather than looking panicked, Mamoru blinked and looked at Luna, Artemis hopping right up next to her. "What?" He asked.
"Sailor Moon is in trouble!" Artemis said, urgency in his voice. "You need to go save her!"
"What happened this time?" Mamoru sighed, shifting to get to his feet, sounding more annoyed than concerned.
"An old enemy. The one that put her to sleep last time. He came back and did it again. She won't wake up."
"And you've tried everything?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Of course! Only you can save her!"
"Alright," he said, nodding some.
"Why aren't you more worried?" Luna accused, tail twitching in agitation.
"I'm just in the middle of studying for a very big test is all," he explained, shaking his head. "I am concerned. Lead the way please?"
The cats nodded, turning and hopping out the window. In a moment Mamoru had changed to Tuxedo Mask and he was right behind them, running towards his princess.
"Where is he?" Mars pounded the bench they'd laid Sailor Moon out on with a fist, frustrated and scared.
"He'll be here soon," Mercury tried to sooth her, the frown on her features deepening to look over Sailor Moon.
"She's like ice," Uranus said, holding onto her more tightly.
The sound of pounding footsteps had them all lifting their heads, a collective sigh of relief escaping to see Tuxedo Mask running behind Luna and Artemis.
"Took you long enough!" Venus scoffed, moving aside to let Tuxedo Mask come closer.
"I got here fast as I could," he responded, voice terse as he knelt down beside Sailor Moon. Settling his hands on her shoulders he gave her a gentle shake. "Usagi. Usagi wake up!"
Mars' eyes narrowed. He'd called her Usagi. Not Usako. Why the change?
"She won't wake up," Neptune said. "We've all been trying."
"Just kiss her already!" Mars said. "We don't have any more time to waste!"
Tuxedo Mask gave her a bit of a dirty look, but then nodded, shifting her off Uranus' lap and holding her up. "Time to wake up, Sailor Moon," he murmured before leaning in to press a gentle kiss to her lips.
Everyone gathered around, holding their breath and waiting. Their eyes were fixed on Sailor Moon, waiting for the twitch of an eyelid or a grumble. Some sign that Sailor Moon was waking up.
But nothing happened.
"W-what?" Saturn gasped, turning to hold onto Pluto's hand. "Why isn't she waking up!" Panic laced her voice as she watched with wide eyes.
"It should have worked!" Mercury gasped, unable to understand why it wasn't. "The power of love worked last time!"
"Maybe that thing was stronger this time?" Neptune proposed, not liking the sudden turn for the worse.
"Still," Venus reason, shaking her head. "This should have worked."
"Try again!" Star Fighter demanded, her hands balled at her sides.
"I don't see what good it would do if it didn't work the first time," Tuxedo Mask said, shaking his head but kissing Sailor Moon again. Just as the first time, there no change. Not even the slightest little twitch.
"Damnit!" Uranus shouted, getting to her feet. "What are we missing?"
Mars had gone quiet, standing still and looking at Tuxedo Mask with wide, incredulous eyes. "You…," she breathed, hands shaking at her sides.
The others looked towards Mars, confusion plain on their faces.
"Mars?" Jupiter asked, frowning. "What's wrong?"
Tuxedo Mask had shifted away from Mars, looking nervous now.
"Isn't it obvious?" Mars asked, shaking her head. "I should have realized sooner."
"What?" Star Fighter asked, getting impatient now.
"It's not working because Tuxedo Mask doesn't love Sailor Moon anymore!"
There was a collective gasp as they all looked around at each other.
"That's a pretty rash thing to say, Mars!" Venus said, settling a hand on her shoulder.
"But it's true! Think about it." Dark eyes searched the faces of her friends. "Usagi's been so upset lately. When it the last time we saw the two of them together?"
Slowly, the others began to frown, looking at Tuxedo Mask with questioning expressions.
"I've been busy is all," Tuxedo mask defended himself easily. "Trying to become a doctor is hard work."
"That is true," Mercury said slowly, not wanting for them to all jump to conclusions.
"Maybe," Mars said.
A look of realization spread over Uranus' face as she narrowed her eyes on Tuxedo Mask. "I think you're right, Mars." She said, an edge of steel in her voice now.
"You do?" Mars blinked, not expecting that.
"I think she tried to tell me a while ago," Uranus explained, looking towards Neptune. "Do you remember? She came to our home, asking about how much we thought our destiny was already set in stone. She asked if we thought there was no way to change it."
"That's right," Neptune nodding, frowning herself. "She seemed so sad, on the verge of tears."
Venus sighed. "She's been staying with me for the past few weeks," she confessed, looking down to Sailor Moon's anguished face.
"What?" The others gasped, turning their eyes once more on Tuxedo Mask.
"She said their apartment was too lonely, with him studying all the time. But…," Venus' voice trailed off. "She seemed much more upset than if she were just lonely."
"He did seem reluctant to come with us," Artemis mused as Luna nodded her head in agreement.
Star Fighter stepped closer; looming over Tuxedo Masks bent form. "You've been unfaithful, haven't you?" She accused. "It all points to that."
"I have no idea what you mean," Tuxedo Mask scoffed. "You have no right to even be here," he said, getting angry with Star Fighter.
"Then why isn't your kiss working, Mamoru?" Mercury asked, looking at him calmly.
"I don't know! Do you think I would let her just die?"
"Ever since you got back from your last trip to America, you've hardly come around. You never come over when we invite you. We never see you with Usagi. She's been staying with Minako."
"I remember…when I was over at their apartment. The phone rang and Usagi answered. I couldn't hear the conversation, but it sounded like a woman's voice on the other end of the line. Usagi got really upset and said "No, this is his girlfriend!" and hung up really fast. She didn't talk the rest of the day after that…" Jupiter recalled, shaking her head. "I didn't think much of it at the time, but."
Still unmoving, more tears had begun to trickle down Sailor Moon's cheeks.
"What do you have to say for yourself, you scum?" Uranus asked, moving in closer on Tuxedo Mask.
Looking up to the menacing woman, Tuxedo Mask laid Sailor Moon back on the bench and stood. "It was a mistake!" He said, backing up as the pissed off blond advanced on him.
"You bet it was," Uranus said, taking a quick step forward and swinging a fist at his jaw. "I'll make sure you're real sorry."
Tuxedo Mask got caught by the fist, twisting and falling backwards. In the fall, a letter from his tuxedo jacket pocket slipped out. His eyes widened as he went to scramble to pick it back up but Star Maker was quicker, bending down and snatching it up. "Don't read that!" The frenzied man demanded, trying to snatch it out of Maker's hands.
Mercury stepped defensively in front of Maker, eyeing Tuxedo Mask. "What don't you want her to read, Tuxedo Mask?" She asked, her voice uncharacteristically angry.
For a moment Marker smiled at Mercury, flattered by the defensive gestures. "Let's just see, shall we?" She grinned, turning the envelope over in her hands.
"Don't!" Tuxedo Mask lunged for Maker, but Uranus was quicker reaching to grab hold his arms and lock them behind his back. His knees buckled in pain, hitting the ground. "Agh! Let go!"
"Go ahead and read it, Maker." Uranus urged, jerking on Tuxedo Mask's arms to silence him.
"It looks like it's from America," she mused, turning it over and opening it. Arching an eyebrow she looked up. "It smells like a woman's perfume," she noted, handing the envelope to Healer who sniffed it before wrinkling her nose.
"Cheap perfume," Healer said with a nod.
Unfolding the letter inside, Maker frowned the further down she got. "'Dear Mamo-chan, I've missed you so much since you left to go back to Japan. I hope that you'll be able to settle the business there soon and move here with me like we talked about. I'm sorry your mother is keeping you in Japan. I can't wait to introduce you to my friends and family. They keep asking who gave me such a beautiful necklace. I wear it every day and think of our time together. I booked my flight to come visit you for the holidays. Call soon. All my love, Ashley.'"
There was a heavy silence among the girls as they all exchanged glances before fixing Tuxedo Mask with a collective dirty look.
"How dare you," Pluto said, stepping forward.
"Let me go!" Tuxedo Mask struggled, but Uranus only tightened her hold of him.
"Go ahead," she grinned. "Struggle more. If we're lucky you'll dislocate a shoulder."
"She loved you," Venus said, shaking her head.
"You're supposed to marry her!" Jupiter said, appalled.
"You've thrown away your future!" Mars accused.
"You're not fit to be the king of this planet," Saturn said, shaking her head.
"And you sure as hell don't deserve Sailor Moon," Fighter said, disgust dripping from her every word.
Knowing he was in trouble, Tuxedo Mask again struggled. Uranus wasn't having any of it though.
"You're lucky that our princess still likes you, for whatever reason, enough to not have told us all of this sooner. If we'd known, you'd be long gone. Now, if we just hurt you she'll be upset with us and I hate to see her crying. So you're lucky." Uranus was smirking in a very dangerous way. "I'll let you go and you'll have one hour to get your shit, and get out of our sight. You're never to come near Usagi or any of us again, or we won't be so kind next time." Uranus gave his arms another violent jerk. "Am I understood?"
"I wouldn't want to stay around here anyway!"
"Good. You're not wanted."
With a shrug, Uranus let go of his arms and gave him a rough shove forward. "Now get the hell out of here!"
For a moment, Tuxedo Mask lingered, looking back towards the still form of Sailor Moon.
"She said get lost!" Mars yelled, chasing the retreating tuxedo with a blast of fire.
No one moved until they could no longer see their former prince.
"Poor Usagi," Mercury sighed. "She kept it to herself all this time."
"She must have been more miserable than even we realized," Venus said, looking a bit guilty. "We should have realized sooner."
Healer moved over beside her and rubbed Venus' back. "It's not your fault. If she didn't want you to know, there was no chance you were going to notice."
"Healer's right," Pluto agreed. "You know our princess. She hates to worry any of us."
Slowly, all eyes shifted and landed back on their fallen leader.
"But…," Saturn began. "What do we do now? If his kiss didn't work because he didn't love her anymore…"
"We can't lose her!" Mars insisted, moving back over to check on Sailor Moon. "She's ice cold," she breathed.
Reluctantly, Uranus turned towards Star Fighter. For a moment it looked like she was wavering with her words, but finally she resigned herself. Hand clenched into a fist at her side, Uranus stepped towards Fighter. "You're our only hope," she said.
Eyes widening, Fighter stepped back and laughed. The sound was strained as she shook her head. "W-what are you talking about?" She asked. "You're lost it, Uranus," Fighter accused.
"I haven't." Shaking her head, Uranus glanced back to her still princess. "Much as I hate to admit it, we all know how you feel about her. It's so obvious." Frowning, she turned back to Fighter. "Since you've been back, I've actually seen her smile, when before I hadn't so much as seen a glimmer of hope."
"It's true," Venus said softly, the others nodding in agreement.
"You love her, Fighter," Uranus went on. "And for some reason I don't understand, I think she loves you back."
"But," Fighter began, but stopping when she had no words to argue with.
"Please." Uranus pleaded, again stepping closer to Fighter. "You're our only hope. You're her only hope."
Her eyes landed on Sailor Moon and she could feel her heartstrings being pulled. It was all true. Although they'd been gone for years, Fighter had never been able to shake off the effect the beautiful blond had had on her. She loved her then, and she still loved her now.
"I can't lose her," Fighter agreed, nodding some. "If I do this," she said, smirking just a little. "You'll have to lay off giving me such a hard time," Fighter said as she moved past Uranus to go to Sailor Moon.
"Don't worry," Neptune spoke up. "She only gives you such a hard time because she's so protective of our princess."
Uranus gave her lover a dirty look, but moved over closer. "Don't go telling my secrets," she murmured.
"Going to punish me?" Neptune asked, quirking a brow playfully.
Fighter knelt down, hand moving to brush away the fresh tears on Sailor Moons face. "I'm so sorry you've suffered for so long." She whispered. "I'm not going to leave you again," she promised, leaning down and gently kissing her. It was something she'd wanted to do since she'd come back, but had held back. Sailor Moon hadn't been hers to love. Maybe she still wasn't now. But if she could save Sailor Moon, she would do anything she could. "I love you, Odango," she whispered, holding Sailor Moon closely to her. "Please. Wake up."
Her cheeks were flushed as she pulled away to look down at Sailor Moon's face, eyes searching for that little sign that everything was going to be alright.
For a moment they all held their breath. None of them moved and it seemed nothing in their surroundings dared to move either.
Then, finally, a warm light surrounded Sailor Moon's body. It wasn't the eerie glow that had been draining her energy, but rather it was warm and returning her strength to her.
Fighter still held onto her, watching.
"Mm," Sailor Moon groaned, eyes flickering before opening and looking around confused.
A collective sigh escaped the girls as they all broke out into smiles.
"Sailor Moon!" Fighter breathed, pulling her closer into a tight hug. "You're alright!"
"What…what happened?" Sailor Moon asked, her head spinning too much to put it together.
"The weird monster put you to sleep again. We got Mamoru to try and wake you up, but when he couldn't…" Mars trailed off.
Venus picked up. "We discovered why you've been so sad all this time," she said gently, watching as Sailor Moon's face fell.
"Where is he?" Looking around, Sailor Moon saw no trace of him.
"We chased him off," Uranus said smugly, pleased with herself. "For hurting our princess."
Sailor Moon managed the smallest of smiles, and as her eyes moved up to stare into Fighter's a dark pink blush tainted her cheeks. "Fighter…" She breathed, looking up at her. "You?"
Blushing herself, Fighter smiled and nodded. "I couldn't lose you," she explained. "You're too precious to me."
Sailor Moon smiled more, sitting up with her own strength and throwing her arms around Fighter to hold onto her tightly. "You saved me."
"I had to." Fighter said, holding her back. Then, to help lighten the heavy air. "Uranus was the one who asked me to kiss you really," she said, looking up to see the hot-headed blond twitching.
Sailor Moon pulled away and blinked up. "Uranus did?"
With a sigh, Uranus nodded. "As big of a pain in the ass she is…," Uranus started, eyeing Fighter. "She was the only one who could save you, because we all knew she loved you."
Sailor Moon's wide blue eyes turned back to stare into Fighter's, smiling. "Fighter…"
But any words she had to say were cut off by Fighters lips against hers, the Starlight wanting to kiss her now just to kiss her, not because she had to do so to save her life.
"Give her an inch, she'll take a mile," Healer said, shaking her head some. "You brought it upon yourself," the silver-haired woman warned Uranus.
With a sigh, Uranus settled an arm around Neptune's waist, pulling the woman closer to her.
"So long as Usagi is happy again, I think I can manage."