Ya'll know the drill, I don't own the worlds, I just roll around in them.
Chapter 3 The Meeting
That night.
"I can't go." Usagi insisted, blushing profusely.
"Usagi, he said he could help! You have to go." Kagome stated. "Usagi, what's wrong?"
"It's just that..I...Well, I destroyed all my clothes when I wrecked the apartment, alright?" She admitted, embarrassed. "What am I suppose to do about the tail?"
"There's an easy fix for that. It's called shopping. Come on, let's go!"
Usagi had been a nervous wreck, considering this had been her first outing since the change. The way people looked at her now was shocking. Half avoided her on the street, the other half appraised her as if she were looking for a Mate. Since becoming Princess Serenity, she had begun to notice the way people looked at her differently. It was still not something she was use to being on the receiving end of, having never considered herself a high prize or anything. Now, they weren't even trying to hide it!
The next day had Usagi more nervous than the last, as they made their way to Inu Taisho's stronghold. She had heard of the demon lord before, the stories were enough to scare anyone away. Then again, Kagome walked in fearlessly. The man who stood before her did not look like someone who had slaughtered entire villages, but she felt a great power in him and stayed her distance even as Kagome rushed to hug him. He turned to her now, and smiled.
"So this is the young one dear Kagome spoke of? She has told me much of you, but her worry was such that she may not have told everything. What form were you in when the change hit you?" He asked, curiously.
"Sailor Moon, Taisho-sama." Usagi answered, giving a small bow.
"Please, call me Inu-papa. Any friend of Kagome's is welcome here." He insisted. "Come closer, I wish to test something."
Hesitantly, she moved forward, unsure of the test he spoke of. She was sure in her steps, but stopped when a surge of power flowed through her and she was no longer just Usagi. It must have been a ward of some kind, though she could only guess. Now that she was Princess Serenity, a calmness washed over her as she made her way to the rest of them. Whatever the test had been, he had obviously seen what he wanted.
"Ah, Princess Serenity. It is good to finally meet you." Inu-papa said warmly.
"I go by Usagi, the name given to me by my human parents, when not like this. Though, the last time I became Princess Serenity, I did not look quite like this. It is...a bit...unnerving, Inu-papa." She said, saddened. "It is almost too much to bare at one time. I feel like a stranger in my own body."
"Don't worry, Princess. It will get easier." he replied.
Without delay, he began going over the various customs of the demon world. There were intricacies that she may never even use, but she had asked for everything. Kagome and Inu yasha had separated from the group long ago, and now only Usagi, Inu-papa, and a silent tag along remained. She was not ignoring the tag along, but she needed to keep her focus on all the information Inu-papa was giving her.
"I would like you to meet my wife Isaiyo." He said, motioning to a beautiful woman walking towards them.
"She is human?" Usagi asked, shocked.
"Yes, how did you know?" The woman asked, smiling.
"I can smell it. Though I should have realized. I had forgotten InuYasha was the younger brother." Usagi answered, just as surprised as before. "You smell nice, like springtime."
"Thank you, my dear." Isaiyo said.
"When a demon chooses a Mate, they share the same kind of life span." Inu-papa said, as if replying to a question she hadn't thought to ask yet.
"There's still a lot I don't know." Usagi admitted. "What kind of demon am I? As far as my guardian, and the scouts have been able to tell, there's never been a Lunarian who was a demon."
Inu-papa had been avoiding this question since she arrived. Youkai can distinguish each other by smell. In all of his years, he had never smelt a demon like her. Her eyes reminded him of his eldest son, but she had a tail similar to his youngest. The lunar mark on her forehead served another purpose as well as its original. It showed others that she was a demon of high nobility and power, fitting considering she was a princess.
"There are stories of one such as you. Though you may be the first to exist in a thousand years." Came the voice from behind her. "They are called the White Wolves of the Moon."
"Ah, Sesshomaru, my son. Why don't you take Usagi on a tour of the rest of the stronghold, and answer any questions she may have. Being a retired demon lord does have its privileges." He chuckled.
Usagi watched Inu-papa for a bit, before turning to Sesshomaru. "I'm sorry we have not spoken till now. Inu-papa is a wealth of information. I only hope I can remember everything correctly. It is nice to meet you, Sesshomaru-sama."
"Just Sesshomaru. It is nice to meet you as well, Princess." He said, giving a small bow. They began walking again. "White Wolves of the Moon were most common in the royalty of the moon Kingdom. It was not uncommon for it to skip several generations though. It is the only one that waits so long before manifesting. If you truly are the reincarnation of Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, then it is possible that this is not the fault of your human DNA but your Lunarian self coming into full fruition."
"It made me so angry, when I thought my parents had hidden this from me, considering they both told me they had the dormant regression gene, but it doesn't make me angry to hear such a statement as this." She said, a sigh of relief escaping her. "Every time I get an answer, I have a thousand new questions to ask. Luna should have known this, but sent me on another path. I don't understand."
"Some things we can teach, others are instincts. We may not be able to give you every answer you seek." Sesshomaru stated, curtly.
"I'm not likely to start a war or something if I mess up, am I?" Usagi asked, eyes wide. His tone had suggested consequences for such mistakes.
"I doubt it." He replied, with the tiniest of smirks.
"Are there demon clothing shops? Kagome tried to help me yesterday, but it was kind of a disaster. I don't know what to do about Sailor Moon now. What about shoes?" Usagi asked, curious. "I kind of like walking round shoe-less now. And what is that delicious smell?"
He was about to answer, when he heard that last question. "Smell?"
"Yes! Like a storm, alive with electricity, with a nice earthen woodsy quality after the rains. That's another thing! What is the deal with that primal voice thing inside my head?" Sesshomaru was watching her with what would appear to be a very stoic attitude, but he was amused. She did not know that that was his smell, as she waved her arms about wildly as if she were talking with her hands. "It's telling me I should very much like to find the source of that smell, though I'm not sure what I'm suppose to do once said smell is found. My eyes use to change colour a little before, depending on my mood, but now every shift in emotion causes them to change. What does that mean? Is it like a warning signal?"
"Among other things." He answered, causing a shiver to run down her spine. "This is where we get into the more instincts than answers bit. It could mean you are extremely angry and someone may need to move or die, or it could mean that you are aroused by another." He noted with joy the blush that now coloured her face. Adorable. "The primal voice you speak of is your inner beast. Think of it like instincts on steroids. It is want, survival, need, and desire. Sometimes you should listen to it, other times it will get you in trouble."
"How should I know when to listen to it?" She asked, concerned but curious.
"Trial, error, and possible bloodshed." He answered, coolly.
"Oh dear." Usagi mumbled, looking down.
"Because you started to change while in Sailor Moon form, you should be able to return to human form while you are her." Sesshomaru mused. "Why do you do it? Be Sailor Moon? And in secret?"
"At first, it was because Luna told me it was my duty. Then it was for the people, because they didn't deserve another unknown danger. A normal human is not strong enough to fight off a youma, and there is always someone...something after the silver millennium crystal. The power and energy alone is enough of a reason for them to try and take it. And then...it was for my friends. We had been fighting for so long...they deserved the chance to find happiness, to follow their dreams." Usagi tried to explain, but looked up suddenly. "Are you sure you want to hear all this?"
"This Sesshomaru would not have asked it of you otherwise." He replied, but there seemed to be no emotion in it.
"Alright. Well, after dealing with what we thought was a predetermined future, it was decided that it was time to spread out. So now, Sailor Senshi are all over the world, able to chase their dreams and fight if they are needed. Tuxedo Kamen was the last to leave." Usagi said, her voice trailing off at the end.
"He was important to you." He said, simply.
"We were always told he was the love of my past life, that he would be my husband for the future kingdom of Crystal Tokyo. For the sake of those things, and the daughter we thought was ours, we tried." She did not notice him bristle at this. " But it felt wrong. He's the best friend a girl could ask for, but I could not love him. He's studying to be a doctor in America now. I stay now, because I want to protect everyone. I keep my identity secret to protect my family from youma, and so that I could have some semblance of a normal life. You know, school, job, all that."
"Sesshomaru!" Inu-papa shouted happily, walking to where they had gotten to. "Inu Yasha and Kagome have gone home, due to weather reports. Perhaps you should escort Usagi back to her place."
"No need, but I truly appreciate the offer. I'm sure Sesshomaru has business to get back to, and I don't want to trouble anyone." Usagi said, a bit cross her friends would actually leave her. "I can just teleport home, really."
"Nonsense. You have not eaten yet. It would be irresponsible of this Sesshomaru to let you go home without dinner." Sesshomaru insisted.
"Will my tastes in food be different now?" Usagi asked, suddenly worried. "Alright, you can escort me home if that is your wish, but I want to go to the Crown Arcade Diner for dinner."
"Why?" Sesshomaru asked, distaste colouring his voice.
"It's a safe place for me, it is familiar. Motoki has known me since forever, and he helps Luna with the command center from time to time considering it's under the arcade." Usagi explained. "He serves demon customers all the time, so he can help me find my foods again. The place may not look like much, but it's kind of like a second home for me."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened just a touch, but nodded in agreement. He had thought to take her to one of the finest steak restaurants in Tokyo. It was a typical first move of courtship, to show that he could provide for her, but she had turned around and unintentionally outdone him by insisting on a place more like home for her. It was a move just a touch beyond that of a first move of courtship. They phased just outside of the diner, and walked in. The place was still open, but few people were there, which is one of the things Usagi was counting on.
"Usagi?" Motoki asked, wide eyed with disbelief, and then he was running out from behind the counter to hug her tightly. She of course returned the hug, because well...she's Usagi. "Usagi! Luna told me what happened, and asked me to help clean the...center. It looked like a crime scene in there!" A steady warning growl was beginning to pick up, but since it had not come from Usagi, he had not paid attention to it for a bit. He let go of Usagi only when she went to turn her head to the sound. "Lord Sesshomaru! It is a nice surprise. Escorting Usagi home?"
"Not that it is any of your business, but this Sesshomaru does intend to escort Usagi home." He said stiffly.
"She's like my little sister, so kinda my business. You can't be worse than Mamoru though." Motoki said, and looked to Usagi. "I know you've only been a full youkai for about a week, but are you aware of what this means, Usagi? You have a tendency to go headlong into things before realizing some pages got mixed up somewhere, and no one is on the right one."
"Right now, I'm aware that I'm hungry." She responded. "You know how grumpy I get when I don't eat when I should, imagine that on demon level. You're my friend, and you can help me find my foods again."
"Alright, food exploration it is. Sit at the counter, this will be fun." He replied, and went to work.
He made small batches of everything, which pleased Usagi because the girl loved food. She found out that her tastes now ran medium rare for all of her meats. When that was found out, he had them sit at one of the booths, and proceeded to surprise them with their food. Usagi was outwardly happy, while Sesshomaru only showed mild interest, which is what Motoki was use to from the both of them...just not together. When Motoki went back to cleaning the diner, Sesshomaru turned to Usagi.
"Who's Mamoru?" He asked, as he began to cut his food.
"Mamoru was Motoki's best friend for many years, so he takes it as a personal insult that Mamoru did not treat me better." Usagi explained, but when Sesshomaru still showed signs of confusion, she explained. "Mamoru is Tuxedo Kamen. I guess I'm still so use to protecting my groups identities that I did that without even realizing it."
"This Motoki is protective of you?" He asked, before taking a bite of food. Usagi was right, the human knew his demon foods.
"Our families grew up together. I've technically known him since birth. I never had an actual older brother, so Motoki became the older brother I always wanted." She replied, happily noting how much better the food tasted now.
Dinner was over a lot sooner than she would have liked, and so she opted to check on the command center. They had been the only customers for some time, and so she felt it was safe. Motoki was already closing up shop, probably because he knew what she would want to do. Sesshomaru opted to stay on ground level and wait for Usagi to come back. She would surely be safe till she came back, and he had questions for Motoki anyway.
"She describes you as her older brother, so maybe you can help this Sesshomaru." He stated, simply.
"If you don't speak plainly to her, she may not get that you're interested. It's not like she's not had other guys interested in her. Those matters have just always been beyond her to see." Motoki answered, truthfully. "If you can believe it, she has always thought herself an ugly duck." Sesshomaru turned to look at him, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "I know it's ridiculous, but I guarantee she still thinks like that."
He went over to the wall of photos, looking for one in particular. "Come here for a moment." He insisted. Sesshomaru looked to the photo he was pointing to. "This was Usagi before this week happened. She has always been a beautiful girl, inside and out. I was so sure Mamoru would take good care of her, but I was wrong. He was not kind, did not show her affection in public, was constantly being taken over by the NegaVerse, and left her on multiple occasions due to weird dreams. I can't tell you not to try for her, but I wouldn't be much of a big brother if I didn't make sure of your intentions, and to warn you. She is harder to reach than most, more cautious now because of what happened with him."
"You are a good big brother then. This Sesshomaru would treat her as she should be." Was all that Sesshomaru said, before he went down into the command center.
A/N - So what do you guys think?
