Chapter 3
Rrring!
Rrring!
Rrring!
Makoto rolled over with a huff and pushed herself off the floor to find her cell phone. She stumbled into her bedroom and took her phone off the charger just in time to miss the call completely. Minako's name flashed across the screen just before it went dark again. Makoto checked the time, and then checked it again. She had slept through to the middle of the afternoon. The girls would be out of school in a couple of hours. Makoto looked at her phone, wondering if she should call Minako back. She should be in class then, but if she called Makoto, she must be worried. A moment later Makoto felt her phone vibrate, telling her she had gotten a text. It was from Minako.
U ok?
Y rnt u in schl?
Hurt?
Makoto thought for a moment before answering.
I'm fine.
Too tired for school
UGH! me 2!
rents were unreasonable about it tho.
Ami's gonna bring ur hw.
Makoto poked her head out into the living room where Usagi was still sleeping off her night of binge drinking.
Not a good idea.
Like u have a choice :P
Usa's not here either.
U heard from her?
From the couch, Makoto heard Usagi beginning to stir. She let out a low, miserable sounding groan and Makoto winced in sympathy.
Yeah.
She's 2 beat fr school 2.
Srsly?
Hr rents let her skip?
So not fair! Some ppl have ALL the luck
Makoto sighed and put her phone down. Something told her that lucky was the last thing Usagi would be feeling when she finally woke up. She went to check on Usagi. She was still sleeping, albeit more fitfully. Makoto's stomach growled and she decided to make herself something to eat while she waited for Usagi to wake up. She came back into the living room and turned the TV on to the lowest volume she could and still hear, and settled in to wait.
Usagi's head was pounding. She hadn't opened her eyes yet, but the din hammering at her ears had her seeing red. She groaned and reached for her pillow. It wasn't there. Usagi cracked an eye open to look for it, but she was blinded by the brightest light she had ever seen.
"…eyes…!" she moaned in agony. She heard someone apologize and over the rest of the noise, the sound of fabric rustling.
"I closed the blinds. You can open your eyes." Usagi carefully opened one eye and was immediately assaulted by a barrage of flashing colors and bright light. She screwed her eyes shut and clamped her hands over her ears.
"TOO BRIGHT!" she wailed. "TOO LOUD!" Then she winced at the gravelly sound of her own voice. Whoever was with her laughed and a moment later the noise was gone. As were the bright lights, Usagi discovered when she opened her eyes experimentally for the third time. When her eyes adjusted to the dark, she looked around and realized she wasn't in her room. She sat up with a frightened gasp and looked around wildly. Makoto stood at the foot of the couch she was laying on with a remote control in her hand. She looked at her friend with a sympathetic smile.
"So, are hangovers as bad as they say?" she asked. Usagi lay back on the couch and ran her tongue across her teeth. They felt fuzzy and dry.
"You remember that movie we saw a few months ago? About the people in space?" she asked Makoto. Her voice was weak and raspy.
"I remember."
"You know that scene where the alien dug its way out of that guy's head?" Makoto made a face and nodded. "Well, that'd feel really good right now." Makoto let out a short laugh, but stopped when Usagi turned to her side and clutched her head. She went to the bathroom and got her friend a couple of aspirin tablets. Usagi accepted them gratefully.
"You think you could handle some food?" Makoto asked. Usagi's face went green and she pressed her lips tightly together. Makoto dove for the waste bucket, but Usagi managed to fight the nausea. "So that's a no."
"Don't even say the 'f-word' to me right now," Usagi managed to choke out.
"Okay," Makoto said. "But you need something with that aspirin." She went into the kitchen and came back with a glass of milk. Usagi looked at it with a look of absolute revulsion, but after Makoto made her take a few sips, she found that she could actually keep it down. She popped the aspirin and drank the whole glass and gratefully accepted when Makoto refilled her cup. She drank the second cup faster than the first and settled into the sofa cushions.
"Thank you," Usagi said quietly after a few moments of contemplative silence. She didn't look up at Makoto. She started at the empty glass in her hand looking embarrassed and ashamed of herself. Makoto sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Anytime," Makoto promised. Usagi leaned against her friend's shoulder and a moment later, Makoto felt her shaking. She was crying again. This time it was quiet sobs, not the drunken wailing from the night before, or her normal theatric bawling. Makoto let her cry as long as she needed to and even shed a few tears of her own on behalf of her friend.
"Everything's so screwed up," Usagi told Makoto. "I just want to die." She sounded so defeated then, Makoto realized in shock. Usagi never spoke like that. She was always the one buoying everyone else. It never occurred to Makoto that she needed it sometimes in return.
"What happened?" she asked once Usagi's crying subsided. Usagi explained how her parents had caught her sneaking in the night before and the ugly confrontation that led to her parents telling her to leave.
"I feel trapped," Usagi admitted. "I can't go back unless I tell them the truth. But I can't tell them the truth." Makoto frowned and turned to face Usagi.
"Why didn't you tell us that things had gotten so serious at home?" she asked. "We could have figured something out." Usagi pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest.
"I've been trying," Usagi sighed. "You all seemed to think I was exaggerating about everything. Luna said that you're all able to go out and function and do well at school, so I should be able to, too. But I don't bounce back like the rest of you do. Those fights take so much out of me. Rei thinks I'm flaky because I have to skip meetings to keep my parents happy. And the rest of you think I'm a drama queen. Whenever I try to talk about it seriously, you tell me I'm upset over nothing." Usagi dropped her head between her knees. Makoto wanted to answer Usagi, and tell her that she was wrong, that if she had told them how bad things were, they would have listened. But Makoto had to admit that maybe lately the rest of the Senshi had been missing some pretty serious signs.
Makoto looked at Usagi- really looked at her- and was shocked at what she saw. There were dark circles under her friend's eyes and she had lost weight. She looked way worse than even a night of binge drinking would have done. Makoto felt her heart break. How could they, her friends and guardians, not have noticed how much strain Usagi was under?
"Are you angry at us?" Makoto asked quietly. Usagi looked up, surprised at the question.
"I…I don't know." She dropped her eyes from Makoto's. "Maybe. I'm mad at just about everyone right now, except Mamoru. Even myself."
"Why are you mad at yourself?" Makoto asked. Usagi shrugged.
"I don't do as well as I could," she admitted. "I'm not as good at fighting as you guys are. I don't do as well in school. I'm not…strong. I'm not strong enough to be a Senshi and…" Usagi's eyes welled up once more and she leaned over and buried her face in the couch cushions.
"Usagi, you are strong," Makoto insisted. "You're... you're bleeding!" Makoto gaped in horror as Usagi's blue shirt turned a gory red. The wound she had gotten the night before had somehow not healed, and it had reopened. Usagi lifted her arm and watched in confusion as the bloodstain spread. Makoto leapt off the couch and ran to get a dish towel to press against the wound.
"We have to go to the hospital!" she said frantically. "Why hasn't this healed up yet?"
"No hospitals!" Usagi insisted. "How would we explain this?"
"Well we have to do something!" Makoto tried frantically to stop the bleeding. "I'll tell Ami and Mamoru to come over!" Usagi tried to protest, but Makoto ignored her. School should be done for the day, but even if it wasn't, Makoto knew that the team's two medical experts would just about fly over when they found out what was happening. She grabbed her cell phone and texted Mamoru and Ami.
EMERGENCY!
get to my place asap and bring med stuff
usagi hurt! not lol!
-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Mamoru skidded to a stop in front of Makoto's building. He had fortunately just gotten out of class and was on his way to Usagi's school to try to catch her on her way home. He wasted no time grabbing a first aid kit from one of his school's science labs and running the entire three miles to Makoto's apartment. Ami arrived just as he pressed for the elevator. She was as red as Mamoru imagined he was and she was also carrying a first aid kit. It looked more official than the one from Mamoru's high school, and he guessed with relief that it belonged to Ami's mother.
"This is taking too long," Ami muttered. "Why don't we take the stairs?" Mamoru was about to agree when the elevator slid open into the lobby. The two jumped in and pressed the button for Makoto's floor. Less than a minute later, they were at Makoto's door. Mamoru raised a fist and banged loudly and frantically. The door flew open after a moment and Makoto looked at her friends in bewilderment.
"What," she demanded, 'is everyone's problem with my door?" Mamoru and Ami looked around Makoto and saw Usagi doubled over on Makoto's couch clutching her head in agony.
"What's wrong?" Mamoru asked. He did a quick look over Usagi's head for injuries, and Ami pulled out a small flashlight to shine in Usagi's eyes. Groaning, Usagi pushed their hands away.
'My head isn't hurt, "she informed them crossly. "I've got a hangover." Ami and Mamoru stopped fussing over Usagi and stared at her in uncomprehending shock.
"A hangover?" they exclaimed at once. Usagi winced and pressed her hands tightly against her ears.
"Don't yell at me!" she whined
"We can deal with that later," Makoto said. She came over and pulled up Usagi's bloody shirt and the dishtowel to show Mamoru and Ami the reopened wound on Usagi's side. "We have bigger problems right now." Ami and Mamoru got to work quickly. Ami cleaned the wound and they realized that it wasn't as bad as the blood suggested. It had stopped bleeding and was beginning to close again. Had Usagi been anyone else, the wound would have looked remarkable for what her injury had been the night before. But Usagi wasn't anyone else; she was a Senshi. Her enhanced healing abilities should have taken care of her injury by now. Mamoru and Ami exchanged a concerned look before finishing up with Usagi. Ami smeared the gash with antibiotic ointment while Mamoru pulled out the gauze from both his and Ami's medical kits. Once they finished Makoto helped Usagi back to her room so she could change her shirt. Usagi would want a shower later, but no one thought she looked strong enough for it just yet. Though when she insisted on changing alone, no one stopped her.
"What made her wound open up again?" Makoto asked after Usagi shut her door.
"How much did she have to drink?" Mamoru asked. Makoto made a face at him.
"Seriously? You want to get into that now?"
"Alcohol thins your blood," he explained. "If she had a lot to drink, it could explain why she started bleeding."
"He's right," Ami said. She packed up her supplies and sat on the couch. "And she may have fallen and made it open again." Makoto chewed her thumbnail and shook her head.
"I'm not sure," she told them. "Based on how plastered she was when she got here, I'd say a lot. But Usagi is maybe 110 pounds soaking wet, so it probably didn't take a whole lot to get her drunk."
"But, we also don't know how much it would take for us to get drunk," Ami added. "We all have pretty fast metabolisms and this isn't really an experiment we've tried."
"'Til now," Makoto muttered. Mamoru frowned and looked back towards Makoto's room.
"What happened?" he asked. "Why was she out drinking?" Makoto cleared her throat uncomfortably.
"I think I should let her tell you," she replied. She turned her sharp gaze on Ami and Mamoru and warned them protectively, "But don't either of you jump down her throat for this. Believe me, that's the last thing she needs right now."
Usagi came back to the living room in one of Makoto's old t-shirts and a pair of sweat pants. Her hair was out of its normal style and in a messy ponytail. She avoided her friends' eyes and sat down on the edge of the couch nervously, like a child ready to be scolded. If Mamoru or Ami had entertained any thoughts of lecturing her, they disappeared when they saw how beaten down she seemed. No one said anything for several minutes. Finally, Usagi sighed and glanced up.
"Well?" she said defensively. "Who's going to yell at me first?"
"No one," Makoto assured her, giving Mamoru and Ami one last, and unnecessary, meaningful gaze. Mamoru sat on the couch next to Usagi and took one of her hands in his.
"What happened, Usa?" he almost whispered. Without warning, Usagi launched herself into Mamoru's arms and, for what felt like the hundredth time since she arrived at Makoto's, broke down sobbing into his shoulder. Her friends waited while she cried. Makoto was heartbroken for her friend. Ami and Mamoru looked at her worriedly and silently asked her what was going on. She shook her head and motioned for them to wait. At last, Usagi stopped crying, but she still didn't seem to be in much of a hurry to explain what was going on.
"Usagi, you think you can eat now?" Makoto asked gently. Usagi shrugged carelessly, still leaning against Mamoru. "I'll make you a sandwich. You have to eat something."
"Fine," Usagi breathed out. She was exhausted, and not at all hungry, but Usagi realized that having food in her stomach might make the pounding in her head better. Ami and Mamoru were being patient- or, at the very least, they were trying very hard to hide their impatience- for the moment, but they would want an explanation. Eventually, Minako and Rei would have to be told the whole story too. Then of course, the Outer Senshi would get wind of the whole fiasco. The thought of it was enough to make Usagi cling tighter to Mamoru and hide her face in his chest, as if she could somehow make herself disappear into his arms. He held her just as close, determined to protect her from whatever was making her feel this way. He stroked her back comfortingly. It was as soothing as his scent.
Mamoru fought back a frustrated growl when he realized that Usagi had fallen asleep in his arms. When Makoto came out and saw that her friend was napping again, she sighed and set the tray of food on the coffee table.
"Second time she's done that," she muttered. "Should we wake her? She really does need to eat something. She hasn't eaten at least since she got here." Ami pulled out her minicomputer and did a quick scan of Usagi. After a few moments she frowned and put the computer away.
"I don't understand why she isn't bouncing back," Ami said, looking troubled. "Her energy is still very low. But," she hesitated before continuing, "I think she might need food right now more than she needs sleep." Mamoru nodded and shook Usagi gently.
"Usako," he said softly. "Makoto brought you some food." Usagi protested, but eventually pulled away from Mamoru, blinking blearily at the food on the table.
"Remind me to steer clear of alcohol," she muttered as she picked at her sandwich. "For the next…forever."
"Or at least 'til you're legal," Makoto joked. Usagi made a face at her and took a couple of half -hearted bites out of her meal. Then her appetite caught up with her and she quickly finished it off along with the soda Makoto had brought out with it. She felt better once she was done. Ami scanned her once more and seemed satisfied with what she saw. Usagi could feel her friends exchanging glances around her, and she knew she couldn't put off answering their questions. With a resigned sigh, Usagi curled up in the corner of the couch and wrapped her arms around her knees.
"My parents kicked me out," she told them plainly. She said it so quietly that Ami and Mamoru almost missed it. They stared at her, stunned, and unsure of what to say. Usagi quickly explained what had happened the night before with her parents. She didn't explain how she wound up drunk at Makoto's house in the early hours of the morning, though. Her friends could see that she wasn't in a mood to talk any more.
"How about another sandwich?" Makoto suggested. Usagi shook her head.
"You should really eat some more," Ami pressed. Usagi huffed and leaned back into the corner of the couch.
"Fine," she agreed. "But I don't want a sandwich. I want something greasy and fried and covered with gravy." Her friends laughed a little at that.
"Ah!" Makoto said, reaching for her phone. "The famous hangover cravings. How about I get us some burgers and poutine from that American place?" Usagi lifted her hand and gave her a thumbs up and Makoto called to place the order.
"I should actually get home," Ami said. "I want to get my mom's supplies back before she sees they're missing. But… I think we should have a meeting." Usagi groaned and let her head roll back, but Ami insisted. "At the very least, Luna needs to know what happened. Usa, we all care about you. I know you don't want to talk about it right now, but eventually we're all going to need to talk about this."
"I know," Usagi groaned. "But can't it wait until I don't feel like someone beat me with a baseball bat?"
"Tomorrow?" Makoto suggested, setting her phone down. "I can make dinner."
"Yeah, okay," Usagi reluctantly approved. "But I guess I should tell Luna tonight."
"She's still at my place," Ami said. "I'll let her know you want to talk. Call me if your wound opens again." Ami bid her friends good-bye and left. Makoto went to go clean up in the kitchen, leaving Mamoru alone with Usagi. He reached out for her hand. She ignored it and curled up into his side instead.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Not really," was the almost whispered reply. Usagi looked up at Mamoru with anguished eyes. "Mamo-chan, what am I going to do? I can't live on my own. I don't have anything. I don't even have the bag I packed last night, and all the money I had was in it. I don't have a job, or an apartment…I don't know where to even begin...I- I…" She buried her face in his neck and clung to him like a life line. She didn't cry again, but her breaths were coming out short and shaky.
"It's going to be okay, Usako," Mamoru promised. He stroked her back. "We'll figure this out. And, hey, if nothing else works, we could always push the wedding up, and you can live with me." Mamoru said it mostly as a joke, but Usagi froze and pulled away so she could look him in the eye.
"That's not funny," she told him. Mamoru smirked and held up his thumb and pointer finger.
"It's a little bit funny." Usagi shook her head.
"Not even sort of." Mamoru shrugged and kissed Usagi's forehead.
"I did mean it, though," he said. "I know it's not the way either of us wanted it to happen, but…at the end of the day, I don't care how big the wedding is, or who's there as long as we end up together." Usagi stared at Mamoru hard, considering the offer.
"We're too young," she reminded him. "We'd need my parents' permission." Mamoru's jaw tightened- he wasn't her parents' biggest fan just then- and he shrugged.
"We can ask. They might say yes." Usagi smiled faintly and rested her head on his shoulder.
"They don't like you very much right now. What if they say no?"
"Well, first of all, the feeling's mutual," Mamoru said grumpily. "And, we could always forge their signatures." Usagi sighed and shook her head.
"That's no good," she said, sadly. "I want you all to get along. I think we should wait." Mamoru chuckled weakly and ran his fingers through the hair over Usagi's ear.
"You want to wait?" he asked. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Usagi?"
"You think it's a bad idea?" Usagi countered. Mamoru thought for a moment. As angry as he was with the Tsukinos, Mamoru already knew that Usagi wanted to fix things with her family, and he would support her. If they took off and got married behind their backs, it would only make things worse.
"Well," he said at last. "If you insist on being rational about it. Where'd my impulsive Usako go?"
"I guess I'm a wise drunk," Usagi scoffed.
"No, you're definitely a sad drunk." Makoto came back into the living room, with a dish towel in her hands. "You started crying because I don't wear my hair down."
"I don't remember that," Usagi said with a frown. "But you really should wear your hair down more. It's pretty.'
"So you told me," Makoto said with a smirk. "What are we talking about?"
"Mamoru proposed," she told her friend. Makoto's jaw fell.
"What? I was only in the kitchen for ten minutes!"
"Don't worry," Mamoru assured her cheerfully. "She turned me down."
"WHAT?" That made Usagi genuinely laugh. Makoto and Mamoru exchanged a brief relieved look. It was the first sign they had had all day that, even if it took a while, Usagi would be okay.
"My mouth tastes awful," Usagi announced. "Makoto, do you have an extra toothbrush?"
"You're in luck," Makoto said. She led Usagi to the back and gave her a toothbrush and a washcloth in case she wanted to clean up. Then she came back to the living room and dropped heavily into the chair across from the sofa.
"How are you doing?" Mamoru asked. Makoto dragged her hands down the side of her face and rolled her head towards him.
"This has been the longest day ever," she told him. "I'm just really glad she made it here. I keep thinking of all the ways this could have ended so much worse…what could have happened to her…"
"Let's not think about that right now," Mamoru cut her off. His face had gotten pale all the sudden, and Makoto realized that he was as scared as she was. They weren't used to the idea that the woman they had sworn to protect was vulnerable outside of an interstellar enemy attack. Makoto knew Usagi could handle herself- usually, anyway- but even the wielder of the most powerful object in the solar system could get into trouble wandering around drunk in the middle of the night alone. The buzzer rang and Makoto let the delivery guy up. Mamoru gave Makoto money for the food.
"Seriously, Mamoru?" Makoto favored him with a sardonic smirk. "I've got this."
"Please," Mamoru insisted. "I…I have to do something." Makoto hesitated a moment, and then took the money from him.
"Fine," she grumbled.
The food was set out when Usagi emerged from the bathroom, slightly cleaner and feeling a bit better. Mamoru stood up when she came into the living room and went to hug Usagi.
"I have to go to the library to work on a project," he said. "I'll come back later to see how you're doing." Usagi nodded and Mamoru gave her a quick kiss before he left. When the door shut, Usagi leaned heavily against the door. Makoto stood up in case her friend needed help. Usagi just turned to Makoto sadly.
"I'm going to pay you back," she promised. "For everything." Makoto's eyes widened in surprise and she chuckled.
"You don't have to worry about that," Makoto said. "Honestly, you're not putting me out at all. My parents left me pretty comfortable. You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. No charge." Usagi shook her head.
"I have no idea how long I'm going to be here. I can't ask you to take care of me like that…I don't know, maybe Motoki can get me a job at Crown, or I could be waitress, or work at a store, or..." Usagi turned her eyes to her feet. "I can't stay here and not help out." Makoto shook her head, but decided it wasn't worth arguing over.
"Hey, we can figure it all out later," she promised her friend. "For now, you just need to focus on getting better. Let's dig in before the gravy congeals." Usagi smiled and sat down next to Makoto in front of the spread she laid out on the table. She grabbed a few gravy covered fries and looked over at Makoto.
"I hope this really does cure hangovers."
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Mamoru came back a few hours later, as he promised, and found Usagi alone. Makoto had left to go grocery shopping after making sure Usagi was feeling well enough to be left on her own. While she was gone, Usagi had showered, changed her gauze and straightened up the living room. When Mamoru knocked, she was in the middle of tying up the kitchen garbage to take out. It was in her hand when she opened the door for him.
"Hey!" she greeted him, happy to see him again.
"Hi." Mamoru frowned at the trash bag in her hand. "What are you doing?" Usagi smiled sheepishly.
"Uh…helping?" she answered. "I don't like feeling like a freeloader."
"Usako, no one thinks you're freeloading," Mamoru assured her, taking the trash bag. "And you shouldn't be moving so much. We don't want you to start bleeding again." Usagi waved off his concern.
"It's better. I changed the gauze and it's almost healed." Mamoru nodded gratefully.
"Still, I'd rather you didn't take any chances." Usagi huffed irritably and folded her arms.
"I'm not made of glass, you know." Mamoru blinked in surprise.
"Of course not," he said. "But you were still hurt pretty badly. Not to mention coming down from a serious hangover." Usagi scowled at the floor. Mamoru sighed and drummed his fingers against the doorframe. Usagi looked better than she did that afternoon. She was still too pale for his comfort, but he didn't think saying so would help. Though maybe some fresh air would.
"Think you're feeling well enough to take a short walk with me?" he asked after a moment. Usagi looked up and quirked an eyebrow at him.
"You're not going to try to carry me, are you?" she asked suspiciously. Mamoru laughed and shook his head.
"I won't, I promise. But if you're nice, maybe we can stop for ice cream." Usagi grinned at him.
"Deal!" she agreed. "Let me grab a sweater." She ducked into the hall closet and came back with one of Makoto's hoodies.
The couple stopped in the alley to toss the garbage in a bin, and walked leisurely around the block. There was a playground not too far from Makoto's building and Mamoru led Usagi over to a bench to sit.
"This is nice," Usagi murmured, leaning into Mamoru. "I've really missed doing this with you."
"Me, too," Mamoru said. He played with a lock of her hair. It was still damp from her shower, but it was a warm enough night that it didn't really seem to bother her.
"It almost makes me want to skip the ice cream and just stay here a while." Mamoru turned to her with an eyebrow raised skeptically.
"You want to skip ice cream?" He asked. "Are you sure you're feeling okay." Usagi slapped his chest lightly.
"I said almost. You're not getting out of a trip to the ice cream shop, mister." Mamoru chuckled.
"There's the Usagi I know and love." Usagi smiled up at him, feeling truly content for the first time in months. They sat on the bench for a while. Usagi stared at a flickering street lamp and shifted uncomfortably.
"Does your side hurt?" Mamoru asked. Usagi blinked and turned to look at Mamoru.
"Huh? Oh, no. Not really. It's just kind of itchy." Mamoru frowned and looked at Usagi in deep consideration.
"Does it usually take you this long to heal?" Usagi sat up and picked at her thumb.
"Sometimes," she admitted. "I mean, it depends on how bad I'm hurt. But nothing's ever opened back up like it did this time."
"How come you didn't tell me?" Usagi bit her lip and shrugged, avoiding Mamoru's eyes.
"I didn't want you to change how are in a fight," she explained. "You already do so much to keep me safe. I was worried if you knew how long it took for me to heal completely, it would distract you." Mamoru's frown deepened. He couldn't fairly argue that she was wrong, but he still felt that her hiding the problem wasn't the answer.
"Usako, has it always been that way? Did it take that long before you got the Crystal." Usagi thought for a moment, and then slowly shook her head.
"Actually, no," she said. "I don't think it did. You think the Crystal has something to do with it?" She looked at him in surprise. "That's the opposite of what it's supposed to do."
"Yes, but the power has to get channeled through you," Mamoru explained. "The Crystal is theoretically a limitless source of power, but you only have so much energy to direct that power with. It's possible that using the Crystal is too draining for you to heal as quickly as you should." Usagi frowned at that.
"Great," she huffed irritably. "So, I'm too weak to use the Crystal now, too?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all, "Mamoru said. "I want to look into this with Ami. I think it's more like we need to figure out how to keep up with the amount of energy you're using."
"How?" Usagi scrunched her nose.
"Well, you know how we're always teasing you about how much you eat?" Usagi looked at Mamoru suspiciously.
"Ye~es," she answered slowly. Mamoru smirked drily.
"I think maybe you're actually not eating enough." Usagi stared at her boyfriend in disbelief.
"No kidding…"
"Have you been eating any differently lately?" Mamoru asked. "Have you been eating less?"
"Sort of." Usagi shrugged. "I mean sometimes, when I'm stressed out, I can't eat anything. My appetite usually comes back later, but… I don't…it's been a while since I wasn't stressed." Mamoru took a moment to examine Usagi. Everything she was wearing was Makoto's, Mamoru noticed. Her friend's clothes looked much baggier on Usagi, and it highlighted how much weight Usagi had lost. Mamoru frowned in concern. She looked as if she had been very sick recently.
"We'll figure this out," he promised. He laced his fingers through Usagi's and kissed the back of her hand. "In the meantime, let's got get that ice cream." Usagi happily agreed, and Mamoru was determined to buy her the biggest sundae with whatever toppings she wanted.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Usagi was looking a lot better, Mamoru noticed with some satisfaction. She smiled contentedly as they walked back to Makoto's apartment. She had agreed to let him and Ami run some tests on her the next day before the rest of the girls came over for dinner, but Mamoru was sure he was on the right track simply by observing how much better she was doing. The dark circles had faded a bit from her eyes and she looked considerably less pale. Mamoru was sure Usagi would be back to normal once they could figure out a plan for her. He just wished that the rest of her problems could be as easily solved.
Makoto was home when they got back. She smiled nervously when she opened the door for the couple.
"Luna just got here," she quietly informed Usagi. "She's been worried. She said she dropped by your house before school and didn't know where you had gone." Usagi's face colored with shame. She hadn't really spoken to Luna since their last argument a month earlier. Mamoru laced his fingers through hers and she shot him a weak smile, and they walked in together. Luna was perched on the coffee table, nervously grooming herself. She looked up when Usagi came in and leapt off of the table and into her charge's arms.
"Usagi!" she cried, licking Usagi's face with her rough tongue. "Ami told me you were hurt! What happened? Why didn't you tell me you weren't healing?"
"What did you hear?" Usagi asked. She hugged Luna and sat down on the couch. Mamoru and Makoto sat on either side of her for moral support. Luna explained that Ami told her that Usagi had been injured in the battle the night before and it hadn't healed completely, and had reopened.
"But, Usa, why are you here at Makoto's?" Luna asked. Usagi stiffened and dropped her gaze from Luna.
"My parents kicked me out," she explained. "And then I bought a bottle of liquor, and got just completely wasted."
"What?" Luna gaped up at Usagi, who almost laughed at her guardian's flabbergasted expression. She explained to Luna what happened, and then she explained to Luna and Mamoru the reasoning that led her to buying the alcohol in the first place.
"I learned my lesson," she promised. "It was way more awful than I thought it would be. It burned going down, and I'm pretty sure I had an entire conversation with a streetlight. That's probably where I left my bag with all my clothes and money." She let out a half-hearted chuckle, trying to make light of the situation, but it fell flat.
"Oh, Usagi," Luna whispered. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea things were getting so tense. Do the rest of the girls know?" Usagi shook her head.
"I've invited them for dinner tomorrow," Makoto told her. "We didn't think Usagi would be up to answering everyone's questions tonight." Luna swept a careful eye over her charge and agreed. Usagi looked much better than she had that morning, but she was still visibly drained. Luna rubbed her head against Usagi's cheek.
"We'll figure this out, Usagi," she promised. Usagi sighed and scratched Luna's ears distractedly.
"That seems to be today's theme," she said drily. "But the good news is I think I'm done with my rebellious teenage phase."
"I guess we can be grateful for that," Luna sighed. Usagi leaned against Mamoru's shoulder and blinked sleepily.
"We should let you get some rest," Mamoru suggested. "Do you think you'll be okay to go to school tomorrow?" Usagi leaned her head back and raised her eyebrows at him.
"Am I ever okay to go to school?" she retorted. Mamoru laughed and kissed her forehead.
"I guess not," he said. "Ami and I will drop by tomorrow morning to check on you." Usagi nodded, but she was already half asleep. Mamoru and Makoto got up so Usagi could stretch out. She was asleep only a moment later. Luna jumped up on the arm rest at Usagi's feet. She had her tail curled tightly around her feet, and she was visibly shaking.
"I shouldn't have left," she almost whispered. Makoto reached over and scratched Luna's ears.
"Don't you start blaming yourself," she chided softly. "You guys had a fight. You both needed space."
"I'm not sure if there's anything you could have done to stop it," Mamoru comforted Luna. "Unless you decided to tell them what was going on."
"I could have stopped her from drinking," Luna pointed out. "I could have stopped her from wandering drunkenly around the streets at night."
"I don't know," Makoto said thoughtfully. "We all know how stubborn Usagi can be when she gets an idea in her head. If she was really determined to get drunk, you being there wouldn't have changed much." Luna sighed and lay down on the arm rest.
"We should keep it down," she said, glancing over at Usagi. "We don't want to wake her." Mamoru scratched the cat's ears and said goodnight to his two friends. With a last lingering look at Usagi, he left, shutting the door quietly behind him. Makoto stretched her arms over her head and yawned.
"Are you hungry?" she asked Luna. Luna shook her head and settled down on the armrest.
"No," she answered. "Go on to bed. You have school tomorrow, too."
"Well, if you insist," Makoto said, yawning again. "Good night, Luna."