Reunion
Chapter Three
Usagi felt someone's gaze on her, and a presence standing near her. She wanted it to be Mamoru, but something told her that it wasn't.
"Hello, Serenity."
She cracked her eyes. Mina. She really wished people would stop calling her that.
"Don't call me that, Emina."
Mina's grin grew, and she gave Usagi a long, sweeping bow.
"I am here to serve and protect, princess."
Usagi gave her an annoyed look.
"Sit down, before you fall on your face."
Mina laughed and sat down next to Usagi.
"He's staring at you." said Mina in a low whisper.
"Who?"
"The prince. Endymion."
They both glanced at Mamoru, and sure enough, he was looking in their direction. Usagi switched to Lunar.
"You remember him."
It was a statement, not a question.Mina nodded.
"I remember lots of things." she said softly, responding in the same tongue.
Mina was the only one of her Senshi that remember their time on the moon. She hadn't remember the language as good as Usagi had, so Usagi had taught her. In return, Mina had taught her English. Mina's mother was half Japanese, so she already knew the language. Usagi had been immensely grateful for that fact, she had been worried that they wouldn't be able to understand one another.
Usagi saw the lost, sad look on Mina's face.
"Are you well?" she asked.
Mina gave her a heartbreaking smile.
"I'll be fine. We're together again."
Guilt crept into Usagi. She needed to change the subject, fast.
"I saw the news. They said you had died. I was starting to worry. The only thing that kept me from going crazy was the fact that Artemis hadn't notified me."
Mina nodded.
"I didn't mean for it to go down like that. It just happened, and I took advantage of it. Besides," she gave Usagi a tight smile, "I'm needed more here."
Usagi could tell that something major had gone wrong, in order for the girl to fake her own death.
"What happened?" she asked, gently.
Mina looked away.
"Sailor V was suppose to be injured, and out of action for a while. Wilhelmina was suppose to go to Japan, on a vacation. Neither was suppose to see the guy they were in love with kissing their best friend, after the explosion. Said guy and best friend wasn't suppose to reveal my identities." Mina's voice cracked before she continued.
"I didn't know what to do. They told everyone that I had been caught in the explosion. They all believed I was dead. Everyone was so eager to believe I was gone. I thought maybe that it was for the best, if I was." she finished quietly.
Usagi was quiet, giving the girl a moment to compose herself.
"What will you tell people, when they recognize you?" she asked.
"Easy. I am Aino Minako. I was Wilhelmina Fairchild's double." she paused for a moment. "I created Minako a while ago. You know, just in case…" she left the sentence unfinished.
"Double?" asked Usagi, curious.
"Yeah, someone who looks like a celebrity. Famous people hire them to be decoys, so they can have a private life. The decoys can go to parties and stuff, and act like their celebrity."
"And that's how some people would know you, and you would them. That's pretty smart."
Mina nodded.
"The prince recognized me. I froze for a minute. Then I acted as if nothing was wrong. I'm going to have to reintroduce myself to him, before he gets suspicious."
"Yeah, you're going to have to stop calling him "the prince" too. I think that will make him wonder." Usagi teased.
Mina looked at her, in the eyes. She could see that the princess was in pain, like she was. She sighed.
Usagi gave Mina a sad smile.
"I know." she said, referring to Mina's sigh. "Yours thinks you are dead, and mine doesn't even know I'm alive."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that." said Mina, softly.
Usagi looked at her in askance.
"He was staring at you when I walked in. He notices you, trust me. You should have seen the way he was looking at you."
Usagi blushed slightly. She didn't miss what Mina was implying.
"He doesn't remember me, and he doesn't even like me. All we do is argue."
"Built up sexual tension." Mina offered. "Besides, does it really matter if he remembers? Why let that effect now? I think you should just make a move. See how he reacts."
Usagi forced herself not to go red in the face. She couldn't image making any moves on Mamoru.
She snorted. Build up sexual tension? Sure….not likely.
"I don't think so. You haven't seen the way we fight…"
Mina rolled her eyes. Some people were just oblivious. She knew what she saw. She was the goddess Venus reincarnated. She knew lust and attraction when she saw it.
"You'll never know, unless you try. You can't just give up, before you even make an attempt." Mina urged.
"I know."
Then she heard Motoki utter those famous words. Sailor Moon. Usagi looked at him with her eyebrows raised. Why was he discussing her with Mamoru? She shifted in the booth when she caught his smirk. He better not have told Mamoru…or she would moon dust Motoki herself!
"Relax, they're only talking about the battle last night."
But Usagi's attention wasn't on Motoki anymore. It was on the three girls approaching them. She cursed silently. They were early.
She shot a glance at Mina.
"Do not, under any circumstances, mention Prince Endymion, or the fact that he's Mamoru, Tuxedo Kamen, or Darien Shields." she ordered, still in Lunar.
"But why?" Mina looked confused.
"There are some things that I'd like to keep to myself. As I'm sure you would." Usagi answered meaningfully.
Mina's eyes widened. Was she referring to-? No, Mina couldn't go there. With a rush of realization, she suddenly understood Usagi. There were just some things you couldn't talk to others about. She felt touched that Usagi had with her.
Mina nodded to Usagi.
"I understand."
"Thank you."
"No problem, Serenity." she answered, teasingly.
"Don't call me that." groaned Usagi.
"Well, what else am I suppose to call you?"
"Usagi." she snapped.
"I can't do that, princess."
They heard laughter from the approaching girls.
"We try to tell her that, but she insists. So we just call her Sere." a dark haired brunette informed her.
Mina grinned. Sere was Suri. Hebrew, for princess. She had a feeling who this one was.
"You must be Ami."
The girl with short hair and dancing sapphire eyes nodded. Ami was wearing a white tank top and a deep blue skirt that fell to her ankles.
"This is Rei and Makoto."
Mina studied the girl with ebony hair and amethyst eyes. Rei was wearing a short sleeve red shirt with grey dress pants. She had a quiet, dignified air about her, but Mina could sense the temper that probably lurked in the Martian. She turned to the tall auburn hair and emerald eyed girl who wore a dark forest green tank top and white shorts. She was probably the oldest of them all, Mina thought to herself. She saw them studying her as well. She wondered what they saw.
The three girls were staring at the golden haired and aqua eyed girl that was to be their new leader. Each sensed the power lurking beneath the cheerful exterior. None missed the air of authority that clung to her. She smiled at them, and inclined her head.
"I'm Minako."
With that, the tension was broke, and the three Senshi slide into the booth across the table from their leaders. They bombarded her with thousands of questions, about her flight, her life in England, any and everything they could think of. She answered, cheerfully, and got in some questions of her own. After an hour, they were fast friends and it seemed like Mina had always been there.
"Guys, I hate to cut into things, but we need to talk about, uh, stuff ." Usagi said.
"Right." Rei said, looking around the arcade, noting that Mamoru was still there.
"Let's go to my place." Makoto suggested. She looked at Minako.
"I live by myself, so we don't have to worry about interruptions." she explained.
Minako nodded.
"I'm going to have to find a place myself."
"Why? Aren't you going to stay-"
Usagi interrupted Ami.
"She'll explain everything when you guys get to Mako-chan's place."
They all looked at her with askance.
"Aren't you coming?" Mina asked.
"Yes, but I have to take care of something first. You guys go ahead."
Mina looked like she was going to open her mouth, so Usagi hastily said,
"It's about what we were talking about earlier."
Mina's mouth curved into a slow smile.
"Okay, we'll see you in a few."
The girls all looked at Minako for answers. It wasn't like Usagi to be secretive about anything with them.
"Let's go!" Mina announce cheerfully.
They all reluctantly got out of the booth, leaving Usagi behind.
On their way out, each girl gave a farewell to Mamoru and Motoki. Mina stopped for a bit longer than the others.
"Well, I bet you're a little confused, huh, Darien?" she asked Mamoru with a grin at his confused face. "It's me, Minako."
He still looked confused, so she fed him the story that she had concocted. She wasn't sure if he believed her or not, but then again, it really didn't matter. He was one of them, even if he didn't know it. He wouldn't expose her. She left with a wink at the cute blonde behind the counter.
Mamoru and Motoki stared after her. After a moment of silence, Motoki spoke up.
"Well, that certainly makes more sense than coming back from the dead."
Mamoru held in his snort. He hadn't believed a word she said, but he also understood that as a Senshi, she had to have a believable excuse if someone were to recognized her. She couldn't very well go prancing around with out one. So, for her sake, he agreed with Motoki, and acted like he had bought her story.
He saw Motoki glance over his head.
"Umm, I going to the back, I have to get more…supplies. Be back." Motoki said in a hurry, and almost bolted through the door behind the bar that lead to the storage area.
What the hell got into him? Mamoru thought to himself as he turned his chair to see what had his friend darting for the escape route.
Ahhh, shit.
Author's Note: I know, I know, I'm evil for ending it there. I'll confess, I'm a little stuck on how I should write this next scene. I have a pretty good idea, but it's still difficult to make it flow. Never fear, I shall figure it out. Please review! I LOVE hearing from you!
