4 | Family
Bright yellow sunlight filtered through the spaces between the venetian blinds and cast narrow pillars of light across the room. One of those pillars just happened to fall across the reposing figure of a golden-haired blonde soundly sleeping in her cot. A long pigtail fell across the floor and was captured by another column of light, causing the thick strands to practically glow in its presence. It was a scene of absolute beauty and tranquility, something that neither the sleeping girl nor the one silently gazing while sitting at the edge of her bed had experienced in quite a long time. The quiet observer wanted to do nothing more than remain there and soak in the magnificence of the lovely picture painted before her. However, there was something far more important and special that she and the girl she passively watched had to do later that morning, which meant she begrudgingly had to destroy that peaceful image. She slowly tiptoed her way to the side of the cot and gently placed a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"It's time to wake up, Usagi-chan," Ami whispered.
"Just a few more minutes…" the blonde groggily mumbled. Her eyes steadfastly remained shuttered, refusing to consider the concept of accepting light without the proper stimulus.
Ami grinned and giggled softly. "We have to get ready to see your parents and brother at the hospital this morning. I'm sure you won't want to miss that."
She was fortunate to retain some semblance of quick reflexes despite the earliness of the day and her extended disappearance. They came quite in handy as Usagi shot up from the cot and into a vertical position, barely grazing her nose in the process.
"What time is it?" She frantically searched around for a clock or other timepiece. "I don't want to be late! Not for that!"
"Don't worry, Usagi-chan. It's six o'clock in the morning, and they start letting in visitors at eight."
Usagi's chest moved forward as she heaved a tremendous sigh of relief. "I want to be sure to see them the first chance I get today," she said softly. Her tone was mostly cheerful, but there was the smallest hint of disappointment that Ami readily detected.
"I'm sorry we didn't get an opportunity to see them last night." She lowered her head in similar display of regret.
"It's not your fault, Ami-chan." Like magic, her own feelings of despair disappeared as she directed her concerns at her best friend. "The train ride was three hours by itself, never mind the fun of getting to Tokyo Station undetected, buying the tickets, and waiting for the train, all of which took another hour. You couldn't control any of that, so don't feel bad about it."
"I know, I know…" She turned her eyes toward the window as she released a much smaller yet equally comforting sigh. "It's just all so horrible that we even have to go through this, although I'm sure it's far worse for you since it was your family that they tried to kill."
"But they failed, and now they'll never get another shot at it. That's one thing I'm going to make sure happens if I do nothing else," Usagi said with impressive resolve.
Ami returned her gaze to her princess. "And I'll do everything in my power to help you, Usagi-chan."
"I absolutely believe you." Utter silence dominated for the next few moments before the blonde relaxed and smiled warmly at her friend. "So, what should we do for the next hour or so?"
"Beyond the obvious, you should probably tell us more of what happened to you in the Dark Kingdom. We really couldn't talk about that on the train."
Usagi emphatically nodded in agreement. "You have no idea how much I have to say about all of that. It was complete and utter hell for every second I was there, and I had no idea if I would survive." She paused for a moment before continuing in a tone that lacked its earlier resentment. "I could probably write a whole book about my experience, a pretty compelling one at that, if I didn't have to keep my identity secret."
"But both our families and the Dark Kingdom know about us already."
"True, but I don't think telling the entire world about us being senshi is a good idea."
"I see your point," Ami said a few seconds later as she slowly nodded her head in understanding. "If they know we're senshi, and that there's this huge evil force using dark magic that's trying to take over the planet, then there's likely going to be mass panic that ultimately will make our jobs much more difficult."
"And the last thing any of us need is our lives becoming more difficult than it already is." Usagi's mood soon became far more mirthful and she began to chuckle. "Anyway, I don't want to spoil the whole story, and I want my parents and brother to know as well, so you'll just have to wait for me to tell everyone else when we get to the hospital."
"In that case, I guess I can wait."
Ami smiled and, inexorably, began to giggle as well. The two continued to laugh until light tap on the bedroom door seconds later interrupted their reverie. Two pairs of eyes turned to the threshold and gazed at the tall brunette, who in turn peacefully stared at them while displaying a beaming smile on her lips.
"I see the two of you are awake."
Ami nodded. "We were trying to determine what to do before we go to the hospital to see Usagi-chan's family."
"Well, one thing we can do is get Usagi a new cell phone. Her last phone was destroyed when she was captured."
"Last two phones, actually," Usagi whispered. A slight blush of embarrassment covered her cheeks as her head drooped to point her eyes at the floor.
Saeko's grin only widened at the sight. "Don't worry about it, Usagi, as I have no qualms about doing this for you. Besides, you'll absolutely need a phone to contact us and your parents when you'll inevitably be away from us."
"Thanks, Saeko-san!" Usagi accentuated her joy by leaping to her feet, running to the slightly surprised woman, and wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. Ami merely smiled in response to her friend's palpable elation.
"You're welcome," she replied with a chuckle as she lightly returned the embrace. Usagi soon let go and walked back to the cot, merrily grinning all the way. Saeko let the amusement subside before addressing the girls once again. "Now, what were you girls thinking of doing before we leave for the hospital?"
"Actually, not much, unfortunately," Ami answered somewhat sullenly while Usagi slowly nodded her head in muted agreement. "I think both of us are just getting used to being… here… alive, and in relative safety."
"That much I fully understand." Saeko walked to her daughter and enveloped her in a very tight and loving hug. "I'll tell you what. Why don't we go out for breakfast this morning? There's a nice little café not too far away from here that makes wonderful omelets. It'll be a nice family outing, one we haven't had in quite a long time." She turned and pointed a gentle smile at the pigtailed blonde. "That absolutely includes you too, Usagi. For everything you've done for me and my Ami, you certainly count as family to me."
Gratitude was an insufficient term to describe Usagi's emotions after hearing Saeko's heartfelt sentiments. Her face turned a deep crimson, partially from embarrassment but mostly from the sensation of joy at knowing Ami's mother effectively considered her another daughter. For all its brightness, the smile she held a few moments prior paled in comparison to the one that had taken to her lips. Furthermore, her eyes were the most dazzling and resplendent they had been since that period before her capture by the Dark Kingdom. There was no mistaking the sincere elation and wonderment the girl felt.
"I'm amazed, and yet so glad, that you consider me part of your family."
"It would only make sense. Anyway, I think we should get cleaned up so we can get out of here and get some breakfast. After that we'll go phone shopping and then head to the hospital so Usagi can see her actual family."
Saeko turned to leave, but was stopped by the inquisitive look on Ami's face and the question her daughter asked soon thereafter. "So… are all of us are going to go shopping?"
"Well, maybe—" the doctor paused for a moment, humming lowly while slowly nodding—"no, I doubt it. I think it would be better for him to spend some time familiarizing himself with the layout of Kyoto. That way he can learn places to easily teleport in and out if the need arises." There was another contemplative pause, followed by a faint grin. "Also, he probably can't go out in that uniform as he'll attract too much attention. But, the good news is he's about the same height as my father, so at least he has some new clothing available. It may be a bit tight on him as he's slightly heavier in build, but it's only a temporary fixture."
Usagi tilted her head to one side in confusion. "Where is he going to get the money for that?"
"I left him fifty thousand yen to use for shopping and some suggestions on places where he can buy things without spending everything on one item." She instantly perceived the pair of disbelieving looks and sighed in resignation. "I know, I know… But it's not like I can just leave him in his current state. And, besides, it's not that much money, so it's not a tremendous loss to me."
Everyone's attention was drawn to Luna, staring at her as she yawned, arched her back, stretched out her hind legs, and eventually spoke groggily. "I can accompany him to help him with his task."
Usagi shot the black cat a mischievous smirk. "Good morning to you, sleepyhead. It's good to know that, for once, I woke up before you."
"Although I did have to physically wake you up," Ami said with an equally jovial smile directed at the blonde.
"Details." Usagi's tone was as dismissive as the wave of her hand. She then winked at Ami before turning back to Luna. "Anyway, what do you know about buying clothing, let alone men's clothing?"
"Not much, but that's not the point. I want go with him so I know what's around here and can brief you all on the places where you could hide and transform, at the very least."
Saeko nodded. "That sounds reasonable. I hope you two don't spend all day touring the city, as I'm sure Usagi's family would want to meet you. Granted, they already know you're a talking cat, but for so long they've only thought of you as a toy and never actually had the opportunity to speak with you. I have a strong feeling they'll also want to meet Kunzite and hear what he has to say about the conflict."
"Very well. I'll be sure to let him know that." Luna then slowly walked from the room in search of their former nemesis.
Saeko turned to the girls. "Anyway, once you guys are ready, I need you to help me coax my parents away from their bedroom while I abscond with some clothes to leave for Kunzite." She gave them a playful wink before leaving the two senshi to complete their mission while preparing for her own.
—|1|2|—
The trio arrived at Kyoto City Hospital one minute after eight o'clock, which meant they were among the first people to be admitted to visit patients that morning. Their first task was to meet with the nurse stationed at the front desk to determine the identity of the room where the mother and young son of the "Tachibana" family was located. After that they wasted no time in traveling to that room, which was on the fourth floor of the moderately tall building. Their anticipation made the trip appear to take longer than the five minutes actually required to walk the halls and ride the elevator. They finally stopped before Room 416, the room within which Usagi could finally see her mother and brother after such a short yet horrific absence. Her father was in a different room as recuperation from his injuries required more specialized equipment and even more time. The pigtailed blonde was the one to softly knock to announce the presence of guests before slowly opening the door. Certainly, the nurse had forewarned the patients to expect guests, but she did not want to immediately barge in on the two and frighten them. She wanted the surprise to be as pleasant as possible.
"Who's the—Usagi? Is that you?" Ikuko asked as she looked upward from her book. Her tone changed from bleariness to astonishment the moment her eyes focused on the petite girl.
"Yep, it's me."
At first, the girl in question was calm as she walked into the room. However, she knew she could not maintain the façade for much longer and ran to her mother with her arms spread wide, ready to deliver a tremendous hug.
"Oh my goodness!" Her joy was unfettered as she welcomed as best as she could her daughter's embrace. The injuries prevented her from giving as tight a hug as she desired, but there was no doubt in the amount of love she conveyed through even that loose hold. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you!"
"You too, mama." Her tears soon found their way down her reddened cheeks and splattered against the light blue sheets. "I love you so much. I was so devastated when Beryl… when she… I mean, I thought you…"
She began to struggle with her words as she lacked enough poise at that moment to carefully and properly organize what she wanted to say. Furthermore, the whole concept she failed to vocalize—and the accompanying memories, despite their falseness—utterly terrified her. Instead she decided to just remain silent for a few moments and count her blessings for the fact her mother, brother, and father were still alive and well. She wished she could hug her father the same way she held her mother and would soon hold her brother. Maybe in a few days she would have that opportunity.
"It doesn't matter, honey. Not right now. I'm here now," Ikuko tenderly whispered into Usagi's ear while gently caressing the sobbing girl's back. "Thanks to you, we're all perfectly fine."
As mother and child embraced, the elder Tsukino could not see the other guests walk into the room. Shingo was also absorbed with the reunion involving his sister to pay much attention to them. That is, until he saw the girl with short blue hair silently and tranquilly walk into the center of the room. She was more than willing to stay in the background and allow Usagi all the time she needed. On the other hand, he was so shocked by her presence that he almost inadvertently shifted everyone's attention to the demure young woman before she was ready to receive it.
"I-is that really Ami-san?" He stuttered slightly as he pointed at the girl. Ami slowly nodded and gave a modest grin in response, drawing a similar smile from the boy. Before he could say anything else, he found himself wrapped in the slightly quavering arms of his older sister.
"I'm so happy to see you too, Shingo." Her hoarse voice did little to mask her cheerfulness. "I love you so much, and don't you ever think otherwise."
"I wouldn't doubt that for the world," he replied before frowning in confusion. "However, I don't get all the crying. It's not like anything happened to us."
Usagi shook her head and smiled at him, even while the tears continued to flow. "I know that now, but before…" she managed to say before she was overcome once again by her conflicting emotions of trepidation and exhilaration.
It was also the exact moment Ikuko finally noticed Ami. She stared at the girl and blinked a few times in wonderment before she could imagine the question within her mind. It took another second for her to spit out the words.
"Ami? Is that really you?" Her face held an expression of delight tempered with concern.
"Yes, Ikuko-san, it's me," Ami pleasantly answered in conjunction with a sharp nod of her head and a large smile.
"Usagi saved her," Saeko added while placing her hands on her daughter's shoulders and exhibiting an equally bright smile.
Ikuko nodded in understanding. "I'm so glad you don't have to live with the thought of never being able to see such a wonderful girl grow into a beautiful woman." It was not hard to detect the merriment in her tone, given her recent fright of possibly having lost her own daughter. "As strong as you appeared to be, I doubt you could have maintained that for much longer if she really was gone."
"Actually, I didn't maintain it at all." Her smile dimmed as she recalled that harrowing experience. "I cried the hardest I've ever cried in my life the night I found out my dear Ami had disappeared. Although I tried to hide it, I'm sure Usagi heard me the entire time."
A veil of melancholy covered Ami's face as she looked up to gaze at her mother. She quickly folded her hands in front of her, but not before swiping at her cheeks with one of them. Her curious actions soon attracted Ikuko's notice.
"What's wrong, Ami?"
She vociferously shook her head in denial. "N-nothing. I was j-just, um, s-somewhat taken aback by what my mom had to go through while I was gone. But since I'm here she shouldn't have to worry about that anymore." She punctuated her statement with a smile that wasn't quite as brilliant as the one that preceded it.
"Well, I think I'm okay now," Usagi said as she dabbed the few remaining tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater. "Now I may be able to tell you all what happened while I was in the Dark Kingdom. I'm sure you'd like to hear about that."
For the next hour, Usagi proceeded to tell in sometimes horrifying detail her story of the circumstances that surrounded her captivity. Naturally, she started with her apprehension by Sazaratha and her exposure to the same type of sapping stone that had imprisoned Ami's soul. She mentioned her encounter with Kunzite, but she was careful to not paint the general in the same terrible light in which she portrayed the demon. That was followed by what she knew and could sense from her captivity in the specially designed chamber and the mostly pointless interrogation that she realized was designed to break her rather than gather information from her. Then she told her captivated audience of the initially strange meeting with Beryl and the events that occurred near its conclusion.
"So… that's why you were crying so much when you saw us." Shingo's low voice revealed both the awe and terror he felt from hearing his sister's account.
Usagi slowly nodded her head in affirmation. "Part of me knew that it really wasn't you, but the absolute shock of seeing the very thing I feared the most completely broke me," she said softly. "I couldn't think straight after that, and that allowed Beryl to convince me to do something that I know now would have ended in disaster for all of us."
"What was that?" Ikuko asked.
The blonde took a huge breath of air and slowly released it to calm her emotions before continuing. "She wanted me to use the Silver Crystal to eliminate myself from all of existence. She told me I was the cause of everything bad that had happened in the past and now. Combined with having seen you all die—or at least thinking that was what I saw at the time—and her insistence that I could bring you all back if I did that, I wholeheartedly went along with it."
The revelation that Usagi almost destroyed herself and any chance at salvation for the planet understandably shook everyone, but it seemed to have a greater effect on Ami. That was exemplified by the tears that slowly fell from her dimmed eyes.
"Fortunately, I was rescued by the princess," Usagi said with a small but very warm smile on her lips.
She waited for a few moments and basked in the perplexed stares she knew she would receive from such a statement. Saeko was the first to take the bait, and quite emphatically at that.
"What on earth do you mean? Is it not true that you're the princess?"
"I am Princess Serenity, but until yesterday I wasn't fully the princess." She took a few paces to a corner of the room where she could equally address everyone without turning back and forth so much. "This may sound strange, but ever since my birth I was occupied by two souls. One was mine and the other was the reincarnated soul of Princess Serenity from the Silver Millennium. She had stayed with me and observed my life as though it was hers. She saw everything I saw, heard everything I heard, and felt everything I felt. For the most part I had no idea of her existence with me until that night Ami-chan disappeared, my former friends attacked and tried to kill me, and the Dark Kingdom tried to kill my family."
She paused for a few moments to collect her thoughts and find a proper way of expressing them before continuing.
"I was completely depressed and apparently I was going to do something to harm myself." Her initially doleful tone, an emotion sparked by that dreadful memory, swiftly disappeared the longer she spoke. "That was when I heard her speaking to me within my mind, trying to calm me down and let me know that I would be fine despite everything that had happened to me. We then started to talk, and she told me her story of the end of the Silver Millennium and how the souls of the dead senshi were transported to the future by Queen Serenity's use of the crystal. Apparently I was never supposed to be a senshi, but the queen had made a mistake, and that's how I became Sailor Moon."
She paused again, prompted by what she considered blank stares borne from her rambling and interpreted them as a sign to quickly get to the point of her side story.
"Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that the appearance of the previous princess is what you saw when I transformed the last time," she said with a slightly faster cadence. "She's Serenity the Fifth, while I'm Serenity the Sixth, and apparently I'm a lot more powerful now that I have my full powers." A resplendent smile concluded the speech.
"I see." Ikuko turned an equivalently bright grin to her daughter. "If she talks to you again, be sure to send her my thanks."
"Well…" Usagi's smile began to falter as she reflected on the absence of the late predecessor's soul. Her eyes started to dim and fill with tears. "I don't think that's going to happen, as my ascension to the princess required that she disappear forever." Thankfully that moment of melancholy was short-lived, destroyed by renewed enthusiasm and a forceful smile, just as the princess probably would have desired. "Though, I'm sure she already knows how much you appreciate what she did."
Her mother solemnly nodded, wishing she could have met the other aspect of Usagi's existence but nonetheless was grateful for the being's kindness. She was about to say something more about that, but a light tap at the door interrupted her. She stared at her daughter in confusion as the girl casually walked to the door and opened it, allowing an unknown man to enter the patient's room. She did not even know there was a person waiting outside, or even to expect other visitors that morning. Though the man's identity was a complete mystery to her, she immediately recognized the black cat he carefully nestled within his arms. Usagi's calm demeanor in his presence allayed her concerns, but only up to the moment introductions were made.
"I'm glad you could make it." Usagi then turned to her mother with a smile she hoped would put the woman at ease given her next words. "Mama, I'd like you to meet the person who helped us escape from the Dark Kingdom, Kunzite."
"W-wait… You mean, as in the general who tried to kill you—and tried to kill us?"
Before the girl could even nod she saw the paperback book fly across the room and almost nail the tall and impeccably dressed man right in the forehead. Fortunately it was the only thing Ikuko had available to her and her lone uninjured arm. Nevertheless, the stabbing pain that shot through her body failed to deter the woman's attempt at pushing herself up from the bed so she could lunge at Kunzite.
"Please calm down, mama! It's okay! He's no longer evil!" She ran to her mother and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, partly to reassure her but also to restrain her if necessary.
"It's true," Luna added as she leaped from the general's arms to the much colder tile floor. "Usagi purified him of evil and, as a result, rescued me and many other innocent people from the clutches of the Dark Kingdom."
Ikuko fell silent, but her anger and hatred did not immediately leave her just because of that proclamation. She stared fiercely at the man who she would have done her best to severely hurt in retaliation for trying to kill her daughter were she not laid up in such a terrible condition. Her breathing slowed to a very deliberate pace as she attempted to calm down and understand what Usagi had just said. Though, the presence of that wretched man bowing before her did little to help matters.
"I deeply apologize for what I did to your daughter, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I feel terrible about the things I did while I was working with Beryl, and I want to do anything and everything within my power to ensure that woman does not succeed."
"Why should I believe you? After all you did to us, why should I suddenly think you've changed and now want to help us?"
"I fully understand your cynicism," Kunzite evenly, if not somewhat meekly, replied while continuing to bow. "It was hardly a day ago that I strove to ensure your daughter's death so that Beryl could enact her vengeance from the events of the past life. However, thanks to the wonderful power Usagi possesses, she was able to cure me of the curse that Beryl had placed on all of the Shitennou. So, once again I beg you for your forgiveness."
Ikuko finally turned her eyes to Usagi. The subtle nod and smile she received from the girl was enough to convince her. She heaved a long, slow sigh, but when she finally turned back to him her expression had softened considerably.
"I forgive you, Kunzite-san. You weren't your normal self when you were acting under Beryl—that I can understand now. I appreciate that you decided to help Usagi and her friends."
He finally stood erect upon hearing those words. "It's my pleasure to do so. Besides, with the Earth in as much danger as it currently faces, there is nothing I'd rather do than assist them in defeating Beryl and, more importantly, in ridding the planet of Metalia."
Ikuko nodded and allowed a tiny smile to tug at her lips. "Well, I'm sure that we'll have a better chance at success with your help." It widened as she gazed at the general. "By the way, I'm sorry for throwing that book at you."
He chuckled. "I'm happy it was only a book."
"So, Kunzite, I was just telling everyone about what happened while I was held captive by the Dark Kingdom," Usagi said, her enthusiasm, though muted, staunchly belying the cruel reality hinted by her words. "I was just about to tell everyone about the battle, but I thought you could give us some idea of what was happening on the other side."
"Well… most of our efforts—when I was working with them—were concentrated on capturing you. That was done by me and a being called Sazaratha. I don't know how much she told you about her—"
"She told them everything that we discussed yesterday evening," Saeko interjected.
"That's good," he said with a sharp nod. He then paused for a moment before continuing in a more dour tone. "There was something else that I forgot to tell you all about that evening, and that is that Artemis was captured by Sazaratha shortly before she found Usagi."
There were a series of gasps that echoed throughout the room from everyone, but none were as loud as Luna's. She looked up at the man with wide, focused eyes that were filling with tears.
"Do you know if he's okay?"
"Unfortunately, I have no idea. If I can find any good news in this, it's that she isn't interested in killing him. However, she put him through an amount of torture that rivals what had happened to the princess. Beyond that, I have no idea what her plan for him is, but I have a feeling, if we ever see him again, that we'll have to be very cautious around him."
Luna dropped her head and dejectedly sighed. Her tears slowly fell from her eyes and mottled her fur. She meandered to a corner of the room with the intent to privately sob, but found herself in Usagi's gentle arms instead.
"I'm sorry, Luna," Kunzite glumly added. "If I knew where she was keeping him, I would have—"
"I-it's okay." By then her voice was quite raspy, and understandably so. "I don't blame you for what happened to him. He's strong, and I'm sure he'll be fine."
"Luna…" Usagi whispered, feeling the same sorrow experienced by her advisor.
"It's fine, Usagi." Her dismal tone wholeheartedly disagreed with that simple statement. "Please continue with what you were saying."
The room was filled with awkward silence as Usagi tried to find a way to resume her explanation in the wake of such saddening news. It was made far more difficult by the silently sobbing cat she tenderly cradled. Eventually, she found the fortitude to speak, though it only served to defer to the general.
"Um… Anything more about what Beryl is planning?"
He took a deep breath that he audibly exhaled before answering. "Two major things I can think of. One of which I already told Usagi and Mizuno-sensei and that concerns the army of youmas that Beryl currently is constructing. Fortunately the senshi managed to destroy a quarter of her capacity, but that leaves fifteen hundred of these monsters to wreak havoc and gather energy for Metalia at a much faster rate than ever before." The apprehensive expression that covered everyone's faces, even those who knew the information beforehand, spoke of the seriousness of the news. "The second thing is that Beryl has set up an extensive surveillance network around Minato and is currently tracking all of the senshi. That is, of course, with the exception of you two."
"I guess our plan worked to perfection, then," Saeko said, unable to resist the urge to smirk.
Kunzite turned toward the doctor and gave her an equally mischievous grin. "Whatever you did, I'm absolutely delighted that you did it, as it makes it that much more difficult for Beryl to operate. She'll have to devote as much time and effort to making sure you all don't come from out-of-nowhere and ruin her activities. That being said, it does mean that you'll have to be extremely cautious if you decide to return to Juuban. There are youmas all over the place looking for you, and they all look exactly like humans so you wouldn't know about it until it's too late."
The grin that spread across Usagi's lips matched the deviousness in her voice. "I do still have the disguise pen."
"But, even if you use that, they may be able to recognize your energy signature," Ami nervously added. "In that case the pen does nothing for you."
"That's true," Kunzite said. "The good news is that the youmas don't have the ability to detect such auras. Sazaratha does though, and she's extremely skilled and dogged in the art of tracking. But, she's just a single entity."
"So, that should be an overall advantage to you, right?" Ikuko innocently asked her daughter.
Though it was not directed at him, Kunzite was the one to answer her question. "If she were to just pass through Minato, the answer would be yes. It's a completely different story if she had to meet with the other girls, as that would bring her right to the very youmas tracking her. Again, if it's just a youma, she could confuse them by using the disguise pen, but if Sazaratha happened to be there, it could spell major trouble."
"Couldn't we just defeat her and get it over with?" In her annoyance, Usagi might have spoken louder than desired, but as everyone turned to stare at her she found that she did not care. "I mean, I should be as powerful as her by myself, and with the rest of the senshi at my side, even if we haven't yet dealt with our personal issues, we should easily beat her."
Kunzite sullenly looked at the floor and shook his head before turning his gaze back to the pigtailed blonde. "Do you remember when we last fought, one-on-one, as enemies?"
"Of course I do. It was only two days ago, after all, and my memory is not that bad." She flippantly stuck her tongue out at him. "But, yes, I do, and I think I know where you're going with this. I beat you the last time we fought, even after you started to fight with all of your strength."
"Well, not all of my strength, as I had to dedicate a fair amount of my magic in maintaining that force field, but your point stands." His stare slowly intensified. "The hitch here is that I didn't use any tricks beyond creating the barrier that prevented you from leaving. Sazaratha, on the other hand, is a far dirtier fighter. You did see how she deliberately avoided combating Uranus and Neptune to take out Zoisite at the perfect opportunity, right?"
"I remember her starting her attack and then randomly disappearing, which I thought was completely strange at the time."
"Exactly. The likelihood of her fighting you in a direct battle, one where she hadn't heavily stacked the odds in her favor, is very small. She would run away at the slightest sense of a disadvantage. That's not to say she's not a formidable warrior, and I think she's slightly more powerful than me at this juncture. It's just that she's more willing to use underhanded tactics to achieve victory."
"I think I understand," Ami said, her tone quiet and contemplative. "If we were to find Sazaratha and attempt to corner her, she would just teleport away to somewhere safe. The only time she would stand and fight is if she led us into a trap of some kind."
"Yes, that's pretty much correct," Kunzite replied with a nod.
After spending a few more minutes discussing Sazaratha's possible motivations, Usagi continued the far more captivating story of her ordeal. Inevitably, that meant discussion of her fellow senshi.
"All of us were in her throne room, and I was so close to, well, pretty much killing myself. It was the previous princess who stopped me from making that mistake, but I also was helped by Sailor Pluto, who I learned about earlier but had never actually met until that time. Pluto, along with Sailors Uranus and Neptune, make up what we call the outer senshi, and apparently they were unaware of their identities before my capture. They, along with Sailor Jupiter, had just burst into the throne room—literally—at the perfect time. Mako-chan had come to her senses at that time and had joined the outer senshi to help me escape."
Ami's eyes widened upon the mention of the tall brunette's name and, more specifically, the way she said it. "Mako… chan…? So, you're saying you've already forgiven her?"
"For the most part." The smile she gave Ami was not her brightest by far, but it was no less earnest. "There're still a few things I want to know before I fully forgive her, but I realized last night that she was sincere in her apology. What Mamoru-san said during the battle also made me see that. It's not to say that I'm still not somewhat mad at her for what she did to me, but for some reason I feel that her mindset was different from the others, and in a good way."
"Why don't you speak with her now, or at least as soon as possible, so the two of you can put that issue behind you and begin repairing your friendship?" Ikuko asked.
"I want to… I absolutely want to see her again and talk things out, but… I also… have to be careful in how I do it as I don't want to get caught, and… that takes time…" She averted her eyes from her mother's pleasant stare and instead pointed them at a blank spot on the wall.
Ikuko lightly frowned upon hearing her daughter's softly spoken words. "That sounds more like a pitiful excuse than anything."
Usagi slowly heaved a frustrated sigh as she knew her mother was utterly correct. "I know I'm probably being unfair to her, but a part of me feels she should have to suffer, if only a little bit, by waiting," she whispered. "It's wrong given that she doesn't feel that way anymore, but… but… I want her to feel just as hurt for what she did to me as I felt when she betrayed me and tried to kill me."
Ami stared at her best friend in stunned silence. She learned about the assault that occurred after her disappearance and the complete collapse of the relationship between Usagi and the other senshi prior to their last trip to her former home. Naturally the girl would be emotionally wounded by their treachery. Who wouldn't be, after all? But she did not expect the normally compassionate Usagi to behave in such a vindictive manner, especially to the one girl who arguably deserved it the least.
"I fully understand why you feel that way, but it's not healthy for you," Ikuko said with utmost sympathy. "Furthermore, it's not good for her, as I'm sure she becomes more depressed every day she believes you hate her."
"But I don't hate her."
"I know that. We all know that. But until you speak to her, she doesn't know that." She motioned for Usagi to approach her bedside, which the girl did without delay. That made it easy for her to tenderly stroke her daughter's back as she spoke. "All you have to do is talk to her and let her know how you feel and calmly ask her why she acted as she did. If you do that then I assure you everything will be just fine, but nothing good will happen if you don't talk to her."
Usagi felt a few tears well within her eyes as she pondered her mother's wise words. The woman was right, after all. She had to speak with Makoto, and sooner rather than later. Her original plan was to travel to Juuban that upcoming Saturday and meet with the senshi of lightning alone to determine what her newly restored friend was thinking at the time when she joined the others in attacking her. She had another request for the brunette as well before she would be satisfied and accept the girl's remorse and relay in turn her forgiveness. However, the only reason for delaying the encounter was pure spite on her part, an emotion she entirely disliked and hoped to avoid as it was too similar to the way they treated her. Yet, somehow, she had fallen into that same trap of responding to one's malice with unfettered cruelty, and though it was a purely natural reaction it was wholly inappropriate to aim it indiscriminately. Makoto had apologized to her the moment she had seen her, and felt true remorse when the other girls still believed in their hatred and doubt of her. The fact she was thinking about deliberately dragging the physically strong but otherwise quite gentle girl through such agony sickened her.
"I'll go speak to her tomorrow," Usagi said, her voice conveying a strange mixture of pure sadness and remarkable resolve. "I'll call her to let her know that I plan to visit her, but not in a form that's recognizable, just so she's not surprised."
"Are you sure it's a good idea to call—I mean, over normal cell phones?" Luna asked. "I would think it's a better idea to use the senshi communicator."
Usagi sluggishly nodded before her lips fell into a pout and her eyes slightly dimmed. "I don't have a communicator anymore. It was destroyed during the battle with Kunzite in the photo studio." She paused for a few seconds, her vacant stare locked onto the wall as she wallowed deep in thought before continuing in a low mumble. "It was the reason I wasn't able to tell them that I was still fighting and thus would be late in getting to the park."
"I guess we can have Ami call Makoto while I try to construct a replacement communicator for you," Luna said. She huffed, disappointed in having a suddenly busier week. "It will take a few days for me to do that, and I'll have to go to the special training room in Crown to do that."
Ami turned a probing gaze to Luna. "What exactly does that involve?"
"It's mainly just a lot of work in fabricating the specialized electronics. There's no real magic involved in the communicators themselves or in the way they work, and in all honesty they're no different than military radios except they're a lot, lot, smaller and more advanced. The bulk of the work—besides actually manufacturing the tiny circuits—goes into properly implementing the encryption algorithms and radio frequency-hopping algorithms and into ensuring the antennas are correctly shaped and are functional."
"Do you mind if I join you?" The resplendence within her eyes matched her eagerness.
"Not at all." Luna grinned, content in knowing that her week might be salvaged after all. "In fact, I'll definitely need the help, and with someone as smart as you assisting me I'll probably have the communicator ready even sooner, probably in two days max."
"Wait… two days?" an abruptly shocked and apprehensive Ami asked. "What about school?"
"I think I can cobble together a convincing excuse for why you were absent," Saeko replied while giving a slightly mischievous smile. "With your record, I truly don't think they'll mind very much. The more important thing is that you're very, very careful while in Juuban. The last thing we want is for you all to make a mistake and inadvertently tell Sazaratha or Beryl that we're here."
Ami sharply nodded while smiling brightly. "I absolutely don't think that will be a problem."
"Where are you going to stay if you're helping Luna make me a new communicator?" Usagi asked, momentarily forgetting the most obvious answer.
"It's the special training room. I can make anything I want in there, including a house for Ami to reside in, if necessary," Luna flatly replied before Ami could open her mouth to answer on her own. She readily ignored the furious glare directed at her from the normally docile girl.
Usagi chuckled at the scene before returning to her story. It was one that did not take long to finish as she was close to the finale before that latest digression.
"I guess, all in all, it was a pretty one-sided battle, wasn't it?" Saeko asked, though this question was more rhetorical than serious.
The blonde nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, although we were pretty lucky as well. They didn't have any youmas there, which would have made things a lot harder for us. They did try to send some, but the other girls defeated them while they were leading the civilians away to safety."
"Wait, civilians?" Ikuko and Saeko emphatically asked almost simultaneously.
"Um, I guess I forgot to mention that earlier, didn't I?" Usagi shrugged and looked askance. "There were innocent people there as well, victims of Kunzite when he was still evil. He had captured their souls and bound them within his body so that I wouldn't be able to defeat him without potentially killing them as well. Luna was one of them, as were Mariko-san, her boyfriend Kousuke-san, Azusa-san, and a bunch of girls that also were there at the photo studio." Kunzite stared at the ground with surprising meekness as she spoke. "Fortunately, their souls were rescued from his body when I purified him, but they had to be led away as there was still a pretty big fight going on and I didn't want them getting hurt."
"What did you end up doing with them?" Saeko asked Usagi, who in turn gazed at Kunzite with inquiring eyes. It took him little time to decipher her expression.
"I teleported them back to Juuban," he answered after heaving a reluctant sigh. "I told them they were safe following what they had to endure, but I also implored them to keep what they had seen and encountered a secret, at least until we're able to defeat Beryl."
"I don't think we have to worry about them revealing anything super important such as our identities, as they have no idea who we are," Usagi swiftly added.
Ami nervously shook her head. "But there's still the danger of them publicizing the enormity of the conflict and potentially creating a mass panic."
"I doubt that any of them would attempt to speak out," Kunzite said. "I told them of that possibility, and judging by their responses I'm certain they understand how much of a mistake it would be if they spoke out about their rescue at this time."
"Let's hope that remains the case," Saeko said.
After a long period of silence, Ikuko stated aloud the question that each person in that small room indubitably had asked themselves. "So… what is the plan now?"
Not surprisingly, given that morning discussion, there was only one reasonable answer and everyone knew it. Anybody could have given the proper reply. But none of them did, until the one person who had the most to gain and to lose from it spoke. Strangely, given the predicament, her words were accompanied by a wide smile.
"It's simple. We wait."