"Have you spoken with Usagi, recently?"
"No..."
"And what about you? Have you spoken to her?"
"I haven't even seen her..." Mako frowned.
Rei slouched back onto the pillow and pulled her legs from under herself. Re-adjusting herself into an Indian-style sitting position at her table, she sighed slowly and studied a whole baked pie sitting idly. "This isn't like her. She's usually at study sessions - especially if she knows someone's bringing food."
Ami nibbled on the eraser of a pencil and gave Rei a sympathetic look. "I tried calling her before we came. Her mom said she went out, but she would give her the message when she returned home."
"What in the world has been taking all of her time, recently?" Minako covered the pie. "I'm not even hungry anymore."
"I propose an intervention..." Ami placed the pencil on the table, allowing it to roll off the table and onto the floor.
Rei nodded in agreement. "Yes, we'll just go to her house and wait for her." The dark haired girl hesitated a bit. "Though, it almost seems like intruding."
"We won't sneak around or anything. We'll wait for her to come home and then we'll speak to her." Minako reassured Rei.
"Or beat it out of her..." Mako pounded her fist into her palm.
The three girls looked up from their positions at Mako who looked a bit too determined to find out what was Usagi's deal for being flaky.
"I'm sorry, I just got a bit carried away. I'm just worried. I'm almost angry with her for being so distant all of a sudden." Mako sighed.
"Let's not worry until we speak with her. In a way, I feel we're all a bit angry with the way she's been acting. I don't want to pass judgment so quickly, though. Let's just know the truth first, ne?" Rei stood up and combed her hair a few times with her fingers. "Let's go now. It's getting late, she can't be out too much longer."
The four girls walked along the busy Japanese streets of the Juuban District towards Tsukino Usagi's house. It had been a common trek for them. There would be days that they went to study by her. Usagi would be there, sprawled across her bed with assorted manga and J-Pop CD's that she just bought. Her mother would happily place a plate of cookies and milk on a stack of text books for the girls and excuse herself to prepare dinner. Luna sat at attention, ready to keep Usagi alert.
Unfortunately, this trek to her house was a sadder, more melancholy one. In each of their deepest thoughts, they worried the worst for Usagi. They spoke to her days earlier, but not hearing a word for her in almost a day was unusual. In their deepest thoughts, they all felt they were doing the best by intervening in Usagi's private affairs and driving the girl back into a normal life.
Of the three, Rei felt the worst. After chanting for a while, she changed her prayer of peace to one of chaos, hoping to drive Usagi out by calling Sailormoon forth to destroy another enemy. At least then they'd have proof that all was well and she was only having some melodramatic episode with Mamoru and his distance. It was a horrible thing to pray for. She spent the rest of the night praying for forgiveness.
In another part of town, Haruka sped at lightning speeds down the highways of Japan's coastal area, trying to impress Usagi who's mind seemed anywhere but there. "Koneko? What's the matter?"
Usagi pulled her head from it's resting spot upon her crossed arms, propped against Haruka's convertible's door and smiled softly. "I haven't seen my friends in a while... I just miss them."
Haruka nodded solemnly. "How about I drop you off by Rei's and you can call the girls and meet up for a bit before you have to be home?"
"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like that." The young princess smiled brightly at Haruka.
Entering through the torii of Rei's temple, Usagi felt a bit lighter. She hadn't seen the girls in days. She envisioned dashing into Rei's room and talking circles around the young priestess until she collapsed into a tired heap and Rei shoved a plate of cookies in her face and begged her to shut up for a minute. She'd neglected study lessons of her own choice, but now she wanted to make up for lost time in the little time she had. Unfortunately, when she reached Rei's room, there was no one there...
Rei, Makoto, Minako and Ami took their selected seats on the couch in Usagi's living room, watching their watches and sighing. They'd been there almost two hours with no word from Usagi. The girls were almost furious with her now. She was damned inconsiderate to not even call and say she'd be late. With a sigh of defeat, Rei announced that she was going home and wherever Usagi may be, may she stay there forever.
Usagi slowly opened her eyes to realize that the room she lay in wasn't her own. She'd fallen asleep waiting for Rei to return home. Two hours had passed with no word from Rei. The blue eyed girl felt like crying as tears well up in her eyes. She was worried and confused. Without announcing to anyone that she was leaving, Usagi slid back into her shoes and showed herself out of the temple. She walked along the darkened streets back to her home where her mother would be curious as to why she was out so late.
Rei took a short path through an alleyway to get home faster. The well lit alley was a common short-cut for people that wanted to get to the temple quickly to deliver a quick prayer on the way to work, school, etc.... Usagi took the normal long route home, taking the time to think about her friends and how much she missed them. With a deep sigh, she push open the door of her house and announced that she was home.
Rei threw herself on her bed and gaze up at her ceiling. She'd remember the times that Usagi slept over and they'd stare at the ceiling for hours talking about random little things that popped into their minds. In a way, it felt like Usagi had just been there, sprawled out on her bed just thinking about life like they used to do. After Usagi's random thoughts, the girls usually ended up hungry - as she always talked about food. They'd whip up something quick and spend the entire night talking about being a senshi. It was a release for the both of them. Rei realized that she was feeling congested, not having a way to vent was killing her inside. She reached for the phone, hoping Usagi would be home by then.
Usagi gripped the receiver of the phone as she started dialing Rei's phone number. Both girls sat, staring at their phones for a few seconds before throwing down the receiver and turning away from the phone. The fear of not having the other answer the phone was just unbearable. Usagi never felt more alone.
Taking another deep breath, Usagi picked up the phone again and dialed Mamoru's phone number this time. She realized that she hadn't talked to him in days either. The phone rang for a bit before there was an answer on his end. Soft music was playing in the background, but it was silent of any other people.
"Hello?" Mamoru's deep voice came.
"Mamo-chan! Oh... it's me... Usagi..." Usagi felt a blush come to her face. All she could visualize at that moment was Haruka wrapping her arms around the girl's waist.
"Usa-ko? How are you?" Mamoru didn't seemed surprised to hear her.
"I'm fine... I just wanted to see how you were." Usagi visualized Haruka letting the smaller girl's hair down and kissing along her neck.
"I'm fine. Actually, I'm busy. Perhaps I can talk to you tomorrow? Will that be good?" Mamoru sounded way too anxious to get off the phone.
"It's fine... goodnight." She threw the handle down quickly and threw her hands over her shoulders, pushing a body off of her. "You have zero patience, do you know that?"
Haruka shrugged and looked innocent.
"I didn't even see you come in." Usagi rubbed her neck to stop the tingling.
"Your mom let me in because you left your books in my car. I came to drop them off." Haruka held out a few textbooks.
"Those aren't mine, Haruka" Usagi gave her a skeptical look.
Haruka tossed the books on the table. "Oh well..." the taller girl grinned.
"You're mischievous, Haruka." A blush rushed pass Usagi's cheeks.
"I know." Haruka leaned in to kiss Usagi.
"Who was that?" A woman wrapped up in a blanket stood in Mamoru's bedroom door's frame.
"Just Usagi." Mamoru stared at the phone.
"Should I leave?" The woman's green hair cascaded down her back.
"Why would you do that?" Mamoru dropped the bed blankets that were wrapped around his waist and smiled softly. "Setsuna, come to me."
Pluto's senshi gracefully glided towards Mamoru and wrapped her arms around his waist. Resting her head on his chest, she stared out his window at the stars and slowly exhaled.
It would be another night their Physics study session ended up hands-on.
"No..."
"And what about you? Have you spoken to her?"
"I haven't even seen her..." Mako frowned.
Rei slouched back onto the pillow and pulled her legs from under herself. Re-adjusting herself into an Indian-style sitting position at her table, she sighed slowly and studied a whole baked pie sitting idly. "This isn't like her. She's usually at study sessions - especially if she knows someone's bringing food."
Ami nibbled on the eraser of a pencil and gave Rei a sympathetic look. "I tried calling her before we came. Her mom said she went out, but she would give her the message when she returned home."
"What in the world has been taking all of her time, recently?" Minako covered the pie. "I'm not even hungry anymore."
"I propose an intervention..." Ami placed the pencil on the table, allowing it to roll off the table and onto the floor.
Rei nodded in agreement. "Yes, we'll just go to her house and wait for her." The dark haired girl hesitated a bit. "Though, it almost seems like intruding."
"We won't sneak around or anything. We'll wait for her to come home and then we'll speak to her." Minako reassured Rei.
"Or beat it out of her..." Mako pounded her fist into her palm.
The three girls looked up from their positions at Mako who looked a bit too determined to find out what was Usagi's deal for being flaky.
"I'm sorry, I just got a bit carried away. I'm just worried. I'm almost angry with her for being so distant all of a sudden." Mako sighed.
"Let's not worry until we speak with her. In a way, I feel we're all a bit angry with the way she's been acting. I don't want to pass judgment so quickly, though. Let's just know the truth first, ne?" Rei stood up and combed her hair a few times with her fingers. "Let's go now. It's getting late, she can't be out too much longer."
The four girls walked along the busy Japanese streets of the Juuban District towards Tsukino Usagi's house. It had been a common trek for them. There would be days that they went to study by her. Usagi would be there, sprawled across her bed with assorted manga and J-Pop CD's that she just bought. Her mother would happily place a plate of cookies and milk on a stack of text books for the girls and excuse herself to prepare dinner. Luna sat at attention, ready to keep Usagi alert.
Unfortunately, this trek to her house was a sadder, more melancholy one. In each of their deepest thoughts, they worried the worst for Usagi. They spoke to her days earlier, but not hearing a word for her in almost a day was unusual. In their deepest thoughts, they all felt they were doing the best by intervening in Usagi's private affairs and driving the girl back into a normal life.
Of the three, Rei felt the worst. After chanting for a while, she changed her prayer of peace to one of chaos, hoping to drive Usagi out by calling Sailormoon forth to destroy another enemy. At least then they'd have proof that all was well and she was only having some melodramatic episode with Mamoru and his distance. It was a horrible thing to pray for. She spent the rest of the night praying for forgiveness.
In another part of town, Haruka sped at lightning speeds down the highways of Japan's coastal area, trying to impress Usagi who's mind seemed anywhere but there. "Koneko? What's the matter?"
Usagi pulled her head from it's resting spot upon her crossed arms, propped against Haruka's convertible's door and smiled softly. "I haven't seen my friends in a while... I just miss them."
Haruka nodded solemnly. "How about I drop you off by Rei's and you can call the girls and meet up for a bit before you have to be home?"
"If it's not too much trouble, I'd like that." The young princess smiled brightly at Haruka.
Entering through the torii of Rei's temple, Usagi felt a bit lighter. She hadn't seen the girls in days. She envisioned dashing into Rei's room and talking circles around the young priestess until she collapsed into a tired heap and Rei shoved a plate of cookies in her face and begged her to shut up for a minute. She'd neglected study lessons of her own choice, but now she wanted to make up for lost time in the little time she had. Unfortunately, when she reached Rei's room, there was no one there...
Rei, Makoto, Minako and Ami took their selected seats on the couch in Usagi's living room, watching their watches and sighing. They'd been there almost two hours with no word from Usagi. The girls were almost furious with her now. She was damned inconsiderate to not even call and say she'd be late. With a sigh of defeat, Rei announced that she was going home and wherever Usagi may be, may she stay there forever.
Usagi slowly opened her eyes to realize that the room she lay in wasn't her own. She'd fallen asleep waiting for Rei to return home. Two hours had passed with no word from Rei. The blue eyed girl felt like crying as tears well up in her eyes. She was worried and confused. Without announcing to anyone that she was leaving, Usagi slid back into her shoes and showed herself out of the temple. She walked along the darkened streets back to her home where her mother would be curious as to why she was out so late.
Rei took a short path through an alleyway to get home faster. The well lit alley was a common short-cut for people that wanted to get to the temple quickly to deliver a quick prayer on the way to work, school, etc.... Usagi took the normal long route home, taking the time to think about her friends and how much she missed them. With a deep sigh, she push open the door of her house and announced that she was home.
Rei threw herself on her bed and gaze up at her ceiling. She'd remember the times that Usagi slept over and they'd stare at the ceiling for hours talking about random little things that popped into their minds. In a way, it felt like Usagi had just been there, sprawled out on her bed just thinking about life like they used to do. After Usagi's random thoughts, the girls usually ended up hungry - as she always talked about food. They'd whip up something quick and spend the entire night talking about being a senshi. It was a release for the both of them. Rei realized that she was feeling congested, not having a way to vent was killing her inside. She reached for the phone, hoping Usagi would be home by then.
Usagi gripped the receiver of the phone as she started dialing Rei's phone number. Both girls sat, staring at their phones for a few seconds before throwing down the receiver and turning away from the phone. The fear of not having the other answer the phone was just unbearable. Usagi never felt more alone.
Taking another deep breath, Usagi picked up the phone again and dialed Mamoru's phone number this time. She realized that she hadn't talked to him in days either. The phone rang for a bit before there was an answer on his end. Soft music was playing in the background, but it was silent of any other people.
"Hello?" Mamoru's deep voice came.
"Mamo-chan! Oh... it's me... Usagi..." Usagi felt a blush come to her face. All she could visualize at that moment was Haruka wrapping her arms around the girl's waist.
"Usa-ko? How are you?" Mamoru didn't seemed surprised to hear her.
"I'm fine... I just wanted to see how you were." Usagi visualized Haruka letting the smaller girl's hair down and kissing along her neck.
"I'm fine. Actually, I'm busy. Perhaps I can talk to you tomorrow? Will that be good?" Mamoru sounded way too anxious to get off the phone.
"It's fine... goodnight." She threw the handle down quickly and threw her hands over her shoulders, pushing a body off of her. "You have zero patience, do you know that?"
Haruka shrugged and looked innocent.
"I didn't even see you come in." Usagi rubbed her neck to stop the tingling.
"Your mom let me in because you left your books in my car. I came to drop them off." Haruka held out a few textbooks.
"Those aren't mine, Haruka" Usagi gave her a skeptical look.
Haruka tossed the books on the table. "Oh well..." the taller girl grinned.
"You're mischievous, Haruka." A blush rushed pass Usagi's cheeks.
"I know." Haruka leaned in to kiss Usagi.
"Who was that?" A woman wrapped up in a blanket stood in Mamoru's bedroom door's frame.
"Just Usagi." Mamoru stared at the phone.
"Should I leave?" The woman's green hair cascaded down her back.
"Why would you do that?" Mamoru dropped the bed blankets that were wrapped around his waist and smiled softly. "Setsuna, come to me."
Pluto's senshi gracefully glided towards Mamoru and wrapped her arms around his waist. Resting her head on his chest, she stared out his window at the stars and slowly exhaled.
It would be another night their Physics study session ended up hands-on.