Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or her characters, and have no right to it except as a long time fan.
Edited: 3/17/15
A Different Usagi
Wednesday: Day Three
Beeeeep, beeeeep, beeeeep.
Usagi woke with a frown at the annoying sound as she rolled over to turn off her alarm. 6 am. Way too early. She thought with a sigh as she rolled on her back sleepily. After a few moments she became aware of music playing, and listened more carefully as she woke up completely.
Oh no! I left it playing all night?! She thought frantically as she realized she had left her star locket open all night long. She quickly got out of bed and began to pull her covers back as she searched for the locket. It wasn't in her covers or her sheets, but she could still hear it. She then snatched her pillow off the bed and saw it lying there glowing even in the morning light. She breathed a sigh of relief as she picked it up, and gently closed it. As she stored it back in her nightstand she wondered if it would play forever since it didn't take batteries.
Usagi then did something that she was sure would give her mother a stroke; she made her bed. She even fluffed her pillows before she gathered some clean underwear and her uniform then headed to the shower.
After she had finished her shower and was fully dressed she decided to have a look at the wound on her forehead. She went to the mirror, pulled up her bangs and saw that the gash was healing, but it wasn't healed enough for her to leave the bandage off. So she cleaned it, put a bandage over it, and went back to her room.
She stood before her vanity mirror as she brushed her hair. She then put it up in her familiar odango's, made sure her bangs covered the bandage, then left her room and headed to the kitchen. She hoped her family wouldn't shout their surprise at seeing her up so early since her head was pounding yet again. Her head wasn't completely healed from hitting the ground two nights ago, and she was sure that her crying fit the day before was the current cause.
Usagi entered the kitchen and found her parents talking quietly as they sat at the table finishing their breakfast. But as soon as they noticed her they stopped talking and starred in shock. She smiled brightly but didn't say anything as she made herself some toast and poured a glass of orange juice.
Her mother was the first to snap out of her surprise at seeing her up so early. "What happened to your head honey?" Her mother asked in concern. She was facing away from her parents, so they wouldn't get a good look at her face but she could feel her mother's eyes on her.
"It's nothing mom." She said after finishing her toast and orange juice. "I got hurt in gym." She said as she turned to face them with a wary smile. They smiled back and she knew that they believed her. They probably think I had a klutz attack.
After that Usagi was lucky enough to leave without her parents asking why she was up so early. She had taken advantage of their shock, and slipped out with her school bag and lunch without being noticed. Yes! I'm up and out of the house before Shingo could even show his face in the kitchen. She thought as she made her way to school, walking happily although she was still tired and her head hurt.
Usagi got to school really early without having a klutz attack or falling. When she walked into her class she saw that there were only three people there, and they all looked up at her in shock. Get used to it. At least for a while. She thought as she smiled at them and headed for her seat.
Yay! I even got here before Ami and Makoto. I wonder… She stopped her thought when she realized who she was thinking about. It hurt to think about them and what happened, so she decided to put it off for as long as possible.
I'm so tired. She thought as she yawned. I'm going to sleep early tonight after I do my homework. Hmmm….maybe I should do my homework as soon as I get home that way I won't have to worry about it during dinner or before I go to sleep. Yeah definitely when I get home. She thought as her fellow students started walking into the room.
She pretended to ignore or not see their shocked faces, but she was happy that they saw that she was capable of being early. She then put her arms on the table and laid her head on them as she pretended to go to sleep, but she was really thinking.
Ugh! My head. It feels like it's starting to hurt more. It shouldn't start hurting more from crying yesterday, and my forehead is healing well. So I don't understand why. She thought in frustration. Maybe I've got a permanent headache because of that night. That night. I wonder how Baka's head is doing. I know he hit it pretty hard, and I didn't get to see him at all yesterday.
Well I'm going to the arcade today, so maybe I'll see him there. I usually do. She thought as she heard Ms. Haruna taking attendance. I'm going to get a milkshake and play the Sailor V game, and I don't have to worry about going to a meeting or rushing out to a battle. Hmmm…..I wonder how I'll react if I see a youma attacking. She thought with a slight frown.
Just then Usagi heard Ms. H say her name with a sigh as if she didn't expect an answer. "Here." She said as she lifted her head and sat up in her seat. Ms. H looked beyond shocked, but smiled after pushing her shock aside.
Once Ms. H had finished with the attendance she asked everyone to hand in their homework, and Usagi grabbed her bag, pulled out her homework, and headed to the teacher's desk and handed in her homework. She noticed the gasps and shocked faces on her way, and had to hold back the smile that threatened to show on her face.
She didn't notice that two of those faces belonged to Ami and Makoto since she didn't look.
After everyone was back in their seats Ms. H began to teach the class starting with math. Usagi pulled her notebook out and began to doodle, drawing hearts and roses in different shapes and sizes. She didn't take notes. She didn't need to since she understood everything Ms. H was saying. Of course she was listening and paying attention, but to everyone who looked it appeared that she wasn't.
"Who would like to come up?" She heard Ms. H ask after hearing chalk on the board. She didn't hear anyone volunteer as she shaded in a heart she had just finished drawing. Not even Ami. "Tsukino." She heard Ms. H call and she looked up. "I would like you to come up here and try this problem."
Usagi shifted her eyes from Ms. H to the problem on the board. She then put her pencil down, got up and walked to the board. She probably called on me because I looked like I wasn't paying attention as always. She thought as she reached the board. She glanced at Ms. H and saw the shock on her face. Yup. I was right. Oh….look at all the X's and Y's. She thought as she looked at the problem while picking up a piece of chalk.
As Usagi did the problem she thought about how glad she was that she didn't have to graph it, just solve for X and Y. When she finished the problem she did the check, and put the chalk down as she looked over her work. Then she turned around to head back to her seat and saw that the entire class looked shocked. Especially Ami, Makoto, and even Naru, but she didn't notice them as she took her seat and continued to doodle. She had only noticed in general that the class was shocked, because she didn't look closely at anyone but she did hear many gasps and exclamations.
The morning went by with Usagi's classmates being shocked and surprised, but even so Ms. H continued to teach and class went on.
4 Hours Later…
When the lunch hour came around Usagi disappeared to the roof to eat her lunch. She didn't want to talk or be around anyone, because her head still hurt and she wasn't ready to explain her miraculous change. Plus she didn't want to take the chance of having Ami and Makoto try and talk to her. She just wanted to be alone with her food and thoughts.
But even so she wondered if they would apologize when she gave them the chance. I know I would accept it. That's just the way I am, but they would have to admit they were wrong about me first. I would only accept if they realized their mistakes and how overly mean and critical they were being. She thought as she ate and gazed at the sky.
After lunch Usagi changed and went to her gym class. It went reasonably well. She didn't klutz out or fall, but she did have trouble with the sports that were being played. Well I'm not good at sports anyway, so no miraculous change there. She thought after she had changed back into her uniform and was on her way back to Ms. Haruna's class.
When the class was settled Ms. H surprised them by giving a 15 question pop quiz in math. Usagi looked over her copy briefly before picking up her pencil and starting. She smiled a small smile as she worked on the problems. This is just like my homework last night. She thought as she breezed through problem after problem remembering to show all her work and do the check.
Usagi was first to finish but only seconds before Ami. Ms. H was shocked again when Usagi handed in her quiz.
"Usagi wait." Ms. H said and Usagi turned back to her and watched as she looked over it then began to grade it.
Ms. H looked up at her when she was done grading her quiz and smiled. Usagi smiled in return, then turned and went back to her desk. She spent the rest of the time given for the quiz alternating between doodling and watching her classmates finish and turn in their quiz.
After class Ms. H called Usagi to her desk and asked her to stay.
"How did you do it?" She asked flat out as soon as the room was empty. She handed Usagi her homework that she had graded during the lunch hour, and her math quiz. She was astonished at the intellect Usagi was showing.
"I wasn't always asleep in class, and I've understood all the material so far. What I didn't understand I reviewed in my text books." Usagi said with a tired smile. I can't believe I'm still tired. She thought as Ms. H spoke.
"Why haven't you done this before?" She asked as she sat behind her desk.
I wonder if I should try to explain to her why I've basically hidden my intelligence, but would she believe it or even understand. She thought as she looked at Ms. H. She doesn't look like she would believe it, and she certainly wouldn't understand. No one would. She thought with a sad sigh.
"I have my reasons Ms. Haruna. I won't elaborate, because you wouldn't understand." She said in a quiet voice. Ms. H looked at her for a long moment then nodded her head, and rummaged through some files in her desk drawer and pulled out a handout and handed it to Usagi.
This looks like an exam. She thought as she flipped quickly through the 5 pages of the handout.
"I would like you to do this along with your homework, and turn it in in three days." Usagi heard her say as she put the handout, her graded homework, and quiz in her bag.
"Yes Ms. Haruna." She said and walked out of the classroom and headed for the arcade.
Today went well. She thought, satisfied with the reaction she got at school. Now it's time to wow everyone at the arcade. She thought as she walked without falling. She didn't even notice that she was walking very gracefully, so gracefully that some people actually stopped to watch her walk.
20 Minutes later…
After Usagi got to the arcade she stepped inside after the sliding doors opened and looked around. The people there looked at her like they expected her to start wailing or shouting.
The girls aren't here, which is good. Just thinking about Rei makes my head hurt even more then it already does, but Baka isn't here either. She thought as she made her way to the counter to get a milkshake. Maybe it'll help my headache. She thought as she quietly got Motoki's attention.
Usagi took a deep breath to try and get the tired look off her face, and smiled brightly as she saw the surprised look on Motoki's face.
"Usagi-chan. Hey." He said with a smile. He had clearly been expecting a louder greeting.
"Hey Motoki can I get a chocolate milkshake?" She asked as her smile faded into a frown when she felt pain shot through her head. She brought her hand up to her forehead and pressed it there hoping the pressure would help relieve the pain.
"Are you okay Usagi?" She heard Motoki ask in concern and realized that he saw her do that, and most likely could see the bandage. "I'm fine. I just have a headache." She said as he made her milkshake.
When he finished he handed it to her, and after she paid for it, which shocked him even more since she had an ongoing tab there, she went to sit in a booth in the middle part of the eating area. Once she was seated in the side facing away from the door she pulled out the handout Ms. H gave her and began to look through it while her mind wandered.
Her mind almost immediately went to her decision to resign. Even though she didn't want to think about it she couldn't help it.
It was for the best. For the best of everyone involved. Plus I had to give up a lot to be Sailor Moon. I had to give up my sleeping hours, my free time, and my friendship with Naru. Things will never be the same between us even though it's not dangerous for her to be around me, and I actually have time to spend with her. Maybe I shouldn't even try to fix things between us. She thought as she sipped on her shake.
I hadn't adjusted well to being a senshi anyway. Not like the girls had, and the way they were being lately didn't make me want to try harder. She thought with a sigh.
I wonder if Tuxedo Kamen knows… her thought trailed off as she looked up and saw Mamoru sliding into the seat on the other side of the table.
Mamoru's POV
Beeeeep, Beeeeep, Beeeeep.
Mamoru groaned as he rolled over and slammed a hand down on his alarm clock effectively stopping the horrible sound. As he rolled back over he found that he had two women on his mind…the princess from his dream and Usagi.
He remembered the beautiful white gown the princess wore in his dreams, and her long silver gold hair. She's always so beautiful even if I can't see her face. He thought as he completely woke up. Then his thoughts turned to Usagi. This is the second morning I've woken up with Usagi on my mind. It… it feels kind of nice. He thought with a soft smile that faded as quickly as it had come. This is Odango I'm thinking about. What am I talking about 'it feels kind of nice'? He thought in irritation as he quickly got out of bed.
After making his bed he grabbed a quick shower and began to get dressed. I'm going to see Odango today no matter what. Even if I have to find out where she lives and pay her a visit. At least I would know how she was doing. He thought as he finished getting dressed and left. He decided that he would grab something to eat on his way to school.
Hours later…
After school Mamoru had gone home to pass the time since he got out early. When he was sure that Usagi's school had let out he left his apartment and walked quickly to the arcade.
He was beyond worried at this point, and had realized at school that he had never gone one day without seeing her since they met. He was shocked at how distracted he was at school from worrying about her. Especially since schoolwork always distracted him when he needed it to, but today it just wasn't working. He needed to see her; he needed to see how she was doing.
Mamoru walked into the arcade and scanned the room, and spotted those familiar golden odango's. There she is. He thought as he breathed a sigh of relief. She looks fine, but you never know. He thought as he walked to the booth she was sitting in.
Why is she facing away from the door? That's not like her. He thought as he sat across from her. He knew that relief was written all over his face as he looked at her, and watched as a frown formed on her face. What is she thinking about? He wondered.
Usagi looked at Mamoru and watched as relief flooded his face. She frowned in confusion then remembered how she had run away from him the other night. He must have seen the wound on my head and was worried. She thought as she looked away from his face as she blushed in embarrassment at what she had done.
I had to get to my friends, but still I should have said something. Well I did say I was sorry. She thought as she sipped her milkshake to prolong the moment before she had to speak to him.
She looked back to him and saw that he was still looking at her. Then they spoke at the same time in quiet voices.
"Are you okay?"
"Are you okay?"
Usagi looked away and grabbed her milkshake and started sipping on it again. Why am I being nice to Baka? He just showed up out of nowhere and interrupted my thoughts. She thought with a silent sigh. But he's worried about me; that's why I'm being nice, and I was worried about him too. Plus I'm supposed to show off the new me. She thought and looked at him when she heard him speak.
"I'm fine. I still have a bump on the back of my head, but there's no pain…at least not until I touch it." He said. "What about you? Last time I saw you you had blood running down your forehead." He said quietly as he looked at the bandage.
"It doesn't hurt much anymore, but it's still a few days from healing." She said just as quietly after moving her milkshake to the side away from her handout.
"And how's your head? I…I was worried that you might have a concussion." He said almost as if he were embarrassed to admit he was that worried about her.
As soon as he mentioned it her headache seemed to get worse, and she closed her eyes and grimaced in pain as she brought a hand to her forehead.
"I had a pretty bad headache when it happened, and it got worse as the night went on." She said as she remembered hitting her head after saving Rei from that youma's blast.
"It got better, but then yesterday…" She trailed off as she remembered resigning and crying most of the day from all the hurtful things that were said at the meeting. "Yesterday was just not a good day and the pain came back, so today I have a bad headache and it just got worse." She said with a sigh as she put her handout away. She wouldn't be looking at it again until she did her homework.
Mamoru frowned as he wondered what could have happened to her yesterday to make her headache come back. Maybe it's an after effect of hitting her head. He thought as he looked at her. He saw the pain in her eyes before she looked down in her shake, but he also saw sadness too. Why is she so sad? Why do I care? He thought as he looked at her milkshake.
"Are you sure that wound is okay Odango?" He asked with a smirk on his face.
Usagi glared at him. I guess we can't be civil without getting on each other's nerves. She thought.
"Yes Baka. I'm sure." She said in a low angry voice.
"Alright. Alright." He said, as his smirk got bigger. He liked that they were back to angering each other with those names, but then his smirk faded and he looked at her seriously. "But can I see…to make sure?" He asked.
Usagi looked at him in surprise. Well he is an aspiring doctor. She thought as she looked at him.
"You're really that worried?" She asked, and he just looked at her. "Fine." She said curtly but in a quiet voice and leaned across the table toward him while moving her shake aside.
Mamoru reached out and rested a hand on her forehead over the bandage. Whoa she's kind of hot. I hope she's not getting sick or something. He thought as he placed his other hand on the side of her face to hold her steady as he began to take the bandage off slowly, so he didn't hurt her. He had to force himself to hold back a gasp as he felt like he had just been shocked by static electricity.
Usagi sucked in a quick breath as she felt a tingly electric feeling, but closed her eyes when he did that and sighed a little sadly.
"No one besides you and my parents has noticed this wound. My parents only noticed because I got up early today." She said quietly.
Mamoru frowned and stopped when he had the bandage halfway off, but kept his hand on the side of her face as he spoke.
"Didn't your friends notice the other night?" He asked in confusion. She had run off because they needed her, and they didn't notice that she was hurt.
"No. I made sure they didn't see." She said with her eyes still closed. It was weird talking to him like this, but she didn't have anyone else to talk to and it just sort of came out. It felt easy to talk to him somehow.
"They had to have noticed the bandage yesterday and today." He said not really noticing that he still had his hand on her face. It just felt right to have it there.
If anyone looked at them it would look like they were boyfriend and girlfriend; with him caressing her face, and the both of them leaning in close to each other over the table talking quietly.
And that is exactly how it looked when Ami, Rei, and Makoto walked into the arcade and saw them.
Usagi was about to answer him when she heard Motoki speak. "Hey Ami, Makoto, Rei. Can I get you anything?" He said and Usagi opened her eyes and found herself looking into Mamoru's ocean blue eyes.
Then they both heard Rei and that cause Mamoru to look away from Usagi's eyes.
"Mamoru." Rei called in a flirty yet angry voice.
Mamoru looked back to Usagi and was surprised at the play of emotions he saw on her face, and let his hand drop from her face as he looked to Rei who was heading toward their table.
Usagi quickly fixed her bandage and smoothed her bangs over it. "I'm outta here." She said to Mamoru as she grabbed her school bag and began to stand.
"Wait." He said in a confused voice as he wondered why she was leaving as soon as her friends had arrived. I haven't even checked her wound yet. I need to be sure that it's healing properly if I'm going to have any peace of mind tonight. He thought as he looked up at her.
"I'm going to the park Baka since I don't quite feel like going home just yet." She said and turned and walked gracefully past her friends without a word.
Mamoru's POV
Mamoru watched Usagi walk away as Rei walked up to the table. How come none of them said anything to her? Makoto and Ami looked at her, but Rei didn't even glance at her. Actually she looks a little angry. He thought as Rei sat down where Usagi had just been sitting.
"I see you were talking to that Odango Atama. So what were you teasing her about this time? Or did she come here to start a fight with you?" She asked in a somewhat flirty voice.
Mamoru could hear the anger and jealousy in her voice. What's with her? I was just talking to Odango. He thought slowly as he realized what it must have looked like when they came in and saw him and Usagi like that.
He almost smiled at that. He knew that Rei had a crush on him, and he had gone out on a couple of dates with her in his spare time hoping that she would see that they had nothing in common. I also hoped that she would see that I wasn't interested, and back off so I wouldn't have to hurt her feelings. He thought as he looked at her.
I would have done it, but she's one of Odango's friends, and I'll be nice to her even if I'm not always nice to Odango. Usagi would know that I was nice, and that I'm not always mean. He thought with a silent sigh not noticing that he had just used her name.
"Neither actually. I came here to check on her." He said coolly. Did they really not notice the bandage on her head? He thought.
"Why would she need to be checked on? She's not a baby, although she acts like it most of the time." Rei said with a chuckle.
Mamoru noticed Makoto and Ami sitting at a nearby table talking quietly although they threw Rei some quizzical looks.
"Are you telling me that you didn't know your friend was hurt?" He asked incredulously. Usagi was right! They hadn't noticed. He thought as he noticed that Ami and Makoto had stopped talking and were looking at him waiting for him to continue.
"She didn't look hurt to me just now." Rei said dismissively.
What is she talking about? She didn't even look at her! What happened between Usagi and her friends for them to act this way? Especially Rei. He thought with a mental frown. He had noticed that ever since their first date Rei had started to slowly turn abusive toward Usagi. He remembered that it started out like how he would tease her, but she began to get much meaner and it even started to sound like she actually meant what she said.
I know that I'm like that sometimes, but it's different with us. I just can't help myself when I'm around her, but I never mean what I say. He thought and he suddenly felt the need to make sure Usagi knew that he didn't mean everything he said.
"We ran into each other pretty hard about two nights ago, and we were both hurt. We had hit our heads on the ground, but hers was more serious then mine. I just had a bump on the back of my head, but she had a serious gash on her forehead that was bleeding badly. She ran off saying that you all needed her, that it was an emergency before I could see if she was okay. This was the first time I had seen her since that night." He said to all three girls and stood up.
"If you'll excuse me. I'm going to try and find her since I still didn't get to see if she was really okay." He said and left the arcade. Once he was outside and about a block away he made sure that they didn't follow him. He knew by the tone that Usagi had used and by the look she had given him that she didn't want them to know where she was.
So Mamoru headed for the park. He found her, after looking for almost 20 minutes, sitting in the grass leaning against a tree with her eyes half closed. She looks lost in thought. He thought as he approached her.
Usagi's POV
Usagi walked out of the arcade without a backward glance. She didn't want to be around them at the moment. She had shown Makoto and Ami some of the 'new her' and that was enough for one day. It still hurt to see them and know what they thought of her. Plus it just reminded her that she wasn't a senshi anymore, and couldn't help people in that way anymore.
She then headed for the park and thought about how she would have to get used to not being Sailor Moon anymore. Could I really just walk or run away if I saw a youma? I wouldn't have a choice since I handed over my broach. She thought. And that is exactly why I did it. So I wouldn't be tempted to change my mind, and end up getting someone killed. She thought as she got to the park.
After walking around for a while she found a tree in the middle of the park, and sat down at its base and leaned against it.
My headache is getting worse, and I feel more tired then I did this morning. She thought as she relaxed against the tree. I don't understand why I feel so tired. I got enough sleep last night. She thought as her eyelids lowered. Maybe I should just go home. She thought but then reminded herself that Mamoru might come. Well he got to see me, and saw that I was fine so maybe he might not come. But he sounded as if he didn't want me to leave, which is why I told him that I was coming here.
If he wants to talk more then he can just come here, because I really don't want to deal with the girls. Especially Rei and her attitude. She thought and then rolled her eyes tiredly. This is Baka I'm talking about, so he probably won't come. That's okay though; I'll just rest here for a little while before I go home. She thought as she saw someone walking toward her.
Usagi looked up and saw that it was Mamoru. Baka actually came. She thought in wonder.
Mamoru sat down across from her and saw the look of surprise on her face. "What? Didn't think I would show?" He asked with a smirk.
Usagi rolled her eyes. "Well you got to see that I was okay, so I figured it was good enough. Plus I thought you would stay and chat with Rei." She said as she ran her hand slowly over the grass next to her.
"Like I said before Odango, I want to make sure that gash is healing right." He said and put his hand on her face gently like he did in the arcade and slowly removed the bandage with his other hand. It really was as bad as I thought it was, but its healing fast. Faster then I thought it would. He thought as he examined the wound and tried to ignore the static electric feeling he was getting from touching her.
"Nice job cleaning this up and dressing it. I'm surprised Odango." He said in a 'wow! I can't believe you actually did this' kind of voice as he put the bandage back. She's still hot though. I wonder if she's noticed that she has a fever. He thought.
Usagi glared at him although it was hard because of the tingly feeling she was getting from him touching her.
"It's not hard if you know what you're doing." She snapped. Her head was killing her, and she was in no mood to deal with his insults and teasing. Why is it so hard for us to talk without teasing, arguing, or irritating each other? And why is it that when we are nice to each other it's weird, and usually ruined by someone coming along and interrupting us. She thought with a sigh.
Mamoru sat back then stretched out in the grass in front of her. How does Usagi know how to clean and dress a wound like that? I suppose its common sense, but Usagi doesn't seem like the type to know how to do it. Maybe a family member helped her, but it was late and she already said that her parents didn't notice until this morning. And why does that happen every time I touch her? He thought as he gazed at the sky.
Usagi wondered what Mamoru was thinking about as she watched him gazing at the sky. What is that feeling every time he touches me? And why is he still here anyway? He's checked my wound and found that it was okay, so why stay? She thought and then heard him speak.
"Are you not getting along with your friends?" He asked without looking at her.
Usagi blinked and looked away. That came out of nowhere. Why does he want to know that, and why does he care?
"We're not seeing eye to eye right now." She said evasively. She could only tell him half the reason, and she wasn't up for sharing it at the moment.
Mamoru could tell by the sound of her voice that she didn't want to tell him, but when he looked at her face he saw that she looked sad and tired. She needs to talk about whatever happened between her and her friends. They're the only friends she has; the only other people I see her talk to on a daily basis are Motoki and myself.
I don't think she would talk to either of us about it, but I'm going to try and get her to talk about it. I don't like to see her…girls walking around sad and alone; especially if they have a naturally bubbly personality.
"You should go home Odango. You look terrible; someone might mistake you for a wild animal and call animal control." He said after standing up.
Usagi gasped and glared at him. He laughed and she nearly growled at him for that insult when she stood up, but she was feeling too tired.
"You're one to talk gorilla face. You should leave the park before someone calls the zoo." She said as she began to walk away from him.
"This from the girl who eats like a pot belly pig." He said with a laugh. He hadn't forgotten that he wanted her to know that he didn't really mean his insults and teasing, but he didn't know how to tell her and he couldn't seem to help what came out of his mouth when he was with her.
"You're such a Baka!" She screamed at him and stormed off momentarily forgetting how tired she was.
Usagi's POV
Usagi didn't slow down until she was clear of the park as she walked home. It took a little over 30 minutes for her to get there because she walked slowly since she was so tired.
She looked at Shingo playing video games in the family room then went to greet her mother. After that she dragged herself up the stairs to her room, closed the door, dropped her school bag next to it, and fell face down on her bed.
Maybe I should take a nap. No I might sleep too long and not be able to do my homework. I have to do my homework; I'm not done showing off my new self. She thought with a sigh. I'll rest a few minutes before I start my homework. She thought as she rolled on her back and shifted to the center of her bed.
After she rested she changed into a pair of pink pajamas with red buttons and lining. She then pulled her star locket out of her nightstand and laid it on her floor table. Then she got her school bag, went to sit at her floor table, and pulled out her homework.
Math, History, Literature, and this handout. She thought as she got herself organized. At least I don't have to deal with biology. She thought as she opened her star locket. She hoped that the music would help sooth her headache as she began her homework.
As she did her math homework and listened to the soft melody coming from the star locket she thought about Tuxedo Kamen.
I wonder how he's doing. I hope he's okay. I wonder if he knows yet about me quitting. Does he miss me like I miss him? What does he think about me quitting? Does he know why I did it? If he knows that I quit that is. What if he's glad? She thought with a gasp and she decided to stop thinking about him for now since that last thought hurt.
Usagi had completed her math and history homework by the time her mom came to her room to let her know that dinner was ready.
"That is such a beautiful melody. Where did you get it?" Her mother asked as they descended the stairs.
"Yes. Yes it is. I uhhh…got it from a friend." Usagi said quietly as they entered the kitchen. She wasn't that hungry so she didn't eat as much as her family ate, and listened as they talked about their day.
After dinner she said goodnight to her parents and went back to her room to finish her homework. Once inside her room she sat down at her floor table and opened her star locket with a sad sigh. Then started her literature homework.
When she was done with that she started on the 5-page handout. This isn't going to take me the whole three days. I don't even think it's going to take me three hours. She thought with a yawn as she skimmed through the pages. It was a mixer of questions that resembled homework and tests from all the subjects she was learning.
It took her 40 minutes to finish the handout, and she gathered all her homework together and put it in her school bag. Then she stacked her textbooks and let her hair down. She then closed her locket and put it back in her nightstand, set her alarm for 6am, turned her light off and climbed into her bed.
My head still hurts. If it still hurts when I wake up I'm going to take some aspirin. She thought as she took a deep breath. She immediately started coughing. I hate coughing, and my throat feels scratchy. Oh no! She thought with a sad frown. I'm getting sick. I can't even remember the last time I was sick. She thought as she closed her eyes.
Usagi fell asleep almost as soon as her eyes closed. She still hadn't realized that she had a fever.
Mamoru's POV
Mamoru watched as Usagi stormed away then turned in the opposite direction and headed home.
I hope she goes straight home. She should be at home resting with the temperature she's running. He thought as he walked through the park. You've seen that she's okay, and now you have something else about her to worry about. He thought. But at least I got to see her and tease her. He thought as he heard screaming.
He knew the sound of those screams and knew that a youma was attacking. He looked around to make sure he was alone then he pulled a perfect red rose from his subspace pocket, transformed and headed toward the screams.
When he got there he saw people running away and saw that the Sailor Senshi were already there…well not all of them. He quickly noticed that Sailor Moon wasn't there and that brought a frown to his face. I know that she can be late sometimes, but I just don't have a good feeling about this and I still haven't felt her transform yet. He thought as he watched the Senshi fight what looked like a thick deformed tree from behind a tree.
Tuxedo Kamen wondered when Sailor Moon would show up to dust the youma or change it back into a human as he watched Sailor Mercury typing furiously into her computer while alternating between looking at the youma and the Senshi, and watched as Sailor Mars and Sailor Jupiter were having trouble with the youma.
As the minutes went by Tuxedo Kamen thought that they were keeping it busy until Sailor Moon got there, but she still hadn't shown up and they looked tired. Mercury had put her computer away and joined the fight, but they were still having trouble with the youma.
I have to help them now even though Sailor Moon isn't here yet. She would never forgive me if I stood by and let her Senshi get hurt. He thought as he stepped away from the tree and out into the open. He then began to throw rose after rose at the youma causing it to scream in anger and pain.
He looked at the Senshi as he walked up to them and saw clearly how drained they looked. What are they doing? Trying to defeat the youma themselves?! He thought, and as soon as he thought that he felt a sad sinking feeling in his stomach and knew that something was not right.
Sailor Moon wasn't there and they looked like they were trying to defeat it themselves. Why? He asked himself as he helped them defeat the youma by combining their attacks and his roses, and that was only after Sailor Mercury informed him that the youma wasn't human.
"Where is Sailor Moon?" He asked as soon as the youma had turned to dust. He watched as they all got quiet and he frowned. Then just as Sailor Mercury was about to say something Sailor Mars spoke.
"She quit because she couldn't handle being a senshi anymore. She wasn't doing a good job anyway." She said in a tired yet irritated voice.
Tuxedo Kamen watched at Sailor Mercury glared at her then turned back to him. "She resigned yesterday. We all had an argument, and …" She was cut short by Sailor Mars.
"You can't tell him this. We can't trust him." She hissed.
"Get over it Mars. I'm not telling him about the rainbow crystals. I'm telling him about Sailor Moon. Someone he's known longer then we have." Sailor Mercury said in an 'I'm sick and tired of your bull' kind of voice.
"He hasn't known her longer than…" Sailor Mars began but Mercury cut her off.
"He's known her longer as a senshi. She was the first of us remember? Or have you forgotten?" Mercury said then turned back to him. "We all hadn't been getting along well…at least we weren't getting along with her, and we all said some things that I won't repeat. She said that she was a terrible leader and an even worse senshi." She said sadly. He could tell she felt really bad about it.
Tuxedo Kamen couldn't believe what he was hearing. She resigned? He thought in shock.
"Are you sure that she was serious?" He asked hoping that she was just angry right now, and would continue to fight.
"She handed over everything that made her Sailor Moon, so we know that she was serious. She said she didn't want to be responsible for any of us or any innocent humans getting killed." Sailor Jupiter said as she came and stood next to Mercury.
Tuxedo Kamen wasn't sure how to react to any of this, and the first thing that came into his mind was the last battle he was at.
"This isn't just about what happened at the fight near the temple the other night is it?" He asked.
"How do you know about that? You weren't even there." Sailor Mars said in an irritated voice.
"I was there actually. I got there seconds after Sailor Moon, and saw everything that happened." He said in a calm voice. "I can't believe that you all ganged up on her. I felt like I was the only one to see what she saw." He said angrily.
"None of us saw you jumping in to help." Sailor Mars said, her anger rising.
"There wasn't time. Did you listen to nothing Sailor Moon said? I didn't even have time to shout a warning. If Sailor Moon hadn't acted you both would be dead." He said and saw that she had the good grace to look ashamed. "I swear I was so proud of her when I realized that she had gotten both you and herself out of the way of the aftershock of the blast when it hit the ground." He said.
"Can I ask why you always look so irritated and annoyed when you have to save Sailor Moon?" Sailor Jupiter asked. She couldn't help it. She had to know why he always looked that way. It just didn't add up with how he was acting now, and how Usagi always said that he wasn't the enemy; that she could feel it. Why did he look that way when he was saving her, but speak so passionately now in her defense?
"Yeah. You don't seem to like saving her any more than I do." Sailor Mars said and Mercury, Jupiter, and Tuxedo Kamen gaped at her.
Is she serious?! He thought as he was somehow reminded of Rei. He didn't know what Sailor Mercury and Jupiter thought, but they were clearly as shocked as he was. Jupiter and Mercury's feelings seem to have changed since the last time I saw them. He thought briefly before answering.
"I'm irritated with the enemy for always attacking her and using her weaknesses against her. I like saving her just fine, and even if I didn't like it I don't have a choice." He said and began to walk away.
"What do you mean you don't have a choice?" Sailor Mercury asked.
He stopped and turned back to them. "It's been an instinct inside me for as long as I can remember. I can't help but act on it. Plus I couldn't stand to see anything happen to her." He said and turned to walk away but stopped when Mercury spoke.
"Sailor Moon wanted us to tell you something the next time we saw you." She said as she glanced at Jupiter who nodded her head for her to continue. "She said that she'll miss you, and that she wished she could have seen you one last time." She finished softly.
Tuxedo Kamen stood there as he felt joy, sorrow, anger, and pain wash over him then he walked away without a word. When he was out of sight of the Senshi but still in the park he de-transformed.
The sun had set during the battle so there weren't many people out, but even so he wanted to get home quick. He wouldn't allow himself to think about what he had just learned until he did.
Once Mamoru was at home and away from anyone who might see, he collapsed in front of the window to his balcony in the living room. He couldn't understand why he was reacting this way. Do I really like Sailor Moon that much? He thought and knew that the answer was yes.
His feelings for Sailor Moon had been growing since he first laid eyes on her in that jewelry store. He could clearly remember that night. He could picture the fondness and adoration in her eyes even though they had just met, and the feeling that he got from knowing that she was safe because of him and how she had looked at him was amazing.
He just couldn't believe that he would never see that look in her eyes again, and to know that she would miss him and had wished to see him again made him happy and sad all at once. It also confirmed his suspicion and hope that she had been developing feelings for him.
I wish I knew who she really was. He thought as he wondered what made her resign. He knew that it couldn't just be her fear of himself and the Senshi getting killed. It just couldn't be. There has to be more to it. He thought then remembered what Sailor Mercury said about her thinking she was a bad leader and an even worse senshi.
He felt like breaking something in frustration. How did she come to that conclusion about herself? It's not true at all! He thought as he remembered again the last battle he had seen her at and wondered if he had went after her that night and talked to her if it would have helped.
Would she still be Sailor Moon? He thought but reminded himself about Usagi. But Usagi was hurt and it was really late and she needed me. They both needed me. He thought sadly and absently thought about how strange it was for Usagi and Sailor Moon to have problems with their friends at the same time.
As Mamoru thought about these things he managed to pull himself together and eat and get ready for bed since he knew that he was in no mood to study, and that he would wake up early from his reoccurring dream about the princess.
I'm going to have to speak to the Sailor Senshi more before I do anything. I'm not sure if they plan on getting Sailor Moon back, but I'm going to try and talk some sense into them so that they do. They know who she really is, so they would have a better chance at getting her to come back. He thought as he got in bed.
The locket! He thought suddenly. She still has the star locket I gave her. It'll bring us back together again I'm sure. He thought as he closed his eyes and tried to relax enough to fall asleep.
I wonder how Usagi is doing. I hope she took care of that fever. He thought as he fell asleep and straight into a foggy dream with his princess.