Title: Not exactly the same
Author: Ree
Theme: Minor Characters (Stay)
Genre: General
Version: Manga or Anime
Rating: G

All characters from Sailor Moon belong to Takeuchi Naoko , I'm just borrowing them for awhile.

A/N: A chihaya is the Miko outfit that Rei wears at the temple. Moon flowers look like large white morning glories that bloom at night.

"The summer festival is tonight! Are you going Usagi-chan?" Ikuko placed a plate in front of her still half asleep daughter. As Usagi raised her bleary, half shut eyes to her, Ikuko thought, 'This an improvement to the school year. At least she has time to eat the breakfast that I made today.'

Sounding far more awake than she looked, Usagi answered "Yes, I'm going! I promised to help out Rei-chan at the temple. "

That's what Ikuko had thought. She was glad that Usagi had made some really good friends. Not that her old ones were bad, but the new ones were even more of a variety. All of them were different. She was proud that Usagi could see past their difference and see the similarities in people.'Or at least pull them all together.' She secretly thought it was the influence of Rei and Ami that Usagi was accepted to Azuba High School. Looking at the uniform Usagi was wearing, she noticed that it was getting just a little tight. 'Not too tight, thanks goodness. We'll be buying high school uniforms next week. Luckily she can wear her middle school one for the summer service day. She needs a new yukata if her uniform is slightly small. Unless..'

"Are you borrowing a chihaya from Rei-chan?"

Usagi had finished eating, and was gathering her stuff to run out the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she answered in her normal chipper voice. "I don't think so. Rei-chan didn't say. We're just helping out with some of the booths, not in the temple itself." Slipping on her shoes and opening the door, she ran out calling "Bye, Mom! See you later!"

Ikuko responded back to her, and then to Shingo as he went out the door five minutes later. Turning around, she faced the kitchen. Rolling up her sleeves she got busy cleaning up.

"I need to check on both Shingo's and Usagi's yukata. I know Usagi is going to need hers at least let out and down. I'm not sure about Shingo's. While I'm at it, I'll press Kenji's and mine.'

With the kitchen finished, she walked upstairs to the bedrooms. Shingo's yukata needed its seams lowered, and Usagi's was just too small, there was no room left to grow in it. Lifting hers and Kenji's out of the trunk, she noticed they weren't as wrinkled as she had feared. She hung them up to let the few creases fall out. Taking Shingo's downstairs to her sewing room, she started planning the shopping trip for Usagi's new yukata. By time the last stitch was sewn, and Shingo's yukata was hung in his room, she was ready to go.

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She had shopped all morning, stopped for lunch , and was back at it. 'If I can't find one I like soon, I'll have to find the material and sew one.' Luckily there were a lot of choices out today because of the festival, but they were picked through. She should have come about two days ago, before everyone else tried on their old yukata. She had worked her way into the older section of the Juban shopping district. Ikuko spotted a store her grandmother used to take her to. 'Surely it's not the same couple running it. Maybe their children.' She felt herself drawn to the door. Just standing there brought back happy memories of yukata shopping with her grandmother. They always stopped by this store, and even if they didn't buy a yukata there, they always found something. Grandmother's shelves had been covered with unique treasures from here. Smiling, she walked into the store. 'Who knows? Maybe I'll find a fan, or a purse. Or maybe even a comfortable pair of geta.'

Nostalgia washed over her as the smell of the store surrounded her. From the back counter she heard a voice call out, "Welcome! Please feel free to wonder around, but if you need some help, let me know."

Ikuko remembered those words, and she felt like she was ten years old again. She glanced to her left, almost expecting to see Grandmother. Her smile broadened as she felt a little foolish. Calling back the response that Grandmother always said, she started looking.

Lined against the front windows were all the knick-knacks that kids now-a-days likes. It made the story look like any of the other shops lining the street, but the further back she went, the more it turned into the store she remembered. 'I wonder if it was that way for Grandmother when we came here. She always went to the back as fast as she could.' Ikuko was looking through the purses when she spotted the perfect pattern for Usagi's yukata. It was a rich dark blue with moon flowers in different stages of bloom twining up it. Not too adult, but not too childish. Her only problem was that it was a purse, not a bolt of fabric. Picking it up, she decided she needed some help, and headed back to the counter.

"Excuse me? Hello?" After she called out she heard the creaking of an old rocking chair in the back room. There were quiet footfalls, and then an older lady walked out. She turned to shut the door behind her. Before it was quite shut, Ikuko spotted a baby taking a nap on a small futon next to the rocking chair. Looking back to the shopkeeper, she was reminded yet again of her grandmother. The shopkeeper looked at her for a long moment. "Matasori-san?"

Ikuko smiled and shook her head no. "I'm her granddaughter. Ikuko Tsukino."

A large smile crossed the shopkeeper's face. "I remember you. You always came with Matasori-san." Bowing slightly she continued. "It's a pleasure to see you again."

Ikuko bowed in return. "It is a pleasure to see you again. Did you take over the store for your parents? Or are they here as well?"

"My husband and I now run the store. So, what can I help you with?"

Ikuko held up the purse she was holding. "Do you have either a yukata or the fabric to make a yukata in this pattern?"

The shopkeeper looked at the purse for a moment. "I think I have a yukata in that pattern. Follow me."

Ikuko followed her back to the far back corner of the shop. There was a line of yukatas neatly hung up on the wall. Looking at them Ikuko spotted the yukata. It was better than she imagined. The moon flowers twined up from the bottom hem to just above the waist. On the left shoulder was a full moon. It looked like the moon continued over to the back. When the shopkeeper lifted it off the wall, Ikuko saw that the moon did go over the shoulder onto the back. Scooping the fabric into her hand, Ikuko could image it on Usagi. 'And it looks the right size. Or I can easily fit it down to her size, and then she can grow into it.'

"I'll take it. Do you have a fan, and an obi to match?"

"Yes I do. Come this way."

As Ikuko followed her, she took one last look at the yukatas still hanging on the wall. One caught her eye. "One moment, please." While the shopkeeper waited patiently, Ikuko looked at a yukata that was pale green with wild roses trailing up it. She fell in love with it. Kenji would love it. Quickly checking the price of it and the one she was getting for Usagi, she decided to get it as well. "Can I have this one as well?"

"Of course." After carefully taking it down, the shopkeeper lead Ikuko to the accessories section. Once there she found two obis that perfectly matched both yukatas, and two fans. "Do you want anything else?"

Ikuko shook her head no, and they both went back to the counter. Excusing herself for a moment, the shopkeeper checked on the baby. She came back with Ikuko's total, and her packages neatly tied up.

Once home, Ikuko resized Usagi's yukata and then hung it neatly in her room. On the bed she placed the white obi. It's edges were dyed the same blue as the background of the yukata. Gently laying the fan next to it, she really hoped Usagi would like it as well. The moon flowers were twining around the sticks of the fans. The moon was on the upper edge of the fan. The final touch was the purse that had lead her to the rest. Smiling, she approved. All was in ready for Usagi to see. 'I hope she likes them as much as I do.'

Her smile broadened as she went to her room. Even though it was early, she slipped on her new yukata. The dark pink wild roses stood out nicely against the pale green. The obi was the same shade of pink. She slipped the matching fan into her obi.

Fingering the material she walked over to the long mirror. Looking in the mirror she nodded in approval. 'If Usagi hadn't grown up, I wouldn't have found this lovely yukata, or have visited that store again. Although it has changed in the front, it is the same place I remember.' Images of the store of her memory and the store she saw today slid through her mind. She thought about taking Usagi there. Remembering Usagi when she was six, Ikuko compared her to Usagi this morning. 'Usagi has done the same thing. She has changed on the outside, but she is still my little girl on the inside. Nothing stays exactly same.' She headed back down stairs to wait for everyone to get home. She couldn't wait to see Kenji's expression.