A/N: Lol, Minako got a little carried away in this chapter. She also wound up not letting the Starlights or Shingo in, so I had to add an extra chapter for them.

Enjoy.


The Night Sky

Chapter 8

Usagi lay down on her bed for a moment, door half open so she would be able to hear if someone came upstairs. She didn't think they would, Mamoru looked quite relaxed in her mother's presence – and that was a relief. That meant she approved of him. In fact, from what little she had seen, she was almost mothering him, and Mamoru looked quite happy at that, lacking a mother figure for most of his life.

She had no desire to interrupt that, and she had a bit of thinking to do as it was.

Her long hair tumbled around her, and after a moment she got up to undo the buns before laying down again. Often, she would lay with her hair bound, even through the night, but there were times she wished to simply lie flat on her back, and at those moments the buns would come off. They kept her head up; in a way, they were a symbol of her. Something only she, her birthmother from the moon, and her future daughter once grown, shared.

Her thoughts led thoroughly astray, she closed her eyes with the picture of Queen Serenity and Chibiusa…and herself and Mamoru in her mind. The past, the present and the future…and yet, somehow they were all right there, right now.

Maybe she had just been thinking too much. She normally didn't; she was the spontaneous sort, messing up as often as she did something right but working it all out in the end. Maybe because it seemed she always had a dozen things to do. Go shopping with Naru, and later Minako. Playing games at the arcade. Boyfriend hunting with Makoto. Cramming at the last minute for any test with Ami's help. Bantering with Rei. Hanging out with Mamoru. Listening to Michiru's music, or watching Haruka race. And, of course, saving the world.

She didn't think that Galaxia was the end though; it couldn't be. Trouble had come to them from the future. Chibiusa had become a Senshi, taking up the sceptre of Sailor Moon while her future self was occupied with more political matters. Chibiusa had told them an awful lot…but at the same time, nothing at all.

She laughed. That was just like her, bugging her teenage mother to no end even when she was back in the future where she belonged. Years and years in the future.

'You've been overthinking things Usagi,' she told herself out loud, before considering her statement. 'Maybe I should head to the arcade. Or the mall.'

She scrapped the second idea; she didn't have a whole lot of spending money and it really wasn't the season for sales. Still, the arcade sounded like a good idea. Playing mindless fighting games and getting beat up or crashing into every other wall in a racing kart.

Maybe she'd give Minako a ring too. They always had fun crashing together. Haruka on the other hand always left them behind in the dust. Quite literally too.


Usagi had poked her head into the living room and announced she was going to the arcade for a while with Minako. Mamoru was understandably surprised, but realised that with him occupying her mother, there was little reason for her to hang around.

He felt rather awkward and quickly stood, but got a double scolding from mother and daughter and meekly sat down. That left Ikuko finding herself a little too amused with the situation.

'My, you're already a part of the family,' she laughed. 'I see Usagi has you wrapped around her little finger.'

'Uhh…well…that…' Mamoru spluttered, his pride a little sore from the jibe to his manliness, but knowing there was some truth in that. 'We have our disagreements,' he managed at the end, and somewhat poorly.

But Ikuko understood what he meant. 'Now, how's your cooking?' she asked, standing up suddenly. 'Shingo will be home soon with a few of their friends, and they'll be wanting a snack.'


The first few times Usagi failed to make it past the starting line, but once she got going the two of them crashed into each other quite merrily. Motoki saw them and shook his head with a smile, but simply waved and passed by to address another customer. If the two girls noticed his subtle avoidance of them, they said nothing.

Half an hour later, they were bent over their chairs in laughter as they finally broke their record.

'I needed that,' Usagi choked. 'Oh God, I can't believe we were so bad.'

'Speak for yourself.' Minako tried to toss her hair back, but she was bent too forward for it to make much of an impression. Instead, she wound up with the ends in her mouth. 'Yuck.'

Usagi's hair, back into their usual dumplings, swung merrily as she reached for the controls agaon.

'Hey!' Minako protested, getting back into position. 'No fair! I wasn't ready yet!


'You're quite a natural at this,' Ikuko commented, watching who she was pretty sure would one day become her son-in-law mix the cookie batter. 'I didn't even have to tell you how much sugar to put in. Usagi on the other hand would put salt in half the time.'

Mamoru remembered the extremely salty cookies she had brought for him on Valentines Day. He had eaten every single one, even if he had been terribly thirsty for the rest of the day.

'What matters is the thought she puts into them,' he said thoughtfully, sticking his finger in at tasting it. After a nod, he set it aside as he reached for a baking tray.

'I take it you've tasted her cookies then, though I've showed her so many times where I keep the sugar.' Ikuko shook her head. 'Sometimes I think she does it on purpose, but it's a little hard to tell with her sometimes.'

'I think thoughts are more likely to become bitter when to think too long on them.' Mamoru carefully spread oil on the tray. 'Maybe the more valuable things are when you do your best without trying too hard. Usagi is intelligent, but a thinker isn't who she is. She's spontaneous, and that's what gives her life.'

Ikuko had stopped her own stirring and was now looking at him.

'That's an interesting way to put it,' she consented finally. 'Yes, she is spontaneous, and she manages to get in the right place eventually. But for the last few months, she's been…mellow.'

'Motoki-kun told me.' There was still a hint of guilt in his voice still, even though he knew his lack of communication with her had been unavoidable. 'I wasn't able to talk to her.'

'She missed you,' came the reply: half certain, half asking for confirmation. 'Was it worth leaving?'

Who knew? He didn't, having never made it to America. He hadn't even made it to the transit lounge. Did he regret making that decision? Maybe, but he didn't think he could know until he finished it.

'I don't know,' he said finally. 'Maybe, but I don't think I know. Maybe because I don't really know where I'm going. It sounded like a good opportunity, but the moment I got on the plane, it felt like I wasn't ready for it. But I'm definitely not ready to go back. Not now anyway. Maybe in a few years.'

He was surprised to find he was absolutely certain of that.


Usagi smiled, laying back. Her fingers were a little sore, as they always were when she went for the controls with her usual vigour. Naturally, it wasn't what won games, but she always enjoyed it more, and it was the perfect way to get any overbearing emotion out of her. Minako too was a little flushed, flexing her legs.

'Urgh,' she groaned. 'We really need to stop getting so into this. You'd think we're racing for real.'

'And crashing?' Usagi asked.

'Well…no –' She broke off. 'Hey, who's that guy?'

Usagi looked over, seeing why he had attracted the other blonde's attention. 'No idea,' she said. 'Maybe Rei-chan would know. Or Makoto-chan.'

Minako rolled her eyes. 'And ask and lose my dibs on him?' she countered. 'Even Ami-chan's getting interested in boys now.' But she stayed in her seat.

'You're not going to talk to him?' Usagi didn't move either. 'I'm taken after all, but you're free.'

'True…' she hedged. 'But I don't think I've really got time for a relationship, you know.' She pushed her fringe back. 'I've decided to go back to auditioning.'

'You have?' Usagi said, surprised. 'Where at?'

'Oh, there's a new boutique at the mall,' Minako replied, having not really expected the question – though she should have, she thought wryly in retrospect. 'It's more focused on modelling than acting, but it's still a good opportunity. I realised during this latest battle that life could be so short.' She sighed a little, closing her eyes. 'I mean, we died Usagi-chan. Galaxia killed us. I thought afterwards of all the things I wanted to do; it doesn't matter whether I haven't got the time or not, because they're still things I want to do. And if I grow out of it or get tired…well, that's in the future, you know? It's not here and now, and that's the main thing I guess.'

'I guess,' Usagi said, a little uncertainly. 'We can't rely on our knowledge of Crystal Tokyo to trust we'll be alive 300 years in the future, can we? Setsuna-chan says the future can be changed, and we've seen proof of that.'

She remembered how Chibiusa had disappeared during Nehellenia's assault, when Mamoru had been under her spell and she having lost all her allies to the mirrors. She remembered how desperate she had been when Nehellenia had tossed Chibiusa from the sky, hoping she would fall to her death on the earth below.

'Still, I can't do everything,' Usagi continued. 'It wouldn't feel right, and I'm not ready anyway. I'd like to travel around, but right now, I just want to stay at home. I want to marry Mamo-chan, but I don't think I'm ready for that either. Not right now. I feel like I still need to grow up first and stop being such a…crybaby.' She sniffed a little, rubbing the forming tears away quickly. Maybe it was because she was relaxed now; maybe she had simply been wound up too tightly, thinking about everything.

'Did he – ?' She broke off, realising Usagi was no longer wearing the ring around her neck. 'Where's the ring Mamoru-kun gave you?'

'Oh.' She had forgotten about that when Seiya had called. 'I think I left it in my room before school today.' A finger reached up to gently touch the place it usually sat, then the locket which she still wore. 'I don't know how I keep missing it; it feels weird without it around my neck.' She shook her head a little, before adding: 'Minako-chan?'

'Yes?'

'Did you know…what it was for?' At the blank stare, she added: 'the ring I mean. Did you know why Mamo-chan had given it to me.'

'Well…yes.' Minako was a little taken aback. 'We all did. Assumed really, though it was obvious you two were meant to be together.'

'Mmm.' Usagi tilted her head back, letting her hair tumble behind her. 'I think I'm going to say no.'

'What?!' Minako jumped off her seat. 'Why?'

'I'm not ready,' came the simple reply. 'I thought I wasn't, but now I know I'm not. Marrying means being an adult, but Minako-chan, I'm still just a kid who wants to play video games and cries when something bad happens and always puts salt into food instead of sugar for petty reasons. And I want it to stay like that for a little longer, even if things are changing in the world, and between people.'

'Usagi-chan…' Minako shook her head, and then smiled. 'You're a braver woman than I. I think I might have said yes in the fear my dream-guy would only ask once. But if you're not ready and you can admit that, then you're not ready, although…' She lowered her voice. 'I think you've grown up a lot these past few months.'

Usagi grinned at her. 'Think I can manage the skating ring?'

Minako gasped in horror. 'Never! I don't even know how you can dance!'

'I'm not that clumsy.'