AN: This chapter goes out to everyone who has reviewed! We made it to the 50 mark :). This makes me v happy!
This chapter has a lot of description in it that I wanted to keep to a minimum, hence the small wait before I published it.
Enjoy! x
Usagi stayed sitting on the floor until Luna found her.
"Usagi-chan? Are you alright? Why are you sitting here on the floor in the middle of the park? It's quite late now you know."
"Hello Luna. Yes, well, I suppose it does look a little odd! I've just been training with Tuxedo-Kamen-sama and I was just really tired." Usagi didn't know if she could explain what actually happened, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. It felt incredibly private to her somehow, even though technically nothing had happened. She didn't know what was going on.
"Ah, how did it go?" Asked Luna.
"He's actually a lot better at fighting that we've ever given him credit for, and he's a great teacher. I certainly can't fault him. I think I will continue to train with him, I think I have a lot still to learn."
Luna nodded at her assessment and explained that she in turn had some things to talk to her about, but maybe they should head back to the house first. The two of them left the park and walked home together in companionable silence. Once they got home Luna got comfy on Usagis bed and began to talk.
"Na Usagi-chan, I know you've probably been wondering where I've been and what I've been up to." Usagi nodded her head, she had indeed been wondering what Luna had been doing.
"I told you earlier tonight that I had met another of my kind, Artemis. I suppose we found each other by accident. I was investigating one of the areas where the monsters seem to be coming from and he was looking around there as well. At first I just thought he was another cat, but he also has the half moon crescent on his forehead as well. I'm ashamed to say I was the first to make a move and speak to him, usually I am a lot more careful, but I confess I've been feeling a bit lonely ever since you girls have had your argument." Luna looked a bit sad and Usagi felt awful, she hadn't even thought about how it could affect Luna in that way.
"Luna…" She began, but Luna cut her off.
"Usagi, what's done is done and anyway, it's turned out for the best that I spoke to him. Suppose we had just watched each other for weeks and never said a thing! He is incredibly knowledgeable. He has reminded me of things I had totally forgotten from our past, and of things we should be doing."
Usagi knew a little of their past, and lately she had been having more dreams about their former life, but she was very eager to find out what this Artemis could tell them. As far as she knew, in the past they were Guardians of someone important and something had happened which lead them to awakening in this life now. It wasn't much to go on, but seeing as they couldn't remember anything none of them had really made any attempts to find out more.
"What does Artemis know?!" Usagi wanted to know.
"When he spoke to me about our previous lives I started to remember more and more." Luna explained.
She then went into more detail about what he had told her; the Moon Kingdom, the Royal Family, Beryl and her evil forces, the Queens final decision to send them all into the future to save them from death.
"She wanted you all to be able to live normal lives. She saw ultimately what the battle did to you all. Her daughter was killed in front of her, despite the Princes best efforts."
Usagi felt incredibly sad. Though she only had snippets of dream memories of this time Luna's words were striking a chord with her.
"Should we still be protecting the princess? I mean, if we were her protectors back then it would make sense that we would still have our powers if we were meant to be protecting her now."
"That is the conclusion Artemis and I came to as well. We should have been looking for her ever since you found out you were Sailor Moon Usagi-chan. You are the leader of the Senshi. Artemis' memories are a bit hazy when it comes to the Senshi and the Princess, but he is sure that with the title of Sailor Moon you must be the leader."
Usagi and Luna talked through most of the night about their past, the Princess and Beryl. They agreed that the forces they had been fighting with these past couple of years must be Beryl's forces having eventually tracked them down. They also decided that seeing as she had not made an appearance and as all the monsters seemed to do was collect energy that she had not awoken yet and her minions were collecting energy to wake her.
Luna also told her that although Artemis had many more memories than Luna he himself had only been 'awoken' a few months ago and had found his charge fairly soon after.
"What is she like? Which Sailor Senshi is she?" Usagi asked.
"She is Sailor Venus. She is quite confident in her abilities. I think you would get along well with her Usagi-chan." Luna replied.
Usagi eyes gleamed, "She's not the one Sailor V is based on is she?!" Usagi was quite excited now. "I know it's an old game but I think she's brilliant!"
"Usagi! You cannot base your opinions of this girl on a character from a video game!" Luna chided. "Also, I believe that game came out before she found out she was Sailor Venus, so it's probably based on you four girls."
Usagi nodded, she had assumed it was based on them, but it would have been cool if Sailor V had been a real person.
"So", Usagi changed the subject, "We need to find the Princess before Beryl awakens and protect her."
"Yes Usagi-chan, that will be our prerogative from now on. But you must understand that I will have to work with the girls as well as with you, they have a right to know all of this and we will find her faster with all of us looking."
Though she wasn't particularly happy about the Senshi being involved she knew Luna was right. They had a shared past.
She glanced at the clock wondering how much sleep she was going to get when she saw it was half 5 in the morning! "Ahh Luna! We've been talking for hours! I didn't realise what time it was, I'm going to have to shower and then go straight to school."
Usagi rushed around her room and went to shower. Luna settled down on the cushion on the windowsill and went to sleep; she didn't see why she shouldn't get any sleep just because they hadn't watched the time.
Usagi woke suddenly in the shower and realised she had fallen asleep standing up; this is going to be a good day she thought ironically. She got dressed and grabbed her school bag; she gave a fond look towards the cat sleeping in the morning light and went downstairs for breakfast. The rest of her family were already downstairs, how long did I sleep in the shower for?
She grabbed some toast.
"Usagi-chan, you were very late coming home last night." Her mother said.
"Mmmm, sorry Mama." She said between bites.
"We know you're 16 now, but that doesn't mean you can stay out until all times at night." Usagi's father was in the middle of telling his only daughter off when she remembered about the job offer.
"Papa! What happened with the interview for that modelling agency?!"
"The interview isn't until next week Usagi-chan." Her father replied, then seemed to realise something. "How did you know it was for a modelling agency?" He asked her suspiciously.
"Ah look at the time! Got to run!" She winked at Shingo and raced out the door.
Her parents rounded on Shingo and he slowly sank underneath the table.
She did her usual run towards school and bam – she ran straight into Mamoru as always. This time though she wasn't mad at him. She still felt like she had to do something for him because he went to so much trouble to try and get her dad a job.
"Sorry Mamoru-san!" She said cheerfully.
Taken aback by her bright smile and happy demeanour he took a step back and smiled uncertainly. "It's alright Odango." He said slowly. "You seem quite happy this morning despite being late as per usual."
He was trying to goad her into reacting but she wasn't biting this morning.
"Well, I still owe you big time for helping my family out." Her smile was creeping him out.
"You don't owe me anything, don't be silly."
"Of course I do, you didn't have to do anything. I mean we barely know each other and I'm sure you would be much happier without me running into you every morning."
He wasn't happy about this: "Odango I don't have many friends, so why would I want to lose one of the only ones to make me laugh on a daily basis?"
"You count me as one of your friends?" She said incredulously.
"Yes…am I not one of yours?"
She panicked: "Of course you are!" She said a bit too exuberantly.
He stepped away from her and looked a mixture of angry and upset and she knew straight away that she had hurt him. She was just taken aback by what he had said to her.
He quickly changed his face to impassive and said: "Whatever Usagi, see you around." He walked away without his usual wave and she smacked herself on the forehead. He never calls me Usagi, darn it, I have to get to school, but I can't leave it like this.
"Mamoru!" She shouted as she ran after him.
