My Shitennou, an AU First Season Fic
Chapter 10
Prince of Earth
Tokyo, Japan
Monday, April 26, 1993
A brief ten minutes later found Mamoru, Ryuu, and two young boys sitting in a segregated booth in the corner of a small café just down the street from where Ryuu had parked and locked up his motorcycle. While sipping on his drink and studying the menu, Ryuu couldn't help lifting up his grey-blue eyes to study his companion. But each time he did, he found his prince watching him and went back to studying the menu again, unsure of what to say… where to start. How did one begin to reconcile with a prince he had turned from an entire lifetime before? Ryuu did not even know for certain what it was that had caused him to turn to Beryl in the first place.
Had it happened similar to the way it happened this time? Or had it been his own decisions that led him to betray his prince and assist in the downfall of almost every planet and moon in this system? He remembered animosity towards the Lunarians, particularly for the way they seemed to look down on them. But was that before or after Beryl's influence? Trying to remember it all, much less get it all in exactly the right order, was damn near impossible. Dr. Mizuno had told him to just let it come back naturally; don't try to force it. But, she only knew of one lifetime. He was trying to remember two! If he just 'let it go,' those memories were bound to simply get lost behind Ryuu's more current ones. And he needed to know what had really happened back then.
"Ryuu. Ryuu! Ryuu-sama!" Next to him, Akiyama had to blurt out his name three time before he could get the older boy's attention. His frustrated frown turned into a grin when Ryuu finally turned to look down at him. "I said, I want French Toast! And Kanechi wants that Big Breakfast thing… over there." Akiyama leaned over across Ryuu to point at the item on the menu.
"Well, you are old enough to order for yourselves, aren't you?"
"Really? Yeah! Hey, Ryuu?" Akiyama turned suddenly when he felt his friend kick him from across the table. "Hey!" Santorin Kanechi had slid into the booth on Mamoru's side and thus was sitting so he faced his friend. The older boy was giving him a hard stare, one that quickly turned Akiyama's annoyance into curiosity. ::Hey, what gives?!:: he questioned the other boy in his mind.
::Quit bugging him. Let him make friends with the king again.::
::But, Kanechi, they are already friends. They were friends before we were born!::
Kanechi gave Akiyama a look that said, 'You are so dumb,' before telling him, ::No. They never made friends because your dad was taken by the enemy. The king thought he was a bad guy. He wouldn't make friends with someone trying to destroy Earth! And if they aren't friends, we won't be chosen as Prince Mamoru's Shitennou in the future. Get it?::
::I get it. I get it. When did you get to be such a know-it-all? I thought that was Akemi's job,:: Akiyama complained sulkily, leaning down to blow bubbles through the straw in his drink. He just got his dad back and didn't know how long it would be before he dropped him back off at the temple. He wanted to at least be able to talk to him! He sat up again, however, when he felt another kick under the table. Annoyed, he tried to kick Kanechi back but found his legs were too short, so he leaned back in his chair to try and reach farther.
::At least your dad is safe,:: Kanechi grumbled irritably, as he maliciously moved his legs out of his shorter-legged friend's reach. I need them to help me save my dad before it is too late! The thought buried itself deep in Kanechi's stomach, causing it to twist uncomfortably. Kanechi quickly turned his gaze out towards the window, narrowing his eyes so that the moisture that threatened to come to the surface re-buried itself once again. His gaze went up to the sky, up towards the stars overhead. His eyes grew distant as he searched the sky for a familiar star. Mom. At least, he could still find her up there.
Akiyama stopped his reaching to blink at his friend's sudden change from messing with him to simply staring out the window. It was good thing too, because any farther and he would have slid right off the seat and into the floor. He looked up to see Ryuu starring down at him.
"Do you need a seat belt to keep from sliding off?" Ryuu might not have been much of a father figure yet, but his natural sarcastic method of dealing with Akiyama's misbehavior combined with that 'seriously, what are you doing?' look seemed to work well for the boy.
"Ah…" Akiyama grinned sheepishly, pushing himself back up right in the seat. "No. I'm good." Mischievous or not, he really wanted to impress his father and the fact Ryuu simply assumed he was old enough to do things on his own – like order his own food – only made the desire to impress him even stronger.
Ryuu smirked and shook his head at the kid, his gaze turning to find Mamoru's once again.
Across the table, Chiba Mamoru had been watching the interaction between father and son. In a way, he could kind of see it. They both had the same grin that bordered on a smirk. They both had the same smooth walk. Akiyama even had the same twinkle in his eyes which he remembered Jadeite having when he had met his eyes, just before swearing his loyalty for the first time. Of course, at the moment, he couldn't even get the man to look him in the eyes more than a few moments at a time. Guilt and uncertainty were written across the man's face, something (even with his limited memory of him), he found a rather unnatural thing to be on Jadeite's face. It was clear he was waiting for Mamoru to make the first move.
Mamoru himself was not entirely certain what to do with the new information he had been given. He had spent the great majority of the last few weeks focused on figuring out the meaning of an obscure dream which insisted that a princess he knew that he cared deeply for needed him to find the "Ginzuishou" for her. He had been concerned over her safety, but he also knew she would be able to explain to him who he was. He had needed that answer for so long. He still had no idea where the princess or the Ginzuishou were, but he did have his answer. He was the Prince of Earth!
As strange as it sounded for some obscure orphan from Tokyo, Japan to be the prince of the entire planet, it felt right somehow. Somewhere deep inside, he knew it was the truth he had been searching for. What he didn't know was how that one answer was going to open up a whole series of new problems. Not only was his princess in danger but so were his men… his brothers who had sworn to be at his side. But why? Before Akiyama had showed up in the middle of that street, it wouldn't have even occurred to him to think of Jadeite… or Nephrite as anything more than obstacles between him and his princess. But why? Why were they working for his enemy?
Jadeite – or Ryuu as he was apparently called now – clearly regretted his time as a pawn for the Dark Kingdom. He had regretted it enough to help Tuxedo Kamen defeat Nephrite's shadow and protect Sailor Moon and the rest of the people in that ballroom. But, the change had come out of absolutely nowhere. He had thought the man dead! Why the sudden change? And was there a way to cause Nephrite to make the same change? So many questions. So few answers. When Ryuu looked up at him again after scolding Akiyama, Mamoru begged the question that had been on his mind ever since Ryuu had prompted that vision of the past. "What happened?"
Of course, the waitress would choose that moment to return and ask for their order. Mamoru and Ryuu ordered and then let the two boys order for themselves, just as Ryuu had promised. And then, they returned to business. Ryuu waited for the waitress to walk back out of hearing range before requesting. "You mean to say, how did I go from being your brother to being your enemy to being here as Kanedai Ryuu?" Ryuu grinned as Mamoru nodded.
"I have been trying to figure that one out myself. Afraid I only remember bits and pieces… and what Queen Beryl allowed us to remember from the past," Ryuu offered wryly.
"Queen Beryl." Mamoru's mind drew up an image of a young woman with flaming red hair and a jealous hatred burning in her green eyes, an echoing mirthful laugh and fire burning from the palms of her hands. The image was as clear as though he had met her before in this very lifetime.
"Yeah. She is the leader of the Dark Kingdom. Well, actually, Metallia is the true leader, but no one has ever seen her lair except for the queen. Beryl had us gathering energy to try and wake her, bring her back to her full power… so she can… take over the earth or something, I suppose. I never was really sure what the final plan was and it was not my place to question our queen, not if I wanted to see another day anyway."
"I see." Mamoru frowned as he processed this. At least now he knew what the collecting energy deal was about. The last thing he was going to allow was for this "Metallia" to take over the Earth. "What do you remember?" he prompted, looking back to Ryuu curiously.
Ryuu thought back. "I remember… after we swore loyalty, we were raised with you. Right up until that Beryl woman showed up." His brows furrowed as he tried to remember that time period. Finally, he shook his head. "I'm sorry. I really do not remember anything else before that final battle up on the Moon Kingdom."
Moon Kingdom. The words resonated within Mamoru's mind. The princess. The one that called to him for help every night. She had a mark upon her brow - the symbol of a yellow crescent moon. He remembered. She had been the Princess of the Moon and he, the Prince of the Earth and the two of them had been in love. "Can you tell me about it? About that battle, I mean."
Ryuu tilted his head slightly. "You… don't remember it?" He was surprised. That battle was one of the few memories of the past that he remembered clearly. He felt certain Endymion would have remembered what he and the others had done up on the moon. After all, he knew enough to send Akiyama and the rest of those boys to go searching for him. "Ah. Okay." Ryuu rubbed the back of his neck. That was the very last thing he had wanted to be stuck explaining to his prince - how they had attacked and destroyed the Kingdom of the White Moon.
Mamoru could see the discomfort playing across the other man's face. "Could you show me?" Mamoru didn't even think about the words before they popped out of his mouth. It wasn't until after he said it that it occurred to him; that was his ability that had caused the vision, not one of Jadeite's, and he ought to be able to use the same ability to see what it was Jadeite was remembering. Jadeite must have understood what he meant for, rather than asking for an explanation, he simply gave a slow nod and extended his hand out across the table. Mamoru looked at it and then looked up to meet the blonde-haired man's uncertain gaze.
"Oh. I want to see to!" Akiyama blurted excitedly, reaching his hand out only to have Jadeite grab him by the wrist with his free hand and pull him back again. "Aww… but why not?" He looked to Kanechi, but he was no longer listening. He was watching the stars and drawing comfort from his mother's star not all that very far away, just down the road at the local Junior High School.
"Maybe, when you are a bit older," Mamoru offered, since Jadeite did not appear as though he really wanted to answer the question. Finally, he reached out and let his fingers brush those of his Shitennou. Immediately, a powerful flood of memories forced their way into his mind. Men of Earth, led by Queen Beryl and that horrid black (What would you call that thing exactly?) shadow that was Metallia, made a surprise attack on the people of the White Moon Kingdom, then known as "Lunarians." Every planet in the system was a part of the White Moon Kingdom, every one except his, every one except Earth. The Earth was excluded from the White Moon Alliance.
Why? Their planet was not 'developed' enough. Too young. Too much fighting among themselves. His people were proud. They resented being looked down upon. The anger and resentment born from this prejudiced treatment made them prime targets for a being such as Metallia to twist and to use. She had promised them equality with the other planets. Promised to bring them to their rightful place among the stars. Led them in the attack against the White Moon. He remembered it now… remembered the moment he had realized what had happened. Even his own men had been taken in by that thing, and he had not even noticed… not until it was too late.
Prince Endymion had been so busy being enamored with Princess Serenity that he had not even noticed when his own brothers had been stolen away from him. He knew of the wars and of the rumors but he had not seen what had really been going on. If he had only paid attention, he might have seen it sooner, might have been able to stop it. But, by the time he figured it all out, any hope of saving any of them – his brothers… or his people – was gone. All he could do was teleport himself up there, up to the White Moon. All he could do was let Queen Selenity know what happened and hope she could at least protect her people as he had failed to protect his own.
In the end, it was just too little, too late. They had died. They had all died. His men. His people. His Serenity. Serenity's soldiers, her Senshi who had been similar in nature to his Shitennou. If he had only paid more attention, he might have seen what was going on. If he had paid more attention to his brothers, Serenity might never had ended up in danger at all. Still, somehow, they must have all been reborn, here in the future. According to Jadeite's memory, Beryl had assumed Queen Selenity and her precious Ginzuishou must have been responsible for the rebirth.
It was Jadeite that ended up pulling his hand back, breaking the connection between them. He couldn't bear to see any more of that battle, and the things he had participated in during it. And anyway, the waitress was approaching with their orders. The food was placed in front of them and the waitress walked away again. Clearing his throat, he waited for Mamoru's focus to return before he explained. "Kunzite was the first one to wake up. It was he that came and got the rest of us: Nephrite and Zoisite and me. We were looking for you… up until that day in the alleyway. This… strange woman showed up and attacked us. The next thing I remember is…" Ryuu swallowed. "Being pulled from my body… I guess. I just suddenly found that I couldn't move. I remember… Zoisite's crying and Nephrite's cursing and… a lot pain... and then waking up kneeling before Beryl."
Mamoru was still staring at him, apparently still recovering from all the information he had just been loaded down with. "And then, well, these kids showed up. They saved me after Sailor Mars nearly burned me to death. Remind me never to grab her from behind again!" Ryuu gave a nervous laugh at this. "And that is about it. I woke up in the hospital right after that. I didn't remember Ryuu until then. Am still remembering, actually. Doctor blames the amnesia and the 'coma' they apparently thought I was in on the attack."
Silence reigned for a long few minutes while the men ate in silence and the two boys in relative silence. Mamoru was deep in thought. Ryuu finally had to ask. "So, what are you thinking?"
"I think… sorting out these memories is giving me a headache."
Ryuu laughed, effectively breaking the growing tension. "Hey. Welcome to my world!"
"Jadeite," Mamoru stated, gaining the Shitennou's immediate attention. "I'm sorry."
"I… what?" Ryuu remarked, a blank expression appearing on his face. "For what?" Shouldn't Ryuu be the one asking forgiveness of him for like… betraying him, fighting for his enemy, and trying to destroy his planet? What in the world did Endymion have to apologize to him for?
"I was so busy being in love with Serenity, I never even realized something was wrong with you. At least, not until it was too late to do anything about it. If I had just paid more attention…"
It was Ryuu's turn to stare this time. "Are you serious? We betrayed our oath, fought for your enemy, and have been trying to destroy this planet. And you are apologizing to me? Really? I was not even certain you would be willing to accept us back… after all that." The more time he spent around this man, the more he began to remember what it was that made him so endearing, that made him willing to swear himself to him: as a child and again later as an adult.
Mamoru just smiled at this response. Had his memories been complete, he would likely have expected a response of this nature from the man, from any of them. The men Endymion had grown up with would never have betrayed him of their own volition. Even with limited memory of that time period, of that he was convinced. "Well, I am not going to sit back and let her have my brothers a second time. I got one of you back; I suppose we should focus on Nephrite next?"
Ryuu's expression brightened and he nodded. "I had actually been thinking on that…"
Next to Mamoru, Kanechi's eyes also brightened, hope flickering behind them.
"We should probably discuss it someplace less public, just in case," Mamoru offered, cutting the blonde off before he could share his idea. "You said that you were ripped from your body…?"
Kanechi looked disappointed. He really wanted to know how it was Uncle Jadeite was going to save his father. He wanted to know how long it would be before they got him back.
Ryuu nodded his agreement. "Yeah. I woke up in the hospital. The others are still there."
"I want to see them."
"Alright. Why don't we go there after we finish here?"
"Oh. Can we go too?!" This time it was Kanechi, rather than Akiyama, that interjected. "I want to see my…!" The young man quickly caught himself. "I mean, I want to see Nephrite-sama too!"
"Your father?" Mamoru guessed, basing his assumption on what Akiyama had told him earlier. If he claimed Jadeite as his father, then it made sense that his companion was probably the child of one of the other Shitennou… Nephrite.
Kanechi's eyes went wide before he turned to give his friend a hard accusatory stare.
Ryuu's expression also showed shock. Nephrite? With a kid? Now, that was almost humorous. He was a big, dumb kid himself half the time! He spent more time making fun of Jadeite's failed attempts to gather energy than he did coming up with decent ideas of his own! Nothing, however, could have prepared him for Akiyama's response.
"Okay, so I might have told him that Jadeite-sama was my dad. But… he asked what my father's name was… and I am not supposed to lie to the… ow!" Akiyama grumbled as Kanechi kicked him underneath the table for like the umpteenth time since they sat down. "Would you quit that?!"
Ryuu's jaw all but actually hit the table. "Dad?!" The blonde-haired Shitennou gave first the child and then his prince a disbelieving look. "Really? He has to be like… what…?" He looked back at Akiyama again. "Seven?"
"I am eight!"
"That's even worse!" Ryuu gave Mamoru, who was suddenly starting to see the problem with this story, another disbelieving look. "Just how old do you think I am? If I was his dad, I would have to have like… you know… when I was like… his age! My memory of this lifetime may be shoddy at the moment, but really…? There is no way that is possible. I mean, have you met my mother? There is no way that happened… not in this lifetime."
Kanechi covered his eyes with his hand. Takeshi had told them not to say too much about the future or else… it might wipe out the future they were trying to save. And here Akiyama had gone and blurted out their parentage to the King of all people! "Akiyama. Takeshi-sama told us not to say anything about all that! No one's supposed to know. I'd like to live to see my next birthday!"
"Alright. Alright." Mamoru reached over to pat Kanechi on the shoulder. It seemed to calm the young man down, which was good… seeing as how they were drawing attention from other patrons not to mention the waitressing staff. "Let's go to the hospital and we will discuss this more later."
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Just over 30 minutes later, Mamoru and Ryuu and the two boys found themselves entering the front doors of Juuban General Hospital. Ryuu had had to call his father and get the room number. It had been simple enough to explain how he had run into an 'old classmate' while he was out with the boys and they wanted to go and visit their friends. Having done some volunteering here with the mind of seeking his doctorate in the future, Mamoru knew the layout pretty well and was able to lead the way upstairs and up to the room in question.
As they made their way down the appropriate hall, Ryuu began to find the surroundings familiar. He remembered passing through this way when he left the hospital with his father and mother of this lifetime. They had been ecstatic and his mother had started bawling and saying how she didn't think she would ever see her son walking out of this place again. It was a bit strange to be back in here again, but not nearly as strange as the moment he followed Mamoru back into the room where his three brothers' bodies still rested. He had not paid them much heed the last time he had been here, but then he had been rather disoriented at the time and not entirely sure who the other three men in those beds had been. But now. Now, it was all beginning to come back to him.
Ryuu passed Mamoru by and walked up to the nearest bed in the room. His, of course, had been removed from the room… no longer being needed. "That's Nephrite… Santorin Masato," Ryuu remarked, the memory coming back to his mind. "Our fathers are friends, so we sort of grew up together." Looking down at his friend, laying there hooked up to all those machines and cords, it brought a frown to his face. Strange. Seeing him here and knowing he was also elsewhere.
Coming up beside him, Kanechi leaned over the railing for a closer look at his dad. The expression on his face was one of worry. What if they couldn't wake him up? What if he didn't reconcile with the king. Would it hurt… disappearing from existence? And what were all those tubes and things for?
Mamoru, on the other hand, looked to be rather angry at the sight. Knowing that someone had taken advantage of his four brothers, leaving them in a state like this. They had lives and families, and all of that had been taken away from them. And for what? So, Beryl or Metallia or whoever could try and take over his planet? "So, what was your idea to get Nephrite back to himself?"
A sly smile crossed Ryuu's face. "You know, I thought I would take him to the crystal..."
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Just down the road, at Juuban Middle School, time was running exactly as it should. The Lunch Period arrived and Tsukino Usagi found herself peeking around the corner at the new "super-strength possessing transfer student," as per Umino. She really shouldn't disturb her, and yet… something about the girl had her attention. It was the same thing that had attracted her to Ami and then Rei. But, of course, Usagi didn't ponder over those sorts of things; perhaps, if it hadn't felt so natural, she might have paid it more mind. Instead, her attention was on the tall brunette's lunch. Her lunch box; it was so cute! And her food looked so delicious! And that pouch was so adorable!
So focused was she on the brunette and her lunch, she didn't see the softball headed her way until the brunette jumped to her feet, grabbing Usagi and pulling her out of the way just in time to catch the ball in her hand. "This is kind of dangerous!" she called as she tossed the ball back to the guys playing softball across the way from them. That dealt with, she turned her attention back to the girl she had just protected from being hit. "Oh, you're that girl from this morning… you shouldn't sneak up on people like that."
"Oh… Okay," Usagi stammered, her heart thumping in her chest as she answered. This girl wasn't dangerous. Why, she had protected her twice now! And anyway, that seasoned rice ball looked really delicious. The very smell was causing her stomach to rumble loudly.
"Would you like some?" The transfer student, who went by the name of Kino Makoto, had to laugh a little at the blonde's openness, especially after she went straight away to munching on her lunch. "For some reason, whenever I talk to people, they seem like they're scared of me… so I usually eat alone. Do you know if there's a cheap convenience store around?" Getting no immediate response from Usagi, who was still chowing down, Makoto wondered. "Are you listening?"
Usagi looked up, wearing one of her award winning smiles. "Okay. Afterwards, I will show you the stores… oh and then the arcade…"
While Usagi rambled on, Makoto looked back over her shoulder. For the briefest of moments, she swore she had seen someone standing there. But, by the time she managed to look back, whoever was there – if anyone had been there at all – was already gone.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Standing off at a distance, Meioh Takeshi was watching Tsukino Usagi and Kino Makoto from a distance. His stomach churned as watched the pair speak for what must have been one of the very first times. It should have made for a good memory; he was sure it would be for them. For him, however, the sight only managed to make him feel sick to his stomach. It was time. It was almost time. Nephrite died the same day Kino Makoto had met Usagi and awoken to her powers. He couldn't let Nephrite die; of all the Shitennou, it was him he was the most concerned for. If he died… he felt fear gripping him and suddenly had a bit more empathy for Akiyama's outbursts before and shortly after his life had very nearly been extinguished. I have to keep it together, he told himself sternly. He is going to be fine… I am going to be fine. Releasing a breath, Takeshi disappeared back to the time warp. He wasn't supposed to interfere; he could only observe.
:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:
Of course, by the time school let out, Tsukino Usagi had mentally dubbed Kino Makoto another best friend. They left the Junior High School making plans on when to visit the local arcade. They would have simply gone after school, but Usagi's mother had asked her to pick up her 'little cousins' from afternoon childcare. Her mother had some errands to run and did not want the two small boys underfoot; thus, she entrusted her eldest to pick them up. In any case, she thought it would give Usagi a chance to show a little responsibility. After that, she was supposed to meet Rei and Ami at the temple and she wanted Makoto to meet them as well. That simply did not leave time for going to the arcade that afternoon.
Thus, the afternoon found Usagi and Makoto stopping by one of the local preschools on their way to the Hikawa Shrine. Walking up to the fence, Usagi spotted little Mamoru and Kaishou sitting under a tree off away from the rest of the children. She remembered her mother had mentioned that she was worried about Mamoru, because his teacher said he never interacted with and rarely spoke to any of the children except for his brother, Kaishou. The teacher had suggested separating them, but Ikuko had not wanted to do this, seeing as they were already away from their parents and Mamoru, in particular, was having trouble adjusting to that.
Usagi kind of felt bad that she hadn't managed to make more time for the little guys, especially after promising to keep an eye out for them, but all this new "Senshi business" she was doing with Luna and the girls kept her all kinds of busy. After the initial period of tears, little Mamoru had grown quiet and distant (almost listless), and Kaishou insisted on being at his side at all times, showing no interest whatsoever in anyone or anything else. Usagi wasn't experienced enough nor mature enough to realize that this behavior might be a sign of a problem in a child that age. She simply thought the boys were cute and it was good that they really were not much trouble. Ikuko did most of the mothering work anyway, and that left Usagi to simply enjoy the affectionate little bodies that rushed over to hug her when she got in the door and snuggled up next to her after bedtime.
"There they are. Those are my… little cousins." Usagi told her new friend, pointing out the two little boys sitting up underneath a tree not that far from the fence. "They are staying with us for a while." Of course, she knew that the two boys were not really cousins, but it seemed easiest to simply stick with that for the time being. "Mamo-chan! Kai-chan!"
Two little heads popped up at the sound of Usagi's voice echoing across the school yard. Little Mamoru's moody expression lit up instantly as he scuttled to his feet and rushed over with Kaishou close at his heels. "Onee-sama! You came to pick us up!" he cheered happily. "I wanna leave here!"
"Wow. That is the most excitement I have ever seen out of him," the preschool teacher remarked, only to have Mamoru grow silent and give her a blank stare in response. The teacher gave a little forced smile before looking back to Usagi. "Your mother told us you were going to pick them up."
While the teacher talked to Usagi, little Mamoru and Kaishou exchanged looks. Their little blue eyes twinkled mischievously for a moment, before Mamoru nodded and grinned. While the teacher wasn't looking, Mamoru climbed the fence with Kaishou pushing him up from behind. The teacher barely had a chance to make a sound before the child was launching himself towards Makoto. The shocked teenager nevertheless caught him in her arms with no trouble and was met with a happy grin as the boy snaked his arms about her neck. "Hi! You are Onee-sama's new best friend, right? Hey, you can see everything from up here!" he cheered happily.
"Oh, Mamoru, we do not climb fences!" the teacher scolded him lightly, only to have the child tighten his grip around the taller girl's neck, protectively, and say nothing.
"Me next!" In the time that the teacher was distracted by Mamoru and his stunt, Kaishou had climbed the fence and was standing on the top. He jumped off right about the time she reached out for him and scooted to hide behind Makoto, looking out at his teacher with a bright grin.
Kino Makoto laughed uncertainly, not having expected the sudden rush of attention from the two small boys. Still, it was kind of refreshing to have someone rushing to her for protection after spending the first day at her new school feeling like everyone was scared of her. "Ah, yeah, I guess I am," she finally answered Mamoru's question while Usagi said goodbye to the teacher and the four of them started walking. Well, that is to say three of them started walking, since Mamoru was perfectly content to keep riding with Makoto and she finally shifted him up onto her shoulders. Seeing this, Kaishou frowned and reached up to tug on Usagi's skirt. "I want up too… please!" he declared, adding the final nicety on an obvious afterthought after Usagi looked down at him.
"Huh? Oh, alright," Usagi agreed, stooping down and allowing the little blonde to climb up onto the back of her shoulders. He was small, though, and with all the extra Senshi training she'd been doing with Rei and Ami and Luna, the extra weight wasn't too bad. Before long, the girls had made it to the steps leading up to the Hikawa Shrine.
At the top of the stairs, the group found Rei and Ami already waiting at the top. Mizuno Ami was sitting on the front porch steps with her little brother, Akemi, settled quietly next to her. Leaned up against his 'older sister,' he was watching Kanechi with a look of worry in his eyes. Not only was he worried for the fate of his friend, but the feelings of concern coming from his friend only made the twisting feeling in his stomach feel even tighter and more twisted than before.
Kanechi was standing not that far away, leaning up against the porch railing and starring at the sky. Inside, he was busy trying to hide the worry that Akemi was busy expressing for him. Stupid gift of empathy. Good thing none of the Senshi knew it was his feelings the blue-haired boy was reflecting. What if Jadeite's plan didn't work? What if he never saw his parents or his sister again? What if…. the boy was pulled out of his thoughts by Usagi and Makoto's ascent up the temple steps. Mom! Kanechi's face lit up immediately.
Equally excited, Akiyama darted through the railing and rushed over to meet the pair at the steps. "Hey! You two are late!" the raven-haired child accused, staring up past the two girls to the children sitting upon their shoulders. "Come down! I got something important to tell you!"
Smiling a little, Makoto reached up to lift Mamo-chan up over her head and set him down on the ground. "Hi Aki-kun!" he declared cheerfully. "What's imp – impor…" He gave up trying to say the bigger word and settled for, "What did you want to tell us?"
Still up on Usagi's shoulders, Kaishou squirmed until he was let down as well. "It's a secret, right? Right?" Kaishou wondered, placing a finger in front of his lips in emphasis.
"Yeah, kind of… come on!" Grabbing the smaller boys by the wrist, Akiyama proceeded to pull them off to the side. He had a lot to catch them up on, including Jadeite's prank – plan that is – to save Nephrite which was going to require Mamo-chan's help if it was going to work. Of course, he had not gotten around to mentioning the whole plan to Rei. He had thought about it, but something Takeshi had said had stopped him. "Telling Hino Rei about things she is not supposed to be privy to is a great way to ensure both your futures get cut short." Yet, even Takeshi had told the king the truth… sort of. So… maybe talking to Mamoru-sama was okay and talking to Rei-sama wasn't? Hopefully, Takeshi wasn't too upset when he got back. Akiyama bit his lip at this thought.
By this time, of course, Kanechi had managed to get Akemi over to the group as well. "Come on, Akemi. Let's go join them." The bluenette had resisted at first, looking to his 'big sister' to make certain he had permission. Akemi was the one of the group most likely to try and stay out of trouble. Ami had, of course, told him to go ahead and play and Kanechi had taken him by the arm and led him over to the other three little boys, where they could talk without being overheard.
After watching the boys scurry off, Usagi turned to Rei with a nervous grin. "Eheh. Sorry I am late; had to stop and pick up my… little cousins from Pre-School."
"It is fine, Usagi. It is not like you stopped at the arcade." Rei offered, causing Usagi to laugh nervously for she had considered taking Makoto by the arcade before she had remembered picking up her cousins was her job this afternoon. Better not to mention that, especially since she could also see Luna nodding her agreement from her place in Ami's lap.
"Who is your new friend, Usagi?" Ami questioned.
"Oh! This is Kino Makoto! She just transferred from another school!" Usagi introduced her new friend proudly, quite certain that the others would be drawn to Makoto as easily as she had been.