Chapter 9
We're all fine. I hope you two made it home
Usagi swallowed a deep breath and tried to quell the anger that had suddenly hardened in her chest. After two hours of waiting, that was all she had heard from her friends. She stared at Minako's message and thought of all the reasonable explanations for her not to have called.
Maybe they thought I'd be sleeping, Usagi told herself as she typed her two word response. Though the girls had called her cell phone before much later. Maybe they're too tired to have a long conversation.
we're fine.
Usagi sighed and flopped back onto her bed. She thought about the homework she left partially completed on her desk with an aggravated groan.
You should really finish it. Usagi wasn't sure if it was the princess or her own conscience that spoke, or if there was even really a difference anymore. She chose to ignore it for the moment. It wasn't that late, and it was the weekend anyway. Instead, Usagi rolled over and took out her phone again. This time she texted Mamrou.
free to talk?
The phone rang less than a minute later. Usagi's heart leapt into her throat when Mamoru's number came up. She really wasn't expecting him to call so soon. She answered the phone, ignoring the sudden pit in her stomach.
"Hey, Mamo-chan!" she said brightly.
"Hi, Usako." Usagi waited for a few seconds for him to say something. When he didn't , Usagi broke the silence herself.
"So, I haven't heard from you in a couple days," she prompted. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's fine," he said. "I'm sorry, I've just been busy. Between these new attacks and everything…" His voice trailed off.
"I see." The line went quiet again. Usagi chewed on her bottom lip. She didn't want to hang up yet, but she was getting the uncomfortable feeling that she was keeping him away from something.
"I'm sorry," Mamoru said again. He sounded angry with himself. Usagi heard a fleshy thump, as if he had hit himself. "I was supposed to call you the other day! I'm so sorry! What did you want to talk about?"
"I…It was nothing," Usagi said. "Just some stuff with school."
"Usa, what's wrong?" Mamoru asked, unconvinced. Usagi lay down on her side and curled up around her pillow. She felt silly whining about her problems when he had been dealing bigger problems like monsters attacking Tokyo.
"I had a fight with Naru," she told him. "It's not a big deal or anything…"
"Are you ok?" Usagi could hear the concern in Mamoru's voice. A couple of tears slipped out before she could stop them.
"No," she admitted before she started sobbing.
"Hang on," Mamoru said. "I'm on my way over." Usagi protested. It was late and she didn't want her parents to ask questions, especially not her father.
"Alright," Mamoru relented. "How about we hang out tomorrow then? Just us. We'll rent a boat and go out on the lake."
"That sounds good," Usagi agreed, sniffling a bit.
"Do you want to tell me what happened with Naru?"
"She's mad at me," Usagi told Mamoru. "Because I haven't been able to spend much time with her because of training. She wants to know what's going on, but I know I can't tell her the truth. And we've been friends since kindergarten, so she knows when I'm lying. I-I just don't know what to tell her. I'm afraid I can't fix this and I'm going to lose my best friend." Usagi told her boyfriend about the phone call and then the conversation in the school yard. Mamoru listened attentively, but there was no real advice he could give her. Usagi knew he wasn't close to many people before he met the Senshi. Still, having him listen made her feel a little better. He offered what comfort he could.
"You know Minako might be able to help more than I can," he told her. "She kind of had the same situation. And maybe we can talk to Luna about your training schedule. I know you're the guardian of the Crystal and everything, but that doesn't mean you can't have a life."
"Thanks," Usagi said. "I needed to hear that." They spoke for a while longer. Usagi felt as if a weight had been lifted. She was about to say good night when something caught her eye at her window.
'Holy crap!" she gasped, throwing herself backwards off of her bed.
"Usa? What happened?" Mamoru asked. Usagi leapt up and scrambled away from the window.
"There was a…I saw…I thought-" she stammered, peering into the dark outside of her window. "I must really need sleep. I thought I saw a skeleton in a reaper hood outside of my window." She crept closer to the window fearfully, but the figure was gone. Then she noticed that the phone had gone silent, and she checked to make sure she hadn't been disconnected. "Mamo-chan?"
"I'm still here," he said quietly. "Is it still there?"
"N-no," Usagi said, uncertainly. "I'm not really sure it was. It was probably just a shadow or… something." Mamoru went silent again for a long time.
"I have to go," he said at last.
"Oh," Usagi blinked in surprise. "Okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow." Mamoru hesitated again before he replied.
"Yeah. I'll call you. Good night." Usagi looked at her phone in confusion after he hung up. His mood had changed quickly. It was strange, but Usagi tried to brush it off. She could ask him about it the next day, she decided. Usagi flopped back on to her bed and curled up on her side so she wasn't looking out of the window anymore. Unfortunately, that meant she was facing her desk where her unfinished homework sat waiting for her. Groaning, she put over her head.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
Mamrou didn't know how long he had been staring at his phone. Everything seemed to have come to a complete stop. If Usagi had seen the specter- if it was getting closer to her through him-
He slammed his fist down on the table and began pacing around the kitchen. What could he do? He thought about Nephrite's advice. It would be easier to tell her and let her know what might be after her.
Mamoru nodded to himself and went back to his room. He grabbed his phone off of his bed and started to redial Usagi's number when a movement by his dresser caught his eye. The hooded specter was in his mirror. It somehow managed a maniacal grin on its skeletal face. Mamoru felt the blood drain from his face as the thing spoke.
You seem not to grasp the situation, Earth Prince," it laughed. The closer you are to her, the closer I am to her. Stay away from the Princess if you would save her life!" The mirror went dark and then shattered. Mamoru's phone hung limply in his hand as he stared at the broken shards of glass on his floor. He tried to think, to come up with something to do, but his mind was blank with panic. Only one thing was clear; he had to protect Usagi no matter what. Mamoru knelt on the floor and picked up a piece of glass and turned it over in his hand. He would keep his distance from Usagi, but when he found out who was stalking him and threatening Usagi, he would make them pay dearly.
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-
After getting Usagi's message, Minako wasn't expecting any more calls. She set her phone on vibrate and pulled out a magazine to read until her post battle adrenaline rush faded and she could fall asleep. Her nerves were always on a hairpin trigger right after a fight, so it was no wonder that when her phone started vibrating by her side that she was on her feet before she could really process what was going on. Artemis looked up at her from his bed, startled. Minako grabbed a phone and flashed him her V sign with an overly bright smile to let him know everything was okay. Artemis sighed and settled back down to sleep.
"Huh!" Minako looked at her phone in confusion. Artemis' ear pricked up again and he looked at her curiously.
"What is it?" he asked. Minako answered the phone instead of Artemis, but he understood a moment later.
"Kunzite, is something wrong?" she asked, already reaching for her jacket.
"No, nothing's wrong," Kunzite assured her quickly. "I was actually calling to make sure you were alright. You seemed…tense." Minako dropped her hand from her jacket and rolled her eyes so far back that Artemis couldn't see the blue anymore.
"Oh, my lanta!" Minako huffed irritably.
"Your what…?"
"Look, I'm fine, okay," Minako told him. "I was just …I don't know…cranky or whatever." Artemis looked at her questioningly, but Minako just waved him off and flopped back onto her bed.
"I didn't mean to step on anyone's toes, "he assured her. "It hadn't occurred to me to wait to hear from you before coming in." Minako made a face and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I'm really sorry about that," she said, gritting her teeth. "You didn't do anything wrong. I was just having a moment. I don't like sharing my team." Artemis snorted derisively.
"That's an understatement," he said. Minako grabbed a pillow from behind her head and threw it at the cat. An indignant squawk let her know she made her point.
"I meant what I said earlier," Kunzite told her. "You never have to hesitate to call us for help."
"Sure, sure," Minako said off-handedly. "Same here. But we can handle ourselves. We're big girls." Kunzite was silent for a moment.
"I remember," he said drily at last. Minako grinned.
"You'd better!" She heard the front door open and her father come in. Glancing at her alarm clock, she saw it was nearly eleven. He didn't normally get in that late. "Hey, Kunzite, I'm going to have to let you go. My dad just got home and I don't want him freaking out about me talking to my secret boyfriend."
"But I'm not your-" Minako hung up before he could finish and went out to meet her father on the steps. "Dad! You're home late. What did you go to a wild party?"
"Mina," he greeted her with a tired smile. "You know me, the wilder the party the better."
"I can't believe you went without me," Minako chided. "You know a party doesn't start until I get there." Noburu Aino chuckled and ruffled his daughter's hair.
"You aren't wrong about that." Behind them, they heard the Aino's bedroom door open and Minako's mother poked her head out.
"It's about time you got home!" she snapped at her husband. "You were supposed to take me to get my car inspected!"
"I'm sorry, dear," Noburu said. His shoulders sagged a bit. "I left a message on the machine. I got caught up at work and I couldn't leave. I called the mechanic and rescheduled for tomorrow."
"Oh, nice!" his wife scoffed sarcastically. "How do you know I'm not busy."
"I'll find a way," Noburu promised. "Maybe I'll have Minako drive my car there." He winked at his daughter. Mrs. Aino rolled her eyes and went back into her room, but the look on her face let her husband know that their conversation was not over. Noburu looked after her grimly. He turned to Minako and smiled, and kissed her forehead.
"Get some rest," he said. "It's late."
"Dad, it's the weekend," Minako reminded him.
"Oh!" Noburu blinked in surprise. "So it is. Well, if you sneak out, try not to wake us when you get in."
"I won't," Minako promised with a wink. "Good night, Dad." She went back into her room, and a moment later she heard the click of her parents' door. Shortly after that, she heard them arguing. They kept their voices low, but Minako heard her mother's low harsh whispering and her father's hushed pleas.
"Everything alright?" Artemis asked. Minako flashed an overly bright smile.
"Yeah. Mama's just in a mood."
"I take care of everything on a shoestring budget!" Mei shouted just then. "The least you can do is make sure I have a car to get around." Minako flinched at her mother's shrill yell.
"What do you say we go out and get some ice cream?" she suggested to Artemis. The cat looked like he might argue, but he changed his mind. Instead he got up and stretched himself.
"I don't think there are any ice cream shops open this late, but maybe we can find one of those 24 hour cafes."
"Sounds good," Minako agreed, grabbing her jacket. She rolled up some laundry and sheets and piled them under her blanket. Then she shut off the light and opened her window. Artemis leapt up onto the window sill.
"After you," he said. Minako swung her legs outside and grinned at Artemis.
"Maybe we should call Rei and see if she and Luna want to join us." Artemis blushed and coughed a bit.
"I thought Luna was going to be staying with Usagi." Minako shrugged.
"I don't think she's there yet." She pushed herself the rest of the way out of the window and tumbled the rest of the way down, landing gently on her feet. Artemis landed beside her moments later and they walked away down the street.
"Maybe I shouldn't call Rei," Minako said, checking the time on her phone. "It's late, and Rei has to get up early on weekends, too." Artemis looked slightly disappointed, but he conceded that she had a point. They got on a train, Artemis hiding under Minako's jacket, and headed towards central Tokyo.
The streets were pleasantly busy. Carousers stumbled along in drunken groups. No one had much attention to spare for a high school girl and her cat. Minako and Artemis wandered around aimlessly for a while. After a few block Artemis leapt into Minako's arms and licked her cheek.
"You want to talk about it?" he asked.
"Nah," Minako said. "What's to talk about. Mom and Dad are fighting. Married couples…fight. They probably just need a date night or something." Artemis nodded encouragingly.
"Maybe you should get them a night out for their anniversary," he suggested. "Dinner and a night at a nice hotel?" Minako made a face.
"First of all, ew," Artemis sputtered that that wasn't what he meant, but Minako ignored him and continued. "Second of all, I'm poor. Where would I even get that kind of cash?"
"You could suggest it to your father, anyway," Artemis said with an indignant sniff. Minako shrugged. Then she stopped short and looked down a narrow street.
"Hey look!" she cried happily. "A dessert buffet! I think they're still open, too."
"Ah, Mina," Artemis said. "I don't know if I can stay here."
"Stop worrying so much," Minako chided stuffing Artemis into her jacket. He protested, but it was muffled by the cloth. He stopped when Minako jabbed him with a finger. "It's just until we get inside. Don't be such a baby." Artemis growled his displeasure, but allowed Minako to adjust him to a more natural looking position. She paid her way in and walked to a booth in the back. She took off her jacket and put it in the seat across from her. Artemis poked his head out from the pile of cloth and looked around. There was no one in the immediate area and he was blocked more or less from view.
"You could have been more gentle," he grumbled. Minako rolled her eye.
"I'm going to get started. You want some ice cream or something?" Artemis nodded.
"Vanilla and chocolate," he said. Minako furrowed her eye brows at him.
"Aren't cats allergic to chocolate or something?"
"That's dogs," Artemis corrected her. "I think…Any way, you do realize I'm different from regular cats. I can hold my chocolate."
"Whatever," Minako shrugged, turning away. "But I'm not spending the rest of the night at the vet's, so you'd better be right." She started walking towards the buffet and stopped. "Artemis?" The cat looked up from licking his leg and looked up at her. "Thanks. You know, for coming with me and not trying to stop me." Artemis nodded sympathetically.
"Of course." Minako smiled and went to grab their desserts.