Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon R: Romance/Revenge
Summary: It's been a year since the defeat of Galaxia. Another enemy has arrived and suddenly Mamoru is acting different. The Senshi start disappearing and everyone's going into a panic. What's happening?
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
A/N: Sorry for the wait! I kind of suck, but not only did I start editing/revising other stories (including this one), I just started high school, which is going to take me a little while to get adjusted (to the workloads, not the school itself. I'm going to the same school as last year and the year before that anyway :p). I plan on working really hard this time around, but I hope to update every now and then (at least once a month (or two), so I won't leave you hanging again :p) And it sucks to find out that the chapter you've been waiting for is the shorter second part of the last chapter, doesn't it? Sorry, but it's necessary! With that, please read on!
Oh, and there's an Anime Boston '08 reference hidden somewhere in this chapter. Can you find it? :D
Chapter Ten: Part Two
Soon, the rest of Inner Senshi arrived at the Hikawa Jinja. Makoto and Minako arrived together, surprised to see Usagi sweeping the grounds. That was usually the task Rei underwent everyday. If that wasn't enough, Ami seemed to be running a little late. Usually, she would have been the first one there, since she was never one to be late for anything.
"Hey, guys, I think Rei isn't feeling well," Usagi whispered. "She fell asleep after Hotaru and Setsuna-san left, and I came out here so she'd have a little piece and quiet, you know? And then…" Usagi put her index finger inside her mouth, gagging in the process. Minako laughed at her while Makoto tried to stop the blonde from any further demonstration. "You didn't have to do that, Usagi-chan," she sighed. "We would have understood you perfectly if you had just said it." Minako suppressed her laughter and gave a little sigh. "So you're trying to say Rei's bulimic?" she asked. Makoto slapped her forehead while Usagi tried to explain what she meant.
"Why did Minako call me bulimic?"
Usagi whirled around, finding Rei a few feet away from her. The miko held her head in her hand, her eyes closed and her mouth muttering profanities. "Why are you talking about me at all?" Minako jumped to Rei's side and put her arm around the miko's shoulder. "We can help you, Rei-chan," she stated. "And remember, you'll always be our friend, even if you are…"
Makoto pushed Minako out of the way and shook her head. "Usagi-chan said you weren't feeling well," she explained. "Can we – me, myself, and I – help?" Rei waved her hand dismissively and said she was fine. She scratched her head once she noted Ami was missing. It was surprising to see Ami being lumped in with the other three when it came to lateness. "That's not good," she sighed. She turned around and went to the back of the jinja to practice archery when Minako stopped her. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked. Rei nodded and left the three.
"Something's bothering her," Makoto observed silently. "Thanks for your contribution, Captain Obvious," Minako quipped. The brunette shook her head and explained, "She brought Hotaru back to our side. She should be happy about that, but she's…acting weird." Usagi sighed softly, knowing Rei was keeping something else from them. "Something tells me that she's not thinking about Hotaru," she stated. She put her head on the top of the broom in deep thought as she stared into space.
Minako and Makoto stared at each other for a moment and then turned their gaze to Usagi. "Then who?" Usagi simply shrugged as she looked at her friends. There was an uncomfortable silence, and Usagi wanted to find out was on Rei's mind. After taking a few moments to think about it, Usagi decided to make a move. She passed the broom to Minako and went after Rei. The sound of an arrow hitting something rang in Usagi's ears as she got closer. Poking her head around the corner, she put on a smile and announced her presence.
"I don't think Ami is coming anytime soon."
Another arrow hit the target as Rei spoke. Usagi stared at the place where the arrow was, which was stuck in the outer ring of the target. It hit the photo of Mamoru that was taped to the target, but it missed Mamoru's smiling face. The picture disturbed Usagi even though she understood it was Rei's outlet when she was feeling frustrated. Slowly tearing her eyes away from the picture, she asked Rei what she meant.
"What do you think?" Rei said, taking a moment to roll her eyes. Usagi shrugged as she walked closer to Rei. "I don't know…maybe she's coming late?" Rei let out a little laugh, obviously mocking the blonde's idea. Usagi began pouting and crossed her arms. "Hey, you asked what I thought and I told you. No need to be mean about it," she huffed. "But don't you see, Usagi? Something isn't right. This goes beyond Ami just being late…"
Hitting the target with another arrow before throwing the bow down to the ground, the miko stared deeply into Usagi's eyes. "Did you feel something before Minako and Makoto arrived?"
"Was I supposed to?"
"No…no, you weren't."
Rei sighed and rubbed her head. "I guess we can only assume something came up, and Ami wasn't able to come." Usagi smiled and placed her hands on Rei's shoulder. "I suppose. So, was that the only thing on your mind, or is there more I have to pry out of you?" she asked. Rei said Ami had been her main concern and that there was nothing else to talk about. Usagi took Rei by the hand to lead her back to the others, thinking that was the only problem. However, Rei stopped her.
"Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"
"Eh? Why not?"
"I don't want the others to worry, especially Makoto."
Usagi hesitated to speak as she looked into Rei's eyes. This would mean that they would have to keep secrets from the others again. After what had happened last time, there could be no more secrets.
"Why do we have to keep secrets?" Usagi asked. "That just hurts our friendship with the others." Rei grabbed both of Usagi's shoulders and sighed. "I know, but we have to. There are some things that have to be between us only."
"And why is that?"
"Because the enemy is targeting you and I primarily…"
"What does the enemy have to do with Ami's absence?"
Rei fell silent as she stared at the ground in thought. What exactly did the enemy have to do with Ami? The question went over in Rei's head until she came up with something. "When I asked you if you felt anything before Minako and Makoto arrived, you said 'no,' right?"
"Right."
"Then we can rule out the worst case scenario…"
Usagi gave Rei a scared and worried glance. "What's the worst case scenario?" Rei only responded with a knowing stare, not wanting to answer the question vocally. "Wait a minute, why does Ami's absence have to be related to the enemy? They haven't shown up in days."
"Exactly. They could be planning something," Rei stated. She scratched her hand and sighed. "Look, Ami would have called if she was going to come late. If she doesn't turn up in a week, and Makoto hasn't heard from her, we'll pronounce her missing." Usagi glared at the miko, asking why Rei was looking into what could potentially be nothing. Rei didn't answer the question, but she knew realized something in her head: She and Usagi were being targeted primarily, but the others…
"You know what, Usagi?" Rei smiled. "You're right. Sorry. I guess the enemy is making me paranoid." That response seemed to be the right one since Usagi smiled back. With a tight hug, she whispered, "Let this be the last secret we have. Please?" Rei kissed the top of Usagi's head and nodded. "Yeah…this will be the last."
"Do you think Usagi got any information from Rei?"
"Uh, yeah! This is Usagi we're talking about here. Rei can't keep anything from her."
"But still…"
"But still nothing. Sure, we can't get Rei to talk, but Usagi can. When they come back, we'll find out what's up."
Makoto sighed at Minako's logic but decided not to say anything. Considering what had happened with Usagi and Rei before – especially when they started keeping secrets – she wasn't so sure that they would find out what was going through Rei's mind.
"Hmm…I wonder why Ami's so late," Minako spoke softly, never one to stay silent for long. "I'm sure she would have been here before us, or we could have met up with her on the way here." Makoto shrugged, figuring Ami needed to do something before stopping by. Minako arched an eyebrow. "You're not worried?" she asked. The brunette shook her head. "So Ami's not here yet. So what? She'll get here when she gets here." Minako tilted her head quizzically at her friend, wondering why she was the only one who was worried.
Finally, Rei and Usagi entered the room, apparently holding hands. Minako directed her attention at this sight. They couldn't have suddenly gotten together like last time (even though that was fake). Without saying a word, she pointed to it, silently asking what this all about. Usagi blushed a little while Rei smiled.
"Reassurance."
"What do you need to be reassured about?"
"Hotaru," Rei answered. "I was wondering if we had really gotten our Hotaru back. Demo, Usagi told me that I did, without a doubt." Makoto grinned at Usagi, saying, "I knew she was worried about Hotaru." Usagi stuck her tongue, trying to go along with the lie Rei had made. Hopefully, this would be the last time she would have to pretend in front of her friends.
Rei saw this coming from miles away. However, she wasn't able to brace herself for Haruka, who was arguably the fastest woman in Japan. Her arrival had been ninja-like, silent and stealthy. When the blonde found Rei in her room with the others, she pounced her target. Rei lied on the floor uncomfortably, trying to tell Haruka to get up. Of course, there was no way out of this.
As Usagi giggled at the miko, Makoto and Minako stared at each other, realizing that Haruka's arrival meant one thing…
"I'm back!"
Hotaru jumped into the doorway, acting as important as she felt. A huge grin indicated her feelings, which made Makoto laugh. That was something that only Minako would do. Minako squealed and glomped the girl, excited to see her back on their side. Michiru and Setsuna walked inside, laughing at scene they saw.
"Considering the time of day, I suspect you kept Hotaru to yourselves," Makoto said. "Naturally," Michiru stated with a smile. "Of course, thanks to Rei, we were able to be with Hotaru again…uh, Haruka, you can let go of Rei now." Just like that, Haruka stood to her feet and helped the miko stand. Grabbing her by the shoulders, she exclaimed, "If I didn't love Michiru, I would totally kiss you right now!"
Rei stepped out of the blonde's grip and sighed. "Right. Well, guys, you don't need to thank me. I only did what should have done in the beginning," she shrugged, acting as if it was nothing. As a sign of thanks, Michiru hugged Rei. Giving her a couple of pats on the back, she sighed, feeling like there would be no end to this hugging.
As all of this was going on, Setsuna moved over to Makoto. She squatted next to the girl and whispered, "Where's Ami?" Makoto stared at the floor and shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "She should have been here by now." Setsuna went through her pockets and took out her cell phone. "Make sure she's okay." Makoto left the room quickly, which caught the attention Hotaru, Minako, and Usagi.
The brunette sat on the steps of the jinja, away from everyone's hearing range. She hoped Ami answered her phone.
Rei was finally able to get away from everything when she noticed Makoto wasn't in the room. Hotaru had told her that Makoto was outside, and that's where she found her. She sat on the steps next to her, but she said nothing. She noticed that Makoto was holding a phone that was not hers. The other girl apparently found something about it that was entrancing because she wasn't looking away. When the silence became too unbearable, Rei nudged Makoto, wordlessly telling her to talk.
"Rei-chan, I'm worried."
For the first time all day, she was worried. Ami hadn't picked up her cell phone, and when Makoto had called Ami's house, she had to convince her mother that Ami would be staying with her for a little while, which was a complete lie. If there were any implication of Ami not being with her, Mrs. Mizuno would go ballistic.
"She hasn't answered her phone, and Mizuno-san said she wasn't home."
Rei crossed her arms in thought, remembering the conversation she had with Usagi. "We'll have to look for her. Once Haruka-tachi are gone, we'll look in every one of her usual places," she said. Makoto balled her hands into fists. "But what if we can't find her? Then what?"
"Let's not think that way, alright?"
Makoto hung her head and nodded, hoping to find Ami soon. Rei put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, giving Makoto the thumbs up. When Makoto looked up, she smiled and returned the gesture. They decided to look for Ami in the morning, giving the missing girl a little time to show up. If she didn't contact anyone, they would have to search for her. However, the Outers couldn't find out about this just yet. Five people worrying about Ami were enough. Besides, they deserved a little peace with Hotaru.
For a moment there, the conversation that had just taken place reminded Rei of the one she had had earlier with Usagi. Here, she was Usagi and Makoto was her. The tall brunette was thinking of worst-case scenarios while the miko was trying not to let her think that way. Rei thought it was kind of ironic.
"Rei, Makoto, we're going."
The two turned their heads, noticing the four Outers standing behind them. Before she was able to forget, Makoto gave Setsuna her phone. The two then watched them walk down the steps. When they were out of sight, Rei and Makoto decided to go back inside. It was time to tell the others the plan.
It was now two in the morning. There were only a couple of hours remaining until the search for Ami would begin. Unbeknown to the other girls, there would be no sign of her. Hell, Rei probably wouldn't even bother. What would be the point? Those silly Inners. This was becoming too easy.
Rei was sitting at her desk, a notebook in front of her. Written on the white-lined paper were the names of her friends. Ami, Makoto, and Minako's names were on one side; Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, and Setsuna's names were on the other. Ami's name was crossed out, and Setsuna's name was checked off. She stared at the names and sighed. She hoped the rest of the week would be go by quickly.
"Rei?"
Rei turned around and found Mamoru poking his head in the door. After a few moments of staring at him, she turned around, telling him to come in. "Well, what is it?" she asked, hearing his footsteps from behind her. "I found out what happened to you," he said simply. He hovered over her and stared at the open notebook. Rei stayed silent as he looked over what she had written.
"Sweet plan."
"Thanks."
"I heard what you did with Ami. Clever, I must say. So, does Hotaru know about this?"
"Hotaru's on their side, Mamoru."
"Oh? Well, I'll rectify that later. I'll tell her everything, and we'll go over this list."
"Alright."
Mamoru gave Rei a pat on the shoulder and took his leave. Rei stared at the list of names, knowing that this plan had to work.
--End Chapter Ten: Part Two--
Why are Rei and Mamoru acting friendly all of a sudden? What is Rei's plan? Has Rei really switched sides? Stayed tuned for more. Til next time
Serenity101