USAGI'S VERY IMPORTANT MISSION
A/N: Drumroll please! Chapter 14 is finally here! I know, I know, it's been a long time coming and I apologize to all of you who have been waiting so very patiently. I wrote this with all of you in mind and I hope that the wait was worth it. You have all probably read various and many stories where Sailor Venus is disguised as the moon princess and perhaps they have all had similar story lines regarding her character. I will tell you now, however, that this story will not be the typical story where Sailor Venus is immediately found out to be the fake Moon Princess. I intend to make this story memorable and different from the rest. Hope you enjoy. Dozo!
Quick Recap: At the end of the last chapter, Sailor Moon finally confirms to herself that Mamoru is indeed the mysterious Tuxedo Kamen whom she had been attempting to find the identify of for a long time. However, things get complicated when Sailor Venus appears during battle and Sailor Moon is left to watch as Tuxedo Kamen kneels down and swears his loyalty to this new Sailor senshi who appears to be bearing the mark of a crescent moon on her forehead.
Chapter 14--
"Usagi? Usagi? Usagi!"
Usagi unwillingly snapped out of her trance and looked up at a perplexed Rei who had been trying countlessly for the past few minutes to get her attention.
Rei put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "You've been spacing out and staring at the floor for the last fifteen minutes. Have you been listening to our conversation at all?"
"Yeah...of course..." Usagi mumbled a half-hearted reply. Rei rolled her eyes, deciding that it was useless to point out that it was obvious that Usagi hadn't been listening.
All four girls sat on the floor of Rei's bedroom discussing the previous day's events, specifically the stranger who had appeared in the sailor fuku. The unexpected and strange event had caused the girls to be deeply curious about the identity and purpose of the stranger which automatically called for an emergency senshi meeting the very next day.
Makoto twirled a strand of hair with her finger as her eyebrows furrowed in deep thought, Ami chewed her bottom lip as she sat pensively while Rei glared at an absent minded Usagi who had been in the room physically, but not mentally.
The light pitter patter of the rain on the window pane filled the silence that had recently come upon the room. For the past day, everyone knew that they only thing on their minds was the beautiful stranger who had appeared out of nowhere to slay the negaverse monster. So many questions loomed in their minds that most of the day, all they would do was try come up with a prospective answer or answer their own questions with more questions.
Ami's outspoken thoughts caused all the girls to snap out of their own deep thoughts. "If she's the Moon Princess, then it's our duty to protect her right? Isn't that one of our greatest purposes? To find the Moon Princess and defend her from the Negaverse?"
"Well if you ask me, it looks like she can protect herself just fine." Makoto replied upon remembering the image of the defeated Nega-monster which was deep fried to a crisp, courtesy of the new stranger's attack. "And it looks like she's the one who found us."
"And just how is she and Tuxedo Kamen involved with each other? I wonder what this whole business is about him saying that he's been waiting for her and that he swears his loyalty to her." Rei said as she leaned back against the wall knowing that once again, they had only added more questions to the pile of questions they had already created.
A long sigh with an undertone of sadness was heard coming from the direction of a girl with who wore odangos on her head.
The girls waited for any word to come from Usagi, but nothing followed the long sigh.
"Look Usagi," Rei began, trying her very best not to sound annoyed. "but now is not the time to be depressed that Tuxedo Kamen may have had a lover all along. Like we've been saying this whole time, how do we know that he's not deceiving us by pretending to be our ally when in actual fact, he's an enemy?"
"He's not!" Usagi snapped, surprising even herself at her hasty reply.
Startled by the rapid reply, Rei raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. "How do you know that? How can you be so sure?"
Without being able to hold herself back, Usagi replied with vigor, "Because I just know!" She knew it was a bold yet ridiculous statement, but having held all her emotions bottled inside since the day before, she couldn't help but unleash it all. "If he was our enemy, wouldn't he have launched some attack on us long ago?? Why would he continually save my life if his purpose was to end it? Why would he continuously put his own life in danger to keep me safe? Tell me that! Why? Why? Why?!" This outburst left Usagi slightly breathless and her face a tad red.
Makoto, Ami, and Rei all stared at Usagi with unblinking wide eyes, surprised at their friend's sudden spillage of words.
Usagi slowly lowered her head in her hands and let out another sigh. "I, I'm sorry guys. I'm just tired. I'm trying to make sense of all of this too."
"Well I guess we'll have to get answers when we meet with her again which will most likely be the next time the Negaverse attacks." Ami finally said after a short silence. The rest of the girls nodded in reply, all of them only growing increasingly curious about the blonde-haired stranger.
--
Usagi set down her book bag on her desk and looked up at the clock at the front of the classroom. Five minutes early. She supposed that perhaps UVIM had left a permanent change in her and was now causing her to abandon her habit of arriving late to school. Then again, it had been impossible to get a wink of sleep last night since all she could think about was what she would ask the mysterious stranger when they were finally able to speak face to face. But what about Tuxedo Kamen who she now knew for certain was Mamoru? What would she say to him? How would she find out more about his loyalty to this blonde newcomer?
"Psst, Usagi." Ami whispered from behind. Usagi slowly turned around, her energy drained from wracking her brain of countless possibilities the previous night.
"Whoa, you okay?" Ami asked, alarmed at the sight of Usagi's bloodshot eyes and deep bags beneath them.
Usagi blinked, still not feeling any waves of sleepiness come over her. Her mind was overworked. "Do I look that bad?" She wondered upon witnessing Ami's reaction to seeing her face.
"Never mind that." Ami said disregarding Usagi's question. She lowered her volume and inched a little closer to Usagi's ear. "I did some research last night about any other possible Sailor Scouts and it seems that there's been talk of a Sailor Venus."
Usagi raised her eyebrows. "Sailor Venus?" She asked, surprised.
"Shh!" Ami urged as she put a finger to her lips. "Keep it down." She said with a glance around the room. Fortunately, it seemed as if the other students around were engrossed in a conversation about one of last night's J-dorama.
"Yes, there's been a Sailor Venus that's been mentioned in quite a few newspapers, but that's all I could find. " Ami glanced cautiously around the classroom and continued when she was sure that no one else had overheard them. "There's a strong possibility that the girl who crossed our paths during the last Negaverse attack was her. We can't be completely sure though, because it's only a possibility."
Usagi nodded, absorbing this bit of information. "Did you find anything out about the Moon Princess? Or if Sailor Venus is the Moon Princess?"
Ami shook her head. "No, I didn't come across any information about that at all."
RRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGG!! Both girls jumped from the loud shrill of the bell despite having heard it almost everyday.
"Excuse me class!" Haruka Sensei said loudly, not wasting any time after the bell had rung. "Listen up!"
The students quieted down and faced forward, some of them groaning as they dreaded the start of the school day.
"We have a new student today. Please welcome her kindly. Please come in Minako!" Haruka Sensei said as she turned toward the door.
All the students watched as a girl with straight long blonde hair and a friendly smile displayed on her face entered the classroom. "Hello everyone!"
A few "How cute!" were heard from some male students as the new student waved to the class.
Usagi had a feeling that this new girl wouldn't have any trouble finding new friends. She looked friendly enough. She just hoped that the this girl wouldn't be taken advantage of by the popular girls.
After the new student took a seat at the front, Haruka Sensei droned on about Japanese history and all the while Usagi's thoughts drifted to a certain masked hero in a tuxedo. The last words she heard him speak echoed in her mind.
"You are the Moon Princess whom I have sworn my loyalty to. I have been waiting so long."
She recalled the look in his eyes and his posture as he kneeled down to place a kiss on the so-called Moon Princess' hand. The very memory caused Usagi's heart to stir in discomfort.
Suddenly, an image of herself being carried in Tuxedo Kamen's arms appeared in her mind. It was just before they had met the stranger during the last attack. She clearly remembered how it felt to be held in his strong arms and how the closeness of him gave her comfort. She remembered studying the shape of his lips as she traced its outline with her finger while she wondered about inching closer to his face...
She physically shook her head to chase away any of those thoughts. Besides, those lips had kissed the Moon Princess' hand. Those lips wanted to kiss someone else.
Usagi's shoulders sagged with the last thought. She unconsciously inhaled as she remembered the smell of his cologne and without thinking, she pulled her arms tightly around herself as she remembered how his arms felt around her whenever he carried her. She couldn't help but remember those times he showed concern for her whenever she hurt herself. Even when she wasn't Sailor Moon and when he wasn't Tuxedo Kamen, he still took care of her hurt ankle. Sighing, she reminisced about the time when they laughed together in Rei's garden as they looked up at the sky. She cocked a half smile, remembering that he was even ridiculous enough to agree to help her make Motoki fall in love with her. How ironic was it that the one she turned to for help to attract who she thought was Tuxedo Kamen was the real Tuxedo Kamen all along?
It was such a shame that just when she had finally figured out Tuxedo Kamen's identity, he had gone and proclaimed his loyalty to someone else.
Suddenly, Usagi's heart dropped to her stomach. Did that mean...? Did that mean that she would no longer feel his arms around her as he carried to her safety? Did that mean she would never get close enough to him again to smell his cologne or look into his mysterious blue eyes? Were they never to share laughs together underneath the stars? Were all of those things now meant for another girl?
Usagi clutched the fabric of the front of her school uniform as she subconsciously attempted to clutch her heart. The thought of him carrying another girl in his arms and holding her close, the thought of him looking into another one's eyes, the thought of him looking at someone else with a look of caring concern, and most of all, the thought of his lips touching someone else...hurt. It hurt. She clutched the fabric of her school uniform even tighter.
What were all of these feelings that were now crashing down on her? She knew. She knew very well what it was, but it just hurt too much to admit it.
--
Ami set her bento down on the cafeteria table, ready to devour her lunch. Japanese history definitely had roused an appetite in her. "Itadakimasu!" She said before picking up her chopsticks. She poised the eating utensils and looked over her lunch, wondering what it was she wanted to eat first.
"Excuse me?" A voice interrupted Ami's lunch.
She slowly looked up, her chopsticks positioned in mid air.
"May I sit with you?" A polite smile graced the face of a beautiful girl with long blonde hair as she stood with a bento of her own in her arms, awaiting an answer.
"Sure!" Ami replied as she slid her bento closer to her in order to make more room on the table.
"Thanks!" The blonde haired girl's smile broadened as she lowered herself onto the seat and unpacked her own bento.
"Say," Ami said after swallowing a mouthful of food. "You're the new girl in class 2! Minako right? I'm Ami, also from class 2."
"Nice to meet you Ami. Thanks for letting me sit with you." Picking up her own chopsticks, she said "Itadakimasu" and began to eat.
"Oh, it's no problem at all." Ami replied. "You're welcome to eat with me anytime. Usually, my friend Usagi eats with me, but she felt sick and left early today. Maybe you'll meet her another day."
Minako gave another polite smile. "Please introduce us when the next chance arises."
"Of course." Ami replied. "You'll be surprised at her big appetite. She eats like a bulldozer." Ami said with a giggle. "Also, she falls and trips a lot. We always have to warn her and tell her to watch out for things. I think you'll find her amusing."
"I suppose she'll be needing more protection than I thought." Minako mumbled under breath.
"Pardon me?" Ami asked, unable to hear above the crunch in her mouth.
"Oh, nothing." Minako replied quickly. "So tell me about you. I've heard you're the smartest in the grade!"
Ami attempted to fight a blush that was beginning to rise in her cheeks. "No, that's not true..."
--
"Why the long sigh Usagi?" Motoki asked as he set a triple fudge milkshake on the table in front of her.
"Huh? Oh...nothing." Usagi replied, not even realizing that she was moping around the arcade. It had been one week since the last Negaverse attack and Mamoru hadn't shown his face in the arcade since. Usagi hadn't realized until now just how empty the arcade was without him. Despite the low murmur of conversation and the occasional bursts of laughter from various groups of teenagers and school children, there was a certain voice that was missing among the crowd.
Motoki tapped his fingers on the table, knowing very well that something was causing Usagi to sigh every five minutes. This time, not even a triple fudge milkshake was lifting her spirits. In fact, she hadn't even noticed that he had set one down on the table in front of her eyes. "Usagi?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you speaking?" Usagi looked up at Motoki with an apologetic look. "So sorry, what was it you said?"
Motoki lifted an eyebrow. "Is there something that's been bothering you?"
Usagi looked slightly surprised that her foul mood had been so obvious. She gathered herself together and forced a smile. Yes, it's bothering me that Tuxedo Kamen and that Moon Princess might be off frolicking somewhere together. "It's nothing." She finally said hoping that she was somewhat convincing in her act. Besides, Motoki had mentioned yesterday that he himself hadn't heard from Mamoru in the past week.
Motoki gave a quick nod, not looking convinced at all, but decided to accept her answer anyhow. "Ok then. If you need anything else, I'll be up by the counter."
As soon as Motoki walked off, Usagi lowered her chin onto the table. Where are you Mamoru? Where have you disappeared to? Are you with her? Are you laughing with her? Are you carrying her in your arms?
"What are you spacing off about this time Usagi?" Rei asked as she plopped herself down in the seat across from her. "Brrr, It's freezing out there." She said as she rubbed her hands together.
"Have you found out anything more about the Moon Princess?" Usagi asked, not feeling in the mood to argue with Rei.
Rei only shook her head. "I sat in front of the fire for hours last night and all I kept seeing was that blonde stranger with us. It was the five of us, but there was no princess in sight. I really don't know, Usagi. I still don't know who she is anymore than you do."
"Excuse me, I think you dropped this." A girl with long blonde hair had approached their table and was holding out a wallet toward Rei.
"Oh my gosh!" Rei exclaimed with shock. "That's my wallet! Thank you so much!" She gratefully took the wallet from the blond girl's hands. "I can't believe I dropped it and didn't even notice!"
The girl with the long blonde hair smiled. "I saw it drop out of your coat pocket so I quickly picked it up and followed you in here. I'm glad that you have it now so I'm going to go." The girl swiftly turned around toward the arcade doors.
"Wait!" Rei quickly said to stop the girl in her tracks. "Please let me treat you to some hot chocolate or something. It's the least I could do since you returned my wallet to me."
The girl gently shook her head and smiled politely. "Oh, it was nothing. I just did what I would have wanted other people to do for me."
"Please?" Rei asked, pleading for the girl to take a seat.
"Alright, alright if you insist." The blonde girl said as she sat down in the vinyl arcade seat.
"I'm Rei by the way." Pointing at Usagi whose chin was resting on the tabletop, Rei said, "And Miss melancholy over here is Usagi."
"My name's Minako. It's nice to meet you both." Minkao said with a courteous nod. Glancing over at Usagi, she said, "Actually, I think I saw you in my class. I'm a new student at Juuban."
"Oh, that's right. Yeah, it's nice to meet you too." Usagi replied, attempting to sound cheerful. It failed, however, and did not go without being noticed by Minako.
"Hey Rei! Did you just drop in?" Motoki approached their table with a notepad and pencil in hand, ready to take orders.
"Yes, I did. Are you on for the whole day today?" Rei asked, glancing up into his face. If Usagi was paying attention, she would have noticed Rei batting her eyelashes.
"Yup, I'm closing today. So what is it you guys would like?" Motoki said, poising his pencil to write.
"Two hot chocolates please. Ooh, and extra marshmallows!" Rei added.
Motoki tucked his pencil behind his ear after taking down the order and replied, "Extra marshmallows? Now that's asking for a lot but I'll see if I can pull some strings for you ladies." With a chuckle and a wink, he turned around and headed toward the kitchen.
"He's really cute." Minako said with a giggle when Motoki was out of earshot.
Rei nodded vigorously. "Totally! And the thing is that his girlfriend, well I guess she's an ex-girlfriend now moved to Africa so that means there's an open spot. Score!"
Usagi suddenly lifted her head up from the table and regarded Rei with eyes that held a look of disbelief. "Wait Rei, what about Mamoru? You know, the guy you've been head over heels for all this time?"
Rei simply shrugged. "After my birthday, I realized that he and I are on different levels. The bottom line is that I need someone more sophisticated."
Usagi used all her strength not to let her jaw fall to the floor. So it had worked. Mamoru's plan to unattract Rei had worked. Eureka! She had to tell him. She couldn't wait to tell him that his plan was a success. Her feelings of happiness stopped however, when she realized that he wasn't here for her to tell him and she didn't know when he would be here so she could tell him. Sighing, she let her chin rest once again on the surface of the table.
"Not having a good day I take it?" Minako said, noticing Usagi's downcast mood.
Usagi only sighed yet again. What was she supposed to say exactly? That Mamoru who was Tuxedo Kamen was gone and hadn't been heard from in a week? "I guess you could say that." She finally answered.
After the hot chocolates were finished and Usagi still hadn't touched her milkshake, Minako stood up and thanked Rei for the hot choclate. "You really didn't have to, but thanks for the hot chocloate. I really need to go, but I'll see you around in school Usagi." She said as she turned around and headed for the exit.
Once outside, Minako let out a long breath that came out in a steady white puff. She looked back once more through the arcade window at the girl with the odangos. "I'm sorry," She said as she began to walk. "but things must become more harder before they become better."
--
Usagi's heart pounded so strongly in her chest that she thought her heart might stop altogether. Finally, after a week and a half, the Negaverse had attacked which meant that she would finally be able to see Tuxedo Kamen.
"Watch out Sailor Moon!" Yelled Sailor Jupiter from way behind.
Sailor Moon took a couple steps to the left, but she knew that if she dodged the attack completely, Tuxedo Kamen would have no reason to come and save her.
The monster's attack missed her by mere centimeters.
"What are you doing Sailor Moon?? Do you want to be decapitated?!" Yelled a furious Sailor Mars.
Again, the Negaverse monster gave a loud roar and aimed its powerful and heavy artilery at Sailor Moon. Before she knew it, something was coming toward her, something dangerous. This is it! In no time, I will be in Tuxedo Kamen's arms, safe and away from danger.
Instead, a cry was heard that said, "Venus Crescent Beam!" and in an instant a bright yellow light destroyed the monster's attack that was about to hit Sailor Moon.
"What? What just happened?" Sailor Moon said, very aware of the fact that she was still on the ground and not in Tuxedo Kamen's arms. Something else had saved her.
"Up here!" The same voice who had yelled out only moments before was heard saying.
All looked up toward the top of the building where a lone girl with long blonde hair stood. "It's her!" Sailor Mercury gasped.
The Negaverse monster sneered. "And who are you to interrupt my task?"
Without hesitating, the girl answered, "I am Sailor Venus who is sworn to protect Earth and destroy monsters like you!"
"It is her, it's Sailor Venus!" Sailor Mercury exclaimed.
Sailor Moon looked around in disbelief, looking for another person. "But where's--"
"And I am Tuxedo Kamen who also protects Earth! We will both show you just what you've gotten yourself into!" Out of the shadows stepped a masked hero in a Tuxedo who took his place beside the blonde heroine. There they stood, together on the top of the building, back to back, as a team."
Sailor Moon only blinked as she felt her heart crumble into a tiny million pieces. "What's going on?" She whispered out loud. She felt a pain like a shard of glass prick her heart and a lump form in her throat as she watched him take a protective stance in front of Sailor Venus. Countless times she had asked Tuxedo Kamen to join the sailor senshi, numerous times she had asked him to become part of their team. Every time his answer was, "I work alone."
Sailor Moon clenched her teeth as tears began to sting the back of her eyes. Why was it that immediately after meeting this new girl, he instantly became attached to her even though he had always distanced himself from Sailor Moon?
Sailor Moon inhaled, fighting to keep her emotions from spilling.
Had she lost Tuxedo Kamen to the one called Sailor Venus? Wait, how was that possible when he was never hers to begin with?
--
A/N: I am soooo sorry that it took this long to release a chapter! I appreciate all of your reviews and most especially your PATIENCE with me. I also really appreciate that you guys have understood the fact that I have other priorities and other commitments. I hope that this chapter carried on well from the last one and I'm excited to hear what you guys think. It is now 3:30 am and I have stayed up extra late just so I could get this chapter out to you guys as soon as possible. Like I said, this isn't the typical Sailor Venus Moon Princess story line and I'm excited for what's going to unfold soon in the story. Once again thank you for all of your support and patience!