Choices
By: ShadowQueenGalactica
Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with Sailor Moon. I do not own the rights to any of the songs related to Sailor Moon.
Author's Notes: This is one of my older stories, going through and trying to fix all the cringy typos. I'm also going to be adding some scenes that I thought the original was seriously lacking. Hope you guys enjoy the revised version of Choices.
Revised: 3/28/2021
**Added some new scenes in this chapter. Hope everyone enjoys it, thanks for reading!
Review Replies: Thank you so much for leaving a review:
-JSanyaz: Thank you so much for your review and thank you for reading the revisioned version. There are some added scenes in this chapter that needed to be added. Enjoy! :)
-Tropical Remix: Mamoru is currently in America continuing his studies. Don't worry, we'll be seeing him in a later chapter. :)
:: Chapter 2: Second Thoughts::
(One Week Later)
Walking down the sidewalk, Usagi smiled feeling Kikyo tug at her hand pointing at the window of a toy store. Smiling more at the child's excitement, she allowed the toddler to lead her towards the window of the store as she excitedly pressed her small face against the window looking past the window displays and in awe at what was within the store.
"Toy!" Kikyo excitedly shouted, smiling as she frantically pointed at the store's window. "Usa-chan, toy!"
Scooping the toddler up into her arms, Usagi glanced into the window and chuckled as Kikyo excitedly pointed at one of the toy displays in the window. "I'm taking her in." She said, glancing back at Setsuna who had been quietly following them at a distance.
"I'll be out here." Setsuna responded as she leaned against the wall of the toy store. Keeping her gaze forwards, she kept a watchful look within the surrounding area not wanting to be caught off guard by another surprise attack from the new enemy. "You have your communicator?"
"Yes and my brooch." Usagi said, patting her jacket pocket as she lowered Kikyo to the ground and took the small child's hand into hers. "Are you ready to go inside, Kikyo-chan?" She asked, laughing as the eager child gladly pulled her forwards into the store.
Glancing back at Setsuna once more, Usagi frowned at the thought of how distant the four Outer Guardians were being towards her. 'I didn't mean to hurt them, I just want to protect Kikyo-chan.' She thought, knowing the Outer Guardians were becoming much stricter and less tolerant with her mistakes.
Watching her friend walking into the toy store with the Kinmoku Princess, Setsuna sadly smiled at the thought of how protective and maternal their Princess had become over the small toddler. 'This is going to break her heart when it's time for the child to leave.' Setsuna sadly thought with a heavy sigh and a silent shake of her head. 'She's become so very fond of the Kinmoku Princess.'
"Kikyo-chan, stay close sweetie." Usagi instructed, watching the toddler run ahead of her as she spotted some stuffed animals on a nearby end cap. Smiling as Kikyo abruptly halted at an end cap stuffed with a variety of stuffed animals, she watched as the little girl lit up at each one she touched, before her small hand stopped on a small white bunny. Feeling her heart tug as Kikyo drew the bunny close, tightly hugging the bunny against her, her smile widened as the child then placed a gentle kiss atop of the bunny's head. 'That is so sweet!' She thought, touched by the toddler's gentle affection displayed towards the toy. "Do you want a new friend?" She asked as she knelt beside the small girl. "Is this what you want?"
"Bunny!" Kikyo happily stated, hugging the stuffed bunny against her more before placing another kiss on the stuffed animal.
"Alright, let's go pay for your bunny." Usagi said, smiling as the toddler happily walked beside her. Walking through the store towards the registers, she glanced down when feeling Kikyo's gentle tugs against the sleeve of her jacket.
"Hold." Kikyo grunted while raising her arms up and standing on her tiptoes as she looked at the young woman with a bright smile.
"Come here, sweetie." Usagi chuckled while lifting the toddler into her arms once again. Walking forwards once more in the direction of the registers, she smiled as she felt Kikyo rest her head on her shoulder as they soon chose a lane and patiently waited in line.
After a short tug of war with the bunny as they reached the register, Usagi smiled her thanks as the older cashier removed the tag and promptly returned the toy to Kikyo who looked to be on the verge of tears having had the bunny temporarily removed from her possession.
"Here you go, sweet pea." The cashier stated, smiling as the child squealed out in delight as she happily took the bunny once more. "She's adorable."
"Thank you." Usagi responded with a polite smile as she turned her gaze towards Kikyo who was tightly clinging to the bunny once more before she returned to resting her head against her shoulder once more before tiredly yawning. Glancing forward as the cashier spoke, she took the receipt, tucking the slip of paper down into her purse before walking in the direction of the toy store's exit.
Exiting the store, Usagi glanced over, seeing Setsuna was still standing in the same spot patiently waiting for her to return. Forcing a smile she silently walked towards her Guardian, giggling when she heard a soft snore sound from Kikyo then a deep puff of breath against her neck from the child's exhale. 'She's already asleep, that didn't take long.' She thought with amusement.
"Are you taking her home?" Setsuna curiously asked, noticing the child was tightly holding onto a stuffed bunny as she slept.
"Yes, I'm probably staying home tomorrow." Usagi responded, then released a soft exhale before her face scrunched with a look of disdain. "I have a research paper I'm needing to finish. It's probably going to take me all day, so I'll just stay home."
"Alright, if you need one of us to watch her while you work on your paper, please let us know." Setsuna offered, watching Usagi smile before she spoke.
"Thank you Setsuna-chan for the offer, I will let you know if I should need help." Usagi responded, quickly growing uncomfortable from the sudden awkward silence between them. "I should go, I'll see you the next time I decide to go out, goodbye Setsuna-chan." She said, before quietly turning and walking the direction of her apartment.
"Goodbye Usagi-chan." Setsuna softly stated, silently watching her Princess walk in the direction of her apartment, soon disappearing around a corner. 'I worry about you, you're keeping to yourself more these days.' She worriedly thought, wondering what was the cause of their usually vibrant and outgoing friend to suddenly become reclusive. 'Why will you not trust us with this child Princess, we are here to serve you.' She sadly thought, as she turned and walked in the direction of a nearby cafe where she knew Haruka and Michiru would be.
(The Following Morning)
Placing some dirty dishes into the dishwasher from breakfast, Usagi glanced over to see Kikyo was sitting on the floor looking out the balcony door. Turning her head when hearing a knock on the door, she glanced back towards Kikyo to see she'd abandoned her spot retreating to the living room where the news was currently on, the radio still playing softly in the background. Quickly placing the last of the silverware in, she closed the door to the dishwasher, smiling as she quickly hurried to answer the door. Opening the door, she saw Yumiko smile up at her. "Thank you so much for this Yumiko-chan, you don't know how much I appreciate you doing this for me."
"You're welcome, Usagi-chan." Yumiko chuckled, running a hand through his blonde tresses, pushing the stubborn hair back from his face. "I told you I would watch her anytime you needed me to." He said as he walked into the small apartment. "Where's the little munchkin? I'm hoping she will warm up to me a little better this time." He asked, turning his head when he noticed music playing in the living room. "What band is this? I don't recognize the group." Watching her look at him in surprise, he smiled when her cheeks turned a soft pink from her blush before she spoke.
"You don't know who they are?" Usagi asked in surprise, feeling her cheeks grow warm at the thought of the lead singer.
"Obviously not, they must not be very popular." Yumiko chuckled, watching the blonde scoff at his comment, her hand resting on her hip before she immediately turned and walked in the direction of the living room.
Worried he had hurt her feelings, Yumiko quickly went in pursuit of the blonde to apologize only to watch her lift a CD case that was lying beside the small stereo.
"This is the Three Lights, they were successful and well-known idols, three years ago." Usagi explained, smiling as she walked into the living room quickly lifting the empty CD case from the top of the stereo. "This is the Kou brothers, this is Taiki-chan, Yaten-chan, and Seiya-chan." She said tears shining in her eyes for a moment when looking at the picture of Seiya posed on the cover, a red rose in his hand. "They were what everyone was talking about during their short time here in Tokyo."
"You act as you knew them personally." Yumiko teased, then looked in surprise seeing Usagi tearfully nod before looking up at him.
"I did, they're friends of mine. I didn't want to see them leave, but they had to return home." Usagi explained, a sad smile spreading across her lips as a stray tear streaked her cheek. "They should be returning soon for a visit, I hope they can stay longer this time."
"Your cousin seems to enjoy their songs, just as much as you do." Yumiko teased, motioning to Kikyo who was sitting on the floor looking up at the stereo with a smile as she listened to the music playing.
"Yes, Kikyo-chan enjoys listening to their songs." Usagi agreed, turning and smiling at the small toddler. "The sound of their voices seems to soothe her." She observed, blushing when hearing Yumiko chuckle at her words. Noticing him nervously running his hand through his hair, she watched him shuffle a moment before turning his nervous gaze towards her before speaking.
"I'm going to be going to the field tomorrow afternoon, after class. I'm going to work on some drills, did you want to practice with me?" Yumiko nervously asked, trying to contain his frown and disappointment when he noticed her immediate hesitation to the question. "If you're busy, it's alright. I can see if someone else from the team wants to practice with me. I just want to keep my skills strong so I don't lose my position as team Captain." He explained, then decided to try a different approach hoping to convince her. "Please, I prefer your company and you can bring Kikyo-chan." He said motioning to the small child. "I'm sure she would enjoy running around the field."
"Are you sure?" Usagi hesitantly asked, wanting to practice but unsure how much practice they would actually get with the energetic toddler tagging along.
"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't sure." Yumiko teased, smiling more as the blonde blushed and smiled at his comment. "So, you'll meet me there?" He asked, a big grin spreading across his lips as she nodded to his request.
"Yes, I'll meet you there Yumiko-chan." Usagi responded, looking forward to spending some time alone and not being escorted or watched by her Guardians. "I could probably use the practice as well."
"Great." Yumiko happily responded, turning his head when the child called out to him as she finally took notice of him.
"Yumi-chan." Kikyo happily stated, smiling a bright smile. "Sei-chan." She announced, pointing towards the radio to show the young man that one of her Guardians could be heard on the device.
"Hi there, munchkin." Yumiko greeted, walking forward and tousling the top of her head as he walked to where she was sitting. "Let's turn off this music so we can watch some television." He suggested, glancing towards the blonde as he continued to speak. "Usagi-chan needs to work on some homework, so Yumi-chan can have his turn with the book next." He explained to the toddler as he paused the music.
Watching the child stand, he chuckled as she clutched a small white bunny close to her as she looked at Usagi then back towards him. "Did you get a new friend?" He asked, watching the little girl shyly nod as she snuggled the bunny closer against her.
"Yes, we passed the toy store and we just had to go in." Usagi said, smiling at the memory of the little Princess finding the small white bunny.
"She has you wrapped around her little finger." Yumiko teased, with a playful wink watching the blonde smile and chuckle at his comment.
"Perhaps." Usagi responded with a playful shrug.
"You want to sit on the couch with me, Kikyo-chan?" Yumiko asked as he offered his hand to the little girl. Watching her look at him with a brief moment of uncertainty, he smiled as a bright smile spread across her lips as she happily accepted his hand. "I can stay as long as you need me to, Usagi-chan." He offered, turning his attention towards the blonde as he and Kikyo made their way to sit on the couch.
"I shouldn't be too long, Yumiko-chan. I able to start some of it last night, so I'm almost done with the rough draft." Usagi stated as she smiled her thanks. "I owe you, you don't know how much I appreciate you being here." She said, knowing she'd purposely avoided calling Rei, not wanting to continue to bother her friend with watching Kikyo. 'She's here enough because of my classes.' She thought with a guilty frown. Sitting at the table, she glanced down at all the scattered papers on the table while looking down at the research paper with a scowl.
"I still owe you from all the notes you've graciously let me copy." Yumiko said as he looked over his shoulder from where he sat on the couch. Chuckling, when he watched her jump at the sound of his voice, he smiled at how her jumpiness reminded him of a small rabbit. "I don't know how many times you've saved my butt from failing a test or assignment."
"Well then, how about we just call this even?" Usagi asked, smiling as a chuckle sounded from the couch.
"Yes, we're even now." Yumiko responded with an amused smile as he began flipping through the channels, soon stopping when he found an animated movie. "How's this munchkin?" He asked, watching Kikyo smile up at him.
"This." Kikyo happily chirped with an eager nod of her head.
Resting the remote beside him, Yumiko smiled as he leaned back into the soft couch as he draped an arm across the back of the couch. "I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Fall Break. I'm so glad tomorrow is our last day of class, then it's going to be two gloriously long weeks away from homework and exams." Glancing back when he didn't get a response, he chuckled, noticing the blonde was wearing headphones listening to music as she worked on her paper.
Turning his attention back towards the television, he glanced down at the little girl and smiled as her curious gaze met his gaze for a moment. "Looks like it's just us now, munchkin." He said, chuckling when the child turned her full attention back onto the television. "Alright, it's just me then." He muttered, removing his phone to find a game to occupy his time while Kikyo watched her movie. Sneaking a glance back towards the blonde, he felt his smile widen as he watched her chew on the tip of her pencil as she scanned the pages of one of the library books. 'Damn she's so beautiful. I wish I knew what I could do to win her affection?' He thought, wishing he could figure out a way to get the blonde to notice him as more than friends.
(Two Hours Later)
Noticing Kikyo had fallen asleep against him sometime during the movie, Yumiko chuckled when feeling her snuggle closer against him. Gently picking her up, careful to not wake her, he carried the sleeping toddler down the hall towards Usagi's bedroom.
Setting the child in the center of the bed, Yumiko quietly pulled the door shut leaving a small crack where the child could still exit the room. Walking out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, he noticed Usagi placing her things back into her school bag as he entered the kitchen. "She fell asleep, I put her on your bed."
"Thank you, Yumiko-chan." Usagi said, smiling her thanks while zipping her bag. "Are you wanting to start practicing drills after our final class?"
"Yes, if that is alright with you?" Yumiko asked, walking towards the table and standing near the blonde. "Is your friend going to watch Kikyo-chan again while you're in class, was it Rei-san?"
"Yes, Rei-chan will be stopping by in the morning." Usagi confirmed, reaching across the table to gather her spiral. Feeling her cheeks grow warm as Yumiko gently took her hand into his, she raised her surprised gaze, meeting his nervous gaze in return. "Yumiko-chan." She softly stated, feeling their gazes lock.
"Why do you have to be engaged?" Yumiko glumly asked, brushing his thumb against the engagement ring on her slender finger. Looking up to see she was blushing more under the intimate touch, he glanced down at the small ring with contempt wishing he could meet this mystery man and tell him how much a damn fool he was for abandoning the golden-haired goddess before him, to selfishly pursue his own interests. "If you weren't engaged, I would have already asked you out." He boldly stated, frowning as she gently slipped her hand from his gentle hold.
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't." Usagi muttered, lifting the spiral and placing it into her bag once more. Zipping the bag, she tossed it onto the floor near the balcony door. Keeping her back to her friend, she blinked her tears back not wanting him to see her cry. 'Pull it together.' Her mind chastised her. 'Don't cry in front of him.'
"Why not? Does he mistreat you?" Yumiko worriedly asked, stepping forward to stand beside his friend. Noticing tears shining in her eyes, he watched her balk at the question, before turning her tear-filled gaze up, meeting his worried gaze.
"No, he's never mistreated me." Usagi softly responded, forcing herself to tear herself from his alluring gaze. Nervously laughing at how close they were standing, she blushed more her eyes widening in shock at the realization of her initial statement. "I don't know why I just told you that." She gasped blushing more with her embarrassment. "I shouldn't say such harsh things, you must think I'm a terrible person making such comments about my fiance? I-"
"Do you still want to marry him?" Yumiko curiously interrupted his friend. Watching her reel back at the question, he could see a myriad of emotions in her gaze as she struggled to give him a response. Sitting at the table, he pulled the chair out next to his, gently patting the seat. "Sit down, my friend. It looks like you are in a dire need to get some things off your chest. You shouldn't keep these things to yourself Usagi-chan, this is your future. If you're having mixed emotions like this, then you really need to decide if this is truly what you want. Marriage is a serious commitment, something you can't go into with doubts."
"I know this, Yumiko-chan." Usagi retorted, her voice almost a whisper as a stray tear streaked her cheek. "I feel so torn about all this, I don't understand why I feel like this. I have always devoted my heart to him, and now I feel like-"
"I've never met him or seen him around, Usagi-chan. Why is that? Where is he going to school?" Yumiko interrupted, seeing how the blonde was struggling with her words. Patiently waiting for her to respond, he felt his heart break seeing how torn she looked at that moment struggling with her inner demons. Watching her wipe some tears from her cheeks, her soft sniffles breaking the silence as she tried to compose herself enough to speak.
"He- he's attending a very prestigious University in America, he's in his third year of medical school." Usagi responded, her voice wavering and breaking more at the distance that had been forced between them as she silently struggled with their long-distance relationship.
"He left for America?!" Yumiko asked in shock, looking at his friend in disbelief. "How often does he visit you?" He demanded, pissed at how the fiance was taking advantage of his kindhearted friend.
"I haven't seen him in almost a year." Usagi painfully admitted, tearfully exhaling as the tears refused to stop. "The first year he left, he would come home to visit on his breaks, then he had to stop when he started his internship at the hospital. We would talk for hours on the phone." She said sadly smiling at the distant memory, her smile falling to a frown as she continued to speak. "Over time, the conversations became shorter until- they were- we-" She said, struggling to find the right way to explain it to her friend.
"They felt like forced conversations?" Yumiko supplied, watching Usagi tearfully nod her head refusing to look at him. "You've become one of my closest friends, Usagi-chan. I hate seeing you like this, I can see you're not happy with this guy. Perhaps it's time to part separate ways with him. Put the relationship on hold." He said holding his hand up to silence her as she was about to protest. "I'm just suggesting putting the relationship on hold until he's done with school. You two can pick up where you left off when he returns if that's what you two decide is best when the time comes."
"I-I can't do that." Usagi bemoaned burying her face into her hands, caving into her emotions, and bitterly crying once more. "I- I won't ever be allowed to have that option." She whimpered through her tears, knowing the Outer Guardians would be furious if they knew she was speaking with Yumiko about her relationship with Mamoru.
"Why not?" Yumiko demanded utterly dumbfounded, not understanding why the blonde felt forced to stay in the failing relationship.
"It's complicated!" Usagi cried out, abruptly standing as she looked at her friend in frustration wishing she could tell him her relationship with Mamoru expanded to another lifetime. "I'm sorry, Yumiko-chan. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm just- I"
"Usagi-chan." Yumiko softly stated, standing and looking at his friend with deep empathy. Taking a nervous breath, he reached out with a shaky hand, gently taking her small hand into his and stopping her before she could leave the room. Watching her tearfully look up at him, he could see the inner turmoil she was struggling with. "You have so many more choices than you think my friend." He urged, while gently brushing his thumb against the back of her hand. "I-" Hearing an abrupt sharp knock on the door, he watched Usagi swiftly wipe the tears from her cheeks. "Are you expecting someone?"
"No." Usagi said, as she quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks, drawing in a deep shaky breath to try and gain her composure once more. Walking to the door, she drew in another deep breath trying to calm her emotions. Opening the door, she looked in surprise seeing Hotaru patiently waiting to greet her. "Hotaru-chan, what are you-"
"We need to speak Usagi-chan." Hotaru abruptly interrupted her Princess as she silently entered the apartment. Watching her friend shut the door, she glanced over when hearing movement in the kitchen raising her brow in curiosity and concern when seeing a blonde-haired man standing near the balcony door. "Usagi-chan, who is this?" She abruptly demanded, watching her Princess smile as she glanced over at the blonde.
"He's one of my classmates and teammates, Hotaru-chan." Usagi explained, frowning when she noticed the way Hotaru warily looked at Yumiko. "We were studying for an exam before our break starts." She lied, watching her guardian nod her head.
Noticing the tension between Usagi and her friend, Yumiko smiled while reaching into his pocket removing his keys. "I should be heading back home, I'll see you tomorrow in class, Usagi-chan." He said, smiling at his friend as he passed her, making his way to the door. "We'll talk some more tomorrow." He said, watching his friend smile back and nod her head with understanding.
"Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow, Yumiko-chan." Usagi said, watching her friend quietly leave the apartment. Turning her attention back to Hotaru as the door shut, Usagi noticed the teen had walked to the balcony door looking out the large glass door, a troubled look on her face. "What is it Hotaru-chan?" She worriedly asked.
"Michiru-chan has sensed a presence entering our Solar System through her talisman." Hotaru responded, glancing over at her Princess. "She is having trouble distinguishing if it's a friend or foe. We need you to keep the child concealed until we know for sure if this is a threat or one of the Starlights." She urged, watching Usagi nod her head.
"I'm practicing with Yumiko-chan tomorrow after class. I'll see if Rei-chan can watch Kikyo-chan a little longer." Usagi said, watching Hotaru immediately shake her head.
"No, we don't know if you're in danger as well, since you're harboring the Kinmoku Princess." Hotaru immediately insisted while giving her friend a stern look. "We need you to stay in hiding as well until we-"
"I'm not hiding Hotaru-chan." Usagi angrily interrupted as she looked at the teen with disbelief. "I'm not letting the enemy control my life, I'm going to practice with Yumiko-chan tomorrow. I'll have my brooch and communicator with me, just as I was told to do."
"Are you sure that is what you want to do?" Hotaru asked, giving her Princess a smirk before she continued to speak. "I'll pass the message along to Haruka-chan, I'm sure she'll-"
"Tell her, I don't care." Usagi retorted in a harsh tone, noticing the teen abruptly look at her in shock from her comment. "I'm not putting my life on hold any longer, Hotaru-chan. When I become Queen, I know I'm going to lose a lot of my freedoms." She said as tears shone in her eyes. "I'm not a Queen yet, I'm going to enjoy what time I have left as Tsukino Usagi." She said as she walked back to her door and silently opened it. "Please leave." She calmly requested, trying to keep her tears back as her youngest Guardian looked at her in shock. "Please Hotaru-chan."
"Fine." Hotaru sharply responded, trying to hide her hurt as she silently walked towards the door her head held high as she tried to leave with her dignity still in place. "Just be careful, you know we won't be too far away if you need us." She urged, watching Usagi silently nod her head looking at her with irritation.
"I know, I figured someone will always be nearby." Usagi retorted, abruptly shutting the door as soon as Hotaru stepped out of the apartment. Feeling tears streak her cheeks, she shakily sighed as she leaned against the door, her fist clenched against the door, while the other still had a firm grip on the handle. Lowering her head, she released a deep shaky exhale, grateful it had been Hotaru and not Haruka, knowing the sandy-haired Guardian would not have left so easily.
Feeling the adrenaline rush from the moment still overloading her senses, Usagi proudly smiled to herself for standing up for herself. 'I can't believe I just did that.' She thought with pride, feeling as if a tremendous weight had been lifted from her. 'That felt really good, I should do that more often.' She giddily thought, feeling a bit of her confidence return as she went to prepare supper for her and Kikyo.
(The Following Afternoon)
Watching from the shadows of the bleachers, a figure smiled as she watched the blonde swinging a bat successfully striking each baseball thrown at her. Touching her communicator she smiled before she spoke. "I found the one harboring the Princess." She informed the other figure on the small screen as she gently laughed at the other figures' disbelief in her quick discovery. "Yes I'm sure, it's her." She snapped, glaring at the one on the small screen of her communicator. "I can smell the wretched scent of the Kinmoku Princess from this terran." She spat, before turning her attention to her orders. "Yes, I will follow her to confirm. Don't worry, I'll disguise myself, she won't suspect a thing." She wickedly stated, a smug smile curving at the corner of her lips.
Watching the small screen grow dark, she watched the device vanish from her hands before she glanced around the surrounding area trying to figure out the planet's fashion so she could blend into her surroundings. Smiling with glee when she noticed another terran walking past the bleachers, she focused on the terrans clothing, soon closing her eyes as energy briefly encompassed her, her armor melding to the same clothing she had seen the terran wearing. 'There, now I will blend in.' She thought with an evil glint in her eyes as she made her way out from the shadows of the bleachers.
Looking down at the clothing in disgust, the figure rested her hand against the railing as she walked up the metal steps before sitting and watching the activity between the two terrans on the field with curiosity. 'What is the point of this activity?' She curiously thought, watching her target lower her weapon as the machine that was throwing projectiles grew to a silent stop. Watching the two terrans remove different pieces of their gear, she watched them each lift a bucket, before separating in different directions in pursuit of gathering the small round projectiles across the field.
Walking around the field looking for stray baseballs, Usagi smiled with glee when finding another hidden by some tall grass. "How many do you have now, Yumiko-chan?" She called out, glancing over her shoulder to see her friend glancing down into his bucket.
"I have twelve, how about you Usagi-chan?" Yumiko called back, smiling in amusement at the small competition that had grown between the two. Noticing her look of surprise, he smugly smiled as he chuckled suspecting he was winning in the search. "How many do you have?"
"I only have eight." Usagi called back, immediately pouting more when hearing him chuckle at her response.
"Keep looking, Usagi-chan, I'm not seeing very many more on this side of the field." Yumiko responded while kneeling to pick up another ball. "We only have fifteen left to find."
"Only." Usagi said, smiling as he chuckled once more. "I have four over here!" She called out as she gathered the baseballs. Noticing Yumiko walking towards her, she watched him kneel beside her collecting one of the baseballs.
"Do you know her?" Yumiko curiously asked, motioning with a nod of his head, towards a woman who had been sitting in the bleachers during the majority of their practice.
Carefully glancing back, Usagi shook her head as she stood dropping the three baseballs into the bucket. "No, perhaps you have a secret admirer." She teased, laughing as Yumiko turned a shade of red before a lopsided grin spread across his lips.
"You know you're the only one for me." Yumiko teased back laughing when his friend suddenly blushed a bright red in response to his tease. "You're too easy to embarrass, my friend." He chuckled, laughing more when Usagi glared at him.
"I am not." Usagi muttered, turning her nose into the air as she walked in the opposite direction from him, going in pursuit of the remaining baseballs and to escape anymore teasing.
"Yes you are, you just don't want to admit it." Yumiko called out in good humor, laughing when she abruptly stopped and stuck her tongue out at him before turning on her heel and continuing forwards once more. "That was mature!" He dryly remarked, before sticking his tongue back out at her when she turned to retort back at his comment.
"Then why are you doing it?" Usagi called out laughing at his exchange of banter. Spotting a handful of the missing baseballs, she curiously glanced back to take a sneak peek of the mysterious woman at the bleachers only to see she had already left. 'Perhaps she was waiting for her ride.' She thought dismissing the sudden disappearance. "Looks like your admirer left." She called out across the field, laughing when she heard her friend groan out in response to her jab.
(Two Hours Later)
Glancing over to make sure Yumiko was still distracted at the small storage building where he was returning the pitching machine, Usagi smiled with amusement watching Kikyo grab onto Rei's wrist the screen of the communicator briefly showing the view of the ceiling of her apartment before curious eyes lit up at the sight of her, as Kikyo pulled the communicator towards her excited face once more.
"My Usa!" Kikyo's excited squeal sounded from the communicator.
"Kikyo-chan, let me talk to Rei-chan." Usagi giggled with amusement, smiling at the child's antics. "I'll be home soon sweetie, I promise." She said, smiling as she could hear Rei trying to bribe Kikyo with the stuffed bunny to get her wrist free from the child's tight grip on her wrist.
Smiling more as she watched Kikyo's thumb obstruct the screen for a brief moment, she shook her head with amusement.
"Kikyo-chan, look your bunny needs a hug." Rei's voice continued to encourage.
"No! My Usa!" Kikyo stubbornly responded, refusing to let go of the raven-haired woman's arm. "Mine!"
Trying to stifle her laughter as she could hear Rei's frustration in the background from her failed attempts to free her wrist, Usagi glanced up and felt her stomach nervously lurch seeing Yumiko had finished returning the items they had borrowed. "I need to go, Rei-chan, I'll see you two later." She quickly stated, glancing over to see her friend was already walking in her direction. Ending the transmission, she discreetly tucked the communicator back into the pocket of her uniform. 'That was close.' She thought, cringing at the thought of her friend catching her speaking on her communicator.
"You ready?" Yumiko asked, smiling as the blonde nodded while lifting both of their bags from the ground.
"This was fun, thank you for today. I've needed this, I have been so stressed lately." Usagi stated, with a sincere smile.
"I'm glad I could help alleviate some of the stress." Yumiko responded smiling in return. "I was starting to worry about you."
"It helped some, so thank you again" Usagi stated, grateful her friend had asked her to accompany him. 'I feel much lighter now, like I don't have as much weight on my shoulders anymore.' She thought with relief.
Glancing up at the late afternoon sky to admire the many colors that painted the sky, he looked over at his friend, seeing she was looking down at the ground, already lost in her thoughts as she walked alongside him. "Do you want to do this again tomorrow? Looks like you may still have a lot on your mind."
"Yes, do you want to go to the batting cages tomorrow, instead?" Usagi suggested, then blushed at her sudden eagerness to accept his invitation. "I figured it would be easier, so you won't have the hassle of setting up the pitching machine?" She explained, feeling her cheeks growing warmer under her embarrassment as she fumbled out an excuse.
"We can." Yumiko excitedly responded, smiling at the idea of not having to handle the heavy and bulky pitching equipment. "Will Rei-chan watch Kikyo-chan for you again tomorrow?" He worriedly asked, hoping to spend more time with his friend.
"I'm going to see if Rei-chan will want to go with us." Usagi responded with an excited smile, smiling more when Yumiko smiled at the suggestion.
"We'll take Kikyo-chan for some ice cream afterward, she'll enjoy that." Yumiko offered, watching his friend light up more at the suggestion.
"Yes! She'll love it, she's going to have so much fun tomorrow." Usagi excitedly stated, having learned the hard way to limit the small toddler's sugar intake after Kikyo had discovered and eaten an entire package of chocolate candies early one morning while Usagi had still been sleeping. She had never seen the child with so much energy until she discovered the empty package under the table later that morning. 'I'll make sure to get her vanilla ice cream.' She thought, with an amused smile not wanting to risk a repeat with Kikyo consuming chocolate.
Continuing down the path in comfortable silence, Yumino frowned when noticing they were nearing their vehicles. Reaching into his pocket to remove his keys, he noticed Usagi was removing hers from her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, around ten?"
"Sounds good, do you want to meet there or-" Usagi asked, her friend abruptly speaking.
"I'll pick you and Kikyo-chan up in the morning." Yumiko interrupted, then blushed at his abruptness. "That is if it's alright with you?" He asked, watching Usagi smile and nod in confirmation to the arrangement. "I'll see you in the morning, Usagi-chan." He said, quickly kissing her cheek before making his way to his car. "Later, Usagi-chan." He called back, smiling as he glanced back one last time to sneak a peek at her blushing face.
(The Following Morning)
Slipping his batting gloves on, Yumiko smirked as he could feel Rei watching him yet again. Glancing up, he met her intense gaze, seeing distrust and uncertainty. 'She looks at me like the other girl did.' He thought as he remembered seeing the same intense gaze from Usagi's younger friend. "Do you want to try Rei-san?" Yumiko asked, watching the dark-haired Priestess look towards the offered bat with a raised brow.
Smiling when he watched her warily look at the bat, he felt his smile broaden more with his amusement at the scowl she made towards the offer. 'She's not in the least bit interested, not like Usagi-chan.' He thought, snapping from his thoughts as she broke the silence between them.
"No thanks, Yumiko-san, I'll just stand here where it's safe and watch with Kikyo-chan." Rei replied with a nervous laugh as she waved off his offer. Watching him smile and chuckle at her comment, she blushed as he flashed her one of his charming smiles Usagi had told her about. 'Why does he have to be so damn cute.' She thought with frustration, his devilish looks easily distracting her from the uneasy feeling he gave her. 'There's something about his energy, why hasn't Usagi-chan felt this?' She worriedly thought, snapping from his thoughts as Yumiko spoke.
"If you insist, Rei-san." Yumiko chuckled, turning his attention away from Rei and looking over towards Usagi. Seeing she was leaning against the gate to her batting cage, he noticed a smug small smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she silently watched his and Rei's interaction. "Are you ready to lose?" He teased, watching Usagi lift her bat.
"You're the one who's going down." Usagi retorted back, as she lifted her bat and smugly entered the batting cage.
Watching Usagi and Yumiko enter into their separate batting cage, Rei waited with anticipation curious to see how well her friend would fare against the university team captain. 'Has she been in one of these before? Does she know how dangerous these can be?' She worriedly thought, before voicing her concerns to her friend once again. "Are you sure you want to do this, Usagi-chan?" She worriedly asked. "Aren't these batting cages dangerous?"
"Only if you can't hit a ball." Yumiko retorted chuckling at Rei's comment. Hearing Usagi chuckle at his comment, he stole a quick glance at the blonde, smiling as she glanced back to reassure her friend.
"We were batting with the pitching machine last night on the field, Rei-chan." Usagi explained with a smile as she motioned to the machine in the cage. "There isn't much difference between the two, Rei-chan, these cages are just a bit more aggressive at times." She said, lifting her bat that was propped against the fence.
Noticing Kikyo watching with curiosity from Rei's arms, she winked at the little girl before turning and pressing the start button for her machine. "You'll see, it's not as scary as it looks." She said, taking her stance as a series of lights flashed, notifying her session was about to begin. Readying her bat, she drew in a deep breath before softly exhaling so she could clear her mind and focus on the task at hand. Watching as the first baseballs hurled at her, she smirked as she swung the bat with all her might resulting in a loud 'CRACK' as the bat and ball collided into one another.
Watching in surprise at how skilled her friend was, Rei felt Kikyo jump from the sound of each crack that sounded with each strike. Turning her attention to Yumiko who had not yet missed, she glanced down as Kikyo whimpered, growing more uncomfortable with the noise. "It's alright, Kikyo-chan, it's just-" She tried to soothe, then gasped, her body immediately tensing and growing rigid when feeling a sudden ominous presence. "Usagi-chan!" She called out to her friend, frowning when her friend couldn't hear her due to the noises of the pitching machines inside the batting cage. Nervously scanning the area, she wondered how she was going to transform and watch over Kikyo. 'She's too small, she wouldn't understand to stay hidden.' She worriedly thought, then abruptly turned her attention forward as she heard her friend speak.
Sensing the same ominous presence she'd felt from the park, Usagi nervously glanced up at the digital timer with relief to see her countdown was almost over. 'Something's wrong, the enemy is here.' She worriedly thought, growing frustrated at the thought that she was trapped in the cage until her session was complete. Continuing to swing her bat, she knew she had to let her friend know she sensed the ominous presence. "Rei-chan, why don't you take Kikyo-chan to get something to eat." She suggested hoping her friend would understand her meaning. "I will catch up after I'm finished, I'm sure she's getting hungry." She urged, quickly glancing back to confirm Rei heard her. Turning her attention forward, she cursed as she ducked down in time as a ball hurled past her. "Damn." She cursed, swinging her bat in time to strike the next oncoming ball. Feeling her frustration growing with each strike, she sighed in relief as the machine hurled the last ball, a series of lights soon flashing signaling the end of her session. Removing her helmet, she dropped it to the ground along with her bat before swiftly departing the batting cage. 'I need to find Kikyo-chan.' She thought with urgency, ignoring Yumiko's worried shouts to her as she desperately ran in the direction of the food court.
"Usagi-chan, where are you going?" Yumiko called out, confused at his friend's sudden departure from the batting cage. Frowning when she didn't respond to him, he sighed in frustration knowing he was forced to stay in the batting cage until the session was over. 'What is she doing? Why is she leaving her things?' He worriedly thought, unable to tear his gaze from the continuous baseballs launched at him.
Looking through the busy crowds of the activity complex for any sign of Rei and Kikyo, Usagi frowned, her stomach nervously knotting with her increasing worry. 'What if something happened?' She worriedly thought. Glancing through the crowds in the mini-golf and go-kart areas, she hurried her steps as she continued towards the food court. Reaching into her pocket to retrieve her communicator, she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand, as an overwhelming rush of dark energy alerted her senses of approaching danger.
Abruptly stopping her steps, Usagi nervously darted her gaze trying to figure out the location of the enemy. 'I can't go to the food court now, they'll find Kikyo-chan.' She worriedly thought, her stomach tightening more with her worry and apprehension. Sensing the presence too late, she whirled around as the source of the dark ominous power appeared behind her. 'No!' She thought with panic, her eyes widening in fear seeing a woman wearing the same style of armor as the man in the park. Before she could press the panic button on her communicator, she watched the woman extend her hand out releasing a powerful blast of energy to slam into her.
Screaming out in both shock and pain from the unexpected attack, Usagi tightly shut her eyes as she was sent hurtling in the direction of the mini-golf area from the sheer force of the powerful blast. Feeling an explosion of pain in her back as she struck one of the fixtures, she crashed onto the rough turf in a limp heap, her head spinning and body throbbing with pain from the violent impact. Feeling her vision growing dark, she fought the urge to give in to the welcoming darkness as the terrified screams of people and frantic footsteps sounded around her. 'Get up! Kikyo-chan needs you!' Her mind frantically urged with panic.
Pushing past the pain, Usagi felt a groan of pain escape her lips as she forced herself up with shaky arms onto her knees. Looking around her surroundings in a slight daze, she felt another groan escape her lips as her shoulder began to throb from the exertion used against it.
"Where is she?" A feminine voice sneered.
Looking in the direction of the voice, Usagi watched the same woman who attacked her appear a short distance from her.
"Don't play stupid, I can smell the wretched little brat's scent on you." The woman warned with a cold voice, her eyes narrowing with warning. "That entire planet reeks of those wretched olive blossoms."
Trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her shoulder, Usagi screamed as a nearby fixture was destroyed by a sudden blast of energy. Clutching onto her throbbing shoulder, she defiantly glared up at the Warrior as she shakily stood. "You're not getting her." She angrily responded through gritted teeth.
"So you do have her." The Warrior jeered, laughing at the terran's confession to harboring the Kinmoku Princess. "You reek of that wretched scent, there was no use denying it." She sneered, glaring at the blonde. "Tell me where she is, where is the little wretch?" She angrily demanded.
"You're going to have to make me." Usagi sneered, lifting a chunk of concrete that had been uprooted from the blast, hurling it towards the woman. Hearing her shriek out in surprise from the unexpected attack, Usagi used the opportunity to flee and find somewhere to transform.
"Damn you! You insolent wretch!" The Warrior angrily screeched, rage shining in her eyes when the terran was lost amongst the crowd of people running and fleeing for safety. 'No matter, I will find you easily, you reek of that wretched Kinmoku brat.' She thought, wickedly smiling.
Running into the cave of the mini golfs exit, Usagi took a moment to quickly glance around to confirm she was alone before raising her brooch. "Moon Eternal, Make-Up!" She shouted, closing her eyes as the warmth of the ginzuishou's power surrounded her as she transformed into Eternal Sailor Moon.
Cautiously glancing through one of the windows of the cave, Eternal Sailor Moon noticed the warrior nearing the cave. Summoning her tier, she waited until the warrior walked past the cave before she shouted her attack. "Silver Moon Crystal Power Kiss!"
Narrowly avoiding the attack as she teleported out of the way of the sudden attack, the warrior angrily glared down at the Sailor Guardian emerging from the cave. "Damn you!" She screeched in her rage. "You'll pay for interfering with my search, Guardian!"
Summoning her attack, the woman dropped a multitude of energy orbs down onto the unsuspecting Guardian. Laughing as the Sailor Guardian attempted to leap out of the chaotic paths of the orbs, her eyes wickedly gleamed with amusement as the Sailor Guardian was roughly thrown back by one of the orbs blasts as it crashed down near her. "Serves you right, you nosy little wretch." She sneered, teleporting closer to the Guardian.
Extending her arm out towards the Sailor Guardian, she laughed in glee as she released an invisible force of energy, her attack successfully slamming into the Guardian as she attempted to stand. Laughing more at the Guardian's pain-filled scream, she watched in delight as the Guardian was violently thrown back once again.
Screaming out in pain as she was flung back by the surprise attack, Eternal Sailor Moon collapsed onto the ground once more her body shuddering under the intense pain from all the hits she'd taken from the enemy. 'You can do this!' She thought with determination, her head throbbing as she forced herself to endure the pain, forcing herself back to her feet.
Feeling her legs shake under her weight, barely supporting herself to get off the ground, Eternal Sailor Moon closed her eyes from a sudden wave of dizziness, her stomach nauseatingly lurching from the pain. Wavering slightly, she extended her arm out, her tier appearing in her hand. Pointing her weapon at the Warrior, she coldly glared up at the woman who was trying to harm Kikyo, using her anger and disgust to fuel her as she spoke in a harsh tone. "Leave this planet now! If I see you here again I won't' hesitate to end your life." She spat, wavering once more as she fought back a sudden wave of dizziness.
"Your empty threats mean nothing to me!" The Warrior scoffed, mockingly laughing in amusement before she continued to speak. "You're weak, you will never be a threat to me! You foolish twit, I have fought much fiercer Guardians than you!"
Smiling when she sensed her friends were nearby, Eternal Sailor Moon smiled at the woman's insult before smugly smiling up at her. "You're right, I may not be a threat, but you haven't faced my friends yet."
"What?" The Warrior demanded, abruptly turning at the sound of new voices calling out their attacks from behind her.
"World Shaking!"
"Dead Scream!"
"Deep Submerge!"
'No! How did I not sense their energies?!' The warrior thought with shock, bracing herself as the three blasts hurtled towards her. Bracing herself, she screamed out in pain and in anger as she was encompassed by the three attacks. "Damn you!" She screeched as she was violently thrown back by the attacks. Slamming into a wall of a structure, she sputtered as she dropped into a small water fixture below. "Damn you!" She screeched, her body shuddering in pain as she forced herself to stand, her armor and hair soaked, dripping with water as she stood. Pushing back her soaked locks, she turned her rage-filled eyes towards the blonde Guardian who looked as if she would collapse at any moment. "This isn't over!" She sneered, raising her hand in one last attempt to take out the meddling Guardian.
Watching the Warrior shakily stand from the water she'd fallen into, Eternal Sailor Moon shuddered as their gazes locked as the Warrior angrily lashed out at her before raising her hand to attack once more. Raising her tier in time, Sailor Moon shouted her attack as the Warrior unleashed her attack, both powers hurling towards one another. Feeling the two attacks collide with one another, Eternal Sailor Moon struggled to pour more energy into her attack trying to overpower the overwhelming amount of energy the enemy possessed. 'You can do this! You have to do this for Kikyo!'
Pouring more of her energy into the attack, Eternal Sailor Moon let out a soft exhale of relief as her attack broke through the warrior's attack. Watching her attack hurtling towards the warrior, she soon heard the woman's angry shouts before she vanished.
"This isn't far from over! I will destroy you!" The warrior shrieked in her anger, vanishing before she found herself trapped in another attack.
Frowning when the warrior suddenly vanished, Eternal Sailor Moon cringed watching her attack collide into a nearby fixture instead. 'Oops.' She thought, cringing inwardly as the mini-golf fixture was destroyed by the tiers attack. Lowering her arm, she felt the events of the fight finally catching up with her as her head began to spin, her legs growing shakier by the moment. 'I'm so tired.' She weakly thought. Dropping to her knees, she was too tired to make any attempt to look at the Outer Guardians. Noticing her transformation fade on it's own, she groaned out in pain before giving in and allowing herself to be consumed by darkness.
"Usagi-chan!" Sailor Pluto cried out in alarm as she swiftly rushed to their unconscious friend's side. Kneeling beside the blonde, she carefully turned her friend onto her back to inspect her injuries. Seeing she had minor cuts and bruises, she smiled in relief, glad her friend had not sustained any life-threatening injuries. "Princess." She softly sighed, relieved to see her friend was out of danger.
"Is she alright?" Sailor Uranus demanded, rushing forwards to kneel beside the unconscious blonde. "Damn it, why didn't she call us?"
"She should be fine, I think she's just drained from the energy she used in the fight." Sailor Pluto explained, sighing in relief as she looked down at their sleeping friend.
Resting her hand against Sailor Uranus' shoulder, Sailor Neptune smiled at her partner's worry before she gently spoke. "She just needs to rest, I'll go get Sailor Saturn and see if she will to tend to her inj-"
"Usagi-chan!" Yumiko shouted in alarm, rushing forward when seeing his friend was lying next to one of the Sailor Guardians. "Is- is she alright?" He worriedly asked, watching the three Sailor Guardians look at him in surprise.
"She'll be alright, she just needs to rest." Sailor Neptune responded, eyeing the young man who had suddenly become a part of their Princess' life. "We will take her-"
"No, you're not taking her anywhere. I don't know you, and neither does she. I'll take her, she was here with me and one of her friends." Yumiko boldly interrupted, noticing the teal-haired and sandy-blonde-haired Sailor Guardians immediately tense before protectively stepping in front of his friend. "What are you doing?" He demanded, confused by their sudden reaction.
"Yumiko-chan?" Usagi groaned out at the sound of her friend's voice as she began to stir from the darkness.
"You need to stay still." Sailor Pluto gently urged, then frowned as her Princess chose to ignore her as she shakily raised to sit up.
Shakily sitting up, Usagi kept her eyes tightly shut from a sudden wave of dizziness. Resting her hand against her throbbing head, she opened her eyes as the dizziness passed to look around her surroundings. Noticing Sailor Pluto was knelt down beside her, looking at her with worry, she turned her gaze seeing Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus standing in front of her protectively blocking Yumiko's path from her. Ignoring Sailor Pluto's gentle protests, Usagi shakily stood, wavering a moment before pushing her way through Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. Losing her balance due to the shakiness in her steps, she smiled her thanks as Yumiko caught her in his strong embrace. Blushing at their closeness, she smiled up at him, looking into his concerned gaze. "Thank you, Yumiko-chan."
"Are you alright?" Yumiko worriedly asked, tightly embracing his friend.
"I- I'll be fine, I just need some rest." Usagi tiredly responded, feeling her head throb from the amount of energy she had used in her attack against the enemy. Leaning against his embrace, she blushed slightly at how close she was pressed against him. 'I feel safe in his arms.' She thought, leaning into him for support as he led her away from her friends.
"Come on, let's get you out of here." Yumiko said, feeling his friend leaning against him as they went in search of Rei and Kikyo. "I'll stay at your apartment and watch Kikyo-chan while you rest." He insisted, watching his friend nod before turning her tired gaze toward him as she spoke.
"Thank you, Yumiko-chan." Usagi said, her legs buckling for a moment. Feeling Yumiko tighten his grip around her waist as she wavered, she gasped in surprise as he suddenly lifted her into his arms carrying her bridal style. "Put me down, I can walk." She tiredly laughed.
"No, I don't think you can." Yumiko teased back. "It will be faster if you let me carry you." He said enjoying having the blonde so close against him in his arms. Watching her pout, he smiled as she gave him a nod of approval as he continued forwards in pursuit of Rei and Kikyo. "Let's go find the others."
Watching the young man carry their friend away, Sailor Neptune curiously raised her brow noticing how the young man was looking at their Princess. 'Who is he? What intentions does he have with our Princess?' She suspiciously thought, smiling when noticing Sailor Uranus clenching her fists in anger. "She'll be fine, Rei-chan will be with her. Let's go home, I could use a shower." She purred, into her lover's ear, smiling when Sailor Uranus blushed at the comment.
(Later that Night)
Quietly walking into Usagi's bedroom, Yumiko smiled at how peaceful and angelic his friend looked as she rested. Gently laying Kikyo down into the bed next to his sleeping friend, he watched the toddler snuggle closer against Usagi. Quietly resting a note down on the nightstand, he smiled at his sleeping friend once more before walking towards the door. Quietly pulling the bedroom door shut behind him, he silently walked down the hall towards the living room. Sitting on the couch he looked around the apartment, soon taking notice of a variety of pictures on a bookshelf. Curiously standing, he walked to the bookshelf to look at the assortment of pictures. Smiling when he saw a high school graduation picture, he looked at the group of teenagers and smiled at how happy his friend looked in the picture as she stood in the middle amongst four other girls. Recognizing Rei in the picture, he wondered why he never saw any of her other friends around.
'This must be him.' Yumiko thought with anger, noticing a picture of Usagi leaning in the embrace of a dark-haired man with deep blue eyes. Seeing how happy she looked in the picture, he frowned more at the picture, knowing in the two years he knew Usagi, he had never seen her smile so brilliantly. 'She deserves to be happy.' He thought, glaring at the one who was responsible for hurting his friend and causing her sadness. Tearing his gaze from the picture of the couple, he smiled at the many pictures of her with her friends, others with her family then smiled more noticing a newspaper clipping with a picture of the baseball team.
"That was from the first year I was on the team." Usagi said, watching Yumiko jump at the sound of her voice. "You didn't have to stay this late, Yumiko-chan. You should have woken me, so you could leave."
"I don't mind, Usagi-chan. I didn't have anywhere else to be." Yumiko said chuckling as he turned to look at his friend. 'I would do anything for you.' He thought, then noticed her take notice of Rei's departure.
"When did Rei-chan leave?" Usagi curiously asked, watching Yumiko think for a moment.
"About an hour ago, she was wanting to stay but I told her that there was no point for us to both be here watching Kikyo-chan." Yumiko responded, watching Usagi nod and smile as she stepped closer to him. Feeling his eyes widen in surprise when Usagi placed a gentle kiss against his cheek, he felt his cheeks blush slightly at the small gesture.
"Thank you for everything you do for me." Usagi said, stepping back to see Yumiko blush from the small kiss on his cheek.
"Usagi-chan I- I need to tell you something." Yumiko said, watching her look up at him with curiosity shining brightly in her eyes.
"What is it, Yumiko-chan?" Usagi curiously asked, noticing him hesitate then chuckle before shaking his head.
"Nevermind, it's not important." Yumiko chuckled, before gently resting his hand against her shoulder. "I'm glad you're finally awake, you were starting to worry me." He said, smiling at how she blushed from the small touch on her shoulder. "I should be getting back to my dorm." He stated, reaching into his pocket and removing his keys.
"You can stay in the spare bedroom. It's already so late, Yumiko-chan." Usagi insisted, pointing towards the bedroom. "I don't want you to get into trouble going back to the dorms so late."
"Are you sure?" Yumiko asked, surprised she was inviting him to stay the night. "I don't want to-"
"It's fine, Yumiko-chan." Usagi insisted, smiling at how nervous her friend was acting. "I'm going to stay up for a little longer before I go back to bed." She said, watching him smile and nod his head.
"Goodnight, Usagi-chan." Yumiko stated, leaning in and gently kissing her cheek once more.
"Goodnight, Yumiko-chan." Usagi responded, her cheeks flushed from the soft kiss. Watching him walk towards the spare bedroom, she touched her cheek, a smile spreading across her lips as she felt her cheeks flush once more. 'Why does he make me feel this way?' She thought, knowing she felt so alive when she was with Yumiko. 'I shouldn't be feeling this way, but I can't help it.' She thought, nervously sighing before turning towards the kitchen to go make herself something to eat.
(The Following Morning)
Yawning as he walked down the hall, Yumiko smiled at the tantalizing aroma of food cooking and brewed coffee filled the apartment. Noticing Kikyo sitting on the floor playing with her bunny as the Three Lights quietly played on the small stereo, he rested his hand atop of her head as he greeted her. "Morning munchkin." He greeted, watching her happily smile up at him. Continuing to the kitchen, he smiled seeing his friend was focused on flipping pancakes on the small griddle. "Good morning, Usagi-chan." He greeted, watching her jump at the sound of his voice.
"Morning, Yumiko-chan." Usagi greeted, smiling as she flipped the pancakes. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes, but I don't want to impose." Yumiko responded, watching Usagi smile before laughing at his response.
"You're not imposing, it's just breakfast." Usagi responded, smiling in amusement. "Go ahead and sit down, I'm almost done with these." She said, hearing him chuckle before he walked to the table sitting down. "Kikyo-chan, are you ready to eat sweetie?" She called out, her smile growing when hearing the toddler eagerly running into the room.
"I, eat!" Kikyo excitedly shouted. "Yay!"
"Come here munchkin." Yumiko chuckled, lifting the toddler into his lap. "I'm so glad you like me now." He said, smiling when the small toddler hugged him. "Have you heard from your cousin? Do you know when Kikyo-chan is going home? She must be missing her parents." He asked, not noticing his friend tense at the question.
"No, I haven't heard from her mother yet." Usagi responded, blinking back the tears filling her eyes as she thought of Kikyo's slain mother.
"Are you alright?" Yumiko worriedly asked, noticing the tears shining in his friend's eyes.
"Yes, I'm fine." Usagi said gently laughing, waving away her friend's concern. "I'm just going to miss Kikyo-chan so much when she does return home." She lied, knowing she couldn't tell him the truth.
"Can you not visit her?" Yumiko worriedly asked, watching his friend sadly shake her head at his question.
"No, she lives very far away." Usagi responded while separating the pancakes on three plates. Walking towards the table, she placed a plate in front of Kikyo, she smiled as the toddler lifted the pancake from the plate before eagerly taking a bite of the tasty treat. "It's going to be a long time before I see her again." She said, knowing, in reality, she would probably never see the child again.
"I'm sorry Usagi-chan, at least you're getting to spend time with her now." Yumiko said, smiling his thanks as Usagi sat his plate in front of him. "Hey, that was mine!" He cried out, watching Kikyo take a pancake from his plate and take a bite out of it. "Little thief." He teased, watching the toddler smile up at him before offering him back his pancake. "No thanks, it's all yours now." He chuckled, watching the toddler eagerly take another bite of the stolen pancake.
"I can get you another one." Usagi laughed as she grabbed her friend's plate and retrieved an extra pancake. "Sorry, she does me that way all the time. I should fuss at her, but she's too cute for her own good." She apologized, winking at the child who was sitting in her friend's lap happily munching away on both pancakes.
"It's alright, really." Yumiko insisted with a chuckle, smiling at how much his friend had improved overnight. "You seem to be feeling better."
"I feel much better, I think all the rest helped." Usagi said with a small smile. "Thank you again for staying with Kikyo-chan. I'm sure Rei-chan appreciated the company." She said not noticing her friend's smile falter slightly.
"She's not much of a talker." Yumiko replied instead with a chuckle, remembering the bouts of awkward silence between the two.
"She just hasn't really got to know you yet." Usagi insisted, setting her friend's plate in front of him once more before sitting in the chair across from his. "I spoke with her this morning, she and a few of my other friends are stopping by later this afternoon."
"The other dark-haired friend?" Yumiko curiously asked, remembering the cold look she'd given him when she first took notice of him. "I don't think your friend's like men." She teased, watching her friend smile more at his comment.
"No, they're usually not so tense towards men. I do have one friend though one doesn't like particular men." Usagi responded, thinking of how overprotective Haruka could be. "It may be best if you're not here when they arrive. I'm not sure if I could hold her back."
Feeling his eyes widen at her comment, Yumiko nervously cleared his throat as he focused on his plate taking a few bites of his meal. Glancing back up at his friend, he noticed she was lost in her thoughts as she picked at her food with a slight frown. "Are you sure you're alright?" He worriedly asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, why?" Usagi asked, snapping from her thoughts to look up at her friend.
"Just making sure, you looked rough yesterday when we got you home." Yumiko responded, running his hands through his hair. "It just surprised me to see you up this morning and full of energy after only one night of rest."
"What can I say, I've always been a fast healer." Usagi responded with a nervous laugh, knowing without the healing power of the ginzuishou she would have still been in bed feeling the effects of the fight from the day prior. 'All I have left are the larger bruises on my back and those should be gone in another day.' She thought with relief.
(Later That Afternoon)
"What were you thinking facing her alone, Neko-chan?" Haruka scolded while she paced the room in frustration. "Why didn't you call us?" She demanded. "You're lucky, Rei-chan called us when she did. If we had arrived any later-"
"I know." Usagi snapped, not meaning to interrupt her friend in her frustration. Knowing it was too late to apologize for the interruption, she used the bout of courage and continued to speak in her frustration. "I'm sure you noticed she was determined to take me out. She didn't appreciate me interrupting her search. So she was taking it out on Sailor Moon."
"Search for what, you?" Michiru asked, suddenly confused by her friend's comment. "Was she not there for Kikyo-san?"
"She was after Kikyo-chan, but she knows that I have her, just like the other one did." Usagi responded, thinking for a moment. "She said that she could smell Kikyo's scent on me, but I don't know what she's talking about. The other one had said the same thing before."
"If that's true, then why didn't she go after Rei-chan?" Hotaru asked, growing more confused. "Rei-chan had her at the time of the attack, but she still went after you."
"Perhaps where she's with Usagi-chan more." Rei offered, looking over at Usagi who was sitting beside her on the couch, Kikyo sitting on the opposite side of her friend playing with her bunny.
"Perhaps." Setsuna agreed, going deep in thought from where she stood.
"The sooner this child leaves the planet, the sooner this mess should be over." Haruka muttered, not noticing Usagi's immediate anger at her comment.
"I'm not letting them face this enemy alone." Usagi snapped, abruptly standing. "They've lost Kakyuu-sama, all they have left is Kikyo-chan and she's defenseless. She doesn't know how to protect herself. I won't let them go home until this threat towards Kikyo-chan has been stopped."
"You've already fought one battle for them, you're not endangering yourself again for them!" Haruka angrily shouted, taking a step towards her friend. "We are not going to stand by and-"
"It's not your choice to make!" Usagi angrily shouted back. "I'm not letting anyone hurt her! She's innocent in this! I won't let them-"
"You act as if she's your child!" Haruka angrily interrupted her friend. "You have no ties to this child! Why do you insist on continuously endangering yourself for her?!"
"Why are you so against her?!" Usagi demanded, hands clenched at her sides as tears streaked her cheeks. "Why?!"
"She is not from our realm." Michiru calmly spoke. "She's an outsider, she's brought her fight to us. Just as her mother did, we should not have to clean up their mess again."
"You're wrong." Usagi snapped glaring over at Michiru. "Sailor Galaxia and Chaos would have attacked us regardless. We-"
"Always defending them." Haruka scoffed, shaking her head in her frustration. "There's no getting through to you is there? You are so set in your ways, always trying to find the good in everyone. Not everyone has good intentions."
"Like you?" Usagi blurted without thinking. Feeling the tension immediately rise, she watched Michiru immediately rest her hand against Haruka's shoulder as Setsuna and Hotaru quickly stepped between them, Setsuna in front of Haruka and Hotaru in front of her.
"Enough of this." Setsuna insisted, looking at Haruka then to Usagi. "We came to check on the Princess, she's fine, we should be leaving. I think it's best if-"
"No." Haruka sneered, glaring at their Princess. "Let her finish what she has to say." She challenged her younger friend, smirking when she noticed her Princess had lost her bout of courage as she quickly averted her gaze. "Well?"
"Enough, Haruka-chan." Rei snapped, standing and resting her hand against Usagi's shoulder. "She didn't mean anything by it, right Usagi-chan?"
"Right." Usagi muttered, her gaze downcast as she sighed out in defeat. 'Why do I bother trying to stand up for myself.' She thought, shrugging her friend's hand from her shoulder as she turned and lifted Kikyo into her arms before retreating to the balcony. "I need to clear my mind." She muttered as she walked out of the room.
Worriedly watching Usagi as she stepped out onto the balcony, Rei softly exhaled before turning her irritated gaze towards Haruka. "Why do you always have to push her like that?" She demanded, not able to contain her temper.
"I tell her what she needs to hear." Haruka smugly responded, glancing in the direction of the balcony before walking out of the living room. "Tell her we're leaving, we'll be back in a few days to check in on her." She stated, shoving her hand into her pocket to remove her keys.
"Keep an eye on the Princess for us." Setsuna instructed, watching the miko nod her head as she and the others followed Haruka out of the apartment.
"Bird!" Kikyo squealed as she happily pointed towards a flock of birds flying in the distance.
"Yes, I see them." Usagi said, smiling at the child's excitement. Hearing her balcony door open, she glanced over her shoulder to see Rei quietly step out onto the balcony. "Have they left?"
"Yes." Rei softly stated, leaning against the balcony railing as she looked out at the busy city. "What was that about, Usagi-chan?" She worriedly asked, glancing over at her friend. "You've never lashed out Haruka-chan like that."
"I don't know." Usagi softly responded, sighing out in frustration. "I guess I'm just tired of them treating me like-"
"Usagi-chan, they're only trying to protect you." Rei interrupted with a soft sigh. "We all are, without you we will not have Crystal Tokyo. There will be no future, it's important that you let us in and help you fight, allow us to protect you." She insisted, looking over to her friend to see the conflict clearly in her friend's tear-filled gaze as she blinked her tears back. "What's gotten into you, Usagi-chan? You've been acting so differently the last few months. I noticed it even before Kikyo arrived."
"Can you keep a secret Rei-chan?" Usagi asked as a few stray tears streaked her cheeks.
Nodding her head, Rei wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulder drawing her best friend closer. "You know you can tell me anything." She said, frowning as her friend gave into her emotions as tears freely flowed down her cheeks.
"I don't know if I want the future that's laid out for me." Usagi tearfully admitted, feeling her friend's touch immediately tense at her words. "I- I don't know if I want to be Queen if I-"
"You're just scared, Usagi-chan." Rei interrupted, pulling her friend closer for a hug. "You'll see, once you and Mamoru-chan are married and everything begins to fall into place you'll know everything is going to be alright." She insisted, not seeing the hurt in her friend's gaze or the forced smile.
"You're right." Usagi said, forcing a smile and wiping the tears from her cheeks. "I don't know what I'm saying." She tearfully laughed.
"Don't worry, I know you miss Mamoru-chan." Rei stated, frowning as her friend stepped from her embrace. "As soon as he's done with his studies and he's back home you'll feel silly about all these second thoughts."
"Yeah." Usagi softly agreed as she kept her gaze forwards. 'She's not going to listen, why did I think she would?' She sadly thought, feeling more alone as Rei brushed her off. 'At least I know I can talk to Yumiko-chan about this.' She thought, thinking about how her friend had listened and comforted her during her breakdown over Mamoru. Snapping from her thoughts as Kikyo excitedly pointed up towards the sky with a squeal, Usagi abruptly looked up to see what had gotten the child's attention. Not seeing anything, she gently laughed as she kissed the top of the child's head. "Did you see another bird?" She asked, before turning and quietly walking into the apartment once more.
Watching her friend retreat back into the apartment, Rei softly exhaled as she leaned against the balcony worried about her friend. 'Should I tell Haruka-chan and the others?' She worriedly thought, wondering why Usagi was suddenly questioning her relationship with Mamoru.
(Later that Evening)
Exiting the small cafe that was located a block from her apartment, Usagi smiled as she carried Kikyo in her arms. "Did you enjoy dinner?" She asked, smiling when Kikyo happily nodded her head in response to the question.
"Good, I'm glad." Usagi responded, gently kissing the child's forehead. Standing at the crosswalk, she pressed the small button waiting for the signal to change for them to cross. Shivering from a sharp, cold gust of wind she drew Kikyo closer against her as she patiently waited for the signal to change. "It's gotten colder out since we left home." She said with a frown, wishing she had chosen to drive instead of walking to spare Kikyo the cold wind. Sighing in relief as the signal changed, she quickly crossed the street, wanting to get Kikyo home where it was warm. 'I hope she doesn't get sick, it's so much colder tonight.' She worriedly thought, knowing she would feel terrible if her choice to walk resulted in the little girl becoming sick.
Walking down the sidewalk, Usagi glanced around noticing there was barely anyone out due to the sudden shift in weather. Holding Kikyo closer against her trying to shield her from the cold evening breeze, she felt her guilt grow when feeling Kikyo shiver. "I'm sorry sweetie, I didn't think it was going to be this cold." She apologized, pulling the little hood over Kikyo's head, shielding the toddler from the cold rush of wind. Passing an alley, she heard Kikyo's soft whimper as she began to wriggle in her arms. Stopping and turning to see what had upset the child, Usagi noticed Kikyo had dropped her stuffed bunny, she quickly turned to retrieve the toy. "Don't worry, I'll get it." She assured the toddler, turning and going to where the stuffed toy had dropped on the sidewalk.
Kneeling down to retrieve the toy, Usagi smiled as Kikyo happily squealed out in delight as she took the toy once more. Feeling Kikyo rest her small head against her shoulder once more, Usagi shifted Kikyo into her arms as she raised from where she was kneeling. "Are you ready to go home?" She asked, not noticing the sudden presence behind her until it was too late.
Feeling a gloved hand tightly clamping over her mouth muffling her startled scream, Usagi felt an arm wrap tightly slip around her waist before dragging her back into the dark alley. Struggling against the strong grip of her captor as she was dragged back into the alley, she fought with all her might, her movements abruptly stopping as a familiar voice spoke into her ear.
"Usagi-chan, it's alright." A familiar feminine voice pleaded. "It's just me, calm down."
Feeling the gloved hand uncover her mouth, Usagi felt their arm release from around her waist as she tearfully turned to look into the familiar green eyes of the Sailor Starlight.
"Ten-chan!" Kikyo happily cried out, reaching for her guardian. "Hold!" She demanded, wanting to be held by her Guardian as she wriggled to get out Usagi's arms.
"Princess Kikyo-sama." Sailor Star Healer tearfully stated, eagerly taking the small child into her arms as she happily embraced the toddler. "We've been searching everywhere for you." She tearfully stated, happy tears streaking her cheeks. "We didn't know where your mother sent you, we've been searching everywhere."
"Are the others with you?" Usagi asked, watching Sailor Star Healer tearfully shake her head before she spoke
"No, we've been separated this entire time searching for the Princess. I was the closest to this realm, so I volunteered to search here." Sailor Star Healer explained, wiping the tears from her cheeks before she embraced her friend. "Thank you Usagi-chan, thank you for keeping her safe for us."
"My Usa-chan." Kikyo stated, reaching for the blonde once more as the two women stepped back from their embrace.
"Come here, sweetie." Usagi smiled, taking the child into her arms once more. Looking at her friend, she could see the exhaustion in her friend's face. "You must be exhausted from your search, Sailor Star Healer. Come on, you're going home with me, so you can get some rest." She insisted, watching the Sailor Guardian smile and tearfully nod before she spoke.
"Thank you, Usagi-chan." Sailor Star Healer said closing her eyes, her transformation fading.
Seeing the exhaustion on Yaten's face much clearer when his transformation faded, Usagi frowned seeing the extensive damage to the armor he was wearing. 'He's been through so much.' She sadly thought, silently motioning her friend to follow her. "My apartment isn't much further from here." She said glancing over to see him tiredly nod his head as he quietly followed beside her.
Glancing over at the blonde as they walked in comfortable silence, Yaten noticed how much their friend had changed over the few years since they had last seen her. 'Has something happened?' He worriedly thought, no longer seeing the bubbly teenager he remembered, instead, a more serious and disciplined young woman quietly walked beside him. 'She's changed so much.' He thought with a smile, seeing his friend was much taller, slender, and more developed, possessing the body of a woman instead of an adolescent.
To Be Continued…
Revised: 3/28/2021
Thank you to those who have started following/favoriting/reviewing Choices. This means so much having your support, and knowing you're enjoying the story. I will be revising the next chapter soon, thanks so much again, everyone!
-ShadowQueenGalactica
