"Usagi!!"
A shrill voice sent the young girl bolting up, a ringing immediately filling her ears, adding to the noise. She knew immediately what was going on — she was running late, yet again. An all too-familiar scenario for one Tsukino Usagi.
While the voice calling for her was her mother's, another soon joined from the end of her bed. Luna was sitting up, alert as ever, rolling her eyes. "I tried to wake you, but you batted me away," she explained. "So don't go blaming me."
"I know, I know!" Usagi muttered as she rushed to get ready, not entirely listening. "Starting tomorrow, I'll never be late again!"
"You say that every morning."
"Well, this time I mean it!" She threw on her uniform, making sure her brooch was safely attached, and glanced at her hair in the mirror; it was good enough. Grabbing her backpack, she dashed down the stairs, muttering curses under her breath the whole way.
Back in the bedroom, Luna sighed. "That girl will never learn, huh."
At the bottom of the stairs, Usagi was met with her frowning mother, who shook her head with a sigh, holding out her lunch. "Maybe I should start having you make your own lunch. That'll get you up earlier."
"No!" She whined, reaching for the lunchbox. "Your lunches are so good, and I don't know how to cook! I tried to with Makoto once, and I cut my finger! I bet I still have the scar—"
With a sigh, Ikuko handed over the lunch she had been keeping hostage. "Just wake up in time and don't flunk out of school, Usagi. That's all I ask of you."
From the corner came a snicker. Shingo, who had the luxury of starting school a bit later, wore a coy smirk as he peeked over at his sister. "Like that'll ever happen. You know Usagi. She's the most unreliable person in the world."
"Hey!" Usagi flushed, feeling tears well up. "Mama! Shingo's being mean!"
Ikuko shook her head. "He has a point, you know. I do wish you could grow up a bit, be more like… I don't know, Sailor Moon. She's a beautiful, reliable young lady."
The indirect compliment went over her head, and Usagi drooped, the tears threatening to spill over. "Are you saying I'm ugly?"
Her mother patted her head. "Maybe when you don't brush your hair. Get to school before you're late."
Usagi tried not to let the tears fall as she passed a snickering Shingo on her way out the door. It was just his usual boyish teasing; nothing she couldn't handle.
Luna padded down the stairs and was picked up by Ikuko, who petted her gently as she watched Usagi run down the street. "I really do hope she gets her head on straight someday," she told the cat. "If she turns out to be a mess, well, I'd be a pretty bad mother, wouldn't I?"
"I turned out alright!" Shingo piped up.
"You're still turning out, dear," she chuckled. "You better get going, too."
Usagi did her best to get to school on time, she always did. It wasn't her fault that she was always late; she reasoned that her brain just liked to sleep, and her escapades as Sailor Moon certainly didn't help her sleep schedule. She often found herself wondering how people like Ami and Rei managed to do so much without getting tired; even Makoto took naps after school to get her energy back up. Those two never stopped working. Senshi work, school work, cram school, running the shrine, repeat, day after day. Just thinking about it made Usagi exhausted.
Her friends were all very reliable. Ami's intelligence, Rei's beauty, Makoto's strength.
She often wished she was more like them.
Lost in her thoughts, she finally did begin to cry, and just tried to keep it quiet. She didn't want to bother anyone, and she didn't want pity. She really was trying her best, and she wanted her family to see that.
When she finally arrived at school, she entered the classroom to Haruna's cold glare, which was exactly what she expected. Usagi gave a nervous giggle and began to walk to her desk. Haruna's voice stopped her.
"Tsukino," her voice was flat. "You know the drill by now. How many times has this happened, and how many more times will we have to do it?"
Usagi looked down and grumbled. "This is English, not math."
"What was that?"
"Nothing!" She smiled, big and anxiety-ridden, and stepped outside the classroom. Muted giggles and whispers could be heard from behind the closed door.
The smile fell, and once again Usagi felt like crying. This happened nearly every day. Maybe being kicked out of the classroom so often had something to do with why her grades were so bad. It was Haruna's fault, not hers.
Usagi sighed. It was her fault, she wasn't stupid, despite what everyone thought. She didn't want to be late all the time, but she was. She didn't want to be unreliable and weak, but she was. And as much as she wanted to change those facts, she didn't know how.
At lunch, Naru sat beside her, untroubled as usual. "You really oughta start going to bed earlier, Usagi," she playfully nudged her friend. "If you go to sleep earlier, then you'll wake up earlier, and then you won't be late."
"I've tried that," Usagi sighed. It was true, though she hadn't tried it in a while — fighting evil by moonlight would hinder anyone's sleep schedule. "I think school just needs to start later."
"I've heard some high schools start even earlier."
"What? That's crazy! How do they expect anyone to be up so early?"
Naru laughed. "I think you're just a little lazy, Usagi. You need to study more and sleep earlier. Play less video games and read less manga. You can do that when you have free time."
"All my time is free time," Usagi pouted.
"That's because you're not spending it doing what you're supposed to. It's called time management."
"She's right, you know!" Umino popped up, scaring the both of them. "Time management is a valuable skill for students and adults alike! And, ah, it's one you aren't great at, Usagi…"
Usagi laid her head on the table, eyes watery. "Thanks, Umino."
"You're welcome!" He responded, chipper.
Naru tried to tone him down with a look as she patted Usagi's back. "It's okay, Usagi. We love you even if you're unreliable."
Despite her kind tone, Naru's words only served to make Usagi feel worse, and she slumped further. "Thanks, Naru."
"Of course!" She smiled. Umino bit his tongue, deciding not to point out that she had done the same thing he had.
As Naru and Umino began to chat, she tried to subtly rub her eyes. Yes, she was unreliable, she knew that. Everyone thought so, she knew that. Everyone knew she was a crybaby, too, but that didn't mean she couldn't try and hide it. Most people thought her tears were fake, just for attention or drama's sake. That wasn't quite true. She played up her tears as a kid for attention, yes, but as she got older, she began doing so to avoid people worrying about her. If she made all her tears ridiculous and big, no one would know when she was really hurt.
Nowadays, it was getting harder to do. So instead, she was getting quieter. Let the lesser things be loud, but keep the real ones bottled up. Nobody would worry, just like always. She'd still be regular, unreliable, crybaby Usagi.
The thought almost made her cry, too.
"Usagi!" Luna came bounding up. "Where are you going? We're having a meeting at Rei's place, remember?"
"I remember!" Usagi had not remembered, but now she did. "I'm, uh…"
As she searched for an excuse, Luna sighed. "It's fine, just come on. We don't want to be late."
"Okay. Right," she followed the cat for about a block, and then stopped, getting an idea. "Actually, Luna, you go ahead! I'll catch up!"
"Usagi!" Luna groaned. "This is important!"
"I know, I know, I'll be there! You can start without me, I just want to do something real quick! No, I need to do something!" She was already starting to skip back down the street.
"And is this something going to see Motoki?" Luna deadpanned.
"Oh, maybe I'll do that too! Good idea, Luna! See you soon!"
Usagi took off down the street, and Luna sighed, her tail flicking with irritance. "Of course. Not like we have a mission or anything."
Reluctantly, she proceeded through the city to Hikawa Shrine on her own, hoping Usagi would be quick to stop pining and catch up with the real world.
As Luna headed off, Usagi ran through the streets, racing to the closest grocery store. She wanted to be as quick as possible so she wasn't too late to the meeting, but while Luna was chastising her, she suddenly got a craving for daifuku, and then had the great idea to bring snacks for everyone to the meeting. She'd get everybody's favorite — or, rather, she hoped she would. Usagi was, as usual, running low on money. It was too bad Sailor Moon didn't get paid.
Most of the snacks were cheap and easy enough to find — Makoto loved konpeitō, despite its simplicity, and Rei liked spicy onigiri. Ami had slightly more high-class tastes; her favorite snack were crêpes, and Usagi had only ever seen her buy herself more expensive ones with lots of fruit and sometimes ice cream. There was a place nearby, however, and she had enough money left to get a pretty good one, assuming she didn't get any daifuku for herself.
Usagi closed her wallet and ignored her rumbling stomach. She'd get Ami a special snack, just like she had Rei and Makoto. Maybe somebody would share, or Rei would have something else to eat at her house. She usually had tea, but it wasn't very filling.
Usagi hopped up to the counter with a determined look on her face. "Hello! I'd like a crêpe please! With whipped cream, blueberries, peaches, almonds, and strawberry jam! Please."
Sure enough, it did cost the last of her money. So much for daifuku, but at least her friends would be happy with their surprise treats! Now that she had them all, she hurried to Hikawa Shrine, so the crêpe and the onigiri would stay as fresh as possible.
"She went to go see Motoki?!" Rei's mouth hung agape.
Ami hung her head. "She isn't taking this seriously…"
Luna sighed, settling on a pillow set out for her. "I tried to get her to come along, but she said she needed to do it. It wasn't just Motoki, there was something else, too, but she didn't say what."
"I'm sure it's something equally ludicrous," Rei huffed.
Makoto shrugged, adjusting her ponytail. "She is kind of a scatterbrain, huh? Sweet, but…"
"Unreliable," Rei turned to her. "The word you're looking for is unreliable."
"I guess so. She's a big help as Sailor Moon, though."
Rei scoffed. "She's always late, and rambling, and too caught up with Tuxedo Mask saving her at every turn rather than actually fighting. The only thing she's useful for is healing."
"Could someone else use the Moon Stick?" Ami asked Luna, who puffed up slightly.
"Uh. I'm not sure. I've never thought to look into it. But," she narrowed her eyes at the group, "you can't replace Usagi. She's a Sailor Senshi, too — the first one found. Sure, she's pretty useless sometimes, but she cares more than anyone, and that's what gives her power."
"That power would be more useful if it actually did anything in battle," Rei argued. "I'd stop complaining if she just showed up to the battle in time, but she's always late! Always the last to transform! It slows the rest of us down."
"She shows up late to school, too," Makoto pointed out. "Sometimes she doesn't even have her lunch, and then she steals most of mine. I'm tempted to start packing more in advance. That way she won't eat all of mine."
"Maybe her internal clock is off," Ami suggested. "I can understand sleeping in on nights that we're out late, but the rest of the time she needs to stick to a stricter schedule, especially for school. I'd hate her to not get into high school, or worse, drop out."
"I'd hate for her to slip up and get us all killed!" Rei exclaimed. "And again, she clearly doesn't care! She blew us off to go to the arcade. We still have to find the Princess and the Silver Crystal, we have to defeat the Dark Kingdom, we have so much to do, and she's at the arcade!"
Ami sighed, voice quiet. "Rei's right. This was really important, she knew it was."
"Unreliable Usagi, indeed," Makoto sighed, leaning back until she was laying down.
"I'm sure she'll show up eventually," Luna half-heartedly tried to convince them. She was met with unamused stares. "...I'll catch her up at home."
Outside the room, Usagi listened, tears streaming down her face.
Her best friends really thought so little of her. These people she trusted with her life didn't have that same trust in her.
As their conversation continued without her, Usagi bit her lip, trying not to make any noise that would alert them. She wouldn't want to bother them — apparently, she did that enough already.
She set down the bag with the snacks on the floor. She took the Moon Stick out of her backpack and set it in with the treats. Surely someone else could use it better than her. The transformation pen and her communicator quickly joined the party.
Finally, her hands drifted to her brooch. All her powers, contained in just a small accessory. She had come to take it as a sign of her friendship with the others; the reason they were so close was because of their status as Senshi. But now…
If she was really so useless, if she was cared for so little, then it didn't matter, did it?
She took off the brooch and set it in the bag as well.
Standing, she rubbed her face. Laughter came from within the room. At least they were having fun without her.
Usagi didn't look back as she walked home.
Every time she started feeling better, she burst into tears again. What should've been a half-hour walk home had already turned into a full one, and the sun was starting to set. She really didn't want to be out in the dark, alone and crying.
She sat, sniffling, in an alley for a few minutes, calming down. She could make new friends. The Senshi'll do fine without her. Luna can give her brooch to the Princess or something. She'd probably use it better. ...This wasn't making her feel any better.
When she finally pulled herself together, and stayed together for a few minutes, Usagi left the alley to head home before it got too dark.
And promptly ran into somebody.
She had just begun muttering apologies when the familiar voice made her freeze.
"Dumpling-Head! I was just starting to get used to life without you constantly running into me. Quite literally, might I add," Mamoru snarked. "Watch where you're going."
Usagi huffed, crossing her arms. "You should watch too, you know. If you see me coming, you can just avoid me."
"What, so it's on me to make sure you aren't a klutz?"
"That's not what I said!"
"That's what it sounds like."
"Ugh!" Usagi stomped her foot, walking away. "You are the last person I wanted to run into today, thanks a lot."
"What's that? You're cheating on me?"
"What?!" She whipped back around.
Mamoru had a fake-pout on his face. "I can't believe you've been running into other people. I thought we had something special."
Usagi flushed. "Don't talk about us like we're dating. I would never date you."
"I don't think anyone would date you," the expression dropped into a smirk. "Maybe you should be less picky, because no Prince Charming would have a dumpling-head like you."
She almost always walked away from Mamoru angry, but this time was different. Combined with the events of the day, she slipped past anger quickly and into sadness. She felt the tears threaten to spill again and turned away from him — she didn't need to give him another thing to tease her about.
Clearly, there was no winning, as her quick turn made him laugh. "Oh come on, no quip back? Have you finally given up on romance? Let me guess, one of your friends got a boyfriend and she won't shut up about him, huh?"
Despite her best efforts, the tears spilled over and reflexively, her hands came up to cover her mouth. She held her breath, not wanting an outburst in front of her worst enemy.
Her silence was telling, however, and when he spoke next, his voice was tenser, worry evident in his tone. "What, did I get it right? ...Are you okay?"
He put a hand on her shoulder and in a moment of panic, Usagi jabbed her elbow back into his stomach. He let out a grunt of pain and she took off down the street, running faster than she had in a long time, hoping he would do the smart thing and not follow her.
When she came to a stop in front of her house, it was evident that was exactly what happened; there was no one else around. A part of her almost wished that he had followed.
He would just say the same thing everyone else had. Useless, crybaby, unreliable Usagi. Except he wouldn't even give her the dignity of calling her by her name.
Sighing, exhaustion from the whole day hit her all at once. Her stomach growled — she hadn't gotten to eat anything at Rei's, for obvious reasons. Hopefully her mom was making something yummy for dinner tonight. She just wanted to eat and sleep and not be sad.
"I can't believe Usagi never showed up," Luna laid on her pillow. "I hope nothing happened to her."
"She can defend herself," Ami reassured, sipping her tea. "And kidnappings in this area are pretty uncommon, unless they're related to the Dark Kingdom, and if that were the case we would know it by now."
"Yeah," Rei chimed in. "We'd hear Usagi crying from across the city. Doesn't she have that supersonic scream thing?"
"A supersonic scream?" Makoto perked up. "That sounds awesome!"
"It is pretty cool, when used against enemies." Rei rubbed her temples. "Not so much when you're caught in it, too."
"Still, I'd like to see it. Maybe next time Zoisite shows up."
"Maybe," Ami smiled, setting down her cup. "I've really got to get home, though. It's getting late, and I have to study."
"You should get home before I do," Luna hopped down from her pillow, looking up at her. "Will you call Usagi when you can?"
"You know, I have my communicator on me," she took it out of her pocket. "I could try and call her now, before I go."
"Please do."
Ami called Usagi's communicator; it's not difficult, especially since she was the best with computers and technology, but even a baby could work this. Much to her surprise, she heard the familiar ringing from nearby.
At first she thought she misdialed, but as Rei and Makoto produce their own, not-ringing communicators, a bad feeling knotted in her stomach. She stood up, walked to the door of the room, and opened it, peeking out into the hall.
She didn't have to look far — there was a bag just outside the door. Kneeling, she peeked inside, and gasped at what she saw, grabbing it and re-entering the room. The ringing of the communicator followed her inside.
Everyone else looked at her, anxiety masked with confusion. Ami set the bag on the floor in front of them and let the girls (plus Luna) look for themselves. Soon, they all wore matching expressions of horror.
Inside the bag were snacks — not just any snacks, but their favorites. Konpeitō, spicy onigiri, a fruit crepe. More blood-curdling was the communicator, Moon Stick, transformation pen, and transformation brooch of Sailor Moon.
"Something must've happened to her," Rei reasoned, fear hiding in her serious tone. "Someone left this for us to find, as a warning or something. They know who we are!"
"No," Luna's voice was ice-cold. "That's not it at all. You know it's not."
"Usagi did come," Ami's voice quivered. "She must've heard us saying those mean things…"
"And she didn't come in and debate us?" Rei scoffed. "That doesn't sound like the Usagi I know at all."
"Usagi…" Makoto searched for the right words, eyes watery. "She's kind and gentle. She argues with you a lot, Rei, but it's always playful. When you get actually angry at her, she gets really sad, I've seen it. I think… she must've heard us, and since we were talking behind her back, she thought we really meant it."
"We did mean it," Ami shook her head, face wet with spilled tears. "That's the worst part. We did mean it, and she'll never forgive us…"
"She's the forgiving type," Rei looked away. "She'll come around." There was a pause, and the fiery girl hid in her hair. "But we should find her and apologize."
"Agreed!" Makoto stood, wiping away her tears. "She must've gotten this stuff for us, that's what she was doing, that's why she was late! We have to repay her, and we have to apologize, and we have to do it now!"
Ami nodded, standing and wiping her face as well. "We're not a team without Sailor Moon. No… We're not a team without Usagi."
Rei stayed silent, but she rose to a kneel. "Are you coming, Luna?"
"Of course I am!" She meowed, indignant and a little teary herself.
"Then come here." Rei reached out and Luna hopped into her arms. She stood, and the four left in a hurry to find Usagi, starting at what felt like the most likely place; her house.
Dinner was fine. More than fine, actually; Ikuko had just so happened to make one of Usagi's favorite comfort foods, miso nikomi udon. She ate a lot, quickly, and then went up to her room, not giving her parents or brother the chance to make fun of her. Not to her face, at least.
She locked her door, and upon seeing that Luna wasn't around, locked her windows, too. She just wanted to be alone, and that cat hated her just as much as the rest of them. She could find another place to hide out. Maybe at the arcade, or with Ami. She certainly liked them better.
Everything about the day had been exhausting. Cutting people off — cutting off her life as Sailor Moon — was exhausting. She laid face-down on her bed, smothering herself with her pillow, and let it all out. She only hoped her family couldn't hear her scream-sobbing.
She must've fallen asleep, because she woke up to someone knocking on her door. Lifting her head, she found herself corrected — someone was knocking on the window. It was Luna.
Usagi sat up, saw Luna saying something on the other side of the window, and promptly closed the blinds. She laid back down, intending to go back to sleep.
On the other side of the window, Luna sighed. She hopped down to the Senshi waiting on the ground below. "The window is locked. She… didn't look great."
"But she isn't hurt?" Rei asked.
Luna shook her head. "Not physically. But she had clearly been crying. She closed the blinds on me, too."
"It's too late to knock on the door, we'd wake up her family," Ami noted, looking up at the window on the second floor. "Is there a way we can get up there?"
"We'll find a way!" Makoto insisted. "Okay. Which of you is stronger?"
The other two looked at an enthusiastic Makoto, confused.
Rei was stronger, they found out, and through some trial and error the three managed to reach the window. Makoto held up Rei, Rei managed to hold Ami, and Ami knocked on the window with Luna, on the windowsill, all while trying to stay balanced.
It took a bit, but eventually, Usagi threw the window open. Her expression was one of heartbreak and anger. "What! What more do you want! I just want to sleep, and you really had to come all the way here and make fun of me more?"
"N-No!" Ami shouted before remembering how late it was and quieted down. "Usagi, we came to apologize. Can we come in? O-Or, can you come down? This is really dangerous…"
"Then get down. I'm not in the mood to talk." Usagi sighed, looking down at them all. "I already know what you have to say. I'm a useless crybaby, I'm unreliable, I get it! And I'm sick of hearing it! So just," she deflated, "just go away."
"I—"
"Go away!" She snapped. "Don't you have better things to be doing? Studying or training or something? Finding a new Sailor Moon?"
"You're Sailor Moon!" Luna insisted. "We aren't a team without you!"
"Then find a new teammate," Usagi's voice broke, and she fought the urge to cry again. "I'm tired of all of this. I'm tired of fighting, and I'm tired of being doubted, and I'm tired of you all being mean to me! I'm tired of everyone being mean to me! So just go away! I never want to see you again!"
With that final shout, Usagi slammed the window shut again and pulled the blinds closed. She curled up in bed, covering her head with pillows to drown out any other protests from her former friends. There were none.
Unbeknownst to her, it was because they nearly toppled over their jenga tower of limbs, which surely would've resulted in some bad injuries, and so Ami insisted that they break it down — or, at least, that she be let off the top. When all three were back on the ground, they stood in tense silence.
"She really quit on us then, huh?" Rei said, voice flat.
"We really hurt her," Makoto shook her head. "We really hurt her, and words won't be enough. We've gotta find some way to make it up to her, to show her we really are sorry."
"I agree," Ami nodded, and then interrupted herself with a yawn.
Makoto frowned. "I think… we have to call it for tonight. We can think about it more and talk in the morning. Okay, Luna?"
The cat, still perched on the windowsill, nodded. "Let me know what you decide to do," she spoke quietly. "I'll keep an eye on Usagi."
With heavy hearts, the three girls split ways, going back to their respective homes to hopefully rest up. None would get a good night's sleep.
Luna, meanwhile, managed to crack open Usagi's window, as she had forgotten to re-lock it in her outburst. Squeezing through, she carefully stepped over Usagi's legs and jumped onto her vanity. There, she left the tools Usagi had left behind; the communicator, the transformation pen, the Moon Stick, and the transformation brooch.
Luna decided it was for the best to stay out of Usagi's way for the time being. She only hoped that maybe she'd feel better in the morning, and take up the helm of Sailor Moon again; and, more importantly, return to her friends.
The next morning, Usagi was running late as usual. She had exhausted herself crying and didn't hear her alarm; of course, that excuse would never fly by her mother. She hurried out the door, forgetting both breakfast and lunch, hoping she could at least make it to class on time and not set off Haruna or her classmates. That was just about the last thing she needed.
In the midst of her rush, she had seen that the Sailor Moon tools she had previously left behind had been put on her vanity. For a second, she considered putting the brooch back on, rejoining her friends. They had come to apologize in the middle of the night. But then she remembered what they had said behind her back, their harsh words that held their real feelings.
Usagi was tired of being walked over. The next person to call her useless or unreliable was getting punched, no matter who it was.
The brooch and the rest of the tools stayed untouched on the vanity.
She slid into the classroom moments before the bell rang and all but collapsed into her seat with the relief of not being late for once. The moment of happiness faded when she saw the surprised look on Haruna's face, and heard the hushed whispers and giggles of her classmates.
The same as it ever was. Even when she did something right, she was still the butt of the joke. An awful loop she had no hope of escaping.
And now she had no breakfast or lunch, so she'd be hungry all day. Holding her head in her hands and fighting her droopy eyelids, she figured it was for the best. Maybe this way she'd lose some weight. After all, everyone told her she ate too much.
She managed to stay awake for most of class, if only by dwelling on bad thoughts that could keep her up no matter the circumstances, and not actually by paying attention to class.
At lunch, she sat with Naru, and Umino shortly joined them. They let Usagi steal bits of their lunches, since she lacked her own. About halfway through the lunch hour, Naru perked up.
"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I just noticed! Usagi, what happened to your brooch?"
Usagi looked down at her broochless bow and frowned, lip quivering. She straightened up and looked out the window. She wouldn't shed another tear over them.
"It…" she searched for the right words. "It was a symbol of ended friendships. So I got rid of it."
To say it out loud nearly made her cry again, despite her promise that she wouldn't. They weren't friends for very long, but it was long enough to be impactful. They had been through a lot together, through way too many near-death experiences. And yet, they thought so little of her.
She gave up the brooch, the title of Sailor Moon. There was nothing left to mourn.
Naru and Umino were confused by her choice of words, but didn't ask for further clarification.
From the next table over, however, Yumiko and Kuri giggled. Moving her hair out of her face, Yumiko smirked. "I bet you just lost it."
"Maybe she tripped on the way home and it fell in the sewer!" Kuri added.
The class laughed, and Usagi felt herself grow red with rage and embarrassment. Before she could defend herself, Yumiko continued, shaking her head.
"Just our typical unreliable Usagi for you."
Her words were met with another round of giggles from the class.
Tears fell, but not tears of sadness. Tears of rage.
In the blink of an eye, Usagi was standing, and Yumiko was on the floor, holding her face, an angry red mark on her cheek. Usagi's fist trembled, and she held it to her chest. She had told herself that the next person to call her unreliable would get punched. She hadn't meant to actually go through with it.
She didn't really think about the consequences of her actions at all. Her vision was blurry, and when she finally blinked, there was a moment of clarity as the tears trailed down her cheeks before more took their place, and her vision was blurry again.
Usagi leapt over desks, shoved people out of the way, and ran out of the room.
Ran out of the building.
Ran out of the school.
Ran down the street.
Ran all the way home and slammed the door shut behind her, sliding down to sit against it, wiping her wet face with her sleeve, still sobbing, and now out of breath.
She knew, in the back of her mind, that coming home was a terrible decision. It was only a matter of time before her mother found her and yelled at her for literally running out of school. But she couldn't bring herself to care. She couldn't do anything right anyway. What would a little more yelling matter?
Sure enough, there were footsteps from the staircase, and Usagi lifted her head to see her mother glaring. However, when Ikuko got closer and saw her daughter's sniffling and red eyes, the glare softened, and she kneeled across from her.
"Usagi," she began, moving some of her daughter's blonde hair out of her face. "What are you doing home so early? Did something happen at school?"
Usagi nodded, lip quivering.
"Well? Tell me about it, I'm sure we'll find a solution."
Usagi sniffed, and wiped her face again. "Y-Yumiko called me u-unreliable."
Ikuko's soft look faltered. "...That's it?"
Usagi nodded, and Ikuko sighed, crossing her arms. "Usagi. You cannot skip school just because someone said something mean! You talk to her, or you tell a teacher! Your grades are already suffering from how often you're late, you can't afford to miss more school! Do you want to stay in 8th grade forever?"
Usagi held her hands over her mouth, trying not to sob more, and shook her head no.
"Then you have to go to school! And do well, for that matter! Listen, get yourself cleaned up, and then you're going back. Understand?"
Usagi shook her head viciously. She couldn't go back to school, not after punching Yumiko. The class would laugh at her, or shun her. Usagi wasn't sure which one was worse. Haruna would have her head, as would the Principal, and probably everyone else, including her mother once she found out.
Ikuko huffed, rubbing her eyes. "You know, this Yumiko girl is right. You are unreliable. And you're never going to grow up at this rate!"
"No!" Usagi screamed, holding her head. "I'm not! I'm trying my best! I don't want to sleep late, or be late, or do badly! I'm trying! I study! I set alarms! I try to eat right and exercise! It's not my fault that I'm a useless crybaby, but I'm trying to fix it! And you people aren't helping!" She stood, breathing heavy. "You're just like the rest of them!"
"Usagi!"
Ignoring her mother calling out, Usagi ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door shut, locking it, and blocking it with a chair and some boxes. She considered moving her dresser, or her vanity, but they were too heavy, and she was too exhausted.
She'd never yelled at her mother before. She didn't know what kind of punishment to expect. Maybe she'd die of starvation or sadness up in her room, and then she wouldn't have to face any sort of punishment. She wouldn't have to worry about being unreliable anymore, either.
"Usagi!" There were paws on her face, claws out just enough to poke her.
Usagi batted Luna off of her face. She had fallen asleep after her outburst at her mother, and intended to stay sleeping for a good few years. Seeing how the sun was setting, it had only been a few hours; way off the mark. However Luna managed to get in didn't matter.
"Usagi, please," the cat sounded desperate. "We need your help. Zoisite made another Youma, and it's wrecking the town! It was getting close to the arcade when I left the girls. They can hold it off, but—"
"But you can't heal it without Sailor Moon," Usagi muttered, deadpan. "So find another Sailor Moon."
"Usagi," Luna sighed, "I can't just find someone else to be Sailor Moon. It's not a random selection. You were chosen; not by me, but someone higher, stronger. Nobody else in the world, in the universe, can be Sailor Moon except you."
Usagi grumbled. "Of course you didn't pick me. If you had, you would've ditched me for someone more capable a long time ago."
"You are capable, Usagi," Luna's voice was soft, sincere. "You fight harder than anyone else, because you care more than anyone else. You have love in your heart, and it's your strongest weapon, your greatest ally, better than anything I could ever give you. And… I know me and the girls said some terrible things, but you have to believe that they didn't mean it."
"That's easy to say."
"I know. I know it is. But we've been trying to think of a way to prove it to you. Because you're right, Usagi. We don't have enough faith in you. We've all been quick to judge, to make assumptions. None of us have been very patient with you, but you were here first. You are the strongest of all of the Senshi. Both as Sailor Moon, and as Tsukino Usagi. You know why?"
Usagi looked up at the cat, but said nothing. It was answer enough.
"Because you have a strong heart, full of love and passion for everything and anything. You fight to protect what is good and true, be it little things like time and beauty, or big things like the planet, or your friends and family. You are a good person, Usagi, and that's why you are the perfect Sailor Moon. And I'm sorry that we didn't see that until now."
Usagi sighed, wiping her face and sitting up. "Fine. I'll fight the Youma." She got out from under the covers and walked to her vanity. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you guys."
Luna's tail twitched and she sat on the bed, smiling softly. "Thank you. I promise, we'll make it up to you."
Usagi nodded, and grabbed the brooch, re-attaching it to her bow. Throwing her hand in the air, she spoke the phrase.
"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"
In a flash of light, her usual outfit was replaced with the uniform of Sailor Moon. Pocketing the Moon Stick, transformation pen, and her communicator, she opened her window and jumped through it, landing safely and silently below. Sparing a glance through the window behind her, she saw her family sitting around the table for dinner. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but everyone had serious, worried looks.
Usagi frowned, hoping they weren't talking about her. Luna landed beside her, and led the way towards the Youma.
It was large, and draconic-looking. The more she looked at it, the more she thought it looked like Godzilla. It certainly acted like the kaiju; it had already wrecked a few storefronts and rooftops. A sinking pit of regret that it took her so long to get here took root in her stomach.
The rest of the Senshi were holding it off, though they were looking a bit worse for the wear. Mars was shaking out her hands, smoke coming from her fingertips, Mercury was casting Bubble Spray to blind it, clearly not for the first time, and storm clouds still crackled above from Jupiter's Supreme Thunder attack.
The Youma didn't look great, but it was still attacking with all it could muster. Atop a nearby rooftop, sitting smugly, she spotted Zoisite, watching the carnage. Of course.
Sailor Moon stood down the street, ready to face off against the giant Youma. It growled at her, and the other Senshi looked her way, expressions of surprise and relief on their faces.
She didn't look at them. She couldn't look at them.
She didn't even say her catchphrase. She simply took her tiara and, with a shout of "Moon Tiara Action!" she threw it towards the Youma, nailing it right in its face. It's little arms reached up to rub its eyes, and she caught the tiara as it came back towards her.
With the Youma distracted, she pulled out the Moon Stick. Before she could use it, Zoisite appeared in front of her, cocky as ever.
"A little late to the party, aren't we, Sailor Moon?" He snickered. "Unreliable as always."
Her arm fell to her side, and she looked at him, expressionless. He looked unsettled for a moment, but returned to his confident demeanor, holding out his hand. "Let's make this easy. Give me—"
He was cut off with a groan of pain as Sailor Moon gave a swift kick to his groin. As he doubled over for a moment, she punched him, hearing a crack, and he fell to the ground. Blood leaked from his nose.
Usagi's fist trembled at her side as she glared down at him. She kneeled in front of him, and he met her eyes.
When she spoke, her voice was eerily calm. "I am not unreliable."
She stood, and walked past him. Raising the Moon Stick, she took a deep breath and aimed it towards the Youma.
"Moon Healing Escalation!"
A bright light, followed by a softer fluttering of sparkling dust filled the area around the Youma. It cried in pain and shouted "Refresh!" before shrinking down to a normal size and returning to a human form. Jupiter caught him before he fell over; it was a young man with large glasses, and a kaiju backpack, dazed as most Youma victims were.
She heard a growl from behind her and the familiar whoosh of Zoisite teleporting away. She put away the Moon Stick, and her fellow Senshi looked over at her. Jupiter made sure the man was okay, and then the three approached her.
A surge of emotion built up in Usagi, and she turned and ran away, jumping up onto rooftops to get away quicker. She heard them calling her name, but didn't turn back to see if they were following her.
She ran and ran until she came to Tokyo Tower, and then she ran nearly halfway up it. She sat on the deck, back to the city, head tilted up to the sky, the moon. It's soft light was comforting and familiar. Like an old friend.
She tried not to cry, but she just kept thinking about her friends, her family. Everyone thought she was unreliable, from a near-stranger on the street to a recurring villain. She hadn't even stayed to see if the Youma victim was okay. What kind of hero runs away from her own allies?
She sat up and rubbed her face, wiping away the few tears that had formed. She wanted to reunite with her friends, but the doubt in her chest prevented her from doing so. If she went back to them, forgave them and asked for their forgiveness, would they really treat her better? Or would everything stay the same? Would they get worse, knowing that she would just come back?
A sob escaped her, and she tried not to unravel.
"Tears aren't befitting of you, Sailor Moon," a voice, smooth like still water, broke the silence.
She looked up and saw exactly who she expected, and her heart skipped a beat. "Tuxedo Mask…"
He nodded, smiling softly, and sat across from her. "You fought well tonight, but why did you run away from your friends? They seemed worried that you showed up late. I admit, I was as well."
Usagi felt her cheeks grow warm and looked away. "You were worried about me?"
"Of course."
She laughed, feeling special, but it quickly faded. She hadn't wanted to worry anyone.
Tuxedo Mask tilted his head, and she could almost see his eyes through his mask and their white lenses. "Did something happen?"
With a sigh, Usagi nodded. It was about time she talked to someone not involved.
And so, she explained the whole story to him, leaving out important details about the Senshi's true identities, of course. Despite herself, she cried during her retelling; thinking about it all again just made her hurt worse.
"I miss them," she confessed. "I miss them, but I'm afraid that they'll never have any faith in me. Especially after I quit. And I shouldn't be upset, because it's all true! I am a crybaby, I am unreliable. I am useless. I hoped they'd be better off without me, but Luna says no one else can do what I do."
"Sailor Moon," he interrupted, voice firm. "You are not useless, or unreliable. And yes, you may cry a lot," he wiped the tears off her cheek, "but that isn't a bad thing. You have a lot of feelings, and they can't stay inside you. Sometimes the best way out is through an expression of some kind, like tears, or laughter."
He gently held her face with one hand, and she leaned into the touch. With a gentle smile, he continued. "You fight hard, and you love harder. You're more reliable than anyone I know, and I think your friends know that, too. Sometimes people give each other a hard time because they love them, but sometimes the intention isn't clear. They should apologize, but you shouldn't hold it against them. They're your teammates, your friends. I think you have it in you to give them a second chance."
"What if they don't get better?"
"They will," he assured. "I know they will. They have good in their hearts, and how could anyone good not love you?"
She smiled as her mind dwelled on the implications of his words. The implication that he loved her. But, more importantly, she agreed. They were good people. If they weren't then they wouldn't have come to fight the Youma. They wouldn't have been fighting with her all this time.
They wouldn't be Senshi if they weren't good.
Nodding, Sailor Moon (reluctantly) moved her head away from Tuxedo Mask's hand and stood up, dusting herself off. He rose with her, and they exchanged smiles.
"Thank you," Usagi fiddled with the sleeves of her gloves. "For talking with me. And, for everything else you do."
He chuckled, and tipped his hat. "Thank you as well."
"Oh? What for?"
He leapt up onto the railing of the deck and looked back at her fondly. "For being a strong and kind person, and fighting for love and justice. For… For being you."
With that, he jumped down, and disappeared into the night.
Usagi allowed herself a moment to pine, holding her blushing face in her hands. "For being me? Not even Sailor Moon, me!" She hummed happily, before remembering herself and looking out at the city. There was something much more important that she had to do.
"So she didn't believe you?" Makoto asked Luna, as Rei kicked some rubble in the background.
Luna shook her head, sighing. "I don't know. She seemed a bit conflicted. She's definitely still upset, but I'm glad she came to help."
"I've never seen her look like that," Ami's voice was small. She was looking down the street towards where Usagi had been during the fight. "That blank look? And how she hit Zoisite… It almost felt like someone else."
"I think he knew that, too. That prick." Makoto agreed.
"We've gotta find her," Rei spoke up, eyes determined. "We have to make this right, now. I'm sick of her not being here with us, I'm sick of this feeling in my stomach, I'm sick of all of this! I just want her back! Even her whining and complaining! I just!" She slumped. "I miss her."
"Me too!" Ami shouted with uncharacteristic ferocity. "I miss her laugh, and her smile. I miss reminding her to study, and assuring her when she fails a test. It hasn't even been that long, but I miss her so terribly. I feel like I've known her my whole life already."
"I want to make her a birthday cake," Makoto states. "I want to fight over Motoki with her, I want us to fall in love with wonderful people, I want us to stay together all our lives and tell our grandkids stories of the best days of our lives with each other. I miss getting to give her some of my lunch, regardless of if she forgot her own, just because she loves my cooking."
"I miss you too!" A voice shouted, and everyone turned.
Usagi stood at the end of the street, tears in her eyes, smiling wide and watery. "I miss you too. I'm sorry that I left, I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I-I just got so tired of hearing it from everybody I cared about, a-and I should've just talked to you—"
She was cut off by the trio engulfing her in a hug. Tears abound, the Senshi all talked over each other, apologizing and forgiving each other. Luna rubbed up against Usagi's legs, purring, a little teary herself.
When they finally broke apart, it was very late, and they all had to split ways and go home. Usagi promised she'd meet everyone at Rei's house the next day after school. They promised her that they'd be patient waiting for her.
After one last hug, her and Luna headed home. She hopped up to the windowsill and, once in her room, she detransformed. Back to being Usagi, she was tired, but had something important left to do. She moved everything out of the way of her door and headed downstairs. The house was quiet, and she could hear Shingo snoring behind the door of his bedroom.
Creeping downstairs, she peeked around the corner and into the kitchen. Her mother was cleaning up in the kitchen, humming quietly to herself. She assumed her father was already asleep; he often went to bed early in order to leave early, while Ikuko had always been a bit of a night owl. As a little kid, Usagi used to imagine that her mother was from the moon, and that's why she liked to be up at night, to be closer to home. She found that same feeling in herself, nowadays.
Knocking on the wall, Usagi made herself known, and Ikuko looked up. She dropped what she was holding and dashed over to Usagi, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Please don't do that again," she whispered. "I'm sorry, but please. You have to use your words and talk to me, okay? I was so worried about you, we all were."
Usagi hugged her mother back, just as tight if not tighter. "I won't. I'm sorry. Are you okay? I'm sorry, I love you, Mama."
"I love you too. And listen," she pulled back some. "I know you're trying. I'm glad you're trying! I just don't want the world to move on without you. School is important, you understand?"
"I know," she nods. "I know. I'm gonna keep trying, I'll never give up! I promise."
Ikuko smiled, and kissed Usagi on the forehead. "And for what it's worth, you're not unreliable." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she smirked. "You do more chores than Shingo."
Usagi giggled, and her mother hugged her again. "Now, do you want a quick bite to eat before you go to bed? We have a little bit of leftovers."
"Yes please!" Usagi bounced. She hadn't eaten all day and, after all the crying and fighting a Youma, was starting to feel lightheaded.
Ikuko laughed, and she found Usagi some leftover octopus balls, and sent her to bed.
Usagi awoke the next morning to ringing in her ears, and a sandpaper tongue licking her face. She opened her eyes to see Luna standing on her chest. The cat grinned as best she could. "Glad I was able to wake you up on time today. But you really oughta be waking up on your own."
Usagi cut her off with a hug, rubbing her face against the cat's own. "Oh, Luna. You're the best alarm clock I could ask for."
She got dressed and was down for breakfast in time to actually savor it. Shingo apologized for bullying her so often, and she responded by messing up his hair. Her and Kenji had a similar talk that she had with Ikuko, including him assuring her that if she ever needed help, he was there for her. She gave him a hug and a kiss, took her lunch from her mom, and headed out the door to school.
When she arrived on time, there were still a few surprised looks, but her classmates were mostly quiet after yesterday's outburst. Haruna talked to her between classes, explaining that Yumiko didn't want her to get in trouble and so she was off the hook this time, but not to punch anyone again, please.
At lunch, Usagi found Yumiko and apologized profusely. She apologized in return, saying that, after she had left, Naru explained that there had been something going on the last couple days, and that everyone needed to be more patient with each other.
The two hugged, and then something seemed to catch Yumiko's attention.
"Oh, you found your brooch!"
"Yeah," Usagi looked down at it with a smile. "I knew where it was the whole time."
Yumiko seemed a little confused at the comment, but didn't question it. The bell rang, and they hurried back to class.
After school, Usagi headed downtown to get snacks for the meeting. Halfway there she remembered she was broke and, with a sigh, turned around to go straight to Rei's house. And promptly ran face-first into someone about a foot taller than her.
"Oof!" He staggered backwards, fixing his sunglasses. He slumped. "Of course it's you, Dumpling-Head."
"Of course it's you…" Usagi scrambled for an insult, but came up blank. Since making up with her friends, she had been feeling happier than a sunbeam, and meanness just couldn't come to mind. "...Guy."
"Guy?" He smirked. "That's the best you can do?"
"I'll have you know that I've decided not to be mean, because when people are mean to you it sucks." She threw her hair over her shoulder. "That includes you, whoever you are."
"Mamoru. You… You know my name."
"I know," she smiled, cheeky. "But if you don't call me by my name, why should I call you by yours?"
"Didn't you just say you weren't going to be mean anymore?"
"I'm not being mean! I'm just having a conversation!"
Mamoru sighed, removing his glasses and patting her on the head. "Whatever. Have a good day, Usagi."
He strode past her without another glance, but she looked back at him, a small smile forming on her face. "Is that the first time you've ever used my name?" She called after him.
He waved her off in response, continuing down the street. She laughed, amused and satisfied that she had won today, and continued down to Rei's house.
She was greeted with smiling faces, and some very good daifuku.