Japanese Translations:
Hai:Yes
Kami-Sama: God
Chapter 16: Battle Preparations
Life at Hogwarts had changed so drastically since the attack on Ron that few 7th years could even believe that this was the school they had been attending for the last 6 and a half years of their lives. Within 24 hours after Draco left the school Crabbe and Goyle's parents pulled them out of school as did several other Slytherin students, leaving the only remaining Slytherins the few that the rest of the school could actually tolerate. Several other students were removed from school and the only ones that remained were those whose parents invested all of their loyalties in Dumbledore. There was no talk of closing the school as their had been in Harry and Hermione's second year, to many loyal parents that complained that they felt their children were safer than they were.
The 7th years shared all their classes with the other houses now that there weren't as many children to watch. And if all of this wasn't enough to make all the students wonder what nightmare they couldn't wake up from everyone watched in shock as Hermione turned in less and less homework until she stopped turning it in anymore. Schoolwork, which had, at one time, meant the world to Hermione, fell in place behind her quest to find the counter curse and spending every other moment with Ron.
Usagi couldn't help but think that even though Hermione was driving herself crazy to save Ron that she was the only thing keeping the Weasley's and even Harry sane. Harry spent all of his time at his studies and didn't help Hermione with the counter curse research. When Usagi had ventured to suggest that maybe Harry spend a little less time at with homework and more with trying to help find the counter curse. Both Hermione and Harry snapped back in response saying that Harry needed to study, he was the one who was going to have to stand up against Voldermort after all.
For the first time Usagi was finding how much she hadn't adjusted to life at Hogwarts, how different her life as a senshi was from her life at Hogwarts. And the more Harry and Hermione talked about Harry having to go up against Voldermort the more assured Usagi was that this was, in fact, the reason why she had been brought to Hogwarts. It was she, not Harry who would have to battle Voldermort, she just didn't understand how it was that she was supposed to do this, and with Harry and Hermione so wrapped up in their own thing Usagi knew there was only person she could turn to right now.
"I'll be back." Usagi calls before slipping out of her the common room, both Hermione and Harry are so caught up in their books that they barely even acknowledge that they have heard her. Usagi snuck quietly around the corners, until she finds the professor she is searching for she isn't even supposed to be out of the common room after hours, coming to the classroom quickly Usagi lifts her hands to rap on the door softly, but firmly.
"Come in." The voice from across the door sounds preoccupied. "Usagi-Chan what re you doing here?" Seiya asks as he and Yaten and Taiki look up from a book they are bent over.
"Listen I need help, and you guys are the only ones here who I can think of who can help me, so are you guys in?" Usagi asks looking back and forth between the trio.
The three exchange glances and nod, "So what did you have in mind?" Seiya speaks first.
"Hermione is 100% dedicated to finding Ron counter curse, which is good. Harry thinks he's the one who is going to have to stand up against Draco but I am getting the feeling that this is why I am here. And I know you guys can't answer me that, so I'm not even going to ask you to. But I am asking you to help me with training, in my trance or whatever, I said that this is the senshi and wizarding worlds worst fear. And we are the only ones who can combat something like that, Harry can't. He could defeat Voldermort if he wasn't taken over my Chaos, but since he is Harry isn't going to be able to handle this."
"We'll help you train Usagi-Chan." Taiki states.
"Good." Usagi nods, "I'm not going to apologize to you for blowing up at you, but we have all done things wrong since the start of school, so what do you guys say?" The guys nod again, "Good, I'm going to have to train in everything because I'm not going to know what I am going to come up against. Hand to hand combat, magic and I know if I can work on it I can figure out what the hell is going on with my senshi powers.
"Usagi are you OK?" Parvati asks Usagi as she walks into the dorm rooms several days later.
"Sure? I mean under the circumstances I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Usagi asks dropping onto her bed fighting off sleep long enough to finish her conversation with Parvati.
"It's just that you seem almost as, as, I don't know as zombie like as Harry and Hermione do. We're all worried about you guys and we want to help but nobody knows how."
Usagi, surprised by the news, finds the energy to push herself up and face Parvati. "There is a way you guys can help."
"Really?" Parvati looks relieved.
Usagi energized by the thought that maybe everybody's work can go faster, begins formulating a plan. "I want out best students to help Hermione search for the counter curse, she is wearing herself ragged between researching and spending her time with Ron. I also want a group of the guys to help Harry train, when he goes up against Voldermort he's going to need to know anything. Anyone who can help Harry should and can. Also, this is the hardest part I think some students should spend time with Ron. Hermione feels guilty for not spending every moment with him and she can't search as well if she feels bad about leaving Ron."
"I'll do it." Parvati insists.
"Parvati you have to understand that seeing Ron, seeing Ron the way he is, is very difficult. He's nothing like you can imagine and it's going to be hard…"
"I can do it Usagi." Parvati states.
"You're sure?" Usagi asks.
Parvati nods, "I'm sure and I'll make sure everyone else knows too."
"Thanks Parvati." Usagi sighs dropping back onto her bed, but as an after thought she props herself up on her elbow, "And Parvati?"
"Yeah Usagi?" Parvati asks on her way halfway out the door.
"It needs to be organized, there's enough chaos going on now without help becoming more chaotic."
"It'll be organize." Parvati states.
"Usagi-Chan you need to rest." Seiya states trying to get Usagi to drop the sword she is using.
"No." Usagi states fiercely, "I need to practice. The battle gets close ever day, I can feel it, resting is not an option. Besides I am a senshi my super strength is still with me."
"Yes, Usagi-Chan you are still a senshi but even your senshi strength can give out." Taiki states from a corner where he is trying to find the exact workings of a curse he has decided Usagi needs to learn.
"We can't afford it!" Usagi exclaims, "Don't you understand?"
"Usagi-Chan we understand." Yaten states.
"You guys were there when I battled Chaos, and that was bad. But this is going to be worse than Chaos, I hundred times worse I need to be ready!"
"Being ready is one thing Usagi-Chan," Seiya insists, "Being dead isn't going to help anyone."
"Don't you guys see Hermione and Harry? Don't you see the rest of the Gryffindors? The Ravenclaws? The Hufflepuffs. And Kami-Sama even some of the Slytherins. The world is about to explode and you want me to rest?"
"Usagi-Chan of course we see all of the students. We teach them every day. Everyone's marks are going down and we all know why." Taiki states.
"Because homework is no longer important, everyone is learning what you teach, but no one has time for homework." Usagi responds.
"Hai, Usagi-Chan." Seiya nods, "And I agree everyone is working hard, but you are stretching yourself to thin. You're doing Harry and Hermione's job along with taking over your own training. You're strong but everyone has their breaking point."
"All right, Usagi-Chan I will make you a deal." Yaten states. "If you go, visit Ron for a little while then you can come back and train some more."
Usagi drops the sword to the floor with a clatter, "Fine, whatever. I'll be back soon."
"Hi Madam Pomfrey I'm here to see Ron. Is anyone else here?" Usagi asks reaching the hospital wing.
"No dear go on in. He should be awake." Madam Promfrey moves aside to let Usagi pass.
"Hi Ron." Usagi greets her eyes falling on Ron who sits on his bed staring at the wall across from him. "How are you today?"
"People just don't understand them." Ron mumbles, "They are so misunderstood. Poor little mice, they just want to live their little lives collecting our scraps. Let them live their little lives!"
"I know Ron." Usagi states patting Ron's hand. Usagi talks quietly at Ron telling him everything that had been going on and how all of the school was rallying together.
"Mako-Chan thank you for having us all over for dinner." Minako states as she, Ami, Rei, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru put their coats on.
"Hai." Michiru nods, "It was delicious."
Makoto smiles, "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, that's why I made it."
"We'll see you tomorrow Mako-Chan." Rei states as everyone walks out of Makoto's apartment.
Makoto wanders back into her kitchen cleaning up the dishes and putting them away before heading for bed.
"Makoto-Chan you're here." Usagi exclaims looking around Ron's hospital room. "Wait where's Ron?"
"Who's Ron?" Makoto asks looking around the strange, hospital like room.
"He's just someone I go to school with." Usagi responds moving to hug Makoto. "I'm glad you're here. I've missed you, I really have. Rei-Chan came to me in a dream a while ago."
Makoto nods, "I know, she told us."
Usagi nods at her friends.
"Usagi-Chan, don't take this the wrong way, but you look terrible."
Usagi twirls a piece of her short blonde hair nervously, "I've been really busy. There's a battle brewing here and I've been training really hard for it."
Makoto nods, "Training's good. Just don't train to hard."
"You sound like Seiya could have conjured you." Usagi states suspiciously, "He and Yaten and Taiki have been saying the same thing. But they don't seem to understand that we trained just as hard when we had senshi training."
Makoto nods, "But you didn't ever get this tired looking. Training hard is good so long as you relax and have some fun too. Don't forget all of the breaks we used to take to gossip, or snack."
"There's not a lot of either of those things going on here." Usagi murmurs.
"What?" Makoto asks leaning close.
"Things are getting dangerous here, we don't have time for fun." Usagi states.
"I wish I was there to help you out." Makoto states.
"I can handle this, that's why I have to train so hard. Being a senshi taught me that." Usagi insists.
Makoto nods, "Good, keep training. But being a senshi should have taught you something else."
"What?" Usagi asks surprised.
"Team work, and dealing with everyone one at a time." Makoto responds, "Don't kill yourself trying to be perfect over night. Training is hard work and she be treated as such. Thing of it this way Usagi-Chan an ant works hard to build an ant pile but it doesn't work so hard that it dies before it can live in it. You know?"
Usagi smiles, "Thanks Makoto-Chan."
"Anytime Usagi-Chan." Makoto nods.
And as she disappears Usagi opens her eyes slowly to be greeted by the bright light in the hospital room and finding Ron asleep Usagi slips out of the room.
Hai:Yes
Kami-Sama: God
Chapter 16: Battle Preparations
Life at Hogwarts had changed so drastically since the attack on Ron that few 7th years could even believe that this was the school they had been attending for the last 6 and a half years of their lives. Within 24 hours after Draco left the school Crabbe and Goyle's parents pulled them out of school as did several other Slytherin students, leaving the only remaining Slytherins the few that the rest of the school could actually tolerate. Several other students were removed from school and the only ones that remained were those whose parents invested all of their loyalties in Dumbledore. There was no talk of closing the school as their had been in Harry and Hermione's second year, to many loyal parents that complained that they felt their children were safer than they were.
The 7th years shared all their classes with the other houses now that there weren't as many children to watch. And if all of this wasn't enough to make all the students wonder what nightmare they couldn't wake up from everyone watched in shock as Hermione turned in less and less homework until she stopped turning it in anymore. Schoolwork, which had, at one time, meant the world to Hermione, fell in place behind her quest to find the counter curse and spending every other moment with Ron.
Usagi couldn't help but think that even though Hermione was driving herself crazy to save Ron that she was the only thing keeping the Weasley's and even Harry sane. Harry spent all of his time at his studies and didn't help Hermione with the counter curse research. When Usagi had ventured to suggest that maybe Harry spend a little less time at with homework and more with trying to help find the counter curse. Both Hermione and Harry snapped back in response saying that Harry needed to study, he was the one who was going to have to stand up against Voldermort after all.
For the first time Usagi was finding how much she hadn't adjusted to life at Hogwarts, how different her life as a senshi was from her life at Hogwarts. And the more Harry and Hermione talked about Harry having to go up against Voldermort the more assured Usagi was that this was, in fact, the reason why she had been brought to Hogwarts. It was she, not Harry who would have to battle Voldermort, she just didn't understand how it was that she was supposed to do this, and with Harry and Hermione so wrapped up in their own thing Usagi knew there was only person she could turn to right now.
"I'll be back." Usagi calls before slipping out of her the common room, both Hermione and Harry are so caught up in their books that they barely even acknowledge that they have heard her. Usagi snuck quietly around the corners, until she finds the professor she is searching for she isn't even supposed to be out of the common room after hours, coming to the classroom quickly Usagi lifts her hands to rap on the door softly, but firmly.
"Come in." The voice from across the door sounds preoccupied. "Usagi-Chan what re you doing here?" Seiya asks as he and Yaten and Taiki look up from a book they are bent over.
"Listen I need help, and you guys are the only ones here who I can think of who can help me, so are you guys in?" Usagi asks looking back and forth between the trio.
The three exchange glances and nod, "So what did you have in mind?" Seiya speaks first.
"Hermione is 100% dedicated to finding Ron counter curse, which is good. Harry thinks he's the one who is going to have to stand up against Draco but I am getting the feeling that this is why I am here. And I know you guys can't answer me that, so I'm not even going to ask you to. But I am asking you to help me with training, in my trance or whatever, I said that this is the senshi and wizarding worlds worst fear. And we are the only ones who can combat something like that, Harry can't. He could defeat Voldermort if he wasn't taken over my Chaos, but since he is Harry isn't going to be able to handle this."
"We'll help you train Usagi-Chan." Taiki states.
"Good." Usagi nods, "I'm not going to apologize to you for blowing up at you, but we have all done things wrong since the start of school, so what do you guys say?" The guys nod again, "Good, I'm going to have to train in everything because I'm not going to know what I am going to come up against. Hand to hand combat, magic and I know if I can work on it I can figure out what the hell is going on with my senshi powers.
"Usagi are you OK?" Parvati asks Usagi as she walks into the dorm rooms several days later.
"Sure? I mean under the circumstances I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Usagi asks dropping onto her bed fighting off sleep long enough to finish her conversation with Parvati.
"It's just that you seem almost as, as, I don't know as zombie like as Harry and Hermione do. We're all worried about you guys and we want to help but nobody knows how."
Usagi, surprised by the news, finds the energy to push herself up and face Parvati. "There is a way you guys can help."
"Really?" Parvati looks relieved.
Usagi energized by the thought that maybe everybody's work can go faster, begins formulating a plan. "I want out best students to help Hermione search for the counter curse, she is wearing herself ragged between researching and spending her time with Ron. I also want a group of the guys to help Harry train, when he goes up against Voldermort he's going to need to know anything. Anyone who can help Harry should and can. Also, this is the hardest part I think some students should spend time with Ron. Hermione feels guilty for not spending every moment with him and she can't search as well if she feels bad about leaving Ron."
"I'll do it." Parvati insists.
"Parvati you have to understand that seeing Ron, seeing Ron the way he is, is very difficult. He's nothing like you can imagine and it's going to be hard…"
"I can do it Usagi." Parvati states.
"You're sure?" Usagi asks.
Parvati nods, "I'm sure and I'll make sure everyone else knows too."
"Thanks Parvati." Usagi sighs dropping back onto her bed, but as an after thought she props herself up on her elbow, "And Parvati?"
"Yeah Usagi?" Parvati asks on her way halfway out the door.
"It needs to be organized, there's enough chaos going on now without help becoming more chaotic."
"It'll be organize." Parvati states.
"Usagi-Chan you need to rest." Seiya states trying to get Usagi to drop the sword she is using.
"No." Usagi states fiercely, "I need to practice. The battle gets close ever day, I can feel it, resting is not an option. Besides I am a senshi my super strength is still with me."
"Yes, Usagi-Chan you are still a senshi but even your senshi strength can give out." Taiki states from a corner where he is trying to find the exact workings of a curse he has decided Usagi needs to learn.
"We can't afford it!" Usagi exclaims, "Don't you understand?"
"Usagi-Chan we understand." Yaten states.
"You guys were there when I battled Chaos, and that was bad. But this is going to be worse than Chaos, I hundred times worse I need to be ready!"
"Being ready is one thing Usagi-Chan," Seiya insists, "Being dead isn't going to help anyone."
"Don't you guys see Hermione and Harry? Don't you see the rest of the Gryffindors? The Ravenclaws? The Hufflepuffs. And Kami-Sama even some of the Slytherins. The world is about to explode and you want me to rest?"
"Usagi-Chan of course we see all of the students. We teach them every day. Everyone's marks are going down and we all know why." Taiki states.
"Because homework is no longer important, everyone is learning what you teach, but no one has time for homework." Usagi responds.
"Hai, Usagi-Chan." Seiya nods, "And I agree everyone is working hard, but you are stretching yourself to thin. You're doing Harry and Hermione's job along with taking over your own training. You're strong but everyone has their breaking point."
"All right, Usagi-Chan I will make you a deal." Yaten states. "If you go, visit Ron for a little while then you can come back and train some more."
Usagi drops the sword to the floor with a clatter, "Fine, whatever. I'll be back soon."
"Hi Madam Pomfrey I'm here to see Ron. Is anyone else here?" Usagi asks reaching the hospital wing.
"No dear go on in. He should be awake." Madam Promfrey moves aside to let Usagi pass.
"Hi Ron." Usagi greets her eyes falling on Ron who sits on his bed staring at the wall across from him. "How are you today?"
"People just don't understand them." Ron mumbles, "They are so misunderstood. Poor little mice, they just want to live their little lives collecting our scraps. Let them live their little lives!"
"I know Ron." Usagi states patting Ron's hand. Usagi talks quietly at Ron telling him everything that had been going on and how all of the school was rallying together.
"Mako-Chan thank you for having us all over for dinner." Minako states as she, Ami, Rei, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru put their coats on.
"Hai." Michiru nods, "It was delicious."
Makoto smiles, "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it, that's why I made it."
"We'll see you tomorrow Mako-Chan." Rei states as everyone walks out of Makoto's apartment.
Makoto wanders back into her kitchen cleaning up the dishes and putting them away before heading for bed.
"Makoto-Chan you're here." Usagi exclaims looking around Ron's hospital room. "Wait where's Ron?"
"Who's Ron?" Makoto asks looking around the strange, hospital like room.
"He's just someone I go to school with." Usagi responds moving to hug Makoto. "I'm glad you're here. I've missed you, I really have. Rei-Chan came to me in a dream a while ago."
Makoto nods, "I know, she told us."
Usagi nods at her friends.
"Usagi-Chan, don't take this the wrong way, but you look terrible."
Usagi twirls a piece of her short blonde hair nervously, "I've been really busy. There's a battle brewing here and I've been training really hard for it."
Makoto nods, "Training's good. Just don't train to hard."
"You sound like Seiya could have conjured you." Usagi states suspiciously, "He and Yaten and Taiki have been saying the same thing. But they don't seem to understand that we trained just as hard when we had senshi training."
Makoto nods, "But you didn't ever get this tired looking. Training hard is good so long as you relax and have some fun too. Don't forget all of the breaks we used to take to gossip, or snack."
"There's not a lot of either of those things going on here." Usagi murmurs.
"What?" Makoto asks leaning close.
"Things are getting dangerous here, we don't have time for fun." Usagi states.
"I wish I was there to help you out." Makoto states.
"I can handle this, that's why I have to train so hard. Being a senshi taught me that." Usagi insists.
Makoto nods, "Good, keep training. But being a senshi should have taught you something else."
"What?" Usagi asks surprised.
"Team work, and dealing with everyone one at a time." Makoto responds, "Don't kill yourself trying to be perfect over night. Training is hard work and she be treated as such. Thing of it this way Usagi-Chan an ant works hard to build an ant pile but it doesn't work so hard that it dies before it can live in it. You know?"
Usagi smiles, "Thanks Makoto-Chan."
"Anytime Usagi-Chan." Makoto nods.
And as she disappears Usagi opens her eyes slowly to be greeted by the bright light in the hospital room and finding Ron asleep Usagi slips out of the room.