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I'll Prove It
Part 3
By Usa and Emiri
Disclaimers in Part 1
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Usagi walked dejectedly down the street. It was dark by the time she walked passed Crown's. "Rei-chan..." she whispered. "You're my best friend, my onee, but I can't be around you if I always cause you to be so mean. You'll always be in my heart."

A noise brought Usagi out of her reverie. A burglar alarm! Running towards the noise, she found herself standing in front of Osa-P. She ran into an alley and shouted, "Moon Crystal Power, Make Up!"

Sailor Moon quietly entered through one of the windows. She saw three men stuffing jewlery into their pockets. Moon also noticed that Naru was lying unconscious on the floor. "I don't think those belong to you," she exclaimed.

"Who are you?" The men whipped around.

She leapt over to them. "I am the pretty suited soldier of love and justice! Sailor Moon! Tsukini kawatte oshiokyo!"

"You're a little early for Halloween," one man scoffed.

"Well, you're a bit..." she struggled to come up with something good. "...rude! How dare you knock out that young girl and steal from this store!"

"Why don't you run on home now?" the third robber mocked. "We have no time to play with you."

Usagi poofed her cheeks. "I didn't come here play games! I came her to ship you off to the police." She jumped and leapt at the closest man to her. "Sailor Kick!"

The man tried to move, but was too late, and got knocked out."Who's next?" Sailor Moon asked in a fighting stance.

The second man stepped forward. "I told you I didn't come here to play," he snarled, pulling out a gun.

"And neither did, I told you! Moon Tiara Magic!" But for some reason, the tiara stopped in mid air and dropped to the ground. "Nani yo?"

"Your little toys are useless." The man scowled at her, and pulled the trigger.

Moon tried to dodge the bullet, but felt it graze her shoulder. She cried out from the sting. Ignoring it, she got up from the floor. "That hurt!" she exclaimed, pulling out her Moon rod from her space pocket. Instead of calling out her attack phrase, Sailor Moon threw it at the man with the gun. It clattered to the floor across the room. In one quick motion, Moon took the men out with two more 'Sailor Kicks'.

"Sailor Moon?" Naru tried to sit up, finally regaining conciousness.

Moon rushed over to her friend, helping her up. "Daijobu?"

"Ha--hai."

"Did you get a chance to call the police before they knocked you out?"

"Hai." Naru nodded. "I hope they get here soon."

As soon as Naru spoke up, sirens were heard as well as the squeal of tires. "Will you be all right if I leave?" Sailor Moon asked.

"I guess...Arigatou, Sailor Moon!"

"Ja ne!"

**************

"Mrrowr," Luna stretched in her sleep. Suddenly, she heard the door click, and she was no longer asleep. She stood up, silently padding into the hall to investigate

Usagi tiptoed up the stairs and nearly had a heart attack when she saw Luna in the darkened hallway. "Luna!" she cried in a hushed voice.

"Usagi-chan? What were you doing out so late?"

With a wave of her hand, the young girl went into her bedroom, shut the door and turned on the light. She began looking through her drawers for her pajamas. Usagi changed, wincing as she stretched her arm. *I'm going to have to put something on that.*

Luna opened the door. "Usagi, your shoulder is bleeding!"

"I know, I cut it earlier today," she replied, nonchalantly.

"How?"

Usagi yawned and laid down on her bed. She pulled the covers over herself. "Luna, you ask too many questions and I'm tired. Oyasumi..."

Luna jumped onto the pillow beside her. "I know you're up to something."

But Usagi didn't answer, she had drifted off to sleep.

**************

Usagi sat down at her and Mamoru's favorite bench. It was rather warm out and she was sweating a bit because she was wearing a long sleeve shirt to hide the bandage on her shoulder. Usagi was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Mamoru approach her.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, hugging her tight. "Ohayou, Odango."
Usagi's eyes watered with tears of pain and she let out a soft cry."Usako?"

"I'm all right," she lied. "Just a bit sore from my fall yesterday."

"Oh..." he laughed. "You're such a klutz. What did you do this time?"

"I was running to meet minna at the temple and I tripped over a dog." *Kami, I hope he buys that one!*

"You tripped...over a dog..." Mamoru looked at her for a second, then dissolved into a fit of hysterics. "I hope you didn't flatten the poor thing," he chortled.

Usagi giggled. "No, he's all right."

"What kind of dog was it?"

"Uh..." Usagi had no idea what kind of dogs were small or tall. *Kuso!* "A german shepherd!"

"A German Shepherd? How did you miss seeing one of those?"

Usagi shrugged. "Well, when you're late to a Senshi meeting and you don't wanna be fried by a certain Senshi of Mars, you don't pay much attention to whats around you. You just run."

"Ohhh..." Mamoru nodded. "How badly did you hurt yourself?"

"Just a cut and bruise. I landed on some glass that was on the ground." Usagi nearly smacked herself. What was she getting into?

"Honto?" Mamoru looked at her closely.

"Un," she replied with a nod.

"Are you sure?" Mamoru had a feeling she was lying about something. "You know you can tell me anything, Usako."

Usagi decided to change the subject. "Ne, did you hear about that girl on the news?"

"What girl?"

"That one who's been fighting crime like Minako-chan did in England," she explained. Usagi laughed. "They say it's Sailor Moon."

"Have you been running around on your own?"

"Me??"

"Usako...you'd tell me, ne?"

Usagi looked away from Mamoru. "You really think I'm going around beating up bad guys?"

"Well...if you are, just promise me you'll stay safe."

She didn't reply because Rei came up to them. "Ohayou Usagi, Mamoru-san."

Usagi nodded at Rei. She didn't know what to say after her outburst the day before.

"Are you two on a daaate?" Rei teased.

"Not now, Hino-san," Usagi replied.

Rei blinked. "Hino-san?"

"Did something happen between you two again?" Mamoru sighed.

Usagi stood up, not facing either of the two. "I'm going home. Hino-san, gomen ne... Ja ne, Mamo-chan."

"Matte, Usagi!" Rei grabbed her shoulder. "Are you mad at me?"

"Itai!" she cried.

"What's wrong with your shoulder?"

"Nothing, I'm all right, now let go."

Rei let go, but noticed the blood seeping through the shirt. "You're bleeding, Usagi. Badly."

"Well," she said, looking at Rei crossly. "I wouldn't be if you hadn't squeezed my shoulder so tightly!"

"Well, maybe if you had told me you were hurt there, I wouldn'tve grabbed you."

"It hadn't come up, I don't have to tell you everything, Miss High and Mighty!"

Mamoru just shook his head, letting them go at it.

"Well, maybe I'm worried about you! But if you're going to be such a brat, then go on your way and pretend nothing's wrong!"

Usagi sighed and hung her head. "I told you, Rei-chan..."

"Told me what?"

"I bring out the worst in you." She turned away to head home.

"I never said that!"

Usagi looked over her shoulder, eyes full of sadness. "Maybe not in so many words. And maybe one day, I'll be able to let you shine..."

"Nani?"

"Usako, matte!" Mamoru ran after her.

She was halfway through the park when Mamoru called out to her. "Hai?" Tears were falling from her once bright eyes.

"Usako, what's wrong?"

"I know why Rei-chan picks on me all the time. Why she always seems angry."

"Why is that?"

Usagi took a deep breath. "I told her earlier, didn't you hear me?" She repeated herself. "I bring out the worst in her... I probably do that to everyone."

"Iie, that's not true!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know how wonderful you are."

She had to laugh at that one. "Yeah, wonderful," she responded with sarcasm. "I'm so wonderful that Rei-chan has yell at me for being late. Ami-chan has to yell at me to get me to study." Usagi's voice cracked. "My parents... my parents sometimes fight about how I act."

"They blame each other because I'm not smart enough in school and I'm lazy. Basically, I'm not who I should be in their eyes."

She looked at the ground. "I don't know who I am anymore."

"Oh, Usako..." Mamoru hugged her, careful to not injure her shoulder further.
Ami says:
Usagi cried into Mamoru's chest. She felt so warm and safe in his arms. "Aishiteru, Mamo-chan."

"I'm sure things will work out for you, Usako. I don't know what goes on with you and Rei, but you two are still the best of friends, no matter what."

"I--" She was cut off by the sound of gunfire. "Nani yo?"
Ami says: