:::Chapter II:::

The smell of pancakes awakened her as eyes were also met by the beaming sunlight streaming through her window. There was something good about this day already. She didn't know what it was but had that feeling deep down inside. "Usagi get up, breakfast is ready!" Her mother's voice called from downstairs.

"Wow, I'm up in time for breakfast on a Saturday morning?" She smiled. It was highly uncommon for her to be awake like this without the constant pestering of her mother or Luna. Usagi got dressed and made her way down the stairs.

Shingo sat there with a complete look of shock on his face. Usagi smiled in the fact that she had surprised her younger brother and took this chance to steal the last of the pancakes before he could complain. "So what do you have planned for today dear?" He mother asked while she brought the syrup over for Usagi.

"The girls and I were going to go and look at cars for Makoto. Since she can't learn how to drive without a car she figured she should get one." It was a wonder how anything could be made out from all of the pancakes shoved in her mouth at once.

"Makoto lives alone right? Who is going to teach her how to drive?" Her father joined the conversation. He wasn't really interested in it but he and Usagi hadn't really talked in a while and even this small conversation would bridge their gap.

"Haruka offered to teach her but Mamoru stopped her and offered up his services instead. He said something about Mario An. some one and pulled Makoto away from Haruka. I don't know either way Haruka laughed at him." She wasted no time when it came to food, while she was busy chewing and choking down her pancakes she buttered her toast.

The phone rang and Shingo answered it. "I don't know why I bother getting up to answer it, it's not like it's ever for me!" He handed the phone to Usagi in a rude manner. "Here Usagi-baka!" His mother gave him a quick backhand to the back of the head and watched him rub it while he sat back down.

"Hello?" Usagi got up and started to walk into the living room so that she could have a private conversation.

"Good morning Usako, I didn't expect you to be up." Mamoru was chipper this morning.

"Well if you didn't expect me to be up yet then why did you call so early?" Usagi questioned with a smirk on her face.

"Some one has to wake you up don't they?" Mamoru teased from the other end of the phone. "We have a surprise for you and the inners, why don't you meet us in the park at our usual place?" He sugarcoated all of his words and this emphasis only made Usagi more curious. He knew she couldn't resist.

"Alright, we were all getting together anyway. So I'll see you there in a little while. Jam new Mamoru." Usagi said as she waited for Mamoru to say goodbye.

He hesitated at first but then said goodbye and hung up the phone. When he hung the phone up that strange feeling entered his body again. Usagi hadn't been calling him Mamo-chan as she used to as of late. She would always refer to him as Mamoru or just not mention his name at all. Maybe she was just growing out of the childish nickname. But it wasn't just a childish nickname to him, he felt like he had lost some crucial ground with her. He shook the feeling off and continued to tend to what he had been doing before.

Usagi called the others and notified them of the change in plans. They were going to go car shopping after the surprise. They did have all day and since Usagi had gotten up so early they had even more time than they originally thought.

"What do you think they'll say?" Seiya questioned his two comrades as Kakyuu talked with Mamoru and Setsuna. Haruka and Michiru were keeping Hotaru busy.

"If Minako jumps on me you can't stop me from throwing her, deal?" Yaten held his hand out to make a shake with Seiya.

Taiki and Seiya laughed as neither of them accepted his handshake. "I think they will be happy to see us again. I don't think they could have forgotten about us so quickly, it's only been a year." Taiki calmed his laughing. (Yes, Taiki laughs in this fic.)

"Are you going to be able to do this? I mean it looks like they are still together." Yaten questioned Seiya as he became a little more serious.

Seiya gave Yaten a half eyed look. "Of course I'll be alright. Who do you think you're talking to anyway?"

They knew he was lying but so no use in confronting him about the matter. They saw the inners making their way over to the area that Mamoru and Kakyuu were sitting, they hadn't spotted the lights yet. They all seemed to be in high spirits as they climbed the hill to meet the other two. The lights go up and walked casually over to the meeting spot. Taiki saw Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru also heading in that direction.

Hotaru ran and jumped on Usagi as soon as she recognized her. "Kitten." She hugged her. Haruka laughed as Michiru corrected her saying that only Haruka calls her that and that she should address her as Usagi.

"It's alright." Usagi told her. "You may call me whatever you'd like." She smiled down at Hotaru who beamed back at her 'mother'.

That smile, just that one was enough to make his heart melt and refill his mind with the light that he remembered her in. He didn't realize that he had stopped walking until Yaten's voice brought him back. "Seiya, aren't you coming?"

The inners must have heard Yaten because they all quickly turned to look in our direction noticing them for the first time. The girl's faces lit up with joy as they rushed over to greet the three new comers. Everyone exchanged hugs and hellos before settling down on the grass below.

"So did you like your surprise Kitten?" Haruka asked her as she squeezed her with one arm closer to her. Usagi nodded and smiled at the three across from her. The questions went on and on until finally they felt that all of their questions were answered.

"Did you save my seat in school?" Seiya asked Usagi. He didn't know how Mamoru was going to react to him talking with her so he figured he'd get that out of the way first thing.

"No, we have a different classroom this year, but there's an empty seat in front of me. Hey maybe you can sit there." Usagi got excited at the thought of the lights attending their school again. Mamoru had no reaction to this and seemed to keep his cool. Seiya was relieved that he didn't have a problem with them and was thankful that he was going to be able to spend time with Usagi without a problem.

"Are you guys going to rekindle your singing careers?" Makoto asked. She was sitting with Ami and Minako on either side of her.

Taiki spoke up for the three of them. "No, we've decided not to, although Yaten was going to get back into modeling. Other than that we are going to try to lay low and live normal lives." He smiled at the thought.

"Thank you all for accepting us here and if there is any thing you ever need please don't hesitate to ask us." Kakyuu couldn't begin to show her gratitude but meekly tried.

"Hey, what are friends for! There's no need to thank us, and besides, having a real princess around might give Usagi the inspiration she needs to become one!" Rei commented, the last part in an evil tone.

"Rei, you're so nasty!" Usagi stuck her tongue out at the black haired girl.

Rei pointed her finger at Usagi. "See what I'm talking about?" She then proceeded to have a mini war with her. Everyone sweat dropped.

"We'd better be going if we're going to find a place to live." Yaten commented. None of them were too thrilled about staying at Mamoru's house for another night. It was just too awkward for them, not to mention clean. They were afraid to touch anything for fear that he'd have a fit!

They said their goodbyes as the three groups went in their separate directions. The outers and Mamoru were heading for the outers house, the lights and Kakyuu went apartment hunting while the girls searched for a car for Makoto.

"Why was I not surprised that you weren't able to control yourself when you saw Yaten?" Makoto shook her head low. Minako had run up and jumped on the poor guy as soon as she spotted him almost knocking him down.

Minako blushed. "With the proper warning I probably could have done it but you guys just sprung that one on me!" She miserably tried to defend herself with no success.

"You guys are so lucky that they're going to be going to your school again!" Rei spouted out in jealousy. "I'm still not going to let you have a date with Seiya though!" She threatened Usagi.

Usagi threw her hands up in defense. "What?! What gave you that idea? I have Mamoru." She had a big sweat drop and a closed eyes smile.

Rei smacked her on the back hard. "I'm just kidding with you!" She laughed and Usagi forced a giggle.

'Am I that obvious that I've been thinking about him?' She thought to herself but quickly dismissed it. "What about this one?" She pointed a bright pink car out to Makoto.

Makoto of course didn't like it but Minako had huge hearts in her eyes while standing next to her staring at it. "I want a convertible." Makoto said. "And I don't want such a loud color." She thought she was going to puke from the resemblance of Pepto-Bismol.

Usagi just laughed and said that she was only kidding. Ami was actually a pretty good mechanic. She had picked up the skills while helping a woman fix an old car. Sure the others helped to, but they only did what Ami had directed them to do. Ami proceeded to look at and examine all of the cars that Makoto picked out carefully. Some how she found a problem with everyone.

"It doesn't have to be perfect you know!" Makoto tried to tell her before she rejected every car on the lot.

Ami smiled that she understood and became a little more lenient in her scrutinizing. Finally they found one that matched everyone's criteria. It was a Volkswagen Thing. Ami said they were really easy to work on and Makoto liked it because it was a convertible.

Rei and Makoto haggled with the salesman. Rei was good at arguing so Makoto thought it was a good idea to bring her along. She was right, she ended up getting the car for dirt-cheap!

On the other side of town the lights and Kakyuu were going on interviews for apartments. Since it was Saturday and nearing the first of the month there were a lot of open houses. They all finally settled on one, actually Kakyuu, Seiya and Taiki would have taken any of the ones that they looked at that day, but it was Yaten that needed the convincing. They had all decided to live together since they were pretty much a family anyway and didn't know how to survive without one another.

"I don't think my room is big enough." Yaten complained as he looked in at Taiki's.

Taiki just rolled his eyes up and sighed. "Fine Yaten, if it makes you happy you may take my room." Kakyuu laughed at the two bickering while Seiya watched. He was happy to see his princess happy again. They had been through so much it was nice to see her let go once in a while. Now that she was just an ordinary girl, no crown or gown to denote that she was in fact a princess, he noticed just how beautiful she was.

Kakyuu noticed Seiya staring at her and tried to bring him back to reality. "Seiya are you trying to tell me that you don't think your room is big enough either?" She laughed as he snapped out of his thoughts. He blushed as he realized that he had been staring.

"No." Is all that he replied.

The apartment began to fill up with furniture slowly as they made it their home. They were relieved that it was available immediately and they wouldn't have to spend another night at Mamoru's apartment. "I don't know, I didn't really mind it." Kakyuu spoke up as she was putting dishes away.

"Yeah, that's because you didn't have to sleep on the floor!" Yaten pointed out, he was amused that the princess was doing simple house hold chores, something he never thought he see her have to do.

"I'm sorry. There was something about him though wasn't there?" Kakyuu questioned as a dish slipped out of her hand and broke on the floor. The loud noise brought everyone's full attention to her. They all helped her clean it up.