Act Two - Welcome Home, Minako!

That Saturday, Usagi, Rei, and Ami went to the airport to welcome Minako back to Tokyo. Even though Minako had sworn her to secrecy about her coming home, Usagi just couldn't resist telling her closest friends. She was going to be so surprised, especially when they got back to Makoto's apartment.

"What gate is Minako-chan's plane supposed to land?" Rei asked, leading the girls through the bustling Tokyo International Airport.

"Gate S24," Ami answered. She had already pulled out a map of the airport and was trying to figure out the shortest way to get to the gate. "Let's turn left, down that hall. It doesn't seem as crowded."

"No argument there," Usagi exclaimed.

The three girls turned the corner, relieved to be out of that mob scene. The airport was even busier than usual. Usagi didn't think that they would ever get out of there.

"Why do they have to make these airports so big?" she whined, rubbing her sore elbow, which she accidentally hit on someone's suitcase. "I'm starting to wish that I stayed at Mako-chan's apartment and helped her decorate for the party."

"Stop complaining, Usagi!" Rei ordered. "You're the one who suggested that we come here to welcome Minako-chan home in the first place."

"A girl can change her mind, can't she?"

"You are such a meatball head! I still don't see what Mamoru-san sees in you. He deserves so much better than the likes of you, especially now that he's a multi-millionaire."

Usagi stuck out her tongue. "You're just jealous!"

Ami inwardly groaned as Usagi and Rei began shouting insults at each other. Twenty-two years old and those two were still acting like five year olds! You would think that they would learn to stop teasing each other by now, but, no… It had gotten worse. She almost wished they would go back to the way things used to be.

"Come on, guys. Stop fighting. We need to find Gate S24. Minako-chan's flight is scheduled to land in less than fifteen minutes."

"She started it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"I don't care who started it!" Ami uncharacteristically snapped. "Just cut it out. People are starting to stare."

Sure enough, when Usagi and Rei looked around, they discovered that they had drawn a small audience. Both women blushed red with embarrassment as Ami simply started walking in the other direction, pretending that she didn't know them.

"Ami-chan! Wait for us!" Usagi cried out, running toward the blue-haired doctor. Rei was right on her heels. "We'll get lost without your help."

"Excuse me? Do I know you, ma'am?" Ami replied once they caught up with her. It was taking all her willpower to keep a straight face.

"Stop teasing us, Ami-chan! We're sorry. We'll behave, promise!"

Ami smiled, never able to stay mad at those two for long. They were her best friends, after all. After consulting the map one more time, the trio finally made it to Gate S24, only to discover that Minako's flight had been delayed for one hour.

"What?! You mean we ran all the way over here for nothing?" Usagi exclaimed, trying to catch her breath.

"Well, look on the bright side, meatball head. At least we'll be sure to be here when Minako-chan arrives. I can't wait to see the look on her face!"

"Me neither!" Ami agreed.

Aino Minako left Tokyo soon after high school graduation to pursue her life long dream of becoming a movie star. She became an overnight sensation with a starring role opposite Chris Winters, the latest teen heartthrob, in a big-budget film called Foreign Tongues, which lead to even more roles and fame. However, Minako decided it was time to take a sabbatical after the filming wrapped up on her latest flick, Bloody Mary (which explained the makeup she was wearing the other day) in order to retool her bombshell image and get more dramatic roles. Plus, she really missed Tokyo and all her friends.

"I can't wait to hear about all the stars she's met. I bet you she has some hot gossip on that Chris Winters hunk. He's so cute!" Usagi said, her smile quickly turning into a pout. "It's not fair! She gets all the luck, hanging out with all those cute guys and actually getting paid to kiss them. I'm so jealous!"

Rei's eyes sparkled with mischief as she held out Ami's pen as a microphone. "So, Usagi, inquiring minds want to know. If Mamoru-san gave you permission to sleep with the one movie star of your choice, who would you choose?"

"That's easy. I'd go for Chr… Wait a minute! I'm not telling you. You know that the only man in my life is my Mamo-chan. I would never cheat on him, even if he gave me permission."

"Riiiiight… So, that was why you were about to say Chris Winters? I think Mamoru-san would be very interested in hearing about this."

"You wouldn't dare…"

The priestess smiled innocently. "I wouldn't dare do what?"

"Usagi-chan, why aren't you wearing your engagement ring?" Ami asked, cutting in before they began another fight. "Did you leave it at home?"

The blonde quickly looked down at her bare left hand and turned a pale shade of white. Her ring! It was missing. "Oh, no! Please tell me it's around here somewhere…" she prayed, getting down on her hands and knees, searching for the missing ring. "Mamo-chan will kill me if I've lost it!"

The other girls joined her in the search. "I can't believe you lost it, Usagi!" Rei said, kneeling beside her friend. "You really are a meatball head. How long have you had it? A week?"

"Shut up, Rei-chan!" she snapped. "I'm not in the mood. We have to find that ring!"

Knowing how Usagi could get when she was upset, Ami rested her hand on her shoulders, coaching her through some relaxation exercises. Once she was calmed down, Ami began asking her questions about what happened.

"Are you sure you were wearing it this morning? Maybe you left it on your dresser or something."

"Yes, I'm sure. I wear it all the time," she said, trying her best not to cry. This was horrible! Mamoru was going to hate her.

Rei stood up, finding that the search was futile. The ring was nowhere in sight. She must have lost it on the way to the gate. "Sorry, Usagi. I don't see it anywhere."

Now Usagi really did start to cry. How could she have lost the ring? She didn't even notice it was gone until Ami pointed it out to her. Rei pulled her into a comforting hug, letting her weep on her shoulder.

"Maybe somebody's found it and turned it over to the authorities," Ami suggested. "I'll go check it out. You two stay here, okay?"

Rei continued to comfort her friend as the young doctor faced the crowd again to find the security office. She sure hoped Ami was right about somebody finding the ring, because no matter how much they fought, she hated seeing Usagi so upset.

Shortly after Ami left, a striking woman with piercing green eyes and long raven hair approached the two. A shy little boy with the same gorgeous eyes was holding tightly onto her hand. The woman gently tapped Usagi on the shoulder.

Usagi glanced up, surprised. For some reason, the woman's face looked vaguely familiar to her, but that was impossible. She had never seen the woman before in her life.

"Excuse me, miss," the woman said in a slight foreign accent. "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation and I was wondering if this ring happened to belong to you. I found it in the hall by the restrooms and was just on my way to hand it over to security."

Much to Usagi's amazement and relief, the woman pulled the missing ring from her purse. Usagi nodded, taking the ring from the woman's hand and placing it back on her finger. She never was going to lose it again.

"I don't know how to thank you, ma'am," Usagi gushed. "I was so upset when I discovered it was missing. It's my engagement ring."

"I certainly understand. It really is a beautiful ring, and I personally would have been devastated if I lost something that was obviously very special. I'm just glad that I was able to find the owner."

Taking out her wallet, Usagi pulled out a crisp 100 dollar bill, which she handed to the woman. "Please accept this as a reward. I really appreciate you finding my ring."

"No, I couldn't," the woman refused, shaking her head. "I didn't return the ring for money. It is plenty reward for me to see that smile on your face. You are going to make a beautiful bride, and your fiancé is very lucky."

"Thank you… I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."

"I'm Jade Green, and this is my son, Damian. It's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Rei replied, shaking Jade's hand. "My name is Hino Rei, and she's Tsukino Usagi."

"Hello, Damian-chan, it's very nice to meet you," Usagi said, ruffling the child's dark hair, which he didn't seem to like too much. The boy quickly ran behind his mother's long black skirt, holding onto her leg.

By that time, Ami had returned from the security office empty-handed and was surprised to find her friends talking with the exotic woman with the dark green eyes.

"And this is Mizuno Ami-sensei," Usagi said as Ami walked over. "Ami-chan, meet Jade Green. She found my ring."

"It's nice to meet you, Green-san," she replied, shaking her hand.

Glancing down at her very expensive looking gold watch, Jade's eyes widened. "Oh, I hate to run, girls, but my friend's flight is about to arrive. I hope you and your fiancé are very happy together. I wish you luck. Sayonara."

"Sayonara!"

As Jade walked away from the three girls, dragging her son behind her, her dark red lips turned up in a small, mysterious smile. Princess Serenity, you are such an idiot! There won't be a wedding if I have anything to do with it. Enjoy your precious Endymion while you can because you won't have him for long.

A stunning young woman with long blonde hair pulled back with an ever-present red bow looked around the busy airport as she went through customs, thinking just how glad she was to finally be back home. She hadn't realize she missed Tokyo so much. L.A. was wonderful, of course, but it just couldn't compare to the beauty of her hometown.

It was going to be so great to see all her friends again, especially her faithful guardian cat Artemis. Makoto volunteered to look after him while she was in the U.S. so that he could stay with Luna, with whom he finally admitted he was in love with. While she'd been a tad peeved that Artemis would rather stay with his lady love than with his mistress, as the soldier of love, she understood. She always knew those two were meant for each other.

Putting on a pair of dark sunglasses and a stylish hat once she had been cleared, the starlet bravely faced the crowds, hoping that nobody would recognize her. The last thing she needed was a repeat of her previous visit. She was almost killed by a mob of screaming fans who had gathered at the airport especially to see her.

This time she had been more careful about her travel plans, buying her ticket under an assumed name and making sure she had a disguise ready. In fact, she was so secretive about her plans that she hadn't even told her agent. Lucas was going to blow a gasket-case when he learned that his star client left the country without even telling him.

Only Usagi knew that she was coming, and even though she made her promise not to tell the other Sailor Soldiers, she figured that everyone knew by now. Usagi could never keep a secret, especially one as big as this one. That was why the blonde actress was searching the crowd, looking for the familiar faces of her best friends. They were here, she could feel it in her bones. And when she got her hands on Tsukino Usagi…

They were, as she suspected, standing in front of Gate S24. Smiling, she mentally patted herself on the back for thinking to tell Usagi the wrong flight information. The blonde was a lot smarter than most people (namely Artemis) gave her credit for. Walking over to the three girls, she lightly tapped the blue-haired doctor on the shoulder. This was going to be her greatest performance yet.

"May I help you, Miss?" Ami asked, polite and helpful as always. She hadn't change a bit. Well, except for the slightly longer hairstyle that suited her rather nicely.

"Yes, this is my first visit to Tokyo and I'm afraid I'm completely lost," she said, using the patented English accent she picked up during her Sailor V days in London. "Could you give me the address of a restaurant called Clouds? I'm supposed to meet a friend there, but I have no idea where to go."

"Oh, it isn't all that far from the airport. All you have to do is get on Highway 45 and drive about two miles, then you… Girls, it isn't polite to stare!"

Ami glared at Usagi and Rei, who were rather rudely staring at the "stranger". The actress smothered a nervous giggle. This wasn't going as well as she expected. They suspected something.

"Something seems familiar about you," Rei said, rubbing her chin in thought. Her violet eyes were sparkling playfully. "I can't quite put my finger on it… Usagi, what do you think?"

The pigtailed blonde nodded her head enthusiastically. "That long hair…that horrible accent…the Sailor Venus wrist communicator that you forgot to take off…"

She glanced down at her arm, mentally kicking herself for forgetting such a minor, yet important, detail. Realizing she'd been discovered, Aino Minako slid her shades down her nose, revealing her pretty baby-blue eyes. This performance definitely wasn't Oscar-caliber, although did she actually believe that she could manage to fool her best friends?

"Surprise?" she said meekly as the girls began hugging her tightly and jumping around wildly.

"Minako-chan, I've missed you so much!" Usagi confessed. "We all are so happy to have you back, especially Artemis. He's missed you like crazy."

"Yeah, I missed the little fur-ball myself. Hey, where's Mako-chan? Didn't she come?"

Ami shook her head. "Mako-chan's at the apartment with Artemis and Luna. She really did want to come, Minako-chan, but she just couldn't deal with it…"

Minako understood. It was still hard for Makoto to get anywhere near an airplane. The pain from her parents' death was still fresh in her mind, even though years had passed since then. She was getting better though. For her twenty-first birthday, Makoto actually managed to fly all the way to Los Angeles to see her, with a little prodding from her friends, of course. That was the best birthday ever. She and the girls had gone to the Viper Room, the club to go to in Hollywood, and got drunk out of their senses, even if Makoto was about a month underage. However, she was so tall, no one even bothered to card her, and if they had, she probably would have beat them up.

"So, do you have a boyfriend yet?" Rei teased, poking Minako in the ribs.

The cool and confident movie star actually blushed. While it was true that she had been dating up a storm in Hollywood, none of the guys she met held a candle to her first love, Alan, whom she met in England. Even now, she compared all her boyfriends to him. In a ironic twist of faith, the woman most men worshipped as a sex symbol was actually still a virgin, wanting her first time to be with a man she really loved. The other girls liked to tease her about it, especially Rei, even though the priestess was also still a virgin herself (although out of necessity and not by choice).

"I've been on a few dates, but I don't know… I never really clicked with anyone," she replied modestly.

"Don't worry, Minako-chan," Usagi comforted her. "Your handsome prince will come someday. Until then, let me borrow that hat It's so cool!"

Before she could protest, Usagi grabbed her beret, revealing the signature red ribbon in her hair. A couple of (rather cute) boys started pointing in their direction, and much to Minako's annoyance, the tall one shouted, "Hey, isn't that Aino Minako? The movie star?"

Oh, no! With no time to explain, Minako grabbed Usagi's wrist and began running toward the entrance of the airport. Rei and Ami were following closely behind.

"Where's the fire, Minako-chan?" Usagi asked breathlessly.

Instead of answering her, Minako began sprinting faster, dragging poor Usagi with her. Managing to glance behind them, her mouth formed into an understanding "o".

"It's a stampede!"

The taxi pulled up in front of Makoto's apartment building about twenty minutes later. As the four girls piled out of the yellow car, the driver rubbed his temple with his fingers, glad that they were finally getting out. The entire ride from the airport was filled with high-pitched squeals and endless fighting between the blonde with the strange hairstyle and the sexy priestess, giving him the worst headache of his life. All he had to say was that they better give him a good tip after the misery they put him through.

"That'll be fifteen dollars, miss," he informed the other blonde, the one that looked kind of familiar. Minako started to pull out her wallet when Usagi came over and paid the cabbie with a 100 bill.

"Don't worry, Minako-chan. This is on me. You can keep the change, sir."

The cabbie's eyes lit up at the sight of so much money. He never got this big of a tip from his other customers. Those girls might have been annoying, but boy were they loaded! "Thank you, miss," he replied, staring at the two girls for a second. The other blonde certainly did look familiar, but he didn't recall ever meeting her before. Then, suddenly, it hit him. "Hey, you're Aino Minako, aren't you? The girl who played Chris Winters' love interest in Foreign Tongues? My son is absolutely in love with you. Would you mind giving me your autograph?"

The movie star smiled brightly. She always loved meeting fans, just not all at once. "Sure, I'd love too. What's your son's name?"

He handed Minako a pen and a piece of paper, and she quickly jotted down a short message for his son.

Meanwhile, Rei and Ami were busy getting Minako's luggage out of the trunk. She certainly didn't travel light. Grabbing the final large suitcase and dropping it on the sidewalk, Rei sighed. "Minako-chan, what did you do? Buy every single piece of clothing available on Rodeo Drive?"

"Come on, Rei-chan. You know how the old saying goes, 'You got to shop until you max out all your credit cards'."

Ami shook her head in exasperation. Minako still managed to mangle up even the most common sayings. "I think you mean 'shop until you drop'."

"Whatever. You know what I meant. I admit it, I'm a shopaholic. Maybe I should join Shoppers Anonymous or something."

"But then you wouldn't be the Minako-chan we all know and love," Usagi said, taking the opportunity to cover her friend's eyes with a bandanna.

"Oh, don't tell me that you planned me a surprise party!" Minako groaned good-naturedly as Usagi tied the fabric behind her head. "You know how much I hate surprises."

"What are you talking about? You love surprises. And what makes you think that we're planning anything special in the first place?"

Minako rolled her eyes, even though they couldn't see. "You don't have to pretend anymore, Usagi-chan. Don't worry, though. I'll act really surprised."

"Well I hope it's better than that Bridget Jones' impersonation at the airport."

The blonde playfully swatted her hand, intending to hit Usagi, but instead caught only the cool autumn air. Before she could protest anymore, Usagi pushed Minako forward toward the apartment building as Rei and Ami followed behind, practically hidden behind a stack of Italian leather luggage. "Remind me to cut up all her credit cards when we get inside," Rei muttered under her breath as they entered lobby.

Inside the apartment, Makoto was making last minute arrangements for the party. Mentally, she went over her list of things to do. Bake the cake, check. Put out refreshments, check. Spike the punch, (double) check. Blow up balloons, check. It looked like everything was just about ready for the party. All was left to do was put up the "Happy Birthday" sign above the door.

"Shinozaki-kun, could you hold the ladder steady for me?" she asked, climbing onto the first rail. Shinozaki quickly let the balloon he was blowing deflate, flying across the room, and went over to assist his best friend.

"There's something I still don't understand, Mako-chan," he admitted as she began hanging up the banner. "Why are we throwing Minako a birthday party? I thought her birthday was on the 22nd, but today is the 5th. It's still over two weeks away."

"Because she totally won't expect it. It's the ultimate surprise. I mean, everyone expects a surprise party on their actual birthday. This way, Minako won't suspect a thing."

"That is, unless Usagi opens her big mouth," Luna replied, walking into the living room with Artemis. "I told you that telling her about the party would be a big mistake. That girl couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it."

Makoto rolled her emerald eyes at the black cat. "Come on, Luna. Give the girl a little credit. I mean, she did manage to keep the fact that she's Sailor Moon from her closest friends and family a secret for over three years."

"True, but still…"

After hanging up the banner, Makoto's eyes scanned the room in a final inspection. Everything was absolutely perfect. She had decorated the room in orange, yellow, and gold, Minako's favorite colors, which contrasted nicely with the hunter green living room, and the triple chocolate cake she baked smelled delicious. All the guests, including the Outers, Mamoru, Yuuichiro, Ryo, and a special surprise, were already there and were trying to find a good hiding place. She smiled in satisfaction. All they needed now was the guest of honor.

Sitting by the window that looked out onto the parking lot as look-out, Hotaru's eyes widened as she saw the taxi pull up into the circle in front to the building. "They're here!" she shouted, provoking another one of Setsuna's glares.

At the announcement that Minako and the girls had finally arrived, the room became a scene of pure and utter chaos as everyone tried to find a place to hide. Unfortunately, in his haste to find a spot, Shinozaki forgot that he was supposed to be holding the ladder steady, causing Makoto to scream at the top of her lungs as she began falling.

"Mako-chan!" he exclaimed, catching her in his arms just in time and falling on the floor. Both of them were blushing a bright red at the proximity of their bodies.

"Uh…thanks, Shinozaki-kun, I think," she stuttered, quickly pulling away from his grasp. Shinozaki, in turn, stood up. Trying to get a hold of her emotions, she then proceeded to scold him for making such a stupid mistake. "Although you were supposed to be holding the ladder still…"

"I'm sorry. Friends?"

He looked so pathetic, standing there over her and offering his hand to help her get up that Makoto couldn't help but smile. "I guess so," she teased, allowing him to assist her off the floor. "But next time…"

Finally, everyone was ready and hidden from view, except for the special guest, who was standing right in the center of the room so that Minako would immediately notice him. In nervousness, he wiped his sweaty hands on the side of his jeans. Why did he ever agree to this? Yes, he once did have a crush on her (actually, he still did) and she seemed to like him, but come on! She was a movie star and he was…well, he was no Chris Winters. This was insane!

As the sounds of footsteps and animated voices came closer and closer to the door, the man could feel his heart speed up faster. What if she didn't like him anymore? What if she was still hung up on that Alan guy she met in London? What if…

"Gee, we're at Mako-chan's apartment. I wonder why we're here," Minako's purposely exaggerated voice called out from behind the door. Usagi moaned, and Rei let out an ear-splitting shriek as one of the movie star's suitcases landed on her foot.

"Who's the clumsy one now?" Usagi teased.

Even though none of the people inside could see, most could imagine the look on the priestess's face. "If you were helping us instead of just standing there like a lump on a log…"

"I'm coming in now!" Minako announced, opening the door just as Usagi and Rei began another argument.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MINAKO-CHAN!" everyone inside yelled.

The look on the actress's face as she walked into the room could not under any circumstances have been rehearsed. It was pure and total shock, although not because of the sight of all her friends behind the furniture wearing party hats and throwing streamers. She only had eyes for one person in the room, the handsome man holding a bouquet of a dozen roses in his hands.

"Asai-kun?!"