AN: Hi! * waves way too enthusiastically * I just spent some time looking for inspiration in a few SM pictures. If you have never seen any manga Usagi images, you are seriously missing out. I just recently found one where our sweet Usagi has a tattoo! * shakes her head * I know, I know, I won't give her one in this fic but in later one I am gonna give her one!

A Day in the life of Ren Hikari…(cont'd)

" Why me…?"

'It was just going to be one of those days', Usagi decided as she watched the gang of 4 in the alley surround her. One of them moved to block the exit.

'Oh wow! I am so scared!' She thought sarcastically, while she rolled her eyes. She really didn't have time to put up with all this. The day was getting late and she was already behind schedule. Right now she just wanted to find out where she was going.

'I'm gonna be late!' she gave a mental shrug, ' I guess old habits die hard'

Taking a mentally survey of the situation Usagi came up with a simple plan for the easiest way to avoid a fight.

After all fights took time.

And she didn't want to waste any time on a bunch of idiots that choose the wrong girl to mess with.

'Okay this is not a big deal. Just play it cool and coy and everything will go smoothly'.

She quickly arranged her features into a look of innocence and shyness. A look that had never been a problem for her to achieve. Usagi made the motion to leave and was about to walk pass the two men 'guarding' the only escape only to be stopped by what had to be the leader of the pack. She gave him an appraising glance, instantly thinking he was not much to look at.

He had chaotic red hair and muddy brown eyes. If he didn't have that scar across his face he might have been attractive… in another universe.

However, Scarface didn't seem to agree with her unhindered departure. He grabbed her arm and squeezed it tightly probably in attempt to hurt her.

It wasn't working.

"And just where do you think you're going, little girl?" 'Maybe away from here you repulsive idiot'. His voice was as attractive as he was. It was scratchy and it reminded her of a frog's croak. Usagi wasn't sure if she should answer him, or give him a large disgusting fly to eat.

Her innocent look melted away as annoyance quickly spread upon her face.

"I'm leaving" she stated slowly and simply, as if she where talking to a retarded child. 'Please let these idiots go away' she pleaded mentally, 'I am not in the mood!!' She snatched her arm from his grasp and tried again to walk away without a fight, though the chances of a peaceful departure were not likely. He seized her arm again not knowing that her infamous patience was waning with every second he touched her. 'Relax Usa. Keep a hold of your temper…' she told herself.

"No, your not," he stated, like her staying was a fact. 'Yeah that's gonna happen!'

She angrily yanked her arm away. Had she sleeves she would have pushed them up but since she didn't she just crossed her arms over her chest, this time in a show of her defiance.

'So much for staying out of trouble' she thought sardonically mentally preparing for a fight. Usagi didn't like violence and she especially didn't like hurting the innocent but looking at them now.

'There not that damn innocent.'

"Oh really?" she asked coldly staring into his leeching eyes, "And why, may I ask, not?"

Telling by the leer on he and his 'friends' faces she knew why they didn't want her to leave but she wanted to hear out of his yellow-toothed mouth.

"Cause me and my buddies here…" he jerked his thumb towards his buddies, "haven't seen a girl like you around before, and we thought we might have some… fun." His friends laughed when he said 'fun'.

'Oh golly gee whiz and because I'm a completely brain dead blonde, I wonder what kind of "fun" they want to have?'

She seriously was not in the mood for this shit.

"Well," she said feigning sadness, "I hate to burst your gigantic egos but I've got more important things to do today. So I'll just…" Scarface interrupted before she could finish.

"You're not leaving." It was a command. Her eyes narrowed into slits. No one told her what to do anymore.

"And what, pray tell, are you gonna do if I leave?" Usagi let the question hang in the air like a thick fog.

These guys had no idea who they were dealing with, and she had had enough of this game.

~~~~~~~~~~* Elsewhere *

"HAI!" the normally quiet senshi of ice shouted happily.

"WHAT?!?" Needless to say everyone was a little anxious for the results. They were figuratively and some literally crossing their fingers and toes for good news.

"I've lost the signal. She hung up before I got her exact location but I was able to get a more specific location than before. I'm going to try to use these readings with the previous readings to see if I can trace her aura." Ami's tone was still happy when she finished speaking.

Everyone fell silent. It was Minako that broke that silence.

"I'm sorry if I'm asking a dumb question but how is that good, Ami-chan?" Minako asked confused. True, she didn't understand how the Mercury's computer worked but wasn't losing Usagi's signal bad?

Ami went into explanation mode. "Well even though the signal got lost I'm able to scan the information I have to see if there is any difference between my earlier readings and this one, so next time I'll have an even better chance at tracing her aura and therefore finding her. And…according to the latest readings Usagi's in…Los Angeles?!"

Silence before the storm.

"WHAT!" the outburst was nearly deafening and Ami quickly covered her ears.

"How did Koneko-chan get to Los Angeles?" asked Haruka, thinking aloud. She wasn't really expecting a response, but she got one a rather rude one.

"Probably the same way she got to America and all the other places she's been!" Rei snapped at Haruka. Her nerves were already on end, why was Haruka asking stupid questions!

Tempers flared and Haruka's was one of them. "Listen up, Pyro. I have had about enough of you and that mouth! But I'll be happy to…"

Haruka didn't feel like fighting but if the flamethrower wanted a go at it…

Makoto interrupted Haruka before she could finish her threat.

"SO ANYWAY! Could we get back on the subject" She purposely looked at Haruka and Rei before she continued. "Where do you think Usagi's getting all this money? I mean, the only money she had she always spent at the arcade or the mall. So how could she afford to travel to all these different places? Where was she last time?" Makoto questioned absentmindedly.

"Iceland."

Most of the heads in the room turned at the quiet reply from the smallest senshi. Hotaru didn't understand why Usagi-chan had left in the first place but she knew that she would eventually come back.

Usagi had to come back.

She looked at the arguing Senshi. Otherwise… things were going to get really ugly. She watched as Haruka and Rei got into another argument while Makoto, Minako and Michiru tried to calm them down. Hotaru turned her head to the left to see Ami typing on her computer in an isolated corner working quietly. Setsuna-mama was right next to Hotaru but her attention seemed to be elsewhere.

Following Setsuna's line of vision Hotaru saw Mamoru-sama in another corner of the room muttering to himself.

Hotaru was stunned. In all of her lives, this one and the others she probably didn't want to remember included, she had never seen the Earth Prince look so…pathetic and completely lost.

"I'd have to agree with you, Hotaru-chan." Hotaru blushed slightly; she didn't think she'd said that out loud. Setsuna gazed at her charge with amused eyes as she saw the slight reddening of her cheeks.

There weren't a lot of people that could hide things from her and Hotaru was one of them. The one they were trying so hard to find, Usagi was what the Time Guardian would definitely call a wild card.

Rules rolled off that girl's back like water. Which was very frustrating considering Usagi was only slightly aware of that fact and she was able to manipulate the time gates enough to block Setsuna's vision with ease.

Hotaru looked up at Setsuna embarrassed at having said that and having had someone heard it. She then noticed that now the fighting had stopped and everyone but Ami were giving Mamoru sympathetic looks, which he was completely oblivious to.

His thoughts were someplace else, and with the new silence they could all hear his mutters all too clearly.

"This is all my fault. I shouldn't have ignored her. I should have listened and not been so damn selfish…" as he berated his self, his mumbling grew softer and softer until the others couldn't hear it anymore. Not that they wanted to.

Most of the senshi were inclined to agree with him. They still didn't know why Usagi was gone, and Mamoru wasn't willing to share. So judging from past experiences they were forced to assume that, like always, he had done something stupid. He hadn't bother correct them or even try to defend himself. He simply sat in his corner, muttering and holding his head between his hands, only showing a sign of sanity when 'the' call came only then would he return to some semblance of his former self.

Even Haruka was starting to get a little worried about him. They could only hope that they found Usagi soon then so this whole mess could be cleared up and their world could once again be normal.

'Or what pasts for normal around here.' Hotaru stopped her contemplation and returned to just sitting there silently between the know seated warrior of wind and the ever calm keeper of time. She watched as Haruka and Michiru started talking in hushed whispers. As usual isolating themselves from the group. She vaguely wondered what they were talking about but judging by their serious faces she probably didn't want to know.

In soft tones Haruka and Michiru spoke of the situation at hand.

"I don't see why we have to wait!" Haruka whispered fervently, "The inners are annoying," she shot a look at the glaring fire senshi, "and are taking too long. We should be out there looking for her!" Michiru placed a soothing hand on her partner's arm as her voice rose to higher level and whispered back as calmly as she could. After all just because she was calm didn't mean she wasn't as worried as the rest of the senshi.

"Haruka," Michiru admonished, " you know why we have to wait. The mirror refuses to show me where Usagi-chan is and Setsuna and Rei's vision is blocked." A look of pride mixed with anger crossed her usually serene features. "Where ever the princess is she went through a lot of trouble to not be found." Turning her head so her companion wouldn't hear her she whispered almost silently,

"I just hope where ever Usagi is, she's staying out of trouble."

~~~~~~~~~~*Back in the Alley *

'I'm in trouble. Okay. So coy didn't work and it looks like I'm gonna have to fight my way out of here.' Usagi allowed herself a little grin.

Now Usagi wasn't by nature cocky or arrogant but…

'Piece of cake…'

She quickly took an alert stance should any of the idiots try something. The gang watched her take a fighting stance and had the nerve to taunt and laugh at her. "Aw… Does the little girl want to play?"

Usagi growled in the back of her throat and had to physically restrain herself but she let her annoyance show openly on her face as she bared her teeth.

That little girl crap was getting real old, real fast.

She was gonna have to hurt him. Badly.

"So, let's play."

'Don't the other morons with him know how to talk?' she vaguely wondered as she saw one the guys at the alley opening rush at her. She sidestepped his attempted attack and spun around to kick him straight in the spine. He flew into the nearby garbage cans on the other side of the alley and she rolled her eyes as he began moaning in pain.

'Pathetic…' Her eyes widened as she watched him go from moaning to rolling on the ground groaning in agony, screaming about being paralyzed for life.

Usagi had to stop herself from laughing. Seeing a person in pain usually wasn't funny to Usagi but honestly, she hadn't hit him that hard and he was acting like she had traumatized him or something.

The second guy who was also guarding the exit ran to his friend's rescue as he continued to writhe on the ground. He was about a foot bigger than the first guy and tried to use his size to wrestle her to the ground. He lunged at her and grabbed her tiny waist. With one hand holding her waist he used to his other arm and tried to put her in a headlock while slowly pushing her to the ground. As his arm tightened around her neck she used her shoulder to flip him over, body slamming him into the cement.

'So he wants to play wrestler…?' An evil glint entered her baby blues. 'Let's wrestle!'

He was still dazed when she flipped him over on his stomach and using her knees plopped all of her weight on his back. Not much weight but the desired effect occurred. His friends watched in disgust as she twisted and bent his arm backwards in a painful grip. He cried out in pain and began bucking and squirming underneath her. Usagi glanced up and took in their horrified expressions with apparent glee. None of them expected the 'little girl' to be able to defend herself or for her to be that strong.

Bending his arm further back her eyes widened as she took in the time from his imitation watch. She was having so much fun too.

Usagi continued bending his arm until she heard him squeak in pain.

One of her golden eyebrows rose at that sound. It had been a while since she made a grown man squeak. Rolling him onto his back she decided that he'd had enough and punched him in the face, immediately knocking him unconscious.

She moved to get off him just in time to avoid a blow to her own face. Looks like idiot number three had decided to join in the fun.

'Good' she thought with a wicked grin on her face. She decided to use the skills she learned.

'Observation…'

'This guy is good' she thought as she evaded all of his hits. He was throwing punches and kicks at her like a professional.

'So' she asked herself while she continued to dodge his blows, 'what's he doing hanging out with a bunch of losers like these?' He feigned a punch to the left and she, instinctively, dodged it, only to be struck by his fist coming from the right. She staggered as the hit connected with her jaw and her teeth clicked in her mouth. She slowly brought her hand to her mouth and wiped the blood from her bottom lip. 'Okay…maybe I deserved that' she thought as she took her stance. Her lip was busted, her eyes narrowed in anger and now he had to pay. 'No more games!'

She jumped up and lashed out with a roundhouse kick that landed on the side of his face. He staggered back from the blow. She faked a punch to his face and he dodged, confidently, and received a knee connecting with his stomach. While he was hunched over clutching his stomach she took her balled her fists and slammed him in the back.

He fell to the floor motionless.

Bending down she placed her index and forefingers on his neck feeling for a pulse.

'He's alive.' She thought with relief. Usagi hadn't killed an innocent being yet and she wasn't about to start. Even he wasn't all that innocent.

'Three down…' she looked at Scarface, '…one to go.'

Scarface was left and he looked pissed. He obviously wasn't happy about having his whole gang beaten by the 'little girl'. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a knife and immediately started slashing at her.

Usagi wasn't prepared for that kind of assault and almost got a free haircut before she jumped back. Physically Usagi came out okay, but her shirt was another story. The side was now had a split and was now showing a little too much of her skin and her bra, which was, unfortunately, turning Scareface on.

Usagi watched in disgust as he licked his cracked lips and shifted his knife from one hand to the other.

'Oh, so he thinks he can shred my outfit and get away with it huh…?' Determination set into her gaze. 'Well I don't think so!'

He slashed at her again, this time aiming for her belt and missed as she threw herself flat against the wall and out of the way of the knife. He slashed again aiming for her legs he missed as she jumped up. Grabbing onto the ladder of a fire escape she kicked the knife out of his hand and kicked him in right in the scar. Jumping down she reached for the knife and had her leg pulled from underneath her. He stalked towards her and she kicked at him, missing. He grabbed her leg and tried to twist her foot off.

Using her other leg Usagi kicked him in the groin. Standing up she headbutted him. She let his head fall and got up to walk away.

Seeing the knife only a few feet away, he stretched out his arm to reach for it. Trying the first guy's tactic he rushed at her with the knife and she bent down and swept him off his feet. He fell to the ground again and didn't get up. Usagi watched the knife fly through the air and caught it before walking over to him and slowly stepped on his fingers.

She tilted her head to the side in contemplation as he cried out in pain.

Should she call the cops or just leave them all unconscious in the alley? Making a quick decision she pulled her arm back and her fist connected with his eye and she watched him slip out of consciousness just like the rest of his friends.

'I'll do both!'

Running out of the alley Usagi went back to the phone booth and called the cops. After telling them the location of the fight and the details she took her bike out of 'storage' and raced down the street away from the scene of the crime.

~~~~~~~~~~Juuban District, Japan

Ikuko just stared at the phone, outraged, as the operator continuously told her to please hang up and try the call again. How dare Usagi hang up on her mother! Ikuko sat there with the phone in her hand, silently fuming. That was how Shingo found her when he finally decided to come downstairs.

He took one look at his mother and ran out the door. He was not about to mess with his mom when she had that look on her face.

'Usagi had better come back soon', he looked back at the house, 'things are getting too weird without her…'

~~~~~~~~~~

"Next?" 'Finally' she thought. Usagi had finally reached the airport after going through hellish traffic and a very long line. 'This was the last time I ever fly before ten p.m…' At least there was an upside. She'd finally find out where she was going.

"I have a ticket reserved for me. My name is Ren Hikari" She spoke in a blunt and to the point tone.

'Screw being polite'

The man looked at her for a second, than turned his sight to the computer. She watched as he typed on his computer and waited for him to tell her where she was going. She started twirling her now shoulder length hair around her finger in boredom, a habit she always had. She mused that it was good that she changed before picking up the ticket.

'But it's was amazing how easily people were willing to help when you have underwear showing!' she thought fascinatingly as she remembered an encounter not too long ago with a security guard. Another story. Another time.

He looked up again, "You have a first class ticket. Going to New York?"

'So I'm going to New York. Good I haven't been there in awhile.'

She answered, "Yes. When does the flight leave?"

'I should be there by tonight. Boss better not give me an assignment when I get there.'

Her brain knew she was going to get an assignment it tried not to tell her body that.

He glanced back down and handed her a ticket while he replied, "The next flight to New York City is in …ten minutes. Enjoy your flight." She took the ticket and started walking towards the waiting area for her flight.

Five minutes later Ren a.k.a. Hikari was boarding the plane and tolerantly waiting for liftoff. Sitting in first class was certainly better than having some little kid kicking her chair in coach. She sighed contently and slouched in her seat. The boss had made sure that no one was sat next to her so there was no one to bother her all during the flight.

'Six hours really isn't enough time to sleep!' she thought drowsily, barely staying awake.

She could already feel her eyes getting heavy and her breathing evened as she slowly drifted into sleep. Her new life was certainly complicated, but at least it was all hers and no one was going to take it away from her. Not without one hell of a fight.

'And to think, so much shit could happen in one day, and it wasn't even four o' clock yet!'

AN: Thank you to those that reviewed the first time and keep them coming! The more you review the more I feel the need to write!!!

( Bribery? Who me?! ) *_*