Chapter: Yon
(Note! If you read the chapter on, or before 10/8/2003, I added a few things to the end of the chapter that you should probably read to understand some of the things said in this chapter. Do not whine to me if you don't bother reading the changes and some of the things said confuse you. If you're not sure when you read it, I'd recommend going back and checking just in case, thank you and have a nice day!)
"I'm tired of just sitting here! I feel so useless." Usagi growled out, slamming the book she was reading down suddenly, catching everyone off guard.
"Damn it! Ever since Hiiro got shot, we haven't even heard from them... It's been nearly a damned month." she added, in a significantly more withdrawn voice. "There's nothing we can really do, Usa..." Ami said in a similar tone, the others nodding along.
"I know, but still... day in, day out- we just sit here, we don't know what's going on except for the information Sally manages to slip us... and even that isn't much." She said, placing a hand over her eyes, a sudden lump in her throat. I hate feeling like this.
An arm suddenly slipped around her shoulders, pulling her into a gentle hug. Usagi looked up, startled, into the understanding eyes of Ririna.
"I understand how you feel, Usagi. I felt the same way during the first war... how about we all go out shopping? I think we could all use some time out from worrying over everything." She said, and Usagi smiled a bit at her as Minako nodded her agreement.
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Usagi said, hugging Ririna briefly before shaking her head and standing up. "I can show you guys all the places I used to hang out, too. How's that sound?"
Rei, Makoto, and Minako all glanced at each other, smiling in slight relief.
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The group of six young women strolled into an arcade, the blond man behind the counter looking up at the chatter, and the ding of the bell. He straightened up from the magazine he was flipping through, a smile immediately taking it's place on his face.
"Afternoon, welcome to Crown arcade, how can I help you beautiful ladies?" he asked, making Ami and Usagi glace at each other, before giggling lightly.
"Afternoon, Motoki-kun- don't tell me you don't recognize two of your old regulars?" Usagi giggled out as she leaned against the counter, waiting for him to realize who she was.
"Um... ...Usa-chan? Ami-chan? Oh my god! It's been ages you two!" Motoki said, laughing back at her before jumping over the counter to pull the girls into a bear hug.
"Motoki, friends of mine- Minako, Rei, Makoto, and Ririna." Usagi said slipping into English, as she pointed out the others in turn.
Motoki stuck out his hand to them with a smile, shaking each one's hand before saying; "Nice to meet you ladies, welcome to Crown Arcade. Usagi- today is on me, can I get you guys anything from the Café?"
"Hmm... Chocolate milkshake sounds good to me, what do you guys want?" Usagi asked, turning back to the others, smiling widely.
"I think this is the happiest I've seen Usagi since we got here." Rei commented as she and the others watched Minako and Usagi go head-to-head on a video game.
"Mhmm..." Makoto said absent mindedly as she sipped her latte, while Ririna smiled and nodded her agreement.
"It's this place, the majority of her happy memories are here." Ami said, without looking up from the book in her hand. "Every afternoon after school we were here, Usa, Mamoru, Naru, Umino, and I."
"She seemed a bit reluctant to talk about any of her friends from here when I asked." Rei said, and Ami looked up, suddenly a bit uneasy.
"Well... Naru didn't want her to go into undercover work, I know that- Usa had been trying to get into training for a few months before I even left, they may not have parted on good terms. And since Umino was Naru's boyfriend, well..." she shrugged before shifting in her seat a bit, putting her bookmark in her place and closing the book before setting it down.
"And Mamoru?" Ririna asked, her head tilted slightly in thought. Ami stared at her for a moment, trying to find her thoughts before replying;
"You should ask her that, not me, it's not my place."
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The girls were once again walking down the streets of Tokyo, talking and laughing as Ririna marveled at being able to do so with out be stared at or walked up to.
"I haven't been able to do this in years" She commented, fingering her shoulder length hair, and Usagi looked at her with a smile as they passed an outdoor theatre where people were gathering. She stopped and glanced at a poster, proclaiming the performance of world-renowned pianist Ten'ou Haruka, and violinist/cellist Kaiou Michiru.
"Oh! Guys come on, we have to see this!" she exclaimed, grabbing the nearest person to her, which happened to be Rei, and dragging them to the entrance.
"Haruka Ten'ou and Michiru Kaiou... I've heard about them." Ririna said, as she glanced at the poster.
"I went to school with Hotaru Tomoe, who they adopted after her father was in an accident." Usagi said, swinging her purse around to get her wallet out as they reached the ticket booth.
"Afternoon, how many do you need?"
"Six, plea-"
"Usa-chan?" a soft voice interrupted her, and Usagi glanced to her side to see a girl, shockingly, shorter then her self, violet eyes staring at her in disbelief.
"Taru-chan!" Usagi said with a laugh pulling the girl into a hug.
"Usa-chan! It is you! It's been so long, how did your training go? How is everything?" 'Taru' asked, pulling back after hugging Usagi, her eyes shining with happiness.
"It went fine! I'm on vacation, actually. Oh! Some people you need to meet." Usagi said, turning back to the women, smiling at them. "You remember Ami, ne? That's Rei, Minako, Ririna, and Makoto." She added in English, pointing to each in turn.
"Pleased to meet you, I'm Hotaru Tomoe." Hotaru said with a slight British accent before turning back to the ticket seller. "They won't need any tickets, they're with me."
"Michi-kaa and Haruka-tou will love seeing you again, Usa." She added, looping her arm through Usagi's and leading the girls through the crowd and around to the backstage.
"Do you three still keep in touch with Setsuna-senpai?" Usagi asked, smiling down at the girl as they went up a small flight of stairs. Hotaru nodded, smiling back at her.
"It's sensei now, though, she's a professor at U of T." Hotaru said, and Usagi titled her head a bit, smirking just slightly.
"How many different classes is she teaching? Twenty?" she asked, making Hotaru laugh as they came upon a door leading to a dressing room.
"No, she wouldn't have time to breathe if she did that, Usa! Just Advanced Physics and Advanced Chemistry." She giggled out, before knocking on the door as Usagi rolled her eyes.
"'Just' you say that like it's no big deal." Usagi scoffed as a dusty-blonde woman opened the door with a light scowl on her face, before she brightened a bit at the site of the two young women.
"Koneko? Is that you?" she asked, and when she received a nod, swept the girl into a hug with a laugh. "It's been a awhile, come in come in, all of you."
When Usagi was finally released from Haruka's hug, she stepped into the room and noticed it was oddly full of people. Specifically people she recognized, and even more specifically then that, Hiiro, Duo, Trowa, Wufei, and Quatre. With a quick tilt of her head she silently questioned Hiiro, who gave a short nod, and that was the only thing she needed to tell her it was safe to throw herself at him with a smile. Wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly, which he responded to by looping his arms around her back, and pecking her forehead so quickly that no one noticed but her.
"Where have you guys been?! Not contacting me, who exactly do you think you are?! You...you... screw it. I can't think of a word bad enough! I was worried sick." She ranted off, slowly pulling him out of the room as she did so.
And before anyone realized it, they were out of the room, and the door shut behind them. The room sat in an odd silence before Duo finally cleared his throat.
"Well, this is a surprise."
"Idiot Maxwell." Wufei and Rei chorused at the same time.
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Wow o.o I finally finished. Yay. I had problems with the last part, if you can't tell. I'm sorry it took so long, and it's short, which is even worse. I really really am, I already have the first part of the next chapter planned so hopefully it won't take quite so long. (Hopefully!)
Just so you know! All of that time wasn't spent prattling around doing nothing. I've started planning prequels/sequels to this, started another GW/SM crossover (that is AU for both series), and a Seiken Densetsu 3 fic. (Did I spell that right? I hope so.)
Raye-chan: You'll see if Ririna will or will not like Usa soon ^^