Chapter 02 – The Usual Meeting

"YOU'RE LATE!!!"

Usagi shrunk back as the volatile dragon's [Usa's private nickname for Rei] eyes blazed a hypnotic maroon. Usagi had to admit the girl was beautiful when angry… Her eyes would go sparkly with all that ire, her exotic slanted eyes more prominent in a frown.

She balked, her thoughts screeching to a halt, eyes bulging wide in the process. WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING!!

(Yes you idiot, what the hell are you thinking!!)

The blonde gulped, nervous that the dragon might read her thoughts, as she had been prone to do lately. If she found out… Usagi tugged at her shirt. She wasn't for yuri… but as she glanced at the dragon's luxurious, shining hair and expressive face, she thought… well maybe…

(Usagi's eyes were wide with horror. Not Rei, of all people NOT REI!! She didn't want to be attracted to the priestess. There was that tug already in her heart and she did NOT want it be more than it was. It was really stupid, she was in the middle of an argument with Rei and, suddenly, she'd notice things like what she had read.)

(She didn't want to read anymore… was tempted to click the back button but reason overcame her and she had to think of logic. Why the hell would the author put this in the Crossover section if it would be Rei that she would pair up with? [an: grins deviously… I could just put crossover ppl in it… it doesn't necessarily have to be a crossover person paired with Usagi.] Liking her reason, Usagi, with a whole lot of doubt, continued with the story.)

"Damnit, Usagi! You're not listening to me!"

"Huh…" said Usagi, coming out of her stupor. "What did you say Rei?"

Rei tried in vain to contain her temper. She honestly didn't know… She wouldn't call herself nice, but Rei knew she was pleasant and kind to anyone she met… but Usagi; Usagi was a whole different matter. The blonde just loved to push her buttons, no matter how small the matter was. It really confused Rei; it was so easy for her to be calm around anyone, but with Usagi, something in her threatened to explode. It was a feeling she did not like one bit. So, she took the easiest way out.

She yelled.

The others sighed in exasperation. Usagi was excused, she was just so childish at times, and she would never learn. Rei though, Rei had no excuse. Most of the time, they noticed, Rei was the one who INSTIGATED the arguments. It really was tiresome to hear their ongoing debate [over silly notions] and their ridiculous tongue wars.

Nevertheless, they placed the blame on Usagi. After all, she was the future monarch and she needed to learn proper grace, education, and above all, manner. It would do no good to have such a poorly behaved queen.

"Usa-chan, will you PLEASE behave?"

Usagi looked at Makoto with a sweatdrop, there were times she felt she was a dog, always having to take orders from someone else. She pitied mongrels.

Herself included.

(Hey!! Usagi thought angrily, the way the inners treat her DID feel that way! [an: ^^ you noticed she didn't notice her own insult to herself?])

Miffed—she didn't know what she did—Usagi shut up.

The Inners looked at Usagi happily, she was finally beginning to listen!

[an: I think this is a misconception many authors seem to make, myself included, that the Inner's would seem so controlled over Usagi's well-being and they would usually be the bad guys in some plot. It's really unfair to them, they are great people who care largely for Usa's happiness.]

"Now that we have everything quieted, I would like to inform you all about the decline of Youma's lately."

The group stared at Ami.

"Do you really want more enemies to pop up and disrupt our PEACEFUL lives?"

Ami had the grace to blush. "No, Mako-chan. I'm worried, I can't help but think something more sinister may come because of this Youma lapse."

Mina's brow furrowed. "Sorta like the 'storm before the calm'?"

Ami shook her head. "That is the 'calm before the storm.' And yes, that's what I meant. If there really will be a 'storm' then perhaps we need to train more."

Automatically, the four heads, including two tiny ones (the cats), placed their attention on the snoring blonde.

Again, that anger went up. How could she be so relaxed over something that could potentially be dangerous? "USAGI!!"

"Wh-Wha? Where's the fire?" Usagi jerked upright, wiping the drool from her mouth, her gaze landed on her alarm clock. "Oh. It's just you Rei."

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six…

"Rei? You've been silent a long time and you have a… a crazed look in your eye. Are you alright?"

The next five minutes would be spent trying to pry the priestess from the ditz.

Unfortunately, Rei had to be tied up, her ire still raised. You could see her aura spread fiercely around her. Usagi watched her friend warily, wiping her bruised neck.

That had hurt.

"As I was saying, training will start… we'll probably go to Nerima, they are famed for their top notch fighters. I had recently read an article clip online about a dojo, 'The school of anything goes martial arts,' owned by the Tendo family. There are two students who are really skilled in teaching others: Tendo Akane, and Saotome(?), Ranma. Their students are known to show remarkable improvements in the arts."

"Wow!" Makoto had gone starry eyed. She had heard of the Dojo and had wanted very badly to go but it had been so out of the way then. The Dojo was fantastic and she had heard the boy was an outstanding fighter.

It also didn't hurt that he was also said to be incredibly cute.

Ami had smiled at her friend. One didn't need to be a genius to know that Makoto was going to love training. Her smile dimmed, it couldn't be said for others though.

Usagi had started moaning piteously, she had also heard about the Dojo… She had heard the teachers were intensely strict, they would brook no laziness, were, in fact, extremely harsh to the kind. She could already FEEL the bruises and aching muscles on her body.

"I—"

"Don't even start, Usagi!" Rei snarled. She had managed to pull out the gag that bound her mouth. When she had heard of the training, excitement immediately filled her. It would be nice to expand her martial arts training to a higher level, knowing another school's style would benefit greatly to adding that skill.

Unfortunately, one look at Usagi and her coming bouts of whimpering deflated that excitement to something else. She STILL didn't know what it was, but she inferred it as anger. The unknown emotion was just too strong for it to be anything but.

Usagi pouted. Unless she was willing to go another round of having Rei choke her, she wouldn't say a thing. It wasn't fair… All she was going to ask was where Nerima was.

Baka Pyro.

TBC

Allyna – just to clear this up, I am not bashing Usagi…well, I sort am ^^ but my point is HOW FAR an author goes with the character and what's possibly done to them. Whose to say what is the correct character? It's so skewed already that many fanfic authors have their own perception of how the girl really is. This is my interpretation of it (or me just making fun). 'sides, this is just the beginning. ^.~

Also, thanks to           and ^_^ for reviewing.