Disclaimer: I don't claim to own the show and manga Sailor Moon nor its characters. Nor am I associated with Toei Animations, or Naoko Takeuchi in any way.
Standing at the door, seeing all of Usagi's closest friends I think was the biggest shock Usagi's family had. Especially since they had attended the funeral earlier that day."Ikuko-san," I said. "I hope you will forgive my intrusion, but there is something of Usagi's I need."
She had ushered us in, and told us to sit in the den, where she brought us some fresh cookies she had baked. Shingo had not left his room since I had visited earlier. He was finding the news very difficult to cope with. Kenji-san joined us and I began to explain my intentions. Of course, they had many questions to ask about how the girls came back. I told them about the star seeds, but I left out the part about Usagi's real mother, Serenity. I figured it was something that need not be said. They had wanted to know the story about how the inner sailors had survived through their horrible ordeal, but there wasn't enough time for it. I needed to hurry, but for what, I did not know.
They were more than happy to comply with my wishes. I hated to be the one to do it, but I had to bring them back to reality.
"There is still a chance that Usagi may not return." I whispered softly, "I thought you should know."
The sadness returned to their eyes. "We know," Ikuko replied. Then she ushered us out, silently closing the door, to shut the world out from what we knew was grief. They stood, holding each other in the window, hoping, like I did once, that Usagi would somehow come back to them.
We arrived at the Sendai Hill temple, for me to unite my power with the locket. I didn't have the strength of Sailor Moon, but I had the determination. I knew that there was a great power inside of me to be harnessed, but unlike Usagi, I had trouble bringing it out. I had always admired how easy it was for Usagi to call to her crystal, her life force, and will it to come forth to fight the battles that she fought. Usagi truly had a pure heart.
All at once, I felt the warm and comfortable feeling flow through my body, just as it had once before, in its time of need. I reverted to my old self, Princess Naru, and just as it had before, the crystal appeared again. Rei handed me the locket. Holding it out, I willed the crystal to shape itself to fit, placed it into the locket, and clicked it shut. Immediately I became Naru again, and fell forward to the ground. It was too much for me.
Ami rushed to my side, asking if I was okay. I assured her that it was nothing that a good nap wouldn't cure. What I saw next was incredible. Sitting up and turning enough to face them I noticed that the girls were all clothed in their fukus, now shimmering in the light. Looking at Ami, I was only seeing now the years of struggles in her expression. She was still a beautiful girl, but she looked older somehow. She looked dignified and wise.
"Ami, you've changed," I said.
"We all have."
It was such a simple statement. They were all so much more experienced than I. I felt like the child surrounded by elders. They all powered down and helped me into the temple, where I was placed in Rei's bed and given soup to make me feel better. I expressed my extreme gratitude to them all.
"Rei," I asked, "Can I transform like one of you now?"
"Yes, you can. But I wouldn't worry about that right now. What you need is sleep."
"Yes, sleep sounds nice."
"You are very different from Usagi," Rei stated.
"I should hope so."
We shared a laugh. It was the first one I had with Usagi's close friends. It gave me a sense of belonging. With the promise of telling them the story of my past, I began to close my eyes and drift off into the comfort of dreamland, for the second time that day.