Chapter One
Usagi opened her eyes. At first she forgot where she was, but then she rememberd. She was spending the night with Mamoru. She rolled over in bed and glanced out the window. It was still dark. She looked at the alarm clock. "3:23 AM…"
She rolled back on her side, facing Mamoru. She gazed at him as he slept. "Mamo-chan," she whispered. Mamoru was six years her senior, a tall and attractive young man. He had soft, smooth, shiney black hair, and deep sapphire eyes. She ran a finger across his smooth cheek, not breaking her gaze.
Usagi sat up and crept out of bed, trying not to wake him. She walked toward the window and looked at the full August moon. The pale moonlight kissed her face and sparkled in her blue eyes.
Tokyo is so peaceful at this hour…thought Usagi. Especially since the end of the Sailor Wars. She turned and looked at Mamoru. She felt butterflies in her stomach.
My precious love…Usagi walked to the bed and crawled in next to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She felt him put his arms around her, pulling her closer to him. "Usa-ko…" he whispered, then kissed her softly. She closed her eyes, letting his kiss sink into her. Every kiss from him felt as warm and fresh as the first. Mamoru pulled her closer into him and nuzzled her neck. Usagi fell asleep in his loving embrace and didn't wake up until the sun rose.
The next morning, Mamoru made her breakfast. "Good morning, Odango." Usagi smiled. He had made her favorite- waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.
After she ate, she got dressed and put her hair in odangos.
"Mamo-chan, I have to go. I'm meeting Naru at the mall."
"Naru? I didn't know you were still close with her. You never talk about her anymore."
Usagi looked at the floor. "Well, we're not as close as we used to be. Ever since Luna told me I was destined to be Sailor Moon I talked to her less and less every day. I think it's time we caught up, you know? Like, catch a movie, get lunch, stuff like that. I think we need to talk and see if we can still be friends." She kissed his cheek. Mamoru smiled and watched as she closed the door gently behind her.
Usagi walked down the sidewalk. She breathed in deep, closed her eyes and strecthed her arms high above her head. She let out a long sigh. "Ahhhh, what a beautiful day!" The air was fresh and clean, though a little humid. Usagi could tell that it was probably going to shower later on in the day.
As Usagi continued her walk, she noticed school girls making their way to school. She rememberd all the times she was late for school, and she was glad it was over.But a part of her missed that innocence of being a young school girl. It had been almost three years since she last fought. It was a lot of responsibility that was just shoved onto her. She had no choice but to grow up and mature. It was a lot to deal with, but in the end, Usagi believed it made her a better person. She realized it was the simple things that really matter.
Coming back to reality, Usagi saw Naru sitting on a bench in front of the food court.
"Naru-chan!"
Naru jerked her head up and a bright smile spread across her face when she saw her friend. "Usagi-chan!" She leapt to her feet and hurried over to Usagi.
"Usagi-chan! So much has changed! You look taller! And thinner! And you're actually on time!" Naru and Usagi laughed. It felt like old times.
"So, Usagi, I hear you're engaged" Naru winked. Usagi looked down at her feet and blushed, then smiled.
"How did you know?"
"Umino told me" Naru giggled.
"Umino is so nosey! He probably knew about the engagement before I did!" The girls laughed again. "So how is Umino anyway?"
Naru raised her hand, showing off a gorgeous diamond ring. "We were married in the end of April."
"Oh, that's nice A spring wedding." Usagi was kind of hurt. Naru hadn't invited her to the wedding. She forced a smile.
"How about you? Do you and Mamoru have a date set?"
Usagi twirled a piece of her hair in her fingers. "No. But I'm hoping to have a January wedding." Usagi paused and a mischivous grin covered her face. "Let's go shopping!" Naru laughed as Usagi grabbed Naru's hand and sped to the shops.
The girls walked by the shops, looking into windows seeing if there was anything they were interested in. Naru looked up to the sky. Usagi remembered the days she and Naru used to walk by, gazing dreamily at the beautiful dresses, jewelery, and expensive pastries. They would sometimes put their allowance money together and giggle excitedly as they went inside and bought one pastry, each getting a half. But now they could afford to buy whatever they wanted, and it wasn't as exciting. Or special.
"Any place you wanna go in particular?" Usagi asked. Naru looked down. Usagi wasn't sure, but she thought that Naru looked a little teary eyed. "Naru? What's the matter?" Naru looked at Usagi. "I've missed you." Naru looked back down. "What happened between us? We used to be best friends. We were like sisters."
Usagi was silent for a while. "I'm not sure," she lied.
"I wasn't sure if I should have invited you to my wedding or not. I didn't know if you were mad at me, because all of a sudden, we just stopped talking." Naru's lip quiverred. "Did I do something? I never meant to hurt your feelings intentionally, if you think that I did.
Usagi placed her hands on Naru's shoulders. "I was never mad at you." Usagi spoke in a warm, reassuring voice. "It's just… things… happened."
"What things? Usagi, you can tell me. I'll listen."
Usagi sighed. "Naru, I'm really sorry. I've just been constantly busy with Chibiusa, Mamoru, the wedding… I don't know. Just… life, I guess. I never meant to neglect you. I'm really sorry."
Naru sniffed and nodded. "That's understandable. I just wish you could have come to me. Even if you didn't need to. I know you have a lot of friends…" Naru looked uneasy, even a little embarassed.
"Naru, you're right. I should have come to you.You were always there when I needed you." Usagi paused. "This is getting me down. How about we go talk this over a double chocolate parfait?"
Naru smiled. "Sounds good."
A couplr hours later, the girls stopped at their favorite restuaunt. They both ordered some parfaits and began to talk. They talked about pretty much everything. They talked about the past, the present, and the future. They talked about how they kind of missed school and each other, playing at the arcade or hanging out at the park on weekends. They talked like they used to.
After they finished talking, Usagi paid for the desserts. She winked. "I'm the one who invited you, after all!"
The girls gathered their purses and stood up. Usagi brushed her white ruffled skirt off. Naru pushed up her sleeves and slung her black tote over her shoulder. She reached in and pulled out a pair of sun glasses and put the on top of her head.
"Usagi, I had a great time. It was nice spending time with you, like old times." Naru smiled.
"I agree. I'm glad we talked this over. Usagi hugged Naru. "We'll do something again soon, 'kay?"
"Okay." Naru glanced at her watch and laughed. "I gotta get home and fix something up for dinner for Umino." The girls exchanged their goodbyes and waved as they both left the café, going their separate ways. Usagi headed home..
I'm glad we talked that out and are still friends, Usagi thought to herself as she walked on. A light drizzle began. Usagi picked up her pace, hoping to get home before it poured. "It better not storm! I hate thunder," Usagi muttered to herself as she began to jog. It started to rain a little harder. "Damn it!" Usagi ran, putting her purse over her head to shield herself from the rain.
Finally Usagi reached her apartment. "Mamo-chan! I'm home!" Usagi called out. Mamoru didn't respond, and there were no lights on. He must be out. Usagi thought to herself as she kicked off her damp shoes. She tossed her purse on the couch, making her way to the bathroom. She started to draw a bath, then she peeled off her clothes. She put her hair in a shower cap and hopped into the bath. The water felt good on her skin. It was the perfect temperature. The door creaked open and Luna came in. "Hi Luna." Usagi said with a sigh as she closed her eyes and relaxed. Luna stretched out her little body and yawned. "How was your day Usagi-chan?" Usagi sighed again. "It was nice. I had a lot of fun with Naru-chan today." Luna trotted over to the fluffy pink floor rug and laid down. Usagi looked out the window, watching the rain fall. Luna began to breathe heavily; she was falling asleep. Usagi sank into the tub and relaxed.