Minna-chan, this is the last chapter. I just wanted to say, I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I did, and I couldn't have done it without you! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Love much!
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon will never be mine, but this fanfic will always belong to the one and only…ME!
Usagi slipped quietly into the row of young adult fiction, and peeked over the shelf. There it was again; that tousled head of black hair. A light blush lit her cheeks as she realized she wasn't thinking about his hair…
She hadn't talked to him since they had found her. A few sparse hello's, despite the fact that he loved her, and she knew she loved him.
Had she really been reduced to this? Hiding behind the library bookshelf, the one place she swore was evil and secretly controlled by youma's…
With a start, she realized that she had been staring and zoned out. He was walking towards her! Trying frantically to seem innocent, she grabbed the first book she could find and sat down in a chair, which she later found was a beanbag. (This was in part largely due to the fact that she fell, thinking the chair was higher, but hit the ground softly) She quickly opened the book and prayed she looked convincing.
A few moments later, she became conscious of the fact that no one had spoken to her. Slowly, she raised her eyes.
He was staring at her. He had a book in one hand, and another ran through his hair. A pair of thin reading glasses slipped forward slightly on his nose, making him look, if possible, cuter.
No! Damn you, heart, I'm supposed to be strong!
Steeling herself against his…(sexiness?) rather effective tactics, she looked boldly into his eyes.
"Hi."
He spoke first, and she swore she could detect a tremor in his voice. She must have paused for quite a while, because Mamorou lifted his hand once more and did the finger thing.
(Drool…)
Usagi shook her head to clear herself of such thoughts, just as he spoke again.
"I'm sorry if I'm intruding, I'll just go now." And he turned, shoulders squared, the very picture of defeat.
"No!" He turned, startled as she called out, and her heart began to beat faster as his sapphire blue eyes locked with hers.
"I mean," Usagi stammered, "You're not intruding. I was just reading something…a book. I do know how to use them, you know." She said scornfully, and to her surprise, Mamorou's face reddened.
"Gomen nasai, Serena, if I was so mean."
She sat there, not really knowing what to do, until he broke the tension once more.
"What're you reading?"
Usagi scrambled to find an answer, then looked down at the page. It was written in verse form…but the words! Her face colored, and she looked down.
"A book of poems…" she mumbled.
"May I see it?" Mamorou would never know how much Usagi panicked at that moment.
"No!" He drew back, obviously hurt, and she softened. "It's just…the words…they just…well, you…oh, here!" She shoved the book in his hands, and he took a quick glance at her before looking down at the book. A sly grin crept across his face, followed by a choking noise.
"What's so funny, baka?" Usagi rolled her eyes. To think she had almost fallen for him! But then his eyebrow quirked up, and she sighed inwardly. He looked so cute when he did that!
(A/N: I had to read this poem for a class, and everyone practically died laughing…at me!)
" 'Rain is God's sperm falling?' "
Usagi groaned. Damn him! He couldn't have just skipped the first line? "Give it here, baka!" And she angrily took the book from him.
"Reverting to our old ways, are we?" There was no mocking in his tone, only sadness. She cocked her head to the side.
"Is that so bad?"
A small frown alighted on his features, making Usagi squirm. "We weren't exactly the best of friends back then."
"We aren't now." She retorted. Mamorou sighed.
"Usa—Serena, gomen nasai! I didn't mean to be so awful towards you, I didn't know, and I realize I could have saved your parents and I'm sorry for that too—,"
"You couldn't have saved them." Usagi's voice was trembling. "It was their time, and they would have died, one way or another. Besides, the ginzouishou clearly didn't want to revive them, which meant nothing anyone could have done would have stopped them."
Mamorou was quiet for a moment. "Where is the ginzouishou now?"
Usagi hesitated, but melted at the pleading look evident in his eyes. He just wanted to talk to her, at least. So with a sigh, she removed the string from around her neck. The velvet bag was there, still containing the ashes of the crystal.
"It's still the same. I didn't think to ask Selene if I could get it fixed."
She handed the bag to Mamorou, who had somehow managed to sit cross-legged next to her. He fingered the bag carefully.
"Did you ask Selene if you could get your parents back?"
Usagi was shocked. He had known exactly what she was thinking, and she hadn't felt him probing her mind! She decided it was a coincidence and answered smoothly.
"Everything I told you just now was what Selene told me when I asked. She's very cryptic."
"Like, say, Pluto and the Outers?"
There was a pause, before both of them laughed. Usagi smiled, a genuine one, and took back the bag.
"What about you? I'm hearing you have your own personal ginzouishou. It seems I stole it from you while Selene possessed me, but I trust you got it back?"
Mamorou closed his eyes, and there was a slight shimmering in the air over his now cupped hands. In them appeared a golden crystal, which was humming slightly.
Usagi gasped. "Cool…"
But both of them were silent as the Ougonritsu began to pulse wildly, and golden lights began to flash from it.
"What did you do to it?" Usagi hissed. The lights were now turning solid, and overturning a few books. A few people stopped, and tried to find the source.
"I don't know! It hasn't done this before!" Mamorou muttered, just as a beam shot out from the gem, toppling several shelves. People started screaming and running outside.
"Shut it off!" cried Usagi.
Mamorou closed his eyes again, but opened them quickly. "It's way beyond my reach!"
Usagi slammed the book of poems down on it, but the paperback just disintegrated. Totally forgetting whom he was talking to and what was going on, Mamorou glared at her in disgust.
"You thought that was going to help it?"
"Well, at least I tried!" huffed Usagi. But her outburst was cut off as the velvet bag in her hand opened by itself. She stifled a shriek as the remains of her crystal floated out of the bag and hung suspended in the air.
For a moment, she wore she could feel Mamorou, as if she could find him even if he was at D-point. Their link was strong, and rebuilt in a matter of seconds. She struggled to keep a wave of emotions under bay as the Ougonritsu reacted to the fragments.
Usagi's jaw swung open, though, as the remnants burst into light. Before she could yell at Mamorou, another shimmer appeared in the air. Her ginzouishou soon came into focus, bright and gleaming.
The lights settled down, and the Ougonritsu hummed happily in tune with the ginzouishou. Their two owners looked at each other for a moment.
Maybe I should run…"Good idea." Mamorou stood, and grabbed his crystal. Although it resisted slightly, he transported it back into his body and locked it there for the time being.
Usagi glared at him. "Stay out of my head, baka!"
He looked surprised. "You thought that?" When she nodded, a gleam entered his eyes. "That must mean our bond is back." A boyish smile spread across his face. "I wonder why?"
Usagi stuck her tongue out at him, just as the sprinklers went off.
"Sprinklers in the library? But the books'll get wet!" Mamorou rolled his eyes.
"Would you rather they burn? Come on, let's get out of here!" He grabbed her hand, and pushed the gleeful feeling he got to the back of his mind. Usagi just had enough time to grab her ginzouishou before they were running. Somewhere along the way, they started laughing, which was how they ended up outside.
They managed to put on straight faces as a policeman questioned them and a firefighter gave them towels, but as soon as they were gone, the laugh attacks came back with vigor.
"Did you see your face?" wheezed Usagi. "When the book just fell apart?"
Mamorou chuckled. "Well, Odango, it was a pretty stupid thing to do!" Still giggling, Usagi shook a stern finger under his nose.
"Don't call me that, or WHAM!" She balled her hand up into a fist and swung, sending her off balance and spinning. Before she could fall though, Mamorou had grabbed onto her.
"Just like old times, huh?"
They were in a compromising position; her leaning back, and him supporting her. Their faces were inches apart.
"Yeah…" Usagi breathed.
"So…it's Serena now…I like that name…" His voice suggested remorse, and Usagi decided enough was enough.
Her arms snaked around his neck, and a surprised look flew across his features. But when she pulled gently, he understood.
Mamorou's lips claimed hers, and stars seemed to fly around the couple. When they finally let go, Usagi traced his lips with a finger.
"You know what? I think I like Usako better…"
She was answered with a smile and another kiss.
"Aww! They're so cute!" Bright flashes made them draw apart, and Usagi glowered at the intruders.
"What are you guys doing here?"
The shittenou and senshi snickered at her predicament. Sailor Jupiter held a camera in her hand, as did Venus, Jadeite, and Sailor Saturn.
Mars shrugged. Since Usagi had gotten back together with all of them, she'd kept a civil tongue for about a week, until she and Usagi were back to their usual friendly arguments.
"We were in the neighborhood, Odango…"
"Shimatta!" Usagi glowered. "That's not true and you know it!"
There was huge beam of light coming from the library," Nephrite cut in. "What else can we do but check it out? It could have been a youma!"
"What was it anyway?" Zoicite asked, ignoring the hush-hush looks both the senshi and Usagi and Mamorou were sending him. Usagi glanced at Mamorou, who looked away. She shook her head angrily.
"Oh no you don't, Mister, just because my senshi are trained much better than your and know when not to ask questions doesn't mean I have to train yours! You answer the children!"
The senshi, both Outers and Inners, laughed uncontrollably as the shittenou blushed. Kunzite especially was upset.
"How did I get to be leader of such an idiotic bunch?"
The shittenou shot him glares, and Mamorou decided to break them apart. With an apologetic glance at Usagi, who merely smiled, he explained.
"The Ougonritsu reacted to the ginzouishou's fragments, causing it to reform."
"And you almost tore down a library doing it?" Uranus snorted. Jupiter and the Inners chose to ignore this comment.
"You're together again, then?"
The two blushed, and looked down at the ground, fiddling with their hands. There was a moment of silence, before Jadeite smiled widely.
"Cuz, if you don't kiss him now, I'm telling Dad all about your little adventures with Endy here."
Usagi's face paled. "You wouldn't."
"What's so bad about that?" whispered Venus to Kunzite. He smirked.
"Imagine Usagi's dad with all the latest technology and several lawyers on his side."
Venus blushed.
"Oh."
"Ah, just do it already!" Jadeite pushed Mamorou forward, at the same time as Mars, and the two ended up playing tonsil hockey once more. After a few more pictures, it became apparent that they were not coming apart.
"We make a great team." Jadeite remarked to Mars. Her eyes clouded for a moment, before a grin split her face.
"Yeah. Is it still too late to take you up on that offer earlier? About the movies?" Jadeite looked startled for a moment, then nodded dumbly.
Zoicite winked at Mercury. "What say we make it a double date?" She blushed, but accepted.
Nephrite produced some roses, which had Jupiter swooning. "I saw these on the way…would you like them?"
Jupiter thought it over. "I guess so." She finally said, and took the blooms.
If he messes with me, I can always throw him off something high up in the air.
Kunzite, shy to the last and inexperienced, began to shuffle his feet as Venus stared at him expectantly.
"Come off it and ask her already!"
Kunzite turned to glare at Uranus, who grinned wickedly. He tried his best to ignore her, and turned back to the senshi of love.
"Would you like to—I mean, if you want—that is to say—well, there's this restaurant—see, I really—it seems like—,"
"I would love to!" Venus crowed, saving him the trouble. Kunzite let out a sigh of relief.
Saturn smiled happily. "That's the end of it, I suppose?"
"No." Neptune looked down at her. "I seem to remember Pluto-san telling us about your future, little Firefly."
"I get a boyfriend?" Saturn looked up at her, eyes glowing. "What's his name? What is he like? Does he have any hobbies? Will he stay with me forever?"
Uranus laughed while Neptune sweat-dropped. "It seems this is why Pluto is so secretive about her plans."
"Where're Jadeite and Venus?"
Mercury's sudden observation had everyone looking around. In a moment, though, the two reappeared struggling with a long, bulky hose. At their questioning looks, Jadeite elaborated.
"Have you ever seen what those people do to dogs on their lawn? This is a…better, more effective version. And the firemen let us borrow this…"
Without another word, Venus stepped back and neatly pushed a lever on the hose. In a moment, Jadeite was floating slightly as a jet of water shot out, pushing Mamorou and Usagi apart. The fact that they were at least a yard away from the hose combined with their healing abilities caused Usagi and Mamorou to get up quickly.
"What's wrong with you?" Mamorou yelled at Jadeite as he hurried to Usagi's side. Before Jadeite could answer, he found himself being lifted into the air.
Venus grinned as she let go of the wheel controlling the stream of water. This was gonna be good…
Jadeite screamed as he hung on for dear life. "Help me!"
"Should we?" Nephrite looked up, then at Mars. "If the Lady does not mind…?"
Mars understood, and nodded. "He needs to cool down, I think. Howsabout we all go for some ice cream?"
"When did we start talking about ice cream? I never noticed!" Usagi immediately perked up.
"That's cause you were too busy sucking face." Mars retorted.
The group sauntered off, leaving behind all traces of insecurities, happy once more.
…Well, except for one person.
"You guys? Guys?" Jadeite peered around. "Guys? Isn't this a waste of water? Guys? The firemen are just laughing at me? Hello? Anybody?"
Queen Selenity smiled as Pluto teleported back into her room. The senshi of time smiled as she joined her liege by the basin reflecting the events below.
"Is this ending to your liking, your Majesty?"
The Queen smiled.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
THE END
And that's the end, minna-chan! Thanks for being such a great audience! Look for me with my next fic, Wish Upon A Goddess, and another one I'm thinking about. Sayonara!