Alicia Blade
I'm a day late. I know. .bows head in shame. But yesterday was in.sane. for me. I hope the wait was worth it!
And this is easily the riskiest chapter of the whole story. I'm actually a little nervous about it… erm, comments welcome!
So, okay, I argued with myself a long while over the Haruka he/she thing. Seriously, I've probably changed it back and forth a million times. Convention says she should always be referred to as a she, except in dialogue. But in an attempt to give the story more the feel that it's from Usagi and/or Mamoru's POV, I've changed it depending on who was perceiving Haruka at that time. In the end, I'm still not sure I made the right decision. Do you find it helpful or just more confusing? I would love to have opinions.
Thanks to Stormlight, Usagi of Feudal Moon Era, and all reviewers!
Sighing, Emily pounded the straw a few times into the melting ice cubes before pulling her jacket tighter around her, not having bothered to remove it in the cold weather. "They're so not cute together," she stated matter-of-factly.
"If you hadn't noticed, I'm trying to ignore them."
"And how's that going for you?"
He shot her a cool glare. "It'd be going a lot better if you didn't keep bringing them up."
Emily smiled coyly. "Don't worry, Mamoru-san. You'll get your chance soon."
His eyes became suspicious, taking on that look that felt like it could see right through a person. "Emily, I want you to leave them alone."
"Why, whatever do you mean?"
"I'm serious. If Usagi is happy with Haruka, then she's happy with Haruka. Do not interfere with them."
She rolled her eyes. "For the record, Usagi is not happy with her—uka. It's obvious that she's bored out of her mind. Just look at her."
"I'd rather not."
"And she'd be a lot happier with you."
"What happened to Haruka being so handsome and dreamy?"
"Oh, honey, no one holds a candle to you."
He shook his head in annoyance. "Leave them alone."
"You mistake my intentions, Mamoru. I was just saying that my gut matchmaking instincts tell me they are just not going to last. And then you'll have the chance to sweep Usagi off her feet."
Mamoru lowered his eyes to the table, fiddling with the corners of his paper. "I just want her to be happy."
"And she will be. As soon as she's with you. Now if you'll excuse me, I remember now that I have to call my... brother. In America. And tell him when I'll be coming home."
"When ARE you going home?"
Emily turned to look at him as she stood from the booth and grinned. "I think... very soon." Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she skipped from the arcade.
…
Usagi was stopped mid-sentence by a familiar ringing from Haruka's pocket. Apologizing for the interruption, Haruka pulled out her cell phone.
"Ah, my sister again. Just a minute."
Usagi nodded in understanding and proceeded to zone out as Haruka answered the phone.
Her eyes wandered aimlessly over the arcade, falling on the black-haired man she'd been trying to ignore but who her eyes seemed to have a magnetic attraction to. His back was to her and he appeared to be engrossed in a newspaper. She briefly wondered if he'd finished that horrifically long book. She thought, also, that Emily had been with him a moment ago, but she had apparently left. Perhaps she was playing games. Perhaps she'd tired of Mamoru's company.
She sighed, not being able to ignore the strange feelings that surfaced each time she looked at him. She could clearly remember the taste of his tongue, the feeling of his hands desperately clinging to her, exploring her, touching her. But even beyond that, he'd been different in other ways, too. His teasing wasn't as harsh, his smile was warmer, and he really HAD seemed jealous when he met Haruka. And despite the fact that the fortuneteller had been a set-up, Usagi had to admit that she had liked the idea of Mamoru being in love with her. Of him being her one true love. Thankfully, she could write all that off as adolescent hormones, though. Surely, she couldn't REALLY like him. Could she?
Usagi was brought back from her thoughts by the snapping shut of Haruka's phone.
"Sorry," he apologized again.
"Don't worry about it," Usagi said, smiling.
"Usagi, we need to talk." Haruka's expression appeared darker than a moment ago, as if she was filled with conflicting emotions of regret and shame.
"About what?"
Haruka inhaled a deep breath, bracing herself, before continuing. "This isn't working."
"What isn't working?"
"This. Us."
Usagi stared at Haruka silently a long moment, before carefully responding, "What do you mean?"
"Well… you're cute. But you're also… how should I say this?" He paused a long, agonizing moment, before continuing with conviction. "You're immature. I mean, you're still a kid, in a lot of ways, the least of which is physically, although that's apparent too."
Usagi blinked at him in confusion. "But, I thought…"
"And let's face it, you just aren't that smart. I mean, after we've exhausted the conversations of favorite movies and colors, what are we going to talk about? There's no way your intelligence would be able to keep up with me."
Usagi flinched, biting her tongue self-consciously.
"Not to mention you have horrible taste in clothes."
She frowned, looking down at her carefully chosen sundress.
"A guy can only handle so much Pepto Bismol pink on a girl. And maybe you should try some shorter skirts. Those knee-length outfits kind of make you look like a prude. And since your looks are one of the only things you have going for you, I just thought maybe you should at least make an effort to flatter yourself, you know?"
Usagi blinked back the tears, feeling herself sink into the bench as Haruka's words pressed down on her.
"So anyway, I just feel like I can do better. Sorry, babe. But look, your ice cream is still on me, so no hard feelings, okay?" Haruka threw some dollars onto the table, and though her face showed no more expression than a stump, she quickly stood and made her way for the door. The sight of Usagi's dejected face was breaking her own heart and the only thing she wanted to do was apologize and take it all back and comfort the girl. Instead, she walked away, praying that the damage she'd inflicted would be mended, and fast. Outside, she saw Emily huddled against the wall, curiosity in her eyes.
"So?" she asked.
"This had better work," Haruka growled, before marching away.
Inside, Mamoru looked up from his book after Haruka had walked out. He frowned, curious as to why Usagi had not left with him. Closing his newspaper, he risked a glance over his shoulder at the girl and saw her still sitting in the booth, staring at the empty bench across from her. Her expression looked devastated and confused, and slowly, utter rejection overcame her.
Standing from the booth, Mamoru began to walk slowly toward Usagi, his curiosity getting the best of him, but before he could near her, she stood up from the booth, her fists clenched. Mamoru gasped at the sight of tears on her face. She looked up at him, surprise washing over her to see him watching her, but it was quickly replaced again by sorrow and embarrassment. Before Mamoru could think of a word to say—a question to ask—she stormed past him, the hint of a sob reaching his ears as she brushed past with her head down.
Emily entered the arcade, looking nervous with her cell phone still in hand, and nearly crashed into Usagi on her way out. She turned to watch the blonde go, the heavy rain already beginning to form a puddle in the entranceway as the glass doors remained open. Her mouth open in surprise, Emily turned back to face a stunned and confused Mamoru, his eyes still attached to the place on the sidewalk where Usagi had disappeared from sight.
A quick silence passed over them, before Emily cleared her throat, catching Mamoru's attention. "She... she's afraid of thunder. And I think I saw some lightning when I was out there."
He stared at her, his face expressionless.
"I don't think she should be out there alone, do you?"
He blinked.
Sighing, Emily gestured with irritation toward the door. "This is the part where you chase after her, Mamoru."
Finally, realization, along with some sort of relief that he'd been given permission to do what it was he really wanted to do, Mamoru grabbed his jacket and ran from the arcade.
…
It didn't take long to find her. Something in Mamoru's heart pulled him toward her, an invisible string that knew exactly where she would be. And so Mamoru was not surprised when he turned down an alley and found her hunched over against the wall, crouching with her face buried in her hands.
"Usagi?" he whispered, kneeling beside her and placing a hand lightly on her shoulder.
She gasped and looked up at him, her eyes red and her face blotchy. Pushing herself to her feet, she backed away from him. "What do you want?" she spat.
Standing, Mamoru made no effort to hide the worry on his face. "To make sure you're okay."
"I'm fine!"
"No, you're not."
"Don't tell me what I am!"
"What happened?" His voice stayed soft, almost caressing, as he hesitantly approached her again.
"Why do you want to know? So you'll have something else to tease me about?"
"Not at all, Usagi-chan. I'm worried about you."
She was about to yell at him again when a bolt of lightning tore across the sky, followed almost immediately by a crash of thunder.
Usagi screamed, throwing her back fearfully against the brick wall. "Oh, God. Can this day get any worse?" she cried, hugging her arms around her shoulders.
"You're afraid of thunderstorms."
"Mind your own business!"
A storm drain above the otherwise decently-sheltered alley suddenly overflowed, sending a waterfall of cold, dirty water cascading down on them. Screeching, Usagi jumped away from it, ducking against the opposite wall too late. "Just my luck."
Mamoru ran a hand through his dripping hair as he neared her again. Carefully, and with a tender smile, he slipped his damp, but still warm, jacket over her shoulders and held it there without protest. "Usagi-chan, when things are at their worst, they can only get better."
She met his smile with a glare, apparently not in the mood for words of wisdom. But before she could retort, another bolt lit up the alley and the immediate thunder made her yelp and instinctively cower against the first protection she saw: Mamoru.
His arms were around her as soon as her face found the warm, if slightly wet, material of his sweater. He bent his head down and whispered soothingly, "Let me get you out of this storm."
She hesitated, finding it impossible to ignore the all-too-perfect sensation of being in his arms, and slowly raised her eyes to meet his. He was so close that she thought briefly that he would kiss her—again. But his gaze spoke of comfort and trust, not desire, and she sighed.
"I'm still mad at you," she growled.
He grinned, the quirky, carefree, almost-but-not-quite-teasing grin, and said, "I'm not sure why, but I can handle that." In a moment, he had scooped her effortlessly into his arms and rushed back into the storm.
…
Mamoru set Usagi on her feet in his living room and she immediately turned away from him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Thanks," she mumbled ungratefully, digging her toe into the carpet.
Mamoru sighed, running a hand through his dripping hair.
"Usagi, please talk to me."
"I don't want to talk about it. Especially not to you."
"It's obvious that you're upset. It's obvious that something happened. It might help to talk about it with someone."
"I said I don't want to. Go away," she muttered.
He refrained from chuckling. "It's my apartment, Usa."
She huffed her shoulders. "I'm well aware of that, Baka." Her voice cracked on the last word and Mamoru couldn't help but reach forward and place his hands on her shoulders.
"Please…" he whispered pleadingly.
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" she yelled, pulling away from him and storming down the hall. She opened the first door that she came to, being that to his bathroom, and slipped inside, slamming the door behind her.
Mamoru groaned, burying his face momentarily in his hands. He took a moment to regain his composure before walking to the door and leaning his head against the frame. "I'm trying to help," he said.
"I don't need help."
"You obviously need something! Usagi, this isn't normal for you. I'm worried."
"I don't need your pity."
"You don't have my pity. You have my caring. You have my compassion. You have my honest desire to help you, but you'll have to tell me what happened!"
"Go away!" she screamed and he heard the sound of running water as she turned on his shower. Sighing, he turned around and leaned against the door, staring up at the ceiling.
"I would do anything," he whispered to the air around him, "anything at all to take away your pain. Anything at all to see you smile."
He stood there silently for close to ten minutes, listening to the constant sounds of cascading water and the steady swishing of the drain. Then, a loud sob destroyed the serenity of the moment and he felt his heart clench within his chest.
"Usagi, I'm coming in," he said, loud enough so he was sure she would hear him.
"I'm taking a shower!"
"I'll keep my eyes closed."
When she didn't respond, he slowly opened the door. A great cloud of steam enveloped him. The mirror was fogged and the glass shower doors, though transparent enough to see the beige outline of her body, made no threat to her modesty. He could tell that she was sitting beneath the shower, her knees and shoulders visible above the rim of the tub, her head buried in her arms. Sighing, Mamoru closed his eyes, despite the fact he couldn't see anything anyway, and sat down on the tile floor.
"Pervert," she spat, and he couldn't help but smile.
"Usagi, talk to me," he gently commanded.
She was silent a long moment, unmoving as they both listened to the roar of the water. Finally, she reached back and turned off the shower, and the sounds of gentle dripping in the faucet filled the air instead. When the dripping had almost completely disappeared, Usagi finally broke the quiet.
"Why are men such pigs?"
Mamoru grinned ironically. "Not sure. Must be genetic."
Another pause.
"Motoki's not a pig."
Mamoru pursed his lips together. "Yeah, I know. I think he must have missed the All Men Are Pigs memo."
She laughed, but it was short and wry. Still, the sound was like a ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds for him.
"My brother's a pig."
"I heard he's training to be a Pig Ringleader."
The next giggle was a tad less forced. "I bet."
A hesitation.
"You used to be a pig. But I don't think you are anymore."
"I was demoted."
She chuckled, a short little guffaw. "What happened?"
Mamoru pondered the question a moment, picking mindlessly at the tile grout. "Well… I realized that when I was a pig, I hurt somebody. Somebody that I didn't want to hurt. Somebody that I hate seeing hurt."
A deep silence engulfed them again. The last clouds of steam had slowly dissipated onto the ceiling and the mirror's condensation was beginning to gather into big water droplets, leaving clear streaks among the fog.
"Haruka's a pig," Usagi muttered, so quietly that Mamoru barely heard her.
He chewed on his lip, having no witty response for that comment.
"Mamoru?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm cold. Would you hand me a towel?"
Mamoru clasped one hand over his eyes so she would know he wasn't peeking as he pulled a towel off of the rack, opened the shower door, and handed it to her.
"Thanks."
"Sure." After closing the door again, he removed his hand and opened his eyes, analyzing the tiles as she wrapped the towel around herself. "You know I won't laugh, Usa. I won't laugh. I won't tease. I really would like to try and make you feel better."
"I know, Mamoru. Thank you."
He sighed wistfully, leaning his head against the wall.
"He said that I was immature and stupid and… and dressed like a… prude."
Mamoru listened silently, aching to hold her as he heard the undeniable sound of crying on her voice. He licked his lips and ran his hand absently against the cool porcelain of the tub. "None of that is true, Usagi. Haruka's an idiot. He's lost the best thing that will ever happen to him, I promise you." He sighed quietly. "He doesn't know what he's missing. He doesn't know what he had."
She was silent as Mamoru ran out of words of comfort, having to bite back the streams of compliments he wished that he could shower upon her. Finally, Usagi responded, "That must have been a huge demotion the Pig Clan gave you."
Mamoru laughed. "The hugest."
The tub creaked as Usagi stood, her towel a splash of green through the glass. Mamoru closed his eyes again as she opened the door. "Do you want me to bring you a change of clothes? I can go throw yours in the dryer for a few minutes," he said.
She did not answer, though, and instead surprised him by sitting down beside him on the tile floor and curling up against his body.
Mamoru gasped, his eyes flying open to look down on her. She had the towel clutched around her, her wet hair strung out on the floor all around them. Her face was turned away, buried partly in the still-damp collar of his shirt. Sighing contentedly, Mamoru wrapped one arm around her shoulders and with the other reached up and pulled a second towel off of the rack before folding it carefully over her bare legs. She made a little sound of gratefulness, snuggling against him as his arms tied completely around her petite form.
Usagi felt Mamoru's heartbeat drumming against her ear, lulling her into a drowsy, comfortable state as one of his hands soothingly stroked her back through the cotton towel.
"I didn't even really like him that much," she whispered after a peaceful moment. "I mean, it was fun thinking that somebody liked me, somebody other than Umino, but I wasn't crazy about him. I always got a strange feeling from him. Like…. like he LIKED me, but not in the way he pretended to, you know? Like he was forcing himself to be interested, almost. Like he was pretending I was somebody else." She fell into quiet contemplation as Mamoru's hand found itself detangling her long wet hair, unknown even to him, the act felt so natural.
"Usagi, you'll find someone," he whispered against her forehead. "You'll find someone who is absolutely crazy about you. Who loves you for who you are. Who loves every little thing about you. Who will live to make you as happy as you make them."
"But what if no one ever falls in love with me?"
Mamoru clamped his eyes shut, his heart nearly breaking at her whispered, dejected words. His arm tightened around her waist, the other hand burying itself in her hair. "Trust me, Usa. Somebody will fall in love with you. They'll love you so much that it hurts." His voice wavered, his mouth feeling suddenly dry as he held her protectively, not caring in that perfect moment if she did discover his feelings for her. Not caring if she knew. If knowing would take away her pain, make her feel loved and special again, it would be worth it. The rejection and heartbreak would be worth it.
Usagi, however, didn't seem to grasp the full truth of his words, though hearing them did bring a calming peace into her heart and suddenly, the hurt of Haruka's words faded almost completely from her memory, replaced with the sensations of Mamoru's strong arms and warm chest and caressing breath against her face.
"Thank you, Mamoru-san," she whispered, honestly grateful.
He gulped, wetting his lips, finding his voice again, and let out a long sigh. "You're very welcome, Usagi."
They sat there another moment in silence, comfortable and together, listening as the dripping of the shower finally came to a complete stop.
"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," said Usagi, scrunching up her face in contemplation, "but I have the strangest feeling that it had something to do with his sister, too."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... Haruka's sister was always calling him at strangely opportune moments. And he always started acting strange right after she called." She frowned, before a look of fearful shock came over her. "What if it wasn't really his sister? What if it was his girlfriend or something? What if I was the 'other girl'?"
Mamoru chuckled. "What makes you think it wasn't just his sister, like he said?"
She shrugged. "Just a strange feeling. Things would always change after she called. Like, for example, when we went on that date to the movie, she called right afterwards, and all the sudden he wanted to go to the park. And he was acting REALLY complimentary. Almost superficially so, you know?"
Mamoru frowned. He remembered Haruka's compliments well, and even though they had all been the truth, it was true that coming from Haruka they had sounded forced.
"And then earlier, we were sitting in the cafe, just talking, and everything was fine! But then she called again and after he hung up, everything was different. That's when he said all those things: completely out of nowhere. It just doesn't make sense."
Mamoru's frown deepened as he ran over those moments in his head. And his mind kept bringing him back to one thought:
Emily.
Calling her brother.
Coming in from the rain, cell phone still in hand.
It could just be a coincidence, right?
But then, she'd known he would be at the park the other night, too.
And she had acted strangely familiar with Haruka…
I'm a professional matchmaker.
"Well, who knows?" he said hoarsely, rubbing Usagi's back as she snuggled against him. "Either way, he's an idiot. Trust me, Usa, you can do better than him. Are you feeling any better?"
She nodded and moved to stand, still clutching the towel modestly around her. "Much, thank you."
"Good," Mamoru said, not being able to resist a kiss against her forehead as he, too, climbed to his feet. She smiled shyly up at him through her thick eyelashes. "Why don't you get dressed and I'll take you home? I just remembered that I have some business to take care of."
…
"If I was a fanfiction writer," Sailorpluto mumbled crossly to herself, "I would begin this scene with something deep and profound. Like... 'Why was the great, powerful, and sexy Senshi of Time standing in an alley holding an open can of tuna and a catnip mouse?'"
She growled threateningly at a gangly calico cat rubbing against her ankle and kicked it away. "Not for you!" Sighing, she hung her head. "Why me?"
A fierce meow and hiss came from the shadows and Pluto turned to see three cats backing away from a fourth—easily twice the size of the others, with thick gray fur and squinting yellow eyes.
"Ah, there you are. Here, Kitty, Kitty." Pluto knelt and held her cat bait toward the group. All four felines and the calico from before turned to her, sniffed the air, and cautiously approached. She no longer fended them off, her gaze locked on the largest, the gang leader, the carrier of the final Rainbow Crystal.
"It's about time," she muttered and raised her hand, preparing to extract the stone, when a girl's voice broke her concentration.
"Rhett! Rhett Butler! Where did you go?"
Pluto and the cat looked in the direction of the voice simultaneously, then back at each other. Without warning, Rhett the cat turned and ran with speed and agility that shouldn't have been possible with his size.
"Hey, come back here!" Pluto screamed. Growling, she took off after him, thinking, Why is the sophisticated Senshi of Time chasing after an oversized cat? Man, I hate this story.
…
Emily's sugar packet house had almost reached three complete tiers before Mamoru stormed into the arcade and grabbed her roughly by the arm.
She yelped, her structure crumbling. "Oh, look what you made me do!"
"Come on," he commanded, dragging her out of the booth.
"Ow! Mamoru, you're hurting me! What's going on?"
He was silent as he pulled her into the back room. A stunned Motoki could only stare in silence from behind the counter as the door slammed behind them.
Releasing her arm, Mamoru turned to face her, his eyes blazing. Emily stared back stubbornly, rubbing her arm. "Egad, Mamoru, what has gotten into you?"
He strung his hands through his hair, grasping at its roots in an attempt to control his rampant anger.
"So, is Haruka really your brother or is that just another of your many lies?" he yelled.
Emily blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You did say you were going to call your brother, didn't you? But you called Haruka instead, so what is the relation?"
She gawked at him silently. Slowly, she forced her shoulders back and narrowed her eyes defiantly. "I don't know what you're talking about. Evidently, all that coffee is starting to affect your brain."
But as she turned toward the door, Mamoru grabbed her again, pulling her back into the room. She yelped as he started pacing between her and the door, continuing his tirade.
"Or maybe he's just some wacko you found on the street. Did you have to pass out to get him to talk to you, too?"
She opened her mouth, but no words escaped.
"But that doesn't really matter. What I really want to know is how much you paid him to participate in this set-up. What's the price on a good, old-fashioned heartbreak these days?" He paused, evidently waiting for an answer, his blue eyes seething down on her. When none came, he shook his head, raking a hand through his hair again. "I should have known. I should have known the moment I saw them together that this was another one of your stupid games."
"I..." Emily stammered, feeling her fool-proof plan crumbling around her. Feeling Mamoru's anger like electricity on the air. "I..."
He shook his head at her. "You promised, Emily. You promised you would stop!"
"I did stop!" she yelled, trying to pull together a viable tactic against Mamoru's onslaught of rage. Everything had been going so well. She could have sworn they'd be off kissing somewhere by now, so why the hell was Mamoru here yelling at her? She couldn't keep her spinning thoughts still long enough to put together a decent defense.
"How is this stopping?" he yelled, his temper rising with every word. "You hire some poor fool to take her out and make me jealous, then have him stage a break up so I have some sick excuse to comfort her? Did you honestly think I would take advantage of her pain by weaseling my way into her life like that?"
Emily stared, confounded. "Well... well yeah!"
He rolled his eyes. "You are disturbed, you know that?"
She clenched her fists. "You are forgetting one very important factor in all this."
"And what's that?"
"You are in love with her, you dolt! I have been right from the very beginning and if you hadn't been so damned stubborn and admitted it when I first pointed out the obvious, I never would have had to resort to..."
Mamoru slammed a fist into the wall, effectively silencing Emily. When he pulled away, there was a small dent in the paneling and Emily could almost see his flared temper rolling off of him in waves. She slowly backed away, watching him struggle with the strength of his anger.
Finally, he hissed, "You made her cry."
She gulped, wanting to retort that it was all for Usagi's own good, but having trouble convincing even herself at the moment.
He continued after a shaky breath, "You made her cry. You made her feel like less of a person. You made her feel unworthy of being loved." He turned to face her and Emily could feel the pull of tears behind her eyes. "Usagi! Can you think of any person in the world who deserves love more than her?"
She shook her head.
"You pretend to be her friend, but then you go and pull a stunt like this. You abused her kindness and her trust and she was the one who got hurt."
Emily gulped, her lips trembling, feeling suddenly nauseous. "But... but I was right..." she stuttered.
Mamoru approached her, his eyes boring holes into her, making her feel two inches tall beneath the unforgiving gaze. "No. You were very wrong. I trusted you once and I'm not going to make that mistake again, so listen closely. Stay away from her. She doesn't need you and your games in her life, so just stay away from her. And while you're at it, stay away from me, too."
He held her gaze long enough to know his point was made, before turning and slamming the door open. Emily jumped as it banged against the wall, her nerves ricocheting at the sound, and watched silently as Mamoru stormed out of the arcade.
A moment later, a nervous-looking Motoki appeared in the doorway, his eyes full of worry. "Are you okay?"
Emily stared back, tears finally creeping down her cheeks, and managed to shake her head honestly.
"What can I do?" he whispered, stepping toward her hesitantly and offering his arms in a comforting hug.
Sobbing, Emily jerked away from him and dragged a sleeve harshly over her eyes. "Can you lend me a piece of paper?"
…
Emily stared up at the apartment building with a sense of dread settling in the pit of her stomach. She knew the four Outer Senshi would be home at this time, but she didn't want to face them. She wasn't prepared to admit to her failure. She wasn't prepared to see the looks of disappointment on their faces. They'd all been so kind to her. She sighed.
"Oh, excuse me," said a cheerful voice as a body crashed into her from behind. Emily turned around to see a head of long blonde hair in a red bow walking away. She gasped.
"Sailor V," she whispered to herself. She felt an instinctual connection with the girl. The Senshi of Love. The proprietor of matchmaking schemes in hundreds of fanfictions. She cleared her throat and called out, "Wait, Miss?"
Minako turned around, startled. Emily recognized a white cat walking at her side and grinned. "I don't mean to be too forward, but… can I ask you a question?"
Blinking, Minako walked back toward her as a polite smile reached her eyes. "Sure."
Emily grinned. She'd always been partial toward Sailor V. "Well, you see, I know these two people. And they're madly in love with each other. I mean, really, truly in love. The kind of love you only read about in romance novels, right?"
Minako's smile was widening. "Right, okay."
"But you see, they refuse to tell each other."
The blonde's smile fell into a confused frown. "Why?"
Emily sighed. "Because they're stupid and stubborn! And I've been trying to get them together but they absolutely refuse to confess their feelings. Even when they have the perfect opportunity, they just won't! And I know that they'd be so happy together and they're totally meant to be together, but I'm completely out of ideas! And now one of them is really hurt because I did something that I probably shouldn't have done, and the other one is really mad at me and doesn't trust me at all and I just don't know what to do anymore!"
Minako's eyes rose up toward the sky as she contemplated what Emily had said. "You're sure they're in love?"
"Positive."
"But they keep rebelling against you?"
"Mercilessly."
Her smile was back when Minako looked at Emily again, a carefree grin that refused to acknowledge the world's problems. "Simple. Leave them alone."
Emily blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You see, very stubborn people will fight anyone that tries to force them into something, regardless of whether they want to be forced into it. The more you push, the more they pull. So if you leave them alone, they'll eventually come around and realize they can't live without each other, and they'll come together on their own!"
Emily chewed her lip a moment in concern, before asking hesitantly, "But what if they don't?"
Minako thought about it a moment, before her face fell again and she sighed. "You're right. It's a stupid idea. I just don't know. Sorry! I wish I could be more help!"
Her shoulders slumping, Emily tried her best to smile at the Snshi of Lve. She thanked her politely and said goodbye before trumping up toward the apartment building. Before she entered the door, she heard Minako calling from behind her. Turning back, she saw her standing on the sidewalk with a sympathetic smile.
"Good luck."
"Thanks," Emily said and marched inside.
…
Emily walked slowly into the apartment and shut the door behind her. The four scouts looked up, their eyes hopeful and curious but quickly fading as they saw the dejected look on her face.
"What's wrong?" asked Michiru.
Inhaling a shaky breath, Emily forced herself to look into each pretty face before saying what she had rehearsed in her head for the past hour and a half. "It can't be done. I'm sorry, but I give up. I want to go home."
They all stared at her and she felt a bit like the walls were closing in to fill in the gap that silence had claimed.
"But... you're so close."
"You got Mamoru to admit he loves her."
"To himself, yes. But... I don't think he's going to tell her. And I can't force him to."
"But of course he will tell her. It will happen any day now."
Emily shook her head sadly. "He's had more than enough perfect opportunities. He seems to fear rejection even more than he desires love. He's not going to tell her."
"Then you tell her."
"No. It has to come from him or it won't mean anything. You know that."
"Well, fine. Then maybe you just have to work on Usagi. Get her to realize she loves him, then she can be the one to—"
"Guys, please!" Emily all but screamed, feeling frustrated tears stinging her eyes. "I have tried everything short of tying them up and torturing it out of them. Everything! I'm sorry, but I told you I was bad at this matchmaking thing. Now maybe you believe me. Please, I can't do this anymore. I want to go home."
One by one they lowered their eyes until only Setsuna remained with a level gaze on hers.
"We captured the last Rainbow Crystal today," she said as she stood and reached into a pocket of air, producing her time staff. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
Emily hesitated. She didn't know what she wanted. But she could feel the walls of faith and trust disintegrating before her—her belief in true love and soul mates slowly crumbling into fine powder.
"Yes," she finally answered. "I want to go home. To where the stories always end happy. Where there is always a sappy love confession and one perfect kiss. I'm so sorry."
Setsuna nodded and in an instant Sailorpluto stood before Emily. She waved the staff in a circle, a halo of light surrounding its tip. The last thing Emily saw was the bitter disappointment on the Senshi's face before the world dissolved into nothingness around her.