The Secret behind the Roses
Written by: Jill Annette
Part Four: Shock #6
Usagi glanced at the automatic doors as they opened out of the corner of her eyes. The girls walked in, one by one – Rei, Makoto, Ami and Minako. Rei and Makoto were joking around, trying to trip each other and pulling each other's hair, despite their age. Ami walked behind them, shaking her head but laughing at the entertainment. Minako was talking animatedly on her cell phone, laughing obnoxiously loud.
Minako was the first to spot Usagi. "Oh my God! I have to let you go!" Click. "Usagi, what the hell did you do?"
All the rest of the girls stopped dead in their tracks, smiles frozen in place, as they looked for their odangoed friend, not finding her. They did find a girl with golden blond hair who looked incredibly like Usagi but the hair was wrong.
Usagi shrugged, a grin spreading across her face.
"You chopped your hair off. I can't believe you!" Rei exclaimed walking up behind Usagi to play with the shortened strands.
The rest of the girls sat down in their usual seats along the bar on either side of Usagi. They all admired her hair.
"When did you do it?" Makoto asked.
"Yesterday, before I saw you guys last night."
Now, the rest of the conversation would be confusing to those listening in because they had to leave out certain details so that others didn't pick up on the attacks. All that mattered was that they understood each other and they did.
"But your hair was like it always has been," Ami pointed out.
"Yes, before I left to come meet you guys, I wondered what would happen. Nothing changed."
"So it just grew back out?" Minako asked.
Usagi nodded. "Nothing can change that image. She'll always be the same."
"She isn't you."
"Not entirely," Usagi replied.
"Speaking of last night," Ami stated, looking past Makoto's tall form to Usagi. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. A little red and black and blue and sore but better."
"Glad to hear," Rei smiled at her friend.
All of them were worried last night about her. After Tuxedo Kamen had left, Sailor Moon had run off too. Something had disturbed her and the usually responsible soldier left her troops without looking back.
When the girls first found out they were born with a definite destiny, things were all a little stand-off-ish. At fourteen, the girls were just starting to get used to puberty and who at that age wanted the responsibility that had been bestowed upon them? Eventually, they all embraced their fate.
The automatic doors to the café scratched along the ground as they opened and Mamoru walked in. All the girls watched him walk up to the part of the bar closest to the doors, farthest from the girls.
"Furuhata!" He called for Motoki Furuhata, the hotty that had worked the bar here for years.
Motoki appeared from the back, walking past the group of girls to his friend. He abruptly turned around after a few seconds and walked to the coffee, "You know I don't even know why I think I have to ask you what you want still. It's always the same."
Handing Mamoru his coffee, Motoki walked over to the girls. "Hey ladies. How long've you been here?"
Minako batted her eyelashes, "Not too long."
"I don't feel bad then," Motoki gestured to Mamoru, "He on the other hand could've waited a little longer. I know he just walked in."
"We were in deep conversation anyway. Usagi pulled a surprise haircut on us."
Motoki took his eyes off Minako long enough to look at the other blond of the group. "Holy hell, Usagi!"
Mamoru's head shot up from his coffee, he had been ignoring Motoki's insults that he had clearly heard from across the bar, and looked for the girl. He had not recognized her whenever he walked in and now he noticed why.
"You cut your hair?" Mamoru asked, on his face a look of disbelief.
"Told you I wouldn't chicken out, jerk."
"Oh," Rei said, eyebrows rising. "The truth comes out."
The girls laughed but Usagi didn't even hear them. Her attention was on the man who moved from the other end of the bar to stand in front of her. Usagi propped her elbows up on the surface of the table, leaning back on them to get a better view of Mamoru as he stood inches from her.
"I'm not a jerk," Mamoru stated. "You on the other hand, just thought you had to prove a point."
His finger found her side and poked her as a playful gesture but her face changed from a sly smirk to a painful grimace. Usagi's hand went to her side as a wave of pain went through her body.
"Odango? Are you okay?"
Taking a deep breath, Usagi recomposed herself. "I'm fine. It's nothing."
"Nothing?" Mamoru asked. "Nothing doesn't hurt when I poke you."
To prove his point he pressed at her again, watched as she doubled over in pain. Minako and Ami gasped as Rei glared at Mamoru, her eyes evil little slits. Makoto stood up from the swiveling chair, almost even height with Mamoru, "Can't you see you're hurting her?"
"Usagi," Mamoru said, ignoring her friends.
The blonde's head snapped up at her name coming from his mouth, tears in her eyes.
"Let me see."
Without thinking he grabbed the end of her shirt and lifted, exposing the whole of her middle. Intricate red lines – small scratches – shown above light and darker purple skin was exposed to anyone who was paying attention. Usagi cringed, feeling like she had been caught doing something bad. She cursed under her breath, damning her inability to heal like usual because of the poison.
"Mamoru, you pervert!" Minako screamed, breaking the sudden quiet.
She slapped his hand away from her friend's shirt and pulled the material back down to the waist of her jeans. Usagi held Mamoru's eyes as she watched his mind try to put the puzzle together.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," Rei said.
"Don't pull that with me." Raking his hands through his hair, Mamoru looked at the every last girl. "This can't be what I think it is." He singled Usagi back out.
How could he not have known? The others didn't know, did they? They didn't have the same knowing look as Usagi. How could she have figured everything out? Is he even thinking on the right wavelength?
"Damn it. Usagi, we have to talk. Alone."