A Time to Love
Chapter 10
By the way, and contrary to 'popular belief', I don't own Sailor Moon. Damn.
Oh, well, thank you Naoko Takeuchi, for unwittingly allowing me and everyone else to use your people in stories. Tchau.
bring, brriiing…
"I swear to the gods, the phone gets impatient the more ya let it ring," Mmaoru grumbled as he rolled over to grab the phone next to the bed he shared with Usagi, who, of course, slept right through the interruption. " What time is it? Jesus. Hello?"
"Is this Mamoru? Can I speak to Usagi? It is an emergency, and no, it can't wait until school tomorrow – in fact, it has to do with whether or not I can go to school tomorrow. Please, can I talk to Usagi!" a strained voice cracked through on the line.
"Makoto? Is that you – Usagi's right here, let me wake her up," Mamoru let his voice rise to a regular volume as he reached across the bed to wake Usagi.
"I'm sorry Mamoru… I forgot that she said that she was with you, and I am so sorry to wake you – you did know that she gave me this number, right?" Makoto's voice was beginning to sound more like regular, but she was obviously still in distress.
"Mako-chan, calm down, I've got Usagi right here, although she is still half-asleep and groggy… Here you go," Mamoru passed the phone to the sleepy-eyed blonde.
"Moshi-moshi, Mako-chan… what's wrong? Are you injured – have you been attacked? Do you need me to come get you?" Usagi had fully woken by then, and she was beginning to have the same panic in her voice that Makoto had in her own.
Mamoru was beginning to see why the two girls were such close friends… if misery loves company, hysteria was the life of the party.
Mamoru had gotten up from the bed once it became clear that Usagi was not going to solve Makoto's problem in any short order – or over the phone.
Usagi exited the bedroom and entered the kitchen fully dressed. "Mamoru, I've got to get over to Makoto's apartment. It would seem that you and I are not the only ones who have regained memories… but Makoto is experiencing some… side effects… of the ordeal. I'll be back soon," she finished as she picked up her bag as headed for the door.
"You are not going anywhere alone this late at night. Our building is safe, but I can't vouch for the area between our place and Mako-chan's… I've got coffee ready and I'm dressed enough to go out. Let me get my shoes on and we'll drive over," Mamoru finished pouring the steaming coffee into travel mugs, handed two of them to Usagi, put his on the counter, and pulled his shoes on.
Mamoru grabbed his keys and looked at Usagi. "Ready to go?"
"You don't have to go with me, honey. I'm sure that it is no biggie – and besides that, she is my friend. Not your problem," Usagi shrugged into her jacket and stepped into her shoes, then looked at Mamoru.
"If she is so important to you that you are willing to go out at three in the morning to help her get through a problem, then she is just as important to me. Now let's get going before I say anything cornier. I'm tired, she needs help, and you don't know the area well enough," Mamoru held the door open for Usagi, and after they had both stepped through, he pulled it shut and locked it.
Usagi ran over to the elevator and pushed the button to go to the garage. Mamoru stepped into the elevator with her and reached for her hand. Usagi looked up at him.
"What? I like being near you, touching you any way I can," Mamoru leaned down and kissed her temple as they waited to get entrance to the garage.
Twenty minutes later, Usagi and Mamoru were waiting in the lobby of Makoto's building. A tall woman strode toward the waiting couple and tapped Usagi on the shoulder.
"Excuse me? Aren't you here to see me?" Makoto asked Usagi in her new, slightly husky voice.
"Mako-chan? Is this what you meant when you said that I may need help to recognize you?" Usagi's eyes grew huge at the change in her friend, barely recognizing the now twenty-one or twenty-two year old, "How did this happen? When did this happen? Did you do this to yourself?"
"Of course I didn't do this to myself! Jesus, girl, think once in a while. I see you brought Prince Charming with you, as well. Let's move… I haven't figured out what to tell my super about the change in my form, so get up to my apartment before we attract too much attention," Makoto put her arms across Usagi and Mamoru's shoulders, pulling them towards the elevator to go up to her apartment, "We can talk about this once we get up there – is that coffee for me?"
Makoto reached for the second cup in Usagi's hands as they entered the elevator, and then pressed the button for the eighth floor.
The three stood silently as they waited to reach Makoto's floor. Mamoru stared at the doors of the elevator, Makoto stared at Mamoru, and Usagi stared at Makoto's bust. Sensing eyes on her form, Makoto turned to Usagi and scowled at her friend. Usagi looked up at her and shrugged apologetically.
"They're huge."
"They're huge. They're huge. Is that all you can say? How about the fact that I am now two inches taller than I was when you last saw me, my hair has grown from just past shoulder-length to mid-thigh-length, and my face has grown-up as well? And I should probably tell you about the weird dream that woke me up to find myself like this," Makoto was breathless by the time she finished, looking at both Usagi and Mamoru sitting at her kitchen counter, drinking a third pot of coffee.
Usagi ripped her eyes from Makoto's cleavage, "Oh, Mako-chan, what are you talking about? Maybe you should start from the beginning…"
"Could one of you set me straight first? I think I have things pretty well figured out, but I need confirmation before I jump in with both feet," Mamoru said, frightening both girls, who had all but forgotten the lone male's presence.
"What does he know? I thought he remembered his past life. Or did he just remember crawling between your legs?" Makoto was put out by the extra visitor who was not proving very helpful in the crisis.
"Well, your mouth sure has gotten ahead of itself. He's remembered much, but the stuff centering on the team and his royal guard seems to still be a bit foggy. Do you want me to fill him in, or shall I?" Usagi asked Makoto, her voice taking on a richer timbre as she let her royal self infuse her with some authority and confidence.
"Oh, I'll tell him. If he's gotten over the other stuff by now, this'll be cake. Pay attention, Mamoru-san, because that as I've grown, my patience has shrunk. You know by now that Usagi-chan is Sailor Moon, and you are Tuxedo Kamen-sama. From your experiences, you know that Sailor Moon has companions who help her fight and watch her back in battle. There are four of us, each representing our guardian planet: Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, and Sailor Jupiter. You have the profound honor of taking coffee in the home of Sailor Jupiter. Protected by the power of the planet of Jupiter, the latest incarnation of the God of Thunder, Kino Makoto, imbued with not only the power of thunder, but also that of nature itself. You should just see my plants," Makoto's voice purred with pride and power.
"So that explains you – what about the rest of your team? And what royal guard?" Mamoru was still having trouble with the new information and identities.
"Sorry, we can't tell you that right now… again, it is something that you will need to at least begin to remember on your own; plus, we need to figure out the more pressing problem of what to do about Mako-chan's transformation," Usagi had slipped into full form, thinking and planning on what to do next.
"Well, I think that I could get one of the lawyers that my family has kept on retainer to fix the paperwork to get you your graduation certificate… and with your transformation, you could easily pass as an aunt, older sister, or older cousin to go to the school and fix things so no questions are asked," Mamoru stood and paced as he spoke.
"What about –" Makoto began.
"The memories of the people who knew you intimately?" a new voice broke in, with a strangely lilting accent.