By
Moonlight Bunny
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SM characters. Takeuchi Naoko-sama owns them.
Summary: Usagi and her friends finally graduate and live a normal life, after their last battle against Galaxia. Just as they thought that everything would be ok, something happens which put the whole future in danger. Mamoru goes back to the States to finish his studies, the Three Lights are back and accidents starts to happen, as well as broken hearts.
Previously…
The thought of Yuuichirou fainting made the girls laughed. Soon the place was filled with laughter from the girls, who were by now laughing hysterically. People who were walking by or stood near from where they were were staring at them. Among the crowd, stood three young men watching the five girls laugh.
"Odango!"
-
Chapter four: Good news or bad news?
The five girls calmed themselves from their laugh attack. As they were regaining their posture, Rei, suddenly felt mysterious auras aound the area. She wasn't sure if it was dangerous, but it felt familiar. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was sure that it was the same, like two years ago. Something was going to happen again. If it was good or bad, she didn't know. But something was going to happen for sure…
As for Ami, she could have sworn that she saw Rei frown for a second. Why was she frowning? What was she frowning at? Ami knew only one thing; if Rei sensed something wrong, then it's definitely bad news. Knowing that Rei won't bring it up until she was sure, she let it go, but only for now. She was going to have a talk with Rei later about it, but not now, especially not in front of Usagi.
As the five young women started tot walk away, a dark figure was standing among the trees. The figure was smiling at them as it said,
"Laugh as much as you can now, little girl. Soon you won't be laughing again… I promise you that…"
-----
At the Three Light's old apartment
Seiya was sitting and thinking about the golden haired young woman he saw a couple of hours ago.
He and his two other partners were walking around, wanting to see how much of Tokyo had changed after they had left. There were new shopping malls, cafés, office buildings and other places they haven't been to, but some places remained the same as they were. Other places were re-built. The park where they used to go to had somewhat changed. It was still there, but it was different.
And there… there at the park, they saw them. They had heard loud noises what appeared to be laughing, not very far from where they were. Yaten had immediately recognized them and went at the direction where they had appeared.
There not far from the lake were five young women sitting and laughing. Two blondes were laughing onto each other's shoulders, while the brunette tried to cover her mouth as she had her hand on her stomach. The blue haired girl held a book in front of her, trying hard to not show that she was also laughing, while the raven-haired was standing or from what seemed to be trying to stand on her feet as she was scolding them and laughing at the same time. They were laughing over some guy, whom they didn't know about.
The girls had changed a lot outside, if they also changed inside, they didn't know.
Seiya was a bit anxious. He didn't know if his Odango would accept him being back on Earth. She might've changed completely, but then again. This was Odango… Tsukino Usagi, Eternal Sailor Moon… She weren't the one who would be mean to anybody. But still… something inside him, made him nervous.
Seiya was so deep into his thoughts, that he didn't notice his bedroom door open, a couple of minutes ago. His white haired friend looked at him and sighed. He remembered when they were back on Kinmoku. Seiya would stare at the sky for hours, not caring about anything else. He made sure to get everything done, though.
Princess… no, queen Kakyuu had seen the pain in Seiya. It tore her heart to know, that she couldn't do anything to ease it. She knew what he wanted the most, but couldn't give him it. After they were done re-building the planet and reassuring that there weren't going to be any next threat, she had made a decision. A decision that made it harder for him, harder for them. She released them from their ties of duty. Her lover, the king of Kinmoku, had objected and so did they and the rest of the other starlights that had come back to life. But everyone knew that she was a stubborn woman and if she had already made a decision then no one can ever change it.
Now, they were once again back on earth due to the queen's wishes.
-
"Hey, Seiya! Still thinking about your precious little Odango?" Yaten said, knowing that he was interrupting Seiya from his daydream.
"As a matter of fact, I do." Seiya retorted before going back to daydreaming.
Yaten sighed and walked away. Looking at his friend, he thought,
"Poor Seiya. Of all the girls he could have fallen in love with, he had to choose her… who already loved someone else."
-
Leaving his friend alone, he went to the kitchen. Taiki was sitting and talking with their old manager, on the phone.
"Aha… aha… okay! So when are we going to start recording for our comeback?"
"Aha… uhm… Next friday? Sure… Huh, what? Oh, this friday… What! This FRIDAY?" Taiki asked, while frowning.
"But… Yeah, I know… I know… But so soon? We just arrived in Tokyo yesterday… What…? The sooner, the better… I know, but we only have today and tomorrow to rest then. Can't you try finding another date?"
"Okay… okay… wha… What! What did you say her name was? Yes, I know her… No, I didn't…No, I definitely didn't know about them either…Yes, we know them too… Aha…Okay, on Friday then… Bye!" Taiki sighed and hung up.
-
Turning around he saw Yaten. Then all of a sudden Taiki started to grin.
"So, how did it go? And how come you're smiling?"
"Well, the bad news are that we have to record on Friday because a person, who's also going to record at the same studio as we are, has booked all days next week."
"WHAT! No, we can't! We're tired with re-building Kinmoku, coming back here and all…" Yaten snapped.
"But we have too. If we're going to have a strong comeback, then we must do this earlier. This person that he told me about was pretty popular. Being a famous actress and a teen-idol, I'm sure that it will be hard to fight with her being number one artist in Japan." Taiki said, while still grinning.
"Then how come you're grinning like a hyena?"
"Because she happens to be an old friend of ours."
"What are you talking about? We stayed away from every female fan except for those crazy girls, who happened to be this earth's saviours."
Taiki sighed,
"Think harder. Who's the one person, who had the potential of being an idol?"
"None that I can think of except for… Minako?" Yaten questioned Taiki, who was nodding.
"You're kidding right? Right?"
"No, I'm not. It seems like Minako-san succeeded in pursuing her dream as an idol. And that's not all. According to our manager, her friends are famous too."
"Who? You mean…"
Taiki nodded once again,
"Yes, Rei-san, Makoto-san, Ami-san and Usagi-san. It appears to be that Makoto-san is now a famous chef and also the owner of the very famous restaurant here in Tokyo. And Usagi-san is a renowned artist. Remember, when we passed this art-gallery downtown earlier? Remember the big painting with a couple meeting under the moonlight and wind was swirling around them? That's her art."
"THAT'S USAGI'S? You mean, that girl who couldn't even draw Luna right is now an…" Yaten cried out.
"Yes, and both Rei-san and Ami-san are Minako-san's songwriter. Mr. Tanaka said, that they are good with writing songs, as if they had done it for a long time."
"So, that's what's become of them. Do you think their attitudes might have changed along? You know, fame can change people's personality."
"I don't know. I don't think so, but we've been gone for long. And lots has been happening since our sudden disappearance."
Unknown to them, Seiya was standing on the other side of the door. He was going to the kitchen and get something to eat, when he had heard Yaten's voice. He had heard everything that had been discussed about, and now had a lot going on in his head. His odango, an artist? Suddenly he remembered when he saw her earlier outside the mall. She looked the same, but different. She had her beautiful golden hair in a braid. And wore a dress, that made her look more like a woman than a girl. And the way she walked, when she walked with her friends. She was walking gracefully, more likely floating. She didn't even tripped when she ran after the girls. Her shine was still the same, but her aura was different.
"Odango's… changed?"
-----
Same time, but at Usagi's houseThe girls were inside Usagi's room. Laughing and talking about the goofy stuffs they did a few years back. But unbeknownst to them, Usagi was sitting by her windowsill looking at the world outside.
It was like she knew something that the rest of the world didn't. But just some thoughts that ran through her mind. Thoughts about the past, the present and the future. Everything was already lying in front of her. The only thing she had to do was grab for it and she would have everything. In her entire life she'd loved only one. And that was her prince… her knight in a shining armour… her soul mate… her king… her Mamo-chan. The one who was her past, her present and soon to be her future. He was the one who died for her in the past. The one who saved her many times in the present. And soon he was going to be the one who would reign Crystal Tokyo together with her. They would have a beautiful daughter together.
Her daughter… Chibi-Usa… Her Small Lady… If she hadn't come from the future… If Pluto hadn't told her about what was to become in the future, would she still be together with Mamo-chan now? Was Pluto even authorized to tell her about the future? Was the future already set in stone? What would happen if she decided to take another path, would the future be the same, but with slight changes? Or would it be destroyed because of her?
Many thoughts were going through her head and she couldn't seem to take them off, until she felt a hand on her shoulder that brought her back to the world.
"Usagi-chan, what are you thinking of?" asked a soft voice.
Usagi looked up at the owner of the hand. Ami was smiling at her, but with a hint of concern behind her sparkling blue eyes.
"Not-nothing, Ami-chan." Usagi tried to smile back, but her blue eyes failed to hide the sadness that she felt.
"Liar," Ami smiled, while looking at the world outside. Then Ami frowned and looked back at her dear friend.
"I know you too well, Usagi-chan. I can tell when you're lying or not."
"How can you tell?" asked Usagi, who was now staring at the sky.
"Because you've always been a bad liar and I can see it in your eyes. I can see in your eyes that something is bothering you. Do you want to tell me or would you prefer to keep it?"
"It's about Mamo-chan, and me. And… and about our future." Usagi said after hesitating.
"It feels like we're drifting apart. I don't know why, but it's a feeling that I've had ever since…
Well, his kisses aren't the same. I can't feel any passion from him any more and the way he's looking at me. I can't see love that used to shine brightly in those eyes. I just can't feel anything from him. Is it just me or are we starting to become more and more distant?" Usagi asked with tears showing in her eyes.
"Oh, Usagi-chan. I'm so sorry… It must be really hard on you. After everything you two have gone through."
Usagi looked up at her very best friend, now with tears that threatened to fall down her porcelain cheeks,
"I'm going to be the cause of Crystal Tokyo's downfall, aren't I? And… and what about Chibi-usa? Can I live on, knowing that I caused the death of my own future child?"
"Usagi-chan, please don't cry. I know that you love her dearly and that you'd rather die, than seeing her hurt. I know that you love everyone so much, that you're even willing to sacrifice your own happiness for others' sake. But don't you think that it's time that you think of yourself? Just for once in your life? You saved the world, not just once but thousands of times. You even let us pursue our dreams knowing that we won't be seeing each other a lot. Risking your own safety just to see us happy with our dreams, goals."
"But…" Usagi was going to say something, but was interrupted by Ami,
"No, Usagi-chan. No, buts! You should follow your own dreams, without having the knowledge of what lies in the future. It's not fair that you should be carrying such a heavy burden as this one. None should carry this burden, knowing that everyone's future is depended on one person's acts." Ami wisely said, while showing the sadness that she now was feeling for her friend.
Laughter from Rei, Minako and Makoto were heard in the background. They were busy gossiping about their boyfriends and about Minako's new date, that they didn't notice that Usagi was crying and Ami patting her back.
"Pluto did the wrong thing, showing the future. What she did was truly wrong. Did she even have the rights, as the time guardian, to show the future? But then again, she must have had her reasons for why she did what she just did."
"Ami, I…" Usagi said, but was once again interrupted.
"Usagi-chan, do what you think is best for you. Don't think about us, but for once think about you! You've done that for us a lot of times. Now it's your turn to have the same happiness as we have. If you want to be with Mamoru-san, then be with him. If you want to be with someone else, then do it. We won't interfere and tell that it's wrong leaving Mamoru. As long as you are happy together with the one you love, then we are happy. It's your decision, not ours, not the outers and definitely not Mamoru-san."
Then Ami smiled warmly at Usagi,
"Remember, that the future isn't set in stone. It doesn't lie around the corner, waiting for you to grab hold of it. The future is what you create with your very own hands."
Usagi looked up to her friend. Smiling back, she said,
"Thanks Ami-chan… For listening and for understanding."
"You're welcome. Just don't be afraid of telling what you're feeling. And remember, about what I said about creating your own future. We'll be supporting you one hundred percent."
The two friends look at each other and smiling, when,
"Hey, Ami-chan! Usagi-chan! What are you two smiling about?" Minako asked, while trying to keep herself from laughing like a hyena.
"Oh, we were just having a conversation, by ourselves." Usagi beamed.
"Oooh… want to share your secrets to the rest of us?"
"Uh… I don't think so." Ami grinned, while watching her three other friends trying to restrain themselves from laughing harder from one of their story-telling.
"Meanie!" Minako pouted, before sticking out her tongue.
But then Ami responded by throwing a pillow at Minako, who easily dodged it, but instead hit Makoto. Makoto threw back a pillow at Ami, but hit Usagi. Usagi, who didn't have the chance to duck, also took a pillow and threw it in the air, which smacked Rei right on the face.
"Oops… Sorry, Rei-chan. I missed Mako-chan."
"Missed? What do you mean, missed? She was right in front of you, but instead threw it at me? Why, you little…" Rei never finished her sentence, because another pillow hit her, but this time from Minako. And soon a pillow fight started. But everyone stopped from the sound of the phone ringing. Usagi ran quickly to answer,
-
"Moshi, moshi."
"…"
"Oh, hi Mamo-chan!"
"…"
"Tomorrow? Where?"
"…"
"I love you too."
"…"
"Okay, bye!"
-
Usagi hung up the phone again; turning back to her friends she gave them a weakly smile. Then her friends, all of a sudden, saw Usagi falling down on her knees. She started to sob uncontrollably, while mumbling "Mamo-chan".
-----
At another place, in an apartment, a man had just hung up the phone. A pair of slender arms came and wrapped him. Smiling, he turned around and bent his head down towards the woman. The woman had long blonde hair that covered parts of her body. Her green eyes were deeply staring in his. She gave him a playful smile as she whispered softly into his ears,
"Now where were we?" as she kissed him and pulled him back to the bedroom…
A/N:
hohoho… naughty, naughty. Guess three times, who it is? So what did you think about this chapter? The last part was a little present from me… kidding! but I do have a present for you all later as this story continues. I'll let you know, when it'll come. But for now you'll have to wait. Don't forget to review!
Ja ne, minna-san!
/Moonlight Bunny