Though Usagi said she was going home... she didn't. Not immediately.
This was her first real chance to enjoy being Sailor Moon, and all the perks that came along with it... so what was a little tongue-lashing at home compared to twenty extra minutes of sight? She figured if her Mama knew the truth, she'd approve. Well... to some things. Probably not the vigilante-fighting-bad guys part though.
Usagi chuckled as she bounced around rooftops, relishing in the night air as it rushed through her odango. The moon was high, her only witness to this flight of fancy, and she had to admit there was something... something warm and inexplicably comforting... about its quiet, constant presence. She couldn't quite explain the feeling, but it brought back images of herself as a small child, clutching her raggedy bunny way past her bedtime as she crouched upon the windowsill gazing up. Even then she'd harbored the same awe, the same strange connection. There was special power in the moon, and she never felt so attuned to those powers as when she was dashing around beneath it, soaking in the mystical rays. It was thrilling to be able to feast her eyes upon the city, glowing under the ethereal orb's light, for at times she had forgotten just how breathtakingly beautiful such sights could be. It was also incredibly beneficial to be able to have this brief solitude to sort through her feelings on this sudden paradigm shift that had occurred; to play back the crazy happenings of today with a clearer head than she'd had all night.
Mamoru was Tuxedo Kamen. He knew, or, at least was dreaming of, the Princess. And she was going to take fighting lessons from him while helping him find the last Rainbow Crystal. Without telling her friends. Had she lost her mind!?
But for some reason... Usagi didn't feel all that torn up about her decision. In fact she felt an eerie sort of peace about it. She knew she was doing the right thing... that it would all work out in the end. This faith she had in Mamoru, in what they were working towards... it was unshakeable, and it was fierce. A conviction stronger than she'd ever possessed before. Whatever his mission was... it was hers now too.
She worked her body and her mind until both were pleasantly exhausted, but as with all good things it unfortunately came time to retire - to return to civilian form, bid vision goodbye, and face reality.
Or the firing squad, more like.
"Do you have any idea what time it is! We've been worried sick!" Papa was shouting, and oh, it never hurt more to lie to them than at moments like this. She could hear the barely restrained fear in his voice.
"I know, I'm so sorry, I just lost track of the time..."
"See that it doesn't happen again," Ikuko scolded, finally stepping back from her thorough inspection of Usagi now that she had deemed her daughter safe and in one piece. "Usagi, we love that you're out and about, visiting your friends again. Truly, we do. But a little common sense wouldn't be remiss! A fifteen year old walking alone, unprotected, in the dark is already asking for trouble. When she's noticeably blind on top of it..."
Usagi figured it was a lost cause trying to convince her mother that she could more than hold her own if necessary, so, she hazarded a different route. "If it happens again, I'll get one of the girls to walk me. Or call home, or... or Mamoru-san if no one is available. Okay?"
That seemed to sate them at last, and Usagi escaped upstairs with a sigh of relief. Not even a whiff of punishment... they must be going soft! Though she did wonder why Mamoru had come so readily to mind...
She entered her bedroom to find Luna stretched out across the comforter, her dim glow attesting to her recumbent state.
"You're home! Oh, I'm so glad. How are you feeling?"
"Bit sore, but I've had worse," the guardian feline groused, sitting up as Usagi perched beside her. She reached over to scratch affectionately behind the cat's ears. A steady purr filled the room in response, and Usagi smirked at proof of her skillful handiwork.
"Thanks for having my back out there, Furball. Couldn't have done it without you."
"Heard you headed out after the battle?"
"Er, yeah. I just... had to get something at Mamoru-san's," Usagi said, dancing around the truth with the slightest bit of guilt stabbing at her chest. Then added, hoping to stave off any further questions, "Do you know he's going to teach me some karate!?" She didn't know if that was exactly what Mamoru had planned, but it was the closest to fighting lessons she could come without outright spilling the beans. "I asked him because he was boasting about his training and I figured, why not take advantage and see if I can improve my battle moves in the meantime..."
Luna must have been shocked, because she gaped for an interminable second before she was able to summon her cogency and string together a reply. "Well I'll be damned. Usagi-chan, are you... are you actually taking your Senshi role seriously?"
"You sound so surprised!" Usagi retorted, marginally affronted. "I told you I was!"
"Yes but it's another thing entirely to see you actually following through!"
Usagi rolled her eyes. "Ye of little faith, right here." She gave the cat a gentle bonk upside the head.
"I'm quite pleased to have been proven wrong, mind you." Luna flicked her tail, tone coy. "You know what this means of course?"
"What?"
"If you're back in the game - for real - and you're in possession of the wand again, it is now your responsibility to be monitoring it. At all times. And your duty to call for back up if it goes off for a crystal. Ami-chan will still be monitoring from afar with her computer, but even her technology has its limits and this wand is specifically modified to track Rainbow Crystal energy only. It's our best alert system and now it's in your hands."
"I understand," Usagi said solemnly, pulling the crescent moon wand out to rest in her lap. She traced her fingers over its slim handle and sharpened edges. "I know I wasn't responsible with it in the past. I will be now," she promised, willing Luna to see the resolve to do better in her eyes. It was amazing how much one event - being blinded - could effectively redefine the way in which she viewed her powers; her role as leader. The cat meowed appreciatively.
"I trust you will."
oOo
"She'll stop at nothing to keep us apart," he said, bent over the balcony with hunched and defeated shoulders. "It almost makes me wonder if I should..."
"Should what?" she cried, desperation raising its hackles within her chest. "Stay away? Then she wins. Don't you see that?"
"You don't understand... there are whispers... Whispers she's aligned herself with an ancient sorceress..."
"I'd love to see that so-called sorceress against our mighty power," she bit back, still calmly yet fiercely holding her ground in a way that would have made her namesake proud. Speaking of... "Mother supports us. And as long as we can get the backing of your parents as well, we will have nothing to fear. Beryl is a jealous, power-hungry old shrew and she will never be able to get the numbers she needs to enact her revenge. It'll be alright." She moved closer, carding her fingers across his shoulders; into his hair... willing him to draw upon her faith; her certainty.
"She only wins if we give up. And I warn you now... I have not one intention of ever letting you go, now that I've found you."
He looked up at her then and smiled, that boyish smile she loved oh so much and she moved in with eyes still locked upon his own -
Usagi gasped into wakefulness, her heart pounding, the last image from her dream still seered into her mind with absolute clarity.
What the hell!?
What was Mamoru's face doing on this man she'd been dreaming about so often lately? And - she grabbed at her own face and rubbed it wildly, as if that would staunch the blush that was spreading rapidly across it - had she been about to... kiss him?
The girl kept her countenance in her hands, willing her heartbeat and color to return to normal. No doubt the events of the night were playing tricks on her subconscious, putting real life faces on these characters she'd created and couldn't seem to stop coming back to. Other details of the dream flitted across her mind including a name, Beryl was it? What an odd name. She couldn't think of anyone called that to her knowledge, not even from her mangas, and once again she chalked it up to her overactive imagination which seemed to be even more morose than usual tonight. Usually those dreams had been of a happier variety, so intense it was almost as if she were resurfacing from a fugue state when she woke up, but this time the atmosphere had seemed fraught with fear and worry over the future...
She supposed it made sense though, given the battle and its fallout that had just transpired only hours before. With a shaky sigh, Usagi rolled over and pulled the covers closer, trying to snuggle deeper into the mattress and away from the disconcerting recollection that included her face leaning actively into Mamoru's...
"Bad dream?" Luna murmured from somewhere nearby, voice half-asleep.
"I- I don't know," Usagi said, but the cat didn't answer, her light snores already echoing about the room. She closed her eyes, touching her lips curiously. "Maybe not all of it," she whispered, with only the dark to hear her admission.
oOo
True to his word, Mamoru arrived at the usual time, loading her into his Ferrari book bag and all. As she sat there with it bouncing around on her lap the entire drive, he joked how weird it was to see her so brazenly open with him now about her identity, the crescent wand just sticking out of a side pocket like it was the most normal thing in the world. She chuckled back to him that it wasn't like she had to go out of her way to hide it anymore, so why bother. "You're really all or nothing, aren't you?" he teased. Then she told him how Luna had badgered her to keep it close, which of course set in motion the whole "Oh my god your cat can talk, can't it?" conversation.
"I mean I wish she wouldn't, sometimes!"
It was funny... she had kind of expected that they might struggle today, to get back in the swing of things, to find normal ground. But no... far from awkward, it was perhaps easier than ever to talk to him. Their repartee had taken on a whole new dimension, and it was like this relieving, freeing feeling of not having to hold back anymore. They could just be them.
"We're going to the garden?" Usagi perked up, hearing the familiar crunch of tires on gravel that signified they were pulling up the entrance of the abandoned mansion.
"My tiny apartment is hardly conducive to hand-to-hand combat," Mamoru laughed, "And anyway, it's been a while. I miss our secret spot."
Usagi smiled shyly at her feet, hiding her suddenly nervous fingers beneath the weight of her bag. It sounded so special when he said it. Secret spot. Like maybe it meant more to him than just a convenient, out-of-the-way place to train, too.
He parked a little off the beaten path, as he always did, so that just in case a patrol went by on the main roadway they wouldn't see his car. It was, after all, one that rather attracted attention in most normal circumstances. And again, as he always did, Mamoru came around to let Usagi out. She used to fight him on it, but now she had come to learn that the gesture was gentlemanly in nature and honestly... it was nice to find someone that still appreciated the values of chivalry. That's why it was no surprise when he slugged her book bag over his shoulder as well, but she still protested. He was already carrying one of his own; she had heard the telltale crinkling when he retrieved an item from out of the trunk.
"You focus on the rocks underfoot," he deflected, giving her a nudge. They trudged across the driveway and overgrown grass over to the hedge along the back garden's wall. Usagi had decided to forgo the cane today because it would just end up cast aside soon as she transformed, and anyways, she was starting to find that the more her senses strengthened - magical as well as olfactory - the less she needed to rely on it.
"So how exactly does this wand work, anyway? Besides the obvious healing properties." Mamoru helped Usagi to clear some of the brush that had grown straggly and unchecked in their absence.
"It'll start beeping if there's a Rainbow Crystal holder nearby. We'll have to keep a close eye on it if we're ever out and about," Usagi informed him, marveling at how seamless the transition to we was in her mind. There was something actually kinda nice about knowing she'd have a built-in partner from here on out. She hated fighting alone.
"I wondered how you guys managed to beat me to battles," Mamoru chuckled, "Used to think maybe you all had some sort of ESP or something."
"How do you know where to find us?"
There was an unexpected silence that proceeded her question, but then Mamoru said quietly,
"Usually... you."
"Me?" she squeaked, tripping on a loose root. His hand shot out to steady her.
"I feel it. When you're in danger. I didn't realize at first that that's what it was. But after weeks of following the call..."
"Somehow, I knew you would be coming," Usagi murmured, averting her face as she found the latch at last and ducked past the garden's hidden door. She wasn't even thinking of those pre-blindness battles anymore though. Strangely, she was remembering the image of his face getting closer to hers within the dream; how she had been able to so clearly discern every line around the contours of his mouth and each peach fuzz of hair set upon his perfectly chiseled chin...
"I'll always come."
The firm declaration did funny things to her insides, making them feel decidedly unfirm and rather like butterflies fluttering around in jelly. Usagi quickly and shakily redirected her attention to her surroundings and not on how acutely she could feel Mamoru at her back, bringing up the rear. The smell of flowers was overwhelming here, and given the idyllically sunny day she was sure the scenery was nothing short of magnificent. Even Mamoru seemed struck by the garden's beauty after so long away.
"Wow," he breathed.
Dying to see the same things he was, Usagi wasted no more time now that they were within the private sanctuary of the garden. "Moon Prism Power... Make Up!"
She felt the encapsulating ribbons and welcomed the suit of her Sailor counterpart. Like a curtain being thrown open, suddenly there was the garden before her in all its blossoming life and majesty, crowned by the vast sky and sun's virile rays. She took it all in with a smile so wide it ached until belatedly catching sight of Mamoru... jaw dropped?
"What?" she pressed, glancing around herself in confusion because he seemed to be staring at her in shock. He did remember that massive reveal where she was Sailor Moon, right!?
"It... you... Did you know it... did that?" He was still making no sense whatsoever, and now his voice was sounding rather hilariously high-pitched to boot. Usagi blinked.
"Does... what?"
He gestured frivolously and with no real direction, making vague noises that only barely resembled speech until finally words came out. "Your transformation. Naked."
"Oh." To be entirely honest... she did, but, only transiently, as she had transformed so often and never to any kind of fuss. Then again... it had always been around girls.
"It's... it's not like naked naked if it makes you feel better," Mamoru rushed to clarify helpfully as if that clarified anything at all, still doing his best impression of helium balloon inhalation. Honestly, it looked like he was far more uncomfortable with the situation than Usagi. She had never, not once, been bashful about her body. Probably because she didn't consider it to be anything particularly appealing. She knew she was no Makoto.
"I'm really sorry," she apologized, anxiously smoothing down the creases of her skirt. "If it bothers you, I'll try not to in front of you like that again-"
"NO! I mean, no," Mamoru exclaimed, before schooling his expression with a grimace and careless rake of his hand through his hair. He exhaled loudly. "It's fine! Totally fine. I don't mind. Really! It's just..."
It's just it was her. And how the hell was he supposed to tell her this was the kind of moment he'd only dreamed about, and that his reaction was such that he was desperately trying to recite mathematical equations and formulas lest he give himself away in a manner so embarrassing, he would've turned tail and run from the garden were he any less in control of himself? It was a can of worms he was not ready to open and dissect with her just yet. But still -
"Are you blushing, Mamo-chan?" she declared teasingly with hands coming to plant themselves on either side of her hips. "What, never seen a naked person before?"
"Of course I have," he retorted. In my anatomy textbooks, he amended mentally with all kinds of ornery justification, as it wasn't like he wasn't going to one day in the course of his work, and... "Wait a minute. What did you call me?"
A smug look crossed her face, and if he wasn't blushing before... he certainly was now.
"Mamo-chan. My new nickname for you! It's not fair I get one and you don't, and besides, something cute calls for something equally as cute!" She paused, eying him with some hesitation. "Do you like it?"
It was frigging adorable. Of course, if he could actually get the words to stop tangling up in his throat he'd tell her that. "It's, it's nice," he finally managed, cursing yet another inability to speak without climbing decibels. He cleared his throat and tried again for something at least a little more eloquent. "I've never had a nickname before."
"You haven't?" Usagi repeated, dumbstruck. "Not even one?"
"Never."
"Well Mamo-chan it is," she beamed, so proud of her new moniker that he couldn't help the swelling of warmth and delight it evoked. He could hear her say his name like that, so affectionately, all day. It made him feel a lot better about using his own nickname for her, and he wondered if that was the point.
"Alright then, Usako," he watched as she lit up again even brighter than before, and realized there could be no going back after this. "Are you ready to become the best combat fighter this side of the ocean!?"
Usagi giggled.
oOo
She... probably would never be the best combat fighter this side of the ocean.
But she did do a damn good job putting forth effort in at least getting the basics down, from proper punching to proper blocking techniques, and she listened intently as he gave her tips about where best to aim her attacks so that she was utilizing her body to its fullest potential. She was surprised to learn about the power of her elbow, and not so surprised - in fact rather bursting with sniggers - to learn a swift kick to the groin was probably the fastest way to incapacitate a man.
She excelled at the theory... but completely fell apart in execution. He wasn't sure if she was timid or just slow on the uptake, but he trounced her every time and after the sixth go around, dripping in so much sweat she may as well have just stepped out of the pond, he finally called a water break.
"Oh, bless you," Usagi panted, and he retrieved the bottles from out of his pack, tossing her one.
"You're doing a good job. You just need to try to anticipate me better," Mamoru said, cracking open his own water and chugging it thirstily. Not to let Usagi feel out of place, he himself had donned the garb of Tuxedo Kamen (to her immense excitement). It gave him more freedom of movement, but sporting all black in this heat was murder. He was just as sweaty as Usagi, if not worse, and the fabric clung to him in every crevice possible. What he wouldn't give for a cold shower right about now. He glanced over to see Usagi eying him contemplatively from her spot on the ground, beneath the shade of a weeping willow. It was getting a little less weird to see her as the famous Sailor Moon, the more time like this that they spent costumed in each other's company. He was finally at the point where he could look past all the baubles and ornamentation and just see Usagi. She pulled her knees up to her chin and her voice was soft as she queried,
"Hey... do you believe in past lives?"
He wondered what brought that on... but then realized, she was probably just looking to kill time, in search of a distraction from the grueling physical labors that still lay ahead. Mamoru quirked a brow.
"I don't know," he answered seriously. "There's nothing disproving the idea, scientifically speaking. So I tend to err on the side of the Socratic paradox. 'I know that I know nothing'. Maybe we do lead lives before the one we find ourselves in, maybe we were nothing but dust. Who am I to say? All I know is, I must have been a frog in my mine," Mamoru scrunched up his face, thinking on all the tribulations that had plagued him since the day of the accident. Of course Usagi took it in a completely different direction...
"Sounds like the story of Prince Charming!"
He waggled his eyebrows at her. "You think I'm Prince Charming, huh?"
She went the reddest he'd ever seen her, which was ironic given that only earlier she'd transformed naked in front of him and didn't even bat an eye at that. Her response was littered with choked sputtering. "I... that's not what I..."
Mamoru snapped his cape in a ridiculous attempt to act suave, because he just loved the mortified faces she was making and this opportunity definitely called for a little payback. "It's because of my roguishly good looks and superior fighting skills, is that it? How I always manage to swoop in and save the day and still have a rose for my lady at the end?"
"You're incorrigible," Usagi huffed, crossing her arms, still so pink it could have passed for sunburn.
"Done stalling now?"
"Yes," she grumbled.
He offered her a hand up and bestowed on her a kindly smile, boyish in nature, and shared mischievously, "Regardless of any past lives. I'm very glad I found you in this one." She stared, lips parted, as he leaned forward.
"Back to work, Usako."
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: Apologies for the wait! Restrictions are being slowly reduced here and the weather is so nice, it's hard to just sit inside and write. Though I did also get distracted by a SilMil fic... it's called "Prima Nocta", a SerenityxEndymion AU, rated M if that's your thing, and I spent A LOT of time on it so if you are interested please check the story out via my profile. Let me know what you think :) And of course... reviews very much appreciated on this here story too. I LOVE that we are at the point where Usagi and Mamoru can be so openly flirty with each other!
Big kisses to Sonata IX, lolopptt, Princesakarlita411, Moon Bunny, AimlesslyGera, Jwalla1986, Ruk, chimichurri, Tina Century, aldoraspritelette, RogueAlly, Astraearose-silvermoon, Daire123, Serenity Red Eclipse, Guest (x2), tryntee13, karseneau1, MyIndy13, phillynz, Nikki BC, Katnissxo, Rufael, TinkStar87, starlights12, Oreo586, and Lazygirl2306. You guys are truly the reason I do this; you keep me accountable! THANK YOU for your kind words and I hope everyone is still safe and healthy!
AngelMoon Girl