"Usagi-chan?" called Naru, as she slowly inched the locker room door open. Fish Eye peaked in around her, trying to see their blonde friend. "Are you okay, Usagi-chan?" she called in.

"Usagi-chan?" called Fish Eye, taking a step in. "Are you even-oh!" she gasped. Usagi was standing in the nude in front of a mirror, dripping wet; obviously she had just stepped out of the shower. Fish Eye jumped back out of the room with a surprised blush. "Sorry!"

"Um, um, Usagi-chan, we just wanted to know if you wanted to come upstairs to the cafeteria and have some, um, cake...with us?" Naru stilled and shared a look with Fish Eye before both of them peeked back into the room. "Ahh, Usagi-chan?" she called.

Usagi stood still as a statue, cautiously running her fingertips over her throat. Across her throat, ugly fading yellow-green bruises and red welts marred her neck. Usagi eyed the marks warily as if they were a permanent threat. Fish Eye and Naru shared one more look before they backed out of the room on tip toes. As Naru carefully pulled the door shut, she turned to Fish Eye.

"I think she's acting strange." she murmured to her. Fish Eye nodded.

"She's acted like that since she woke up, remember!" she said.

---

"Hey, she's waking up!" called a voice high above her. Usagi groggily opened her eyes and blinked; her brother and her friends hovered above her head. She didn't even get a chance to speak before she heard Motoki and another man, a brunette, fought their way through the crowd around her and began to examine her.

"Tsukino-san, how are you feeling?" asked Motoki, as the other man began to check her vitals. Motoki shined a light into her eyes as he waited for her to answer. She groaned, flushing wildly at his proximity, and swung herself up to the side with a groan.

"Where am I?" she asked, clutching her head as a migraine pounded on her temples.

"The infirmary." the brunette told her as he stuck a stethoscope upon her chest. It was then she realized that she was out of the white diving suit and into one of the dresses patients in hospitals wear.

"How long have I been out?" she asked in amazement.

"About a week." answered Shingo to her left. He was sitting on her bed, sitting unusually close to her. "You scared mama and tou-san bad, nee-chan! They're in the cafeteria right now and-"

"Oi, Shingo-kun, give your sister a break." tsked Fish Eye as she dragged him away from the bed.

"Ne, you did give us a scare, Usagi-chan!" said Naru. She leaned forward with a grin but stopped when she saw Usagi looking in a mirror, delicately touching her neck. Her entire throat was a mess of large purple bruises and red welts from where the youma had clutched her neck as she had tried to strangle her to death. Usagi looked pale and sick as she viewed the marks. "Usagi-chan?"

---

"This has to stop!" urged Fish Eye, slamming her fist into her palm for emphasis. "I mean, she's our friend and we can't let her be down like this, right?"

"No!" agreed Naru, nodding her head firmly. "So, let's go get her then drag her up to the cafeteria for that cake eating contest!" The two girls nodded, stood, then carefully poked their heads through the door before rushing their friend. Grabbing a towel, Naru wrapped it around Usagi's now cold and dripping body and Fish Eye tossed an arm around her neck.

"Eep!" gasped Usagi as both Fish Eye and Naru pulled her into an impromptu hug.

"Enough of this moping!" demanded Fish Eye.

"Yes, you shouldn't look so sad, Usagi-chan, it adds years to your face!" urged Naru.

Caught in between the arms of her two friends, Usagi couldn't help but stare at them. Both of them were so worried for her and she'd never noticed. Smiling softly, she put her arms up and gently grabbed arms of the two of them and nodded. "Okay, I won't mope anymore."

"Good!" snapped Fish Eye. "I was beginning to worry you were going to back out on us!"

"Fish Eye!" scolded Naru. "Don't be mean, she had a lot to think about." She then turned back to her blonde friend still caught between her and Fish Eye. "Usagi-chan, you're going to stay aren't you?"

Usagi fell quiet, her eyes searching back to her neck's reflection. Fish Eye caught this and leaned close to her. "You know, nearly everyone has scars."

Usagi blinked and looked at her. "Huh?"

"Yes, what happens in the BETA-verse happens out here in real life." explained Naru. "If you get hurt in there, you get hurt out here. I don't know why, you'd have to ask Zoisite-san." she finished with a shrug before going on. "But let's not worry about that now, let's go get some cake!"

"Eh? W-wait! Let me get dressed first!"

---------------

"Mmm, that was some yummy cake!" cheered Usagi as she sat back in her chair. The quartetto and Chibi Chibi cheered loudly with a simple praise from Kakyuu, Nephellania, Beryl, Alan, and Umino looked slightly sick while Urawa, Ann, Diamond, Fish Eye, and Naru looked on in awe. Usagi had been "tricked" into the hazing process easily enough-they just hadn't thought she'd actually win at the cake eating contest.

"Amazing!" "Great!" "Fantastic!" cheered the quaretto.(Chibi Chibi just kept shouting "Cake!")

"You just ate twelve of Catzy's prized cakes without a single break except to drink your soda!" gasped Umino, mind boggled at the sheer mechanics of what he had just witnessed. "Astounding!"

"Quite a talent." smiled Kakyuu noncommitally.

"It'll be great with you here, Usagi-chan!" shouted Pallas with glee.

"Especially with some of the others leaving-" started Juno but was quickly shushed by the other three but it was too late. Usagi had heard and had gaped at her.

"Who's leaving?" she asked in shock.

"Well," started Urawa with a guilty wiggle in his seat. "since you are the MOON SENSHI, some of us aren't needed here anymore and have been offered a chance to leave the compound. ...Permanently." he added as an afterthought. "I know like me, some of us are..."

"Wah, Urawa-kun, you're going too?" asked Pallas.

"B-but, I just got to meet you!" protested Usagi. "You're all leaving because I'm here?"

"Usagi-chan." interrupted Zoisite. Everyone turned and looked to see him in front of the elevator evidently having just walked in the room; at his side, Mamoru and Nephlite walked to the group and sat with them. "It's a little redundant to have so many candidates here when we already have found the MOON SENSHI."

"Besides, Usagi-san," commented Mamoru, "I'm sure they have other things they want to do other than sit around here and do nothing. Alan-san and Ann-san have their wedding to plan, and from what I understand Umino-san, Urawa-san, and Naru-san are still attending high schoo-"

Usagi--with her somewhat selective hearing--whirled onto Naru who merely shrank down in her seat. "Naru-chan! You're leaving too!"

"I-ah, yes, Usagi-chan." she said with a nervous grin. "I, um, already contacted my mother and she's coming for me soon, and Mamoru-sama's already cleared everything with my teachers and...I'm...leaving in...a couple days?" she blabbed, rattling off anything that came to mind as she stared into the sad and lonely face of Usagi. "I...am sorry?"

"Oh, Naru-chan!" wailed Usagi. "I just got to met you and now you're leaving!" she huffed and sat herself firmly into her chair before reaching for more of the cake. The rest sweat dropped when it dawned on them that she was going to polish another cake. "Mmm, cake's the only thing that helps..." she mumbled. She was half way through her new slice before she turned back to Naru. "Hey, Naru-chan?"

"I-ah-yeah?" she asked feeling rather unintelligent as she spoke. Usagi didn't seem to notice as she shoved her cake away before taking her friend's hand in her own.

"Just because you're leaving, that doesn't mean you'll never come back to visit does it?" Usagi asked. Naru felt a great wave of relief run through her.

"Oh! Well, yes, of course I'll come visit-err, if that's allowed, Mamoru-sama?" she asked turning to the director. Mamoru smiled a bit of the girls, feeling a bit of relief that he wouldn't have to deal with any strife from the girls.

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you who were leaving about that. We'd like you'd to come in periodically to test to see if you're ability to dive will be affected by your absence from the base." he told them.

"See?" grinned Naru, feeling cheered herself. "We'll have to come now."

"Yay!" cried Usagi and the two girls shared a hug.

"So," began Zoisite, reclining back in his chair. "When are all of you planning to leave?"

"Well," started Urawa. "My uncle will pick me up in about three days. My family will be waiting for me back home."

"Me and Alan can leave by tomorrow morning if we have too." chipped in Ann. "Probably tomorrow night."

"I was planning in two days." added Urawa. Naru sighed and thought for a minute.

"I was thinking about two days, too." she finally said. "It might be hard to get a ride from way out here but-"

"Well!" crowed Usagi, with her fist upraised. "That gives us time to have a party right now! Catzy-san! More cake!"

"More cake?"

"Are you kidding!"

Admist the chaos that Usagi had caused, Naru stole a peek to the far end of the table where Nephlite laughed at something Mamoru had said to him. As if feeling someone's sights upon him he looked up to find her stare. She flushed and turned back to the vivacious blonde at her side leaving him somewhat mystified as to what had just happened.

---------------

Nephlite, who had dismissed Naru's strange look earlier, was suddenly confronted with the reason why when she asked to join her in the control room after the impromptu "cakefest" Usagi had called for. He found her sitting, staring wistfully up at the screens in front of her.

"You wanted to see me, Naru-san?" he asked. He blinked as she jumped at his voice and looked up at him blankly for a second til her mind caught up with her.

"I-um-I," she stuttered, trying to think of something to say. "Which, um, is to say, ah...Nephlite-san, do you want to come get a chocolate parfait with me!" she blurted out. (Nephlite couldn't help but notice she did that a lot when she was nervous.)

"I...what?" he asked, confused to what had brought this on. Naru usually didn't even talk to him, and now here she was proposing what sounded like a date to him. He watched her face slowly falling and thought, well why not? "Ah, sure."

He blinked at the way her face lit up and wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Needless to say, "what he got himself into" happened to entail a rather daring escape--he supposed it was daring, as they had to move quietly and secretly--and taking his car, getting the sleepy and grumpy guard to open the gate, and making a get-a-way to the nearest town--nearly an hour away, he noted as he chatted with the girl at his side. When they finally ended up in front of a fast food restaurant--the only shop open at the ungodly hour--they had found they only brought enough money for one parfait and they decided to split it. (With quite a bit of blushing on both sides; it was Naru who suggested using two straws to try to elevate some of the tension.)

That's how they ended up in sitting in the tiny booth, slurping away at their chocolate parfait and make some lame attempts at conversation.

"So, ah, what is it you'll do when you leave?"

"Go to high school."

"Right. I knew that."

Or...

"So, uh, what's your favorite color?"

"...yellow."

"...really?"

It all boiled down to a rather awkward evening that in Naru's mind was a disaster compared to what she had originally planned. She had even thought up witty things to say to impress him, and now not a single thing she had come up with seemed to work. It all fell rather short of her expectations until Nephlite finally stumbled--unwittingly one might add--onto a safe, decent comment.

"You know, this is the first time I've ever had a chocolate parfait before." he commented, giving a loud slurp to suck up the remains of the parfait. "It's not bad."

Naru goggled at him in shock. "That was your first parfait?"

"Yeah." he muttered. "Did you want the last or can just try to gulp it now?"

"I-go right ahead." she giggled. He shrugged and downed the chocolate confection leaving a mustache on his lip. For some reason this struck Naru as hilarious compared to the awkward night she'd being having the entire time. She clutched at her sides as she shook with laughter. He merely blinked and licked his lips before realizing why she was laughing, he then snatched up a napkin to clean his face as he chuckled with her. "Oh-oh! That-that-was-heehee!"

"Thanks for telling me about that, Naru-san." he quipped as he snorted at her. This seemed to send her into hysterics--she got a little funny when she didn't sleep enough and she was running on only a couple of hours of sleep--and he finally broke down and starting laughing with her.

"Oh-tha-that is too, too funny!" she finally said after she'd calm down enough. "Oh geez, why were we laughing anyway?"

"I don't remember." he admitted, chuckling.

Finally a peaceful silence fell over them as they settled down. Lack of sleep was taking it's toll on them and both began to drift off to their own thoughts; Naru's gaze landed on the road as lazy cars drove on and on and Nephlite began to play with a one hundred yen piece, spinning it in fast circles around the table top.

It slowly began to creep up on Naru, a realization of a lifetime, that the man beside her wasn't quite the man she had thought he was. She always pictured him as a debonair, older man with a passionate lifestyle. Now it slowly hit her that he was an older man, too old for her, who lived a rather simple and normal life if one discounted his odd job. She could met a man like him a hundred times in her life and only make friends with him. She couldn't help but marvel at the revelation as she stared at the spinning coin before it finally clattered to an end.

"You know," she began, her revelation and lack of sleep making her bold, "I thought I was in love with you."

He finally looked up at her. It struck her that he was slightly shy about the changes that came with his life and situation. For such a frank man she hadn't thought him to be the uncertain type when it came to girls. "Did you?"

"Yeah." she confirmed. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"I think I just loved my romantized version of you."

"Really." he said, sitting back. He seemed calmer than he had been all night now that it looked like maybe their "date" was ending and she was changing her mind about him.

"Yeah. I'm glad I figured that out before I left for home." she told him. She finally mustered a smile for him which he returned. "I think I'll be okay now. I'm glad."

His smile grew softer. "Me too." he agreed quietly before sighing and stretching. "Soo, I suppose that calls an end to our date?"

"Yeah, I'd say so." she smiled back as she slid out of the booth like him. "We better get back. I think they'll have noticed us gone."

"Yeah." he agreed, as they got into his car. "Let's go."

So one hour later, they arrived back at the base, weary and sleepy as they convinced the guard to let them back in, got out of the car only to find Zoisite and Mamoru waiting impatiently. Mamoru had lifted a brow as Naru bid them good night and had stumbled to the elevator. Nephlite yawned and ignored his friends as he stretched.

"Do you even realize she's only fifteen right?" asked Mamoru.

"Geez, Nephlite, I know that you haven't had a girlfriend for a while-neither have I-but that doesn't mean that you need to hit up minors for-" started Zoisite.

"Enough." Nephlite grunted. "We didn't do anything. We when out, ate, came back."

"...did he just admit to having a date with a fifteen year old?" asked Zoisite suspiciously. Mamoru only nodded in his amazement and shook his head to pull himself together.

"Nephlite dating the candidates is-"

"-Against the rules." he finished for him. "One of the reasons why there won't be a second date."

"Oh, what? Was it that bad?" teased Zoisite with a lecherous grin.

"Yes and no. She realized she didn't like me that way and I never really planned on the date in the first place." he answered seriously, fighting back a yawn. "Besides, she is fifteen as you pointed out and leaving in...a day." he concluded as he peered at the clock on the wall. The elevator finally pinged and opened; wasting no time, Nephlite stepped inside followed by Zoisite and hesitant Mamoru.

"Look, just no more of this dating the candidates." Mamoru finally said firmly. "You, me, and whoever you're dating will get us into a hell of alotta trouble with the higher-ups...and I don't plan on anymore family dinners, if you catch my drift."

"Please, Mamoru, what is really so bad about dinner with the folks and your sis once in a while?" drawled Zoisite. Mamoru fitted him with an evil glare.

"You," he snapped, "can stand your family. Mine's insane."

"Kou-chan is not that bad." laughed Zoisite, naming Seiya's rarely used first name.

"Alice is a nightmare! In pastel pink!" raged Mamoru. Zoisite and Nephlite shared a look clearly stating that they thought their superior had finally gone off his rocker. "And Chichi-ue will go on and on-"

"Well that explains where you get it." snickered Zoisite. Mamoru went deadly still and gave Zoisite such a murderous look that even Nephlite froze in fear at the sight.

"Anyways!" crowed Nephlite nervously to try and diffuse the situation before Mamoru murdered the blonde. "I'm going to bed after I call in to the higher-ups!" he explained. "I need to tell them about Usagi and the others that are leaving."

Mamoru blinked at his communications head. "I thought you already told them about her..."

"I need to confirm her health. And they want to know about the others who are leaving soon." he explained. "Besides, I was going to go ahead and forward her recent medical read-outs to the higher ups with the others. After they found out they couldn't go with Usagi because they didn't have their check-ups, most marched down to the medical wing and got them taken then and there."

Mamoru frowned and pulled out a slip of paper. Zoisite and Nephlite blinked at it wonderingly. "This came earlier while you were out. I wanted to wait for all three of us to be here to read it." he explained before smoothing out the paper. "It says that the higher ups want Usagi to meet with the other SENSHI."

"But-" started Zoisite, grasping for something to say. "-wait. We just started Usagi diving! She's only been in one combat situation! We need time to properly record data on her, we just can't have her up and traipsing around the continents."

"We should at least wait for her parents agreement. It might be superfluous but candidates usually get on better when their family is behind them." argued Nephlite.

Mamoru held up his hand. "I know. That's why there coming here, to Japan. All of them."

---------------

Naru quietly stumbled down to the female bunk room, fighting the urge to flop down on the floor and fall into a deep sleep. She bit back a yawn and swiped at her eyes as she walked on. She was half way to the door when she realized that there was a hunched figure camped out the door.

Blinking in shock, she crept closer before she realized it was actually Umino, knees tucked up to his chin, fast asleep. She stared at him a moment before she decided to wake him and find out what he was doing in front of the door. Reaching out to shake his shoulder, she proceeded in waking the boy. "Umino-kun? Ah, what are you doing here?"

"Maa...huh?" he groaned as he came to his senses. He blinked and squinted hard at her before realizing his glasses were askew, leaving him half blind. Naru smiled at him and thought to herself that even though his glasses were big and dorky and his mouth was too wide to be really handsome that he did have his own charm. "Ahh, Naru-chan!" he gasped as he shot up. Unfortunately, his legs had cramped from being sitting there so long gave out underneath and he landed in an ungracefully mess on the floor.

"Umino-kun, are you alright?" she asked, helping him to haul his body up.

"I-uh-yeah, I'm fine!" he gasped, rubbing life back into his limbs. Naru spared him a bemused smile and helped dust him off.

"Umino-kun, what are you doing here anyway? Why are you asleep?" she asked. She was somewhat amused to see him flush so brightly.

"I-um-I-ah-wa-want-t-ted t-to talk wi-wi-wi-with-"

"With...me?" she guessed, trying to help him along. He gulped loudly and nodded. "Well, that's fine. What did you need?"

"I-ah-wanted-to um...I wanted to know if you'd go out with me after we leave!" he blurted out, nearly bowling her over. She blinked and stared at him. It hit her as she looked at him that he was a nice boy who reminded her awfully of herself a few hours ago. She smiled at him and he waited on baited breath for her answer.

"Sure. Whenever you want." she told him. She then had to step back as he did a spastic victory dance. Well, she amended as she giggled at him, at least he's enthusiastic. ...I'm glad I didn't dance like this in front of Nephlite... As silly as his dance was, Naru had to admit Umino pulled off looking cute as he did it.