Usagi reentered the strangely silent room with Hotaru at her side, a wide-eyed and shaky Tohru following very closely behind. The group looked at the trio expectantly, so the blue eyed girl shoved her anxiety aside and offered an easy smile.
"Sorry, we got caught up in conversation. Anyway, it's game time!" She placed the box in her hands on the table with a resolute thump, averting everyone's attention and allowing her a split second to feel relief. "I propose the same teams as volleyball since I know Oniisan is dying to exact his revenge," she grinned cheekily at her older brother, "plus Gure, Aya, and Hatori of course, and you have no say this time. You're all playing."
"Taboo®?" Momiji finally asked, reading the title of the board game in question. Usagi nodded, the bright smile she gave being completely genuine this time, as she slid the top of the box off and took out the smaller rectangle filled with a long deck of cards.
"Yes. Now, since Aya and Shigure are inseparable I'm taking both of them and giving Hatori to Yuki. I realize that we have one more person on our team than you guys but when I read you the rules of the game, you won't be worried." Hotaru giggled at this and they shared a brief look before the rabbit picked up the one page of instructions and glanced over it for a moment. "Okay, I'll give you the short version and Hotaru will help me demonstrate.
"First a member on your team is chosen to be the clue-giver and picks a card from the deck," She picked the card on the very end and looked it over, then grabbed a small hourglass from the box and held it up. "You have this much time to give clues. Now, on the top of the card there is a word. This one says, 'Abominable Snowman,' and under are another list of five words. The object is to describe the top word to your teammates without saying the words itself or using any of the other five words."
"How will we know if you cheat?" Hatsuharu asked.
"I'm getting there," Usagi responded, reaching in the box and pulling out a plastic purple object with a large red button on the top. "While you describe the word to your teammates, the other team members stand behind you to make sure you don't say any of the words. I'll show you," she handed the buzzer to Tohru and flipped the card over to the other side, standing across from Hotaru so she couldn't see, and then flipped the hourglass. Tohru peered over her shoulder while she thought.
Choir; Chorus, Hymn, Sing, Church, Sunday
"Okay, it's a group of people involved with music," she started, glancing at her violet eyed friend's blank expression, she continued, "they use their voices together," she paused, "in harmony."
"A choir!" Hotaru exclaimed, her face lighting up. Usagi nodded with gusto and turned to the others at the table.
"Everyone have it? Alright, well, you'll catch on as we play." She put the used card aside and took her seat, Hotaru and Tohru following suit. As she slid the deck across the table to Yuki, she smiled sweetly, "Group leader starts." The silver haired teenager stared at the suddenly intimidating cards as Usagi grabbed the score pad from the box. "Okay, Team A is Yuki, Tohru, Hatori, Momiji, Kisa and Hiro. Team B is myself, Hotaru, Kyou, Ritsu, Haru, Shigure, and Aya."
"Wait, the rules!" Hotaru announced, snatching up the instruction page once more, "Along with the whole word, no parts of the words can be said, like 'snow' or 'man' in snowman. No gestures with your hands, no sound effects or noises but you can break into song at any time, provided you don't say any of the words, no saying 'sounds like' or 'rhymes with', and finally no initials or abbreviations of words like MD for doctor. The game ends when each player on each team has had a turn, and the team with the most points obviously wins. It's not as hard as it sounds."
The ebony haired girl grinned at the confounded faces some of the group had on display. Usagi reached for the hourglass, nodded for Yuki to grab his card, and flipped the hourglass just as he glimpsed the word. Kyou snatched the buzzer before she could reach it however, and stomped around the table to stand behind his rival and assure his fair game.
Criminal; Crook, Outlaw, Gangster, Felon, Thief
Yuki could practically see the eraser swipe his mind into a complete blank. He looked over the card at his expectant teammates; the anxious Tohru, excited Momiji, expectant Kisa, indifferent Hiro, and perfectly poised Hatori. The sand continued to dwindle, already half gone, when he finally got a grip on his thoughts.
"A thief," or so he thought. Kyou jumped and pressed the red button down as hard as he could, and kept it going until Usagi marched around the table and took it from him, giving him an angry glare.
"Okay, Kyou is not allowed around the buzzer. I forgot to say if you mess up on a card you toss it away and grab another. You also do this if your team guesses the word. You keep going until your time runs out. Yuki was buzzed because thief was one of the five words under criminal," she showed the card to the table, "Oh, and only press the button once," she added, rolling her eyes as the red eyed boy returned to his seat, grumbling. Usagi grabbed the hourglass and said, "So that turn doesn't count. Start again Yuki."
The hourglass flipped and he grabbed another card, feeling a little more prepared this time. Grasshopper; Locust, Cicada, Cricket, Insect, Jump
"A bug that leaps around," he said quickly, "it makes a lot of noise at night."
"Cricket!" Kisa shouted.
"Grasshopper!" Momiji yelled at the same time. Yuki nodded and tossed the card aside, reaching for another. Hotaru marked a tally under Team A on the scorecard. Artery; Blood, Heart, Angioplasty, Aorta, Clogged
"A big and important vein in your body--"
"Artery," Hatori cut him off, sounding pretty indifferent. Yuki threw the card down and grabbed another while Hotaru marked their second point. Teddy Bear; Toy, Cuddly, Stuffed, Sleep, Animal
"A plush creature children hold at night."
"Teddy Bear!" Tohru nearly shrieked before almost fainting out of her chair from excitement. Usagi giggled and pressed the buzzer, signaling the end of Yuki's time.
"You guys are better at this than I thought, I'm a little worried now." She joked, returning to her seat with the cards in hand. As the game went on it was apparent that Hotaru and Usagi were the power players for their team, and that Yuki and Hatori were the best on their side. Kisa and Momiji were horrible clue-givers, but Shigure and Aya were even worse, so things evened out. By the end of the first game, Yuki's team won over Usagi's by two points.
They ended up playing four more rounds after that.
xXx
Most of the Sohma clan scattered about the house, a few paired and tripled, but amid the chaos Usagi found herself a comfortable spot sitting on one of the picnic tables outside. The cool breeze wrapped around her, calming, as she watched the sun sink beautifully over the water. All the thoughts occupying her involved Tohru and the fact that the sweet brunette girl knew not only one, but two of her most precious secrets in the world.
"Hey," if she did not turn in that moment and meet the unmistakable violet eyes of her brother, she couldn't have believed it. He sat on the bench of the table, so she had to tilt her head downward to see him properly. That's all she could do, stare, because the thought of Yuki approaching her and not the other way around overwhelmed her beyond words. At least until she remembered what she'd been meaning to say to him.
"Oniisan, thank you," Yuki looked up in confusion, but she quickly continued, "I know it has nothing to do with me but thank you so much for giving Aya another chance like I asked you to. You don't know how much it means, seeing the both of you get along."
"That was mostly Tohru's doing," Yuki replied, smiling softly as his gaze returned to the sunset. "Thinking about it now, I think that maybe I warmed up to her so easily in the beginning because unconsciously she reminded me of you. You both have the uncanny ability to fix things without even trying."
Usagi turned her head sharply to hide her pink cheeks, but she didn't wait to respond, "I don't think I'm like that. I mean, look at all I've done toward Akito and I still don't know if anything has changed at all. Sometimes I think I won't ever breach that wall."
"Not even Tohru has managed that yet." Yuki reminded her, and hesitating only a moment, placing his hand on hers. She squeezed his hand but said nothing, unwilling to chance ruining the moment with her words.
"Even though I didn't know it," she said after a while, after Yuki withdrew his hand and prepared to leave, "I missed you all this time. So, so much Yuki." Her older brother could think of nothing to say in response, but her smile gave him silent permission to return to the house, and he did. Turning back to the constantly darkening sky, she didn't stay alone for long at all. As they approached, the angrily heavy footsteps slowed, and then picked up into a normal stride again.
Usagi felt the weight on the bench beside her long before she looked to confirm her new companion. With a smile she said, "This is familiar. Almost like the roof at home, hmm?" Kyou didn't answer; he was still silently seething about whatever events brought him stomping outside to begin with. Playfully she added, "Aw, Kyou-kun, don't get moody on me."
"Shut up!" The red eyed boy snapped, making her withdraw instantly. He showed no remorse for his actions as he ranted, "Just stop treating me like that, like you know how I feel. You don't, so just leave me alone. Go find that damn rat or something."
Usagi turned her head so he could only see the back of her silvery haired head, and pretended that those words didn't stab through her as harshly as they really did. It took several moments for Kyou to realize what he'd just done, she could time the epiphany by the small 'ah,' that escaped him, the beginning of something he wanted to say but could find no words. Before he could try again, she turned.
"You know," she could tell easily by the guilt in his expression that the tears had already started down her face, "I don't treat you the way I do with any ulterior motives, or because I feel sorry for you, or take pity. I trust you. You know what it feels like to have Akito hate you, to be left out from his perfect family circle and treated like dirt. If you're going to treat me the same as her, then--"
"I'm sorry," Kyou finally managed to cut into her speech, but he averted his eyes downward, unable to look straight at her, "It's just, that damn Shigure," he paused, fumbling, "I didn't mean to say that."
"I know." Usagi responded, her tone softening, "You're forgiven." She rested her weight against him and closed her eyes, feeling terribly sleepy. For once, mostly credited to guilt, he didn't protest, but allowed her to drift off asleep as he watched the world submit to darkness.
xXx
Usagi woke to darkness sometimes later, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. When she did, she finally made out the form of Hotaru on the bed next to her, already awake and looking back at her. They both nodded to each other and sneaked out of their bed, tiptoeing for the balcony without waking Tohru. Once outside, they quickly transformed into their alter egos.
"Don't be nervous, okay?" Hotaru, now Sailor Saturn whispered as they began walking down the beach. Sailor Moon said nothing, it was apparent in her constant fidgeting how nervous she really was. The soft sound of waves became the only sound between them, as Moon tried to slow her hammering heart. The closer they got to their rendezvous point, she could make out the four silhouettes, and her stomach churned.
"You made it," Sailor Venus, who she knew as Minako Aino, spoke first, offering a cheery smile. Moon nodded back, noticing Saturn do the same in her peripheral vision. "We were worried, you're a little late."
"Like always," Sailor Moon bit her tongue, realizing her first mistake came with her first words. They didn't remember her, but they chuckled at the joke anyway, probably out of courtesy. "Anyway, I already know all of you, so I'll introduce myself. I'm Sailor Moon, the leader of the Sailor scouts and also Princess Serenity of the White Moon Kingdom. This is Sailor Saturn, a sailor senshi of the outer planets."
She let her transformation fade away, and Hotaru followed her lead. "You can just call me Usagi, and this is Hotaru."
"I know you said you know us, but," Venus looked to her friends for a moment, and then back at the silvery haired girl, "I'm Sailor Venus, and this is Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter." They also returned to their everyday forms, and she continued, "also known as Minako, Rei, Ami, and Makoto."
"Now that we've found the Princess, we'd like to know about the Prince as well. Have you found him yet?" Rei asked, stepping forward with her natural confidence, her violet eyes smoldering. Usagi wanted her to throw out an insult and to start a raspberry fight like they normally would, but the wish passed quickly under the somber memories the question brought.
"I have located Endymion, but sadly, he passed away not too long ago." Usagi swallowed down the emotion rising in her throat as the four inner senshi gasped at the revelation. "That aside, I called you hear so we could formally meet, and to let you know that Hotaru and I will come to help you with youma attacks anytime."
She bowed and turned to go, before she got too emotional, before she said things she shouldn't.
"Wait!" Makoto called suddenly. She turned back, her blue eyes wide. "You're the girl who stopped me in school that day. I remember that."
"Oh, yes. I couldn't exactly tell you who I was then." Usagi said nervously, laughing sheepishly. Rei cleared her throat, drawing attention back on herself.
"As long as the other girls approve, Usagi-san, I think it would be nice if you and Hotaru come to the scout meetings after school. That is, if you want," the raven haired girl appeared calm, but from the subtle emotions in her eyes Usagi knew she was nervous too. She was her best friend, after all.
"I would love that," she smiled brightly, and Rei relaxed.
"Unfortunately I can't. I have to go straight home after school." Hotaru said, smiling apologetically. "We should go now. See you around."
Just like that, the two girls were walking back down the beach, away from the four inner senshi, back toward the Sohmas.
xXx
I think this chapter leaves a lot to be desired, but I felt horrible and I needed to get a chapter out. Taboo, the board game played in this chapter, is awesome to play with a big group of people. :) I love you all, please review!
♥SachiNyoko♥
