AN: Sorry for the big delay again, everyone! Between finals at school and then the holidays, life was crazy, and this chapter was a little hard to write as well. But I have the next one more or less planned out, so fingers crossed I can get it out a little sooner.
As always, thanks to all my amazing reviewers: Sailor Earth, SereStarOfGaea, slightlyxjaded, lilymoon80, Sage McGavin, HyenaYu, and James Birdsong. Your guys' endless support really means the world to me. Now, onwards to chapter 15!
Usagi sat at the counter at the Crown Arcade, kicking her legs and sipping a milkshake while next to her, Chibiusa worked on some coloring pages. Things in their lives had been so stressful and chaotic lately, and Usagi thought they deserved a break. Sighing happily, she slurped down the last of her milkshake.
"All finished, Usagi?" Motoki asked, gesturing to her empty glass.
"Yes, thank you," she said. "Delicious as always. I must owe you so much money by now, though, you don't have to keep giving me free milkshakes."
Motoki waved away her concerns. "You're a friend, Usagi. Besides, you looked like you could use it. How did you say you injured yourself again?"
"Oh, I, uh… fell," Usagi said lamely. Motoki arched an eyebrow, his expression disbelieving.
"You… fell."
Usagi nodded and forced a slight chuckle. "You know me… always such a klutz. I was late for school and wasn't looking where I was going, and bam! Tripped over a broken piece of concrete."
Motoki still looked doubtful, but he nodded slowly. "Right. Try and be more careful, Usagi." He cracked a small smile. "You're going to seriously injure yourself one of these days, and then where will the rest of us be without your sunny presence?"
"Don't I know it," she muttered under her breath.
"What was that?"
"Oh, I said I'll do my best to be more careful," she said with a bright smile. "Say, Chibiusa… if you're about done, we should get back home."
"But I like it here," the little girl whined.
Usagi smiled. "I know. I do, too, but we can't stay here all day. Mama will have lunch ready soon, and you don't want to miss out on her delicious home-cooked meals, do you?"
Chibiusa frowned, considering the situation, but her stomach rumbled, giving her away. "Okay, I am a little hungry."
Usagi laughed and ruffled her hair playfully. "When are you not hungry?"
The girl pulled a face, sticking her tongue out at Usagi, but she grabbed her hand anyways, waving to Motoki with her free arm. "Bye, Motoki-onii-san! Thanks for the milkshakes!"
"You're very welcome!" he said, waving back. "You girls are my two best customers; you're welcome any time." He grabbed Usagi's crutches that were leaning against the counter and handed them to her. Usagi thanked him with a smile and hobbled towards the door.
"Be careful!" Motoki called out after her.
"I will, I promise!" Usagi called back. Once her back was turned, she pulled a face. She was not happy about these crutches she had to use. Since going to a doctor was out of the question, Ami had examined her and diagnosed her with a fractured ankle, which, while a pain, shouldn't require crutches. Normally she would just expend some energy and use her healing abilities to heal the injury until it was at least walkable, but Ami had apparently decided that Usagi had been over-exerting herself lately, and needed to heal the natural way, to save her energy. Unfortunately, that also meant the slow way. Her latent fast healing should at least make it go faster than otherwise, but Ami had ordered herself to not help it along at all.
"Hey, Usagi?" Chibiusa's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Hmm?" Usagi questioned.
"Thank you for protecting me," the little girl said, throwing her arms around Usagi's waist, nearly knocking her over with the effort of it. Chibiusa may have been little, but she was fierce, and stronger than she realized.
"Hey, what brought this on?" Usagi asked with a laugh, awkwardly balancing her crutches so she could hug the girl back.
Chibiusa smiled bashfully. "I know the bad guys are coming after me, and you were hurt because you were trying to keep me safe."
"Well, you're very welcome," Usagi said, brushing the girl's bangs aside and kissing her forehead. "You're important to me, and I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe." She paused, carefully considering her next words. "You know… if you wanted to help… you could tell me a little bit about what happened to you, in the 30th century."
Chibiusa immediately withdrew and started whimpering and shaking her head.
"Please," Usagi begged. "I know it's hard. But we can keep you safe better if we know what happened. We're just guessing at the details, but you can help so much."
"I can't," Chibiusa started to cry. "I won't!"
Usagi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Clearly, this had been the wrong thing to say. "Alright. You don't have to say anything, but think about it, okay? For now, let's get home, mama is waiting for us."
Chibiusa sniffed a little and wiped away her tears. "Okay."
Usagi tried to offer a reassuring smile, but it was difficult. She understood that this was hard for Chibiusa, and she wanted to be supportive of the girl, she did, but… they were at an impasse. There was little else they could do without knowledge of why the Black Moon Clan was here or why they wanted Chibiusa.
Usagi rearranged her crutches and started hobbling down the sidewalk with Chibiusa by her side, but she hadn't gotten more than a few feet when a yellow sports car pulled up beside them, honking.
"You ladies need a lift?"
Usagi turned to see Haruka and Michiru sitting in the car, still in their school uniforms. Michiru gave a polite smile and Haruka lifted her hand in a friendly wave.
"Actually… a ride would be lovely," Usagi said. She wasn't relishing the thought of trying to hobble back home on crutches, but there was no convenient bus from her house to the Arcade as it wasn't a terribly long walk.
"Hop on in," Haruka said, and Chibiusa easily scrambled into the backseat, Usagi following a little more awkwardly.
"Hello, Chibiusa," Michiru said.
"Hi," the little girl said with a slightly shy smile.
The conversation lulled as Haruka zoomed out into traffic, and Usagi smoothed the pleats in her skirts, not sure what to say. It had been awhile since she'd seen the older girls, either in their civilian form or their Senshi form, and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to be in their company right now.
"So, Usagi," Haruka said conversationally. "What happened? Looks like a pretty nasty injury."
"It was," Usagi said, her tone flat. "There was an… incident. There have been a lot of incidents lately, actually. Luckily, it could have been a lot worse, but it could have been a lot better, too, and certain people's presence might have had an effect on that."
Usagi wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she could have sworn Haruka flinched slightly and gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. She looked to Michiru, but the teal-haired woman just shook her head slightly at her girlfriend, and Haruka sighed. Looking up, she met Usagi's eyes in the rearview mirror and smiled slightly.
"I'm… sorry to hear that," she said. "The people who could have helped were… tied up elsewhere. Dealing with a different incident. But I'm glad to hear that things were mostly okay."
Usagi gave a testy sigh and scrunched up her face. Chibusa glanced between Usagi and Haruka, her expression confused, and Usagi smiled and leaned over to smooth down the girl's hair.
"It's just boring adult stuff," she said. "About the bad guys. Nothing you need to worry about."
Haruka pulled to a stop a moment later. "This is your house, isn't it?"
Usagi nodded. "Chibiusa, why don't you go on inside and see if mama needs help with lunch, okay? I'll join you in a minute."
Chibiusa hesitated for a moment, before nodding and running inside the house. As soon as she was safely inside, Usagi turned her attention to Haruka and Michiru. "Where were you?"
The two older girls looked at each other before Haruka sighed and looked at Usagi. "We were investigating something else. I'm sorry."
Usagi pinched the bridge of her nose. "I don't want apologies. I want an explanation. We're supposed to be a team now, and you can't just show up to battle when it's convenient for you." She sighed and leaned back in the seat. "I realize I don't have any way of contacting you two, and perhaps that's my fault for not pressing the issue further. As leader of the Senshi, I should be on top of these things and take initiative. So, I apologize for that. But you two have hardly been forthcoming and frankly, I'm not sure how much it's worth it if I have to all but force you to cooperate with me."
Haruka opened her mouth to say something, but Michiru put a hand on her shoulder. "You're right, Usagi. I apologize for our behavior. Haruka and I have been a team for so long, just the two of us, that it's hard to remember sometimes that that is no longer the case. We are used to doing things on our own. But as you say, if we are going to be a team, we must integrate ourselves more fully."
Usagi blinked, a little surprised that it had gone over so well. She'd expected more of an argument. "Okay. Great. But... this doesn't fully solve the issue. How am I supposed to contact you?"
Michiru smiled slightly. "Haruka and I have communicator that we use to contact each other, and I believe they're similar in design to yours. I'll contact you shortly, and your communicator should automatically save the frequency specific to mine and Haruka's, so you can use it to get in touch in the future."
Usagi nodded. "Great. This sounds like a plan. And… thank you. I'm sure it isn't easy adjusting to taking orders from someone else when you're used to being on your own."
Haruka laughed at that. "No, it isn't, and Michiru will say that I've always been too stubborn for my own good. But, you're Princess Serenity. We're sworn to protect you, no matter what."
Usagi smiled and opened the car door, swinging her legs out. "I suppose that's true. But regardless, thank you. I'm glad to have you on my side."
"Any time," Haruka said, her voice serious.
Usagi didn't say anything else, just smiled and nodded as she arranged her crutches and tries to awkwardly maneuver her way out of the car.
"Oh, and Usagi?" Haruka called.
Usagi glanced back, pausing in her movements.
"Take care."
Usagi smiled. "Will do."
Rearranging her crutches once more, she hobbled up the walkway from the street to her house. Taking a minute to compose herself she opened the door and was instantly greeted with the mouth-watering scent of her mama's cooking.
"I'm home!" she called out.
"Usagi!" Ikuko came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "What took you so long? Your lunch is going to get cold."
"Sorry, mama," she said. "Chibiusa and I got a ride home with some friends, and I had to stay behind and talk to them about something afterwards."
Ikuko frowned and planted her hands on her hips. "Well, I made tempura and udon noodles."
"Sounds delicious!" Usagi said, her stomach rumbling at the thought. She started hobbling towards the kitchen, but Ikoko put a hand out to stop her.
"Usagi… I know I haven't exactly been… open to your… other lifestyle," Ikuko began, her words somewhat awkward and stilted as she tried to figure out how to phrase it. "But… you didn't really trip and fall, did you?"
Usagi sighed. "No, mama. I didn't."
Ikuko's frown deepened. "I don't want to know the details, I think it would be better if I don't know too much, but… are you okay? I just need to know that you're safe, because Kami help me, Usagi, I don't care about destiny or whatever it is that's going on, you're 14 years old, and I don't like the idea of you out there, getting into trouble. Can't you just… stop?"
Usagi leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist, the way she always used to when she was a little kid. "I know. I'm okay, mama, I promise. I can't stop, but even if I could… I wouldn't want to. Not anymore." She looked up. "I'm doing something important. For once in my life, I feel useful. I feel capable. I'm helping people and I'm making a difference in the world, and I'm the only one who can. I'm a part of something bigger. Something… wonderful."
Ikuko sighed and smoothed down Usagi's hair. "Alright. So long as you're safe. But you still have to get into a good high school, you hear me? So, go eat you lunch and then I fully expect you to do your homework."
Usagi laughed a little. "I promise."
Makoto wandered around the Juban Botanical Garden, stopping and letting out a small gasp as she passed a particularly stunning orchid. "Oh! This is exquisite."
"I thought you might like it here."
Makoto looked up at Nephrite with a slightly shy smile. "I do. A lot. Thank you. Everything is so lush and beautiful, and… it makes me happy knowing that you thought of me." She blushed slightly at that.
Nephrite smiled, and put a finger under her chin, tilting her head to look at him. "I care about you, Makoto. I want to make you happy. And… I want to get to know you better, in this life."
Makoto grinned and leaned forward, pressing a feather-light kiss to his lips. "I'm glad. I want the same thing."
Nephrite's smile broadened and he offered her his arm and they kept walking. "So, aside from your love of plants, what else interests you in your spare time?"
Makoto hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I love cooking. That's probably my biggest passion. I'd love to open a bakery someday, I love cooking for other people, and people generally seem happy when they eat my pastries, which makes me happy." She laughed a little at that and ducked her head.
"I'd love to sample your cooking sometime," Nephrite said. "It would be a great honor."
"Maybe you should come over for dinner sometime," Makoto said, blushing again as she grinned at him.
"I'd like that a lot," he said.
Makoto giggled and rested her head on his shoulder briefly. "Good."
"So, how did you first get interested in cooking?" Nephrite asked after a slight pause.
"My mom was an amazing cook," Makoto said. "I have a lot of fond childhood memories of standing on a stepstool in the kitchen, helping her prepare dinner. I still have a lot of her notes carefully tucked away, and some of my favorite recipes come from her."
"Where's your mom now?" he asked softly.
"She died," Makoto said, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat. "Both my parents did, a few years ago. I… there was a plane crash."
"I'm so sorry," Nephrite said, his words heartfelt, and Makoto squeezed his hand. "I can't imagine how hard that must have been."
"It's okay. It was hard at first, but things are better now." She paused, reflecting on the past as she decided how much detail to go into. "I was 12 when it happened. I moved in with my uncle at first, but he'd never had kids, and he didn't know how to handle them, especially not an angry young girl who had just lost her parents. I got into trouble at school a lot, I picked fights and even got expelled from my old school, so my uncle kicked me out. That was almost a year ago."
Nephrite's brows furrowed together in concern, but he didn't say anything, even when Makoto paused, letting her take things at her own pace.
"I managed to get legal custody of myself," she said. "And moved into an apartment of my own. My parents were pretty wealthy, so I inherited a decent fortune. I turned to martial arts to help me channel my anger in a more healthy way, I changed schools and met my first real friend in Usagi, and well… here I am."
"And I'm very glad," Nephrite said. They were on a small bridge overlooking a pond, and he stopped and turned to her. "You're amazingly strong, Makoto. To have gone through so much at such a young age… you astound me."
Makoto smiled and shrugged. "There wasn't really a choice. It was fight or flight, and well… I fought. And while I miss my parents deeply, every day… I'm happy now. I've made my peace with it. Discovering that I was a Sailor Senshi helped a lot, it made me feel like I had a purpose, like all of the choices I'd made and all of the things that had happened were just leading up to this. But even without the Sailor Senshi… I have Usagi, and the girls, I'm getting good grades in school again, and… now I have you. I have a lot of love and support in my life."
"And I'm so glad," Nephrite whispered, drawing her closer. "Makoto, I-"
She pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't. I know what you're going to say, Nephrite, and… don't." He looked hurt, and she hastened to continue. "I care about you deeply, Nephrite. You mean a lot to me, and I'm glad to have you in my life again, but I want to take things slow. I need to take things slow. And when you say you love me, I want to be able to say it back. Right now… I can't. Not yet."
He nodded and sighed. "I… understand. I'm sorry."
Makoto leaned forward and kissed him gently. "I want you in my life. I just… don't want to rush into anything, okay?"
Nephrite nodded and wrapped his arms around her. "Okay."
Makoto smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Now, come on, let's go explore the rest of these gardens."
On his throne at the center of the Black Moon Clan's palace, Prince Demande was fuming. "Esmeraude!"
"Yes, my lord?" Esmeraude asked, hurrying into the room with a fluttering of eyelashes and her fan. "You called?"
"Explain yourself," he demanded.
"I… I don't know what you mean, my lord," Esmeraude said with a nervous giggle.
"I trusted you to be my second-in-command after Rubeus failed me. And yet, you keep failing me as well."
"B-but… my lord… my droids-"
"Are complete failures," Demande interjected, his eyes flashing. "The Rabbit is still alive. The Senshi have only grown in number. The future Neo-Queen Serenity is not by my side. How do you explain this?"
"I've been trying my hardest," Esmeraude said, her tone taking on a pleading quality. "I really have! I promise you I will bring better results, my lord. Just give me another chance."
Demande sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine. But I expect results. You're dismissed." He waved a hand lazily, and Esmeraude bowed before leaving.
"Why do you keep trusting your lackeys?" a voice asked from the shadows and Demande slumped further into his chair. Wiseman.
"They are part of the Black Moon Clan," he said. "We're a family."
"And yet they keep disappointing you. Disappointing the whole of Nemesis."
Demande shook his head. "Regardless. I can't do everything myself." He summoned the image of Neo-Queen Serenity in his crystal ball and sighed. "Someday. The Silver Crystal will be mine. Ours. And Serenity will be my Queen."
In their headquarters underneath the Crown Arcade, Ami sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She'd been researching for the past few hours, trying to understand more about the Black Moon Clan and what exactly happened in the 30th century, but it was so hard to research information on something that hadn't happened yet.
"Mind if I join you?"
Ami looked up in surprise and found Zoisite standing in the doorway. "Zoisite. I… wasn't expecting you." She fought to keep a slight blush from her cheeks. "But please, feel free. Perhaps you can help with things."
"I'd be happy to," he said, walking over and pulling up a chair. "What are you researching?"
"The Black Moon Clan," she said. "So far, we know that they're magic-wielding people from a planet called Nemesis, and they originate in the 30th century. We know that they attacked Crystal Tokyo and Chibiusa was somehow caught up in things and fled to our time period… but there's still so much we don't know, and Chibiusa refuses to talk about it."
Zoisite gave a sympathetic smile. "She's just a little kid. I'm sure it's not easy, being so far away from home and having lost all that she knows. Give it some time."
Ami shook her head. "We don't have time. I can understand where Chibiusa is coming from, but… there's so much at stake here."
Zoisite sighed. "I suppose you do have a point."
There was a long silence and Ami had just turned back to her computer to do more research when Zoisite spoke again.
"Hey, Ami, uh… I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go out some times? As friends!" he hastened to add. "I just, well… I don't know if this is too much too soon and if you just want to stay colleagues and nothing more, but there's this open house for the new observatory and I was thinking maybe we could take the chance to get to know each other a little better but I also understand if you don't want to and-"
"Zoisite." Ami stopped his rambling with a smile. "I… I'd love that. I think it would be good to get to know each other a little better."
"Really?" he grinned at her. "Great! So… should I pick you up on Saturday, then? Around 5pm?"
Ami nodded. "That sounds great."
"Great."
They didn't say anything for a moment, just grinned at each other, before Ami cleared her throat. "Um… for now though I should really research. But… you're welcome to stay."
"Oh yes of course," Zoisite said. "And I'd love to stay and help."
Ami smiled and the two of them settled in for a few more hours of research.
AN: Please review! :)
