Sailor Moon - The Order of Black

Chapter Eight: Honesty

Originally published: 25/05/2015

"Nice place," Corey observed, as he stared curiously at Ami's bookshelf. Medical textbooks, a dictionary...I'm not sure what else I was expecting to find. Although… His fingers traced one book that stood out in stark contrast to the rest. He tugged it off the shelf and read over the title. "I can go the distance; managing a long distance relationship in the modern-"

"That's nothing!" Ami snatched the book out of his hands and hid it behind her back. "Er, I mean, it belongs to a friend. She left it here, after a…study session!"

"Oh, right. Of course."

She stared at him in silence for a few more seconds before sighing deeply. "Oh, who am I kidding? It's mine and you know it."

Corey shrugged. "Nobody said long distance was easy, Ami. I wasn't making fun of you. God knows I wouldn't have a clue how to handle it if I was away from Minako for so long." A few days might be nice, though, he added silently.

"Oh." She managed a faint smile. "Thanks, Corey, for not making me feel silly. Well, sillier than I already feel, at least!"

He nodded mutely as she tossed the book into her bag. Looks like it's going back to Tokyo with her. Her small, one bedroom apartment was surprisingly nice. A little too small, perhaps, but considering she was staying there rent-free Corey couldn't really fault it. "The Germans sure know how to run a nice program, huh?"

"Oh, yes. I was blown away when I first got here. The accommodations, the facilities, the lecturers. It couldn't be better!" Ami zipped up her bag and began darting around her living room. "Phone. Phone. Where did I leave it?"

"Over there, I think. On the table?"

"Ah. Thanks." She slipped it into her jacket pocket and smiled. "So, I meant to ask earlier, but how is it all going between you and Minako, anyway?"

"Oh, same old," he said casually. "We, uh…we've had a few issues lately, but nothing we can't work out. I hope."

"I'm sure you will," Ami replied, with a cheerful smile. "You two belong together, that much is obvious."

Corey laughed quietly. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm sure we'll be fine." He grabbed her bag with ease and extended his hand. "Now, enough about my significant other. Let's get you to Ryo."

She breathed out slowly as she stepped in close. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to seeing him face-to-face."

"Oh, I have an inkling," he said, as he placed his arm carefully around her waist. "Alright, here we go. Close your eyes, Minako says it helps her."

Ami's living room disappeared around him, accompanied by a faint sensation like falling, and Ryo's semi-familiar apartment popped into existence to replace it.

"Goodness," Ami murmured, as she stumbled away from him, "I thought Minako was exaggerating, but that was awful! How do you do that all the time?!"

Corey shrugged as he placed her bag carefully on the floor. "You get used to it." He looked around but saw no sign of her boyfriend. "Ryo is expecting us, right?"

Right on cue, he stepped out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea in his hand. "You're early!"

Ami rushed forward, only to stop awkwardly right in front of him. "Hi."

"Hi." His reply was equally love-struck.

That was all it took; she flung herself forward and planted a surprisingly passionate kiss on Ryo's lips, her arms snaking up around his neck. His arms rose around her and pulled her in tighter as they promptly forgot about Corey's presence completely.

"Uh…" Well, this is awkward, he thought. And surprising as hell. I never would've expected that from Ami, considering what the others have to say about her. Still, if I'd been away from Minako for a few months I doubt our reunion would be much different. He took a careful step backwards but still banged into the coffee table. "I, uh…I'm gonna go, then. You two crazy kids have fun."

Ami barely tore herself away from Ryo long enough to mumble "bye". Her boyfriend was no better, managing a quick wave and a "thanks" before she covered his lips with hers again.

Corey shook his head in amusement then blinked back to his own apartment.

Minako was on the couch with her legs curled up under her, typing away on her laptop. She didn't even bat an eyelid as he appeared in front of her. "Ami get back okay?"

He headed right for the kitchen and turned the kettle on. "Yep."

"I'll bet she was happy to see Ryo."

"Oh, yeah. Happy doesn't even begin to cover it." Corey grabbed the instant coffee from the pantry and dumped two heaped teaspoons of it into his favourite mug. "How's the assignment coming? It was…time management something, right?"

"Time management techniques in modern teaching," she called. "And it's coming along okay. Ironically, I need to finish it today. I've got another audition tomorrow."

"Nice!" She's getting more and more of those, he thought proudly, as he filled his mug with steaming water and stirred it. No milk, though; Corey took his coffee black, just like his mother. "What're you going to be doing this time? Anything embarrassing like that tampon commercial?"

Minako hesitated – which probably meant yes. "Not really, but I want to keep it a secret until I know whether I got the job or not."

He wandered over to the table and shrugged as he took a sip. "Fair enough."

"What the heck is that?!"

Corey glanced at her and found her eyes locked on the mug in his hands. "Um, coffee?"

"No, the mug! I bought you a new one last week but you're not using it?"

"Oh." He shrugged a second time. "I just prefer this one."

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You don't like the new one I bought for you?"

Here we go again, he thought wearily. "That's not-"

"There has to be a reason you're not using it," she said flatly. "Are you mad at me for something? Is this because I brought Anne Bear over with Take-can without telling you?!"

Corey sighed wearily and sank into one of the dining chairs at the table. "Minako, just stop and take a breath."

"But-"

To hell with it, he thought in resignation. I told Usagi I knew what to do, and there's no time like the present. He ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit he'd been unable to shake, and waved her over. "Come over here a minute, will you?"

The blonde set her laptop aside and slipped off the couch, her bright, blue eyes locked on his face in a suspicious frown. "What is it?"

"Take a seat," he said, as he gestured to the chair opposite him. "We need to talk."

Rei stretched a final time as she stepped out of her doorway and into the morning air; it was truly a beautiful day. Maybe I'll finally get back into my normal routine, she thought. Assuming Grandpa's not taking over my chores again. As she headed towards the shrine's courtyard, a familiar sound hit her ears, accompanied by an infuriating sense of déjà vu. The old man's at it again! She rushed past the main hall and thrust out her finger in righteous anger. "Listen up, you!"

It wasn't her grandfather after all; Rinjirou stood alone in the courtyard, carefully working her broom over the stone at his feet. He wore a blue-and-white robe, similar to Grandpa and Yuuichirou before him, though she was unclear when and where he'd gotten it.

She marched over and stopped right in front of him. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Good morning to you too," he muttered, not even bothering to look up.

Rei forced an overly sweet smile. "Good morning. Now, I'll repeat, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Sweeping," he retorted, as he glanced at her irritably. "What's it look like?"

"I can see that. Why are you sweeping?!"

Rinjirou shrugged. "It's a nice day and it seemed like the least I could do to repay your grandfather's hospitality."

That took a little of the wind out of her sails, but Rei wasn't done just yet. She folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot against the stone impatiently. "That's quite noble, but sweeping is my job and I'll have you know I was really looking forward to it."

"I can understand why," he agreed, with a maddeningly nonchalant smile. "This is quite relaxing."

Oh, screw this, she decided, as an exasperated growl slipped from her throat. "Give me the broom."

He jerked it back out of reach as she snatched at it. "What? No."

Rei kept her hand out expectantly. "Give me the broom, Rinjirou. Now."

"Like hell I will!"

She channelled all her frustration into one of her famous death-stares and dropped her voice into a terrifying snarl. "Give me...the broom."

Rinjirou stared back at her in silence for a few seconds…and then disappeared.

Rei was surprised for just a moment before she remembered Grandpa's advice. "I know all about your little vanishing act, and it's not gonna work!" She focused hard on him, and spotted a shadowy form sprinting towards the main hall. "Get back here with my broom!"

Corey stared into his coffee as he gathered his thoughts. "How much do you remember about us? In the Silver Millennium, I mean?"

Minako blinked in confusion, obviously caught off-guard by his question. "Some of it. I mean, not every minute of every day, but enough." She smiled dreamily. "I remember we were very much in love."

"Yes, we were," he agreed. I've gotta press on, though, he told himself. We can't continue this way."Can you remember us ever fighting like we have been lately?"

"Only once," she replied hesitantly. "After you…I mean, after Corval…"

"After I killed Ralvus Howe. I remember." He ran a hand over his face wearily, dreading what he was building towards. "We were both very different people back then, though. With a lot less to worry about."

"I guess so." There was a hint of trepidation in her voice. "Where's this coming from, Corey?"

"Why do you think we've been fighting so much?"

Minako shrugged awkwardly. "I don't know. Couples fight, don't they?"

"Sure, over important things. Marriage. Money. Children. The future." Corey found himself tapping his fingers against the table idly as he spoke. "But we don't fight about any of that. We fight over the stupid little things…like stuffed animals, or coffee mugs."

A flicker of irritation crossed her face. "I don't think Take-chan was stupid-"

"Focus, please," he said, gently trying to nudge her back on track. "Tell me. Why do you think we've been fighting so much? Honestly?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "I…I guess sometimes it feels like I'm the only one actually trying to make our relationship better...and that makes me mad. It makes me think you don't care about us as much as I do."

That was surprising. "That's what you really think?"

Minako was getting braver – or angrier- as she went on. "Well, sometimes it's like you don't even want me around. You get all moody, you don't want to talk…and it doesn't feel like you even want me living here."

"What do you mean?"

"You're hell-bent on keeping everything the way it was before I started staying here, back when we weren't together! Like it or not, I have been living here for a while, and I don't think it's fair that you get to decide every little thing about the apartment."

"But you have been-" He cut himself off mid-snap, and willed his sudden anger away. Getting mad now isn't gonna help anything, and neither is bringing up those goddamn stuffed animals. Besides that, he was beginning to realise she might have a point. "Okay, so maybe – and I mean maybe – I have been a little resistant to change."

Minako folded her arms across her chest. "Maybe?" She was definitely getting upset. "Okay, then. If that's not it, why do you think we've been fighting so much?"

Corey ran his hand through his hair. "I'm not saying you're wrong, Minako, but my reluctance to let you make changes to the apartment is not the only reason." Be strong, he told himself. Remember what Usagi said. Communication is the key. Just tell her the truth. "You're a focused, very driven person, and I love that about you. When you put your mind to something, you're pretty much unstoppable." He swallowed nervously past the sudden lump in his throat as he considered his next words carefully. "But that same focus and drive is a bad thing when it's turned on our relationship."

His girlfriend remained silent, but her eyebrow twitched in warning.

"You're obsessed with making sure every little thing about us is perfect. You're so worried about moving forward and reaching some arbitrary next goal that you're missing the obvious; you're tearing us apart in the process!"

Minako remained silent, but based on her glare she was definitely mad.

"You worry about the most inane little things, you want to spend every waking moment of every day with me...and you disregard anything I think about us because you think you know better!"

Her hands slammed down on the table hard. "So, what are you saying? That our fights are all my fault? What, Corey, do I love you too much?!"

"No." Rather than the usual annoyance he felt at her overly dramatic response, Corey felt almost depressed. "It's my fault. I should have told you all this weeks ago, but I wasn't brave enough."

That seemed to temper some of Minako's anger, though she continued to frown at him suspiciously.

"The truth is I hate conflict, Minako; I always have. I grew up watching my mom and dad argue over every little thing, and I just…I hate doing that with you. I told myself I was compromising, you know, being the good boyfriend and trying to see things your way. But really, I was just giving in to your demands because I was tired of fighting…and look where it's gotten us. Our fights just keep getting worse. We'll argue about almost anything these days…but you can't even see you're being unreasonable."

"I'm being unreasonable?" she demanded. "Is it unreasonable for me to love you? Is it unreasonable to want us to be happy together?"

"No, that's not-"

"Of course I want to our relationship to keep growing!" she snapped. "Don't you?!"

"But that's just it, Minako, it's not growing! You keep pushing me, trying to tick off the next step on some imaginary relationship checklist when the truth is real relationships don't work that way! You can't force love!" Corey paused, trying to force his voice to soften before they both said things they'd regret. "Yes, relationships need to grow but it has to be natural growth; you keep trying to rush us forward to that next step, but it's not real."

Her voice cracked. "But if we don't keep moving forward we'll stagnate. We'll drift apart-"

"No," he assured her, "we won't. I love you, Minako. I'm not sitting around worrying about our next move; I'm content to just sit back and enjoy being with you. The rest will take care of itself."

She sighed sharply and glanced down at her hands. "Well, I guess I can get a little…fixated sometimes. But it's only because I love you so much. I want our relationship to be perfect."

"I know, Minako, and I love your enthusiasm, but...love isn't perfect." Corey squeezed her hand gently. "We never used to worry about this stuff in the past. We just got to know each other...and the rest came in time." He hesitated briefly. My next point won't make her happy at all. "Maybe that's part of the problem. I think Artemis was right about us. I think we moved too fast."

"What?" Her eyes widened. "No, I don't think-"

"I don't regret it," he said quickly, "but you practically moved in with me after we slept together that first time. One month, Minako. One month of getting to know each other and then we were living together. Something tells me we might have skipped a whole bunch of important steps in between."

The blonde didn't seem at all happy with his assessment of their relationship. "Why did you have to bring all this up? Were things really so bad?"

Corey nodded firmly. "Keeping our worries and thoughts to ourselves is what led us here. I mean, surely you can't be happy with things the way they are? With us fighting all the time?"

Minako sighed heavily. "No, and I'm not saying I am, but I don't think it's fair to lay all the blame on me caring about us, either. I mean, how crazy do you think I am?!"

He took a deep breath. So be it. "You're still fixated on my coffee mug, aren't you?"

"Well why don't you like the one I bought you?!" she snapped, immediately launching into a tirade. "What's wrong with it? Is it the colour? Is it too girly? Or are you just so against letting me change anything in this stupid apartment that you hate it on instinct?! What's the problem, Corey? Why do you keep trying to upset me?!"

Corey rubbed his face wearily. "The old one's bigger. It holds more coffee...and I like coffee."

She went silent and blinked a few times. "Oh."

"Yeah."

Her hand came up to rub the back of her head as she laughed nervously. "Well, er...I guess...that is...oh, damn it. That kinda puts what you just said in perspective, doesn't it?" She sighed in frustration. "I guess I have been a little obsessed with us, if I'm honest about it. I just can't stop myself, because…"

He squeezed her hand comfortingly. "Go on. You can tell me."

"I'm scared, Corey. Every single day. You're my first real boyfriend, and I know you love me but I'm just so scared that one day you'll finally realise how crazy I am and leave me…just like anyone else I've ever had feelings for. That's why everything has to be perfect; so you'll never notice how messed up I actually am!" She groaned and slammed her head down on the table dejectedly. "Wow...that all sounded way less crazy in my head."

He winced at the impact; her head had hit pretty hard. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she grumbled, as she rubbed her sore forehead. "And I'm beginning to see your point. I mean, I sneak moved-in! Who does that?!"

He managed a faint smile. "You do."

"And I stared reorganising your wardrobe and taking up all the space like two months after we met! I really am nuts!"

"Just a little."

Minako slumped back in her chair. "Arty was right. I was just so excited to have a boyfriend, someone that I loved and who loved me back…that I didn't think things through. I rushed ahead blindly and made a mess of things like I always do...and now we're stuck in a huge fight."

Corey raised an eyebrow. "You think this is a fight?"

"Well, it is, isn't it? We've both said things we wouldn't have said any other time...even if they are true."

"I don't know," he said, with a shrug. "If this is a fight, it's the calmest one we've had in a long time."

Minako nodded mutely as she studied her fingernails closely. "So, how do we fix things?"

Corey hesitated again; he knew she wasn't going to like his next suggestion. "Maybe we need to take a step back? Slow things down?"

Her bright blue eyes narrowed again. "Are you saying I should move out?" Her fist slammed down on the table, shaking it. "No way, Corey! Moving backwards is not the answer, and I refuse to go! I've gotten used to waking up next to you in the morning; I won't go back to sleeping alone!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. You're not moving out. What's your suggestion, then?"

Her thinking face was as cute always; she tapped her index finger against her cheek as she considered his question. "You're saying you feel smothered, that I'm so worried about our relationship that I'm not letting it progress naturally. Right?"

"Right," he agreed. "And you feel like I'm holding back, unwilling to accept I am in a relationship, and need to open up myself more...and the apartment."

"Uh-huh." She toyed with her fingers nervously. "We're both adults, right?"

"I like to think so."

"Well, we've worked together to figure out the problems in our relationship." Her eyes began to burn with the same resolute defiance as before as she raised her fist before her. "We'll just have to try harder to fix them!"

Corey's head almost hit the table this time. "Minako-"

"Shush!" she snapped. "It's my turn to speak!" She folded her arms across her chest and adopted a sage expression. "I'll make more of an effort to be less crazy about us. The problem is the little voice in my head that always asks me 'what if', right? So, I'll just work harder to ignore it. Simple."

"And?" he asked, well aware she'd omitted half the problem.

She sighed grumpily. "And, as you pointed out earlier, this is our relationship; I'll stop making decisions that affect both of us without talking to you first." Her hand snapped up, her index finger pointing squarely at his face. "But in return, you need to decide if you really want me here at all. You got all moody about me sneak moving in, but let's face it, Corey; I've been living with you for months. Make up your mind, because you can't have it both ways anymore. If I'm going to continue to live here, then I live here. That makes this our apartment, not just yours."

"You're right," he agreed, with a reluctant nod. "I've been a jerk." And I didn't even notice until now, he thought guiltily. I was ready to blame everything on Minako and her obsessive nature but I'm just as much to blame for making her feel unwelcome.

She held up her thumb and forefinger, barely an inch apart, and giggled quietly. "Just a little."

"I do want you to live here, Minako. This is our apartment, our home...and if you want to make some changes then I need to be open to that." He quickly cleared his throat and added a caveat. "Within reason, of course." I don't think I can handle an apartment full of stuffed animals!

"Okay." Minako took hold of his hands this time around. "There's one more thing we have to agree on, cutie. Things only got this bad because neither one of us was willing to be honest about our feelings." She hesitated awkwardly. "Look, I'm not totally clueless. I realise I can be a little, um…difficult to live with. Sometimes. But we both know I'm not always going to notice when I'm pushing too hard or taking something too far...or obsessing."

"I guess not."

"So," she continued, "you need to get more comfortable with telling me. If you don't, I'm just going to assume everything's fine, aren't I?"

"That goes both ways, you know. Perhaps I can be a little…moody on occasion-"

"A little?" she repeated, in mock surprise. "Really? I never even noticed!"

Corey laughed quietly. "Smartass."

"Oh, so my butt's gorgeous and smart?" she asked, with a wink. "Good to know."

This feels good, Corey thought, as he laughed again. Like we've really turned the corner. We're just messing around like we always do now.

Minako abruptly lost a bit of her cheer as she leaned back across the table. "So...fight over?"

"I'm still not convinced this even was a fight...but sure. Fight over."

"It'd better have been a fight," Minako muttered, as she slipped out of her chair and wandered towards the bedroom.

"What? Why?!"

"Really?" She poked her head back out and frowned. "Do you seriously not get what's happening here?"

"Apparently not," he admitted, thoroughly confused.

"Make-up sex, silly." Her lips dropped into one of the sexiest pouts he'd ever seen. "Unless you'd rather keep fighting?"

He shot out of his chair like a rocket. "Hell, no!"

"Well, then," she called, giggling as she tossed her top towards him, "hurry up and get in here!"

As Corey followed her into the bedroom, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Once again, they'd hit a roadblock and - once again - they'd overcome it. Together. Just like always.

AN: Wow, Corey and Minako's big talk turned out SO much bigger than I anticipated. I'm very happy with it, though, so I'm not going to complain too much. It did necessitate cutting a couple of other scenes I had planned involving the Order and the Outer Senshi, so those will likely kick off Chapter Nine. Also, Ami's back (however temporarily). I've got to give a special mention to sailorv1986 and metalgear for their feedback on the big scene, much appreciated guys!

I've blown through the more detailed outlines I had ready, meaning updates will likely slow down a little again. I know where the main plot needs to go but all the sub-plots I have in the air need to be sorted out so I can start tackling them. PLUS the Outers have to make an appearance, and I still need to bring Pluto and Chibiusa back. It'll come in time, I assure you, lol. Many thanks for your reviews, favourites, follows and PMs as always - they're always really appreciated!

Lisseas