Sailor Moon - The Order of Black

Chapter Seventeen: On The Side Part Two

Originally published 17/07/2015

"Are you sure about this, Usagi?"

Usagi nodded determinedly. "Yes. I've tried talking, Minako. I even tried one more time last night, in the hopes Mamoru would listen to me, but...he didn't. He won't tell me the truth, he said he can't. I didn't know what else to do to make him understand how I feel."

"Breaking up with him wouldn't have been my first option," Minako murmured.

"It was my last option," Usagi retorted, "And we're not broken up. We're just...on a break. There's a difference." She wasn't really sure who she was trying to convince more; Minako, or herself.

"I guess so. Either way, it sounds like an ultimatum to me." A hint of anxiety crept into her voice. "I never really saw Mamoru as the kind of guy they work on, either."

"What?" That was news to Usagi. "It wasn't an ultimatum!"

"Oh, please," Minako said, rolling her eyes. "Let's be adults here, Usagi. It was an ultimatum, whether you intended it as one or not."

Usagi had gone over the previous night again and again in her head, and while she still disagreed it was automatically an ultimatum, she could see how it might be seen as one. "You may have a point, but there was no other choice. I needed Mamoru to understand how serious I am about this. After all, if I can't trust him to be honest with me, who can I trust?"

Minako's phone began to vibrate on the console. "Oh, sorry." She lifted it to her ear and smiled automatically as she answered. "Hello? Oh, Rei, hi! Is something wrong?"

Usagi's concern was tempered with rational thought. If something was really wrong, she'd use the communicator.

"That does sound like a lot of fun," Minako cooed, "but Corey's stuck in a lecture until about seven." A brief frown crossed her features. "Oh, okay. Sure." She glanced at Usagi and made a strange face. "Rei's acting weird, like she's talking for someone...not to me."

"That is weird," Usagi agreed. "Why did she ask about Corey?"

"She wants to grab dinner with us, but she's never asked before." She flinched as a squeaky voice came from her phone. "Oh, hang on, I think she's back! Yeah?" Minako's eyes nearly popped out of her skull a moment later. "You think Corey's doing what?!"

A little later...

"So, you saw Mako buying wine...and that led you to believe that Corey's cheating on me?" Minako was trying - and failing - to avoid sounding incredulous. She'd rushed down to Mako's apartment building at Rei's insistence - Usagi right behind her - to find the miko and Ami huddled around the corner, watching the front door. It's insane, she thought. There's no way my cutie's cheating on me, with Mako of all people!

"Like I said on the phone, we're not saying anything," Rei said, somewhat impatiently. "We just thought you should know about what we thought was some suspicious activity. What you do with that information is entirely up to you. Corey's not really the kind of guy to cheat, in my opinion...but it looks bad!"

"Right," Ami agreed. "There's a lot of things they could be doing up there...but it does look bad. In a purely hypothetical light."

Usagi lifted her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe she's teaching him to cook?"

Minako couldn't help it; she erupted in a fit of laughter at the very thought. "Oh, Usagi, that's crazy. Corey freezes up just thinking about cooking!"

"That might be true, but it makes more sense than him cheating on you with Mako."

Ami made a perfectly valid point. "They're friends; maybe they're just having a relaxing glass of wine together?"

"But Mako's underage," Rei argued, with a frown.

Usagi rolled her eyes in an extremely exaggerated fashion. "God, you really do have a stick up your butt, don't you? I'm sure Mako would never –gasp! – drink a glass of wine a few months before she turns twenty!" She held a hand to her mouth in mock horror to illustrate her point.

Oh, no, Minako thought miserably, that's all we need. Grumpy Usagi starting trouble with Rei, who needs no help getting grumpy at the best of times! "Listen, girls-"

The miko did not approve. "There's no need to be so sarcastic, Odango!"

Usagi wouldn't back down, either. "Considering you're usually the sarcastic one, Pyro, I think it makes for a nice change!" Any further argument was prevented as their back and forth degenerated into a tongue war.

Minako rolled her eyes and sighed. "Well, there's one way to settle this. I'll just go upstairs and find out for myself." She spotted another tenant heading for the door and quickly dashed after her. "Excuse me? Hold that door, please!" As soon as the coast was clear, she propped it open again and waved her friends forward. "Come on! You dragged me down here, so the least you can do is back me up now!"

"We're coming, we're coming!"

Barely two minutes later they were huddled around Makoto's door, taking turns to listen. This is sort of fun, Minako admitted to herself. We're all paired off now, except for Mako. Soon, there won't be anybody left to spy on. That was actually a little sad. It'll be the end of an era. Or something like that.

"Oh, gods!" Rei nearly fell on her backside as she jerked away from the door, eyes wide. "Minako, I think you should hear this!"

"Okay..." The blonde scuttled forward and pressed her ear against the door. After several seconds of silence, Makoto's voice drifted through, clear as day.

"Give it a rest for a sec, Corey, it's getting too sloppy."

"Damn," he muttered. "I was just getting into it, too."

Minako did fall on her backside, caught completely off guard. "What the heck? That can't be right!"

"What?" Usagi asked, as she crouched down beside her. "What happened?"

"It...it's nothing. I must have misheard them, that's all." She scrambled back to her feet and pressed against the door again, her heart racing. That was odd, but they can't have just said what I thought they did.

Corey's voice was unmistakable. "Sorry. I got it all over you. Even your hair..."

"Hey, it happens." Makoto didn't sound bothered at all. "We're having fun, right?"

A strangled squeak escaped from Minako's throat. Sloppy? He got it all over her?! What the hell are they doing in there?! Her mind was beginning to paint a picture, and she did not like what it looked like. Not one bit.

Corey grunted with a sudden effort. "Oh, Minako's gonna love this."

"Oh, god," she whispered, backing away slowly. "Is...is he learning stuff from her...to try on me?!"

Usagi groaned loudly as she managed a rather impressive face-palm. "Just take a breath and think, Minako; you'll realise this can't possibly be what you-"

"It's her boobs," Rei said, matter-of-factly. "It's gotta be. I've heard American guys have a thing for really big boobs."

Usagi actually scoffed, a rare thing indeed. "Oh, come on. Where did you hear that? Who told you?"

"A few people!"

Minako was still focused on her first point, pouting as she stared down at her chest. "What about my boobs?! They're a decent size!"

"Well, sure," Rei agreed, with an apologetic shrug, "But Mako's on a whole other level of decent compared to the rest of us."

"You're not helping!" Usagi hissed.

I've gotta calm down, Minako thought frantically. I only just finished admitting I have no excuse for this kind of behaviour. I'm not a psychopath; I have to control myself. Corey loves me, he wouldn't cheat on me. Especially not with Mako. He wouldn't do that to me. Mako wouldn't do that to me! It was no use, though. She was beginning to breathe faster, bordering on hyperventilation. "I'm not gonna lie, girls, I'm freaking out here!"

"Just relax," Usagi said, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll just knock, find out what's really going on, and you'll feel much better. Okay?"

"You're right," she said, nodding quickly. "You're right. Thanks, Usagi. I knew I could count on you."

"Usagi's absolutely right," Ami agreed. "We have no idea what's really going on here, and irrational speculation isn't helping anyone."

Rei peered up at them from the door as she listened. "It sure sounds dirty, though..."

Usagi stamped her foot furiously, her voice a whispered hiss. "Helping or hurting, Rei?! Helping or hurting?!"

Minako was too busy shoving Rei aside to notice. It has to be a mistake! It has to be a mistake! She leaned against the door and listened intently. "Come on, come on…say something normal!"

A near giggle fluttered through the wood; Makoto. "And you were nervous about asking me. You're so good!"

Corey's reply sealed the deal. "I guess I just needed the proper motivation, huh?"

"Motivation?" The blonde's voice was a strangled snarl as everything went red. "Motivation?! I give you my first time and you're not properly motivated?!"

She could sense Usagi backing away behind her. "Uh-oh."

There was an odd slurping sound from the door. "Oh, god, I forgot how good this is!"

"That does it!" Minako brought her foot up without a second thought. "Sailor V…KICK!" Mako's door flew inwards, torn off its hinges completely as she stormed into the apartment, her finger raised in righteous anger. "Get off my boyfriend, you big-boobed seductress!"

Corey and Makoto were standing in the kitchen. Fully clothed. Cooking. The brunette stared at her in stunned silence, a spoon still hanging out of her mouth as Corey raised his hand slowly. "Hi, Minako. Surprise?"

Her rage evaporated in an instant…leaving her completely speechless. "Uh…"

Usagi's head popped through the broken doorway behind her, followed quickly by Ami and Rei. "Oh, look, Mako's teaching Corey to cook. Who could have possibly foreseen such a surprising outcome? Oh, right. I did."

Rinjirou sat cross-legged in the courtyard, staring at an odd, solitary flower jutting up from the stone pavers. It was wilting, as if on death's door but unwilling to give up on life completely. Just like I was, he thought, after my first meeting with that Hunter at this shrine. It was but a weed, nothing special, but it suddenly had all the meaning in the world for him. I need to keep it alive, if only to prove I can survive as well.

"You seemed troubled, young man."

He glanced up at the old man and nodded slowly. "I am, Hino-sama."

The priest sank into a meditative pose beside him. "The Order of Black?"

"What else? They dominate my thoughts, even after my exile." He stared down at his hands in silent contemplation, considering his words carefully. "I learned some things yesterday. Things I'd rather not have known. Unpleasant truths."

"About your parents."

"Did you know?" Rinjirou asked. "When I first came here?"

"About your mother, and the Eye?" Hino nodded slowly. "Yes, I knew."

"You said she went mad, and-"

"No, I said the Hunters killed her…and that was the truth." The diminutive priest met his stare without hesitation. "Her decision to refuse their invitation signed her death warrant, as surely as your refusal to kill me signed yours."

I should be angry, Rinjirou thought bitterly, but he's right. They killed her. Why hardly matters now. "And my father?"

"I suspected the Order may have had a hand in his death," Hino admitted, "But I had no evidence to prove it. They became suspicious of me not long after your mother's death, and revoked my access to the records. I couldn't risk revealing my knowledge of the Watchful Eye; it would have meant my death too, and that accomplished nothing." He bowed his head. "So I remained silent and played my part faithfully, until the time came to retire from active service. I assumed I was a footnote in some file…until they sent you to find me."

"This was all some sort of convoluted loyalty test from day one," Rinjirou muttered. "It was the only reason for them to send me at all, instead of a Hunter."

"That does seem likely," the old man agreed. "The Order certainly isn't what I remember, even fifty years ago. I didn't know about the Watchful Eye back then, or even the truth about Chaos Slivers. I was just a foolish young man who wanted to make a difference. I had no idea what I was getting myself into."

"Neither did I," Rinjirou said, with a little more bitterness than he intended. "I told myself I wanted to protect the Earth, like my mother before me, but I'm not sure the Order of Black was ever on the right side. It's just...less wrong than the threats it fights against. It claims to stand for humanity, but it lost its own in the process. A few good people can't make up for that."

That was the truth, if he was honest. The Order would keep coming after him, time and time again, until he was dead. Its Hunters would never stop, and they didn't care how many innocent people were killed in the process. People like Hino-sama...and Rei. I can't allow them to hurt anyone else because of me, but I'll need allies if I'm going to stop them. Even temporary ones.

"You've lived in Tokyo a long time, Hino-sama. As a former member of the Order, what do you think of the Sailor Senshi?"

He was sure the old man hesitated before answering. "They've saved this city and the world several times over."

"I know the facts," he countered. "I'm asking what you think. Are they the threat the Order believes them to be? Is the Moon Princess really going to bring the Moon Kingdom back, or was that just another lie?"

The priest sighed. "They're powerful…and power is dangerous if left unchecked. There are countless stories throughout history of men and women with the best of intentions who were corrupted by power." Strangely, he glanced towards the shrine of all places. "As much as I would love nothing more than to trust in them, there's nothing more dangerous than believing oneself infallible…as they seem to."

Rinjirou needed something a little more concrete. "But do you trust them?"

"I trust them to always do what they believe is right," Hino said. "It's just their definition of right and wrong I'm wary of. One person alone should never determine what's right, and that is where they're dangerous…no matter how much it pains me to say so."

That was a strange thing to say. Why would it pain him? "Hino-sama?"

The priest laughed boisterously as he rose to his feet. "Pay me no mind, young man. You've got far more pressing things to worry about." He patted him on the shoulder as he passed. "What are you going to do next?"

That was a very good question. The Sailor Senshi were an unknown quantity, at least in the long run, but they could be useful allies right now. Titus made one point in Brussels that had taken a little time to sink in; the Order and all its forces were the enemy, whether he liked it or not. They were hunting him now, and he did stand against them as they stood against the Senshi.

The Sailor Senshi stand for Earth as you do, the blue Senshi had said. That means we're on the same side, whether you're willing to admit it or not. While he may not believe that, there was no denying their usefulness as tools…or weapons. Those Hunters must be stopped before anyone else is hurt, he decided. That means finding the Order's new Tokyo safe house, and to do that, I'll need to reach out to the cat. He didn't trust Titus in the least, but he had resources Rinjirou needed; that left him with little choice.

"There is one option…"

"Big-boobed seductress?" Makoto's voice was eerily flat.

She's way too calm. A nervous laugh slipped out before Minako could stop it. "Um…oops?"

"You kicked in my door, tossed some sort of weird insult at me…" The brunette's increasingly stern glare locked on her. "Just what the hell did you think was going on in here, Minako?!"

"Well, er…I mean…you..." It was no use; the words wouldn't come out, so she just gave up. "I, uh…I may have overreacted, in hindsight-"

Makoto exploded in a fiery rage. "You think?!"

"I just…Rei said…then…" Minako had no idea what to say. Everything made sense a few seconds ago!

Corey ducked past Usagi into the hallway and returned a moment later, Rei and Ami in tow. "I think I've found the catalyst for Minako's overreaction."

"Hey," Rei protested, "She came to this conclusion all by herself!"

"And you three had nothing to do with it at all?" Corey clearly wasn't impressed with her defence; his glower left little doubt of that.

Ami was a little more amenable. "We may have planted the idea in her head. Indirectly. Because we would never intentionally…" She trailed off as Corey turned his glare on her. "...Sorry."

Usagi met his stare with a casual shrug. "I told her Makoto was probably just teaching you to cook."

"So, you thought we were in here doing…what, exactly?" Makoto snapped, her green eyes burning into Minako's very soul. "Do you really think I would ever do that to you, Minako?"

"No, I…I don't!" Minako felt terrible. Once again, she'd flown off the handle without thinking things through and made a complete mess of it all. "It's just...I heard you saying dirty-sounding things and I..." She let out a sad sigh of regret. "I got confused."

"Dirty?" Some of Mako's anger seemed to dissipate as she glanced at Corey. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?"

"No idea," he admitted. "Minako, what the hell did we say that was dirty?"

"Well, you, uh…Mako told you to stop 'cause it was getting too sloppy…" Her fingers formed quotation marks at each mention of 'it' - there was no way she could say what she really meant. "Then you said you got it all over her, even in her hair, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" The brunette threw up her hands, her cheeks going bright red. "I don't want to know what you two are doing to each another if you consider that dirty talk!"

Corey gestured to the kitchen. "The chocolate sauce was getting too sloppy, and I managed to get the broth for the ramen all over her."

Minako sighed ruefully. "I realise that. Now."

A snicker fluttered through the room as Rei lost it. "Somebody's been reading a way too much hentai manga!"

"I have not!" she argued, joining Makoto in turning crimson. "Besides, you were the one who told me to listen at the door in the first place, so who's really the closet hentai here, Rei?!"

"Hey," the miko objected nervously, "Shut up!"

Ami also turned bright red. "To be fair, I can see how Minako might have taken what she heard the wrong way."

Makoto's voice had returned to flat. "What do you have to say for yourself, Minako?"

She sighed heavily and bowed her head; there was nobody to blame except herself. Well, maybe Rei and Ami…but I did blow up all by myself. "I'm really sorry, Mako, and you too, cutie. Of course I trust you both, I just…" Unsure exactly how to explain, it all slipped out in one, big blur. "I know I'm not really a psychopath, but I kinda suck with impulse control and I want to do better but it's hard especially in these sort of situations and I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for breaking in here and busting your door and accusing you of sleeping with Corey when you were just doing me a solid and teaching him to…" She paused to gulp down another huge lungful of air.

Makoto blinked. "Psychopath?"

Corey just shook his head. "You stayed focused as long as you could, huh?"

Minako smiled hopefully. "Um, in summary…please forgive me?"

Makoto's glare wavered and finally faded entirely as she sighed herself. "Oh, forget it. I never could stay mad at you for long, you airhead." Her own smile returned as she jerked a thumb in Corey's direction. "You've got a really thoughtful boyfriend here, Minako. I hope you appreciate him." Her expression darkened momentarily. "You are fixing my door, though."

The blonde nodded sombrely, just glad to be forgiven. "Oh, I do appreciate him, I do, and I'll totally get your door fixed!"

Rei made a rude noise. "Well, after all that drama, this was rather anticlimactic!"

"No thanks to you!" Corey shot back, with another glare.

"What? We made a logical conclusion based on the facts we had available, and-"

Ami clamped a hand over Rei's mouth and began dragging her towards the doorway. "We'll be going now, everyone! Once again, we're very sorry for our role in this and we assure you it will not happen again!"

Usagi watched them go with a perplexed frown. "Ami's a little out of practice, isn't she? I'm sure she used to know better."

"She's been in Germany for a while," Makoto said, as she stared forlornly at her broken door. "She must be rusty."

Minako was just happy no-one was holding a grudge. "Thank you for making my cutie an even more awesome boyfriend than he was, Mako!" The brunette accepted her hug, and all was right with the world once more. "You're an amazing friend!"

"I'm the one who learned to cook," Corey grumbled. "Where's my hug?"

She winked mischievously. "You can have one after you fix Mako's door."

He stared at her in disbelief before finally uttering a defeated sigh. "Fine. Mako, where do you keep your tools?"

Mamoru stared wistfully at the photo of him and Usagi. He missed her already, but after a lot of soul searching he'd come to the conclusion that she'd done the right thing. Just be honest with her, huh? Corey made it sound so easy. If he was honest – to himself especially – he wasn't ready for marriage. It would likely upset Usagi, but Corey was right; he owed her the truth.

He couldn't shake the feeling he was right on the verge of a deeper understanding of his past. It was something he had to explore first if he was going to face his fear of becoming king…and he couldn't explain it all to Usagi until he understood things fully himself.

"I'm sorry, Usako," he said quietly, as he placed the photo back on his nightstand, "But I'm not ready yet. I can't marry you, not until I've figured out who I am." It killed him to admit it, but… "Perhaps a break is best. For both of us."

AN: So, two chapters in one day. I'm pretty happy with that! This was all originally one chapter but as I revised and it grew in length, it became clear there were two chapters (or parts) here, the 'dramatic' chapter and the 'funny' chapter, so it made sense to split them. A bunch of subplots moved or were resolved, most importantly Mamoru and Usagi's 'break'. I might have made him a bit too indecisive, I suppose, but I remember Mamoru as a bit of a douche in that regard - I mean, he broke up with his girlfriend, the woman he supposedly loved more than anything in the world, because he had some bad dreams!

Hopefully, Rinjirou came across clear this time out. He's not suddenly all chummy with the Senshi; he still views them as a threat, but a potentially useful ally all the same. His primary motivation in the short term is finding that safe house and taking down those Hunters, and he at least needs Titus' help to find out. And last but not least, I had to get some pay off from the Corey/Mako cooking lessons somehow; it seemed unfair to subject my readers to such misdirection without putting the girls through a little of it as well!

Anyway, thanks for reading. Hopefully it was a fun read - at least the second half - and for what it's worth, I think I'm closing in on the next major plot point. It's getting easier to figure out where the story needs to head to get there, and I'm hoping for another chapter, maybe two, before we reach it. Thanks to UH-60 for already reviewing Part One - even if I had to wipe tomato off my face! - and for any further reviews in advance. Back with more soon.

Lisseas