Standard disclaimers apply. Most of these characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi, and rightfully belong to her. I'm only borrowing them for a while. New characters, and this story, belong to me. Ask before you use them. :)
AN: Firstly, Merry Christmas:) It doesn't look like we'll get any snow for Christmas this year, though...and that is seriously weird for where I am. But oh well, less shovelling for me. Other than that, I don't have much to say this time around, so...enjoy this chapter!
Hearts of Darkness
Part 6: Forward Resolve
by JG Chan
"How nice of you to drop by, Peridot," Adamantite grated. His voice was cold, and his eyes burned intensely, sending chills down the spines of his assembled commanders. In the center of the throne hall, Peridot fell on his face begging.
"Please, my Lord! Please, just one more chance! I-I won't fail you again, I promise! My Lord, I beg..."
His last words never came out. Standing behind the bald general, Selenite jerked his heavy black spear out of Peridot's throat and disdainfully wiped the blood off on his uniform.
"One less incompetent..." he noted.
Adamantite smiled grimly. "At least he did succeed at something. Sailor Mars' grief and Sailor Venus' instant of despair have boosted our energy reserves enormously." He withdrew a small, innocuous-looking gem from his armour and looked out among his remaining servants. "Which one of you would care to take Peridot's place?"
A young woman stepped up to the throne. She was strikingly beautiful, with wavy purple hair, light blue eyes, and an attractive figure that was evident despite the featureless Dark Kingdom uniform.
"My Lord," she said. "I would like the honour of serving at your side." Her voice was sultry and cruel, betraying the danger behind her appearance.
"Very well, Amethyst." The dark lord raised his hand, and the gem floated down into the woman's palm. "I give you three days to come up with a suitable plan. Do not disappoint me, or the consequences will be...unpleasant."
"I understand, my Lord." She bowed and exited the room, along with the rest of the assembled commanders.
"She is quite an interesting one, isn't she?" Adamantite observed. "Her rise in position has been exceptional considering her age. She might actually have a chance against the Sailor Senshi."
"I suppose so..."
Rei opened her eyes to find herself lying on a couch instead of in her futon. Looking around, she saw that the others were there as well, and they were dressed in their royal gowns, just as she was. 'I'm in my dream again,' she thought.
"Rei-chan?" Usagi murmured sleepily, sitting up with a yawn. "What are you doing in my room? Wait, this isn't my room! Where am I?"
Rei blinked at her. "You mean you're really here?"
"Well of course I am, you can see me can't you?"
"I thought this was just a dream!"
"Then it would appear that we're all having the same dream," Ami observed.
"Mako-chan, are you alright?" Minako asked suddenly. The others all turned to the tall brunette, who was rubbing her jaw carefully.
"Don't worry, guys, I'm fine," she assured them. "Mizuno-sensei thought I might have a minor concussion, but nothing's broken or anything. Actually, I feel perfectly fine right now."
"That's because there was no reason to reproduce your pain," a voice said from the doorway. The girls turned to see who it was and gasped.
"Mother..." Usagi said softly. She got up and started towards the elegant woman, and tripped over her own dress, landing face first on the carpet.
"Yep, this is the real Usagi," Rei remarked.
"Come with me, all of you," Queen Serenity told them. She left the room at a stately pace with the girls following her. Everyone walked in silence until they reached a set of doors at the end of a long marble hallway. They opened themselves for the Queen, and she led the girls inside.
They were in a small chapel dedicated to the Moon Goddess Selene, guardian deity to the Moon Kingdom and creator of the Illusion Silver Crystal. Rei dimly noticed that, her attention primarily focused on the back of the room. There was a coffin there, and two men standing next to it, one of which she hadn't been expecting to see in the flesh. The other girls followed her gaze and started.
"Jadeite?" Ami exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Her voice held no hatred, only disbelief.
"Don't worry, Sailor Senshi," the blond general replied. "I have no more quarrels with you. I'm here to pay my respects to an old friend...among other things," he added, looking at Rei. She did not return the look, turning instead to Mamoru, who stood in his royal armour.
"Is this what you meant earlier?" she asked.
Mamoru nodded. "After you left, Queen Serenity appeared and took Yuuichirou's body with her. She told me not to tell you anything yet."
"It is time," Queen Serenity announced solemnly from the altar, cutting off any further conversation. Instinctively, the princesses joined Mamoru and Jadeite around the coffin, with Usagi closest to her mother. Rei gazed down at the man whose love she had never properly returned. Lying motionless in the coffin, he seemed so different from the man she knew. She blinked, trying to clear away her tears.
"We are gathered here tonight to honour the passing of a great hero among us," Queen Serenity intoned. "This man, Kumada Yuuichirou, has given his first life to defend the Silver Alliance against the Dark Kingdom. Through his own love and willpower, he has reincarnated in the present and found his Princess. And once more, he gave his life in battle, this time to save the life of his beloved. For all his deeds, he has earned his place in the hall of our heroes." She nodded to Usagi, who took out her brooch. She closed her eyes in concentration, and the Silver Crystal rose in the air before her.
As everyone watched in awe, crescent moons appeared on both Queen Serenity's and her daughter's foreheads, and started to glow. The Silver Crystal began to shine in response, its pale light washing over Yuuichirou's body. A soft mist rose above the coffin, swirling slowly as the light of the Crystal suffused it. Between one instant and the next, Rei found herself staring open-mouthed at Yuuichirou's spirit, drawn from his body by the power of the Crystal.
Queen Serenity stepped around the altar and headed for the doors. "We'll leave you two alone now," she said softly to Rei as she passed the young priestess. The others followed the Queen, Usagi unconsciously taking Mamoru's hand and Jadeite trailing the others. He glanced back once at the raven-haired girl before the doors closed behind him.
"Ojii-san doesn't remember you at all, you know?" Rei said, her head bowed.
"I know. I never truly existed in your world, after all." His voice was slightly regretful, but otherwise calm.
"Yuuichirou, I...I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Rei," he answered. He approached her and enfolded her in his ghostly arms. Rei suppressed a cry of surprise; she could actually feel him! But his forgiveness only served to twist the knife in her heart, and she wept aloud as she clung to him.
"I've...treated you...so badly," she choked out between sobs. "I don't...deserve...to be...forgiven..."
"Don't say that, Rei. No matter what you do, I'll still love you. You can't get rid of me that easily."
"But Yuuichirou, I..."
He put his finger on her lips, silencing her. His other hand raked his bangs aside so that he could look her clearly in the eyes. She was surprised at the confident look in those light blue orbs, which gaze at her with undisguised affection. "I know you don't feel the same way, Rei." A guilty look passed through her eyes. "But I don't mind. And I don't want you to feel like you owe me anything. You promised me, Rei, that you wouldn't let me drag you down. That doesn't just apply to Sailor business; it goes for everything in your life. I will be happy knowing that you're happy, no matter who makes you feel that way. Remember that."
He kissed her lightly and stepped back. "Well, that's all I wanted to say. I'm glad I got this chance to see you again, Rei." As if on cue, the others came back in. Queen Serenity stood on Yuuichirou's right, and Usagi, still holding the Silver Crystal, took up a position on his left. The Crystal floated upwards, enveloping his spirit form in a pillar of light. Yuuichirou nodded to both Mamoru and Jadeite, then, as he began to fade, he turned back to Rei with that goofy smile of his. Smiling back through her tears, she mouthed a 'sayonara' to him, and he disappeared. The column of light surged through the roof and into the starry night.
Usagi went around to Rei's side and put an arm around her shoulders, while Ami, Makoto, and Minako gathered close. Rei smiled wanly at her friends and let them steer her away. She did not look at Jadeite. The former general stared after her as the girls and Mamoru left the chapel and returned to their sleeping bodies.
"Thank you for allowing me to be present, your Majesty," Jadeite said gratefully to Queen Serenity.
"Think nothing of it. I am glad that you have regained your true self, Jadeite." She gave him a sidelong glance. "You will watch over her, won't you?" she asked in a more casual tone.
"Of course, your Majesty."
Queen Serenity smiled one last time, and the chapel faded to darkness as Jadeite's soul returned to his body.
'Thank you too, old friend.'
"Don't worry about it," the voice replied.
FRIDAY
Minako hesitated in front of the white hospital door, her hand half raised to knock. She had thought she was prepared for this, but somewhere along the way up she lost her nerve. Makoto, being the way she was, would almost certainly forgive her...and in the back of her mind, that was what she was worried about. Because then, she'd be left to face the fact that she was the one who couldn't forgive herself, and she didn't know how to deal with that.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she took a deep breath and knocked. A voice inside said to come in, and she braced herself and pushed open the door.
"Mako-chanI'mreallysorryforwhatIdidIknowIwasunderaspellbutIshouldn'thaveletmyfeelingsgetthebestofmeandIunderstandifyou'restillmadatmeandI'lldoanything tomakeupforityoucanevenhitmebackifyouwantbutnottoohardcuzyou'rereallystrongand..."
She paused there to take a breath, and in so doing opened her eyes, which had been screwed shut the moment she entered the room. Her face immediately reddened. "Umm...hi."
"Yeah, hi..." the boy standing at Makoto's bedside replied. He had short brown hair and serious dark eyes, and wore an expression of utter confusion. Sitting in bed, Makoto sweatdropped at her blonde friend, then cleared her throat.
"Ah...Ken, this is my friend Aino Minako. Minako-chan, this is Shinozaki Kenta."
"Nice to meet you, Aino-san," the boy said with a polite bow.
"Um, likewise," Minako replied, still blushing. "Ah, well, I'm sorry to have interrupted you two, I can come back later..."
"Oh, no, I was about to leave anyway. No problem." Kenta smiled at her, then turned and handed Makoto a piece of paper. "I'll be in town for the rest of the week, so call me whenever you want. Also, Shiina-sensei said he'll take care of the apartment, so you don't need to worry about that."
"He didn't have to do that," Makoto protested.
"But he did anyway," the boy grinned. "I'll get out of your hair now. Be careful, alright?"
"Sure."
With another nod to Minako, Kenta left the room. The girls both stared after him for a moment, then Minako turned to Makoto with an uncertain look on her face. "Umm, Mako-chan, about what I said earlier..."
The brunette rolled her eyes. "Look, Minako-chan, if you really want to make this up to me, you can stop torturing yourself over it. The girls already explained everything to me earlier, and it isn't your fault." She mock glared at Minako. "Are we clear on that?"
"Yes, Ma'am," Minako replied meekly.
"Good." Makoto grinned suddenly. "It wouldn't be any fun if my boy-watching partner goes all guilty and depressed on me."
"Huh? But what about Kenta-kun?"
Makoto blinked, then sweatdropped again. "Minako-chan, we're not like that."
"Oh reeeally?" the blonde drawled with a sly look in her eyes.
"Really," Makoto replied seriously. "We grew up together after my parents died. He's just...a really good friend, that's all."
"Oh..." Minako said simply, seeing the slightly distant look in the brunette's eyes. Unlike what some people thought, she did know when not to press the issue. Her gaze dropped to Makoto's hands, which were absently fiddling with the piece of paper, and a sudden thought occurred to her. 'We really don't know much about each other's pasts, do we?' she mused. 'We've been so much more concerned with the Dark Kingdom so far...even though we hang out a lot, it never comes up...'
"Mako-chan?"
"Hmm?"
"What were you like when you were growing up?"
Makoto blinked. "What brought that on all of a sudden?" The blonde shrugged.
"I just realized we've never talked about our pasts that much...you know, our pasts now, not our past lives. It's okay if you rather not talk about it, though..."
Makoto considered that for a moment. Truthfully, she wasn't too comfortable talking about that; she still missed her parents terribly at times. However, since meeting Usagi and the girls, those times came only rarely. She looked up and, seeing only sincere interest in Minako's eyes, she smiled.
"Sure, why not?" she agreed. "But I want to hear about you too."
The other girl smiled back in acquiescence, pulling up a chair and sitting on it backwards, with her arms resting on the back. For the next hour or so, the two shared stories of their childhood adventures...and somewhere amidst the giggling and understanding hugs, everything became alright again.
SATURDAY
"So, what are we up against?" Makoto asked. She had been released from the hospital earlier that morning. All of them, including Ryo and Mamoru, were once again gathered at the Hikawa Shrine.
"The Dark Kingdom has a new ruler called Adamantite," Rei told them. "He's one of Metallia's older generals who somehow managed to gain enormous power." She made a face. "He wants to kill us and conquer the Earth by gathering lots of energy," she drawled sarcastically.
"That sounds familiar," Minako deadpanned. "Why do they have this fascination with Earth anyway? Aren't there any other worlds for them to pester?" Artemis gave her a warning glance. "Sorry."
"In any case," Rei continued, "we shouldn't underestimate this Adamantite. It seems that he's already gathered a sizable energy supply without directly draining anyone."
"Using those pods you found?" Luna guessed. Ami, who had been a bit glum since arriving, shook her head.
"I have some bad news about that," she said. "Those pods are fake."
"What!?" Rei exclaimed.
"I thought that they were hard to trace because the amount of energy was small," the blue-haired girl explained, "but I've been going at it the wrong way. All the energy those pods gather is being emitted back out. In other words, they were decoys."
"You've got to be kidding me..." the miko fumed.
"I'm sorry," Ami apologized. "I should have figured it out sooner."
"It's not your fault, Ami-chan," Luna assured her. She frowned. "This is bad, though. It means there's someone very competent on their side."
"That Peridot guy?" Usagi suggested. "He didn't look all that smart, though."
Rei shook her head. "I don't think so. Actually, we won't be hearing from him anymore." She grinned somewhat evilly. "Adamantite's decided that he's failed one time too many."
"Good!" Minako said fiercely.
"Unfortunately, he's been replaced by this woman named Amethyst. I haven't found out much about her, but she's probably at least as dangerous as Peridot was."
"Anyone else?" Mamoru asked.
Rei nodded. "There's also this guy named Selenite. He's Adamantite's second-in-command. Now that I think of it, he was the one in charge of the energy gathering, too. I'll bet the decoys were his idea," she said darkly. "Just wait till I get my hands on him..."
"Why are you so obsessed with that, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked in exasperation. Rei stuck her tongue out at her in lieu of an answer, a gesture the blonde returned eagerly. Ignoring the two for the moment, Artemis looked around the room.
"So, now we have some idea of the 'who'," he noted, "the question that's left is 'where'." All eyes turned to Rei.
"The North Pole. D-Point, to be exact."
"Now why didn't I think of that?" Luna muttered. Ami nodded glumly in agreement.
"Well, that answers that," Artemis said. "So now that we know, should we go ahead and attack them?"
Mamoru looked around at the girls. "I think it would be better if we wait a little," he suggested. "This Adamantite sounds like he could be as strong as Beryl, and he still has two generals working for him. It would be dangerous to attack them before all of you have gotten your powerups."
"But if we wait," Rei objected, "they might target our families next. We're more experienced now than when we fought Beryl. I think we have a chance."
"Yeah," Makoto added, "I'm tired of sitting around waiting. Let's go and finish this!"
"Still," Ami said, "it would be better if we had more information to work with. Charging into battle like this is...well, reckless."
Ryo nodded. "I agree with Ami-chan. Besides, we still haven't figured out how Prince Athan is connected to all this."
"I say we should go," Minako said. "We can't let them find more energy and get even stronger."
There was silence, as everyone turned to look at Usagi.
"It's your call, Usagi-chan," Luna said, watching the young girl carefully.
Usagi lowered her eyes. The expectant gaze of her friends only added to the turmoil in her head. On the one hand, she was afraid that the Dark Kingdom would indeed attack their families. She remembered her fear that time, when the evil Endymion had summoned an angry spirit near the hot springs that she and her family had been visiting. Her father had tried to defend them, and was almost killed. Usagi never wanted that to happen again.
On the other hand, she didn't want to put her friends in danger either. If Adamantite really was as strong as Beryl, one or more of them might very well die in the final battle. She wasn't going to let that happen again, either. 'I hate this,' she thought. 'I hate being leader. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to my friends, all because of some stupid mistake I made...'
As her thoughts and emotions whirled about in her mind, she felt a hand rest upon hers. She raised her head to look into Mamoru's eyes.
"Usako, I know this must be hard for you," he said gently. "Just remember, we'll all support you in whatever decision you make, because we all trust you." The others nodded earnestly. "Just do what your heart says, love."
Usagi smiled and nodded. She turned back towards her friends and took a deep breath. "Alright, we'll go. But," she added emphatically, "I want all of you to promise to be really, really careful."
"You should worry more about yourself, Usagi," Rei teased. "You'd probably trip and knock yourself out before we even get to the enemy."
"Hey, you take that back!" Usagi yelled indignantly.
"Oh stop that, you two!" Luna intervened before they began with the tongue wars. She looked thoughtfully at each of the girls before speaking. "Since we are going to attack, I was hoping we could work on your training first, but we don't really have time unless we wait another week. So...we leave tomorrow afternoon." She looked around and, seeing no objections, ended the meeting.
"Oh, by the way, Mako-chan," Ami started, rummaging through her schoolbag. "I have your homework from yesterday..."
"Homework? Now?" Makoto sighed. "Only you could think of that, Ami-chan."
"Well, we should do our best to keep up," the blue-haired girl replied reasonably.
Makoto grumbled something under her breath as everyone started to leave. Mamoru hung back, deep in thought. Once the others had left, he turned to Rei. "Jadeite told you all that, didn't he?" he asked without preamble.
Rei started in surprise. "How did you...?" Her eyes then widened as she realized she had just answered his question, and she scowled at him. "How did you know?"
"It wasn't too hard to figure out after seeing him in the dream," Mamoru replied. "And I have other sources as well." He reached into his pocket and took out his guardian stones. Rei stared at them perplexedly for a moment, and then her spiritual sense kicked in and she gasped.
"Zoisite and Kunzite? How's that possible?"
"When Sailor Moon helped me...recover my memories earlier, their spirits returned to me," he explained, glossing over the details. "They've recovered their true selves now that Metallia's gone, and they've been helping me recover some of my old powers as well."
"I see..." Rei said distractedly. The information had been a shock, but it also allayed some of her worries. She decided to be honest at that point. "Alright, yes, Jadeite did tell me. His body was trapped in crystal when he couldn't kill us, but his spirit is still free."
"Are you going to do anything about it?"
Rei hesitated, but there wasn't much point in lying now. "Yes."
"Then why didn't you tell anyone?" he pressed.
"I didn't think they would trust him," she replied. "Ami-chan knows already, but Luna would never agree. She can be stubborn sometimes, and she's not nearly as forgiving as Usagi."
"Who is, really?" Mamoru replied lightly. Rei flashed him a smile, but her expression grew somber again. Mamoru waited for her to continue, but then the answer suddenly hit him.
"You're afraid, aren't you?" he asked softly.
Rei started again, then averted her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're afraid the others will think you've forgotten about Yuuichirou."
She didn't answer.
"Rei, they're above that. They'll understand if you explain your reasons to them."
"But I don't KNOW my reasons!" she burst out suddenly, frustrated. "I don't know what I feel for Jadeite, if I feel anything at all. I don't even know what I'd say to him if I find him. I just don't know..."
She sank tiredly onto a cushion. Mamoru searched his mind for something to say, but found nothing. With a sigh, he turned to leave.
"Will you tell her?" Rei asked softly, not looking up.
He stopped. "No, I guess not. I know there are some things we have to figure on our own...I just hope you'll talk to her yourself when you're ready. I know Usako would be worried to death otherwise."
He left, and Rei stared after him, considering what they had just discussed, and the changes in the man she had once dated. Then she headed inside to do her chores.
Adamantite's eyes squinted as he thought over Amethyst's proposal. His right hand was clamped over the crystal orb that contained the energy he had gathered so far, that which would guarantee his victory when his assault began. Beside him, Selenite stood nonchalantly, seeming almost disinterested in the plan.
"And what makes you believe that you will be any more successful than Peridot was?" the dark lord asked. "The Heart of Darkness is a precious asset; your life would not be sufficient payment for wasting it."
"The strength of the Sailor Senshi lies in their teamwork," Amethyst explained. "If we can isolate one of them and attack at full force, she cannot survive. I will send a second youma to delay the other Senshi. My plan won't fail."
"Very well," Adamantite agreed. "We will see the outcome for ourselves. Proceed with your plan."
"Thank you, my Lord."
Amethyst disappeared in a rainbow-hued glow. Adamantite idly watched as the last glitters faded, then leaned back against the hard obsidian throne.
"Soon..." he whispered, his eyes burning brightly. "Soon we shall attack, and nothing can stand in our way. Nothing." The swirling energy in the orb surged through his hand and into his body, wreathing him in black flames. His gloating laughter echoed in the vast, empty hall. Selenite listened impassively for a moment, then disappeared back into the shadows.
SUNDAY
"Come on, Mamo-chan! Hurry up!" Usagi was waving at him impatiently, pointing at the ice cream stand down the path. He chuckled and hurried to catch up with her.
After breakfast that morning, having once again shocked her family with her presence, Usagi had told her parents that she would be spending the day with her friends...conveniently leaving out which 'friend' she meant exactly. They had met at the arcade, where Usagi had coaxed him into playing a fighting game with her, and then proceeded to beat the crap out of him. He quickly found himself free of spare change, at which point Motoki laughed and apologized for not warning him in advance.
Then they had gone to the park. The day was warm and sunny, with just a hint of a breeze. The sakura trees were starting to bloom, and soon hanami would begin. It was a lot like the day Mamoru had regained his memories, except this time there were no chimeras to ruin it. They had passed the lake, where a young couple had been having a picnic with their little boy. Usagi and Mamoru had stopped to watch as the toddler, squealing happily, waded out into the shallow water after a passing butterfly. Then, he turned around and, seeing his dad trying to sneak up on him, began splashing water at the young man. He waded out after his son and started splashing back, while his wife laughingly watched them.
Mamoru had felt Usagi tense slightly as they watched the scene, though her smile was as bright as ever. He had understood what she was feeling, though; he had been thinking the same thing. But before he could bring the subject up, she had turned bright, sparkling eyes upon him and said she wanted ice cream. Her gaze had melted his heart, and he had forgotten what he had been about to say as she led him along the path.
Now, the two of them sat on a bench on a small hill overlooking the lake, trying to keep up with the melting cones in their hands. Mamoru sneaked occasional glances at Usagi, who seemed totally absorbed in the task at hand. He wondered whether to speak up or not, even as he finished his ice cream.
"Usako..." he started.
"Today was great, wasn't it, Mamo-chan?" she interrupted. "I had so much fun! Especially at the arcade, I bet you didn't know I was that good, did you? That one time, you didn't even hit me once!" She giggled.
"Usako..." he tried again.
"You should have seen the look on your face! I heard Motoki-onii-san laughing at you, you know, but you were so desperate you didn't notice a thing! And I still won!"
"Usako..."
"Yep, I may be a klutz and everything, but no one beats me at video games!" she continued, her smile slipping a little. "Not even Rei-chan! So it doesn't matter that I'm no good at school, or that I cry a lot..."
"Usako..."
"...or that my room's a mess, or that I can't cook, or that...I'll never be...a good wife..." Mamoru could feel her trembling, trying to hold back her tears. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her face for a tender kiss.
"Don't say that, Usako," he said soothingly. "You're a wonderful girlfriend, and you'll be a wonderful wife and mother someday, I'm sure of that. You still have a lot of growing ahead of you, that's all."
"But Mamo-chan, what if we don't have that time?" she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. "What if something happens tonight, and..."
"It'll be okay, Usako. I won't let you get hurt. They'll have to get through me before they can touch you."
"But that's what I'm afraid of! I don't want you getting hurt again because of me, Mamo-chan! I don't even want you to go!" She sniffed. "When I saw that family back there, I thought, how great it would be if it were you in the water with our child, and me watching you, knowing we'll always be happy together. I just can't bear to lose you again, Mamo-chan..."
Mamoru sighed and pulled Usagi closer to him. She was quiet, but he could feel her tears wetting his shirt, and her tremling. He remembered how strong she had been for him that night they confronted his tainted memories. But she was still just a fourteen-year-old girl, whose innocence was threatened at every battle. And he desperately wanted to protect that innocence, that part of her that made her so loveable, so able to love...
"Usako..." He stroked her hair with one hand while the other squeezed hers. "I wish I could tell you we'll be okay, but I can't. So I'll give you a promise instead: I will do my best to make sure all of us get back safe and sound." He leaned his cheek against one of her odangos. "Remember what you said that night? So long as we want to be together, we'll be alright... So don't worry, Usako. We'll be together, and we'll beat whatever the Dark Kingdom throws at us. We'll stop them once and for all, and come back. And one day, I'll take you and our baby for a picnic by the lake..."
Usagi snuggled closer to him, not saying anything, but he could feel a bit of the tension leaving her. 'I won't break my promise, Usako. I won't ever let you down again...'
"So, how about that one over there?" Makoto asked, pointing. "He looks just like my old sempai," she added almost automatically.
Minako followed Makoto's hand. "No way! That guy's in my class, and he's a total jerk!"
Rei was sweatdropping. "You guys sound like you're shopping for clothes or something..." she muttered.
"Oh come on, Rei-chan, like you haven't done this before!" Makoto shot back lightly. The three of them were at the mall, ostensibly because there was a sale at one of the stores. That idea, however, went out the window when Makoto and Minako planted themselves against a wall and started evaluating every passing guy. Rei was very tempted to just leave them there.
"Oh, look at that one!" Minako exclaimed, indicating a guy sitting at a table not far away. He turned around, saw the girls, and started coming towards them. "Wow, he is kinda cute...Mako-chan? Why aren't you saying anything?"
"Yeah, don't you think he looks just like your old sempai?" Rei snickered. Makoto didn't reply, just stood there with a strange expression on her face.
The man coming towards them looked to be a year or two older than them. He had almost shoulder-length auburn hair and wore an unbuttoned white shirt and jeans. His eyes were blue, but there was something in his gaze that made Rei uncomfortable. He also had a simple gold chain around his neck.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it, Makoto?" he asked. His tone was faintly arrogant and had just a hint of an edge to it. Rei and Minako stared at him in surprise, and were even more surprised when they heard Makoto's reply.
"What do you want, sempai?"
To be continued...
End Notes: Mwahahahahaha! The infamous one has appeared! What will happen next? You shall find out next week.