Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all its components is the property of Naoko Takeuchi. Apollo is my own creation, and if you wish to use her, please ask me first.
DAYBREAK
Episode 20
"Mom! Dad! I'm home!" Usagi called as she walked into her house.
"Me, too!" Kurai cried out. Usagi looked back at her in shock, but the girl seemed to be under control. Usagi's mother came out from the kitchen and did a double take.
"Kurai! Is that you?!"
"Yes. I'm home, Mom." Kurai ran into her "mother's" arms and hugged her.
"I can't believe you're here! We weren't expecting you for a few weeks!"
"Well, the administrators let me leave early, considering the fact that I had already missed so many months of high school in Tokyo…"
"I should think so! It's almost April, for crying out loud! But I'm so glad you're finally home! Honey! Come here! Kurai's home!" Usagi's father walked out of the den with a newspaper in his hand.
"Hey, Dad…" Kurai said shyly. Kurai's "father" grabbed her and gave her a big bear hug.
"Kurai! You've finally decided to once again bless us with your presence!" Mr. Tsukino grinned wildly and Sammy suddenly walked in.
"Kurai?" he asked, with a confused look on his face.
"Yo, bro." Usagi and Chibiusa just stood with their eyes wide open, amazed at how easily their family had been brainwashed by Kurai into thinking they had known her all their lives.
"Oh! What happened to your eye?" Mrs. Tsukino was gently touching the cut above Kurai's left eye.
"I just hit my eye on the overhead compartment in the plane."
"Sounds like something Usagi would do," Sammy said.
"Sammy!" Usagi jumped at her brother, but was blocked by her mother.
"So, now that we're all here, we have to get you situated, Kurai!" Mrs. Tsukino exclaimed. She took hold of Kurai's wrist and led her up the stairs, Usagi and Chibiusa in tow. "Now, you will probably share a room with Usagi, just like before." Mrs. Tsukino opened the door to Usagi's room and picked her way over to the left half of the room. "This can be your half. I guess we'll have to get the old bed in here."
"What old bed?" Usagi questioned, but Kurai poked her before she could say anything more.
"I would love to sleep in my old bed, Mom," Kurai quickly said.
"Good. I'll get your father to bring it up here. In the meantime, why don't you unpack your things and put them in the closet?"
"Sure." Mrs. Tsukino picked her way back over to her daughters, hugged them both, and left down the stairs.
"That was amazing," Usagi commented, in awe.
"What did you expect, Usagi? Aunt Apollo was the one who taught me how to brainwash people in the first place," Chibiusa remarked.
"Still, you weren't that good," Usagi counteracted.
"I was still better than you'll ever be!" The two girls started arguing and Kurai rolled her eyes. She walked over to the closet, opened it…and jumped out of the way as a huge avalanche of clothes fell to the floor!
"Shit!" she cursed. Chibiusa stopped at the sound of the word. "Sorry, it's just that I got a bit scared and…well, sorry."
"It's okay, Kurai." Usagi could see her sister was uncomfortable cursing in front of Chibiusa. But after hearing Usagi's forgiveness, Kurai immediately turned back to the task at hand.
"You know, Usagi, this room and closet couldn't hurt to be cleaned up a bit."
"Oh, but I hate cleaning!" Usagi whined.
"I'll help you, Aunt Apollo!" Chibiusa suggested. Kurai smiled but her face instantly took on a look of seriousness. She stepped over to Chibiusa and grabbed her shoulders.
"Small Lady, while we're here, would you mind calling me Kurai, for the sake of not confusing others?"
"Only if you call me Chibiusa, and not Small Lady, Aunt Ap…I mean, Kurai."
"Can do." Kurai extended out her pinky and Chibiusa intertwined it with hers. They squeezed their pinkies three times and let go. Usagi watched the strange ritual until she was brought out of her daze by the sound of Kurai's voice. "Now, we can start by picking up all this stuff on the floor, then we can organize your clothes, and then…"
"You're starting to sound like Makoto and Ami."
"And what's wrong with that, Usagi?" Kurai gave Usagi a look that made her laugh.
"Alright, I'll go get a rag."
"Now, doesn't it look better?" Kurai was surveying the room, which she, her sister, and her niece had just cleaned up. The floor was now cleared away and the closet was divided in half for the two girls. Kurai's bed had made its way into the room and had clean black sheets on it. Usagi's bed was also clean-sheeted, but with pink sheets. Just as Kurai noticed how the two colors contrasted each other, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," Usagi answered. Sammy opened the door and looked in.
"Wow! I can see the floor!" Sammy walked in and for a moment forgot what he had come to say.
"Yeah, yeah…now what do you want, Sammy?" Usagi was becoming impatient at why her brother was there. Sammy came out of his shock.
"It's time for dinner."
"Oh." Usagi followed Sammy out the door and Chibiusa grabbed Kurai's hand and led her down to the dining room.
"Mmmmmmm, looks good, Mom," Kurai commented. It seems her arrival had led to a big dinner in her honor. Kurai watched Usagi, Chibiusa, and Sammy take their seats and then sat down at one end of the table, next to both Usagi and Chibiusa and opposite her father, who lifted his glass.
"In honor of Kurai coming home, a toast!" Everyone else lifted their glasses and clinched them together. Usagi almost burst out laughing when she saw Kurai's embarrassed face. It was obvious her sister didn't know what her parents were like. Kurai just quickly set her glass down and started eating her food.
"That was delicious!" Mr. Tsukino exclaimed enthusiastically. Everyone around the table nodded their heads in agreement and Mrs. Tsukino muttered a quiet "Thank you".
"Usagi, Chibiusa, it's about time you two did your homework," Mrs. Tsukino reminded. Both girls groaned and Kurai couldn't help but smile at them.
"I can help them," Kurai offered. Usagi looked at her, confused.
"Oh, that's a splendid idea! Usagi could surely use the help and Chibiusa has been having some problems with math."
"Then why don't we start now? No use in wasting time." Kurai grabbed Usagi and Chibiusa's wrists and pulled them out of the dining room and up the stairs. They found their way into the two girls' bedroom and Kurai shut the door.
"What are you doing, Kurai?! You've never even been to school!" Usagi marveled.
"So? I wasn't about to make your parents think that, especially after supposedly spending nearly all my life in a private school for girls!"
"Is that where they thought you were?"
"Yes. Now, even though I haven't gotten the standard education, I have read some books and I might just be of some help to you." Kurai stepped over to Usagi and handed her the backpack lying on the ground. Usagi took out her algebra book and opened it to a chapter on graphing. Chibiusa watched curiously as Usagi moaned at the difficult lesson and Kurai took the book from her. Now both girls were watching curiously. Kurai quickly read the pages, at almost record pace. She set the book back down before Usagi. "I understand it." Usagi's jaw dropped at Kurai's proclamation, but not Chibiusa's. The little girl seemed to expect this from her aunt and smiled with pride.
"H-how?!" Usagi finally managed to mutter.
"It's actually quite simple. Here, I'll show you." And so began Kurai's interpretation of what the book had to say. Usagi's face slowly changed from confused to thought as she listened to her sister's simple words. A grin slowly formed on her lips, as she comprehended the lesson.
"I get it!" Kurai smiled happily at Usagi's shock. "It's so easy when you explain it!"
"That's because I don't sound like a book."
"Yeah, but how did you understand it so quickly?" Usagi's mind was still nagging her with that question.
"Well, believe it or not, I used to get very bored in the Time Tunnel. I complained to Pluto about this once and she allowed me to travel to an unimportant point in time to buy some things to keep me occupied. She had suggested I buy books, so I bought dozens of books on various subjects, ranging from foreign languages, to sciences, to math, to even home economics. Every time I finished my practices, I would sit down and read a book. I read so many that I know everything that you've learned and will learn."
"So, you're about as helpful with homework as Ami?"
"Precisely."
"Kurai's so smart that she's my private tutor," Chibiusa suddenly added. "Mommy asked her to teach me everything she knew, including all her powers."
"Powers?" Usagi questioned.
"Brainwashing is one of them," Kurai answered, giving the sense that she no longer wanted to dwell on the subject. Usagi noticed and decided to keep her mouth shut.
"Hey, Kurai, do you think you could help me with the rest of my homework?" Usagi asked hopefully. Maybe if she could get her sister to explain everything, it wouldn't seem so hard.
"Sure. That's what I said I'd do and I'll do it."
"No! Kurai's going to help me with my homework!" Chibiusa yelled.
"No, she's going to help me!" Usagi screamed back.
"Oh, boy…" Kurai sighed. "Wait!" Both girls stopped, about to rip each other's hair out. "How about I help you both?"
"Fine…" Usagi agreed.
"Okay," Chibiusa also agreed. "But me first!"
"Never!" Kurai watched as Chibiusa jumped at Usagi's last remark and couldn't help but smile, even with her head in her hands.
"Just like old times…"