Tuesday

Usagi had spent most of Monday afternoon studying for her science exam. She had meant to get some work done on Sunday, but after the youma attack, she found herself too distracted.

She had wanted to call Diamond. He always makes her feel better, but he didn't know who she was or about the youma. She trusted him, but it was too early to tell him the truth. If he knew who she was, he'd know who the others were too, and she couldn't take that risk, especially if the youma figured out whom they all were.

Her test was third period. She reviewed her notes during the first two, pretending to be paying attention to the lecture. "Well, this is it." She said when she got to the exam room.

The exam was four pages. Usagi took Diamond's advice and read the entire exam before starting. She realized that part 3 was the longest, so she would have to do the other questions quickly to make sure she had enough time for it.

Part 1 was True/False and you had to write why afterwards.

The Earth is round. Usagi was about to say true, but then she remembered, false because it is oblate. The Earth is wider than it is tall.

The Earth's elliptical orbit causes our seasons. False, the Earth's tilt causes our seasons.

Usagi made quick work of this part and part 2, which was matching. She skipped to part four, which was the drawing part, Usagi's specialty. Pick one of the following, volcano, fault line, or trench, draw a diagram of it and give an example of an existing one.

She decided to draw a volcano and Oshino was her example. She did a quick sketch of the body and put a magma chamber, ash, and flowing lava in her diagram. She also did the plate boundary under the surface that made the volcano. Now, time for part three, the short answer questions. They weren't hard, but there was a lot of them. Usagi was still finishing her last question when time was called. She sighed and put down her pen; hopefully that was enough.

At lunch, the girls all found a table and of course, started clamoring about the test. "I didn't finish it," Makoto admitted. "It was so long."

"I was surprised by that," Ami added. "It was a long test. I'm sure a lot of people didn't finish."

"I bet Odango didn't," Rei teased.

"Rei," Minako scolded.

"I didn't finish. I was on the last part of the question, so I only gave half an answer."

"Part 4 didn't have questions," Ami told her.

"I know. I didn't do the test in order. I did the easier questions first to try and make sure I answered as many of them as possible."

Everyone looked blankly at her. "What?"

"You had a strategy?" Ami was wondering when Usagi started thinking so much about her work. Getting her to study at all used to be such a struggle.

"It was Diamond's idea," she said. "I think it was a good one, but I guess I'll know when I get my test back."

"Of course it was," Rei muttered.


Usagi went to get Chibiusa after school. "I want an ice cream cone," the girl whined.

Usagi was supposed to drop her off at home because she had a meeting, but the girl kept dragging her feet.

"Fine, I'll get you an ice cream cone, but after that you're going straight home." She texted Ami, I'm going to be late. I have to deal with Chibiusa.

She was just starting to talk towards the ice cream parlor when a black car pulled up. "Need a ride?"

"Diamond. If you don't mind a couple of stops, that would be great." Maybe Usagi would be on time.

"No problem." He unlocked the back door. Usagi got in the front.

"I don't want to get in the car," fussed Chibiusa.

"I'll give you five dollars if you get in the car," Diamond promised.

She hopped in quickly. "Where's my money?"

"You'll get it once I get you home." He wanted her compliance for the whole ride.

She scoffed.

Diamond took them to get ice cream and Chibiusa wanted two scoops, which Diamond was sure she would spill in his car. "Can you put that in a bowl?" he asked the employee. The ice cream man put the cone upside down in the bowl and gave them a spoon. Usagi went with the ice cream cookie sandwich and Diamond got the in-house ice cream bar.

He then drove them to her house.

"You drive fast," Chibiusa complained.

"I could slow down, and then you'd get to spend more time with me."

She scoffed.

He gave her the $5 once she got to her door. Then, he drove Usagi to Rei's. On the way, he asked her how her test went.

"It was not too bad. I didn't finish it, but a lot of people didn't. It was a long test."

"Well, I bet you knocked it out of the park. How about a celebratory cheeseburger tomorrow?"

"Or a sorrowful one," she retorted.

"Either way, I'm buying."

"In that case, yes."

He kissed her when they got to Rei's. He could never get enough of her sweet lips or their softness. "I wish I could join this club," he said as she got out the car.

"No boys allowed," she teased as she went inside. "Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime." And he meant that too. Every time he drove her somewhere, he got to see her cute behind as she walked away. "Worth it every time."

Usagi made it up to the jinja. She was only a few minutes late this time. In her rush to get inside, she fell on Rei.

"Get off of me, Odango!"

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist you," the girl teased, unaware that she would cause the senshi to turn bright red. She scrambled to get up. "Let's get started."

"The youma are targeting Sailor Moon," Luna announced. "She was attacked again on Sunday."

"They said they were coming to end me."

"But the silver man came again, who we still can't identify."

"He said he could feel it when the youma were here, but he didn't know what was their purpose."

"How do you feel youma?" Makoto asked.

"I have no idea. He disappeared before I could ask him anything else. He's more cryptic than Tuxedo Kamen was."

"Was? He's not dead," Rei pointed out.

"I know, but he didn't even show up to the last battle. It's like he gave up." Little did she know, Tuxedo Kamen had tried to get there, but there was always something in his way first. By the time he got there, the battle was over.

Wednesday

Usagi dreaded the return of her test. She had tried so hard. If she did poorly, she would be so ashamed. When she got to third period, the teacher said they would get their tests at the end. She then asked Usagi if she could stay after class for a minute. "Crud!" It was that bad? "Yes Mrs. H."

They went onto their final unit before the end of the year, earthquakes, and Usagi struggled to pay attention. She'd probably have to copy Ami's notes later.

"I was quite surprised when I got your test," her teacher said as she handed it back.

91% WHAT? And the exam had a sticker on it.

"I didn't fail?"

"Of course not. This was a great exam, and it shows me you have a lot of potential, so I expect you to keep it up. Finals are only two months away."

OH LORD FINALS! "I will Mrs. H." She hoped she would anyway.

She got to lunch.

"So how badly did you do?" Rei snarked at her.

"Don't be mean," Minako scolded.

Usagi handed over the test.

"WHAT? YOU DID BETTER THAN ME?"

"It's better than I," Ami corrected.

"Ugh!"

"I guess Diamond is a good teacher," Usagi said as she took her test back.

"I wonder what else he teaches," Rei muttered.


Usagi picked up Chibiusa from school and took her to the arcade. "Now have fun."

"Whatever." Chibiusa went to the games. Hopefully, Mamoru would come today.

Ami had already arrived and was reading her book. Before Usagi said anything to her, Makoto burst through the door, "I just saw the cutest boy."

Usagi turned to her. "What, where?"

Mako-chan started telling her story. Of course she hadn't spoken to the boy or gotten his name, but she saw him at the pharmacy and he looked like he could be a regular. "I think he's a student at a school nearby. He was wearing a school uniform."

Diamond showed up next and greeted his girlfriend with a kiss. "I hear someone aced her science test."

"Thanks to you."

"I wasn't in the room." He kissed her head. "Ami, Makoto how are things?"

The quartet started talking and didn't even notice at first when Minako and Rei showed up. The two girls had been discussing Usagi's future. Rei thought Minako should be more concerned about Diamond's interference and Minako disagreed. "It's my job to help people find love, not tell them who to love."

"Can you tell me to love someone else?" Rei thought to herself.

Diamond got himself hot wings while Usagi ate her cheeseburger. The wings were too hot for her. "How do you eat those?"

He shrugged. "My mother cooked with a lot of spice. I just got used to it."

Motoki brought out Unagi's free milkshake. "Good job, Usagi."

"Thanks Motoki. How are you and Rina doing?"

"Great. We were just talking about what we want to do this summer. I think a road trip is likely."

"That sounds like so much fun. There are so many sights to see and foods to eat."

"Really, Odango, food?" Rei rolled her eyes.

"Yes. You really know a city's culture by what they eat." Usagi went back to her milkshake.

Mamoru came into Crown and saw Usagi with Diamond. Before he could ask Motoki for any info, Chibiusa found him. "Mamo-chan!" she yelled, ruining any chance that Usagi wouldn't see him.

"Hey, Chibiusa. What are you doing?"

"Play with me."

They started to race. "Usagi never races with me. She just leaves me with the coins."

"She should pay more attention to you."

"She could, if Diamond wasn't always in the way."

The scouts were laughing. Diamond had recounted a story about how his brother had been mobbed by a pack of young men when they had gone to the gay pride parade over the summer.

"Apparently, he didn't think wearing a sleeveless shirt and skintight jeans would attract men; also being called Sapphire probably didn't help."

"We should all go this year," Usagi suggested to the group, not even realizing that most of her friends were either lesbians or bisexual.

"That's a great idea." Minako was already thinking about what to wear during the parade.

"A lot of clubs that have events at night too."

"We're not old enough to get in," Rei reminded him.

"Most of the bars don't card pretty girls, especially when they show up together. Sapphire and I, on the other hand, have fake IDs."

The group continued to clamor on about the parade as it was next month.

They didn't even notice when Chibiusa came up. "Mamo-chan says you should spend more time with me!"

Mamoru is a dolt, Usagi thought to herself. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to go to the park. Can we go now?"

"But I'm hanging out with my friends. I'll take you tomorrow."

"I WANNA GO NOW!"

"Yelling, will not get you anything," Usagi told her. "If you calm down, I'll get you a snack, but if not, you're getting nothing."

"You're mean!" the girl ran off into the arcade.

"What's with her?" Diamond asked his girlfriend.

"I don't know. She never wanted to spend time with me before. She usually complains when I'm around."

"Maybe she's jealous?" Diamond offered.

"Of me, why?"

"You can go where you want, have friends your own age. She's kind of stuck with whoever will take her."

"You're right. I should help her get friends her own age. Maybe she could get a play date after school."


Eventually, Chibiusa came back and Usagi promised to take her to the park tomorrow. What Usagi didn't know was that Mamoru would also be there. Maybe they could get a spark or something.

When they got home, Usagi asked her parents if Chibiusa's school had an after school program or any clubs.

"They might, why?"

"I think she needs friends her own age. She's around older people all the time."

"We hadn't thought of that," her father said. "How insightful of you."

"She must have left friends at home," her mother added.

Like she said she would, Usagi brought Chibiusa to the park. "I packed sandwiches and I brought a football."

"Can you even play football?"

"Can you?"

The girls started to play. Chibiusa was not being annoying for once, well until she kicked the ball far away and made Usagi chase it. She ran it down and almost ran into Mamoru.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Can't I enjoy a nice day in the park?"

"That's for normal people. What are you doing here?"

"Ouch! I thought it would clear my head."

"Well, see ya!" Usagi took the ball and started to dribble it back to Chibiusa.

Mamoru hoped that would have worked better, not that he was sure how that would have happened. Oh sure Mamoru! I'll dump Diamond because we ran into each other at the park.

After they ate their sandwiches, Chibiusa asked Usagi if she missed Mamoru. "I did at first, a lot, but now I think it's for the best."

"Because of Diamond," she said sadly.

"A little bit, but I have other reasons too."

Usagi could tell the girl was sad.

"Look, Mamoru cares about you and I do too. Just because we aren't together, doesn't mean you have to lose either of us."

Unfortunately, that was exactly what it meant.

"Let's go home."