Episode 93

Recap: Usagi tries to become a bit more mature for Mamoru. It doesn't work. Obviously. Michiru gives her violin concert tickets, and at the concert, a youma pops out of the violin (possibly the most ridiculously hilarious Daimohn I have ever seen. I've decided Mamoru agrees with me). Uranus and Neptune reappear, and Jupiter's all like "Oh girl, what? You think you can just invade and we can't ask you who the heck you are?" But then everything ends up good and Mamoru gets coerced into taking all the girls out to dinner. Poor guy.

Mamoru was having trouble controlling himself. Every time he thought of that violin youma he exploded in a series of snorts.

"Why do we fight such ridiculous monsters?" he muttered, too low for anyone but Usagi to hear.

"You think it's funny?" she said, her brow arched high.

"Well – yeah." He chortled again and scratched his head. "I mean, the thing was completely absurd. It wouldn't stop singing…" And the memory only made him laugh harder.

A grin broke out on Usagi's face. "Well, maybe it was a little stranger than what we've dealt with before," she admitted. "But Mamo-chan, you can hardly talk about ridiculous. Those speeches of yours…"

"What about them?" he said, immediately stiff and poised for battle.

Usagi's grin widened. "Lecturing youma on serenades and moonlight… do you really think it's going to sink in? Or are you just humoring your romantic side?"

"I don't have a romantic side," he replied rigidly. "I'm a cold-hearted bastard."

"…he says while wearing an all-white tuxedo," Usagi muttered.

"What's that have to do with it?"

"Only very romantic men wear all-white tuxedos," she explained, as if this were the most well-known societal standard of all. "And anyway, most superheroes don't wear tuxedos, even if they are black. Most of them wear very tight underwear."

"I think I'm ahead of the bell curve on that one," Mamoru smirked. "Would you honestly rather have me wear ridiculous spandex?"

"Everything's ridiculous to you," she muttered. "What made you so high and mighty?"

"You give speeches too!" he objected. "And at least I come up with a new one every time; yours is always the same, 'I can't forgive you, in the name of the moon, I will punish you,' and so on and so forth. Can I at least get points for originality?"

"The youma can," Usagi said seriously, "seeing how they look so... interesting... but you, I don't know."

And then the image of the violin screeching operatically to the world came rushing back to them, and they fell against each other, roaring with laughter.

Rei whirled around, her hands on her hips. "What is wrong with you two?" she said snippily. "I thought tonight was about being sophisticated?"

And usually he was, but Usagi brought out the dregs of immaturity that lurked beneath his usual cold politeness – and damn it if he didn't love her for it. "We gave up on that," Mamoru said, still chuckling.

"Sophisticated is no fun, Rei-chan," Usagi grinned. "And besides, that youma was pretty funny, wasn't it?"

The other girls had stopped walking, and Ami crept back behind Rei. "It wouldn't have been funny if it had gotten us," she said seriously. "You shouldn't joke about battles."

"Yes, ma'am," said Mamoru, saluting. But then he caught Usagi's eye and they both lost it again.

Makoto joined in, giggling good-naturedly. "Don't be so uptight, Ami-chan," she said, slinging her arm around the other girl's shoulders. "It would be hilarious on a gravestone – 'Kino Makoto, killed by a singing violin'."

Usagi, at this point, seemed to be in pain; she clung to Mamoru's arm with tears streaming down her face. "Mako… chan," she gasped through heaves of mirth. And once again, their gazes locked, and he couldn't help but relapse. Her eyes were watery and shining and her mouth crookedly gasping for air, kind of like a fish out of water. She looked positively insane.

Minako skipped up to them, a wide smile on her face. "You know what would be better?" she asked excitedly. "'Kino Makoto, killed by an angry bunch of grapes'."

Everyone stared at her in a confused silence. Minako continued to gaze around at them, grinning.

"Minako-chan," said Ami hesitantly, "we've never fought an angry bunch of grapes."

"Oh." Her face fell. "Is that what we were talking about?"

Her lips pursed, Rei shook her long mane of hair and took Ami by the elbow, dragging her forward on the sidewalk. "Some people," she grumbled.

"Calm down, Rei-chan," Makoto said, following after. "None of us are hurt, are we? Usagi even saved little Miss Too-Good-for-You Neptune. Maybe they'll think twice about brushing us off next time, huh?" Though the rest of them were intrigued and perhaps a little perturbed by the aloofness of Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, Makoto was the only one who really seemed insulted by their refusal to work alongside the other Senshi.

"Good thing she doesn't hold a grudge," Mamoru whispered to Usagi.

"Mamo-chan," she declared in reply, "if you don't stop, I think I'm going to die."

"Laughter is healthy," he said pleasantly. "You'll live to be a million and three, all wrinkly and disgusting."

"Ooh." Usagi snickered. "I can't even imagine myself like that."

"I can," said Mamoru sagely. "A hale old thing, you'll be. You'll hobble around croaking how in the name of the moon you'll punish all of those noisy youngsters who keep you up at night."

"Stop, Mamo-chan," she hissed, punching his arm – but her cheeks were bright pink with amusement, and she seemed to be having the time of her life.

"See, Usako," he said in a low voice, "you're perfect when you don't try to be someone else." He hoped that would end the case of the burnt-cookies-and-feeling-inferior once and for all.

She leaned her head closer to his arm in response, and they relished in a moment of silence to relieve their aching ribs.

"Yo! Odango atama!"

It was nothing short of priceless, how her odangos seemed to perk up at the sound of her nickname, just like a dog's ears; instinctively, she looked up at Mamoru, but he winked at her and jerked his head back. They turned to see Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru sauntering towards them.

"Some concert, huh?" said Haruka as they approached.

"I never intended to invite you to an event that might threaten your lives," Michiru said apologetically, though a playful smile lurked at the corners of her lips. "I trust you all were alright?"

"Of course," Usagi replied happily. "Thanks to Sailor Moon."

Mamoru choked. "And Tuxedo Kamen," he added. "They make a good team."

"Absolutely," said Usagi, her face completely serious. "They complement each other."

"Though I often wonder, why is it that Sailor Moon always forgets to attack until Tuxedo Kamen reminds her? You'd think she'd just get it over with as soon as the youma comes up."

"Mamo-chan," said Usagi with an air of great superiority, "please don't demonstrate your ignorance. The other Sailor Senshi must weaken the youma before she can deal with it. You wouldn't know, but don't poke your nose into things you don't understand."

He couldn't take it. He just couldn't look at her. It was too damn much. He stared at Tenoh Haruka instead, though the trembling of his jaw made it rather hard to focus on her. She, in turn, watched him skeptically.

Usagi broke first. She howled to the moon (so perhaps her odangos were a wolf's ears instead), then buried her face in his jacket to muffle her convulsions. Mamoru squeezed his eyes shut, a grin flitting in and out of his control. He managed, in the end, to cough back most of his laughter.

Haruka was gazing at him curiously when he opened his eyes; Michiru's face was passively entertained; and Usagi was still making noises of death into his side.

"So," said Haruka, "you ended up having a good time?"

"Hey!" Rei's harsh tones were unmistakable, though distant. "What's taking you two so long?"

Mamoru cleared his throat. "We were just going to get some Chinese," he announced. "Would you like to join us?"

Haruka glanced sideways at Michiru, who beamed quietly. "That would be lovely," she replied.

Mamoru frowned thoughtfully at her for a second longer than he should have; she reminded him of how he used to be, and yet she was so very different – so formal and yet still so warm. He wondered how she managed it, but then he realized there might be something about Haruka that loosened her up a little. That made sense. Some people just had that effect on the more reserved types.

"We'd better catch up, then," he said, "or I think Rei-san will order my head on a plate instead of fried rice."

Usagi punched him straight in the gut this time. "You – are – trying – to – kill me!" she gasped.

"Say, odango atama – you're not drunk, are you?" Haruka and Michiru moved ahead of them evenly, occupying the space between them and the other girls.

And at that, of course, Usagi just laughed, which didn't help her case much, or so Mamoru thought. "Of course not," he answered delicately in her stead. "She's underage."

"You might have secretly spiked something I drank, though," Usagi whispered to him as Haruka and Michiru walked further away. "Like you did at that ball a year ago."

"That was completely you," Mamoru insisted. "You knew exactly what you were drinking."

"Yes, but you took advantage of me, didn't you? And you didn't even know who I was!"

"I didn't take advantage of you, Lord!"

"Kissing a drunk girl you don't know? That's not taking advantage of her?"

"I knew it," Haruka called over her shoulder. "Odangos isn't as innocent as she seems, is she, Mamoru-san?"

Usagi blushed furiously. "Now what will they think of me?" she groaned to him.

"They'll think you're absolutely crazy," said Mamoru. "And if they don't love you for it, I can't say I approve of them much."

This episode proved that Haruka's eyes are indeed navy blue. Thank God that was resolved. And if Mamoru seemed a little OOC, well, I think he's too uptight, too often. And plus OC-TAAAAA-VE was the funniest youma I have ever seen. If you haven't seen this episode in a while, please just watch 20 seconds of the battle. I died. Twice.

So as for OOC-ness, I guess I'm saying "Too bad," which isn't very polite of me (I need lessons from Michiru). I therefore give you permission to complain your heads off if you object. And if anything else here was bad/inaccurate.

Thanks for reading!