PGSM: The Second Story

an: sorry for the delay, i had exams.

Tokyo, Summer, Present Day

Tsukino Usagi looked at her clock and scowled, wondering where her friends could be. Both Rei and Minako had promised that they'd come to the dinner party, but as the clock slowly ticked past the appointed hour, the only thought that was present in Usagi's mind was how they both had forgotten.

"They wouldn't forget, would they?" She asked herself quietly as she moved though the kitchen, checking on the rice and trying to keep the worry down. Minako, even if she wasn't able to make it, would have called, and Rei would be sure to be there if for no other reason than to make sure that Usagi hadn't managed to burn down Mamoru's apartment.

The very thought of Rei making a comment like that made Usagi pout, because she simply couldn't stand the fact that all her friends had no faith in her ability to cook. She had not set anything on fire in months, and the food was getting better. It was now, according to Mamoru, who was usually as honest as Rei when it came to these things, mostly palatable.

"They didn't forget," Makoto said from the stove where she supervised the curry. Usagi had let her cook it for fear of it burning in some strange and new way that she hadn't protected against. "Rei called me as she was leaving. She sounded rushed." Makoto glanced at the clock on the wall as well and scowled. "The traffic's pretty bad right around now, she'll be here, Usagi."

Usagi worried her lip a little bit more and turned her attention back to Makoto. Ami was perched on the countertop browsing the newspaper with interested eyes and Usagi knew better than to interrupt the young doctor while she was reading.

Where could they be?

-

Minako leaned against the wall of the alleyway, not caring that her shirt was getting positively filthy with all of the grime caked against it. Rei paced in front of her, describing the vision she'd had in detail. Her tone was that of a soldier reporting to a superior officer, and Minako wondered if Rei even realized what she was doing. Minako had never preyed on that reflex before, but it was useful for getting information out of Rei when the other girl would have clammed up in a normal conversation.

"So what you're saying is that you're seeing this vision of our deaths," Minako said quietly, folding her arms across her chest. "The new threat is the oncoming silence?"

Rei nodded, biting her lip, "I don't know what they mean by talismans, are they an article from the past life?"

Minako wanted to say that she knew, she wanted to say a lot of things, but they could not transform, they were just civilians dimly aware of the next threat to the city. The talismans were never spoken of in her memories of the past – and she knew that no one else would remember them if she asked. She decided that shrugging would be the best action to take, as it wouldn't let Rei know how confused she felt by this new threat.

She'd always know – on some level – that they would have to fight once more. She'd been bracing herself, waiting desperately for an excuse to get back into the big scheme of things. She wanted to fight. She was sick of not being able to do anything.

This time, they could fight together.

"We can't transform, Reiko, there's no reason for us to involve ourselves," Minako said curtly. She pushed herself off of the wall and walked towards the end of the alleyway. She pushed her sunglasses back into place on her face and glanced over her shoulder, "Don't worry about the threat too much, I'm sure that if we're needed we will find away to fight."

She stepped out into the light, "Usagi is waiting."

Rei hurried forward to follow her.

-

Kaiou Michiru was not amused. She hated being in Japan, but Aino Minako had run off and left her completely alone at the studio where Minako kept her offices. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed the number of the hotel where she and Haruka were staying, hoping that the other woman would be home and willing to listen to her woes.

"I don't like it here." She muttered to herself as she listened to the dial tone. Phone numbers in Japan were so complicated, so unlike what she was used to back in London. They were even worse in America, according to Haruka, but Michiru had never been, so she didn't think that she should judge.

"Hello?" Haruka's voice answered in English, and Michiru brightened. She hadn't spoken that much English since she got here, and it was nice to actually speak a language that didn't make her twitch with annoyance.

"It's me, Haruka." She said quietly. "Aino has given me the slip and I need something to do."

"Do you want to patrol?" Haruka drawled, and Michiru could picture her reclining against the large windows of the hotel, her hair probably still damp from a shower. "We don't know this city very well, and if the attacks are truly starting here, we need to know the area like the back of our hands."

"Like Aino Minako does?" Michiru laughed. She cradled the phone against her ear with her shoulder and shook her head. "Haruka, she took the subway to her friend's place. The subway. She's an international pop icon, what is she doing giving herself paparazzi fodder like that?"

Haruka's shrug could be heard in the gentle sound of cloth moving up and down against her clothing. "I don't know. They make 'em different in Japan, that much is for sure."

Michiru laughed, "True."

"So…" Haruka added, "Dinner?"

"And then a nice walk." Michiru agreed. They'd patrol the city for a while, learning the layout and how to blend in.

They would carry out what Pluto asked of them. When they'd left for Japan, Setsuna had cornered them and told them that the inner senshi did not have their henshin – that they were powerless to fight against the oncoming silence at the moment.

They would have to babysit the princess.

Michiru tugged on a curl that had fallen loose from her ponytail. It extended and she twirled it around her fingers.

What would she be like? The princess of the white moon?