AN: Eight days since last chapter isn't bad, right? Right? Anyway. I almost had this one done last night, but I was really tired so I went to bed, and then I had a doctor's appointment today. You should be happy you're getting this so soon. Right?
Disclaimer: As I can't have wishes granted by a magical stone made from tears, I don't own anything.
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After the girls had stood staring at the door for several minutes, Motoki decided to say something.
"Who was that?"
His voice was enough to pull Usagi and Minako back, shaking their heads. Makoto just turned to him and said, "Oh, Motoki-san, are you here too?"
"I work here," he said, confused.
"How fun." Her gaze drifted back to the door.
"Um…"
Minako seized Makoto's arm. "Mako-chan, you have to go after him! I can't, but you can!"
"Minako-chan!" Usagi exclaimed.
"He's something too special to let just walk away," Mina continued.
Makoto was nodding now. "I should follow him."
"Mako-chan!"
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"Why are you coming?" Makoto asked Usagi. "You have Mamoru-san."
"I want to keep you and Minako-chan out of trouble," she said crossly. "Mina-chan, encouraging her!"
The other blonde at least had the good grace to look sheepish. "He really was very handsome."
Usagi sighed. "So I'm coming to make sure neither of you do anything foolish. How did you catch up with them so easily, anyway?"
They were in a café, peering around the corner at the mysterious Haruka. Michiru sat across from him, sipping her coffee.
Neither answered the question. "I can't hear what they're saying," Makoto said.
"Excuse me, ladies?" a waitress murmured. "Would you please return to your seats?"
"They're leaving!" Minako hissed.
So they proceeded to sneak after them, and Makoto smirked in triumph as Michiru split from Haruka in front of a repair garage. When he went inside, they clustered against the outside wall to listen.
Nothing important was mentioned- just car talk, the sort of stuff they expected men might discuss when left alone. They all jumped when Haruka spoke to them.
"How long are you going to hide out there, kittens?"
Makoto glanced around the corner, rubbing the back of her head. "Ah… you knew we were here?"
Haruka laughed softly and walked out, staring down at the street. "Tenou Haruka. Sixteen years old. First year in high school."
"What?"
"That's what you wanted to know, isn't it?"
Mina nodded.
"Who was that girl?" Makoto asked.
"Who? Michiru?"
"You don't even use honorifics," Usagi noted.
"Is she your girlfriend?" Makoto pressed.
Haruka shook his head. "She's something much more than a girlfriend." The smile took on a wicked hint as he glanced over at them. "Don't worry; you still have a chance."
All three went brilliantly red just as Michiru stepped into view. "You always say that, Haruka. You shouldn't tease."
"Who was teasing?"
The brunette studied the other girl intently. "Is Haruka your boyfriend? Answer yes or no."
"Yes or no!" Usagi and Minako repeated.
"No." She laughed at their stunned expressions.
"I'll win him over yet!" Makoto crowed.
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"So what brings you here?" Usagi asked curiously.
"I like this place," Haruka answered. "Kameda-san has a dream of becoming a renowned mechanic and working on the best cars.
"Haruka dreams of being the best racecar driver," Michiru added, but he shook his head.
"Not now. Now I dream of doing something only I can do, no matter what sacrifice it may take."
Michiru's hand covered Haruka's, unnoticed by the others.
A scream sounded inside.
"Kameda-san!" Haruka shouted as Usagi, Minako and Makoto charged into the shop. Michiru caught his hand and shook her head.
The three saw the car the mechanic had been working on shifting to a Daimon, but they skidded on an oil patch and crashed into a stack of oil drums. Struggling to extract themselves, they heard Kameda's pained cry as the Daimon stole his heart's crystal and left. Finally pulling free, Makoto looked around for Haruka, but Usagi grabbed her arm.
"Now's not the time," she reminded. "We have to stop that Daimon."
"You're right," Makoto agreed. "JUPITER STAR POWER, MAKE-UP!"
"VENUS STAR POWER, MAKE-UP!"
"MOON COSMIC POWER, MAKE-UP!"
The Senshi hurried out after the Daimon, Jupiter noticing that Haruka and Michiru had vanished. It was a good choice, after all, with a monster on the loose. She spotted a bike and pointed it out to the others. She took the work while Venus rode the handlebars and Sailor Moon sat behind her.
The Daimon, Steering, was down the street lying by an overturned motorcycle. They assumed it had crashed into a civilian.
"Stop right there!" Sailor Moon and Venus called together as it started to get up. They leapt down to its level, facing it. After taking a moment to catch her breath, Jupiter did so as well.
The usual banter was exchanged without thought, and the Guardian Senshi prepared to get down to business as Steering prepared an attack, spikes erupting from her tires. Before she could, something else drew their attention.
"Hold it!"
The two mystery figures of their last battles were there, but they were visible now. Uranus and Neptune stood back to back further up the street as a twist of rose petals blew by them. From where? The others had no idea.
"Who is it?" Steering gasped.
"Guided by a new era, Sailor Uranus… acts with elegance!"
"Also guided by a new era, Sailor Neptune… acts with grace!"
"We have a reason to seek the Talismans," Uranus said.
"We won't let you have the heart's crystal!" Neptune finished.
Steering snarled, rounding on them. "Are you trying to obstruct my course as well!"
Uranus faced her squarely. "WORLD SHAKING!" An orb of perfect orange light formed around her raised fist, surrounded by a golden ring, and she threw it down to the ground. It plunged toward the Daimon.
A mass of waves seemed to surround Neptune as she summoned her power. "DEEP SUBMERGE!" A planetary figure like Uranus' focused above her head, and she hurled it forward.
The watery power, following so soon on the tail of Uranus' wind, stunned the Daimon, and Jupiter recognized the opportunity. "Now's your chance, Sailor Moon!"
She nodded, drawing her weapon. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"
Uranus and Neptune paid no heed to the destroyed Daimon, focusing instead on the heart crystal. "No, this isn't a Talisman either," Neptune decided.
"Looks that way…" Uranus turned to the other soldiers and threw the crystal. "Sailor Moon. Return that to its rightful owner."
They walked away without another word, leaving Sailor Moon and her protectors standing alone in the street with a car and motorcycle lying before them.
"Well, at least Haruka-san and Michiru-san got away from it," Venus commented finally.
"He reminds me of my sempai," Jupiter said a little wistfully. Venus and Sailor Moon eyed her. "Their hair is the same."
Sailor Moon shook her head. "Anyway, we need to get back to that mechanic. Jupiter-chan, are you up to pedaling again?"
She nodded and leapt back up to the bike. "Come on. We don't know how long the victims have."
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Usagi finished summing up the previous day's events to Ami as the others chatted about the mystery boy. Mamoru was leaning against the counter talking to Motoki.
"I can't believe Minako-chan and Mako-chan were so worked up over this boy," he commented. "Did you see him, Motoki-kun?"
The arcade worker nodded. "He was playing a racing game against Mako-chan. To be honest, I think he shocked Usagi-chan too. He seemed familiar for some reason."
"Hm. Did he give a name?"
"I think the girl that joined him called him… Haruka?"
"Haruka?" he repeated. "Do you know what school he went to?"
Motoki frowned. "I think it was the uniform for the new Infinity Academy." Mamoru was laughing into his folded arms now. "Mamoru-kun?"
"Tenou Haruka," he gasped. "Right?"
"That's what Minako-chan said when they got back." He was laughing harder now. "Are you all right?"
"Tenou Haruka is a famous driver these days."
"I'm surprised you would know that. You don't generally care about things like that," Motoki commented.
"My lab partner is a fan," he said dismissively. "That's not why I'm laughing. Tenou Haruka made waves for one big reason- 'he' is actually a girl."
"Girl?"
"Girl. She slipped in dressed as a boy and didn't tell anyone until after she won her first race."
"Oh. Do the girls know…?"
"Obviously not."
They both started laughing, and Usagi walked over.
"What's going on?"
Mamoru and Motoki just shook their heads, unable to speak through their mirth.
"Mamo-chan, you're turning red."
He just pulled her close. "You'll see what's so funny soon enough."
She shrugged a little. "Hey, Motoki-onii-san, can I get a milkshake?"
Motoki nodded, now only chuckling. "Sure."
"You two are making me worried," Usagi told them.
Makoto was waving animatedly as she described how amazing Haruka was. Mina was nodding emphatically as Rei looked disbelieving. Ami had already opened a book.
The doors slid open a few moments later, just as Motoki was returning with the requested drink. He almost dropped it trying to smother his laughter, but with a little work he managed to get it to the counter in one piece.
"Michiru-san!" Minako realized.
"Where's Haruka-san?" Makoto asked, not recognizing the young woman with Michiru. Rei was right up next to her, searching for the beautiful boy that had been described to her.
Michiru just smiled her mysterious smile and gestured at her companion. Turning, they only saw the young woman they had almost noticed, but seeing no one else, they were puzzled. Finally, they took in the details.
The young woman had a uniform jacket like Michiru's tossed over her shoulder, but she was wearing pants rather than a skirt. Her hair was a short, mussed blonde. Her white shirt was unbuttoned slightly
Then it clicked. They gaped and crashed into a little pile on the floor. Ami looked an equal mix of shocked and amused, and Usagi just covered her face. Mamoru and Motoki started laughing again.
"I don't recall ever saying I was a guy," Haruka said with a laugh.
"That can't be," Makoto muttered.
Ami sighed. "I can't believe this."
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Mamoru decided that now, in such good humor, would be the best time to approach Zoisite. After some pleading, Ami had consented to give him the information, so he climbed into his car for the drive. It wasn't too far, but he hoped he'd be able to convince the younger man to come with him to see Kunzite.
Zoisite- Zane, he reminded himself- lived in a fairly large building only a few blocks between his own and the arcade. From Ami's description of his penthouse, he was very well off. He wondered why he didn't stay with his parents. She had said they were alive.
A doorman cut him off at the entrance. "No admissions without appointment."
Mamoru flashed a brilliant smile. "I just got back to town, and I wanted to surprise my kouhai. Wouldn't it be okay just this once?"
"Who would that be?" the man asked, consulting a list of tenants, no doubt.
"Yukimura Zane. He lives on the top floor."
He nodded. "Very well. Mind, just this once. He came in about an hour ago, so he should be still home."
"Thank you."
He hurried to the elevator, and shook his head once inside. It was almost ridiculous how easily he had been allowed inside. Hopefully Zane had more sense than that.
Zane's apartment was one of only two on the top story, so it was easy to find. Mamoru cautiously rapped on the door.
"Who is it?"
"My name is Chiba Mamoru," he answered. "Mizuno Ami told me where to find you?"
The door opened a crack, stopped by a security chain. He had heard the click of other locks being undone. The younger man's eyes widened as they met.
"Endymion-sama."
"Can I come in?" Mamoru asked. "This isn't exactly something to discuss in public."
"I- Of course. Pardon my rudeness." The door shut as he undid the chain, then he held it wide moments later. "Please, make yourself comfortable. Can I get you anything?"
"No, thanks."
"A drink, perhaps?"
"Nothing. I just want to talk to you."
"I-"
He sighed. "You don't want to talk to me."
"I- That is-" Zane sighed. "No, I suppose I do not. However, I owe you that at least."
He led the way to a spacious sitting room as Mamoru looked him over.
He was clearly not sleeping well, he decided. There were faint smudges under his normally bright green eyes. His casual dress suggested that he had been trying to relax- Zoisite would never have intended to leave the house or to entertain barefoot and with his shirt not entirely buttoned. He was hurriedly doing the buttons even as they entered the room, but Mamoru grasped his shoulder gently.
"You don't need to fuss on my account. I know I'm intruding."
He looked away. "You are not intruding."
Mamoru managed a slight smile. "You never were a very good liar."
"I-!"
"Hey. I do realize you're not just Zoisite."
Zane subsided. "I apologize. Please, have a seat."
The older man looked around as he settled on a plush leather sofa. "You have a nice place."
"Thank you. After I… returned… I was terribly uncomfortable in the presence of others. As such, my parents deemed it best that I be permitted to live alone. They thought I might recover if I was allowed space."
"Were they right?"
He shrugged as he took a seat in a chair across from him. A low wooden table sat between the two. "Perhaps to an extent. Knowing I had a place of solitude that I might return to if the world became too much, it was easier to build a life for myself. Still, at times the emptiness here was almost as terrible."
Mamoru nodded. "Ami-chan told me you woke up without remembering anything of that year? I know that's tough to deal with."
"You are the friend with amnesia, then. I might have known."
He sat forward. "Zane-san, I know you don't want me here. I know you want to be left alone. Still, I couldn't just let you be here not knowing that you had somewhere else you could be. You would always be welcome with us, you know." He rose again and paced. "I thought about sending Kunzite, but it seemed like a bad idea given the situation. So I thought about what I knew about you. Zoisite would never be able to ignore what seemed like a crime on his part. Are you the same?"
"If you are referring," Zane said levelly, "to the… unfortunate incident at the Starlight Tower, you are entirely correct. I did not wish to speak with you, but I am obliged to do that at least in reparation for my poor behavior." He stood now too, and moved to stare out over the city. "I do not wish to be what I am. I do not wish to know the truth of that year. I had accepted its absence. I was coping with the dreams I could not understand. Even now, I do not know how to be Zoisite. Oh, not the form. I know it will come as surely as my next breath should there be a need."
"You're hardly the first person to be torn between one life and another." He was just behind Zane now. "I didn't know I was Tuxedo Kamen in the beginning. I didn't know that Sailor Moon was the Princess. Sometimes I wondered why I even bothered, when nothing I did brought me closer to my goal. I thought that I should just stop and let the world fend for itself, but I couldn't do that. She needed me, and that was what mattered in the end."
"Yes, it was very clear how important Sailor Moon was to you, Endymion-sama. I wonder now how it did not occur to Beryl that the one you fought so hard to protect would be Serenity."
"Sailor Moon never fit the image you expected of her. That was no accident."
Zane's fingers drummed against the window sills. "She was not a warrior. That was clear when we first crossed paths. Did she not question her place in this battle?"
"A billion times. You're right; she's not a warrior. Even now, she has to force herself into the field. She has to remember not to run or scream or be afraid. It's hard for her."
"But?"
"But she knew what she had to do. She knew what was at stake if she didn't."
Silence fell now, heavy with questions unanswered and words unsaid.
"What is it you want of me?" Zane asked finally.
"I want you to join us, but you know that. I'm not asking you to, though I am telling you that you'll always be welcomed by Kunzite and I. What I came here for specifically, though, was to ask you to meet him. You told Ami-san you wanted to."
"Did I?"
"You said how impressed you were by what he'd done. Besides, Zane-san, he has been tearing himself apart for missing you and the others."
"I am afraid I do not know what you mean by that first part."
"Takeda Keiji. You did say you wanted to meet him, didn't you?"
"Kunzite-sama is Takeda-sama?" A spark of interest finally took some of the dullness from his eyes. "Is that what you are saying?"
Mamoru nodded. "Do you still want to see him?"
"I- Yes," he answered, surprising both of them. "I think I truly do."
"So let's go. He's at his office right now." He caught Zane's glance at his attire. "You can change first."
"Thank you."
He vanished from the room, so Mamoru occupied himself looking around. He was toying idly with the corner of a curtain when he returned.
Zane was neatly dressed now in slacks and a pale blue dress shirt. He was fighting to tie his hair back.
"It has grown since I discovered who I was," he said, "but it is not yet long enough to be easily restrained."
Mamoru snatched the hair band from Zane and gathered his hair into a small ponytail at the base of his neck. "You were like this- sorry, Zoisite was- as a child."
"Thank you."
"I told your doorman you were my kouhai."
"It is similar enough to our previous relationship, save that I was supposed to be caring for you rather than the reverse."
"You're a year younger than I am."
"Perhaps we shall agree that it was Kunzite who cared for us," Zane suggested.
They walked downstairs, and Zane paused at the front desk to inform them that his sempai was to be allowed if he might call. The doorman nodded and noted it down.
Mamoru walked over to his car and unlocked the door. "Get in."
He let the drive pass in silence, since Zane still seemed a little uncomfortable. He ignored the fidgeting and almost inaudible sighs, and turned into the parking garage beneath Kunzite's office building.
By now, Kunzite had set aside a parking space for Mamoru's use, knowing that the occasion might arise that he would need easy access. He went up the stairs as Zane trailed behind him.
No one in the lobby challenged them, and they joined a few people in the elevator and rode to the top floor. The receptionist there looked up when they stepped out, now the only ones.
"Ah, Chiba-sama! Are you here to see Takeda-sama?"
"Yes, is he available?"
She glanced down at her schedule and nodded. "He said he intended to spend the next few hours working on some personal business. Since it's not flagged as privacy hours, you can go right in."
"Thank you.
The office here was quiet and plush, the carpet muffling any sound. There were only a few doors, presumably the private offices of the highest ranked officials of the business. Reaching Kunzite's, Mamoru rapped gently on the frame.
"Come in."
Zane hesitated about entering, but Mamoru nudged him in and shut the door behind them. Kunzite hadn't yet looked up from his computer.
"If you allow me just a moment, I will be right with you."
"Take your time," Mamoru said.
The tapping of the keys stopped shortly, and he saved his work. "Very well. What can I do for you, Mamoru-sama?" He looked up and stopped. "Zoi- I beg your pardon. Yukimura Zane, was it not?"
"I…"
Mamoru nudged him forward again. "Don't be a coward."
Zane bristled a little. A soft chuckle from Kunzite broke the tension.
He got to his feet and rounded the desk until he was standing directly in front of the younger man. Zane paused, unsure of what to do next. And then Kunzite hugged him.
"Welcome back," he said gently as he pulled away.
"I-" He stopped and laughed a little at himself. "Thank you. Kunzite-sama, I am so sorry."
"You have no reason to apologize. All that matters now is that you are here."
For a moment, Zane saw a flash of Kunzite all but buried under the other four boys- bright haired Jadeite, dark Endymion, Nephrite in between, and himself, scarce more than a baby. Kunzite had tousled his curls and carried him while they played so that Zoisite might be able to win in the races and games.
"When I was a child," Zane began, "you carried me all day once so that I could keep up with the rest of you."
Kunzite's lips twitched. "I thought you had forgotten that. I do not know if Mamoru-sama recalls."
Mamoru shook his head. "Not a clue."
He understood that it was Ami and Kunzite that would be most capable of healing the deep wounds for Zane, so Mamoru quietly slipped out as they talked. Stopping by the secretary, he smiled.
"Can I use your phone?"
She started, still slightly in awe of the young man that the company president allowed such liberties. "Of course, Chiba-sama!"
"Thanks, Minami-san." He lifted the receiver and set it against his shoulder as he dialed.
"Mizuno residence, Ami speaking."
"Ami-san? It's Mamoru. Can you come to Keiji-san's office?"
It took a moment before it registered. "Did something happen to Zane-san?"
"No, everything's fine. Can you come?"
"I was going to tutor the others soon."
"I'll take care of it; my calendar's clean today."
"I guess," she responded hesitantly. "You're sure nothing's wrong?"
"I'm sure. Whenever you can is fine; I'll take care of everyone else. Are they meeting at Rei-san's?"
"Yes, in a half hour."
"Great. Don't worry about coming to help. I can manage for the day."
He dropped the receiver before she could protest, knowing that the very duty conscious Ami would come up with a dozen reasons to come even though he would have everything under control. His way, she would feel more obliged to stay with Zane. Whistling, he strolled out of the office.
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AN: See? Zane is healing. Good thing, too. I have to admit, this chapter could have been done much faster if I hadn't needed to include Haruka and Michiru's formal introduction. It was essentially the episode from the anime, albeit with Makoto being the crazy one instead of Minako (since Minako has Kunzite). So, as usual, I would love it if you would review. Till next time!