AN: Here is chapter two, my last installment before I put up a 4 chapter completed story. I'll post the summary for that one at the end of this chapter. I hope to have chapter three out by the middle of next week, but it is veering a bit of a different direction. I had a really beautiful image pop into my mind at 5:30 this morning and I need to write it and see where it goes. But I promise you I will not let this story drag on forever. I am blending the manga of Sailor V and Sailor Moon as well as the anime and the live action PGSM for my characterizations of Sailor V/Minako and Artemis. Thank you to Taeniaea, Yasaboo, Comet Moon, skye668, serenity11287, Sereko, hit60, Dream Princess, and OoOSakuraOoO for reviewing! Starting today, this story is written without a beta so you guys are the first ones to see it! 1-3-07
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Tuxedo Kamen's grip on Sailor Moon unconsciously tightened as the dust cleared slowly, revealing a shadowy female form in a sailor fuku. The moon shone down brightly behind her, obscuring her face as the night wind danced in her long hair, tossing the strands gently about her frame. Stepping forward, the girl's features became easier to see. A strange mark glinted under her bangs. A red mask concealed her upper face. She didn't wear a body suit. Instead she wore a highly modified version of a school uniform. Her blue collar with red trim was like the senshi fuku but it rested on what seemed like plastic shoulder protectors. Her shirt was mostly white with red vertical stripes on the elbow-length sleeves and the lower half of her shirt, while the sleeve cuffs were blue with red trim. A pink bow was pinned to the front with a large yellow circular stone. She wore a white choker with a half moon on it. The shirt was tight under her bust and ended just above her belly button. Her skirt was blue and trimmed with red. Her gloves were a bit shorter than the senshi's and were rimmed in gold at the edge. She wore blue heels. Her hair was pulled back in a half ponytail with a red bow. She was frowning at them. A green eyed white cat walked beside her, looking upset as well.
Sailor Moon instantly knew who the newcomer was. "Sailor V!" Tuxedo Kamen's tight grip on her abdomen constricted her breath and her gasp came out even breathier than it might have, considering she was meeting her idol. In response to her struggle for air, Tuxedo Kamen slightly loosened his hold on her, but his body straightened defensively as he felt Sailor V's speculative and cold gaze rest on him. He gave as good as he got, staring her down.
Luna approached the pair and the other senshi seemed to follow her in a dream-like state. They paused with a few feet between them. "Sailor V. Artemis." she greeted. "Thank you for dusting that youma."
Artemis spoke up, frustration in his voice. "What have you been allowing, Luna? Your senshi should never have relaxed their guard enough to forget an enemy." Luna bristled, but held her tongue. Behind them, Sailor Moon had broken the staring contest between Sailor V and Tuxedo Kamen by wiggling out of his embrace and pulling him forward to stand behind Mars and Jupiter. Artemis noticed this and sat down, assuming a regal air. "Allow me to present the heir of the Moon Kingdom, wielder of the Ginzuishou, sacred daughter of the Moon, Princess Serenity."
Sailor Moon swayed, blood pounding in her ears. Tuxedo Kamen absently steadied her, color draining from his face as he confronted the flesh-and-blood version of his dream apparition. "Sailor V is . . ." Moon murmured weakly.
"Codenamed Sailor V," Artemis stressed, "Serenity has been able to keep her identity a secret while being right under the noses of the Dark Kingdom."
As Princess Serenity stood tall and proud before the four gaping senshi and Tuxedo Kamen, they all noticed that the symbol beneath her bangs was a crescent moon. It had flared brightly when she had stepped into the moon's light. Now its glow was slowly fading, like a dying ember, leaving behind what looked like a yellow tattoo of a crescent moon. Her scolding look had faded away as well and now she was grinning at them confidently. Serenity spoke up for the first time since she'd criticized the senshi. "I am very happy to finally see you all again!" she gushed exuberantly. "It has been so hard, waiting for you to awaken and train."
"Train?" Mercury inquired stiffly. "We are fighting real battles, not practicing." Mars nodded her agreement, but said nothing.
"If you are the princess we've been seeking," Jupiter challenged, "then why do you look like us? I think you're just another senshi!" She jutted her chin out belligerently, gazing pointedly at Serenity's fuku.
Artemis looked incensed and Luna looked embarrassed, but Serenity just smiled again. She crossed the space between them and caught Jupiter's hand for a quick shake. "Relax, Jupiter. I'll explain everything."
Jupiter froze at the Princess's touch, her eyes becoming vacant for a moment as a half-memory seemed to appear in her mind. But before it could crystallize, Serenity released her hand and the images vanished, leaving behind only a vague feeling of familiarity and affection for the blonde.
Moon couldn't move. Her mind felt hazy, confused and panicky. As the Princess shook hands with Mars and Mercury, she noted how their eyes momentarily became glassy. When she released their hands, each senshi seemed drawn irresistibly towards her. Mars hadn't warmed up to her that fast, Moon wailed mentally.
Added to Moon's torment was her utter disbelief that they had found the Princess. Staring at her, Moon had the uncomfortable sensation of being a little girl imitating her older sister in front of her friends. Feeling insecure and childish, she gazed up at Tuxedo Kamen, fearful of what she would find in his eyes.
Tuxedo Kamen stood transfixed by the Princess. His mind dredged up every residual memory of the Princess from his dreams but could find nothing to confirm or invalidate her claim. What struck him most was that he did not sense any form of pretense from the girl. She seemed to truly believe she was the Princess.
He blinked away his thoughts as he felt her gaze resting on them. Her eyes seemed to see through him, as if trying to puzzle out his identity and the reason for his presence amidst her senshi. Did she not know him? Her eyes fluttered briefly over him and she stiffened when she noticed the possessive grip he had on Sailor Moon's waist. Her eyes became a bit cold when next she met his gaze. He raised an eyebrow at her. So she didn't approve of his choice, he assumed. Too bad, Princess, he let his eyes tell her. He gazed down affectionately at his little Odango Atama.
Sailor Moon met his gaze and smiled bravely up at him. She sensed he knew some of the rioting emotions inside her, such as the excitement at finding their Princess, the fear that he would leave her for said Princess and the nervousness that the Princess would reject her as a senshi. She returned her gaze to the beautiful Princess before her. Mars, Mercury and Jupiter all stood about her, forming three sides of a square about Serenity. They looked a bit overwhelmed, as if a part of their minds had simply gone out for cheesecake. Their body language was more coherent than their facial expressions, however.
From Sailor Moon's position, her fellow senshi appeared to have taken up protective support positions, much like bodyguards surrounding a person of state. "A person who mattered," she thought sadly. Some of her sudden loneliness and feelings of inferiority must have shone in her eyes, because suddenly Serenity was moving towards her, smiling in a warm, friendly manner. A responding smile tentatively crossed Sailor Moon's face. As both girls reached out to shake hands, she felt Tuxedo Kamen loosen his grip about her waist. Before she could look back at him, however, Serenity's hand met hers and a strange feeling of familiarity and affection for the Princess swept through her. As they held hands, Sailor Moon heard a soft voice, no louder than a whisper in her head.
"Remember . . ."
Serenity pulled away and stepped back. Moon took a dazed step forward towards her and out of Tuxedo Kamen's arms. His left arm fell back to his side and he slowly stepped back, away from the five girls and two cats. Serenity caught his gaze as he backed away. There were so many emotions in her eyes that he couldn't decipher them. But the way that the girls were reacting to the self-proclaimed Princess seemed to him as if there was a long-dormant bond tying all of them together. He decided to let them have some time to themselves. If he had a similar bond with the Princess, he fervently wished to never awaken it. He had no interest in any woman except his Usako, he swore silently as he disappeared into the trees. Yet he could not deny that her arrival had shaken him. Serenity watched him disappear out of the corner of her eye, even as she waited for Sailor Moon to join the group.
Sailor Jupiter was on Sailor Moon's left. As Sailor Moon completed the square, boxing the Princess in, Serenity half-turned towards Jupiter. "Now there is no need for Sailor V." She reached up and removed her red mask, letting it carelessly dangle from her fingertips. As she did so, an orange light flared about her, her costume changing. Now dressed in an orange version of the senshi fuku, she smiled warmly at the girls. "Finally we are complete. I am Sailor Venus, leader of the senshi." As she proclaimed this, her mask fluttered in a sudden breeze and was tugged free of her fingers. Moon watched it fly away; feeling like her whole world was being blown away with it.
Serenity, Princess of the Moon Kingdom, Heir to the Ginzuishou and whatever else the white cat had pronounced so self-importantly, was a regular senshi? She was Sailor Venus? And what did she mean "leader of the senshi"? Luna said that was her job! Moon's pulse slowed dramatically as she jumped to the conclusion she had been afraid of. She wasn't really Sailor Moon. It made sudden and complete sense to her. Princess Serenity was shedding one disguise for another. Sailor Moon was the leader, according to Luna. Therefore, if Serenity was both the Princess and the senshi leader, she had to really be Sailor Moon, not Sailor Venus. Which then meant that she, Sailor Moon aka Usagi, had to really be Sailor Venus. That in turn would explain why her powers had never awakened. She was supposed to be awakened as Sailor Venus and Luna had made a mistake. Maybe not on purpose, probably under orders, but she had made a mistake.
All of this flashed through Sailor Moon's mind at the speed of light. Mercury's voice cut through the haze and reminded her to breathe again. "Won't the glowing crescent moon on your forehead tip people off? Sailor Moon had noticed it on the video game version of you. It's what made her think you were our teammate."
"Sailor Moon figured out I was a senshi." Serenity sounded half-surprised, half-admiring. Her tone and smile made Sailor Moon dig the toe of her boot into the turf in shy embarrassment. The newly-named Sailor Venus touched her forehead in response to Mercury's words. "It's always been there." she murmured. "It does seem like a dead giveaway, though. At least it isn't there when I'm untransformed."
Luna spoke up, her voice more respectful than Sailor Moon had ever heard before. "The enemy has seen three of the girls awakening to their powers. They have seen the planetary symbol briefly flash on their foreheads before their tiaras formed. You don't have a tiara. I think that will be more of a clue than the crescent moon."
Artemis piped up, "Simply use your Crescent Compact when you've transformed to remove the mark. Only catch, you'll still have to keep fighting with your Compact."
"I have no problem with that." Venus shrugged. "Hey, we really should split up. We'll meet tomorrow after school, civilian clothes, your usual place." She paused as she caught Moon's eye. "Directly after school." Her tone brooked no disobedience and no one challenged her. Flashing a V sign, she flipped out of their midst. Before the stupor of her presence had faded, she was gone, vanished into the darkness as if she had never been.
The four senshi and Luna exchanged glances. Luna found her voice first. "Go home, girls. We'll meet at Rei's tomorrow right after last bell. Try to get there as early as you can. I need time to think." She looked up expectantly at Sailor Moon. "Let's go, Usagi-chan." she commanded.
Sailor Moon glanced behind her, knowing he was gone but her heart sinking nonetheless to find herself alone. Maybe he would meet her as she and Luna headed back home, she hoped. He didn't. Disappointed yet still full of excitement of having met Sailor V, she jumped up into the tree outside her window. Luna crawled in the window ahead of her. She let her senshi form melt away before entering her room, the moonlight silvering her hair as she moved as quietly as possible.
Luna was sitting expectantly on Usagi's pillow, bursting with a need to talk about everything that had just happened. She didn't look at her charge, just began chattering away. Usagi merely answered the cat with distracted "mmhmms" as she readied herself for bed. Her mind was still too caught up with the conclusions she had leapt to and the strange feelings that had washed over her when Serenity had taken her hand. Turning to Luna, she interrupted the cat with a soft question, "Now that the princess is with us, the Ginzuishou will be revealed, right?" Luna paused her own ramblings and nodded, wondering what the girl was thinking about. "You said only she has the power to use it and only the Ginzuishou can stop Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom." Luna nodded again. "So, does this mean we should go on the offensive? Do we have any idea where the Dark Kingdom is? The sooner they are defeated, the better, right?"
Luna carefully chose her words. "Usagi-chan, Central has not located the Dark Kingdom's base of operations. And, in my opinion, we are not strong enough yet to directly challenge and defeat Beryl. We must continue to defend the planet until all the pieces of the Rainbow Crystal are in our grasp. They are key to completing the Ginzuishou."
Usagi nodded. "I hope we can recover them quickly, though, Luna."
"Usagi-chan, I know you have been trying really hard lately to take your assigned roles seriously. But from now, you can just be you." Luna's voice sounded so comforting and understanding, even though the words felt condescending to Usagi. "You heard Artemis, Sailor Venus is the leader of the senshi. You don't have to worry about it anymore."
"Luna!" Usagi snapped, hurt. The cat stared at her in shock. "Until we've heard the whole story from her, I'm not relinquishing anything. You made me leader of the senshi and I'm leader until Venus presents me with concrete proof that I'm not." Luna stared at Usagi as if she had lost her mind. "She hasn't been here through everything with us. She can't just expect to waltz in and have everyone love and respect her immediately." Usagi sighed. "You know how much I want this over with, Luna. I want to enjoy life without wondering when the next youma is going to attack. You know that I want to hang up my sailor fuku forever. But don't forget that I won't walk away until we've beaten this evil once and for all." She stared her feline guardian down, then snapped off the light and climbed into bed without a good night.
Luna stared at the shadowy form of her charge with some surprise. Usagi's maturity might come and go, but she was honored to be a part of this young girl's path from child to woman. She knew she consistently underestimated the girl and wasn't always the most level-headed, understanding person-cat she could be. But her faith in Usagi was strong. She believed the girl would sacrifice her own life to save the planet, if need be. Sighing, the cat shook her head and curled up on the bedspread. She felt confused about everything except that. No matter how Usagi's maturity fluctuated, no matter that Venus had sharply criticized the senshi team, no matter when or where the Ginzuishou was revealed, Luna knew in her heart of hearts, Sailor Moon would come through and be a key element in the destruction of the Dark Kingdom.
What she didn't know was the Usagi's personal demons were far stronger than the even the Dark Kingdom's cold-hearted Queen.
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Aino Minako and Artemis were having a whispered conversation in her hotel room. Her parents were asleep in the suite's other bedroom and slipping out to meet the other senshi had been fairly simple. She was really looking forward to settling into their apartment and finally having a stable home again, not to mention real friends again. She'd lost her friends so quickly once surrendering completely to her mission as Sailor V. When Central had decided it was time for her to move around and make her way to the Juuban section of Tokyo to unite with the others, she had initially been excited. However, the obstacles that the Dark Kingdom had thrown up to keep her from reaching them had made traveling very risky – not for her, but for anyone traveling with her. As such, they had been forced to convince her parents to take a long, meandering trip throughout Japan's northernmost two islands. Central had been forced to manipulate her parents into everything: creating a better job for her father, making the long trip "their" idea, and blanking out every attack from her parents' memories. Consumed with anticipation and frustration, the afternoon arrival in Tokyo and the late night meeting with the senshi had left her feeling like an emotional wreck.
"They are very weak, Artemis." Minako whispered, worry evident on her face and in her tone. "Especially Sailor Moon."
Artemis nodded. "I'm shocked Luna hasn't pushed them harder! You are going to have to take the reins firmly as leader and show them no mercy. They can not defeat Beryl in this state. They don't think enough as a team yet." His voice trailed off in annoyance.
"Still, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter surpass Sailor Moon. When I took her hand, I felt her ambivalence towards being a senshi. I got the perception that she believes she is sacrificing or will have to sacrifice something very precious to her." Minako frowned. "Why hasn't Luna made the severity of our mission clear to her?"
"Perhaps her ambivalence had something to do with that man." Artemis contributed. "There was something familiar about him, but there are no male senshi. And now that you are here in Tokyo, all 5 are together again. We are not missing anyone, so it can't be that one of the senshi got reincarnated into a very different body."
Minako stared at him in horror. The Crescent Compact had allowed her to see her true self reflected in it, the warrior she had been in her past life. Aside from a difference in age and maturity, Minako was a dead ringer for her past self. Plus, each of the other senshi looked very much like the women she remembered from her past life. The thought of having been reincarnated in a different form was repellent to her, especially the thought that she might have ended up a man.
Artemis seemed clueless about the reason she was horrified, however. "He seemed very comfortable working with the senshi and fighting against the youma. He must have some connection." He frowned in deep thought.
Minako yawned tiredly and shrugged. "As long as he isn't Prince Endymion, we should be fine. Sailor Moon and he seem close. Maybe he was her boyfriend when she was awakened? And decided to help her out? He doesn't appear to have any powers." Minako's words were drowsy and she laid back on her bed. The moment her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.
"Prince Endymion?" Artemis wondered aloud, ignoring his sleeping charge. "I'll know more when I meet him without the mask."
/\/\/\/\
Usagi dragged herself through the school day. Luna had forced her up and out to school too early to meet with Mamoru. She had begged the cat to let her linger near their usual bench, just to see him, but Luna had been adamant. Usagi had to get to school early, have Ami and Makoto make sure everything due was ready to be turned in, and make it through the day without getting detention. Usagi's compliance was not earned without a great deal of dark looks and darker words, but she wisely kept the most rebellious ones to herself. She knew the only person she could trust with her distaste for Serenity, even if she was Sailor V, was Mamoru. But she wasn't sure she could even trust him! What if the evening encounter with his dream-Princess-come-to-life had changed everything between them?
Usagi bit back the tears as best she could and struggled through the day. She wished she could get a message to Mamoru about the meeting today. If everything was fine, she would have his reassuring presence beside her. If it wasn't, at least everything would happen as quickly as possible and they both would have answers. She didn't want to have to be telling him what the Princess had to say or what she had done. If the future did hold her losing Mamoru to the Princess, she sure as hell wasn't going to facilitate that loss by playing messenger girl between them, she thought indignantly. She had absolutely no intention of letting go without a fight. Mamoru was too important to her. Deep down, she knew he was more important to her than the girls, even more than her family.
Normally, Usagi couldn't wait for lunch, but today, she dreaded it with a loathing she usually reserved for the class after lunch: P.E. No, today, she was looking forward to P.E. Having decided to take tennis instead of volleyball, Usagi would be blessedly isolated from her senshi friends and if she timed things right, she might even be able to get to a pay phone long enough to leave a message on Mamoru's machine. But first, she had to face lunch and the topic of conversation Ami and Makoto were bursting to speculate upon. She knew they were dying to hash over last night and try to predict what Serenity would have to say to them and she knew they knew she knew. So she was not surprised when they were annoyed with her for taking evasive action. She deliberately invited Naru and Umino to join them for lunch.
All five left their math classroom, collected their lunches from their lockers, and trooped up the stairs to eat on the roof. Makoto gave Usagi a wretched pinch on the arm and Ami muttered, "You are so dense, Usagi-chan!" in frustration. Usagi did her best to look apologetic, but even with the ache in her arm, she couldn't deny a singing happiness that lunch wouldn't be spent in nearly an hour's worth of phony excitement about the damn Princess. Makoto and Ami deliberately sat on a bench in a manner that excluded Usagi from joining them, so she sat beside Naru as she and Umino shared their lunch. If the couple sensed their presence was not welcomed by their two glaring classmates, they didn't show it. They laughed and giggled throughout the lunch period and lightened Usagi's mood considerably.
It was with relief that Usagi heard the warning bell ring. Naru and Umino said their good-byes and headed off to their respective classrooms, Home Economics for her and Advanced Biology for him. Ami and Makoto flanked Usagi on the stairs as the three made their way towards the girl's locker room.
"What was that about, Usagi-chan?" Ami demanded.
Usagi shrugged. "I had plans to hang out with Naru today. Since those plans had to be cancelled, I had to make it up somehow." Her lie came out smoothly, much to her surprised satisfaction.
"You were going to hang out with Naru?" Makoto repeated incredulously. "All you ever do after school is go to Mamoru's!" Makoto's statement sounded like an accusation.
"Well, he has an important study session today, okay? And it's not like I ever see her anymore. I only spend time with him and you girls." Usagi drew herself up and glared at Makoto, tears in her hurt eyes, "I do have other friends, you know. And I'm not stupid! I know that I hurt their feelings when I'm too wrapped up in our missions or with my boyfriend. Forgive me for not asking you permission before I decided to spend time with my oldest friend!" Usagi shouted this last part in Makoto's face, startling the older girl. Taking advantage of her surprise, Usagi sprinted past both girls and bolted into the gym. Grabbing her gym clothes, she proceeded to barricade herself in a stall to calm down.
Makoto and Ami looked guiltily at each other. Usagi was their first real friend, so they tended to forget that she had isolated herself from her other friends because of her selection as Sailor Moon. They turned to each other for comfort from their guilt, promising each other that they would apologize to Usagi for expecting her to just cut out everything from her life that wasn't senshi-related. It never dawned on either girl that Usagi was more upset about Serenity than about being able to spend time with Naru.
Usagi sighed as she finished dressing out for P.E. She mentally apologized to Naru and Umino for using them. She didn't like manipulating people and she felt like a lousy friend for the manipulations and lies she had embraced in order to feel better for a few moments. She was about to engage in another lie as well, as she carefully slipped the rose-decorated phone card into her shoe before sliding her foot into it. Lifting her school-issued racket, Usagi slid back the lock on the stall door and jogged to the tennis courts, falling in line behind several other racket-toting girls.
Anxiously, Usagi waited for the coach to give instructions and select partners. She absently hit a few balls back and forth with her assigned partner, then raised her hand urgently for the coach's attention, forcing a look of embarrassed panic on her face.
Coach Tetsuro strolled over, suspicion stamped on her face. She hated unathletic girls and was not ever going to be a fan of one Tsukino Usagi. How a girl could be as uncoordinated as this blond troublemaker was eluded her ability to comprehend. She certainly lacked the ability to empathize with the poor girl. "What is it, Tsukino-san?" she demanded in her unfriendly, direct manner.
Usagi twisted her foot on the court's surface, trying to look suitably distressed. "Um . . . well, you see, it's . . . I just . . . well, that is . . ." she struggled pitifully.
"Out with it, Tsukino!" the impatient coach snapped.
Usagi jumped, dropped her racket, and blurted, "I started my period!" Her high-pitched yelp carried across the court and mocking titters drifted back at her.
Coach Tetsuro rolled her eyes. "Go take care of it." Usagi nodded. The coach blew her whistle as Usagi ran towards the nearest bathrooms. "Enough laughing, girls. It could happen to any of you! Now get back to practicing your serve and volleys!"
Usagi slipped into the lunch room and headed for the hallway off to the side, where the school's lone pay phone was located between the girl's and boy's bathrooms. She quickly yanked her shoe off and retrieved the phone card, slipped it into the pay phone's slot, and waited for the automatic operator to ask her to dial. Hands shaking with nervousness, she punched in Mamoru's number. Breathlessly, she counted the rings until his answering machine picked up. "One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . . five . . . come on, come on, six . . ."
His smoky voice slid across the line, startling her and soothing her nerves at the same time. "Thank you for calling. No one is available right now. Please leave a concise message and we will get back to you." She smiled at his automatic camouflage, not identifying himself or the number and not giving away that he lived alone. The beep was aggravatingly loud.
"Mamo-chan, it's Usagi." she whispered loudly into the phone. "She called a meeting at Rei's, after you left. We are supposed to meet right after school. If you can come, even if you'll be late, it would mean a lot to me. I love you!" Her message had been rushed, but she knew she didn't have a lot of time left. She carefully replaced the phone, retrieved the phone card and hopped into the bathroom. After tucking the card back into her shoe and tying it back on, she washed her hands. Coach Tetsuro had apparently worked in a pre-kindergarten prior to becoming a coach and when she suspected her students hadn't gone to the bathroom as they had requested, she would demand to smell their hands for soap. The girls all thought it was a really weird thing to do, but if she didn't smell soap on their hands, they were marched right off to the principal's office to explain what they had really been doing.
Usagi jogged back out to the tennis court, feeling better about the meeting. Even if he was struggling with his thoughts on the Princess, if he came, his presence would give her support and comfort. Coach Tetsuro gave her a hard look as she returned and she ducked her head in embarrassed gratitude. The coach rolled her eyes, then turned her back on the uncoordinated would-be tennis player. Usagi atoned for her lies by playing her hardest during the rest of the class.
/\/\/\/\
Usagi had risked a lot to make that phone call. If she had been caught, she almost certainly would have been given a detention. If she had gotten a detention, the girls would all have demanded to know why and no doubt they would have flayed her alive when she confessed. But, despite the delinquent behavior during gym, with the help of Makoto and Ami, Usagi somehow escaped the wrath of her teachers and was released from school for the first time in two weeks without a detention. They waved cheerful good-byes to their classmates and walked determinedly towards Hikawa Jinja.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you, Usagi-chan." Ami murmured, depressed about her insensitivity towards her best friend.
"I am too, Usagi. I was really mean."
Usagi gave them her best smile. "No, I should be apologizing to you. I shouldn't have been so selfish and I shouldn't have yelled. I'm just really worn out from all these late nights. I'm sorry."
The three girls laughed and hugged. "I know what you mean about the late nights," Makoto muttered, stretching her arms over her head to let off some excess energy. "Sometimes the alarm goes off and it feels like I had just lain down."
Ami made a sympathetic murmur, even though she was used to late nights. It was the athletic exertion that was wearing her down. But she would never say anything. Ami was the type to work herself to exhaustion and collapse before she would let anyone know she was tired. In fact, she would probably collapse from exhaustion and apologize for collapsing!
The girls enjoyed the walk from Juuban Middle School to the Hikawa Jinja in companionable silence. Usagi's guilt kept her quiet, knowing that her two friends had no earthly idea just how much she wanted to run the other way, to Mamoru's apartment, barricade themselves inside and never have to face the Princess or the other senshi again. She tried to erase her fears by replaying each time Mamoru had emphatically denied the Princess and sworn himself to her, little Usagi, for eternity. Yet when Serenity had touched Sailor Moon's hand, the loyalty to the Princess that Usagi had been trying to ignore had firmly taken root in her conscience and was belligerently insisting that Usagi's main concern should be her Princess, not her handsome boyfriend.
Makoto pondered the hazy flash of memory that had seemed to come with Serenity's touch. Makoto had seen the hazy outlines of herself and four women. The colors of the four girls in uniform had stood out clearly: green, light blue, red, and orange. The fifth woman had been wearing a pure white gown of some sort and had been heavily shadowed. Makoto couldn't make her out. She felt a deep kinship to each woman, but was realizing now that she hadn't seen Sailor Moon there. The green had represented herself: Sailor Jupiter. The light blue was Sailor Mercury and the red was Sailor Mars. Serenity, in her transformed state as Sailor Venus, lay claim to the orange uniform, so who was the woman in the gown? An idea occurred to her, the woman must be the Queen. It only made sense that the Princess and her guardians would need to protect the Moon Queen. Luna had made vague references to Queen Serenity, the woman whose kingdom had been destroyed by Beryl and who had sent them into the future to battle here. So, where was Sailor Moon in the memory flash? Makoto resolved to ask Serenity about it when the meeting got settled.
Ami was likewise pondering her vision. It had been completely different from Makoto's. Ami hadn't seen any senshi in her vision. Instead, she had been holed up in a library reading something in a language Ami's current self didn't recognize. Obvious feelings of loneliness and homesickness consumed her past self. But then the door to the library had opened and an extremely hazy girl had entered. The only details that Ami could clearly make out were the shining golden half-moon on her forehead and a fuzzy, out of focus impression of a white gown. It had to be Princess Serenity. The Princess had sat down beside Ami's past self and begun chattering away unintelligibly. Ami had watched as whatever the Princess said swept away the lonely feelings of homesickness and they had walked out of the library together, towards the sound of joyous laughter. The door to the library had closed, breaking the vision Ami had been motionlessly sucked into and leaving her feeling affection for the Princess standing before her. Ami desperately wanted to know more about this Princess and how deep their friendship had been.
The three climbed the long staircase to the top of Hikawa Jinja and took a moment to appreciate the silent, peaceful atmosphere of the Shinto shrine. It seemed worlds away from their reality of battling youma and being the world's only defense against an evil Queen and her minions who were hell-bent on conquering the world. They separated, no longer three girls walking together to a single destination. Usagi wandered down the path to the prayer bells, not really feeling religious, but needing a moment to connect with something outside of herself. Makoto was lured onto one of the garden paths; a journey she often took because Grandpa Hino's gardening was something she admired. Ami headed straight for their usual meeting room. She usually was the one who got everything ready, since Rei had to take the bus back from her private school and it took longer than the girls' walk from their public school.
Usagi dropped her 5 yen coin between the slats beneath the prayer bells. (A 5 yen coin is called "go-en" and is a homophone for "goen" which means "karma" or "good fortune/luck".) Then she grasped the thick red and white braided bell pull and jangled the brass bells before ducking her head in prayer for strength and for blessings and protection on her love. She also offered up a whispered apology for her selfishness. She knew that the other senshi would be horrified at how selfish she was when it came to being a senshi. She wanted Beryl defeated and gone so the Earth would be safe and she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. It wasn't that she didn't care about the rest of the world; it was just that the responsibility for protecting it wasn't something she had asked for or would have ever wanted. It was unfair how demanding this duty was. As if her social life, her family and friends outside of the senshi, her hobbies, and her schoolwork weren't enough sacrifices she had to make, now this obligation stood poised to take her beloved Mamo-chan, too!
A soft beeping let her know that Ami had everything ready and it was time to come in. Straightening her shoulders, Usagi lifted her head, summoning up the inner strength to walk in there with a smile on her face. Hiding her fears and depression was a monumental task and if Mamoru hadn't been there to keep it at bay, Usagi would have lost the battle against it months ago. Tossing her long locks, she headed quickly back down the gravel path, meeting up with Makoto along the way.
Makoto grinned at her smaller friend, but Usagi saw uncertainty behind it. "Nervous?"
"A little." Usagi lied softly.
Makoto nodded. "Me too. I didn't think I'd be nervous about meeting her, y'know? I kinda figured that we'd meet her, our memories would flood back, the Ginzuishou would be revealed, and then we'd all storm Beryl's stronghold, finishing her off in one dramatic blow."
Usagi stared at her friend, who was pumping her fist in the air dramatically as she imagined defeating Beryl's kingdom. "I agree with you there, Mako-chan. I want this over as soon as possible."
Something in her voice caused Makoto to study the younger girl. "Usagi-chan, if something's bothering you, you know you should talk to us, right?"
"Mako-chan, don't worry about me." Usagi laughed. "You know nothing serious ever bothers me." She bounced ahead of the serious girl, trying a bit too hard to alleviate Makoto's sudden concern.
With narrowed eyes, Makoto muttered, "That's only what you want us to think, Usagi-chan. And I'm not buying that cheerful act for a moment." Makoto couldn't dwell on her thoughts much longer because Rei met her at the top of the steps and pulled her along inside, but Makoto was overwhelmed with the thought that something big had her best friend's heart and mind in turmoil.
Ami and Rei would have readily admitted that Usagi covered her misery well if her only cover hadn't been Mamoru. It was very easy for Usagi to gloss everything over with her love for him. Even if he wasn't what she was distractedly thinking about, he was blamed for it, the perfect excuse. And it had never occurred to them to question the depths of Usagi's loyalty to the Princess or her dedication to protecting their home planet. They simply assumed that she, like they themselves, was willing to sacrifice anything to complete her mission. It wasn't the Usagi wouldn't sacrifice her life, if need be. Usagi was willing to die for her friends and to save the planet. To die for the Princess, she wasn't so sure about. It was sacrificing her love where she drew the line.
The four girls and Luna settled quickly around the table, Makoto and Ami on the right side, Rei on the end facing the door, and Usagi and Luna on the left. The head of the table, the spot of honor, was empty, awaiting the Princess's arrival. Ami had placed cushions for Mamoru and the Princess out, fully expecting Mamoru to be included in the meeting. Usagi's eyes had narrowed when she saw the black cushion Mamoru usually used set catty-corner to the Princess's orange one. Without saying anything, she had quickly switched them, missing Ami's surprised but silent observation of her. Usagi really didn't want to be sitting that close to the Princess, but she was not going to make it easy for the Princess to make a play for her guy. She plopped down less than gracefully between the cushions, not certain herself if Mamoru was going to show.
Ami opened her mouth to question Usagi's behavior, but instead sang out a greeting to Rei and Makoto as they came in. Distracted, the three soon fell into a conversation about their school days.
"I just can't stand girls like her." Rei grumped, leaning back on one arm. Usagi blinked her way back to the present at that sentence and stared at her friend. Although she wanted the miko to be complaining about the Princess, she knew from painful experience Rei was talking about one of those obnoxious girls at her school. "She followed me around all day, asking "Can I get you anything, Hino-sama?" and "Hino-sama, wait, let me get that door!" and all kinds of ridiculous things." Usagi and the girls laughed as Rei forced her mature, cultured voice to sound squeaky and obsequious. "Oh sure, you girls can laugh, but try living through that! I just don't understand what makes them think it will somehow make me trust them or want to be friends with them. It's not as if they want to know the real me." Rei sighed and Usagi hugged her friend comfortingly.
Rei hugged Usagi back, relying on the unconditional support she always got from her to find her way back from a dark and angry place, the place she always ended up when she thought about him. Forcing her father's apparition away, she affectionately rapped Usagi on the head and grinned, "I'm amazed you avoided detention today, Odango!"
"Rei!" Usagi screeched indignantly. Flinging herself away from the grinning priestess-in-training, Usagi pouted. "It's not like I get detention every day!"
Makoto couldn't help herself. "Just most days."
Usagi's new screech of outrage startled the crows out of the neighboring trees. "Mako-chan, you traitor." As the argument progressed, a girl and her cat exchanged uncertain glances on the wooden steps.
"Sounds like World War 3 in there." Artemis mused.
The princess nodded, not impressed with the arguing she heard coming from inside Rei's room. "I know they were a high-spirited bunch in the past, but I don't recall this level of volume."
"Well, I highly doubt the Queen would have tolerated so much noise. The palace was usually reverently still."
An exasperated voice cut through the laughter and teasing and floated through the paper doors. "Alright now, that's quite enough! Is this the impression you want to make on your Princess? Right now you sound like a bunch of banshees!"
The couple outside grinned. "Classic Luna." Artemis murmured, shaking his head and trying not to laugh.
"Sounds like she's got her paws full in there." Artemis winced and gave his princess a pained look. She shrugged unapologetically. Murmured apologies could be heard on the other side of the door and she slipped her heels out of the backs of her shoes.
Gently knocking on the outer frame of the door, she called out the formal announcement of entry, "Ojama shimasu." Before she could slide the door open for herself, however, Rei had snapped it open and greeted her with a formal bow. Serenity slipped gracefully out of her shoes, leaving them neatly next to the other girls' shoes on the last wooden step. The other girls rose and bowed to their princess as Rei knelt and turned all the shoes to face outward, then slid the door closed again. She ushered the Princess to her seat and then slipped into the other room to get the tea Ami had started. Everyone waited in silence for her return, Artemis perched on the table at her right hand, Luna on the corner between Usagi and Rei.
Artemis used the time to scan the faces of the remaining three senshi. He especially examined the face of the girl he knew to be Sailor Moon. She looked very young, especially in contrast to the serious Sailor Mercury and the grown-up appearing Sailor Jupiter. He noticed something lurking in those cerulean eyes that worried him, but it was hard for him to pin it down to define it. While the other two had jumped to their feet immediately to bow to their princess, she had only risen after noticing they had. Where the two girls seated together were leaning forward, eager to talk to their new companions, she leaned back, her posture diffident and distancing, even her mind seemed to drift away when she had regained her seat.
Rei returned quickly, placing the green tea first in front of Serenity, then Ami and Makoto, then Usagi, before taking her own seat and serving herself. She also set two thin dishes of water out in front of the cats. Artemis studied her, seeing a young woman full of grace and tradition, and was pleased.
Luna cleared her throat and stepped a bit forward from where she had been sitting. "Welcome, Princess Serenity and Artemis. We are honored by your presence and grateful to finally meet you."
Serenity leaned forward, a gay laugh on her lips. "None of this bowing and scraping now, Luna. Let's get that over and done with. I don't want to have barriers between us. You should all feel free to speak to me as a friend and a fellow senshi." She gazed at everyone in the room except Artemis seriously to check their comprehension of her desire. "Also, I can't run around being called "Princess" or "Serenity". Our mission is as secret as ever from the general public, even our families. My civilian name is Aino Minako."
Artemis nodded, "We must continue to be very careful. As of tomorrow, Minako will be attending Juuban Middle School with most of you. Formal behaviors would be strange."
"The girls are very conscientious about their identities." Luna stated stiffly, feeling challenged for the second time by the arrogant white cat. Usagi nodded firmly, knowing how much his criticisms the night before had hurt her friend and guardian.
"Artemis means no disrespect, Luna. It's just that now that I am here, past memories will begin filtering through unexpectedly and they may affect what is said or done. As precious as those memories will be, you must all cling tightly to who the outside world perceives you to be."
Somewhat mollified, Luna settled back on her haunches. "Do you have anything you wanted to discuss, Prince . . ., er, Minako-chan," Luna's voice strained as she forced herself to speak so informally to the heir of the Moon Kingdom, "or did you want this to be an open forum for questions?"
"I really want to get to know you, so I was hoping we could have a chat before we focused too heavily on senshi business." The girls responded enthusiastically, although Usagi's enthusiasm wasn't completely natural. Discussion swirled around numerous topics such as the girls' hobbies, their likes and dislikes, their dreams for the future, and so on. All too soon, it seemed to Usagi, the discussion turned serious again.
"Minako-chan, do you fully remember our past?" Ami asked softly.
Minako studied the blue-haired girl. "Fully? No. Most of my memories center around the fall of the Moon Kingdom. They aren't complete; there are parts that are hazy or skimmed over. I have many memories about the five of us, though, and they strengthened me once Artemis found me. Becoming Sailor V meant the loss of all my other friends." Usagi's head jerked towards the other blonde, her eyes softening in empathy. "It was very lonely, but the knowledge that I had you four out there somewhere brought me great comfort. I've just been dying to reunite with you." She laughed self-consciously.
"I know what you mean." Usagi murmured. When Minako's eyes searched hers, Usagi found herself volunteering information she hadn't intended to. "It was hard in the beginning, keeping my identity and adventures secret from my friends. I'd known most of them since kindergarten. When Mercury was found, it was a great relief to have someone there with me, sharing the battles, the confusion, the secret. But as I was finding new friends, it seems that the old ones got lost along the way. I feel like I've let them down." she confessed to the tabletop, avoiding the sympathetic looks from Ami and Makoto and the startled one from Rei.
"Usa-chan," Rei started, feeling guilt in her at Usagi's pain. Makoto touched Rei's arm and shook her head, letting her know that Usagi wasn't upset with them. They hadn't meant to rip Usagi away from anyone. Being outcasts, they had all rejoiced in finding each other, not experiencing the loss of old friends because there were none to lose.
Minako assessed the frowning girl beside her. "I know it hurts, Usagi-chan." she murmured softly, wanting to comfort the girl, but knowing it would be doing her a disservice. "Senshi duty can cost you more than you might expect to part with."
Usagi's eyes flew up to meet her princess'. "Well, I never asked to be a senshi in the first place. Someone volunteered me." she glowered darkly at Luna. "You'd think something this life-altering would come with a full disclosure of its duties and expectations before you decided to join up!" Her outburst startled Minako and Artemis, but it was not really new to the others. Though they usually overlooked it, they all knew that Usagi didn't find the same meaning and purpose in being a senshi that they did.
Makoto tried to explain her friend's position before Usagi looked too bad in the eyes of the Princess. "Usagi's given up a lot more than we have to be a senshi. It's not just friends. Usagi's a very filial daughter and the lies and sneaking about she's forced to do really bother her."
"It's alright, Mako-chan, you don't have to protect me." Usagi stated. "I don't like lies and I'm not going to start out our collaboration with Minako pretending I'm happy about everything in my life. You might as well know that I'm not the best senshi; I'm not even very good. But I hate the Dark Kingdom and what they are trying to do and I do try my very best against them. I don't really have any memories from the past and many times I don't even feel like I was really meant to be a senshi. But I do know that these girls are my sisters and I will protect them with my life. I don't like fighting. I don't like training to fight. I do it because the Dark Kingdom gives us no choice. Luna made me the leader of this group, but now that you are here, I suppose that place is yours. So you might as well know everything about me as soon as possible so you can decide if you need me or not."
Luna groaned at her charge's ramblings. The girl was hopeless, she decided. Rei was thinking along the same lines, while Makoto stared at her friend in shock and Ami wondered if Minako was going to tolerate such an outburst.
Minako smiled, noticing the defiant set of Usagi's jaw. "I appreciate the honesty. What I'm hearing doesn't surprise me. Becoming a senshi is something we are chosen to do, not an opportunity we are offered. I know much is often sacrificed. I know it is not easy to let go of the things that comfort or please you for the greater good, but it is nonetheless expected. Sailor senshi were not created to be killers and it is unfortunate that we must use lethal force at times. In our battle against the Dark Kingdom, it is the only option we have. I do not expect any of my senshi to enjoy killing. I cannot release you from the burden you bear, Usagi-chan. All my senshi have been gathered because I need them. But please don't think I don't understand where you are coming from or that I don't understand what you are giving up." Usagi's defiance melted at the empathy in Minako's eyes. Minako had lost dreams, too, Usagi thought. Maybe, she mused, critically gazing into the princess' eyes, she had lost more than just dreams.
Minako seemed to sense Usagi was reading something in her eyes and tossed her head, smiling at the four. "Yes, it's true I pronounced myself the leader of the senshi last night. It is my rightful position as the Moon Princess, especially since I have the most memories at this time. Until my arrival here, it only made sense for Sailor Moon to lead, as she was the only one who can eliminate the youma. With my compact, we now have two senshi who can dust any youma that comes along and as such will now have the ability to separate into two teams, should the need arise."
Minako fell silent as footsteps crunched along the gravel path towards them. Footsteps reverberated on the wooden steps. Rei turned on her cushion and slid the door open, while Usagi moved to greet the newcomer. He was bent over, removing his shoes, but before he could straighten, Usagi was greeting him with a hug. Ami, Rei, and Makoto smiled warmly, but their smiles turned uncomfortable when Mamoru chose to greet his girl friend with an unexpected and smoky kiss. While Artemis and Minako looked on with no little surprise, the others stared anywhere else but at the couple in discomfort.
Eventually he let her go and she stared up at him adoringly, his kiss having chased away the fears that he had been drawn to the princess. He straightened and Usagi proudly introduced him, "Minako, Artemis, this is my boyfriend, Chiba Mamoru." He bowed politely, not letting go of Usagi's hand.
Minako kept her face blank as she greeted him, but she felt Artemis go rigid under her hand. She was the only one who heard his whisper, the name slipping past his clenched teeth like a curse, "Endymion." Her head whirled. They were too late.
/\/\/\/\
Tomorrow's story is another OHC (One Hour Challenge). It is called Hazukashii Koi and will be rated T. Unlike An Unlikely Encounter, this story is not inspired by challenges I put together. Instead it was a dare. The issuer of the dare put together several challenges and I had to use them all in crafting my story. I added a few others for fun. I still only had the one hour to write each chapter in.
Summary: Usagi and Mamoru's platonic relationship is strained by a series of embarrassing incidents. Completed. 4 chapters.