Usagi kicked off her shoes inside the doorway, said a passing hello to her mother and father, and sped up into her room, slamming her door behind her and flopping down onto her bed, landing in a heap facedown. Staying in that position for a while before her need to breathe became too great, she rolled over and began to study her ceiling. A slight sound and the feeling of a sudden depression in the mattress next to her heralded Luna's arrival. Craning her head to the side to peek at her feline guardian, she smiled and lifted a hand to gently brush the black cat's head, feeling the softness as Luna leaned into her touch.

Luna was feeling affectionate tonight.

Sitting up and pulling her into her arms, settling her onto her lap while drawing her legs under her, she began her nightly task of smoothing out her cat's fur and all around just loving her. Luna and Usagi had started that ritual about a year and a half ago after reaching a truce of sorts. After almost losing Luna to a daimohn, and watching her knit and heal in the veterinarian's office, not knowing if she was going to live or not, Usagi had realized just how much the short-haired guardian of hers really did matter to her. Luna had been there from the beginning and had essentially made Usagi who she was. She had been a hard mentor, but a true and fair one, only doing and saying what she had because she cared for her fair-haired charge. And Usagi wanted to thank her for what she had done. Acknowledge her dedication. So she cared for Luna, pampering her as even an unnatural cat, a Lunarian, which Luna was, would want. She petted her.

And besides, it let Usagi know that she was needed when the small cat purred contently in her arms.

"So how was your day, Usagi-chan?" Luna asked drowsily, spreading out her toes as she stretched her forelegs, "Did any of your studying pay off?"

And there she was again. Usagi grinned. Being as predictable as always. Shifting a bit, she paused petting Luna for a second to rearrange the bedding under her legs, and then softly scratched the fuzzy ears that eagerly pointed up for her touch. Ah yes. At least one animal – or person, her brain couldn't help but snip in – who always appreciated what she did.

Usagi giggled, lifting one hand to cover her mouth. How would she address Juri? "Eventful," she finally decided on.

"Eventful? In what way?"

"Oh, I met a totally kakkoi person today…" she sighed, playing up her reaction just to get Luna curious. Usagi could be devious when she wanted to be and nobody else was in on the scam.

"Usagi…" Usagi could hear the warning in her mentor's voice, and she only just managed to hold back her giggle, "You and Mamoru-san…"

"Yes, I KNOW, Luna," Usagi chided gently, "But I don't think Mamoru has to worry about HER." She waited for that comment to sink in before continuing, "She's just…different. That's where I was before I came home. I was showing her around Juuban."

"Oh? Is she new in Tokyo?" Luna shifted to have her belly scratched, her red eyes coming up to meet Usagi's, her yellow crescent moon glinting in the light Usagi had somehow managed to switch on in her mad dash home.

"Uhm… Not really. Kinda, but yes. She came from somewhere north of here called Ohtori. Wouldn't talk much about it though." Usagi frowned, suddenly pensive. Her eyebrows drew together, and she bit her lip lightly. "There's a lot she seems to hesitate talking about," she muttered.

"Well, there are people that aren't like you, ready to tell everything," Luna reminded, but didn't really sound condescending.

"Oh, I know, I know. Not everyone wears their heart on their sleeve, right?"

Luna yawned, and Usagi grinned. "Stop it!" she teased, "You're making me sleepy, and there's things I want to talk to you about!"

Luna made a sound of acquiescence, and settled down into her lap after burrowing a bit to find a more comfortable spot between Usagi's legs. All through this conversation, Usagi's hand had been idly stroking her sides in a familiar pattern. Down her head, to the scruff after in-between her ears and sometimes moving to teasingly scratch the bridge of her nose, or an ear here and there, and then smoothing out her flanks and down her tail, languidly stroking until the tip was lost to her fingers, and then repeated.

It was both meditative to Luna as it was to Usagi. The act always allowed Usagi's mind to wander.

She had always wanted a pet when she had been younger, but when Shingo had come around and her father Kenji had had to accept another job after Ikuko, Usagi's mother, had quit her occupation as a corporate lawyer to become a stay-at-home mom, they just couldn't afford to have one. So Usagi had to have been content with the visits to the zoo and the pet store whenever they went to the mall. But then she had found Luna, and Luna had come to stay.

A knock on her bedroom door put a halt to her thoughts, and she looked up. Calling out for whoever it was to come in, the door swung open to reveal the pink haired head of her future daughter.

"U-u-u-usagi-chan!" Chibi-Usa seemed to say triumphantly, swinging into the room and shutting the door after her, "I heard all about your embarrassment at the arcade today! I can't believe that you'll be the future ruler of the universe. Wait till Mamo-chan hears about this!"

Sighing, Usagi flopped down, jarring Luna from her seat, and flung one hand over her eyes. Not now… Giving up, she patted the space next to her. Normally, she would have replied Chibi-Usa with an insult, but she wasn't in the mood. Her night with Juri had placed her in a happy frame of mind, and she was going to try her hardest to keep it.

"So," she began, looking into her future daughter's pink eyes, "What did you hear?"

Luna, disgruntled, licked her paw on Usagi's pillow, cocked her head, and for all appearances, seemed to be waiting for the gossip. Usagi shot her an annoyed look, but understood. If she wasn't going to be able to be told directly, it was best knowing anyway.

"Honestly, Usagi-chan," Chibi-Usa said, flopping back her pigtails, "I thought you were too mature to snoop under tables with Minako-chan. Doesn't seem like princess-like behavior to me."

Usagi grabbed the younger girl's feet and started to tickle her mercilessly. "Don't talk to me about un-princess-like behavior, baka!" she said triumphantly as Chibi-Usa squealed, tears coming to her eyes.

Laughing, Chibi-Usa somehow managed to disengage herself from the blonde's grip, and tackled her back onto the bed, Luna jumping off in alarm of being squashed under the two.

And the tickle war commenced, neither of them giving up, already well versed in the areas of the greatest ammunition, until Usagi's mother called the two of them down for a late dinner. They agreed to an uneasy truce, knowing that somewhere, sometime, they would find out who was the better tickler.

***

Juri entered her dark apartment, took off her sweatshirt, and disappeared into the kitchen. Switching on the lights in the room and watching it chase away the shadows into the corners, she groaned when she saw the pile of dirty dishes she had left in the sink, but told herself she was going to clean them after her shower. Taking one last look at the sorry sight, she grabbed herself a Cherry Coke from the refrigerator, grimaced at the insubstantial contents, and popped the soda can open. Taking a sip and savoring the cold taste, she switched off the light and walked back into the living room where she collapsed onto her couch. Placing her soda onto the coffee-table, she grabbed the TV remote and switched on the piece of equipment it belonged to.

Flipping through the channels distractedly, Juri stopped when she came upon the ending of a commercial that had one of the girls Usagi hung out with at the arcade on screen, dressed in a Miko's clothes. Wracking her brain, she came up with a name, Hino Rei, and watched as she advertised a spring festival that appeared to be taking place at the Shinto shrine Juri passed every day on her way to and from work the next Saturday.

Her lips curling, Juri sat back. Looks interesting, she thought. Maybe I'll go. Though, do I have a traditional kimono? Well, I should have one anyway.

The commercial ended and she ended up watching a news documentary on a group of ten Sailor Soldiers or something that apparently fought evil and had saved Tokyo from numerous evil aliens and such who had started there in their quest for world dominance. It was actually quite interesting, and when the show was over, Juri switched off the TV with an idea to ask Usagi about them when she saw her next.

The whole idea of the world being saved by sailor suit wearing girls didn't seem any odder than Ohtori being saved by two girls – one a car – and Juri wondered how the academy had never been impacted in the least. The rest of the world, the show had announced, had already taken notice, and delegates had even been sent by the major powers of the world to talk with the superheroes, but Sailor Moon, the leader of the group, had always declined meeting with them. Perhaps Akio had made a barrier around Ohtori? Would make sense, she thought, I hadn't even begun to think about leaving until Utena came.

Standing, she dusted off her legs, drained the last of her Cherry Coke, and headed into her bathroom, all purposes intent on taking a shower when her phone rang.

That was odd, she thought. Glancing at the clock, she frowned. It was already ten o'clock in the evening, and the only person who had her phone number was Motoki, and he didn't really strike her as a person who would intrude that late in the evening. Regardless, the phone rang again, and Juri picked up to at least stop the shrill sound. Expecting a phone solicitor, she was little irritated when she said hello and nobody answered. Saying hello again for good measure, she was just about to hang up when a too familiar voice started talking.

"Hello, Juri."

"What!?" Juri's eyes widened and her breath expelled out of her, her throat tightening.

"Did you miss me, Juri?"

Her name echoed, and the voice hung up.

Juri dropped the phone, finding it hard to breathe. Her heartbeat thundered in her head and she dropped to her knees, one hand clenching her forehead where a headache pounded. Her bangs swung in front of her eyes as she hunched over. Hugging herself tightly with one arm, she put her head in her hand and cried.

It was an hour before she moved from the floor and stumbled into the bathroom, letting the warm water drench her aching eyes.