The Odango and The Baka
Chapter 24
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon
AN: Thanks to those who have read my story and many thanks to those who left reviews!
Last Time:
The girls nodded in agreement and went to call their respective families. Luna and Artemis simply stared at each other, their silent communication showing their fear of what was to come only to each other.
The girls had created a pillow laden nest on the floor in front of the TV and were quietly watching some random silly reality cooking competition as they pigged out on what remained of the snacks from their last sleepover. Occasionally one of them would glance back at the entwined couple on the sofa, silently reflecting on the similarity of the scene from their last evening here.
None of the girls had yet started talking about what they had begun to remember. The unspoken consensus seemed to be that they would wait for Usagi and Mamoru to awaken before hashing out the implications of this latest revelation.
They just hoped the pair would wake soon!
Luna and Artemis were in the kitchen using Mercury's computer to analyze the data from the battle. They were trying to determine where the Silver Crystal had gone once Usagi had changed back from being the Moon Princess but had yet to have any luck because its energy signal seemed to have blasted the sensors. They were still sensing it but there was no visible evidence of it on the royal couple or at the site of the battle.
"It has to be somewhere Artemis! It can't have just disappeared – we are talking about the most powerful object in our solar system!" Luna was beginning to rant as she paced along Mamoru's marble countertop.
"Well, the sensors say it is still nearby – could it have become invisible?"
"No, you silly cat. The Silver Crystal does not turn invisible." Luna glared at her snowy compatriot and continued her pacing. Suddenly, she paused in the middle of her current lap and leaped to the kitchen table. "But it could have hidden itself inside Usagi – I just remembered the Queen telling me about a time when the crystal was threatened by the last incarnation of the Negaverse. It hid inside the body of the current Queen until she needed it again. She said she could feel its power but could not use it until the final battle was upon her – it then emerged and she was able to defeat the enemy." Luna looked intensely at Artemis. "We need Ami in here now!"
Artemis slunk quietly into the living room, hoping that none of the girls, bar his intended target, would notice him. He hated doing this kind of stealth work, but Luna was too agitated at the moment to enter the room without being noticed.
He stalked silently over to where Ami was leaning against the couch and got into her lap, startling her.
"Artemis?" The question was clear in her voice.
"I need you to come into the kitchen for a moment," he whispered as tonelessly as possible, "Luna and I need to speak with you."
Ami nodded silently and slowly got up to follow him, with none of the other girls giving them so much as a glance.
"Ami! I need you to run a specific scan of Usagi immediately." Luna's voice was near to frantic at this point so Ami simply nodded her head and got directly to work.
"Is there something specific that I am looking for?"
"Just scan. I do not want to bias your analysis of the results." Luna recommenced her pacing as she impatiently waited for Ami to finish.
Bent over her computer, Ami directed her scanner's focus to Usagi, punching in the parameters for the scan.
In less than a minute Ami gasped. Luna instantly leapt to the table to look at the computer screen.
"It is just as I suspected. The crystal has integrated its energy with Usagi's and is lying dormant within her. We must decide what we are going to do about this."
The three sat around the kitchen table in silence, contemplating this latest information.
After a while, Ami raised her head. "I think we need to keep this to ourselves, at least for the moment. I know that Usagi has been much more mature as of late and that she and Mamoru are very solid, but I just don't think she needs to have the added burden of knowing the crystal is inside of her."
Artemis and Luna cocked their heads contemplatively, considering her words.
"I agree," Luna said slowly, "but we will need to tell her before the next battle. The Negaverse knows that she is the Moon Princess now, and on top of that, they know that she has wielded the Silver Crystal in this time. They will be massively ramping up their attacks on us, and I do not think it will behoove us to have an uninformed leader."
"I agree," chorused the snowy guardian and the blue haired scout.
Luna nodded, and they all went back to join the group lounging in front of the television.
Whilst the guardians and Mercury were consulting each other in the kitchen, the Princess of the Moon and her Prince had begun to stir.
Usagi was the first to return to wakefulness, slowly stretching her weary muscles as she registered the warmth of her love's arms around her. The noise of the TV and the rustling of blankets and pillows alerted her that they were not alone, preventing her from waking her prince in the manner she truly wished. Instead she placed a chaste kiss on his lips and waited until his eyes were looking into hers.
"We need to get up," she mouthed to him. He nodded, and slowly they sat up together, Usagi sitting on his lap.
The girls heard the movement behind them and turned, Rei putting the television on mute as she did so.
"Well it's about time you guys woke up. This is beginning to be a bad habit for the two of you." Makoto winked as she scolded them.
Usagi gave her a wry grin and Mamoru just blushed. The other girls giggled as the tension of the moment was released.
Snacks were again passed as they settled down for the long conversation to come. Once everyone settled in, Usagi began.
"So, I guess we need to talk."
So sorry for the cliffhanger! My computer battery is dying and I want to make sure that I get this posted tonight!
xoxo