Atena amused herself by bouncing on Usagi's amazingly plush mattress. She was entertaining herself this way because Usagi and Hotaru were currently evaluating the attractiveness of various boys, a pastime in which she had minimal interest.
"Hitoshi-kun is probably the best looking." Usagi said after some consideration.
Hotaru shrugged. "Sure, he's cute, but I don't like his attitude. I think a polite guy like Julian-san is much more appealing."
"Too bad he's so infatuated with Ibuki Aya." Usagi's expression was distasteful at the thought of the pretty, popular brunette.
"He and Aya? Really?"
"Well, maybe. I don't know what's going on with those two..."
Atena yawned, wondering when they would move on to more interesting topics. Just then, something shiny caught her eye high on a shelf next to Usagi's bed. She stood on her tiptoes to get a closer look. It was a thin, delicate flute made of mother of pearl. The instrument was oddly shaped, curling into a spiral at the end. Atena marveled at it for a few seconds. When she could no longer bear her curiosity, she tugged on Usagi's shirt.
"Hey, Usagi-chan. What's that?"
Her friend looked up in the direction she pointed. Her face suddenly grew wistful. "Oh, that. I got it from Perle."
"Who's Perle?" Hotaru wanted to know.
"A boy I met when I was young. We had a big adventure together."
Atena's curiosity was piqued. Boys in general might be boring, but Usagi's secret untold adventures with a mysterious boy she'd never even told her best friend about were definitely engaging conversation. "What kind of adventure?" she asked.
Usagi climbed up onto the bed and sat cross-legged next to her. Hotaru followed, and Atena smiled, now feeling more part of the group. "We talked for a while and I gave him some cookies," Usagi recalled.
The shorter girl was unimpressed. "You call that an adventure?"
Usagi hesitated, looking as if she were about to tell them something else. But then she clapped a sheepish hand to the back of her head and burst into loud laughter. "Well, looking back I guess it wasn't such a big adventure after all!"
Hotaru glanced sideways at her, a little surprised that Usagi had kept such a potentially juicy secret. "You never told me about him."
"Yeah. I met him the winter before everyone's high school entrance exams. You were a baby at the time." Atena looked very confused. In hindsight, Usagi realized, the statement sounded strange, since Hotaru now appeared to be older than both of them. "He had to leave soon after. But even in that short time, Perle and I became good friends. It felt like we'd knew each other for a long time."
Atena scrutinized Usagi for a moment, then nodded slowly. "I think she has a fever. Her cheeks are all red, and she's staring off into space."
"I knew it! Usagi-chan has a secret love from the past!" Hotaru blurted out.
Usagi balked. "I-it's not like that!" she insisted.
Atena gasped, realizing the scandalous implications. "Does Helios know about this?"
"Helios wouldn't go prying into my secrets!" Usagi retorted. She turned her back on them and buried her head under the blankets in mortification.
"Usagi-chan?" Atena inquired softly after she had been hiding for quite some time.
"We're sorry. Please come out."
"Can you breathe under there?"
After about half a minute of silence, Atena smiled mischievously. "Let's tickle her."
It did not take long to flush Usagi out of hiding.
Serenity flopped onto her feather bed with an exhausted sigh. To her relief, the giggling and screeching from the next room had finally subsided to an occasional whisper and the soft rumble of someone snoring (probably Atena.)
She thought Endymion was already asleep, so she was startled when he slid an arm around her waist and buried his face in her hair. "Long day?" he asked.
"Always," she groaned. "First I got a message from Coronis explaining why their delegates didn't show up for last month's summit. Apparently they got lost because they were using our old Sol-based coordinates instead of the Zero-Star-based ones, never mind that we made the switch thirty years ago, just like the rest of the known galaxy! So I had to explain that to the Phidarans, because of course they refuse to talk with Coronis themselves. Then I find out Venus is getting sued again, I didn't dare ask why this time..." Serenity continued her tirade for several minutes, recounting in detail every stressful incident she'd faced that day and why each one was entirely not her fault. Endymion could only listen patiently, occasionally stroking her hair. Eventually he felt his hand building up a static charge, so he stopped.
"And just when I'm ready to finally get some rest, our daughter springs this sleepover on me! You've spoiled her too much, Endymion! Are you listening to me? Endymion?"
Now he really was asleep.
Serenity glanced wryly at him, pretending to be annoyed. He was lucky that she was so tired, and that he was so warm. She nestled herself against his chest and drifted off into pleasant dreams.
Her daughter was, at that moment, having a very vivid dream of her own.
The loud crack of a wooden spoon striking someone's hand echoed across Kino Makoto's apartment. It was followed by a dramatic howl of pain. The other girls, accustomed to the sound, barely glanced up from their work.
"You're mean, Chibiusa! What was that for?"
The short, pink-haired girl wagged the spoon in admonition. "Don't open the oven too soon! You have to wait until they're brown at the edges!"
Makoto wiped her hands on her green and yellow gingham apron and stepped in to break up the dispute. "That's right, Usagi-chan. Otherwise they won't bake properly."
Chibiusa looked smug. The blonde glared at her, then climbed onto a stool in the corner and proceeded to sulk.
"Stop eating all the chocolate chips, Mina!" Rei complained, looking ready to unleash her own brand of spoon-fu on her gluttonous companion.
"Aww, come on!" Minako protested. "I was just-- wow!" She interrupted herself to marvel at Ami, who was busily making flower-like prints on her cookies with the bottom of a glass. "That's a neat idea, Ami-chan!"
Ami smiled softly. "My mother showed me how," she explained. "When I was young, my mom always made cookies to cheer me up when I got discouraged."
"My mom's cakes were something special, too," Makoto recalled. Her eyes grew misty in spite of her. "That's what inspires me to cook. Although it seems like I can never quite get the same flavor..."
Rei gave her shoulder a squeeze, a slight touch of sympathy that needed no words. Makoto took a deep breath and perked up again. "Looks like Chibiusa and Usagi's batch is almost ready now!" She armed herself with an oven mitt.
"The sweetest snacks are full of sweet memories," Diana intoned from her perch atop Chibiusa's head. Chibiusa nodded vigorously in agreement, which unfortunately sent the kitten tumbling to the floor. Chibiusa cringed and quickly scooped her up.
"But future happiness is more important than memories," Rei said.
"Yup!" Minako chimed in. "That's why we're here getting lessons! We'll grasp happiness this Valentine's day!"
"Suit yourself," Rei muttered, looking disgusted.
"So if Makoto-sama is a good cook... does that mean she's already grasped happiness?" Diana asked. The others heaved a collective sigh. No one could blame Diana; her reasoning was sound, but the stark contrast to reality was depressing.
"Happiness becomes real while you're chasing it," Makoto volunteered, sounding more sure of herself than she felt. Her friends looked less than convinced. The buzzer on the oven saved her, and she quickly reached in to retrieve the tray.
"It's too bad my mother can only make burnt cookies!" Chibiusa complained. Usagi shot her another glare.
As if on cue, Makoto set the piping hot trays down on the counter. Several dozen small, misshapen black lumps were all that remained of what had seemed to be promising lumps of batter. The two would-be chefs were crestfallen.
"I wanted to give them to Mamo-chan, but they're all burnt! This is all your fault!" Usagi wailed.
"What? I was going to give them to Mamo-chan! It's your fault they got burnt!"
"Hey, he's my boyfriend! I should be the one to give him cookies!"
"What does it matter, since you went and burnt them?"
Makoto paused, inhaling the sweet yet earthy scent of freshly-baked oatmeal and raisins. "Wait a minute. They still smell all right." She broke a piece off and tentatively put it in her mouth. A second later, her face brightened. "Hey, these aren't bad!"
Chibiusa tasted one and nodded in approval. "In that case, I'll take them to Mamo-chan after all!" Wasting no time, she bundled them in a napkin. "Thanks a bunch, Mako-chan!" she called as she skipped out the door.
"Oh, no you don't!" Not to be outdone, Usagi grabbed a handful of cookies and shoved them into her school bag. She jammed her feet into her shoes and ran after Chibiusa. Three seconds later she stuck her head back in the door, said a quick thank-you-and-goodbye, and took off again, shouting a long stream of threats and insults at her future daughter.
Makoto grumbled softly as she realized they had left her with the dishes.
Unfortunately for Chibiusa, Usagi had much longer legs. Soon enough she overtook the younger girl, and before long she was out of sight in the distance. Even Chibiusa had to marvel at her stamina, considering her usual laziness.
Usagi might have every physical advantage, but Chibiusa prided herself on cunning. She cut through a narrow alley, crawled through some bushes, rounded a corner, and emerged on the street a few blocks ahead of Usagi. Dusting herself off, she set off running again in what she thought was the direction of Mamoru's apartment. After several more shortcuts, she decided she must be miles ahead of her rival and slowed to a walk, congratulating herself for such a brilliant maneuver.
But gradually it dawned on her that the roadway seemed very unfamiliar. In fact, she had never seen any of the buildings before. She forced herself not to panic, and began looking for road signs. At least it was still daylight, and she seemed to be in a fairly nice neighborhood.
She was so caught up in trying to get her bearing that she didn't notice the white haired boy standing in front of a shop window until she ran smack into him.
He turned to look at her with wide gray eyes. For a split second when she looked at him in the sunlight, she imagined she saw pair of giant, prismatic dragonfly wings sprouting from his back. Chibiusa gawked and blinked hard. When she looked again, he was a perfectly normal boy, wearing a perfectly normal red vest, with no wings in sight. Her mouth moved, but no words would come out. He was starting to look annoyed with her.
"Excuse me," she finally said.
He shook his head. "It's all right. Hey, that's a cute kitten you've got there."
Diana mewed happily and nudged him with her nose. He chuckled and obliged, stroking her head. Diana jumped up onto his shoulder and licked his cheek, making him laugh even more. Chibiusa relaxed and decided this stranger was all right.
"I'm Tsukino Chibiusa," she introduced herself.
"I'm Perle. Nice to meet you." He reached out to shake her hand.
"Are you waiting for someone?" she asked.
Perle shrugged. "My brother is in the store. I'm just watching all the children go in and out. They all look so happy." He smiled as another excited child came bouncing out with an armful of sweets. "This is a nice town. All the mothers look kind and gentle." There was an inarticulate longing in his voice, not the grief of a boy who has lost his mother, but the unaffected curiosity, combined with a touch of envy, of a boy who wonders what it would be like to have one. Maybe he had never known his family, Chibiusa thought. Maybe he and his brother were all alone.
But the mention of mothers and cookies brought her mind back to her own parental woes. "Not my mother!" she scoffed. "She's a selfish crybaby, and she can't cook!"
Perle just blinked, surprised at the outburst. "Do you not like her or something?"
"That's not it, exactly..." Chibiusa glanced in the window. "Wow, the snacks look really yummy!"
"Mmhm. They're so cheerful, they look like they might just get up and dance!" Perle pulled a slender, oddly-shaped white flute from his sleeve and began to play. The melody was light and cheerful, but there was an indefinite hollow eeriness to the sound, like a whisper she couldn't quite understand. She scarcely had time to marvel at the music, though, because a far more astonishing occurrence soon caught her attention in the center of the shop's glossy window display. A gingerbread man stirred and sat up, scratching its head as if awakening from a long slumber. Several gum-balls and a slice of baklava arranged themselves into the shape of a woman, who offered her hand to her pastry companion. As Chibiusa stared, the desserts began to waltz around on their platter, surrounded by a cloud of rainbow sprinkle butterflies.
"Perle," came a low voice from the doorway. Perle quickly lowered his flute. As soon as the music stopped, the confections dropped and lay still. Chibiusa rubbed her eyes, wondering if it had all been her imagination.
An older boy with deep green hair beckoned to Perle. "I've got what we needed. Let's go."
"Oh, that's my brother. Gotta run, see you later!" Perle said, flashing her a brief smile. He waved over his shoulder and then turned to follow his brother.
Chibiusa just stood staring for a few seconds. Then, on impulse, she hurried after him. "Wait, Perle!" she called as she caught up to him."
"What's the matter?"
"I, um..." She hesitated, then shoved her bag of cookies toward him. "Here. I want you to have these."
The boy looked surprised, but cautiously took the bag. "Hey, thanks!" he said with a smile. "Let's meet again, Chibiusa-chan!" He tucked the cookies into his belt and skipped off after his brother.
"Diana..." Chibiusa sniffled.
Diana realized with alarm that her mistress had tears streaming down her cheeks. "What's wrong, Small Lady?!"
"I've got nothing left to give to Mamo-chan!"
An ear-splitting crash interrupted Usagi's dream. The all-too familiar sound of alarms rose up around the palace. She jumped to her feet and stumbled to the window in the dark. Along the way she accidentally stepped on Atena, who snorted and sat up sleepily. Peering out into the night, Usagi could see a huge, dark shape lumbering across the palace lawn. Hotaru was now wide awake and managed to find the light switch. As the spotlights that hung from the the palace walls lit up, the intruder was revealed: a massive black tarantula with glowing orange eyes and legs the size of tree trunks. A sinking feeling grew in Usagi's stomach as she realized it had somehow gotten inside the shields. If it was hostile--which she suspected it was--they were going to have to fight it.
Atena's eyes lit up excitedly. "Wow, cool! Wish I had a camera."
The spider casually crushed the brick wall of the south garden and advanced on the palace. Usagi gulped. "Not cool. It's an enemy!" She looked from Atena to Hotaru, and the three girls nodded in understanding.
Moments later, a bright flash of pink, violet, and cerulean shone briefly from Usagi's bedroom, and three glowing figures leapt down from the balcony. Ribbons of energy wound around their bodies as they fell. They landed, graceful as cats--though one of them, after her experience with a certain hapless feline companion, would argue that the phrase was a misnomer. As their feet touched the ground, one last burst of magical sparks surrounded them, and when they stood, a single, intense beam of moonlight streaked down to illuminate the three freshly transformed sailor soldiers.
SailorMoon tried not to yawn as they sprinted across the dew-covered grass. Being woken up in the middle of the night, having to fight a creature that quite honestly gave her the creeps, and now having wet toes all put her in a very bad mood.
They intercepted the arachnid assailant just before its forelegs smashed into the palace walls.
"Stop right there!" Pallas commanded. The monster halted and swiveled its head to gaze upon them with eight beady eyes. Moon felt her skin crawl.
"For love and justice!" Saturn declared bravely.
"We are the sailor-suited soldiers of the First Crystal Generation!" Pallas joined in. "The Soldier of Cleverness, SailorPallas!"
"The Soldier of Reticence, SailorSaturn!"
"The Soldier of Dreams, SailorMoon! And I'm really tired, so in the name of the moon, let's get this over with! Moon Tiara... Tiara... oh, crap." She grasped in vain at her forehead, where her tiara should be. Too late she remembered the last battle they had fought, where Cobalt had caught her weapon and shattered it.
"Watch out, SailorMoon!" Pallas cried. The monster's powerful foreleg swatted the distressed moon soldier aside. Another pinned her, and the giant spider slowly turned, preparing to stab her with its deadly fangs.
"Get away from her!" Saturn's glaive flashed as she charged forward to rescue her friend. She meant to chop the leg that was holding SailorMoon down. But her feet were still numb from sleep, her eyes were still adjusting to the dark, and the wet grass was slippery. Suddenly her feet slid out from under her, and her glaive flew out of her hands.
By sheer luck, the blade did succeed in slicing off the spider's other front leg, and it staggered to the side, nearly stepping on her. Moon escaped, but was promptly kicked into a wall by one of the seven legs the thing still had to spare.
Now it was angry.
Pallas tried to avoid the stomping feet while looking for an opening to attack, meeting with minimal success in the latter endeavor. Dark brown fluid spurted from the open wound as it flailed about. Pallas sniffed a drop that had fallen on her hand.
"Oil? It's a machine?" As it came closer, she could see the exhaust pipes protruding from its back and the rows of bolts embedded along the metal plating that covered its body.
She didn't much time to contemplate, because the spider had backed her into a corner of the garden wall. Pallas glanced around, searching for a way out, but the wall was too high to jump and the monster was advancing too fast for her to get around it. The other two senshi were still on the ground, and Moon wasn't moving.
She tried to attack, but scarcely got one arm out before it shot a glob of blue gel from its mouth. The stuff stuck to her wrist and rapidly congealed. It was freezing cold, and Pallas realized it was not a web as she had expected, but ice. She tried to shake the heavy chunk off her arm, but it was stuck tight. Her hand was already losing feeling. Two more rapid shots of ice froze her feet together, then knocked her to the ground. The ice began to spread across her chest, and she gasped, suddenly struggling to breathe.
Pallas smiled up at the spider in a futile attempt to appeal to its better judgment.
Suddenly, someone leapt from atop the wall and slammed into the monster from above. Caught off balance, its knees buckled and it came crashing to the ground.
"Attacking in the middle of the night! How very rude! I need my beauty sleep."
Pallas recognized that haughty, feminine voice anywhere. "Ceres!" She waved weakly. Ceres knelt and broke the ice off of Pallas, wincing at the cold every time her gloved hands touched it.
"Thanks," Pallas gasped breathlessly. The two quickly moved away from the robot and rejoined Saturn, who was checking on Moon.
"Glad you could make it," Saturn said to Ceres.
Ceres made a gesture of fluffing her hair. "I like to make an entrance."
"Say, weren't you sick, Ceres?" Pallas recalled, her brow furrowing in concern.
"Well, I assure you that I'm perfectly fine now," Ceres promised. Then she sneezed.
The three senshi formed a wall around SailorMoon, who was just beginning to stir. The spider was also getting to its feet. Harsh, metallic scraping sounds filled the air and a large cloud of steam rose from the pipes on its back as its segmented legs levered its body off the ground.
"How do we beat this... thing?" Ceres asked Saturn.
"We're working on that."
SailorMoon stood, trying to ignore her injuries. Still gasping for breath, she leaned on Saturn's shoulder. Saturn smiled as she saw that Moon was back on her feet, but she never took her eyes off their enemy.
A hatch on the spider's back opened, and shrill laughter rang out from within. A small hand emerged from the opening. Its owner tried to lift herself out of the hatch, but slipped and banged into something with a hollow thud. Muttering curses, she gripped the edge tighter and finally managed to drag herself out. Somehow, the senshi were not surprised to see that it was Calomel.
Dusting off her short blue dress, Calomel perched on the mechanical monster's head and gave the senshi her best intimidating sneer.
"What's the matter, girls? Scared of a little spider?" Calomel covered her mouth with the back of her hand as she laughed, a gesture that might have seemed ladylike if not for her general air of childish rudeness. She pushed the throttle forward, and the spider reared up and charged at the senshi again.
"She's controlling it with that remote," Saturn noted. "Try to knock it out of her hand!"
Ceres stepped forward with hands outstretched, willing her power to focus. But when she opened her mouth to call out the spell, she was suddenly overcome by a rush of dizziness. She wobbled and collapsed.
"Ceres! What happened?" SailorMoon cried worriedly, rushing to her side.
Ceres coughed. "Perhaps I am a bit ill after all..."
"Look out!" Saturn shouted, pushing both of them out of the way of the charging mechanical beast. She and Pallas stood protectively in front of Moon and Ceres as the spider skidded to a stop and turned to face them again.
In spite of her apparent confidence, Calomel was starting to tire. Controlling so much steam was taking more effort than she'd anticipated. Maybe this was why Pyrolusite had decided not to use this particular model. Now she also recalled another problem he'd mentioned, something about a vulnerable spot on the underside. But no matter, she just wouldn't give them a chance to hit her.
She tried to knock Pallas out of the way and reach the two weakened soldiers, but Saturn lunged forward, grabbed one of the spider's back legs, and tripped it. It smashed headlong into the palace wall instead, and got its foot stuck there. As Calomel tried to yank it free, Pallas saw her chance to attack.
"Don't look, you guys!" she warned the other senshi. Silver drops of liquid formed in the air all around her and gathered into a ball in front of her. Pallas flung the ball at Calomel's face, squeezed her eyes shut tight, and shouted, "Pallas Quicksilver Burst!"
A brilliant flash of light momentarily flooded the area, and for a moment the night sky was blue as at noon. Calomel screamed and dropped to her knees, her hands over her eyes.
She groped for the remote and pushed another button. "Auto-Attack Mode! Get them!" she commanded.
Red lights flared up along the spider's back. It crouched, then leapt at them with renewed speed and viciousness. Calomel could only hang on for dear life. It was taking all her concentration just to keep supplying the steam the thing demanded. She severely regretted ever having come out of the armored compartment to taunt her opponents, but it was too late now.
SailorMoon dove to the side, dragging Ceres with her, as the spider fired a volley of freezing globs at her. Luckily, Saturn and Pallas arrived to distract it. Pallas grabbed a large rock and hurled it at the spider's head. It struck the monster squarely in the face, crushing its "mouth." It tried to spit ice at her, but as she'd hoped, the blue liquid bubbled weakly out of the smashed-in opening and solidified in icicles around the spider's jaw, like a jagged white beard.
"Take care of Ceres. We'll handle the monster," Saturn told SailorMoon. "Let's go, Pallas!"
The two dashed toward the monster in what seemed an insane head-on charge. The spider crouched in predatory anticipation. But at the last second, Saturn veered off sharply to the left and Pallas to the right.
The spider paused, confused by the sudden movement. When it realized what had happened, it began stomping its feet wildly in an attempt to crush the girls. But they were ready and dove under its belly, out of reach. Saturn jabbed the Silence Glaive into a seam in the spider's abdomen and twisted hard. Screws and bolts flew in all directions as she wrenched off a large section of metal plating, revealing the complicated tangle of gears and pistons that drove the mechanical creature.
Pallas was ready. "Blizzard Spear!" she shouted, and launched a sharp chunk of ice straight into the hole Saturn had created. The spider shuddered as the attack smashed into its innards. Calomel tried to turn it around, but it was too late. Fingers of ice crept into every crevice of the engine and spread rapidly, locking up gears and cracking pipes as it expanded. The metal plates of the spider's hide began to bulge and crack off as ice swelled up beneath. Saturn and Pallas scrambled out from under the machine as it collapsed with a tremendous crash.
Saturn jabbed the blunt end of her weapon into the fallen spider's thorax, right between Calomel's feet. Cracks spread out from the point of impact and rapidly travelled along the spider's frozen frame.
"Surrender," Saturn ordered.
"Never," Calomel hissed, pure hatred in her voice. With a snap of her fingers, a blue fog surrounded her, whisking her away. Saturn backflipped away from the spider, and the senshi took cover as it exploded into shards of ice and metal.
Calomel staggered out of the portal and collapsed to the cold steel floor, clutching her eyes and moaning. Heavy footsteps warned her that her brother was coming. She whimpered and tried to crawl away, but ran head-first into a wall. She fell, stunned, and lay curled in the fetal position, trembling in terror.
Pyrolusite's voice came from behind her, low and dark, every word sharply enunciated, shaking with barely contained rage. "You went into my lab without permission again," he accused. "How many times do I have to-- Calomel?"
He realized something was wrong when she did not argue or even turn to look at him, only groped at the air with clawlike hands. He seized her shoulders and spun her to face him. Still she only stared blankly through him. He waved a hand in front of her face, but she didn't even blink.
"Can you see anything?" he asked.
"No."
He released her, and she slumped back against the wall. "The sailor senshi did this to you, didn't they?"
"Yes." Calomel bit her lip. "Pyrolusite, I... I'm scared of the dark."
There was a long silence. She began to wonder if he had left.
When he spoke again, a bit of the anger had gone out of his voice. But his tone was still cold as he said, "You got yourself into this mess. I have no sympathy for you."
The next thing Seresu knew, she was surrounded by the soft, warm luxury of feather pillows and blankets. She didn't remember passing out, but she must have at some point during the battle.
"She's awake, you guys," she heard Hotaru say. Moments later, Usagi and Atena's footsteps came thundering to her bedside.
"Where am I?" she croaked.
"You're in my room," Usagi replied. "We carried you here after you collapsed."
"It seems you pushed yourself too hard," Hotaru said.
Seresu sat up slowly. "Perhaps I did. I suppose that was foolish... what's this?" She broke off mid-sentence as she noticed the sleeping bags strewn across Usagi's floor. "You guys were having a sleepover?"
Atena nodded. "Yup! It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing."
"We decided to come here because the pipes in Itokuri-san's house expl--" Usagi began, then clapped a hand over her mouth when she remembered she wasn't supposed to tell. "Um, I mean, we just decided while we were eating lunch."
Seresu's lip trembled. "And you didn't invite me?" she asked, looking betrayed. "I thought we were friends!"
Usagi didn't answer at first. Seresu's behavior at the meeting had not been particularly friendly, but Usagi knew better than anyone what it was like to feel awkward with her peers, and how one learned to hide that awkwardness with a facade of superiority. She hesitated, caught between the urge to make a retort and the desire to comfort her.
Seresu took her silence as an answer. "Perhaps I was mistaken." She seemed suddenly fascinated with her fingernails.
Then Atena spoke up. "Seresu-chan."
Like water on a wilted flower, the term of endearment roused Seresu from her drooping melancholy. She looked up at Atena with anxious hope.
"I'm glad you're okay, Seresu-chan," said Usagi. Seresu's eyes turned to her, and Usagi was surprised at the desperation she saw in them. Gone was the classy, refined socialite she had pictured Seresu to be. Now she could see a lonely and insecure girl who Usagi realized reminded her quite a bit of herself.
"Let's be friends from now on," Hotaru suggested with a warm smile.
Seresu smiled back. "That would be splendid." She sighed, looking as if a huge weight had been lifted from her. Everyone relaxed, enjoying the warm and fuzzy moment.
Seresu made a small sound of puzzlement. Her eyes had fallen on the pearl flute that Atena had left sitting on Usagi's table. "What a lovely little instrument! Where did you get it?" she asked.
"From her boyfriend, uh... Nonpareil," Atena answered for her.
Usagi's fists balled in mock anger. "His name is Perle, and he wasn't my boyfriend!" she insisted.
"So she claims, but she can't say his name without blushing!" Hotaru teased.
"I'm blushing because you're embarassing me!"
Seresu cleared her throat, and the others looked at her expectantly. "I have determined..." she said, pausing for effect, "that as it is Usagi's heart we're discussing, Usagi knows best."
"Thank you! I'm sitting with her now," Usagi announced, crawling over beside Seresu.
There was a short, tense silence. Hotaru and Atena glanced over at the pink-haired camp, then back at each other.
No one was sure who fired the first shot. But the next thing Usagi knew, she was hit in the face with a lacy pink pillow. She retaliated with a stuffed rabbit, aiming for Hotaru but somehow hitting Seresu instead. Atena grabbed another cushion and jumped into the fray, and soon a no-holds-barred, every-woman-for-herself pillow fight ensued.