Thorny Roses

Chapter 6

A man with dark red hair walked down the dark corridors, his light footsteps echoing. He was of medium height and stature, wearing a black vest and green pants. His forehead was cursed with an upside-down, black crescent moon.

The doors to the throne room opened and he walked up to the throne, bowing to a man with silvery white hair. He also had the black crescent moon on his forehead.

"Rubeus, where are the Ayakashi Sisters?" The silver-haired man spoke. His voice was calm yet wavy, as though he was in a daze. He swirled red wine in a glass, occasionally taking a sip. He was careful not to spill the blood red wine on his white clothing.

"Prince Diamond," the red-haired man bowed again. "They will be arriving shortly."

Obnoxious laughter echoed around the throne room as a woman with green hair materialized in the room. She wore a short black dress adorned with green-blue gems along with black boots. She waved a flashy red fan as she laughed loudly.

"Too afraid to show their faces after so many disasters, huh?" The woman laughed.

"Don't instigate, Emerald," a man's voice chastised. The man who spoke materialized in front of the throne, beside Rubeus. He wore a dark blue jacket with white pants. His navy blue hair hung in front of his aquamarine eyes. Though he spoke harshly, his voice was calm.

The woman narrowed her eyes at him.

"I suppose you're happy to be able to see a certain sister, Sapphire" Emerald hissed, a cruel smirk on her lips.

Prince Sapphire stiffened and glared at the green-haired woman. He turned towards Prince Diamond, bowing to him.

"Brother, why have you called us here?" Sapphire questioned.

"I have found something rather interesting from one of the battles with the Sailor Senshi," Prince Diamond drawled. A hologram shined into focus in the middle of the room. It showed a replay of the battle with one of their droids and the Senshi. However, the other three people in the room were surprised to see an extra four men fighting along with them. They gasped when they saw a woman with long blonde hair fighting the droid, as well.

"I-is that who I t-think it is?" Sapphire choked.

Prince Diamond smiled, sighing in awe. "Yes, it is the future Neo-Queen of Crystal Tokyo. She looks so beautiful, like a rare desert flower."

Emerald snapped her fan shut, growling. She glared at the hologram of the blonde woman, fighting the droid with expertise.

The doors opened once again, revealing four women. Each of the women bowed before Prince Diamond. One of the women stepped forward, a look of fear in her eyes. She had short green hair and wore a dark green tunic with black tights and shoes. She also wore green feathers on her shoulders and black gloves. She, along with the other women, also had the black crescent moon on her forehead.

"Prince Diamond," she bowed deeply. "I humbly apologize for our failed attempts at capturing the Rabbit. If given another chance, I will not let you down."

"We will not let you down," one of the women behind her said. She had short brown hair with a yellow bow in the back. She wore a short yellow top with a red skirt, paired with gold bracelets and yellow boots. She also wore a red choker around her neck. Her long earrings shook slightly as she glared at her sister.

Petz ignored her sister, only choosing to narrow her eyes at Calaveras.

"Onee-sama," another of the sisters sighed. She had icy blue hair tied back in a braid and wore what seemed like a light blue swimsuit. Her eyes were a shining yet calm blue. She sighed again at her older sisters' antics—they always fought.

Berthier stepped forward, as well, her braid swinging to and fro.

"Please give us another chance, Prince Diamond," she bowed.

The Prince laughed maliciously. "Ladies, I did not call you here to punish you. In fact, I called you here to reward you."

The four sisters stood up straight in shock. They each traded glances with each other before turning their complete attention to the Prince. They watched as he stood up from his throne and walked towards the hologram, frozen on the blonde woman holding a small, pink-haired girl.

"I want to reward you for helping me find this woman," Prince Diamond smiled up at the figure.

"B-but we failed," Calaveras stuttered. "We weren't able to defeat the Sailor Senshi or capture the Rabbit."

"Ah, but you found something more valuable to me," the Prince sighed.

Emerald snarled again. "Who was in charge of this battle?"

Each of the sisters turned to look at the youngest of them. Koan had long, bushy purple hair with two cat-like ears on her head. She wore a pink and purple striped suit with a purple, feathery skirt and purple heels. A large purple gem was on her forehead along with a purple collar around her neck.

She looked to Rubeus for help but he only jerked his head in response.

"It was me," Koan stepped forward.

"Was it really Serenity?" Emerald growled.

Koan nodded. "It really did look like her," she murmured, staring at the hologram, as well.

"Well, thank you all for everything. You may leave," Prince Diamond said. The Sisters bowed to him and walked out, Rubeus following behind them. Petz shared a glance with Sapphire, who had been watching her the entire time. She quickly looked away, blushing.

"What's wrong with you?" Calaveras hissed.

"Nothing," Petz answered.

Prince Diamond smiled up at the hologram, not noticing Emerald glaring up at it.

Sapphire sighed, fearful of the crazed look in his brother's eyes.

"Serenity will be mine," Diamond whispered.

/~\

Usagi hummed as she pulled on her school uniform. It was a white blouse with puffed short sleeves with a gray vest over it. The uniform included a short purple skirt and a purple bow with white lining to go on the chest.

All Usagi could think about was Mamoru and their kiss. She couldn't have been happier.

The doorbell rang and Usagi's heart started beating. She walked towards the door hesitantly, her breath heavy. She flung open the door, a grin on her face.

"Mamoru!" Usagi yelled. However, her face quickly fell and she blushed.

The mailman, frightened at her outburst, handed her the newspaper and ran.

"I-I'm sorry!" Usagi yelled after him. She sighed, slumping against the door.

"Well, that was amusing," someone chuckled.

Usagi looked up into midnight blue eyes. Mamoru's dark hair hung in his amused, yet kind eyes. His nose was straight, leading to his full lips. Usagi blushed while looking at his lips and quickly looked away. She stood up straight, walking back into the apartment.

Mamoru followed behind her, still amused at her previous actions.

"Would you like some coffee?" Usagi said. "You're a little early," she checked her watch. In fact, he was an hour earlier than school would start.

"Well, I had to make sure I would get here before the girls," he smiled. However, his face turned serious and his eyes glinted in determination. "I will make it up to you. I will prove how much I love you and spend the rest of my life apologizing to you."

Usagi looked up at him, walking towards him. His eyes were smoldering. She placed a hand on his cheek, smiling up at him. They both could feel the electricity and passion in the air—it was thick upon them, squeezing them closer together.

"You better," Usagi whispered, reaching up to kiss him.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here?"

The couple spun around, coming face to face with the Senshi in their school uniforms. They all matched with Usagi, as they were all going to the same high school now.

Minako, who had spoken, had her eyebrows lifted. Though she had a suggestive smile on her face, the shock was evident in her eyes. Rei and Makoto seemed a little angry while Ami was just blushing.

"What's going on here?" Rei questioned. She did not attempt to mask the anger in her voice. Mamoru looked down, apologetic in his demeanor.

"What does it look like, Rei?" Usagi countered.

"Usagi, can we talk to you for a little bit?" Makoto asked, a stiff smile on her face.

Usagi looked up at Mamoru and he left the room, walking into the kitchen. Usagi motioned for the girls to follow her into the living room.

"Usagi, are you crazy?" Rei screamed. "Have you forgotten what he did to you?"

Usagi's stare grew cold. "I remember very well, thank you."

Rei looked down in shame.

"I know this is going to sound crazy. Believe me, I didn't believe it when Mamoru told me, too. Everything was all just a misunderstanding. I don't expect you to understand but I do expect you to respect my decision. I know what I'm doing," Usagi calmly said. "Now, are we good?"

The girls stared in awe at Usagi. She had spoken so maturely, so unlike the old Usagi. They each nodded, still in shock.

"Good. Now, let's go to school," Usagi smiled.

"Usagi-chan!"

The girls turned around to face Nephrite and the rest of the Generals. Mamoru was standing behind them, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Sorry, I had to let them in," Mamoru said, scratching the back of his head.

"What are you apologizing for?" Jadeite growled.

Usagi laughed. "Good, we can all go to school together."

The Senshi and Generals walked out of the apartment, forming into their respective pairs.

"Purple looks good on you," Jadeite smiled at Rei. "But I prefer red," he whispered. Rei blushed, scowling yet pleased.

Ami was stumbling as she walked, a pile of books in her arms. A hand lifted some of the books out of her arms. Ami looked up into Zoicite's dark green eyes, blushing.
"Let me help you carry some of these," Zoicite offered.

Ami looked surprised before grinning at him. "Thank you!"

Zoicite was caught off guard by her sudden smile. "Y-you're welcome."

As the group walked out of the apartment complex, Kunzite held the door open for Minako. She smirked at him in thanks.

"You have impeccable manners," she complimented.

"Only in the presence of a beautiful lady," Kunzite winked. Minako giggled.

Farther up ahead, Makoto walked beside Nephrite. Makoto was staring at Nephrite from the corner of her eyes, lost in thought. She stumbled on a crack in the sidewalk, nearly falling. However, Nephrite quickly caught her, pulling her up close.

Makoto blushed pulling away. She felt silly for stumbling—she was no weak female.

"I can take care of myself," she said, looking away from the brawny brunette beside her.

He smiled down at her affectionately. "I know. I just can't help watching out for you, though. Something about you makes me want to protect you at all times."

"Oh…um, thanks," Makoto blushed. She looked away from him, smiling to herself.

Far behind the group, Mamoru and Usagi walked side by side. There was a comfortable distance between them, not too far, not too close. Mamoru examined Usagi's short skirt and her high ponytail. Though he was happy to see her like this, he wasn't sure how he felt about other guys seeing her, as well. Mamoru took a deep breath, grabbing Usagi's hand.

Usagi looked up at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry—" Mamoru let go of her hand. But Usagi quickly grabbed his hand, walking closer to him. He looked down at their entwined hands, then smiled at her. They said nothing to each other as they walked. But, then again, nothing needed to be said.