2: "Daily life"

Never before had Usagi gone to so much trouble to get up early. Even when she was nearing finals for her graduating year, she had slept in, sprinted in late, and had dozed whenever she thought she could afford to (and frankly, it was a miracle she had graduated). But this was different; she was helping other people; she was needed. One could say what they wanted about Usagi Tsukino, but she'd never turn down the chance to help others, even if it meant waking up before the sunrise (for once, without any "romantic" reason to), even if it meant setting off every alarm in her apartment and skipping breakfast— even if it meant that, ultimately, all she'd do was direct traffic, answer questions, and keep people away from the disaster area.

Having grown up reasonably close to Yokohama, Usagi's face was a familiar sight to several of its citizens, and more than one recognized her as they were directed away from the rubble. At first, she gave in to the urge to chat with them, but when Hari got on her case, Usagi reluctantly ushered them along, feeling lonesome despite all the other officers, doctors, construction workers, and volunteers in the area (some of them, she noticed, were awfully cute). But this was her job now, and she had to admit, as tedious as it was to detour people away, it was a step up from being crammed in a cubicle scribbling her name over and over again.

Breaks were few and far between. She decided to call Ami— not because she missed speaking with her, but because she figured that a prominent doctor such as her would be in the area, and maybe could help out (and yes, maybe they could hang out again. Usagi wasn't completely selfless). Ami knew about the quake but wasn't assigned to it; she was already taking care of people who had been transported to her hospital. So much for that. The call took up half her break; she used the second half to contact Rei. Predictably, she ran into the voice-mail, so she left a message asking if city hall would be doing anything about this— and maybe Rei might get involved as well. She was pulled back in shortly after, without any sort of answer.

The day wore on. Usagi never really had a moment of down time: the disaster wasn't terrible or huge— it was more of an inconvenience— but there was always another car to veer away, or pedestrians gawking, or some general work she was called to help out with. Hari had dealt with earthquakes before, in her home city of Calcutta, and had this rescue and relief operation nailed. Of course, it wasn't entirely thanks to the police that the day was saved: all of the neighboring cities' emergency workers were helping out, and Usagi felt proud to be a part of that, even though she was only a tiny cog. Someone needed to keep the streets cleared and organized.

Her lunch break gradually crept up on her, but rather than sitting down and chatting with her fellow coworkers over a sandwich, a cookie, and ice-cold tea (pretty much all she could make), Usagi was taken to a low-key area and given yet another assignment. A number of vandals had struck despite their efforts, and while most of them had been caught, a few managed to run off with some stolen articles, and until they could be reclaimed, the police needed to fill out insurance vouchers for those items. And that was Usagi's task.

"It's not complicated," Hari said, tracing her finger over the paper. "Just make sure the claimants match up with the article in question, and put your signature here. And take your time; we've got stacks of these."

"So people have been stealing stuff even with the police right here?"

"Well, we can't be everywhere at once. A lot of these people struck as soon as the tremors stopped— like vultures waiting for some poor animal to die. We've got units from all over the city looking for these people, but the success rate is low." Usagi frowned, feeling her heart break. She wished that human nature was just a little bit better.

She hadn't even completed a fraction of the insurance papers when her lunch break ended. Hari pulled someone else out to slave over it while she went back to traffic detail. During a temporary lull, she felt her cell phone vibrating, and took a moment to see who had given her a text message. It was Rei, of all people; her heart leaped as she read it.

[Good to hear from you again! (smiley face) Sorry I couldn't pick up, but you know how it is. (weary face) This is a good PR op, so expect a few suits to come by and give meaningless speeches. I wish I could come in person, but some other interns need their chance in the spotlight. Email me and tell me how it went! (hearts)]

"How does she do that," Usagi grumbled, staring at the alphanumeric keypad on her phone. It had very poor texting abilities; she could barely type in a few garbled words. Leave it to Rei to have some state-of-the-art government-issue super-phone…

"Tsukino, no telephone breaks while you're on the job," Sgt. Asagiri called out. Usagi waved.

"I know. I got a text from a friend who works with city hall. She says there's going to be some important people coming by later."

"Oh? Are they going to help us dig all these people out and clear the debris?"

"Well, they're city hall people, so…probably not."

"Then tell em' to stay out of our way!" Usagi smiled at him and nodded. So Ami was out, and Rei was out. It seemed highly unlikely that Makoto would be of any help here, and knowing Minako's hectic schedule, the most she'd see from her would be a check made in donation to the relief fund. Once again, she was all alone. Well, as Minako oftentimes said (and Rei corrected), "if the door of opportunity is locked, try the window." She gestured to Asagiri and smiled as he helped move the debris trucks around.

"Say Asagiri, got any plans for this evening?"

"Yeah, why? You asking me out on a date?"

"No," she giggled, "I just feel like spending time with people and having fun. It's been a long time since I've hung out with friends."

"People our age don't have those kinds of friends," he said sullenly. "Somehow, all of the precious memories and good times you had when you were young are all thrown away, like they meant nothing in the end. And for what, I ask you? So that people can grow up, get old, get meaner, lose all sight of beauty in the world…"

"Okay, jeez, downer alert! I actually think you need to go out more than I do! So what are your plans?"

"Sister's birthday. She'll be seventeen."

"Aww, you never told me you had a family! My little brother's still in college— "

"It's not something I bring up," he shrugged. Asagiri emotionally distanced himself from Usagi and bent to his task, leaving her feeling stricken and empty. She tried not to dwell on what he had said as she endured the long, waning hours to the day's end. She and her friends hadn't separated because they found something more important; their careers had just taken them to different parts of the country (and one, to the world itself). They were all needed very badly in positions of utmost importance, and while Usagi knew they could never be as close as they were in their youth, she believed that the strings that connected them had merely lengthened, and that, if the need arose, all she had to do was wind it up, and they'd be there again.

But it had been years since all five of them were in the same place, and months since she had seen anybody aside from Ami and Makoto.

It's not true, she fought to convince herself. What he said isn't true. People don't just leave something like that on a whim. They don't give up everything that was precious just so they could…have a job! We can't possibly choose our own isolation…

Of course, the more she tried to fight it off, the harder it pressed on her, until her emotions threatened to overwhelm her work ethic. She began to cry; she slackened; Usagi steeled herself in the end, but was left with bitter doubts that melted her pure resolve away like acid. She decided to try again, this time with someone she had never spoken with.

"Say, um…Hayashida?" A woman much younger than her looked up, her eyes bleary from staring at insurance papers.

"Mmn…yes?"

"Got any plans for tonight?"

"Yeah, a hot bath and a long night's sleep. I'm exhausted!"

"Oh." Crestfallen, she turned away. So, when people reached adulthood, they were either too busy to maintain their old friendships, or too tired. Her heart cracked as she tried convincing herself that it wasn't true. The defenses she brought up were weakening, though.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason," she smiled painfully. Hayashida sat up.

"Oh, did you want to do something with me? Wow, you just asked me right outta the blue like that! Sure, I'd love to! When's your next day off?"

"Tomorrow!" Usagi chirped, feeling her spirits renewed. Hayashida smiled brightly.

"Cool. I still have to work, but it's only a half-shift. Maybe we could meet at Hachiko?"

"Sure, why not?" she laughed. "I'm in a conventional mood. What time?"

"I get off work at one, and I can be there at one-thirty. Think you can last that long without me?"

"Sure, I'm bound to find something to do! You know how everything piles up."

"Sure do," she grinned. She waved and silently went back to her stack, leaving Usagi invigorated, her faith restored. So: tomorrow at one-thirty, right in front of Hachiko. It sounded like something she'd see in a romantic movie…

At long last, Usagi's ten-hour shift had ended, and she was free to do as she pleased. Hari thanked everyone for coming out so early, and stayed behind just long enough to welcome the afternoon and evening crews. Usagi still needed some time to prepare, so after handing Hayashida her phone number (just in case), she went back to the police officer's tent and rummaged through her belongings. While inside, she smiled at two of the geologists called in to assess the damage. She tuned them out as she arranged her items, since most of it was scientific lingo even Ami might not understand, but one thing they said gave her cause to eavesdrop.

"— yeah, that's true. And for such a freak occurrence, it could have been a whole lot worse. I still can't understand how it happened, though. I mean, this part of the country isn't anywhere near a fault line. The worst thing they'd ever see would be a tremor, and that wouldn't knock off a single plate from the kitchen."

"Nature works in mysterious ways, I guess. Maybe there's a subduction we haven't taken into account yet. Better go trace the isoseismic lines again, just to be sure."

"Yeah. Strangest thing, though— especially since the seismographs didn't give us any warning until it was nearly too late. That sort of thing just doesn't happen around here. Oh well." They shrugged, resuming their studies, while Usagi slowly meditated over what they had said. She knew as much about earthquakes as she knew about culinary arts, but if this activity didn't have any grounds for explanation…

Oh, don't worry about it, she assured herself. Let them do their job. It's probably nothing— and anyway, it's not like I understand enough of it to help. It's time for me to head home and get some play time in!

Playing video games, surfing the internet, and reading manga was all well and good, but eventually Usagi floated around her television, curling up with a hot meal fresh from the box. She flipped through channels carelessly, pausing here and there when something piqued her interest, finally lingering on the evening news. Seeing as how she was a police officer and all, she figured the least she could do was stay abreast of local, national, and international reports. The anchors promised coverage of the day's earthquake, but Usagi had finished her meal and washed her dishes long before they aired anything.

Of course, there was nothing there that she hadn't learned firsthand— and of course, there were no shots of her. Chief Hari barely got a few words in herself, mostly addressing the looting that had taken place earlier. A geologist then came by and described the "freak act of nature", casually stating that although seven people had been killed in the disaster, the seismic activity was minimal, and would not repeat itself for some time. But those words, only seven people, struck deeper into Usagi's heart than anything else before. Seven people had been killed!— and she had been in the middle of it!— and these people were dismissing it like it was nothing!

Feeling sick, she laid back on her couch, turning the television off, focusing intently on the blank white ceiling of her apartment. Seven people had died today, and she had been there, and she had been powerless. The realist in her told her that this sort of thing really did happen all the time, and that, considering how badly disasters could turn, seven was a respectable figure. That wasn't even the slimmest sliver of the most infinitesimal fraction of a fraction of a percentage! Usagi had nothing to be ashamed about, and besides, her job had been to maintain security and order at the site, not dive into the fray and save lives. And for those responsible for just that purpose, who knows how many other lives they had saved! Why, seventy may have been pulled out of that wreckage!— or a hundred— a thousand— who knows?

But little good that reasoning was doing her. Deep in her heart, Usagi still felt like something more could've been done. And beyond that, in the darkest recesses of her soul, long since buried and nearly forgotten, was the thought that someone might have been able to save those people— someone named Sailor Moon. Yes, she dared consider that. She rolled over, glancing at the hallway that bypassed that closet, lingering on the sliver of paper that could be drawn aside, revealing the dank interior, where she had stored her heritage and her destiny all these years. She gazed at it, wondering.

But it was too late now. Seven were dead, and Usagi Tsukino was laying on her couch. There was no more Sailor Moon, and there never would be again.

She went to bed, but Usagi didn't sleep much.

…

Being so restless and fretful, Usagi woke early and showered, trying to figure out what to do with her free time. As she was drying and combing her long golden hair (she still wore it in those trademark buns of hers), her phone went off, and her heart sprang when she recognized Makoto's name.

"Hey there, Makoto! Good morning!"

"Wow, I didn't expect you to be up for another five hours, Usagi! Must be all that rigorous police training."

"Hardy har, I had insomnia last night."

"Oh, sorry," she said gently. "Maybe I should call another time and let you get some rest."

"Nah, I'm fine. For some reason, I feel pretty energetic now. So to what do I owe this pleasant conversation?"

"Well, I feel sort of bad bringing this up," she sighed. "Do you have to work today?"

"No."

"Oh, good. Did you have any plans?"

"Well, I was going to meet a friend from work later today."

"Ah."

"Why, did you have something in mind?"

"No, forget about it."

"Come on, Mako," she sang, using her most manipulative voice. "You can tell Aunt Bunny!"

"That's actually the reason I called you," she winced. "Motoki and I will both be out of town all day, and I haven't been able to find someone to watch the kids yet..."

"Mako," Usagi sang, "why didn't you say so in the first place? I'd love to! And don't ever feel like you're imposing, okay?"

"Yeah, but, what about spending the day with your friend?"

"I'm meeting her at one! I've got half a day to do whatever I want! And who knows, she might be in the mood to help me out!"

"Well, at least I know they'll be safe. If you're both okay with it, I'd really appreciate it. I have to leave soon, but Motoki will still be here when you arrive. Call me again if you need anything."

"Okay, I will. Have fun at…wherever you're going!" They both hung up; Usagi got dressed and prepared for the train ride over. Makoto lived in Koriyama, in southern Tohoku; going by train would take some hours, so she'd have to bring a diversion or two. It wasn't until she had already locked up and walked halfway to the next block when Usagi realized she had passed up a golden opportunity.

Call me if you need me…

"There's so much more I could have said to her," she sighed. Next to Ami, Usagi saw Makoto the most, so it wasn't as though her absence was a terrible gnawing beast, but still, Usagi missed being with her, and she had reached a point in her life where companionship seemed more important than ever. She was forced to live with her regret as she boarded the train and buried herself in manga and portable music.

Because Makoto had no other family to speak of, and because her husband did, he had taken her family name, and was known as Mr. Motoki Kino— but to Usagi, he was simply a longtime friend, ally, confidante, and one of the few people outside their circle who knew of her alter ego. He had also been an early girlhood crush of Usagi's, but any awkwardness that might have shown up in the relationship was decimated when Usagi's embrace turned from him to his children, Naoko (the eldest) and Shinozaki.

"Aunt Bunny! I missed you!"

"I missed you too, princess!" Usagi squeezed her "niece" tightly, picking her up and twirling her around as she laughed. Little Naoko was soon strapped to Usagi's back, holding on tight to her long tails, as she spoke to the father. "So where's mama?"

"With a convention of restaurateurs in Sendai."

"Ah, cool. Too bad she missed the Tanabata festival."

"I'd say she's better off without that much excitement. There are a lot of small businesses there like ours, and she's been selected to host a seminar. I'm actually due in Iwaki pretty soon; I just had to stay behind to make sure someone was watching the kids. You're really helping us a lot, Usagi. Our normal sitter caught the flu, and Mako and I didn't have anyone else to turn to."

"Aww, that's okay, Motoki," she grinned. "I don't mind a bit! Anytime you two need me (and I have the day off and don't have any hot dates planned)," she muttered under her breath, "I'd be happy to come by."

"Great. Listen, I'm really sorry to do this to you, but if I don't bolt soon, I'll miss my train. There's food in the fridge— you remember where diapers and toys are— and you know when their bedtime is… Uhh, you still have our numbers in case you need to call us, right?"

"Hey, I told you not to worry," she said, beaming happily as she helped him out the door. "I've done this before, remember? Now you go and have a good time. All I ask in return is for you two to bring us back lots of yummy souvenirs!" Motoki relaxed and smiled back at her. Naoko reached out to her father, calling him; Shinozaki looked up and laughed as his Aunt Bunny's tails trailed within grasping distance. She winced as he pulled on them; Motoki picked him up, patting his head.

"All right, it's a deal. Can you two play nice for a few hours with your Aunt Bunny?"

"Okay, daddy," Naoko called.

"Ban, ban," Shinozaki added. He smiled and kissed them both, then waved farewell and was gone, sprinting not unlike his one-time arcade regular. Usagi waved at him until he was gone, then went back inside, clapping her hands.

"Okay! Who's up for a game?"

Usagi's cell phone went off while she was playing "catch the ball" with the children. She didn't recognize the number, so she answered cautiously, but cordially. "Tsukino here."

"Tsukino! It's Hayashida."

"Oh, hey!" She glanced over at the living room clock. It read 11:45, plenty of time to make the train back to Shibuya. "I had to take care of something for a friend, so I might be a little late getting there. You don't mind if I bring some of her kids with me, do you? I'm sort of their baby-sitter."

"I don't mind, but you probably shouldn't bother." She sounded dejected. Usagi had no idea this impromptu meeting between coworkers meant so much to her.

"Oh? Why not?"

"There's been some trouble at the disaster site, and my half-day shift just turned into a full-day, with almost certain overtime."

"Oh no! What sort of trouble? Does Hari need me to come, too?" Usagi's nearly-forgotten fears resurfaced; the words she had overheard came back to haunt her; she feared the worst.

"No, no, it's not that bad. It's just some structural damage caused by an aftershock. She needs me and a few others to beef up security. You don't have to come, especially if you're taking care of your friend's children. I'll let Hari know you're unavailable, though, just in case."

"Thanks, Hayashida," she exhaled. "You sort of had me worried there for a second."

"What for?" she laughed gently. "This is Japan; these things happen all the time."

"That's what Asagiri said," she smiled sadly. "Actually, I heard from some workers that this wasn't a usual quake. I didn't really understand what they were saying, but I think the gist of it was that it wasn't supposed to happen."

She could almost hear Hayashida shrugging. "You can never predict what nature will do, even with today's technology. She'll always have the upper hand. Anyway, I wanted to cancel our arrangement so you wouldn't wonder where I was. Maybe some other time."

"Sure, anytime you like. Uh, I'm actually free this Sunday, too, unless Hari or, uh, Mother Nature has anything to say about it." Hayashida laughed.

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. See you at work, Tsukino."

"Sure, take care, Hayshida. Oh!— and if anything unusual happens while you're there, will you let me know? I still have a bad feeling about this."

"All right, I will," she smiled. They both hung up, and Usagi was left with the Kino children for the rest of the day. Shinozaki was hankering for her cell phone, so after turning the power off and wiping the dribble from his chin, she let him play with it. Naturally, the first place it went was his mouth, and soon even Naoko, who was two years older than her brother, wanted a bite.

"I guess it's time you two ate. What would you like Aunt Bunny to fix you?"

"Peets," Naoko said. Shinozaki spat out his toy.

"Momo."

"Peaches it is." She got up and raided the kitchen, praying that Makoto had something quick and easy stashed away. There was some baby food in the cupboard, and even some whole peaches in the refrigerator; Usagi cut them up and dutifully fed them to the little Kinos. As for herself, she discovered a Styrofoam box full of assorted leftovers, and after a brief trip to the microwave, she was dining like a queen. It should have been a relaxing moment, but she couldn't help but turn the television on and flip through the various news channels, combing them for further information about yesterday's disaster. Being a guardian of love and justice for so long had sharpened her intuition for these sorts of things, and while she hoped she was wrong, something told her to keep her eye on this, just in case.

Author's notes:

The Hachiko statue is a real location set in Shibuya, and is a very popular meeting place for people, so naturally, Usagi and Hayashida would want to go there. The Tanabata festival is also real, and is one of the major festivals of Tohoku. As for the custom of the man sometimes taking the woman's name, this is an actual practice in Japan, and is even illustrated in other anime, such as in Neon Genesis Evangelion, when Gendo Rokubungi (who apparently had other relatives) married Yui Ikari, and became Gendo Ikari. This practice ensures that at least one member from both sides of the family gets to keep their family name. Speaking of which, I read somewhere that in some production or other, Motoki proposed to Makoto during Usagi's wedding, and she accepted, so it only seemed natural that they had a family. As for why Usagi has not done the same with Mamoru…well, more on that later.