Chapter 3: Two Way Street
It was a bright, warm day, and Usagi was very happy to spend part of it sitting on the outdoor patio of her favorite bistro. She closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, enjoying the feel of the sun's rays on her face and neck. A smile formed on her lips as she thought about how much she used to enjoy spending time outside, having picnic lunches with her friends and going on romantic strolls through the park with Mamoru.
"Usagi-chaaaan!"
Usagi opened her eyes, startled, to see Minako, Makoto, Rei, and Ami excitedly approaching the table. She noticed the happy looks on their faces and suddenly felt slightly guilty. She didn't have the mental energy to spend time with people on most days, so her phone calls and text messages were few and far between. She was very aware of how excited her friends were when she texted two days ago, inviting them to have coffee with her.
Minako, with her long blonde hair blowing in the wind and her bright blue eyes shining in the light, squealed with happiness, "Oh, Usagi-chan, you look so cute!"
Usagi laughed, feeling simple in her white sundress and brown sandals. "Oh, you're so kind, Minako-chan. You look so stylish," she gushed. Usagi thought the other blonde looked like she just stepped out of a magazine in her dark jeans, white tank top, and black open-toed heels. Her signature red bow was perched on the back of her head.
"I took these shoes from the photo shoot I did last week! Don't you just love them?" Minako beamed proudly, sticking her foot out and flexing it to show off the shoe.
"A photo shoot? Ohh, Mina-chan, you're so famous!" Usagi cried.
Minako ignored Ami, who quietly asked, "Are you supposed to take the clothes?"
"Oh, Usagi-chan, stop, stop," Minako said, feigning shyness as she waved her hand. "I'm not the most popular right now, but I'm rising! I'm so close to being #2 on my label. I think when I release the next single, it's going to help me so much."
"Which song are you releasing?" Makoto asked curiously. She looked casual in a soft-grey shirt, blue jeans, and sage-green converse. He hair was done up into her customary ponytail, and for some reason, Usagi enjoyed seeing that Mako-chan continued to wear her pink rose-shaped earrings.
"I want to release the album version of Route Venus, but the label really likes Starcrossed. We'll see," she said before sipping on her iced coffee. "Enough about me, what about you, Usagi-chan? I feel like I haven't seen you in a long time. I was a little surprised to hear from you."
"Yeah, Usagi-chan. You avoiding us or something?" Rei asked haughtily. Her eyes were lined with black eyeliner, making her purple gaze look even more intense.
"No, no. Nothing like that. I've just been so busy studying."
Rei snorted and laughed.
As Makoto swatted Rei's shoulder, Ami reached over and rested a gentle hand over Usagi's. Behind her glasses were kind, understanding eyes. Usagi wasn't sure if it was the feel of her warm hand or the way her soft, blue sweater brushed against the skin on her wrist, but it felt nice to be touched.
"Don't be so mean, Rei-chan," Ami began. "Usagi-chan, I think it's wonderful that you are so devoted to your studies right now."
"Yeah, Usagi-chan. Does having something to focus on make the long distance thing easier?" Makoto asked.
She nodded and smiled softly. "A little. It's still hard at times."
"Are you actually going to go to America?" Minako asked.
Usagi shook her head, "Mamo-chan and I will talk about that when he comes home for Christmas. School is a lot for him right now, so we need to wait until the right time to make such a big decision."
Taking a moment to really look around, Usagi couldn't help the confused look that came across her face. "I hoped Luna and Artemis would come with you?"
"Oh, those two," Minako said with a laugh. She leaned in a bit and whispered mischievously, "Those two hid on a bus and went to the countryside for a little vacation." Not missing the disappointed look on her friend's face, she assured quickly, "They'll be home in a few days."
Usagi expelled a soft sigh and nodded, "Well, alright. I hoped to tell you all something that happened the other day. I just think it's important everyone knows about it."
When Usagi noticed the concern splashed across her friends' faces, she quickly added, "Oh gosh, nothing bad, sorry. It's just that... I got a gift a few days ago… from Kinmoku."
"What!" "How?"
"Well... I was at home and Princess Kakyuu's incense burner just appeared there."
The looks on her friends' faces went from concern to shock, except Rei, whose face was shrouded with skepticism.
"How do you know it's Princess Kakyuu's, Usagi-chan?" She asked intently. "How do you know it's safe?"
Ami chimed in, "What if it means Princess Kakyuu's in trouble again?"
Usagi shook her head quickly. "No, no. The feeling… it was so gentle. It was her magic; her aura. I know it." She smiled gently, recalling the smell. When she closed her eyes, she could remember how the kind, warm magic soothed her body and calmed her mind. It was like a bath, washing away her worries. Suddenly remembering a very important piece to the puzzle, she added, "Oh, and there was a letter inside."
"Do you have the letter? What did it say?"
"Ohhh," Usagi hoped she hadn't turned red. "It simply said that the gift was a thank you from Princess Kakyuu and the Starlights. That it was a reminder of our friendship and ummm… that, they hope to see us again."
Ami, Minako, and Makoto wore dreamy smiles on their faces, no doubt thinking fondly about the Starlights' time on Earth. Rei, however, narrowed her violet eyes and asked sternly, "Who was it from?" Her voice was icy, almost scathing, and Usagi fought the urge to shrink back. The other girls seemed surprised, but Usagi wasn't at all confused about what Rei was really asking. She could picture her violet-eyed friend in her bedroom many years ago, reminding her that she had someone else to love.
After a brief pause, Usagi answered, "The gift was from all of them."
"Who was the letter from?" Rei asked.
Usagi held Rei's daring gaze for moment before confirming what she suspected, "It was from Seiya."
"And did Seiya have anything else to say?"
Usagi shook her head, "No, just thank you and hope to see you again."
Silence fell on the table for a few moments. Usagi then added, "Seiya also said that Princess Kakyuu thought it was important that we have the ability to communicate across the galaxy."
Ami perked up suddenly at this. "You mean it goes both ways?"
Usagi furrowed her eyebrows with confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Communication is a two-way street. If she sent that to you to communicate with you and she was able to send a letter, maybe that means you can send a letter to her."
"Oh," Usagi gasped. "I didn't think of that."
"Of course you didn't," Rei snorted.
"Hey, I wouldn't have thought about it either," Makoto said gently.
After Usagi assured the girls that she would try to communicate with Kinmoku when she got home, they spent some time catching up. Usagi listened to the girls as they talked about university, Minako's life as a budding idol, and Makoto's life as a cook and a student in culinary school, but she found it hard to focus. She loved her friends and really cared about what they were going through in their lives, but the only thing that Usagi could focus on was the red ceramic incense burner that smelled of olives. She tried not to jump up too quickly when Makoto announced that it was time for her to go to work, but as soon as they said their goodbyes, Usagi found herself walking back to her apartment with a hurried pace.
Was Ami-chan right? She asked herself. Can we communicate both ways?
She stood in front of the incense burner, staring at it as if it were a large puzzle with millions of tiny pieces to put together. Opening her bedside drawer, she took out a cute pad of white paper with metallic silver stars and a matching pen. She sat down at her vanity table and stared down at the paper in front of her.
"Who do I make this out to?" She thought, biting on the end of the pen. She remembered every word of Seiya's letter, but would be so embarrassed if she replied only to have Taiki… or even worse, Yaten, read it.
After a moment, she decided the best thing to do at first would be to write a thank you note to everyone.
Dear Princess Kakyuu and Starlights,
Thank you for the beautiful incense burner. Seeing this in my home brought me so many fond memories of your time on Earth. It brings me so much comfort and reminds me that I came out of that terrible time with dear friends. You're thanking me, but I'll never be able to find the words to thank you for protecting me until the very end. Everything that I have now is because of you.
It took me a long time to realize that I can send you messages too… Sorry! Luckily for me, Ami-chan is so smart! Unless… this doesn't go anywhere and I'm just stuffing papers into my incense burner now. We'll see…
I hope you can visit someday soon. I think the girls in Japan would love a Three Lights reunion!
I miss you all,
Usagi-chan
After doing her best to doodle a little rabbit on the corner, she folded the paper up and wrote 'To Everyone'. She opened the lid, slid it gently into the incense burner, and then closed it.
"Now what?" She asked herself. She peered inside and frowned when she realized the paper was still there.
Throughout the day, she checked in, but was discouraged the find that the paper hadn't moved.
"Ami-chan," she whined over the phone as she caught a glimpse of the sun setting outside her window. "The burner isn't working! My message is still here."
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"
"I... what? No?" At the sound of her friend's amused giggle, Usagi groaned, "Ami-chan."
"I'm sorry, Usagi-chan. Let me think... maybe it doesn't leave until the other person takes it out?" Ami asked curiously.
Usagi frowned, once again opening the lid to the burner and peering inside. "That doesn't feel right, Ami-chan."
"It's an incense burner... maybe you have to burn the paper?" Ami asked.
"I don't know, Ami-chan... but I'll try it," Usagi said before ending the call.
Thirty minutes later, Usagi held her cellphone between her ear and shoulder as she rolled up a freshly written letter.
"That didn't work," Usagi muttered when Ami answered. She sniffled a bit, her nose sensitive to smell of smoke that lingered in the air.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I hope you didn't work too hard on your letter."
Usagi let out an exasperated sigh and whined, "I just wish there was a guide, or at least a magical hint. I don't feel anything at all though. None of Princess Kakyuu's magic… Nothing."
"So then why don't you try your own magic?" Ami suggested.
Usagi gasped, "Oh, Ami-chan! That's a great idea! Okay, I'll call you back," she said excitedly before abruptly ending the call. It had been awhile since she needed to transform, so she no longer kept her broach pinned to her chest. She opened the drawer beneath the incense burner, pushing things around until she found it - a golden, jewel-encrusted heart-shaped compact with white wings.
Falling to her knees on the soft carpet and closing her eyes, she tried to focus her mind on the object in her hands. It took a moment, but she could hear it and feel it, a soft humming, coming from the shimmering crystal perched inside of her broach. When she felt its warmth throughout her body, she imagined where she wanted it to go. She pictured a soft, sparkling stream of energy flowing from the crystal to the incense burner on the table.
Inhaling deeply, she could smell the scent of sweet, floral olives coming from the burner, as if someone had lit a cone of incense inside. Opening her eyes, she set the colorful broach down on the floor and leaned in to look into the incense burner.
She grinned to herself.
Her message was gone.