November 28th:
"What's going on?" A tall, tanned man with short, dark brown hair and green eyes questioned, sitting next to a short, fair-skinned girl with long brownish-orange hair and green eyes.
"I don't know. Usagi just said to meet at Rei's temple." The girl softly spoke.
"With Usagi, you never know what she's planning." Rei spoke, walking over with some tea and Jadeite.
"Ok, we're here! What's the big emergency?!" Minko demanded, rushing in with Kunzite, Makoto, and Nephrite.
"Hello, Princess and Your Highness." Makoto greeted the girl and the guy.
"You can just call me Sakira." The girl, Sakira, politely insisted.
"Kurogane or Shirogane work just fine." The guy, Kurogane, grumbled.
"Is everything ok?" Ami and Zoisite inquired, walking in together.
"That's kind of what we were wondering." Haruka, Michiru, and six other girls walked in with a few guys behind them.
The rest of the girls were:
Sumire was an average-height, fair-skinned girl with shoulder-length lavender-colored hair and brown eyes.
Namika was a shorter, tan girl with waist-length dark blue hair and blue eyes.
Himawari was a taller, tanned girl with dark blonde hair reaching a little past her shoulders and brown eyes.
Kiku was an average-height, light-skinned girl with short, light green hair and green eyes.
Akari was an average-height, light-skinned girl with straight, waist-length red hair and brown eyes.
Tsubaki was a taller, fair-skinned girl with a black pixie-style haircut and purple eyes.
The guys following in toe were:
Riku was an average-height, fair-skinned guy with neat nape-length light brown hair and light brown eyes.
Mizu was a tall, tan guy with wavy, short, pale blue hair and blue eyes.
Hinote was a taller, tan guy with shoulder-length reddish-orange hair and brown eyes.
Kaze was an average-height, fair-skinned guy with wild, shoulder-length silver hair and pale blue eyes.
"As far as I can tell, there is no emergency, is there?" Riku calmly questioned, looking around.
"Not that I can tell." Kurogane replied, standing up.
"Where are you going?" Sakira softly inquired.
"Home. There's nothing going on." Kurogane answered.
"Oh, please, Kurogane. Please stay a little longer. Usagi must have had her reasons." Sakira pleaded with Kurogane, tugging at his hand.
"Fine. Ten more minutes." Kurogane sighed, sitting back down.
"He can't say no to her, can he?" Makoto whispered to Sumire.
"No, he can." Sumire whispered back.
"Only when he absolutely needs to." Himawari added with a smile.
"So, when it comes to her health." Namika and Kiku added with sighs.
"He always seems so grumpy." Minako noted, looking around for Usagi.
"He's always so kind to Sakira though; he's just not a people-person." Sumire insisted with a smile.
"I can hear you girls." Kurogane grumbled, causing the girls to back off.
THUD!
"Hmmm?" Sakira, Sumire, Namika, Himawari, and Kiku hummed, turning their attention to the door.
"Usagi's here." Rei sighed, shaking her head.
"Usako, you need to be more careful." They heard Mamoru telling Usagi.
"It's about time you got here. What's the emergency?" Minako demanded when Usagi opened the door and walked in with Mamoru.
"And what took you so damn long?" Rei demanded, annoyed.
"Sorry about that. I failed my math test yesterday, so Mom was yelling at me before I left." Usagi answered, holding the back of her head.
"Is that a good thing?" Sakira softly asked Kurogane.
"No, probably not." Kurogane answered as she leaned against him.
"Usagi." Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Michiru, scolded Usagi.
"Where are Chibiusa, Hotaru, and Setsuna?" Kiku questioned, noticing they weren't there.
"Sakura isn't here either." Akari noted.
"Sakura had to go back home to the future for the holidays. She said she may come back in a few months to a year." Kurogane answered, rubbing Sakira's back.
"Same with Chibiusa; she went back home the other day." Usagi answered, going to sit next to Sakira.
"What about Hotaru and Setsuna?" Minako questioned, looking at Haruka and Michiru.
"They left the other day to go to America for three months for a special science and art program for Hotaru. They should be back by the end of March or the beginning of April." Michiru calmly answered.
"Anyway, what did you bring us all here for, Kitten?" Haruka asked Usagi.
"Right. Seeing as it's just us, I wanted to have a Christmas party with a Secret Santa theme." Usagi cheerfully answered, causing half of everyone there to fall over.
"What do your parents or Luna think of that?" Michiru questioned, watching Usagi.
"As long as it's not at my place, they don't care." Usagi answered, causing the others to sweatdrop.
"Where would you be having this party of yours? It can't be here." Rei questioned before firmly telling Usagi.
"I know that. I was hoping Kurogane would let us use his place; it's huge." Usagi replied, getting looks from the others.
"Nope. Not happening." Kurogane immediately shut down Usagi's request.
"Oh, come on, Kurogane. Please. Have a little fun for once in your life. Don't you think a simple Christmas party would be fun?" Usagi begged Kurogane.
"I'll be outside." Kurogane informed everyone, mainly Sakira.
"What's wrong with Kurogane? He seems like he doesn't like Christmas." Usagi complained.
"He doesn't." Sakira softly spoke up.
"What? Why? How can somebody not like the most magical holiday?" Usagi questioned, confused.
"His parents were murdered." Sakira softly spoke up, making most of the others understand his distaste for the holiday.
"We know that." Minako and Usagi argued.
"His parents and my parents, along with several others were murdered two or three days before Christmas at a friend's Christmas party when I was six and he was ten. He remembers it very well—more than I do; it's very hard for him." Sakira answered, shocking Usagi and Minako.
"I'm so sorry." Usagi and Minako guiltily apologized.
"Wait. Your parents were also murdered?" Haruka questioned, stunned.
"Yes." Sakira softly answered.
"So, if you don't live with your parents, where do you live?" Ami questioned, interested.
"With Kurogane. I have my own room on the other side of the building. My older brother used to live with us too, but he had some issues and had to move away." Sakira answered, becoming distant.
"Excuse me. I can't make any promises, but I'll talk to him." Sakira excused herself to follow Kurogane.
"I didn't know any of that." Minako spoke, stunned.
"Did any of you know?" Makoto asked Sumire, Namika, Himawari, Kiku, Akari, Tsubaki, Riku, Mizu, Hinote, and Kaze.
"We've only known the prince and princess for a few months." Akari calmly answered.
"And we only defeated our last enemy a month and a half ago; we didn't have a lot of time for bonding." Tsubaki answered.
"Sakira is my best friend, so I knew everything. I was at that party for a few hours with her, but my parents came to get me two hours before the massacre happened; I had to travel to my grandparents for the holidays the next day. Though, that got pushed back due to roads being closed and all that good stuff. She doesn't remember much of that night because she had her memories erased—or altered. Kurogane and I went with her. It was all too much for her. For her, remembering what happened that night was killing her; she wasn't eating or sleeping. She knows of that night; she knows there was a massacre and that people died, but that's all she knows. I don't say anything because I don't want her to relapse." Sumire answered with a sigh.
"We didn't know details, but we did know about it." Namika answered for her, Himawari, and Kiku.
"What about you four?" Rei questioned Riku, Mizu, Hinote, and Kaze.
"Of course, we knew." Riku answered, leaning against a wall.
"We were there too." Mizu and Kaze added.
"We promised Kurogane we wouldn't say anything—especially around Sakira. You see how he is with her; he won't let anything happen to her again. If anything happens to Sakira, it will kill Kurogane." Hinote further explained.
Knock. Knock.
"Yeah?" Rei called.
"Sorry about that. Kurogane will be in in a few minutes." Sakira apologized before informing everyone.
"Did you get him to agree to have a party?" Minako inquired.
"I don't know; he said he'd tell everyone when he got in." Sakira answered.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." Usagi, Minako, and Makoto immediately apologized to Sakira.
"Thank you. And it's ok; it's in the past. Kurogane's the one who carries the burden because I can't remember." Sakira replied with a sad smile.
"Ok…" "We're soo sorry!" Usagi and Minako immediately bombarded Kurogane with apologies when he walked through the door.
"Thanks. Don't mention it. Sorry for how I reacted." Kurogane awkwardly apologized to Usagi.
"It's ok; we totally understand." Usagi and Minako insisted.
"Ok. But anyway, if you want to do your party, I have rules." Kurogane started explaining.
"Ok. What are they?" Usagi questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"We do this, it's either earlier in the day and everyone leaves before seven at night. Or if you want it later, nobody leaves after seven, and my place goes into lockdown. And there will be no trouble for the staff." Kurogane firmly told Usagi, not backing down.
"You mean like a slumber party—at your place?" Usagi eagerly asked with stars in her eyes.
"Yeah." Kurogane responded, starting to regret what he just said.
"Awesome! What do you all think?" Usagi excitedly replied before asking the others.
"When?" Haruka and Michiru inquired, watching Usagi.
"The Friday before because I have to be home for Christmas." Usagi answered with a smile.
"I suppose that would work for us." Everyone agreed.
"Yay!" Usagi and Minako excitedly cheered. They were excited for a party—and that it was going to be at Kurogane's home.
"What about Secret Santa?" Ami questioned, watching Usagi.
"Oh, right. You pick a name from this hat, and whoever you get, you have to buy a present for. You can't get your own name, and you can't get your partner's name. I think everyone here will be getting something for their boyfriend or girlfriend already, so this Secret Santa is for others. Besides, you'll have to bring a present for your boyfriend or girlfriend anyway, that way everyone gets two presents." Usagi cheerfully answered.
"So, you can't get Mamoru's name, and he can't get yours either, correct?" Rei inquired, watching Usagi. She ignored the entire thing about boyfriends and girlfriends bringing presents for each other.
"Correct. And you can't get Jadeite, and he can't get you." Usagi answered with that same smile.
"Sounds fun." The girls spoke up with smiles.
"Sure." The guys replied, watching their girls with smiles.
"Here we go. Everyone pick a name. Remember not to pick your own or your boyfriend/girlfriend's name. And don't show anyone." Usagi instructed, handing Mamoru a hat to hold.
"If we can't pick our partner's name, can we show them who we got? Maybe we could bounce ideas for whoever we got off them?" Sakira softly inquired.
"That should be fine, right, Usagi?" Rei spoke first.
"Of course." Usagi replied with a smile.
"Are you feeling ok?" Kurogane asked Sakira, concerned.
"Yep. Just a little tired." Sakira honestly answered, picking a name.
"Ok." Kurogane replied, unsure.
"Does everyone have a name?" Mamoru questioned once there were only two pieces of paper in the bottom of the hat.
"Not me." Usagi answered, walking over to get a piece of paper.
"That leaves me." Mamoru sighed, taking the last piece of paper.
"Well, if that's everything, I have karate class if fifteen minutes." Makoto spoke up.
"Yeah, I have to get home to watch my younger brother and sister." Himawari added, tucking her name in her pocket.
"Ok. Meeting adjourned." Usagi playfully insisted as everyone went their separate ways.
"I think it will be fun." Sakira told Usagi with a smile.
"See you later. Come on." Kurogane told Mamoru and Usagi before telling Sakira.
"Ok. See you later." Sakira replied before bidding farewell to the others.
"See you later." Usagi and Mamoru replied, waving as Kurogane and Sakira left.
"I'm glad they're on our side." Mamoru sighed, taking Usagi's hand.
"Yes, I agree." Usagi replied, happily leaning against Mamoru…
Sakira = Bloom or to Blossom
Sumire = Lovely Violet
Namika = Flower of the wave
Himawari = Sunflower
Kiku = Chrysanthemum
Akari = Red Plum
Tsubaki = Camellia flower
Kurogane = Black metal Shirogane = White metal
Hinote = Flame or Blaze
Mizu = Water
Riku = Land or Earth
Kaze = Wind