Please don't let me be misunderstood
Sipping from her glass of barley tea an annoyed Usagi looked around through narrowed eyes at all the people who shouldn't be seated at the restaurant table with Mamoru and her.
Rei - who was just accepting her glass of apple cider -sat to her left, dressed in black trousers with a sleeveless burgundy vest over a white shirt.
Minako came next, drinking a glass of ginger ale and wearing a long beautiful sleeveless pink dress.
Then came Ami - also drinking barley tea - who was wearing a bright yellow dress with a white bolero jacket.
Makoto finally sat to Mamoru's right with a grapefruit and tonic mocktail.
The brunette was dressed in a stylish beige sweater shirt over a white shirt and an orange knee-length short skirt.
Mamoru was wearing similar colors. Smooth beige trousers with a matching longsleeved vest over a white shirt.
The young man caught the sulking look of his girlfriend as he was about to drink his glass of barley tea.
"Is everything okay, Usako?" He smiled down at the blonde in the light-green short dress with a matching shawl. "Are you having fun?"
"Don't worry, Mamo-kun," Usagi sourly turned her face the other way. "I'm having so much fun at our anniversary celebration after having missed my boyfriend for months."
Mamoru sweat-dropped, realizing that his lover maybe wasn't as much on board with celebrating their anniversary by having a dinner party with their closest friends as she claimed when he proposed the idea to her.
"I'm sorry Usako," He tried. "I thought it would be a nice gesture to your friends to celebrate our special day by taking them out for dinner.
After all, we owe them a lot for literally fighting to protect our love so many times."
"I think Usagi-chan was just hoping to have you to herself, Mamoru-kun," Ami spoke up in the hope of helping out.
"We feared she would never stand the idea of you going back to America to study after what happened to you the first time. But she's been very brave about it despite having had it rough a few times.
I think Usagi-chan was just really looking forward to having you to herself since you came to visit us for the occasion of your anniversary."
Usagi nodded. Still pouting and facing away from her boyfriend.
"Come on, Usagi," Rei smiled at her. "Don't be like that. We're only joining you for dinner. Think of what will happen later."
Usagi curiously regarded her friend's insinuating grin.
"I know you are going to the movies together after this," Rei whispered behind the cover of her left hand. "Think of how you'll slyly move closer to him and slide into his shoulder. He'll naturally turn his attention to you.
When he turns his face the paradisiac scent of your hair will overwhelm his senses.
You'll raise your eyes to his and he'll be mesmerized by your liquid soft blue orbs. Your sweet lips will shine in the darkness, drawing his face closer..."
Rei stopped abruptly upon noticing Minako, Ami, Makoto, and Mamoru leaning close and listening in to her salacious story.
Seeing them hanging on her lips with dry throats and ruby-red cheeks the blackette suddenly became self-conscious.
"What a smutty imagination you have, Rei-chan," Usagi pouted. "Mamo-kun is far too well-behaved to do anything like that in public."
Mamoru awkwardly remembered the time Tuxedo Mask nearly stole a kiss from an unconscious Sailor Moon.
"How did you come up with that scene anyway?" Usagi continued.
"Ahem. Nowhere," Rei quickly replied while sipping her glass to hide her blush. "Just trying to help you imagine what could happen at the cinema to get your spirits up."
"Usagi does have a point though," Minako quietly grumbled to Ami. "It's nice enough to invite us for dinner. But what's the big idea of inviting us to their anniversary celebration? Does Mamoru-kun think we can't get boyfriends ourselves? Is this some kind of pity celebration to make his girlfriend's old spinster friends feel better about themselves? Auw!-Auw!"
"Be grateful," A fierce-looking Rei hissed at her friend while applying a forceful shoulder grip which had the blonde doubling over in pain.
"This is only natural, you guys," Makoto grinned smugly while sitting with folded arms. "Mamoru-kun is a healthy young man who is used to having a group of beautiful young women around him. He simply started to see us as his harem."
"My harem?!" Mamoru exclaimed while growing pale.
"Think about it! It's always been the four of us and Usagi-chan. There's a voluptuous brunette. A cute studious girl. An endearing bumbling blonde."
"Haha!" Minako laughed while pointing at Usagi. "She's got your number, Usagi-chan!"
"A black-haired temptress…"
"Excuse me?"
"And a twin-tailed tsundere. He even had a harem fight between Rei and Usagi that one time. It's classic harem fare.
No wonder it seems like a logical thing for Mamoru-kun to celebrate his and Usagi's anniversary with all of us," Makoto confidently finished her statement."
"If you put it that way, it does make some sense," Ami considered. "In that case, maybe Mamoru-kun believes that somehow he won the harem ending even though he is in a relationship with Usagi?"
"Ami-chan?" Mamoru gasped while staring at the bluette in disbelief. "You too?"
"I fear we may have to think of a way to make an honest man out of Mamoru-kun again," Ami dead-seriously proposed while coldly returning the gaze of her male friend.
"As the women who made him grow accustomed to this state of affairs, it is our responsibility to do so."
"You are all being very inconsiderate and very wrong!" Usagi suddenly burst out. "There was never a harem fight or any fight at all between me and Rei-chan!
I love Rei-chan dearly!"
As if to underline her statement the blonde threw her arms around her friend and kissed an overwhelmed Rei on the cheek before hugging her and resting her face on the taller girl's shoulder.
"So stop making up stories, please. Mamo-kun doesn't see us as his harem. He just wanted to show our gratitude to you. I'm sorry I was acting selfish."
"That's alright, Usagi," Minako smiled.
"We were only teasing you," Ami winked at the blonde who let go of a brightly shining Rei.
"You sure had me with that harem business," Mamoru sighed while looking at Makoto. "I really thought you were being serious."
"Or was I?" The brunette smirked.
"Anway… What have you guys been up to lately?"
"Well," Minako grinned mysteriously. "I actually have some big news."
"Oh. I can imagine," Makoto guessed.
"Hush you," Her friend scolded. "Let me tell 'em."
"I'm very curious now," Ami smiled. "What is it, Mina-chan?"
"Well, I finally made the first step towards fulfilling my dazzling dream," The blonde theatrically announced. "The reason I was late is that today I signed a contract with a talent agency. I realized that the time to give it my all in order to become an idol is now!"
"That's wonderful!" Usagi exclaimed while everybody applauded Minako's decision.
"Congratulations," Mamoru smiled. "I wish you great success. Work hard. I am sure you will be able to succeed."
"Thank you, everyone," Minako giggled while Ami frowned at Rei's blissful grin. "I learned a lot from Seiya-kun, Taiki-kun, Yaten-kun, and Michirou-chan who have been very kind to help me hone my skills and give me advice on how to proceed. Seiya got me in touch with a genius songwriter and a famous producer who helped me record my first single and I am so excited!"
Ami and Rei tactically covered their ears to Minako's squeal as the blonde brought her hands to her cheeks.
"It felt so magical to record my first song in the studio. And the music and the lyrics are so beautiful. I just know it's going to become a hit."
"I am sure it will be, Mina-chan," Rei cheerfully stated. "And you can be sure we'll all be in the front row of your concerts when you break through."
"Totally!" Usagi agreed. "We'll buy all of your singles."
"Thank you, guys," Minako tearfully smiled. "I know I'll have to work hard. But I'm passionate about this. I know I'll succeed."
"Obviously you'll write a song about us when you get famous, won't you?" Makoto asked.
Mamoru lifted his glass of barley tea and drank. Witnessing the chatter and happiness of his friends satisfied him that he made the right decision in pushing his idea onto Usagi earlier. Even if he felt a little guilty about making her feel bad just now.
That being said, somehow Usagi's bad mood utterly vanished in the last few minutes. She and Rei were the lights of the party for the rest of the evening.
Mamoru couldn't be happier about that. He missed Usagi's friends almost as much as he missed his girlfriend back in the U.S. and was glad he was able to enjoy their company.
He would make it up to Usagi later on at the movies and at his place when the night and the romance would be all theirs.
Her Prince took his time to plan the perfect anniversary celebration after all.