Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Sailor Stars: Chaos Theory
Act 65: A Bond that cannot be Broken
By: Sora Kazeno
After the initial shock wears off seeing them there, Usagi jumps up to her feet, rushing over to their side. "Is everything okay?" Her voice is panicked.
Rei is a few steps behind, worried something happened.
Mamoru tries to respond but he wasn't sure what to say after his last encounter with the blonde woman before him, the woman he is still madly in love with.
Ayumi sighs when she realizes Mamoru is frozen in place. She is thankful she accompanied him. "There is nothing wrong per say, but we needed to tell you something… or rather ask you something." Ayumi pauses, hoping Mamoru will finally start talking. When he doesn't, she elbows him in the waist.
Mamoru clears his throat and then proceeds to explain, "Ami-chan reached out wanting to know what it is like to study abroad. I invited her to spend the day at Harvard tomorrow to sit in some of the classes."
Rei is surprised by this, but something isn't adding up. Why are they here?
"We're going to teleport and meet at the Silver Millennium…" Mamoru's voice lowers as he starts to realize how all of this sounds. "We… have a lot to catch up on since I left Japan. I wanted to let you know ahead of time in case you wanted to be there to help explain things."
Usagi looks at Mamoru for a moment, "not that much happened…" She pauses and looks at Ayumi. "Yeah…. A lot did happen," she laughs nervously. A lot happened in Boston, somethings she is not ready to address.
"I'm sure Ami-chan will be a bit shock by Mamoru-san becoming King Endymion as well," Rei points out. "We still have to tell Mako-chan what happened too."
"I really want to meet Sailor Mercury, all the senshi." Ayumi adds, trying to convey her eagerness. "It might easier if it's one at a time."
Usagi nods her head. "I have a lot of tell people when we return to Japan." Usagi's voice softens as it wavers. "And a confrontation I'm not looking forward to." She has tried so hard not to think of how she will handle Sailor Pluto and it worked for a while but now they are in the final city. She is going to have to face the Senshi of Time soon.
Mamoru studies Usagi carefully, he can tell she dreads confronting Setsuna. He makes a mental note to mention it to Setsuna the next time he sees her.
"What time do you want to meet?" Rei interjects; there is no way she is sitting this one out. "I would love to see Ami-chan too."
"Early," Mamoru answers first. "Six in the morning. The first class is at eight and that should give us a lot of time to talk that way."
Usagi stares at Mamoru. "That early?" She practically screeches.
"There is a lot to cover and we can show her some campus if we finish early," Ayumi agrees with the time, not understanding why this was so hard for Usagi.
"I'll make sure Usagi gets there on time, even if I have drag her there myself." Rei looks over at Usagi.
Usagi glares at Rei for a moment, "well at least it won't take long to travel there!" She flashes a victory sign.
Rei face palms. "You've been spending too much time with Minako-chan."
"That's great. We'll see both of you tomorrow then," Mamoru speaks up. "Thank you." He adds genuinely. "I think it would be best if Ami-chan hears about some of the changes from you."
"Well, we need to be heading back, see you tomorrow!" Ayumi waives goodbye as she leaves with Mamoru.
Rei and Usagi return to their seats in the café.
Usagi picks up her fork to finish eating her abandoned cake and then stops as she returns the fork to its previous position.
Rei is unsure what cause the drastic shift. "Usagi?"
Usagi sighs. "I think…. I'm going to hold off telling Ami-chan about the other timeline. I think I would rather tell her and Mako-chan about it at the same time. The less… I have to talk about it, the better." Her eyes narrow. Now she is also thinking of what she will say to Pluto. "I still don't know what I'm going to say to Setsuna-san."
"It will be fine Usagi," Rei tries to reassure her.
Usagi shakes her head no. "What if she tries to do something like that again?" She clenches her fists tightly. "I can't lose Seiya again…not after…" her voice trails off. They have been through so much in the past year.
"After everything that happened, Setsuna-san would be foolish to do something that brash." Rei tries to ease Usagi's fears without knowing for certain what Sailor Pluto may or may not do.
Usagi leans back in her chair. She is so tired of fighting this battle, one that she shouldn't have to. "I just want everyone to stop fighting and just be able to accept Seiya." She looks at her half eaten cake. "After all this time, is it still too much to ask?"
The wall of light is approaching fast, only a quarter of the starseeds have returned. Sailor Cosmos is struggling to find the remaining ones. They seem so far away, too far away. Why is she struggling so much to locate them? She is the Guardian, she should never struggle this much to accomplish this task.
Her eyes fall on Fighter, standing in front of her to protect her from any of Chaos' blasts. The other senshi are battling Chaos nearby.
Sailor Cosmos feels so weak; she can barely keep her eyes open. She can't rest until everyone has returned and Chaos was been sealed in the cauldron. The room around her is spinning as she collapses.
She wakes up in Fighter's arms as a wall of light is at the bottom of the staircase, inching closer to them. When did she fall asleep? She needs to find the scattered starseeds! But there are too many of them. She realizes the truth. Her powers as Sailor Cosmos gave her a false sense of security. She isn't strong enough to protect everyone. She wasn't strong enough to save everyone. She isn't worth of being called a Guardian. She hugs Fighter tightly knowing the end is near.
Usagi wakes up sobbing. She can't stop the tears no matter how hard she tries. This nightmare played out her worst fear from her recent battle against Chaos; she couldn't find everyone and bring them back in time.
"Usagi," Rei approaches the sobbing girl next to her. She sits down on the bed next to Usagi, lightly placing a hand on her arm.
Usagi sniffles a little and looks at Rei, tears cascading from her eyes.
"What you saw, it wasn't real. This is real. We're on the tour with Three Lights," Rei tries to comfort Usagi to the best of her ability. She reaches for the night table behind her for some tissues to hand to Usagi to wipe her eyes and blow her nose.
Usagi eagerly accepts the tissues and wipes her running nose. Her shoulders heave as she tries to steady her breathing. "I had a nightmare about the other timeline," Usagi explains. "But we didn't win this time." She throws the covers off of her. "It seemed so real."
The alarm goes off. Rei gets up to walk over to her bed and shuts if off. "Well… it's not real. You won Usagi." She smiles slightly, trying to find anything to cheer up Usagi.
"I was hoping to be past this," Usagi moves to the edge of the bed. "I'm going to start getting ready… there's no way I could go to sleep now anyway."
"I'll be out here if you need anything," Rei offers.
Usagi nods her head and goes into the bathroom to wash up.
Rei turns on the television for some background noise. Her eyes are on the screen but she is not focusing on anything the anchorman is saying. An idea is forming in her head for tonight, but she still has some details to figure out.
Sailor Cosmos and Sailor Mars arrive in the garden at the Silver Millennium and are greeted by King Endymion and Sailor Earth. Sailor Cosmos looks around, "we're… here before Ami-chan?" She looks around, surprised they beat Sailor Mercury.
Endymion laughs at her bewildered look. "You're actually about ten minutes early. I'm surprised." He notices the fatigue on her face. "Usako… is something wrong? You're here early and you look exhausted."
Sailor Cosmos; body stiffens at his words. She can't hide it from him; he knows her too well. "I've been having nightmares about facing Chaos."
King Endymion pales when he recalls how horrible those nightmares were for her. "Usako…" he walks forward to approach her but stops when a flash of blue appears between them.
Sailor Mercury sees Sailor Cosmos and Sailor Mars first. "Usagi-chan? Rei-chan?" She quickly looks around to see who else is present. She gasps. "King… Endymion?" Sailor Mercury cannot hide her shock; her eyes widen even more when she sees an unknown senshi next to him. "I know you said somethings happened but what is going?"
"…. I'm not sure where to start…." King Endymion had a outline of what he wanted to say but then seeing Sailor Cosmos and learning she was having nightmares, the plan went out the window.
Sailor Earth takes matters into her own hands. She walks forward to greet the newcomer. "I'm Ayumi, Mamoru's sister and Sailor Earth." She reaches her hand forward to shake the Senshi of Wisdom's hand.
Sailor Mercury stares at the black haired senshi in front of her. "Sailor Earth…? I don't understand." She slowly shakes the woman's hand. Her attention focuses on the King. "When did you become King Endymion?" She turns to look at Sailor Cosmos and Sailor Mars, bewildered, "Guys, what is going on?"
"Why don't you have a seat and we'll explain everything?" Sailor Mars gestures to some of the benches in the garden.
Sailor Mercury nods her head and sits down. She realizes after she is seated, it's probably a good thing she isn't still standing.
"I found the Golden Crystal with the help of Ayumi and Usako and once I had the crystal, it transformed me into King Endymion," Endymion begins to explain.
Sailor Cosmos discussed how she broke the seal on the crystal in the remains of the Golden Kingdom.
Sailor Earth explained how they met on campus and she had thought the other senshi were adversaries at first given the history of the Earth and the Moon.
Sailor Mars filled in some of the other missing pieces in between.
While Sailor Earth and Sailor Mars spoke to Sailor Mercury, Sailor Cosmos can hear Neo Queen Serenity yelling at her for ignoring Endymion when he is right there in front of her. She should be wrapped up in his arms and no one else. "Run to him now and leave Seiya behind," the Queen urges Sailor Cosmos.
Sailor Cosmos shuts her eyes tightly trying to block out Neo Queen Serenity and the nagging thoughts of what she should do and who she should be with. 'She's just like Sailor Pluto, Sailor Neptune, and Sailor Uranus. Everyone is trying to dictate who I should be with, ignoring who I want to be with.'
Unware her fingers are gripping the edge of her white skirt on her lap, trying to soothe her racing thoughts. She only recently started to have these problems. She should have realized that being in Endymion's presence would trigger Serenity in her exhausted state. She's going to have to keep her distance from Endymion until she can get Serenity under control she realizes.
"The hell you will!" Serenity is screaming in Sailor Cosmos' mind. "You've kept me apart from him long enough!" Serenity's tone changes to one of glee, "why deny it? It's only a matter of time until you figure it out."
King Endymion notices the change in posture of Sailor Cosmos as Sailor Mars continues to talk to Sailor Mercury about the tour. He wants to ask Usako about the nightmares she briefly mentioned. The more he studies her, the more he realizes something is off. It's more than just nightmares. She might be able to hide things from the others, but she is an open book to him. He can't ask her directly in front of the others. He'll have to pull her to side for a moment.
Sailor Earth notices nothing was mentioned about the other timeline by Sailor Mars or Sailor Cosmos. Why did they leave out something so important? She is about to open her mouth but stops. She'll ask Mamoru about it later, he knows Mars and Cosmos the best. "It's getting late," Sailor Earth speaks up. "We should be going to class if we want to make it there on time."
Sailor Mercury stands up, staring to put distance between herself, Cosmos and Mars. She doesn't want to be late to class.
"Ami-chan…" Sailor Cosmos rushes over to her before she leaves. "You should come to Brazil after classes and watch the performance tonight!"
"Oh?" Sailor Mercury is surprised by the sudden invitation. "I don't know… I mean I would have no way to get in…"
"We have that covered, we always have a few extra seats," Sailor Mars jumps in, trying to convince the blue haired girl.
"It's true," Sailor Earth confirms.
Sailor Mercury looks at Sailor Earth in surprise. "You're a fan of the Three Lights?"
"Not really, but my roommate is and I was kind of dragged to it…" Sailor Earth haphazardly explains. She sneaks a quick look at Endymion and gestures with her head it was his chance to talk to Usagi.
King Endymion doesn't waste the opportunity and approaches Sailor Cosmos. "Can we talk for a minute Usako?"
Sailor Cosmos looks at him with apprehension. "Um… sure." She hopes it is not going to be another conversation about them.
"I'm worried about you Usako. I know how difficult the nightmares were on you the last time." King Endymion studies her carefully to try to figure out what she is not saying based on her body language.
"… I know. It's been really difficult. I keep seeing everyone's starseeds being taken, destroyed, or… I ran out of time to save everyone." Sailor Cosmos explains; surprised it seems easier it is talk to Mamoru about this.
"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I want to be there to help you. Whatever you need," King Endymion adds. He has to stop himself from reaching out to her and holding her close.
She looks at him. "Thank you Mamo-chan…" She smiles at him. "I'm glad… we can still talk to each other like this." She catches a few glances from the other senshi. "But I don't want to keep you from your studies."
He nods his head. The two rejoin the others.
Sailor Cosmos walks over to Sailor Mercury with a lot of enthusiasm. "So you're going to join us, tonight Ami-chan? Minako-chan would love to see you too!"
While Cosmos is not allowing Mercury a reason to decline the invitation to the concert, King Endymion takes the moment to now speak with Sailor Mars while Cosmos is distracted.
"I'm worried about her Rei-chan, is she really doing alright?" King Endymion asks her quietly. "I have the feeling there is more going on than what she told me."
Sailor Mars bites her lip. She doesn't want to tell him about the issues Usagi has had with the Serenity side of her soul that still craves Endymion or how her powers were unstable for a day or so after she had a huge fight with Seiya. "She hasn't been quite the same since she returned from the other timeline. I've never seen her so angry. The nightmares are really affecting her." She pauses. "She plans on telling Ami-chan and Mako-chan about the other timeline when she's back in Japan. Please don't mention anything about it today. It's hard for her to talk about it… and it will be easier if she can tell them both at the same time."
King Endymion nods his head in understanding. "Please keep an eye on her for me Rei-chan. We may not be together right now but… I worry about her a lot."
"Always," Sailor Mars smiles at him.
"Thank you," King Endymion responds before walking over to Sailor Earth and Sailor Mercury.
"We'll see you at the park at six pm." Sailor Earth confirms with Sailor Mars and Sailor Cosmos.
"You bet!" Sailor Cosmos eagerly agrees.
In a flash of light, King Endymion, Sailor Earth, and Sailor Mercury are gone.
"Are you sure you don't what to tell her about the other timeline?" Sailor Mars confirms with her Queen.
"Yes… if will give me some time to organize my thoughts. But right now…" Sailor Cosmos yawns. "I would love a nap. I'm beat."
Rei and Usagi walk into the front entrance of the hotel a little before eight in the morning and are shocked to see Seiya, Yaten, Minako, and Taiki heading to the door.
Usagi tries to suppress a yawn.
"You're up really early." Seiya looks at her in confusion. "Is everything alright?"
Usagi nods her head. "Everything is great!" She responds with too much enthusiasm.
Seiya frowns at Usagi's response, it wasn't natural.
"We just saw Ami-chan at the Silver Millennium," Usagi starts to explain and is cut off by Minako.
"Ami-chan?! How is she?" Minako begins asking questions.
"She's doing great. We're planning on having the five of us get together when we're all back home," Usagi explains. "She is on her way with Mamo-chan and Ayumi-san to go to a few classes at Harvard to see what it is like to have all her classes in English."
"I didn't know you were meeting up with her… or the others," Taiki comments. How much information are they not telling them? Based on the looks of the other members of the Three Lights and Minako, none of them knew this was happening.
"It was last minute," Rei explains. "We ran into Mamoru-san and Ayumi-san yesterday and they told us about Ami-chan visiting. So we popped in for a bit to talk."
Seiya has several questions for Usagi but they will have to wait until later. This entire conversation about a last minute meeting makes him uncomfortable.
A car pulls up for the group and the conversation has to end there.
As the four of them leave, Usagi watches the car telling Rei-chan, "we never got a chance to tell them Ami-chan is coming to the concert tonight."
Rei grins. "It will be a nice surprise for them." Rei freezes in her tracks. "You know… we never got a chance to ask Mamoru-san how he knew where to find us. We'll have to ask tonight."
Hotaru looks at Setsuna, angrily. "There has to be something you can do." She pleads with Setsuna. She doesn't want to believe her best friend is gone forever. "Chibi Usa-chan can't just be gone. I know we're not supposed to see her for many years, but I've been looking forward to that day." She fights back the tears. She has been bottling this up for too long.
Setsuna hugs her tightly, trying to console her. "I'm sorry… but it is beyond my control. I have tried everything I can think of. Unless you can think of a way to convince the Queen to change her mind, I don't see another way."
"Then I will find a way, somehow, no matter how long it takes. I'm going to see Chibi Usa-chan again," Hotaru leaves the room, slamming the door behind her.
Haruka and Michiru look at Setsuna with sad expressions on their faces.
"We knew this would happen sooner or later," Haruka looks at Setsuna as if telling her to fix everything.
"I had hoped this would have become easier for her as more time passed," Michiru chimes in.
Setsuna stares at Haruka and Michiru for a moment. "Yet no one here has approved of Usagi-chan's choice either."
Haruka wants to retort but stops. She can't. None of them in the room have completely accepted Usagi's choice. Setsuna might be the closest.
Ami sits in a class with Ayumi and Mamoru. She glanced at the syllabus earlier. This class is for 'Principles of Genetics' and from what she can follow from the Professor's lecture, a difficult class. The topic is interesting but everyone in the class is fluent in English.
She thought her English comprehension was better than this. She starts to question how she would succeed studying abroad. She tries to focus on the material again but the Professor is speaking very fast.
After class she is able to ask Mamoru and Ayumi a few questions. "Are all of the classes like this, so fast paced?" She hopes this particular professor happened to speak really fast and other classes would be a little slower pace.
"Yes," Ayumi responds without hesitation as she finishes putting her notebook in her backpack.
Ami frowns at this information. "I wish my English is better. Normal conversation is one thing, but this is all very technical."
"We still have more two classes today. You don't have to rush to make a decision." Mamoru suggests after seeing how discouraged Ami was after her first class.
Usagi yawns as she finally stirs after a few hours later after her nap since returning to their hotel room.
"Are you okay Usagi? You slept for quite a while." Rei comments as she looks at the clock noting four hours had passed.
Usagi nods her head. "I haven't had a lot of sleep in the past week from the nightmares."
Rei hesitates. "I just wanted to make sure there is nothing else going on and that is the only issue."
"Nope! Everything would be perfect if I could get some more sleep…. And some lunch!" Usagi heads to the bathroom to fix her hair. She leaves the door open to continue speaking to Rei as she brushes her hair. "It is so nice to not have to worry about exams and studying!"
"Yeah…" Rei notices something is still off with Usagi. She knows Usagi and Seiya talked but it is unlike Usagi to not tell her what they actually fought about other than something in Seiya's past with an ex? Was it really serious? Pushing her for more information will only cause her to shut down. She'll ask Usagi when the time is right. "We still have all afternoon before we see Ami-chan and the others in Boston."
"It's weird to think we'll be going home soon. Then we can see Ami-chan and Mako-chan all the time." Usagi finishes clipping her hair into two even pigtails. She starts with the right side rolling a ball at the top of pigtail with her hair. "Thank you for coming Rei-chan." Usagi peeks out of the bathroom to smile at her.
Rei nods her head. "We need to figure out where we're going to go for a girls weekend trip."
Usagi eagerly nods her head as one odango bobs up and down. She returns to the bathroom to create the second odango.
Hours later, Rei and Usagi sit on a bench in the park. It was the same bench they sat at when Usagi first revealed some of the other timeline to Rei.
Rei notices Usagi is really quiet, she glances over at her best friend to find her head nodding since she dozed off. "Well I guess sleep now so you'll be awake for the concert." She whispers quietly. She leans back on the bench using this time to think about how she is going to go to Japan without Usagi noticing. Usagi is starting to sleep a little more but her sleeping hours and patterns are too unpredictable. It would be too hard to sneak out of the hotel room with Usagi there. She sighs.
It would have been so much easier if Usagi was still staying with Seiya, the blonde would never notice her absence. But because Usagi was staying with Seiya, Rei had no way to know the frequency of these nightmares. Why does Usagi have to be so stubborn about this when all she wants to do is help?
It hits her. Her eyes widen she realizes how simple the solution would be. She'll talk to Seiya tonight; have him talk to Usagi to spend the night. Rei can easily go to Japan undetected. She has to make Setsuna, Michiru, and Haruka understand what they are doing to Usagi. She doesn't know if they will listen to her but it is worth a shot. She can't be as frank with them as she needs to be if Usagi is standing next to her.
She frowns. One issue with her plan, how is she going to talk to Seiya without Usagi around? Before she can ponder that issue further she sees Mamoru, Ayumi, and Ami approach. Rei lightly shakes Usagi's shoulder to wake her up.
"Huh?" Usagi blinks a few times. "I didn't realize I feel asleep." She looks up to see the trio on their way over. She eagerly stands up to greet them.
"How was it?" Rei asks Ami, taking note the blue haired girl didn't seem as happy as she had this morning.
"It was a very helpful experience," Ami answers. She needs to think things over a little longer before she can make her final decision. She turns to Mamoru and Ayumi to bow in appreciation. "Thank you again for today."
"It was nice to meet you. I'm looking forward to meeting all of the senshi in the future," Ayumi responds warmly.
"Feel free to e-mail any questions you have," Mamoru adds. He enjoyed spending the day with Ami and Ayumi. It made him feel more connected to his past. He pauses before turning his attention to Usako. This is his last chance to talk to her in person for a while. He needs a few answers. "Usako, can I talk to you for a moment?"
Usagi bites her lip slightly. "Umm sure…" She walks closer to him for a moment before he leads them away from the three remaining girls to speak privately. Each step she takes she feels nervous. Why? She asks herself, they were fine this morning when they spoke briefly.
"I've been worried about you since this morning when you told me you've been having nightmares," Mamoru begins. He doesn't have a lot of time and needs to be direct.
Usagi feels some relief that he didn't want to talk about something else. "I will be fine Mamo-chan. Before you know it they will pass and everything will be back to how it was." She tries to give him a reassuring smile.
Mamoru doesn't buy it; he can pick up the doubt in her eyes. "I hope they will as well. You seem kind of run down."
"Yeah…" Usagi agrees looking down. "I'm trying to slowly catch up on my sleep."
Mamoru realizes he isn't going to be able to obtain any more information on the topic at this time and changes the subject. This might be his only chance to ask her. "Once the tour ends…" He pauses trying to word his question correctly, "do you think… you could try to help me learn how to use the Golden Crystal?"
Usagi gasps, looking at him, surprise written across her face by his question.
"Ayumi seems to think the two crystals are similar and it might help me figure out how to use the crystal's ability." Mamoru quickly explains, hoping she will agree.
Usagi doesn't seem as confident. She never taught someone to use their powers. She has always been the student. "I'm not sure how much I can help… but I'm willing to give it a try." She smiles at him. She knows how important this is to him. "We'll be back in Tokyo by this time next week." She realizes it would be easier to figure this out now than over an e-mail that she still struggles with writing.
Mamoru looks at his watch to figure how the time difference. "Would 10am work for you?" He doesn't want it to be too early so she can sleep in knowing getting up early has never been one of her strongest points. It would be late evening here but he doesn't mind.
"Sure." Usagi nods her head in agreement. "Where should we meet?"
"Hmm." He looks over to Ayumi, Rei, and Ami. He can't help but notice some of the looks they are receiving from the girls. "Why don't we ask Ayumi for some ideas?"
"Sure," Usagi follows him back and they rejoin the others.
"Usako is going to try to help me learn how to use the Golden Crystal," he informs Ayumi. "Where do you think would be a good location to train?"
Rei looks at Usagi questioningly. She's not sure if it is a good idea given everything that happened recently.
"Meeting at the Silver Millennium seemed to work this morning and no one else will be around." Ayumi pauses when she realizes how that sounds. "I want to be there too. I want to see how the crystal works first hand."
Rei relaxes a little know it won't be just Usagi alone with Mamoru. The last time the two of them were alone at the Silver Millennium during the Black Moon attack they had kissed. And if Usagi is struggling with the Serenity side of her soul, she'd hate to think what could happen if she's not in control.
"That works for me," Usagi agrees. She glances at her watch. "I'm sorry but we need to be going if we're going to make it back in time to see Minako-chan perform."
"Before we go, I have one question for you Mamoru-san I never got to ask earlier. How did you know where to find us yesterday? You found the exact café, that couldn't have been a coincidence." Rei quickly asks, not wanting to miss the chance for an answer.
"Oh… Ayumi is helping me with some of my abilities and I can apparently find anyone on Earth." Mamoru slowly explains.
Rei, Ami, and Usagi stare at him for a few seconds.
"That's amazing!" Rei chimes, breaking the silence.
Usagi speaks quietly. "Is that how you always knew I was in trouble when you were Tuxedo Kamen?" Now it is starting to make sense how he was always knew where to be to help her.
Mamoru nods his head yes. "I just never realized it was one of my abilities until recently. But I still have a long away to go. It is still rather difficult to use."
"We need to hurry," Rei reminds the group. She checks their surroundings to make sure they are alone before transforming. "Mars Eternal, Make Up!"
"Mercury Eternal, Make Up!"
"Cosmos Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Mamoru feels uneasy. Usako is transforming before him and he didn't feel that ominous feeling he had for so many years in the past in this situation. Maybe that only worked when she transformed into Sailor Moon. Sailor Cosmos is essentially an entirely different senshi.
Sailor Cosmos turns to look at Mamoru and Ayumi briefly. "I'll see you next week!" She smiles brightly before she disappears in a flash of bright white light. Mars and Mercury disappear seconds later.
Sailor Cosmos, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Mercury appear in a secluded wooden area in the city. They will have to walk the rest of the way to the concert. Mars planned this location out earlier to make everything easier for this evening.
Rei, Ami, and Usagi, appear from behind some trees and head back onto the main walking path, Rei taking the lead. She turns to Usagi, "are you sure you're ready to try to train Mamoru-san?" She can't hide the worry in her voice.
Usagi nods her head yes. "It's important to Mamo-chan to learn how to use the crystal." She looks at Rei as she now understands the look she previously received. "We came to… an understanding before we left Boston. He knows I'm with Seiya and it is not going to change."
Ami looks at Usagi and Rei baffled. Wasn't this already determined before Mamoru-san left for America? "Did something else happen?"
Usagi laughs with a hand behind her head. "Not really," she tries to brush the question to the side. Technically nothing happened between them in this timeline. It would take too long to explain everything to Ami and she plans on telling her next week in Tokyo. "How was school today?" The blonde changes the topic to something she knows Ami loves discussing.
"It was a lot more challenging than I expected. I never realized how fluent Mamoru-san is in English to be able to understand everything the Professor said without an issue." Ami pauses as she realizes she can't delay it any longer. "I really need to improve my English."
Rei nods her head. "I understand. I thought I had a better grasp of English myself until this tour. It is at least easier to order food!" Rei grins. "I know I couldn't handle it here by myself in day to day life, let along be able to understand everything in class, take exams, and write papers."
Usagi nods her head eagerly. "I miss being able to talk to everyone without hoping they understand what I'm trying to say."
"Usagi… we have that problem enough when you speak in your native tongue." Rei smirks.
A vein twitches above Usagi's eye. She is about to retort but stops when they pass a bathroom. "I'll be right back," she rushes inside.
While Usagi is in the restroom, Ami uses the time to ask Rei a question that has been nagging her since they arrived in Brazil. "I have a feeling something happened between Mamoru-san and Usagi-chan. There seemed to be a lot of tension earlier when he asked Usagi-chan to talk privately." She pauses. "They seem… different."
Rei nods her head. "Before we left Boston, Usagi-chan made it clear to Mamoru-san she is with Seiya-kun and I know that it was hard for him. It didn't go well. I hope he will be okay."
"Made it clear… "Ami repeats slowly. Rei is repeating most of what was said earlier. "Did something happen in Boston that would make Mamoru-san think he would have a chance with Usagi-chan…" she stops as she sees Usagi returning. Ami frowns. She's not sure if she'll have another chance to ask Rei what she means by the end of the night. She might have to wait until they return to Japan.
"Wait until you see the seats we have for the concert!" Usagi grabs Ami's hand leading her down the staircase. She can't wait for tonight's performance, thrilled to have Ami sitting next to her.
Ami expected them to stop at any moment to start walking across one of the rows but they keep going until they reach the front row. Ami's eyes widen in surprise. She has never sat in the front row for a concert before. She sits down with Usagi on her right and Rei on her left. Ami glances around the venue to see it is quickly filling up with fans. "I haven't been to a full concert of theirs in a while, just a few small events before the tour started."
"You'll be able to see Minako-chan perform tonight too!" Usagi excitedly adds. "She's getting better with each performance." She laughs. "We never got a chance to tell Minako-chan you were coming today. She was in a hurry to leave this morning with the Three Lights for their fan events."
"I'm sure it will be fine," Ami smiles back.
They are interrupted as Minako takes the stage.
Ami leans back in her seat, enjoying seeing one of her best friends perform live, fulfilling her dream to be an idol.
Minako eye's scan the audience and she beams when she sees Ami in the audience with Rei and Usagi. She wants to run up to Ami and hug her. But the best she can do is give her a bright smile before raising the microphone for her first song. She completes several songs before she pauses, waiting for Yaten to join her on the stage.
The crowd erupts into a loud round of applause as the silver haired member of the Three Lights appears on the stage next to Minako.
Ami gasps loudly. "I didn't know they were going to sing together!"
"It is a surprise number at the concerts. We didn't know about the song either until their first performance. They're going to record it when they go back to Japan to release on Minako's first album." Rei explains.
"Her first album?" Ami looks at Rei wide eyed. "When did this happen?"
"She's been really successful on this tour," Rei grins. "I'm really happy for her."
The music starts for the duet, cutting off any further conversation.
Yaten walks back stage with Minako, both grinning at their performance. They've noticed the difference in how they sing in the past few performances. They didn't have to spend so much time monitoring their actions to make sure no one found out they were dating, it actually made things so much easier. He walks over to Taiki and Seiya as they are about to walk out on stage. "There is an extra visitor with the girls tonight." He purposely leaves out who is it to make the two of them start guessing.
"Eh?" Seiya asks looking at Yaten for a hint.
However, Minako eagerly spills the beans. "I can't wait to see Ami-chan after the show!" She smiles broadly. "It's been so long since all of us have been together!" She walks past them to head to her dressing room; her feet are killing her due to her heels and needs to change.
Taiki clears his throat. "I'm surprised she is here."
"Not really. They did mention they saw her this morning before we left. I wonder what else is going on." Yaten shrugs. "We should get on with our performance." He can't wait for this tour to end, the sooner the better. A quick look at the stage and he sees the band is finishing the final set up with instruments. "I can't wait for the silence we'll have in our apartment. It will be wonderful."
Seiya laughs at Yaten's last remark. "That might be hard considering we have some events piling up since the tour is being cut short. You know Kazuki-san wants to make a remix next week now too."
Taiki lowers his voice for Seiya and Yaten to hear only. "Once we are back… we need to discuss with Queen Kakyuu of our plan to visit." The Queen is aware they intend to visit but the details need to be discussed. A small smile forms on his lips. "That is when we can finally relax for a few weeks."
"Perfect," Seiya agrees, loving the idea not having to be idol for a little while.
Yaten knows this will come up sooner or later, "do you think Mina…would want to come to…" He is pretty sure as soon as she hears about their plan to go to Kinmoku she will want to join.
"Probably. I know Odango wants to visit again," Seiya adds thinking back to their conversation earlier in the week.
Taiki glares at both of his cousins. "That is a discussion for later… given both of your circumstances; I don't think it would be wise for either of you." He looks at Yaten for a moment before turning to Seiya, "especially you."
Yaten shrugs. "I haven't broken any rules."
Seiya shoots a look at Yaten, "yet."
Yaten blushes slightly. "It's not like that… we're just…"
The group is interrupted by a stage hand informing them the stage is ready for their performance.
Yaten slowly walks behind Taiki and Seiya, for the first time he is really questioning what he and Minako are. It's nothing serious… is it? Could it become serious?
Ami slowly rises to her feet after the concert ends. "Thank you for inviting me but it's late and I should be going."
Usagi grabs her arm. "Just thirty more minutes so we can see Minako-chan. I know she would love to see you. If you're really tired, I can take you back personally."
Ami looks at Usagi before looking at her watch again. She could spare thirty minutes. It won't take her long to travel back to Japan even without Usagi's help, five minutes maximum. She relents. "Okay, but not for very long, I'm sure Minako-chan is also very busy."
"That's great Ami-chan! I'll help you keep an eye on the time, I know you want to have some sleep before your next class," Rei offers to smooth over the situation. She's also plotting how this could make it easier for her to speak to Seiya.
Rei leads them back stage and immediately recognizes the worker that almost didn't let them back stage in Boston. He doesn't say a word and moves to the side to let them pass. Rei smiles brightly at him.
The trio walks down several corridors until they hear someone talking about recording music.
"This tour is doing better than anyone expected. I'm sure the home office is already planning new tours for everyone. The new music for the remix is almost done. I listened to a short demo of it and I think it will be perfect. The entire piece should be ready by the time you return. Listen to it and if you like it we'll proceed." He turns to Minako to discuss recording her album.
Ami, Rei, and Usagi wait to the side, a short distance away until the manager is done. Rei checks her watch; she hopes he is almost done as this is cutting into Ami's time. A few minutes later he walks off.
Ami greets them first. "You were wonderful Minako-chan!"
"Ami-chan!" Minako shouts running over to her and hugging her tightly. "I can't believe you are here!"
The Three Lights turn in the direction of Ami's voice to see her standing next to Rei and Usagi.
"I'm glad Usagi-chan and Rei-chan invited me to the performance. Today didn't turn how I thought it would." Ami explains to Minako. She had some time to finish thinking things over during the concert to make her final decision. "Harvard wasn't what I expected and after reflecting on it some more, I'm going to delay studying abroad for another year to really work on my English so I'll be ready."
"Your English is fine," Taiki adds, "it was always the best in the class." He doesn't understand why Ami would this be hesitant about anything relating to her school given their rivalry to be first in the class.
Ami blushes slightly. "Yes… but sitting through several classes entirely in English using technical terms for the medical field is different." She explains the difference to everyone. "I'm amazed at how easy it seemed to be for Mamoru-san and Ayumi-san. I'm thankful he offered to let me sit in classes today. It really helped me make my decision."
Minako giggles as an idea crosses her mind. "I could tutor you in English!"
Rei, Ami, Usagi, Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki all teardrop at Minako's outrageous suggestion.
"Umm…. thank you Minako-chan… but I need to learn a lot of technical English for school." Ami tries to let her down gently.
Yaten shakes his head at Minako. "Your English is good but not that good."
Minako's eye twitches at her boyfriend's remarks. "It is better than yours…" she grumbles as she turns to face him. "Your English on this trip has been horrible Yaten! How many times did I translate for you when we went out? I know you didn't forget New York!"
Usagi blinks a few times and looks at Minako wide eyed. "Wait you snuck out to go on secret dates this entire time?" She eyes the blonde with the red bow carefully. "What else are you not telling us?"
Minako and Yaten blush slightly in response. There really was no filter anymore.
"Minako-chan?" Ami looks at the singer incredulously.
Minako laughs slightly forgetting Ami didn't know yet. "Uh…. Yeah… Yaten and I are… it's been kind of a secret…." Minako stammers. It still sounds strange to say it out loud, that she and Yaten are a couple.
"Wait a minute. How did no one recognize you guys?" Rei looks at the duo with an eyebrow raised. "If you were spotted together it would be all over the tabloids and there wasn't anything."
Yaten loosens his tie slightly. "Well some of us have a built in disguise no one would suspect."
Minako throws up a victory sign her with crescent moon compact she used when she was Sailor V.
Rei stares at the object in Minako's hands. "It's a good thing Artemis wasn't here to see this."
Usagi gasps at Minako's brilliant plan. "Minako-chan, you are genius!" She pulls out her pink Luna Pen.
Ami and Rei fall to the floor. The two really are twins. Ami is able to pull herself together first. "That is not what Luna gave you that pen for."
"Why have it if I can't use it!" Usagi winks at Ami.
Ami looks down at her watch in disappointment. "I'm sorry, it's really late and I need to be heading back. I have a class of my own in a few hours." She turns to Rei, Minako, and Usagi. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you again in Tokyo next week."
The girls hug each other again and Ami heads down the hallway with Usagi toward the bathroom.
Rei realizes this might be her only chance to talk to Seiya for a moment without Usagi around. She walks over to him. "I need you to ask Usagi to stay with you tonight."
Seiya looks at Rei confused for a moment; he was not expecting this request.
"I'm going to Japan for a little while to speak with Setsuna-san, Haruka-san, and Michiru-san. They need to know what is going with Usagi and not to try anything else. Usagi didn't even want to mention what happened to Ami-chan today. This needs to stop." She lowers her eyes, "She's still having nightmares."
"Of course…" Seiya responds understanding why Rei needs Usagi occupied to not notice the senshi of flames absence.
Taiki shakes his head. "I'm surprised they were able to get away with this." He still can't believe the behavior of the senshi on this planet. Something like this would never happen on Kinmoku. No one would dare attempt it.
Yaten turns to Seiya. "We have a slightly later start tomorrow but still be on time." He remembers how Usagi staying with him increases his odds of being late to things.
Minako pouts. "You have a late start! Tomorrow is my early day." She sees Usagi coming back alone meaning Ami already left for Tokyo. She grabs Yaten by the arm and starts walking off with him to make it easier for Seiya to speak to Usagi. "We have to hurry if we're going find anything open on the way back."
Taiki leaves as well heading back to his dressing room. When he is alone he sighs when he closes the door. He is in a difficult situation.
Seiya and Usagi complicate so many things. He was always taught to uphold the rules of Kinmoku regardless of his location, another reason he had always kept his distance from everyone. It was the best way to avoid situations like this and potential problems.
His duty as a senshi forces him to report new developments but the repercussions it could have for Seiya would be catastrophic. But information is not supposed to be kept from the Queen of Kinmoku.
He sits down on the couch in deep thought. Are they supposed to protect Sailor Cosmos now… rather than Queen Kakyuu? "Seiya… what have you done?" He asks no one in particular. It shouldn't be this convoluted.
Rei excuses herself to go to the bathroom leaving Usagi alone with Seiya. She takes her time making sure they have enough time to talk.
Seiya places his arm around Usagi's shoulders. "Why don't you stay with me tonight?" He asks her softly, hoping it doesn't seem suspicious.
Usagi looks up at him surprised. "I thought you were really busy."
"Tomorrow is an easier day," Seiya starts to explain but stops. There was another reason he wanted her to stay other than Rei visiting Japan. "I miss you."
"Really?" Usagi looks at him wide eyed.
"Of course, "Seiya responds brushing some of her hair to side. "Anything wrong with wanting to see you more often? I guess I was too used to you staying with me for those few days."
Usagi can't help but smile. She loves the thought of spending more time with him. "Umm… what should I tell Rei-chan?"
"I'm sure she'll understand," Seiya immediately answers.
Usagi pouts slightly. "I'm sure she is going to give me hard time."
"Give you a hard time about what?" Rei asks Usagi as she appears next to her.
"I… ah… I'm going to spend tonight with Seiya…" Usagi begins to explain. Why did it still sound to strange to say? She doesn't have to make up and excuse anymore to be gone all night. It's because she never had this many opportunities with Mamoru. Usagi bit her lip slightly.
"Go ahead. You don't need my permission. Just make sure you're ready to go in the morning." Rei choses her words carefully; she doesn't want Usagi to think she is eager to have her gone for any reason.
Usagi nods her head happily. She could get used to this.
"But make sure you stop by the room first to get some of your things for the night." Rei suggests. This way she will also know when she will anticipate Usagi to be gone. It will make it easier for her to go to Tokyo.
"That's a great idea Rei-chan! I'll do that first," Usagi smiles at Rei's suggestion. She turns to Seiya, "I'll see you in a little while."
"Sure. I need to wrap up things here but go on ahead. I should be back in about an hour." Seiya comments while checking the time on his watch.
"We should be going," Rei gestures to Usagi. She waits until Usagi turns away from Seiya before she mouths, "thank you" to Seiya.
He nods his head in acknowledgement. He is very okay with this plan.
Usagi stares at the small backpack in front of her that contains her pajamas and her toiletries for the night. She tries to hide another yawn behind her hand. What she wants more than anything is to sleep, to have a peaceful night's sleep. What is it going to take to have one? She pouts when she thinks about the likelihood she'll probably have another nightmare. But at least Seiya will be there.
Glancing at the room clock she notices she has already been here for an hour. Seiya should be back. She has a few things she still wants to talk to him about that happened earlier today.
She pauses to pick up her room key. She'll need it tomorrow morning when she comes back.
"I'll see you in the morning around nine?" Rei asks, making a mental note of what time she needs to make sure she is back if there are any complications and if the Outer Senshi aren't around when she visits.
Usagi nods, trying to hide one final yawn as she leaves and closes the door.
Rei checks the time and waits thirty minutes in case Usagi needed to come back for anything. When Usagi does not return, Rei puts her plan into action and transformations. "Mars Eternal, Make Up!"
The senshi of flames stands in the hotel room, nervous for what she is about to do. She hasn't had a lot of experiencing teleporting somewhere on her own. She was always with someone else and usually it's Sailor Cosmos. She takes a deep breath, focusing her thoughts on the task at hand and the confrontation she about to have with her fellow senshi.
Seiya gets up when he finally hears the knock at his door. He was thinking of calling Usagi soon if she didn't show up. He wanted to find out what happened today and how Ami-chan ended up joining them. He opens the door dressed in a simple red t-shirt and black shorts.
Usagi still has her pink dress on from earlier and heads to the bathroom to put on her own pajamas of a white camisole and pink shorts. She wants to be comfortable so she can just go to sleep after she tells Seiya everything that happened today. She takes out her hairpins, allowing her hair to flow freely down her back. She yawns before leaving the bathroom and walking to bed where Seiya is sitting. "Can we sit up and talk for a while? I have a feeling if I lay down in bed I'm going to fall asleep right away."
Seiya is a little surprised by her request. "What happened today? How did you meet up with Ami-chan?"
Usagi moves closer to Seiya and begins telling him how she was out to lunch with Rei when Mamoru and Ayumi appeared at the café.
Seiya looks at her questioningly when he hears this information. He was not expecting Mamoru to show up out of nowhere to see her and Rei.
Usagi explains how Ayumi wanted to meet Ami and they all agreed to meet at the Silver Millennium. They talked with Ami for a while about the tour and how they met Ayumi. Usagi looks down at the covers. "I couldn't bring myself to tell Ami-chan what happened in Boston with the other timeline. I hope she won't be mad when she finds out I kept this from her but I wanted to tell her and Mako-chan at the same time. The fewer times I have to talk about it, the better."
Seiya puts his arm around Usagi's waist and kisses her on the forehead. "I'm sure she will understand Odango."
Usagi leans forward into Seiya enjoying the embrace. She feels calm. "I'm surprised she's not going to try to study abroad." She pauses feeling a little guilty about what she is going to say next. "But I'm kind of happy because we would all miss her."
She pauses realizing there is one other thing she needs to mention to Seiya about her day. "When Rei-chan and I went to Boston see Ami-chan before the concert… I spoke with Mamo-chan and he asked me to help him with trying to figure out how to use the Golden Crystal."
Seiya's mouth twitches a little. Even now Mamoru was still trying to find some way to keep Usagi close to him.
"We're going to meet next week at the Silver Millennium," Usagi finishes. She inhales sharply when she can feel Seiya's grip around her waist tighten. She turns her heard to look at him.
He doesn't look thrilled at this information. "Are you sure given everything that happened lately?" He tries to keep his tone even.
"I want to try to help since I know how important finding the crystal was to him," Usagi quickly explains. "Ayumi-san will be there too. She wants to learn about the crystal and she's helping Mamo-chan as best as she can." Usagi finishes explaining. Seiya's hand around her waist relaxes a bit after hearing Ayumi will also be there. She looks at him. "Seiya… are you jealous... about me spending time helping Mamo-chan…?" She doesn't understand.
"… I just… there's a lot that happened to you in the past few weeks… and I don't want you to feel more stressed than you need to be," he chooses his words carefully. He can't picture Mamoru not trying to win Usagi back at some point. Usagi is not a person you can just forget about.
She leans forward to hug him tightly and reminds him, "I chose you." She whispers, hoping it will help ease some of his insecurities. She is not used to seeing a vulnerable side to him; he always displays such an aura of confidence. "What I really need is some sleep," Usagi tries to hold back another yawn.
"Sleep does sound like a good idea," Seiya agrees, he has been fighting to remain awake as well.
Usagi removes Seiya's hand from her waist before she lies down on her side. She puts her head on the pillow and realizes she's not going to be able to sleep like this. "Seiya… I want to fall asleep in your arms."
Seiya smiles and repositions himself behind Usagi, draping his left arm around her waist.
Usagi picks up her head so he can place his other arm around her, near her shoulders. Usagi rests her cheek on his arm and lets out a content sigh. Within a few minutes she is asleep.
Seiya holds her close to him, enjoying this moment. He drifts off to sleep shortly later with a smile.
Usagi finally has a night without a nightmare, recalling past events, or a premonition; finally a night to rest.
Eternal Sailor Mars finds it very easy to sneak into the apartment building of the Outer Senshi with her teleportation abilities. She wants to catch them by surprise. She was glad she spoke to Ami either how it was to teleport between the two places. She followed the senshi's advice and took her time. The most important thing is that she made it to her destination without any complications.
After she confirms she is on the correct floor she reverts back to Rei. She has been here enough to know the location of their apartment. She inhales a few deep breathes as her heart beats faster. She is about to confront some of the most powerful senshi of this solar system and they are probably going to be angry with her. But she has to make them understand what is going on.
She marches to their apartment knocking on the door loudly. She didn't have a backup plan if they aren't here.
Haruka opens the door with a look of surprise to see Rei standing in front of her. "Did something happen? I didn't think you'd be back to soon," she eyes her suspiciously. The look in the younger girl's eyes conveys this is not a typical visit.
Rei is direct. "We need to talk about Usagi."
Haruka lets her in. "She is okay?" Her protective instincts of the Queen start to kick in.
"Are Michiru-san and Setsuna-san here too? They need to hear this as well," Rei responds hoping to speak to them all at once.
"Go ahead and sit down, I'll get them," Haruka gestures to the couch in the living room area before walking down a hallway to the bedrooms. She returns a minute later with Michiru and Setsuna.
Rei doesn't even bother greeting Michiru and Setsuna, she needs start off on the offensive with the Outer Senshi, she learned this much over the years. She looks at Setsuna as she speaks, "you've gone too far this time." She doesn't give the Senshi of Time a moment to respond. "I've never seen Usagi so angry. She can't sleep because she's having nightmares every night. You had no right to do that to her."
"What are the nightmares about?" Michiru interjects.
Rei continues, "the nightmares are about Chaos taking everyone's starseeds. She's terrified when she wakes up that it wasn't a dream." Rei's fists clench at her side. "She has a lot guilt over taking everyone's starseeds."
Haruka narrows her eyes. "That never would have happened if she would just come to her senses."
Rei snaps. "Seiya-kun is the not the problem! He's been there to help and support her every step of the way, which more than you have done!" Rei raises her voice at the trio. "If he wasn't there, I don't know what Usagi would have done."
"She shouldn't be there with him," Haruka hisses the last word.
Rei cuts off Haruka before she can say anything else, "they've been together for almost a year now and she is happy with him! How many times to do you have to hear it until you finally get it? Isn't your Queen's happiness important? Haven't you realized you've made her miserable by your actions?"
Rei pauses for a second. There is no going back at this point. "Usagi's choice is not the problem! You are!" She lets her words hang in the air for a few seconds before she starts to lower her voice a little. "You're not protecting her, you're leaving her vulnerable. She can't trust you won't attack in some way the person she loves and she has to defend him against you… her senshi." She finishes the rest of her statement. She looks at the expressions of the three older women in front of her, they can't look at her.
Haruka clenches her fist tightly hating the position she is in. She had done all of this protect the Queen.
Michiru lightly touches Haruka's arm, seeing her partner is about to lose it. She speaks softly to try to calm her, "We should talk to Usagi when she comes back, perhaps at the next concert event," she suggests. She knows Usagi will want to speak with Setsuna on her own. Michiru understands where is Rei is coming from. Maybe it was time to put all this behind them.
"Concert event?" Rei looks at the teal haired woman in confusion.
"I will be performing with the Three Lights next week, the final arrangements were made yesterday," Michiru explains.
"You need to get along for Usagi's sake," Rei adds, hoping the event will give them a chance to put aside some of their differences.
Setsuna finally speaks trying to lighten the atmosphere, "It's my fault. If I never tried to change the timeline back… everyone was so happy in that timeline with Small Lady."
Rei shakes her head. "People will be happy in this timeline too… some more than others."
Setsuna studies Rei carefully, "yes, things seem to have a way of working out."
"The problem is we saw a future that we never believed would change, or could. It was a huge adjustment for us as well when Usagi first left for Kinmoku with Seiya-kun before the Black Moon appeared… but I want to see her happy, and she was happy before she was sent to the other timeline." Her voice softens as she thinks about how different Usagi has been since she returned.
Setsuna nods with a slight smile on her lips. "Time is more fluid than we had previously thought."
"Usagi wants to talk to you when we're back in Tokyo… it's going to be difficult for her." Rei tries to prepare Setsuna for the conversation her best friend is dreading.
"I understand." Setsuna adds. She studies the atmosphere in the room. The tension seemed to decrease from when Rei first appeared. She hopes Rei's words will reach Haruka. They can't continue this way anymore.
Mamoru puts down his pen. It is futile to try to continue any of his readings. He lost track of how many times he read the same page without retaining any knowledge. He will have to look at the material again tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be more focused.
He rubs his eyes, still thinking about Usako after he learned her nightmares returned. That is the last thing he wanted. Why didn't he realize something like this could happen? She had struggled with them for so long after the first time they fought Galaxia. Chaos brings out the worst for her.
He didn't have enough time to talk to her as he would have liked. He won't see her for another week. Tapping his fingers on his desk he considers his options. It would be easy for him to just show up and check on her. He frowns; it is probably not the best idea.
Mamoru is glad she agreed to help train him with the crystal and he doesn't want to make it any more awkward before then. Writing an e-mail this week is pointless she won't see it until after the training session.
A glance at the clock makes him realize how late it is. She should be sleeping and he hopes she is not having another nightmare at the moment. The thought of dreams and nightmares make him think of Helios, is there a way the priest could somehow help Usako? His hope is quickly squashed as he realizes Helios will ask about Chibi Usa. Better yet, how could he even contact the priest?
"Damn it." He curses under his breath. Everything at the moment is a dead end. He can't help her. He's not used to this. He was supposed to be her source of support. No matter what they will always have a connection, it just might not be as strong as it once was. That thought, bothers him the most.
Standing up from his chair he also realizes he's not going to be able to sleep for a while either and opts to go outside for a walk; something to try to clear his mind.
A few minutes later, he is walking on the empty path leading toward the library. He doesn't have a particular destination in mind, he just needs to let go of this energy. His mind wanders to the recent conversations he had with Setsuna. He is grateful to be able to talk to her to help work through whatever this is. But she has only provided more questions than answers with her vague responses about a new future. Was this new version that bad? His shoulders slump; how can he be happy if he's not with Usako? Usako had already seen some of her future as well, the images discourage him further.
The King of Earth inhales sharply as another thought enters his mind, alarming him. If he is supposed to be happy in this timeline in the future and Usako is not with him…does that mean he will meet someone that could eventually take Usako's place? He shakes his head immediately dismissing such a crazy thought. No one could take her place… could they?
He crosses Cambridge Street to the other side of campus with many of the education buildings knowing they will be empty and he will be alone. He didn't want to be around people right now, unless it was Usako but that wasn't possible.
Twenty minutes later, all Mamoru can think about is Usagi and the return of her nightmares. They are nagging thoughts that will not leave him alone. He stops to lean his hand against a tree. He wants to check on her and make sure she is alright. He has the ability to check on her.
His mind argues back and forth on whether he should. Before he can make a decision, he sees Usako in his mind's eye and he can see her face and the expression demonstrates she is sleeping peacefully. Inhaling sharply he tries to determine if it is real or if he is imagining it. The position of her arm catches his eye. It's not natural; an arm should not bend that way near her cheek. He widens the image slightly and realizes it is actually another arm and not hers. He immediately breaks the connections when he sees locks of long black hair near her shoulders. He doesn't need to see anything more. He leans forward resting his forehead on his hand. His eyes shut tightly. This is exactly what Ayumi had warned him about, seeing something he didn't want to see.
His posture stiffens and he pulls away from the tree. How was he able to use his ability just by touching the tree? He always had to touch the ground in the past. For a brief second he questions if he imaged everything. No, he would never imagine seeing Usagi with him.
He reminds himself that Usako is sleeping peacefully at the moment and that is what is most important. With a sigh he starts the journey back to his room to try to sleep as well.
Sailor Mars returns to the hotel room, flopping down on the bed with a loud exhale. She reverts back to Rei, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, replaying everything. Hoping the three of them understand what they've done to Usagi. Glancing at the clock she realizes she was gone almost three hours. That would have been impossible to explain to Usagi.
After leaving their apartment, she nearly went to the shrine but stopped. She wouldn't have been able to explain her sudden appearance to Grandpa or Yuichiro.
Yuichiro. Why is he still working at the shrine after all this time? At any point he can return to his family business and live a life of luxury.
Usagi's and Minako's words echo in her head. She sighs in frustration. When are they going to understand she is just friends with him? Her eyes widen, if they are just friends, why is her heart beating so fast right now? Usagi had claimed to be friends with Seiya-kun for… she stops herself, bolting upright. This is entirely different.
She shakes her head to clear it. She's been spending too much time with Usagi and Minako. Speaking of which, she needs to get take a bath and go to sleep.
Ami sits down in the chair across from her advisor. "I've thought everything over and I would like to postpone studying abroad for one year." She declares.
The advisor frowns at Ami's decision.
"I want to work on improving my English in the next year; I'm not ready to study abroad with my current skill set." Ami elaborates. She doesn't want to be taken off the list for consideration in the future.
"I see…" she pulls up a course listing on her computer and types away for a moment. "Well if you are serious about improving your English, Mizuno-san you should consider an Advance English class in the fall and learn more of the terminology for your chosen field of study." She suggests while her eyes scan the computer screen.
"That would be perfect, thank you." Ami smiles with relief.
"Halfway through the fall semester, we will meet again to check on your progress." The counselor looks at Ami carefully. "Please understand you would likely not be able to postpone more than once Mizuno-san."
"I understand. Thank you for your help. I think I can be ready in a year," Ami tries to sound confident as she considers the difficult path ahead of her. She bows when she stands up to leave.
Once she is outside in the hallway she lets out a deep sigh of relief.
"How did it go Ami-san?" A young man with short dark brown hair asks her.
Ami smiles when she sees him. "Better than I thought." She pauses to look at him. "Now that we're classmates again, you can just call me Ami-chan."
He grins. "I've called you Ami-san for years… Ami-chan…" He tries to correct himself. It sounds foreign to refer to her in that way.
Usagi is in high spirits the next morning after finally having a night's sleep without any nightmares. She snuggles the pillow not want to getting up, enjoying Seiya's scent while he is getting ready to leave for the day. A smile remains on her lips.
"It will never last, just give it up."
Usagi shuts her eyes tightly, cringing inwardly after hearing Serenity's voice. She hadn't heard her voice in a few days outside of her dreams. Why is the Queen appearing now? She is not going to let her ruin this moment with Seiya. She reminds Neo Queen Serenity in her mind, "you had your chance with Endymion twice and how it is my turn."
Serenity laughs. "You'll change your mind soon." Her voice fades out to nothingness.
Usagi lets out a groan of frustration as she gets up. Why would Serenity think she would change her mind about Seiya? At least Serenity didn't stay for very long this time.
Seiya turns from the mirror still finishing his tie after hearing Usagi stir. "I thought you were still sleeping."
"I wanted to but you can only sleep so much…" Usagi raises her arms above her head stretching her limbs. "It's the first night I've had since I came back where I didn't have a nightmare…" She pauses to amend her statement. "Well the second night, they didn't start until after I came back from Brazil."
Seiya frowns. He wishes he had more time. "I'm glad you were able to sleep better." He looks at the clock on the night table on the bed next to her. "I have to be going for the day. I'll see you tomorrow at the concert?"
Usagi nods her head. "I can't believe the tour is almost over."
Seiya smiles in relief. "I can't wait for it to be over." He leans in to kiss her several times on the lips before leaving.
Usagi smiles as she watches the door close behind him. She feels like she could take on anything.
Taiki and Yaten are in the lobby waiting for the car. They are a few minutes early.
"I'm not sure if telling Queen Kakyuu was the right thing to do," Yaten is apprehensive about the other night. A part of him feels like they betrayed Seiya.
Taiki sighs slightly. "I know it was difficult but it was the right thing to do. What if he goes to Kinmoku and he loses his Change Star? If we could determine the outcome prior to our arrival, it might be better if he never set foot on Kinmoku again."
Taiki searches for Seiya and sees he is still absent. "If he never returns to Kinmoku, he will never lose his Change Star."
Yaten's eyes harden. "I did not anticipate Queen Kakyuu to say she would have to take the matter under advisement and will be dealt with in person."
"Queen Kakyuu is not allowed to discipline any senshi. The council believes she could not be impartial, it is the one of the few limitations she has as Queen," Taiki reminds Yaten. "It was the same for her parents."
The silver haired Three Lights member glares at the taller man next to him. "Crap. I forgot about the council. You know how much Nori-san hates Seiya." He pauses. "But I don't see how he could hide this from Queen Kakyuu. Not with how Seiya is with Usagi-chan."
"She would have suspected sooner or later, this gives us time to plan based on the reaction we saw," Taiki adds. "I know she will do everything she can to protect Seiya."
Yaten nods his head. "If there is a loophole, she will find it. She would do that for any of us." He pauses. "Maybe Seiya is right… nothing about their relationship is normal."
Their conversation comes to a halt as they see Seiya approaching them.
I kind of forgot about Hotaru again…. Needed to make sure she has some screen time too. I don't know how to work Makoto in yet… so she is busy cooking!
Is Seiya right to still feel this insecure after all this time?
Are Taiki and Yaten doing the right thing or just stirring the pot before going to Kinmoku?
Who is Ami talking to?
Rare Pair stories are shaping up nicely for next month! There will be one featuring Yaten and Minako that will explain their adventure in New York referenced in this chapter.
It is time for this tour to be winding down and the group to return to Tokyo in Act 66: Steal Me Away on to be posted on 3/09.
Thanks for reading!