Act 1. Ami: Solve For Why?

Poor Usagi Tsukino had been studying for hours. All her life, school had been something of a challenge; grade one was the last time she could remember being as effortlessly adept as her classmates. Year after year, her best friend Naru had very little trouble with their classload, and she struggled with even the simplest concepts. Nevermind how her genius-level classmate Umino did, but he was clearly a special case. She had no hope of ever getting the material to take root in her head at this point. As much as she really wanted to be better, it just wasn't sinking in no matter how long she stared at the pages. So she defaulted to one of her usual depressurizing exercises.

"Usagi…" Ami Mizuno's voice was less than enthused, but still managed to sound patient even while it also sounded exasperated with her short attention span. "While I appreciate the balance and dexterity it takes to hold that pencil on your upper lip…"

"Thank you," Usagi replied through her teeth as she stared at the ceiling, twitching the lips back and forth to keep said pencil from falling off. "It's a real talent!"

"But we really should get back to studying. The test is in four days!"

Whining, she finally sat up, catching the pencil. "Come on, Ami! I can't do this! Face it, my brain is a bowl of oatmeal and nothing's gonna stick in there except a spoon!"

"Oh, Usagi…" But she wasn't disappointed or angry, the way her mother would have been. The crease in her noble brow and the clarity of her blue eyes told a different story: one of concern. "You really need to pass this. Your grades are so low! I just… I don't want to move on to ninth grade, and look back at you still being in eighth. That would be truly unfortunate."

"I knowwwwww…" Slumping downward, she looked at the pages. "Just feel dumb all the time."

"You aren't 'dumb'. Which is an inaccurate word, because it means you are incapable of speech; we both know you're highly accomplished at talking." That did make Usagi snort, and Ami leaned down catch her gaze before she smiled at her. "You're actually a very bright girl, Usagi. I just think you need… well, I don't know. Confidence, maybe? Or focus. Maybe you could try ginkgo!"

Her head tilted slightly to one side. "Does that really work? I mean, I'd try anything if it made me smarter."

"Well, that isn't exactly how it works. But some scientists do claim it enhances one's powers of retention."

"Ohhh." Not that she understood the difference; it still sounded like 'smarter' to her. Her mouth twitched upward. "Ami, why are you so nice to me when I'm such a dope?"

As she turned a page backward in their textbook, she said easily, "You're the leader of our team. I have to be nice to you." But the slight smirk when she glanced up again betrayed that she wasn't serious, and Usagi relaxed. "Now then, back to problem four…"

"What team?"

It was a shock to hear another voice in the room. Ami and Usagi both blinked a few times before turning to where Naru Osaka was sitting with her pencil dangling out of her mouth. They both gaped, having forgotten she was there because she was just quietly reading through the material.

"Pardon me?" Ami asked.

"I asked, what team? You said something about a team. I didn't think you played any sports."

"O-oh!" Usagi burst out.

"Oh, what?"

"Well…" Instead of either trying to figure out how to explain the situation to their friend, or telling her the sad news that she'd been forgotten in lieu of their somewhat more intimate conversation, Usagi just laughed. "The team of Usami! You know, Usagi and Ami? Since we… well, we've both got… oh, we were just kidding! D-don't worry about it!"

Naru raised an eyebrow at the way both of them were fidgeting, but then shook her head and turned back to her book. "Sometimes, Usagi, I really think you're losin' it."

~ o ~

Not that she was kidding. Usagi really was the leader of their team. Every so often, having a secret identity was something that she forgot about. Understandable, since it had only been a part of her life for a few months.

She needed a moment to take stock of her positioning. Left boot forward, gloved fists upon her hips. Shoulders thrown back and chest forward, back straight. Long blonde pigtails trailing out behind her on the slight breeze — she loved it when the breeze could ruffle her skirt and her hair, it made her feel so much more heroic. Satisfied, she cleared her throat very quietly, then shouted down into the night.

"Stop right there, Nega-trash!"

The abomination with mottled fur snapped its face up to look at her from where it stood, crouched over a hapless citizen. Lips pulled back from fangs into a snarl as it readied to drain the metaphysical energy from her body. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ami getting into a similar pose, so she decided not to wait any longer.

"I am Sailor Moon! Champion of justice! On behalf of the moon…" Leaping off the ledge, she executed a quick flip in midair that seemed so effortless to her now. Even if she wasn't always the best heroine, the moves came a lot easier to her now that Luna had unlocked her potential; it was only too bad that she couldn't translate that poise and confidence into her civilian life.

"I will right wrongs, and triumph over evil. And that means you!"

That had gone according to plan. Once she had delivered her line, Ami stepped out and said hers: "And I am Sailor Mercury! You're through here, you rapscallion!"

Rapscallion? Maybe they should go over their superhero banter after this battle. But either way, it was time to go to work.

That particular enemy didn't put up much of a fight. Today, their defeat came easily, and Usagi was left with the odd feeling of having extra time on their hands and that she and Ami had cheated somehow. On other days, they would wind up running for the hills, or flung around by their hair, or tied up, or flattened… the possibilities were endless, and Usagi's least favourite part of being a Senshi. The victories usually made up for that. Fortunately, their powers kept them from sustaining any lasting injuries most of the time, but now and then there would be a little residual bruising that carried over into their 'daily lives'. Rough stuff. She was glad not to have to deal with that this time.

"Whew!" Ami panted once Jadeite had vanished, done with his grandstanding for the night. They were leaning back against a pillar in a square near Akihabara, both eternally grateful the fight was over. "I… I need to sit!"

"Here…" Usagi put an arm around her as they walked over to the steps of a building and took a seat. Today, Mercury definitely had to do the most flipping around between the two of them, so she didn't mind supporting her. Once sat down, she sighed and patted her shoulder.

"Thanks," Ami panted as she wiped her forehead clear of sweat on the back of her glove.

"No problem. We Sailor Senshi have to stick together!"

They simply stared up at the sky for a few minutes and caught their breath before Ami asked, "Usagi?"

"Hm?"

"Well, I was just thinking… do you ever think we'll be able to stop the Dark Kingdom for good? It's awfully taxing, just the two of us standing against the forces of villainy."

Nodding, she leaned back to look at the stars as she pondered. How many were there above them? A hundred, a thousand? She didn't know anything about astronomy, and didn't want to ask Ami for fear she would actually answer. A brainy girl like her was too smart to bother trying to educate a dimwit like herself. Maybe that was part of why she felt herself wanting to give up so quickly when they studied together.

"We'll be fine. We're pretty strong, right?"

"Yes, but it would certainly be nice to have more teammates. Didn't Luna promise us that she would find the other Senshi eventually?" Ami's frown was more concerned than anything. "I don't want us to be defeated. It would leave Tokyo defenseless."

"Wow," Usagi sighed, hanging her head. "You're a way better leader than me. All I was thinking was that I don't wanna die."

That made the frown deeper, and she turned to look at her, laying a hand on her forearm. "You mustn't think that way, Sailor Moon. All we can do is our best to fight the enemy; if that isn't enough, then we have given our lives in service of others. Isn't that the most noble way to meet our fate?"

"Way to get all deep on me." Ami did smile a little with humour, though the topic was too dark for either of them to truly laugh. "But… yeah, you're right. It's just hard; we're kids, Ami. I want to fall in love, get married, get a job. Maybe see Paris. All that stuff before…"

"Oh, I do understand; so do I. And we'll do those things if we have time. And if we don't, then this is the most important use of that time."

She couldn't answer right away. Ami was right. She felt selfish for wanting to argue against her, especially when she didn't have a decent argument. "Yeah, true."

"Okay. Let's go home and finish studying for-"

Throwing up both hands as she stood from the steps and began to walk away, Usagi exclaimed, "GOD, Ami, not tonight! I need sleep or I really will kick the bucket way too early!"

"Sailor Mercury is right!"

They both looked over their shoulder to see a violet-furred cat perched atop a nearby wall, eyes gleaming in the relative darkness. Usagi groaned. "Should have known you'd side with her, Luna. But I'm so sleepy!"

"There can be no rest when you're handling both Senshi duties and your future on Earth!" Luna's paws made a soft tmp as she landed next to them. "It is quite late, but you can at least go over your books for a few minutes before bedtime! Now let's get a move on!"

She din't miss the way Ami snickered very softly into her hand as they went on their way. Privately, she wanted to trip the both of them for being so mean, but she was way too tired to even try. Maybe she could go crash at Naru's place…

~ o ~

The night before the test had arrived. Every evening before, as long as they weren't called upon to defeat the forces of the Dark Kingdom, she and Ami had been up cracking the books — or that is, Ami was cracking the books. Usagi was bouncing between reading random manga, fidgeting, snacking, pacing the room, and idly wondering what was on television. Naru had enough of trying to get the information through Usagi's thick skull and had given up to study on her own. Ami got impatient with her a few times, as well, and though Ami's "shouting" never really involved raising her voice or using unkind language of any sort, the night before had resulted in a teary breakdown that left the slightly-taller Senshi patting her leader and offering her a handkerchief.

Now was crunch time. Usagi was starting to get the most simple concepts, but it was as if her brain were stretched to its absolute limits instead of just gearing up for the tough stuff.

"You can do this!" Ami encouraged her. "Where does Y go?"

"Y bother?" she tried to joke with a hopeful smile. Ami's face didn't change from its stern-but-patient expression. That was starting to drive her crazy; she almost wanted her to snap at her again. "Okay… um, here?"

"No."

"Here?"

"Sorry, no." After a pause, she sighed. "Alright. We can take a break. If you don't need it, then I certainly do."

Letting out a long, slow sigh, she whined, "Ami, you should give up on me and go home. I'm a total reject! Like, I'm really trying and I just can't make myself care about a bunch of stupid numbers!"

"Think of it another way. This isn't about what you want to be doing and what you don't. It's a necessity. Like taking a bath, or doing your chores. They may not be the most fun of activities, but they're important for your life, aren't they?"

"Hate chores, too," Usagi muttered, lips pouting.

"Alright, alright." Thinking another moment, she held up a finger. "Imagine you're buying the latest Sailor V video game. You really want that game and have been dreaming about it since you read about it in Nakayoshi. But in order to get it, you have to save up your allowance for a few weeks. It's not easy because you like to eat sweets at Fruits Parlour, or buy hamburgers or other fun things."

She had to work hard not to grumble "Are you calling me fat?", but instead kept listening to Ami.

"But if you do the hard work, force yourself to save your yen and avoid the temporary pleasure, you can eventually get the reward. Your game."

"Yeah, I mean, I get what you're saying. But what's the reward here? Just passing a class? It doesn't matter. I'm not really good at anything; I'm not even that good at being a Senshi, I'm just the only one with the tiara. So even if I finish high school, what's next? University? I'm not getting into any of those with my grades! And if I did, what would I study? No idea, I can tell you right now." Sighing, she slumped down against the table. "Mom's right. Everybody's right; I'm just… useless, lazy, and pointless. So maybe I can do that thing you said and sacrifice myself for the planet. If I suck at life, at least I can do something with my death."

The room was quiet for a few seconds. Usagi finally spared a glance over at Ami, expecting her to sternly tell her to get back to work, because her whining wasn't helping. Which was very true. But instead…

She was crying? Why crying?! That was the weirdest reaction she could have! "Ami? What's wrong?"

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, Usagi…" Her hand swiped at her eyes. "I just hadn't realised… how little you think of yourself. And it really isn't fair."

"What do you mean? I don't…" After an awkward second, she got up and moved to her dresser to retrieve a packet of promotional tissues from some new store in the neighbourhood, popping it open and offering one to her friend. She took it, blotted the rest of her tears away, then smiled up at her. It was so watery and laced with emotion that Usagi could only glance at it out of the corner of her eye.

"You're an absolutely wonderful person, Usagi Tsukino. So what if you aren't as w-well-read, or adept at arithmetic as some? That isn't a measure of your character. You're very smart in your own way."

"No way," she laughed softly, even though she did feel a slight warmth in her chest from the mild praise.

"Yes, way! Goodness, you have an innate sense of how to strike the Enemy that I can only hope to cope with through my strategising — and I can only do that thanks to years of chess matches. You've never played chess in your life, I'm fairly certain, and yet I never outshine you on the battlefield. Something's working in that brain of yours, even if you don't want to see it. And that's not even getting into… how kind and generous you are, how thoughtful. I've never had a friend so loyal as you in all my life, and if you think that's 'pointless', well then… you can just think again!"

By the end of that, Ami had hopped to her feet and begun shouting. Usagi felt an odd mixture of reactions, both chagrin from being scolded and her heart pounding from how sweet her tutor-and-comrade was being. Over nothing! Her own eyes were plenty wet by now, and Ami had stopped blotting the tracks from her cheeks.

So Usagi stood and took the tissue from her fist with a couple of tugs. Then she began drying the moisture away with gentle pats while Ami shivered.

"It's okay. Wow, I'm so dumb, I didn't think… I didn't mean to make you cry just because I'm such a whiner! Can you… can you forgive me?"

Her sob turned into a chuckle toward the end. "See there? I'm crying over n-nothing, and shouting at you, and y-you're apologising for nothing. You're so sweet…"

When Ami embraced her, she was caught completely unawares, and could only catch her and pull her in close, fingertips gouging into the back of her shirt, raking through her short bobbed hair. Somehow, even though she had known her less time than her previous best friend, Naru, this brainiac had become equally important. Crucial, even.

"Ami, thank you so much! I'm sorry for b-being so… w-waaahhhh!"

Of course Ami's first reaction to her bawling was to laugh. As often as Usagi broke down in a puddle of childish sadness, no one was ever surprised. But this time, no one was chiding her, or asking her to tone it down. There were only soft lips pushing into her forehead, gentle hands caressing the sides of her face.

"Shhh, shh. I didn't mean to shout; that was unbecoming, and probably didn't make you feel like you had any more self worth. You simply mean a lot to me, Usagi. More than you might expect."

"Why? I don't really understand… I m-mean, I know what you said, but I don't really see how being nice makes me different from anybody else."

"Because you don't have to be nice. You're a Senshi; you could use your powers for evil, and yet you do not. You use them to fight the true evil in this world. And that… is as noble as the policemen and armed forces. They get medals for their service; we don't even get to tell anyone we're doing it. More than that, you were already doing this before we met, and all on your own! So… I think you're very brave. Nobody could tell me otherwise."

"Brave? That's…" Swallowing hard, she looked up into Ami's eyes. "But you're much braver than I am! I've never heard you complain about going out on patrol, or having to fight Nega-dweebs!"

"I'm not brave. If I were… I'd…" Her words cut off.

"You'd what?"

"It's nothing." But when Usagi's gaze didn't waver, Ami looked down toward the floor between their bodies, at Usagi's fuzzy bunny slippers and the carpet beneath them. "You know… those things you've felt about Tuxedo Mask?"

"Tuxedo Mask? I mean… um, sure, but what things?"

"How brave and fearless he is. Beautiful to you, both because you like how he looks in a suit, and because of his heroism. It's not just one or the other, right?"

Usagi nodded without needing to think about it much. "Yeah, exactly. It's like, that Mamoru guy who keeps hanging around is cute, too, but he's a real jerk. I'd much rather have a chance with Tuxedo Mask, since he's the total package instead of… well, half a package."

That got Ami to giggle a little, at least, and Usagi chanced a tiny smile. "I've felt that way, too. I really have. Just… I'm not brave or I would have been able to say it. That's all I meant."

"Well…" The idea that they both were interested in the same man did throw Usagi for a loop. Jealousy was beginning to tingle behind her temples. However, Ami was her friend, and their friendship was very important. Much bigger than petty jealousies or worries about some guy she'd never said more than five words to. It was hard for her to do, but she forced herself to say, "Then if you feel that way, you should tell him how you feel. Like… I've tried with Tuxedo, but I keep getting tripped up on my words, and we're in the middle of a fight… but you shouldn't hold back! I might talk faster and more than you, but your words always come out a lot smarter! S-so… so I wish you the best of luck!"

This silence was longer, heavier. Ami crossed to Usagi's window, wiping her tear tracks away. Usagi followed, but didn't quite touch her; merely stood within arm's reach, to one side and watching.

"What if… he… isn't a 'he' at all?"

"Huh?"

"I'm not brave. I merely do what my higher cognitive functions tell me to; self-preservation. Because admitting my feelings to myself means I ought to admit them to the other party, and I can't tell her or else I'll… risk everything. And that isn't anything like courage, it's just… protecting myself."

Somewhere in there, while doing her best to keep up with it all, she did catch that one word Ami might not even have meant to say: "her."

"Wait, are you… Ami…" The way her friend's entire frame tensed up and she gripped the window ledge sent a panic through her, so she hurried to squeak, "Sorry!"

"What are you sorry for this time?"

"No, I…" Clearing her throat, she tried again, "Do you have a crush on a girl?" No answer. Fidgeting, she whispered, "Do you… have a crush on… a girl I know?"

"Decidedly yes."

"Is it Naru?" Her head shook from side to side. By now, Usagi was beginning to feel lightheaded, but she persevered. "That only leaves me. But I mean, if you liked me you would have… said…"

Finally, Ami turned around with her eyes wet. "You already act like you're disappointed, s-so I'll get my things. This really wasn't how I meant to tell you! But now the cat is out of the bag. I apologise, Usagi."

The blindsided blonde watched her collecting her books for a few seconds. Everything felt like it was happening so fast, but seeing that made her drop to her knees and grasp both of Ami's arms.

"Don't go. Okay? Don't… I'm just… really wigging out right now, but I promise it's not- I don't think you did anything wrong."

"Never said I did anything wrong. Just… it isn't right for us, either. We're both Senshi, and it's such a bad idea-"

"Hey, whoa, whoa, that's not…" Realising she wasn't even sure what she had been about to say moments before, Usagi tutted and leaned in closer to Ami. "I mean, I've never thought about… girls… in that way before, but like, not everybody's the same. I've heard of this! I think… yuri? S-so if we have a word for it, that means it has to happen once in awhile, and if you're one of those people, then that's… that's great! I mean, good for you!"

At the last line, one of Ami's eyebrows twitched up and she had to suppress a smile. "Oh? You're congratulating me on being attracted to women? That's probably a first."

"Well hey, I mean, I just learned something new about my friend! Getting to know a friend is a positive thing, right?" Both of their cheeks were a little rosy now. "I just never… well, of course I like girls, but I don't know about like-liking them, it's… but I did think you were really pretty when I first saw you…"

"You did?" That seemed to shock Ami out of her self-loathing. "Oh no, why would you? I'm so plain…"

"Nuh-uh! You're mega cute!" Ami's blush only got worse, and Usagi realised she was basically hitting on a newly-out lesbian, so she dipped her head slightly. "U-um, if that's okay for me to say. But I… I don't know what to do with this information exactly, but you can bet I'm not mad, or uh… sad? I don't know."

Both of her shoulders rose and fell. "To be honest, I never gave much thought to dating either gender until recently. Even with these feelings, it's still less strange for me to think about women than men, but the whole idea of dating anyone seems… unattainable for me. Since my interests are so nerdy and uncommon."

"Well, I think your interests are cool. Just way over my head." She stuck her tongue out, and Ami giggled again. Then she leaned a little closer. "Do you, um, maybe want a hug? And like, to sit back down? Because you look like you might faint."

"Yes," she admitted with a weary nod, accepting the embrace. Usagi didn't hold back; maybe she was a teeny bit less comfortable hugging her, because now she knew what it could mean to Ami, but at the same time she also knew in her own 'higher cognitive functions' that nothing had really changed. She and her partner-in-crime-fighting were still friends, and could still study together. It just might mean a little more to Ami than it did before.

Once seated by the table again, Usagi didn't take her arm away from around her. And Ami laid her head on Usagi's shoulder, humming contentedly as they arranged the books to look through them again. Much to her own surprise, she didn't mind this. Ami fit together with her as snugly as Y fit into the equation.

Y fit into…

"OH! I got it — that's the inverse! Right, Ami?"

"Very good!" Ami laughed, and Usagi clapped her hands in triumph, then pumped both fists in the air which only made her laugh harder. "See? All you needed to do was stop overthinking it so much. Not that I intended for my sexuality to be the necessary distraction…"

Sticking out her tongue, she said, "It works as a pretty good one, I guess. This time. But hey, at least I'm finally getting somewhere! Go, me!"

"You are. And to the victor go the spoils!"

When she kissed Usagi's cheek, it nearly sent her scrambling away, but she managed to fight down her reaction to a mighty blush and a dopey laugh that made Ami grin even wider. "Th-those are definitely spoils! I feel spoiled!" She still wasn't sure about returning the affections; she definitely bore her friend no ill will for having them, but knowing whether or not she felt the same was another story entirely! After a second or two, she reached up to cup her cheek; that seemed safer. "Um… I'm not really sure what you want from me…"

"Oh, this is fine," Ami reassured her. She sounded so confident; it was impressive, given how vulnerable she had seemed when confessing. "Please don't think I'm requiring anything further. My feelings aren't your feelings, and assuming otherwise would be silly."

"But… I do think you're really…" What else could she say? At a loss, she kissed the top of Ami's head, and heard her cooing, which immediately made her giggle stupidly. "This is so weird, but it's also… nice? Does that make sense, or am I nutso?"

"Don't feel weird. I love it. Even if it's only temporary… it's very sweet of you to indulge me."

"Um… do you wanna try some other stuff? Like, I know I sound like I'm about to implode, but you're my friend, and like… I don't know, if this is just a 'Class S' phase thing…?"

"It isn't in my case," Ami assured her, though she didn't look offended that Usagi had brought it up. "I'm very comfortable in knowing that I find both men and women attractive. Some girls go through a phase like that of liking other girls before they become women, I suppose, but I'm at least reasonably certain my phase is permanent."

One hand behind her head, she laughed, "Hey, that's cool! You know yourself better than anybody else does!"

"Yes," she laughed lightly. "As for 'trying stuff'... I'm also not sure I'm terribly interested in those activities. Which made it difficult to be sure I like girls, to be fair, since I'm undecided on whether or not I want to have sex with either gender."

"SEX!" Usagi burst out. "I meant like, maybe kissing or holding hands or something!" They both giggled, more from relief on Usagi's part.

"Well… if you did want to kiss me, I wouldn't be opposed. In fact, I'd love that very much, but I wouldn't dare ask it of you if you aren't interested in trying."

Both of Usagi's shoulders rose and fell. "Why not? Even if I don't end up liking kissing girls, at least I'll get some practice before I kiss a boy."

"Mm. Then go on; practice away."

At first, Usagi wasn't sure what she meant. Go on? And do what? But when she got the sense that Ami was waiting for her to move, her slow brain fully realised — she was supposed to kiss Ami. Not the other way around. Was she really alright with that? Though it would be a bit wishy-washy to back down after she had made a point of telling her that she would try things out with her if she so desired. Which apparently, she did.

"Oh," Usagi breathed when she was cupping Ami's cheek. "This feels… I dunno."

"Bad?"

"No way! I just didn't think I'd ever be… on this end." By which she meant, Ami was reclining just enough so that Usagi was positioned above her, looking down into her patient, canny eyes. How was she supposed to play the more 'masculine' role when she had no experience with that?! Ami's little bow mouth was parted very slightly, waiting, willing. She leaned down…

It was far better than she had any right to expect. Really, she had expected for it to feel weird, like kissing her brother or something similar, but Ami's mouth was so sweet and vulnerable, completely at her mercy, that connecting it with her own was just… easy. Even without knowing what she was doing! When she began to move her mouth a little, she heard a hum of approval that got her trying more, kneading her lips back and forth, breathing softly along her cheek as their heads tilted in opposite directions. Hands came to rest on her chest, and she slipped her own around Ami's waist, feeling that was somehow the best thing for her to do.

And she didn't hate it.

"Nhh!" she burst out when she felt a tongue prod her bottom lip, drawing away. "Whoa, what was that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Ami piped up, blinking a few times and covering her mouth. "Was that too forward? My reading told me that was the next progression…"

"You've read about this?!" Then she shook her head and pushed her hands into her cheeks. "Wait, of course you have. You study up on everything. But wow… okay, that was… really interesting, and like, better than I thought…"

Those soft, properly-warmed lips pushed into her cheek again, and Usagi sighed. "What did you think it would be like?" Usagi didn't want to answer. Eventually, when no answer came, she nuzzled her jaw and whispered, "I enjoyed myself. And if you did, we could try it again sometime, but not tonight, I should think. You'll want time to adjust."

"Uh-huh…." Another cheek-peck. "Wow, Mizuno-chan, you're such a temptress."

"I am?!"

"Well… okay, maybe not. But you are super confident, and didn't seem scared at all, which helped somehow. Like, I wish I had that going for me!" This time, she was the one to lean over and kiss Ami's forehead, which earned her a closed-eyed coo that made Usagi's stomach do flips. "Oh my GOD, you're so cute!"

Again, she squawked, "I'm cute, too?! Goodness!" While Usagi was laughing, she cleared her throat. "We really should get back to studying… but… I also wouldn't mind incentivising our study habits with a new reward system."

"Yeah? You mean… if I get one right, I get a kiss?" When she felt Ami nod under her chin, where her head was nestled, she whispered, "And I didn't even think I would want that like, five minutes ago. Now I'm not sure! But… j-just for tonight… what if we just assume that I like it and I'll figure out if I was confused tomorrow?"

"Mmmhmmm," Ami hummed with clear and pronounced pleasure. "I find this to be an acceptable proposal, Usagi. Let's begin."

Which is how Ami somehow got Usagi to her first math score that was above a 70. Their "reward system" was going to lead to a period of adjustment, and they'd have to do continual assessments of the situation as they went along. But not everything could be solved with the scientific method. Sometimes, it was pure chemistry.

THE END

[Next: Rei!]

Act 2. Rei: Royally Steamed

"Take that BACK, you stupid bubble-head!"

The way Usagi stamped her foot against the tatami, reached up to her head and touched her odango in annoyance pissed Rei Hino off even more than she already had been. They were talking about something at least semi-serious and all that dumb blonde could focus on was her hair! Where did it end? When would she grow up and stop acting like a spoiled child instead of the leader of the Sailor Senshi?

"I'm not gonna take it back! You're a jerky, annoying jerkface!"

"It's not 'mean' to say you need to train harder, Usagi! God, maybe if you did we wouldn't spend half of our time scraping your butt up off the floor instead of actually fighting the Dark Kingdom!"

"Well, maybe if you didn't yell at me all the time, I would get better sooner! SO not helping!"

"Please don't fight," Ami interjected. She actually looked highly uncomfortable, which only made Rei's temper ratchet upward by several more notches. "This was only supposed to be a planning meeting, not an argument!"

"See?!" she flung at Usagi. "You're upsetting Ami!"

"No, you are! You're the one griping at me like I'm messing up on purpose! Seriously, I'm trying my best!"

A scoff erupted from her throat as she folded her arms over her white haori jacket. "Right. Like anybody would believe that someone stumbling around as badly as you do and screaming like a baby was 'trying their best'. Get a grip!"

Finally, Usagi had reached her limit. That was one thing she could never quite pin down: when Usagi would keep arguing until she was blue in the face, or when she would break down in a fountain of tears. The way she was doing right now.

"Waaaaahhh! Rei, why are y-you like this? Why are you so m-mean all the t- all the tiiiime?!"

"That's enough!" Luna interrupted brusquely, hopping up onto the table on her soft kitty paws. Ever the voice of reason compared to the girls, which Rei thought was pathetic given that she was an actual animal. "Usagi, dry it up! We have important Sailor business, and this outburst is absolutely not going to help us fight the Dark Kingdom!"

"B-but-"

"Rei, I would like to speak with you out in the hallway!"

That took them all aback. Blinking down at her furry head, Rei pointed at her own chest and asked, "Me?"

"Yes! Out you go, come on!"

As they stepped into the hall, she noticed Ami patting Usagi's arm gently as she sniffled and blubbered. What a pathetic mess. Sometimes, she really wished she were a mere miko and could continue her priestess duties without having to worry about the forces of darkness, and the annoying pigtailed nuisance that she had no choice but to assist in fighting them. Lately, she wished that on a daily basis.

Once they slid the shoji door closed behind them, she squatted closer to the cat and whispered, "What is it?"

"I know it's difficult, given her attitude," Luna began with a long sigh, slumping in such a human gesture that Rei had to suppress a laugh. "But… you might want to go a bit easier on Usagi."

"What?! But she's such a-"

"She's a girl. Barely old enough to be making her own decisions! I agree that she needs training, and maturity, but we can't expect them to come merely because we demand it. We have to help her mature. Do you understand what I'm asking of you?"

She thought she did. It was annoying, and she pursed her lips in an effort to keep from snapping back at Luna due to her anger with someone else. Then she finally said, "Alright, I'll try. But she doesn't make it easy!"

"Believe me, I know." Shaking her purple-furred head for a moment, she glanced back at the door. "I think it would help if you went to fetch us some drinks. Give both of you a moment to master your emotions."

"Probably. Okay, I'll be right back."

After letting Luna into the room again, Rei sighed to herself and made her way to the kitchen, her red hakama rustling around her legs. Familiar steps, familiar surroundings. The Shinto shrine really helped bring her peace in times like this, when her fiery temper got the better of her. She did the breathing exercises her grandfather taught her as she prepared tea, making sure there was plenty of sugar in the bowl for Usagi. Which annoyed her, but it was going to be far less annoying than hearing her complain, "Hey, why isn't there enough sugar?"

Why did she get under her skin so easily? She was a brat. Most brats she would simply scoff at and ignore. If she were to hazard a guess, it would be that it was being forced to work alongside her. There was no easy way to walk away from the temptation to get angry when that option didn't exist. They had to get along. They had to fight against Queen Beryl's forces, or the world would be in danger.

And like it or not, 'they' included Usagi Tsukino. World's whiniest superhero.

~ o ~

Training that afternoon went better than usual. Usagi threw her tiara and hit more targets than she normally did, though only by one or two. The sparring never yielded excellent results, but at least Usagi didn't fall on her tailbone very often. Ami's movements were really coming along, and so were Rei's; she definitely wished she had taken martial arts at a younger age to have more knowledge stored up, but Luna was quite encouraging, and a capable teacher despite not being able to show them many of the moves herself.

Rei didn't see the girls the next day. Sometimes, she regretted that they went to a different school, but it came in handy when she was upset with Usagi to simply attend classes and not worry so much about her. They could go to the public school, and she had T-A Academy as a safe haven from her 'leader's' ineptitude.

That night, she lied awake for far longer than she wanted to admit, trying to figure out what to do about the situation. Luna was right; Usagi wasn't evil, and she wasn't being stupid on purpose. Just ignorant and not as mature as she and Ami were. And even though it was difficult to admit it, she could see some potential in Usagi as a leader if she ever worked through her shortcomings. But she had to figure out a way not only to get past her impatience with her, but also show Usagi that just because she couldn't stand her on a regular basis didn't mean she 'hated' her, or that her admonitions were groundless due to said imaginary hatred — if Usagi thought she was only saying those things because she didn't like her, she definitely wouldn't listen.

But what could she do that would show her that she didn't want her to go jump in an active volcano?

It was only the next morning when asking her grandfather for advice that she got a hint of what to do. It was a little iffy, and she had to admit that it made her a little uncomfortable, but the old-fashioned coot might have a point. There were certain activities that fostered more closeness than others.

~ o ~

"A sento?!"

"Yeah," Rei sighed, feeling awkward enough for both of them without Usagi adding to it with her wrinkled nose and furrowed eyebrows. "You know, check it out? I've never been."

"But isn't that a little… old-fashioned? I mean, nobody uses public baths anymore; we all have them in our houses, so there's not much point."

That had been exactly what she first thought, so she couldn't fault Usagi for thinking it, too. Shrugging her shoulders, she leaned back against the telephone pole, playing with the hem of her fuku skirt. "Yeah, I know, I know. But to be honest, the shrine temple basically just has an old wooden ofuro tub and like, that's about it. So even if it's a super-traditional sento, it'll still probably have more modern facilities than I usually get to use."

"Well… why don't you just come over and use my bath? Mom probably wouldn't mind." Usagi's voice was reasonable, and she leaned slightly to one side, trying to catch Rei's gaze. "A-and I wouldn't, either! I'll just stand guard so Shingo doesn't poke his weasly little nose in."

Against her will, she laughed at the idea. "Your little brother isn't at that age yet, is he?"

"Maybe not, but he's still a boy. Can't trust 'em." Another laugh, and Usagi laughed with her. "What do you think?"

"Nevermind. Just wondered if you would be interested in trying it with me, since that would be less weird than going by myself. Forget it."

"Wait, wait!" she protested when Rei turned away to start off toward home, skipping a little so that she could get in front, then walk backwards in front of her with her school satchel held in the small of her back. "I didn't say I'm not interested! Though I'm kinda surprised you'd ask me to go… but I mean, you're right, I've never tried one. An onsen once or twice with my family, sure, but that's more about soaking in the hot springs and playing ping pong."

Snorting at the idea of Usagi trying to play ping pong — and failing — she nodded her understanding. "Okay. I wasn't saying go right this minute, anyway."

"Cool. And hey, it could be fun! Not that I know what to expect… I mean, are they still coed? Do I need a bathing suit?"

"NO! Don't be ridiculous, I don't want a bunch of guys drooling over me!"

Leaning a little closer with a playful gleam in her eyes, she whispered, "You think they'd all be drooling over you, huh? Wow, someone sure thinks she's hot stuff!"

"USAGI!" But the blush only made it worse, and Usagi was laughing loudly and freely. Even if it was at her expense, maybe this was the right way to go; she definitely had cheered the bun-head up.

~ o ~

They didn't wind up going that day, but the next. Ami and Naru were asked along by Usagi — which Rei bristled at, but there was no way for Usagi to know that this was supposed to be so the two of them could understand each other better and stop squabbling so often — but they both declined. Ami because she was studying, and Naru because, in her words, "that's kinda gross." So it all worked out in the end.

They stood in front of the sento with wide eyes. It was highly traditional, at least from the outside; tall pillars and curved tile roof, with a banner over the door proclaiming "hot water" in hiragana. It put Rei at ease, since the classical aesthetic of it was so similar to her home. The only thing that marred the experience was the soda machine a meter from the entrance.

"Yep, this is definitely gonna be interesting," Usagi said with a little nod, hefting her bag of clothes.

"Yeah. I mean, you can still back out…"

"Hah! No way, then you would win!"

Rolling her eyes, she said, "I wasn't daring you to do this, you know. But fine; if either of us chickens out and wants to leave, they have to pay for ice cream. Deal?"

"Deal," Usagi laughed, and they pinky-swore on it. Then they went inside.

It didn't take long for them to get checked in, leave their shoes up front and go through the red curtain into the women's changing room. Usagi stopped to pee before they got on with things, and Rei took the opportunity to find them a spot along the benches to put their bags down. While slipping out of their clothes and shooting furtive glances around, a few old ladies laughed at them for being so modest. They chatted about that, and about the whole experience while moving through into the tiled bathing area. Which was not coed, much to Usagi's relief.

"I just feel weird!" she was hissing under her breath as they stood there awkwardly in the steamy room, holding towels in front of themselves. "Like, this bathroom's too big! Feels like I'm in the wrong place or something. Or worse… at school."

"Yeah," Rei laughed as she looked around for a suitable spot. "Except it's a school full of grandmas." When she spotted two unoccupied stools, she grabbed Usagi's arm and led her over to them, and they got rid of their towels and Rei's basket of soap and shampoo and settled in to start washing. "At least it's warm in here."

As she turned on her faucets and tested the water temperature, then flicked on the showerhead, Usagi glanced over and said, "This makes me feel like a little kid again. Y'know, with my mom washing me? Even though nobody's going to be doing that, like, I guess because I'm not alone in here…"

"No, I get it. Used to bathing on your own now." Belatedly, she started doing the same; her instinct had been to go to the baths and collect bathwater with a washbowl, since that was how she had been taught to do it at home. As they rinsed off, she asked, "Did you want to wash your hair? You'd better put it in a shower cap if you don't."

"What?" Her hair was already wet, and she blanched. "Oh… well, crap. Too late now, huh?"

"Dumbbell." But she didn't say anything more as Usagi quickly undid her buns, letting her hair fall loose down her back as she rinsed it out.

In that moment, as she watched Usagi close her eyes and let the water drench her long, golden locks, Rei was struck by something she hadn't spent a lot of time thinking about. That Usagi was a girl, and a pretty one. She spent so much time fixated on how dumb and annoying she was that sometimes, remembering that she was also a person was a lot harder than it should have been. Maybe it was the peaceful expression that she didn't often get to see on Usagi's face that made it that much more obvious now.

"Oh no…"

"Hm?" Rei said, snapped out of her reverie. "What's up?"

"I forgot shampoo," she whispered, looking embarrassed with her hair all damp and hanging around her face and shoulders. That definitely broke the spell. Rolling her eyes toward the ceiling, Rei reached into the basket for her own bottle and handed it over.

"Hopeless. Completely hopeless, you know that?"

Usagi clasped her hands on either side of the bottle in front of her face and bowed slightly. "I'm sorry! Really, I'll pay you back for it! Only… not right now, I'm kinda tight on money…"

"You never have money! Just… wash your stupid hair!"

And that was that. Or it was supposed to be. When she saw Usagi moping and scrubbing the suds into her hair, she began to feel bad for snapping at her. Normally, she wouldn't have, and she knew it was partly because this trip had been her suggestion that it affected her more than usual.

"Thanks," Usagi said earnestly when she handed the bottle back.

"Yeah. It's… no big deal, I guess. Just one little blob of shampoo."

As she lathered her own and watched her friend rinse hers out, then rinsed hers while Usagi began to wash, she felt worse and worse. Neither the borrowing nor the snapping had been too terrible, yet it stood out like a sore thumb in her memory. The point of this trip was to get closer to Usagi, to stop the bickering by learning to understand her comrade-in-arms. Maybe it wasn't enough to be in the same room; she had to put in actual effort.

So when she saw Usagi trying to reach around behind her back with her washcloth, she turned on her stool and said, "Here, I can do that."

"Huh? Really? You?"

"No, Akarenger," she scoffed, striking a heroic pose. "Super Sentai!" Catching her own ever-present sarcasm this time, she sighed and made herself say, "I mean, it's just an offer; if you don't want me to, that's fine."

"N-no," Usagi stuttered, surprised at the genuine response — even if it followed the random TV show reference. "I just… well, if you're sure you don't mind?"

When Rei shook her head and reached for the cloth, Usagi handed it over before she turned to face away from her and gathered up her hair atop her head, starting to gently wring out the water and then bundling it above her with her towel. Feeling a little weird but trying not to care, she began to gently scrub her back.

"Ahhhh… guess somebody's washing me, after all. Even if it's not my mom."

"Don't make it weird by moaning," she grumbled. This time, she actually felt Usagi tense, so she said, "Sorry."

"What are you sorry for? I'm the one that made the noise."

"Because it's a pretty normal noise; I just…" Sighing, she scrubbed a little harder. "Why do you care so much about what I say when I'm always on your case? I'm surprised you don't just flip me off everytime I open my mouth by now."

It only took a second for her to get over the question being asked in order to answer. "Well… y'know. You're my friend. I care what you have to say, I guess. Even when it's mean," she added in a more petulant tone.

Normally, Rei would have hopped all over that last part. The instinct was there. But hearing that Usagi still cared what she had to say, even when they were arguing like children, changed how she felt like reacting. "Really? I mean… wow. I don't know, I thought you hated me."

"I thought you hated me! Like, you're always the one yelling at me and telling me to be less stupid, or whatever, and I don't really know how to do that! I'm just… me, y'know?" Then she slumped a little lower. It was actually convenient, because Rei had been about to ask her to lean forward so she could more easily get her lower back. "Now I get to be a dumb Sailor Moon on top of being a dumb student and a dumb person in general. Like, how am I supposed to handle fighting the Dark Kingdom creeps if I can't even handle my classes?"

After a few stunned seconds, Rei lowered the rag as she whispered, "Huh."

"What?"

"Oh. I, um… I figured you didn't care about any of that. You always act like all you care about are boys, manga, and dessert. Since when have you cared about being a good Senshi?"

"Since always. Just don't know how to do it, that's all." Then she turned to reach for the washcloth. "Your turn."

Nodding, Rei put her own wet hair up and spun on the stool to face the opposite direction. It didn't take long for the soapy cloth to appear on her back, and she felt herself relaxing the same way Usagi had relaxed. Maybe there was something to her grandfather's insistence that "skinship" between young women was important; that being uninhibited physically might help them be uninhibited emotionally. In the back of her mind, she had worried that he was up to his usual perverted antics again, but he'd never done anything like that to her specifically since she was family so this time, she was willing to give the old letch the benefit of a doubt.

"Usagi-san? I, um… well, I'll do my best to help you. Be a better Senshi, I mean. It might not happen right away, sure, because you're a giant ball of klutziness. But if you really want to get better, I think you can."

"Whoa…" She didn't expect such a strong reaction, but she was smiling about it. That is, until she heard Usagi finish with, "I don't think you've ever called me 'Usagi-san' since we met. What's up with that?"

Huffing through her lips, Rei remained silent for a moment rather than snap something irritably. After all, progress was progress. And her patience was rewarded a second later in a way she couldn't have predicted in a million years.

"It's… too nice. I don't deserve you acting like I'm that important."

"What? I mean, what do you mean?" After a second, a face was pushing into the back of her neck. "H-hey, don't-"

"Okay, so I kind of suspected you were gonna pull some kind of prank on me once we got here. So like, I was planning to wait until you started to act like a jerk, and then push you onto one of the attendants or something. Get you thrown out. Then you'd lose the bet and I'd get back at you for, y'know, whatever the prank was." The face shifted a little, and Rei felt an odd shiver down her spine. "But now… I'm pretty sure there's no prank. So that means I'm just a… suspicious jerk, and a bad friend for thinking you'd do that. I'm really sorry."

Their two spots were mostly silent, other than the sound of running water. Then Rei began to giggle. After a second or two, she felt Usagi draw away in mild concern and shock, so she turned around to smile at her over her shoulder.

"Can't lie, that's pretty hilarious. I'd be royally ticked off if you actually went through with it, sure, but like… the idea is funny. Could probably record it and get on that show 'Kato-chan Ken-chan Gokigen'." When she only got a lot of blinking in return, she went on, "And I get it, I'm kind of a bitch to you most of the time. No wonder you thought I invited you here as a set-up."

"I didn't think that for sure," Usagi hedged with an uncomfortable squirm. "And you aren't a B-word. Just…"

Hearing Usagi at a loss for another word to describe her personality made Rei's heart sink. "Alright… I'm sorry. I really am, Usagi, but you do drive me up a wall sometimes! And I just… react badly. I should learn to treat you better."

"Rei-chan…"

For some reason, the way Usagi said her name that time, with the overly-familiar honorific attached, made her more uncomfortable than the formal "-san" did. She knew it was only because Usagi wasn't used to hearing her be nice in such a way, but the fact that she was naked and washing her back made it come across a little differently.

"A-anyway," she finally said, clearing her throat. "Hurry up so we can go soak."

"Yeah… y-yes, you're right." Then she started scrubbing with renewed vigor, causing Rei to hiss from the harsh feeling. "Sorry!"

They rinsed off the soap thoroughly, then picked their way across to the baths. After some testing, they found one that was hot but not scalding and slowly lowered themselves into it, making yipping noises that caused the ladies in the nearby boiling-hot tub to chuckle at them.

"I'm glad we could come here and provide them with so much comedy gold!" Rei grumbled under her breath.

"Old women are funny," Usagi tittered as she settled in next to her. "And I'm used to everybody laughing at me when I trip and fall on my face or whatever."

"Hmph. We should send you to finishing school, right? Teach you how to walk with poise and dignity. And not trip over those clumsy feet," she added, poking one of Usagi's with her own underwater. It earned her a laugh and a kick in return, which she let happen this time instead of shoving back. "That plus our karate training, and you might not be uncoordinated forever."

"You're being mean again!" Rei butted her shoulder against Usagi's, and she shoved back, and they had a brief contest of strength that ended with Usagi nearly falling over. This time, unlike usual, she grasped Usagi's arm and kept her from getting her hair-towel wet by going completely under. It was weird how they were still squabbling but it was quite different than their usual squabbles. Gentler, and of a more friendly nature.

After a few minutes of playful splashing and teasing, which made a few of the women in the other bath move further away — their own tub was empty other than the two of them in the first place — they settled in to lean against each other slightly, recovering their wind.

"So how long do you think it's gonna take us to find Serenity?"

"Princess Serenity?" Rei asked, and she felt Usagi nod. "Hmm… no idea. Luna keeps saying she could be anywhere and we have to keep our eyes open, but like… I have no idea who we're looking for."

"Exactly! How are we supposed to find some princess we've never met, or even seen a picture of?!"

"She's bonkers! We could at least get a description! How tall is she, does she have a birthmark?"

Holding up one slightly-pruning finger, Usagi said, "Where does she live? What's her blood type, her measurements?"

"Now it sounds like we're making her a dating profile." They both laughed a little, then let it naturally subside. "Ohhh… yeah, I'm frustrated with that, too. If it's so damned important that we find her and protect her, then we could use a couple more details."

A few seconds passed in relative silence, save for the distant sounds of showering and other conversations. Then Usagi said in a quiet voice, "I… did think I found her once."

"Hm?"

"The princess." Shifting slightly, she went on, "I thought it might have been you, Rei."

"WHAT?!" she burst out, and she felt Usagi flinch away from the outburst so she lowered her voice. "What do you mean? Of course it's not me, I'm Sailor Mars!"

"I know that NOW!" she shot back defensively. Then she reluctantly leaned back again, and when Rei didn't shove her away her face settled on Rei's shoulder. "But like, the first time I saw you at the shrine… you were so beautiful and glamorous looking, and kind of… I dunno, elegant, but fierce? A little bit taller than me, even though you only had zori on and I was wearing shoes with actual heels… and I felt my heart beating faster, my head lighter, and I thought, 'Wow, she's so perfect. She has to be Princess Serenity.' Pretty dumb now, I guess."

"Perfect?" Rei couldn't help whispering. She didn't know what else to say other than asking about that.

"Sure. I mean, have you seen you?" Usagi's tone was clearly matter-of-fact, as if anyone looking at Rei would think the same thing.

"Y-you're right, that is dumb. By now you know I'm anything but perfect. All I do is keep being mean to you. Maybe you're kind of lazy and forgetful, but you're obviously trying your best, and I just…"

When the sentence was never finished, Usagi's face turned slightly to look up at her. Then she drew back in alarm. "Rei? Rei, what's wrong, what happened?"

"I d-don't know," she sniffled quietly, not sure why she was crying now, either. "Sorry. But what you said was so sweet! I can't believe you… really…."

"Hey, I didn't say it to be 'sweet'," she gushed ahead nervously, waving both of her hands. And she only continued to talk faster and faster. "It was just a thought in my brain! Like, you're really pretty, in a super glamorous, classic Japanese way, you have- like your hair is always so shiny, and even in a miko outfit with no makeup or anything y-you're way cuter than most of the girls I know! Or maybe it was the outfit that made me think you were the princess; like, I don't see any women wearing stuff besides normal boring clothes often, a-at least I didn't before I became Sailor Moon — and even that outfit is just a sailor fuku with-"

It was the stupidest thing she could have done. Rei only meant to shut Usagi up, but for some reason, with her arms underwater the way they were and Usagi so close, it seemed like it would take more effort to bring them up out of the water to push a hand over her mouth. Also, she was too flattered and dumbstruck to put into words the reason she wanted Usagi to be quiet, and her usual tactic of just shouting "SHUT UP, MORON!" would have been in poor taste after she had just got done reminding herself to be nicer to her teammate, especially when she was being so nice herself.

So those were the reasons, strange as they were, that Rei kissed her.

And it worked. Obviously, having a mouth pressing into hers cut off anything else Usagi had been about to say. There were a few "MMPH!" noises before she relaxed into the contact, and the lips kneaded each other until the consequences of her actions began to catch up to Rei and she drew away, eyes wide as saucers and chest heaving with adrenaline.

Even as she watched Usagi's hand slowly raise up to touch her bottom lip in amazement, she heard a chorus of "UWAAA?!" floating up from the shocked ladies in the nearby bath. They began muttering shortly afterward, and then one of them said "yuri", which made Rei's face began to glow like a stoplight.

"R-Rei, you… I don't… what?"

"Shhhh!" she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to look away. "That wasn't a… that w-was only supposed to get you to stop babbling so much! I didn't know what else to do!"

"You kissed me. Oh my God, whoa, what…. It was so soft…"

"It was?" Quickly shaking out her head, she ducked it down lower until her chin was slightly under the surface. "Shut up! Seriously, w-we shouldn't talk about it! Ever!"

"It really does taste like lemon!"

Rolling her eyes, she rolled a little further away, trying to ignore both Usagi and the other ladies who wouldn't stop whispering and pointing at them. "You sound like a primary schooler."

"But why would you do that? Like… you were crying, and I was just talking like a weirdo, so I don't get it. That came out of nowhere!" Then Usagi's voice took on a teasing tone, which immediately made Rei's stomach drop clear to the bottom of the tub. "Or did it? Have you been thinking about that for longer than just today?"

"Usagi, enough! It was one kiss, no big deal! Don't they say most girls go through a phase? 'Class S' or whatever?!"

"Oh, so now you're saying you have a crush on me for real?" she kept teasing. But as Rei stewed, Usagi slid her arms around Rei's middle — and trying to pretend she didn't feel a pleasant thrill shoot into the pit of her stomach wasn't easy. "It's okay, don't fight it. Just show me that big rainbow heart of yours, PRINCESS REI!"

"Do you want to die by drowning in a sento, Bun-head? Is that really how you want to be remembered?!"

Usagi was still giggling when they heard a very loud clearing of a throat somewhere above them. They both slowly craned their faces upward to see the attendant of the baths with her arms folded over her chest, steam-coated glasses glaring daggers downward. She didn't seem to find the situation nearly so amusing.

~ o ~

And that was the story of how Rei Hino and Usagi Tsukino got thrown out of a bathhouse and asked never to return. At least neither one 'lost' so nobody had to pay for the other's ice cream.

"I'll never tell another soul," Usagi was promising her as they walked back to the temple. "Even if I might tease you when it's just us, like… that's different."

"Thank you," she sighed, feeling oddly both refreshed and completely drained. "Especially not grandpa or Ami — or Luna! Like, no thank you, I don't need to spend the rest of my life explaining that!" When she felt an arm sliding through hers, she bristled. "Usa…"

"I want to be escorted by my beautiful, blushing princess," she whispered. Said blush worsened a lot. "I mean, maybe you're no Tuxedo Mask, but I could do worse."

"Do you want another kiss? Are you angling for that?"

"Maybe."

Rei stopped dead, turning to stare down at her as the breeze ruffled clean clothes around clean bodies. It felt chilly, even though it wasn't a very chilly time of year. "I'll really do it. Don't be an idiot if you don't want another kiss for real."

"Bet you won't." It was somehow even more thrilling because Usagi was teasing her so much, when normally by now she would have backed down or started whining about something. "Bet you that ice cream that you're all talk."

"Oh yeah?!" Once she had grabbed Usagi by the shoulders and pulled her in close, she hesitated. "Um…"

"Rei… oh my God…" But Usagi didn't complain further or try to push her away. When Rei bit her lip and swallowed hard, she whispered, "You don't have to. I'll buy the ice cream. Really, I mean it."

Forcing herself to breathe, she whispered, "Maybe I want to. Did you ever think of that? Did you…" Licking her lips, she leaned closer, "Just to see. Just to find out if I liked it, or if it was the steam going to my head."

After a moment of her own indecision, Usagi breathed, "Sure. If… it'll help…"

That was all the prompting Rei needed. This time, it was a lot slower, more real, and she was stunned by how sweet and perfect the moment became the longer it went on. While it didn't exactly taste like lemon, Usagi's mouth was so open to her, and soft and vulnerable, and she couldn't believe she was being allowed to try it out like this with little-to-no strings attached. The hands that slipped around her waist made her squeak into the mouth, but that only opened her up to a hesitant, curious tongue, which she surprised herself by welcoming inward right away.

Usagi was frenching her. In the street, in front of everyone! And she didn't care. Well, that wasn't true; she cared a LOT but she was too swept up in the novelty, the desire to explore this, to let anything else stop her at the moment. She saw something move out of the corner of her eye…

Once they broke apart, breathing hard and trying to ignore the clapping of a group of high school boys who had witnessed their moment, Rei pushed her hand to her mouth for a long few seconds. Then she finally whispered, "Your foot popped."

"Huh? Popped, wha… what? Oh wow, you're such a good kisser…"

"Mmm, yeah, you too. I m-mean- well, not like I have anything to compare it to…" Then she cleared her throat and put her hands in the small of her back shyly as they started walking again. "But during the kiss, I saw your foot pop up as you leaned in. It was really cute."

"I did?! And it was cute? Oh wow, it- like, I was so focused on your mouth that I didn't notice-" A little squeak floated out as she remembered. "Your tongue! I know what your tongue feels like, holy moonbeams!"

"Shut up already, don't say that so loud! Everybody already saw us!" Both of their faces were glowing red, so it barely mattered that Usagi took her arm again. This soon — minutes after they first kissed, that was beginning to feel normal, which she was fairly certain was anything but normal. "Usagi… do you think this is only a Class S thing, a phase, or are we really…?"

The blonde's shoulders rose and fell as she laid her head on Rei's shoulder. "Who cares? Let's just… go with it for now. I got to kiss my princess; it's like a fairy tale."

Though she wanted to protest, to demand Usagi stop calling her that or move away so they would be less conspicuous, she wound up putting her own hand on the one poking through her arm, her heart fluttering when she felt the little blonde cling right back. "Fine, granola bar brain. Just don't forget that so-called 'magical' first kiss was while we were totally naked."

Rei's plan to take the wind out of Usagi's sails backfired drastically. That thought helped neither of them stop blushing the entire way home.

THE END

[Next: Naru!]

Act 3. Naru: Moving On

"I'm really worried about her."

Usagi could scarcely spare Ami a glance as they walked along the pavement, their schoolbags clutched in front of their legs and bumping up and down with the rhythm of their steps. This had been something she was avoiding thinking about lately. How could she live with herself? Her friend had been out "sick" for nearly a week, and she had barely even tried to visit her twice. It was simply easier to mentally check out and avoid the entire situation.

The fact that Naru Osaka had lost someone very dear to her was a very large part of what complicated matters. Just because she had no idea Masato Sanjouin was the same person as Nephrite of the Dark Kingdom didn't mean it was easy for Usagi to let the matter go. How could she care for him as if he were a real man? How could he have been an agent of evil, frequently sending monsters after herself and Rei and Ami, her close friends and fellow Sailor Senshi, and Naru never see it, never question why he was so evasive when she would attempt to get closer to him? It boggled her bun-headed brain.

"Me, too," was all she wound up saying as they walked. Then she sighed. "Do you want to come to Crown with me today?"

"The Game Center or Fruits?"

"Either one. Just… to relax for a little while."

Ami didn't exactly look thrilled with the idea. The reason was revealed a second later when she said, "I'm taking an extracurricular math course, hoping to improve my high school placement scores. And I need to study for tomorrow's assignment. Sorry."

"Oh."

"Why don't you go and see her? I'm sure once you do, you'll probably feel a lot better."

Frowning down at her shoes, she sighed and said, "You're right. Just, like… it's hard. He was the Enemy! How are we supposed to forget about that?"

"Believe me, it's hard for me, as well. And for Rei. But I can appreciate that to Naru-san, Nephrite was a completely different person. And maybe… she's the one who was right about him."

"You think so? I mean… I know he seemed really different at the end there, but like, if he's not around to put his money where his mouth is…" She squirmed uncomfortably. It was hard, since she always wanted to see the best in people. But when it came to the enemies of the Moon Kingdom, they had done so much widespread damage to humanity that was it was a lot more of an uphill battle for her to give them any second chances. Even in memoriam.

Ami had stopped walking. Usagi was about to cross the street when she noticed, wobbled for a second, then went down like a tonne of bricks. Rolling her eyes, Ami paced over and helped her up.

"Try not to think of this as being about Nephrite. Think of it as… Naru lost a friend. One you didn't know — considering that none of us knew him the way she did, he may as well be a separate person. Focus on Naru and what she's going through."

Nodding, Usagi looked sufficiently chagrined as she brushed off her knees. "You're right, I guess. I'm… yeah, I'll go over there right now."

"Good. That's the spirit."

"Thanks for the pep talk!" Then she dashed toward a side street that would take her to Naru's apartment.

~ o ~

The room was dark when Usagi creaked open the door. Her mother had let her right in, hoping that she could help figure out why her daughter was "being unreasonable". Considering the only explanation Mrs. Osaka had was that she had an older friend who suddenly passed away and no more details than that, it wasn't that hard to understand why she had little empathy for her grieving daughter.

Second to the darkness, Usagi noticed the smell and her nose wrinkled. It was a little ripe in there. Not bad enough that she needed a gas mask, but she certainly couldn't see herself hanging around for very long. Unless her nose started to get used to it after a while.

"Naruuuu-chaaaan!" she called out cheerfully. This was one of the first times in her life she could remember having to do this as an act; normally, she really was in a good mood, but now she was feigning it for Naru's sake. "It's the weekend! Come play the new Sailor V at the Game Center!"

Her friend's matted red hair turned in her direction very slightly from where she sat curled in on herself, back against the headboard. The blanket was still draped over her knees, though it only looked as if she had sat up from where she was sleeping to put it there. The dark circles under her eyes told a very clear story of sleepless nights and crying. It only took a second for her face to turn away, back to the blinds drawn in front of the window.

"It's a gorgeous day!" Goose-stepping across the room, she pulled the blinds open, ignoring the slight grunt from the bed. Maybe it was a little selfish, but she also threw the window open so the wind could freshen the stale air.

"Ngh…"

Hopping back over to the bed, she sat on the edge of it and smiled at Naru. "Hey, I was also thinking — we're a little young, but maybe we if we went with Ami and Rei, we could all go to Okinawa or something! Wouldn't that be great? Beaches, stuffing ourselves with soba and tonkatsu, sightseeing?"

No response.

"Hmm… maybe we need to wait for the break; a weekend isn't long enough to really have fun. Well, what about going to the movies? Feels like forever since we saw a movie together."

Nothing. Her arms curled a little tighter around her knees, but her expression was just as dead and empty as it had been before. Usagi was trying not to let it affect her; she had sworn going in that her one mission was to cheer her up, and not to let the gloom spread in the other direction. That wasn't going to help anyone.

"Alright, we're going to the Game Center today, at least." No response, but she didn't expect one. So instead of trying to talk to her more, she started pulling her from the bed by the arm. "C'mon, let's go."

"Ugh…" Naru winced, and she was frowning, but she also wasn't fighting her.

Once down the hall, she pushed her into the bathroom and sat her on the toilet while she got the water running. Naru did get up and try to go back to her room once, but Usagi catching her arm was enough to get her to give up that fight instantly. Seemed that actually putting effort into something was even less desirable than being forced to bathe.

"You take care of this, and I'll go find some clean clothes," she ordered once the water was drawn. "And then we'll have a nice day out. Sound good?" No answer, of course. "Faaaabulous! Let's do it!"

Once she was out of the bathroom, having briefly stayed to watch Naru roll her eyes and start peeling off her shirt, Usagi could let her own smile drop. She felt awful. It was harder than she thought, maintaining a facade of cheeriness when all she wanted was to cry for her friend. Even if she didn't understand why she cared so much about the ex-villain, the last thing she wanted was for Naru to be in pain.

When she came back, she was at least satisfied to see her friend in the bath, though she didn't look any better otherwise. Usagi shoved her head underwater, which at least got her limbs flailing, then pulled her back up once her hair was good and damp.

"Usa-chan, what the HELL?!"

"Oh, so you don't have laryngitis?" Usagi laughed easily. "Good! Was kinda worried for a minute there." She received a grunt in response as she began to shampoo her, working the suds up into a lather.

"Shut up."

Shaking her head as she took a washbowl and collected some water, she said, "Sorry, I can't. If you won't say more than five words to me, then I gotta be the one to keep up the whole conversation." No reply, again, so she dumped the water over her head, rinsing away the shampoo. "Feels weird doing this in the tub instead of outside it. So Western."

"Sure."

"Naru… I'm sorry I didn't come by earlier. Just didn't know what to say after you wouldn't talk to me last time." Silence. "Like, I wanted to think of something else to say, but…"

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay. Um… how have you been?" No reply as she handed her a washcloth. Naru only stared at it, so she put the bar of soap in the middle to help prompt her along. It worked; she sighed and started lathering it up. "Okay, um, I'm gonna get out of here. But if you take more than like, fifteen minutes, I'm coming back in to wash your butt for you."

"Usaaaa," she whined out in sheer frustration and annoyance. But finally, she looked over her shoulder at Usagi's expression for a few seconds before casting her teal eyes back down into the water. "Fine."

"Great! See you in a few!"

Once outside the bathroom, she moved off to the kitchen to dry off her arms. She hadn't wanted to hang around in there, since she could tell Naru was about at her wit's end with her.

"Were you able to get through to her?" Naru's mother asked when she followed her in there.

"Not really," Usagi sighed, leaning back against the counter. "But I got her to take a bath? Like, that's better than nothing, right?"

The woman sighed, and somehow even the sigh was elegant. Mayumi Osaka was a lot more glamorous than her daughter, wavy hair always short and sporty, yet perfectly crimped and soft-looking, wearing the jewellery pieces from her own shop that complemented her figure and features best. Usagi always wondered if that was why Naru kept her own sense of style rather simple; when your mother always looked almost too perfect, why try to compete?

"I just don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Yes, I understand this friend's death was a tragedy, but it's been a week now. She should at least be able to go back to school, come to dinner. I've had to leave her food at the door, and sometimes she doesn't even eat it…"

Usagi wasn't sure what to do. How does one go about comforting a grown-up? That was definitely nothing she had ever needed to do before. So she only shrugged and said, "Hey, she yelled at me when I dunked her head underwater to get it wet, so if she's strong enough to yell, I guess she's okay, right?'

"Suppose so. Anyway, thank you for trying." She flashed her a tight smile and moved off to check on her daughter.

~ o ~

Half an hour later, Naru was dressed and in her room, sitting on her desk chair. Usagi had to cajole and prod her a little more to get her ready to leave, but she did it with few vocal complaints. Then they were on their way to Game Center Crown. She thought Naru really looked sweet with her blue-and-white-striped top and her khaki shorts, but she didn't seem to care either way.

"So!" she burst out with a huge smile. "What about a movie later? Like, the newest one from Ghibli? We could… go see that after the Game Center!"

Still nothing, but she was at least putting one foot in front of the other. After a few seconds, Usagi reached over to take her hand and began swinging it back and forth. She was pretty worried that she would fling her arm away, or at least dig her nails in to cause her slight pain, but no such thing occurred. She simply accepted the reality that she was going to be hanging out with her today.

Even if she didn't seem to like it much.

When they got to Crown, they walked into the Game Center with vastly different expressions. Usagi's remained hopeful, but Naru looked dead inside. She was hoping no one else would notice. It didn't take long for her to spot Ami and Rei crowded around a Sailor V machine, and she started leading the both of them over to it.

"Hey!" Ami said immediately, smiling sweetly at Naru. "It's good to see you!" Rei remained focused on her gameplay, of course; she had been bound and determined to get as good at the game as Ami was without even trying. She was already almost as good as Usagi, despite having played it far less.

"Rrrrgh! These stupid monsters are really gonna get it now!" Obviously not improving much today.

"Naru was looking a little pale, so I thought maybe she needed to get out for a while!" Usagi provided, feeling stupid for having to make a weird excuse. But she hoped that would be less weird than if she didn't make one, and Naru just stayed silent.

"Of course, of course." Ami seemed hesitant to pat her arm, but she made herself do it. There wasn't much reaction. "Would she like to play? I've got plenty of spare change…"

"She can hear just fine," Naru sighed, though she didn't look like she wanted to be talking. Even Rei looked up at that, a little concern in her gaze. "Just… don't like talking much right now."

After a brief silence, a horrible noise came from Rei's machine of squealing death. She suddenly whipped around with a muttered "Damn!" and tried to save her last life.

"See? I'm already bringing everybody down just being here. Sorry…"

"What?" Ami gasped, blinking in shock. "Oh, don't worry, you aren't bringing-"

Naru left so fast that Usagi didn't have a chance to snag her first. Barely glancing back at her other friends, she had to dash out afterward and chase her a few blocks before she caught up to her. Plenty of passerby gave startled cries or had to leap out of the way, but she couldn't spare them any concern when all of hers was focused on one person.

"Let me go, Usagi!"

"Why are you running? Come on, Rei didn't really care that she lost that game! We all care a lot more about you than about Sailor V!"

"I don't know why! I'm just…" Her hands came up to pull at her freshly-brushed hair as her eyes screwed down shut. "I don't care about anything anymore! Masato's gone! I couldn't save him, I couldn't… Sailor Moon had to help me, and she couldn't save him, either! And why did I have to fall for him if he was a bad guy? He never was to me, b-but Zoisite said… he used to work with them! Whoever they are! What's wrong with me?!"

They were both quiet for a moment, Naru quivering with the effort of trying to hold in such a huge explosion of some emotion or another that neither of them was sure what it would be. Tears were already pricking at the corners of Usagi's eyes, but she was determined not to be the "big baby" everyone thought she was this time.

"Naru… it's not you, there's… nothing wrong with you, okay? Oh my God, I'm so sorry you thought…"

"There is," she whispered when Usagi didn't finish her sentence right away. "I fell for the wrong guy! Like you kept acting like going out with that Mamoru creep was the worst idea in the world, but Masato was an actual killer! Wasn't he? I m-mean, I know you wouldn't know, but like, if he was friends with those crazy monster people…"

Biting her tongue so she wouldn't give anything away about her secret identity, she slid her arm tightly around Naru's shoulders and pulled her in close. She tried to pull away — actually fought back against the hug, and she felt a few tears spill over at that.

"Naru, I'm not trying to hurt you! C'mon, it's me! We've known each other our whole lives, right? You can just… anything you need to say, or yell at me, o-or whatever, I'm not going anywhere! Okay?"

"But I don't want you to stay! Makes it too hard to… to punish myself f-for ignoring your warnings!"

That took Usagi aback. "Warnings? What do you mean, 'punish'? You don't have to-"

"I remember what you said," she growled through her teeth. "About him being bad, a-and I didn't wanna see it, didn't wanna know anything like that about him because he was so glamorous and strong, handsome, and he was paying attention to me! B-but he was probably just using me…"

"I'm sorry, Naru! I wasn't… I just wanted to protect you, but like, I didn't know for sure he'd turn out to be a jerk, it was just… I mean, an older guy wanting to date a girl our age? Kinda fishy… but that isn't saying you're not worth it! Don't be ridiculous, I know you are!"

"How am I worth it? Me, who's got nothing goin' for her but… well, nothing! Lame hair, lame clothes, decent grades that won't get me in anywhere besides a junior college!"

With a slight laugh, she squeezed Naru a little more. "Like I'll even get in there. Seriously, don't sweat all this right now, okay? We have years before that even happens." Naru pulled to get away from her again, and she let her go this time. But when she felt herself being released, the other girl turned with a bleak expression.

"I'm sorry, Usa-chan. I really am… it's just too soon. My head's not right." Shaking it out, she whispered, "Can I come by tomorrow, maybe? I'll… if I'm not…"

"Yeah," she told her, so that she wouldn't have to keep trying to finish her sentence. "Sure, tomorrow. And Naru?"

"Yeah?"

"Love you. I hope you know that."

The other girl's cheeks began to get back some of their colour as she forced a slight smile. "You're sweet. Lying, but it's sweet. See ya."

"Later."

Even though being accused of lying felt awful, she forced herself not to respond to it. Naru was right; her mental state was the lowest it had ever been. This wasn't the 'real' Naru talking, but it some ways, it was the realest version of her she'd ever seen; her grief was dissolving her tatemae, that public politeness that most people used to hide their honne — their true feelings. But she also knew that the grief was changing her honne, warping it from the way Naru would normally be, her feelings and hopes and dreams. It was literally a broken heart. Only time could heal that, not just Usagi trying to cheer her up.

"Usagi?" When she turned back, she saw Naru was waving from a little further along the street. "You're a great friend! Me, not so much, but you are for sure! Okay?"

"Okay!" she called back. She wanted to argue with her, but had a feeling that would go nowhere fast. Might as well leave it for tomorrow.

~ o ~

She didn't hear from Naru the next day. Luckily, their school was one of the ones that had a five-day schoolweek, so she didn't have to endure staring at Naru's empty seat again. Filling the day with manga-reading and hanging out with the Senshi helped distract her from worrying.

Sunday, she had just about given up on her, as well, but before dinner she heard the doorbell, and then her mother's voice calling for her. Sighing, she put down the Jump she had been flipping through without any true interest and clomped down the stairs to see if maybe Ami had dropped by to tutor her again.

Instead, it was Naru.

"Oh!" she found herself gasping. "What are you doing here?"

"Usagi, don't be rude," her mother muttered out the side of her mouth, one of her eyebrows twitching even as her polite smile remained in place.

"Thank you, Ikuko-san," Naru said with a very formal bow. Even though she was usually quite comfortable calling her "Auntie Ikuko" or "okaasan", since they grew up around each other so much, there was something different about her today. Usagi wasn't sure what it was, but she was wearing nice clothes and makeup, and her behaviour was very stiff. "I was wondering if I might borrow your daughter for the evening?"

The woman laughed, elbowing Usagi very gently. "Would you listen to Naru? She sounds like a boy asking you to dinner." That made Usagi grimace; she was definitely not looking forward to going through that in the future with her parents. Any mention of a boy sniffing around their daughter seemed to effortlessly send her dad into a frenzy.

"Well, I might not be a boy, but I am asking Usa-chan to dinner. To pay her back for trying to cheer me up Friday." Her smile was very shy, and she was still bowing a little, even if she had mostly straightened. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all! I'm just glad to hear that my daughter is doing something other than eating sweets and tormenting Shingo." At the words "doing something", Usagi was already turning to run upstairs and get her purse. That way, she could ignore any further teasing, and the laughter that followed.

Once away from the house, she asked Naru, "You really want to get me food? I mean, I'm not… y'know, I would have done that for you anytime, it's not something you need t-"

"I was a real wreck," she told her right away. "You put up with me, and I appreciate that. It wouldn't be right not to show you somehow instead of just saying 'thanks', so like… yeah, just let me?"

"Okay," she muttered, poking her index fingers into each other nervously. "Maybe just ice cream?"

"No way," she teased, holding up her hand to forestall her. "This is gonna be a big deal! Fancy dinner, then ice cream, and then maybe karaoke! Really wanna make up for lost time, y'know?"

"Cool! I mean, do you wanna go by a payphone and invite Ami? I know Rei would probably just drag us down-"

"Nah. This is about me and you, Usa-chan. Best friends forever."

Something about the way she said that made it feel more important than usual. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she looked at the smile on Naru's face, and felt one growing on her own. "Okay then, that's great, too! An 'old friends' day just for us."

"YES!" she shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "Ain't nobody gonna stop us now!" Usagi giggled, and grabbed her arm so they could skip along down the road.

First, she took Usagi to a nice sushi restaurant. Not that Usagi liked sushi all that much, but she was flattered that Naru wanted to spend her pocket money on her like that. They talked about anime and manga, movies, boys; nothing of consequence. Basically, learning to be around each other again after a week of isolation. It was nice, even if a little strained in the beginning. They were just out of practice.

After that, Naru said they could head straight for the karaoke place and just order some sweets there, which was fine by Usagi. Really, anything her friend wanted at that point, she was more than willing to indulge her; maybe she needed the control. After losing her would-be boyfriend to circumstances she couldn't control, that made total sense.

"Let's go to that one," she said, pointing to a reasonably-priced place. "Their boxes are totally private; I'm not interested in anybody poking their nose in and making fun of my voice."

"But I like your voice!" Usagi reassured her. It earned her a wider smile. "But that's fine by me; I can't afford the higher-end places, either, and the cheap places are so scuzzy."

Giggling, she said, "Told you, I'm paying. Oh — you go in and book us the room." She handed her a decent-sized bill. "I'm gonna pop over there and get something."

Usagi followed her gaze and saw Naru meant a row of vending machines. It was true, there were high prices inside karaoke joints for everything, so if she got a drink or gum or whatever from those machines, it would help them save their money for desserts and more time in the room. "Roger! I won't fail you, sir!"

"You're a loon," she snorted as they split up.

Not long after, they were being shown to their box. Naru had been right, the door only had a small window in it with a curtain on the inside that could be drawn, instead of most of the door being frosted glass, or glass with a large emblem on it. Maybe she was afraid she would have another breakdown, and didn't want to risk the public display.

"Cozy," Usagi giggled as they looked around. For a few seconds, they just took in the room with its semi-comfortable orange couches, the cheerful white wallpaper with the multicoloured dots. Then Naru went to get some of the song catalogues from the tiny bookshelf so they could start flipping through to look for a song to choose.

"How about, um, 'Midnight Taxi'?" she suggested, pointing to the selection. "I love Miho's voice…"

"That one's so sad and gloomy," Usagi grumbled. Then hastily added, "O-oh, but if you want to sing it, I'm sure you'd sound great!"

Shaking her head, she said, "You're right, it's… gloomy. What about 'Mellow'? At least the music's a little more upbeat."

"Uh-huh! Yeah, sing 'Mellow'!"

So Naru did. Usagi wanted to order food, but she decided to just listen to her friend sing. No one would have faulted her for not wanting to do this where anyone else could witness it; her voice was sweet, but she definitely didn't have any kind of future as a pop idol. All the same, Usagi was content just to sit back and watch her friend lose herself in singing along with the lyrics on the screen. Way better that she do that than still be moping around.

Of course, the lyrics were just as lovelorn as those to "Midnight Taxi", but at least they went along with a happier beat. And she knew Naru probably needed the catharsis after everything she had been through with Nephrite.

After that, they discussed sweets, and Usagi sang the theme song to Yuyu Hakusho, which Naru teased her about but she didn't care. In fact, she continued to annoy her with the theme from Ranma ½, and was just about to move on to Hime-chan no Ribbon when Naru forcibly removed the microphone from her hands.

"Boooo!" she called out as she laughed and wrestled it away from her, stocking foot jammed into her neck to keep her away as she cradled the microphone against her chest. "Unfair, unfair! I just want to sing my songs!"

"All you like is stuff from anime!" They only struggled for another moment before Usagi gave up and flopped backward. Then they both had to take a few breaths, Naru giggling as she sat up. "Alright, you can sing it, but I want a turn first, okay?"

Pouting, she added, "Shouldn't have made fun of my songs if you wanted that!" But Naru was already flipping through one of the books, so she turned her attention to the menu. "Hmm… maybe just something small? Or we get this huge sundae, and split it!"

"Yeah, okay," Naru said absentmindedly. "I'm not that hungry after dinner, so whatever you want's fine."

"Or we could eat what you got from the machine. What was it, anyway?"

The smirk that came from Naru was a craftier one than she was expecting in response to a simple question like that. But she understood why when Naru reached into her purse and brought out…

"BEER?!"

"Shhh!" she hissed at her in warning, waving her other hand frantically. "Keep it down, willya?! It's just one!"

"But we're in junior high! I mean, I know nobody's gonna care that much, but I didn't think I'd try anything like that until high school!"

Already cracking open the can, coughing to cover the sound of the perforated metal seal being broken and the hiss of air, Naru set it down on the table and then fixed Usagi with an impatient stare. "Look. I've had a rough few days, and I'm tired of not experiencing anything. Just… don't be some kinda prude, okay? You don't have to have any, but if you rat me out-"

"I wasn't going to, geeze!" Though Usagi still had to keep glancing at the can. True, she had tried sake before once, at some party where her parents were having some, and that had been a few years ago. But it was only one sip; this was an entire can for Naru's little one-and-a-half meters. It seemed like a lot.

"Is this really going to make you uncomfortable?" She glanced at the can, frowning. "Crap, I already opened it…"

"N-no, it's fine," she assured her with a nervous laugh, scratching the back of her head. "Hey, maybe I'll try it! It's… something we can say we did today!"

After studying Usagi's face for a moment, making sure she was really going to be alright with this, Naru nodded. "Yeah. Just not to our parents." They shared a smile, and she knocked back a huge gulp. Then she made a face and set it down. "Ugh! Oh wow, that tastes weird!"

"Really?" She tried it, and made a similar face. "Eww, it's bitter! I thought it would taste more like Coca-Cola!"

"Why Coca-Cola?"

"Well, it's brown, isn't it?" Naru giggled, and Usagi smiled through her cheeks reddening. "Shut up!"

"Nope! Now all brown drinks are the same to Usagi! Beer is Coke, coffee is Coke!"

"HEY!"

Once they figured out what sweets to order, Naru suddenly had to figure out how to hide the beer. In the end, they just set it next to their bags and threw Naru's gauzy blue cardigan over the top of everything. The attendant who delivered their things never noticed. What they wound up getting was a large sundae, some french fries, a Pocari Sweat and, of course, a Coca-Cola. A little comparison verified that beer was definitely not anything like that.

"Oh, I'm so winded!" Naru breathed out as she flopped back on the couch. She was being a little silly; Usagi knew that it was because for every sip of the beer she'd taken, Naru took five or six. It was a touch disconcerting, but then again she didn't want to pass judgment. After all, she'd never lost a friend like this.

After a second's contemplation, she scooped up one of the last bites of sundae, already melting and gooey, and held the spoon up. "Hey, have some more of this."

"No thanks. I just wanna keep singing! Sing all night!"

"All night?! We didn't pay for that long!"

"So we'll pay more when the phone rings to tell us we gotta get out! C'mon!" She went up to punch in the numbers on the machine again, so she could belt out yet another old idol hit that Usagi barely knew. Even if it was a little annoying dealing with her like this, at least it was entertaining to watch.

After that song, Naru did at least munch on one of the cold fries while finishing off the can of beer. Apropos of nothing, she commented, "It's not so bad, once you get used to it."

"What? Oh, the beer?"

"Uh-huh." She let out a loud belch, then slapped both hands over her mouth, the beer can bouncing across the floor. By the time it came to a rest, she was completely red in the face. "Oh my GOD…"

To fill the following silence, Usagi laughed and patted her back. "It's alright, had to come out sometime!"

"Noooo, I sounded disgusting!" She bowed low, hair brushing Usagi's knee below the hem of her shorts. "Forgive me!"

"Oh, stop," she snorted, pushing at her shoulder. "It's not that big a deal."

Slowly, Naru slumped forward until her face was pushing into the knee below. "Mmm… your skin is so soft. Did you know about that? Well, of course — it's your skin! Just Naru being dumb again."

This left Usagi completely stunned. What the hell was she doing? Of course, she knew it wasn't completely Naru; it was the beer mixing with the grieving process. So eventually, she just petted over her hair and said, "My mom was right; you do act like a boy who wants to show me a good time. Now you're trying to get into my shorts."

"Oooh, somebody has a high opinion of herself," Naru joked, poking her in exactly the wrong spot due to Usagi having mentioned it. Its owner let out a puff of exasperated air. "Squishy!"

Both of her cheeks were blazing by now. "N-Naru, no! Stop that!" Another poke made her tingle all over, so she quickly snatched the wrist of the hand and held it away. "Why are you… I mean, do you need me to get you some water?"

"I'm fiiiiine."

"No, you're not. Like, if we weren't both girls, I'd think you were coming onto me."

One of Naru's shoulders shrugged. "So what if we're both girls?"

"NARU!"

That finally seemed to snap her out of her dazed, drunken rambling. Eyes widening, she sat back, blinking a few times before she stared up at Usagi. "Oh… oh no, that was probably weird, I didn't…" Both of her eyebrows knitted together. "What was I saying? What was I doing?"

"Y-you were getting a little handsy, yeah," she said, trying to laugh it off. Though she could still feel Naru's face against her leg. Not so much the finger going where no one else's finger had gone before; that was too brief and too bizarre for her to be able to hang onto it. Maybe her own mind was hazy from the few sips of beer in her own stomach.

"I'll go," Naru promised as she stood, then wobbled. "Ooh… oh, I'm…"

She began to tip to one side. Having to use her Sailor Moon instincts, Usagi snapped her arms out and managed to grasp Naru's body, then stood and rolled so that she effectively slung her friend into the seat she had just left, laying her across the sofa.

"AH!" she burst out.

"Are you alright?!" she demanded, leaning over her. "Let me get you some water! Yeah, that's-"

"Wait…" A hesitant hand reached up to brush over Usagi's neck. "I… I'm alright… thank you. You're saving me again. How do you do that? How do you always know just what I need?"

The colour rushed back into her cheeks, which must have looked so blotchy given how pale she was just before. Naru was acting even weirder than the "weird" she had already observed in her, but it was still better than a couple of days prior when she had been little better than a zombie. So all she whispered was, "I'm your best friend forever, right? It's my job to… do what I can."

"You'd probably make a great boyfriend. Too bad you ain't a boy."

"I thought you were the boy," she tried for with a slight smile. "Picking me up, wining and dining me. Getting me drunk and alone in a karaoke box."

"Stop it," she giggled softly, though it was still a touch more shy than usual. "I'm just trying to feel something again."

Heart breaking afresh, Usagi whispered, "I'm sorry, Naru. I want to help you feel, help your heart get better, I just… don't know how. But you can't give up, okay?"

Swallowing hard, she nodded that she had heard her. Then she breathed, "Help me feel…"

The kiss was almost a given in retrospect. Drunken and sloppy, and sweet, and frantic, and Usagi didn't know how to stop it. Her hands tried to push Naru back down, but the minute they wrapped around her shoulders, she couldn't do anything other than kiss back, to feel those soft lips sliding all around her own, the bitterness of beer lacing with the sweetness of ice cream. They both moaned at nearly the same moment, apparently deciding it wasn't yet time to break apart even though the voice in the back of Usagi's mind was screaming for her to consider the consequences. All she wanted was to let Naru do all the exploring she wanted.

Maybe they both wanted. Scary as that thought was.

By the time their mouths broke apart, they were on the floor between the sofa and the table, panting and flushed and bearing a light sheen of sweat. All concept of time was gone; it could have been seconds, or half an hour. Naru looked completely dazed, but definitely not displeased if the way her hands were clinging to her back was any indication.

"Usa-chan…" Her bottom lip trembled as their bodies slid over each other slightly, and Usagi felt a tingling that she'd only felt a handful of times before. This was a mistake. They weren't in the right state of mind to make wise decisions, and she was only going to make worse ones.

"Naru, I d-don't… I think we sh-"

"Usagi… m-move!"

Startled, Usagi jumped off of her just in time to stand back and let Naru rush to the trash can. It took her a moment, but she was able to stumble after her and pull back her hair so she could empty the contents of her stomach into the bin, feeling thoroughly chagrined. What she was worried might be a confession of love turned out to be impending vomit.

After they cleaned off Naru's mouth and she downed a little more Pocari to get rid of the taste, they got the call that their time was up. Rather than hanging around and dealing with the potential fallout of what they had just done, especially when they were still alone in a private space, they cleared out of the room, throwing the beer can away once outside. Then Usagi dragged her into a MOS Burger to get something quick and greasy that would hopefully help Naru feel less wobbly, based on advice she'd heard her father telling her little brother — even if it made her mother smack him on the shoulder for telling such a young boy things he shouldn't need to know for many more years.

"Thanks, Usagi-chan," she sighed as she walked, leaning on her shoulder while Usagi supported her around her waist. "I'm so embarrassed… I feel like the worst friend in the world."

"Don't be ridiculous. I know you've had… well, 'a rough week' is kind of an understatement."

"Yeah. But you were right, I gotta remember that I'm still here, and you guys are, too. And… and I'm gonna miss him for a long time, but that doesn't mean I quit living."

"Did I say all that?" she giggled. "Doesn't sound like me, sounds more like Ami or someone."

"You're a lot smarter than you act like you are," she teased, poking Usagi — this time in the stomach, thank goodness. "Anyway… I'm serious, thanks for trying to get me outta my funk."

Giggling, mostly from the poke, she said, "No problem. I mean, I'd say you moved on a little if you're already getting hammered and trying to make out with me!"

Though Usagi was laughing up a storm at that, Naru wasn't. Just smiling and clinging to her friend as they walked. Eventually, she breathed, "Yeah… pretty hilarious."

"Eh? I m-mean, um, not that the idea of it being you is hilarious! Just us, together… two girls, best friends… that's ridiculous. We'll both find men, won't we?"

"Maybe I'm done with men. Maybe now I just want an onee-sama to treat me right." When Usagi made a choking noise, she just squeezed her closer. "Okay, okay, you're right; that's stupid, calling you the older sister."

"Whew."

"I'm taller by a couple centimeters. Pretty sure that makes me the onee-sama."

And while Usagi was still trying to form any thoughts about that whatsoever, having been lulled into a false sense of relief and now trying to figure out where they actually stood, Naru stopped, leaned over and took her lips softly. But it was a much more chaste, brief, sober kiss than before… yet at the same time, even more flustering because it was planned, and purposeful, and patient. In the karaoke, she had been too shocked and slightly buzzed from the sips of beer to even know what to think, but now…

She didn't hate it.

"Anyway, thanks for a great first date," Naru whispered when she pulled away, eyes twinkling and voice rich with amusement. Was she kidding, or was she actually serious?

"I… I'm… we… I… Naru…"

"My thoughts exactly. Goodnight, imouto."

As Usagi watched her go dumbly, then made her own wandering way home, she couldn't help trying to figure out how she had gone from "best friend" to "little sister" in such a short period of time. Or how she had not only let Naru kiss her, but practically have been encouraging it by the end. And she wasn't sure whether or not this was an odd crush, a stupid grief-borne mistake, or something deeper. Something that was forbidden between two women, especially once they were older. A change in her relationship with her oldest friend that she couldn't have seen coming.

But one thing was for sure…

"No more beer!" she wound up telling Luna as she paced frantically around her room that night, watching the poor purple cat scamper out of the way so her tail wouldn't get stepped on. "Ever! Not even a drop, not for my whole life, I'm never having more beer again!"

THE END

[Next: Makoto!]

Act 4. Makoto: The Housewife Is A Husband

"USAGI!" Sailor Jupiter called out as she flung herself forward, arms extended to save Sailor Moon from a fall that would at the absolute least have bruised her tailbone, if not shattered it. Again.

"OOF!" Success.

Jupiter didn't know why she spent so much time saving their leader. It was even how they first met; diving to keep her pretty blonde head from being plastered across the front of a car. There were two other Senshi on the team already, and they were still looking for their fifth, yet she seemed to always be the one rushing after the smallest when she was in trouble. She could be such a klutz sometimes!

But she was also ready and willing to thrust herself into the heat of battle… or at least, now she was. Once upon a time, she had been nervous and unsure of herself, but after a few good rounds against the Dark Kingdom, she was starting to come into her own. It was pretty inspiring to watch.

"Sorry!" she hissed as she was set on her feet again. "Thanks again, Jupiter!"

"Will you stop wasting time?!" Sailor Mars hissed out of the corner of her mouth, raising an ofuda that she was about to toss into the villain's face, freezing it in place with her spell so they could more easily dispatch it. "This isn't a tea ceremony class — these guys mean business! Finish it off already!"

"Its weak point is exposed," Mercury confirmed, gesturing toward the glowing crystal that had been revealed by Mars's attack. "A strike there should bring it to its knees."

Nodding, Usagi flexed her muscles, cracked her neck. "Got it! This thing is goin' down!"

"Get 'em, Sailor Moon!" Jupiter cheered her on as the pigtailed heroine dashed toward the ugly thing. What was this one supposed to be? An accordion, maybe? Weird. After a while, it became easier to stop caring what the Enemy looked like and just attack, focusing on strategy instead of idle questions.

And it worked, as usual. While they held off the minions, Sailor Moon used her tiara to dispatch the Big Baddie and they had won. Zoisite was beaten back again, sneering down at them while vanishing into the nothingness, and the day was saved. Thanks to…

"Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice!" she crowed at the top of her lungs, striking a pose while she, Mercury, and Mars did the same on either side of her. She tried not to laugh; what a little nerd.

~ o ~

But that was their profession. Outside of her time spent fighting against the forces of evil as Sailor Jupiter, Makoto Kino wasn't that impressive. None of them were. Maybe Usagi was cute and bubbly, and Makoto was strong, and Ami was a certified genius, and Rei had fortune telling skills, and they were all at least passably attractive… but nobody in their school, or in all of Azabu-Juuban really, knew they existed. Popularity wasn't that important to Makoto, but Usa-chan really seemed to lament that. Go figure; different people have different interests.

It was another average afternoon, and the three of them were eating lunch on a blanket under a sakura tree with Usagi's childhood friend, Naru. That is to say, two of them were both eating out of Makoto's bento, since Usagi never seemed to be able to remember her own. Or had no money to buy anything, but mysteriously did have money when they got to Game Center Crown after school. She was used to it by now. Rei would give her hell about it, and Ami or Luna would lecture her on wise spending choices, but personally, Makoto understood that thriftiness wasn't one of Usagi's strengths. Not everybody was good at everything, and she always had plenty of extra food, anyway.

"Say 'ahhhh'," she teased, holding up a croquette with her chopsticks.

"Ahhhhh!" Usagi sang out obediently, clasping her hands to one side of her cheek and striking an overly-cutesy pose as she opened her mouth wide as it would go. Again, she had to suppress a giggle at how adorable she was, and how funny. She noticed Ami was doing the same. Luckily, Rei didn't go to Juuban Junior High or she would have been chiding Usagi mercilessly — maybe even knocking her over so she missed the morsel and got a mouthful of dirt instead. It had happened before.

Without a disruptive Shinto shrine maiden around, Usagi got her savoury treat and chewed with relish, a hand covering her mouth as she moaned in pleasure. "Mmmm, oh that's so good…"

"You sound like you're getting laid whenever you eat," Naru sighed as she picked at her own bento of rice and umeboshi. Much simpler and less presentation than Makoto's, but she'd tried Naru's mother's cooking before and it was very good. Just simpler.

"I do not! Ami, I don't sound like that, do I?"

Blinking up from the book she had been casually reading between bites, Ami said, "What? Oh… well, how should I know what that sounds like?" Her cheeks took on a slight flush as she returned to the book, embarrassed at even being asked to discuss the topic at all.

"You do," Naru went on, a playful smile on her face. "And you and Makoto look like boyfriend and girlfriend, feeding each other."

"Hey!" Crossing her arms over her chest, she shot back, "I never feed Mako-chan! I mean, it's her food, so that would make no sense!"

"Never said both of you had to do it. And you didn't even pretend that I'm wrong, did ya?"

Flopping over onto her side, head landing in Makoto's lap, she cooed, "Like it would be that bad being Makoto's girlfriend. She's so tall and strong!"

"Careful, or the other students might take you seriously," Ami cautioned her, looking even more embarrassed than she had about asking to comment on the moans.

"Yeah," Naru goaded. "Wouldn't want that, would you? Yuri-no Usagi."

"I don't care," Usagi flung at both of them, pulling down her eyelid and sticking out her tongue. "Mako-chan and I are secure in our pretend relationship!"

Makoto giggled at how playful and hilarious they were together. Almost like a manzai comedy team; Naru was the straight man and Usagi clearly the silly one. Sometimes, she envied how close the two of them were; she'd never had a good friend like that. Even at her old school, her height and 'freakish' strength had put the other girls off wanting to hang around with her. Some of them were acquaintances, and the teachers liked her well enough, but being an orphan tended to make everyone who wasn't afraid of her treat her like a poor little wounded bird. And the junior high boys were never interested in a girl who was just as tall as them, if not taller.

Luckily, she happened upon Usagi about to become a part of someone's bumper and found herself a group of friends in Juuban, or it would have been the same thing all over again. Even now, she still heard whispers about her being kicked out of her old school for roughing up… someone. The 'someone' changed every time; a girl, a boy, a teacher, a policeman, the principal…

"Mako-chan? Are you okay?" A finger poked into her side. "Um… if you don't want to feed me, I can just…"

Her hand was twitching toward the chopsticks. Shaking away the deeper thoughts, she smiled. "Nah. I can- hang on, here." She nipped up a piece of narutomaki sushi for her, and Usagi's jaw popped open as if automatic.

"She's going to catch a few flies like that one day," Naru sighed. Usagi scowled, but was chewing as she did so.

~ o ~

It wasn't long after that casual lunch that they got the class assignment. Cooking. Something Usagi couldn't do to save her life, despite how much she loved home economics. The instant she heard it, Makoto knew what would happen; she and Ami would do just fine, Naru would muddle through, and Usagi would put it off completely until the last second. And she had been right.

"Oh, there you are," was all she said when she opened the door to see the bun-headed blonde standing there with a wide, endearing smile. A couple of plastic shopping bags hanging from her wrists, laden down with ingredients — some of which might have even been the right ingredients.

"Yep! It's me! Can I come in?"

"Why?" Might as well tease her a little while she could.

"Mako-chaaaaan…" The pout was pretty extreme. Olympic-level. "I don't know how to make Italian food! I barely know how to make green tea rice, and mine's always too sticky! Be a pal? Be a chum, a bosom companion, a-"

"Alright, alright, enough. I'll help you." Rolling her eyes, she pushed the door wider. Usagi flashed her a grin before skipping inside and practically hopping out of her flats as she booked it to the kitchen. Makoto had no choice but to bump the door closed and follow.

"So cool that you have this place all to yourself," she was glowing as she set the bags down. At least she was beginning to lay the ingredients out, and not being entirely useless.

"Yeah, cool," Makoto sighed.

Once she had the bags wadded up in one hand, she turned around to see the slight frown on her friend's face, and her own excited expression slipped. "Oh… I mean, well, it is, but… I didn't mean to rub it in that you don't-"

"Forget it," she quickly cut her off. Not wanting to talk about her parents, to open up that can of pure pain. No amount of years passing could erase her loss. Still, no use moping now that so much time had passed; she would rather focus on the good things in her life. "Being a teenager living on my own is pretty great sometimes. Um… so, what dish were you supposed to make?"

But Usagi wasn't that easily distracted. Normally, yes, but not this time. Makoto sometimes could forget just how empathetic she was, even if she forgot less often than Rei or Luna. Glancing away at the stove, then back upward, she whispered, "Is it tough? Like, having nobody around? You seem to be doing pretty great, so I guess… I didn't-"

"Used to be hard," she interrupted, so Usagi wouldn't have to keep fumbling for words. Her hands started to sort through ingredients, to keep busy. "But I got used to it. And now I have the Senshi, and Naru and Luna, and… it's better now. Plus Motoki at the Game Center!"

"Oh, I know! He's a hunky guy, and a great friend. But you know, if you ever feel lonely…"

Nodding, she flashed her friend a little smile. "I'll call. Got all your house numbers by my phone." She nodded at the wall-mounted phone across the kitchen, with the little whiteboard showing the numbers for the Tsukino residence, the Shinto shrine, the Game Center, and the Mizuno residence. She didn't really know Naru well enough to ask for hers yet.

"Wow! You do, that's great! Sometimes I forget Naru's number even, and I don't have it written down because I'm a ditz, and always remember to do it when I don't have my address book. So I just end up calling for the Directory." Her faint blush about her own forgetfulness was too cute, and Makoto laughed, which ended up setting Usagi at ease, too. "But you're so organised, Mako-chan! I wish I could be like you!"

It was her turn to feel flattered. "Ahh, stop it. Anyway… what are we making?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, uh… lasagna? I think? Is that the one with the thin noodles and the, um…" Her hands made some kind of gesture that Makoto couldn't figure out, so she just shook her head and looked into the bag.

"Oh! Yes, you have lasagna noodles… and spaghetti noodles?"

"Well, the spaghetti noodles looked right, but those actually say 'lasagna' on them, so… I didn't know…" Her shoulders shrugged. "You're so much better at this stuff than I am. Better at fighting, and cooking, and even classes; maybe not some genius like Ami, but you have actual grades that aren't failing, which is way better than me…"

"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean you can't learn, Usa. Come here, look."

So she began instructing her friend in the ways of Italian cuisine. Really, she only had to tell her how to make lasagna, but she also explained about spaghetti and fettucine, and a few of the different types of sauces. She could tell Usagi was experiencing information overload, so eventually they took a break to get a couple of bottles of Calpis Soda and talk, leaning against the counter.

"I'll get this, I promise," Usagi said between swigs. "And maybe someday, I'll know something and I can teach that to you!"

"Someday you'll know something, huh?" she laughed. Usagi's ears burned, and she bumped her with her elbow. "It's alright. I like helping you, because you're so energetic. As long as it's not about homework."

"Ughhhh, homework." Then they both laughed. "You're going to make such a great mom. It's like, I can be as much of an airhead as possible and you don't care, you just… keep helping me. I don't deserve it."

That gave her a weird feeling. A great mom? She hadn't given it a lot of thought — mostly because she was still working on the finish-high-school-and-find-a-husband part. Leaning over again, she wrapped her arm around Usagi's shoulders. It was so easy to do, being that much taller than her. "Sure you do. Come on, don't be so down on yourself; you can cook! I know you can!"

Both of her arms slithered around Makoto's stomach. This feeling was a completely different kind of weird; it felt so easy, having her fitted up against her that way. Being almost a head taller was part of that, but it was also that she was petite, and cute, and sweet. And her shampoo smelled nice…

"Maybe. But thanks for helping, either way. At least I'll pass this assignment. And then I can worry about math! Bluuugh, why does it never end?!"

"Math can wait." Nuzzling her hair, Makoto said, "Tell you what. Let's work on this lasagna. After that, I'll get out the Famicom and we can see if it still works. Sound like a plan?"

The squeeze and squeal Usagi gave her made her laugh. "Mmm, thank you, Mako-chan! You always know exactly how to get me motivated!" When she didn't let go after a second or two, Usagi pulled her head back just enough to look up at her. "Mako-chan?"

"Hm?"

"Um…" Her cheeks turned a little redder. "You like hugging me, huh? Not that I'm complaining! Just, y'know… I thought you wanted to get started on the lasagna."

She had a point: Makoto had been holding onto her for a minute or so, at least. Longer than was normal for friends. Why did she feel so comfortable with Usagi there? Like she was her little doting wife. A comical vision of the two of them in domesticated bliss swam into her mind; coming home every day to Usagi wearing an apron, apologising for burning a hole through one of her shirts while doing the ironing. The thought made her chuckle, and she kissed Usagi's head, prompting a little squeak of surprise.

"Let's do it. I'll be the chef husband, and you be the poor sheltered wife who has to learn how to cook. We'll make a game out of it."

"Ohhhhhh, yes!" she giggled at once. "I like that! You know how much I love games!"

"Me, too! And Motoki can probably back that up, as often as we're down at the Game Center."

"Yeah!" Hopping back a step, she placed her fists on her hips and crowed in her usual superhero voice, "This is a job for Sailor Moon! Wait, I mean…" Her hands went to the side of her face as she tilted her head, popping one foot up and cooing, "Yes, dear! Help me learn how to take better care of you!"

"Of course, my honey!" Makoto said in a slightly deeper voice, and they both burst into fresh giggles at that. Then she put her hand at her chin, as she could remember her father doing often when she was younger. "Hmm, we should start with having all the ingredients ready."

"Goodness! I hope I can find them all!" Then she said in a stage-whisper, "Hey, I need an apron to really look like the housewife!"

"Right!" she whispered back. "Hang on, I got an extra one…"

Makoto ended up finding a more 'manly' cook's apron, so she put that on herself and gave Usagi the cute, frilly pink one she had already been wearing. The game continued as they readied ingredients, started combining them and put the lasagna in the pan, and Usagi played her part so well that Makoto found herself forgetting that she wasn't usually this doting and submissive.

Speaking of which… it was interesting that she chose to play such a submissive stereotype of a housewife, when she knew that Mrs. Tsukino definitely wasn't like that. Truly an independent mom of the Nineties! But the frequent flutterings of eyelashes, and the way Usagi would theatrically touch her face and say "oopsie" whenever she made a mistake were straight out of an American sitcom from the 1950s. Maybe she should try out for the drama club when they got to high school.

"Good work, little wife," Makoto told her in a hearty tone as she hugged around her shoulders again. That had happened often; if it wasn't her doing that, it was Usagi draping herself over her side. "We have made a fine lasagna!"

"My strong husband taught me how!" They both laughed again. Really, they sounded more like someone's grandparents than any modern husband and wife.

Then Usagi kissed her cheek. She had to lean up to do it, standing on her tippy-toes and neck stretching out, but she managed. It stunned Makoto enough that she almost broke character, but at the last second she managed to let out a gruff little hum. "Oh, s-stop it, sweetheart. You're embarrassing me!"

"Oh, men don't get embarrassed, they just get stronger!" When Makoto snorted, Usagi lost it, falling back onto the floor and rolling around with laughter until Makoto gave her a gentle kick in the butt to get her to quit. "Oh! Oh God, that's hilarious!"

"Real wives don't say their husbands are hilarious," she giggled, dropping the persona for the moment. It was kind of relief; she was trying to figure out how she felt about being kissed by Usagi. It wasn't a big deal, just a little cheek kiss. Totally normal between friends! So why did she feel so weird about it?

After a few seconds, Usagi popped up again, face reddish from all the laughing and wiping tears from her eyes. When she noticed Makoto wasn't doing anything besides leaning back against the counter, she blinked a few times, waiting for her to acknowledge her. It didn't happen; she was too preoccupied with her thoughts. After another few seconds, she slid her arms around her waist again, fluttering her eyelashes up at her.

"Husband, I need to know how to bake the lasagna. I'm helpless without you."

Now her heart was racing, trying to beat out of her chest as she gazed down at Usagi's sweet face. Maybe her mind was playing tricks on her, but she really thought a lot of that affection was genuine… not just a product of their silly fantasy. Usagi really was helpless without her. From the first time she saved her life to the many moments since, that theme kept popping up. Not that she minded. Out of anyone she'd ever known, she liked taking care of the tiny blonde ditz the most.

But it wasn't just that. Raising her hand to cup Usagi's cheek, she said in her deeper voice, "You aren't helpless, little wife. It is I who need you. Without your love, your tenderness… I am alone in this world."

The sincerity must have shone through the joking words, because Usagi's clear blue eyes widened, and she was working hard to swallow. Hands came up to shove her away, and they did push a little at first, but then simply rested on Makoto's shoulders. "I… w-well, I don't… want to leave you alone, my husband." Then a quiet giggle fell out of her lips, clearly shakier than usual, and she whispered, "Wow, you're pretty smooth, Mako-chan. I wish Tuxedo Mask would talk to me the way you do…"

"I know! He reminds me so much of my old boyfriend…" When she pet Usagi's cheek, she leaned into the touch, eyes half-closing. A thought struck her: Usagi was somehow even prettier when she was given over to a moment like that. A true princess. But this was a moment between two best friends, fellow Senshi! Maybe it was time they rethought the terms of their game. "Want me to stop, Usa-chan? I mean, I don't know what I'm doing…"

"N-nah. It's nice to pretend… I guess…"

"It is?"

"Yeah. I mean, um, as long as you're not uncomfortable or anything! We can stop… if you are…"

Makoto nodded, cleared her throat, and gripped the back of Usagi's neck. Instantly, she went still, eyes flying open again. It shot a chill into the pit of her stomach, but she ignored that and cleared her throat, speaking in her 'manly' voice again. "From the moment I saw you, I knew we were destined to be together. For you to be my bride!"

"Yes, my husband! My love!" The hands flexed on her lapels, then began petting up and down. "I have always been yours! Your strength gives me life!"

"Ah!" She dipped her, and the next giggle of pure joy from Usagi was definitely not acting. "How can a man resist such a… a goddess?!" The word came to her at the last second.

"Then do not resist any longer, Prince Mako! Kiss me and claim me again!"

So Makoto kissed her. It was supposed to be a silly one, and she dipped the smaller woman lower and waggled her head from side to side for comedic effect, making Usagi flail and laugh.

But she also kissed back. And after the first second or two, it stopped being a game. The "mmm-mmm!" noises faded into honest sighs, tightly-closed lips softened and parted slightly. Two hands slid up to cup either side of her neck, and the one she had wrapped around Usagi's waist clung more tightly. It was sweet. It was more than sweet: it was inflaming. The small form resting gently in her grasp was a welcome weight, and the mouth a portal to a world of sweetness and light that she had never even glimpsed before. All from a source she had never expected.

With no way of knowing how long they were locked together like that, they slowly parted, faces flushed and lips swollen. Usagi's crystalline eyes were completely glazed over when she looked down into them, unable to focus or to ask why they had done what they did. Makoto didn't know, either, so what was she supposed to say?

"Mako-chan…"

"Usa… I…" She cleared her throat and deepened her voice. "My sweet wife, I find you so irresistible."

"Really? You do?"

"Of course. We are married, and I wish to keep our marriage burning bright as a star!"

Usagi let out a quiet titter, bashful but smiling. "Thank you, husband." Another little kiss before she bit her lip, looking away shyly. Her whisper was sweet as her lips; "I've… never kissed anyone before… not really. But you must have kissed a lot of boys, you're so good at it…"

"I guess," she agreed, now acutely aware that they weren't playing anymore. And she was still holding Usagi.

"N-not that I mean like, that you're a skank! Just… you have experience, and I don't, so I was probably really terrible…"

That made her draw her up closer, out of the dip so that she was standing in front of her again. Toes were on top of her own, Usagi trying to make herself taller so their faces were closer, and she wrapped both arms tightly around her back to help in supporting her.

"You were great. Perfect, I mean… just like a wife. I guess. I've never had a wife before, either, so…"

"Anybody would be lucky to be your wife! I mean, you're so strong and caring like a man, but soft and thoughtful like a woman, and you can totally cook, and… a-and that was an incredible kiss!"

"Well… I could… do it again… if you wanted." Usagi looked even shyer, which she didn't think was possible given how shy she had looked a moment before that. "Or not! Y'know, I don't want to, um, make you feel weird…"

They were both silent for a moment. Usagi boosting herself by standing on Makoto's feet, she managed to start the kiss herself this time. It lasted even longer, ending with her eventually plopping the shorter girl's rear onto the countertop so that they could better reach each other's lips without straining. Hands slid up backs, soft moans sounded between them. Legs gently wrapped around her hips to keep her close. And as long as it went on, she only wanted more, and for it to go on eternally.

"AAAH!" Usagi squealed once they parted, hiding her burning face in her hands. "I can't believe we did that! And it was SO GOOD!"

"Y-yeah, it was!" Scratching the back of her neck, she looked away to try to hide her giddy smile. "Usa-chan, I didn't think… well, I mean, this is just crazy! I've always seen myself growing up to be the housewife, not to find one of my own!"

A little hum floated out of Usagi as she thrashed from side to side, clearly past worrying and into the excited phase of her reaction. "I'm your housewife, I'm your housewife! Oh, I'm so happy!" Then her eyes flew open. "How am I going to tell my parents? Or the rest of the team? Oh, they'll be okay with it, they always joke about that, anyway…"

"We'll figure it out," she chuckled, leaning up to nuzzle Usagi's face. She nuzzled back, and they shared another quick peck that threatened to turn into more. "Oh wow, that's so easy to get started!"

"I know! How did it take us this long to try it? I always…" Usagi's voice got a little quieter as she raised a finger, tracing over one of Makoto's ever-present rosebud earrings fondly. "U-um, well, I hope you don't think this is weird but I've kind of thought about it before, once or twice. But it wasn't in a serious way! Just, y'know… you're so tall, and cool, and I liked it when you fed me… that's probably dumb."

"It's not dumb! I mean, sometimes I would think that it was nice taking care of you with you being so sweet and small, too, but I told myself I was overthinking it." Throwing back her head to laugh, Makoto cawed, "Guess we were just big ol' lesbians all along!"

"I guess so!"

They both laughed for a long time about that, letting the emotions explode instead of trying to bottle them up. It took way longer to get the lasagna started than they planned, but they managed it eventually. Not that either of them minded.

"Now that it's baking, husband," Usagi began as she dragged her toward the living room, "you should come relax for a while. Let me take care of you."

"Alright, alright," she laughed. Then in her deeper voice, "My wife must rub my feet and light my cigarette, and then I will give her pocket money to buy a nice mink tomorrow."

They giggled as Usagi settled Makoto in the comfy armchair. She had worked hard to make her living room welcoming, hoping that if anyone besides her old best friend Tomoko ever visited, they might feel at home enough to come back one day. Hence the squashy furniture, soft rug under the coffee table, and the many, many plants under the windows. It felt weird for her guest to be the one doting on her, but it was part of the game, after all.

"Where do you keep your cigarettes?" she goaded, causing Motoko to snort. "Or can I bring you a can of Sapporo?"

"Just the cigarette, wife. They're in the fridge." They were only chocolate ones, anyway. When Usagi came back and popped one between her lips, then mimed like she was lighting it, she mimed taking a few puffs and then took it out to blow outward. "Phoo! Ahh, yes, very smooth and relaxing."

"Just as you deserve." She sat on the ottoman and picked up one of Motoko's legs. By the time she figured out what she was trying to do, it was already too late to head her off.

"Oh!" she gasped when she felt thumbs digging into the sole of her foot. "Usa-chan, I was kidding, you don't… mmm, that really is nice, though…"

"You've had such a hard day at work." Usagi hesitated for a moment, then improvised, "A chef with his own kitchen spends all day standing, and needs a wife to help soothe his aches, right?"

"Ohhhh, yeah…" It was more of a moan than a real answer, and Usagi giggled to hear how much her massage was working on her 'playmate'. It was also cute how she was adding to the backstory of their little game. After a few seconds of recovery, relaxing into the gentle sensation, she puffed on the cigarette again. "Wife, you… have made your husband quite happy today. If your dinner is delicious, then you will win the 'Best Wife' award!"

Her voice was so bubbly as she whispered, "Oh, if only I could achieve that dream!" that Mako couldn't suppress a titter. She rubbed for another minute or so, watching her pretend spouse eventually tire of pretending to smoke and eating the candy cigarette. Completely relaxing from the massage. Really, she would have paid Usagi to do this part for her; she might consider it, now that she knew how wonderful it felt.

Sometime after switching to the other foot, her "wife" whispered, "Mako-chan…"

"Hm?"

"I'm having a lot of fun today. Like, I know I just came over for help with home ec, but even without the kissing, it's been really nice. And I wouldn't mind trying it again someday, when we're not busy."

The sentiment touched Makoto more than she wanted to admit. It was nice having a friend so close — especially one she might be able to kiss now and then. Definitely a fringe benefit. But it felt too heavy and serious to respond to Usagi's words directly for some reason. So instead, she merely said, "You wouldn't mind coming by to cook and rub my feet? That's weird. You can come by and not do that."

"Yeah, I know." A playful smile in place, she moved to the side and knelt on the floor seiza-style, performing an ultra-low saikeirei bow with her hands in front of her knees, forehead nearly touching the rug. "I humbly apologise for my weirdness, master of my house."

The thrill that shot through Makoto was so profound that she felt her stomach tie into a knot, her heart beat faster. She both felt highly flattered and definitely wanted Usagi to stop debasing herself in such a way. "Usa… c'mon, you d-don't have to do that."

"But I want to, husband." Her face moved to one side, pressing soft lips into the tops of Jupiter's toes. She got in two or three kisses before she could jerk out of range, scrunching them to try and rid herself of the vaguely pleasant sensation. Now they were both flushed and embarrassed. "I want to please you."

"Y-you can please me by coming up here and sitting on my lap," she said with a slight stutter, face reddening further. "Before I faint or something!"

Smiling sweetly, Usagi stood and giggled for a moment about the whole situation. Then she turned and landed her warm rump on one of Makoto's thighs. She tried not to think about how nice that felt as she reached up and took either side of Usagi's neck with her hands, beginning to knead.

"Ooohh… oh, Mako-chan, that feels great…"

"A husband must take care of his wife, as well. Or what kind of husband would he be?"

The longer it went on, the sounds coming from Usagi's throat and the feeling of the muscles relaxing under her strong grip, the wriggling of the soft, padded hindquarters on her lap, made her want to kiss her again. Maybe for longer than a few paltry minutes… maybe more than just kiss her. Surprising how quickly she was getting used to this idea.

"Usa-chan, I…" Instead of finishing the thought, she kissed the shell of her cute little ear, and heard a quiet cooing in return. So she did it again. This was literally the most romantic moment of her life, and it was with another girl — one with whom she fought against the forces of evil on a weekly basis. Cute little bundle of blondeness, sweet, doting when she wanted to be doting…

"You're so… fantastic at this…" Her throat cleared; at least she was having trouble talking, too, and it wasn't just Makoto's problem. "And I never finished your other foot…"

"You didn't have to get to the first one," she told her in no uncertain terms. "I just like helping you cook. That would have been enough, and like… everything else is a bonus. That includes how nice your butt feels."

"You like that?" Her hips wiggled from side to side again, and Mako bit her lip to keep from groaning. "Hmm. I thought I noticed you checking out Ami's butt once before."

She had to head off that line of questioning, so she redoubled her efforts. There was a low purr from her thumb hitting a particularly stubborn knot, and Makoto had to ignore her own visceral response and stay focused on the task at hand. "You're still a little tense. Is it not good?"

"Mmmm, no way, Mako-chan… you're incredible. Can we kiss again?"

Makoto's green eyes twinkled with amusement. "My lips or my toes? You seemed to be into that."

"Either one…" When Makoto leaned over to gape at her, alarmed that she took her joke as being remotely serious, she ducked her head in slight shame.

"Usa-chan, I'm…" Her toes scrunched against the rug subconsciously. "But that's so weird! I m-mean… why?"

"W-well, it really felt right in the role! Y'know, worshipping my strong husband?"

"Yeah, I don't know a lot of housewives who actually kiss their husbands' feet! Just saying!"

"Maybe because their husbands don't have feet as cute as yours! I dunno!"

At that, Makoto had to scoff, even though her cheeks were burning with embarrassment. "N-nah, come on. Thanks for trying, but I know mine are huge and awful. Like the rest of me."

"Hey! Don't say that, you're perfect just the way you are! Like a supermodel! Even your feet are supermodel feet; so much sexier than my stubby toes!" Clearing her throat, Usagi rushed on ahead so Makoto wouldn't question that too deeply. "B-but, um, I'd definitely rather kiss your lips; those are… s-so sweet, and your arms are strong, and you always smell like perfume… I just can't handle myself around you."

Still trying to wrap her mind around what "sexy supermodel toes" was supposed to mean, Makoto shook her head and laughed before she kissed the back of Usagi's neck. "Then maybe I'll keep handling you. Would that help?" The resulting high-pitched squeal made her giggle more. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Wow, this is crazy!"

"Mmm, it is! But… I think… I could really get used to it. Having this with you. I mean, as long as you really think I'm worth doing this stuff with; you could probably do way better. With girls or guys!"

Swallowing down her nerves, she turned Usagi in her lap, one arm looping around her lower back and hand resting on her hip as the other one came up to caress her slender neck, fingertips rustling the wispy blonde hairs at the nape that weren't pulled up into her long twintails. It was such a possessive gesture that they both had to look away for a moment, but then she spoke to call Usagi back to the present. To tell her how wrong she was about the way she saw herself.

"My beautiful, sweet, delicious little wife deserves the best. And if she thinks that's me, then… I'm all yours."

"Mako-chan, my husband…"

The lasagna almost burned, they were so wrapped up in each other, and even once they hastily pulled it out of the oven it was quite a while before they logged some Famicom time. Delays due to "playing house" were about to become a regular part of their routine.

THE END

[next: Minako!]

Act 5: Minako: What's In A Codename?

"You know, you're an even bigger pig than I am."

Minako Aino stuck her tongue out over her shoulder at Usagi. Luckily, she was comfortable enough with her new friends to be able to take that slight criticism, even if it was still a bit wounding. "Just because I invited you up here, and you and Ami and Rei decided that we 'needed' to clean my room, doesn't mean you get to judge me. Especially you!"

The other blonde pouted, flipping through the stack of shojo magazines. "Why 'especially me'?"

"Because you're a pointless waste of space," Rei said immediately with a long sigh. She and Ami were currently cramming all of her dirty clothes into a basket, and didn't look at all like they minded — but Rei certainly minded that Usagi wasn't doing her part. "Can you just hurry up and actually do something? I thought you wanted to help Minako."

"I do! I just… wanted to make sure these magazines were going to be put away in order!" As if this somehow proved her point, she poked the page she was open to. "Look! Yeah, this one goes after the other one!" Then she gathered up the manga and took them over toward Mina's shelf.

"Hopeless," she sighed, though she seemed mostly resigned.

"C'mon, I didn't say all that," Minako laughed as she stripped her bed of sheets so she could grab the shiki futon from on top of her Western platform bed and take it to the balcony and let it air out. "Just that you're a slob, too, so it's like the pot calling the kettle a pot."

Ami flinched slightly as she bundled the sheets in with the clothes. "You mean 'the pot calling the kettle 'black',' right?"

"Oh, is that how it went?"

"Sorry," Usagi groaned, actually straightening up the shelves now. Not that there was much to do, but she had left quite a few books lying around, and she felt bad that her fellow blonde had to work on that for her. "You're right, I'm not any better than this. But it's not easy being almost a high school student and a superhero!"

Having just put the basket in the hall, Rei came back over and slung an arm around Usagi's shoulders. "Like you actually do any of those things that well. Seriously, considering how much you slack off, you should have plenty of time left over to help a friend clean. OR clean your own room."

The criticism got Usagi puffing out her cheeks in annoyance. Rei and Ami laughed, and so did Minako, though she felt a little guilty about it. After all, she didn't know any of them all that well yet. At times, she felt like the odd woman out on the Senshi, even though that was silly when none of them had really had terribly long to establish friendships.

"Oh wow!" came a voice from deep in her closet. After a moment, Makoto appeared with a wallscroll of a popular band, index finger tapping on one of the posing men. "This guy really looks like my old boyfriend! I wonder if it's him? Do you remember their names?"

Laughing nervously, Minako shrugged and said, "It was a promotional gift, I barely know a few of their songs. Do… you want that poster?"

The taller girl's green eyes lit up like emeralds in the sun. "Really? You mean it?"

"Sure! Take it, go nuts!" As Makoto squealed and jumped up and down, Ami having to duck out of the way of her elbow, Minako giggled and took the mattress outside.

This really was so much better. Ever since she got back from England, she had felt like she had no life. School was fine, and so was her continual work around town under her alter ego to roll back the crimes of the citizenry, but that could all be classified as her 'professional' life. She didn't have any friends. After all, almost none of her old friends from elementary school were going to her junior high, and the few that were no longer really had much in common with the weird, Western-looking blonde. She got called hafu a lot, because she was Japanese but looked so American, and spoke English so well. In all honesty, it was a little depressing not having a core group of pals to hang around with — play video games, watch movies, go to the summer Obon festival and watch the fireworks.

But becoming a Sailor Senshi changed all that. Now at last, she could finally go back to a normal girl's level of companionship and bonding. Even if it was because she was fighting the forces of evil alongside other young women with magic running through their veins.

After hanging her futon on the balcony, she came back in to hear the sounds of squabbling. Again. Rolling her eyes and heaving a weary sigh, she entered her room and braced for impact.

"You did too try to kill her plants and you know it!"

Rei was already in full rage mode, fists clenched at her sides. "I never claimed to have any idea how to take care of houseplants! We all agreed to do our best, and Ami kept them from dying in the end!"

"But you act like I have no responsibility, and then you do stuff like that!" Usagi shot right back at her. "That's what I'm saying isn't fair!"

"Look. I never said you were the worst person in the world, and I was perfect. Just that you're way less responsible than any of the rest of us!"

"Lay off her!" Makoto put in, stepping between the two jousting junior high girls with her taller, more imposing frame. "Usa-chan is fine the way she is, even if you don't think so, Rei! So just shove it!"

Ami was definitely already distressed, and put a soothing hand on Rei's arm. "Please, can't we get along? This in-fighting never solves anything — no one here is a bad person, no one here is 'lazy'! Alright?"

"Sorry, Ami, but Usagi is definitely lazy. I'm not going to lie just to make her feel better!"

"Right!" Usagi burst out at Rei, eyes tearing up. "Because being nice to somebody just doesn't work for Rei Hino! Ohhhh no, that would involve caring about anybody but herself!"

"Of course I care! I care about all of you! And if I didn't care, didn't want you to be your best, I wouldn't bother to tell you what a selfish little brat you can b-"

"HEY!"

Everyone turned to look at Minako. When she realised she had their attention, she smiled as sweetly as she could. "I hate to be a bother, but can you keep it down before my mom gets in one of her moods about us being too rowdy? Like, just… bicker quieter."

Usagi immediately dipped her head very low, looking like she wanted to expire on the spot. "Sorry! Gosh, I wasn't even thinking about that…"

"Of course not," Rei sniped immediately.

"Neither were you, genius," Makoto grunted. That nearly got them all going again, but Ami dragged Rei to the other side of the room to begin working on the cluttered school desk. Turning to Makoto and Minako, their bun-headed leader clapped her hands together and bowed reverently.

"You two saved my life. I am eternally grateful."

"Oh, shush," Makoto snorted, waving a hand back and forth. Her cheeks had started to pinken slightly from being thanked so earnestly, which was probably why she tried to dismiss the sentiment. "Maybe you're a little irresponsible, but I mean, so is everybody in their own way. Rei gets a bug up her butt over nothing sometimes."

"I can hear you!" Rei hissed in a stage whisper. That time, Ami literally turned her head all the way around with her hand to point back at their task.

Meanwhile, Minako was sighing and turning back to her bedframe to fish things out from underneath it. "This is tough for me, because I actually like all of you guys. So when you fight, I don't feel… like I can make the right call, since I'm the new girl."

"But you're not!" Makoto assured her. "Like, you've been doing it the longest; it's us who are the newbies."

"I'm sorry, Mina-chan," Usagi was saying again. "Seriously, sometimes I let Rei get under my skin and forget to pay attention to the rest of you. Must be so annoying."

That shot straight to her heart, and she put a hand on Usagi's shoulder. "Not annoying. Just… you get emotional sometimes. Totally normal, since we're all fresh out of puberty and hormonal sometimes." Then over her shoulder, she shot, "Same goes for other parties involved."

"Alright, alright," Rei sighed, coming back to the middle of the room with a few books in her hands that were destined for the shelf. "Usagi, I'm sorry I lost my temper. Again."

"And I'm sorry I'm lazy and dumb," she countered. Minako was opening her mouth, but she cut her off, "No, I am! Can't help it sometimes, but I'm gonna try to be better. Okay?"

The two shook hands, and the feud ended.

"Thank Serenity," Artemis sighed as he and Luna padded in, white and purple fur standing out in stark contrast to each other. "You do know cats have sensitive ears, don't you? All that yakking could make a guy deaf!"

Makoto put her hand on her hips and looked down at them with a smirk. "And where were you two, anyway? Off nuzzling each other?"

Little known fact: cats from the Moon Kingdom can blush.

~ o ~

A few days after that, Minako was out with Makoto and Rei, shopping their little hearts out. Mostly, Rei wanted some help finding 'cuter' clothing; she owned a few nice things, but she spent so much time in her miko apparel that she felt like she had lost touch with the world of fashion. Makoto loved to dress the two of them up like dolls, since a lot of the things she wanted to buy for herself didn't come in her size — or they did, but the skirts rode up too high, or the blouses pulled in weird ways. And shoes were something of a nightmare. That really made Minako sad, so she resolved to try to get some clothes sent in from London that might fit her new teammate.

"Thanks for the help today," Rei told them as they made their way back on the bus, all smiles. "I finally feel like a girl again. And these jeans are so rad!"

"I'm just amazed I found some sandals today," Makoto said with a wistfully pleased smile. "A little tight, but at least I can wear them without wanting to die."

Giggling, Minako stood up and shouldered her purse. She herself had only one small bag. "I'm glad, too. Maybe we can hit another store next weekend."

"Wait, where are you going?" Rei asked. "This isn't your stop."

"It is today. I'm going to drop in on Usagi before I head home."

"Ohhh, I'd love to see Usagi," Makoto lamented, staring down at her bags. "But I bought too much. Plus I gotta get home and start on making bento for the next few days, or I'll never get it done."

"I can't, either." At the glare from the other two, she raised a hand. "Honest! Temple duties."

Nodding, Mina jogged to the door of the bus. "I'll send her your love! Later, guys!"

Their well-wishes in her ears, she hopped off at the stop. She'd never been to Usagi's house before; or she had, but only in the entrance once before they were all headed off elsewhere. Belatedly, she wondered if she should have called ahead or asked Usagi the last time they saw each other, but she also hadn't really been planning on it before that day, so it would have been a little difficult to predict her visit. Too bad those new cellular telephones were so expensive and cumbersome; it really would be so convenient to be able to call people wherever you were.

"Hello?" Mrs. Tsukino said when she opened the door, her slightly concerned look turning into one of pleasant surprise. "Oh, you're one of Usagi's friends, aren't you? Mina?"

"Minako Aino, okaasan," she told her with a polite bow, feeling the red bow atop her blonde head rustle from the movement. "Sorry to drop by out of the blue, but I was wondering if Usagi is home?"

Ikuko's hand went to her hip, a wooden spoon dangling from the fingers. Privately, Minako couldn't help thinking that Usagi's mother was quite lovely and put-together for a middle-aged housewife, her dark, wavy hair always coiffed and pristine whenever she saw her. She wondered what her secret was.

"Afraid she isn't; I think she and Naru are at the Game Center. But they've been gone all day if you'd like to come inside and wait for her. Shouldn't be too much longer with dinnertime being soon."

At first, she fully intended to turn down that offer. But then a little smile pulled at her lips. This was actually even better! "Well… alright, I will, if you're sure she wouldn't mind me hanging around her room?"

"I imagine not," the woman laughed, stepping aside for her to enter. As she closed the door and Minako stepped out of her shoes, she added, "Usagi used to always complain that nobody except Naru came to visit her. Now that Mizuno girl is over here often enough that I could almost swear she wants to be adopted!"

"Oh!" she giggled with a wide smile. "Now I feel bad I haven't come over before! Well, I hope she's back soon. Thanks!" Another little bow, and she clomped up the stairs.

"No problem!"

Letting out a breath of relief, she turned around to try and figure out which room belonged to Usagi. The one at the end of the hall was probably that of the parents, and there were three other doors that did not belong to the bathroom. Even Inspector Zenigata could have figured out the one with a knitted rabbit-head hung on the door was probably hers. Smiling to herself, she turned the knob and stepped inside.

"Hmm, where to start?" she breathed, looking around at the mess. It was almost the same as her own, but there was less food waste; she was right, Minako won the title of 'Slobbiest Senshi'. So she started picking up a few of the shirts and socks…

But that was as far as she got before it sank in. From the moment she had opened the door, something seemed a little off to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it immediately. Once she figured that out, she couldn't comprehend how on earth she had missed it.

Minako's face was everywhere.

Dropping the clothing, she gaped at the state of this room. Sailor V posters and wall scrolls, Sailor V pillows, Sailor V calendars, Sailor V figurines. A Sailor V pencil case sitting on her school desk, beside a handheld version of the Sailor V game. There was a lot more merchandise there than she had ever thought possible — than she even thought existed. Of course, given that she had a secret identity to protect, she couldn't simply sue these companies for cranking out all manner of items with her likeness on them without "outing" herself, so they popped up in any Akihabara shop. But she never in a million years imagined…

"Usagi," she breathed in horror. "You're an OTAKU."

Stumbling slightly on her way through the room, her fingertips brushed over a notebook with her face on it. A blanket, a backpack. She'd never used that backpack during classes, of course; she used the standard school satchel. So why even buy it?! Purely because it was yet another piece of junk with the happy-go-lucky smile and red eye-mask that everyone associated with her alter-ego? It almost made her angry, but in the context of Usagi owning this stuff…

It made her feel something else. More like hazukashii — a profound embarrassment, almost to the point of shame. One of her closest friends, someone she fought alongside against the Dark Kingdom, and her room was almost covered in pictures of her! Sure, they were ones freely available for anyone to buy, but…

Minako didn't know how long she had been sitting on the edge of Usagi's bed, despite staring up at the Sailor V clock in detached amazement, when she heard someone coming up the steps. She didn't react much, since she just assumed it would be Ikuko coming to check on her. Not Usagi herself, humming a little tune and throwing the door wide as she pranced in, then bumping it shut with her rear end before setting down her newest purchase on the low table in the middle of her room. She hoped and prayed it wasn't anything with Sailor V on it. Maybe it would just be a cute shirt. Or a Kodansha magazine, or some Pocky. Anything but…

Right at the moment Usagi noticed Minako there was when she saw it was a Sailor V duvet cover. Just about the biggest thing she could have acquired, once it was stretched over the actual duvet, and there it was between them both like the final nail in a coffin.

"O-oh!" Usagi squeaked, colour draining from her face. "Mina-chan! I… h-how did you get in here?"

"Your mom," she answered numbly.

"Cool! I mean, that's totally fine, I'm happy to see you! Um… been here long?"

"Maybe ten or twenty minutes. Not sure."

"Ah, that's not so bad."

"Yeah. Did you have fun at Game Center Crown?"

"Sure! And, um, after Naru left, I took a little detour on my way home…"

"I can see that."

The room got quiet for a few seconds. Minako drummed her fingers against her knee, and Usagi's feet shuffled nervously. Then she finally whispered, "Um… Minako…"

"Hm?"

"About… all this stuff…"

"Oh, it's fine," she said with a forced smile. "You're just… really into that Sailor V game, right? Always have been. I used to kind of go nuts for this one game, 'Lovely Fight'? It's… kind of older now…"

"Hey, I remember that one! The girl with all that awesome power-armour? Yeah, it was pretty fun. I think there's a machine in Crown still…"

"Kinda miss it, yeah."

Silence fell again. The longer this went on, the more she could see the redness blossoming in her friend's cheeks. Normally, Minako would feel bad about that, but not this time. It was just too weird. The whole situation, and being in that room surrounded by the merchandise wasn't helping.

"S-so um, what are you doing here, anyway? Not to be rude, just… I didn't think we had any plans."

"Oh. Well, um, I was going to clean your room to pay you back for cleaning mine. Like, 'one good turn saves nine', right?" That wasn't the correct phrase, but Minako couldn't remember how it went at the moment, so she moved on. "But I got, um, distracted."

"Y-yeah, I guess you would," she laughed nervously, trying to surreptitiously nudge the pencil case and the handheld game into the backpack without being too obvious. She failed, of course. "Like I said, this is just… y'know, n-not that important. I'm sorry you had to see the whole collection like this!"

"Really? Because, like…" Her open palm gestured to the posters on the wall. "It's kind of out in the open."

"Well, if you ever came up, I was gonna hide it all," she admitted, wilting slightly. "Since I couldn't predict how you'd, um…" In a quieter voice, she finished, "Are you mad?"

"Mad? No, not mad. Why would I be mad?"

"For somebody who's not mad, you're saying 'mad' a lot…"

Dropping the Sailor V throw pillow that had been sitting on her lap back on top of the other pillows, she stood up and gave an exaggerated shrug. "I mean, what's the point in feeling like that? You obviously don't hate me, or you wouldn't have my face on every available surface in here. So like, can't be mad about that!"

"But you're… upset? Disappointed? I don't know, Minako, help me!"

"Okay. Do you really want to know? I'm…" She had been so close to saying it: "disgusted". The very idea of one of her close friends having these things made her severely uncomfortable, and she wanted to disappear and forget she ever saw it. But Usagi looked so forlorn that she couldn't bring herself to do it. Still, she did ask.

"What?"

"I'm… just a little…" In the end, any word she chose was either not accurate, or too cruel. "I feel weird being in a room where my face is everywhere. That's all. So I guess it's fine that you have this stuff, even though I don't know why you'd want it, but I think I'm gonna go."

She had only taken a couple of steps before Usagi burst out, "Why I would have it? Is that what the problem is? I can tell you that! Don't go, Mina-chan!"

"Don't call me that anymore." The yip of pure pain from Usagi shot through her heart, so she turned and sighed. "Sorry. I'm probably overreacting, but this is just mondo bizarro! We know each other! Why would you want to… to sleep under a duvet with me on it?! Do you know what that sounds like?"

Now the blush got a lot worse as the implication sunk into Usagi's brain, and she stammered, "N-no, Minako, I promise I'm n-not a pervert, I don't- that isn't how I thought of you, seriously, it never was! B-but when I first became Sailor Moon, y-you were the only… I felt so lost, and scared, and like I couldn't do it, but I would t-try to be like you!"

"Like me?" she muttered, caught off guard by the idea.

"YES! Like, I already thought you were- well, no, that Sailor V was really tough and cool, and I liked the game and stuff, a-and I had a few of these things. But once I found out I had powers? Sometimes…" She took a deep breath, trying to find more courage even though she was shaking worse with each passing second, voice growing quieter. "Sometimes you were the only thing that got me through a fight! Trying to think of what you would do, remembering that… you would always win, a-and you looked perfect doing it, and that's what I wanted to be! And after that, I guess I did get a little obsessed with collecting Sailor V stuff, b-because it was like, a connection to you- or her!"

Though she was listening all along, the last part struck her as odd, and she had to shake off her daze. "Wait, wait. Why do you say it like that? I mean, I am Sailor V. You know that by now!"

"Not really! I mean… yeah, I know you are, but not in my mind, okay? I still see her as like, a character that I really looked up to! And then there's Minako, my friend, who's not the same; like, sometimes I do feel really lucky to be hanging out with you when I remember that's who you are, but n-not all the time! I swear!"

All of this sounded like double-talk and excuse-making to Minako. Especially with the way Usagi was blushing and sweating; she looked guilty, ashamed of herself. Just like any nerdboy who had been caught with a body pillow of his favourite idol… by the idol herself.

"Really? Do you swear?" Minako stepped a little closer, leaning so their faces were an inch apart. Usagi gulped, head drawing back a fraction of an inch but not daring to step backward or try to push her away. "Because I do like you as a friend, Usagi, but now I'm starting to think you might be a… yuri."

That got her to pause, shocked. Her blue eyes flicked down toward how close they were and back up again. Minako took another step, backing her all the way up to the edge of the desk. "Me?! Into Girls' Love? N-no, it isn't… I've n-never…" But she wasn't trying very hard to protest.

Suddenly, Minako felt a slight possibility that there might be something to her joking accusation. And instantly, she regretted making it. Mostly, she had been hoping that if she teased Usagi a little more, she might feel bad about making her so uncomfortable and promise to stop buying up Sailor V merchandise. Even if she didn't, she could at least show her the effect it had on her friend, and maybe she'd be more sensitive to the situation. But if Usagi really was interested in her beyond simple companionship…

"It's okay," she suddenly whispered, gulping hard. Usagi had to know that she didn't mean what she had said, and that she certainly didn't think a collection of random junk was worth destroying their friendship over. "Sorry for being so… w-well, I'm sorry. But don't worry about it; we can keep this between us."

"Between us?" she breathed softly. "It's really okay?"

"Yeah. I mean… yeah, I might have flipped out a little at first, but now… y-yeah, I'm okay with it. You can't help if you let it get a little out of hand."

Usagi nodded, wide blue eyes blinking a few times as she leaned a little closer. "Mina-chan… I can't believe you really don't… a-and I know you aren't Sailor V, I know that. Or you are, but y-you're not the same person that I used to feel so… I'm not an otaku, I know the difference between… fantasy and reality."

"Fantasy, huh?" Her mouth twitched into a slight smile, and she could tell Usagi was watching it. "What kind of fantasies did you have?" Maybe this would even be cute; something about a very new Sailor Moon ready to fight alongside her "senpai" — even if she didn't really feel like much like a soldier of a higher rank, since they were all the same age. After all, she'd felt the same way about Wonder Woman when she was reading her comics during her stay in London.

What she didn't expect was for Usagi to lower her eyes and whisper, "Just… meeting her, I guess? Getting to ask her how she made it look so easy? I d-don't know. But… meeting you as Venus was way better. Like, I'm so happy you're my friend… s-so I don't want you thinking that some silly girl-crush matters to me, okay? Please tell me you understand." Her voice got even quieter as she urged, "Please…"

Two words among all the others took her breath away. "Girl-crush?"

"Y-yeah. I mean, just because I thought Sailor V was massively cute — I mean, like all girls look up to older girls, right? Come on, I didn't imagine you putting my head in your lap and petting my hair or anything!" She tried for a laugh, but it sounded so forced and grating that it was clearly fake. Just like her last statement.

"Like this?" Her hand came up to fall on Usagi's hair, gliding along it gently. Usagi shivered, but didn't react that much otherwise, and she drew her fingers away immediately. "Sorry. I, um, now I feel stupid — that wasn't supposed to be teasing you for it, I promise!"

Her head shook from side to side, flashing her a small smile. "Nah, it's okay! I just… well, it's not really her. I'm not kidding, I really don't see Sailor V just looking at you; I see my gal pal, Mina-chan. S-so you don't have to feel so awkward about… like…" Her hand gestured to the posters, the duvet cover. "I know it might not make a lot of sense to you, but I'm totally serious about that. You're you, and she's her. To me."

That gave her an idea. A very odd, very ludicrous idea, and she was fairly certain it was also a bad one. But she decided she might as well try it. As things stood now, if she didn't find out what the difference would be, she would probably always walk around expecting Usagi to turn into some mouth-breathing perv at any moment. And she didn't want that. Not with her good friend and comrade.

"Hey," she started, stepping back. "I wanna try something. Can you, um… close your eyes for a sec?"

"Huh?" Her eyes narrowed. "Are you gonna hit me?"

"Who am I, Rei?! Nothing like that. I promise. Just… try it, and keep 'em closed." With a shrug, the bun-headed girl slapped her hands over her eyes. Then Minako took out her compact; a tool she had not used in quite some time. Raising it toward the ceiling, she called out, "Crescent Moon Power, TRANSFORM!"

As the room filled with light, she could hear Usagi cry out, "Whaa?!" but she didn't peek. After the swirling of invisible winds subsided, she still covered her face tightly.

"You can look now."

When Usagi lowered her hands, she saw her idol standing before her. Minako hadn't donned the Sailor V outfit in quite some time; she didn't need it when working with the other Senshi. Not that there was a wealth of difference between that and the Venus outfit, other than the eye-mask; a few details on the suit barely worth mentioning. Originally, she had thought the mask would help maintain her secret identity, but that was before Artemis told her about the "aura" she and the others had that helped keep ordinary people from realising who they were.

The difference was immediate. Usagi was still blushing at a similar level, but it was very easy to see the difference in why she was blushing. Before, it had been due to having her "hobby" found out, and feeling guilty about her friend's involvement. Now…

"It's really you," she breathed softly. Then she shook her head out and laughed. "God, I sound dumb. I know it's you! I just… well…"

"Hello, young lady!" she said in her best superhero voice, hands on her hips. "I am Sailor V!" They both laughed for a moment. "How are you today?"

"Great, Sailor V!" she gushed, followed by more giggles. Usagi had to bend double for a moment, hands clutching her stomach. "Oh wow, we must be losing it!"

Grinning, she reached up and braced herself against Usagi's shoulder to keep from falling over. After a moment, she was able to catch her breath. "Okay… okay, for real this time. How are you, Miss Odango?"

"Very well, thank you," she told her with a small curtsy, voice still laced with amusement.

"I've heard that you are my number-one fan. Tell me, why do you feel this way?"

Usagi rolled her eyes, waving a hand. "I get it, Mina-chan, I get it. You can cut it out now."

"Actually, I'm serious. You have Sailor V right here, in your room, ready to listen. What have you always wanted to tell her?" Turning around, she caught sight of the comfortable bench in front of Usagi's vanity and took a seat — though she kept her posture erect, hoping that was how a "superhero" would sit. "Go on."

"Well… no, I couldn't." But Minako didn't flinch, or do anything other than sit patiently. So eventually, she sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at her knees. "You really want to hear all that?"

"Of course. Sailor V fights to protect the world in the name of love and justice! What her fans think of her is very important, too."

The blush was coming back now that they weren't tittering so much. After a few seconds of kicking her legs back and forth, toes skimming over the pink area rug, she finally whispered, "I think you're the coolest." But that was all she could get out before hiding her face behind her hands. "Ugh, this is so lame! I'M so lame!"

"You're not. I promise. Come on, tell me anything."

"You're… my role model, Sailor V," she went on in a more earnest voice. As if glad for her chance now that Mina had convinced her she could trust it. "And I'm really lucky to get to talk to you. Never thought you would, even if we did meet. I mean, I'm just some dopey brat with two left feet who can't even figure out how to fight…"

That hurt to hear, but Minako focused on playing her role. "Don't worry about that. You're doing your best, Miss Odango. That's all we can do, every day." Then she gestured for her. "Come here."

"Huh?" When she saw the hand patting her lap, she giggled self-consciously. "C-come on, that's not…" But it patted again, harder, and she inched closer. Usagi froze up, so Minako moved to the bed. Only then did she slowly tip over, needing a hand to press her downward before she finally did lay in her lap.

"It's alright, Odango-san. Tell me what's in your heart." The longer she did this, the easier it got. Her voice was low and soothing, and Usagi seemed to be responding. She finally relaxed, though her hand was clenching on her duvet.

"You're so beautiful. It was the first thing I ever thought about you; that you were one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen. In Japan, or anywhere! A-and after that, I thought… how cool it must be to be you. How I'd give anything to just see you save someone, or be saved by you. To have your hand touch my face and tell me that everything would be alright. I thought if you did that, I m-might really… believe it."

"Usagi…" That had been a slip, but she recovered quickly, petting along her hair just as she had requested. Running her gloved fingers through the strands of her pigtails. "Do you want me to brush your hair?"

"Ehhhh?! Really?" It was easy for her to reach the vanity from there, so she grabbed the hairbrush while Usagi undid her odango and let her hair fall loose. As she brushed, Usagi hummed, leaning into the touch.

"You could have asked me for this at any time. I know how special you are. Even when you aren't showing it to the world. And you're special without being Sailor Moon; a woman like you who loves her friends is a great treasure."

Usagi curled in a little tighter on herself, though she wasn't shaking or otherwise reacting. After a few more brush-strokes, she whispered, "I always wanted a big sister, too… someone to do this for me besides my mother. And you're so pretty, and brave, and confident… and you always got the bad guy. Made me wish I could be your sidekick."

"Well, you can. Come look in the mirror." Sitting her up, she guided Usagi forward a bit so they could both see themselves in the vanity mirror from the bedside. Then she took off her mask and held it front of Usagi's face.

"Uwaa?"

"Now you're like me," she told her softly, smiling wide. It was true enough; with their hair brushed out in a similar fashion, it was about the same length, the same shade of blonde. Maybe Minako was a bit taller and their faces weren't identical, but anyone who didn't know them intimately would think Usagi was Sailor V now. "You're Sailor V. And I'm sure with this mask on, you'd be just as cool, just as courageous. And you're definitely just as pretty."

For a moment, she had been completely absorbed into this fantasy. Cheeks glowing, eyes twinkling to see herself looking like her hero. But the last line seemed to break the spell. She was still happy, but she sighed, turning to look at Minako as she moved the mask back up to its owner's eyes.

"Not as pretty. There's no one in the world as beautiful as Sailor V, and I will fight you on that one."

What was this feeling now? Her heart was pounding in her throat, eyes blinking rapidly in response to what had snuck up on her. Some kind of… pleasurable thing. Maybe joy? Appreciation? Smiling and looking away, seeing the edges of the red mask again in her peripheral vision, she whispered, "You're wrong, Usa-chan."

"Am I? Maybe you haven't seen yourself. You look like an idol!"

"I do not." And she would know, because she would love to be one of those girls. It had always been her dream.

"Yes, you do." Her lips pushed upward into Minako's cheek, prompting a soft gasp of surprise. "Better than any idol, too. Because I know that you're not just cute; you're a great friend who put on a mask, and… and tried to make me feel better about having all this creepy junk in my room. Thanks so much, Mina-chan."

By now, she was having trouble finding any words. Usagi thought she was the most beautiful person? An idol, a brave hero? It was too much, and yet it made her as happy as it did mixed up inside. Everyone seemed to underestimate the diminutive bun-head because she wasn't very academically gifted, or athletic, or coordinated. But there were other strengths in life.

"You… don't need this junk anymore," she told her softly. She saw the eyes darken with fresh shame, so she hurried to finish, "Because now you have the real Sailor V. Anytime you need her, she's right here. And she's all yours." To seal the deal, she leaned in to give her back the sweet cheek-kiss…

Going back over it in her mind, she couldn't be sure how it happened. Maybe Usagi had moved in the same instant, either on purpose or accidentally, or maybe she had done it because it simply felt right to pair their lips with one another. It was a feather-light touch that seemed to last for hours, but also ended within an instant. When Minako could think again, she found her hands had drifted up to gently cradle her friend's head, and one stray hand of hers had found its way down to her own waist.

"Usa… ch-chan…" That was all either of them had to say. Usagi was blinking up at her, confused but curious, cheeks rosy and mouth slightly open. And in that moment, she'd never looked more sweet.

A bird cawing somewhere snapped them out of it. Scooting to opposite ends of the bed, they looked away and Usagi laughed, "Y-yeah! Thanks, Sailor V! I'll… I'll call you when I need you!"

"Right! It's- y-yes, that's fine! I'm in the book!" They laughed again… and something about the way Usagi looked down, flushed and bashful, then just barely glanced up at her through her eyelashes, made her say, "For another kiss, or just advice! Whatever!"

"AH! Another kiss?!" But when Minako slapped her hands over her mouth, Usagi hurried to say, "S-sure! If you want, we… I m-mean, hey, I'd kiss you right now if that's what you want!"

The way "WHAT?!" burst out of her mouth made Usagi cringe. "Oh, that's- I didn't mean to scare you! But um… y-yeah, I wouldn't ask that of a citizen!"

"You can ask it of me anytime! I mean… y-you could ask me to do anything and I'd do it…" Her face was turning redder and redder. "Which, um, I m-might have thought I had some limits before, but this kind of proves that when it comes to you, all bets are off! Right? Which is crazy, since I've only had dreams like this, n-never thought about it otherwise…"

"You've had dreams? About me?" A tiny nod. "About kissing me?" Another nod, and Minako felt pins and needles all along her spine, the backs of her knees. "Wow… so which is better, the dreams or… or what we just did?"

"GAH! I can't answer that!" She flopped backward, legs windmilling in the air as she squealed. Despite the situation, Minako smiled at how cute the reaction was, and leaned back on the bed to watch her for a moment. When she recovered, she rolled over and stared at her. "Sailor V is on my bed…"

"Sailor V kissed you on your bed." More squealing, and she had to grin at that. "And… would kiss you again, if you wanted. But only on one condition."

"Name it!" Belatedly, she slapped herself in the forehead. "Ugh, way to sound over-eager, Usako…"

Giggling, she reached up and took off her mask. "You kiss Minako Aino, just once. I mean… I want to know where we stand, and how much of it is the superhero getup."

"But Minako is my friend…" Usagi fidgeted, indecisive. She understood; this was a different barrier being broken for her. In the end, she shrugged and smiled shyly. "Besides, why would Minako want to kiss me, either?"

"Because you're a great kisser. And I happen to have heard that from Sailor V herself." She touched her compact and de-transformed back into her weekend clothes. Simple blue overall-dress with a white shirt underneath, orange sandals left downstairs. She saw a slight look of disappointment flash across Usagi's face, but to her credit, she really did try to hide it rather quickly. "So it's the V fuku that does it for you, huh?"

Alarmed, she held up a hand as she laughed nervously. "N-no! Well… I guess it does, which is news to me as much as you, but I… we probably sh-should test this. Because you're my friend, and it's important to know… um…" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "What kind of friend. Isn't it?"

They were kissing again in no time. As far as Minako was concerned, it was just as spectacular, just as strange and wild and new, just as delicious in a way she didn't think kisses could be. All from Usagi, of all people! Though she did feel a little difference in how much purpose she felt, how much passion… Usagi definitely was more eager for V, but seemed more at ease when she wasn't being intimidated by the knowledge that her heroine was the one kissing back. Despite the fact that, either way, it was really the same person.

"Oh my GOD," the bun-head breathed when she pulled back, panting and staring up at the ceiling. "What… what did we do? I… I kissed Mina-chan!"

"You kissed two girls in one day," she teased breathlessly. That got them giggling and curling to face each other, pulled up on the bed now and comfortable, fractions of inches away from each other, knees touching but otherwise held apart. Then she reached up to pet over her cheek. "Usagi… I don't really have any experience with this. I kind of gave up the idea of ever dating when I awakened as Sailor V, and then Venus. But like… this is… different. We're part of the same world. So maybe…"

"Maybe it's alright?" she whispered back, guessing correctly what she had wanted to say but had been afraid to say first. Then she nodded. "I mean, I kinda had a crush on Sailor V, and Mamoru, and Tuxedo Mask, and Motoki… s-so I guess I'm not very professional." Minako's little snort made her smile. "But here's you, kissing me for real now, and it feels way more right than any of that daydreaming ever did!"

Smiling, she leaned up and pecked Usagi's lips, prompting an excited giggle. "I'm the Senshi of Love, right? Makes sense to me."

"Mmm… oh, Mina-chan, what are we going to tell all the others?"

"Nothing," she said right away. "Not until we're ready. Which, um, I don't think I am yet. Are you?"

"NO! Like, how do you even start talking about Girls' Love with your best friends?! They'll think we're grosser than you did when you got here!"

Giggling, Minako leaned in to peck her lips again. "You're probably right." That devolved into yet another soft, slow kiss, and she still couldn't get over how weird it was to be kissing anyone, let alone the klutzy team leader she had been ready to dismiss as an otaku.

Speaking of which… after a few minutes of that, Usagi pulled back and gasped, "WOW! So, um… I have kind of a weird question."

"Shoot," she just barely managed to breathe, clearing her throat a moment later.

"Okay. So… all this Sailor V stuff. You're probably gonna want me to get rid of it, huh?"

"Definitely." At the disappointed sigh, she reached up to pet along her cheek to console her. "Hey, do you really need it with the real me around?"

Usagi did struggle with herself for a moment before she exploded, "No, but some of it's really rare! Like, that calendar? They were only giving that out at the ramen stand that day! Probably only a few hundred of them in Tokyo!"

Both of Minako's eyes rolled toward the ceiling. "Fine, then the calendar can stay."

"And I guess I could take back the duvet cover, since I just got that and haven't used it yet. But don't make me give up the throw pillow!" As if afraid it would suddenly burst into flames, she snagged the pillow bearing Sailor V's face and hugged it to her chest, eyes dancing with moisture. "Please, please, pleeeaaase? If you let me have this, I won't ever ask you to be V for me when we kiss…"

"That doesn't sound like a promise you can keep," she giggled as she kissed Usagi's forehead, secretly loving how cute and nerdy Usagi was acting. Which was as much laughing at herself, since she used to have a high distaste for nerds after a few unpleasant encounters with them, but somehow when it was Usagi, everything was different. She was different — from anyone she'd ever known. "Alright, alright. But can I ask why? You didn't used to practice making out on that pillow, did you?" A long pause. "Usa-chan?"

The lack of reply spoke volumes.

THE END

[Next: Outtakes!]

Act 6. NG (outtakes)

Usagi felt her heart pounding as she walked into the kitchen, where Ikuko Tsukino was standing by the stove. Somehow, the woman looked different than usual. Her eyes were distant and forlorn, mouth turned down in a worried frown. The way her tone had sounded calling for her was what got her adrenaline rushing behind her ears; her mother never sounded worried like that when she called for her.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"Usagi…" Her face was a little flushed as she raised the magazine to show her the page it was open to. Usagi's cheeks darkened to the same shade, and surpassed it into an even deeper rouge. "Can you please explain this to me?"

Swallowing hard, she turned away, trying her best not to think about how much her face was burning. "M-Mom, I didn't think… you went through my room? And found it?"

"You left it open on your table. All these dog-ears in the pages; you're not just flipping through it. This is something you're into. I didn't… I mean, this isn't usual. Is it? Your mother is a bit old-fashioned, but…"

"No, no, you're right; I don't…" In a whisper, she said, "Don't tell anybody? Please? I know it's weird, but I'm not ready for all my friends to know I'm like that."

"Well, I… I mean, were you planning on exploring this sometime? Of all people, I didn't think my own little girl…" Her hand gestured to the page, a weak laugh falling from her lips. "This is just very strange to me, and I'm not sure how it would even work for you."

It took a lot of bravery for her to whisper, "Actually, Mom… I wanted to try it with you."

"What?" The roundness of her eyes hurt Usagi; she didn't think this would ever come up, let alone be talked about in such detail! But the cat was out of the bag now.

"Like you said, I'm not sure how to do that. Really don't have any clue. So if you could help me… teach me what you know…" She approached hesitantly, hands coming up, pulling back, then finishing their movement to rest on Ikuko's forearm. "You have to be better at this than me. I mean, look at the proof!" She gestured to herself.

"Usagi…" Her hand came up to cup her daughter's cheek. "This is very unexpected, but I can't deny… I'm very curious. And interested."

"You are?! I thought you would… laugh, or be ashamed of me."

"No, no. Well, it's very strange to me, but I suppose I don't mind trying something new. With you."

Ikuko leaned closer and pressed her lips into her forehead, and Usagi sighed, thinking it had been so long since she felt the softness of her mother's kiss. She sighed, leaning up into it, heart soaring on wings at her mother's acceptance. Sometimes, your parents really could surprise you.

"Alright. So, um… I guess you saw the jeans are pretty basic, might have to dye them turquoise? Orange socks, I can borrow those from Minako… gloves shouldn't be a huge problem, or the shoes; I think I have some like those. But I don't know about the little black vest. I mean, do they sell those?"

Leaning over the counter to look at the page with her daughter, she said, "I'm sure we can alter a normal-sized vest. I just… please, please tell me you aren't going to cut your beautiful hair just to look like this manga character. I know children like to dress up for parties and things, but that's too far!"

"Well, it's cosplay, Mom." Seeing the obvious confusion, she went on, "It's not just for children; I know that's probably why you were so wigged, but I promise, lots of grown-up people do this, too. And Naru and I want to go to one of the conventions, and… I dunno, I thought I might look good in this!"

"As I said, I'm not going to judge you," she said in a carefully patient tone, still looking a bit embarrassed. Maybe it was secondhand, or maybe she had felt slightly ashamed that her daughter was seriously contemplating doing something she thought to be immature. "And if you really want to do this, I will support you all the way. Unless you cut your hair!"

Smiling at her mother's concern, she reached up to pat her shoulder consolingly. "No, no, I was going to try to style it that way without cutting it. Like, maybe some bobby pins? I think we can do it. And if not, there's always wigs."

"Are you sure you couldn't cosplay as someone more wholesome? She looks like some kind of loose woman…"

"Actually, she's an android! Do you wanna know her backstory? She's pretty rad!"

Ikuko clearly didn't. But she did listen patiently, and helped to plot how they would fashion the costume with her daughter. Maybe it wasn't the ideal way for her, and Usagi felt the same way, but they were both glad of an opportunity to reconnect after feeling such a gulf between them — especially now that she had a secret identity that her mother could never know anything about. At the very least, this was something they could do together as a family.

~ X ~

"Serenity, I've waited so long to find you," Tuxedo Mask breathed as he swept in through the window to land deftly on the carpet, slowly removing the white eyemask and revealing himself. "It is I, Mamoru Chiba. I know I have deceived you, and for that, I'm sorry… but now, I have at last remembered our past. You and I were destined to b-"

"What?"

His eyelashes fluttered as he saw Usagi's head raise from where it had been pointed down at a shojo manga, legs gently kicking over her back as she lay on her stomach. Apparently, she had been so absorbed in the reading material that she had missed part of his announcement. "Well… I've remembered something. We were destined for each other. I, Prince Endymion, and you, Princess Serenity. Our reign over the… I'm sorry, am I distracting you from something?"

"Yeah. It's just getting really good." Her finger poked at the pages as she looked back down at them. "Dunno, I think the grandma might be coming back. Really gonna shake things up!"

"Usako, I'm trying to tell you that I'm in love with you."

"Oh, that? Yeah… no thanks. I'm a lesbian."

"What?!"

"Lesbian. You know, yuri? Girls' Love?" Her index and middle finger pushed against the corners of her mouth and her tongue flicked out and flailed up and down. It was lewd, but it got the point across. "Get it? Nothing against you, Chiba-san, but I'm not buying what you're selling. Sorry!"

Clearing his throat, Mamoru glanced between the window and the bed where Usagi was lounging easily. His mind seemed to be taking its sweet time absorbing this new information. Then he tried for a patient smile. "Oh. Well… I beg you to reconsider. Our destiny…"

"Whatever, bro. Destiny doesn't get to tell me who to date, and I can't pretend to be attracted to you if I'm not. Biology doesn't work that way. Also, isn't it kind of creepy jumping into a junior high girl's bedroom in the middle of the night? Somebody should call the police."

"Well, uh, it's not creepy if you wanted me here! But if you don't, I suppose I'll… get out of your way…"

"Thanks. Oh, but hang on!" Hopping up from the bed, she pranced over to him with a small smile. "Actually, there is something you could do for me."

"Yes, my love?"

"Teach me that thing where you throw roses! Like, she'd really flip her lid if I could do that out of nowhere like you do, and it might be enough to get me to second base!"

"Ehrm… with who?" But when her finger wagged back and forth, he guessed, "You're… not going to tell me?"

"Can't risk you blabbing, now, can I? Gotta try working my magic first! Anyway, thanks for stopping by — and think it over! We can still help each other out saving the world from the Dark Kingdom and all that, right?"

Laughing, he scratched the back of his neck as she began gently shoving him toward the open window. "Yes, of course. The Legendary Silver Crystal is of the utmost-"

"Yeah, yeah, crystals. I'll put in a good recommendation to one of the other Senshi; some of them like boys, so hey, keep hope alive!"

Then she was slamming the window shut behind him. Tuxedo Mask only spared himself a moment to shake his head out, trying to rid himself of that dazed feeling before he took off into the night.

~ X ~

Never before had a hand so strong caressed Usagi's face the way Haruka Tenou's was. It shouldn't have been possible; not even Mamoru's touch soothed her this way. What was happening in her brain? Every atom of herself was alive, her heart thudding against her chest like a fist pounding on a door. If something didn't happen soon…

"Haruka… are you a man? Or are you a woman?" That was one thing she needed to know.

"Man, woman…" Haruka leaned down to bring their faces closer, messy blonde hair swishing in front of her eyes, lips twitching into a lazily confident smile before she spoke again. "What difference does it make?"

That clenched it. There was no point in saying anything like that if she were a man; most boys she'd ever met would say something like "I'll show you I'm a man!" in response to a question like that. Fragile masculinity wouldn't let them be labelled a woman for even an instant. Besides…

This close, she could smell her. Maybe she wasn't as sweetly perfumed as her friends, or her mother, but she definitely used a floral body wash. Even her sweat seemed feminine.

And she tasted equally feminine when they connected. What a kiss! It mixed her up inside, feeling soft lips being pushed so firmly into her own, the strength and the tenderness blasting her with conflicting signals. She was kissing a girl! But it still felt like a boy-kiss! Maybe that was because she was the same height as Mamoru, and probably stronger. Her hands slid up Haruka's jacket lapels and tugged her closer, opening her lips to prove that she was not afraid, was ready to be kissed like this. What on earth was this feeling…?

Then she felt the connection being shifted to one side. Usagi tried to lean with the motion, to maintain their tryst, but eventually she couldn't, so she was forced to open her eyes and find out what was the matter.

"I'll tell you what difference it makes!" Michiru shouted at Haruka as she dragged her away by the ear. "You know that tonight is our date night — you were supposed to take me out for French cuisine! And instead, I find you Frenching another girl!"

"Ow, owowow!" Haruka protested, finally wrestling out of her girlfriend's grip. "Hey, I still had plenty of time! We weren't supposed to meet at the restaurant for five hours!"

Michiru folded her arms and glared up at her. Even though she was five inches shorter and more petite, and her soft waves of teal hair made her seem like a benevolent sea-goddess, at that moment she looked more like a towering force of nature to be reckoned with. Like a tsunami.

"I don't care if you play around with children, Haruka. It's a little unseemly, but if that's your hobby, fine. But you could at least save it for a day when we're not supposed to be together later that night! You're the only woman for me, so you could at least make me the only woman for you within a single day!"

Together?! Not only was Haruka a woman, but she was with Michiru! Like THAT! Not that it should have been much of a surprise, but Usagi had been a little too wrapped up in being kissed so sweetly to have given any thought to Haruka hanging around with Michiru all the time. What their 'friendship' might really mean.

"O-oh!" she burst out in sudden realisation. "Lesbians! I'm sorry, I didn't… I didn't mean t-to interfere, I'll just…"

The smile on Haruka's face when she glanced back toward Usagi was a bit wicked, but mostly fond. "Maybe we could bring her with us tonight. Double our fun and excitement."

"Hmph," Michiru scoffed, turning her face away. "One would almost get the impression that one wasn't that important to you anymore if you already need to spice up our relationship with a third wheel."

Usagi felt her ears going red. What were they discussing?!

"Baby, don't be like that," Haruka said earnestly, kneeling at Michiru's feet and clasping one of her hands. "You know that at the end of the day, no one else could hold my attention the way you do. I'm yours for all eternity."

Both Michiru and Usagi melted and cooed "Awwww!" Hearing she hadn't been alone, Michiru did briefly glare at Usagi, but then when she turned to see her lover was still gazing only at her, the glare softened and she reluctantly smiled.

"Alright. I suppose… Usagi is rather sweet, for a baby gay. But look, don't touch. She has the Earth Prince, remember, you homewrecker?"

"I'm not a baby!" Usagi muttered, mostly to herself. "I'm barely two years younger than you guys!"

"Oh?" she giggled, casting her dazzling blue eyes in Usagi's direction. The thrill that shot through her body was not a subtle or a moderate one. "Then you do want to come along tonight? We should probably warn you, after dinner, things are likely to get… a little intense."

About five minutes had passed before Usagi could move or think again. By that point, both of the mysterious Mugen Gakuen students had long departed, leaving her a quivering mess of burgeoning homosexuality.

~ X ~

"Miss Haruna?" Usagi Tsukino whispered hesitantly as she edged into the classroom. "I… know I'm a little late for my detention, but I can explai-"

"Oh, you ravishing creature."

"H-Haruna-sensei?"

Slowly, her voluptuous frame turned, long waves of auburn hair bouncing lightly as she faced her student, hazel eyes shimmering with emotion. "How many hours I have stared across the room, wishing to take your hands into mine and kiss them… to show you the depth of my heart. But circumstance holds us apart from one another! Oh, cruel fate, why do you thwart me so?"

Usagi was frozen just inside the door. This couldn't be happening. Her teacher, Haruna Sakurada, was really confessing her feelings? It was so unexpected! Especially since she had literally never spent a single moment entertaining the idea of any romantic connection between her and the dazzling instructor. On the other hand, she was passionate, and beautiful, and not that much older than her for a teacher…

"M-m-m-miss Haruna, I… y-you really feel…?" Her face was turning slowly redder as she backed up to the wall, heart thudding in her throat. "B-but we're both women, and I'm y-your student, and we-"

"Hm?" The teacher's expression clarified, and she blinked a few times. "Miss Tsukino, what are you doing here?"

"Huh? B-but I have detention today, don't I?"

"No, it's tomorrow." Then she suddenly took a long step backward to sit on her desk. "Wait, how long have you been standing there?!"

Squeaking in alarm at the sharpness in Haruna-sensei's tone, she said, "I d-dunno, a minute?"

"NO! You can't have overheard my rehearsal!"

"Rehearsal?" Glancing at the desk, she saw a stack of printed pages, stapled at one corner and folded back. A script? "Wh-what…?"

Now it was Haruna's face that was red, and she was pushing her hands into her cheeks. "Please never tell anyone! I'm auditioning for a local production, it's… oh, I'm so embarrassed!" Turning away fully, she snapped, "Y-you can consider tomorrow's detention taken care of if you promise to keep this a secret!"

"Y-yes, of course, Haruna-sensei! I will!"

All the way down the hallway, Usagi felt like a complete idiot as she sprinted on flailing feet. How could she have possibly thought those words were intended for her?! How conceited her poor bun-head was! The sooner she could forget this whole incident, the better.

~ X ~

"Yes, Usagi Tsukino," Dark Lady purred as she reached out to grasp Sailor Moon's face, caressing her tear-stained, flushed cheeks. "I was once your pathetic Chibiusa. But now… I have transcended that form. Thanks to the power of the Black Moon, I can now remove you from my life. Take Mamoru for my own. And you are powerless to stop it."

Usagi had to swallow hard to keep her heart from racing ahead of her. She found herself leaning closer and closer to the gorgeous face above her, breathing, "Chibiusa…"

"My name is Dark Lady now, Moon Face." But their lips were getting closer and closer. "W-wait, what are you doing? Stop, don't you understand your position? You've lost! Both your love and y- STOP IT!"

But Usagi was already blowing into Chibiusa's nose. The taller, glamorous version of her future daughter squawked and tried to push her away, but it was no use; Usagi had latched on and formed a perfect seal around the tiny nose, which was causing a harsh razzing noise to issue from her open mouth, since the air had nowhere else to go.

"AAGH!" she finally gasped out when she had freed herself, both hands rubbing at her nose and her mouth to rid them of the lingering discomfort. "That's disgusting! How dare y- wait, let go of me, let go!"

Bending her over her knee, Usagi shouted, "And THIS is for thinking we didn't love you! Silly little brat, you can't marry your father and destroy the universe! If you take him away from me, how are you even gonna be born? That doesn't make any sense!"

Every time her hand crashed into Dark Lady's behind, she called out "AH!" or "NO!" until the tears began to fall. Not long afterward, her slender supermodel body began to shrink down into the chubby child that Usagi had come to know and find annoying.

"There, there," she whispered gently as she drew her up into a tight hug, letting her bawl into her shoulder. "It's okay, Chibiusa. It's okay. Mommy's not going anywhere."

"You're not M-Mommy! You're just a dumb… dumb Bun-head I… I'm s-so sad and my b-butt hurts!"

With a little chuckle, she kissed the side of her head. "I know, I know. Your mom from the future's a thousand years older and probably way smarter… but I'm still her. We both love you and want you to be happy. And if you think killing me and everyone else is going to do that…"

The tears only got louder. Somewhere in all her blubbering, Usagi heard the word "sorry" being screamed, so she smiled to herself as she cradled Chibiusa close.

"Shhhh. It's alright, sweetie. Everything's going to be alright."

Well, once they took care of Wiseman and the Black Moon, of course. But things were already looking up. How difficult could they be?

~ X ~

"Actually, I'm serious. You have Sailor V right here, in your room, ready to listen. What have you always wanted to tell her?" Turning around, she caught sight of the comfortable bench in front of Usagi's vanity and took a seat — though she kept her posture erect, hoping that was how a "superhero" would sit. "Go on."

"Well… no, I couldn't." But Minako didn't flinch, or do anything other than sit patiently. So eventually, Usagi sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at her knees. "You really want to hear all that?"

"Of course. Sailor V fights to protect the world in the name of love and justice! What her fans think of her is very important, too."

The blush was coming back now that they weren't tittering so much. After a few seconds of kicking her legs back and forth, toes skimming over the pink area rug, she finally whispered, "I… oh, this is so lame! I'M so lame!"

"You're not. I promise. Come on, tell me anything."

"Well, alright." Clearing her throat, she straightened her back and forced herself to be brave. "I'm actually not Sailor Moon."

"What?" Minako's eyes narrowed behind her mask. "I mean… what are you talking about? Of course you are."

"Actually, I just start the transformation sequence flashing, and then I call for my stunt double. Serena?" Another blonde with pigtails emerged from inside Usagi's closet, waving bashfully. "Look how cute she is. Seriously, can you believe how cute?!"

One of Sailor V's fingers raised, then lowered again as her mouth opened and closed. No, she definitely didn't have the words for this. So she asked the only thing she could think to ask right off the cuff: "Where… does she live? Like, you can't seriously expect me to believe she just sits in your closet until the world needs Sailor Moon?"

"Ohhh, don't be silly! Okay, look."

They both got up, and Serena seemed more than happy to slide the closet door aside for them to peek in. Behind the clothes was a somewhat comfortable-looking chair, a book light, and a few trashy magazines. Most of them were in English, which Minako knew Usagi couldn't read very well.

"Is she, like… not from Japan?"

"Hey, we don't have actual magical girls here, do we?"

"What about Rei, and Ami, and Makoto?"

"Okay, besides them," she whispered, waving a hand as if that were an unimportant bullet point in an otherwise flawless presentation. Meanwhile, Serena was examining her nails and waiting for them to get done with this show-and-tell. "Anyway, I bring her snacks, and she has weekends off unless an emergency comes up. Those days when I look really wimpy and can barely do anything against the enemies? That's because I have to wear the suit myself. Just not nearly as great at the job as she is, but I mean, I'm the Moon Princess. Not an actual Senshi."

In a weirdly stilted dialect, Serena said, "Yeah. Moon Princess. She is so beautiful, and good! I want to be…" In English, she said, "God, I'm never gonna get this. The tapes aren't helping."

"It's okay!" Minako replied in the same language. "We can speak English if that's easier."

"Thank GOD. Normally, I try to stick to the lines Usagi coaches me in, but like, WOW is it hard to remember the conversational stuff." Then she smiled a little wider. "I like fighting alongside you guys! Y'know, when I can. Too bad we have to keep up appearances or I'd just fight with you and the Princess."

"Now, now, that would just get confusing," Usagi said reasonably, her own English not quite as good so she stuck to Japanese. "Besides, the whole point was to keep me out of danger, and not make you do the stand-in work, right, V?"

"Oh yeah! In that case… yeah, thanks, Serena."

"Anytime," the double said with a huge grin. "Y'know, we should all go out to eat! I mean, I still don't really know much about Japanese food besides rice and ramen…"

Warming to the subject, Usagi bounced over and looped her arm through both Minako and Serena's elbows. "C'mon, let's go right now! I mean, I'm not busy if you're not — you'd just have to do something about that hair so we don't raise suspicions by looking too alike."

"Yeah… hey, why not?" Mina said with a slowly-growing smile. "We have all this time to ourselves, and I think we could all be awesome friends! Blonde Brigade for life!"

"Yes!" Serena said, again in Japanese. "The friends for us to be!"

And away they skipped to find a decent restaurant. Right after Minako de-transformed, and the stunt double stuffed all her hair up until a giant hat, to keep her from being recognised; wouldn't want their connection to the Sailor Scouts to be that public.

~ X ~

"Luna, no one understands me!" Usagi burst out as she threw herself down on her bed. "Rei is so mean all the time, and Tuxedo Mask acts like I'm not even alive…. Wh-what do I do?"

A paw came to rest on her head. "Don't worry, Sailor Moon. I'm always going to be here for you. Even when they all turn a blind eye to your inner pain, I won't. Even though I'm hard on you sometimes… it's because I care, and I hope to make you better than you are. To show you the path to your best self."

Her hand came up to rest gently against the back of her feline companion. "Oh… oh Luna, you're so sweet…" Her lips moved forward, and pressed into a tiny muzzle. "If only you were Tuxedo Mask… someone as kind and caring as you would be way better than that selfish creep. All he cares about is the Silver Crystal and throwing flowers! Not like my Luna, who sees who I really am… who's so soft…"

The room was mostly silent for a moment. Then Luna muttered, "If you start trying to make out with me, I'll scratch you blind, Bun-head."

"What? Oh, sorry; I wasn't going to, I promise!"

Usagi flopped over onto her side and curled up with a pillow, feeling bad that she made Luna uncomfortable on accident. Maybe she needed to start chewing ice, or exercising… anything to take the edge off these annoying desires.

"You ought to go and see Koan," Luna suggested with a large sweatdrop over the crescent moon symbol on her forehead. "After all, you seemed to get along fairly well with her, and her hairstyle resembles cat ears. Vent your strange urges on her and leave me alone."

"Ehh? Luna, please, you really don't-"

The small feline face now bore a smirk. "I've heard you calling out her name in your sleep…"

Blushing to the roots of her hair, Usagi curled a little harder against her pillow. It was true that she was very glad Koan and her sisters had been saved from Black Moon's influence, given a new chance to live honest lives, but she hadn't realised the tall, glamorous woman was on her mind so deeply. And it was true that she liked her, and looked forward to seeing her…

"Maybe I will." When Luna chuckled, she sat up and grabbed her pillow to slam it down on the cat. "TO SAY 'HELLO', kitanai neko!" There was a lot of squabbling and flailing underneath it as Usagi stood and stomped toward the door. This was the last time she would ever trust her cat-shaped companion not to tease her over nothing.

~ X ~

"So which of us is it gonna be?!"

Usagi backed up shakily from the glares of the five women in front of her, hands held up to ward off their negative radiation. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"We can't all be your girlfriends," Ami told her reasonably, arms folded over her chest. "Be rational."

"Yeah!" Makoto chimed in. "Isn't it hard enough being a lesbian in Nineties Japan and taken seriously? Just make up your mind already!"

"But I'm only dating you guys in separate 'verses!" Usagi protested, backed against the wall by now. "God, I don't even know how you guys found out about it — technically, it's against the laws of physics!"

Rei slammed her hand against the wall next to Usagi's head. "Doesn't matter, bubble-brain! You can't two-time us, and you sure as hell can't five-time us! That's just too far!"

Unable to help herself, Usagi muttered under her breath, "Sheeeeeze, when you or Makoto act so strong, I get chills…"

"Um," Naru put in nervously, scratching the back of her neck. "I feel a little out of place here for some reason. Maybe I should just go…"

"That'd probably be for the best," Minako confirmed.

"Wait, don't!" Slipping out from behind Rei's arm, she ran over to grasp her old friend's arm, clinging tightly. "Don't go, I can't let you leave thinking that you're not as important as my new friends!"

"New girlfriends," Makoto corrected, sounding jealous but also hurt. And Usagi's heart was breaking.

"Alright," Ami finally said after having spent some time typing into her miniature Supercomputer. "There seems to only be one logical course of action. Usagi should spend time with each of us, and reach a decision as to which woman she wishes to date. If she can reach no such decision within an appointed trial period, she will forfeit all dating rights."

As the others were all pondering that, beginning to nod, Usagi slumped. "But I told you, I'm not dating all of you. Not really! It's like, five different Usagis are dating you, not just one for five girls! You get that, right?"

"Shut up and decide!" Rei snarled. "And it better be me — you've seen me naked!"

"Hey, that's not our fault," Minako protested, hands on her hips. "Just because you're some kind of slu-"

"OH!" Naru burst out, hopping up and down with an index finger raised. "How about a kiss-off? Best kisser wins!"

Before Usagi knew what was happening, they were all muttering their agreement and pressing in closer to her. Their lips were puckered, all vying for the attentions of her own, and she felt sweat break out over her forehead. Suddenly the bed was rising up to meet her back, and all five of them were atop her, warm bodies pressed in close, kisses being left all over her face, she couldn't get away, couldn't breathe-

The blare of her alarm clock woke Usagi from the feverish dream. It took her several seconds of heaving breaths before she realised… it had been a nightmare. The sheets were somewhat coiled around her, and a thin layer of sweat coated her entire body. Also, she felt warmth blossoming in her face.

"All five of them?! I must be crazy…"

"What's the problem, dear?"

Rolling over, she curled around the presence beside her in the bed. "I had this bizarre dream. All of my friends were coming onto me — girls, I mean. No more coffee cake before sleepytime!"

"Oh, Usagi-chan…" Rolling over, Gurio Umino adjusted his glasses as he leaned closer to her face. "Too much time spent on the Internet. Leave that to me! Maybe I can find upskirt pictures of them for you in one of my newsgroups?"

Usagi Tsukino was still screaming, even as she woke up from the nightmare that had been sandwiched around the other nightmare. The first thing she did was throw her sheet and duvet aside, making sure she was alone in her bed. Then she pinched her own leg; success. She was actually awake this time.

"Phew… there's a bad dream, and then there's a horrible nightmare. I'd rather be mauled in the first one!"

"Usagi!" came the call from outside her bedroom. "You'll be late for school if you don't hurry up!"

Still a little dazed, she called out "OKAY, MOM!" as she got changed and raced downstairs. Another day of school awaited. She only hoped she wouldn't feel too awkward around her friends after such dreams as the ones she had been plagued by the night before.

"Seriously, all five of them?!" Usagi burst out as she raced down the street, fuku flapping behind her in the wind that her speed was creating. "You're out of your mind, Sailor Moon!"

THE END [for real this time]