Ami-chan Writes

 I unlock the door, cautiously and push it open, as the others crowd in the corridor looking around. Usagi is making some kind of exclamation to one of the others, as I hold the door open and let them walk in.

“Are you sure this is okay?” Rei asks, as they walk past me into the entryway, “Won’t anyone mind?”

I shake my head, glancing towards the kitchen, and peeling the note off the fridge, “No. I’m sure not, it’s not as if we’re going to be horrendously loud, and most of the people near here are at work right now anyway. Mama-san…” I read the note, “She won’t be back until later. She left money for us to order food.”

“Order food?” Makoto inquires, spinning a couple of circles around a few feet away from me in the kitchen, “This is—this is amazing! You could fit my kitchen in here twice over. You can’t order food with a kitchen like this! You should use it!”

I blush.

“That’s easily fixed!” Rei points out, “Mizuno-sama said to buy food? If we buy food for Makoto to cook, that’s still food.”

“Well, yes, but…that’s too much trouble, Kino-san,” I demur, “We came over here for other things, not to make you slave cooking for us.”

“I want to,” she says, taking my hand in hers, “Please, please, let me do this. It’s no trouble at all, and it’s much more fun to cook for more people than just myself…” she beams, and then gets a wicked smile, “It would insult me more to refuse.”

“Oh, say she can!!” Usagi comes running back over from the window in the living room where she’d been marveling that she could see her house. Luna hot on her heels, “Mako-chan’s cooking is awesome, and I should know I’ve been stealing half her obento for a while now!”

Makoto laughs, “I can make things a lot better than that obento.”

Usagi’s eyes practically twinkle, “You have to say yes, Ami-chan you have to! I have to taste this delicious food, look at me, my mouth's watering,” she has hold of my hands and is practically on her knees.

“We have things to discuss,” Luna says, jumping up onto the breakfast bar, “What if this takes a while?”

“I can talk and cook at the same time, Luna,” Makoto responds, “Plus there’ll be the time it cooks after preparation. How much do we have to talk about?”

Luna muses on this for a moment, and seems to think it is a viable course of action as she doesn’t protest any more.

“As long as you really don’t mind, Kino-san…I-I guess it would be alright.” I answer.

“I don’t mind,” she says, “Truly. Now if you’ll stop calling me ‘Kino-san’”

“She’ll get there,” Rei says, leaning across the counter from the other side, next to where Luna is, she absently ruffles Luna’s fur and smoothes it back down, “It took her a few weeks to get to –chan with us, but we’re working on it, ne, Ami-chan?”

I chew on my lip, “Yes. I'm sorry. I just—it’s a thing.”

“Always so formal,” Usagi teases, “You could be a…um…what are those people they go and they talk with everyone and make nice.”

“Diplomats,” Rei mutters, “and no, she couldn’t. They’re also liars. Ami-chan’s far too nice for that, leave her be.”

“Okay, okay. I'm sorry, Rei-chan,” Usagi replies, “What did I say?”

Rei doesn’t say anything for a moment, apparently chewing on something. Makoto looks over at me, from where she was browsing the fridge apparently looking for ideas of things to make and murmuring about what a travesty it is that our kitchen has so little things and as been so disused. I shake my head. I have no idea. After a moment Rei forces her face to brighten, “It’s alright. Let’s just go get food, so we can get back and discuss our plan of action, right?”

“Yes.” Makoto says, closing the fridge, and borrowing a sheet of paper from the notepad next to it, to scribble some things down, “I have a good idea for something, so I’m ready.” I hand her the two rolled up bills that Mama-san left, and she looks at them, surprised for a moment, and then folds them quickly slipping them into her pocket, and the four of us, Luna safely back inside Usagi's back-pack troop back out of the apartment and to the market a few blocks away to pick up things.

I have to wonder what the neighbors might be thinking. I was rarely ever out of the apartment by myself and now there are three other girls going around with me and

***

“Put on some Aino Minako!” Usagi exclaims, excitedly, soon after we return. She sits down on the stool she has pulled up to the breakfast bar.

“No-no!” Rei cuts in putting up a hand, sitting next to Usagi also at the bar.

I’m getting drinks for everyone, glasses on the other side of the counter.

“If that happens,” Rei continues, “You’ll rope Ami-chan into singing along and we’ll not get anything done.”

“I would not!” Usagi exclaims.

Makoto looks bemused. She's already washed the vegetables, and has begun peeling, chopping and scraping leftover bits off into the trash can.

“You would, Usagi-chan,” I answer, setting drinks in front of both her and Rei, “You have before.”

She looks horrorstruck, “Ami-chan! You’re supposed to defend me!”

I flush, “Is there anything I can help you with?” I offer.

Makoto indicates would be safest, with the pointy end of the cutting knife, for me to set her drink.

“No, not right now,” she says, “that’ll do me, but thank you,” she looks around, as I look for a small bowl to put something in for Luna, “I don’t think I’ve heard Aino Minako,” she says, “why is she such a big deal?”

“Haven’t heard?” Usagi exclaims, “Haven’t heard Aino Minako? Rei-chan we have to put her on! This is—this is awful! It's a—what was that word you used? Travesty! It's a travesty! How can you not have heard her?”

Rei puts her head down on her arms, “Usagi-chan, it’s not so big of a deal…”

Luna taps a claw against Makoto’s glass to draw our attention. She sits back on her haunches wrapping her tail around her front paws.

“I think Luna wants to get along with the meeting,” Makoto points out.

“But Aino--” Usagi starts. I surprise myself by putting my hand over her mouth.

Luna nods, “Yes, yes, I do.” She pulls herself up more fully with a little shake of her head.

I carefully remove my hand from Usagi's mouth apologizing quietly.

“As I told Ami-chan and Usagi-chan when they were first awoken, there are four senshi to guard one princess. With you four girls we have our four senshi. So, it’s going to be important for us to keep an eye on everything right now, and watch for signs of the princess. Usagi-chan! Pay attention!” she lowers her head down to where Usagi was tracing the pattern on the counter top.

Usagi looks up, with an extremely guilty expression on her face.

“What about Sailor V, Luna?” Rei asks, “Did you ever find anything out about her?”

Luna frowns, “I was never able to talk with her…” she shakes her head looking down at the counter top, “and there’s so much I still don’t remember. It’s very difficult,” she sighs and sits down, resting her head on her front paws, “So, have any of you had any strange dreams or had any inklings on anything?”

I hesitate.

“Yes, Ami-chan?” she asks.

“Well, it’s not so-so much an inkling as it was just thinking on things…”

“Say it anyway.”

“Well, a theory I had was sort of confirmed when Ki…Mako-chan,”

“Yaay!” Makoto calls, “Bravo.”

“Yes, well, when she became one of us, with the transformation and was Sailor Jupiter. It means that we’re for the most part named for planets, yes? Except for Usagi-chan being Sailor Moon, and we don’t have a Venus, or Saturn and so on. So, why isn’t there a Sailor Earth, might perhaps that be our Princess? Or well,” I shake my head, never mind, “but well, why are we named such anyway? And...”

“Ami-chan this isn’t a homework assignment!” Usagi exclaims, “You were seriously thinking about all of this, it makes my head hurt,” and she massages her temples making a put-out noise.

I chew on my finger, “Well, deducting on our powers and senshi incarnations is very important.” I feel myself blushing, “In some areas I would consider it more important than school work, but the school work is--”

“Well we need to,” Rei cuts in, “Ami-chan is right. It's very important. I have been trying fire readings, but they’re usually unclear, well, I say unclear, but what I really mean is a massive headache causing jumble. If Ami-chan can figure something with her amazing intellect more power to her, maybe something she’ll come up with will trigger someone’s memory,” she looks at Luna hopefully, as I try not to blush again.

“The astronomical monikers do seem to be a pattern,” Luna consents, “Perhaps because we seem to be…well, you seem to be protecting the Earth…that might be because it doesn’t have it’s own guardian,” she shakes her head, “I really don’t know. I’ve been wracking my brain, but the more I wrack the less I seem to remember,” she sighs again, “I keep feeling how important it is, something big is going to happen soon, and I don’t think I can prepare you any more than I have. I really-really wish I could remember more.”

“It’s okay Luna,” Makoto says, offering her a piece of fatty meat that she’s not using, “We understand how frustrating it must be, don’t we?” she looks around at us hefting the knife as if we would disagree, “Do you even know how come you’re a talking cat, and not a person wandering around trying to find us?”

Luna shakes her head, and it almost seems as if she’s blushing beneath the fur, “Moah,” she says, mournfully, “I have no idea. About the only thing I can think of is if a person ran up to you on the street and told you that you were a senshi, and that you had magical powers you probably wouldn’t believe them…but I’m a talking cat, that’s pretty strange to begin with…although some of us,” she looks at Usagi, “some of us thought they were dreaming,” she sighs, “I guess that’s my own fault for only managing to get a hold of her when she was getting ready for bed. The rest of you, found during the day…it was slightly easier.”

Usagi nods, “You woke me up, Luna. I have dreams like that all the time.”

“You have dreams where talking cats wake you up?” Makoto inquires, with a strange smile. Whatever she’s doing she’s apparently finished, because she puts the pan into the oven, and sets the timer, “Ten minutes,” she says, moving to check on the pan on the stove top and turn it up so the water will boil.

“Well, no,” Usagi says, toying with her fingers, “not since I was little, but I have dreams where I wake up from a dream and I’m actually still dreaming,” she pauses, “So that was the big important meeting?” she continues, “Luna! Here I was all worked up, and…”

“Usagi-chan,” Luna says, still with seriousness permeating her tone, “It is important. All of this is very important. Things are building. I’m sure very soon we will not be fighting youma, but whoever it is that’s controlling them. We can’t assume that our enemy is clueless. They may well know more about us than I have been able to remember. It cannot have escaped them that they have fought different people. They will probably assume that we are much better equipped than we are, as far as knowledge goes and could attack with full force,” she emphasizes ‘full force’ by smacking the counter top with her paw, “We have to be prepared. We have to find a place to train…and beyond that you must be very careful to tell no one else of who you are, not only will it put yourselves in danger, but them as well.” She sighs.

I find myself looking at the picture on the nearby bookshelf. One of the days off that Mama had last year where we went to the park and she asked someone passing by to take our picture against the backdrop of the bridge and the pond.

The question of “Would she even believe?” is a moot question. I have evidence that I can clearly present. That's how I proved it myself after I came home I set up a camera and did the transformation again and took pictures. Then when I got up in the morning and looked at the pictures, the evidence was there, hard and material and irrefutable to show that I wasn't dreaming the whole thing.

I destroyed the evidence after that, though because I didn't want the risk of it being found, not that Mama ever would have cause to go through my things.

Luna's point though, and she's been saying something else. I know Usagi complained about something and I feel bad that I haven't properly been paying attention at least she hasn't asked for me to saying anything in that regard.

“It doesn't really matter to me,” Makoto says, matter-of-factly, “Other than you guys there's no one else who could be put in danger. My parents are already dead.”

Usagi looks utterly devastated, “Mako-chan!” she wails.

“I didn't it for sympathy,” Makoto replies, “It's the way that it is. They've been gone a while now, and it sucks, but it makes that part of things a little easier. You, Ami-chan and Rei-chan, you have family.”

Rei makes a disgruntled noise, and Makoto looks over at her, “Forget it. Doesn't matter,” Rei waves a hand.

“We'll stick together,” I affirm, “While Mama might believe me if I told her she would worry too much anyway.”

“You worry enough for all of us and her,” Rei teases.

Usagi nods after a slight moment, “We'll do it, Luna. Of course we will,” she puts her hand towards Luna's paw, as though she's going to high five her, “We're here to keep everyone safe from the Dark Kingdom while we find the Princess. Everyone.”  

This was written originally in the early 2000s and then retooled a little in 2008 to fix some suffix usage and edit the ending to be stronger instead of having two possible endings.  A semi pwp I wrote a while ago, and have been tweaking as I re-read it today. I'm hoping that I also got all the incorrect suffix uses, but I'm not sure. It's based around the anime, and something a friend and I noticed while we were making up her Naru & Umino shrine.

The girls sat cross legged around the table at Hikawa Jinga, and frowned. Luna had called the meeting while they were in the morning session of school, and they had to wait the whole day to find out what the problem was, all the while making it worse and worse in their own minds.

“So, it looks like a new threat may have manifested itself,” Luna said, stepping slightly forward on the table.

“Again?” Usagi asked, lip pouting petulantly, as she pushed her head down onto her fists, elbows rested on the table, “How many more new threats are we going to have?”

“As many as it takes until...I couldn’t say.” Artemis answered her from Minako’s lap deciding speculation really wasn’t the best thing at this point.

“Come on, odango atama,” Rei remarked tying her hair into a bun and trying to fix it behind her head with chopsticks, “You know you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if we didn’t have some kind of youma to fight.”

“That’s not true and you know it,” Usagi retorted.

“Peace,” Makoto spoke up, as Ami pulled her computer from her book bag and set it down on the table, “We need to see if we can come up with something to do, so we don’t take a whole year to get rid of this one.”

“What are you trying to say, Mako-chan?” Minako spoke up.

“I’m not trying to say anything,” the brown haired girl replied, “I’m just saying the sooner we nix the whatever it is the sooner we’re done.”

“We do seem to have a notoriously bad track record.” Ami remarked from her computer, “Although given the past events the youma seem to attack in a strangely structured pattern.”

“What do you mean?” Minako asked.

“I mean each group of bad guys seems to attack or go after people in a similar order,” she turned her computer around where it had pulled up an image of a girl with short wavy red hair, “moving fairly quickly to Osaka-san,” she said.

Usagi looked blankly at the picture for a moment, “What does Naru-chan have to do with all of this?”
Rei frowned at her from across the table, “Bakano! Ami-chan’s right. The last two times we’ve fought anything Naru was the first person attacked.”

“Oh,” Usagi said.

Makoto and Rei exchanged looks that meant they felt Usagi was probably still confused, but they didn’t press the point.

“But she hasn’t been attacked so far,” Ami pointed out, “Of course only two attack-like incidents have been reported–.”

“Are you saying Naru-chan’s been attacked?” Usagi leapt up and leaned over the table so her nose was almost touching Ami’s.

The blue haired girl leaned back, protecting herself from Usagi by putting her computer in front of her face, “I-I-I wasn’t saying that exactly,” her cheeks colored behind the baby blue plastic of the computer.

“Easy, Usagi-chan!” Luna chastised, jumping up on the girl’s shoulder.

Ami relaxed a little as Usagi backed down into her position on the floor once more and she leaned back towards the table and slipped her computer away, “I’m just saying it seems to be highly likely she will be, that’s all.”

“You guys will have to watch out for her...” Luna said, “Surely, Usagi-chan, you want to be sure your best friend is all right.”

****

"I don't get why Luna has to be so...the way she is," Usagi remarked as she and Ami headed home. Makoto had split off another way, and the black cat had remained to talk with Artemis, as Minako was spending the night at the shrine anyway.

"She has her reasons I'm sure." Ami said, shifting her book bag from one shoulder to the other.

Usagi nodded, and then stopped and looked back at Ami, "Ne, Ami-chan?"

"Hai, Usagi-chan?"

"Do you really think something might happen to Naru-chan?"

Ami gave a thin smile, "I really hope not, Usagi-san, twice is time enough for someone who's not a senshi..." she sighed, "And it's not even just twice really when you think about it..."

"Nani?" Usagi asked.

Ami stopped, "Well, aside from Morga that you told me about...Nephrite used her several times, then she was kidnapped to bait him, used as trade for one of the nijizoushou, and then that ninja youma broke into the Osa-P and..."

"Okay, okay I get the point!" Usagi exclaimed, worriedly.

"Anou, Usagi-chan-." Ami went on, "Are you sure she hasn't realized that you're Sailor Moon considering the amount of times you've rescued her..?"

"That's not funny, Ami-chan."

"I'm serious. What if she knows you're Sailor Moon?"

"Well, then we can always ask her..." Usagi remarked, "She's right over there."

Ami followed Usagi's gaze to where Naru indeed was walking towards them up the street. She was wearing a light blue shirt and a dark blue skirt that was just above her knee. She had a handkerchief in her hand and she sneezed into it as Usagi called out and waved to her. She put the hankie away in her purse and waved back to them as Usagi ran over, Ami close behind.

"Gomen, Usagi-chan," the red head said, "I"ve been sneezing all afternoon. I think it's the pollen or something."

Ami colored slightly as Usagi giggled nervously, "Demo..." the blue haired girl began.

"Anou..." Usagi cut her off, looking at Ami pointedly, "How are you today, Naru-chan?"
"Other than the allergies just fine. Momma was in a bad mood seeing as Osa-P's not done much business lately, so I thought I'd go for a walk."

"Oh, okay, sorry to hear that," Usagi said.

"I'm sorry about the store." Ami added, "I hope things pick up for you."

"Me too," Naru said, "So, what have you guys been doing?"

"Oh, we're just on our way home from Rei-chan's." Usagi said, as Naru sneezed again.

"Gomen..." she said.

"Maybe someone's talking about you." Ami remarked, and then colored again as Usagi giggled nervously.

"Why would anyone waste their time talking about me?" Naru asked.

Usagi's nervous giggle heightened.

"Usagi-chan?" Naru said, "Are you alright?"

"I-It was just a thought that's all." Ami managed.

"How have things been lately, Naru-chan?" Usagi asked.

Ami sighed.

"Just...fine...why?" Naru asked in a voice that floated somewhere dangerously between nerves and suspicion.

"Oh, no reason." Usagi said.

"Rei-san didn't have a fire vision with something happening to me...or momma...or the store, did she?" Naru asked.

"Not that we know of..." Ami cut Usagi off before she could suggest running back to check, 'Usagi-chan seems to have gotten some odd idea in her head..." she trailed off, "Gomen ne..."

"Don't apologize to me, Ami-chan..." Naru said, "I've known her longer than you have..." she giggled nervously as Usagi glared at Ami.

"I have not, Ami-chan! Luna said-."

Ami looked at Usagi as innocently as she could, "Cats can't talk..." she hesitated, "Did you daydream while we were at Rei's..." she tried inflecting in such a way as to convey the slip up with adequate cover so she wasn't chastising Usagi so badly.

"Anou..." Usagi giggled again, scratching her head, "I guess so...Usagi no baka...gomen ne, Naru-chan, look at me scaring you over a dream. A silly dream." she giggled again.

"Hai, Usagi-chan..." Naru said, not seeming quite convinced. She looked down at the hankie and giggled, "You know it's funny...speaking of dreams."

"Oh?" Usagi and Ami asked together.

"Yeah," Naru laughed, "I had the funniest dream last night. I went to this place...I don't even remember where now and this weird octopus like, came through the floor and grabbed me and I passed out..." she giggled, "Isn't that silly?"

Usagi and Ami looked at each other.

****

"She seriously said she had a dream like that?" Rei remarked from the other end of the phone line.

Ami nodded then realized Rei couldn't see that, "Hai," she sighed, "Do you think there could be anything to it?"

"You mean premonition-wise?"

"Yes..." Ami nodded glancing at the computer screen in front of her, "I've been compiling a list of all the Naru attacks there have been and it doesn't match up with any of the ones I have...right now, of course Usagi told me about one I hadn't got with a gym relaxation room, but-"

"Gym, what now?" the priestess asked.

"Some Jaedite thing," Ami explained, "It's from before I got to know Usagi-chan very well, so it's from before you were a senshi..."

"Oh, I see," Rei said, "Well, I can always ask the sacred flame, but right now I'm gonna have to rescue some manga from V-chan. I swear I'm never having anyone stay at the Shrine again..."

"Gomen, Rei-chan."

"I'll call you if I find anything."

"Okay."

"Oh, did you get that Cherry Blossom creature?"

"Yes, I did." Ami looked up and down the list she had.

"And the um...what was it? Tennis thing that we didn't wind up helping out with."

'Yes," Ami sighed, "Can you call me back later? I've got a call on the other line." she glanced down at the caller ID as Rei rang off to rescue her books, "Moshimoshi, Usagi-chan."

"I just remembered," the Moon princess's voice said, "there was this Midnight radio show but it was really Jaedite and..."

 

 

TWO 

“So, what conclusions have we come up with so far?” Luna asked at the emergency pre-school meeting she had called at Hikawa Jinga. She sat in the middle of the steps, near the entry way to the shrine, which was thankfully free of too many visitors this early in the morning.

Rei was still wrestling with the tie to her school uniform, and Makoto and Usagi both looked a little disheveled, Minako sat on the top step, head rested in her hands, trying not to yawn. Ami was sat close to her typing on her computer.

“Naru-chan’s almost been attacked more than we have,” Usagi remarked, sounding thoroughly miserable.

“Ara, Ami-chan,” Makoto interjected, smoothing out her blouse, “Did you get the kuruzoushou carrier, the priest, from when I first arrived?”

“Hai,” Ami answered, pressing the enter key, “I did now.”

“I’m surprised she leaves the house,” Minako remarked, looking over the list from her position near Ami’s shoulder. She traced them with her finger and let out a low whistle. Artemis scrambled up into her lap to take a peak.

“Minako-chan!” Usagi exclaimed.

“Well, look at it,” Minako said, “If I didn’t have powers, I’d be scared. I mean, we have reason to be attacked, right? We’re senshi. It’s pretty much our job to be youma bait, but she—well, she’s…she’s just…”

“A senshi’s best friend!” Usagi said, sounding even more upset, “It’s all my fault!”

“Well, we’ve confirmed her dream was more than likely just a dream and not a repressed memory of an attack we had no idea happened,” Artemis said, stepping down from Minako’s lap again and taking his place next to Luna.

“…although whether or not it’s a premonition I haven’t been able to find out,” Rei apologized, finishing with her neck tie finally, “Grandpa’s not letting me near the flame lately because he thinks I’ve been driving myself too hard. I’ll have to wait until he goes into town for supplies and hope that he doesn’t put Yuuichiro on guard duty.”

“That’s okay, Rei-chan,” Luna said, “I think by now it’s a safe bet that…well, to be honest, we really don’t want to know…” she glanced towards Ami, “considering Naru-chan’s track record, we don’t want anything more to happen to her if we can help it. We must try to keep an eye on her, just in case."

“While also trying to make sure of this new enemy’s plan,” Artemis added.

“And with that let’s get to school, Usagi-chan,” Makoto remarked, “Not all of us like to stand out in the hall on a regular basis.”

“You think I do?” The blonde demanded, “Those buckets are heavy! You’re probably at least strong enough to carry them!”

“So, are you going to tell me what all that was about yesterday, Usagi-chan?” Naru asked over lunch.

Usagi swallowed the mouthful she was eating and tried her best to look innocent, while her eyes roved around the room looking for Ami and potential help, but the blue-haired girl was nowhere to be seen, so she tried for even more innocent, while swallowing, realizing too late that she didn’t actually have anything in her mouth at this point, “Mmm…what yesterday, Naru-chan?”

“You’re supposed to be my friend, Usagi-san,” Naru said, coldly, “I would appreciate your honesty.”

Usagi sighed, “Naru-chan, you know if I could tell you, I would, but…it’s just that…it’s…um…”

“Don’t you trust me?” Naru demanded, “If this concerns me somehow, which it seems to, then I would think that I have a right to know.”

Usagi found herself uncharacteristically NOT hungry and closed her lunch box, “If it were just up to me then I would tell you right now, yesterday even, but there are others involved and…”

“…is this about why you and Ami-chan and Kino-san go over to the TA girl’s house so much. I was beginning to wonder if you were in some kind of cult…”

Usagi gave a nervous laugh, “Oh…no…nothing like that.”

“So, you’re not going to sacrifice me to the Great Three Horned Monkey God?”

“No…no…we won’t sacrifice you…” she looked around again, hoping that Ami might have reappeared.

“Well, that’s good,” Naru seemed slightly appeased, but she too was toying with her food.

Usagi hit on a brilliant idea, which might just save the whole situation, “Look, I tell you what, come with me tonight and I’ll introduce you to everyone you don’t know and we can explain the whole thing!”

Naru brightened, “I’d like that…” she said.

Okay. Usagi then realized the snag to her plan, the others would be unprepared. She waited until an appropriate opportunity, and begged and pleaded, bouncing up and down in her seat for her next period teacher to let her out to the bathroom. A full three minutes of simulated agony was required before finally the teacher relented and let her go. Once she was safely in one of the stalls she punched the button on her communicator watch and called Ami.

“Usagi-chan? What are you doing calling me during class?” Ami inquired, after a few anxious moments.

“Ami-chan, you’re in independent study right now, aren’t you?” the blonde asked, hoping she was right. Surely if Ami had actually been in class she wouldn’t have answered.

“Well, yes, I am, but you’re not…” the other replied.

“I’m in the bathroom…look it’s really important that you talk to Rei-chan as quickly as possible.

“About what?” Ami hunched herself down behind the furthest bookshelves in the library in the hopes that no one would see or overhear her.

“About the fact that I invited Naru-chan to the meeting tonight…”

“Usagi-chan! You what?”

“Hai-hai, but see she really needs to have things explained to her and this seemed like the best way, so I…I have to go otherwise the teacher will get suspicious that I’ve fallen down the toilet. Okay, bai-bai…”

Ami found herself staring at a blank watch screen.

 

THREE
 

"So, what exactly did she tell, Naru-san?" Rei asked, leaving Ami more than a little relieved, all the way to the shrine she’d been anticipating a Vesuvius like explosion from the fire senshi. The others’ reactions she’d been less sure about, but they were all as calm but still perturbed as Rei.

Ami had to shake her head though, given Usagi had left her only slightly more informed than the others, "I told you...I don't know." They were sitting in the back room of the shrine again, waiting for their elusive princess to join them, "All she said to me was that she invited Naru to come with her."

"Why?" Minako asked.

"Did she tell her about the senshi thing or something?" Makoto followed.

Ami sighed, "I don't know."

Artemis and Luna leapt away from the window towards the table. They had been watching for the latecomers.

"They're coming up the steps now..." Luna said, as Artemis padded across the table to curl back up in Minako's lap.

Rei moved towards the door and stood waiting.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about..." the black cat went on.

"Unless Naru-san brought reporters," Artemis yawned.

"Hush," Minako put a hand over his mouth, "Although if she did I hope their photographer has plenty of film," she preened her hair, "I'm looking particularly cute today."

"Whatever, V-chan," Makoto remarked.

Minako stuck her tongue out, “I was teasing…” she tried.

"Hush." Ami interjected, as Rei greeted Usagi. The breathless blonde flopped into the shrine room, muttering about Shinto temples being too high up hills and having way too many steps.

Naru, however, stood nervously by the door, toying with the strap of her book bag. The last time she'd been to the shrine Rei had knocked Usagi out. She eyed the dark-haired priestess apprehensively.

Rei smiled at Naru and placed an arm on the red head's shoulder, "Come in, please," she said, "We're so glad that Usagi could bring you with her today. Now the human sacrifice can begin."

"Wh-what?" Naru froze having taken only half a step through the door. Her eyes whirled from one to the other sitting around the table. There wasn’t anything that looked like it could be used to lock her in one spot and then gut her, but given everything that had happened the last few months perhaps she’d been entirely wrong and they were about to flip the table over and roast her over the fire that they kept in the back room.

"Rei-san!" Ami exclaimed

"Rei-chan, don't be nasty!" Usagi scolded.

"She doesn't mean it, Naru-chan," Makoto filled in, rescuing the other girl and sitting her down at the table next to Usagi and herself.

"Why did you bring her here, Usagi-chan?" Rei demanded. She remained stood up but moved a little closer to the table and folded her arms, leveling the sort of gaze on Usagi usually reserved for when she showed up a half hour late with only the excuse that the Sailor V video game at CROWN had been free when she walked past to explain herself with.

"Because there are some things about us that I think she needs to know," Usagi said, "Particularly because they concern here."

"Quit talking about me as though I'm not here." Naru demanded, "I may as well not have come. Now, what is this that you need to tell me?"

Minako smiled with realization, "Oh-I get it."

"Hush, Minako-chan," Usagi said with a glimmer of authority, "We have to put it to the vote."

"What's the point? Naru-san, you're here already, right?" Rei put in, by way of apology for her earlier remarks, “Voting now seems more than a little pointless, odango-chan."

"Buda! Don't call me that, Rei-chan."

"I, for one, don't mind," Ami stepped in to cut off the impending argument.

"Me neither," Makoto said, "It's only fair."

"Oh, okay then..." Usagi said turning away from Rei and towards the main group. She spread her hands on the table as Luna and Artemis jumped up to sit in front of her, "If there are no other objections?" even the cats shook their heads, "Naru-chan, what we are about to tell you comes in the strictest confidence, okay?"

'Okay," Naru looked at each of the girls in turn before returning her point of focus to Usagi.

"Okay, Naru-chan, we, that is all five of us here. We're Sailor Senshi..." she faltered, "That is...um, I...I'm Sailor Moon,” she gave a very apologetic grin to her friend and waited for the disbelief, the accusations of craziness, the storming out until Usagi could tell her the truth, and the anger at such a cruel joke.

The silence extended from hesitation to strained, and then Naru started laughing. The one reaction none of them had really expected. Usagi scrambled to work out what was going on. Naru thought it was a joke and actually found it funny?

"Um...is everything alright, Naru-chan?" Usagi said.

It took her a moment of breathing deeply several times before she managed to answer, “Oh-oh, yes. I'm sorry. I don't mean to laugh, really, it's just, well, I knew that already. I was wondering how long it was going to take for you to tell me."

Usagi blinked, and almost fell out of her chair. She looked to her fellow senshi desperately for some sort of response. Naru knew? All this and Naru knew?

Makoto after a subtle pinching of the flesh on her arm asked, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Does that mean you knew about the rest of us?" Minako asked.

Naru smiled, "Well, I guess saying I knew is a little much. I had a strong suspicion, especially about Usagi but I didn't want to come right out and say anything in case I was wrong. I wasn't going to say anything to anyone else especially not Umino-kun. He’s still firmly convinced that the senshi are aliens."

"Great." Usagi said, not sounding to enthused, she brightened up though as she moved her thoughts away from Umino chasing them down trying to do tests on them, "I'm glad that you're okay with it…are you sure you’re okay with it? I'm sorry I didn’t say anything but I was scared it would get you into trouble, and then I…we…realized just how much trouble it’s been getting you into anyway, Naru-chan, I feel so bad."

Naru shook her head, "Don't feel bad. I'm honored that you care so much about me, and it certainly keeps me on my toes." she smiled, "I just wish well, sometimes I wish that it didn't take you guy so long but I know you can't be everywhere."

"I’m so sorry, Naru-chan." Usagi said again.

"Don't apologize, please. I'm glad you guys are around," Naru smiled, "Otherwise Jyuban probably wouldn't be anymore and I would have died two years ago." she put a hand on Usagi's, "I'm just glad that you were able to tell me. I like knowing you're watching my back,” and to allay any further doubts, she got up and swept Usagi up into a big hug, which soon turned into a group hug as Usagi cried into Naru’s shoulder and the red-headed girl followed suit.