Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Best Friends ❯ Chapter 6

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Chapter Six - Wednesday afternoon/evening
----------------------------------
[afternoon]

Usagi dashed up the steps at the Hikawa Shrine, late as usual.
This time, it was not really her fault. After class, she'd
headed immediately to her meeting with Minako and Rei, but she'd
bumped into someone.

---
"Usagi-chan, wait up! You trying to catch a bus or something?"

Usagi stopped and turned toward the familiar voice, "Naru-chan!
What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know, I had the afternoon off from mom's store so I
figured I'd try to catch you after class, maybe we could go get
some ice cream or something?" Naru smiled hopefully.

"Oh, Naru-chan, I'm so sorry, but I have a meeting I have to get
to." Usagi frowned with disappointment, trying to recall the last
occasion she'd had time to just chat with her old best friend.

That thought brought about equal amounts of nostalgia and regret.
She really loved Naru, and they'd been through so much together,
but Naru could never really understand what it was like, to be a
sailor senshi, a moon princess. It seemed like all at once,
she'd met Mamoru and soon after Naru had hooked up with Umino
and, ever since, they just hadn't spent the same amount of time
together. The fact that Naru was apprenticing in her mother's
jewelry store, while Usagi struggled through college, made things
even more difficult.

The dejection that washed over Naru's face made Usagi pause.
"Naru-chan, is something wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing, you go ahead to your meeting, I'll be fine,"
Naru replied, trying to put on a brave front.

"No, it's not nothing. I can tell. There's something bothering
you," Usagi stated. "Come on, my meeting will just have to wait a
bit."

"Really, Usagi-chan, it's fine..." Naru started, but her voice
broke and tears began to form in her eyes.

"Oh, Naru-chan," Usagi sighed. Reaching out, she took her
friend's hand in her own and led her to a nearby park. Usagi had
long ago found a nice, secluded bench, perfect for private
meetings. Recalling some of those meetings (all had been with
Mamoru) brought some perspiration to her forehead.

Sitting down, Usagi drew Naru down next to her, still holding her
hand. "Tell me, Naru-chan, what's happened? It's not something
with..."

At the mere hint of Umino's name, Naru broke out in a fresh bout
of tears. She wordlessly handed a moist piece of paper to Usagi.
Scanning it quickly, Usagi soon realized it was a letter,
from Umino to Naru. The gist of it seemed to be that he'd met
someone at school. Now, he thought that it wasn't fair for him
to keep Naru from meeting someone of her own, so he believed that
they should just be friends. 'That jerk!' Usagi thought. 'Naru
loved him when he was still a googly-eyed nerd. Now some college
tart latches on to him, once he's matured, and he drops poor Naru
like a hot potato!'

Turning to the side, Usagi wrapped her arms around Naru and drew
her into a comforting embrace. For some time, she simply stroked
her hair and murmured calming things into her ear. In one way,
Umino was right. Naru could and would do better, but that didn't
excuse his methods.

After awhile, the sobbing subsided and Naru leaned back. "I must
look like a mess," she laughed hesitantly. "And I've gotten make-
up all over your blouse."

"You look fine, Naru-chan, and blouses can be washed," Usagi
reassured her. "I'm sorry it happened that way."

"Oh, I've kind of been expecting it for awhile now," Naru said.
"Ever since he went off to school, we've been drifting apart. I
guess, even when you know it's coming, it still hurts, huh?"

Usagi nodded and squeezed her hands gently.

"You're so lucky, Usagi-chan. I know your Mamoru would never
send you a letter like that. How do you guys do it, with him
gone so much?"

Usagi sighed, "We're meant for each other. And I'm sure you will
find your prince, too, Naru-chan."

Naru laid her head on Usagi's shoulder and took a deep breath. "I
guess you're right." For some time, they simply remained in
that pose: Naru leaning against Usagi, Usagi's arm draped over
her shoulder.

After the long, comfortable silence, Naru raised her eyes to
Usagi's. "Usagi-chan, do you remember the time I slept over...."
She broke off, blushing furiously.

The hopeful look in her friend's eyes was like a dagger stabbing
into Usagi's heart. Naru had slept over many times when they
were in school, of course, but Usagi knew which occasion she
meant. "I remember, Naru-chan," she answered gently, carefully.

"Do you ever wonder, well..." Naru continued before embarrassment
stopped her voice again.

Usagi shushed her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Sometimes, Naru-chan, sometimes. You know that I'll marry
Mamoru one day, and you will be in my wedding party. I hope
you'll ask me to be in yours, when you wed. I think you're just
upset by that letter."

"I know, you're right, Usagi-chan," Naru laughed, her
embarrassment gone. "I've thought of it, too, but it was just
something that happened, once. It was really nice, though,
wasn't it?"

Usagi blushed beet red. "Yes, Naru-chan, it really was."
Slowly, she leaned down. Naru raised her head off of Usagi's
shoulder, tilting it to one side. Their lips met, eyes closed,
and they allowed themselves a brief visit back to that one
special evening. Usagi marveled at how soft her friend's lips
were, how delicate her tongue as it danced with hers.

Moments passed, that at the time seemed like ages, but in
retrospect would seem all too brief. Naru sighed and pulled
away. "I love you, Usagi-chan." Usagi beamed at her. "I love
you, too, Naru-chan."

Though they'd drifted apart somewhat, the bonds between these two
young women were still very strong. Usagi knew that Naru would
be all right now. Naru understood that she had received
something that she'd desperately needed. Now she could move
forward with her life. After a bit longer, Naru reminded Usagi
that she had a meeting to get to, and reassured her that she'd be
fine. Sensing that it was true, Usagi got up to go and the two
friends made tentative plans to go shopping together sometime
soon.

And so, it really wasn't Usagi's fault that she was late. If
hanyone, it was Umino's!

--------------
[evening]

"Hellooooo, anyone home?" Usagi called from the entryway as she
stepped into Haruka and Michiru's apartment. Though she'd
outgrown many of her old habits, she still saw an unlocked door
more as an invitation than a barrier.

The moon was just starting to rise in the sky, and she hoped that
she was interrupting her friends' dinner. Her stomach rumbled
its agreement with that desire. The meeting with Rei and Minako
had gone on a long time, and Rei never had enough goodies at her
temple.

It had been quite an afternoon, not even counting her little
encounter with Naru. Given where she was at the moment, Usagi
tried to put that out of her mind. She felt like one of those
manga characters with a big sweatdrop on her forehead when she
thought about it too much. 'How ironic, given the topic of the
big meeting', she considered. Early on, the comparison of notes
between Minako and Rei, backed up by Usagi's own observations
(she'd long had her suspicions about those two) had led them all
to the same conclusion. The bulk of the time, however, had been
spent debating what to do about it.

After a great deal of brainstorming, a few brawls with Rei, and a
long digression concerning Minako's date with Shinozaki Kenjo,
they had decided to split up. Rei, for reasons Usagi still
didn't quite understand, seemed concerned about the role that
Urawa Ryu was to play in this. Minako, for reasons Usagi
understood all too well, felt that she should meet with Shinozaki
again to discuss things with him. Usagi, therefore, had been
delegated with the most immediate and obvious mission, a
diplomatic fact-finding junket to consult with the experts in the
field at hand.

"Haruka-san? Michiru-san?" she called again.

"Hey, meatball head," Haruka replied, stepping out of the
kitchen. "I thought I heard someone shouting out here." She gave
Usagi a wry look. "Did I leave our door open? That isn't like
me."

Usagi chuckled and blushed, closing the door behind her. "I'm
not interrupting your dinner, am I?" she asked, trying not to
look too eager.

"Michiru has rehearsal late tonight, so I was just popping
something in the microwave for myself." Haruka waved Usagi
forward and went back into the kitchen. "I've got some leftovers
from last night. Do you want some?"

"Well, if you insist," Usagi replied, going for 'demure
politeness.'

Haruka just smiled and gestured to a chair. "Have a seat, this
won't take long." After putting some dishes in the microwave and
pushing a couple buttons, she turned and sat down across from
Usagi. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She raised an
eyebrow and gave Usagi the once-over in her typically forward,
flirty way.

Normally, Usagi would have laughed this off. She enjoyed the
little game that she and Haruka played. Haruka got to use
flirting techniques and pick-up lines that would have otherwise
atrophied, given her relationship with Michiru; Usagi got to play
the innocent, naive little princess; and Michiru or Mamoru got to
feign jealousy and exact revenge, usually much later and rather
privately. Fun for all! Today, however, Usagi blushed deeply
and couldn't meet Haruka's gaze. Between Naru and her mission,
she was understandably a bit more sensitive than usual in this
particular area.

Haruka noticed immediately that Usagi wasn't playing along as
usual. She cocked her head to one side and considered the
princess before her. She obviously was not just dropping by to
say "Hi". "Something wrong, little rabbit? Did you and 'Mamo-
chan' have a fight?"

"No, nothing like that," Usagi replied, re-focusing on why she
was here. "I came by to ask you and Michiru for some advice. We
figured you guys were, well, you know, you'd be a good source of
information."

"What do you want to ask? Michiru won't be back for a while, but
I'll help if I can," Haruka replied. She could guess which
particular topic Usagi (and whoever else made up that 'we') would
see them as experts in, but couldn't even begin to hazard a guess
as to where this was going.

"Well," Usagi began, trying to gather her courage, "when you and
Michiru first, you know, got together...did you both just
know...that you were each...that way? Or, did someone else help
set you up?"

"That's a rather personal question, don't you think?" Haruka
asked calmly. "I don't mind answering, but I think I deserve a
little explanation. Who wants to know, and why?"

"I'd like to know before I tell you why," Usagi answered
carefully, "but it's Rei, Minako, and I who need to know."

Haruka lifted one eyebrow and smirked in a way that brought a new
rush of color to Usagi's cheeks and thin line of sweat to her
brow. Noting Usagi's reaction, Haruka laughed openly. "Meatball
head, you're not going to tell me that... the three of you?...!"

"No! Of course not!" Usagi yelled.

"Why 'of course not'?" Haruka prodded. "You're all very close,
you're all pretty cute. The way you and Rei bicker all the time,
I always wondered what was going on there."

Usagi calmed down and looked at Haruka quite seriously. "Haruka-
san, you know that such a thing would never be possible between
me and any of you."

Till that moment, Haruka hadn't realized that the thought that
Usagi might have become intimate with Rei or Minako (or both!)
was bothering her so much, but now she recognized the adrenaline
rush through her system. 'I'm actually jealous.' Recovering her
wits, she continued, "Why not? Because of 'Mamo-chan'?"

Usagi reached over and took Haruka's hand. "Haruka-san...Haruka-
chan, even if I wanted to, which I do not, you know I could never
let myself love any one of you like that."

Haruka waited, looking skeptical and puzzled.

With a sigh, Usagi explained. "I love my Mamo-chan, Haruka-chan.
None of you can compete with him, for one glaringly obvious
reason, among others. You _could_ compete with each other,
though. Each of you, in your own way, was born to love and
protect me. How would any of you react if I shared myself in
that way with one of you in particular?"

Haruka considered her words carefully, feeling no need to reply
until she had thought through it all. She herself loved Michiru
more than life itself, and she knew Michiru felt the same way
about her. However, she also knew who it was that she could
imagine coming between the two of them, the only other woman
she'd ever seriously considered in that way since she'd met
Michiru. Recalling that immediate burst of jealousy she'd just
experienced, Haruka understood even more just how destructive it
might have been if Usagi had ever shown that kind of preference
for one of her senshi over the others.

"You know something, meatball head," she said finally, with that
characteristic smirk, "you're actually a lot smarter than you
look."

"Thank you," Usagi replied, before the words sank in. "Hey! What
does that mean!" She was just revving up her trademark wailing
when the buzzer on the microwave forestalled her performance.

"Saved by the bell," Haruka noted, moving to get the food and put
it out on plates. As she served the two of them, grabbing a
couple of sodas out of the refrigerator as well, she gave Usagi a
sly look. "It's a shame for you, though. You have no idea what
you're missing."

Suddenly, Usagi dropped her fork and once again blushed deeply,
unable to form any sort of reply. Lights went on inside Haruka's
mind. "You sly little wench! You _have_ messed around with a
girl!"

Usagi choked and grabbed the soda, drinking quickly, trying to
recover. "Not really, well, just once, or twice. Not with any
of the others," she added desperately.

Haruka stifled a laugh and stared at Usagi, her penetrating gaze
forcing the answer to her unspoken question.

"It was a long time ago, before I even knew I was a sailor
soldier," Usagi mumbled, "My friend Naru. We were just, well, you
know... curious."

Haruka smiled reassuringly, "It's ok, meatball head, calm down.
There's nothing too unusual about that, especially at that age,
and I promise I won't tell anyone. Well, no one other than
Michiru, but I tell her everything. Your secret is safe with
us." She chuckled and shook her head with some amazement. No
matter what, her young princess never ceased to amaze her.

"Now that you know my secret," Usagi said between gulps of hot
food and cold soda, "are you going to answer my question?"

Haruka had almost forgotten it in all of the turmoil, but now she
paused to consider her reply. "We were introduced by a mutual
friend, but not 'set up' in that way. We both figured out how
the other felt, but it took some time. She knew how she felt
before I did, and I couldn't bring myself to believe she could
think of me in the same way I thought of her. Eventually, we
sorted it out." Haruka grinned fondly, recalling those early
days, when she'd discovered her destiny. 'I suppose my true
destiny was to be Sailor Uranus and help save the world,' she
considered, 'but it always feels like my real destiny is to have
my Michiru by my side, forever.'

Usagi sighed, both because her plate was now empty and because
that wasn't the answer she'd been hoping for. Somehow, she, Rei,
and Minako had hoped that there would be some sort of super-
secret method that lesbians used to identify each other, that
they could spring on Ami and Makoto. A silly idea, she knew, but
it certainly would have made things easier.

"Now, you owe me an answer, rabbit," Haruka reminded her. "Why do
you want to know?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story, but basically, we think that
Ami and Makoto are secretly in love with each other, but that
neither of them realizes it, and we're afraid that they will
never figure it out, and we think they'd be so cute together and
so happy, and we want to help them, and Minako is working with
Makoto's friend Kenjo, but I think she's mainly doing that
because she has a secret crush on him (they went out on a date
and from what I saw it was going very well, but Minako was mean
and made me stop spying on them) and Rei thinks that Ami's friend
Ryu is up to no good, but she really doesn't know why, so she's
trying to keep an eye on him, and I said 'Why don't we ask Haruka
and Michiru for advice', you know because you guys are lesbians
so you might have some inside information, and so we all agreed
that I should come over here and...."

"Take a breath, please!" Haruka pleaded, her head spinning, as
she tried to parse what Usagi had just babbled at her. "You and
Rei and Minako think that Ami and Makoto have feelings for each
other?"

"Yes, you see..." Usagi began, stopping when Haruka raised her
palm.

"And you all want to help, because you're worried that they won't
be able to figure things out and deal with them on their own?"

"Yes, we were..." Again, the palm.

"I see," Haruka nodded. Taking a deep breath herself, she stood
up and cleared the table. Usagi, nervously biting her nails,
waited.

"You should just leave them alone," Haruka finally advised. "If
they really do feel that way about each other, then they need to
figure it out on their own."

"But..."

"Wait. Listen," Haruka demanded. "If you guys try to interfere,
at best, you are denying them the chance to realize things for
themselves, maybe even taking away all the wonderful moments that
come just before, or early on in, a romance. At worst, you could
scare one or the other away from her true feelings. Do you
understand?"

Usagi silently nodded her head, feeling suddenly ashamed.

Haruka gently chucked her on the shoulder, "Don't feel bad,
little rabbit. It says a lot about how much you guys love your
friends that you are being so supportive and trying to help."

Usagi smiled. "Aren't you curious to know why we think they feel
that way about each other?" she asked.

Haruka laughed again. "Michiru and I have suspected as much for a
long time now. I'm surprised it took you all this long to
notice, but I guess you see some things more clearly from a
distance. Let them be and things will sort themselves out."

Standing up, Usagi bowed, thanking Haruka for the meal and the
advice. "Give my regards to Michiru-san, please," she said as
she got ready to leave.

"I will." Haruka got the door for her friend. Once again, she
very obviously looked her over from bottom to top. "Remember, if
you ever decide to 'experiment' again, you know where I live. I'm
sure Michiru wouldn't mind too much."

This time, Usagi was able to play along. Lowering her eyes
demurely, she murmured, "Haruka-san, you flatter me. As tempting
as your invitation is, though, I could never do such a thing to
dear Michiru-san." She laid one hand delicately on her chest and
raised her gaze to meet her friend's, suppressing a good-natured
laugh. "Besides," she added with a grin, "she would too mind,
and you know it!"

Haruka reached out and tousled her hair, "Take care, meatball
head, and don't be such a stranger."

"Bye, Haruka-san!" she called as she headed for the elevator. It
had been an odd day indeed, but Usagi felt much more confident
about things. Heck, maybe Ami and Makoto had already figured
things out. With happy thoughts about her friends in mind, she
returned home. She couldn't wait to email Mamo-chan about all of
this. 'Well,' she admitted to herself with another blush, 'most
of it, anyway.'