[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.'
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