THE MYSTERIOUS BOX By Monday, Usagi's fever had broken and when Ikuko let Dr. Wakai in to examine her daughter, she was given a clean bill of health. Usagi had sustained some damage, but the doctor informed them she didn't think her scars would cause infertility. Dr. Wakai had also been satisfied that her boyfriend had gotten help. Dr. Meioh had called late Saturday afternoon, and agreed to take his case. She had already met with him. All in all, if you considered how ill she had been, a week was a relatively short recovery time. She tired easily and still had a cough, but she was up and around. Ikuko thought it was nice to hear the girls 'jam' on the piano and guitars. It was after Usagi's fever broke that Rei approached her about the strange 'Silver Millennium' box which tickled her ambitious imagination. "Usagi, what's in that old metal box?" Usagi looked up from the stack of homework she had to make up, "I don't know... I can't open it. My Mother only mentioned to me, that there's some sort of magical voice-activated lock on it. I haven't figured out what it is, yet." Rei picked it up curiously. It looked heavy, but it was surprisingly lightweight. "I have an idea, it probably activates by naming one of your powers." Usagi returned her attention back to her text book and scrawled something in her notebook, and mumbled, "Nope. Tried that." She said, as she continued to write. Rei was persistent, "How about someone else's? Someone you trusted and wouldn't have minded if they looked in it?" Usagi didn't look up, but her pen paused as she grumbled, "Nope, didn't try that." Quietly Rei uttered the words, 'Fire Soul'. The box's lid suddenly sprang to life and opened. Rei grinned gleefully and Usagi gasped. She scooted over on the bed to sit next to Rei. They both looked in amazement at the boxes' contents. There was a thick diary, a thin journal, a beautiful Martian dagger, a small vial of Venusian perfume, a Jupitan music box, and a Mercurian chronometer. Evidently the box was filled with prenuptial gifts for the Princess Serenity from the inner senshi. Usagi's eyes watered. Usagi picked up the perfume and uncapped it. It's fresh, clean smell was intoxicating. She passed it under Rei's nose whose only response was 'whoa'! Usagi put the ornate cap back on. "Knowing Venus, if I were to put some of this on, every male within a 10 mile radius would be at my doorstep!" Rei giggled at her friend's logic. Usagi next took out the timepiece and glanced at her alarm clock, which was set to the time displayed on her computer monitor. The Mercurian chronometer reflected the exact same time. "That's scary, Rei. I'll bet that no matter wherever or whenever I am in the universe, it will keep real-time." Usagi gently lifted out the small music box that looked as if it had been laser-designed. When she touched the box, it immediately began to play what was in Usagi's mind. It was her newest music piece. Both girls were in shock. Usagi thought of different pieces, which included some of Michiru's more complicated ones. The box played them all flawlessly. She handed the box to Rei, and it became silent. Sugoi! Last of all was the gorgeous dagger. When Usagi's hand closed around the hilt, her eyes widened... "Rei, it sang to me!" Rei was enthused, "Listen carefully to it's song to you... listen for its name." Usagi's eyes were closed as she concentrated. She raised it high in the air above her head and whispered 'Exavyre' (ex-zavier). The dagger lengthened to became a perfectly balanced, double-edged broadsword that was the perfect weight for her. Usagi slashed through the air with it, to feel its response. It sang joyfully to her in ancient Lunarian. "Oh, Rei! Thank you, it's breathtaking! What does its name mean in Martian?" She asked. Rei let the breath out she had been holding during the spectacle. "Um, it means 'The God's Help'. It... it was forged by Hephaestus. Diana... I... had him make it especially for my Moon Princess... you. I think you'll find that each of us had these gifts forged magically by a god of our own choice, and they are designed to help you specifically," Rei smiled, "that includes the perfume." Usagi put the chronometer and Exavyre into her subspace pocket. She got up and put the perfume and music box on her dresser. She settled back down on the bed next to Rei and picked up the old diary carefully, homework forgotten. Rei leaned her head on Usagi's shoulder and watched as she flipped through the thick diary. It was written in formal Lunarian tongue, but they both could read it. "Wait, Usagi, here's when you first met me!" Rei interrupted enthusiastically. They read for a while in silence, until Rei's breath sucked in suddenly, and Usagi blushed. "That's some pretty explicit stuff you wrote about us during our trip home to the Moon Kingdom, Usagi. I can't believe we were only fourteen!" Rei remarked in shock. "I tried to tell you that I have loved you forever, Rei. Do you believe me, yet?" Usagi said, unabashed. Rei squeezed Usagi tight, then cupped Usagi's face between her hands and kissed her lips most tenderly. "Hai, my love, I do!" Usagi flipped through a couple more pages, until Rei stopped her again and giggled. She pointed at something about mid-page. "It say's here, you woke all of us up at 2am in the morning for an 'impromptu senshi meeting' in the palace kitchens. You had craved cookies for a week, and your mother always said 'no' when you asked her for them, and handed you carrots to eat. So you convinced Mako you were desperate, and the middle of the night was the only time you could get away with eating them. Then you decided you couldn't even wait for the cookies to bake, so you had me 'cook' some dough on the sly. Unfortunately, when Mako caught us, it was a rather 'shocking' experience!" Usagi winked at her. "I guess we don't need an oven to cook, ne Rei?" Rei returned the wink. "Nope!" They read a few more pages and Usagi remarked, "It would appear we all had a lot of fun together back then, too, just like we do now. Let's see what's in this other book. It looks like it's yours, Rei. Look, it's written it in the Queen's Martian tongue. It's by 'the honored royal huntress'. I think it's Diana's hunt journal, Rei! As Lunarian Princess, I had to learn all the languages of our allies, but I'd feel privileged if you would read it to me, please, Rei." Usagi's eyes begged. "Oh ok, royal pain-in-the neck Princess." Rei took it gingerly from Usagi and scanned through the book. Her countenance changed and the pages moved more slowly. Rei swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "Most of these entries are technical notes, but there are a few personal events described..." Rei began. "It seems the Hunt Leader was jealous of my superior tracking abilities and more accurate shooting abilities. He was particularly hard on me. It seems I did know Jadeite before I came to the Moon kingdom. He was far and away the best male hunter and he was good with the organization of task forces. We stayed alive largely because of his great instincts. At 14 he became second leader. He always defended me from our first leader's abuse. He slept near me to keep watch over me wherever we stopped... usually in old wyrm trenches, caves, or tunnels. One day, while we were in fast pursuit of a particularly large prey, Jadeite saw him lash out at my dromedyre (a wooly Martian dromedary). He purposely caused it to stumble, and my spear's aim faltered, and I missed the wyrm. Somebody was killed by the wyrm's terrible spew of acids. I was injured badly as I was flung off my dromedyre and into the hooves of the frenzied herd of dromedyre. The thick wyrm-hide armor I wore, saved my life. Jadeite was in a rare rage and beat our leader senseless with his bare fists. I guess he loved me. I was too young to have any reciprocation of that nature. I was only eleven at the time. One of my many sisters pulled Jadeite off our leader before he killed him. Jadeite was sent to Earth to be trained as one of Prince Endymion's bodyguards. The Hunt Leader was torched by my illustrious Queen Mother, and replaced. I was never called into her presence until the day we met three years later. I fell in love with you, and grew closer to you as you cleaned me, tended my wounds and airsickness, then you taught me proper Lunarian etiquette. It seemed I preferred a Martian dromedyre to flight!" Rei snapped the journal shut. "Let's read more of yours, it's more fun!" The girls lay on their stomachs side by side and enjoyed their nostalgia until Usagi grew tired. Usagi put the books back into the not so mysterious box, and slid it under her bed. That night, they shared sweet kisses and slept in each other's arms. They both dreamt about the days of yesteryear, and what was to come.
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