The halls of Juuban High School were unusually packed this particular lunch period, the air heavy with murmurs and chatter, punctuated by the occasional cry of joy or despair. It was entirely possible that every third year student in the school was crowded around the announcement board, though a few stood outside the throng, patiently waiting (or dreading) their turn at the results of the summer prep exam. Usagi Tsukino was one of the latter. Her palms were sweaty and she gnawed her lower lip in unconscious worry as she peered uselessly over the heads of her classmates towards the board.

"I'm 90% sure that Ami's at the top," Makoto said from beside her. Usagi looked up at her as she squinted. "The kanji in her name are easy enough to read even from back here."

"Well, that's pretty safe to assume," Minako said from Usagi's other side. She bounced on her toes, trying to match the brunette's height. "What about the rest of us?"

"I'm sad to say we don't appear to be in the top 10 or so," Makoto replied. "That's all I can see above the crowd."

"My parents will be so disappointed," Minako said drily. She squared her shoulders. "Alright, I'm going in before we spend our whole lunch break standing around here. Who's with me?"

"I'm not really hungry..." Usagi said forlornly. Her stomach felt like it was tied in knots. She turned as she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Usagi, no matter what score you get, you should be proud of how hard you've worked this year. I know I am." Ami's encouraging smile did little to ease Usagi's tension, but she couldn't help smiling back.

"I know, but..."

"C'mon, Usagi, at least save the moping until after we see our scores," Minako said. "Mako, will you do the honors?"

Makoto took a deep breath and strode forward. The crowd, perhaps sensing her determination, parted before her, leaving the three of them to scurry in her wake. She didn't push all the way to the front, but made some room for the others to stand in front of her. Before them the test results board loomed, 176 names strong. Just as predicted, Ami's name stood proudly at the top. Usagi scanned through the names, trying to pick out the 'moon' character in her name, the only one across all six of the third-year classes. She found Makoto's name instead, just a moment before she heard Makoto grunt sourly behind her. A 361 wasn't a terrible score – she would've been happy to have received it herself, in most circumstances – but Makoto apparently had hoped for better.

Usagi's eyes continued scanning down the list. She spotted Minako a little further down, at 346, and glanced over at her. Minako wrinkled her nose and made an annoyed noise, but kept her eyes fixed on the board. Usagi felt her heart sink; she and Minako were almost always neck-and-neck in grades. She let her eyes continue down the list, feeling numb. Down and down she went, and a tightness began to build in her chest as the marks got lower and lower. 300. 275. 250. She could feel pressure building in her sinuses, a friendly warning that she was about to humiliate herself even further by bursting into tears right here in the middle of the hall, in front of everyone.

"Usagi!" Minako's voice was tight with restrained excitement. "Why are you looking way down there? Look!" She jabbed at the list. Usagi looked up, and for a moment shock stole her voice.

"Three... eighty?" she managed to croak. She stared, unable to parse the number. "Is... is that..?"

"That's 76 percent!" Usagi's almost lost her balance as Ami threw her arms around her. "Oh, Usagi, you did it!"

"Alright, let's go over everything one last time."

"Mom, come on..."

Ikuko Tsukino put her hands on her hips. "One more time! Or if you'd rather not, I can have your bags packed in ten minutes."

Usagi shook her head frantically. "Okay, okay. Go ahead."

"Emergency contacts?"

"On the fridge."

"And?"

"And on my phone."

"Fire extinguisher?"

"Under the kitchen sink."

"Garbage collection?"

"Every Thursday."

"And the deal breakers are?"

Usagi fought to not roll her eyes. "No boys, no parties, no parties with boys, no telling people I'm at home alone, and, uh..."

"Don't spend all the money we gave you!" her mother said firmly. "I'm serious, there had better be some left when we get back."

"I won't!" Usagi said indignantly.

"Alright, well..." her mother trailed off. Usagi saw a tear glisten in the corner of her eye, and had to swallow a sudden lump in her throat. She threw her arms around her mother and squeezed tight.

"I'll be okay, I promise," she mumbled. "Now go on, before Dad and Shingo leave you behind."

"I know you will," her mom sniffled. "But, if you have any trouble, call me or your Dad right away."

"Mooom! Let's gooooo!" Shingo called. Ikuko rolled her eyes.

"Alright, alright!" She gave Usagi a quick peck on the cheek, and hurried over to the car. Usagi waved at them until the car turned the corner at the end of the street, then dashed inside. She kicked off her shoes and, with a whoop that echoed throughout the empty house, she dove onto the couch.

It was actually happening! Three whole weeks with the entire house to herself! She could hardly believe she had actually pulled it off. Then again, it seemed easy in retrospect. She'd first gotten the idea indirectly from Minako. Her parents had left her alone for three days to while they celebrated their anniversary, and Minako had gone on for a month about how much fun it had been. So, right after Usagi's seventeenth birthday, she and Minako had put together her pitch to her parents: instead of going on their family trip to Hokkaido to visit her great-aunt, she could stay home. By herself. How it would be valuable life experience, how it would give her the chance to learn how to keep a household budget – basically anything and everything they could think of that her parents might want to hear.

They had been skeptical at first, but they had agreed (a little too readily, in her opinion) that Usagi could benefit from a taste of real responsibility. But there had been one onerous condition: that she pull her grades up and score at least a 75 on the summer preliminary exams. Usagi, who was a happy mid-60s student, had despaired, but somehow she'd pulled it off. Okay, maybe not 'somehow'… Ami had poured her heart and soul into getting Usagi ready, sacrificing altogether too much of her own precious study time to drill Usagi in marathon sessions that she frankly didn't want to remember.

And of course, even getting good grades wasn't enough. She had a list of chores a mile long, every kind of housework and yard work imaginable, not to mention her summer homework. Her mother had also carefully rationed her shopping over the last two weeks to make sure there wasn't so much as an instant ramen in the cupboards. But, there was an envelope with 50000 yen in it burning a hole in her purse, along with a budget that she and her father had gone through together three times in excruciating detail. Her mom had even dragged her out grocery shopping a few times to teach her the basics, as if she'd needed someone to tell her how to shop.

She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, planning out her day. She would need to go shopping soon - her mom had bored it into her head that she shouldn't go grocery shopping on an empty stomach, and it was almost noon. Then lunch, obviously, but after that... she wasn't one hundred percent sure what she was going to do. Despite her parents' paranoia, she wasn't really a party person, and she certainly didn't have any boys hidden away. She gritted her teeth.

It wasn't as if she had expected Mamoru to drop everything and fly back to Japan. Not really. Those kinds of fantasies had slowly died off as his semester abroad became a year abroad, and then two years. He'd always done his best to make it back home whenever he could, and things were always wonderful when they were together, but this year he had already missed spring break, her birthday, and now he'd taken a co-op (whatever that was) in San Francisco, or San Jose... one of the San cities she could never keep apart in her head. That was the whole summer down the drain.

And, when she'd mentioned casually that she had three whole weeks alone to herself, and hey, wouldn't it be great if she had someone to spend it with, he'd gotten mad, accused her of trying to make him choose between her and school. And then she'd said that she would choose him over school in a heartbeat, and then they were off on the same argument they always had. It used to make her mad, and then sad, but now those fights just left her feeling numb and exhausted. That had been two weeks ago, the day she got her exam results. They hadn't spoken since.

She sat up and shook her head. "I'm not going to let him ruin this for me." she announced to the empty room. She grabbed her purse from the kitchen table and strode to the front door. There was shopping to do.

That evening found Usagi curled up on the couch, fighting to pay attention to a TV drama while she picked at her dinner. Her first foray into culinary self-sufficiency had gone okay, at least by her standards. She had decided on a simple-sounding Hamburg steak and salad, mostly because ground beef had been on sale. Yes, it was a little burnt on one side, and there was definitely too much salt, but the salad had turned out great. When the credits finally rolled on her show, she stood up and brought her dishes into the kitchen. Eyeing the dirty pans sideways, she made a mental note to clean up before bed. Grinning to herself as she imagined what her mom would say to that, she danced over to the fridge. In a rare moment of self-control, she had put half a basketful of sweets back on the shelf during her shopping trip after adding up how much she could end up spending over three weeks. As a reward for her discipline, she had thought it was only fair that she pick out a single desert. She was celebrating, after all. Throwing open the fridge door, she claimed her spoils: a tasty-looking (and maybe slightly expensive) tiramisu. She ate the cake out of its plastic shell while staring out the kitchen window into their tiny backyard. "What to do..." She said to herself, tapping her fork against her lips thoughtfully. Truth be told, she was already out of ideas. She'd gone shopping, made her own dinner, and taken a perfunctory stab at doing some laundry (results pending). And with night rapidly falling, it was beginning to dawn on her that she was going to be all alone tonight for the first time in her life. She'd even talked Luna into spending the night at Minako's. Not that she didn't want her around, per se, but Luna was basically mom-lite, and it would hardly be a parent-free zone with her lecturing Usagi every five minutes.

She went for another bite of her cake, only to realize it was all gone. She could barely remember tasting it. With a sigh, she tossed the empty container on the counter. "That was one percent of my budget well-spent," she grumped to the empty room. Her fingers drummed on the countertop as she gazed longingly at her phone, sitting on the kitchen table. Part of her was adamant that she spend at least one night on her own, just to say she had, but boredom and the sheer oppressive quiet of the empty house was beginning to eat at her.

Well... she could just see what everyone was doing. That didn't really count. With that happy rationalization, she scooped up her phone and pulled up Rei's name. The line was picked up almost immediately.

"Helloo-oooo?" came a cheerful voice. Usagi blinked in confusion.

"Minako? Wait, did I call the wrong number?"

"Geez, sorry to disappoint you," Minako replied with mock sarcasm. "Rei's hands are full, so I stole her phone."

"Oh... are you guys at the shrine?"

"Nope, she's at my place."

"Are you guys doing anything?" Usagi asked.

"Well, Rei's being my model for the new makeup I got today, but other than that we're just hanging out. Why?"

"Umm...," Usagi ummed. Hearing her friend's voice was rapidly weakening her resolve. "Do you guys wanna... maybe... come over for a bit?"

"Oho, empty house getting to you already?" Minako teased. "I'm sorry to say I have a date tonight. I mean, not really sorry..."

Usagi gasped. "With who? Since when? Is it that guy from the train? Where are you going?"

"Ew, no. It's with Haruka," Minako said smugly.

"Oh," Usagi said, her excitement deflating. "I thought you meant a real date."

"Pff, you're just jealous."

"Yes, sooo jealous," said Usagi, who actually felt a teensy bit jealous. "Well, have fun, I guess."

"Aww, don't pout, Rei can come over once I'm done with her."

Usagi perked up. "Yeah?"

"Of course, even if she ever had plans, she'd drop them in a hot second for-" Minako's words cut out abruptly, replaced with a sharp burst of noise. Usagi could hear laughter for a moment before her voice returned. "Sorry, Rei is trying to punch me while her nails are wet and it looks hilarious. I don- Ow!" Usagi heard her say something that she couldn't quite make out. "Alright, fine, geez, here's Rei."

"Hey," Rei's voice was tight, a sure sign she was annoyed. "Sorry about that, Mina has no sense of... well, sense. What's up?"

"Do you want to come over for a bit? I'm kinda bored," asked Usagi.

"Yeah, sure! Haruka's picking Mina up soon - I'll head over then. Should I bring anything?"

"No, that's okay." With luck, Makoto could be convinced to make snacks. "See you then!"

Rei made her goodbyes, with Minako yelling hers from the background. With thoughts of cookies dancing in her head, Makoto's number was the next one she dialed.

"Hey, Usagi, what's up? Makoto's voice was strained, but she sounded chipper.

"Are you doing anything? I'm trying to get everyone over to celebrate my parents being gone."

"Oh, jeez, sorry, I already made plans," Makoto said with a grunt. "Ami and I are going to that gallery showing downtown. I'm just getting dressed."

"Oh." Usagi tried to keep the disappointment from her voice. "Right. Ami was talking about that last week... well, you guys have a good time, I'll talk to you later."

"I'm sorry, I promise we'll all get together soon, okay," Makoto apologized. "You and Rei have fun!"

"Yeah, you too." She hung up and scrolled through her contacts. Haruka and Ami were taken, apparently, Michiru was still at school in Berlin until September, and Hotaru was with Setsuna at a fashion show in China for the weekend. She let out a frustrated sigh. Suddenly, staying home alone didn't seem as exciting and mature as it had a few hours ago. At least Rei was going to make it. Speaking of which, she sent Rei a quick message:

chagne of plans plz bring snackcs ／(^x^)＼

Rei's response was a simple 'k', but it was enough to boost Usagi's spirits. She sat on the couch and turned the TV back on. The news was on, and she made a half-hearted attempt to watch it like a responsible adult would, but her eyes kept stealing over to the clock, then to the front door, and back again. An agonizing thirty minutes later, a knock on the door had her leaping out of her seat. She dashed to the entryway, took a second to straighten her clothes, and opened the door. "Good evening, welcome to my home," she said with all the grace she could muster.

Rei blinked in surprise and then giggled. "My, such a gracious invitation," she said, stepping into the house. She gazed around theatrically. "What a lovely home you have. Please, accept this humble gift," she said with a bow, proffering a small convenience store bag.

"Ooh, ice cream!" cheered Usagi. "Ahem, I mean, thank you for the lovely gift. Please, let me show you around." Shaking with silent laughter, Rei motioned for her to lead the way. "This is my living room, where I watch the news and other such adult programs," Usagi said with a broad sweep of her hand before moving on. "And this is the kitchen where I cook all of my home-made meals."

"But don't clean up after those meals," Rei noted.

Usagi blushed faintly. "Yes, well, it's been a very busy day..." Rei just grinned as the tour continued. "And, uh, this is where I do my laun...dry..." She trailed off, staring at the washer. "AUGH!" she cried suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Rei said in alarm. Usagi hung her head and opened the washer lid. Her laundry stared back at her accusingly.

"I forgot to put it in the dryer," she said miserably. "Do you think it's okay?"

"I'm sure it's... oh," Rei's words sent a wave of panic through Usagi. It must have shown on her face, because Rei was quick to soothe her. "No, no, it's okay! Look, it's just... everything is soaking wet still. Did you turn on the spin cycle?" Usagi shook her head slowly. She tried her best to memorize what Rei did as she turned knobs and hit buttons. "We'll just start it again with a little bit of detergent, and make sure the spin cycle, is set... there. Did you get that?"

Usagi nodded happily. "I think so. Umm... can I call you if I can't figure it out?"

"Of course," Rei sighed.

"Yay!" Usagi hugged her hard. "Another domestic success! This calls for a celebration!"

Rei's ice cream was soft enough to serve easily, and Usagi made a big show it, laying out their bowls and spoons with exaggerated gravitas. She plopped down into her seat and served herself with gusto, careful to leave plenty for Rei. It was maple, her third – no, second – favorite, and she hummed happily around her spoon after the first bite. "Rei, you're the best," she declared once she was done savoring it.

Rei sat up a little straighter. "You're welcome," she said happily.

"And you look amazing tonight," Usagi added between bites. "Minako did a great job." To her surprise, Rei's eyes widened, and she flushed crimson to the tips of her ears before lowering her face to stare into her bowl. "I mean, you always look beautiful!" Usagi blurted, afraid she'd upset her somehow. "I just meant that Minako's makeup really brings out your, um... everything?" If anything Rei's face seemed to get redder. She bit her lip, afraid that anything else she said would just make things worse. After a minute, Rei took a deep breath and looked back up at her. She was pink from the roots of her hair down to the neck of her blouse, and Usagi had to stifle a sudden giggle.

"Ugh... sorry," Rei said finally, rubbing at her cheeks with the palms of her hands. "Minako was making me play dress-up all afternoon, and you know how she can get when she's all revved up."

Usagi nodded in sudden understanding. Minako could always be counted on to compliment a haircut or a new outfit, but she had a tendency to get a little overexcited, and once that happened those compliments could start ranging from inappropriate to downright graphic. Rei had a hard time taking compliments at the best of times, but Minako must have been really getting under her skin if she was this flustered. "Don't be sorry," she said. "I've been there." Everyone who was friends with Minako had been there at some point.

"Heh, yeah..."

Usagi decided to change the subject slightly. "What's up with this thing with Haruka? It's... not a real date, is it?"

"Ugh, with those two, who can tell," Rei said. "Every other word out of their mouths is some kind of innuendo when they're together, but it never means anything. I pity whoever has to deal with them tonight." She poked fitfully at her ice cream. "I suppose it's possible, with Haruka and Michiru's... arrangement." They both studied their bowls in silence for a moment. Rei knew full well that Usagi didn't approve of their friends' open relationship. It upset her on a level below her ability to articulate, but for some reason none of her friends shared her opinion. She'd even received a ten minute diatribe from Minako about being closed-minded, so now she kept her sentiments to herself.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Well, if anything happens, she'll be the first to tell us."

Rei's laugh sounded a little forced. "Haha, yeah, definitely. Hell, if anything happens with anyone, she's the first one to tell us."

"Yeah." She let her spoon clatter down next to her now-empty bowl. "So... I don't suppose you want to help me do the dishes?"

Rei smiled and shook her head. "You didn't invite me over just to do all your housework did you? I thought you were supposed to be learning how to function on your own?"

Usagi sat up straight. "I'll have you know I am a very responsible and mature young woman," she said airily. Rei didn't seem to buy it, so she changed tactics. "Puh-leeeeeeeease?" she pleaded, batting her eyelashes. "I've helped you with chores at the shrine tons of times." Not well, mind you, but it was technically true.

Rei looked skeptical, but eventually she relented. "Alright, fine. But pay attention - I'm not coming over here every night to do this!" With the two of them working together, it really didn't take much time at all, even with Rei insisting they do things like sweep the floor and clean under the stove elements that Usagi thought were going way overboard. She even showed Usagi how to run the dishwasher, which she'd apparently been doing wrong for years. It was actually kinda fun, even with Rei lecturing her occasionally, and she had to admit it was pretty satisfying when they were all finished.

With that out of the way, they settled down in the living room to watch TV. Usagi pulled out a horror movie she'd been dying to see, but Rei managed to talk her out of it by reminding her that she'd be sleeping alone for the next three weeks. Instead, they settled on a romantic drama that Makoto had recommended to Rei. It utterly failed to capture Usagi's interest, and for two hours she sat slouched on the couch, trying not to fidget and shooting regular glances at Rei to see if she was into it. Unfortunately, she seemed to be enraptured by it; her eyes never left the screen from start to finish. By the time the credits mercifully started to roll, it was just past eleven.

"What did you think?" Rei asked, trying and failing to fight a massive yawn. She would have been up early to do chores around the shrine, even during summer vacation (which was just wrong).

"Do you want to sleep over?" Usagi blurted out. Rei froze mid-yawn and then began to cough, but she waved Usagi away when she tried to be helpful by patting her on the back. "It's just... after what you said before, all I can think about is how empty the house is...," she explained sheepishly after Rei had regained her composure.

At first, Rei's only response was a long, unreadable look, but finally she said, "I-I didn't bring anything with me."

"You can wear some of my pajamas!" Usagi said hopefully. "Fresh from the dryer!" Rei didn't answer, just continued to stare bemusedly at the empty space between them. "Or... I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to." She felt uncertainty creep into her voice. "Rei?"

At the sound of her name, Rei jerked. "I'm sorry, I, uh, kinda spaced out trying to think if there was anything I had to do in the morning," she said, focusing her eyes back on Usagi. "I just have to give my Grandpa a quick call, but I'm sure it's fine." She staggered as Usagi threw her arms around her.

"Yes! Sleepoveeeeeer!" she squealed. "I'll get the futon out!" She dashed up the stairs two at a time and started digging through the linen closet. When was the last time she had had an actual, real sleepover? One that didn't involve studying or Senshi business? Maybe in middle school with Naru, she thought as she lugged the futon down the hall into her room. That seemed so long ago now. And sure, there had been times when all of them got together at Mako's apartment, or Haruka and Michiru's house, but that wasn't the same. There was something about laying in the dark and talking to your best friend until way too late that you couldn't replicate with half a dozen girls laughing and gossiping all at once.

Plus, she and Rei rarely had a chance to hang out, just the two of them, she thought as she went in search for a spare pillow. Worse, the times they did it was almost always to cheer her up because of some drama with Mamoru. It bothered her sometimes that their relationship was so one-sided. That was one benefit of going to an all-girls' school, she supposed – no boy troubles.

In the end, she stole a pillow off of one of her parents' beds, figuring it would at least be clean. Rei was just reaching the top of the stairs when she came out of their room. A look of irritation darkened her face. "Everything okay?" Usagi asked, clutching the pillow in front of her.

"Nope, all good!" Rei replied with a smile. Usagi sighed in relief. "Minako and Haruka just won't stop messaging me."

"They're still out?" Usagi asked in surprise. Rei nodded.

"Yeah, at some club." Usagi grabbed the phone from her hand. The two blondes were barely visible in the under-lit and grainy picture, but she could make them out, cheek-to-cheek and giving a thumbs-up to the camera. Both of them were frowning in mock severity.

"What is this supposed to mean?" she asked.

"That they are having 'serious fun', I think," Rei answered, taking her phone back and muting it. "That's enough out of them."

"I hope they aren't drinking," Usagi said. Not that she was really worried. Minako would probably go a little wild when she turned eighteen in three months, but until then she claimed that she'd never had a drop to drink, and Haruka certainly wouldn't drink if she was driving. Which she was, of course.

"I'm sure they're fine. Besides," Rei said with an evil grin, "they can't be worse than you get when you drink."

Usagi felt her ears burning, but held her tongue. True, she got falling down drunk every time she'd had so much as a glass of wine. Worse, she always remembered every slurred conversation or stupid, stumbling antic with horrifying clarity. And yes, maybe that embarrassment made her a little preachy when it came to drinking, but... but-!

"Sorry, I know you don't like being teased about it," said Rei. Her shy tone deflated Usagi's internal rant, and she had to resist the urge to pout. That wasn't fair, apologizing right as she was getting worked up.

"Well... thanks," she said grudgingly. She glanced down at her alarm clock. "I guess we should go to bed?"

Rei nodded beside her. "Yeah, it's a little past my bedtime." She gave Usagi a sleepy smile. "Are you tired? I thought you usually stay up late on the weekend."

"Sure, it's fine, I'm kinda tired anyway," Usagi lied. Her original plan for tonight had been to stay up all night watching movies and playing video games, and for that noble purpose she had slept in extra late this morning. Maybe she could read manga under the covers with the light on her phone, sort of like when she was a kid. The thought made her smile.

She changed into her pajamas while Rei went to grab the laundry from the dryer. When she returned, Usagi thrust her arms into the basket with a happy sigh. Even at the peak of a blistering Tokyo summer, there was something wonderful about the feeling of hot, fresh laundry. She unceremoniously dumped the contents onto her bed, and then pawed through the pile for a minute before pulling out one of her favorites. "Here," she said, tossing them towards Rei, who caught them awkwardly. "Those are nice and light."

Rei pulled off her blouse and shorts quickly, turning away from Usagi as she unhooked her bra, but not fast enough to hide the tiny spots of red in her cheeks. Usagi shook her head and grinned at her friend's modesty. Once Rei had struggled into the pajamas, she did a little unconscious twirl and looked at herself. Usagi had to admit that they weren't quite Rei's style: the dark blue cotton with white piping and a cute little monogrammed 'U' on the pocket washed out her complexion, making her seem even paler than normal, and they were a little too big, just the way Usagi liked her pajamas. Still, Rei had an annoying way of looking good in anything.

"You're right, this does feel nice," she cooed. "But I kind of feel like a little girl." She held her arms out to the sides, and the sleeves slid down past her palms.

"It's not that bad," Usagi said, looking down at her own pink set. "It's better than them getting all twisted around while you sleep."

They both settled into bed, and Usagi flicked the switch on her bedside lamp. She rolled over and peered over the side of her bed. Rei's eyes met hers, the whites seeming to glow in the moon-lit room. "How is the futon? Do you need another blanket?"

Rei smiled back up at her. "I don't even know if I'll use this one, it's like twenty degrees in here."

"What about to lay on? Is the futon enough?" Usagi had always had a hard time falling asleep on the floor.

"Usagi, I'm fine, honestly. This is way thicker than the ones we have at the shrine. And it's actually a little cooler down here."

"Alright," Usagi said doubtfully. "I'm just trying to, you know, be a good host."

"Tell you what, how about you don't snore all night, and we'll call it even," Rei teased.

Usagi flopped back onto her pillows. "Just for that, I'm sleeping with my mouth open all night," she announced, and began to make exaggerated snores until Rei started to laugh. She started to laugh too, causing her to half-laugh, half-snore, half-choke, which made Rei laugh even harder.

Once their giggles had petered out, Usagi found herself staring at the ceiling, tracing its familiar lines of light and shadow. Rei was quiet on the floor beside her; was she falling asleep? Her legs squirmed under the thin blanket in a fit of anxious energy. She felt... vaguely unsatisfied. Her night with Rei had been fun, but had it really been any different than any other time they'd hung out? She'd expected being alone in the house to be some kind of grand adventure that would mark a new stage in her life. Somehow. But it seemed like all she'd done today was eat, do chores, and watch TV.

She thought of Minako and Haruka, out on their date doing who knows what, and felt an abrupt surge of jealousy. Maybe there was more to being an adult than just being unsupervised. Usagi wasn't a rebellious teenager by any stretch (whatever her parents might be paranoid about), but she felt a sudden and intense craving for some kind of mischief. An idea flit into her head.

"Rei!" she whispered, leaning over the bed again. Rei's eyes popped open.

"Whah?" she murmured, rubbing her eye. Asleep already. Typical.

Usagi shot her an impish grin. "How would you like to do something a little bit... naughty?"

Rei's hand froze, and her open eye stared into Usagi's for a moment. "What do you mean?" she said hoarsely.

Usagi stuck out her hand. "C'mon," she said. Rei stared at her hand for a second for taking it wordlessly and letting herself be pulled up onto the bed. She sat back on her heels at the foot of the bed, eyes wide and unblinking. Usagi turned and pushed open her windows. The night air was warm, with a hint of a breeze. Behind her, Rei made a surprised noise as she swung her legs out over the windowsill and onto the eaves.

"Are you crazy?" Rei hissed as she stood up, one hand on the casement. "That's dangerous!"

Usagi crouched down and looked back into the room. "First off, I've seen you jump off of a ten-storey building as Sailor Mars. Second, I've come in and out of this window dozens of times. Not all of us have ground-floor bedrooms with sliding doors." She reached out her hand again. "Now, quit being a baby." Muttering to herself, Rei took her hand and let Usagi lead her out. "Watch your feet – try to stand in the middle of the tiles so you don't get a splinter."

"What if someone sees us?" Rei asked as Usagi led her carefully around the corner of the eave.

"That's why we're doing it while my parents aren't here," Usagi replied. She gingerly stepped around the corner of the house. She hadn't actually come this particular way since she started middle school; normally, she just transformed and leapt onto the next rooftop. Fortunately, it was just as easy as she remembered. Soon, the two of them were scampering up the slope of the roof. The shakes here were warm underfoot, even hours after the sun had set, and they provided excellent traction to their bare feet. Once they reached the top, Usagi carefully stepped over the ridge and sat down. Rei sat beside her on her left and let out a quiet gasp.

A sea of lights spread out before them, rolling downwards into the glittering mass of downtown Tokyo. The gentle slope of her neighborhood was almost impossible to detect from the street, but long ago Usagi had discovered that it provided a miraculously clear view of the city from the roof (not to mention a handy avenue for the superheroine on the go). She pointed to small patch of forest to their left, easily visible in the glow of the near-full moon that hung over them. "That's your shrine."

"What, really?" Rei craned her neck. "It seems so close."

"Yup, I looked it up once." She pointed slightly to the right. "See those two blue lights with the red one between them? That's my school, I'm pretty sure."

"Huh."

"It's weird to think that in eight months I won't be going there anymore," she said wistfully. "You know... I've always kinda wished we could've gone to school together. I feel bad that you're the only one who never got to. I mean, except for Setsuna, but she doesn't count." She'd thought a lot about this since school started this year. The dawning apprehension that school would end, and their lives might take all of them on different paths, always made her heart ache. She stubbornly pushed the thought from her head.

Rei smiled sadly, her eyes still on the distant lights. "Well, TA Academy hasn't been bad. And...," she paused. "You've always made me feel included. All of you, I mean," she added quickly.

"Well, of course." Usagi scooted over to the left a bit and put her arms around her friend's shoulders. She gazed up at a night sky that almost seemed like a reflection of the city below. A small breeze kicked up and she shivered, taking the excuse to clutch Rei tighter. Rei's arm cautiously crept around her waist, and she smiled. "I'm really glad you're here, Rei," she said, resting her cheek on the other girl's shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Usagi." A note of... something in Rei's voice made her look up. Rei's profile was white as milk in the moonlight, her eyes heavy-lidded, twin storms of amethyst. Her left hand came up to cup Usagi's chin, her thumb sliding smoothly along the curve of her jaw, and her right hand brushed the small of her back, pulling Usagi gently towards her as she leaned forward. The feel of her hot breath raised goosebumps on Usagi's arms a split second before their lips met and her faculties fled her.

A lifetime later, Rei drew back, breaking their kiss. Usagi opened her eyes, and saw Rei watching her intently, her expression sphinxian, inscrutable. A question hung heavy in the air between them, but Usagi couldn't find her voice. Every iota of her brain power was dedicated to two all-consuming processes: first, the sudden vivid and inexorable awareness that she hadn't been touched by another person for almost eight months. Second, a slight, but world-altering change in perspective, like the twist of a kaleidoscope, that was exposing strange and wonderful angles on four years' worth of memories – memories of quiet conversations and too-long glances, of teasing and taunting, of agonizing loss and almost unbearable relief. A second lifetime passed before she could scrape together the wherewithal to speak.

"Oh."

Author's Note

Hello, friends!

Thanks for taking to the time to read my little story here. Just a heads up, this story is also available on AO3 in its full, adult-oriented glory under the pseud balambfish! You haven't missed anything in this chapter, but going forth there will be considerable differences between the content of the AO3 and FFnet versions. So don't miss out!

Peace,

BF