"Hi girls!" Usagi greeted the four Inner Senshi as they made their way to her.

"Alright, Usagi, 'fess up. What's this "urgent business" that you were talking about over the phone?" Rei asked abruptly, as soon as she reached the blond's side.

"Hello to you too, Rei. It's nice seeing you again," Usagi said primly, refusing to be cowed by the brunette.

"Well, she's got a point, Usagi. What's this important business you were talking about? I had to cancel a conference I've already scheduled months ago." Ami said, her tone as impatient as Rei's. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Ami was not the type to be impatient. Still, given that the conference only invited the top students of Japan, she felt that it was more than her due.

"Er, heehee. Can't we at least order first?" Usagi said, laughing nervously. The other four didn't react, merely stared at her. "Okay, fine, fine! Just... Sit down, will you?" Minako, Rei, Makoto, and Ami gingerly took seats around Usagi, but their eyes never left her. "Okay, here we go..." Usagi took a deep breath and blurted, "ItookthestonesfromMamoru."

Minako blinked. "Come again?"

"The stones... I took the stones from Mamoru!"

"What stones?" Makoto asked, her puzzled look reflecting the expressions on her friends' faces.

"The Shitennou!" Usagi practically yelled in exasperation, bouncing off her chair. When she saw the other people looking at her curiously, she sat down again, her face as red as an apple. She took a deep breath and began again. "Look. I took the Shitennou stones. For you."

The four looked at each other, and then began talking at the same time.

"You odango-head! Why did you that?"

"Usagi, are you insane?"

"Does Mamoru know of this?"

"How the heck did you get them?"

"Calm down!" Usagi hissed, pulling all four of them back to their seats. More heads swiveled in their direction, and Usagi waved at them nervously until they went back to their respective businesses. "Mamoru's gone for a few days for some business or something. Look, you guys have been unhappy and moping and..."

"We're not unhappy!"

"We're not moping!"

"Quiet!" Usagi hissed again, and the four subsided, glaring at her. "Look, you guys. Just... Give this a chance, won't you?"

"Yeah, give them a chance to killing us again," Makoto muttered.

"Oh come on, girls, you know they've changed. I mean, Mamoru turns to them for advice, and they haven't hurt him. He says that they've really gone back to the way they were back in the Silver Millennium. You know, the guys you know," she added, turning to each of them. The four, however, refused to look at her, staring at anything and everything around them but at the clear blue orbs. "Please? I just want you to be as happy as I am." Usagi pleaded.

The four melted. It was hard to resist Usagi whenever she was like this. However, Ami, Makoto, and Rei unconsciously turned to Minako, who sighed loudly, and said, "Might as well," but her tone said her consent was more than grudgingly given.

Usagi, however, didn't give them a chance to complain again. Squealing lightly, she went to each of the girls and hugged them. "You girls won't regret this, I promise!"

"I already am," Rei muttered, which Usagi pointedly ignored. Pulling four small velvet pouches from her bag, she gave one to each of the girls.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Makoto asked, gingerly holding her pouch.

"Urm, I think you're just supposed to touch it, and then they will probably come out of it or something."

Ami's eyebrows rose. "I'm hearing a lot of 'maybes' there, Usagi. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Of course! Now, Mamoru won't be back until after three days. That would be enough time, I think. You have to promise to at least try to talk to them, okay?" Hearing muttered grumbling, she pressed, "Okay?"

"Fine." The four grumpily agreed, and then proceeded to leave one after the other in different directions, holding the pouches in front of them as though they were vipers.

xxx

Might as well get this over with.

Okay, here we go.

Here goes nothing.

If I know Usagi, she probably gave us the wrong stones. No, she can't be that scatterbrained.

In their separate rooms that night, each girl slid the stone from the pouch, holding the smooth object in their hands. Almost immediately, a bright glow surrounded it. Swallowing loudly, they stared at the forms emerging from the stones until...

"AAAH!"