Title: Growing Author: Aiko Rating: PG Genre: Romance, Drama Season: All five and beyond Author's Notes: Hi guys! I'm so terribly sorry that this story is a week late, life got in the way. Life has a tendency of getting in the way... *Hears a chorus of 'Ain't that the truths'* Any way, here is chapter three. I won't give away much of what's going on, except that it's a week after the first meeting. Also, I thought I'd go ahead and tell you that I'm not gonna bring the Starlights (Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki) into this story at any point. Also, I've decided to give our dear Usagi a tormentor, not Mamoru, but another guy. *grins mischeviously* Here we go! Disclaimer: I own my WebTV, I own a ton of left over Halloween candy, and I own my radio, on the other hand I don't own Coca Cola, the Oriental restaurant down the road, or Sailor Moon. Isn't that a pity? ************************ Growing - Chapter 3 Introducing Sailor Mercury, but who is this psychic girl Hino Rei? ************************ "Usagi-chan, why aren't you doing your homework?" Luna asked for the umpteenth time that night. The black cat had no idea that Usagi desperatly wanted to say 'Because I already did it.' and she had, but she'd be a purple flamingo before she'd tell Luna. "But Luuuunnnnaaaa, it's boring!! I don't wanna!" she whined, sounding annoying even to her own ears. The small black cat sighed, in the week that she had known Usagi she had never seen her do her homework. Never. "Usagi-chan, it is important for your future, so do it. NOW!" Luna said impatiently nudging the pencil towards Usagi. Usagi, purposely being annoying, took the pencil and put it in her pencil box. "I'm going for a walk Luna, I need some air." she said and donned a white sweater over her pink turtle neck and walked out of the room. Luna sat there speechless. 'This girl...is infuritating.' she thought to herself and decided to follow. "I'm going for a walk Mom." Usagi called out, knowing that Luna was following her. 'I feel kinda bad for lying to her, but...' "Alright dear, don't stay out too late, we're having honey chicken* for supper." Tsukino Ikuko replied. "Yum. OK. Bye." she said and walked out the door. 'Where to go where to go..' she wondered as she walked. Finally deciding on the library, she had a report in Government to research any way, she started jogging. "Usagi-baka, I didn't know YOU jogged." an all to familiar voice called out. Usagi decided to pretend she didn't hear. "Don't play deaf with me Tsukino Usagi, I know you can hear me, I also know that you love these little impromptu meets of ours." he said snobbishly easily keeping pace with her. (AN: The stereotypical rich boy...cute, but a pain in the rump) "Go away." she seethed and made a quick turn down another street towards the library. "Why should I? Look, I know you've been waiting for me to ask you for a date, and I've decided to give you that great honor. Surely you know that it will be a date to remember, considering who my father is." he countered undaunted. "Oh brother." she muttered and stopped. "Are you out of what's left of your mind?" she asked incredulously. "Think about it sweetheart, but don't think too long, I've got a list a mile long of girls who'd give their right arms to go out on a date with me." he said and moved in to give her a kiss. Usagi stepped two steps to the left and Yosho** ended up kissing the wall of a building. "Wacko." she muttered in english and jogged on to the library. Luna, who had been watching the entire situation, (and preparing to intervene with claws and teeth if necessary) was amazed at the grace that Usagi showed. She hadn't tripped once, she didn't wail, she didn't flirt, she didn't whine. Was there more to her that met the eye? And where was she heading? Once again following her she saw that she was heading to the library of all places. Usagi entered the library and gave her sunshine smile to the librarian before heading to the reference section to look up American government. The constitution in particular. Upon entering Usagi saw a familiar head of dark blue hair. It was Ami, a girl she had become friends with since their meeting at the hospital. "Hi Ami-chan." she whispered and waved. "Oh, good afternoon Usagi-chan." Ami whispered back when she saw Usagi. "What are you looking up?" she asked. "American Government" Usagi replied, completely forgetting her air-head act. "I've got a report on the Constitution due in three weeks." she said. Ami noticed her more mature attitude towards schoolwork, but chose not to say any thing. She had known from the beginning that her air-headed act, was just that. An act. Once she had pulled a few books from the shelves she sat down across from Ami. "Mind if I sit here?" she asked. "Of course not Usagi-chan, do you need some paper?" Ami asked with a smile. Usagi blushed. "I guess I forgot to bring some, yes please." she said. Ami smiled and handed her a few sheets of paper and a pencil. "Here you go." she said. "Thanks." "Your welcome." Ami said and went back to her own studying, once in a while she glanced up only to see Usagi reading and jotting down notes like a first class student. If you were sitting in that very same library you would think it a normal day, with two normal students doing their homework, in a normal library. Very normal. It was not. More's the pity. Suddenly a shriek was heard from another part of the library. Usagi stood up quickly. "I wonder what that was?!" she said and ran towards the sound of the shout. "Drats." she muttered when she saw the youma draining the energy from the people. "Moon..Pri.." she was innterupted by Ami's voice. "Usagi-chan, what's going on?" she asked when the youma, having drained the other's energy saw them and raced towards them. It looked like an octopus, a green, red, and blue octopus. Ami gasped and tried to run away, but the youma caught her. 'I don't care if she sees me transform! I've gotta help her.' Usagi thought to her self. "Moon Prisim Power, Make UP!" she shouted and in a flurry of ribbons she was Sailormoon. "Usagi-chan...Sailor Moon.." Ami weakly said, then started to resist the youma's attempts to drain her. Something inside this patient, studious, shy young woman was fighting and fighting hard. She didn't want to submit, she wanted her energy, she wanted her freedom. Luna had gotten in when she heard the screams ran to Sailormoon. "Sailor Moon! Why are you just standing there like a log, attack!" Luna shouted. "Luna, if I attack that thing it could hurt Ami-chan!" Usagi said desperately. Suddenly Ami screamed and her aura became completely visible, blue, blue as the sky. And a symbol, a Mercurian symbol. "Mercury..." Luna whispered and did her back flip thing. The transformation pen landed in Ami's hand. "Ami! Say Mercury Power, Make UP!" Luna instructed her. Ami nodded her head a little and grasped the pen. "Mercury Power, Make UP!" she shouted and the power that emitted from her caused the youma to let go of her and back off a little. In a flash of bubbles where Ami once stood Sailor Mercury was standing. A power awoke in her, as it had in Usagi and Mamoru, and she knew her powers. "Shabon Spray!" and a freezing fog came over the room. "AHHH!" the youma yelled. "Moon Tiara Action!" Sailor Moon attacked and the youma was, pardon the pun, moon dust. The fog lifted and every thing was once again back in order. Drained people stood up, wondering just why they were lying on the floor like that, having no memory of the attack. Mercury and Moon quickly detransformed and went back into the reference room. "Wow, Ami-chan, you're Sailor Mercury." Usagi whispered. "Welcome to the club." she smiled. Ami blushed. "I had heard of Sailor Moon, but I had no idea that there were more Sailor Senshi, and the last thought that would have entered my head is that I would be one of them." she said. "Weird isn't it?" Ami nodded then looked at Luna who was sitting on the table. "How is that you talk, huh kitty?" Ami asked. "It is a long story, one I'm not too positive about, as it will be revealed when the Princess is found." Luna said. "I am Luna, by the way." Ami smiled. "It suits you with that little bald spot on your head." Luna sweatdropped and Usagi attempted to stifle her giggles. "What's wrong?" Ami asked perplexed at their reactions. "I'm sorry Ami-chan, it's just that Mama calls her crescent moon symbol the same thing, it um..irks Luna a tad." Usagi explained. "Oh, I apologize Luna." Ami said blushing once again. "It's alright Ami, you didn't know." Luna said and purred some. "I had better sneak out now. Usagi-chan, when are you coming?" "Later." Usagi said. "I need to um..finish a couple of things..." she stuttered. "Ok." Luna said. "Good bye you two." she said and slithered out. Usagi smiled at Ami. "It's a strange feeling isn't it? To know that you wield so much power in you, power you can call in a few simple words." she said, her mature side coming back now that Luna was gone. "It is strange, what was it like for you? When you first felt that power, that strength?" Ami asked. "A shock. It was what a lightning rod must feel like when hit by lightning. I feel it every time I have to transform or power up for an attack. I'm getting used to it now, but it's still so exhausting." Usagi replied. In truth it left the feeling of a burn on her fingers and arms. It wore off quickly, but it was still a pain. It was exhausting too. Very exhausting, she wanted to sleep and sleep after she had to battle a youma. Maybe with Mercury here it wouldn't draw completely on her energy any more. "I guess I should finish my report." Ami said and went back to her reading, but the memories of the battle skitted back and forth in her mind. Usagi could tell that Ami was shaken. "Ami-chan, remember that we're a team, no one has to fight alone." she said wisely and went back to her own studying. Ami looked up and contemplated what Usagi had said. Usagi had been her first friend, her only friend and she valued Usagi greatly. And now they were comrades in arms, fighting to protect the city from evil. She was not alone any more, no, not with Usagi here. She smiled a bright smile and went back to her book, her heart lighter now than it had been in years. Across town a young raven haired girl had been meditating in front of the Sacred Fire when she had felt the same distress that she had felt three times in a week. This time, however, she had been able to pin point the location and so she ran, she ran towards the library. She didn't know why she was going there, she no longer felt the distress, but she wanted answers. Once she reached the library she nodded a greeting to the librarian and walked around, just to see for herself that all was well. And it was, there was no sign of any thing out of the ordinary, except...except a residue of evil, and the feeling of two people of power near. She followed the feeling and it led her to the reference room. It was there that she saw two girls. One with short dark blue hair and the other with long, and I do mean long, blonde hair done up in the most ridiculous hair style imaginable. It looked like odango and noodles to her. Wanting to seem inconspicuous she went over to the religion section and pulled out a book on Zen, a Buddist philosopher and sat down at a near by table. Usagi didn't even have to look up to know that this girl had walked in. She had a powerful psychic psyche. She did look up however and glanced at the window. "Uh oh! It's nearly dark. Ami-chan, I gotta go!" she said quietly, but urgently. "Here's your pencil, and the paper I didn't use." she said handing the articles over to Ami. "Ok, thank you Usagi-chan. See you tomorrow in school." she said. "Ok Ami-chan, bye." she said picking up her papers and walked out of the building, waving goodbye to the librarian. Once she got out side she put her rear in gear. Overdrive if you want to be specific. It was nearing dark and if there was something that Usagi didn't like, it was being outside alone at dark. Usagi reached her home in record time and walked in the door, huffing and puffing as she was out of breath. She kicked off her shoes and sniffed the air. Good, her mom hadn't started dinner yet, she wasn't late. "I'm back Mom." she called out as she headed upstairs. Once she had reached her room she looked around for Luna. Finding her asleep on the windowsill, in typical cat fashion, she smiled and put her notes in a folder hidden under her bed. This locked box was where she kept all of her test papers, report cards, and research papers. She had finished researching all the material she needed for this report so now all she had to do was write out the outline and do the first and final drafts. Sighing she laid down on her bed, the burning feeling in her fingers and arms practically gone, but energy was only replenished with sleep or rest. She did both, she took a nap. As she fell asleep she thought about that raven haired girl. Her energy level was way up there, and she had a fiery spirit. Who was she? End of Chapter 3 ************************** *Honey Chicken: An oriental dish consisting of deep fried chicken in honey. As a side dish steamed broccoli is good and fried rice. Yummy. **Yosho: Name of the grandfather off of Tench Me! Well, guys how'd you like it? I hope it was good. I want to apologize for not writing the people who had written me about chapter 2, I really, truly appreciate all your comments. Please do write me and tell me what you think. I promise I'll reply. Coming Soon: Chapter 4 - So Hino Rei is Sailor Mars?! Let's get rid of Jadeite and visit our new friend Kino Makoto! Quote of the week: "Don't ever loose that light in your eyes." Leeann Rimes (Light in your eyes)