Part III
    Akane held the flash light steady, "Ramna are you sure about this?"
    The pigtailed boy nodded, "Yes, didn’t you see her face when she read this? It wasn’t just a letter saying ‘hiya how ya doing!’ There was something in there that scared her, and I’m going to find out."
    Akane bit her lip, "How do you know she won’t wake up?"
    Ramna gave Akane a dirty look, "If Usagi could sleep through Happosai coming in here and stealing underwear from her body! Then no! She won’t." He held up the letter triumphant. "Here we go!" he removed the letter from the envelope and stuffed the envelope back into the pillowcase. Suddenly he realized that the head resting on the pillow was too light to have a human head on it.  He pulled back the pillows to reveal two pillows underneath, but no Usagi. "Oh shit! Usagi’s gone!"
 

    Usagi held Akane’s old coat around her, she had felt guilty about taking it, but it was too cold to go without. She checked her watch, two minutes until eight, knowing Pluto, she would probably be there almost exactly on time. She looked around the park, Moon Light Park. Sort of reminded her of the Moonlight Knight, how she had been so convinced that he and Darien were one and the same, then the massive shock she’d felt when she’d seen them together. She felt herself wishing the Moonlight Knight was there with her now. She shook herself. "Get a grip girl!" she scolded herself.
 

    Ramna leaned over Cologne’s shoulder. "Back boy! It is hard enough to read this without you leaning over my shoulder!", the woman snapped. Ramna backed off. "It is old Moon Script, there has not been such in ten thousand years, since the fall of the Silver Millennium." Akane didn’t bother to ask what the Silver Millennium was. "It says Dear Usagi,
     I wrote your old name on the front to make sure you wouldn’t read this aloud. This is Setsuna, I have found a way to contact you through the dimensions, I have information on how you can travel through the worlds. Meet me at Moon Light Park at 8:00 tonight, be there!
    Setsuna, sounds strange. Dimensional travel. Your friend may be from farther away then you think. It is ten minutes to eight now. Go to Moon Light Park and see if you can see what’s going on!", Cologne snapped.
    Akane noticed something, "These sigils here mean Usagi right?"
    "They mean rabbit, but that is what Usagi means. Why?"
    Akane bit her lip, "The envelope’s sigils were different."
    Cologne got a weird look on her face. "Bring me the envelope first chance you get, now go to Moon light park! No delay!" Ramna grabbed Akane’s wrist and dragged her along behind.
 

    Shampoo came from the back of the shop rubbing her eyes. "What’s going on? Why did you make Shampoo wait in back while husband was here!", she demanded.
    Cologne sighed, "Shampoo should not get involved with this one. Remember old legend I used to tell you when you were a child? It is coming true, The Moon Child has returned.", Shampoo got a strange light in her eyes.
 

    Once more she checked her watch. five seconds, four seconds, three, two , one… "Hello Princess." Usagi jumped, Pluto floated within a tiny orb before her.
    "Why am I not surprised?" Usagi sighed.
    The figure in the glowing orb looked a little abashed, "Sorry, I have much to tell you, and very little time to do it in.", Usagi listened intently, "TO get back you must find the Dimensional Mirror. It has been passed down from Moon Queen to Moon Queen, and is now waiting for you, it awaits in the ruins of the moon. Use the Ginzuishou to get there, you know how."
    Usagi bit her lip, "Pluto? I don’t think I can go back, when I came here I acquired a curse."
    Pluto blinked, "What?"
    "Yes, watch." Usagi brought out her bottle of cold water and dumped it over her head. Suddenly she stopped feeling the cold and knew the change was complete.
    Pluto gasped, "Oh dear. Some things don’t change, when you were Princess Serenity, you had a peculiarity, when you splashed her with cold water, she became a cat woman."
    Usagi cursed, "Oh wonderful! Isn’t that just peachy keen!"
    Pluto looked at her sadly, "The curse is irreversible, but it signifies something more. It means you are ready to move on."
    Usagi, now Orlin,  lifted a slim tan brow. "Ne?"
    Pluto cleared her throat, "You are destined to go from Dimension to Dimension awakening the Senshi in those worlds."
    Orlin sighed, "Always me. It’s always me. One thing, do the Senshi think I’m dead?",
    Pluto shook her head, "They’re not sure, I didn’t think they needed to know. And they would have thought it was a trick.  I shouldn’t show up until a certain event."
    Usagi sighed, "I bet Chibi-Usa is happy, she’s got Mamoru all to herself." she said bitterly.
    Pluto made no move to correct her. "Mamoru has retreated into his own world. Chibi-Usa is the only one who can draw him out of it, that and a battle. They face Rubeus soon."
    Usagi nodded, "I hope they blow that rat bastard to bloody hell. What about the sisters?"
    "Cooan and Beruche have managed to turn their sisters, but they still wish they had you to heal them, but they have been a great help to the cause."
    Usagi nodded, "I’d better go then, before Akane and Ramna find I’m gone."
    Pluto nodded, "Yes, go.", Pluto’s tiny golden sphere faded.
 

    Ramna watched Usagi from the bush. Akane sighed, "Nothing’s happening, are you sure she’s not just star gazing?" she whispered.
    "No! Down! She’s looking this way!", they crouched low until she looked away. Suddenly a tiny globe of light lit up. Usagi jumped and said something, their conversation went on for a while, until Usagi dumped a bottle of water on her head and transformed into Orlin-Chan.
    Akane whistled low. "Wow, you never told me she looked that good in her other form!", she whispered to Ramna.
    "Well when I saw her that one time, I was female myself!", he whispered back. The globe before Orlin faded and Orlin left the park.
    "Ramna, we’d better get back home!" Akane whispered fiercely. Ramna put an arm around her waist and leapt to a roof top and traveled across them that way. Akane and Ramna made it home seconds before Orlin. They scrambled into their beds, Akane cursed as she realized the letter was still in her pocket, she crept over to Usagi’s cot and replaced it in the envelope. She scrambled back into her bed and forced herself into a restful breathing, and not a second too soon. The door cracked and Usagi snuck in, her hair wet from transforming back. Usagi stopped before Akane’s bed, Akane felt her hair being swept from her forehead and a light kiss planted on her fore head. She grumbled as if asleep, and rolled over. Usagi laughed a little, and went to her own bed. Akane rubbed the spot where Usagi had kissed her, guilt tinged her thoughts as she slipped off into peaceful slumber.
 

    Usagi stretched in a vaguely cat like fashion. Not hard since now she was at least one third cat, much to Ramna’s dismay. She crept out of her bed, it was almost noon, thank the gods it was a Saturday. She stole a glance at Akane, the dear was asleep. Usagi felt a wave of love sweep over her soul, not the love she had loved Mamoru with, she didn’t think she was capable of that love any more, but a different love. The love one felt for a sister. Yes, she felt Akane was her sister. She traced a finger along the line of Akane chin, Akane grumbled in her sleep and moved her head closer to Usagi hand. Usagi giggled a little and withdrew her hand and tucked the covers up a little closer around Akane’s sleeping form.
    She quietly crept out  of the room, and heard the tumultuous snores emanating from Ramna’s room. She sighed and went downstairs , Nabiki was sitting in a chair and looked up from her book. "Morning. Have a rough night?"
    Usagi sighed, "Beyond words."
    Nabiki shivered, "On that cot? I don’t blame you." She returned to her book and Usagi went out the door. Luckily she saw them before she stepped on them, two dozen roses laid on the porch, both in one dozen packages, Usagi picked them up and brought them inside. She laid them on the kitchen table.
    Kasumi looked up from her cooking. "Who are they from?"
    Usagi opened both letters. "Akane, from Kuno and ME? From Kuno?"
    Kasumi got a twinkle in her eye. "Oh! What happened? I’d think for sure one would be to the pigtailed goddess he’s always going on about."
    Usagi shrugged, "I finally managed to get it through his head that Ramna was his pigtailed goddess. He didn’t take it too well."
    Kasumi nodded, "I was wondering who made the mess, I thought papa got wasted again."
    Usagi shook her head. "Nope, the letters say that he invites us to his ‘humble abode’ for dinner Sunday night. Well, Akane will flip over this.", Usagi mused, "I’ll be back in a while.",
    Kasumi nodded, "I’ll put these in some water."
    Usagi smiled, "You are wonderful Kasumi!"
    Kasumi smiled, "I know." Usagi skipped out the door, and tripped over the two tiny jewelry boxes she had missed.
 

    Akane stumbled down the stairs. She stuffed the envelope into her jacket. "Akane! Could you come in here a second?" Kasumi’s soft voice came from the kitchen. Akane found her putting away a medical kit.
    "What happened?" two vases holding a dozen roses each stood on the table, also two small jewelry boxes. Akane looked at them. "Who are they for?"
    "One of the dozen roses is for Usagi, the other is for you, they’re from Kuno, Usagi found them on her way out, she found the jewelry boxes on her second way out. She found them the hard way. Skinned both knees. The ivory colored one is yours, look inside."  Akane picked up the ivory box with gold trim, she glanced at the other, a white one with silver trim. She opened the ivory box and found a gold filigree butterfly necklace inside. "Usagi had one like it in hers, only it had a crescent moon on it in gold." Kasumi chirped.
    Akane looped the delicate looking chain around her neck and looked at it in the hall mirror. "It’s beautiful!" she exclaimed softly.
    "What is?", Ramna stumbled in, his hair still tousled from sleep. He was tugging on a red silk shirt.
    "Kuno sent Usagi and I these?", she pointed to the roses and the necklace. "Where’s Usagi’s?"
    "She was wearing it when she left." Kasumi offered.
    Ramna nodded, "OH yes! Kuno invited you and Usagi to his house tomorrow night!",
    Akane blinked. And picked the card from one of the roses, "Humble abode? What planet is he from? Hey, but who am I to turn down free food?", she said.
    Ramna turned red around the nose, "Well, we had better go find Usagi."
    Akane nodded, "I got the envelope, I’ll take it to the Nekohaten to be translated." Ramna nodded.
    "She’ll probably be at the park. She likes to jog there in the mornings.", Kasumi offered.
    Ramna smiled, "Thanks Kasu-chan.", He sprinted out the door, Akane following close behind.
 
Next