Usagi had not been expecting both of her parents to be waiting for her when she finally returned home, but her dad was eager to talk to her about her story. They had a great deal of praise and also a number of questions, some of which she found really insightful. When she revealed that the story they read still had to be altered and edited into a shorter, more cohesive piece, her dad was brimming with suggestions.

"You can use standard tropes to connect with your reader quickly, using our corporate knowledge to bypass elaborate scenes. For example, you could tighten up the ballroom encounter between Hanako and Takeshi by giving it a Cinderella-like feel through word choices. Since your word count is shorter, spend your energy wisely, fleshing out what your reader can't intuit. Evil step-mothers and oblivious father tropes can be relied on here, too. You world-build beautifully, and your snapshot of Hanako's dad as entranced by food and drink is amazing. I hate to cut any of it. However, I'm afraid you're on the path to a novel, sweetheart, and Friday is looming."

Usagi nodded, having heard similar advice from Ami and Mamoru, but still welling up a bit at the criticism. "I'm sorry," she swiped at tears through slightly wry laughter. "I'm trying not to be over-sensitive and I know what you're saying is true."

Ikuko wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed the spot between her buns. "Oh, honey, it's okay to hurt. Learning to take criticism is really hard!" She grinned down at Usagi conspiratorially and stage-whispered, "You should have seen your dad in college! He would get so righteously angry when his professors critiqued his papers."

"Hey, no fair!" Kenji protested laughingly. "I still think I was in the right. Most of the time." He ruefully joined in their laughter. "Editors always think they know best, though. It takes time and effort to grow a thick skin."

"I'll do my best," Usagi promised. "I have some more draft work ready for my own editors, which was what I was really hoping to talk to you about, Mom. But Dad can stay."

"So gracious, letting me stay in my own home," Kenji deadpanned and Usagi catapulted herself into his arms, mock-scolding him for his dad jokes.

"Stop it, Daddy! You'll be complaining about all this girl talk before you know it!" She let her dad cuddle her close, like when she was small, for a moment, then broke the embrace. "So, I was telling Mom this morning about how I've been staying out late working on the writing and editing, because I need a lot of help with picking the right kanji and with grammar, sometimes even with just finding the right words. Fujita-sensei was very clear the story needs to be well-polished."

She took a deep breath and plunged into a mostly-true account of her time away from the house, "Ami-chan and Rei-chan helped me a lot in the beginning, but because Ami-chan had to study for her exchange student exams and Hikawa Jinja is always so busy at this time of year, another friend from Crown Arcade has taken over a lot of the support burden." She sighed heavily, "I'm worried that you're going to get the wrong impression about my friend, though. I haven't been spending late nights at the temple because the friend that has been helping me is Chiba Mamoru, a high-school friend that we met through Motoki-niisan. He's really smart and studying to be a doctor like Ami-chan, so I've been really lucky to have his help. I was surprised that he'd even want to help with some stupid middle school short story, to be honest."

Kenji stared into his cold coffee, gripping the handle so forcefully that his knuckles were blanched and bloodless. A boy? A high-school boy? Spending serious amounts of time with his daughter? His jaw clenched and unclenched as he struggled to find his voice.

Ikuko gently pried the mug from her husband's hand and patted his arm. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that the tears and the strange behavior Usagi had exhibited this morning was tied to this young man. "I'm a bit surprised he had the time to help you, if his study routine is anything like Ami's," she murmured.

Usagi nodded, "Yeah, he usually sits at the counter, studying these super-thick textbooks and drinking tons of coffee. Motoki-niisan jokes that Crown's entire coffee budget goes to Mamoru-san." Usagi tried to laugh unconcernedly, still avoiding her parents' eyes. "But Rei-chan has this crush on him and he somehow got included into the group that reads my story, so when I was afraid I'd have to have to quit writing the story, he offered his help."

Kenji's body language relaxed a little at the mention of Rei's crush on "The Boy." Ikuko side-eyed him, quickly deducing that her husband wasn't seeing their daughter's predicament the way she did. "Well, Usagi, I wish you had told us the truth sooner, but if you two were studying at Crown and he was keeping you from giving up on this wonderful project, I'm grateful to him."

Usagi desperately hoped her face wasn't burning with shame as she let them think they'd studied in public.

Kenji absently stood up, "I need to take a walk. We'll talk more. I'm not angry, but I don't like that you didn't tell us everything in the beginning, young lady."

Usagi nodded and truly looked penitent. He patted the top of her head gently as he wandered down the hall, the front door thudding closed behind him a few moments later.

Ikuko peeked out to ensure he really was going for a walk, then turned back to her daughter, "So, is the problem that you have a crush on the boy your friend likes? Or something different?"

Usagi did flush scarlet then. "I really haven't thought about that," she confessed guiltily. "What I mean is that I know that Mamoru-san isn't interested in Reic-chan. Mamoru-san actually seemed kind of annoyed when I mentioned it." She chewed her lip, lost a bit in thought.

Ikuko placed a glass of chilled green tea in front of her daughter before reclaiming her seat. "So, does Mamoru-san have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend?"

Usagi shook her head. "He's one of those really introverted types. Really, he's so much like Ami-chan. Remember how hard it was when she first came over for a sleepover and didn't know how to really interact with Naru? Or me? He's kind of the same. But as we worked together on the story and on our schoolwork, because he wouldn't let me skip my homework just to work on the story, we got to know each other better." She traced drops of condensation over the design etched into her glass and finally got to the confession part. "I really like him, Mom. Like him, like him, you know?"

Her mom sighed softly and murmured her understanding of the situation, "You two have spent a lot of time together. Crushes tend to develop in situations like that."

Usagi's eyes watered and she looked up at her mom, a silent plea for understanding shining in their depths, "Yeah, I don't think this is a fleeting crush. And," she gulped painfully, "I told him how I feel."

Ikuko's eyes widened, realizing from the tears that Usagi's confession hadn't gone well. "Oh, sweetheart," she gasped, moving around the table to pull her crying daughter into her arms. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry." She rocked her child, her precious little girl who was growing up too fast, and whispered words of sympathy and comfort. She didn't feel ready for this life stage yet, but it was here now and she was going to have to guide Usagi through this awkward, difficult period, somehow.

Rei sighed heavily as the late afternoon's rain clouds finally made good on their threat and the vast majority of boon seekers fled the shrine. She rocked her aching head from side to side, hoping to stretch away the tension in her shoulders.

Yuuichirou found her under the eaves of the main building. "I don't think it's going to let up for the rest of the evening," he announced, cheerfully. He inhaled deeply, arms wide at his sides, his overgrown mop of hair tossing raindrops around him. "Isn't is refreshing, Rei-chan?"

Rei's immediately sarcastic reply died on her lips as she noticed a blue umbrella bobbing up the long staircase. "Is that Ami-chan?" she murmured.

"Sure looks like it. She's in a good mood," Yuuichirou announced.

"How can you tell?" Rei asked, even though she hadn't intended to engage in conversation with him.

"I dunno. There's something about the way her umbrella is bouncing that's different from the other people's. Maybe the weather appeals to her, maybe she knows she did really well on that test she had today?"

"Maybe both," Rei absently replied, gliding away from him, shimmering in the sparkling rain as she hurried towards her friend.

Yuuichirou watched her go, hopelessly enamored. He leaned back against a pillar, content to just watch the interaction between the two. When Rei let down her guard, like she was doing now, she was the most mesmerizing woman he'd ever seen.

Rei, for her part, was not totally relaxed. She felt uneasy, knowing the strange drifter her grandfather had sort of adopted was watching her. Squaring her shoulders and refusing to let him know he was creeping her out, she concentrated on Ami's approach. "Hi, Ami-chan," she said softly, once she was within earshot of her friend.

"Hi, Rei-chan," Ami practically chirped. "The rain is providing you with some respite from the crowds, I see."

Rei smiled tiredly, "And I think I just might be feeling appreciative, despite the chill and the damp." She shook out her long hair ruefully. "How was the test?"

Ami smiled cheerfully, "I know I did my best. It was really nice taking such a stressful test and knowing that the two of you were cheering me on."

Rei gently hugged Ami, "I know what you mean. Life has really been, I don't know, warmer since Usagi-chan found us. And, normally, I wouldn't breathe a whisper of that to her. But I think she needs to hear it." She glanced up at the thick rain-clouds. "I think this weather is here to stay for awhile. Want to see if Grandpa will give me a few hours' off and go visit Usagi-chan?"

Ami couldn't hide her surprise but agreed quickly. "I assume you'll be sharing your reasons on our way?"

Usagi had spent the better part of the afternoon moving events around, cutting out lengthy scenes, and tightening up the cast. Her dad popped into her room every now and then, checking up on her progress and supporting her through moments of doubt. Two sketches of the Fujita-cut doubled as her mouse pad, the one she had plotted out with Mamoru and the one her parents had contributed to. They weren't too different, but her dad had pointed out that she couldn't have a drastically different horses if this version's were the pair that pulled her coach. Hanako's still unnamed mare and Fortune were replaced with two dappled grey geldings, Doulton and Worcester. The were-bear battle was fleshed out as a major event and the white mage Setsuko appeared during the battle to join the team.

It wasn't as satisfying, but Usagi was now ready to write the final third of the Fujita-cut. Fingers flying over the keys, she bypassed the comfort of pen and paper in order to ignore the growing twinge of dissatisfaction she felt about it.

A gentle tap on her bedroom door startled her and she was pleasantly surprised to find Ami and Rei grinning at her. "Hey! Come in, come in! How was the test? How did you get Grandpa to let you leave the shrine?"

Rei pulled back the drapes, "It's really raining, Usa. How long have you been staring at that screen?"

Usagi laughed a bit too loudly, "Oh, I've spent most of my day working on the short story version. Barely had time to eat," she fibbed, pretending to hide the plates of snacks that her mom had kept bringing up.

Ami smiled sympathetically, sinking gracefully onto Usagi's bed, "The test went really well, I think, Usagi-chan. I couldn't have done it without support from you two. I'm really gratefully."

Usagi moved swiftly, wrapping Ami in a big hug. She made a grab for Rei, who tried to dodge, but the three ended up in a clumsy tangle of arms, heads colliding. Ami's smile earlier had clued Usagi in that Rei and Ami knew about her confession and the aftermath and she loved them all the more for coming to see her.

Rei's first words after extricating herself from the loving, but somewhat painful group hug were far more gentle than Usagi could have even hoped for. "How are you feeling, Usa-chan? Do you want us to go kick his butt?"

"Oh, Rei-chan," Usagi squeaked, trying to laugh it off. "It's my fault. I'm the one that overstepped the boundaries. It's my butt I'd thought you'd be kicking."

Ami fought back a wave of jealousy. "I feel like I've missed some important developments this week. Catch me up?"

Pausing only for a delivery of tea and snacks from Usagi's mom, along with an eagerly-accepted invitation to stay for dinner, Usagi told her friends about all the little moments she'd shared with Mamoru. From the concern about her exhaustion and hunger, to the serious conversations they'd had about life, and ending with the life-altering moment in the NICU.

"I'd have fallen in love with him after that," Ami gushed softly. "Though those poor nurses are probably less grateful to us for our help now."

Rei groaned, "Not sure how much we really helped. Stupid Kunzite tossed me around like a piece of grass." She leaned back on one hand, reluctant to share, but knowing she had to. "Mamoru came to see me today and he told me something about the battle last night. Something I'm not sure I believe."

"According to him, after all the effort he's put into becoming a member of the team, he was just doing it because he feels an obligation to Sailor Moon." She put "obligation" in air quotes, mimicking his voice a bit as she did so. "He claimed that he wanted to just leave us where we fell and go to Sailor Moon. I tried to correct him to Usagi, but he doubled down on his only reason for being there was for Sailor Moon."

Usagi's eyes watered a bit. "That's so horrible of him," she whispered brokenly. "When he was helping you two, I was scared about going in alone. I knew I had to and I asked him for reassurance. He told me he believed in me. He called me 'Usako' and promised to keep you both safe, so I could just focus on the Shadow Youma." She fell silent, throat too thick to say anything else, fat tears spilling down her face.

"Oh, Usagi-chan," Ami cried, pulling her best friend into a hug.

Rei let out an angry complaint, then calmed. She felt a moment of clarity then. "He lied to me. He's trying to push us away. He's scared of something. I thought there was something off about his claim today and now I'm certain."

"Rei-chan," Usagi sobbed, eyes full of hope, "you're absolutely certain?"

"Absolutely! Last night, he was honest and real. He couldn't have lied like that, gone through the motions of resentfully helping us, and then helped that poor baby so selflessly. He's either a selfish misanthrope or he isn't. He doesn't get to dance on the edges."

Ami concurred. "I think he's more like Rei-chan or me than we realize. We had trouble trusting your friendship when you first came along. I think he's just taking a lot longer to work through things. To be fair to him, there are a lot of wrinkles to consider. He's a guy, you're a girl, so friendship looks different. He's, what, three years older than us? So that's rather awkward right now. And he's clearly got feelings for you. He probably doesn't know exactly how he feels or what to do with those emotions."

Rei nodded, "And after what you told us about giving his power to the baby, his emotions were probably really raw. Honestly, if he'd responded in any other way than running away, it might have been frighteningly intense for both of you."

The three girls enjoyed a long moment of silence, lost in thought. It was Ami who finally broke the silence, begging, "Okay, let me get some Hanako goodness before we're called down for dinner, please?"

Usagi's room filled up with laughter and good-natured bickering as they crowded around Rei's laptop, Usagi's notes, and Usagi's binder. Kenji, Ikuko, and Shingo warily watched the dining room overhead lamp swing and bounce, but they were happy to have such joyful chaos in the house. "Not sure she'll ever finish her story with that racket going on," Kenji joked.

AN: Hi all! I had major surgery yesterday (Tuesday) that should hopefully (in time) minimize a very large portion of the chronic pain that I've lived with since I was 14. I'm hopeful my pain meds aren't so strong that this only looks good to me. I had a great idea for a later chapter of The Princess Problem, so I'm focusing on that before I lose it. May not get another chapter posted for a few weeks. Really depends on how well my spine heals (it's agony right now, tbh). Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, so if there's anything that looks wonky, please please please let me know so I can edit it ASAP! Thank you!