How Love Should Be

Summary: Usagi is happily engaged to Mamoru. They're labeled as the perfect couple, so what's wrong? Everything. Minako is a single mother who strives to take care of her children. What happens when someone wants to love her? Everything. How should love really be?

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.

Chapter Sixteen

Usagi stared up at the ceiling, her eyes glazed over from the fatigue she felt. Her brain ceased to function, and her body decided that she was not to make any sudden movements for the remainder of the night. Although she was dead tired, a vague thought lingered in the back of her mind. She tried to ignore it, but the very thought of thinking about anything was gnawing at her heart. She sighed as she rolled onto her back.

How should love really be, Ami had asked a few weeks ago. Usagi had never answered the question even though she had seen Ami a couple of times since then. She tried not to think about it very often because she knew the answer – somewhat. In answering the question, she would have to solve the problem that she had been placed in, but what would happen after that? Could she really be free of the hurt and pain she endured for years?

"Love should be…"

Minako quietly closed the twins' bedroom door behind her. She had tucked them into bed, and now it was her turn to rest. She walked through the house, making sure everything was relatively clean and in place. After turning out all the lights, she entered her room, where a sleeping Makoto awaited. A small smile appeared on Minako's face. She couldn't see the sleeping woman clearly because of the darkness, but she could visualize her face in her head. Makoto always looked so peaceful when she slept, and it gave Minako a peace of mind just by seeing it.

Quietly slipping into bed next to the brunette, Minako cuddled up close her. Her smile disappeared as she closed her eyes and began to think. Ami's words had never left her mind. She could hear them as clear as day, as if Ami had said them yesterday. After years of trial and error, Minako could confidently say that she knew the answer. She knew that she would have to try to make amends with everyone at least one more time and make sure they knew she meant it.

"Love is…"

Rei sat at the kitchen table in the dark. She was as restless as ever, and it annoyed her. So many thoughts were swirling through her head, and it was hard to organize them. For one thing, she wondered when Makoto was coming back. Makoto was her roommate for a reason – she didn't like being alone for too long. Another thing: it was obvious that eventually Makoto would move out in order to be with Minako and the twins. That would make Rei alone once again, and Usagi wasn't going to be with her any time soon.

On that note of Usagi, Rei's thoughts turned to Ami's question. "How should love be, huh?" the priestess breathed, her voice soft and airy. The answer to that was definitely obvious, but she didn't know how to verbalize it just yet. Right now, it was just a feeling that only her heart could understand, and she was fine with that. Ami clearly wasn't in any rush to collect answers from everyone, so she would take her time in figuring out just how to say what was necessary.

"Love is like…"

Ami sat on the couch, staring at the TV mindlessly. She wasn't actually paying attention, but she had thought it would be a good distraction. Unfortunately, her plan failed. Her mind was reeling with the things that had happened in the past few weeks. It pissed her off more than anyone could understand, but here she was. She was surviving, and the initial rage she had felt was gone for the most part.

That one fact had her thinking. If she wasn't as angry as she was when Makoto and Minako decided to hurt her, then why hate them forever? Besides, Makoto was only one fish out of a sea of many. She could get over the pain, she knew she could. That fact brought about a realization – she could now answer her own question.

"Love should be like…"

Makoto woke up despite not really wanting to. Her eyes were heavy, but something was interrupting her slumber. She attempted to get out of bed, but Minako was holding her in place. Groaning, she turned onto her back and hugged Minako's body close. She noted how Minako's body seemed to melt into hers. It was as if they were one being, but not really because clearly they were two separate people. It was weird to describe, but she knew what she felt.

Was that how love was supposed to be? Trying to rest her eyes, she thought about it in a way she never had before. When someone had that feeling where they just seemed to melt with that special person, did that automatically mean that there was love between the two? The thoughts were hard to put into words, but she knew what she felt.

"Love is kind of…"

The next morning…

Usagi stepped out of the car with a huge weight on her shoulders. She watched Mamoru get out on his side as she made her way to the front door of her parents' house. She was kind of afraid because she was going to be on her own, but she had to make things right with herself.

"So why are we here again?" Mamoru asked uncertainly as he knocked on the door. Usagi looked at him for a moment, annoyance flashing in her eyes for a second. Luckily, he didn't seem to notice, so she turned away and waited for the door to open. Deciding not to answer him, they waited in silence, making Mamoru uneasy.

When the door finally opened, the two found a surprised Minako. "Hey, Usagi," she greeted quietly. She gave Mamoru a nod before ushering them inside. "What are you doing here?" the older blonde asked softly, almost as if she didn't have a voice. As Usagi took off her shoes, she took a good look at her sister. It looked as though she had been crying – her eyes and cheeks were red, and light lines running down her cheeks told Usagi that there had been tears.

"Is this a bad time?" Usagi asked. Minako shook her head, saying that everything was fine. When Usagi and Mamoru had taken off their shoes, they went into the living room where Ikuko and Kenji usually were. Ikuko was sitting close to Kenji, who seemed to be rubbing his eyes to hide the fact that he too had been crying. When the two saw their daughter, they tried to brighten up.

"Usagi! What brings you here today?" Ikuko asked. "Would you like me to make you some tea?" Usagi shook her head as she and Mamoru sat on the couch across from her parents. Minako, who had followed after them, sat on the arm of the chair next to Usagi. Looking around at everyone's apparent gloominess, she just had to ask, "Did something happen? Should I go?"

"No, you don't have to leave," Kenji sighed, trying to regain his composure. "Minako just had something she wanted to share with your mother and I." Glancing at Minako, she silently asked what she had talked to Ikuko and Kenji about. Understanding the look she was getting, she answered, "I just told them about how I felt being in this family. I explained to Kenji – I mean, papa – how he's made me feel from the very beginning, and I told mama about how it's affected me in the long run – she knew there had been tension between papa and I. She just never knew how bad it was."

Usagi tensed up, completely surprised that Minako had actually opened up to their mother and father. Minako had grown to be so secretive, so it was brave of her to come out and tell Ikuko and Kenji what she had been feeling! "But now everything is fine," Minako reassured with a smile. "Love can now be shared among the four of us."

"You mean the five of us," Kenji said, pointing to Mamoru. "It won't be long until he joins the family, right?" Usagi's eyes turned to her father suddenly. It was time to lift that heavy weight off her shoulders.

"That's what I came to talk to you about. I don't want him in our family. Ever."

Ikuko and Kenji's eyes widened in surprise as they wondered where this had come from. Mamoru joined them and asked Usagi what she was talking about. Usagi put up a hand to silence him. "I don't love him, papa," she explained. "I never have, and I never will. He hurts me, papa. Whenever he wants something from me, he hurts me."

Mamoru's first instinct was to lie. He tried to wiggle his way out of the situation Usagi was putting him in, but after seeing the look on Kenji's face, he found that there was no escape. Usagi had dragged him into a well-planned trap.

After making sure the twins were comfortable, Makoto slid the door closed and followed Rei to her room. They sat on the bed and simply stared at each other, not really having much to say. Makoto had just shown up out of the blue with Hana and Yuriko in tow but without Minako. That seemed like a good place to start a conversation.

"Where's Minako?"

"I dropped her off at her parents' house earlier this morning. She said she needed to do something important."

Rei nodded as she stared at the floor, not knowing what else to say. Makoto continued to stare, waiting for words to come out of someone's mouth. She didn't care what was said, she just wanted to talk.

"So, when are you leaving?"

"Excuse me?"

"When are you leaving?"

"Why would I leave?"

"To stay with Minako and the girls."

Makoto hugged her knees up to her chest and shrugged. "I don't know. Probably not for a while. I wouldn't want to leave you by yourself just like that. I know how you get."

Rei laughed at that, happy with that answer. It was clear that Makoto knew her inside out, and that made her heart smile.

"I'd miss you a lot."

"I know. You can't live without me."

Rei laughed even more, feeling more at ease. Makoto smiled back as she pulled her friend into a tight embrace. Even though she loved Minako, she wouldn't abandon Rei – she loved the older woman too much.

Love wasn't meant to hurt others, right?

Hours later…

Kenji sat down with a sigh much to everyone's relief. He had successfully driven Mamoru away but was disappointed by the fact that he hadn't killed him on the spot. Figuring that the outcome was for the best, he tried to cage his rage as he talked to his daughters.

"Usagi, why didn't you tell us sooner?" he asked. "I wouldn't have pressed the engagement on you if I had known." Usagi looked down at her lap as she shrugged. "I wanted you to be happy, that's all," she replied. "You always talked about how you couldn't wait for me to be married to a good man and have children and all this other stuff. I didn't want to let you down."

"But you knew Mamoru wasn't a good man," Ikuko chimed in. "If we had known before, we would have never let you be with him." Minako wrapped an arm around her sister and gave her a little smile. "But now we all know, and Mamoru isn't going to bother her anymore," she said. Usagi nodded in agreement and tried to smile back. Now, she realized something she hadn't before.

Love wasn't about making everyone happy.

Ami stared at her phone intensely, wondering if she should call Makoto and just talk to her. She was too much of a coward to see her, so she contemplated calling her instead. What if she didn't answer? More importantly, what if she did? What would she say? There were a million questions running through her head, and it was driving her insane!

In an attempt to silence them, she grabbed her phone and quickly dialed Makoto's number. Now there was no turning back. She listened to the incessant ringing, half hoping she didn't pick up. It kept ringing and ringing and ringing, it was annoying. After waiting a few more seconds, she ended up getting the answering machine. Great.

"Hey, Makoto, it's me, Ami. I just wanted to say that…it's okay. I'm okay now. Love isn't upset with others, so I figured why not just call and make amends properly? I wish you and Minako the best. You two always looked better together anyway."

"Hey, Usagi. I didn't know you were here with Minako too."

"I didn't think I'd see her at all, so it was a nice surprise."

Usagi sat in the backseat of Minako's car, playing with Hana and Yuriko. Minako nodded to agree with her sister. She was glad everything worked out in the end.

"So, where am I taking you? Back to Mamoru's or…"

"Can you drop me off at the shrine?" Usagi interjected. "I'd rather stay there for a while." Makoto raised an eyebrow but didn't object. As she drove back in the direction of the Hikawa Shrine, she reached for her phone, which she had left in the cup holder. She passed it to Minako and asked her to check it.

Looking through the phone, Minako saw that the other woman had a missed call…from Ami. Not wanting to distract Makoto from driving, she took it upon herself to listen to it.

"Hey, Makoto, it's me, Ami. I just wanted to say that…it's okay. I'm okay now. Love isn't upset with others, so I figured why not just call and make amends properly? I wish you and Minako the best. You two always looked better together anyway."

Minako put down the phone and sighed in relief. It looked like things would turn back to normal after all.

"Did I get anything?"

"Yeah, but I'll tell you later."

The rest of the ride was relatively silent, though Usagi and the twins were having loads of fun in the backseat. Eventually, they arrived at the shrine, and Usagi said her goodbyes as she exited the car. Makoto continued to drive forward until she reached the house. She was glad to be home again after moving around all morning.

Once they were in the house, the twins rushed to the TV. Minako led Makoto to the kitchen to start the next conversation.

"Ami called you earlier."

"Really? What did she say?"

"She said everything is okay. She's not mad anymore."

Makoto blinked, not fully comprehending what Minako said. She thought about it a little more and remembered what Rei had once told her. Ami really does get over things (and pretty fast too). It made Makoto smile in relief.

"I'm glad. I still feel like we should apologize again or something."

Minako suddenly hugged her and agreed. "We can do that the next time we see her." Makoto pulled Minako closer and kissed the top of her head. It seemed like everything was going back to normal, and that made her feel better.

"Love isn't upset with others."

"What?"

Minako looked up at the tall woman. "That's what she said in the voice message," she explained. "Love isn't upset with others."

"Then what is it?"

"Love trusts and stays strong through the good and the bad," Minako answered thoughtfully. "And it never ends." She smiled up at Makoto, who smiled back. Softly pecking her forehead, Makoto noted that Minako just described how she always felt towards the blonde.

It was amazing how love worked.

Usagi walked up the steps of the jinja, elated that she was finally free of Mamoru. She just had to share this Rei. Once she reached the top, her heart jumped upon seeing Rei sweep the grounds. The raven-haired woman didn't seem to notice her yet, so she walked closer. Finally, Rei looked up and smiled.

"Hey there. What brings you here?" she asked. Usagi put her hands in her pockets and grinned a bit. "I have something to tell you actually," she said. Rei stopped her sweeping and leaned on the broom. She chuckled at the shorter woman. She looked so happy, and it made Rei light up.

"Oh yeah?" the priestess asked. "What's up?" Usagi held up her left hand, hoping Rei would notice the absence of the her engagement ring. Rei looked her a bit confused, shaking her head slowly. "What am I supposed to be looking for?" she wondered. Usagi pouted at her, knowing she was messing with her. She hit Rei on the arm, much to Rei's amusement.

"What does that mean?" Rei asked. "Is he gone for good?" Usagi nodded, smiling excitedly for the first time in a long time. "I thought about what Ami said before," she explained. "I didn't want to be tied to someone who hurt me all the time. That's not what love is."

"Then what is it – for you?"

"Love is kind, gentle, never selfish or proud…it's waking up to and falling asleep with someone special…it's spending time with someone who won't hurt you on purpose…"

Usagi took hold of Rei's hand and looked up into her eyes. "Love, for me, is you." It was almost weird saying it, since the two women had constantly been going back and forth for so long. Usagi figured it was worth it though after seeing the look on Rei's face. A fire had been lit inside her, and Usagi could see it in her eyes.

"You're serious?" Rei grinned, almost in complete disbelief. When Usagi nodded, she dropped her broom and picked the blonde up, spinning her around and kissing various spots on her face. If love didn't make her heart do flips, she didn't know what did.

With Usagi in tow, Rei ran inside the jinja, ready to celebrate the shrine's newest addition.

-End-

And this is the final chapter of How Love Should Be! I worked really hard on the chapter because I didn't want to disappoint you guys :) Hopefully, it was satisfactory! Now I can work on BSSM:R! After that story is done, I'll post new stories :) And I have a prequel in mind for this story, but I don't know if I'll write it. If a lot of people want to see that come into fruition, then I'll do it. Til next story

Serenity101