Drops of Starlight

Chapter 34: Chocolate Parfait

An anxious flutter of butterflies danced in her stomach. What would her family think of Seiya? Would they suspect that their relationship went beyond friendship? If it weren't for the bribe of delicious food, Usagi would have canceled this visit altogether. The timing couldn't have been more challenging. I just hope Dad and Shingo don't embarrass me too much...

Seiya carefully balanced Chibi-Usa's car seat in her arms, glancing over at Usagi. The taxi had taken off, leaving an unusual silence in the air. It was as if someone had muted the entire city.

"Ready?" Seiya asked.

Usagi nodded. She started for the front gate when suddenly something down the block caught her eye - a girl with auburn hair. She stopped dead in her tracks. Had she imagined it? Usagi squinted, trying to get a better look.

"What's wrong?" Luna asked, poking her head out of the bag.

"I... thought I saw..." The mix of people on the sidewalk shifted. And there the girl was again. This time Usagi caught a glimpse of a teal bow.

"It's Naru!" she gasped and pointed.

"What?" Seiya followed Usagi's finger, her attention locking onto the figure in the distance.

"You're right," Luna said, crouching down. "And it looks like Nephrite too."

There was also no mistaking the tall man with long hair at Naru's side. The couple walked side by side, heading in the opposite direction from them.

"What do we do?" Usagi asked, frozen in place. What were Naru and Nephrite doing in public? And even more alarming, half a block from her old house!

"We have to follow them," Seiya insisted.

"Are you sure?" Usagi's voice dripped with dread.

"We have no choice."

The bustling lunch rush worked to their advantage. With more people on the streets, their chances of being spotted were reduced. However, it also made it more challenging to keep pace with the couple.

All the while, Usagi's stomach grumbled, and she couldn't help but fantasize about the delicious pork dumplings she was currently missing out on. She hoped her mom wouldn't be too upset she blew off lunch with the family, but secretly, Usagi was relieved she could postpone the daunting prospect of introducing Seiya to her father.

Keeping a safe distance, they followed Naru and Nephrite until they reached a recognizable building.

"That's the CROWN arcade!" Usagi whispered. They took cover behind a sandwich sign and watched as Nephrite held open the glass door for Naru before following her inside.

Seiya frowned. "Does Naru like video games?"

"Yeah, she used to. She and Umino always came with me to the arcade after school and watched me blow all my allowance. But I don't know if she still does..."

Luna's whiskers twitched with suspicion. Artemis had once used the basement of the arcade as a headquarters in their early days. Could Nephrite have somehow figured that out? Was there a secret meeting taking place here?

"Let's go!" Usagi led the way.

The arcade was buzzing with middle schoolers who were likely playing hooky. A jamboree of game noises and the smell of pizza from the café upstairs bombarded their senses and transported Usagi back to simpler times. It had been ages since she had stepped into her old favorite hang-out - since before Chibi-Usa was born. Whenever she mentioned it to her friends, everyone except Minako rolled their eyes, as if were an age cutoff for fun.