Apart from her initial freaking out on waking in Mamoru's newer apartment and the subsequent confusion and snuggles (and smooches) that followed, Usagi's had absolutely no time time to rest or recover from her ordeal.
That doesn't mean, of course, that as soon as she's gathered her brains back together in a jello mold, she's not texting all of her girls.
Why not call?
Because even if it's a logical thing, and many of them are probably not near their phone, getting a voicemail would probably break her heart, silly as that sounds.
The text is the same to all of them, of course.
TXT: Come meet me at Mamo's new place? Please?
She'd go out to meet them if she didn't have to lean against the wall every three steps.
Hey, having one's soul drained out through their nose is tiring!
And that's why, half an hour after she sent out the first round of texts, she's slumped against the wall near the front door. She's just gotten there, too!
Mako texted back almost immediately: 'OK! <3'
Actually getting there takes a little longer. Some half hour and change after her text, Makoto finally makes it to the building where Mamoru's apartment is located, flushed with exertion and toting a bag over her shoulder.
Even after booking it from her own apartment, she's still full of an upwelling of excited energy, barely able to stand still as she leans on the buzzer. "Usagi-chan, it's me, I'm here!"
She's started to doze off almost right away, but she jerks awake at the sound of the buzzer.
And her lips tremble at the voice through the door.
She stands and opens, slowly, peeking out just in case her mind is playing tricks on her!
Then she's crying, again, because her mind isn't and it's Makoto.
She rams into the taller girl, hugging her tight and sobbing and then she's looking up and petting her face.
"Mako-chaaaaan!" It's all she can manage, but for her its the best in the world, because Mako-chan!
"Usagi-chan!" Makoto rocks a little when the smaller girl rams into her, less from the force of impact and more as a conscious effort to cushion her friend. She lets her bag drop, both arms going around Usagi to lift her right off her feet in the biggest and warmest possible of big warm Mako hugs.
She thought she'd calmed down a little on the rush over here, but now there are tears in her eyes again, even as she smiles so brightly her face almost glows with the radiance of it. "Usagi-chan, you were so amazing!"
And, in true Usagi fashion, her legs wrap around Makoto's waist when she's lifted up.
"You were!" Her protest doesn't come with a denial of Makoto's words. Usagi just really needs her friend to know she was amazing, too! "A-and then you and everyone were there for me at the end, and I could feel you, and I'm just so glad it wasn't good-bye!"
"Me too," Makoto agrees, the simple words nearly shaking with the heartfelt intensity of her feelings. There's a little bunch of small blue flowers tucked behind her ear, subtly and delicately fragrant as Mako leans her head in to rest against Usagi's for a moment. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I'm so sorry I had to leave you even though I didn't really. But--"
She lifts her head again so that she can meet Usagi's eyes, and hers are shining with love and happiness. "--you were brilliant, Usagi-chan. You and Mamo-niisan and - everybody was brilliant and you did it. We did it. We rewrote the story."
She sniffles and shakes her head, petting Makoto's face as she did. "No, no, it's okay. Okay I mean, it was heartbreaking but you were with me always! Just like you promised!"
This seems Very Important for Usagi to say.
And she's grinning, just as bright as Makoto's, and her eyes are just as loving. "We did it! And because we were us and not just who we used to be! But we were them, too! And the guys! Their story got rewritten, too!" And of course, she sniffles at that! "And did you see? Venus came for us. She was there, Mako-chan!"
It's probably obvious that most of her hurt reguarding the senshi of love and beauty is healing.
And then she blinks, distracted by a shiny. Or a flower, rather, but it has the same effect. "Ohhh, pretty! What's this?"
Makoto nods once, firmly, confirmation and agreement. "I saw. She was there, fighting for you and cheering you on." Much of Mako's own conflicted and unhappy feelings about Sailor Venus were resolved in that scant handful of moments, those few words that Minako called out with such conviction, and it's with a sense of relief that she squeezes Usagi tightly.
And laughs, not because it's funny but she just can't keep all these feelings from bubbling out somehow. "And I'll always be with you, too. You'll never have to doubt it."
Then Usagi notices what Mako had halfway forgotten in all the excitement, and her cheeks turn a little pink as she answers. "Forget-me-not," she says. "They bloom in Nephrite's palace sometimes, have you seen them there?"
Usagi nods, enthusiastic, and her eyes glow even more with it. "She did! I was...so very happy! Because in the end, I had all my girls, and I felt whole!" She squeezes Makoto back, legs still wrapped around her waist. (She won't let go until Makoto hints she needs a break from the weight or carrying a small girl around.)
It's okay, because Usagi is giggling, too. "Never any doubt! I promise! Unless my brain is taken over by something that makes me have negative sad thoughts!" A sharp nod! Because anything is possible!
And then!
Hey, Usagi may be drained in a sense, she may be dog tired, but not even surviving the apocalypse can stop her shipping heart. "OhhhhHHHhhhhhh?" Curiosity and interest piqued! "Nephi-kun flowers?" Her eyebrows waggle. She is obviously not talented at eyebrow waggling.
Makoto shows no sign at all of tiring of holding Usagi up, but they should probably at least stop standing right here in the doorway. "Hey," Mako says cheerfully, "if I crouch down do you think you can grab my bag? I brought you some cookies."
Her blush brightens at Usagi's eyebrow-waggling and Mako tries to find somewhere else to look. "I saw him before I came here. He's okay, too. Everyone's okay, thanks to you."
Usagi gasps! "Cookies?! Are they Mako-Cookies?! The world is saved and I get Mako-cookies?!" Oh wow, oh wow!
Her answer, of course, is to look down and make a grabby hand for the bag, trying hard not to be overly exuberant to the point of toppling Makoto over.
"You saw him? And he's really, really okay?" Then she gasps and looks at Makoto. "Mako-chaaaaan! If I hadn't been so distraught! The way you two! And then! AUGH! Mako-chan! Just the way!"
Laughing again, Makoto crouches down and concentrates on holding steady long enough for Usagi to get hold of the bag that she'd dropped on the floor. "Cookies out of my cookie jar," she assures. There was hardly time to bake fresh, but fortunately Mako doesn't believe in letting her cookie jar get empty if she can help it.
"And Nephrite is really, really okay. I promise." She can only halfway follow what Usagi's saying now, but she does her best to reassure. Remembering those last moments at the fortress entrance gives her a little chill that has her arms tightning slightly around her friend. "He scared the hell out of us, but you saved him just like you saved me."
Usagi's eyes grow large and greedy as she SNATCHES up the bag! When they're righted again, she's holding onto the bag as though it were full of gold. She doesn't care that they weren't fresh baked. Mako-cookies are magical, she's sure of it! But wait, she can't be greedy, right? "Do you...want one?" Wait, that's still not sharing enough.
Reluctantly. "If...Mamo-chan wants one...or...two...I'll share with him, too."
Then she sighs, and her eyes are warm on Makoto. Her friend may have misunderstood what she meant, but that was okay! She is Usagi, after all, and she's aware that sometimes following her train of thought is like herding kittens. "But the way he was with you? At the--" She hums the word back down into her throat. Even though Makoto is here, Usagi still can't use the word end. "The last time? I just..." She shrugs and thonks her head on Makoto's shoulder and whines! "I know what I mean, Mako-chan! Why can't you read my brain!"
A soft laugh leaves Mako, and she cranes her head around to drop a little "mwah!" of a kiss against Usagi's hair. "It's okay, Usagi-chan! It just takes me a minute to catch up sometimes. Where do you want to sit down?"
Still toting Usagi like she weighs basically nothing, Makoto carries her through the open doorway, then turns to snag the door with a foot and tug it mostly closed. "You were talking about... when we joined our power, weren't you?" Her voice is a little softer now. "I felt it. I felt him, before--"
Just as Usagi did, she swallows the rest of that sentence.
Usagi giggles at the loud kiss to her hair. "I am like herding kittens! Or bunnies!" A joyful proclamation!
Her phone buzzes, but it's awkward to answer it now. "The sofa!"
When they're settled she checks her phone.
TXT Jerk<3: I hear Mako-chan is here! Good good. I'll be at Zoisite's place, I can't people right now and he'll let me hide.
She giggles a bit as she responds.
TXT: Okay! I'm sorry, I just needed to see her!! I'll let you know when it's safe. I love yoooou! <3 <3 <3 <3
"Mamo-chan had to leave, because his brain needs to unpeople." She nods.
And then she's biting her lip and she nods. And tears up. Again. "Yeah. It was that. Because even though I was so sad, I knew you weren't alone, and I love him lots and lots for that because you weren't alone."
The sofa it is! Mako dutifully totes Usagi over that way and simply sits down, letting Usagi arrange herself comfortably on or off of her lap as much as she wants.
Her eyes are a little misty.
"Yeah," she says softly. "It would've been better if he hadn't had to, but... you're right. I wasn't alone." She'll remember that, later, when time has blunted the memory of the pain and fear and desperation of those moments. In the end, she wasn't alone.
Makoto smiles at Usagi's report about Mamoru's text, dips her head in a nod. "Got it. Sounds like you don't need to worry about sharing your cookies, then." A sparkle of teasing humor comes into her green eyes. "I can make some more for when he's okay for people again. These are all for you. You earned them!"
The way she organizes herself is much the same way she did on Mamoru. Knees on either side of Makoto's hips, touching as much as she can. "A-and as well as loving Mamo-chan, that's the bestest thing he could have done, you know?" Sniff, sniff!
Another text jingle! It's a sort of tango, but not quite.
TXT Jerk<3: its fine, i love you too <3
(An 'eeee!' from Usagi! And showing Mako-chan that text because eeeee!)
TXT: Eeeee! Give them hugs for me? Or at least tell Zoi-kun I have hugs for them all and ask he tells the others! And then you go hide under lots of pillow mattresses! HUGS AND LOVES TO THEM! AND YOU!
TXT Jerk<3: i will <3
And of course, her eyes light up. Because yes! Hers, all for her, ALL THE MAKO-COOKIES IN THE WORLD AHAHAHAHA!
To prove her dominion over Mako-cookies (even temporarily) she noms one! "Right! All for me now! Then some for Mamo-chan later when he can people! And I can have more then, too, MWEEHEEHEE!"
And Mako sits back against the sofa cushion, arms still looped loosely around Usagi's waist, and smiles indulgently at the text Usagi shows her. The only thing that could be better were if Nephrite and Mamoru and the others were all here right now, too... but she knows that they're near, and that's enough.
Right now, Makoto's world is pretty close to perfect.