(March 12th, Tokyo, Japan, Jiyuishii High School)
Have you ever wanted something so much, that it was only a feasible amount of time in which you could continue to long for it without an inkling of hope before succumbing to the woe and abandoning all else that life had yet to offer you? A type of desire that was not alike that same affliction plaguing the poor or lacking stimulation, but much closer to the unending and damnable offense of a gambler clinging to the falsehood of a victory that lies just one attempt out of reach. The tinge of glamour dangling between the eyes that you just simply cant seem to get more then a hurried glance at, the pulsating persistence of mind and spirit that melds the very fabric of your psyche into a form from which there can be no change. And would you care to know the most dissatisfying aspect of the entire thing? It's not nearly as commonplace for this syndrome of self to be embedded within the bodies of the elder and more well seasoned individuals, but rather those of us who simply have had in them the good fortune to skip a few grades of mental and moral maturity. The hardened youth fueled by a steady diet of catharsis, who far too soon find the world at their doorstep and must determine the rhythm and reason behind their place in the grand scheme of the cosmos, and who might just be left to simmer in their sorrows like a fine meat slowly cooks to prepare for it's one true purpose. One such person was Usagi Tsukino, an eighteen year old high school student who was a bit downtrodden for the caliber of day that was now upon her, for in just a few short hours she would walk out of the life she had lead for countless years and graduate high school once and for all. Although her friends and family had shared doubts about her chances, considering the fact that they could count the times she had actually managed to get to school by the last bell on one hand, not to mention the fact that more likely then not the temperature outside would be higher then her test scores. However, in the last year in a half of her academic career she had largely recovered and found a means to salvage enough of her grade point average, otherwise known as her good friend Ami who had been far more diligent in her studies from start to finish.
"A future is something that you make yourself, Usagi, if you want to get better grades then you need to change more then just your attitude...you must believe in it!"
The two of them had met once or twice in class shortly after Ami had first moved to Tokyo, but it would take something far more meaningful to tie to two of them together in the bond of friendship they shared, as well as the inclusion of the one and only Rei Hino. A spitfire with a temper shorter than a new army recruits hair, although she had been idly studying temperance and Buddhism passively with her grandfather who had taken it upon himself to car for an aging temple, and the three of them soon realized they were inseparable. And above all else, it would seem that this very intimacy would be the thing that plagued the klutzy, yet beautiful Usagi all the way into the auditorium of her school and most of the way through her ceremony...her eyes veering all over the place in a mad scramble to not lose sight of her faithful duo and as each of them make their way onto the stage to receive their diploma her heart began to flutter for just a millisecond. It was all just happening too quickly for her to even think of the words, should she choose to say something about the elephant in the room, but in short it had all amounted to less or what was happening but more of what was going to happen as soon as they walked out of those doors and watched as the night kept coming without delay. One had commitments to a scientific research laboratory which was more then enchanted to have the attention of such a brilliant young mind, where as the other had her sights set on seeing the world in the summer and then relocating elsewhere for school abroad. With all of the excitement between the two of them they hadn't seemed to focus on the fact that Usagi really didn't have a plan in place, and yet she merely wished to let her friends have a moment or two in the light before she let it be known again that she was going to be left alone in the dust of an old life. But that was no matter...not any longer...and she knew in her battered and shell-shocked heart that it was the right move to keep going without burdening them any further then she had to.
Usagi...Tsukino...!
There were nearly a thousand steps standing between her and the end of her time in the limelight, a myriad of curious and watchful eyes from both those who knew her and those who simply wished to put a face to the name being called over the sound system. A somewhat sultry and succinct chorus of trumpets and piano came on in the background as she made her way from her seat, and with every single step she took she wore her own skin with an unprecedented level of comfort and confidence that had decided to aid her before the cloudiness of her mind took hold over her body. A small line-up of much older and well respected officials of the school, including the likes of the principal as well as a few of the more decorated and dedicated teachers who had been with them the entire way through, giving a kind glance and a firm handshake before Usagi took in her hands the fruit of her labors and went back down the aisle to be seated. Later members of faculty came to the podium and said a few things regarding how this recent batch of students had effected them, and how they felt they would effect the world at large with their fresh level of thinking, in one way or another making the rather tired remark that they were the future. The wide mass of black and white robes in attendance seemed to sway in a poetic rhythm as the time began to wind down and as they gradually found themselves growing restless with the long periods of standing, they nearly leapt out of their seats as they had been instructed to do so and threw their pointed hats into the air with a gluttonous anticipation. Tear stained gowns all trailing behind them as they left the building which had housed them for what had seemed to be more often then their own homes, the fabric being sullied as they walked and the sight mimicking that of a stampede of bodies carrying hundreds of trains from the back of wedding dresses in their wake.
"Helloooo...earth to Usagi...hey are you listening!" A soft, yet slightly annoyed voice rang out amusedly over the psychological clutter which had been reducing the nights emotional outpour to white noise, a quick double take and she had realized that she was outside of the school with none other then Ami and Rei.
"Sorry, guys, just a little out of it...just...a lot going on right now all at once." She reassured them with a remarkably adorable smile that made them drop their guard and return to the conversation they had been having just minutes before.
"Well, what else is new with you, just don't start falling asleep on us. If you drool on me, i'll slug you." She told Usagi with a brief chuckle and the two of them each simultaneously panned over to their blue haired friend who had been writing something down in her journal. "Oh brother, now don't you start, we've barely graduated and already you're doing schoolwork!"
"I cant help it! They sent me a few assignments just to keep me busy during the summer, and besides, I find it relaxing." Ami Finished before returning her eyes to her the pen and paper.
"Are you going to keep the hair, once college starts?" Usagi spoke up, presumably referring to the bright locks of sapphire swaying at a length midway between her ear and shoulder, the sight of it was something they had all become so accustomed to that it had hardly seemed strange anymore.
"Of course I am, Usagi! I like to think it makes me more memorable." She answered, taking a small piece of it into her hand and bring it closer to her eye as she did.
"Hey, I know i'm not usually the one to say this, but let's slack off a bit for once! Come on, Ami, Usagi? Let's get some pizza, soda, maybe some ice cream? What do you two say?" A greedy and pointed grin presented itself from one end of her face to the other, her motions like a hard working salary man enlivened by the thrill of the deal.
"Im in!" Ami nearly exploded, gleefully wasting no time despite the fact that this was as rambunctious as she could be, given her own more reserved and calm nature.
"I want to...I really, really do, believe me guys...I just have something that I promised I would do tonight." She replied somewhat talking in circles as she did.
"More important than your friends, huh? Figures, is it the guy from the arcade?" Biting her lip and sticking her tongue out slightly to try and coax her into releasing information she otherwise wouldn't say aloud. "Say hi to Motoki for me..."
"I swear, guys! We'll hang out tomorrow! I'll make it up to you!" She exclaimed, keeping a smile in place and dodging the comment Rei made by about five feet of distance.
"Just let's all meet up at the arcade, Usagi's got a connection, we'll get some free time with the machines, right?" She asked sarcastically, winking before embracing her fondly and then taking off in the opposite direction of the school, signaling Ami to follow after her. "Don't stay out too late! I don't want to go to your house and pry you out of bed in your pajamas!"