AN: New story... One shot. Probably my last one for awhile. Wrote this as an assignment for my writer's craft class (had to write a short story). Made it into a fanfiction because I thought it could work. The main characters names before were Alexis and Darien, so just changed them up... Hope you enjoy.

Between the Lines

I pulled the covers closer, snuggling my face within the folds, eyes closed. I curled my legs towards my chest to keep warm. My cheeks were wet and sticky, and my breath came out in short gasps. There was a pain in my chest that grew stronger as more tears escaped me. I closed my eyes tighter.

"This isn't the time to be sleeping," a voice whispered mockingly. The room suddenly became warmer and I slowly opened my eyes. It was pitch dark, the silhouettes of clothes barely visible. Was I supposed to be anxious or happy? I moved to open the door and step out of the closet.

"I thought you weren't coming," I replied, with my throat sore and voice broken. I rubbed my eyes, making them more red than they were previously. In front of me stood a man, my best friend: Mamoru. His black hair was tousled and his blue eyes twinkled in delight. Although this time, unlike many days before, he had lost his tan and had become thin and slightly pale. Nevertheless, he had a peaceful face which reminded me of the snow that was falling so gracefully and calmly outside. Every movement he made seemed identical to the snowfall, and it gave me a strange feeling of peace. Taking my hand, he dragged me towards my window. He pulled back the curtains and then smiled at me.

"Usagi, we don't have much time."

I nodded, turning back for one last look at my bedroom. Before I even had a chance to look away, a crash was heard from downstairs. I jumped and my heart stopped.

"Oh, look what you've done now!" my mother screamed, picking the remains of a bowl up from the floor. "You stop talking nonsense, or I'll punish you for a month."

My face was red with anger and I could barely look at my mother. "I understand if you're mad at me, but that's no reason to be rude in front of a guest!" I immediately snapped at her, grabbing Mamoru's hand for support. He motioned to silence me, looking nervous, but I wouldn't let my mother get away with treating someone so precious to me like dirt. I couldn't understand why my mother never liked Mamoru. Why couldn't she accept that he was my friend?

"This is exactly what I'm talking about. You stop making crazy things like this up," she said, infuriated. She sent me to my room, after telling my father about what happened. My father always seemed to understand, although slightly uncomfortable with the situation. I thought it was because Mamoru was a boy, and Mamoru tried to avoid the topic when I asked. It wasn't until after I turned ten, when I started seeing other people that no one else could, that I realized I was seeing spirits. I never invited Mamoru over for dinner again.

The next five years of my life I spent in solitude, as far as my parents were concerned. I had no friends at school; I didn't want any. I had all the friends I needed around me all the time. With them, I would spend most of my time inside my room. I was reading books, and attempting to boost my grades, hoping that a good average would make my mother proud of me again. Instead, she was constantly afraid of me.

"You really shouldn't spend so much time in your room," she would always say. "You should make some friends."

I once replied, "I have many friends that I am very close to. You just can't see them." That night I was sent to bed without dinner.

"You should stop testing her," Mamoru would remind me, but it couldn't be helped. Soon I became obsessed with trying to get my mother to understand, but she was just too stubborn. Eventually, fights I had with her became fights she had with my father. My mother wanted me to receive help, though it was clear I didn't need it. As for my father, he simply couldn't look at me anymore. I could tell he was confused, hurt even. He was stuck between believing me and believing his wife. There was on fight that lasted well into the night, after I had gone to bed. I could hear crashes and swearing. The next day he never came home from work. He called the following day, saying he was tired and that he needed to get away from it all for a little bit. My mother cried herself to sleep every night he was gone, afraid he might not come back.

Fortunately, my dad did come back, when my sixteenth birthday was approaching. He looked younger than the last time I saw him, and I could barely recognize him. I never noticed how awful he had begun to appear before he left. I was glad he was able to get better, however I was overjoyed that he was staying. Being alone with my mother for the few months he was gone was torture. I didn't mention Mamoru's name once while he was gone, mostly out of fear she might call a psychiatrist.

"You don't have to hide it from me," my father said discreetly one dinner. "Just don't mention it to your mom anymore." I think while he was away he was trying to understand how to handle me. I loved my dad, and I felt bad that I had caused him so much stress. Even though my parents had reconciled, I had decided that maybe I wasn't meant to stay with them. Maybe I wasn't supposed to be here.

"Can't I just stay with you?" I had asked Mamoru, scared that staying at home might make things worse, even though things seemed to be getting better. He at first acted as though he hadn't heard the question. The other spirits seemed to watch his every move, as if they were afraid he would eventually answer my question. He would, of course, because he couldn't ignore me. He was still my best friend, after all.

"You can't the way you are," he said after I repeated myself. He didn't have to explain why, because I understood. That's when our plans began, and we decided to initiate it soon.

"Ready?" Mamoru questioned, taking my attention from the stuffed animals on my bed. I smiled and quickly moved closer to the window. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in.

"More than I'll ever be," I said excitedly. Although we both seemed ready, neither of us attempted to make the first move.

There were eyes hanging from the ceiling, and ears at every wall. They were watching us, listening, taking in every detail. Many of them were against us. It just wasn't done. A human was not supposed to be brought over this way. They weren't even supposed to be in contact with spirits. Mamoru alone had broken almost all their rules to be friends with me. They were glaring at us, reminding us of their previous words when we first made up our minds.

"How dare you even give the girl that choice!" a small, chubby old woman practically screamed, shaking Mamoru by the arms before slapping him across the head. I watched on with wide eyes, mouth open, unsure of what to do.

Another older woman continued, "Do you really think you won't be punished for something like this?"

"You know it means the girl will-" a young man started, but Mamoru cut him off. He didn't seemed phased by any of it, and just shook his head.

"It's her choice, and as her best friend I am willing to help her go through with it, whatever the consequences," he said slowly, looking at me expectantly. I stepped back, unsure of how I felt at that moment.

"I...w-want..." I stuttered, but looked back at Mamoru and immediately calmed down. "This is something I need to do." He laughed and I blushed, but I never questioned my decision again.

"Goodbye," I whispered, smiling at the angry faces that stared back at me. I was crying tears of joy and sorrow, knowing that this was my last chance. This time Mamoru took my hand and we opened the window. Snowflakes brushed across my skin, and I shivered from the cold winter air. I was wearing my favourite nightgown. It was long and white with lace trims that fluttered even in the slightest breeze. Mamoru jumped up onto the ledge and pulled me up with him. He was still smiling, although it was a sad kind of smile.

I stared at my breath that was now visible in the cold, and realized that Mamoru didn't have any. I tugged him into a hug, closed my eyes, and jumped. My dress tightened against my skin, yet continued to flutter with the wind. I could still feel the continuous brush of snowflakes against my chapped skin, just before I hit the eternally frozen ground.

-

The End

In case you are confused, my idea for the story was that Usagi(or Alexis) is a schizophrenic, but since the story is told in her point of view we only see her reality. It questions which reality is the true reality. So, Mamoru(Darien) and the other spirits are her imagination and her parents (mainly her father) are afraid to get help for her. She ends up killing herself in order to "live" with the spirits.

Thanks for reading and please review!