CHAPTER ONE
The staccato beat of Usagi's pen against her desk echoed through the classroom. The blonde ignored the teacher's glare. Five minutes were left. Her classmates struggled to finish the history test. Usagi didn't care.
Her best friend was absent. Naru never skipped, but Umino hadn't heard anything while the office denied any knowledge of why. Her own mother's wrath kept Usagi in school, but that clock would change soon. That feeling of dread since lat last night lingered in her heart. Something told her Naru was involved.
The bell dinged. Usagi grabbed her bag, stuffed her pen inside and dashed for the door. Calls from students and teachers alike washed over her. Only Naru mattered. Tripping down the stairs stung. By standards watched in shock as Usagi Tsukino quietly picker herself up and raced down the hall. Where were the typical hysterics? Tears pooled in her eyes, but Usagi had no time to indulge. She regularly klutzed out. The pain would only smart for a short time. Usually she didn't care to remember that.
She switched her indoor slippers for shoes in record time. Very few had made it to the shoe lockers to witness the feat. When Usagi crossed the school gates only one person noticed. His cry for her to wait went unacknowledged.
Luck blessed Usagi, for a single moment. Not one accident occurred on her way. The jewerly shop came into view. That lump in her gut rose to her throat. Breathing became difficult; speech impossible.
The entire block was cordoned off by police tape. Officers stood watch. The ones close to Naru's wore boaggy suits Usagi had only seen on TV. No crowds hovered , eager for news. The busy shopping center stood deserted.
Usagi never made it to the police line. Her legs failed to hold her up ten feet away. Slumped against a store front, clear blue eyes stared at her friend's home. Without asking, Usagi knew Naru was gone.
"Miss, are you alright?" An officer crouched down next to her. She glanced at his concerned face before returning to the building. The lump in her throat swelled. Nothing was right.
~Scene Break~
Usagi fell back on the futon. Puffs of air from impact billowed the curtains. The pink fabric settled oddly, bleaving a streak of bright moonlight to fall across her legs. Small dust motes sparkled as they drifted in the stale air.
Exhaustion gave way to a burst of frustration. Bolting upright, Usagi jerked the curtains aside, fumbling to open the window. A wisp of cool night air brushed past her face. Red-rimmed eyes closed at the soothing sensation of the light breeze.
Shifting over, Usagi leaned against the window seal, soaking in the evening light.
The neighboorhood was a quiet one when the Tsukino household was at peace. Tonight was not one of those, but mourning seemed to work as well as peace in regards to the decibel level.
Muffled sounds of an old drama came from the Yamamoto's next door. The old couple would head to bed when it finished. Distant sounds of daily traffic drifted from downtown. The streetlight down the street buzzed in Usagi's ears.
The temporary calm from the fresh air fled in face of proof that the world still turned. It shouldn't, but no one seemed to notice.
Naru was dead.
Terrorist, the police said. A new poison being used in small shops. The investigation would continue until the group causing the random killings were caught.
The middle-age officer that informed Usage gave no hope that it would happen anytime soon. The dark eyes told the horror he had seen in the jewerly shop while her mother's tight grip on her sholder's kept Usagi from running. Somehow, she had already known. Sleep had been difficult in the last year. Usagi would toss and turn, uneasiness clouding her dreams. Late mornings and numerous tardies became the norm, but Wednesday was different.
Upon waking, a lump was lodged in her gut. She managed to convince herself it was dread from another detention.
Naru had been missing. Don't worry. She probably stayed up late helping in the store. By third period, that excuse didn't work. She remembered her mad dash to the shopping center, completely forgetting her detention.
Somehow, she had known.
Staring at her friend's home cordoned off by bright police tape, Usagi's gut twisted. Umino caught up and talked to an officer positioned to wave off by standers. Usagi was still frozen when her mother arrived from Umino's call at a nearby shop.
The paramedics were understanding, helping the teenaged girl in shock. By the time her father arrived to take them home, the Tsukino's knew as much as could be released to the public. The funeral was held the next day by a distant relative of Naru's Mother. The thin woman had not been able to prepare the ceremony herself.
Usagi cried. Crying was not an unusual state of being for the blonde girl, but this time wasn't a high pitched wail or crocodile tears. Silent sobs had shook her shoulders. Salty tears tracked down her cheeks. The funeral finished, but the grief stayed strong in her heart. It felt like a dream. A horrible dream. A nightmare.
Why? Why Naru? That fateful day had no hint at the coming darkness. The red-haired girl had dragged her out shopping to cheer her up after the blonde failed her math test. When they arrived at her friend's house, a huge sale had attracted a lot of customers. The two best friends had traded guesses on what happened to the jewelry store owner to make her act so flighty.
Usagi could still see her friend's cheerful grin as they waved farewell.
Now, three days since her world was shattered and Usagi could only think of her friend. Naru was a good person; kind, friendly, always willing to cheer someone up. They had been friends since grade school. While the blonde had started klutzing out the more she grew, Naru had shown grace and poise. The red-head had never been one for sports while Usagi had been rather active in anything short of an official club. When Usagi quit doing any kind of physically active events at the beginning of junior high (due to too many injuries), their friendship had blossomed. The two girls knew anything and everything about each other.
This was their last year of junior high. The semester had barely begun. They planned to go to the same high school. Naru's future plans of finding a cute guy to marry and running the jewelry store were now gone. Her friend would never find her one true love, never gossip about the latest news or give Usagi that heart warming smile. No mater what she did in life, the blonde had always been able to count on Naru to give her support.
Running a hand across her face, the teen sat up in her bed. Moonlight shone down on her from the open window. The night sky had always calmed her, but she didn't feel the usual peace the moon gave her. A deep ache had lodged in her chest and Usagi didn't think it would leave. There was a feeling that she should have been able to help, that if she had only done something Naru would still be alive.
Sighing, she crossed the room and turned on the radio. She was going to school tomorrow. Maybe the music would help her sleep. Several songs went by and the girl allowed them to drown out her thoughts. Sleep was knocking at the edge of her mind when a midnight talk show turned on. A heartfelt love letter was read, signed 'lovely Haruno.' A weak grin escaped Usagi as she thought of her homeroom teacher.
Naru would get a kick out of it if it turned out to be true. The two girls would congratulate their teacher and then challenge each other to write their own letters. Whoever's entry was read on the air first would win a free sundae at the arcade. Silent tears continued to fall as Usagi let the happy dream engulf her.
Ikuko checked on her a few minutes later. She turned off the radio and tucked her daughter in. Gently wiping the tear tracks away, the dark haired woman wondered if her sunshine would make it through this. A last glance at the sleeping girl revealed a quite smile gracing the blonde's face. Somehow, the mother felt everything would turn out right. Usagi had more strength than anyone knew.