PLEASE READ THIS; THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO THE STORY!!!
This story is a series! If you are starting to read this
from this point on, you will be confused. Please read the
first part of the stories first!!!
Don't Let Me Go: Broken Promises
Don't Let Me Go: Insanity
Don't Let Me Go: Roses
and this is Don't Let Me Go: Apparitions
All right minna, as promised the chapters are getting longer ^^
In case it confuses you (crap, it did me - I had to look it
up in a theasaurus) Apparitions means ghost. ^^
*sings the Fairy song from Sailor Moon Super S*
anyhoo - HUGE thank yous and *hugs* to everyone who has
emailed us!! lots of love minna, we really appriecate you!!
And a million and five thanks to my editor Meara - luva!
****HUGS****
3 Bethany & Patch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I was in the seventh grade we read a story
called "Dracula" by a guy named Bramm Stoker. It was
supposed to be scary, but by that time I'd fought any
number of monsters that could have had the "Count" for
dinner, so I was less than impressed with the whole tale.
The one thing I do remember is what they called him -
"Nosferatu." It means "the living dead" in some obscure
language.
"The living dead."
Kind of sums up my whole sorry life now doesn't it?
Sometimes I think that if my friends really loved me,
they'd let me go and be with him again. Each day is a
fight to go on living. And I am so tired of fighting...
-Usagi.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't Let Me Go: Apparitions
By: Bethany and Patch
Chapter: 1
Edited by: Meara - the greatest editor alive... ^^
Send your comments, suggestions, Tiggers and
cheese cubes to us at Bethany212@aol.com and
Patchkhan1@hotmail.com
And send the cows to Serenity Raye ^^
~~~~~~~~~~~
Something or someone slapped him. Hard.
"C'mon, wake up," a voice growled, "I know you're
awake, no use pretending."
Slowly, his eyelids opened and he gave the man in
front of him a piercing stare. His gaze steady, he
studied the short man who met his gaze, albeit, a bit less
bravely. Richie, that was his name, or so he had heard from
voices when he came to from unconsciousness. A smirk formed
on his upturned lips as his gaze traveled back to Richie's
face.
The man shifted a little then snarled at him. "What are
you looking at?"
"Not much, that's obvious."
His head flew back from the blow he received and the chair
he was tied to nearly toppled over. He straightened back up, as
his bangs fell over his eyes, and he had to shake his head a little
to clear his vision.
"What do you want from me?" he bit out.
The other sneered. "You'll see, boy. Everything will come
together in good time. All you have to do is cooperate and no one
will get hurt and that includes your cute little girlfriend."
"You won't touch her! I'll kill you with my bare hands if
you do anything, I swear it!"
Richie laughed and crossed his arms. "So passionate and such
a fool. The Organization of Chronos will pay you handsomely if you
just do what we say."
He turned and walked out of the small room.
"Matte! What are you talking about?" But his questions were not
answered as the door slammed shut and once again he was left alone...
in darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Her eyelids fluttered open. Everything was hazy so she slowly
sat up, resting on her elbows. She was lying on a bed with pristine
white sheets and everything around her was dark, it was as though it
was only her and the bed that was bathed in light; everything else
was pitch black. How very strange, she thought.
Usagi turned her head slightly to the right and noticed a figure
on the floor beside the bed. It was a man, his head was bowed, as
though in prayer, and all she could see was his shiny black hair. She
reached out to stroke the silky mass and his head raised slowly.
Her breath caught in her throat as the man smiled reassuringly
at her.
"I'll be back for you Usako, I swear it."
"Nani?"
But she could say no more when he rose and his lips brushed against
hers in a soft caress. He backed away and the back of his hand stroked
once over her cheek.
"Fear not, my love. Everything will be alright," and with that
he disappeared slowly and she moved to go after him but she was stuck.
She could not move from the bed and she was held immobilized as she
watched him fade into the darkness.
"Usako..."
"Iie!"
Her eyes shot open and met the worried face of a girl with red
hair.
"Eeek!" She stifled a scream and scrambled back from the
teenager. The other girl had been crouched on her knees next to her
and now looked at her just as shocked.
They stared at each other, both on the floor of Usagi's room,
neither saying a word until Usagi broke the silence.
"W-Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" she asked,
breathing heavily.
The girl continued to stare until another voice broke through.
"For Kami's sake, say something or we'll be here till the end
of time!"
Usagi was hard pressed not to scream again when she realized
that there was a cat next to the girl and it had been the one to talk.
"Oh yeah, gomen Lynn. Hello Usagi-chan, don't you remember me?"
"T-That cat talked!" Oh Kami, she was sounding just like her mom
now. "Only Artemis and Luna can talk. And then there's Diana, but that
cat's not Diana. Diana is gray and that cat's a calico. And you, you're
not Chibi-Usa, Chibi-Usa has pink hair, you have red hair, yet it's
tied up in odangos just like mine and-"
"Princess, it's me; Chibi Chibi."
Usagi abruptly shut her mouth and then opened it again as she
spoke in a whisper, "Chibi Chibi?"
"Hai, but I'd prefer it if you'd call me Mika, that's my name
now."
"Mika? Oh, oh, Chibi Chibi!" She rushed forward and enveloped
the girl in a big hug as she began to weep uncontrollably. Mika could
do nothing else but wrap her arms around Usagi and look questioningly
at Lynn.
"What do I do now?" she mouthed to her guardian who could only
shrug in that way that cats can shrug.
After a few moments, Usagi straightened and wiped her eyes, still
sniffing. "I'm sorry Chi- I mean Mika, it's just that I've missed you
so much. And look at how much you've grown!" (Patch an: as Bethany would
say, "she pulled a Saturn." Get it? LOL!)
"I guess I had an amazing growth spurt."
Usagi laughed in reply even though tears still fell from her eyes.
Suddenly remembering how she had found the Princess, Mika put her
hand on Usagi's. "Are you okay? You were on the floor when I came in. I
was so afraid."
"I-I'm fine," she answered, her head down. "Actually I'm not fine,"
she said, raising her head as fresh tears began to well up. "I'm not fine
at all and I don't know what to do. I can't take it anymore." She covered
her face with her hands and began crying.
This time, Mika scooted over to Usagi and embraced her. "It's okay,
you can tell me. I'll listen."
"Oh, it's such a long story. What are you doing here, by the way?"
Mika grinned for a moment, "I'm a Senshi-in-training."
Much later, Mika and Lynn stared in astonishment as Usagi finished
explaining all that had happened.
"Kami-sama Usagi-chan, I-I didn't know!" Tears streamed down the
younger girl's face and she tried to wipe them away. They were still
sitting on the floor and all of a sudden, Mika enveloped Usagi in a fierce
hug. "Thank you for telling me," she whispered. "I know it must have been
hard for you."
"It was and still is, but you had to know and...well, better it be
me to tell you than someone else, right?"
"Hai."
"So tell me, how come you're here as a Senshi-in-training?"
"Well, it's somewhat similar to what Chibi-Usa had to do. Galaxia-
chan felt that it was time for me to learn and understand my
responsibilities and strengthen my Senshi skills."
"And Lynn is your guardian?"
"Hai, that I am. I'm here to keep this one," she said, motioning
to Mika, "from getting herself into trouble."
"Lynn! I can take care of myself," the cat gave a snort and Mika
turned red. "It's true! Well, I'm sure Usagi-chan would love to know
how you've secretly been hoping to meet Luna and Artemis after all the
stories I've told you about them."
It was Lynn's turn to look embarrassed but they both stopped
when Usagi spoke.
"So you two were sent here to stay with us then?"
"Hai," Mika answered, "but none of us knew all this had happened!
Honestly, Usagi-chan, I wouldn't have come at a time like this to be
more of a burden."
"Oh no! Don't think that," Usagi cried, getting up, Mika following.
She stopped when she saw the roses again. She stared at them for a
bit but then turned to Mika with a sad smile.
"I need some cheering up and I think I need all the friends
I can get right now."
Lynn jumped on Usagi's shoulder and rubbed her cheek against her face.
"We'll always be there for you."
"Right! So can we go see the other Senshi now? I can't wait
to see their faces when they realize who I am."
Usagi laughed at the picture that came to her and pulled Mika
out the door, Lynn following them.
As they walked down the sidewalk, Mika began skipping sideways,
Lynn on her shoulder, hanging on for dear life.
"So do you and Rei-chan still fight with each other? I remember
how she used to chase after you with a broom."
Usagi laughed a little as memories came back to her. Kami, it
felt so good to laugh again. "We still have our arguments over little
things but Rei-chan has let up on me a bit. She says that I'm finally
showing some maturity, but I say that she's...." something caught her
eye across the street and she didn't finish her sentence. Instead she
stopped, her body stiff and tense.
The Kale's Diamond store was right across from her. But it wasn't
the shiny jewelry in the display window that had caught her attention.
It was the man that stood there, his back to her. One hand was placed
on the glass as he leaned forward slightly. From where she stood she
could somewhat see his reflection on the window. Could see his blue eyes,
turbulent yet piercing.
She stepped forward a little and somewhere in the back of her mind
she could hear Mika's voice calling her. But that wasn't important right
now; all she had to do was take... just... one... step...
A truck roared past and she yelled when she felt herself pulled
backwards and fall to the sidewalk.
"Usagi-chan! What were you doing?"
"Iie, let me go! I just saw... I just saw..."
"Saw who?"
Her voice cracked as she whispered one word, "Mamo-chan."
Mika and Lynn could only share a troubled look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aiyeeee! No! It can't be!"
"Baka!" Rei hissed, "You'll bring my roof down if you scream
any louder!"
"But this is our little Chibi-Chibi! Look at how much she's
grown!" Minako gushed, "I can still remember when all you used to
say was 'chibi-chibi'. Just those two little words!"
Mika blushed and looked down as Lynn looked on in glee.
"Minako-chan, you're embarrassing the poor girl. Enough already,"
Makoto said.
"Gomen, gomen. This is just so cool!"
"So you're here as a Senshi then?" Ami asked.
"Hai. On behalf of the Star galaxy, I'm ready to punish all
evil-doers here on Earth!" She did a Sailor Moon pose and everyone
laughed.
"I'm sorry to break it to you Mika-chan, but there haven't been
any 'evil doers' for some time now," Ami said.
"Oh, you can't be serious!"
"She's right," Rei said, "after Galaxia we've only had a few
strays here and there. Maybe, just maybe, you'll get lucky."
As everyone continued to talk, Luna noticed that Usagi had
been silent ever since she had come in and was now sitting in the
corner away from everyone. Luna had thought that Usagi was improving
but now it appeared as though she was back in that depressive state,
a state she hadn't seen since those first few days after Mamoru's death.
"Usagi-chan, daijabou?"
At first she didn't reply and Luna was about to repeat the question.
However before she was able to do so, she heard Usagi speak ever so quietly.
"I saw him."
"Nani? What are you talking about?"
"I saw him, Luna. I saw him; he was standing right there, in front
of me. I could have gone right up to him and-"
"Stop it Usagi-chan! Stop it!"
Usagi looked at her guardian, startled. Luna hadn't raised her
voice to her in a long time.
"You are doing nothing more than torturing yourself."
"Demo..."
"No, Usagi-chan, please don't do this to yourself. I hate to see
you like this. Whoever you saw, it wasn't Mamoru-san. It's not possible.
You miss him so much that you're just seeing him in other men who may
look similar to him. Don't do this Usagi-chan, please, I want you to be
happy again."
Usagi let out a choked sob and hugged Luna to her, "Thank you Luna,"
she whispered, "thank you for being there and looking out for me."
"I've got a great idea!" Minako burst out.
Everyone stopped talking and looked towards her expectantly.
"This new club is holding its grand opening tonight. It's supposed to be
the coolest thing around. I say we all go check it out."
"Minako-chan, that's a great idea!" Makoto said. "Who knew you had
something intelligent under all that blonde hair?"
"Mako-chan!"
The girls laughed and Ami spoke. "I think it's a great idea too but
how are we going to get Mika-chan in?"
"Oh that's no problem, me and make-up are best friends!" Minako said
airily, "In no time I'll have Mika-chan looking like a 20 year-old."
"Just please, don't make her look like a woman with a questionable
background," ignoring a glare from the blonde, Rei went on, "Usagi, you'll
be coming too, won't you?"
"I don't know..."
"You have to come!" Mika said, her eyes pleading, "You need to get
out a little and it wouldn't be the same without you."
"I guess I could go..."
"You are definitely coming Usagi-chan, I'll pick you up at your place
around eight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The club was dark and noisy. It seemed as though all of Tokyo had
come out tonight.
Usagi stood in a corner, a drink of some sort in her hand. She took
occasional sips and watched as people talked and laughed around her. Her
friends had tried to pull her onto the dance floor but she had declined,
saying she needed a drink.
So here she was with the sound of people having a good time echoing
in her ears. Everyone was having fun...except her. She was alone - so alone.
But I can't think like this, she thought, I have to live. But live for
what?
She couldn't take it any longer. The air, the people, the music, it was
suffocating. The lights began to flicker in front of her eyes and she backed
further away from them, breathing heavily.
And then it happened. It was like a spark deep within her. It was a
feeling she couldn't describe, but it scared her. She began to sweat and
clutched the glass in her hand.
A pair of strong arms came around her waist and she felt a light
breathing against her ear, causing her to shiver.
"Usako... my love."
She stiffened and the glass fell from her hand, shattering to the floor.
No one noticed, except for those close to her.
She whirled around and nearly fainted when her eyes met deep blue eyes.
No! It couldn't be! He stepped forward and she sprung her hands out, shaking
her head wildly, her eyes fearful.
"Iie! Stay away from me!" she backed away and as he took another step
towards her she turned around and ran. She ran out of the club and the cool,
fresh air invaded her senses, making her dizzy.
She had to get away, she was going crazy! She ran, not caring where
she was going. She stopped suddenly and realized too late she had run onto
the road. Headlights blinded her eyes and it was in slow motion that she saw
the car heading towards her.
Frozen, held immobile, she watched it speed into her and as the pain
consumed her, she heard her name.
"USAKO!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*barely misses objects thrown by readers* EEEEEEEKKKKKKK! Don't look
at me! It was Patch!! *looks innocently at Patch*
But, before you start chasing her with a broom, please notice that
you are only on chapter 1 and you have 3 more chapters... then you
can throw things, ne?? ^_^
3 ya!
Bethany & Patch
This story is a series! If you are starting to read this
from this point on, you will be confused. Please read the
first part of the stories first!!!
Don't Let Me Go: Broken Promises
Don't Let Me Go: Insanity
Don't Let Me Go: Roses
and this is Don't Let Me Go: Apparitions
All right minna, as promised the chapters are getting longer ^^
In case it confuses you (crap, it did me - I had to look it
up in a theasaurus) Apparitions means ghost. ^^
*sings the Fairy song from Sailor Moon Super S*
anyhoo - HUGE thank yous and *hugs* to everyone who has
emailed us!! lots of love minna, we really appriecate you!!
And a million and five thanks to my editor Meara - luva!
****HUGS****
3 Bethany & Patch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I was in the seventh grade we read a story
called "Dracula" by a guy named Bramm Stoker. It was
supposed to be scary, but by that time I'd fought any
number of monsters that could have had the "Count" for
dinner, so I was less than impressed with the whole tale.
The one thing I do remember is what they called him -
"Nosferatu." It means "the living dead" in some obscure
language.
"The living dead."
Kind of sums up my whole sorry life now doesn't it?
Sometimes I think that if my friends really loved me,
they'd let me go and be with him again. Each day is a
fight to go on living. And I am so tired of fighting...
-Usagi.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't Let Me Go: Apparitions
By: Bethany and Patch
Chapter: 1
Edited by: Meara - the greatest editor alive... ^^
Send your comments, suggestions, Tiggers and
cheese cubes to us at Bethany212@aol.com and
Patchkhan1@hotmail.com
And send the cows to Serenity Raye ^^
~~~~~~~~~~~
Something or someone slapped him. Hard.
"C'mon, wake up," a voice growled, "I know you're
awake, no use pretending."
Slowly, his eyelids opened and he gave the man in
front of him a piercing stare. His gaze steady, he
studied the short man who met his gaze, albeit, a bit less
bravely. Richie, that was his name, or so he had heard from
voices when he came to from unconsciousness. A smirk formed
on his upturned lips as his gaze traveled back to Richie's
face.
The man shifted a little then snarled at him. "What are
you looking at?"
"Not much, that's obvious."
His head flew back from the blow he received and the chair
he was tied to nearly toppled over. He straightened back up, as
his bangs fell over his eyes, and he had to shake his head a little
to clear his vision.
"What do you want from me?" he bit out.
The other sneered. "You'll see, boy. Everything will come
together in good time. All you have to do is cooperate and no one
will get hurt and that includes your cute little girlfriend."
"You won't touch her! I'll kill you with my bare hands if
you do anything, I swear it!"
Richie laughed and crossed his arms. "So passionate and such
a fool. The Organization of Chronos will pay you handsomely if you
just do what we say."
He turned and walked out of the small room.
"Matte! What are you talking about?" But his questions were not
answered as the door slammed shut and once again he was left alone...
in darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Her eyelids fluttered open. Everything was hazy so she slowly
sat up, resting on her elbows. She was lying on a bed with pristine
white sheets and everything around her was dark, it was as though it
was only her and the bed that was bathed in light; everything else
was pitch black. How very strange, she thought.
Usagi turned her head slightly to the right and noticed a figure
on the floor beside the bed. It was a man, his head was bowed, as
though in prayer, and all she could see was his shiny black hair. She
reached out to stroke the silky mass and his head raised slowly.
Her breath caught in her throat as the man smiled reassuringly
at her.
"I'll be back for you Usako, I swear it."
"Nani?"
But she could say no more when he rose and his lips brushed against
hers in a soft caress. He backed away and the back of his hand stroked
once over her cheek.
"Fear not, my love. Everything will be alright," and with that
he disappeared slowly and she moved to go after him but she was stuck.
She could not move from the bed and she was held immobilized as she
watched him fade into the darkness.
"Usako..."
"Iie!"
Her eyes shot open and met the worried face of a girl with red
hair.
"Eeek!" She stifled a scream and scrambled back from the
teenager. The other girl had been crouched on her knees next to her
and now looked at her just as shocked.
They stared at each other, both on the floor of Usagi's room,
neither saying a word until Usagi broke the silence.
"W-Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" she asked,
breathing heavily.
The girl continued to stare until another voice broke through.
"For Kami's sake, say something or we'll be here till the end
of time!"
Usagi was hard pressed not to scream again when she realized
that there was a cat next to the girl and it had been the one to talk.
"Oh yeah, gomen Lynn. Hello Usagi-chan, don't you remember me?"
"T-That cat talked!" Oh Kami, she was sounding just like her mom
now. "Only Artemis and Luna can talk. And then there's Diana, but that
cat's not Diana. Diana is gray and that cat's a calico. And you, you're
not Chibi-Usa, Chibi-Usa has pink hair, you have red hair, yet it's
tied up in odangos just like mine and-"
"Princess, it's me; Chibi Chibi."
Usagi abruptly shut her mouth and then opened it again as she
spoke in a whisper, "Chibi Chibi?"
"Hai, but I'd prefer it if you'd call me Mika, that's my name
now."
"Mika? Oh, oh, Chibi Chibi!" She rushed forward and enveloped
the girl in a big hug as she began to weep uncontrollably. Mika could
do nothing else but wrap her arms around Usagi and look questioningly
at Lynn.
"What do I do now?" she mouthed to her guardian who could only
shrug in that way that cats can shrug.
After a few moments, Usagi straightened and wiped her eyes, still
sniffing. "I'm sorry Chi- I mean Mika, it's just that I've missed you
so much. And look at how much you've grown!" (Patch an: as Bethany would
say, "she pulled a Saturn." Get it? LOL!)
"I guess I had an amazing growth spurt."
Usagi laughed in reply even though tears still fell from her eyes.
Suddenly remembering how she had found the Princess, Mika put her
hand on Usagi's. "Are you okay? You were on the floor when I came in. I
was so afraid."
"I-I'm fine," she answered, her head down. "Actually I'm not fine,"
she said, raising her head as fresh tears began to well up. "I'm not fine
at all and I don't know what to do. I can't take it anymore." She covered
her face with her hands and began crying.
This time, Mika scooted over to Usagi and embraced her. "It's okay,
you can tell me. I'll listen."
"Oh, it's such a long story. What are you doing here, by the way?"
Mika grinned for a moment, "I'm a Senshi-in-training."
Much later, Mika and Lynn stared in astonishment as Usagi finished
explaining all that had happened.
"Kami-sama Usagi-chan, I-I didn't know!" Tears streamed down the
younger girl's face and she tried to wipe them away. They were still
sitting on the floor and all of a sudden, Mika enveloped Usagi in a fierce
hug. "Thank you for telling me," she whispered. "I know it must have been
hard for you."
"It was and still is, but you had to know and...well, better it be
me to tell you than someone else, right?"
"Hai."
"So tell me, how come you're here as a Senshi-in-training?"
"Well, it's somewhat similar to what Chibi-Usa had to do. Galaxia-
chan felt that it was time for me to learn and understand my
responsibilities and strengthen my Senshi skills."
"And Lynn is your guardian?"
"Hai, that I am. I'm here to keep this one," she said, motioning
to Mika, "from getting herself into trouble."
"Lynn! I can take care of myself," the cat gave a snort and Mika
turned red. "It's true! Well, I'm sure Usagi-chan would love to know
how you've secretly been hoping to meet Luna and Artemis after all the
stories I've told you about them."
It was Lynn's turn to look embarrassed but they both stopped
when Usagi spoke.
"So you two were sent here to stay with us then?"
"Hai," Mika answered, "but none of us knew all this had happened!
Honestly, Usagi-chan, I wouldn't have come at a time like this to be
more of a burden."
"Oh no! Don't think that," Usagi cried, getting up, Mika following.
She stopped when she saw the roses again. She stared at them for a
bit but then turned to Mika with a sad smile.
"I need some cheering up and I think I need all the friends
I can get right now."
Lynn jumped on Usagi's shoulder and rubbed her cheek against her face.
"We'll always be there for you."
"Right! So can we go see the other Senshi now? I can't wait
to see their faces when they realize who I am."
Usagi laughed at the picture that came to her and pulled Mika
out the door, Lynn following them.
As they walked down the sidewalk, Mika began skipping sideways,
Lynn on her shoulder, hanging on for dear life.
"So do you and Rei-chan still fight with each other? I remember
how she used to chase after you with a broom."
Usagi laughed a little as memories came back to her. Kami, it
felt so good to laugh again. "We still have our arguments over little
things but Rei-chan has let up on me a bit. She says that I'm finally
showing some maturity, but I say that she's...." something caught her
eye across the street and she didn't finish her sentence. Instead she
stopped, her body stiff and tense.
The Kale's Diamond store was right across from her. But it wasn't
the shiny jewelry in the display window that had caught her attention.
It was the man that stood there, his back to her. One hand was placed
on the glass as he leaned forward slightly. From where she stood she
could somewhat see his reflection on the window. Could see his blue eyes,
turbulent yet piercing.
She stepped forward a little and somewhere in the back of her mind
she could hear Mika's voice calling her. But that wasn't important right
now; all she had to do was take... just... one... step...
A truck roared past and she yelled when she felt herself pulled
backwards and fall to the sidewalk.
"Usagi-chan! What were you doing?"
"Iie, let me go! I just saw... I just saw..."
"Saw who?"
Her voice cracked as she whispered one word, "Mamo-chan."
Mika and Lynn could only share a troubled look.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Aiyeeee! No! It can't be!"
"Baka!" Rei hissed, "You'll bring my roof down if you scream
any louder!"
"But this is our little Chibi-Chibi! Look at how much she's
grown!" Minako gushed, "I can still remember when all you used to
say was 'chibi-chibi'. Just those two little words!"
Mika blushed and looked down as Lynn looked on in glee.
"Minako-chan, you're embarrassing the poor girl. Enough already,"
Makoto said.
"Gomen, gomen. This is just so cool!"
"So you're here as a Senshi then?" Ami asked.
"Hai. On behalf of the Star galaxy, I'm ready to punish all
evil-doers here on Earth!" She did a Sailor Moon pose and everyone
laughed.
"I'm sorry to break it to you Mika-chan, but there haven't been
any 'evil doers' for some time now," Ami said.
"Oh, you can't be serious!"
"She's right," Rei said, "after Galaxia we've only had a few
strays here and there. Maybe, just maybe, you'll get lucky."
As everyone continued to talk, Luna noticed that Usagi had
been silent ever since she had come in and was now sitting in the
corner away from everyone. Luna had thought that Usagi was improving
but now it appeared as though she was back in that depressive state,
a state she hadn't seen since those first few days after Mamoru's death.
"Usagi-chan, daijabou?"
At first she didn't reply and Luna was about to repeat the question.
However before she was able to do so, she heard Usagi speak ever so quietly.
"I saw him."
"Nani? What are you talking about?"
"I saw him, Luna. I saw him; he was standing right there, in front
of me. I could have gone right up to him and-"
"Stop it Usagi-chan! Stop it!"
Usagi looked at her guardian, startled. Luna hadn't raised her
voice to her in a long time.
"You are doing nothing more than torturing yourself."
"Demo..."
"No, Usagi-chan, please don't do this to yourself. I hate to see
you like this. Whoever you saw, it wasn't Mamoru-san. It's not possible.
You miss him so much that you're just seeing him in other men who may
look similar to him. Don't do this Usagi-chan, please, I want you to be
happy again."
Usagi let out a choked sob and hugged Luna to her, "Thank you Luna,"
she whispered, "thank you for being there and looking out for me."
"I've got a great idea!" Minako burst out.
Everyone stopped talking and looked towards her expectantly.
"This new club is holding its grand opening tonight. It's supposed to be
the coolest thing around. I say we all go check it out."
"Minako-chan, that's a great idea!" Makoto said. "Who knew you had
something intelligent under all that blonde hair?"
"Mako-chan!"
The girls laughed and Ami spoke. "I think it's a great idea too but
how are we going to get Mika-chan in?"
"Oh that's no problem, me and make-up are best friends!" Minako said
airily, "In no time I'll have Mika-chan looking like a 20 year-old."
"Just please, don't make her look like a woman with a questionable
background," ignoring a glare from the blonde, Rei went on, "Usagi, you'll
be coming too, won't you?"
"I don't know..."
"You have to come!" Mika said, her eyes pleading, "You need to get
out a little and it wouldn't be the same without you."
"I guess I could go..."
"You are definitely coming Usagi-chan, I'll pick you up at your place
around eight."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The club was dark and noisy. It seemed as though all of Tokyo had
come out tonight.
Usagi stood in a corner, a drink of some sort in her hand. She took
occasional sips and watched as people talked and laughed around her. Her
friends had tried to pull her onto the dance floor but she had declined,
saying she needed a drink.
So here she was with the sound of people having a good time echoing
in her ears. Everyone was having fun...except her. She was alone - so alone.
But I can't think like this, she thought, I have to live. But live for
what?
She couldn't take it any longer. The air, the people, the music, it was
suffocating. The lights began to flicker in front of her eyes and she backed
further away from them, breathing heavily.
And then it happened. It was like a spark deep within her. It was a
feeling she couldn't describe, but it scared her. She began to sweat and
clutched the glass in her hand.
A pair of strong arms came around her waist and she felt a light
breathing against her ear, causing her to shiver.
"Usako... my love."
She stiffened and the glass fell from her hand, shattering to the floor.
No one noticed, except for those close to her.
She whirled around and nearly fainted when her eyes met deep blue eyes.
No! It couldn't be! He stepped forward and she sprung her hands out, shaking
her head wildly, her eyes fearful.
"Iie! Stay away from me!" she backed away and as he took another step
towards her she turned around and ran. She ran out of the club and the cool,
fresh air invaded her senses, making her dizzy.
She had to get away, she was going crazy! She ran, not caring where
she was going. She stopped suddenly and realized too late she had run onto
the road. Headlights blinded her eyes and it was in slow motion that she saw
the car heading towards her.
Frozen, held immobile, she watched it speed into her and as the pain
consumed her, she heard her name.
"USAKO!!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*barely misses objects thrown by readers* EEEEEEEKKKKKKK! Don't look
at me! It was Patch!! *looks innocently at Patch*
But, before you start chasing her with a broom, please notice that
you are only on chapter 1 and you have 3 more chapters... then you
can throw things, ne?? ^_^
3 ya!
Bethany & Patch