Disclaimer : I don't own Sailor Moon etc. etc.
------------------------------------------------------------
A Stroll Through Your Dream
By Artemis
------------------------------------------------------------
PART TEN
"Usagi what's wrong!?" Michael shouted as he managed to run
after her down the hospital corridor.
Usagi ran ahead, forgetting about Michael, the little boy,
the fact that she was working. She could only think about
Mamoru. She felt something was wrong and she didn't like it.
"Usagi!!" Michael called out to her again.
She ignored him and kept running, out of breath and gasping.
As she ran down the stairs, she stumbled and fell down.
Michael finally caught up to her.
"Usagi what are you doing!?"
He grabbed her and made her look at him.
"Mamoru... there's something wrong.. I have to go and see him."
"Mamoru!?" Michael frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Instinct.... What you always talk about," she smiled.
Michael let her go. Usagi stumbled, her ankle was sprained.
"Are you okay?" Michael asked, helping her.
"Michael you have to help me get there, and see him.. Make
sure he's okay," she whispered desperately. "Please!"
"Of course," he nodded. "Anything for you Usagi..."
Usagi felt her heart wince in pain when she heard him say that.
He still loved her, but she knew she didn't love him any more.
Somebody else had come along and stolen away all her feelings
and emotions. Somebody who she cared about much much more than
Michael.
"Thank you Michael..." she murmured.
She didn't know what else to say. Michael just nodded and helped
her walk down the stairs.
"He's all by himself..." Usagi started to say, not sure whether
she was making excuses or thinking aloud. "Alone. He has nobody
to comfort him. Nobody... Nobody to love him."
The words slipped out of her mouth so naturally that she didn't
realise what she had said. She glanced at Michael, who didn't
look at her.
"Nobody to love him..." he repeated her words slowly. "But you.."
Usagi was shocked to hear him say it, because even she had
admitted her own feelings to herself. She started to cry, for
so many reasons. For Michael, for Mamoru, for herself.
"Michael..." she sobbed. "Michael.... Michael.. I..."
He kissed her gently on her cheek.
"Let's just think about getting to Mamoru first," he smiled.
And Usagi wished he wouldn't be so kind to her because it made
her feel ten times worse.
Mamoru wasn't sure why he hadn't woken up yet. Usually he'd feel
dizzy or tired and he would find himself awake, but no matter
how many times he closed his eyes, when he opened them he found
himself in the same place. In the darkness. He shuddered.
"Where are you..." he whispered, talking to all three of them.
The little blonde girl, the princess and Usagi. Not that they were
really three people, they were the same person... Just in different
forms. He lay back and closed his eyes, trying to wake up again.
He didn't want to stay here in some subconscious part of his mind
that made horrible dreams. What if he stayed here trapped forever?
He shuddered at the thought. He opened his eyes and still he saw
the murky darkness. Not that he really minded, come to think of it.
There was really no use trying to wake up if the reality outside
his mind was just as cruel as the dream. Even if he woke up, what
was there in reality that he could look forward to? There was no
more Usagi, no more stars and the beautiful moon, just the bland
hospital ceiling he had come to know so well. So he figured, it
was pointless to want to leave the dream and he sat, thinking
about Usagi. He closed his eyes and imagined her sweet smile,
the smell of roses that wafted around whenever she was nearby.
Her soft, gentle hands stroking his hair and her warm eyes that
were so comforting. Her voice that sounded like liquid silk,
so pleasant to listen to. He sighed deeply and opened his eyes.
He had never ever loved anyone so much in his whole entire life.
No one had ever made him feel this way. He hadn't even been at
all interested in girls before he joined NASA and even during it.
Michael on the other hand always had girlfriends. And they were
all quite attractive, Mamoru could admit. So maybe he had been
jealous of Michael. But why? Mamoru hadn't wanted any girlfriends.
He was fine being in love with the stars. He was fine, until...
Until... Mamoru didn't want to think about the mission. It was
behind him, the past. It was over, done, nothing he could do to
change it.. And he didn't want to either. Because if he hadn't
been half dead, he would never have met Usagi and he would be
willing to repeat it again if he was allowed another chance.
He sighed again, tired of thinking so much about things that
hadn't worked out. He tried to calm himself down by trying to
remember that blissful weightless feeling out in space. And how
beautiful the moon looked. The glow like Usagi's soft hair....
Why did one bad thing have to lead to another one? No, Usagi
wasn't a bad thing.... Just.. Just painful to think about.
But he still loved her. Pain was something he was used to and
that was nothing. He could visualise the stars twinkling in his
mind and he breathed slow and deep. Maybe when he opened his eyes
he would wake up? He hoped so. He could almost hear the voice
asking him if he was all right, then telling him to take as long
as he wanted to. Mamoru smiled to himself. How happy they had
all been, how totally unprepared of... that meteorite. And he
closed his eyes tight as that loud crash flashed into his mind.
And how the shuttle had jolted, like a tin can. Totally helpless.
Mamoru suddenly felt incredibly sweaty and hot thinking about
the crash. He shook his head to get the thought out of his head.
He tried thinking about Usagi, seeing her smile, but that didn't
last for long. Mamoru panicked, fearing how his mind could take
over, re-enacting that moment.
"Go away, go away," he muttered angrily.
And his eyes shot open and to his horror, he found himself locked
in that shuttle once more. He could hear the roaring of the shuttle,
the blaring warning signals, the red lights flashing before his eyes.
Mamoru didn't want to think about it and he closed his eyes again,
gritting his teeth. But he could still feel it, his whole body feeling
the pressure of the shuttle falling. And he knew that after hearing
two more signals, the shuttle would slam into the ocean and he would
fall unconscious.
Grace heard a battering of feet down the corridor. She raised an eyebrow,
puzzled, and poked her head out of the door. She saw doctors and nurses
rushing past her. She stopped one of the nurses and asked her what was
going on.
"It's Mr Chiba," the nurse told her quietly. "He's fallen unconscious and
that's about all I can tell you..."
"Thanks," Grace nodded and let the nurse go.
She stood by her door and frowned. What was wrong with Mamoru? She decided
to see for herself and was about to walk over to the elevator when someone
ran straight into her.
"Grace!" she heard a familiar female voice.
She looked up and saw Usagi.
"What are you doing here!?" she shouted. "This a highly restricted...."
Then her voice trailed away as she saw Michael. She frowned.
"You can't bring unauthorised personnel here!" she yelled at him. "You're
always so irrational! Why do you...."
"Shut up Grace!" Michael shouted angrily. "There's something wrong with
Mamoru, Usagi knows it! But they won't let us past the security. You're
the only person who can let us get there. He's in a critical condition
and... and well, Mamoru needs to know we're there. That she's here.
For him..."
Grace stood up, brushed her skirt and looked at Michael.
"That's no concern of mine," she snapped, then turned and walked back.
"Grace! Please!" Usagi shouted, begging.
Michael helped her up and Usagi winced painfully, her ankle was swollen.
Grace turned and looked at the two of them. She felt so annoyed with them.
"Go away! Leave me alone!"
And she slammed the door shut as she stormed away to her office. Michael
and Usagi just watched, in disbelief.
"But.. doesn't she care about.. Mamoru?" Usagi whimpered.
"Well she doesn't care about much," Michael made a light comment.
Usagi hobbled over and opened the door. She found Grace pacing irritably
around the office.
"Grace, please..." she whispered, her voice choked with tears now.
"Why do you plead to me? You don't even know me!" Grace frowned. "How do
you expect me to answer to your pleas?"
"But I have to see Mamoru!" Usagi begged. "Grace! Don't you understand!?"
"No, I don't understand you at all!"
Usagi frowned, confused why Grace was so upset. She seemed to take it a
little too personally.
"Why..... why are you so upset?" Usagi asked quietly, as she heard Michael
walk into the room.
"I don't intend to help anybody who hurts him or anybody else I work with!"
Grace was red from anger and she glared at Usagi, then turned away. Usagi
and Michael both stared at Grace. There was a long silence.
"Then help me instead," Michael spoke up. "Help me to see Mamoru..."
He walked a little closer to Grace. She moved back. Then, after a pause,
"Fine! But not because I want to help you, but because I wanted to go
see Mamoru as well."
Michael smiled gratefully. Then he helped Usagi to walk as quickly as
possible. Grace sighed and walked out of the door.
In Mamoru's room, it was havoc. Panic. Fear. Confusion.
"Ms Thompson!" one of the doctors saw her. "What are you doing here? Who
are these people? We're trying to save this man!"
"I figured," Grace replied. "They're here to support him. I'm here to
watch. Why are there so many people in here? It should just be you,
another doctor and a nurse!"
The doctor himself was confused. He looked disorganised, lost and unable
to grasp what was happening.
"What's wrong with him?" Michael demanded.
"I can't tell you that!" the doctor frowned.
Michael grabbed him and threw him against the wall.
"Tell me," he repeated slowly. "What is wrong with Mamoru?"
The doctor pushed Michael away.
"We're trying to revive him... Right now we're giving him a heart massage."
"A what!?" Usagi shouted, surprising the doctor and Michael.
"And who are you?" the doctor asked, annoyed.
"A nurse! Mamoru's nurse!" she told him boldly. "What's wrong? Why is he
being revived!? Why's he unconscious!?"
"His heart rate dropped suddenly during his sleep, we have no idea why."
"His heart rate dropped!?" Michael shouted, leaning against the wall for
support. "What do you mean? Does that mean....."
"He's dead?" Usagi finished the sentence, her voice shaking.
"Technically, no... He's not dead yet."
"But he could be," Grace stated, her voice sharp. "So why is there so much
panic here? What is the problem if you know what's wrong?"
"Well.. his brain patterns are very disturbing, he's... affected by something
he must have been dreaming of. It's as though he's trapped in a dream."
"Like a coma?" Usagi asked nervously, hoping he wouldn't die.
"No, something much more.. strange. He's not breathing either, as though
he fell unconscoius in his dream.... And because we can't wake him up..."
"He's trapped?" Michael and Usagi finished at the same time.
Usagi felt her heart pounding against her chest. She could feel her breaths
shortening, becoming quicker. Her ankle felt sore. But how could she save
Mamoru this time? If he couldn't wake up in his dream, he wouldn't be able
to wake up at all..... Did she know how to save him? Usagi pushed past the
staff and managed to grab his hand. She squeezed it tight.
"Mamoru!" she screamed out his name. "Mamoru!"
"What are you doing!?" doctors yelled at her, ripping her away.
Her fingers slipped away from his hand. Michael and Grace could only watch
helplessly. A nurse held her back as Usagi struggled, trying to get back
to Mamoru's side. The dead tone of the heart rate machine dulled the room.
"Mamoru.." Usagi sobbed quietly. "Mamoru... I love you... Please don't
leave me... Please..."
------------------------------------------------------------
END OF PART TEN
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
A Stroll Through Your Dream
By Artemis
------------------------------------------------------------
PART TEN
"Usagi what's wrong!?" Michael shouted as he managed to run
after her down the hospital corridor.
Usagi ran ahead, forgetting about Michael, the little boy,
the fact that she was working. She could only think about
Mamoru. She felt something was wrong and she didn't like it.
"Usagi!!" Michael called out to her again.
She ignored him and kept running, out of breath and gasping.
As she ran down the stairs, she stumbled and fell down.
Michael finally caught up to her.
"Usagi what are you doing!?"
He grabbed her and made her look at him.
"Mamoru... there's something wrong.. I have to go and see him."
"Mamoru!?" Michael frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Instinct.... What you always talk about," she smiled.
Michael let her go. Usagi stumbled, her ankle was sprained.
"Are you okay?" Michael asked, helping her.
"Michael you have to help me get there, and see him.. Make
sure he's okay," she whispered desperately. "Please!"
"Of course," he nodded. "Anything for you Usagi..."
Usagi felt her heart wince in pain when she heard him say that.
He still loved her, but she knew she didn't love him any more.
Somebody else had come along and stolen away all her feelings
and emotions. Somebody who she cared about much much more than
Michael.
"Thank you Michael..." she murmured.
She didn't know what else to say. Michael just nodded and helped
her walk down the stairs.
"He's all by himself..." Usagi started to say, not sure whether
she was making excuses or thinking aloud. "Alone. He has nobody
to comfort him. Nobody... Nobody to love him."
The words slipped out of her mouth so naturally that she didn't
realise what she had said. She glanced at Michael, who didn't
look at her.
"Nobody to love him..." he repeated her words slowly. "But you.."
Usagi was shocked to hear him say it, because even she had
admitted her own feelings to herself. She started to cry, for
so many reasons. For Michael, for Mamoru, for herself.
"Michael..." she sobbed. "Michael.... Michael.. I..."
He kissed her gently on her cheek.
"Let's just think about getting to Mamoru first," he smiled.
And Usagi wished he wouldn't be so kind to her because it made
her feel ten times worse.
Mamoru wasn't sure why he hadn't woken up yet. Usually he'd feel
dizzy or tired and he would find himself awake, but no matter
how many times he closed his eyes, when he opened them he found
himself in the same place. In the darkness. He shuddered.
"Where are you..." he whispered, talking to all three of them.
The little blonde girl, the princess and Usagi. Not that they were
really three people, they were the same person... Just in different
forms. He lay back and closed his eyes, trying to wake up again.
He didn't want to stay here in some subconscious part of his mind
that made horrible dreams. What if he stayed here trapped forever?
He shuddered at the thought. He opened his eyes and still he saw
the murky darkness. Not that he really minded, come to think of it.
There was really no use trying to wake up if the reality outside
his mind was just as cruel as the dream. Even if he woke up, what
was there in reality that he could look forward to? There was no
more Usagi, no more stars and the beautiful moon, just the bland
hospital ceiling he had come to know so well. So he figured, it
was pointless to want to leave the dream and he sat, thinking
about Usagi. He closed his eyes and imagined her sweet smile,
the smell of roses that wafted around whenever she was nearby.
Her soft, gentle hands stroking his hair and her warm eyes that
were so comforting. Her voice that sounded like liquid silk,
so pleasant to listen to. He sighed deeply and opened his eyes.
He had never ever loved anyone so much in his whole entire life.
No one had ever made him feel this way. He hadn't even been at
all interested in girls before he joined NASA and even during it.
Michael on the other hand always had girlfriends. And they were
all quite attractive, Mamoru could admit. So maybe he had been
jealous of Michael. But why? Mamoru hadn't wanted any girlfriends.
He was fine being in love with the stars. He was fine, until...
Until... Mamoru didn't want to think about the mission. It was
behind him, the past. It was over, done, nothing he could do to
change it.. And he didn't want to either. Because if he hadn't
been half dead, he would never have met Usagi and he would be
willing to repeat it again if he was allowed another chance.
He sighed again, tired of thinking so much about things that
hadn't worked out. He tried to calm himself down by trying to
remember that blissful weightless feeling out in space. And how
beautiful the moon looked. The glow like Usagi's soft hair....
Why did one bad thing have to lead to another one? No, Usagi
wasn't a bad thing.... Just.. Just painful to think about.
But he still loved her. Pain was something he was used to and
that was nothing. He could visualise the stars twinkling in his
mind and he breathed slow and deep. Maybe when he opened his eyes
he would wake up? He hoped so. He could almost hear the voice
asking him if he was all right, then telling him to take as long
as he wanted to. Mamoru smiled to himself. How happy they had
all been, how totally unprepared of... that meteorite. And he
closed his eyes tight as that loud crash flashed into his mind.
And how the shuttle had jolted, like a tin can. Totally helpless.
Mamoru suddenly felt incredibly sweaty and hot thinking about
the crash. He shook his head to get the thought out of his head.
He tried thinking about Usagi, seeing her smile, but that didn't
last for long. Mamoru panicked, fearing how his mind could take
over, re-enacting that moment.
"Go away, go away," he muttered angrily.
And his eyes shot open and to his horror, he found himself locked
in that shuttle once more. He could hear the roaring of the shuttle,
the blaring warning signals, the red lights flashing before his eyes.
Mamoru didn't want to think about it and he closed his eyes again,
gritting his teeth. But he could still feel it, his whole body feeling
the pressure of the shuttle falling. And he knew that after hearing
two more signals, the shuttle would slam into the ocean and he would
fall unconscious.
Grace heard a battering of feet down the corridor. She raised an eyebrow,
puzzled, and poked her head out of the door. She saw doctors and nurses
rushing past her. She stopped one of the nurses and asked her what was
going on.
"It's Mr Chiba," the nurse told her quietly. "He's fallen unconscious and
that's about all I can tell you..."
"Thanks," Grace nodded and let the nurse go.
She stood by her door and frowned. What was wrong with Mamoru? She decided
to see for herself and was about to walk over to the elevator when someone
ran straight into her.
"Grace!" she heard a familiar female voice.
She looked up and saw Usagi.
"What are you doing here!?" she shouted. "This a highly restricted...."
Then her voice trailed away as she saw Michael. She frowned.
"You can't bring unauthorised personnel here!" she yelled at him. "You're
always so irrational! Why do you...."
"Shut up Grace!" Michael shouted angrily. "There's something wrong with
Mamoru, Usagi knows it! But they won't let us past the security. You're
the only person who can let us get there. He's in a critical condition
and... and well, Mamoru needs to know we're there. That she's here.
For him..."
Grace stood up, brushed her skirt and looked at Michael.
"That's no concern of mine," she snapped, then turned and walked back.
"Grace! Please!" Usagi shouted, begging.
Michael helped her up and Usagi winced painfully, her ankle was swollen.
Grace turned and looked at the two of them. She felt so annoyed with them.
"Go away! Leave me alone!"
And she slammed the door shut as she stormed away to her office. Michael
and Usagi just watched, in disbelief.
"But.. doesn't she care about.. Mamoru?" Usagi whimpered.
"Well she doesn't care about much," Michael made a light comment.
Usagi hobbled over and opened the door. She found Grace pacing irritably
around the office.
"Grace, please..." she whispered, her voice choked with tears now.
"Why do you plead to me? You don't even know me!" Grace frowned. "How do
you expect me to answer to your pleas?"
"But I have to see Mamoru!" Usagi begged. "Grace! Don't you understand!?"
"No, I don't understand you at all!"
Usagi frowned, confused why Grace was so upset. She seemed to take it a
little too personally.
"Why..... why are you so upset?" Usagi asked quietly, as she heard Michael
walk into the room.
"I don't intend to help anybody who hurts him or anybody else I work with!"
Grace was red from anger and she glared at Usagi, then turned away. Usagi
and Michael both stared at Grace. There was a long silence.
"Then help me instead," Michael spoke up. "Help me to see Mamoru..."
He walked a little closer to Grace. She moved back. Then, after a pause,
"Fine! But not because I want to help you, but because I wanted to go
see Mamoru as well."
Michael smiled gratefully. Then he helped Usagi to walk as quickly as
possible. Grace sighed and walked out of the door.
In Mamoru's room, it was havoc. Panic. Fear. Confusion.
"Ms Thompson!" one of the doctors saw her. "What are you doing here? Who
are these people? We're trying to save this man!"
"I figured," Grace replied. "They're here to support him. I'm here to
watch. Why are there so many people in here? It should just be you,
another doctor and a nurse!"
The doctor himself was confused. He looked disorganised, lost and unable
to grasp what was happening.
"What's wrong with him?" Michael demanded.
"I can't tell you that!" the doctor frowned.
Michael grabbed him and threw him against the wall.
"Tell me," he repeated slowly. "What is wrong with Mamoru?"
The doctor pushed Michael away.
"We're trying to revive him... Right now we're giving him a heart massage."
"A what!?" Usagi shouted, surprising the doctor and Michael.
"And who are you?" the doctor asked, annoyed.
"A nurse! Mamoru's nurse!" she told him boldly. "What's wrong? Why is he
being revived!? Why's he unconscious!?"
"His heart rate dropped suddenly during his sleep, we have no idea why."
"His heart rate dropped!?" Michael shouted, leaning against the wall for
support. "What do you mean? Does that mean....."
"He's dead?" Usagi finished the sentence, her voice shaking.
"Technically, no... He's not dead yet."
"But he could be," Grace stated, her voice sharp. "So why is there so much
panic here? What is the problem if you know what's wrong?"
"Well.. his brain patterns are very disturbing, he's... affected by something
he must have been dreaming of. It's as though he's trapped in a dream."
"Like a coma?" Usagi asked nervously, hoping he wouldn't die.
"No, something much more.. strange. He's not breathing either, as though
he fell unconscoius in his dream.... And because we can't wake him up..."
"He's trapped?" Michael and Usagi finished at the same time.
Usagi felt her heart pounding against her chest. She could feel her breaths
shortening, becoming quicker. Her ankle felt sore. But how could she save
Mamoru this time? If he couldn't wake up in his dream, he wouldn't be able
to wake up at all..... Did she know how to save him? Usagi pushed past the
staff and managed to grab his hand. She squeezed it tight.
"Mamoru!" she screamed out his name. "Mamoru!"
"What are you doing!?" doctors yelled at her, ripping her away.
Her fingers slipped away from his hand. Michael and Grace could only watch
helplessly. A nurse held her back as Usagi struggled, trying to get back
to Mamoru's side. The dead tone of the heart rate machine dulled the room.
"Mamoru.." Usagi sobbed quietly. "Mamoru... I love you... Please don't
leave me... Please..."
------------------------------------------------------------
END OF PART TEN
------------------------------------------------------------