Exhale

Makoto walked silently. The rain cascaded wetly down her umbrella, silver droplets glistening in the dark. The sidewalk lay damply before her, a pool of cement and rainwater.

She concentrated on her damp footsteps, echoing into the dark. The rain fell harder now, pattering against her umbrella in a plastic sort of tone. Above her, apartments cast bright shadows on the sidewalk, warm and welcoming windows with their cozy living rooms. Makoto walked past quickly, keeping her head turned toward the slippery cement.

The rain beat harder against her flimsy excuse for an umbrella and she flung it down in frustration, letting the droplets fall freely down her auburn hair. She walked faster, not giving a care to how wet she was getting.

Makoto walked swiftly, having no destination in mind. She seemed to have this pent up anger, or frustration, or energy, or SOMETHING she couldn't identify flowing through her veins, making her stomach uneasy and her soul shudder. Fear? Maybe. She'd been experiencing fear a lot lately. Fear mingled with a large dose of pain. "Just the right combination that can kill a person…" she thought numbly. Minako's face flashed before her eyes, and she clenched her teeth, breathing deeply.

She splashed into a puddle, which caught hold of her foot, tripping her. She fell to her knees and began to sob. Something fell out of her pocket and clattered across the cement. Makoto sat back on her knees, her eyes closed, the rain mingling with her tears. She opened them and looked over to the object that had slid out of her coat.

The locket.

The locket gleamed a pearly pink, trimmed in tiny golden stars and an engraving of a silver moon in the center. Jade lined the edges, cracked from the ordeals it had been through. Raindrops fell on its surface, attaining the appearance of silver pearls. She picked it up slowly and held it in the palm of her hands.

She gently opened the tiny clasp and the top popped open. The lullaby-like melody drifted out weakly, slowly, grasping at the rainy, damp air and tugging at Makoto's heart. She was brought back to that day; that horrendous day when everything precariously balanced had toppled down before her eyes. It was so painful, so harrowing.

She snapped it closed, the melody silenced. Standing, she walked silently down the street.

* * *

Minako walked through the mists, a filmy orange dress tangling around her ankles. Wherever she was, it seemed mysterious. Glitter seemed to emanate from the atmosphere, landing on her nose and making her smile.

She was going forward, toward a golden light, so bright she had to shield her eyes. It was warm there; so warm and so cozy. Sweet music, violins, swam around her. She closed her eyes, and was thrust into memories..

"Usagi?"

"Yes, Mina-chan?"

"What does it feel to be in love..?"

Usagi laughed. "It feels wonderful…like a dream you never want to wake up from. It's like…having the best days of your life all in a row. Feeling safe with someone like you never have before…" Usagi got that dreamy look in her eyes, which usually meant she was off in her own mind and lost in her fantasies.

Minako and Usagi laughed, Minako pulling a chocolate shake in front of Usagi's face, making her drop out of her dreamy state.

Minako opened her eyes, laughing. She was greeted with Usagi's blue eyes one inch away from her's. Minako gasped deeply, unblinking.

Usagi smiled, and then pulled Minako back, reversing her direction from the golden comfort and to a dark blue spiral downward. Minako tried to cry out to Usagi, who simply shook her head, but her voice seemed to have disappeared. She fell, farther and farther, faster and faster, and was slammed at an amazing speed downward.

Minako opened her eyes and breathed deeply, half-screaming and half-crying, as she jumped and shook her hospital bed. Monitors and machines yelped and beeped. Above her stood relieved doctors, one which was holding a pair of paddles on her chest, staring at her eagerly.

Minako turned her head weakly to look out the window, stained with droplets of rain, then rested her head back on her pillow, her hair spread around her like a halo, and slipped into sleep as a roll of thunder screeched outside.

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A/N: No notes for this chapter. Look out for the next installment of Exhale, chapter 5 ^.^