Title: Just to Hear You Say
Chapter: One - Secrets
Author: Merc
Rating: PG
E-mail: MoonGirl015@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I own Sailor Moon. *Nods* Yup! I do! In my dreams! Unfortunately, Naoko owns it in reality.
Author's Notes:
*grins* You know what's different about this story verses my other stories? (And no, it's not the plot line). With my other ones, they're either one part stories, or I've written all of the chapters at once, so I could post them whenever. But with this one, once I've finished this chapter, I'm gonna post it...before I finish writing the rest! ^^; Ok, so I'm just a little on the weird side right now...can you blame me? Hint: You're supposed to say no to that. Well, now that I'm done with that, I can tell you this. This is where the story changes slightly. I don't think there'll be any more fighting in this story, but I could be wrong. Um...let's see...well, I think everything will explain itself in here...but uh, if you have questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me and ask! Again, I hope you like this story. So stop reading this and start reading the actual story! Go!
~Merc
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Usagi fell to the floor. The pain had increased so much, she had almost backed out of her plan and gone to the hospital, but her heart told her to stick with it. And more often than not, she listened to her heart. She crawled to the bathroom, teeth clenched as the movement added to her pain. Nobody was home right now; Luna had mumbled something about an important meeting with Artemis before she took off and Chibi-Usa had gone with the rest of the family for ice cream. Usagi had known better than to go. If her parents saw her in this condition they'd worry too much. After all, it wasn't *that* serious. Chibi-Usa had suggested that she stay home with Usagi, but Usagi automatically denied it.
"You'd regret not being able to eat sweets, so why don't you go have an ice cream cone for me?" That's what she had told the pink-haired girl, and Chibi-Usa only nodded sadly as she turned and left with the others.
Usagi grabbed on tightly to the counters edge in the bathroom, using all of her strength to pull herself up. Her eyes squeezed shut when the tears sprang to them. Her body protested the movement. Turning her back towards the mirror, Usagi lifted her shirt and twisted her head around in order to examine the damage of the burns. Sighing, she allowed her shirt to fall back into its normal place. "They're still growing." She rolled up her sleeves and examined her arms. The burns were beginning to spread to the areas that hadn't even come near the flames. She reached out a finger and lightly brushed one of the new burns forming on her right arm. She immediately regretted the action and tensed up as the pain surged through her arm causing her back to start throbbing in pain as well.
Again she fell to the floor. Her breath came out short and her hands clenched into fists against the soft carpeting. Rolling down her sleeve after the pain had slightly subsided she stood shakily onto her feet and walked down the stairs, making sure to hold on tightly to the banister so she wouldn't fall. Reaching the bottom, she walked slowly to where her shoes were placed and stepped into them. The walk would be long and would most likely cause her a great deal of pain, but she decided, it would be worth it if she could see Mamoru even for a short while.
Reaching out a shaking arm, she opened the front door. A breeze came at her and the sunshine warmed her face, but none of this was noticed as Usagi practically crawled down the sidewalk towards Mamoru's apartment. "Why does he have to live so far away?" Usagi mumbled as she continued on her quest. The people around her stared slightly confused at her when she fell against the wall and began to softly sob. A young woman came and put her hand on Usagi's shoulder causing a cry of pain to escape her lips. The woman quickly took her hand off. "Are you all right?"
Usagi only nodded. "I'll be fine in a second." She began to take deep breaths in and out while she tried to focus on the world around her.
"Maybe you should see a doctor?"
Usagi looked up at her, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Maybe you're right." She pushed away from the wall and began to walk again. She could feel the eyes of the woman following her, but she didn't care. She was almost half way to Mamoru's apartment. She focused her attention on the object of her affection.
Mamoru was still recovering from the attack from the two days ago, though his wounds were almost completely healed. She had visited him yesterday, but he didn't take notice of her wounds. And the scouts, who had joined her, gave away no clue about it. Usagi smiled slightly. She was glad she could trust her friends. She knew they didn't understand why she was doing this, but that was all right. The main thing was that Mamoru not find out anything about it. She was going to keep it a secret from him for a long time. In fact, he might not ever know about it...if the scouts didn't tell him. And she knew they wouldn't do that unless things got out of control, and so far things were very much under control. Or so she tried to convince herself.
***
Luna stared seriously at the others in the room. "How could all of you have agreed to such a stupid thing? And why is Usa being such a baka?" Artemis came over and rub his furry chin against Luna's trying his hardest to calm her but failing miserably.
"I'm telling you Luna, the look in her eyes was filled with sadness and pain, but also with determination and hope. It wasn't something we could have denied easily, whether or not it was stupid." Rei pointed out. The others nodded, clearly agreeing with the priestess.
"If you asked me, I would say that this situation has something to do with the matters of the heart." Everyone but Rei looked questioningly at Minako's troubled face.
Artemis didn't often question his charge, but her reasoning didn't make any sense. "How do you know Minako?"
"Did you forget that I am the senshi of love? These things are my specialty. I don't know how this could possibly help their relationship, but I'm almost completely sure it's for that reason. She must not feel the relationship is going in a good direction. I felt tension before, but it wasn't anything to worry about."
Rei nodded. "The sacred fire told me the same thing, Minako. But whenever I try to get deeper into the problem, the only thing that comes up is a picture of Chibi-Usa. It's beginning to trouble me." She sighed and threw her arms into the air. "Why is this so confusing??"
Luna shook her head. "Maybe it would be best if we told Mamoru."
"That's easier said than done." Everyone lifted their head to look at the only two outer senshi who could make it to the meeting. Pluto had said that there were important things to tend to at the time gate and she'd catch them if she finished in time.
"What do you mean Haruka? How hard could it be if your princess' life was in danger?"
"What she means Luna," Michiru piped in, "is that we promised Usagi something and Usagi is putting her trust in us. Breaking that trust would bring down the way Usagi looked at us."
"Well, some promises are meant to be broken." Luna whispered to herself. The room inside Rei's shrine fell silent as everyone secretly wished things could go back to the way they had been before.
***
She stopped in front of the rather large building. Looking up, she could see the planters on Mamoru's balcony that held his red roses inside. They had always been his favorite flowers, and those particular ones meant a lot to him, since they were a gift from Chibi-Usa and herself, at least that's what he had told her. And up until recently, she had no reason to doubt him or she had been so love sick not to find one.
Looking back at the glass doors that would lead into the very nice building, Usagi took one last breath and proceeded inside. She passed the front desk where a very confused looking lady sat trying to figure something out. Usagi didn't recognize her, so she must have been new. Someday she'd have to go up and introduce herself. She turned her attention from the lady at the desk to just behind the desk where the elevators were located. One of them opened as a group of people came out. Usagi made it just in time to catch it. Inside she pressed the button with the number 8 painted on and backed away to the handles attached to the side of the elevator. Even before this previous battle, elevators had always made her slightly dizzy, but now, the combination of both the dizziness and the pain could cause a lot of problems. Her grip on the metal bars tightened. The reflections caught Usagi's attention and she looked at her own reflection in the side of the elevator. Her eyes drifted downward to where her hand rested and they suddenly narrowed. A small burn had made its way on to it somehow. 'But how can that be? It hadn't been there when I left.' A soft 'ding' informed her that the elevator had reached the intended level. She made a note to herself to visit Ami sometime in the near future and stepped off.
She began to count the doors, stopping in front of the third one. Taking a deep breath in, she reached up her hand and knocked as hard as she normally did. The pain began to coarse through her arm and she almost fell to the floor. She clenched her fist and tightly shut her eyes, willing the pain to go away. Soft footprints brought her out of everything and she quickly put on a smile that could have fooled even her friends. She braced herself when Mamoru opened the door.
"Mamo-chan!" She rushed to him and hugged him wincing at the pain it caused her. She held on to him tighter as he wrapped his arms around her this body.
"Well, Hello to you too Usako!" He smiled, not noticing the tightening of her grip. "What brings you here today?" He took her hand and automatically noticed the grimace it brought to her face. "Usako, what's wrong?"
She shook her head regretting the small action, but trying hard not to give it away. "Nothing's wrong Mamo-chan! I'm perfectly fine!" She smiled and giggled slightly to emphasize her protest. His eyebrows came together in confusion, but he dropped it. If it was something serious, he knew she'd tell him. He motioned into his living room with one hand and allowed her to walk past him. Shutting the door, he followed her inside. When she stop he wrapped his arms around her waste and rested his head on her shoulder, much like in her dream while facing Badiyanu. This time she couldn't help but let out a tiny cry of objection. She kicked herself. 'When it feels perfect, it turns out it's a dream. When the real thing actually happens, it's too painful to enjoy.' She sighed under her breath out of frustration.
"Usako, now I know something is wrong."
She shook her head. "Honestly Mamo-chan, nothing is wrong!" She kicked herself. 'When it feels perfect, it turns out it's a dream. When the real thing actually happens, it's too painful to enjoy.' She sighed under her breath out of frustration.
He groaned. "Fine Usagi," She winced, "if you won't tell me I'll drop it. But I'm sure the other girls will tell me if something is wrong."
She looked down. He was right. If he did ask the girls, one of them was bound to give in and tell him. She cursed herself and the situation under her breath before turning her attention back to him. "If you really want to know Mamo-chan, I'll tell you." She looked up at him. His eyes held a look of expectation. Closing her eyes she licked her lips. She was ready now to start explainging.
***
"Usagi! Usagi, where are you?" Chibi-Usa searched everywhere in her "cousin's" room for what seemed to be a missing person. She fell to her hands and knees to search underneath Usagi's bed. "Yuck! There's so much junk under here!" Getting back up she brushed herself off and walked back down the soft-carpeted stairs. "Auntie Ikuko? Did Usagi tell you if she was going anywhere?"
"No sweetie. In fact, I didn't know she was gone. Probably took off somewhere with her friends." Chibi-Usa walked into the kitchen where she could see Ikuko pulling out the freshly baked cookies from the oven.
"Maybe you're right." Chibi-Usa sat down on a stool across the counter from Ikuko waiting patiently for the cookies. "Mmmm...those smell so good! I wish Usagi could be here to smell them! I could just imagine her drooling everywhere on the counter!" Chibi-Usa chuckled slightly at her joke and Ikuko joined in.
"Well, speak for yourself! You're not the one who has to clean up all that drool!" She smiled down at Chibi-Usa. "You know Chibi-Usa, Usagi has told me about Mamoru being sick recently. Maybe he'd like a batch of freshly baked cookies, ne?"
"Of course!" Chibi-Usa shot out of the stool. 'How stupid of me! I should have known she'd go to Mamo-chan's! But, she was in so much pain when I left! How could she possibly have made it to Mamo-chan's?' She looked worriedly at Ikuko. "You're right. I bet he would love some. I'll take them now." Ikuko nodded and grabbed a zip-lock bag from a drawer in the counter. Chibi-Usa shifted her weight back and forth as she waited, not so patiently, for Ikuko to hand her the small bag. Ikuko's eyes lit up.
"I almost forgot! We should write Mamoru a nice note, ne?" Chibi-Usa only nodded. Waiting was not one of her strong points. "There. Here Chibi-Usa, I signed it for Usagi because she isn't here, but I think Mamoru would like it if you signed it personally." She smiled at her niece and handed her the pen and paper. Chibi-Usa read the neatly written note.
"Mamoru: Here is something to help you feel better. We hope you like them! With lots of Love, Usagi and..." The rest was blank, waiting for Chibi-Usa to finish her signing. Being careful to be neat Chibi-Usa handed the note and the pen back to Ikuko. Already Ikuko had cut a piece of ribbon to tie the note on to the bag. She took the pen and punched a hole in the bag and the punched a similar hole in the corner of the note. Taking the ribbon she strung it through the two holes and tied it off with a pretty bow. She handed the bag carefully to Chibi-Usa to take. Once it was in her hands Chibi-Usa took off in a sprint for the front door managing a muffled 'Thank you' as the door slammed behind her.
***
She rolled back her sleeve, revealing the fresh burns. "Well, it all started this morning. I was boiling a pot of water when I accidentally bumped the handle of it. It tipped over and spilled all over my arm. I just burned it a little, that's all." She smiled to emphasize the idea of her being all right. He didn't look too believing.
"Usako, do you take me for an idiot? I'm mean, honestly! I can put two and two together. You cried out when I hugged you from behind. What caused that? And how come you haven't dressed those burns? They look serious." Usagi didn't answer. "Usagi..." His voice warned her.
"Mamo-chan, why don't you tell me why you're out of bed? After all, you were in bad condition the other day, it looked like it would have taken you weeks to get better."
"Why are *you* changing the subject?"
She lightly tugged on his arm to direct him back to his room. "Because Mamo-chan, I worry about you. You need your rest."
"Fine Tsukino Usagi," Her eyes shut at the sound of her full name being used, "I won't even bother to worry about you. You obviously know what you're doing." He climbed back into his bed with his back towards her.
This hurt so much worse than any physical pain. She began to back away from the stubborn man, tears shimmering at the base of her eyes. Her back hit the wall behind her and she took in a sharp breath as the pain took over her body again. She looked up to see if Mamoru had noticed. If he did, he didn't seem to care. She almost collapsed to the floor, as both the physical and emotional pain was almost too much to bear. Taking in a deep breath, she managed to sound normal as she said a few more words before she left. "Ok Mamoru, I don't want you to worry about me. Right now I want you to get a good rest. I'll talk to you later. Ja." He answered her back with a grunt. Nodding, she turned and walked away making sure to shut the door behind her as she left.
Once inside the elevator, she collapsed to the floor, allowing the pain to swallow her and take her to the place of darkness. Maybe, if she was lucky enough, she would be able to stay there for a long while.
***
"So, are we agreed?" The black cat looked around the group. Everyone had an unsure look on their face, but she could also see the understanding behind their eyes.
"Hai Luna. We understand. If, in one week, Usagi doesn't seem to improve any, we'll inform Mamoru. But..." Makoto trailed off.
Luna looked expectantly towards the brunette. "But?"
She sighed. "I don't want to hurt Usagi by breaking her trust. No matter what happens, we wait until the end of one week to decided if Mamoru should be told anything." The others silently nodded in agreement.
Luna hesitated. She wasn't sure if Usagi would make it to the end of the week, but she had no choice. "Ok, I'll go with that. Mamoru won't know anything for at least one more week." The tension lifted from the room. Inside everyone was relieved that they had a plan formed incase anything went wrong.
***
Chibi-Usa reached her arm up, barely able to hit the button without having to go up on her tiptoes. "Why do those things have to be so high?" She mumbled under her breath. A 'ding' informed her that an elevator was about to approach and she patiently waited for the doors to open, what was inside she didn't expect. Her cookies dropped from her hand when she saw Usagi lying helplessly on the floor; the position she was in didn't look too comfortable. Her body was parallel to the doors and her knees were bent slightly facing the direction of Chibi-Usa. Her left arm was sprawled across the ground, while her right hand fell across her body. At the waist, Usagi's body twisted in the other direction ending with her head facing away from Chibi-Usa. In the Reflection Chibi-Usa could see Usagi's face looked as if she were in pain, her eyes shut tightly, her mouth slightly open to aid her already labored breathing.
"Momma!" Chibi-Usa ran inside the elevator just as the doors were closing. She lightly shook her mother and Usagi began to stir slightly. "Come on Momma! Wake up! We've got to get you to a doctor."
Usagi's eyes slightly opened. Looking up at her worried daughter's face she smiled. "Chibi-Usa..." The word came out whispered. "It's all right, I'll be ok. I was just a little tired. If you could help me home I can rest, and by tomorrow I'll be fine again."
Chibi-Usa nodded, not buying her mother's story, but knowing that she couldn't do anything to change her mind. Usagi could be just as stubborn as Mamoru could be and Mamoru could be very stubborn. "Here Momma, let me help you up." She allowed her mother to take her hand as she pulled as hard as she could to lift her from the ground. Reaching over, she pressed the "Door Open" button on the elevator and helped Usagi to walk outside and into the warm summer day, leaving the cookies with the neatly written note behind. Chibi-Usa sighed as she looked at the crowded sidewalk and back up at her mother's groggy face. 'This is going to be a long walk home.'
***
"Usagi mumbled her thanks to Chibi-Usa when they had reached back to their house at around 5:30 in the evening. Walking painfully up the stairs and into her room, Usagi collapsed on the bed and again her breathing became labored.
***
Usagi walked off to a corner of her mind. The darkness surrounded her, the moon hanging high in the sky, and yet it was amazingly bright with the sun shining down at her from the other. The area around her was beautiful. Small plants that one could have only found back on the moon grew near the sides of a river about 6 feet wide, and Usagi didn't know how deep. It made a soft trickling noise as it flowed off into the distance. Daisies were found scattered in the grass beneath her as well as the rose bushes, each holding different colored flowers. The small dogwood trees had pink flowers growing by the lush green leaves covering the thin branches. Somewhere nearby, Usagi guessed in the evergreen trees not far off, she could hear the sound of birds calling out to each other.
Her attention came back to the river. It was like none she had ever seen. Instead of coming out of a lake or running into the sea, it started off like an ocean. A small amount of sand started off at the mouth of the river and headed down on a small slant and stretched out as wide as the river did. From the water's edge, the river gradually got deeper the further out it went. It wove its way off into the distance where it ended up flowing into a glowing white light. Usagi had guessed it was a river that, if you allowed yourself to be swept away by the current, would take you away from life. So basically, she decided, the light at the other end would take you to the next world. Usagi had no plan to use the river anytime soon, but she had no intention of leaving this beautiful world, this part of her mind, if all that awaited her back in reality was pain and suffering.
Along with all of this was the ability to hear other's thoughts and words. Right now she could hear anything that her friends or family was thinking or saying, if she thought about them. Her mind wandered to Mamoru. He was still asleep, she realized, when she heard him call out Chibi-Usa's name slightly. He began laughing as if he was having fun, but nowhere in there did she ever find out if she had been a part of it. From that, she guessed, she hadn't been and quickly let her mind drift somewhere else. She would not allow the pain of her heart to follow her into such a beautiful place.
Her thoughts drifted to Chibi-Usa. The pink-haired girl was eating something yummy, Usagi gathered, when her words came through. "Auntie Ikuko, I didn't get the chance to try these at Mamoru's, but they're delicious! I wish my momma was as good a cook as you!" Chibi-Usa's thoughts suddenly picked up at the mention of Usagi. 'I hope Momma is ok. She didn't look so good when we came home. Maybe I should go tell the scouts about it.' She began talking to Usagi's mom again. "Auntie Ikuko, I want Usagi's friends to try these before I eat them all. May I take some to them?" Usagi smiled sadly to herself forgetting about everyone, she knew what the scouts would say, she didn't need to waste time listening to them when she should be enjoying the scenery around her.
She lifted her arms behind her head. This place was just so beautiful and peaceful. How it was a part of her mind, Usagi had no idea. But she wouldn't concern herself with that. Instead, she closed her eyes and absorbed the sounds around her.
***
All eyes turned up towards the paper doors as the slid open. The two cats inside made sure not to speak as a shadowy figure stepped in. "Hello Minna. I have cookies for you." Chibi-Usa stepped away from the door and shut it behind her as everyone let out the breath they had been holding.
Rei stood up angry and put her hand on her hips. "What did you think you were doing? Were you trying to scare us to death? And why aren't you handing over those cookies??" She pulled the package from Chibi-Usa's hands and handed it over to Ami to place on the table. Rei calmed down again. "How is that baka doing?"
Chibi-Usa looked away from all of them. She suddenly didn't want to do this. "Come one Chibi-Usa." Haruka tried to press it out of her. No response was given. "Chib..."
"Oh Minna! She's not so good!" The room fell quiet as they waited for her to continue. "You see, earlier today I went out to ice cream with the rest of her family. Usagi had stayed home, and I offered to stay with her, but she told me to go have one for her. So I went. When I came home, I helped Auntie Ikuko to bake some cookies and while they were cooking I went upstairs to see how Usagi was doing. I searched for a long while, but I couldn't find her. For some reason I didn't even think about the fact that she might go to Mamoru's. But when Auntie Ikuko told me I should take a batch of cookies to him because he wasn't feeling so good it hit me. I took off to go find Usagi, and when I was about to get on the elevator to go up to Mamoru's floor...I saw...I saw..." She covered her tear-filled eyes, willing the vision of Usagi on the floor of the elevator to go away.
"Take your time Chibi-Usa." Minako put a comforting hand on Chibi-Usa's shoulder.
She took in a deep breath, her voice still shaky from her sudden outburst. "I saw Usagi unconscious on the floor. She was twisted into a weird position and her breathing wasn't normal at all. It almost sounded like it was hard for her to actually breath. I was so worried that she had hurt herself even more."
"Chibi-Usa, can you tell me how Usagi looked when you found her?" Chibi-Usa nodded and began explaining it. Ami's hand had flown to her mouth as Chibi-Usa told them just how Usagi had been positioned when she had found her. "After I recovered I ran to her and woke her up. She was very sleepy and she told me to help her home. She said that she'd be all right by tomorrow." Chibi-Usa shook her head. "I don't believe her. But anyways, when we got back home she walked upstairs to go to sleep and I came here not long after."
Luna looked up at all of them. "I'm not sure if we can wait a week Minna. I'm afraid Usagi might not last that long."
"What do you mean Luna?" Chibi-Usa stared questioningly down at the black fur ball.
"We had decided to watch over Usagi's condition for one week. At the end, we would decide whether we should tell Mamoru about the situation or not. But I don't know if we can risk waiting that long." Luna looked back at the other scouts. "You know I'm right Minna."
Chibi-Usa shook her head. "No Luna, we made a promise to her. It might be easy for you to go against her wish because you didn't promise her, but we can't do that." The others mumbled what seemed like an agreement causing Luna to sigh. Obviously she wasn't going to win this battle.
"Fine, we'll continue with the original plan. I hope all of you know what you're doing."
***
She silently opened the door and stepped inside. All she wanted to do was check on Usagi's condition and then she'd go to bed. "Usagi?" She whispered. "Usagi, are you awake?" All that answered was the sound of heavy breathing. She wasn't going to try and wake her up, so she turned and left the room, shutting the door softly behind her. The scouts had promised to stop by tomorrow at around two o'clock to check up on Usagi. Chibi-Usa had to wait until then to know just how serious this was getting. As she climbed into her bed, she mumbled softly to her self before she fell asleep. "I hate waiting."
***
Chibi-Usa walked quietly into Usagi's room. It was one o'clock in the afternoon now, and Usagi had slept since they had gotten home the day before, unless she had woken up some time while she had gone to visit the scouts. "Momma, it's time to wake up! Auntie Ikuko made some lunch!" When she got no response, Chibi-Usa walked closer to the bed. "Usagi, come on. This isn't funny! Everyone is waiting downstairs for you. Even Luna! Heaven forbid she isn't with Artemis." She began giggling at her comment, but Usagi made no sound. "Usagi? The scouts will be here to check up on you in about an hour! You need to get ready for them!" Chibi-Usa crawled up on the bed and examined Usagi's face. Burn marks had spread onto her neck and cheeks as well as the edges around her hair. "Usagi?" She placed a hand on Usagi's arm. Her skin felt cold and clammy underneath Chibi-Usa's warm hands. Looking up, Chibi-Usa noticed a blue tint in Usagi's lips and she began to notice the slight shivering of Usagi's body underneath her. "Usagi?! Momma, wake up!!" She desperately began shaking Usagi. "Momma! Momma, please wake up! MOMMA!" She tried shaking harder, but nothing happened. "Usagi?! USAGI?! PLEASE USAGI!" Her voice cried out desperately trying to get a reaction from the blonde-haired girl, but failed. Her tears fell unmercifully down her cheeks as she crawled off the bed and ran to the door. "LUNA! AUTNIE IKUKO!!!"
"Chibi-Usa?" The calm voice of Usagi's mother floated up to Chibi-Usa. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
The black cat came running up the stairs and down the hallway to Usagi's room but stopped to examine the sobbing girl. "It's Usagi!! She won't wake up!! I've tried everything!!" Luna ran past Chibi-Usa and into the room. She could hear the black cat trying her hardest to wake up her charge.
"Oh, she's always been hard to wake up Chibi-Usa. I'll be up as soon as I put this glass I just dried away." She heard the soft footsteps of Ikuko fading away as she walked back into the kitchen.
Turning, Chibi-Usa, again, tried to wake Usagi up. "Usagi! Wake up! No more games! You win! You have me worried! Usagi!" She collapsed on top of her body and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"This is not good. The crystal." Luna stared at the locket now on top of Usagi's dresser. A dull glow that emanated from the crystal was pulsing slowly. "The crystal isn't as bright as it should be." Luna looked up at Usagi's face. "Something isn't right." Luna took off out Usagi's slightly open window. The other scouts need to hear about this.
"Luna! Luna don't leave Usagi like this!! LUNA!!!"
"Chibi-Usa, let me wake Usagi up, ne?" Chibi-Usa turned to see Ikuko standing in the doorway. "Ok Usagi, either you wake up now or you don't get any of the casserole I made." Her smile turned into a frown of frustration. "And I made cheesecake, too. I'll let Chibi-Usa eat it all." Still nothing. "Usagi, you really have me worried now. It's time to wake up, ne?" She walked over to her daughter. "Come on Usagi..." Her hand flew to her mouth as she noticed Usagi's trembling form and blue-tinted lips.
"She won't wake up Auntie Ikuko." Chibi-Usa could talk no more as the tears began choking her voice.
"Usagi look! You made Chibi-Usa cry! Usagi, you're worrying me! Please wake up! USAGI!!" Ikuko fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands, her hard sobs almost drowned out Chibi-Usa's.
A loud cry of pain filled the room causing both sobbing people to look up at the pain-filled face Usagi was making. Her mouth hung open ready to let another cry pierce through the room.
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Well, I think I'll leave it there. What did all of you think? Is it bad? Good? Do I need to finish the next part any time soon? *Grins* Torture is so much fun! I'll try to get the next chapter out within the next...hmmm...well, it all depends on Juno. As soon as she gets the next chapter of Bewitched out, I'll start working on the next part! Until then! Ja!
~Merc
Chapter: One - Secrets
Author: Merc
Rating: PG
E-mail: MoonGirl015@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: I own Sailor Moon. *Nods* Yup! I do! In my dreams! Unfortunately, Naoko owns it in reality.
Author's Notes:
*grins* You know what's different about this story verses my other stories? (And no, it's not the plot line). With my other ones, they're either one part stories, or I've written all of the chapters at once, so I could post them whenever. But with this one, once I've finished this chapter, I'm gonna post it...before I finish writing the rest! ^^; Ok, so I'm just a little on the weird side right now...can you blame me? Hint: You're supposed to say no to that. Well, now that I'm done with that, I can tell you this. This is where the story changes slightly. I don't think there'll be any more fighting in this story, but I could be wrong. Um...let's see...well, I think everything will explain itself in here...but uh, if you have questions, don't hesitate to e-mail me and ask! Again, I hope you like this story. So stop reading this and start reading the actual story! Go!
~Merc
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Usagi fell to the floor. The pain had increased so much, she had almost backed out of her plan and gone to the hospital, but her heart told her to stick with it. And more often than not, she listened to her heart. She crawled to the bathroom, teeth clenched as the movement added to her pain. Nobody was home right now; Luna had mumbled something about an important meeting with Artemis before she took off and Chibi-Usa had gone with the rest of the family for ice cream. Usagi had known better than to go. If her parents saw her in this condition they'd worry too much. After all, it wasn't *that* serious. Chibi-Usa had suggested that she stay home with Usagi, but Usagi automatically denied it.
"You'd regret not being able to eat sweets, so why don't you go have an ice cream cone for me?" That's what she had told the pink-haired girl, and Chibi-Usa only nodded sadly as she turned and left with the others.
Usagi grabbed on tightly to the counters edge in the bathroom, using all of her strength to pull herself up. Her eyes squeezed shut when the tears sprang to them. Her body protested the movement. Turning her back towards the mirror, Usagi lifted her shirt and twisted her head around in order to examine the damage of the burns. Sighing, she allowed her shirt to fall back into its normal place. "They're still growing." She rolled up her sleeves and examined her arms. The burns were beginning to spread to the areas that hadn't even come near the flames. She reached out a finger and lightly brushed one of the new burns forming on her right arm. She immediately regretted the action and tensed up as the pain surged through her arm causing her back to start throbbing in pain as well.
Again she fell to the floor. Her breath came out short and her hands clenched into fists against the soft carpeting. Rolling down her sleeve after the pain had slightly subsided she stood shakily onto her feet and walked down the stairs, making sure to hold on tightly to the banister so she wouldn't fall. Reaching the bottom, she walked slowly to where her shoes were placed and stepped into them. The walk would be long and would most likely cause her a great deal of pain, but she decided, it would be worth it if she could see Mamoru even for a short while.
Reaching out a shaking arm, she opened the front door. A breeze came at her and the sunshine warmed her face, but none of this was noticed as Usagi practically crawled down the sidewalk towards Mamoru's apartment. "Why does he have to live so far away?" Usagi mumbled as she continued on her quest. The people around her stared slightly confused at her when she fell against the wall and began to softly sob. A young woman came and put her hand on Usagi's shoulder causing a cry of pain to escape her lips. The woman quickly took her hand off. "Are you all right?"
Usagi only nodded. "I'll be fine in a second." She began to take deep breaths in and out while she tried to focus on the world around her.
"Maybe you should see a doctor?"
Usagi looked up at her, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Maybe you're right." She pushed away from the wall and began to walk again. She could feel the eyes of the woman following her, but she didn't care. She was almost half way to Mamoru's apartment. She focused her attention on the object of her affection.
Mamoru was still recovering from the attack from the two days ago, though his wounds were almost completely healed. She had visited him yesterday, but he didn't take notice of her wounds. And the scouts, who had joined her, gave away no clue about it. Usagi smiled slightly. She was glad she could trust her friends. She knew they didn't understand why she was doing this, but that was all right. The main thing was that Mamoru not find out anything about it. She was going to keep it a secret from him for a long time. In fact, he might not ever know about it...if the scouts didn't tell him. And she knew they wouldn't do that unless things got out of control, and so far things were very much under control. Or so she tried to convince herself.
***
Luna stared seriously at the others in the room. "How could all of you have agreed to such a stupid thing? And why is Usa being such a baka?" Artemis came over and rub his furry chin against Luna's trying his hardest to calm her but failing miserably.
"I'm telling you Luna, the look in her eyes was filled with sadness and pain, but also with determination and hope. It wasn't something we could have denied easily, whether or not it was stupid." Rei pointed out. The others nodded, clearly agreeing with the priestess.
"If you asked me, I would say that this situation has something to do with the matters of the heart." Everyone but Rei looked questioningly at Minako's troubled face.
Artemis didn't often question his charge, but her reasoning didn't make any sense. "How do you know Minako?"
"Did you forget that I am the senshi of love? These things are my specialty. I don't know how this could possibly help their relationship, but I'm almost completely sure it's for that reason. She must not feel the relationship is going in a good direction. I felt tension before, but it wasn't anything to worry about."
Rei nodded. "The sacred fire told me the same thing, Minako. But whenever I try to get deeper into the problem, the only thing that comes up is a picture of Chibi-Usa. It's beginning to trouble me." She sighed and threw her arms into the air. "Why is this so confusing??"
Luna shook her head. "Maybe it would be best if we told Mamoru."
"That's easier said than done." Everyone lifted their head to look at the only two outer senshi who could make it to the meeting. Pluto had said that there were important things to tend to at the time gate and she'd catch them if she finished in time.
"What do you mean Haruka? How hard could it be if your princess' life was in danger?"
"What she means Luna," Michiru piped in, "is that we promised Usagi something and Usagi is putting her trust in us. Breaking that trust would bring down the way Usagi looked at us."
"Well, some promises are meant to be broken." Luna whispered to herself. The room inside Rei's shrine fell silent as everyone secretly wished things could go back to the way they had been before.
***
She stopped in front of the rather large building. Looking up, she could see the planters on Mamoru's balcony that held his red roses inside. They had always been his favorite flowers, and those particular ones meant a lot to him, since they were a gift from Chibi-Usa and herself, at least that's what he had told her. And up until recently, she had no reason to doubt him or she had been so love sick not to find one.
Looking back at the glass doors that would lead into the very nice building, Usagi took one last breath and proceeded inside. She passed the front desk where a very confused looking lady sat trying to figure something out. Usagi didn't recognize her, so she must have been new. Someday she'd have to go up and introduce herself. She turned her attention from the lady at the desk to just behind the desk where the elevators were located. One of them opened as a group of people came out. Usagi made it just in time to catch it. Inside she pressed the button with the number 8 painted on and backed away to the handles attached to the side of the elevator. Even before this previous battle, elevators had always made her slightly dizzy, but now, the combination of both the dizziness and the pain could cause a lot of problems. Her grip on the metal bars tightened. The reflections caught Usagi's attention and she looked at her own reflection in the side of the elevator. Her eyes drifted downward to where her hand rested and they suddenly narrowed. A small burn had made its way on to it somehow. 'But how can that be? It hadn't been there when I left.' A soft 'ding' informed her that the elevator had reached the intended level. She made a note to herself to visit Ami sometime in the near future and stepped off.
She began to count the doors, stopping in front of the third one. Taking a deep breath in, she reached up her hand and knocked as hard as she normally did. The pain began to coarse through her arm and she almost fell to the floor. She clenched her fist and tightly shut her eyes, willing the pain to go away. Soft footprints brought her out of everything and she quickly put on a smile that could have fooled even her friends. She braced herself when Mamoru opened the door.
"Mamo-chan!" She rushed to him and hugged him wincing at the pain it caused her. She held on to him tighter as he wrapped his arms around her this body.
"Well, Hello to you too Usako!" He smiled, not noticing the tightening of her grip. "What brings you here today?" He took her hand and automatically noticed the grimace it brought to her face. "Usako, what's wrong?"
She shook her head regretting the small action, but trying hard not to give it away. "Nothing's wrong Mamo-chan! I'm perfectly fine!" She smiled and giggled slightly to emphasize her protest. His eyebrows came together in confusion, but he dropped it. If it was something serious, he knew she'd tell him. He motioned into his living room with one hand and allowed her to walk past him. Shutting the door, he followed her inside. When she stop he wrapped his arms around her waste and rested his head on her shoulder, much like in her dream while facing Badiyanu. This time she couldn't help but let out a tiny cry of objection. She kicked herself. 'When it feels perfect, it turns out it's a dream. When the real thing actually happens, it's too painful to enjoy.' She sighed under her breath out of frustration.
"Usako, now I know something is wrong."
She shook her head. "Honestly Mamo-chan, nothing is wrong!" She kicked herself. 'When it feels perfect, it turns out it's a dream. When the real thing actually happens, it's too painful to enjoy.' She sighed under her breath out of frustration.
He groaned. "Fine Usagi," She winced, "if you won't tell me I'll drop it. But I'm sure the other girls will tell me if something is wrong."
She looked down. He was right. If he did ask the girls, one of them was bound to give in and tell him. She cursed herself and the situation under her breath before turning her attention back to him. "If you really want to know Mamo-chan, I'll tell you." She looked up at him. His eyes held a look of expectation. Closing her eyes she licked her lips. She was ready now to start explainging.
***
"Usagi! Usagi, where are you?" Chibi-Usa searched everywhere in her "cousin's" room for what seemed to be a missing person. She fell to her hands and knees to search underneath Usagi's bed. "Yuck! There's so much junk under here!" Getting back up she brushed herself off and walked back down the soft-carpeted stairs. "Auntie Ikuko? Did Usagi tell you if she was going anywhere?"
"No sweetie. In fact, I didn't know she was gone. Probably took off somewhere with her friends." Chibi-Usa walked into the kitchen where she could see Ikuko pulling out the freshly baked cookies from the oven.
"Maybe you're right." Chibi-Usa sat down on a stool across the counter from Ikuko waiting patiently for the cookies. "Mmmm...those smell so good! I wish Usagi could be here to smell them! I could just imagine her drooling everywhere on the counter!" Chibi-Usa chuckled slightly at her joke and Ikuko joined in.
"Well, speak for yourself! You're not the one who has to clean up all that drool!" She smiled down at Chibi-Usa. "You know Chibi-Usa, Usagi has told me about Mamoru being sick recently. Maybe he'd like a batch of freshly baked cookies, ne?"
"Of course!" Chibi-Usa shot out of the stool. 'How stupid of me! I should have known she'd go to Mamo-chan's! But, she was in so much pain when I left! How could she possibly have made it to Mamo-chan's?' She looked worriedly at Ikuko. "You're right. I bet he would love some. I'll take them now." Ikuko nodded and grabbed a zip-lock bag from a drawer in the counter. Chibi-Usa shifted her weight back and forth as she waited, not so patiently, for Ikuko to hand her the small bag. Ikuko's eyes lit up.
"I almost forgot! We should write Mamoru a nice note, ne?" Chibi-Usa only nodded. Waiting was not one of her strong points. "There. Here Chibi-Usa, I signed it for Usagi because she isn't here, but I think Mamoru would like it if you signed it personally." She smiled at her niece and handed her the pen and paper. Chibi-Usa read the neatly written note.
"Mamoru: Here is something to help you feel better. We hope you like them! With lots of Love, Usagi and..." The rest was blank, waiting for Chibi-Usa to finish her signing. Being careful to be neat Chibi-Usa handed the note and the pen back to Ikuko. Already Ikuko had cut a piece of ribbon to tie the note on to the bag. She took the pen and punched a hole in the bag and the punched a similar hole in the corner of the note. Taking the ribbon she strung it through the two holes and tied it off with a pretty bow. She handed the bag carefully to Chibi-Usa to take. Once it was in her hands Chibi-Usa took off in a sprint for the front door managing a muffled 'Thank you' as the door slammed behind her.
***
She rolled back her sleeve, revealing the fresh burns. "Well, it all started this morning. I was boiling a pot of water when I accidentally bumped the handle of it. It tipped over and spilled all over my arm. I just burned it a little, that's all." She smiled to emphasize the idea of her being all right. He didn't look too believing.
"Usako, do you take me for an idiot? I'm mean, honestly! I can put two and two together. You cried out when I hugged you from behind. What caused that? And how come you haven't dressed those burns? They look serious." Usagi didn't answer. "Usagi..." His voice warned her.
"Mamo-chan, why don't you tell me why you're out of bed? After all, you were in bad condition the other day, it looked like it would have taken you weeks to get better."
"Why are *you* changing the subject?"
She lightly tugged on his arm to direct him back to his room. "Because Mamo-chan, I worry about you. You need your rest."
"Fine Tsukino Usagi," Her eyes shut at the sound of her full name being used, "I won't even bother to worry about you. You obviously know what you're doing." He climbed back into his bed with his back towards her.
This hurt so much worse than any physical pain. She began to back away from the stubborn man, tears shimmering at the base of her eyes. Her back hit the wall behind her and she took in a sharp breath as the pain took over her body again. She looked up to see if Mamoru had noticed. If he did, he didn't seem to care. She almost collapsed to the floor, as both the physical and emotional pain was almost too much to bear. Taking in a deep breath, she managed to sound normal as she said a few more words before she left. "Ok Mamoru, I don't want you to worry about me. Right now I want you to get a good rest. I'll talk to you later. Ja." He answered her back with a grunt. Nodding, she turned and walked away making sure to shut the door behind her as she left.
Once inside the elevator, she collapsed to the floor, allowing the pain to swallow her and take her to the place of darkness. Maybe, if she was lucky enough, she would be able to stay there for a long while.
***
"So, are we agreed?" The black cat looked around the group. Everyone had an unsure look on their face, but she could also see the understanding behind their eyes.
"Hai Luna. We understand. If, in one week, Usagi doesn't seem to improve any, we'll inform Mamoru. But..." Makoto trailed off.
Luna looked expectantly towards the brunette. "But?"
She sighed. "I don't want to hurt Usagi by breaking her trust. No matter what happens, we wait until the end of one week to decided if Mamoru should be told anything." The others silently nodded in agreement.
Luna hesitated. She wasn't sure if Usagi would make it to the end of the week, but she had no choice. "Ok, I'll go with that. Mamoru won't know anything for at least one more week." The tension lifted from the room. Inside everyone was relieved that they had a plan formed incase anything went wrong.
***
Chibi-Usa reached her arm up, barely able to hit the button without having to go up on her tiptoes. "Why do those things have to be so high?" She mumbled under her breath. A 'ding' informed her that an elevator was about to approach and she patiently waited for the doors to open, what was inside she didn't expect. Her cookies dropped from her hand when she saw Usagi lying helplessly on the floor; the position she was in didn't look too comfortable. Her body was parallel to the doors and her knees were bent slightly facing the direction of Chibi-Usa. Her left arm was sprawled across the ground, while her right hand fell across her body. At the waist, Usagi's body twisted in the other direction ending with her head facing away from Chibi-Usa. In the Reflection Chibi-Usa could see Usagi's face looked as if she were in pain, her eyes shut tightly, her mouth slightly open to aid her already labored breathing.
"Momma!" Chibi-Usa ran inside the elevator just as the doors were closing. She lightly shook her mother and Usagi began to stir slightly. "Come on Momma! Wake up! We've got to get you to a doctor."
Usagi's eyes slightly opened. Looking up at her worried daughter's face she smiled. "Chibi-Usa..." The word came out whispered. "It's all right, I'll be ok. I was just a little tired. If you could help me home I can rest, and by tomorrow I'll be fine again."
Chibi-Usa nodded, not buying her mother's story, but knowing that she couldn't do anything to change her mind. Usagi could be just as stubborn as Mamoru could be and Mamoru could be very stubborn. "Here Momma, let me help you up." She allowed her mother to take her hand as she pulled as hard as she could to lift her from the ground. Reaching over, she pressed the "Door Open" button on the elevator and helped Usagi to walk outside and into the warm summer day, leaving the cookies with the neatly written note behind. Chibi-Usa sighed as she looked at the crowded sidewalk and back up at her mother's groggy face. 'This is going to be a long walk home.'
***
"Usagi mumbled her thanks to Chibi-Usa when they had reached back to their house at around 5:30 in the evening. Walking painfully up the stairs and into her room, Usagi collapsed on the bed and again her breathing became labored.
***
Usagi walked off to a corner of her mind. The darkness surrounded her, the moon hanging high in the sky, and yet it was amazingly bright with the sun shining down at her from the other. The area around her was beautiful. Small plants that one could have only found back on the moon grew near the sides of a river about 6 feet wide, and Usagi didn't know how deep. It made a soft trickling noise as it flowed off into the distance. Daisies were found scattered in the grass beneath her as well as the rose bushes, each holding different colored flowers. The small dogwood trees had pink flowers growing by the lush green leaves covering the thin branches. Somewhere nearby, Usagi guessed in the evergreen trees not far off, she could hear the sound of birds calling out to each other.
Her attention came back to the river. It was like none she had ever seen. Instead of coming out of a lake or running into the sea, it started off like an ocean. A small amount of sand started off at the mouth of the river and headed down on a small slant and stretched out as wide as the river did. From the water's edge, the river gradually got deeper the further out it went. It wove its way off into the distance where it ended up flowing into a glowing white light. Usagi had guessed it was a river that, if you allowed yourself to be swept away by the current, would take you away from life. So basically, she decided, the light at the other end would take you to the next world. Usagi had no plan to use the river anytime soon, but she had no intention of leaving this beautiful world, this part of her mind, if all that awaited her back in reality was pain and suffering.
Along with all of this was the ability to hear other's thoughts and words. Right now she could hear anything that her friends or family was thinking or saying, if she thought about them. Her mind wandered to Mamoru. He was still asleep, she realized, when she heard him call out Chibi-Usa's name slightly. He began laughing as if he was having fun, but nowhere in there did she ever find out if she had been a part of it. From that, she guessed, she hadn't been and quickly let her mind drift somewhere else. She would not allow the pain of her heart to follow her into such a beautiful place.
Her thoughts drifted to Chibi-Usa. The pink-haired girl was eating something yummy, Usagi gathered, when her words came through. "Auntie Ikuko, I didn't get the chance to try these at Mamoru's, but they're delicious! I wish my momma was as good a cook as you!" Chibi-Usa's thoughts suddenly picked up at the mention of Usagi. 'I hope Momma is ok. She didn't look so good when we came home. Maybe I should go tell the scouts about it.' She began talking to Usagi's mom again. "Auntie Ikuko, I want Usagi's friends to try these before I eat them all. May I take some to them?" Usagi smiled sadly to herself forgetting about everyone, she knew what the scouts would say, she didn't need to waste time listening to them when she should be enjoying the scenery around her.
She lifted her arms behind her head. This place was just so beautiful and peaceful. How it was a part of her mind, Usagi had no idea. But she wouldn't concern herself with that. Instead, she closed her eyes and absorbed the sounds around her.
***
All eyes turned up towards the paper doors as the slid open. The two cats inside made sure not to speak as a shadowy figure stepped in. "Hello Minna. I have cookies for you." Chibi-Usa stepped away from the door and shut it behind her as everyone let out the breath they had been holding.
Rei stood up angry and put her hand on her hips. "What did you think you were doing? Were you trying to scare us to death? And why aren't you handing over those cookies??" She pulled the package from Chibi-Usa's hands and handed it over to Ami to place on the table. Rei calmed down again. "How is that baka doing?"
Chibi-Usa looked away from all of them. She suddenly didn't want to do this. "Come one Chibi-Usa." Haruka tried to press it out of her. No response was given. "Chib..."
"Oh Minna! She's not so good!" The room fell quiet as they waited for her to continue. "You see, earlier today I went out to ice cream with the rest of her family. Usagi had stayed home, and I offered to stay with her, but she told me to go have one for her. So I went. When I came home, I helped Auntie Ikuko to bake some cookies and while they were cooking I went upstairs to see how Usagi was doing. I searched for a long while, but I couldn't find her. For some reason I didn't even think about the fact that she might go to Mamoru's. But when Auntie Ikuko told me I should take a batch of cookies to him because he wasn't feeling so good it hit me. I took off to go find Usagi, and when I was about to get on the elevator to go up to Mamoru's floor...I saw...I saw..." She covered her tear-filled eyes, willing the vision of Usagi on the floor of the elevator to go away.
"Take your time Chibi-Usa." Minako put a comforting hand on Chibi-Usa's shoulder.
She took in a deep breath, her voice still shaky from her sudden outburst. "I saw Usagi unconscious on the floor. She was twisted into a weird position and her breathing wasn't normal at all. It almost sounded like it was hard for her to actually breath. I was so worried that she had hurt herself even more."
"Chibi-Usa, can you tell me how Usagi looked when you found her?" Chibi-Usa nodded and began explaining it. Ami's hand had flown to her mouth as Chibi-Usa told them just how Usagi had been positioned when she had found her. "After I recovered I ran to her and woke her up. She was very sleepy and she told me to help her home. She said that she'd be all right by tomorrow." Chibi-Usa shook her head. "I don't believe her. But anyways, when we got back home she walked upstairs to go to sleep and I came here not long after."
Luna looked up at all of them. "I'm not sure if we can wait a week Minna. I'm afraid Usagi might not last that long."
"What do you mean Luna?" Chibi-Usa stared questioningly down at the black fur ball.
"We had decided to watch over Usagi's condition for one week. At the end, we would decide whether we should tell Mamoru about the situation or not. But I don't know if we can risk waiting that long." Luna looked back at the other scouts. "You know I'm right Minna."
Chibi-Usa shook her head. "No Luna, we made a promise to her. It might be easy for you to go against her wish because you didn't promise her, but we can't do that." The others mumbled what seemed like an agreement causing Luna to sigh. Obviously she wasn't going to win this battle.
"Fine, we'll continue with the original plan. I hope all of you know what you're doing."
***
She silently opened the door and stepped inside. All she wanted to do was check on Usagi's condition and then she'd go to bed. "Usagi?" She whispered. "Usagi, are you awake?" All that answered was the sound of heavy breathing. She wasn't going to try and wake her up, so she turned and left the room, shutting the door softly behind her. The scouts had promised to stop by tomorrow at around two o'clock to check up on Usagi. Chibi-Usa had to wait until then to know just how serious this was getting. As she climbed into her bed, she mumbled softly to her self before she fell asleep. "I hate waiting."
***
Chibi-Usa walked quietly into Usagi's room. It was one o'clock in the afternoon now, and Usagi had slept since they had gotten home the day before, unless she had woken up some time while she had gone to visit the scouts. "Momma, it's time to wake up! Auntie Ikuko made some lunch!" When she got no response, Chibi-Usa walked closer to the bed. "Usagi, come on. This isn't funny! Everyone is waiting downstairs for you. Even Luna! Heaven forbid she isn't with Artemis." She began giggling at her comment, but Usagi made no sound. "Usagi? The scouts will be here to check up on you in about an hour! You need to get ready for them!" Chibi-Usa crawled up on the bed and examined Usagi's face. Burn marks had spread onto her neck and cheeks as well as the edges around her hair. "Usagi?" She placed a hand on Usagi's arm. Her skin felt cold and clammy underneath Chibi-Usa's warm hands. Looking up, Chibi-Usa noticed a blue tint in Usagi's lips and she began to notice the slight shivering of Usagi's body underneath her. "Usagi?! Momma, wake up!!" She desperately began shaking Usagi. "Momma! Momma, please wake up! MOMMA!" She tried shaking harder, but nothing happened. "Usagi?! USAGI?! PLEASE USAGI!" Her voice cried out desperately trying to get a reaction from the blonde-haired girl, but failed. Her tears fell unmercifully down her cheeks as she crawled off the bed and ran to the door. "LUNA! AUTNIE IKUKO!!!"
"Chibi-Usa?" The calm voice of Usagi's mother floated up to Chibi-Usa. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
The black cat came running up the stairs and down the hallway to Usagi's room but stopped to examine the sobbing girl. "It's Usagi!! She won't wake up!! I've tried everything!!" Luna ran past Chibi-Usa and into the room. She could hear the black cat trying her hardest to wake up her charge.
"Oh, she's always been hard to wake up Chibi-Usa. I'll be up as soon as I put this glass I just dried away." She heard the soft footsteps of Ikuko fading away as she walked back into the kitchen.
Turning, Chibi-Usa, again, tried to wake Usagi up. "Usagi! Wake up! No more games! You win! You have me worried! Usagi!" She collapsed on top of her body and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"This is not good. The crystal." Luna stared at the locket now on top of Usagi's dresser. A dull glow that emanated from the crystal was pulsing slowly. "The crystal isn't as bright as it should be." Luna looked up at Usagi's face. "Something isn't right." Luna took off out Usagi's slightly open window. The other scouts need to hear about this.
"Luna! Luna don't leave Usagi like this!! LUNA!!!"
"Chibi-Usa, let me wake Usagi up, ne?" Chibi-Usa turned to see Ikuko standing in the doorway. "Ok Usagi, either you wake up now or you don't get any of the casserole I made." Her smile turned into a frown of frustration. "And I made cheesecake, too. I'll let Chibi-Usa eat it all." Still nothing. "Usagi, you really have me worried now. It's time to wake up, ne?" She walked over to her daughter. "Come on Usagi..." Her hand flew to her mouth as she noticed Usagi's trembling form and blue-tinted lips.
"She won't wake up Auntie Ikuko." Chibi-Usa could talk no more as the tears began choking her voice.
"Usagi look! You made Chibi-Usa cry! Usagi, you're worrying me! Please wake up! USAGI!!" Ikuko fell to her knees and covered her face with her hands, her hard sobs almost drowned out Chibi-Usa's.
A loud cry of pain filled the room causing both sobbing people to look up at the pain-filled face Usagi was making. Her mouth hung open ready to let another cry pierce through the room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, I think I'll leave it there. What did all of you think? Is it bad? Good? Do I need to finish the next part any time soon? *Grins* Torture is so much fun! I'll try to get the next chapter out within the next...hmmm...well, it all depends on Juno. As soon as she gets the next chapter of Bewitched out, I'll start working on the next part! Until then! Ja!
~Merc