4b: Silver Redemption
Usagi looked out the frosted window at the snowy land below. It was truly beautiful here, like some far off land in a fairy tale. Blanketed in a gentle, soft snow it was quite different. Usagi sighed dismissively, and got up to pace once more. She glanced at the clock, and on seeing that it read four fifteen still, she groaned and flopped down on her bed.
Why? Why couldn't I have just gone back to sleep... at least today's the last day of school, and then we get off for winter break. But I'm so borrreeeedddd.... It's just not fair. Usagi got up, and thought about the events that had occured in the park several days ago. She winced, and hissed slightly at the rememberance of the awful fate that had nearly become her. She shivered at the memory, and felt sadness come, just as familiar as it had been.
Bleakness had drove in on Usagi, and she had tried to hide and run away from it by throwing herself into the activities that came with the holidays. But she had been unable to hold it off forever, seeing as there were so many moments of calmness and relaxing. It had come slowly like a dark shadow that had begun to cover her completely. It had seeped from the darker places in her mind outward, to swallow her whole into its depression, to eat her alive and throw her into an utter blackness of sorrow so she couldn't escape.
She had plenty of things to be happy for, but whenever she reminded herself of this fact, matters only worstened. As if having acute amnesia weren't bad enough, she had to be bothered by a group of punks and nearly raped. She closed her eyes tightly at the familiar sting of tears that threatened to overflow from her eyes. No. I can't change the past, but I CAN make my future. And I absolutely refuse to become a desolate, depressed person!
She got up then, and got dressed as well. She put on a pair of khaki jeans that hugged her hips nicely and a holly berry red sweater that had a turtle neck. It was loose, but thick and warm as well. She put on a pair of dark blue gloves and a skarf, and the slipped into fur-lined boots and thick socks. She brushed her long goldenish hair out, freeing it from tangles and making it shiny and healthy looking again after tossing and turning on it after so long. She finally decked herself out in a big black jacket, made for winter nights like the one she was about to enter into.
She felt a tugging at her heart, like something were calling to her... like she was bound to something with a strange connection, and she had to follow and see what happened. She felt a vague sense of de ja vu, and realised with that she had felt the same calling several days ago when the event had happened. She bit her lip ang thought about not going, but consented and got left the house.
She walked down the familiar walk, unsure about just where she was going in particular, for awhil. But came to her, and though she was timid nad a bit frightened, she did it anyways. She went back through the park, retracing her steps back to the clearing that had been the death to the little innocence that she had still possessed. She felt irrational fear grip at her, and she fought it back down desperately.
She walked through the woods, ever-so-concious that the world was still dark about. But despite it she knew her way well. How could she forget the place where she had nearly lost another part of herself? When she finally reached the clearing, her hart stopped for a moment, and she forgot to breath. She then breathed shallowish and fast, and slowly calmed herself by breathing slowly adn deeply, thinking of nothing in particular. When she opened her eyes again, she walked slowly forward to the tree that she had been bound to.
She looked it over, seeing it for the first time really. It was barren now as almost all trees became with the turning of fall. Now it was covered in icecles, and the forks and bases where the branshes ran outward held fluffy white snow against the darkness. The pure whiteness of it reflected the moon's beams of pale light onto the snow covered ground which reflected the moon's light as well. It was a thick tree, dark brown in color, and very, very tall. It seemed to reach up to the very heavens itself when she looked upward when she was so close. She backed away slightly, and then knelt down in the snow.
She looked down at the fresh snow underneath and around her, knowing that somewhere under it lay the rope. She brushed the snow gently aside in front of her, revealing the hemp. She picked it up gently, as it looked to be a bit frozen. She was surprised to see that when she had released that beam it had made the rope split from the BACK, and perfectly. There wasn't a single jagged thread jutted out longer than the rest.
Usagi wondered once more about the power that she had released, and how she had actually gotten it to come from deep within her her self-concoius. She hadn't remembered any ability, and was close to positive that most people couldn't do what she had managed to. But that beam would mena diddly squat to her in the future if she couldn't summon it again. After all, she had yet to figure out how she had managed it. She closed her eyes as the memory of the horrors that had nearly fell upon her played in the back of her mind and the hot painful tears welled up and spilled out.
She leaned against the cold stiff bark of the tree in front of her, fighting the urge to just wail and sob. She finally calmed down, but she still felt angry and sad deep inside. She raised her face to the moon, staring at it. It was a beautiful silver in color, round and full like a shimmering orb suspended in the dark eternity. She sniffled and watched it, unsure of why she was out here.
She sighed with agitation, and a puff of smog floated out and away. She continued to stare at the moon, unsure of why there was something that seemed almost friendly, more than familiar about it. She felt an odd connection that she couldn't quite name, and her pains were lulled and drifted away, leaving a feeling of utter and indestructable peace. Usagi felt unnatached to the world, as though in a trance. There was no need to cry or be angry, no need to be in a rush or scared, no need to be anything but happy. She felt the feeling fade away, and reality set in again, and she wondered why on earth she had felt like that just out of the blue.
She was about to stand up and go, but stopped when she heard the rustling of a bush and the cruch of snow uner a creature's weight. She turned her head sharply, and froze up at what she saw. It was a stag, powerful with huge antlers, and darkish brown fur. It was tall enough to have someone ride it, and Usagi couldn't help but be shocked that it had come so close. He froze up still as a statue, and the two of them hung there for moments that seemed to be eternity. The hoot of an owl broke it, and he turned to leep away. Usagi didn't want to let it go, and called out, "Wait!"
It stopped dead in its tracks, and turned around to face her, as though obeying her command. She hesitantly and slowly offered him her hand, as though to promise she meant no harm. He slowly came forward, sniffing at her hand to see if it offered any treat. She smiled, and slowly kneeled, and layed a hand on his back. She prepared for him to attack or to flee, but he remained calm and butted her chest gently as though to say, "Hello, friend," and she dared herself to go further by standing up. He turned to go, and Usagi thought for sure that that was that. He headed to the bush slowly, and the stopped, turning his head to look at her.Usagi couldn't help but feel shocked. Did it want her to follow? She started after it, and it resumed it's leisurely trot. Guess that answers my question...
She followed it deep into the forest, till she knew she'd be lost for hours. She wanted to go back, but her curiosity was piqued and had total control of her actions now. She followed for what might have been minuted or hours, she didn't know for sure. She wondered where her destination was, and then they broke through some rather tall and dense bushes.
Her heart stopped for a moment and her breath caught in her throat. She breathed out and the wondrous sight before her, scanning it completely over with large eyes filled with wonder. It was almost the same as the pond from her dream. But this one didn't have any of the flowers because it was winter, and she could see the river that filled it. She stepped onto the ice timidly, and then with growing courage. She looked up, and saw that she was now directly under the moon that hung silently in the sky. She smiled in wonder and awe, and then saw something that she haden't seen before.
There was a woman dressed in silver in the middle of the pond, in a dress and staring at her. Usagi was surprised, but then started out toward the woman, realising that they both had the same hairstyle. She was getting near, when she slipped on the ice and fell flat on her face. The woman laughed her silvery laugh, and Usagi felt more surprised and embarassed than angry. The woman then produced a large crystal from seemingly nowhere. {Here... take this. It is my gift to you... daughter of mine.} Usagi gasped, was it possible? That woman had called her her daughter! But her mother was dead... so how....
Usagi called out softly, "You- you must have me mistaken for someone else. I'm Usagi Tsukino, and my mother's dead." The lady laughed and said, {Technically, yes. But you're not completely who you think yourself to be. I know what I speak of, and you may know that I don't lie. I want you to have this. It may come in handy sooner or later.} She the tossed the rather large crystal at Usagi, and she cried out and braced herself to be hit on her head.
When she had not felt the impact, she looked up to see that it hung in the air in front of her face, suspended as though by an invisable hand. The rays of the moon's light struck the transparent prisms, casting off beautiful colors of all sorts onto her face and onto the pond's frozen surface. She gasped in awe, and just watched it twirl around suspended in the air casting off colors in all directions.
The woman then caught her attention again, somehow managing to get her to stop staring at the gem before her that was probably priceless, and if not very close. {Do you recognise it? Yes, this very crystal is from your past. And though it may not seem it, it plays a very important of it. Good bye for now, my daughter, for i know we will meet again.} Usagi's eyes became the size of saucers as she watched the woman slowly evaporate, and what was left of her became a beam of light or energy that shot off to the heavens.
For a while she just sat there, staring off into space trying to digest the events that had just occured. She shook her head, and then refocused her attention onto the crystal. She watched it, still dipplaying its vibrant shimmering colors, and slowly reached out to touch it. Immediately after her flesh just barely touched the edge it stopped spinning, and dropped like a stone as though the spell that held it up had been broken on contact. She acted apon instinct, and instantly clamped her hand on the falling object. She was amazed at how well it fit into her hand, as though a part of it.
The coolness, smoothness of it was truely tantalizing. She rubbed it gently but thoroughly, and was then caught up in a sweeping, powerful emotion. She gasped as it started to glow, and then it errupted with a beautiful soft silver light, and felt herself immersed with pure joy.
She could hardly comprehend what happened to her next. There were not enough words in any language to describe what she felt. It was pure faith. Pure love. Pure hope. It was the elation of doing the impossible; when the addrenaline in your veins pumped hard and fast, and you smiled brightly and big despite how tired you were or how much pain you felt. It was like watching the dawn of a new day errupt from the night, giving you a glorious sense of freedom and the knowledge that everything was reknewed. It was the feeling of watching a baby's first steps, something so priceless and happened only once with a person before it became a redundant task that wasn't hard just annoying. It was the feeling of knowing that in the end, it would al be alright. No matter what happened, things would turn for the better in the long run.
Usagi opened her eyes to find that it was beginning to dawn before her eyes. She shivered again, and stood wondering what had happened. She looked down at the rather large crystal, gazing at it with new eyes. It had somehow done that, and caused her to think twice about things. She looked up at the sky that had burst into a dazzling and stunning aray of blues with the sun itself a flaming gold and molten red, watching it and smiling.
Yes, she had been through hell that night but life wasn't ever really fair, and it was over now. It just went to show how special and precious life really was, and how much people took it for granted and as a chore. She had lost everything that she had never known, and had to relearn who she was. And although it was a trying task, it would be interesting and much of an adventure- one worth taking and risking for, and a fresh start and brand new look at the world. She had much to learn about the people around her, such as Heero, Relena, Duo, Wufei, the ever-so-quiet Trowa, and even Quatre. She had but begun, and had a long ways to go on her trek to self discovery. But that was half the fun.
She grinned, and thought about the bitter hardships that would come in the future, as well as the good times that were promising to show themeselves as well. Things wouldn't be easy, but it was better to be alive than dead any day. Usagi reflected inwardly as she worked her way back to where she had last scene the stag about her troubles with boys. She would have to solve them eventually, but she had yet to even uncover them halfway. She needed to see the whole picture before she could react to it. The stag came out of the bushes, and Usagi dared herself to climb upon its back.
It reered slightly, and then took off. Usagi grinned and laughed as she watched the scenery speed by her, knowing that school would surely be starting today in only a couple hours at latest. She was surprised when the stag leapt strait past the clearing and went onward, but trusted it to know better than she. It bounded on until it came to a halt at the very edge of the forest. She climbed off, and thanked him for his help, and waved a goodbye before heading towards her home. She was out of the park and halfway back before she noticed that it was snowing, and the speed was increasing quickly. She giggled as a flake landed on the bridge of her nose, and she practically skipped back to her house.
She opened the door to be greeted by a familiar gray kitten and the delightful smells of breakfast. Her stomache growled, and she ravenously ate almost anything that she could get her hands on. Une walked into the kitchen, and said, "Seemingly they're expecting some bad weather. School's been canceled." Usagi blinked several times, and then punched her fist into the air and yelled out, "YAHOOO!!!!!! ," not knowing that not too far off, there was a braided figure doing the same thing... only he was about to be beaten up by a certain chinese boy who had had enough of him after only five minutes of conciousness.
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I promise to have part 4c out soon, okay? I did all this crap- seperating part a, b, c, ect., ect., for the new chaptering system and stuff, so that you wouldn't have to read so much at one time as well. Thanks for all your patience, ppls! ^_^ ^_~