Chapter 3
By Miko of da Shinigami
Hotaru sat under a tree out in the school yard. She ate her lunch alone, but she didn't mind. She never had any friends until she met Usagi and Rei. She didn't know what she would have done without Usagi. Usagi was always there for her, and now she would be there for Usagi, because she needed her friends to be with her.
"Hey Hotaru," someone sneered from over her shoulder.
She turned to see Melissa, a popular girl with a cruel disposition and a burning hatred for Hotaru.
Hotaru turned back to her lunch, clutching her sandwich in the same death grip she used on Duo when they met, causing peanut butter to run though her the spaces between her white knuckles. "What do you want?"
"I heard you're friends got cancer," she said, still smirking.
"Oh really? I didn't know," said Hotaru, know her sarcasm would only make Melissa even more hateful.
"It's a pity," she said, walking away. "When she dies you won't have any friends."
That was when it broke. The barrier she had to keep everything back. Her grief, anger, fear, everything.
She burst into tears, running from the school yard, and throwing the sandwich, now a small sticky ball of peanut butter, jelly, and bread at Melissa, hitting her in the head.
'Is it true? Do I have no one?'
***
Duo turned the corner, trying in vain to start a conversation with his stoic friend. Suddenly a girl came running around the corner and straight into Duo. She fell to the ground, still crying.
"Hey," Duo said, getting to his knees. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you? I should have moved…"
He lifted her up and brushed back her hair so he could see her face.
"Hotaru?" he asked.
She buried her head in his chest, sobbing.
"What's wrong?" Duo asked.
"Isn't that the girl from the hospital with the needles?" Heero asked in his unchanging voice.
"Yea," Duo said. "I wonder what happened."
Hotaru pulled away suddenly.
"I have to go to Rei's," she said quietly.
"Then we'll take you," Duo said, putting his arm around her.
"Demo," she said. "I don't want to be a bother…"
"You wouldn't be!" Duo said, smiling down at her.
"Hai," Heero said. "We will go to."
"Arigato," she said, wiping away a few more tears.
***
Rei tied her charm to the sacred tree.
"I wish that we find a donor soon so that Usagi-chan gets better," she said quietly.
"Rei!" she heard a voice shout.
She turned around and saw Duo walking up the steps with that boy who broke his arm. She looked closer and saw Hotaru cuddled close to Duo. You almost couldn't see her because she was also wearing all black.
Rei ran over to them.
"Hotaru!," she said. Hotaru just walked up and sat under the sacred tree, leaning against the trunk for support as her small body shook with the force of her sobs.
"Duo, what happened?" Rei asked.
"I don't know," he said, looked at the small girl with concern.
"Talk to her," Rei said. She looked over at Heero and added, "You can come make tea with me."
"Thanks," Heero grumbled. Rei just shot him a dirty look.
***
"Hotaru," Duo said, putting his arms around her to steady her out. "Please tell me what's wrong."
She stopped crying and looked at him.
"Why do you care?" she asked sharply. "Why…why does anyone care?"
"Because we care about you," Duo said, smiling at her. "And we want you to be happy. I do."
Hotaru could feel the smile creeping to her face. 'He cares…about me?'
She sat down, leaning on Duo for support.
"She," Hotaru said quietly. "She told me that when Usagi dies, I won't have any friends. Melissa did."
"That's not true," Duo said, holding her closer. "You have Rei, and me, and Heero, and WuFei! We'll all be here for ya! And you shouldn't worry! You still have what, seven more weeks to find a donor. We'll help! I promise…"
"Arigato!" Hotaru said, smiling at him. 'He cares about me.'
"And," Duo said. "As a added bonus, I'll personally beat the crap out of this Melissa chick for ya!"
Hotaru giggled.
***
Rei watched Hotaru laughing.
"Her mood certainly turned around," Heero said, putting the water over the stove.
"I know," Rei said. "She really likes him."
"Hn," Heero replied.
Heero didn't know why but he couldn't stop staring at Rei. She moved with such grace, such strength, that only the word beautiful could describe her, a word Heero was not used to using.
Still wrapped in his thoughts, Heero grabbed the whistling teakettle on the wrong end.
"Itai," he said quietly, clutching his burnt hand.
"Let me see," Rei said, taking his hand delicately in her own.
"Baka!" she said, dipping her sash in cold water and wrapping it around his hand. "This should help, but we can get it looked at when we go see Usagi today, okay?"
"It's fine," Heero said, taking back his hand.
"Whatever you say," and Rei went back to making the tea.
**End chpt. 3**
Miko- Hope you liked it! R/r!