Argh! Don't you hate it when you type something, and your disk doesn't work, and then you lose your story?? That's what happened to me! I had this story prepared to upload, and my computer ate it! *sweatdrops at the lame excuse* Well, gomennasai minna, I have to write it from memory. Basically, my-spouse-who-shall-remain-nameless(!) said a rather rude remark about my laugh, and for some reason, this story popped in my head! Strange, right? I blame it all...err, give all credit to Milk. That story, (SHAMELESS PLUG!) "Serena's Strength", woke up many new ideas. Anyway, this story refused to leave my mind, and it still does, and so this is just a little weird ficcie that takes place somewhere in the SM-universe! Hope you enjoy it, and I will have chapter two of "Timid is the Rabbit" up soon! Ja ne! Sayonara!
Disclaimer: Sheesh, do I look like Naoko-sensei to you?! ….um, now stop staring at me like that! Nice reader! Nice READER!!
"Fever Dream"
By Ruth Richter-Woytsek
(alias Sailor SteelKat!)
"Um...this won't hurt. Much."
Usagi winced as the shot was prepared, her slender legs quivering as they dangled from the gurney. When she looked to the floor, they began to swing rhythmically to some music that only they knew.
Ami was trying to comfort her, but couldn't do much to soothe Usagi's fears because her mother needed her help. She had offered a soft reassuring, "truthful" statement, but Usagi continued to protest the needle with wild abandon. Ami had to use every ounce of strength just to hold her down.
Usagi silently cursed herself. Why, today of all days, did she have to go out to the garden? Why did Mama-san have to send her out there today to get some stupid tool? Just how long had that damn shed been broken like that anyway?? She had tried to be extra careful because of all the loose boards scattered around on the yard-perhaps TOO careful because she still managed to "nail" one, didn't she?
But she had no enthusiasm left with which to laugh at her witty remark.
Ami's mother came closer, and Usagi grimaced at the thought at what was coming. Mama-san had brought her to the Emergency Room only because the both of them didn't know the last time Usagi had received a tetanus shot, and everyone had decided it was wise to get another.
Everyone except Usagi, that is.
Again, she tried one last time in vain to protest. "It was just a stupid nail!"
"A stupid, 'rusty' nail," Ami's mother corrected. "Now please hold still so I may administer this shot."
"Hai," Usagi mumbled and sighed. Ami put a small hand on her shoulder, giving it a little, gentle squeeze. She silently thanked the gods that Ami had chosen today to help her mother at the hospital. Her own mother remained in the waiting room, only because Usagi had assured her that she would be fine. Maybe Mama-san had seen through that façade. Maybe she knew that Usagi didn't want her to see what a crybaby her daughter was when it came to needles. Oh, well, she just couldn't help it. Did Ami's mother have to use such a big needle??
Maybe Mama-san was afraid of needles herself.
Mama-san had been opening herself up more and more lately, letting Usagi catch a glimpse of the "real" Tsukino Ikuko. Her faults, her fears, her mortality. Did all adults go through such sad attempts to conceal themselves from their children? And what price did those children pay? Why must all children look at their parents the same way they would look upon Kami-sama?
Aiiiee, a puzzle to solve another time! It was nice to see Mama-san trying to become more of a friend, especially now when Papa-san was becoming more and more protective of his little girl.
She tensed when she felt the needle at her flesh and hissed when it finally broke skin. Then suddenly, a feeling like liquid fire coarsed through the spot in which the needle was, and she screamed in agony. "Aaaiieeeeee! What was that?!"
"A side effect of the vaccine, I'm afraid. It only burns for a few seconds," Ami's mother said, and then withdrew the needle.
Usagi's hand flew to the newly bruised spot. Rubbing only continued to make it worse. "It feels like someone pinched me!"
"That'll go away, too," Ami explained, while her mother left the room. "Now, you know you might get ill.
That's another side effect. It's something akin to mild influenza; fever, nausea, headache...you know. You'll be fine in a few days, if you get it at all." Ami paused and looked thoughtful. A sly grin spread across her face. "You should take this opportunity to get some rest," she said, rather sarcastically, and then winked. They both knew that was impossible. Usagi had too many responsibilities as Sailor Moon.. Rest was not in the vocabulary of the Senshi.
They both giggled at their shared joke as they walked into the waiting room.
"Shimatta!"
Usagi cursed wildly as they both dashed to the temple. The trip to the hospital had made her late, and Ami as well, since Ami had stuck around longer just to help her. They ran up the stairs, Usagi tripping part of the way up. "Gaahhh, this is the worst day ever! Any more of this, and I'll be in traction!"
When Ami got to the top, she almost dropped to her knees because she was doubled-up with laughter. "Poor...Usagi-chan!" she panted, still giggling.
They both began the dull task of removing their shoes. Usagi hopped all over the patio while she tried to remove her Mary Janes, causing Ami to burst into another fit of laughter. Usagi was still cursing her luck when Rei stepped out from behind the paper door. "Oh!" she cried and then began the usual apology. "Gomennasai, Rei-chan! I didn't mean to make us late! It wasn't Ami's fault, so don't blame her."
Rei wasn't even listening, instead opting to ask Ami what had happened. "Usagi-baka I understand being late, but you, Ami-chan?"
"Nani?! I can be late, but Ami can't?" Usagi shouted, but neither paid attention. She then threw her arms up in the air in frustration. "Oh, forget it!"
Ami continued explaining to Rei about Usagi's little mishap. "And I was busy helping my mother, so I couldn't get to a phone to call you."
Rei put a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Give me a break! Usagi, you are nothing but a big clumsy clod, and that proves it! This is not how a future queen should act." She grabbed Ami's arm and proceeded to drag her inside. "Come on, Ami, she still has one shoe to get off."
Usagi watched them go inside and then began to whine. "Never a kind word for the 'baka'!" She pouted as she sat down to remove the right shoe. "What did I ever do to deserve this?! This isn't how you treat your future queen!" Looking to see if Rei was watching, she sighed and then stuck her tongue out. "What do I do to stop the insults?"
"Rei's just looking out for your best interests," a husky baritone voice answered.
She threw the shoe to the side and stood up. "Oh, Mamo-chan, it was just a rhetorical question," she replied as she walked with him into the temple.
"Do you even know what 'rhetorical' means, baka?" Rei's voice called from inside her room.
Usagi turned three shades of red and gritted her teeth. "For crying out loud! That does it!" She tried to run after Rei to club her one in the mouth, but Mamoru's hand firmly held her still. "Let go! That little fire witch deserves-"
"No," Makato interrupted, shaking her head, and Usagi relaxed. "Rei's just having a….a really bad day."
"Gomen? A bad day?" Usagi sat next to Mamoru and placed her head against his chest. She suddenly felt dizzy, but tried to ignore it to find out what was bugging Rei. "What kind of 'bad day'?"
Minako, who had been quiet so far, began to giggle hysterically. "She's got PMS," she whispered.
It was so soft and unintelligible that Usagi asked her to repeat herself, and was startled when Rei came up from behind her and shouted, "She said that I have PMS!" She then looked down and blushed. "Well, it's true. I've been quite a bitch so far, Usagi-chan." She reached out to Usagi, who gladly stood up and hugged her ailing friend.
"It's all right, Rei-chan. Just a bad day, huh?" she replied kindly, smiling at Rei. "I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't accept you for every little 'quirk', now would I?"
Rei laughed and then smiled thoughtfully. "I suppose not."
Usagi grinned and returned to her spot next to Mamoru. Why did her head throb so much? Why was the room getting smaller? "Minna, I don't feel so good." Her muscles were so achy and tense! She let out a painful moan as she laid her head in Mamoru's lap, curling into a fetal position.
He looked at her in concern. "You 'are' very flushed, Usako."
Perplexed, Ami ran to Usagi's side and felt her forehead. "Why, you are feverish!"
Mamoru kissed her forehead. He gasped. "You are very hot!"
A small titter escaped her sore throat. "Nice of you to notice, Mamo-chan," she whispered seductively, even if it sounded hoarse and peculiar. She moaned again as she shifted her position. "Ugh. I feel gross."
Ami touched her, making her exhaled through clenched teeth. "You need to rest."
Rest, rest would be nice.
Rei took her by the wrist. "Come on, odango atama. You can sleep in my bed."
"Hai," she managed weakly as she was dragged to Rei's room. Once there, she propped herself up against the bureau as Rei pulled back the covers. "Arigatou, Rei-chan."
"Don't mention it," Rei replied. "Make yourself comfortable while I get you some of my old pajamas." She made herself busy, opening drawers, trying to find "those blasted pajamas".
Usagi fell on the soft, downy mattress, relieved. "Nani? Pajamas?"
Rei paused to look at her, as if trying to decide if that was a joke or if the fever was talking. Whatever she decided, she shook her head in disbelief. "You don't expect to sleep in your clothes, do you? They'll wrinkle!"
It was Usagi's turn to be baffled. Was she serious? "You sound like an old mother hen, Rei," she mused.
Rei ignored her, still busying herself with finding the pajamas. Suddenly, she yanked something out of the back of the bottom drawer and gave it to Usagi. It was an old, ratty nightgown. Usagi held it out for inspection and could barely resist laughing at Rei. Perhaps at one time, the gown had meant to be sunshine-yellow, but after several years and many washings, it was the color of urine. It "was" soft though. "It...it's so short…and-"
"And?!" Rei retorted, cutting her off. If her face got even more red, she could probably blow steam from her ears!
"And...well...um, ugly," Usagi finished meekly.
Rei cried out in disgust. "I give up!" She threw her arms to the sky, shouting, "Kami-sama, give me the strength to forgive my friend for being such a baka while she's sick!" She then spun around to face Usagi, glaring and shaking a finger at her. "You are just sleeping in it!! You are not going out in it, you are not wearing it out of this room, and, Kami-sama, forgive me for such thoughts," she said, casting her eyes downward and then back at Usagi, "you are not entertaining Mamoru in bed with it!!!"
They both heard laughter from the other room, and a confused-and probably slightly embarrassed-Mamoru yelled, "Nani?!"
Usagi sighed and took her shirt off. She flung it aside, but before it could reach its destination, Rei caught it and began to fold it. Usagi laughed. "Oh, 'Mama-san', I could've done that when I was finished."
Rei waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep." She smiled. "Now we can't have our princess get desperately ill on us, can we?"
Usagi pulled the gown over her head and paused to stretch and yawn. "No, I guess not."
Rei smiled again and left the room. Usagi continued to take the rest of her clothes off and carefully folded them as Rei had done. The gown was short, but not as short as she originally thought.
But the material, no matter how soft, still rubbed her skin the wrong way, and her muscles ached in protest. She laid in the same fetal position as earlier, deciding it was the only comfortable one. As she drifted off into sleep, she wondered where she would be right now, if she had never met Mamo-chan or the other Senshi. She could hear their idle chatter and soft laughter even now, and it was comforting. It was nice knowing that they talked softly just for her because of her need to rest. Where would she be without her friends?
Whatever would she do without them?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Next: The Fever Dream! Just how real can a dream be??
Gomen, minna! I just had to do a cliffhanger! *ducks tomatoes* Really! I just want to see if anyone even likes this little ditty I wrote. I promise that the dream is good, and it WILL be here tomorrow because it is already written.
An excerpt from the next chapter:
His cold, insincere laughter made her look up at him in bewilderment. The shock nearly caused her to knock her float over, and she pursed her lips. That laugh, it penetrated her soul, grabbing her insides and twisting-almost crushing her heart. How could her Mamo-chan be so cruel?! He was not the same person!
"Nani?!" she cried in anguish, looking askance. She couldn't force herself to meet his gaze just now.
An amused grin formed on his handsome face, contorting its features into something more...evil. "Are you deaf?" He laughed wickedly. "Or are you just mildly retarded? I 'said' have you ever heard yourself laugh?" he said, mocking her.
That tore it. This wasn't her Mamo-chan. "Nani?" she repeated again, barely audible.
She couldn't focus, couldn't "think" even! No other words would come out, so she stood there in awe, in shock, chanting as she shielded herself with her arms, trying to make him vanish, make her "friends" vanish, make "everyone" vanish. She might as well be dead to them. Then a thought crossed her mind for a brief second. What if she had never "been" born? Was everything a lie? A dream? "No, no, no, no!"
Till tomorrow, minna!
Disclaimer: Sheesh, do I look like Naoko-sensei to you?! ….um, now stop staring at me like that! Nice reader! Nice READER!!
"Fever Dream"
By Ruth Richter-Woytsek
(alias Sailor SteelKat!)
"Um...this won't hurt. Much."
Usagi winced as the shot was prepared, her slender legs quivering as they dangled from the gurney. When she looked to the floor, they began to swing rhythmically to some music that only they knew.
Ami was trying to comfort her, but couldn't do much to soothe Usagi's fears because her mother needed her help. She had offered a soft reassuring, "truthful" statement, but Usagi continued to protest the needle with wild abandon. Ami had to use every ounce of strength just to hold her down.
Usagi silently cursed herself. Why, today of all days, did she have to go out to the garden? Why did Mama-san have to send her out there today to get some stupid tool? Just how long had that damn shed been broken like that anyway?? She had tried to be extra careful because of all the loose boards scattered around on the yard-perhaps TOO careful because she still managed to "nail" one, didn't she?
But she had no enthusiasm left with which to laugh at her witty remark.
Ami's mother came closer, and Usagi grimaced at the thought at what was coming. Mama-san had brought her to the Emergency Room only because the both of them didn't know the last time Usagi had received a tetanus shot, and everyone had decided it was wise to get another.
Everyone except Usagi, that is.
Again, she tried one last time in vain to protest. "It was just a stupid nail!"
"A stupid, 'rusty' nail," Ami's mother corrected. "Now please hold still so I may administer this shot."
"Hai," Usagi mumbled and sighed. Ami put a small hand on her shoulder, giving it a little, gentle squeeze. She silently thanked the gods that Ami had chosen today to help her mother at the hospital. Her own mother remained in the waiting room, only because Usagi had assured her that she would be fine. Maybe Mama-san had seen through that façade. Maybe she knew that Usagi didn't want her to see what a crybaby her daughter was when it came to needles. Oh, well, she just couldn't help it. Did Ami's mother have to use such a big needle??
Maybe Mama-san was afraid of needles herself.
Mama-san had been opening herself up more and more lately, letting Usagi catch a glimpse of the "real" Tsukino Ikuko. Her faults, her fears, her mortality. Did all adults go through such sad attempts to conceal themselves from their children? And what price did those children pay? Why must all children look at their parents the same way they would look upon Kami-sama?
Aiiiee, a puzzle to solve another time! It was nice to see Mama-san trying to become more of a friend, especially now when Papa-san was becoming more and more protective of his little girl.
She tensed when she felt the needle at her flesh and hissed when it finally broke skin. Then suddenly, a feeling like liquid fire coarsed through the spot in which the needle was, and she screamed in agony. "Aaaiieeeeee! What was that?!"
"A side effect of the vaccine, I'm afraid. It only burns for a few seconds," Ami's mother said, and then withdrew the needle.
Usagi's hand flew to the newly bruised spot. Rubbing only continued to make it worse. "It feels like someone pinched me!"
"That'll go away, too," Ami explained, while her mother left the room. "Now, you know you might get ill.
That's another side effect. It's something akin to mild influenza; fever, nausea, headache...you know. You'll be fine in a few days, if you get it at all." Ami paused and looked thoughtful. A sly grin spread across her face. "You should take this opportunity to get some rest," she said, rather sarcastically, and then winked. They both knew that was impossible. Usagi had too many responsibilities as Sailor Moon.. Rest was not in the vocabulary of the Senshi.
They both giggled at their shared joke as they walked into the waiting room.
"Shimatta!"
Usagi cursed wildly as they both dashed to the temple. The trip to the hospital had made her late, and Ami as well, since Ami had stuck around longer just to help her. They ran up the stairs, Usagi tripping part of the way up. "Gaahhh, this is the worst day ever! Any more of this, and I'll be in traction!"
When Ami got to the top, she almost dropped to her knees because she was doubled-up with laughter. "Poor...Usagi-chan!" she panted, still giggling.
They both began the dull task of removing their shoes. Usagi hopped all over the patio while she tried to remove her Mary Janes, causing Ami to burst into another fit of laughter. Usagi was still cursing her luck when Rei stepped out from behind the paper door. "Oh!" she cried and then began the usual apology. "Gomennasai, Rei-chan! I didn't mean to make us late! It wasn't Ami's fault, so don't blame her."
Rei wasn't even listening, instead opting to ask Ami what had happened. "Usagi-baka I understand being late, but you, Ami-chan?"
"Nani?! I can be late, but Ami can't?" Usagi shouted, but neither paid attention. She then threw her arms up in the air in frustration. "Oh, forget it!"
Ami continued explaining to Rei about Usagi's little mishap. "And I was busy helping my mother, so I couldn't get to a phone to call you."
Rei put a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. "Give me a break! Usagi, you are nothing but a big clumsy clod, and that proves it! This is not how a future queen should act." She grabbed Ami's arm and proceeded to drag her inside. "Come on, Ami, she still has one shoe to get off."
Usagi watched them go inside and then began to whine. "Never a kind word for the 'baka'!" She pouted as she sat down to remove the right shoe. "What did I ever do to deserve this?! This isn't how you treat your future queen!" Looking to see if Rei was watching, she sighed and then stuck her tongue out. "What do I do to stop the insults?"
"Rei's just looking out for your best interests," a husky baritone voice answered.
She threw the shoe to the side and stood up. "Oh, Mamo-chan, it was just a rhetorical question," she replied as she walked with him into the temple.
"Do you even know what 'rhetorical' means, baka?" Rei's voice called from inside her room.
Usagi turned three shades of red and gritted her teeth. "For crying out loud! That does it!" She tried to run after Rei to club her one in the mouth, but Mamoru's hand firmly held her still. "Let go! That little fire witch deserves-"
"No," Makato interrupted, shaking her head, and Usagi relaxed. "Rei's just having a….a really bad day."
"Gomen? A bad day?" Usagi sat next to Mamoru and placed her head against his chest. She suddenly felt dizzy, but tried to ignore it to find out what was bugging Rei. "What kind of 'bad day'?"
Minako, who had been quiet so far, began to giggle hysterically. "She's got PMS," she whispered.
It was so soft and unintelligible that Usagi asked her to repeat herself, and was startled when Rei came up from behind her and shouted, "She said that I have PMS!" She then looked down and blushed. "Well, it's true. I've been quite a bitch so far, Usagi-chan." She reached out to Usagi, who gladly stood up and hugged her ailing friend.
"It's all right, Rei-chan. Just a bad day, huh?" she replied kindly, smiling at Rei. "I wouldn't be your friend if I didn't accept you for every little 'quirk', now would I?"
Rei laughed and then smiled thoughtfully. "I suppose not."
Usagi grinned and returned to her spot next to Mamoru. Why did her head throb so much? Why was the room getting smaller? "Minna, I don't feel so good." Her muscles were so achy and tense! She let out a painful moan as she laid her head in Mamoru's lap, curling into a fetal position.
He looked at her in concern. "You 'are' very flushed, Usako."
Perplexed, Ami ran to Usagi's side and felt her forehead. "Why, you are feverish!"
Mamoru kissed her forehead. He gasped. "You are very hot!"
A small titter escaped her sore throat. "Nice of you to notice, Mamo-chan," she whispered seductively, even if it sounded hoarse and peculiar. She moaned again as she shifted her position. "Ugh. I feel gross."
Ami touched her, making her exhaled through clenched teeth. "You need to rest."
Rest, rest would be nice.
Rei took her by the wrist. "Come on, odango atama. You can sleep in my bed."
"Hai," she managed weakly as she was dragged to Rei's room. Once there, she propped herself up against the bureau as Rei pulled back the covers. "Arigatou, Rei-chan."
"Don't mention it," Rei replied. "Make yourself comfortable while I get you some of my old pajamas." She made herself busy, opening drawers, trying to find "those blasted pajamas".
Usagi fell on the soft, downy mattress, relieved. "Nani? Pajamas?"
Rei paused to look at her, as if trying to decide if that was a joke or if the fever was talking. Whatever she decided, she shook her head in disbelief. "You don't expect to sleep in your clothes, do you? They'll wrinkle!"
It was Usagi's turn to be baffled. Was she serious? "You sound like an old mother hen, Rei," she mused.
Rei ignored her, still busying herself with finding the pajamas. Suddenly, she yanked something out of the back of the bottom drawer and gave it to Usagi. It was an old, ratty nightgown. Usagi held it out for inspection and could barely resist laughing at Rei. Perhaps at one time, the gown had meant to be sunshine-yellow, but after several years and many washings, it was the color of urine. It "was" soft though. "It...it's so short…and-"
"And?!" Rei retorted, cutting her off. If her face got even more red, she could probably blow steam from her ears!
"And...well...um, ugly," Usagi finished meekly.
Rei cried out in disgust. "I give up!" She threw her arms to the sky, shouting, "Kami-sama, give me the strength to forgive my friend for being such a baka while she's sick!" She then spun around to face Usagi, glaring and shaking a finger at her. "You are just sleeping in it!! You are not going out in it, you are not wearing it out of this room, and, Kami-sama, forgive me for such thoughts," she said, casting her eyes downward and then back at Usagi, "you are not entertaining Mamoru in bed with it!!!"
They both heard laughter from the other room, and a confused-and probably slightly embarrassed-Mamoru yelled, "Nani?!"
Usagi sighed and took her shirt off. She flung it aside, but before it could reach its destination, Rei caught it and began to fold it. Usagi laughed. "Oh, 'Mama-san', I could've done that when I was finished."
Rei waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep." She smiled. "Now we can't have our princess get desperately ill on us, can we?"
Usagi pulled the gown over her head and paused to stretch and yawn. "No, I guess not."
Rei smiled again and left the room. Usagi continued to take the rest of her clothes off and carefully folded them as Rei had done. The gown was short, but not as short as she originally thought.
But the material, no matter how soft, still rubbed her skin the wrong way, and her muscles ached in protest. She laid in the same fetal position as earlier, deciding it was the only comfortable one. As she drifted off into sleep, she wondered where she would be right now, if she had never met Mamo-chan or the other Senshi. She could hear their idle chatter and soft laughter even now, and it was comforting. It was nice knowing that they talked softly just for her because of her need to rest. Where would she be without her friends?
Whatever would she do without them?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Next: The Fever Dream! Just how real can a dream be??
Gomen, minna! I just had to do a cliffhanger! *ducks tomatoes* Really! I just want to see if anyone even likes this little ditty I wrote. I promise that the dream is good, and it WILL be here tomorrow because it is already written.
An excerpt from the next chapter:
His cold, insincere laughter made her look up at him in bewilderment. The shock nearly caused her to knock her float over, and she pursed her lips. That laugh, it penetrated her soul, grabbing her insides and twisting-almost crushing her heart. How could her Mamo-chan be so cruel?! He was not the same person!
"Nani?!" she cried in anguish, looking askance. She couldn't force herself to meet his gaze just now.
An amused grin formed on his handsome face, contorting its features into something more...evil. "Are you deaf?" He laughed wickedly. "Or are you just mildly retarded? I 'said' have you ever heard yourself laugh?" he said, mocking her.
That tore it. This wasn't her Mamo-chan. "Nani?" she repeated again, barely audible.
She couldn't focus, couldn't "think" even! No other words would come out, so she stood there in awe, in shock, chanting as she shielded herself with her arms, trying to make him vanish, make her "friends" vanish, make "everyone" vanish. She might as well be dead to them. Then a thought crossed her mind for a brief second. What if she had never "been" born? Was everything a lie? A dream? "No, no, no, no!"
Till tomorrow, minna!
