Held by the Wings of an Angel
The Cherry Project-Part Twelve
By Bonnie-Chan
Email: hunniebunny@aol.com
Web page: http://www.geocities.com/sailor_moon_rose/
Today is February 21, 2002
Welcome back! Here's part thirteen...this story's starting to speed up!
I totally forgot to congratulate the ice dancers, who medaled this past Monday! I know, I know…they're never gonna read this……but I don't care!
Congratulations to gold medalists Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat of France, silver medalists Irina Lobacheva and Illia Averbukh of Russia, and bronze medalists Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio of Italy! You all did a great job!!!
I really, really hope Michelle Kwan wins tonight…she deserves the gold!!
Usagi and Chieri, for the most part……the three most explosive chapters are on their way, and then it's all over! Mixed emotions here!
Welcome to Day Fourteen of the 2002 Winter Olympics! I've always loved the Olympics, haven't you? Anyways, to memorialize this historic event, I am releasing a chapter of this story every single day for the next 3 days. By the Closing Ceremonies on February 24th, this story will be ending as well.
Watch the Olympics...you never know when the tides will turn and what you thought would happen can change in the blink of an eye!
Sailor Eeyore-you're a wonderful beta reader, thanks so much!! ^_^
Well, on with the story!
_____________________________
Held By the Wings of an Angel
The Cherry Project: Part Twelve
By Bonnie-Chan
_____________________________
Usagi slipped into the rink after school, looking for Chieri, who hadn't been in school for the past couple of days.
"Tsukino-san? What are you doing here?"
"She turned and looked into the kind brown eyes of Coach Mori. "I'm looking for Chieri."
"She isn't here today."
"She isn't? I mean, I know she hasn't been in school, but she hasn't been here, either? What's wrong with her?"
"She can't skate anymore."
"What!? What do you mean she can't skate anymore??"
"Just as she approached the ice the other day, she fainted. She becomes paralyzed and can do nothing but hurt herself-Doctor Kismet says there's nothing wrong with her, her illness is in her mind. Ever since hearing that she's nothing but a copy machine, she's become too afraid to skate. It was Masanori who choose for her to skate to the same music the Princess had. He knew that she was losing herself and becoming nothing more than an imitation. But did he cause her to break down like this? What was he thinking?" Coach Mori shook her head in frustration. "I don't think she's going to be able to skate in the east Japan Tournament, she'll have to withdraw."
"You can't do that! Chieri has to compete!"
"I don't want to take her out! She has to overcome this problem, she doesn't have much time to achieve this by the tournament."
Usagi nodded thoughtfully. "If anyone can do it, Chieri can." She heard a scuffling noise behind her and turned her head. "Chieri! Hi!"
"Hey, Usagi."
"Are you going to skate today?"
"I'm going to try."
She slowly removed her skate guards and walked towards the ice. "The ice…it's shrinking. I can't do this, I'm too scared!"
"You can do it, Chieri! Why have you stopped believing in yourself?"
"Because I'm nothing but a clone of the Princess. I heard what they said about me. I didn't mean to-but it's the truth. When I walk onto the ice, it feels like I'm about to be crushed…"
"I'll help you get back to the way you were, Chieri. Don't rush yourself, just take your time. The Cherry Project will be behind you every step of the way."
"The Cherry Project ended once the festival was over, Usagi. Tsuzuki is the onlyone I don't see anymore…I see everyone else from time to time. But Tsuzuki and i…it's as though we'd never met…"
"You have to believe in him, Chieri!"
"What is there to believe in?"
"Have faith. You love him, don't you? Then have faith in him!"
"Don't tell him that I can't skate, Usagi. I don't want him to know."
"But, Chieri, he has a right to know that-"
"No! Please! Please…" She fell to the gground, allowing salty tears to trickle down her rosy cheeks as she finally caved in to despair.
***********************
"How was that, Tsuzuki?"
"Pretty clean, Canty. You're doing a good job today."
"I think I should change my music. It has a bad image now…"
"No, the music suits you, you've already perfected it. It showcases your ability."
"Tsuzuki!"
The boy with white-blond hair turned his head, watching as Usagi walked into the arena.
"Take it from the top, Canty." He turned to her curiously. "What's up, Usagi?"
"Chieri can't skate anymore!"
"I see."
"That's all you can say? I see!? What kind of monster are you? Why won't you see her anymore?"
"I'm coaching Canty now, I need to make her a better skater, bring her to the top of her field. It's not my job to coach Cherry any longer."
"Is that so?"
"Afraid so."
"You're a monster! You know what, Tsuzuki? You…you disgust me! It's your fault that Chieri can't skate anymore…I don't know you any longer!" She glared at him angrily before storming out of the rink, slamming the door behind her, leaving Tsuzuki to stare at the ice before turning back to Canty.
***********************
"Usagi!? What's wrong?"
Usagi looked up at Hiroshi and Kouichi with stormy blue eyes. "Tsuzuki is being a jerk again, of course!"
"Usagi…you told Cherry recently to believe in Tsuzuki, right?"
"Right…" She looked up at Hiroshi curiously.
"Well, right now, Tsuzuki is putting his dream on hold to take a chance on her.
"What do you mean?"
"He wants her to recover from being a copy machine…"
"By going about it through such drastic means?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Usagi, we don't have any time left. Tsuzuki doesn't have the time to find a new partner, so he's training Cherry. We have to believe in them…together, they can make magic."
"Magic…"
***********************
"Oh, Cherry…"
Tsuzuki looked down on the pale-haired girl from his place high above the rink, watching her fall on the rink, comforted by his two best friends, Hiroshi and Kouichi.
He saw her look up, straight at him, mouth his name, before turning back to his friends and making waving motions.
A moment later, they left the ice, and he returned his gaze to the quivering girl as she stepped onto the ice……
***********************
The best is yet to come………thanks for sticking with me this long!
The end...until tomorrow, that is! Look for the fifteenth part of this epic tale tomorrow, and don't forget to watch the Olympics on NBC! Every day that you see events taking place, there's going to be a new chapter of this story! We're almost done now! Whoo-hoo! There are only 3 Chapters to go! Usagi and Tsuzuki's stories are far from over!
Give me the next 3 days to tell you the rest of their story...I promise it will be worth the ride! ^_^
February 21, 2002
Day 14 of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics
DISCLAIMER: Both Sailor Moon AND The Cherry Project belong to Naoko Takeuchi…man, she's one lucky lady! What I wouldn't give to own the rights to two of my favorite manga! In case you were wondering, TCP was Naoko's first epic story ^_^ …wait until you see what character shows up in part three-one that is in the original manga for TCP, and a character you know quite well from SM, as well!
The Cherry Project-Part Twelve
By Bonnie-Chan
Email: hunniebunny@aol.com
Web page: http://www.geocities.com/sailor_moon_rose/
Today is February 21, 2002
Welcome back! Here's part thirteen...this story's starting to speed up!
I totally forgot to congratulate the ice dancers, who medaled this past Monday! I know, I know…they're never gonna read this……but I don't care!
Congratulations to gold medalists Marina Anissina and Gwendal Peizerat of France, silver medalists Irina Lobacheva and Illia Averbukh of Russia, and bronze medalists Barbara Fusar Poli and Maurizio Margaglio of Italy! You all did a great job!!!
I really, really hope Michelle Kwan wins tonight…she deserves the gold!!
Usagi and Chieri, for the most part……the three most explosive chapters are on their way, and then it's all over! Mixed emotions here!
Welcome to Day Fourteen of the 2002 Winter Olympics! I've always loved the Olympics, haven't you? Anyways, to memorialize this historic event, I am releasing a chapter of this story every single day for the next 3 days. By the Closing Ceremonies on February 24th, this story will be ending as well.
Watch the Olympics...you never know when the tides will turn and what you thought would happen can change in the blink of an eye!
Sailor Eeyore-you're a wonderful beta reader, thanks so much!! ^_^
Well, on with the story!
_____________________________
Held By the Wings of an Angel
The Cherry Project: Part Twelve
By Bonnie-Chan
_____________________________
Usagi slipped into the rink after school, looking for Chieri, who hadn't been in school for the past couple of days.
"Tsukino-san? What are you doing here?"
"She turned and looked into the kind brown eyes of Coach Mori. "I'm looking for Chieri."
"She isn't here today."
"She isn't? I mean, I know she hasn't been in school, but she hasn't been here, either? What's wrong with her?"
"She can't skate anymore."
"What!? What do you mean she can't skate anymore??"
"Just as she approached the ice the other day, she fainted. She becomes paralyzed and can do nothing but hurt herself-Doctor Kismet says there's nothing wrong with her, her illness is in her mind. Ever since hearing that she's nothing but a copy machine, she's become too afraid to skate. It was Masanori who choose for her to skate to the same music the Princess had. He knew that she was losing herself and becoming nothing more than an imitation. But did he cause her to break down like this? What was he thinking?" Coach Mori shook her head in frustration. "I don't think she's going to be able to skate in the east Japan Tournament, she'll have to withdraw."
"You can't do that! Chieri has to compete!"
"I don't want to take her out! She has to overcome this problem, she doesn't have much time to achieve this by the tournament."
Usagi nodded thoughtfully. "If anyone can do it, Chieri can." She heard a scuffling noise behind her and turned her head. "Chieri! Hi!"
"Hey, Usagi."
"Are you going to skate today?"
"I'm going to try."
She slowly removed her skate guards and walked towards the ice. "The ice…it's shrinking. I can't do this, I'm too scared!"
"You can do it, Chieri! Why have you stopped believing in yourself?"
"Because I'm nothing but a clone of the Princess. I heard what they said about me. I didn't mean to-but it's the truth. When I walk onto the ice, it feels like I'm about to be crushed…"
"I'll help you get back to the way you were, Chieri. Don't rush yourself, just take your time. The Cherry Project will be behind you every step of the way."
"The Cherry Project ended once the festival was over, Usagi. Tsuzuki is the onlyone I don't see anymore…I see everyone else from time to time. But Tsuzuki and i…it's as though we'd never met…"
"You have to believe in him, Chieri!"
"What is there to believe in?"
"Have faith. You love him, don't you? Then have faith in him!"
"Don't tell him that I can't skate, Usagi. I don't want him to know."
"But, Chieri, he has a right to know that-"
"No! Please! Please…" She fell to the gground, allowing salty tears to trickle down her rosy cheeks as she finally caved in to despair.
***********************
"How was that, Tsuzuki?"
"Pretty clean, Canty. You're doing a good job today."
"I think I should change my music. It has a bad image now…"
"No, the music suits you, you've already perfected it. It showcases your ability."
"Tsuzuki!"
The boy with white-blond hair turned his head, watching as Usagi walked into the arena.
"Take it from the top, Canty." He turned to her curiously. "What's up, Usagi?"
"Chieri can't skate anymore!"
"I see."
"That's all you can say? I see!? What kind of monster are you? Why won't you see her anymore?"
"I'm coaching Canty now, I need to make her a better skater, bring her to the top of her field. It's not my job to coach Cherry any longer."
"Is that so?"
"Afraid so."
"You're a monster! You know what, Tsuzuki? You…you disgust me! It's your fault that Chieri can't skate anymore…I don't know you any longer!" She glared at him angrily before storming out of the rink, slamming the door behind her, leaving Tsuzuki to stare at the ice before turning back to Canty.
***********************
"Usagi!? What's wrong?"
Usagi looked up at Hiroshi and Kouichi with stormy blue eyes. "Tsuzuki is being a jerk again, of course!"
"Usagi…you told Cherry recently to believe in Tsuzuki, right?"
"Right…" She looked up at Hiroshi curiously.
"Well, right now, Tsuzuki is putting his dream on hold to take a chance on her.
"What do you mean?"
"He wants her to recover from being a copy machine…"
"By going about it through such drastic means?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"Usagi, we don't have any time left. Tsuzuki doesn't have the time to find a new partner, so he's training Cherry. We have to believe in them…together, they can make magic."
"Magic…"
***********************
"Oh, Cherry…"
Tsuzuki looked down on the pale-haired girl from his place high above the rink, watching her fall on the rink, comforted by his two best friends, Hiroshi and Kouichi.
He saw her look up, straight at him, mouth his name, before turning back to his friends and making waving motions.
A moment later, they left the ice, and he returned his gaze to the quivering girl as she stepped onto the ice……
***********************
The best is yet to come………thanks for sticking with me this long!
The end...until tomorrow, that is! Look for the fifteenth part of this epic tale tomorrow, and don't forget to watch the Olympics on NBC! Every day that you see events taking place, there's going to be a new chapter of this story! We're almost done now! Whoo-hoo! There are only 3 Chapters to go! Usagi and Tsuzuki's stories are far from over!
Give me the next 3 days to tell you the rest of their story...I promise it will be worth the ride! ^_^
February 21, 2002
Day 14 of the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics
DISCLAIMER: Both Sailor Moon AND The Cherry Project belong to Naoko Takeuchi…man, she's one lucky lady! What I wouldn't give to own the rights to two of my favorite manga! In case you were wondering, TCP was Naoko's first epic story ^_^ …wait until you see what character shows up in part three-one that is in the original manga for TCP, and a character you know quite well from SM, as well!