Chapter 5 "Morning"

9:27 AM April 5, 2002

Tokyo, Japan: Juuban District





It was bright, cheerful morning before Usagi awoke, late and with barely enough time to make it for class. She dressed in a hurry, and pelted out the door to run for Juuban High, her shiny black shoes clicking on the pavement and golden hair blowing in the wind. Forget the bus; there was definitely no time. Thank goodness it was final exam day, and seniors were exempt from the horrendous tests.

She barely made it inside the iron gates before they locked shut, and breathed a sigh of relief. Looking around, she caught sight of her best friend for years, although in the later years they had grown apart: Naru.

"Ossu1, Naru!!" she called, eagerly waving over her redheaded friend. Through all her years of secrecy, Naru had only once shown any hint that she might have known of Usagi's secret identity. Over time, Naru had grown quite tall, and had decided to grow out her lovely, wavy red hair. Neither of them looked as they had in eighth grade, when Usagi first learned of her destiny. They had both grown and matured, hopefully for the better.

Usagi still looked similar; she still had the bright blue eyes and creamy skin of her younger days, and she still insisted on wearing her hair in her double-bunned pigtails. Still, one could glance at either and know that neither Usagi nor Naru was the same little girl they used to be.

"Graduation, huh?" Naru smiled, walking over to Usagi. She nodded excitedly, blonde pigtails bobbing.

"Yeah!" Usagi agreed, wondering if, truly, they had finally come so far. It seemed, too, that it had come so fast, and Usagi knew none of them would ever be the same.

"America." Naru whispered conspiratorially, "And on a scholarship, too!" She grinned over at Usagi. "Wow.you might even get to see Mamoru!"

At the mention of Earth's prince, Usagi's happy demeanor suddenly turned icy. Her normally warm, cerulean eyes became glacial, and her lip began to tremble. She turned, barely looking at Naru, and fled the area.

"Usa?!" Naru called, "USAGI?!!"

She ran, on and on again, as she had the night before in the blinding rain. Still she ran, wishing that the speed of her footfalls would carry her away from the present, away from her problems. 'Why?' she thought, 'Why does it still have to hurt so bad.? Why does it feel like my heart's been ripped from my chest, that all I have left is to cry?'

Usagi ran past where the other students were eating, talking, laughing gaily, and waiting for school to start. Sitting together at the base of a tree, watching quietly, were the Senshi. Ami, Minako, and Makoto sat there, only Rei was missing, since she went to a nearby private school. Minako tried to get up and run after her hurting Princess, but Makoto laid a hand on her shoulder and shook her head. Minako sat down again, watching after the blonde with pain in her eyes.

* * * *

There had been a meeting called for the Inner Senshi, the Outers still out and about and beyond reach. Luna and Artemis had arranged for it to be held, as usual, at Rei's temple. Except Usagi hadn't been invited, but Mamoru had.

"This will be hard, and difficult, for us all," Artemis had said. Then Luna turned and fixed both Rei and Mamoru with a hard, cold stare. "You know what you must do," she said. The two regarded each other, and the black cat. Then, they lowered their heads. "Yes," he said, "We know."

* * * *

Usagi was headed in toward class, when a wave of intense nausea overcame her senses. It seemed almost that the very walls around her began to swerve, and she was dizzy and sick to her stomach in the same instant. Whether from her crying or running without breakfast, she wasn't sure. All she saw and heard were the concerned voices of Naru and her teacher, and the cold, icy glare from Makoto that broke her heart, before her eyes closed and darkness ran awash of her consciousness.

* * * *