Battered and Bruised, Chpt. 6

Well looks like I've found time to write another chapter,...at 2:41 am,...Oye,...well here goes. Thanks for all my reviews!

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"Makoto's awake!?" Rei practically shattered every window within a thirty mile radius with the scream of joy that escaped her lips.

"Yes, yes. She awoke about two hours ago. She's resting now, but I thought I'd give you a ring and let you know that she's doing better." Dr. Mizuno had nothing but sincerity laced throughout her voice.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Unnoticed to Rei, a single tear fell down her cheek. "Can we,...see her?"

"Um,...I don't think you'll be able to see her today. She really needs her rest and though shes doing better,...he's still in very bad shape. Also, I've got some legal problems with her living situation I have to clear up." A soft sigh could be heard on Rei's side of the phone. It tore at Dr. Mizuno's heart. "I'll see what I can do. I think I might be able to arrange a time where you and Minako can visit her late tomorrow night. No promises, but I'll try my best and let you know."

Rei felt a growing resentment towards the medical world for not allowing her time to visit one of her best friends while she's fighting for her life. But she sighed and remembered how if it weren't for them, she wouldn't even be able to do just that. Rei felt a slight calm overtake her psyche as she thought about how Dr. Mizuno was there to make sure the girls pulled through. "Thank you. Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! Please let me know the second I can see her!"

"Oh I will, you know I will, Rei."

"Yeah, I know." There was a slight pause as Rei inhaled an uncertain breath. "What about Usagi?" She asked in a whisper.

Rei could hear nothing but the soft crackling of the phone line. She held her breath as she strained to hear if anything was being said. However, it was useless. Dr. Mizuno wasn't talking. "Dr. Mizuno?"

"Yes, Rei? Sorry. Usagi,..." Dr. Mizuno paused again. "To my knowledge, she hasn't woken yet. She's still unconscious, and still in a very critical state."

"To your knowledge...?" Rei repeated.

Dr. Mizuno spoke quietly, shame was evident. "I haven't been able to bring myself to check on her yet. Its so hard to see Usagi like that. She's always so full of laughter and smiles,...and now she's so frail and almost dea-..." Sobs overcame her voice. "God Rei, Im so sorry. I just can't bear to see her like that. I'll let you know the second I found out if anythings changed."

Rei managed a slight thank you before she hung up the phone and slunk to the floor. 'Dr. Mizuno couldn't bring herself to check up on her...' Rei buried her face in her hands and began to cry violently. 'How could this happen? This isn't suppose to happen..'

Naru watched as two cats ran passed her. She wouldn't have normally thought anything of it, but the black cat looked very much like Usagi's cat, Luna. Curiosity got the best of her, and she jogged after them to see where they were headed. They lead her to Rei's temple. She stopped at the bottom of the steps to regain her composure and catch her breath.

Wiping the beads of sweat that had formed above her brow, she watched the two cats disappear from sight as they reached the top of the stairwell. Taking a deep breath, she began to climb, one step, comfortably after the other.

It took her about ten minutes to reach the top, as she was taking her time to do so. She then made her way to the temple to see if Rei had seen the cats. She knocked on the door to see if anyone was inside. 'Odd. Rei's usually outside doing some sort of chores this time of day.'

The door was answered by Rei's grandfather. Naru bowed to show her respect and asked if she could see Rei. She would never admit it, but Rei's grandfather made her a little nervous. She was use to the elderly being tired, and solemn. Rei's grandfather was anything but. He was too wild for her expectations of an old man. She would feel much better bothering Rei about Usagi's cat.

As Rei's grandfather escorted her to Rei's room, she couldn't help but notice his unusual behavior. He was quiet, too quiet. He also lacked his goofy grin. He seemed, distant, almost sad. Naru was about to question it, when the door to Rei's room opened in front of her. She thanked Rei's grandpa and greeted Rei.

"Naru? Um,...what are you doing here? Uh, come in." Rei's face had surprise written all over it.

Naru walked in, and seated herself on the floor. She looked around and noticed Luna with a white cat in the corner. If she didn't know any better, she would say that they seemed to be crying. She scolded herself for thinking such a ridiculous thing. 'Cats can't cry, silly.' She then looked at Rei, who besides surprised, seemed a bit mournful as well. She cleared her throat and began to explain herself. "Well, I was just walking to the arcade when I saw two cats run by, and I thought one of them was Luna and curiosity got the best of me. Is that Luna?" Rei nodded. "Where's Usagi?" Naru noticed Rei wince at the mention of Usagi's name and then saw visible hurt in her face. "What's wrong, Rei?"

At that precise moment, Minako burst in the room, carrying a box of tissues. Not noticing that there was a person sitting in the middle of the room, she tripped over Naru and landed face first into her feline companions. "God damn it! As if this day couldn't get any worst!" Minako began to weep. Naru, wide eyed and confused, sat in silence.

Rei then realized that Naru had no idea what was going on. 'God, I don't want to be the one to tell her.' Rei, thinking about how she could best put the bad news, was interrupted by Naru asking Minako why she was crying.

Thanks to Minako's unstable state of mind, she had no problem breaking down and explaining things to Naru. In a frantic tone, she yelled at Naru, "Whats wrong? Whats wrong?! Makoto and Usagi are practically dead in the hospital! Thats whats wrong! I get a call from Makoto in the middle of the night, telling me to go to some alley. Then the freakin call cuts out! Then I go to the alley and I see them unconscious! Blood everywhere! Then we have to run them to the hospital. Usagi was fuckin raped! Raped! Some bastard raped Usagi! Then Makoto, being the kinda person she is, just HAD to try and save her. And she gets her ass kicked! She NEVER gets her ass kicked and she chooses NOW to lose!" Tears flowed down Minako's face. "She did get him though. He was unconscious in the alleyway too. Surrounded in a puddle of his own blood. Fucking pig. I shoulda kicked his head in." Minako began to throw punches into the wall. Her knuckles began to bleed but she refused to relent. She continued to punch the walls.

Rei, got up and chanted Minako's name in a sympathetic plight to get her to stop. Minako continued, however. Rei put her hand on her friends shoulder and told her to stop but Minako jerked her shoulder and punched harder. "Damn it Mina! STOP!" Rei pulled back on Minako's shoulders and threw her to the ground, where she curled into a ball as she weeped. "God, Mina,..." Rei sat beside her and stroked her golden hair.

In the heat of the moment she had forgotten all about Naru. When Minako had quieted down a bit, she remembered the red head and turned around to apologize for Minako's behavior. However, there was no one to apologize to. During Minako's fit, Naru had left. Rei let out a sigh and told Minako to sit up. "Come on, I need you to sit up and listen. I never got to tell you about Dr. Mizuno's call."

Minako pulled herself into a sitting position, and pushed her bangs away from her face. She sniffled and reached for a tissue. Rei handed her some.

"That a girl." Rei smiled slightly. "Dr. Mizuno gave me a call right before Luna and Artemis showed up, about 15 minutes or so before Naru. Anyways, Mako's awake. We can't see her today, but she said she'd try to get us some time tomorrow night."

Minako managed a very slight smile before she hugged Rei. Luna and Artemis walked up to them and gingerly rubbed against the two girls with loving intentions.

Naru walked a quickened pace as her eyes watered and trickled down the side of her face, blurring her vision. Minako's words repeated in her mind over and over. Each time the explanation to their sorrow manifested itself again in her mind, and as she recognized its full meaning, her steps quickened still. However, her fast walking soon halted as a wave of sickness overcame her and she stood hunched over, hands on her knees, dry heaving onto the sidewalk.

She then stood straight, tucking the loose strands of her hair behind her ears, as she looked around taking note of her surroundings. She crossed the street in attempts to come to some sort of destination. A few minutes of eternity had passed before she found herself standing at the entrance of the local arcade. She took a deep breath in hopes of regaining her composure, but as she reached for the door with a shaky hand, she realized those hopes were only hopes, and nothing more. She entered the arcade with a heavy heart and sighed as she slumped into a booth.

She found herself staring at the empty space in front of her, imagining a slender girl with blonde odango's sitting in that spot, smiling at her. She smiled back, with tears streaming down her face. The figure then tilted her head in confusion before it let out an ear piercing scream as it faded away. Naru closed her eyes and embedded her face in her crossed arms on the table.

Motoki cam from the back room, thinking he had heard a customer come through the door. 'The place seems really empty without the girls here.' He thought to himself as he scanned the arcade, noticing the tremendous vacancy. Then he noticed a red head sobbing on the table. When he recognized the girl as Naru, he knew that she had found out the awful news about their friends.

He walked over and took a seat in the empty spot across from Naru. The plastic material of the booth seat squeaked a little as he sat down, and Naru perked up and mumbled a quick, "Usagi!" Her expression melted into a face emptiness and hurt as she realized that it was Motoki who had sat in front of her. She wiped her eyes and cheeks with her sleeve and then began to tap the edge of the table in front of her. Her eyes were fixated on her finger, and it seemed that all of her concentration was being put into the tedious motion of her limb banging against the wooden table.

Motoki let out a slight cough for attention. When Naru made no effort to look up he simply continued to talk. "So I suppose you heard the news about Makoto and Usagi?"

Naru's face had a brief flash of surprise that plainly stated, 'you knew too? Am I the last to know?' Motoki frowned and felt a pang of pity. There was a long uncomfortable pause before Naru managed a slow nod.

"I still can't believe it happened. Neither of them deserved anything like that. God, I could kill that...that bastard!" Motoki continued for a few more minutes, expressing his anger and disgust. He ceased when Naru halted her finger, and let it fall to her lap. She then shut her eyes and had what those of her sex call, 'a good cry'.

When the strength of her sobs had faded enough to allow conversation, she began, "Its not fair. Not fair at all."

"No, its not."

"Usagi and I were best friends since grade school. And lately it seems that we're drifting apart. The only time I see her anymore is at school. And sometimes we'll bump into each other here. And now,...now she's almost dead and I didn't find out about it until now." A powerful wave sobs enabled her ability to speak for a few minutes, as she stuttered and heaved, and continuously gasped for air a million times in a period of a few seconds. A minute or two passed by before she could take in deep unsteady breaths and calmed herself down enough to speak again. "I need to be able to help her. Shes always been there for me. And I'm afraid that I won't be able to do that." She brought her hands up to her temples and gave herself a light massage.

Motoki walked over and kneeled at her side. He put his hand on her shoulder. "You will. Usagi's not one to forget a friend or just leave them behind. She'll need you. She'll need us all."

Motoki stood and Naru flung herself into his arms. He hugged her tight as she cried into his chest. 'God, how could this happen?' Motoki said to himself.

The phone rang again for the fourth time. Seiya eyed the phone with a blinding hatred. 'Last time we answered you, you gave us the worst news of our lives.' He stared at it, attempting to burn it into oblivion with this death wishes. 'I will not answer you! You will not tell me that Usagi has died! Or that Makoto is brain damaged! I will not hear it! You won't make it so!'

Seiya's face turned a deep shade of red as his anger grew more and more intense with each ring of the phone. 'You will not win!' His face was inches away from the phone with his hands on both sides of it.

"Seiya?! What the hell are you doing!? Answer the goddamn phone!" Yaten had walked in to answer the phone, and felt a great resentment that Seiya was that close to the phone and had let the blasted device ring on. 'Hes the laziest son of a bitch I know.'

"And let it win?" Seiya burst out with a laughter that was laced with insanity. "No way. I'm stronger than it. I will beat it. I will not allow it to win!"

Yaten walked over to Seiya with a face expressing, 'I don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about, and I don't mean to,...ever.' Then he smacked Seiya hard on the head, and then pushed him backwards of the hotel bed, before answering the phone.

"Hello?"

'Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! WHY DID YOU ANSWER IT?!' Seiya's hatred transferred from the communication device to Yaten in an instant. But as curiosity overcame him, he could not bring himself to force Yaten to hang up the phone. Defeated, he listened in.

"Sorry, Seiya was staring at the damn thing and wouldn't pick it up...nevermind, anyways,...news? what news?...she is?...you sure?...she did?...can we see-?...oh,...how about the day after?...you'll talk to her about it, won't you?...oh thank you so much!...tell her that we say hi...thank you...what about Usagi-chan?...she couldn't bear to bring herself to see her?...yeah i know what you mean...no, that really bothers me too...my god, when i think about it, i just want to obliterate everything that comes across me,...thanks for letting me know,...you'll call the second you know anything else?...thanks...Oh, and Rei?...Could you meet me after your visit tomorrow night?...I'd like to meet you in private...Your temple?...You'll call?...Okay great...Thanks again...bye." Yaten hung up the phone. He let out a sigh and turned slightly to his right to get off the bed but was startled to see a head no more than an inch from his face. "Seiya! Damn it!"

"What she say?"

"Makoto's awake."

Upon hearing this news, with a final glimpse of the phone, Seiya denounced his pride, officially admitted defeat, and gave a glance of gratitude and forgiveness. 'Until we meet again'

AN:Well that's all I can bring myself to write. Its 4:35 am right now, and I'm dead tired! I have to wake up no later than 10 in the morning or I get in big trouble with my folks. Those of you who are beginning to know me soo well and would like to know what new trouble I got myself into,...I was caught stealing the car w/o a license. Guess I'm in that rebellious stage of life!