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~.~ -Means Italicism except the part with ~~~ggg/GGG~~~

~~~ggg~~~

In the not to distant future, just enough time for the story to be forgotten and things to change. Where the bridge stood, it stayed, a long winding one connecting One Island to the main land. In Japan where it all took place. Things were as they should be and all life was well. Unless you count the feuds between a noisy pair.

"It was night, nobody was around, except a young couple. They were laughing and chattering and enjoying their time." Dark blue eyes looked intently upon the faces in front of it. "Haunting scary music washed over them in the background, scaring them."

A blond walked into the room and they glared at each other, though the blond seemed to be thinking, real music was playing. "Mamoru, stupid it's just music from Queen, I believe the song is the show must go on. Just the tune in the beginning to enhance your undoubtedly stupid attempt at trying to scare my friends." She shook her head.

"Are you saying I'm stupid?" He asked in outrage.

"Yes." The blond stated not showing an ounce of guilt.

"You are really one to talk, have you seen your GPA recently?"

"I believe I also called your sorry tempt at a story stupid too." She ignored his comment, she knew her GPA was good enough to get her into a college on that alone, just because she failed 7th grade English, French, and 8th grade French wasn't something that she should feel down about, she would have forgotten about it if it hadn't been for the constant reminder from Mamoru.

"I would like to see you do better." He challenged.

"I really would like to stick around and show you up again, but I really have to be leaving, I got a plane to catch. Bye girls, and don't this jerk believe he's smarter then his pea sized brain." She left.

"Wow, Usagi's really gotten him good this time." Another blond said as they sat around a table.

"Minako what an awful thing to say." Mamoru grudgingly remarked.

"What?" Rei, a black haired girl asked. "Usagi was right, your story did suck."

"Yes, I happen to agree, and I would have interrupted by gagging, but I thought it would be rude, Usagi handled it very effectively and got away with it because she can, it's not like your on very good terms anyway." A brunette named Makoto agreed passionately.

"You guys are so mean, Mamoru-kun, I thought that was a very nice attempt." A girl who had dyed her hair blue, but was yet considered one of the smartest people on the planet sympathized. "I wouldn't have been very good either."

"You guys are so nice, I'm going to go talk to my only friend in this joint." He stalked off.

"What did I say something?" Ami the blue haired one asked innocently.

"That was smooth Ami-chan!"

Ami blushed, but she looked up at the same time to somebody she knew. "Hey Chan-chan!"

He was a Chinese exchange student, and he was quite smart, but he was a little quiet. But he came over to socialize any way. "Hello minna-san." He greeted politely. "Where's Tuskino-san?" He asked looking around at the small group, not seeing one of his favorite people, she always had a sassy comeback when he joked with her; she had great wit, which was funny at the same time. She used her wit to make jokes, and he had a few classes with her, not to mention lunch with all five of the girls. Usagi he knew didn't have any classes with the girls so they never saw what she was like in high school. And ~she was sassy~, and ~smart~, and ~cute~, and there were a ~lot~ of ~ways~ to describe her.

"She went to go catch a plane, why?"

"Oh, just curious, do you know how long she'll be gone?"

"Blessedly for a couple of weeks." Mamoru smarted before walking to the back; he had been flirting with a waitress.

Chan ignored him with a shake of his head. "That's too bad, I'll miss our daily talks." He smiled. "May I join you guys?" They nodded and made room. He sat down in the spot next to Rei, facing Ami. "Have you heard the news recently?" They shook their heads in curiosity. "Well you know that old bridge connecting Japan to China?" They nodded. "Well recently there have been some strange occurrences. Apparently people have come as a couple walked away from a spot no longer being a couple, and those who were not had been torn away kissing. I heard long ago that something bad happened at that spot, but none of my sources would give me the whole truth, I've heard stuff about a couple, that spent their days together on a bench next to that spot. Others say that a dog jumped off and pulled a lady with him. Some say that a terrible war took place there and that's where they lined the prisoners, men, women and children and shot them. Others yet say a bomb had blown out part of the bridge in the same spot and many died painful and horrible deaths. That's only a few of the stories I've heard. It's surprising, what people will believe."

Ami held up her hand. "Give me a moment, let me work it out on my laptop." She carried the small thing around everywhere she went, her father gave it to her on her last birthday and he hadn't been back since. Which was usual for him to be gone years at a time, but it was rarely a gift from him that she could actually use and liked, so she cherished this one above all else.

Everybody waited in mock silence. Finally Mamoru sat down in his old spot and looked them over. "So what is going on?" And the silence fell and all started laughing but Ami.

She looked up and glared. A few minutes more she relaxed her fingers; she looked at all of them and answered their silent question. "All of them happened. There is exactly one place and it is cursed."

They all looked at her. Then Rei attentively asked. "Are you sure about that? How could people getting together be a curse?"

"They were right for each other, and those that broke apart eventually realized that they really didn't belong together, it was a place of realization. Though the prisoners that were killed there might have been revenge against those that was probably against the people who placed the curse. I'm not sure why it is cursed yet; I've sent an email to the historian of the bridge for an answer and he'll respond with in a month, he's very busy.

I guess it isn't really a curse, but a preservation of something that once was there. Throughout the disasters, some people have survived, and I've placed them in the innocent column. Now you know that bomb? It was somebody who was connected to the previously hurt bystander. They decided to destroy that part, and it cost their lives, and eventually all those that near it at the time had been rescued, but an unfortunate few. They rebuilt the part, restored a bench and this time tried to add a rail over the whole bridge. The rail sustained except at the spot of the bridge. This spot is right in the middle on the left hand side." Ami finished her long explanation.

"And why were you talking about a bridge to begin with?" Mamoru asked perplexed.

"Because I brought it up, people had just recently died in the spot, and other strange occurrences started up again." Chan answered lightly.

"Oh, in that case, it makes since then. After all you are really good friends with Usagi, I knew she'd eventually have effect on her friends."

"Thank you." Chan was now ignoring him again, he was polite, yes, because he had to be, but other then that he didn't like the Chiba-san his friends consisted to hang out with. Though, he like the others knew it wasn't a compliment that they were receiving but felt better not to fight it and take it as a compliment. Being like Usagi wasn't such a bad thing as Mamoru made it be.

The only reason the girls didn't knock Mamoru to his ass was because although being a jerk to Usagi, he was nice and thoughtful to everybody else, including them. But that didn't mean that they didn't stand up for Usagi or even like what he was saying to her. "You know, I think you'll miss Usagi, Mamoru-chan." Minako stated turning tactics.

"And I'd say your brain has been fried Minako, perhaps you shouldn't spend as much time outside anymore, your skin may match your smartness in a few minutes."

Minako stared at him hurt, her mouth hanging open. "That was really mean Mamoru." She looked ready to cry and bit her lip to stop it, standing up she said. "Good day minna, perhaps I'll come back when Mamoru isn't feeling like being a complete jerk." She turned and left the arcade not once looking back.

"Man what's wrong with you? First you're mean to Chan, then you insult Usagi, when she's not even here bugging you then you affront Minako, which was uncalled for. Seriously man, that's uncalled for, and so uncool." Makoto was nonplussed with his attitude.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I don't know what came over me." Mamoru apologized.

"Perhaps you should cool down in a corner or something and come talk to us after you apologized to Mina-chan." Rei looked at him coolly.

"Your right, again though, I'm sorry." He bowed and left. Going the way Minako had went.

"I don't understand where that came from, I'm sorry Chan, for Mamoru's behavior, it wasn't like him at all."

"It's all right, he's usually more standoffish with me and always giving me evil looks." He seemed to think for a minute. "Especially when I'm talking to Usagi, you don't think he likes her do you?"

"That could actually explain a lot. Considering, he may like her so he argues trying to keep her at arms length, though it's seemed to backfire, cause she's always running into him, quite literally. And she's the one starting the arguments now; I don't think she likes him at all. And if he's angry with you, it must mean he's jealous. When he snapped at Minako it could have been a collection of things. 1st being that he misses Usagi already, 2nd that he's going to miss her and knows he's not going to see her. 3rd, Minako hit a nerve and he reacted quickly to squash his own thoughts about liking her, and 4th, Minako could have reminded him of her, they do look a lot a like." Rei looked very pleased for coming up with a lot of reasons.

"Or 5th, he really did mean to snap at Minako because he thought that it was an incredibly stupid idea that he would ever like Usagi." Makoto pointed out, but all quickly denied that, they all knew that Mamoru most likely liked Usagi.

"But now how do we get them together? Usagi doesn't like him, other wise she would have vented her frustration at his argumentativeness." Rei mused carefully.

"That's exactly why we shouldn't try to get them together. She doesn't like him." Chan insisted.

"Well we should still try, and if she decides to kill him, then we know we were wrong, and we no longer have to pretend that we don't want to cause him bodily harm every time he insults our friend." Ami put out there, and everybody else slack jawed nodded dumbly. 'Perfect.' Ami thought. 'I knew just throwing that out would mean it would be my way against all other ideas. Nobody expects me to be into romance.' In fact she wasn't, because she started itching her skin at the thought of it. "I-I have to go." She had to get to a shower, and quick! She needed to get rid of these annoying itches.

They all waved goodbye as she left. Now all they had to do was plot. And plot they did for the next two weeks that Usagi was out of town. Mamoru and Minako made up and they sat during a meeting, but when Mamoru left Minako helped matchmaking. Chan kept insisting that Usagi DID NOT LIKE Mamoru, but the others wouldn't see it his way so eventually he learned to shut up and figure out how to warn Usagi of her friends' plot without them getting suspicious why everything failed.

02/15/03