Soul Eaters
-dew
Chapter 6. Questions. Part I.
Usagi twisted in her sheets, sweaty and moaning. Outside, it was a crisp,
clear night, but in the room of Tsukino Usagi, a murder was taking place.
At least, it was in the mind of a young girl plagued with nightmares.
Usagi was standing in a street. Curiously, the streetlights were out,
leaving the street dim and shadowed. The clouds had obscured the crescent moon,
but every once and a while, they would part slightly to let thin fingers of
moonlight filter through to touch the pavement. Usagi didn't bother studying
her surroundings any further though, for there was something in the shadows
ahead of her that commanded her immediate attention. A dark figure was crouched
over a body whose features were obscured with a black stickiness that exuded
a coppery smell.
Usagi didn't have to look twice to know that it was blood.
The creature looked up, square at her, and smiled. The white of the
creature's teeth was the only clearly visible feature it had.
"So, you are the ones," It said, in a surprisingly human voice.
It stepped overthe body with a sickening kind of nonchalance and stepped into
the thin stream of moonlight.
'R-I-I-I-I-I-I-N-G!'
Usagi bolted up in bed, flinging Luna off of the sheets. The sleepy
girl deftly aimed and hit her alarm clock with a pillow, knocking it off of her
night stand. It still kept ringing though, muffled as it was, as if to mock her
efforts to silence it.
She stepped onto the floor slowly, immersed in thoughts. She felt like
something important was going to happen as soon as the creature stepped into the
light, but what could it be? Stupid alarm clock. Wait…Stupid alarm clock!!
"I'm LATE AGAIN!"
-----------
Usagi walked into the Crown Arcade later that afternoon. She had come home
from school to change from her uniform and headed up there early. The girls
and her had agreed to meet up there as soon as Ami's cram school was over, which
was around six that night, but Usagi, eager to drown the worries of the past few
days in an ice cream float, came a half an hour early.
Usagi was blessedly alone for once and she was enjoying it. It seemed she
never got any time to herself, these days. Not even Luna was with her. Artemis
and her had gone off to check out...something. Whatever it was, Usagi
didn't care. For a half an hour, she was going to be a normal girl getting an
ice cream float.
"Miss Usagi!"
Usagi grimaced before turning around to see who it was. Why did it seem like
someone always wanted her for some reason or another? Couldn't everyone just leave
her alone for a few minutes?
"Oh! Mr. Fuhiro!" Usagi couldn't help but smile when she turned around.
He was a pleasant surprise.
Fuhiro rushed up to where she was ordering at the counter and took a hold of
her hand. "I was so worried about you when you rushed off like that last night!"
Usagi looked around to see if anyone was watching, and spied Motoki slyly
polishing the counter, pretending not to pay attention. Usagi politely, but firmly,
tried to pull her hand back.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that."
"No matter. Your friend. Was she found? You do not look upset this evening."
"My friend?" Usagi frowned, thinking. Suddenly it dawned at her that she
had told Fuhiro that Minako was missing.
She smiled and gave one final jerk, releasing her hand. "Oh yeah, she's
fine! She was just, uuh, staying over at a friend's.
"Wonderful. Anything that makes Miss Usagi happy makes me happy. Speaking
of which," he motioned towards the counter, "would you let me treat you to some
ice cream, or a float, perhaps?"
When was the last time Usagi sat down with someone to snack on something
without talking about sailor business? Mamo and her haven't even come here to eat
for a long time, and even now, he was two days away from coming home.
"You know, Mr. Fuhiro," answered Usagi, "that would be wonderful."
-----------
They sat across from each other at a small table, Usagi sipping on the float
she had wanted while Fuhiro sipped on a simple cup of coffee. He sat that same cup
down on the table gently and smiled at Usagi.
"This is the third time that we have run into each other, but the first time
we have been able to really talk. I would like to know more about you, Miss Usagi."
"Please, it's just Usagi, and there really isn't anything to tell. I'm just your
normal teenager." At least, for the moment she was.
Fuhiro looked around, trying to find something to start a conversation with.
"Do you come here often?"
"Oh, at least three times a week! Usually I meet my friends here, or come to
play arcade games, but sometimes Mamo and I come here, just to relax."
Fuhiro stiffened slightly and frowned. "Mamo?"
"Oh! Mamoru, Chiba Mamoru. He's my boyfriend."
There was a long pause between them, then. Fuhiro looked at her quizzically
and seemed a little sad, while Usagi lowered her eyes to her drink.
"So," said Fuhiro finally, "Why isn't he with you now?"
Usagi toyed with her straw and sighed. "He's at a student medical conference
in southern Japan now, for a week.. He'll be there until the day after tomorrow."
There was another long pause between them.
"Has he called often?" asked Fuhiro.
"Well... He's been very busy. He's called twice though."
"Twice? Let us see. Today must be the fifth day. So in five days he has only
called you twice. Hmm... are you... sure he is coming back when he said he would?"
"What do you mean? Of course he is! He's just very busy that's all! He misses
me very much."
"Yes, I'm sure he would. You miss him too, I gather. Must be rather lonely,
without him. Really, he must be very lonely too. Very lonely."
Fuhiro had his elbows on the table and leaned on them slightly. The tone of
his voice sounded like he was implicating something, but what that was, Usagi
didn't know. After a moment, Fuhiro sighed and sat back.
"So lonely, in fact, that maybe he has found something to occupy what free
time he has. Something... or someone?"
"Mr. Fuhiro! Mamo would NEVER cheat on me!"
"Of course! Of course! I'm sorry, Usagi, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sure
your Mamo is thinking of you this very minute. I just hope that he does come home
to you like he said, and doesn't find a reason to stay away...."
Before Usagi could form her indignant reply, in walked Rei and Minako,
followed by Ami, and the two cats.
"I'm sorry Mr. Fuhiro, but I have to go. Thanks for the ice cream float.
And don't worry, Mamo WILL come back to me the day after tomorrow, just like
he said he would."
"I'm sure he will, Usagi. I will talk to you later."
As he watched Usagi leave him, for the third time, he had a new name to
test out on his lips. But this time, it wasn't Tsukino Usagi's, whose name had such
a light and beautiful sound to it. It was another name, one that tasted bitter in his mouth
and sounded heavy and blunt.
"Chiba Mamoru."
---------------------------
dew_drop@myself.com
-dew
Chapter 6. Questions. Part I.
Usagi twisted in her sheets, sweaty and moaning. Outside, it was a crisp,
clear night, but in the room of Tsukino Usagi, a murder was taking place.
At least, it was in the mind of a young girl plagued with nightmares.
Usagi was standing in a street. Curiously, the streetlights were out,
leaving the street dim and shadowed. The clouds had obscured the crescent moon,
but every once and a while, they would part slightly to let thin fingers of
moonlight filter through to touch the pavement. Usagi didn't bother studying
her surroundings any further though, for there was something in the shadows
ahead of her that commanded her immediate attention. A dark figure was crouched
over a body whose features were obscured with a black stickiness that exuded
a coppery smell.
Usagi didn't have to look twice to know that it was blood.
The creature looked up, square at her, and smiled. The white of the
creature's teeth was the only clearly visible feature it had.
"So, you are the ones," It said, in a surprisingly human voice.
It stepped overthe body with a sickening kind of nonchalance and stepped into
the thin stream of moonlight.
'R-I-I-I-I-I-I-N-G!'
Usagi bolted up in bed, flinging Luna off of the sheets. The sleepy
girl deftly aimed and hit her alarm clock with a pillow, knocking it off of her
night stand. It still kept ringing though, muffled as it was, as if to mock her
efforts to silence it.
She stepped onto the floor slowly, immersed in thoughts. She felt like
something important was going to happen as soon as the creature stepped into the
light, but what could it be? Stupid alarm clock. Wait…Stupid alarm clock!!
"I'm LATE AGAIN!"
-----------
Usagi walked into the Crown Arcade later that afternoon. She had come home
from school to change from her uniform and headed up there early. The girls
and her had agreed to meet up there as soon as Ami's cram school was over, which
was around six that night, but Usagi, eager to drown the worries of the past few
days in an ice cream float, came a half an hour early.
Usagi was blessedly alone for once and she was enjoying it. It seemed she
never got any time to herself, these days. Not even Luna was with her. Artemis
and her had gone off to check out...something. Whatever it was, Usagi
didn't care. For a half an hour, she was going to be a normal girl getting an
ice cream float.
"Miss Usagi!"
Usagi grimaced before turning around to see who it was. Why did it seem like
someone always wanted her for some reason or another? Couldn't everyone just leave
her alone for a few minutes?
"Oh! Mr. Fuhiro!" Usagi couldn't help but smile when she turned around.
He was a pleasant surprise.
Fuhiro rushed up to where she was ordering at the counter and took a hold of
her hand. "I was so worried about you when you rushed off like that last night!"
Usagi looked around to see if anyone was watching, and spied Motoki slyly
polishing the counter, pretending not to pay attention. Usagi politely, but firmly,
tried to pull her hand back.
"Oh, yeah, sorry about that."
"No matter. Your friend. Was she found? You do not look upset this evening."
"My friend?" Usagi frowned, thinking. Suddenly it dawned at her that she
had told Fuhiro that Minako was missing.
She smiled and gave one final jerk, releasing her hand. "Oh yeah, she's
fine! She was just, uuh, staying over at a friend's.
"Wonderful. Anything that makes Miss Usagi happy makes me happy. Speaking
of which," he motioned towards the counter, "would you let me treat you to some
ice cream, or a float, perhaps?"
When was the last time Usagi sat down with someone to snack on something
without talking about sailor business? Mamo and her haven't even come here to eat
for a long time, and even now, he was two days away from coming home.
"You know, Mr. Fuhiro," answered Usagi, "that would be wonderful."
-----------
They sat across from each other at a small table, Usagi sipping on the float
she had wanted while Fuhiro sipped on a simple cup of coffee. He sat that same cup
down on the table gently and smiled at Usagi.
"This is the third time that we have run into each other, but the first time
we have been able to really talk. I would like to know more about you, Miss Usagi."
"Please, it's just Usagi, and there really isn't anything to tell. I'm just your
normal teenager." At least, for the moment she was.
Fuhiro looked around, trying to find something to start a conversation with.
"Do you come here often?"
"Oh, at least three times a week! Usually I meet my friends here, or come to
play arcade games, but sometimes Mamo and I come here, just to relax."
Fuhiro stiffened slightly and frowned. "Mamo?"
"Oh! Mamoru, Chiba Mamoru. He's my boyfriend."
There was a long pause between them, then. Fuhiro looked at her quizzically
and seemed a little sad, while Usagi lowered her eyes to her drink.
"So," said Fuhiro finally, "Why isn't he with you now?"
Usagi toyed with her straw and sighed. "He's at a student medical conference
in southern Japan now, for a week.. He'll be there until the day after tomorrow."
There was another long pause between them.
"Has he called often?" asked Fuhiro.
"Well... He's been very busy. He's called twice though."
"Twice? Let us see. Today must be the fifth day. So in five days he has only
called you twice. Hmm... are you... sure he is coming back when he said he would?"
"What do you mean? Of course he is! He's just very busy that's all! He misses
me very much."
"Yes, I'm sure he would. You miss him too, I gather. Must be rather lonely,
without him. Really, he must be very lonely too. Very lonely."
Fuhiro had his elbows on the table and leaned on them slightly. The tone of
his voice sounded like he was implicating something, but what that was, Usagi
didn't know. After a moment, Fuhiro sighed and sat back.
"So lonely, in fact, that maybe he has found something to occupy what free
time he has. Something... or someone?"
"Mr. Fuhiro! Mamo would NEVER cheat on me!"
"Of course! Of course! I'm sorry, Usagi, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm sure
your Mamo is thinking of you this very minute. I just hope that he does come home
to you like he said, and doesn't find a reason to stay away...."
Before Usagi could form her indignant reply, in walked Rei and Minako,
followed by Ami, and the two cats.
"I'm sorry Mr. Fuhiro, but I have to go. Thanks for the ice cream float.
And don't worry, Mamo WILL come back to me the day after tomorrow, just like
he said he would."
"I'm sure he will, Usagi. I will talk to you later."
As he watched Usagi leave him, for the third time, he had a new name to
test out on his lips. But this time, it wasn't Tsukino Usagi's, whose name had such
a light and beautiful sound to it. It was another name, one that tasted bitter in his mouth
and sounded heavy and blunt.
"Chiba Mamoru."
---------------------------
dew_drop@myself.com