Chapter 11: The Search Party
Author's Comments
Yes, I finally updated. Sorry that it took so long to do, but school started and I got busy. Now that school is out I should be able to update more regularly, well at least until school starts up again. In this chapter we find out where Usagi wanders off to after leaving Rei's shrine. Plus you get to find out who all has come to look for Usagi.
And as always, I unfortunately don't own Sailor Moon.
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Usagi was running down the street with tears sliding down her face. Once again she wasn't sure where she was going, nor did she know where she should be going at a time like this. She had already tried Rei's and she provided Usagi with little help. Since she left the temple she knew Ami had been lying to her at the doctor's office, so she doubted she would be any help either. Besides knowing how Ami was lately, she was probably too busy with school to bother with her. She could try going to Makoto's, but she had lied to her too, along with Mamoru. He had been there watching her torture herself, but remained silent through it all. She still couldn't belive he of all people would do that to her. Mina, she was the only option left that she could think of at the moment, but even she had known the truth and simply neglected to tell her. She knew they must have been trying to spare her heart, but she still couldn't help feeling hurt and betrayed.
"No, I am on my own for this," she thought and continued running down the street, but now at a faster pace.
Meanwhile, back at Rei's temple, Minako sat waiting in her car slowly sipping her coffee and attempting to try not to fall asleep as she waited for the others to arrive. She was just about to doze off when she heard the honk of a car horn, which caused her become startled and made her spill the rest of her coffee on her leg.
"Ouch, hot," Minako said as jumped up and tried to wipe the coffee off her lap with her hand. "At least it had time to cool down," she thought, thankful that it hadn't been hot enough to burn her.
Suddenly the blonde heard a tapping on her car window and she looked up to find Makoto standing there. She quickly rolled down her window and said, "Hi Makoto."
"What happened to you?" the brown headed girl asked.
"I've been out all night searching for Usagi," she replied, "I got some coffee to help me stay awake, but I just spilt it on my lap."
"I'm sorry to hear that," said a voice from behind Makoto and that's when Mina noticed two women standing behind her friend.
"Haruka, Michiru?" she said.
"I didn't notice you guys," she told them.
"I could tell," the woman with short blonde hair replied as she handed a handkerchief to her friend in the car.
"Thanks," Minako said and began to soak up the coffee on her lap with it. "Well now that everyone is here we should get going."
"Are you sure you're up to it?" asked a woman standing off in the distance. Everyone turned around and noticed Ami standing behind them.
"Ami?" Minako said sounding startled.
"I'm glad you could make it," Makoto told her.
The blue headed girl nodded and said sadly, "I kind of feel responsible for all of this. I should have told her when she came to see me at the clinic, then maybe she wouldn't have run off like this."
"It's not your fault, and if it was then its mine as well. I saw her twice that day after she left the clinic and I said nothing both times," the brown headed girl told her.
"This is no time to feel sorry for ourselves. We all had chances to tell her before this and none of us could bring ourselves to do it. Right now Usagi is out there some where wandering around and I'm sure she feels ten times worse than all of us," Mina told them.
"You're right," Ami replied as she lowered her head.
"Alright lets get going then," Haruka said.
"Rei and Mamoru headed south to look for her, which leaves us with the other three directions. Lets hurry up and split up into groups so we can start searching as well," the blonde, sitting in the car, informed them.
"I'll head east," Makoto said.
"Michiru and I will take the north," the tall blonde told them.
"Well that just leaves the west then," Minako stated.
"I'll go west," Ami said as she stepped closer to Mina's car.
"But that leaves nothing for me," the blonde replied.
"I think you've done enough for now, so you should go home and get some rest," Michiru said as she finally spoke up.
Minako said with much determination, "I'm not going to rest until I know she's safe at home."
"Well then you could always ride with me," Ami volunteered.
"That's a good idea," said Makoto.
"But we will search more ground if I drive too," she protested.
"I don't think you are in any shape to drive," Haruka told her.
"I agree," Michiru said.
"Fine I'll ride with Ami," Minako said as she sighed and gave up.
"Well now that thats all set lets get going," Haruka said as she walked towards her car with Michiru following close behind.
"Be sure to call if you find anything," Makoto said before heading towards hers.
"Shall we get going too?" Ami asked.
Minako nodded as she grabbed her phone and purse. She then climbed out of her car making sure to lock the doors behind her. "I'm ready, let's go," she told her blue headed friend.
Ami nodded and they both quickly made their way to her car to begin their search.
In the mean time, Usagi had continued trudging along with no idea where she was headed. Suddenly she slowed her pace and stopped in front of a fenced in building. There were many children playing in the yard.
"Chibi-Usa's school," Usagi said sadly fighting back the tears in her eyes.
Without warning the pig-tailed girl turned and ran into the building. She didn't stop until she stood before a door with a sign above it. On the sign was the word nurse. Slowly she reached for the doorknob, turned it, and then she gradually opened the door.
"I'll be right with you," replied a familar voice from inside.
The blonde took a step inside the room and noticed the woman who had spoken to her. She was sitting at a desk with her back to the door. She was dressed in a long white coat and had long dark green hair, some of which was done up in a bun on the back of her head.
"Setsuna..." Usagi said softly.
"Excuse me, did you say something?" replied the woman as she turned to face the doorway. "Usagi?" she said once she saw the blonde haired woman standing in the room with her. With that Usagi ran up to the woman, threw her arms around her, and started to cry.
"You look awful. What's wrong?" Setsuna asked as she took an arm and embraced the upset woman with it.
Usagi's tears just kept coming and she didn't say a word.
"Maybe you should lay down for awhile," the woman with the dark green hair suggested as she helped Usagi to a bed. "Get some rest. Once you wake we can talk," she told her as she turned around to go back to what she had been doing.
Without a word the pig-tailed girl grabbed a hold of Setsuna's coat.
"Since I don't have a patient at the moment, I suppose it won't hurt anything if I sit with you awhile," she said as she looked down at the hand clutching her coat.
Setsuna pulled out a chair and placed it by the bed. She sat down next to Usagi and held her hand in her own. She then sat in silence and watched tears fall from the blonde girl's face. Usagi didn't say a word the whole time, but within a few moments she drifted off. Once Setsuna was sure her friend was sleeping soundly she stood up and pulled the curtain around the bed shut, leaving the girl to rest in peace.