The List: Chapter two.
Here's the second chapter! I'm really having fun with this story.
Disclaimer: I just realized: I didn't put a disclaimer in chapter one. Oops! I. Don't. Own. Sailor. Moon. I never will. With all that said, on with the story!
Usagi laid in bed, her eyes shut tightly.
'Is this the day?' She wondered. Slowly, she pried one eye open, and let out a small sigh of relief as things came slowly into focus. True, there was a little less than yesterday, but that didn't matter. She could still see!
'Will today be the last day I can see, though?' She asked herself, as was usual for her. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she stood up and stretched, looking over at her clock, which stood on a small nightstand beside her bed. 11:42.
Yawning, she lifted her arms in a small stretch, and headed over to her closet, throwing it open and selecting a pair of light blue jeans, and a pink t-shirt, and grabbing a pair of underclothes from her dresser, she headed to the door that connected her to the bathroom, pulling it open and stepping inside, to get ready for the day.
…
Forty five minutes later, Usagi was ready to go; her hair was washed and dried, and hanging in its normal odango fashion.
'It's a good thing I know how to do this habitually,' Usagi mused to herself. 'That's going to come in handy when… when the day comes.'
Stepping out of the bathroom, she again checked the clock. 12:30.
'Perfect timing!' she cheered silently. 'Just enough time to say hi to Ikuko-mama, make sure Shingo is ready, and stop by to pick Ami up.'
Rushing down the stairs, she quickly entered the kitchen, smiling brightly at her family.
'Oh, how I'll miss seeing them,' she thought sadly to herself. 'Truly, I am blessed to have such a wonderful family.'
Tsukino Kenji sat at the head of the table, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. Neat brown hair was parted down the middle, giving him a more professional look. His blue eyes were slightly hidden behind a pair of wire rimmed glasses, but Usagi knew that his eyes were the same shade of blue as her own.
Next, her eyes slid over to Ikuko.
Usagi's mother was a real beauty. Her violet hair hung down just past her shoulders, and her violet eyes were just a few shades lighter. For being close to her forties, she had not a single gray hair, nor did she have a wrinkle on her alabaster skin. Far from being old looking, her mother looked as young as a teenager.
Then, there was Shingo.
His brown, unruly hair flopped into his sparkling brown eyes as he looked up at his sister, a lopsided smile on his face.
"Onee-chan!" he cried out, pushing his chair back and hugging his sister tightly. "You can still see today, right?"
Usagi laughed and nodded her head, brushing a lock of his brown hair out of his face. For a seven year old, he sure was a little bundle of joy.
"And you're still taking me out for ice cream, and to go see Motoki-san, right?"
Again, Usagi nodded her head in affirmation, looking up to see her mother and father watching.
"Hai. We need to leave now, though, otouto-san. We're stopping at Ami's on the way."
"Hai! I'm ready to go!" Shingo exclaimed, and rushed over to the door, pulling it open.
Usagi grinned and kissed her mother and father on the cheek, saying a quick 'hello' and 'goodbye' as she rushed out the door after her brother.
Stopping next door, the two picked Ami up, and headed off downtown to stop at the ice cream shop.
"So, what do you two want?" Usagi asked as she rifled through her wallet to pull out some money.
"Ano…" Ami began, when Shingo cut her off.
"I want a triple scoop cone, with one scoop chocolate, one scoop vanilla, and the other scoop mint chocolate chip!" Shingo replied, skipping ahead of the two girls.
"Shingo, that was rude," Usagi started to say, but Ami cut her off when she started to laugh.
"Goodness, Shingo-san, you've had this planned for awhile, haven't you?" she asked the boy with a grin.
"Hai!" Shingo replied proudly, a grin forming from ear to ear. "Ever since onee-chan said she was taking me out for ice cream, I've been planning what I wanted. And since I couldn't choose one, I decided, why not have them all?"
"Because then onee-chan won't have any money left for herself," Usagi grumbled playfully.
Shingo stuck his lower lip out in a pout, and he filled his eyes with tears.
"Demo… you can get it. I'm sure that I'll still have enough money," Usagi quickly amended.
Shingo squealed in delight as he skipped further ahead of the two, whistling a tuneless melody.
"You're good with him," Ami commented quietly as the two walked behind.
Usagi raised her shoulders in a light shrug.
"He's my otouto-san," she responded. "The only sibling I have. I'm doing my best to be there for him, and it seems to be paying off."
Grinning, she pulled out her list, and crossed off number fourteen.
"Ano… Usagi-chan, what's that?" Ami asked, curiosity getting the best of her.
"This? It's my list of things I want to see before… before I go blind," Usagi replied cheerfully. "Number fourteen on my list was to see Shingo smiling happily, and I just got it. Sappy, ne?" She scratched the back of her head with a small smile.
Ami's eyes brimmed with tears, tears she struggled to hold back.
"Oh, Usagi, you're so brave," she murmured quietly. "I don't know how you do it."
Usagi just smiled, lightly patting her friends shoulder. "It'll be okay. Things will all work out in the end."
Ami nodded, and shook her head, clearing her eyes of the tears.
"Usagi-onee-chan, we're here!" Shingo announced happily.
"Hai, so we are," Usagi replied, grinning. "Tell the man what you want, Shingo-san, and then let Ami order."
"Hai!" As Shingo turned to tell the man his order, Usagi turned to Ami once more.
"Don't worry about this, Ami-chan, I'll pay. It's my treat," Usagi said to the girl.
"Demo…"
"Iie! I want to pay. Please."
Ami nodded her head a bit hesitantly, and then went up to get her order as well. "Usagi hung back, looking down at her list, and then put it back in her pocket.
Finally, once Shingo's and Ami's ice cream cones were made, Usagi stepped up to put in her order.
"I want a hot fudge sundae, please," she said, and smiled brightly at the man behind the counter.
"Coming right up!" He replied, and moved to make her sundae.
"Ooo, that sounds good, onee-chan!" Shingo said wistfully.
"Iie, otouto-san! You have your own ice cream cone. This is mine." Usagi responded with a laugh.
"You're so mean, onee-chan!" Shingo wailed, sticking his lower lip out in a pout.
"Demo, you can have a bite of mine, Shingo. But not too much, ne?"
"Hai!" Shingo's smile returned full force and he went back to eating his ice cream cone.
Finally, once Usagi's sundae was made, and all were paid for, the three left the parlor, heading over to Motoki's arcade, with Shingo happily eating his ice cream cone, and every other time taking a bite of Usagi's sundae.
By the time they reached the arcade, Usagi's sundae was completely gone, and Shingo's ice cream had melted over most of the side walk.
"Shingo-san, look what you did!" Usagi moaned. "You ate my sundae! And you lost most of your ice cream as well."
"Aw, but it was so good!" Shingo pouted, and Usagi had no choice but to laugh, reaching out a hand to ruffle the little boy's hair.
"I hope you're happy, otouto-san," Usagi replied.
"Hai!"
The bell behind the counter rang as the three walked into the arcade, and a head of blonde hair looked up.
"Usagi-chan! Ami-chan! Shingo-san!" Furuhata Motoki called out happily, setting down the towel he'd been using to wipe down the counter. "What a pleasant surprise!"
"Motoki-onii-chan!" Usagi and Shingo replied simultaneously.
"Ohayo, Motoki-san," Ami said politely, smiling shyly at the man.
"So, what brings the three of you down here?" Motoki asked, smiling at each of them.
"I wanna play Sailor V!" Shingo called out, hopping up and down, his brown hair bouncing around in his eyes.
Usagi, Ami, and Motoki laughed.
"Ami-chan, would you mind taking him to go play? I need to talk to Motoki." Usagi sent a pleading look at Ami, who immediately nodded and headed off with Shingo.
"Ano, Usagi-chan, is everything alright?" Motoki asked her, concern in his voice.
"Hai, Motoki, everything is alright. I just wanted to ask what you thought of this list," Usagi responded, pulling her list out of her pocket. Motoki's eyebrows raised in surprise as he took it from her, looking it over.
"Ano, Usagi-chan, what is this?" He asked.
"It's my list of things I want to see before I go blind," Usagi explained, a smile on her face. "I was wondering if you had any suggestions, or things I could add to it."
"Hm…" Motoki looked over the list, considering. "Well, you don't have Disneyland on here, do you? And I don't think you've ever been there, either."
Usagi's eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly.
"Of course! How could I forget Disney Land?" She asked, lightly hitting herself in the side of her head. Grabbing a pen, she quickly scribbled down 'Disney Land' as her twenty sixth thing to do.
"And what about Kyoto, and Osaka?" Motoki put in, looking over the list again.
Again, Usagi nodded enthusiastically, putting the two places down on her list. "Hmm…"
"Well, what do we have here?" A voice drawled from the doorway. Immediately, Usagi snatched her list back, and made to put it in her pocket. She didn't notice as it fell out, and onto the floor behind her.
"Nothing, baka," she replied, her voice cold. "Ano, Motoki, I'll see you later, alright?"
Motoki looked confused, but nodded his head.
"Hai, see you later, Usagi-chan," he called as the blonde headed over to where Shingo and Ami were playing Sailor V.
"Hey guys, time to go!" Usagi called brightly.
"Aw, already?" Shingo moaned, and just as he did so, the Sailor V character was eaten by a monster, and the words 'Game Over' appeared on the screen. "…Alright, let's go!"
Usagi and Ami laughed as they headed out of the arcade, after saying goodbye to Motoki once more.
…
"Mamoru-san, what was that about, with Usagi?" Motoki asked his friend, handing over a cup of steaming black coffee.
Mamoru's eyes were emotionless as he replied, "Nothing, Motoki. We just had a little run in yesterday, and…I said something to her I shouldn't have."
Motoki's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his hand into a fist.
"It was an accident!" Mamoru protested as his friend grew increasingly angry.
Blinking, Motoki let down his guard, and sighed slightly.
"Gomen, Mamoru-san. I'm just very protective of Usagi-chan. She's going through such a tough time right now, and…" he sighed, running a hand through his sandy blonde hair.
Mamoru sighed, looking down at the ground. That was when he noticed it: a small slip of paper, near to where Usagi had been standing. Bending down, he picked it up and opened it.
At the top, it said: Usagi's List of Things to do.
And underneath it, in small, neat handwriting, close to thirty different things were listed. Mamoru scratched his head, frowning slightly.
"Ano, Motoki-san, do you know what this is?" He asked the man, handing him the piece of paper.
"Oh! That's Usagi-chan's!" Motoki cried out in exasperation. "She'll be devastated to have lost it. Though… maybe…"
Mamoru looked over at his friend, and flinched visibly at the look on his face.
"Mamoru. Do you want to make up to Usagi what you said to her? Do you want to have her forgive you?"
"I…"
"If so, help her with these things. There are some things on here that only someone with a car can take her to do. But whatever you do, Mamoru, do not pity her. Usagi's a big girl; she can handle this. All she needs is a little help to make sure she gets to see all of these things. Do you understand?"
Mamoru looked speechless, but nodded his head in confirmation.
"Good. Now get going."
Quickly, Mamoru headed out of the arcade, confusion ringing in his head.
'Ano… what did I just agree to?' he wondered idly. "And how am I supposed to do this when I don't know her address!" He cried out, causing people to stop and stare. Flushing brightly, he turned around and went back into the arcade.
"Motoki, I don't even know her address!" Mamoru cried, quietly this time.
"Ah, look it up in the phone book," Motoki said nonchalantly. "And get a move on; you may not have much time."
Grunting, Mamoru once again left the arcade, and headed home, hands in his pockets, wondering exactly what he'd just signed himself up for.
…
Well, there's chapter two… I hope you guys like it. I'm hoping this story won't be nearly as long as the other ones are shaping out to be… only a few more chapters, I'm hoping, but we'll see what happens. As usual, comments and criticism are greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Lady Tsukino