Chapter Three: Who Am I?
Looking around the guest room she had been given, Batafurai sighed. Definitely not MY room, but I really can't complain. This definitely beats a bench in the park…
"Are you okay, Bata-chan?" Usagi asked.
She looked up, smiling. "Yeah. I can't thank you enough, Usagi-san."
"It's no trouble. Mama has enrolled you in Juuban Junior High for the time being. Just remember, say you're Tsukino Batafurai…oh, and if anyone asks, you have a little sister named ChibiUsa." Affter she let this sink in Usagi asked, "What do you plan to do after you find your friends?"
Batafurai sighed, sitting down on the bed. "I'm not sure…we're not from around here, and we got…DROPPED here against our will. We're family-less and alone. My guess is that youma attacking us wasn't the last of the attacks on me, OR the guys…I think all of us will just…try to survive…"
Usagi sat next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What are they like?"
Batafurai closed her eyes, thinking. "Well…Taiga is really pretty, but she's totally convinced she's the ugly duck of us. Otome is fun-loving and energetic, but she's also extremely caring. Riki is very…unique. She's pretty tall and very strong…and very outspoken as well…Annai has a big attitude and seems to harbor a deep secrect. Hatsu…think she's Kami-sama's gift to mankind, to put it lightly. Onbin's silent, unless you anger her. Tonbo is an individual, very strong and very loud. Miya, although also strong-willed,is the opposite of Tonbo, unless they're together. And Shuzika…well…he's like my big brother. He's kind and quiet and very smart."
Usagi smiled, a mischevious look in her eye. "Shuzika's very special to you, isn't he?"
Batafurai caught on. "NOT like that. Like I said, he's been like my big brother since we were very small. I…did like someone like that…I don't think he survived the attack…I couldn't find him all day, then that youma…"
Before Usagi could respond, a girl with pink pigtails who, oddly, looked a lot like Usagi, entered the room, a bundle of school uniforms in her arms. "Usagi-chan, Ikuko-mama said to bring these up to our guest." Getting a good look at Batafurai, she smiled. "Hi! I'm Tsukino Usagi, but you can call me ChibiUsa."
Batafurai's eyes widened in confusion and surprise. "You two have the SAME name?"
Usagi gave a nervous laugh. "It's a family name. We call her ChibiUsa so there isn't any confusion. She's my cousin."
ChibiUsa sat down on the other side of Batafurai, setting the uniforms behind her. "Usagi-chan has a little brother named Shingo. Just follow me for a few days around here and you'll figure it out just fine."
Shaking her head, Batafurai said, "I can't follow you at school, and I'll have to go there come Monday…" She turned, pulling the school uniform onto her lap. "At least I'll LOOK like everyone else…"
"Batafurai-san, what do you have with you?" Usagi asked.
She stood, putting the uniforms in the closet. She then picked up her backpack and sat down between Usagi and ChibiUsa, opening it along the way. "Um…a few notebooks, a pencil case…gum…the CDs Tai-chan returned to me, the outfit On-chan returned, my clarinet, and my wallet...Oh, and my watch. It broke during the attack, though.Why do you ask, Usagi-san?"
Usagi smiled. "I think, if you're up to it, we should take you shopping tomorrow. You can get yourself some supplies then, like a few more outfits. Plus, we can show you around the city and maybe even help you find your friends."
Batafurai smiled brightly. "That's a GREAT idea!"
Standing, Usagi added, "Glad you think so. Until then, you can just hand out here. Feel free to make yourself at home, Batafurai." She left the room, ChibiUsa at her heels.
Hours later, Batafurai, bored and mildly hungry, fetched an apple from the kitchen. Along the way back to her room, she overheard Usagi on the phone.
"Rei-chan, I know it's not the greatest idea ever, but we can't let a girl her age out alonein the streets of Tokyo, ESPECIALLY when she's a target of those youma. …I know it's asking a lot, but she claims she has friends in the city who are lost and alone as well. …Thanks, Rei-chan. …Hai, I'll keep a close eye on her. If she DOES turn out to be the enemy…"
Batafurai, not sticking around long enough to hear the end of the conversation, rushed up to her room. Who is Usagi really? Why is she acting so sweet, yet also thinking I'm the enemy? And who the HECK is that ChibiUsa girl?She seemed even more familiar than Usagi andMamoru. Something isn't right here, but what can I do? I'm just a girl with no strengths outside musicand nowhere to go!
EDITED August 9, 2005:
-Performed some grammatical repairs, along with some cosmetic ones. I also fixed an incorrect reference to Miya's personality.