The Act of Reverence
Prologue
Crossing the steet while attempting to dodge cars, trucks and other methods of transport was certainly harder than it looked. The fact that Usagi couldn't seem to focus on anything more than sitting didn't help either. The pavement beneath her feet was still damp from the early morning rainfall and the feeling of warm exhaust fumes against her face had become overwhelming. Usagi. Felt. Gross.
Looking up, she recodnized the familiar four-way cross walk - not too much further! Taking a quick glimpse around... wait a minute! Why did it feel like everyone was staring at her? Suddenly feeling very insecure, she pulled at the heavy strap weighing down on her right shoulder. Gasping, Usagi remebered her purse. 'Kuso!'
Frantic fingers jumped from duffle bag to damp forehead, finaling resting on her opposite arm. Feeling the familiar strap of her white handbag, she let out a sigh of relief. No doubt her cute handbag had long lost its pristine appearance. During her hasty attempt at an escape, it had most likely gotten spotted and discolored. Damn you!
A loud horn followed by a string of curses brought Usagi's attention back to the road. 'Right. Focus on the walking, Tsukino.' Dashing across the street ( her right arm still madly clutching at the straps of her bag ) she gave a quick wave in thanks to her not-so-patient savior. Releasing a shaky sigh, Usagi slowed her pace and looked around her. Impressive storefronts lined the opposite sides of the street. Various men, women and children could be seen striding along- some were no doubt on their way to work- others were casually shopping for vast amounts of overpriced goods. Usagi visibly relaxed. This was more her scene.
Taking the time to glance at her reflection, Usagi failed to notice a mother and child duo staring openly at her. Both managed to look sympathetic, if not a little disgusted, by her appearance. Apparently, the outdoor windows of a prestigious – Ahem, shamefully exclusive- shopping district was not the ideal place for her to freshen up. Regardless, Usagi began patting down the top of her head in a futile attempt at fixing her windblown hair. After a moment of silent pondering, she proudly pulled a hair elastic out of her pocket and swiftly pulled her curly hair into a braid. With a satisfied nod at her reflection, she turned her attention back to the street in front of her. And was it just her, or did her eyes look a lot less puffy now? 'Swell...'
The Crown Arcade
"No, she isn't- … No … I know that … Yes, so you've said but I... Right. Well if you don't mind me saying so, you're being a bit of an assho-" The voice of a rather pissed off employee could be heard from behind his counter. Andrew, who had been cut off from stating his own opinion more than once, had grown very tired of listening to his best friend.
The familiar bing signaling a new arrival, pulled Andrew's attention away from the phone and up to the sliding glass doors. With a sigh of relief, he quickly ended his one sided phone conversation. "Look Dare, I've gotta go… Yeah, and I understand that but-…" Oh, no he didn't. Darien did not just cut him off again. That was it, no more buts! Andrew slammed the phone back down on the receiver and smirked. 'Yah, that's right! Take that and eat it!' Glancing up again, he looked for the familiar sight and… there she was. "Hey Usa, over here!", he called out.
Looking up to meet Andrew's concerned face, it was easy to see that he knew what had happened- or at least Mamoru's side of it. With a longing gaze at the empty booth beside her, Usagi began to shuffle her way to the front counter and perched herself on a cool metal stool. Kami, she needed time to think!
Letting out a long breath, Andrew found himself at a loss for words. " Usa... what happened?" It was all he could ask. Sure he already knew, but he desperately needed to hear it from her. Things couldn't really be that bad between his favorite couple. Could they?
As her shoulders began to shake and her bottom lip began to quiver, Andrew found it hard to determine whether Usagi was laughing bitterly or despiritly trying not to crying in front of him. As she took a shaky intake of breath, his heart plummeted. Crying. She was definitely crying.
"Andrew-chan," she reverted back to what she had called him when they first met. "What am I going to do?"
In actuality, he didn't know what to tell her. He had never seen them fight… not seriously anyway. And Darien was at a complete advantage. Usagi didn't know the city yet or have many friends of her own. She didn't have a steady job... the list just went on. Doing the only thing he knew how, Andrew began softy stroking the little bunny's head, which at some point had fallen to the counter-top. Struggling with his thoughts, Andrew found himself thinking of things to say to her. Things that would ease her pain, things that would assure Usa everything would work out alright. Something, anything, to make it all better.
A/N So either I'm going crazy or FF keeps runningmywordstogetherlikethis. Frustration? Yes and I apologize. Thanks for reading, please leave some feedback. Sailor Moon doesn't belong to me- but if it did, my house would look like the castle on the moon kingdom.