Chapter 2

Tired and bleary eyed Usagi tried to focus at the task in front of her. Haruna-sensei had decided today was the perfect day for a surprise quiz just before the winter holidays.

Haruna-sensei hummed softly to herself as she prowled each row of desks for any would be cheaters. Usagi looked over the paper, squinting her eyes for familiar Japanese script and avoiding every English letter. She rubbed her eyes from sleep as she attempted to hold back a yawn. All her fellow students were writing and scratching vigorously onto the test paper, but did nothing at all to encourage her to start. She had been working late everyday with little time to study or do her homework, and above all sleep.

Unable to hold back a yawn, she wiped a tear that escaped the corner of her eye as Usagi slowly wrote her name on top of the paper.

Tsukino Usagi

Her parents must have come up with the name as a joke.

As Usagi finished with the last alphabet of her name she began to trace flowered motifs around her first name and finished with a small long eared creature sleeping among the blooms. She drew a crescent enveloping the small creature within her surname, the darkness encasing the little white rabbit. Delicately tapping with her pen, she drew the Moons craters, shading with soft strokes. Then stars of varied sizes...

"Times up. Pens down."

Usagi lifted her head, dazed but more alert, watched as Haruna-sensei slowly walked the first row of the classroom desks. She pushed back her messy braid back and her loose hair behind her ears nervously. Her fingers trembled in her lap, her gaze concentrating on her name on top of the sheet of paper. The beating of her heart grew stronger and louder as Haruna-sensei stopped by her desk.

Usagi watched as her teacher's hand slowly picked up her test paper, then flipped it over and back before placing it slowly down onto her desk again. "Tsukino-san." She slowly stood up from her chair, the classroom sat in silence that unnerved Usagi, she could feel the other students all watching from the corner of their eyes. A pop of a pen lid then dropped down onto her test, a large X crossed over her test paper, striking through her little rabbit and moon. "Thank you Tsukino-san for making your test easier to mark, I'm sure you would have received a few points for creativity in Art class however I would like to see, for once, if you are capable of writing something other than your name. I'll see you after class."

Usagi mumbled under her breath in reply.

"I'm sorry Tsukino-san I did not hear you." her teacher said firmly.

"Yes, Haruna-sensei." Haruna-sensei stood for another seconds before she walked towards the next student behind her. All around Usagi could hear the muffled snickers before their teacher ordered silence as she sat back down.

Lunch break came after maths. Usagi sat alone, taking small bites from her rice balls as she gazed at the falling snow outside the window.

Excited gasps caught her attention, Umino Gurio, the top student of the class was gushing out information on the latest gossip in the gaming world. "...the graphics are supposed to be top, the best! They're saying Sailor V is going to beat their record gross! AHH why can't March come sooner!"

"Umino-kun, come on, you say that about all games." Osaka Naru, daughter of a prominent jewel dealer.

"No! No Naru-chan you don't understand! Ever since Sailor Mercury hit the news the anticipation for Sailor V has doubled! No quadrupled! I pre-ordered mine and the game salesman said that Sailor V is nearly reaching Ultimate Fantasy 4's popularity!"

"Surely Sailor Mercury is not real." Yoshu Yuki spoke.

Naru shook her head vigorously "No, I saw her! She saved me from the monsters! It was amazing!" she ahh'ed. "It must be wonderful to be hero. Helping people, fighting crime."

"There's a rumor," Umino's voice dropped to a whisper where the three girls gasped.

"That sounds ridiculous!" Yuki and Suzuki laughed.

"It does sound far-fetched Umino-kun." Naru said slowly.

"But it makes sense!"

"No, it does not." Those were Naru's final words.

There was a pause for food and drink where Umino again spoke "Hey let's go to the Crown Arcade after school, they have an arcade version of Sailor V!"

She stopped listening, finishing her rice ball and leaving the second till later, Usagi waited till the bells rang. The History teacher came through the doors shortly after lunch bell. The class captain stood, and everyone followed suit, with her strong loud "Rei!" everyone bowed before their teacher before sitting back down.

When the final class finished for the day at three-thirty Usagi waited patiently for Haruna-sensei to arrive, but she never did. At four-o'clock Usagi stood up, pushed her chair in and walked out the classroom. As she slowly changed out of her school slippers into her boots a pair of girls ran towards her with a bucket. The two giggling girls stop beside her and dumped soapy water over her head. "See you tomorrow Throwaway!" They cackled as they ran off towards the stairs.

Usagi took several deep breaths holding onto her boot, spitting out loose soapy water travelling down her lips. She tipped the boot watching the dirty water rush out onto the floor as she pulled back wet blonde strands behind her left ear. She gritted her teeth in anger, she'll get them.

A small feminine came into her view holding a white handkerchief. Frowning, Usagi slowly lifted her eyes to meet with a girl with shirt blue hair. "That was very unkind of them." the girl said, gesturing towards the small cloth. Usagi shook her head and shoved her soggy sock into her soggy boot with a loud squelch. "Ah, you'll get sick if you walk home in those!"

Usagi lifted her gaze and glared at the girl. "The dumb don't get sick." she hissed. Usagi picked up her handle-less briefcase and proceeded towards the door but not before spotting a black cat running past her. "Luna!" she heard the girl behind call out.

When the winter cold suddenly hit Usagi's face she bolted, running past the school gates and away, opposite from a large park. Usagi caught the peak-hour train, squished between warm winter coat bodies she wished some of that heat would travel down her toes. She wriggled numb toes inside her wet boots, encouraging more blood flow down south. By the time she saw the orphanage building she was walking with numb feet, frozen hair clung to the side of her pink cheeks and her neck was rubbing against her frozen scarf.

Pushing the doors open Usagi promptly closed it and chattered a "I'm home" to no one. Removing the boots promptly and ripping her scarf Usagi walked towards the stairs where, she spotted Shou on the top holding a green action figure. She watched Shou quickly hide the toy behind his back, "Hi Usagi-san." She grunted in reply walking past him towards her dormitory.

She spotted Takara folding the few items she owned into a small suitcase. "Hi Takara-chan."

Her roommate looked up with a large smile on her face "Hi Usagi-chan!"

"So good news I take it." Usagi said, quickly removing her clothes and throwing them into a corner. While in her underwear Usagi slammed her frozen feet against the heater. She groaned as her feet began to prickle and sting, she rubbed them several times to help for white toes turn a healthy pink.

"Yeah." Takara answered slowly. "My grandmother has agreed to become my benefactor. I'm moving to my unit during the holidays."

Usagi looked back. "So soon? Are you saying you're leaving next week?"

"Yes."

Usagi's heart seized, her throat constricted, her lip trembled downward. "Lucky you." she whispered looking away.

Takara enveloped her warm body around her, "Don't worry Usagi-chan, you'll make it. We'll still be friends. Hey, you can sleepover, maybe? And maybe once you're fifteen you can move in with me?"

Usagi felt Takara hug her tighter, the warm fuzz of being held slowly made her whole body tremble. Takara continued to speak but all Usagi could hear was a buzz in he ears as her heart beat rapidly within her chest. Her feet were finally a normal colour, a soft warm body pressed behind her back, she should cherish this and while Usagi placed this feeling in the back of her mind tears began to leak down her face.

And when the day finally came for Takara to leave, Usagi was at work, she agreed to work a longer shift, at the minimum wage, to earn the much-desired money during the winter school holidays. She bit her cheek as she strained to smile and bow at all the customers that came in that day. "W-welcome, how may I serve you today?"

When she returned to the orphanage, there was only one futon in her dormitory, only one warm body that sat in the room lit by only a single small lamp.

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No Beta.

While the ideas are fresh and time is available the chapters will come.