CHAPTER TWO

Wake-up late. Rush through getting ready. Grab some toast and her lunch in a race against the clock. The routine was so normal it hurt. As Usagi dashed down the street, a lump formed in her throat. Naru wouldn't be there to greet her when she made it to school.

Sad thoughts were halted along with her run when she slammed into an immovable object. "If it isn't the meatball head. And here I thought you had finally broken the late habit."

Dread made her stomach roll as she looked up to see the jerk sprawled out on the sidewalk in front of her. Weariness that had nothing to do with physical fitness added to her dread. Standing up she gave a polite bow with a murmured apology before carefully side stepping past the man. A firm hand caught her arm. She didn't look back.

"Hey. Are you okay?" The low voice was filled with concern. How different from the usual annoyance and sarcasm she usually got from him. Glancing up she tried to smile, but it came out weak. The hand loosened in surprise and she took the opportunity to shrug out of his hold and resume her race for school.

Sliding into the classroom, she crashed into the left out mop and broom from the morning cleaning duties. Grumbling at the newest annoyance, she stood and brushed herself off. The silence was unnerving. The entire class was staring at her. A nervous chuckle helped steady her queasy stomach as she walked to her seat. The late bell rang but Miss Haruna hadn't arrived yet. Desperately trying to ignore the empty desk next to her, she tried to see who else was here today. Sad faces gazed back at her.

"What?" she asked the room in general. Most students turned away, but a few continued to watch her.

"Are you okay, Usagi?" Umino leaned forward in his seat behind the empty desk she refused to acknowledge. The thick glasses made it easier to look at than the pity filled eyes that shown from the rest of her classmates.

Her smile worked this time. It wasn't the usual cheerful grin or sneaky smirk. It was a slow gentle smile that lit the hearts of those that witnessed it. "I'll be okay Umino. Thanks for asking." The boy slumped in relief, but the twitching right hand concerned her. It always did that when he was upset. "Are you okay?"

Startled, it took a moment to process the question. He laughed and waved off her concern. "I'm fine. Just fine." He titled his head. "If you want I can give you the latest news during lunch. There's not much, but I know you like to keep up."

Accepting the lie along with the offer, she faced the front as the classroom door slid open. Alarmed, Usagi watched her homeroom teacher stagger across the room to the lecture podium. Teaching supplies fell haphazardly on the table top.

"Sorry… I'm late…" Miss Haruna slurred, leaning on the podium. Was she drunk? "Let's see… Roll." Breathing deeply, the woman rummaged through her papers for the class list. By the time she found it, the podium was the only thing holding her up. "Abure, Tatsuya," she called.

"Present." It took a minute for the teacher to mark the answer. Usagi doubted it was the right one, or even in the right place.

"Akimi, Koneko." The second attempt ended when Miss Haruna slipped and toppled to the floor. She didn't get up.

The class representative was the first to reach their teacher. As the girl checked on the woman, Tanaka ran for the nurse. Usagi pushed her way to the front just in time to watch Hikari collapse on top of their teacher in the middle of checking her pulse.

The students backed away from the two. Was it catching? That unidentifiable feeling that she was supposed to do something moved Usagi. Stepping forward, she checked the class rep. "She's okay. Sleeping, I think." Even Miss Haruna was snoring lightly. Several students stepped forward to help move the two unconscious females into comfortable positions.

As Usagi straightened her teacher's jacket, a lilac broach caught her attention. When she brushed her hand over it, something insider her twitched. It seemed crazy, but the delicate flower felt wrong. The nurse arrived and ordered everyone to stand back. On instinct, the blonde unpinned the broach and pocketed the accessory as she stood.

Guilt at doing so came as soon as she returned to her seat. Her pocket felt warm the entire morning, long after the paramedics had taken the homeroom teacher away. They said she had worked herself into exhaustion. Hikari woke up only a few minutes after the nurse arrived. The situation had been too much and the class rep had fainted. Math was declared a free period and school went on as usual.

Umino kept her entertained during lunch. Everything from the latest couples to poor Megumi in class three who had been bullied by Samaru's group yesterday at lunch. Minor robberies in the neighborhood and the latest decision from the mayor served for boring, but needed distractions. The entire time Usagi felt a second heart beat against her thigh. It had to be her active imagination along with leftover guilt at taking the thing in the first place. When it stopped around noon she was grateful.

The day had tired her out far more than she thought. Paying attention took all her concentration and reminders of Naru kept appearing out of nowhere. Her first act arriving home was taking a nap.