A/N: Hey everybody!! Guess who is back from yet another hiatus? Hehe, well, I feel really bad that I haven't written in a while, so hopefully this will make up for it, or at least you can vent your pent-up anger telling me everything I did wrong!! ^.^ Sound like fun??

So, as per usual, I would like to thank Ala for making my writing worth reading (as well as encouraging me to get my butt moving in the first place!), and the people who read and review my work, even after months of absolutely nothing!! (And I promise to try and update more often in the future, but good luck trying to make me stick to that!)

Thanks, everyone!
Sol

18. Death

Usagi almost ran into the arcade's automatic doors as she pelted to the table where her friends sat, chatting idly.
"Everyone is going to die!"
Out of breath, she plonked herself down next to Ami, who had managed to find time out from her homework to join her friends.

"What? Why? Is there a new youma to fight? Where?" Makoto almost fell onto Rei's lap in her haste to prepare herself for battle.
"Sssh! Keep your voice down!" Ami whispered. "People are starting to stare!" And sure enough, they were getting some strange looks from the people scattered around the arcade. One little boy was so busy staring that he didn't notice the giant red "GAME OVER" flashing across the screen in front of him.
"No," Usagi lowered her voice a little, "I mean that everyone dies eventually." Her expression was so solemn that her friends almost took her seriously. Almost.

"Thanks, Captain Obvious! And you only just worked that one out?"
"B-but Rei, you never know when it's going to be your turn! You could be walking along the street, eating an ice-cream, when whoops! Suddenly you're dead!"
"Sssh!" the four girls hissed in unison, Mina adding apologetically to the onlookers, "My friend here just realized her own mortality."

As everyone slowly went back to their milkshakes, conversations, or video games, Usagi frowned thoughtfully, mumbling to herself. Still, she didn't fail to notice the sound of the doors opening again. And somehow, she even knew who was behind them without even glancing at the semi-transparent glass.

"Life's too sh… I mean, Hi Mamoru!" she called out. The table rattled as she jumped up to meet him.
"What is it this time? Fail another test? Or maybe," Mamoru smirked, "you've finally realized that your hair looks like a couple of dumplings sitting on top of your head?"

Usagi's face crumpled as she fought to hide the scowl that appeared whenever Mamoru made a dumpling joke. Or an exam joke. In fact, just about any joke regarding her would do the trick.
"I… I just wanted to say hello. That's all!" She smiled brightly, turned, and walked back to her friends.
'What was that all about?' Mamoru continued to stare at the space that had, until a moment ago, contained Usagi. Shaking his head slightly, he moved towards the safety of the counter and his friend Motoki. It was too late in the day to be musing on the female mind.

So, what did we think? If you loved it or hated it, let me know!