Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Full Moon Wo Sagashite Fan Fiction ❯ Matter of Time ❯ Chapter 1 - Promise from the Past! ( Chapter 1 )

Saturday morning might have come as a big relief for Usagi Tsukino, had life not taken such unexpected twists as of lately. Auditioning and winning in the body of her sixteen year-old self weren't even half of her problems!

Although dogs were smart enough to find their way home, it appeared that one talking cat could not only find her way to Usagi's home but then chew her out as well. Just how do you explain such complicated situations to talking cats, anyway? They'd never taught that at school.

**

Chapter 1 - Promise from the Past!

Usagi wished that the walls that made up her room were thicker so that she could turn her radio up loud, or else that she had earplugs. She had neither of these, though, and the last thing she wanted was for someone else to start to reprimand her. Instead, she tried to give the irate cat the cold shoulder.

Sitting in front of her was the homework she'd been given over the weekend that she really had no intention to do. However, she'd had to use it as her scapegoat to get away from her aunt's prying questions.

She was in enough trouble as it was, having called her aunt from the middle of the busy city saying that she had no way to get to home. Even worse, shortly after she'd tried to bluff her way out of the situation, they'd received a call from the school saying she'd skipped. She'd been grounded for three things- lying, skipping school, and refusing to tell them why she'd been there in the first place.

Usagi rubbed at her sore throat subconsciously- she'd woken up this morning to find it hurting twice as bad as it normally did. It was no real wonder, of course, what with having to yell at that… thing yesterday.

She'd tried explaining the situation to Luna- the talking cat- but for some reason, she refused to believe Usagi. Usagi tapped her pencil's eraser against the wood of her desk, frowning to herself- just what did the cat have against her? What did she have to gain from lying?

".And running off like that? Do you know how hard it was for me to find you? And then you just let me get taken away like that!" Luna exclaimed, complaints coming to a fever pitch. Usagi just sighed, and debated whether it was worth it to try and sneak some pain killers.

"Are you even listening to me," the cat asked, hopping up onto the desk and getting into the blonde girl's face. Usagi dropped the pencil and drew back quickly in surprise- she hadn't been expecting that. She could see that Luna was really perturbed by her in-attentiveness

"Yes." Usagi whispered, trying to do as little talking as possible.

Luna made a tsk'ing sound that expressed her irritation. "Honestly, I have good hearing, Usagi, but let's not push it, please? Speak up when you talk," she instructed.

Usagi shook her head no, and got up. There was no point in trying to talk to the cat when she obviously didn't believe Usagi. She wondered where those shinigami had gone to...?

**

Meroko was beginning to remind Takuto of that annoying black cat with her incessant ranting. Well, in all honesty, she had every right to be angry with him. But she'd been going on like this ever since Usagi had won.

In his defense, he'd thought that she wouldn't make it. He'd been almost certain, because of the almost-shallowness of her wish to become sixteen. She'd really surprised him, singing like that.

It had moved him in a way that was beyond words; he didn't know if he'd ever felt like that before.

"Takuto, what are we going to do? That cat's not natural, Usagi's hurting her voice, and we can't read this word!" Meroko cried, thrusting the small pink book at Takuto. Takuto put his hands in front of him, as though hoping it would act as a gesture of disarmament.

"Calm down, Meroko," he instructed. "We'll figure it out," he tried to tell her in a reassuring voice.

"Oh, yeah? You said that Usagi wouldn't make the audition, and she did! What if we can't figure it out, Takuto?" Meroko asked, biting at a handkerchief in a worried manner.

It was obvious that she was near tears. The last time Meroko had started crying over something related to their job, it had been like a replica of Niagara Falls. He didn't need a repeat of that instance.

He patted her awkwardly on the back, trying to soothe her. "It'll be okay, Meroko! We'll figure it out, and the kid'll die when she's supposed to."

Meroko stopped panicking and looked at him with shiny eyes. "Takuto... could it be... that this is your way of finally expressing your love for me?"

Takuto recoiled from her as though she'd physically hit him, looking almost afraid. "No, Meroko, I was just"-

He was cut off by a loud squeal from Meroko. "Oh, Takuto! I knew it! You just can't stand to see your love cry!" Meroko squealed again, launching herself at Takuto.

"Hey! Hey, Meroko, stop it! Let go," he insisted. "We should be watching Usagi."

"Mm, I'm sure she can take care of herself for a few minutes," Meroko protested, trying to gain a little more time with Takuto. No such luck- her partner easily slid through the girl's window and back into her room.

Meroko followed suit shortly, but not before letting out a frustrated sound while puffing her cheeks out. Just why was Takuto so fond of this girl, anyhow!?

**

Ikuko really hated to pry, but enough was enough. Lately it seemed that all Usagi was doing was either causing mischief or getting herself into trouble. She'd let it slide for a while, but now she had to put her foot down. If Usagi became anymore irresponsible, then she'd turn out just like her father.

Oh, and how Ikuko hated that man. Ikuko preferred to try and not to think about the fact that Usagi was his offspring, but it was no use. Not with the way she acted.

Ikuko took a sip of her tea, trying to calm herself down. Her sister had been smitten with that man from day one. Try as she might, she couldn't convince her that he was bad news.

What, though, could they really do? Usagi wasn't the kind of person who tried to make a nuisance of herself. Somehow, she managed it all the same, but...

Ikuko sighed, and rose to her feet, abandoning her half-drunk cup of tea. She climbed the stairs to her niece's bedroom and pressed her ear against it. She half expected to hear her attempting to sing along with some music, but instead. ...it was dead silent.

Well, that wasn't completely true. It sounded like there was some woman with an annoying British accent on the radio advertising some fantasy movie about a girl fighting evil and whatnot, but Usagi was oddly silent.

Ikuko carefully opened the door a few inches, looking in. She was vaguely glad that they'd decided to oil the squeaky door a few weeks ago, or her niece would have known she was there before she'd gotten the door open far enough to get a glimpse of the nearby wall.

Ikuko frowned deeply at what she saw. Usagi sat quietly in front of her desk, saying nothing, doing nothing, but staring down at her desk. Had she been staring up at her beloved moon calendar, Ikuko wouldn't have been worried. However…

Usagi looked deeply troubled, perhaps sad. When she looked at that poster, she was spacing out but it was different. There was a dreamy look in her eyes and a half smile on her face. There was no smile on her face at the moment.

Slowly her small slim hand rose and caressed her equally slim white throat gently. Ikuko's eyes narrowed, and she knew for sure that something was wrong.

Come to think of it, Usagi had been suspiciously quiet all morning. She'd hardly spoken a word, and those few had been extraordinarily soft-spoken. She hadn't even tried to refute her cousin's teasing. Perhaps something had happened.?

Ikuko carefully shut the door, twisting the doorknob so that it would not make a clicking sound. Although it wasn't fair to spy on her privacy, Ikuko did what she had to in order to look after the girl. Indeed, she almost considered Usagi to be her own daughter.

Yet, most likely, nothing had happened yesterday. Usagi was known for being careless and not thinking things through, which was probably why she'd skipped school in the first place. If anything, Usagi had probably belted something out at the top of her lungs on accident.

Ikuko shook her head in thought. Just why couldn't Usagi be a little bit more aware of her situation? So careless.

Ikuko headed into the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing a now-familiar number. It seemed it was time for Wakaouji-sensei to pay a visit.

**

Usagi had given up on trying to ignore Luna by now and was listening intently to what the small cat had to say. Actually, it was interesting, to tell the truth. The more the cat said, the more she became wound up in it.

"Your mission as Sailor Moon is to gather the Sailor Senshi together and to find the Moon Princess. She possesses the key to defeating Queen Beryl and her army of youma."

Meroko's eyes narrowed. Youma? She flipped her small book open, and flipped to the page. There... the word standing blurry... was it possible that the word she'd been unable to recognize was 'youma?'

It's possible, she thought to herself. She wasn't sure, but... she had a bad feeling about this whole senshi business.

Luna hopped off of Usagi's bed and landed on the floor near her desk. "I'm to be your guardian, and I will guide you through this with my wise counsel."

Takuto snorted, unheard by Luna. "'Wise counsel?' Sounds like someone's a bit stuck up."

Usagi flicked her eyes up barely in his direction, inwardly agreeing with his assessment. Indeed, Luna did seem to think a bit highly of herself. "But what if I don't want to be Sailor Moon," she asked, trying to ignore the pain in her throat.

The small cat gave her an impatient and stern look. "I'm afraid that you have no choice." Luna told her, completely serious.

Usagi's eyes narrowed. Just who did she think she was, this cat, to tell her what she did and didn't have to do? All Usagi wanted to do was to sing and be happy- and, of course, to find Motoki-kun. "I think maybe you'd better find someone else to do this," she whispered, though she managed to sound resolute at once.

Takuto nodded his approval, and Meroko gave a cheer. "You tell her!"

Luna frowned and paced a little. "I don't think you understand, Usagi. There is no one else- you're the only one that can become Sailor Moon and defeat the youma."

Usagi shook her head. She didn't need this- not if she had to always feel like this. She didn't have the constitution or the bravery to face that much pain. It was unbearable...

She gingerly touched her throat, as though she needed another reminder of the pain she was having to deal with because of this cat's arrival into her life. "I'm very sorry, but I can't"-

"Usagi," Luna began, obviously losing her patience with the odango-haired girl, "even if you refuse to become Sailor Moon, those youma will continue to appear. The youma will steal their energy, and those people will die without your help."

Usagi's eyes widened. People would die... if she refused to help? Blood on her hands? "No..."

"Yes." Luna insisted, pressing her case harder. "That's why you're needed- to protect those people from being hurt, or even worse-"

Takuto had had enough. Usagi looked absolutely horrified, blue eyes wide and hands tightly fisted. The shinigami floated over to the desk and looked around. Spotting Usagi's notebooks, he gave them a careful nudge... and the pile of three came crashing down on top of Luna's tail.

The unsuspecting cat gave a howl that sounded like bloody murder. She promptly streaked away from that area, running past Usagi, and licked her throbbing tail. Usagi sent a stern look up at Takuto, who was grinning and looked a bit proud of himself.

She then crawled over to Luna, unable to keep the concern off of her face. Even though she didn't particularly like the cat, that didn't mean she wanted to see her get hurt. "Are you alright, Luna?"

"I'm fine," Luna said, sounding a bit snappish. Usagi let it go, thinking that she probably wouldn't feel too kind after having a bunch of books drop on her tail. "But please, think this over."

The cat began to walk out of the room, keeping her tail close to her. Usagi didn't say anything until she was out of the room.

Usagi turned and gave Takuto a reprimanding look. "That wasn't very nice of you," she complained to him.

"Saa... well, seeing as how she was threatening you like that, she earned it," he told her, shrugging his shoulders.

Usagi shook her head; despite that, it wasn't really necessary for him to go that far.

"Usagi," Meroko spoke up, "whatever you do, you can't continue to be this Sailor Moon or whatever. I'm almost positive it's going to make you die an early death!"

Usagi looked at the rabbit girl in shock. "Die... early," she echoed, sounding rather helpless and lost.

Takuto nodded. "That cat's not normal- you know that. But if you continue to use your voice like that, who knows what could happen."

"So... is that why you did that to her," Usagi asked, eyes becoming distant.

Both shinigami nodded together. "We can't let her near you, Usagi- no one's allowed more or less time on this earth than fate allows."

Usagi curled up into a fetal position, and gazed sadly at the transformation brooch Luna had given to her yesterday. What should I do?, she wondered. If only Motoki-kun were here... I'm sure he'd know what to do.

**

Luna left the room in a huff. Well, who exactly could blame her? Her charge was being unreasonably stubborn, and those books had fallen on top of her. Just why did everything happen to her tail, anyhow?

Luna padded down the stairwell thoughtfully, but came to a halt when she heard hushed voices discussing some matter quietly. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but they sounded serious and rather concerned.

Quietly, Luna walked over to the kitchen and peeked her head in the doorway. Sitting at the table was Usagi's mother- or so Luna had assumed- Ikuko and an unfamiliar man. Judging by the sterile smell that dripped off of him and his state of dress, though, he was probably a doctor.

"... I don't know for certain what's wrong. She won't tell me when I ask her." Ikuko explained in a tired voice. "But I know enough to know that something's not right with her- she hardly talks at all, she's not singing, and she's sitting in her room with the excuse that she's doing homework."

The older woman poured herself another cup of tea, and offered the kettle to the man. He declined it, instead. "So you think she hurt her throat," he asked in a quiet, gentle voice.

Ikuko nodded in a grave manner. "It's those same mannerisms that always give her away- holding her throat, refusing to speak, holing herself up in her room..." Ikuko made a 'tsk'ing sound and set her cup down a little more forcefully than she needed to. "I don't know who she thinks she's fooling. She's lived with us for two years now."

Two years? How was it that a girl as old as Usagi had only been living with this family for two years...? Had she been adopted, or was it something a bit deeper than that? Luna frowned; although she looked down upon eavesdropping, if it had to do with her charge then she needed to hear it.

"Mm," he nodded an affirmative, vaguely agreeing with her. He took a sip of his own cup of tea and cast a glance up towards the floor above them. "So she's up there now?"

"Yes." Ikuko affirmed. "She must have hurt it yesterday when she was out in the city... Though goodness only knows why she was there in the first place."

"The city," the man asked, becoming increasingly concerned by what he was hearing. What had Usagi been doing out in the middle of the city? It was dangerous. "What was she doing there?"

"Skipping school, apparently." Ikuko quipped drily. Her eyes narrowed a bit at the thought. "Honestly, she can be so careless, but to slack off in such a manner? It's unacceptable..."

Ikuko came back to the present and focused on the man in front of her. "I don't know what to do, Wakaouji-sensei. She refuses to tell me what happened, but perhaps she'll tell you," she asked, looking a bit hopeful.

Luna could see that Ikuko was trying to be a good mother by looking out for Usagi, but somehow she got the feeling that Usagi wouldn't be happy if she knew her mother was using this man to get to her.

"I will talk to her," he agreed, though Luna could detect a trace of reluctance in his voice. He probably didn't want to pry, she figured. "But I really should get to work- I don't mind doing a checkup for Usagi-chan, but I'm afraid I don't have much time."

Ikuko blinked, eyes widening a bit. She looked up at the kitchen clock- a genuine Felix the Cat one, complete with synchronized swishing eyes and tail, Luna noted with amusement. "Ah, yes! I'm very sorry, Wakaouji-sensei." Ikuko apologized, drawing her chair back and standing up. "I wasn't thinking, I'm afraid."

He followed suit shortly after, grabbing his brief case. "It's quite alright, Tsukino-san," he assured her, turning around. Luna was surprised by this man's appearance- he looked surprisingly young, with sandy blonde hair and gentle brown eyes. There was a note of sadness, however, hidden just behind that placid manor- just enough to remind a person how old he must feel inside.

He spotted her, and for a moment, cat and doctor locked gazes. Wakaouji was surprised- there was something about the red eyed cat- besides the color of its eyes- that was unnerving. It was the intelligence inside of those eyes...

In the end, Luna broke the staring contest by giving off a small meow and promptly rubbing her lithe body against his pant leg. Wakaouji smiled just a bit to himself, and shook those thoughts out of his head. Cats were just like any other animal, and this cat was no different for the rest.

He bent down and patted Luna on the head benignly."I didn't realize that you all had gotten a cat," he commented.

"Ah. She's a new addition to our family, apparently. She just showed up her last night, and I figured we could use a cat to keep the mice out of the house. She's not much trouble anyhow."

Wakaouji nodded. "Demo... what's that bald spot on her head," he asked curiously, pointing the moon insignia on Luna's head.

Instantly Luna puffed up in irritation. Bald spot indeed! That 'bald spot' made her different from any other cat. Irritably, she swiped at his hand, and he drew back in response. She then zipped off to another room to think to herself.

"Are you alright?" Ikuko queried, concerned. "Let me get some neosporin for that..."

Wakaouji shook his head in response. "That's alright, I'm sure it will be just fine. And it probably hurts less than her ego, anyhow. Shall we go see Usagi, then," he asked, tying a handkerchief around his hand.

Luna watched the man go upstairs while Ikuko remained in the kitchen. Why would they have a doctor here to see Usagi about her throat? Why would a doctor be making a house call, anyhow? That was hardly done anymore...

Luna frowned. Was it possible that Usagi had tried to tell her the truth, and that Luna had refused to believe her? This requires further investigation, she decided before bounding up the stairs after him to listen
in.

**

Usagi closed her eyes in an effort to block the pain. She wasn't even aware she had a visitor until they lay a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she jerked her head up and turned to meet the warm worried eyes of her doctor. "Wakaouji-sensei," she whispered. "What are you doing here?"

Wakaouji's eyes narrowed as the girl refused to speak in a normal tone. It was obvious she had strained her throat somehow, even without a checkup. "Your aunt was worried about you, Usagi-chan." His voice was solemn as he mulled over another matter. "I want you to answer me, ne?" He softly demanded.

"H…hai?" Usagi swallowed nervously and ignored the burning sensation it caused. Had he found out about her new identities? Was he going to tell her aunt about them?

"Why were you in the middle of the city yesterday? You know how dangerous it is out there. What would have happened if you got sick, or if you got hurt?" He clearly wasn't pleased. "You should have called me, if you were going there, Usagi-chan. Going alone is too dangerous, so why were you out there?"

Usagi glanced away, unable to meet his stern gaze. It wasn't that she was alone, but how could she explain to him that she had two shinigami and a talking cat with her? As trusting as he was, she doubted he would believe her. "Well…" She sighed and prayed he wouldn't be upset if he ever found out the truth. "I was at an audition."

If possible, Wakaouji's eyes narrowed even more. "That's dangerous, Usagi-chan. I'm doing my best to stop your cancer without surgery, but if you continue straining your voice like this I'll have no choice but to get your aunt's approval without your own."

Fear lanced through Usagi's eyes and she desperately grabbed at the doctor's sleeve. "Please, please don't," she pleaded. "It wasn't a singing audition… I was auditioning to be a model."

Almost instantly he relaxed and nodded slightly. "Modeling, ne? I can approve that, but I don't want you running around alone any more. I'll take you where you need to go if you need it." A thought struck him and he eyed her with interest. "Ne, Usagi-chan, you didn't put down your aunt's name under guardian… did you?"

Usagi flushed and bowed her head deeply. "Gomen nasai!" she apologized and was relieved she didn't feel any pain from the raise in her voice. "It's just… Obaa-san…. She'd never agree and then… I wouldn't be able to find him."

Understanding dawned in his eyes and he nodded. "I see… You're doing this for Motoki-kun." He smiled and patted her on the head as he pulled out his instruments and checked her throat. "Even so, I don't want you getting hurt, Usagi-chan."

Usagi nodded, properly reprimanded. "Hai…" She agreed in a soft sigh. Honestly, Wakaouji-sensei seemed to lecture her more than that weird cat did sometimes. It wasn't like she was in the worst part of town, either. "But..."

Wakaouji finished his checkup and got to his feet. "It doesn't look like the cancer itself has spread, but your throat looks really tender, Usagi-chan. Whatever you did yesterday, irritated it. Please be more careful, unless you want to have a forced stay at the hospital." He smiled warmly at her and gently ruffled her hair. "Take care, Usagi-chan. Try to behave for your aunt, ne?" He questioned with a soft grin before leaving the room.

**

Luna was stunned, and barely moved out of the way to avoid being stepped on by the suddenly frowning doctor. What was wrong with him? She glanced up in an attempt to judge his mood but was shoved to the side as he strode past. He obviously wasn't happy. Was the news worse than she thought? Horrified at the thought, Luna jogged after him, so missed the next conversation.

**

"Ne, Takuto, did you hear that?" Meroko was beaming. "Ne, Usagi-chan, who is Motoki-kun? Your koibito?" She grinned at the thought. So this girl wasn't after her Takuto!

Usagi turned a deep red and stared at the ground. "He's not my koibito… yet." Her face flamed even more at this admission.

"But he's the one your heart longs for, right?" Meroko demanded as her grin grew even larger. "Saa young love, this is so great," She turned to Takuto and noticed him fuming. She ignored him and turned back to Usagi with a grin. "So tell me the story!"

Usagi turned a deep red and stared at the ground. "Two years ago… I met Motoki-kun, that was before I came to live with Obaa-san… But I met Motoki-kun and we grew really close… Due to circumstances beyond our control, Motoki-kun had to leave and go live in America… Before he left we made a promise that we'd each fulfill our dreams. He asked me to shine brightly so he can find me faster…" Her voice trailed off and she sighed. Such long explanations strained her. "Before he left he told me of his feelings, but I didn't know how to respond… I want to see him again, I want to tell him how I feel…"

"And then?" Meroko questioned. "What's happened since then? Have you gotten any mail or a phone call or anything?"

Usagi shook her head sadly. "I have no idea how to get in touch with him…But, if I accomplish my dream of becoming a singer, my name might even reach somewhere as far as America. Then… Motoki-kun will surely notice me…" Her eyes fell as she blushed at the thought.

A closed fist thumped against the wall and Usagi winced at the dull sound. "Shinigami-san?" She questioned as she edged away from the fuming shinigami. What was wrong with him?

"Is that what that doctor meant when he asked if you were doing all this for him? Are you really just wanting to be a singer to catch the attention of some guy?" He shook his head in disgust at the idea. "I won't support something like that! I thought you had honest feelings about wanting to become a singer." He stepped away and his fists were clenched in his rage. "That's wrong! If you don't have pure intentions of becoming a singer, you can't be a good singer!" He pointed his finger at the startled girl. "Quit singing immediately!"

Usagi was taken aback by his pure rage. "Demo," she protested. "I'm going to work really hard… I'm not going to quit singing, ever." She was aware that arguing with the one that brought out one of her split personalities probably wasn't such a bright idea, but she couldn't quit! Not after she had worked so hard.

"That's right!" Meroko protested. She didn't like the fact that her Takuto was so wound up over this. "What part of doing this for a guy makes it immoral? She only wants to find the one she loves!"

Takuto scowled. "What part of doing it for a guy is moral?" he snapped back. "Besides, such faith after being neglected for two years is abnormal!" He stared at the speechless Usagi as he uttered his next words, "face it, you've been dumped! He's probably already with another girl over there, how else can you explain his silence?"

Usagi shook her head in protest. "Motoki-kun would never do that!" She ignored the sharp pain that lanced through her. She wasn't going to doubt Motoki, no, she refused to! "He'd never do that…"

"Anyway," Takuto took a step towards the window, "Someone as disrespectful as you will never sing again!" Before Usagi could protest he took out through the window with Meroko close behind.

**

By the time evening came about, Meroko had returned but Takuto had not. "I guess he was serious…" Usagi sighed and closed her eyes. Ever since Wakaouji-sensei had visited, Luna had remained strangely silent and hadn't pestered her since. What had happened there?

**

Unbeknownst to her, for the crime of attacking the doctor, Luna had been forced to sleep in the backyard for the night with no means of getting inside. Ikuko wasn't about to let some cat scratch up her adopted daughter. Maybe it was time to set up an appointment to pull out the cat's claws?

From high above Takuto sat on the roof as he stared at the moon. As much fun as he usually had when torturing the strange animal, at the moment he was still too furious. How could that little blonde take singing so lightly? He had wasted his powers on someone so shallow… With a curse he slammed his fist into the roof and closed his eyes. He had made his decision, but why did he still hear her song echoing in his head?

**

"So this is his picture?" The plush bunny queried as she stared at the single image Usagi had of Motoki. "Kawaii!" She noticed that Usagi was being quieter than normal and glanced over at the girl to see her slumped over and hugging her knees as she stared distractedly at nothing.

"Motoki-kun…He couldn't possibly have… He's not like that…" Usagi closed her eyes as she felt tears brimming. What did that shinigami know anyhow? Motoki wouldn't ever betray her like that…She let out a soft sob and buried her head in her pillow as she allowed the tears to come.

Meroko sighed. Geeze, what was wrong with Takuto? Didn't he realize the delicate nature of a girl's heart? With a frustrated sigh she flew through the room and to the roof as she pulled out the small book. Maybe the letters would be clearer in the moonlight.

**

The next morning Usagi's throat hurt even more than the day before. She lavishly sprayed the medicine that Wakaouji-sensei had given her, but it seemed to do little for the dull throbbing ache. Her eyes were puffy from her late night crying session, and Ikuko sent her straight back to bed when she made her morning's appearance. So now Usagi was stuck in her room, bored and still vastly upset. It wasn't fair! Her family was going out today and because she looked so horrible she had been forced to stay home.

"Ne," Called an excited voice before Meroko appeared with a set of cards in her hand. "Today's your lucky day, I'm going to tell you your future." She shuffled the set and with a grin held them in a large fan before dipping them towards Usagi. "Take one."

Usagi nodded and picked a card near the center. As she got an eyeful of it she started to pale. Why had she picked the deathlike card? "Anno…"

Meroko took the offered card and grinned. "Super lucky!" She helped the confused girl up and smiled. "This card tells me that we're going shopping!" She pulled Usagi's hand and led her downstairs and out of the house. "Hurry up, we don't want to miss the sales for today!"

As the two girls left the house, Takuto noticed them from his perch on the roof. "Where are those two going?" He wondered as he noticed Meroko's plush form held tightly in Usagi's arms. "Ah, Meroko's with her so I'll leave it to her." He stretched out and lay his head down again. That girl had really upset him, how could she sing with such a voice when her motives were so impure?

**

"Ah," Usagi picked up an assortment of different whistles as she looked around. "Kirei…" She blinked as she realized that Meroko had left her side and paused to look around for the rabbit. "Meroko?"

As she looked around for the rabbit she spotted a popular booth with a long line. "Wow," she gushed as she glanced at the sign. "Fortune telling? Maybe I should go in…"

"Usagi-chan!" A boy with a thick pair of spiral glasses noticed her as he left the entrance to the fortune teller's hut. "Why haven't you been in school? Everyone in class was worried. Are you skipping today too?"

Something about his eyes sent a shiver through Usagi and she took a step back until she felt she was a safe distance away. "Iie…" she raised a hand to her throat. "It hurts," she attempted to explain in few words as possible.

"Usagi-chan…" The soft words came from behind the duo and Usagi turned to meet the eyes of the one she had dreamed of for so long.

"Motoki-kun?" it was a soft gasp and she started to take a step towards him when she realized the odd classmate had a grip on her. "Anno… Please let go…"

Umino somehow managed to loosen his grip and blinked as he looked around. "Usagi-san!" He squeaked as he turned a bright red. "What are you doing here? Is your throat okay?" He would of asked more questions but the girl was staring at an older boy and all but ignoring her weird classmate. With a sigh of depression Umino turned to go home unaware that the card in his pocket started to glow a soft red.

"Usagi-chan… Is it really you?" Motoki took a step forward as he studied her. "You've grown so pretty, Usagi-chan…" Another step and he was at her side and leading her towards a bench as her eyes welled with tears. "Daijoubu, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi couldn't stop from smiling. "Motoki-kun, how did you find me? I've been waiting for you so long…" Her voice cracked and she turned her head away slightly. How could she tell Motoki what he meant to her? How could she possibly explain that he was her rock, that when she was in pain all she had to do was bring his image to mind and that the pain would vanish? How?

"You're really popular, Usagi-chan. Full Moon is famous." He ignored her startled look and gently grabbed her hands. "But its what brought us together… So you can quit it now and we can spend the rest of our life with each other."

Usagi pulled back startled. "Quit singing?" She was unaware of a silent shinigami watching her from behind a tree, "are you really Motoki-kun?" She questioned as she pulled away from the warm hands. "Motoki-kun would know I'll never quit singing… It's my dream!"

Motoki stared at her speechless and sprang up, "It was a joke, a joke," he protested as he rapidly began to laugh. "See? Nothing but a joke." As he realized she was starting to buy it he let out a sigh of relief, "Ah look at the time! I'll be in touch, Usagi-chan, but I've got to go now, got a big appointment, ja ne!" As he rushed away Usagi started to get to her feet to chase after him when she noticed that Takuto was in her way and refusing to let her pass. During the distraction, Motoki vanished out of her sight.