Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Run Away ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
ONE

"Today's top story; the identity of Sail-"
Tsukino Usagi shut off the television. She looked out her window to see a large crowd gathering outside her front door. It was almost time for school. Three weeks. That all it had taken to accumulate to this. In one moment of stupidity, Usagi had allowed her true identity to become public knowledge. Why had Umino been in the perfect place at the perfect time anyway? Why did he just happen to have a Cam-corder at that perfect time? No one knew. Though he was asked fervently, Umino would not tell anyone why and how he had know that Usagi would be there. And so it would be until the day he died, Usagi would wager. Now, however, there was nothing that she or anyone else could do. She just had to cope with her life as it is now. A terribly cruel joke. Dodging crowds by day, trying to regain the lost trust of friends and family by night. Usagi hated what it was doing to her and her loved ones. Her family; her mom, dad, brother. They didn't know how to treat her now. Her parents ignored it as best they could, but Shingo's eyes always told her the truth. She had hurt them all. No never mind about not wanting to get them involved with her alter-ego's magnetic pull on evil. The fact that she hadn't told them the truth, that she didn't trust them was all they thought of. The senshi were a little better about it. They at least understood why she hadn't told her parents. Of course, now suspicion was being cast upon them. How long would it be until the media made an official report? Usagi knew that was their biggest fear. So it was decided-through much travel on the cats' parts-that meetings would no longer contain Usagi, the only time she would be able to talk to them would be at school, and they were to treat her with the same awe or hurt as the rest of her friends. Rei and Chibi-usa tried to comfort usagi as much as possible, but it never helped. Usagi just moped all alone in her room. Sometimes they would come see Usagi. They would come at night when no one was watching and slip unnoticed into her window. But that had to be late at night. There was always a large crowed at night, waiting for usagi to leave her window as Sailor Moon. That was the only way she could see Mamoru. He was the only one who treated Usagi the same as before she had be found out. Though his teasing was always
about not letting her guard down or not to slip up again. Nothing purposely
hurtful, but that didn't keep his remarks from cutting her down. Of course, just like Shingo, there was hurt in his eyes whenever she looked in them. Not hurt like in Shingo's but just pain he felt. Pain for her, for him, for their daughter. Then was enough to send Usagi into depression. So this is what arrogance had left the poor fourteen-invincible teen. Too depressed, even, to get on with her miserable life.
"Usagi? It's time to go to school. Are you ready?" her father called up the stairs.
"yes, Dad. I'll be down in a minute." Usagi called back. Usagi grabbed her book bag hastily and left her room. She stood quietly at the front door, not wanting t meet the eyes of the people she had hurt most. She mentally readied herself to make a run for it. 1...2...3!
Usagi swung the door wide and raced out the door. All the screams, yells, and cries at once nearly overwhelmed Usagi. And as she weeded her way through the reaching and grabbing hands as fast as she could, a hand caught hold of her long thick pony-tail. Usagi fell hard on her shoulder. As she landed the crowed became rowdy and began to stampeded to her. All usagi could see her hands reaching, and grabbing, and ripping her cloths in some very unseemly places. Some girl took her bag and ran off with it. Some guy left scratches all over her arms, legs, and face bloody and welting. Strands of her long blond hair was being pulled, strand by painful strand.
"Help! Help!" Usagi cried in vain.
An unnoticed hand reached into the crowd and seized Usagi's writs. Somehow the saving hand managed to pull Usagi free and drag her down the street. With her eyes on the crowd racing to catch them, Usagi didn't know who had saved her and, at the moment, she didn't much care. The person lead her into and old abandoned alley and up and equally old fire escape. As the mob followed them, Usagi pressed herself against the wall and crouched down.
"Where'd she go?!" a girl with green hair asked.
"I think I saw her go tha' da way!" Another girl, with red-brown hair called back. While the Moonie Mob filed out, the brunette looked up at the two of them and winked. It had been Osaka Naru that had led the crowd away. With that, Naru jogged out of the alley and left Usagi and her savior alone.
"Are you all right, Usa-ko?" Asked the thankfully familiar voice.
"Yeah, I think so. Thank you, Mamo-chan." Usagi replied with a long, slow sigh.
"This is getting serious," Mamoru said as he dropped from the old latter. "You need to get out of here." He turned to help Usagi down. "They'll be coming back soon. And I wouldn't recommend going to school. It'll just be the same thing there, too."
"I know, but...damn it, Mamoru! What am I supposed to do?!" Usagi cried, so frustrated she was swearing. Something that Usagi never did, but since recent events, Usagi was doing more and more of.
Mamoru gave a long sigh of exasperation. "I don't know, Usa-ko. I just don't want to see you get hurt. I'm sorry for patronizing. I keep forgetting that you can take care of yourself now."
Usagi chuckled a bit ruefully and hugged him. "Thank you, Mamo-chan. I know you mean well."
"There she is!!!!!"
"Usagi-chan! Run!" Naru shouted from somewhere.
"Race you back to my house?" Mamoru nodded and they ran.

All the way back to Usagi's house, she and Mamoru talked. Mostly about the possibility of him going to a collage in America after her got out o high school. Usagi wasn't really happy about it, but she decided to be hopeful for his sake. Finally, about lunch time, they thankfully reached Usagi house. All the running and the dodging
had made Usagi hungry.
"Bye, Mamo-chan," Usagi said before she walked up to her front door. "And, please don't tease me, any. It's getting on my nerves." She added as he opened his mouth to say something. he promptly closed it. Usagi reached up suddenly and kissed him, then ran into her house, calling a good-bye over her shoulder.
"Luna? Chibi-usa? Mom, Dad, Shingo? Anyone?" usagi asked the empty air inside the Tsukino home.
"Hmmm. They must be out looking for me. Oh, well. More food for me!"
Usagi turned on the living room television. and opened the door of the refrigerator before she deftly began to rummage through it.
"Today, we launch into our week long investigation into the identities of the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen..." Usagi slowly raised her head above the door of the fridge and stared at the television screen. "Sources tell us this: Sailor Mercury...Hino Rie; Sailor Mars...Mizuno Ami; Sailor Jupiter...Anio Minako; Sailor Venus--also known as Sailor V--Kino Makoto; Tuxedo Kamen...Kumada Yuuichirou. We have yet to..."
Usagi couldn't stop staring at the television.
"Oh, my God! no, this can't be happening." Usagi shut the fridge door without looking. "They've got me; now they want them, too! And they got it wrong, too! I can't let this happen. I don't want anyone getting mauled on the street but me...wait! Did they say they thought Yuuichirou was Tuxedo Kamen?!" Usagi shook the thought from her head. "I have got to do something! I've-"
Bring, bring, bring!
Usagi dashed up the stares to her room and let over her bed to get her communicator.
"Help! Urg...is anyone...oof! Is anyone there?! Ow! Let go of me! Get out of MY temple NOW!" came the slightly frizzy voice.
"Rei? Rei, are you all right?" Usagi asked, alerted.
"Hey! let go of that! Usagi?! Where are you? I need help. These stupid people think I'm Sailor Mercury. And they think Yuuichirou's Mamoru!"
"Rei! I'll protect yo-"
Rei was silent for a moment, but the ruckus in the background continued.
"Rei? Rei, what happened?"
Rei sighed. "Yuuichirou tripped into a closet and got himself locked in it. Get down here, quick."
"I'll be there as soon as I can!" Rei nodded in the little screen of the writs-watch sized communicator. The screen went blank and Usagi vaulted over her bed again to get her favorite toy.
"Moon POWER! Turn me into a police woman!"
Usagi's body was suddenly engulfed in a navy blue light with the light of a full moon and a circle of stars surrounding her. She sprang into the air as the lights became unbearably bright. When the light faded a slender, uniformed police officer stood in the mirror. Usagi gawked at the image for a moment. "I'm never going to get used to that." Then she was out the front door and running down the street.

Usagi arrived at the crowded Hikawa Shrine.
"let go! Don't..." cried an angry voice.
"Oh, boy. Rei is not a happy camper." Usagi whispered warily.
"Get. Out. NOW!" The enraged voice roared again.
Usagi grabbed the whistle around her neck and blew a loud, long note. Nothing happened. Every man, woman, and child in the place continued on like Usagi wasn't even worth their time.
"Jerks." She sent up a silent prayer as she pulled the very real gun from its holster. Aiming up high in the sky, Usagi sent another prayer that no one would get hurt and pulled the trigger, setting off three shots.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The entire temple was silent for a single moment, then all hell broke lose. Everyone in or near the temple ran for the street like Usagi did the Ice Cream Man to avoid getting 'arrested.' When everyone finally cleared out, Usagi raced inside to find the bruised and battered Rei lying on her back, panting.
"Rei?! Rei, are you all right?!" Usagi asked concerned. Usagi slapped the dazed girl lightly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I think so." Rei shook her head and sat up slowly. "Where did everybody go? What did you do?" Rei looked Usagi over. "What are you wearing and why are you wearing it?"
"I pulled a stunt that's gonna have me in hot water for a while with Luna. Don't worry about it. Are you all right? Do you need a doctor?" Usagi looked the dark haired girl over. "In this disguise I can all but break the law. Need an escort to the hospital?" Usagi inquired with a phony superhero smile.
Rei looked at her friend for a moment, then broke up laughing, sending Usagi into a laughing fit as well.
"So, what took you so long?" Rei asked, sobering to quickly for it to be serious.
Usagi stopped her hysterical laughing and gave Rei a look of indignation.
"What do you mean, 'what took you so long'?!" Usagi nearly shrieked. "It's not like I answered you in detention! Wha'd you expect me to do? Come as myself?!"
"No, I expected you to morph while running. Coulda got here faster." Rei replied with a hidden smile.
"God! There is just no pleasing you!..."
Rei and Usagi continued their argument about how much faster Usagi could have gotten to the temple and by what method.
Usagi smiled inwardly as she left for home. "Thank you, Rei. For letting me think of other things besides this problem." She said to herself alone. Then she ran all the way home, smiling.