Wanderers | Part 1 : Dissonance | Chapter 1
by Ai and Eternal Angel
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
email : tennyo@usa-ko.com
http://www.geocities.com/hime05


	"Please, Mamo-chan?"

	She looked at him sweetly as he shook his head, determined 
not to give in. "Iie, Usa.  You already know how I feel on the 
matter."

	"But it would be adorable..."

	"Iie."

	"Why not?!"  Usagi held up the disgustingly cute rabbit poster 
she had bought for him that morning.  Mamoru cringed at the thought 
of the poster hanging on the wall of his very stylish apartment.

	"We've been over this.  I have no space for it.  It doesn't 
match the decor."

	"Since when do men care about decor?!"

	"Since they started printing posters as atrocious as that 
one!"

	"Chibiusa-chan likes it!"

	"Don't bring me into this!"  Chibiusa wailed from the spare 
room, where she was busily studying for a math test.

	"Give it up, Usagi-chan," Luna moaned, exasperated.  "He's 
not giving in."  She was rather relieved to be rid of the horrible 
print herself.

	Usagi sighed and stared at the beloved poster, a nauseatingly 
lively 24x30 menagerie of rabbits, daisies, and pink.  She had bought 
it for him thinking the walls of his place were too dull.  But for 
some reason she had yet to understand, he had refused.

	"Can't you put up one poster?  This place is worse than a hospital 
room."

	"May I remind you who owns it?"

	Usagi's face fell.  "I see."  Sniffing theatrically, she rolled up 
the poster and allowed a lone tear to drip 
down her cheek.

	Mamoru groaned.  He hated seeing her upset.  "Well...maybe 
there's some space for it in the bedroom..."

	Instantly, she had perked up, the tears streaming down her 
face forgotten as she kissed him quickly.  With that, she bounced 
into the bedroom, ecstatic that she had gotten her way.  Mamoru 
didn't know which was worse, seeing her upset and crying or letting 
her win.  He had to be careful about that, because if he wasn't, the 
next thing he knew the whole apartment would be swathed in pink, 
lace, and rabbits.  He cringed at the thought of how hellish that 
would be for him to see every day for the rest of his life.

	And yet...he did like having her around.  The last two months since the 
final battle at the Cauldron had been some of the best of his life.  
Peace was here...only a few more years until Crystal Tokyo...Mamoru 
had the feeling he had a very silly grin on his face but didn't 
actually care.

	"Mamo-chan..." Usagi walked back out, pleased with her 
handiwork and eager to show it to him.  "I didn't punch too many 
extra holes in the wall," she stated proudly, "and I think it's only 
a little crooked.  You can fix it later if you'd like...what are you 
smiling about?"

	In an unusual display of affection, Mamoru gathered up the 
small rabbit in his arms, closed his eyes, and leaned in, at first 
simply breathing in her lilac scent and gently stroking her face.  
She was literally glowing, delighted by his caresses.  Sighing 
dreamily, Usagi closed her eyes and waited (none too patiently) for 
what came next.  He smiled a little, happy to oblige.  But just as 
his lips brushed hers...

	"MAMO-CHAN!  You promised you'd help me review for my math test!"  
A highly agitated Chibiusa immediately walked out, 
Diana sitting on her head.  They both looked rather impatient.

	Mamoru let go of Usagi and turned away, much to her 
disappointment.  Usagi clenched her fists and wondered if she could 
be arrested for the murder of someone who technically hadn't been 
born yet.  She raged silently as Luna and Diana sniggered at the 
sight of her face, she was clearly on the edge of boiling over.  But 
she held her tongue, much to their surprise, while Chibiusa dragged 
Mamoru towards her waiting textbooks.

	Diana and Luna stayed behind, concerned about the steam 
coming out of Usagi's ears.  "Usagi-chan, don't blow a gasket or 
anything," Luna warned, "she's just a kid."

	But to their surprise, Usagi simply took a deep breath and 
snatched up the manga she had left sitting on Mamoru's couch.  Then, 
she promptly plunked down and started to read.  Luna and Diana 
exchanged glances.  Could Usagi be getting a little more mature...?

	"I don't care if she's my future child, you do NOT interrupt 
when MY boyfriend is about to kiss me," she whined through clenched 
teeth.  Luna and Diana sweatdropped as the answer became painfully 
clear to them.

	"You know, Usagi-sama, you *could* use this time to do a 
little studying yourself," Diana offered, and Usagi stared at her.  
All of a sudden, a pillow went flying towards the lilac kitty, which 
she dodged miraculously.  Seeming calmer, Usagi returned to her manga 
and paid no heed to the taunts of the cats.

	The next thing she became aware of was Mamoru shaking her.  
"Usa-ko, time to go home," he said.

	"Do I have to?" she groaned at him.

	"Yes.  Do you really want to see your father's shotgun 
pointed directly at my forehead?"  She giggled, and he pretended to 
scowl.  "Oh, so you think that's funny?"

	"Very," she said, laughing even harder.  In her mind, she 
could see her father's bright red face and Mamoru sweatdropping as 
he stared at the barrel that had been shoved into his forehead.  "I 
can picture that..."

	"Great," he groaned.  "I didn't want to hear that confirmed, 
you know."

	She only laughed more.  "Seriously, can I stay here tonight?  
I'll call my okaa-chan and..."

	"Don't you have school in the morning?"

	"I can wear the same fuku to school tomorrow.  It's not like 
anyone'll notice..."

	"No fair!" Chibiusa walked in.  "If she gets to stay, then so 
do I!"

	Mamoru groaned.  "All right, fine..." he grumbled.

	Both girls started jumping up and down with joy.  Mamoru just 
shook his head.

		*	*	*	*	*	*

	It was dead still...only one sound pervaded her ears; the 
crackling of the blue fire before her.  Despite her misery, she felt 
strangely soothed in the presence of the blaze.  Still, its cheering 
warmth did not prevent tears from continuing to roll down her cheeks.

	Her sobs started up again as another wave of grief and 
loneliness coursed through her.  She rested her head in her folded 
arms in a pathetic attempt to comfort herself.  It didn't help.  Her 
heart was simply too shattered to allow any form of relief.  She 
continued to weep, her cries echoing through the room.  The chamber 
was built to have excellent acoustics, and though the rooms 
reverberations had once enchanted her, they disturbed her now, making 
her cries that much louder in her ears. The echoes of her cries 
seemed to mock her present situation and remind her of everything 
she had lost.

	Slowly, she became aware of a presence behind her.  Incredulous, 
yet overjoyed, she stood up swiftly and turned around, curious to see who 
was still alive.

	A proud, lovely nymph with wavy, chestnut hair tumbling down 
her back, with two small odangos in her hair stood before her.  
Bawling, she launched herself into the nymph's arms, both relieved at 
the sight of another person and ashamed of her lack of restraint.  

	The proud nymph sat down on the edge of the stones where the 
fire blazed, and enveloped the girl in her arms, gently rocking her 
and whispering soothing words into her ears as sobs racked her body.  
Clutching the nymph, she wept fiercely, desperately attempting to 
find release for her agony.  Gradually, the wailings died down, and 
were replaced with a dismal sniffle.

	Having calmed the young woman, the nymph gently removed the 
small girl from her embrace and stood up.  She was not exactly a 
motherly type, but...well...in times such as this there really was no 
one else to offer comfort - literally.  Looking over the silver-
haired young woman, really more a child in some ways, she felt a 
surge of pity rise in her heart.

	The nymph stroked the young girl's cheek as she sobbed again.  
"You should not cry so, little one.  Tell me, why do you weep?"

	"I-It's so lonely...everyone has died."  She said, her body 
shaking violently as the sobs had become uncontrollable again, 
undermining her efforts to stop crying.  Soon though, the tears 
slowly reduced  to nothing, so the nymph continued, "As was 
inevitable.  May I remind you that they died for your happiness?"

	"I didn't want this!"  the young woman screamed, roughly 
pushing the nymph's arms away.  Her crying started up again, and she 
ignored all attempts the nymph made at comforting her.

	This time, the nymph was a little less patient with her.  
"Are you not an entity of divine power?  You are graced with a power 
unlike any other.  Bring back your loved ones, then."

	Panic swept through her, wrenching her heart.  She grew 
extremely silent, her eyes wide, tears still streaming from her 
terrified eyes.  "I-I-I can't do that."

	The nymph clucked like a mother hen.  "You cry because you 
are lonely, then refuse to do anything about it.  A nice little mess 
you're in, isn't it?  I thought you were a true senshi!  Well, 
expect no more sympathy from me!"  And with that, she vanished from 
sight.

	"No!" Usagi cried as she sat up in bed.  Her cheeks were wet 
and she was trembling in fear.  As she began to recover, she 
reflected on her strange vision.

	Was this dream foreshadowing the future that might lie ahead?  Were 
the senshi going to die?  Who was this nymph?...she seemed awfully 
familiar.  Almost...almost like she was within the embrace of her own 
mother when she had entered her arms.  And yet the woman was so cold 
and detached with her.  And what was she so afraid of?  She had been 
through so much worse than that, yet she never felt so afraid as she 
did when the nymph suggested she use her power.  But what was the 
power?  Was it the crystal...?

	She glanced over at Mamoru, questions still swarming in her 
head as she found that he was asleep.  He had been exhausted this 
past week, with exams, work, and helping Chibiusa with studying to 
deal with.  His eyes were crinkled and his mouth was slightly ajar.  
With the moonlight streaming onto his face, he looked so peaceful, 
so innocent, like a child.  She couldn't help but grin.

	She then remembered that her cheeks were probably stained 
with the warm tears she had shed while sleeping.  Not wanting to 
alarm him in the morning when he saw her tearstained cheeks, she got 
up and went to the bathroom as quietly as possible, trying to not 
wake her love up, a task that she may not have been able to achieve 
two years ago.  Then, she shut the door deftly behind her.

	She turned on the light and her eyes went wide with horror 
as she gazed at her reflection.  Her face...it had red stained upon 
it, sticky with exposure to the air...definitely blood.  She 
shuddered and checked it she had cut herself while sleeping without 
feeling anything, but soon realized that the blood was from the 
tears that had fallen down her cheeks.  She'd been crying blood?!

	Grabbing a towel that she had dipped in lukewarm water from 
the sink, she began to rub the stains off her face.  She scrubbed 
hard, wanting all traces of the blood off of her.  Her face became 
tender and red from her vicious scouring.  She ignored the irritation 
of her skin as she continued to wash, desperately 
attempting to scrub the blood and the fright of the dream away.  And 
though she succeeded with the blood, her efforts to assuage her 
nerves were in vain.

	After all traces of the blood were off and her face was an 
odd color of reddish pink, she smiled shakily, satisfied as she 
turned off the light and left the bathroom.

	By now, Luna was sitting where Usagi had just been sleeping, 
her round cinnamon eyes illuminated in the moonlight.  She stared at 
Usagi, who just exited the bathroom, with suspicion written on her 
face.

	"Are you all right?" she asked in a low tone, considerate of 
Mamoru sleeping beside her.

	"I'm fine," Usagi lied, plastering on a fake smile.  There 
was something almost...intimate about the dream.  She didn't feel 
like telling Luna about her mysterious vision, despite the fact she 
knew she probably should.

	"Are you sure?"  Luna was not convinced by her act, "I heard 
a cry."

	"I know," she asserted.  "I wonder why...I can't remember a 
thing now.  Maybe I dreamed Mamo-chan was leaving me!"  she laughed 
nervously.

	Mamoru grunted softly and began to stir.  "See what you've 
done?" Usagi hissed at the cat with a frown.  "Now he's waking up!"

	Luna glared at her with globular eyes.  "*You're* the one 
who's sneaking around in the middle of the night!"

	"Who's sneaking around what?"  Mamoru asked quietly, still 
half asleep.  He sleepily opened his eyes to see the two staring at 
each other intensely.  "Why is everyone awake?  Are you alright, 
Usako?"

	"Fine, Mamo-chan," she chirped, ignoring Luna's 
protestations.  Then, with a final, vindictive little glower, she 
shoved the cat out of her spot and off the bed.  Luna gave her a 
death look, but was completely disregarded, much to her annoyance.

	Smiling down at her, Mamoru wrapped his arms around 
Usagi and swiftly fell back asleep.  Usagi, on the other hand, did not 
follow easily.  The memory of the dream was far too vivid in her mind 
and she couldn't help but be frightened.  The visions seemed to haunt 
her psyche.

		*	*	*	*	*	*

	"All ready for your test, Chibiusa-chan?"  Mamoru asked her as 
he popped some bread in the toaster.

	She nodded.  "Thanks for helping me with my math last night, 
Mamo-chan!"  When he turned away, Usagi stuck her tongue out at her.  
The child gloated.  "I want to do really well on this.  The exams 
for Junior High are coming up, and I want to get into a good school."

	"I wish your mother was more inclined to study," Mamoru 
grinned, flashing his signature quirky grin in Usagi's direction.  
She pretended this didn't bother her and smiled back.  But when he 
turned around again, Chibiusa stuck *her* tongue out, and Usagi had 
a murderous glint in her eye.

	Then, looking at the clock, Usagi's eyes widened in horror.  
"I'm late!" she screeched.  "I have to go now!"

	"But Usako..." Mamoru began.

	"No time!  I have to go!"  She frantically grabbed her bag, 
kissed Mamoru, and bolted out the door.

	Mamoru and Chibiusa exchanged glances as he sighed.  "Didn't 
I tell her last night I would give her a ride this morning?"  Mamoru 
asked the pink-haired girl, scratching his head in confusion.

	She just shrugged and quietly gathered her things.  By now, 
she stopped trying to understand her future mother's erratic nature.

		*	*	*	*	*	*

	Rei always felt the best way to start a day was with 
meditation.  Nothing put her in a more relaxed mood than channeling 
the fire.  It brought forth a feeling of tranquility within her, 
clearing her mind whenever she was troubled.

	And with the threat of the Shadow Galactica extinguished, 
that had been true, until the past few weeks...Rei sensed something 
strange in the air.  Her questing through the fire had been less 
successful lately, and she sensed a little dissonance in the air.  
Hopefully she could find some answers today.  Kneeling down, she 
closed her eyes and began to chant softly.

	A sound rang in her ears...was it running water?  Rei 
pondered over this.  Opening her eyes, she was greeted with an 
astonishing sight:  the sacred flame had turned an incredible shade 
of electric blue.  The splendor of it was breathtaking and she gazed, 
completely enthralled, by the glory of the sacred fire in this lovely 
state.  Then, she blinked, and it disappeared, much to her 
disappointment.  She looked closer at the flame again and saw a 
black pentagram form in the flames, much like the day the black moon 
symbol had appeared in the fire on that fateful day.

	But Rei was a little older than she had been during the 
battles with the Black Moon, and more comfortable with pushing the 
limits of the fire's power.  So she closed her eyes again and tried 
a different mantra.  She would garner any additional information she 
possibly could.

	Minutes passed, but she did not relent.  Still she chanted, 
her voice growing more urgent and her power reaching its limits 
rapidly.

	Then, a breakthrough:  all went still.

	She opened her eyes and nearly died of shock.  Around her 
was what appeared to once be Tokyo, now a burning badland of rubble 
and dust.  The air was polluted with a reddish tint, and the smell 
of blood and death was wafting into her nostrils, but she was too 
terrified to speak.  The occasional agonized cry rang out, probably 
the tortured calls of the ones not lucky enough to die yet.  What in 
Kami's name had happened to the city?!

	"Sic transit Gloria mundi..." a voice whispered in her ear.  
Rei jumped as someone touched her shoulder.  The words were foreign 
to her, clearly not Japanese or even English.  It was a woman's 
voice, and she turned around to catch a glimpse of the mysterious 
figure.  But all she caught was a single movement before the shadowy 
person vanished into the night...looking up, Rei saw the sun blocked 
by red clouds.  It was the middle of the day.

	She walked about, searching for something, anything that 
would allow her to understand what had brought this ruin.  Her eyes 
gradually became adjusted to the hazy atmosphere, and she grew used 
to seeing the bodies littering the roadside.  She was still disturbed, her 
mind full of questions.  The whole thing had a very surreal feeling to it.  
She longed to see someone, anyone, who would tell her who or what 
had done this.

	Rei slowly became aware of someone crying in the distance.  
As the sound pervaded her hearing, she grew melancholy, her heart 
reaching out to the poor girl whose weeping now grated harshly upon 
her ears.  The sound was familiar, and it dawned on Rei that Princess 
Selenity had sounded the same way when the Moon Kingdom was under 
attack...

	It took the sight of the bodies of three Inner Senshi and 
Tuxedo Kamen to scare her again.

	"Minna-chan!" Rei ran to them hurriedly, searching for any 
sign of life, but finding none.  She shook each one individually, 
attempting to get some sort of reaction.  When she came upon Venus, 
she could not stop the tears in her eyes.  Cradling the girl's body, 
Rei's own was racked by sobs.  Noting the almost peaceful look on her 
face, she frantically looked for a clue that would tell her how her 
friends had died.  Was Usagi near by?  She would have thought Tuxedo 
Kamen would have stayed with her.  Why wouldn't he have?  Looking 
more carefully, she saw a mound under his cape.  Pulling the cape 
away from his body, she found Sailorchibimoon laying dead underneath 
it, her father still holding her tightly.  It was the only question 
Rei had answered so far.

	"Mercury-chan..Jupiter-chan...Venus-chan...Chibimoon...Tuxedo 
Kamen-sama,"  she pleaded with the corpses, despite the rational part 
of her mind's reminder that dead people don't talk, "wake up...tell 
me what happened to you!"  She didn't sense any negative energy, and 
it seemed that they had not died at the hand of an enemy, but how she 
knew this only raised more questions.

	In the distance, a battle was going on.  She could hear 
Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Saturn fighting some unknown threat far 
away.  Questions rose in her mind again, but she pushed them away, 
still concentrating on the issue at hand.  As she tried to revive her 
friends, she could hear each senshi scream, and then become very 
quiet.  Each time, Rei said a small prayer.  She knew exactly what 
had happened to them, despite the incredulity she held that they 
could die.  She had always been in awe of their strength.

	Rei finally realized she would find no answers here.  Sadly, 
she moved on, in hopes of finding the Outers' bodies and perhaps what 
killed them.

	But still...what had caused this?  She continued on a path, 
seeing flowers growing in neat rows among the rubble of the houses 
they had once decorated...it was a little morbid, and Rei refrained 
from any thoughts about there being anyone inside.  

	She had a funny feeling she was being watched.  In the corner 
of her eye, there appeared to be four figures staring at her.  Rei 
wondered if one of them was the one who had whispered in her ear.

	It was when she came across her own body that she became 
truly terrified, her fear ascending to an entirely new level.  Rei 
frantically searched about, trying to find the cause of her death.

	Next to her other body lay a shattered crystal, silver in 
color.  She gently reached out and touched the tiny shards.

	A bloodcurdling scream pierced her hearing, and Rei found 
herself back in the shrine, the sun shining brightly outside and that 
fire dancing cheerily.  Rei shuddered.  What in the hell had *that* 
been about?!  It was the last thing she wanted right now, more 
questions to gnaw at her insides.  Rei knew she would have to call 
some sort of emergency meeting today.  The timing really was 
impeccable...the Outers were at a music festival in Vienna until the 
end of the month.  Rei groaned, then shivered again, deep in thought.  
She had *never* had such a vivid vision in her entire life, much less 
one as horrific as that.

	That was probably what she got for pushing the fire though, 
and she still wasn't certain she'd done the right thing...she kept 
thinking of the adage "Ignorance is Bliss."  It certainly seemed to 
apply now.

	Thinking back to some of the details of the vision, it 
occurred to her that none of the senshi, or herself, were physically 
wounded in any way.  It was almost as if they had laid down, gone to 
sleep, and never woken up.  That peaceful look.  She didn't know if 
the Outers' bodies were the same way, but she had a feeling they were.

	And where was Usagi?  The crying in the distance had 
definitely been her, but...it slowly dawned on her who the crystal 
and the scream probably belonged to.  Her heart sank.

	The fire would offer nothing more, despite a couple of 
cautious attempts in an effort to duplicate the hellish vision.  In 
truth, she was glad.  She had never been so happy in her life than 
when the fire refused to answer any more questions.  Rei highly 
doubted that she wanted to hear the answers.  The whole thing scared 
her more than she wanted to admit.  So, finally exasperated (and 
relieved at the same time), she stood up, threw her hands in the air, 
and walked out, ready to change for school and try to pretend she 
hadn't just seen herself as a corpse.

	For the rest of the day, Rei tried to pretend that nothing 
was wrong.  Yet, concentrating in class proved nearly impossible.  
Her mind was preoccupied with the thoughts of her terrible vision.  
The nuns yelled at her at least once in every class that day.

	But peace had come...hadn't it?  The threat of the Shadow 
Galactica was long gone and peace was restored.  Chaos was destroyed.

	Rei had to admit to herself that something, though what still 
escaped her, had been off recently, but there was no way to know 
what.  And despite her prayers, she knew, deep in her heart, that 
something was very, very wrong.

	She just wished she knew what that was.

		*	*	*	*	*	*

	Usagi ran the entire way there, and was surprised to find she 
was actually ten minutes early.  Perhaps being Sailormoon was 
beginning to affect her speed, she thought.  In any case, she joined 
Naru and Minako, who were chatting under a tree.

	Minako's face was flushed and her eyes were glittering, no 
doubt she'd found a new band to replace the void left by the Three 
Lights when they returned to Kinmoku with the Princess.  The 
StarLights...Usagi had done her best to keep her mind off of them, 
not really wanting to know how she felt about that...she hadn't really 
dealt with her leftover emotions from the battle at the Cauldron.  
The things she'd heard...she remembered what Sailorlethe had told 
her: "Sailormoon, the power you carry calls for war! As long as you 
exist, the wars will not end..."  So many things she'd learned about 
herself and what she was...and that was probably only the tip of the 
iceberg.

	But her darker thoughts were quickly banished as Minako began 
to describe her new love.  "They're sooo kawaii!" she shrieked 
joyfully.  "And their voices...oh, they're to die for...I love the 
lead singer..."  It didn't occur to her that no one was listening.

	"Minako-chan has a new love,"  Naru explained as Minako 
continued to babble on about her new favorite band.

	I might have guessed,"  a voice interrupted behind them.  Ami 
and Makoto had joined the group.  Makoto seemed like her usual old 
self but Ami seemed to be upset, her face somewhat disappointed.

	"It must not feel good to be beaten by him," Mako offered
sympathetically.

	"What does that mean?!" Naru demanded.  

	"Well, I know something that'll cheer you up!" Minako 
exclaimed, bouncing off the ground and getting Makoto out of a 
perilous situation.  "Chijou is sooo kawaii..." She proudly showed 
Ami her new notebook.  Makoto and Naru groaned, and Ami smiled 
indulgently.  Usagi peeked curiously over at the four men, boys really, 
that graced the pages of Minako's binder.

	"Did anyone see the new girl?" Makoto asked suddenly, trying 
to change the subject.  "She just came here from America."

	"Yuuhi Shizuka?" Naru asked.  "Iie, I haven't yet.  I heard 
she was weird..."

	"She's a witch!" Umino Gurio always showed up at precisely 
the right time.  "I heard she could turn people into frogs and make 
love potions!"  He blushed suddenly.  "Hello, Naru-chan," he said, 
looking down at his feet.

	"That's probably not true," Ami said softly.  She didn't 
usually like to join in when the gossip wheel began to turn, since 
she was roo frequently a victim of it. It had been terrible when 
she'dfirst transferred to Juuban, with rumors about her flying like 
paper airplanes across the school.  Gurio had spread many of these 
around.  The boy was worse than Usagi and Minako combined.

	"Does she have green skin and a pointy nose?" Minako asked, 
curious.  "And warts?"  Everyone giggled at the thought of the 
bitter, old stereotypical witch that had always been portrayed in 
fairytales and television shows.

	"I'll bet she wears all black, like a Goth," Makoto added.  
"I wonder if she has a cauldron..."

	"See what you think," Umino grinned.  "She's over there."

	While the others continued to discuss her, Usagi watched the 
girl.  She was different, Usagi could tell that already, but she 
definitely didn't have green skin or any warts as her friends had 
hypothesized.  She was completely the opposite of that, normal-
looking yet...there was something about her that made her 
stand apart.  The girl was extremely attractive with her pale, 
delicate skin and shimmery midnight-blue hair pulled into a low 
ponytail.   

	But it must have been her eyes that made her different.  
They were vast orbs in the same color of her hair, gentle and kindly, 
seeming to observe everything, as if they could transcend physical 
barriers and see into a soul...quiet and serene, never pushing, not 
imposing.  They didn't judge, and, in her eyes, everyone was the 
same.  And though they were shy, and very sweet, they were not naﶥ 
or innocent by any means.  She didn't seem like anyone Usagi had 
known.

	For a moment, she caught the eye of the girl, her indigo 
orbs staring directly into Usagi's eyes.  She felt a spark of 
electricity go through her as the girl inspected her, looking over 
her petite frame.  Then she smiled warmly, clearly pleased with what 
she saw.  Usagi sighed with relief, though she did not understand 
why the approval of a complete stranger would be so important to 
her, or why she had desired the approval so much.  She smiled back, 
and the girl's fair cheeks flushed brilliantly.

	Then her gaze penetrated deeper, and her face twisted a 
little.  What was the expression on her face?  Sorrow?  Pity?  
Scorn?  Usagi felt her nerves began to crack.

	"Usagi-chan, what are you staring at?" Minako demanded, as 
Usagi broke her gaze with the strange girl.  She didn't see Shizuka 
sigh mournfully at the loss of contact.

	"Nothing," Usagi shrugged.  "What were we talking about?"

	"The new girl," Naru began.  But before she could say any 
more, the bell rang and they scattered to their classes.

			*	*	*	*	*	*

	"Class," the teacher was very excited, "today we have a new 
student.  Her name is Shizuka Yuuhi."  The teacher was speaking 
English as she gestured to the indigo-haired girl.  "Miss Yuuhi, 
why don't you tell us a little about yourself?"

	She seemed a little shy, and Usagi thought she would either 
pass or stay in her seat.  But to her surprise, the girl gulped, 
brushed her hair back, and stood up.  Shizuka was fairly gutsy, in 
Usagi's opinion.  She walked to the front of the room with her head 
high and her indigo orbs wide, and, despite the anxiety that 
radiated from her, started out clearly, "I was actually born here in 
Juuban - " Her Japanese had only a trace of an accent.

	"English, Miss Yuuhi."

	Shizuka sighed in relief as if the weight of the world was 
lifted off of her.  Her Japanese got a little muddled when she was 
nervous.  "I was born here in Juuban but moved to Berkeley, 
California soon after.  I just moved here a couple weeks ago."  
Her English was perfect, which made sense, considering she had lived
 in the United States for her entire life.  She spoke quickly and 
naturally, which made it difficult for most of the students to follow 
since English was only used in class. "Is there anything else I have to 
say?" she asked, eager to return to her chair and slip back into 
anonymity.

	"Your English is quite excellent, Miss Yuuhi."

	"Thank you, m'am.  I grew up learning both Japanese and 
English, so both come to me easily."

	"Well then, we'll have to find a way to properly challenge 
you in this class!"  Shizuka groaned.  "Perhaps the other students 
could practice their English on you..."

	"Uh, that's okay..." Shizuka looked like she was about to be 
sick.

	"Nonsense!  Perhaps someone would like to ask Miss Yuuhi a 
question?  Mr. Umino?"

	"Is it true you're a witch?" he demanded as Shizuka's eyes 
grew big again.  She looked down, nodding slightly.  "I am a Wiccan," 
she said quietly.  "That is the religion of a practicing witch."

	Naturally, the class grew excited.  "Can you turn people 
into frogs?" one girl demanded.  "My ex-boyfriend, for example...?" 
Everyone burst laughing but Shizuka. At first, Usagi giggled along 
with them, but immediately stopped when she saw the cold glint in 
the indigo orbs.

	"Do you think my religion is a joke?" she asked icily.  "I 
don't think it's very funny.  If I sat here and made fun of 
Christians or Buddhists or something, I would get in trouble.  I 
don't turn people into frogs, I don't make love potions, and I 
don't even have a cauldron.  That is NOT what I am about.  And I 
would appreciate it if you respected that.  I mean, there's some 
pretty cracked stuff in the Bible...and all those wars..."

	The class was silent, half respectful, half irritated 
with her hypersensitivity and insulting comments.  "What a witch," a 
boy muttered.  The laughter started up again and Usagi couldn't help 
but feel disgusted.  She looked sympathetically over at the girl, 
whose gaze softened.  Once again, she felt that queer little spark 
go through her.  She sank down in her chair a little, unnerved by 
the girl's omnipresent gaze.

	Sighing, Shizuka sat back down, her cheeks burned red.  
The teacher paid no heed and quieted the class.  "Well, that was 
interesting," she said cheerfully.  "But we have an agenda today.  
Today, we're having a pop oral: English only!  No Japanese!"

	Usagi sank even lower in her chair.

email : tennyo@usa-ko.com