Darkness Is Relative
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon as much as I wish I did. It belongs to Naoko Takeuchi.
AN: italics symbolize flashbacks.
Usagi Tsukino was lying on her bed, crying. It had been a week, now. A week since Mamoru, her soul mate and one true love had broken up with her. Just thinking about it made her cry harder. She was barely even aware that she was crying, she hadn't really stopped crying since that awful day. Sure, the tears had stopped occasionally, but they were always threatening to spill over at any moment. Usagi didn't care that it was a school day, or that her alarm was ringing loudly, or that Luna was trying to drag her out of bed. The scene from last week kept playing through her mind.
Usagi ran up to him, a smile breaking across her face. "Mamo-chan!" she called out gleefully. "I missed you while I was in school today!"
She ran up and hugged him, fully expecting him to laugh, tease her about how she couldn't go without him for even a day, and hug her back. She hadn't noticed the expression on his face. If she had, maybe she would have been more prepared for what he was about to say. Maybe. After all, no one who knew the man, Mamoru Chiba, would ever expect to hear the words he was about to say come out of his mouth. When the man merely stiffened under her embrace and didn't say anything, Usagi looked up at him.
"Mamo-chan?" she asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Usagi.. I don't think we should be together anymore." Mamoru said hesitantly, pushing the small blonde girl away form him.
"What?" Usagi said. "What do you mean?" Surely he couldn't mean what it sounded like he meant... I mean, that's a ridiculous idea, right? Usagi tried to comfort herself with thoughts like that.
≤i"I mean we shouldn't date anymore." Mamoru said.
"But... but why?" Usagi said, her cheerful mood rapidly sinking.
"I just don't feel the same way for you anymore, Usagi,"
"Surely you don't mean that... I mean, how could you just change your mind? Surely you can't mean that... you can't.." Usagi trailed off,her voice shaking.
"I don't love you anymore. It's over!" With that, Mamoru turned to walk away.
"Wait! Mamo-chan!" Usagi ran after him. "You can't be... you're not... breaking up with me, are you?"
"I don't love you anymore." Mamoru stated coldly.
"But... no! I mean, what about everything we've been through together? And... and the Silver Millennium when I was Princess Serenity and you were Prince Endymion, surely you can't have just... forgotten that!" Usagi said.
"No! It's over! I don't want my past life to rule everything that I do now!" Mamoru said harshly, turning back around to face her. When he saw her tear-filled eyes his expression softened. "I'm...sorry.Goodbye, Usagi-san."
The -san did it. Being called Usagi by him was unusual, but Usagi-san... even when they first met he often called her Usagi-chan, even if it was just to spite her. Usagi let go of him. And watched him walk away. Not paying any attention to what she was doing, she turned and walked until she found shelter in a telephone booth. Usagi sat there and cried her heart out, sitting there until the sun set.
It had been a week, now. At first Usagi thought it was just some awful nightmare, something she'd wake up from soon. She'd wake up; it would all have been some awful dream. She'd call Mamoru and he'd comfort her and reassure her that he loved her, and he'd never leave her. After a couple of days, Usagi accepted it as reality, but she still thought Mamoru would call her up and apologize and say it had all been one big, fat mistake. By now, though, Usagi was past the point of caring. She knew that for the sake of her family, Luna and the girls, who all worried about her she should get up and at the very least try to live her life, but she just couldn't. Her friends were being sosupportive of her; even Rei had dropped her usual teasing of Usagi and supported her just as much, if not more, than everyone else.
After the sun set, Usagi realized she should go back home,her parents would be worrying about her. But she couldn't go home right now. She realized she had been walking in the direction of the temple. Usagi picked herself up and dragged herself to the temple. Only when it appeared in sight did she remember that there was supposed to be a senshi meeting that day. As she walked up the steps, Rei burst out of the doors, very angry.
"Oi! Meatball Head! Where the hell have you been?" Rei screamed. "I know you're terminally late, but this is a record even for you! Can't you ever be on time? You were probably at the Crown, or..." Rei broke off as she saw Usagi come up the stairs.
"I'm sorry, Rei." Usagi whispered.
"What the hell happened?" Rei was angry again, but this time not at her friend.
"Mamoru....he.. he..." Usagi broke off into a sob.
Rei hurried over to her friend and brought her inside. Everyone was there, and they looked up in shock as Rei came in, practically carrying Usagi who was crying uncontrollably.
"Oh my god, what happened?" Minako asked.
"Mamoru.. he.. he.. he broke up with me!" Usagi forced out before breaking into another sob.
"Why that little stinking, awful, good-for-nothing, stupid, conceited, worthless--" Rei started venting before Ami held up a hand to cut her off.
"Just out of the blue, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked.
"Mm-hmm." Usagi sniffled. "I... I ran up to say hello to him after school... and he... he said it was... over!"
"Did he give any reason why?" Ami prodded gently.
Usagi nodded. "He said... he said he didn't love me anymore!"
Everyone looked shocked at this, but Ami, being the logical one, figured there must be a reason.
"Are.. are you sure that's what he really meant, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked. "Surely he was just in a bad mood or something."
"Yeah, that's right." Makoto said. "I mean, you guys have been a couple for centuries!"
"And you and Mamoru-san are just meant to be!" Minako added.
Usagi merely shook her head. "He was... very convincing. I know he meant it. I... I tried to reason with him, but what he said just sounded so... so true!" Usagi broke of again sobbing.
Rei grabbed her friend in a fierce hug. "I'll call your parents and tell them you're sleeping over tonight."
"Thank you, Rei-chan." Usagi said, smiling a little bit through her tears.
But now Usagi was lying on her bed, with her alarm clock screeching in her ear, and Luna's claws digging in her skin as she attempted to pull her charge out of bed. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway, and soon Ikuko yanked the door open to her daughter's room.
"All right, young lady. You are going to school." She said.
Usagi lifted her head to blink blearily at her mother.
"I've had enough of this moping! I've let you miss school this past week, and I know you're still upset over the breakup, but you need to get back to school. Maybe starting a normal life again will improve things!" Ikuko said.
"No... no, mom, I can't!" Usagi wailed. "I can't go to school!"
"Nonsense. You can and you will." Ikuko walked over to Usagi's bed and dragged her out. "If I have to dress you myself and personally walk you to school, so be it. I don't want to, but one way or another you are gong back to school."
"Okay, okay!" Usgai said. "I'll go."
Ikuko smiled. "Good. I really didn't want to drag you. Breakfast is on the table and I'll make your lunch."
With that, Ikuko walked out of the room, shutting the door as she went. Usagi rolled back onto her bed and sighed. Today was going to be a long, awful day.
