**********
Naru, My Friend
Part 4
By: Usa and Emiri
Disclaimers in Part 1
**********
"Usagi-chan?" Ami asked, shaken.
Usagi didn't answer. She just continued to stare at Naru's body. Her heart pounded in her chest.
"We should call the police, I think." Makoto spoke slowly.
Usagi couldn't catch her breath. She felt cold and sick to her stomach. Here she was not five feet from her best friend, who was dead.
"Ami-chan..." Usagi said, barely above a whisper.
"Hai, Usagi?" Ami suddenly hugged her friend tight.
"I-I... I lost my best friend..." Usagi began sobbing into Ami's arms. Ami's eyes welled up, and so did Makoto's as she hugged them both
***********
Usagi stood at Naru's grave. "The service was beautiful, Naru-chan. You would have... would have loved it. Your mama is beside herself. The note you wrote for us is very little comfort. Why did you have to do this? Why? There are so many people who care about you! Naru-chan..."
Naru's mother stepped silently up beside Usagi. "Osaka-san," Usagi said, looking at her.
"Hai, Usagi-san?" She hugged the young girl, both of them crying.
"I miss her so much!"
She could say nothing, and just hugged Usagi tighter. "It's my fault she did this!"
Naru's mother looked at her. "Nani? How?"
Usagi didn't know how to explain it without giving too much away concerning her identity as Sailor Moon. "It just is!"
"Do you know why she did this, Usagi?"
"H-hai..." she responded, looking at the ground.
Naru's mother dropped to the ground. "My darling daughter..."
"Gomen ne," Usagi cried, dropping next to her. "You can hate me all you want, I deserve it!"
"Usagi, I don't hate you...you're the closest thing I have to a daughter now...can you tell me why?"
"Because... the man she loved was killed and she misses him so much that she wanted to be with him."
Naru's mother covered her mouth with her hand. "There's so much...so much I never knew about my own daughter."
"I should have realized this sooner! The fact that she gave me those pearl earrings..." Usagi sobbed harder at this. "I should have realized!"
"It's not your fault, Usagi," Naru's mother sobbed, hugging her more.
Usagi still felt responsible. No matter what anyone told her, she was going to keep blaming herself for Naru's death.
"Usagi-chan, will you still come visit me?" Naru's mother asked, finally getting up.
Usagi followed suit. "Of course, Osaka-san."
She nodded. "Good."
Naru's mother placed a teddybear that had been in her coat on the grave. "Arigatou, Usagi-chan."
"Arigatou," Usagi replied with a small smile
Naru's mother turned to leave, saying a silent prayer for her daughter.
Usagi stood at the grave alone again. Tears were still falling and she didn't think they'd ever stop. *Why does this have to be so hard!?*
Ami, Rei, and Makoto appeared next to her, carrying roses. Rei wordlessly hugged her friend. She was crying too.
"Rei-chan..." Usagi looked up to see all her friends. "Minna!"
"Gomen ne, Usagi," Rei said.
"You know this wasn't your fault," Ami's voice broke.
"She's right, Usagi-chan, no one blames you," Makoto added.
"I do..." came the quiet reply.
"Why, Usagi-chan?"
Usagi sighed. "I should have realized sooner that something wasn't right. The way she came into school, acting like everything was all right. You're supposed to notice things that AREN'T right with your best friend!"
"Usagi-chan, we've all been through so much in the past few days..."
"Does that excuse my weakness as a friend?" Usagi asked. "Please, for your own safety, stay away from me."
"Usagi-chan, when it comes to being a friend, you're the best one to have!" Makoto said, grabbing Usagi by the shoulders. "Look me in the eyes, tell me you see disappointment in them!"
Usagi didn't say anything. "Do you?"
"Iie... It still hurts, though. I'm never going to be able to shopping with her again. She's never going to tease me about Mamoru..."
"Usagi, you're going to miss her for the rest of your life, you'd be crazy if you didn't. But we're all here for you, and we love you...and Naru still loves you, wherever she is..." Rei was feeling as horrible as Usagi was.
She looked up at Rei. "Do you really think so?"
Rei nodded. "I can feel it."
"Arigatou, Rei-chan, Ami-chan, Mako-chan. You three are wonderful friends. I don't know how I'd get through this without you. "
Makoto hugged Usagi. "You're a wonderful friend too, Usagi-chan!"
Ami and Rei nodded. "Hai. You are."
"We'd be all alone without you," Ami said.
Usagi smiled her first real smile in the past two days. "Minna, could you give me a few minutes alone with Naru-chan? I'll meet you outside the cemetary."
"Of course, Usagi-chan," Makoto replied. Ami and Rei nodded again, and the three turned and walked to the gate.
Usagi turned to Naru's grave and sighed. "This is it, Naru-chan. I'm going to live my life because I know that's how you would have wanted it. I now know it wasn't my fault, that I couldn't have stopped you. Please remember that I love you and always will.
"Since you gave me something that you treasured once, I'd like to give you something of mine that I treasure." Usagi pulled out a small, gold locket. Inside, contained a picture of her and Naru. "This is the locket that Papa gave me for my 13th birthday. Remember, he took us to the mall and we got our picture taken in one of those booths. Well, I put one of those pictures of us in it. I want you to know that you've always been close to my heart and you always will be. I know I'll see you again some day. Arigatou, Naru-chan, my best friend." Usagi kissed the locket and put it on the bear. She stood up and walked towards the gate to meet her friends, never looking back.
Naru, My Friend
Part 4
By: Usa and Emiri
Disclaimers in Part 1
**********
"Usagi-chan?" Ami asked, shaken.
Usagi didn't answer. She just continued to stare at Naru's body. Her heart pounded in her chest.
"We should call the police, I think." Makoto spoke slowly.
Usagi couldn't catch her breath. She felt cold and sick to her stomach. Here she was not five feet from her best friend, who was dead.
"Ami-chan..." Usagi said, barely above a whisper.
"Hai, Usagi?" Ami suddenly hugged her friend tight.
"I-I... I lost my best friend..." Usagi began sobbing into Ami's arms. Ami's eyes welled up, and so did Makoto's as she hugged them both
***********
Usagi stood at Naru's grave. "The service was beautiful, Naru-chan. You would have... would have loved it. Your mama is beside herself. The note you wrote for us is very little comfort. Why did you have to do this? Why? There are so many people who care about you! Naru-chan..."
Naru's mother stepped silently up beside Usagi. "Osaka-san," Usagi said, looking at her.
"Hai, Usagi-san?" She hugged the young girl, both of them crying.
"I miss her so much!"
She could say nothing, and just hugged Usagi tighter. "It's my fault she did this!"
Naru's mother looked at her. "Nani? How?"
Usagi didn't know how to explain it without giving too much away concerning her identity as Sailor Moon. "It just is!"
"Do you know why she did this, Usagi?"
"H-hai..." she responded, looking at the ground.
Naru's mother dropped to the ground. "My darling daughter..."
"Gomen ne," Usagi cried, dropping next to her. "You can hate me all you want, I deserve it!"
"Usagi, I don't hate you...you're the closest thing I have to a daughter now...can you tell me why?"
"Because... the man she loved was killed and she misses him so much that she wanted to be with him."
Naru's mother covered her mouth with her hand. "There's so much...so much I never knew about my own daughter."
"I should have realized this sooner! The fact that she gave me those pearl earrings..." Usagi sobbed harder at this. "I should have realized!"
"It's not your fault, Usagi," Naru's mother sobbed, hugging her more.
Usagi still felt responsible. No matter what anyone told her, she was going to keep blaming herself for Naru's death.
"Usagi-chan, will you still come visit me?" Naru's mother asked, finally getting up.
Usagi followed suit. "Of course, Osaka-san."
She nodded. "Good."
Naru's mother placed a teddybear that had been in her coat on the grave. "Arigatou, Usagi-chan."
"Arigatou," Usagi replied with a small smile
Naru's mother turned to leave, saying a silent prayer for her daughter.
Usagi stood at the grave alone again. Tears were still falling and she didn't think they'd ever stop. *Why does this have to be so hard!?*
Ami, Rei, and Makoto appeared next to her, carrying roses. Rei wordlessly hugged her friend. She was crying too.
"Rei-chan..." Usagi looked up to see all her friends. "Minna!"
"Gomen ne, Usagi," Rei said.
"You know this wasn't your fault," Ami's voice broke.
"She's right, Usagi-chan, no one blames you," Makoto added.
"I do..." came the quiet reply.
"Why, Usagi-chan?"
Usagi sighed. "I should have realized sooner that something wasn't right. The way she came into school, acting like everything was all right. You're supposed to notice things that AREN'T right with your best friend!"
"Usagi-chan, we've all been through so much in the past few days..."
"Does that excuse my weakness as a friend?" Usagi asked. "Please, for your own safety, stay away from me."
"Usagi-chan, when it comes to being a friend, you're the best one to have!" Makoto said, grabbing Usagi by the shoulders. "Look me in the eyes, tell me you see disappointment in them!"
Usagi didn't say anything. "Do you?"
"Iie... It still hurts, though. I'm never going to be able to shopping with her again. She's never going to tease me about Mamoru..."
"Usagi, you're going to miss her for the rest of your life, you'd be crazy if you didn't. But we're all here for you, and we love you...and Naru still loves you, wherever she is..." Rei was feeling as horrible as Usagi was.
She looked up at Rei. "Do you really think so?"
Rei nodded. "I can feel it."
"Arigatou, Rei-chan, Ami-chan, Mako-chan. You three are wonderful friends. I don't know how I'd get through this without you. "
Makoto hugged Usagi. "You're a wonderful friend too, Usagi-chan!"
Ami and Rei nodded. "Hai. You are."
"We'd be all alone without you," Ami said.
Usagi smiled her first real smile in the past two days. "Minna, could you give me a few minutes alone with Naru-chan? I'll meet you outside the cemetary."
"Of course, Usagi-chan," Makoto replied. Ami and Rei nodded again, and the three turned and walked to the gate.
Usagi turned to Naru's grave and sighed. "This is it, Naru-chan. I'm going to live my life because I know that's how you would have wanted it. I now know it wasn't my fault, that I couldn't have stopped you. Please remember that I love you and always will.
"Since you gave me something that you treasured once, I'd like to give you something of mine that I treasure." Usagi pulled out a small, gold locket. Inside, contained a picture of her and Naru. "This is the locket that Papa gave me for my 13th birthday. Remember, he took us to the mall and we got our picture taken in one of those booths. Well, I put one of those pictures of us in it. I want you to know that you've always been close to my heart and you always will be. I know I'll see you again some day. Arigatou, Naru-chan, my best friend." Usagi kissed the locket and put it on the bear. She stood up and walked towards the gate to meet her friends, never looking back.