Yeah, hey, I'm Plutonian Thunderstorm. This is my first Sailor Moon fanfic, but not my first fic all together. If you want to read my other fics, you'll have to go to fictionpress.net.

Now, I've got some things to explain. This takes place I'd say in Sailor Moon R or so. There really is no exact time. The narrative switches between two characters, see if you can guess which ones. Italicized words are thoughts or dreams. I use the dubbed American names for the characters except for Pluto because I don't like the name Trista and I think Setsuna is cooler (no offense to anyone named Trista, my name isn't all that great either). Um, I think that's it. Any questions, email me at [email protected]. So, without further ado, I present to all you fiction lovers…

Betrayal

By Plutonian Thunderstorm

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and all related characters, and I really don't want to. I rather own Cowboy Bebop, to tell you the truth.

Chapter One

From my second story window, I stared down at my neighbor's impossibly green lawn. I couldn't understand how it'd gotten so green after the long hard winter we had just overcome. As the raindrops fell in front of my eyes, the grass only seemed to get greener. I suppose that put a real life connotation to that extremely annoying cliché about grass being greener on the other side of the mountain.

            To me, after all that happened over the past week, everyone's mountain had a marvelously hued lawn as apposed to my barren plain. I knew sitting there, in my room gazing hopelessly out of my window, wouldn't change anything, but I couldn't figure out what else to do. I couldn't visit anyone; I wasn't on speaking terms with not a one of which I called friends no more than seven days prior. I felt alone and I had no one to blame for it but myself. What had happened was the result of one tremendously bad decision on my part, and not only did it cost me my friends, it cost the life of another.

            Turning from the window, I shut the curtain and made my way downstairs. So many 'if onlys' were swimming around in my mind. I had to get some air. The mugginess of my house was stifling, only fueling my confusion. There had to be a way to change the past, a way to stop myself from doing what I did, a way to say something that should have been said. I destroyed my future and the futures of so many others.

            I walked slowly along the desolate sidewalk, passing people of varying emotions and states, letting the cold rain splash onto my hair and down my back. I had no desire to simply life my hood up, perhaps at the back of my mind; something was telling me that I didn't deserve protection from the icy water. Logic told me that catching pneumonia wouldn't solve anything, but who listens to logic anymore?

            After a few minutes of aimless ambling, I found myself standing in the park at the very spot where my troubles began. It was a charred mess, hardly distinguishable as a park, yet I could point out exactly where everyone was standing when it happened, along with what they were doing. I had relived that night over and over everyday since then. I sighed and gradually looked up to find that I wasn't alone.

            "What are you doing here?" I was asked gruffly. A set of vivid purple eyes glared at me, striking a slight fear in my heart, as though I sensed her reaching for an unseen weapon. The very thought made me step back. We both were equally powerful in battle, however she had malice within her as opposed to my self-pity.

            "Going to run away again?" she snapped when I retreated. She clenched her hand in a tight fist. I prepared myself for a possible fight.

            "No, I'm not running anywhere," I replied softly. I felt stupid saying that. She wasn't going to forgive me for what happened just because I was stationary now.

            "That's a surprise," she said, looking down at the flowers that were probably placed there by her and my other former friends. I could have sworn I saw a tear slide down her cheek though I wasn't sure and I wasn't going to take a closer look.

            "Look, Raye," I started. Raye's eyes met mine and I saw that she was crying. "Raye, I'm sorry. I know that can't change anything, but I really am sorry."

            "It won't change anything? Your stupid apology means nothing to me! She's not coming back, Mina, and it's your fault!"

            "I would have given my life to save her, you know that!" I protested. I so desperately wanted Raye's forgiveness more than anyone else's and she was the only one I knew wouldn't forgive me.

            "You're lying! If you would have done it, why didn't you?" Raye cried. "You're just too cowardly to admit that you valued your life more than hers."

            "That is not true!" I screamed so loudly that anyone walking by turned to see what was going on. "She meant more to me than you'll know. How could you say that her life had no value to me when I treated her better than you ever did?"

            "You have nerve to say that!"

            "It's true. I made a mistake, Raye. Her death was the result of it. I can't do anything about that, no matter how much I wish to. You can blame me all you want, I deserve it, but don't you ever ever tell me that I cared more about living than protecting her. I was born to protect her, and damn it, I would have died to protect her if I could have."

            "I saw you, Mina! You ran!"

            "I know! Hell, Raye, I know. I've thought about it everyday. I dream about it every night."

            "Why did you do it then?" I fell silent. I couldn't tell her why I ran. It wasn't fear; it was anything but fear. Fear went against my instincts. I had simply done as I was told to do.

            "Why Mina?"

            "I—"

            "Why?!" She would only accept one answer, the only thing that wasn't the true explanation.

            "Because I was scared!" My legs failed me and I fell to my knees, sobbing. "I was so scared." I knelt there, crying my soul into my hands on the spot where one of my best friends died because I let her talk me into fleeing. I don't know why I told Raye I was scared; it was only going to intensify her hatred of me.

            I cried there for god knows how long. When I finally calmed down and looked up, Raye was gone.

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A/N: Next chapter is coming up. I really don't appreciate flames, so if you feel the need to give me one, I suggest you reconsider. I don't want to have to send any angry emails. I edited this pretty quickly, so if some mistakes slipped in, I'm sorry. To err is human, I suppose.

P. Thunder