Don't Cry Usagi
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Characters: Usagi and Naru
Word Count: 397
Warnings: Death
The orange shine of a slow sunset glared in at Usagi from the window across the room. She sat up from her hunched position and pushed a long strand of hair from her face, smoothing it back against her head with the tears her fingers had caught. She had become the picture of exhaustion. Dark circles hugged her eyes and her stare had turned distant. What was there to focus on? Little had changed since she'd arrived two days ago. The doctors still had no answers.
Usagi didn't need their answers. She had her own. She touched her fingers to Naru's hand gently. They were the same age, but Usagi's hand possessed the smooth skin of a twenty-five year old girl while Naru's skin bunched at the joints. It was the hand of someone twice her age. Luna, when Usagi had brought it to her attention, theorized that Naru had been attacked by their enemies too often. The energy had not always been returned. Even when it was, something had been lost in the transference. Usagi had to watch her friend grow old before her time, watch the wrinkles form, the limbs grow heavy with the effort of day to day life.
She wanted to apologize to Naru so often, but how could she? What could she say to the other girl, knowing there was nothing she could do about it? She gripped Naru's hand as her head dropped again. The tears came once more. Her other hand rose to cover her mouth, trying to muffled the sobs forcing their way out. She didn't want to disturb Naru, but it became so hard to push them down into her chest. Usagi squeezed her eyes shut against the blurring world, the corners stinging, the sobs raking across her raw throat.
She almost didn't notice when Naru's fingers curled around her own, but when they squeezed back weakly, Usagi gasped. Her head snapped up, trying to blink enough tears from her vision to focus on Naru's face. Her eyes were open for the first time today, and a weak smile cracked her tired face.
"Don't cry Usagi."
"Naru-chan..."
She shook her head lightly.
"It's okay."
"No, it's not!" Usagi almost choked on her words. "It's not okay. You have so much left to do. It's not fair."
Naru closed her eyes for a moment, but the smile didn't fade. She opened them again and stared into Usagi's tear stained face as calm as if she were waiting for the train. The sun had almost set entirely now, the room growing dim. The only sound that filled the encroaching darkness was the soft beeping, the only thing to let Usagi know Naru still lived.
"Usagi..." Naru shook her head again. "I'm glad to have had the time I did."
Naru's eyes glistened with tears now and Usagi felt her eyes flood with more in response.
"Don't cry," Naru repeated. "Don't cry Usagi."
The red-head's eyes slid closed, a tear pushed out and down her cheek as her head rested against the pillow. Usagi listened very intently to the periodic beeping. It had slowed. She felt it welling up, knew what was happening. But when that beep held, when that flat line shot across the monitor, Usagi felt it stab right through her.
"Naru!"
She fell from her chair and clung to the other girl's hand with both of her own as a wail erupted from within her. She couldn't even hold herself up on her knees. She slid down against the bed, pressing her face into the sheets as she set free every sob she had stored in her chest. She heard the sound of rushing steps and found herself surrounded by the legs of nurses and doctors. They pried her fingers free, and Usagi's hands fell to the bed sheets, clutching them like her life depended on it. The last sliver of orange disappeared into the horizon, the fluorescent lights flickered on, but Usagi only saw darkness.
"Nurse, get her to bed," the voice of a doctor echoed somewhere in the far off distance.