1.1 --- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
     1.2 +++ b/stories/gotafriend.txt	Fri Feb 19 06:24:59 2010 -0500
     1.3 @@ -0,0 +1,394 @@
     1.4 +Disclaimer: Chibi-Usa, Hotaru, and other characters of
     1.5 +SailorMoon legally belong to Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation,
     1.6 +and Cloverway.
     1.7 +
     1.8 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
     1.9 +You've Got A Friend
    1.10 +
    1.11 +by Sailor Aphrodite/Rami
    1.12 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    1.13 +
    1.14 +Hotaru strolled down the concrete steps of the Mugen school.
    1.15 +She blinked at the hot sun above. She walked onto the pavement,
    1.16 +the soft breeze blowing through her black hair and plaid skirt.
    1.17 +She made a turn for her house, when suddenly a group of kids
    1.18 +ran past her in the opposite direction. "Let's go to the 
    1.19 +playground!" one of them cried. The others cheered and
    1.20 +giggled.
    1.21 +
    1.22 +Hotaru stared at them, interested. 'I wish I had friends like
    1.23 +those,' she thought. Then after a moment's thought, she decided 
    1.24 +to follow them. "Wait for me!" she called out, as she tried to 
    1.25 +catch up.
    1.26 +
    1.27 +The children stopped at the sound of the familiar classmate. They 
    1.28 +all turned and stared silently as she ran up the sidewalk.
    1.29 +
    1.30 +"I want to play too!" Hotaru's weak heart began to beat much faster,
    1.31 +and she began to gasp for breath. 'Oh no, not again,' Her hand
    1.32 +reached for her chest, but she didn't stop running. Unfortunately,
    1.33 +she didn't notice that small crack in the pavement, and she tripped
    1.34 +and fell. Her briefcase flew out of her hand and into the bushes. 
    1.35 +"Wait, please..." she said between huffs.
    1.36 +
    1.37 +The students just stared. "Should we help her?" murmured a red-haired
    1.38 +girl to the others.
    1.39 +
    1.40 +"No way!" replied another. "Did you see what she did to Tommy last
    1.41 +week?!"
    1.42 +
    1.43 +"She spassed-out on him! He had to go to the hospital!" said one
    1.44 +of the boys. 
    1.45 +
    1.46 +Hotaru gazed up at them from her position on the ground. Her eyes 
    1.47 +began to sting. 'What are they talking about...? I didn't hurt
    1.48 +anybody!'
    1.49 +
    1.50 +~*When you're down and troubled*~
    1.51 +
    1.52 +"Then she went up to him and her hand started to glow! She's
    1.53 +an alien or something!"
    1.54 +
    1.55 +"Why should we play with her? That little freak."
    1.56 +
    1.57 +"Yeah!" the red-haired girl stamped her foot angrily at Hotaru. 
    1.58 +"Anyway, it serves you right for falling!"
    1.59 +
    1.60 +The children scowled in agreement, and ran off, leaving the small
    1.61 +girl behind.
    1.62 +
    1.63 +She watched sadly as the others ran through the grass and have 
    1.64 +fun. She looked down at her scraped hands. Tears rolled down her
    1.65 +cheeks and dotted the concrete. 'Why is everyone so mean to me?
    1.66 +So what if I'm different? That's no reason to be nasty.'
    1.67 +
    1.68 +~*And you need a helping hand*~
    1.69 +~*And nothing, nothing is going right*~
    1.70 +
    1.71 +Slowly, Hotaru stood up, and brushed the dirt off of her school
    1.72 +uniform. She picked up her briefcase and stared up at the sky.
    1.73 +Closing her eyes, she wished more than anything that someone
    1.74 +would someday come up to her and ask, 'Hey, Hotaru, wanna play?'
    1.75 +
    1.76 +~*Close your eyes and think of me*~
    1.77 +~*And soon I will be there*~
    1.78 +~*To brighten up even your darkest night*~
    1.79 +
    1.80 +"Hey, Hotaru!"
    1.81 +
    1.82 +The firefly turned around. There stood a familiar 7-year-old 
    1.83 +with fluffy pink hair, in a blue uniform, waving to her.
    1.84 +"Hi! I'd knew I'd find you here! Ya wanna play?"
    1.85 +
    1.86 +~*You just call out my name,*~
    1.87 +~*And you know wherever I am*~
    1.88 +~*I'll come running to see you again*~
    1.89 +
    1.90 +Hotaru stared at Chibi-Usa strangely, wondering if
    1.91 +her wish had suddenly come true. Then she smiled.
    1.92 +"Okay. We can go to my house."
    1.93 +
    1.94 +Chibi-Usa clapped. "That's great! Mamoru just taught
    1.95 +me this new card game, and I can show you if ya want!"
    1.96 +
    1.97 +Hotaru giggled. She had always admired Chibi-Usa's 
    1.98 +everlasting cheerfulness. Ever since she met her in
    1.99 +the park, Chibi-Usa had added some sunlight into Hotaru's
   1.100 +gloomy life. She began to forget all about those other kids;
   1.101 +Chibi-Usa was more important to her now. 
   1.102 +
   1.103 +The two girls continued to laugh and talk, as they walked 
   1.104 +down the street to Hotaru's house.
   1.105 +
   1.106 +~*Winter, spring, summer or fall,*~
   1.107 +~*All you have to do is call*~
   1.108 +~*And I'll be there, yes I will*~
   1.109 +~*You've got a friend*~
   1.110 +
   1.111 +Later that week, there was a huge thunderstorm. And
   1.112 +since Hotaru's father was too busy to come and pick her 
   1.113 +up from school, Hotaru had to walk home with nothing
   1.114 +but an umbrella. She trudged down the wet sidewalk
   1.115 +holding onto the rod, hoping that the wind wouldn't blow
   1.116 +the umbrella inside out.
   1.117 +
   1.118 +~*If the sky up above you*~
   1.119 +~*Should turn dark and full of clouds*~
   1.120 +~*And that old north wind should begin to blow*~
   1.121 +
   1.122 +Hotaru shut the front door behind her, glad to be
   1.123 +out of that horrible storm. She leaned on the doorknob
   1.124 +as she began to have another asthma attack.
   1.125 +
   1.126 +A woman with long red hair appeared in the hallway.
   1.127 +"Hotaru, are you all right? Here, let me take your jacket--"
   1.128 +
   1.129 +The small girl pushed her away. "I'm fine, Kaori! I can
   1.130 +take care of myself!" Hotaru grabbed her books and headed
   1.131 +to her bedroom.
   1.132 +
   1.133 +Kaorinite scowled. "Well, I was just trying to help, you
   1.134 +ungrateful brat! I just can't comprehend why your father spoils
   1.135 +you so much! Why, if I were your mother--"
   1.136 +
   1.137 +"YOU'RE NOT MY MOTHER!" Hotaru screamed before
   1.138 +slamming the door and locking it. She didn't know why she
   1.139 +was so mean to Kaori, maybe because there was just something
   1.140 +about the woman that Hotaru didn't like. Besides, Hotaru
   1.141 +didn't want anybody replacing her mom, who had passed away
   1.142 +some time ago.
   1.143 +
   1.144 +~*Keep your head together..*~ 
   1.145 +
   1.146 +Hotaru went over to the bed and lied down, hoping that her
   1.147 +attack would stop. 
   1.148 +
   1.149 +'What is happening to my body? I can hardly breathe. I
   1.150 +need someone to help me...someone who cares...' 
   1.151 +
   1.152 +~*And call my name out loud*~
   1.153 +~*Soon you will hear me,*~
   1.154 +~*Soon you'll hear me knocking on your door*~
   1.155 +
   1.156 +10 minutes later Hotaru heard a familiar voice:
   1.157 +
   1.158 +"Is Hotaru home?"
   1.159 +
   1.160 +Like a flash, Hotaru jumped out of bed dispite her
   1.161 +condition. She ran out into the hall before Kaorinite
   1.162 +could turn Chibi-Usa away.
   1.163 +
   1.164 +"I'm here! Come on in, Chibi-Usa-chan!" Hotaru breathed.
   1.165 +
   1.166 +Chibi-Usa grinned as she slipped off her muddy boots and
   1.167 +ran past Kaori, her Luna-P ball floating after her.
   1.168 +
   1.169 +Kaorinite frowned. "Hotaru, you know you're not well enough
   1.170 +to play right now."
   1.171 +
   1.172 +"I'm FINE, Kaori!" she shouted at Dr.Tomoe's assistant. Then she
   1.173 +turned to the pink-haired princess. "Come on, we can talk in the den."
   1.174 +
   1.175 +"Oh, I can't stay long, I got a dentist's appointment in a little
   1.176 +while. I hate the dentist!" She stuck out her tongue.
   1.177 +
   1.178 +"So do I. Last time I went to the dentist I hated it." Hotaru did
   1.179 +the same.
   1.180 +
   1.181 +Chibi-Usa giggled in that oh-so familiar fashion and handed her
   1.182 +a piece of paper. "We're having a picnic next Saturday and I 
   1.183 +want you to come. Here are the directions to the park, so maybe 
   1.184 +your Dad can drive you..."
   1.185 +
   1.186 +She then casted a nervous glance at Kaorinite. "Or maybe she can 
   1.187 +drive you..."
   1.188 +
   1.189 +"Oh, that's okay. My Daddy is off on Saturdays, so he'll be able to 
   1.190 +drive me." Hotaru replied as she read the invitation.
   1.191 +
   1.192 +"Hooray! I just can't wait 'til Saturday, we're gonna have so much fun!"
   1.193 +Chibi-usa threw her arms around Hotaru's waist.
   1.194 +
   1.195 +Hota-chan looked down the girl, alittle surprised. But after a moment's
   1.196 +thought, she hugged her back.
   1.197 +
   1.198 +"Well, I gotta go deal with the tooth-monster, so I'll see you later! Come on,
   1.199 +Luna-P!" The girl grabbed her toy and ran outside onto front lawn.
   1.200 +
   1.201 +Hotaru went to her bedroom window and watched as Usa-chan skipped
   1.202 +home, also noticing that the rain had suddenly stopped. 
   1.203 +
   1.204 +A small smile appeared on the firefly's face. 'Chibi-Usa...why do you
   1.205 +care about me so much? You have better future than I will ever have.
   1.206 +I don't even know why you like me. But, whatever the reason is, I
   1.207 +hope we stay friends forever. I can't wait to see your bright face
   1.208 +again.'
   1.209 +
   1.210 +~*You just call out my name*~
   1.211 +~*And you know wherever I am*~
   1.212 +~*I'll come running to see you again*~
   1.213 +~*Winter, spring, summer or fall*~
   1.214 +~*All you have to do is call*~
   1.215 +~*And I'll be there*~
   1.216 +~*Yes I will...*~
   1.217 +
   1.218 +~*You've got a friend*~
   1.219 +
   1.220 +~*Ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?*~
   1.221 +
   1.222 +The weather the next day was much nicer. Well, for some
   1.223 +people. Hotaru's asthma attacks just wouldn't stop, because
   1.224 +they were becoming more frequent by the day. Hotaru just
   1.225 +happened to be suffering one on the way home from school
   1.226 +when she suddenly collapsed.
   1.227 +
   1.228 +Hotaru clutched onto her shirt in agony. 'Please stop...
   1.229 +please let me breathe...'
   1.230 +
   1.231 +"So this is the demon-girl I've heard so much about?"
   1.232 +
   1.233 +Hota-chan looked up startled, only to meet the faces
   1.234 +of two seventh graders. 
   1.235 +
   1.236 +One of the girls snickered. "Don't worry, Hotaru, we'll help
   1.237 +you." When she spotted Hotaru's metal pencil case lying on 
   1.238 +the ground, she stepped on it, crushing the metal and breaking
   1.239 +whatever pencils that were inside.
   1.240 +
   1.241 +~*And people can be so cold*~
   1.242 +
   1.243 +Hotaru clamped her eyes shut, trying not to cry. Her body
   1.244 +was killing her physically and emotionally at the same time. 
   1.245 +She couldn't bear it. 'Please...just let this be a nightmare...
   1.246 +let me wake up...'
   1.247 +
   1.248 +The girls laughed evilly at the younger girl's pain until one
   1.249 +of them said, "Let's go check out what the boys are doing."
   1.250 +And finally they left Hotaru, suffering on the pavement.
   1.251 +
   1.252 +~*They'll hurt you, and desert you*~
   1.253 +~*And they'll take your soul if you let them...*~
   1.254 +
   1.255 +Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks. She wanted to
   1.256 +die, right there and then. Everything was going wrong, 
   1.257 +and there seemed to be no hope. Dying would stop
   1.258 +the endless pain and suffering. Hotaru couldn't think 
   1.259 +of one person who would miss her.....
   1.260 +
   1.261 +...until the moment she showed up.
   1.262 +
   1.263 +"Oh my gosh, Hotaru!" Chibi-Usa ran over to her friend, 
   1.264 +concerned. "Hotaru, are you okay?"
   1.265 +
   1.266 +"Yes...*huff* I'm okay...just tired, that's all..." She continued
   1.267 +to breathe for all her life's worth.
   1.268 +
   1.269 +"Hotaru, why are you crying?"
   1.270 +
   1.271 +When Chibi-Usa recieved no answer, she helped by putting
   1.272 +Hotaru's books and supplies back in her bag. Then she supported
   1.273 +her legs in order to stand up. "There's a place not too faraway 
   1.274 +from here where can rest. Do you think you can make it?"
   1.275 +
   1.276 +The raven-haired girl nodded, unable to speak. 
   1.277 +
   1.278 +Slowly and carefully, Chibi-Usa carried Hota-chan's bookbag and
   1.279 +helped her walk, her arm holding onto hers. Finally they reached 
   1.280 +a playground, where they stayed away from the other kids.
   1.281 +
   1.282 +Soon Hotaru was able to breathe normally again. But the emotional
   1.283 +pain didn't stop, for she just kept crying.
   1.284 +
   1.285 +Chibi-Usa was very worried now. She kneeled on the grass and 
   1.286 +put her hands on Hotaru's shoulders. "Please tell me what's the matter."
   1.287 +
   1.288 +"Chibi-Usa, what's wrong with me?" she sniffled. "Why am I so different?" 
   1.289 +
   1.290 +The future princess was confused. "Whaddya mean?"
   1.291 +
   1.292 +"People are so mean to me...they say I'm wierd and that I'm a freak...
   1.293 +and sometimes...I think they're right..."
   1.294 +
   1.295 +"No!" Chibi-Usa shouted so loud that Hotaru looked up. "Don't you dare
   1.296 +say that! There's nothing wrong with you! People are just plain nasty!
   1.297 +Don't you ever let them get to you like that! 'Cause they're wrong!"
   1.298 +
   1.299 +~*Oh but don't you let them.*~
   1.300 +
   1.301 +Hotaru stared at Usa, shocked at the hint of anger in her friend's voice.
   1.302 +She didn't mean to make her mad. "I'm...I'm sorry."
   1.303 +
   1.304 +Chibi-Usa smiled. "Don't be. I just don't like it when my best friend is
   1.305 +convinced that something is wrong with her when it's certainly not true."
   1.306 +She flopped back down on the soft grass. "Let's forget about them and 
   1.307 +relax. Look, I see a dinosaur-shaped cloud."
   1.308 +
   1.309 +Hota-chan looked up at the sky. "It does look like a dinosaur. And there's
   1.310 +a car-shaped cloud next to it." She pointed upward, her sadness drifting
   1.311 +away like a cloud.
   1.312 +
   1.313 +"Do you think the car is trying to run over the dinosaur?"
   1.314 +
   1.315 +"If so, the car is going to lose."
   1.316 +
   1.317 +The two girls laughed, and continued to play "Spot-the-Cloud". An hour
   1.318 +passed, and by that time the other children had gone home, leaving
   1.319 +the two destined Sailor Scouts by themselves. 
   1.320 +
   1.321 +As the sun began to set, the pink-haired girl glanced over at her best
   1.322 +buddy. "Hotaru?"
   1.323 +
   1.324 +She glanced back. "Yeah?"
   1.325 +
   1.326 +"I'm very glad we're friends." 
   1.327 +
   1.328 +Hotaru's eyes shimmered with compassion. "Me too."
   1.329 +
   1.330 +Chibi-Usa reached out her hand to her. "Friends forever?"
   1.331 +
   1.332 +She replied by taking ahold of Usa's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
   1.333 +
   1.334 +"Friends forever."
   1.335 +
   1.336 +~*You just call out my name*~
   1.337 +~*And you know wherever I am*~
   1.338 +~*I'll come running to see you again*~
   1.339 +~*Winter, spring, summer or fall*~
   1.340 +~*All you have to do is call*~
   1.341 +~*And I'll be there*~
   1.342 +~*'Cause you've got a friend*~
   1.343 +
   1.344 +The girls continued to lie there in quiet thought. After awhile Hotaru sat up. 
   1.345 +"It's getting dark. We should go home, Chibi--"
   1.346 +
   1.347 +But when she looked at Chibi-Usa, the small girl was fast asleep.
   1.348 +
   1.349 +Afraid to wake her up, Hotaru decided to carry her home. She reached
   1.350 +down to pick her up, and when she did, Hotaru was able to lift her with ease.
   1.351 +
   1.352 +'She's so light...' she thought in awe. 'It's like she doesn't even weigh 
   1.353 +anything.
   1.354 +Hopefully, I won't have any attacks carrying her.'
   1.355 +
   1.356 +And Hotaru didn't. She was able to carry the weightless princess to her house
   1.357 +without any trouble at all.
   1.358 +
   1.359 +Hotaru softly knocked on the Tsukinos' door, only to realize that someone left 
   1.360 +the door unlocked. She quietly carried the girl up to her room, trying not to 
   1.361 +wake
   1.362 +anybody up. 
   1.363 +
   1.364 +"There," Hotaru breathed as she gently layed Chibi-Usa down on her bed
   1.365 +and covering her with the blanket.
   1.366 +
   1.367 +Hotaru stared at Chibi-Usa's sleeping form for a moment. She looked so innocent,
   1.368 +so sweet and pure. It was difficult to believe that this child would do anything 
   1.369 +to
   1.370 +harm her best friend.
   1.371 +
   1.372 +'Thank you, Chibi-Usa. A moment ago I thought I was all alone in the world,
   1.373 +but now I know that I was wrong. You mean the world to me. I love you, 
   1.374 +Chibi-Usa.'
   1.375 +
   1.376 +Surrendering to this new feeling that was overwhelming her, Hotaru leaned
   1.377 +over and gently kissed Chibi-Usa on the cheek. It was something Hotaru
   1.378 +had never done in her entire life, and probably wouldn't do again anytime soon.
   1.379 +But she didn't care.
   1.380 +
   1.381 +By that time, the young firefly was close to tears. 'Friends forever. I 
   1.382 +promise.'
   1.383 +
   1.384 +Then Hotaru left the quiet residence, and walked home, knowing that there
   1.385 +was at least one person in the world that cared about her. 
   1.386 +
   1.387 +And that was all she needed to know.
   1.388 +
   1.389 +~*Ain't it good to know*~
   1.390 +~*You've got a friend*~
   1.391 +~*Yes it's good to know*~
   1.392 +~*You've got a friend*~
   1.393 +~*I'm so glad I've got a friend in you*~
   1.394 +~*And I know you're glad*~
   1.395 +~*You've got a friend in me...*~
   1.396 +
   1.397 +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   1.398 \ No newline at end of file