Confused Heart
   by Marj

Notes:
	gomen nasai/gomen - I'm sorry
	hai - yes
	iie - no
	ohayo - good morning
	sensei - teacher

Please e-mail your comments and constructive criticisms at 
.  Thanks!

Disclaimers: The characters of Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon were created 
by Naoko Takeuchi-san, its copyright owned by Toei Animation, Kodansha, 
Nakayoshi, Sterling Animation Inc., and many other companies scattered 
throughout the world.  Meaning, I cannot claim the characters as my 
own, and am mearly borrowing them.  The character Andy Spencer is mine, 
though.  So please don't sue, as I don't earn anything from this other 
than the satisfaction of making a story.



Chapter Two:  A Rosy Smile 

The next morning, Minako entered the classroom alone, unusually earlier 
than the previous day.  As expected, Ami and Makoto were already there.  
"'Morning, guys!" she said cheerily, taking her place in front of 
Makoto.

Ami removed her glasses and smiled at her.  "Ohayo, Mina-chan!  A bit 
early today, I see?"

Minako nodded.  "Tsukino-san told me to go on ahead without Usagi - she 
probably woke up late again."

"Rei would have loved to hear that.  At least it's a sign that Usagi 
hasn't exactly changed from the person she knew," Makoto thought 
loudly.  They looked at each other and laughed.  

"Hey, don't be so hard on Usagi-chan!  She's trying hard not to be late 
too, you know.  She just . . . forgot to set her alarm clock." Minako 
defended, stifling her last giggle.

"Or maybe it's because of Mamoru-san again," Ami reasoned.

Makoto and Minako looked at her questioningly.  "What about him?  Isn't 
he in America?" Minako asked.

"Come to think of it, she did sound pretty preoccupied yesterday, and 
the only time I managed to make her talk was when I tricked her by 
saying Mamoru-san was there in the gym . . ." Makoto cupped her chin 
with her hand.

"That still doesn't explain why she's late, Mako-chan," Minako said.

"Well, maybe he called last night and she stayed up all night just 
talking to him.  After all, America and Japan have two different time 
zones."

"I think it has more to do with him," Ami said, pointing with her 
glasses.  Her two companions turned around to see her pointing at the 
new student, who was partly surrounded by girls wanting to become 
closer to him.

"Andy?  Spencer Andy?  What's he got to do with Usagi and Mamoru-san?" 
Minako asked again.

Makoto sighed dreamily as she stared at the handsome young man.  Minako 
made a face at her.

"He looks just like your old sempai.  We know, we know," she told her 
friend, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"He also looks like Mamoru-san," Ami pointed out.  "Well, in a way.  
First impression."

The three girls looked at him momentarily.  Makoto snapped her fingers.  
"Now I get it.  It's also probably the reason why she ran off when she 
saw him yesterday."

Ami sighed.  "And he sits in front of her everyday.  I guess we won't 
see Usagi laughing for awhile."

Minako sulked in her chair.  "This is just *so* nice.  All that hard 
work to get her out of her depression the day Mamoru-san left seems 
useless, now."

"Well, making her laugh might be impossible for a while, but we can try 
to make her smile.  It's the least we can do," Ami suggested.

"Yeah, and ask Rei-chan to stop pestering her for a while again, like 
she did the day Usagi came back from the airport," Makoto added.

Minako perked up.  "Say, speaking of Rei, did you know that Yuuichirou 
tricked Rei into a date just two days ago?"

Makoto leaned forward in her chair, amused.  "Oh, really?  How'd he do 
it?"

Ami smiled.  "I bet Rei wasn't the least bit happy about it."

While the three girls gossiped, they didn't notice that the bell had 
already rung and that their teacher was inside the classroom, staring 
at them with a venomous look on his face.  He walked towards Minako's 
desk and slammed his hand on her table to get her attention.

Minako had practically jumped from her seat when she heard the loud 
sound coming from her table.  Turning around in her seat, she took one 
look at her teacher's face and she instantly knew that she had failed 
to answer the roll call once more.   Minako thought 
as she got lectured for the second time that week.

"The hassles of having your name at the top of the list!" Makoto 
whispered, chuckling a bit.

The teacher stared at Makoto and Ami.  "Now, don't you two go and think 
you're getting away with this!"

They both sat upright and blushed.  "Hai, sensei!" they said together.

Minako stuck her tongue at them.  Their classmates laughed.

"I'm not through with you yet, Aino!"

Ami didn't know what was worse - getting into trouble with a teacher 
for perhaps the first time in her life, or seeing that the normally 
vibrant tenant of the desk in front of her - Usagi - was missing.

*****

In a far corner of the Juuban campus, a white cat was gazing intently 
at a can of cat food that his master had hastily thrown him while 
running past the kitchen on her way to school.  He rubbed his face with 
his paw, where the can had made contact with earlier that morning.   he thought, frowning.

Unleashing his sharp claws, the cat tried to rip apart the thin metal 
that was standing between him and his meal.  He hissed, frustrated, 
when he saw that his claw had only created a small dent.  He tried 
cutting through with his teeth.  It had worked before . . .

"You're going to cut yourself if you're not careful, Artemis," he 
heard.  His sensitive ears caught the sound of his black companion's 
soft padded feet.

He looked smugly at her.  "Don't start imitating Mina-P, because she 
told me that once, too.  But what can I do?  I'm hungry!"

The black cat sat beside him.  "You could ask someone to open it for 
you."

"And what?  Have them scream in terror because I'm a talking cat?"  
Artemis shook his head.  "Sorry, Luna.  No can do."

Luna watched as he wrestled with the can.  She stretched her feline 
body on the grass and sighed.  Artemis looked at her questioningly, the 
can in his mouth.  "Whoff fha whahher?" he asked.

"What?"

He removed the persistent can from his mouth.  "I said, what's the 
matter?"

"It's Usagi.  She came home depressed last night.   I don't think she 
even knew that anyone in their house was alive!"

Artemis just shrugged the problem off.  "Oh, you know that's only 
temporary.  She probably just remembered Mamoru-san.  Bet you anything 
that tomorrow you'll be complaining that she's causing a havoc again."

"Not 'probably.'  She *did* remember him."

"See?"

Luna raised her eyebrow at him.  "Please don't tell me that you like it 
when Minako-chan remembers you-know-who."

"Of course I don't like it!  Mina-P just doesn't seem normal when that 
happens."

"That's just what I meant about Usagi."

Artemis started to fight with the can again.  "Aw, come on, Luna.  
She'll get over it."

"Well, I'd like to see her smiling by next week, or I'll go crazy."

Her companion stared at her, horrified.  "Don't!  Minako's craziness is 
enough!"

Luna shook her head.  "I can't believe you can talk about Minako-chan 
like that."

Artemis shrugged.  "It's a way of life.  She does the same to me, 
anyway.  Besides, I hear you say similar things about Usagi."  He 
stretched, preparing himself in another war with the irritating can.  
"If you really want Usagi-chan to cheer up, why not ask the others to 
help you?  I'm sure they'll be happy to do so."

"They've been trying to ever since Mamoru-san left for America."

"Well, what do you want me to do?  Tell Ami to make Usagi forget for 
awhile by helping her study?  Encourage Rei to continue pestering her?  
Plead Mako to cook an enormous meal for her? Ask Mina-P to act crazier 
than ever?"  He pounced on the can with his claws unsheathed and tried 
to rip it apart once more.

"I didn't say that."

The two cats dropped the conversation.  Artemis was still fighting a 
war against the can.  He tried biting it again.  

Luna took the can from him, unsheathed one of her claws, picked on the 
tab of the easy can opener and opened the lid with ease.  Her white 
companion looked at her incredulously.

She started walking away.  "You should know by now that there is an 
easier way to open cans than with can openers and sharp claws.  Ja ne."

Artemis stood there for a while, staring at the now opened can of cat 
food.  He then glared at Luna's retreating back.  "Hmph.  Show off . . 
."

*****

The succeeding days had been terrible for Usagi.  She couldn't sleep, 
couldn't eat, and just couldn't arrive at school on time anymore.  She 
appreciated Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, Luna, and Artemis's concern, but 
somehow she just couldn't get herself out of her present condition.  
She knew that she was really worrying everyone - including her parents, 
but she just couldn't help it.

 she thought on her way to school one morning.  


Deep inside her, though, she already knew the answer to her own 
question.  It was her new classmate.  Every time her gaze landed on 
him, she would instantly see Mamoru - even if it was only his back.  
Having Andy sitting in front of her everyday wasn't helping a whole 
lot, either.

 she 
thought as she entered the classroom.  She was a bit early that day - 
early enough to enter the classroom without her name being called in 
the roll call yet.

The teacher looked at her sternly.  "You're late again."

"But sensei . . . umm . . . I wasn't even called yet," Usagi reasoned.

"That's not an excuse."  The teacher's face eased up a bit.  "But it's 
an improvement.  I only wish you could arrive on time like you did a 
few days ago.  Now, sit down."

"Hai!"  Usagi walked slowly towards her chair.

The teacher looked at his wristwatch.  "Faster, Tsukino Usagi.  We 
haven't got all day."

"Hai, sensei!  Gomen nasai!"  She rushed quickly to her chair.

As soon as she sat down, she took some of her things out of her bag and 
started placing them under her table.  While placing a book inside, she 
felt something graze her hand.  She bent over to see what it was.

It was a rose, pure and white, still fresh, and covered with the 
morning dew.  Its thorns had been cut off - the green stem was smooth 
and firm.  She gently touched its soft, green leaves, felt the edges, 
and sighed.

"Tsukino Usagi," the teacher called.

Usagi looked up from under her desk.  "Here," she said softly while 
fingering the rose in her hand.

Makoto took this moment and decided to take a quick look at Usagi, 
whose head was turned to the window near Minako again.  She raised her 
eyebrows and tapped the blond girl in front of her, who was doodling 
inside her notebook.  

Minako looked up from her notes, and turned slightly around to face her 
brown-haired friend.  Makoto cocked her head towards Usagi's direction.  
Minako threw her a questioning look, then looked at Usagi.  She 
suddenly blinked with what she saw.

Usagi was smiling right at her.

She did a double take and realized that Usagi was smiling at the window 
instead of her, her eyes distant and unmoving, one of her hands under 
her desk.  Minako turned back to Makoto, shrugged, and smiled.

Makoto smiled back.  She then wrote a note and passed it to Ami, who 
was waiting patiently for the roll call to end.

Ami looked at the note, took it, and began to read it.  She, too, 
smiled.

For the rest of the morning, the four girls were in high spirits.  Come 
lunchtime, Ami, Makoto, and Minako were delighted to see that Usagi was 
eating heartily again, instead of just pushing her food around with her 
chopsticks.

"Glad to see that you're in a great mood today, Usagi-chan," Makoto 
said, fascinated as Usagi gulped down an entire bowl of rice in record 
time.

"I never realized that I was so hungry before," she said while placing 
her empty lunchbox down.  "How many days haven't I eaten, anyway?"

"Around four or five.  Including the weekend," Minako answered, 
counting off with her fingers.

Usagi placed her hand on her stomach.  "Gee, no wonder I'm starved."

Her friends just smiled.

Usagi snapped her fingers.  "Say, do you guys have any idea where this 
came from?" She reached inside her small knapsack where she kept her 
lunch and carefully pulled out the white rose she had seen earlier.  "I 
found it under my desk."

The three girls around her took one look.  Then, Minako faced Makoto.  
"Did *you* see who put it there?" she asked.

Makoto shook her head.  "Iie.  Ami, did you?  You arrive earlier than 
all of us."

Ami also shook her head.  "Gomen."

"Oh."  Usagi looked happier rather than disappointed.  "I wonder who 
it's from?"

"I take it that's the reason why you're happy today?" Ami asked.

Usagi stared at the rose.  "It's been so long since I last received 
one."

Minako wanted to say, "Didn't you get enough when Tuxedo Kamen and 
Tsukikage no Knight were around?" but decided against it.  Rei 
suggested when they had met earlier that they should never, *ever* 
mention his name or *all* four of his personalities in front of her.

"Well, anyway, we're glad to have you back," Makoto said.

Usagi nodded.  "I'm still starved.  Are you ready to take me out after 
school for two weeks?"

Makoto looked at her questioningly.  ". . . what?"

"You said it a few days ago.  You said you'll be treating me out after 
school for two weeks!" Usagi pointed a finger at her accusingly.  
"*Don't* you dare deny it!"

Minako was clueless, Makoto blinked, and Ami laughed.

*****

Usagi whistled while walking back home.  But no, she wasn't exactly on 
her way back home.  She was on her way to Mamoru's apartment.

She took the rose out from her knapsack again and held it dearly.  
 she thought happily.    Usagi shook her 
head.  

She entered the elevator and leaned against the wall.  When the door 
slid open, she practically ran towards the familiar door that she 
hadn't seen since Mamoru had left.

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi said, pressing the doorbell. "Mamo-chan, it's me!" 
Nobody answered.  
 
Usagi's fears were slowly being confirmed.  She took out the apartment 
key that Mamoru had given her a year ago and opened the door herself.

What she saw was what her fear expected her to see.  Isolated rooms, 
chairs and tables that slowly were accumulating dust, no sounds, no 
people.  Usagi sighed, closed the door, locked it, and walked downcast 
back home.

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/field/4723/stories