Look! I'm finally back posting! For those of you who 
don't know me, I have some (no, make that lots) of 
stories out there already. Visit my webpage if you want
 to read some more! (http://www.geocities.com/aleeaw/)
I'm not sure about First Love's updates, so I hope you
 all get this on time. :P Probably not.
Oh, yeah, I'm very happy! The Japanese names are 
finally flowing right without having to think about them.
Merry Christmas, minna-san, and God bless us, everyone!
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The snow was coming down hard outside. Inside,
 fourteen-year-old Tsukino Usagi pressed her nose 
against the cold window, fogging it up in the process. 
The snow was beautiful, falling heavily on the city of
 Tokyo. The city seemed like it was sleeping in the 
snow, because few cars moved about on the roads, and all was silent.
Twirling around, she managed to make her way to her
 closet by some miracle, and got out her coat. Then, 
hopping around happily, she rbounced around gathering 
pink boots with fuzzy white rims, gloves, and her hat.
 The hat was her favorite. She could still remember the
 Christmas her grandmother had given it to her. The 
five-year-old Usagi had been delighted with the pink 
knitted hat with white bunnies on it.
She bounced her way down the stairs, and after telling 
her mom she was leaving, she bounced outside.
Excitement completely overcame her, and she ran down
 the street towards the park, slipping and sliding on 
icy patches, but managing to retain her balance for once.
Finally, she reached the park and began tossing snow up
 in the air, just for fun. It made a new, miniature snowfall.
Suddenly Usagi felt a stinging smack on the back of her
 neck, shortly followed by the feel of cold snow 
melting and dripping down her neck.
She whirled around to find the perpetrator standing ten
 feet away with a smirk on his face.
"Mamoru-baka! I might've known you'd be the one
 throwing snowballs at me! That was cold!" Suddenly, 
she jumped at him, tackling down into the snow. She was
 called Usagi for a reason, after all. She could jump amazing distances.
Mamoru was taken completely by suprise, and not only
 did Usagi manage to stuff some down Mamoru's shirt, he
 also got some in his mouth."Mfff! Usgi!" he yelled, peeved. Laughing at the 
expression on his face, she jumped up and ran off to the arcade.
Matoki was cleaning the counter when Usagi burst in.
 "HiMotokiwannagocarolinglater?" Usagi asked breathlessly.
"Huh?" Motoki said, not understanding.
Usagi caught her breath. "Rei and I are going caroling,
 and she wanted to know if you'd come and sing baritone for us."
"Yeah, sure, but only if you invite Mamoru-kun too."
"Do we have to invite Mamoru-baka? Rei said she wanted
 to, also." Usagi pulled a sour face.
"Usagi, let me tell you something. Mamoru has no family
 left to celebrate Christmas. His entire family died in
 a car accident, and he has amnesia."
"Oh," Usagi said, weakly, starting to feel bad.
Motoki leaned closer to Usagi. "Let me tell you 
something else. When Mamoru was in the orphanage, there
 was a woman who was stalking him. No one knows why.
 She just wasn't right in the head. One day, she 
kidnapped his best friend, Shin. She said that if he
 didn't come with her, he would kill Shin-kun.
"Mamoru went with her. She killed Shin anyway. They
 caught her the next day, but Mamoru was emotionally scarred beyond repair."
Usagi gasped in horror."Do you know why I'm telling you this, Usagi? Mamoru
 has grown up believing that anything or anyone he
 cares for will be taken away. So he pushes them away 
as far as he can. I'm lucky to be able to be as close to him as I am."
"I'm sorry, Motoki, Mamoru can come with us.""You don't get it, do you Usagi?"
"Get what??!""What I was saying. Mamoru isn't mean to you because he
 hates you. He's mean to you because he loves you and
 is afraid of what will happen to you if he shows it."
Mamoru looked in the display case in the mall. There 
was a beautiful little figurine of a partridge in a
 pear tree. It reminded him so much of his sweet little Usagi.
On a whim, he walked into the store and bought the
 figurine. He'd probably never be able to give it to
 her, but he'd keep it to remind him of her.
He walked into the arcade a few minutes later, only to
 be badgered by Motoki to join them caroling.
"No way," he told his friend flatly. "Usagi hates me,
 and I'm not real comfortable with Rei, either. I'll just be a nuisance."
Motoki rolled his eyes. "Fine, but if you want to catch
 up with us, we'll be meeting here at seven."
Usagi caught up with Mamoru in the park. De-ja vu.
"Mamoru-san, we need to talk," she said breathlessly.
 She grabbed his arm and dragged him over to a bench.
"Mamoru, Motoki told me about you...how you're an orphan."
Mamoru looked down, embarrased. It was a fact he didn't like toadvertise,
because people would give him pity, which always made him feel worse.
"Mamoru, there are many people out there who have had a
 life as tough as yours. Makoto lost both her parents 
in a plane crash, and a boyfriend to a street brawl.
 Rei's mother died slowly of cancer when she was young,
 and she had to watch the whole time.
"The point, Mamoru, is that death is a fact of life. If
 no one died, then life would lose its meaning. It was
 nothing you did, do you understand me?" Mamoru said nothing.
"Many of us have been through so much, yet we still try
 to treat others with kindness and understanding. Think
 about it." She stomped off, leaving a stupified Mamoru.
Usagi, Rei and Motoki all left for caroling promptly at
 seven. Motoki seemed disappointed that Mamoru had truly not shown up.
Mamoru watched the group from a distance. Usagi had a
 truly angelic soprano, like the twinkling of bells,
 complemented by Rei's thrumming alto and Motoki's 
crystal baritone. The two girls stood in front, with 
Motoki behind. Mamoru had been following them awhile
 when they launched into "O Holy Night."O holy night, 
The stars are brightly shiningIt is the nightOf our dear saviour's birth.
Long lay the worldIn sin and error piningTill he appeared
And the soul felt its worth.A thrill of hopeThe weary world rejoices
For younder breaksA new and glorious morn...
Suddenly a fourth voice joined the others, as the music
 rose to a crescendo and Mamoru appeared to stand beside Motoki.
Fall on your kneesHear the angel voicesO night divine...
O night when Christ was bornO night...divine...O night...o night divine.
Mamoru vanished as quickly as he'd appeared, like a
 cool ocean breeze, but not before he slipped a small,
 wrapped box into Usagi's hand.
Later on, back at home, Usagi opened the small box to
 find a beutiful figure of the "partrige in a pear 
tree," a wondrous work of bronze tree and gem bird.Attached was a note.Usa,
You're right about how I treat people. I'm sorry from 
the bottom of my heart. I hope I can be your "true love".Mamoru
Usagi smiled. It was a start.
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Author's stuff: Wow! This was one of those stories that
 just...flowed. Hope you all liked it. ^_^
And I thought about adding more after Usagi gets the
 figurine, but I decided I liked it the way it was. Bye now! Sailor Lyra 
PS: Email! miathewarrior@hotmail.com