*Disclaimer: Toil, sweat and tears. That is the result of writing
this story. However, that's all that I get for being a fanfiction
writer. I am not Takeuchi Naoko therefore I receive no payment for
my flights of fancy. But I digress.

Quick note: When Dr. Hongo or Dr. Mizuno is used, it means that
they are regarded as professional doctors. But when their given
names are used, they are simply thought of as regular people.

Medical Miracle
Chapter 4: Pain Underneath the Kamen
By: The Rose Society
Rating: PG-13
email: EtrlSlrMn@aol.com

	Mamoru had finally finished visiting his remaining patients.
He had no more problems with screaming little girls. Unfortunately,
he DID have problems with a few young women (and a young man, added
Mamoru with a grimace) giving him flirtatious glances as Mamoru took
their vital signs. Mamoru smirked. All he needed to do was to remain
his icy and disinterested self and those flirty looks died a quick
death.
	Glancing at his watch, Mamoru walked toward Dr. Hongo's
office. 'Mo...It's almost 5:00 p.m. My shift is almost over. Good
thing too. I have to finish my report for anatomy.' he thought
tiredly as he suppressed another yawn. 'Oh well, once I meet with
Hongo-san and give her my status report, I'll be able to leave.'

*Meanwhile*

	Usagi was telling a story to Nanami to help ease the nausea
that always followed her chemo treatment when Nanami's parents arrived.
Usagi informed them of that day's developments outside in the hallway.
When Nanami's okaa-san heard that her daughter was ashamed of her
appearance, she leaned on her husband's shoulder to cry. Even Nanami's
usually stoic otou-san shed a few tears for his ailing daughter.
Thanking Usagi for soothing Nanami's fears, the girl's parents stepped
into the room so that they could spend some family time together.
Smiling wistfully, Usagi knew that Nanami would be thrilled that her
parents were there to see her. Nanami worshipped her blond
Usagi-onee-chan, wishing that she could be just like Usagi. Beauty,
wisdom, kindness and friends, to Nanami, Usagi seemed to have it all.
Nanami never would have guessed how much Usagi envied the little girl
at that moment. Nanami was protected and safe with her loving parents.
The warmth of parental love was something that Usagi had not experienced
for a long time. Unnoticed, a solitary tear slid it's way down Usagi's
saddened face.
	With a gentle click, Usagi closed the door so that Nanami and
her family could enjoy some time away from the troubles of the world.
With a sigh, Usagi stopped her self-pity and noticed the tear. She
roughly wiped it away as if to deny the fact that she had been crying
and her face turned into a mask of self-loathing. 'I swore that I would
stop being such a crybaby.' Usagi thought vehemently. 'How could I be
so jealous? Nanami deserves the love of her parents, especially at
such a difficult time. How selfish can I be?' Closing her eyes, Usagi
began to take deep, soothing breaths. Calming herself down, Usagi began
to head toward Dr. Hongo's office, recalling that Dr. Hongo had wanted
her to see a new patient. To the world, it seemed as if Usagi was back
to normal. Only by looking into her eyes would someone be able to detect
that she was crying on the inside.
	Knocking rapidly on Dr. Hongo's door, Mamoru waited impatiently
for his supervising doctor to answer. 'Hayaku. I need to leave,'
thought Mamoru as he knocked again.
	"Enter." Dr. Hongo could be heard saying. Opening the door,
Mamoru seated himself in Dr. Hongo's office. And then, he waited. And
waited. And WAITED until Dr. Hongo would finally deem him worthy of
her (Mamoru rolled his eyes) valuable attention. After a minute, Dr.
Hongo finally looked away from her patient files and motioned Mamoru
to begin his briefing.
	Talking as quickly and concisely as he could without downright
speaking one word sentences, Mamoru gave Dr. Hongo a quick run down
of the progress of each patient that he had seen that day. When he
was through, Mamoru looked at Dr. Hongo expectantly. He wasn't
disappointed.
	Sighing, Dr. Hongo took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge
of her nose. Slowly putting her glasses on again, Dr. Hongo's emerald
eyes had changed once again to the icy green Mamoru was accustomed to
seeing. "Chiba, telling me the progress of each patient should not be
a 'chore.' You need to give me a detailed summary of each patient's
well-being in order to ensure the quality of care that they receive
from us. If you want to be a doctor, you must realize that YOU work
for them. No matter what your needs are, the patient should come first.
While school is not doubt very important, a patient's life should be
your top priority. Even prior to entering my office, you were
desperately trying to make me hurry up with that aggravating knock. And
then, Chiba, you try to compact the progress reports of 10 patients
into 5 minutes and," Dr. Hongo glanced at her watch, "39 seconds."
	Trying to keep himself from screaming in frustration, Mamoru
hastily interrupted Dr. Hongo's lecture. "Gomen nasai, Hongo-san. Demo
the majority of the patients that I examined today were only check-ups.
Nothing major was occurring in their health so I did not see the
purpose in repeating boring details that you would be able to read in
the reports." Mamoru hoped to avoid a further argument with Dr. Hongo
by making her see the logic of his actions but to no avail. Any
further words that Mamoru might have said disappeared when Dr. Hongo
raised her hand to motion that Mamoru be silent.
	Choosing her words carefully, Dr. Hongo looked Mamoru straight
in the eye. Icy blue met icy green as Dr. Hongo continued to lecture
Mamoru. "Iie, Chiba, you are wrong. So very wrong. In medicine, sometimes
the smallest detail could mean the difference between life and death.
The purpose of the brief is to make sure that every detail is discussed
so that nothing that might indicate a more serious problem is missed
when the reports are read." Dr. Hongo carefully scrutinized Mamoru's
angry face. "In order to get where you are today, Chiba, I know that
you had to decided what was important and what was not. But in certain
things, you have made the wrong decisions." Dr. Hongo's gaze never
faltered from Mamoru's, despite the fact that Mamoru was now openly
glaring at the doctor. "Chiba, in some cases, the things that seem the
most important at the moment aren't truly important matters. A lot of
times, the little things in life are what truly define life." But
before Dr. Hongo could elaborate further, a knock was heard.
	Dr. Hongo broke eye contact with Mamoru and said, "Nani?" The
door opened and Usagi walked in. "Gomen nasai, Hongo-san, I didn't
know that you were busy..." said Usagi as she saw that Mamoru was
present as well.
	"Iie. It's ok, Usagi-chan. I remember, I was supposed to take
you to see that patient." Dr. Hongo again reverted to a kind and gentle
woman. "Chiba, you've already been told my preferences for briefings. I
hope that your keep my instructions in mind in the future." With that,
Dr. Hongo stood up, effectively dismissing Mamoru, and walked toward
Usagi. "Come with me, Usagi-chan. My colleague and I both think that
you are the best hope for this particular patient." Dr. Hongo and Usagi
left, leaving Mamoru alone.
	'Dr. Hongo is just too odd.' Shaking his head in confusion,
Mamoru's gaze fell upon the clock on Dr. Hongo's desk. 'SHIMATTA! The
library is going to close in less than an hour and I still have to get
one more book for the report.' In a flash, Mamoru had raced to his office,
grabbed his jacket and tossed his lab coat off and sprinted to his car.

*Meanwhile*

	"Hongo-san," began Usagi but she was soon silenced when the
doctor shook her head.
	"Iie, Usagi-chan. You know that I don't want you to call me
that," Dr. Hongo smiled. "Chiba isn't around and all the others know
that you don't call me Hongo-san."
	"Gomen, I forgot. Ne, Ayanami-san, why are you so hard on
Chiba-san?" questioned Usagi as she tilted her head to the side.
	Ayanami laughed. "Usagi-chan, you truly look like a chibi
usagi when you do that." That joke got Usagi to smile as well. "Well,
Usagi-chan, that's a good question. I treat him harshly because I
think that he needs to be brought down a notch. He has so much
arrogance and anger inside him. With such an attitude, he'll never
become a successful doctor. That would be a big waste of talent
because the man has the potential to become one of the best doctors I
have ever seen. But his outlook on life is his largest stumbling block.
Unless he changes, he'll become another cold-hearted doctor, more
interested in dollar signs than the person behind the patient. You know
as well as I do that the human spirit needs to be willing to be healed
before the human body can be treated. Chiba has yet to learn this lesson."
	Usagi suddenly stopped walking. Puzzled, Ayanami turned to
be face to face with Usagi. "Doushita ne, Usagi-chan?" Ayanami said
as she realized that Usagi's eyes were filled with tears.
	"Gomen nasai, Ayanami-san. Demo sometimes, even though the
spirit is willing, the body can not," whispered Usagi.
	"Oh Usagi-chan. It is I who should be saying gomen nasai. I
should not be bringing this up. I suppose seeing Nanami's parents
really hit home," apologized Ayanami as she enveloped Usagi in a
comforting hug.
	Sobbing, Usagi buried herself in her friend's embrace. "When,
Ayanami-san? When does the pain stop? When does the fear dissipate?
When can I be myself again?" Startled by Usagi's sudden emotional
outpouring, Ayanami could do nothing but hold the young woman and
let her cry her heart out.
	After awhile, Usagi's sobs subsided and her hold on Ayanami
loosened. "Arigato gozaimasu, Ayanami-san. I'll be fine. Please,
allow me to clean up in the bathroom and I'll be happy to see the
patient."
	Watching Usagi as she disappeared, Ayanami was filled with
an overwhelming sense of sadness. Usagi was once so full of light
and laughter. Now, the light had been taken over by darkness and the
laughter had been replaced by tears. No one deserved the hell that
Usagi had to deal with these past few years. When Usagi returned
from the bathroom, her mask of calm was put back in place. There
was no trace of tears. Ayanami inwardly sighed. Ever since the
whole mess had started, Usagi had been trying to deal with her
pain by herself. Never had she talked to any of her friends in
order to allow her to finally begin the healing process. Osaka
Naru, Mizuno Ami, Hino Rei, Kino Makoto, Aino Minako, Tenoh Haruka,
Kaioh Michiru, Meioh Setsuna and Tomoe Hotaru were some of Usagi's
closest and dearest friends but even they had not been able to help
her. Usagi never allowed herself to think of herself first. The needs
of others always overrode her own in Usagi's mind. That's what drew
others toward her. Usagi was warmth personified. She listened to the
problems of others but no one knew her problems. Ayanami knew that
Usagi was always sincerely happy when she was with her friends. The
understanding that Usagi had for others had not lessened after the
ordeal. But, whenever Usagi had a quiet moment, Ayanami knew that
Usagi was still in a lot of pain. Keeping her problems to herself,
however, was killing Usagi, slowly but surely. 'Does my poor friend
never get a break?' Ayanami complained. 'Kami-sama, Usagi deserves
a break. She already is physically dying and now emotionally...'
Ayanami's thoughts were interrupted when they arrived at their
destination.
	"Ayanami-chan. Usagi-chan. I'm glad that both of you are
finally here." A dark haired woman, somewhat older than Ayanami,
appeared.
	"Mizuno-san. Konbanwa," responded Usagi as she bowed.
Ayanami simply smiled at her best friend and colleague. "How is
Ami-chan?" asked Usagi, smiling at the thought of her studious
young friend.
	Dr. Mizuno returned Usagi's smile. "Usagi-chan, as polite
as when I first met you nine years ago. Didn't I tell you back then
that you could address me by my given name? Just because this is a
hospital, doesn't mean that you can't call me Keiko. Everyone else
has asked you to address them by their given name and I ask you to
do the same. I'm surprised by your question though, Usagi-chan. I
thought for sure that you two would have run into each other by now."
	Usagi shook her head. "Iie, Keiko-san. I haven't seen
Ami-chan all day. I was with Nanami-chan all day today." Keiko
looked at Usagi in understanding. "It's ok, Usagi-chan. I'm
sure that Ami understands. She should be meeting us here as
well."
	Usagi grinned. Ami-chan, one of her best friends, was
a bookworm-workaholic, had been since they first met. Even now, she
was volunteering at the hospital as her mother's assistant after
her classes as Azabu U. Ami-chan was well on her way to becoming
a wonderful pediatrician just like her mother. Even though Ami
was only in her first year of medical school, her gentle and
compassionate nature soothed many of the children in Dr. Mizuno's
office. At the mention of Ami's name, Usagi's mind wandered to
her other friends as the two doctors began to discuss the more
technical aspects of the patient's health.
	Naru-chan was Usagi's friend since kindergarten. After
attending Azabu U, Naru married her high school sweetheart, Gurio
Umino. Umino-kun was now an agent of the Japanese Bureau of
Investigation*. His amazing ability since secondary school was
finding out the secrets of all the students at Juuban, no matter
how insignificant it seemed. This uncanny ability of his paid off
since Umino-kun was now a rising star in the Bureau. Naru-chan had
earned a degree in business and was now helping her mother full
time at OSA-P, the Osaka family jewelry store.

(A.N. I don't think this exists but I didn't know what else to use.)

	Rei-chan, with all her fiery personality, was now in
charge of Hikawa Jinja. After the passing of her grandfather,
Rei was left with the temple, her only help in the form of her
fiancé Yuuichirou. Rei-chan said she was immensely happy,
despite the fact that, as a teenager, she had said that she
would someday be a famous priestess, composer, singer, and
actress. ^_^!
	Minako-chan, a.k.a. Mina-P, had continued in her acting
career and become quite famous. Her long blond hair and light
blue eyes were splashed on the cover of every trendy magazine.
But in spite of stardom, Mina-P remained the same loveable and
starry-eyed girl that Usagi had met nine years ago. To this day,
despite the fact that she's starred in numerous movies, Mina-P
still mixes up her sayings, much to the amusement of her friends.
	Mako-chan, with her unimaginable strength and even
more amazing cooking ability, now owned a little bakery and
flower shop. The sempai of her past had faded into oblivion
and Mako-chan was now married to her former best friend,
Shinozaki. Amazingly, despite Mako-chan's delectable dishes,
Shinozaki still remained slim. With a small grin, Usagi
recalled how she and her friends glared at him, with daggers in
their eyes, when they discovered that Shinozaki hadn't gained a
pound since he had married Mako-chan six months ago.
	Michiru-san and Haruka-san were content with their
lives. Everyone knew that the famous violinist and painter and
the equally famous racer were hopelessly in love with each other.
They both spent a lot of time away from Tokyo touring, but when
they were back, you could expect some mischief to follow,
especially since Haruka was fond of teasing the blond Odango.
Sometimes, you would never guess that Haruka and Michiru were
three years older than Usagi. Haruka seemed to be Usagi's age,
if not younger, not in a physical sense but in an emotional
maturity sense. Haruka teased Usagi and Usagi yelled at her in
return. Their fights usually resulted in Usagi chasing Haruka
around the place, reminiscent of Rei's infamous chases with
Yuuichirou. Michiru always ended up restraining Haruka and
lecturing her like a mother would lecture a naughty child. But
Haruka would always give Michiru a puppy-dog look and Michiru
would break down. A kiss would ensue and everyone would sigh in
envy of the loving couple.
	Setsuna-san, one of Usagi's longest acquaintances,
was a chemist working at one of the most important medical
research facilities in Japan. Married with a young son, Setsuna
credited most of her happiness to Usagi. She always said that
if she didn't meet Usagi nine years ago, when Setsuna was 19
years old, then she would never have had the courage to agree to
go on a date with the man who would be her future husband nor
would she have found a job suited to her liking, chemical
research.
	Hotaru-chan, despite the fact that she was the same age
as Haruka and Michiru and two years younger than Setsuna,
considered Usagi to be her best friend. While everyone else was
very dear to her, Usagi had been Hotaru's first friend. Everyone
had shunned her because she was Professor Tomoe's daughter. The
professor held a high position on the school board, not to
mention the fact that he was a famous researcher. Everyone
declared that Hotaru was a stuck-up snob, living in her
large house in the outskirts of Tokyo. One day the cold stares
became too much for Hotaru and she ran to the park in order to
cry her sorrow to the world. It was there that Usagi found her,
comforted her and took her to the Tsukino home. Hotaru found
in Usagi an understanding soul whose kindness healed her pain.
They have been friends ever since that day eight years ago.
	Usagi was startled out of her memories when soft steps
could be heard behind her. Turning her head, Usagi grinned in
order to greet her long time friend. "Ami-chan," Usagi said as
the blue haired young woman walked up to Keiko and Ayanami.
	"Ayanami-san. Okaa-san. Usagi-chan. Konbanwa," stated
Ami as she bowed in greeting.
	"Ami, Usagi-chan," said Keiko after the greetings had
been exchanged. "You've both heard about the young girl that was
in that horrible accident?"
	Both girls nodded. "Poor thing. She's an orphan now,"
Ami said, sadly.
	"Hai, Ami." Keiko looked at Ayanami, who nodded. "Ami,
you'll be accompanying me when I treat the child's wounds, but
that's about the extent of how I can help her. Usagi-chan, I have
a huge favor to ask of you."
	"Nani, Keiko-san? Me?" Usagi was confused. What could she
do? She didn't have any medical training. She was merely a
volunteer at the hospital.
	"Hai, Usagi-chan." Keiko looked down at the girl's patient
chart. "The unknown girl has lost all memory due to a head injury
that occurred as a result of the crash. Several neurologists have
examined her and are unsure as to when the girl will regain her
memory, if ever. She's all alone, Usagi-chan. I was wondering,
since she's going to be here for awhile, if you could cheer her up,
become her friend. Since she'll end up at the orphanage eventually,
Ayanami and I decided that she should at least have a friend to
talk to before she's placed in such a lonely situation. You're the
best at cheering other people up, Usagi-chan." 'Perhaps this will
also cheer you up, Usagi-chan.' added Keiko silently.
	Ami's eyes pleaded with Usagi to accept Keiko's request.
'Please, Usagi-chan. I want you to get better. This little girl
just might be the key to your recovery.'
	Ayanami just stood there, watching the silent pleas
of Ami and the silent prayer of Keiko. She added to the inaudible
conversation with a wish of her own. 'Usagi, we'll try anything
to make you the happy girl you once were. But please, you have to
be willing to try. Don't give up, Usagi.'
	Usagi wasn't aware their silent requests. All she knew
was that a little girl was in pain and that she might be able
to do something to help lessen that pain. There was no question
in Usagi's mind as to whether or not she would help the girl.
"Well, how about I meet the child and I'll see what I can do."
	The other three women breathed sighs of relief. Dr.
Mizuno led the little group to the pediatric ward. "She's very
withdrawn at the moment. She might not respond at first." Dr.
Mizuno knocked on the door and, upon a soft "Enter", opened
the door. There, sitting upon the bed, was the poor girl. Her
light blue flannel pajamas were a little too big, making her
already small frame seem even smaller. Her soft pink hair was
down, reaching to the middle of her back. Staring at the wall
in front of her, she didn't even turn her ruby red eyes to the
group that had just entered her room.
	Dr. Mizuno approached the bed. She quickly checked the
bandages and wrote a few notes on the medical chart. After she was
done, Dr. Mizuno softly addressed the girl. "Miss, this is Hongo
Ayanami, a doctor here at the hospital and my closest friend. The
woman to her right is my mesume and volunteer at the hospital,
Mizuno Ami. And the woman to Ami's right is Tsukino Usagi, also a
volunteer."
	Silence. The young girl just didn't care.
	"Um...miss. Would you like to go outside? There is a
full moon out tonight. It should be quite lovely," Ami asked.
	No response. The young girl just stayed mute and
continued to stare at the wall.
	Dr. Mizuno was going to suggest something else when
Usagi gently pulled on the doctor's sleeve. Surprised, Dr.
Mizuno and the rest of the group followed Usagi outside.
	"She's in shock right now. She won't respond to any
attempts to cheer her up at this moment." Usagi contemplated as
to what would be the best course of action. "Let's leave her
alone for tonight. When I come in tomorrow, Ami-chan and I will
try to cheer her up. While I'm at work, Ami-chan can try without
me."
	The other three women agreed to Usagi's plan and began
to leave. Noticing that Usagi was missing, Ami turned back toward
the hospital room. Looking through the open door, Ami saw that
Usagi had gone back to tuck the child in. Although the girl was
still staring into space, Usagi managed to get the child to lie
under the covers. Gently tucking her in, Usagi ran a soft hand
over the child's bandaged forehead.
	"Sleep well, little one." Usagi whispered as she turned
off the hospital lights and closed the door. Unbeknownst to her
or Ami, the little girl turned her head towards the closed door
and whispered, "Arigato," as tears flowed from her eyes.
	Even though Ami knew that Usagi had made some progress
with the child, she was even more discouraged than before in
regards to Usagi's condition. When Usagi tucked the girl in, Ami
could see a flash of pain race across Usagi's delicate features.
	'Such painful memories. I don't know how Usagi-chan will
survive. Somehow, I don't think she can...' thought Ami as she and
Usagi silently left the hospital.

Author Notes:

	You must be bored with me by now. Nothing much to say
except I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions you
have sent me =) Arigato gozaimasu, minna-chan. Any questions
about the tiny smattering of Japanese that I included should
be sent to me.
Until the next chapter...

~The moonlight carries the message of love.~
~Tsuki no hikari wa ai no message.~