Today's Fortune Cookie: "I steal." -Sam Giancana, explaining his livelihood to his draft board **************

"In any social situation, it helps to have a sense of humor...of course, it also helps to be the one buying the drinks. Therefore, a great deal of cash is necessary." -B. Oliver Sommer, Becoming the Life Of The Party In Five Easy Steps.

Ami Mizuno closed the book and stared at the cover. "But what if I don't have a great deal of cash?" Ami was just under five feet six inches and her slender build made her seem even taller. Her dark hair was cut short and her large blue eyes appeared even larger behind her wire-rimmed reading glasses.

"Then you rob a bank?" asked the girl sitting across the lunch table from . Blonde, hyperactive, and possibly mad, Usagi Tsukino was the richest girl at Juuban Academy. Willowy rather then slender, she appeared to be taller then Ami, the odangoes on her head adding to the illusion. Usagi, as the saying went, was a puzzle wrapped in an enigma. Her father headed up one of the largest technology cartels in the world. Himself a highly regarded aerospace engineer, Kenji Tsukino was a philanthropist of huge proportions and donated generously to Juuban. Other then that, his contact with Usagi and her younger brother Shingo was minimal.

With such a background, Usagi should be a prim and proper young lady, perhaps on the quiet side. What she had become instead was a jokester. Armed with a quip for every occasion, and a knack for improvisation, Usagi and her sidekick/cousin Naru Okasa had left behind a trail of pranks, jokes, and shaken heads through the hallowed halls of various educational institutions. Toilets that melted, showers spewing food coloring, animals turned loose in halls and trucks left on top of flagpoles were only some of their feats. Protected by Usagi's family name, they were immune to the wrath of the school administrators, who could only pray each year that the two girls had somehow matured.

Intimidated by Usagi's wealth and their sense of humor, the duo had few friends. Would be syphochants who tried to mooch off of Usagi's status and money were spotted within seconds. Ami, unitiminated by both their wealth and humor and soon found herself in their orbit and...Ami felt a frown cross her face. Where was Naru anyway?

Almost in answer, there was a scream from the museum cafeteria's kitchen, the yowl of a cat and the barking of a dog followed by the clanging of metal on linoleum. How had they...

Almost as though she was reading Ami's thoughts, Usagi grinned. "You'd be amazed how blind the bus drivers are when they find a hundred thousand yen note in their pocket," she called over the stampede of students as most of them rushed to see what the noise was all about.

Ami opened her mouth to reply when something warm, mushy, and wet smacked her in the back of the head. Followed by a loud, almost braying laughter. Turning her head to look, Ami saw a tall, amazonian brunette standing at a nearby table. Her green eyes were narrowed, and she was holding another meatball in her hand.

"Don't you dare, Flash!" Usagi snapped, standing up, hands planted on the table.

"Me? I'm just keeping in practice." Very few people called Makoto Kino by her given name. Pitcher on the softball team, Co-captain of the Karate club, and star of the women's hockey team, she had picked up the nickname for her lightning fast speed on the ice. Since she had been on the team, Juuban hadn't lost a game.

"Put it down," Usagi shot back. Flash simply smirked and was about to take aim when a tall, sinuous looking redhead sitting at a nearby table loudly cleared her throat. Flash stared at the redhead for a moment. Something silent seemed to pass between them and then Flash dropped the meatball to the floor and walked away. "That was odd," Usagi said thoughtfully. "I wonder why 'her highness' stopped Flash?"

"Beryl's not a queen, Usagi," Ami said, said, using napkins to get as much tomato sauce out of her hair as she could.

"Well she certainly acts like it," Usagi snarled, all traces of her normally cheerful self gone. "'Look at me, my daddy's the principal and superintendent. I can have you expelled because I don't like your haircut. Bow down and worship me.' Bitch." Ami hid a smile. The origins of the Usagi- Beryl feud had been lost to time, and hostilities had more or less stagnated. At least on Beryl's end. Usagi was apparently more then willing to keep it going.

"Okay, people," Miss Haruna called as she entered the cafeteria. "Form back up into your groups and proceed to the Tsukino Room for the next exhibit." She clapped her hands together sharply. "Pop, pop, people!"

**** The disc was perhaps three inches wide and made of a sort of beige colored stone. Small characters encircled a beautifully detailed painting of a red and blue spider as seen from above against a background of stars. Ami ran her fingers over the face, admiring how well preserved it was. The label said that it was found in South America near a lone pyramid, apparently part of the mural adorning the side, though the stone seemed to be of different quality then the rest of the pyramid. Most of that had been ravaged by time, but this piece had somehow survived.

Ami nodded to herself, already compiling the words for her essay in her mind when she got a jolt of static electricity and then something slammed into her from behind, shoving her into the case sending it falling over. There was a sharp pain in her hand and then she hit the floor, a sensation followed shortly by the plexiglass display stand smacking her in the back of the head.

**** Ami lived with her aunt Mai. Often described as tall and formidable, Mai Mizuno was one of Tokyo's top matchmakers and event planners. She was also a stickler for tradition and her expression was disapproving as she followed her niece up the stairs to her room.

"How many times have I told you," Mai said as Ami changed to her nightgown. "A young lady is the epitome of grace, aware of everything going on and then you..."

"I was pushed, Aunt Mai," Ami said, rubbing her head where the Plexiglass had struck her. There was no concussion, but Ami nonetheless had a splitting headache.

"That's barely an excuse," Mai replied, pulling the covers up to Ami's chin. "Your mother, rest her soul..." The older woman sighed. "You need to be more careful, Ami, I don't want to see anything happen to you."

"Yes, Aunt Mai."

"Good. Now sleep well, and we'll talk in the morning." With that, Mai left, turning off the light as she did so.

**** She dreamed...

Of crystal palaces in cities of the same, of peaceful people, of friends and of queens.

Of dark forces and destruction.

Of a queen garbed in crystal white, scepter in hand, standing on a high pillar under the full moon. Surrounding her, each on a pillar of their own, eight other warriors, more then friends, they were sisters. There was a place for her in that circle and her heart reached for it, wanting it, needing it.

She walked through cities of stone and ice, soared above domed cities that hovered over seas of gas, and stood before massive gates that opened onto eternity.

And she dreamed of spiders. Hundreds of them, all shapes and sizes, circling her, waving their forelegs at her as though in welcome.

She dreamed of a red and blue one that seized her, covering her in webbing, and then of a woman in blue, her face in shadow trying to free her, of fighting the spider, then suddenly, the woman and spider stopped...

As one, they lunged at her.

The alarm blared.

Ami sat bolt upright in bed, blinking against the light streaming in from her curtains, breathing heavily, and then noticed the smell.

Her nightgown and bedding were sweat soaked, leaving behind an odor that reminded her vaguely of the locker room. Pushing the fading echoes of the dream away, she fingered the spot where the stand had hit her head. There was no tenderness, only the dampness of her sweat-matted hair. Shaking her head, she stripped her bed, put the sheets and her nightgown into the laundry basket and walked towards her dresser, passing the full length mirror in the corner.

She froze and then with slow, deliberate steps, walked back and stared.

That was her face, but not her body. The young lady in the mirror was slender but it was an athlete's slenderness. Her arms and legs were toned, her stomach was flat, with just a hint of definition, and her chest...she turned sideways...she had definitely...well...she had filled out a little bit. Not that it was a bad thing, actually, she looked pretty good. She did a little strut. She could actually give Beryl a run for her money in the looks department and--

What was she thinking? Somehow she had undergone some bizarre meatamorphis overnight. If this ever got out...Turning away from the mirror, she donned her robe, gathered her bathing things and marched down the hall to bathe.

By the time she sat down to breakfast, she had almost convinced herself that the episode in front of the mirror hadn't happened. Especially since her school uniform hid the changes quite well. The problem was is that she was keenly aware that she had changed. Her entire body felt like a well oiled machine and she knew she had a poise that wasn't there before. Fortunutly, Aunt Mai, too asorbed in her own schedule, didn't notice, and at precisely eight thirty, Ami left for school.

It happened on a side street lined with the high walls of wealthy citizens who could afford the land needed for lavish gardens. Despite her vow not to think about it, she found herself trying to puzzle out her transformation and as such, failed to pay attention to the world around her. Therefore, when she came to Blossom Road, she neglected to check for cars.

It happened without warning, a single word, both command and instruction on how to do so burned across her brain like a neon sign. "JUMP!"

Entirely on instinct, Ami jumped up and back landing on the top of the wall in a handstand and then followed through, landing on the other side in a crouch. The roar of the car she had just avoided fade in the distance, the driver apparently not even noticing, or caring, that they had just missed a count of vehicular manslaughter.

For a moment, she stayed like that and then realized what she had done. As one part of her brain began gibbering in terror, another part calmly noted that her breathing had not changed, nor had her heart rate. Furthermore, she hadn't even felt the impact of landing. It was as though her body had accepted the change and was patiently waiting for the rest of her to catch up.

It took her several minutes to calm down before she could think clearly. Somehow, she had just managed to defy the laws of physics by performing an acrobatic feat that was beyond the limits of natural human ability. Letting her bag fall to the ground, she grabbed her head in her hands, trying to fight off a surge of panic. Not only had she changed physically, but she had somehow acquired freakish abilities and--she took her hands from her head and stared at them, remembering the sharp pain in her hand right before she had been shoved. The stone tablet, the one with the spider, was it possible that it had somehow conferred the abilities of a spider upon her, abilities proportionate to her size? That she had become a human spider? But did that mean she had--but almost immediately, that thought was followed by the certainty that she had no spinnerets. Anywhere.

Another minor surge of panic rose up and she began massaging her temples, her watch reflecting the sunlight--her watch? She stared at it, the LCD face informing her she had three minutes to get to school. She made a noise in her throat. There was no way she could get there in time.

No, there was way.

But what if she was seen--she was faster then that. How did she know that? Did it matter?

Ami glanced at her watch again. Two minutes and forty-five seconds remaining. She had a vision of trying to explain why she was late and then realized that she had already decided.

**** It took her a minute and thirty seconds of flat out running. Fortunately, her route to school caused her to initially approach Juuban Academy from the side. It was not a route that saw a lot of traffic. Without thinking about it, she sprang onto the wall and was about to drop to the other side when the same instinct/warning instead sent her into the tree growing just on the other side, the leaves barely rustling as she, sure-footed as a cat and quieter then a mouse, went through them and came to a stop on one of the larger branches.

"Hey. You hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Ami held her breath. It was Flash and Nico, one of the four guys who hung around with Beryl. She peered down through the leaves. Flash and Nico, both wearing just enough for modesty, sat side by side, sharing a cigarette. Nico was even taller then Flash, who was one of the tallest people at Juuban. His hair was a thick brown mass and his body was lean and hard. He captained the soccer team. He hadn't joined Flash when she picked on Ami, but he hadn't tried to stop Flash either.

"I thought I heard something moving in the tree." Flash stared up into the tree, green eyes narrowed in suspicion. Ami eased back, praying that they would leave. A stray thought flickered through her mind that she should have brought her camera. A photo of Flash and Nico as they currently were circulated through the school and the humiliation it would cause Flash would more then make up for the bullying. Just as quickly, she clamped down on that thought. The last thing a proper Japanese young lady did was blackmail someone.

They don't cover a mile in under two minutes or leap over ten foot walls in a single bound either, came the thought.

"Don't be ridiculous. The only way anyone could get into the tree without us seeing them come near is over the wall and we'd have heard them doing so."

"Yeah, I...shit, look at the time. We'd better get dressed. Last thing we want is to get caught by some snoopy teacher. Haruna's been riding my ass since Mizuno knocked over that pedestal yesterday."

"Only because you pushed her."

"You defending her or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous. It just seems ridiculous and a waste of time to keep picking on someone who's never done anything to you."

"Yeah, well its my time to waste, isn't it?"

"I suppose so."

"Damn right." Their voices faded as they moved out of the bushes.

Swallowing hard, Ami dropped from the tree and took a moment to straighten her uniform and then left the clearing. But as she did so, she couldn't help but look back at the wall. There was great power in what she was capable of now, she could feel it. Everything could change for the better.

Unbidden, she thought of using her abilities to beat Flash into pancake batter and then that was wiped away by a surge of horror that she was even thinking such things. 'I didn't ask for this, I don't want this, and I don't accept this. I'd sooner go through life bullied then be the freak I've become.'

With that, she left the bushes and headed for the building. But as she did, she could've sworn that she thought she heard a voice whisper. "Don't be so sure about that."

**** In Homeroom, the teacher entered with a tall young man. He had blond hair that fell almost to his shoulders and warm blue eyes. Ami, who normally did not think about such things, could not help but notice that he was very, very, cute.

"Class, I'd like you to meet Gendo Shinohara," the teacher said. "He's transferred here from Furikan in Nerima and I'm sure you'll all do your best to make him feel welcome." He consulted the seating chart. "Why don't you sit over there by Mizuno?" He pointed at Ami. The blonde just behind her is Usagi Tsukino, your homeroom president, so see her for any questions you may have."

"Yes, sir," Shinohara replied and made his way to the indicated seat.

"Hello," Ami said politely as he sat down.

He stared at her for a moment and then seem to give himself a mental shake. "Um, hello." His voice was very soft and she had to almost strain to hear it. He seemed to be about to say more, but the teacher clapped his hands for attention and class was underway.

As they were leaving class Shinohara touched Ami's arm.

"I apologize for being so forward, but are you the same Ami Mizuno who took third in the Prefecture Chess Championship two years ago?"

Ami stared at him. Chess, as Usagi had once remarked, was the closest thing Ami had to a hobby. In fact, fanatic was far to weak a term to describe Ami's passion for the game. She would never go pro, but she was president of the school chess club. In fact, she was the only member of the chess club. "Yes," she replied, "I--you play chess?"

Shinohara bowed his head. "I would be honored if you would allow me the honor of playing against you some time."

"I--" Ami broke off as she suddenly experienced a feeling of danger approaching behind her.

"Well lookee here, Mizuno's got a boyfriend," sneered a voice. "Go on, geek, give your honeybunch a kiss." Ami felt her shoulders sag and turned to see Flash with several of her fellow players. "Well, go on, Mizuno, kiss him." Ami didn't move and the sensation of danger increased, and then abruptly cut off.

"Is there a reason you're not heading for your next class, Miss Kino?" Miss Haruna stepped through the crowd and crossed her arms, staring Flash in the eyes.

"Just going over some plays," Flash said easily.

"You go over plays in practice. Not in the hallway. Now move along before I start handing out demerits." Hard eyes swept over the students. "You think I mean just her? Move it!"

The hall emptied quickly.

**** "He's cute," Usagi said as they sat down in math.

"Yes, he is--who?"

"Shinohara." Usagi leaned on Ami's desk. "You like him, don't you?" The blonde grinned. "You do! I can see it in your eyes." Usagi perched on Ami's desk. "So where you going for your first date?" she teased.

"Shinohara?" A nasal voice asked. "The new transfer from Furikan?"

The grin vanished from Usagi's face as though it had been wiped away with a rag. "Beat it, Umino."

"But don't you want to know about him?" A short, skinny brown haired boy stepped up next to Ami's desk, a pocket computer in his hand. "Straight A student, member of the Kendo club at Furikan, and served as treasuer for the chess club. He's fifteen years of age and his father just took command of the local Koban."

"Koban? His dad's a cop?"

Umino nodded. "Captain Hikaru Shinohara. Decorated twice for bravery above and beyond the call of duty. Rumor has it Shinohara intends to follow in his father's footsteps."

Usagi seemed about to say more, but the teacher walked in and everyone took their seats.

**** By the time lunch rolled around, Ami was ravenously hungry and filled her tray while somehow ignoring the raised eyebrow from the cafeteria worker. Ami normally ate very little and was puzzled by her appetite until she realized that she had an increased metabolism now. 'One more sign that I'm a freak,' she thought bitterly as she paid and went to find a seat.

Upon reaching an empty section of table, she sat down, took out her biology textbook and class syllabus. The next chapter would be on...spiders? 'How Arapos,' she thought bitterly.

"May I join you?" Ami looked up to see Shinohara standing on the other side of the table.

"Certainly," Ami replied politely, setting aside her book. Shinohara smiled and sat down across from her before removing a bento box from his bag. For a while they ate in silence until Shinohara seemed to steel himself and take a deep breath. "Miss Ami, I have two tickets to the Harry Potter premiere this weekend and I was would be honored if you would accompany me." He spoke very quickly, as though he if he didn't, the world might implode.

Ami stared at him. Was he asking her on a--

"Of course she would," Usagi said, sliding onto the bench next to Shinohara. "Wouldn't you, Ami?" Ami started to say that she didn't even like Harry Potter but Usagi didn't give her a chance. "Great! It's settled." She wrapped an arm around Shinohara's shoulders and stared into his eyes. "You'll pick her up at seven. Be sure you wear something nice, try something funny and I'll kill you, she likes flowers, and you should bring your own candy, the prices at the Grand are murder." She handed him a few bills. "Popcorn and soda are on me. I'll leave the details to the two of you. Bye." And then she was gone.

**** The day of the premiere, Usagi showed up at five armed with a makeup kit that seemed to be the size of a small car and plenty of advice. Not giving her friend any chance to speak, Usagi went to work. After making Ami take a shower, Usagi planted her in front of a mirror and went to work on Ami's hair, speaking in her usual rapid fire manner about anything and everything. And then, while Ami was trying to figure out what was different about her hair. Usagi dove into her closet, speaking half to herself, half to Ami. "No, no. Red? Won't work. Maybe you should wear a tie." And so forth.

Ami's taste in clothes ran to the practical. Almost all her clothes were of solid colors, mostly blue, with gray, pink, white, and a few other colors here and there. There was no logos, no identifying marks of any kind.

After selecting a plain white blouse, blue sweater and dark gray skirt, she once more planted Ami in a chair and got out the makeup. For the next ten minutes, she patted, brushed, and painted before finally holding up a mirror. Ami looked and saw...herself, exactly as she had always been.

"What did you do? I don't see anything different."

"You're not supposed to," Usagi said with a grin and packed up her case before dashing out the door.

Shinohara arrived fifteen minutes later, exactly at seven dressed in a white shirt and dark blue blazer and pants. Aunt Mai seemed to be pleased at his good manners and wished them both a good time. That in itself seemed odd as Ami was sure Aunt Mai would give him the third degree. Especially since she didn't know him. But instead, she sent them off with a smile and a wave.

"You look beautiful, Miss Ami" he said to her as they neared the theater.

"Thank you," Ami said. "But please, call me Ami."

"As you wish." He was silent for a moment. "Have you ever been to the chessimaniacs web site?"

"Yes," Ami replied. "In fact, I'm a moderator in the forum. Why?"

"Ah, then perhaps you could explain the checkmate in five moves example game posted last week. It was quite elegant, but I'm afraid I fail to see the need for the Black King's Side Rook." Ami blushed. "I'm sorry, was it something I said?"

"No, it's just that nobody's ever called one of my games elegant before. Thank you." He inclined his head in acknowledgment. Ami held her hand, palm up and planted the forefinger of her other hand approximately where the white king would be if she was playing black. "The reason you need the King's Side Rook..."

**** By sheer luck, they managed to get center seats and had just sat down, when Usagi's head appeared between them and the head of Naru appeared on the other side of Shinohara, their sudden appearance causing them to almost drop the popcorn and soda.

"Comfy?" Usagi asked, grinning madly.

"Yes...Usagi, what are you doing here?" Ami asked.

"Chaperoning, silly. Promised your aunt."

'Which explains why she let us go so easily,' Ami thought.

"Having fun?" Naru asked, grinning just as madly as Usagi.

"Yes," Shinohara replied. "Miss..."

"Naru Okasa. But you can call me All Powerful Mistress of all that somebody else pays taxes on."

"Don't mind Naru," Usagi said in a conspiratorial stage whisper. "She thinks she's funny."

"I do not think I'm funny," Naru said and assumed a snobbish expression. "I'm friggin hilarious."

"You're friggin something anyway," Usagi said.

"Bite me!"

"Later, sweetie," Usagi said with a straight face and then rested her elbows on Shinohara and Ami's heads. "Now considering this is a first date, I'm willing to overlook hand holding or arms around shoulders. But..." She leaned closer to Shinohara. "If that hand of yours even thinks about going even a millimeter below the armrest on her side..."

"Something Not Nice will happen," Naru said.

"Bad, icky, something," Usagi said, nodding solemnly. "The race of hyperintelligent cockroaches that will succeed humanity as the planet's dominant lifeform will look back at those things and decide that death by the Great Foot In The Sky was not that bad in comparison."

"Even Tom Green will cringe in horror."

"Right." Usagi turned her head to stare at Naru. "Who the hell is Tom Green?"

"Who cares?"

"Good point." Usagi swiped a handful of popcorn from the bag in Ami's hand as the lights began to dim. "Have fun, lovebirds."

"She didn't mean any of it," Ami whispered. " She doesn't even like stepping on ants. She's just..."

"Completely and utterly mad?" Shinohara suggested with a slight smile. After a moment, Ami smiled back.

At some point during the movie, his hand joined hers and Ami found that it felt quite nice.

**** "I had a nice time," Ami said as Shinohara walked her to her front door. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mi--Ami." Hesitantly, he leaned forward and brushed his lips across her cheek before heading back down the walk. Ami watched him go before heading into the house and up to her room.

She had just removed her sweater when the phone rang. Ami had her own line. Her aunt had installed it when Ami turned thirteen, believing that Ami would, like others her age, spend hours on the phone, and Mai didn't want the house line tied up as she depended on it for her livelihood. Ami had yet to use her line for the hours Aunt Mai had thought, but it was nice to have.

"Hello?" she said, picking it up.

"Well? How was it?" Usagi asked.

"Usagi, you were there."

"Yeah, but see, this is the other part of dating. You and your best friend spend an hour or so going over the date in minute detail afterwards. So give."

*** As the days turned to weeks, Ami managed to more or less to avoid using her powers with the exception of the strange instinct that seemed to be triggered by any threat. It made avoiding Flash easier, but it made it very difficult to forget about what else had come with it. At least those she could hide by not using them. But she couldn't hide everything. A great deal of her physical appearance changed. She gained at least two inches of height, and was forced to buy new clothes. Fortunutly, Aunt Mai assumed it was a growth spurt and paid the whole thing little mind. She did however, notice when Ami stopped needing glasses. The optometrist assured her, however that while rare, eyes sometimes "fixed" themselves. The human body was an amazing thing and sometimes things happened inexplicably. He advised them to keep the glasses handy for a few months, but not to worry about it. Ami went out and bought a pair of stage glasses anyway, which she wore around school.

Within a month after the incident, Ami was three inches taller, her body lean and lithe with curves that were out of a manga. It was an acrobat's body, supple and quick to restore itself. It wasn't until she broke the record for rope climbing, pulling herself up by main strength alone that she realized how strong she had become. In private, she used eggs and balloons to learn how to control it.

And all the while, strange instincts and feelings that came to her at random. Almost like voices, teaching, instructing, whispering. Ami tried to ignore them, and concentrated on keeping her metamorphis a secret.

But with the beginning of winter came swimming in the school's heated indoor pool. The school mandated one piece swimsuits, though they covered a great deal, did not hide curves very well and Ami somehow managed to keep a stoic expression as she walked across the deck to the pool edge. The girls were staring at her with sheer jealousy and hate, the boys with intense interest and Beryl...The senior's eyes were speculative, assessing. Something kept Ami from meeting that gaze and instead pushed her towards the pool edge.

At that moment, Mio Sasazi, the hockey coach came in and Ami felt the older woman's eyes studying her. Judging.

No good, she knew, could come of it.

And she was right.

"I'm what?" Ami asked incredulously. She stood in the entrance to the girl's locker room, blue eyes locked on Sasazi.

"On the Women's hockey team. As of today." Sasazi said flatly. "Practice starts at four-thirty sharp on Saturday."

"I, I...you can't arbitrarily put me on the team."

"I just did. Look, Mizuno, I've been watching you for a while now. You're one of the fastest swimmers here and yet you've avoided joining the team. You could have more then enough credits to graduate right now, but the sports requirement hasn't yet been fulfilled. Which is odd, considering you've obviously been working out."

In the back of her mind, Ami could almost hear Usagi. "The stone tablet workout. No fuss, no muss, Just freakish superpowers. Yours for nineteen ninety-five plus the jealousy of your peers. Call today."

"I don't like sports," Ami said, beginning to get angry with the coach. "They're barbaric, noisy and messy. Nor is it the school's bisinuess what I do with my free time. I'm sorry, Miss Sasazi, but I must request that you remove me from the team or else I shall be forced to speak with the principal about this...aberration of my choices."

"He's already approved it." Sasazi said quietly and then took a deep breath. "We need you, Mizuno. You're built for speed and we need that right now. We're barely managing to hang on to our unbroken victory record. Kino's losing her touch, we need someone with speed and I think you're it. You'll be a fill-in, spend most of the time on the bench. But if I have to pull Kino off the ice, you'll step in. The season is about to start. Stick it out and you will never have to set foot on the athletic field again. Here, or in high school. That's the deal. You play for us, one season, and the superintendent will waive the phys ed and sports requirement at whatever high school you attend. What do you say?"

**** "You said yes?" For once, Usagi seemed to be without a quip. "Are you insane?" She asked. Naru just nodded.

"I don't know," Ami replied. "It's just that...no more phys ed."

"Ami," Shinohara said, laying his hand on her arm. "Hockey is a very dangerous sport. Is staying away from the gymnasium really that important to you?"

Ami winced. They had been dating exclusively for nearly a month now and if he had one fault, it was that he tended to take everything personally. Such as the notion that Ami's desire to avoid the gym also meant she wished to avoid him. Considering she had attended every one of his matches, spent most of her free time in his company and had even kissed him, the notion that she wished to avoid him was ludicrous at best.

"Oh relax, Shinne," Usagi said. "Considering what she wrote in her diary, avoiding you is the last thing on her mind."

"Diary?" Shinohara asked.

"I don't keep a diary," Ami replied.

"Sure you do," Usagi replied as she and Naru's expressions became identical mad grins. "Dear Diary."

"Gendo Shinohara is so yummy," Naru picked up.

"He's everything I could want in a man."

"Smart, funny, and one hell of a kisser."

"He has no bad points."

"And I eagerly look forward to the day when I can tie him to my bed and eat an ice cream sundae off his bare chest."

"Best wishes, Ami Mizuno."

Shinohara stared at them for a moment and then looked at Ami. In unison, they picked up their bento boxes and began eating with all the dignity they could muster.

Usagi and Naru collapsed in helpless laughter.