The Snow Covered Cliffs
By Aria Chiba
PG-13
http://sailormercuryshrine.freeservers.com
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***IMPORTANT***
I've had so many people want me to continue
Yesterday's Gone. I probally will
continue it, but before that I decided
to write one on what happened in the
beginning of Yesterday's Gone. This is
about... 6 months before it, perhaps
it will clear up some questions about
the end of Yesterday's Gone. So if you
havn't read Yesterday's Gone, read this one
first to stay chronological.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
"Your life lies before you like fresh-fallen
snow. Be careful where you walk, for every
step will show."
- Unknown
Oh, and, in case any of you were wondering,
I don't own Sailor Moon. Our dear Naoko
does, bless her heart.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{-- ----}---}---@
She didn't know why she always seemed to be
drawn to him. Sure, they were friends and
all, but lately... things have been
different. Is this true love she's feeling?
Maybe it was because he was her first kiss,
her first true boyfriend. He had
come back from being gone for just over a
year, and gods how he'd changed. She didn't
think she'd ever seen anyone more beautiful
then Ryou. His chocolate brown eyes and hair,
his short, cute brushed back hairstyle.
She had his face memorized, from his cute
little nose, his full lips, the little wisp
of hair that won't stay back, his little dent
in his forehead, and those shining eyes,
which always seem to be staring into her eyes.
He had a handsome, brand new musclular frame.
He's closing in on 6 feet... gods she wished
those arms were around her, holding her close,
so she could snuggle into him...
She shrugged off the light snow coming down
around her, and continued walking up the
steep slope. Perhaps it was only a fantasy,
and for that matter, a fantasy that she was
thourouly embarrased about, but she couldn't
stop it. He was the light in her life, if
only she could tell him that. She always had
such problems with words.
They were both in their second year of Med
School at the age of 19. Because they both
aimed to be pediatritions, they shared many
of the same classes, and ended up studying
together often. That's when they started
getting close, when they were alone together
in his flat.
She could clearly remember the first night
she came. Her whole body warmed at the memory
of it, and she sighed as she was overcome
with the memory.
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One particularly cold night, when the wind
blew so hard the windows seemed to be on a
constant vibration, Ami and Ryou were at his
flat. They had the CD player blasting
classical tunes to cover up the vicious storm
that had popped up during the middle of their
study session. The fireplace was lit and they
were sprawled out in front of it on the floor
in diagonals.
They were studying the children's skeletal
system for a major exam scheduled for 9:30 the
next morning, and they both had had their
noses stuck in the books for quite some time,
neither one of them wanting to discuss the
issue of the storm and of where Ami was to
sleep that night. She, of course, could not
return home that night, she would be blown
away with her slight frame.
She glanced up from her book to study him,
laying there, his head in his hands, his eyes
intent on his book. No, wait, he wasn't reading
the text, his eyes seemed glazed over, as if
he was daydreaming. That was completly unlike
him! Unless he was thinking of... then suddenly,
as if he could feel her eyes on him, he looked
up at her, his gaze intent.
"Ami-chan, I have a confession to make." He
whispered, shutting his book and inching a bit
closer to her. His breathing seemed to increase
as he gazed at her nervously.
She carefully shut her book and placed it next
to the rocking chair on her left. Then she let
her eyes rest on Ryo again, taking a deep
breath. "Yes?" she murmured, almost inaudibly.
He closed his eyes for a moment, biting his
lip. Carefully, he began to speak again. "I
knew there was going to be a storm tonight. I
knew it, and also knew that there would be no
way for you to get home. I also knew that
because of the storm, our proffessor will lose his
electricty and won't wake up in time for class.
And yet... I still had you come over." One eye
peaked out to watch her reaction.
She quickly went from shocked, to unsure and
confused. Why would he do that? Unless... he
just wanted to be with her? Could he possibly
have feelings for her?
The moments began to drag out, they each layed
there staring at each other, fighting
internally to make the first move, to just
*say* something. He hovered so close to her,
he could easily make the distance between their
lips nothing, but he held back, knowing that
she wasn't ready for something so bold as that.
Her heart was beating like crazy. Was he going
to do something, say something? She felt a dull
ache sweeping over her body, yearning for
something she wasn't quite sure of. She had
never felt like this, she was too busy with her
studies to pay attention to physical emotions
like these. Had she been missing out on
something all this time?
Finally, Ryou couldn't take it any longer. He
got up and offered his hand to Ami. She took
it nervously, and drew herself up. He placed
his hands on her waist tenderly, watching for
any sign from Ami to stop. She offered him none,
so he then slipped his arms around her back
and gently drew her into a hug. She placed her
arms around his neck, as she had done so many
times before to people, a hug was something
that she gave readily.
But never had she been so close to someone like
this. His arms slowly tightened around her,
and she soon found herself pressed against his
body, like she was in her dreams. Could he
have... no, he assured her long ago that
he couldn't read minds, and she knew he
wouldn't lie. Perhaps he just knew it... in
his heart.
She relaxed in his embrace, allowing feelings
to overwhelm her. She wasn't sure how to
respond quite to this, but she knew that he
would guide her. One of his hands rubbed her
back gently, and she could feel his breath
beside her ear. All sounds, the blaring music,
the roaring wind, the crackling fireplace,
faded out but the sound of his breath and the
beating of her heart.
She felt his chest inflate as he sighed and
gently released her from his embrace. One
hand remained on her waist while the other
traveled up to her face, tracing it with one
finger. His finger travled to her nose, and he
whispered, "Nose."
A smile lit up her face at the prospect of the
little game. She giggled as his finger traced
down her cheek to her chin, up again to her
forehead and across her eyelids and she
correctly identified all the features. Then
his finger came down to her lips. "Mouth," she
whispered, question in her eyes. He smiled, and
moved his finger so it was clearly resting on
just one lip. She took a deep breath, and said,
"lips."
He smiled knowingly, and brought his finger
down to her chin, proping it up better so he
could see directly into her face. The sweet
and tender love that shone in his face would
be enough to make any women swoon, and
unnessisarily so for such an inexperienced
girl like Ami.
Then the world became a blur as his lips
decended upon hers. Such feelings flew through
her as never before. His kiss was gentle and
deep, slowly letting her get used to the
feeling as he carefuly and unnoticedly brought
her down to the ground and wrapped her in
his arms as they lay in front of the fireplace.
She felt herself becoming increasingly dizzy
with pleasure with each passing moment. She lost
all sense of time and place, and knew only of
the kiss, which felt so right, as if it was
destined.
Finally there lips seperated and they lay
there, for hours listening to the music of
hearts.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
That was about 6 months ago, and ever since
then, they've been doing everything together...
well, for the most part. He was the highlight
of her life though. Things had been getting
pretty tough. Her mother had developed breast
cancer, and her good friend, Kunitachi, who
tended to the plants and flowers in Juuban
Park, and many others, had died of a heart
attack.
The scouts had been just kind of hanging in
there, spreading out in their own separate
ways. She hadn't heard from Mina-chan or
Mako-chan since she had announced her pregancy.
Usa and Rei-chan both lived in the area, but
both were often busy with their own lives and
studies. So, as with many friends, they had
grown somewhat apart.
As for the outer scouts, they had disappeared
soon after the fight with Galexia. They must
have decided that they were no longer needed,
and just ran from the memories. Maybe someday,
she would track them down, but not until
things began to setle down more here.
So life wasn't going quite as wonderful as one
would have thought, with all the fighting
seemingly over, at least until the negaverse
attacked in the future, as they knew they
would. And they had the exact protection spell
written out so Chibi-Usa could still become a
scout and yet have everyone protected.
She sighed. It was a Saturday afternoon and
Ryou was working. She wasn't quite in the
greatest of moods, everything was getting to
her, so she was hiking up one of the less
traveled parts of Juuban Park, up to the
cliffs. It was early December, and the snow
already covered the ground. She knew she
wouldn't encounter anyone, it was a hard hike
without the snow, perfect for a depressed
ex-senshi.
She paused to catch her breath on the steep
incline. Her breaths were coming out in white
clouds in the cold air. But she knew the top
would be worth it. She reached in her backpack
and drew out a thermous filled with hot cocoa.
The heat quickly warmed her mitten-clad hands,
and she swiftly took off the cap and sipped
it cautiously. The hot liquid seeped down,
warming her from the inside out. There was
nothing like a hot drink on a cold day.
She replaced the cap and sadly placed it back
in her pack, not wanting the cold air to cool
it. Pulling it back on, she took a deep breath
and continued her path to the top. She knew
from past trips that she was about 3 quarters
of the way there.
She chuckled, remembering the last time she
had come up here, about 3 weeks ago. The snow
hadn't fallen yet, but it was still extremly
cold. She and Ryou had made the trek.
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"Eek! Careful! It's steep, I'll fall!" She
cried out in alarm.
He chuckled, coming up behind her and wrapping
his arms around her. "I'll be sure to catch
you then."
"Ryou-baka, you're so mean to me! Let me go!"
She cried out merrily, not really wanting for
him to let go, she was the expert in reverse
phsychology.
And just as she expected, he tightened his
arms in defiance. "Baka, huh? I'll show you
bak--" he started out, but was quickly
silenced as he found himself flying through
the air and landing softly on the ground with
Ami kneeling beside him.
"Trying to show me up?" She asked, giggling
lightly before he snaked his arms up and
pulled her down for a deep kiss. She came up
gasping and mock pouted. "You just can't let
me win, can you?"
"Nope!" he smiled. "You're gonna pay for that,
my little contortionist." He got up and placed
her in his arms. "We're almost there, I'll
carry you, don't worry babe."
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
She sighed happily as she passed that place.
She indeed was almost there. She pressed on,
ignoring the cold wind around her. Just up
ahead was the clearing.
She slowed down as she reached the final
obstacle, a bunch of large rocks that she had
to scale. She placed her hands on first rock
and pulled herself up. She found herself
slipping slightly, but there was a branch
there for her to grab.
She pulled herself carefully up, happy for
the grips on her gloves. She reached up
for the ledge and easily swung her body
up. She quickly stood up to brush off her
snowpants when she was hit by a quick
harsh wind...
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"OH MY GOD IT'S SO COLD!" Ami cried out in
suprise as she and Ryo jumped out of the car.
"Oh Gods Ami, I'm so sorry! I didn't see that
ice coming at all! Can you see where we're
stuck? Did you see any houses nearby?" Ryou
cried out, trying to keep himself in check.
He didn't want to lose himself in front of
Ami.
Ami leaned against the car, pulling her scarf
tightly to her face. It was hard to think in
the wind, it was coming in gust up to 45 mphs.
They were on their way out to his parents
house for a surprise get-together they were
giving them on their aniversary. Dinner and
everything. But no one knew that they were
headed out there, and they lived in the
middle of nowhere. The last house would have
been miles away.
"Not for miles, I think," She sighed, getting
down to look at the car. It was a low car,
and they were in it deep.
He groaned, also seeing the situation. "We'll
be able to dig the wheels out, but we'll never
get the snow from under the car out. It's so
compact, and it would take hours. It would be
dangerous to stay in this wind for so long."
Ami nodded, hugging her arms together. "So,
what are we going to do?"
He shook his head, lost in thought. "Let's...
just... well, for now, let's get into the
car. It's too cold out here."
She nodded and hopped into the car. He sighed.
"God, I never saw this even coming! And I'm
not getting anything now! I don't even know
what's going to happen! And to top it all off,
I ran out of minutes on my phone the other
day! We can't even call!"
She turned to him and shushed him, bringing
him into a hug. "Don't blame yourself! Perhaps
it was meant to happen this way, a little bit
of adventure, you know. Right now, the way
I see it is, it's you and me, all alone, in a
car, in the middle of nowhere. We've got
blankets, the car heater, and music. Why can't
we just take advantage of the situation?"
He smiled. Ever since that first night, she
had become so open. He watched as she turned
her eyes innocently twoards the backseat, and
he found himself being filled with such love
for his little angel. He motioned for her
to jump in the back, and turned to crack a
window.
She looked at him quizically for a second,
then realized it was so they weren't gased
by carbon monoxide. Good thing he thought of
that, that wouldn't have been a good thing!
He climbed in back next to her, and slid in
close beside her. She smiled and slipped her
hands around his waist. "So now..." she
whispered, "there's nothing else we can do
here but to wait for a car or for the wind to
die down. We could talk about school... or
perhaps we could play school..."
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
She fell hard to the ground, trying to keep
her balance. But as she hit she quickly
rolled, trying to keep the impact off her
stomach. She spun off onto her back as she
carefully held her stomach with affection.
Her three month old baby was in there.
The winds died and she carefully got herself
back up. The peak was pretty flat, with some
boulders on one end. She started over to them,
shrugging off her backpack. She lifted herself
up on them, and closed her eyes in anticipation
of the view.
Suddenly she found a pair of very familiar
lips press against her. She leaned in as
she murmured, "Oh Ryou..."
After some time they separated and he drew
her into his lap as she gazed out into the
horizon. The sun was beginning to set, and
a few stars glittered behind them. The lights
of Tokyo were starting to turn on, and the
ocean glittered to their right. It was so
beautiful... but perhaps the most amazing
part of it was the view to her left, in that
amazing face.
He grinned back at her and placed a hand on
her belly. "Mrs. Urawa Ryou..." he sighed for
the thousandth time and Ami knew what was
about to come, so she immedieatly placed her
hand on his lips. "Hai, I do want to become
Mrs. Urawa Ryou. There isn't anything in the
world that could make me more happy, well,
except maybe this little babe here. And iie,
I don't have any regrets to becoming pregant
and having this baby before we're married.
I wouldn't trade this little bundle for
anything in the world."
He sighed happily, placing his forehead on
hers. "Thank you, my tenshi. You can't believe
how much better I feel each time I hear those
words. Ashiteru."
They spent an hour like that, sitting on the
boulder, just staring at the sites and at
each other. Neither of them wanted to leave,
but it kept growing increasingly cold, so
finally they stood and Ryou helped her off
their special little area, and they headed
down the hill. They were quite a bit quieter
than they were on most trips. They couldn't
kid around as much as they once would, not
with Ami expecting. So they just kind of talked
on their way.
"So, have you decided whether or not you want
to know if it's boy or girl?" Ryou asked,
placing his arm around her waist.
Ami sighed. That was something that was
constantly on her mind. She did have a special
interest in knowing whether or not it would
become her future sailor senshi. Ryou knew,
his clarovoyance showed him.
"Ok, so tell me. Will our child be called
Akira or Yukiko?" He stopped, and placed
both hands on her waist. He drew her as close
to him as he possibly could and whispered
gently into her ear, "Yukiko."
A look of pure joy radiated from her face as
she increased her grip around Ryou and
murmured into his chest, "A girl... oh Ryou,
I'm so happy!"
"Not as happy as I am, my sweet Ami. I'm the
luckiest man in the world." After a quick hug
and a light kiss, they slowly started walking
down the hill again, both of them lost in
their thoughts.
'How could life go so quickly from being
miserable to being so wonderful. Oh I'm so
glad... oh Yukiko...' Ami thought happily
to herself.
Ryou on the other hand, had other thoughts
running through his head. 'Oh, God, why do I
keep getting these premonitions of such fear.
Should I warn Ami? Certainly not now, with
her mind on Yukiko. Besides, I don't want to
worry her about something that could turn out
to be nothing. Oh, I just wish I could pin-
point the source!'
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
The months passed quickly for the two young
lovers. The end of May came, and college let
out. Yukiko was due in about two weeks, and
everything was going perfect with the
pregancy. The girls were going to throw her
a baby shower the night after the final day
of the semester. Minako was flying in from
her acting career in England, and Makoto was
getting a lift from her latest boyfriend
Botan, because she had broken her leg earlier
on in the month.
Plus, it was almost a triple shower. Usagi
was five months pregnant with Chibi-Usa and
Rei was three months with her son Keita.
She laughed cheerfully as Ryou drove her over
to Furuhata Motoki's new restaurnt, where
the shower was going to be held. She was so
happy, so many of her friends were going to
be there.
Ryou looked over at his soon to be wife with
loving eyes. She had been looking forward to
this night for such a long time. And they even
had a surprise for her. They had tracked down
Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru, and they
were all going to be at the party tonight.
Was she going to be thrilled! He was having
a hard time keeping it a secret. But they were
almost there.
Ami was looking out the side window, watching
for the restaurant. It was late, and the
lights of Tokyo looked so beautiful. She
smiled and placed her hands on her immensly
large belly. "Soon, Yukiko, soon you will see
Earth and all it's beauty."
They hit a red light and Ryou reached his hand
over to place it over Ami's. "You will make
such a wonderful mama to our little angel."
She laughed. "Well, I think you'll make a
much better papa. Get going! The light turned
green!"
He smiled and started up again, and as Ami
watched out the side window, she found herself
face to face with fast approaching headlights.
"RYOU!" was all she was able to scream out
before the car crashed into theirs, sending
them both into an unconciousness.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
Ami awoke in a dark room, her head and entire
body in intense pain. She kept her eyes
clenched shut, and heard two faraway voices,
and she picked up bits and pieces of their
conversation.
"...drunk driver... yeah, he ran a red light
...all killed...Mr. Urawa-san...critical
condition...the lady should be fine...the
baby was lost..."
At those last words, Ami fell back into her
sleep, a tear running down her cheek.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
Her dreams were dark, in her faraway corner,
Afraid of the words she had heard.
She couldn't believe it, even the thought,
But it echoed in her head, those awful words.
Her screams rang out into the night,
Stinging tears rolled down her face.
She didn't have the strenght to fight,
And reached out for gentle arms to embrace.
But all that greeted her was cold air,
Her safe happy world, shattered.
Now she cries, alone,
Thinking nobody cares.
All she has now are lonely dreams.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
E-mail me at AriaChiba@hotmail.com and visit
my website!
http://sailormercuryshrine.freeservers.com
And all you impatient readers out there, the
conclusion to The Realization is close at hand
and so is rest of the chapters of Anxious
Hearts. Just remind me not to take up any more
stuff, alright... O.o wait! How can I possibly
concentrate on one thing without having 70
other projects? He he he, watch out for
Aria 'Yukiko' Chiba's infiltration. It will
soon take over all your lives! Mwaa haa haa!
(Suddenly, Aria's dog Jedite attacks at the
weird laughter)...maybe I'll stick with the
stories at hand...
JA! ARIGATO MINNA! AISHITERU!
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
By Aria Chiba
PG-13
http://sailormercuryshrine.freeservers.com
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
***IMPORTANT***
I've had so many people want me to continue
Yesterday's Gone. I probally will
continue it, but before that I decided
to write one on what happened in the
beginning of Yesterday's Gone. This is
about... 6 months before it, perhaps
it will clear up some questions about
the end of Yesterday's Gone. So if you
havn't read Yesterday's Gone, read this one
first to stay chronological.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
"Your life lies before you like fresh-fallen
snow. Be careful where you walk, for every
step will show."
- Unknown
Oh, and, in case any of you were wondering,
I don't own Sailor Moon. Our dear Naoko
does, bless her heart.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{-- ----}---}---@
She didn't know why she always seemed to be
drawn to him. Sure, they were friends and
all, but lately... things have been
different. Is this true love she's feeling?
Maybe it was because he was her first kiss,
her first true boyfriend. He had
come back from being gone for just over a
year, and gods how he'd changed. She didn't
think she'd ever seen anyone more beautiful
then Ryou. His chocolate brown eyes and hair,
his short, cute brushed back hairstyle.
She had his face memorized, from his cute
little nose, his full lips, the little wisp
of hair that won't stay back, his little dent
in his forehead, and those shining eyes,
which always seem to be staring into her eyes.
He had a handsome, brand new musclular frame.
He's closing in on 6 feet... gods she wished
those arms were around her, holding her close,
so she could snuggle into him...
She shrugged off the light snow coming down
around her, and continued walking up the
steep slope. Perhaps it was only a fantasy,
and for that matter, a fantasy that she was
thourouly embarrased about, but she couldn't
stop it. He was the light in her life, if
only she could tell him that. She always had
such problems with words.
They were both in their second year of Med
School at the age of 19. Because they both
aimed to be pediatritions, they shared many
of the same classes, and ended up studying
together often. That's when they started
getting close, when they were alone together
in his flat.
She could clearly remember the first night
she came. Her whole body warmed at the memory
of it, and she sighed as she was overcome
with the memory.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
One particularly cold night, when the wind
blew so hard the windows seemed to be on a
constant vibration, Ami and Ryou were at his
flat. They had the CD player blasting
classical tunes to cover up the vicious storm
that had popped up during the middle of their
study session. The fireplace was lit and they
were sprawled out in front of it on the floor
in diagonals.
They were studying the children's skeletal
system for a major exam scheduled for 9:30 the
next morning, and they both had had their
noses stuck in the books for quite some time,
neither one of them wanting to discuss the
issue of the storm and of where Ami was to
sleep that night. She, of course, could not
return home that night, she would be blown
away with her slight frame.
She glanced up from her book to study him,
laying there, his head in his hands, his eyes
intent on his book. No, wait, he wasn't reading
the text, his eyes seemed glazed over, as if
he was daydreaming. That was completly unlike
him! Unless he was thinking of... then suddenly,
as if he could feel her eyes on him, he looked
up at her, his gaze intent.
"Ami-chan, I have a confession to make." He
whispered, shutting his book and inching a bit
closer to her. His breathing seemed to increase
as he gazed at her nervously.
She carefully shut her book and placed it next
to the rocking chair on her left. Then she let
her eyes rest on Ryo again, taking a deep
breath. "Yes?" she murmured, almost inaudibly.
He closed his eyes for a moment, biting his
lip. Carefully, he began to speak again. "I
knew there was going to be a storm tonight. I
knew it, and also knew that there would be no
way for you to get home. I also knew that
because of the storm, our proffessor will lose his
electricty and won't wake up in time for class.
And yet... I still had you come over." One eye
peaked out to watch her reaction.
She quickly went from shocked, to unsure and
confused. Why would he do that? Unless... he
just wanted to be with her? Could he possibly
have feelings for her?
The moments began to drag out, they each layed
there staring at each other, fighting
internally to make the first move, to just
*say* something. He hovered so close to her,
he could easily make the distance between their
lips nothing, but he held back, knowing that
she wasn't ready for something so bold as that.
Her heart was beating like crazy. Was he going
to do something, say something? She felt a dull
ache sweeping over her body, yearning for
something she wasn't quite sure of. She had
never felt like this, she was too busy with her
studies to pay attention to physical emotions
like these. Had she been missing out on
something all this time?
Finally, Ryou couldn't take it any longer. He
got up and offered his hand to Ami. She took
it nervously, and drew herself up. He placed
his hands on her waist tenderly, watching for
any sign from Ami to stop. She offered him none,
so he then slipped his arms around her back
and gently drew her into a hug. She placed her
arms around his neck, as she had done so many
times before to people, a hug was something
that she gave readily.
But never had she been so close to someone like
this. His arms slowly tightened around her,
and she soon found herself pressed against his
body, like she was in her dreams. Could he
have... no, he assured her long ago that
he couldn't read minds, and she knew he
wouldn't lie. Perhaps he just knew it... in
his heart.
She relaxed in his embrace, allowing feelings
to overwhelm her. She wasn't sure how to
respond quite to this, but she knew that he
would guide her. One of his hands rubbed her
back gently, and she could feel his breath
beside her ear. All sounds, the blaring music,
the roaring wind, the crackling fireplace,
faded out but the sound of his breath and the
beating of her heart.
She felt his chest inflate as he sighed and
gently released her from his embrace. One
hand remained on her waist while the other
traveled up to her face, tracing it with one
finger. His finger travled to her nose, and he
whispered, "Nose."
A smile lit up her face at the prospect of the
little game. She giggled as his finger traced
down her cheek to her chin, up again to her
forehead and across her eyelids and she
correctly identified all the features. Then
his finger came down to her lips. "Mouth," she
whispered, question in her eyes. He smiled, and
moved his finger so it was clearly resting on
just one lip. She took a deep breath, and said,
"lips."
He smiled knowingly, and brought his finger
down to her chin, proping it up better so he
could see directly into her face. The sweet
and tender love that shone in his face would
be enough to make any women swoon, and
unnessisarily so for such an inexperienced
girl like Ami.
Then the world became a blur as his lips
decended upon hers. Such feelings flew through
her as never before. His kiss was gentle and
deep, slowly letting her get used to the
feeling as he carefuly and unnoticedly brought
her down to the ground and wrapped her in
his arms as they lay in front of the fireplace.
She felt herself becoming increasingly dizzy
with pleasure with each passing moment. She lost
all sense of time and place, and knew only of
the kiss, which felt so right, as if it was
destined.
Finally there lips seperated and they lay
there, for hours listening to the music of
hearts.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
That was about 6 months ago, and ever since
then, they've been doing everything together...
well, for the most part. He was the highlight
of her life though. Things had been getting
pretty tough. Her mother had developed breast
cancer, and her good friend, Kunitachi, who
tended to the plants and flowers in Juuban
Park, and many others, had died of a heart
attack.
The scouts had been just kind of hanging in
there, spreading out in their own separate
ways. She hadn't heard from Mina-chan or
Mako-chan since she had announced her pregancy.
Usa and Rei-chan both lived in the area, but
both were often busy with their own lives and
studies. So, as with many friends, they had
grown somewhat apart.
As for the outer scouts, they had disappeared
soon after the fight with Galexia. They must
have decided that they were no longer needed,
and just ran from the memories. Maybe someday,
she would track them down, but not until
things began to setle down more here.
So life wasn't going quite as wonderful as one
would have thought, with all the fighting
seemingly over, at least until the negaverse
attacked in the future, as they knew they
would. And they had the exact protection spell
written out so Chibi-Usa could still become a
scout and yet have everyone protected.
She sighed. It was a Saturday afternoon and
Ryou was working. She wasn't quite in the
greatest of moods, everything was getting to
her, so she was hiking up one of the less
traveled parts of Juuban Park, up to the
cliffs. It was early December, and the snow
already covered the ground. She knew she
wouldn't encounter anyone, it was a hard hike
without the snow, perfect for a depressed
ex-senshi.
She paused to catch her breath on the steep
incline. Her breaths were coming out in white
clouds in the cold air. But she knew the top
would be worth it. She reached in her backpack
and drew out a thermous filled with hot cocoa.
The heat quickly warmed her mitten-clad hands,
and she swiftly took off the cap and sipped
it cautiously. The hot liquid seeped down,
warming her from the inside out. There was
nothing like a hot drink on a cold day.
She replaced the cap and sadly placed it back
in her pack, not wanting the cold air to cool
it. Pulling it back on, she took a deep breath
and continued her path to the top. She knew
from past trips that she was about 3 quarters
of the way there.
She chuckled, remembering the last time she
had come up here, about 3 weeks ago. The snow
hadn't fallen yet, but it was still extremly
cold. She and Ryou had made the trek.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
"Eek! Careful! It's steep, I'll fall!" She
cried out in alarm.
He chuckled, coming up behind her and wrapping
his arms around her. "I'll be sure to catch
you then."
"Ryou-baka, you're so mean to me! Let me go!"
She cried out merrily, not really wanting for
him to let go, she was the expert in reverse
phsychology.
And just as she expected, he tightened his
arms in defiance. "Baka, huh? I'll show you
bak--" he started out, but was quickly
silenced as he found himself flying through
the air and landing softly on the ground with
Ami kneeling beside him.
"Trying to show me up?" She asked, giggling
lightly before he snaked his arms up and
pulled her down for a deep kiss. She came up
gasping and mock pouted. "You just can't let
me win, can you?"
"Nope!" he smiled. "You're gonna pay for that,
my little contortionist." He got up and placed
her in his arms. "We're almost there, I'll
carry you, don't worry babe."
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
She sighed happily as she passed that place.
She indeed was almost there. She pressed on,
ignoring the cold wind around her. Just up
ahead was the clearing.
She slowed down as she reached the final
obstacle, a bunch of large rocks that she had
to scale. She placed her hands on first rock
and pulled herself up. She found herself
slipping slightly, but there was a branch
there for her to grab.
She pulled herself carefully up, happy for
the grips on her gloves. She reached up
for the ledge and easily swung her body
up. She quickly stood up to brush off her
snowpants when she was hit by a quick
harsh wind...
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
"OH MY GOD IT'S SO COLD!" Ami cried out in
suprise as she and Ryo jumped out of the car.
"Oh Gods Ami, I'm so sorry! I didn't see that
ice coming at all! Can you see where we're
stuck? Did you see any houses nearby?" Ryou
cried out, trying to keep himself in check.
He didn't want to lose himself in front of
Ami.
Ami leaned against the car, pulling her scarf
tightly to her face. It was hard to think in
the wind, it was coming in gust up to 45 mphs.
They were on their way out to his parents
house for a surprise get-together they were
giving them on their aniversary. Dinner and
everything. But no one knew that they were
headed out there, and they lived in the
middle of nowhere. The last house would have
been miles away.
"Not for miles, I think," She sighed, getting
down to look at the car. It was a low car,
and they were in it deep.
He groaned, also seeing the situation. "We'll
be able to dig the wheels out, but we'll never
get the snow from under the car out. It's so
compact, and it would take hours. It would be
dangerous to stay in this wind for so long."
Ami nodded, hugging her arms together. "So,
what are we going to do?"
He shook his head, lost in thought. "Let's...
just... well, for now, let's get into the
car. It's too cold out here."
She nodded and hopped into the car. He sighed.
"God, I never saw this even coming! And I'm
not getting anything now! I don't even know
what's going to happen! And to top it all off,
I ran out of minutes on my phone the other
day! We can't even call!"
She turned to him and shushed him, bringing
him into a hug. "Don't blame yourself! Perhaps
it was meant to happen this way, a little bit
of adventure, you know. Right now, the way
I see it is, it's you and me, all alone, in a
car, in the middle of nowhere. We've got
blankets, the car heater, and music. Why can't
we just take advantage of the situation?"
He smiled. Ever since that first night, she
had become so open. He watched as she turned
her eyes innocently twoards the backseat, and
he found himself being filled with such love
for his little angel. He motioned for her
to jump in the back, and turned to crack a
window.
She looked at him quizically for a second,
then realized it was so they weren't gased
by carbon monoxide. Good thing he thought of
that, that wouldn't have been a good thing!
He climbed in back next to her, and slid in
close beside her. She smiled and slipped her
hands around his waist. "So now..." she
whispered, "there's nothing else we can do
here but to wait for a car or for the wind to
die down. We could talk about school... or
perhaps we could play school..."
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
She fell hard to the ground, trying to keep
her balance. But as she hit she quickly
rolled, trying to keep the impact off her
stomach. She spun off onto her back as she
carefully held her stomach with affection.
Her three month old baby was in there.
The winds died and she carefully got herself
back up. The peak was pretty flat, with some
boulders on one end. She started over to them,
shrugging off her backpack. She lifted herself
up on them, and closed her eyes in anticipation
of the view.
Suddenly she found a pair of very familiar
lips press against her. She leaned in as
she murmured, "Oh Ryou..."
After some time they separated and he drew
her into his lap as she gazed out into the
horizon. The sun was beginning to set, and
a few stars glittered behind them. The lights
of Tokyo were starting to turn on, and the
ocean glittered to their right. It was so
beautiful... but perhaps the most amazing
part of it was the view to her left, in that
amazing face.
He grinned back at her and placed a hand on
her belly. "Mrs. Urawa Ryou..." he sighed for
the thousandth time and Ami knew what was
about to come, so she immedieatly placed her
hand on his lips. "Hai, I do want to become
Mrs. Urawa Ryou. There isn't anything in the
world that could make me more happy, well,
except maybe this little babe here. And iie,
I don't have any regrets to becoming pregant
and having this baby before we're married.
I wouldn't trade this little bundle for
anything in the world."
He sighed happily, placing his forehead on
hers. "Thank you, my tenshi. You can't believe
how much better I feel each time I hear those
words. Ashiteru."
They spent an hour like that, sitting on the
boulder, just staring at the sites and at
each other. Neither of them wanted to leave,
but it kept growing increasingly cold, so
finally they stood and Ryou helped her off
their special little area, and they headed
down the hill. They were quite a bit quieter
than they were on most trips. They couldn't
kid around as much as they once would, not
with Ami expecting. So they just kind of talked
on their way.
"So, have you decided whether or not you want
to know if it's boy or girl?" Ryou asked,
placing his arm around her waist.
Ami sighed. That was something that was
constantly on her mind. She did have a special
interest in knowing whether or not it would
become her future sailor senshi. Ryou knew,
his clarovoyance showed him.
"Ok, so tell me. Will our child be called
Akira or Yukiko?" He stopped, and placed
both hands on her waist. He drew her as close
to him as he possibly could and whispered
gently into her ear, "Yukiko."
A look of pure joy radiated from her face as
she increased her grip around Ryou and
murmured into his chest, "A girl... oh Ryou,
I'm so happy!"
"Not as happy as I am, my sweet Ami. I'm the
luckiest man in the world." After a quick hug
and a light kiss, they slowly started walking
down the hill again, both of them lost in
their thoughts.
'How could life go so quickly from being
miserable to being so wonderful. Oh I'm so
glad... oh Yukiko...' Ami thought happily
to herself.
Ryou on the other hand, had other thoughts
running through his head. 'Oh, God, why do I
keep getting these premonitions of such fear.
Should I warn Ami? Certainly not now, with
her mind on Yukiko. Besides, I don't want to
worry her about something that could turn out
to be nothing. Oh, I just wish I could pin-
point the source!'
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
The months passed quickly for the two young
lovers. The end of May came, and college let
out. Yukiko was due in about two weeks, and
everything was going perfect with the
pregancy. The girls were going to throw her
a baby shower the night after the final day
of the semester. Minako was flying in from
her acting career in England, and Makoto was
getting a lift from her latest boyfriend
Botan, because she had broken her leg earlier
on in the month.
Plus, it was almost a triple shower. Usagi
was five months pregnant with Chibi-Usa and
Rei was three months with her son Keita.
She laughed cheerfully as Ryou drove her over
to Furuhata Motoki's new restaurnt, where
the shower was going to be held. She was so
happy, so many of her friends were going to
be there.
Ryou looked over at his soon to be wife with
loving eyes. She had been looking forward to
this night for such a long time. And they even
had a surprise for her. They had tracked down
Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru, and they
were all going to be at the party tonight.
Was she going to be thrilled! He was having
a hard time keeping it a secret. But they were
almost there.
Ami was looking out the side window, watching
for the restaurant. It was late, and the
lights of Tokyo looked so beautiful. She
smiled and placed her hands on her immensly
large belly. "Soon, Yukiko, soon you will see
Earth and all it's beauty."
They hit a red light and Ryou reached his hand
over to place it over Ami's. "You will make
such a wonderful mama to our little angel."
She laughed. "Well, I think you'll make a
much better papa. Get going! The light turned
green!"
He smiled and started up again, and as Ami
watched out the side window, she found herself
face to face with fast approaching headlights.
"RYOU!" was all she was able to scream out
before the car crashed into theirs, sending
them both into an unconciousness.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
Ami awoke in a dark room, her head and entire
body in intense pain. She kept her eyes
clenched shut, and heard two faraway voices,
and she picked up bits and pieces of their
conversation.
"...drunk driver... yeah, he ran a red light
...all killed...Mr. Urawa-san...critical
condition...the lady should be fine...the
baby was lost..."
At those last words, Ami fell back into her
sleep, a tear running down her cheek.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
Her dreams were dark, in her faraway corner,
Afraid of the words she had heard.
She couldn't believe it, even the thought,
But it echoed in her head, those awful words.
Her screams rang out into the night,
Stinging tears rolled down her face.
She didn't have the strenght to fight,
And reached out for gentle arms to embrace.
But all that greeted her was cold air,
Her safe happy world, shattered.
Now she cries, alone,
Thinking nobody cares.
All she has now are lonely dreams.
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@
E-mail me at AriaChiba@hotmail.com and visit
my website!
http://sailormercuryshrine.freeservers.com
And all you impatient readers out there, the
conclusion to The Realization is close at hand
and so is rest of the chapters of Anxious
Hearts. Just remind me not to take up any more
stuff, alright... O.o wait! How can I possibly
concentrate on one thing without having 70
other projects? He he he, watch out for
Aria 'Yukiko' Chiba's infiltration. It will
soon take over all your lives! Mwaa haa haa!
(Suddenly, Aria's dog Jedite attacks at the
weird laughter)...maybe I'll stick with the
stories at hand...
JA! ARIGATO MINNA! AISHITERU!
@---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@