A/N- Well, hello again! This little ficlet is just a look into the lives of two friends; Naoki (aka Nephrite) and Ami (you know who she is). No, there are no romantic undercurrents here, just two good friends. This is dedicated and written for FilmMaker1690. You rock the reviews! Enjoy the reading, people.
Disclaimer: Although my car payments are up in July, and I will own my car outright then, I will still not own Sailor Moon. But I'll own my car. Heh, at least it's something.
The night was clear and fine, and the sky stretched above for what seemed like miles. The two people on the porch enjoyed the clean air as they waited. Their two chairs were cushioned well, and the small table between them held a pair of glasses and a bottle of superb cognac. Ami took a sip from her glass, and grinned at Naoki.
"So, tell me again why I'm out here at two a.m.?"
He returned the grin, and ran a hand through his chestnut mane distractedly. "Because Mako's out of town on business and you're a great friend that'll spend time with me to keep me from being too lonely, and you enjoy seeing the Perseids as much as I do?"
She laughed and saluted him with her glass. "Alright, alright, point taken. Still, I wish these things would take place during more civilized hours. You, my dear, deranged stargazer, are entirely too chipper for what time it is." She swirled another sip of the cognac around her mouth and savored the sweet, smooth bite, amused that she let him talk her into these things. "I'm a morning person, not a night owl."
His cheeky reply nearly made her choke. "Technically, it is morning." His chuckle at her expression made her wrinkle her nose at him. She smacked him lightly on the arm she could reach.
"You brat."
He just smiled innocently. "But you love me anyway." He batted his big brown eyes at her coyly.
She snerked. There was no dignified way to put that. "Yeah, but only because otherwise Mako would never cook for me again."
He laughed. "And here I thought it was my charm and wit."
She smirked. "No, it's okay, I don't hold them against you."
His chair rocked as he flopped back in it dramatically. "Blasphemy! I'm hurt, mademoiselle, struck to the heart by your cruel, cold, heartless words."
Her hand flicked as she adopted a snooty pose. "Ah, good sir, did you not know that I am indeed heartless? No mortal touch may thaw my icy soul." Suddenly she dropped her haughty pose and looked at Naoki somberly. "Naoki…do you really think I'm cold…like that?"
He startled and stared at her for a moment, eyes wide. "Sweetheart…"
She waved him off, chuckling weakly. "Nevermind, sorry I asked, really."
Her eyes caught what little light there was as she turned her face away, the tears barely held back. Naoki gently pulled her chin back around and looked at her, his own eyes serious as he knelt in front of her. She hadn't even realized he'd gotten up. "Listen to me, little shutterbug." She gave him a wavering smile at the endearment. "You aren't cold. You've never been cold, and I don't think you even have it in you to be cold like you're thinking." He tilted her chin up a little more, and used his free hand to wipe away the tiny tear that fell. "You are one of the most loving, sweet, caring people I know, no matter how corny and cliché that sounds. You know Mako and I adore you, and so does everyone else." A soft kiss on her forehead made her close her eyes to prevent any more tears. "Sweetheart, you have problems; everyone does. Eventually you'll work through them. And…I can't believe that someone like you will never find your own happiness." His smile warmed her with the flame of friendship, a blaze that she would always be able to thaw herself with when she got cold. "Okay, shutterbug?"
She tapped his nose, her smile growing beautifully. "Okay, stargazer." While she kissed his cheek, she murmured in his ear, "Thank you, Naoki. Now get up before I have to explain to Mako why there are holes in the knees of your pants."
His laughter made her chuckle fondly. "What, worried that she would think we were having a torrid affair? C'mon, I know better than that; she'd break me up and make a jigsaw puzzle out of me." His face contorted as he stuck his tongue out at her. "Now smile wide, or I'll have to break out the big guns."
A finger in his chest made him back up, chortling, and she teased him back. "Look here, moondust-for-brains…" Ami broke off with an inhalation of wonder. "Naoki, look!" His eyes followed where she pointed, the sky alight with what looked like hundreds of falling stars.
"Ah, there they are…" He muttered, captivated.
Ami was enthralled by their beauty. No matter how many times she saw it, it still amazed her. All that glorious light, streaming across the sky in a blaze of splendor. Stars fell from the heavens, and left behind them trails of luminescence that transcended the mundane in ways she could barely believe. It was enough to make her heart sing with the pure joy of it, the ache of its perfection almost too much. She sighed, and her dreaming eyes drank it in with an unending thirst.
Naoki glanced at her, so raptly fascinated, and smiled. He whispered to her, a soft sound that didn't break the enchantment, but merely enhanced it. "Make a wish, Ami."
With her face turned to the sky above, the curve of her cheek lit by the light of hundreds of stars cascading around them, Ami murmured her wish absently, not even realizing she spoke aloud. "I wish I could find the kind of love that you share with Mako, that Rei and Minako and Usa all have. I wish my heart didn't hurt anymore with things that happened long ago, and most of all…I wish…I was happy…"
The man beside her smiled a bit sadly, and took another sip of his drink as he cast his own wish into the night. "I wish…that she gets her wish. That's all." He bowed his head briefly, and looked over at her, but she hadn't heard. The smile that twisted his lips gentled and grew tender as he gazed at his friend. It would turn out; it had to. It always did.
They went on watching the sky until the last of the shooting stars faded away, and held their wishes tight to their hearts. Tired now, they both headed to bed, Naoki to his and Mako's bedroom, Ami to the guest bedroom for the night. When she finally slipped into sleep, it seemed to her that the stars were singing to her. Soon, they crooned, soon. That night, she dreamt of a mischievous smile, and gleaming green eyes, and woke the next morning feeling refreshed and revived. After all, who knew what the future might bring?