Whassup, readers? I told you I wouldn't leave you! Writing is my life!

Okay, this story won't be as epic and exciting as "Riku's Rain" was; it falls more into the high school-type stuff, and I know some of you may not enjoy fics like that, but let me explain: This story is a bunch of scenarios (most of which have to do with Ame) that I've had in my head for a super-long time and would surely go mad if I didn't get 'em all down! So it's more of doing myself a favor than anything else; if y'all happen to like it, then great!

I guess it's sort of a belated Valentine's Day fic, since it takes place close to it, but you know how it is when you try to write a fic on a holiday --'. Anyway, hope you enjoy this!

"And all is lit by candlelight amid the falling snow."—Enya, Amid the Falling Snow, from her "Amarantine" album

Title: I Hate Teenage Drama

Summary: From hormone-addled teenage boys to manhating waterbender teachers, Riku and Ame have a lot of crap to put up with if they want to stay together! Featuring ANOTHER CHARACTER'S RETURN and ANOTHER NEW CHARACTER!

Prologue: Grown-Up Talk
On the other side of the veil, where the spirits of the dead and deities dwell, a young woman stood sadly watching the main island of the humble group of islands where her only child lived with the woman's mother. She was waiting for her husband to finish his meeting with one of the Spirit Councils. This Council presided in the world of the dead of this area and were specifically named the Council of Seven—seven angels of higher spiritual authority that served under the Higher Powers of Heaven.

The young woman sighed and rubbed her bare arms; she wondered what was going on back there as her watery-silver-blue hair floated. Because of who she was, she could visit any spirit world she wished—she usually liked to hang out in the rainforest spirit world where the spirits of trees, plants and animals lived—but the Higher Powers drew the line at the physical world; after 16 years of death, she had no reason to go haunting people now.

Her husband's case was different; he was a guardian angel and with wings to boot. Guardian angels were endowed with special power and privilege and had more access to higher authorities…Of course, the woman was the very daughter of the Water Spirit, so she was lucky to have the Council hear her case, but she didn't understand why they had to send her out. It must've been a guardian angel thing. She couldn't become one herself yet simply because she was still too preoccupied with her own earthly life to help any mortal soul. To be able to help another, you had to be stable in yourself so that you could focus entirely on your mortal charge; you had to have no qualms, no doubrs, no hesitations of any kind. But Mizuko Megami-Yoake had a very big qualm, one that left a hole in her, spirit though she was.

She still missed her daughter terribly and today, feared greatly for her. Nik had flown home to her last night and was allowed to share with her that their daughter was about to undergo another challenge, worse than any villain. He was forbidden to tell her exactly what that challenge was, but it was enough to send Mizuko flying straight to her mother, who then summoned the Council to hear her out. Now she was waiting behind the veil that separated her from the island she was staring at while her husband Nik fanagled with the angels of the Seven.

Finally, she felt the sweep of wind behind her as her husband's wings announced his presence beside her.

"Nik!" she breathed a sigh of relief, "What took so long? What did they say?"

Nik folded his silvery white wings with an expression that said bad news.

"I'm sorry, honey," he said and shook his head quietly, "This is a personal challenge; there's nothing we can do for her."

"Why not?" she asked in near panic, "Why can't we help her? Don't they understand what's going to happen?"

"They understand perfectly well," said Nik gently as he held her shoulders, "That's why we can't do anything, Mizuko. We're too personally involved."

"Involved?" she said loudly, "Of course we're involved! We're her parents, Nik! Doesn't that count for something?"

"Of course it does, honey," he said, "but don't you see? As parents, we want more than anything to protect our child from the evils of the world. But how many of us actually can? Everyone born on the earth is bound to go through some trials and ordeals in their life and nothing any parent does can change that. All we can do is prepare them for it through our wisdom and love. And besides that, honey…(his voice softened)…we're dead. We can't stay attached to the earthly world anymore; it's time to come to terms and let go of the past."

Mizuko looked helplessly in her husband's eyes and burst into tears.

"I know it hurts," said Nik as he held her, "I miss her, too…but we have to move on."

"You're right," she relented, "I know. I just can't stand to just sit here while our daughter goes through this!"

"How many challenges have we watched her go through before without helping her?" he reminded her, "Remember when she was snatched away from her troop campsite by bandits and held captive in a snow cave for two days?"

"Yes." Mizuko's eyes shone with pride. "She took them down all by herself."

"And at 13 years old, no less!" he beamed, "And what about her first waterbending recital? No one from our side helped her for that, and she passed with flying colors!"

Mizuko smiled and nodded.

"So you see, Mimi?" Nik wrapped an arm around his wife and called her by his nickname for her, "We can't always be there to pick her up when she falls down. It's like I always say: Children need to be free to lead their own lives."

"You always say that?" she raised an eyebrow.

"All right, you got me," he grinned, "Your mother told me that; she heard it from a friend of hers." She rolled her eyes.

"But anyway," Nik continued, "there is one thing we can do for Ame." Her eyes brightened. "The Council has allowed us to go down to her while she's asleep and grant her strength to meet the challenge. Would you like that?"

She threw her arms around him in answer.

"I'd love it, Nik!" she said, "Let's go!"

"Hold on," he said, "I've got an idea…"

As Ame slept peacefully in her bed under her domed ceiling window, the moonlight intensified its shine on her aura. She breathed deep, feeling strength and love from her mother seep into her subconsciously. With the dawn came the mighty waterbender's strength of her father before she ever woke to acknowledge it.

Author's Review:
As I said before, this story's not going to be epic and exciting like "Riku's Rain" was; it's mostly just a string of Ame/Riku scenarios that I've had in my head for a while, so that's pretty much all this story is.

(Story Spoiler!) ANOTHER CHARACTER WILL RETURN! AND THERE'LL BE A NEW CHARACTER AND A NEW PAIRING!!! AAAAAH!!! (runs away)