Start Part B

As Sunday moves on, lunchtime is fast approaching and a nervous Ami is giving herself a once over in the mirror.

Looking good, Ami. No need to be nervous the more mom sees him the less she ll be worried. This is the first step

After brushing her hair and adjusting her glasses, Ami is ready for the challenge ahead. A series of Pings are heard and Ami s mother knocks gently on the door.

Your date is here Ami

I ll be right there

After taking another quick look in the mirror and taking a few deep breaths, the Senshi of Water is ready for whatever lies ahead. She opens her door and finds Urawa standing outside of her room, waiting for her.

Ami, it s good to see you is his happy reply once he lays eyes on his girlfriend.

Same here is Ami s reply, along with a slight blush.

Feeling a little bold and wanting to make a good impression, Urawa steps forward and gives Ami a quick hug, which causes her blush to deepen.

I m always happy to see Ami Urawa says while turning to look at her mother. You mentioned that you already had lunch ready, Misses Mizuno

Yes, it s already set up at the dining room table. Please have a seat and I ll get us something to drink

Ami watches her mother leave the room with a smile on her face- leading her to believe that so far, first impressions are good. Silently, she heads towards the table and then nods her head.

Urawa did you want to sit next to me?

Of course and your mother certainly picked some good looking lunch- did you tell her that I like sushi?

Ami nods her head and sits down, her boyfriend takes the seat next to her and watches as she looks over the food on the table.

I don t remember that last time we ate sushi at home, it s been a while

A moment later, Ami s mother returns with three glasses of steaming green tea. She notices both her daughter and Urawa eyeing the food and smiles.

I take it you like my surprise Ami

Yes, it looks delicious!

I agree with Ami, I can t wait to eat! Urawa adds with a grin.

Please dig in and I hope you don t mind if I ask you a few questions young man

No problem

Ami watches out of the corner of her eye as her mom starts asking her boyfriend questions, fully aware that her mom is also doing the same- trying to see if her daughter reacts to any of them.

When you d two first meet? comes up eventually and Ami boldly decides to field that one.

About three years ago and we ve been friends ever since

That s good- I m glad that you two aren t rushing into anything, though I m surprised that my daughter didn t say anything about you before

Ami s mother looks at her embarassed daughter who then shyly turns away. We haven t been dating that long we ve been just friends up until recently.

Ah, okay I was just wondering- Ami s normally very shy about these things and as her mother, I m just a little concerned, that s all. You seem like a very nice person and that s why I wanted to talk with you

Urawa nods his head. Of course, it s no problem. Ami s one of a kind- I don t mind the questions at all

My daughter is very precious to me and I just want to make sure she s in good hands

Ami s face turns as red as the tuna sushi she s eating, causing her mother to sigh.

I guess I should stop with the questions before Ami s face explodes

Urawa leans over and gets a better look at Ami. I think that d be a good idea

Here s some money, Ami mentioned that you wanted to go to the arcade for a while. I ll be here when you get back- take your time, okay?

Silently, Ami nods her head and after giving thanks for the food, tugs at her boyfriend s arm. The pair make a quick exit leaving Ami s mother to wonder if she did a little too much questioning for the first time. Ami s so self-conscious but as her mother, I m worried about her and want to make sure that she s in good hands. I think that she is

Down at the street level, Ami breathes a sigh of relief, sending a cloud of mist into the crisp, cold winter air.

I thought you were going to explode back there

That s not funny Ami says softly while glaring at her boyfriend. I just felt a little embarrassed by the situation

You shouldn t be- I think your mother likes me and lunch went pretty well. Why don t we go visit your favorite arcade? I heard from Usagi that there s some games that you can beat her on- and she s a big arcade junkie, meaning that you must be pretty good.

You read my mind

I can t do that anymore Urawa says with a soft chuckle. After that crystal was removed three years ago, I lost my ability to predict things

Ami is surprised to hear that. Oh I had no idea. I never did ask you about that

It s okay, I m doing just fine without it. It forced me to get better at reading people and their body language

The Senshi of Water decides to test out his abilities. What do you think I m saying now?

Hmm Urawa pauses and studies the young woman for a moment. He can see that her blush has decreased and the red on her cheeks could be due to the cold. Her body posture, despite her quiet nature, indicates confidence about herself and the need for some affection, at least in Urawa s mind.

I got it

Yeah? is the hopeful reply back. What happens next takes Ami by surprise- she finds herself in a close embrace with her boyfriend, who gently caresses her hair.

Ami whispers Good answer and enjoys the close moment before gently pulling away.

You re good but I want to see how good you are in the arcade as well

You re on!

After a brief walk which feels like a bit more then that due to the cold weather, the couple arrives at a nearby arcade and steps inside, taking a few moments to warm up their hands before playing any games. Ami gets some change from one of the machines and walks up to one of her favorites thanks to Usagi s prodding about getting her to do something fun

Are you ready? is the question from the anxious Ami, wanting to be sure that her boyfriend was ready and that his hands were warmed up.

Dropping the coin into the slot, the young man says Yeah, let s play! and picks out his character.

After three matches in a row, Urawa is convinced that what he heard from Ami s friend Usagi is true. She can be quite deadly at this game but let s try another

I want to play you on something else, you re too good at this one

Ami s modesty causes her to blush. Okay, pick another game then

On purpose, Urawa picks another fighting game on the list that Usagi gave him. How about that one? he asks, pointing to one in the far corner.

Ami peers over at the game in question. Okay The pair head to the back of the arcade and find two people already playing on the four person game. Urawa instantly has an idea

Want to play on the same team?

A happy nod confirms that request and the pair put in their coins. The two teens look at the pair and grin

I hope you two are ready for a fight, my buddy here is no slouch when it comes to this day

Urawa softly chuckles. You might not have to worry about me but my girlfriend, that s another story

Ami blushes and turns her attention to picking out her character, saying nothing. The other two teens do the same thing and the game is on. During the course of the first round, Ami and Urawa are beaten though not by much. Ami feels better after warming up her skills and leads the way in round 2, her team winning by a small margin.

That was just a fluke the older one says before Ami gives a determined nod. Perhaps not

Before anyone can say another word the words Round 3 are uttered from the machine. Utilizing skills learned from Usagi and Rei, Ami helps Urawa in the beat down that is round 3. Needless to say the losers are not amused.

Just how in the hell did you do that?

I had good teachers they re much better then me but I picked up a few pointers Ami says while trying to keep modest and not appear to be bragging.

How about another try then? the younger opponent asks, wanting to see if this was just a fluke or not.

Sensing Ami s reaction and the way she was acting earlier leads Urawa to suggest that they go but his girlfriend decides to indulge their request.

Okay one more round Urawa says before putting in another coin. He does his best to help out Ami and the game is over in 2 rounds this time- The quiet girl with the glasses wins again, with a little help from her boyfriend

Good job, Ami!

Thanks

I guess you re no joke what s your name?

Ami looks at the teen and shyly replies Ami Mizuno

Well, Ami, I guess my friend and I will have to practice some more- maybe we ll play you and your boyfriend again sometime

Sure, I look forward to that

Seeing her reaction lets Urawa know that she s ready to leave he noticed her mannerisms earlier and suspects that she has something important to ask him.

How about a milkshake?

A wide smile forms on Ami s face. That sounds great!

After bidding farewell to their rivals, Ami and Urawa head upstairs and into the restaurant, which offers a fine view of the street below after they order up one shake and two straws. Despite the overtly romantic gesture of this, Ami wholeheartedly agrees with his decision to share the shake in this manner.

Ami, is there something on your mind. Something about the way you were acting

The young woman doesn t even let him finish his sentence before answering the question. Yes there is

Well, okay you can ask me anything you know

Ami lowers her voice to a whisper. You do know who I am, right?

A slight nod confirms that question, Urawa remembers that his girlfriend is Sailor Mercury from their first encounter three years ago.

Two of my friends saw the future and it was horrible. Full of death and destruction and no love, no companion.

How could they know the future?

One of our other friends is the Guardian of Time. Whatever she sees will happen and that concerns me a lot. I m worried about my friends but also about myself, too. I have a bad feeling about visiting her after our date- but I need to know what happens

I see Urawa pauses to contemplate what he just heard. If I was in your position, I d probably would want to do the same thing. Are you sure that this future is absolute, though?

She s never been wrong before we never did look to see what happened after our 30th Century

Urawa s eyebrows go up. Did you say 30th Century?

It s complicated is about all Ami can say to that. She takes her straw and starts drinking the vanilla milkshake Urawa decides to do the same, causing her to blush as their eyes meet.

This sounds like quite a problem- you said you were going to find out tonight about your own future?

Ami nods her head. Yes, my friend Rei and I will be going together- she has a date with her boyfriend as well

I see- I really don t know what to say besides find out what you can and let me know what you see either way. We ll talk about it and get through this

Thanks

After finishing off the milkshake and allowing a few minutes of silence to pass, both parties stare out of the window at the Christmas shoppers doing their thing.

Did you want to go back now? Urawa asks softly. Ami softly nods her head and the pair make their exit, just in time for the start of a light snowfall. The snowflakes mingling with the air on their walk back makes for a pleasing sight. Urawa does his best to cheer Ami up on the way back- by the time they arrive back at the Mizuno apartment, her mood is considerably improved. After they get inside, Ami is surprised to find a note from her mother on the table.

What s that?

My mother left us a note- she ll be back around 6:30 for dinner, looks like something came up at the hospital

That happens a lot, doesn t it?

Yes, her job is quite involved and sometimes she has to come in for last minute appointments or emergencies Do you get lonely when she s not here?

That question causes Ami to blush slightly and head over to the couch. She motions her boyfriend to sit down next to her and after he does, answers the question.

It does I have my friends but it s still gets lonely here sometimes- you re just as good reading me now as you were when you had psychic powers is Ami s reply back, with a grin at the end.

I guess

Ami rests her head on his shoulder and shyly asks another question. Urawa, we have sometime before my mother comes back- did you want to kiss again?

I was hoping you were going to ask that- and yes, I would

Before he can turn to look at her face he feels his girlfriend s arms wrap around him. He allows his body to slowly lower onto the couch as Ami s blushing face moves closer to his.

Ami

Urawa

The two lovers lips soon meet, the gentle pressure of them against one another is a feeling that both have missed and wanted to feel again. As they get more comfortable with their expressions, Ami s hold around her boyfriend tightens, bring her chest against his.

I had no idea Ami was feeling this strongly about me right now she feels so good! Urawa opens his eyes for a moment and sees tears in Ami s eyes. He gently pulls away and wipes the tears from her eyes.

Are you okay?

Yes I m just happy and scared at the same time. It s been a very emotional day for me

I m worried about you, Ami. You and your friends have a tough problem and I don t know what can fix it, at least, without getting more information

I know- and I want to forget about that, at least while you re here. That s why I was being more expressive of my feelings for you

Urawa smiles and motions her to come closer. Happily the young woman wraps her arms around her boyfriend again and gently pins him down on the couch before kissing him again. Thoughts of Urawa pass through her mind as the exchange loving kisses.
This is very forward of me to be doing this but I want him- I need him. No one else has made me felt this way

Needless to say this passionate exchange is also surprising to Urawa, who had no idea that Ami was like this. He decides to be a little bold as well and wraps his arms around her and begins rubbing her back, enjoying the soft feeling of the sweater fabric against his fingers.

Mmm, I like that is the soft response from Ami as she pulls away for a moment.

Good. I really like your outfit

Thanks, I think I look nice in it

Nice? It makes you look

A curious Ami wants him to continue and places a kiss on lips before saying Yes?

Umm curvy. Really shows off your umm upper body

Inside, part of Ami wants to call her boyfriend a pervert but the part that takes that as a compliment wins over and she shyly responds.

You noticed- I was hoping that you would

Urawa grins. Is this the same Ami Mizuno I knew from three years ago?

Ami shakes her head. No, I guess not. At least when we re alone I can be more open with you about my feelings and I want to look nice in front of you. I ve never wanted to do this with anyone else

I m glad that I m the first

Ami continues that thought. And the only one

Yeah the blushing Urawa says while allowing Ami s head to rest on his chest. He gently caresses her hair with one hand and rubs her back with the other.

I like this new Ami- I hope I get to see her more often

A small smile forms on Ami s face. Me too. I need to be more open about my feelings and honest with myself. Thank you for helping me do that

Anything for Sailor Mercury

Yeah

The two continue small talking for a while as Urawa helps Ami to relax and feel good with his gentle comforting actions. Around the same time, Rei is about ready to head out with Yuuchiro on their date. She takes a look at the fancy red dress she s wearing with her trademark red heels and smiles. I can t wait to see his reaction to this dress- I better put on my coat so he doesn t see it until we get to the restaurant. I m glad he picked this place- and decided to clean up a little for the occasion

End of Part B