The Way It Goes

By: DemonHuntress

Disclaimer: SM and GW do not belong to me. I don't think I'm too disappointed. But the time hounds are mine.

Summary: The awaited sequel to Ice and War in which we see Ami and Heero's love, and their fight against an insane manic who not only controls both time and space but is out for blood.

Rating: PG-13

AN: Read, enjoy, and review!

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How long had it been since she was this happy? Since everyday became a new adventure she looked forward to instead of dreaded? Since she couldn't wait to get out of bed every morning because she knew there was someone there? Since she had someone she could turn to and joke with and be around whenever? Since she had someone to hold on to, to care for and be cared for? Someone she could love and be loved in return?

She couldn't remember.

But it didn't matter now, now that she had him. A friendship off to a rocky start had blossomed into romance and now she thanked kami-sama every day for giving him to her. Or her to him, whichever way it worked they had each other and that was all that mattered to either of them. With a sigh of pure bliss she intertwined her hand with his and rested her head on his shoulder, smiling as she felt his fingers trace the underside of her palm. In less than two years she had gone from millennia of loneliness to a sap and a romantic. Dammit, she was in love. And Ami was relishing every minute of it.

He couldn't believe his luck. Heero ran the thought over in his head once again. He could never believe his luck, not when it came to her. Here he was, a soldier and a killer, holding a veritable goddess in his arms. He had never felt worthy of her, and told her so, but she would only laugh and kiss him and he'd shut up. He'd do anything for those kisses. The battle-hardened Heero Yuy had gone soft. And truthfully? He didn't give a shit. He loved her, it was that simple.

Ami sighed with happiness, linking her arm through his and leaning her head on his shoulder. They had officially been a couple for a year now, a year today, and it had been on of the best days she could remember in her thousands of years of living. It had started out simply enough, early that morning he had snuck across the alley to her home and laid a trail of roses back to his door where he greeted her for a day of fun. They went to all the sights post-war Tokyo had to offer, ate at the best restaurants in town, and finished it all off with a long walk in the park that night. Now strolling through the trees, arm in arm with the man she loved, Ami knew she had never been happier.

"Hey," Heero whispered softly, nudging her just a little bit, "You wanna sit down? There's a bench right over there."

She nodded, then uncharacteristically giggled as he swept her off her feet and carried her over to the place he had designated. He just sat there, making no move to put her down as he held her close to himself and she kept her arms tight around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "I have never been happier," she told him truthfully, pulling her head away from him only to kiss him once more. Public lewdness be damned, she didn't care.

Heero smiled gently down at her as their lips parted, thanking his lucky stars for finding his mysterious neighbor. She was his life-line now, really, he knew he didn't have much else to live for outside of his ex-teammates. But with them each living on their own in the far corners of the world she was the one close for him to hold onto. "You know what I think?" he asked her, his voice teasing.

"I didn't know you did think." Her tone was equally good-natured and joking.

Looking past her, his face suddenly paled slightly beneath his already light skin. "I think we've got trouble." The words came out harsher than he expected, hoarsely whispered in an effort to be heard and yet not detected. "Your kind of trouble." Ami turned to see what he meant, only a little confused, then her face went slack in surprise. Over her shoulder about twenty feet the air itself seemed to be parting to make way for the blinding light that shone past. Dark shades of gray intermingled with swirls of black and purple was streaked all through it only to be followed by blood-stained hues of crimson.

Almost possessed by the sight in front of her, she got to her feet and stepped nearer as if to inspect it, thinking she might know what it was. Heero followed, going closer than she and reaching forward until his fingertips were mere inches away from the light source. "Don't touch it!" Ami fairly shrieked, smacking his hand away, "Did your years at war teach you nothing about strange things? It's a portal!"

Still, they both watched fascinated as the colors took over, gradations of purple and emerald filling in more and more. The tints turned harsher, darker, with streaks of black integrating themselves into the mess. Sparkles of light danced among them, their twinkling brightness not in the least bit comforting. Amazed, Heero stared on as shapes began to force their way through, bulges of olive gray with swirls of purple coming towards him. He was so completely caught up in them he stumbled a few feet as a surprisingly strong arm wrapped around him and pulled him backwards.

"Get back!" Ami ordered, forcing his head to duck down as she yanked him along, "And don't touch them!"

"Touch what?" he asked, confused, until he saw what was happening.

The shapeless bulges were taking form and slowly but surely making their way through. Three finally forced them selves to their side to hover a few inches above the ground, growling, their dog-like shapes standing several feet high. Each retained its own appearance and color, ranging in the dark hues of green, purple, and gray, their eyes like glittering obsidian in their malice. Ami had gone completely pale. The words she whispered were taut and almost forced. "Time hounds."

He was only more confused. "What?"

She still kept one arm across his chest as if to keep him back. "Spatial displacement given shape," she told him, summing it up in only a few words. "Anything that touches them is . . . gone. Elsewhere. Anywhere. Whether it's a leaf, a shoe, your hand." She let her words sink in with him, watching as his eyes went wide. "They're after someone," she whispered, "Pray it's not us."

Too bad. The moment the dogs heard them talk they rotated their heads in the couple's general vicinity, growling once more as they approached their prey. "Kuso," Ami hissed, digging for the one thing that could get them out of this mess. She wore it constantly on a chain around her neck for fear of it getting lost. A time key. "There's only one way to get them out of here."

Of course he wanted to know. "And that is . . . "

She said nothing to him, only whispered a few words under her breath as she held the key aloft. A portal similar to the first opened before them just as the one behind closed shut, effectively trapping the hounds on Earth. She had to get them out of there. Linking arms with Heero once more, she pulled him with her. "Jump!"

They fell through the portal, leaving three time hounds loose on their planet.

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ok, time hounds were my own invention, i hope i explained them well enough. well i thought they were a neat idea.

review!