*****TO GO PLEASE*****
Rating: PG13
Author: Adrial
E-mail: adrial_06@yahoo.com
*****TO GO PLEASE*****
alllllllrighty then, let me tell it to straight, OK? I had absolutely, completely, not even the tiniest, most minute, miniscule, itty bitty, eensy weensy, idea of what to write for this chapter!
*bows head in shame*
please stop throwing things! my head is extremely sensitive...
ok, all lameness aside, i went for my last resort: pure dumb romance. can't go wrong with that, can ya?)
YUP, well, i was in the mush'n gush mood and what better way to satisfy my craving than to use my fic?
so, this fic is primarily ami and zach...chilling, hangin' out, kickin their feet up, yackin, chit chatting, *cough* making out, *cough*, or WHATEVER you want to call it, i really have no qualms about it.
In light of this...
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A HIGH LEVEL OF *well placed* SAP. SENTIMENTAL-PHOBICS BEWARE!
o yea, 4 those who hate all that love-junk, just read at least the first sections b/c they DO have to do with impt. stuff.
and aw, damn, i really didn't feel like going through it AGAIN to check for errors or lame dialogue, so if you see something that's screwed up, just shut your eyes, go to your happy place, and forget it was EVEN there. :D
enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own it, don't want it, I just write about it.
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TGP
CH. 12: "Ready or Not": A Romantic Interlude (in some respects)
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"Your WHAT?!"
"My sister--half sister actually," I kneaded my forehead to assuage the headache which had come early, sliding coyly into its reserved seat right behind my eyes.
Rei began pacing, mumbling incoherently to herself. Usagi eyed her curiously.
"So...what you're saying is that this witch--Myora, I mean--and YOU actually stem from the same gene pool?" Makoto propped her head on her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. I nodded deftly.
When I was released from...whatever dimension I entered, Rei was dangerously close to having a nervous breakdown. Apparently, my rendez-vous with the past took more than a couple of hours, and the senshi had been biting their fingernails the entire time. I seemed to have parted with my body spiritually, and they'd watched me lay unconcious for the entire time.
When I awoke in Rei's bed with a cool cloth on my forehead, I seriously considered faking sleep for a few more minutes or hours even days to delay the inevitable interrogation I would receive. They, of course, did not disappoint me.
"But then...how on earth could Myora be located in Usagi? The fire's reading doesn't make sense," Minako stated.
I shrugged, too tired to think up a logical explanation. My mother's face drifted into my vision, and I turned away from my pondering friends.
A light snow began to fall outside, and flashes of the visions I encountered on the devestated Mercury appeared within it. I rubbed my eyes roughly, slipping against the moisture which had accumulated in them during my moment of nostalgia.
I suddenly felt suffocated in the warm air of Rei's bedroom. When I turned from the window, they were all staring at me with concerned frowns.
"Minna-chan...I think I need to get out for a while," I didn't bother to wait for their reply and whisked out of the room and through the temple's front doors without further conversation.
I inhaled large gulps of the crisp, evening air, and wrapped my scarf around my neck. The sun had long since set, and I swallowed the lump of fear that had lodged itself stubbornly in my throat. I would not be afraid to walk in my own city.
My father's horrified expression as he was murdered in his home refused disappear from my mind, and I couldn't stop the tears that welled up in my eyes. It was my destiny to defeat this evil--my sister. I alone had to stop her and whatever had corrupted her in the first place.
Now I could understand how Usagi felt all those times she was faced with dark forces completely solo.
But she was stronger...she had the crystal. I--I was nothing compared to her in terms of power. What would I do? Make Myora a Mercurian popsicle?
I lifted my head to the heavens and sighed heavily. "What would you do, Queen Aiya?"
I half expected the skies to answer my question. When they remained silent, I shook my head and wandered towards my home where I intended to curl up in a ball in my own bed and sleep away the the thousands of nameless faces, contorted with angst, which haunted my vision.
The fog sifting through my head jumbled all of the information I'd received earlier into a huge mass of confusion. If faced against an evil as strong as Myora without the other senshi, would I make it out alive? And how would I--how *could* I kill Myora--the sister I didn't remember and never had a chance to know?
What had forced her to turn against the Moon Kingdom?
Why was she after me?
"There you are."
I whipped around as a hand fell across my shoulder and punched the foreign arm away so quickly that I could barely gather my thoughts before Zach's familiar face appeared through the cloud of fear blinding my eyes.
"Whoa...take it easy. It's just me, Ami," He took my arms in his. I was breathing hard, overtaken by the wave of terror that had passed over me. All of my emotions toppled on one another in my head and I couldn't breathe. My sobs came out choked and broken as he gathered me in an embrace, whispering words of solace into my hair.
I held onto his neck with all of my might. If I'd wanted to let go, I wouldn't have been able to. He only held me tighter and waited for my onslaught of tears to disperse.
When I began to breathe normally again, I released my hold on his neck in order to look at his face. He rubbed my cheek softly and steered me in the opposite direction I had been heading. Where was I going before
Suddenly, it seemed not to matter to me. If it hadn't been where Zach was, I didn't need to be there anyway.
As we walked--I, in his arms--we remained silent. I could hear him, though, in his silence, telling me it would be alright as long as he was there. And I believed him.
A slow sigh escaped my lips and I rested my head on his shoulder. He kissed it softly and rubbed the small of my back.
I feel safe with him
When we approached the familiar steel gate that my friends and I had--so long ago it seemed--entered to carry out a dare, I felt a wave of relief wash over me when my (utterly humiliating) message was no longer scrawled out on the driveway.
He lead me up his porch steps. "I live here with the guys, but they're all out tonight," He said as if seeking my approval.
I trust him.
I nodded and once we entered the house, he lead me into a sizeable living room. A large TV stood as the focal point of the room, attatched to a PS2 and VCR which were tucked away in a shelf beneath it. The oversized couch he lead me to was covered with mismatched pillows and numerous stains which were smudged and blurry from futile attempts to remove them. He sheepishly kicked an empty pizza box underneath the couch.
It was definitely a "Guys House."
In a few minutes, he had a fire started beneath the mantle in a hearth that seemed to have been last used when cave men were dumbly rubbing pieces of stones together. My frozen fingers welcomed the warmth and stung slightly when I put them near the flames to thaw them.
Zach disappeared through a set of doors and returned moments later with a large blanket. Gesturing for me to sit, he spread it over my shivering body and sat down beside me, gathering me into his arms.
He didn't speak. He didn't have to. The memories of Mercury and its lost people drifted from my mind, settling into a place where I would find them if ever I needed them again. At that moment, the only visions I saw were two green eyes, soft, golden hair, and a man that promised never to leave.
I didn't remember falling asleep beside him, nor the sound of snickering, hours later, as a pair of feet steathily walked behind us.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
"WAKE UP!"
"AaAH!"
In an instant, I felt cool, hard wood against my back, and an array of pillows strewn atop my flailing body. My head lay a hazardous few inches from the corner of a coffee table that I didn't recognize.
There were sounds of struggling and muffled (distinctly male) grunts, and I scurried to remove the blanket from around my legs and get my bearings.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Jason?!" Zach's voice was strained in a scream-whisper, reminding me that I spent the night at his place.
Stifling a yawn, I pulled myself up and straightened my shirt. Jason, cackling loudly from behind a half-eaten bowl of cereal, dodged a pillow launched by Zach and conjured his most alluring grin just for me.
I gasped when he enveloped me in a huge bear hug. His strong arms (still holding an overflowing bowl) crushed my tiny torso until I couldn't breathe. A stream of milk sloshed onto the floor, unnoticed.
"Uh...J-Jason, I've sort of become attatched to o-oxygen--"
Zach pried his cousin's arms from me, "Hands off."
Jason held up his hands in defeat, "You know Ami, if you ever get tired of ol' Braudel over there," He paused to wink, "I'm always--OW! Shit, Zach!"
Jason flicked soggy cheerio's off of his face and neck and glared at Zach who smirked smugly. An enormous trail of milk dribbled down his front, ending in a nice pool on the crotch of his pants.
"Damn, J, wet the bed again? I thought you grew out of that when you were 18," Matt closed the front door, straining slightly against the billowing wind whipping about behind it and bearing the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.
"Oooh...Molly's lookin' good this month," He groaned and went into the kitchen.
Jason slumped out of the room, defeated, and assured them that he'd retaliate.
Zach sighed heavily and hopped down from his standing position on the couch.
"Sorry about that," He smiled at me apologetically.
"It's no problem," I laughed.
So this is how college boys live, eh?
I took his hand, and he lead me around the couch and into the kitchen. His warm arms wrapped themselves around me, and I let my tired body relax in them.
"How are you feeling?" He ran his hand through my hair.
"Better," I took his hand in mine, "Thank you...for last night."
His lips curled into an affectionate smile and settled onto mine. I sighed into his kiss, reveling in the intoxicating feeling stirring in my mind.
"Yo, man eating here!" Matt whacked Zach on his head with his rolled up magazine and carried his partially devoured pop-tart into the living room.
Zach ignored his antics and deepened our kiss. When we broke apart, he kissed my nose lightly.
"Hungry?" He reached for the refrigerator and stuck his head inside.
"If you're looking for the milk, I'm wearing the last of it!" Jason yelled from the laundry room where he was undoubtedly searching for a dry article of clothing.
Zach muttered 'ass hole' under his breath and closed the door.
Yawning, Kyle entered the kitchen, and scratched his bare chest. He passed me and Zach, grunting incoherently beneath his breath and pushed 'START' on the coffee pot. Zach poured me a glass of orange juice and grabbed himself a coke.
Kyle padded to the fridge and reached his hand inside.
"Jason finished it," Zach muttered matter-of-factly.
Kyle's outstretched hand stopped mid-grab and curled itself into a fist. The refrigerator door slammed shut, and he stomped out of the room. I could hear Jason's startled cry and stifled a laugh. Something glass crashed, and Zach cringed.
"Mom's vase..."
Jason, now clad in dry clothing, stumbled past the kitchen to the front door, threw on his jacket with an indignant 'huff' and checked his pockets for his wallet.
"Never come between a jock and his milk..."
He disappeared behind the door before Kyle had a chance to throw any other fragile and possibly fatal objects in his direction.
Kyle entered the kitchen, now fully awake, and smiled happily in our direction. When his silver eyes landed on me, he paused, processed my presence, and smiled again.
"Hey, Ami."
My eyes flitted casually to Zach, who was too busy cleaning up his coke volcano which had erupted all over the table when he popped the can open ("Shit!"), and I returned his greeting. Kyle grabbed the orange juice from Zach who was holding it in the air so it wouldn't sit sit in the coke river which was spreading like oil over the table.
I let my eyes trail elsewhere, looking at the kitchen sink which was currently the home of a mini-leaning tower of Pisa, constructed out of plates and assorted utensils. Zach's warm hand nestled itself into my own beneath the table, and I tore my eyes away from the window.
"Wanna get out of here?" He offered, smiling.
I nodded, dying to change out of the clothes I'd slept in and worn the day before, and bid Kyle goodbye as we exited the kitchen.
Zach drove me home, during which I spent the better part choking on my laughter as he regailed me with hundreds of Jason/Kyle scuffs and how they always ended up in something broken (mainly his mother's imported French vases she seemed to think Zach actually *liked*) and Kyle reigning victorious.
We were standing in front my front door sooner than I would have actually liked. I let him in, suddenly feeling insecure about the cleanliness of the place. Fortunately, my mother had been in the cleaning mood (which was generally always) that morning and the sunlight which filtered in through a window illuminated the impeccably tidy living room and kitchen.
If there was one thing my mother was notorious for, it was her obssesion with organization. I have to say I inherited the same compulsive gene as well.
From beside me, Zach eyed the spotless couch as if wondering if he should sit on it, lest he break or dirty it in any way. I laughed and lightly shoved his back, "You can sit on my couch, Zach."
I threw my jacket on the back of our leather arm chair, discarding my shoes as well. Something caught my eye to the left, and I stooped low the ground. The air vent covering had been removed. I sighed and replaced it.
Mom never went so far as to clean out the air vent out before...
I shrugged it off. There were obviously a few things I still hadn't realized about my mom's cleaning habits.
Zach eased onto the couch, careful not to disturb the perfectly synchonized array of pillows juxtaposed on either end. I'd never realized how incredibly...un-human my mother's and my apartment was until that moment.
Neither of us spent very much time in it. The remote-control sat stationary on our glass top coffe table, collecting layers of dust, and the wide screen TV it belonged to had never been more than a black void in the middle of our mostly white-furnished living room.
"So...it's just you and your mom?" He looked around, cocking an amused eyebrow at the mantle which was littered with pictures of me. I hadn't remembered the last time I'd looked at them. There were a few by myself, school portraits from high school (all horrible), and a few of my mother and my friends.
I nodded, and gasped when he rose, heading straight for the mantle.
"Um...you really do *not* want to see those," I laughed nervously, sliding in front of him before he could get close enough to see them clearly. Visions of me, chubby faced with blue hair all astray after various swim meets, caused my face to redden.
My hands were resting lightly on his stomach, and I made a mental note to find out whether he was one of those obsessive weight-lifter guys or if he was just blessed with the set of abs my fingers were registering beneath the fabric of his shirt.
"What if I do?" He lowered his face dangerously close to mine, his breath tickling my nose. My heart beat sped up, and my vision blurred, smearing his intoxicating peradot gaze into swirls.
And that was precisely what my dear boyfriend intended.
In an instant his face was replaced with a white wall and he was holding the frame of a (not too embarrassing) picture of the girls and me at our graduation.
Underneath the scorching June sun, Makoto and Usagi had elbowed eachother for camera space, while Minako smiled so brightly that the flash was hardly needed, and Rei scoffed from beside her, arms crossed and frowning. I had laughed the minute the picture was snapped, thanks to Tsukino Shingo who had jumped behind the shot and yanked his sister's pigtail devilishly, sending her into a tirade.
Zach laughed lightly, "Who's the kid with the hair?"
"Shingo, Usagi's younger brother."
"He and Jason would get along great..." He set the picture down, eyes flitting over the remaining shots.
I followed his eyes, remembering the times and places the pictures were taken when he suddenly spoke.
"I knew it..."
I cocked an eyebrow in his direction, "Knew what?" He turned to me, a picture of one of my more recent meets in his hand, "That I'd seen you before."
"Hmm?"
"Wait...no...oh, yea!" He laughed, "That's me right there."
I looked underneath his finger tip, directly behind my smiling head and laughed. It was definitely him, along with Jason and Kyle. I recognized his blonde head and Kyle's huge frame which stood out like a sore thumb in the mass of people.
"Is Jason..." I raised my eyebrows, putting the frame in front of my eyes closely, so I could see the bent blob of blonde closer.
"Drinking the water?"
Zach laughed loudly.
"Not exactly...see that girl?" He pointed to a brunette scowling a few feet away, "Jason tried to follow her into the locker room, being the idiot he is, and took a face full of pepper spray in the process."
I covered my mouth with my hand, laughing at Jason's face as he sumberged his head in the pool's water.
"Kyle looks like he's going to e-explode!" I gasped for air; Kyle's red face, contorted with laughter and ready to practically self-combust, stared back up at me.
"I can't believe you got it on film...I gotta make copies," He took the frame from me, "Do you know how valuable this is?"
I shook my head, still laughing, and plopped backwards on my couch, ignoring the protest of the pillows as they bounced off.
"I remember that day though, the championship?" Zach sat beside me, having placed the frame back in its previous spot.
"Yeah..." I sighed. I really had to begin training for the spring. I hadn't realized how much I missed the water.
"You were great," He idly played with a lock of hair near my ear.
"I came in fifth, Zach," I turned to him, smiling smally. Thanks to the youma who decided to reak all sorts of havoc at a concert downtown, the senshi and I had spent the night and into the wee hours of the morning working damage control--extinguishing amplifiers that had been Mars-ed, and leaving a 'Sorry' note by the pulverized stage which was reduced to a pile of ashes thanks to Jupiter who'd been so excited that the youma was dusted that she sent jolts of electricity through the place, causing a massive electric fire.
I'd been throughly exausted that afternoon, but refused to quit the race even when my coach informed me that I was standing in the wrong lane.
The smile I'd pasted on just for my mother that day had been strained to say the least.
"So, what?" He grazed my lips with his own. My eyes fluttered shut, and my eyelashes brushed against his cheek lightly. My back settled onto the seat cushion, Zach bending over me.
I ran my hands through his hair, on his back, and his neck, forgetting the golden rule of 'Caution' which my school teachers and counselors had engraved into my--and every other teenage girl who'd reached puberty--head during my junior and high school duration.
His hands were on my sides, rubbing gently. I savored his kiss, memorizing the feeling of his lips as if they'd never caresss my own again.
"Zach..."
What I'd meant to be, 'Wait, slow down', melted into a sigh of pleasure as he moved from my lips and trailed kisses behind my ear and on my neck.
"Ami-san?"
"Ow!"
My head connected with Zach's chin as it shot up abruptly. He rolled off me quickly, standing and rearranging his disheveled shirt.
I rubbed my head and turned around. The familiar, albeit smirking, face of my three foot neighbor greeted me.
"Malina! How did you get in here?" I stood and bent down to the six year old's height.
She giggled, twirling a strand of inky hair between her tiny little fingers.
"Are you going to have a baby?"
Oh my GOD!
I nearly fainted. I heard Zach snort with laughter and resisted the urge to throw something at him.
"Um...no, Malina. I am *not* going to have a baby," I smiled weakly, "Did you need something?"
She gasped and reached into the tiny pocket of her jeans, "Mommy wanted me to give this to you," She said softly, eyeing Zach timidly from behind her thick bangs.
I unfolded the note.
"Are you *sure* you're not gonna have a baby, Ami-san?" She tugged on my pants leg, whispering.
I shook my head wearily, a little irked that Zach seemed to be getting such a kick out of the situation.
'Ami-chan, you mother's been called out of the city for an emergency surgery. She left early this morning and didn't know how to get in contact with you. I told her I'd be sure to get the news to you. She's not sure when she'll be back, but she said she'd call you. Feel free to drop by if you get lonely! And tell my little messanger that I'd like her to find her pet and teach him to stop chewing up my carpet! Ja!
--Kayasha'
I frowned. My mother would usually have called the girls' houses or something. It must have really been an emergency.
"What's up?" Zach wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.
"Oh...nothing. My mom had to leave--emergency surgery."
He rubbed my shoulders, and began a line of descending kisses down my hair line.
The patter of feet shook me out of the moment.
"Mommy! Mommy! Ami's gonna have a baby!"
I froze. Zach's mouth ceased its descent along on my jaw bone.
"You know...I *have* always thought I'd make a great fath--hey!"
I slapped his arm harshly, laughing despite the hell I knew my mother would raise when she returned home to find out that she was going to be a grandmother.
I closed the front door. Malina's happy squeals sounded from two doors down.
"I'm going to go change," I said to Zach. His face brightened considerably. "Need any help?"
He looked so serious, as if he were kindly offering to help an old lady load groceries into her equally aged station wagon at the super market, that it took me a moment before I gasped and punched his arm again.
"I think I can handle it, thanks," I giggled at his look of disappointment.
"Can't blame a guy for tyrin'," He fell backwards on to the couch.
Aahh..the power of Colgate
I sighed, reveling in the tingly feeling the toothpaste created in my mouth as it washed away the grody taste that had accumulated there. I thanked whichever of my friends had borrowed my jacket and left a pack of Altoids in the pocket or else Zach would have been sucking up my morning breath all morning.
I decided that showering was a definite MUST. My hair was a complete mess and fell limply on my forehead. This did little to draw attention from the wrinkles in my jeans and shirt.
Fifteen minutes later, I felt completely refreshed. I slipped into a pair a dark jeans Rei had left over a few weeks...or months ago, wondering subconciously if she'd mind.
Nah...
They were a little snug at my hips, and made me feel like I'd split them if I sat down the wrong way. Just to make sure, I squatted a little.
Thankfully, they were stretchy, too. I pulled a powder white turtleneck over my wet hair. The fabric felt like feathers on my skin. It, along with a few other articles of insanely priced clothing, had been an early christmas gift from one my swim team-mates.
It was no mystery that Migai Kirashi didn't mind spending small fortunes on clothing for her friends or even strangers for that matter.
Usagi didn't mind either when she was handed a 150 (per store) dollar gift card to any 3 stores of her choice.
I didn't want to keep Zach waiting any longer, so I rubbed some gel into my damp hair rather than drying it and scrunched it with my fingers.
The blush I applied hurriedly was barely noticeable, but "made all the difference in the world" according to Minako.
With one more glance at the mirror, I exited my bedroom.
"Snuggghhh...Snuggghhh...."
"Zach."
"Snu-snuggghhh...."
"Zacharrry..."
I laughed quietly. His head was resting on the back of the couch, the remote control lodged firmly in his grasp. The TV was blank, though.
Rounding up a wad of courage, I leaned over his face and pressed my lips on his cheek.
"Snugggggggghhhhhhh...."
Sighing, I moved around the couch and sat beside him, burying my head against his chest.
I idly traced circles on his stomach, not letting the ripples beneath go un-noticed.
"Snugggghhhhhhh...."
Alright. Time to wake up, Sir Snores-a-lot.
I rose to sit on my knees and placed my hands on his cheeks, lowering my lips to his slowly. If he was anything like Usagi, I'd have to watch out, lest he unintentionally sever one of my limbs in his sleep.
"ACK!"
I squealed as he launched himself forward, eyes blazing with mischief, and had me pinned to the couch before I could realize what had happened.
"Ha!" He announced, smothering my next words with firey kisses.
I forgot my shock and laughed against his mouth.
I definitely needed to spend more time with him alone--on couches, that is.
HOLD UP. Since when did *I*, Mizuno Ami, genious extraordinare, Miss Responsiblilty, begin making out on couches?
Since right about now.
His lips softened from bruising to barely-even-there. I opened my foggy eyes. He stared at me for a moment, rubbing his thumb absently over an exposed section of my stomach.
"You're beautiful."
I cast my eyes immediately downward, blushing slightly.
He nudged my chin with his finger, forcing me to look him in the eyes.
"Did you know that?"
I was startled as needles of moisture began to form behind my eyes.
"You're beautiful, Ami." He repeated. His gaze was sincere and burned into my own.
I raised my head and kissed the corner of his mouth.
"Thank you."
He understood the message behind my words. I sighed into his palm as he brushed hair away from my eyes.
We sat up, he pulling me immediately into his arms so that I lay half on top of him and half on the couch with our legs entertwined lazily.
"Zach...?"
"Mmm?"
"Do you always snore that loudly?"
In the three hours we spent melded together like pieces of a jig-saw puzzle, I felt as if my entire life poured out of my mouth like a waterfall who's dam had broken.
Everything about it sent shivers up and down my spine. The feeling of his warm breath passing over my head. His fingers as they traced pictures of nothing in particular on my stomach. The way his chest vibrated when he spoke, filling the air with the voice I never grew weary of hearing.
He listened attentatively as I recounted the day I discovered Mercury's power. I could hear traces of bewilderment and amusement in his voice as he asked a questions like a small child seeing the world for the first time.
When I refused to transform in front of him, he pouted adorably. Later, he held a paper cut up to my eyes and told me to 'make it better'. I laughed bemusedly and kissed his finger. He lowered it, minus the afore-mentioned cut, and grabbed my fingers in his own.
"Tell me about your family," I requested meekly, unsure of whether or not it was a touchy subject.
He merely sighed, as if about to embark on a long journey and was going on three hours of sleep.
"What do you want to know?" He played nameless games with my fingers.
"You don't have to if you don't want to, Zach," I craned my head to look at him. He smiled and kissed my forehead. His silence was deafening for a moment, but I let it drag on. He'd speak when he was ready.
"My father owns half of Tokyo."
He said it suddenly, as if he were telling me what he'd eaten for dinner that night. I took in a breath and swallowed.
"My mother stays at home and keeps his life in order."
He took a brief pause.
"When we moved here when I was thirteen, we made a deal--my father and me," He shifted on the couch so that he could see me clearly, "I'd move to Tokyo and he'd never tell me what was in that little black briefcase he lugged around."
He laughed shortly, "He's always wanted me to be his co-partner in his...whatever the hell he does, but I choose to stay as far away from penguin suits and scary legalites as I can."
I could see the resentment brewing behind his eyes, and sought to change the subject.
"Where did you learn Japanese so quickly?"
He sighed, "Years and years of boarding school. I was speaking 5 different languages before I knew my times tables."
"And what do *you* want to be?" I asked, looking at him through my eyelashes.
His eyes took on a faraway look for a moment, and he smiled. "I want to *build* the buildings the scary legalites wearing penguin suits work in."
My lips curved into a grin.
"Architecture?"
"Uh huh...I've always wanted to build things. My father bought be an entertainment system for my tenth birthday and it collected mounds of dust in my bedroom while I built castles out of Legos."
He laughed shortly, his eyes brightening some, "My mother has no problem with it...my father, on the other hand," He sighed, "Would much rather show off his strickingly handsome son wearing an Armani suit and spouting stock quotes, than have him dressed as a lowly construction worker."
I smothered images of Zach, sweaty and muscles pulsing underneath the squelching summer sun before they could develop completely.
We were silent for a few seconds. I wasn't sure what to do other than let him vent. I wrapped my arm tighter around his torso.
"It's not like I don't know he cares about me or anything...I mean, he means well, it's just that business is what he knows, and the possiblilty of his son not carrying on the family profession is like murder to him."
"I'm sorry." I said, barely above a whisper, against his chest.
"You don't have to be."
I blushed at the gaze which he lay on me, and swallowed.
"So...how did you and the others get that house?" I played the with the hem of the pillow behind my head.
He smiled, "We walked up to it and moved in."
I quirked an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"
"My dad owns that neighborhood."
I laughed weakly. DUH. His dad probably owns MY neighborhood.
"What can I say? Being his son has its perks..." His voice wasn't cocky, almost bittersweet--as if he were handed a bag of candy, had a painful cavity, and ate it anyway.
"Of coure you'll understand more when you meet them," He exposed his impossibly white teeth, "on Christmas Eve."
I opened my mouth, "Zach..." I could just picture me making an idiot out of myself in front of his parents.
"You *have* to," He brought his face closer to mine, "For me?"
I pursed my lips. He whined more.
"I need somebody there to share the torture with. Dad invites every lawyer and client and practically anyone who can afford a tux and speek Business-lingo over. I promise my mom will love you."
I flipped over so that I was laying completely on my back and staring at the ceiling, away from his gaze which had a way of making me do things I wouldn't otherwise do.
"Besides, Usagi and everyone else are going, too."
"They are?" I rose my eyebrows. They never told me that.
"Yeah, I invited Mamoru, and everybody else just fell in with it, too."
I sighed.
He trailed his hands along my torso, digging into my sides gently. I tried my hardest to keep the squeal in, but it slipped out relentlessly, and a string of laughter followed.
"Al-*gasp*-right, I'll go!" I slapped his hands away, and he laughed.
I was pulled up with him as he rose from the couch, a smug smile plastered over his face.
"Alright, now that that's settled," He picked up our coats, "I'm starving."
Ten minutes later we were walking leisurely through a bustle of holiday shoppers. My mind was churning with thoughts of everything that had occured within the last few weeks. It seemed like a year had passed since that first day I had walked into Starbucks with Usagi.
Zach tapped my nose lightly, "What are you thinking about?"
I sighed and leaned closer against his side.
"You."
His kissed my head and squeezed my waist.
"Good," He laughed good-naturedly and dodged a pack of squealing kids as they zoomed by, snow balls tucked hazardously in their palms.
At that moment I felt on top of the world. I carelessly flung away thoughts of whatever ominous future the fates had in store for me, and as for the penetrating images of my past--being with Zach seemed to dissolve them into nothingness.
I watched my fragile heart with its many bandages and scars dangling helplessly on my sleeve, no cushion beneath it to save it from shattering again, and let it.
Should I be so frivolous?
I had asked myself the same question countless times, immediately falling backward into an infinite pit of doubt and fear. But then he'd smile or laugh or squeeze my hand, lifting me out of myself and into a place where there were no boundaries, no dead ends, and only us.
I peered up at him through the corner of my eye and watched him exhale large puffs of white air and the christmas lights which were reflecting off of his green eyes brightly.
"See anything you like?" He said smiling cockily at me.
His voice startled me from my reverie, and a blush rose on my cheeks. Caught red-handed.
"I--" The rest of my, no doubt stutter-filled, sentence melted into his lips as they saught my own.
He separated from me, breathing hard against my forehead. If any passerbys were watching, I honestly didn't care. I wouldn't duck away from his sentiments like I had Urawa, and wouldn't be afraid to show the world my happiness.
Then why--WHY couldn't I tell him how I felt? What was holding me back from saying the words that were resting right on the tip of my tongue?
I promised myself I would go on...move on from Urawa. I tugged my eyes up to look into his. They were there, infinitely green and sparkling. My knees felt weak. I searched them again, and I found the love that he harbored for me. They expressed it more than he could ever tell me in words.
I wanted to return his feelings. Zach deserved to know how I felt about him. I struggled back and forth, tugging at the loose armor covering my heart, willing it to break free from its rusty hinges and let the man standing before me view its interior rather than merely glimpsing at the outer layer like an ogling five year old with his face stuck up the glass of a museum exhibit, wishing to be let in. My inner struggle must have been evident.
"It's okay, Ami," He whispered, "You don't have to say anything."
But I wanted to. I *needed* to.
"When you're ready."
And I wasn't.
Whether I was ready or not didn't matter to him, I realized. He would still love me.
I nodded shakily, taking his hand in my own.
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*tear, tear* anyone need a kleenex?
CH.13's in the works!
the end is nearing, people! get all those great reviews telling me how much you ADORE this fic or i just might *casually* forget to upload the final chapter...that would be sooooo unfortunate, wouldn't it?
heheh...you have no idea of my capabilities
-Adrial
PS: anyone wanna coach me on how to upload this baby on ASMR? i'm about ready to hunt down andrea and george and shove it up their noses just so they'll upload it. but i have no money, and lawyers are too damn expensive these days, SO, that's where you beautiful people come in! HELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP ME.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 2003!
Rating: PG13
Author: Adrial
E-mail: adrial_06@yahoo.com
*****TO GO PLEASE*****
alllllllrighty then, let me tell it to straight, OK? I had absolutely, completely, not even the tiniest, most minute, miniscule, itty bitty, eensy weensy, idea of what to write for this chapter!
*bows head in shame*
please stop throwing things! my head is extremely sensitive...
ok, all lameness aside, i went for my last resort: pure dumb romance. can't go wrong with that, can ya?)
YUP, well, i was in the mush'n gush mood and what better way to satisfy my craving than to use my fic?
so, this fic is primarily ami and zach...chilling, hangin' out, kickin their feet up, yackin, chit chatting, *cough* making out, *cough*, or WHATEVER you want to call it, i really have no qualms about it.
In light of this...
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS A HIGH LEVEL OF *well placed* SAP. SENTIMENTAL-PHOBICS BEWARE!
o yea, 4 those who hate all that love-junk, just read at least the first sections b/c they DO have to do with impt. stuff.
and aw, damn, i really didn't feel like going through it AGAIN to check for errors or lame dialogue, so if you see something that's screwed up, just shut your eyes, go to your happy place, and forget it was EVEN there. :D
enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own it, don't want it, I just write about it.
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TGP
CH. 12: "Ready or Not": A Romantic Interlude (in some respects)
_______________________________________________________________
"Your WHAT?!"
"My sister--half sister actually," I kneaded my forehead to assuage the headache which had come early, sliding coyly into its reserved seat right behind my eyes.
Rei began pacing, mumbling incoherently to herself. Usagi eyed her curiously.
"So...what you're saying is that this witch--Myora, I mean--and YOU actually stem from the same gene pool?" Makoto propped her head on her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. I nodded deftly.
When I was released from...whatever dimension I entered, Rei was dangerously close to having a nervous breakdown. Apparently, my rendez-vous with the past took more than a couple of hours, and the senshi had been biting their fingernails the entire time. I seemed to have parted with my body spiritually, and they'd watched me lay unconcious for the entire time.
When I awoke in Rei's bed with a cool cloth on my forehead, I seriously considered faking sleep for a few more minutes or hours even days to delay the inevitable interrogation I would receive. They, of course, did not disappoint me.
"But then...how on earth could Myora be located in Usagi? The fire's reading doesn't make sense," Minako stated.
I shrugged, too tired to think up a logical explanation. My mother's face drifted into my vision, and I turned away from my pondering friends.
A light snow began to fall outside, and flashes of the visions I encountered on the devestated Mercury appeared within it. I rubbed my eyes roughly, slipping against the moisture which had accumulated in them during my moment of nostalgia.
I suddenly felt suffocated in the warm air of Rei's bedroom. When I turned from the window, they were all staring at me with concerned frowns.
"Minna-chan...I think I need to get out for a while," I didn't bother to wait for their reply and whisked out of the room and through the temple's front doors without further conversation.
I inhaled large gulps of the crisp, evening air, and wrapped my scarf around my neck. The sun had long since set, and I swallowed the lump of fear that had lodged itself stubbornly in my throat. I would not be afraid to walk in my own city.
My father's horrified expression as he was murdered in his home refused disappear from my mind, and I couldn't stop the tears that welled up in my eyes. It was my destiny to defeat this evil--my sister. I alone had to stop her and whatever had corrupted her in the first place.
Now I could understand how Usagi felt all those times she was faced with dark forces completely solo.
But she was stronger...she had the crystal. I--I was nothing compared to her in terms of power. What would I do? Make Myora a Mercurian popsicle?
I lifted my head to the heavens and sighed heavily. "What would you do, Queen Aiya?"
I half expected the skies to answer my question. When they remained silent, I shook my head and wandered towards my home where I intended to curl up in a ball in my own bed and sleep away the the thousands of nameless faces, contorted with angst, which haunted my vision.
The fog sifting through my head jumbled all of the information I'd received earlier into a huge mass of confusion. If faced against an evil as strong as Myora without the other senshi, would I make it out alive? And how would I--how *could* I kill Myora--the sister I didn't remember and never had a chance to know?
What had forced her to turn against the Moon Kingdom?
Why was she after me?
"There you are."
I whipped around as a hand fell across my shoulder and punched the foreign arm away so quickly that I could barely gather my thoughts before Zach's familiar face appeared through the cloud of fear blinding my eyes.
"Whoa...take it easy. It's just me, Ami," He took my arms in his. I was breathing hard, overtaken by the wave of terror that had passed over me. All of my emotions toppled on one another in my head and I couldn't breathe. My sobs came out choked and broken as he gathered me in an embrace, whispering words of solace into my hair.
I held onto his neck with all of my might. If I'd wanted to let go, I wouldn't have been able to. He only held me tighter and waited for my onslaught of tears to disperse.
When I began to breathe normally again, I released my hold on his neck in order to look at his face. He rubbed my cheek softly and steered me in the opposite direction I had been heading. Where was I going before
Suddenly, it seemed not to matter to me. If it hadn't been where Zach was, I didn't need to be there anyway.
As we walked--I, in his arms--we remained silent. I could hear him, though, in his silence, telling me it would be alright as long as he was there. And I believed him.
A slow sigh escaped my lips and I rested my head on his shoulder. He kissed it softly and rubbed the small of my back.
I feel safe with him
When we approached the familiar steel gate that my friends and I had--so long ago it seemed--entered to carry out a dare, I felt a wave of relief wash over me when my (utterly humiliating) message was no longer scrawled out on the driveway.
He lead me up his porch steps. "I live here with the guys, but they're all out tonight," He said as if seeking my approval.
I trust him.
I nodded and once we entered the house, he lead me into a sizeable living room. A large TV stood as the focal point of the room, attatched to a PS2 and VCR which were tucked away in a shelf beneath it. The oversized couch he lead me to was covered with mismatched pillows and numerous stains which were smudged and blurry from futile attempts to remove them. He sheepishly kicked an empty pizza box underneath the couch.
It was definitely a "Guys House."
In a few minutes, he had a fire started beneath the mantle in a hearth that seemed to have been last used when cave men were dumbly rubbing pieces of stones together. My frozen fingers welcomed the warmth and stung slightly when I put them near the flames to thaw them.
Zach disappeared through a set of doors and returned moments later with a large blanket. Gesturing for me to sit, he spread it over my shivering body and sat down beside me, gathering me into his arms.
He didn't speak. He didn't have to. The memories of Mercury and its lost people drifted from my mind, settling into a place where I would find them if ever I needed them again. At that moment, the only visions I saw were two green eyes, soft, golden hair, and a man that promised never to leave.
I didn't remember falling asleep beside him, nor the sound of snickering, hours later, as a pair of feet steathily walked behind us.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()())()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
"WAKE UP!"
"AaAH!"
In an instant, I felt cool, hard wood against my back, and an array of pillows strewn atop my flailing body. My head lay a hazardous few inches from the corner of a coffee table that I didn't recognize.
There were sounds of struggling and muffled (distinctly male) grunts, and I scurried to remove the blanket from around my legs and get my bearings.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Jason?!" Zach's voice was strained in a scream-whisper, reminding me that I spent the night at his place.
Stifling a yawn, I pulled myself up and straightened my shirt. Jason, cackling loudly from behind a half-eaten bowl of cereal, dodged a pillow launched by Zach and conjured his most alluring grin just for me.
I gasped when he enveloped me in a huge bear hug. His strong arms (still holding an overflowing bowl) crushed my tiny torso until I couldn't breathe. A stream of milk sloshed onto the floor, unnoticed.
"Uh...J-Jason, I've sort of become attatched to o-oxygen--"
Zach pried his cousin's arms from me, "Hands off."
Jason held up his hands in defeat, "You know Ami, if you ever get tired of ol' Braudel over there," He paused to wink, "I'm always--OW! Shit, Zach!"
Jason flicked soggy cheerio's off of his face and neck and glared at Zach who smirked smugly. An enormous trail of milk dribbled down his front, ending in a nice pool on the crotch of his pants.
"Damn, J, wet the bed again? I thought you grew out of that when you were 18," Matt closed the front door, straining slightly against the billowing wind whipping about behind it and bearing the latest issue of Sports Illustrated.
"Oooh...Molly's lookin' good this month," He groaned and went into the kitchen.
Jason slumped out of the room, defeated, and assured them that he'd retaliate.
Zach sighed heavily and hopped down from his standing position on the couch.
"Sorry about that," He smiled at me apologetically.
"It's no problem," I laughed.
So this is how college boys live, eh?
I took his hand, and he lead me around the couch and into the kitchen. His warm arms wrapped themselves around me, and I let my tired body relax in them.
"How are you feeling?" He ran his hand through my hair.
"Better," I took his hand in mine, "Thank you...for last night."
His lips curled into an affectionate smile and settled onto mine. I sighed into his kiss, reveling in the intoxicating feeling stirring in my mind.
"Yo, man eating here!" Matt whacked Zach on his head with his rolled up magazine and carried his partially devoured pop-tart into the living room.
Zach ignored his antics and deepened our kiss. When we broke apart, he kissed my nose lightly.
"Hungry?" He reached for the refrigerator and stuck his head inside.
"If you're looking for the milk, I'm wearing the last of it!" Jason yelled from the laundry room where he was undoubtedly searching for a dry article of clothing.
Zach muttered 'ass hole' under his breath and closed the door.
Yawning, Kyle entered the kitchen, and scratched his bare chest. He passed me and Zach, grunting incoherently beneath his breath and pushed 'START' on the coffee pot. Zach poured me a glass of orange juice and grabbed himself a coke.
Kyle padded to the fridge and reached his hand inside.
"Jason finished it," Zach muttered matter-of-factly.
Kyle's outstretched hand stopped mid-grab and curled itself into a fist. The refrigerator door slammed shut, and he stomped out of the room. I could hear Jason's startled cry and stifled a laugh. Something glass crashed, and Zach cringed.
"Mom's vase..."
Jason, now clad in dry clothing, stumbled past the kitchen to the front door, threw on his jacket with an indignant 'huff' and checked his pockets for his wallet.
"Never come between a jock and his milk..."
He disappeared behind the door before Kyle had a chance to throw any other fragile and possibly fatal objects in his direction.
Kyle entered the kitchen, now fully awake, and smiled happily in our direction. When his silver eyes landed on me, he paused, processed my presence, and smiled again.
"Hey, Ami."
My eyes flitted casually to Zach, who was too busy cleaning up his coke volcano which had erupted all over the table when he popped the can open ("Shit!"), and I returned his greeting. Kyle grabbed the orange juice from Zach who was holding it in the air so it wouldn't sit sit in the coke river which was spreading like oil over the table.
I let my eyes trail elsewhere, looking at the kitchen sink which was currently the home of a mini-leaning tower of Pisa, constructed out of plates and assorted utensils. Zach's warm hand nestled itself into my own beneath the table, and I tore my eyes away from the window.
"Wanna get out of here?" He offered, smiling.
I nodded, dying to change out of the clothes I'd slept in and worn the day before, and bid Kyle goodbye as we exited the kitchen.
Zach drove me home, during which I spent the better part choking on my laughter as he regailed me with hundreds of Jason/Kyle scuffs and how they always ended up in something broken (mainly his mother's imported French vases she seemed to think Zach actually *liked*) and Kyle reigning victorious.
We were standing in front my front door sooner than I would have actually liked. I let him in, suddenly feeling insecure about the cleanliness of the place. Fortunately, my mother had been in the cleaning mood (which was generally always) that morning and the sunlight which filtered in through a window illuminated the impeccably tidy living room and kitchen.
If there was one thing my mother was notorious for, it was her obssesion with organization. I have to say I inherited the same compulsive gene as well.
From beside me, Zach eyed the spotless couch as if wondering if he should sit on it, lest he break or dirty it in any way. I laughed and lightly shoved his back, "You can sit on my couch, Zach."
I threw my jacket on the back of our leather arm chair, discarding my shoes as well. Something caught my eye to the left, and I stooped low the ground. The air vent covering had been removed. I sighed and replaced it.
Mom never went so far as to clean out the air vent out before...
I shrugged it off. There were obviously a few things I still hadn't realized about my mom's cleaning habits.
Zach eased onto the couch, careful not to disturb the perfectly synchonized array of pillows juxtaposed on either end. I'd never realized how incredibly...un-human my mother's and my apartment was until that moment.
Neither of us spent very much time in it. The remote-control sat stationary on our glass top coffe table, collecting layers of dust, and the wide screen TV it belonged to had never been more than a black void in the middle of our mostly white-furnished living room.
"So...it's just you and your mom?" He looked around, cocking an amused eyebrow at the mantle which was littered with pictures of me. I hadn't remembered the last time I'd looked at them. There were a few by myself, school portraits from high school (all horrible), and a few of my mother and my friends.
I nodded, and gasped when he rose, heading straight for the mantle.
"Um...you really do *not* want to see those," I laughed nervously, sliding in front of him before he could get close enough to see them clearly. Visions of me, chubby faced with blue hair all astray after various swim meets, caused my face to redden.
My hands were resting lightly on his stomach, and I made a mental note to find out whether he was one of those obsessive weight-lifter guys or if he was just blessed with the set of abs my fingers were registering beneath the fabric of his shirt.
"What if I do?" He lowered his face dangerously close to mine, his breath tickling my nose. My heart beat sped up, and my vision blurred, smearing his intoxicating peradot gaze into swirls.
And that was precisely what my dear boyfriend intended.
In an instant his face was replaced with a white wall and he was holding the frame of a (not too embarrassing) picture of the girls and me at our graduation.
Underneath the scorching June sun, Makoto and Usagi had elbowed eachother for camera space, while Minako smiled so brightly that the flash was hardly needed, and Rei scoffed from beside her, arms crossed and frowning. I had laughed the minute the picture was snapped, thanks to Tsukino Shingo who had jumped behind the shot and yanked his sister's pigtail devilishly, sending her into a tirade.
Zach laughed lightly, "Who's the kid with the hair?"
"Shingo, Usagi's younger brother."
"He and Jason would get along great..." He set the picture down, eyes flitting over the remaining shots.
I followed his eyes, remembering the times and places the pictures were taken when he suddenly spoke.
"I knew it..."
I cocked an eyebrow in his direction, "Knew what?" He turned to me, a picture of one of my more recent meets in his hand, "That I'd seen you before."
"Hmm?"
"Wait...no...oh, yea!" He laughed, "That's me right there."
I looked underneath his finger tip, directly behind my smiling head and laughed. It was definitely him, along with Jason and Kyle. I recognized his blonde head and Kyle's huge frame which stood out like a sore thumb in the mass of people.
"Is Jason..." I raised my eyebrows, putting the frame in front of my eyes closely, so I could see the bent blob of blonde closer.
"Drinking the water?"
Zach laughed loudly.
"Not exactly...see that girl?" He pointed to a brunette scowling a few feet away, "Jason tried to follow her into the locker room, being the idiot he is, and took a face full of pepper spray in the process."
I covered my mouth with my hand, laughing at Jason's face as he sumberged his head in the pool's water.
"Kyle looks like he's going to e-explode!" I gasped for air; Kyle's red face, contorted with laughter and ready to practically self-combust, stared back up at me.
"I can't believe you got it on film...I gotta make copies," He took the frame from me, "Do you know how valuable this is?"
I shook my head, still laughing, and plopped backwards on my couch, ignoring the protest of the pillows as they bounced off.
"I remember that day though, the championship?" Zach sat beside me, having placed the frame back in its previous spot.
"Yeah..." I sighed. I really had to begin training for the spring. I hadn't realized how much I missed the water.
"You were great," He idly played with a lock of hair near my ear.
"I came in fifth, Zach," I turned to him, smiling smally. Thanks to the youma who decided to reak all sorts of havoc at a concert downtown, the senshi and I had spent the night and into the wee hours of the morning working damage control--extinguishing amplifiers that had been Mars-ed, and leaving a 'Sorry' note by the pulverized stage which was reduced to a pile of ashes thanks to Jupiter who'd been so excited that the youma was dusted that she sent jolts of electricity through the place, causing a massive electric fire.
I'd been throughly exausted that afternoon, but refused to quit the race even when my coach informed me that I was standing in the wrong lane.
The smile I'd pasted on just for my mother that day had been strained to say the least.
"So, what?" He grazed my lips with his own. My eyes fluttered shut, and my eyelashes brushed against his cheek lightly. My back settled onto the seat cushion, Zach bending over me.
I ran my hands through his hair, on his back, and his neck, forgetting the golden rule of 'Caution' which my school teachers and counselors had engraved into my--and every other teenage girl who'd reached puberty--head during my junior and high school duration.
His hands were on my sides, rubbing gently. I savored his kiss, memorizing the feeling of his lips as if they'd never caresss my own again.
"Zach..."
What I'd meant to be, 'Wait, slow down', melted into a sigh of pleasure as he moved from my lips and trailed kisses behind my ear and on my neck.
"Ami-san?"
"Ow!"
My head connected with Zach's chin as it shot up abruptly. He rolled off me quickly, standing and rearranging his disheveled shirt.
I rubbed my head and turned around. The familiar, albeit smirking, face of my three foot neighbor greeted me.
"Malina! How did you get in here?" I stood and bent down to the six year old's height.
She giggled, twirling a strand of inky hair between her tiny little fingers.
"Are you going to have a baby?"
Oh my GOD!
I nearly fainted. I heard Zach snort with laughter and resisted the urge to throw something at him.
"Um...no, Malina. I am *not* going to have a baby," I smiled weakly, "Did you need something?"
She gasped and reached into the tiny pocket of her jeans, "Mommy wanted me to give this to you," She said softly, eyeing Zach timidly from behind her thick bangs.
I unfolded the note.
"Are you *sure* you're not gonna have a baby, Ami-san?" She tugged on my pants leg, whispering.
I shook my head wearily, a little irked that Zach seemed to be getting such a kick out of the situation.
'Ami-chan, you mother's been called out of the city for an emergency surgery. She left early this morning and didn't know how to get in contact with you. I told her I'd be sure to get the news to you. She's not sure when she'll be back, but she said she'd call you. Feel free to drop by if you get lonely! And tell my little messanger that I'd like her to find her pet and teach him to stop chewing up my carpet! Ja!
--Kayasha'
I frowned. My mother would usually have called the girls' houses or something. It must have really been an emergency.
"What's up?" Zach wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.
"Oh...nothing. My mom had to leave--emergency surgery."
He rubbed my shoulders, and began a line of descending kisses down my hair line.
The patter of feet shook me out of the moment.
"Mommy! Mommy! Ami's gonna have a baby!"
I froze. Zach's mouth ceased its descent along on my jaw bone.
"You know...I *have* always thought I'd make a great fath--hey!"
I slapped his arm harshly, laughing despite the hell I knew my mother would raise when she returned home to find out that she was going to be a grandmother.
I closed the front door. Malina's happy squeals sounded from two doors down.
"I'm going to go change," I said to Zach. His face brightened considerably. "Need any help?"
He looked so serious, as if he were kindly offering to help an old lady load groceries into her equally aged station wagon at the super market, that it took me a moment before I gasped and punched his arm again.
"I think I can handle it, thanks," I giggled at his look of disappointment.
"Can't blame a guy for tyrin'," He fell backwards on to the couch.
Aahh..the power of Colgate
I sighed, reveling in the tingly feeling the toothpaste created in my mouth as it washed away the grody taste that had accumulated there. I thanked whichever of my friends had borrowed my jacket and left a pack of Altoids in the pocket or else Zach would have been sucking up my morning breath all morning.
I decided that showering was a definite MUST. My hair was a complete mess and fell limply on my forehead. This did little to draw attention from the wrinkles in my jeans and shirt.
Fifteen minutes later, I felt completely refreshed. I slipped into a pair a dark jeans Rei had left over a few weeks...or months ago, wondering subconciously if she'd mind.
Nah...
They were a little snug at my hips, and made me feel like I'd split them if I sat down the wrong way. Just to make sure, I squatted a little.
Thankfully, they were stretchy, too. I pulled a powder white turtleneck over my wet hair. The fabric felt like feathers on my skin. It, along with a few other articles of insanely priced clothing, had been an early christmas gift from one my swim team-mates.
It was no mystery that Migai Kirashi didn't mind spending small fortunes on clothing for her friends or even strangers for that matter.
Usagi didn't mind either when she was handed a 150 (per store) dollar gift card to any 3 stores of her choice.
I didn't want to keep Zach waiting any longer, so I rubbed some gel into my damp hair rather than drying it and scrunched it with my fingers.
The blush I applied hurriedly was barely noticeable, but "made all the difference in the world" according to Minako.
With one more glance at the mirror, I exited my bedroom.
"Snuggghhh...Snuggghhh...."
"Zach."
"Snu-snuggghhh...."
"Zacharrry..."
I laughed quietly. His head was resting on the back of the couch, the remote control lodged firmly in his grasp. The TV was blank, though.
Rounding up a wad of courage, I leaned over his face and pressed my lips on his cheek.
"Snugggggggghhhhhhh...."
Sighing, I moved around the couch and sat beside him, burying my head against his chest.
I idly traced circles on his stomach, not letting the ripples beneath go un-noticed.
"Snugggghhhhhhh...."
Alright. Time to wake up, Sir Snores-a-lot.
I rose to sit on my knees and placed my hands on his cheeks, lowering my lips to his slowly. If he was anything like Usagi, I'd have to watch out, lest he unintentionally sever one of my limbs in his sleep.
"ACK!"
I squealed as he launched himself forward, eyes blazing with mischief, and had me pinned to the couch before I could realize what had happened.
"Ha!" He announced, smothering my next words with firey kisses.
I forgot my shock and laughed against his mouth.
I definitely needed to spend more time with him alone--on couches, that is.
HOLD UP. Since when did *I*, Mizuno Ami, genious extraordinare, Miss Responsiblilty, begin making out on couches?
Since right about now.
His lips softened from bruising to barely-even-there. I opened my foggy eyes. He stared at me for a moment, rubbing his thumb absently over an exposed section of my stomach.
"You're beautiful."
I cast my eyes immediately downward, blushing slightly.
He nudged my chin with his finger, forcing me to look him in the eyes.
"Did you know that?"
I was startled as needles of moisture began to form behind my eyes.
"You're beautiful, Ami." He repeated. His gaze was sincere and burned into my own.
I raised my head and kissed the corner of his mouth.
"Thank you."
He understood the message behind my words. I sighed into his palm as he brushed hair away from my eyes.
We sat up, he pulling me immediately into his arms so that I lay half on top of him and half on the couch with our legs entertwined lazily.
"Zach...?"
"Mmm?"
"Do you always snore that loudly?"
In the three hours we spent melded together like pieces of a jig-saw puzzle, I felt as if my entire life poured out of my mouth like a waterfall who's dam had broken.
Everything about it sent shivers up and down my spine. The feeling of his warm breath passing over my head. His fingers as they traced pictures of nothing in particular on my stomach. The way his chest vibrated when he spoke, filling the air with the voice I never grew weary of hearing.
He listened attentatively as I recounted the day I discovered Mercury's power. I could hear traces of bewilderment and amusement in his voice as he asked a questions like a small child seeing the world for the first time.
When I refused to transform in front of him, he pouted adorably. Later, he held a paper cut up to my eyes and told me to 'make it better'. I laughed bemusedly and kissed his finger. He lowered it, minus the afore-mentioned cut, and grabbed my fingers in his own.
"Tell me about your family," I requested meekly, unsure of whether or not it was a touchy subject.
He merely sighed, as if about to embark on a long journey and was going on three hours of sleep.
"What do you want to know?" He played nameless games with my fingers.
"You don't have to if you don't want to, Zach," I craned my head to look at him. He smiled and kissed my forehead. His silence was deafening for a moment, but I let it drag on. He'd speak when he was ready.
"My father owns half of Tokyo."
He said it suddenly, as if he were telling me what he'd eaten for dinner that night. I took in a breath and swallowed.
"My mother stays at home and keeps his life in order."
He took a brief pause.
"When we moved here when I was thirteen, we made a deal--my father and me," He shifted on the couch so that he could see me clearly, "I'd move to Tokyo and he'd never tell me what was in that little black briefcase he lugged around."
He laughed shortly, "He's always wanted me to be his co-partner in his...whatever the hell he does, but I choose to stay as far away from penguin suits and scary legalites as I can."
I could see the resentment brewing behind his eyes, and sought to change the subject.
"Where did you learn Japanese so quickly?"
He sighed, "Years and years of boarding school. I was speaking 5 different languages before I knew my times tables."
"And what do *you* want to be?" I asked, looking at him through my eyelashes.
His eyes took on a faraway look for a moment, and he smiled. "I want to *build* the buildings the scary legalites wearing penguin suits work in."
My lips curved into a grin.
"Architecture?"
"Uh huh...I've always wanted to build things. My father bought be an entertainment system for my tenth birthday and it collected mounds of dust in my bedroom while I built castles out of Legos."
He laughed shortly, his eyes brightening some, "My mother has no problem with it...my father, on the other hand," He sighed, "Would much rather show off his strickingly handsome son wearing an Armani suit and spouting stock quotes, than have him dressed as a lowly construction worker."
I smothered images of Zach, sweaty and muscles pulsing underneath the squelching summer sun before they could develop completely.
We were silent for a few seconds. I wasn't sure what to do other than let him vent. I wrapped my arm tighter around his torso.
"It's not like I don't know he cares about me or anything...I mean, he means well, it's just that business is what he knows, and the possiblilty of his son not carrying on the family profession is like murder to him."
"I'm sorry." I said, barely above a whisper, against his chest.
"You don't have to be."
I blushed at the gaze which he lay on me, and swallowed.
"So...how did you and the others get that house?" I played the with the hem of the pillow behind my head.
He smiled, "We walked up to it and moved in."
I quirked an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"
"My dad owns that neighborhood."
I laughed weakly. DUH. His dad probably owns MY neighborhood.
"What can I say? Being his son has its perks..." His voice wasn't cocky, almost bittersweet--as if he were handed a bag of candy, had a painful cavity, and ate it anyway.
"Of coure you'll understand more when you meet them," He exposed his impossibly white teeth, "on Christmas Eve."
I opened my mouth, "Zach..." I could just picture me making an idiot out of myself in front of his parents.
"You *have* to," He brought his face closer to mine, "For me?"
I pursed my lips. He whined more.
"I need somebody there to share the torture with. Dad invites every lawyer and client and practically anyone who can afford a tux and speek Business-lingo over. I promise my mom will love you."
I flipped over so that I was laying completely on my back and staring at the ceiling, away from his gaze which had a way of making me do things I wouldn't otherwise do.
"Besides, Usagi and everyone else are going, too."
"They are?" I rose my eyebrows. They never told me that.
"Yeah, I invited Mamoru, and everybody else just fell in with it, too."
I sighed.
He trailed his hands along my torso, digging into my sides gently. I tried my hardest to keep the squeal in, but it slipped out relentlessly, and a string of laughter followed.
"Al-*gasp*-right, I'll go!" I slapped his hands away, and he laughed.
I was pulled up with him as he rose from the couch, a smug smile plastered over his face.
"Alright, now that that's settled," He picked up our coats, "I'm starving."
Ten minutes later we were walking leisurely through a bustle of holiday shoppers. My mind was churning with thoughts of everything that had occured within the last few weeks. It seemed like a year had passed since that first day I had walked into Starbucks with Usagi.
Zach tapped my nose lightly, "What are you thinking about?"
I sighed and leaned closer against his side.
"You."
His kissed my head and squeezed my waist.
"Good," He laughed good-naturedly and dodged a pack of squealing kids as they zoomed by, snow balls tucked hazardously in their palms.
At that moment I felt on top of the world. I carelessly flung away thoughts of whatever ominous future the fates had in store for me, and as for the penetrating images of my past--being with Zach seemed to dissolve them into nothingness.
I watched my fragile heart with its many bandages and scars dangling helplessly on my sleeve, no cushion beneath it to save it from shattering again, and let it.
Should I be so frivolous?
I had asked myself the same question countless times, immediately falling backward into an infinite pit of doubt and fear. But then he'd smile or laugh or squeeze my hand, lifting me out of myself and into a place where there were no boundaries, no dead ends, and only us.
I peered up at him through the corner of my eye and watched him exhale large puffs of white air and the christmas lights which were reflecting off of his green eyes brightly.
"See anything you like?" He said smiling cockily at me.
His voice startled me from my reverie, and a blush rose on my cheeks. Caught red-handed.
"I--" The rest of my, no doubt stutter-filled, sentence melted into his lips as they saught my own.
He separated from me, breathing hard against my forehead. If any passerbys were watching, I honestly didn't care. I wouldn't duck away from his sentiments like I had Urawa, and wouldn't be afraid to show the world my happiness.
Then why--WHY couldn't I tell him how I felt? What was holding me back from saying the words that were resting right on the tip of my tongue?
I promised myself I would go on...move on from Urawa. I tugged my eyes up to look into his. They were there, infinitely green and sparkling. My knees felt weak. I searched them again, and I found the love that he harbored for me. They expressed it more than he could ever tell me in words.
I wanted to return his feelings. Zach deserved to know how I felt about him. I struggled back and forth, tugging at the loose armor covering my heart, willing it to break free from its rusty hinges and let the man standing before me view its interior rather than merely glimpsing at the outer layer like an ogling five year old with his face stuck up the glass of a museum exhibit, wishing to be let in. My inner struggle must have been evident.
"It's okay, Ami," He whispered, "You don't have to say anything."
But I wanted to. I *needed* to.
"When you're ready."
And I wasn't.
Whether I was ready or not didn't matter to him, I realized. He would still love me.
I nodded shakily, taking his hand in my own.
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*tear, tear* anyone need a kleenex?
CH.13's in the works!
the end is nearing, people! get all those great reviews telling me how much you ADORE this fic or i just might *casually* forget to upload the final chapter...that would be sooooo unfortunate, wouldn't it?
heheh...you have no idea of my capabilities
-Adrial
PS: anyone wanna coach me on how to upload this baby on ASMR? i'm about ready to hunt down andrea and george and shove it up their noses just so they'll upload it. but i have no money, and lawyers are too damn expensive these days, SO, that's where you beautiful people come in! HELLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP ME.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! 2003!