Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon. yada yada...
A/N: Gomen nasai! Sumimasen! I'm very, very sorry for not updating for so long. I've been busy with some other things that I can't find the time to write. Also, I've been experiencing writer's block for the past weeks, and I've got lots of ideas in my head but I can't put them into words! Graah, it is so frustrating!
Anyway, If you're wondering why Setsuna-san is with Kunzite, or why is she even here... well... just wait for future chapters and you'll see why, hehehee (grins maniacally).
And so, without further ado, here's the third chapter. It will focus mainly on Ami-chan. Enjoy!
* * *
Chapter Three: A Glimpse to Ami's Past
She blinked.
And blinked.
And then blinked again.
Ami scratched her head, unable to believe that *somebody* in her school could actually tie up with her. And to make matters worst, it isn't just anybody. It's that boy Zoisite who happened to be one of the greatest enemies of the senshis almost three years ago.
It isn't that she didn't believe at his capabilities or at any students' capabilities for that matter. It would be plain arrogance. It's just that... it's been so long. It's been so long since she had a...
"Oooh, Ami-chan got a new rival!"
Usagi's shriek of glee reverberated through Ami's ears but the blue-haired senshi didn't even budge a little nor move a single muscle. Makoto sided up with her and laughingly straightened the genius's furrowed brows with her thumb and index finger. Ami blushed a little and smiled shyly.
"I didn't know Zoisite have a brain inside that pretty little head of his," the brunette muttered incredulously.
"Sugoi!" Usagi exclaimed unbelievably. "Zoisite-kun had just transferred here at Juuban High and yet he topped the exams with Ami-chan."
Makoto smiled. "That boy had easily adapted himself with our weird environment." Then she turned at the blonde on her left. "That's what you call flexibility, Usagi-chan."
The odango blonde furrowed her golden brows and gave her a dim-witted look. "Flexibility? You mean he can bend and stretch like rubber, or something like that?"
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "What I mean is that he's... he's..." The brunette wrinkled her brows and searched for simple words that would exactly explain the term 'flexibility' to her friend but failed. The more she tries to explain it, the more they'll stray out of the topic. "Aw, just forget it," she just said instead.
Usagi snickered at her tall friend and then her smile abruptly disappeared after noticing Ami, who was staring again at the exam results with a small frown on her forehead. She cast an inquiring glance at Makoto who, in return, just shrugged her shoulders.
The blonde cleared her throat, immediately bringing her blue-haired friend back from her reverie. Ami muttered an apology and slowly turned to them.
"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" Usagi suddenly blurted out.
Ami slowly removed her glasses and put them on her pocket. "Of course I don't," she replied thoughtfully and smiled but there's an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. "It's just an exam." Noticing Minako's absence, Ami glanced at the two. "Where's Mina-chan, by the way?"
Makoto narrowed her eyes on Ami's sudden change of the topic. She swore she saw something familiar on those blue eyes of hers. A sense of competition? Naah! Casually dismissing the subject, she crossed her arms on her chest and gave Ami a half smile. "She said she'll have to take care of something and she'll just catch up with us."
As if on cue, Minako came scurrying towards them, waving her right hand. "Minna!" she yelled, her red bow bobbing on her head and her long blonde hair bouncing on her back as she ran.
The longhaired blonde halted before them, panting heavily. After regaining her breath, she giggled happily and showed them a poster of one of her teen idols. "Look, look! I've got this pullout poster from the magazine I bought yesterday and -- Omigosh!! Zoisite-kun topped the exams!" She dropped the poster and hastily went closer to the bulletin board. "And Ami- chan, too! What the hell is going on here?" Then she turned at the three girls behind her. "I smell an intellectual rivalry! And I smell romance, too!"
Usagi and Makoto suddenly burst out laughing while Ami was blushing profusely, turning red from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair.
Makoto picked up the wrinkled poster from the ground and handed it to MInako. "You' really got this weird notion about love," she said chuckling. "How can you be sure that Ami-chan would fall for that girly- girl boy?"
"Hah!" the longhaired blonde chided proudly. "I'm the senshi of love and I can sense anything!"
"Even an incoming fart?" Usagi butted in.
"Even an incoming fart!" Minako replied with a wide grin. "Mark my words, it wouldn't take long before Ami-chan and Zoisite-kun become an item." And she giggled maniacally. "Have you forgotten this thing about Ami-chan falling for guys who come close to her scores?"
"Oh yeah, I remembered," the odango blonde agreed, snapping her fingers. "There's Urawa back when we were still in junior high, this Mercurius guy, and then, Taiki-kun!"
Ami rolled her eyes, her embarrassment was slowly replaced by irritation. 'Oh brother,' she thought grimly. 'Why does it always have to be me?'
Makoto snickered. "Ami-chan thinks that the brain is sexier than the body." Then she placed a hand on Minako's shoulder. "You're definitely right, Ai no megami-sama. How could I have ever doubted you." And she jokingly hid her face in shame.
And the three giggled like demented idiots in unison.
The blue-haired genius sighed irritably, a hand on her side and foot tapping in annoyance. "Don't talk about me as if I'm five thousand miles away," she grumbled moodily. "It isn't polite."
The three gradually ceased from laughing and had a rather funny look on their faces when they looked at her.
"What?" Ami asked impatiently, shifting her gaze to each of her idiotic friends.
"Gomen ne, Ami-chan," Usagi said, looking a bit less apologetic.
"Yeah, we're really sorry," Minako added half-heartedly. "It won't happen again, I promise." And then she giggled silently, slowly crossing her fingers on her back.
Makoto, who was still smiling stupidly, saw Ami stared at her. She immediately pursed her lips and looked the other way. "I didn't know you have adopted Rei-chan's temper." And then she grinned sheepishly.
"Well it's about time," Ami said seriously. "It's not fun being only the rational and sensible person among your crazy friends, anyway." She walked towards the bulletin board and stopped about two feet from it. "Instead of making fun of your poor little Ami-chan, why don't you study harder so that *THIS*," Ami suddenly pointed at the three names written just below the passing mark, "won't happen again?"
The three just stared back at her.
Ami sighed and shook her head hopelessly. "Listen guys," she said. "You must study hard or else you won't make it next year."
"We did study hard," Usagi butted in. "But the television is always invigorating than those textbooks."
Minako draped an arm on the genius's shoulders. "Don't worry about us, Ami- chan. We could make it. No matter how we failed, fate has always been good to us." Then she laughed hysterically.
"And besides," Makoto said. "It's just the beginning of the school year. We all have the time in the world to study."
Then the four started walking towards their classrooms.
"I'm really worried about your future," Ami muttered silently and let herself be dragged by her friends.
"Ne, Ami-chan,' Usagi then called out after walking for minutes in silence.
"Hai?"
"What do you think of Zoisite-kun?" the odango blonde asked rather seriously.
"Excuse me?"
"He's cute, isn't he?" And then she gave her a knowing look.
Ami frowned. "If you're teasing me again, I'll -"
But Usagi wasn't able to hear the rest of Ami's words because the rabbit of the moon stormed off after seeing the latest issue of her favorite manga in one her classmates' hands.
.
..
...
* * *
Ami grudgingly closed the door of her shoe locker and sighed. Ever since that incident with the exam results the other week, plus the 'constant' (which was an understatement, of course) teasing of her friends, Ami became extremely aware and sensitive of Zoisite's existence. He was suddenly everywhere! He's at the corridor, waving nonchalantly at the girls who greeted him flirtatiously; he's under the shade of a tree, quietly reading a paperback or listening to music through his discman; and there were also times when he's on the rooftop, casually leaning on the railing with his long hair being ruffled by the wind and he doesn't even know how kawaii he looked!
She lightly banged her head on the locker door. 'Great,' she muttered, rather annoyed by the flow of her thoughts. 'Now, where did that come from?' She chewed her lip and closed her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts in a single direction.
And most of all, she continued after settling down her thoughts, he even invaded the library, for crying out loud! The library... a place where nobody else dared to enter and hang out except for other people like her. It was her sanctuary, her refuge, her place of solace. And now, he suddenly came out from nowhere and took it away from her!
Good thing Zoisite doesn't have any plans of joining the Computer Club, or so she thought. If that happens, Ami would really go berserk.
And what's with him tying up with her during the exams? It's like he sent an unsaid challenge to her, saying that Ami's days on the top are numbered, that she's no better than him. It's like he threw a steel gauntlet at her feet, or he slapped her with a glove on her face.
Like the competitive person that Ami Mizuno was, it enthused her unknowing desire to be the best, to beat him and show him that she isn't the type of person who backs down during a challenge. He threw a gauntlet at her feet, and she willingly picked it up. He slapped her face with a glove, and she willingly slapped him back.
She smiled. This is going to be a war of intellectual proportions!
"Ohayou, Mizuno-san."
Ami literally 'eeked' and jump back in fright after unexpectedly coming face to face with the object of her rambling thoughts a while ago. She felt the heat rose on her cheeks for being caught in a rather stupid position. Who wouldn't be, anyway, when your supposed rival saw you with your forehead resting on the door of your shoe locker as if you're whispering or chanting something to it?
"I know it is none of my business but," at this Zoisite flashed her a hesitant but a cheerful smile, "why are you banging your head on the -"
"Oh no, I am not *banging* my head anywhere," she suddenly said, shaking her head and smiling sheepishly. "Well, I got to go. See ya!"
Ami hastily bowed and stormed off, leaving Zoisite grinning amusedly to himself.
* * *
"Ami-chan? Are you there?"
Usagi slowly peeked through the door and let her eyes wander throughout the room. The Computer Club's HQ was strangely empty. Maybe all the members went home since it's almost five in the afternoon, she thought. She quietly entered and looked for a sign of her blue-haired friend. "Ami- chan?"
The odango blonde nervously rubbed her arm after feeling a sudden gust of wind at her direction. "Ami-chan...?" she called a bit louder, thinking of the ghost stories and rumors about the club's room. 'What if it is true? What if I suddenly saw a ghost?' She shivered at the thought and scanned the place one more time... until she heard a slow tapping of a computer key and felt that cool gust of wind again.
'Masaka! It's the ghost of the computer programmer!'
Unable to contain her fear any longer, Usagi wailed and screamed, "Ami- chaaaan!!! Where the heck are you?! It's so scary out here, please come out now!!!"
Another door in that room suddenly opened and a panic-stricken Ami Mizuno came out of it. "What was that-"
A figure of a blonde slumped on the floor and crying unceremoniously caught her vision. Ami let out a sigh of relief and slowly walk towards the crying blonde, unable to decide whether to laugh at her or pity her.
The blue-haired genius crouched and gently patted Usagi on the head. "Usagi-chan? Are you alright?"
Hearing her friend's voice, Usagi hastily looked up and hugged her. "Oh, Ami-chan, where the hell have you been? I've been calling you for the hundredth time and this place is so scary, " she wailed. "How can you stand a place like this? The computer programmer's ghost, he was here!!! He was really here!"
She giggled softly and helped Usagi stood up. Ami lent her hanky and the blonde quickly wiped her tears away, still sniffing.
"I was using the main computer in the adjoining room," Ami replied. "The door was tightly shut plus I was listening at the MP3s so maybe that's why I couldn't hear you."
Usagi bit the white hanky on her hand and in a tearful voice, "The rumors are true. There's really a ghost in here."
Ami bit back her smile and shook her head. "Those rumors are nothing but rumors," she said. "The Computer Club just made it up to prevent non- members from entering the computer room after class hours. Only few students are stupid enough to believe it, though."
The odango blonde pouted. "Hey, I resent that."
"I'm not referring to you, Usagi-chan," she said with a mild chuckle.
"But what about the sound I heard and that cold wind?"
"It was I. I was using a computer, remember?" She then paused. "As for the cold wind..." She pointed at the air conditioning unit at the far corner of the room.
"Oh," was the only word the Usagi could say. Then she grinned sheepishly.
"Now," Ami said. "May I ask why are you looking for me?"
"Um yeah," Usagi mumbled, now back in her cheery self. "There was someone who wanted to join your club but he's shy because he's already late. Can he still join?"
She smiled. "Of course. The Computer Club accepts members any day." And then she inclined her head. "Where is he?"
Usagi looked behind her. "He was with me just before I entered this room," she replied absentmindedly. Then she smiled cheerfully. "Just wait here, Ami-chan. I'll go get him."
Sighing, she smiled and watched the odango blonde leave the room. Then, she glanced at her wristwatch. It says five minutes after five o' clock. She still have time to attend her cram school at 6:30.
She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and then the sound of the sliding door. Ami shifted her glance at the door... and her heart skipped a beat and she almost fainted at the sight.
"I thought you went home already," Usagi said, dragging Zoisite by the hand.
"Gomen, Tsukino-chan," he replied. "My phone rang so I have to at least get a few meters away from the computer or else I might destroy them."
Usagi then turned her head at her blue-haired friend. "Hora, Ami-chan," she said with a wide grin. "I've brought you the Computer Club's newest member, Akimatsu Zoisite-kun."
Ami reminded herself to breathe and calm down. Forcing herself to smile, she slowly walked towards them. "Nice of you to join our club, Akimatsu- kun," she said.
"See, I told you," Usagi whispered to the boy beside her. "Ami-chan, I mean, the Computer Club would still accept you."
Zoisite nodded and then smiled at the blue-haired girl's direction. Which, of course, made Ami blush (because he found her staring intently at him) and caught her completely off guard.
'No wonder many girls were literally drooling over him,' she thought balefully.
"So, what do I have to do?" she heard him ask. "Do I have to sign something or submit anything?"
"Oh, I mean, yes," Ami replied. "You'll just have to sign our membership form. I'll just get it inside."
Zoisite nodded once again and Ami rushed inside the adjoining room to get his membership form.
"Baka, baka, baka!" Once inside, Ami pounded her temple with her fist. "Why do you have to act like an idiotic moron whenever he's in front of you?!"
She rummaged through the tons of files of the club and angrily pulled out a blank form for Zoisite. "He's just Zoisite, for Pete's sake!"
That's the point, she thought. He *is* Zoisite.
Ami frowned.
After staring at the blank form for a few minutes, Ami finally stepped outside to join them.
"Here's the -" Ami was cut off by the sight of Usagi laughing merrily at Zoisite's jokes. She sighed and smiled to herself. Usagi's friendliness is really unique and one of a kind. The blonde wouldn't let a person's past bother her.
Zoisite then lifted his gaze, meeting Ami's bright blue eyes. He smiled to her and took the membership form that she was handing to him. "Arigatou, Mizuno-san," he said and quickly scribbled down all the necessary information needed in the form.
"You don't have to call me 'Mizuno-san' all the time," Ami said. "It's too formal. You may call me Ami."
"Hai," he replied. "Arigatou, Ami-san."
Usagi smiled secretly after watching the two. 'I'm sure Minako-chan and Mako-chan would be happy to hear about this,' she said mentally.
"Here, I'm finished." Zoisite handed back the accomplished membership form to her.
Ami smiled timidly at him and nodded. "Welcome to the club, then," she said, extending her hand.
He took her hand and gently shook it.
But as soon as their fingers touched, Ami felt a strong sense of nausea, as if something flashed before her very eyes. She felt as if her body and soul were being transported to another dimension.
And when she opened her eyes, she found herself floating in a big white place that resembled an auditorium. There are lots of people dressed in weird clothing, apparently not from the present time, and they were seated and listening casually to someone speaking.
She turned her gaze at the far end of the room and saw a petite girl standing on a podium, and she seems to be delivering a speech of some sort. Ami squinted and suddenly gasped when she realized that the girl on the podium looked remarkably like her! In fact, it is her! Though she looked a year older or so than her present age.
The other Ami was dressed in a bluish white dress and looked like someone of high ranks. A princess, probably. And then, she saw the other Ami suddenly pause and look at the other way. She followed the direction where the princess was staring at and then Ami froze.
A tall, lean and handsome green-eyed man in a gray military uniform was leaning back casually in a marble pillar. He smiled and nodded gallantly as soon as the princess' and his gaze met.
Confused, Ami shifted back her attention to the princess and saw her smiled mysteriously before continuing her speech.
"Ne, Ami-chan?! What happened to you?" Usagi's worried voice suddenly echoed from somewhere.
Ami blinked her eyes twice and found herself back at the computer room. She gazed dazedly at the pair of green eyes before her and remembered the same eyes in her vision. She immediately pulled her hand and stepped back.
"Are you alright?" Zoisite asked.
"I'm... fine," she said abstractly. "I'm just having a slight migraine."
He let out a sigh of relief. "You should go home then, and take a rest," he said, and then paused to study her face.
"I can't go home yet," she replied. "I've got to attend cram school."
"Oh, in that case," he said with a little hesitation, "would you want me to accompany you on your way there?"
Ami gave him a reassuring smile. "Thanks for your offer but that wouldn't be necessary," she replied. "I'm okay now."
Zoisite nodded. "Alright." Then his phone on his pocket rang again. Smiling apologetically, he glanced at her. "Sorry, I've got to go. Thank you very much for your time." Then she turned at Usagi. "Arigatou, Usagi- chan." And with a wave of his hand, he turned to his heels and left.
"Now, would you mind telling me what was that all about?"
Ami hastily whirled around after hearing Usagi's teasing tone.
The blonde grinned like an errant child. "It looks like you were enjoying shaking his hand."
She furrowed her brows. "Excuse me?"
"Oh nothing," the blonde replied smilingly. "We must leave now, too, or you will be late for your cram school."
Ami glanced at her watch. It's already five thirty. "Of course. I'll just fix my things inside."
Usagi nodded casually but there's a mischievous smile lurking at the corner of her lips.
A/N extras: Many thanks to those who gave their reviews and to those who put my stories on their favorite's list. Thank you very much. I'm greatly honored.
Please review and let me know what you think. ^_^
Uhm, I have a question though, can anyone tell me how to make words appear in italics? I tried many times but it doesn't seem to work. Please e-mail me at broohuh28@yahoo.com. Thanks.
A/N: Gomen nasai! Sumimasen! I'm very, very sorry for not updating for so long. I've been busy with some other things that I can't find the time to write. Also, I've been experiencing writer's block for the past weeks, and I've got lots of ideas in my head but I can't put them into words! Graah, it is so frustrating!
Anyway, If you're wondering why Setsuna-san is with Kunzite, or why is she even here... well... just wait for future chapters and you'll see why, hehehee (grins maniacally).
And so, without further ado, here's the third chapter. It will focus mainly on Ami-chan. Enjoy!
* * *
Chapter Three: A Glimpse to Ami's Past
She blinked.
And blinked.
And then blinked again.
Ami scratched her head, unable to believe that *somebody* in her school could actually tie up with her. And to make matters worst, it isn't just anybody. It's that boy Zoisite who happened to be one of the greatest enemies of the senshis almost three years ago.
It isn't that she didn't believe at his capabilities or at any students' capabilities for that matter. It would be plain arrogance. It's just that... it's been so long. It's been so long since she had a...
"Oooh, Ami-chan got a new rival!"
Usagi's shriek of glee reverberated through Ami's ears but the blue-haired senshi didn't even budge a little nor move a single muscle. Makoto sided up with her and laughingly straightened the genius's furrowed brows with her thumb and index finger. Ami blushed a little and smiled shyly.
"I didn't know Zoisite have a brain inside that pretty little head of his," the brunette muttered incredulously.
"Sugoi!" Usagi exclaimed unbelievably. "Zoisite-kun had just transferred here at Juuban High and yet he topped the exams with Ami-chan."
Makoto smiled. "That boy had easily adapted himself with our weird environment." Then she turned at the blonde on her left. "That's what you call flexibility, Usagi-chan."
The odango blonde furrowed her golden brows and gave her a dim-witted look. "Flexibility? You mean he can bend and stretch like rubber, or something like that?"
"No," she replied, shaking her head. "What I mean is that he's... he's..." The brunette wrinkled her brows and searched for simple words that would exactly explain the term 'flexibility' to her friend but failed. The more she tries to explain it, the more they'll stray out of the topic. "Aw, just forget it," she just said instead.
Usagi snickered at her tall friend and then her smile abruptly disappeared after noticing Ami, who was staring again at the exam results with a small frown on her forehead. She cast an inquiring glance at Makoto who, in return, just shrugged her shoulders.
The blonde cleared her throat, immediately bringing her blue-haired friend back from her reverie. Ami muttered an apology and slowly turned to them.
"You're not taking this seriously, are you?" Usagi suddenly blurted out.
Ami slowly removed her glasses and put them on her pocket. "Of course I don't," she replied thoughtfully and smiled but there's an unmistakable sparkle in her eyes. "It's just an exam." Noticing Minako's absence, Ami glanced at the two. "Where's Mina-chan, by the way?"
Makoto narrowed her eyes on Ami's sudden change of the topic. She swore she saw something familiar on those blue eyes of hers. A sense of competition? Naah! Casually dismissing the subject, she crossed her arms on her chest and gave Ami a half smile. "She said she'll have to take care of something and she'll just catch up with us."
As if on cue, Minako came scurrying towards them, waving her right hand. "Minna!" she yelled, her red bow bobbing on her head and her long blonde hair bouncing on her back as she ran.
The longhaired blonde halted before them, panting heavily. After regaining her breath, she giggled happily and showed them a poster of one of her teen idols. "Look, look! I've got this pullout poster from the magazine I bought yesterday and -- Omigosh!! Zoisite-kun topped the exams!" She dropped the poster and hastily went closer to the bulletin board. "And Ami- chan, too! What the hell is going on here?" Then she turned at the three girls behind her. "I smell an intellectual rivalry! And I smell romance, too!"
Usagi and Makoto suddenly burst out laughing while Ami was blushing profusely, turning red from the tips of her toes to the roots of her hair.
Makoto picked up the wrinkled poster from the ground and handed it to MInako. "You' really got this weird notion about love," she said chuckling. "How can you be sure that Ami-chan would fall for that girly- girl boy?"
"Hah!" the longhaired blonde chided proudly. "I'm the senshi of love and I can sense anything!"
"Even an incoming fart?" Usagi butted in.
"Even an incoming fart!" Minako replied with a wide grin. "Mark my words, it wouldn't take long before Ami-chan and Zoisite-kun become an item." And she giggled maniacally. "Have you forgotten this thing about Ami-chan falling for guys who come close to her scores?"
"Oh yeah, I remembered," the odango blonde agreed, snapping her fingers. "There's Urawa back when we were still in junior high, this Mercurius guy, and then, Taiki-kun!"
Ami rolled her eyes, her embarrassment was slowly replaced by irritation. 'Oh brother,' she thought grimly. 'Why does it always have to be me?'
Makoto snickered. "Ami-chan thinks that the brain is sexier than the body." Then she placed a hand on Minako's shoulder. "You're definitely right, Ai no megami-sama. How could I have ever doubted you." And she jokingly hid her face in shame.
And the three giggled like demented idiots in unison.
The blue-haired genius sighed irritably, a hand on her side and foot tapping in annoyance. "Don't talk about me as if I'm five thousand miles away," she grumbled moodily. "It isn't polite."
The three gradually ceased from laughing and had a rather funny look on their faces when they looked at her.
"What?" Ami asked impatiently, shifting her gaze to each of her idiotic friends.
"Gomen ne, Ami-chan," Usagi said, looking a bit less apologetic.
"Yeah, we're really sorry," Minako added half-heartedly. "It won't happen again, I promise." And then she giggled silently, slowly crossing her fingers on her back.
Makoto, who was still smiling stupidly, saw Ami stared at her. She immediately pursed her lips and looked the other way. "I didn't know you have adopted Rei-chan's temper." And then she grinned sheepishly.
"Well it's about time," Ami said seriously. "It's not fun being only the rational and sensible person among your crazy friends, anyway." She walked towards the bulletin board and stopped about two feet from it. "Instead of making fun of your poor little Ami-chan, why don't you study harder so that *THIS*," Ami suddenly pointed at the three names written just below the passing mark, "won't happen again?"
The three just stared back at her.
Ami sighed and shook her head hopelessly. "Listen guys," she said. "You must study hard or else you won't make it next year."
"We did study hard," Usagi butted in. "But the television is always invigorating than those textbooks."
Minako draped an arm on the genius's shoulders. "Don't worry about us, Ami- chan. We could make it. No matter how we failed, fate has always been good to us." Then she laughed hysterically.
"And besides," Makoto said. "It's just the beginning of the school year. We all have the time in the world to study."
Then the four started walking towards their classrooms.
"I'm really worried about your future," Ami muttered silently and let herself be dragged by her friends.
"Ne, Ami-chan,' Usagi then called out after walking for minutes in silence.
"Hai?"
"What do you think of Zoisite-kun?" the odango blonde asked rather seriously.
"Excuse me?"
"He's cute, isn't he?" And then she gave her a knowing look.
Ami frowned. "If you're teasing me again, I'll -"
But Usagi wasn't able to hear the rest of Ami's words because the rabbit of the moon stormed off after seeing the latest issue of her favorite manga in one her classmates' hands.
.
..
...
* * *
Ami grudgingly closed the door of her shoe locker and sighed. Ever since that incident with the exam results the other week, plus the 'constant' (which was an understatement, of course) teasing of her friends, Ami became extremely aware and sensitive of Zoisite's existence. He was suddenly everywhere! He's at the corridor, waving nonchalantly at the girls who greeted him flirtatiously; he's under the shade of a tree, quietly reading a paperback or listening to music through his discman; and there were also times when he's on the rooftop, casually leaning on the railing with his long hair being ruffled by the wind and he doesn't even know how kawaii he looked!
She lightly banged her head on the locker door. 'Great,' she muttered, rather annoyed by the flow of her thoughts. 'Now, where did that come from?' She chewed her lip and closed her eyes, trying to focus her thoughts in a single direction.
And most of all, she continued after settling down her thoughts, he even invaded the library, for crying out loud! The library... a place where nobody else dared to enter and hang out except for other people like her. It was her sanctuary, her refuge, her place of solace. And now, he suddenly came out from nowhere and took it away from her!
Good thing Zoisite doesn't have any plans of joining the Computer Club, or so she thought. If that happens, Ami would really go berserk.
And what's with him tying up with her during the exams? It's like he sent an unsaid challenge to her, saying that Ami's days on the top are numbered, that she's no better than him. It's like he threw a steel gauntlet at her feet, or he slapped her with a glove on her face.
Like the competitive person that Ami Mizuno was, it enthused her unknowing desire to be the best, to beat him and show him that she isn't the type of person who backs down during a challenge. He threw a gauntlet at her feet, and she willingly picked it up. He slapped her face with a glove, and she willingly slapped him back.
She smiled. This is going to be a war of intellectual proportions!
"Ohayou, Mizuno-san."
Ami literally 'eeked' and jump back in fright after unexpectedly coming face to face with the object of her rambling thoughts a while ago. She felt the heat rose on her cheeks for being caught in a rather stupid position. Who wouldn't be, anyway, when your supposed rival saw you with your forehead resting on the door of your shoe locker as if you're whispering or chanting something to it?
"I know it is none of my business but," at this Zoisite flashed her a hesitant but a cheerful smile, "why are you banging your head on the -"
"Oh no, I am not *banging* my head anywhere," she suddenly said, shaking her head and smiling sheepishly. "Well, I got to go. See ya!"
Ami hastily bowed and stormed off, leaving Zoisite grinning amusedly to himself.
* * *
"Ami-chan? Are you there?"
Usagi slowly peeked through the door and let her eyes wander throughout the room. The Computer Club's HQ was strangely empty. Maybe all the members went home since it's almost five in the afternoon, she thought. She quietly entered and looked for a sign of her blue-haired friend. "Ami- chan?"
The odango blonde nervously rubbed her arm after feeling a sudden gust of wind at her direction. "Ami-chan...?" she called a bit louder, thinking of the ghost stories and rumors about the club's room. 'What if it is true? What if I suddenly saw a ghost?' She shivered at the thought and scanned the place one more time... until she heard a slow tapping of a computer key and felt that cool gust of wind again.
'Masaka! It's the ghost of the computer programmer!'
Unable to contain her fear any longer, Usagi wailed and screamed, "Ami- chaaaan!!! Where the heck are you?! It's so scary out here, please come out now!!!"
Another door in that room suddenly opened and a panic-stricken Ami Mizuno came out of it. "What was that-"
A figure of a blonde slumped on the floor and crying unceremoniously caught her vision. Ami let out a sigh of relief and slowly walk towards the crying blonde, unable to decide whether to laugh at her or pity her.
The blue-haired genius crouched and gently patted Usagi on the head. "Usagi-chan? Are you alright?"
Hearing her friend's voice, Usagi hastily looked up and hugged her. "Oh, Ami-chan, where the hell have you been? I've been calling you for the hundredth time and this place is so scary, " she wailed. "How can you stand a place like this? The computer programmer's ghost, he was here!!! He was really here!"
She giggled softly and helped Usagi stood up. Ami lent her hanky and the blonde quickly wiped her tears away, still sniffing.
"I was using the main computer in the adjoining room," Ami replied. "The door was tightly shut plus I was listening at the MP3s so maybe that's why I couldn't hear you."
Usagi bit the white hanky on her hand and in a tearful voice, "The rumors are true. There's really a ghost in here."
Ami bit back her smile and shook her head. "Those rumors are nothing but rumors," she said. "The Computer Club just made it up to prevent non- members from entering the computer room after class hours. Only few students are stupid enough to believe it, though."
The odango blonde pouted. "Hey, I resent that."
"I'm not referring to you, Usagi-chan," she said with a mild chuckle.
"But what about the sound I heard and that cold wind?"
"It was I. I was using a computer, remember?" She then paused. "As for the cold wind..." She pointed at the air conditioning unit at the far corner of the room.
"Oh," was the only word the Usagi could say. Then she grinned sheepishly.
"Now," Ami said. "May I ask why are you looking for me?"
"Um yeah," Usagi mumbled, now back in her cheery self. "There was someone who wanted to join your club but he's shy because he's already late. Can he still join?"
She smiled. "Of course. The Computer Club accepts members any day." And then she inclined her head. "Where is he?"
Usagi looked behind her. "He was with me just before I entered this room," she replied absentmindedly. Then she smiled cheerfully. "Just wait here, Ami-chan. I'll go get him."
Sighing, she smiled and watched the odango blonde leave the room. Then, she glanced at her wristwatch. It says five minutes after five o' clock. She still have time to attend her cram school at 6:30.
She heard the sound of approaching footsteps and then the sound of the sliding door. Ami shifted her glance at the door... and her heart skipped a beat and she almost fainted at the sight.
"I thought you went home already," Usagi said, dragging Zoisite by the hand.
"Gomen, Tsukino-chan," he replied. "My phone rang so I have to at least get a few meters away from the computer or else I might destroy them."
Usagi then turned her head at her blue-haired friend. "Hora, Ami-chan," she said with a wide grin. "I've brought you the Computer Club's newest member, Akimatsu Zoisite-kun."
Ami reminded herself to breathe and calm down. Forcing herself to smile, she slowly walked towards them. "Nice of you to join our club, Akimatsu- kun," she said.
"See, I told you," Usagi whispered to the boy beside her. "Ami-chan, I mean, the Computer Club would still accept you."
Zoisite nodded and then smiled at the blue-haired girl's direction. Which, of course, made Ami blush (because he found her staring intently at him) and caught her completely off guard.
'No wonder many girls were literally drooling over him,' she thought balefully.
"So, what do I have to do?" she heard him ask. "Do I have to sign something or submit anything?"
"Oh, I mean, yes," Ami replied. "You'll just have to sign our membership form. I'll just get it inside."
Zoisite nodded once again and Ami rushed inside the adjoining room to get his membership form.
"Baka, baka, baka!" Once inside, Ami pounded her temple with her fist. "Why do you have to act like an idiotic moron whenever he's in front of you?!"
She rummaged through the tons of files of the club and angrily pulled out a blank form for Zoisite. "He's just Zoisite, for Pete's sake!"
That's the point, she thought. He *is* Zoisite.
Ami frowned.
After staring at the blank form for a few minutes, Ami finally stepped outside to join them.
"Here's the -" Ami was cut off by the sight of Usagi laughing merrily at Zoisite's jokes. She sighed and smiled to herself. Usagi's friendliness is really unique and one of a kind. The blonde wouldn't let a person's past bother her.
Zoisite then lifted his gaze, meeting Ami's bright blue eyes. He smiled to her and took the membership form that she was handing to him. "Arigatou, Mizuno-san," he said and quickly scribbled down all the necessary information needed in the form.
"You don't have to call me 'Mizuno-san' all the time," Ami said. "It's too formal. You may call me Ami."
"Hai," he replied. "Arigatou, Ami-san."
Usagi smiled secretly after watching the two. 'I'm sure Minako-chan and Mako-chan would be happy to hear about this,' she said mentally.
"Here, I'm finished." Zoisite handed back the accomplished membership form to her.
Ami smiled timidly at him and nodded. "Welcome to the club, then," she said, extending her hand.
He took her hand and gently shook it.
But as soon as their fingers touched, Ami felt a strong sense of nausea, as if something flashed before her very eyes. She felt as if her body and soul were being transported to another dimension.
And when she opened her eyes, she found herself floating in a big white place that resembled an auditorium. There are lots of people dressed in weird clothing, apparently not from the present time, and they were seated and listening casually to someone speaking.
She turned her gaze at the far end of the room and saw a petite girl standing on a podium, and she seems to be delivering a speech of some sort. Ami squinted and suddenly gasped when she realized that the girl on the podium looked remarkably like her! In fact, it is her! Though she looked a year older or so than her present age.
The other Ami was dressed in a bluish white dress and looked like someone of high ranks. A princess, probably. And then, she saw the other Ami suddenly pause and look at the other way. She followed the direction where the princess was staring at and then Ami froze.
A tall, lean and handsome green-eyed man in a gray military uniform was leaning back casually in a marble pillar. He smiled and nodded gallantly as soon as the princess' and his gaze met.
Confused, Ami shifted back her attention to the princess and saw her smiled mysteriously before continuing her speech.
"Ne, Ami-chan?! What happened to you?" Usagi's worried voice suddenly echoed from somewhere.
Ami blinked her eyes twice and found herself back at the computer room. She gazed dazedly at the pair of green eyes before her and remembered the same eyes in her vision. She immediately pulled her hand and stepped back.
"Are you alright?" Zoisite asked.
"I'm... fine," she said abstractly. "I'm just having a slight migraine."
He let out a sigh of relief. "You should go home then, and take a rest," he said, and then paused to study her face.
"I can't go home yet," she replied. "I've got to attend cram school."
"Oh, in that case," he said with a little hesitation, "would you want me to accompany you on your way there?"
Ami gave him a reassuring smile. "Thanks for your offer but that wouldn't be necessary," she replied. "I'm okay now."
Zoisite nodded. "Alright." Then his phone on his pocket rang again. Smiling apologetically, he glanced at her. "Sorry, I've got to go. Thank you very much for your time." Then she turned at Usagi. "Arigatou, Usagi- chan." And with a wave of his hand, he turned to his heels and left.
"Now, would you mind telling me what was that all about?"
Ami hastily whirled around after hearing Usagi's teasing tone.
The blonde grinned like an errant child. "It looks like you were enjoying shaking his hand."
She furrowed her brows. "Excuse me?"
"Oh nothing," the blonde replied smilingly. "We must leave now, too, or you will be late for your cram school."
Ami glanced at her watch. It's already five thirty. "Of course. I'll just fix my things inside."
Usagi nodded casually but there's a mischievous smile lurking at the corner of her lips.
A/N extras: Many thanks to those who gave their reviews and to those who put my stories on their favorite's list. Thank you very much. I'm greatly honored.
Please review and let me know what you think. ^_^
Uhm, I have a question though, can anyone tell me how to make words appear in italics? I tried many times but it doesn't seem to work. Please e-mail me at broohuh28@yahoo.com. Thanks.