Chapter 27

Crushing on Ami: The Boy Who Can See the Future

"There are seven Rainbow Crystals in total. And will not be able to get the Silver Crystal unless we gather all seven. I'm sure you're already aware of this," said Queen Beryl.

"Yes," Zoisite and Kunzite replied together.

"As of this moment, we only have one pretty crystal in our hands, while the other is in the possession of Tuxedo Mask. All because you goofed up big time, Zoisite! So, Sephiroth is gonna have to make some examples out of you and Kunzite, big time!" said Pete.

Sephiroth nodded, then with a powerful swing of his blade, struck down a few of Beryl's soldiers to instill fear into Zoisite, while Kunzite stood watching with pride.

"Don't worry, my friends. That's not about to happen again. I'm sure that he's about to after the other Rainbow Crystals," Kunzite assured them.

"Your confidence is admirable, Kunzite. But I hope for your sake, that you proceed with your plan immediately. Do not forget what happened to Jadeite and Nephrite, when they had failed for the last time." replied Maleficent.

"Of course not, Maleficent. I remember that you turned him into a Heartless very clearly, so as to make sure he served as a permanent reminder for our failures," Zoisite said hastily.

"But do not forget that we need all seven of those Rainbow Crystals to revive our Great Ruler," warned Beryl, as Sephiroth returned, his wing flaring outward to show that he had done the task he performed of his own volition.

"I will assist you this time, Zoisite, but never forget this example I've taught you," he said.

"Understood, Sephiroth," replied Zoisite.

At a nearby construction site, Ami Mizuno was walking up to Juban school, when she heard a familiar voice calling out to her.

"Oh, hi Ryo, good morning," she said to the boy that called out to her.

The boy's name was Ryo Urawa, an old friend of Ami's who once went to the same school she did.

"Well what is it?" she asked.

She wanted to know what Ryo was about to say, when a steel beam fell from the cran and crashed nearby her. The shock of the impact was so strong, that it scared the living daylights out of her immensely. Luckily, Ami wasn't hurt at all, especially when she saw two of the construction workers rushing to her side, to see if she was alright, but she told them that she wasn't injured anywhere as she continued on her way to school, where everyone was surprised to see if she had gotten first place once again.

"Aw, Mom's gonna be mad at me again," moaned Usagi.

"Not if we explain things to her, Usagi," Sora assured her.

"Aw, that's really nice of you Sora, especially since me and Usagi have to study harder," replied Makoto.

"You and me both," added Usagi, who saw that Makoto got a poor score as well.

The three of them laughed at how alike they were.

"This sucks," the two girls said, until they heard some of the students seeing Ryo's name in first place by just one point over Ami, making them surprised.

"Whoa!" Sora said as he looked to see that Ami was now in second place.

"Ami came in second?" asked Usagi.

"I can't believe there's somebody better," said Makoto.

The three of them turned around to see Ami walking by.

"Ami!" Sora and Usagi called out to her.

"Man, this Ryo Urawa guy must've studied really hard," he said to her.

"Yeah, I was one point short of a perfect score. I guess I'll need to study even harder next time," replied Ami.

"No big deal. I still think you're an intelligent prodigy at this school. And besides, we're friends. Right?" Sora said as he placed his hands behind his head.

Usagi was surprised to see that Sora both understood and respected Ami as an individual, instead of the opposite.

"Ryo Urawa, the guy who got the perfect score is in the same class as you, right?" said Makoto.

"Yeah, what makes it even more impressive is that he just transferred here over to this school," replied Ami.

Then suddenly, she noticed Ryo, and both Ami and Sora greeted him, making him run down the hallway after acknowledging them. Usagi was curious about him, so she followed him through the halls with Sora at her side. On the school roof, Ryo was looking at an old newspaper article about Ami being number one in the summer mock examination and remembered how kind she was about he should not let his stress get the better of him, until Usagi showed up at his side.

"Just as I suspected, you have a crush on Ami!" she said to him.

"That must be an old article about her when she was named number one in the nation," Sora said as approached him.

"By the looks of it, you must have had a crush on her from the very beginning," smirked Usagi.

"It's not that at all. All I'm trying to do is study hard, so I can be as smart as she is," replied Ryo.

"Then I guess, even though you score first place, Ami still has a strong sense of respect for you, Ryo," said Sora.

"Maybe… This time I happened to get very lucky. I don't even come close to her level of intelligence. And what's more,How I might feel about her, doesn't make a bit of difference," Ryo told them, as he watched Ami and the other girls playing ball.

Usagi and Sora were confused.

"Ah, just forget it," said Ryo.

"Don't feel bad. I know you respect Ami as an individual, but if anyone can help you overcome your anxiety around her, it's me and Usagi. We'll take care of it," Sora said.

"You said it Sora. We are experts when it comes to love. Just let us handle it," agreed Usagi, as she raced off.

"Wait, Miss Tsukino! You should be careful today when you're near any water," called Ryo.

Usagi wasn't sure why he said that, until she was splashed all over by the janitor.

"Way to jinx it, dude," muttered Sora.

"Guess I should have mentioned that sooner," he said, as she wailed and complained about how cold she was.

In another part of Juban, Rei and Mamoru were on a date as they walked down the city streets.

"I'll leave it up to you, Mamoru. Where should we go next?" she asked.

Mamoru wasn't sure, but he knew that there were more memories buried deep within his heart, so that he could find the Silver Crystal and awaken them all at once, until Rei snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say?" he asked.

"You've been acting weird lately. What's going on? Has something happened?" replied Rei.

"No, same stuff as always. Let's go," said Mamoru, and together he and Rei walked off down the streets, as they passed by a restaurant that Ryo, Usagi, and Sora were in.

"Here, this is for you," Usagi said, passing an envelope to him.

Ryo opened it, to see a picture of Ami about to eat a burger.

"I can keep this?" he asked.

Sora and Usagi nodded.

"Now you don't have to carry around that newspaper clipping," she said.

Ryo was surprised by this photo, until the Moon Stick began beeping, which made Luna believe that he was the keeper of another Rainbow Crystal.

"Pretty cute, huh? You don't often see that kind of face," Usagi told him.

"This is awesome, thanks for giving it to me," replied Ryo.

"Don't thank us, Ryo. By the way, when you're more comfortable around Ami, what do you plan on saying to her?" asked Sora.

"My mind was made up when I found out I was transferring to the same school as Ami. I decided to tell her when I measured up to her Academically," replied Ryo.

"Well, that means you're good to go at anytime," said Usagi.

"Uh, yeah but…" Ryo said.

"Don't worry Ryo. we'll talk to Ami when she finishes with cram school, and ask her to come with us," replied Sora, making Ryo surprised.

"Wait for us, all right?" Sora and Usagi said together, and they raced off to find her.

"Take your time," called Ryo.

But he was still hesitant about talking to Ami, and felt that he wasn't ready. However, he didn't know that Zoisite was after him.

"So completely innocent and Naive. It's almost difficult to believe that he is one of the seven Great Monsters," he said, with a confident smirk.

"You guys, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. But I wanted to be sure before I said anything," Luna told them.

"What is it?" Sora and Usagi asked the dark colored cat.

Before Luna could explain, Ami stepped out with a cheerful grin, making them turn to face her.

"Hey there, Ami." they said.

"Oh, hi you guys. What brings you here?" Ami asked them.

"Well, both Usagi and I wanted to lead you to Ryo," replied Sora, as he placed his hands behind his hand.

They soon lead her away, while Luna watched them in dismay. At the same time, Ryo soon stumbled right into Zoisite and Sephiroth.

"Good to see you, Ryo Urawa," said the One-Winged Angel.

"Welcome home, We've been dying to meet you," added Zoisite.

"So you guys are Zoisite and Sephiroth!" Ryo said bravely.

"Impressive, boy," Sephiroth said to them.

"Explain yourself. How do you know our names?" demanded Zoisite.

"Ever since I was little, I've had the power to know about things before they happen. Lately, this ability to see into the future has been growing stronger. I'm now fully aware of my true Identity, even though I would rather not be," explained Ryo.

"How commendable," replied Sephiroth.

"That makes our job a lot easier. Now, transform into your Great Monster Persona, and kneel before your master," added Zoisite.

"No, I won't! I would rather be put to death, right this minute, than become a slave to a demon!" Ryo said bravely to them.

"So be it," Sephiroth said darkly.

Zoisite blasted him to the ground, then Sephiroth unleashed his Heartless Angel attack on him.

"Now be a good little boy, and accept your fate," Zoisite said, holding the dark crystal before him.

He then began to use it's power upon him, when Usagi, Ami, Sora, and Luan arrived just in time to see him.

"Guys, look it's Zoisite!" Ami said, her brow furrowed with determination.

"And Sephiroth!" added Sora.

Sure enough, they all glanced at him, and saw Ryo crying out in agony as Sephiroth and Zoisite stood over him.

"Both of you, transform immediately!" cried Luna.

Usagi and Ami nodded, as Sora shot up an emergency signal to let his friends know that the Dark Kingdom was on the move.

"Moon Prism Power: Make UP!" cried Usagi.

Mercury Power: Make Up!" called Ami.

Together the two girls became Sailors Moon and Mercury, to engage Zoisite in battle.

"That's enough! Zoisite!" they shouted, drawing his attention to them.

"As long as the moon shines high in the sky, no evil deed will go unnoticed! I am the pretty guardian who fights for love and for justice! I am Sailor Moon!" Sailor Moon said.

"And I'm Sailor Mercury! Now let that boy go!" added Sailor Mercury.

"How dare you interfere!" snapped Zoisite, as they charged into battle.

"Sailor Mercury, get Ryo to safety. Sailor Moon and I got this!" Sora said to them.

Sailor Mercury nodded, and carefully raced off with the unconscious Ryo over her shoulders. While Sora and Zoisite charged furiously at each other in a deadly clash of blades that made Sailor Moon watch in awe at how they fought.

"I don't have the time to play games with you, foolish pests!" sneered Zoisite.

Using the darkness, Zoisite distracted Sailor Moon long enough, as Sora charged in for a killing blow, but missed completely, as Sephiroth vanished as well.

"Zoisite! Sephiroth! Come back and fight me, you cowards!" he shouted, swinging his keyblade around in a blind rage.

Meanwhile Sailor Mercury had managed to get Ryo to Juban park, and began to make sure he was all right.

"We should be safe for now, but how are you feeling Ryo?" she asked.

"Thank you so much for saving my life, Miss Mizuno," Ryo said, making her gasp in shock.

"He said my name, how does he know I'm Sailor Mercury?" Ami asked, as Aqua arrived.

Elsewhere, Sora, Sailor Moon and Luna were searching around for Ami, and were growing desperate.

"How far did Mercury go? There's no sign of them anywhere," she said.

"Try using your Moon Stick. Trust me on this, if you use the Moon Stick it'll be easier to find Sailor Mercury right away. It'll react to their location," suggested Luna.

"The sad truth is, that it did react to Ryo's presence when we were with him, Usagi. In other words, he's the keeper of another Rainbow Crystal," Sora said.

Both Sailor Moon and Luna were surprised to know that Sora had seen the Moon Stick's blinking light.

"If we don't hurry, Sailor Mercury's gonna be in great danger!" Luna told them.

"Then we gotta help her!" replied Sora, as he raced off, tracing his connection to Ami.

"Wait Sora!" called Usagi and Luna, as they ran after him.

Meanwhile Ryo was beginning to have a strong premonition of himself striking down Ami in cold blood, and seeing Sora transform into Vanitas over her defeated form as he laughed sadistically. But when Ami saw something in the front pocket of his shirt, she took it out, and was surprised to see herself eating a burger. Quickly she placed it back into his pocket, as Ryo slowly stirred.

"Not again," he said groggily.

"I think you were having a very bad dream," Ami assured him.

"I wasn't dreaming, I was seeing a glimpse into the future," replied Ryo.

Ami was confused.

"I have a mysterious power that allows me to see into the future. That's how I was able to get a perfect score on the midterm exam," Ryo explained to her.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ami, as she sat down.

"I know who you really are, Miss Mizuno. And the same can be said for your wonderful friends, like Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, Riku, Roxas, Xion, Axel, Namine, Mickey, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Rei, Makoto, and Usagi. I've looked up to you for a long time. And now as much as i've tried to deny it, apparently it's my fate to fight you," answered Ryo.

Ami giggled innocently.

"You don't believe me, do you?" he asked.

"Ryo, you know that Ami doesn't. The future isn't written in stone, even though you're aware that Ami Mizuno and Sailor Mercury are indeed one and the same," said Aqua.

"That's true, Ryo. I know that darkness will never truly win, as long as there's a light that never dies," added Riku, who approached him.

"All right then, it's obvious you don't know what I'm trying to say, but…" Ryo said sadly.

"What?" asked Ami.

"Don't be hesitant," added Goofy.

"When I do turn into an evil monster, don't hesitate to kill me immediately! That's my future! And it cannot be changed!" he said firmly.

"You're wrong! The future is something you create yourself! If you give into negative thoughts, nothing will change! You can create your own fate, if you just believe in yourself to do it!" argued Ami.

"You're right. Thank you, everyone," he said.

"Oh my, how touching," Zoisite said as he appeared from behind them.

"But, Destiny comes, all the same," added Sephiroth.

"Do you really think you can escape from the power of the dark crystal?" asked the warlord.

Sailor Mercury bravely stood in front of Ryo, with Riku and the other Guardians of Kingdom Hearts at her side.

"Ah, you're defending him. I wonder if you'll be able to do that when you see him in his true form," snickered Zoisite.

Using the Dark Crystal's power, he blasted Ryo with an even stronger blast, which made him cry out in anguish.

"Watch closely as you're about to see the emergence of Bunbo, one of the Seven Great Monsters!" Zoisite said to them.

In the instant he did, the yellow Rainbow Crystal flew to Zoisite's hands as Ryo had transformed into Bunbo.

"Come on, Bunbo! Get them! I want you to strike down those cursed fools!" cried Zoisite.

Ami wanted to see if Ryo was all right, but instead she saw Bunbo standing in his place,reading his weapons for battle.

"Ryo is that you?" Sailor Mercury asked in desperation.

Bunbo was about to strike her down, but the tiny sliver of Ryo within him remembered what Sailor Mercury had said, and attacked Zoisite instead, sending the Rainbow Crystal flying into her hands. Enraged, Zoisite had managed to break free of his grasp and blasted him with another burst of darkness from the crystal, to place him under his control.

"Bunbo, you will obey me! These blights are your true enemies! Take back the Rainbow Crystal that belongs to us!" he shouted.

Bunbo turned furiously, but this time he was made much more stronger than before, as he attacked the retreating Sailor Mercury. Then Sailor Moon, Sora and Luna arrived, onto the battlefield, followed by Cloud.

"Zoisite! Sephiroth! Unforgivable! How dare you corrupt an innocent young man's heart for your selfish purposes!" she said angrily.

"I'm afraid you've got the wrong idea. That monster is the boy's true form you see now," replied Zoisite.

"That's it! You're gonna pay for this with your life!" roared Sora, who's anger suddenly skyrocketed beyond his control.

Zoisite sensed a great darkness within Sora, that made him smirk.

"Ah, Vanitas," he said.

"Wait Sora! We'll stop him together!" called Sailor Moon.

"No, wait a minute! Sailor Moon needs to use her Moon stick and turn Ryo back into a human first!" called Sailor Mercury.

But the instant she did, nothing happened. Then the two of them were forced to retreat, while Sora and Zoisite fought furiously against each other. At the same time, Cloud and Sephiroth engaged in a far more furious duel, sending powerful waves everywhere that made everything tremble before them.

"I don't get it! Why isn't it working?" cried Sailor Moon as she ran.

"It's no use, Ryo is under the control of their evil power now! In order to turn him back, you'll first have to weaken his energy levels!" explained Luna.

"All right then, we'll help him!" Terra said bravely as he turned and stood his ground.

Everyone else nodded in agreement, but Ami was still hesitant in battling her now transformed friend. Quickly Sora had managed to subdue Zoisite long enough and rejoined his friends just in time to see Sailors Mars and Jupiter stop Bunbo from striking them down.

"All right guys, let's do this!" he said.

Sailors Moon and Mercury nodded, just as the Heartless appeared before them.

"You guys help Ryo! We'll take care of the Heartless!" Riku said as he and his friends charged at them.

Then Sailor Mercury used her bubble spray, as her determination was now fully restored, and Sailor Moon used her Moon Tiara Action to wear Ryo's monster form out.

"His monster Energy has weakened a lot! Do it you guys!" called Luna.

"Moon Healing Escalation!" cried Usagi.

"Ryo Urawa, it's time for you to face the light!" added Sora.

The two powers surged into Ryo, and reverted him back to normal. When he dropped to the ground, Ami ran to his side, just as Zoisite saw what was going on.

"I'll get you next time," he seethed and vanished into the dark corridor.

"Talk to us Ryo. Are you all right?" Ami asked.

"You saved me," replied Ryo.

"Yeah," said Sora.

None of them knew that Tuxedo Mask was watching, as he turned slowly around and walked away.

"Are you transferring to another school again? Why can't you just stay here?" asked Makoto, who stood with her friends at the train station the next day.

"Well, it wasn't my idea, but it can't be helped. My dad got a work transfer," replied Ryo.

"Hold on Ryo. Just so you know, no matter how far away you are, our hearts will always bring us back together again," said Sora.

"Yeah, um, Miss Mizuno…" Ryo said to Ami.

"Ryo, just call me Ami, alright?" she asked.

"Ami, i'd better give this photo back to you," Ryo said, as Usagi flinched.

Ami gently took the photo, as Ryo prepared to board the train.

"I'm gonna study hard, and when I'm able to outscore you on my own merits, then I'll come back for it," he said determinedly.

"Here's a different one. I think this photo is a better one for you to remember me by. I'd like you to keep it," Ami said, handing him another photo of herself.

Ryo nodded, as the train door closed. Then as the train slowly began to depart, Sora and Ami went to the end of the platform, as it turned a corner and left Tokyo far behind.

"Ryo Urawa, may your heart be your guiding key," Sora said to himself.