Oceans of Time

~Chapter Two~

The smell of lavender filled Makoto's nose as she walked into the small room in the back of the chapel where Makoto and the other bride's maids had been getting ready, not an hour before. She saw Aunt Majo staring out the window with an unreadable expression on her face. She approached cautiously, not wanting to further confuse her. She had definitely not expected her to leave Gorō at the altar. Not after all the years they had been together.

"Auntie?" she questioned softly.

A wistful smile tugged the corners of her lips slightly, "Do you think it's wrong to wait for love Makoto? Even if you know all the odds are against it?"

Makoto stood by her and looked out the window at the ocean. The green grass gracefully dancing in the wind such a contrast to the warm sand. The waves softly rolling up against the shore and the magnificent blue sky full of clouds resembling the texture of cotton candy, "No, there's nothing more right than that," and the lavender which grew mostly at the base of the beach, separating here from there.

"Makoto! Hey Makoto!"

Makoto turned but could not pick out the person calling out to her in the crowded shopping mall.

"MA-KO-TO!" they called again.

This time she spotted the brunette bob amongst the crowd of raven haired people, and began working her way through them.

"Yuri!"

Finally the two old highschool friends met up in front of Freshness Burger.

"I thought we were supposed to meet up in Kinokuniya!" Yuri whined.

"I looked in there but I couldn't find you."

"Did you try looking upstairs?"

"There's an upstairs," Makoto asked with a sheepish smile.

"Ooooh! Makoto!"

"What? I barely ever go to book stores!" Makoto defended herself scratching the back of her head, "Anyway, do you want to go eat? I'm craving teppanyaki."

"I don't understand how you are able to keep your figure."

The two worked their way up to the third floor to Makoto's restaurant of choice.

"So how's school going Makoto?" Yuri asked as the escalator slowly moved them higher.

"Piece of cake, you?" she answered nonchalantly

Yuri sighed, "It's actually a lot harder than I though it would be."

"So hard!" Makoto groaned as her shoulders fell and her head bowed.

Yuri laughed, "How's Kosuke? Do you see him anymore?"

"Yeah, sometimes, only when he comes back from school though," just as had been expected, Kosuke was very accomplished. He was even studying abroad in England in order to better his English, "and even then he seems to always be to busy."

"That's too bad," Yuri said.

Makoto looked forward, "Not really," she smiled, "I'm happy for him. Besides," she was back to being serious again, "being separated by a little distance is nothing!" she said holding her fist out in front of her like she was some great leader, then stumbling, not realizing they had already got to the top.

As Makoto fell a hand reached out and caught her arm and helped her regain her footing.

"Ah, thanks," Makoto said turning to the man who had come to her aid but stopped short, a look of shock gracing her face.

"No problem," he answered, turning to walk away.

"Makoto... Makoto," Yuri tried to get her friends attention, "Makoto we have to move!" she said grabbing her friend below the the shoulder and pulled her out of the way.

Makoto snapped back to reality, "Yuri, I think that man is following me!" Makoto said fearfully.

"Over reacting as usual. He saved you from falling flat on your face!"

"No really! I've seen him before!"

"What?" Yuri asked, skepticism evident on her face.

"He was at the Diner I was at the other Day and he was standing at the top of the escalator since we got on it. Like he was waiting for me to fall," she speculated.

"Now you just sound crazy."

Makoto watched after the man for a few moments before running after him.

"Sorry Yuri, we'll have to get together some other time!"

"What? Makoto!"

Makoto began chasing after the man.

"If you have a stalker you should contact the police! Not confront him!" she called after her. She groaned. Sometimes her friend could be so dense.

Makoto ran outside of the Mall and saw the man crossing the street. She ran to catch up to him but the light turned red.

"Damn!" she cursed under her breath and stomped her foot, "Come on, come on!" she muttered as the cars passed. She stood on her tip toes trying to scout out the man in the crowd. She could see him getting smaller and smaller.

Finally the light tuned green and she raced across the street and down the side walk. She could see his dress hat bobbing among all the other people and she followed it. He turned into an alleyway so quickly that she almost didn't notice. She got there just in time to see him turn the corner. When she got there he was out of site. Makoto sighed. She had got her hopes up.

She began turning around to head back to street and that's how she saw out of the corner of her eye, him sailing down at her, thrusting something at her backside. She was engulfed in a bright light, and that was it.

Thank you to my reviewers, LoveDrunkPunky, RuuunItsJasmine, Kyta, TheOne, LoveJackson (He isn't there. That was just the prologue), and plain old anonymous.