SailorStar9: Nya? Chapter 23 goes up and only one review! For those of you who don't know, this will be the last flashback chapter. I'll be starting the Japan World Youth arc next.
Jiraiya: What indeed...
SailorStar9: Pervert.
Jiraiya: Like you're one to talk!
SailorStar9: True, but then, YOU don't have the power to do THIS! (Snaps fingers)
Jiraiya: What? So you snapped your, HEY! Why's my voice so high? (Looks down, is now a woman...) HEY...I can look at myself!
SailorStar9: And people say 'I' need help... (Rolls eyes at gender-bent Jiraiya)
Disclaimers: I own nothing, well except the pairing.
Chapter 24: Farewell
At the train station…
"Ami, hurry!" Mizuno Saeko shouted.
"But…" Ami protested.
"Five minutes." Saeko relented.
"So…" Tsubasa started once Saeko was out of earshot, the team having gathered at the train station to see Ami off.
"This is it, huh?" Ryo sniffled.
"Ishizaki…" Ami sighed. "Boys, look." She stated. "This isn't good- bye," she smiled softly, "Merely a farewell. The next time we meet, it will be in the Japan World Youth. Until then…" she cast a lingering glance at Genzo, before heading off to the awaiting train.
"Misaki?" Tsubasa blinked at the silent Misaki. "Misaki, what's wrong? You look out of it."
"Tsubasa, actually…" Misaki started. "I… it's the last day that I'll be playing soccer with you guys. I must go to France because of my Dad's work."
"Misaki… is going to France?" Tsubasa gaped.
"I'm going to Germany after I graduate." Genzo dropped the bombshell as well.
"Huh?" Takasugi echoed. "Germany?"
"Coach Mikami was scouted by a German team." Genzo explained. "He told me to go with him. It's my dream to go to Germany. They make excellent goalkeepers. And then moving on to become a pro soccer player."
"Wakabayashi… is going to Germany?" Tsubasa was shocked.
"Is that true?" Ryo pressed.
"No matter there we are, we'll meet again as long as we continue to play soccer." Genzo assured. "Ami is right." He added as the train took off. "The next time all of us meet, it will be in the Japan World Youth."
It was not long before Roberto, too, left for Brazil; but not before showing Tsubasa one final technique, the 'Drive Shoot' and leaving a notebook that detailed all of the techniques and the problems he faced as a professional player.
Back in the present…
Now, let's get back to our favorite couple, shall we?
It was 'Homecoming Night' and Genzo had wisely chosen to skip the dance, opting to go on a date with his girl. "Wow…" he gawked after Ami exited from the dormitory. "Just wow."
Ami stifled a giggle at his stunned expression; she herself was decked in a less conservative version of her Princess gown. "And you, my dear, are late." She chided. "I've been ready for half an hour, Genzo. You really are a peacock, you know?"
"No, I'm not. Have you seen peahens? They're rather drab." Genzo grinned, "But you, my dear, are quite stunning."
Ami blushed and rolled her eyes, a feat that quite impressed the keeper. "You are a flatterer, dear. Come on, we are so late that our table might have been taken."
Genzo laughed, "It's called fashionably late, love. And I'll have you know that I am never late for anything that really matters."
Ami, however, let out a calculating smirk, "Well… there was that one ball that you were horribly late for. Had me half thinking that you had stood me up."
Genzo raised an eyebrow, "Love, past lives do not count." He kissed her as she chuckled, stunning her for a moment. However, there was only a moment's hesitation before her arms were around him and she was returning the kiss fervently.
After a few moments they parted and he grinned down to him, "I think I could definitely get used to this. I'm open to being even more late…" His grin became quite mischievous and that blush he loved to see on his Nymph's face blossomed once again.
"Oi!" Ami thumped his arm playfully.
"Shall we, milady?" Genzo asked in a fake ancient British voice.
Ami burst out laughing and allowed him to take her hand, the couple leaving the school grounds thereafter.
Later, after dinner…
Despite Ami's protestations, Genzo had pulled her to the dance floor. When the next song came on started, he bowed to her, and she curtseyed to him, and the two danced an intricate waltz, one that would not have been out of place at a ball room dancing competition. They moved together effortlessly, complimenting one another perfectly.
Flashback
Princess Maris of Mercury had always been considered a good dancer, though most of her potential partners had been scared off by her immense intellect.
It wasn't until the Phoenix Guardian came along. Being the planet closest to the Sun, the pair had long noticed each other's presence, even before Queen Selenity came into power. As time passed, they found themselves spending more and more time together, getting to know each other and falling in love, much to the displeasure of the Moon Princess.
"May I have the honor of the next dance, Princess?" Alan was positively grinning as he asked.
Maris recognized the voice and gasped, turning to see if she had been imagining things, almost squealing his name in exultation, but knew that she needed to keep from drawing attention to him, though she curtseyed, smiling widely. "I would be very pleased to dance with you."
"Selenity's proposal has been rejected, Maris." Alan told his partner. "The Council prevailed and told me to marry the woman I love. And that they would smooth over any rough feelings from Princess Serenity."
"You're free?" Maris couldn't believe her ears.
Alan shook his head, "I haven't been free since the first time I met you, Maris. I'm not free. I'm just now allowed to be with the woman who truly holds my heart. That is, if you'll have me?"
Maris nodded, "With all my heart, Al."
He crushed her to him, kissing her for all he was worth. "I love you, Mar. I want to face all my tomorrows with you." He gently pushed her from him, just a short distance, and dropped to one knee, "Princess Maris, will you marry me and be my Queen?"
"I will, Prince Solaris. Yes."She pulled him to his feet, and the two kissed, completely ignoring any need for breath.
Omake
Ride the Snake
Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were deep in the heart of Training Ground 44 -aka the Forest of Death- taking part in the biannual Chuunin Selection Exams.
They had just stopped to take a short break, having been running non-stop since they entered their gate.
"I need to drain the snake," Naruto said, somehow never learning his lesson regarding 'situational awareness' (let alone, 'common decency') even after all these years of… negative reinforcement.
"Naruto! You can't do that here! That's… incredible."
Sakura's voice had gone from ream-y to dreamy in a flat 2.0 seconds (a new world record).
"Sasuke-kun, maybe you should check our perimeter?" Sakura suggested sweetly, never once shifting her transfixed, half-lidded eyes. "You know, look around for some strong enemies or something."
"And take your time," she added absently, licking her lips.
The proud Uchiha Sasuke didn't let anyone tell him what to do, of course; but the thought of battling fierce opponents aroused… something in him.
Maybe they'd be like that Zabuza guy.
Shirtless.
And damp.
Glistening in the sun like a...
"I'll be back in an hour," Sasuke grunted. "Unless I'm captured. And tied up. And…"
Sasuke dashed off before his... nosebleed could give him away.
"So, Naruto-kun," Sakura cooed seductively. "I'd sure like to wrestle that big snake of yours."
Moments later, Naruto found himself -quite literally- blown away.
SailorStar9: Lust-crazed Sakura? Humorously in-denial Sasuke? Yes, it's crack - but it still doesn't seem like too much of a stretch. The humor here is grounded in the fact that there is (just barely) enough circumstantial evidence in canon to support the argument. You may say that it's 'unbelievable' - but you aren't really convinced that it's 'impossible'.
It's the same with Naruto and Sasuke bonding over plans to destroy the village, or Danzo being a paper-pusher under covert orders from the Hokage himself, or Orochimaru being framed for Sandaime's human experiments. It can all be made 'not unbelievable'.