Author's Note:
I have for you a short romantic story about our amiable Ami and a certain boy this time.
Chapter four of the sequel to TRTCT has been taking some time to write, but I had to take a break from it to expand the plot because I didn't feel the pacing was good.
After the added plotting this story is going to be a whole lot longer than TRTCT. Most of the chapters so far count well into the 20.000 words already.
Anyway, please enjoy this summer storm of love. I hope it is raining with you.
Shelter from the storm
The rain came down like a shower by the time she arrived at the bookstore but Ami had been prepared.
The weather forecast of a short summer tempest in the afternoon was on point as usual since Mori-san became head of the team at the Japan Meteorological Agency.
The bluette in the beautiful light-yellow shirt dress with a pattern of waterdrops and red berries had a large leather satchel over her shoulder.
Before stepping through the glass sliding doors she closed her light-blue telescopic umbrella and slid the device in its waterproof bag.
As she entered the bookstore, Ami smiled at the sight of its bright and wide main hall while inhaling the fresh petrichor scent of the moist air outside.
The interior was all elm tree wood for the walls, the central display island, the counter to the right, and the stairs at the far left of the main hall which led to the mezzanine above where novels and mangas were sold.
Walnut wood was used for the bookcases against the left wall, on either side of the central display island, and along the wall of the hallway behind the counter which led to the hall at the back of the store where more specialized scientifical works were sold.
Ami looked around at the other customers while strolling along the bookcases against the left wall.
The store wasn't too crowded at this time of day.
The radio inside played popular songs at a gentle volume to get the browsing clientele into a good mood.
Most of the books here were a random mix of popular genres: cookbooks, popular romance novelists… The last bookcase - for instance - was dedicated to the self-celebratory biographies of famous athletes, artists, and politicians.
But any of the titles might provide the blue-haired genius with inspiration.
The pointer finger of Ami's right hand traced along the kanji on the cover of Haruki Murakami's The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle while she quietly hummed along to Maki Oghuro's Lalala.
'Maybe something about flowers would be good,' She wondered. 'Or a book on astronomy.'
She considered how hard a time Usagi might be having right around now and chuckled.
Ami gave her friend another two days of fidgeting before she asked for help.
Rei was already teasing their friend about having found the perfect gift and wanting to donate it to Usagi at a price.
Ami wandered back along the bookcases against the left wall and was about to turn the corner toward the bookcases to the left of the display island when a man hurried into the store to escape the rain outside and nearly collided with her.
"Oh!" The bluette exclaimed in surprise as she staggered back from the young man in the drenched light-blue summer sweater and beige trousers.
"Ah! I apologize for running into you!" The boyish young man with the thick eyebrows reacted in embarrassment. "I was caught by…Ami-chan!"
"Ryo-kun?" Ami frowned. "I can't believe I ran into Ryo-kun again after all this time."
"Hahaha! I'm sorry we had to meet like this," Ryo laughed sheepishly while rubbing his dark-brown hair.
"It's been a while, Ryo-kun. Well… You moved to Hiroshima and I got busy with my Senshi duties and studies."
Ryo watched the pouting face of the girl he crushed so hard on over two years ago.
After his family moved back to Hiroshima the two of them managed to keep in touch via phone calls and some letters, but those dwindled into nothing during the past year.
It was nobody's fault really. Their social circles expanded and their lives got busy.
"Yes. It has been a while," The seventeen-year-old boy smiled wistfully. "It's very nice to see you again."
"Did you perhaps move back to Tokyo, Ryo-kun?" Ami asked with a cute blank expression and a tilt of her head.
"I… I came to Tokyo with my mother and aunt. A few months ago my uncle was bullied out of the apartment he rented by the students who lived next door and he was hospitalized with severe depression," Ryo spoke sadly.
"I decided to join my mother and aunt in the hope I can ensure they behave properly during the visit.
The two of them like to turn the entire problem around and play the victim by pretending Uncle is the one causing trouble for them."
"That's so sad," Ami grimaced. "Poor man."
"Yes," Ryo sighed. "There is no way those students can be made to take responsibility for their crime either. The law is not kind to people who fall victim to acts most people don't consider a "real" crime.
But now I found you here I prefer to talk about pleasant things. Are you and your friends alright?"
"We are, thank you. But why did you not call me if you were coming to Minato-ku?" Ami sternly demanded. "We could have met up somewhere."
"Haha," Ryo blushed before lowering his eyes. "I'm sorry about that. I was afraid you might not have been interested in meeting up anymore, to be honest.
After the last time we called I kept wanting to call you, but daily life got in the way, and… since you didn't call me either as time passed by I just thought you might not care anymore."
"Ah…" Ami sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryo-kun. We were on edge for so long when fighting first Queen Nehellenia and Sailor Galaxia immediately after.
And after that, I suppose - as you say - daily life demanded my attention."
"Then this might be fate bringing us together again," Ryo smiled.
Ami returned the hopeful smile of her old friend and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I think so too. And this time I won't let anything come between us anymore."
"Me neither," Ryo swore.
With a giggle, Ami roughed up his wet dark-brown hair.
"Good to hear. Then you can make amends by helping me find a present for Mamo-kun's birthday in a few weeks."
The two friends walked over to the bookcase to Ami's left and began inspecting its contents.
"Is there a particular reason you want to buy Mamoru-kun a book if you don't know what kind of book yet?"
"Well, no," Ami looked up at her friend with a somewhat annoyed expression. "But I'm kind of stuck buying him a book, aren't I?
Baking him a cake is Mako-chan's thing.
Rei-chan found him the supposedly perfect gift, which will be some very expensive decorative gemstone as usual.
Mina-chan is writing him a song that we will all sing together.
Usagi-chan thinks she'll buy him a coat.
Chibi-Usa says she also bought him a decorative gemstone that seems to rival Rei's stone in extravagance. Usagi-chan and her have had words already because she insinuated Chibi-Usa-chan took the gemstone from future Mamo-kun's own collection."
"Hahaha!" Ryo laughed.
"Hotaru-chan, Setsuna-chan, Haruka-chan, and Michiru-chan bought Mamo-kun a weekend at an onsen in Hakone for him and Usagi-chan.
So that leaves me with books, right?"
Ryo looked at the tiny droplets on his friend's beautiful blue bob. They seemed to him like so many drops of morning dew on the petals of a flower.
He had been very sad to think Ami didn't care about their friendship anymore. But his heart burst with joy as they perused the bookshelves together.
"You don't have to buy Mamoru-kun a book just because that's what your friends expect of you," The young man said. "Even though you told me he has a large library in his apartment, I think he'll be equally happy if you erm… bought him a sweater or a bonsai or a tea ceremony set…"
The pair looked up at the speaker over the bookcase they were near as they heard the intro of Minako's second single Rock'n Rouge.
"Or you could write him a song. Does Minako-chan even write her own songs?"
Ami's eyes wavered and she turned them on the display island behind her friend.
"We are very concerned," The bluette muttered.
"In any case, I can tell you that her next single with be her breakthrough hit," Ryo revealed. "She'll become pretty popular."
"Really?"
Ami looked up and smiled at him.
"I'm glad," She said. "Minako-chan has been a little nervous because her first two singles haven't been performing as well as the record company hoped. She'll be happy to learn about this."
"Oh yes. I saw her celebrating 300.000 copies sold," Ryo whistled. "And what a party it was.
Do you have it a little calmer now after your recent battles?"
"Hm-hm. Since we fought Sailor Chaos last year it's been heavenly. That's why Minako-chan decided to pursue her idol career in the first place.
Usagi-chan and Mamo-chan have been very happy too.
Chibi-Usa-chan is doing well at school.
Mako-chan and Rei-chan are as you remember them. Except Rei-chan has been taking up martial arts lessons. She keeps saying we've been taking it too easy and we should be prepared to protect our Queen in case a new threat emerges.
The outers have their careers and Setsuna-chan is doing well at university. Hotaru-chan is very happy and active. Last week her father was worried sick because she disappeared for hours but Hotaru-chan was just running across town and forgot the time. She got a scolding afterward. Hahaha."
"I see. I'm glad everyone is doing well. And how are you doing? I got a score of 893 on finals."
"895. Ha!"
"Show-off. I'll beat you next time," Ryo laughed.
"You only beat me two times so far, Ryo-kun. And that was ages ago. But I wish you success."
Ami chuckled to herself as they walked through the hallway to the hall where scientific and specialized works were being displayed.
She missed talking to Ryo. Somehow - even though she was so close to Usagi, Rei, Minako, Makoto, and the others - she felt more free with him.
There was a side of her she never got to release except when she was talking to Ryo.
"I do worry about a new enemy," The bluette confessed before they entered the hall. "There's this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that the longer it stays peaceful the more dangerous a new threat might be."
"Well… If it eases your mind, I haven't had any premonitions about any new threat," Ryo soothed her.
"I saw things related to Queen Nehellenia and to Sailor Galaxia. But I haven't seen anything since then about a new threat."
"Good. Long may these peaceful times continue."
"Do… you have time to visit that ice cream parlor at the end of the street after this?" Ryo asked with a blush.
Ami looked at him and averted her eyes with some embarrassment. Being aware of his closeness she started to become self-conscious.
Had it been like this between them before?
Why did she suddenly feel so drawn to him after not having seen or heard of him for so long?
"Yes," She smiled. "I would love that. Are you treating, Ryo-kun?"
"Hahaha," Her friend laughed nervously. Not for the first time that day. "Only if…"
He almost said: Only if you feed me.
"Only if I can taste your choice."
"Haha. That's a deal. Oh! That's it!"
Standing just behind Ami, Ryo saw her looking at a blue book with a picture of the God Mercury's winged statue in the middle.
"The history of telecommunications," He read in English.
"He'll love it. Mamo-kun is going to major in information and telecommunications engineering. It'll be fun for him to read up about the history of telecommunications and practice his English at the same time."
"And it's a book endorsed by your guardian deity," Ryo joked. "Hahaha."
Ami looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes with a smile.
"I think it's a great idea," Ryo said. "Mamoru-kun will be very happy with it. I'm sure."
His friend listened to the soothing voice behind her and took the book from the shelf, feeling comfortable in the presence of the boy she found again.
She wished she could find an excuse to make the moment last a little longer.
But having ice cream together would be nice too.
"Come Ryo-kun," She said in a voice so soft and seductive it made her visionary friend blush again. "Let's go to the counter to pay and get out of here.
I'll guard you from the rain under my umbrella."