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Second
Chances
A
Sailor Moon Fan fiction by regie27
Standard
Disclaimers apply
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Flashback scenes
are identified by italics.
"Closing
time.
Every new
beginning comes from some other beginning's end..."
Closing time,
Semisonic
"I can
hear the laughter, feel the celebratory mood in the air but I can't
join in. How can I when what is most precious to me has been taken
away? There she was, splendid and simply breathtaking in the
shimmering blue gown that emphasized the deep-sea shades on her eyes.
A smile curved on her lips answering the ones perched on the faces of
her dearest friends who surrounded her to give their heartfelt
congratulations. It is indeed a very special moment for them. I would
like to feel their happiness but I can't lie to myself. What I'm
witnessing tears my heart apart. He was there too, of course, a
possessive arm draped around her pale shoulders; a proud look in his
face. I used to have that look when we walked hand in hand on happier
days but now I'm content to look from afar as I watch her slip away
from me and there's nothing I can do. Nothing but watch and pray for
her happiness. As I turn around, I wave a silent goodbye and I exit
from her heart and her life... I can't take this anymore! I want it
to stop!"
The young man
jumped out of his bed and flung open his eyes startled. His
conscience came abruptly out of the slumber he had fallen into after
long hours of sleeplessness. He had forced the vision out of his mind
by sheer force of will. He had been restlessly assaulted by it for
the past weeks, every night the same images came to haunt him as if
they wanted to emphasize their inevitability. His most precise
precognitions had manifested themselves in such a manner before. When
the first instances this particular vision appeared to him, he had
harbored hopes of being just mere manifestations of his insecurity,
but as the days went by and the vision kept repeating unchanged, he
had grimly understood it was futile to try to do anything against it.
This morning, as
he clenched his fists after the mental battle that he had just
fought, he gathered his breath and tried to recover some clarity for
his troubled mind. He refused to be tortured by the images of the
future to be. Shifting to the opposite side of his bed, Urawa Ryo
gazed with yearning at the picture over his desk. As he observed the
smiling face on the picture, he knew exactly what to do, but the
knowledge did nothing to ease the heartache that was welling inside
and drowning him into despair. It seemed a cruel game of Fate, giving
him an all too brief moment of happiness, after years wasted in
self-doubt and indecision, then take it away.
His fingers held
with utmost care the frame that held the picture as if looking for
strength to fulfill a suicide mission. But it had to be done. He was
willing to do anything to guarantee her happiness.
-"Urawa-kun!"
the raven-haired girl shouted as she walked a brisk pace through the
crowded hall at Toudai. A young dark-haired man who seemed aloof from
everything around stopped abruptly and turned around searching for
the face that matched the voice. The girl approached him trying to
catch her breath from the exertion of dodging scores of students
moving like a herd on the narrow hall.
-"Urawa-kun,
I'm glad to see a familiar face around here. Are you also enrolled in
Quantitative Methods 102?"
-"Err, yes.
I was just on my way there, Rei-san."
-"Can I tag
along? Ami-chan and I were supposed to take this course together but
as usual she did so good on the last class the faculty decided she
could just skip right to the next level. Lucky her, I've heard
Tanaka-sensei is an ogre and his class is one of the hardest."
-"Oh,
really?" Ryo replied absentmindedly, his thoughts wondering away
from the present physical reality of the campus and Rei.
-"Are you
okay Urawa-kun? I understand now what Ami-chan said about you not
being yourself lately. You seem worried."
Ryo put on his
best reassuring smile towards the shrine maiden. He did not want to
let his inner struggles be noticed by anyone, especially his friends.
-"It's just
that some of the courses have turned out to be harder than I expected
that's all. Come; let's hurry before class starts. Tanaka-sensei
loathes tardiness."
-"If we make
past this flood of people we might make it in time. So much for
wanting to make a good impression. Now I'll have the ogre watching
over me the whole semester. At least it will be a bit easier with a
friend around to ease the torture."
Ryo nodded but
remained silent. He actually had in plans dropping from the class
that very week, as well from other classes but it wouldn't be a good
idea to let Rei on the loop. She might tell Ami and all this mess
would become ten times worse, if it was actually possible to be worse
than it already was. Rei slipped through the door panting but
relieved. They had clocked in exactly at 9:00am. The ogre will not be
on Rei's case for having been late the very first day of class and he
wouldn't have to feel guilty for not being around. The least he was
needed around, the sooner he would be eventually forgotten. Feigning
his best attentive student stance, Ryo sat beside Rei and witnessed
Tanaka-sensei's reputation in work as he chewed on two students who
had tried in vain to slip unnoticed through the door at 9:05am. The
professor made sure the two unfortunates, as well as the rest of the
class did not forget the virtues of punctuality as he chalked on the
blackboard their first assignment. Rei groaned inwardly. Ryo remained
immutable. Just one more day that passed by, bringing the inevitable
closer. He just hoped that she could recover soon from his absence.
He was certain that he wouldn't for a long time.
-"First day
and we already have to solve a whole chapter worth of exercises! No
wonder the charming reputation he has earned. Any strategies to
tackle this Urawa-kun, since you're the expert with numbers?"
Rei browsed her notes exasperated as she waved a thick book. The nice
weekend she planned to spend with the rest of the Senshi had
disappeared like smoke on a breezy day. She took a long gulp from her
tea in the hopes the soothing drink would help ease her suddenly
strained temper. The tea was fighting a losing battle so far.
-"You were
saying something Rei-san?" Ryo answered as his hand played
around with the barely touched lunch.
-"You're
really out of this world Urawa-kun. Now I'm worried too. Are you sure
everything's okay between you and Ami?"
He glanced back
with a serious expression on his face. "Ami? Why you ask? Has
she told you anything?"
-"No, on the
contrary, she's never been happier but she does feel concerned about
you. She says you're acting all of a sudden uninterested in your
classes and your face seems to have the same aloof expression all the
time."
-"It's
nothing. She worries too much."
-"Urawa-kun"
Rei's tone now was thoughtful, as her hand came over his shoulder
lightly. The young college woman let the spiritual advisor step in.
"Urawa-kun. I'll be honest with you. I can sense something
disturbing your spirit; an unbalance in your ki that's getting on the
way of even your daily life and it's also affecting your relationship
with Ami. "
Ryo looked
suddenly distraught. Rei smiled inwards. At least that meant he still
cared about Ami. Apparently it wasn't that he had grown out of love
for her friend. That gave her a small respite. Seeing that her words
had cut through his defenses, she pressed on. -"We all now she
cares deeply for you so it's natural anything that troubles you will
affect her. She hasn't told me anything, but I know she is hurt by
the fact that you haven't trusted her enough with whatever is eating
you up. Really, I don't know which one of you two is worse. It's so
hard to extricate a straight answer out of you sometimes. No wonder
you match so nicely. You'll drive anybody else insane!" That
last line was delivered with a playful smile for emphasis.
-"We are
sometimes too alike, I'll agree on that."
-"It takes
two hardheaded individuals like you to delay what was obvious to
everybody else. We had all lost hope in you getting together and we
were actually surprised when it finally happened. I've lost count of
how many times Usagi and Minako pleaded me to concoct some sort of
love charm for both of you. Now, you might be thinking that I should
leave you be with your problems. I can't because I care for both of
you so I advice you to start opening up because I don't plan in
giving up. I can listen as a friend or as a priestess. It doesn't
really make a difference. Now, tell me, what is troubling you?
School, your family or is it one of your precognitions?" Rei's
determined glance made Ryo realize that the shrine maiden wasn't
going to give up so easily so he decided to yield. It would do well
anyway to have a sympathetic ear to listen to him. A thought crossed
his mind: maybe a clearer view could be found through a sacred fire
reading. It wouldn't hurt to try. He had to exhaust all alternatives.
Happiness hung on a thread and he was willing to fight while there
was still hope.
-"Okay
Rei-san. I will trust on you on one condition."
-"I'm all
ears."
-"After you
listen to my story, would do a fire reading for me?"
Rei sat in her
red and white Shinto priestess robes before the sacred fire. What
Urawa-kun had told her had left her utterly confused. It did not make
sense, yet there was no reason to believe that his perception had
been wrong. Although his skills had somewhat diminish due to the
absence of the Rainbow crystal, the power had remained with him. It
just needed an object, a charm to be properly canalized. She hoped
the sacred fire could serve that purpose. She also wondered if her
own sight could look that deep into the future.
The future that
she knew as Crystal Tokyo.
She had remained
silent as he opened up his mind and heart to reveal the contents of
the last vision that he had been having. It had been hard to keep up
her priestly impassibility as each sentence formed a bleak future for
him and Ami. His stoic resolve couldn't hide the deep pain he had
been sunk in as the precognition shaped itself more as a sure fact.
She couldn't still believe that all their sacrifice and struggle
would end up in nothing. No, he had to be wrong and she was
determined to find the truth.
The orange and
red hues of the heatless fire danced and twirled intricate patterns.
The mystical light illuminated the dim room. As usual, she had
relaxed and invoked the fire's spiritual energies to aid her on her
search. Her trained purple-hued eyes struggled unsuccessfully to
match Urawa's version with what the reading offered, but this time
the fire wouldn't offer any clue. Only silence. No, even worse, only
a blank slate. The shrine maiden stood up exhausted. She had used all
her reservoirs of mystical energy peering through the flames but her
search had been fruitless. Could it be that she wasn't able to see
that far ahead or was it that his visions were inaccurate? If so,
then why the vision repeated itself over and over? What was the
purpose?
The next day she
had reluctantly given Urawa-kun the sobering news of her reading's
results but still she felt there was a piece missing on the puzzle.
Somehow, something inside warned her that there was much more than
what it seemed at first glance. She tried to cheer him up but he had
already retreated behind his wall of stoic bravery, the same attitude
he had adopted so long ago when she was fighting the Dark Kingdom
with the rest of the Senshi and he was on the run avoiding Endymion's
capture. She knew by his own words that he had kept a careful, cold
distance from Ami soon after the precognitions started manifesting.
After their conversation, he had gone into retreating mode completely
and when in the afternoon she met Ami between classes, her glum
expression voice revealed without words the effect his unusual and
removed behavior was having on Ami. However, too many questions
weighting in on her mind and draining her body, Rei decided to
instead try to dig in on Takada-sensei's homework. Maybe the numbers
she loathed so much might bring the answers that the fire had not.
Sometimes on the least likely of places the truth was to be found.
She really hoped this turned out to be one of those occasions.
A billowy
fire-red silk dress seemed to float about her with every step she
took to the hall. It was a festive moment but there was apprehension
on the Princess of Mars' heart. It meant she would have to see him
again. To be so close and yet so far.
She had gone
to the celebration more of a sense of duty than of pleasure but as
the heiress to the Kingdom of Mars, she had to perform the expected
duties of a future ruler, just as it was expected from all her
friends.
Like she knew
it would be, she found the motive of this celebration nodding
attentively as yet another noble gave their congratulations to the
future royal couple. The girl was flashing a sweet smile but the
subdued tone of her azure eyes spoke of emotions unrelated to the
happiness that was expected of such a celebration. However, the man
in elegant military dress uniform seemed joyful, a proud, possessive
look in his eyes illuminating his handsome face. The couple greeted
the well-wishers together and further down the hall flanked by royal
guards, the present rulers of the planet Mercury witnessed the scene
proudly.
Rei's eyes
then found a pair of warm, brown eyes that looked at her attentively
and a cordial smile in his face. His incipient beard gave him a
scruffy look along with the long, brown bangs that seemed to get in
the way of his sight. His priestly robes identified him as a cleric.
An elderly short, balding man with more elaborate robes flanked the
young priest. The priest winked and flashed a rascally smile at her.
The younger priest elbowed the elder cleric as his face acquired a
slight shade of red, visibly embarrassed at the mischievous behavior
unbecoming of a cleric of his mentor. Rei smiled back at them amused
but as the elder priest presented an apologetic smile, his companion
kept his sight fixated on her. Even without looking at him, she could
feel his warm gaze over her, making her nervous, yet eliciting a
pleasant sensation inside. Those brown eyes, the open, pleasant smile
that she knew so well...
The pleasant
faces of the odango-haired blonde who waved at her enthusiastically,
flanked by the emerald-eyed brunette and the long-haired blonde
greeted her from a corner of the hall. Laughing heartily, an auburn
haired girl, her tresses up to her shoulder and a young man with
thick glasses dressed in the guise of the Royal Moon Guards joined
the princesses' group. Then, at the opposite side of the grand hall,
another figure stepped inside with modest manner, as he didn't want
to call any attention upon himself. His intelligent dark eyes seemed
to hide a secret longing inside. Dressed in suit and coat contrasting
starkly with the sea of formal uniforms and long capes, his dark hair
pinned on a short ponytail and round-rimed spectacles perched over
his nose, Rei quickly identified him as an ambassador from Earth.
The
blue-haired princess of Mercury also caught the newcomer's presence
and Rei noticed that even in her polite and regal demeanor, she
couldn't help stare at the man discreetly. Rei noticed the glance and
the slight blush on her cheeks, as well as the answering glimpse she
received from him, equally discreet but clearly intended towards her.
Rei suddenly turned her head slightly over her shoulder at the
sensation of being observed and as she had expected, the glance
belonged to the young cleric. Smiling, the man crossed the gap
between them after waving goodbye to a giggling girl.
-"Your
highness" he said "if you forgive my daring, you look quite
beautiful."
-"Father",
she replied with a mock reprimand "remember that the celebration
is in honor of the Princess of Mercury and her betrothed, General
Zoicite."
-"I know
your majesty. I officiated the blessings ceremony after all but the
truth has to be told and I am bound by my profession to uphold
honesty above all." Rei blushed slightly at the sudden vehement
tone the priest's voice had acquired.
-"If
we're to say things in honesty, then let me add that you also look
quite handsome father."
The priest
gave the Princess of Mars a stunned look. Seeing his reaction, Rei
chuckled. -"I was just following your policy of honesty. Say
father, I don't believe your vows prohibit you of sharing a dance
with me."
-"No, not
really, but I think it wouldn't look appropriate, though. I know that
General Jadeite has quite a fancy on you. He would make a much better
dance partner than I." A slight tone of disappointment tinged
his words. General Jadeite, the Earth general. It was common
knowledge throughout all the kingdoms that he pretended her hand and
there was no reason to refuse his offer. A gallant man, loyal and
brave, the rulers of Mars thought he would make an excellent match
with their daughter and also a way to solidify the nexus with the
blue planet known as Earth. They still needed to go a long way but
they all concurred that great things were expected from the
Earthlings in the future.
But the
Princess of the reign of fire had only one objection to the
engagement. She simply did not love him. She knew she had to act on
her country's best interests, but she felt it was unfair to her to be
tied for a lifetime to somehow she respected but not loved. She
couldn't be like Ami, who was willing to sacrifice her own feelings
for the sake of her kingdom. And yet, she knew well that her true
object of her affections was unattainable. She had contented to a
life of unrequited love but at least for this night, they could dance
and live the moment...
-"Nonsense
father, I think you'll do just fine. I saw you dancing with some of
your young admirers and you looked quite graceful."
-"I don't
think seven-year olds would know have too many partners to choose
from."
-"C'mon
father, you'll do just fine. Besides, you don't get the chance to
share such an event with a Princess every day."
The priest
smiled at her insistence and offered his hand, leading her to the
ballroom. The notes of a waltz moved in unison with the dancers who
gathered the marbled floor of the hall. His steady heartbeat matched
rhythm with hers as he led her moving to the chords of the sweet
melody. His eyes never abandoned hers and under the spell of the
music and the magic of the night, she discovered that his feelings
mirrored hers. It was a wonderful yet devastating finding. To share
love, yet be unable to live it was torture, but there was nothing
they could do. Their lives had been arranged by fate to move parallel
yet never intersect. Not in this lifetime, but maybe in the next...
-"Yuishiro."
A strident ring
pierced over the sweet melodies of the waltz. The tapestries, the
colors, the elegant decoration faded, leaving in it's place the
comforting surroundings of her bedroom. Rei's shifted towards her
side and turned off the alarm. She had been dreaming, a very vivid
dream she noticed. But was only that? It seemed awfully similar to
Urawa's vision but yet, it didn't look or feel like a distant future
at all! Her memory jogged frantically for images and sensations that
matched her strange dream. From the deepest recesses of her
recollections, from where the unconscious mind rules, she found the
answer.
"This is not
the future, it's the past. It's the Silver Millennium, but how?"
Usagi, Minako,
Makoto, Ami, they were all there as expected. After all, they shared
the same history and destiny but that didn't explain why other
unexpected faces were there also. Grandfather, Urawa, Naru, Umino...
-"Yuishiro?"
Was it possible
then that they weren't the only survivors from the Silver Millennium?
If her dream was correct, it meant that were more people that shared
their origin, many more than they had originally thought. These were
the same people that now shared a life and a future with them in this
young planet. These people had been with them through the good and
bad times; they had witnessed impossible things come true and had
stood side by side with the famed Sailor Senshi without ever knowing
it. It seemed that their new life at Earth had meant a new
opportunity for all of them to be together again and continue were
they had left off. It was truly a priceless opportunity to continue
what had been taken away abruptly from them by the powers of evil
through hatred, envy and violence. A second chance to fulfill what
couldn't be possible before.
With this
realization, Rei lunged at the phone over her desk. She hoped it
wasn't too late.
Ami had been very
surprised to receive Rei's call that morning. She had mentioned
something about visions and a dream but that just had left Ami even
more clueless. To top it off, she had once again received nothing but
the chirp and an impersonal message from the answering machine from
Ryo's place. She was almost in panic now. They had barely crossed
words since the semester started and every time she wanted to meet
him, he had offered some sort of excuse to avoid her. Rei had
mentioned that what she had to tell her related directly with his
strange behavior. She hurried her pace, hating having to skip her
daily ritual of two-hour study at Toudai's massive library but her
studies would have to wait.
The crimson torii
welcomed Ami to Hikawa Shrine. Phobos and Daimos stood perched atop
the main building's ceiling observing the newcomer. Their loud caws
welcomed her and alerted the shrine's miko, their mistress, of her
arrival. At the door, Rei was already waiting for her. Ami followed
Rei inside, noticing the excitement hidden her priestly demeanor.
-"Ami-chan,
I'm glad you've made it. Please sit down. We need to talk."
Ami's feet moved
frantically. A mumbled "gomen nasai" escaped her lips
repeatedly as she bumped into the students that were rushing out of
the campus grounds to start their weekend, unaware of the surprised
or annoyed glances she received in return. Rei's words kept weighting
in on her mind. So many feelings, so many instances of déja vu
all suddenly seemed to make sense through the light of the latest
revelations.
She had stood
before the fire too, guided by Rei to focus on the distant past they
once lived. Her mind clear from the constraints of time, she too had
suddenly been pulled back to her life as heiress to the throne of the
mystical world of Mercury. She saw, no, she felt her own unhappiness
and the dark sad eyes that watched her from afar. The pain of loving
in silence, of daring to dream an impossible dream, she remembered it
all. Not soon after, all these worries had faded as Beryl banished
the Silver Millennium and all traces of its existence into oblivion.
She climbed the
steps of the staircase in sets of two and soon she stood gasping on
the second floor of the apartment complex near the campus where Ryo's
place was. She hoped he was still there, noticing the virtual
temporary exodus of most of the student body. She had tried yet again
to call him but again the answering machine from both his cell phone
and his telephone were the only answer. Rei hadn't seen him again,
but then again, in light of the recently acquired memories, she had
something very important she wanted to share with her grandfather's
assistant Yuishiro, her constant company at the shrine when he wasn't
being accomplice to grandfather's harebrained schemes to increase
their quota of young female worshipers.
It was no secret
that the young man only had eyes for Rei since he had first arrived
at the Shinto shrine to offer his services as apprentice but Rei had
never followed up on his advances. It was no secret for the Senshi
that the raven-haired girl with the quick temper had deep feelings
towards him but it seemed she took too much pleasure in engaging in
countless ways to throw objects or scream at him to succumb to their
shared feelings. In a sort of curious cosmic karma, she had been the
one with the unrequited love back then at the Silver Millennium so in
a sense she was getting even for that in the present. What had
actually stopped her from revealing her feelings to him was the issue
of her identity as Sailor Mars. She did not wanted to burden him with
her secret identity and pull him into the life of deceptions she had
to live to keep it that way. Now knowing he had reborn from the
Silver Millennium just like she had presented a new angle that
finally liberated her from her apprehensions and doubts. Ami knew for
certain that her friends now had a bright future ahead. She just
hoped she could salvage hers and Ryo's.
The knock on the
door startled him. Usually most of the students were already on their
way to the town or back home to enjoy some time away from the frantic
pace of their studies. Besides, playing the ghost had already proven
successful, barely making his presence felt on campus, so it struck
him odd to have someone at his door. He opened the door and stood
agape. Ami was there, arms folded together in front of her. Any other
girl would have been fuming by the cold and indifferent treatment he
had bestowed her the last days. He was sincerely hoping to break her
patience and force a breakup to make the process as quick and
painless as possible. He thought he had planed it all with the cold
resolve of a surgeon before an operation. Instead, her serene
disposition was something that took him completely by surprise.
-"May I come
in?" the soothing sound of her voice asked. He nodded in reply,
his brain still unable to form coherent sentences. She stepped inside
and took a seat on a couch as he stood there not knowing what to do.
-"Ryo, you
might want to sit down. I have an interesting story to tell you about
a young princess and the man who captured her heart long time ago, a
time when magic and loved rule above all."
The Princess
of Mercury stood from a balcony that connected with the royal grand
hall quietly, observing in silence as her betrothed enjoyed a lively
talk with the kingdom's best and brightest. They all sought him for
his opinions on several issues, including of course the threat issued
by Beryl and her followers on Earth. As they engaged in such talks,
she had excused herself and sought refuge on the calming sight of her
land that could be appreciated from the balcony's vantage point. Her
heart still weighted in the consequences of her decision but she had
been raised to be a future ruler. She needed to do whatever was of
more advantage to her people. She just could not allow her personal
feelings to get in the way of her duties. Zoicite was a handsome man,
knowledgeable in the ways of the world, a cunning man and capable as
a warrior. Together they formed a formidable alliance. And yet none
of those reasons soothed the aching of her heart. As her sight soared
over the breathtaking landscapes of the place she called home, her
ears picked up the sounds of steps approaching from behind.
-"It must
be Zoicite" she thought alarmed. "How long have I've been
here? I must be missed from the party!"
Instead of
clear eyes, she found a pair of dark orbs meeting her glance. It was
Dr. Gregory Urawa, the youngest member of her future husband's
diplomatic group. The young man had provoked quite a stir among the
single young women of the kingdom. His good looks hid an even more
extraordinary intelligence enhanced by a natural modesty that quite
contrasted with the rather boastful nature of the military men. He
had always been a pleasant, unassuming company when they shared long
conversations at the palace's library to hear about Earth's
scientific breakthroughs, their nascent philosophy and literature.
It was so
young, yet the third planet from the Sun seemed such a fascinating
place, or at least it sounded like such on his words. It hadn't taken
too long to find herself falling for Gregory. Around him, she had
always felt liberated from the courtly constraints. It felt good
being able to talk openly about the things that fascinated her. Her
mother considered that she had been blessed and cursed with a
superior intelligence that could easily intimidate any man but with
Gregory it had been quite the contrary.
One day, while
flipping through the pages of the works of Aristotle, he confessed
his love for her. Sadly, that same day Zoicite announced publicly his
intentions to seek the hand of the heiress of Mercury. Bound by
loyalty to his superior, Gregory soon withdrew his attentions towards
the princess but she knew that like her, his feelings had remained
unchanged. And now he stood in front of her, the look in his eyes
saying what words couldn't, speaking of the pain of letting her go,
of the impossibility of their love. Why she had to be a princess? She
would gladly change places with the most ordinary of the woman of her
country just to be free to live her life beside him. Now, the only
thing she could offer was her friendship and her silent love.
-"Your
highness, pardon my intrusion. I just wanted to offer my most sincere
well wishes to you in your engagement. General Zoicite is a noble man
and I'm sure he will make you happy."
-"I know
he is, doctor. This union will be of great benefit to Mercury."
"But what
about you? What will be your benefit?" he wanted to scream but
instead, putting up his best mask of impassible restrain, he joined
the princess at the edge of the balcony, his gaze lost in the
infinity of the sky above. The stars twinkled and glimmered radiantly
on this segment of the Galaxy, as planets that seemed smaller than a
grain of salt from his home planet suddenly were close enough for his
curious glance to behold. Yet, the majestic beauty of space's
spectacle paled compared to the enchanting creature that stood beside
him. She was so near his hand could reach out yet unattainable and
forbidden for him, now more than ever he grimly realized as the
engagement ring on her finger reflected the light of the stars above.
Yet a strange feeling returned to him. Somehow, as he still ignored
how to interpret the hunch, a certainness of knowing something about
to be, he was sure they would meet again.
-"Princess,
would you allow me a last moment of honesty?"
She nodded in
affirmative. Whatever he could say wouldn't change the emotions
inside her heart. Turning around to face her he continued: "I
can't explain how or why I know this but I will ask something from
you. I know it might be difficult now but I beg of you, do your best
to be happy. I understand that the decision you've taken is beyond
you or me. We have roles to fulfill and I know you are just doing so.
I also know deep in my heart we will meet again. With the stars above
as my sole witness, I promise you I will look for you on the next
life even if it takes me forever. Fate had it that we weren't meant
to be together now but we might be more fortunate in the next. I
sincerely hope your destiny is filled with happiness and love, until
we meet again."
As he
finished, he gently took her hand and gave it a feathery kiss and
proceeded to enter back to the ballroom. As a shooting star crossed
the midnight sky leaving a trail of shimmering gold dust, Ami
murmured, the warmth of his lips still lingering over her hand as she
lifted it to her lips:
-"Until
we meet again, Rory."
Ryo stared at Ami
perplexed. An avalanche of images crowded his memory, a memory he
realized he had obtained long ago, far beyond his chronological age.
He had never felt so confused and yet so liberated. The pieces all
seemed to fall in their correct place at last.
-"So it was
a memory and not a precognition?" Ryo said still absorbing the
details of the story and piecing it with his own. His relief was
evident. He did not have to depart from his beloved's side!
-"Hmm mm.
You just interpreted the memory as a vision of the future" she
answered back as her hands held his. It felt so good to have him
back.
-"I could
have never guessed it."
-"None of us
could have, love. Who could have imagined you had lived also a
previous life on the Silver Millennium? It's just so amazing that
soon after you gained your memories, Rei and I were able to remember
too. We still have a lot to learn about our previous life but right
now I would rather live the present."
-"I've
couldn't have said it better. I'm sorry I acted so selfish towards
you. It was never my intention to hurt you. I just wanted to grant
you your freedom so you could be able to search for your true love."
-"My true
love almost pushed me away. Baka" she scolded playfully. She
could not harbor any regrets. He had only done so because he
sincerely wanted her to be happy. That was more than enough measure
of his love.
-"I deserve
that. I should have trusted you with the truth from the start. Now,
since I don't remember us dancing that night back at the Silver
Millennium, would you care to join me in this piece milady?"
-"Dance? But
there's no music Ryo."
-"Are you
sure about that Ami-chan?" Just as he finished the sentence, out
of the blue, the sound of distant notes of a song slipped through the
walls of Ryo's apartment.
"You
cheater. You've seen this with that sneaky power of yours."
-"Actually,
it was more a thing of good timing from my neighbor. He usually likes
to play his radio loudly at this hour."
-"No wonder
you've always ended up at my place around this same hour! But how did
you knew it was going to be slow music?"
-"Easy, I've
just noticed his girlfriend arrive while I was looking through the
window."
-"I wonder
if your so-called powers have been just a very cunning use of
observation on your part" she said with a questioning glance and
a playful smile.
-"My life
would be easier if that were the case my dear girl genius. Come,
let's dance. We might have to escape to your place again if he
decides to change the mood."
Suppressing a
chuckle, Ami offered her hand and allowed him to lead her to the
center of the room. Soon they moved rhythmically as one to the ebb
and flow of the soft melodies of the love song. Their bodies moved at
the tune of the slow cadence, his arms wrapped around her waist, her
hands perched around his neck as her cheek rested over the pocket of
his shoulder. His chin rested softly over the top of her head and he
could smell the sweet, clean scent of her hair. The small room seemed
to morph into the vast royal hall of the kingdom of her ancestors and
suddenly they were not Mizuno Ami and Urawa Ryo but Ami, princess of
Mercury and Dr. Gregory Urawa of Earth, engaging in the dance that
could not be that fateful night. An orchestra played the notes of the
stirring music that gave a voice to the feelings on their souls.
There she knew, is where she had always belonged; in the warmth and
protection of his strong arms embracing her, keeping her close to the
reassuring beating of his heart.
+"And in
your eyes I see ribbons of color I see us, inside of each other.
I feel my
unconscious merge with yours and I hear a voice say, what's his hers.
I'm falling
into you this dream could come true and it feels so good I'm falling
into you."
All of a sudden,
as if prompted by the mystical voices of the wind, they both turned
their heads towards the window. The sun went to its hiding place and
the Tokyo sky was already covered by a shroud of glittering stars
over the dark blue canvas. Their glances locked at unison at the a
bright shooting star that crossed the night, its long tail leaving a
long path of shimmering golds over the pale moon.
His eyes came
again to her face, her blue eyes looking back at him with all the
emotion she had kept faithfully just for him for ages. Catching a
loose strand of silky hair with his thumb and forefinger, he lowered
his face to meet hers. At last, he was truly free. Free from all
fears, from all insecurities. His soul belonged to her as hers
belonged to him. Like it had always been.
-"Ami-chan,
I love you. "
-"I love you
too." And as his lips met hers in a long awaited kiss, the music
faded but their hearts kept playing the melody of their hearts, a
melody that would withstand the test of time.
~Fin~
And now for the
wonderful author's notes (yay!):
Toudai - short
for Tokyo University
Miko - shrine
maiden
Lyrics from
Falling into you, by Celine Dion
And so it ends
regie's utterly romantic venture into the realms of Sailor Moon.
Those who have read my previous fics know me more as an
action/adventure writer so this side might strike you as odd and
slightly OCC but not to worry. This only happens every leap year or
so (laughs). Now I just hope the Sailor Moon fans enjoyed this. Just
in case, I have a shield up loaned from Soul Calibur for any incoming
barrage of rotten veggies. On a more serious note, I've never been a
big fan of the Senshi/Generals stories but I have always liked the
Silver Millennium tales, so this fic is an attempt to merge the
countless possibilities of romance with the Silver Millennium as
backdrop with my personal favorite pairings for Ami-chan and Rei-chan
along with a wicked twist on Ryo's precog powers. The Ami/Ryo,
Rei/Yuishiro fandom is a bit scarce in my humble opinion so here's
one more for the cause. Enjoy!