The Snow Covered Cliffs By Aria Chiba PG-13 http://sailormercuryshrine.freeservers.com @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ ***IMPORTANT*** I've had so many people want me to continue Yesterday's Gone. I probally will continue it, but before that I decided to write one on what happened in the beginning of Yesterday's Gone. This is about... 6 months before it, perhaps it will clear up some questions about the end of Yesterday's Gone. So if you havn't read Yesterday's Gone, read this one first to stay chronological. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ "Your life lies before you like fresh-fallen snow. Be careful where you walk, for every step will show." - Unknown Oh, and, in case any of you were wondering, I don't own Sailor Moon. Our dear Naoko does, bless her heart. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{-- ----}---}---@ She didn't know why she always seemed to be drawn to him. Sure, they were friends and all, but lately... things have been different. Is this true love she's feeling? Maybe it was because he was her first kiss, her first true boyfriend. He had come back from being gone for just over a year, and gods how he'd changed. She didn't think she'd ever seen anyone more beautiful then Ryou. His chocolate brown eyes and hair, his short, cute brushed back hairstyle. She had his face memorized, from his cute little nose, his full lips, the little wisp of hair that won't stay back, his little dent in his forehead, and those shining eyes, which always seem to be staring into her eyes. He had a handsome, brand new musclular frame. He's closing in on 6 feet... gods she wished those arms were around her, holding her close, so she could snuggle into him... She shrugged off the light snow coming down around her, and continued walking up the steep slope. Perhaps it was only a fantasy, and for that matter, a fantasy that she was thourouly embarrased about, but she couldn't stop it. He was the light in her life, if only she could tell him that. She always had such problems with words. They were both in their second year of Med School at the age of 19. Because they both aimed to be pediatritions, they shared many of the same classes, and ended up studying together often. That's when they started getting close, when they were alone together in his flat. She could clearly remember the first night she came. Her whole body warmed at the memory of it, and she sighed as she was overcome with the memory. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ One particularly cold night, when the wind blew so hard the windows seemed to be on a constant vibration, Ami and Ryou were at his flat. They had the CD player blasting classical tunes to cover up the vicious storm that had popped up during the middle of their study session. The fireplace was lit and they were sprawled out in front of it on the floor in diagonals. They were studying the children's skeletal system for a major exam scheduled for 9:30 the next morning, and they both had had their noses stuck in the books for quite some time, neither one of them wanting to discuss the issue of the storm and of where Ami was to sleep that night. She, of course, could not return home that night, she would be blown away with her slight frame. She glanced up from her book to study him, laying there, his head in his hands, his eyes intent on his book. No, wait, he wasn't reading the text, his eyes seemed glazed over, as if he was daydreaming. That was completly unlike him! Unless he was thinking of... then suddenly, as if he could feel her eyes on him, he looked up at her, his gaze intent. "Ami-chan, I have a confession to make." He whispered, shutting his book and inching a bit closer to her. His breathing seemed to increase as he gazed at her nervously. She carefully shut her book and placed it next to the rocking chair on her left. Then she let her eyes rest on Ryo again, taking a deep breath. "Yes?" she murmured, almost inaudibly. He closed his eyes for a moment, biting his lip. Carefully, he began to speak again. "I knew there was going to be a storm tonight. I knew it, and also knew that there would be no way for you to get home. I also knew that because of the storm, our proffessor will lose his electricty and won't wake up in time for class. And yet... I still had you come over." One eye peaked out to watch her reaction. She quickly went from shocked, to unsure and confused. Why would he do that? Unless... he just wanted to be with her? Could he possibly have feelings for her? The moments began to drag out, they each layed there staring at each other, fighting internally to make the first move, to just *say* something. He hovered so close to her, he could easily make the distance between their lips nothing, but he held back, knowing that she wasn't ready for something so bold as that. Her heart was beating like crazy. Was he going to do something, say something? She felt a dull ache sweeping over her body, yearning for something she wasn't quite sure of. She had never felt like this, she was too busy with her studies to pay attention to physical emotions like these. Had she been missing out on something all this time? Finally, Ryou couldn't take it any longer. He got up and offered his hand to Ami. She took it nervously, and drew herself up. He placed his hands on her waist tenderly, watching for any sign from Ami to stop. She offered him none, so he then slipped his arms around her back and gently drew her into a hug. She placed her arms around his neck, as she had done so many times before to people, a hug was something that she gave readily. But never had she been so close to someone like this. His arms slowly tightened around her, and she soon found herself pressed against his body, like she was in her dreams. Could he have... no, he assured her long ago that he couldn't read minds, and she knew he wouldn't lie. Perhaps he just knew it... in his heart. She relaxed in his embrace, allowing feelings to overwhelm her. She wasn't sure how to respond quite to this, but she knew that he would guide her. One of his hands rubbed her back gently, and she could feel his breath beside her ear. All sounds, the blaring music, the roaring wind, the crackling fireplace, faded out but the sound of his breath and the beating of her heart. She felt his chest inflate as he sighed and gently released her from his embrace. One hand remained on her waist while the other traveled up to her face, tracing it with one finger. His finger travled to her nose, and he whispered, "Nose." A smile lit up her face at the prospect of the little game. She giggled as his finger traced down her cheek to her chin, up again to her forehead and across her eyelids and she correctly identified all the features. Then his finger came down to her lips. "Mouth," she whispered, question in her eyes. He smiled, and moved his finger so it was clearly resting on just one lip. She took a deep breath, and said, "lips." He smiled knowingly, and brought his finger down to her chin, proping it up better so he could see directly into her face. The sweet and tender love that shone in his face would be enough to make any women swoon, and unnessisarily so for such an inexperienced girl like Ami. Then the world became a blur as his lips decended upon hers. Such feelings flew through her as never before. His kiss was gentle and deep, slowly letting her get used to the feeling as he carefuly and unnoticedly brought her down to the ground and wrapped her in his arms as they lay in front of the fireplace. She felt herself becoming increasingly dizzy with pleasure with each passing moment. She lost all sense of time and place, and knew only of the kiss, which felt so right, as if it was destined. Finally there lips seperated and they lay there, for hours listening to the music of hearts. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ That was about 6 months ago, and ever since then, they've been doing everything together... well, for the most part. He was the highlight of her life though. Things had been getting pretty tough. Her mother had developed breast cancer, and her good friend, Kunitachi, who tended to the plants and flowers in Juuban Park, and many others, had died of a heart attack. The scouts had been just kind of hanging in there, spreading out in their own separate ways. She hadn't heard from Mina-chan or Mako-chan since she had announced her pregancy. Usa and Rei-chan both lived in the area, but both were often busy with their own lives and studies. So, as with many friends, they had grown somewhat apart. As for the outer scouts, they had disappeared soon after the fight with Galexia. They must have decided that they were no longer needed, and just ran from the memories. Maybe someday, she would track them down, but not until things began to setle down more here. So life wasn't going quite as wonderful as one would have thought, with all the fighting seemingly over, at least until the negaverse attacked in the future, as they knew they would. And they had the exact protection spell written out so Chibi-Usa could still become a scout and yet have everyone protected. She sighed. It was a Saturday afternoon and Ryou was working. She wasn't quite in the greatest of moods, everything was getting to her, so she was hiking up one of the less traveled parts of Juuban Park, up to the cliffs. It was early December, and the snow already covered the ground. She knew she wouldn't encounter anyone, it was a hard hike without the snow, perfect for a depressed ex-senshi. She paused to catch her breath on the steep incline. Her breaths were coming out in white clouds in the cold air. But she knew the top would be worth it. She reached in her backpack and drew out a thermous filled with hot cocoa. The heat quickly warmed her mitten-clad hands, and she swiftly took off the cap and sipped it cautiously. The hot liquid seeped down, warming her from the inside out. There was nothing like a hot drink on a cold day. She replaced the cap and sadly placed it back in her pack, not wanting the cold air to cool it. Pulling it back on, she took a deep breath and continued her path to the top. She knew from past trips that she was about 3 quarters of the way there. She chuckled, remembering the last time she had come up here, about 3 weeks ago. The snow hadn't fallen yet, but it was still extremly cold. She and Ryou had made the trek. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ "Eek! Careful! It's steep, I'll fall!" She cried out in alarm. He chuckled, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "I'll be sure to catch you then." "Ryou-baka, you're so mean to me! Let me go!" She cried out merrily, not really wanting for him to let go, she was the expert in reverse phsychology. And just as she expected, he tightened his arms in defiance. "Baka, huh? I'll show you bak--" he started out, but was quickly silenced as he found himself flying through the air and landing softly on the ground with Ami kneeling beside him. "Trying to show me up?" She asked, giggling lightly before he snaked his arms up and pulled her down for a deep kiss. She came up gasping and mock pouted. "You just can't let me win, can you?" "Nope!" he smiled. "You're gonna pay for that, my little contortionist." He got up and placed her in his arms. "We're almost there, I'll carry you, don't worry babe." @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ She sighed happily as she passed that place. She indeed was almost there. She pressed on, ignoring the cold wind around her. Just up ahead was the clearing. She slowed down as she reached the final obstacle, a bunch of large rocks that she had to scale. She placed her hands on first rock and pulled herself up. She found herself slipping slightly, but there was a branch there for her to grab. She pulled herself carefully up, happy for the grips on her gloves. She reached up for the ledge and easily swung her body up. She quickly stood up to brush off her snowpants when she was hit by a quick harsh wind... @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ "OH MY GOD IT'S SO COLD!" Ami cried out in suprise as she and Ryo jumped out of the car. "Oh Gods Ami, I'm so sorry! I didn't see that ice coming at all! Can you see where we're stuck? Did you see any houses nearby?" Ryou cried out, trying to keep himself in check. He didn't want to lose himself in front of Ami. Ami leaned against the car, pulling her scarf tightly to her face. It was hard to think in the wind, it was coming in gust up to 45 mphs. They were on their way out to his parents house for a surprise get-together they were giving them on their aniversary. Dinner and everything. But no one knew that they were headed out there, and they lived in the middle of nowhere. The last house would have been miles away. "Not for miles, I think," She sighed, getting down to look at the car. It was a low car, and they were in it deep. He groaned, also seeing the situation. "We'll be able to dig the wheels out, but we'll never get the snow from under the car out. It's so compact, and it would take hours. It would be dangerous to stay in this wind for so long." Ami nodded, hugging her arms together. "So, what are we going to do?" He shook his head, lost in thought. "Let's... just... well, for now, let's get into the car. It's too cold out here." She nodded and hopped into the car. He sighed. "God, I never saw this even coming! And I'm not getting anything now! I don't even know what's going to happen! And to top it all off, I ran out of minutes on my phone the other day! We can't even call!" She turned to him and shushed him, bringing him into a hug. "Don't blame yourself! Perhaps it was meant to happen this way, a little bit of adventure, you know. Right now, the way I see it is, it's you and me, all alone, in a car, in the middle of nowhere. We've got blankets, the car heater, and music. Why can't we just take advantage of the situation?" He smiled. Ever since that first night, she had become so open. He watched as she turned her eyes innocently twoards the backseat, and he found himself being filled with such love for his little angel. He motioned for her to jump in the back, and turned to crack a window. She looked at him quizically for a second, then realized it was so they weren't gased by carbon monoxide. Good thing he thought of that, that wouldn't have been a good thing! He climbed in back next to her, and slid in close beside her. She smiled and slipped her hands around his waist. "So now..." she whispered, "there's nothing else we can do here but to wait for a car or for the wind to die down. We could talk about school... or perhaps we could play school..." @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ She fell hard to the ground, trying to keep her balance. But as she hit she quickly rolled, trying to keep the impact off her stomach. She spun off onto her back as she carefully held her stomach with affection. Her three month old baby was in there. The winds died and she carefully got herself back up. The peak was pretty flat, with some boulders on one end. She started over to them, shrugging off her backpack. She lifted herself up on them, and closed her eyes in anticipation of the view. Suddenly she found a pair of very familiar lips press against her. She leaned in as she murmured, "Oh Ryou..." After some time they separated and he drew her into his lap as she gazed out into the horizon. The sun was beginning to set, and a few stars glittered behind them. The lights of Tokyo were starting to turn on, and the ocean glittered to their right. It was so beautiful... but perhaps the most amazing part of it was the view to her left, in that amazing face. He grinned back at her and placed a hand on her belly. "Mrs. Urawa Ryou..." he sighed for the thousandth time and Ami knew what was about to come, so she immedieatly placed her hand on his lips. "Hai, I do want to become Mrs. Urawa Ryou. There isn't anything in the world that could make me more happy, well, except maybe this little babe here. And iie, I don't have any regrets to becoming pregant and having this baby before we're married. I wouldn't trade this little bundle for anything in the world." He sighed happily, placing his forehead on hers. "Thank you, my tenshi. You can't believe how much better I feel each time I hear those words. Ashiteru." They spent an hour like that, sitting on the boulder, just staring at the sites and at each other. Neither of them wanted to leave, but it kept growing increasingly cold, so finally they stood and Ryou helped her off their special little area, and they headed down the hill. They were quite a bit quieter than they were on most trips. They couldn't kid around as much as they once would, not with Ami expecting. So they just kind of talked on their way. "So, have you decided whether or not you want to know if it's boy or girl?" Ryou asked, placing his arm around her waist. Ami sighed. That was something that was constantly on her mind. She did have a special interest in knowing whether or not it would become her future sailor senshi. Ryou knew, his clarovoyance showed him. "Ok, so tell me. Will our child be called Akira or Yukiko?" He stopped, and placed both hands on her waist. He drew her as close to him as he possibly could and whispered gently into her ear, "Yukiko." A look of pure joy radiated from her face as she increased her grip around Ryou and murmured into his chest, "A girl... oh Ryou, I'm so happy!" "Not as happy as I am, my sweet Ami. I'm the luckiest man in the world." After a quick hug and a light kiss, they slowly started walking down the hill again, both of them lost in their thoughts. 'How could life go so quickly from being miserable to being so wonderful. Oh I'm so glad... oh Yukiko...' Ami thought happily to herself. Ryou on the other hand, had other thoughts running through his head. 'Oh, God, why do I keep getting these premonitions of such fear. Should I warn Ami? Certainly not now, with her mind on Yukiko. Besides, I don't want to worry her about something that could turn out to be nothing. Oh, I just wish I could pin- point the source!' @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ The months passed quickly for the two young lovers. The end of May came, and college let out. Yukiko was due in about two weeks, and everything was going perfect with the pregancy. The girls were going to throw her a baby shower the night after the final day of the semester. Minako was flying in from her acting career in England, and Makoto was getting a lift from her latest boyfriend Botan, because she had broken her leg earlier on in the month. Plus, it was almost a triple shower. Usagi was five months pregnant with Chibi-Usa and Rei was three months with her son Keita. She laughed cheerfully as Ryou drove her over to Furuhata Motoki's new restaurnt, where the shower was going to be held. She was so happy, so many of her friends were going to be there. Ryou looked over at his soon to be wife with loving eyes. She had been looking forward to this night for such a long time. And they even had a surprise for her. They had tracked down Setsuna, Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru, and they were all going to be at the party tonight. Was she going to be thrilled! He was having a hard time keeping it a secret. But they were almost there. Ami was looking out the side window, watching for the restaurant. It was late, and the lights of Tokyo looked so beautiful. She smiled and placed her hands on her immensly large belly. "Soon, Yukiko, soon you will see Earth and all it's beauty." They hit a red light and Ryou reached his hand over to place it over Ami's. "You will make such a wonderful mama to our little angel." She laughed. "Well, I think you'll make a much better papa. Get going! The light turned green!" He smiled and started up again, and as Ami watched out the side window, she found herself face to face with fast approaching headlights. "RYOU!" was all she was able to scream out before the car crashed into theirs, sending them both into an unconciousness. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ Ami awoke in a dark room, her head and entire body in intense pain. She kept her eyes clenched shut, and heard two faraway voices, and she picked up bits and pieces of their conversation. "...drunk driver... yeah, he ran a red light ...all killed...Mr. Urawa-san...critical condition...the lady should be fine...the baby was lost..." At those last words, Ami fell back into her sleep, a tear running down her cheek. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ Her dreams were dark, in her faraway corner, Afraid of the words she had heard. She couldn't believe it, even the thought, But it echoed in her head, those awful words. Her screams rang out into the night, Stinging tears rolled down her face. She didn't have the strenght to fight, And reached out for gentle arms to embrace. But all that greeted her was cold air, Her safe happy world, shattered. Now she cries, alone, Thinking nobody cares. All she has now are lonely dreams. @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@ E-mail me at AriaChiba@hotmail.com and visit my website! http://sailormercuryshrine.freeservers.com And all you impatient readers out there, the conclusion to The Realization is close at hand and so is rest of the chapters of Anxious Hearts. Just remind me not to take up any more stuff, alright... O.o wait! How can I possibly concentrate on one thing without having 70 other projects? He he he, watch out for Aria 'Yukiko' Chiba's infiltration. It will soon take over all your lives! Mwaa haa haa! (Suddenly, Aria's dog Jedite attacks at the weird laughter)...maybe I'll stick with the stories at hand... JA! ARIGATO MINNA! AISHITERU! @---{---{---- --}--{@}--{--- ----}---}---@