Welcome back home, Ami-chan

Welcome back home, Ami-chan.

A Sailor Moon Sekkushiaru Roman
Standard Disclaimers apply

Welcome home, Ami-chan.
A Sailor Moon Sekkushiaru Roman

Disclaimer:
Sailor Moon and all its characters are the sole property of
Takeuchi Naoko. If you ever thought they were mine, you
must have been living under a rock for the last 10 to 12
years!

Mizuno Ami stifled a yawn. It was almost midday but she
felt she had been flying for more than the approximately 15
plus hours of her flight, a long, tiring intercontinental
trek that bridged the oceanic gap between Berlin and Tokyo.
The small connection hop at Paris had served to wake her up
a bit, but then, the longest leg of the flight had taken its
course and no matter how comfortable the seats were, she
just couldn\'t get in a position she could find somewhat
bearable. She switched between one of her pre-med books and
the on-flight movie to distract her travel weary body and
mind, but not even the tragic politics of Rwanda could stir
her. “Hotel Rwanda seems like a very fine film. I\'ll
remember it so I can rent it later and watch it with Ryo,
unless...”

The pre-med student sighed as she tried to push away the
thoughts that were assaulting her mind. During their last
conversation, he had seemed somewhat aloof, and the matter
that he had confirmed he wouldn\'t be able to pick her up at
Narita had her in a noticeable subdued mood. She was really
looking forward to see him at the airport. Instead, Usagi
had volunteered to pinch hit for him, so it would be her
dear princess and Mamoru the ones that were about to welcome
her after six months in Berlin at the Humbolt Universitaet
zu Berlin as a foreign exchange student. Her mother had
expected her daughter\'s boyfriend to welcome her, so she had
wisely allowed the two lovebirds time and privacy to
reacquaint themselves, but she couldn\'t hide the pride of
seeing her daughter succesfully follow up on her steps.

Ami put her on-flight headphones aside and closed the book.
She leaned back as far as the seat allowed and tried to do
what the majority of the other passengers were doing,
sleep. She closed her eyelids and as her tensed body
started to relax, coaxing her to enter into a state of
semi-consciousness. As her conscious mind drifted and her
cramped muscles slacken, her mind took a will of her own
and decided to play a little game on her. Instead of the
soothing sleep she yearned for, the content of what her
mind showed was more along the lines of excitement. Images
she had fought to reign in order to keep herself calmed and
collected came back with a vengeance. Ami’s mind conjured
the image of a small yet conveniently private apartment and
its owner, smiling back at her with warm dark eyes.

“Ryo” she whispered. The memories brought back the endless
hours they had spent together studying, enjoying
stimulating conversations that covered virtually every
branch of knowledge studied by humanity, or just reveling
in the little things that fill everyday life. She couldn’t
help the soft smile that tugged at her lips when she
mentally walked the distance from the entrance of the apartment
to his room. It was sparsely decorated, with piles of books
filling up most of the space of his desk, along with notepads,
blank CD-R’s, blocks of paper and pens. For a guy, he was
surprisingly tidy, and the usual frat guy messes weren’t
something you would see in his place.

The next recollection brought a soft yet relentless warmth
that spread all over her body. His bed was narrow, barely
allowing the two of them to fit comfortably, but they had
managed to make the most of it, she recalled wistfully. His
scent, the one that would linger in his pillow much after
he was gone to class, came to her memory, accentuating just
how distant he was from her at this very moment. A sight
escaped her lips, while her mind’s eye decided to impishly
recreate some of their most intimate moments together. She
took another deep breath, as her nerve endings quickly
reacted to the recalling of his warm touch on her skin and
how delicious it felt to have him cover every inch of her
body with his. Her lips thirsted for his, for his kisses,
so sweet and warm, the ones that easily cajoled her into a
delicious state of euphoria. Many times before she had
spiraled in the futile exercise of attempting to conjure
the same sensations on her own, but it only made more
starkly evident that without him, it would never feel the
same. Frustrated, she would end up staring at the ceiling
of her room, her breathing jagged and her body glistening
with perspiration from the effort, but the void she tried
to fill lingered on, accentuating her loneliness. Her skin
tingled in the anticipation of having those fingers touch
her again, to have his breath caress her ears and the solid
length of his body wrap her up tightly. All these memories
were so painful to reminisce now, she realized. How could
she ever not stare again into his raven dark eyes, share
her victories and fears with him, or hear him breath
vehement confessions of love in the heat of passion?

“Why, why we keep finding obstacles to our love?”

It all started when after one of the many long (and
expensive) phone calls they shared at least twice a week,
he confessed of the most recent precognitions he had been
having. After many attempts, he had manage to lock in into
the visions of the distant future were Crystal Tokyo would
indeed emerge as a beacon of light and hope. He had been
very happy to confirm that Usagi and Mamoru were going to
ascend to the throne and that all the Sailor Senshi were
going to be there for the occasion. One thing nagged his
mind: he couldn’t see himself there. He had more instances
of the vision, confirming what he had seen before, but
still his own presence was amiss. This fact, along with
their separation, was straining their relationship. She had
anticipated that being apart from him, her mom and her
friends was going to be taxing, but nothing could had
prepared to what she had experienced. It had been a bad
enough experience to endure all those years of separation,
when neither of them couldn’t muster the courage to be open
and honest with their feelings. Now, when they had finally
accepted their love, this new separation had come much too
early. Parting had been such a difficult experience once
the initial enthusiasm gave way to nostalgia. As she
concentrated on her studies during the day, the night
confronted the aspiring doctor with the fact that she felt
cold and empty without him. The sensation of incompleteness
was even worse than the uncertainty and insecurity that had
prevailed during her adolescent years.

She flung open her eyes, wanting to stop the self-torture.
She couldn’t wait to return home and confront him once and
for all. The shadow of doubt had extended its cloak upon
her and even her brilliant, logical mind helped little to
ease the restlessness that had settled inside. The crisp,
impersonal voice of the flight attendant at the PA
interrupted her trail of thoughts:

“Passengers of flight 9790 from Berlin to New Tokyo
International Airport, we will be landing in a few
instants. Please fasten your seat belts and we wish you a
safe return to your intended destinies. Thank you for
flying with Japanair.”

Somewhat later, after retrieving her last piece of luggage
from the conveyor belt, Ami fished for her cell phone
inside her purse to let Usagi know of her arrival, but it
wasn’t necessary because a very familiar silhouette with
twin long blonde tresses tied up in odango seemed to rush
towards her and before she could brace for the impact, the
blonde let out a happy shriek and seconds later, she was
hugging her tightly.

“Ami-chan, welcome home! I’m so happy to have you back! You
look so sophisticated and beautiful and you aren’t even a
doctor yet. ”

“Thanks Usagi-chan.” Ami managed to say with a huff,
understanding well what a “bear hug” really meant in that
instant, but the young woman seemed so happy to see her
that she couldn’t dare to say anything.

“Usako, you’re going to crush her ribs if you keep that
grip. Sorry Ami-chan. Usagi-chan was really looking forward
to see you. We even managed to be on time.” The tall,
handsome dark-haired man behind the blonde quipped while
smiling at her amiably.

“It wasn’t easy, but this morning I hit the snooze button
of my alarm clock only twice. Usually I just plug out the
thing” Usagi retorted with a proud smile. Mamoru’s blue
eyes rolled up and a sigh of resignation escaped his lips.

“You’re incorrigible Usako. You have all your luggage with
you Ami?’

“Yup, everything’s right here, and of course I know Usagi
will try to check what gifts I have brought to all of you,
so instead of packing it all in my suitcases, I put it in a
separate bag, so feel free to take your present upfront
while we ride to my place.”

“That’s why you’re the genius one, Ami-chan” Usagi said
happily as she eyed the bag in question like a little girl
looking for her birthday present. Ami smiled. Usagi always
managed to cheer her up, no matter how bad she might feel.

“Say, wasn’t Rei supposed to come along with you guys?”

“Yes, but she had to stay at Hikawa Shrine, because her
ojiisan had to leave unexpectedly, and at Christmas time,
people seem to visit the shrine more often.”

“I really don’t understand what a Shinto Shrine has to do
with Christmas, but anyway, the thing is that Rei will be
busy for the next days until her ojiisan returns” Mamoru
added.

“That’s too bad. I was really looking forward to have her
put me up to date on how things were going at Toudai.”
Since both young women studied at Tokyo U., they decided to
be roommates. Not only it allowed both to share their place
with a friend, it saved them the added difficulty of trying
to keep their Senshi identities secret from a civilian. It
also gave them the chance to share more time knowing each
other aside from the usual “Senshi business.” Their
apartment had ended up becoming the alternate Senshi
meeting place, and Ami knew a good portion of the masculine
population at Toudai envied Mamoru, as he was usually the
only guy in a room surrounded by five beautiful girls. “If
he knew the rather perverse rumors that the guys circulate
about what goes on in our place, Mamoru would never dare to
show his face ever again” Ami thought with a grin.

Of course, Ami also wanted to inquire on Ryo, but she
guessed she would have to wait a bit longer for that.
Resigned, she followed Mamoru and Usagi to the parking lot,
but she couldn’t help to feel that Usagi had a funny look
on her face and a suspicious grin she couldn’t decipher.
She brushed off her observation and attributed it to the
perennial state of bliss her friends said their princess
and future Queen had been displaying since Mamoru proposed
to her. *How time flies,* the blue-haired genius realized.
“The wedding is just months away, and with it, the
unraveling of whatever it will serve as a catalyst to bring
about the beginning of Crystal Tokyo.”

She couldn’t dwell in the ramifications of such musings,
the lively narrations of her experiences at Berlin taking
most of their conversation. Usagi inquired on pretty much
every little detail while chowing down with much gusto the
fine Bavarian chocolates Ami had brought her. Poor Mamoru
managed to taste only one, well, half of it anyway.

“I hope you didn’t break many Teutonic hearts there, Ami-
chan” Mamoru playfully commented.

“Ami-chan would never do such a thing, at least on purpose,
but I bet you did have a good share of admirers. I’m sure
they don’t get to be with a pretty doctor like you all the
time” the odango-haired girl added.

“Usagi-chan” Ami gently chided. “I’m afraid I was much too
busy with my studies to notice such a thing. Besides, my
heart’s already taken.”

“Well, I know certain archaeology student will be most
pleased to hear that” Usagi retorted with a wink.

“I hope so” Ami murmured to herself as her sight focused on
the immaculate blanket of snow that covered the streets.
She adjusted her blue leather jacket tighter, as if to fight
the cold that seemed to have suddenly seeped inside. “I
really hope so.”

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````


The door to her apartment opened with a slight creak. It
was too bad that Usagi and Mamoru had to leave due to an
appointment from work that Mamoru just could not cancel.
“Well, at least I’ll be able to pack this stuff early, so I
can get on an early start for next semester’s classes.”

As she bent to place her boots at the entrance, she noticed
another pair of shoes. Male shoes. She wondered if Rei and
Yuuishiro had returned earlier than expected. The light that
filtered from the kitchen seemed to evidence that. She
coughed, slightly embarrassed at the prospect of
interrupting a private moment.

\"Hope I don\'t interrupt anything\" Ami said out loud,
stepping inside slowly.

\"But there\'s nothing to interrupt, at least not yet\" a
familiar voice that came from the kitchen retorted in jest.
A head with a mane of thick, black hair popped out from a
corner. Dark eyes assessed her carefully, as the owner
stepped out of the kitchen drying his hands with a kitchen
towel. A bright smile adorned his handsome face.

“Willkommen zurück nach Hause mein lieber Doktor Mizuno.
Hmm, I need to polish my German. Anyway, welcome home, Ami-
chan!\"

Sapphire eyes opened in surprise and locked with the dark
ones, staring in silence. Her mouth was agape and her form
was still. When words finally arrived to her, she asked,
confusion still evident in her visage.

\"Ryo? She finally dared to ask tentatively; as if she were
afraid what she saw wasn’t real. “What are you doing here?
Weren\'t you supposed to be away on a class assignment?\"

Urawa Ryo stood up now in front of her with a nervous yet
expectant smile.

\"Err, not really” he confessed as a faint tone of scarlet
touched his cheeks. “That was a little white lie from my
part so I could prepare this.\"

As if for emphasis, he pointed out at the living room. The
initial surprised fading, she noticed the multiple rose
arrangements that seem to cover virtually every surface.
The distant splashing sound of waves breaking at a shore
caught her attention. Soft melodies that seem to
organically intertwine with the soundscapes of the sea
seemed to soothe her spirit at the core. She took
everything and understood. This was her real welcome. An
admiring smile materialized on her face.

\"Well, I do have to admit I really like what you have done
to this place.\"

\"Arigato. I\'m glad you like it” Ryo said while reaching for
her suitcases. “I really wanted to give you a nice,
heartwarming welcome. I was looking forward to pick you up
at the airport but your friends came up with the whole
surprise angle. And the decoration, I would like to take
credit for it, but I\'ll admit that the ideas for the music
and the roses came from Minako-san.\"

\"So Minako-chan wanted to play the goddess of love bit at
my expense. So like her\" Ami said, thinking how much her
friend the Senshi of Love must have enjoyed it while
outlining her little plan to the others.

\"As for the roses themselves” Ryo continued while placing
the luggage on her room “that was Mamoru-san, and dinner
was of course courtesy of Makoto-san. Ah, and Rei-san made
sure you could enjoy this in private, not that she seemed
to mind. I\'m sure Yuuishiro\'s invitation to the mountain
lodge his family frequents has something to do with it. I
wonder if she left some love charms hidden somewhere.\"

Ami could not contain the grin, or the happiness that had
replaced her blues.

\"So everybody has been involved in this, and you all let me
in the dark on purpose?\"

\"You can say that\" Ryo replied with a smirk.

\"You naughty people, and here I was at the brink of the
proverbial winter depression, thinking that my friends and
even you had forgotten about me after six months being
away!\"

\"And you were silly enough to believe it” he reprimanded.
“Surely Ami-chan, I thought you were going to see through
this but still we wanted to try to surprise you.\"

\"Well, congratulations to you all because I\'m indeed
surprised. And you are right, I have been silly. I should
have never doubted any of you. It\'s just that this
separation has been awfully hard, harder than I had
expected.\"

\"That\'s alright” he replied as his steps closed in on her.
Taking her hand, he added: “I understand the feeling. Now,
get comfortable and get ready to enjoy a nice, homecooked
Japanese meal.\"

Noticing the rumble in her stomach, she remembered she
hadn’t eaten anything on hours. \"Now that you mention it,
I\'m starving and a Mako-chan\'s dinner sounds great, but
there\'s one thing of this welcome that\'s missing...\"

“Oh, and what is it?” he replied with a mischievous tone.

Slipping inside his arms, Ami tilted her head up towards
his, her lips parted in a silent invitation. Ryo tightened
the embrace, staring into the deep azure depths of her eyes
that locked with his. Her right hand rose to slide her
fingers downwards from his forehead, slipping down his nose
until they rested over his lips. He fought to overcome the
temptation to open his mouth and let it slid inside.

“This…” she murmured and as if it were the command he was
waiting for, he tilted his head down and touched his lips
with hers. With the kiss, she had finally felt a sense of
relief. He was still here with her and he was kissing her
at this very moment. There was still a chance for them.

Reluctantly breaking the kiss, Ryo murmured as his forehead
rested over hers and his hands went over the silken tresses
of short, azure hair: \"I\'ve missed you so much Ami-chan.\"

-\"And I\'ve missed you too, Ryo. I\'m so glad to be back. I
really missed mom, my friends, you...\"

She pulled his head towards her, capturing his lips for
another kiss. She felt his tongue tease her lips and she
parted hers to let him in. Soon, her tongue touched his and
the kiss deepened, the tender caress turning
passionate. Her mind went to the moment while on the plane
when she had anguished over the possibility that she might
have never experience such joy again. That very thought
made her fiercely possessive. She sunk her hands in his
thick hair, keeping his head in place for another hot,
exploratory kiss that seemed to rouse all her nerve
endings, making her aware of the strong arms that circled
her waist and back, the rise and fall of his chest against
hers and the comfortable but very arousing warmth of his
body. Their lips parted, as they both fought to fill their
lungs with air.

\"Hmm, If it weren\'t because I don\'t want the great meal
that Mako-chan prepared to be wasted, I would surely
indulge in other appetites\" she purred against his lips.

Ryo felt a very pleasing tingling run down his spine at the
commentary. “Don’t think I’m not feeling the same” he
replied. He took her small hands with his and led her to
the kitchen. \"Don\'t hurry yourself. We have all evening to
tend to everything you have missed.\"

\"Really?” she replied with an sly smile. “Is that a
promise, because I\'ve believe I have six months worth of
things I have missed. Now, where\'s dinner? It sure smells
delicious.” Ami sat down while Ryo lit up the candles at
the table.

\"I thought you had gotten used to German cuisine.\"

\"Don\'t get me wrong, Germany was a great experience but I
really don\'t want to know about bratwursts, potato salad or
sauerkraut downed with Pilsener for a good while.\"

\"Don\'t worry, Mako-chan remembered all your favorites,
including hamachi.\"

\"What?\"

\"Gotcha! I just couldn\'t resist. Seriously though, she
really intended to indulge you with your favorites. The
menu includes steamed rice, salmon filets and as the
dessert, a nice German dark chocolate cake, very decadent
looking I might add.\" He brought a chilled bottle of wine
and filled her glass and then his.

\"I hope it doesn\'t include sandwiches” the blue-haired girl
commented while tasting the wine. “I\'m not really in the
mood for those.\"

\"Nope, no sandwiches on sight” he affirmed as the last of
the aromatic dishes came to rest on the table. Picking his
chopsticks, Ryo added: “The miso should be at the right
temperature, so I suggest we better dig in.\"

After doing a superb job in pretty much disappearing the
tall brunette’s culinary masterpiece, the couple decided to
end their gastronomic treat with some green tea and a
comfortable seat in the living room’s sofa.

\"I don\'t think I can recall you ever eating like that. I
think you could have given Usagi some challenge today\" Ryo
observed.

\"Yeah, I guess so. I don\'t remember myself eating so fast
or so much either, but Makoto really outdone herself this
time. I thought those cooking classes couldn\'t improve her
already exquisite touch, but I guess I was wrong. I really
want to see what\'s everybody up to besides conspiring
behind my back, of course. I bet they are all at Hikawa
Shrine wondering how I\'m doing. No wonder Usagi couldn\'t
stop grinning on her way here. I guess I was really too
wrapped up in my thoughts to notice it.\"

\"And what was occupying your brilliant mind so much that
you became totally oblivious to what was going around you?\"

Her expression turned serious. Placing her cup at the
table, Ami replied: \"I don\'t think you need a vision to
guess this one out. To be honest, I wasn\'t sure what to
expect from you. I was really afraid you were going to make
a rash decision because of your precognitions about Crystal
Tokyo. I thought you wanted us to break up.” Ami stared at
Ryo, her eyes reflecting sadness.

\"I would like to say that you were wrong, but I\'ll admit
the thought crossed my mind.\"

\"Have you...\"

\"…seen anything different in my visions? No, the fact is
I\'m unable to see anything at all. I mean, I have seen you
and the rest of the Senshi in Crystal Tokyo, but I\'m afraid
I they do not include me.\"

\"But how can you be sure about that. Even Setsuna has
admitted that time isn\'t a fixed thing; we can\'t even be
sure that Crystal Tokyo will exist as we saw it! And you
know some of your precognitions have been \"false
positives.\" Ami’s tone was vehement. Her hand held Ryo’s
firmly.

\"True, but my vision of you and the other Senshi has been
unequivocally clear. I\'m sure that Crystal Tokyo will
indeed come to reality and that Mamoru-san and Usagi-san
will ascend to the throne and all their guardians will
share a new age of peace and prosperity. Too bad it seems I
will not get to see the kind of doctor you will turn out to
be.\" Ryo’s eyes couldn’t hide the disappointment he felt.

\"Ryo, even if all your visions are 100% true, would that
change the fact of what we feel towards each other? That
might be what tomorrow has in for me, but today, I know I
love you and I\'m darned sure I don\'t want this to end just
because we are speculating with a possible future. Are you
willing to ruin what we have today for that, for a mere
possibility?\"

\"Ami, I just don\'t want to hurt you, even if I don’t mean
to. It\'s hard enough to know that I\'m unable to protect you
and that I will always be a burden for you. I would like to
save you unnecessary pain. That\'s the least I could do for
you.\"

\"That\'s not true. You are not a burden for me. I want to
protect as I protect the others. It\'s my choice, and
regardless of whatever it might be in store in the future,
I still want you beside me. Let\'s not deal with what hasn\'t
happened yet. And you are wrong, there\'s indeed something
only you can do.\"

\"What is it?\"

\"Stay with me and be brave enough to love me, no matter
what your precognitions say. Could you do that? Are you
willing challenge what you know and let the dice roll?\"

“Even with possibility I might have really seen the truth?”

\"I\'m willing to take that chance.\" Her voice was firm, her
eyes held the determined glance he knew so well. She had
already made her decision and there was not turning back.
She wouldn’t be swayed to do otherwise. He inhaled sharply.
He had always dreamed of what their future life might had
been, but it seemed destiny was yet again playing a cruel
charade. Still, there was today. They had already lost
precious years in their insecurity and indecision. He
couldn’t afford to lose any more time. If what destiny was
about to grant them was only the present, then by all means
he had to make the most of it. He raised his glance and met
hers, expectantly waiting for his simple answer as she held
in her breath. The contours of his lips curved into a
smile.

\"In that case, yes, no matter what happens, if you can do
it, how can\'t I?\" He caressed the palm of her hand, his
smile widening. They remained like that for a while, both
musing in silence about their decision. Suddenly, Ami’s
eyebrows knitted together and stared at Ryo in a quizzical
manner.

\"Ryo, did you miss me?\"

His thick eyebrows rose in mild shock at the question.
Slightly indignant, he vehemently replied:

\"What a silly question. Of course I\'ve missed you! I
thought I had made it clear every single day. I felt part
of my own spirit had been taken away from me. I felt
incomplete, having my best half apart from me, practically
at another timezone. I had to drown myself in work so I
could cope with your absence but I still missed you the
same. I couldn’t even be close to the sea because I could
swear I could almost hear your laughter in the wind and see
your eyes shining prettily. There, the pain of the
separation was almost unbearable. You want me to go on?\" he
stammered, indignation lacing his words.

A smile tugged at the corners of her lips and a seductive
glint flickered in her sapphire eyes. She raised her hand to
softly caress the dark strands of raven hair that fell over
his forehead.

\"Is just that you haven\'t shown me yet how much you\'ve
missed me.\"

He grinned in return, his ebony eyes responding with a
glimmer of their own to the subtle challenge. His face
neared hers, almost touching.

\"Is that so? Then allow me to state my case clearly, so not
a little shade of doubt remains.\"

And at last bridging the gulf that separated them, he
gathered her in his arms and brought her lips towards his.
The instant their lips touched, a spark flickered and
suddenly the six months of absence were put in stark
evidence. He lifted his head to stare at the sapphire orbs
and basked at the deep longing the now shades of midnight
blue reflected. Ryo felt his hands slightly shiver; a
sudden surge of need had washed over him, overwhelming him,
making him be achingly aware of all that was her. Her clean
scent laced with the subtle, floral fragrance she favored
intoxicated him and yet he couldn’t have enough of it. He
bent to take her lips again and found himself kissing her
almost in desperation. He drank of the sweet nectar of her
in a futile attempt to quench his thirst, yet he knew well
that thirst could never be sated. His kisses became
bruising, husky moans lodged in his throat, as his hands
roamed anxiously her arms, shoulders and back.
His hot breath found her ear and after giving her soft
nips at the earlobe, he breathed what to her sounded
slightly like a threat:

“Now, I’ll show you how much I have really missed you.”

His low voice brought shivers down her spine and before she
could try to make sense of it, Ryo suddenly brought her to
her feet and without pause, pulled her blouse up her head
and finally off her body. The sudden contact of the cool
air against her skin contrasted starkly with his hot
breath against her neck. He descended the ivory column, his
tongue leaving a moist trail down, sniffing more of her
scent as his mouth slid down to the valley at her cleavage.
Her mind clouded with passion, she barely sensed his hands
fumbling with her bra until he unclasped it and felt to the
ground. He claimed her mouth again hard, his tongue sinking
inside her welcoming warmth with unbridled need. Ami moaned
from the throat, then she took his lead and in the brief
instant their mouths parted to get air, she unbuttoned his
shirt, and then lifted the white t-shirt that was
underneath. When their bodies came to meet in a tight
embrace, she felt her nipples harden almost instantly to
the skin on skin contact. She clutched his shoulders
tightly; afraid her legs would fold under her at the
overwhelming sensations that assaulted her mercilessly.
His mouth came to suckle at the base of her neck, as his
hands found the belt of her pants and undid it, then
followed with the button and zipper. She aided his effort
by kicking her legs off them. Sometime later, their
socks followed suit, discarded in disarray on the floor
just like the rest of their clothes. What they were
feeling in that moment did not allow for any attempts
of order or tidiness. That could wait but the intense
need that demanded to be satisfied couldn\'t.

Their breathing was coming in raged gasps; husky moans now
were imposed over the soft music and the savage crashing of
the tide against the shore, as savage as the passion that
ran through their bodies. Managing to find her voice amidst
the storm, Ami whispered between agitated breaths:

\"My room\'s that way...\"

\"Forget about the room...\" replied Ryo huskily, not wanting
to stop or pause.

Ryo started maneuvering them both and Ami felt herself
being pushed backwards, until her back became flush with a
wall. Her hands found the waist of his pants and pulled him
towards her. With his eager aid, she stripped him off them.
His arousal was more than evident through his underwear and
she had to remind herself to breathe. Then, as his mouth
came to ravish her swollen lips, his hand came over her
breasts, and she couldn’t stifle the deep moan that
answered his caress. Her back arched immediately, and Ryo
accepted the offering without hesitation. His head craned
down and his mouth was now breaking sweet havoc over her
aching right nipple. He suckled it, then bit it gently and
again suckled it, as he savored the sweet taste of her skin
and the feeling of the taut nipple against his tongue. He
gave long lashings to it, listening in proud delight to her
pants. Her hands kept his head him firmly over her breasts,
almost pulling his hair. While his mouth now administered
the same caring treatment to the other breast, his left arm
went to steady his weight against the wall while his right
hand commenced a tormenting path downwards, sliding down
her flat belly and then lower, stopping at her apex. His
fingers intertwined with the dark-bluish locks that were
still covered by her underwear, until a probing finger
slipped inside, touching the moisture covered folds. His
touch felt as if a lightning bolt had rammed her, sinking
her in a haze of raw passion. Ami’s own hands brought the
underwear down and sensed his hand caressing very eagerly
all of her femininity. She ached to feel his touch over and
over; so overwhelmed she found herself by this unexpected
surge of lust that had come to overcome her. Her head
slammed against the wall as he slid one finger deep inside
while caressing her sensitive nub with his thumb. Ryo
lifted his head and watched her, drops of sweat dampening
locks of blue hair at her forehead, her jaw clenched and
her eyes tightly shut. Her breasts heaved with each
agitated breath and suddenly he felt the tensing of her
whole body as she reached a nerve-raking orgasm, making her
inner muscles clamp his finger tightly inside her.

\"Kami-sama..\"

Ryo couldn’t hold himself any longer and pushing his boxers
down, he literally crushed her with his own body. As one
hand brought her right arm over his back, the other lifted
her opposite leg and positioned it around his own waist.
Ami understood immediately and with a slight impulse
upwards, she encircled his waist with both legs, holding on
to his shoulders tightly. Ryo gasped, as her maneuver had
positioned his arousal at the threshold of her folds. Both
his hands came underneath her knees to support her legs and
with one thrust he entered her, her own damp arousal aiding
his entrance. Ryo bit his lower lip as her nails clawed on
his back, but he did not relent, moving harder and faster
inside her. His breaths became raged and almost guttural,
as he kept the unrelenting rhythm that his own desire
dictated. She held on to him like a vice, the fire
spreading from her belly down to her most sensitive core as
he gave her his all.

“Ryo…!”

Ami shouted as she spiraled into another glorious release.

“Ami-chan..!”

Ryo moaned her name when the overwhelming force of her
orgasm collided with his own with one last thrust.

Ami couldn’t remember when, but when she was capable of
coherent thought, she allowed her back slide slowly
downwards bringing her lover with her. Her still tingling
toes anchored on the cool floor as her weight kept her
descending down, with Ryo in tow, until they were sitting
down. She breathed laboriously but in a more even pace.
Never escaping her grip, his head found as its resting
place the softness of her bosom. Her hands in turn, fell
over his back and for several minutes they stayed like
this, the beating of their hearts and their breathing the
only audible sounds. Suddenly, as her eyes lazily surveyed
his back, the blue-haired genius found three reddish marks
over Ryo’s shoulders. She traced them and felt him
stir under her touch. A faint tone of scarlet colored her
cheeks.

\"I\'m sorry, love. I don\'t even remember how that happened.
Does it hurt?\"

\"What do you mean,” Ryo said sitting up, staring at her
face.

\"Your shoulders, I think I did those when things got
really... *intense.*\" she coughed for emphasis.

Unconsciously he raised an arm to survey the area while
she stared in mild embarrasment, and found the source of
discomfort over his left shoulderblade. He could feel
the same stinging on the opposite side. However, there
was no blood. His mind jogged to the instant when he felt
slight discomfort, but at that moment there were far more
urgent things to tend. It was a bit surprising though, that
she had actually reacted that way. Then again, he hadn\'t
been subtle at all in that particular instant, as he had
buried himself without warning into her. He had been
lucky though; she could have easily dislocated his
shoulders had she wanted to, due to her Senshi strength.
His mind momentarily wondered to how dangerous it could
be to be Makoto\'s lover in moments like this. Before his
unruly imagination even dared to ponder on Haruka,
he kicked himself mentally. He felt very lucky her Senshi
power didn\'t include mind reading or he would’ve
been getting some Shine Aqua Illussion all over him!

\"I wonder if Minako left some sort of aphrodisiac hidden
somewhere\" he pondered at the weird (and very ecchi) choice
of thoughts that had plagued his mind. His glance suddenly
caught a black and blue mark upon the base of her pale
neck. Feeling his own cheeks heat, he stammered:

\"Um Ami, I\'m not the only one with \'physical evidence\'. I
think you might want to wear your turtlenecks tomorrow or
you will not be able to look at your friends in the eye.\"

Following his glance, Ami focused her left hand to the base
of her neck, surprised to feel the area tender and sore.
She remembered in a haze that Ryo had really favored that
spot amidst their fever pitch lovemaking.

\"I guess I wouldn\'t mind having long hair now to sort of
conceal this. I don\'t want to even imagine how much teasing
I’ll be getting if they get a glimpse of it.\"

Ryo caught a strand of the disheveled bluish locks and
placed it behind her ear. What he had planned to be a long,
exploratory night of tender lovemaking had gone south in
the most unexpected and heated fashion. Not that he
regretted any single second of it, quite the contrary he
admitted as he licked his lips. He had been really pleased
on how she had reacted, so unbridled, so open and careless
about it all. It had been quite a delicious experience. If
she could only have watched herself at that moment, she
would surely turn red all over!

\"I\'m really sorry things got out of hand. I had planned a
very romantic evening but I don\'t know what got into me\" he
commented apologetically.

“But I know quite well what got *into* me” Ami thought but
decided not to voice such ecchi retort aloud. Such thoughts
were very uncharacteristic of her, she admitted as she felt
her cheeks heat. She wondered if Minako had sprinkled the
miso with an aphrodisiac. \"Not that it were necessary, mind
you\" she told herself with a smile. She observed his
confused glance with a sweet smile. It wasn’t what she had
expected at all, but it had felt really good to know she
wielded such raw power over his emotions and his body. Her
breath escaped at the memory of him pinning her with his
own hard body almost mercilessly to the wall, coaxing from
her deep moans as he kissed her senseless. She loved the
tender, concerned lover he was but she was more than
willing to see more of this wilder, more impulsive one too.

\"If you didn\'t notice, the feeling was mutual” she replied
with an impish grin. “Six months of absence, not to mention
forced abstinence sure have taken its toll. We can continue
with your plans, that is, if we are able to at least stand
up after this tryst\" she remarked with a playful wink.

Ryo chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind now enjoying the less
bruising confines of your bed. At least I hope my point was
made clear\" he added as his eyes gave her a very sensual
glance.

\"Crystal, my dear Ryo!”.\"

After getting on his feet, Ryo lifted Ami and carried her
in his arms, as he moved towards the bedroom. He paused for
an instant and his hand grabbed something from a nearby
table.

“More surprises, lover?” she breathed to his ear. She felt
herself being deposited gently on the bed. Ryo smiled, and
his right hand held up what he had brought along. Ami
opened her eyes in admiration. It was a rose, a beautiful
single rose. The long, slender, green stem gave a stark
contrast to the silken petals tinted in bluish hues.

“A blue rose, but how?”

“If by any chance Mamoru doesn’t become king, he should
consider starting a business in flowers. I bet these will
be particularly very popular.”

“I can’t see our future king manning a flower shop, but
this is quite a beautiful, not to mention unique. I’m
really honored by this gift. You have all made me feel so
special. I really don’t know how to thank all of you.”

Sitting down beside, he traced her right cheek with the
rose. Ami closed her eyes, letting the subtle fragrance and
the softness of the delicate blue petals caress her. His
breathing warmed her left earlobe and with a soft,
seductive voice murmured:

“You can start with me, love.”

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````


Ryo slept contended in Ami\'s arms. She felt
relaxed and warm too, but all the intense emotions had made
her lose her sleep. She knew that in the recesses of her
mind, the nagging, unavoidable deeply possibility of not
having him beside her in the future robed her of complete
inner peace. The mere thought of having to begin a new life
without him gave her cold shivers. But if it wasn’t theirs
the choice to know for certain what their destiny would
bring, at least she knew well the sole choice that was
indeed theirs had been decided. For whatever time remained,
they promised to make each and every day count. If destiny
could be somehow swayed from its original path, it, she
hoped they could find how.

She looked up, her hair brushing his chin lightly. Even if
destiny answered them in negative, it would never take away
what they had created, what they had forged and remained
treasured in their minds. Those memories were theirs and
theirs alone, and if she had to walk the path of the
unknown alone, his memory will be there to guide her and
accompany her every step of the way. Her glance then rested
on the marvelous blue rose. Ami smiled. If human will had
created something that did not exist in nature, how much
more the power of love and of two souls could accomplish?

With hope in her heart and her lover in her arms, the blue
haired Senshi of Water fell to sleep, as her dreams took
her to a crystal city inhabited by her dear friends, her
Queen and King. As she observed the marvel of the new world
she was to inhabit and protect, she caught with the corner
of the eye a silhouette coming from the shadows. As a dim
ray of light came to greet the newcomer, she recognized the
features of the one who had captured her heart and filled
her soul with love so long ago. A soft smile illuminated
her face.

“Welcome home, Ryo.”

~The End~

Author\'s notes:

1. Toudai: Tokyo University
2. Ojiisan - grandfather

2. Information regarding roses and their coloring:
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/roses/1998063836018263.h
tml

3. As you have noticed, the characters are in college now,
so it’s about four years after Galaxia. I took the liberty
of making Urawa an archaeology student because what\'s left
to know for someone who can see the future than the past?
^^;

I hope you have enjoyed this little story. Feedback,
comments, rants; send them all at
sailorcelestine1@yahoo.com.