Chapter 12 The last day of the year also happened to be one of the coldest days of the year. Mama had hoped the weather would be mild enough that they could expand the party outside to the backyard, but because it was freezing and snowing heavily, everybody wisely stayed inside where it was warm and toasty. That was just fine by Akira, since the crowd inside the house made it easier to hide from Maeko. He had been avoiding his former fiancée the entire night, making sure to stay close to Ami at all times as if to say, “She’s mine.” So far, his plan seemed to be working, as Maeko seemed reluctant to come up to him when Ami was around, and the few times she managed to catch him alone, Akira would immediately strike up a conversation with somebody else and pretend he hadn‘t seen her. “Akira, you know you can’t possibly ignore Nishimura-san the entire night,” Ami said when Akira whisked her onto the makeshift dance floor, having spotted Maeko coming toward him “I can certainly try,” he replied, moving his arms robotically to the beat of the music. “I still can’t believe Mama invited her to the party. No, actually, I can. That’s classic Kitagawa Izumi, nothing new. What I can‘t believe is you telling Maeko to come anyway when she gave us the perfect out to uninvite her.” “And I can’t believe you’re doing the Robot,” Ami giggled. “Hey, don’t mock the Robot. This was the epitome of cool back in the day.” “In what universe?” Akira rolled his eyes at his younger girlfriend‘s ignorance of 80s dance moves, catching a brief glance of Maeko heading toward the sliding glass doors leading to the back porch. It appeared she had finally ceased her attempts to talk to him, but, instead of feeling relieved, Akira couldn’t help but be concerned. He stopped his robotic movements and lightly touched Ami’s arm. “Hey, Ami, I’ll be right back.” “What is it?” she asked, confused. “Is something wrong?” “No, it’s nothing. Just stay here. I shouldn’t be long.” Leaving Ami on the dance floor, Akira grabbed his coat from the closet and headed outside, where he found Maeko sitting on the edge of the porch, shivering as she rubbed her bare arms in a hopeless attempt to keep warm. Akira resisted the urge to roll his eyes and came up behind her, placing his coat on her shoulders. “You know, you really ought to get that winter wardrobe. It’s below freezing, and yet here you are, sitting out in the cold and snow while dressed in spaghetti straps. That‘s a good way to get hypothermia.” Startled, Maeko craned her neck upwards. “Oh, Aki-chan, it’s you,” she said, pushing her arms through the sleeves of his coat. “Thank you. I would have brought mine, but Junko-chan and some boy were making out in the room where all the guests’ coats are, and I didn’t have the heart to disturb them.” “Junko was doing what?!” Akira exclaimed, his head whipping back toward the party inside as if he expected to catch the two in the act. He had half a mind to go back in there and pull them apart, but Maeko’s giggles stopped him from acting on his impulse. “I see you’re still the same over-protective brother I remember. Let the kids have their fun, though. All they were doing was kissing.” “Well, if that’s all they were doing…” Reluctantly, Akira sat down beside his former fiancée on the porch’s edge and tried to ignore the cold that permeated through his thick black sweater. “So, what are you doing out here, Maeko?” he asked. “Surely, you didn’t come to watch the snow. I remember you were never one for Nagano winters. You always preferred hot summer days.” “No, I guess I wasn’t,” she admitted with a sigh, her breath easily visible in the frosty air. “I’m not much in a partying mood tonight, I suppose.” “Oh.” “You didn’t want me to come tonight, did you?” Trying to conceal the guilty look Akira knew that had crossed his face, he pretended to be overly interested in the snow pouring down in front of them. “What makes you say that?” “You’ve been ignoring me the entire night.” “I have not--” “Aki-chan, don’t lie to me,” Maeko said. “You didn’t want me here, and I can’t say I really blame you. I must have put you in an awkward position the other day.” “No, not really. I confess I was a bit unnerved to see you again after all this time, but Ami thought you were very nice.” Maeko smiled. “I liked her, too. You two suit each other, much more than we ever did. Still…” Her voice trailed off. “Maeko, what’s wrong?” Akira asked, turning his full attention back to her. Her smile had disappeared, and he noticed for the first time how incredibly sad her eyes were. “I don’t know,” she said after a long pause. “Ever since I ran into you and Mizuno-san that day, I feel like I’ve been taking a walk down Memory Lane.” “Back to the time when we were together?” “We had a lot of great times together, Aki-chan.” “We also had a lot of arguments,” he reminded her. “You didn’t seem to mind the making up part, though.” Akira allowed a small smile at the memory of their post-argument activities. “We were pretty good at that, weren’t we?” “The best,” she affirmed, sharing his smile before hopping off the porch and onto the blanket of pure white snow that covered the ground. “Do you ever wonder what it might have been like if we went through with the wedding?” she asked unexpectedly. Though the question took him by surprise, Akira didn‘t have to think twice before giving her his answer. “No.” “Oh, I see.” Sensing he had hurt her feelings, Akira came up beside her. “Maeko, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. It’s just that I knew we made the right decision when we decided to call off our engagement. If we had gone through with it, we’d probably be divorced by now.” “You’re probably right,” she admitted. “I suppose I’m just a little jealous seeing how happy you and Mizuno-san are together when my personal life is such a mess.” “I’m sorry things didn’t work out with you and that guy.” “Yeah, well, it was pretty much doomed from the beginning anyway,” she said bitterly, stuffing her hands in the pockets of his coat. “I knew Kiyoshi had a reputation for being a skirt-chaser, but I chose to ignore it, thinking maybe I could be the one to make him change. Boy, was I ever wrong.” “So he cheated on you?” “Several times, actually.” She chuckled dryly. “I have no idea why I stayed after his first indiscretion. I guess I was just a fool in love.” “You’re better off without him, Maeko,” Akira declared honestly. “He didn’t deserve your love.” “Then why does it still hurt so much? Why can’t I stop thinking about Kiyoshi?” Akira, unable to stop himself, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in a comforting hug. Even though they weren’t together anymore, he hated seeing Maeko in so much pain. She wasn’t crying, but she was close, evident by the slight shake in her voice as she tried to hold back her tears. “You really are too kind to me, Aki-chan. Thank you.” They stayed like that for a long moment until Akira finally pulled away. “Are you okay? Do you want to go back to the party, or would you like me to walk you home?” Maeko nodded, wiping away the few tears that had managed to run down her cheek. “I’ll be fine.” “Come on, let’s go back inside before we freeze to death out here.” ***** Back inside, Ami was talking with Junko and her boyfriend, although, to be truthful, she was only half-listening to the conversation. They were telling her something about being caught making-out by Mr. Kitagawa -- or was it Mrs. Kitagawa? -- in the coat room, but Ami’s attention was really focused on the antique grandfather clock standing in the corner of the room. Ten minutes had passed since Akira inexplicably left her on the dance floor, yet he had yet to return. Where could he be? Junko, noticing her distraction, waved a hand in front of Ami’s face. “Ami-onee-chan? Earth to Ami-onee-chan?” “Oh, Junko-chan!” Ami shook her head. “Gomen, my mind was elsewhere. Were you saying something?” “I was asking if you and onii-chan wanted to go kite-flying with us the day after tomorrow, assuming that Papa doesn’t decide to ground me for catching Ikeda-kun and me making-out.” “I don’t think we’ll have time,” Ami said. “Akira and I are planning to head back to Tokyo on the second. We’ll probably be leaving fairly early in the morning.” “So soon?” The blonde pouted. “But it seems like you just got here.” “I know, but we’d like to spend some of the New Year‘s celebration with our Tokyo friends as well. Besides, school starts back up on the fifth.” “Yeah, that’s when we start back up again, too,“ Junko said, making a face at the thought. “Well, I hope you and onii-chan come back soon. Maybe during the spring break?” “We’ll see. I’ll ask him about it,” Ami promised, scanning the room once again for her boyfriend. Again, he was nowhere in sight. “Speaking of Akira, I’m going to go find him. He should have been back by now.” Excusing herself, Ami started searching the rest of the downstairs rooms where the party was being held. She didn’t think Akira would have gone to bed without telling her, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. Confused, Ami was about to go look upstairs anyway when she finally caught a sight of him coming out of the kitchen with a tray of appetizers in his hands. “Aki--” Ami stopped herself just in time, realizing when the man turned around that she had again mistaken Satoshi for his brother. (Those two really do look like twins from behind, Ami thought.) Though the embarrassment of what had happened between them was still fresh, she decided to ask Satoshi if he knew where Akira was. “Satoshi-san, have you seen Akira around?” Satoshi, careful not to look Ami in the eye, placed the tray of appetizers on the refreshment table. “Not recently,” he said. “The last time I saw him, he was going outside.” “Outside? In this weather?” “I think he wanted to talk to Nishimura-san about something. I saw her go out a couple of minutes before him.” “Oh. Thank you.” *Akira went outside to talk to Nishimura-san?* Considering how much effort he put into avoiding his ex-fiancée beforehand, Nishimura Maeko was the last person Ami expected Akira to be having a conversation with, but she decided she would give him a few minutes before interrupting. As Satoshi headed back to the kitchen, Ami took a couple of the appetizers from the tray he had brought out, then walked over to a window looking out onto the backyard. Ami had never considered herself a nosy person -- at least not when it concerned other people’s personal lives -- but she couldn’t resist pulling back the drapes on the window. She regretted it as soon as she looked outside. In the snow, Akira and Miss Nishimura were wrapped together in an intimate embrace. Gasping, Ami immediately dropped the curtain and turned around, almost running straight into Junko, who had come over to talk to her. “Ami-onee-chan, are you alright?” the teen asked. “You’re looking a little pale.” “I’m fine,” she lied. “I just have a little headache, that‘s all. I think I’m going to call it a night.” “Already? But the bells haven’t rung yet.” “I’ll see you in the morning, Junko-chan.” Before Junko or anybody else could ask anything more, Ami threw her uneaten refreshments away in a nearby trash can and ran up to Junko’s room. ***** When Akira and Maeko returned to the party, the first thing he did was look for Ami. His conversation with Maeko had taken far longer than he expected, and he was unsurprised when he couldn’t find Ami in the living room, assuming she had gone to look for him when he failed to return in a timely manner. He did find, however, Junko and her boyfriend kissing underneath the staircase, apparently having been thrown out of the coat room. With a roll of his eyes, Akira walked over to the hormonal teens and tapped his sister on the shoulder. “Onii-chan! Do you mind?” Junko exclaimed, glaring when the two broke apart and she turned around. Akira ignored her outburst. “Have you two seen Ami? I can’t seem to find her anywhere.” “Oh, Ami-onee-chan went up to bed.” “She did?” He glanced down at his watch, which read ten minutes to twelve, and frowned. “But it’s not even midnight yet.” Junko shrugged. “She said she had a headache.” “Thanks. I better go check on her.” Akira started to leave, but when he saw Junko and her boyfriend about to resume their make-out session, he pulled them apart and dragged them back out from underneath the staircase. “You two, mingle. This is a party, not Make-out Central.” “Onii-chan!” Again, he ignored her and headed up the stairs. Reaching the room Ami was sharing with Junko, Akira lightly knocked, not wanting to wake her if she was asleep, and whispered loudly, “Ami, it’s me. Junko told me you had a headache. Do you need some aspirin?” She didn’t answer, which Akira took to mean that she was in fact already sleeping, but still, he opened the door, thinking he would at least give her a kiss on the cheek. It was nearing midnight, after all. Quietly, he entered the room and found it dark, though thanks to the light of a nearby street lamp coming through the window, he could see Ami laying face down on Junko’s bed. As Akira approached closer, he began to notice a faint weeping sound. At first, he thought his ears were playing tricks on him, but then he realized the sound was coming from Ami, who was not sleeping as he originally thought. No longer caring if he made any noise, Akira quickly made his way to the bed and kneeled down beside it, his hand lightly stroking her hair in comfort. “Ami, what’s wrong?” “I don’t want to talk to your right now, Akira,” she muttered, rolling over on her side so that her back was turned to him. “Just go away.” “But why?” Akira asked, confused. “I don’t understand. Did I do something wrong? I know I kept you waiting at the party, but I -- “I saw you,” Ami interrupted, her voice so soft, he could barely here her. “What? Ami, I don’t know what you’re talking about. What did you see me do?” Even as he asked the question, Akira frantically tried to come up with the answer himself, trying to remember what he might have done to upset Ami. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. It was a long moment before Ami finally gave a response, and even then, it was vague. “I saw you outside.” “Yes, I went outside to talk to Maeko, but you were the one who told me I couldn’t avoid talking to her the entire night. I don’t understand why you’re so up--” Suddenly, Akira paused, remembering what must have happened, and sighed. “Oh, you saw us hugging.” “That wasn’t just a hug; it was a full-blown embrace.” “Ami, you’re blowing this way out of proportion.” “Am I?” Ami rolled back over to face him, staring him straight in the eye. It was the first time he had clearly seen her face since he came in the room, and Akira nearly flinched when at the sight of her blotchy skin and red eyes. “You two looked awfully intimate together.” “Listen to me.” Getting back up, Akira joined Ami on the bed, pulling her so that she was sitting upright and facing him. Ami tried to turn away, but he firmly, but gently, held her by the shoulders so she couldn’t, and said, “What you saw was completely innocent. Maeko was upset about something, so I comforted her. It was nothing romantic or sexual. That’s all that happened, I swear.” “That’s all?” He nodded. “Ami, remember what I said Christmas Eve?” he asked. “You know I love you and only you. Maeko’s my past. You‘re the one I want, and I have no intention of ever messing that up. You have to know that.” “I know,” she said, exhaling. “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. I guess I wasn’t as okay with the whole ex-fiancée thing as I thought I was. You probably think I’m some kind of jealous maniac now.” Wiping away some of her tears with his thumb, Akira smiled. “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little jealousy now and then. It makes a man feel loved.” “You didn’t seem too jealous when I walked in on Satoshi-san in the shower.” “Me? Jealous of Satoshi?” he laughed. “If anything, he should be jealous of me. Not only do I have you for a girlfriend, I’m smarter and better-looking than he is, too.” That, more than anything, seemed to break the tension between them. Ami rolled her eyes and giggled. “You really shouldn’t be so modest, Akira, she said, glancing over at Junko’s Hello Kitty alarm clock. “Oh, it’s almost midnight. Open the window so we can hear the bells.” Doing as he was told, Akira went over to the lone window in the room and opened it just as the bells of a nearby Buddhist temple began the traditional 108 chimes to ring in the new year. Akira sat back down on the bed beside Ami, and together they listened silently until the final bell had rung. When it was over, Akira then gave Ami a long, lingering kiss, lowering her back down on the bed. “Shouldn’t we go back down to the party?” Ami asked, though she was doing little to fight off his advances. “Nah. Everybody’s probably leaving anyway.” “But Junko-chan -- “ “Junko always stays up to watch the first sunrise of the year,” he explained, going over to the door to lock the door just in case. “She won’t be coming up here anytime soon.” “Well, in that case…” ***** The next day was New Year’s, and, as was tradition, the Kitagawa family was heading to their local shrine for the first visit of the year. Upstairs, Ami and Junko dressed in their finest kimonos for the event. “Oh, Ami-onee-chan, that kimono is gorgeous!” Junko gushed as Ami finished tying the obi around her waist. “It must have cost a fortune!” Ami blushed at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing down the silken fabric. It really was a beautiful kimono, with light blue flowers and silver leaves embroidered onto a navy background. The hues complimented her coloring perfectly, and the stitching was impeccable. “Actually, one of my friends back home made it for me. She’s a fantastic seamstress,” Ami admitted, smiling as she thought of Makoto. It was a shame she wouldn’t get to see her wearing it after she had gone through so much trouble to make it. Ami made a mental note reminding herself to model it for Makoto when she returned home. “Sugoi! I wish I was that talented!” “Yours is very pretty, too, Junko-chan,” Ami said truthfully. Akira’s little sister wore a less elaborate red kimono with pink sakura petals, but it suited the teenager nicely, especially with Junko’s golden blonde hair, which she had up in a French braid. “I love those colors on you.” “Really?” Junko went over to the mirror and struck a model-like pose. “You really think so?” Ami nodded. “Hai!” “Junko! Ami-chan! Time to go!” the booming voice of Kitagawa Izumi shouted from downstairs. “Everybody else is dressed and ready to leave.” After spending a week at their house, Ami had grown accustomed to “Izumi-mama’s” patented “stair yell," as her children liked to call it. She barely flinched that time, placing her digital camera into her matching satchel before heading to the door. “We’d better go, then. I don’t want to keep your family waiting. Are you ready?” “Just one more thing,” Junko said, holding up a finger. She ran over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of pretty blue topaz hair clips, which she then held out to Ami. “Please, wear these.” “N-No, I couldn’t,” Ami stuttered, surprised by the offer. “They’re yours. You should wear them, Junko-chan.” “They don’t match my kimono, but they go perfectly with yours,” she pointed out, walking over to where Ami stood and placing the barrettes in her hand. “Please, Ami-onee-chan? I won’t take no for an answer.” “Well, when you put it that way…” Sighing, Ami turned back toward the mirror and put the barrettes in her hair. She had to admit Junko was right, though. The hair clips were a great accessory to her kimono, bringing out the light blue of the flowers. “Thanks, Junko-chan. I’ll take good care of them.” “You’re welcome. Now, come on. Let’s go before Mama does another 'stair yell.’” Laughing, they headed downstairs where the rest of the family was already waiting, garbed in their finest clothes. Ami smiled when she looked down and saw Akira pulling on a coat over his best three-piece suit. He looked especially handsome that morning with his usually unruly hair slicked back and a fresh-shaven face. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, Ami and Junko both bowed and said “Akemashite, omedetou gozaimasu,” in unison, a greeting the rest of the family returned. “Wow, you look amazing, Ami,” Akira whispered as she made her way to her lover, who discreetly gave her a peck on the cheek while the others were busy changing into their shoes at the door. Ami blushed. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” she said, the back of her hand briefly caressing his smooth cheek. “I’m glad to see you’re shaving again.” Over the holidays, Akira had grown somewhat lax when it came to shaving, but, as sexy as she had found his stubble, Ami preferred her boyfriend clean-shaven. “You didn’t like Scruffy Akira? Darn, and here I was thinking about growing a beard.” “You were not,” she giggled. “No, I wasn’t, but I could have been. Maybe a goatee, then? Or a mustache? You know, one of those old-fashioned handle-bar mustaches? I would look rather dashing with one of those, don‘t you think?” “Akira!” “Okay, enough, you two lovebirds,” Izumi said, smiling as Ami and Akira broke apart. Apparently, they hadn’t been as discreet as they thought. “It’s time to go. I want to get to the shrine before it gets too crowded.” “Yes, Mama.” Ami and Akira were the last ones out of the house, dawdling behind the others as the family began walking down the sidewalk toward the shrine. They weren’t the only family heading to the shrine. Looking around, Ami judged that at least half the families on the street were heading in the same direction they were, the women dressed in festive kimonos or beautiful dresses while the men mostly wore suits, although she did see a couple of older gentlemen dressed in kimonos as well. Occasionally, Izumi or one of the others would stop to give out New Year’s greetings to one of their neighbors, though, more often than not, it would turn into a full-fledged conversation. Ami let out a sigh the sixth time they stopped so that Izumi and another housewife could commiserate over how bad their year-end cleaning was while Nibori and the woman‘s husband talked stocks. The couple’s daughter turned out to be a classmate of Junko’s, so the girls struck up their own conversation, the neighbor girl managing to drag an uncomfortable-looking Satoshi, who she obviously had a crush on, into their discussion as well. “That’s my mother for you,” Akira said with a chuckle, misinterpreting the meaning behind her sigh. “Every year, Mama insists we leave early to miss the crowds at Tsukimine, yet she’s the one who always manages to drag us behind. One year, we left at seven in the morning and arrived at the shrine a little before ten. No lie.” “It’s not that,” Ami replied, shaking her head. “I was feeling a bit homesick, that’s all. Mako-chan and the others are probably heading to Hikawa right about now.” “Hikawa?” “It’s the shrine where Rei-chan lives with her grandfather. I’m sure I must have mentioned it before.” “Oh, yes, the miko,” he said. “Did you send your friends greeting cards?” Ami nodded. She had spent practically the entire day after Christmas filling out the traditional New Year’s cards and mailing them off so that they would be sure to arrive on time. “I hope everybody got theirs today.” “I’m sure they did, and I know they’re thinking about you as well.” Ami smiled, feeling a little bit better. Still, she would probably call Makoto later that night, as well as her mother, who should have returned home from her conference a couple of days ago. It would be good to hear their voices again, even if they would be heading back to Tokyo on the second. “So, how much longer to the shrine?” she asked. By that time, everybody had wrapped up their respective conversations, and they were once again resuming their walk. “It‘s not much farther.” Akira pointed to a spot about half a mile away, where people were gathering in front of the shrine’s red torii. “See? There it is, the Tsukimine shrine.” “It’s crowded,” Ami remarked, impressed by the number. Hikawa never had as much business, not even on the first of the year. “It’s like this every year. This shrine is really popular.” The closer they came to the shrine, the more Ami realized Akira wasn’t kidding. The grounds of Tsukimine were filled with people, so much so that it was hard to walk without getting separated from the others. Akira grabbed Ami’s hand as they made their way toward the haiden, and she blushed, though nobody paid attention to them. When they finally reached the haiden, a family had just finished their prayers and was leaving, which luckily meant they didn’t have to wait for their turn. Ami joined the rest of the Kitagawas in front of the bell and clapped her hands together twice to call the attention of the kami before beginning her prayers. She had put a lot of thought into what she would pray for in the new year. Normally, her first prayer of the year asked for good grades and the protection of her friends in any upcoming battles, but, this year, she only had one fervent wish: ‘Please let Akira and me be together, now and always.’ Once she was finished, Ami looked over to her right, expecting to see her lover standing right beside her. However, she was surprised to see that Akira was actually over by one of the shrine’s many trees, his back against the trunk and his arms crossed over his chest. “You finished?” he asked, noticing her looking over at him. Ami nodded, putting a couple of coins in the offering box. “Did you already say your prayers, Akira?” “Onii-chan doesn’t believe in the existence of the Shinto gods,” Junko, who was standing to Ami’s left, answered for him. “That’s why he never participates.” “Oh. Well, you could still make a wish, Akira. I’m not a big believer myself in Shinto, but it’s fun to go through the traditional rituals, especially on New Year’s.” He shook his head. “That’s okay. I’d rather not indulge in superstition and whatnot. I just come because it makes Mama happy.” “Fuddy-duddy,” Junko said, rolling her eyes. She then leaned over, whispering in Ami’s ear, “You know, onii-chan stopped believing in Santa Claus when he was four years old.” “Really?” He had never told Ami that. The blonde teen nodded. “Mama and Papa still gave him gifts, though, which I think was totally unfair. The year I stopped believing in him, I didn‘t get anything special at all.” “Junko, what are you telling her?” Akira demanded to know, walking back over. “You better not be making up stories about me.” “Would I do something like that, onii-chan?” “In a heartbeat.” Junko stuck out her tongue, and Ami hid a smile. Akira and his sister reminded her so much of Usagi and her younger brother Shingo sometimes. “Well, anyway, I’m going to go buy a good luck charm from the booth,” Junko announced, pointing a thumb over her shoulder. “Ami-onee-chan, want to come?” Ami patted her satchel, which held the camera she had packed earlier. “Actually, I wanted to take some pictures of the shrine to show my roommate back home. You go on ahead, Junko-chan.” “Oh, I see…” Junko gave Ami a knowing wink. “I can take a hint. See you two later. Bye!” Watching his sister run off to join the back of one of the endlessly long lines, Akira sighed. “That girl…” he muttered good-naturedly before turning his attention back to Ami. “So, you wanted to take some pictures? I know of a great place.” He led Ami to a picturesque koi pond near the back of the grounds, which, fortunately, was not too crowded. Only a couple of young boys, their best suits wet and covered with grass stains, were laying along the bank, watching the fish in the pond swim through the water. A wooden bridge, worn with age but fairly sturdy, went over the small pond, and there were snow- covered trees all around, still beautiful despite their lack of foliage. “It’s perfect,” Ami said, digging the digital camera out of her satchel and handing it over to Akira. “Would you mind taking a few pictures?” “Sure. Go get on the bridge.” Ami walked over to the bridge, situating herself near the middle. Akira had moved to a spot behind the boys to get a better position, so she placed her hands on the right rail facing in their direction, giggling when one of the kids tried unsuccessfully to grab one of the fish swimming by and nearly fell in the water. A bright flash of light caught her by surprise. “Hey, I wasn’t ready yet,” she exclaimed, looking up to see Akira shrug. “What can I say? I like to capture beauty whenever it happens,” he said. To prove it, he brought the camera back up to his face and snapped another picture, that time of Ami glaring at him. “Beautiful.” “Akira! Erase that!” she squealed, hiding her face behind her hands. Ami didn’t mind posing for pictures, but she hated how she looked in candid photos. Usagi still had an awful photograph of her eating a hamburger that the blonde liked to show off at every opportunity. “No way! I’m going to get that one blown up. Do you know how sexy you are when you’re mad?” “Akira!” “Fine, we’ll do it your way,” he relented with a sigh, “but I’m still keeping that photo.” Akira took five more posed photographs of her, then they handed the camera over to the older of the boys so that they could take a couple of pictures together. The boy’s photos didn’t come out as well as the first ones, with Akira’s head cut off in most of them, but there was one that came out rather decently, if a bit off-center. Ami made sure to save it, hoping she remembered to print it out and delete it before she showed Makoto. She’d been wanting a photograph of her and Akira together for a long time, although she knew she wouldn’t be able to display it anywhere her roommate or friends might see it. “What do you want to do now?” Akira asked while Ami put the camera away. “Looks like everybody’s still busy, so we have time to kill before heading back to the house.” “We could always go buy a fortune at the booth,” she suggested, none too surprised when Akira vetoed the idea. He really didn’t like things like fortunes and good luck charms, did he? No wonder he always gave her his fortune cookie whenever they ordered Chinese. “Let’s just stay here,” he said, taking a seat on the bridge with his legs dangling so that they nearly, but not quite, touched the surface of the water. The boys had been dragged away from the pond by their irate mother soon after they finished taken the pictures, so they had the whole area to themselves. Ami had no objections, enjoying the peace and tranquility. Leaning against the rail, she looked down into the pond and sighed. “Is it true that you stopped believing in Santa when you were four?” Ami asked, Junko’s revelation from earlier returning to her mind. Akira craned his head upwards. “Is that what you two were whispering about back there?” he guessed, more amused than angry when she nodded. “Yes, it’s true. Guilty as charged.” “That’s pretty young.” “Yes, well, even at that age, I was a curious boy, always asking questions and wanting logical answers. I must have driven poor Mama and Papa absolutely insane that year, wanting to know how it was possible for one man to deliver toys to every child in only one night or how reindeer could fly. Unfortunately, they weren‘t able to provide the answers I wanted, so I stopped believing.” Akira shrugged, obviously thinking it was no big deal. “I’m sure you were the same way.” “Actually, I believed in Santa until I was seven,” Ami confessed, somewhat reluctantly. Even if she had figured out the truth before most of her peers, compared to Akira, she must have looked like the most gullible person in the world. “You did?” “You probably think that’s weird, don’t you?” “Not weird, just unexpected,” he replied. “Surely, Ami, you must have suspected…” “I had my doubts, sometimes,” she admitted, refusing to look down at him, “but otou-san always managed to explain it so it made sense to me. Whenever I would ask one of the questions you mentioned before, he would just say it was magic, and that was good enough for me.” “What caused you to stop believing, then?” Ami paused before answering, “That year I asked Santa to get my parents back together, and he didn’t. After that, I couldn’t believe anymore.” “Oh, Ami, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.” “No, it’s okay.” Wiping away a tear that some how managed to roll down her cheek, she pushed back the depressing memory of that Christmas to the dark recesses of her mind. It was New Year’s, a time to look ahead to the future, not dwell on the past. Besides, she had made peace with her parents’ divorce years ago. “So, you really don’t believe in anything without proof, do you?” Ami asked in an attempt to steer their conversation back in the original direction. Akira stood back up and shook his head. “I’m a scientist, Ami,” he declared as he came up beside her. “We’re trained to look at facts.” A frown crossed Ami‘s lips. Over the past week, ever since Akira told her that he loved her, Ami had seriously been debating whether or not she should tell Akira about her secret identity as Sailor Mercury. In fact, up until they arrived at the shrine, she thought she might even tell him the truth later that night, but that was before she realized the extent of his dislike for anything supernatural or illogical. She always knew it would be difficult to tell somebody she loved about her powers, but how was she supposed to explain them to somebody like Akira, who put his trust whole- heartedly in science? “But don’t you ever get the feeling that there are some things in this world that can’t be explained with facts?” she asked. “You mean something like a higher power at work?” “Well, I guess you could say that. Or magic.” “Magic?” Akira laughed. “Don’t tell me you actually believe something like magic really exists, Ami. That kind of stuff only belongs in manga and anime.” Embarrassed, Ami looked down at the pond underneath them. “Is it so unbelievable that I might?” she asked softly, her eyes following one of the golden fish swimming in the crystal blue water. “Actually, it kind of is,” he admitted. “I never thought you were the type to believe in that kind of thing. Are you telling me you truly believe magic exists, Ami? Real magic, and not the David Copperfield variety?” Her heart said “yes," but fear of Akira thinking she was stupid for believing so prevented Ami from saying the word aloud. Luckily, when she finally looked up from the pond, she spotted a pretty blonde teen waving to them from a couple of hundred feet away, saying something that was too faint to here. “I think Junko-chan’s trying to tell us it is time to leave,” Ami said, grateful for the interruption. “We better go back.” “Yeah, I guess we should. Akira took her arm, leading her over to where Junko was standing, and Ami sighed. It was definitely not the time to reveal her secrets. ***** Soon after waking, Makoto headed downstairs to retrieve the bundle of New Year’s greetings sitting in their mailbox. It was even larger than last year‘s, and, after fixing herself a cup of coffee, she sat down at the small island in the middle of the kitchen and began sorting the cards into two stacks, one for her and one for Ami. The hand-drawn card Ami had sent her was one of the last ones in the bunch. Makoto grinned when she saw it, recognizing her roommate’s handwriting immediately. It read, “Happy New Year, Mako-chan! I’m having a wonderful time in Nagano, but I miss you and the other girls terribly. I hope everything is going well at home, and I‘ll see you soon. Love, Ami,” and she had drawn a pair of dolphins at the top of the postcard. Even though the drawing wasn’t as intricate as the artwork Michiru had drawn on her greetings to them, it was obvious that Ami had inherited some of her artist father’s talent. “You look happy,” a male voice commented, its owner coming up behind Makoto and wrapping his arms around her shoulders. Makoto blushed faintly, placing Ami’s card face down on the table. She hadn’t expected Itto to wake up so soon. He had been sleeping so soundly when she got up to check the mail, she thought he would sleep for at least another hour or so. “Why shouldn’t I be happy?” she asked, swirling around on her stool so that she was facing her robe-clad boyfriend. “It’s a brand new year, and it’s already off to a great start.” Itto grinned. “We did have one heck of a celebration last night, didn’t we?” he teased. “No regrets?” Shaking her head, Makoto smiled softly as she remembered what had happened the night before. She never expected things to move as fast as they did, but ever since Itto confessed his feelings for her on Christmas Eve, they had practically been joined at the hip. It had really only been a matter of time before the saying took on a more literal meaning, and Makoto couldn’t have asked for a more romantic first time. “No regrets.” “Good.” Itto gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then walked over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup. “So, what’s on the agenda today? With Ami-san coming back in a couple of days, we really ought to take advantage of having this place all to ourselves, don‘t you think?” The idea certainly was tempting, but Makoto sighed, remembering what day it was. “I wish we could, but I promised Rei-chan and the others that I would come by Hikawa today for the first prayer of the year. Even though Ami -chan‘s not here, it‘s tradition.” “You don’t have to stay the whole day, do you?” Itto asked. “No, but if it’s busy enough, Rei-chan might ask us to stay and help out.” “Well, just tell her you can’t. I’m sure she’ll understand.” “You don’t mind going?” Makoto asked. “No, not at all.” Itto set down his half-drunk mug of coffee on the counter, then started back toward her bedroom. “Listen, I’m going to go get dressed, then head to my apartment to change into something more suitable. I’ll be back in about an hour.” Makoto smiled. “Okay. I’ll be waiting.” When Makoto and Itto arrived at Hikawa about an hour later, they found the shrine already filled with visitors arriving for their New Year‘s prayers. As far as Makoto could tell, the Tsukinos and Mamoru hadn’t arrived yet, more than likely being held up by sleepyhead Usagi, but a familiar blonde, spotting them when they arrived, excitedly waved to them from one of the booths where she was working. “Mako-chan! Mako-chan! Over here!” the girl shouted. “I do believe somebody is trying to catch your attention, Mako-chan,” Itto commented, smiling. Makoto sighed good-naturedly, used to Minako’s sometimes embarrassing behavior. “So it seems. Come on. We might as well say hello.” The two of them walked over to the booth where Minako had just finished selling a charm to a customer. To deal with the influx of patrons to the shrine during the usual New Year’s rush, Minako had volunteered her services as an honorary miko -- or had been manipulated into it, depending on who you asked -- for the week. “Akemashite, omedetou gozaimasu,” the blonde said as they walked up. “Akemashite, omedetou gozaimasu,” Makoto and Itto replied in unison. “Hey, Minako-chan. Where’s Rei-chan?” Makoto inquired, noticing the real miko of Hikawa was nowhere in sight. “Oh, her grandfather wanted her help with something, I think. She should be back in a few minutes,” Minako explained, turning her attention to Itto. A flirtatious smile crossed her lips. “Hello, Asanuma-kun. Nice to see you again. It’s been a while.” Itto nodded politely in acknowledgement. “You, too, Aino-san. Those robes suit you.” “You think?” Minako fluffed at her long blonde hair, obviously enjoying the male attention. “I always did think red was my best--” She suddenly paused, her eyes narrowing into slits as she stared at Makoto. “What, Minako-chan?” Her mouth spread into a huge smile. “You guys finally got together, didn’t you?” Makoto looked over at Itto, and the both of them blushed. “I knew it!” Still in shock that Minako was able to guess so quickly when she and Itto hadn’t even as much as held hands yet in her presence, Makoto asked, “How did you know?” “What are you talking about? I am Venus, the goddess of love; I know these things.” Leaning over the booth’s counter, Minako motioned Makoto to come closer so she could tell her something else. “Besides, you really need to work on hiding your jealousy better, Mako-chan,” she whispered in her ear. “You looked ready to bite my head off when Asanuma-kun complimented me. Classic girlfriend behavior.” “W-What? I-I did n--” Ignoring Makoto, Minako turned her attention back to Itto. “So, when did this happen? I want to know *all* the juicy details. Well, the PG-13 details, at least. What happens in the bedroom isn’t really any of my business, unless, of course, you don’t mind telling--” “Minako-chan, don’t you have work to do?” Makoto asked pointedly, cutting her off. Sometimes that girl had no sense of privacy. The blonde, apparently not getting the hint, reached under the counter and pulled out a sign, which she hung out in front of the booth. It read “Closed for lunch,” written in Rei’s familiar flowing calligraphy. “I’m on break,” Minako announced. “Now, spill.” “You know, I think I’ll leave you two girls to your girl talk for now,” Itto said, looking behind him. “I just saw Chiba-sempai coming through the torii, so I should go say hello.” Itto ran off before Makoto could protest, leaving her to face Minako -the-Nosy all by herself. Some boyfriend he was, but she couldn’t be too mad at him. She didn’t blame Itto for wanting to get away. “So? So?” Sighing, Makoto finally surrendered the details, knowing Minako wouldn‘t leave her alone until she did. “It was Christmas Eve. Itto-kun surprised me with a candlelit dinner at his place, and he confessed that he liked me as more than a friend. At first, I was a bit reluctant to take our friendship to the next level, but I finally realized I felt the same way, so here we are.” “Oh, that’s so romantic!” Minako swooned, clutching her hands to her chest. Makoto could have sworn she saw stars in her friend’s eyes. “I wish I had a guy who would do something like that for me. You’re so lucky, Mako- chan.” Glancing over her shoulder at Itto, who was talking with Mamoru and Usagi, Makoto smiled. She really was lucky to have found somebody so kind and caring as Itto. To imagine he was standing right in front of her eyes the entire time! “Yes, I guess I am.” “You’ve got it bad, girl.” With a loud sigh, Minako rested her head on the counter and pouted her lips. “I’m kind of jealous,” she admitted. “Both you and Usagi-chan have boyfriends now, and Rei-chan’s not interested in that kind of thing. Ami-chan and I are now the only ones still single and looking. It’s rather depressing.” “Actually, you’re the only--” Slapping a hand over her mouth, Makoto stopped herself just in time. She couldn’t believe she had almost revealed Ami’s affair with the married man separated from his wife, the secret she had promised her roommate she would keep from the others until Ami was ready to tell them. Unfortunately, Minako’s suspicions were already aroused. Her head shot up so fast, Makoto almost expected it to blast off into space. “I’m the only what, Mako-chan?” she demanded to know. “Nothing. Forget I said anything.” “No, you were going to say something.” Baby blue eyes widened. “You know something about Ami-chan, don’t you? Something she hasn’t told anybody else?” “No, of course not,” Makoto insisted, trying to figure out how to get out of the mess she had created. “You do, too! Ami-chan has a secret boyfriend, doesn’t she?” “Ami-chan? A boyfriend?” Makoto faked a loud laugh, scratching the back of her head. “Don’t be silly, Minako-chan! Ami-chan’s too devoted to her studies to have time for romance.” “Then where is she?” “You know she went to Hong Kong with her mother for that medical conference. She told us that at the last senshi meeting. She thought it would be a great learning experience.” “That’s what she *said*, but how do we know Ami-chan hasn’t gone off on some romantic rendezvous with a hunky lover?” “Minako-chan, this is Mizuno Ami we’re talking about. Does that *really* sound like something she would do?” “No,” the blonde was reluctantly forced to admit. “Then let it go.” A sigh of relief escaped Makoto’s lips when Minako, finally deciding to drop the subject, started telling her about her latest movie audition. That had been a close call. She certainly hoped Ami appreciated all the trouble she was going through to keep her secret. Makoto hated lying to her friends. A few minutes later, Rei came back, looking none too happy when she found the two of them chatting. “Aino Minako, what do you think you’re doing?” the raven-haired miko asked, hands on hips as she glared at the blonde. “Rei-chan!” Quickly, Minako turned the “Closed for lunch” sign around so that it now read “Open for business” and flashed Rei her most dazzling smile. “There you are! We were just wondering what was keeping you,” she lied in her best “I’m totally innocent” voice. Of course, Rei had been best friends with Minako for far too long to fall for such an act. “You’re supposed to be selling charms and fortunes, not gossiping with Mako-chan,” she scolded, joining Minako in the booth. “People have started to complain.” “Gomen nasai. I’ll get right back to work.” As a berated Minako turned around and started organizing a box of charms, Makoto bowed to Rei in greeting. “Akemashite, omedetou gozaimasu, Rei-chan.” “Akemashite, omedetou gozaimasu,” Rei reciprocated, though Makoto couldn’t help but think she sounded a bit tired. It was no wonder, considering how busy the shrine was. “Mako-chan, I’m sorry. We would love to talk more, but…” “I understand,” Makoto said, getting the message. “This is the biggest day of the year for Hikawa. I’m sorry for distracting Minako-chan from her work. I’ll catch up with you guys later, when it’s not so busy, okay? Ja ne!” She started to go rejoin Itto when Minako asked, “Hey, don’t you want to buy a fortune first?” Turning back around, Makoto shrugged and started digging for her wallet. She might as well, since she was already there and first in line. “Sure, I guess so. It’s the least I can do for all the trouble I’ve caused.” “Hold out your hand.” Makoto followed her instructions, and Minako began shaking a wooden container, chanting something that was probably meant to be some kind of prayer but sounded a lot like gibberish coming from Minako’s untrained mouth. When she finished, the honorary miko tilted the container so a stick fell in Makoto’s waiting hand. “So, what number did you get?” Minako asked. “Fourteen,” Makoto answered, looking down at the number printed on the end of the stick. “Fourteen, fourteen…” After a short search, she reached for a piece of paper sitting it the slot marked “14” and winked as she handed it over. “Here you go, Mako-chan, and may you have the best of luck in the new year.” “Thanks.” After paying for the fortune and promising Minako she would call later for some uninterrupted “girl talk,” Makoto headed over to where Itto stood waiting. Mamoru and Usagi were already gone. “Tsukino-san wanted to go find her family, so I told them we would catch up with them later,” Itto explained before Makoto even asked why her friends had left without saying “hello.” Noticing the folded piece of paper in her hand, he asked, “Did you buy a fortune from Aino-san?” “Hai.” “What did it say?” “I actually haven’t read it yet,” Makoto admitted. Unfolding the paper, she smiled and read the fortune aloud. “You will find love in the most unexpected place.” “Hey, I like the sound of that,” Itto said, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her close. She couldn’t agree more. ***** As Ami had mentioned to Junko at the party, she and Akira got an early start the next morning to head back home to Tokyo. While she was sad to leave Nagano and the people who already felt like family to her, Ami was also looking forward to seeing her mother and Makoto again, as well as the rest of her friends. She may have only been gone for a couple of weeks, but it seemed like so much longer. “I think that’s about it,” Akira announced as he placed the last suitcase in the trunk of Dr. Nakajima’s car and closed it. “Ami, are you sure you got everything?” She nodded, having just come back down from giving Junko’s room one final look-over before leaving. “That’s all.” “I guess it’s time to hit the road then.” “Akira, are you sure you and Ami-chan can’t stay a little while longer?” Mrs. Kitagawa called from her spot in the doorway. The rest of family had already said their goodbyes the night before and were still in bed. “At least stay until breakfast. I‘m sure everybody would like to see you one more time before you go.” “Mama, traffic’s bound to be bad, especially with all the snow we got New Year’s Eve. We should head out as soon as possible if we want to get back home at a decent hour. Besides, they‘re expecting another snowstorm to start around noon.” “All the more reason to stay an extra day and wait until the rest of the ice and snow clears up.” “We’ll be fine,” Akira assured her, coming back up to the door and kissing his mother on the cheek. “Goodbye, Mama. We’ll come up again during spring break.” “Promise?” “Promise.” Mrs. Kitagawa seemed much happier after that, giving her son a hug before turning her attention to Ami. “As for you, young lady, be good to my little boy, okay?” she said with a wag of her finger. “Don’t let him get too caught up in those experiments of his, and make sure he eats a good homemade meal every once in a while.” “I will, Izumi-mama,” Ami promised. It was the first time she had been able to call her that without stumbling, and Mrs. Kitagawa beamed, giving Ami a huge hug as well. “Oh, how wonderful it is to hear you call me that, Ami-chan! Perhaps it won’t be too long before you truly are my daughter, ne?” “Mama…” Akira sighed, reaching for Ami’s arm. “Come on, let go of her. You’re practically choking her.” “Oops, sorry!” Reluctantly, Mrs. Kitagawa released Ami from her tight embrace, not a moment too soon. Although Akira had most likely thought he was exaggerating when he said his mother was choking her, Ami had truly begun to feel a bit light-headed from the lack of oxygen. After Mrs. Kitagawa said her final goodbyes, she went back in the house and they headed toward the car. “Congratulations, you have officially survived a week with the Kitagawas,” Akira boomed in a fake announcer’s voice as he slid into the driver’s seat. “How do you feel, Mizuno Ami-san? Any permanent damage?” Ami giggled, buckling her seat belt. “Oh, come on, I loved your family. They weren‘t all that bad.” “Even ’Izumi-mama’?” he teased with a roll of his eyes. “Honestly, could you believe how many times she brought up the topic of marriage while we were here? Even when I told her we still had a long way to go before we could even consider taking that step, she still couldn’t resist bringing it up at least one more time before we left.” “She just wants you to be happy, Akira,” Ami said. “Yeah, yeah, I know.” After buckling his own seat belt, he put the key in the ignition and revved up the engine. “Ready to hit the road?” Ami nodded. “As long as you promise to drive more carefully than you did the day we left Tokyo. I‘d like to make it back alive, thank you.” Akira childishly stuck out his tongue, but, much to Ami’s relief, he took it slow as he backed out of the driveway and onto the road. Relaxed when she saw that he was more than capable of being a good driver when he wanted, Ami leaned back in her seat and sighed as she watched the house of Akira’s childhood eventually roll out of sight. She really would miss them -- even Izumi-mama. Ami didn’t know when, but, sometime on the drive home, she managed to fall asleep, tired from waking up so early. Perhaps it was a bit of Mrs. Kitagawa’s influence coming through, but she dreamed of a future Christmas Eve when, instead of a chessboard, Akira surprised her with a small box containing a brilliant marquis-cut diamond ring inside. The dream Ami was just about to accept his proposal when the real Ami felt the car come to a stop, causing her to open eyes. “Hey, we’re home, sleepyhead,” Akira announced softly, giving her a slight shake in case she wasn’t already up. “Time to wake up.” Stifling back a yawn, Ami rubbed her eyes and looked around, finding they were indeed in the parking lot in front of her apartment building. “Already?” she asked. “I slept the entire drive?” “Pretty much.” “Gomen,” she apologized, feeling a faint blush rise up to her cheeks. She hadn’t meant to be such poor company, especially considering the drive was the last chance they had to be alone together before they had to return to their world of lies and secret meetings. “I suppose I did wake us up a bit early this morning,” Akira said, chuckling as he put on a pair of sunglasses for disguise. “I thought the roads would be worse than they were. If you want, though, we can go back to my place and get a little more shut-eye before you go up. I can bring you back later.” As tempting as it was to steal a little more alone time, and it was, Ami shook her head and unbuckled her seat belt. “I shouldn’t. Mako-chan’s expecting me. I told her we would probably be back by nine. It’s still a little early, but I don’t want her to worry.” “Okay.” Leaning over, he kissed her briefly on the lips before getting out of the car to help her with her things. By the time Ami joined him, taking her time to push back the inevitable moment of goodbye, he had already pulled most of her bags out of the trunk. The only thing left was her ski equipment tied to the top of the car, but she told Akira to leave it where it was. She would pick that up later. There was no way she would be able to make it up to the penthouse alone with both her skis and her suitcases without taking more than one trip. “I wish you could come up with me,” Ami sighed, taking advantage of their last few moments together as she snuggled up against him in a close embrace. “Now that I’ve met your family, I want you to meet Mako-chan and all my friends. I hate all this sneaking around, absolutely hate it.” “Perhaps someday, Ami,” Akira murmured into her hair, his voice wistful. “For now, we’ll have to settle for the memories of the last couple of weeks, when we finally got the chance to be a normal couple.” “Will we ever get that chance again?” “Of course we will. I promise.” They stayed like that for a long moment, holding one another in each other’s arms, until Ami finally, reluctantly pulled away. Even though Akira was virtually unrecognizable underneath his sunglasses and the ski cap he wore over his hair, they still couldn’t take any more chances than absolutely necessary. “I guess I better go now,” she said, throwing a duffel bag over her arm and picking up her suitcase. “Do you need any help up to your place?” She shook her head. “No, I can make it. Besides, it’s too risky for you to come inside.” “Right.” Despite what she said, Ami’s feet remained firmly in place, her brain telling her to go inside while her heart urged her to stay where she was. Was this what love was like, the feeling that she never wanted to be apart from the one she loved, even if it was only for a short while? They had parted many times before in the past, but none of those times had seemed…so painful. Akira seemed to have the same difficulty saying goodbye. He had pulled out his keys again, but he made no movement to get back in the car, instead, taking a few steps toward her. His hand reached up to cup her cheek, and Ami’s free hand joined it, pressing it against her skin. “We’re being silly, aren’t we?” he asked, chuckling. “We’ll more than likely see each other tomorrow, yet it feels like an eternity away, doesn’t it?” “It does,” she agreed. “After all the time we spent together, it’ll be strange to go back to our normal lives. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like to come back to my place? I’m sure your roommate would understand if you‘re a few hours late.” “No, I really should go,” Ami said, forcing herself to let go of her grip on his hand. “So you keep saying…”Akira laughed, but he eventually brought his hand back down to his side and chastely kissed her cheek, probably knowing that if he did anymore, they would never leave the parking lot. “I’ll see you later, Ami.” “Yes, definitely.” Sighing, Ami waited until the car was out of site before grabbing the rest of her things and heading upstairs. DISCLAIMER: “Sailor Moon” is the property of Takeuchi Naoko. AUTHOR’S NOTES: Any comments and criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. Special thanks to my editors, Samuraiter/I Abibde and Starsea.