Transformations of Time A Sailor Moon fanfic by Beholder Standard disclaimers apply. I do not own Sailor Moon, those characters are owned by Naoko Takeuchi. All other characters are owned by me. Thanks go to: DQBunny, Lady Snowbreeze, Lady Amethyst, and many others for editing/critiquing DQBunny, Ajax, Elizabeth Turkwood, Tim Nolan, and John "P-chan" Laughlin for writing some very good stories that inspired me to write this, and some ideas which I borrowed from those stories, changed and incorporated into mine. CAUTION: This chapter contains lemon/hentai content! Notes: I am using the Japanese names. I have modeled the Japanese high school calendar after the USA high school calendar, just because I was more familiar with it and since I based my timelines on it, it's too late to change it now. Urawa Ryo's English name was Greg, for those who don't know. Please send any comments and criticism to: beholder@icwf.org Chapter 1c: Ami's Lessons in Love "This year's valedictorian, Mizuno Ami!" the older man's voice announced. Rei looked up at the stage, letting her memories of Makoto's troubles fade away. She was thinking about how much they had all changed over the past two years as she saw her blue-haired friend walk up the stairs on the left, with the help of the graduate in line behind her. She slowly walked across the stage, her robe flowing behind her, and with a large gold medallion hanging from her neck. She accepted her diploma, shook the headmaster's hand and walked across to the other set of stairs. The graduate that preceded her was standing alongside the stairs, and offered his hand to Ami. As Ami pressed her gown close to her body, took his hand, looked down to the stairs and began to carefully descend them, Rei couldn't help but feel proud of her friend for having such strength. A strength for rising above something that would've destroyed the lives of most other girls her age. After the incident with Galaxia, life for Ami went pretty much as it always had. She was always reading, always studying something, and aside from the time she spent with the other senshi, she pretty much stayed home. This wasn't to mean that Ami was not happy. She had always been studious, even to the point of the other senshi poking a little fun and trying to get her to come out of her shell or out of whatever book she had her nose in. Ami rarely put up much resistance, because there was a small part of her that wished she could be as carefree as the others, enjoy life, know love, and let her own ideas about romance surface. The only times she was truly able to let the hidden parts of her psyche come to the surface was when she wrote letters to Urawa Ryo. Up to that point, he had been the closest thing she even had to a boyfriend. She had let him see parts of herself that she was too shy to let anyone else see, even Usagi and the others. Even though it was her first taste of love and romance, it was far too short of one. Shortly after they began their relationship, Ryo had moved away to Germany with his family. They kept in touch, writing often. Ami usually had something in the mail from him a couple of times a month. Ami always enjoyed his letters, but she missed his voice. She tried to get the courage up to call him on the phone, but thought her mother would have a cow over the bill. She saw Ryo one other time when he came for a visit, but after that, they just wrote letters back and forth. In October of her junior year, Ami did not receive a letter from Ryo all month. This concerned her greatly, because he was always prompt about writing. The last letter she received from him mentioned something about another move, this time to America. Chicago, she remembered, was where his father had gotten a new job. But after that letter, nothing! Ami continued to write letters, hoping that maybe one just got lost in the mail, but in November, she received one of her letters back, unopened, with "Return to Sender ? Addressee unknown" written on it. Ami felt her heart sink when she read those words on the envelope. She could only assume that there was no way he could have his mail forwarded and she would just have to wait for him to contact her again. The thought that he simply didn't want to talk to her again briefly crossed Ami's mind, but she refused to accept that, because of how close they had been until then. Ami's gloomy mood followed her for the rest of the day, even to the senshi study meeting at Rei's that night. Everyone was sitting at the small table they studied at, and everyone was working hard, even Usagi, which was quite a surprise. Ami was very impressed though about how seriously she had started to take her schooling. Unfortunately, Ami just sat there that night, and flipped through a textbook, her head laid down on the table, looking at the pages she continued to flip them. "Ami-chan?" Rei asked, but Ami did not reply. "Ami-chan!" she repeated. This time, Ami turned her eyes up to Rei. "What's wrong? You seem a million miles away." Ami said nothing, but took the envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Rei, then laid her head back down on the table and sighed. Rei read the envelope and let everyone else see it as well. "It's probably nothing to worry about, Ami-chan," Minako said. "Yeah, maybe he's just busy with his big move that you told us about," Usagi added. Ami sighed deeply again. "Yeah, you're right. I should wait a little longer before I start to worry too much," she said as she looked back up at them with a comforted smile. She seemed reassured, but to Rei, it seemed like she was just covering up the pain inside. By the end of January, Ami still had not received any word from Ryo. She finally gave up on him, thinking he'd forgotten about her or found someone new. She felt very hurt and dejected, but she found solace in her studies. She continued to study with her usual enthusiasm and quickly drew several chapters ahead of everyone else in her class. Ami's junior year ended, once again with her earning a perfect score in all her classes. Ami spent most of that summer with the other senshi, going to the beach, out to the teen clubs, and hanging out in the malls in the shopping district. As much fun as she had with her friends, she was very eager to begin her senior year. She started her senior year much as she started all of her years of school, digging straight into her class textbooks and trying to get as far ahead as she could. The semester began the final week of August and by mid-September, the first exams of the year were given in Government, Physics, and Calculus. Ami had been prepared for them since the end of the last week of August. She was confident going into the exams, and as usual, she emerged with perfect scores on all three tests. A new name appeared on the exam result sheets though, and it caught Ami's attention for two reasons. First, it was not a typical Japanese name, Scott Wilson. Second, he came in second on all three exams with 99's. As she stood in the hallway with several others checking their exam results, her mind went into overdrive. "This Scott Wilson person is pretty good. He's very smart. I wonder what he's like?" she thought to herself. Suddenly, she was bumped from behind as the crowd began to grow. "Excuse me," came an unfamiliar voice with a very odd accent, yet excellent Japanese. Ami turned around to excuse herself and what she saw made her gasp and stop. Behind her was standing a boy, about her age, with short dark blonde hair, big green eyes, clear tanned skin, a wide and kind smile, and a hint of a five-o'clock shadow. He was wearing a dark green and gold polo T-shirt, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, brand new tennis shoes, and a gold chain around his neck with a pendant in the shape of a chess piece?a knight. His facial features definitely were not Japanese, they were more Western. That wasn't what made her gasp. Something about the way he looked at her made her get butterflies. She felt silly as she quickly looked him up and down and blushed as she caught his gaze again. "How did you do?" he asked her. "Huh?" she said, her emotions, thoughts and confusions swirling in her head. "The exams. How did you do?" he asked her again. Ami clenched her eyes closed for a second and said to the myriad of voices and thoughts running rampant through her head, "Silence!" Once she regained her senses, she opened her eyes, looked deeply into his again, and said, "I got all 100's." He looked up from her to the results with a look of astonishment and then back down at her. "You're Ami Mizuno?" he asked. "Hai, but we say our names surname-first in Japan. I'm Mizuno Ami. Ami is my first name, not my last, like you said. It's really confusing for?you must be Wilson Scott! Err, Scott Wilson, I mean," she began to blush a deep red. Not only was she babbling, but she made the same mistake he did. "Gomen nasai, I'm babbling." "Don't worry about it, Ami," he said and held out his hand. "Pleased to meet you." She reluctantly returned the Western greeting, and then bowed to him quickly. He got the hint and returned her bow. "I seem to be learning something new every day, especially Japanese hairstyles." She looked at him confused for a second, then realized he was talking about the blue tint to her hair. "Oh! Hai!" "That's a very good dye job, I must say." "Um, this is my natural color, Wilson-san." "What? You're kidding." "Iie." "That's amazing! The only blue-haired girls I ever met got their color from a bottle." "Are you new to Juuban High, Wilson-san?" she asked feeling the butterflies in her stomach multiplying as she slowly walked out of the growing congregation around the exam results sheet. Scott followed as she slowly walked down the hall. "Yeah, I'm an exchange student from Dover, Delaware." He gave her a strange look. "You know where that is, right?" She nodded enthusiastically, the smile growing on her face. "Hai! I am very good at World Geography." Scott looked back at the exam results. "From the looks of it, you're very good as a lot of things." "Hai! But you did very well also," she said, returning the compliment. "How long are you in Japan for, Wilson-san?" "Just this semester, and please, call me Scott." "Hai!", she said, blushing. "Have you looked at joining any clubs or teams?" "Hai, I'm on the school baseball team!" "Wow!" "We have a game Friday night. Why don't you come out and watch?" "Oh, I have studying to do," she said, casting her eyes down to the floor. Inside her head though, the part of her that wanted to go to the game to see him was berating the part of her that was so dedicated to her studies. "What subject?" he asked. "World History. It's my weakest subject." "What kinds of scores do you get on those exams?" She looked up, quickly. "Oh! I usually get 100's on those as well, but it doesn't come as easily as my other subjects." "I see," he said, eyeing her with a raised eyebrow. "Gomen, Scott-san, I didn't mean to boast." She cast her eyes down to the floor again, realizing she stuck her foot in her mouth again. "I didn't take it as boastful." He said, smiling down on her as she looked up again. She looked into his eyes and felt the butterflies swirling yet again. "How's this sound: Come to the game and watch me play, then afterwards we can go somewhere and study together and I'll spring for burgers. What do you say?" "You mean?.like?..a?..d-date??" she stammered. "A study date, sure!" The addition of the word "study" seemed to relax Ami a bit, although the word "date" made her blush and tremble a bit as her insecurities started to surface. "What's wrong? Why are you shaking?" Scott asked her. "Surely you've been on a date before." "Iie. Not really." "Well, there is a first time for everything! Relax! It'll be a good time! Hopefully we can also celebrate a game victory as well!" Ami stopped by a doorway leading to her next class. Scott stopped as well, but a step too late. Ami looked up at him with a smile. "I'd like that," she finally said, almost forcing the words out. Scott smiled back. "Great! See you Friday after school. We'll be at the school field. Be sure to cheer loud for us!" "Hai! I will!" "Take care of yourself, Ami!" "You too, Scott-san." "I told you, 'Scott' will do." "Gomen nasai. Take care, Scott." He tipped an imaginary hat at her and walked away down the hallway. Ami blushed again and sighed as he walked away, then went in to her class. Makoto sat in the seat right behind her and had a full view of the end of her conversation in the hall. Ami walked in and sat down and sighed. "He's so kawaii, Ami-chan," Makoto whispered tauntingly to Ami. Usagi, who was a few seats ahead of Ami, but in a position that she could not see the exchange in the hallway, turned around quickly. "Ami-chan??" she asked. Ami said nothing, but blushed at the sudden attention and tried to sink in her chair. "Ami-chan's got a boyfriend," Makoto whispered to Usagi, still taunting Ami, who was trying to sink even lower in her seat. Usagi simply raised and lowered her eyebrows a couple of times at Ami, which made her blush a very deep shade of crimson as the teacher called the class to order. Friday afternoon seemed to come very quickly to Ami. After her last class, she grabbed her books and headed out to the field, hoping that Usagi and the others wouldn't notice. No such luck. From behind her, Usagi, Minako, and Makoto ran up behind her. "Where ya going, Ami-chan?" Ami stopped, startled and stammered out, "G-going to t-the baseball field." "Gonna see your boyfriend?" Minako asked. "Not you, too, Minako-chan," Ami whined. Minako simply nodded. "Can we come along and check him out, too?" Makoto asked. "Nani?!" Ami cried. "Oh, don't worry, Ami-chan. We just want to check him out," Usagi said. "If you must," Ami sighed and continued walking out of the building. "Hey, Ami-chan!" a voice called from far away as Ami and the others were descending the steps to the school lawn. Ami looked to where the voice came from. "Rei-chan?" Ami gasped. Rei ran up and joined her friends. "Hey, Ami-chan!" "What are you doing here, Rei-chan? Don't you have to take care of the shrine today?" Ami asked, pleadingly. "Usagi called me last night and told me you had a boyfriend, and to come and give my opinion of him." Ami sighed and shook her head as they all walked to the baseball diamond where a crowd was already forming. They climbed into the bleachers and sat right in the center of the bleachers that were closest to first base. As the Juuban High team streamed out onto the field, Usagi, Rei, Minako, and Makoto all started asking which one he was and where. Ami rolled her eyes, then started looking for Scott and saw that he was, ironically enough, on first base. Ami pointed him out to the others who locked onto him with their eyes, and immediately they all sighed. "He's so kawaii!" Minako said. "Wow!" was all Rei could manage to say. "He looks just like my sempai," Makoto said, dreamily as Usagi poked her in the side. "Hey!" Ami could do nothing but facepalm and sweatdrop as her friends ogled Scott. As the game went on, though, the girls all regained their composure and watched as Scott and the rest of the team put on a great performance, but the score stayed 0-0 through most of the game. Then in the next to last inning, no outs, the bases were loaded and the opponents were at bat. It was three balls and two strikes and the Juuban team was in a bind. The pitcher threw the pitch and the batter nailed it, but sent it directly into the glove of the shortstop. The batter was out, the shortstop lobbed it to the second baseman and got the second out. Then the second baseman hurled it right to Scott and got the third out! The crowd all jumped to their feet to cheer the incredible triple play, including Ami and her friends who were all cheering loudly. As the Juuban players headed back for the dugout, Scott looked up to the crowd and pointed right to Ami. Ami was shocked and couldn't believe it. She glanced to her sides, then pointed to herself and mouthed, "Me?" to him. He nodded and pointed again. The butterflies that were in her stomach a few days ago when she met him in the hall were back and fluttering something fierce. She blushed and smiled as he disappeared into the dugout. The next thing Ami realized was Rei was standing next to her, trying to pull her back down to her seat. "Ami-chan!" she whispered. Ami then realized that she had been staring out at the field and everyone else had already sat down. She was the only one still standing. She quickly sat down and blushed yet again. The final inning began with the Juuban team at bat. The first two batters managed to only get singles and there were runners on first and second. The next two batters struck out. Then Scott came up to bat. The entire crowd was cheering, including Ami, Usagi, Rei, Makoto, and Minako. His first pitch was a ball, then the second was a strike. Shouts of encouragement came down from the stands, including Ami's encouragements. Between the second and third pitches, he glanced up and Ami swore he was looking at her. Then he turned to the pitcher and on the third pitch, he drilled the ball deep into right field. The right fielder ran back to catch it, and jumped with his glove outstretched, but only caught a piece of the ball as it glanced off the glove and fell to the ground with a plop. The Juuban crowd went nuts and jumped to their feet as Scott and the other two on base ran furiously around the field, touching the bases. The first two runners made it, but as Scott was rounding third, the ball had been recovered and was on its way to home plate. Scott saw it coming and poured on the speed, then lunged and slid into home just as the ball got to the catcher. A huge cloud of dust exploded around the base, but everyone saw and heard the umpire give the call: "Safe!" The crowd exploded once again with cheers! Scott pulled himself up to his feet and ran for the dugout, high-fiving his teammates the whole way, then paused and turned to the crowd again and looked Ami straight in the eyes again. She felt her heart jump up into her throat as he gave her a smile, then disappeared into the dugout again. As he disappeared, Rei suddenly got an odd feeling, and stopped clapping while everyone else in the stands were still going crazy. The bottom of the final inning was the final nail in the coffin for the opponents as the Juuban team took them down with three straight outs. The crowd erupted with the victory and the team rejoiced on the field, then the coach herded them into the school and it got quiet again as the crowd dispersed, only Ami, Usagi, Makoto, Minako, and Rei remaining. Ami was hoping to talk to Scott after the game about their study date, but as the minutes passed, it became clear that the post-game meeting was going to be a long one. Ami finally gave up on him and went home with her friends. They dropped Ami off at her apartment building and said goodbye and she reminded them of the study meeting tomorrow at the shrine, which got a round of groans, most especially from Usagi. Ami walked into the building and rode the elevator up to her floor, thinking about Scott the whole time. She was finding it hard to believe that he would actually show up for their study date, but after the looks he gave her at the game, she halfway was convinced that he would. She stepped out of the elevator and entered the apartment she shared with her mother. Her mother was running around and looking like she was getting ready to go to work. "Hi, mom! What's going on?" she asked her mother as she dropped her books on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to make a sandwich and glass of juice. "Oh, Ami, I am so sorry, but they called me in to work," she answered in disappointment. "But tonight was supposed to be your night off?" "Dr. Itou got called to an emergency in Yokohama, so it's my turn as fill-in. Gomen nasai. I'll make it up to you, sweetie," she said, then kissed Ami on the forehead in the kitchen and ran for the front door, only pausing to say, "Ja ne!", then closing the door behind her. Ami stood in the doorway of the kitchen, looking to the doorway where her mother just disappeared through and felt sad that her mother had to work so much. It was times like this that she questioned whether or not she wanted to be a doctor like her mother, or whether she wanted to be a doctor, but in a different field that wouldn't take her from any future family she might have. Ami sat down at the coffee table, arranged her books and food accordingly, then took a bite of the sandwich and cracked her books open. No sooner had she gotten a second bite in her mouth than the phone rang. "Rats!" she thought to herself. "The phone would have to ring when I had food in my mouth." She quickly chewed and swallowed as much of the bite as she could, then on the third ring, grabbed the phone. "Hello?" "Mizuno Ami?" the male voice on the other end said. "Hai." "This is Scott!" Ami nearly dropped the receiver. "He called!" she thought to herself. She swallowed the rest of the bite of food she was working on, then said into the phone, "Hi! I didn't think you'd call!" "Of course! I always keep my promises. Still up for cheeseburgers and some studying?" "Hai!" He heart began to pound in anticipation, which made her just that much more nervous. She began to tremble. "Great! I'm at this burger place called Homework's. Know where it is?" "Hai!" "Perfect! Want to meet me there in thirty minutes?" "Hai! Oh, Scott-san?" "That's just 'Scott', remember?" "Gomen. Scott, how did you get my number?" "There's only so many Mizuno's in Minato-ku." "Ah, OK." "I'll see you in a bit?" "Hai!" "OK! Ja ne!" "Ja ne, Scott!" She hung up the phone and really started to tremble. He actually did call! She pinched herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. When she was confident that it wasn't a dream, she gathered her books together, put the rest of the sandwich and juice into the refrigerator, and headed out the door, making sure to lock it behind her. The walk to the restaurant he chose took a lot less time than Ami anticipated, which didn't give her much of a chance to calm down. Her heart was racing and the nervousness she felt was getting worse with each step. She rounded the corner to the restaurant and through the window, she saw him. Scott was sitting there by a window, with a soda, drinking it and had a history book open. She suddenly felt short of breath and ducked back around the corner. She was puzzled and a little perturbed by how she was acting. She kept reminding herself that this was just a study session. Nothing more. It took a few minutes, but she finally calmed down and got her mindset together. She turned back around the corner, went into the building, and approached where Scott was sitting. "Kon'nichiwa, Scott." Scott looked up from his book and smiled. "Ami! Please, sit!" He gestured to the other side of the booth. She bowed slightly and sat down. She arranged her books as a waitress walked up to the table. "Are you ready to order?" the waitress asked. "Yes, we'd like two cheeseburgers and fries." "Very well," the waitress said, then turned to Ami. "Can I get you something to drink?" "Water would be fine," the blue-haired girl replied, cracking her history book open. The waitress nodded and walked away. Scott turned to Ami. "So, what did you think of the game, Ami?" Ami wanted to look up, but she knew that if she looked into his eyes, she'd turn to jelly. "You are an excellent athlete, Scott. The team must be very happy to have you." "Thanks. I played a lot of baseball back at my high school in the States. We even won the state championship last year." Ami finally could resist no longer. She looked up and immediately caught his gaze and the butterflies started flitting around her stomach. "R-Really? That's v-very impressive!" "Do you play any sports, Ami?" "W-well, I swim, but other than that, no." "Any other clubs?" "I'm in the computer club and chess club. Speaking of that, you have a very interesting necklace." Scott looked down at the knight chesspiece pendant on his gold necklace. "Oh, thanks! I'm a bit of a chess buff. I'm not that good, though. Say, you wouldn't want to give me some pointers on chess, would you? There's a tournament back home next semester." "Sounds exciting! Have you been in the tournament before?" "Yeah, but I didn't get very far." "I'd be happy to teach you a few things." Wait, did I just say that, Ami thought. "That'd be great! What are you doing next Friday night?" "N-next Friday night?" Her heart began to pound in her chest again and she began to tremble again. "Gomen, I didn't mean to startle you," Scott said, seeing her begin to tremble a bit. "No, I'm just not used to this much attention." "It's OK. We can just study for a while and you can think about it," he said with a kind smile on his face, which made Ami feel a little better. "Arigato," she said, with a slight blush. "So, what do you need help with in World History?" He began to tell her his difficulties understanding some parts of Japanese and Russian history and Ami was very happy to help him and guide him through his questions, and the several others that came up in the discussion. They spent the next two and a half hours, discussing World History, but also talking about their families, and their dreams. Scott came from a fairly typical family, his father and mother had been married ever since he could remember and seemed happy. He had an older and a younger brother, and a pet Doberman. He also was a very popular kid in his school, which was something he both enjoyed and despised. He dreamt of one day becoming a movie director, or working in Hollywood in some fashion, which captivated Ami. Ami told him of her family situation, that she lived alone with her mom, and that she wanted to be a doctor, like her mother. At about ten o'clock, they gathered their books together and left the restaurant because they were about to close. They walked outside and along the sidewalk, heading back to Ami's apartment building. As they approached Ami's home, Scott asked, "So, did you think about it?" "About what?" "Teaching me more about chess?" "Oh! Hai!" "Next Friday night, then?" "Hai!" "Great! Take care! See you Monday at school!" Scott began to walk away as he left Ami at the main door of the building. "Hai! Ja ne, Scott!" Ami watched him walk away, and smiled to herself. She made her way back up to the apartment, let herself in, went to her room, dropped her books on the floor, and stretched out on her bed, with a smile of contentment on her face. She was so happy that she didn't goof up too badly. She usually would stick her foot in her mouth in one way or another, but she was so proud of herself for keeping cool and keeping the conversation going through dinner. The next day, at the senshi study meeting, Ami showed up at the shrine. Rei and Makoto were already there and just getting set to start. "Kon'nichi wa, minna-chan!" she said happily as she sat down at the little table in the room and arranged her books. "So, Ami-chan, did you see your boyfriend last night?" Makoto said, still taunting Ami a bit. Ami dropped her pencil and looked her square in the eye. "He's not my boyfriend??yet," she answered with a sinister gleam in her eye. "Nani?" Makoto asked. "He's so kawaii," Ami said, dreamily. "We had a study session last night and it was very?" "Exciting?" Makoto said. "Sexy?" Rei added, getting a chuckle from Makoto and causing Ami to blush. "?intriguing," Ami said, flatly. Rei and Makoto rolled their eyes. "That is definitely something you'd say about a first date," Makoto said, disappointed. "We just studied!" Ami said, defensively. "Schoolwork or each other?" "Mako-chan!" gasped Ami. "OK, OK." "Arigato. Can we study now?" There was a long silence as Makoto and Ami started to flip through their books and find the work they needed to do. Rei was looking at Ami with her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. "Ami-chan?" Rei said, quietly. Ami looked up. "Be careful." "Nani?" Ami asked, puzzled. "Ami-chan, I didn't want to say this, but for a second at the baseball game, I got this really weird vibe from him. I can't explain, but he might not be all that he seems." "Rei-chan, we talked for several hours last night and we told each other a lot about ourselves. I think I know him pretty well. He has a good family, terrific dreams of what he wants to be, and he seems very kind." "I know, Ami-chan, but please be careful. You're not that experienced in matters of love. I don't want to see you hurt." "Arigato, Rei-chan." They exchanged kind smiles, then dug into their work as Minako and Usagi finally showed up. The next Friday, Ami and Scott met at her apartment, and they played several games of chess as Ami's mother watched TV, grateful for finally having a night off. She'd been working a lot of night shifts that week, and she was finally able to put her feet up. Unfortunately for Scott, Ami wiped the board with him several times. After only four quick games, Scott decided to call it a night. He grabbed his coat as Ami jumped up, feeling like she had offended him somehow. "Gomen nasai, Scott!" "What for, Ami?" "I feel bad because I beat you so many times." "Don't feel bad about it, Ami. I told you I wasn't a great player. But I think the only way I am going to get better is to get my butt kicked a few times." Ami smiled, relieved somewhat. "I suppose. I'll try to go a little easier on you next time," she said with a little wink. Did I just wink at him, she thought. He smiled back. "Speaking of next times, want to do this again, next week, or would you rather help me study more History? We have a big exam coming up in a few weeks." "Whichever you want!" "Great! Next Friday, then?" "Hai!" "Goodnight, Ami." He walked out of the door and closed it behind him, giving her one last smile and looking straight into her eyes before closing it. "He seems like a nice boy," Ami's mother said. "Hai," Ami responded. "It's late, mom. I think I am gonna turn in." "Okay, precious. Goodnight!" Ami gave her mom a kiss before retiring to her room, changing, and climbing into bed. The next Friday night, Scott came by Ami's place and the night was spent doing studying for a while, then a game of chess, then more studying, then more chess. Ami's mother was home, but in bed because she pulled a double-shift the night before and that morning. It was the final game of the night and once it was over, Scott had to go back to where he was living during his exchange period. Scott was not in good shape. Ami had most of her pieces still on the board, and Scott was reduced to the king, a knight, and two pawns. After a few more moves, Ami stuck the fork in him. "Checkmate!" she said as Scott deflated from being beaten once again. "How do you do it?" he asked. "Well, I just plan and anticipate. Something you need to develop." They began to clean up the board and put the pieces away when they suddenly reached for the same piece. Ami put her fingers on the piece right before Scott, who ended up putting his fingers gently around her hand. Ami looked up at him, startled, and recoiled her hand. Scott gave her a funny look. "Did I hurt you?" "N?.N?.." The words caught in her throat, she nervously shook her head. It had felt like a jolt of electricity had gone from his hand to hers and out of reflex, pulled her hand away her heart began to race and she felt nauseous from the butterflies. Damn those butterflies, she thought, cursing mentally to herself. "Ami?" Scott said, softly, placing his hand, palm down, right in the center of the board. "I don't bite." Ami glanced over to him and his hand and smiled. After a second, she looked up at him and caught his gaze. It looked like a pleading gaze. He turned his view down to his hand on the board, then back into her eyes again. Ami slowly moved her hand back up and reluctantly put it on the board at her end. Then, glancing between his gaze and their hands, she slowly moved her hand closer to his, inching very slowly. Finally, their fingernails touched, and Ami began to get very nervous. She had never been this intimate with a boy before, and it was scary, yet exciting at the same time. She kept reminding herself that Scott was the perfect mix of brains and brawn, what any girl would want, especially her. With a sudden burst of emotion, Ami pushed her hand forward and barely laced her fingers with his. He began to rub her fingers, and it made Ami's heart go into overdrive once again. She looked up and caught his gaze. He was smiling warmly at her. "There. That's not so bad, is it?" She smiled back and shook her head. She laced her fingers with his further, and smiled down as she rubbed his fingers, tenderly in response. She looked up at him and saw him smile at her, and she returned it, but then his smile suddenly faded away into an almost blank look. She followed suit, more out of curiosity and a tinge of fear about what he was thinking. He began to rise from the pillow on the floor he was sitting and leaning over on the coffee table, inching closer to her. Ami's head was asking, "What's he doing?", while at the same time, her heart knew and Ami found herself leaning further over the table. As their faces drew closer, Scott could see Ami's eyes darting from his eyes, down to his lips, then back up. Their faces got so close that they could feel the other's breath on their skin. Their lips were only a couple of inches apart. Something inside Ami was preventing her from making those last couple of inches, although she desperately wanted to. He looked at her, seeing the indecision in her eyes, then made the decision for her. He lunged forward and pressed his lips against hers, only for a second, then drew back. She looked at him with an expression of surprise. Then she slowly moved forward and pressed her lips against his and held them there for a few seconds, then moved back, slowly. In her head, the dominating thought on her mind was that she hoped she had done it right. His smile told her what she needed to know, and she smiled back to him. "Wow!" was the only thing she could say to him, in a low whisper. He pushed forward and kissed her again, longer this time, and let his lips toy with hers a bit with light and soft kisses. She responded in kind, trying to learn while doing, following his lead. They trading toying kisses for a couple of minutes, then they drew away from each other and leaned back into their seats. Ami's nervousness was still present, but mostly calmed down. The only thing she was nervous about was wondering what was on his mind, and what he was planning on doing next. After they gazed at each other and smiled for a few seconds, she got her answer. He suddenly stood and picked up his books. "I'm sorry, Ami, but I need to get home. I have a game tomorrow. I'd love it if you came." Ami stood as well and walked with him to the door. "Hai! I'd love to be there!" He leaned down to her and gave her one last, long, lingering kiss, then gave her a peck on the forehead as he stood back up. "See you tomorrow." "Ja ne," she sighed as he walked out the door and she closed it. Over the next few weeks, the relationship between Scott and Ami continued to slowly blossom. Ami always attended Scott's baseball games, either with or without her friends. They began to go out on real dates, as well as the study and chess dates they had. In time, Ami's pupil began to do much better both in World History and in chess. Scott's pupil, on the other hand, became much more comfortable with being touched, kissed, and held by him. One day in mid-November, Usagi, Makoto, and Minako were coming in from lunch and their jaws dropped when they saw Ami and Scott standing by his locker, standing very close to one another and talking, then suddenly, they kissed! Right in the hallway! They broke the kiss after several seconds, then Ami looked down the hallway and saw Usagi and the others. "Kon'nichi wa, minna-chan!" she yelled to them. They were too dumbstruck to respond. Ami and Scott said something briefly, then Ami walked closer to her friends as Scott turned and headed down the hall in the other direction. When Ami finally got to her friends, she saw that they were all still in a state of shock. "What's wrong, minna?" she asked. "Y-you kissed him!" Usagi exclaimed. "In the hallway!" Makoto added. "On the mouth!" Minako whispered. "Yeah? And?" Ami said, puzzled. "Are you the same Mizuno Ami that we know, or are you some sort of robot clone?" Usagi said. "Nani?" Ami said. "You're being silly, Usagi-chan." "But the Mizuno Ami we know would be terrified to be seen kissing a boy in a public place!" Makoto exclaimed. "Hm. People change, Mako-chan," Ami said, turning on her heel and walking to her classroom with a smile on her face. "That man deserves a medal!" Usagi said, astonished. "I heard that, Usagi-chan!" Ami said behind her. Ami and Scott's relationship continued to get closer. Scott even gave Ami the knight necklace as a token of affection. Then, one Friday night in early December, Ami and Scott were once again at her apartment, doing some studying, but cuddled up on the couch still in their school clothes, which they were able to get away with because Ami's mother had the night shift that night. After several hours of studying, Scott suddenly put his book down, then rolled over slightly and kissed Ami deeply on the lips, which she happily returned. After a few seconds, she broke the kiss and said, "Hey! We've still got another chapter to do!" "It can wait," he said seductively and began to kiss her again, much deeper and passionately this time. Ami had by now learned how to kiss in the same manner, from Scott's teachings and returned his kisses with an equal passion. After a few minutes, the passion began to spread to their hands. He began to caress her side while she caressed his broad shoulder and neck. Ami was awash in glorious feelings and she felt wholly happy for once in a long, long time, and felt at ease being this intimate with a boy, then something happened that reawakened her nervousness and made her begin to tremble. Scott was sliding his spread hand up and down her side, then suddenly, he slid his hand a bit closer to her stomach, slid up, and ran his thumb over her left breast and nipple through her bra. She gasped as they kissed and she wriggled slightly as she felt herself begin to tremble a bit at this new sensation. It felt good to her, yet at the same time, felt totally alien and it scared her. She could feel herself starting to blush as well. He face felt very warm. He sensed her sudden trembling and broke the kiss. "Is everything all right?" he asked her, softly. "H-hai," she managed to stammer. "T-This is n-new to me. I've n-never been touched like t-this before." "Did it feel good?" he asked, placing small pecks on her soft cheeks. "H-hai," she said with an uneasy smile. "Do you want me to stop?" "Iie! Hai! I??I??.I don't know," she said, lowering her eyes and blushing even deeper. "Ami?" "Hai?" "I want you." "Nani?" "I want to be with you." "You do??" "Yes." "But I've never done it before. I don't know what to do!" "You're still a virgin?" "Hai," she said, almost with a tone of embarrassment. Perhaps she was more embarrassed about admitting it than the actual fact. "I'll show you what do to. Trust me." His last two words echoed in her mind. "B-but I don't know if I am ready for this." "I'm only going to be here for a couple more weeks, then I have to go back to America." Ami felt her heart sink, even though she knew it was inevitable. "Do you love me, Ami?" She was taken aback by the question and for a moment she didn't know how to answer, but then stuttered out, "H-hai!" "I'd like it if you could show me how much you love me tonight." Suddenly, Ami found herself in a serious corner. If she refused, he could take that to mean she really didn't love him, which she did, but she just wasn't sure how deeply she loved him. By the same token, if she agreed, was she ready for sex? True, she had read everything about it and knew about sex, but was she ready for it to happen to her? Besides that, she wasn't on the pill and didn't have any condoms in the house. Her mom would've killed her if she found so much as a single condom! She was her mother's precious angel and angels don't keep condoms in their nightstands. What made the decision really hard was that when he touched her breast, it made her feel really good, and she wanted more. "Tell you what," he said, "if you feel uncomfortable at any point, just say 'stop' and we'll stop." His offer made her feel a little more comforted that she could bring this to a stop at any time. But as the thoughts swirled in her head, she began to tremble more. Finally she reached a decision. She hesitantly whispered to him, "O?..Okay." He smiled warmly at her, kissed her deeply and began to caress her left breast through her school uniform and bra. He gently caressed it's roundness and then slid his fingers over it, making sure to let a finger drag over the nipple, which he could clearly feel through all the material. She closed her eyes and focused on kissing him and what he was doing. She could feel her body responding to his touches and her breathing starting to get slightly ragged. She continued to tremble, both in excitement and fear. She was enjoying it, but hoped she wouldn't be a disappointment for him due to her own inexperience. She continued to caress his shoulder and neck as he suddenly, but gently squeezed her breast which caused her to gasp. He then broke their kiss and rose to his knees next to her on the couch. She looked pleadingly up at him. Scott placed his fingers on her cheeks and she closed her eyes. He slid his fingers down her neck, over her upper chest, then slid each hand over her breasts. She gently bit her lip in response and inhaled deeply. He then slid both hands to the center of her chest and began to undo her school fuku. She quickly grasped his hands, almost in a panic and shook her head. He bent down over her again, kissed her, and whispered in her ear, "It's OK, sweetie." She gradually released his hands, but kept her hands over her chest as he undid the scarf and slowly unbuttoned the fuku. He tried to push the fuku off to her sides, but she held it firm to her chest. "Relax, everything's all right," he whispered to her again. The sound of his kind voice reassured her. Her resistance faded and he slid the fuku off to her sides, revealing her white lace bra that she wore. She whimpered quietly, then as he took he breasts gently in his hands and caressed them through the soft material covering them, her whimpers became sighs and quiet moans. At this point, Ami's body and mind were so drowned in pleasure and beautiful sensations that her questions and fears began to fade into the background. She had never felt so wonderful before and he was being so gentle. The only thing that continued to cross her mind was when, or if, she was going to be able to tell him when she wanted to stop. She was concerned that she would get so wrapped up in the sensations that she would lose herself. At the same time, though, she desperately wanted to show him how much she did love him, and their time was short. Scott placed an arm under the small of Ami's back and slowly lifted her, making her sit up. He kissed her deeply as he pushed the fuku off, one arm at a time. Ami returned his passionate kiss and allowed him to remove the fuku. She began to tremble more as he reached behind her and with a single hand, undid the clasp on the bra. She felt it release with a small gasp, and allowed him to slide it off her arms. He placed the fuku and the bra on the floor next to the couch, then lowered Ami onto her back again. Ami's modesty suddenly surfaced and she clapped her arms over her chest. He smiled down at her, softly, reassuringly. He gently took her wrists in his hand and pulled them off her chest. She only offered a token resistance and within a few seconds, her bare breasts were revealed to him. She blushed even further, and closed her eyes. "They're too small, I know." "Nonsense," he said. "They're yours and they're beautiful. Size doesn't matter to me." To prove it, he leaned down over her again and began to gently kiss the soft skin of her breasts. She began to gasp with each kiss, her breathing getting deeper. Her trembling increased as Scott carefully and gently began to caress and kiss around each breast, then gently flicked his tongue against her nipples which were now as hard as pebbles. She let out a little whimper with each flick of his tongue. To Ami, each flick felt like little jolts of electricity coursing through her body. It felt wonderful to her. Scott then began to run his tongue around her nub and the sustained pleasure jolt caused her to let out a deep sustained sigh. When Scott actually briefly sucked on her nipple, her eyes snapped open and she let out a loud staccato sigh, both of pleasure and of surprise. Scott continued his attentions to Ami's breasts and nipples for several more minutes, then freed his hands and started to slowly slide them down her sides and stomach to the waistband of her blue skirt. Before she fully knew what was happening, Scott had pushed the skirt down past her knees. Her trembling increased, not knowing what he was planning, but a small part of her was heavily anticipating what he was going to do, her curiosity starting to surface. Scott slid one of his hands back up her inner thigh and rested it right between her legs. She could feel his hand gently pressing against her white lace panties, touching a very sensitive area. Suddenly, she felt one of his fingers sliding up and down her slit, and on the upstroke, found a very sensitive hooded nub of skin that sent a strong tingle through her being. She threw her head back a bit, closed her eyes, and sighed softly but with her mouth wide open. Scott, seeing that he had hit a sensitive area, began to rub that area with a fingertip in very small circles. Ami felt the tingle sustain and she felt the area down there start to get extremely moist. Her breathing became more and more of a pant as Scott continued to rub. She felt her stomach start to quiver, almost like it was tying itself into knots. Her nipples started to ache and she could feel her entire body becoming extremely sensitive. Even his sliding his free hand over her stomach sent shivers up and down her spine, but it was nothing compared to what the finger rubbing her through her underwear was doing. "Do you like it, Ami?" She shuddered and nodded erratically. "Do you want to stop here, or keep going?" "K?..Keep??Keep going," she sighed between waves of pleasure crashing over her. Scott suddenly stopped rubbing her and put his arm under her knees and another behind her back. With a heave, he lifted her up off the couch and held her in his arms. She put her arms around his neck and held on. He slowly walked out of the living room, down the hallway, and into Ami's bedroom. He gently lowered Ami towards her bed and she reached down and threw the covers off. He placed her gently in the bed and was about to turn the light on. "Please!" she cried. "Leave the lights off." "Okay," he said, shrugging. "Could I open the shades a bit?" A shaft of moonlight was shining into the room, providing a very dim illumination to the room. She nodded in approval and he opened the shades a little further until he could clearly see her in the dim light. As he walked back to her bedside, he slowly began to remove his own clothing. She watched him and her anticipation level began to increase as well did her anxiety and fears. "Was he going to make love to me?" she thought. She'd better say something quick. "Scott?" "Yes?" he said, as he removed another piece of clothing and was down to his boxer shorts. "Scott, do you want to make love to me?" She couldn't believe she was hearing herself saying that. She never though in a million years she'd ever utter those words, "make love". He sat down on the bed, towards the foot. He paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, I would like to, if you'll allow it." "Scott, I am not on the pill and I don't have any condoms, otherwise?." Scott placed two fingers over Ami's mouth. He then reached to his discarded jeans and rummaged through a pocket. "I hope you won't think bad of me," he said, then removed a small plastic package from one of the pockets. "Were you planning this?" Ami asked with an evil grin. "Would you be mad if I said, I was hoping this might happen tonight?" "I don't think so." She was still trembling, in fact, she was trembling worse now than ever. Scott placed a hand on her thigh, feeling her body shake. "You know, Ami, if you don't stop that, you're gonna register on the Richter scale and we'll have all sorts of people over here." She giggled, which relaxed her a little, but she continued to tremble. He slid his hand up her thigh and with a fingertip, made contact with the sensitive nub once again and started to rub faster. Her eyes closed and she threw her head back again, her back arching, her mouth open, the moans and sighs freely coming out. After a few seconds, Scott stopped, put his fingers just inside the waistband of her panties and slid them down her legs as she gasped, feeling totally vulnerable now. She wasn't used to feeling this vulnerable and her fear jumped up. She prayed silently that he would be as gentle with her as he had been up to this point. He slid his hand back up her thigh and made contact with the nub again, this time without material in the way. The sensations were that much stronger for Ami and she yelped and moaned loudly as he resumed his rubbing. "Wow," he whispered, running a finger from his other hand through the neatly- trimmed tuft of blue hair on Ami's lower abdomen. "Wha?" she asked, awash in pleasure. "It is your natural color," he said. She didn't understand at first, but then whispered, "I told you." Scott bent over her and kissed her deeply on the lips, then kissed her stomach as he began to move. He stopped rubbing her, and she felt his hands slide down her legs to behind her knees. She felt his body move in between her legs. "Scott?" "Yes, love?" "Please be gentle," she said, pleadingly. She had read all about a girl's first time and heard it from her friends. She knew it was going to hurt, but beyond that, she had no knowledge of what it was going to be like. She heard him open the condom package and looked down and watched him apply it. He moved his body against hers and she felt him press against her opening. She closed her eyes, in an effort to brace for the coming pain. Her mind was still swirling with questions of whether or not she should do this. She quickly deliberated again. She knew that once this happened, there was no going back. She was no longer going to be a virgin, and while he respected her enough to use a condom and protect her, she knew that she was still taking a risk. What made her more fearful though, was the amount of vulnerability she was leaving open. It wasn't something she was used to. "Ready?" he asked, softly. She reached her decision. She wanted this. She wanted to know what it was like to be a real woman, and if it would cement her relationship with Scott, it was worth it. She nodded to him, apprehensively. "Okay," he said back and pushed slowly. At first, everything was wonderful as he began to slide inside her body. It was such a strange feeling to her, nothing like she had ever experienced. Then as he moved, she felt some tissue inside her snap and a strong twinge of pain shot through her, burying the pleasure. She grimaced and yelped. He slowly continued pushing deeper inside, the feelings of her canal being stretched and the twinges of pain that went with it causing Ami to groan loudly and cry out. Tears began to drip from her eyes from the pain. At this point, she was really questioning whether or not she made the right choice. She knew from what others had said that it gets better after the first time, so she gritted her teeth and endured the pain as he plunged deeper inside. After a couple of agonizing minutes of him pushing, then stopping to let Ami relax, then continuing, Scott finally was as deep inside Ami as he could get. When he stopped, Ami relaxed with a grunt as the pain began to subside. She reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes and found that she was silently crying. Scott wasn't moving at all, and Ami prayed he knew how she was feeling down there. She could feel him gently throb and twitch inside her, then he slowly withdrew almost all the way and pushed into her again. Another wave of pain overcame Ami and the tears began to flow again. Scott slowly withdrew and pushed in deep again, and although another wave of pain washed over her, Ami felt that the pain was decreasing. Scott withdrew once again, but this time, he thrust back into her hard. Ami tensed at the pain again, and felt something down there that felt like it did when he first penetrated her, like the tissues were breaking or stretching. She had no time to really analyze the sensation because Scott began to thrust slowly in and out in a gentle, yet deep rhythm. The pains began to fade, but it still felt uncomfortable down there as Scott continued to move in and out, gradually increasing in speed and intensity. Ami's grimace of pain was now constant as Scott continued, but the pain continued to subside, and Ami was actually beginning to get a little bit of pleasure out of it, but the pain was still overwhelming any good sensations. Suddenly, she felt Scott pick up the pace dramatically and he began to groan loudly. He pushed one last time as deep as possible and groaned loudly. She felt him twitch and throb inside her and felt it get very warm suddenly. She knew what had just happened. She moaned with him as his orgasm continued and his muscles locked. After a few moments, he withdrew and they both caught their breath. He lifted off of her body and sat back on his heels. She slowly opened her eyes. She was still feeling warm and a bit raw inside, but it felt much better now that the first time was over. She looked at him and became very puzzled. The look of warmth, gentleness and love that had been on his face only a few minutes ago was gone. Now he looked cold, unfeeling. In a swift move, he whipped the used condom off and dropped it on the bed. He stood and started putting his clothes on. "Scott?" she asked. He did not answer and simply put his underwear and pants on. "Scott?" she said again, louder, and pleadingly. Again, he did not respond, and simply put his shirt and socks on, then stood and walked out to the living room. From where Ami was sitting on the bed, she could only see a sliver of the living room, but from the sounds she heard, he was gathering his books and putting his shoes on. Ami's head began to swim in all sorts of thoughts as she heard the front door open and then slam shut. Dazed and thoroughly confused, she looked down at herself. A puddle of blood had formed on the sheet underneath her, and a few inches away was the condom that Scott had used. She hesitantly picked it up and discovered something that made her get very nauseous. The condom was open at both ends. "Oh God Oh God Oh God!" was all she could think. Her thoughts began to spin in her head so much, she felt herself getting dizzy. All of the repercussions of what she'd done flooded to her all at once. She could've caught a disease, or she could get pregnant. Her mom would go ballistic on her! And why did he leave so suddenly? And the sheets! She had to do something before her mom came home! She couldn't know about this! Ami jumped up out of bed and tore the sheets from the bed. She threw them into the washing machine and started the wash. She threw the used condom into the toilet and flushed it away. Then she jumped into the shower and began to clean and scrub herself furiously. She finished her shower and threw the sheets into the dryer as she put fresh sheets on her bed, brought her clothes in from the living room, put on a clean nightshirt and curled up into the fetal position, terrified of what was going to happen now. The next day, Ami went to the Saturday senshi study session. She was the last to arrive which seemed odd to the others, since Usagi usually was the last one. But what really concered the other senshi was that Ami sat at the table, not having touched her books, for nearly ten minutes, but stared at them. "Ami-chan?" Minako asked, trying to get her attention. "Yes, Minako-chan?" Ami said in a distant tone of voice. "What's wrong?" "Hm? Oh, nothing, Minako-chan. I'm all right." Ami then opened her books, and started to study, but everyone at the table could see that she was studying very slowly, which was unusual. Ami only got one class worth of studying done that afternoon, unlike the four or five subjects she normally could do. Something was definitely troubling Ami. Ami desperately wanted to tell the others of her troubles, but had no idea how to say it or if it was even worth mentioning. The others rarely shared their love life problems, why should she trouble them with her problem? She survived the rest of Saturday and Sunday, but felt like a complete zombie, trying hard to put Friday night's activities in the back of her mind until she could see Scott and talk to him again. She desperately hoped he could give her answers to her questions, especially why he just up and left after they had finished making love. Monday morning, she casually walked into Juuban High School with Usagi, hugging her books close to her chest, as if for dear life. As she walked through the hallways to her locker, she and Usagi began to notice the other students, people she didn't even know, stopping to look at her as she passed. Some of them whispered to each other, others just stared at her. She was getting more and more self-conscious, and Usagi was getting more and more puzzled why they were drawing so much attention. Why were they all looking at me, Ami wondered. The two girls turned the corner to where their lockers were, and down the hall, Ami saw Scott, surrounded by a bunch of his baseball teammates. They were talking and laughing and seemed to be having a funny conversation. But then, one of them caught sight of her and the conversation ceased as they all stared at her, including Scott. She stopped dead in her tracks, startling Usagi. "Ami-chan, what's wrong?" Usagi asked. Ami was starting to blush and get very scared. "Scott?" she said in a soft voice, far too soft for him to actually hear. "Ami!" came a voice from a room to her left. Ami and Usagi turned and saw Makoto standing inside a dark and empty classroom. "Get in here, quick!" Usagi immediately walked into the classroom, but Ami turned back to Scott. Everyone in the hallway was now staring right at her and lots of people were whispering. The terror began to well up inside her. He's done something! What did he do? Did he tell everyone? Usagi grabbed Ami by the arm and dragged her into the classroom, but Ami never took her eyes off of Scott until she was well in the room and by the window at the other side of the room with Makoto. "Ami-chan, I want you to be straight with me," Makoto started. "Hai, Mako-chan," Ami responded, very confused. "Did you sleep with that Scott guy?" Ami's eyes went as wide as saucers and she gasped loudly, clapping her hand over her mouth. This was all the acknowledgement that Makoto needed. Usagi was flabbergasted. "Ami, please tell me you didn't!" Makoto pleaded with her. Ami hesitantly nodded. "H-hai, I did!" "Oh, God, Ami! It's all over the school!" Makoto informed her. Ami's legs gave out and she fell to the floor, dropping her books. Usagi immediately helped her friend to a chair. Ami was already in hysterics and weeping softly. "What are you talking about, Mako-chan? What's all over the school?" Usagi asked. "Look, this isn't going to be easy for me to tell you both, but this is what I overheard when I came to school this morning. Apparently, at the beginning of the semester, just after Scott joined the baseball team, a bet was made amongst the team members. The bet was: who could get Juuban's most well-known blue-haired, virgin genius girl into the sack," Makoto said, with a tear in her eye. Ami buried her face in her hands and began to cry, loudly, uninhibited. Usagi could feel her blood boiling, and Makoto's was probably far past that stage. It was only her tremendous willpower that kept Makoto from trashing the entire room. "There's more, though," Makoto said, through gritted teeth. "You're kidding. How could this be any worse?" Ami asked through her sobbing. "He claims that you gave him a doctored condom." Ami sprang to her feet, her sobbing abruptly stopping. "NANI?! That's a complete lie! He brought it!" "Ami would never do something like that!" Usagi shouted at Makoto. "Look, I am just telling you what he's telling everyone else. He's telling everyone that you gave him a doctored condom to trap him by having a baby!" Ami's face went as white as a sheet and expressionless. She turned to the chalkboard and slowly walked to it, but fell to her knees before she got to it. Usagi and Makoto rushed to her side. "I'm ruined," she said in a distant voice. "Everyone in this school will think I am a total slut." "Maybe, but we know you, Ami-chan," Usagi said. "We know you better than anyone and I don't believe for a second that you would try and trap someone like that." Usagi and Makoto tried to give Ami a reassuring hug, but she suddenly sprang to her feet and pushed Usagi and Makoto aside. Ami immediately stormed out of the room and back into the hallway, Makoto and Usagi right on her heels. Ami appeared in the hallway and looked down to where Scott was standing, seeing he was still there, laughing and joking with everyone, she leveled her gaze at him with a look of pure hatred and contempt. She began to march in his direction, like a guided missile heading for its target. Makoto and Usagi tried to hold her back, but Ami just wriggled from their grasp and kept going. Minako was in the hallway, between Ami and Scott. She had just gotten to the building and had heard the nasty gossip, then saw Ami making a bee-line for Scott. She put an arm around Ami and tried to hold her back. "Ami-chan, I just heard. Stop! It's not worth it!" she said quickly, trying to restrain Ami, but Ami just pushed past her. Scott was starting to look pretty nervous now as he saw the blue-haired girl with anger in her eyes stomping her way towards him. Ami finally came face-to-face with her now-ex-boyfriend and hauled off like she was going to slap him across the face, but someone grabbed her hand. She turned with a start and saw Makoto standing next to her, holding her by the wrist. "Don't, Ami-chan, it's not worth it," Makoto said. Ami dropped her hand. Makoto then added, "Allow me!" and before Scott could respond, Makoto socked him right in the nose! Blood began to gush from his nose and he dropped to the floor. Within seconds, teachers were on the scene attending to Scott and ordering Makoto to the headmaster's office for disciplinary action. The incident earned Makoto a two-day in- school suspension, and it earned Scott a broken nose. On his way home from the doctor's to get his nose fixed up, Scott was walking alone down the sidewalk of a side street in Minato-ku, when he suddenly realized that someone was walking alongside him. He looked to his left and saw a tall man, wearing a black suit with matching cape and top hat walking alongside him. He wore a white mask over his face and was walking with a cane. "Hey, who are you, buddy?" Scott asked, defiantly. The man suddenly brought the cane up and slammed it against Scott's chest and pushed him into a side alley, then against the wall of a building. "Who am I? My name is Tuxedo Kamen, and if you must know, the blue-haired girl you violated is a very good friend of mine. I understand you are spreading nasty rumors about her. You are going to tell the truth about what happened that night." "Hey, pal, I did tell the truth! Just who the hell do you think you are? You think I'm afraid of you and your stupid tuxedo?" Scott shouted. Mamoru stepped back from him and turned his back. Scott saw an opportunity and lunged with a punch, but in a flash, Mamoru turned and caught Scott's punch in his left hand and began to squeeze with an inhuman strength. Scott could feel the joints popping and began to groan as Mamoru maintained his grip. "All right! All right! I'll tell the truth!" "Good. Why don't you tell me the truth, now?" "All right. The story about the bet is true. I asked the guys about the girls around here and they told me that if I wanted a real challenge, to go after Mizuno. We talked about her a while and they bet me that I couldn't get her in bed. I took them up on the challenge. I feel really crappy about it, but the whole relationship was just a sham. It was all to get her in bed." "What about the condom rumor, Scott?" "That was a lie. The truth is, it was an old condom, but I didn't realize how old. I never meant for it to break, but it did. I feel really bad about that." Mamoru "hrmphed", then said off to the side, "Did you get all that, girls? Usagi and Ami emerged from a doorway a few feet down the alley. Ami was holding a portable tape recorder which she switched off once she and Usagi stood in the alleyway, facing Scott. "Every word, Tuxedo Kamen," she said, flatly. Scott looked at Usagi and Ami in astonishment. He'd been set up! "Now then, Scott-san. I suggest you clear this matter up quickly, or else we'll clear it up for you." "Yes! Right away!" Scott took off running down the street. Mamoru returned to his civilian guise as Usagi and Ami approached him. "Thank you Mamoru-san," Ami said, smiling for the first time. "You're very welcome, Ami-san," he replied. She was so overjoyed that she couldn't help but give him a tight hug. Usagi immediately went ballistic. "Hey! You can be grateful, but this is too much!" she shouted as Ami and Mamoru laughed at her. The next day, Scott did clear up the situation, and Ami felt vindicated, even if everyone's opinion of her was still somewhat tarnished. It still hurt to hear people refer to her as the "genius slut" instead of the "genius girl". Semester finals came and Ami struggled a bit to maintain her studies in the face of the scandal. When it came time to perform, Ami did her usual stellar best and aced all of her exams with perfect 100's. Right next to her name in all but one of the exams, the World History exam, Scott had his name with 99's and 98's. It was a cruel reminder, but after finals were over, he was on a plane back to America. Good riddance, she thought. A thought which she shared with all the other senshi. The rest of December and first week of January, she spent with her friends, having neglected them when she was spending so much time with the man who victimized her. The first day of spring semester, the second week of January, Usagi and Makoto were at school and realized that Ami was not there. They were puzzled because they saw her the night before and she didn't seem sick or anything. About lunchtime, however, Ami walked up to them as they were eating, and she seemed fine. Usagi, Makoto, and Minako asked if she was all right, and she told them not to worry. She wasn't feeling real good when she woke up, but she was fine now. Usagi and the others were satisfied with that answer and let the matter drop. The next day, when Ami again did not show up all morning, but did at lunch, they questioned her again. She gave the same excuse and they let it drop yet again, but were growing concerned. The third day of the semester, Ami once again was not in morning classes. Usagi, Makoto, and Minako were now getting very worried and were determined to get the truth out of Ami if she again showed up for lunch. Right on schedule, Ami walked up to her friends in the lunchroom and sat down. They began to question her, and she again gave the same excuse. They were about to drop it, but something strange happened. Usagi took a banana out of her lunch bag. Makoto was watching Ami when Usagi did so and saw Ami's eyes go wide. Ami was thinking to herself, "Oh God! Not a banana! I have to?" Before she could stop herself, she got a whiff of the banana's odor and a few seconds later, she was doubled over and vomiting her guts out on the lunchroom floor. The entire room went berserk and Ami was sitting there, terrified, then passed out. Ami awoke an hour later in the nurses's office, laying on the examining table. Usagi was by her side, as were Makoto and Minako. They were all staring at her. "Kon'nichi wa, minna-chan," Ami rasped. "Ami-chan, you haven't been honest with us," Usagi said. "Nonsense, Usagi-chan," Ami said, nonchalantly. "Ami-chan, I'm taking you to see a doctor after school," Minako said, sternly. "Iie, Minako-chan, I'm really fine." "This is not a negotiation, Ami-chan," Makoto said. "If you don't come willingly, we'll drag you kicking and screaming." Ami deflated at Makoto's orders. "Very well, Mako-chan. But I'd like Usagi- chan to go with me alone." "Hai, Ami-chan. We're just concerned about you," Usagi said, with a kindness in her voice that comforted Ami. "Arigato, Usagi-chan. After last class, then?" "Hai!" After last class, Ami kept her promise and went with Usagi to the doctor's office. Later that night was a scheduled senshi study session. Everyone was present and on-time, except for Ami and Usagi. "Something must be wrong," Luna commented. "I would understand Usagi-chan being late, but Ami-chan?" "Usagi-chan took her to the doctor, Luna. Ami-chan got sick at school, and I think she's been ill for the past several days, but she's hiding it from us." The discussion abruptly stopped as the door slid open and revealed Ami, Usagi, and Mamoru. The senshi gasped as they saw them, and the expressions on their faces. All of them had blank looks. Ami and Usagi took their seats at the table and placed their books on the table. Mamoru sat at the desk in the corner of the room. "Ami-chan! Have you been sick?" Rei asked. "You really should get more sleep and watch what you eat, Ami-chan," Minako said. "I hope everything's all right at home," Makoto said. The three girls continued to hurl advice at Ami, but it was making Ami more frustrated because she was trying to say something. The dull roar Rei, Minako, and Makoto were causing was gradually building in volume. "I'm pregnant!" Ami suddenly shouted. Rei, Minako and Makoto went silent, their jaws on the table. "NANI??" the gasped. Ami's resolve and cool exterior suddenly crumbled and she burst into tears and slammed her head on the table. Usagi put an arm around her and squeezed her gently. "You are looking at the dumbest genius girl in the entire damn world!" Ami shouted through her sobbing. There was a deathly silence over the room. Rei broke the silence first. "Are you going to get an abortion?" Ami looked up and gave Rei a look that could've burst her into flames where she sat. "Oh, hell no!" she cried. Everyone at the table sighed in relief. "Are you going to keep it?" Minako asked. "I don't know!" Ami cried out in grief. "I still have to tell my mother! She'll kill me!" "Ami-chan, I've seen your relationship with your mother. She may get angry, but she will always love you no matter what," Usagi said to her softly. "I know, Usagi-chan, but I still don't look forward to it." "Want one of us to be there with you?" "No, I can handle it. I don't really feel like studying tonight. I think I'm gonna go home and get it over with." "OK, Ami-chan," they all said, softly. Ami picked up her books, wiped her eyes, and left. "That Scott guy was a real asshole," Makoto said through clenched teeth. "No doubt," Rei said. "Minna-chan, we really need to talk about this. Ami's pregnancy is going to affect us all," Usagi said. "How so?" asked Minako. "Well, she is bringing a new life into this world. I think that from now on, Ami should be the one that we protect." "Usagi! We can't do that! You're the princess!" Rei said. "I know that, but she's more important now! She has an obligation that none of us has, even me. As far as I am concerned, I'd die to protect Ami and her baby, and I say as leader of the Sailor Senshi, that from now on, we protect her." "You're right, Usagi-chan," Minako said. "Ami needs us the most now." Ami told her mother that night that she was pregnant. Ami's mother was shocked and very disappointed. Ami told her mother the entire story, and her mother really couldn't justify getting angry with her, even though she wanted to scold her for something. Unfortunately, she met Scott and was taken in by his charms as well. Her mother expressed a concern that Ami would not finish school, but Ami said that with her friends' help and her mother's, not only was she going to finish school, but she was going to graduate top of her class, go to college, and get her education, even if she was a single mother. Ami's mother might have told her she was crazy if she had been anyone else. But she knew Ami could do it, and she gave Ami her support. Over the next months, the support Ami received from her mother and friends was overwhelming. Usagi, Rei, Minako, or Makoto always accompanied Ami to her checkups and watched out for her. Rei stayed over with Ami whenever her mother was working a late shift and made sure Ami was well-fed and taken care of. All of the senshi pushed Ami to do her very best in her classes, even though it was really unnecessary. The truth was, they didn't want to see Ami crumble under the situation and to not realize her dream. As time went on, Ami's condition slowly started to become obvious, and then the greatest fear of her life suddenly arrived: her graduation gown fitting. She felt very sad and embarrassed because she was going to be so huge walking across the stage to receive her diploma. But Usagi cheered her up, and told her that it didn't matter what everyone else thought. Her friends loved her very much and had a lot of faith in her. Ami felt better knowing that. As the weeks went on, preparations began for the glorious day when Ami would give birth. Her friends accompanied her to all her classes, including her natural childbirth ones. They all wanted to be ready to give her a hand, regardless of where she was or who she was with. Senior year finals came and Ami aced them, as she did all semester and was very pleased when the headmaster informed her that she had become the valedictorian of her class. When she walked out of the office upon learning this news, everyone in the hallway, even people who were spreading nasty rumors about her only five months before, applauded her in the hallway. She had done it. She had achieved one of her goals, and she was determined not to stop now.