Suggested changes: {before : after}
On Wed, 21 Aug 2002 05:00:45 +0400 "Kinnison, Myron N. AZ2(VF-103)"
<kinnisonmn@vf103.navy.mil> wrote:
Chapter {two : Two}:
Sleep evaded Ami. She tossed and turned most of the night somewhere
between dreams and the waking world. Her mind heaved with the images from
her dream as her subconscious distorted the scenes before her {minds : mind's} eye into
horrible new ones. She dreamed{: ,} yet it wasn't a dream, it was something
else, something more. She saw images herself lying tattered and beaten, Eric
screaming in agony, the other Senshi scattered along the ground.
The waking nightmare continued. Ami saw fields of carnage and a
white haired figure stalking in the shadows, {Black : white : black} hair blowing in a hot
wind. She saw Professor Tomoe lying dashed upon the ground next to what was
left of Usagi's mutilated body. A hideous howl pierced the stagnant air of
her dream. Ami covered her ears trying to block out the horrid cry but to
no avail. The beastly wail bored into her brain. Reaching her limits, Ami
screamed in terror. She sat bolt upright in her bed coated in sweat. The
scream she uttered in her dream translated to the physical world as a gasp.
Her alarm clock beeped away letting her know that it was time to start the
day.
Sunlight was just starting to creep over the rooftops outside her
window. Ami crawled out of bed and went to the shower. The hot water felt
good as it pelted her across the shoulders and down the length of her back.
Ami leaned against the wall and just let steaming liquid beat against her
naked skin for a while until she had {stedied : steadied} her nerves. Once she was done,
Ami walked back to her room and began to get dressed. She picked at her
dream as she slid on her underwear and reached for her uniform. She'd never
had a bad dream that was so...vivid. Just thinking back upon the imagery
gave Ami the chills. She finished dressing and headed downstairs to find
her mother sitting at the breakfast table eating quietly. They talked while
Ami fixed herself something, mostly about the shift her mother had just left
and about Ami's plans for the week. They parted company as Ami left for
school and her mother headed upstairs for much needed rest.
"You know," Usagi began. "I kept seeing somebody following Mamoru
and I last night. He said I was just being paranoid but, Luna said she
could feel the presence of a {Daemon : daemon} right after we left." Ami thought about
what Usagi was saying. She didn't like where this was heading.
"You know, I think we need to check with the others and see if it's
just us or something more." Usagi agreed and, at lunch an impromptu meeting
was held. When each girl related an odd experience of one sort or another
Ami began to worry. Something was up. {Tomoe Sensei : Tomoe-sensei} must be planning a move
soon if there was this much daemon activity. But why? Had he found out
somehow who they were? She mulled this idea over as the meeting finished.
I don't recall seeing anything to cause the Senshi to suspect Tomoe yet.
The week ended{: ,} and the girls, having had no more incidents to speak
of, relaxed their guard. What ever was going on seemed to have stopped just
as mysteriously as it had begun. The cats began to hash out theories as the
girls slowly went back to their normal lives.
"I have a couple of places in mind. "It depends on what {your : you're} in the
mood for." He replied with a smile. For some odd reason Ami found herself
getting a little flushed. * Kami, he's cute when he smiles...* She
squelched that line of thought very quickly. They were just friends and
nothing more, she told herself. She flipped through the paper to see which
movies were playing while Eric made reservations. She noted that his
Japanese was coming along wonderfully and soon she would not need to be his
tutor. After a few minutes, she found a drama that was playing not too far
away from the restaurant that Eric had chosen. She grabbed her jacket while
he made sure Teddy had enough food and water for the night, and they headed
{out :} for the station. Along the way, Ami found her hand in Eric's. She
wasn't sure why or when it had ended up there but Eric didn't seem to mind
so she gave it no further thought. One on the train {the : they} started talking
idly about the movie and then about nothing in particular. Neither seemed
to notice the small elderly woman walk into the back of the train and {set : sit}
down nor did they notice her faintly glowing eyes.
The {Restaurant : restaurant} was very nice. Ami felt a little under dressed{: ,} but
she relaxed as dinner progressed. She found herself only half listening to
Eric as they talked amicably about nothing in particular. She watched the
way he held himself, {Confident : confident} yet relaxed, a casual sensuality that fit him
like a fine tailored suit. Something about his eyes, the way they caught
the light and seemed to smile at her, they drew her attention and held it
tightly. She blinked and brought herself back to the moment but slowly her
mind would begin to wander and eventually return to it's intimate
observations of the young man in front of her. Ami found this trend would
last all the way through the meal. As they left the restaurant Ami sighed
and smiled to herself. *Just friends. We're just friends.*
The theatre darkened as the previews started. Eric sat down next to
Ami and handed her a box of popcorn and a drink. As the movie started, Ami
glanced down to notice that her hand had once again snaked out of its own
accord and found Eric's. Eric looked at her and smiled{: ,} but did nothing
more. She felt slightly embarrassed but decided it was nothing and returned
to watching the movie. After a while Ami became lost in the movie. So lost
was she in the story that she never noticed when her arm wrapped itself
around his or, when she shifted herself to lean on his shoulder. Eric,
however, had noticed. He looked down at Ami as she rested her head on his
shoulder, watching as her hand occasionally traced little circles on the
back of his hand. As awkward as the situation was, he found himself very
comfortable with her there. Maybe?
From the very back of the theatre two lone figures watched over both
couples with dark interest. The daemon pointed at Usagi and Mamoru and
shook its head slightly. Eudial didn't have to look to see what it was
pointing at. The energy that the two were radiating was almost {to : too} much to
bear. The boy's earth-based power was high to start {: with,} but around the {moon
princess : Moon Princess} it was strengthened to the point she could practically feel it
against her skin. She looked at the other two. They would have to do. She
didn't emit half the power that the princess did and the guy was just a
human after all. Yes, these two would do. With a nod she melted into the
shadows below her. The {Daemon : daemon} waited only a fraction of a second before it
dissolved into the blackness as well.
"Yeah, I guess it is," {He : he} replied. Ami shifted her foot slightly
and looked down. The moment dissolved into an awkward silence as the two
just stood there quietly. Finally Eric rubbed the back of his neck. "Well,
I guess I better get back. Teddy's probably going nuts."
Eric turned to see Ami racing down the street at him. With a sigh
he opened his mouth. "Ami, I'm {Sorr : sorr}..." The rest of his apology was muffled
as Ami slammed into him full force. She threw her arms around his neck and
kissed him {as fiercely as could bring herself {too : to} : fiercely}. For several moments the
two just stood there locked in the kiss. When she finally broke away, she
whispered almost to soft to hear, "Eric... I think I'm falling in love with
you."
"Since we're off tomorrow because of the {teacher's : teachers'} meeting, lets
meet and try to figure things out then okay?" Eric agreed and after one
last hug. The two parted company. Ami walked back into her house and up to
her room. She leaned against the door and let out a long loving sigh as her
emotions threatened to overwhelm her. When she finally felt like she could
move again she picked up the phone and started dialing. As she listened a
groggy voice answered the other end after several rings.
"Hullo?"
"{Mina : Mina-chan : Minako}, it's Ami."
This punched through {Mina's : Minako's} wall of sleep. Something had happened
with Eric. "What happened?" She asked with an almost crestfallen tone.
Ami awoke to a gray cloudy sky. It had rained late in the night and
judging by the dark black clouds overhead, it would to do so today. To most
people it was looking to be a lousy day all the way around{: ,} but to Ami, it
was the absolutely the greatest day of her life. Hopping out of bed{: ,} Ami
began her day with a contented smile plastered to her lips. She paused on
her way to the kitchen when she noticed her mother, who was asleep on the
couch still in her lab coat. It looked as if it had been a rough shift.
The older woman was sleeping very soundly despite still being fully dressed.
Ami slid an afghan over her and continued on, humming happily.
The thoughts continued to play through his mind as he sat down and
began his morning workout. As he lifted the barbell from the bench rests he
thought about his actions. He hadn't meant to kiss her, it had just sort of
seemed the thing to do. Afterwards he had left quickly, embarrassed and
hoping that she wasn't offended by his gesture. When she {kissed, him : kissed him,} he was
almost sure that she could feel his heart as it almost exploded out of his
chest. She had the weirdest effects on him, he pondered. Placing the bar
back, Eric headed upstairs to shower. Just as he finished and grabbed his
towel he heard Teddy come alive announcing a visitor. Grabbing his pants he
headed downstairs.
"I wouldn't do that. Ami, I wouldn't dream of doing anything you
don't want me {too : to}." She looked nervously at him and lowered her gaze to the
floor.
"Eric," She paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you really
mean that?"
"Yes." He wrapped his arms back around her and drew her close to
him. "I haven't had that much experience with {serous : serious} relationships, and I'm
not saying that I'm not going to make mistakes. All I know is that I want
to make you happy." His expression turned sad for a moment. "I wish I knew
what to say and do but..."
"Not at all." He softly began to kiss at her neck. Ami lolled her
head to one side and draped her arms over his shoulders. Yes, it was
definitely the greatest {days : day} of her life.
"Ami dear. Is there something that you need to tell us?" She
raised an eyebrow and tried really hard not to smile.
"It was threatening to rain so I made sure to wear my rubbers."
"I'm very happy for you sweetheart, but I want to meet him again,
now that he's become such an important part of my {daughters : daughter's} life." Ami
nodded.
"Yes, Mother."
After a while (And some oddly embarrassing questions, mostly from
{Mina : Minako}) the girls headed back to their respective homes. Minako was the last
to leave. As she zipped up her coat she looked at Ami and placed her hand
on her shoulder. "Hey Ami, I know this'll sound like I'm hexing things, but
if anything happens and you need to talk or cry on someone's shoulder just
call me, okay?"
"No, in fact I think you two make a really cute couple, but I've had
enough relationships to know that fights are going to happen and {your : you're} going
to need someone to talk to." Ami nodded and smiled as {Mina : Minako} flashed her a
victory sign with her fingers. "Hey, I am the Senshi of love, after all."
Both girls burst into laughter before {Mina : Minako} left to go home.
By the end of the week, the girls were all back on full alert. Each
had either seen {Daemons : daemons} or figures that would dart off into the shadows once
spotted. They felt watched when they were in school and Michiru and Haruka
were sure that someone had been in their apartment though their was no
evidence save little things that weren't where they had been. Whatever had
been brewing in the previous weeks was starting to come to a head. Artemis
and Luna knew something big was going down but they still could come up with
no possible clue as to what it might be. They both sensed the {Daemons : daemons}
watching the girls. They hung back, just on the fringes as if they were
waiting for something. Luna had her own thoughts. She wondered if the
increase in activity had anything to do with Eric. She still could not
identify the tugging that she felt when she met him. She was certain of one
thing. She needed to keep an eye on Ami's boyfriend.
The weekly tutoring sessions had evolved from once a week, to daily
after-school study times. Each would work on whatever homework they had,
asking questions of the other when they needed it and occasionally giving
advice about a given subject. Eric's Japanese was now of a caliber that he
could {readily :} carry on a conversation with ease, although he still asked the
occasional question of Ami. After the homework was done and the dog was fed
(Something that they discovered early on was extremely important if anything
was to be accomplished.) Ami and Eric had personal time. Sometimes {the : they}
walked in the park, sometimes they went out. But tonight they had chosen to
stay in and just enjoy being close.
"Sure" she replied. To tell the truth{: ,} she was dreading the walk
home alone because of her feelings of being watched every time she went
outside. While Eric went for his coat Ami knelt down and gave Teddy a
goodbye rub, receiving several wet doggy kisses for her efforts. When Eric
returned the two headed out the door, snuggling close the whole way to the
station. When they reached her house, she said goodnight and gave him one
last goodbye kiss, although it several minutes and two breaks for air to
complete. After he had walked out of sight, she went in and closed the door
with a contented sigh. She went to her room and began getting ready for
bed. The wide blushing grin plastered to her face stayed there as she sat
down and began writing into her journal. She had no more put pen to paper
when she heard something tap against her window. Getting up she walked over
and looked out half expecting to see Eric in her yard looking all adorably
handsome and romantic. She saw no one in the yard or down on the porch.
Shrugging she returned to her bed and started her entry for the day. "Maybe
the wind pushed the tree branches against the window." she dismissed it and
set pen back to paper. She was halfway down the page when the phone rang.
Tilting her head to one side she wondered who would call her this late.
"Grandfather and I managed to get {: one} into the corner and he banished it
with a ward. But the smoke hadn't even cleared {the air :} when we heard
Kumada-kun cry out.. By the time we got there, two daemons were dragging
him out of his room and had him about halfway down the hall."
"We've known the {Daemons : daemons} have been watching us for what, two weeks
now? They've been looking for a way to get to us. And I think they've
decided to go after our families." Each girl was stunned at the
implications Ami's theory meant. Usagi whispered almost unable to speak.