Well, here it is folks.  The next segment in my little tale.  As always. C&C
is very welcome and I will reply as I can.  Enjoy.

Sailor Moon is owned and operated by Naoko Takeuchi

*******************************************
MiNK studios
*******************************************


Sailor Moon S

Someone to love.

Chapter 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 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 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 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.
	
	Ami arrived early at school, as was her habit.  As she walked
through the main doors she noticed something odd, something that should have
been a sign of the apocalypse.  She saw Usagi coming out of the cafeteria.
She waved at her friend as they met up. "You're here awfully early."
	"Yeah, Mamoru says if I do better in my classes that he'll have a
surprise for me at the end of the semester" The perky blond replied. "So I
set my alarm a lot earlier so I can get a head start."  Ami smiled at the
thought.  Leave it to Mamoru to come up with a bribe that would work
effectively on  even Usagi. 
	As the two girls walked along towards their home room they talked
quietly.  As they were in relative solitude, Ami shifted the conversation to
her uneasiness and the suspicions about Tomoe.
	"Do you think someone was watching you?"  Usagi asked.  Ami simply
shrugged.
	"That's just it.  When I scanned the area I didn't find anything.
Not even people.  But I felt so sure that there were eyes on me." Ami
furrowed her brows in thought.
	"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 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 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.
	Each girl went from class to class just like they always did, talked
and joked with friends like normal.  But inside, each was hard at work
analyzing their surroundings.  No scrap of detail was left untouched.  Each
person they saw was observed for anything that might be suspicious, even
their closest friends were not above question.  For Ami it was especially
bad.  Though she had no real logical proof, she just could not help but feel
that she was being watched.  The feeling haunted her regardless.  The only
time it seemed to leave her was when she met up with Eric in the hallway on
her way to her last class of the day.  His presence seemed to calm her
nerves, ease her tensions.  She gave it no thought but that didn't set well
with her either though, it was a different feeling.  It didn't feel wrong,
just weird.
	
	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.
	Ami sat back and stretched her legs.  It was Saturday and she and
Eric had made a deal; they would study for as long as she deemed necessary
to achieve what she thought was good and then he would treat her to dinner
and a movie.  They had been hard at the books for several hours now with
quite a bit of success.  It was all brought to a halt though, by the
airborne body of one Theodore T. Bear, hungry dog at large, landing smack in
the middle of Ami's textbook.  
	While Eric refilled the empty food dish (the source of Teddy's
distress.) Ami placated the small dog with a game of "scratch the tummy."
	"Well, I guess we needed to wrap things up anyway.  So were are we
going?" She asked as Eric sat back down.  
	"I have a couple of places in mind.  "It depends on what your 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 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
down nor did they notice her faintly glowing eyes.

	The 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 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?
	As the two sat in the theatre, one watching the movie and one half
watching it and half watching the other, their "date" was being observed by
another couple just a few seats back. Usagi nudged Mamoru and motioned at
the two.  He smiled and shook his head.  "It looks like Ami's having fun,
ne?"  She whispered in his ear. He snuggled her a little closer to him and
just nodded.  Usagi cuddled in and smiled to herself.  She knew Ami had
never had a very active social life and it was nice to see her overcoming
some of her shyness and getting out and having a little fun.  If anything it
was doing her self-esteem a world of good. 
	
	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 much to
bear.  The boy's earth-based power was high to start but around the 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 waited only a fraction of a second before it
dissolved into the blackness as well.

	Ami walked along side Eric with a small smile on her face.  The
dinner had been very nice and the movie had been a fairly good one.  But for
Ami, the walk home was rapidly becoming the highlight of the evening.  
	There was a storm approaching from the southeast and with it came a
cold breeze that slipped along the streets and in between the houses of the
quiet little suburb.  Eric had noticed that the jacket Ami was wearing
wasn't quite keeping the chill out so he had slipped his arm around her to
help keep her warm.  She slid her arm around his waist and kept close.  She
knew what it looked like but she didn't care.  She had decided that maybe,
just maybe she was starting to have feelings for Eric.  He was very sweet
and she enjoyed his company.  She concluded that if she still had these
feeling when they she finished tutoring him, then she would see if he wanted
to continue there relationship on a more... personal basis.  Armed with a
definite plan, Ami relaxed, letting her smile grow just a little. 
	As they walked up to her front door Ami reluctantly slipped out of
his embrace and unlocked it.  She turned back around and smiled at him.
"Well, I guess this is it," she said hesitantly.  She stared into his
beautiful chestnut eyes as the wind ruffled his hair causing a few strands
to fall in front of them.  "The end of our second official date."
	"Yeah, I guess it is,"  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." 
	"Yeah, probably...Good night." She watched as Eric turned and
started down her steps. She turned to go inside and placed her hand on the
door knob.
	"Ami..."
	She turned around to see Eric standing next to her. Without warning
he leaned down and put his lips to hers.  Instantly her heart froze in
mid-beat.  She felt him kiss her for only a moment, then like the briefest
of dreams, it was over.  He pulled away and smiled sweetly and walked down
her steps and around the corner.  It took about three seconds for her mind
to come back online and process all that was going on.  She added up all the
information at hand and she had to admit that it didn't make sense but then
again, maybe it didn't have to. Making her decision, she raced down the
walkway and down the sidewalk.  "Eric!"
	Eric turned to see Ami racing down the street at him.  With a sigh
he opened his mouth. "Ami, I'm 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.  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."  
	She watched as he stared into her.  His soft, warm brown eyes
glistened at her as he leaned down and whispered softly into her ear.
	"Ami..."  He paused for a moment.  "I think I'm already in love with
you."  He pulled her close to him as she started to cry. He could feel her
heart pounding against his chest, her hands gripped his back tightly as she
held onto him.  After several moments Ami looked up at him and just smiled.
"So now what?" he asked. With a sigh she shook her head.
	"I don't know." was all she could reply.
	Gently cupping her chin, Eric gave her a kiss.  Not the phantom-like
kiss that he placed on her earlier out of fear and apprehension, or the
fiery kiss that she had given him out of need and passion.  It was a plain,
simple, honest kiss with nothing more behind it than his feelings for her.
	"Since we're off tomorrow because of the teacher's 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, it's Ami."
	Minako raised an eyebrow.  Why on earth would Ami... The answer
slowly dawned on her as her brain struggled to work through the sleep haze
that permeated it.  
	"I just wanted to let you know that I can't go out shopping tomorrow
with the rest of you.  Something...came up."
	This punched through Mina's wall of sleep.  Something had happened
with Eric.  "What happened?" She asked with an almost crestfallen tone.
	"Nothing too bad, at least I hope.  I'll tell you all the details
tomorrow night, okay?"
	"Uh-uh girl.  No deal.  You woke me up, so you owe me." The blonde
countered.
	"Well. I kind of told Eric something."
	"Like?"
	"Like I'm falling in love with him..." Minako dropped the phone as
the words came through the receiver.  After a few seconds, she managed to
get the phone back to her mouth and congratulated Ami in the only way she
knew how to at the moment.
	"You WHAT!?" 
	Ami held the phone away from her ear with a wince.  Bringing it back
she replied as calmly as she could. "He kissed me, and well, it just kind of
slipped out.  I'm going over to his place tomorrow so we can talk about it."
	"I want you to call me the minute you get done." The blonde told
her.  Ami could hear the smile in her friend's words.  She promised and hung
up the phone.  She changed into her nightshirt and turned off her lamp.  As
she cuddled up in bed, she hugged her favorite teddy bear to her chest and
just smiled to herself.  The smile stayed with her long after she had went
to sleep.

	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.
	
	Eric awoke to a cold wet nose poking and sniffing at one of his eyes
and four little paws poised on his chest.  "Let me guess, your food bowl is
empty again?"  He ruffled Teddy's head and received several wet sloppy
kisses in return.  As he sat up he looked out the window at the wet, rainy
outside world.  It looked cold and damp and just plain miserable.  Eric
thought to himself that it was going to be a wonderful day.  He slid on a
pair of pants and went downstairs.  
	Once he fixed the small dog's food crisis he began working on his
own needs.  Several minutes later he sat down to a breakfast consisting of
orange juice and a bagel.  His thoughts poured over the events last night
and Ami's declaration to him.  He thought about what she had said, the way
she felt against him and the smell of her hair.  He turned the scene over in
his mind savoring every little nuance of the shorthaired girl.  
	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 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.
	
	Ami was getting worried.  Teddy had been barking for several minutes
now and no one had answered. She reached up to knock on the door again when
it opened up revealing Eric shirtless, slightly damp and utterly gorgeous.
She paused and forgot everything as her train of thought derailed and shot
off into the far reaching chasm of her subconscious.  His abs, soft and
sinewy tightened as he moved.  The strong, well-toned muscles of his arms
glided under his skin.
	"[ I wasn't expecting you so early, come on in.]"  The sound of his
voice snapped Ami out of her thoughts and back to the real world.
	"[ I wanted to get here as soon as I could.]"  she replied. "[ I
wanted to make sure it all wasn't a dream.]" She added quietly.  Eric set
the towel he was holding on to the back of a chair and walked behind her.
Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned down to kiss her on her neck and
whisper softly into her ear. 
	"You mean telling you I was in love with you or this?" He asked in
Japanese as he turned her around and kissed her.  Ami almost fainted at his
touch.  She looked up into those beautiful brown eyes that begged her to
fall into their depths as they pulled away.  She turned and walked over to
the counter that separated the kitchen from the living area.
	"So what now? I mean, were do we go from here?" She seemed to be
asking herself rather than Eric.  He raised a finger to her lips then slowly
caressed her cheek.
	"I'm not sure.  I've never really felt this strong about anyone
before."
	Ami sighed and looked down. "What if we go too far?"
	"I wouldn't do that. Ami, I wouldn't dream of doing anything you
don't want me too." 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 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..."
	With a smile Ami put her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck.
"It doesn't really matter.  Not to me anyway. I love you."  Eric chuckled
and put his arms back around her waist. 
	"How about this.  If I start to go to far then tell me and I'll back
off.  And likewise if you start going a little to far I'll tell you as well.
Sound good?"  He watched as Ami mulled it over for a second .
	"Sounds good to me." She replied snuggling into him. "So is this too
far?" She kissed him slowly on his lips.  Eric responded by sliding his lips
along her cheek to her ear.
	"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 of her life.

	That afternoon, Ami walked back to her house. It was starting to
sprinkle and from the looks of things all hell was about to break loose.
She took the mail out of the box and walked up the pathway as a fierce wind
kicked up, sending a few droplets spraying into her eyes.  As she walked
into the house she kicked off her shoes and slipped on her house slippers.
"Mother?  Are you up? I got the mai..."  She froze as she came into the
living room.  Sitting in her living room, in various chairs and along the
floor, staring directly at her with arms crossed were all of the Senshi
(save Pluto and Saturn.) and her mother.  Each had an expectant look on her
face and here and there a smile could be seen flickering beneath feigned
seriousness.  Her mother was the first to speak.
	"Ami dear.  Is there something that you need to tell us?"  She
raised an eyebrow and tried really hard not to smile.
	Ami began to blush and looked at the floor. She looked back at them
with one hand scratching the back of her head.  "Busted, huh?" She asked in
rather embarrassed tones.  A simultaneous nodding of heads came her way.
She sat down on the couch and cleared her throat.  Inside her head her
conscience hoped Eric's kissing hadn't left any marks on her neck.  "Well,
he walked me home last night and well, I don't know.  He just kind of kissed
me.  Before I knew it he was walking away and I just stood there.  I
couldn't believe he had kissed me.  So I ran after him.  When I caught up
with him I told him I was in love with him."  She paused for a moment trying
to find the words to describe what she was feeling (And deciding what she
might want to keep to herself.) She took a deep breath but still said
nothing.
	"Well?!" Usagi exploded, unable to take the suspense.  Rei and
Haruka both bopped her on the back of her head causing her to "meep" as her
head snapped forward.
	"Well, he didn't think that he was falling for me... He said he
already had." Ami was immediately deafened as a cacophony of squeals, coo's,
and laughter filled the room.  She was descended upon by both her mother and
her friends as they congratulated her.  She giggled for a moment then gave
in and began retelling the night in better detail (Although still leaving
out what she felt were the more embarrassing parts.)  When she had finished,
Chibi Usa sighed and let out a small sigh.
	"That's so romantic." She closed her eyes and dreamed of the day
some handsome guy would come and sweep her off of her feet.
	Usagi patted her on the shoulder. "I knew you could do it, Ami."
Her mother was a bit more reserved but nevertheless happy for her as well.
	"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 life."  Ami
nodded.
	"Yes, Mother."  
	After a while (And some oddly embarrassing questions, mostly from
Mina) 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?"
	Ami looked at her oddly for a second. "Sure. But why?  Do you think
we aren't well matched?"
	"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 going
to need someone to talk to." Ami nodded and smiled as Mina flashed her a
victory sign with her fingers.  "Hey, I am the Senshi of love, after all."
Both girls burst into laughter before Mina left to go home.

	By the end of the week, the girls were all back on full alert.  Each
had either seen 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
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.
	Ami glanced over her shoulder for the third time as she walked down
the street.  She didn't see anyone except a small elderly woman in a green
kimono tossing water across her walkway.  She still felt like she was being
followed.  She quickened her pace as she rounded the corner and headed up
the path to Eric's.  When she reached the door she knocked anxiously until
he opened the door looking around nervously.  When he reached the door she
began to relax.  Slipping inside the she hugged him tightly.
	"Everything ok, Ami-chan?" He asked slightly confused.
	"No, I'm fine now."
	Eric shrugged and chalked it up to just one of her lovable little
quirks.
	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
walked in the park, sometimes they went out.  But tonight they had chosen to
stay in and just enjoy being close.
	Ami stretched her legs and stifled a yawn.  Settling back against
Eric, she snuggled a little closer into his arms.  The two were cuddled up
spoon fashion on his couch watching TV.  Eric leaned down and kissed her
lightly on her cheek eliciting a ticklish giggle from her.  She turned
slowly until she could look up at him.  With a heavy sigh she stared at him
for a moment then whispered.  "It's getting late.  I have to go soon."
	"I know.  Want me to walk you home?"
	"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.
	"Hello, Mizuno resi..."
	"Ami it's Usagi! Come over to my place as fast as you can, it's
urgent!"  The blonde's voice sounded panicked so Ami agreed and quickly got
dressed again and raced off for Usagi's.  She paused at the door long enough
to leave her mother a note telling her where she was at.  As she ran down
the walkway she failed to notice a familiar jacket laying on her front lawn.

	Rei accepted the warm cup of tea from Chibi Usa and sipped it
quietly.  She winced as Usagi applied another gauze bandage to one of her
many scrapes. "What are you putting on these things, meatball head, salt?"
Usagi's only reply was to hold up a tube of antiseptic cream as she
continued to measure out another length of gauze.  A knock at the door
heralded Ami's arrival.  The seven girls in the room let out a collective
sigh.
	"What kept you?" Haruka asked. The statuesque blonde was leaning
against the wall next to the window keeping watch.  She reminded Ami of an
owl searching for its prey.  Ami looked around the room and immediately
noticed the first aid Usagi  was performing on Rei.  The young priestess had
one arm resting in a sling and she had several bandages on her hands and one
just over her left eye.
	"What happened?" She asked as she went to her wounded friend.
	"Daemons.  Three of them attacked the temple just after sundown.
Grandfather and I drove one off but the other two attacked Kumada.  I took
care of one and Grandfather got the second one."
	"It looks like it put up a fight." 
	"A little" The raven haired girl replied  as she leaned against
Usagi's bed.
"The question is, why attack the temple?" Artemis asked, his mind already
deep in thought. "Your grandfather doesn't keep anything special that they
would want, does he?"
	"Nothing I can think of.  Just the usual items used at the temple. I
don't think he has anything very powerful."  Ami listened to Rei as she
pulled out her mini computer and began typing.
	"Rei, tell me exactly what happened. I'm going to run a simulation
and see if we can shed some more light on this."  She called up a schematic
of the Hikawa shrine as Rei began retelling the night's events.
	"Well, I was in the temple with Grandfather Jinja helping him clean
up.  I had just finished sweeping when the first daemon came out of the
shadows behind the alter and attacked." As she spoke Ami's fingers glided
over the keys at frightening speeds.  Inside her mind she was calling up as
much relevant information as she could find trying to see the situation from
every possible angle.
	*Daemons are less than one meter in size on average, approximately
60 kilos.*  She continued calculating in her head as she entered the data as
well as what Rei was telling her about the event in general.
	"Grandfather and I managed to get 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."
	Ami's fingers froze in mid stroke as she looked up at Rei in
confusion.  "Why would they drag him out of his room?  Usually they just
throw people out of their way when they look for something or possess them.
Are you sure he was still Kumada?"
	"Yes. We checked him over once we had finished with the daemons.
Grandfather said he was fine." 
	"hmmmmmmmm."  Ami looked at the simulation as it ran a second time.
Something was missing...something that she wasn't seeing, or maybe something
she was.  With a jolt the answer suddenly leaped into focus.  Ami's eyes
went wide as her head snapped up. "Dammit!" She cried out causing the others
to look at her in shock at her explicative. "Why didn't I see it sooner?
They want leverage!"
	"Come again?" Michiru asked. Ami looked at her then the others.
	"We've known the 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.
	"How do they know who we are?"
	"I don't know but it's the only theory that makes any sense.
Professor Tomoe thinks we have the grail and he's trying to get one of our
family or friends to use as leverage to get it." Ami began to think about
things again, turning the revelation over in her mind.  Something was still
bugging her.
	"But how do we protect everyone, we'll be spread too thin." Minako
asked.
	"They only need one.  We have to try and guess their next move,"
Makoto added.  Ami's head snapped up again for the second time.  Her eyes
where wide with horror, her face went white as the blood drained from her
skin.  Slowly she mouthed out four words silently.  The others watched as
she repeated the words once more but only barely audible.
	"There's no wind tonight..." Ami turned and exploded out of the
room.  The other girls followed her trying to find out what had spooked
their friend.  She was out the door and halfway down the street before
anyone could stop her.  Haruka and Makoto managed to catch up to Ami as she
raced along as fast as her fear could drive her.
	"Ami! What's wrong?" Haruka shouted.  She had longer legs and was in
far better shape for this kind of exercise than the short haired girl but
whatever had scared her had kicked her adrenaline output into overdrive.  
	"There's no wind blowing! None!" was the only reply she received.
She slowed herself down, watching Ami disappear down the street with Makoto
following closely.  She stopped to catch her breath and waited for the
others to catch up with her.  She told them what happened as they reached
her.  Together they all followed in the direction the other two girls had
went.  
	The girls came to the street Ami's house was on they saw Makoto in
the yard holding Ami.  As they reached them things began to fall into place.
Ami was collapsed in Makoto's arms wailing into a crumpled up piece of
cloth.  Usagi placed her hand on Ami's shoulder and tried to comfort her.
	"Ami?" She spoke in quiet worried tones.  The other girls gathered
around close.  Slowly Ami's cries lessened as she regained some amount of
control.   She held out her hands revealing Eric's Blue-Denim-and-leather
coat.  The back had a gaping hole burned through its middle.  Usagi
delicately took the article and then placed her arm around her friend.  Ami
shifted herself over to Usagi and continued to cry although her sobs were
not as hysterical as before.  As the girls gathered closer she managed to
pull herself together enough to speak again.  
	"I heard something right before you, called... I thought it was the
wind."  She closed her eyes and buried her face in Usagi's shoulder.  The
young blonde could only hold her friend and pat her back reassuringly as
Ami's world fell apart.   


Well there you have it folks.  A few new things for you to chew on and think
about.  Perhaps this is going were you think it is and perhaps not. 
See you in the next one.

Thanks to all of my pre-readers and all those who have sent me feed back
from chapter one.  Keep it coming. I like to hear what you guys think.

TooWolves

 


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