Author: Eclipse |
E-Mail: sailor-eclipse@yahoo.com |
Title: Ice Bubbles |
Rating: PG |
Standard Disclaimers Apply |
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I had always felt so alone. I was never accepted anywhere.
They always spoke harshly to me and about me. They meaning everyone.
It was so difficult to go through life knowing what you want but yet
never being able to get it because the opinions of others pushed you
back. It had been that way until I had met her. She was so different
from everyone else. She readily accepted me when all of the others
had shunned me. I knew that I had an unspoken bond with her then.
She was my princess. Then, now, forever. She had my trust and I had
a friend.
It began with my first day at her school. She suspected me of
being evil. Until, that is, later in the day when a youma had attacked
my computer school. It was then that she found out she wasn't alone in
fighting evil and it was then that I found out that I was strong. Our
friendship grew from there. She wasn't the brightest, but she tried
so hard and her heart showed it. I was lonely and she saw it. I helped
her with her school work and she introduced me to other people.
Then came Ryo. When I first laid eyes on him, I knew we had
a special connection with each other. He was attacked by that same evil
that had brought Usagi-chan and I together. She helped me heal him. She
gave me the advice that I had needed for that relationship to flourish.
She pointed out to me that we were both smart and we both had only a
few close friends. Even though his family continued to move from one
place to another, we always stayed in touch and always got together
when he came back for a visit.
Usagi-chan eventually raised her grades above failing to a
solid "C". She rarely need too much of my help after the senshi
grouped together. We still held our one on one conversations asking
about problems and talking about great things we had done within the
past few days. She and Mamoru were together and Ryo and I were
together. Our lives were wonderful. With my help, as well as Ryo's and
Mamoru's, Usagi was able to lift her grade to a "B" and keep it there
for the rest of school. I suspect it was largely on the part of a
certain promise made by Mamoru, but her grades were good so I never
questioned her about it.
Later, when Crystal Tokyo was a bright and sparkling city,
Usagi and Mamoru married and became Neo-Queen and Neo-King of Crystal
Tokyo. However, since we were from the old kingdom of the Silver
Millennium and sailor senshi, we aged slowly. We weren't immortal, yet
it felt that way when we lost our loved ones. Ryo had lived so long. He
was a well respected professor at the University of Crystal Tokyo.
Neo-Queen Serenity had often called upon him for assistance when some
problems arose. But he was old, and I still looked like I was 23.
People often thought that he was my father, or even worse, my
grandfather until we told them he was my husband. They then shook their
heads in disapproval as they walked away. When he was dying, I held him
in my arms, crying, as he told me it was a natural course of life and
that I shouldn't cry. Then Serenity walked in. She saw my tears and
waved her escorts off. They bowed and waited outside. She flashed a
pained smile in my direction and sat on the bed next to Ryo. She held
his other hand and leaned down to whisper in his ear. She kissed his
forehead and sat up, smiling. She sniffled and that's when I noticed
her tears. She placed a hand on my shoulder and told me she'd be
waiting outside for when I needed her. Rei, Minako, and Makoto also
came to say their good byes to Ryo, but none showed the same emotion
Serenity had. But then, none of them had taken the time to get to know
him as well as she had. Endymion was the last visitor he had other than
me. Ryo quietly mumbled his love for me and slipped into the next world.
I slowly walked, no, more like stumbled out to the waiting room where
Serenity had been waiting. Her eyes were red-rimmed and tears had
stained her cheeks. She stood when she heard the door to Ryo's room
open. Our eyes connected and I could see she knew. She held her arms
open to me. We collapsed to our knees, crying together, for she had
lost a friend, and I had lost a husband, a friend, and a companion.
Weeks went by, and I had meandered through my work at the
hospital. I tried to keep myself as busy as I could so I could keep my
mind and my heart from remembering how lonely I was. Serenity was
forced to return to the palace for her duties, but she called every
night to make sure I was doing okay. Of course I told her that I was
fine, but inside I was falling apart. This continued until she just
stopped calling one day in mid May. I had heard nothing from the palace
until the beginning of August. Endymion called, his voice was panicked.
Something was wrong with Serenity. She had fallen ill that day she
had stopped calling. They figured it was just a cold, but then it
hadn't gone away. She had been bed ridden that entire time, with doctor
after doctor being flown in to attend to her. I told Endymion I'd be
there as soon as I could get there.
She looked horrible, she was so pale and so thin. Endymion had
also looked tired. She struggled to sit up, but I placed a gentle hand
on her shoulder. She looked up at me and her eyes went wide.
"Ami-chan... you look... oh... I should've kept calling... I've left
you all alone...." Her eyes filled with tears as she continued
apologizing. I lifted my hand and she stopped speaking. After a
thorough examination of my princess, my queen, I found that she had
only been feeling the sadness and lonliness that I had buried deep
inside for all of those weeks. It was our strong bond of friendship
that had caused it. She couldn't stand hearing me lie to her over the
phone so I wouldn't keep her from any of her duties. Something inside
her clicked, and she began feeling my pain as well.
As soon as I had gotten Serenity back on her feet, we began
what we had done all through school. We went back to our daily talks
and began a walk through the park, just the two of us. On one of our
walks, I swore I had seen him. I thought I saw Ryo. He looked at me and
smiled. I turned back to Serenity who had given me the largest smile
and nodded for me to go over and speak to him. He smiled and introduced
himself to me. Next thing I knew, he was talking to me about Ryo's and
my past. I could only stand there with my mouth hanging open. My eyes
drifted away from Ryo and back to Serenity who was now joined by
Endymion. After I had gone back to the palace, I tracked down Serenity.
After asking what all she knew about this afternoon, I found out that
she had spoken to her mother a week ago and asked if Ryo could return
to me. I grinned and hugged her.
A year later, Serenity called me. She asked if I could examine
her again. I agreed. After a thorough exam, I announced the news to her.
She was pregnant and if I could recall my childhood correctly, it was
Small Lady growing inside of her now. Suddenly, Serenity broke into
tears. After calming her down, I pryed the reason she had burst into
tears out of her. It turns out, that she had made a deal with the
goddess that if she allowed Ryo to return to Earth and age the same as
we do, she would give up her own life as soon as Small Lady was old
enough to rule on her own. My heart dropped as well as my chin.
Endymion walked into the room. I immediately asked if he had known
anything about what she had done. His face was solemn as he nodded.
He did know. And he let her do it.
"Ami, she wanted you to feel the love he showed you for a long time.
She wanted you to feel the love like she felt for me."
I argued, telling her that too many people depended on her
and that it was not a good decision to do something like that. She
smiled after wiping the tears from her face with the sleeve of her
robe. She explained that it would have been selfish of her to continue
with her life the way it was, and how it hurt her to see my face when
Endymion showed his affection for her. I hugged her again and giggled
at the thought of her becoming a mother. But she's ready now. She, our
Usagi-chan, has grown up and is ready for whatever lays in the future.
No matter what happens or when it is her time to go, I'll be ready. And
I'll be there to support her wishes, no matter what they may be. Ice
bubbles may have frozen my eyes in the past, but no more. I'll watch
over my princess and I trust her. It will all work out for the best.