Tuesday Afternoon 5:00pm
    “Mother? I got home a little while ago.”
    …
    “Yes, I passed it.”
    …
    “Uhuh, he came. He came and saw me do the test with Sensei Narai, and then came back with me. He’s still here, do you want to talk to him? … Asuka!”
    He leaned over to take the phone out of her hand. “Hello?  Aunty Mewagi. Yep, it’s me, your favorite man!”
    …
    The girls looked at her curiously. They were friends? He knew Mrs. Mizuno’s first name??
    He chuckled, “yes, I’ll take care of her.  I can't believe that you didn't remind me it was her birthday!”
    …
    “Okay, okay, I promise I won’t let anyone harm her. And I'll try not to burn the house down, but I won’t guarantee anything else, that ok with you? Umm... You do have insurance don't you?”
    …
    “That's ok. My manager won’t mind. He’ll only get flustered if I don’t turn up to competitions. But I’ll call him to pick me up late.”
    …
    “Oh… you sure?”
    …
    “Ok, I’ll see you later then.”

    “Ami, your mum’s coming back at 10, and we’re going out for supper together…  so um… yeah.”
    “Akiyama-san, you KNOW Ami’s mum?”
    “Asuka, call me Asuka.  And what’s so surprising about that Usagi?”
    “Well, we don’t even know her all that well.”
    “So?”
    “How?”
    “I knew Ami since grade 1.  I was in primary school with her, well, until…”

Flashback
    Little Ami and little Asuka (about 8) playing together, holding hands like all little kids do.  Jumping around and laughing and giggling.  Suddenly an older girl comes over, and laughingly says “Ami and Asuka sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes marriage, second comes…”.
    Ami jumps away, “am not!” and runs off, refusing to talk with Asuka.

    “Until what?”
    Asuka was startled by Usagi’s sudden interruption to his thoughts, “umm… well...” his voice drifted away.
    “So you guys kept in contact?  Anything to remember by?”
    “That comes on a need to know basis Usagi.  Unless Ami wants to let you know, you won’t.”  Asuka smiled at Ami, who looked down to her feet.  The girls gathered around the poor girl trying to gather information off her.

Flashback
    Friendships don’t get broken down so easily, especially not an only friendship.  In about a week, their friendship continues to flourish, but unfortunately, it wasn’t long until Ami was to move away into Tokyo with her mother.  “Ami I want you to have this.”
     She takes the small package from his hand, slowly unwrapping the package, a tear dripped from her cheek.  She gasps as she realizes that the present was a bowl shaped gold medal, the first medal from the first competition that Asuka had ever entered (which happened to be a gold one).  “Asuka, I can’t.  You’ve always said that it was your lucky charm.”
    “It is, I just… I just wanted you to have it since you’re going away, and…”
    “ I can’t take this!”
    “You have to!  What about a deal?”
    “What deal?”
    “You give it back when you get your own?”
    “That’s crazy, I’ll never win anything at sports.”
    “You’re learning how, Sensei Narai says you’re doing well.”
    “She’s just being polite.  She’s not teaching me next year, she’s going to your rink, the Nabeyashi Skating Club.”
    “Deal is, you go skate and I get into Tokyo University.”
    “That’s impossible.”
    “What?  You doubting me?”
    “No, it’s just that I’ll never win!”
    “Fine, pair skate with me then.”
    “Asuka, no!  I can’t.”
    “You’re the one who keeps on saying that anyone can do anything if they put their hearts to it.”
    “This is different!”
    “You just don’t have the guts!”
    “I do so have the guts!”
    “Well then?”
    “Deal!”
    “Both singles and pair skate!  Or don’t you have the GUTS?”
    “Deal!”
    Little Ami stared at him furiously, her eyes flashing with determination as her little hands clasp around the medal.  Asuka grins as she turns away, and holds up his fingers for a brief victory sign.  Success.   It was something that he often did with Ami, her temper though mild, was from determination.  “Hey Ami, wait up!”  He ran up to her, took the medal from her hands and slipped it over her head.

    Ami sighed involuntarily as her hand reached for the medal, something that she always kept with her.  She used to keep it in her wallet, now, she wore it.  She remembered that one year in Tokyo High, no one had spoken to her, they viewed her as they would look at someone from outer-space (literally).  True, she got the best marks, but they didn’t seem to understand that she was human too.  She was glad to transfer into Juben High when she was 13, there she had finally found new friends, friends which were forever.  It was where she truly belonged.  The only sanctuary she had when she was in Tokyo High was the library and the skating rink.

Flashback
    Ami is about 12 years old.
    “Ami dear, you’ve got a letter from the Nabeyashi Skating Club.”
    “I did? I only go to the Konowa Arena, how did they know about me?”
    “I don’t know dear.  Well hurry up and open the letter to see what it is.”
    “Okay…”
    “Well?”
    “It’s a membership.  They said that I was… nominated.”
    “Oh really?”
    “I can’t imagine who would do that, I don’t even know anyone else who likes figure skating.”
    “Don’t you?”  Mrs. Mizuno turns away to hide a smile.  “You might find out when you go there to practice.”

    A hand waved in front of Ami’s face.  “Ami, earth to Ami!”
    She jumped as she was pulled from her memories.  “What is it Usagi?”
    “Well?”
    Ami smiled and turned away from their questioning faces.  Asuka caught her arm, and smiled at her as well.  He knew what the misunderstanding was, and he was going to let dear Ami get a bit more attention then she usually got. “Well?  Thursday?  I’ll get you your flowers, a huge bouquet for my princess.”
    Attention immediately rose, as the girls pushed Asuka away to question the poor girl.  “You’re wearing that to the Social??  Isn’t that a bit revealing?”
    “It’s not the social.”  Ami bit her lip as she glared at Asuka furiously.  She meant to keep the whole thing a secret, especially the Trials for the Japan Figure Skating Competition.  Now, she would have to tell them.  “Its for the trials, for this skating competition I’m going to try at.”
    Asuka grinned at her reluctance.  “You guys think the skirt will look good on her?  She’s skating with the ‘Emperor’.”
    “The Emperor?  You’re skating with the Emperor of Japan?”
    A sweatdrop appeared on Mamoru’s head, embarrassed by how little his girlfriend knew about anything.  “Ehh… I think he means Ami will be skating to the music Piano Concerto Number 5 by Beethoven.”
    “Beethoven?… hmm… sounds yummy!”
    Everyone sweatdrops at Usagi’s comment.  Rei hastily cuts in before Usagi makes a further fool out of herself in front of her idol.  “So, you’re competing in a figure skating event?  That’s great.  I’m sure the skirt will look fantastic.  Ok guys, no formal on Thursday, we’re all going to cheer Ami on!”
    “Wait a minute!  No, of course not, you guys have to go to the social.”
    “What, you’re afraid that you’ll make a fool out of yourself in front of your friends?”  Asuka teased lightly as he leaned against the wall, he smiled, taunting Ami.  “Is it because you can’t do it, that you don’t want people to see?  You don’t want people to know of your mistakes, that you can’t always get 100%?”
    “I’m not going to fall!  Just you wait and see!”
    “Well then, why not just get some tickets for us.”
    Ami’s eyes widened with indignation, “fine!  I’ll ask Narai-san for some tickets to it then!”
    Asuka smiled once again. His tickets, he had already arranged with Narai-san.  Ami was smart, but one thing she still hadn’t managed to work out over the years was reverse psychology, the thing that he had been using against her since they were in kindergarten.  At that time, he didn’t know what the term for it was, but he knew that it worked.  She was still the indignant, defiant little girl who refused to fall from the pedestal of victory because she had never had the need to fall, she was still the little girl whom he still adored after so many years.

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