Legal Disclaimers (my lawyer made me:)
Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC,
Bandai, Mixxine and a lot more probably. Bottom line is: Sailor
Moon and it's characters are not mine so don't sue me. You should be
used to the disclaimers by now.
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Finally! I hope this was well worth the wait. Oh, and this chapter
will probably be the only chapter that will be written in 1st person
perspective because I have decided to go back to 3rd person, since
it's so much easier to write. Hope that wasn't too confusing for
you.

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| Visit my homepage at: |
| http://www.oocities.org/tokyo/temple/9286 |
| Official site of Lady Jupiter's stories. |
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D.C. al Fine
(4) Dreams in A minor
Lady Jupiter (LadyJupiter@SailorJupiter.com)

Soft snow fell like pure white down around them. The weather
was not bitter or harsh as one might expect while it snowed, but
rather cozy, as if it was not snow that fell, but feathers from an
angel. Already, the snow was collecting at their feet and on their
shoulders. Day was approaching and it was sure to bring more
whiteness to add to the snow.
He sighed softly in his sleep, breathing in a pleasant scent.
It was not something he had smelled before. It was something
different, something he wanted more of. Half awake, he was dimly
aware of his head resting on something soft. His back was sending a
dull ache through his body and he longed to stand up and stretch.
His eyes opened, squinted at the approaching light. At first, all
he saw was whiteness, but as he moved, the whiteness moved and
seemed to tumble off.
"It's going to be a white Christmas," he echoed softly as he
shook his head gently, letting more snow flakes flutter from his
hair. He softly brushed away the white snow from the girl's head.
She was sound asleep leaning on him with her one arm around him. He
softly touched her cheek, feeling its silky warmness with his chilly
cold hands. Wrapping his jacket more tightly around her sleeping
form, he closed his eyes and started to nod off into blissful sleep
again.
"No," the girl murmured.
He opened his eyes and looked at her curiously.
"No. Please don't." She said again, more forcefully. She
gripped him tighter.
he thought.
"No! No! Stop it!" the girl was shaking her head vehemently.
"Makoto," he shook her a little.
"Onisan! Noooooooo!" Mako screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Makoto!" He yelled at her, shaking her so earnestly that he
jolted her out of her bad dream.
For a minute she stood there in his tight grasp, blinking at
him. She looked down to see him gripping her shoulders and shrugged
him off.
"What are you doing?" she asked him.
"You had a bad dream. You were screaming and screaming."
She shook her head disbelieving, "A bad dream. It was all just a
bad dream."
"What was it about?"
Makoto seemed to close up, her lips formed a tight line. She
looked around at the snow. "You're right, it's a white Christmas."
"I'm surprised we didn't freeze to death last night."
"Last night?" she tried to recall what happened last night.
Yes, she remembered now. They had walked here, looked at the waves
crashing the rocks below. He had sat down on a bench, and she
followed. He was telling her a story, and she couldn't remember
what it was about because she fell asleep.
"I wonder what time it is," he thought aloud and took a look at
his wrist, surprised to see his watch was missing. "Strange, I
doubt someone came while we were asleep and took my watch."
"One of us would have noticed that," she remarked.
"Oh yes, I remember." He had taken off his watch before
starting to bake in the kitchen and slipped it into the front pocket
of his jacket. He reached for pocket, which was a little difficult
since Makoto was the one who was wearing the jacket now.
"What do you think you're doing?" she scooted away on the bench.
"If you don't mind, I'd like to get my watch out."
She started fishing in the pocket for the watch. "I'll get it
for you. You just keep your hands to yourself."
The watch came out and it was sixteen minutes after six. The
sky was becoming lighter by the minute. Strangely enough, it was
also starting to grow colder and Shinozaki wanted to get out of the
cold.
"Let's go get something to eat," he suggested while getting off
the bench and stretching his legs. Makoto followed him up. She
stretched her arms and yawned, steam coming out of her mouth like
clouds.
"Ugh, my hair is a mess." She remarked as she pushed some stray
bangs off her face. As she reached for the rubber band that kept
her hair together, Shinozaki turned to look just in time to watch
the wavy brown hair tumble unrestrained over her shoulders.
His eyes lit up and he found himself complimenting her. "You
should wear your hair down more often."
"It's such a hassle to leave it down," she replied, hand
combing her hair and then retying it. She didn't bother telling him
the real reason. She used to wear it up because of the numerous
fights she used to get into. If her hair was down, there was sure
to be hair pulling by her opponent. Now, she did it because of
habit.
They started walking back into the city. The streets were
deserted and most of the shops were closed. Luckily they found a
small coffee shop nestled between two very large and towering sky
scrapers. They happily entered the warm room and breathed in its
rich scent.
"Strange, I never noticed this shop before." Shinozaki said
under his breath. He led her to a booth by the window.
"That's because we're hidden in the shadow of an overtowering
building," a stout man replied while emerging from the back. He
carried a small note book and had a pencil tucked behind his large
ears. "And what would you like this wonderful Christmas morning?"
"What do you serve?" Shinozaki asked.
"Why, anything your apetite desires, of course!" the little man
replied promptly. He turned to Makoto, "How about starting with
you, Miss? What would you like?"
"Some hot chocolate is fine." Makoto replied.
"And you, sir?"
"I'll take some capuccino, thank you." He replied.
When the waiter left for the back again, Shinozaki whispered,
"Actually, I'd love to have a nice big slice of cheesecake."
"Why didn't you tell him?"
"I didn't want to trouble him. I doubt they serve cheesecake
here. It looks more like a coffee and coffee-cake type of place."
Surprisingly, when the waiter arrived with there drinks, he also
had a large slice of cheesecake and cherry pie for the two of them.
Both Makoto and Shinozaki were too awed to comment and accepted the
drinks and plates with a silent nodd.
"I'll be in back if you need anything," the waiter smiled a
knowing smile.
"How did he hear me from back there?" Shinozaki remarked.
Makoto shrugged. "How did he know I liked cherry pies?"
"Oh," Shinozaki sighed, "This is the _best_ cheese cake I've
ever tasted!"
"Cheese cake? You should try this cherry pie!" Mako smiled in
pure bliss. She sipped a little of her hot chocolate and also
complemented on how smooth and creamy that was.
The rest of the hour was spent basking in the heavenly tastes
and scents the little coffee shop had to offer. When they were both
full and content, they stopped. It was strange how that slice of
cake and pie never seemed to get smaller or disappear until they
were truly satisfied.
"Wow," Makoto breathed.
"Wow," Shinozaki echoed. He had never felt so good from just
eating before. He made a mental note to come back every week for
the cheese cake.
"Look, it's snowing outside!" Makoto remarked. True, big fat
flakes were drifting outside. Small children could be seen jumping
around in excitement with their new Christmas toys in the snow.
"I'll go pay," Shinozaki offered. He got up and went to the
front counter where the waiter stood waiting. When he came back,
Makoto was standing with her wallet open.
"How much was the total? I'll pay my half."
Shinozaki shrugged, "He said it was on the house."
"What?!"
"I don't know, he just won't take my money. He said he just
wanted to spread some holiday cheer."
"Let me go talk to him," but as Mako turned, she saw that there
was no longer anyone behind the counter. She shrugged and left some
money on the table for a tip.
"Wait, before you go out," Shinozaki stopped her, placing a
hand on her arm.
"What?"
He reached and ran his thumb along her upper lip gently, "You
had a little cream left over."
She cast her eyes down and felt her cheeks flush. Why was she
feeling this way for him? Just the other day, she wanted to throw
him down a well and never see him again.
"Come on, I'll walk you back home." he held out his arm, which
she gladly took.
The walk seemed all too short and the magical spell was broken
when Makoto reached her apartment door. Reluctantly, she let go of
his arm to unlock the door. The two stood awkardly in the doorway,
unsure of what to say.
Finally, Mako broke the silence. "Um...thanks for last night.
It was really nice."
Shinozaki gave a lopsided smile and shrugged, "It was nothing.
Let's just hope we didn't catch pneumonia."
That reminded her that she was still wearing his jacket. She
hastily took it off and handed it back to him. "Thank you,
Shinozaki-kun."
His smile grew wider. Shinozaki-kun, he thought, it never
sounded so good coming out of anyone else's mouth. "No problem," he
put the jacket on, getting a whif of her scent still embeded in its
warmth.
"I'll see you," she started to close the door.
"Wait," he put a hand on the closing door and stopped her.
Then, he took his hand away. What are you thinking? he asked
himself. "Yeah, I'll see you around." And almost too quickly,
brushed his lips over her soft skin and gave her a small peck on her
forehead.
Blushing, Makoto closed the door. She touched where his lips
touched her skin and smiled, feeling like a giddish little girl.
Suddenly, her doorbell rang again. Thinking it was Shinozaki, she
threw open the door, but was almost disappointed to see it wasn't
him.
"Merry Christmas, Mako-chan!" Rei beamed and shoved a large
present into her arms.
"Ohayo, Rei-chan. Merry Christmas to you too," Mako led her
friend into her apartment and started to boil some water for hot
chocolate. While the water was boiling, Mako dug under her large
Christmas tree for the present she had bought for Rei. When she
finally reached it, she handed it to her friend. "Open it! I want
to know what you think."
Immediately, Rei tore off the wrapping and pulled open the box.
She pulled out a red oversized sweater and smiled. "Mako-chan, I
love it! It's beautiful." Then, she started laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"Open your present, you'll see."
When she opened her present, Makoto started laughing too. Rei
had gotten her exactly the same sweater, but a forrest green one.
The two girls shared a holiday hug and laughed some more until the
squealing of the tea kettle cut through.
As they sat on the sofa stirring their cocoa and watching the
morning Christmas marathons, Rei suddenly had a mischieveous grin on
her face.
"You know who I saw on the way up here?"
"Who?"
"Shinozaki-san. Now I _know_ he doesn't live around here. Why
was he here?" Rei asked.
"Well, he-"
Before she had a chance to finish, Rei interupted, "-and I also
noticed you are wearing the same thing as you had on last night for
the hospital party."
Makoto blushed, "Shinozaki-kun and I-"
"-since when did you call him Shinozaki-kun? What happened to
'that stupid Shinozaki!' that you always say?"
"Will you let me finish?!" Makoto threw her hands up in defeat.
"Okay, okay, please go on." Rei took a sip of the cocoa.
Smiling about last night, Mako went on, "We took a stroll to the
sea-shore last night. It was beautiful, you should have seen it,
Rei-chan. Then, I guess we fell asleep on the bench. Next thing I
knew, it was morning, and snowing."
"Oh, how romantic!" Rei swooned and laid back onto the sofa.
"See, I told you he was a nice guy!"
"Yeah, he actually was kinda nice." Makoto echoed, her eyes
starting to gleam, then suddenly, she was pulled back into reality.
"Hey, if you knew he was such a nice guy, why didn't you go for him?"
Rei shrugged, "I don't know. I never thought of it. Besides, I
always thought he was looking out for that _perfect_ girl. I've
seen him date a couple of girls since I've known him, but he always
looked, I don't know how to explain it...unsatisfied."
"How did you know so much about him?"
Rei couldn't help but blush. "Well, I used to have this eensy
little crush on him a year back. But I got over it. I consider him
a friend, at most. Besides, one time his mother was talking to one
of the staff nurses on one of her visits to the hospital and I heard
them talking about how he was looking for his 'dream girl' or
something."
Mako laughed out loud. "What? I can't beleive he would be that
kind of person."
"Yeah, well you know what they say. You don't really know
people until you know them."
"And who says that?" the brunette asked while arching an
eyebrow.
"I do, of course!" Rei barely had time to put her cup down
before a pillow came sailing into her face. "Hey! You'll pay for
that!"
The room erupted into a pillow fight and soft whisps of feathers
floated around inside as white flakes of snow floated outside.

Shinozaki took his time going home. He usually took the bus,
but he wanted some time to think and it was hard for him to think
while sitting inside a moving vehicle. He tried to rationzalize the
thoughts running amuck inside his head. There was something about
this girl that kept calling out to him. She was unlike any girl he
had ever dated before. He started chewing on his lower lip, trying
figure out what it was. He stuffed his hands further into his
pockets and sighed. She smelled so good. Even now, her scent still
remained on his jacket. It wasn't one of those strong aromas that
girls liked to wear now. No, it was something more down to earth.
Almost like how it would smell during spring.
It was times like these that he wished his parents were there to
listen. One would think that having a psychiatrist for a dad would
make it easy. No, it was hard for him. His dad hardly ever
listened to him as a son, but more like another one of his patients.
Then, there was his mother. He had given up trying to get
relationship advice out of her years ago. She always chided him on
his "quest for the perfect girl" as she called it. It wasn't that
he was setting up his standard too high. He really didn't have any
standards. Yet, all the girls he dated just didn't "stick". At
first, he felt guilty because one date was just like the other, one
girl was just like the other until he couldn't tell them apart.
There was that one time he was watching a movie with one girl, but
he actually got her name mixed up with his last date.
But Makoto, she was different. She stood out clearly in his
mind. There was something she was hiding. He could tell by the way
she would clam up whenever he asked about her family. Then, there
was that nightmare she had yesterday, which she refused to talk
about and purposely changed the subject. He would find out about
her. He wasn't usually nosy, but he wanted to find out more about
this girl.

The moon was barely reaching it's apex on its course when
Shinozaki awoke wide awake. He blinked his eyes, trying to get
adjusted to the darkness. At first, he thought he was still
sleeping on the bench that Christmas Eve, but he remembered those
events happened last night, not this night. When he came home, he
saw the drab Christmas tree with its three presents under. His
father and mother's gifts were in there, waiting to be opened when
they got back. There was one other present under the tree from his
parents. He wasn't surprised to find that it was another sweater,
just like the Christmas before that. The only difference was the
sweater was mailed from Switzerland, where his parents probably
picked it out.
Then, before dinner, Makoto called him asking him to hurry to
her apartment. He was surprised to see a table set for two when he
arrived. Her Christmas present to him was a deliciously prepared
dinner. She had insisted that he stayed for dinner, saying it was
to pay him back for the company on Christmas Eve. Of course, he
could not refuse, with all those wonderful aromas persuading him to
stay.
Shinozaki turned over on the bed, trying to go back to sleep.
He was glad for the soft bed. There was a great difference between
his soft bed and the hard wooden bench he had slept on yesterday.
That was when he noticed it. The light was faint at first, but
grew stronger and larger. He sat up on his bed and opened his
window to get a better look at it. In the beginning, it looked like
a star, but it continued to grow brighter and seemed to come
closer. Suddenly, before he realized what was happening, the light
filled his room and he was blinded. He shut his eyes, but the light
was so brilliant it still filtered in.
When the light dimmed, he saw a figure standing over him on the
bed. Immediately, he got off the bed and tried to see who it was.
Like the sun, it was difficult to look directly at it. The figure
seemed to be gliding somewhere. Quickly, it disappeared out his
window again. Shinozaki was determined to find out what it was and
started after it. He climbed out of his window and landed with a
thump on the fresh grass. The figure moved, as if to beckon him to
follow her.
He ran after her. His reasoning part of his mind warned him
that he was still bare-footed, but he pushed that away and ran
quicker. After a short while, she disappeared out of his view. He
stopped and looked around to find himself standing on the shore of a
beach.
"Where are you?" he called out. The light had gone and the
only brightness was the glow of the moon. The morning fog was
starting to roll in around his feet. Out of the corner of his eye,
he saw a figure standing half a mile away. He ran soundless towards
it and stopped within a few feet.
It could not be doubted that this figure was the same figure he
had been chasing. But the light had gone away from it, leaving only
a dream-like white glow around it. Being closer, he could tell the
figure was a woman.
"Who are you?" he whispered, not wanting to break the
tranquility that she seemed to be in.
Almost as in surprise, she turned to him and opened her eyes,
revealing dazzling emerald eyes. He stepped closer to her but no
matter what, he could not identify her. Her eyes were so bright,
they made everything dull in comparison, not to mention the glow her
skin was emitting.
"An angel?" he asked softly. "Are you an angel?"
The angel only gave a small smile, a small turning up from her
delicate pink lips.
"Please, tell me who you are." He pleaded.
She just continued to smile.
"You're beautiful," he blurted out.
The fog was rolling in thicker than ever. He was having a hard
time seeing her. She was becoming hidden beneath the white haze.
He reached for her, trying to keep her with him, but all he grabbed
was a fistful of cloth. The cloth was over him now, he struggled to
take it off. It was as if the fog turned into white sheets and was
entangling him.
When finally, he threw the sheet over his head and could see
again, he saw that he was back in his room. His clean white sheets
were in a heap on the floor along with his comforter. His body was
covered in a sheen of sweat and his pillow was soaked. Grumbling,
he went down the hall to get clean sheets and a fresh pillow case.
It had been so real, that dream. He looked outside his window and
saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Stupid dream," he mumbled while getting back into bed. Just
as he got comfortable, the phone rang. At first, he was content to
let it just ring. After all, who could be calling during this
hour? But then, what if it was an important call? He picked it up
anyway. "Hello?"
"Shinozaki? Sorry hon, did we wake you?" a woman's voice came
over the static.
"Kaa-san? Yeah, it's past midnight here. How are the Alps?"
He asked his mother. It was typical of her to be calling during
this time, not even paying attention to the time-zone differences.
"Bad news, honey."
"What? Did dad sprain his ankle skiing again?"
"No, we won't be home for New Year's like we planned. We have
to stay an extra two weeks. Things are pretty hectic around here.
Seems like there's another conference in the next town and-"
Shinozaki cut her off, "Kaa-san, it's okay. I didn't really
expect you to come home for New Years anyway." He didn't try to
hide the disappointment in his voice.
"I'm so very sorry, honey. Your dad says he's sorry too. We'll
make it up to you. We'll bring you home a big gift."
"That's alright. I'll be fine."
There was a brief pause and the static could be heard crackling
away.
Finally, his father came on the line, "Shinozaki, you know we're
both sorry we won't be home as scheduled. But tell you what, take
the keys to our cabin, you know where the keys are right?"
"Yes."
"Take the keys and you can go up there as we planned. But since
your Kaa-san and I can't make it, you can invite your friends up.
How does that sound?"
"Fine. I'm kind of tired, Tou-san."
"Okay, you go back to sleep. We'll see you in a couple of weeks
or so."
"Alright, good-bye. Tell Kaa-san I said goodbye." Shinozaki
hung up.
He laid back down in bed and looked up at his ceiling. What a
surprise, he was going to spend New Years alone, just like last
year. But his father said he could take some friends up to the
cabin. He would have a good time despite the fact that he was going
to be alone again. He was determined. He doubted if any of his
friends were going to agree to go up to the cabin with him.
Besides the fact that it was on such short notice, they all had
plans already with their own families.
All except Makoto. He wondered if he should ask her to go. His
father hadn't said anything about inviting girls to the cabin. He
thought it would be okay. After all, if his parents trusted him to
be left at home for almost a month, they wouldn't mind a girl in the
cabin. He made a mental note of asking Makoto next time he saw her.

Makoto noticed how few of the patients remained during the
holiday season. Most of them went home temporarily to spend time
with their family, while others went home because nothing more could
be done. It made her feel better that she could come out and help
make the ones who had to stay in the hospital feel less like a
patient and more like a person. She had already taught a couple of
the kids how to fold origami stars and swans.
"I'm going to go out and take a walk. I'll be right back to
teach you guys how to make other birds, okay?" she excused herself
from the group as she saw Shinozaki wave to her from the doorway.
Before going out to join him, she made sure there was plenty of
paper.
"Hope I'm not interupting?" Shinozaki asked as they started
walking out of the hospital.
Makoto shook her head. "No, I was about to take my break
anyway."
What followed was a long and uncomfortable silence. It was the
first time they had spoken to each other alone since Christmas.
They were both unsure of how to act. It was certain they could not
retrograde into teasing each other like they used to.
"Did you have something you wanted to speak to me about?"
Makoto finally broke the silence. really stupid. Please, please let him have something to say to me.>
Her prayers did not go unanswered.
Shinozaki ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "It wasn't
that important, but I was wondering if you were going to do anything
on New Year's."
"Well," she slowly drew out. She didn't want to sound pathetic
with nothing to do, but she also didn't want it to sound as if she
was too busy to do anything with him. "I was planning on watching
the New Year's parade at home and baking a pie."
"Oh," he suddenly flashed a dazzling smile that would have made
her weak in her knees if she wasn't constantly reminded of her first
impression of him. "If that plan isn't set in stone, I would love
it if you could join me on New Year's Day."
"Join you?"
"I was going to go up to my parent's cabin and wanted some
company."
"What? You wanted company? So you won't be alone? Is that
what I am? Someone you can be with just so you won't be alone?!"
Makoto asked, her emerald green eyes lighting up with a dangerous
fire. What does he think I am? Some kind of back up he can have
stashed around to keep him company when he's bored?!
"No, that wasn't what I meant." he tried to calm her. He
hadn't thought she would take it that way.
"So what did you mean?" she challenged. When he seemed to be
at a lost for words, she spun on her heels and started to walk back.
"Wait-" he reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Don't grab me like that!" she raised her hand, ready to slap
him away but hesitated. During that half-second of hesitation,
Shinozaki held her free wrist to keep her from slapping him.
"What I meant was, I would really like to spend New Year's with
you, if you're not too busy." He restated, this time in a softer
tone.
Mako unconsciously licked her lips and looked curiously at him.
She looked into his deep blue eyes, through her long lashes. would he want to spend it with me? Why?> She searched through her
mind for excuses to use so she could back out, but it was blank.
Her eyes wandered over his face, his disheveled hair, his strong
jaw, his...lips. It was as if she was seeing him in a different
light.
"Please?" he whispered.
Suddenly, she was aware of how close their bodies were. One of
his hands were holding her upper arm, while the other held her wrist
to him. Every breath she exhaled could be seen as the mist exited
her mouth and hit his neck. She was conscious of how warm his body
against her own.
All sorts of alerts were sounding off in Shinozaki's head. He
knew he was still holding her, but he didn't want to let go. He was
certain that as soon as he did, she would dash away. He was aware
of how nice she smelled and the mildly tingling sensation of her
breath hitting his neck. He looked down at her. Her brilliant
green eyes were hidden under he lashes, but he was certain they were
there and he could detect just a faint blush on her cheeks.
The magical moment was spoiled all too soon. She drew her hand
away from his grip and backed away. Her face held the expression of
a deer trapped in headlights.
"I'll call you," she finally said and dashed for the hospital
entrance again.
Shinozaki exhaled that breath he had been holding forever and
started walking toward a bench. His head was dizzy with thoughts
about her. Then, out of the abyss in his mind crept out something
so pure it was as if a white light had gone off inside his head. He
thought back to the dream he had the night before. That girl that
had been haunting him in the midnight hours was now clouding his
mind during daylight.
"I'm really losing it," he mumbled to himself and shook his
head. He tried to think of other things, to force that image of his
nocturnal angel away but she insisted on staying in his mind.

In her haste to get back to the origami, Makoto ran into Rei,
literally. She mumbled an apology, but Rei wasn't satisfied with
just that.
"Mako-chan, why do you look like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like you're trying to run away from something?"
"I'm not." She insisted, her voice going up a notch.
"Ne, Mako-chan you're not a very good liar."
Makoto shrugged, "I'm not lying."
Suddenly, Rei broke up in a grin. "Is this about
Shinozaki-san? C'mon, Mako-chan tell me."
"How did you know?" Makoto was starting to wonder if her skin
was transparent.
"You're blushing."
"I'll tell you about it on the way home."
"Promise?"
"Rei-chan, I promise. Don't you trust me?" Makoto asked in
mocked innocence.
"Of course I do. But remember, I know where you live." Rei
arched an eyebrow. "Ooops, I think Mizuno-san is looking for me,
gotta go."
Makoto watched the raven-haired girl hurry toward the doctor,
glad for the end of the interrogation.

As she walked down the dark alley, it got darker. The moon was
hidden beneath thick clouds and the stars were almost non-existent.
She quickened her steps. It was so late that she had not
encountered a single person on the streets yet. Maybe if she took
the shortcut through the alley, she would be at her warm, safe home
quicker.
In the darkness, Makoto stumbled over a trashcan and barely had
the chance to catch herself before bumping into someone else. She
regained her balance and took in a deep breath, ready to snap at who
she ran into.
"Who the hell are you?! Get out of my way!" she started, cross
that someone would be standing in such dark clothes in the middle of
the night in some alleyway.
"I'm going to finish what I started." the dark stranger replied
flatly, advancing towards her.
Makoto immediately recognized that voice. It was a voice she
wanted to forget, a voice she wished she would never hear again.
Even without looking at him, she turned and ran blindly out of the
alley. Once she was out into the open streets, she searched around
for an escape. Strangely, the street lamps were dark and the night
had never been darker. A streak of lightning illuminated through
the sky and she was thankful for that. For half a second,
everything was as lit as day. She could see him walking closer and
closer to her, but no matter how quickly she ran, he easily followed
her.
Her lungs were burning and her feet felt like rubber. She could
not run anymore and stopped in the middle of a runway. He was still
behind her, walking slowly, menacingly at her. His eyes held
absolutely nothing. They were two dark olive pools of emptiness.
His face was expressionless, almost as if he was sleepwalking. But
unlike a sleepwalker, his steps were calculated as he drew closer to
his victim.
"No, you can't be here. This isn't happening!" Makoto shouted,
backing away.
Overhead, a loud explosion could be heard, and then a sputtering
of engines. Makoto dreaded looking up, but forced herself to. She
felt as if she was sitting through a horror movie, not wanting to
the bloody ending, but knowing she had to. An airplane was
nosediving toward the horizon and ended in a cloud of smoke and
flames.
"No!!! Mama! Papa!!" her knees grew weak and she sunk to the
ground. She burried her face in her hands and shook her head. "No,
not again! Stop it!"
The figure loomed over her with nothing but a letter opener in
his hand. He raised his hand high and brought it down, forcefully
pushing the paper cutter into the meat of her back.

When she woke up, the sheets were soaked in perspiration and
sunlight was making soft light beams into her room. Makoto threw
the covers off her bed, knowing she would not be getting any extra
sleep that morning. She went into her bathroom and took a cold,
refreshing shower. With clean dry clothes on, she felt much better.
She looked in the mirror at the face looking back. Green eyes
looked back at her under the frown. For a minute, she thought she
saw those expressionless eyes again, but as soon as she blinked,
they disappeared.
With a shaking hand, she opened her medicine cabinet and reached
for the large bottle of pills she knew she had. She carefully read
the perscription on the bottle although she knew every line, every
word by heart. She twisted open the cap, shook out two round pills
and put the bottle back. Taking her time, Makoto filled up her cup
with water and opened her fist. The white pills lay in the palm of
her hands, waiting to be swallowed.
It had been almost two years since she took her last pill. She
didn't want to retrograde back into...into...how she was before. have to make these dreams stop!> She slipped one pill into her
mouth, rolling it around with her tongue, cherishing the bitter
taste. Then, she spit it out into the toilet. She threw the
remaining pill in also and flushed it.
"Not now," she whispered to herself. Hoping to forget about
the pills, she gulped down the water and placed the cup back.
The living room was dimly lighted by the early rays of morning.
Makoto glanced at the clock. It would be a long time before school
started. She walked to her shelf and took out four books. No
longer hidden behind those books was an unmarked video tape. Almost
like a sleepwalker, she pushed the tape into her VCR and turned her
television on.
At first, it was blurry like most home videos but soon, the
camera focused onto two children: an infant and an older toddler of
maybe four or five. The infant had whispy auburn hair tied in a
high ponytail with a satin green ribbon.
Makoto unconsciously twisted a lock of her chestnut-brown hair
around her finger as she watched the tape as if in a trance.
The toddler sat by the infant. Amazingly, the toddler was
sitting completely still and staring blankly at something in front
of his face. He had stubby fingers as most children did and he
wiggled his fingers. He was reaching for something. An adult's arm
came into view, handing the little boy a brand new green crayon.
The boy wrapped his fingers around the crayon and waved it around.
Suddenly, the boy raised his chubby arm and drew it down
sharply, poking the point into the arm of the infant. The camera
fell and the rest of the scene could only be seen partially on its
side. A woman tended to the now crying infant as her husband pried
the crayon from his son's grasp.
Makoto stopped the VCR and pulled the tape out, restoring it to
its safe place. She wiped her wet cheeks on her sleeves as she made
her way into the kitchen. Like a zombie, she prepared breakfast and
packed her lunch. When she was done, she still had an hour to spare
before she would even be considered early for school.
The morning was hazy and the cold was nipping at her ears when
Makoto stepped out onto the street with her jogging clothes on. She
quickly stretched her muscles out and started on her usual running
route. She felt like exploring this morning so she quickly veered
off into another street, welcoming the new sights. It was too early
for anyone to be out on the streets except a few shopkeepers who
wanted an early start.
She felt the welcome surge of adrenaline pump into her system
and quickened her pace. As she ran, she let her mind wander. She
thought about the conversation she had with Rei on the way back from
the hospital. Rei didn't seem as surprised as she thought she would
be when Makoto told her that Shinozaki invited her up to his
parents' cabin for the weekend. She also didn't warn her like she
did about Masato.
Makoto fumed as she thought about that wolf. She hadn't seen
him anymore after that, except from a distance. As she got more
accustomed to the new school, people started to treat her as a
normal person instead of the "new girl" and she began to hear the
gossip that passed in the girls' lockerroom. What was heard most in
the lockerroom was about Masato's new catch. Makoto found that he
slept with a new girl almost every week. She was proud for the fact
that she wasn't one of the names among them.
"Ne, Mako-chan. You tell Shinozaki-san that you would love to
go up to his cabin for New Years." Rei had advised on the bus.
"Demo, I'm not sure if I want to go, Rei-chan." she had
reminded Rei.
"Nonsense. Of course you want to go. I can see that you like
him." Rei winked.
Mako felt a blush creep into her cheeks. "I-I-I usually spend
New Year's day at home by myself."
"I wish I could invite you over, but Grampa and I are to the
Shinto New Years Festival up on Mount Yukishimo. I'll be up there
for days. We do it every year." Rei explained.
"Maybe..." Makoto trailed off.
"If you're worried, Mako-chan, I assure you that Shinozaki-san
will be a perfect gentleman."
Makoto laughed, "I doubt that. He makes me so mad sometimes."
"He's just giving you some friendly teasing. Don't take it so
hard." Rei said.