Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Second Chances ❯ Chapter 1

"Urawa-kun!"- the raven-haired girl shouted as she walked a brisk pace through the crowded hall at *Toudai.

A young dark-haired man who seemed aloof from everything around stopped abruptly and turned around searching for the face that matched the voice. The girl approached him trying to catch her breath from the exertion of dodging scores of students moving like a herd on the narrow hall.

"Urawa-kun, I'm glad to see a familiar face around here. Are you also enrolled in Quantitative Methods 102?"

"Err, yes. I was just on my way there."

"Can I tag along? Ami-chan and I were supposed to take this course together but as usual she did so good on the last class the faculty decided she could just skip right to the next level. Lucky her, I've heard Mr. Tanaka is an ogre and his class is one of the hardest."

"Oh, really?" Ryo replied absentmindedly, his thoughts wondering away from the present physical reality of the campus and Rei.

"Are you okay Urawa-kun? I understand now what Ami-chan said about you not being yourself lately. You seem worried."

Ryo put on his best reassuring smile towards the shrine maiden. He did not want to let his inner struggles be noticed by anyone, especially his friends.

"It's just that some of the courses have turned out to be harder than I expected that's all. Come; let's hurry before class starts. Tanaka-sensei loathes tardiness."

"If we make past this flood of people we might make it in time. So much for me wanting to make a good impression. Now I'll have the ogre watching over me the whole semester. At least it will be a bit easier with a friend around to ease the torture."

Ryo nodded but remained silent. He actually had in plans dropping from the class that very week, as well from other classes but it wouldn't be a good idea to let Rei on the loop. She might tell Ami and all this mess would become ten times worse, if it was actually possible to be worse than it already was.

Rei slipped through the door panting but relieved. They had clocked in exactly at 9:00am. The ogre will not be on Rei's case for having been late the very first day of class and he wouldn't have to feel guilty for not being around. The least he was needed, the sooner he would be eventually forgotten.

Feigning his best attentive student stance, Ryo sat beside Rei and witnessed Tanaka's reputation in work as he chewed on two students who had tried in vain to slip unnoticed through the door at 9:05am. The professor made sure the two unfortunates, as well as the rest of the class did not forget the virtues of punctuality as he chalked on the blackboard their first assignment. Rei groaned inwardly. Ryo remained immutable. Just one more day that passed by, bringing the inevitable closer.

He just hoped that *she* could recover soon from his absence. He was certain that he wouldn't for a long time.

*******************************************************

"First day and we already have to solve a whole chapter worth of exercises! No wonder the charming reputation he has earned. Any strategies to tackle this Urawa-kun, since you're the expert with numbers?" Rei browsed her notes exasperated as she waved a thick book. The nice weekend she planned to spend with the rest of the Senshi had disappeared like smoke on a breezy day. She took a long gulp from her tea in the hopes the soothing drink would help ease her suddenly strained temper. The tea was fighting a losing battle so far.

"You were saying something Rei-san?" Ryo answered as his hand played around with the barely touched lunch.

"You're really out of this world Urawa-kun. Now I'm worried too. Are you sure everything's okay between you and Ami?"

He glanced back with a serious expression on his face. "Ami? Why you ask? Has she told you anything?"

"No, on the contrary, she's never been happier but she does feel concerned about you. She says you're acting all of a sudden uninterested in your classes and your face seems to have the same aloof expression all the time."

"It's nothing. She worries too much."

"Urawa-kun" Rei's tone now was thoughtful, as her hand came over his shoulder lightly. The young college woman let the spiritual advisor step in. "Urawa-kun. I'll be honest with you. I can sense something disturbing your spirit; an unbalance in your ki that's getting on the way of even your daily life and it's also affecting your relationship with Ami. "

Ryo looked suddenly distraught. Rei smiled inwards. At least that meant he still cared about Ami. Apparently it wasn't that he had grown out of love for her friend. That gave her a small respite. Seeing that her words had cut through his defenses, she pressed on.

"We all now she cares deeply for you so it's natural anything that troubles you will affect her. She hasn't told me anything, but I know she is hurt by the fact that you haven't trusted her enough with whatever is eating you up. Really, I don't know which one of you two is worse. It's so hard to extricate a straight answer out of you sometimes. No wonder you match so nicely. You'll drive everybody else insane!" That last line was delivered with a playful smile for emphasis.

"We are sometimes too alike, I'll agree on that."

"It takes two hardheaded individuals like you to delay what was obvious to everybody else. We had all lost hope in you getting together and we were actually surprised when you announced you had decided to accept your mutual feelings. I've lost count of how many times Usagi and Minako pleaded me to concoct some sort of love charm for both of you. Now, you might be thinking that I should leave you be with your problems but I can't because I care for both of you so I advice you to start opening up because I don't plan in giving up. I can listen as a friend or as a priestess. It doesn't really make a difference. Now, tell me, what is troubling you? School, your family or is it one of your precognitions?"

Rei's determined glance made the young man realize that the shrine maiden wasn't going to give up so easily so he decided to yield. It would do well to him anyway to have a sympathetic ear to listen to him. A thought crossed his mind: maybe a clearer view could be found through a sacred fire reading. It wouldn't hurt to try. He had to exhaust all alternatives. His happiness hung on a thread and he was willing to fight while there was still hope.

"Okay Rei-san. I will trust on you on one condition."

"I'm all ears."

"After you listen to my story, would do a fire reading for me?"

*************************************************************** *

Rei sat in her red and white Shinto priestess robes before the sacred fire. What Urawa-kun had told her had left her utterly confused. It did not make sense, yet there was no reason to believe that his perception had been wrong. Although his skills had somewhat diminish due to the absence of the Rainbow crystal, the power had remained with him. It just needed an object, a charm to be properly canalized. She hoped the sacred fire could serve that purpose. She also wondered if her own sight could look that deep into the future.

The future that she knew as Crystal Tokyo.

She had remained silent as he opened up his mind and heart to reveal the contents of the last vision that he had been having. It had been hard to keep up her priestly impassibility as each sentence formed a bleak future for him and Ami. His stoic resolve couldn't hide the deep pain he had been sunk in as the precognition shaped itself more as a sure fact. She couldn't still believe that all their sacrifice and struggle would end up in nothing. No, he had to be wrong and she was determined to find the truth.

The orange and red hues of the heatless fire danced and twirled intricate patterns, the mystical light illuminating the dim room. As usual, she had relaxed and invoked the fire's mystical energies to aid her on her search. Her trained purple-hued eyes struggled unsuccessfully to match Urawa's version with what the reading offered, but this time the fire wouldn't offer any clue of an answer. Only silence. No, even worse, only a blank slate. The shrine maiden stood up exhausted. She had used all her reservoirs of mystical energy peering through the flames but her search had been fruitless. Could it be that she wasn't able to see that far ahead or was it that his visions were inaccurate? If so, then why the vision repeated itself over and over? What was the purpose?

She had hated giving Urawa the sobering news of her reading's results but still she felt there was a piece missing on the puzzle. Somehow, something inside warned her that there was much more than what it seemed at first glance. She tried to cheer him up but he had already retreated behind his wall of stoic bravery, the same attitude he had adopted so long ago when she was fighting the Dark Kingdom with the rest of the Senshi and he was on the run avoiding Endymion's capture. She knew by his own words that he had kept a careful, cold distance from Ami soon after the precognitions started manifesting. After their conversation, had gone into retreating mode completely and when yesterday afternoon she met Ami between classes, her glum expression voice revealed without words the effect his unusual and removed behavior was having on Ami.

However, too many questions weighting in on her mind and draining her body, Rei decided to instead try to dig in on Takada's homework. Maybe the numbers she loathed so much might bring the answers that the fire had not. Sometimes on the least likely of places the truth was to be found.She really hoped this turned out to be one of those occasions.

**********************************************************

[A billowy fire-red silk dress seemed to float about her with every step she took to the hall. It was a festive moment but there was apprehension on the Princess of Mars' heart. It meant she would have to see him again. To be so close and yet so far. She had gone to the celebration more of a sense of duty than of pleasure but as the heir to the Kingdom of Mars, she had to perform the expected duties of a future ruler, just as it was expected from all her friends.

Like she knew it would be, she found the motive of this celebration nodding attentively as yet another noble gave their congratulations to the future royal couple. The girl was flashing a sweet smile but the subdued tone of her azure eyes spoke of emotions unrelated to the happiness that was expected of such a celebration. However, the man in elegant military dress uniform seemed joyful, a proud, possessive look in his eyes illuminating his handsome face. The couple greeted the well-wishers together and further down the hall flanked by royal guards, the present rulers of the planet Mercury witnessed the scene proudly.

Rei's eyes then found a pair of warm, brown eyes that looked at her attentively and a cordial smile in his face. His incipient beard gave him a scruffy look along with the long, brown bangs that seemed to get in the way of his sight. His priestly robes identified him as a cleric. An elderly short, balding man with more elaborate robes flanked the young priest. The priest winked and flashed a rascally smile at her and the younger priest elbowed the elder cleric as his face acquired a slight shade of red, visibly embarrassed at the mischievous behavior unbecoming of a cleric of his mentor. Rei smiled back at them amused but as the elder priest presented an apologetic smile, his companion kept his sight fixated on her. Even without looking at him, she could feel his warm gaze over her, making her nervous, yet eliciting a pleasant sensation inside.

Those brown eyes, the open, pleasant smile that she knew so well…

The pleasant faces of the odango-haired blonde who waved at her enthusiastically, flanked by the emerald-eyed brunette and the long-haired blonde greeted her from a corner of the hall. Laughing heartily, an auburn haired girl, her tresses up to her shoulder and a young man with thick glasses dressed in the guise of the Royal Moon Guards joined the princesses' group. Then, at the opposite side of the grand hall, another figure stepped inside with modest manner, as he didn't want to call any attention upon himself. His intelligent dark eyes seemed to hide a secret longing inside. Dressed in suit and coat contrasting starkly with the sea of formal uniforms and long capes, his dark hair pinned on a short ponytail and round-rimed spectacles perched over his nose, Rei quickly identified him as a member of Earth's scientific troupe. The blue-haired princess of Mercury also caught the scientist's presence and Rei noticed that even in her polite and regal demeanor, she couldn't help stare at the newcomer discreetly. Rei noticed the glance and the slight blush on her cheeks, as well as the answering glimpse she received from the young scientist, equally discreet but clearly intended towards her. Rei suddenly turned her head slightly over her shoulder at the sensation of being observed and as she had expected, the glance belonged to the young cleric. Smiling, the man crossed the gap between them after waving goodbye to a giggling girl.

"Your highness" he said "if you forgive my daring, you look quite beautiful."

"Father", she replied with a mock reprimand "remember that the celebration is in honor of the Princess of Mercury and her betrothed, General Zoicite."

"I know your majesty. I officiated the blessings ceremony after all but the truth has to be told and I am bound by my profession to uphold honesty above all."

Rei blushed slightly at the sudden vehement tone the priest's voice had acquired.

"If we're to say things in honesty, then let me add that you also look quite handsome father."

The priest gave the Princess of Mars a stunned look. Seeing his reaction, Rei chuckled.

"I was just following your policy of honesty. Say father, I don't believe your vows prohibit you of sharing a dance with me."

"No, not really, but I think it wouldn't look appropriate, though. I know that General Jadeite has quite a fancy on you. He would make a much better dance partner than I." A slight tone of disappointment tinged his words.

General Jadeite, the Earth general; It was common knowledge throughout all the kingdoms that he pretended her hand and there was no reason to refuse his offer. A gallant man, loyal and brave, the rulers of Mars thought he would make an excellent match with their daughter and also a way to solidify the nexus with the blue planet known as Earth. They still needed to go a long way but they all concurred that great things were expected from the Earthlings in the future.

But the Princess of the reign of fire had only one objection to the engagement. She simply did not love him. She knew she had to act on her country's best interests, but she felt it was unfair to her to be tied for a lifetime to somehow she respected but not loved. She couldn't be like Ami, who was willing to sacrifice her own feelings for the sake of her kingdom. And yet, she knew well that her true object of her affections was unattainable. She had contented to a life of unrequited love but at least for this night, they could dance and live the moment…

"Nonsense father, I think you'll do just fine. I saw you dancing with some of your young admirers and you looked quite graceful."

"I don't think seven-year olds would know have too many partners to choose from."

"C'mon father, you'll do just fine. Besides, you don't get the chance to share such an event with a Princess every day."

The priest smiled at her insistence and offered his hand, leading her to the ballroom. The notes of a waltz moved in unison with the dancers who gathered the marbled floor of the hall. His steady heartbeat matched rhythm with hers as he led her moving to the chords of the sweet melody. His eyes never abandoned hers and under the spell of the music and the magic of the night, she discovered that his feelings mirrored hers. It was a wonderful yet devastating finding. To share love, yet be unable to live it was torture, but there was nothing they could do. Their lives had been arranged by fate to move parallel yet never intersect. Not in this lifetime, but maybe in the next…

"Yuishiro."]

A strident ring pierced over the sweet melodies of the waltz. The tapestries, the colors, the elegant decoration faded, leaving in it's place the comforting surroundings of her bedroom. Rei's shifted towards her side and turned off the alarm. She had been dreaming, a very vivid dream she noticed. But was only that? It seemed awfully similar to Urawa's vision but yet, it didn't look or feel like a distant future at all! Her memory jogged frantically for images and sensations that matched her strange dream. From the deepest recesses of her recollections, from where the unconscious mind rules, she found the answer.

"This is not the future, it's the past. It's the Silver Millennium, but how?" Usagi, Minako, Makoto, Ami, they were all there as expected. After all, they shared the same history and destiny but that didn't explain why other unexpected faces were there also. Grandfather, Urawa, Naru, Umino…

"Yuishiro."

Was it possible then that they weren't the only survivors from the Silver Millennium? If her dream was correct, it meant that were more people that shared their origin, many more than they had originally thought. These were the same people that now shared a life and a future with them in this young planet. These people had been with them through the good and bad times; they had witnessed impossible things come true and had stood side by side with the famed Sailor Senshi without ever knowing it. It seemed that their new life at Earth had meant a new opportunity for all of them to be together again and continue were they had left off. It was truly a priceless opportunity to continue what had been taken away abruptly from them by the powers of evil through hatred, envy and violence.

A second chance to fulfill what couldn't be possible before.

With this realization, Rei lunged at the phone over her desk. She hoped it wasn't too late.

*************************************************************** **

Ami had been very surprised to receive Rei's call that morning. She had mentioned something about visions and a dream but that just had left Ami even more clueless. To top it off, she had once again received nothing but the chirp and an impersonal message from the answering machine from Ryo's place. She was almost in panic now. They had barely crossed words since the semester started and every time she wanted to meet him, he had offered some sort of excuse to avoid her. Rei had mentioned that what she had to tell her related directly with his strange behavior. She hurried her pace, hating having to skip her daily ritual of two-hour study at Toudai's massive library but her studies would have to wait.

The crimson torii welcomed Ami to Hikawa Shrine. Phobos and Daimos stood perched atop the main building's ceiling observing the newcomer. Their loud caws welcomed her and alerted the shrine's **miko, their mistress, of her arrival. At the door, Rei was already waiting for her. Ami followed Rei inside, noticing the excitement hidden her priestly demeanor.

"Ami-chan, I'm glad you've made it. Please sit down. We need to talk."

***************************************************************

Ami's feet moved frantically. A mumbled "gomen nasai" escaped her lips repeatedly as she bumped into the students that were rushing out of the campus grounds to start their weekend, unaware of the surprised or annoyed glances she received in return. Rei's words kept weighting in on her mind. So many feelings, so many instances of déja vu all suddenly seemed to make sense through the light of the latest revelations.

She had stood before the fire too, guided by Rei to focus on the distant past they once lived. Her mind clear from the constraints of time, she too had suddenly been pulled back to her life as heiress to the throne of the mystical world of Mercury. She saw, no, she felt her own unhappiness and the dark sad eyes that watched her from afar. The pain of loving in silence, of daring to dream an impossible dream, she remembered it all. Not soon after, all these worries had faded as Beryl banished the Silver Millennium and all traces of its existence into oblivion.

She climbed the steps of the staircase in sets of two and soon she stood gasping on the second floor of the apartment complex near the campus where Ryo's place was. She hoped he was still there, noticing the virtual temporary exodus of most of the student body. She had tried yet again to call him but again the answering machine from both his cell phone and his telephone were the only answer. Rei hadn't seen him again, but then again, in light of the recently acquired memories, she had something very important she wanted to share with her grandfather's assistant Yuishiro, her constant company at the shrine when he wasn't being accomplice to grandfather's harebrained schemes to increase their quota of young female worshipers. It was no secret that the young man only had eyes for Rei since he had first arrived at the Shinto shrine to offer himself as apprentice but Rei had never followed up on his advances. It was no secret for the Senshi that the raven-haired girl with the quick temper had deep feelings towards him but it seemed she took too much pleasure on engaging in countless ways to throw objects or scream at him to succumb to their shared feelings. In a sort of curious cosmic karma, she had been the one with the unrequited love back then at the Silver Millennium so in a sense she was getting even for that in the present. What had actually stopped her from revealing her feelings to him was the issue of her identity as Sailor Mars. She did not wanted to burden him with her secret identity and pull him into the life of deceptions she had to live to keep it that way. Now knowing he had reborn from the Silver Millennium just like she had presented a new angle that finally freed her from her apprehensions. Ami knew for certain that her friends now had a bright future ahead. She just hoped she could salvage hers and Ryo's.

The knock on the door startled him. Usually most of the students were already on their way to the town or back home to enjoy some time away from the frantic pace of their studies. Besides, playing the ghost had already proven successful, barely making his presence felt on campus, so it struck him odd to have someone at his door. He opened the door and stood agape. Ami was there, arms folded together in front of her. Any other girl would have been fuming by the cold and indifferent treatment he had bestowed her the last days. He was sincerely hoping to break her patience and force a breakup to make the process as quick and painless as possible. He thought he had planed it all with the cold resolve of a surgeon before an operation. Instead, her serene disposition was something that took him completely by surprise.

"May I come in?" the soothing sound of her voice asked. He nodded in reply, his brain still unable to form coherent sentences. She stepped inside and took a seat on a couch as he stood there not knowing what to do.

"Ryo, you might want to sit down. I have an interesting story to tell you about a young princess and the man who captured her heart long time ago, a time when magic and loved ruled above all."

**************************************************************< /div>