Sailor Moon is copyright 1992 by Naoko Takeuchi.
North American Rights for Sailor Moon are owned by
D.I.C.

Rating:  PG-13


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~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Life ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~


Part II - Unravelings
Prologue


	"The only consistency in life is that it is
ever-changing."

	She had read that in a book somewhere, or at
least something like it.  But that didn't really
narrow it down.  She had read many books in many
places at many times.  It was what she did with her
spare time.

	And she did have much of it now.

	Too much.

	Because, life _was_ ever changing.

	Ever since 'the Usagi incident', the four
senshi had gotten closer.  They spent much of their
time together, as much as they could anyway.  They
each still had their own interests to pursue.  Of
course for Ami, there was swimming, studying, and
reading.

	She wouldn't have so much spare time if Usagi
had still been around.  Usagi had always dragged all
of the girls around on numerous pointless trips to
the mall, picnics at the park, and other such
excursions.

	And as much as they all complained about the
spontaneity and uselessness, they had enjoyed
themselves.

	They missed those times.

	There was no one as exuberant who could get
them to go out together.  They usually just hung out
at the jinja or one of the other girls' places.

	As Ami reflected in all the changes that had
occurred, as she often did, she thought of the girls.

	While she stuck to her own favorite activities,
the girls continued their own.  Minako was on the
volleyball team and vice-president of the junior
class.  She participated in the SADD and poster clubs
and tutored people in English.  Being from England,
she was fluent.  Ami sometimes suspected that Minako
did so many things because she was trying to fill the
void that Usagi had left.  'Doesn't she know it's
useless?  No one and nothing could take Usagi's
place.'

	Makoto was taking cooking classes, of course.
She didn't talk that much about it, but Ami supposed
it was because none of the other girls got as excited
as Usagi had when Makoto had spoken of cooking.  To
the surprise and dismay of the others, she had begun
to smoke.  She said it helped relieve her stress and
anxiety whenever Ami would try to convince her to
stop with medical facts.  Ami thought it was the
influence of Makoto's new, or rather old friends.
They were the people she used to hang out with.  To
adults, they were also known more commonly as thugs
or gangsters.  Although Makoto made sure to spend
time with them, the three other girls feared that
Makoto was returning to her old fighting habits.

	Rei still worked at the jinja.  A few months
after Usagi had made her promise to herself, and the
girls realized the extreme change that had occurred,
Rei had dropped out of her singing class.  But with
prompting from the other girls, she resumed it.  She
didn't seem to have the heart for it anymore.  She
seemed to be doing it for the girls' sake.  She
didn't seem to have the heart for anything anymore.
She seldom yelled at Yuuichirou and she rarely showed
her fire-some self.  It had only been in battle that
her true emotions raged and came forth.  And now,
there were no more battles.

	Ami often thought of Mamoru, as well.  They saw
each other often - he and the senshi - because none
had ever stopped going to the arcade.

	To add to the senshi's anger, Mamoru was always
with a girl whenever he came.  Sometimes, even
Motoki's eyes held contempt for the flirtatious girls
Mamoru always seemed to be with.  Lately, it had been
the same girl.

	He had lost weight in Ami's eyes.  He was cold
and distant, and his eyes had a haggard look about
them.  Every time he and the senshi made eye contact,
he would look away.  In shame?  In indifference?  In
pain?  In remembrance?  Even Ami's mind could not
decipher that.

	As for herself, Ami knew she had changed.  A
fool would have been able to notice.  True, she kept
in touch with her friends, but there was difference.
She was more closed off, like how she used to be.
She tried to stay open to her friends.  But to
others, she preferred to remain analytical and
logical.  She preferred to remain unattached and
unfeeling.  She wanted to protect herself from pain.
She had lost one of her closest friends, in truth,
her first friend.  If ever she lost another, she
would not let the pain be as severe.

	The other girls seemed to notice and tried to
prevent it, but to no avail.

	They had changed as Usagi had. She had affected
them all.  She just didn't know it.

	Ami had to wonder at the power that Usagi had.
Even when she didn't mean to, she had the ability to
affect so many people's lives.  And this was the girl
that had thought she was nothing.  How ironic.

	Ami sighed as she looked up at her destination.
The jinja.  'We've confined ourselves for so long . .
. and so much.  Come back, Usagi; we need you.'

	And with that thought, Ami began walking up the
stairs to meet her friends.


~ ~ ~ End ~ ~ ~


HoNeY
hnymustd@hotmail.com
4/28/00