A quick reminder: "Amazing Grace" is a series.  Before you begin 

to read this installment, you must read the previous stories in 

order to understand the plot.  A list of those stories is at the 

bottom of this chapter in the rest of the author's notes.



I apologize for the long delay in this chapter.  Like I said 

earlier on in the school year, I'm a senior this year and I'm 

concentrating more on my schoolwork than anything else.  I can't 

say the next chapter will be out next month (like all chapters 

usually are), but I will work on it as much as I can and have it 

out the moment it's finished.  A special thanks goes out to Meara 

once more.  She's more than an editor; she's a great friend and 

mentor.  Love you lots, Meara! :)



The Infamous and Unwelcome Disclaimer: Sailormoon and the 

characters of "Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon" do not belong to me.  

If they did, I would not be writing this fan fiction, now would I?  

I would be enjoying an early retirement somewhere in the Bahamas, 

but obviously I'm not.  Takeuchi Naoko owns "Sailormoon", along 

with Toei Animation, Kodansha, Mixx Entertainment, Cloverway, etc… 

There, I've said it.  Have a nice day. ;)









Amazing Grace: Second Chances



By: Masked Maiden



Chapter Three: Crazy 









It was one of those unwanted coincidences that no one could either 

understand or tolerate.  The very moment Chiba Hitori left his 

apartment, Mitsukai Megumi finally got the nerve to call him.  She 

allowed the phone to ring seven times.  When it was apparent no 

one on the other end was going to pick up, she slammed the phone 

back on its ladle and walked away more frazzled and frustrated 

than before. 



"It's official!" Megumi exclaimed, clearly angered.  "All men are 

jerks!" 



Karei, with Tenshi sleeping in her lap, watched her little sister 

storm toward her bedroom from the kitchen.  "I take it he said 

no," she said matter-of-factly.



Megumi was now in her bedroom changing into her waitress uniform.  

"No!" she corrected.  "He wasn't home!"



"Well you can't fault him for that."



"Yes, I can!"



Karei rolled her eyes.  She felt a tad guilty.  She was the one 

who talked Megumi into calling Hitori and asking him out on a 

date.  After all, it was the 70s.  If women could have the same 

jobs as men (though get paid less), then women could ask men out.  

How was she supposed to know Megumi would get so worked up over 

something so simple?  <Easier said than done, I suppose,> she 

finally concluded.



"Megumi, just call him later," Karei said.  "He's probably not 

home yet.  You saw the news.  More than likely he had to stay at 

the police station because of the fire.  So just calm down and 

call him tomorrow."



"I'm not calling him tomorrow!  I'm not calling him ever again!"



"Is it a possibility that you could be, oh I don’t know, 

overreacting?"



Megumi walked down the short and narrow hallway, stopped, and took 

a deep breath.  "Karei, I'm more worried about him saying yes than 

saying no," she confessed.  "I haven't gone out with a man in over 

a year.  But the men that seemed somewhat interested in me, they 

take one look at Tenshi and run for the hills." 



"Okay, one: *those* men were all jerks," Karei pointed out, "and 

two: Chiba-san already knows about Tenshi and he still talked to 

you.  You're so scared of what's happened in the past that you 

don't want to take a risk."



"Look, I'm going to be late for work so let's drop the subject.  

It was a silly idea anyway… I mean, he's probably one of those old 

fashioned types.  I'd probably scare him off if I asked him out."



"Megumi…"



"I'm leaving."



"I know, but before you do, you might want to check your outfit."



"Why?"



"You're wearing it inside out."



Megumi looked down at the light blue and white pinstriped waitress 

dress she was wearing and swore under her breath.  She turned on 

her heel and walked back to her bedroom.  "I'm not even supposed 

to work tomorrow or Friday.  This girl quit and I have to cover 

for her until someone else is hired."



Megumi emerged from the hallway once more, fully and correctly 

dressed.  She said goodbye to Karei and kissed Tenshi goodnight, 

for she wouldn't be home to tuck her in.  Then she grabbed her 

purse and car keys and left the apartment.



And to complete the cycle of unwanted coincidences, Hitori was 

back by the time Megumi got in her car and drove to work.





~*~*~





The evidence room for the Bunkyo-ku Police Department was the very 

first place Hitori visited when he arrived at work the next 

morning.  He ducked under the bright yellow crime scene tape that 

blocked the room's entrance and walked inside.



He could hardly believe his eyes.  The evidence room was a valley 

of black ashes.  Nothing inside survived the fire, or more 

precisely, the arson.  Even the metal shelves that stored the 

evidence were warped and contorted, all by the scorching flames 

that once enveloped the area.  If metal shelves were almost 

destroyed, then there was no dispute that the photographs of Omori 

Aiko's murderer and rapist were forever lost.



This left Hitori with two questions: who did this, and why?  

Because when a police station's evidence room caught on fire due 

to arson, a thousand fingers were pointed in every direction.  The 

list of suspects was staggering.  Anyone convicted or believed to 

commit a felony in the past month was under investigation.  Then 

there was the possibility that someone wanting to protect a loved 

one committed the arson, or maybe it was some crazed maniac that 

just happened to love creating chaos…  But whoever was responsible 

premeditated his intentions with cleverness and intelligence -- 

just like the room Hitori stood in, no evidence was left behind.



"Looks like Hell turned up the furnace," a voice from behind 

Hitori joked.  He immediately knew it was Mamoru.



Hitori turned around and commented, "I think even Hell looks 

better than this."



"I very much doubt that."



There was a moment of loud silence.  Hitori locked eyes with his 

best friend for a second that seemed like an eternity.  Though he 

didn't know, Mamoru was assigned to be the bearer of bad news.  He 

gave Hitori a look of pity and sorrow, telling him he did not want 

to do this.  In return, Hitori began to show his nervousness.



"Why do I get the feeling I'll be going to hell in a few minutes?" 

Hitori asked. 



Mamoru lowered his head and looked down at the ground.  Only God 

knew how much he didn't want to do this… "Bosu-san wants to see 

you in his office," he muttered.  "Right now."



Hitori laughed to hide his anxiety, but his laughter amplified it.  

"Heh, I thought so.  Bosu-san's office is the closest thing to 

hell on earth.  What does he want?"



"He wants to talk to you about something."



"About what?"



Mamoru started to tell him, but he hesitated and decided it was 

best not to.  "I think that's something you should ask him instead 

of me."



"Mamoru, what's--"



"Just go."



The abrupt command sent chills down Hitori's spine.  He was on 

pins and needles when he arrived at Ishinomori's office on the top 

floor of the police station.  He knocked on the door and entered 

the room once Ishinomori answered.



Much to Hitori's surprise, Detective Kawazu Shiroi was also 

present.



From behind his cider desk Ishinomori asked for Hitori to sit down 

in the vacant chair beside the detective.  Kawazu barely 

acknowledged his presence as he took his seat, just a slight nod 

to tell Hitori he noticed him.  Hitori didn't even look at him.  

Ishinomori ignored the hostility and started the meeting.



"Chiba," he said, "I've been talking to Kawazu-san and Ijirashii 

this morning and Kawazu-san brought something up that caught my 

attention.  He's going to explain it to you.  Then I'm giving you 

a chance to explain yourself."



"For what?" asked Hitori.  "I haven't done anything."



"Oh really?  Then perhaps Kawazu-san will refresh your memory."  

Ishinomori nodded to the detective.  "Kawazu-san, please tell 

Chiba what you told me."



Kawazu cleared his throat and began.  "Yesterday evening I 

questioned Tsukino Kenji-san, the boy who two nights ago took 

those pictures of the murderer.  He brought along with him the 

photographs, which I found quite odd."



Hitori slowly began to realize where this was headed.



"I don't know how you people do it here at Bunkyo-ku, but where 

I'm from law enforcers usually confiscate all evidence when it 

first appears, and that includes undeveloped film.  I asked 

Tsukino-san why he still had the photographs and the film.  He 

said to me, 'Officer Chiba told me to bring the pictures when they 

were developed.  I then asked him if that sounded a bit strange.  

Then he said, 'Yes, it actually did.  From all the cop shows I 

watch, the cops always took the film.  But since Chiba's the real 

thing, I didn't want to question him.'"



Kawazu leaned back into his seat with his hands behind his head.  

He stared down at the inferior cop beside him.  "I didn't say 

anything else," he continued, "only asked Tsukino-san to bring the 

negatives to the station today.  But why didn't you confiscate 

Tsukino-san's film when he first notified you about it?"



Ishinomori averted his eyes from Kawazu to Hitori.  "He does have 

a point, Chiba," he agreed.  "You should have confiscated the film 

and anything else Tsukino-san might've had to offer that was 

evidence.  Now I know you're pretty close to the boy, but that 

won't cut it as an excuse.  So why didn't you confiscate the 

film?"



A tumor of conviction began to grow in the pit of Hitori's 

stomach.  "I didn't know this was going to be an interrogation," 

he joked, laughing nervously like before.  "Why don't you take me 

in a darkened room and slap me around a bit?   Maybe I'll confess 

some dark secrets that you could use."



"Chiba, trash the comedy act.  This mishap is called ‘withholding 

substantial evidence’, and it can lead to a suspension that will 

go on your record and follow you throughout your career.  Now tell 

me the truth."



"Why are you making a big deal out of this?  If I had confiscated 

the film, it would have burnt up with the rest of the evidence in 

the fire.  Besides, I've done worse things than this."



"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Kawazu muttered under his breath.



Hitori overheard the detective's sour remark and glared at him 

with cold eyes.  "Are you in this conversation?" he jeered.



Ishinomori held up his hands to stop the argument that was about 

to begin.  "Kawazu-san, could you step outside for a few minutes?" 

he asked.  "I'd like to talk to Chiba in private."



Kawazu didn't have to be told twice.  He readily complied with the 

chief superintendent's request and walked out of the office.  That 

left Hitori completely alone with his boss, and instantly Hitori 

wished he were somewhere else.



"You realize that promotions are coming up in about four months," 

Ishinomori reminded the officer.  "You could very well be one of 

the youngest detectives on this force if all things go 

accordingly." 



"I'm aware of that, sir," said Hitori, still miffed.



"So if you want that promotion, you shouldn't be making any 

mistakes like the one you made with the photographs."



"No, sir, I guess not"



Ishinomori gave a frustrated groan.  “Chiba, what the heck is 

wrong with you?  I’ve never known you to act this way before.”



“In what way?” Hitori inquired.



“Granted you’re one of the most stubborn people I’ve ever met, 

though usually when you’re being stubborn you have a point to 

make.  What I don’t get is your attitude towards Kawazu-san.  I 

know he’s not the friendliest person in the world, but I’ve seen 

you act more courteous towards most criminals.  You’re the last 

person on earth to pick a fight with someone, and just one minute 

ago you were ready to bite Kawazu-san’s head off.  Is there 

something going on between the two of you or are you just having a 

bad day?”



Hitori mulled over that question.  He sunk into his chair and 

folded his arms across his chest, jaw tight and teeth clenched.  

“I have to say that it’s a little bit of both,” he said.  “Kawazu-

san is a hard person to work with.”



“If my memory serves me correctly, you said the same thing when 

you started working here, when I assigned you to Ijirashii.  What 

did I tell you back then?”



“You said, ‘Tough, you’re stuck with him.’” 



“Mm-hmm, and I’d say the same thing to you about Kawazu-san… but 

I’m not.  I’ve already discussed this with Ijirashii, so there’s 

no point in putting it off any longer.  From now on, you and he 

are officially off the Omori case.”



Hitori arose form his seat.  “What?!” he exploded.



“Chiba, sit down,” Ishinomori instructed.



“No, I won’t.  I can take umbrage, I can take the cake, I can take 

the A-train, I can take two and call me in the morning, but I 

cannot take this sitting down!”



“Then take it like a man and shut up!”



“Let me guess, you’re giving the case to Kawazu-san because he 

whined to his stepbrother about how inefficient Mamoru and I are.  

Okay, I made a mistake with the photographs.  I should have taken 

them from Tsuki, but I trusted him enough to know he’d keep his 

word.  If I didn’t trust him I would have confiscated the film.  

I’m sorry and I apologize.  But you know I’ve done worse things 

than forget substantial evidence.”



“For your information, Omori-sama was trying to get you and 

Ijirashii off the case from the very beginning.  I’ve been 

fighting my butt off to make sure the two of you were kept on the 

case, but I can’t do it anymore.  You blew it, Chiba!  There can’t 

be any mistakes made with a case this closely watched by the 

press.  Just be thankful that I’m not doing what I should do and 

suspend you.  Now find Ijirashii and get to work.  I don’t have 

anything else to say and I don’t want to start another argument 

with you.  My blood pressure’s high enough already.”



“But--"



Ishinomori held up his index finger to halt him.  “Get out, get 

out, get out!”



And that's actually what Hitori did.  He marched out the chief 

superintendent's office and slammed the door behind him.  Kawazu 

stood by the door, unseen by the officer, and kept his eyes locked 

on him as Hitori stormed down the hallway and into an elevator.



"Just stay away, Chiba … or you may live to regret it."





~*~*~





Kenji considered himself to be an overall decent person.  He did 

well in school and was involved with extra-curricular activities, 

mainly the high school's newspaper.  He didn't smoke or drink, and 

he only experimented with marijuana once in his entire life (in 

which afterwards he vomited and swore to never do it again).  

Still, Kenji wasn't the kind of young man every parent hoped their 

daughter would bring home to show off.  His long hair and his 

Kawasaki motorcycle painted the picture of a rebel, a trouble 

maker to almost every father within a hundred kilometer range, and 

that included Ikuko's father.



Now to say Mr. Enomoto, a retired royal marine officer with too 

much time on his hands, didn't like Kenji was lightly putting it.  

He loathed the young man, and he watched him like a hawk every 

time Kenji came by the house to take Ikuko -- his sweet and 

innocent baby girl -- out on a date. 



"Papa, couldn't you be nice to Kenji for a change?" Ikuko pleaded.  

She sat next to her father as she waited for Kenji to arrive.  If 

she knew her boyfriend, and she did, he was more than likely 

taking his time driving to her house… not that he hated Mr. 

Enomoto, but the fact that the man was an ex-marine did make him a 

*tad* intimidating.



"I'll be nice to the boy when he finally gets a haircut," Mr. 

Enomoto grumbled.  "Men in general shouldn't have long hair.  It 

just isn't normal."



"There are tons of men who look attractive with long hair.  And I 

happen to like Kenji's hair.  It makes him look tough."



"Tough?  The boy doesn't even play any sports.  That's another 

thing.  Boys should play sports.  I don't care if it's football or 

lacrosse, that boyfriend of yours needs to pick up another pastime 

other than taking pictures."



The doorbell rang and Ikuko got up from her chair.  "Well," she 

commented, "he'll make more money by taking pictures than you did 

by being tough."  And with having the last word in the 

conversation, Ikuko left the kitchen and opened the front door.



Kenji greeted his girlfriend with a bouquet of spring flowers and 

a sweet kiss on the lips.  He hoped her father didn't see the 

latter.



"I saw that," Mr. Enomoto indicated.  He pointed at the teenage 

boy, one he couldn't believe he was allowing his daughter to date, 

in a manner all protective fathers seemed to master -- with 

commandment and assertiveness, not in recognition.  "You better 

have her back by ten o'clock or else." 



Kenji saluted the older man, already treading on a thin line by 

kissing Ikuko in her father's presence.  "Yes, sir," he made 

clear.  "She'll be home by 9:59 at the latest!" 



"Mm-hmm, and don't you dare try anything."



Ikuko turned red in the face.  "Papa!" she shrieked.



"Uh, Ikuko, let's go," Kenji interjected.  He pulled Ikuko by the 

arm as he walked out the door.  "Have a nice evening, Enomoto-

san."



Mr. Enomoto grunted a response and watched the two teenagers leave 

his home.  A minute later he heard the roaring of a motorcycle as 

they left for dinner and a movie.  He folded his arms across his 

chest and shook his head in disapproval.  The odds were in his 

favor, though.  Only one in a 1000 high school couples ever 

married, so more than likely his daughter wouldn't marry Tsukino 

Kenji… right?



"Kami, please don't let her marry that boy."





~*~*~





Every Friday evening Chiba Akio could be found in his office on 

the second floor of Cornerstone Baptist Church.  The office was 

quite small, only big enough for one person to reside comfortably 

in with an oak desk and a bookcase nearly filled to the brim with 

hardbacks and paperbacks.  If it was necessary, a chair from one 

of the Sunday school classes could be squeezed into what open 

space there was in the office so someone else could sit down.  But 

Akio wasn't expecting anyone.  Friday evenings were his time to 

write the devotionals for the leaflets that were passed out every 

Sunday and begin working on his sermons, which were never finished 

until late Saturday nights.  So when Hitori knocked on his door 

and asked to come in, Akio was surprised… and concerned.  One look 

at Hitori's face told him that something was not right.



"What's wrong?" he asked.



As Hitori sat down on the edge of the desk the whole story came 

out, right from the very beginning.  He told his brother about how 

Kenji woke him up in the middle of the night after witnessing the 

murder of Omori Aiko and taking pictures of the killer with his 

camera.  He told him about the dog hunt throughout the apartment 

building and the second run-in with Mitsukai Megumi.  Then came 

the mistake of not confiscating Kenji's film and the sudden 

assignment alteration known as Detective Kawazu Shiroi.  Hitori 

went in-depth about Kawazu, only to keep his mind off the person 

that was really on his mind.  He told Akio about the burns on 

Kawazu's body and why he was burned as a child, which was the only 

reason he could give for Kawazu's reserved personality and the 

lack of socialization abilities.  Next came the East Gardens 

incident.  Then the press conference, the arson at the police 

station, and finally the meeting with Kawazu and Bosu-san earlier 

that morning.  Hitori even admitted how he acted, letting his 

temper get the best of him.  He was so furious at how the whole 

situation was managed, by sending him and Mamoru into Bosu-san's 

office separately as if they were children and Bosu-san was a 

school's principal.  The fact that Kawazu was allowed to watch 

made Hitori ever the more irate, for it gave Kawazu the 

satisfaction of watching his plans (whatever they were) unfold.  

All of that was told, and during all that time Akio listened to 

every word until Hitori was finished. 



When Hitori finished his story, Akio prompted his feet on the desk 

and leaned back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest.  

"Well, I'm amazed," he said.  "I'm amazed that you went into 

detail with everything except your encounter with Ms. Mitsukai."  

He raised an eyebrow and plastered an all-knowing grin on his 

face.  "And we both know that there is more to that encounter than 

what you told me."



Hitori was surprised and offended at the same time.  "Now why 

would you say a thing like that?" he inquired.  He just his 

brother how his mistake with the film almost got him suspended.  

His job was almost in danger.  Wasn't that more important than a 

young, very attractive, always-on-his-mind woman?



"Because," Akio explained, "I've known you all the twenty-five 

years of your life.  You always hold something back when there's a 

woman involved.  You were the same way when you were in high 

school, and you were the same way with Akane.  And when you hold 

something back, it's usually because; a) there's a risk you don't 

want to take, or b) commitment is ready to bite you on the rear 

end, which goes easily with reason a.  So…" Akio leaned over his 

desk, elbows on the desk and chin rested on his interwoven 

fingers.  "Are you going to tell me what it is or do I have to pry 

it out of you?"



Hitori had no option but to give in and tell the complete truth.  

He started from the beginning, six months ago with he first met 

Megumi.  He told Akio about receiving her mail by accident and 

returning it to her once afternoon after work.  From the first 

encounter and an extensive conversation with Hanako, Hitori 

learned a slice of Megumi's past.  She was from Kobe and came from 

a wealthy family, yet she and sister wanted nothing to do with 

aristocracy and moved out when they graduated from high school.  

Megumi moved to Tokyo with her fiancé Watabe Joben (who by a 

strange coincidence shared the same name with Watabe Park).  He 

left months later with reasons unknown, and one month later Megumi 

discovered she was pregnant.  Hitori went on and on about Megumi; 

he even mentioned the elevator incident and that he drove her, 

Karei, and Hanako to the hospital that night.  After that, Hitori 

didn't see or hear from Megumi until that Wednesday night.  Since 

then, Megumi was all he could think about.  He admitted he liked 

her, that he thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever 

laid on eyes.  But to ask her out, after all she went through and 

how her life was now…



"I don't think I can do it," Hitori ended.  "I want to.  I really 

do, but--"



"But you don't want to take the risk," Akio finished.  He chuckled 

deeply in his throat.  "Chiba Hitori, you risk your life every day 

when you put on your uniform, but when it comes to a woman--"



"I know, I know," interjected Hitori.  "I'm a wuss."



"That wasn't exactly what I was going to say.  I was going to say 

that you rather stay in your comfort zone.  You've always been 

that way.  Granted, you were more cocky in high school…"



Hitori's shoulders sunk.  "Back then I could ask a girl out.  Now 

I can't even say hi to one.  Why is that?"



Akio smiled, "It's because you're now an adult and you've matured 

a lot since your high school days.  Back then you only wanted to 

go out on dates.  Now you want to find Mrs. Right and you're 

worried about screwing up along the way.  Let me tell you a 

secret, you'll screw up no matter what you do."



"Well thanks a lot!"



"It's not meant to be a put down, Hitori.  I'm just saying that no 

one is perfect.  Everyone is going to make mistakes, but it's 

important you learn from those mistakes.  You learned something 

when your relationship with Akane ended, don't you?"



"Yes, I did.  I learned you should never buy an engagement ring on 

sale because the jewelry store will not refund your money, and you 

should never buy one period when old boyfriends are back in town."



Akio rolled his eyes.  "I hope you learned something else beside 

that."



"Yeah…" A grim expression cast over Hitori's face.  "Akane was the 

first woman that I ever really loved."  He looked up at his older 

brother.  "And then she just dumped me, as if our relationship 

meant nothing to her."



"And now," Akio added, "there's Ms. Mitsukai."  He took off his 

eyeglasses and wiped the lens with the shirttail of his T-shirt.  

"Hitori, I know you want advice on what to do next, but I have to 

be honest.  I don't know what you should do next.  It's not in my 

hands to know.  The only advice that I can give you is that you 

should listen to your heart."



"That's easier said than done, Akio."



"I know, but I also know that you can do it."



"But what about--"



Akio held up a hand.  "Hitori, there are just some times when you 

have to ask God for help and leave your comfort zone.  Perhaps, 

for you, this is one of those times."





~*~*~





The very first thing Hitori did when he got home was grab the 

telephone book and search for Megumi's phone number.  Fortunately, 

there was only one Mitsukai that lived in their district.  He 

dropped the phone book on the coffee table, grabbed the phone next 

to his couch, began to dial her number… and then hung up.



What in the world was he going to say to her when she answered?  

Hitori had no idea.  He always thought the men in the movies that 

rehearsed their conversations were, in one word, crazy.  Another 

word was stupid.  But right then, rehearsing didn't sound like 

such a bad idea.  No one was around, except for the pooch, so who 

would know?



"Uh, Megumi-san… Hi, this is Hitori…" He shook his head at how 

dumb he knew he sounded.  If he was going to ask Megumi out, then 

he was going to do it right!  And so he started again.  "Hi, 

Megumi-san, it's Hitori.  How are you doing?  Fine?  Oh, that's 

nice.  Listen, I really don't know what to ask you, so could we at 

least be friends?"  Hitori groaned.  That sounded even dumber than 

the first try.  "Friends…" he mumbled.  The very thought was 

repulsive.  "Hey, I got an idea!" he announced to himself, his 

voice rising.  "Why don't I just ask her to be my sister?"



In a fit of frustration Hitori collapsed onto his couch and laid 

down, one foot on the floor and the other on the armrest.  He 

looked up at the ceiling.  "God, what am I going to do…?  I still 

don’t know if I should ask Megumi-san out or not.  If she's not 

the one, then please tell me!  I can't take the torture anymore!"



Like most times, nothing happened.  Hitori didn't feel, see, or 

hear anything, and in all honesty he didn't expect to.  He knew 

all things were answered in God's own time, but right now it was 

as if God was laughing at him and saying, "You figure it out!"



Hitori sat up and held his head in his hand, elbow supported by 

his knee.  "I mean, I do like her… I like that she seems to be a 

strong woman.  A little hot-headed, but no one's perfect… What if 

we were to fall in love?  Get married?  Children?"  An amused 

smile crept on his face.  "Children would be an automatic if I 

married her.  That is, *if* I married her… which probably won't 

happen, but still…"



He stood up and started pacing the floor.  "Okay, I ask her out.  

It's just a date.  That's all it is.  Where would I take her?  The 

movies are bad for first dates.  Dinner of course, but I should 

take her somewhere else… What a minute.  What if I happen not to 

like her as much as I think I do.  And then she likes me.  What if 

it's the other way around?  I mean, I want to ask her out…"  

Hitori remembered what his brother told him and finally put his 

foot down.  "All right, no more driving myself crazy.  I'm just 

simply going to call her and tell her the truth.  And if she can't 

handle the truth, well then that's just too bad!"



Hitori dialed Megumi's phone numbers as fast as his fingers could 

let him and waited with impatience for her to answer the phone.  

When Karei answered the phone, Hitori just wanted to scream.  This 

was not the person he wanted to talk to!



"This is Chiba Hitori.  Is Megumi-san there?" he blurted out.



The tone of Karei's voice told him everything he didn't want to 

know.  "I'm sorry, Chiba-san, you just missed her.  Megumi left 

for work a few minutes ago."



Well, that wasn't going to stop him!  "Where does she work?"



"Raggoli's," Karei replied, "but that's about a forty-five minute 

drive--"



"I know where it is!" Hitori exclaimed, not even giving Karei a 

chance to finish her sentence.  He thanked her and hung up the 

phone before she could another word.  There just wasn't any time 

to waste.  He changed out of his police uniform and into a pair of 

jeans and a light blue shirt.  Then he grabbed his wallet and his 

keys and was out the door.





~*~*~





Raggoli's was owned and managed by an Italian-Japanese gentleman 

who wanted to bring a part of his mother's culture to the Orient.  

People loved its vast assortment of pastas and other Italian 

foods, and over the years the restaurant grew in popularity.  Its 

popularity was what reminded Megumi why Friday nights were the 

worst nights for a woman to work as a waitress, and why she loved 

her usual Monday to Wednesday schedule.  There was always a crowd 

on Friday night.  No matter what, there was always crowd.  And 

when there was a crowd, there was always at least one person 

Megumi wanted to kick out and never speak to again.



"Now remember that I cannot drink tap water.  I always drink 

bottled water, but I don't drink Evân.  I got sick off of Evân 

once.  So bring me a bottle of water that is not Evân with a straw 

as well… please."



Megumi wanted to say, "You want Evân with that, ma'am?" but knew 

it was in her best interest to keep her mouth shut.  So she 

politely nodded her head, bowed, and left for the kitchen to 

acquire the woman's precious bottled water.



As she was returning to the woman's table, one of the waitresses 

tapped Megumi on the shoulder.  "There's a man in one of the back 

booths that wants to talk to you," she said.  He says it's very 

important."



Megumi raised an eyebrow.  "Who is he?" she inquired.



"I don't know, but he's cute!"



Unfortunately not forgetting the snobbish woman's bottled water, 

she took it to her table and then took her order, which took 

another ten minutes that Megumi knew she could've used in a more 

productive manner.  Finally, with the woman's order, she took it 

to the kitchen and then went to the back to meet her "mystery 

man".



To her surprise, it was Hitori.



"Could I talk to you for a few minutes?" he asked.



Megumi inwardly sighed in frustration.  "Hitori-san, I just got 

here," she said, trying to remain placid, "so I can't take a break 

now.  If you really want to talk, could you wait just a--"



"No!  I have to ask you something right now!"



"Well then stop stalling and ask me!"



The owner and manager of the restaurant soon spotted his waitress 

socializing on the job.  In his eyes Megumi was obviously flirting 

with the handsome young man in front of her, and therefore 

forgetting about her responsibilities to him.  That was not to be 

tolerated.  With his chest puffed out and his face red with pent-

up anger, he marched over Megumi and began to yell in her face.



"How many times do I have to go over the rules with you 

waitresses?!  You are on the clock, my clock.  And while you're on 

my clock you will work!  My time and money is very valuable and 

I'm not wasting either on a slacker such as--"



Hitori wasn't about to be interrupted, not tonight, and especially 

by a short, balding, and overweight hothead.  He dug into his back 

pants pocket, took out his, flipped it open and revealed his 

Bunkyo-ku police ID.  Needless to say, the man shut up.



"This is official police business," Hitori said in a serious, even 

tone.  "Whether you mind or not, I'm going to have to talk to Ms. 

Mitsukai for a few minutes outside alone.  So if you'll excuse 

us…"



Megumi's eyes grew to the size of silver dollars as Hitori grabbed 

her by the arm and lead her outside.  Her mind was now reeling.  

Just what in the world was wrong with him tonight?  She hardly 

knew Chiba Hitori, but she knew him well enough to know that he 

didn't act like… well, like he was crazy!



"All right, Hitori-san, what's going on?" she finally asked him.  

"What's this 'official police business' that you want to talk 

about?"



Hitori answered, "I have a question I want to ask you."



"You said that already.  Look, I have to get back to work.  Could 

you just ask me and get it over with?"



"My sentiments exactly."  Hitori sauntered towards Megumi and 

gently placed his hands on her shoulders as he looked into her 

eyes.  "Will you go out with me tomorrow night?"



Megumi was floored.  At first she wasn't quite sure if she heard 

him correctly, but she gradually realized that he was being 

serious.  Dead serious.  There was no smile on his face, only 

anticipation as he wanted for an answer.  "You mean to tell me 

that you drove out of your way for 45 minutes just to ask me out 

on a date?" she disbelieved.



"Well, actually about 30 minutes," Hitori corrected.  "I sort of 

ran a couple of red lights on the way…"



"Are you crazy?!"



"Yes!  Yes, I am crazy!  I've been crazy ever since Wednesday 

night when I met you again after six months of not seeing or 

hearing from you!  Why have I been crazy?  Because I've been 

driving myself crazy.  And why have I been driving myself crazy?  

It's because of you!  I've been driving myself crazy all yesterday 

and today just to get up the nerve to ask you out on a date and I 

finally snapped.  So here I am, asking you to do me the honor of 

going out with me tomorrow night.  Will you?"



Megumi could hardly believe what she was hearing.  All the anger 

and frustration she felt since yesterday evening drifted away.  

After worrying herself over whether or not she should ask him out 

or not, finally coming to the conclusion that he wouldn't be 

interested in a single mother like her, here Hitori was, 

practically begging for her to go out with him.  What else could 

she say except...?



"Yes."



Hitori could hardly believe it.  He almost thought he was hearing 

things.  Did she really say yes or was it only his imagination?  

"You will?" he asked.



"You came all this way.  While I still think it was stupid and 

impulsive, it's also kind of… sweet." 



The comment went to Hitori's head.  "You really think it's sweet?" 

he grinned.



"Mm-hmm, so the least I can do is say yes.  I would love to go out 

with you."



Hitori gave a sigh of relief and made the motion of wiping his 

brow.  "Okay!  How does eight o'clock sound to you?"



"Well my sister doesn't come home from work on Saturdays until 

eight-thirty, so could we--?"



"Say no more.  Let's make it nine o'clock so your sister doesn't 

have to be in a rush coming home tomorrow.  I'll come by your 

apartment and pick you up.  Is there anywhere in particular you'd 

like to go to?"



Megumi shook her head.  "Surprise me."



The two stayed outside and talked for a couple of more minutes 

before Megumi decided it was time for her to get back to work.  

They said goodbye to each, and as Hitori watched her walk back 

into the restaurant, he couldn't help but grin from ear to ear.



"YES!" he exclaimed.  His exuberant behavior of yelling at the top 

of his lungs and jumping high in the high with his fist raised 

caused an old lady walking down the street to take notice of him.  

Hitori suddenly felt very sheepish and apologized to her.



"Sorry about that.  See, I just got lucky with a waitress in 

there."  It didn't take put a split second for Hitori to realize 

his slip of tongue.  If he hadn't noticed immediately, the old 

lady's reaction would've tipped him off.  "I mean, I didn't get 

lucky per se… I did get lucky, but not in that way.  I mean… What 

are you looking at?!"



The old lady wasn't going to tolerate having a young man yell at 

her.  She hit Hitori on the arm with her purse and marched off.  A 

proclamation of "Pervert!" was heard before she turned the corner.



Hitori sighed and walked back to his car.  He wasn't going to let 

a little humiliation ruin his night.  It was worth it, because 

tomorrow…



"I've got a date!"





======

End of Chapter Three





01.05.02





Author's Notes:



This chapter could be dubbed "Steal Quotes and Scenes from Your 

Favorite Movies and Shows and Put them in a Fan Fiction!"  I 

didn't plan this, but I had some fun with it once I started.  So 

for your information and for an antidote to my boredom, here is a 

list of what those scenes are and where they came from.



From "M*A*S*H" (the final episode): "I can take umbrage, I can 

take the cake, I can take the A-train, I can take two and call me 

in the morning, but I cannot take this sitting down!"  Hawkeye 

says this before driving a tank into a trash pile so whoever way 

bombing the 4077th would stop.  I died laughing when I saw it.  I 

had to use it for Hitori. 



From "Return to Me" (starring David Duchovany and Minnie Driver_:  

The bottled water scene.  In the movie, Minnie Driver actually 

does get even with the snobby lady by pouring the bottled water in 

the sink and filling the bottle with tap water.  (Very funny.)  

Megumi would do something like that, but I would think she'd want 

to keep her job, too. 



From "Only the Lonely" (starring John Candy): "I just got lucky 

with a girl in there…" John Candy plays a cop in this movie and 

asks a mortician's daughter out on a date.  He exclaims "YEAH!" as 

he's coming out, just when a funeral has ended.  His version is a 

lot funnier than mine.  





Email: masked_maiden@hotmail.com 

Web Site: http://miracleromance.cjb.net/





Stories for the "Amazing Grace" series are as follow:

	Amazing Grace: Take a Picture (one chapter)

	Amazing Grace: Facing Mother(hood) (three chapters)

	Amazing Grace: Second Chances (three chapters thus far)





Stay tuned for chapter four!