Disclaimer: I do not own Saliormoon.
A/N: This is a very short series. This was running around in my head forever. Sooo for the last five months I have been playing with this chapter. Whether I continue it depends on the reviews.
Snowflakes
By angelwings1
Chapter 1: Goddesses
Sighing softly, she shifted her chin into her soft palm and relished the feel of the ice coffee sliding down her throat. Something silly tickled her heart and she giggled lightly as she wiggly her toes in her heavy boots. Maybe it was an odd favorite during winter, but she couldn't help by love the feel of ice hitting her stomach when she wrapped under several layers of warm clothes. Her aqua blue eyes shimmered when they saw the whiteness floating down outside the window. Her index fingers tapped twice on the pout of rosy lips. Yep, cold weather was definitely preferred.
How could she not love the cold? The white landscape, ice skating, wrapped in twenty blankets as you sat on the porch swing, the sound of her shoes crunching in the snowdrifts… Winter always brought warmth to her heart that her quilts could never offer. It was more than a childish romance. It was a familiarity she held with the weather.
The loud, irritably noise from her straw immediately caught her attention to her empty plastic cup. She was tempted to order a second, but she knew it wasn't wise. Technically, her tight wallet couldn't afford the first one, but she had scrapped up some loose change in the couch. She easily guessed the money had been lost by one of her scatterbrained roommates, but as apartment law went, the couch was no woman's territory. Anything found between the purple cushions was up for grabs.
The law kept several of them poor, but her very happy. She could almost time when she would go out for coffee by Serena's work schedule. The girl always threw her apron on the couch when she got home from the restaurant. She wasn't the best server, but she had knack with people. Her innocent smile and carefree nature won over any unhappy customer, which was a much needed quality due to her clumsy nature. She had once witness the girl miraculously pull a laugh out of a man covered in fettuccine pasta.
Her other roommates had similar dramas for personalities. Rei had a temper that went beyond tamable and normally sparked whenever Serena was in full-airhead mode. Lita, the muscle and closest to tom boy of their circle, could kick box like the champs and bake like the TV chiefs. The fifth woman was Mina, their matchmaker and social leader. She was the queen of romance and had every novel and dvd imaginable to prove it.
Stacking up her biology notes on top of the books, the short hair woman signaled her departure. Tugging on her dark wool coat and wrapping on her scarf, she hesitated to grab her snow cap. Her gloved covered hands reluctantly grasped the summer blue item and pulled it snuggly over her dark crown. Catching sight of her reflection in the coffee shop window, Ami cringed. She couldn't deny it was cute, but the mouse ears poking off the top of her head definitely clashed with the professional look she was wearing below her glasses. Fuming inwardly, she hastily slung her one strap backpack over her shoulder and made for door, throwing away her empty coffee container as she stepped out into late January air.
Her previous frustration towards her hat evaporated as she strode down the icy sidewalk. She inhaled the crisp air and sighed loudly. She loved it when it was so cold your lungs hurt to breath. Smiling merrily, she passed up her usually bus stop and began the fourteen block journey home. She had no engagements and she needed the exercise after those chocolate chip cookies she had at shop.
Her knee high boots concealed beneath her jeans clicked loudly on the sidewalk almost in a sing sound rhythm. It was a delicious afternoon she decided and couldn't help, but hum a song whose title escaped her memory. She had already completed her homework for the upcoming week and had finished a good two hours of studying for her Monday quiz. Classes were over for the day and she had finally reached a Saturday where she was verbally threatened to keep her dark blue head out of the hospital. How was she supposed to realize she had worked over forty hours the past week plus her regular sixteen at the university?
Anyways, that left Friday night and all of Saturday open to her discretion. The girls had already claimed tonight as their special night. It was a rare occasion for all five of them to get together. Saturday, she would leave under the decision of her random streak—in other words, deciding which of her medical books to curl up on the window seat with. Her grin stretched wider at the pleasant thought.
Sadly, her happy demeanor plummeted as she heard distinct set of footfalls behind her. Ami might have had one of the brightest minds in the world, but she was defenseless to her spurts of paranoia. Her last few years in college had taught her to be wary and on her guard twenty-four-seven.
Keeping her stride casual, she carefully began to analyze the mess she had just walked in. The set of feet was heavy, male most likely. She had passed three bus stops so she guessed—more liked hoped—he was walking to a nearby destination. There were dozen of stores on the busy street for the man turn into, but when Ami turned off the main street and he still followed, her stomach dropped to her toes.
Her free hand curled and uncurled at her side. The air began to pop in her ears, like firecrackers, and ice filled her lungs. 'Sh…keep calm.'
A map of the surrounding street hastily filtered into brain as she began to count her options. About two streets ahead there would be a network of back alleys. Normally, they would be filled with people taking shortcuts for the shops' backdoors, but with the weather, being as cold as it had for the last week, it was likely to be void of even the homeless.
She hated dealing with muggers. All they saw when they looked at her was a shy girl. She was petite, weighed down by books, and had a childish hat that screamed "easy catch." In such a large city, she had had her share of men following her, especially with the social life she lived. Usually when she was around the girls and got a follower, Lita would hungrily take the opportunity to get in her daily exercise, but if she was alone, like today, she'd play out her one winning strategy.
Her steps quickened as she turned into the alley and headed for her regular secluded portion in the network. It would take her exactly two minutes and thirteen seconds to get to the spot. The footsteps faltered in mid-step and hastily sped up. Her brow pinched together. 'Forget it.'
Spinning on her heels, she faced her stalker. Her heart was already pounding in her ears as she prepared to slip into the best intimidating, defensive stance she could muster while clutching her books in one arm. Any chance of her appearing threatening withered from her intense glare once the face of her opponent sunk in to her rapidly failing brain.
She blinked repeatedly as she was overcome with double vision. Both men had long wavy blonde hair and had eyes the color of Ireland's greenest grass. In her left eye, she saw a man in a long gray uniform that button high at his left shoulder. If she concentrated hard enough she could see the green trim. In her other eye, she saw the man's double in a heavy leather jacket and scarlet pullover. He's hair was pulled into a loose ponytail versus the military version who wore his down and free. She grimaced as the double-vision slammed together and left the man in leather.
He was staring at her cautiously, hands hidden in his dark jacket. She carefully gauged the distance between them and shifted her weight to her back heel.
"What do you want?" she asked in her most intimidating voice. She prayed her mouse cap didn't cloud the man's judgment. If he touched her, he would learn fast that she was Hell on heels.
"Ami Mizuno?" the blonde asked huskily.
Her gaze sharpened dangerously behind her black rim glasses, "How do you know my name?"
His eyes deepened to a darker shade of green as his chapped lips titled, "I always know your name."
Whenever her instincts screamed out a warning, Ami was one to always trust her feelings. 'It's definitely time for an exit.'
"What do you want with me?" she asked, discreetly sliding her free hand further behind her and out of the stranger's view.
"Look at me, Ami," he commanded, taking a heavy step forward. The woman shuffled backwards and he froze, his back foot partly risen off the ground. He waited for her to stop before shifted his weight back on evenly. He exhaled deeply, his breath streaming out into white puffs between them. "You know who I am."
She scowled at his tone. The way he gave her no room for argument made her temper flare. He couldn't think she was that stupid. "I've never met you."
The veins in her open hand throbbed powerfully. Slowly, she wiggled her gloved fingers and played with the cold current of air. Her eyes darted to the ground and measured the distance between several patches of slick ice and his dirty sneakers. The nearest one was two yards away. Pretending to wet her lips, Ami sampled the air to gauge the temperature.
Her stomach twisted when the man's eyes heatedly followed the innocent movement. Coughed lightly, he returned his focus to her face. "Look at me carefully, Ami."
"I am," she replied curtly, her heart beginning to race in her ears. "I've never met you."
Ami breathed slowly, counting the beats between each breath. The air was growing tight around her. Gradually, her body began to stretch out and merge with the world around her. She could count the snowflakes and follow the path of water in the sewers. She was in the air, on the ground, in the pipes… Ice crackled in her ears as the moist air pressed against the pavement and cold fingers crawled over the asphalt.
The blonde mugger reached for her, his face somber. "Please, just concentrate—"
His words were cut short as his shoes flew out from under him. His blonde hit the ground hard and stars danced in his vision. Groaning a curse, the man pressed his elbow to the pavement and lifted halfway off the ground. Touching his head lightly, he looked up to see the young woman racing around the nearest corner and disappearing from sight. He glared down at the patch of ice under his feet, wondering how he had missed it before.
..
By the time she had reached the little brick house's front yard, her heart rate had slowed back to normal and her strides had shortened. Her attitude was shaken, but she made sure to paint a smile on her face as she walked up the cobblestone to the porch. Ami didn't want to spend her free night worrying over her weird encounter. A puzzle wasn't easy to toss aside, but the anxious desire for her girlfriends overthrew the mystery of the blonde stranger. 'I'll think about it tomorrow.'
Reaching the front door, the young woman went for the scuffed doorknob. Her brow wrinkled when she heard a cheery, muffled voice sing from her backpack. "I shall call you 'Squishy' and you shall be my 'Squishy'. Come here little 'Squishy'! Come here little 'Squishy'!"
Ami momentarily forgot about the door as she frantically unzipped the top pocket of her bag and dove in a glove hand. After a few seconds of rummaging through the loose contents, she triumphantly yanked out her neon blue cell phone. She would have to personally thank Serena later for changing her ring tone again. Flipping the phone open and cutting off the sugary voice, Ami reach once more for the door knob.
"Hello?" she greeted as she turned the handle.
"Ami?" a high voice, she immediately recognized as Serena, replied. "Where are you?"
Stepping into the warm hallway, the woman answered innocently, "Inside."
There was a lapse of silence followed by the same voice calling from a deeper region of the house. "You're home?"
"Just got in," Ami yelled, closing her phone and ending the call. As she hung her coat and backpack onto two of the empty wall hooks, she wasn't surprise to hear a small exclamation of shock.
"Did you just hang up on me?"
"What is it, Serena?" Ami giggled, following the direction of the voice down the hall. Coming into the open living room and finding it empty, the woman frowned. "Serena?"
"In here!" a new voice squealed from the kitchen. "We need your expertise!"
Ami's eyebrow jumped. She wondered what trouble the twins had cooked up this time. After neatly stacking her books on the red oak coffee table and dropping her backpack on the floor against the nearest table leg, the girl strode towards the expected disaster.
"Exactly what expertise are you referring to?" she playfully inquired as she rounded the corner. She surprised to find the kitchen clean of mayhem, sporting only a few dirty dishes next to sink. She thought she would have found flour or cookies covering the walls or possibly the oven on fire. Mina and Serena didn't have the best track record for kitchen experiences. Even her advanced mind couldn't explain how the two filled the room with five feet of wheat rice. Ami doubled checked for anything out of place, but eventually returned her eyes to the colorful pair kneeling beneath the kitchen sink. She couldn't hold back the curious smile. "What did you do now?"
Mina rolled her eyes and rearranged her bright orange bathrobe as she stood. "We didn't do anything. The pipes are frozen."
Ami's eyebrow lowered accusingly, "So when you say you didn't do anything, you aren't kidding."
Serena peeked out from the cupboard, her favorite pink bunny ears snowcap smiling on her golden crown. She must have just walked in as well.
"What?" she asked, blue eyes blinking absently.
Ami exhaled loudly, "I warned you yesterday that the temperature would drop last night. Before I left for my night class, I said to wrap the exposed pipes outside with that installation in the shed. That's why the previous owners kept it."
Mina and Serena glanced at each other, clearly having forgotten the warning. Sheepishly, they turned on the young doctor to be and pouted. Serena tugged on one of her rabbit ears, the image of a small of child. "Could you please fix them, Ami? We both wanted to take showers before we go out tonight."
Normally, Ami would have easily refused and declared it their punishment for ignoring her except she also wanted a shower. Exhaling loudly and giving their grinning faces a pointed look, she strode towards the sink. "You are buying me a drink or a dessert or something tonight."
"Yes, Ami!" the blonde pair replied simultaneously, the voices blending perfectly together. She momentarily glanced at the duo. Maybe she should try checking their family trees again. They were too similar to be unrelated.
"We were going to call Rei," Mina cheerfully commented as she gave the other woman room. "But we were afraid she would melt the pipes."
"Probably." Ami mumbled, absorbed in the dull sound of the nonexistent flow. Her brow pinched together as she sought out the problem. "Hmm. The blockage is several meters down the pipe."
Yanking off her gloves, the blue haired woman eyed the stainless steel faucet. There were several inches of ice clogging the pipes. They were lucky she had gotten home when she did. Another few hours and the pipes would have burst. Her bottom lip slipped out into a small pout as she carefully the tapped the faucet. Twice. Three pairs of eyes widened when the silver spout rattled. The pipes clang loudly beneath the sink seconds before water shot out like a fire hose. Cold water rapidly spilled over the rim of the sink and across the counter before anyone could properly react.
"Crap!"
"Get a towel!"
The spray hit the wall of the sink at such a powerful angel that the water bounced off the rim and fanned across the length of the entire kitchen, dosing the squealing girls.
Mina frantically grabbed a nearby frying pan to shield herself. "Ami, we said we wanted showers, but we were hoping they would be hot and in the bathroom!"
"Ami, turn it off!" Serena squealed as she accidentally unrolled the entire length of paper towels and vainly attempted to wipe up the excess water. Unfortunately, she had lost her grip and the roll flew through the air with a long tail trailing. Mina screeched as the sailing projectile jumped into her face and she swung her pan on reflex. Ami was lucky she ducked in time to miss the dangerous swing. It was quickly turning into a wild scramble of limbs, tangle paper, and a growing indoor ocean. Gathering her wits, Ami glared at the pipes in mute fury. "I'm—"
The words faded on her tongue as her heels abruptly sought to enjoy the make-shift slip-and-slid linoleum floor. Maybe if she had been wearing sneakers, she wouldn't have lost her footing (the consequences of heels), but she was very pleased to have the opportunity to include her friends in her dilemma. As she grabbed their unsuspecting forearms, Ami laughed wickedly. If she had to go down, she was taking them with her.
"AMI!" the twins screeched as they were yanked to the floor without warning.
Water splashed loudly in unison with their groans as they hit the hard linoleum floor. By this point, the puddle had stretched across half the kitchen and was threatening to soak the hallway's carpet. Ami burst out laughing as she realized just how ridiculous they probably looked. She didn't even follow the twins' example of picking themselves off the floor and remained on her back, allowing the icy water to soak up into her sweater vest. The heel of Serena's hand slipped in the puddle and she heavily landed on the nurse's chest, changing the girl's laugh into a groan.
Being on the top of the pile, Mina was the first to get back to her feet. Unfortunately, her bathrobe had been caught in the fall between Serena's thigh and Ami's abdomen. The blonde fought frantically to retrieve her modesty, but her tugs ironically yanked her robe lower on her shoulders. She began to squeal as she realized her compromising attire was in full view to anyone walking by their large kitchen window.
Serena had caught on to her other friend's giggles. She was too busy laughing hysterically to notice Mina's pleas for her bathrobe. After all, they were all three soaked through to the bone. There was no point in trying to escape the water anymore so why not laugh?
Ami smiled lightly when she felt the vibration traveled through Serena's stomach. It was these random moments that she loved about her roommates. Even with the heavy stress of work and school, they could always find a way to laugh in the worst of circumstances.
Unfortunately, her reminiscing was short lived as the overhead kitchen light waned. As the bulb flickered, the laughter faded. The girls stared nervously up at the ceiling.
"Lita's home," Mina commented lightly.
Two seconds later, the microwave sparked to life. Eyes snapped to the small black box as it loudly began to heat up. Next, the radio on their small dining table turned on and began to catch three different stations in one feed. One by one appliance after appliance turned on and began to angrily shout in their ears. When the bulb in the nearby hallway burst, the three girls became rigid.
"She's not in a good mood," Serena whimpered.
"Probably pissed," Mina added softly. Ami hastily began to shove her blonde roommate.
"Hey!" Serena cried as she tumbled further into the puddle.
"We're standing in water!" the intern exclaimed, scrambling to get up and back on her heels. When the two other girls blinked in confusion, Ami added loudly, "Water and electricity don't mix!"
The duo fearfully glanced towards each other before jumping to their feet. Ami went to reach for a hand towel hanging on the oven's door handle. When she heard the heavy steps hitting the front porch, she rethought her strategy and grabbed the girl's wrists. "Get out!"
Screeching, the three flew through the kitchen archway into the carpet covered living room. They were still wet, but at least they were out of the puddle. From the ache in her forearms, Ami guessed she had gained some evident carpet burns. Course, she would rather that then electrocution.
The front door opened and the television switched to the weather channel. Ironically, she noticed the man in his slick business suit was waving a hand over their area of state and commenting on an electrical storm. She highly doubted Lita was responsible for such a powerful display. The thought was cut off when the bulb in the TV burst. If it weren't for the sound of boot stomping down the hall, Amy would have grumbled about how many bulbs they would have to replace later. She prayed her computer wouldn't kick-on and fry.
The three girls on the floor snapped their faces upwards just as a tall brunette woman in an evergreen trench coat appeared in the living room. Her small, usually smiling, lips were twisted in one of their more violent poises as she threw a pale satchel onto the nearby couch. The bag had so much velocity that it ended up rolling across the entire length of the couch and propping up against the furthest armrest. On the visible side of the bag there was a cartoon sunflower with elegant pink letters that spelled out, "Breathe in the smell of sunshine." The beautiful woman grumbled something intangible and any light bulb not yet broken flickered. She didn't even notice.
Taking a moment to swallow beforehand, the young nurse carefully made herself known to the unaware woman, "Err… Lita, if you will calm down I let you have the last slice of cheesecake in the fridge."
Green eyes snapped downwards and widened when saw three of her roommates piled on top of each other on the floor. Almost immediately, the flickering lights steadied and the appliances switched back off. The three girls sprawled on the floor sighed in unison.
"What are you doing?" Lita questioned slowly, the tension in her face unwinding. Her eyes darted between faces in complete confusion. "And why are you all wet?"
Still pinned beneath Mina and Serena, Ami grudgingly propped her chin in her palm and raised her other hand. "It was me."
A smaller scowl in comparison to moments before appeared back on the woman's face. "Huh? Ami, you're usually better at control then all of us. It's not like you to slack off."
Ami raised one of her eyebrows before pointedly replying, "I'm not the one who just blew a dozen bulbs in the house."
Serena snickered softly as Lita's face swiveled around in disbelief. She bit down her lower lip guilty when she saw the small tendrils of smoke curling out from behind the television.
"Sorry," she mumbled. "I'll fix it."
"It's okay," Ami shrugged while the girls began to pick themselves off the floor. After she had regained her soggy composure and stood up, Ami studied her brunette roommate. "What happened that got you sparking?"
Lita rolled her eyes, "Bad day in class. Professor called me out in a discussion and declared, in short, I to be inferior because I was a woman."
"Woah!" Mina exclaimed, her own eyes gaining similar fiery. "What year did the guy walk into today? 1950?"
"More so did he forget how you don't tolerate that from guys?" Serena jumped in. "I mean, you've been kicked out of one your high school because a guy believed you couldn't win a fist fight."
"I know!" Lita exclaimed loudly. "I was livid. He's lucky I didn't want to kick out of the university, else I think I might be in the back of a police car. Or worse the entire computer lab would have been fried."
Ami frowned, "How did you manage to keep from blowing out the building's circuit breakers?"
"Some boy defended me," the brunette tossed back her ponytail before dropping heavily onto the couch. Sinking backwards, she pouted. "A stupid boy had to defend me."
To the other girls it was apparent that Lita had an admirer, but they knew the type of girl who dreamed about a knight in shining armor. She was about hard feminism and being able to hold her ground. She didn't mind chivalry in the romantic world of dating, but when it came to the battlefield, she was infuriated to be thought of as glass. The boy who had probably been trying to gain her attention had earned it in the worst way. Lita would probably go head to head with him at the next class. Ami was glad they were all going out tonight, else Lita might fester in her thoughts of revenge and break any remaining bulbs in the house.
Yep, the life of a goddess wasn't as easy as everyone might think it be.