heavenly_pearl: (Default)
heavenly_pearl ([personal profile] heavenly_pearl) wrote2006-01-05 11:07 pm

Yes!

My mom just got an email bulletin from B&N announcing that the first volume of Watase Yuu's Absolute Boyfriend comes out at the end of February. Yes! *dances* I'm so happy, and it's great timing since I only have one more volume to read for Ayashi no Ceres and two (I think) left for Fushigi Yugi. Now I'll have another Watase series to drool over. Whee!

*end fangirling*

In other news, I think I might be slowly getting through my writer's block. I managed to finish a (somewhat decent) Yui/Hideki Christmas scene and I'll probably finish an Ami scene tomorrow. ^_^ I also completed an entry for Kerry's challenge community that I'm actually rather fond of. I think I might go ahead and submit it to the archives after making a few tweaks. What do you guys think?


Ami’s hand shook as she reached into the non-descript paper bag she had set down on the counter and pulled out a small, rectangular box. She almost dropped it, her nerves were so bad, and she felt her already upset stomach knot up again as she stared down at the words printed across the front of the box:

E-Z Early Pregnancy Test.

Six months ago, if somebody had told her that she would be standing in her kitchen today, holding a home pregnancy test in her hand, she would have thought they were insane. Ami wanted children, of course -- in a theoretical-future-kind-of-way when she was married to the man she loved and preferably out of med school -- but this had not been a part of her carefully laid plans.

She was only twenty years old, not even finished with her undergraduate degree. She was in no position to become a mother yet.

This shouldn’t have happened. Ami thought she had taken all the proper precautions. When she and her boyfriend Ryo had made the decision to take their relationship to the next level, the first thing she did was discuss it with her gynecologist, who put her on birth control pills. Ami was very careful to take her pills at the same time every day, and for added protection, Ryo almost always had a condom on hand.

Almost, except for that night five weeks ago.

Ami frowned, thinking back to the night that might have changed everything. After a late-night study date, they had started making out on the couch. Things had then progressed to Ryo’s bedroom, but when he checked his nightstand, he found his box of condoms empty. They had briefly considered stopping, but by then, they were both so aroused that Ami decided it was worth the risk. It wasn’t as if they needed to worry about STDs since they were in an exclusive relationship, and even without the condom, the pills had a 99% success rate of preventing pregnancy.

She should have remembered that also meant there was a 1% chance of failure.

Sighing, Ami tore off the end of the package and headed to the bathroom. There was no point in postponing the inevitable any longer. She followed the directions provided, and setting the timer she had stolen from the kitchen for two minutes, Ami sat down on the toilet to wait for the results, her head in her hands.

About a minute into the wait, there was a loud knock on the door to her apartment. Ami, startled by the sudden sound in the quiet, jumped from her seat.

“Oh, who can that be?” she asked aloud as she walked over to answer it, annoyed by the interruption. “Whoever it is, I’m very sorry, but this really isn’t a good ti--”

“Ami?”

Ami’s stomach lurched as she stared up into the warm brown eyes of the last person she wanted to see at that moment. “Oh, R-Ryo,” she stuttered. “I didn’t realize you were coming over.”

“That’s why they call it a surprise.” Ryo gave her a light kiss on the cheek, then came in, not waiting for an invitation. “I thought you might want to go see a movie or something tonight. You’ve seemed a little stressed the last couple of days. Big test?”

“You could say that.” Ami closed the door just as the timer dinged in the bathroom.

“What was that?” Ryo asked, looking around the room for the source of the sound.

With a brief glance over at the closed bathroom door, Ami sighed. She was hoping she wouldn’t need to tell Ryo about her pregnancy scare until she had proof, but since he was there…

“The timer,” she said. “I’m late, Ryo.”

“Late? For what?”

Ami paused for a moment before replying in a soft voice, “My period.”

Ryo’s mouth rounded into a “O” shape, though no sound came out. He looked a little pale, and as he reached for the back of the armchair behind him, Ami noticed that he was visibly shaking. Though he still had some weak psychic power left over from when he was one of the carrier of one of the Rainbow Crystals, evidently this was one thing he never predicted. “Y-Y-You’re p-p-pregnant?” he managed to sputter.

“I don’t know yet for sure,” she said, trying to sound hopeful despite all the signs pointing that she was. “It could be a false alarm. Maybe there’s some other reason I’m late…”

“But that one time…”

Unable to look him in the eye, Ami looked down at her favorite pair of blue slippers. “Hai.”

“Oh, man…” Ami could hear Ryo take a few deep breaths, but finally, he walked over and lightly touched her arm. “Ami, go check the test. We can worry about this from here to tomorrow, but that won’t change those results. There might not be anything to worry about for all we know, so go see.”

Ami nodded, and feeling as if she had a pair of cement blocks on the bottom of her feet, she headed back to the bathroom, where she somehow found the courage to look down at the stick sitting on the counter.

One pink line.

She took one last look at the back of the box to make sure she had interpreted the symbol correctly, then Ami returned to the living room and cried in her boyfriend’s arms.

[identity profile] amazonqueenkate.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
Oooh, I like the ficlet. It really makes you wonder - was it positive or not? And why is she crying, either way?

Cool. :)

I got a really twisted idea for an Ami/Umino ficlet, the other day. Based off Frost's "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors" poem. I don't know where it came from, but I am thus far refusing to let myself write it. ^_^;

[identity profile] heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
*sing-song voice* I'll never tell...

People can interpret it however they like, but only I know the truth. Bwahaha!

*feels big and powerful*

An Ami/Umino ficlet? I never read the poem in question, but I think you should write it. One itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny little SM ficlet wouldn't hurt... *puppy-dog eyes*

[identity profile] amazonqueenkate.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 01:47 pm (UTC)(link)
.....well, then I won't tell you my interpretation. Hmpf.

I keep thinking about it. We'll see what happens when I get back from classes today. Maybe I will. MAYBE.

[identity profile] heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 03:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, come on, tell me your interpretation. I wanna know... I might tell you how close you are if you do.

Or maybe not. :P

Actually, write the Ami/Umino ficlet and let me beta it, then I promise I'll tell you. Scout's Honor.

[identity profile] amazonqueenkate.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 04:05 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll have you know that I started the stupid thing during African-American Lit today, because I was bored out of my skull (he was rambling and telling dumb stories). And I have become, sadly, very beta-shy since switching fandoms, and I have a strange, strange feeling that I will just do what I always do - post it blindly and pray for the best.

It's going to be short. But interesting. (I have found that my writing style is a chameleon, and it definitely shifted for this baby. No pun from the previous topic intended.)

(Oh, and from the sound if it, I think she's knocked up. Just because you wanted to know my interp. :P)

[identity profile] amazonqueenkate.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 04:57 pm (UTC)(link)
PS - Check my journal. :P

[identity profile] regie27.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 02:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm, that ficlet sure brings some memories. I think Dave and I both cried when I found out I was pregnant, but while the first time is was pure joy, the second time I admit it was a mixture of surprise and utter fear, a real emotional rollercoaster ride. I was to leave for Sheppard AFB for crosstraining into my new Air Force career field after leaving the Army Reserves, so just imagine my emotional state at that moment. In the end I was able to take the training pregnancy and all but that instant when I found out about Amy is unforgetable.

Yume-san, Have you checked Shojo Beat? It includes "Absolute Boyfriend" so you can get a sneack peek of what the manga holds. Of course, the current rage is "Nana" but so far my favorite is "Kaze Hikaru." Guess I'm a sucker for samurai stories and unrequited love. ^^;

[identity profile] heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 03:46 pm (UTC)(link)
That's one of the reasons why I wanted to write the scene, to show that finding out that you're pregnant (and I'm not saying that Ami actually is :P) isn't always a happy, joyful thing, especially when it's unplanned. It's usually treated as such in fanfics, even when it probably shouldn't be. (Funnily enough, though, I don't think I've ever written a pregnancy where both parents were happy about it. Strange.)

I heard it was running in "Shojo Beat" -- actually, you might have been the one to tell me that ^_^ -- but I've never been able to find it anywhere. Oh, well, I don't really need a sneak preview. It's only two months away, and Watase Yuu hasn't failed me yet. ^_^

[identity profile] regie27.livejournal.com 2006-01-06 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
That's too bad. The magazine is pretty good and the latest edition features a nice desk calendar and January/February features Absolute Boyfriend's main cast. Night's a cutie that's for sure but I'll leave you with your curiosity picqued. ;)

Regarding the ficlet, it's is far easier to have in a fanfic everybody ecstatic about an unplanned pregnancy because it looks cute but the arrival of a child, planned or not can arise a lot of anxiety and fear on the soon to be parents. Of course, some might think that of the Senshi it would bne Ami the best candidate to get the cold feet but I think it is actually a normal reaction. Too bad it's a one-shot; that sure makes for a heck of an interesting fanfic.

[identity profile] heavenly-pearl.livejournal.com 2006-01-07 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
Hmm, that would be a good idea for a fic...

Bah! Don't give me ideas! I already have one Ami multipart in the process; I don't need another.

*laughs*

[identity profile] demandingvoice.livejournal.com 2006-01-07 08:49 pm (UTC)(link)
*laughs*

I think my reaction the first time was pretty similar to Ami's. (or not) =P