The Gift of A Friend
On her first birthday as a sailor senshi, Ami did nothing out of the ordinary. She knew what to expect when she got home; a note from her mother saying happy birthday and that her belated birthday present would be coming soon—depending on how busy she was. She would also be able to expect a postcard from her father, perhaps with a small painting to go with it when he was particularly inspired. She would make her own dinner, spend extra time in the bath with a good book, and sleep early. It was a routine she had perfected for years and certainly didn't expect to change anytime soon. Her solitude had actually become her best friend and she had come to appreciate the quietness of her home as a blessing instead of something to lament about.
But when she was about to step out of school that day, Usagi stopped her. "Ami-chan, wait!" she called out, running to catch up. "Do you mind if we come over to your house later?"
Her question perplexed Ami. "Do we have a study session plan I forgot about?" she asked.
Usagi laughed like it was the funniest thing she had ever heard. "No! Of course not for studying. Don't be silly! Can we come?" she blinked her big innocent eyes up at Ami, and Ami found it impossible to do anything but nod her head even as she imagined her quiet evening plan completely derailed.
"Yes, I suppose—" she started, but Usagi had heard all she needed to hear.
"Yay! I will get the others and be there soon! It will be awesome!" she yelled before she ran off. Ami stared after her with confusion. Exactly what will be 'awesome'?
She got the answer about an hour or so later when the bell on her door rang. Having changed into more comfortable clothes, she padded to the foyer curiously, and sure enough, when she opened the door she found Usagi, Rei, Mako, and Minako behind it. They were all grinning happily and each brought at least one mysterious package wrapped in colorful papers.
"Come in," Ami said, still feeling like she had been roped into something she had no idea about and wondering if she had missed something obvious.
"Happy Birthday, Ami-chan!" Minako said excitedly, giving her a huge hug. Ami was surprised, and she didn't manage to gather her wits and hug her friend back before Minako bounded into the house, commenting about how spacious and lovely it was.
"Happy Birthday, Ami," Rei said, more formal but still gracing Ami with one of her rare genuine smiles.
"Thank you," Ami said to both of them. Usagi and Mako had already congratulated earlier at school, and now that she swiveled her head to look for them, suddenly she realized they had already commandeered her pristine kitchen. They were unearthing the biggest box among all the packages, and Mako opened it with a flourish. It was a cake—a simple but elegant vanilla cake with blue frosting and a message on top that said 'Happy Birthday, Ami-chan!'.
Ami gaped at it. That was the first time in recent memory she saw a birthday cake.
"Ta-da! Do you like the cake, Ami? Mako-chan made it herself, so I bet it's delicious!" Usagi announced. She looked suitably excited now that it had been unveiled, and obviously she was more impatient to taste it than anyone else. But Ami was still staring at it in disbelief.
"Ami-chan, are you okay?" Mako asked worriedly. "Oh dear, you don't hate vanilla, do you? Maybe I should have gone with chocolate after all…"
"N-no!" Ami managed to find her voice at last. "No, Mako-chan… The cake… it's wonderful." She looked up at her friend and tried to suppress the tears threatening to fill her eyes. "Thank you. You didn't have to… I can't believe you guys did this."
"What are you talking about? Of course we have to do this! It's your birthday!" Usagi said matter-of-factly, looking genuinely confused by Ami's words. Fortunately, Ami was saved from having to explain when Usagi became quickly distracted by the cake's frosting. "Ooh! This is so pretty and delicious-looking, Mako-chan!"
As Mako batted Usagi's hand away, Rei put her hand on Ami's shoulder gently. Ami turned to her in surprise, but Rei just smiled. She seemed to sense Ami's wonder and amazement at this whole thing, and more than that, she also understood it completely.
Usagi was planting candles on top of the cake now, and when she reached for the lighter, Rei nudged her out of the way. "Let me take care of this before you burn yourself," she said, her tone clearly saying that she would not be disobeyed. "There, Ami. You'd better blow the candles quickly so we can cut the cake before Usagi here devours all of it," she said once all the candles were lit.
Usagi started yelling at Rei, but Ami just laughed. After the initial shock, she had finally relaxed, and she was surprised that she actually felt… happy. Her house had never been this crowded or loud, and yet it didn't bother her at all. In fact, the place had never looked livelier.
It didn't take long for her friends to gather around her and sing happy birthday, and listening to their voices joining as one, Ami realized that she had been wrong.
Everything would be different from now on, because she had friends now. She had forgotten about that. Or maybe she just hadn't known what having friends meant yet.
But as she took a deep breath and blew the candles, she realized that now she did.
It meant she would never have to be alone again.