STOP!—If you haven't read any of my other fan fics please do. I'm writing them in an order that is listed on my profile and they'll just flow better if you do.
I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've had the worst case of writer's block and my husband just lost his job so I'm trying to work lots of overtime till he gets a new job. :'(
-This takes place right before "Is The Genius Girl A Youma? Brainwashing School Of Terror". For those of you who are virgins to the original anime lemme lay down a couple of things. First, aliases: Amy Anderson/Mizuno is Ami Mizuno. Second, the suffixes: –sensei indicates teacher or master.-
Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon
For The Sake Of Dreams
by
Windsting
September 23rd, 1991 – Mizuno Residence
Ami Mizuno walked through the front door of her family's modest two story house and doffed her shoes to her right. Her father, Gashu's, large paint splattered loafers were already strewn in a hap hazardous fashion. She smiled as she straightened them, toes against the far wall and perpendicular to the wall on their right, underneath one of the paneled glass windows that framed the front door. Her own shoes were placed next to her father's with just enough space between for her mother, Saeko's, elegant heels. She scanned through the stack of mail on the table in the front hall habitually before going upstairs to drop off her school bag. Their house was done up in soft pastels tastefully ranging from ivory to periwinkle and crown molding lined the ceiling in every room. The kitchen was spacious with tiled counters, including an island counter, and state of the art appliances. The large counter to ceiling window in front of the sink framed the Tokyo Bay and let in enough sun so that electricity wasn't needed during the day. She walked over to it and threw it open, letting in the crisp fall breeze from the ocean. Next she pulled supplies from the refrigerator and bread box for sandwiches, humming a passive tune as she worked. Saeko was a doctor and very conscience of her family's health and she only bought food to support that. Whole grains, organic fruits and vegetables, grain fed livestock meat and dairy products, free range fowl and eggs, mercury-free seafood, and honey in place of sugar. Once Ami had prepared two plates of tuna salad sandwiches, she added two small bowls of fresh salad and glasses of ice cold water. The call of the seagulls drew her attention to the window where three of them were hopping on the window sill and bobbing their heads to some rhythm she was sure only they could hear.
"Alright, just a moment. You guys are really demanding you know." She scolded them as she took two slices of bread and shredded them on a plate.
She hurried outside and set the plate on the ground beneath the sill. No sooner had the plate touched the ground, the gulls had already descended on the scraps. She alternated between tittering and scolding them for their terrible table manners. In thirty seconds flat the plate was clean and the birds were squawking their appreciation as they flew off. She quickly washed the plate by hand and put it back in the cupboard and closed the window. Then she set up two wooden trays with the food and water. Silverware, napkins, and fresh white daisies from the vase on the counter followed. She balanced one tray on her hip, maneuvered the other onto her palm over her head, and walked up the stairs and down the hall to her parents' bedroom. The door was already open as well as the sliding glass door leading out onto the spacious balcony overlooking the sea. Gashu was sitting on a stool with a blank canvas in front of him. He was six foot even, had a rugged face with kind black eyes, and was currently sporting a week old mustache and beard. He was fit despite the fact that he seemed to spend most of his time seated before the easel. His hair was also black and it was usually in an artistically unkempt style, complete with colored flecks of paint. Today his hair was color free as he wore his unused paint brush on his ear. He was so intent at staring out over the bay that he didn't notice his daughter come out on the deck and set up the trays on the patio table. Ami coughed delicately to get his attention before she leaned in to peck him on the cheek. Shaken from his trance he hugged her from the side and smiled hungrily at the food at the table.
"Thanks Ames. How was my favorite daughter's day at school?" He asked, getting up from his stool.
She returned the smile and allowed him to seat her before answering.
"Fine, thank you, father. Noriko-sensei threw us a surprise pop quiz in Algebra and from the reactions of my classmates you would have thought that she had announced that the library had burnt down." She shook her head in mild disbelief before biting into her sandwich.
He chuckled at her comparison knowing full and well that the average student probably could've care less about the well-being of the school library.
"How do you think you did on it?" He asked, digging into his salad.
"It was surprisingly easy; I think Noriko-sensei was taking it easy on us." She said after washing down a mouthful with a drink of water.
"I'm sure your classmates would disagree with you on both points." He said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Some of them can be really dramatic." She said, rolling her eyes. "If they'd just study the work they wouldn't have to worry.
"Some are easily distracted by other things; I know I was that way." He said with a shrug.
"Why does that not surprise me?" She said with a superior grin that quickly turned to concern. "Speaking of, normally you're not this distracted when you're creating a new masterpiece. Is everything okay?"
He ran his hands through his hair, leaving it more disheveled, as he sighed and stared over at the blank canvas.
"It's been seven days of breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, each more magnificent than the last and I have had no motivation whatsoever." He admitted.
She blinked in surprise.
"I think I've just lost the spark for the sea and need to move onto a different subject." He continued.
"Like what?" She asked curiously.
"Well…" He said conspiratorially. "…Now you can't breathe a word of this to your mother because I think I should be the one to break it to her."
Ami nodded in concern now.
"I found this cozy little three bedroom, two bathroom cabin, with a wrap around deck for sale." He said excitedly.
Her mouth dropped open a little in surprise which quickly turned to dread as he continued.
"It's at the edge of a lake surrounded by a forest in the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Ten acres of land and there's even a small barn for horses if we want them." He finished happily.
"What about mother's work at the hospital? What about my schooling?" She said, wishing she could share in his euphoria but unable to feel even the least bit pleased with what he was saying.
"We've got enough money saved up so she can quit." He said with a shrug. "She could become a house wife and stay home for once. My paintings would be enough to support us and your mother could home school you. You'd be learning from the best doctor in the world."
He said that last sentence proudly.
Ami shook her head.
"Mother will never go for it; you know how much she loves her job." She said.
"True…well she could switch to part time. Then we could keep this house so she could stay here half the week and come home the other half." He said.
"Maybe…" Was all Ami could say.
She knew her mother wouldn't go for it at all. It wasn't just that her mother loved her job. She also did it because she was desperately needed at the hospital. She wasn't the absolute best doctor there but she was pretty close and every doctor was needed to help the many more patients who were suffering. It was her mother's life. Ami was so impressed by her mother's dedication to such a noble cause that she'd decided to follow in her footsteps. She stared dejectedly out over the sea, suddenly no longer hungry for the rest of her lunch.
"Hey Ames, it'll be okay." Gashu said.
She only nodded blankly as her father returned his attention to his lunch.
That night found Ami hiding in her room. It was designed like the rest of the house with plush cream carpeting and large portraits of the sea hung from her walls, courtesy of her father. The furniture tastefully spoke of one with great maturity who'd picked it out and arranged it so it was pleasing to the eye. Saeko and Ami had decorated her room together on Ami's thirteenth birthday and then the family had gone out to dinner at one of the upscale restaurants in the area. Every year they went to a studio to have their family pictures taken and Gashu and painted one of them to give her for a present. She loved it but now couldn't look at it without tearing up, and she was trying desperately not to cry. Crying was really quite pointless unless there was something in your eye and so otherwise didn't solve anything. There were two benches with windows from the bench to the ceiling built into wall facing the sea. They were cozy with plush, teal colored cushions and the view was an ever changing portrait of nature's beauty. She was curled up on one of them with a book but had long since given up trying to read. She stared out at the midnight sky dotted with countless stars and tried unsuccessfully to forget that evening. Gashu had introduced the idea of the move to Saeko who needless to say wasn't going for it. Her parents had never been the type to shout at each other so the argument was very calm and civilized but you could've cut the tension in the room with a knife. Neither parent had brought her into the discussion or asked her to take sides for which she was grateful for. It finally ended with Gashu stating he was going to go for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Saeko expressed how disappointed she was in him that he'd throw away his family for sake of his dreams.
There was a light tap on her bedroom door followed with a masculine inquiring voice.
"Ames?"
"Come in." She sighed.
Gashu walked in and took a seat across from her and stared out the window. After a few minutes of silence he spoke again.
"I'm sorry I spoiled our dinner conversation tonight. I guess I thought your mother would be a little more accepting of my news."
Ami turned to look at her father but said nothing.
"I can only imagine what you must think of me for this but it's not something that can be helped." He continued.
"You mean you don't want to help it." She said with a touch of anger.
"That's easy enough for you to say when you haven't felt a passion for something like I feel for my art or your mother feels for her job." He said, running his hands through his hair. "One day you'll understand. My advice is to surround yourself with people who share the same goals that you do."
"You sound like you regret marrying mother." She said forlornly.
"Never! I love your mother and you both very much." He responded with fierce conviction.
"Then why? Why are you leaving us?" She whispered.
"Please don't think of it like that, Ames. I tried to find a way to work it out so everyone could win but your mother won't budge an inch. I'm not blaming her, I just…I don't know." He sighed and dropped his head down to stare at the wavy patterns in the fabric of the cushion.
Ami turned her gaze back to the window.
"I tend to get obsessive about my art and fall into a kind of depression if I go too long without doing it. I don't want to be like that, especially around you girls. It wouldn't be fair to you. I need to get this out of my system. I won't be gone forever, and we can always talk on the phone and visit each other." He explained.
"It sounds like I don't get the choice to come with you, father." She stated in a quivering voice.
"We agreed that it'd be best if you stayed here. Young girls shouldn't be away from their mothers. Plus you've got school. I wouldn't know how to tutor you on the things you're learning at this age." He reasoned.
"Young girls shouldn't be away from their fathers either." She murmured.
"I'm not going to abandon you Ames, you're my little girl and you always will be, no matter how old you are. This is just temporary." He said pleadingly.
He could see the moisture that had been gathering in the corners of her eyes had started to spill over and he wiped a tear from her cheek.
"He's right, honey." Saeko said, alerting them to her presence.
Gashu looked up gratefully to his beautiful wife who knelt down in front of their daughter and took her child's hands in her own.
"I'm not going to stopped loving your father and though I disagree with his decision, since I can't change his mind, I'm going to support him." Then turning to her husband she said "I've been offered a promotion and a transfer to the hospital in the Juban district. Make the most of this opportunity and then come home. We'll be waiting."
"Thank you Saeko." Gashu said in relief as he gathered her in his arms and kissed her full on the lips, wanting to show the depth of his love and the gratitude for her stance on this in that kiss.
Ami blushed in embarrassment and turned away from her parents' tender embrace. When they parted they grabbed their daughter and pulled her into family hug, which broke the dam to Ami's emotions.
She sobbed into her father's chest how much she'd miss him and made him promise to call her every night.