Notes: Episode 103, "The Arrival of the Tiny Pretty Soldier". Or: "The one where Rei's helping with a festival and Chibi-Usa shows up".
Episode 103
"Still no idea what we're doing tonight?" Makoto asked Ami. She set her garment bag on the bench and looked around the small staff changing area. Schedules and assorted official-looking documents were taped to the walls, but nothing gave any clue what they'd be doing at tonight's festival.
Ami shook her head and fussed over her kimono in the floor-length mirror. "None. Rei said she'd get us when it was time, but she never said for what."
Mako was about to speculate when there was a polite knock on the door and Rei stuck her head inside. "Ah Mako, you're here! Can I borrow you for a second? We're having some trouble getting one of booth walls stabilized." She scowled and muttered, "I swear this thing is run by idiots. How they ever pulled it off in the past is a miracle."
"Point me at it," Mako said, flexing her bicep and earning a grateful smile from Rei. As the door closed behind them, Ami continued to adjust her yukata. It was new and not entirely comfortable yet. As she fiddled with the red bow, the door flew open, causing Ami to jump and nearly fall over a nearby folding chair.
"We have arrived!" Minako announced, tossing her own garment bag on the bench. She took a long pull on the straw of her take-out soda, continuing to suck long after the horrible spluttering sound made it abundantly clear there was nothing left to suck, and lobbed it over her shoulder. It landed neatly, if noisily, into the metal trashcan by the door.
Usagi pushed past Minako, her eyes widening with appreciation at their friend's outfit. "Ami-chan, you look amazing!" Ami blushed lightly, and soon she and Usagi were absorbed in an animated and mutually-appreciative kimono-themed conversation. So absorbed that they missed the unzipping of a garment bag, and the rustle and swish of linen, until it was far too late.
"RAWR! I AM MAKOTO KINO!"
Usagi and Ami whirled toward the sound. Minako was wearing Mako's brand new summer kimono. It appeared to have swallowed her whole. Her arms extended outward like a groping monster, but her hands were buried somewhere beneath the excess fabric. She has bunched the yukata around her shoulders in an effort to keep it on, but still it pooled around her feet. This did not seem to impede Minako in any way; she merely exaggerated her steps and proceeded to stomp around the room.
Usagi stared at Minako until her eyes threatened to engulf her face. Ami looked for a moment like she might pass out in her rush to disapprove of absolutely everything happening around her.
"I AM THE GREATEST AT COOKING AND KICKING ASS," Minako continued, dropping her voice in a slightly too-deep but otherwise flawless impression of Mako. "I TOTALLY BEAT A MONSTER IN THE FACE WITH A FRYING PAN ONCE BUT WON'T ADMIT IT."
"Did Mako-chan really do that?" Usagi asked Ami in an awed whisper. Before Ami could respond, Minako's booming voice drowned her out.
"I LIKE GREEN. I WEAR GREEN A LOT, EVEN WHEN MY SMOKING HOT FRIEND WITH THE BEST FASHION SENSE SAYS I SHOULD BUY THE PURPLE TOP." Minako stomped around, tilting dramatically first to the left, then flinging all her weight to the right. "BUT NOOOO. IF IT'S NOT IN GREEN THEN I WON'T GET IT AT AAAAALL."
Ami picked up the folding chair she'd nearly tumbled over earlier and placed it firmly behind her. Smoothing her kimono neatly behind her legs, she sat down and folded her hands in her lap. Her expression was firmly neutral.
Minako was – loudly – saying something about judo tosses and correct form as Usagi leaned over to Ami. "Shouldn't we stop her maybe?"
"She'll be stopped," Ami replied in a measured, level voice. Her eyes stole a glance at the clock on the wall. "Very shortly, I suspect."
Which she was, a few short minutes later, as Minako turned and saw a narrow-eyed Makoto standing directly behind her. The exclamations about ferns died a slow and tortured death on Minako's lips.
"Mako-chan!" Instantly a sunny smile appeared on Minako's face. Her charm was on full force. Makoto, it seemed, was quite immune, but this in no way deterred Minako. "I was just checking out your yukata! The fabric is so soft, where did you—"
"Minako."
"Mm?"
"Shut up now."
"Okay!"
As Minako vanished within the depths of Mako's kimono and tried to dig herself free, Rei and Usagi stood shoulder to shoulder and watched with mixed fascination and horror. Rei wordlessly handed a large round fish-shaped object to Usagi, and then walked stiffly from the room.
Usagi sidled up to her still-glowering friend, the goldfish drum dangling unnoticed from her fingers. "Say, Mako-chan? Did you really beat up a monster with a frying pan?"
"Not yet," Mako growled at Minako, "but soon."
This is crap and I officially don't care anymore. Thinking up ANYTHING to do for this episode was near impossible, and came down to me creating an excuse to write Minako stomping around pretending to be Mako. Also the frying pan thing is totally ofcatsandkings' fault.
