I know: where have you been, we've been worried sick, etc… Well, in my defence, this chapter is an absolute monster creature.
I also got a bit sucked into making fan art, which is a first. Speaking of which, I now have a profile on RedBubble so, if you ever fancy looking at my dubious offerings, the details are on my profile.
The Haruka portions of the chapter are supposed to be divided from the rest for the sake of clarity, but whether the webpage actually displays my divisions is its own business, frankly. I apologise if they don't, but hopefully it will all make sense!
That said, happy reading.
EUROPE
Slowly but surely, muted conversation and the occasional clunk of shoes had blossomed into cacophony. Ami was aware of it even with her nose buried in a novel, ever-alert after a lifetime of practice. Now the bleachers of the race track were almost full and, judging from the number of squealing underclassmen, this was down to the appearance of one very specific contender.
In spite of this, Ami had yet to spy Haruka or any of the other outer senshi. In fact, the only person who had met her thus far was Rei, who presently took a seat beside her, handing Ami a can of lemonade.
"For you," she said.
"Thank you," Ami said gratefully and returned her book to her bag. "Any sign of the others?"
"Have you heard me policing blondes?" Rei said, smiling. "What time is it?"
Ami cast a cursory glance at her watch. "Half past ten. They're cutting it quite fine."
"You mean Makoto's cutting it fine," Rei corrected. "Our beloved princess and mighty leader are probably still snoring into their cereal."
Ami laughed gently, though she couldn't help but wish Makoto would show up and set her mind at ease. Makoto's absence was no longer the mild curiosity that it used to be but a genuine concern, and Ami couldn't stop her overactive mind from running through the worst possibilities. Had she passed out again, hallucinated her way off her own balcony? Did she feel too ill to come? No. If she felt ill she would have called. Unless she was worried Ami would skip the race to tend to her (which Ami would have done) and decided to suffer in silence (which Makoto was clearly capable of considering a good idea) in which case anything could have happened. Still, Ami didn't think she should call Makoto first – she had promised herself that she wouldn't make a fuss anymore.
The day after the battle Ami had appeared at Makoto's doorstep, not wanting Makoto to feel isolated. She was also worried that the doctor in her – and, yes, a certain other part – had fractured their friendship. Ami didn't honestly think she was overreacting to whatever Makoto was going through: it drove her to distraction that even her own computer couldn't come up with the information she needed. However, she had handled it selfishly, thinking only of ways to keep Makoto safe in the short term. It was clear from the outburst, however, that Makoto was genuinely feeling upset and afraid, and Ami vowed that her own feelings, and the worry and over-attentiveness they brought with them, had to be kept firmly in check. She had to do the right thing for Makoto, no matter what her heart was telling her to do.
When the door opened Makoto had looked nervous and her movements had been stiff, as if she had run a marathon. Ami resisted the powerful urge to ask how she was and instead focused on what she had come for – what Makoto really needed her to say.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "We all are."
Makoto shrugged awkwardly. "It's okay. I know you're all trying to protect me. It's just hard sometimes."
"Is there anything I can do?" Ami asked.
Makoto's eyes softened then and, slowly, she moved forward. She took hold of a blushing Ami with both hands and wrapped her arms tightly around her. "Give me time," she whispered into her neck. "Please?"
So time Ami had given her. She had tried her hardest not to impose, to wait to be needed, to not rescue Makoto. What that did, however, was leave her feeling lonely. Her usual friends didn't quite fill the void left behind: those evening meals, surreptitiously cast glances and the thrill of accidentally touching hands. Makoto's attention was addictive for Ami, and now she could not bask in the warmth Makoto's presence usually brought. Her absence made Ami feel empty.
Rei was having a similar trouble seeing Minako, whom Rei swore was avoiding her. Ami and Rei had found themselves gravitating together if only for something to do, a mutual unspoken agreement to fill the vacancies in their respective schedules. Whenever Usagi wasn't available they watched movies and went shopping for more practical items than their other friends' company would ordinarily allow. They also studied, though without Usagi and Minako to distract them the sessions were disappointingly efficient, and the time allotted to finish their assignments was often much longer than they needed.
She missed Makoto.
"Here she is," Rei said. Ami didn't know how much time had passed, but when she looked up she saw her, walking with…
"Isn't that the girl from the park?" Rei asked.
"Morino Niki," Ami said. The name was stuck in her head ever since Makoto had shown such interest in her the other week. But why was she here? Why now? She had thought Makoto wanted time, not… someone else.
Ami shook that thought from her mind. No. That wasn't fair or rational. Maybe Makoto needed an escape, an opportunity to get some distance from the people who, whether they wanted to be or not, were a reminder of her problem with her powers. Once again, Ami set her own emotions aside, willing herself to smile. With a pang of disappointment she noticed Niki file into the row first, meaning Ami would be sitting apart from Makoto. Nonetheless, she stood, her smile twitching from the effort to maintain it, and waited for Makoto to formerly reintroduce them.
"Rei-chan, this is Niki. You remember, right, Ami-chan? Niki, these are my friends."
Niki? No 'san', just Niki? Ami looked between them, trying to figure out when on earth they had met again, and how often, to be addressing each other that way.
"Nice to meet you," said Rei, reaching to hand Makoto a lemonade.
"Nice to see you again," Ami said.
Niki looked about as guarded, but she smiled back confidently. At Makoto's height, she had to look down at Ami and it made Ami feel small in a way she never did around Makoto. "Same to you."
It was clear Niki had about as much interest in knowing Ami as Ami did in knowing her because she turned straight back to Makoto, speaking lowly to her against the hum of the crowd. At once Ami felt shut out, out of control… out of the way.
"Can't put a price on manners," she heard Rei mutter, and Ami felt a small amount of guilty pleasure at the put-down. For all the absences Rei couldn't fill, there were times she was precisely the person Ami needed. She turned to Rei in the hopes they could start a private discussion of their own, only to find Rei was looking in the opposite direction.
"What the hell?" Rei murmured.
When Ami peered around her, she saw Minako approaching, on the arm of a boy Ami recognised from her English class.
"What is it?" Ami asked. Rei seemed to snap out of it, frowning slightly. "Nothing," she said, though she didn't stop staring at them until they sat down on Rei's side. Minako smiled brightly at them.
"Rei, this is Watanabe Hiroki-san."
"Hi, Mizuno-san," he smiled to match Minako, and Ami nodded in response.
"Morning, Watanabe-san."
"Nice to meet you," Rei said flatly.
"Would you like a drink?" Hiroki asked Minako.
Minako stroked his arm. "Please. Coke?"
"I already got you lemonade," Rei said.
"Thanks, but I've had a hankering for Coke since I woke up," Minako said, grinning apologetically.
"I'll take the lemonade, if it's going," Niki said behind them.
Rei's gaze fixed on Niki; Ami was sure she was trying to figure out how offended to be by her brazenness. "Sure," she eventually decided, handing the can to Ami to pass on. Ami's fingers brushed Niki's.
"Thanks," Niki said and accepted it.
After a few more minutes the racers brought out their vehicles and did a few test laps before the race began. When Haruka emerged from the garage she offered them a debonair wave before looking in the direction of the stands nearest the track, where Ami assumed the outer senshi were seated. In this time Usagi made her entrance, Mamoru in tow, and they edged through the row to meet them. Unfortunately seating was a free-for-all and the additional space Ami and Rei had attempted to save had been taken up by Niki and Hiroki.
"It's alright," Mamoru said, "Usako and I will sit somewhere else."
"No need," Rei said at the quiver of Usagi's bottom lip. "If Usagi sits on your lap, we can probably make the room."
In order to create the space, everybody shuffled up. Rei noted the space Minako refused to close between them and tugged Minako towards her abruptly.
"Hey," Minako protested.
"If you wanted elbow room you shouldn't have invited a boy," Rei muttered. Her right arm was now crushed between them so she slung it around Minako's shoulders to stay comfortable, only to find it collided with Hiroki's, who had been attempting the same manoeuvre. Hiroki retracted his own arm partly out of politeness and partly out of fear from the look Rei shot him, setting it back in his lap with a blush and looking away in feigned nonchalance. Minako glared at Rei.
Ami, meanwhile, found herself unsettlingly close to Morino Niki and when their thighs touched both of them tensed at the contact.
Niki was the first to relax, casting Ami a smirk. "I don't bite," she remarked and Ami felt an irrational wave of anger wash over her. She fixed her gaze on the track to see the cars assembling on the track, the revving of their engines so loud they sounded almost exaggerated.
The drivers, including the driver in white, got themselves into position. The lights at the starting line flashed red, red, green, and twenty cars rushed forward in a shriek of burning rubber and pedal-to-metal acceleration. Ami picked out Haruka pretty quickly by virtue of her breaking through the pack and taking the lead. Yet from the back of the pack roared another car, a white blur, and suddenly Haruka Tenoh was second.
Haruka narrowed her eyes at the car ahead of her. It was that car, the European driver; seeing her, Haruka's initial indignation gave way to the thrill of having some competition. This could be interesting, she thought, smirking beneath a dark blue helmet, and she leaned harder on the accelerator, clipping the apex as she cut through a snake pass.
Soon enough she regained her lost ground and was tailing just behind, waiting for an opening to overtake. Opportunities were few and far between, however, and every time she tried to capitalise on one the white car would swerve to block her again. Haruka saw the next turn and focused on the gap she saw emerging. Suddenly, the other driver tapped the brake. Haruka slammed on her own brakes to avoid a collision, but no sooner had she done so than the other car took off again, apparently having called her bluff.
Furious at the underhandedness of it, Haruka shifted back through her gears but stayed a good distance away, now sure this driver was not about to play fairly; she wanted to get ahead of her as cleanly and quickly as possible to avoid any more weird stunts. When the driver slowed to take a sharp bend, Haruka found her chance. She drifted into it as quickly as she dared, pulled up directly in the other car's path and shot off down the straight beyond it. The white car grew smaller and smaller in her side mirror. That would keep her quiet for now.
Ami watched, intrigued to see Haruka playing catch-up for once. Ami would never have called herself a fan of motor racing, but she couldn't deny that the near-brawl for the lead was suspenseful. Haruka and the white car marked '2' kept vying for first, overtaking and falling back like two hawks battling through the sky. Niki appeared transfixed, too, watching the two of them with avid concentration, her eyes narrowed, a look so laser-focused on her face that she almost looked angry.
"You okay?" Makoto asked.
Niki snapped out of it. "Yeah. Sorry, just, exciting stuff. So, Mizuno-san, how did you and Makoto become such good friends?"
Ami downed the last of her lemonade and looked past Niki to Makoto, who wore the panicked expression of someone who was banking on someone else's lying skills; a lifelong senshi destiny was a little much to explain to the average citizen. Guiltily Ami buoyed at the notion that Niki could never share that part of Makoto's life, then wondered, briefly and a little despairingly, if such irrational one-upmanship was an unavoidable component of love. "We met through Usagi-chan," she answered instead.
"With the pigtails?" Niki asked and Ami nodded. Makoto visibly relaxed.
Ami said, hoping her tone was level. "How did you get to know Makoto? You two seem close. Have you seen each other a lot?"
Niki nodded emphatically. "We have a lot in common, plus she gives me a really good workout. She's been training at my dojo four or five times a week."
Ami's gaze again fell to Makoto but this time Makoto avoided her eyes. Niki glanced between them. "Something I said?" she asked innocently.
"Not at all," Ami said, smiling tightly. She stood. "Rei, can you let me out? I need the bathroom."
"Sure," Rei said, uncrossing her legs and sitting back so Ami could get past.
"Ami," Makoto said, and started to get up herself, but Niki placed a hand on her arm to stop her.
"Easy, Makoto. I don't think she needs your help with that."
Makoto frowned, but she did as Niki asked, clenching her fists against her thighs.
The European shot through on the inside of Haruka's car. Haruka swerved and straightened abruptly to put space between them, but the European edged closer again until Haruka was almost surprised their tyres weren't skimming. If this woman was trying to spook Haruka of all people, she wouldn't succeed.
Haruka didn't glance at her. No sense in allowing herself to be distracted. Besides, if the European was going to keep this up no matter what Haruka did, then there was little point in veering to a safer course. Likely the driver would only follow her, and at any rate she couldn't be dumb enough to actually hit Haruka or they would both end up in the fallout. Haruka resolved to stay on her intended course, taking the fastest, straightest line she could; if she was lucky, her car would turn out to be quicker and she could edge out of the driver's reach.
"Come shopping with me next Saturday," Rei demanded.
"Okay," Minako said.
Rei opened her mouth, ready with a swift rebuttal, then realised what Minako had said. "Wait, what?"
"I said yes," Minako looked at her like she was crazy. "I'm your friend, Rei. I'm happy to spend time with you. Eleven o'clock?"
"Juuban," Rei fired back.
"Outside that new milkshake place?"
"Done." The silence stretched and Rei tried to work out if that was the most hostile romantic proposition of the modern age. It wasn't her fault it had come to this, she told herself. She had barely seen Minako, and whenever she had it had never seemed to be the right time to talk about how she felt. Rei would have been quite happy to continue searching for that right time, but since Minako had brought a boy into the equation she needed to seize the first opportunity she could.
"You know, while Ami's gone there's some extra space," Minako pointed out. "Maybe we should spread out a little while we have the chance."
"What's the point?" Rei said. "She'll be back any minute."
"Yeah, but your arm must be tired. Don't you want it back?"
"I'm fine as I am," Rei retorted. Her arm was tired, but if it kept Hiroki away from Minako it was worth it. Besides, for all the discomfort… it felt nice.
"Speaking of Ami, hasn't she been gone awhile?" Usagi asked. She had apparently paused in her adoration of Mamoru (and her near-inhalation of the chocolate popcorn he had bought her to earn such treatment) to express this concern. "Maybe we should check on her."
"I'm sure she's fine," Rei said. "It's a big place. The line for the bathroom is probably out the door—"
"I'll find her," Minako said abruptly and stood, escaping Rei's arm as she did so. She could feel Rei's gaze on her back and sighed, self-consciously rubbing the back of her neck where Rei had been holding her. That had felt way, way too good.
If only she had been next to one of the others. Why was she always next to Rei? And why was Rei being like this? Minako was on a date – couldn't she take a hint? Was she even doing it deliberately? Sure, she distrusted men, but was that really the only reason she was being so cagey? Minako didn't know. All she knew for certain was that she needed to get away from her, needed respite from what was steadily becoming a form of torment.
Only when she was free of the bleachers did she realise it was just as well she had. Ami hadn't gone to the bathroom. She was sitting on a bench, looking despondently at the floor. Minako clasped her hands behind her back and approached her.
"Hey," Minako said gently. As soon as she set eyes on her, however, Ami let out a sob, putting a dainty hand to her mouth to try and keep it in. Minako immediately took a place on the bench and pulled her into a firm hug. (This, Minako noted, did not make her feel hot, bothered or horny. This, Minako concluded, she could have merrily done through the entire race without batting an eyelid.)
For a little while Ami's sobs wracked her body. Then she grew quieter, and when she pulled back she seemed to have regained some of her equilibrium, casting red-rimmed eyes to the floor. "She's been training five times a week."
"Mako-chan," Minako said knowingly. Her heart went out to Ami. She loved Makoto dearly, but boy could she make things difficult.
Ami nodded with a quiet sniff, reaching into her handbag and withdrawing a blue spotted handkerchief . "I know I said I'd stay out of it, and I'm trying but… why won't she listen to me? Every other time she's trusted me, but now, when it matters most, it's as if nothing I say means anything to her. Like I don't matter."
"Of course you matter," Minako said firmly, giving Ami's shoulder a squeeze. "You matter to all of us, and we all matter to her, too. She's just in a bad place. And it's not that what you say doesn't reach her. She's just got this idea in her head of how things should be, and you're telling her something she doesn't want to hear."
"Telling her not to fight…" Ami said. She sounded bitter, like she was cursing herself. "I'm only saying it so she doesn't get hurt, but she thinks I'm punishing her."
"She doesn't think that. You're a senshi, you only punish bad guys in the name of Mercury, remember?" Ami laughed a little in spite of herself, though her voice cracked as she did so. Minako was pleased with this little bit of progress. "She just thinks you're wrong, which you and I both know is dumb on so many levels, but it's what she believes. So I know it's killing you – it's frustrating for all of us – but hang tight, okay? Rei and Michiru may not have crystal clear visions yet, but they're getting something. That means we'll stop it, just like we stop everything else."
With one final hug, Minako let go, standing and holding her hand out to Ami. She smiled broadly. "Ready to come back to the fight?"
Ami managed a small smile back. "I wouldn't mind, but they'll know I've been crying."
Minako glanced back toward the bleachers thoughtfully. "You know, there's one senshi who's almost as classy, discreet and respectful as me."
Ami and Minako navigated their way back through the crowd, filing back in until they arrived at Rei.
"Mind moving up?" Minako asked.
Rei looked ready to argue again but when she saw Ami the words caught. She looked between Ami's vulnerable smile and Minako's sympathetic wince and mutely moved up. A blue-haired buffer now between them, Minako felt Hiroki's arm move around her and smiled up at him. Rei put her arm around Ami, then, and as much as Minako knew it was out of supportiveness and protectiveness, a surge of jealousy squeezed at her heart.
The finish line was up ahead. Haruka and the European were still neck and neck. There was only one bend left – a bend that would put the European driver on the outside and Haruka on the inside. Haruka gritted her teeth. Nothing else for it, she thought. Staying close, she forced the white car against the outermost apex. With expert precision she rarely ever needed to evoke, she dropped three gears and used the resistance to take off at high speed, her engine roaring angrily in protest. The European recovered fast, but it was too late: Haruka crossed the finish line first, the European hot on her heels.
As soon as they reached the pits, both drivers scrambled from their vehicles. The European disentangled herself first, kicking the side of her car in a rage. As soon as she was standing, Haruka ripped the Velcro from her chin strap and tore her helmet from her head; temper flaring, cheeks flushed and her hair damp, she was the closest to dishevelled she had possibly ever looked. She stalked towards the other driver.
"What the hell were you trying to pull back there?" she demanded. "Those were dangerous manoeuvres."
The driver ignored her and, incensed, Haruka grabbed her by the arm. "Face me, damn it. That's no way to compete. What were you thinking?"
The other driver shook her off violently, glowering at her with crimson eyes.
"Haruka." Haruka turned from those eyes to see Michiru shaking her head no from the bleachers. It isn't worth it, she was saying, let it go. Scowling, Haruka turned away from their brewing skirmish and her wayward opponent stormed off, disappearing into the garages and out of sight.
Niki watched the driver go and stood, stretching her arms above her head. "That was a close call. Tenoh-san is one hell of a driver."
"She almost met her match that time," Makoto said. "That other driver was really something, huh?"
"If by 'something' you mean reckless," Rei said. "She could get somebody killed driving like that. Haruka's hardly a sore loser but she looks pretty furious; she must have rattled her pretty badly."
"I agree with Hino-san on this one," Niki said. "It's not acceptable behaviour. In fact, I imagine her manager will tear her a new one."
She extended her arms sideways this time, then pulled them in to rub stiff shoulders. "Speaking of which: Makoto, I have another errand to run. I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Sure," Makoto said.
"And Makoto," she added with a grin of sincerity, "I had a really good time today. Ja."
"Bye," Makoto said, and watched her go. Minako watched her, too, and quietly excused herself from the others' company.
"Morino-san?"
"Mm?" Niki said distractedly. She was almost at the track now, and appeared to be searching for something. When her eyes fixed on Minako she smiled. "Makoto's friend. You would be…"
"Aino Minako," Minako said. "Nice to meet you. I missed the introductions."
"'Ai' as in 'love'?" Niki said knowingly.
"Mm-hmm. How'd you guess?" Minako asked, striking a flirtatious pose.
Niki shrugged. She looked amused. "A hunch. It's a common kanji."
"Oh," Minako pouted melodramatically, then brightened almost as quickly, blue eyes twinkling. "So, you and Mako-chan, huh? You two really seem to have really hit it off."
"Yep," Niki grinned back proudly. "I could search a thousand galaxies and never find anyone quite like her."
"Kindred spirits?"
"Something like that."
"It's great you two are getting along," Minako said. "Spending time with you has obviously made Mako-chan's life a lot easier these last few weeks. Actually, that's the reason I'm here: I have a favour to ask."
"Sure," Niki said. "Ask away."
"Here's the thing. What happened at your gym the other week…"
"You mean when Tenoh-san came by?"
Minako nodded. "Mako-chan passing out… that wasn't a fluke. Don't tell her I said this because she'll kill me, but it's happened more than once, and we don't know what's wrong with her."
"Has she seen a doctor?" Niki said, seeming concerned.
Ami's face popped into Minako's head. "Kind of, but she needs more tests. Anyway, I understand that we don't know each other, and I'm not asking Mako-chan to stop training with you because I get how important this is to her right now, but I was wondering if you could look out for her. Try to go easy on her, not let her push herself too hard?"
"Makoto knows her own limits. I trust her judgment."
Minako giggled awkwardly. "You don't know her like we do yet. You might be surprised."
Niki seemed to take offence at that, squaring her shoulders and levelling her with those vibrant green eyes. "I know she loves Mizuno-san."
"What?!"
Niki nodded seriously. "She told me. So, training or not, I think right now she should focus on getting some breathing room. I'll do as you ask, count on it, but I'd like a favour in return. This may sound harsh, but please help me keep her and Mizuno-san apart for a while. Mizuno-san seems very nice, but I think it's the best thing for Makoto right now."
Going through what she was with Rei, Minako was inclined to empathise with Makoto's feelings and Niki's reasoning.
But there's still the small, tiny insignificant detail of cutting up my own senshi team twice over, Minako though. Between her avoidance of Rei and this new role between Ami and Makoto, she was very aware she wasn't winning any leadership awards – especially not given this new enemy. Minako frowned. "I see your point, but I can't really make that promise."
"That's fine," Niki said, smiling disarmingly. "I can't guarantee on my end either. I'll do what I can, but the fact is Makoto is in charge of her own life. I'm not the boss of her." She fixed Minako with a look. "Neither are you. Right?"
"Right," Minako said carefully. Minako actually was in charge of Makoto, but it wasn't like Niki understood that. Resigned to this massive headache of a situation, she let Niki go, wondering how the hell she was going to keep Ami away from Makoto and Rei away from her.
Of course, she could always kill two stones with one bird…
