Chapter Twenty One
Preparations
Mid May, 1945
It had only been a week since the girls returned home, and everyone was already making big plans for two very special events. "Good morning girls, did you two sleep okay last night?" Saeko asked as Mako came down the stairs with Ami in her arms.
"Not really." Ami quietly answered.
"I didn't sleep much better than her." Mako quietly said as she set Ami in her wheelchair.
"The nightmares haven't improved for either of you?" Saeko asked with some sorrow.
"No." Ami quietly answered.
"Do either of you wanna talk about it?" Saeko asked in a quiet and sweet tone. Both women lightly shook their heads yes. "Okay then, why don't we go into the living room so we can all relax a bit while we talk." Saeko suggested.
"Okay." Ami quietly replied.
"Alright, let's go talk for a bit girls." Saeko said as she led the girls into the living room and sat on the couch. Mako wheeled Ami in front of the couch so she would be facing it, then she sat down next to Saeko. "When ever anyone would like to start." Saeko said with an encouraging smile.
"Mako." Ami quietly said as she reached for her girlfriend.
"I'm sorry Ami, I should have asked you right away." Mako replied as she stood up, carefully lifted Ami out of her chair, and gently set her on the couch next to her mother.
"Thank you Mako." Ami quietly said as she rested her head on her mothers shoulder.
"You're welcome Ami." Mako replied as she rested her head on Saekos other shoulder.
"Ready girls?" Saeko asked as she held each one of her girls hands.
"Do you wanna start Ami?" Mako quietly asked.
"Okay." Ami replied as she took a deep breath to steady her nerves. "It was the same dream as always, all the people I killed were chasing me and yelling at me, except this time it was worse. They were chasing me and I tripped and fell face down in the dirt, and when I looked up I saw a German soldier. He gave me a sadistic smile, then his boot came down on me and I started falling for some reason, like he'd forced me through the ground. I landed face down on some sand, when I looked up and saw I was on the beach in Normandy. I saw the captain, lieutenant, and Mako get their heads blown off by a machine gun, and that's when I woke up." Ami finished explaining her dream to Mako and her mother, then she started crying into Saekos chest.
"I'm so sorry Ami, but everyone's okay. Mako's right here, I talked to Reis grandfather last night and both her and Miniko are doing okay. You're friends are all safe Ami." Saeko said with a smile as she held her daughter and comforted her. "Are you ready to talk Mako, or do you need some time?" Saeko asked as she looked at Mako, while still continuing to comfort Ami.
"I'm ready." Mako quietly answered.
"Okay sweetie, whenever you wanna start." Saeko replied with an encouraging smile.
"In my dream I was visiting my parents graves, everything was quiet and peaceful. Then the sky got dark and I looked up at it, and it started raining blood; then I felt something grab my foot. I looked down and a skeleton hand was latched around my ankle. I tried to shake it off, but instead of letting go, it squeezed my ankle even tighter and pulled its self out of the ground. My father's skeleton was looking at me and he started yelling. He yelled 'You brought this rain down on her, you failed to keep her safe, now you will watch her drown in it!' Then he grabbed my head and turned me towards a big clear box, I saw that Ami was trapped in it. I watched as it filled with blood rain, and no matter how hard I fought, I couldn't save her. I watched Ami drown in the blood that I spilt!" Mako yelled and cried. "The worst part was that he was right, I did fail to keep Ami safe, I let her get hurt, I let her hands become soaked in blood! Just because I was to weak to protect her!" Mako screamed in anger and sorrow.
"That's not true Mako, none of that is true. The fact that Ami is here with us right now is proof that you didn't fail her." Saeko quietly said as she comforted Mako.
"I already told you that you could never fail me Mako. I'll always love you, and I'll always trust you with everything I have, even my life." Ami cried, as she crawled over Saekos lap so she could sit in Makos.
"I love you Ami, and I promise to never let anything bad happen to you ever again." Mako said as she hugged Ami.
"I love you too Mako, and I promise to protect you the same way you've protected me." Ami replied as she hugged Mako back.
"Do you girls feel a little better?" Saeko asked as she gave each of them a gentle pat on the back. Both girls nodded in response. "Good, because we have a lot of work to do before we're ready for Friday." Saeko said with a big smile.
"I can't believe how much baking we have to do in just two days, but it'll be fun to bake together again. Won't it Ami?" Mako asked with a flirtatious wink.
"It'll be just like old times, except I think it's going to be a bit harder for me to reach the counter." Ami giggled as she gestured to her wheelchair.
"Maybe we can find you a more stagnant job, like mixing." Saeko suggested.
"Or filling the cupcake tins, I was planning on making at least fifty of those." Mako informed with a big grin.
"Are we feeding the neighborhood?!" Saeko joked.
"No, just a bunch of friends and their families." Mako replied with a laugh.
"If that's what you girls wanna do, then that's what we'll do. You do know there's gonna be a big cake though, right Mako?" Saeko asked with a smile.
"Yeah I know, but baking makes me feel better when I'm nervous or scared." Mako answered as she began preheating the oven.
"All the invitations were already sent right?" Ami asked her mother.
"There's just one left to deliver, I'm glad you said something or I might have forgot." Saeko replied as she handed an envelope to Ami.
"Who'd we forget?" Ami asked as she took the envelope from Saeko.
"You're not gonna believe this, we forgot to give Mikasa and her family their invitation. I found it between the fridge and the counter when I got home from work yesterday." Saeko answered in a somewhat guilty tone.
"It's a good thing they live right next door, I'll go deliver it while you and Mako keep working here." Ami said as she started to wheel towards the door.
"Do you need any help Ami?!" Mako yelled from the kitchen.
"I've got it, but thanks anyway Mako." Ami answered as she opened the door, wheeled out of it, and closed it again. Ami wheeled down the side walk and turned into her neighbors drive way. "Crap, I forgot they had steps to their door." Ami said to herself as she put the breaks on her wheelchair. "Okay Ami, you can do this. Just take it slow." Ami said to herself as she slowly tried to stand from her wheelchair. "Agh, damn ribs." Ami quietly cried to herself as she continued trying to stand.
"What in the hell?!" A man yelled to himself as he looked out the window of his house. The man quickly ran to his door and flung it open. "Mrs Mizuno, what are you doing?! You shouldn't be standing like that right now, let alone on your own, you could really hurt yourself!" The man yelled as he rushed to Amis side and helped her back into her wheelchair.
"I'm sorry Dr. Jaeger, I just wanted to drop something off for you guys." Ami quietly replied.
"Don't you remember, I set that long stick by the stairs so you could use it to knock." Dr. Jaeger said as he helped wheel Ami up the two small steps and into his house.
"Sorry sir, I forgot. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately." Ami replied with a bit of guilt.
"That's okay, we all forget things when we're tired." Dr. Jaeger said as he closed the door behind them. "Mikasa, Ami's here!" Dr. Jaeger yelled.
"Hey Ami, Mikasa will be downstairs in a moment." A tall young man with short black hair said as he came down the stairs.
"Thanks Erin, how've you been by the way, you happy to have Mikasa back home?" Ami asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I missed her a lot. But don't tell her I said that, I've been telling her how crazy she's been driving me lately." Erin answered, whispering the last part.
"I heard that Erin!" Mikasa yelled as she came down the stairs.
"You hear everything." Erin grumbled as Mikasa walked up next to him.
"Hi Ami, how are you feeling today?" Mikasa asked with a smile.
"I've been worse, I just came to give you guys something." Ami answered as she handed the envelope to Mikasa.
"Thank you Ami, what is it?" Mikasa asked as she slowly started to open the envelope.
"Mako and I wanted to invite all of you to our wedding, sorry it's such short notice. You're invitation kind of fell through the cracks, literally. Mom found it between the fridge and the counter when she got home from work yesterday." Ami laughed.
"We'd be happy to attend, congratulations to the both of you." Mikasa said as she gave Ami a very gentle hug.
"Would you like a cup of tea or anything Ami?" Dr. Jaeger asked.
"No thank you sir, I have to get back and help Mako bake for the big event. Thank you for the offer though." Ami answered as she turned to leave.
"I'll help you out Ami." Mikasa said as she opened the door and helped wheel Ami back down the two small steps.
"Thank you Mikasa, and I'm glad to see your injuries have healed nicely." Ami said with a smile.
"That's probably because I live with a doctor, and I had a damn fine medic to patch me up." Mikasa replied as she gave Ami a pat on the shoulder.
"You give me to much credit." Ami giggled.
"Someone like you can never receive too much credit." Mikasa said as she walked back up the two steps and opened the door. "Thanks for the invite Ami, I'll definitely be there." Mikasa said with a grin.
"You promise?" Ami asked with a smile.
"Unless I get eaten by a giant monster, then I guarantee I'll be there!" Mikasa yelled as she closed the door. Ami laughed to herself as she rolled back home.
"I'm back, now let's get to work!" Ami yelled as she rolled back into the house.
"You girls start baking, I have to run to the store to pickup some more boxes of cake mix." Saeko informed her girls as she grabbed her keys off the table.
"Okay mom, we'll see you in a little bit." Ami replied as Saeko gave her a hug and walked out the door.
"Ami, I've got a special job for you!" Mako yelled from the kitchen.
"Coming!" Ami yelled back as she wheeled her way into the kitchen. "What's up Mako?" Ami asked as she wheeled up next to Mako.
"This bowl is dripping with leftover cake batter, if only there was someone we knew who could clean it out." Mako said with grin.
"I'll do it Mako!" Ami yelled with joy.
"I don't know Ami, if you get much sweeter, I might be tempted to try and eat you." Mako replied with a grin and a wink.
"Please!" Ami begged with big puppy dog eyes.
"Oh alright, only because you're so darn cute though." Mako replied with a smile as she handed the bowl to Ami.
"YIPPEE!" Ami squealed as she started eating the cake batter from the bowl.
"While you clean that out for me, I'm gonna put this in the oven." Mako said as she gave Ami a kiss on the cheek and put the tray of cupcakes in the oven.
"Those should be ready in about twenty five minutes or so." Mako informed Ami as she sat in a chair next to her.
"Boop." Ami said as she put a dab of cake batter on Makos lips. "Looks like I made a mess." Ami said with a devious grin.
"I guess you'd better clean it up then." Mako whispered as she kneeled down in front of Ami.
"With pleasure." Ami replied with a smile, as she gave Mako a kiss and licked the cake batter off her lips. "You always did have the sweetest kiss around." Ami said with a smile.
"I love you Ami." Mako whispered as she hugged Ami.
"I love you too Mako." Ami whispered back as she returned the hug. While Ami and Mako continued cooking and making other preparations, just ten miles away two more people were making preparations of their own.
"OW! Damn it, every day!" Rei yelled as she hopped outside with her crutches.
"You whacked your leg on the door frame again didn't you?" Miniko asked as she ran to Reis side so she could help her.
"You know me so well." Rei groaned as Miniko scooped her into her arms and carried her to a lawn chair. "Thanks Mina." Rei said as Miniko set her in the chair and kneeled down next to her.
"Did you figure out a dress design yet?" Miniko asked in a curious tone.
"Yep, I called a shop downtown and they said they had one just for me. What about you, did you pick one out yet?" Rei asked in reply.
"I did, and I believe it's at the same shop. Do you wanna go pick them up?" Miniko asked with a bright smile.
"You bet I do!" Rei yelled with joy. "Well what are we waiting for, let's go Rei!" Miniko cheered as she started helping Rei to her feet.
"We're waiting for a ride, grandpa took the car to grab a few other things we needed, so I called a friend to ask for a ride. They should be here in a few minutes." Rei answered. Someone revved an engine in front of the house to signal that they were there.
"Or maybe they're here right now." Miniko said with a grin.
"I would say that's an accurate guess." Rei replied as someone walked through the gate into the backyard.
"I heard you kittens needed a ride." Haruka said with a wink.
"We sure do, thanks again for coming on such short notice Haruka." Miniko replied as she handed Rei her crutches.
"Any time Ma'am, besides, it's not every day you get to go pick out a wedding dress." Haruka said with a smile.
"Let's get going everyone." Rei said as she started hopping towards Harukas car.
"Please, allow me, my lady." Miniko said as she scooped Rei into her arms.
"Agh!" Rei squealed as Miniko literally swept Rei off her feet.
"Oh, thank you Mina. My angel of love." Rei said as she snuggled against Minikos chest.
"That's goddess of love, not angel. I'm much prettier than a common angel." Miniko bragged as she walked Rei to Harukas car.
"Would it kill you to just take the compliment?" Rei asked as she playfully rolled her eyes at Miniko.
"I suppose not, but it stings my pride." Miniko answered with a giggle, as she gently placed Rei into Harukas car.
"Good afternoon you two, I hear you both have some big plans for today." Michiru said as Miniko climbed into the car and closed the door.
"You bet we do, tell her Rei!" Miniko beamed with joy.
"We're going to pick up or wedding dresses!" Rei squealed.
"Congratulations you two! When's the wedding?" Haruka asked as she started driving towards town.
"This Friday." Miniko answered with a big smile.
"Oh no, what are we gonna do Haruka!" Michiru asked in a slightly panicked tone.
"We could each attend one of the weddings and switch places part way through." Haruka suggested.
"What are you two talking about?" Rei asked as she looked back and forth from Haruka to Michiru.
"Ami and Mako already invited us to their wedding that same day." Michiru answered with a frown. Rei and Miniko just looked at each other, then burst into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Haruka asked as she looked in the rear view mirror at her two passengers.
"They didn't tell you?! It's a double wedding, we're all getting married at the same place at almost the same time!" Miniko yelled and laughed.
"Does that mean there's gonna be two cakes?" Haruka asked with a big grin.
"You bet it does!" Miniko yelled in reply.
"Plus I think Mako was going to make cupcakes as well." Rei informed everyone.
"Everyone's gonna leave that wedding sick and twice as heavy as when they came." Michiru laughed.
"Yep, but's it's gonna be a good time!" Miniko cheered with joy as the car came to a stop.
"We're here, do you wanna get them you're selves? Or do you want me to just run in and grab them real quick?" Haruka asked as she put the car in park.
"I'll come with, why don't you wait here Rei, I can tell you're a little sore." Miniko answered as she stepped out of the car.
"Thanks Mina, I appreciate that." Rei answered as Miniko gave her a smile and closed the car door. Miniko and Haruka walked into the store and came out a few minutes later with two beautiful dresses wrapped in plastic.
"There we go, now let's get you two back home." Haruka said as her and Miniko carefully placed the two dresses in the trunk.
"Thanks again for doing this for us, is there anything we can do to repay you two for your help?" Miniko asked as she got in the car.
"Just make sure we get good seats for the big event." Haruka answered as she hopped in the drivers seat and started driving away.
"We promise!" Rei and Miniko yelled in unison. Back at Amis house, Saeko had long since returned home with several boxes of different flavored cake mix and other ingredients.
"I think we're just about done, now we just have to frost them all." Mako informed everyone as she dusted some flour off on her apron.
"My favorite part!" Ami cheered as she picked up her icing bag and began decorating some cupcakes.
"Mine to!" Mako yelled as she began decorating some cupcakes as well.
"Do you mind if I help?" Saeko asked as she walked into the kitchen.
"Yes please, we have like fifty of these to frost. Not to mention the cake at some point." Mako replied as she continued frosting.
"What color were you guys gonna frost the cake?" Saeko asked as she picked up another icing bag and got to work.
"I thought we might do a multi colored cake, there's gonna be four layers on the cake and four people getting married." Mako answered as she finished frosting another cupcake.
"What colors were you thinking Mako?" Ami asked as she started frosting another cupcake.
"I thought we would do everyones favorite colors, starting with either green or blue on the bottom, then the opposite color on the second layer, followed by red, and finally we'd make the last layer orange." Mako answered as she finished frosting the last cupcake.
"Why in that order?" Saeko asked as she set her icing bag on the counter.
"I thought it'd be cool to go by everyone's rank. Since Ami and I are the same rank it doesn't matter which color goes first, but then red would be the color of the third layer since it's the lieutenants favorite color, finally would be the captains favorite color at the top, which is orange." Mako explained as she sat down to rest for a moment.
"Wow, you put a lot of thought into this!" Saeko replied in a surprised tone.
"I can't take all the credit, I got some big help from a little genius." Mako said as she reached over and tousled Amis hair. Ami just giggled like she usually did when Mako tousled her hair around.
"What are we waiting for, let's start the cake." Saeko suggested as she went to preheat the oven.
"Actually, I thought it might be best to do the cake tomorrow so it would be nice and fresh for Friday. Plus, I'm starting to get really sore and tired." Ami replied as she gently rubbed her aching ribs and neck.
"I think that's a good idea Ami, let's clean up quick and then we can all go and relax." Mako said as she began filling the sink with water so they could wash all the dirty dishes.
"Whatever you girls would like to do, I'll put the cake mix in the usual cabinet for tomorrow." Saeko informed her girls as she placed the boxes in a small cabinet next to the oven.
"Thanks mama Mizuno. Ami, I want you to go lay down for a little bit." Mako orderd as she continued washing the dishes.
"But I have to help dry." Ami replied as she picked up a towel.
"Not when you're in that much pain. After all this time, I've learned that when the words I'm sore come out of your mouth, it actually means you hurt like hell and you're just to stubborn to admit it." Mako scolded as she continued washing dishes.
"But..." Ami started to say until Saeko cut her off.
"No buts Ami, Mako's right. You need all the rest you can get so you can recover as much as possible before Friday." Saeko instructed as she plucked the towel out of Amis hand and started drying the dishes.
"Fine." Ami grumbled as she wheeled into the living room and tried to lift herself onto the couch.
"AMI!" Mako yelled as she ran over by Ami.
"I can do it myself Mako, I'm moving maybe two feet from my chair to the couch." Ami whined as Mako put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from trying to stand up.
"Both your mother and Dr. Jaeger told you several times that you can't try and stand on your own yet." Mako said as she picked Ami up and gently laid her on the couch.
"I know, but I feel like such a burden on everyone." Ami quietly replied as she began to lightly cry.
"Oh Ami." Mako said as she gently hugged Ami. "You're not a burden on any of us sweetie, we all love you very much. You could never be a burden to me Ami, you're my everything Ami, and I'm happy to help you any time anywhere." Mako said in a comforting voice as she held onto Ami for a while. "I'll be back in a few minutes, I'm gonna go help mama Mizuno finish cleaning up, and then we can all rest and talk for a while." Mako said as she gave Ami a kiss and left to help Saeko in the kitchen. After a few minutes Mako and Saeko came into the living room and Mako picked Ami up so they could all sit on the couch together. "There you go Ami, are you comfortable?" Mako asked as her and Saeko sat down at opposite ends of the couch and Mako laid Ami across both their laps.
"Very much so, thank you Mako." Ami quietly replied with a small yawn.
"Sounds like someone's a little tired." Saeko said as she smiled at her daughter.
"She should be, we had a big day today, all that baking would ware anybody out." Mako replied with a yawn of her own.
"Why don't we get you girls to bed, we have a big day tomorrow." Saeko said with a smile.
"Yeah, we've got a wedding cake to make." Mako replied as she carefully helped sit Ami up right, then just as carefully picked her up and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. Mako gently set Ami in the bed then crawled in next to her, Saeko walked in a few seconds later and tucked her girls in for the night.
"Goodnight Ami." Saeko said as she gave Ami a kiss goodnight and walked around the bed to Makos side. "Goodnight Mako." Saeko said as she gave Mako a kiss goodnight.
"Good night mama." Both girls simultaneously replied.
"Sweet dreams." Saeko quietly said as she turned off the light and gently closed the door.
"Goodnight Mako." Ami whispered as she snuggled against Mako.
"Goodnight Ami." Mako whispered back as she gave Ami a kiss on her cheek, put a gentle arm around her, and carefully pulled her close.
"I love you Mako." Ami whispered as she nuzzled her head into the crook of Makos neck.
"I love you too Ami." Mako whispered back as she fell asleep with Ami in her arms.