A/N: I don't own Sailor Moon. I am sorry that Sunao cusses as bit. I didn't know he was like
this when I created him, but he kinda changed on me. This chapter is dedicated to Kylie, single
lighthouse of hope on the torrid sea of hesitation and self-doubt. What I mean to say is thanks
for reviewing so early on! You're great!
******************************************************************************
"How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking, always by doing. Try to do your duty,
and you'll know right away what you amount to."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Mizuno Ami Versus Sailor Mercury
By Veronica Cereta
****************************************************************************
Ami scanned the crowd. She hadn't expected this many people. It was the Olympic Trials but,
somehow she had thought the audience would be smaller, just the swimmer's friends family.
Somehow she picked out her mother. It had come as a shock when her workaholic mom took the
day off to travel with her to Nagano for the trials. She had even sprung to pay for two friends to
come along. Ami waved up at the black haired girl sitting next to her mother. Rei waved back.
The priestess had been the obvious choice. She was supportive and could be quiet and tactful.
That was especially important because of the person sitting on the other side of Rei. Ian smiled
at Ami, who winked back at him. Though the two had been talking every day for over a month,
they had never done anything together beyond school and talking at the country club where Ami
swam. In a way this was their first date. The blue haired girl scolded herself for thinking such
thoughts. Here she was vying for a chance to represent her country in the greatest world wide
sporting competition, and all she could think about was how this fit into her relationship with a
guy.
Halting her impractical thoughts she went to stand by Oshi Sunao, her coach.
"Hey, Ami, are you ready?"
"I think so."
"What do you mean you think so? You consistently beat the times greatest swimmers in the
world. In practice you have broken every record in your four events. You are ready. You are
damn ready!"
"Hai!"
"You can beat anyone out there hand's down."
"Hai!"
"You're not only going to win, your going to break world records doing it!"
"Hai!"
"In a couple of hours everyone will know the name Mizuno Ami!"
"Hai." She affirmed the last time very quietly and purposefully. This was what she had been
working for, what she desired. The world would know; she would leave her mark. The young
girl was almost crying with joy.
A voice carried over the loud speaker. "Swimmers get ready for the 400 meter freestyle."
Taking a last look at her friends, Ami noticed that Rei was missing. 'Where could she be? She
was going to miss the race.' Not wanting to think of the obvious only solution, Ami told herself
that she had gone to the restroom or to get a snack. 'Well at least mom and Ian are watching.'
This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. For a month she had been tired and
had struggled to work everything into her schedule. She had exhausted herself and now it was
finally going to pay off.
"Swimmers, to your marks."
Ami set her bag and towel down and began walking proudly away. As she walked she heard a
tinny beeping. 'No.' The girl's heart sank. It was a physical sensation. 'Not now. Anytime but
now.' She looked around; maybe it was somebody else's cellular phone or beeper. The
swimmer knew this was wrong. The sound came from her bag like an executioner calling her up
to the gallows. 'Maybe it's not that bad. Maybe the others can handle it.' No. They knew what
she was doing today. They wouldn't bother her unless they *needed* help. She turned slowly,
wiped away a single tear and walked out of the gym.
********************************************************************
She had made the right choice. The enemy had captured all the senshi. Rei had been called to
help but she couldn't free them from the trap. They needed her Shabon Spray and technological
knowledge to get them out of the military base the enemy had used. If she hadn't of come they
would have been killed. There was no question in her mind where her duties lay, but that didn't
stop the hurt.
When she made her way back to the gym Sunao was angry as all get out.
"Where have you been?"
"There was an emergency."
"What kind of emergency?"
"I can't tell you."
"Oh, well I'll tell you something. You blew it! You could have been famous, but you got scared
and ran away. You could have left your mark!"
The final sentence cut through the young girl like a steal blade. She hung her head, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it. You won't have another chance for four years. You'll have to train extra
hard and prove yourself. They won't let you in again easily." He paused for a second. "And
you'll have to get yourself another coach. I can't take this half assed bullshit." The irate coach
stormed out of the gym.
Large tears forged streams down Ami's face. Rei put an arm around her friend's shoulder. Dr.
Mizuno stared at her daughter with a look of motherly understanding. Ian seemed lost in
thought. The four walked slowly and silently out of the gym and remained silent until they
boarded the train to back to Tokyo.
"What happened, dear?" Ami's mom broke the silence.
"I don't want to talk about it."
*************************************************************************
That night at a TV station in Tokyo two stories came in at the same time. The reporter who
picked them up noticed a connection that no one had ever identified before. The first story was
on the Olympic trials with a brief mention of someone named Mizuno Ami who had skipped out
of her races. The second was about the famous Sailor Senshi. They had been trapped by the
enemy until the Senshi of Mercury showed up and saved the day.
The man picked up a phone and dialed his editor. "I want someone watching Mizuno Ami. I
want to see if there is any correlation between her and Sailor Mercury."
"Do you have something?"
"Maybe. We'll see."
*****************************************************************************
When Ami arrived home in Tokyo the other Senshi apologized profusely. They kept apologizing
for days on end. She was beginning to get very sick of this constant reminder of her failure. Her
mother began coming home earlier every day. She made dinner and asked her daughter to talk to
her about school and goals and life in general. It was a bit much for the girl who had been used
to being on her own most of the time. The one point of solace in her life was Ian, who somehow
remained unchanged. The incident at the trials didn't seem to effect his view of Ami, and if it
did he hid it well. She looked forward to talking to him at school, and continued going to the
country club every day that she could in the hopes of talking to him.
************************************************************************
The reporter chosen for the Mizuno story took his duties seriously. He never let the young
woman out of his site. When you know what you are looking for it is much easier to find it and
before long the connection was made. Every time Sailor Mercury was needed Mizuno Ami
disappeared. The girl walked out on science competitions, club meetings. She dropped
everything right before Sailor Mercury arrived on the scene. He happily reported the news to his
editor, but was informed to stay with the story until he could prove it without a doubt. The
demand was understandable, but difficult to carry out, until Ami went to play Frisbee in a park
with her friends. She left her purse by a tree as she played. He watched her for a long while.
"Here, Makoto." She tossed the Frisbee to a girl in a ponytail. This girl tossed it to a girl in
odangos. The second girl made a show of spinning around a deftly throwing the toy.
"Nice shot!" said the blonde who caught it.
"Of course it was," replied a black haired girl. "She's had a bit of practice with that move."
The reporter deftly stole the purse before anyone noticed his presence. Inside he found a device
that he wasn't sure how to work, and what looked like a computer, only very small, with a
mercury symbol on the cover.
When he showed the computer to his editor he was not impressed. "Maybe she likes computers
and Mercury." As he took out the other device the editor finally smiled. The apparatus looked
like a compact. It was intricately designed with stars and moons decorating the cover. When he
flipped it open there was nothing but a screen. The editor booted up his computer and searched
for all the stories the paper had ever run on the Senshi. After five minutes of silence he found
the one he was looking for. It was a story about a jewel heist that the Senshi had managed to
stop. One of the article's pictures was of Sailor Venus, who had gotten there first and informed
the others. In her hand was the communication device, an exact copy of the one on the desk in
front of the editor. He smiled as he turned the computer screen to his star reporter.
"We've got her."
this when I created him, but he kinda changed on me. This chapter is dedicated to Kylie, single
lighthouse of hope on the torrid sea of hesitation and self-doubt. What I mean to say is thanks
for reviewing so early on! You're great!
******************************************************************************
"How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking, always by doing. Try to do your duty,
and you'll know right away what you amount to."
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Mizuno Ami Versus Sailor Mercury
By Veronica Cereta
****************************************************************************
Ami scanned the crowd. She hadn't expected this many people. It was the Olympic Trials but,
somehow she had thought the audience would be smaller, just the swimmer's friends family.
Somehow she picked out her mother. It had come as a shock when her workaholic mom took the
day off to travel with her to Nagano for the trials. She had even sprung to pay for two friends to
come along. Ami waved up at the black haired girl sitting next to her mother. Rei waved back.
The priestess had been the obvious choice. She was supportive and could be quiet and tactful.
That was especially important because of the person sitting on the other side of Rei. Ian smiled
at Ami, who winked back at him. Though the two had been talking every day for over a month,
they had never done anything together beyond school and talking at the country club where Ami
swam. In a way this was their first date. The blue haired girl scolded herself for thinking such
thoughts. Here she was vying for a chance to represent her country in the greatest world wide
sporting competition, and all she could think about was how this fit into her relationship with a
guy.
Halting her impractical thoughts she went to stand by Oshi Sunao, her coach.
"Hey, Ami, are you ready?"
"I think so."
"What do you mean you think so? You consistently beat the times greatest swimmers in the
world. In practice you have broken every record in your four events. You are ready. You are
damn ready!"
"Hai!"
"You can beat anyone out there hand's down."
"Hai!"
"You're not only going to win, your going to break world records doing it!"
"Hai!"
"In a couple of hours everyone will know the name Mizuno Ami!"
"Hai." She affirmed the last time very quietly and purposefully. This was what she had been
working for, what she desired. The world would know; she would leave her mark. The young
girl was almost crying with joy.
A voice carried over the loud speaker. "Swimmers get ready for the 400 meter freestyle."
Taking a last look at her friends, Ami noticed that Rei was missing. 'Where could she be? She
was going to miss the race.' Not wanting to think of the obvious only solution, Ami told herself
that she had gone to the restroom or to get a snack. 'Well at least mom and Ian are watching.'
This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. For a month she had been tired and
had struggled to work everything into her schedule. She had exhausted herself and now it was
finally going to pay off.
"Swimmers, to your marks."
Ami set her bag and towel down and began walking proudly away. As she walked she heard a
tinny beeping. 'No.' The girl's heart sank. It was a physical sensation. 'Not now. Anytime but
now.' She looked around; maybe it was somebody else's cellular phone or beeper. The
swimmer knew this was wrong. The sound came from her bag like an executioner calling her up
to the gallows. 'Maybe it's not that bad. Maybe the others can handle it.' No. They knew what
she was doing today. They wouldn't bother her unless they *needed* help. She turned slowly,
wiped away a single tear and walked out of the gym.
********************************************************************
She had made the right choice. The enemy had captured all the senshi. Rei had been called to
help but she couldn't free them from the trap. They needed her Shabon Spray and technological
knowledge to get them out of the military base the enemy had used. If she hadn't of come they
would have been killed. There was no question in her mind where her duties lay, but that didn't
stop the hurt.
When she made her way back to the gym Sunao was angry as all get out.
"Where have you been?"
"There was an emergency."
"What kind of emergency?"
"I can't tell you."
"Oh, well I'll tell you something. You blew it! You could have been famous, but you got scared
and ran away. You could have left your mark!"
The final sentence cut through the young girl like a steal blade. She hung her head, "I'm sorry."
"Sorry doesn't cut it. You won't have another chance for four years. You'll have to train extra
hard and prove yourself. They won't let you in again easily." He paused for a second. "And
you'll have to get yourself another coach. I can't take this half assed bullshit." The irate coach
stormed out of the gym.
Large tears forged streams down Ami's face. Rei put an arm around her friend's shoulder. Dr.
Mizuno stared at her daughter with a look of motherly understanding. Ian seemed lost in
thought. The four walked slowly and silently out of the gym and remained silent until they
boarded the train to back to Tokyo.
"What happened, dear?" Ami's mom broke the silence.
"I don't want to talk about it."
*************************************************************************
That night at a TV station in Tokyo two stories came in at the same time. The reporter who
picked them up noticed a connection that no one had ever identified before. The first story was
on the Olympic trials with a brief mention of someone named Mizuno Ami who had skipped out
of her races. The second was about the famous Sailor Senshi. They had been trapped by the
enemy until the Senshi of Mercury showed up and saved the day.
The man picked up a phone and dialed his editor. "I want someone watching Mizuno Ami. I
want to see if there is any correlation between her and Sailor Mercury."
"Do you have something?"
"Maybe. We'll see."
*****************************************************************************
When Ami arrived home in Tokyo the other Senshi apologized profusely. They kept apologizing
for days on end. She was beginning to get very sick of this constant reminder of her failure. Her
mother began coming home earlier every day. She made dinner and asked her daughter to talk to
her about school and goals and life in general. It was a bit much for the girl who had been used
to being on her own most of the time. The one point of solace in her life was Ian, who somehow
remained unchanged. The incident at the trials didn't seem to effect his view of Ami, and if it
did he hid it well. She looked forward to talking to him at school, and continued going to the
country club every day that she could in the hopes of talking to him.
************************************************************************
The reporter chosen for the Mizuno story took his duties seriously. He never let the young
woman out of his site. When you know what you are looking for it is much easier to find it and
before long the connection was made. Every time Sailor Mercury was needed Mizuno Ami
disappeared. The girl walked out on science competitions, club meetings. She dropped
everything right before Sailor Mercury arrived on the scene. He happily reported the news to his
editor, but was informed to stay with the story until he could prove it without a doubt. The
demand was understandable, but difficult to carry out, until Ami went to play Frisbee in a park
with her friends. She left her purse by a tree as she played. He watched her for a long while.
"Here, Makoto." She tossed the Frisbee to a girl in a ponytail. This girl tossed it to a girl in
odangos. The second girl made a show of spinning around a deftly throwing the toy.
"Nice shot!" said the blonde who caught it.
"Of course it was," replied a black haired girl. "She's had a bit of practice with that move."
The reporter deftly stole the purse before anyone noticed his presence. Inside he found a device
that he wasn't sure how to work, and what looked like a computer, only very small, with a
mercury symbol on the cover.
When he showed the computer to his editor he was not impressed. "Maybe she likes computers
and Mercury." As he took out the other device the editor finally smiled. The apparatus looked
like a compact. It was intricately designed with stars and moons decorating the cover. When he
flipped it open there was nothing but a screen. The editor booted up his computer and searched
for all the stories the paper had ever run on the Senshi. After five minutes of silence he found
the one he was looking for. It was a story about a jewel heist that the Senshi had managed to
stop. One of the article's pictures was of Sailor Venus, who had gotten there first and informed
the others. In her hand was the communication device, an exact copy of the one on the desk in
front of the editor. He smiled as he turned the computer screen to his star reporter.
"We've got her."