Prologue:
Standing barefoot in her kitchen, Mizuno Ami
plunged her hands into the soapy dishwater, the heat momentarily making
the skin of her hands tingle. Too long in the water, and they would begin
to prune, the fingertips withering like an old woman's as she did the housework.
Glancing at the pile of dirty dishes and pans, she smiled faintly at the
grime and sticky remains of dinner. "And the water shall wash it all away,"
she murmured to herself, picking up a plate and setting it into the water,
the air catching on the bubbles and sending clean suds flying into the
air around her face. She sneezed lightly as the soap got into her nose,
and like a cat she tried to wrinkled and unwrinkled it for relief. With
a sigh, she watched the flying soap bubbles dance around as they fell to
the counter.
Wryly, she whispered the shout, "Shabon Spray!"
and brought up a handful of white detergent-formed bubbles, blowing them
out of her palms and sending them soaring again.
Behind her, the sounds of voices poured out
of the CD player. Her mother had brought the album home yesterday, some
new idol group of three boys. The current song was slow, and to Ami it
was reminescent of elevator music. But then, the lyrics were lovely. Almost
as though they were trying to get some point across, calling for someone.
Ami tried to recall the name of the group, but gave up after a moment with
a shrug. Idols came and went with the seasons, and yet the pile of plates
would ever remain in the otherwise empty apartment.
A pot went into the hot water, only slightly
dingy in the way dishwater quickly became. She scraped away the dirt, and
allowed her mind to drift of into the quiet around her, the singing voices
only a faint noise in the distance. It was peaceful solitude.
And then it was broken by the sharp ringing
of the phone.
With a sigh, she left the pot in the water,
grabbing the towel and trying to dry her hands as she took the phone off
its cradle. Carefully, she balanced it between her shoulder and cheek.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Oy, Ami-chan?"
Ami paused for a moment. She knew the
voice, but it took a moment to place it. When she did, she blinked in surprise,
flipping the towel over her free shoulder and putting the reciever in her
other hand. "Haruka-san?" A call from the Outer senshi was unbelieveably
strange, and from Haruka even stranger.
"Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's fine," the older girl told
her off handedly. Almost too offhandedly. Puzzled, Ami tried, "Are you
sure? What is it?"
Haruka's voice was still a bit distant, but
she sounded almost as though she were trying to contain laughter, or maybe
a secret. Or both. But Ami couldn't figure out what in the world could
get Haruka to sound like this. "Michiru's got me on phone duty. I'm just
giving all of you a call. We're having a birthday party tomorrow, and you're
invited."
"A birthday party?" Ami repeated, confusion
growing. Mentally, she ticked off the birthdays of all the senshi. Rei's
was over with. Nobody had one in May. "Haruka-san, who's having a birthday?"
There was the sound of Haruka trying very
hard not to laugh. A tight silence with muffled chortling in the background.
Ami got the idea Haruka was standing, partly leaning over, clutching her
side with one arm as she tried not to laugh at the younger girl. "Just
come over tomorrow, at one o' clock. And don't forget to bring a present.
Michiru's baking a cake, and I just got back from the store...we have enough
food for an army- even the odango."
"All...all right...." Ami stammered, and then
managed, "I'll be there."
"Sugoi! See you tomorrow then, Ami-chan."
Click.
Dial tone.
Confusion.
What in the world was that all about?
