Only Time

By: Zarabeth McGregor

Chapter 4: Finding out where I am

Disclaimer: Sigh…I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. Sailor Moon belongs to Toei, Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise or Bandai. And I don't own these companies either. Thank you and goodbye.

                  Yeah, well, I can guess what's on your mind…from the last chapter; you're probably thinking the Grandmama of all catfights is going to take place in this fic, aren't you? Well…we'll see.

                  But what I really want to say is that if you're expecting Relena bashing to the max, you won't find it in this fic. Seriously, it's not like I'm a Relena fan, it's just that I don't have a problem with her. I think she's a nice person. So, she will not be bashed…okay, the main reason of the fic will not be to bash her, however…you know, let me just make you read and judge for yourself, huh?

Questions!

Oldestof3: Voting for Ami's soul mate? Sorry, hon, I won't be making you guys vote for her soul mate. However, I have a very interesting plotline mapped out, and I think you'll get some kicks out of it. J

Himesama16: Sequels with the other scouts…that's something worth thinking about. Thanks for the suggestion; I'll see what I can do. J

Amy: Ami/Duo, Ami/Duo…hmm…J

Wicked Lady: Aw…*laughs* I don't know, I like cliffhangers…wait, correction…I like writing cliffhangers…don't get any ideas, please…I can't stand cliffhangers! As for the head messing with, I won't emotionally torture you…too much, that is! J

Kaiya: First of all, thank you for taking the time to read my fic. I'm going to read your Ami fic, don't worry. I'll do that very soon. Ami/Heero you say…hmm…J

Silver Tears: Ami/Quatre, Ami/Quatre…hmm J

Thank you to EVERYONE ELSE who reviewed. I really appreciate it. Without you guys, I wouldn't have had the faith to continue this fic. Thanks again. Again, if you have any questions, not matter how dumb or inconsequential you may think it is, please, still ask it. You may be surprised. J. Oh, and I have a very important announcement at the end of this chapter. 

~*~

Relena Darlian/Peacecraft? Vice Foreign Minister to the colonies? Yes, I think it was safe to say that I was beyond confused now.

"Uh…" I started to say she had the wrong person when a bundle of papers fell from the night table next to the bed. May I interject that they fell on their own accord, that I did nothing to disturb them. I glanced down at them and my eyes widened. They turned out to be the so-called credentials and recommendations Stacey was talking about.

"Ms Mizuno?" speaking of which, her voice came through the phone, sounding quite confused. I smiled and picked up the fallen papers.

"Hi, Stacey, sorry about that," I said graciously. "I just woke up, so my mind's kind of muddled."

"Oh, that's alright," she answered, the relief evident in her voice. "It happens to the best of us."

"Thanks. What time should I come in, then?" I asked her. The butterflies in my stomach were fluttering relentlessly.

"Tomorrow at 8 AM will be just fine," she answered. I could barely contain my happiness. Of course, Stacey probably took this as my joy of scoring a job. She wasn't all wrong, though.

"Thank you so very much. I'll be there!" I answered joyously. Stacey laughed.

"You're welcome, and I'm glad that I was able to make your day. See you tomorrow," she said. I muttered a reply before hanging up.

"YES!" I shouted, grasping the papers on my lap. I don't know why I was happy, but I just was. I flipped through them and gathered that not only were these my 'credentials' but they also gave a general rundown of the time period I was in. Too giddy to read them at the present moment, I set them down on the bed and jumped up. I was beyond excited and I went to the closet, looking for something to wear tomorrow. I threw open the wooden doors and received the biggest surprise of my life…well, this life anyway.

The closet was empty. Empty! There weren't even any clothes hangers around.

"Oh God…" I whispered, looking around the room. There weren't any suitcases. I checked the drawers and armoire, but they were empty as well. I was back to hyperventilating now. I sat on the bed and tried to regulate my breathing. I didn't have any clothes, except these night things, no shoes, as far as I could see, and I was staring my job the next morning. Yeah…I was going to show up in boxers and a camisole, huh? I felt my eyes start to water. I didn't even have any money…

I looked across at the window ledge and spied a brown envelope. I don't know why, but I got up and walked over to it. I didn't notice it when I was tearing the room apart, but there it was.

"Oh please…" I begged softly as I picked it up. Taking a deep breath, I opened it.

And gasped!

Inside there, I didn't know how much, was a LOT of money. It was obviously the Sanq currency, seeing I didn't recognize it. But it still seemed to be a lot.

"I'm dreaming…" I muttered to myself, shaking my head. Looking in again, I estimated there to be at least a thousand dollars in there. More than enough to buy new things. My heart sank then. I guess I was supposed to go downtown in my nightclothes then. I dropped the envelope on the bed and went to the bathroom. Once again, I splashed my face with water. I looked up into the mirror, sighing. Then I narrowed my eyes.

This was getting to be VERY ridiculous.

I know I came into the bathroom. I know I checked the back of the door and didn't find any clothes.

Yet, there they were. A pair of black capris with a V-neck long-sleeved blue blouse on a hanger. I rolled my eyes. Great, I guess if I went back into the main room, I'd find a pair of shoes.

Sure enough, I found a pair of blue Sketchers. This REALLY was getting ridiculous.

Oh, well, at least you can go shopping now, the optimistic side of me said. And I had to agree with it. I showered and ordered room service. After I ate that very scrumptious breakfast, I dressed and took the envelope along with the papers. Might as well read them along the way. I flagged a taxi and told him to take me too the most popular shopping center. Five minutes later, I arrived at a place called Regina. The name suited it. It was a magnificent building about two stories tall with expensive-looking exterior designs. I paid the driver his fare and stepped out hesitantly. It was kind of intimidating and it did look expensive.

What the hell, Ami? I thought and I pushed the door open. I discovered it was a department store. Plush interior and all. A very soft, very rich looking carpet covered the floor, and there were Louis XIV revival chairs were strategically placed throughout it's interior. Women dressed in designer jeans and tops were looking around, obviously used to the store's layout. Stuffy looking sales women were standing around talking to each other, or helping the customers.

Yes it was intimidating. I don't think I've ever felt so out of place. Hey, I lived in a mansion back in Tokyo, had life kind of easy, but I've never been to a store like this.

"May I help you, Miss?" one of the stuffy saleswomen had come up to me. She had her salt and pepper hair pulled back into a tight bun, and she looked at me down the length of her aristocratic nose. I could tell she thought I took a wrong turn somewhere; that I didn't belong here.

She wasn't too off the mark.

"Um…" I said nervously. What was I supposed to say? "I'm looking for some working suits…"

"Working suits," she repeated disdainfully. She pulled herself up to full height, which was like a whole foot over my head.

"Yes…" I said, and decided to pull the sympathy card. "I just moved here and I'm starting a new job." She quirked a brow.

"And what job may that be?" she asked politely. I knew otherwise, though. She wasn't being polite, she was just looking for a reason to get me out of her store. She would probably reply with something like: 'we don't sell suits of that low quality. Please try somewhere else.' So, I sucked in my breath.

"I'm the Vice Foreign Minister's new personal assistant…" I started, expecting an answer like the one I was thinking of. Instead, the saleslady's face brightened. Her cold blue eyes started to twinkle and her thin, rouged lips curled into a smile.

"Why didn't you say so?" she asked, her voice suddenly warm and caring. She led me by my hand to the second floor. "We have several suits I'm sure you'll like." She gave me a quick look-over, this time not in a condescending way. "You look like a size…6 petite…" she led me up the stairs. The room up here was even more lavishly decorated. 18th century French décor mixed with some early Victorian artwork. There seemed to be several room up here, each with an ornate wooden door. She opened one and ushered me in. 

This room was exquisite. There was no other way of describing it. It had a large, heavy draped bay window facing the city and the interior design was more elegant than that of the rest of the store. Maybe working for this Relena-person wasn't a bad idea after all.

"Do you have any particular preferences?" the lady asked. I sighed.

"I don't know," I admitted honestly. She smiled maternally at me.

"Don't worry, I'll fix you right up. Your favorite color would be blue, right?" she asked, and I could feel her eyes roaming over my wealth of azure hair.

"Yes, thank you," I answered. She left quickly and I sat on the chaise lounge next to the window and looked at the city. It was a very impressive place; busy and bustling like Tokyo, though it had an English feel to it. The buildings were tall and very 'businessy'. There were also little quaint stores and boutiques. Expensive cars ran up and down the street below me, and women were dressed in what I figured to be the latest fashions. I then remembered the papers I had walked with and I started to read them.

It turns out that my new employer was one of the two survivors of the old Sanq Kingdom royal family; her older brother, Miliardo, being the other one. That's where the name Peacecraft came from. The Old Sanq was burnt to the ground and the rest of the royal family killed. She was then taken in by a man named Mr Darlian and raised as his own daughter. Relena had no idea of her royal heritage until Mr Darlian informed her before he died. During the time period in which the 'Eve Wars' took place, Relena went from being a sheltered rich girl, to queen, and eventually to her role as Vice Foreign Minister, which she still holds. And all at the age of fifteen.

There was also more in depth information about these Eve Wars. An organization named OZ tried to take control of the earth and its colonies from the United Earth Sphere Alliance. This would've been successful, if it weren't for five young boys piloting machines called Gundams. They themselves came from the colonies.

Then another war broke out after the Eve Wars, in which the now deceased ruler, Treize Khushrenade's daughter tried to finish her father's job. She kidnapped Relena and declared war on earth. Once again, the Gundam pilots stopped the potentially deadly war. I looked, but there was no information on these pilots, not even names. I started to wonder if this was the truth, that they really were anonymous fighters or if this was another one of Destiny's surprises. I was at the point where I would put nothing past her.

I read on about my supposed past as well. I was a war survivor, whose family died during the first wars. I came from Tokyo, Japan, where I lived a comfortable life with my mother, a fashion designer who designed for royalty and my father, an army general. I was a child prodigy, I had graduated from university at age 16, my major being Foreign Affairs. Hm, well, my credentials were quite convincing.

"I'm back," the sales lady announced. She looked like she scoured the whole store, as her arms were overflowing with suits.

"Um, I don't think I'll be able to afford…" I began, when she laughed.

"Nonsense. We'll do a lay-away plan. Pay what you can now, and you eventually pay off the rest," she winked at me. "I talked it over with the manager and she agreed. She's a personal friend of Ms Peacecraft's."

"Okay…" I said uncertainly. For the next few hours, I tried on what felt like every suit in the store that was my size. Each looked more flattering than the last. I was in heaven. I never was obsessed with clothes, but when I saw how professional and sophisticated I looked…okay, so sue me! I knew looked good! In the end I decided on ten suits, most of different shades of blue and some black ones. I could tell Priscilla, that was her name, was glowing with pride. She brought up some pumps as well and I took some of those. I didn't usually go wild when I went shopping, but there was a first time for everything.

"You look lovely, dear," she said softly, as I tried on a smoky blue suit with the matching pumps. Priscilla even showed me different ways to do my hair. Though she acted like a snob when I first encountered her, she was really a nice person.

"Thanks," I told her quietly as I studied my reflection. The suit was fitted, so it showed my curves. The skirt was a few inches above my knees, and combined with the pumps, it seemed like I had miles of legs. Yes, I really was ready to face the world of work. I couldn't wait.

Okay, that's that. Please review. Sorry if Ami seemed OOC, but that's how I thought she'd react. Oh, yes the important notice:

I will have to start updating these fics erratically. This is because I'm in my last year at high school, and I need to focus all of my attention on my school work. Notice I didn't say abandon. They will be updated, just not as regularly as I have been doing them. Sorry about that.