Chapter 5
Ami
Ami was in Seattle, Washington, Serena and Darien told me that Thursday, having been there for four years. She'd gone straight into college, Washington State took her early with her excellent grades and a perfect score on the SAT'S, and graduated at age 19, one of the youngest students with such scores to graduate in the history of the school.
While there, she hadn't wasted time in meeting a good looking man named Adam Mckensie. Adam was 21 when he met Ami her sophomore year; he was 6'3'' with light curly hair and an architect major. He and Ami became fast friends and within a year of meeting, fell in love and married. A year and a half into their marriage, Ami became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom she fondly named Greg.
Almost immediately after stepping off the plane, Serena, Darien and I headed to a hotel. There we got two rooms and started planning on how we would approach Ami. I volunteered to be the one to see her; I knew that after my shock of seeing Serena for the first time I couldn't allow Ami or Mina to go through the same thing. I had changed over the past few years and I knew the same went for them. We had no idea how they would react to the news.
Although Serena and Darien knew Ami was in Seattle, they were completely unaware of her exact location. They did, however, know where Ami worked. It was the stereotype of a small town pediatrician's office in the big city. Apparently after marrying Adam, Ami had decided that, while finances were more than plentiful, she didn't want stay at home and do nothing while her husband worked. So she opened the office in the quaint part of town and it was amazingly popular.
I made an appointment with Ami's office on the premise that I was pregnant and interviewing pediatricians. I arrived early and saw immediately why the practice was so popular. It had the right mix of hominess and professionality that was needed for it work. I automatically felt comfortable. Ami was with a patient when I arrived and I was shown to her office to wait. I didn't have to wait very long. Ami was prompt, like always. She'd changed much more than I had expected. Her hair was long and pulled back in a loose braid. Ami also appeared confident in her actions and much more at peace. She was beautiful.
"Claire Akeda?"
"Yes," I stood and replied with a smile.
"I'm Ami Mackensie. It's nice to meet you." She took my hand in a friendly handshake.
"Yes, a pleasure."
Ami placed a folder in a filing cabinet and sat at her desk. "You're pregnant and looking for a pediatrician?"
"I heard this practice is the best in the city. I'm not surprised, actually, it's very well run from the looks of it."
"Well, thank you. I take great pride in it. So tell me, how far along are you?"
"Not very far. Just about 3 and a half months," I tried to lie. ButI couldn't stand waiting and went ahead. "Actually, Mrs. Mackensie, I have something for you." I reached into my purse and pulled out a picture of me, Serena and Ami that was taken right after I first joined them. Ami took the picture and visibly paled. "This was taken oh..a little over eight years ago." I reached over and pointed at the figures in the picture. "That's you on the left, see, and there's me on the right and in the middle...well, I know who she is but maybe you should tell me who that is in the middle."
"Get out." I barely heard her speak but I knew exactly what Ami had said. My eyes flew to her face. Her face was expressionless. Only her eyes showed her anger.
"Ami, listen to me, I know you don't understand what's going on - hell, I barely understand myself, " I said quickly, "but it's imperative that you hear me out! Serena and Darien are back! They're here. In Seattle. They found me in San Francisco and we came here together to find you. Ami, you've got to - "
Ami slammed her hands on her desk and jumped to her feet. "Do what, Raye? " it was the first time she'd acknowledged my real name. " Leave? You know very well I can't do that! I've got a job and a family!"
"I had a job, too, Ami! But I made this sacrifice because in the pit of my stomach I knew that someday I would have to quit, that someday Serena and Darien would return. Well they're back now and it's time to continue where we left off!"
"It's not that easy for me and you know it, Raye," Ami persisted. " Forget about the business part, I have a husband and a child I have to worry about. Adam and Greg..they are everything to me and I don't want to worry about placing them in danger."
"Ami, they won't be in danger. Look who we are! We're the Sailor Senshi. Nothing can stop us."
Ami shook her head. "You're wrong. We might defeat every youma, every monster, every evil bad guy that comes along. But there's one thing that almost destroyed us. The power to turn people against us. Malachite very nearly finished us for good. And I won't put my family in the way of that danger. How would I explain to my son why Mommy can't be there to tuck him in his bed at night because she's out fighting evil. I can't, Raye. I can't do that. "
"What about Serena? Don't you want to know what's going to happen?"
"She's survived well enough without me. I can't go." Ami grabbed a file from her desk and headed to the door.
"My god, Ami, don't you even want to see your mother?"
Her hand froze at the doorknob.
We gave Ami one week to respond. After all, I'd made our presense known and we decided that after her reaction it was best to let her take her time figuring things out. This was something Ami would have to deal with on her own. After that week, we still heard nothing.
3 am. I'd just left Serena and Darien to their own devices 15 minutes before jumping into bed and dousing the lights for a nice night's sleep when someone knocked on my door. I cursed, threw on the lights, grabbed my robe and hastily answered the door. Ami stood before me, two suitcases in her hands and smiling sheepishly.
"I wanted to see my mom." She said softly. I nodded and let her in.
Ami told me that night - or morning, however you look at it - that she and Adam had had a long talk. She told him about growing up without her father and her mother working long hours at the hospital and then she broke the news to him about being Sailor Mercury. It was something she'd been reluctant to do but she'd made up her mind to come with us and she knew it was something she had to do. He took it well, she said, once the initial shock wore off. Actually, he thought her sailor fuku was kind of sexy, Ami told me with a blush.
"It wasn't just the thought that he was impressed that made me happy. It was knowing that he accepted it and still loved me. That is why I came tonight. He knows I want to see my mother and that this Sailor business is something I have to do. I have to. Adam says we'll just move to Tokyo. He's got a cousin who's wife runs an architect firm in Juuban, right where we grew up, Raye! We're going home!, and she says that any time he's ready they will take him. Greg..well, Greg already knows Japanese since I've spoken it since he was born. Raye, I'm glad I came. We didn't get any closure the way we left. I need to see my mom and then we start creating Crystal Tokyo."
Ami
Ami was in Seattle, Washington, Serena and Darien told me that Thursday, having been there for four years. She'd gone straight into college, Washington State took her early with her excellent grades and a perfect score on the SAT'S, and graduated at age 19, one of the youngest students with such scores to graduate in the history of the school.
While there, she hadn't wasted time in meeting a good looking man named Adam Mckensie. Adam was 21 when he met Ami her sophomore year; he was 6'3'' with light curly hair and an architect major. He and Ami became fast friends and within a year of meeting, fell in love and married. A year and a half into their marriage, Ami became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom she fondly named Greg.
Almost immediately after stepping off the plane, Serena, Darien and I headed to a hotel. There we got two rooms and started planning on how we would approach Ami. I volunteered to be the one to see her; I knew that after my shock of seeing Serena for the first time I couldn't allow Ami or Mina to go through the same thing. I had changed over the past few years and I knew the same went for them. We had no idea how they would react to the news.
Although Serena and Darien knew Ami was in Seattle, they were completely unaware of her exact location. They did, however, know where Ami worked. It was the stereotype of a small town pediatrician's office in the big city. Apparently after marrying Adam, Ami had decided that, while finances were more than plentiful, she didn't want stay at home and do nothing while her husband worked. So she opened the office in the quaint part of town and it was amazingly popular.
I made an appointment with Ami's office on the premise that I was pregnant and interviewing pediatricians. I arrived early and saw immediately why the practice was so popular. It had the right mix of hominess and professionality that was needed for it work. I automatically felt comfortable. Ami was with a patient when I arrived and I was shown to her office to wait. I didn't have to wait very long. Ami was prompt, like always. She'd changed much more than I had expected. Her hair was long and pulled back in a loose braid. Ami also appeared confident in her actions and much more at peace. She was beautiful.
"Claire Akeda?"
"Yes," I stood and replied with a smile.
"I'm Ami Mackensie. It's nice to meet you." She took my hand in a friendly handshake.
"Yes, a pleasure."
Ami placed a folder in a filing cabinet and sat at her desk. "You're pregnant and looking for a pediatrician?"
"I heard this practice is the best in the city. I'm not surprised, actually, it's very well run from the looks of it."
"Well, thank you. I take great pride in it. So tell me, how far along are you?"
"Not very far. Just about 3 and a half months," I tried to lie. ButI couldn't stand waiting and went ahead. "Actually, Mrs. Mackensie, I have something for you." I reached into my purse and pulled out a picture of me, Serena and Ami that was taken right after I first joined them. Ami took the picture and visibly paled. "This was taken oh..a little over eight years ago." I reached over and pointed at the figures in the picture. "That's you on the left, see, and there's me on the right and in the middle...well, I know who she is but maybe you should tell me who that is in the middle."
"Get out." I barely heard her speak but I knew exactly what Ami had said. My eyes flew to her face. Her face was expressionless. Only her eyes showed her anger.
"Ami, listen to me, I know you don't understand what's going on - hell, I barely understand myself, " I said quickly, "but it's imperative that you hear me out! Serena and Darien are back! They're here. In Seattle. They found me in San Francisco and we came here together to find you. Ami, you've got to - "
Ami slammed her hands on her desk and jumped to her feet. "Do what, Raye? " it was the first time she'd acknowledged my real name. " Leave? You know very well I can't do that! I've got a job and a family!"
"I had a job, too, Ami! But I made this sacrifice because in the pit of my stomach I knew that someday I would have to quit, that someday Serena and Darien would return. Well they're back now and it's time to continue where we left off!"
"It's not that easy for me and you know it, Raye," Ami persisted. " Forget about the business part, I have a husband and a child I have to worry about. Adam and Greg..they are everything to me and I don't want to worry about placing them in danger."
"Ami, they won't be in danger. Look who we are! We're the Sailor Senshi. Nothing can stop us."
Ami shook her head. "You're wrong. We might defeat every youma, every monster, every evil bad guy that comes along. But there's one thing that almost destroyed us. The power to turn people against us. Malachite very nearly finished us for good. And I won't put my family in the way of that danger. How would I explain to my son why Mommy can't be there to tuck him in his bed at night because she's out fighting evil. I can't, Raye. I can't do that. "
"What about Serena? Don't you want to know what's going to happen?"
"She's survived well enough without me. I can't go." Ami grabbed a file from her desk and headed to the door.
"My god, Ami, don't you even want to see your mother?"
Her hand froze at the doorknob.
We gave Ami one week to respond. After all, I'd made our presense known and we decided that after her reaction it was best to let her take her time figuring things out. This was something Ami would have to deal with on her own. After that week, we still heard nothing.
3 am. I'd just left Serena and Darien to their own devices 15 minutes before jumping into bed and dousing the lights for a nice night's sleep when someone knocked on my door. I cursed, threw on the lights, grabbed my robe and hastily answered the door. Ami stood before me, two suitcases in her hands and smiling sheepishly.
"I wanted to see my mom." She said softly. I nodded and let her in.
Ami told me that night - or morning, however you look at it - that she and Adam had had a long talk. She told him about growing up without her father and her mother working long hours at the hospital and then she broke the news to him about being Sailor Mercury. It was something she'd been reluctant to do but she'd made up her mind to come with us and she knew it was something she had to do. He took it well, she said, once the initial shock wore off. Actually, he thought her sailor fuku was kind of sexy, Ami told me with a blush.
"It wasn't just the thought that he was impressed that made me happy. It was knowing that he accepted it and still loved me. That is why I came tonight. He knows I want to see my mother and that this Sailor business is something I have to do. I have to. Adam says we'll just move to Tokyo. He's got a cousin who's wife runs an architect firm in Juuban, right where we grew up, Raye! We're going home!, and she says that any time he's ready they will take him. Greg..well, Greg already knows Japanese since I've spoken it since he was born. Raye, I'm glad I came. We didn't get any closure the way we left. I need to see my mom and then we start creating Crystal Tokyo."