Uh... I know this might be dumb, but how is Sailor Mars's name spelled? Rei
or Raye? I really want to get it right... I'm trying to stick to Japanese
names... Uh, now that my momentary lapse of stupidity is over, time to get on
with the story!
In this chapter, you'll get to see deep into Raye (or Rei), Makoto, and Ami's souls. It doesn't go that deeply into Makoto, but don't worry, I'll make up for it later. Sadly, the Gundam Boys don't make much of an appearance in this chapter. Only a little in the end.
Thanks again for all of the reviews! I love 'em! And neither GW nor SM belongs to me.
**
Chapter 3
**
Ami looked at Minako and Makoto as they sat on the other side of the small rectangular table at Raye's. Seeing as the other two girls were lost in thoughts, and Raye gone to make tea, Ami drifted a little away from reality too. Staring at the table, she was reminded of how things were before at that very table: the study sessions, the name calling, Raye chasing Usagi around with a broom for stealing a comic... those were the happy times. Sure, they had some rough times before, but it always ended out all right.
She doubted that things could ever be all right again. After all, you can't raise the dead. Even if Usagi were to wake up right now, Ami didn't think that the Moon Princess could handle the harsh reality. Even *she* wanted to escape the real world at times, and she had never been anything but coolly logical. And logic was beating her on the head all the time, telling her not to mope and to *fix* things. But how could she fix this. She wasn't perfect, after all. No one was, although Minako was trying very hard to be exactly that.
But despite the Senshi of Love's efforts, the past could never be changed.
She felt weighed down with guilt. Guilt that despite all of her logic, in the long run there wasn't a single thing she could do. Guilt that when she had found out about the drunk driver died in the ambulance, she felt some pity for the man. The man that had caused all of this. The man that had murdered a completely innocent family.
But still... she felt guilt. She remembered how she and the other senshi were invited to the funeral. How she was the only one to show up. How there wasn't a single person there, only the priest. How not even the man's family had shown up to honor him for the last time.
Ami shivered as her once peaceful stream of thought drifted back into the roaring river of pain she had been recently thrown into. And although she was one of the best swimmers around, she just couldn't fight the current that constantly tried to wash her into the sea of depression. She had to stay happy. Not only for herself, but for the others too.
But it was hard.
She knew that the others were having a hard time, quite possibly a harder time than she with coping with this recent disaster. After all, they didn't even have logic to save them.
And logic was her only lifesaver in the foaming rapids. God knew what the others were holding on to. They had nothing, so Ami would let them hold onto her. She would be their lifesaver, just as logic was hers.
That's just how it had to be.
**
Making tea, Raye let herself dwindle beside the stove as she waited for the water to reach boiling temperature. Sighing, she recalled her earlier conversation with Minako.
Despite telling the Goddess of Love that she was fine, the Fire Priestess really felt awful. This was weighing down heavily on her too, even though it had been ten months since the accident. She didn't think all the time in the world would be enough to heal her heart.
She was the one who picked up the phone. She was the only one who heard the words directly. She was the one who was hit with the chilling sense of defeat and dread first.
She was the one to slip into the darkness first.
The words still resonated clearly in her memory... explaining calmly how both of Usagi's parents had died during surgery. And hours later, there was another call. Another death, this time Usagi's little brother.
He was just a child. He didn't deserve to die at such a young age. He did nothing! Nothing! He had a future before him... a life and destiny of his own choice. All gone because of some stupid drunk driver!
Raye shuddered as she felt white-hot rage course through her. The anger blanketed all... it even dampened her depression for a second. Then, cooling down, she felt herself fall back into the darkness, just as Minako feared she would. How Minako feared they all would, eventually.
As if the death of Usagi's whole family wasn't enough, Usagi herself was stuck in a coma. A coma! The future queen of Tokyo was wasting away on a hospital bed somewhere because a stupid drunk just had to hit them head on!
It just wasn't fair.
Life just wasn't fair.
And now Raye felt like an idiot for *ever* thinking that it would be. Life was like that, she now realized. It's either going to slap you across the face or stab you in the back. Life not only stabbed her in the back, it did the same to all of her friends and then cruelly twisted the knife. And then it laughed in her face as she died... as she was dieing.
It just had to be like that.
The whistling of the teapot snapped Raye out of her reverie. Soundlessly, she brought down a tray, and instinctively placed five cups on it. Wincing, she placed one of the cups back onto the shelf.
Four. There were only four of them.
**
Snapping her head up at the sound of the sliding door, Makoto smiled as she saw Raye return with the tea. She watched as Raye silently sad down besides Ami and passed out the steaming cup of the fragrant drink. The light smell of jasmine pervaded the room, just like always. And, as always, she mentally braced herself for the torrent of pain to come. Jasmine tea always meant bad news.
Looking around, she was the other senshi do the same, especially Minako. Sometimes Makoto just didn't understand the golden senshi... why did she always stubbornly insist on taking the blame? It was no one's fault, but it had changed the once volleyball loving teen into a sad, serious adult.
It just wasn't healthy for someone to grow up so quickly, she thought, frowning. Sometimes, Makoto was really scared for the fellow scout. But it was just how things had to be. Unfair, but true.
Making eye contact with Ami for a second, she knew that the Mercurial girl felt the same.
"Guys... it's been two months." Minako's voice cut through the silence with cruel precision. It was time to talk.
"How is our financial situation?" Ami asked, forever the logical one.
Pulling out a stack of bills, Raye grimly checked the numbers. "We're still off by a little over $2,500."
Startled, Makoto looked at the Martian. "$2,500...? It's never been that high before!"
"Yes... but the hospital bill is steadily increasing. It's already been ten months since Usagi fell into her coma and... and yesterday I got a call from the hospital. They're considering taking her off life support. They won't if we can pay... but if we keep pushing the bill like this..." Letting the sentence hang, Raye cast down her eyes and stared at a light stain on the table.
Nodding, Makoto looked down too, focusing on the swirls of heat in her tea. They couldn't let Usagi down.
"And Mamoru? Can he chip in?" Ami inquired, still calm.
"I doubt." Minako spoke up, "He's doing all he can already... paying the bills and mortgage on the house. He's just one person, we can't expect him to do everything."
Quite as a mouse, Raye asked softly, "Does he know yet?"
"No." Minako's voice was weary. "No, he doesn't. He wouldn't' approve, and then everything would fall apart."
"How much longer can we hide it?"
"Not much longer. Soon, we'll make it onto the news, and either he or one of the outers will realize it."
As she realized what was coming next, Makoto steeled herself.
"We need to choose a target."
Nodding, they all waited for the Senshi of Love to continue.
"Ami, what are the choices we have left?"
"Not many, I'm afraid. If anyone's figured out the pattern, we won't be hard to catch. They're only seven banks left in the Tokyo area that we haven't been to before, all of the other banks have security systems that are too complex. I suggest taking around three thousand dollars this time, so hopefully we won't have to rob another bank in two months. If we run out of banks in the area before Usagi awakens, we'll have to go out of Tokyo, and that will only make tracking us easier." Ami said, voice void of emotion.
"What are those seven banks?"
"Tokyo International, Japan's First National, SunTrust Bank, Central Banks, Huntington National Bank, the World Bank, and the Bank of Japan."
"Which would be the most logical?"
"Japan's First National. There are at least two routes that we could use as a getaway, and their budget would not be greatly harmed if we should rob it. It also has an easy to open vault, and if we should need to get to it, it will not be hard."
"I understand. When will you all be free?"
"Well... since the last time we robbed a bank was on a Tuesday, maybe a Thursday or Friday would be best." Raye said, thoughtfully.
"A Thursday then... I have something to do on Friday," Makoto said much calmer than she felt.
"Thursday's fine with me," Ami agreed.
"Ok. It's settled then. We'll meet here before hand at 10 a.m. Don't be late."
**
"So... who gets which bank?" Quatre asked, as the five boys were sitting around a table at dinner.
"I'm taking Huntington National Bank," Wufei said, "And Trowa is going to be at the World Bank. I don't know about the rest of you."
"I'll be at Japan's First National." Heero's monotone cut in.
"Aw... but Hee-chan! I wanted to go to that one." Duo whined
"Omae-O-Koroso."
"Ok, fine. Be that way. I'll go to the SunTrust Bank then. It has a better name anyways." Duo sulked.
"I guess I'll be at The Bank of Japan then," Quatre finished, sipping his tea.
He had a feeling that things were about to get interesting.
**
Urk. This is going to give me one heck of a headache. As if making me depressed isn't enough! Even if this has a lot of reviews so far (I'm so very grateful for this), my other fics aren't getting a lot of attention. Please, PLEASE read some of them too! They're not that bad... really!
Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews!
Love,
Inverse-chan
In this chapter, you'll get to see deep into Raye (or Rei), Makoto, and Ami's souls. It doesn't go that deeply into Makoto, but don't worry, I'll make up for it later. Sadly, the Gundam Boys don't make much of an appearance in this chapter. Only a little in the end.
Thanks again for all of the reviews! I love 'em! And neither GW nor SM belongs to me.
**
Chapter 3
**
Ami looked at Minako and Makoto as they sat on the other side of the small rectangular table at Raye's. Seeing as the other two girls were lost in thoughts, and Raye gone to make tea, Ami drifted a little away from reality too. Staring at the table, she was reminded of how things were before at that very table: the study sessions, the name calling, Raye chasing Usagi around with a broom for stealing a comic... those were the happy times. Sure, they had some rough times before, but it always ended out all right.
She doubted that things could ever be all right again. After all, you can't raise the dead. Even if Usagi were to wake up right now, Ami didn't think that the Moon Princess could handle the harsh reality. Even *she* wanted to escape the real world at times, and she had never been anything but coolly logical. And logic was beating her on the head all the time, telling her not to mope and to *fix* things. But how could she fix this. She wasn't perfect, after all. No one was, although Minako was trying very hard to be exactly that.
But despite the Senshi of Love's efforts, the past could never be changed.
She felt weighed down with guilt. Guilt that despite all of her logic, in the long run there wasn't a single thing she could do. Guilt that when she had found out about the drunk driver died in the ambulance, she felt some pity for the man. The man that had caused all of this. The man that had murdered a completely innocent family.
But still... she felt guilt. She remembered how she and the other senshi were invited to the funeral. How she was the only one to show up. How there wasn't a single person there, only the priest. How not even the man's family had shown up to honor him for the last time.
Ami shivered as her once peaceful stream of thought drifted back into the roaring river of pain she had been recently thrown into. And although she was one of the best swimmers around, she just couldn't fight the current that constantly tried to wash her into the sea of depression. She had to stay happy. Not only for herself, but for the others too.
But it was hard.
She knew that the others were having a hard time, quite possibly a harder time than she with coping with this recent disaster. After all, they didn't even have logic to save them.
And logic was her only lifesaver in the foaming rapids. God knew what the others were holding on to. They had nothing, so Ami would let them hold onto her. She would be their lifesaver, just as logic was hers.
That's just how it had to be.
**
Making tea, Raye let herself dwindle beside the stove as she waited for the water to reach boiling temperature. Sighing, she recalled her earlier conversation with Minako.
Despite telling the Goddess of Love that she was fine, the Fire Priestess really felt awful. This was weighing down heavily on her too, even though it had been ten months since the accident. She didn't think all the time in the world would be enough to heal her heart.
She was the one who picked up the phone. She was the only one who heard the words directly. She was the one who was hit with the chilling sense of defeat and dread first.
She was the one to slip into the darkness first.
The words still resonated clearly in her memory... explaining calmly how both of Usagi's parents had died during surgery. And hours later, there was another call. Another death, this time Usagi's little brother.
He was just a child. He didn't deserve to die at such a young age. He did nothing! Nothing! He had a future before him... a life and destiny of his own choice. All gone because of some stupid drunk driver!
Raye shuddered as she felt white-hot rage course through her. The anger blanketed all... it even dampened her depression for a second. Then, cooling down, she felt herself fall back into the darkness, just as Minako feared she would. How Minako feared they all would, eventually.
As if the death of Usagi's whole family wasn't enough, Usagi herself was stuck in a coma. A coma! The future queen of Tokyo was wasting away on a hospital bed somewhere because a stupid drunk just had to hit them head on!
It just wasn't fair.
Life just wasn't fair.
And now Raye felt like an idiot for *ever* thinking that it would be. Life was like that, she now realized. It's either going to slap you across the face or stab you in the back. Life not only stabbed her in the back, it did the same to all of her friends and then cruelly twisted the knife. And then it laughed in her face as she died... as she was dieing.
It just had to be like that.
The whistling of the teapot snapped Raye out of her reverie. Soundlessly, she brought down a tray, and instinctively placed five cups on it. Wincing, she placed one of the cups back onto the shelf.
Four. There were only four of them.
**
Snapping her head up at the sound of the sliding door, Makoto smiled as she saw Raye return with the tea. She watched as Raye silently sad down besides Ami and passed out the steaming cup of the fragrant drink. The light smell of jasmine pervaded the room, just like always. And, as always, she mentally braced herself for the torrent of pain to come. Jasmine tea always meant bad news.
Looking around, she was the other senshi do the same, especially Minako. Sometimes Makoto just didn't understand the golden senshi... why did she always stubbornly insist on taking the blame? It was no one's fault, but it had changed the once volleyball loving teen into a sad, serious adult.
It just wasn't healthy for someone to grow up so quickly, she thought, frowning. Sometimes, Makoto was really scared for the fellow scout. But it was just how things had to be. Unfair, but true.
Making eye contact with Ami for a second, she knew that the Mercurial girl felt the same.
"Guys... it's been two months." Minako's voice cut through the silence with cruel precision. It was time to talk.
"How is our financial situation?" Ami asked, forever the logical one.
Pulling out a stack of bills, Raye grimly checked the numbers. "We're still off by a little over $2,500."
Startled, Makoto looked at the Martian. "$2,500...? It's never been that high before!"
"Yes... but the hospital bill is steadily increasing. It's already been ten months since Usagi fell into her coma and... and yesterday I got a call from the hospital. They're considering taking her off life support. They won't if we can pay... but if we keep pushing the bill like this..." Letting the sentence hang, Raye cast down her eyes and stared at a light stain on the table.
Nodding, Makoto looked down too, focusing on the swirls of heat in her tea. They couldn't let Usagi down.
"And Mamoru? Can he chip in?" Ami inquired, still calm.
"I doubt." Minako spoke up, "He's doing all he can already... paying the bills and mortgage on the house. He's just one person, we can't expect him to do everything."
Quite as a mouse, Raye asked softly, "Does he know yet?"
"No." Minako's voice was weary. "No, he doesn't. He wouldn't' approve, and then everything would fall apart."
"How much longer can we hide it?"
"Not much longer. Soon, we'll make it onto the news, and either he or one of the outers will realize it."
As she realized what was coming next, Makoto steeled herself.
"We need to choose a target."
Nodding, they all waited for the Senshi of Love to continue.
"Ami, what are the choices we have left?"
"Not many, I'm afraid. If anyone's figured out the pattern, we won't be hard to catch. They're only seven banks left in the Tokyo area that we haven't been to before, all of the other banks have security systems that are too complex. I suggest taking around three thousand dollars this time, so hopefully we won't have to rob another bank in two months. If we run out of banks in the area before Usagi awakens, we'll have to go out of Tokyo, and that will only make tracking us easier." Ami said, voice void of emotion.
"What are those seven banks?"
"Tokyo International, Japan's First National, SunTrust Bank, Central Banks, Huntington National Bank, the World Bank, and the Bank of Japan."
"Which would be the most logical?"
"Japan's First National. There are at least two routes that we could use as a getaway, and their budget would not be greatly harmed if we should rob it. It also has an easy to open vault, and if we should need to get to it, it will not be hard."
"I understand. When will you all be free?"
"Well... since the last time we robbed a bank was on a Tuesday, maybe a Thursday or Friday would be best." Raye said, thoughtfully.
"A Thursday then... I have something to do on Friday," Makoto said much calmer than she felt.
"Thursday's fine with me," Ami agreed.
"Ok. It's settled then. We'll meet here before hand at 10 a.m. Don't be late."
**
"So... who gets which bank?" Quatre asked, as the five boys were sitting around a table at dinner.
"I'm taking Huntington National Bank," Wufei said, "And Trowa is going to be at the World Bank. I don't know about the rest of you."
"I'll be at Japan's First National." Heero's monotone cut in.
"Aw... but Hee-chan! I wanted to go to that one." Duo whined
"Omae-O-Koroso."
"Ok, fine. Be that way. I'll go to the SunTrust Bank then. It has a better name anyways." Duo sulked.
"I guess I'll be at The Bank of Japan then," Quatre finished, sipping his tea.
He had a feeling that things were about to get interesting.
**
Urk. This is going to give me one heck of a headache. As if making me depressed isn't enough! Even if this has a lot of reviews so far (I'm so very grateful for this), my other fics aren't getting a lot of attention. Please, PLEASE read some of them too! They're not that bad... really!
Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews!
Love,
Inverse-chan