Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon, so please don't sue me!
A pen clattered as it hit the wood surface of a certain girl's desk. Ami leaned back in her chair and stretched. Her muscles went tight and then slack as she resumed her position over her homework. Taking up her pen as a warrior his sword she went back to the task at hand. Writing a few lines on her piece of paper, the girl straightened out and looked at her work. A grimace crossed her features as she crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it into the garbage bin by her bedroom door. The ball landed on the floor next to said bin, joining the other pieces scattered in that area.
Ami took her glasses off and rubbed the bridge of her nose absently. She had been sitting in the same position for over three hours already. Had the genius known that it would have taken her so long to complete this one little task, she would have started a long time ago. This 'task' was a daunting one. Glancing up at the small calendar hanging over her work area she frowned. Circled in red was tomorrow's date, and also written in red was the occasion.
"Mom's Birthday"Moaning she let her head hit the desk. It was always difficult for her to decide what to give her mom, but for some reason this year seemed especially difficult. It was probably because she couldn't think of anything material to give. Mrs. Mizuno had everything in Ami's opinion. A great job, a great home, a great…life really. So what did you give to the woman who had everything?
'Something that comes from the heart.' Ami thought silently to herself.
And so sitting herself down at her desk after she came home from school, Ami had tried to write a poem to show how much she loved her mother. Needless to say it didn't turn out to be as easy as she thought it would be. Already the poor girl had gone through half of an entire pack of lined paper, three pens, and two bottles of liquid whiteout.
Standing up, Ami walked around her bedroom trying to think of new ideas and also trying to re-establish the circulation to her legs. As she passed her dresser her gaze was drawn to a picture of the two of them on vacation. Smiling softly as she picked up the silver frame her thoughts floated back in time as she thought of that week they had spent in the mountains, just the two of them.
"Come on!"
Mrs. Mizuno grinned and ran up the small flight of stairs that led to the precarious suspension bridge. Standing at the edge she eased her foot down onto the wooden planks that made up the walkway.
"Come on mom! It's not that scary!"
Ami grinned at her mom's nervous smile. They were currently standing on a suspension bridge over a hundred years old. It was old, but well maintained by the people who owned the land. It had become a national tourist attraction. It was very long and very wobbly. The bridge spanned the width of a large canyon and if one dared to look down, you could see a small stream underneath. It was Spring Break and Mrs. Mizuno had insisted on taking Ami on a "mother-daughter" trip to the mountains to celebrate Ami's good grades. The bridge, however, had been Ami's idea.
"Mom," The girl wheedled, "it's not that scary! Just put one foot in front of the other like this!"
Ami demonstrated by largely exaggerating her walking movements. She was rewarded by a nervous laugh from her mother and a few small steps. Ami laughed heartily and walked over to her mother. Her movements made the bridge wobble and swing. It was like trying to walk on the deck of a boat stuck in a storm. Instinctually, Mrs. Mizuno grabbed the metallic wires and hung on. Unfortunately for her it also allowed her eyes to wander downwards, down towards the jagged rocks that lined the small stream.
"Whoo boy." Suddenly the doctor didn't feel so good.
Her determined daughter grabbed her upper arm and proceeded to drag her across the bridge. Her grip was strong; it had to be strong because her mother was fighting to return to the other side. Finally Ami stopped, right in the middle of the bridge.
"Ok mom." Ami turned to her mother with a mischievous look in her eyes, "What'll it be? Across the bridge the other side, or across the bridge to the car?"
Mrs. Mizuno glared at her teenaged daughter. Taking a quick look behind her and in front of her, she raised her head and straightened her body. Her foot only hesitated for a moment as she proceeded to walk, with as much dignity as she could muster, the rest of the way across the bridge.
Ami grinned and laughed out loud as she remembered the speech her mother gave her afterwards about inner strength. Those were good times. Walking over to her radio and turning it, on a fast beat filled her ears. It wasn't the music that she usually listened to, but Minako or one of the girls must have changed the channel. She found her way to the bed and fell on top of it. Staring up at the ceiling she let the words of the song flow through her head.
Your arms are my castle,
Your heart is my sky,
They wipe away tears that I cry (I cry).
The good and the bad times we've been through them all,
You make me rise when I fall.
Her eyes fluttered shut and her mind drifted away. 'Those words…' her thoughts wouldn't finish the sentence as yet another memory claimed her attention.
Ami slammed the front door, kicked off her shoes, ran up the stairs to her room and slammed that door too. Mrs. Mizuno who had been sitting at the kitchen table felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand at attention as the vibrations caused by both slamming doors echoed through the house.
"Ami?"
Walking up the stairs and knocking on her daughter's door, Mrs. Mizuno's voice was soft and filled with concern.
"Ami? What happened?"
"GO AWAY!" was the answer given. Ami's mother sighed and placed her hand on the doorknob, she debated with herself on whether or not she should go inside. In the end motherly love won over and she turned her wrist. The door creaked open and she peeked around the edge to find her daughter.
Following the sniffling sounds, the concerned mother found her eight-year old daughter crouched underneath the desk. Kneeling in front of the small girl, Mrs. Mizuno reached out to touch Ami's hand.
"What's wrong?"
She strained to hear Ami's answer. Her voice was muffled since her head was buried in her arms and she was still sobbing. Gathering her daughter into her arms, she sat there on the floor whispering soft, soothing sounds to try and easy her child's unhappiness.
"Hush now Ami, there's nothing to cry about. What's wrong?"
"T-the k-kids a-at sch-sch-school said that I w-was a g-goody-g-goody because I wouldn't scribble on the blackboard with them! Teacher said we couldn't!"
With that statement Ami promptly burst into tears again and began sobbing uncontrollably. Softly stroking her daughter's short hair, Mrs. Mizuno began to teach one of the most important life lessons that Ami would ever learn.
"Why do you care what those other kids think Ami?"
Ami looked up startled, "W-well I…I don't know."
"Exactly."
The tears had been replaced by confusion. She didn't understand…
"Why would you care what other people thought about you? You are Ami Mizuno and you can do whatever you want."
Adjusting her position Mrs. Mizuno continued.
"Those kids don't understand how you think Ami, and I doubt they ever will. Whatever you do, you must always be yourself. Not someone your friends want you to be, but you."
"I don't understand mommy."
"Well think of it like this. When you look in the mirror, who do you see?"
"Me!"
"That's right! Do you see the other kids in your reflection?"
"No…"
"So that means if you don't see them in your reflection then that means that they aren't you right?"
Ami thought for a moment, then nodded. She was starting to understand what her mom was saying.
"So if I'm me…and they are them…then that means that…I don't have to be like them right?"
Mrs. Mizuno grinned and hugged her daughter tightly, "Yup that's right! You, my dear, are my one and only daughter Ami. Whatever you do, you have to believe in yourself and stay true to who you really are. That's what's important."
Ami smiled and snuggled deeper into her mother's strong embrace.
"Thank you mommy."
'Mom has been through everything with me.' Ami thought to herself. As the memories kept coming, the respect and love that she had for your mother grew. Mrs. Mizuno had been there when her parents divorced, when she began to feel the sting of a bully's remarks, and when she began to doubt herself and her abilities.
Sitting up suddenly, Ami leaped off of the bed and into the chair that she had abandoned a few minutes earlier. Picking up her pen she stared at it for a minute before placing the tip onto a new sheet of paper and beginning to write. At first the words came jerkily as she tried to put her thoughts and emotions into words, but after a few moments it became easier and easier. It was like water flowing in a river's current.
A few minutes passed and still all that was heard in the room was the sound of dance music and the scratching of a pen on paper. Ami let out a sudden 'whoop' and jumped out of her seat. Pumping her fist in the air she grinned and waved a piece of paper around.
"FINALLY!"
Opening the door to her room quietly, Ami crept down the stairs towards the front entrance. On the way she passed a clock that read 12:07 am. Stopping suddenly, she stared at the hands and rubbed her eyes.
'Wow…'
Making her way to the coat hooks in the front hall, Ami felt around for her mother's briefcase and slipped the birthday card containing her simple poem inside. Creeping back up the stairs she went inside her room, shut her radio off, and climbed into bed. Turning off the light, Ami settled in and immediately fell asleep.
A few hours later Mrs. Mizuno woke up and prepared to go to work. After putting on her shoes she fished around in her briefcase for her keys but drew her hand back quickly when she hit the corner of something sharp. Taking out an envelope, she opened it curiously. Inside was a simple 'Happy Birthday' card. Mrs. Mizuno smiled and glanced quickly behind her. She opened the card and tears formed in her eyes as she read Ami's poem.
For a person who is special to me,
She taught me who I ought to be.
From life to love,
A gift from God above.
I would like to say 'Thank You',
For doing what it is you do.
And so today seemed like the perfect day,
To tell you how you have made me who I am in every way.
Without you I wouldn't know my own self,
You were always there to offer help.
There is truly only one thing left to say
My dear mother, Happy Birthday.
Ami shifted a bit when she felt a small fluttery kiss on her cheek, but smiled when she heard a soft voice drift through her dreams.
"Thank you."
Mrs. Mizuno paused as she heard her daughter's voice as she closed her daughter's door.
"Happy Birthday mom."
A.N.: This is a short one-shot that I decided to write for my mom's birthday since I couldn't decide what to give her . If you're reading this mom, I just want to say I love you. BTW the song is 'Everytime We Touch' by Casandra and I wrote the poem myself. The suspension bridge that I was refering to was the Capilano Suspension Bridge in Vanouver, British Columbia, Canada. Me and my parents went there for Spring Break. It was awesome! Anyways, Happy Birthday mom. Oh don't forget to review!
Diamond Sakura Li