Fourteen Days with my Family by Hotaru Tomoe.
Chapter Eight: Saturday I.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Sailor Moon characters.
Ever had one of those dreams where it's a strong possibility that you watch too much TV?
I had one last night after the five of us sat down and watched a few movies. Haruka-papa chose Monty Python's Life of Brian, one of her favorite movies. Soon she, along with Setsuna-mama (!) and I were laughing like mad at the antics on screen, while Michiru-mama just sat there and laughed politely, while Hoshiko sat there alternating between looking shocked and laughing a lot.
"That was rather, ah, different." She commented when the movie ended. Haruka-papa offered to show her the other movies and the entire TV series. Hoshiko's eyes glazed over a bit.
"We'll try to watch as many of them as we can." Michiru-mama stated quickly. Both Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama looked disappointed.
What about the dream you ask? Well, in my dream I had suddenly become Brian and I was being dragged to see Pontus Pilate by Haruka-papa and Makoto. Of course Pontus Pilate turned out to be Usagi, flanked by Ami and Rei.
"Thwow her to the floor!" Pontus Tsukino directed. And they thwew me to the floor, hard. Yes we did the whole scene, including the 'Stwike her Centurion! Vewy Woughly!' part. I woke up when they started to drag me to be crucified. No more pepperoni pizza for me that's for sure.
I went down for breakfast where Michiru-mama and Hoshiko were there already. Michiru-mama looked at me with concern when I came in. "Did you have a bad dream sweetheart?" She asked. I nodded and told them about it.
"Well we're not ordering pepperoni pizza again, at least not from that place." Michiru-mama commented.
"Hey! That place serves the best pizza in Tokyo." Haruka-papa countered as she came in and kissed Michiru-mama before sitting down.
"Hime-chan had another one of her odd dreams again." Michiru-mama said.
"Uh-oh. Is that 'odd' as in 'the world is about to end', or odd as in 'mild indigestion induced odd'?" Haruka-papa asked.
"The latter." I replied.
"What was this dream about?" Setsuna-mama asked as she walked in, looking a bit sleepy. So I told them.
"Oh-Kay…" Setsuna-mama commented.
"Well, by a strange coincidence I also had a dream involving Usagi last night." Haruka-papa announced with a grin. Here we go again.
"Did it involve 'leather and whips' as Hotaru put in her report from last year?" Hoshiko asked. We each gave her a withering look and she went back to her orange juice.
"Well what did your dream involve Haruka?" Michiru-mama asked as she dramatically cracked her knuckles.
"Ah, I just remembered that it wasn't that interesting after all." Haruka-papa said hastily as she shoveled pancakes into her mouth.
Just then the phone rang and Setsuna-mama got up to answer it. "Hello? Oh hello Yuriko, how are you? Oh, they're still driving you nuts are they? No, I'm afraid we can't help you with that. Yes I'm positive. That we can help with. Hold on I'll ask." She cupped her hand over the receiver. "It's Yuriko (Ami's Mom) she wants us to help take her cousins shopping. That and I think she and Ami need to see some friendly faces."
"Does she want me to try to scare them off?" Haruka-papa asked eagerly.
"That too I think."
"Sure, it's no problem." Michiru-mama said.
Setsuna-mama smiled and went back to talking with Dr. Mizuno. "Yuriko? Hi, they're up for it. So we'll pick you, Ami, and your cousins in an hour or so. Yes Hotaru will be coming too, why? Oh, I see. Yes that could be a problem. You talked to her and she said it was okay? All right then, we'll be there shortly. You too. Bye." Setsuna-mama hung up with a sigh.
"Why was she asking if I was coming along?" I asked.
"Since her cousins have been so beastly to Ami, Yuriko was worried about them upsetting you too much. She called Makoto and asked if she wouldn't mind having you over for a while. Makoto said it was fine, Minako was going to be there as well and they were doing some baking." Setsuna-mama replied.
"I understand. I have no problem going over to Makoto's place."
"May I go with you Hotaru?" Hoshiko asked.
"Sure, I don't mind, and Makoto likes having company over." I replied.
"All right, we'll drop the two of you off and go see if we can help poor Yuriko and Ami." Michiru-mama stated. We got up, grabbed our jackets and wallets and headed for the door. Like clockwork the phone rang.
"Hello?" I asked.
"I know your secret." The voice said.
"Get stuffed." I replied hanging up.
"I see you're developing Haruka's empathy for telemarketers." Setsuna-mama commented.
"Whatever." I muttered. Setsuna-mama smiled as she ruffled my hair and we headed for the van. Twenty minutes later Hoshiko and I were dropped off in front of Makoto's apartment building. We waved as they drove off and then went inside. Makoto buzzed us in and she was waiting for us after we stepped off the elevator. I could smell fresh baked cookies from down the hall and my mouth began to water.
"Hey Hotaru, and Hoshiko!" Makoto called as we approached. She ushered us in and took our jackets. We waved at Minako who was a sight wearing a frilly orange apron and covered with flour. She had a large mixing bowl full of what was either cookie dough or fast-setting cement, I couldn't tell, but the way she was trying to stir it, I thought it was the latter. Artemis wandered out at this moment, trying to brush flour out of his fur.
"Hello Hotaru. Hello Hoshiko." Artemis called out. Minako looked up from the mess she was stirring, a bit startled. Her million-dollar smile came on as soon as she focused on us.
"Heya guys! Come to join the fun?" She called as she tried to stir the mess.
"What is that you are making?" Hoshiko asked pointing at the bowl.
"Well, it's supposed to be chocolate chip cookie dough, but seeing as butterfingers here poured way too much sugar into the mix, I could use it to patch holes in the wall." Makoto said and then ducked as Minako flicked a spoonful of dough at her. Hoshiko and I stepped out of the way.
"See what I mean?" Makoto quipped.
"Do you want to wear this bowl?" Minako growled brandishing her spoon menacingly. We stared at her then cracked up laughing. Minako soon joined us.
"That looks like fun. May we help Makoto?" Hoshiko asked when we had calmed down.
"Sure, grab an apron from the drawer, Hotaru knows where they are, and I'll show you what to do." Makoto said. I grabbed the purple apron I had left here from my bi-weekly cooking lessons from Makoto and a red one for Hoshiko and soon we were baking and talking away. Hoshiko soon got the hang of things and didn't burn her fast batch of cookies, much to her delight. They were delicious too I can say with certainty.
While we were talking and playing rock, paper, scissors to determine who to send to the store to get some more chocolate chips to replace the ones Minako and I ate (well Makoto and Hoshiko had their fair share as well) the buzzer rang and Makoto went over to answer it. Five minutes later she came back with a rather frazzled looking Ami in tow, much to our surprise.
"Hi Ami!" We all said. Ami just grunted, put her laptop bag on the floor and sat on a stool.
"Cousins are still being jerks I take it?" Minako asked as she handed Ami a glass of milk.
"You have no idea." Ami muttered as she gratefully accepted the drink and sipped at it. "I asked Mom if I could come over here instead of going shopping with them. I don't think I could handle my cousins for five more minutes much less a day of shopping with them."
"Why? What's their problem anyway?" I asked.
Ami set her milk down and rubbed her bloodshot eyes before speaking. I could tell she hadn't been sleeping well, and I imagine she'd been crying a lot too. "Where do I start? First of all they have a lot of views on the sanctity of marriage, so my Mom's divorce is a continual topic of conversation. Then adding in the fact that both of them thought that Mom married 'beneath her station', their words not mine, by marrying Dad, an artist. You would have to hear for yourselves their opinions of being a single parent. Oh yes, apparently me having the highest test scores in the country isn't good enough for them either. I shouldn't be hanging out with my low class friends all the time." She took another sip and suddenly slammed her glass down causing us to jump. Tears fell from her eyes now. "I tried to tell them how much I love all of you and I don't want to lose you, but they won't listen." She buried her head in her hands and the five of us were by her side in a flash, comforting her.
"We'll never leave you Ami, not now not ever. I promise you." Makoto stated as she put her arms around Ami's shoulders.
"Yeah we promised to stand by one another no matter what, and we won't let anyone else hurt you." Minako added wrapping her arm around Ami's shoulders as well. Artemis leapt into her lap, adding his support.
"And if someone tries, they'll have to answer to all of us." I put in, clasping her hands.
"And if the others were here, I know they'd say the same thing." Artemis added.
Hoshiko leaned in and placed her hand on Ami's. We could see the fire in her eyes as she spoke. "Ami, everyone, I have not known you for long, but I have come to regard you as my dear friends. So please accept this vow; I shall not allow anybody to hurt or mistreat any of you as long as I live. This I swear upon my life. "
"Thank you. All of you." Ami whispered, smiling through her tears. We embraced her as best as we could until her cries subsided.
"Where's Usagi when we need her?" Minako wondered after a while.
"Yeah, you'd think that the smell of fresh baked cookies alone would have brought her running." Makoto added with a giggle.
"Maybe we should put some in the window and see if she'll come?" I asked. We were starting to giggle like school kids now. Ami was smiling a bit now.
"A new variation on your old 'Sailor Moon Signal'?" Hoshiko asked.
"Hey it worked didn't it?" I shot back. I was trying to sound hurt and angry and failed miserably. Ami's shoulders were shaking now as she had her hands over her mouth.
"It was probably a good thing the police took it down. That was the goofiest looking crescent moon I've ever seen!" Minako cackled.
"Not to mention that DC Comics could have sued you for copyright infringement." Artemis added.
"Ohh, I'll show you copyright infringement!" I growled as I reached for Artemis. Ami finally gave in and fell off her chair from laughing so hard. We caught her and laid her on the floor.
"Dog pile on Ami!" Minako shouted. Ami screamed as me, followed in order by Minako, Hoshiko, and finally Makoto piled on top of her. Poor Artemis was between me and Ami, so he got squashed pretty well. He told me later that he enjoyed himself. Hentai cat. We were laughing and rolling around when we finally heard our communicators go off. Go figure.
Makoto managed to scramble off the top of the pile and compose herself long enough to answer while the rest of us helped each other to our feet.
"It's about damn time!" I heard Haruka-papa shout angrily. Something blew up in the distance and I could hear screaming and running feet. You know what that means; it's Showtime!
"What's wrong?" Minako asked.
"We have a yoma at the mall! What the hell do you think I'm calling about? A big sale? Quit having an orgy and get down here, now!" Haruka-papa shouted before signing off. My Haruka-papa, I love her so much sometimes. Ami and Hoshiko both turned bright red and started having coughing fits while Minako giggled. I could feel my own face growing hot.
"Umm, yeah, what you said." Makoto commented. "Shall we transform?"
"You bet!" We shouted. Within seconds Makoto, Ami, Minako, and I all stood there in our Sailor fukus ready for action.
"I will accompany you if I may." Hoshiko stated. We turned and saw that she had changed into her armor as Sailor Galaxia.
"Whoa." Minako and Makoto whispered in awe. Artemis just stared wide-eyed.
"Maybe you'd better stay back and let us handle it Hoshiko." I said. I hoped I didn't sound as nervous as I felt.
"Or at least stay in reserve in case we need you. It might be hard to explain the sudden appearance of another Sailor Senshi." Ami, ever the quick thinker, added.
Hoshiko nodded. "Very well. I see your point. May I at least transport us all there then?" We nodded and joined hands. Hoshiko smiled as I took one hand and Ami the other before closing her eyes. A golden glow appeared around all of us and within seconds we were at the mall.
We had appeared behind a fountain so no one saw us arrive as most of the people had fled or were hiding. Hoshiko nodded and melted into the shadows while the rest of us fanned out to assess the situation.
Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama were engaged in combat with a 12 foot tall Minotaur-like creature. It looked like the creature from the Greek myths except that this one was vaguely female. I could see the entrance where it had come crashing in from outside. It had come bursting in from outside Michiru-mama would tell us later, leaving a pile of trashed vehicles and shattered glass in its wake. From there it proceeded to charge at anything or anybody that moved. My parents had the creature backed up against a wall and they had done a fair amount of damage to it. But they looked tired and were glad to see us.
"About damn time!" Haruka-papa shouted as we approached. Okay, mostly glad. Ami had her visor on and was scanning as we fanned out. The creature snorted and eyed us warily as we faced it, but otherwise it stayed where it was.
"What, you looked like you were having fun." Makoto shot back.
"Where are the others?" Michiru-mama asked.
"Right here." Mamoru replied as he, Usagi, Rei, and Luna ran up.
"Geeze that thing is ugly! Not to mention it stinks!" Usagi stated while waving a hand in front of her face. The creature turned in her direction and snorted louder.
"Stop moving!" Setsuna-mama hissed. "Sudden movement attracts it!" Usagi gulped and stood still.
"Where are…?" Ami began fearfully.
"They're safe." Michiru-mama assured her, indicating a nearby book store with her eyes. I could see several people including Ami's Mom and two people whom I guessed were her cousins, an older man and woman, peering out nervously along with a few others including a few small kids.
"Mercury?" Usagi asked.
"Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto weakened it quite a bit already. A few more good shots should…" Ami was cut off by several voices shouting for someone to stop. A four year old boy in a blue t-shirt and shorts had wandered out of a store crying for his Mama. The creature saw his movement and prepared to charge.
"Uranus! Grab the boy!" Mamoru shouted. Haruka-papa sprinted forward and scooped up the boy just as the Minotaur started to charge.
"Saturn!" Usagi shouted.
"Silence Wall!" I shouted and the creature slammed into the barrier. Haruka-papa ran into the store and handed the child to Ami's Mom before drawing her sword and running back outside.
"Get ready to drop the shield Saturn!" Ami commanded. I nodded as everyone powered up.
"Now!" I dropped the shield and everyone released their attacks. The creature was engulfed in energy and it roared in pain as it writhed. Suddenly it charged our line again and Rei and Usagi barely leapt out of its path as it charged towards the doorway it had came in the first time.
"Don't let it get out!" Rei cried. A golden ball of energy flew out of a darkened corner and struck the creature in the chest knocking it on its butt. We turned and saw Hoshiko nodding in satisfaction from the shadows. We owed her a big thank you for that.
"Now Sailor Moon!" Ami cried. Usagi blasted it with her Tier and soon the Minotaur was dust.
"Score another one for the good guys!" Minako cheered as we gathered around Usagi, congratulating each other as we did so. Several dozen people soon ran out of the stores to thank us and we shook hands and hugged several people. I noticed Ami being hugged by her Mom while their cousins stood by in shock. Soon Dr. Mizuno had hugged everybody including me.
"Come by our home later." She whispered while she hugged me. I hugged her back and soon we said farewell to our grateful public as the police, fire department, and paramedics started coming in. We found Hoshiko, joined hands, and went back to Makoto's now very cramped apartment.
"All right! Cookies!" Usagi shouted as soon as we materialized and undid our transformations. We laughed and each of us managed to snag one or two before she ate them all. Soon we were spread out around the apartment talking, laughing, and baking again as if nothing had happened.
"Thank you for helping us when you did Hoshiko." Luna said after awhile.
"Yeah you really came through when we needed you." Rei added.
"Thank you my friends. Your words mean so much to me." Hoshiko replied through tears of joy.
Ami came up and hugged her. "I'm the one who should be thanking you for saving my Mom's life. And my cousin's too I guess." She added ruefully. Just then the phone rang. Makoto told us to be quiet while she answered it.
"Ami? It's your Mom." She said after a minute. Ami nodded and took the receiver.
"Are you all right? That's good. We're all okay here Mom. How are…? Really? They are? Thank God! I couldn't handle them for a minute longer! Okay we'll be there soon. I love you too Mom. Bye." She hung up the phone and let out a loud whoop of delight before catching herself and blushing as she smiled at us. That's our Ami.
"My Mom just told me that she's okay." She announced.
"What about your cousins?" Setsuna-mama asked.
"She just told me that they were leaving. They think that Tokyo's way too dangerous for them and they're heading back home where it's safe." We all cheered at the news. "Oh yes, and you're all invited back to our place for dinner." More cheering.
"All right then. If Hoshiko will teleport us back to the mall so we can get the van, we'll meet the rest of you there." Michiru-mama said. Hoshiko smiled and nodded. Makoto tried to gather as many cookies as she could to bring with her to Ami's while everyone else got ready. Soon my parents, Hoshiko, and I were back near the mall parking lot.
"Papa? What were you asking earlier? Something about an orgy?" I asked while Haruka-papa was digging for her keys while munching on a cookie she had swiped. She nearly gagged while Michiru-mama glared at her. Setsuna-mama and Hoshiko stood back and giggled.
"Yes I'd like to know too." Michiru-mama said ominously. Haruka-papa just swallowed hard and got into the van. She was very quiet for the whole trip to Ami's.
Soon between Ami's Mom, Makoto, and Michiru-mama we were sitting down to a nice supper. Dr. Mizuno thanked us for saving her life and the lives of the others who were trapped in the mall. And yes the boy we saved was reunited with his Mama. A good day's work all around.
"Is everybody ready for the wedding tomorrow?" Ami asked after a while. Everyone said that they were. Each of us had a new dress or suit ready and waiting for tomorrow. And with the weather promising to be nice and sunny, tomorrow promised to be an ideal day for a wedding. We'd been waiting for this day for months and hoped everything would go off without a hitch.
AN: Who's getting married you ask? That would be telling but here's a hint: it is the culmination of events in at least two of my other stories.