Episode 97
Recap: Ami is confused about whether she really wants to study as much as people assume she does, and feels cornered into her schoolwork. She races Michiru to blow off steam and discovers that you have to give something your all to make it work; if you worry or give up, it won't work out (I don't see how that really solves her problem, but maybe I'm just dense). Then she gets attacked by a Daimohn in a swimsuit and floaty tube, but Sailor Moon saves her.
I changed the last few lines of the episode a little. Don't sue me.
Mizuno Ami wasn't the flirtatious type, exactly, and she was far from immature, so it distressed Mamoru all the more when she started dancing around him. "I won't lose," she taunted.
Well, great, kid, I'm happy you feel better about your goals, but do you have to apply your determination here? His shoulders sagged.
Usagi, meanwhile, was screaming, "No, no, no! Tuxedo Kamen-sama is my Tuxedo Kamen-sama! No, no, no!"
"Sailor Moon," he said drearily, "this is one of those moments when we ask ourselves how old we are." He knew she knew that Ami was kidding, and Ami knew she knew, and Usagi knew they knew she knew, but they still kept at it. It was rather tiresome.
She stomped on his foot. "Hush. This doesn't concern you."
His own love life didn't concern him. Wonderful.
"Why do you always call me Tuxedo Kamen-sama?" he pressed on, in a meager attempt to disengage her from her current occupation of trying to shove Ami into the pool, but the other girl dodged away quickly.
She just laughed at that. "I don't think Tuxedo Kamen-chan would sound quite as intimidating, do you?"
"Says the one who destroys youma with pink flowery sparkles."
"Intimidating pink flowery sparkles."
"Intimidating Tuxedo Kamen-chan." He winked at her. "I'm kidding. If you actually called me that I just might vomit."
"Aww!" Usagi pouted. "But Kamen-chan is really cute, kind of! Better than Cape Boy, at least, right?"
"Anything's better than – hey, where did Ami go?"
Right on cue, Ami popped her head in from the locker rooms, now semi-dry and fully clothed. He wondered how in the world she managed that so fast. "Usagi, we should really get back to the study group. They'll have so many questions by now." She smiled.
"You like being bombarded, don't you?" Usagi narrowed her eyes.
Ami chuckled light-heartedly. "Anyone likes being needed."
Mamoru watched Usagi scrutinize the validity of that statement; she scrunched up her face and stared at the floor for a good five seconds. "I suppose that's right," she said slowly, "but only under the right circumstances."
Ami shrugged as if to say "Naturally," and jerked her head to the door. "Shall we?"
"I'll go with you," said Mamoru cheerfully. "Don't want any more youma popping up along the way."
"I could take them," Usagi said with certainty, balling up her fists.
"You could get caught in a floating device, that's for sure." He dodged as she aimed a punch at his ribs.
"That's not fair, Mamo- erm, I mean… no one's around, are they?" They had reached the deserted lobby of the sports center; Ami and Mamoru quickly double checked the glass doors ahead and the hallway behind.
"I can't see anyone," said Ami.
"Then that's not fair, Mamo-chan, it was fast and I didn't see it coming!" With a decisive nod, she de-transformed into her civilian clothing.
With a swish of his cape, he followed her lead and downgraded to his usual sage green jacket and jeans. "Then you ought to be more aware if you're going to make any progress as a senshi whatsoever," he quipped back.
Usagi crossed her arms and huffed in response.
"Mamoru-kun," Ami said thoughtfully, holding the door open for her friends, "I mean this with all due respect, and you certainly deserve more respect than the average citizen, but that is by far one of the uglier jackets I have ever seen."
Usagi howled derisively. "See, Mamo-chan, it's not just me! Do you see?"
He clasped a hand to his chest as if mortally wounded. "For your information, this jacket has been through more than you can imagine."
"Like what? Getting cast aside while you transform? I'm sure that was traumatic." Usagi sniggered and glanced around before noticing no one else was sharing her joke.
"Emotional support," Mamoru corrected her. "I've had it since I left the orphanage."
There was an awkward silence.
"Oh," said Usagi at length. "I'm sorry, Mamo-chan…"
"Don't worry about it," he said lightly. "The jacket deserves some respect, too, is all."
Ami doubled back to pinch the right sleeve between her fingers. "You may be an unfortunate shade of green," she said seriously, "but I don't judge books by their cover."
"Or brooks by their color," Usagi said, giggling, "as Minako says by mistake."
"Thank you," said Mamoru solemnly. "The jacket is well pleased."
Usagi and Ami laughed.
"Do you know something," Ami said, mid-chuckle, "I'd been wondering about Tenoh Haruka and Kaioh Michiru – what they were, exactly, to each other. Haruka-san drove by me to ask me to re-race Michiru-san…"
"Re-race Michiru-san?" Usagi repeated. "So you left our study group to race Michiru-san?"
"No," said Ami uncomfortably, "I left because I was upset. But Haruka-san definitely said, erm, she said, 'My partner wants a rematch.' So they are dating, after all."
"I knew it!" Usagi cried triumphantly, skipping ahead. "What did I tell you, Mamo-chan?"
"You told me they were quiet around each other," he said doubtfully. "That's about it."
"Oh, you baka, you're no help. I did say it. I did."
Mamoru turned to Ami. "Apparently, she did."
Ami shook her head, amused. "Do you two ever stop? We thought once you'd started dating the arguments might… dissipate."
Mamoru said, "We only stop when I make her."
Usagi shifted around uncomfortably. "What's dissipate? And you never make me stop, how could you make me – "
He seized her shoulders and kissed her mouth roughly. Squirming, she pulled away, her hands shoved against his chest. "Mamoru-baka, do you even think about poor Ami-chan?"
"As much as I hate to say it, you deserved that one just a little, Usagi-chan." Ami smiled wryly. "And 'dissipate' means 'to scatter or disperse'."
"Oh, well we've done that," said Usagi, clearly put at ease. "Our arguments have dispersed, because we see each other more often, so they're more scattered, instead of clumped when we run into each other."
"One could just as easily argue that they were more scattered when our encounters were impromptu and generally chaotic," Mamoru countered.
"Well one wouldn't argue that."
"Why not?"
"Because 'one' is a baka-faced cape boy, Tuxedo Kamen-chan."
He felt a bit guilty for leaving Ami-chan in the dust, but she needed to be chased. Right. Now.
I stayed up late to finish this. Feel well-appreciated, readers, for you are important enough to me to sacrifice half an hour of sleep. (: Thanks so much for your reviews! I really appreciate that some people share my enjoyment of quirky bickering. :D
An observation: Last episode (forgot to mention it then) Makoto just magically knew that the Daimohns were called Daimohns. And now Luna and Artemis and presumably everyone else calls them that too. How did they discover that, or did I miss something? Just a thought.