"Lunch and Getting Information" "Mother, would you like me to sort through the charts for you?" Blue eyes looked frantically over the ever-growing stacks of folders on the doctor's desk. Pausing for a moment, Hitomi tore herself away from the chart she'd been engrossed in and watched her daughter intently eyeing the stack of folders. "It's quite alright dear. If you'd like though, I'm sure Nurse Utashin needs some help down in pediatrics." The older Mizuno felt a bit guilty, as she watched Ami's eyes drop sadly to the ground. "Sweetheart, I know you and I normally do this together. But with the pile-up, I can't afford to have any mistakes." Ami listened intently and straightened back up again, biting back any sadness she was feeling. The blue haired girl smiled at her mother and nodded graciously. "No problem. I understand completely." Hitomi raised her eyebrows slightly, still feeling guilty. Looking back down, she continued, "I'm glad. I'll phone ahead to pediatrics if you like?" "That's okay Mother. I'm going to stop by the cafeteria and get something to eat first. Good luck with all of this." The older woman responded with a barely audible sound from her throat, as she threw herself back into the mass of papers and folders on the desk. Turning on one heel, Ami made her way briskly out of the office and didn't stop until she got to the elevator. 'It's okay Ami. She's just busy, is all. No need to get upset. Take a deep breath.' The blue-eyed girl repeated the breath's several times in uniform before the elevator reached her. Stepping in, she pressed the button for the basement floor. As she began to descend downwards, Ami allowed her shoulders to slump a little, taking a deep breath, biting on her lower lip. "No problem." ------------------------------------------ "If you don't like it we can go to the restaurant down the street, Makoto." The chestnut haired girl looked up from the macaroni and cheese she'd been stabbing at for the last several minutes, scrunching her eyebrows and staring right into her guardians eyes. Green eyes seemed to consider something as they stared genuinely at Setsuna. "You have something on your mind?" The green eyes turned away at the end of the question and watched as the cashier dropped a several coins onto the ground. No one seemed to notice though, as Makoto looked around the busy cafeteria. Turning back to the older woman, Makoto seemed to exhale away her lingering thoughts. Taking a small breath, the teenager spoke, "What is Mizuno's family like?" Magenta eyes widened in surprise and Setsuna began to wonder just how much the shy, blue haired girl, affected Makoto in that short moment. "Well, it's just Ami and her mother, as far as I know. Mizuno-sensei and I have only talked in passing about her personal life, so I'm afraid I don't have any more details to present." Makoto nodded slowly and took a bite of her meal, making a point to chew it slowly. Setsuna waited patiently, taking a sip from her tea, until the younger girl swallowed and began to speak again. "How long have you known them for?" "Many years now. When I first met them, Ami was only just 7 years old." The dark haired woman smiled fondly, as she recalled the past, "She really hasn't changed one bit. She's still shy, has the same hair cut, and even the same style glasses." Nodding again, Makoto appeared to process the information and took a few more bites of the macaroni and cheese and letting the sounds of the cafeteria fill the void between them. Setsuna simply took another sip of her tea and watched as doctors hustled in and out, nurses tailing them in earnest. "I... I really hope no one dies from the accident." The guardian turned back to the young girl, eyeing her concernedly. She had filled Makoto in about the pile-up of 20 or so cars several miles away from the hospital. The cause had been a bus that lost control, slamming into the side of a semi trailer. It was early morning Saturday traffic, and so many cars didn't have time to stop, resulting in the pile-up, and the panicked state of the hospital. Magenta eyes softened and looked directly into Makoto's emerald-green ones, "I hope so too, Makoto." 'Everyday is a new surprise indeed.' -------------------------------------- Setsuna would've noticed the scene in front of her even if she had no eyes and was completely deaf. She was also impressed to see several doctors who were previously involved in a deep conversation, probably about a patient, come running over to help. Makoto's eyes had suddenly gone wide and she'd begun to choke on the macaroni and cheese she'd been taking far too long to eat. Coughing heavily, Makoto tried to convince the doctors she was okay, but could barely sputter out the words to do so. The older woman, though, watching the situation go from frantic to controlled, allowed her eyes to linger to where Makoto had been looking when she began to choke. 'Ahh... I suppose I would have been surprised as well.' At the cash register, stood a small girl, with neatly cropped blue hair, smiling gently as the old woman conversed with her about something or other. Ami, sensing eyes on her, turned meekly towards a smiling Setsuna and a choking Makoto. Quickly, the blue haired girl brought a hand up to her mouth, eyes widening in shock as she watched Makoto being helped by at least four doctors. Turning back, the guardian allowed her eyes to soften in concern and spoke gently to the young girl, "Are you okay, Makoto?" Green eyes, which were now bloodshot and watered, looked pleadingly at the older woman. "I'm okay Meioh-san. Really!" Makoto coughed heavily once more and continued, "We can tell these doctors to go do something worthwhile." The several young men were taken aback by the clear rudeness they'd just received and glared at the chestnut haired girl. One seemed to linger, seeming to expect a thank you and a hug at any moment, but quickly rushed away after Makoto turned her angered eyes on him. "Really now, Makoto, they were simply trying to help." "If they're going to be of any help, they need to be up there looking at the hoards of patients waiting in the lobby," was the curt and firm reply. "They look pretty young though, probably starting this new career in medicine. So, perhaps they're just very eager to help others." Green and magenta eyes looked up suddenly to see who was talking. Makoto lingered for a few seconds and then quickly looked back down at the table, reaching nonchalantly for a glass of water. Setsuna kept her eyes on Ami and smiled reassuringly at her. "I was thinking that myself." Smiling shyly, the blue haired girl nodded and then turned her eyes concernedly to her classmate. "Are you okay now, Makoto-san?" "Yeah yeah. It'll take more than a couple of noodles to take me down." Nodding again, Ami shifted the tray gently in her hands, turning back to the older woman. Blue eyes shifted uncomfortably, as though debating something, from Setsuna to the table to the food in her hands. "Will you join us Ami-chan?" Baby blue eyes seemed to wash over with relief as she dipped her head slightly and set the tray down next to Makoto's. Makoto, who was busy indulging in drinking the water in her cup, pretended not to notice as the picture-perfect school girl sat quietly next to her. A wave of lilacs and vanilla washed over the tall girl's senses, as Ami positioned herself comfortably in the seat. Makoto allowed her eyes to close for a moment, as she quietly inhaled the sweet smelling air around her. When she opened them, she found her guardian sipping at her tea comfortably, watching the crowd; and Ami, Ami was shyly poking at her salad, taking small bites of it here and there. An inaudible silence flowed over the three as they sat together. "Your mom is pretty busy today I bet?" Blue eyes looked up to meet piercing green. Feeling a faint blush cross her face, Ami made her reply softly, "Oh, yes. They're considering her for head of ER next year. She wants to show them she's dependable." Setsuna set her teacup down swiftly and brought her elbows up to rest on the table, letting her head rest in her hands, "I'm sure she'll make it. Actually, I'm surprised they haven't chosen her sooner." The older woman let out a rare and sweet smile towards the young, blue haired girl. Blushing, Ami lowered her head to stare intently at the salad before her. Silently, the young girl reminded herself to breathe. It seemed she could not concentrate well at all today. Ami looked up a moment and saw those same piercing emerald-green eyes still staring at her. Before she could do anything though, green eyes looked away quickly. 'She caught me looking,' Makoto thought, 'Ah, well, maybe I wanted her to catch me.' The chestnut haired girl grinned at the thought and turned back towards her small companion. "They tell me you're a genius." Ami thought she could not turn any more red than she already was and hastily shoved a bite of salad into her mouth. Setsuna nearly laughed at the two, but held herself together, picking the teacup back up. She paused slightly before the rim of the cup got to her mouth, "That's Makoto for you, always direct and to the point." Makoto turned her gaze on her guardian, raising an eyebrow in a challenging manner. She watched as the older woman took a particularly drawn out sip. Deciding it wasn't anything worth fussing over, Makoto turned back to the shorter girl, waiting expectantly for an answer. The blue haired girl had just swallowed when those piercing green eyes turned back on her. Unconsciously, Ami swallowed once more and reached for her glass of water. After taking a lengthy drink, Ami looked back up again. When several seconds passed, she realized Makoto was not going to back down, and sighed resignedly as a result. "I... I don't... I'm not a genius. I just get good grades." Chestnut hair ruffled heavily as Makoto let out an airy snort. "Good grades are not a mark of a genius. Anyone with half a brain knows that. I'm talking about the national practice tests you take. I hear that you ace every one of them." Blue eyes lowered gently and Ami allowed her face to relax a bit. She knew that people talked of her at school. It didn't bother her for the most part, but no one had ever directly asked her about it. Makoto was so blunt; Ami didn't know whether to be happy or frightened. "My friend, Rei, says I study too much." Ami smiled a little too forcefully as she replied and Makoto and her guardian noticed it quickly. Silence once again settled between the two teenagers. Both went back to their food, leaving a worried, but also amused Setsuna in their wake. The rest of lunch was eaten quickly and quietly, with very few words being spoken between the three women.
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