The alarm would have gone off at 6:00, but Ami woke up ten minutes early and simply shut it off. Fortunately, she had no classes today, and thus all the more time to prepare for the afternoon. When Ami had arrived home last night, her mother had been nowhere to be found. Instead, she'd found a note in the usual place. It said simply "Quality Time, tomorrow, noon." With a yawn, Ami rose from her bed and began her morning rituals. While she went through some stretching routines, she began to prepare herself for the day ahead. There would be more than enough time to gather her things for 'Quality Time.' Hopefully, there would be time to call Makoto as well, to apologize for running off like she had. Ami's eyes closed and she sighed, recalling those last blissful feelings before her beeper had gone off and ruined the moment. Though she was disappointed at the disruption, Ami knew that it was only a matter of time now. She and Mako knew each other too well; there was no doubt about what they'd both intended last night, nor about how they both felt. Idle fantasies about the events of last night would not get her ready for today, however, so Ami soon left them behind. After a quick shower and breakfast sandwich, she headed into her 'office.' The small room had been advertised as a third bedroom by the condo association, but Ami couldn't imagine using it as such. Between the bookshelves and the computer desk, there was barely room to turn around in there. The various plaques and awards that Ami had won over the years were displayed in the sitting room, of course, so that visitors could admire Dr. Mizuno's parenting skill. Ami sat down at her computer and logged onto the university's registrar system. She ran some requests and soon the printer hummed with activity as her up-to-the-minute grades and progress reports spewed out of it. In a file cabinet, Ami found the portfolio she had prepared for her last session of 'Quality Time' and she carefully reviewed the various "To-Do" and "Goal" items in the Post-QT Review there. Gathering up the printouts and arranging them in the manner her mother preferred, Ami tried to anticipate what sorts of questions she might expect. The only area where her performance had been marked less than "Acceptable" had been "Academic Initiative." That checkbox glared yellow, signifying "Barely Adequate," mostly because Ami had only taken on five full courses this past semester. Of course, she could have handled the sixth that her mother advised, but that would have meant losing her afternoons with the other sailor soldiers, and her evenings with Makoto. Four hours later, Ami printed out the final draft of her essay on what she had been up to since the last QT session. Placing it into her portfolio with the other information, she noticed that she still had a little over an hour to spare. With an uncharacteristic nervousness, she picked up the phone and dialed up Makoto. Though she talked to Mako just about every day, for some reason today she found herself sweating and shaking as she listened to the ringing. 'Oh please be home, Mako-chan,' she prayed, anxious to escape into her friend's voice, if only for a little while. On the sixth ring, however, Ami heard the characteristic sound of a machine picking up. Unsure of what exactly to say, especially after last night, Ami just hung up rather than leave some sort of incoherent message. Sighing heavily, she headed out into the sitting room to make sure everything was in order. 'Tonight, Mako-chan,' she promised herself, 'I will let you make it all better.' ---------------- Makoto did not hear the phone ring as she entered the elevator in her apartment building. She'd barely had time to change outfits after classes this morning for her lunch date with Minako. True, Minako wouldn't care what she wore, but those horrid cooking school uniforms were best not worn in public. Unfortunately, she hadn't learned much today, since most of her consciousness still lingered in the events of last evening. Makoto had been a little disappointed not to find a message from Ami when she'd gotten back, but was not too surprised. She wasn't sure she would have been able to leave a message either, given what had happened, and especially what had almost happened last night. 'She was going to kiss me,' Makoto exulted for the umpteenth time that day. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. Minako was very perceptive about matters of the heart and Makoto didn't want to get ahead of herself just yet. While she was certain she knew what would have happened, the truth was that nothing _had_ happened as of yet. No need to get Mina all excited about events that hadn't occurred. 'Maybe by tomorrow, there won't be any doubt whatsoever,' Makoto hoped. Trying to think of anything other than Ami (difficult!), Makoto reviewed what little she had gotten out of Kenjo concerning his date with her friend. Normally, he would have rehashed every moment with her in an attempt to deconstruct every nuance. Makoto hadn't expected that he would be very revealing about his date with Minako, given that Minako was also a close friend. She felt confident that if things had not gone well, she would have been able to tell, even if he wasn't willing to admit it. After their brief phone conversation, though, she was certain that it had not been a disaster. Hopefully, Minako would be a bit more forthcoming. After a pleasant walk, Makoto arrived at the little restaurant she had chosen. Part of her training as a chef required her to visit as many different places as she could and this one was new to her. "Mako-chan!" Minako called, arriving only a few minutes later. "Were you waiting long?" "Just got here," Makoto informed her. Stepping inside, they found themselves seated at a small, out-of-the-way table. Makoto made a mental note to include lots of such private booths and other tucked-away spots in her own restaurant some day. After perusing the menu and ordering, and the standard pleasantries, they moved onto the main event. "Ok, you've resisted long enough, Mako-chan," Minako noted. "I'm very proud, but I know you're dying to know what I thought of Kenjo-kun." Makoto smiled at the informality. "Yeah, just a little. First though, you ought to know that I'll be getting together with him on Saturday and he's going to pester me, so if there's anything you don't want passed along to him, you'd better let me know." Minako laughed, "How about the things I _do_ want you to pass along? And, is this a two-way street? Do I get a full report, too?" She batted her eyelashes at Makoto enticingly. "Save your wiles for Kenjo," Makoto replied with a skeptical smirk. "They won't work on me." "Oh, that's right," Minako recalled, "you don't like blondes. I could always dye my hair darker, maybe cut it short...." Makoto coughed suddenly, just barely avoiding spraying her water all over the table. Noting the reaction, Minako grinned. She almost felt sorry for her two friends, remembering how much they all teased each other normally about their respective love lives. How much worse would it be when two of them were in love with each other! "In any case," Minako continued, not wanting to upset Makoto, "the date went very well. I hope you didn't put Usagi up to spying on us, though." Makoto grimaced, "I told her not to do that! I guess that means she didn't listen?" Minako giggled, "It's all right, no harm done. I'll get her back, when 'Mamo-chan' gets back to town. Kenjo is a very good guy; he was a perfect gentleman." "Too much so, sometimes," Makoto snorted. "I can't recall how many times he probably could have won a girl over if he'd just gotten up the nerve to make the first move. I think he gets overly worried about coming on too strong sometimes." Minako recalled how polite Kenjo had been when he'd walked her home. Though she'd decided in the restaurant to 'punish' him by withholding any sort of goodnight kiss, she would certainly not have objected to an embrace of some sort. A handshake had been it, though. "So, I guess it'll be up to me to get the ball rolling," Minako concluded. "Oh really?" Makoto exclaimed, eyebrows rising in an accusatory fashion. "So, you've already decided to see him again?" This time, it was Minako's turn to blush and stammer. "Well, actually, we spoke last night and, well, we're going out again tomorrow evening." Makoto reached over and squeezed Minako's hand. "That's great, Mina-chan! I'm so happy that you two hit it off!" Minako nodded happily. Just then their food arrived and conversation was relegated to a back burner. As they finished up, Minako decided to see if she couldn't get some dirt herself. "So, how was dinner with Ami last night?" A sudden rush of color to Makoto's face made Minako smile. Apparently, something was in the air. "It was fine, until Ami had to leave suddenly. Her mom wanted her home for some reason," Makoto noted with obvious disappointment. "Is everything all right?" Minako asked. It was very rare that Ami's mom made any sort of demands on her time. "I don't know," Makoto lamented, "I haven't heard from her since. She promised she'd call, but...." "I'm sure she would have called if anything was wrong," Minako reminded her. "Ami is very good about things like that, and I know she wouldn't want you to worry." "I know," Makoto admitted grudgingly. "It's just that...well, we were having such a nice evening." Minako sighed. Maybe the two of them didn't need any help after all. It was obvious that something had gone on last night, though Minako was certain, based on Makoto's reactions, that no admissions or revelations had been made. Usagi had reported via email that morning that Haruka advised them all to leave things be. Oddly, that had been Minako's first instinct as well. With a sudden flash of foreboding, she realized that they hadn't heard from Rei yet about what she might have accomplished last night. "Uh oh!" Makoto said, standing quickly. "I'm going to be late for my next class. I probably shouldn't have changed, but I hate wearing those outfits out in broad daylight. I need to get home and change back into school clothes." "That's fine, Mako-chan," Minako reassured her. "I'll get the bill and you can pick up the tab next time. You go on, and, don't worry, I promise to let you know Saturday how things go tomorrow night." "If I get anything good out of Kenjo on Saturday morning, I'll let you know," Makoto promised. "Don't wear him out too much tomorrow night! I want him to be at his best on Saturday morning." In response to Minako's arched brow, she added hastily, "We're supposed to have a game of basketball!" With that, she dashed off. Minako leisurely finished up her coffee and took care of the check. It seemed that things were moving along between Ami and Makoto without any assistance from her or her friends, but Ami's departure last night troubled her. She decided a stop by the Hikawa Shrine might be in order. ---------------- Quality Time proceeded as normal, all the way up to the very end. Ami's mother had returned home at noon, almost precisely, bringing with her some Chinese takeout procured from a small place next to the hospital where she worked. As they ate, Dr. Mizuno filled Ami in on some of her more interesting cases, along with the requisite Tokyo General gossip. They'd discussed various political issues and other general topics. The lunch portion of Quality Time was always the most pleasant. After lunch, they had adjourned to the sitting room, where Ami presented her mother with the folder of information she'd prepared. As she reviewed the documents, Dr. Mizuno inquired about the topics Ami was studying, with particular emphasis on things from the pre-med classes. As always, Ami's grades were exemplary and there was little for Dr. Mizuno to quibble over. In the area of "Academic Initiative", Dr. Mizuno informed Ami that they would be putting off any discussion until the time came to select classes for the next semester. Ami was quite relieved to find out that that particular battle had been postponed. Finally, by 2 or so, Dr. Mizuno set aside the folder. Ami would, of course, prepare the Post-QT Review and have it for her signature sometime within the next 48 hours. Removing her reading glasses, Dr. Mizuno relaxed back into the sofa, considering her daughter. Truly, she was quite proud of Ami. She had always set the bar very high for Ami, but mainly because she knew what her daughter was capable of accomplishing. Aside from her own solitary bout of youthful indiscretion, (getting involved with an artist of all things!) Dr. Mizuno had hewn to a rigid path all of her life. Even that one incident had blessed her, though it was not one she would ever repeat. Ami had done so very well for so long, that it was all too easy to forget that she was a young woman, one approaching the same age that Dr. Mizuno herself had been when she'd had that fling. "Ami," she began, "you know that, as your mother, I am your very best friend and you can tell me anything." "Yes, mother, of course," Ami replied, as if by rote. "Is there anything you'd care to share with me?" "No, mother, nothing that we haven't covered already," Ami answered, feeling suddenly uncertain. This was not going according to script. "I wonder, do you ever see that old boyfriend of yours? Urawa?" Dr. Mizuno asked, too casually. Ami's heart almost stopped. It was hard to determine which was more bizarre: her mother asking about her love life (her too?!); her mother mentioning Ryu; or her mother's apparent assumption that Ryu was an 'old boyfriend.' "I saw him recently, mother, but he and I were never..." "He seems a fine, upstanding young man," Dr. Mizuno interrupted. "Of course, you're much too young to get seriously involved with anyone, but once you are through with medical school, he is just the sort of boy with whom it would be good for you to associate." "I'm not sure I understand what you are asking me, mother," Ami tentatively admitted. Sitting up straight, Dr. Mizuno took a small card out of her jacket. Handing it to Ami, she said plainly, "You have an appointment with Dr. Kaneda on Saturday afternoon. I had to pull some strings to get you in on such short notice." "But mother, I just had a physical last month," Ami reminded her. "Dr. Kaneda is a psychiatrist, Ami. He specializes in the sorts of disorders that affect young people," Dr. Mizuno explained. "A psychiatrist?" Ami blurted out in disbelief. "Yes. I have reason to believe that you've been dabbling with some things that are clearly not healthy, nor normal. You have a bright future ahead of you and I will not see it sabotaged by the frivolities of youth." Dr. Mizuno stood up and moved to the front door. "Now, I have to get back to work. I think we will have some more Quality Time on Saturday evening." Still struggling with this bombshell, Ami meekly pointed out, "But, I usually have dinner with Makoto on Saturday evenings..." "Yes, well, not this Saturday. This issue with Kino Makoto will be cleared up for you by Dr. Kaneda. You should be glad that your friends cared enough about you to make sure that you got the help you need, especially before things went too far. I will see you on Saturday." And with that, Dr. Mizuno departed. Ami sat, shell-shocked, staring at the appointment card in her hand. Why did her mother want her to see a psychiatrist? What did it have to do with Mako-chan? Suddenly, horrifyingly, things crystalized in her mind. Her mother thought that she... and Mako-chan... 'But, how did she know?' Ami wondered, before recalling that, technically, nothing had happened yet. Laying down on the couch, she remembered what her mother had said before leaving, and spent the remainder of the day trying to figure out which 'friend' had spoken with her. Calling Makoto was soon the furthest thing from her mind.
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