“Talking.” ‘Thinking.’ [Inner voice.] @;->-- Change of scene/time /Quick flash back./ @;->--@;->--@;->--@;->--@;->--@;->--@;->--@;->--@;->--@;->@;->--@;-> “What is this?” Kaya spoons orange coloured food into her mouth. “It’s Kraft dinner.” Makoto grins. As Ami knew, Makoto now felt a lot better. Even thought Ami spent the whole time with her when she was in the kitchen. Maybe that was what helped. “It’s simple, easy, and quick to make. Just like Ami’s sandwiches.” Makoto bites into Ami’s sandwich, grinning. “Well, they...” Ami blushes. Makoto just described Ami’s sandwiches. “Ah... well, you can still do other things while eating them.” She mumbles to herself, poking at the Kraft dinner. “Most efficient.” “I have to agree.” Kaya says. She takes a bite of Ami’s sandwich, grinning. “She makes awesome sandwiches.” Makoto smiles across the table at Kaya. She takes another sandwich and places it on her plate. “Really?” Kaya sips at her coffee to hide her grin. “Does she always cook for you?” She asks Ami. “Whenever I’m here.” Ami shrugs, still eating her Kraft dinner. “She’s...” Ami sighs and shakes her head. “An amazing cook.” “Can you top this?” Kaya hold up the macaroni. “This is nothing.” Ami states, smiling brilliantly. “You’ve got to see her cook some time.” “Thanks Ami.” Makoto blushes, with her fever gone, you could actually see it. She clears her throat, lowers her head and continues to eat. Kaya watches this with great amusement. “It’s only the truth.” Still smiling, Ami cleans off her plate of food. “And that was great, as usual.” She takes the plates and Makoto takes the cups. They walk into the kitchen together and start doing the dishes. Kaya watches them from the doorway. ‘They look like an old married couple.’ She sucks in a breath. Makoto says something to Ami, making her giggle and say something in return. Shaking her head, Kaya walks into the living room. ‘Ami and Makoto?’ ‘She is always here...because I’m never there...’ Kaya lays her head back and closes her eyes. ‘Just how much of my daughter’s life had I missed?’ “Uh...Hello, Mrs. Mizuno.” Makoto walks over and sits down hesitantly. “Ami said she’d do the dishes...” “Makoto...” Kaya opens her eyes and sighs. ‘The girl looks frightened.’ [Why should she look frightened if nothing is happening?] Kaya mentally curses her inner voice. “How long have you known Ami?” Makoto visibly relaxes. ‘See; innocent.’ “Four years.” “Then why is it only now I’m meeting you?” Kaya blurts out before she could stop herself. Makoto tenses. She could almost feel the shield Makoto was putting up. “Wait.” Makoto struggles with herself and eventually the shield stays down. “To be honest, I wonder about that myself. Truth is, the only parent I’ve met were Usagi’s.” “Where are yours? I’d really like to meet them.” Kaya watches the pain flash through Makoto’s eyes. Still, she waits. “They died.” Makoto states simply, with no intent to elaborate. “You don’t have to answer but-“ “Nine years September tenth. I was...Kaya?” Makoto asks, concerned. Kaya had suddenly gone pale. “What is it?” “Now I know why you sound so familiar.” Kaya shakes her head in disbelief. “But they said there were no survivors.” “...” Makoto stands up and paces the room. If she smoked, there would be two butts in an ashtray and the rest of the pack to go. “There weren’t. Well, two survived but both died in the hospital.” “Kino...” Kaya shakes her head again. “I know...Makoto. He...was one of my patients.” “What?” Makoto turns to face her. She walks over with every intent to interrogate her but... ‘She looks so sad.’ /Oh, God...This is my son’s ticket./ “He was a handsome little thing, wasn’t he?” Makoto sniffles and sits down. “Sure was.” Kaya leans over and buries her face in her hands. “But he was so young.” Suddenly Ami was in the room, sitting beside her mother. “Eleven years old...” She sits back and stares at her hands. “Mama...that boy’s dead.” “Along with my parents.” Makoto reaches over and rubs Kaya’s back. She looks up, into Ami’s eyes, contemplating whether or not to tell her the truth. [This is Ami we’re talking about.] She sighs. “I was supposed to be on that plane.” Kaya’s head shoots up. Makoto shakes her head, stands and walks out of the room. Kaya quickly turns to her daughter. “Ami...what I never told you was that the boy’s name was Makoto-“ “He gave me this.” Makoto walks back into the room with a small, yellow plaid tie. She sits back down and hands it to Ami. “He couldn’t have been more than twelve at the time.” “He was eleven.” Kaya states, her voice hoarse with emotion. “He told me to give you this, like he knew I’d know you one day.” Kaya reaches into her pocket and pulls out a emerald and hunter green burette. “And to tell you to say ‘hi’ to my sister for me...” “We accidentally mixed up the tickets and he got on my plane. To this day, I never knew where it was going.” Makoto shakes her head and stares at the burette in her hand. She brings her other hand up and fingers the twin emerald lightning bolts. “This was my mother’s...” She whispers. She shakes her head. ‘Shouldn’t I be feeling sad?’ A light smile crosses her face and she hands it back. “I’d like you to have it, Kaya.” “But-“ “It was my mother’s.” Makoto agrees. “But if she knew what-“ Makoto takes a deep breath and lets it out in a whoosh. “She’d want you to have it.” [That was cheep.] ‘It’s probably the only way she’ll take it.’ “All right...” Kaya takes it back and carefully fondles it. She takes the tie and hands it back to Makoto. “Makoto...” Ami looks at her uncertainly. “The reason, I never told you about my birthday was...Minako lost her brother on that day. And I’d feel bad if I celebrated-“ “Aino Makoto.” Makoto whispers. Suddenly it all fit; the name on the ticket and the odd colours on the tie, Ami’s birthday and Minako’s brother. “Oh, Minako..” Fever and whatever symptom’s forgotten, Makoto stands up, a determined gleam in her eye. “I’ve got to see her.” “She’s at home.” Ami nods, slowly. “With her mother.” “Thank you.” Makoto grabs her jacket and walks to the door and stops. “Both of you.” @;->-- “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.” Minako throws off the lab coat and safety goggles. “There is no way I’m dissecting that cat!” “Minako.” “They want me to cut it open and see all of it’s...ugh.” Minako suddenly goes pale. “That tie...” “I didn’t know, Minako.” Makoto whispers, handing the tie to her. “It was my fault he got on that plane.” “That means that your...I’m sorry Makoto.” Minako shakes her head. “I didn’t-“ “It’s alright.” Makoto leans back on the wall and brings one leg up. “I just found out not to long ago. If I had known, I would have come to you earlier.” “You know, my father still blames himself for that happening?” “Give him that and tell him I’m sorry. That I realize there is no way I could ever make it up to him and that he wasn’t the only person to lose someone they loved.” Makoto pushes herself away from the wall with her hands in her pockets. “Can you remember that?” “Yes.” Minako suddenly throws her arms around Makoto’s neck, throwing her off balance. Because her hands were in her pockets, both Makoto and Minako go crashing to the ground. “Are you okay?” “Get off me so I can breathe...” Makoto gasps for air when Minako scrambled off her. It wasn’t that Minako was heavy, it was just that when they fell Makoto got the wind knocked out of her. “Are you okay?” “Yeah...” Something dawns on Makoto as she stares at the lab coat and goggles. “Just tell me why you’re dissecting cats in August.” “Home school.” Minako sits down on the front steps. “My mother makes me do that every once in a while. But she hasn’t done that in years.” “Do you like it?” Makoto picks up the discarded items and hands them back to Minako. “The home school, I mean.” “Sometimes.” Minako puts to coat back on, shivering from the cool chill. She spots the dark blue Monte Carlo and waves. “What’s Ami doing here?” “Her and her mother drove me here.” Makoto sighs, deciding to let Minako know the whole truth. “Ami’s mother was the doctor treating your brother.” “I know.” Minako whispers. She hangs her head as memories of her brother flash through her mind. She shakes her head slowly and turns to face Makoto. “Shouldn’t I be feeling bad about this?” “That’s what I thought when I found out.” Makoto rubs her hands together to warm them up a little. “Ami says that ‘I’ve had my time of mourning and that that time had long since past.’ She sounded very idealistic and very right.” “That’s our epitome, Ami.” “Epitome?” Makoto looks at Minako in surprise. A slow grin crosses her face. “Guess that home schooling’s paid off.” “Actually it’s Ami.” Minako stands then helps Makoto up. “Little nymph helps in a lot of ways.” Minako turns around and walks back inside, leaving a suddenly blushing Makoto on her porch. Minako comes back out a second later and hands Makoto a white lily. “Give that to Ami.” With that, she closes the door. Makoto smells the lily and walks down the steps, an odd grin on her face. She walks to the driveway and takes a seat in the back of the car. A short while into the ride, Makoto leans forward, her head at one end of the seat so she could whisper to Ami. “This is for you.” She wraps her arms around the other end and holds the lily under Ami’s nose. “Thank you.” Ami turns her head around to face Makoto’s. Their lips were 4.6 cm apart, Ami guessed. ‘What would it feel like if I just...’ Ami watches Makoto through half lidded eyes as she closes the distance. She presses their lips together in a gentle, experimental kiss. Ami moves her face away and licks her lips. “You taste like cookies.” She comments, offhandedly. Both blush and sit back in their respective seats. And both wore dreamy smiles. @;->-- ‘Lets just say that that was interesting.’ Kaya glances over at Ami who now had a lily entwined in her hair. [It was Ami who had kissed Makoto. Not the other way around.] “Wouldn’t that have been your first kiss?” Kaya wiggles her brows. “Well...” Ami lowers her head timidly, grinning sheepishly. “Yes. What do you think of her?” “I admire her, really.” Kaya replies thoughtfully. “She had been only nine when she had lost everything. Yet somehow she raised herself, by herself.” “She’s very special.” Ami agrees instantly. She steps out of the car and looks up at the stars. They had spent the evening at Makoto’s while she cooked dinner and told her life’s story. “I just never knew how much.” “Tell me if I’m wrong but...” Kaya unlocks the door and opens it. “Before tonight, the two of you haven’t been seeing each other.” Ami stops in the hall. She slowly turns to face her mother. “I don’t think we are seeing each other. At least not the way that you’re suggesting.” She turns back around and walks down the hallway. “It was just a kiss, mom.” She calls out behind her. “Oh, Ami...” Kaya watches her daughter disappear up the stairs. “Don’t deny yourselves this. Or you’ll regret it the rest of your lives.” @;->-- 28 August 2003 Makoto stares blankly at her homework assignment. ‘How the hell am I supposed to know what this is?’ Math. The stuff Makoto hated most where the questions like; what does A+B-2(?÷d)=? “Uh...” Makoto sweat drops. “Aims?” “Hm?” Ami reaches over and pulls the book in front of her. She sets aside her book and concentrates on the question. “Oh, dear...” Ami reaches for a calculator, paper and a pencil. “This took me a while to understand too.” “I’m sure I’ll catch on quick.” Makoto leans over Ami’s shoulder and watches as she explains it. A few minutes later Makoto takes her turn. Ami watches intently, as her ‘student’ does her homework. “You’re right. You do catch on quick.” “Only because you helped me.” Makoto grins. With a certain amount of difficulty, Makoto continues her work. A light blush creeps across Ami’s face but she tries her best to ignore it. ‘Like the saying goes, ‘if you ignore it long enough, it’ll go away’.’ True to the phrase, it does. She opens up her notebook and blushes. On it were bubble lettered question marks. She shrugs it off and turns the page. She was presently working on a book report when a ridiculous thought passed through her mind. “Would I look good in jeans?” And through her lips. Ami blushes and begins to write hastily into her notebook. Everyone stares at Ami in shock. Makoto recognizes her anxiety and reaches under the table for her hand. Instead, her hand rests on her thigh. Ami sucks in a breath and stops her writing. Still blushing, she raises her eyes to meet her friends’, one by one. “Well?” She gulps and rests her free hand on top of Makoto’s. “Well-“ “Of course!” Minako smiles brightly, instantly shoving the tension out the door. “I’m sure you have curves under those modest clothes.” Ami blushes harder but keeps her head high. It’s just too bad she was too embarrassed to talk. “We should go shopping!” Usagi laughs delightedly. She covers her mouth and kicks Rei under the table. “But only if you want to.” Rei informs Ami. It was Makoto’s turn. ‘How would Ami look in jeans?’ Makoto sits back and draws the image in her mind. In her mind’s eye; Ami wore shades, a white button up shirt; unbuttoned, black lacy- “Great!” She yelps, shaking the image out of her head. Or at least trying to. Form fitting jeans with the button on top- “Excuse me.” Makoto hastily tries to stand up, only to painfully remember that it was a very, very low table. Makoto rests her head on the table and groans. Unbuttoned. ‘Why are you doing this to me?’ [To get back at you for ignoring me] Black knee length- ‘I’M SORRY!’ “Are you alright?” With Rei’s help, Ami eases Makoto away from the table. “I think I’ve gone crazy.” Makoto rubs her aching thighs. “That was a dumb move.” She chuckles nervously, placing one hand behind her head. “What were you thinking?” Ami chides lightly. Seeing how she wont be getting an answer, Ami dismisses Rei. “Thank you Rei.” “Sure.” Rei walks back over to the table and sits down. “Now. What were you thinking?” “About what you’d look like in jeans.” Makoto admits awkwardly. Both look away from each other, blushing. “It was...” The image pops back into her mind but she quickly shakes it out. “Completely...I-I don’t even know what to say...” Ami brings her eyes back up to meet Makoto’s. But she was still looking down. Ami makes herself comfortable and leans forward. “Tell me about it?” Makoto whips her wide, emerald eye up to meet Ami’s blues. [Oh yeah. That got her attention.] “I ah...” Makoto blinks, slack jawed. “Well?” Ami sits back with a contemplative look, still blushing. “Then I’ll just have to guess-“ “All right.” Makoto relents. Minako watches them talk through the corner of her eye, while keeping both Usagi and Rei occupied. Which wasn’t very hard. “So, Rei. When can I borrow that manga?” “Odango still has it.” Rei snaps. “I do not. And quit calling me ODANGO!” It took off from there. Minako watches Makoto give in to something and begins talking. The blush on both of their faces multiplies. When they were done, they just sat there, avoiding each other. Minako’s eyes widen. “Look-“ Crash! “Out...” She cracks one eye open to see Ami sprawled out on the ground and a semi-conscious Makoto lying under a tangle of Usagi and Rei. “Makoto!” Everyone jumps up and rushes to her side. “Makoto.” Ami gently slaps her face. “Are you okay? Makoto...” She trails of giggling. “Wake up. Come on.” She tries to keep a straight face. But bursts out giggling. “Makoto...” Makoto groans and rolls away. “That hurt.” She whines. “You should have seen the look on your face.” Ami giggles. “My face.” Makoto rubs her forehead and sits up. “When Rei realized where she was going...” She tries to giggle but it just hurt too much. “Ah hehehehoww...” She wipes the tears from her eyes. “It really hurts.” “I’m sure it does.” Ami reaches over and removes Makoto’s hand. Now being the doctor, Ami inspects the lump. But she just can’t seem to stop smiling! She prods around it gently. “Does it hurt?” “A little.” “It’s just a bump.” Ami assures Usagi, who looked like she was on the verge of crying. “It’ll hurt for a while but you hit Makoto’s head so it won’t hurt for long.” She crawls over to the table and continues her work as though nothing had happened. “Ha ha ha.” Makoto laughs sarcastically. “You know, I think you’re getting a sense of humour.” “Me too.” Ami replies, sounding surprised. “I always found it nice to talk to the back of someone’s head.” Makoto painfully crawls back to the table and continues her homework, everyone else following suit. “So you’re not all freaked out?” Makoto whispers to Ami. “Actually no...” Ami trails off into a thoughtful silence. She looks around at her friends, her gaze landing on Makoto’s. “I find it quite intriguing. Doubt I could pull it off though.” Ami reaches for another cookie, suddenly remembering what Makoto tasted like. Ami blushes lightly and bite down into it. “You’re Ami.” Makoto shrugs like that explains everything.
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