A good night's sleep was what Makoto needed, and thanks to Minako, she got that and then some. She sat up on the futon and realized she was still wearing her clothes from last night. "At least she didn't take advantage of me," she joked to herself. She rose from the futon and started her morning routine. The one thing that wasn't part of her routine was seeing a flashing message light on her phone. She played it back, hearing the message Ami left from the night before. "Dammit! I could've been there last night instead of...I better call her back." Makoto dialed and waited patiently for the ringing to stop. "Hurro..." Ami's voice slurred. "Ami-chan? Are you okay?" "Well, for five-thirty in the morning, I'm kinda--Mako-chan?" Ami perked up when she realized who it was on the other end. "I'm sorry, Ami-chan. I didn't realize what time it was." Makoto mentally kicked herself. "I just got your message. I'm sorry I missed your call. I was asleep. Mina-chan was over and we were talking and..." Makoto paused, thinking it best to leave out the whole kissing-and-visions incident for now. "...And I passed out. I'm sorry for not being there for you, Ami-chan." "It's okay, Mako-chan," Ami's voice was sincere. "I guess it couldn't be helped, especially when you had to deal with Mina-chan. I think the only two who could keep up with her are Usagi-chan and Rei-chan." Makoto heard Ami's sleepy laugh, and smiled. "I hope things went well." "They did, Ami-chan. She was helping me with a problem, and I think I'm ready to face it now. I can't talk about it over the phone, though." Makoto wondered if she really was ready to take the next step. "Would you like to talk about it with me later then?" Ami's concern threw Makoto a little. She half-expected Ami's reaction, but then Ami herself was the 'problem', and Makoto was starting to lose her nerve. "I-um, well..." she stammered. "Listen. I have to do something with Michiru this afternoon. We can talk afterwards. Meet me at the Kondo theater at six, and we'll go have dinner together, okay?" Ami's voice was decisive, as if she sensed Makoto's uncertainty. "Um...sure. I'll be there. I'll talk to you later, then. And Ami-chan?" "Yes?" "Thank you for understanding. I...I would have loved to been there with you." The sentence came out faster than Makoto could reel it in. "I would have loved to have you here in person. In a way, you already were here., and that made me feel better. Have a good day, Mako-chan, and I'll talk to you later." "You too, Ami-chan. 'Bye." Makoto waited for Ami to hang up, then did likewise. "I was already there? What did she mean by that?" ---- "It's so...big!" Ami's eyes marveled at the size of the Kondo theater's stage, a huge water tank with one side open to the audience. It was over three meters high and ten meters across, more than enough room for all kinds of performances. A large clamshell was placed in the middle of the tank, and a few performers were already going over their routines swimming around the shell. "Impressive, isn't it?" Michiru appeared behind Ami, startling the blunette. "It's bigger than the old stage, and we're using state-of-the-art materials for the tank and the theater itself." "I've never seen a tank so large. This must be special glass to be able to withstand the water pressure. Bulletproof fiberglass...double-paned and slightly curved to push against the pressure, right?" "As usual, your analysis is correct!" Michiru smiled proudly as Ami walked up to feel the glass. "I'm not surprised you've figured it out...but don't tell anyone - we're still working on the patent for it. It can even withstand temperature changes." "But why would you need for it to do that? I'm sure the performers would want to use warm water" Ami thought for a moment before answering her own question with another. "For me?" "Mmm-hmmm," Michiru nodded. "In case you decided to join us. Being that your ability is ice-based, I thought it prudent to prepare in the event you were comfortable in colder water than everyone else." "But Michiru-san, I'm not sure I could do this. It's awesome, don't get me wrong, but it's kind of scary as well." Michiru tried to quiet Ami's uneasiness. "Come with me. We'll watch the final run-through for today, and then I'll let you take a turn on the stage." Ami's eyes widened, but Michiru placed a finger to Ami's lips before she could raise a protest. "Don't worry, by then, it'll just be us. You won't be performing...just giving the tank a test-drive, so to speak." "Well, in that case, I'll stay." Ami was excited - this was a rare opportunity, to do something that, as a child, she thought was incredible. "Where do we start?" "Just follow me to the Owner's Box," Michiru said, pointing to the luxury box above the center of the balcony. "It's the best seat in the house.......other than in the tank, of course!" Once they got there, Michiru made sure Ami was seated and ready for the show. She then pressed a button on a small console and spoke into the microphone. "Places, everyone. We're gonna do one more run, and then call it a day." Her voice was soft yet authoritative. Ami glanced at her and smiled. Michiru was multi-talented, a renown classical violinist as well as an accomplished painter. Being able to run something like this seemed like a daunting task, but Michiru handled it with her usual grace and style. Michiru turned to Ami and whispered, covering her microphone. "It's showtime!" If Ami's eyes grew any larger, they would have exploded. Her childhood memories of seeing mermaids with her father came back to her, and she silently wished he could see what Michiru had done to improve upon the shows they used to watch. The dancers performed beautifully, doing a underwater choreography that ended with a three-dimensional version of the famous "Birth of Venus" painting, only instead of Venus emerging from a shell in the sea foam, she came from a huge thrust of bubbles from within the shell, with some of the dancers waving large white scarves to mimic the waves. It was a spectacular sight, matched by dramatic music. As the rehearsal ended, Ami stood and applauded. Michiru's once again came over the loudspeaker. "Hey, save some of that for the real performance" The dancers waved to Michiru and swam to the top of the tank. "Amazing!" It was the only word Ami could come up with. "If you think that's something, wait until you see what I have planned for you." Michiru gently took Ami's hand and led her through a different door than the one they came in. They passed down a long hall and then onto the platform ahead of the tank. "Are we going in already?" Ami said nervously. "I didn't bring a swimsuit." "No need. I have many in your size to choose from. Besides, we're not going in just yet. There's some things I want to show you before you get in. Call it a 'crash course' if you will.. Michiru took out a CD from a stack and placed it in the player. "First, a little warm-up, then I'll see how you move on land. After that, we'll just apply what you do out here in there," she said, waving to the tank Ami seemed a bit reluctant. "But what about the others?" "They'll all be gone long before we're in the tank. By that time, it'll just be us." "Alright then...shall we begin?" ----- Makoto sat nervously in her apartment, waiting for the right time to leave. She checked, double-checked and triple-checked her attire for the day; a knee-length shoulder-strapped summer dress, green to match her eyes and close fitting to hug her generous curves. It may not have been a 'date', but she wanted to look her best for Ami. Especially considering the conversation they were going to have, and the outcome she was hoping for. She got tired of waiting, checked her pony-tailed hair in the mirror one last time, and then left her apartment. She had expected to see the taxi she had called for, but instead found a red convertible parked outside her door, and a tall woman with short, sandy-blonde hair standing beside it. "It's about time, Mako-chan. Your chariot awaits." The woman did an exaggerated bow and waved toward the car.. "Haurka-san?? What are you doing here?" "Waiting for you, silly." Haruka smiled and opened the passenger side door for Makoto. "Let's go. Time waits for no one." "Except Setsuna," Makoto joked. "Did Ami-chan send you to pick me up?" "No, it was Michi's idea. She and the little mermaid are fooling around at Kondo, and since I have to pick her up there anyway, she thought it best for me to swing by and get ya." "Thank you both very much," Makoto said with a bow before taking her seat.. Haruka closed the door behind her and jumped into the driver's seat. "Well then. Shall we go straight there, or take the--ahem--scenic route." Haruka's pause punctuated with a sideways leer. Makoto felt the tall blonde eyes take an unguided tour of her body and blushed furiously. "Um, I...I think we should go straight there." "Suit yourself," Haruka huffed. "Though that dress has 'side trips' written all over it. Y'know, there is this quiet little spot just past the--" "Haruka-san!" Makoto yelled. "Okay, okay...you Inners are all so cute when you're flustered. Fine...hold on to your undies.--if you're wearing any, that is." Haruka's sly grin suddenly turned into a steely-eyed smile as her engine revved up. "Next stop: Kondo!"
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