TSM: Viva La Vida - Ch1
Title: This Sweet Madness: Viva La Vida
Genre(s): Angst/Dark, friendship, action/adventure
Length: 1150 w
Summary: When a set of old faces reappear in their lives, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask struggle to decide whether these persons are friend or foe as they begin to realize that what they believe of the past may not be true at all.
Warnings: dark themes are touched upon, including mental disorder, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, death and murder.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon and make no profit from this work of fictional fun.
A/N: Originally called “intermissions,” these chapters cover a portion of the senshi’s story during the events of This Sweet Madness; they are not stand alone. I removed them from the other body of work as they didn’t seem to fit mood of the rest of the piece, but decided to put them in as an in-between, or intermission, before the sequel, This Glorious Sadness.
AMI
June 2009. Tokyo, Japan.
Rei’s fork settled upon her plate with a clink that seemed to echo through the kitchen. “It’s good,” she muttered to Makoto, who nodded, but everyone could see that the priestess’s slice of birthday cake had only had the slimmest corner cut from it. Half of that corner was still on the fork.
Ami looked down at her own plate of untouched cake and then set it aside as well. Usagi was the only one eating it, it seemed, but even her bites were slow and thoughtful. Makoto didn’t seem to notice or mind; she was washing dishes with such concentration that Ami worried she might manage to break one of porcelain plates. Those could be dangerous, she’d learned.
A sudden, irresistible bark of laughter burst from her mouth and Ami clapped a hand to her lips. Heads all around the kitchen jerked up, and six sets of eyes settled upon her. Despite this, the laughter shook up through her shoulders and spilled into the air. Ami squeezed her eyes shut and leaned her hot face into her hands as she let the mirth wash through her.
“Ami-chan...” Usagi whispered around a mouthful of chocolate.
“I-I’m sorry.” Ami gasped between giggles and drug the heel of her palm under one eye. “I just…I can’t help it. The plates.”
Makoto lifted one of the hand-painted china plates out of the sink and looked at it doubtfully. Ami managed to get herself under control enough to sputter: “Zoe…Zoicite. S-she tried to kill herself with a plate.”
A second twitter of laughter arose from the counter top. Artemis ducked his head in an attempt to hide his own sets of giggles. Beside him, Luna’s ears perked and she stared at her lover as if he’d gone mad. Ami’s own giggles renewed themselves and she folded her arms across the table top, hiding her face against them.
The hand that caressed her shoulder a moment later was Rei’s, she guessed, based on simple proximity.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Usagi whispered. The lump in Ami’s throat threatened to choke her, and she sniffled but the laughter didn’t want to fade.
“It isn’t.” Mamoru chortled. “That’s why it is.”
Rei’s hand rubbed circles against Ami’s back and she heard the woman shift in the seat beside her. “They’re not laughing with humour, Usako.” Ami nodded to the underlying threat of the statement.
A few clinks and splashes told her that Makoto had resumed the dish washing, and slowly her shaking began to subside; the warm hand helped. “I don’t know what to do,” she choked. Rei’s hand moved up to stroke her hair and Usagi whimpered.
“What can we do?” Rei asked after a moment. “You’re their doctor, not us, you can’t share information with us.”
Ami shook her head and sat up again, once more dragging her fingers against her damp skin. Rei offered her a napkin and she took it with a nod of thanks. “I shouldn’t, no,” Ami replied when she’d cleared her throat a few times. “It isn’t… proper. But.”
“But they’re a threat.” Luna had Artemis half ensconced between her front paws, now, his face buried against her breast. Her blue eyes focused on Ami and the psychologist tried not to read any emotions into them. “At least, it’s probable that they are. If these two have returned, and we are certain of who they are--”
“--We are,” said Rei.
“--Then it is probable that the other two, and even Beryl, have returned.”
Mamoru cleared his throat. The attention of the room shifted to him, but his eyes were for Ami and she nodded even before he opened his mouth; she knew what he would say. “Bachiko.”
Usagi’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“Almost positive.” Ami sighed. “Rei wasn’t able to get close enough to read her aura, but from the things that both Zoe and Jun have said…It’s mixed in there, somehow. But I know that it’s her.”
“Metallia is dead,” said Artemis, “Beryl wasn’t much of a threat on her own. I don’t think we have anything to worry about if she’s as Looney Tunes as you said.”
The urge to correct the cat was strong, but Ami bit her lip and Makoto set the last plate aside. “From what you guys said,” Makoto slowly said as she turned the faucet off and found a towel to dry her hands, “It seems like Jad--Jun and… Zoe? Zoe don’t want much to do with her anymore, if anything. These aren’t the Shitennou that we’re talking about, these are just… children.”
“They’re not just anything.” Rei shook her head. “There’s something there. When I saw Jun, there was something about his aura which isn’t…right. I’d need to get closer to tell, but after this afternoon...”
“How is he?” Usagi asked, looking down at her licked-clean dessert plate. Makoto reached over to take it from her and plunked it into the standing dishwater.
“He hasn’t woken up yet,” Ami said. “They aren’t sure about the diagnosis, and I’m not certain how much I can--that is to say--”
No one bothered to speak up, and the room fell silent. Rei pushed her chair back and began to collect plates from the table. She pushed the untouched slices of cake onto a saucer together and carried the lot around the bar to where Makoto still stood. Together, they took care of the remains of Usagi’s birthday dinner.
Mamoru got up and went upstairs, as if he’d heard something. Usagi looked after him, but then settled back against the table and put her chin on her hands. “I’m thirty-two, now,” the woman mused, “Why don’t I feel different?”
Ami smiled a little and looked at her friend. “Because you’re Usagi and you’ll never grow up.”
A smile broke across Usagi’s face and she laughed. “But I’m getting silver hair, now. I didn’t think it would happen this soon.”
“There’s a lot of things I thought would have already happened,” Makoto said from the kitchen, “But if you go grey first, can we start calling you Granny?”
“Mako-chan!” Usagi squealed. “That’s mean!”
“Old Lady Chiba.” Rei nodded with every air of seriousness. “Small Lady will have to drop out of grade school to put you into a home.”
“You’re all mean!” The birthday girl huffed, but the twinkle had returned to her eyes. Mamoru came back downstairs and Usagi turned to him, a grin on her face that stilled when she saw him. Ami frowned, her own gaze flying to the one man in their midst and silence once again ruled the kitchen.
He had in his hand a box; a simple wooden jewelry box no different from any other of its ilk. No different, until he set it upon the counter and lifted the top. In the kitchen, one of the china plates dropped and shattered.
Originally posted at The Mouse Hole.
Genre(s): Angst/Dark, friendship, action/adventure
Length: 1150 w
Summary: When a set of old faces reappear in their lives, the Senshi and Tuxedo Mask struggle to decide whether these persons are friend or foe as they begin to realize that what they believe of the past may not be true at all.
Warnings: dark themes are touched upon, including mental disorder, emotional, physical and sexual abuse, death and murder.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon and make no profit from this work of fictional fun.
A/N: Originally called “intermissions,” these chapters cover a portion of the senshi’s story during the events of This Sweet Madness; they are not stand alone. I removed them from the other body of work as they didn’t seem to fit mood of the rest of the piece, but decided to put them in as an in-between, or intermission, before the sequel, This Glorious Sadness.
AMI
June 2009. Tokyo, Japan.
Rei’s fork settled upon her plate with a clink that seemed to echo through the kitchen. “It’s good,” she muttered to Makoto, who nodded, but everyone could see that the priestess’s slice of birthday cake had only had the slimmest corner cut from it. Half of that corner was still on the fork.
Ami looked down at her own plate of untouched cake and then set it aside as well. Usagi was the only one eating it, it seemed, but even her bites were slow and thoughtful. Makoto didn’t seem to notice or mind; she was washing dishes with such concentration that Ami worried she might manage to break one of porcelain plates. Those could be dangerous, she’d learned.
A sudden, irresistible bark of laughter burst from her mouth and Ami clapped a hand to her lips. Heads all around the kitchen jerked up, and six sets of eyes settled upon her. Despite this, the laughter shook up through her shoulders and spilled into the air. Ami squeezed her eyes shut and leaned her hot face into her hands as she let the mirth wash through her.
“Ami-chan...” Usagi whispered around a mouthful of chocolate.
“I-I’m sorry.” Ami gasped between giggles and drug the heel of her palm under one eye. “I just…I can’t help it. The plates.”
Makoto lifted one of the hand-painted china plates out of the sink and looked at it doubtfully. Ami managed to get herself under control enough to sputter: “Zoe…Zoicite. S-she tried to kill herself with a plate.”
A second twitter of laughter arose from the counter top. Artemis ducked his head in an attempt to hide his own sets of giggles. Beside him, Luna’s ears perked and she stared at her lover as if he’d gone mad. Ami’s own giggles renewed themselves and she folded her arms across the table top, hiding her face against them.
The hand that caressed her shoulder a moment later was Rei’s, she guessed, based on simple proximity.
“I don’t see what’s so funny,” Usagi whispered. The lump in Ami’s throat threatened to choke her, and she sniffled but the laughter didn’t want to fade.
“It isn’t.” Mamoru chortled. “That’s why it is.”
Rei’s hand rubbed circles against Ami’s back and she heard the woman shift in the seat beside her. “They’re not laughing with humour, Usako.” Ami nodded to the underlying threat of the statement.
A few clinks and splashes told her that Makoto had resumed the dish washing, and slowly her shaking began to subside; the warm hand helped. “I don’t know what to do,” she choked. Rei’s hand moved up to stroke her hair and Usagi whimpered.
“What can we do?” Rei asked after a moment. “You’re their doctor, not us, you can’t share information with us.”
Ami shook her head and sat up again, once more dragging her fingers against her damp skin. Rei offered her a napkin and she took it with a nod of thanks. “I shouldn’t, no,” Ami replied when she’d cleared her throat a few times. “It isn’t… proper. But.”
“But they’re a threat.” Luna had Artemis half ensconced between her front paws, now, his face buried against her breast. Her blue eyes focused on Ami and the psychologist tried not to read any emotions into them. “At least, it’s probable that they are. If these two have returned, and we are certain of who they are--”
“--We are,” said Rei.
“--Then it is probable that the other two, and even Beryl, have returned.”
Mamoru cleared his throat. The attention of the room shifted to him, but his eyes were for Ami and she nodded even before he opened his mouth; she knew what he would say. “Bachiko.”
Usagi’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“Almost positive.” Ami sighed. “Rei wasn’t able to get close enough to read her aura, but from the things that both Zoe and Jun have said…It’s mixed in there, somehow. But I know that it’s her.”
“Metallia is dead,” said Artemis, “Beryl wasn’t much of a threat on her own. I don’t think we have anything to worry about if she’s as Looney Tunes as you said.”
The urge to correct the cat was strong, but Ami bit her lip and Makoto set the last plate aside. “From what you guys said,” Makoto slowly said as she turned the faucet off and found a towel to dry her hands, “It seems like Jad--Jun and… Zoe? Zoe don’t want much to do with her anymore, if anything. These aren’t the Shitennou that we’re talking about, these are just… children.”
“They’re not just anything.” Rei shook her head. “There’s something there. When I saw Jun, there was something about his aura which isn’t…right. I’d need to get closer to tell, but after this afternoon...”
“How is he?” Usagi asked, looking down at her licked-clean dessert plate. Makoto reached over to take it from her and plunked it into the standing dishwater.
“He hasn’t woken up yet,” Ami said. “They aren’t sure about the diagnosis, and I’m not certain how much I can--that is to say--”
No one bothered to speak up, and the room fell silent. Rei pushed her chair back and began to collect plates from the table. She pushed the untouched slices of cake onto a saucer together and carried the lot around the bar to where Makoto still stood. Together, they took care of the remains of Usagi’s birthday dinner.
Mamoru got up and went upstairs, as if he’d heard something. Usagi looked after him, but then settled back against the table and put her chin on her hands. “I’m thirty-two, now,” the woman mused, “Why don’t I feel different?”
Ami smiled a little and looked at her friend. “Because you’re Usagi and you’ll never grow up.”
A smile broke across Usagi’s face and she laughed. “But I’m getting silver hair, now. I didn’t think it would happen this soon.”
“There’s a lot of things I thought would have already happened,” Makoto said from the kitchen, “But if you go grey first, can we start calling you Granny?”
“Mako-chan!” Usagi squealed. “That’s mean!”
“Old Lady Chiba.” Rei nodded with every air of seriousness. “Small Lady will have to drop out of grade school to put you into a home.”
“You’re all mean!” The birthday girl huffed, but the twinkle had returned to her eyes. Mamoru came back downstairs and Usagi turned to him, a grin on her face that stilled when she saw him. Ami frowned, her own gaze flying to the one man in their midst and silence once again ruled the kitchen.
He had in his hand a box; a simple wooden jewelry box no different from any other of its ilk. No different, until he set it upon the counter and lifted the top. In the kitchen, one of the china plates dropped and shattered.
Originally posted at The Mouse Hole.