Blades of Justice
You were in a bookstore last Tuesday. I'm not really sure anything about you, but I saw her afterward, and whoever you were, she was bright red and biting her lip.
She's a bit shorter than average with black hair that almost seems blue. She probably had her nose buried in a book the whole time, which is a shame, because you really should see her smile.
Since that day, she's been listening to some American pop artists and smiling when no one's looking.
Whoever you are, you've made her happy. It'd be great if you could keep doing that. We'll make sure she's at the Crown this Friday. She'll probably be studying, drinking a vanilla something or another, and eating a sandwich. Please, feel free to interrupt her.
“Where’s Ami?” Haruka, as always, was ready before anyone else, a slight impatience in her stance as she waited for the others.
Minako shrugged as she immediately began stretching, “She had to study. You know she has comps coming up.”
“I don’t understand.” Hotaru tried not to look impatient as Michiru checked her pads and helmet, but it was clear to everyone that she was just barely managing not to roll her eyes. “Shouldn’t the first doctorate prove she’s competent? Mama! For crying out loud, you don’t mother hen this much when I’m tr…you know!”
Laughing as she kissed her daughter’s cheek and pulled away, “It’s different-to both your question and your complaint. A completely different subject and a completely different matter. Besides, your Haruka-papa would be even more neurotic about it if she weren’t barely keeping herself under control at the moment.”
“Michi! I mean, it’s true, but be nice!” The blond woman turned a hurt expression to wife for just a moment, before turning her attention back to Minako, ignoring the rest of the women as they were stretching and warming up. “So, Ami’s studying? Maybe, at the Crown? With a nice ‘vanilla something or another’ and a sandwich?”
Minako froze for a moment in the middle of a ridiculous stretch that showed off her flexibility more than anything else. The slight distraction almost made her lose her balance, so she lowered the leg she was stretching, standing once again on two feet.
“Mina. What did you do?” Rei looked at her, an eyebrow raised in a way that immediately made Minako want to check her hair for scorched ends.
“Ami! What are you doing?”
The young woman looked up from the elbow pad she held, eyebrows knitted quizzically at the question. “I’m checking my equipment before practice, Mina. Just as I have asked you, repeatedly, to do for your own.”
Minako shrugged, grinning as she sipped some orange juice. “I check it afterwards. It’s not like it’s going to get damaged sitting in the bag.” She waved a hand, “Besides, it’s not really like we need any of the safety gear.”
Ignoring the look of disapproval Ami was giving her, she moved over to the other woman and took the pad from her, slipping it back into the bag. “Besides, you need to study today. We can handle practice without you.”
“I appreciate the concern, Mina, but I do not have to study today. I’m fine.”
“Nope, you need to study. It’s not a match; it’s practice. So yep, you should study. Weren’t you the one always on the rest of us to study more? Tsktsk, whatever happened, Ami.” As she spoke she zipped the bag and took it away from Ami.
By this point Ami was watching her with a frown. “I’m quite aware of my study needs and schedule, and I can afford to be at practice today.”
“No, you study. In fact, you should get out of the apartment though. Yes, you should take your things and study at the Crown. Yep! That’s perfect! And here.” Minako pulled a bill out of her pocket and pressed it into Ami’s hand. “Get yourself a nice drink and a sandwich. Treat yourself!
I bet they have those strawberry and white chocolate blondies you like!”
Ami glanced down at the wrinkled ten dollar bill and then back to her friend with a sigh. “What are you up to, Minako?”
“Nothing! Ok, fine, something…whatever…just trust me? Please?” She batted her eyelashes at the other woman, smiling until Ami sighed again.
“Fine.”
The others were all looking at Minako, causing her to grin, “You wanna know? Gotta catch me!” With that she sped toward the track and yelled behind her, “Laps!”
Haruka and Rei were immediately chasing behind her, while Makoto shook her head with a chuckle. “Come on, Usagi. Let’s see how many you can make before falling!”
Usagi pouted as she began to move after Makoto, “Not fair.”
Smirking, Michiru looked to Setsuna and Hotaru, “Not nice maybe, but fair. Come on. let’s keep Haruka from killing Minako when she catches her.”
Ami had decided to make the most of the time at the Crown. Whatever it was that Minako was up to, there was no harm in running a few equations, and she did enjoy the vanilla chai latte she was sipping. In fact, she had almost forgotten that she was there because of one of Mina’s infamous schemes.
“Sorry for the interruption, but I was wondering if it wouldn’t be too much of a bother, if maybe I could join you?”
Looking up, Ami saw the blond she had encountered before. The woman looked less intimidating than she had in the book store, though she still had a twinkle in her green eyes that made Ami swallow. She was dressed nicer than Ami had remembered a simple plaid skirt over dark tights and a white sweater. “Um…no, not at…I mean, yes…I mean.” Ami took a deep breath feeling the heat in her cheeks, “I mean, it’s no bother, please, have a seat.”
The other woman smiled and did so, placing two cups on the table and leaned over to look at her book and paper. “Chemistry, huh? I gotta say that looks far more complicated than anything I remember from high school or college.”
“Oh, I’m studying for comps.” Ami closed the book and put the notebook to the side.
“Wow, comps. Like doctoral exams? Impressive. Though I should have realized you were a genius. I’m sapiosexual myself so that makes sense.” The woman’s grin grew, “You’re beautiful, but I gotta say I really like the blushing. It’s cute.”
“Um…thanks.” Ami picked up her cup to hide behind, only to find it empty.
“Ah, right, so I only knew vanilla, so I got a vanilla cappuccino and a vanilla chai latte. Whichever you like is yours. Don’t worry, I like vanilla, too, so the other won’t go to waste.”
Ami blinked, “How did you know vanilla? And, um, the latte, please. Thank you.”
The woman laughed as she handed over the latte, “I could lie and say that I just can tell these things, but problem with being sapiosexual, the kind of women that are your type tend to see through the best of your cheesy lines. I’ll be honest instead. A friend of yours posted an ad in the missed connections section of craigslist and said you’d be here and you like vanilla…and sandwiches, but I didn’t know if you’d already eaten so I thought I’d just start with a drink.”
“That’s what she was up to.” Ami shook her head and rolled her eyes at the absent Minako’s antics.
“Yep! Apparently. By the way, I’m Izzy, Isabelle Starnes, but everyone I don’t hate calls me Izzy, and you are?”
“Ami Mizuno.”
Izzy held out a hand and Ami chuckled as she took it and shook hands.
“Oh, your friend was right, by the way, great smile. And there’s that blush again! So, Ami, I know that you’re a doctoral student and you know that I scare cute women in book stores and read craiglist. I should probably tell you what I do when not doing either of those.” Izzy picked up her own cup, and Ami found herself looking at the woman’s long fingers and the gracefulness with which she picked up a cup before looking up.
“You didn’t scare me.”
Izzy laughed again, and Ami blushed as she realized she liked the sound of the other woman’s laughter. “No, I did.”
“Ok, maybe a little bit.”
Ami was standing in line at the small bookstore, her basket full of a range of books-a fantasy series someone at the university had mentioned, a biography of Rosalind Franklin, a couple of manga that she would probably read once before lending to Rei and being subsequently stolen by Usagi, and a book of poetry.
The person behind her jostled her slightly, “Oh! I’m sorry, should’ve been paying closer attention.” The woman, taller than Ami, slender with fine bone structure that made Ami stare for just a moment, had blonde hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and was wearing a t-shirt of some band Ami had never heard of and very snug jeans. “Wow, quite a selection of books.”
“Um…thanks. I like reading.” Ami shrugged and started to turn back.
“Yeah, reading’s good. Poetry, huh?” The woman smiled.
Ami blinked and nodded.
“If you like poetry, here, you should listen to this…you like music right?”
Ami had barely nodded in answer when the woman was gently stuffing an ear bud in her right ear. She wanted to protest that was unsanitary, but the closeness of the other woman had her feeling very flustered.
After a moment, she frowned, “You realize whatever that would require would be quite extreme and dangerous, beyond the obvious.”
The woman looked at her quizzically, “What?”
“Setting fire to the rain.”
“Um…pretty sure it’s supposed to be a metaphor. Evocative and what not. I just thought you’d appreciate the imagery. I’m sorry. Uh…I think it’s your turn.” She gestured to the line.
Izzy smiled, “I’m sorry about that. I really don’t usually stuff ear buds into stranger’s ears. And I really don’t like to go around scaring people.” The smile faltered for just a moment, and she shook her head as if to clear it.
“It’s…it’s ok. I mean…it’s ok.”
“Anyway, like I was saying, I should probably tell you what it is that I do. Though, I totally understand if you want nothing to do with me. I fear I’m lawyer.” Izzy looked down as if she had just confessed a horrible secret.
“Actually,” Ami chuckled softly, “One of my best friends is lawyer. It’s ok.”
“Ah! Fantastic! I find it is always helpful when someone knows one of us rather than just knowing about us. Good way to dispel all the stereotypes and fears that people have, you know? Not that we don’t deserve some of them.”
Ami could not help but laugh.
“And now I’m going to say I like your laughter even more than your blushing. So, if being a lawyer is not a complete deal breaker for you, is there any chance you’d say yes if I were to ask you out?”
“Um…I…um…I…I’d like that.” Ami felt the heat spread from her cheeks to her neck and ears, and it was all she could do to not hide behind her hands or the cup.
“Good! So, any plans for Friday night?”
Ami was allowing herself the indulgence of reading a manga when the apartment door opened and Minako bounced in, “So?”
She looked at Minako and then past her to Makoto who was entering behind her, “How was practice?”
Makoto chuckled as she watched Minako ignore the snub and move to sit beside Ami on the couch, dropping her bag carelessly on the floor. Shaking her head at the blonde’s antics she answered, “Practice was good, mostly spent on teaching Hotaru. She’s getting better at jumping. Fell a few times, but that’s expected.”
“I only fell three times!” Usagi gushed proudly as she ran over to sit on Ami’s other side. “So tell us all about it! What happened?”
Rei simply sighed as she shut the door and moved to join them in the living room. “You might as well, Ami. Minako told us everything once Haruka caught her and held her down.”
“You helped her!” Minako glared at Rei who simply shrugged.
“I think it’s sweet, so leave Mina alone!” Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei before turning back to Ami, bouncing on the couch. “Tell us Ami! What happened? Was it love at fir…er, second sight! Is it true love? Can I be your maid of honor.”
Laughing at Usagi’s exuberance-a trait she was glad the woman had held onto even after all the battles with Chaos and then adulthood. “I think it might be a little too soon to make any long term diagnostics, Usagi. Her name is Izzy Starnes.”
“Izzy! Oh my goddess! How could I not have seen it! She is totally perfect for you!” Minako threw her arms around Ami.
Rei raised an eyebrow, “I take you know her?”
Minako nodded, “She’s a lawyer at legal aid, but full time. She is ridiculously committed, I mean like, it’s kinda amazing. And she’s gorgeous. She could almost give me a run for the money.” She flipped her hair, “Well, ok, not really because I’m me, but she really is very pretty, and it’s really not fair to compare anyone to the avatar of love and beauty! And she’s smart and fun.”
Makoto smirked, “Minako, do you want to date Izzy?”
“Nah, not my type. Besides, have you seen how she’s affected our gorgeous genius! C’mon, I know you’ve all heard her beautiful voice singing Adele when she thought no one was listening, and how long has it been since we’ve seen that wistful smile of hers?”
“Do you want to date Ami?” Rei raised an eyebrow.
“Um…no, I mean, who wouldn’t but…”
Ami shook her head and patted Minako’s hand, “It’s ok, Mina. So, yes, she is a lawyer with legal aid. She’s very talkative.”
Makoto laughed, “But you’re used to that with these two.” She gestured to the two flanking Ami on the couch.
“Hey!”
“Mako! Why so mean!” Usagi pouted, and Ami found herself patting her hand as well.
“And she is beautiful. Out of my league beautiful.” Ami shrugged and continued before anyone could object, raising her hands to her ears as she did so. “And we’re seeing each other again Friday night.”
Prepared, she was able to cover her ears as Minako and Usagi squealed and hugged her.