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Post by Kino Makoto on Jan 28, 2009 17:56:18 GMT -5
After a few duds, Makoto and Ami had finally found their dresses for the New Year’s Eve bash at the palace. It had taken some serious persuasion for Ami, but she finally caved and agreed to an incredibly stunning gown. Makoto was quite proud of herself for that. She thought Minako would be proud, too.
Now that the big shopping was out of the way, Ami had suggested a bookstore nearby that also had a small café inside. It was near lunchtime anyways, so Makoto supposed getting a little bite to eat and some coffee was a good idea. Not to mention after that shopping ordeal, Ami deserved a trip to the bookstore. So here they were.
She pointed to a small table in the corner. “How about we sit over there? Looks quiet and cozy enough…”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Feb 6, 2009 20:42:21 GMT -5
Ami nodded and headed in the direction that Makoto had indicated. She breathed deeply in the scent of the bookstore. Most of the books here were new, so it did not have the musty smell of a library, but that did not keep her from luxuriating in the warmth and familiarity of a book store. She glanced around at the full bookshelves and tried to think about where she would want to look first after they ate.
As she sat she smiled warmly to her friend, "This is the kind of shopping I don't mind. They have great sandwiches here, and any kind of coffee or tea you can imagine. I really like their Vanilla Chai."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Mar 18, 2009 13:54:44 GMT -5
Makoto placed her pocketbook beside her as she sat and smiled at Ami as she sat too. “I’m glad I could accompany you. I needed to check out some new recipe books anyways, so this is perfect.”
A young waitress came over to the table and welcomed the two to the café. She placed a couple small menus before them and promised to return in a few moments to take their order.
Makoto looked down at her menu, trying to decide what she’d like to order. “I’m thinking maybe a salad for me, but I’m not sure. I definitely want a latte or something with espresso. I could definitely use the energy boost. What do you think?”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Mar 18, 2009 14:12:03 GMT -5
"Their salads are good. They use fresh ingredients." She smiled, "I think you would approve. It's not a Mako-chan made lunch, but it's good. And their drinks are good, too."
After a moment of looking over the sandwiches, "An energy boost would not be a bad thing right now. If Usagi doesn't need any help when we return, I think I'll be spending the rest of the day curled up with a good book." Dress shopping had required a lot of energy, but more she had not slept particularly well the night before.
She looked up from the menu, "I think I'm going to get the turkey and brie sandwhich."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Mar 18, 2009 14:30:29 GMT -5
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Makoto smiled. “Though the turkey with brie does sound really good…” She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before setting the menu down and nodding her head. “No, I’m getting a salad. That’s that.”
She rested her arms on the table, her hands together with her fingers laced. “Lucky you getting to spend the afternoon reading. I’ve got to finish putting the menu together for New Year’s. I’m meeting with Usagi in the morning to get her final stamp of approval before placing the last supply orders. Then I’ll be buried in the kitchen from tomorrow afternoon until at least a few hours before the party starts.”
The waitress returned to the table with a pen and paper in hand. Makoto smiled to her and placed her order. “I’ll have a small garden salad please, and a grande caramel latte.” She handed the menu back to the young girl. “Thank you.”
Once they’d both placed their orders, she leaned back in her chair and chuckled. “I am definitely taking a vacation, or at least a few days to myself once this New Year’s thing is over. I seriously need to get away from here for a bit, just to regroup if nothing else.”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Mar 18, 2009 14:39:39 GMT -5
Ami chuckled. "Well, after New Years, I have to start working towards the grand opening of the hospital, so I figure I should take what I can get today, but if you need any help, please, feel free to ask."
"I wonder if we can convince Usagi to do the same. I know she's finding comfort in the distraction of work, something I can definitely understand, but a vacation might not be a bad idea." She thought of Rei and Minako just recently being back but with everything going on they'd really not gotten to spend time with her. She didn't want to crowd Makoto's vacation though.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Mar 18, 2009 14:44:32 GMT -5
“Oh yes, that’s right. How is that coming along? I know I helped you out the other day, and it seemed like things were getting in order fairly well. How much more is left to do?”
Makoto nodded at the suggestion of doing something with Usagi. “I’m not sure how easy it will be to get her away from the palace, but I’m sure we can figure something out. At the very least, we still need to have our girl’s night in or something once all this craziness passes.” She glanced out the window to the bustle of the street and sort of mumbled, to herself more than Ami. “Though at this rate, it could be a while…”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Mar 18, 2009 15:01:28 GMT -5
"It's going well. Fortunately, I had plans already in place and moving up the time table wasn't too difficult. I guess that's the advantage of being part of the new government. People seem eager to be a part of it, even if it's just the palace hospital." She frowned, "Where we're running into issues is more with trying to make sure that the ER is able to be functioning by the party. I don't think anything would go wrong, but with that many people in the palace, I want us to be able to deal with it. Once all the work is done there, we can start phasing in the other departments less hurriedly." When it came to her profession, Ami could talk for a while.
However, she did not miss the quiet mumbling. "Mako-chan? Did something happen?" Not that she didn't agree with the sentiment.
Rei's response had been rather decisive, and she wasn't sure what Minako's reaction was or would be. Makoto was experiencing headaches and passing out. Usagi had called off her wedding to Mamoru. And she... did not want to think about how it was affecting her.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Mar 18, 2009 15:45:01 GMT -5
“Yeah, it will be good to have the ER up and running. I doubt there will be anything that would cause it to fill up, but it is definitely good to have that safety net there.”
Her eyes flicked up to look at Ami at the question. Was she really ready to start talking about this so soon after it had all happened? Well, she did need to tell them all what had happened with Nathaniel the previous evening. No time like the present to share with Ami.
“Yes. Something happened.”
She forced a smile as the waitress stopped by and placed their drinks on the table. Once she’d left, Makoto continued. “A big something.”
She took a sip from her cup, letting the hot liquid warm her from the inside out. Looking down at the cup she still held in her hands, she softly spoke. “I remember.”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Mar 18, 2009 15:55:10 GMT -5
Ami frowned slightly and reached over to gently touch her hand, even though it was wrapped around the cup. "I'm sorry, Mako-chan." Ami remembered when she first remembered, the only time her grades had ever really suffered, and she could not imagine it was easier for Makoto - actually with the other recent developments, it was probably worse.
For a moment she was quiet, just being there with her sister. "Do you know what triggered it?" Actually, Ami could guess - having met Nathaniel Berhardt and the revelation on Ami's part - something she almost regretted sharing. The headaches, the passing out, they were probably all connected. Which meant it was not particularly surprising.
"More importantly, are you ok?" Her eyes held genuine concern for her.
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Post by Kino Makoto on Mar 18, 2009 16:16:49 GMT -5
Makoto looked up as she felt Ami’s hand upon her own. She nodded a silent thank you before looking back down, memories of the previous night and of events from several millennia ago still flooding her thoughts.
She sighed as Ami inquired about the trigger. “It could have been anything that started the flow of memories. The more we talked, the more things flitted through my mind…like they were slowly seeping from the cracks of the corners of my mind. And then…” she trailed off.
Her throat had become a bit dry as she readied herself to share the next part. She sipped at her coffee again. “And then, I asked him if he’d listened to the stars. He broke out into a sweat and appeared as if he’d become ill. At that point I thought it best to find somewhere more private to talk, so we went to his apartment.” She bit her lip, concerned what Ami would think about that, but knew better than to worry about that now and decided to just continue.
“I shared what I could, but the more I told him the worse he got and the more that memories flowed through my mind. I told him I didn’t think I could tell him everything yet, that he needed to rest or something first. I didn’t want him to be sick right there in the middle of his living room.” Makoto looked out the window, trying to hide the tears that were building yet again. She’d thought they’d have dried out by now, but apparently she was wrong. “Before I knew it, he was off the couch and had me in his arms again. The second his lips met mine, the dam broke and I knew everything.”
She took a deep breath, composing herself before looking back at Ami. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine. This is just…” She sighed, “…it’s just a lot to take in all at once.”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Mar 18, 2009 16:30:45 GMT -5
Ami blinked as she took in what Makoto was saying. Fortunately, Ami was really good at putting puzzle pieces together. "You saw Bernhardt-san again?" And went to his apartment? She knew if she said that, it would sound judgmental - which was not how she meant it, so she decided to keep it to herself.
Another thing that Ami was good at was compartmentalizing her thoughts. The surge of jealousy that she felt at Makoto's revelation that she again kissed Nephrite - Nathaniel - while she had only been able to talk to a ghost who was not even substantial enough for the briefest of touches was able to be pushed to the side.
"Everything?" It was hard to even remain slightly jealous at that. Everything included the end, and to remember then... "Mako-chan."
"It is a lot. I know. I'm sorry, that... that had to be the worst time to remember everything." She sighed as she tried not to remember herself, right now she needed to focus on Makoto. "Do you need to talk about it? Does he remember?"
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Post by Kino Makoto on Mar 18, 2009 16:42:46 GMT -5
Makoto nodded. “I had given him my e-mail address that night I ran into him. He asked me to dinner, just something casual. I was curious…the feelings, the memories were all new to me. So I said yes. We went out for American style pizza, but barely got to eat any of it when we decided that it was best to carry on our conversation in private. His apartment was the best place for that at the time.”
She looked into Ami’s blue eyes. “Everything. I remember it all. Down to the last detail.”
Ami’s next question was the hardest to answer as she was still trying to come to terms with it herself. But she did need to talk about it, or at least some of it. She shook her head no. “I think he may be very close to remembering as well, perhaps soon even awakening fully as Nephrite.” Her heart skipped a beat as his name fell from her lips, but she pressed on anyways. “I should have stayed. I wanted to stay. To see him in such pain was heartbreaking. But I remembered….the fall. Part of my heart was pulling me toward him and the other part told me to run. Fleeing won out.”
She paused and took another drink from her cup. ’It shouldn’t be this hard, should it? That was all in the past, and I should be able to move on, right?’ Makoto looked back up to her sister again. “How did you get through it when your memories returned? Please tell me there’s a light at the end of this tunnel…”
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Post by Mizuno Ami on Mar 18, 2009 21:01:03 GMT -5
Ami nodded. She could understand Makoto wanting to see him again. She was also not surprised that the information from yesterday morning did not force her to reconsider wanting to see him. Curiosity was a strong motivator, but more than that had to be the feelings.
She grimaced as her sister clarified what "everything" meant.
"I don't blame you for fleeing. I may think they deserve a chance more than Rei does..." She bit her lip for a moment remembering the pain she'd seen in Zoisite's eyes last night, "All right, I think they deserve a chance, period. But... with that memory all the sudden. I don't think you would have been able to help him, no matter how much you wanted to."
She smirked and this time took a drink of her own chai as their lunches were brought out. Once they were alone again she sighed, "There is. It was different for me though. They were just memories; as far as I knew, they were all dead." She looked into her drink, "Do you remember that semester I thought I was going to fail out of Med School?" She hadn't really been in danger of failing, but her grades had suffered. "That was when I remembered."
Ami looked back up at Makoto, "They just stop hurting as much. Believe it or not, that's why I don't date. Because as painful as those last memories are... I knew true love." This was more painful to admit than she thought it would be. "I don't want anything less. I'm not sure that's what you were looking for, and maybe it's not much of a light, but it does hurt less. And now... I guess I'm actually hopeful that he'll be awakened..."
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Post by Kino Makoto on Mar 18, 2009 21:57:50 GMT -5
Makoto felt somewhat relieved at how well Ami was taking these revelations. At least there was someone who understood the emotions she was dealing with. She nodded as Ami assured her there was probably nothing she could have done to help him at that moment. That was a bit of a relief as well. There was enough on her mind as it was. Feeling guilty for leaving him in such a condition was not something she needed to add to it all.
“True love…” She trailed off. Was it true love that she’d been searching for? She’d been so boy-crazy all those years… Was it some part of her soul that was looking for its other half that caused her to cling to any guy who’d crossed her path? She shook off the thought as she reached for her fork and picked at the salad before her. Finally spearing a few bits of lettuce and other veggies, she managed a smile at Ami. “I’m glad it hurts less for you.”
Makoto ate several bites in silence while continuing to ponder the things that Ami had said. Suddenly she sat down her fork and looked at Ami with a grin. She’d made up her mind.
“I’m hopeful too.”
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