Ami Mizuno had been wrong.
It was not, as some might believe, an utterly foreign feeling to the young genius. It was a common misconception that everything came effortlessly to her. Born of envy or perhaps even resentment for her extraordinary mind, simply being -right- had come to be expected of her.
Becoming Sailor Mercury had not helped this perception in the least. Giving a teenage genius unparalleled scanning and analytical ability in her visor, and a database that any scholar would drool over in the Mercury computer had led to a problem. Ami was no more infallible than she had been before. However, this came to light less and less, as she pushed herself to be better at what she did.
No mistakes, or hesitation could be allowed with her friends' lives on the line. Correctly identifying and pointing out weaknesses, or strengths could mean the difference between life and death for her friends. They had been strengthened and empowered beyond all expectations and they still walked a fine line to battle supernatural menaces-the difference between victory and defeat was paper thin. Even then, despite the confidence she had in her friends, seeing them hurt and injured instilled a deep seated fear of losing any one of her only friends.
And now her brother wanted in!
On the one hand, it was almost maddening. He kept charging into the fray, heedless of his own safety. He'd been hurt, but he was alive. That was what mattered. She did know him well enough to understand why he was doing what he was doing. It was sweet, and noble, and many other good things. He recovered, grew stronger...and flying in the face of all logic, he kept trying.
And now here he was again. Somehow, he'd been empowered now as well. He'd done quite well for himself, apparently. He was now physically skilled, and powerful magically. There was no real question that he could now fight alongside them on his own terms.
None of which was sufficient to override her concern for him. And maybe...just maybe, if she was completely honest with herself, a bit of wounded pride. She didn't NEED looking after. Although, if she was perfectly honest, she was doing the same for him, before he ascended? Was that even the proper term?
But no one understood. She had been mightily resentful during that senshi meeting. She'd carefully hidden her feelings, but she had almost wanted to slap Makoto and Minako. She just KNEW they were focusing on her brother's magically enhanced form, rather than the stubborn, sweet boy who threw himself into fighting with a manic zeal that scared his more conservative sister to death. She had even fallen into the trap. She had been so convinced of her own -rightness- that she had overlooked Makoto's feelings-and in her rush to convince them to protect her brother, had stepped on them.
In bringing the problem into focus, Usagi had presented Ami with a problem. For a girl of her age, Ami had an unparalleled mind. She was also a fairly sheltered teenage girl, with little to no social experience. She was not too proud to admit she had blundered badly. On the other hand, She had no idea what to do about it. Conflicting feelings rose up in her. She wanted to apologize to Makoto, explain that she hadn't thought about applying her words to her friend as well. But before she could decide on that course of action, flickers of memory rose up in her mind-Minako and Makoto staring at her Transformed brother with openly admiring looks.
Resentment warred with Ami's desire to end the conflict. What's the use? They'll never understand... She shook her head. But I should still try...they're my friends-right? Glancing at Makoto, Ami ground her teeth at the way the tallest senshi was attentive to her brother, and finally, resentment won.
Reverting to old habits, Ami stood up, and quietly retreated into the trees. This was all so confusing, and she desperately needed to be alone to think.
---
Ranma nodded to himself and rubbed his hands together, about to suggest something else to the assembled girls, when his eyes fell on the clearing, and a very distinctive color was missing from the assembled heads of feminine hair. A cold chill trailed up his spine as further glances proved unhelpful in locating his sister. "Uh, Guys? Where's Ami-chan?"
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(Posted Tue, 24 Jan 2006 08:19)
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