Cat Girl Nuku Nuku Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ HailStorm ❯ Prologue

The Saotome Legacy - Hailstorm
http://www.geocities.com/laqjr/myfics/TSL/TSL00.html < p class="c1">Inspired by Jonathan Ford's story "Who's Your Daddy?"
Found at http://tannim.anifics.com/Daddy/Daddy.html

«·»«.»«·»&laqu o;.»«·»«.»«·»

Prologue

«·»«.»«·»&laqu o;.»«·»

Disclaimer:

I do not own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon or Ranma Nibunnoichi. Prologue is an altered version of the prologue from WYD?. Characters used without permission. Prologue taken and altered with permission.

«·»«.»«·»&laqu o;.»«·»

It all began when...

«·»«.»«·»&laqu o;.»«·»«.»«·»

At suko Mizuno wearily kicked off her shoes, not bothering to replace them with the soft indoor slippers that waited next to the door. Juban General had been absolutely swamped with victims of the latest monster attack. Though she generally worked with patients who had appointments with Dr. Kisawa, the hospital had been so swamped by ER patients that doctors were literally snagging any staff they came across with some education to help out in stabilizing the situation.

A long, hot bath and a good night's sleep would refresh her depleted reserves of energy, but the trek to the bathroom seemed like an impossible mission. Each step compounded the pain in her aching feet, yet she made it, thankfully. Sluggishly, the woman retrieved a large bath towel from the linen closet and slid open the door to the furo. The room was already filled with a thick blanket of warm, cloudy steam. Through the fog, Atsuko could barely make out the form of her daughter, the pride and joy of her life for the last thirteen and a half years, laid back in the large furo.

By this time, Atsuko would usually have left and let Ami alone to her bath. Bathing together with her daughter was something she avoided doing since Ami was able to bathe on her own. Today, however, tired and weary as she was, Atsuko could not bring herself to leave the bathroom until she'd at least had a few minutes to soak in the warm water. Shedding her uniform, Atsuko walked to one of the shelves over the sink and pulled out a bar of soap, one which she hoarded very carefully and used as sparingly as possible. This soap... with it, she could immerse herself and hide from her reality.

Sitting herself on one of the stools, Atsuko took the time to carefully lather herself with the soap before washing with cold water. Seeing Ami was dozing slightly, she carefully descended into the furo so as not to wake her daughter. Looking down at Ami's sleeping form, Atsuko wondered again at how beautiful her daughter was. She and Ami had grown distant from each other over time. Buying this well-furnished apartment was not really the smartest move with her new job as an underpaid nurse in the nearly-filled-to-bursting General Hospital of Juban, and as such Atsuko often had to work overtime to pay for their slightly indulgent lifestyle. Ami's own studies were likely a result of her mother spending so much time working at the hospital, and Atsuko would have liked for her to go out more often and participate in some sports in conjunction with swimming, but if Ami would rather spend her free time studying at a cram school, Atsuko was going to make sure Ami had the money to study there.

It was only when she had slid down and rest her back against the side of the furo that the woman noticed the state of Ami's bruised and battered form. She gasped, reaching out to the sleeping girl, instinctually checking out the degree of her bruises. Years of experience in treating nearly every form of injury that could possibly be sustained told her that nothing was seriously wrong with Ami. The bruises were already halfway healed, the scratches and small lacerations scabbed over and showing no signs of infection.

Who had done this to her? What kind of monster would attack her daughter? Filled with fear for her daughter's safety, Atsuko pulled Ami close to her and hugged her tightly, feeling all the more certain she had failed to protect the girl and teach her to protect herself.

«·»«.»«·»&laqu o;.»«·»«.»«·»

Am i woke up with a wince, feeling every one of the injuries she obtained during the struggle with the droid from Chibi-Usa's dream she and the other senshi fought off earlier in the day. Thank all that was holy for accelerated healing, something she seemed to have even when not in her senshi form, much to the chagrin of her teammates.

The girl opened her eyes and squacked in surprise. She was in her mother's arms and the older woman was weeping softly. Oh no, what would she think? Ami shifted slightly, trying to take pressure off of a tender spot near her lower back. The motion caught her mother's attention and Ami found herself the target of a powerful gaze that burned with an internal fire of such intensity, she momentarily wondered if the woman was possessed.

"Ami, who was it? Who did this to you? Just tell me, who?" demanded Atsuko, a severely forceful tone entering into her voice. "He can't hurt you anymore, I promise you." A promise filled with certainty.

Ami's eyes widened in surprise. Her mother thought someone had... oh, hell, she was so screwed.

"M-Mom, you've got the wrong idea. It's nothing like that!" Ami quickly said. How was she going to get out of this without compromising her identity?

Atsuko cradled her closely, not allowing the girl to escape her grasp. Around them the water sloshed and splashed, but neither of them paid it any attention, too caught up in more important matters to care.

"It's okay, Ami. I'm not mad at you. Just tell me who it is, I'll make sure they never do anything again. We'll talk to the authorities, get everything straightened out. Everything will be okay, Ami, I'll make sure this never happens again."

Fearing the fallout of her mother's future misguided actions on her behalf, Ami began to talk, blurting out secrets she'd never even thought about exposing. They were gonna be so mad at her, Ami knew, but sacrifices have to be made every day. Besides, who knew, maybe her mother wouldn't mind having a super hero in the family.

«·»«.»«·»&laqu o;.»«·»«.»«·»

Au thor's Notes:

Hmm, well, none of this is really original. Most all of this (as of 11/11/02) is a modified version of Jonathan Ford's own Prologue in "Who's Your Daddy?". Go read it and you'll see what I mean.

Questions, comments, and criticisms are welcome. Email me at laqjr_200@hotmail.com and give me feedback.