Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Solace in the Rain ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z

Info: Another Ami based story…^_^ Idea for this story came from listening to music done by Xerjester, a friend of mine.

Solace in the Rain

Chapter 1

A petite young woman with dark blue hair and sapphire eyes looked up at the dreary sky. It was raining gently onto the ground as she pulled the hood of her raincoat tighter over her head. She walked slowly alongside the busy street of Satan City as she let her thoughts wander. As she passed a small diner, the young woman felt her stomach rumble with hunger. She immediately went under the diner's awning and checked her pockets for money.

'I'm glad that Pluto gave me enough money to eat and find a place to stay,' the woman thought to herself as she finally entered the diner. She was led to a window booth and the waitress left a menu on the table.

"Would you like anything to drink?" the waitress asked in a kindly voice.

The woman looked at the waitress and smiled gently as she sat down in the booth. "I would like a cup of hot cocoa, please."

The waitress nodded and told her that she will be back in a few minutes with her drink and left. The blue haired woman nodded and let her gaze wander out the window, the rain still falling softly. She let her mind go back to the events that led her to this place…

Flashback…

Ami Mizuno just graduated from college, MIT in America, at age 24, with a dual degree in engineering and computer electronics. She had decided not to become a doctor and went on to do something that would challenge her able mind. She returned home in Japan to be with her friends. After a month went by, Ami knew that she was no longer needed. Rei was traveling around the world as a model with Minako, Makoto left to study cooking in France and Usagi was off on a honeymoon with Mamoru.

She went over to see the Outer senshi and only found Setsuna, a tall woman with long dark green hair and crimson eyes. She talked with the Time Guardian for a few hours and finally confessed her feelings to the Senshi of Pluto.

"Setsuna-san, all of my friends are busy with their own lives and with the threat of Chaos gone, there is no longer any need for me," Ami said in a sad tone. "I just want to feel needed…I feel so lonely. Everyone has someone to go home to and I do not. Is there something wrong with me?"

Setsuna smiled gently at the young woman and pulled her into a motherly embrace. Ami felt tears fall down her cheeks and hugged the older woman in return. "Hush now, Ami-chan. I feel your plight, young one," Setsuna soothed. "I have a proposal for you, but it would mean that you might not be able to return to this time and dimension."

Ami looked up at the crimson eyes of Setsuna, her own sapphire eyes filled with curiosity and confusion. "What do you mean?"

The tall woman smiled gently at Ami and motioned for her to sit down. "Crystal Tokyo will happen in this dimension whether or not you are here. You said that you wanted to feel needed. I know of a place that you will feel needed and wanted but it is in another dimension. I happen to know that you will find love there."

"What?!? Why is that? Please, tell me!"

"Easy, Ami-chan, going there will not be easy. You will have to give up everything here to go there…"

"You mean I probably won't return here…ever…"

The Guardian of Space and Time nodded solemnly. "That is correct. If you take this chance, the others will have their memories altered. They will know that there was a Sailor Mercury and that she is you, but they will not feel your loss. You will be alone in that dimension, with the exception of me. I will check up on you from time to time to see how you are doing. Out of the inner senshi, I respect you the most, Ami-chan, and that is why I am doing this for you."

Ami looked down at the floor for a little bit before glancing up at Setsuna. "I'll do it."

End flashback…

Ami glanced at the menu that the waitress put before her and sighed softly as she glanced back out at the rain. She felt so alone and lonely, but it was no different than when she felt them in her home dimension. She has only been in this dimension for a day and she terribly missed her friends.

The waitress came back with the hot cocoa and placed it gently on the table. "Would you like to order anything now, miss?" the waitress inquired.

Ami nodded and ordered a cheeseburger with chili-cheese fries, mozzarella sticks and a side salad. The order was jotted down on a small pad and the woman walked away to give the order to the cook. This left Ami alone once again with her thoughts.

'The rain…it is so calming…its solace is giving me the serenity to deal with this situation,' the blue haired woman thought to herself as she continued to watch the rain fall gently on the window. She gazed outside and didn't notice that the waitress had returned with her food. When she noticed her meal, Ami's eyes went wide for a moment and chuckled as she realized that it was more food than she would normally eat. For some reason, her appetite increased since her arrival in this dimension.

While eating, Ami took out the paper she had purchased earlier that day and looked in the classifieds for apartments to rent. She spotted a small one bedroom place and circled it in her head. Wishing that she had a phone with her, Ami opened her purse and noticed a slim-looking cell phone.

'Pluto really does think of everything,' she chuckled as she dialed the number in the paper. She talked to the person who put that ad in the paper for a few minutes while eating her meal at the same time. Ami agreed to meet the landlord the next day. 'Now I just need to find a job.'

Ami finished her food quickly and took out enough money to pay for her meal and a generous tip. When the waitress returned, she smiled at Ami.

"Thank you, miss. Is there anything else I can do for you?" the kindly server asked.

Ami thought for a moment and then nodded. "I know that this may seem like a strange request, but would you happen to know where I can apply for a job in the engineering or computer electronics field?" she asked tentatively.

The older woman chuckled a little and grinned. "Oh, you must be new to Satan City!" she exclaimed. "Capsule Corp is always looking for people who can work in those fields and I happen to know that they pay very well too."

With that place in mind, Ami's smile became truly genuine. "Can you tell me how to get there?"

The female server gave the former senshi directions on how to get to Capsule Corp and told her that she should take a taxi because it is just out of the city limits. Ami thanked the woman profusely and stood up from the booth. She put her raincoat back on and pulled the hood over her head tightly. Once she was outside, the rain once again began to fall gently on her shoulders as she tried to wave a taxi down.

When one finally stopped for her, Ami got in and told the driver where to go. The driver nodded and quickly started driving through the streets of the large city. She kept gazing out of the windows of the cab in order to take in the view of the city. It was so much different than her former home in the Juuban district. About thirty minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of some rather large dome-shaped buildings. Ami thanked the driver and paid him the fare plus a little extra for a tip.

Ami took in a deep breath as she left the vehicle and then walked into the receptionist area. A young woman was sitting at the desk and eyed the newcomer carefully. She then smiled at the blue haired woman.

"Welcome to Capsule Corp," the young woman replied. "How may I help you?"

Ami fidgeted for a moment and gave the receptionist a meek smiled. "I-I am…I'm here to see if there are any job openings…" she stammered, feeling a little nervous.

Before the receptionist could say anything, another woman entered the area from an elevator. She had short, aqua colored hair and eyes that held humor within them. "Becky, I'm going to step out for a bit so hold any calls," the woman stated and then she finally saw Ami. "Well, hello there. I'm Bulma Briefs. I run the company with my father. Are you looking for a job, I hope?"

Ami felt like her legs were going to become rubber with how weak they felt at the moment. "Actually, yes…I am. I have degrees in engineering and computer electronics," she answered in a shaky voice.

Bulma grinned and gave Ami an unexpected hug. "Oh, I am SO relieved!" she exclaimed. "I was going to go out and put out ads for someone who can work in those fields and here you are! I mean, this has just got to be fate or something."

'Or it could be Setsuna's work once again,' Ami thought wryly as she began to have trouble breathing. "M-miss Br-briefs…c-c-can't…br-breath…"

Bulma sweatdropped and immediately released Ami from the embrace and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that…I tend to get excitable," she explained. "Oh, and call me Bulma. What's your name, by the way?"

"My name is Ami Mizuno but you can call me Ami, Bulma," Ami answered. "Do you need to see my references and credentials? I have them…"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Bulma interrupted, still grinning. "Do you have a place to stay? Some of the people who work for me actually live here. Makes things easier. As a matter of fact, I live here with my parents, my son and my son's father. Wait a moment…the employee living quarters are full, so…you will just have to stay in my home! I have tons of room and I just know that my son will adore you. And it would be so nice to have another woman around, not like this stupid monkey I know…"

Bulma kept on talking about the company and what it was like living in Satan City. Ami smiled at the woman's exuberance and secretly thought that Bulma was a lot like Usagi. Thinking of her friends, the young woman's smile faltered as she started to feel lonely once again. She mindlessly followed her new boss around the living complex and was led into a rather large domed home.

"This is my home," the aqua-haired woman proudly stated. "There's a gym, an indoor pool, a gravity machine if you like training." Bulma scrunched up her face at that. "Anyway, Ami, I hope you will like it here. Do you have any questions before I show you to your rooms?"

Ami thought for a moment and nodded. "I would like to know how much my salary would be and how much interaction I will have to have with your family."

"Well, since you will be working with me, you will also be working with my father, Dr. Briefs," Bulma answered. "He's the creator of the capsules and such. You might have to watch my son Trunks every now and then; he's only eleven years old. His best friend, Son Goten, is ten and comes over to visit often. Since today is Friday, I won't expect you at work until Monday to you can acclimatize to your new home. Oh, I must warn you about Trunks' father…"

Ami tilted her head in curiosity and gazed at Bulma. "What do you mean?"

Bulma rolled her eyes and snorted. "Oh, Vegeta is an arrogant jerk who believes that everyone should wait on him hand and foot. Not to mention, he never calls me or any female by our names. He always calls me 'onna'."

"I'll try and avoid him then," Ami remarked softly as Bulma started walking up a flight of stairs.

"Follow me to your room," the older woman called out and Ami began following her. "My room is at the end of the hall and here's your room." She opened the door and both women entered a rather spacious living area. It was more like an apartment with a living room, patio doors that led out to a balcony, a bedroom and a bathroom. Ami was impressed by the sheer size of the area and gave Bulma an unexpected hug.

"Oh, thank you so much, Bulma!" Ami exclaimed happily. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Bulma returned the hug and smiled back at the blue haired woman. "I have a feeling that I do, Ami. Do you have any luggage that you need to bring here?"

Ami shook her head. "Actually…no. I came here very suddenly and did not have time to bring any of my things."

"Well then, I'll have to take you shopping!" Bulma squealed. "After we have lunch, we'll take a Capsule car and go to the mall." At that, she took Ami by the arm and dragged the younger woman back down the stairs and into the kitchen. She fixed a few sandwiches and took out a couple cans of soda and placed the food on the kitchen table. "Sit down and eat, Ami. We will need the energy for the shopping I plan for us to do."

Ami sweatdropped as she sat down and grabbed a sandwich. As she began to eat it, a man with spiky black hair, black eyes, and an incredibly muscular body encased in tight spandex entered and glared at Bulma.

"Onna, you need to fix the gravity machine now," he growled loudly as he took a sandwich from the pile Bulma had made. "I need to finish my training."

"You dumb monkey!" Bulma screamed. "I fixed that blasted machine yesterday and you broke it again?!? You go and spar with Goku for the rest of the day! I am not spending the rest of my day fixing the thing when I have better things to do!"

"What?!? And what would be more important than fixing the machine, onna?" Vegeta roared, his eyes blazing with anger.

Bulma slammed her hand down on the table and went over to Ami, who had been trying to make herself appear small in front of this raging lunatic. She grabbed Ami's arm and pulled her to her feet and pointed to the petite woman. "Ami Mizuno here is my new employee and I'm showing her around!" Bulma yelled in return. "I'm taking her shopping and you have no say in the matter!"

Vegeta growled at Bulma and then glared at Ami, who tried to hide behind the other woman. He stared at her for a couple of minutes trying to measure her up. For a split second, he had a confused look on his rough countenance before glaring at the two women.

"Another weak onna," he grumbled as he just took all of the sandwiches and went in the direction of the stairs. He then shouted, "You better fix my machine tomorrow onna!"

"My name is BULMA, you dumb monkey!" Bulma yelled back before smiling sheepishly at Ami.

Ami had a dazed look on her face as she glanced in the direction that Vegeta left. "Is it always like this, Bulma?"

Bulma chuckled as she guided the blue haired woman out of the kitchen and then outside. The rain had stopped some time earlier and the sun was beginning to peek out from behind the clouds. "Oh, it sure is," she remarked dryly, grinning. "You should see how it is when all of my friends come over to visit."

"May Selene show mercy on me," Ami whispered under her breath as she left the house and followed Bulma to a car that will take them shopping.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Bulma and Ami returned from their shopping expedition around five hours later, their arms laden with clothes and other things. Ami had to shake her head at the energy her new friend seemed to have and once again compared her to Usagi and also Minako. Both blondes had a capacity to be able to go shopping all day long without getting tired which amazed and amused Ami to no end. She always studied and never let herself have any time to have fun so her friends had to drag her to go and do things. Ami knew that Bulma is the same way.

Ami went up to her room and put her new clothes away and sat down on a plush chair that was in the living room of her quarters. She wasn't hungry so she passed on the dinner Bulma's mother, Mrs. Briefs, was cooking that night. She slipped on a white flannel nightgown and pulled on a light blue robe to keep herself warm as the evening got a little colder. She watched the sun go down and let the solitude cover her like a blanket. She walked out onto the balcony and saw that there were a couple of chairs there. She sat down and gazed at the darkening sky and her thoughts went back to what Pluto told her before coming to this dimension…

Flashback…

"Setsuna-san, when I get to this place, how will I live?" Ami asked her green haired friend, thousands of questions burning in her sapphire eyes.

The tall woman smiled gently at Ami as she transformed into Sailor Pluto and opened up a black portal. She led Ami through the portal and they found themselves surrounded by mists. "Do not worry about that, Ami-chan," Pluto remarked gently. "I have taken care of everything."

"Will I still be able to transform if I have to?"

"Yes, you will be able to. One other thing, my dear friend…this dimension is your true home."

"What? How can that be? I thought that this was the home I was born in."

"No, it was not. When you were first born, I came here and took you and placed you with the Mizunos. I sensed great power inside of you and knew that you were the one to become Sailor Mercury."

"So I am going to where I truly belong?"

"Yes."

"Can you tell me who my real family is then?"

Pluto turned around and shook her head. "No, that I cannot do. You have to find your real family alone. All I can say is that you were an anomaly to those who were your family."

Ami looked down at her feet dejectedly and then looked up. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Pluto nodded. "Yes…you need to learn how to use your ki. It's the power that you have within you. I can only teach you the basics. But once you are in that dimension, it is up to you if you wish to learn how to use your strengths…"

End flashback…

Ami sighed as she felt the air get colder, but she did not want to go back inside her rooms just yet. Thinking back to those lessons with Pluto, the petite woman held out her hands and concentrated a little. A soft blue light started to glow around her hands and she shaped that energy into a ball. It was very small, but it gave out enough heat to keep her comfortable.

While Ami was sitting on her balcony and keeping herself warm with a small ball of ki energy, a dark figure was walking outside nearby. He looked up at the deck and sensed strong energy coming from there. He concentrated a little and felt the level of power to be quite high.

'What the…it's that weak onna Bulma had in the kitchen earlier today,' Vegeta thought to himself. 'She could be dangerous…I better keep an eye on her.'

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AN: This is my first Dragonball Z/Sailor Moon crossover story…I hope it's okay…^_^