Tokyo CBD
Tsurara-onna - Icicle woman
My name is Mizuno Ami, Dr. Mizuno Ami. Only recently had I graduated from Tokyo University. My chosen fields of psychology, unusual dream trauma, and child psych and personality disorders that lay outside the common vernacular of mainstream research were my stock in trade. I wished to carve out a niche for myself in my chosen profession and at the same time help people.
Life was a wonder and surprise for me, given everything that had happened in my enchanted existence. Why enchanted, a word loaded with mythical contradictions you might ask -- don’t worry, I will get to that -- first, the girl with the blue-blackish locks, the apple of my mother’s eye and she too a doctor, but in the field of immunology. I had walked my own path given the expectations placed upon me by said parent, my father too was proud of me. But one day, while I slept, he had left us and nobody knew why and where he’d gone. I had not seen him since I was a preschooler and mother never spoke of it and I stopped my pestering and accepted it was a taboo subject in our household.
I had worn my hair short for years. Throughout those days at Juuban Junior High and been the Goddess of cram school. I didn’t mind, as knowledge never failed to surprise me. Sitting with a textbook at home or at the Juuban library, I found relaxing and as much fun as my other passions, these playing Maple Story or computer chess.
These days my hair kissed my shoulder blades. I had made a pact with myself, and intended to grow it out and change my otherwise straight-laced appearance. I wore my skirts a lot shorter. I even put on make-up and in the warmer months too, I began wearing an assortment of revealing tops. After my best friend, Aino Minako had talked me into this, of course.
During one of our many mall trolling escapades, she led me into a Gothic Girl Boutique and dressed me up. But unbeknownst to me using her cell phone to film me in over a dozen sexy outfits that I would never dare ware in public, well, not back then anyway. Despite my early misgivings, I agreed to let her post these on the net. I was a little drunk at the time.
I was instantly Miss Popularity. I liked it. Minako would say, “Miss Sexy and Clever 2009!” I would laugh at her, my face beet-red.
One day, I logged on and was so surprised to read the many posts on the topic on Minako’s website where the pictures featured. I couldn’t believe it was the same me - sexy and pretty at the same time? I thought, nodding my approval and giggling like a schoolgirl. On the strength of that I snuck off to the Boutique and bought all the outfits and then some and turned up at Minako’s birthday bash and wowed everyone, and that’s where I met my first real boyfriend and later, lover.
With my dramatic makeover, I was a new girl; with a stunning new look having endeared me to the boys on campus. There I was, Mizuno Ami, brainiac extraordinaire, for the first time in my life, popular. Perhaps though, in part for all the wrong reasons, as my sex life attests. I had none really up to this point, but for a few passionate kisses after dances and a little groping here and there when a little drunk with my friend, Ryo Urawa.
Now, tutored in the art of love with Kumiro Hokumo, I realized that I so loved sex, his kisses a prelude to the removal of my clothing but for my skirt, my high heels and glasses. He would ask me to slip on an unbuttoned lab coat, too. Giggling I would humor him.
He would breathe in my ear, “Sexy researcher, shall we do a little prac work on the examination table?”
As he lay there, having stripped to his shorts, I would give him a ‘raunchy examination.’ I laughed as I flung the discarded boxers to the floor, these joining the pile of clothing, his and mine, and as I straddled him, he would push my glasses back upon the bridge of my nose as we made love within the student's infirmary, dressed to kill.
I then allowed him to explore me with as much thoroughness as a medical examiner, his large hands gripping my upper thighs as he took his fill of me. It was so dreamy, exciting and definitely hot. I felt the shudders suddenly overtake me. His tongue touched places I had never let a man touch me. I felt something explode inside and seeing I was going into orgasmic spasms, he pushed me back and entered me and I bit my lip as I felt the cascade of desire and his hardness send me over the edge of intimacy’s best-kept secret pleasures. I had no idea sex could be this good.
Despite the months of pure joy and bliss, both in his company and in bed, I had broken it off after catching him in the Anime Club one late night with another girl. This shattered the dream and my heart.
After the series of latest Anime offerings had concluded, a number of us laid out our sleeping bags. I had fallen asleep on the sofa in his arms. I woke suddenly and he was gone. I looked at my watch and found it was three in the morning. Carefully stepping over the profusion of sleeping students, some snoring pretty loud, I made my way to the bathroom to wash my face. As I stepped back into the hallway, I heard the sound of laughter coming from the storeroom and went to investigate. I wished I hadn’t. I had opened the door to the sights and sounds of two naked and very drunk students. The scented candle and empty wine glasses taunting me as recognition slowly gripped my heart with an icy hand. The image cutting into me like smashed shards. I gasped, stared at the copulating couple and turned away. One of the contorted figures, bathed in sweat, her beautiful indigo locks spilling over her naked body was Lisa Ikiribati. And the other, had turned to see who had intruded upon their intimate moments, my lover. I just shook my head, raised my hand for silence, spun around, not even bothering to shut the door on my way out.
I was shattered. I had refused to answer calls, and whenever he approached me, I would turn my back and would say something like, “I don’t want to hear it. We’re through!”
I had dated again since, but hadn’t let anyone get too close. But I knew I was still learning to trust again. I had to be sure and I had to mature a lot more and learn to watch out for these types of men and avoid them.
I finished my degree, went on to medical school, finished and was now working both from home in a private consultancy I ran with my mother and also received a letter from an agency who needed a specialist, a research unit calling itself: Central Control. I felt like the spy in Get Smart, Agent 99. I laughed at the thought as I made plans to get away for the weekend before the interview on the following Monday. I had also been having strange visions: waking up to, a necklace of swirling sapphire spheres and miniature girls with wings and often wondered if I were going crazy. Vivid dreams of places and people of a most exotic sort. remembering images of my childhood I put down to pure imagination, I was getting a little scared as these seemed to be moving into my conscious mind and not staying where they belonged in the realm of fantasy. Upon opening my eyes most mornings I'd see sapphire faeries dancing on the bed or buzzing overhead, cute elves, sprites and butterflies just to note a few curiosities of the Fae persuasion.
After arranging a few sessions with a friend at the East Tokyo private clinic for some counseling and tests. I was given a clean slate. In the end, I put it all down to a desire to be more creative and child-like; hence, the pouncing on the opportunity to make a break for it before the tooth faery abducted me. I giggled once more.
---
I decided to go for a long drive, two girls from campus came along of the ride: Kino Makoto and of course Minako who I already knew pretty well and liked. The trip was organized ostensibly to cheer me up and to see a little of the beautiful coastline of Japan and soak up some sun and maybe meet some nice guys. I wanted to chill out at the holiday camp I’d booked for us and was looking forward to a little R and R.
I think it was the third night we were there when two cats showed up and sat before the fire, one of these white and the other black.
“Oh kitties!” Minako squealed. She began to ruffle the white cat’s ears and he purred so loud we all began to laugh, that was until he spoke our names.
“Aino Minako, soldier of Venus, Kino Makoto soldier of Jupiter and Mizuno Ami, the daughter of Wisdom, soldier of Mercury we have come to awaken you!”
“Freak’n awesome. C’mon… where is the microphone guys, come on, I may be drunk, a little bit; but I’m not that out of it. Mako-chan?”
“Don‘t look at me. I didn’t do it… he did!” she said, and pointed at the exasperated cat.
Then the black cat trotted towards me and looked at me with ruby eyes, for a cat that was highly unusual, the blue eyes of the cute white cat shone in the firelight as we all stared in shock and silent apprehension, this was twilight zone material if ever there was.
“I am Luna, I and my companion are shape shifters from a world known as Mau.”
I was about to say something when two people, far taller than I expected stood before us, each with kitty ears and tails, none of us spoke. The girl was stunning, purple hair with silver highlights; a yellow ribbon tying back her hair, in a short black dress and calf-length black leather boots brushed sand off her hands and began to chant. The guy, an absolute dreamboat, his hair silvery-white, and young and good-looking, almost eight feet tall, I am not exaggerating, in a black uniform, with a transparent gemstone sword strapped to his belt bowed to all of us and went down on one knee.
“Oh please, you don’t have to do that,” I croaked.
“You are a princess, it is befitting your station,” he said.
The beautiful Mauan, Luna, knelt upon the grass, her hands folded in her lap. She smiled at us as if we were long lost friends, as it turned out that was just what we were.
“We are your guardians, and in a previous embodiment you were princesses of the Court of Serenity on the Moon. Yes, a vast domed city and its satellites scattered throughout the star system, the Silver Alliance.”
“Wicked cool,” was all Makoto could say. As for Minako, she was smiling and crying.
My life changed that day and after receiving the henshin wands, we remembered, all of it: the Silver Millennium and other lives in alternate existences. I was Sailor Mercury, Minako was Sailor Venus, not surprising she was guardian of love and silver, and Jupiter was Makoto’s title, most apt I thought. Me, the wise messenger…, Mercurean I mused.
“Mercury,” Luna addressed me as I examined my fuku and those of my friends; I looked hot: we all did. I nodded. “You must awaken Mars, but this must be done remotely, she is shrouded in darkness. Unlike the rest of you, she was born into the scorpion’s lair, and we need to take care when we free her. That is why you’ve been chosen, Ami.”
“I will do my best.”
“I am Artemis, and Luna and I will be on hand in case anything goes wrong,” Artemis assured us.
I smiled at the Lunarian Courtiers, thus began my new life as a senshi, and not long after I’d helped Hino Rei fight off a demon.
