Princess of Ice
Three Weeks to All-Japan Trials
Friday 6:30pm
    Ami peeked out from her room shyly, seeing that her mother was not in sight, she carefully stepped out from the bedroom. She pulled up her dress delicately as she walked down the stairs, careful not to trip over.
    “That new dress looks fabulous on you, may I presume that you are going out tonight with a certain someone?”
Ami nearly jumped out of her skin, she had taken for granted that her mother would already had left for work. Quickly composing herself, she smiled at her mother, she lowered her eyes and answered quaintly, “yes, you may presume that mother.”
    Mrs. Mizuno smiled, she knew what her daughter had hoped and had taken for granted. She couldn’t help but follow her daughter’s tone, “and may I be so impertinent as to ask where you will be going?”
    “Well I must say that I find it rather contemptuous on your part to question me, but I will humor you this time. We happen to be going to the ballet to see Swan Lake.”
    “That will be interesting, I’m sure it will help with your skating expressionism.”
    “Sensei Narai did mention that.”
    “Do you have the tickets?”
    “He has them. For all I know I might just be on a wild goose chase.”
    “I’m sure that you will have a delightful evening together. I’d better make myself scarce, I’ll be home late tonight, and I wouldn’t mind if you had a late night either.”
    Ami smiled at her mother as she propped herself carefully on her couch and picked up a book to pass time while waiting. “I’ll see about that, maybe, maybe not.”
    “Do be careful about the way you sit down, if you’re not careful about it, you might end up with creases and spoil the effect.”
    “I am, I’m sitting the way that you taught me to.”
    “Good, I’m sure Asuka wouldn’t want to go out with a crinkle-bag. I must hurry now otherwise I will be late for my shift.”
    “Have a nice evening mother.”
    Mrs. Mizuno smiled at her beautiful daughter and pulled a face, “the best night is the night without casualties, and on those nights, I am out of business.” She resumed her quaint accent again, “perhaps I am the one better qualified to wish you a happy evening.”
    Ami smiled back at her mother’s good humor, she blushed lightly and answered in the same happy tone, “and perhaps you are.”

    The three creatures huddled around an old man, but their attention focused on the young lean body that lay face down on the cold stainless-steel table, usually reserved for the dead. The old man’s scalpel moved deftly over the skull of the young man’s head. He flipped his hand to indicate one of the creatures to hand him his tools. “The saw.”
    Animusor growled softly in answer to the demand, no one commanded him, but he was going to indulge the doctor this one time. He stretched awkwardly to his full height and shuffled his way to the tools bench, reaching for a large industrial saw.
     “No stupid, not that one. We are doing a delicate operation here, not chopping down trees, I want the Stryker over there.”
    Animusor growled once again in displeasure. “What did you just call me?”
    “Stupid, you heard that. Just shut up and do as you are told.”
    “Don't take this too far DOCTOR, I don't like it when you call me names. You’ll regret this.”
    Avarice immediately moved in stop the argument. Animusor was not known for intelligence, that was his area, Animusor was strength, Ossify’s was efficiency. He, Avarice’s specialty was planning and dictation of power. The truth was, Animusor was their underdog, and he knew it, he just had too much pride to permit it. “No more arguments, doctor, just do your job.”
    This was a new type of manipulation for the Negaverse. Instead of influencing them by hypnosis, this was done by inserting a chip into the central nervous system to stimulate activity. Although from past experience, it meant that the recipient did not survive that long after the operation, they were alive long enough to accomplish their mission. This way, SailorMoon’s Stardust Elimination could not interfere with the manipulation, the only way to recover was by physically removing the chip, and the chip could not be seen by naked eye. It could only be seen either by magic, or under magnificent computer technology that was not yet discovered in the human world.
    A loud whizzing noise vibrated throughout the dark room, the saw was in operation. Dust from the cutting of the skull danced in the air, flying in the room, leaving a fine mist of white in the air. The three creatures looked on in disgust, grossed by the sight. The doctor continued to do his job like nothing was new, with his optic glasses aided with a special computer that allowed him to see the computer chip and x-ray into the brain of his patient, the dust in the room did not bother him.

Friday 8:07pm
    Ami looked up from her book and checked the time on her watch.  It was just past 8:00pm, Asuka still hadn’t arrived. He was known for being late, but the ballet itself was due to start at 8:00pm. She sighed, she would tell him off when he arrived later. Hesitantly she added, if he did at all. As she looked at the clock beside her, she fidgeted nervously, could he be in an accident?
    Again she was decided about her feelings to the question, she had been like this for the past few days. She didn’t want anything to have happened to him, yet if there was no accident, then the only reason why she was being ‘stood-up’ would be that it was a deliberate move on his behalf.  If it was the first reason, then she wouldn’t know how to feel, considering her heightened anger. But if it was the latter, she would be even more lost about her feelings.
    Deus Mercury had told her to try and ‘get in touch with her feelings’.  She knew how she felt, the problem lay in the fact that she didn’t want to admit it. The only way to describe her feelings were with words weren’t in her vocabulary. She didn’t know when Asuka was going to leave her behind again, but she knew that she would miss him, and she sincerely hoped that she would see him soon.

    The doctor clapped his hands in delight, “the operation was a success. There are no marks whatsoever to even indicate that an operation was performed, even for a professional eye. I would suggest for this human to be monitored for the next hours to see if there are any adverse effects though.”
    “We don’t have the time, dump this human back, if this human dies, we’ll take it as experience.” Ossify glowered at the doctor, "but this human had better not be a failure."
    "I am being cautious naturally as a doctor, but I don't forsee any problems at all. Bring him back to the human world if that is what you wish."
    Ossify turned and pointed to Animusor, “do it at once!”
    Animusor growled unsatisfactorily, “you have no right…”
    “Animusor, no arguments, we have some planning to do.” Avarice was always the pacifier between Animusor’s hot temper and Ossify’s obsession of dictation. “Come Ossify. Animusor, join us after you complete what you have to do. Thank you doctor, you did a great job. We will repay you accordingly of course.”
    The doctor smiled silently and bowed, “sir, there is no need at all, it is my pleasure to do anything in my power for you.”
    Avarice glared at him, “I cannot accept gifts from you doctor.”
    “As you wish sir.”
    Avarice smiled and nodded slightly to Animusor as he left the room with Ossify trailing behind him, Animusor immediately understood Avarice’s signal. The doctor was not going to be needed after this operation, because this human was going to do the job right, there would be no need for backups. And this meant, one less mouth to leak out the information to their competitors for Lord Takechi’s favor. The doctor had done them a great favor, and he would not need to suffer. The doctor was going to have a quick death, but painful enough to payback for the humiliation he caused when he order him, Animusor, around during the operation.
 

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