A Delinquent and a Robot
Outside the Game Center Crown, Sailor V was there battling a grey stiff youma who had blonde hair. The youma was moving like a zombie and stared directly at the blonde superheroine as she was preparing for an attack however unusual for Sailor V, she was shocked as the youma dropped the fangs ready to suck her blood from her neck and there was no room to perform her moves otherwise she would kick the youma away.
Behind the youma was a pink haired teenage girl wearing a white uniform, her hair was strange as it had two buns and very long pigtails and she waved her Moon stick directly towards the creature.
"In the name of the Moon, I shall punish you!", shouted the young hero. "Moon Healing Escalation!"
Suddenly the grey youma had glowed then turned to dust as Sailor V blinked then smiled knowing that the youma has been defeated.
Sailor V grinned, "That went well Sailor Moon!"
"Sure it did Sailor V but I expected her to turn back to a human...", cried Sailor Moon as tears were forming in her eyes.
"Don't worry about it, it happens all the time", smiled the blonde superheroine despite that it was a lie. "Let's go to the park and look at some boys."
With smiles Sailor Moon and Sailor V had ran off however three people were watching them. One was a tall ponytailed brunette having a white top with a brown skirt having a bottle of Suntory beer, the other two gang members however had short black hair and completely having blue uniform. Since they had lowered eyebrows and hissing their teeth they were a gang, a gang of juvenile delinquents.
The brunette roared and put her finger up at the two superheroines, "Fuck them!"
"I should fuck Sailor V in the ass!", growled the gang member.
"She's way too goody two shoes!", whined the other gang member, "Don't you think Mamoru?"
All Mamoru could do was smirk as she found the antics of Sailors V and Moon to be unrealistic and over the top. Protecting Azabu-Juban? To them it was putting on a circus act for publicity. Mamoru already knew who they where, Minako Aino and Usagi Tsukino, two underachievers who were just as bad in school as Mamoru and her gang were out of school. She thinks having red masks and tiaras would fool her but they were wrong. Sometimes Mamoru was thinking of attacking Sailor V just to have a blow to her vanity, she knows that life can't be an anime and can't go pretending to be Cutey Honey or Ako.
Meanwhile at the Mizuno corporation, there were scientists and programmers inside the underground lab as they were working on the first humanoid robot. This was currently known as Project AMI, a female robot designed to serve people to whatever the person requested. It could be a friend, a tutor for a child who wanted the best in their lives or even a greeter. Despite being advanced technology, this project took 14 years in terms of its R&D as building something so complex was a world's first and it was a pet project for the former CEO. As it happens, the new CEO had arrived and was furious that money was wasted on something that would never work. His maroon suit and his lowered eyebrows says it all.
The scientist that was closest to CEO asked, "What should we do boss?"
"Cancel the project," growled the CEO. "This thing is why we have lost so much money, we should concentrate what we are good at."
The scientists sighed as they were so close, just another few months, maybe a year at the most before the prototype was fully functional for retail. As the CEO left the room a frustrated programmer knocked over a bottle of water over by accident, then he observed what happened and decided to include it as a bonus feature to Project AMI. A fire extinguisher is always handy to have he thought then managed to shove the new code into the robot as he got a fresh floppy disk and put it into the neck waiting for it to transfer. He happened to have an assistant programmer, she was very shy having a light blue dress however she observed the code and it was correct.
The programmer turned to his assistant and informed, "Saeko, I've updated the code into the robot for the new feature."
She nodded as she was always interested into Project AMI, the two programmers had spent the last 14 years together working on the robot and to them, it was like their child especially for Saeko who was unable to have children. AMI was like her daughter, she remembers all of the tests with that innocent softly spoken voice that the robot produced. It wasn't natural with pauses but it was understandable as technology was not advanced enough to have fully programmable voice. The scientists had left the building with growls knowing that they were getting redundant and the two programmers then decided to keep AMI. After all they had that hunch that the new CEO would just scrap it, no not "it" but her as they walked towards the robot and gave her a hug.
Outside Mamoru had a smoke as her two gang members had devious smiles as they were behind the Mizuno corporation building hoping to achieve mischief, whether it was to break windows or to steal what was inside.
The gang member suggested, "Let's break into that building, imagine all that money we have."
"Fuck, I'll rather take what's inside", huffed Mamoru as she stubbed out her cigarette.
They decided to enter from climbing up a fence into the back door as the front gate was guarded by security on patrol, it wasn't well secured as outside of Project AMI, they just made sports wear and no incentive to hire more staff. The two gang members nodded as they stayed outside. With a smirk, Mamoru got in and was sneaking inside trying to think what to take. A key for the warehouse to set on fire? The CEO's mobile phone? Maybe there were thongs that she could sell at the black market? She had managed to find some stairs and walked down, very confidentially as she had reached the basement. It was a good spot as she felt safe to check on the other gang members.
Mamoru asked on her walkie-talkie, "How's lookout?"
"Not good boss, the security guard is coming...", informed one of the gang members however it got cut off.
The brunette kept pressing the button hoping to get a reply back however she just sighed and thinking that she should do this herself. Her gang members were most likely caught and since they were juvenile delinquents, they would go straight to the nearest police station and put on a program to reform into members of society. Mamoru didn't choose to be a delinquent, after all her parents had died in a plane crash and she had nowhere to go. In the past, Mamoru was a friendly girl in the countryside but ever since she moved into Tokyo, her personality has changed upside down. She felt like this was her only option in life. Fight to survive and fight she would certainly could do, the rival gangs were scared of her due to her self taught karate moves from sneaking into movie theatres and imitating Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. It also didn't help that Mamoru was the tallest out of any gang boss so even at first sight they had run away or became her boss. Not that many people were her boss, she only managed to have three gang members and the one that wasn't there still had a family. This caused Mamoru to beat her up out of jealousy even though she fought her just as much.
With a snarl, she smashed the walkie-talkie and carried on walking until she reached a door that just said TOP SECRET. This alone interested Mamoru as she would never think that a sports wear company would have a secret room. Maybe the company was secretly a Yakuza outlet and was where the money and the weapons are stored. It would be justice for Mamoru and payback since she knew from moving to Tokyo that the plane crash that killed her parents and the airline company was run by the Yakuza at the time, the crash was to claim for insurance money.
She looked at the door and she tried various ways of opening it from punching and kicking down the door to using a hairpin to get inside but it was no use. Turning her head to the side had a panel that required a 4 digit code, she tried 1,2,3,4 but nothing happened. With a huff, she then tried her favourite number 4,4,4,4 and the door had opened.
After walking in, Mamoru gasped as she saw a short blue haired robot wearing a female high school sailor fuku, the latter was not there before so it must have been from the programmers as their adopted daughter.
"What the fuck?"
Mamoru didn't know what to do as her eyebrows lowered however looking at one of the computers was some paperwork on the desk and she went to have a read. It read Project Mercury 1978/09/10 and it was some background story on Project AMI or Mercury as it was originally known as, Soichi Mizuno despite having brothers in his family had felt lonely and one day he saw a woman who was struggling to look after her child. This was down to that single parents in Japan were rare and they needed extra help that they didn't get, he felt that he needed to create something that would change lives. He had hired lonely programmers Hiroshi and Saeko who felt that their uncredited work at Taito was not much of a challenge and wanted to push themselves since they both cannot have children. Suddenly something unusual came out of Mamoru's eyes, a tear. Something that she hasn't had since the plane crash.
Then a power outage occurred not just within the office building but also the entire area of the Minato ward, on the streets Sailors V and Moon got stressed with the former being annoyed and the latter was scared so the pink haired girl hugged her leader. As the power came back on, something happened around Project AMI, a power surge and as sparks were coming off the machine. Mamoru blinked her eyes and her hair got frizzy.
Then it came on, the robot was activate as the eyelids were open and had started to blink three times as she stared at Mamoru coldly.
The robot in a monotone soft voice asked, "I am Ami, what would you like to do today?"
Mamoru was breathing in and out despite gritting her teeth, she was the first time since the plane crash that she felt on the edge and was tempted to run away. She doesn't know what was that robot, it could have been a military weapon for what she knows. Ami observed the body language coming from Mamoru and it was fear yet she also detected something that can't be programmed to learn, loneliness. Mamoru was lonely there and didn't know what to do, she knows that a robot is stronger than her and she is pretty strong in terms of female teenagers.
"It's okay... I would like to be your friend."
All Mamoru could do was have her eyes wide open, she has never had a friend before and a proper friend. It was a shock but something got to Mamoru, she didn't want to be friends with a robot as it was just too strange. More strange than Sailor V's white cat Artemis.
The brunette sighed, "You wouldn't want me..."
"It seems that something is bothering you", coldly responded Ami as she delivered the line without any emotion.
"I don't want to talk about it..."
"Keeping it inside yourself would only make things worse."
The brunette turned her head and it seems that Ami does have some sense, Mamoru was known for her outbursts in the past where she could break things, cry or attack someone for being dishonest. Knowing it was the right thing to do despite talking to what was literally a robot, Mamoru had told Ami about her past. Her parents death, wandering around and becoming a delinquent. Ami was nodding as she was processing the information that Mamoru was telling her.
Mamoru sighed, "If I have to be honest, I would rather bake and smell flowers but life is just too stressful for me to do that..."
"How come?", asked Ami as she wanted some clarification.
"When you are alone in this world, the only thing that you can really do is to survive no matter what. I didn't want to be a gang member but I had no choice."
Suddenly the programmers returned back from their break and gasped when they saw two things. A tall delinquent brunette who was scared and most importantly, Ami being activated while they were gone.
Ami stuttered, "Mother... Father... Let me introduce to you Mamoru Chino, she is my friend."
Straight away Mamoru had put her hands up, she thought that she was busted and tried to step back nervous that she was caught and to the nearest police station with her gang members. Yet the two programmers smiled at Mamoru as they had a probability, a small probability that someone outside the company would visit and have a look since the CEO. Had it not been for the age gap, they would have thought that she came from a rival company and wanted to continue Project AMI.
Mamoru bluntly replied, "Look... She just turned herself on when the power cut happened, okay?"
"Don't worry, we had a hunch that it would do that as we did not have the power surge protectors installed on the machine", nodded Hiroshi.
Saeko smiled, "That's lovely that my Ami would have a friend, she always wondered what it would be like."
As the two programmers were talking, it was causing Mamoru to relax her muscles relieved that she didn't do something wrong. A strange feeling since she caused trouble but this time, it was nothing that she could have done to prevent it from happening.
Ami explained, "Mamoru is a delinquent but she does not want to be one."
Both Hiroshi and Saeko nodded as they understood, they know that sometimes a person was forced to do something that they did not want to do. They looked at Mamoru and she was scruffy, her hairs having loose strands, her face and clothes were not properly washed. Five minutes have past and all of them were quiet, only the brunette showed emotion has she had her arms crossed fuming that she wants a cigarette but was unable to have one as her packet was with one of the gang members along with the lighter that they stole from her while she wasn't watching.
Mamoru grumbled, "Seems Ami's shy..."
"She is, within the past 14 years of her life, we were the only people who spoke to her and she spoke back. Until you came along, she didn't speak to anyone else, not even the CEOs", explained Hiroshi as he breathed out her problem.
"You know what... Let's all get out of here."
Hiroshi and Saeko nodded straight away as they were scared that the CEO could do something in that room for insurance claims and the loss of their work but to them it was a loss of their daughter.
Saeko asked, "Ami, do you want to go to sleep while we escort you out?"
Ami nodded and within the three of them, Mamoru, Hiroshi and Saeko had lifted the robot and decided to walk out of the room however due to the surge, the lights surrounding them had started to spark and due to all of the electrical equipment, it was overheating and catching fire. The blaze was blocking the exit as two mainframe computers were nearby and got towards the laminate floor making the heat more intense and there were no blankets to put out the flames.
Hiroshi screamed, "Help!"
Suddenly from the only visible window, Sailors V and Moon had broken in as they wanted to save the programmers yet they were edgy, at unease as they saw the brunette who crossed her arms and growled at the site of the two.
Sailor Moon pulled her partner's arm and asked in a panic, "Is there anything we can do Sailor V?"
Looking upwards, Sailor V was thinking herself how to get out of the building. The fire has trapped the only viable exit and the window that they smashed through was only enough to squeeze them and Ami through the window as Mamoru, Hiroshi and Saeko were too big to fit through.
Saeko put her finger on her chin and asked to herself, "I wonder, has Ako entered the building?"
With a growl Mamoru shook her head, while they never clashed she didn't like Sailor V or her partner Sailor Moon. They were too energetic and sensed that they were different, not different as in like Mamoru with her upbringing but simply not from this planet.
Sailor V posed to herself, "I'm the fighter of love and justice, Sailor V!"
"I'm Sailor Moon", smiled the pink pigtailed girl, "In the name of the Moon, I want to help you!"
Yet after they introduced themselves, they sighed as there was no way out. Sailor Moon could heal people and Sailor V could use her attacks and whip but they didn't have anything to extinguish the water. There were no buckets, no sprinklers at the ceiling or any fire extinguishers. The walls were metallic all the way through and not even Sailor V could punch or kick through them. With the eyes blinking, Ami had switched herself back on and looked at the flames. Using her computer brain she came up with an idea and out of nowhere shouted...
"MERCURY SOAP SPRAY"
Suddenly underneath from her hands, water jets had come out and sprayed directly towards the flames as the flames were spreading then slowly going down. Hiroshi and Saeko cuddled up together as their last minute plan was the best thing that happened otherwise all of them would have been burnt to a crisp and Ami would have eventually melted as her coolant wouldn't be enough to cope. Within two minutes, the flames have died down and they ran out of the room. Hiroshi then went to the control panel and typed 4444 to lock the door. Sailor V then kicked the panel causing the glass to break, Mamoru sighed as she would have done it herself and V interfered. Knowing what was done was done, Sailors V and Moon then ran towards the other direction of the building unaware that they went closer into the offices as Hiroshi, Saeko, Ami and Mamoru went the same way as they came in.
Ami was losing her power as she then collapsed, it seems that her battery has died out from both the Soap Spray and from walking. Mamoru picked her up then laid her on the floor and had a worried look on her face, Ami was the first person who called her a friend. It was unusual and she had feelings that she never had before. She dithered as she didn't know what to do, listen to her heart who wants them two to be the best of friends or her delinquent ways and abandon them to run back to her gang. Then again her gang members weren't friends of her really as they never done things for Mamoru out of friendship but out of trouble, it was always Mamoru who had to pick up the pieces that they left behind.
Mamoru strongly spoke, "I'm not letting my friend die here, I'm going to my apartment to do something that I haven't done before. Look after someone."
"Ami needs our support", stoically explained Hiroshi.
"I'm not leaving you two here, we're all coming."
The two programmers smiled as Mamoru decide to reach her hand to Saeko who grabbed it and did a hand shake together knowing that they agreed to something. Mamoru then decided to lift Ami up and put her in her arms, it wasn't much of a problem as Ami was designed to be as light as possible rather than the stereotype of a bulky robot.
With what little battery life she had left, Ami asked, "What about your gang members?"
"Fu...", swore Mamoru until she realised that she didn't need to swear especially with better company around and bitterly explained, "Screw them, I have a purpose in my life now and that's looking after my lovely friend."
Just before Ami went to sleep, she smiled as much as her face as able to however it was starting to melt as her face started heating up and it became slightly disfigured.
"Thanks Mako..."
That was it, Ami had run out of power and due to the cut off, it sounded like Mako rather than Mamoru yet her cheeks blushed as somehow she likes that name. She knew that Makoto meant sincerity and deep down, she wanted to be that kind of person and despite being a delinquent, she doesn't lie and have to have the other gang members lie for her.
Mamoru looked down at the slightly burned Ami and sulked thinking that she was dead, "I'm sorry..."
"It's fine Mamoru, she needs a maintenance check anyway", nodded Saeko.
They had managed to leave the building and instead of climbing back up the fence, Mamoru had followed the others into their Honda Accord and drove away from the Mizuno corporation. Hiroshi was driving and Saeko was in the passenger seat while at the back, Mamoru was stroking Ami's blue hair. It felt so lifelike as it was so soft and it gave her something that she hasn't had in a long time, pleasure. She didn't want to be a delinquent and now she doesn't have to be, she has the two programmers and a robot friend on her side. Saeko turned towards the back and hand over Mamoru a small burgundy box.
"Mamoru, I want you to have these."
Saeko had given Mamoru something special, earrings with pink roses as studs. It was the biggest surprise in her life that someone gave her an item rather than her taking something. Then again Mamoru had only stole beer and packets of cigarettes as she didn't want to deal with the yakuza, her heart was too big to join a larger organised crime gang and she would have been useless anyway since she wasn't beautiful enough to be a mistress or male to be one of the goons so she would fight.
Mamoru looked directly at Saeko's blue eyes and smiled, "Thanks Saeko, it's the first time that someone gave me a gift."
"No problem Mamoru, remember you and Ami are part of the family now", sternly spoke Saeko. "Since you did so much for our little girl, it was the least that we could do for you."
For the first time since her loss of her parents, Mamoru smiled and not as a cocky smirk but a soft centred heartfelt smile. She hasn't had a feeling of content before in Tokyo and it took two lonely programmers and their robotic daughter for it to happen. Instead of going to her apartment, Hiroshi took them to his place that was larger than the small rundown apartment. Him and Saeko were more or less dating but were both too scared to be committed to marriage so it was pretty much a small house in the Azabu-Juban area. Mamoru had slept in a comfy bed that night and it felt strange, she was thinking "why would they do this for me?" but then realised that she had good company, she slept like a log.
The next morning, Mamoru woke up from bed and it was the best night sleep in a long time. She decided to have a wash and to put her green pins in her hair as her without a ponytail felt empty, she couldn't believe that she was having hot water for a wash. Hot water instead of cold like she normally does since she didn't have much money.
Hiroshi was repairing Ami as he was changing her battery yet already fixed her slightly warped face from the smile. Now Ami could smile but only softly, she couldn't do large grins like Sailor V.
Hiroshi suggested, "I think Ami needs to go to school and I'm guessing that you don't really have a school to go to."
Mamoru nodded as she was expelled from most schools of the area, outside of two. The expensive T-A Academy where Rei from the Hikawa Shrine goes to and Juban Junior High as she lived too far away to attend.
"I know this is going to sound strange but can you look after Ami while she goes to school?"
All Mamoru could do was blissfully smiled, she has a purpose in life now and that was to protect Ami from danger as well as recharge her battery during school hours to make sure that she's still working when they come to Hiroshi's home. With a nod, she decided to wear the rosy earrings that Saeko had given her. As it happens the nearest school was Juban Junior High and it was the only other school that Mamoru was not expelled from that was open to the public regarding status. The issue was the name, Ami didn't have a last name and neither Hiroshi or Saeko wanted to use their last names. They came up with her birth place and that was Mizuno. Besides Mizuno is a real surname and wasn't an issue. Mamoru nodded out of agreement and thought that the name suited her.
In the police station, the two gang members were still in the cells as they were waiting for Mamoru to arrive. She never did as her life was changed around however she knew that it would take some time adjusting due to the no smoking policy and that she likes a drink of beer, the latter Hiroshi was actually okay with as he sometimes goes to late night bars to get drunk.
"Where the fuck is Mamoru?"
"Fuck knows."