[Insert standard disclaimer] Please excuse this poor attempt at 
literature.
It's a little something that popped up in my head while reading the MST 
of Mama's Hand. Which Christian Rogers wrote.  So if it depresses you to 
much he's as much to blame as I am.
	Ami's Tears
	A short fic
	Trom

	Little Amy was walking home from school.  Her dress was slightly 
torn and she supported a shiner on her left eye.  Looking to the 
apartment building where she and her parents lived, she just gave a sigh 
of despair before heading for her apartment.
	[Klick] [shuffle, shuffle] The lone occupant of the apartment 
caught the sounds of someone coming in.
	"Ami, is that you?" A deep baritone voice called out from the 
kitchen.
	"Hai Pappa." Maybe if she was quick enough she could get to her 
room and changed before he saw her.
	"How was scho.." Ami's father came out of the kitchen, wiping 
his hands on a dishtowel, only to come short upon seeing the state his 
daughter was in.
	"Ami! Are you alright little one?!" He dropped the towel and 
rushed over to her.  After a quick check and noting her sullen behavior, 
he quickly deduced what had happened to his daughter.
	"You've been in a fight again haven't you." It wasn't a 
question.
	"It wasn't my fault Pappa! They started it!" She tried to make 
an excuse for her behavior.  She knew her father didn't like it when she 
fought.
	"Ami! What have I told you about fighting with the other 
children?"  His tone took on that of a teacher trying to drone some 
point into their student.
	She just sighed before repeating the phrase over again. 
"Fighting is a last resort, an intelligent person will find ways to keep 
out of a fight if possible." Then to turn the subject away from herself, 
"When is Mommy coming home Pappa?"
	Her father knew right away what she was trying to do, "She had 
to work the late shift to cover for one of the other doctors." He 
sighed. "Mommy is still only a Intern, so has to work harder.  Still 
that doesn't mean you get out of your punishment." He just stood up and 
left her to change for her chore.  
	After changing into some older clothing, Ami went into the 
kitchen and sat at the table.  Bringing out a piece of paper and pencil, 
started writing down 'I will think before I fight' twenty times.  For a 
little girl this is quite the task.
	*Ow! My wrist hurts! It's not fair! Why should I have to do 
this, when I didn't even start it?" Ami just sat there, thinking of the 
unfairness of her punishment. (Like all children do.)
	"Done?" Her father came up from behind her. "Good, now you can 
start on your homework."  With that set down her bag on the table top 
and pulled out her books.
	"Ahh, but Pappa, I wanted to go and play with the others."  She 
looked at her father in the way little girls do when they try to wrap 
them around their little finger.  But her father would have none of 
that, he knew what was best for his daughter.
	"No homework first, then you can play." He tried to keep his 
tone as mild as possible. "Don't you want to be smart like Mommy? You'll 
make me so proud if you become a doctor just like Mommy."
	"Can I at least do it in my room?" This time the 'look' worked, 
and her father agreed to it.
	"Just call if you need any help." With that went to finish 
dinner.

	As soon as she was sure her father was gone, Ami snuck out her 
window onto the fire escape ladder.  She then descended to the ground 
below.  *Ha! What Pappa doesn't know, won't hurt me.*  With that ran off 
to play with her friends.

	[Knock, Knock] "Ami?" Her father looked into Ami's room, only to 
find it empty.  Noticing the open window, he sighed in grief. *Why do I 
even bother* he cried silently to the heavens.  With that went in search 
of his wayward daughter.

	"Hahahaha!" Ami laughed as she kicked her friend's ball back at 
her.  It was a brand new red one!  
	"Watch this Ami!" With that her friend brought her foot way 
behind her, and let loose with a blow that sent the ball flying high 
into the air.  Way over Ami's head.
	"I'll get it." And with that Ami ran, will all her attention on 
the ball, she didn't notice the truck turning the corner to her.  It 
blared it's horn and tried to stop as she ran in front of it.  She was 
like a deer caught in the lights of an upcoming car.  Fright having 
seized her limbs.
	"AMI!" A voice yelled out.  She felt someone push her to the 
curb, scraping her knees in the process.  A sound that she had heard 
once before, when Mrs. Yang's dog got hit by a car, came from behind 
her.  Turning around she looked upon a sight no child should ever see in 
their life.  Her Father, once so huge and happy, in a tangled mess of 
blood and bone.  He lifted his head one last time to look at her and 
uttered his last words,
	"A-A-MI?" Seeing that she was alright, and that he had done his 
duty as a father to sacrifice his life for hers, let his head fall to 
the pavement, his eyes glossing over, as life left him.
	"P-Pappa? Pappa!" She screamed.
	Soon the sounds of an ambulance came in the distance, but she 
heard none of this.  Even when the medics tried to get her to answer 
questions, she could not answer, for she was in shock.  
	Her father was dead.  
	It was all her fault.  If she had done her homework like he 
asked, he would still be alive.  For a week she stayed in a state of 
shock, before her mother could coax her out of it.  The next week she 
returned to school.  She never got in another fight again, and always 
did her homework.  She even did the next weeks homework in case she got 
sick.  Though she never did get sick, so it was that she did more and 
more Homework and everyone was proud of her.  She would not cause any 
unhappiness by skipping out in her homework again.

	The Present: A little cafe, Tokyo.
	"Ami? Earth to Ami, come in Ami." Rei waved her hand in front of 
Ami's face to get her attention.
	"Hmm? Oh! I'm terribly sorry. What were you saying." A light 
blush came to her cheeks.
	"What's up Ami, it's not like you to space off like that.  Usagi 
yes, you no."  Rei receive a very loud raspberry from Usagi on that 
comment.
	"Oh nothing, I was just thinking that I should be getting home 
to study for finals."  This brought shocked looks from her friends.
	"But Ami, Finals aren't for another four months!" Makoto 
exclaimed.
	"Ya girl, all study and no play makes Ami a dull girl." Minako 
joked to her friends. This again brought a blush to Ami's cheeks.
	"I'm sorry, but I really have to go." With that she left her 
friends for home.
	"Man that girl has got to lighten up." Makoto remarked to her 
friends, who agreed completely with her.
	If only they knew.

	Sorry it just popped into my head.
						Trom

"If I went without human companionship for the rest of my life, getting 
to know myself better wouldn't be problem."  Paraphrase of Gabrielle 
from Xena, Warrior Princess.