Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Future Imperfect- Makoto and Minako's Journey ❯ Chapter 2: The Sleepover ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: ST Pika

Chapter 2: The Sleepover

This part will deal with the sleepover I talked about last chapter… but first, I want to touch on some comments I got about this past chapter.

One review talked about first names and using their sailor form “names” interchangeably. I was doing that for variety… I'm not a fan of saying “Ami” all the time… I tried mentioning her in different ways… it's something I do for all my stories. I can get why someone would be confused… but I don't want the story to be dry or be Makoto says, Makoto does, Makoto blushes, etc. I will limit the use of the character's planet- but it'll still get used on occasion. Transformations will be clearly spelled out when they do happen…

If anyone would like to preread, let me know. My two prereaders are quite busy and I'd rather not make my readers wait a week or two for a chapter when it's done… though I always want quality over quantity- there's a reason my longest running internet story will be 5 years old in six weeks.

Starting with this chapter, I will explain the backstory behind the girls that have the boyfriends, and some additional details on Moon/Kamen as well- so just hold on for the next few chapters until each girl gets her turn.

Also note that all of this was written while I was in the hospital for four days. It's definitely… different from anything I've written before.

Part A

Friday morning and afternoon has Makoto and Minako passing the time away by spending some girl time together down at the mall. Said time involved the usual; shopping, talking, flirting with some of the clerks and others males they met along the way.

After taking a lunch break, the two regroup in a winter wear boutique and get some new scarves… then head over to the dressing room with several sweaters, specifically designed to get attention…

“Well, we have the curves for these…” Minako says as she picks up the top sweater and puts it on.

“True…” Makoto says after grabbing a light green one and doing the same thing. “Even with a shirt and bra on underneath… and a jacket on top… guys can't help but notice us…”

“I like your thinking Makoto… it's being sexy without showing skin…” The blonde concedes while smoothing down the sweater and admiring her full chest.

“And we stay warm at the same time. I think it'll work…” The brunette says while making a few poses. `This has to be one of my best ideas yet… I'm sure it'll help out… from the moment we put these on. I swear being with Minako is like having a sister… not that I know what having a sibling is like but… it's fun.'

While they're trying on the various sweaters, Minako also feels her friendship bond with Makoto grow. `She's really helping me out, putting me ahead of her when it comes to this problem. This is what being friends is all about… helping each other out.'

Several minutes later, the young shoppers have their purchases picked out and paid for… and are out the door.

“What now?” Makoto asks while supporting several large shopping bags in one hand.

Minako chuckles. “Go home… I just have too much stuff here… never thought I'd say that…”

“Okay… I'll talk to you later then…”

“Sounds good…”

That being said, the two young ladies head off their separate ways after a full day of shopping.

The young brunette chef heads back to her apartment, where she delves into her cooking, eagerly preparing some goodies and treats for tomorrow that she knows her best friends will love…

When Minako gets back, she wants to “hop” into something else, to keep her mind focused on the positive. She finds her guardian cat waiting for her in the bedroom…

“How was your day?” After hearing several shopping bags hit the ground, he knows the answer.

“Pretty good… I had fun being out with Makoto… I even talked to a few cute guys. We got some nice winter clothes, too…”

Artemis nods his head. ”Good… I told you that you could do it.”

“I'm trying to keep positive… I guess this isn't a popular time of the year to be single either…”

“Hmm… as far as I've seen, you're right. Christmas is more of a couples activity here versus somewhere like the United States… same for New Years Eve, though New Years day is more of a family activity.”

Minako is impressed by what she just heard. “Someone's been doing some research…”

“Of course… I like to read a lot…” The white cat says in a “matter-of-fact” tone of voice.

“Glad to hear it. You'll have two reading buddies tomorrow night…”

After thinking about that for a moment, Artemis can guess at some of what his charge is talking about.

“Okay… I know that you're going to Makoto's for this ladies only sleepover… so I'm guessing Mamoru is stopping by…”

“Yes… and your love, Luna…” The blonde says with a blink. “I can't be keeping you two apart when I'm complaining about my love problems, can I?”

Artemis's white fur barely conceals the red blush covering his face. “MINAKO!”

Slightly rebuffed by his reaction, the young lady crosses her arms and looks down sternly at her guardian cat. “What? You're just like Mamoru- you know you're going to get married eventually and have a kid so… what's the use in fighting that? Diana was very sweet… I'm sure you'll make a great father…”

“I guess…”

“I don't mean to force anything on you… I can tell them to stop by another time…”

Waving a paw, Artemis plays off her last comment. “No, no… it's fine. I'm sure there's some Sailor business we can discuss besides the usual… or unusual…”

That gets the young woman thinking for a moment. “It has been quiet for a while… but that doesn't mean that the world's out of danger…”

“Not by a long shot… the Sailor Soldiers should always be ready… even during the calm times… but Minako, I want you to be happy… not moapy and depressed…”

A warm smile forms on the young woman's face. “Thanks Artemis…”

Breathing a sigh of relief, the white cat walks out of the room and leaves his charge to her task of unpacking her new purchases. `I'm glad she's feeling better- she was so down yesterday on life… these five young women have the whole world on their shoulders…'

In the homes of five young women, each of the inner senshi excitedly, and even anxiously prepare for their sleepover. It has been a long time since this group got together like this, so all the preparation of a major vacation went into this overnight stay.

Sleeping bags, topics of conversation, what to wear… all pass through the five young women's minds as they prepare for this, something that deep down inside, they miss, regardless of their current situation.

Over at the Tsukino house, Usagi considers herself very lucky that she's even allowed to go out at all…

`I guess since it's girls only my parents didn't even say a word against it… I'll miss my Mamo-chan, though… but at least he'll be visiting Artemis and Luna…'

Stretching on her bed, Usagi looks over at recent picture of her and her boyfriend. `The other four… don't know what happened over here… maybe I should talk about it tomorrow. Dad freaked out… and mom did too- I can't believe that I got them won over so fast… I didn't mean to hide this for so long.'

A tear starts to fall as she recalls what could've happened but didn't. `I'm lucky it didn't go that far… I need him… maybe more then they realize at the moment…'

After getting out her clothes bag from the closet, the young lady starts packing it up… `Maybe I'll go over and hang out a little earlier with Makoto… if that's okay with Mom and Dad… and I can score some good food, too!'

Despite the fact that it's Friday night, Ami's mother is home and talking with her daughter at the dinner table…

“Tell me again about this… you're going by Makoto's apartment tomorrow night?”

“Yes. It's a sleepover… a `girls night out'; I believe is the proper phrase.” Ami says with a nod.

“No boys?”

Feeling a little embarrassed about the past, Ami lowers her head. “No… not even Usagi's boyfriend will be visiting. Mom, are you still mad at me?”

“Ami… I'm not. I know you didn't do anything… but I just want you to be careful. Love is a serious thing… and…” Looking up at her daughter, she continues. “I haven't even met him yet- I need to talk to him and get to know him before I can be more relaxed about this. You are my only child after all… and being seventeen doesn't make you an adult.”

“Yes…” Silently, Ami continues eating her dinner, though feeling a little better after her mom's last statement. `She isn't mad… and she just wants to meet him. That's okay with me…'

“You should invite him over… I may be able to switch my schedule next weekend to have Friday or Saturday open.”

This gets Ami's attention. “I'll call him and ask… I think he wants to meet you…”

“I'm looking forward to meeting this smart young man you've been talking about, Urawa is his name?”

“Urawa Ryo… I met him for the first time three years ago…” A nodding Ami replies. `Not too long after I found out I was Sailor Mercury…'

A beeping sound is heard a moment later… both women know what's about to happen.

Looking down at her pager, the older Mizuno reads the message she just received before relaying the news to her daughter. “Sorry, Ami… there's an emergency and I have to get back…”

“It's okay… at least we got to eat most of dinner together…”

Seeing the slight sadness in her daughter's face, Ami's mother has an idea. “Sunday night… we'll go out, okay?”

“Sure!” Ami says, her mood instantly better.

Standing up, Ami's mom grabs her purse and keys. “Okay, see you tomorrow morning… this could be an all-nighter…”

“I know… see you in the morning…” Ami says while waving her mother goodbye. `Time to make a phone call… and then prepare for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it… a lot…'

Over at the shrine where Rei lives, things are going smoothly… except for a few details.

“I told you I'm sorry… but this is the only night we could do this. Let's go out on Sunday, okay?” Rei says while trying to restrain her temper.

“It's… it's…” Yuuichiro takes a deep breath. “I'll call and see what I can do… change the reservation or something…”

Rei walks over to Yuuichiro and gives him a hug. “I know you spent a lot of money to even get us a chance of eating in that new restaurant, I had heard it was sold out for weeks. I do appreciate the effort- but the girls really need me, especially Makoto and Minako- they've been really down lately.”

Yuuichiro looks down into the raven-haired girl's face, the one that he fell in love with several years ago…

“Okay… but try and give me some more notice next time. Your grandpa lent me some of the money for this… and I had to really bust my ass around here to earn that extra yen…”

“Sure… but one more question…” Rei says with a grin.

“And what's that?” Is the reply back from a hesitant Yuuichiro… part of him doesn't even want to know what his girlfriend could be thinking.

“What's for dinner tonight? I thought it was your turn to make it…”

That comment gets Rei's boyfriend going. “HEY! Rei! After all I…”

Rei winks. “Just kidding… it's my turn. Grandpa will be around shortly… so you'd better help me or else he'll be plaguing you with questions… just like last night.”

Shaking his head, Yuuichiro can only say a few words. “I swear, you're a tease sometimes…”

Taking his hand, Rei starts pulling from the temple mediation room towards the kitchen area of the shrine. “Sometimes…”

Hostess of the weekend, Makoto Kino spends her dinner scratching down notes and making a grocery list for the next days' activities…

“Let's see… I need something for lunch tomorrow. I just know someone's going to come over early… so maybe some mini-sandwiches. All of us will be here for dinner, so it has to be large…”

Taking the pencil into her hand. Makoto taps the lead on the counter. “I don't want to be in the kitchen all day… maybe some ramen with some chicken and some extra spices. Dessert… a chocolate cake- extra large. Usagi sure can eat… but not gain more a half a gram. I don't know how she does it…”

Satisfied with her list, the brunette finishes her dinner and cleans up. Tidying up the apartment is the next task, which doesn't take long. Chairs get moved into position in front of the television, a large open area is left in the center of the front room, with space for five sleeping bags.

`I wonder if I'll need that bottle again…' Makoto thinks while a large smirk forms on her face. `Truth or dare…'

A phone call interrupts the apartment changing process… and after it's done, the young chef knows that she'll have some company tomorrow around lunchtime.

“Well, there's at least two for lunch… I had a feeling she'd call me. At least we can talk a little before the others come over… figure out some questions to ask Ami, Rei, and Usagi. Each one got their guy in a different way…”

Delving back into her preparations, Makoto tries to tune out the problem her and Minako have been dealing with lately- knowing that help will have to wait until the next day. A quick glance at the picture of her parents helps focus her mind… on continuing the fight for a better future- whether it be for the world or for herself.

The little details in the kitchen and front room are reoriented to create the perfect setting and with the clock ticking ever later, the young brunette grabs her jacket and list heads out to the local supermarket, knowing that the lines will be decreasing now that post-dinner rush is over. `Who knows… maybe there'll be someone at the market… keep your options open, Makoto…'

In another part of Tokyo, Setsuna Meioh sips on some evening tea and watches some television, in order to take a break from yesterdays' mystery… when her rod suddenly shakes… and shows a vision of a chocolate cake.

“Okay… that's unusual…”

Moving closer, Setsuna takes a better look at her rod and rubs her eyes, just to make sure. `Chocolate cake? I wonder what's going on here… I've never seen any food in it before, only people…'

Scratching her forehead, the guardian of time tries to figure it out. `Cake… cake… okay… is this the new enemy? No… it's gotta be something else…'

Pluto steps back and takes another look at her tea. `I didn't have anything to drink… so…'

Rubbing her head, the Soldier of Time tries to make sense of what she's seeing. “I hope that Haruka and Michiru aren't playing a joke on me…” She mumbles softly before seeing the cake slowly disappear into mist…

“I'll have to call the others over for this… something's not right here. My rod is supposed to show the future… not someone's culinary creation…” Setsuna says to herself while shaking her head.

Several minutes later, across town, the sound of two women laughing can be heard…

“You're serious? A cake?" Haruka says after controlling her laughter… at least for the moment.

"Chocolate cake love," Michiru added.

"Right... so when does this menace threaten Crystal Tokyo and how do we go about locating much lest removing it?"

"By eating it!" Hotaru adds happily.

Feeling frustrated, Setsuna narrowly avoids yelling back into the phone. “Damn it, I'm serious! I saw a chocolate cake in my garnet rod!”

“Maybe we could get Usagi out there… she'd be able to take it out by herself…” Uranus says with a wide grin. After hearing that, both Hotaru and Michiru break out in laughter, knowing quite well Usagi's snack habits.

Hotaru takes the phone and says: “Is Setsuna momma just hungry?”

“Or she's pregnant..." Ribbed Haruka while snickering, her voice is practically dripping with sarcasm, while on the other end of the line, Setsuna has developed a nervous tick in her left eyebrow.

`These three can't be serious for even one minute…!'

Michiru turns to talk to Hotaru, changing her tone to a more serious, stern one. “Hotaru, please you're a respectable young lady now… you're in high school after all."

“Yes, I know… but it's… funny…” Is the reply back. “I'm sorry…”

Setsuna's voice interrupts the moment, being heard clearly even some distance from the phone receiver. “Hey! I am NOT pregnant!”

“What you do on your time isn't any of our business…” Uranus says while trying to get herself to ask a few other questions that are in her mind.

“HARUKA! That's enough…”

A gentle pat on the shoulder stops a possible response from Haruka to that. “Let's get serious about this…” Michiru says while trying to focus.

“It's about time someone's going to listen…” A relieved Setsuna says into the phone. “I'll come over…”

“Okay… we'll be waiting for you. But, can I ask you to pick up something on the way over?”

After a slight shrug, the Soldier of Time asks: “Okay, what do you need?”

“Get us some milk to go with that cake you're bringing over to show us…”

A click is heard and the phone goes dead. `And just when I thought she was actually being serious with me… oh well, time to go…'

After grabbing her jacket to guard against the cool night air, Setsuna heads out, rod in hand. `Maybe I should get some milk… just to mess with those three. I hope this vision will come back, though… it'd be good to get some more details.'

By the time Pluto arrives, the other three outers have calmed down and composed themselves… or so they hope. Getting Setsuna mad… is NOT a good idea, especially when she can deal with time itself.

“I'll get the door…” Michiru says after hearing several knocks on the entrance to the apartment. She opens the door and Setsuna walks right in, not even saying a word…

Seeing the carton of milk in Setsuna's possession, Haruka cannot help but ask one question. “I see you brought the milk… but where's this cake you're talking about?”

Heading for the nearest chair, Setsuna decides to cut to the chase. “Close the door Michiru…”

“Okay… I know you aren't joking… but can you make that vision appear again? Honestly… you've gotten me… curious…”

“I want to see this…” Hotaru says while trying to restrain her enthusiasm.

“Turn off the light… and I'll see what I can do…”

Silently, the young Sailor Saturn obeys and sits back down. Setsuna focuses on the rod… and the future…

`Garnet rod… show me the future… show me that same vision as before…'

Slowly, the rod starts glowing… and an orb the size of a basketball forms at the end. All four women's eyes are transfixed on the orb… especially when an image slowly starts to form in the center.

`Something is happening… I'm starting to see it…' Setsuna says while the cake begins to form again. `Yes… I was right… there it is…'

Ten seconds later, an image of a large chocolate cake appears in its fully glory in the center of the orb… but only adds to the confusion felt by the other three outers.

“Well, there it is… I'm sorry we doubted you…” Haruka says with a shrug. “But what does it mean?”

"Frankly, I haven't a clue."

A loud thud was heard and Setsuna looked at the blonde. "That must have hurt…" She stated calmly as the girls face was planted firmly into the carpet.

"That's not very elegant love," Michiru added as Hotaru giggled.

Getting back on her feet, Haruka takes a closer look at the orb, which is still holding its shape and intensity. “Your rod… predicts the future, right?”

Setsuna nods. “Yes…”

“But why is there cake? Unless it's cake from Crystal Tokyo… a plot of some sort? I swear, we never get a break…” Uranus says with a sigh.

“Wait a second… I just saw something!” Hotaru says while pointing at the orb. “Looks like a knife!”

Not knowing what to expect, the four take a step back… and then breath a sigh of relief.

“Okay… it got cut into five pieces… that's all…” Haruka says while scratching her chin.

The image starts to fade away… and just like before, becomes hazy before disappearing completely. Four stunned women stand motionless for several seconds after that, trying to figure out some way of explaining this very… unusual experience.

“Well, that's it… but the part with the knife is new…” Setsuna concedes. “Something's going to happen in the future… but it doesn't look threatening. Just because we haven't seen something like this before… doesn't mean it'll be bad.”

“Good point. I think we should be on guard, though…” The blonde says with a smirk.

“I agree. If you three see or hear anything out of the ordinary… tell me. I hope this is a vision of something happy for once… and not some end of the world event like we normally see…”

Michiru slowly nods her head. “I do hope you're right, Setsuna…”

“So do I…”

End Part A- 2 omake's follow and then it's time for part B.

Omake #1:

Haruka looked at the glowing orb and had a thoughtful moment. "Hey Setsuna?"

"What now?" the Senshi of time asked, feeling a little irritated.

"Does this thing get HBO?"

"Wha... DEAD SCREAM!"

"AHH!!!! I'M SORRY!"

"Not yet you're not! DEAD SCREAM!"

Omake #2:

“Wait a second… I just saw something!” Hotaru says while pointing at the orb. “Looks like a knife!”

A vision of OJ Simpson simply shrugs his shoulders. “Cake anyone?”

Sorry for the cheap stab there, folks… I just put two and two together… that hospital stay messed me up/sparked my creativity in a way I've never had before.

Part B

Saturday afternoon

Just after finishing her lunch, Makoto hears a knock on her door. `I bet it's Minako… she said she'd be over early…'

A few moments later, Makoto opens the door and finds two blondes standing on her doorstep, not one…

“I wasn't expecting both of you…”

“Sorry…” Usagi bows apologetically. “I forgot to call you and let you know I was coming by early… I was just so excited after my parents allows me to come to the sleepover... I kind of left a bit early.

“I'm sure you have some extra food to feed Usagi here… and I'm a little hungry myself…” Minako says while rubbing her stomach.

“Come on in… I've got plenty of food.” Makoto says with a smile.

The newly arrived pair walk inside and take off their shoes before heading into the kitchen, where Usagi notices the half eaten sandwich on the counter…

“Mmm… that looks good!”

Noticing that Usagi is staring at her sandwich, Jupiter asks: “Want me to make you two some lunch?

Minako is the first to reply back. “We can do it… you've already done enough work for tonight… and you're the host, so we should help you out where we can…”

“Yeah, it's no big deal… finish your lunch…” Usagi says with a nod.

“Well, okay…” Returning to her sandwich, Makoto watches her two friends make their lunch. `Maybe we could play some video games together… and talk. I can't wait until everyone else comes by… tonight's going to be fun!'

The three girls eat lunch together and talk. Usagi asks about the shopping trip at the mall and how it went…

“It was pretty fun… Minako and I got some nice clothes, especially those sweaters…”

“Yeah… in fact, I'm wearing one of them now…” Taking a deep breath, Minako makes her chest seem even bigger, drawing a puzzled look from Usagi… and causing Makoto to start laughing.

“What's so funny? I don't get it…”

Calming down a little, Jupiter replies back: “It's just an inside joke…”

Being the curious one, Usagi wants to know more. “Oh… do you mind telling me about it?”

The other two girls exchange glances and then nod, signaling to each other a “yes” response. Venus decides to explain it to her friend.

“Well, Makoto came up with this idea… of using sweaters like this one to show off bodies and look, you know, sexy…”

“I see…” Usagi thinks about it for a moment and then smiles. “Maybe I should get some too, to flirt with Mamo-chan a little…”

The other two girls start laughing. “You do that all the time… at least lately…” Is the reply from the blonde.

“Well, now that he's okay with my folks… I feel more comfortable doing that… we're destined to be together, so I'm going with my feelings…” Usagi says with a firm nod.

After hearing that comment from her friend, Makoto decides to tease her friend a little. `If that's true, I wonder if they're moving past the hugging/kissing stage…'

“Usagi, if you want, we'll take you over to that store… since you're getting pretty serious about Mamoru…”

“Sure… but it's not that serious…” Usagi stops herself from saying “yet”… but her two friends know she was about to say more but didn't.

Minako puts a hand on her friends' shoulder. “That doesn't matter. You could always save it for the future… you do have the figure for the sweater after all…”

That comment gets a very extreme non-vocal response from the other blonde. Her face turns very red and she turns her face away.

“You're just saying that… I can't compare to you two…”

“No, we're your friends; we're not going to lie. We'll help you out… but you have to help us. To tell you the truth…” Makoto takes a deep breath and prepares to admit something aloud that she was keeping inside.

“I'm a little jealous of you and Mamoru…”

After hearing that, Usagi turns and looks at her friend sympathetically…

“Oh… I had no idea…”

“I kinda feel the same way too…” Minako admits, wanting to come clean as well.

Usagi contemplates what she just heard and has an idea.

“Well… why don't we have a talk… and help each other out tonight? We can have fun…”

Both Makoto and Minako smile and nod their heads. “Sounds good to me.” Is the response from both young women.

Taking her sandwich in her hands, Usagi raises it like she's about to make a toast. “Here's to the future…”

“The future…” Minako says cheerily, thinking about positive things. Makoto has the opposite reaction and thinks again about the future that she witnessed several years ago… but tries to be optimistic.

`Maybe if we all put our heads together… we can figure out something… and make a change…'

The young chef finishes her lunch and makes another sandwich for Usagi, whose appetite seems healthy as ever. The three do some last minute changes to the apartment and await the arrival of the other two girls…

Ami is the next to arrive, backpack and sleeping bag on her back. Once she enters the apartment, her mood improves considerably… `It's good to be with my friends again… maybe they can help me out tonight… if I can get the courage to bring the topic up…'

“Good timing, Ami… I'm almost ready to serve dinner…” Makoto calls out from the kitchen as her friend sets up her sleeping bag on the floor.

“That sounds good to me. Something's missing, though…” The blue haired woman turns and looks around the room… and confirms her suspicion. “Where's Rei?”

Minako answers that right away. “Hmm… she should be here. I told her six o'clock…”

A loud “Bing” is heard a moment later… signaling another arrival.

“Can someone get the door? I'm in the middle of something here…” Makoto says while turning down the heat on the stove.

“I'll get it…” Usagi says, volunteering to help out. She walks over to the door and is about to open it when she hears a familiar voice on the other side.

“I'll talk to you when I get home tomorrow… and once again, I'm sorry about dinner…”

A male voice, which Usagi recognizes as Rei's boyfriend Yuuichiro, responds back.

“No problem. Have fun, okay?”

“Sure…”

Wanting to give her boyfriend more then just a verbal apology, Rei leans in for a kiss… Usagi notices the silence and peers through the peephole.

`Aww… that's sweet… I think Rei's got a winner…'

Inside, Usagi fights a battle to either open the door or yell out something… but she decides not to interrupt the intimate moment. She steps back from the door and waits for the knock she knows is coming…

“Hey, is anyone there? It's cold out here!” Is the cry from the outside.

“Coming!”

Usagi opens the door and finds Rei standing there, her face still slightly red from the blushing she was doing just a few moments ago.

“It's about time… I'm freezing out here!” The raven-haired woman complains as she steps inside… Usagi closes the door behind her and grins.

“You do look cold, I'm sorry… you're face is all red, so I know you're telling the truth…”

“Yeah, umm… that's right…” Rei says, wondering if she was being watched earlier.

“Dinner's ready… we were waiting for you…” Makoto calls out from the kitchen.

Rei's mood instantly improves after hearing that and she takes off her coat and hangs it up. “Great, I'm starving!”

“Hey, that's my line!” Usagi protests.

The other four girls start laughing at that comment… making the young moon princess even more angry.

“Hey, I can't help it if I like to eat, okay?”

“We know…” Minako says with a smile. ”That's why Makoto made an extra large cake for dessert…”

“Really?” Is the reply back from the other blonde before thinking about the dessert in question. `That sounds yummy! Makoto's cooking is the best!'

“You guys sit down… I'll pour the soup…” The young brunette chef says happily while she takes another whiff of her latest creation. `This smells good… I've really outdone myself this time!'

The other four young women make their way over to the kitchen and sit down at the table. As Makoto pours the soup into the bowls, Ami stands up…

“We should serve the soup… you've probably been cooking all day…”

“No, it's okay…” A wide grin forms on the chef's face. “I'm your hostess and it's no problem.”

“Okay… if you insist…” Ami says before sitting back down. `That soup smells wonderful… I wish I could cook like this…'

The air is soon filled with the smell of piping hot ramen, mixed with various spices and chicken. Makoto pours a bowl for herself and joins the others at the table…

“Dig in… there's plenty more…”

Instead of a verbal reply, Makoto hears the sounds of the others eating… and several “mmm's…” and “good…” responses.

`I'm glad they like my soup… that makes me feel good inside. I love sharing my talent with others… there has to be someone out there for Minako and me…'

Small talk goes back and forth at the table… and it isn't long before the topic of men comes up…

Minako decides to steer the topic to get more information…

“I want to hear from you three… how you got your boyfriends…” A lot of nervous giggles and blushing faces result from that comment. The table is silent for a few moments before Rei decides to speak up first.

“I guess we could…” Rei says before finishing her soup. “But we need to decide who's going first…”

“What about Jan-Ken-Pon?” Usagi suggests.

Ami nods her head. “That seems fair to me.”

“Or… there's always the bottle…” Makoto says with a wink.

Rei immediately objects. “Oh, no… not that thing… I've lost too many times with that… I can't even remember how many dares you guys had me do last time…”

“That's because you didn't want to tell us the truth…” Makoto says with a shrug. “It's your own fault.”

“Yeah… you should be more honest with us…” Usagi chimes in.

Rei blushes and says nothing… and tries to control her anger about being put on the spot like this.

“I am not a fan of the bottle, either…” Ami says, trying to defuse the situation.

Silently, Rei thinks about that comment. `This is girl talk after all… and I do want to help my friends out so…'

Conceding to her friend, Mars nods her head and gives a response. “Fine… I'll talk… but we're still doing Jan-Ken-Pon to decide who's going first…”

“I'll go against you first…” Usagi says with a grin.

“Okay…”

The two girls hold out their right hands and chant “Jan… Ken… Pon!”

Looking at the final result, Ami declares the winner. “Looks like Usagi wins…”

Rei blinks and then utters a “Damn…”

“Okay… now it's Rei versus Ami…” Makoto says, wondering which one of her friends would win.

The two take a deep breath and hold out their hands. “Ready, Ami?”

“Yes”

“Jan… Ken… Pon!” The two make their picks… and then slowly open their eyes.

“Woah… I guess you get to cool off, Rei…” Minako says playfully. “Ami, you're up first…”

Still in disbelief about losing, all the blue haired girl can say is: “Me?”

“Yep… I won, Ami…” Rei says, a wide grin forming on her face. “I never did hear the whole story about how you got back in touch with Urawa anyways…”

Continuing that idea, Usagi adds another comment. “And what about the last time? You told me your mom…”

“I'll umm… talk about that last… umm…” Ami blushes.

Ami's discomfort is evident and Makoto decides to help her friend out and buy some time for her to think.

“Can you guys give me a hand? I want to get everything cleaned up before we get into anything else…”

The response from the others is an affirmative one… and Ami breathes a sigh of relief.

`I'm glad she did that… I'm a little nervous… especially about the last topic…'

The clanking of dishes is heard as the five young women clean up after dinner. It isn't long before the dishes are done and sitting in the drying rack…

“Everyone grab some soda and let's get started!” Usagi says, ready to hear to hear the full story that Ami was about to tell.

Trying to buy a few more minutes before facing one of the most difficult challenges she's faced in a while, Ami has an idea. “Shouldn't we get ready for bed… I mean this is a sleepover…”

“That's right…” Usagi says matter-of-factly. “Time to relax!”

The five girls head for their individual packs and get out their pajamas, each one a different color. Had the weather been warmer, an oversized T-shirt would have been the choice of several… but winter has a firm grip on Japan. Ami finishes changing and sits on top of her sleeping bag… thinking about her situation.

`I guess there's nothing really to hide… it's not like anything really serious happened… though it did feel good…'

“Okay… we're all ready… so whenever you're ready, Ami…” Rei says with a grin. `I'm going second, but I'm curious about what's being going on with her and Urawa… she hasn't talked much about it…'

Ami clears her throat and prepares to tell her other friends how she reconnected with Urawa. The four girls focus on Ami and she begins…

"Well, you see... we had those tests last term and..."

The words "You've got mail" are suddenly heard from the Mercury computer, interrupting Ami's tale- causing the girl to grab it quickly while blushing.

“What's that?” Is the common response from the four young women. Ami says nothing but reads the message to herself.

Ami, I wanted to say I miss talking to you. However I want you to have fun with your friends. I hope to see you later, Love - Uwara

“Is it… your boyfriend?” Usagi says while trying to peer over Ami's shoulder.

“Umm… yes…” The blue haired girl says before closing the computer. “Now, where was I?”

Rei nudges her friend and teases her little. “I thought that was for use against the enemy…”

That comment catches Ami off guard for a moment. “Well, we haven't had any battles in about a year… so I adapted it for umm… personal use.”

Placing a reassurance hand on her friends' shoulder, Rei tries to calm down Ami. “I was just joking… at least you're getting some use out of it.”

“Yes…” Ami says with a nod. “I can communicate with him at anytime…”

Makoto smiles. “Good idea…”

After a slight nod, Ami continues her story. “Yes. I saw his name when the results were posted from the tests we had earlier this year- I was top ranked for my school… and our area…”

“We'd expect no less of you, Ami…” Minako says with a nod.

“When I looked at the regional results… I saw Urawa's name on the top of the list… next to mine. I hadn't talked to him in a long time so I was… curious about what he was up to…”

“Okay… that makes sense…” Rei says with a nod. “Go on…”

“We got in touch… and we met for a date over in his part of town. The restaurant was quite nice… he's a lot more… handsome… then he was before.” Ami says that last part with a blush and paused to compose herself.

The other four girls say nothing, their attention focused on their friend as she continues to tell her story. Usagi grins at one point, knowing full well that she was responsible for the event just mentioned…

“Usagi, you gave him that picture, didn't you?”

“Of course… he had one of you but I figured he could use a better one…”

Ami's head lowers slightly before she responds back. “I guess… but why did it have to be a picture of me eating a hamburger? It was… embarrassing when he showed me the picture…”

“Oh… I'm sorry…” Usagi says apologetically.

“It's okay… he did several double takes when he first saw me… I noticed that he was looking down at that picture and then at me… I don't think he believed that it was me…”

“Sooo… what'd he say?” Minako asks, wanting to know why Urawa was acting like that.

“He said that I was… more beautiful then the last time that he saw me…” Ami says with a slight blush.

“Aww… how sweet…” Is the response from Makoto. “That picture was from three years ago, right?”

Ami nods her head.

Makoto continues. “I think we've all changed in one way or another… but the important thing is, we're still friends…”

Continuing her story, Ami relates how she met Urawa for their first date and the several that followed… until she gets up to the point of her last date- which the other four girls have been waiting for.

“Do you four remember that strong thunderstorm we had last Friday?”

Nodding her head, Makoto responds first. “The power was out all night… I'm lucky all of food didn't spoil…”

“Urawa and I were heading back to the train station after dinner when the storm came… we barely made it back to his apartment before the true brunt of the storm hit…”

“What about his parents?” A curious Usagi asks. “Were they home?”

Ami shakes her head. “No… they were out of town…”

“Heh. You two… alone in his apartment.” Minako says with a grin.

Ami blushes and shakes her head. “It's not what you think… we decided to watch a movie together… and ended up falling asleep on the couch. After that, he made me a snack and we watched another movie… I couldn't get a hold of my mother so I had no choice but to stay…”

“I don't blame you at all…” Rei says while recalling that night in question. “It was raining cats and dogs…”

“There was a news report right before that phone call… the trains were down… that's why I called. It turned out for the best, though…”

Going off into her own world for a few moments, Ami recalls in her mind the events that happened during the movie. `It was a romance movie… and I think he chose it on purpose. He slipped his arm around me and then… and then… my heart started to race. He moved closer… and so did I… his lips were so warm…'

After waiting several seconds, Usagi waves a hand in front of Ami's face. “Ami… Ami… are you there?”

Hearing her friends' voice snaps Ami out of her daydream about her first kiss. “Oh, sorry… I was just thinking about something, that's all.”

“Was the kiss that good?” Rei asks with a grin.

“Yes…” Ami replies without realizing it. ”Um…I mean… I was thinking about something else…”

The other girls notice the bright red blush on Ami's face and know the real answer.

Not wanting to tease her friend and stave off any bad feelings, Makoto adds something to her friends' last comment. “Sounds like you had fun…” Makoto says with a smile. “When's the next time you're getting together?” The other girls giggle and look at Ami…

Ami is more then happy to reveal that information, her voice is filled with anticipation. “Next weekend… my mother said that she'll have some time off of work- she wants to meet him.”

“That's great- it looks like you two are making some real progress there…” Minako says with a nod. “Have you met his parents yet?”

“Yes… and they seemed quite happy with me… we are alike in many ways…”

“It looks you're happy with him… I wish I could be happy like that… but it's hard sometimes to be positive… about the future…” Makoto says, her head dipping slightly.

Realizing that her friend was thinking along the same lines, Ami brings up her thoughts on the matter. “Actually… I've been thinking about that as well… the future… and what we saw when we traveled to the 30th century…”

Minako and Makoto immediately look at their friend… and realize that they aren't alone when it comes to these things…

Raising her hand, Rei gets Ami's attention. “Me too…”

"I'm sorry..." Usagi mumbled drawing her friends' attention.

All of the girls turn and look at Usagi, the young blonde suddenly feels uncomfortable as a result of her outburst and their stares. `Why are they looking at me like that? It's not my fault the future was like that… but still… why weren't there any other men… or children? Hmm…'

“Usagi… I've been thinking about this for a while and it seems like everyone else here has too…” The raven-haired scout admits after sighing aloud. “If you really think about it… it's kind of depressing…”

Before Makoto or Minako could respond and talk about their feelings on this, Ami responds.

“I agree with Rei… what have we been fighting for? Saving the world… only to lose most of it… and then be in a future…” Words suddenly fail the Soldier of Mercury and she lowers her head. “I want to be happy… to love someone… like Urawa…”

Across town at Michiru and Haruka's apartment, Setsuna suddenly feels her rod shake…

“Hey, something's wrong… my rod is going crazy…” She says while trying to hold the rod steady.

Hotaru points at the top of the rod. “It's glowing again? I wonder if it's going to show some more cake?”

“Probably not…” Haruka moves closer and motions Michiru to join her in front of the rod. “Let's see what kind of vision there is this time…”

The four outer soldiers stare at the rod… but nothing appears. A wave of dizziness hits Setsuna and she falls onto the couch…

`What just happened?' Rubbing her eyes, the Senshi of time realizes that she must be dreaming… the scene now in front of her is from the future. A large ballroom is filled with people… and then a dense fog rolls in…

`Okay… is that some kind of special effect?'

Doubts begin to mount as the fog grows thicker and thicker… and suddenly from the center of the fog grew a flame that washed over the party... screams were heard... but nothing was seen... and then... silence.

Setsuna wakes up screaming and her three housemates rush over to the couch.

“What happened?” A very concerned Michiru asks as she touches Setsuna's forehead. “She's got a temperature…”

Haruka takes a better look at her friend, the Senshi of time, and notices that she's blankly staring straight ahead into nothing... she's sweating and slight trembles can be seen.

“What happened to Setsuna momma? Is she going to be okay?”

“To be honest, I don't know…” Michiru says while staring at the rod, which is currently standing erect in the center of the room, the orb still glowing and shedding an eerie light into the otherwise dark apartment…

To be continued in Chapter 3: Future Imperfect

For you reading pleasure, here's another omake…

Omake #3:

Hotaru shows up at the sleep over right after Makoto pulls the cake out of the oven and glazes it. She sees the cake. "Saturn power make up!" she suddenly shouts. "I cannot allow this to go unpunished!"

"What's that?" Usagi asks as she looks at her friend who just transformed into the Sailor of destruction before eyeing the cake wondering if she could get some cake before whatever Hotaru did could hurt it.

"In the name of the moon!" Hotaru suddenly yelled, "I slice you!"

Bringing her glaive down she neatly cut the chocolate cake in half, then again and again before standing back with a grin. "There… the menace is dealt with. Can I have a piece too?"