Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Best Friends ❯ Chapter 13

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

Chapter 13: Saturday morning
-------------

The exercise machines at the Sports Center hummed with activity
as Kenjo finished his cardio work. When he'd arrived about an
hour earlier, the place had been mostly deserted, but while he
worked out, it had started to fill up. Fortunately, he'd been
able to reserve the basketball court. Drying his forehead with
his towel and draining his water bottle, he headed over to where
Makoto was stretching out.

"Well, you all limbered up, Mako-chan?" he asked. "You'd better
be. I've gotten better since we last played."

"I hope so," Makoto replied with a grin, "and I hope you didn't
expend too much energy on that elliptic thing. I wouldn't want
you to play at anything short of your peak, after all."

Kenjo extended a hand and pulled Makoto to her feet. "I was just
getting warmed up. I could only get us thirty minutes, but that
should be enough. Are you ready?"

Nodding curtly, Makoto accompanied him out of the warmup area,
past the racquetball rooms, to the main gym. Though the Sports
Center had a full-length court, complete with bleachers and
scoreboard for leagues, they would only use half of it. Tossing
her sweatpants and sweatshirt onto the stands, she did some final
stretches while Kenjo got a pair of basketballs from storage.

Kenjo passed one ball to Makoto and began taking shots from a
variety of distances with his own. Makoto followed suit until
they both felt ready to begin.

"Ok, we both trust each other, right?" Kenjo asked rhetorically.
"I'll track your score. You track mine. We have until 10 on the
dot, so about twenty, twenty-five minutes."

"Losers start," Makoto informed him with a nasty smirk. "That
would be you." Kenjo took a ball, checked it to her, and
dribbled slowly toward the basket.

For the first five minutes of their game, they each took it easy,
settling for jump shots, not contesting rebounds very much,
chatting as they played.

"So, how was your date last night?" Makoto inquired while
retrieving the ball after one of Kenjo's baskets.

"It was incredible. Tell you all about it over lunch?" he
suggested.

"Loser buys?" Makoto countered. Seeing him nod, she agreed. "Ok,
then I can tell you about my night over lunch, too."

"Something interesting happen at work?"

"Sort of, while I was on break. Interesting isn't quite the
word," Makoto beamed, fading away and hitting a 12 foot shot over
his outstretched hand.

Kenjo eyed her appraisingly as he found the ball and dribbled
back behind half-court. "I can't wait to hear this." With a
wink, he gave her a head-fake left and drove to the right, trying
to get around her for an easy layup, upping the intensity of
their game a bit. Makoto bit on the head fake but recovered in
time to swat his shot away as he went up toward the backboard.
To the surprise of both of them, the block got a big crowd
reaction.

"WOOO! GO MAKO-CHAN!" Usagi yelled loudly. Over in the stands,
the young blonde sat alongside Rei. Usagi had gone so far as to
bring little pom-poms on sticks, which she now waved furiously.
Rei simply shook her head sadly.

As Kenjo fished the ball out of the distant corner where it had
landed, Makoto moved closer to the bleachers. "What are you guys
doing here?!"

"We came to cheer you on, of course!" Usagi explained. "WOOO-
HOOOO, GIMME AN M, GIMME AN A, GIMME..."

"Give me a break!" Rei interrupted. "We came to watch, Usagi,
not act like teenagers! Can't you ever grow up?!"

As Usagi began to wail and complain that Rei was always so mean
to her, and also that she wasn't properly supporting their
friend, Makoto headed back to the court. Kenjo greeted her with
a look of mixed amazement and amusement. "Brought out a cheering
section, huh? That hardly seems fair. You must have been really
worried about the game, I guess," he teased.

"I had no idea," Makoto answered, shaking her head ruefully as
Usagi attempted to perform some sort of complicated cheering
routine that resulted in her falling flat on the floor.

Kenjo chuckled and once again began play. While he was more
amused than anything by Usagi's antics, and Rei's reactions to
them, he did note that the cheers appeared to help Makoto's game.
Basking in the applause and shouts of her friends, Makoto reeled
off 4 straight points, even as Kenjo increased his defensive
pressure. Now, they fought for every rebound and drove hard for
the basket on almost every play.

Finally, Kenjo broke Makoto's streak by sinking a pull-up jump
shot. This time, however, it was his turn to receive some
accolades.

"Nice shot! You can do it!"

Before he turned, he knew who it was and suddenly his pulse
quickened, despite its already rapid pace. Sitting to one side,
a few rows in front of Usagi and Rei, Minako clapped politely and
smiled encouragingly.

"Mina-chan!" Usagi admonished, "How can you root for a boy over
our friend Mako-chan!"

"I'm just trying to even the odds, Usagi-chan," Minako calmly
pointed out. She acknowledged a wave from Kenjo with one of her
own, along with a warm smile.

"As if anyone could ever outscream this meatball head," Rei
ruefully noted.

Minako laughed, "Well, I'm going to try. It's only fair!"

As Kenjo and Makoto continued their game, Usagi scooted over to
sit on the bench directly behind Minako, followed quickly by Rei.
"So, Mina-chan, I take it your date went well last night?"

Minako gave Usagi a knowing look and then called out, "Way to go,
Kenjo-chan! Nice steal!"

Usagi and Rei exchanged glances to make sure each had picked up
on that little development. Similarly, out on the court, Makoto
lifted an eyebrow toward Kenjo, a gesture which he returned with
only a mysterious, happy grin.

"He seems very nice," Rei whispered, "I'm so happy for you, Mina-
chan!"

"Yeah, and he has nice legs too," Usagi noted. "You kissed him,
didn't you?"

Minako smiled, but didn't answer, instead remaining focused on
the game.

Usagi snickered and said, more loudly, "See, I told you she'd
kiss him. You owe me an ice cream tonight!" Rei snorted, but
didn't deny the debt, especially after noticing the blush on
Minako's face.

And so, the game continued. With Minako quietly cheering him on,
Kenjo went on a small run to pull back close to even with Makoto.
Usagi's cheering had died down as she focused her energies on
trying to pry information out of an unresponsive Minako.

"Who's winning?" a soft voice whispered behind the three women in
the stands. Ami, having slid in unnoticed, leaned forward,
speaking quietly so as not to disturb the game.

"Our Mako-chan, of course!" Usagi declared. "At least, I think
she is. Who's keeping score, anyway?"

"They're keeping score, meatball head," Rei explained. "It's
pretty close, but actually I think Kenjo-san is pulling ahead."

At just that momemt, Kenjo spun around Makoto and sunk another
layup. Minako clapped loudly, turning back to beam at her
friends with pride. "Hi, Ami-chan!" she greeted her friend. "I
hope you don't mind, but I thought Kenjo-chan needed at least a
little support."

Ami grinned and moved down to sit beside Minako, in front of Rei
and Usagi. "I'm sure that Mako-chan understands, Mina-chan. She
wouldn't want everyone to be cheering for her and no one for her
friend."

Usagi leaned forward, "How did it go yesterday, Ami-chan? Is
everything ok?" Rei added, "Did you let that little bastard have
it?"

Ami sighed. "Yes, I dealt with Urawa-san. I don't think he'll be
causing any more problems." At this news, all three of Ami's
friends congratulated her and gave her quick hugs of support.

"Thank you all, for everything," Ami told them, voice heavy with
emotion. Getting a grip, she turned back toward the court, "Now,
if you don't mind, I think I'd like to watch this."

After a minute or two, with both players trading baskets, Minako
dropped her head close to Ami's, speaking in a conspiratorial
tone, but loud enough for Usagi and Rei to hear. "So, Ami-chan,
do you want to make a side bet?"

"What do you mean?" Ami replied cautiously.

"You know, my boyfriend versus your girlfriend?" Minako
concluded, enjoying the way Ami's complexion immediately went
red.

While Ami tried to stammer out some sort of reply, Usagi added
her two cents. "Hey, Rei, what do you think of that outfit Mako-
chan is wearing?" she asked in a theatrical voice.

Rei normally tried to rein in those traits of Usagi's which she
deemed childish, but the temptation to tease their dear shy
friend was too great to resist. "Well, I like the t-shirt, but
those shorts are awfully short, don't you think?"

"I don't know," Usagi went on, happy to see Rei playing along
with her. "If I had long, sexy legs like Mako-chan, I'd make sure
to show them off as much as I could."

"You're right, her legs really are very long, aren't they? And
quite muscular too, wouldn't you say Ami-chan?" Rei asked
innocently.

Ami knew they were trying to get her to blush more, as if that
was possible, but still, she found herself gazing out onto the
court. Makoto's legs were really quite attractive. She felt a
flash of warmth pass over her, sweat beginning to bead on her
forehead.

"What about the t-shirt?" Usagi continued. "It's a bit loose.
I'm surprised she's not bouncing around all over the place."

"Well, duh, she's wearing a sports bra, Usagi," Rei theorized.
"Probably green, too, if I know Mako-chan. Don't you agree, Ami-
chan?"

Visions of Makoto bent over, spooning rice into her bowl, buttons
straining, soft white skin swelling in front of her made Ami gasp
briefly. Makoto's t-shirt clung to her back with the sweat of a
hard-fought game and Ami could see her bra strap clearly
outlined. She didn't trust herself enough to try to respond.

"I've always envied Mako-chan her perfect breasts. Nice and
big, but firm and perky. I wish I had so much up top," Usagi
lamented.

"I'm sure your Mamo-chan wishes you did, too!" Rei teased. "But
you're right, Mako-chan is a beautiful woman. Someone someday is
going to be very very lucky to have her."

Ami nodded silently, completely befuddled by both the teasing and
her own scandalous thoughts. Overwhelming desire was not a
sensation with which Ami was either familiar or comfortable.

Minako put an end to it. "That's enough, you two. The poor
thing is going to explode. It's ok, Ami-chan. You know we all
love you and we're all very happy for the two of you."

Ami smiled at Minako in relief. Turning to Usagi and Rei, she
added shyly, "You're both right, she is the most beautiful woman
in the world."

All three of Ami's friends sighed "Awwwww" and gave her another
hug. As they split up, and Makoto hit a deep shot on the court,
Ami announced, "I'll take your bet, Mina-chan. Your Kenjo seems
like a good player, but I have faith in my Mako-chan."

With a happy, mischievous grin, Minako shouted out, "Kenjo-chan!
You have to win now; I have a bet on with Mako-chan's girlfriend!
If you win, I'll give you a reward."

As Makoto blushed over the term 'girlfriend', Kenjo dribbled over
toward the stands. He'd suspected that everything had sorted
itself out based on Makoto's earlier hints, but the confirmation
made him almost as happy as he'd been the night before. Almost.
"What kind of reward, Mina-chan?"

"You'll see," Minako replied coyly. "I'm sure you'll like it."
As Kenjo headed back with his renewed sense of purpose clear on
his face for all to see, Minako flashed a triumphant smile at
Ami.

Ami thought for a moment and then returned Minako's grin with a
sly smirk of her own. Standing up, she called, "Mako-chan, when
you win, you'll get a prize, too!" Stunned by her own
brazenness, Ami sat back down, sincerely hoping Makoto would win
so she could reward her properly. True, this wasn't as an ideal
a location or situation as Wednesday night had been, but Ami
didn't think she could hold out much longer.

Each armed with more than ample motivation, Makoto and Kenjo
moved into the final minutes of their game with a friendly
ferocity. Every possession was hard-fought; every point a
struggle. Finally, there were only seconds to go. Makoto had
just hit a basket, but there was time for one more possession.

Kenjo dribbled slowly at the top of the key. "You've been
tracking both of our scores, right?" he whispered. Makoto
confirmed his suspicion with a grin and nod. "I have too, of
course." She did not seem surprised. "So, we both know what
really happened, right?" Again, Makoto nodded. "Good. I think
we both have earned a reward." The light went on in Makoto's
eyes as she saw where he was going with this. "I'm going to make
this shot, and we'll have tied." She indicated her agreement and
Kenjo drove left.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" Usagi shouted helpfully, watching
the clock.

Kenjo went up a split second before Makoto could, bouncing the
ball off the backboard.

"Done!" Usagi announced, just as the ball fell through the net.
All four women leapt to their feet, clapping.

Kenjo and Makoto embraced quickly, grabbed their towels from the
floor, and dried off as they moved toward the waiting crowd. Rei
congratulated both of them as Minako and Ami each moved to stand
beside their respective champions.

"Well?! Who won?!" Usagi demanded. Both Minako and Ami waited
expectantly.

"It was a tie," Kenjo announced sheepishly.

"Well, you didn't lose, and that's good enough for me," Minako
informed him impatiently. Ignoring the giggles from her friends,
she spun him to face her and kissed him soundly. Some time
later, when they parted, she wrinkled her nose. "You're totally
sweaty and smelly, Kenjo-chan! You should go shower."

Kenjo laughed, pulling the now-protesting Minako close for a
tight hug. "I will be all cleaned up when you pick me up
tonight, I promise."

"You'd better be," Minako warned, unable to keep up the facade of
being upset. She remained comfortably in his arms as she soaked
in the happy and supportive expressions of her closest friends.

"I guess you deserve your reward, too, Mako-chan," Ami said in a
quiet but determined voice.

Makoto stammered that she hadn't won and that Ami didn't really
have to do anything, but Ami would have none of it. With a deep
breath, Ami took Makoto's hands in her own and stood before her.
As one, the others stepped away to give them a semblance of
privacy.

"There is so much you deserve, my sweet Mako-chan," Ami
whispered, "this is just the beginning..." And as Makoto stared
at her, stunned, hoping against hope, Ami reached up and placed
her hands on Makoto's cheeks, pulling her face down.

"I love you, Mako-chan," Ami said. Gently, she pressed her lips
to Makoto's. Makoto's eyes closed and her head tilted slightly,
hands sliding around Ami's waist to pull her close. Ami's hands
ran back into Makoto's hair, releasing it from its ponytail, and
lost themselves in its cascades. Lips parted and tongues met as
each sought to press closer to the other, as if such a thing were
possible.

Finally, and reluctantly, Ami pulled away. The tears she felt on
her cheeks were reflected on Makoto's face. Turning, she noticed
that all of her friends, even Kenjo-san, were wiping their eyes.
Suddenly, she felt Makoto's arms lock around her waist as she was
swept up into the air and swung around in a big circle. She
struggled to catch her breath and balance as Makoto set her down.

"Sorry, I might have got a little carried away," Makoto
sheepishly admitted.

"Looks it was Ami-chan who was getting carried," Rei pointed out,
bringing a round of laughter from everyone.

------

Unnoticed by the group of young people on the court, three
figures watched from the other corner of the gym. They waited
while plans were made, players headed to the showers and
spectators gathered their things to leave. Soon, everyone but
Ami had gone, the latter clearly planning to wait for Makoto to
return from the locker room.

"It wasn't a tie," Haruka noted placidly.

"No, but that's their business. I think they did the right
thing. They're all so cute," Michiru replied. "I don't know
enough about that young man, but I think Makoto-chan and Ami-chan
will be very happy together."

"He's all right," Haruka admitted, "Got a good jump shot anyway.
He needs to work on his ballhandling." Hearing Michiru's
exasperated sigh, she chuckled, "They'll be fine. We knew they
would be." Turning to the third member of their group, she
asked, "So, did he get that shot off on time?"

Setsuna smiled cryptically. "Does it matter?" she asked.

Both Haruka and Michiru laughed. "No, I guess not," Haruka said.
Without further discussion, the three Outer senshi headed home,
sharing in the general sense of happiness for their friends.