Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Past Lives ❯ Forged by Fire ( Chapter 3 )

Past Lives - By Kirika

 

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The third chapter. A bit of an Ami/Makoto chapter. This coupling will have a bigger role in this story than in Absence.

 

- Kirika

 

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Chapter 3 - Forged by Fire

 

 

The alarm clock's dormant circuits flared to life, a fleeting low electric hum precursor to the radio switching on and blaring all over the bedroom whatever was being broadcast at this early morning hour. Her ears attuned to the faint telltale static and her body clock attuned to waking her precisely before the alarm, Ami's arm unconsciously snapped over to the clock and hit the `off' button before music or radioshow banter could start and ruin the peace and quiet.

 

Ami sighed softly, blinking sleep-blurred eyes at the clock's digital readout. Five thirty a.m. She wished she could remain in the peace and quiet or at least linger for a few minutes more, cherishing every second. But it wasn't meant to be.

 

Ami gently eased her body away from the gloriously warm presence at her back, carefully lifting the arm draped across her; however the tired groan and sudden strengthening of the arm, drawing her back into the enveloping warmth, told the girl her efforts had been in vain. But when she felt soft lips against the nape of her neck she wasn't too disappointed with that. It made it that much more difficult to leave the bed and the other girl in it, such that for a moment the Senshi of Water considered forsaking every else for a longer stay in heaven--for the rest of the morning at least, or even the rest of the day... for as long as she could until she was forced to face the consequences.

 

Ami sighed again. She could fantasise all she liked, pretending to be the impulsive girl controlled by her heart no matter the price--she had already decided on her course of action and she knew nothing short of sudden extreme circumstances could sway her. She was too responsible. Too logical, too sensible. Never blind to the bigger picture. The rational choice, the safe path.... That was her.

 

A smile grew on the blue haired teenager's face as the kisses continued, and she angled her neck to invite the lips to have more of her. She'd had her moments, however. Ami wouldn't be here now, in this bed, experiencing this love, if she was wholly thrall to reason and good judgement. It had been the biggest risk she'd ever taken, the most she'd ever put on the line, yet at the time she could think of nothing else but the consequences of *not* pursuing it... not pursuing *her*. Fate had been kind in the end, but if it hadn't, Ami wondered if she would've regretted her decision.

 

The Senshi of Wisdom let her eyes that were yearning to close do so and reached back, caressing one long thigh. No, she would have regretted not trying sooner or later, when perhaps it was too late.

 

The girl behind her groaned again, louder, as Ami slid out of her embrace and out of her bed. This morning wasn't one for taking risks, and there would be other mornings where she *could* linger.

 

“I have to get up,” Ami said quietly, kneeling down at the edge of the bed to brush her fingers through mussed brunette locks. She did so adore the taller girl in the morning, vulnerable in her drowsiness. “She'll be home soon. But you can sleep longer.”

 

“No,” Makoto mumbled almost unintelligibly, her lips barely moving and her eyelids glued shut from too little sleep, “I'll make you breakfast.”

 

“Alright,” Ami said indulgently, knowing better than to argue. Makoto would probably fall back asleep without coaxing from her anyway.

 

Ami leaned forwards over the bed and kissed her lover on the cheek before standing up and proceeding to the bathroom. Once inside she plucked her toothbrush from the cup by the sink and brushed her teeth, then afterwards stripped off her nightgown and tossed it in the laundry hamper. She turned on the shower, adjusting the hot and cold faucets just right with practiced ease, and then stood under the soothing jets, letting them soak her hair.

 

It was like she lived in this apartment. Indeed, she spent more days and nights here with Makoto than she did at the apartment she shared with her mother. Thanks to the commitment demanded by a career in the medical field, it was as if Ami lived alone at home more often than not, her mother's busy schedule at Juuban Secondary General Hospital meaning they often went without seeing each other for days at a time; Ami either already in bed when her mother came home or visa-versa, or one of them up and gone early in the morning before the other had even awakened. Ami understood however, and aspired to one day emulate her mother's dedication and expertise, and become a doctor herself.

 

Today was one of the mornings where her mother would come home before Ami was supposed to be awake, and would expect to find her daughter asleep in her room. There were only so many times the Senshi of Water could pretend to have left for school incredibly early. The upside to her mother being on call at hospital the entire day and night was that it freed Ami to spend *her* entire night in the company of Makoto, in the Senshi of Thunder's apartment... and in her bed until the following morning, without suspicion.

 

Ami didn't enjoy the sneaking around, hiding the truth, and the worst--the rare outright lying to her mother's face. Yet the idea of confessing to her mother about where she *really* was, what she was *really* doing, what her `friend' *really* meant to her.... She hadn't Makoto's courage, and while the other girl would probably tell her mother if Ami were to ask her, it wasn't the brunette's place to suffer that duty. Ami had to tell her mother herself. The Senshi of Water didn't believe her kind and hardworking mother would be repelled, but... how could she be so sure? What dreams did Saeko Mizuno have for her daughter, beyond that of following in her footsteps career-wise? A husband? Children? The comfortable family she'd never managed? It was her own life to live, Ami knew, but the thought of defying or disappointing her only parent did not sit well with her.

 

Ami heard the shower curtain rings screech as the plastic veil was pulled open, and she grinned knowingly to herself, not surprised. Makoto's hands came around her body to take the soap from her, and began working up a lather before her eyes. The Senshi of Water could feel her lover's larger form pressing up against her, naked as she was, the water-slickened bumps and curves a delight on her skin.

 

Makoto deposited the soap in the shower caddy and let her foamy hands roam, slipping and sliding over Ami's stomach and chest in a weak pretence of washing. The brunette teased over and around certain spots; certain fleshy spots known for provoking gasps from the girl enclosed in her arms; and Ami didn't hold back now, either. Makoto's silky fingers rubbed and pinched, and Ami arched her back, wanting more and more. And her lover obliged, her hands finally sliding along the contours of the Senshi of Water's inner thighs, where wetness not from the shower had sprung but was part of the blue haired girl's element, her essence, nonetheless.

 

It looked as though breakfast would be as simplistic as cereal and toast, if anything at all.

 

******

 

Makoto opened the front door and held it there for her girlfriend, allowing Ami to walk by her into the hall outside her apartment. Ami turned back to see the brunette standing there solemnly, dressed for the imminent school day as she was in Juuban High School's uniform, her wavy tresses now reined into her trademark ponytail. Their partings were always plagued by an element of sorrow; Makoto didn't show it when they were in the company of friends, but here, just the two of them, the taller girl had no qualms about appearing morose.

 

“I'll see you soon, at school,” Ami said while attempting to capture the green eyes that were lowered glumly to the floor. It was difficult for her too, but they'd be together again. Theirs was a bond that would not be broken by mere time and distance. They were more fortunate than most--they had forever. Nevertheless, it didn't seem to matter to Makoto in these moments. The Senshi of Wisdom could understand that.

 

Makoto nodded, but it was resigned at best. She handed Ami her schoolbag. “I'll make you an extra special lunch to make up for breakfast.”

 

“I'll look forward to it,” Ami replied with a smile, carrying her bag in both hands in front of her. Every meal Makoto prepared was extra special however; Ami was very grateful her girlfriend was so willing to pamper her with her finely crafted cuisines--there was nary a school day where she ate a lunch that wasn't a Mako masterpiece, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd eaten dinner at home.

 

The Senshi of Water looked away. “Although, I *did* rather enjoy breakfast....”

 

Makoto reddened a little, aware that it wasn't the hastily poured cereal that had had Ami in ecstasy.

 

Ami smiled broadly, quite impishly for her, and stepped towards her girlfriend, raising herself up on her tiptoes so she could taste the Senshi of Courage's lips. Makoto wasn't so consumed by embarrassment that she couldn't kiss back with matching enthusiasm.

 

Minutes later a somewhat flushed Ami left Makoto's apartment complex, mingling with salarymen and office ladies on the street as they headed to work, while she herself was bound for the complex that housed her and her mother's apartment. A few months ago she couldn't have envisioned herself capable of this morning's behaviour... let alone with one of her friends, a fellow Guardian Senshi... with Makoto. Love and romance... she hadn't given such things much consideration before... *then*. A lot had changed since that night, and it wasn't exclusive to her life.

 

Rei had come back from the dead, an inferno of emotion and zeal, still harbouring feelings for Usagi, which the Princess had eventually learned of, and come to return, splitting from her long-time Prince and love, Mamoru. Ami was happy for Rei--she had glimpsed the Senshi of Fire's private and profound torture before the Princess had healed it--but part of her could hardly believe Usagi had said goodbye to Mamoru, whom she had seemed so infatuated with. But sometimes Ami could hardly believe she was with Makoto now, either. That the brunette had felt the same, that Mako.... Who really knew what was in the hearts of others, or what Fate had in store? If Rei hadn't `died', Minako wouldn't have beseeched Ami to truly confront how she felt. Ami wouldn't have listened to her own heart; wouldn't have put love first; wouldn't have taken that risk. She wouldn't be where she was now, embraced in her best friend's tender, adoring affection--embraced wholly by the person she loved and who loved her. She wouldn't have known what it was like to be in love with and to be loved back by the only person who'd really mattered--the one she'd held secretly in her heart the longest. Her soulmate.

 

Ami could scarcely imagine the alternative; what might not have been. Her life merely as Makoto's friend and nothing beyond that, her feelings suppressed, hidden, until they faded into such an obscurity they were as good as gone. The Senshi of Wisdom wondered if she would have spent eternity alone, never knowing why, and that salvation was only as far as her best friend's abode. She mused whether Makoto was taken sometimes by similar reflections, and then smiled faintly to herself when she realised the girl must be. How could anyone not be? Without Ami, Makoto would probably have found a guy to her liking at some point, married him, had children, and become the devoted housewife she seemed born to be.

 

It was strange to think about... there were as many possible paths in life as there were streets in this city--more so. Ami felt she was on the right path. She'd never experienced this kind of happiness; this kind of inner peace. Luna spoke against it, but how could this feeling be wrong? Perhaps it had been destiny from the very beginning, perhaps as far back as the first Silver Millennium and the Moon Kingdom. But to Ami, it had really begun all those months ago, after the death of a Senshi....

 

******

 

Ami lay in bed, but sleep was elusive, and had been for several nights now. She lay and stared at her bedroom's ceiling, into the dark, into nothing. She wondered if it would always be this way from now on. Unable to find rest, only able to think. To dwell. A prisoner in her own mind. It would never be the same, would it? They'd never be whole again. It was like a wound, like a part of everyone had died when Rei had. Ami hadn't felt her death, or anything at all that might have hinted at her demise, and she frequently tried to... somehow reach out to her, hoping for a glimmer of... *something*. She didn't really know what she was doing. Regardless, she never received an answer. It was as if every possible link to her fellow Sailor Senshi had been severed.

 

The funeral had been a couple of days ago. She had left no earthly remains, but that was to be expected from a Sailor Senshi. Ami imagined a gentle shower of red sparkles, twinkling motes caught in a sudden breeze, slowly fading in flight. A peaceful passing; no blood, no violated corpse, nothing to sully the memory of the warrior, the girl--the people who had known her would remember her the way she had been, beautiful and vibrant. That's how Ami would remember Rei.

 

They'd `laid' her to rest beside her mother. It was all symbolism with nothing to fill the casket, but it had still mattered to everyone there. It had been a Christian service, a fact that had surprised Ami a little; however she hadn't known it had been the faith of Rei's mother before seeing the headstone erected beside the miko's. It explained why the Senshi of Fire had attended a Catholic school. None of her school friends had come though, only the Sailor Senshi, Mamoru, and of course Yuuichirou and her grandfather. Ami's heart went out to Rei's jinja family; they'd never know the real reason their friend and granddaughter had lost her life. They'd never know that she had lived as a hero, and had given her life as one.

 

The Sailor Senshi had come together in the tragedy, trying to be strong for one another, leaning on each other, but ultimately each had to deal with the loss in their own way. The Outer Senshi kept to themselves as they tended to do, perhaps not as deeply scarred as the Inner Senshi since it hadn't been one of their own--no, they were *all* comrades, *all* Senshi. At any rate, Chibi-Usa sought solace from them, and probably predominantly from her best friend Hotaru. Ami knew the future Princess wasn't staying with Mamoru or Usagi at least, but that was no wonder.

 

Minako, Ami hadn't seen outside of Sailor Senshi affairs since the Wake. The once bubbly blonde had thrown herself into her duty, running herself ragged stoically coordinating the offensive with Haruka against the nightly youma incursions that had all but exploded since they had faced the first otherworldly creature almost a week ago, and lost Rei in the process. The Senshi of Wisdom mused whether Minako felt to blame for what had happened. But as every surviving Guardian Senshi probably had, Ami had gone over and over the events in her mind countless times, and no matter how much she thought about doing things differently, it was a pointless exercise. It wouldn't bring Rei back. She knew enough however to see that no one was at fault. Maybe it was simply Minako's method of dealing with the grief.

 

Usagi... wasn't herself anymore. She clung to Mamoru for the most part, the Prince doing his best to be the stalwart pillar that supported the girl. But the wound was deepest in the Princess, and it still bled. It seemed to suck the life out of her. Yet she insisted on joining in on the more and more heated and dangerous fighting; vehemently adamant in fact; but this shadow of the girl Ami had known was reckless, often putting her life on the line when it didn't have to be. If not for Mamoru, Tuxedo Kamen, they might have suffered the loss of another Senshi; their Princess no less.

 

And then there was Ami herself, and Makoto. Ami's mother had provided what comfort she could after the death of a friend, but the demands of her job waited for nothing and no one, and she couldn't be at home for her daughter often. It was Makoto that Ami found true relief with, her best friend, her shoulder to cry on. Ami didn't try to keep back the tears when she was with the Senshi of Thunder. And Makoto was always there with her hugs and understanding. Conversely the brunette didn't exhibit her own pain beyond the occasional tear indulged when Ami's deluge was soaking her top; the Senshi of Wisdom wondered if her grief was what stoppered her friend's, that she felt she had to be strong in the face of it, or if Makoto was just that resilient. Makoto had dealt with death on a personal level before, after all.

 

Ami lived the last several days over and over again, especially when in her dark bedroom left with nothing else but her thoughts. But it wasn't just contemplations of Rei that she turned over endlessly in her mind. She considered what Minako had said to her at the Wake, clutching her arm, and the Senshi of Love's eyes red and obscured by tears.

 

Somehow Minako had known. True to her namesake she'd figured it out, had unravelled the quiet affection Ami kept in her heart. And that wasn't all Minako had seen with her love-tuned eyes--she had spoken of Rei's feelings for Usagi, unrequited, and now forever so. Rei had died for the one she'd loved, however Usagi would never know that. Who would tell the Princess now, and compound her despair? Not Minako, and not Ami, and they were the only ones privy to Rei's secret to the Senshi of Wisdom's knowledge.

 

The dual revelations had had Ami reeling, but it was Minako pleading with her not to leave how she felt alone like Rei had done that had left the blue haired girl wide-eyed. Had the blonde told Makoto the same? Maybe she had. Maybe Makoto was thinking the same things Ami was right now. Or maybe Minako hadn't, if the affection in Ami's heart wasn't mirrored in her best friend's. Then why would the Senshi of Love have told Ami to pursue her feelings?

 

Ami closed her swollen eyes, tears pricking at her rubbed raw lids. She had done it so much; she was amazed she had it in her still to cry. She knew why. She knew why Minako had come to her. What if it hadn't been Rei, but Makoto? How would Ami have felt? Rei had taken something to her grave that she should have shared; it may have been a hopeless love, but it had still been *love*, and worthy of notice. Rei had denied Usagi something that had been the blonde's to choose what to do with, and now she'd never have the chance. Would Ami have been satisfied if she lost all hope of seeing Makoto again, with the other girl eternally oblivious to the profound and sincere feelings she bore for her?

 

Makoto might not feel the same as she did. Ami might harm their friendship. But even against outright rejection, Ami had to try. If she died tomorrow, at least Makoto would know that she had loved her. And if Makoto died... at least Ami would have the small comfort of her best friend having known someone had loved her before the end. A Sailor Senshi's shot at immortality wasn't a guarantee; indeed some might say it was less likely they would reach adulthood with the perils they were compelled to combat. Ami could continue lying here in bed, dwelling, believing in a possible future, in a flimsy guarantee... or she could seize the moments she had right now and *make* something of them.

 

Before she could think on it more, before sense and reason could creep back to deny her this, Ami quickly wiped her eyes and threw off her bedcover, hauling her suddenly not quite so weary body onto its feet. Her mother wasn't in the apartment, the hospital having beckoned her back until the morning--Ami wouldn't be missed. But even if her mother had been here, it wouldn't have slowed the girl. The Senshi of Water hurried to the front door, slipping on some shoes and grabbing a coat and her keys on the way, and left the apartment in pursuit of her heart.

 

It was late, the dead of night, and the ground was wet with grey clouds pasted against the black curtain overhead promising more. The streets weren't safe, youma thriving in the darkness, and who knew what human undesirables lurked outside at this hour. It was a massive risk. Ami thought about turning back, yet her legs took no notice. She walked briskly through puddles and past shuttered stores, under streetlamps, sometimes bursting into a jog. For some reason she knew there was nothing in the night that could stop her.

 

Makoto's apartment building stood against the backdrop of a starry sky poking through the grey pall, and Ami's heart swelled. It was a surreal sight at this hour, somehow changed in the gloom and glow of the moonlight. No window shone, yet one was a beacon to the girl on the street below.

 

Ami ran inside and up the stairs, panting softly now, her frantic footfalls echoing along the stairwell. With her goal in reach thoughts of waking the other residents never crossed her mind, and she didn't slow until she was facing the door behind which a Fate awaited her, perhaps a different future; a new beginning; but whatever the outcome it was her heart's desire that lay on the other side most of all.

 

Ami rang the bell and waited. Then she rang again scant seconds later. She couldn't wait any more--she'd been waiting too long already without even realising it.

 

The door opened to more darkness... but Makoto was there in it; a dim outline. Dishevelled, her hair down and sticking up in places, in wrinkled and twisted pyjamas, one eye still shut and asleep while the other blinked bleary for purchase--Ami wasn't sure if she'd ever seen her friend in this fashion. Beautiful still, but there was something soft about it, about her... something vulnerable that cried out to Ami's heart all the more.

 

“Ami...? What's wrong?” Makoto fired at the smitten Senshi of Water, her left droopy eye prising open somewhat during the barrage. “Is it youma?! Why didn't you use the communicator?” She frowned and clumsily rubbed at her sleepy eye. “Are... are you in your pyjamas?”

 

“C-Can I come in?” Ami asked, still a bit breathless and the exquisiteness before her not helping.

 

Obviously puzzled, Makoto nevertheless moved aside and let the other girl enter, closing the door after her. “What is it?” the brunette persisted, her tone taking a dive into apprehension--Ami couldn't fault her for that, with recent events. “What's happened?”

 

Ami shook her head as she kicked off her shoes, walking further into the apartment before turning back to Makoto. She couldn't lift her head from the carpet. She felt her resolve, her certainty to go down this path, wane as though the notion had never entered her thoughts to start with. She had come all this way, but there was still a chance to reverse course. She could make excuses; they'd be easy to come up with, what with Rei. And then.... What? Tomorrow; the same as today. And the day after. And the day after that. If *anything* could come from Rei's sacrifice, it would be *this*. She wouldn't give tragedy the opportunity to repeat.

 

“I...” Ami swallowed, trying to fathom a way to put how she felt into words. It was so clear to her, but her lips wouldn't or couldn't cooperate. “You... and I....” The Senshi of Water squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. The tears were back, but this time not for Rei's love, but for her own. Her courage continued to weaken despite her desperation; slowly abandoning her paralysed on a precipice between the present and future.

 

Makoto was quickly in front of her, pulling her into her arms; a hug; comfort for a good friend. But that was all. “I know,” she whispered. “It doesn't seem to get... `easier'. Rei was.... She was... one of us....”

 

It was the excuse Ami's weaker self had been waiting for. She could relax into the embrace for what it was, recalling the pain of a lost friend instead of a lost love. She didn't have to say anything more.

 

Gently Ami pushed away from Makoto and gazed up at her. She could see the Senshi of Thunder's eyes were moist, reflected heartache in their green depths. In that moment all Ami wanted to do was soothe her love's pain. The Senshi of Wisdom really didn't have to say anything more. Words wouldn't suffice. But her lips could still tell Makoto; still speak for her heart in another fashion.

 

Ami slowly raised herself up on her toes as Makoto's eyes widened, suddenly completely awake, and closed her own eyes at the instant her lips met the other girl's. It was a simple kiss, nothing carnal behind it, and lasted only a handful of seconds. Yet a lifetime was defined in that moment, and Ami knew she'd made the right decision. There was no regret.

 

The words came easily now--they found her. “I love you.” The way she said it, the way she *breathed* the emotion into every word--there was no mistaking the kind of love she meant. Ami held Makoto's gaze, bolder than she'd ever been in her life... and it felt natural.

 

Makoto stared. Her eyes were big, and her lips remained puckered and parted; frozen. “Ami...” she finally gasped at length, “you....”

 

Suddenly there was something in her gaze; it deepened, and her arms around the Senshi of Water tightened; the sensation of them, the manner, altering in a fundamental way. Makoto was staring at Ami again, but what the blue haired teenager saw in her eyes was something entirely novel; something only a single person ideally would ever see.

 

“I...” Makoto sounded unsure and her brow furrowed, as though she couldn't believe it. Ami's heart should have been in her throat; she should have been anxious, bated breath at her best friend's every utterance. But she wasn't. She was at peace. The weight in her heart was gone. Whatever happened, she was free.

 

“...love you too.”

 

******

 

Ami and Makoto had made love then; somehow ending up in the brunette's bed, the memory of reaching there a blur. Ami had entertained thoughts of holding off, to make their first time `special'--candles, flowers, silk and lace. Yet none had curbed her hands or her lips. However it happened, wherever, whenever--it would have always been special. Ami had been with Makoto, the one she loved. It had been all that had mattered--just past three a.m., burdened with an insomniac's exhaustion, in her juvenile pyjamas--she had wanted for nothing else, and neither had Makoto going by her enthusiasm. Waiting would have gone against everything that had led Ami into her soulmate's arms. Tomorrow had been hazy; the moment had been real.

 

Ami remembered it as making love, though if she was honest it had been more fumbling and exploring than a smooth and scripted union. Their clothing gone, the blue haired girl's inborn shyness had finally spoken up to remind her of just where she was and what she was doing, restricting her to timid touches and bashful looks. Makoto hadn't been in a much better state however; she'd been just as nervous. Neither of them had known what really to do. It had taken Ami aback; Makoto had had boyfriends before, yet she'd been no more confident than her. The Senshi of Water had been almost certain that the brunette would have... guided her, yet it had been together that they had made their discoveries. Their eyes had lapped up sights of places on one another they'd never seen before, and fingertips had soon followed, then hands, and then lips. Eventually shyness had been overcome by curiosity in both girls--and then curiosity by newfound lust.

 

Ami had started her night in love with the person inside, Makoto's heart and soul, yet before dawn she'd found delight in the more overt physical characteristics of the Senshi of Courage. She'd discovered a passion for the other girl's long legs; running her hands along their length as they stretched luxuriously into the air, or wrapped around her all but a vice; and, somewhat to her shame even now, for Makoto's sizable chest. Makoto hadn't seemed to mind the latter interest however, and had permitted Ami her... enjoyment. It had ultimately led to the discovery of another passion, Ami's favourite of all--watching Makoto's face suffused with pleasure that she'd induced.

 

By the time they had collapsed on the bed beside each other; snuggled close with their arms' tight embraces keeping them that way, muscles and more aching while they breathed heavily; they could map each other's bodies as though it were their own. Ami had rested her head on her lover's chest, rising and falling with the girl's breathing, and the rhythm of the brunette's heartbeat in her ear. She had slept then. There had been no youma in that night, no fallen Senshi clawing at their hearts and memories; it had been just the two of them in a shared moment. The subsequent night they had fought as Sailor Mercury and Sailor Jupiter, back on course, in harsh reality... but not as harsh as it could have been.

 

Ami smiled spontaneously at the memory while she walked up the stairs to her and her mother's apartment. She had been sore that night too, though it hadn't been from the fighting. Their love had kept them sane during the constant bloody battles; sane when Michiru had been badly injured and Minako and Mamoru had been abducted; it had been something beautiful they'd had together in an otherwise ugly world. It had only become more brilliant with time.

 

Ami unlocked and opened her apartment door, still with her fond smile and glassy-eyed at her pleasant recollections, when she heard laughter from deeper in the apartment. Her mother was already home! And she was... laughing? Ami couldn't recall ever hearing her mother laugh like that... or *laugh* beyond a few polite chuckles, *ever*. A second laugh came after, low and masculine. Her mother had company over? Her mother *never* had company over. Company for her was Ami.

 

Despite her mother's apparent high spirits, Ami was dreading her encounter with her. She had to have heard the Senshi come in; Ami hadn't been subtle about her return home, expecting an empty apartment. Still, she considered turning around and going right back to Makoto's. Perhaps her mother's male companion had served as enough of a distraction to mask her entrance, and she could take advantage of him once more to make a quiet exit. She could come up with an excuse for not being in her room when she returned later. Pretending to have left at the crack of dawn for school might just have to do again. Maybe Ami could say she went to get breakfast somewhere? Internally she cringed at the out-and-out lie... but with her initial ruse foiled, she hadn't the luxury of choice.

 

“Ami?”

 

Ami internally cringed again. Her choices were becoming more and more limited every second.

 

After slipping off her shoes and taking a quick breath, the blue haired teenager walked from the vestibule into the living area. Her mother was sitting at the dining table, still in her green scrubs and white lab coat, and across from her was a casually dressed and rather striking man the Senshi of Wisdom hadn't seen before. He was young in comparison to her mother, about Mamoru's age give or take a year, and possessed dark red hair and a muscular build, though Ami sensed a frailty about him the way he was hunched over slightly, his hands clutched around a coffee cup as if desperate for the warmth. Another cup was in front of Ami's mother--the girl wondered how long they had been here.

 

“Ami, this is Takeru Sakai.”

 

Takeru bowed slightly in his chair, and Ami automatically did the same where she stood, still unsure what to make of the situation. “I'm a patient of your mother's,” he said, smiling pleasantly at the girl.

 

“*Former* patient,” Ami's mother interjected. “Fraternising would be frowned upon otherwise.”

 

“My mistake,” Takeru grinned sheepishly. “Dr. Mizuno has been good to me. I probably own her my life.”

 

“`Saeko', please,” Ami's mother gaily insisted, reaching out to touch the young man's arm briefly.

 

“Mm,” Ami mumbled softly, nodding at the appropriate times, her mother's good humour rather off-putting. She felt uncomfortable.

 

Abruptly her mother's mood shifted as the woman took off her glasses, revealing her tired eyes. “Where have you been this early in the morning?” she asked. Just as abruptly Ami was longing for her mother's jovial disposition again.

 

“I... I was....” the Senshi of Water floundered under that fatigued but unyielding gaze, her excuses fluttering away from her as she scrambled after them. Takeru's presence had knocked her off balance, and now her `illicit' nocturnal activities were about to be thrust into the spotlight. The more frantically she wracked her mind for an explanation, the more difficult it seemed to grasp onto one.

 

“She was probably out with her boyfriend,” Takeru quipped, giving Ami a mirthful wink.

 

“N-No, I was--” Ami began again as she felt her face heat. Distantly she wondered what had set the fire underneath her cheeks; mention of her having any romantic partner whatsoever, the thought of how close it was to the truth, that she didn't have a boyfriend but a *girlfriend*, or the memory of what she'd been up to with Makoto. Maybe they'd all had a role in stoking the flames.

 

“Have you eaten?” her mother inquired instead, mercifully, and somewhat uncharacteristically, apparently not too bothered regarding her daughter's prior whereabouts. “I was about to make Takeru and I breakfast.”

 

“Um, that's alright,” Ami hastily said, backing away a timid step. “I... I should go. I just came to... um....”

 

“I hope I'm not chasing you out of your own apartment,” Takeru remarked, dipping his head apologetically.

 

Ami shook her head, and forced herself to smile at her mother's `former patient'. She bowed to him. “It was nice to meet you.”

 

The redhead nodded. “Likewise.”

 

Hurriedly Ami returned to the foyer and put her shoes back on, then left the apartment. She'd never given a thought to remaining there and eating with her mother and Takeru--she knew it would have lived up to her imagination in terms of awkwardness and unpleasantness. Besides, she didn't want to intrude on her mother and her... friend?

 

The Sailor Senshi released a deep breath, settling on simply being glad to be out of there. Of course it would have easier if her mother had known about her relationship with Makoto. Ami might have even taken Takeru in her stride and left them alone a little more gracefully. But as beautiful as her love with Makoto was, she wasn't sure her mother was ready for it.

 

******

 

Minako bit off a yelp as she banged her head on the van's ceiling for the second time, and then paused a moment for a calming breath, and for a break from straining to pull on the black and glittery pair of flared jeans that were beginning to not seem worth the trouble despite how nice they looked. They belonged to Setsuna though--well, the design anyway--and immediately the blonde felt bad grumbling over them. This was her fourth change of outfit in these cramped conditions however; no one could blame her for becoming a little antsy. What size were these pants anyway? Had she gotten them mixed up with Junko's or Emi's? Maybe she should try lying on the floor.

 

Minako glanced over to her two `colleagues', wondering if she looked as foolish as those girls did struggling amid quiet but frustrated grunts to quickly strip off their old outfits and don the next one on their schedule. Was her butt hanging out like that too? The Senshi of Love hoped the ensemble after this called for a skirt or a dress instead. Idly she mused whether Setsuna was to blame for the clothing demanded for the shoot and if she should complain to the woman. No one had said anything about changing in tiny spaces when Minako had taken this job. She guessed neither she nor the other two models with her were popular enough to warrant a giant trailer for an on-location photoshoot, but the oversized van they were in was mostly taken up by clothing racks, and then there was that annoying low ceiling forcing her to stoop every second! Would she knock herself out before her back gave in? Simply changing outside might even be more tolerable than this. Underwear was pretty much the same as a cotton bikini except with more frilly bits anyway, most of the time. Setsuna could hold up a sheet or something if passersby took offense or perverts came out of the woodwork.

 

The Senshi of Beauty sighed and resumed her battle, wiggling her hips from side-to-side, hoping that it was helping. Being a model wasn't as glamorous as she'd been led to believe. It had its moments, sure, and it wasn't really that hard work, but there were times--like now!--when it was an ordeal. It was competitive too--Minako hadn't met anybody else in the business that was very nice. Everybody looked at everybody else as a rival; behind the beautiful smiles and enticing winks they gave the camera there was a whole lot of animosity. Minako couldn't call anybody she'd shared a magazine spread with a friend. Either they were indifferent to her, all but pretending she didn't exist bar when they had to pose together, or were... unpleasant. Minako was a new girl as well--the established models seemed to resent her `invading' their territory.

 

Minako had aspired to be a model and an idol for *so* long; dreamed of it, *wanted* it more than nearly anything; yet now she was one, or a model at least, and the enjoyment she garnered was fleeting at best--the emotion closest to her heart was discontent. Perhaps that was just how it was with dreams; the dream, the way you saw it playing out in your head, couldn't compare to the reality once it was achieved. It might get better. Maybe the glamour was just around the corner, after a few months or years strutting her stuff and pulling faces in front of a lens. She hadn't even seen a catwalk yet, nevermind been blessed to walk one. At least she got out of classes heaps. It seemed school administrations were quite understanding when it came to minor celebrities in their classrooms. They still lumped her with the homework, though. She supposed their understanding only went so far; they were still teachers at the end of the day.

 

“Yes~!” Minako hissed happily as the jeans finally, albeit roughly, slid over her rump into place. Instinctively she looked at her peers, Junko and Emi, to share her bliss and her grin, but the most she got was an irked frown from Junko. Sometimes she forgot--no friends here.

 

Once she and the other girls had finished their wardrobe change, Minako opened the van's rear doors and stepped out onto the busy street in the heart of Shibuya. Pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk had been blocked for Chihiro Magazine's shoot, but they'd be put out only for as long as it took Mr. Kon, the photographer, to obtain the shots he was looking for. His entourage--which included Minako, the girl supposed--relocated frequently. It was to get a different slice of Tokyo backdrop in the photos, the Senshi of Beauty suspected, although it had the added benefit of shaking off any nosy onlookers, and the rare, but sadly real, outright leering pervert. Some guys had no lives.

 

Setsuna was there when Minako emerged. Waiting for her. Still babysitting her. The woman didn't need to be at these photoshoots. It was her label being promoted, but how many designers attended every fashion shoot featuring their clothing line? Possibly Setsuna saw it as a managerial duty, since she was sort of Minako's de facto manager--the Outer Senshi only showed her face at the shoots the blonde took part in, as far as the girl knew. That still didn't clear the woman of babysitting.

 

“Everything you imagined?” Minako asked absently as Setsuna approached. Junko and Emi directed cold looks over their shoulders at the Senshi of Love as they skirted around her, beyond the sight of her green haired benefactor. The same label was stitched to the clothes on the other girls' backs, but Timeless's reticent designer didn't appraise them as she did Minako; didn't give them the close attention the woman denied to nearly everything else in the business... everything else but Minako. Minako wondered what they thought. Maybe they thought she was sleeping with Setsuna or something to get ahead. It was cause to grin--they wouldn't be too wrong.

 

Setsuna smiled; one of her honest smiles, not the faint enigmatic curve to her lips she was prone to, like she knew a secret nobody else did, or the melancholy ghost of a smile when that secret was a burden. She brushed imaginary fluff from Minako's shoulders, and then smoothed the lapels of the girl's black jacket between her fingers. Minako thought she'd leave it at that, but finally the Guardian of Time's eyes found hers. “And more,” Setsuna said. “None of my designs do you justice. I suppose I could see it as a challenge, but... some goals remain too lofty, even now.”

 

Minako smiled softly, graciously, but looked away while her cheeks darkened beyond the shade of her makeup. Setsuna could be a charmer whenever she deigned to comment. Before getting to know her the blonde had thought the woman the epitome of a cold fish. Rei had said otherwise, but it had taken actually experiencing Setsuna's flirts for Minako to take another look at her preconception. Quickly, after several more outings with Time's Keeper, she had rid herself of it entirely. The Senshi of Love usually wasn't wrong about people's hearts; however concerning a heart as guarded as Setsuna's, she should be allowed her mistake.

 

Still, all the sweet talk in the world didn't excuse Setsuna from her constant coddling. It wasn't as if Minako didn't like Setsuna's presence, or the reassurance it afforded; far from it; but.... The girl didn't really know. She wanted... to make it on her own, she wanted the other models not to see her and see *Setsuna*, see favouritism. She wanted....

 

Minako sighed quietly and looked back at the Outer Senshi--at the woman. Setsuna was older than her, by appearance a good several years older, though the truth would boggle the average mind; any that didn't belong to a Sailor Senshi or their allies that was. Minako could never forget that. Setsuna's perfume, her clothing, her demeanour, her interests and aversions; everything spoke of an aged heart. Age shouldn't matter in love if the hearts involved were mature enough... and Setsuna's didn't to Minako. It would be no small affront to the blonde's station if it did; or perhaps it *was* her station that made her feel so? In any case, Minako knew Setsuna's heart now, knew it well... and that therein was the problem.

 

Why was it that anybody Minako was even slightly interested in was invariably interested in someone *other* than her? They called her beautiful, personable, a real catch... but they never told her what she really wanted to hear. She'd known it from the very beginning with Setsuna, and yet she hadn't stopped their slide towards intimacy. The blonde hadn't planned it. It had been cake in a patisserie one day, then ice cream in a parlour another, then lunch at a café, and then more lunches... and then dinner at a restaurant. Mamoru and Motoki had gotten in on their get-togethers at some stage, so Minako and Setsuna could make-believe that it hadn't been dates they'd been going on.

 

But that's what it had been from the start, the very day after the world was saved and Usagi and Rei had become two hearts as one. Minako had known it, and she was positive Setsuna had known it also. They had been the last two unattached Sailor Senshi. When they'd finally crossed their flimsy, indistinct threshold keeping them from evolving to `something' more than friends, it hadn't been sudden. The Inner and Outer Senshi had... eased into each other, like it was all but expected of them. Maybe they'd both thought it had been destiny; that they wouldn't really have to do anything; that Fate would do the work for them and make it so.

 

It hadn't happened. It hadn't been love, it had been--it *was*--two lonely people finding some measure of solace in each other. At least that was how Minako felt. If Setsuna felt differently, then there were facets of her heart the Senshi of Love had yet to plumb after all. Solace had been okay, however. It had been something. It had been enough. It had been what Minako had wanted... it had been all she had expected. Setsuna still loved *her*. The woman must have realised it was hopeless now and was trying to let her feelings go, but that was one part of her heart Minako definitely had no trouble deciphering. It was *Rei* that she desired. It was Rei who was in the back of her mind when she was with Minako.

 

It had been alright. The Senshi of Love and Beauty had been used to it. She wondered though if she still was. But it was *something*, wasn't it? It was better than being alone--truly alone. How many people on this earth wound up with their soulmate anyway? It was unrealistic. Maybe some people didn't have a soulmate. It was alright.

 

It was alright.

 

“They're waiting for me.”

 

Setsuna released the blonde's lapels and stood aside, offering her a final supportive smile. Minako could read other people's hearts... but there was no mirror for her to see into her own.

 

The hair and makeup artists shot Minako sidelong glances as she took her place beside Emi and Junko on the sidewalk in front of some random storefront, assessing if she'd mussed her appearance somehow, or if Setsuna had. They needn't have been concerned. Being a beautiful doll was what Minako was good at.

 

Minako flashed her grin and flexed her hips; perfectly malleable to Mr. Kon's urgings while his camera clicked excitedly; her mind barely with her body. She did as she was directed; she did what was expected of her--she was the Senshi of Beauty, dedicated leader of the Moon Princess's bodyguard… it was as easy as breathing.

 

Setsuna looked on, arms folded, her expression that of a proud parent. She meant well, but deep down it wasn't what Minako hoped to see upon her face. Yet every time the girl peeked in her direction, whether at this afternoon's shoot or every one preceding it, the look was the same. The blonde tried not to see the woman standing there anymore.

 

What Minako did see was a taxi pulling up alongside the magazine photography crew's small fleet of vehicles at the curb, spitting out a short balding man in a crinkled suit, suitcase in one hand and handkerchief in the other; the latter mopping up the sweat glistening on his forehead. Hurriedly he attempted to straighten up, as though brushing his dishevelled clothes with the back of his hand could iron out the wrinkles. Somehow satisfied, or having wisely given up, the man stuffed his handkerchief in a pocket and then adopted a calm gait as he walked among the crew, though his darting eyes told a different story. For a time they lingered on Minako, and he seemed relieved at the sight of her. The Inner Senshi wondered if he was another pervert. The magazine's staff wouldn't permit him to roam unchallenged for long if that were true.

 

Mr. Kon lowered his camera and his head, fiddling with the back of the device. “Nicely done, girls,” he said, though his compliment would have come off better if he'd actually looked at his models. “Alright, pack it up!” the photographer then ordered in a louder voice. “We're moving on to location five, people. Location five.”

 

Emi and Junko removed themselves from Minako's presence quickly and wordlessly, as though they couldn't stand breathing the same air as her unless instructed to. The blonde had a sardonic half-smile for their backs. Those girls should really lighten up.

 

“Minako.”

 

Minako turned her attention to Setsuna's approach, and raised her eyebrows when she saw that the Guardian of Time was accompanied by the little balding man.

 

“Minako, this is Mr. Kouzou Katsuyori, of Starlight Talent. He's interested in representing you,” Setsuna said while the man bowed keenly, all but doubled over, a business card held out in both hands for Minako to take.

 

“Oh yeah?” the teenager droned absentmindedly while she accepted the card with just as much interest, getting distracted by the magazine crew dismantling equipment and wheeling things around on trolleys over Setsuna and the man's shoulders. They worked so fast! She was aware of the Outer Senshi favouring her with a slight frown; however Minako wasn't really paying attention to her either.

 

“Ah, yes, well, w-we're not a *big* company per se, and, um, you'd be our first clien-- ah, first high profile client--” he paused a second to pull out his handkerchief, frantically wiping at his brow again, “--but I can promise you we'll bend over backwards for your sake, Ms. Aino! We'll dedicate every resource our company has to *your* future! Everyone on our staff lives for you!” He dropped into another abrupt bow and Minako got the impression of a man grovelling before her, but mainly she became fascinated by the fact she could almost see her reflection in his shiny bald pate, surrounded by a corona of wispy black hair.

 

“Sure, whatever, Mr…” Minako's brow knitted as she tried to recall his name. Katsu…? “…`Kats',” the Senshi of Love and Beauty opted to settle on. “Let's, um, aim for the horizon and….” She scratched the back of her head uncomfortably, looking off into the empty air. “…Chase… our dreams…?”

 

Minako heard Setsuna sigh.

 

“Ohh! Thank you~!” Mr. Kats cried, bowing deeper. “We won't let you down! I swear it! CMs! Dramas! *Movies*~! We'll guide you all the way!” He raised his head only to bow again, and then again, his gratitude vast and unending. Minako thought she'd glimpsed tears in his eyes.

 

The Guardian Senshi sheepishly returned the bows, though they were nowhere near as deep or as enthusiastic, the girl mostly bobbing her head and shoulders--people were starting to look. He seemed like a nice enough guy though. However, it hadn't been Mr. Kats or his stuttered spiel that had convinced Minako to let him and his company manage her. Setsuna had brought him to her--that said more than any business portfolio or sales pitch could. Time's Keeper wouldn't have introduced the blonde to a dud talent agency. Minako's future must be brighter with Starlight Talent's assistance, and once she'd figured that out, that's all the girl had needed to make her choice.

 

Mr. Kats turned his bows to Setsuna; declaring how grateful he was to the fashion designer for giving him and his beleaguered company this opportunity; the green haired woman as cordial if a lot less awkward than Minako in accepting them. His appreciation was well-placed despite it being rather overwhelming--even without the knowledge of Setsuna's real occupation, he had to have realised Starlight Talent's future too would be brighter with the Senshi of Beauty on their client list.

 

“Wardrobe change, Minako,” one of the magazine's staff members called to the blonde, beckoning her to come to the van, the rear doors open and waiting.

 

“Duty calls,” Minako quipped, leaving behind Setsuna to deal with Mr. Kats and his bowing.

 

“You can change while we're on the road,” the crew member said, the young woman smiling at Minako as though it were nothing.

 

Minako sighed and looked inside the van where Junko and Emi's sullen faces looked back at her. She squeezed Mr. Kats' business card in her hand. Her future better get brighter really quickly.

 

******

 

“Rin, Pyo, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!”

 

Rei flawlessly flashed through the nine hand postures with each syllable she uttered, the Kuji-in familiar to her lips and her fingers from the years she'd devoted to serving at the Hikawa Jinja as a miko. The fire she was kneeling in front of didn't appear to change once she'd fallen silent, but she hadn't expected it to; reciting the Nine Syllable Seals was more to focus herself than to inspire something divine from the flames. Rei stared into the glow; beyond the cavorting tendrils, beyond the myriad shades of reds and oranges and yellows; unblinking. Wood cracked under the heat, and embers floated up into the air, dancing like fireflies in the room's shadows. Rei's eyes reflected everything, but they *saw* something else; something deeper in the flames and burning. There was divinity there, as there was in all of nature's bounty, if you knew how to look for it. There were shapes in the flames that spoke to her mind's eye. They brought emotions with them, feelings of what was, and what might be. It was a language difficult to fathom; a language of the spirit; but Rei was always willing to listen. Her eyes relaxed, slowly drifting closed--

 

“Umm, should I do that too? The mantra, and the thing with your hands?”

 

Rei blinked. “Uhh… no… you probably aren't ready for that,” the miko hoarsely replied, somewhat disorientated.

 

Usagi nodded solemnly and shuffled a bit closer to Rei, arranged on her knees on the hard wooden floor as the Fire Senshi was. Her outfit mimicked Rei's as well; white uwagi and red hibakama; the traditional garb of a miko, as provided by her Disguise Pen. It likely made the blonde feel more the part.

 

It was all for Usagi's `training'. She'd wanted to learn what it was to be a miko, and Rei was willing to teach… for as long as the odango atama's interest persisted. Busywork around the jinja was surely not Usagi's thing, and with no upcoming festivals a Fire Reading was all that had come to Rei's mind to possibly slake her girlfriend's suspiciously sudden curiosity. The raven-haired girl doubted that her Princess would see the flames as she did--fire was Rei's element, her namesake, and what's more she had a natural affinity to the spiritual medium; although between the two she wasn't certain if it was because of her command of flames that she could read them well also, or if it was an innate ability distinct from her role as the Senshi of Fire and Passion--but there was no harm in letting Usagi try. Rei hoped she wouldn't be disappointed if her efforts proved fruitless.

 

The room was empty but for the Senshi and her Princess, it dedicated to the Fire, and the only light in the windowless surrounds was what was gifted by the flames. Long shadows abounded, cast high upon the walls up to the ceiling, the pair of girls made into monsters by their silhouettes. And of course there was heat, unavoidable from sitting so close to such a roaring fire, yet while Rei felt it, it wasn't uncomfortable. Indeed, it felt natural. It felt like home.

 

Rei took a deep breath and let it go slowly. “Try to relax,” she instructed her blonde pupil. “Keep your breathing calm and steady… natural. In through your nose and out through your mouth. There's nothing else except the Fire. Feel its touch on your skin, how its warmth envelopes you….”

 

The miko looked sidelong at Usagi and saw that the girl had closed her eyes. “Usagi, keep your eyes open. You have to *see*.”

 

Usagi batted her clueless blue gaze at Rei. “But aren't we meditating?”

 

“Yes, but it's…. We're not there yet,” the Senshi of Fire tried to explain. It was surprising her how instinctual reading the Fire was to her now that she had to describe the method to someone else. It was mostly feelings, sensation; a *knowing*. It could be she was simply not a very good teacher.

 

“Look at how the flames move,” Rei continued softly, staring at the Fire herself again. “As though they have a will. Give yourself over to their will. Let yourself see what they're trying to show.”

 

Her own voice was beginning to lull Rei back into the Fire's glow. She kept talking; however she was unsure of what she was saying. It could have been nonsense; it could have been the answers to the mysteries of the universe--she could no longer hear. She could only *see*, the reds and oranges and yellows, the patterns they formed, the images the flames tried to burn into her mind. The miko's eyes had shut, yet the glow remained on the backs of her eyelids, swirls in the darkness, and somehow the girl could see sense in them. There was dread, aching despair, and anger. *Rage*. She could envision stone, a coarse rock, jagged and sharp. It was green, and mottled by white. It was… familiar. It felt like--

 

“Rei, it's too hot~!”

 

Rei gasped, abruptly sucking in air as if she was frantic for it. She turned her head to Usagi, who was looking at her while anxiously pulling at the collar of her uwagi, flapping it about to cool herself. Some of her bangs had stuck to perspiration on her forehead, and her cheeks were flushed. It took a second for Rei to realise that she herself was in no better condition, with sweat dripping down her face and slicking her skin underneath her clothes.

 

“And I can't feel my legs anymore!” Usagi whined, squirming to and fro where she was kneeling. Eventually she flopped over onto one outstretched arm, and extracted her apparently deadened legs from underneath her, groaning the whole time. “We've been sitting here for ages, just staring! My eyes are going to fry in their sockets! Ugh, it's so *hot*!” She sprawled out on her back, clamping her hands over her apparently smoking eyes.

 

Rei's breathing gradually got under control, and she wiped her face with a baggy sleeve. What had been ages for Usagi had been a mere moment for the miko. She wondered if it had been her girlfriend's first protest that had awakened her from her trance, or if the blonde had been complaining for a while to deaf ears.

 

“So I take it you didn't see anything special?” Rei said, smirking, though her mind was elsewhere, still partly immersed in the flames. She'd had many visions in front of the Fire in her time as a miko, however she could count on one hand how many she'd been able to interpret clearly before hindsight had given all the answers after the fact... and too late to be helpful. Nevertheless, a glimpse of precognition was better than none at all, Rei supposed. She'd have to think on this latest vision, dissect it in her mind, and put to use anything that could be reaped from it. She wished the Gods wouldn't dabble so often in vagaries.

 

Usagi peeked through splayed fingers at the Fire Senshi, pouting up at her. “I just saw you zoning out. How do I know when to close my eyes like you did?”

 

Rei smiled at her love's naivety, and shook her head. “Another time. Let's call it quits today.” The miko got to her feet and reached a hand down to her prostrate Princess. “You lasted this long. For a beginner that's something.” She winked, hoping that she was being encouraging.

 

“Thanks, Sensei!” Usagi beamed as she grabbed Rei's hand, and the Senshi of Passion hoisted the blonde to her feet.

 

Usagi was a bit wobbly as she walked out of the Fire Reading room, but Rei was there for her to hold onto. The miko naturally didn't mind. She had to admit it was kind of fun sharing this aspect of her life with the person who meant the most to her. Perhaps Rei should be a little more grateful of Usagi's interest, wherever it had stemmed from. Or maybe Rei was just a sucker for doing anything at all with her Princess.

 

“You should think about meditating in there in your underwear,” Usagi said as they walked together down one of the Hikawa Jinja's long hallways, the blonde fanning herself with the hand not clutching Rei's arm. “Or naked! You could bring in a bucket of water, and stones, and turn it into a steam room sometimes! We could invite everyone!”

 

Rei resisted the urge to rub her temples. One of the most sacred rooms in the jinja converted into a sauna? “I think the heat has affected your brain, odango atama,” Rei dryly remarked to frowns from Usagi. “You go on ahead; I'll get us something to cool down.” Naked? Maybe it was worth considering if Usagi's miko lessons continued....

 

Rei detoured to the kitchen while Usagi tottered off to the raven-haired teen's room, and picked up a couple of bottles of water from the fridge. Her Grandpa was there making a start on dinner, a chopping board on the counter laden with diced vegetables. Bald as an egg and short enough to require a stool to reach the kitchen top, he was the Hikawa Jinja's presiding priest and a kindly old man with a mischievous streak that sometimes saw him get carried away... and into trouble. While routinely a source of embarrassment, he was who Rei pictured when she thought of family. He was her grandfather on her maternal side, and deep down had the same gentle heart and benevolent soul Rei recalled her mother having had.

 

Rei's Grandpa said nothing, but he favoured his granddaughter with that look he got when Usagi was around; that knowing grin. Rei was pokerfaced throughout her time in the kitchen. She loved him dearly, but he could be so irritating. He wouldn't have been grinning like that if he knew she'd been out at a club late yesterday night. Having an outdoors entrance to her room was a godsend, and came in handy for more than just Sailor Senshi responsibilities.

 

Rei heard her TV spit out inanity and drivel as she neared her room, the discord glaring amid the sedate surrounds of Hikawa Jinja's shoji screens, wooden beams, and tatami mats. You could always tell when Usagi was here. Rei didn't use the television much herself, but she kept it on her mantelpiece for her love. The odango atama spoke of the miko's room as an entertainment abyss, and that TV being her lifeline. Rei wondered if she should be hurt; she believed that she and Usagi got up to many engrossing activities in that room... quite frequently. Maybe she should try harder to entertain.

 

Rei wore a rakish grin on her face as she entered her room, naughty thoughts not so naughty or base when they were her own. The inspiration of those thoughts lazed on a cushion, her uwagi and hibakama returned to whatever ethereal realm her Disguise Pen had summoned them from, her school uniform back in place. Usagi didn't look up from the TV when Rei passed her one of the bottled waters, but she did after cracking open the cap and taking a sip.

 

“Rei~?! Didn't you have any soda? Something with *flavour*?!”

 

Rei sighed and stood there with her hands on her hips a moment, her face all disapproval now. However her prior thoughts won out in the end, and she bent down to smooch her lips against Usagi's, her tongue dipping between an instant. “Will that do?” the Senshi of Passion asked softly.

 

Usagi sat there in an apparent stupor, her eyes half-lidded and a faint smile on her face... then suddenly frowned. “That's not going to *last*, Rei!”

 

Rei plopped herself down on a cushion beside her troublesome lover. “I can keep them coming if you'd like,” she deadpanned, opening her own water and chugging down several gulps. Being before the Fire was draining.

 

Usagi had another sour look for Rei before thirst prevailed and she drank just as deeply. Still, she seemed to contemplate the offer.

 

“If the Fire's uncomfortable for you, there are some other duties you can try,” Rei said casually, though the sly turn of her mouth should have been a warning for the blonde odango atama.

 

“Oh?”

 

“Mm. There are the floors to polish, the grounds to sweep...” Rei grinned at Usagi, unable to maintain a straight face any longer. “I have a spare broom.”

 

Usagi looked horrified for a second, then glowered at the miko as the penny dropped. “I wouldn't want to put *you* out of a job!” she huffed, turning her head away haughtily from the raven-haired girl, and sipping at her water as though it were fine wine. Teasing Usagi never got old.

 

Water in one hand and remote in the other, Usagi started flipping through channels, intent on the TV. The blonde nattered on about whatever program happened to appear on screen, and regularly went off on tangents featuring the shows she liked or hated, often bemoaning that none of the former were on right now. Meanwhile Rei was intent on Usagi, the television possessing nothing that could amuse and enthral her better than the one she loved. She did listen to her Princess's ramblings, however not so much the words but the sound of the other girl's voice, a pleasure for her ears. It was strange how such a simple, everyday moment could grant Rei such contentment. If her life from now on consisted of nothing else; just one mundane moment with Usagi rolled into the next; it would be a blissful life in Rei's eyes.

 

“I love you,” Rei said suddenly, the declaration enticed from her lips before she knew it, yet it felt as normal as speaking the other girl's name.

 

Usagi blinked and looked at Rei, hushed just as abruptly. She seemed bemused but touched, gazing at the Senshi of Passion with affectionate blue eyes. “I love you too, Rei,” she said, sounding somewhat taken aback. She reached over and stroked her fingers through Rei's dark hair, quietly regarding the miko's features with a small smile. The hand then dropped to Rei's chest, palm over her heart for a second, before feeling the open collar of her uwagi between a thumb and finger contemplatively. “I think I know what outfit I'd like you to wear for me. I mean for....”

 

Usagi trailed off shyly, but Rei caught on quick. It was a pretty run of the mill choice considering Rei probably wore her miko attire as often as she did her school uniform, but perhaps that was the appeal to Usagi. Nothing too wild... to start with. Rei mused whether there might be an old fantasy behind the pick--the idea of Usagi watching her sweep the jinja's courtyard, imagining... `things'... in that blonde head of hers; things that had her best friend in a starring role and probably completely devoid of decency, was a giddy one. Maybe her Princess's fantasising went even further back, and had begun not long after they'd just met? Now Rei was clearly fantasising, but there was no question it had her feverish.

 

“You have demons that need exorcising?” Rei asked with theatrical dryness.

 

“Only the naughty sort,” Usagi replied, then bit her bottom lip as a cheesy grin threatened to bust out.

 

“My speciality. I know of many, *many* *intensive* rituals to cure you of those,” Rei said, nodding sagely afterwards with folded arms. “But I warn you, it's only going to get worse before it gets better... a *lot* worse!” She suddenly winked and licked her upper lip sensuously.

 

“I'll leave myself in your hands, Sensei! And, um, whatever else....” Usagi blushed, but there was no stopping that impish grin.

 

Rei had a grin to match now, and took her girlfriend in her arms, lowering the both of them onto the tatami mats, the raven-haired girl on top of the blonde. Rei bit Usagi's lower lip gently, sucking it into her mouth for a moment before releasing it with a smack that had the pair gasping and giggling anxiously afterwards. The Senshi of Passion dove into her lover's neck without mercy, kissing as often as she sucked on the sweet-tasting skin, hard enough to leave marks. Usagi moaned and writhed beneath her, pain and pleasure a mixture, but she had experienced this kind of lust from Rei in the past. They both enjoyed it.

 

“R-Rei, that guy has the... the s-same name as you,” Usagi said, labouring to get the words out.

 

“Mmm?” Rei mumbled as she seized her Princess's earlobe in her mouth, then let it slide wetly free.

 

“Takashi Hino.”

 

Rei looked up at the television--and then cursed that she had. A news program was being broadcast, with some political turmoil underway that warranted journalists seeking the opinion of an influential Diet member--that just happened to be her father.

 

“Since when are you interested in politics,” Rei murmured without inflection as she sat up. The sight of *him* was poison to her mood. “Turn that off.”

 

Usagi sat up as well, looking at the miko soberly. If the name hadn't been enough then Rei's shift in temperament had to have done it. But Rei didn't talk about her father. Ever, if she could help it. Not even to her best friend and girlfriend. He wasn't part of her life. He was as dead as her mother was.

 

“He... seems important,” Usagi commented cautiously, glancing at the TV.

 

“Yeah,” Rei mumbled, keeping her eyes away from the television screen. It was bad enough his voice was in her room. “He's a real big shot.”

 

Awkward silence fell between the girls. It seemed Rei's father could even spoil her relationship with Usagi, and he wasn't even here. Rei couldn't believe they shared the same blood.

 

Usagi's arms slowly went around Rei, tight and encompassing. The raven-haired teenager turned her head to see the blonde peering up at her, her chin resting on one of the miko's shoulders. Rei mustered a smile for her and laid a hand over one of hers. Rei should forget him. She shouldn't allow her father to taint the joy she had without him. She had a family that mattered, she had friends--she had Usagi. Rei was happy.

 

“Where were we...?” Rei smirked, her amethyst gaze smouldering.

 

“`...the latest missing person to be reported. In the past two weeks, four young people, claimed by their friends and family to be frequent visitors of the district's clubbing scene, have not been seen since. Maki Toda's disappearance brings the count to five. Police say the cases are unrelated, and are often the result of a night's overindulgence rather than foul play. The entertainment world was rocked today, when....'”

 

Rei scowled, no longer seeing the television. She had been there, in Roppongi, at the club Maki Toda had last been seen at. It could have been a coincidence. It might be nothing like the police had said; simply a young woman with a hangover sleeping it off somewhere unbeknownst to an overprotective family. Or it could be a human menace; a `natural' evil if there was such a disease. It would be a matter for the metropolitan authorities then. However the Senshi of Fire was aware that she was kidding herself if she thought she would stand aside and not act in the face of a malevolence spawned by humanity if given the opportunity.

 

“Rei?”

 

Or... Rei's instincts could be correct. She'd have to check it out. Her conscience wouldn't leave it alone otherwise. Terrific. It meant late nights until she was satisfied. Sneaking out of the Hikawa Jinja, sneaking back in, deceiving her good-natured Grandpa.... Just great. If there was an evil out there of the otherworldly breed, it would taste the ire it had wrought. It would taste fire. It would *burn* in--

 

Rei grimaced and jerked awkwardly as something poked under her ribs into her side.

 

“You're thinking something!”

 

“What?” Rei said, looking at Usagi's displeased visage, confused.

 

“Those missing people. I know what you're up to--you're thinking of going back there!”

 

“I was--”

 

“*No*, Rei! *No*!” the blonde exclaimed, sounding half-angry and half-agonised. “Whenever you go off by yourself, you come back to me beat up and bleeding everywhere!” She glared into the Fire Senshi's eyes and then jammed her fingers into the girl's side again.

 

“Ow! Usagi, that *hurts*!” Rei cried, twisting aside. `Beat up and bleeding everywhere'? The odango atama made it sound like she was an inept fighter. Rei didn't get hurt *that* much.

 

“It'll hurt more if I'm not there to look after you!” The riled blonde stood up, a figure of staunch disapproval looming over the miko. “You forget that we're a team, Rei--you, me, and everyone else.”

 

Look after her? It was meant to be the other way around! “It's probably nothing though...” Rei said, hastily attempting to underplay her gut feeling about the missing people. She would keep her love out of danger whenever she could. Alone, with Usagi safe in her bed under the roof of her own house, was how Rei preferred it.

 

Usagi cocked her head to one side and regarded Rei through narrowed eyes, as though she didn't believe the other girl for an instant. “I've done this sort of thing before, you know. I was investigating the weird and creepy *loooong* before I even met you.”

 

“You had Ami with you,” Rei pointed out dryly.

 

“Before Ami even!” Usagi insisted, so adamant Rei speculated that foot stamping was imminent. “Come on, it'll be great!” the blonde went on, taken to whining now. “We could invite Naru! I don't think she's been to a club before! She can bring Umino, and it'll be like a double date! We can dance, and--”

 

“It's meant to be an investigation,” Rei intoned flatly. “Look, Usagi. It's nothing. Really,” the Senshi of Fire maintained, shrugging. “It'll be a waste of time, and you'll probably get in trouble with your parents for being out so late. I'll check it out by myself and if I find anything... I'll come get you... and we can bring everyone else to help, as well.” It wasn't a lie. Rei would come get her Princess *after* anything untoward was ash.

 

“Rei...” Usagi sighed, her eyes softening. “I'm the leader.” She stabbed an outstretched finger at the other girl on the floor, suddenly incensed again. “You have to do as I say!”

 

It was Rei's turn to sigh. Pulling rank? That was pretty low. Unfortunately, it was also pretty effective. Defying Usagi, outright defying her *Princess*, was a bold move, and not something Rei had considered since her early days as a Sailor Senshi. Rei couldn't do it. Not over this potentially trivial affair.

 

The Senshi of Fire and Passion sighed again. Checkmate.

 

Rei lowered her gaze. “Yes, my Princess,” she said quietly.

 

Usagi beamed; radiant in her triumph. It compelled a smile from Rei. Perhaps it was for the best--it was heartwarming beholding her delight.

 

“Right, now get me that soda!” the blonde commanded, pointing imperiously once again at the miko at her feet.

 

A raven eyebrow twitched, but nothing more. “I think I will serve in a *different* way, your Highness,” Rei said instead, her words with a hint of allure and her expression smoky, amethyst eyes enticing. She sat up onto her knees before her girlfriend, and touched her fingertips to the blonde's ankles. Slowly, lightly, she drew her fingers higher on Usagi's legs, her hands disappearing under the other girl's school skirt. Usagi watched on with big eyes, stiff as a board, and Rei could feel goosebumps on the flesh beneath her fingertips. “If you remember, I still have an exorcism to complete....” Her hands reappeared at the hem of her Princess's skirt after a moment, with something pink and elastic stretched between them.

 

Rei smirked smugly to herself when she saw Usagi swallow nervously and turn as pink as her underwear. She left her lover's panties pooling around her ankles, and soon her skirt followed. The raven-haired girl stayed on her knees and Usagi remained on her feet... or tried to. Rei didn't make standing before her easy whatsoever, but she had a feeling her Princess appreciated the challenge.

 

At least the investigation wouldn't be boring with Usagi in tow, however now Rei really hoped there was nothing out there in the darkness, preying on the helpless and unwary. But if there was, if there was an evil, then regardless of its potency, regardless of its might, Usagi wouldn't be harmed by it.

 

Because there would be a fire in the darkness. Because Rei would be there.

 

******

 

To be continued....

 

 

Author's ramblings:

 

I was going to have a hentai scene between Ami and Makoto for their first ever get together, but I decided it would have been gratuitous and added nothing but smut. Not always a bad thing, but... I'll save it for another time.

 

Also, the Ami/Makoto relationship and how *Makoto* feels about it will come in a later chapter. I worry that their get together was too contrived, like, Ami says “I love you” and Makoto is there going “Oh, you know what? I love you too! How about that?”, you know? Hopefully it doesn't seem like that, but a future chapter will have Makoto's thoughts that should improve realism/believability.

 

Something else to note is that whenever Rei mentions the `Gods', she is referring to the Kami. The Kami are like the spirits in natural things, like stuff in nature. Trees, rocks, animals, the Sun is a major one, etc etc.

 

Some action next chapter.