Makoto drew her coat around her as she darted across the street on her way to the shrine. Usually, she would have gone home first to change out of her cooking school uniform. The ugly clothes were the only thing she didn't enjoy about school. For some reason, though, she hadn't bothered today. Instead, she'd headed straight to Rei's. A car passed and almost drenched her speeding through a large puddle. Makoto moved a bit further from the edge of the sidewalk and started up the hill. She had mixed feelings about rain. For obvious reasons, she enjoyed lightning and thunderstorms, but cold, dismal drizzles like this reminded her of that night when her first love had broken her heart. 'I ought to send him a letter and tell the jerk that he was such a crappy boyfriend, I turned out gay!' Makoto chuckled to herself. It was odd, though, to think now about the things he'd complained about: she was too boyish, not feminine enough, too intimidating, etc. For so long, she'd tried to prove him wrong, taking up cooking and laboring to master all the other traditionally 'female' skills. Strangely enough, however, she found that she really enjoyed those things. She loved to cook for her friends and she took great pride in keeping her apartment neat and tidy. But, she also loved sports and martial arts and other typically 'boyish' things. 'Who the hell was he to try to put me in some box like that', she thought, regretting the insecurities of her youth. The notion that she was a lesbian was still quite novel, both terrifying and exciting. 'It's not official yet,' she lamented, though she knew that the verification didn't come from an event, but from the realization. For the past few days, she'd felt more at peace with herself than she had in living memory. Something had just clicked into place. Part of that was the knowledge that her dear little Ami loved her back, just the same way, but that wasn't all of it. It was something more important than a single person loving her (even someone as important as Ami). It was about knowing and loving herself. 'You could never do that,' she accused her old sempai. 'You wanted to make me into something I wasn't, and I almost let you.' Makoto knew that Ami would never try to remake her. How wonderful to know that someone could love you for who you were, not who you could be or who you used to be or who you appeared to be. The only experience Makoto really had with lesbians was obviously with Haruka and Michiru. When they'd first met, she'd really thought of Haruka as a role model, even before she began to suspect the extent to which she meant that. In some ways, she'd wanted to be more like Haruka, and she had become so over the last few years: less dependant on others' opinions, more willing to take a stand about what was important, consequences be damned. At first, she'd been a little jealous of Michiru. Now, though, she found more and more that she wanted to be like her, too. Visions danced in her head suddenly. She wanted to put on something frilly and greet Ami after a long day at the hospital with a cool drink, a warm snack, and a steamy kiss. She wanted to stroll through the park on a warm day with Ami by her side. She could see it as clear as day. She'd wear her forest green skirt, a lacy white blouse, and a pink scarf that would match her earrings and a ribbon in her hair. Makoto actually turned her head as she walked, seeing Ami standing next to her in her blue slacks, blue vest and white oxford. She shivered, not from the cold. 'You'll never know what you missed out on, jerk,' Makoto concluded with a smile as she passed through the gates. Rei stood on the porch, waiting for her, just out of the rain. "Hey Mako-chan, I watched you come up here!" Rei called, "What's on your mind that's got you so focused?" Makoto grinned, unable to believe the set up she'd just gotten. "Why, I was thinking about my old sempai, of course!" Rei arched both eyebrows in confusion until, seeing Makoto's smile, she relaxed and laughed, slipping an arm around her friend's waist as she got up the stairs. "Come on, baka! I've got some tea brewing and for once, I thought I'd make you a meal. I'm a great cook, too, you know!" Rei announced. "As long as it comes pre-packaged and can fit in a microwave," Makoto commented with a wry glance at the young, annoyingly dry, miko. Rei snorted her displeasure with that comment and escorted Makoto to the dining room. Hot tea did indeed await and Rei poured some for each of them as Makoto removed her wet shoes and coat and hung them with care by the door. For awhile, they simply chatted about this and that. Makoto described some of the things they'd been preparing this week in class, which encouraged a suddenly ravenous Rei to go pop lunch into the oven. Rei told Makoto about some of the things going on in the shrine. "Umino dumped Naru? In a letter? He's almost as much of a jerk as my old sempai!" Rei sighed, "Yeah, but I think she'll be ok. I don't even think that was why she came here. I think she's already getting over him." Rei turned and looked out the window with a wistful smile. "Why did she come then?" Makoto asked. "Oh, why does anyone come to a temple?" Rei joked with an overly light tone. "Probably to get in out of the rain! Now, let me go get lunch. You just wait here and let me serve you for once. Oh, I bought cookies, too!" she added as she left the room. Makoto nodded and settled back with her cup, watching the rain fall outside. Both the tea and Rei were making her feel quite warm and cozy. She really loved the shrine. It was so peaceful, and it held so many happy memories. She could see why Ami spent so much of her free time helping out here. Thoughts of Ami reminded her of the likely reasons Rei had invited her over, though. While she wasn't exactly angry with Ami for having Rei call her instead of calling herself, she certainly wasn't thrilled with her either. 'I'm going to have to make her pay for that,' Makoto decided with a sinister smile. As her mind wandered over the various ways she could exact her vengeance, her expression shifted from sinister to steamy. "I really hope you're not thinking of your old sempai again," Rei told her, arriving back, bowls in hand. Her taunting smile brought sweat to Makoto's brow. "No, I .. uh.. it smells good!" Makoto all but shouted. Rei let her off the hook this time, happy in the knowledge that she'd busted her friend. The last time she'd seen that expression on someone's face, Usagi had been relating some quite intimate details about her last meeting with Mamoru. Of course, no one else had been particularly interested in hearing such things, but neither had they really tried to stop her. Reminders of Usagi and Mamoru were not going to help Rei's mood, though, so she quickly dropped that line of thought. After they got most of the way through the noodle dishes, Rei decided she'd better get on to business, before Makoto made some excuse to leave. "So, were you mad at Ami for having me call you?" she asked, figuring she might as well be direct. Makoto smiled, "Funny you should ask. I was trying to decide while you were getting lunch ready. I don't think so. Mostly, I'm annoyed." "Annoyed?" Rei urged her to continue. "She had to go cause her mom called her," Makoto explained, "and I can understand that. Do you know much about Ami's mom?" Rei thought for a moment. She knew that Ami's mom was a doctor, of course, and worked in a hospital. She could guess now which one. She had a vague memory of Ami saying something about making cookies with her mom as a child. "No, not really," she admitted. Makoto nodded, not surprised. "Well, it's not something Ami talks about often, but her mom can be pretty tough on her. Ami doesn't complain, but she really rides her hard, about her grades and classes and stuff. I can see why Ami would dash off like that." The final pieces came together for Rei. She'd known, of course, that that jerk Urawa had done something. She'd seen him herself. Once she recalled that Ami's mom worked in a hospital, she'd been all but certain that that was why he had gone there. Now, she knew for sure. That would have to wait, though. "If you understand, why are you annoyed?" Rei asked carefully. Makoto's eyes flashed, "I understand why she left, Rei-chan, but not why she didn't call me herself." "I thought you said you understood her message, about finishing dinner," Rei replied, trying to soothe Makoto with her voice. Apparently, it worked, as Makoto slumped down in her seat. "I do. I did. I don't know. Rei-chan?" Makoto looked up and caught Rei's eyes with her own serious gaze. "Yes, Mako-chan?" 'Coming to terms with it means sharing it with your friends,' Makoto decided. "Rei-chan, when her mom called, well...we were about to kiss. For the first time... first time like that anyway. I.. I love her, Rei-chan, and I'm pretty sure she loves me, too." She exhaled deeply, feeling yet another weight fall off of her shoulders. "Ohhhhh," Rei sighed happily. "Ohh, Mako-chan," Rei sighed again, disappointed for her friend. Makoto's eyes trembled. "And I haven't seen her since, or even heard from her. She told me...you told me...that she didn't regret it, that she wanted to, next time we saw each other, but why hasn't she called me?" Makoto bristled with tears and frustration. "Silly Mako-chan," Rei explained, patting her friend's hand, "you've answered your own question. She's decided that next time she sees you, she wants to finish what got interrupted. She's saving herself until she can do it right." Makoto looked up, smiling tentatively. "She's always been a perfectionist." "Yes, and she can also be really stupid sometimes!" Rei snorted with exasperation. "A first kiss isn't perfect because of when or how it happens. A first kiss is perfect because of the love it signifies." "Ooo, that's good!" Makoto declared, sitting up straight. "Can I use that?" "Sure, but eventually you have to give me credit. Wisdom is my job, after all!" Rei laughed, gesturing to her miko outfit. "Kinda bad timing on her mom's part, though," Makoto grumbled. "Just my luck, I guess." Rei's expression became much more serious. "Not luck, Mako-chan. That call didn't just happen." Seeing Makoto's confusion, Rei continued. "Her mom called at that time because someone had told her where Ami was, and must have implied something about what she was doing." Makoto shot up out of her chair. "What?! Who?!! Why?!!!" she stammered, trying to come to terms with this news. Rei also stood, albeit much more slowly, and moved next to her friend. "Take a deep breath, Mako-chan. Everything will be all right. Calm down. Ami's friend, Urawa, visited the hospital where Ami's mom works that same night, probably right around the time you guys were finishing your dinner." "How do you know that?" Makoto demanded. Rei breathed heavily, "It's a bit of a long story..." She proceeded to explain to Makoto about Minako and Kenjo's theory, mentioning briefly that she'd suspected Ami's feelings herself, along with Usagi's observations of things over the years. She told her about their decision to try to help, about Haruka's advice, about her own suspicions regarding Urawa and her actions following him. About halfway through, Makoto leaned back against the wall, arms crossed. Eventually, Rei ran out of narrative. "Haruka-san was right, Rei-chan," Makoto observed, "we were doing just fine on our own." She laughed briefly, "Damn that 'Shinoko', I'll never hear the end of it that he figured it out before me, even if it was only by a day or so." Rei felt quite relieved that Makoto was not (yet) running out the door to track down Urawa. "We didn't want to interfere, Mako- chan. We just love you both and we all think you could be very happy together." Makoto simply smiled in agreement at that. "But, I just knew that guy was up to something, coming here out of the blue and then running off for no good reason," Rei continued, her voice starting to lose its calm. "I'm glad I followed him! Otherwise, we might never have known and poor Ami- chan might still think he was a friend." "Does Ami-chan know?" Makoto asked quietly. "Hai. Usagi went over there this morning and was going to tell her. Usagi is good with that kind of thing," Rei pointed out. "She is," Makoto agreed. Slowly, she moved away from the wall, standing straight. "Well, it's been quite a week, Rei-chan. Even though I said Haruka-san was right, I am happy you all were watching out for us. Thank you." Rei stood with a suspicious look, uncertain about her friend's mood or plans. "You're not going to do anything rash, are you?" Makoto stunned Rei by laughing happily, "Me? No, of course not. Well, I'm going to get ready for my shift tonight at the restaurant and tomorrow I'm going to beat Kenjo-chan just that much more thoroughly so I'll have some ammunition when he tries to give me grief about this." "But, what about Urawa? Aren't you mad? I know I want to go and toast the sniveling little bastard, and you've got a lot more reason than me!" Rei flared hotly, finally losing her temper completely and quite miserably failing to demonstrate the kind of calm she had been urging on her friend. Makoto patiently laid a hand on Rei's shoulder. "Of course I'm mad, Rei-chan, but it's not about me." Makoto paused to gather her thoughts. "You see, part of my job as Sailor Jupiter is to protect Sailor Mercury. It's one of my favorite parts of the job, truthfully. But, this isn't about Sailor Mercury. It's about Mizuno Ami. He's her 'friend'; he spoke to her mother; it's her problem to deal with. Not mine. I'll be here for her, before and after, but I won't fight her battles for her. Nor would she want me to. I respect her too much for that." Suddenly Rei felt ashamed. Seeing this, Makoto reached down to the table and handed Rei a cookie that had been left over from dessert. "Ami-chan will sort it out, and then she and I will sort our situation out. If there's one thing I've learned being a sailor scout, it's that love triumphs over all." Rei smiled, comforted by the thought, even if she was not quite so certain of it as Makoto. 'Easy for you to say,' she thought briefly. 'Your love is not unrequited.' Realizing that such ideas were petty, especially at a time like this, Rei shook them off and gave Makoto a hug. Makoto held her friend gently, realizing not for the first time how truly blessed she was to have friends...to have a family...like this. Gathering her coat and putting on her shoes, she left without another word. Something else she'd learned was that when you said a cool tagline, you didn't mess it up by adding anything. After Makoto left, Rei cleaned up the dishes and came to a decision. BEEP "Usagi? It's me, Rei. I know you're in class now, but when you get home, give me a call. I thought maybe we could get together tonight, and no, not to spy on Mina. Maybe we could go shopping or something? Hey, why don't you invite Naru-san as well! I bet she'd like to get out, too. Give me a call when you get in! Bye!"
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