Of course, there had to be a party following the Sailor Senshi's impressive victory. So the following night, Sunday, the Senshi all came to the home of the Outer Senshi to celebrate. By an almost unanimous decision, Ami was the guest of honor at the party. The one dissenting vote was, of course, Ami herself. "Voila!" Makoto whisked the cloth from a tray she had brought with her, revealing an assortment of terribly decadent looking pastries to blue- haired girl who sat in front of her. The Senshi had gathered in the large sitting room in the Outers' home, and Ami was sitting on the sofa, flanked by Usagi and Rei. Mamoru stood behind Usagi, Chibi-Usa and Hotaru beside him, leaning over the side and looking over Ami's shoulders. Haruka and Michiru stood to the side, Haruka's arm around the other's waist, and Setsuna was lounging in her favorite armchair. "They look delicious, Mako-chan." Ami beamed. "I can't wait to try one." "You'd better hurry." Rei teased. "We almost had to tie Usagi-chan up on the way here to make sure you got the first taste." Usagi licked her lips and did a double-take before tearing her eyes from the platter and glaring at Rei. "That's not true!" "And it's a good thing Makoto brought napkins." Rei continued, heedless. "Or she probably would have tripped and fell on the drool running down her face." With a growl, Usagi hurled a small pillow at the Senshi of Fire. Rei yanked the pillow from her face and leaned over Ami's lap, blowing a raspberry at the Moon Princess. Usagi leaned over and began to do the same. Luckily, Makoto had seen the signs and wisely covered the tray again. Ami closed her eyes and gave a helpless smile to the room in general. "Usagi-chan. Rei-chan." Michiru's soft voice made both girls freeze and yank their tongues back. "This isn't really the time for this, is it?" The chastened senshi sank back into their seats, blushing. "Sorry Ami-chan." Usagi said, smiling through her blush. If Usagi looked embarrassed, Rei looked as if she wanted the sky to open and strike her dead on the spot. "Sorry Ami-chan." She mumbled, staring down into her lap. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Michiru smiling at her and relaxed slightly. Makoto took the covering away and Usagi reached out and took the most delicious, chocolate-drenched treat and offered it to Ami. "Here Ami- chan!" Ami shook her head slightly, blushing deeply. "You can have it Usagi- chan...this is really nice of all of you, but it's really not necessary. I didn't really do anything." Usagi looked as if she were seriously considering the offer, then shook her head, continuing to offer the pastry to her. "You're the big hero, Ami-chan, you should have it." That just made the shy senshi blush a little deeper, but she took the small cake and lightly nibbled a corner. Not even her self-consciousness was enough to stop the small sound of pleasure she made. Everyone applauded slightly, and Ami blushed even deeper. To cover her embarrassment, she looked around. "Where's Minako-chan?" She asked softly. "I thought she'd be well enough to get out of bed." Haruka answered. "She's still getting ready...she didn't really have any clothes with her here, so she sent me to her house to get a dress." She shrugged. "She wouldn't let me go until just a little while ago." "She didn't want you to run into anyone while you were there." Setsuna observed softly. A few heads turned in her direction, but she offered no further explanation. "It's been about long enough, though." Haruka said, glancing up the stairs. "Hotaru, could you go up and see how she's doing?" Hotaru smiled and nodded. "Okay Haruka-papa." When Hotaru knocked on the guest room door, a rather nervous sounding "Yes?" greeted her. "It's me, Minako-chan." "Oh, come in Hotaru-chan." Hotaru came in to find Minako seated in front of the desk in the room, looking at herself in the mirror behind it and twisting her hair back and forth, a dissatisfied look on her face. "Are you okay? Everyone's downstairs already, and Ami asked where you were." Minako perked up at hearing that, a smile passing over her face. "She did?" Hotaru nodded, and Minako made a small, happy humming noise to herself, continuing to fuss with her hair in the mirror. "What are you doing Minako-chan?" Hotaru asked. "Do you remember what we were talking about last night?" Minako replied. "Do you remember what you told me?" Hotaru nodded again. "I think...I decided you're right. Sort of." She laughed a little bit at her own ambiguity. "Okay, so I didn't really decide anything. But Ami's important to me. I guess that's the only thing that matters right now." She looked over at Hotaru where she still stood by the door with a small smile. "Does that make any sense?" Hotaru nodded. "Yes...but what are you doing?" Minako grumbled a bit and tried letting her hair fall over one shoulder. "I can't get my hair to look right!" She turned fully to Hotaru. "What do you think?" Hotaru shrugged a little bit. "I think you have the most beautiful hair, and I think it looks the best the way you always wear it." Minako paused, then chuckled. "Thanks Hotaru-chan...you really know how to make a girl feel like she just wasted an hour." She picked up her red bow from where she left it on the desk and turned back to the mirror. "Go on back down and tell Ami I'll be down in a second." As Minako descended the staircase, she saw Ami still seated on the couch, blushing furiously at all the attention she was getting. Minako felt a sudden surge of protectiveness towards the shy senshi, and added a little more flair to her descent. It was a trick she knew, and she really couldn't explain it, but she just seemed to emit an aura, and, sure enough, the eyes of her friends below started to turn towards her. When Ami looked up, it was with relief. Part of it was relief at no longer being the center of attention, but there was more to it. Minako hardly dared hope that it was relief at simply seeing her. No...tonight, Minako just wanted to be there with Ami, for Ami. Everything else could wait till later. Two things suddenly happened that made Minako want to bolt down the rest of the stairway as fast as she could. Rei stood up to go chat with Setsuna by her chair, leaving the space next to Ami open. At about the same time, Mamoru leaned over the back of the couch to talk to the blue haired girl. Ami covered her mouth, laughing softly at whatever was said. Everything Minako had told herself about jealously vanished in a red haze, and she walked to the sofa as quickly as possible. "Ami-chan!" She said as she sat, beaming. She placed her hand on Ami's arm and didn't *quite* yank the other girl to face in her direction. Ami turned along with her and gave Minako a warm hug, returning the smile with equal happiness. "Mina-chan!" She said softly, hugging her tenderly. Minako's ribs gave a little twinge at the increased pressure, but it was nothing she couldn't ignore. She noticed Mamoru smiling at the two of them, and chose to ignore the kind expression, giving in momentarily to the part of her brain that was gleefully pointing out that Ami didn't hug *him* like that. "I'm really glad you're up." Ami was saying. "Me too!" Minako said, smiling as they released each other. "I'm just sorry I missed the fight. It sounds like I could have helped, even in my condition." "Yeah." Rei said with a grin. "But it was almost too easy as it was...I don't think we'd have felt good about it if it was any easier." She laughed a bit. "Has Setsuna told you about what happened to her? You have to make her tell the story, Minako-chan, it's just too funny." Setsuna just smiled. "And of course, it's all thanks to Ami-chan!" Usagi chirped, leaning over and leaning her head against Ami's shoulder. "So what do you wanna do now, Ami-chan?" Ami looked at Minako for support. Minako recognized the look, and nodded, smiling encouragingly. Ami turned back to Usagi. "I want everyone to have a good time and stop worrying about me." She said softly, smiling. "It's really, really nice to be appreciated, but even if I was able to figure out where they'd attack, it was all of you who stopped them. This is everyone's victory, not just mine." Haruka grinned at that and walked over to the stereo, turning the volume up slightly. "You heard the girl." She announced. "Let's party." ------------------- An hour or so later the party was in full swing. A karaoke machine set in the dining room was being put to good use by several of the senshi, and highly questionable use by Usagi. Setsuna had finally been cajoled into telling the story as Rei requested, and her quiet, understated description of the late daeva's panicked arrival soon had Minako laughing so hard she didn't even notice the pain from her sides. Ami, Makoto, Hotaru and Chibi-Usa had been listening (and laughing) along with Minako. When the story was concluded, Makoto went to go take a turn with the karaoke machine and the younger girls followed after to watch. Ami excused herself to go to the bathroom, and Minako was left sitting across from the solitary Guardian of Time. "Are you going to take a turn?" Minako asked, moving her head slightly in the direction of the singing emanating from the dining room. Setsuna shook her head a bit. "I don't think so." She murmured. "I prefer just to watch that sort of thing." "You watch a lot." Minako observed. "I've had a lot of practice." Setsuna said with a wry smile. "You don't have to, you know. You could join the rest of us. It would be fun." Setsuna chuckled a bit, and Minako gave her a questioning look. "I'm not separate from you." She explained, in her quiet, measured voice. "I stay back and watch because I enjoy it...it's my way of getting closer to you all." She smiled. "I've been alone a lot, throughout my life. Long, long stretches with nothing to keep me company but my own thoughts. That's why I like to simply observe you all. Seeing you, hearing you, it's how I know I'm not alone, that I'm with the ones I love." Minako considered that for a moment. "I think I understand." She finally said. "It's different, but it makes sense." "It is different." Setsuna agreed. "But when you're as old as me, you'll find that you have a...unique perspective on things. And of course, you're far too social to ever be comfortable watching from the sidelines. You're more than comfortable being in the center...you thrive on it. It makes you sparkle." She smiled. "It's one of the reasons I like watching you in particular." Minako felt herself blushing a little bit at that. "Have you ever talked to Ami about this? She might be able to relate a little more than me." "I have, and she might." Setsuna said. "But not entirely. You know the truth of that, I think." She smiled knowingly, and Minako blushed a bit more. "She might not like the spotlight, but she'd rather be in the group than watching it. She just needs a little...encouragement sometimes." Setsuna glanced over Minako's shoulder, and Minako realized Ami must be coming back. "Hi Mina-chan." Ami said as she stood next to the sofa. "Do you want to go to the dining room? Michiru's making Haruka sing a duet with her." Minako grinned as she stood. "Haruka's actually a pretty good singer." She said. "This should be good." She turned back to Setsuna. "You should come too." "I can hear everything from here." Setsuna smiled. "That's not why." Minako said, shaking her head with a grin. "Maybe you can get to know us by watching, but you're not letting us get to know you. And I think we'd all like that." Ami couldn't follow the entire conversation, but she nodded in agreement nonetheless. Setsuna laughed at that. "You know, Haruka and Michiru have told me the same thing, more than once." She settled back in her chair, chuckling. "Very well, I'll be along in a moment." ------------------- Haruka and Michiru were singing, more to each other than anyone else. Haruka had blushed furiously when Michiru had started the music, a heartfelt love song, but the blush had soon faded once she had gotten into it, and now she just gazed into her sea-haired lovers eyes, singing her lines as if they were the only two people in the world. Rei had left the dining room for the darkened recesses of the kitchen, watching the two of them through the wide archway connecting the two rooms. She sighed deeply as she watched Michiru return Haruka's look with love just as deep. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, watching a scene she knew she could never be a part of. "I guess Minako and Ami aren't the only ones with love issues, huh?" Makoto's voice make Rei jump, and she had to cover her mouth to keep from crying out. "Mako-chan!" Rei said breathlessly. "I didn't even notice you come in." "I'm kind of surprised you even heard me." Makoto said, smiling softly. Rei turned beet red as she realized she'd been found out. "But I wasn't...I'm not...I..." She groaned under her breath and covered her face in her hands. "Oh no..." "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Makoto said kindly. She took a sip from the glass of water she was holding. Rei eyed it warily. "How long have you been here?" Makoto smiled slyly. "Long enough to hear you sigh four or five times." Rei groaned again and Makoto laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry...like I said, I won't tell anyone." She looked out at the singing duo. "I have to ask...who is it?" Rei turned as crimson as her fuku and looked down at her feet. "Michiru." Makoto nodded. "I kind of thought so...she would suit you better." Rei sighed languidly. "Yeah...I guess...I guess she makes me think of how my mother must have been. She's so elegant and beautiful..." She sighed again. "I understand." Makoto said quietly. "But I have to admit, I'm a little surprised. To be honest, I always sort of thought that you felt that way about Usagi." "Usagi?" Rei straightened a little at that, then chuckled. "Maybe you're right...but then again, can you tell me you're not just a little bit in love with her?" Makoto considered the question. "I guess not." She said with a rueful smile. "I guess we probably all are." Rei shrugged. "It would be the same either way...impossible." She looked back over her shoulder at Makoto. "Do you know what the worst thing is?" "What?" "I don't even want to try to fight for her...and not just because I know I'd lose. Haruka loves her so, so much. I just have a silly crush on her. Maybe it could turn into love too...but I'm not going to even try breaking up happiness like that on a maybe." Makoto smiled and gave Rei's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're a good person, Rei-chan. And a good friend. Someday, I know you'll be as happy as they are." The song had ended by now. Rei turned towards Makoto, wiping her eyes suspiciously. "Thanks for listening, Mako-chan." Makoto stepped forward, opening her arms as if to give her friend a hug, but the miko just stepped back and turned around. "Anytime Rei-chan." Makoto said, watching Rei leave the kitchen with a smile. She took another drink, leaning against the wall in the same place her friend had. "Anytime at all." ------------------- Chibi-Usa took the microphone next. Rather than the classic melody Haruka and Michiru had chosen, she chose a new song by the artist who was currently the most popular idol in Japan. The feeling was just as genuine, though. Her cheeks were flushed as she sang, a condition that had nothing to do with embarrassment and everything to do with the dark- haired girl who sat in front of her, eyes shining as she listened. Rei walked out just as Chibi-Usa began singing, and quietly slipped from the kitchen to the sitting room without disturbing anyone. Makoto followed just a few breaths afterwards, looking somewhat pensive. She stood in the archway for a moment, listening to Chibi-Usa sing. Her face softened into a smile, and she moved to lean in the corner. Looking across the room, Makoto was somewhat surprised to see Setsuna standing in the corner across from her. Setsuna was looking back at her, obviously expecting to catch her eyes. Even more surprising was the smile Setsuna was wearing, a smile that could only be described as sly. Makoto looked at her questioningly, and the Guardian of Time lightly twitched her eyes over to the side. Makoto followed the look, and smiled as well. Chibi-Usa was singing at the head of the long dining room table, Hotaru seated just to the left. On the other side of the table, Usagi and Mamoru were seated next to each other, smiling at their daughter's performance. Haruka and Michiru had slipped out as soon as their song had ended, their expressions clearly stating they needed a moment by themselves. But what Setsuna had been indicating were the room's other occupants. Minako and Ami had snuck two chairs from the table and placed them next to the wall, concealed somewhat by a potted plant just next to them. They were holding a whispered conversation, far too quiet to disrupt the younger girl's song to her loved one. Makoto very nearly squirmed with delight at the sight. -Well, at least *that* seems to be going well.- She thought. -I wonder what they're talking about?- ------------------- "Is Hotaru going to sing next?" Ami wondered aloud. Minako shook her head. "Not a chance...it seems our little Hotaru is only slightly better at singing than Usagi...she can't carry a tune in a bucket." Ami giggled very softly. "Mina-chan...that's a horrible thing to say!" "Hey, just telling you what I've been told." Minako shrugged. "At least she knows she can't sing well...unlike Usagi." Ami giggled again. "Are you going to sing?" Ami asked. Minako smiled. "Maybe later...right now I'm just enjoying the company." "Thanks." Ami looked away just a bit, blushing softly. "Are you sure you're feeling better...you really shouldn't strain yourself." "Oh, I'm fine, Ami-chan." Minako said dismissively. She lightly knocked her knuckles on the side of her head. "My head barely hurts at this point, and I don't feel dizzy at all." She smirked. "My ribs still hurt, but they feel a lot better too." Ami nodded absently. "Oh, good..." She looked off into the distance a bit. Minako tilted her head quizzically. "Are you alright Ami-chan? You've seemed a little distracted tonight." "It's nothing Mina-chan...I just..." Ami paused and looked over at Minako through the corner of her eye. Chibi-Usa's song began to wind down towards the end, and Ami looked over at the pink haired girl finishing her song. "Maybe it's not nothing..." She whispered. "But...do you think we could go somewhere to be alone?" Minako blinked in surprise. "Of...of course." She said, trying to keep the eagerness out of her voice. "Follow me." She stood up, and Usagi looked over at her. "Are you going to sing next Minako-chan?" She asked brightly. "Um...not right now, Usagi-chan." Usagi brightened up considerably. "Oh, great! Now I can sing another song for you, Mamo-chan!" She looked up adoringly at Mamoru, who closed his eyes and gave his love a very slightly pained smile. Rei had been coming back into the room, but spun on her heel and left again on hearing Usagi. "Maybe you should sing, Rei-chan." Setsuna said as the dark-haired girl passed her. "I don't think you've had a turn tonight." "Yeah, take a turn Rei-chan." Makoto chimed in. Rei turned and smiled softly. "Okay." She headed over to the machine and took the microphone from Usagi, who handed it over, grumbling softly. "Well, I guess since you haven't had a turn yet..." She went back to her chair and Mamoru placed an arm around her shoulder, hugging her close. Minako and Ami took advantage of the distraction and slipped out of the room before Rei began singing. They passed through the now empty sitting room and up the stairs, passing a slightly tousled-looking Haruka and Michiru leaving their bedroom. The four friends shared a slightly embarrassed smile and passed each other without a word. Minako led Ami to the end of the hallway where a door opened into a smaller upstairs sitting room, the walls lined virtually completely with bookshelves. "Setsuna spends a lot of time here." Minako noted. "It shows." Ami smiled and nodded. Minako passed through the room to a set of glass-latticed double doors. Ami followed after just a moment. The doors led to a long, covered balcony that stretched all along the side of the house, doors from other rooms opening out onto it. "This should be pretty quiet." Minako said softly, walking to the wooden railing and looking out at the Tokyo nightscape. Ami walked up and stood next to Minako. "Yes." She agreed. There was a long silence then, neither girl quite willing to break it. Finally, Ami leaned over the railing, looking down at the dark shrubs that grew up against the walls below. "Your mind does weird things when you think you're going to die, doesn't it? The things that flash through your head." Minako glanced over at Ami and followed her gaze down. "I guess." She agreed. "I've thought I was going to die before, of course. But I've never really thought about what was going through my mind at the time." "But could you do it now, Mina-chan? What does go through your head when you face death?" Ami's voice was soft, but insistent. Minako was confused by this line of questioning, but considered the question. "I guess it's a little trite to say my life flashes before my eyes, huh?" That brought a half-hearted chuckle from the Senshi of Ice, and Minako continued quickly. "But you're right...the weirdest things can go through your mind when you think it's your last moment. Memories, promises, trivial little concerns." "Sometimes concerns that aren't so trivial, right?" Minako nodded once. "I guess so. I guess when you think it's over, you can't help but think of the things you'll never have a chance to finish." The silence returned after that. Minako kept looking back at Ami through the corner of her eye, giving her time to speak. "I thought I was going to die when Gluon had us." The blue-haired girl finally said with a shudder. "The stone just kept sucking us down...it was horrible." Carefully, Minako slid her hand over the railing, holding it open. After just a moment, Ami took the hand in her own, squeezing it gently. Minako noticed that the hand was cold, and trembling very slightly. "Every other time I've thought I was going to die, it was pretty much just like you described. But this time...in the moment just before Setsuna saved us, when I was positive we were going to die...the only thing I could think of..." Ami let out a long, deep breath and her hand closed around Minako's just a bit tighter. "...was you." Minako suddenly felt her mind go completely blank. "I...but...me? What do you..." "I don't know." Ami said, quickly. She took her hand back, and Minako curled her fingers closed before letting her hand fall to her side. "I don't know." Ami repeated in a voice that was almost a whisper. The unspoken thought hung in the air, making the previous comfortable silence deep and awkward. In the face of this revelation, Minako felt panic clawing at her mind. Her tongue thickened as her mouth went completely dry. Her initial reaction was to bolt, to run downstairs and pretend that this conversation had never occured. But through her panic, she became increasingly aware of Ami's presence at her side. She looked over at her friend, and the sight made her feel as if she'd been doused in cold water. Ami was hunched over the rail, resolutely staring down at the ground. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. -Way to go, Minako.- Her mind chided her. -She probably thinks she just ruined things with her best friend. You *have* to say something before it's too late.- "Ami-chan..." Minako began. Ami jerked her head up and looked at her, wide-eyed. Minako forced herself to continue, though every word took a massive effort. "I..." She took a deep breath and let it out again, closing her eyes. "I don't know...what's going to happen. With us, I mean. I don't know how I feel about all of this. But..." She opened her eyes and looked over at Ami. "There's more here than just friendship." Ami looked back at her for a long, frozen moment. Then she smiled a little bit, and the very air around them seemed to relax. She nodded, and the two of them just stood there, smiling at each other. "I guess we should go back downstairs." Ami said, breaking the silence. "Yeah." Minako agreed. She took a deep breath. "Go on ahead and I'll be there in a second." Ami smiled softly and Minako turned to look out at the city once again. She heard Ami close the door to the balcony behind her and slumped once she was sure she was alone. "Well, I guess I know what I'm afraid of." She muttered. "Perfect, Minako, just perfect." She sighed deeply, sinking down a bit lower and running a hand through her hair. "What should I do?" She asked nobody in particular. "She's my best friend...I don't want to do anything to ruin that. But I don't know if that's enough anymore, after this." She folded her arms on the rail and rested her head on top of them. "But how can I really say I want to be with her if I'm this scared?" She said, her voice muffled. But as long as she waited, no answer came. ------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE: I had to be very careful with this chapter. There are just too many delicate components. In the end, though, I'm pretty happy at how it turned out. My first impulse was to just throw Ami and Minako together, but as fun as that would be, it's just a little unrealistic at this point. ^_^
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