Muon walked through his wide workshop, followed closely by Gluon and his former second in command, the amorphous Gylax. Gluon's face betrayed his shame and rage at his loss of station. Gylax's nearly featureless face betrayed no emotion at all, a quality shared by her new master. "You show promise manipulating my new creations, Gluon." Muon said. Gluon jerked his head towards him, suspiciously watching for any hint of smugness or gloating. As always, Muon's voice lacked the slightest shade of emotion, devoid of the slightest inflection. Gluon would almost prefer to be bound to one who would lord his victory over the fallen general. This deadpan facade was disconcerting and somewhat maddening. "Yes, Muon." He finally replied. "You should be ready to use them in combat in a matter of days...far sooner than I had anticipated. You may even stand a chance of surviving the test alive." They had reached a corner of the large chamber. In this darkened area a large tube stood from floor to ceiling, filled completely with a thick, luminous violet liquid. Muon looked at the object carefully, then turned his gaze to the floor before it. An array of blue symbols and characters suddenly flashed into life, centered around the tube. They moved and shifted slowly, and as Muon lifted his hand, several of them changed position or vanished completely. He nodded in satisfaction. Gluon, his rage overcome for a moment by curiosity, approached as the symbols vanished. "What have you got in here...?" The violet liquid shifted, and deep within the tube a dark shape could be seen, thrashing violently. Numerous tendrils surrounded it, lashing about as if each had a mind of it's own. "Another weapon to use against the Sailor Senshi...or so I have planned." Muon said, offering no further explanation. He turned away from the tube, and his new servants followed after. Gylax spoke for the first time, her hollow, whispering voice just audible over the noise of the numerous devices scattered throughout the chamber. "My master...is it wise to allow Gluon to use your weapons in the field without supervision?" Gluon glared at her angrily, and Gylax studiously avoided looking back. "No, it is not. That is irrelevant, though. I will be supervising his actions directly. I have concerns of my own with the Sailor Senshi." "Why?" Gluon almost snapped. "What is it you want? Why are you even here? You don't seem to care about anything!" Gylax quailed at the disrespectful outburst, but it didn't seem to phase the blue-clad man in the slightest. "I have learned all I care to about the universe as we see it." Muon said, his voice as even and dull as ever. "It has never brought me joy, and it has long since ceased to interest me. However, I have learned things that suggest that there is more to discover beyond the universe as I know it." He paused, looking around the room, the various arcane and mechanical devices, the myriad shelves filled to the brim with books and documents. "That is what I seek. A way of transcending my limitations, to find what more reality has to offer me." A sudden bell-like tone made all three look up. The sound indicated a summons from Meson in the caverns far below Tokyo. "I must go. Gylax, you may accompany Gluon and oversee his training with my creations." Gylax bowed slightly. "Yes, Muon. Shall I prepare Gluon's former offices and chambers for you to occupy?" Muon looked at her with the curiosity a human would turn towards an insect behaving oddly. "Don't be ridiculous. I am not taking his former duties and I have no need of any chambers but this one." He vanished then, leaving the daeva and the disgraced Gluon alone. After a moment, Gylax turned to Gluon. "It is safe, Master Gluon." Gluon clenched his fists tightly and paced a wide circle around Gylax, swearing incoherently. "To be talked about as if I were not in the room!" He finally roared. "To have to bow and scrape to that frozen, arrogant bastard! It is all I can do not to throttle him every time he speaks to me!" Finally, he stopped, breathing heavily. "Thank you Gylax...your continued loyalty means more to me than you know." He straightened. "You will be well rewarded once I have regained what I have lost." "Yes Master Gluon. What are we to do." "Come." Gluon made his way to the wall of Muon's workshop where his new weapons waited. "You can help me complete the 'modifications' I am making to Muon's toys." Gylax followed obediently. "Modifications, Master?" Gluon giggled as he began to work, a cracked, desperate sound. "Yes...Muon will die by his own creations, and I will kill the Sailor Senshi despite his 'defective' weapons. Lady Meson will have no choice but to reinstate me after such a victory!" He continued to giggle mindlessly as he worked, his mind entirely consumed with rage and thoughts of vengeance. ------------------- "Here you go Ami-chan." Ami looked up as a cherry milkshake was put in front of her. "Thanks, Unazuki-chan." Ami smiled at Motoki's red-haired little sister. Unazuki returned the smile cheerfully and went over to her next table. Ami sipped her milkshake and waited. Just a few minutes later, Mamoru entered Crown Fruit Parlor. "Hi Ami-chan." He greeted her as he pulled off his jacket and sat in the booth across from her. "Sorry I'm late, but I didn't get your message until my last class was over." Ami smiled. "Don't worry about it Mamoru-kun. I haven't been here long at all." Mamoru waved shortly at Unazuki, who indicated that she'd be there in a second. He shook his head in denial and just lifted a finger. Unazuki nodded, and made a mental note to bring out Mamoru's usual, a piece of strawberry cake and a cup of coffee. That done, Mamoru turned back to Ami. "So, what's so important that you're blowing off cram school to talk to me?" He smiled, asking the question casually despite his heightened curiosity. Ami shrugged slightly. "Oh, nothing in particular..." She trailed off and took another sip of her shake, looking off into the distance through the nearest window. Mamoru just nodded. He knew this routine. Whenever Ami had to talk about something that was emotional for her, it took her some time to build her courage enough to speak. So he simply waited, offering thanks to Unazuki when she came by a short time later with his order. Finally, as Mamoru was on his second bite of cake, Ami spoke up. "I'm going to help Minako move back into her house this evening." She said softly. "It's probably about time...she's been away for awhile." Mamoru noted. "Is she going back to school as well?" Ami shook her head. "No...her ribs are still too damaged." Mamoru gave her a somewhat questioning look, and Ami shrugged in return. "I know...I don't know how she's going to hide it from her mother either, but she says it isn't a problem." "Hmm." Mamoru took a bite of cake. "It's very kind of you to help her get settled back in at home." He said after washing it down with a sip of coffee. "You two have become very close over the last couple of weeks." "Has it really only been that long?" Ami mused, mostly to herself. "It seems like so much longer." "Well, things have been a bit busy lately." Mamoru replied laconically. That got a chuckle out of Ami. "Yes, just a bit." She sighed then, and resumed staring off into space. Mamoru looked concerned. "Did something happen between you two?" Ami gave a half-hearted shrug. "No..." A half-mocking little smile appeared on her lips. "Maybe that's the problem." "Maybe that's the..." Mamoru's eyes widened in sudden comprehension. "Oh...oh!" He settled back in his seat, still looking somewhat stunned. "I had no idea..." Blushing furiously, Ami hid behind her shake. Seeing her reaction, Mamoru was quick to reassure her. "Ami-chan, there's nothing wrong with feeling that way." He said with a smile. "You're free to love whoever you want." Ami visibly blanched at the word love and Mamoru winced a bit in embarrassment. "Too strong a word at this point?" "Just a bit." Ami said with a small, somewhat sad smile. She didn't say anything for a long moment. "Then what, Ami-chan?" Mamoru asked softly, gently pushing her to speak. Ami sighed deeply. "Honestly, I'm not sure. I know I feel very strongly towards her." Her eyes went a bit distant. "Very strongly..." She looked back at Mamoru. "But love? I don't have enough experience with it to know." "And what about Minako?" Ami looked at him in surprise, and Mamoru just smiled in return. "You wouldn't have talked to me about it unless you'd already talked to her." Ami smiled back. "I did...last night, at the party." She took a sip of her shake. "She didn't recoil in horror or anything." She said with a wry smile. "Well, that's a plus." Mamoru said with a small chuckle. "But...?" "Well...she said, 'there's more here than just friendship.' But she seemed..." She frowned. "She said she wasn't sure how she felt about all of it, but she didn't really act uncertain...it was more like she was scared." "Scared?" Mamoru tilted his head quizzically. "Of what?" "I really don't know. Of me? Of having feelings for another girl? I have no way of knowing." Ami sighed again and slumped back in her seat. "And I don't know what to do, not at all. That's why I needed to talk to you...I just needed to get this off my chest, and get some advice from someone I trust." Mamoru was quiet then, considering. "I think it's a little early to think about 'doing' anything, Ami-chan." He held up a hand at the look Ami threw at him. "I know, you really want to do something, but think about it. You're not even sure how you feel yet. For one thing, you told me about this, but would you be comfortable telling anyone else? The other girls? Your mother?" Ami bit her lip. "I hadn't really thought about that...I don't know." Mamoru spoke very softly. "Have you ever felt anything for another girl before?" "I...yes." Ami looked down and blushed. "When I first realized how I felt about Minako, I looked back and realized I've always been attracted to girls. With boys, it was different. Less...intense. Less real, I guess." "Well...then Minako aside, that's something you'll have to deal with sometime, even if it's not necessary now." He smiled understandingly. "But what you do have to figure out is whether you're just attracted to Minako, or if there's more there." Ami nodded. "That's true...if this is just some kind of silly crush, I guess I can just get over it." She looked pensively at the tabletop. "But what about the way she feels? She did say there was more here. I need to know what she's feeling...I don't want to hurt her." Mamoru was quiet again. "There's a lot I don't know about Minako." He finally said. "I think there's a lot that nobody knows about her. I've always gotten the feeling that there's a lot more going on with her than she lets on." "There is." Ami agreed. "I was surprised at how much more...she's really much more thoughtful than she likes everyone to think she is." "I wonder why that is?" Mamoru asked rhetorically. "Does she ever talk about it with you?" Ami paused, as if a thought had struck her. "No...no, she doesn't. Now that I think about it, every time our conversations have gone towards her, she finds a way to steer it away. I've been able to talk to her about myself...one of the things I like about her is how good a listener she's been. But...she's never really talked about herself seriously." Mamoru nodded. "Somehow, I'm not surprised. I think, if you're going to do anything, you should try to explore that. Try to get her to open up to you a little more. If you do, you'll probably be able to get a sense of how she really feels." He smiled a little. "And if you get to know what makes her tick, you'll probably be better equipped to figure out your own feelings." Ami nodded slowly. "Maybe..." A hint of a smile appeared. "Maybe you're right..." She finished her shake, still thinking. "I think you are...thanks, Mamoru-kun." Mamoru leaned back and smiled. "Hey, no problem." He looked more serious. "I really hope this all goes well, Ami-chan." "So do I..." Ami said softly. "I should go...Minako wanted to get home before it got dark." "Good luck Ami-chan." Mamoru said with a wink. Ami blushed a little and smiled. "Thanks Mamoru-kun. I'll see you later." Ami left, and Mamoru lifted his cup in Unazuki's direction, indicating his need for a refill. ------------------- Minako left the guest room, wearing the clothes she had had on when she had been brought to the Outer Senshi initially. Hotaru was standing there, smiling. "We'll miss you Minako-chan." "I'll visit more often." Minako promised. "I've really liked it here." "We've really liked having you here." Haruka said, coming up the hallway with a garment bag containing the dress Minako had worn to the party the night before. "Really Haruka-kun, I can't thank you all enough for taking care of me like this." Minako bowed as she took the bag, then gasped and winced at the pain that flashed through her sides. Haruka carefully helped her straighten herself. "Don't do that with Setsuna and Michiru...you'll break your ribs all over again." She chided, then smiled. "And you're welcome." They started down the stairs, Hotaru following after. "Are you sure you're not going to need more help?" Minako shook her head. "No way...I really just need someone to make sure I get home okay...it's not like I brought anything with me to move back." "And of course spending a little more time alone with Ami is of no attraction to you." Haruka said teasingly. Minako blushed furiously and make a face at Haruka. Haruka just laughed until they reached the foot of the stairs, where Michiru was waiting for them. "Minako-chan." She smiled warmly and gave the blonde girl a gentle hug. "It will be terribly empty here without you." "Thanks Michiru-chan." Minako replied, smiling back. Haruka gave Michiru a little peck on the lips as she passed. "I'm still working on my bike...I'll be back out to say goodbye once Ami gets here." Haruka smiled and headed to the garage. Michiru smiled at Hotaru. "I need a moment alone with Minako, Hotaru. Could you excuse us?" "Of course, Michiru-mama." The dark haired girl smiled and headed back upstairs. Michiru just observed the Senshi of Love for a moment, then smiled softly. "What will you do now?" Minako understood the question, and just let out a long sigh. "I don't know..." Minako had related the story of the conversation between herself and Ami the night before to the Senshi of the Sea. "To put it in the simplest terms possible, Minako-chan, you have a fear of commitment." She chuckled very gently. "You have better reasons than most for having it, but it's certainly there." "I'd have to agree." Minako replied, nodding unhappily. She sighed. "So, now I'm asking, and I mean it, what do you think I should do?" "Now that you know Ami has feelings for you as well, you mean?" Michiru crossed her arms and closed her eyes, leaning against the banister. "And she knows you have feelings for her. I admit, the situation makes it tricky. You don't know if her feelings for you run as deeply as yours for her." She gave Minako a little smile. "And if they are as deep, that might be for the best, for now. You're skittish enough as it is." Minako blushed and rubbed the back of her head, but didn't deny that Michiru was right. "You might just consider seeing how things progress...don't deny your feelings, but don't try to push things along because of them either." "Just sort of go with the flow?" Minako thought about it. "Do you think that will work?" Michiru shrugged. "Your relationship is going to change, after last night. It's sort of inevitable. But if the two of you are able to accept the fact that you have feelings for each other...regardless of the strength of those feelings...the change might be less awkward." Minako sighed. "I guess you're right..." Haruka emerged from the garage then, sleeves rolled up and shirt stained lightly with grease. "Ami's here." She said. "Hotaru!" She called up the stairs. "Come say good bye to Ami-chan!" A moment later, Ami knocked politely and inside. "Hello?" "Come in Ami-chan." Michiru smiled welcomingly. Hotaru came down the steps. As Ami approached, Minako tried not to make it obvious that she was staring. -What happens now?- She asked herself, trying to swallow the knot of fear her throat. -How do things change, after this?- Ami stopped a few steps away from Minako. There was a moment of frozen silence. Then Minako smiled brightly, a light blush on her cheeks. "Hi Ami-chan. Thanks for helping me get home." Ami smiled back, a matching blush on her cheeks. "No problem, Mina- chan." They continued smiling at one another, the tension drained out of the room. -That wasn't so bad.- Minako told herself. -This just might work.- Behind her, Haruka began to make an 'awww' sound, but Michiru dug her elbow sharply into Haruka's side. The 'awww' turned abruptly into a loud 'ouch!' And both Minako and Ami turned to look at her. Haruka coughed and smiled weakly. "I guess I pulled something in the garage." Minako took a deep breath and looked around. It was amazing to her how much more this place felt like home than the cold house she was returning to...she'd really miss it here. "Well..." She finally said. "I guess it's time to go." Hotaru was just reaching the bottom of the stairs. "Bye Minako-chan." She said in her rather small voice. Minako turned to the young girl and held her arms out. Hotaru stepped up and very gently hugged her. "Don't be sad, okay Hotaru-chan?" Minako said with a smile. "I'll be around." "Yeah...it won't be the same, though." Hotaru pouted a bit, and Minako poked the lower lip. "Don't push that out...you look like you want someone to kiss it, and Chibi-Usa's nowhere around." Hotaru turned perfectly crimson and turned away, clapping her hands to her cheeks. "Mina-chan!" Ami exclaimed chidingly, the corners of her mouth twitching upward. Minako just laughed, as did Haruka. Michiru covered her mouth and coughed rather suspiciously. Michiru was next, and she hugged Minako just as gingerly as Hotaru had, giving the blonde girl a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck, Minako- chan...and remember to visit." Minako smiled. "I will, I promise." Finally, Haruka stepped up. Too greasy to risk hugging Minako, she just clasped her hand warmly and moved her head close to whisper something in Minako's ear. What she whispered remains forever a mystery, but whatever it was almost made Minako jump backwards, turning just as red as Hotaru had a moment earlier. She quickly turned back to Ami. "Well, thanks again! Remember to tell Setsuna to call me tonight so I can give her a proper goodbye too!" Ami smiled and bowed slightly. "See all of you later." As they left, Michiru looked at Haruka questioningly and Haruka whispered in her ear as well. Michiru gasped and punched Haruka in the arm. Ami and Minako walked down the street together, taking the relatively short walk to Minako's house. "Are you sure you didn't want Haruka to give you a ride? I sure she would have." Ami asked. Minako shook her head. "No...I've been stuck inside for *way* too long. I need some air." Neither noticed any of the awkwardness both had been feeling. Their feelings for each other had been admitted, if not explored, and since those feelings were returned, in some form or another, they were quietly accepted, rather than hanging in the air like a threat. "Oh!" Minako said with a grin. "I guess you got your test scores back today. How did the practice English exam go?" "Um..." Ami blushed and bit her lip. "I didn't actually go to cram school today..." Minako blinked. "Really? Why not?" Ami waved dismissively. "I needed to take care of something...and besides, I didn't want to be late getting you home." "Oh..." Minako smiled a bit. "Okay...well, I'm sure you did great." "Me too." Ami chuckled. "I had a great tutor." They continued chatting like that for some time, until the walk was about halfway over, when Minako suddenly stopped and winced, her hand going to her side but stopping short of touching it. "Mina-chan? Are you alright?" Minako gave a pained smile. "Yes..." She took a careful breath. "My side just hurts." Ami looked concerned. "Are you okay? Oh, we probably shouldn't have walked so far." She looked around desperately. "I guess we can sit on that window ledge." She said, pointing to a nearby shop. Minako just shook her head. "No..." She straightened, taking short little breaths. "We're almost there now, we should just keep going." They continued walking, but Minako continued to fall behind, taking smaller and smaller steps to lessen the impact of her stride. With every step, it felt like lines of fire were racing up and down her sides. Finally, Ami let Minako catch up with her, and without a word, slid one of Minako's arms around her shoulder, lifting her slightly and giving her a little support. Minako tried to protest, but she stopped as she caught Ami's scent. The intoxicating smell rushed to Minako's head and helped to ease the pain as much as Ami's support did. Looking over, Minako saw Ami's cheeks somewhat flushed as she studiously looked at the road ahead. It looked like Ami wasn't immune to Minako's scent either, and Minako felt a surge of pleasure that Ami was so effected by proximity to her. "Are you..." Ami said in a tiny voice, "Are you going to be okay going home like this? I mean, it's pretty obvious you won't be able to go to school for another couple of days, at least." Minako just shook her head. "It's no problem...trust me." Ami looked a question at her, but Minako seemed unwilling to elaborate, so Ami didn't push her. In what now seemed like too short a time, they arrived at Minako's house. Ami opened the door and carefully helped Minako in. There was a noise from somewhere inside, and Minako's mother's voice suddenly called out. "Mimi...is that you?" Minako choked back a groan and covered her face. Her mother emerged in the hallway, smiling. "Mimi! I was just heading out. I'll be back late tonight, so don't wait up." She smiled at Ami. "And hello there...ah..." "Mizuno Ami." Ami bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Aino-san." Minako's mother smiled and nodded. "Of course, of course. You too." She gave her daughter a peck on the cheek and brushed by the two of them to head out the door. Ami looked after her, looking a little stunned as the door closed behind her. "She...didn't even seem to know you'd been gone..." Minako had already left the doorway and was making her slow, pained way to the staircase. "She probably didn't." She said shortly. Ami rushed over and tried to help her again, but Minako waved her away with the garment bag containing her dress. As she began to climb the stairs, Minako could hear Ami following slowly after her. A loud part of her mind really wanted the blue-haired girl to go away. Her mother was a part of her life she didn't want any of her friends, particularly Ami to experience...she had invested a lot of energy in distancing herself from all of the baggage involved, and someone else seeing her mother's behavior towards her firsthand brought it far too close. Her ribs were screaming by the time she reached her room, and as she entered she found it precisely the way she had left it before she was injured. She immediately went to her closet and put her dress away. Ami's voice sounded behind her, very softly and gently. "Mina-chan? Are you okay?" Minako forced her brightest smile and turned back to Ami. "Of course, Ami-chan. She's always like that." She turned back into the closet, brushing her hands over her clothing needlessly, so Ami couldn't see the tears in her eyes. "She's always like that...she never really notices why I'm gone. I mean, how could I be Sailor V if she paid me any attention at all?" Minako's voice began to crack, but she was too far down the path to care anymore. "She never notices...never stops to talk...never asks how I am...I could probably show up with two heads and she wouldn't notice until she had to kiss more than one cheek." The pain, combined with her tightly wound emotions finally got the better of her, and Minako collapsed against the doorframe, her forehead resting on her arms as she began to cry. "Hell, I could probably drop dead and she wouldn't even care for a month or two!" That was enough for Ami. She ran to Minako's side and carefully helped her to her bed. Minako was crying all the while, not the deep sobs of a broken heart...she had cried those tears out long ago. These were, instead, the soft, sad sobs of a lonely girl who had just remembered how lonely she truly was. Minako found herself laying on her bed, her head in Ami's lap once again as she cried herself out. Ami just gently stroked her hair, making small, soothing sounds. Her tears slowly began to subside, and Minako slowly became more aware of the pain still in her sides, aggravating by her crying fit. She sniffled heavily, and Ami silently handed her a tissue, which she used to wipe her eyes and nose. "Ouch." She finally said in a quiet whisper. She turned her head to look up at Ami, who was smiling down at her sadly. "I'm sorry Ami-chan...I didn't want to you see any of this." She said in a tired, weak voice. Ami just shook her head and smiled. "No...I'm glad I did. You've helped me a lot, just by listening Mina-chan...but I've never realized how much you were hurting." Minako shuddered deeply, but didn't cry anymore. "It's always been like this." She said quietly. "Dad is always, always away on business. And Mother had always acted like that. I had a nanny until I was eleven...then I was just alone." "I'm so sorry, Mina-chan." Ami said, sympathetically. There was a long stretch of quiet then, as Ami continued to very gently run her fingers through Minako's hair. "If you're hurting, I'd like you to talk to me." She finally said. "I'd like to think that you trust me that much." Minako sniffled again. "I'm sorry Ami-chan. I don't know if I can." She said forlornly. Though Minako couldn't see it, Ami nodded. "That's okay Mina- chan...maybe someday." "Someday." Minako repeated. She closed her eyes. She hadn't felt this vulnerable in a very long time, but somehow, in Ami's presence, it wasn't as terrifying as she would have imagined. She took a deep breath and snuggled her head a little deeper into Ami's lap. Finally, as the sun began to set and the light in Minako's room began to dim, Minako sat up. "Thank you Ami-chan." She said softly. Ami smiled in return. "You're welcome, Mina-chan." Minako shifted to a kneeling position on the bed, facing Ami. "I..." She swallowed. Before she could try to speak again, Ami just put two fingers to the other girls lips and smiled. "It's fine, Mina-chan." She smiled. "When you're ready." She stood up. "Well, I have to get home...homework." She smiled sardonically. "Of course." Minako smiled softly. "I'll see you tomorrow." Ami nodded. "Of course you will." She walked to the door. "Good bye, Mina-chan." After she left, Minako lay back on her bed, breathing deeply. The sheets still retained a hint of Ami's smell, an intoxicating mix of scented soap and a natural, flowery smell. She drifted off to sleep soon after, a dreamy, soft smile on her lips. "Ami..." She breathed. ------------------- AUTHOR'S NOTE: I decided it wasn't fair to have Usagi be the only person clueless about Minako and Ami's attraction, and Mamoru strikes me as a little clueless about matters of the heart...at least outside of his own relationship. ^_^ I can't think of anything else to say that isn't me childishly dropping hints about things to come, so I'll leave it there. Till next time!
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