[Autumn 2004] Minako handed the envelope wordlessly to the man behind the table and moved on down the line. The rituals associated with the funeral were distressingly familiar to her. She'd donated the same amount as she had at Shingo's funeral and ordered a wreath of similar size and complexity, since she had loved them both equally. In the distance, she could make out Ikuko, flanked by Usagi and Mamoru. Perhaps later there would time to speak with them, though she had no idea what to say. What would be worse, losing one's son and husband or losing one's brother and father? A twinge of pain jabbed Mina as she pondered briefly what her life would be like if she were to lose Rei. Wiping the tears away from her cheek, she moved to find her love. She had a sudden urge to cling to her arm and never let go. ------------ "The baby is crying again," Hotaru reported. Since a funeral was no place for a baby, Setsuna had volunteered to babysit Chibi-Usa. Hotaru had stayed home as well to help. The Mistress of Time sighed and gathered up yet another new diaper. One convenient aspect of Hotaru's rapid aging had been the ability to skip potty training altogether. Setsuna had been quite happy to get rid of the diaper pail. The memory reminded her to have Hotaru take the trash out this evening. Setsuna had never heard of a baby that ate as often as Chibi-Usa did and the end results of that appetite filled their garbage can. "Can I help change the diaper, Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked as she hovered behind, watching the action. Setsuna masked a smile. "Well, it's a big responsibility, but I suppose you are ready for it." Trying not to appear too anxious, she stepped aside and handed the materials over to her young ward. ---------------- Makoto sat quietly in the passenger seat as Ami drove them back to her new apartment. All day her emotions had been in a tumult. Her joy at being with her love once again warred with the guilt that she should feel any happiness on such a horrible occasion. As always, Ami read her mood perfectly. Sometimes, when Makoto was feeling down, Ami would do everything in her power to shake her out of it. Other times, she said nothing, simply remaining close, providing reassurance with her presence alone. Makoto darted her bloodshot eyes over toward her girlfriend, a small smile drifting across her face. 'Aishiteru, Ami-love,' she thought. Eventually, they made their way back to the parking garage underneath Ami's building. As Ami shut the car off, Makoto made no move to get out. Ami paused with her hand on the door handle and then turned in her seat to face her companion. Again, she waited silently. "I don't ever want to leave you again, Ami," Makoto announced after a long pause. Ami blushed. "I know, love, I don't ever want you to leave, but it will be ok. We've made it this far; we can survive another year." She tried desperately to sound upbeat, but ever since Makoto had been told by her employers that they required her to remain in Europe for at least 14 months longer, a heavy blanket of disappointment and sadness had weighed her spirit down. Reaching forward and taking Ami's hands in hers, Makoto shook her head. "No, Ami-love, I mean it. I don't ever want to leave you again. I don't care what we may have seen of the future. We still have free will and the future can change. Any day, something like this disease or an enemy could take one of us away. If that ever happens, I don't want to regret that I didn't spend enough time with you." Ami began to disagree, trying to reassure Makoto that they need not worry about such things, but Makoto silenced her, laying a finger lightly over her lips. "Ami, I've proved to myself that I can stand on my own. I've been proving it ever since my parents died. I'm done with it. I love you and I want to be with you. Nothing is more important than that." She lifted her finger to Ami's cheek to wipe away the tears that were falling there. "But, Mako, what about your..." Ami sniffled, hope lighting in her eyes. Makoto reached into her purse and retrieved an envelope. "This is my resignation letter; I wrote it on the plane. There will be other jobs, Ami, or I can open a bakery or a flower shop like I always dreamed." She smiled fondly and caressed Ami's cheek, pressing her hair back behind her ear. "Or, I can just be a good wife to you, if you will have me." Ami's eyes widened and her breath left her in a loud gasp. Suddenly, she flung herself forward, embracing her love frantically. "Oh Mako-love, yes, yes, yes..." Her voice faded as her lips desperately sought out Makoto's. The windows of the car began to steam up as Ami showered a giddy Makoto with kisses. --------------------------- "Am I going to have to have you surgically removed?" Rei chided gently. For almost the entire funeral service and their drive back, Minako had pressed herself to Rei's side. Rei knew how Minako felt, however. Truly, she felt the same way. Too much sickness and death; it made her appreciate all the more the sources of joy in her life. She stroked Minako's hair, combing it through her fingers. Mina cuddled even closer, sighing sadly. "We're here, Ms. Aino," the driver announced a few moments later. Mina reluctantly sat up. "Thank you. You can take the rest of the day off; I won't be going anywhere." The older gentleman nodded with gratitude, especially as Minako opened her own door and helped Rei out of the car. He'd heard horror stories about celebrity egos and demands from other drivers, but he had never had any such problem with Aino Minako. Soon, Rei and Mina found themselves in Minako's condo, high above the streets of Tokyo. As Rei slid her shoes and jacket off, Mina pushed some buttons, calling up some light jazz music in the background. The two women sat together on the long sofa in the sitting room. For some time, neither spoke. Rei sat upright, her arm draped over Mina, curled up against her side. "Rei," Mina said eventually, breaking the comfortable, melancholy silence, "I want you to move in with me." Tilting her head to meet her love's gaze directly, Rei considered Mina's words. The idea was certainly something that Rei had already pondered at some length. Finally, she replied, "I'd like that." Her eyes closed as she leaned down to kiss Minako tenderly and thoroughly. Eventually, Rei began to pull away, only to find her head held in place, Mina's fingers laced throughout her long hair. Opening her eyes, she saw her love gazing back at her with an almost feverish expression. The passion, the love, the want and the need that Rei found in those clear blue eyes sent a shiver down her spine. Mina lifted herself slightly, still pressed to Rei's side. "I need you, Rei," she whispered in a voice bordering on desperation. Rei could feel the same level of desire within herself, but even in that heated moment, a small part of her remained detached, analyzing. Part of the intensity was physical, of course. The feel of her, her scent, the taste of her lips and skin, the sound of her breathing and her incomparable beauty; Minako was a full- blown assault on the senses. Some of it was the result of the emotional tumult they had both been through, the joyous discovery of their love intermingled with the two tragic deaths in their 'extended family'. The truth could be found beyond all of those things, however. Rei knew now that Minako was a part of her. Even while they were apart, there existed a bond that no distance could confound. Minako complemented her and completed her in ways she had never even known she'd needed. The only thing keeping them apart was this very same part of Rei which kept the outside world at bay, the piece of herself that she'd never been willing to share with anyone. Rei had dealt with primal forces her entire life. She had been trained to always remain in control, to monitor and manipulate those forces around her. Anger, joy, whatever emotion she felt would wash across her for the world to see, but only for a moment. Even at those times, Rei remained in control. Now, something threatened that iron fortress of will inside of her. She loved Mina with a love unlike any which she had ever experienced. Her companion gave of herself without question; all of her feelings for Rei lay there in her glistening blue eyes as she waited for Rei's response. The miko's heart ached, longing to return that unquestioning, unconditional love, to let it join with Mina's and carry them both away. Doing so meant giving herself fully to the moment, to the powerful forces tugging at her heart and soul, however. Abruptly, Rei realized that no decision need be made, because she'd already decided inside her heart. Her self-reflection came to an end as Rei, for the first time in her entire life, opened herself up completely. "I need you, too," she said, surprised at how very true that simple statement was. Deep inside those violet pools where Minako loved to linger, she could see the final walls come down. A sense of profound joy and love suffused her very being as she watched Rei rise and extend a hand. As Mina laid her own hand delicately in Rei's, her vision blurred. Suddenly, she saw the world in the same way that she suspected Rei did. Everything seemed clearer, brighter and Rei radiated with a pure, intense light that was almost blinding. Rather than shield herself from that glow, however, Mina willed herself to join with it. She felt the winds of energy swirling around her as they did when she transformed, but along with them was a profound sense of warmth. Rei's eyes widened as she realized that Minako was experiencing the same thing that she was. She had entered this zone before, but only during long meditations, or while transforming into Sailor Mars. She had often wondered about the nature of the power that surrounded her in such moments. Now, she knew the answer. Love was a powerful force, indeed. "I love you, Minako." "I love you, Rei." Together, they strolled into their bedroom to complete this one portion of their journey through love and life. Though to an outside observer, the room would have appeared dark and quiet, as they consummated their love for one another for the first time, for Minako and Rei, the air sparkled with colorful lights and the crackle of energy unleashed. -------------------------------------------------- Usagi watched as Mamoru bounced his daughter on his knee. Though her daughter spent the majority of time with her, sometimes Usagi suspected that the reason was mainly because the little one was so hungry all the time. When she wasn't suckling, she was generally crying. Usagi chuckled to herself. It was so odd, watching this infant and knowing what she would become one day. 'I suppose her daddy complex started early,' Usagi thought. Even at only four months old, her daughter demanded as much of her Mamo-chan's time as possible. Somehow, it bothered her far less now than it had back then. 'Probably because she can't talk yet,' she theorized with a fond laugh. She decided to give the two of them their privacy. "These need to cool, so hands off," Ikuko informed her daughter as she entered the kitchen. She carefully set a tray with steaming cookies on the counter. "Is Mamoru watching the baby, then?" Usagi nodded, sending a wistful glance toward the cookies which had begun their relentless assault on her sense of smell. "I'm going to gain all of that weight back, Ikuko-mama, if you don't stop making all these sweets." "Nonsense," Ikuko stated, waving away Usagi's concern with her wooden spoon, "you're just like your mother, very high metabolism." The older woman smiled suddenly, her features growing soft. "You are growing up into such a lovely young woman, Usagi. I'm very proud of you." Usagi blushed. Her initial instinct was to deny the compliment or to chide her mother for embarrassing her. Instead, she simply replied, "Thank you, mama. That means a lot to me. I hope I can be half as good a wife and mother as you have been." Ikuko sighed and cast her gaze out the kitchen window. "I know it's been two months, but sometimes, when Mamoru comes home from work, I think it's him. I start to call his name and have to catch myself. I miss him." In the fading light of the late afternoon, Usagi looked at her mother and, for the first time, wondered when she had started to show her age. Small wrinkles creased her face and white tinged her hair, but beyond that, she seemed smaller somehow and quite frail. "What did the doctor say, Ikuko-mama?" she asked. "I didn't get a chance to go," Ikuko replied much too quickly. "I had so many errands to run, and there was a lot of traffic." Usagi did not have the heart to rebuke her mother. What good would it accomplish? What could the doctor say, anyway? They had all been through the process twice already; they knew everything they needed to know. Not for the first time, she wished that this enemy was just another youma, something she could blast with her wand or scepter and make disappear forever. Apparently, some things were beyond even Sailor Moon's power. Still, just because Sailor Moon had no solutions to offer, that did not mean that Tsukino Usagi must sit and do nothing. "It's Ok, mama. It was pretty crazy out there today on the roads. Why don't you go take a hot bath and let me clean up the dishes here?" "Are you sure you're not trying to get rid of me so you can sample those cookies before they're cooled?" Ikuko joked as she hung up her apron. Usagi put on her best look of indignant innocence. "Mama! Would I do something like that?" she wailed quietly. Together, they answered, "Of course!" and shared a moment of laughter. As Ikuko left, Usagi rolled up her sleeves and got to work on the job at hand. ---------------------- Makoto held the picture against the wall, making minute adjustments in response to Ami's orders from across the room. Finally, Ami announced that it was just right. Makoto let the picture sag on its wire and stepped back to admire it. Neatly hung over their antique sideboard was a photo from Usagi's wedding showing all of the sailor senshi in their formal attire. Vases on the sideboard held flowers which rose to either side of the picture, framing it nicely on the wall. "You have a real flair for interior design, love," Mako informed Ami, generating a blush and a shy smile. Makoto moved to Ami's side and laid an arm gently across her shoulders. "That will do, until we can replace it." Ami looked up at Makoto in shock. "Replace it? Why would we do that? I thought that once we hung this last picture, our home was finally complete." Ami recalled the weeks spent packing and then unpacking boxes, rearranging furniture, shopping for the little decorative knickknacks that made a house a home. A home. Her home. Their home. Ami nuzzled against Makoto's side happily before rediscovering her train of thought. "I like that picture!" she insisted. "I do, too, love, but it really is a central focus point for the entire living room," Makoto explained. "Yes, and thus a perfect place for that picture: us and our friends on a very happy day." "It was a happy day, and it is a wonderful picture," Mako agreed, smiling cleverly. "But eventually it will have to be relocated." "Why?" Ami asked, suspicions dawning. Makoto turned and wrapped her arms around Ami's waist. "Because, that is where our wedding portrait will go," she stated, lifting Ami off the ground and into a warm kiss. Ami felt dizzy, her feet dangling off of the ground, Makoto's strong, firm arms supporting her entirely. She locked her arms around Makoto's neck and returned her kiss, waiting for the inevitable rush of energy that always came when the two of them became intimate. Soon enough, it was there, sweeping her away even as Makoto carried her tenderly to their bedroom.
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