Learning of a Lover's Tryst
Ami's POV:
“Do you think they'll be all right?”
The sudden voice startled me, but upon recognizing it, I smiled softly and continued updating the information I had recently gathered. “They haven't come across each other yet, but they will soon enough. As far as I can tell, they will be just fine. After all, in a lot of senses, they are the most capable of the Senshi- if they can't get out of trouble in their current pairs... well, even if that does happen, they'll be close enough to help each other out.”
I heard Mako-chan step closer, muffled though the steps were in the warm sand, and she leaned over to place a hand on my shoulder. The urge to blush was heeded, though I didn't face her until I could be sure that it had left. She whispered, “The most capable Senshi...? Hmm... I don't know about that one...”
Caught off guard, I blinked and turned around. “What do you mean? Between all of us, the Princess has the highest concentration of pure power, and Rei-chan has literal firepower and highest spiritual sense. Setsuna-san-”
She cut me off. “I didn't mean that they didn't have their high points, Ami- just...” Mako-chan paused as she traced my jawline with her thumb, an action that sent a shiver of soft pleasure through my veins, as well as caused blood to rush to my cheeks. “You... just like all the other Senshi, here or not, you have your own specialty, that no one else can excel further at than you. So... you can't really say they're the most capable based on their stats...”
I distinctly felt butterflies hatch and fly around in my stomach. “Ma-mako-chan?”
Mako-chan sat down beside me, her gaze level with mine. The back of her fingers brushed my cheek, which somehow made them a little calmer, and the blush less intense. “I... I don't think I want to stay a pirate anymore... Ami-chan...”
The sudden change of subject startled me, allowing me only to ask, “Why? What changed?”
A soft sigh escaped Mako-chan's lips, and I fought back the urge to lean forward, so that we might breath the same air. Not only would we merely be exchanging carbon-dioxide with each other, it would result in coming shorter of breath, and therefore, our conversation would come to a ragged halt. Also, Mako-chan was continuing in the same soft, wistful voice, her eyes focused on mine, and yet unfocused towards our surroundings.
“When we were first captured... Ruka-chan and I were as good as ready to jump overboard and swim back to the Kingdom, no matter how far away it was. The current captain beat us into submission though-” I couldn't help my gasp of surprise, horror, and instant sorrow, but she paused until I nodded to continue. “Well, he hadn't known he'd captured future Senshi, you see, so he didn't bother asking for ransom. We'd told him we were only peasants, our clean clothes due to the royals donating old clothes to the tailor shop that our parents worked at. He believed us... and only made us do menial chores and whatnot. Everyone was waiting for us to grow... you know, into actual women- for them, it was because we were the only females- for us, it was to gain our Senshi powers.”
As another bout of horror coursed through me, she happened to scoff very softly, and temporarily averted her gaze. Her hand trailed off as well, triggering a hint of forlornness to grow within me. “The first day someone dared to.. to try something on Haruka... on my thirteenth birthday... I was there to see, and I reacted instantly. A split second after she had launched him into the air, I hit him with a strangled thunderbolt. Just so happens... he was the captain... and because my emotions were heightened, I... I killed him. Haruka and I... we talked it out, and it was decided that we should take over the ship- Haruka was sixteen by then- and make sure we never came anywhere near the Palace again.”
I might have asked why, if I wasn't fluent in the laws of our Kingdom. For the Queen's follower... a Senshi and Lady no less... to resort to killing at such a young age, without the reason of protecting the Crown... I summoned my voice and whispered, “But you did it to protect another Senshi. To protect a comrade, to ensure both of you might live to protect the Crown in the future, that bypasses the common laws of... of murder.”
She scoffed again, a little louder than the first time. Her gaze still did not meet mine. “You heard of how Haruka hit the Queen while trying to protect her from an assassin, didn't you? Little arrows with paralyzing gas on them... She'd aimed for the assassin as he was releasing his attack, and her arrow missed him and hit the foot of the Queen. Horrorstruck as she was, Haruka launched again and knocked down her real enemy... but she ran away after that. I saw her in the halls and ran after her... she stopped at the docks, and when we were unguarded, the pirates got us. That was another reason why Haruka didn't see any reason to go home just yet.”
Mako-chan took a deep breath, and began to trace scribbles in the sand. “It didn't take long for us to get to liking the pirate life. Every so often, if we found trouble for the Kingdom, we would disguise ourselves a little and report it to a remote survey ship for the Queen, and our guilt lessened each time we did. For us... with our Senshi powers... it was a carefree life, and we thought that was all we would need.”
She gulped then, licking her lips quickly. Now, I felt myself leaning towards her, to listen, but I didn't care to stop it. “But then... so many years later... we...” Mako-chan paused to turn again towards me. “We met our best friends again... I'm not sure if Haruka feels the same way about Michiru, though I think she does... it tormented me inside, to realize I had hidden the hurt from separation for so long without letting it out.”
“Mako-chan...” The soft murmur rose to my lips, a deep churning within me to tell her to stop, that it shouldn't be here, that if she did...
Mako-chan looked down at her feet now, and I saw a small blush start to creep up into her cheeks. “You probably know what I want to say... with or without you being as smart as you are, you've always figured me out easily.”
Sometimes I wish I couldn't, especially in times like these...
“But I want to say it myself too. I... in all the years I've been away, apart from my crew, you were the only one I ever really found myself thinking of.”
Stop it, Mako-chan! I don't... wait until we're off this accursed island! As much as I wanted to scream it out, to stop her, my mouth refused to budge. My heart was just too stubborn to yield, when its dreams were being granted even as I struggled.
“I saw your favorite constellation a bunch of times while at sea, you know. And every time I did... I'd made a wish on it to be able to see you again... before I even realized I wanted to see you that much. But...” She smiled softly, already half lost in memories. “I did. I really did want to see you. No matter where either of us were.”
Oh, Mako-chan...! I thought constantly of you, too! But not here! Don't say anything more here! I... I don't want to risk this memory being tarnished by falsehood! “Ma...ko...chan...”
“But then when you actually did arrive, when I actually could speak with you again, when you offered to take me back to the Kingdom... the free spirit within me got scared, and I was dragged along with it. Now though, after it's had time to calm down...”
She turned towards me, and I found myself fighting back tears. She must have been too intent on her own words to notice what my thoughts wanted to scream at her with, because she declared, “I want to be your best friend again. I want to be able to be near you whenever possible. I... I want-”
I finally saw it in her eyes, and my resolve completely melted. Leaning forward so that my arms could support me, I felt the singeing tears race down my cheeks, onto the backs of my hands, as my hoarse voice pleaded, “Stop it! Don't- don't say anything more Mako-chan! Please! I... I don't trust this island to... to... not... lie... to... me.”
And then those arms wrapped themselves around me, fierce enough so that I could tell she really cared in her own way, soft enough so that it wouldn't hurt more than help. My resolve cracked further with the support, and I earnestly began to cry my eyes out, even as I made my own ragged confession.
“I think of you all the time, Mako-chan. Every time a sentry told us of invaders on the borderseas, or someone mentioned a nearby port had been robbed by pirates, or even if someone mentioned the course of a lightning storm- I could feel my heart pounding, thinking, hoping, that it was you, that you were making your way back, that you were still helping the Kingdom. Nine years... oh Mako-chan! It wouldn't have mattered how long we would be separated- I'd wait the rest of my life for you... I missed you so much... but... but...
“The captain of our ship, he agreed with the pirates even on this one, he told me about this island. It's the home of the Stone of Lust, Mako-chan. A long time ago, a pirate, working together with a wizard and an apothecary, and possibly with the help of the Goddess Aphrodite... he planted the Stone of Lust here, and it's worth all his life's fortune. It's said to alter a person's emotions, so as to effectively make them fall in love, or bouts of lust, with the closest person to them of the opposite sex. So... the lovelorn men wanted to get it... and some women sent their closest male relatives out to get it... but no one came out alive.
“It was later discovered that as the stone absorbed the already available emotions that the seekers exuded. It... it started affecting any two people that were close to each other in distance... no matter what gender... no matter if it was the same gender. As you get farther from the stone itself, its effects wear off, and so... the male couples... once they came to their own senses... were too disgusted with themselves to return home. That was when the stone gained enough energy from a constant source, to let it affect animals as well. And then... the very trees...
“The snake Michiru-san and Haruka-san ran into, it became that large because it fed on the... the body endorsing fruit... and on the exhausted bodies of lovers.” A shudder passed through me, and she held me tighter. I remembered why I was telling her this in the first place, and started getting back on track. “So... so long as we remain on this island... don't tell me anything like I know you'll want to say. I... I don't want the memory to be distorted by how the island affects us.”
Mako-chan slowly pulled away, and held me at half arm's length. Wiping a lasting tear from my cheek, she smiled, and whispered, “Not even the Gods themselves could change what I feel for you, Ami. Especially when I feel exactly the same as I did four years ago.”
I felt my eyes widen, and her smile grew larger as well. She leaned closer, whispering one last thing before taking my lips into a soft kiss that yearned to become more.
“I'll always love you, Ami.”
Makoto's POV:
My feelings, what I'm feeling now, are artificial? Brought on by a stupid stone on a deserted island? No. Impossible. What I feel for you... my love is real!
I pressed closer to her, feeling the desire to touch her, to prove to her the validity of my love, never caring who saw us.
She retained sense though, and with some struggle, pulled me away long enough to tell me, “People... can... see...”
I could feel adrenaline course through my blood, in spurts and flowing like river rapids, as I scrambled to my feet, picking her up as I did. Looking back on it, I'm almost certain I was swaying every which way while heading for our tent, but I didn't care then. I was blinded... blinded by my need... my desire... Dammit, Ami! My feelings are real! Don't you dare take that away from me! You can have anything else- just let me keep this
I collapsed over the makeshift bed, pinning Ami to it. I moved to kiss her again, but that look in her eyes stopped me. They pleaded for me to stop, I only needed the pause to really think through what I was going to do. And then I realized it. As soft tears began to trickle from her eyes again, I realized it.
This madness... this madness... was what kept anyone else from escaping the island. It wasn't the lack of passing ships or shipbuilding material. It wasn't for lack of wanting to work together for a common goal. It was this madness, that made them stay, to never be without love again. The stone planted the idea that, without it, you would never find love again, and with it, all of your desires would be fulfilled. The madness...
...had overtaken me.
“Wait... please wait Mako-chan... until we get off this island.”
I further collapsed beside her, and I only draped an arm over her stomach as I nodded. “I know Ami. I know.” The adrenaline was receding... with a few blinks, my senses fully returned under my conscious control. I took a deep breath, and caught the scent of her hair instantly. I leaned closer to her, and wiped away those tears again. “I'm sorry... you're right- it doesn't feel right... with the possibility that it's the stone affecting us. I know I love you though. So, is it all right, if we just stay like this for a while?”
Her hand came up to grasp the back of my hand. “Of course. And for the record, I love you, too, Mako-chan.”
“I know. I... I know.” She turned over to face me, and we shared a small kiss, before we both fell into the rocking lull of slumber.
Time Skip: Passing over Ch. 15 but Before Ch. 16
“Hey, Rodrigo- you see Ami around? She's the Senshi with the blue hair,” I added the description in case my pirating mate couldn't tell who Ami was. By the number of times I had asked around for her on other days, it was most likely very easy for him to distinguish which one she was, if nothing else, by the notation of a female name midst a male crew (aside from Senshi).
“Her? Nah, no clue.” I sighed, almost defeated, but then Bebe, who sat next to him, spoke up.
“That's the Water Senshi, ain't it?” At my nod, he continued, “Yeah, I saw her. She's at the bow (where the huge carving of a person might be). Looked real bored too, but she was leaning into the rail so I couldn't really tell.”
I nodded again. “Thanks, Bebe; I'll go see if she's still there.”
“No problem Captain.”
I left them at the mess hall, and headed out to where he said I'd find her. I stopped just as I turned the corner, as I saw her talking with Minako. As they seemed to be wrapping things up, I waited until Minako had turned and left- thankfully not in the direction towards me- before sneaking up behind Ami.
Catching her in an embrace- which brought out a small squeak on her part- I asked, “G' mornin' love. What were you talking about with Minako?”
I felt her hand rest lightly on my arm as she leaned back a little. “Mm.. good morning. Minako... she just wanted to say for herself that she honestly had no intentions of rebelling against the Queen.”
A laugh escaped before I could stop it. “Just wanted to have some fun with Rei, right?”
In her leaned back position, I saw her smile. “Her very words. Did she tell you that?”
I shook my head. One doesn't need to be told to guess what Mina thinks on any one occasion. Especially with the way she acts. “Nah. I just guessed it from how her relationship with Rei developed.”
The smile drifted away, and a forlorn look replaced it. “That... that was another issue Minako was worried about.”
I nodded, distractedly resting my chin on the crown of her head. “She hasn't been acting very... lively of late, huh?”
“I ran a scan over her when I first sensed something was wrong, but health wise, she's perfectly fine. I told her it was probably lingering feelings left by the existence of the Stone, and she said that that really worried her.”
“Well of course it would... considering she should be really sensitive and knowledgeable about what Rei especially feels. She really doesn't know what's wrong?”
Ami made a small murmur of assent. “No, and I think that fact adds twice as much worry on her as anything else.”
“So what'd you tell her to do?”
“To follow her instincts, and pray that her deity smooths over the lumps along the way.”
“You actually said that?”
“Word for word.”
“Ehh...” I squeezed her a little tighter for a moment. “I never thought there would come a day when Venus might need a little advice on love, but I suppose if someone were to, it would be you.”
“What do you mean? I... I really don't-”
I cut her off before she could attempt to demote her intelligence any further. “You're not as bad with love as you might think, Ami-chan. Even the way you turn down suitors-”
“How did you know about that? The last time I saw you...”
A grin came to my lips. “Usagi told me about it last night. In any case, it really does seem natural that if Venus were to talk to anyone about it, it would be with you. First of all, in the system, Venus orbits between Mercury and Mars, right? (I don't know when history made this fact known, so just go along with me here) Since Mars is the one she's worrying over, you would be her next closest confidante. She might have also gone to the Princess, but Usagi's feelings for Rei might have gotten the message tangled along the line. No one else is really close enough to Rei to really possibly understand what either Mina or Rei might be going through with each other.”
There was a pause, in which I supposed Ami wanted to make sure I had finished, before muttering, “Usagi-chan never knows when not to say things... just how much did she tell you?”
My grin widened. “Oh, lots of things,” I teased, “You've been such a 'bad' girl while I've been pirating, Ami-chan.”
As I expected, a faint blush grew deeper on her cheeks. Even still, she repeated, “What. Did. She. Tell. You?”
Inside, I laughed as she squirmed nervously. “Hmm... where to start...? Well, she described in surprising detail that... mm... hot springs incident regarding you and Mina... oh, that's probably another reason why she confides in you, mm?”
The blush grew deeper. She stammered, “I- that... it... sor-”
“No need to feel sorry. The past is in the past. So long as you all had fun- hmm.. did you have fun?”
She hesitated, before slowly nodding, her smile obviously made in memory of said incident.
Having realized the infinite fun that could be had in teasing a blushing new girlfriend- especially when said girlfriend was Ami- I leaned down and whispered, “Well, when we get back, maybe we can get Rei and Mina to join us in an encore performance.”
To be perfectly honest, all Usagi had said was, “Hmm? Yeah, we've been to the hot springs before. Rei hogged one all to herself, and I got sick the first time they went, but I heard Minako and Ami had a lot of fun.”
No need to tell Ami that though. As she blushed to a point where nearly her whole face was red, I kissed her cheek, and said, “We aren't even there yet, but I know 'It's good to be back.'”
A shy smile touched her lips then, and she murmured back with a nod, “Me, too.”
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