Story: Power Transcendent (chapter 29)

Authors: EvilFairy

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Chapter 29

Power Transcendent

Sailormoon fanfiction by Jessica


-------------------
Chapter 29


The next day, Friday, was an administrative service day for most of the
high schools in the area, as the teachers got ready for the end of the
semester. Rei alone out of all the Sailor Senshi had to attend school
that day, and her friends met the news that she had gone with a certain
amount of sympathetic relief.

Minako took advantage of the break to sleep late, very late indeed. Her
slumber was dreamless and uninterrupted, and it was nearly one o'clock
when she finally awoke. She yawned and stretched languidly, noting the
time on the clock with a bit of amusement. She felt quite well rested,
completely recharged after yesterday's exhaustion.

All of yesterday's events suddenly flooded into Minako's memory and
killed her good mood in its infancy. The blonde girl reached over the
side of the bed and felt around until she found her phone and checked
it. No messages. Minako frowned and set the phone back down before
heaving herself up into a sitting position. Ami hadn't called. What did
that mean?

Before she could seriously consider the question, a very loud rumbling
reminded Minako of how hungry she was. With a smirk, she rolled out of
bed and headed downstairs for...she looked at the clock again. Lunch.
She headed downstairs for lunch. As she reached the bottom of the
stairs, Artemis appeared around the corner. Without hesitation he
hopped up onto the banister and onto her shoulder, where he licked at
her ear. She cringed away from the ticklish sensation, giggling.

"Artemis, cut that out." She paused, sniffing. "I smell fish."

"That seafood restaurant was really sloppy with their delivery today."
Artemis said innocently. "If a fish or two fell on the ground with a
small amount of help, who am I to refuse the fates?"

"Right." Minako said, rolling her eyes and giving the white cat a
scratch behind the ears. "Then I guess you don't want any of the tuna
salad I was making for lunch?"

Artemis yawned and draped himself limply over Minako's shoulder. "It
depends...is there going to be mustard involved?"

"No...and you know, you're awfully picky for a cat who just ate
discarded fish."

"It wasn't discarded, it was stolen." Artemis said defensively.
"There's a world of difference."

"Oh, my deepest apologies." Minako said as they entered the kitchen.
Artemis hopped lightly off of her and onto the counter while she began
preparing their lunch.

"Have you been up long?" Artemis asked, watching her with twitching
whiskers as she opened the can of tuna.

"No...just got up a few minutes ago." Minako replied.

"It's probably a good thing there's no school today." The cat observed.
"You were exhausted last night." He paused for a second. "So, have you
thought about what you're going to do today?"

"About Ami, you mean?" Minako said, not turning to look at him. When he
didn't reply, she sighed deeply. "She hasn't called...I really kind of
thought she would have, by now. So I'm not sure what to do."

"All the Senshi are going to meet at Rei's shrine tonight." Artemis
reminded her gently. "You two should probably try to sort things out
before then."

"Yeah..." Minako looked down at the bowl of tuna salad she had just
made. Suddenly she didn't feel quite so hungry. "I think I'm going to
go out for awhile Artemis." She said, pulling out some bread for a
sandwich she could take with her.

"Want some company?" Minako shook her head, scooping out some tuna and
placing it on a plate for him.

"Not right now..." She wrapped up her sandwich and put it in the fridge
along with the bowl. "I'll see you at the meeting tonight if I don't
get back before then."

Artemis nodded. "Sure. And Minako?" The blonde girl turned back as she
was about to leave the room. "It's just a little fight...this doesn't
have to be a big problem. You just need to listen to each other."
Minako nodded with a small, sad smile and headed back to her room to
get dressed.

A short time later, Minako was walking aimlessly, taking an occasional
bite of her sandwich as she watched the sunlight play on the snowmelt
that seemed to be everywhere. Though winter had gotten an early start
this year, a sudden spell of warmth was quickly making a damp mess of
all the snow that had fallen lately.

What should she do about Ami? That question dominated her thoughts.
Ami's comment about her mother the night before still hurt, quite a
bit. She never imagined that she'd be hit there, certainly not by
Ami...but on the other hand, there was no question in Minako's mind
that she had caused the frustration that had caused Ami to lash back at
her like that.

Popping the last corner of the sandwich in her mouth and licking a drop
of mayonnaise from her thumb, Minako looked around to get her bearings.
The blonde Senshi smiled suddenly, as she caught sight of the Outer
Senshi's house just down the street. It seemed she had subconsciously
wandered to place she had almost made up her mind to go.

Someone was just closing the front door behind them as Minako entered
the gate, and drawing closer she saw that it was Michiru. The older
woman turned and smiled as she caught sight of Minako, giving a small
wave in welcome. "Hello Minako-chan." She said as she approached.
"Feeling better I see."

"Yeah...I got a lot of sleep last night." Minako replied, giving her a
bright smile. A frown crossed Michiru's features and she tilted her
head, looking carefully at her. "Is there something wrong?" Minako
asked, blinking.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Michiru said with a small
smile. She stood straight and looked over at her driveway. "I was just
about to get some tea and then do a little shopping...would you care
to join me?" She asked, giving Minako a sidelong glance.

"Um...sure! But where's Haruka?"

"She and Usagi are taking Chibi-Usa and Hotaru out to lunch and then a
trip to the skating rink." Michiru chuckled. "I think Haruka just likes
to watch Usagi skate." Michiru never seemed to mind her lover's
flirtatious relationship with Usagi, a fact that never ceased to
impress Minako.

As they got into Michiru's car, Minako spoke. "Actually, I wanted to
talk to you...Ami and I..." Michiru held up her hand as she slid
gracefully into the driver's seat.

"It's better to talk about such things over tea, Minako-chan." She said
with a gentle smile. "It helps us think." Minako gave a small nod, and
Michiru returned it. "Now...I understand Rei went to school this
morning?" Michiru made good use of her prodigious conversational skills
during the short drive to her favorite tea shop, to the point that by
the time they arrived and had sat down Minako was almost relaxed.

As they waited for their tea to arrive, there was a short pause as
Michiru watched her younger companion, gathering her thoughts. "Tell me
what happened...as much as you can." She finally said in a very quiet
voice.

Minako blushed and looked down into her hands. "We had...sort of a
fight last night." She started, and quickly told the story, being as
totally honest as she could. By the time she had finished their teaand
cakes had arrived, and there was another short pause. Minako waited for
Michiru to speak first.

After taking a light sip of the hot liquid, the aqua-haired Senshi sat
her cup down and leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed. "When you
were staying with us, I told you that if you ever had a problem like
this and needed to talk, you could come to me."

"I remember." Minako nodded softly. "That's why I'm here."

Michiru opened her eyes and smiled a bit. It was sort of a sad smile,
Minako noticed. "I said something else, do you remember?" She chuckled
a bit at Minako's blank expression. "I told you that we might have more
in common about this than you might think. And I suppose I was right."

"What do you mean?" Minako asked curiously.

"I've never known much about your family, Minako-chan...in fact, from
what I've been able to tall, nobody has. You've been very good at
keeping your life there and your life with us separate."

"You're pretty good at keeping that a secret too, Michiru-chan." Minako
pointed out with a small smile. "You and Haruka...I don't think any of
us know anything about them."

"Haruka's family lives in Hokkaido now, and we don't see them very
often...but they're actually wonderful people."

"What about your family?" Minako asked the question, and saw a grimace
that looked eerily familiar cross over the older woman's features.

"My family doesn't care much for my choice of lifestyle." She said in a
in a carefully pitched tone of irony. "We don't have much contact at
all...and I prefer it that way." She took another sip from her tea and
watched Minako's eyes over the rim of the cup. "And there lies the
commonality I mentioned."

Minako looked askance at her, and Michiru smiled. "Tell me if any of
this sounds familiar...a little girl is born to an affluent family.
Though everyone would think she was happy, she isn't. Her parents are
always gone, leaving her to be raised by people they hire. Even when
they are there, they really aren't...far too busy with their careers
and social life to be concerned with their lonely child.

"Years pass, and the girl grows up...she has friends, she is admired,
even looked up to. But no matter how happy she seems on the outside,
she can't ever really let go of that core of pain and loneliness. It
stops her from falling in love. On one hand, she's afraid of letting
someone get close enough to her to hurt her the way her family did. But
on the other, she's even more afraid that she can't fall in love. That
because of her parents, she's damaged or flawed in some way, and can't
feel for someone the way that she should."

Michiru fell silent. Minako was biting her lip, looking down at her
teacup. She began to speak, but found that her mouth had gone dry. She
took a quick drink and tried again. "Yeah...it's kind of familiar." She
finally said faintly. "But...I can't believe that that's you...I mean,
you and Haruka..." She trailed off weakly.

"Haruka was the one who taught me that I really could fall in love,
Minako-chan. But even after we had met, it wasn't easy." She sighed, but
there was a gentle smile on her face as she did so. "When we were
introduced, I already knew her, by sight and reputation. And I...admired
her quite a bit." She chuckled softly, and Minako smiled.

"At the time, I resented being a Sailor Senshi...being set apart like
that seemed only to emphasize my loneliness and solitude. And it seemed
my destiny to abandon all my dreams for the sake of the mission I was
fated to do. So at first, I was happy to learn that Haruka was destined
to be my partner.

"But some time passed, and we got to know each other a little better. I
thought my feelings for her were deepening beyond simple infatuation,
but at the same time, the thought of being a Sailor Senshi alongside her
had lost its luster. In fact, part of me didn't want to have anything to
do with her anymore. I worried that this was confirmation of everything
that I feared, that I was too scared of being hurt and my emotions too
shallow to love the way that Haruka deserved to be loved."

Michiru watched Minako carefully as she spoke. The younger girl still
looked down at her hands, but her posture indicated that she was
listening closely. "Then came the day that Haruka's power awoke. I
watched her reach for her transformation wand, and I called out to her,
to tell her to stop. And suddenly, I knew that I loved her." Minako
glanced up at that, confusion on her face, and Michiru smiled softly at
her.

"I realized then that the reason I didn't want her to be my partner was
because I had come to love her to the point that her happiness was far
more important to me than my own. I didn't want her to abandon her
dreams the way I had to. My loneliness and pain meant nothing...as long
as I knew she was happy. That was how I knew I loved her."

Michiru was quiet then, and there was quiet for a few minutes as Minako
digested everything Michiru had said. When the last cake had finally
disappeared, the blonde girl spoke. "I think I understand why you told
me all this...but it's different with Ami and I..."

"Of course it is." Michiru said with a nod. "I didn't tell you that
story because I thought the situations were all that similar. I told you
because I wanted you to know that I've had the same fears and doubts
that you seem to be having. I wanted you to know that you're not alone
in this."

"Oh..." Minako thought for another moment. "So what do you think I
should do?"

"I don't like to give instructions on matters like this." Michiru said,
closing her eyes as she sipped her tea. Still holding the cup to her
face, she opened one eye, giving Minako a sly expression. "If things go
wrong it reflects badly on me." Minako laughed softly, and Michiru
joined her.

"I will, however, state the obvious." Michiru continued, setting the cup
down. "You should talk to Ami...give her a chance to apologize for what
she said. You know how shy she is...she might not have called you
because she's afraid you'll still be angry. Then you can apologize. And
then I think you two need to talk about things." She paused. "But
Minako-chan, you need to remember this...it doesn't matter if you tell
Ami's mother that you love her daughter. It doesn't matter if you tell
anyone. The only part that truly matters is when you admit to yourself
that you truly do love her."

"But when will that happen?" Minako asked in a soft, sad voice.

"I can't tell you that. All I can do is tell you to keep moving forward.
If you do, then you'll find yourself at the point where you have no
choice but to let your true feelings flow out from behind all the pain
you've been hiding them behind." She smiled. "I'm sure of it."

-------------------

Ami had been studying since she woke up. She didn't stop until shortly
after noon, when Mamoru called her and asked if she had plans for lunch.
For a moment, she considered begging off and continuing her schoolwork,
but realized she would have to face her problems eventually, and
Mamoru's advice might be helpful. So she agreed and met Mamoru a short
time later at a small corner restaurant they both favored.

"I'm a little surprised that you aren't with Minako, Ami-chan." Mamoru
said after they had ordered.

Despite her plans to ask Mamoru for advice, she found herself unable to
do anything but stammer out a meaningless excuse. Mamoru, who had been
reaching over the table to look over the dessert menu, paused and sat
back again. "Ami-chan? Did something happen?"

Ami blushed and looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "Minako and
I had a fight last night." She whispered. "And I said something I
shouldn't have."

Mamoru lifted his eyebrows. "What did you say?" Ami shook her head.

"Telling you would be betraying her trust...and by saying what I did, I
feel like I've already done that." She sighed. "I hope she forgives
me..."

"I'm sure she will." Mamoru said with a small smile. "But what were you
fighting about?"

"I wanted to tell her about my mother before I went home and talked to
her, so I went to see her." Ami said.

"I was going to ask you about that." Mamoru said, and Ami smiled a bit.

"That part actually didn't go so badly...I'll tell you about it later."
She sighed. "Anyway...I told her, and somehow the conversation turned to
telling Mom about her and me." She shook her head. "She's been
so...resistant to the idea. I think I sort of understand, but I hate
keeping everything from my mother." She smiled sadly. "I guess I was a
little more frustrated than I realized."

Ami folded her arms on the table and leaned forward, a gloomy expression
on her face. "This isn't going like I planned it." She murmured.

Though Ami couldn't see it, Mamoru's lips twitched up in a small smile
of understanding at that. "How did you plan it, Ami-chan?"

"I wanted to tell Mom about Minako and I first...it would have been
easier, and I thought it might have even distracted her from everything
else. Now I feel so I trapped that I don't think I can tell her anything
at all..." She groaned softly and rested her head in her folded arms.
"And now the fight with Minako...I feel like my stomach's tying itself
in knots."

"Ami-chan...a lot of the time things don't go the way we plan them to.
Especially when love's involved." Ami looked up. "I know how much you
like to plan things out...but I'm afraid that's probably going to be
impossible here." Mamoru smiled. "Besides, romance would be dull if we
could plan it all out, wouldn't it?"

Ami sighed and nodded. "Food." She said.

Mamoru blinked. "Food?" Ami pointed and Mamoru looked at the waiter
approaching with their lunch. "Oh, food." He chuckled and they began
eating.

"How do you not plan things out?" Ami asked between bites. "I mean, I
start making plans whenever I have a spare moment to think."

"That's just testament to how fast your mind works." Mamoru pointed out,
and Ami blushed. "But it's more about flexibility than not thinking.
It's fine to have an idea of how something might happen, but you can't
let yourself slip into a mindset of 'this is how this *has* to happen.'"
He smiled. "If you don't want that stress to eat you alive, you need to
learn to cope with unexpected events."

"I guess dating Usagi helped you with that, hm?" Ami said with a smile,
and Mamoru laughed.

"Yes, I guess it kind of did." Ami's smile fell away after a moment,
replaced with a pensive expression. Mamoru smiled a little at how the
blue-haired girl's heart lay on her sleeve so often. -For such a shy
girl, she doesn't hide her feelings very well.- He thought.

"Still worried?" He asked, and Ami looked up and nodded.

"I know you're right about all of that, but I still need to apologize
for what I said." She sighed, running her fingers through her bangs. "I
probably should have called her last night, but I really felt hurt when
she kicked me out...and I didn't want her to yell at me." She smirked a
little. "But I guess I would have had it coming."

"I don't think she would have yelled at you, Ami-chan." Mamoru said
softly. "And I won't lie to you...you probably should have called. But I
wouldn't worry too much...she's probably thinking just what you're
thinking now, and waiting for you to call her." He smiled.

"You make it sound like it's a contest." Ami said, and Mamoru shook his
head.

"Too many couples look at it that way, and it always causes problems. If
you're waiting to apologize because you think she should apologize
first, you're waiting for the wrong reasons. You should apologize as
soon as you work up the courage to do it." He smiled. "And something
tells me that you might be a little braver than Minako in this case."

Ami laughed a little. "Well, I'm working on it."

"Good." Mamoru grinned. "You seem to be feeling better." He observed.

"I guess I am." Ami admitted. "Talking all this out really helped me
relax. I still don't know what I'm going to do about Mom, though. I'm
going to have to tell her *something* before too long."

"Talk to Minako." Mamoru advised. "I'm sure the two of you can work
something out." They had just about finished eating at that point, so
they split the check and headed out. They hadn't been walking long
before Ami caught sight of Minako and Michiru coming out of a tea shop.

Both pairs caught sight of each other, and met up in a few steps. Ami
and Minako both blushed as they looked at each other. Michiru and Mamoru
looked at the two of them and then smiled at one another. "Mamoru-
kun...I think if we hurry we can catch Usagi, Haruka and the girls at
the skating rink."

"That sounds like a great idea." He replied, though the facade barely
seemed necessary...neither girl seemed very aware of anything but the
other. "I guess we'll see you later, okay? Ami-chan?"

Ami blinked and looked over at him. "Oh...right...bye Mamoru-kun."

"Have fun you two." Michiru said, and Minako snapped out of it enough to
smile.

"Good bye, Michiru-chan. Thanks for the tea." The two headed off with
slightly amused expressions, leaving Minako and Ami still looking at
each other.

"I'm sorry!" Both girls spoke at the same instant, then stared at each
other. After a quiet moment, they both began to laugh. Acting on a
sudden impulse, Minako tossed herself into Ami's arms, who hugged her
back exuberantly.

"I'm really sorry." Ami murmured, running her fingers through Minako's
long, golden hair. "I shouldn't have said that..."

Minako placed two fingers against Ami's lips and the other girl fell
quiet. Minako pulled back a little to look at her. "I'm sorry too." She
said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't understand how important this was for
you. And I'm sorry I've been so stubborn about this."

They began walking down the street hand in hand. With the warm spell the
street was crowded and they got more than a few looks, but they were
past caring as they headed nowhere in particular.

"I didn't wake up until after noon." Minako said softly after a moment.
"I would have called otherwise."

"Would you really?" Ami asked with a small smile, which Minako returned.

"Maybe not...I'd probably be too chicken."

"Me too." Ami giggled. There was another pause in the conversation and
they walked on.

"So...did you have lunch with Mamoru?" Minako asked.

"Yes...but if you're hungry I could have a little something."

"No, I'm okay...I had some...um...brunch, and then some cakes with
Michiru." She began to swing the hand that help Ami's back and forth a
bit. "So what did the two of you talk about?" She asked, her voice
exaggeratedly casual.

Ami looked over at her girlfriend, tilting her head curiously. "Mina-
chan...is something wrong?"

"No...just curious. I mean I know you like spending time with him...and
we just had a fight..." Minako became aware of Ami staring at her and
realized she was digging herself in too deeply, so she trailed off
lamely. To her surprise, Ami started laughing.

"What so funny?" Minako asked, starting to blush. Still laughing, Ami
gently pushed Minako into the relative seclusion of a municipal
building's doorway.

The blue-haired girl took both of Minako's hands in hers, giving her a
loving smile that threatened to break into giggles. "Mina-chan...are you
jealous of Mamoru?"

"I am not jealous!" Minako protested loudly, her face turning beet red.
Ami started laughing again and Minako turned her head, a mortified
expression on her face. Ami quickly bit her lip to get herself under
control and gently turned Minako's head back to face hers.

"I'm sorry Mina-chan...but I just can't believe that you think..." She
began to crack up again. "Mamoru and I..." She quickly buried her face
in Minako's shoulder and the blonde girl could feel her shaking with
mirth. Unable to help herself, Minako grinned and began to laugh as
well.

"Well..." She said, a heavy blush still on her cheeks. "I know that
you'd never *do* anything..."

"I hope not!" Ami said, lifting her face, grinning. "Mina-chan...I love
you." She leaned forward and gave her a soft, sweet kiss. "You're the
only one I'm interested in. You know that, right?"

"I do..." Minako said, a silly smile on her face. "I guess I'm just a
little selfish...I want you all to myself."

"That's really sweet." Ami said, beginning to blush herself. "Nobody's
ever been jealous for me before." She giggled. "I feel so wanted."

"You are, Ami." Minako said, returning Ami's kiss. Ami smiled shyly and
squeezed Minako's hands. "So...where do you want to go?" Minako asked.

"Let's go to my place." Ami suggested. "My Mom's at work until late
tonight, so we should have lots of time alone." This last was said a bit
tentatively, and Minako sighed, though there was a resigned smile on her
face.

"You really want to tell her about us, don't you?"

Ami nodded. "I really do...and I really think she'll be happy for us..."
She sighed and ran her fingertips across her forehead wearily. "Of
course, first I have to sort out everything else with her..."

Minako's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, that's right! What happened with all
that last night? I can't believe I forgot to ask."

"It didn't turn out too badly...I didn't actually tell her, and she
didn't come right out and say she knew. But she knows, Mina-chan...if
she doesn't know I'm a Sailor Senshi, she knows something like it is
going on." She gave Minako a sad smile. "And I sort of wanted you and I
to be the current big revelation..."

"Well...maybe it's not a bad idea to wait a little while." Minako
offered. "Until the heat dies down a little. Besides...I'm not sure I'm
ready yet." Ami gave her a sharp look, and Minako lifted her hands in a
gesture of peace. "I know how often I've said it, but this time I mean
it...I'm really trying. I understand how important this is to you, now."

Ami sighed and nodded, her smile warming up a bit. "As long as you're
trying, I can wait, Mina-chan." Her smile slid away, and she ran her
fingers through her hair again, a sure sign of frustration. "And like I
said, it doesn't matter anyway...I still feel backed into a corner on
this."

"Hey, it'll be fine." Minako said with quiet confidence. "We'll think of
something...I promise."

Ami nodded. "I hope so..." She looked up at the blue sky above and took
a deep breath that seemed to relax her somewhat. "Well...shall we go
home?"

"Sure." Minako smiled and nodded. They began walking again, when Minako
paused for a moment. "Did you do much studying last night?"

"Um...some...and a little this morning." Ami admitted, a blush on her
cheeks. Minako peered at her suspiciously.

"You've been studying all day, haven't you?" She accused. "In fact,
you've been studying since you left my place last night!" She moaned
sadly and threw her arms around Ami's shoulders, shaking her head. "Poor,
poor Ami! How could I do such a thing to you?"

Ami closed her eyes with a slightly embarrassed smile as she patted
Minako's arms. "I don't mind studying, Mina-chan...really." She looked
down and found Minako looking up at her with sparkling eyes.

"Well, now I'm sure that you've studied enough for the time being." She
murmured in a breathy voice that made Ami's knees weak. "So, do you
think we can find something else to do until the meeting later?"

Ami blushed deeply. "I...guess so." She whispered.

"Good!" Minako grinned and grabbed Ami by the wrist, leading her in a
very brisk walk back to her apartment.

-------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You know, sometimes I wonder if I should make this story
a little more angsty...but I just like Minako and Ami too much to make
them suffer for long! What do you think?

Sailormoon and all associated characters belong to their respective
owners. All original characters belong to me, so leave them alone!


Power Transcendent

Sailormoon fanfiction by Jessica


-------------------
Chapter 29


The next day, Friday, was an administrative service day for most of the
high schools in the area, as the teachers got ready for the end of the
semester. Rei alone out of all the Sailor Senshi had to attend school
that day, and her friends met the news that she had gone with a certain
amount of sympathetic relief.

Minako took advantage of the break to sleep late, very late indeed. Her
slumber was dreamless and uninterrupted, and it was nearly one o'clock
when she finally awoke. She yawned and stretched languidly, noting the
time on the clock with a bit of amusement. She felt quite well rested,
completely recharged after yesterday's exhaustion.

All of yesterday's events suddenly flooded into Minako's memory and
killed her good mood in its infancy. The blonde girl reached over the
side of the bed and felt around until she found her phone and checked
it. No messages. Minako frowned and set the phone back down before
heaving herself up into a sitting position. Ami hadn't called. What did
that mean?

Before she could seriously consider the question, a very loud rumbling
reminded Minako of how hungry she was. With a smirk, she rolled out of
bed and headed downstairs for...she looked at the clock again. Lunch.
She headed downstairs for lunch. As she reached the bottom of the
stairs, Artemis appeared around the corner. Without hesitation he
hopped up onto the banister and onto her shoulder, where he licked at
her ear. She cringed away from the ticklish sensation, giggling.

"Artemis, cut that out." She paused, sniffing. "I smell fish."

"That seafood restaurant was really sloppy with their delivery today."
Artemis said innocently. "If a fish or two fell on the ground with a
small amount of help, who am I to refuse the fates?"

"Right." Minako said, rolling her eyes and giving the white cat a
scratch behind the ears. "Then I guess you don't want any of the tuna
salad I was making for lunch?"

Artemis yawned and draped himself limply over Minako's shoulder. "It
depends...is there going to be mustard involved?"

"No...and you know, you're awfully picky for a cat who just ate
discarded fish."

"It wasn't discarded, it was stolen." Artemis said defensively.
"There's a world of difference."

"Oh, my deepest apologies." Minako said as they entered the kitchen.
Artemis hopped lightly off of her and onto the counter while she began
preparing their lunch.

"Have you been up long?" Artemis asked, watching her with twitching
whiskers as she opened the can of tuna.

"No...just got up a few minutes ago." Minako replied.

"It's probably a good thing there's no school today." The cat observed.
"You were exhausted last night." He paused for a second. "So, have you
thought about what you're going to do today?"

"About Ami, you mean?" Minako said, not turning to look at him. When he
didn't reply, she sighed deeply. "She hasn't called...I really kind of
thought she would have, by now. So I'm not sure what to do."

"All the Senshi are going to meet at Rei's shrine tonight." Artemis
reminded her gently. "You two should probably try to sort things out
before then."

"Yeah..." Minako looked down at the bowl of tuna salad she had just
made. Suddenly she didn't feel quite so hungry. "I think I'm going to
go out for awhile Artemis." She said, pulling out some bread for a
sandwich she could take with her.

"Want some company?" Minako shook her head, scooping out some tuna and
placing it on a plate for him.

"Not right now..." She wrapped up her sandwich and put it in the fridge
along with the bowl. "I'll see you at the meeting tonight if I don't
get back before then."

Artemis nodded. "Sure. And Minako?" The blonde girl turned back as she
was about to leave the room. "It's just a little fight...this doesn't
have to be a big problem. You just need to listen to each other."
Minako nodded with a small, sad smile and headed back to her room to
get dressed.

A short time later, Minako was walking aimlessly, taking an occasional
bite of her sandwich as she watched the sunlight play on the snowmelt
that seemed to be everywhere. Though winter had gotten an early start
this year, a sudden spell of warmth was quickly making a damp mess of
all the snow that had fallen lately.

What should she do about Ami? That question dominated her thoughts.
Ami's comment about her mother the night before still hurt, quite a
bit. She never imagined that she'd be hit there, certainly not by
Ami...but on the other hand, there was no question in Minako's mind
that she had caused the frustration that had caused Ami to lash back at
her like that.

Popping the last corner of the sandwich in her mouth and licking a drop
of mayonnaise from her thumb, Minako looked around to get her bearings.
The blonde Senshi smiled suddenly, as she caught sight of the Outer
Senshi's house just down the street. It seemed she had subconsciously
wandered to place she had almost made up her mind to go.

Someone was just closing the front door behind them as Minako entered
the gate, and drawing closer she saw that it was Michiru. The older
woman turned and smiled as she caught sight of Minako, giving a small
wave in welcome. "Hello Minako-chan." She said as she approached.
"Feeling better I see."

"Yeah...I got a lot of sleep last night." Minako replied, giving her a
bright smile. A frown crossed Michiru's features and she tilted her
head, looking carefully at her. "Is there something wrong?" Minako
asked, blinking.

"I was about to ask you the same thing." Michiru said with a small
smile. She stood straight and looked over at her driveway. "I was just
about to get some tea and then do a little shopping...would you care
to join me?" She asked, giving Minako a sidelong glance.

"Um...sure! But where's Haruka?"

"She and Usagi are taking Chibi-Usa and Hotaru out to lunch and then a
trip to the skating rink." Michiru chuckled. "I think Haruka just likes
to watch Usagi skate." Michiru never seemed to mind her lover's
flirtatious relationship with Usagi, a fact that never ceased to
impress Minako.

As they got into Michiru's car, Minako spoke. "Actually, I wanted to
talk to you...Ami and I..." Michiru held up her hand as she slid
gracefully into the driver's seat.

"It's better to talk about such things over tea, Minako-chan." She said
with a gentle smile. "It helps us think." Minako gave a small nod, and
Michiru returned it. "Now...I understand Rei went to school this
morning?" Michiru made good use of her prodigious conversational skills
during the short drive to her favorite tea shop, to the point that by
the time they arrived and had sat down Minako was almost relaxed.

As they waited for their tea to arrive, there was a short pause as
Michiru watched her younger companion, gathering her thoughts. "Tell me
what happened...as much as you can." She finally said in a very quiet
voice.

Minako blushed and looked down into her hands. "We had...sort of a
fight last night." She started, and quickly told the story, being as
totally honest as she could. By the time she had finished their teaand
cakes had arrived, and there was another short pause. Minako waited for
Michiru to speak first.

After taking a light sip of the hot liquid, the aqua-haired Senshi sat
her cup down and leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed. "When you
were staying with us, I told you that if you ever had a problem like
this and needed to talk, you could come to me."

"I remember." Minako nodded softly. "That's why I'm here."

Michiru opened her eyes and smiled a bit. It was sort of a sad smile,
Minako noticed. "I said something else, do you remember?" She chuckled
a bit at Minako's blank expression. "I told you that we might have more
in common about this than you might think. And I suppose I was right."

"What do you mean?" Minako asked curiously.

"I've never known much about your family, Minako-chan...in fact, from
what I've been able to tall, nobody has. You've been very good at
keeping your life there and your life with us separate."

"You're pretty good at keeping that a secret too, Michiru-chan." Minako
pointed out with a small smile. "You and Haruka...I don't think any of
us know anything about them."

"Haruka's family lives in Hokkaido now, and we don't see them very
often...but they're actually wonderful people."

"What about your family?" Minako asked the question, and saw a grimace
that looked eerily familiar cross over the older woman's features.

"My family doesn't care much for my choice of lifestyle." She said in a
in a carefully pitched tone of irony. "We don't have much contact at
all...and I prefer it that way." She took another sip from her tea and
watched Minako's eyes over the rim of the cup. "And there lies the
commonality I mentioned."

Minako looked askance at her, and Michiru smiled. "Tell me if any of
this sounds familiar...a little girl is born to an affluent family.
Though everyone would think she was happy, she isn't. Her parents are
always gone, leaving her to be raised by people they hire. Even when
they are there, they really aren't...far too busy with their careers
and social life to be concerned with their lonely child.

"Years pass, and the girl grows up...she has friends, she is admired,
even looked up to. But no matter how happy she seems on the outside,
she can't ever really let go of that core of pain and loneliness. It
stops her from falling in love. On one hand, she's afraid of letting
someone get close enough to her to hurt her the way her family did. But
on the other, she's even more afraid that she can't fall in love. That
because of her parents, she's damaged or flawed in some way, and can't
feel for someone the way that she should."

Michiru fell silent. Minako was biting her lip, looking down at her
teacup. She began to speak, but found that her mouth had gone dry. She
took a quick drink and tried again. "Yeah...it's kind of familiar." She
finally said faintly. "But...I can't believe that that's you...I mean,
you and Haruka..." She trailed off weakly.

"Haruka was the one who taught me that I really could fall in love,
Minako-chan. But even after we had met, it wasn't easy." She sighed, but
there was a gentle smile on her face as she did so. "When we were
introduced, I already knew her, by sight and reputation. And I...admired
her quite a bit." She chuckled softly, and Minako smiled.

"At the time, I resented being a Sailor Senshi...being set apart like
that seemed only to emphasize my loneliness and solitude. And it seemed
my destiny to abandon all my dreams for the sake of the mission I was
fated to do. So at first, I was happy to learn that Haruka was destined
to be my partner.

"But some time passed, and we got to know each other a little better. I
thought my feelings for her were deepening beyond simple infatuation,
but at the same time, the thought of being a Sailor Senshi alongside her
had lost its luster. In fact, part of me didn't want to have anything to
do with her anymore. I worried that this was confirmation of everything
that I feared, that I was too scared of being hurt and my emotions too
shallow to love the way that Haruka deserved to be loved."

Michiru watched Minako carefully as she spoke. The younger girl still
looked down at her hands, but her posture indicated that she was
listening closely. "Then came the day that Haruka's power awoke. I
watched her reach for her transformation wand, and I called out to her,
to tell her to stop. And suddenly, I knew that I loved her." Minako
glanced up at that, confusion on her face, and Michiru smiled softly at
her.

"I realized then that the reason I didn't want her to be my partner was
because I had come to love her to the point that her happiness was far
more important to me than my own. I didn't want her to abandon her
dreams the way I had to. My loneliness and pain meant nothing...as long
as I knew she was happy. That was how I knew I loved her."

Michiru was quiet then, and there was quiet for a few minutes as Minako
digested everything Michiru had said. When the last cake had finally
disappeared, the blonde girl spoke. "I think I understand why you told
me all this...but it's different with Ami and I..."

"Of course it is." Michiru said with a nod. "I didn't tell you that
story because I thought the situations were all that similar. I told you
because I wanted you to know that I've had the same fears and doubts
that you seem to be having. I wanted you to know that you're not alone
in this."

"Oh..." Minako thought for another moment. "So what do you think I
should do?"

"I don't like to give instructions on matters like this." Michiru said,
closing her eyes as she sipped her tea. Still holding the cup to her
face, she opened one eye, giving Minako a sly expression. "If things go
wrong it reflects badly on me." Minako laughed softly, and Michiru
joined her.

"I will, however, state the obvious." Michiru continued, setting the cup
down. "You should talk to Ami...give her a chance to apologize for what
she said. You know how shy she is...she might not have called you
because she's afraid you'll still be angry. Then you can apologize. And
then I think you two need to talk about things." She paused. "But
Minako-chan, you need to remember this...it doesn't matter if you tell
Ami's mother that you love her daughter. It doesn't matter if you tell
anyone. The only part that truly matters is when you admit to yourself
that you truly do love her."

"But when will that happen?" Minako asked in a soft, sad voice.

"I can't tell you that. All I can do is tell you to keep moving forward.
If you do, then you'll find yourself at the point where you have no
choice but to let your true feelings flow out from behind all the pain
you've been hiding them behind." She smiled. "I'm sure of it."

-------------------

Ami had been studying since she woke up. She didn't stop until shortly
after noon, when Mamoru called her and asked if she had plans for lunch.
For a moment, she considered begging off and continuing her schoolwork,
but realized she would have to face her problems eventually, and
Mamoru's advice might be helpful. So she agreed and met Mamoru a short
time later at a small corner restaurant they both favored.

"I'm a little surprised that you aren't with Minako, Ami-chan." Mamoru
said after they had ordered.

Despite her plans to ask Mamoru for advice, she found herself unable to
do anything but stammer out a meaningless excuse. Mamoru, who had been
reaching over the table to look over the dessert menu, paused and sat
back again. "Ami-chan? Did something happen?"

Ami blushed and looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "Minako and
I had a fight last night." She whispered. "And I said something I
shouldn't have."

Mamoru lifted his eyebrows. "What did you say?" Ami shook her head.

"Telling you would be betraying her trust...and by saying what I did, I
feel like I've already done that." She sighed. "I hope she forgives
me..."

"I'm sure she will." Mamoru said with a small smile. "But what were you
fighting about?"

"I wanted to tell her about my mother before I went home and talked to
her, so I went to see her." Ami said.

"I was going to ask you about that." Mamoru said, and Ami smiled a bit.

"That part actually didn't go so badly...I'll tell you about it later."
She sighed. "Anyway...I told her, and somehow the conversation turned to
telling Mom about her and me." She shook her head. "She's been
so...resistant to the idea. I think I sort of understand, but I hate
keeping everything from my mother." She smiled sadly. "I guess I was a
little more frustrated than I realized."

Ami folded her arms on the table and leaned forward, a gloomy expression
on her face. "This isn't going like I planned it." She murmured.

Though Ami couldn't see it, Mamoru's lips twitched up in a small smile
of understanding at that. "How did you plan it, Ami-chan?"

"I wanted to tell Mom about Minako and I first...it would have been
easier, and I thought it might have even distracted her from everything
else. Now I feel so I trapped that I don't think I can tell her anything
at all..." She groaned softly and rested her head in her folded arms.
"And now the fight with Minako...I feel like my stomach's tying itself
in knots."

"Ami-chan...a lot of the time things don't go the way we plan them to.
Especially when love's involved." Ami looked up. "I know how much you
like to plan things out...but I'm afraid that's probably going to be
impossible here." Mamoru smiled. "Besides, romance would be dull if we
could plan it all out, wouldn't it?"

Ami sighed and nodded. "Food." She said.

Mamoru blinked. "Food?" Ami pointed and Mamoru looked at the waiter
approaching with their lunch. "Oh, food." He chuckled and they began
eating.

"How do you not plan things out?" Ami asked between bites. "I mean, I
start making plans whenever I have a spare moment to think."

"That's just testament to how fast your mind works." Mamoru pointed out,
and Ami blushed. "But it's more about flexibility than not thinking.
It's fine to have an idea of how something might happen, but you can't
let yourself slip into a mindset of 'this is how this *has* to happen.'"
He smiled. "If you don't want that stress to eat you alive, you need to
learn to cope with unexpected events."

"I guess dating Usagi helped you with that, hm?" Ami said with a smile,
and Mamoru laughed.

"Yes, I guess it kind of did." Ami's smile fell away after a moment,
replaced with a pensive expression. Mamoru smiled a little at how the
blue-haired girl's heart lay on her sleeve so often. -For such a shy
girl, she doesn't hide her feelings very well.- He thought.

"Still worried?" He asked, and Ami looked up and nodded.

"I know you're right about all of that, but I still need to apologize
for what I said." She sighed, running her fingers through her bangs. "I
probably should have called her last night, but I really felt hurt when
she kicked me out...and I didn't want her to yell at me." She smirked a
little. "But I guess I would have had it coming."

"I don't think she would have yelled at you, Ami-chan." Mamoru said
softly. "And I won't lie to you...you probably should have called. But I
wouldn't worry too much...she's probably thinking just what you're
thinking now, and waiting for you to call her." He smiled.

"You make it sound like it's a contest." Ami said, and Mamoru shook his
head.

"Too many couples look at it that way, and it always causes problems. If
you're waiting to apologize because you think she should apologize
first, you're waiting for the wrong reasons. You should apologize as
soon as you work up the courage to do it." He smiled. "And something
tells me that you might be a little braver than Minako in this case."

Ami laughed a little. "Well, I'm working on it."

"Good." Mamoru grinned. "You seem to be feeling better." He observed.

"I guess I am." Ami admitted. "Talking all this out really helped me
relax. I still don't know what I'm going to do about Mom, though. I'm
going to have to tell her *something* before too long."

"Talk to Minako." Mamoru advised. "I'm sure the two of you can work
something out." They had just about finished eating at that point, so
they split the check and headed out. They hadn't been walking long
before Ami caught sight of Minako and Michiru coming out of a tea shop.

Both pairs caught sight of each other, and met up in a few steps. Ami
and Minako both blushed as they looked at each other. Michiru and Mamoru
looked at the two of them and then smiled at one another. "Mamoru-
kun...I think if we hurry we can catch Usagi, Haruka and the girls at
the skating rink."

"That sounds like a great idea." He replied, though the facade barely
seemed necessary...neither girl seemed very aware of anything but the
other. "I guess we'll see you later, okay? Ami-chan?"

Ami blinked and looked over at him. "Oh...right...bye Mamoru-kun."

"Have fun you two." Michiru said, and Minako snapped out of it enough to
smile.

"Good bye, Michiru-chan. Thanks for the tea." The two headed off with
slightly amused expressions, leaving Minako and Ami still looking at
each other.

"I'm sorry!" Both girls spoke at the same instant, then stared at each
other. After a quiet moment, they both began to laugh. Acting on a
sudden impulse, Minako tossed herself into Ami's arms, who hugged her
back exuberantly.

"I'm really sorry." Ami murmured, running her fingers through Minako's
long, golden hair. "I shouldn't have said that..."

Minako placed two fingers against Ami's lips and the other girl fell
quiet. Minako pulled back a little to look at her. "I'm sorry too." She
said softly. "I'm sorry I didn't understand how important this was for
you. And I'm sorry I've been so stubborn about this."

They began walking down the street hand in hand. With the warm spell the
street was crowded and they got more than a few looks, but they were
past caring as they headed nowhere in particular.

"I didn't wake up until after noon." Minako said softly after a moment.
"I would have called otherwise."

"Would you really?" Ami asked with a small smile, which Minako returned.

"Maybe not...I'd probably be too chicken."

"Me too." Ami giggled. There was another pause in the conversation and
they walked on.

"So...did you have lunch with Mamoru?" Minako asked.

"Yes...but if you're hungry I could have a little something."

"No, I'm okay...I had some...um...brunch, and then some cakes with
Michiru." She began to swing the hand that help Ami's back and forth a
bit. "So what did the two of you talk about?" She asked, her voice
exaggeratedly casual.

Ami looked over at her girlfriend, tilting her head curiously. "Mina-
chan...is something wrong?"

"No...just curious. I mean I know you like spending time with him...and
we just had a fight..." Minako became aware of Ami staring at her and
realized she was digging herself in too deeply, so she trailed off
lamely. To her surprise, Ami started laughing.

"What so funny?" Minako asked, starting to blush. Still laughing, Ami
gently pushed Minako into the relative seclusion of a municipal
building's doorway.

The blue-haired girl took both of Minako's hands in hers, giving her a
loving smile that threatened to break into giggles. "Mina-chan...are you
jealous of Mamoru?"

"I am not jealous!" Minako protested loudly, her face turning beet red.
Ami started laughing again and Minako turned her head, a mortified
expression on her face. Ami quickly bit her lip to get herself under
control and gently turned Minako's head back to face hers.

"I'm sorry Mina-chan...but I just can't believe that you think..." She
began to crack up again. "Mamoru and I..." She quickly buried her face
in Minako's shoulder and the blonde girl could feel her shaking with
mirth. Unable to help herself, Minako grinned and began to laugh as
well.

"Well..." She said, a heavy blush still on her cheeks. "I know that
you'd never *do* anything..."

"I hope not!" Ami said, lifting her face, grinning. "Mina-chan...I love
you." She leaned forward and gave her a soft, sweet kiss. "You're the
only one I'm interested in. You know that, right?"

"I do..." Minako said, a silly smile on her face. "I guess I'm just a
little selfish...I want you all to myself."

"That's really sweet." Ami said, beginning to blush herself. "Nobody's
ever been jealous for me before." She giggled. "I feel so wanted."

"You are, Ami." Minako said, returning Ami's kiss. Ami smiled shyly and
squeezed Minako's hands. "So...where do you want to go?" Minako asked.

"Let's go to my place." Ami suggested. "My Mom's at work until late
tonight, so we should have lots of time alone." This last was said a bit
tentatively, and Minako sighed, though there was a resigned smile on her
face.

"You really want to tell her about us, don't you?"

Ami nodded. "I really do...and I really think she'll be happy for us..."
She sighed and ran her fingertips across her forehead wearily. "Of
course, first I have to sort out everything else with her..."

Minako's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, that's right! What happened with all
that last night? I can't believe I forgot to ask."

"It didn't turn out too badly...I didn't actually tell her, and she
didn't come right out and say she knew. But she knows, Mina-chan...if
she doesn't know I'm a Sailor Senshi, she knows something like it is
going on." She gave Minako a sad smile. "And I sort of wanted you and I
to be the current big revelation..."

"Well...maybe it's not a bad idea to wait a little while." Minako
offered. "Until the heat dies down a little. Besides...I'm not sure I'm
ready yet." Ami gave her a sharp look, and Minako lifted her hands in a
gesture of peace. "I know how often I've said it, but this time I mean
it...I'm really trying. I understand how important this is to you, now."

Ami sighed and nodded, her smile warming up a bit. "As long as you're
trying, I can wait, Mina-chan." Her smile slid away, and she ran her
fingers through her hair again, a sure sign of frustration. "And like I
said, it doesn't matter anyway...I still feel backed into a corner on
this."

"Hey, it'll be fine." Minako said with quiet confidence. "We'll think of
something...I promise."

Ami nodded. "I hope so..." She looked up at the blue sky above and took
a deep breath that seemed to relax her somewhat. "Well...shall we go
home?"

"Sure." Minako smiled and nodded. They began walking again, when Minako
paused for a moment. "Did you do much studying last night?"

"Um...some...and a little this morning." Ami admitted, a blush on her
cheeks. Minako peered at her suspiciously.

"You've been studying all day, haven't you?" She accused. "In fact,
you've been studying since you left my place last night!" She moaned
sadly and threw her arms around Ami's shoulders, shaking her head. "Poor,
poor Ami! How could I do such a thing to you?"

Ami closed her eyes with a slightly embarrassed smile as she patted
Minako's arms. "I don't mind studying, Mina-chan...really." She looked
down and found Minako looking up at her with sparkling eyes.

"Well, now I'm sure that you've studied enough for the time being." She
murmured in a breathy voice that made Ami's knees weak. "So, do you
think we can find something else to do until the meeting later?"

Ami blushed deeply. "I...guess so." She whispered.

"Good!" Minako grinned and grabbed Ami by the wrist, leading her in a
very brisk walk back to her apartment.

-------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You know, sometimes I wonder if I should make this story
a little more angsty...but I just like Minako and Ami too much to make
them suffer for long! What do you think?

Sailormoon and all associated characters belong to their respective
owners. All original characters belong to me, so leave them alone!


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