Story: Power Transcendent (chapter 9)

Authors: EvilFairy

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Chapter 9

Power Transcendent

Sailormoon Fanfiction by Jessica


-------------------
Chapter 9

Mizuno Ami stirred beneath her blankets and woke with a customary
disorientated groan. Being a habitual night person, she looked upon
mornings as a necessary evil, and suffered from waking amnesia. She took
a few moments to gather her fractured consciousness together and recall
the salient details of her life.

She reached up and touched the fabric wrapped around her neck. With a
small wince, she pressed down a bit. The skin around the myriad puncture
wounds was still sore and a bit inflamed, but her Senshi resilience was
healing them quickly. Most likely she could remove the bandage in a day
or two.

-Not that I will, of course.- She thought with a smile. -I think I'll
just leave it on until everything's healed up completely. No reason to
walk around with a bunch of holes in one's neck unless one has to.- As
usual, her injuries reminded her of the recent attack and the senshi who
had suffered the most damage in it.

"Mina-chan." Ami said to herself. As usual, thinking of the golden-
haired senshi brought a smile to her face. She slid out of bed with a
sigh, remembering that once again she wouldn't be able to walk to school
with her friend. It was amazing to Ami that she could miss something she
had only done for a week so very badly, but there it was.

She mulled over what had to be done today through her head, trying to
find a time to visit Minako again. Hopefully she'd be a little better
today...she had seemed so distant when Ami had come to see her
initially.
Of course, she had recovered, but it was still a little disconcerting to
see the usually expansive Senshi of Love so withdrawn.

-Well, she must be in a lot of pain.- Ami reasoned as she began getting
ready for school. -And she was probably still tired, if Michiru and the
rest kept waking her as they were supposed to.-

She continued mulling over her schedule as she donned her school
uniform.
The was cram school after school...the next English practice test was
today, so there was no way to miss it. And she did have to take a turn
patrolling the areas that held the dimensional faults she had
discovered.
Everyone had been assigned a stint at patrol after Ami had finished her
research, from all the active Senshi, to Mamoru, to Luna and Artemis.
Hopefully, it would enable the Sailor Senshi to gather in enough time to
stop those wedges from being placed.

Hopefully. The fight with the three daeva and the one called Muon had
made Ami a bit nervous about their new enemies. She could tell the other
senshi were a little on edge as well. It was rare to see such a display
of strength from a new enemy so early, and it was making them all wonder
what else this Lord Hadron would reveal.

And of course, Ami still had no real idea why the daeva had tried to
imprison Sailor Saturn, and even more disturbingly, how they had known
where to find her. It reinforced Setsuna's theory that there was someone
among the enemy who had powers of time as well, and unlike Sailor Pluto,
this one's powers of foresight were working.

Ami realized with a start that she had zoned off while in the middle of
buttoning her shirt. With a small smile at her absent-mindedness, she
finished and left her room. Her mother was waiting for her in the
kitchen, a small breakfast prepared to match Ami's small appetite in the
mornings.

"Thank you Mom." Ami smiled as she sat down. Her mother smiled back. Dr.
Mizuno looked young enough that the two were often mistaken for sisters,
rather than a mother and daughter. She was much taller than Ami, her
dark ashen brown hair tied back in a ponytail, but other than that they
were very much alike in appearance. Ami's mother carried herself with
the same efficient, intelligent grace that Ami possessed. And no wonder,
as Ami had always admired and tried to emulate that quality in her
parent.

"How are you feeling Ami?" She asked, tilting her head. Ami self-
consciously touched the bandages around her neck.

"Much better...the swelling's gone down, and it's certainly stopped
bleeding."

"You've always been a fast healer." Dr. Mizuno nodded. "Good." She
sighed deeply. "I'm just so happy you're alright...I saw what was left
of that store on the news. Those...things tore it to pieces!"

"Yeah..." Ami smiled a bit. "It's just a good thing the Sailor Senshi
showed up!"

"Hmm..." Ami's mother smiled softly and took a little sip of coffee. The
woman made her daughter nervous sometimes, with tiny indications that
she knew or suspected Ami's secret identity, but never anything more.
Ami often wondered if her mother was just waiting for her to bring up
the topic first. If that *was* the case she'd probably find herself
waiting a very long time!

"How's your friend Minako?" Her mother inquired, cutting into Ami's
musings. "Still in bed?"

"As far as I know..." Ami replied. "She really got knocked around. But
her speech was much clearer yesterday, so that was a relief."

Dr. Mizuno nodded understandingly. "It can be frightening seeing someone
you care for impaired like that." She said with a soft smile. Her smile
turned rueful. "Of course, the concussion is one thing...I feel really
badly for her cracked ribs. Those are going to hurt for the next couple
of months, at least!"

Ami nodded with a sympathetic wince, choosing not to mention that in
Minako's case it would probably be a matter of weeks until she was fully
healed. Ami's mother finished her coffee and stood. "Well, I'm off." She
smiled. "I'll be back for dinner, how about you?"

Ami thought. This early in the morning, it was difficult to keep her
mind from going random, and the problem of when to visit her friend had
been lost in the shuffle. "I think so...I have cram school, and another
appointment in the afternoon, and then I want to visit Minako, but I
should be home in time to eat."

"Good, I'll make something nice then." The older woman smiled.

"Did you want me to help?" Ami asked. But her mother just shook her
head.

"No...I'll be fine and I think it's good that you spend time with your
friend. The two of you seem to have gotten particularly close lately."

Ami blushed a bit. "Everyone keeps saying that." She said softly, then
smiled. "I guess it's true, but it's still sort of embarrassing to have
have everyone point it out like that."

Dr. Mizuno laughed softly. "I'm your mother, Ami. I have a prerogative
to embarrass you whenever I can." She leaned over and gave her daughter
a quick peck on the cheek before leaving. Just a few moments later, as
Ami was cleaning her plate before heading out the door herself, there
was a buzz on the intercom. With a blink of surprise, Ami pushed the
button.

"Yes?"

"Ami-chan?" It was Rei. "Hi! Want to walk to school together?"

"School...but shouldn't you already be at your school?" Ami said,
puzzled.

"Oh, there's some holiday today and the nuns gave us a break, so I'm
pretty much on my own here. So do you want some company on the way to
school or what? I know you've been walking with Minako lately, so I
figured you might be lonely."

"Sure! I'll be right down." Ami said, smiling at Rei's rather brusque
offer. When she came down to the street below, she found Rei in a jacket
and a short skirt with leg warmers rather than her school uniform.

The raven-haired senshi smiled brightly. "Hi, Ami-chan!" She waves.

"Hi Rei-chan." Ami replied. The two headed down the street. Though it
was just the end of fall, the air was still biting and crisp, and
everyone was predicting an early snow. "Thanks for walking with
me...you're right, it was lonely yesterday with Minako." She smiled
softly.

"No problem...it's not like I had anything better to do." Rei smiled
dismissively. After a moment, she glanced over at Ami. "Say, Ami-
chan...what do you think of Hotaru and Chibi-Usa?"

Ami giggled softly. "I thought we all agreed that they were the cutest
thing any of us had ever seen."

Rei laughed and nodded. "Yeah, that's true...but that's not really what
I meant. What I was trying to say is, do you find
anything...wrong...with a relationship like theirs?"

Ami looked over at her in surprise. "Wrong? No, of course not. I mean,
they're cute together, Haruka and Michiru are so happy with one another,
I can't see how anything could be wrong with loving someone like that."

Rei shook her head, making a small sound of frustration. "This is coming
out all wrong..." She took a deep breath. "I mean, do you think you
could ever feel for another girl like that?"

Ami's steps slowed somewhat at the question. "Do I...? Huh..." She
considered the question for a long moment, one finger pressed against
the side of her mouth as she looked at the ground. "I guess I've never
really thought about it before." She looked up at the Senshi of Fire.
"Why do you ask, Rei-chan?"

With a shrug, Rei brushed the question aside quickly. A little too
quickly for Ami's taste. "I was just wondering. I've thought that I
could, sometimes. In fact," She said, looking sidelong at Ami, "once in
awhile I think that if I could just find the right girl, it would be a
much better relationship than I'd ever have with a boy."

Ami mulled the concept over in her head. A sudden thought struck her and
she actually stopped in midstep, looking at Rei like an oncoming truck.
"Oh...Rei...are you saying that you feel that way...with..." She left
the sentence hanging in the air. Rei looked at her, a very confused
expression on her face, and then her eyes widened.

"Oh! OH! No, no, no...Ami-chan, I don't feel that way about *you*!" Ami
looked at her, thoroughly unconvinced. Rei turned to her earnestly.
"Listen, Ami-chan...I really don't have any romantic feelings towards
you, I swear. I'll admit..." A tiny blush crept up her cheeks. "I'll
admit, when we were just getting to know each other, I might have had a
little crush on you. But now, you're one of my best friends." She looked
Ami fearlessly in the eyes. "If I felt that way about you, I would have
told you already."

Rei's sincerity finally convinced Ami, and her heart began to slow down.
She liked Rei, she truly did, but she was fairly certain she'd never
like her in that way. She smiled a bit. "Alright." The two of them began
walking again. Ami was still considering the question, and Rei seemed
content to let her think.

Finally, when they were nearly at school, Ami spoke. "I guess I could
like a girl that way. I mean, the idea of being with another girl,
romantically, doesn't bother me. In fact..." She blushed a little
herself, and Rei looked at her inquisitively. Ami shrugged, a very shy
smile on her face. "Haruka and Michiru." Rei smiled and nodded in
understanding.

"So, I guess I could, if I knew the right girl...but I don't think that
will happen anytime..." They had reached the high school, and Ami looked
up at the clock. "Oh! I'm running a little late!" She smiled at Rei.
"Thank you for coming with me, Rei-chan."

Rei nodded. "Anytime...have a good day. I'm gonna go check up on the
cats and help them patrol." Ami walked quickly through the gate into the
school building, pausing a moment to turn back and give Rei a little
wave, which the miko returned.

Rei turned away from the school, shaking her head and chuckling as she
walked. "Oh, Ami-chan...for someone so smart, you really are clueless.
Poor Minako."

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

Minako happened to be asleep at that moment...and for quite a few
moments afterwards. The night before she had only been awakened three
times, but waking up and being forced to be alert and aware three times
in a night did not make for a restful sleep. So, after another light
breakfast, Minako was allowed to nap again.

She awoke on her own this time, right around noon as before. Minako
yawned deeply and resisted the urge to stretch, knowing the effect that
movement would have on her ribs. She sighed and looked up at the
ceiling. She felt a good deal better...her headache was just a light
throbbing at this point, but she still suffered from dizziness whenever
she tried to stand. Setsuna had judged another day of bed rest would put
an end to that.

Of course, none of that had any bearing on what was really worrying
Minako. She still had a panic attack anytime she tried to consider her
own feelings and what she was supposed to do about them. Yet at the same
time, she was almost frantic to do *something*. Minako just felt
so...rushed. Like all of this was happening before she was ready.

The door opened, and Minako glanced up to see Michiru enter. The Senshi
of the Sea looked a bit surprised to see Minako awake, but smiled. "You
woke up on your own...that must be a good sign."

Minako was still feeling a bit rattled by Haruka's behavior the night
before, so her smile felt a little strained. "I guess so."

Michiru tilted her head as she looked at Minako carefully, then shook
her head and sighed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised." She said with
a small smile. She sat on the foot of the bed. "Haruka can come on a
little strong sometimes...especially about this sort of subject."

Minako looked up. "What do you mean?" She asked guardedly. Michiru just
shrugged.

"She really likes it when a girl comes over to our side."

"Our side?"

Michiru chuckled softly. "Her term, not mine. I'm pretty sure she
believes every woman on earth is just looking for the right girl to come
along." She smiled over at Minako. "I'm sorry about that...I told her
that she shouldn't push you."

Minako was quiet for a long time. Her first impulse was to deny
everything, but there really didn't seem to be any point. "So...how many
people know about this?"

Michiru smiled. "You don't have to worry. Haruka and I know...you must
have guessed that Setsuna would know something. We think that Makoto and
Rei might have some ideas, but we're pretty sure they don't really know
anything."

"How did you know?"

"Well...we didn't really 'know' until right now, really. We just had a
strong suspicion. Setsuna probably knew, but of course she wouldn't say
anything."

Minako let all of that sink in. She was relieved...she'd been half
afraid that everyone she knew was positive about was going on and were
all eager to 'help'. She looked at Michiru. "So...what do you think I
should do?"

Michiru shifted around so her side was turned to Minako and closed her
eyes. "Why does it matter what I think you should do?"

That wasn't the response Minako was expecting, and she didn't have an
answer for it. Michiru laughed softly, and smiled over at her. Minako
was struck suddenly by how elegant and wise the green-haired girl
appeared when she smiled like that. If there was anyone Minako would
take advice from on this matter, it was her.

"Minako-chan...more to the point, why do you feel like you should do
anything?"

That was even more unexpected. "Of course I have to do something!" She
exclaimed, wincing slightly and lowering her voice. "I can't just leave
this hanging forever."

"I agree with that." Michiru said with a nod. "But, do you want to do
anything *now*?"

That feeling returned again, the feeling that Minako was standing on the
brink of an abyss and teetering on the edge, about to fall.
"Well...I..." She puffed out her cheeks and sighed. "No."

"Then don't!" Michiru said with a chuckle. "You shouldn't feel pressured
about this, Minako-chan. In fact, I'm very much in favor of you taking
your time...Ami is really a very sensitive girl, and needs to be handled
gently, no matter what you plan to do."

Minako nodded, a small smile creeping over her face. "She is..."

"I hurt her feelings, you know. When we first met." Minako looked up,
and Michiru smiled gently. "We were both swimming, and I challenged her
to a race. She let me win, and I became upset with her for not giving it
her all. Of course, Haruka realized she was just trying to be friendly,
and I felt horrible." She shook her head. "I know she's long since
forgiven me, but I still feel badly about it sometimes. It's hard to
forgive yourself for hurting someone like Ami...she's too sensitive and
kind."

Minako nodded. "That's true...I wouldn't want that."

Michiru looked at her with a serious expression. "But Minako-chan...the
real reason I think you should take your time...is you."

"Me?" Minako blinked in surprise and the Senshi of the Sea nodded.

"You." Michiru smiled, and it was a smile full of sympathy. "You're
frightened by all of this. Frightened, I think, to be in love. And I
think that's very sad...the Senshi of Love afraid to be in love
herself."

The blonde girl laughed at that, laughed as loudly as she could with her
head still tender. "Oh Michiru-chan...don't be so silly." She flopped
back against the bed. "Afraid to be in love..." She made a shooing
motion with her hand and laughed again.

Michiru was still just giving her that smile, though. "I could be
wrong." She admitted. "But I don't think so. I think you really want to
love, but every time you've extended your heart to someone, it's been
bruised. And now, you're frightened of being hurt anymore."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Minako said, turning over on
her side and curling up. The trend in the conversation was making her
feel very uncomfortable. "I'm still kind of tired...I think I'll take
another nap."

She felt Michiru stand up. "That's fine." She said gently. "Nothing has
to be decided now, one way or the other. But even if you decide you
don't want to do anything to change things with Ami, if you decide you
want to talk about this, I think we have more in common here than you
realize."

"I..." Minako glanced up from the bed. "I just need time to think,
Michiru-chan."

Michiru smiled and nodded. "Of course!" She said earnestly. "Remember
Minako, nobody sets the pace except for you and Ami. You aren't on a
schedule. Please, don't feel like you have to do anything until *you*
are ready."

Minako nodded, and Michiru paused by the door. "Oh, remember...Usagi and
Makoto were going to come visit after they got out of school. I'll wake
you in time to get ready." With a last smile, she shut the door behind
her.

With a sigh, Minako turned back over on her back and stared at the
ceiling. She smiled a little bit. Talking with Michiru had actually made
her feel better about this. Less like there was some sort of deadline
she was approaching.

"Afraid of being in love." She muttered. That was ridiculous...wasn't it?
I mean, sure she was scared, but that couldn't really be it. Right? She
thought about all the dates she'd been on, then. Cute guys, every single
one of them...but each time she knew that a relationship with them would
never develop into something meaningful. Now that she thought about it,
she realized that quality made them more attractive to her. She chewed
on her lower lip slightly. Could Michiru actually be right?

With a long, languid sigh she decided she would take Michiru's other
advice and not think about it. She stretched out and closed her eyes,
smiling a bit. She thought about taking a nap, but decided that
daydreaming about Ami would probably be more enjoyable for the time
being.

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

Ami rang the bell to the home shared by the Outer Senshi, smiling. In a
moment, Haruka answered, grinning broadly when she saw who it was. "Hi
Ami-chan. Full house today."

"Hi Haruka-kun." Ami tilted her head. "How is Minako? And what do you
mean by full house?"

Haruka smiled. "Minako's feeling much better...she'll probably be well
enough to go home by tomorrow or the next day. She's upstairs now with
Mako and Usagi. Hotaru and Chibi-Usa are in the living room." She
grinned.

"Ah..." Ami smiled. "Full house." Haruka chucked and nodded.

"Come on in." Haruka went into the dining room of the house, and as Ami
passed, she noticed that Setsuna was there and the two of them were
having tea. She passed the living room. Hotaru was seated on the couch,
a blanket over her legs. Chibi-Usa was sitting on the floor next to her,
her hand held up to her shoulder, her fingers entwined with Hotaru's.
They both smiled as they saw her.

"Hi Ami-chan!" Chibi-Usa beamed. Hotaru just gave a little wave with her
free hand. Ami waved back.

"Hi you two!" She headed up the stairs. As Ami approached the guest room,
she could hear Usagi's strident laughter, along with Makoto's lower,
gentler laugh. She opened the door, knocking on it gently. Minako was
sitting on the bed, cross-legged. Makoto had taken up residence in the
chair by the desk, and Usagi was sitting on the floor in front of the
bed.

Minako had been striking a pose, her arms behind her head as she made a
kissy-face noise, apparently part of whatever joke had been making the
other two girls laugh so hard. As the door open, Minako's head spun
around so fast that her cheek hit her arm with an audible smack. She
lowered her arms, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. "Ami-chan!"

Ami smiled in return, feeling a familiar spot of warmth blossom in her
chest as she saw that smile. "Hi Mina-chan." She turned and smiled at
the other two. "Hi Usagi-chan, hi Mako-chan!" She entered the room
looked around for a place to sit.

Minako scooted over on the bed and patted the mattress. "Come sit down,
Ami-chan."

"What was everyone laughing about?" The blue-haired girl asked as she
sat.

Mako chuckled lightly. "Apparently Haruka got in trouble this
afternoon."

Minako grinned. "Yeah...a little before these two showed up I took a
shower. Haruka helped me out of bed to their bedroom since Setsuna was
already in the upstairs bath. While I was waiting for the water to heat
up, I happened to overhear a little argument between Haruka and Michiru.

"You overheard? Through the door with the water running?" Ami asked
skeptically, an amused smile on her face. Minako jerked slightly as her
story was ground to a halt. She laughed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Well, I might have been leaning against the door with my ear to it at
the time." She admitted. "But it was a complete coincidence." She
grinned and winked, and everyone chuckled.

"Michiru has Haruka trained really well." Usagi whispered
conspiratorially, giggling. "Do it again Minako-chan."

The blonde senshi adopted a shamefaced expression and looked down,
deepening her voice in a passable imitation of Haruka's. "Yes...no...I'm
sorry...no...I won't..."

Ami covered her mouth and chuckled at the idea of Haruka getting a
dressing down from her lover. "What was Michiru upset about, anyway?"

Makoto made a face. "Minako-chan won't tell us."

"I'm a guest here...that means I can gossip about them fighting, but not
what they were fighting about." Minako said loftily. "That would be
rude!" She grinned. "Anyway, after that, Haruka asked Michiru to forgive
her, and that's when this started." She made the kissing noises again.
"It lasted a while...of course, I stopped listening right away."

Ami actually grinned. "If you stopped listening, how would you know it
went on for so long?" Minako paused, her face slowly growing more and
more red. Ami began to laugh gently, and before long the other three
girls joined in.

Minako cupped a hand to her forehead and fell back, gently, against the
bed. "Ami's gotten too good at catching me!" She moaned. "Now everyone
knows what a pervert I am."

Mako grinned and shook her head. "If I could hear those two kissing, I'd
keep listening."

Usagi blushed a little, but giggled. "Yeah, me too."

Ami blushed a bit deeper, remembering her conversation with Rei that
morning. "I would too." She admitted quietly.

Minako pulled herself upright again quickly...far, far too quickly,
given that she didn't use her arms for support. "Oh, well then...AH!"
She clutched her sides and leaned forward, her eyes clenched shut. Ami
got on her knees and leaned over Minako, one hand gently on her shoulder
as Usagi and Makoto both stood up.

"Mina-chan..." Ami murmured worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Cracking her eyes open, Minako saw Usagi and Makoto hovering over the
bed worriedly. She pulled one hand from her side and waved it gently.
"I'm fine...I'm fine..." She grated out, sucking in short gasps of
breath. "That was just...really stupid."

Ami sat back down, right next to Minako as Mako and Usagi both found
their seats again. Minako leaned heavily against Ami, and Ami put her
arm around Minako's shoulders. "It wasn't *stupid*." Ami said gently.
"You just got a little too excited and forgot you were hurt. It's fine."

Minako nodded, taking deep, careful breaths now. Ami felt her shoulder
muscles begin to unknot, and Minako shifted to the side a little at a
time. In just a few moments, she was laying on her side, her head in
Ami's lap. Ami's hand had slipped off her shoulder and was now resting
very gingerly on her ribs.

Usagi smiled in relief seeing Minako recover. Makoto was looking at the
two of them with a very odd smile and a tiny flush on her cheeks. Minako
opened her eyes and sighed, squirming a little uncomfortable. "I'm sorry
guys, but I don't think I'm going to be good company for awhile...my
ribs feel like they got hit with a flaming stick."

Makoto nodded in sympathy. "I've had broken ribs...I know how it is."
She said with a pained smile. She stood up and tugged on Usagi's
shoulder. "Come on Usagi-chan...we're supposed to be looking after the
neighborhood anyway."

Usagi sighed deeply. "Okay..." She stood as well. "Bye you two!"

"Bye Mako-chan, Usagi-chan." Ami smiled and waved with her free hand.

"Bye guys..." Minako murmured, lifting up her hand in a half-wave.

Makoto looked at the two of them for a long moment, a soft smile on her
face. Then she shook her head once and left the room, pulling Usagi
along with her. "Hey, Mako-chan...you know, one of those points are
pretty close to that manga store we passed the other day..." Was the
last thing Ami and Minako heard before the door closed.

Minako turned her head slightly to look up at Ami, and both girls
laughed gently. Minako winced and sighed. "Even laughing hurts." She
pouted.

Ami smiled. "I should go too...I don't want to disturb your rest."

"No, please stay." Minako said gently, her hand reaching up and over
Ami's. "You...make me feel better. I like being close to you like this."
Her eyes had closed again, and Ami smiled down at her gently, a small
flush on her cheeks.

"Alright Mina-chan." She half-whispered. "I'll stay." Minako made a
small, contented sound and shifted slightly, laying one hand on Ami's
leg and resting her face on it. Minako's sudden attack of pain seemed to
have worn the injured girl out, because she said nothing else. A couple
of minutes later, her deep breathing indicated she was asleep.

Ami moved her hand from Minako's side and very gently brushed her
fingertips against her cheek. She was beautiful...so very beautiful it
almost made Ami's heart stop. But there was more than that...Minako was
like a star. Not a celebrity, though Ami had little doubt that such fame
was in Ms. Aino's future. She had the talent and the spirit for it.

No...Minako sparkled like a star. Every room she entered seemed brighter,
everyone she was around seemed livelier, thanks to her presence. Ami
usually liked to stay quietly in the shadows, doing her very best, but
out of sight. Minako thrived right in the spotlight. Ami's smile turned
slightly self-mocking. They really couldn't be more different. But
still...

The Senshi of Water brushed Minako's hair back and sighed contentedly.
But still, there was nobody else she would rather spend time with.
Minako warmed her in places she hadn't ever noticed were cold. Her smile
made Ami feel like she was melting. And Ami felt protective of her, in a
way. She knew Minako was far more fragile than she really let on, and
Ami wanted so badly to always make sure she was happy.

They were different...but Ami thought they complimented each other. Her
calm, reticent, studious nature balanced by Minako's energetic,
impulsive and extraverted personality. Together, they were more than the
sum of themselves.

Minako began snoring softly and Ami started, then smiled down at her
fondly. She reached over to the head of the bed as gently as she could
and grabbed a pillow. Ami left the bed, easing herself out from under
her friend and letting Minako's head come to rest on the pillow she
retrieved.

As Ami slide off the mattress, Minako stirred gently, a frown on her
face. Ami knelt by the bed and laid her hand on top of Minako's,
whispering. "I'm here, Mina-chan." Minako smiled and nodded in her sleep,
soon falling back into deep slumber.

She let herself out of the room very quietly and padded down the stairs.
Outside, the sky had turned orange and the shadows were lengthening. Ami
saw nobody else in the house, and it had almost a spooky, deserted
quality about it. As she passed the dining room, she saw Setsuna was
still there, sitting at the table and reading.

The Guardian of Time looked up as Ami approached and smiled. "Leaving?"
She said softly. Ami nodded. "I wanted to thank you for all the work
you've done, Ami-chan." Setsuna said. "Not being able to see our enemies
on the timeline had me very nervous. Your efforts have really put my
mind at ease."

Ami blushed softly. "It's really no big deal." She said softly.

Setsuna chuckled gently. "You're the only one who thinks so...everyone
else thinks you are incredible." She smiled mysteriously. "Especially
Minako."

That made Ami blush even deeper, though she wasn't quite sure why.
"Thank you Setsuna-san." She said awkwardly.

"Have a good night, Ami-chan." Setsuna smiled, and then returned to her
book. Ami let herself out and headed home.

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

Minako jerked awake much later that night to a loud bang. She opened her
eyes and looked around. It felt like something was missing...and why was
she on top of the covers? And facing the wrong way?

Someone entered her field of vision and Minako looked up. Haruka was
standing over the bed, a grim expression on her face. Behind her stood a
very sleepy looking Hotaru, dressed in a long lavender nightgown.

"We need you to look after Hotaru." Haruka said. "They're attacking."

-------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Another cliffhanger...this just seemed like too good a
place for one. I didn't think a lot of action would fit too well in this
chapter. ^_-

I thought it was time to give a little more of Ami's perspective. I'm
basing her responses to this on a girl I know who reminded me a lot of
Ami-chan. She fell in love with another friend of ours but didn't
realize what her feelings were telling her until the other friend made
the first move. I could totally see Ami being clueless like that.

Don't worry...I didn't give away the story. I might be using another
person's emotional reactions, but I'll be making up the plot myself. ^_^

Jessica

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