She lowered herself onto the other woman, inhaling the sweet aroma of her strawberry scented shampoo and feeling her breath against her face. Their tongues touched first, then their lips came together. The woman beneath her began to moan as she brought her hands down and began to massage and caress her breasts. She felt her lover reach down and grab onto her bottom as she broke the kiss and started slowly kissing down her neck. She brought her tongue to her partner's left breast, licking slowly around her areola before sucking on her erect nipple. The woman took in a quick breath as she then pulled back, kissing her way to her love's other nipple while lightly twisting the first between her thumb and forefinger. Her lover brought her hands up and placed them on the back of her head as she continued to suckle on her right breast. Pushing herself up again, she brought her lips back to her love's. She relished this; being with the woman she loved, giving her pleasure, and holding her close afterwards. The woman meant everything to her, and the act of making love had become for her a way of sharing how much she loved her. She broke off the kiss once again as she began to lower herself down again. Kissing a trail down her body, she brought her left hand down and lightly traced her fingers through the fine hairs just above her love's sex, watching the woman squirm as she then kissed her on her lower abdomen. The scent of musk began to fill her nostrils as she licked her lips, slowly lowering herself more and teasing her partner by kissing her inner thigh as she stroked the soft flesh just behind the knee. "Unnngh..." her partner grunted out, "P...Please... Don't do that..." the woman begged. She craved release, and what her beloved was doing now was driving her mad. With a smile, she blew on her lover's hairs just before running her fingers around the outside or her labia. She could feel how wet her partner was, and started to massage the outside of her womanhood. Finally, as the woman began to thrust her hips up out of desperation, she parted her love's lower lips and inserted her tongue. She could feel her love begin to pant as she inserted two fingers, thrusting in and out at a steady rhythm as she continued to use her tongue and mouth on her now swollen clit. Her partner's body began to stiffen as her inner walls started to tighten around her fingers. At last, with a loud cry and a shudder, her partner came. She continued to stroke with her fingers but at a slower pace in order to help ease her down from the intense orgasm. At last pulling her fingers out, she licked them clean before rising back up to pull her partner over to her, resting her love's head on her chest as she encircled her in her arms. She stroked her partner's cheek as she whispered, "Kiho-chan?" The exhausted woman snuggled into the Time Senshi and smiled, "I... I think I taught you a little bit too well." she joked. Setsuna giggled. "Well, you are a teacher after all." she said. As she continued to caress Kihomi, her face took on a more serious expression, "Kiho-chan, we need to talk." The teacher looked up at her with an inquisitive look in her eyes, "What about?" she asked. "Kiho-chan, we've been seeing each other for six months now, and what with the end of the school year coming up... Love, what would you say if I asked you to move into the house with me and the other Outers?" Kihomi lifted her head up, "You're serious?" she asked, "Hon, the house you and the others live in is spacious and all, but I doubt we could find room for me there. I mean, I have a lot of stuff here at the apartment, and... And besides, what would Ruka and Michi say to a fifth member of the household?" "Actually, they were the ones that suggested it." Setsuna countered, "And Ruka was already planning on building a wing onto the house so Michi-chan could have a larger studio for her painting and the violin lessons she gives on weekends. We would just make the den that was being used as her studio before into a bedroom for you." The teacher wasn't sure what to think. She loved the woman next to her with all her heart, but ever since her parents' death she'd become used to being self-sufficient, living a routine life that went out the window six months ago. And now she was being asked to give up even more of herself, and the thought scared her a bit. Setsuna saw that her love was unsure, and felt her heart sink a bit. "Tell you what." she said, "There's no hurry. Tomorrow's the picnic. Let's discuss it more then." Kihomi looked at her and smiled, "Tomorrow. That sounds good." she answered, snuggling back into the Time Senshi's embrace. Neither woman slept well that night. ---The Next Day--- She watched as Makoto added the finishing touches to the marinade sauce with an amused smile. The woman was a walking contradiction; she was the tallest of the Inner Senshi and almost as strong as Haruka, yet liked nothing better than being a cook and homemaker. She walked up behind her and gave her a hug. "Mmmm... Ami-chan, I love you too, but we have to get everything ready for later." The smaller girl pouted, "You're right of course." she sighed. Makoto turned around to see her fallen features and smiled. She bent over to kiss her, pulling her into a hug with one hand as she held a box of cellophane wrap with the other. The smaller girl broke the kiss first, closing her eyes as she leaned in to the taller woman. Makoto began to chuckle softly, "Ami-chan, why is it you always seem to become so romantic when I'm in the kitchen?" "I don't know." the now blushing medical student conceded, "I... I guess it's something about seeing you in an apron..." Makoto began to giggle good naturedly, "Well if the sight of me in a cooking apron is such a turn on, I'll have to wear one later tonight." she said with a wink. Just then Rei came in through the door carrying a large shopping bag, "Okay Mako-chan, I was able to find everything on the list you gave me except the strawberries." Makoto turned away from Ami to face her, "Don't tell me; out of season?" "Bingo." the Fire Senshi answered as she kicked her shoes off and stepped off the mat into the room, "And of course they were sold out of frozen strawberries too." Rei then looked around, "Say, what happened to your two helpers?" "You cheated!" someone shouted from the other room. "I did not! I temporarily lost control around the curve and just happened to ram your car into the stands!" Makoto rolled her eyes as Ami covered her mouth with her hand and began to laugh. Rei just shook her head and sighed. "Let me guess; video games, right?" Ami uncovered her mouth, "Mako-chan suggested it." she said, giggling a bit. The young woman in question smirked. "Rei, I love Usagi as much as anyone, but if you think after that incident when she used baking powder instead of flower to make a cake on live television with me that I'm going to let her anywhere near my kitchen, you're crazy." "I heard that!" an agitated voice yelled from the living room, "And that was almost nine years ago!" Rei smiled, "I see. And Mina-chan?" "Asked for a break after cutting up the onions." Ami answered. "Ah." Rei said. A knock at the door announced the arrival of Mamoru. "So." he began, "How's everything going?" "Aaa! You did it again!" Usagi yelled from the other room. "That other driver crashed me into you!" "Oh yeah, well ‘Oops.' Looks like I ‘accidentally' crashed into you now, huh?" The four people in the kitchen rolled their eyes. Rei looked over to Mamoru and narrowed her eyes as she leaned in towards him conspiratorially, covering her mouth with her hand. "You know," she joked, "Absolute monarchies aren't the only possible form of government for the future Crystal Tokyo. Might I suggest a constitutional monarchy, or maybe even a parliamentary system of government?" "Mina-chan!" Usagi screamed again, "That's it! I'm going to take this controller and... Hey, what's so funny in there?" she asked as the sound of laughter filtered in from the kitchen. ------ "You sure the weather will be good for the picnic?" Haruka asked as she grabbed a drink from the refrigerator. Michiru gave her a stern look. "Yes, Ruka, for the hundredth time there will be fair weather. So if you want to break out that grill of yours and burn some poor defenseless steaks into bricks like last year you'll be fine doing it." "Ouch, harsh." Haruka answered. Hotaru came into the room and smirked. "Papa asking about the weather again?" she asked. Before either could answer Setsuna came into the room, opened the fridge, took out an apple, and closed the refrigerator door while avoiding eye contact with anyone and without greeting anybody. "Setsuna-mama?" Hotaru asked, "Is everything okay?" Setsuna looked over at Hotaru and forced a smile, "Yes, of course." she said, "Why?" "Haruka." Michiru said, "Could you take Hotaru into the next room for a few minutes?" Hotaru and her papa left the room as Michiru leaned against the counter with her arms crossed, studying Setsuna as she was polishing the apple off on a dishrag. The statuesque Time Senshi looked over at her housemate and shrugged her shoulders. "She... She said she wanted to think about it. And she's going to get back to me today after the picnic." she said, taking a small bite of the apple. Michiru nodded, "I see." "She didn't say no." she added after swallowing. "No, no she didn't." "And... And even if she did, we're still together, right?" "Sets-chan, what is it you're hoping for? Truly?" The Time Senshi was silent for a few seconds. "A family." she admitted, "Not that I don't have one now, but... But I want what you and Haruka have, I guess." Michiru looked at Setsuna for a second or two, then smiled, "Setsuna, relax. All she said was she wanted time to think. The two of you love one another, I'm sure everything will work out." Setsuna's face lit up, "Thanks." she said. Michiru was by far the most intuitive of the Outer Senshi, and in some instances her intuition rivaled that of Rei's. The fact she believed Kihomi would say yes was therefore a great comfort to her. Finishing her apple, she tossed the core in the garbage and left the kitchen. ---Afternoon--- The final bell rang for classes. As the last student left for the busses, Kihomi erased the board and picked up her briefcase and bottled water (no more coffee and donuts for her, per coach Haruka). As she left the classroom, she took a quick drink from the bottle. The teacher had been brooding over Setsuna's suggestion for the last few hours. It made sense; they loved one another, they'd been in a serious relationship now for half a year, and Setsuna's family had already adopted her. Why was she hesitating? That's when it dawned on her. Change. For years since her parents death, life had been a struggle. Then, at last, a safe routine fell into place; work, study, sleep. After graduation, a new routine; work, grade, social life (when she could fit one in), sleep. It was boring and lonely, but at least she knew what was happening from one moment to the next. Six months ago, the routine came to a crashing stop. Hearing the other Senshi talk about the dreams they'd put on hold, and the at times crushing responsibilities associated with who and what they were helped, but she still sometimes wished things could co back to being simple again. That things didn't have to change. Entering the teacher's lounge, she saw Yuhka Fujita, the Math I teacher, sitting in one of the chairs sipping some of the bland coffee the vending machine spewed out. She looked up and smiled, but her eyes showed a certain sadness to them. "Kihomi-san." she greeted, "How goes the history department?" "Oh, same old same old. You know that little troublemaker with the mullet and the overbite?" "Yukimura, right?" "That's him." Kihomi answered, "He came to me after class today to complain about an ‘F' I gave him for a report on Alexander the Great. Hold on, I have the paper here." She reached into her briefcase and pulled a paper out, "Listen to this, ‘Near to the East, in a part of ancient Greece, in an ancient land, called Macedonia, was born a son, to Philip of Macedon..." The math teacher raised an eyebrow, "The wording almost has a rhythm to it, doesn't it?" "It should." Kihomi said with a smile, "It's plagiarized word for word from an Iron Maiden song." The math teacher just shook her head, "Now I've heard everything." she said, "By the way, how did you know that? You don't look like the head banging type." "I'm not." she answered, "But I once dated someone who was." At that point Nao Hoshi, one of the English Language teachers entered, "Did I get here in time?" "We're the first." Fujita answered, "The meeting hasn't started yet." As the math and English teacher talked about their day, Kihomi's mind began racing again. The picnic would be over at a rented picnic area after school and she'd promised Setsuna they'd talk more then. She liked her apartment; it was comfortable and she'd been there for a while now. Why couldn't she and Setsuna just... stay as they were? It was then that she listened in again on the conversation. So, is Mochizuki picking you up after work today?" the English teacher asked. Fujita looked down sadly as she shook her head. "We... we broke up." The math teacher admitted. "No." Hoshi gasped, putting her coffee cup down. Kihomi went over and put her hand on Fujita's. "Fujita-san," the history teacher asked, "What happened? I thought the two of you were doing so well together." "I guess..." Fujita began, "I guess I wanted more than he did. I was looking for some sort of a commitment, something permanent, but he... Do you know, he didn't even like the idea of us moving in together? Said he preferred we each have our own ‘pad.'" "You're kidding!" Hoshi exclaimed, "You two were together dating how long and..." "And no proposal, not even sharing the same place." Fujita said sadly, "It was like, all he wanted me for was a wet blanket when things weren't going right for him and sex. I'm not going to wait around forever, no woman would. Don't you agree Kihomi-san? Kihomi-san?" The teacher looked agitated as she got up from her chair and spoke, "B... But wait..." she stammered out, "What if... what if someone loves another, but is scared. Scared of change, of a breaking with the past." Hoshi looked at her funny, "What?" she asked incredulously, "Are you actually taking his side?" "No, I mean... Look, what if a person's whole life was thrown into disarray, and the person had one constant, say their own place, that the person they loved was asking them to give up?" Both teachers looked at her for a few seconds. Finally, Fujita spoke, "We're... not talking about me and Mochizuki anymore, are we?" she asked. Noting the teacher's blush, she sighed, "Kihomi-san... chan, look; if someone has asked you to move in with them, it... it means they want the relationship to go to the next level. You talked about a constant. If they want you to move in, you've become their constant. Don't you understand?" The teacher's face had lost its color, and there was a frightened look in her eyes, "A fool." she whispered, "I've been a complete fool." Looking back over to the math teacher, Kihomi had a desperate look in her eyes. "F... Fujita-san," she said, "I need you to do me a favor." The math teacher exchanged looks with Hoshi before looking back to the agitated younger woman, "Sure, what's wrong?" "I... I need to miss the teacher's conference today after school. Please tell the principal I was sick or something, okay?" Fujita smiled, "Of course, we'll cover for you." The English teacher nodded too, "Besides, it's nothing important. Just something about school board budget proposals. If anything important does get brought up we'll let you know." Kihomi smiled at them, "Thank you." she said before turning around and running down the halls as fast as she could for the exit. How could she have been so dense? All this time there had been order and cohesion within the chaos that had become her life. It was right there in front of her all along, and she'd been too blind to see or appreciate it. She raced through the parking lot to her car, and drove out of the school grounds towards the shopping district. ------ The outers were the first to arrive at the rented picnic area. Haruka already had the outdoor grill on and was starting with the shish kabobs when Ami and Makoto arrived with the steaks that had been sitting in marinade all day. After them came Rei and Minako, along with a casserole and a salad. Haruka whispered something to Michiru about how the blond and the priestess were always together when Usagi and Mamoru finally arrived, hand in hand, with Mamoru also carrying a small basket. Setsuna looked on silently as the Inners interacted with Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru. Taking a sip of her green tea, she tried to remind herself of what Michiru had said earlier. It had seemed so comforting somehow at the time, but now she was getting more and more nervous as time went on. Had she moved too soon? They'd been together for six months now, how could it be too soon? Walking over to the others, Usagi looked over at her and could tell something was wrong, "Setsuna?" she said, taking the Time Senshi aside, "Sets-chan, what's wrong?" Setsuna looked at her princess and smiled. Usagi had the most beautiful soul and biggest heart of anyone she'd ever met; she should've known the future queen would pick up on something not being right. "Well," she began, "I..." "Kiho-chan!" Haruka called out with a smile, cutting Setsuna off. "I thought you wouldn't be here for another thirty minutes, Mick. I..." the Senshi of the Air's smile faded when she saw the strange look in the teacher's eyes. Instead of acknowledging the greeting or the presence of anyone else there, she went directly to Setsuna and Usagi. "Usagi-chan." she said, "May I borrow Sets-chan from you for a bit?" "Hmmm?" Usagi asked, "Oh, sure." she said, noting the worried expression on Setsuna's face and the tense look in the teacher's. As the future queen and the others looked on, Kihomi took her beloved's hand and led her a distance away from the others, over to a row of trees slightly downhill from the picnic site. Once she was sure they were both out of earshot, the teacher let go of her hand and stood next to her. "Sets-chan, you asked me to move in with you." she said as she looked straight ahead at the trees. Brushing a few stray brown hairs back, she weighed her choice of words carefully, "When my parents died, I had to learn to be very self sufficient very quickly. There was no one to help me, and I found myself working multiple jobs to put myself through school. You're born alone, you live alone, and you die alone became something of a mantra for me. And... And my life basically fell into a daily routine. A safe routine that I learned to feel comfortable with." She took a breath and continued, "That... That safe routine came to a rather abrupt end six months ago when... When I learned that evil magicians were trying to take over my brain and that I was a Sailor Senshi. Since then, my life's been turned upside down; I've been in fights with youma and demons, I talk with cats, and I've lost two of my teeth. All the time, though, there was one constant, one thing that was a steadying force in my now chaotic life." She then turned to the woman standing next to her, staring directly into her violet eyes, "You. You've kept me grounded; you've given me strength, you've been my anchor in all that's happened, you... I can still remember the first time I saw you that day at the mall, and now... now..." she looked away as her voice started to crack. Setsuna put her hand on her shoulder out of concern. "Kiho-chan," she said, "What's wrong? What are you trying to say?" Setsuna could see that her girlfriend was struggling with what she was trying to say. She worried that maybe she had been wrong in asking her to move in. She didn't want to push her, certainly. She'd just hoped they could be more like a family. That was all she wanted. "Damn, I wish I was better at this. I'm the Senshi of Wisdom, why is this so difficult?" the teacher groaned as her eyes started to water up. Still looking away, she swallowed as she continued, "Now, I can't imagine life without you. You're... You're everything to me, Sets-chan. Everything. And... And you now want me to move in, to share your life. I... I want to be more of a part of your life too, love. But if we're going to do this, let's do this right." Setsuna was about to ask what Kihomi meant, when she felt her breath taken away as the teacher knelt down on one knee in front of her. "I... I know it's not big," she said as she pulled out a small case from her pocket, opening it to reveal a diamond ring, "But on a teacher's salary, I..." her voice trailed off as she looked up to see her love smiling down at her, tears slowly rolling down Setsuna's cheeks, "Meiou Setsuna, will you marry me?" The Time Senshi couldn't even bring herself to speak. Instead she managed to nod her approval while holding out her left hand. Kihomi placed the ring on her finger and stood up to embrace her love. Their mouths met, and each could taste the tears of joy and happiness on each other's lips. Back at the picnic area up on the hill, the noise from the cheering was deafening.
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