I do not own Sailor Moon, a fancy restaurant, the patent for telephones, or the copyright for romance. I do own an Xbox, which is in no way relevant to this story. And remember: feedback is what helps a writer grow, and is always appreciated.

Chapter One: Finding the Nerve

"Thanks for coming," Makoto's shaky voice spoke in the doorway, as she greeted one of her dearest friends at the door. "I really need someone to talk to, and it really seemed right up your alley. Come in, have a seat." Opening the door wide, she gestured inside for the long-haired blonde just outside.

"Absolutely," came the response of Minako Aino, a longtime friend and partner of the taller girl. Stepping over the threshold and into Makoto's apartment, she asked, "What seems to be the problem?" She took just one glance around the apartment as she entered; Makoto always managed to keep her place neat. To this day, she never quite understood how.

"Please," Makoto offered, "have a seat." She gestured to the couch, leading Minako over to it and sitting them both down on it. Taking a deep breath, and with a light blush on her face, she sighed. "I don't know quite how to say this, so I guess I'll just spit it out." A second passed by like an eternity, and then another, as she mustered to find the strength to speak. Finally, with all the will she could pull together, she stammered out, "I…Minako, I think…I'm in love."

"Well, I'm flattered," Minako teased, "But there is someone else I have my eyes on at the moment."

"Not with you!" Makoto lightly pushed Minako's head, tipping her over on the couch.

"Wait a minute," a malicious grin manifested on Minako's lips, "when you said this was 'up my alley', were you talking about my--"

"OKAY!" Makoto threw her arms up, rising from the couch. "I'm officially done with this conversation!"

Straining to speak through her laughter, Minako took a moment to calm herself before trying again. "I'm sorry, that was—" she caught herself as another giggle escaped her lips, before clearing her throat and continuing, sitting up on her arms. "That was mean. Really, I'm here to listen. But, Makoto…you being in love isn't anything new. You're in love every other day. Who's it with this time? Another guy who looks like your old sempai?"

"…no…." Makoto's voice was quiet, almost wistful as she stood facing into the kitchen. Her hand crept up to the wall, gently stroking the plaster as she thought to herself. "It's nothing like that. She's—"

"SHE?" Minako's eyes bulged, latching onto the word as soon as it was out of Makoto's mouth.

"What?! No, I didn't say she, I said—"

"You definitely just said she. Spill."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Panic gripped Makoto's voice, but Minako wasn't about to let go now.

"Is it one of us?" Makoto turned a beet red at the suggestion. "Ooh, it is, isn't it? I know, it's Usagi! That's why you're having so much trouble with this, because she's with Mamoru and it's driving you nuts!"

"No, it's not—"

"Or maybe it's Rei!" Minako was going nuts. She was up on the arm of the couch, not even looking at Makoto, just staring off at the ceiling piecing together the puzzle Makoto had just laid before her. "Strong. Solitary. Just like—"

"It's Ami!" Makoto exploded, terror in her eyes and gripping her heart immediately after as she realized she'd spoken too much.

A silent moment passed. Then another, as Makoto struggled to find the nerve to speak again. Minako, however, her grin only grew wider with every moment that passed. "Ami Mizuno and Makoto Kino. You know, I think I can almost see that." Minako waited for Makoto's blush, giving herself a little thrill, before continuing. Standing up, she walked over and placed her hand gently on Makoto's shoulder. "There are two kinds of people in this world, Mako. It's something Katarina once told me. There are posts and holes. The post goes into—"

"Minako," Makoto opened dryly, lifting her head to look the blonde in the eyes, "I don't know what that saying used to be, but wherever it's going isn't anywhere good."

"Look…never mind." Minako sighed, walking back towards the couch. "So," she plopped back down, "have you tried talking to Ami about this yet?"

"You're joking, right?" Makoto looked as though Minako had just suggested setting the house on fire. "You and I both know Ami. Her face would turn into a tomato and she'd go comatose at the first suggestion. Besides, for all I know she's probably seeing someone."

"Ami seeing someone?" This time it was Minako's turn to shoot the skeptical look. "Now you're just making excuses. We're the girl's entire social life. If she was seeing anybody, we'd know. Usagi wouldn't shut up about it for weeks."

Makoto sighed, resting her back against the wall and looking back at Minako on the couch. "So what do you think I should do?"

"Start slow. Ami isn't the type to rush into anything. Not by a long shot. Talk to her. Maybe ask her out on a date, see how she reacts. If this is something you really feel, in your heart, is right, then you have to take the chance on it. Don't let the opportunity for real happiness slip you by." There was a pang in Minako's heart as she spoke, and Makoto knew she was speaking from experience.

"…Alan?"

"It's nothing. I'm over that. But this is about you, and you need to do something before you lose her to someone else."

"….thanks, Minako. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem." A superior grin crossed Minako's face as she sat up straight on the couch. "It's what I do. Now, I believe you promised to bribe me with cake if I came over here."

Makoto laughed. "Right, right, I'll get on that." As she turned into the kitchen, a wan smile crossed her lips. She knew she had made the right choice in bringing this to Minako.

********************

Pacing back and forth before the phone, Makoto couldn't do anything to hide the nerves that were eating away at her stomach. Minako had left an hour before, and she knew that she had to do this now before she lost her momentum and had to have the Senshi of Love talk her up again. But every passing moment seemed to bring with it more and more reason why this really wasn't such a good idea. "Come on, Mako, you can do this," she encouraged quietly. "It's just…a harmless date. And if she says no…well, you could always try tomorrow? Or…maybe not at—no, don't think like that." She took a deep breath, then lifted the receiver off the hook. Dialing the first number…then the second…then immediately slamming the receiver back down.

After clearing her throat, she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As she was reaching for the glass in the cupboard, inspiration and motivation suddenly struck. Releasing the glass and returning to the phone, she pulled the receiver off the hook and dialed Ami's number as quickly as she could, before the nerve could fade. Once it was ringing, there was no turning back.

RIIIIIING

Or was there? She could turn away now, Ami wouldn't know.

RIIIIIING

Well, no, because she probably had Caller ID, and—

RIIII—

"Mizuno Residence, this is Ami?"

Oh kami, now it was on. "Uh, hi, Ami. This is Makoto." Makoto swallowed deep, suddenly wishing she hadn't interrupted her glass of water.

"Oh, hi!" Makoto thought she could hear the lightest sound of scribbling in the background, but she paid it no mind. "How are you?"

"Good, good. I—" There was that scribbling sound again. "…Ami, are you doing homework right now?" Makoto could picture Ami, lying on the couch with her back to the ceiling and a book open under her. Maybe chewing on the nub of a pencil or the end of a pen, the phone cradled to her ear…the image made her feel tingly for a moment.

"Just a couple papers for math. A few assignments for pre-calc, dealing with exponential neunometers. You remember, we went over it in class yesterday."

"Right," Makoto bluffed, "Exponential neunometers. Of course I remember."

"No you don't, because I just made that word up." From the light giggle that accompanied these words, Makoto would swear she could HEAR the size of Ami's grin right now. Great; this was going just fine.

"Cute," Makoto chuckled. "Listen, Ami, I've got some free time tonight, and I was just wondering…if…maybe you'd like to get together and do something? Go have dinner, maybe?" The next moment seemed like it stretched for an eternity. What was only a second or two felt like it took hours before Ami's response.

"Sure. Is everyone else coming?"

Makoto blushed. "No…." her voice cracked a little, and she cleared her throat. "It would be just the two of us."

"That sounds nice."

"Alright, I'll pick you up at seven, how's that?"

"It's a date!"

Makoto froze for a moment. Her heart leapt to her throat. Had Ami really just said that? Logic and consciousness told her no, it was just a turn of phrase. If she'd actually meant it as a date, she would never have just stated it so boldly. Ami was far too shy for that. But still….

"I'll see you at seven," Ami filled the silence. "Now, I really need to get back to this paper."

"Right, of course. See you at seven." Hanging up the phone, Makoto suddenly turned a ghostly white. This was happening. This was actually happening. Oh, kami, what should she WEAR?

********************

Seven rolled along sooner than Makoto was ready for, and before she knew it, she was standing outside the Mizuno household in an emerald, satin dress. A light, aqua jacket covered her torso and shoulders from the weather; the leaves had just begun to turn and the evenings were beginning to get colder. She took a moment to get herself situated before knocking on the door; the Mizuno house was always somewhat foreboding by its sheer size.

Much to her dismay, it wasn't Ami herself that answered the door but her mother. Clearing her throat, Makoto spoke. "Good evening, Ms. Mizuno."

"Ah, Makoto," the older woman smiled warmly. "Ami said you'd be stopping by. Come in, have a seat." She waved Makoto in the door, eyeing her dress in the process. "You look awfully elegant tonight, Makoto."

"Thanks," Makoto smiled inwardly. She wasn't certain what to say. Hi, Ms. Mizuno, I'm here hoping to violate your only child. Is she in?

"Are you and Ami going cruising for boys tonight?" joked the older woman, chuckling to herself.

"S…something like that…." Makoto whispered to herself.

"Well, she shouldn't be too long. AMI!" Ms. Mizuno called up the stairs to Ami's room. "Your friend Makoto is here!"

There was silence, followed immediately by the sound of rumbling and banging upstairs. "I'll be down in a minute!" a squeaky voice answered from above. Makoto already knew what was happening upstairs.

"She probably got so lost in her studies, she forgot you were coming by," Ms. Mizuno explained. Not that it was anything Makoto hadn't expected. When Ami had her nose in a book, the whole world seemed to disappear. It was cute, really.

"You should come by more often, Makoto," Ami's mother filled the wait with conversation. "Are your parents still out of town?"

"Yeah," Makoto looked away quickly, not wanting Ms. Mizuno to see her eyes. "They're…they go away a lot. Business calls. That sort of thing."

"Of course. That's a shame, I would dearly like to meet them. I've met most of the other kids' parents."

"Yeah," Makoto still refused to make eye contact. Lying is so much harder when you have to look someone in the face. "Maybe someday."

Makoto was grateful for the distraction from the topic, when the stairs creaked and Ami started coming down. But what she saw when she looked up made her heart sink a bit in her chest. Ami was dressed in a light blue knee-length skirt, similar to the one on their school uniform, and a small white shirt with a light, tan coat over it. Nothing special, nothing fancy, just a casual outfit to spend time with friends.

Makoto suddenly felt painfully overdressed, and she could see it when Ami looked at her and suddenly turned bright red. "Was this supposed to be something fancy?" she asked shyly.

"No," Makoto sighed inwardly. "You look great. Come on, I made reservations."

Reservations? Ami thought inward to herself. Where could they be going?

********************

It was eight by the time the two had made it to the restaurant. Ami couldn't believe her eyes when Makoto started walking through the doors. This place…the restaurant was huge, and the servers were all dressed in tuxedos. There was a gentleman standing at the door to take the ladies' coats, and another behind the podium to take them to their seats. This time it was Ami's turn to feel inappropriately dressed; this entire place was something else. "Mako…I don't know if I can afford this."

"It's my treat," Makoto hurried the words out. "I'm paying."

This only earned her the skeptical, blue eyes of her mate. "You can't afford this either," she blurted out. "This Is just too much. Are you sure about this place?"

"Of course I am," Makoto smiled. "Trust me, I'll manage." Something didn't seem right. Ami couldn't quite place it, but there was something…unusual about this whole arrangement. There was definitely something she was missing, but she couldn't place her finger on it. Why this place? Why here? It was just the two of them; she'd been certain they were just going back to Makoto's place for dinner, not to a swank establishment like—oh, kami, were those candles sitting on the table? The host seated them at a sweet little table with two chairs across from each other, and a pair of candles providing dim lighting. This…was not normal at all.

As they sat down, the host gave them their menus. "The waiter will be with you shortly, to take your orders."

Makoto took her menu, opening it. She couldn't help but eyeball the prices, and she knew she'd be working overtime to pay this night off. But still…she couldn't hold back the urge. "I'm glad you came tonight," She said quietly to Ami. "You…um…" she blushed, "You look nice."

That was it. The final piece. The last clue. Suddenly, everything came together in Ami's mind, and her hands began to shake. The dress, the restaurant, the candles, the prices, Makoto's shaky voice when she spoke to her on the phone, the visible disappointment in her eyes when Ami came down the stairs, the compliment…the compliment…she had read this scenario a hundred times in her books, and it could only mean one thing, but Ami could barely bring herself to believe it. She couldn't have…she couldn't mean…could she?

"M…Makoto…." Ami's hands shivered in her lap. She hadn't even opened her menu. She had to ask, but she was scared to hear the answer now. "This…tonight…is this…I mean…I know it's silly of me, but…." She looked up from her lap, across the table at Makoto. "Is this…a date?"

Makoto's face turned beet red and it told Ami all she needed to know. "I…that is…um…." She couldn't find the words to speak, and that hesitance spoke volumes.

"I…excuse me, I'll…I'll be right back…." Ami quickly got up from the table, moving towards the back. The bathroom…she needed to find the bathroom, now!

********************

Well. That went swimmingly.

Makoto dropped her forehead to the table. She'd pushed too hard. Gone too far, too quickly, and now it was costing her everything. Minako had said to start slow. Was this really her idea of slow? Of course not; this was her greatest failing, and she knew it. She always tried to rush into these things without thinking, went too fast, pushed too hard, and wound up losing everything. The look on Ami's face had told her everything she needed to know; the poor girl was panicked.

So now she was stuck here, in this stupid, girly dress, she had probably scared Ami halfway to China, and to top it off, she would be paying for this DISASTER for the next month. On the plus side, she had managed to redefine failure in ways she was sure had never happened before, so maybe she could get a Guinness out of it. Maybe.

********************

Ami stood in the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror, trying desperately not to hyperventilate. A date…this was a DATE, an honest to Kami DATE. With a WOMAN. Who happened to be one of her BEST FRIENDS. Wow. Just…wow. And she had walked right into it without even knowing, and now she didn't even know how to react. A date?!

"Calm down," she told herself, but that didn't stop her breathing from coming in heavier. Putting her hands on her head, she lowered it over the sink, trying to think. "Makoto's…she's out there right now, waiting for me. What must she think? She brought me here on a date…a DATE…I didn't even know she thought about me that way, I…" an odd thought popped into her head. "Do I look like her old sempai?"

That was a terrifying notion.

Pushing that fresh new horror out of her mind, Ami focused on this one. How could she go back out there? What could she say to Makoto? Makoto, who was spending so much money Ami was sure she'd have to do something drastic to pay it off. Who was being so bold making this move, so up front…and there was still no way she could afford—

"She really likes me that much?" That thought just dawned on Ami. To go to all these lengths…that was something else. She couldn't remember anyone else showing that kind of interest in her. Well, there was Urawa, but she rarely heard hide nor tail of him. They'd promised to stay in contact but it was mostly through letters. Makoto…she was doing so much right now. This was a completely bold move of her.

But still…she was a woman. And Ami was a woman. That…couldn't work. It just couldn't. And Ami was terrified of breaking Makoto's heart later down the road; she didn't know if she could really commit to anything like this, and she really didn't want to hurt one of her best friends. "But Makoto isn't asking you for a commitment right now," the little voice in the back of her head whispered to her. "She just wants a date. She's only asking for a chance, and if you walk away now, if you don't even give her that chance, then you're already hurting her."

Staring into the mirror, she realized that little voice was right. She couldn't walk away now. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, she turned back towards the door. She was scared; if she went back to this, it would be the first real date she'd ever had, and that may come easy to girls like Rei or Minako, but definitely not her. But she had to do this. Anything else just felt wrong.

********************

"Are we ready to order?" The server asked politely. Makoto could barely lift her head off the table to answer.

"No, not yet," she murmured out. "Thanks." Sitting herself back up, she stared blankly at the menu. If everything was going to pot, perhaps it was time to just cut her losses and not order anything. This whole thing had been one huge, royal mess. She wished she could blame Minako, but it wasn't her fault. She shouldn't have rushed into things and scared Ami the way she did. She could only blame herself for her failing here.

As she stared at her menu, she fought back a tear welling in her eye. She hated to cry. It was…stupid. And pointless. And it didn't help the situation, but if tonight ended this badly, she might not be able to—

"I hope you haven't ordered without me?" A tiny, meek voice spoke up, jarring Makoto back to her senses. Looking up, she saw Ami taking her seat back at the table. "I haven't even had the chance to look and decide what I want."

"No," Makoto managed to get out through her broken voice, as relief tried to force a smile. She offhandedly wiped the stray tear from her face, before continuing. "No, I haven't. I was waiting for you."

"Good," Ami opened up her menu, taking a look inside. "I should hate to let a night like this go to waste."

"…thank you." Makoto looked down at her menu again, finding her appetite beginning to return to her.

"Although I still don't know how you can afford this place." Looking over the menu, Ami shook her head. "I would have been just fine eating something you prepared at home. You didn't have to go to all this trouble."

"No," Makoto smiled. "But…I wanted to."

"Fine, then." Makoto couldn't miss the smug look on Ami's face as she spoke. "But next time, you and I are eating in. I don't want to see you throwing all your money away on me like this; you need it."

Makoto couldn't miss two words of that sentence. There's going to be a next time?

********************

Dinner went by more smoothly than the ordering, and the girls soon found themselves back out in the cold. The bill had been as devastating as Makoto had expected, but she would worry about that later.

"It really is lovely out tonight," Ami smiled. "I'm…" she blushed a deep crimson, which made Makoto's heart skip a beat. "I'm glad I came."

"It doesn't have to end yet. We could go see a movie," Makoto offered. "But…this place kinda broke me."

"It's getting late anyway," Ami sighed as she looked up at the night sky outside the theatre. "I should probably be getting back. I don't want Mom to think you dragged me off to some party and got me drunk or something."

"Alright, I'll walk you home, then." Cautiously, Makoto slipped her hand around Ami's as they started to walk. Nervously at first, uncertain, but then when she felt Ami's hand coil back around hers, she started to squeeze it tighter. There was a quiet in the air as they walked. A stillness. Neither said anything; neither had to. Right now, walking hand in hand with Ami, Makoto was content in a way she hadn't experienced before. And Ami…she was starting to open up to something warm inside her, something unfamiliar, yet…nice. She couldn't place quite what it was, but she knew she was starting to like it.

"This is it," the pair stopped in front of the gate to the Mizuno household. Separating their hands, Ami turned for the gate, feeling the cold metal of it, but reluctant to open. There was something missing. Something she knew came here, but that—oh, right.

Looking back at Makoto, she smiled. "I really did have a great time tonight. Thank you." Releasing her hold on the gate, she leaned up on the balls of her feet to give Makoto a gentle kiss on the lips, much to the taller girl's surprise. It wasn't much, and it wasn't long, but it was enough to make Makoto's heart flutter like it hadn't in years. Trying not to let Makoto see her turn bright crimson, Ami turned and opened the gate. "Good night."

********************

Makoto made it home and closed the door to her apartment, before collapsing in relief on the couch. This night had started out as the perfect disaster, but…she really owed Minako one for encouraging her to go through with it. She felt tired, but she didn't really want to sleep. All she could do was keep replaying that one moment in her mind, at the gate to the Mizuno household, when Ami had kissed her.

She kissed me. She actually KISSED me.

As sleep finally came to claim her, she knew she'd be dreaming of nothing but Ami this night. And she couldn't be happier.

********************

"Everything went fine, mom," Ami smiled, climbing the stairs to her room. "I'm just…really tired tonight. But don't worry, I didn't meet a guy." This was, technically, true.

Closing the door, Ami sighed in relief that her mom hadn't caught her and Makoto just outside the gate. That wouldn't have been fun to explain, and she still wasn't certain how she felt about the whole thing. Makoto was a good friend, who she really enjoyed spending time with. She didn't know if she could really be more than friends with Makoto, but…she was willing to give it a try, at least. And she hadn't lied; tonight HAD been fun, once she got past the initial shock.

Laying down on her bed, she looked up at the ceiling and pondered. For the first night in years, she didn't need to find a good book to fall asleep with. She felt warm inside, and she couldn't quite place it, but something about it made her want more. She was scared, and she was uncertain, but…maybe there was something here. Maybe this could actually go somewhere. It was certainly worth a shot.