The entire cast of Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi. Bless her from the bottom of my little Yuri-loving fanficing heart... I wish they belonged to me though...sigh...
Authors Note: Just a cute Ami/Setsuna moment that popped into my head for no apparent reason and wouldn't go away. Enjoy!
What remained of the red goo inside the container was centrifugally smashed against the outside shell as the container spun round and round on its wobbly path. After a few rotations, the spinning slowed, and the bottle rested.
" All right! Move over Usagi, you're mine Mamoru!" Minako squealed with delight as the ketchup bottle in the center of the semi-circle of friends pointed his way. Ami watched from the sidelines with amusement as Usagi tackled Minako in an effort to keep Minako from her Prince and was consequently tackled by Rei who thought tormenting Usagi was one of life's greatest treasures.
It was Minako's 18th birthday and the party had started hours ago. Coinciding with Minako's interest in having a really really good time in life, Haruka had brought a gift of some hard liquor. At several parties in the past, soft alcohol like wine coolers had been drunk with vigor but as Minako had put it she was 'all growed up now thank you' and the proper present had been bestowed. As with all of the other celebrations, the drinks were passed all around, and the majority of the scouts were smashed to some degree or another. The protectors of the galaxy tended to let go, and let go hard. Haruka and Michiru usually stayed conscious and aware for longer because they drank more, and could handle liquor better than the newbie inners. Haruka quite often took advantage of the inebriation level of the others and had yet again brought a camera which she was now using gleefully to capture Minako's attempts to kiss Mamoru, Mamoru's attempt at escape, and the wrestling match that had erupted between Rei and Usagi. Makoto sat somewhere in the middle, torn between holding Mamoru down for Minako's sake, and holding Minako back for Mamoru's sake. For her own part, Ami stayed off to the side, content to watch.
Very rarely did she drink enough to be even tipsy, but since she had not been able to come up with a single class, assignment or test that she had to study for, she'd decided to let go and have fun. That, and Rei and threatened to torment her all night about Makoto if she didn't loosen up. With a sigh Ami watched Makoto happily take her turn spinning the bottle. It really wasn't spin the bottle that they were playing. In actuality it was a drunken mix of spin the bottle, truth or dare, and twister. Ami wasn't even sure what dictated what but watching the others figure it out was more than entertaining. Makoto's spin ended up pointing at the couch, which sent her, Minako, and Michiru to the Twister board.
As Ami watched everyone she realized that there was someone else she hadn't seen for a while. Setsuna came to pretty much every party, mostly because Haruka made her. Like Ami, she usually stayed on the side and sipped at a single drink the whole night. But Ami had noticed her knocking back just as many as Ami herself had. Looking around she saw the glass door to the balcony open and moved quietly and slowly around the perimeter of the room to the door. Peeking out she saw Setsuna leaning up against the railing, looking up at the stars. Glancing back at the others to make sure they were too preoccupied to notice her escape, she slipped outside and into the cool night air. Setsuna turned to see her visitor and smiled at Ami's slightly wobbly approach.
" Hello Ami-san."
" Hello Setsuna-san." Ami smiled and leaned up against the balcony railing next to Setsuna, taking a deep breath of the night air. The rush of oxygen left her woozy and she let her head rest on her hands until she could see straight again.
" Drink a little too much?" Setsuna teased and Ami just snorted." You're not usually the type to let loose like this Ami-san." Ami smiled and turned to look at the taller woman.
" Neither are you Setsuna-san." Setsuna just smiled back and they stood in comfortable silence for a few moments.
" So, what is going on in there anyway? Every once in a while there are loud shouts and squeals then laughter and it gets quiet again." Ami laughed at Setsuna's question.
" You know, I was trying to figure that out before I came out here. As best as I can tell, it's a highly evolved form of ritualistic challenges of bravery and courage incorporating a flexibility skill test all based on one's ability to master centrifugal force within a limited parameter." Ami's smile widened as Setsuna's eyes crossed trying to decipher what Ami had said. Pleased that she still had the ability to confound people like Setsuna even when drunk, she took pity on her. " They are playing a mix of spin the bottle that leads to truth or dare or Twister." Setsuna made a face in Ami's direction and she laughed, enjoying the freedom that alcohol gave her by lowering the inhibitions that normally kept her playful side in check.
" So, how come you aren't playing with them?" Setsuna asked and Ami shrugged, turning back to the stars.
" I don't know. Somehow making a fool of myself knowing that Haruka is taking pictures that she fully intends to use as blackmail doesn't seem like something I want to do." Setsuna shook her head. Haruka's pictures of the scout parties were practically famous, at least within their little group, and they were the main thing the girls feared after a party, hangovers came second. Setsuna watched Ami as the shorter girl stared up, her face not exactly the picture of ultimate happiness. Deciding that she was still technically wasted enough to have fun without feeling to bad about it in the morning, she put a smirk n her face.
" Are you sure that the real reason you don't want to play isn't that you haven't had your first kiss yet?" As predicted, Ami turned a bright red and Setsuna allowed herself to enjoy the feeling.
" Actually," Ami countered, doing her best to rid herself of her blush, " I've already had my first kiss." Setsuna raised her eyebrow.
" Oh really?" Ami did her best to keep a straight face for as long as she could but gave in quickly.
" Well, technically I have." She amended. It had been mortifying when it had happened, but it was now one of her most treasured memories. " Makoto-chan and I were walking down the street and she started walking backwards in front of me. She was really excited about some guy or something. Neither of us was paying attention and she walked right into a street lamp. The force knocked her forwards, right at me. Before I knew it we were lying in the middle of the sidewalk, her right on top of me. And we were, well, kissing." Ami grinned remembering how fast Makoto had turned red. Setsuna smiled too, letting Ami indulge in memories.
" I suppose that counts, but have you had one on purpose yet?" Ami flushed again but turned to face Setsuna, and leaned her elbow on the handrail.
" Ryo-chan tried to once in middle school, but I didn't let him." She admitted.
" Why not? I thought you two were quite interested in one another, at least back then." Setsuna watched Ami's face twist and it looked like she was considering something seriously. Then she looked off in the distance and started mumbling something. Setsuna was about to ask her to speak up when she realized that Ami was talking to herself on purpose. Setsuna was pretty sure Ami did that all the time anyway, but in her inebriated state, she was doing it aloud. It was kind of funny, listening to her go back and forth with different tones and facial expressions for each side of the apparent argument. Setsuna picked up Ami's next comment. Strangely, it sounded something like ' what would she care, she lives with Haruka-san.' With that, Ami took a deep breath and looked up at Setsuna. Setsuna put on a serious face as she had nearly been laughing at Ami's self-conversation.
" Honestly, the real reason that I wouldn't let him kiss me, is, well, I'm like Haruka-san and Michiru-san. Get it?" Setsuna raised her eyebrow again and fought the urge to say 'Well, duh.' Her musings were interrupted as Ami balled her fist and squinted at Setsuna. " And if you tell anyone, aside from Rei, so help me..." She threatened. Setsuna tried to hold onto her laughter. She really did. But taking a drunk and annoyed Ami that seriously over did it and Setsuna burst out into laughter. Ami growled. " Oi! I'm being serious!" That sent Setsuna into more laughter and she doubled up, holding onto her sides. Seeing Setsuna laugh harder than Ami ever had before alleviated her anger and the reasonable side of her brain kicked in and told her that Setsuna was not exactly a gossip risk. Once Setsuna had calmed down she crossed her heart and held up three fingers.
" Girl Scout's honor says I won't tell." She promised solemnly and Ami just made a face.
" Girl Scouts hold up two fingers, not three." She said dryly and Setsuna quickly changed her hand sign. Ami just rolled her eyes and leaned back against the railing. Setsuna followed her actions and they listened to the sounds of squealing coming from the room for a while. Ami broke the silence by tilting her head and regarding the taller senshi.
" What about you Setsuna-san?" She asked and Setsuna nearly choked. Her brain flew through a thousand different answers and she turned bright red at the personal question. She was about a give an answer, one that was evading and easily misconstrued until Ami continued with the question." Have you had your first kiss yet?" The blood all drained from Setsuna's cheeks and she sighed, letting out a breath.
" With how old I am? Of course I have." Setsuna smiled and shook her head, she couldn't believe she thought Ami would ask something like that. Ami cocked her head to the side.
" Who was your first kiss with?" She asked and Setsuna felt the breath catch in her throat. Sighing she looked out over the city lights and let herself remember. Her first kiss had been during Crystal Tokyo. It had been another scout party, or Princess Ball as they had been called then. Once again she had been a little drunk and had been thinking about how her crush didn't seem to regard her anything more than a friend. Then Ami had joined her out in the courtyard, equally drunk, and started to lament about how her crush didn't seem to notice her. One thing had lead to another, and a very nice, very good kiss had followed. Setsuna smiled at the memory.
" Well, naturally I played around a bit when I was younger. But actually Ami-san, my first real kiss was with the Sailor Mercury of Crystal Tokyo."
" With me?" Ami squeaked.
" Well, the you of the past." Setsuna corrected. Ami was silent and Setsuna just stared out at the city, remembering the past.
" Were, were..." Ami started hesitantly. Setsuna looked over at her but Ami kept her eyes on the floor, hands clasped in front of her. " Were you and I, the I of the past, were we, lovers?" She finally questioned and Setsuna quirked a smile.
"We messed around a bit, but no more than another of the other scouts. We were just, feeling sorry for ourselves because our respective crushes didn't really consider us romantic possibilities. And we were a little drunk. I guess we just, gave in. We both just wanted human contact, safety. We got tired of being lonely and just wanted to see what it was like. Especially since the others constantly reported how much fun it was." Ami couldn't help but smile. The others told her everyday how much fun it was to date and kiss and whatnot. It seemed as though history was repeating itself. A light bulb lit up in Ami's head. It was not the sort of idea she would have entertained had she been sober. In fact, if alcohol hadn't been directly involved, she was sure her brain would have stopped this route of thinking long ago. But then, what was the fun of drinking if you couldn't do things you wouldn't normally do? Carefully planning ahead in her mind, Ami put on a rueful face.
" I probably have it for the same person now as I did in the last life huh?" She mourned. Setsuna nodded and Ami sighed. " Do you have a crush on anyone Setsuna-san?" Setsuna regarded Ami thoughtfully before answering.
" I'm to old to have crushes." Ami made a face.
" Is there someone in whom you are particularly interested?" Ami rephrased and Setsuna stared at her for a moment more.
" Yes, there is." Ami nodded calmly and drew little patterns on the handrail for a few minutes.
" Is it the same person as in Crystal Tokyo?" She asked innocently. Setsuna frowned a bit.
" Yes, actually it is..." She trailed off as Ami looked up at her. The blue-haired genius was flushing but there was a fire in her eyes that reminded Setsuna of the night so long ago.
" Isn't it interesting that here we are, 1000 years later, both at party, separated from everyone else, slightly drunk, staring up at the stars again?" She moved a few steps closer and Setsuna tried to calm her breathing. " And that we both just happen to be interested in the same people, and be in the same position with them as last time?" Setsuna nodded slowly as Ami stopped right in front of her, head tilted up to met her eyes. " One could almost say history was repeating itself."
" One could say that." Setsuna whispered and moved closer. She stared down at Ami's face, slightly flushed, soft sparkling eyes, lips parted just a little. Slowly Setsuna raised her hand and her eyes followed its path as it lightly traced up Ami's arm and ran it through the girl's hair. She pulled her arm in, tilting Ami's head up and angling it to the side. Slowly she lowered her own head, tilting it opposite Ami's. Her lids drooped as she focused on Ami's lips, now inches from her own. Quickly she darted her tongue out, licking her own lips before titling down until she could feel their breaths mingle. A quick look up told her that Ami had already closed her eyes and was waiting for Setsuna. She moved forward hesitantly, then closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against Ami's. She was flooded with heat and she felt her knees go weak. Ami's lips were warm and soft under her own and she increased the pressure. She felt Ami's lips part slightly and was tempted to keep going. But she knew that Ami's crush would eventually give in and she didn't want to rob Ami of her first really serious kiss. Slowly she pulled back and Ami leaned back too, as she had been standing on her toes to reach Setsuna. They stood there, foreheads resting against each other, eyes still closed. When her breathing had returned to normal, Setsuna looked up to see Ami's blue eyes staring back at her. A bit breathily Ami asked,
" Was that, like last time, Setsuna-san?" Setsuna closed her eyes briefly then smiled and looked back at Ami.
" Yes, it very much was Ami-san." Ami smiled and closed her eyes again, content to stand and rest for a moment. Setsuna's ears caught noises however and she turned to face the sliding door.
" Where did they disappear too?" Minako asked.
" I don't know. But we at least need Ami-chan for the next game." Rei added. Ami sprang back from Setsuna just as the door opened and Makoto poked her head out.
" Hey, there you guys are." She opened the door all the way and Minako stumbled past her, falling pretty much onto Ami.
" Geeze, we thought you'd up and left. But now that you're here again, you can come and play with us. It'll be more fun to dare someone who gets embarrassed anyway."
" Yeah. Minako-chan's way to willing to take it all off." Rei teased and Minako promptly engaged her in a tongue war. Makoto dropped an arm over Ami's shoulders and guided her back into the house after Rei and Minako.
" What were you doing out here anyway Ami-chan?" Ami smiled up at Makoto.
" Just looking at the stars." She answered. Setsuna watched them retreat and sighed softly.
Behind the window Haruka hid a smile and shut her camera phone.
The next morning Setsuna sipped at her coffee. Thankfully her longer life had allowed her more drinking opportunities, and a bigger resistance to hangovers. Hers was minimal but after a run-in with a very grouchy pre-coffee Michiru, she was extremely glad for her resistance. She was fully expecting Haruka to be worse off, and Haruka hated mornings anyway. So, when Haruka practically bounced into the kitchen, Setsuna knew something was wrong. For one thing, Haruka never bounced unless she was very happy about something. And it usually meant doom for one of the scouts. Though she could have gotten some good pictures from the party, they would have had to be incredible for this level of perkiness. She watched Haruka suspiciously as the blonde made herself a cup of coffee and sat down across from Setsuna. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Haruka pulled out a package and slid it over to Setsuna.
" Would you like to look at the pictures I got from last night?" She asked innocently and Setsuna smirked. So it was blackmail pictures.
" No thanks, I'm good." She answered and Haruka shrugged, standing up.
" Are you sure? I got some really good pictures of the stars." She said and Setsuna froze. She looked up at Haruka slowly and the tall senshi grinned playfully. " Go ahead and keep any that you like." She added and walked out of the kitchen, coffee cup in hand. Setsuna looked at the bundle of pictures with a mixture of apprehension, fear, and excitement. She opened the package and took out the stack of photos. She couldn't help the smile that cam to her face as she saw pictures of the girls posing together sailor moon style. Pictures of the group, several of what looked to be a very complicated Twister game, and kisses between pretty much everyone save for herself and Ami. Several of what looked like Mamoru running from Minako, and then some of Rei and Usagi in a wrestling match. She flipped to the next one and her heart leapt. It was a picture of her and Ami standing together out on the balcony looking up at the stars. Setsuna turned to the next one to see herself and Ami standing pre-kiss. Ami's eyes were closed and her head was tilted up slightly. Setsuna had her hand behind Ami's head and was only millimeters away. The next two pictures were of the kiss, beautifully taken, and the last one was right afterward as they rested against each other. Setsuna laughed and nearly cried looking at them. She pulled the photos out and wrapped the rest up. Standing she turned to run out of the kitchen, nearly running over Michiru who had just come down from her shower. Michiru watched in confusion as a very uncharacteristic Setsuna threw her arms around Haruka and hugged her tight. Haruka was laughing and patting her back saying, "No, go ahead it's okay. You're welcome." Finally Setsuna walked calmly back into the kitchen and sat down. Haruka stood in the doorway and Michiru walked over to her, cocking her head to the side.
" What was that all about?" She asked her lover and Haruka just grinned.
" Setsuna-san just wanted some of the pictures I took last night." She smiled down at Michiru who
was looking between her and Setsuna.
" Setsuna-san wanted some of the pictures you took? That can't be good." Haruka made a face.
" Hey, I'm not that bad." Michiru was about to answer when Setsuna interrupted.
" No, you're not that bad. You're the kindest person I've ever met." Haruka nodded in triumph and Michiru's jaw dropped. Setsuna put her cup in the sink and hugged Haruka again as she walked out the door.
" Thank you again for the pictures." She said and Haruka grinned and leaned up against the doorframe.
" Like I said, it's really no big deal." She waited patiently as Setsuna walked past and was almost out of earshot and added, " Besides, I have plenty of copies."