A Time for Lovers

by A Writer of Fact and Fiction

Ami and Ryo take Makoto and Minako on what the girls hope will be a romantic and very intimate weekend with their boyfriends in Nerima. This story comes after 'Shrine Duty'.

A Time for Lovers

Ami and Ryo take Makoto and Minako on what the girls hope will be a romantic and very intimate weekend with their boyfriends in Nerima.

This story takes place the following weekend after 'Shrine Duty' and is rated M.

. . . . .

Chapter 1:

"Let me get that for you, Minako-chan" Ryo offered. Always the perfect young gentleman, the fifteen-year-old reached into the trunk of the small blue sedan and lifted out the last piece of luggage, resting it on the ground in front of the bubbly blonde. "Here you are."

"Arigatou, Ryo-chan." The golden-haired girl gave the boy a grateful thank-you smile as she collected her suitcase at the rear of Ami's car. "My bag must be a lot lighter than Ami's or yours. You can probably tell there aren't any school books in it!"

"Well... to be honest" Ryo admitted in his usual shy manner, "I didn't bring any textbooks with me on this trip." The boy added, "And judging from how light Ami-chan's case is, there aren't too many books inside hers either."

"Well, there is one book" Ami confessed. "I simply couldn't bear to leave home without bringing along something new to learn, Minako-chan. Even if... it may never get opened all weekend" the blue-haired girl murmured with a faint blush.

Minako pressed a button on the top of her small wheeled case and extended its telescopic handle upward. "Oh? What's this I'm hearing?" she gasped in exaggerated astonishment. "Mizuno Ami and Urawa Ryo are planning on spending a whole, entire weekend without studying their lessons? I'm shocked!" She winked mischievously at the couple. "Unless, of course, you'll be studying something you're already familiar with. Or should I say..." she giggled, "someone!"

"Minako-chan!" Ami closed the trunk of her car as an excuse to turn away, hiding her rapidly growing blush. "It seems like you can never resist any opportunity to embarrass us!" she spoke, unable to hide her happy smile. "Sometimes I'm sure you say those things just to see how red you can make our faces. I'm beginning to think it's all just a game you and Rei enjoy playing!" She took her boyfriend's hand in hers and the trio walked up to Makoto's old house.

"With any luck" Minako said wistfully as they climbed the three steps to the front door, "that will be a game we can all play after this weekend!" She entered the foyer first and kicked off her shoes. "Mako-chan!" she yelled out. "Did you call the boys yet?" Minako rolled her luggage into the living room and temporarily abandoned it there, hurrying into the kitchen where the brunette had wasted no time in dialing the Ito residence. Makoto had the phone to her ear and waved Minako into silence.

"Gomen! I didn't realize you were still on the phone!" the blonde whispered.

Makoto covered the mouthpiece with one hand. "I was just speaking to their mother. She's gone to get them now."

"Let me talk to Taro!" Minako begged, fidgeting impatiently. "Please!"

"Hold on. You'll get your chance." Makoto turned her full attention back to the telephone as Yuji's voice came on the line. "Yuji-chan! Guess who?" The brunette laughed as she listened to her boyfriend's excited reply. "No, you and Taro don't need to take the train to Tokyo... because we're here, that's why! Hai, at the house! Ami was kind enough to drive us out for the weekend." She listened a little more before saying a quick goodbye to Yuji and hanging up, smiling happily.

"Where was my chance to talk?" Minako muttered, frowning. "Isn't Taro at home?"

"You don't need to speak to him on the phone because they'll both be over in about an hour" Makoto informed her friend.

"An hour? That's perfect!" Minako's blue eyes lit up brightly, and Makoto couldn't help but laugh at her friend's love-sick expression, though she knew her own face probably appeared the exact same way.

"Do you think you can manage to wait that long, Minako-chan?" Makoto teased her.

"No! But at least it gives me enough time to unpack and freshen up!" The elated girl shot from the kitchen, grabbed her bag and began dragging it up the stairs to her room, the suitcase bouncing wildly behind her as its wheels bounded over each step. Half way up, she suddenly froze and spun around. "Mako-chan, I really need my own bedroom this weekend! Uh... you know... just in case!"

"I was thinking of that too" Makoto said as she walked over to retrieve her luggage. "Since Usagi and Rei aren't staying with us this time, you can help yourself to either of their rooms."

"Arigatou, Mako-chan" the blonde said, her smile growing ever wider. "I like how you're always thinking of others!"

"I wasn't just thinking of you" came the brunette's tongue-in-cheek admission, causing a smirk to appear on Minako's pretty face. "Well... like you said" Makoto grinned up at her as she followed her friend upstairs, "just in case!"

In Ami and Ryo's bedroom, Ryo overheard Makoto and Minako's conversation and spoke quietly to his girl, keeping his voice low. "It sounds like we may not be the only ones who have plans to... um... 'study' this weekend, Ami darling."

"You may be right, my love" the blue-haired girl replied as she finished hanging a change of clothing in their closet. "This trip will probably be very different than the last time, without Usagi and Rei here to constantly bicker with each other the way they do. In fact, I'm quite sure..." she added, turning away from the closet and reaching out toward their bedroom door, "...this weekend will be much more... intimate. For everyone involved." She gave their door a light push closed. "Wouldn't you agree, my Ryo-kun?"

Her soft blue eyes shone alluringly, radiating the boundless love she felt toward her handsome young man. She took a few steps closer and slipped her arms snugly around him. "And I hope we can make this weekend together as... personal... as we possibly can" she whispered coyly to him.

"Hai. I hope so too, Ami my love" Ryo agreed with a sweet, shy smile. He could feel Ami's soft, warm breath on his cheek and smell the subtle, fragrant scent of her perfume as she drew him closer into her embrace. His arms wrapped gently around her slender waist and with their eyes slowly closing, the two teenager's parted lips came together ever so gently.

"Why don't you take Rei's room?" Makoto's voice echoed from the hallway as their friends reached the top of the stairs.

"Mako-chan, I'd rather not" Minako said. "After what happened at the shrine last week, I don't think it would be a very good idea."

"What's the matter, Minako-chan?" the brunette chuckled. "Are you worried Rei will somehow know you're staying in her room, and use her psychic powers to telepathically yell at you all the way from Tokyo? Or even worse, she'll get her revenge for all those shrine disasters Usagi and you caused by spoiling your romantic plans with Taro?"

"No, silly! But... do you think she could really do that?" Minako gasped. Remembering all too well the problems she had recently caused the miko at the Hikawa Jinja, she didn't wait for an answer. "I'm taking Usagi's room!" Minako decisively announced. "I don't want anything to ruin this weekend with Taro-chan. And that includes Rei and her spooky Shinto stuff!"

On the other side of the door, Ami and Ryo broke off their kiss as Ami suddenly started giggling.

"What's giving you a case of the giggles, Ami-chan?" Ryo smiled. "You don't really believe Rei could do anything like that, do you?"

"I don't think so, Ryo-kun, but you must admit, it would be quite humorous if she could!" his girlfriend said, still tittering as he held her close.

"You know what else is funny, my love?" Ryo asked, picking up on his girlfriend's playful mood. "I'm convinced Yuji and Taro have no idea what kind of... uh... amorous plans the girls have in mind for them this weekend. I think Minako and Makoto have long passed the stage in their relationships where they'll be happy with just a quick hug and a good-night kiss from their boyfriends."

Ami nodded. "I believe you're right, Ryo-kun. And speaking as a girl who knows just how wonderful it is to find her one true love, I'll be so happy for them if their wishes do come true. But for now..." she softly whispered to the young teenage boy in her embrace, "where were we?"

. . . . .

With the last of the wedding guests finally exiting the shrine's grounds, Rei strolled across the courtyard to check up on her grandfather. The elderly priest stood beside the ancient structure, chatting with an old friend who happened to be another Shinto priest from a shrine in the nearby Shinagawa ward of Tokyo. "Ojii-chan, you've had a very busy morning" she reminded the diminutive old man gently but firmly. "You promised me you wouldn't overdo it today. Why don't you and Hyogo-sensei continue your conversation inside the house? I don't like seeing you on your feet so much."

"Your granddaughter certainly watches you closely, Hino-san!" the other priest observed. "And considering that scare you gave everyone, I certainly don't blame her."

Rei's grandfather casually waved away his friend's concern. "Sometimes it seems like I'm being watched a little too carefully these days, Hyogo-san" he laughed. "There really is no need. I feel completely fine now" he insisted.

"I knew you'd say something like that, old friend" the other elderly priest said. He turned his attention to the young miko. "These last days must have been quite stressful for you, Rei-chan. And for Yuuichirou as well. It shows. That level of stress isn't healthy for a girl your age."

"It was, Hyogo-sensei" Rei agreed, "but only because my grandfather can be so frustratingly stubborn when it comes to taking proper care of himself. He still acts like a teenager at times!"

"I know exactly what you mean" the second priest said. "He's been that way as long as I've known him. That's why I've taken the liberty of arranging for a little extra help for your grandfather this weekend."

"Oh? And what would that be, Michio-san?" Hino-sensei asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're both aware that I'm hardly an invalid!" he protested.

"Rei-chan" Hyogo Michio told the girl, "you look like you need a break from all this non-stop grandfather-watching you've been doing this last week or so. That's another reason why I've instructed both of my apprentices to spend their weekend here at the Hikawa Jinja with your grandpa. It will give you a chance to stop acting like a nurse, and allow you to enjoy your weekend without any further worries. There's no need to concern yourself in the least about him. My people are very reliable. They'll make sure he gets enough rest and takes his medicine on time. You know, I worry about the old coot too!" he laughed.

"Who's an old coot?" Hino-sensei muttered, feigning offense.

"Arigatou, Hyogo-sensei." Rei was grateful for the offer, but she could not bear the thought of not being with her grandfather after his recent mild heart attack. "I appreciate the thought, but if it's all the same with you, I'd still like to stay here with my Ojii-chan."

"Rei-chan, I understand and appreciate how much you care for my health, but to be frank, having you watch my every move all week has gotten... a little unnerving" her grandfather told her. "If Michio has gone to all this trouble for me, why don't you make the most of it?"

Rei appeared doubtful. "I don't think I could, Ojii-chan."

"You misunderstand me, granddaughter" Hino-sensei informed her. "I'm not asking, I'm telling! Why don't you get away from all this stress you've been under, at least for a little while. I overheard you talking to Yuuichirou earlier about another trip your friends were taking to Nerima this weekend. How about this idea, you and Yuuichirou can use the van and leave the shrine for a day or two. Go spend some time with your friends in Makoto's home in the country. Have a good time. And please stop worrying about me every waking minute!"

"Well..."

"That sounds like an order to me, Rei-chan!" Michio grinned. "Go ahead and enjoy your weekend. We'll look after your grandfather while you're gone."

---

Chapter 2:

Not far away at the Tsukino residence, Usagi lay sprawled across her bed with an opened manga resting atop her school book. She idly flipped through its pages with a long sigh.

"Something bothering you, Usagi-chan?" Luna leapt onto the corner of the bed and tapped one paw sternly against the comic book. "This isn't part of your homework, young lady!"

"I can't help it if I'm feeling so bored!" Usagi whined. "I'm so bored, I'm re-reading this old manga that I've read a million times before! It's so dull in here, even my schoolwork is beginning to look interesting!"

"And so it should. You'll be starting a new grade in a month or so" Luna reminded her. "The lessons will become much tougher then. You'll have to work a lot harder than you did last year."

"Don't remind me!" Usagi sighed again and flipped both books closed. "I wish Mamo-chan would call, we haven't hardly talked in two whole days! Stupid university classes, taking up all his valuable time when he should be spending it with me."

"Two days? My goodness, how do you manage to cope?" the dark-colored guardian cat teased the girl in her high-pitched, sarcastic tone.

"Stop nagging me, Luna!" Usagi yelled at her mentor before shifting to the edge of her bed. She sat up, tossing a pencil she had been holding onto her desk. "Rei-chan is helping with a wedding at her shrine and everyone else is at Mako-chan's house in Nerima. Life's just not fair!" Getting to her feet, she began digging in her study desk's drawer, pulling out random coins and several paper yen notes.

"I thought you were saving that money" Luna grumbled. "If you squander it all on junk food, you'll be whining to me later about how broke you are."

"This isn't for food" Usagi replied. "Well, not all of it." Hunched over her desk, she tallied the small pile of cash and made a quick calculation. "Let's see, it's seven yen per kilometer plus the basic charge... oh, and I'll need to buy a return ticket too... which works out to..." Her forehead wrinkled as she mentally added the numbers, then abruptly straightened up, grinning happily at the cat. "I have enough!"

"Enough for what?" Luna eyed the blonde suspiciously.

"Enough to take the train to Nerima! Maybe I can find a bus that passes Mako-chan's house and spare myself the long walk from the Nerima train station" she mused. "At least I won't have to sit here bored completely out of my skull until Monday!"

"Usagi-chan, I was under the impression that this weekend get-together at Makoto's home is for couples! The other girls certainly won't want you hovering around alone. Especially without Mamoru-san there to keep your impulses in check. Please reconsider!"

"Luna, don't give it another thought! I promise I won't get in anyone's way. I'll just do whatever I can think of to make everyone's romantic getaway even better!" Having convinced herself, Usagi quickly scooped the money into her small pink purse.

"Where have I heard that before?" Luna groaned. "Usagi-chan, you're going to spoil their weekend!" she warned.

"Me? The life of the party? That's ridiculous!" Usagi glared stubbornly at the feline as she slipped the strap of her purse over a shoulder. "You know something, Luna? For a cat, you worry too much!"

. . . . .

"Are they here yet?" Minako blurted as she flew down the stairs. Stopping beside her friend who was kneeling at the fireplace, she reached up and adjusted the bright red bow adorning her long blonde hair. "Mako-chan, how do I look?"

"Like an orange and red typhoon!" the brunette joked after a quick glance up at her. "Don't act so hyper, Minako-chan. Taro will think you've gone insane!"

"But I am crazy! Crazy in love!" she swooned.

Makoto shook her head in mock disbelief. "That's it. I'm officially going on the record and pronouncing you just as bad as Ami! On second thought, you're much worse. At least Ami still behaves like a normal person. Here, help me get this fire going, it's still a little chilly downstairs."

"Good idea, Mako-chan! A nice fire will help make the house so much more romantic!"

"Right now, that's the last thing you need!" Makoto scoffed as she carefully stacked pieces of wood in place. "A cold shower would be a lot more suitable for someone in your condition! Minako-chan, would you mind pulling your head out of the clouds long enough to bring me the matches and that old newspaper from the kitchen? I need something to start the fire with."

"I could use my Crescent Be-"

"No! Don't even think about it, Minako-chan! I like this old house and would be more than a little upset if you blew it up!" the brunette warned her friend with a stern look.

"Just kidding!" Minako giggled.

. . . . .

Walking briskly along a quiet country road, two teenage boys talked excitedly about the upcoming day as they each carried a gift for their girlfriends. "So I have a bouquet of flowers and you have a box of chocolates" Yuji said. "Not exactly breathtaking presents are they? I wish we had something a little more special to bring the girls. It feels like forever since we were together last."

"I know" Taro replied. "Minako has a sweet tooth, so the chocolates will hopefully be appropriate for her. You mentioned that Makoto likes flowers and gardening?"

"Hai. She does" Yuji answered. "Mako-chan loves flowers. She said if she gets the chance, she's going to plant whole bunches around her house later this spring. But I still wish we had something nicer to give them. Which reminds me, do you still have the money to take everyone out to dinner this evening?"

His brother rechecked his wallet. "Got it right here" he affirmed. "No problem." As they walked on, Taro reflected, "I still have trouble with the idea that we've fallen in love with girls who are actually Sailor Senshi. We're just a couple of regular guys. Sometimes I wonder what they could possibly see in us."

"I've given that a lot of thought, Taro. The way I look at it, I'm in love with Makoto, not Sailor Jupiter. And it's Mako-chan who likes me. I know they're the same person, but I honestly try not to dwell too much on the girls' other identities. Too much worry if I do."

His brother nodded in agreement. "Same here. I'd feel exactly the same way about Minako if she was a normal girl. The fact that she also happens to be Sailor Venus is... something extra, I guess. But I can't help thinking that the girls were most likely in their Senshi form when we fell in love with them the first time, way back in the Moon Kingdom era."

"I wonder what life was like, back in those days" Yuji pondered. "With Usagi as the Moon Princess and the other girls as Sailor Senshi and princesses of her inner court. It's incredible!"

"Isn't it?" his brother agreed. "Maybe we were brothers back then too" Taro grinned. "But I hope not!" he added jokingly. "One life is enough to live with you in the same family!"

"Thanks a lot, Taro-chan!" Yuji laughed at his sibling's tease. As they neared the old house, their excitement mounted at the thought of seeing the girls they loved once more.

. . . . .

"Do you still have that house key Makoto gave you?" Yuuichirou asked as he and Rei walked outside to their transportation. "They may be out somewhere when we arrive."

"Hai, I have it" Rei said. "It was really nice of Mako-chan to have keys made for everyone. She's about the kindest, most unselfish person I've ever known."

"Uh, speaking of everyone... aren't you going to ask Usagi if she wants to come along?" Yuuichirou asked Rei. "She'll be really upset if she thinks we forgot about her."

"Yuuichirou-chan, there's no way on earth I can ever forget about that girl!" Rei muttered. "Though there are some days I've tried very hard to!" She slid into the van's passenger seat and fastened her safety belt. "Anyway, I called her house" she continued as Yuuichirou took his place at the wheel. "Her mother said she wasn't at home. I guess this is my lucky day!" the miko gloated.

"Rei-chan, don't be like that! Usagi is a really good friend."

"I know she is, my love. And she certainly means well, even if disaster seems to follow her everywhere she goes." Rei smiled sweetly at her boyfriend as he started the engine. "Can I drive?"

"Not yet, my sweet" Yuuichirou told her. "You don't have your provisional license yet. I promise I'll take you out for practice lessons the moment you get it." He gave his girlfriend a sly grin, adding, "Even though I know you've been sneaking out in the middle of the night sometimes and driving the van around the block."

"You knew?" Rei was stunned. "How could you?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out, my love. I was beginning to wonder why the van was always so low on gas. You're lucky, though. If they ever catch you, you'll get a ticket. And if I know my Rei-chan, it'll probably be for speeding!" he laughed.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew I was driving?" the surprised miko asked him. "I can see you're very good at keeping secrets, my love. So..." she asked him coyly, "what other secrets do you know about me?"

"Oh... lots of things, my sweet, beautiful shrine maiden" Yuuichirou replied nonchalantly as he eased the small white van into early-afternoon traffic. "Including some... personal things... very personal, you might say!" he grinned, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

"You're so bad, Yuuichirou-chan! That must be one of the reasons why I love you so much." Rei reached behind and straightened her long raven hair. "Well, I guess I'll just have to content myself with practicing other things for now. Like... you know..."

"Rei-chan, please! I'm trying to drive!" her boyfriend chuckled, doing his best to keep his mind on the road.

. . . . .

"Gomen nasai. Could you please tell me which track has the noon train that goes to Nerima?" Usagi asked the railway attendant.

"Nerima? Sorry, miss. That train left the station three minutes ago."

"Nani?" Usagi checked her wristwatch and peered up at the large clock that hung on the station's wall. "Ohh! My watch is running slow!"

"Don't worry, there'll be another train leaving for Nerima in about an hour" the man said from within his booth. "You can catch that one. Is this ticket to be one-way, or return?"

"Return, please" Usagi grumbled. "Stupid watch!"

---

Chapter 3:

Yuji reached for the doorbell button and pressed it, hiding the flowers behind his back as the chime sounded. He grinned at Taro as the boys heard two sets of footsteps rapidly approaching the door. "Sounds like someone missed us!" he managed to say, just before the door flew open. Makoto had reached for the doorknob first, only to be beaten to the punch by Minako.

"Konnichi-wmmm" Taro's attempt at a greeting was muffled by Minako's lips as she stepped through the doorway, flung her arms around her boyfriend and kissed him deeply. Makoto took a slightly more conservative route, allowing Yuji the chance to finish saying hello to her before he too found himself held wonderfully captive in his girlfriend's warm embrace.

Makoto savored Yuji's soft, tender kiss, and after their lips finally parted, the sixteen-year-old boy shyly presented her with the bouquet of flowers. "These are for you, Mako-chan. I hope you like them."

"Arigatou, Yuji-chan! They're beautiful!" Makoto exclaimed at the pleasant surprise.

"And I brought you these, my Minako-chan" Taro said, giving her the chocolates after their kiss.

"You are so sweet, Taro-chan! I love these! Arigatou!" Minako gave him another hug before the two couples entered the house. The new arrivals greeted Ami and Ryo who stood up and bowed from where they were sitting on the sofa.

"It's great to see you both again" Taro said to the pair after his return bow. "I guess you'll be using the peace and quiet up here to catch up on your studying this weekend." Puzzled by their sudden deep blush at his innocent remark, as well as the faint snickering that followed from Minako and Makoto, he asked, "What's so funny, Minako-chan?"

"Never mind!" She placed her chocolates on the coffee table while Makoto went to find a suitable holder for her flowers.

Sitting on the sofa, the blonde patted a spot on the seat close beside her. "Please sit here, Taro-chan." Her boyfriend obliged, stretching his arms along the top of the sofa cushions after sitting down. Minako impulsively reached out and pulled one of his arms snugly around her shoulder. "There! That's much better!" she said, leaning back and snuggling closer to him.

Makoto returned with the flowers in a slender glass vase and placed them on the piano. "These beautiful flowers are just what this house really needed, Yuji-chan! Some of nature's own color." She promptly joined him at the opposite end of the sofa from Ami and Ryo.

"Pretty flowers for a very pretty and very special lady" Yuji said, smiling happily at his girl. "I missed you so much last week, Mako-chan."

"You were never out of my thoughts, Yuji-chan. If I could, I would have phoned you every single night. Can you and Taro spend the whole day with us?" Makoto asked hopefully. "I do hope your parents aren't expecting you to be home early."

"We're yours for the whole weekend, if you don't get tired of having us around" Yuji grinned.

Ami exhaled a subtle giggle at Minako's reaction as the blonde absorbed this most welcome piece of news. "Mako-chan and I won't ever feel tired when Taro and you are with us!" she insisted, an impish smile on her lips. "At least, not in... that way."

"Minako-chan! Behave yourself!" Makoto chided her. The two brother's eyes widened and they quickly glanced at one another, wondering what Minako could have possibly meant.

. . . . .

Rei clicked on her portable radio and soft music filled the van, but Yuuichirou knew from the expression on her face that she wasn't really listening to it. "You're still worrying about your grandfather, aren't you?" he noted as he drove along. "Me too, Rei-chan. But we both should remember that he's a lot tougher than he looks. He'll be fine" he reassured the girl as he signaled before pulling onto the expressway that would take them to Nerima. "Take old Doctor Yuuichirou's advice. You should make the most of this weekend and try to lose some of that stress you've built up inside."

"Doctor Yuuichirou?" Rei mocked him playfully. "Did Ojii-chan promote you from Shinto apprentice to doctor today? What will you be tomorrow, the Emperor of Japan?" But the humor in her voice quickly faded and the miko's tone again became somber. "I know I probably worry far too much about him" the fifteen-year-old girl admitted. "But Ojii-chan is the only real family I have left. My chichi certainly isn't anything close to being family."

Yuuichirou couldn't miss the bitterness in her voice at the mention of her father. "I detect a lot of resentment there, my love. Don't let your father or anything else in life get you down. And don't forget, you'll always have me."

"I know" Rei replied quietly, her mood slowly beginning to brighten. "You've been a wonderful shoulder to lean on, Yuuichirou-chan. And more than that" she smiled at him, "so very much more. I truly love you. Sometimes I feel guilty about the difficult time I gave you when you first started at the shrine. I'm sorry for that."

"Please don't apologize, my sweet. You managed to put up with me during those first few weeks, and for that I'll be forever grateful. Plus, it gave us enough time together for you to realize what a fantastic guy I really am!" the teenager laughed. "I mean, how could any girl resist your Yuuichirou's charms?"

"Well, everyone else had better resist!" Rei declared. "Or else they'll be facing a good hot blast of Fire Soul from your very jealous girlfriend!"

"I'm very sure that will never be necessary!" Yuuichirou chuckled. "Anyway, I have the most wonderful woman in the world sitting right here beside me. I hope that when I'm old and grey, you'll still be right there by my side."

"Hai. I will" Rei said softly.

"That's good! Then I can change places with you and I won't always have to drive!"

"Yuuichirou-chan! You really know how to kill the mood!" Rei groaned.

"Just kidding, my love! I was only kidding!"

"You are the absolute worst!" the miko proclaimed. "But I love you anyway." Rei took his free hand in hers and softly squeezed it. "More than I could ever put into words. And you're all mine."

"That I am, my love. All yours."

. . . . .

"How has life in the big city been since we were there last?" Taro asked the quiet couple to his right. "I hope those monsters didn't come back!"

"According to my calculations, we've almost certainly seen the last of Beryl's youma" Ami replied confidently. "Those creatures we encountered that day you and Yuji visited Tokyo were most likely the final surviving beings of the Dark Kingdom."

"How in the world did you manage to fight off... what was it? Dozens of those things?" Yuji asked the pretty brunette who sat close beside him, holding his hand. "All while keeping your identities secret and living everyday life as normal schoolgirls. It must have been incredibly difficult for all of you. I'm so glad that it's over now!" With the frightening memories still fresh in his mind of what had happened to the three boys the last time he was in Tokyo, Yuji shuddered visibly. "Crossing paths with even one youma was more than enough for me!"

"I'm glad too, Yuji-chan" Makoto agreed. "Now that life seems to be getting back into a regular routine, we have the chance to think of and do other things."

"Hai! Like... finally finding our soul mates and falling in love!" Minako interjected, her outgoing, bubbly personality and sparkling eyes warming Taro's heart. "I wish we had met much sooner, Taro-chan. All those lonely days... and nights" she sighed.

"Have no fear, my darling Minako-chan" Taro said to her. "Yuji and I are here now, and you and Mako-chan will never be lonely again" he vowed, quickly adding with a grin, "Unless you grow tired of us and send us home, of course!"

"Speaking of home..." Minako said, smiling sweetly at Taro in that special way of hers that always made his heart melt, "Mako-chan and I were going to suggest that you and Yuji... uh... stay over at the house tonight."

"Here? All night?" A very shy Ito Yuji gulped nervously at the thought.

"You don't have to stay if it makes you feel uncomfortable, Yuji-chan" Makoto said. "Minako and I were just thinking... it would... ah... you know... save you that long chilly walk home in the dark."

"Hai! In the dark!" Minako added. "It's so dark out there at night!"

"Minako-chan, it's supposed to be dark then!" Makoto chuckled. "That's why they call it 'night' after all."

"Yes, well... would you?" the blonde asked her boyfriend again in her most sugary-sweet voice, her eyelids fluttering coyly. "It would be so romantic! And we'll make very sure that you stay nice and warm all night long!"

"Well... I think Yuji and I can stay over" Taro agreed, as it finally began to dawn on his brother and him just what their girlfriends had in mind.

Renewed giggling from the usually reserved blue-haired girl at the end of the sofa caused Makoto and Minako to turn their heads and stare at her. "Ami-chan, what could possibly be scratching your funny bone?" Minako asked, almost too innocently.

"Don't you mean tickling, not scratching, Minako-chan?" Makoto asked. "As you've noticed by now, Taro-chan, Minako has her own unique way with words. You'll get used to it eventually."

Ami tried in vain to politely hide her ongoing giggle behind her hand, before finally giving up and suggesting, "You can always borrow that book I brought along, Minako-chan. That is, if you and Taro need something to help with your... studying."

"Ami-chan!" Ryo gasped.

"Mako-chan, you've corrupted poor Ami's mind!" Minako scolded the brunette.

"Me? I corrupted her mind?" Makoto blurted. "Minako-chan, you really are unbelievable!"

"Arigatou, Mako-chan!" Minako beamed happily.

"I didn't mean that in a nice way!" the brunette muttered. Giving up on her friend, Makoto asked the little group, "Would anyone like something to eat or drink? Just a snack for now, though. I'll make us dinner later."

"Mako-chan, my love, though I'd crawl to Tokyo on my hands and knees to taste your delicious cooking again, tonight you don't have to work in your kitchen. Taro and I want to take you out to dinner in Nerima. That includes Ami and Ryo too, of course." Seeing his girlfriend hesitate as she worried about how much it would cost the boys, he added, "We insist."

. . . . .

Usagi plopped herself down in a window seat on the half-empty afternoon train to Nerima. 'A whole hour wasted!' she fumed as the train pulled out of the station. 'Waiting at that railway station was even more boring then sitting at home!' Looking out the window, another thought occurred to her. 'Hmm... I wonder if I should let the girls know that I'm coming?' She removed her communicator from her purse before deciding against it. 'On second thought, why should I? That would just ruin the big surprise!'

. . . . .

Driving along the expressway, Rei looked with alarm at Yuuichirou as the steering wheel suddenly began shaking in his hands. An odd thumping noise accompanied the vibrations and the teen immediately began slowing down.

"What's wrong?" Rei asked.

"I'm afraid we have a flat tire, darling" Yuuichirou said, easing the van onto the shoulder of the road. "Not to worry. I'll have it changed in no time" he promised.

"Wonderful" Rei grumbled. "Too bad Usagi or Minako isn't here" she joked. "Then I'd have someone to blame it on!"

"These things happen, honey. You stay right where you are, and we'll be back on the road again in a few minutes." Yuuichirou got out and went looking for the spare tire and needed tools. True to his word, five minutes later he climbed back inside. "All done!" he announced.

"Your hands are covered in dirt!" Rei found a tissue in her purse and carefully began wiping them off for him.

"Rei-chan, you're spoiling me! And I love it!"

"What's wrong with me wanting to take good care of my man?" Rei asked. After a little more wiping, she said, "That's the best I can do. We'll stop at the next gas station and you can wash your hands properly there. I don't want the steering wheel of my van getting all filthy."

"But of course, my love. Your humble chauffeur will happily obey your every command" her boyfriend chuckled, giving her a silly, awkward bow from his seat. "Anything to please my girl."

"Good. Because I'll have a few more 'commands' for you later tonight" she smiled teasingly at him. "You can please me even more then."

"Rei-chan, I can't concentrate on driving when you say things like that!" Yuuichirou blushed.

---

Chapter 4:

"It's very kind of you to treat everyone to dinner" Ami smiled appreciatively at the brothers. "Thank you both so much."

"What time would everyone like to eat?" Taro asked. "Minna, please feel free to order everything you want from the menu. The food at the place we have in mind may not be nearly as delicious as Mako-chan's, but it is pretty good."

"How about now?" Minako suggested.

"Now?" Makoto glared at the impulsive blonde. "Minako-chan, it's not even two o'clock yet. Isn't this a little too early for an evening meal?"

"Of course not! Mako-chan, the sooner we eat, the more time we will have later! For doing... other things!" Her too-obvious attempt at a sly wink produced a groan from the brunette.

"How about we go to Nerima an hour or two before dinnertime?" Yuji offered. "It's certainly no Tokyo, but I'm sure there are a few interesting places in town that you may like to see."

"That sounds good. Sure, we could do that" Makoto agreed.

"Ami-chan, Ryo-chan, they have this really old book store in the center of town" Taro told them. "Lots of interesting stuff you can browse through, if you'd like to go there."

The young couple's eyes lit up enthusiastically. "Definitely, Taro-chan!" Ami and Ryo both spoke together, causing Ami to giggle and squeeze her lover's hand gently.

"Do they sell manga there?" Minako asked.

"Hai, my sweet Minako-chan. Lots of it!" Taro nodded. "That's where I get mine."

"Then it's a great idea!" Minako pronounced. "We can do a little shopping before going to the restaurant. It'll really help work up an appetite!"

"I don't think your 'appetite' needs any more work, Minako-chan!" Makoto chortled.

"But I don't eat much... Oh! Silly!"

"How will we get into town?" Ami asked. There's six of us, but my little car can only carry five. I could always make a second trip, it isn't very far."

"We've got it covered, Ami-chan" Yuji said. "The local taxi service has minivans that can seat seven. We'll phone and ask for one of those."

"Aren't they both so smart?" Minako beamed at her boyfriend. "They think of everything!"

"I'll go call the taxi" Yuji volunteered. "We can be in Nerima in ten minutes or so."

. . . . .

"Yuuichirou-chan, why are we going so slowly?" Rei asked impatiently. "You drive like an old grandmother!"

"Slow and steady wins the race" he grinned back. "Or... something like that." As they approached Nerima, Yuuichirou continued looking for a suitable place to wash his hands. "Sorry my love, but I"m not very familiar with this area. We'll find someplace soon." They had traveled completely through the small town before he finally spied a coffee shop. "This looks good. I'll get cleaned up and buy myself a coffee while we're here. Would you like anything, honey?"

Rei thought for a moment. "Hai, I'll have... on second thought, I'm fine, Yuuichirou-chan. I'll wait here for you" she smiled innocently.

The young apprentice parked the van before leaning over and kissing her. "I'll be right back, my sweet."

After he had disappeared inside, with a sneaky smile on her lips, Rei quickly slipped across the space between the front seats and settled in behind the wheel. After a quick adjustment to the driver's seat, she slipped on her seat belt and waited for Yuuichirou's return.

. . . . .

"Finally!" Usagi sighed as her train rolled into the Nerima station. "That took forever! The day is more than half over already and I'm still not at Mako-chan's house!" Quickly exiting the train, she glanced around the unfamiliar station for a moment before walking inside and up to a ticket window.

The attendant looked up at her and smiled. "Konnichiwa, miss. Where would you like to go today?"

"I'm here from Tokyo" Usagi announced, "and I'm looking for a bus."

"You wish to take a bus back to Tokyo?" The man seemed puzzled. "Was there something wrong with your train ride?"

"Nani? No, I don't want to take a bus to Tokyo" the blonde tried to explain.

"Ah! Good! So you were happy with your train ride after all. I would be honored to provide you with a rail ticket. Which station in Tokyo are you headed to?"

Usagi began to grow frustrated. "I'm not going to Tokyo!"

"But... you said you are from there."

"Hai! I'm from there, and now I"m here!" Exasperation crept into her voice.

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "But if you're here now, that must mean you want to go there. Isn't that why you're at my ticket window?"

"I'm trying to find a bus that will take me to a place outside of Nerima!" the flustered girl said. She told the man the location of Makoto's house.

"I'm very sorry!" the ticket agent apologized. "I misunderstood. Please pardon me for my error."

"That's ok. So... do you need to sell me a ticket for the bus that goes past that address?" Usagi asked. "Or can I purchase one from the driver?"

"I'm sorry, miss, but no buses from Nerima go down that road. It's some distance outside of town and very quiet. Hardly anyone lives out there, so it is very lightly travelled."

"Ohh! This trip is getting worse every minute!" Usagi fumed.

"You could take a taxi" the helpful sales agent offered. "I can summon one for you if you wish."

"I don't think I can afford a taxi. I'm on a very tight budget."

"I see... well, that address doesn't appear to be too far from Nerima, and it's a very nice day for a walk." The man grinned at the pretty blonde with the unusual hairstyle. "Please have a safe trip."

Usagi grudgingly thanked him for his time and stormed out of the station. "What kind of place doesn't have buses to the countryside?" she muttered as she began the slow trudge to her friend's home on foot.

. . . . .

Returning from the coffee shop, Yuuichirou's eyebrows raised when he spotted his girlfriend sitting behind the wheel. He strolled up to her open window and took a sip of coffee. "Uh, Rei-chan, shouldn't I be the one sitting there?"

"Not now, my love" Rei said, smiling sweetly at him with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "There's only a couple of empty roads between here and Makoto's house, so I thought it would be the perfect chance to have a little more driving practice. Get in" she ordered.

"But... honey... You really shouldn't be driving yet!"

In response, the miko started the van's engine and revved it harshly. "You'd better get in while you still can, Yuuichirou-chan" she warned. "I'm leaving now."

Knowing how stubborn his Rei-chan could be at times, the hapless teenager hurried around to the passenger side and climbed aboard. "I hope you know what you're doing" he said worriedly, buckling his seat belt and making sure it was tightly latched.

"I do." Rei drove carefully away from the coffee shop and stopped at the last intersection in town. Beyond the red light stretched the deserted road that lead into the countryside and toward their destination.

"Hey, you're pretty good at this!" Yuuichirou said, impressed at how smoothly she was controlling the van. "Just how much of that night-time driving practice have you had, anyway?"

"More than a little" Rei replied with a coy wink as she waited for the light to change.

Feeling a little less tense, Yuuichirou had another sip of coffee. "You know, I could get used to being a passenger-" His voice abruptly stopped in mid-sentence as the light changed to green and Rei immediately floored the accelerator, squealing away from the stop. He gripped the armrest on his door in panic as the raven-haired girl sped down the deserted road. "Rei-chan! Please slow down!" he begged.

"Why, lover? There's no traffic at all, and I can go a lot faster here than I ever could at home." The little van continued to gain speed as quickly as it could, with Yuuichirou's knuckles whitening as he hung on for dear life.

"We're going to crash!" the teenage boy blurted, his trembling right hand still clutching his coffee.

"Nonsense, my love! Just sit back and enjoy the ride." The young miko smiled wickedly, thoroughly enjoying the experience. "I always wanted to see how fast this old thing could go!"

Yuuichirou's face paled as his girlfriend drove on, determined to squeeze the utmost out of the small van. "You know, if you slow down, your practice will last longer" her nervous boyfriend suggested in quiet desperation.

"Where's the fun in that?" Rei laughed. She glanced down at the speedometer with a frown of disappointment as its needle refused to move any higher. "This isn't very fast at all" she sighed. "I was hoping for more."

"I never knew it could go this fast!" Yuuichirou gasped.

. . . . .

In the bookstore downtown, Ami and Ryo disappeared down an aisle containing science and biology reference books, while Minako dragged Taro over to the manga section and began leafing through the offered wares.

"Anything in particular you'd like to see, my beautiful Mako-chan?" Yuji asked the girl of his dreams.

"I do have a soft spot for interesting cook books, Yuji-chan. I already have a few though. More recipes than I'll probably ever be able to try!"

"If you need someone to taste-test your new ideas, I humbly volunteer!" her boyfriend said with a grin and a quick bow. "I don't think you could prepare a bad meal even if you wanted to."

"Arigatou, my Yuji-chan!" Makoto blushed. "You really are the sweetest boy!" Glancing around to be sure no one could see them, she kissed him softly on the cheek. "So... you're sure you don't mind staying with me tonight?"

Yuji gazed into Makoto's deep green eyes, so warm and filled with love for him. "I'm really looking forward to it, Mako-chan" he whispered shyly.

---

Chapter 5:

With the turnoff to the lane that passed Makoto's home quickly approaching, Rei's bright red pump eased the accelerator pedal up from the carpeting she had held it firmly against for the last two minutes. "I guess I should slow down now" the miko said reluctantly.

"Slow down... that's... a good idea!" Yuuichirou managed to wheeze in reply.

Rei braked hard for the turn, sloshing a little coffee from her boyfriend's cup onto his pants leg.

"Aagh! Hot!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, my love. Did I do that?" she laughed innocently.

"It's ok, honey… it'll wash out" he mumbled.

As they turned onto the lane, Yuuichirou felt a huge sense of relief at the sight of the old house in the distance. Ami's car was parked in the driveway but there was no sign of anyone outside the dwelling. "Too bad no one's watching" Rei said. "Minako would feel so jealous if she saw me drive up!" She pulled in behind Ami's light-blue car and rolled to a smooth stop. The miko switched off the engine and looked over at Yuuichirou with a big smile. "Well? How did I do?"

You... uh... at least we're still alive!" he stuttered, wiping a bead of perspiration from his forehead with his right arm and tipping still more hot coffee onto his pants in the process.

"Of course we are! And we got here a lot more quickly than we would have if you were still driving." Rei slipped the van's keys into her purse and casually slid out of her seat. "You get the suitcase and I'll go on in and say hello to everyone."

"The suitcase... of course..." Releasing his tight grip on the armrest, the young apprentice flexed his fingers, trying to work away the numbness. He sat quietly for a moment, watching the beautiful raven-haired girl walk up to the front door. 'Rei-chan, my love' he thought to himself, 'you are one incredible young woman!'

"The door is locked" Rei called back. "I'll use my key." She went inside and he followed her in with their overnight bag, his knees still weak after Rei's drive.

Finding no one downstairs, the miko climbed to the second floor, only to discover that all the rooms were empty, their doors left open. "No one's home" she mused. "Minako probably dragged everyone into town on one of her crazy shopping trips."

"But Ami's car is still here" Yuuichirou noted as he dropped the bag onto the bed in their room.

"Isn't that strange? Then maybe they went for a walk somewhere. It's a beautiful day for a quiet stroll in the country." She looked at the coffee stains on his pants leg. "You should soak those right away, honey. That will make the stain come out easier when they're washed."

"Hai. I'll do it right now." Yuuichirou emptied his pockets, then slipped out of his soiled dress slacks and carried them into the upstairs bathroom. Partially filling the tub with warm water, he tossed them in and rejoined his girlfriend in their room. "I have a spare pair in the case, I'll wear those for the rest of the day."

Rei had already unpacked their things and was seated on the edge of their bed. She smiled alluringly at her young man. "You don't have to put them on just yet, my love."

"Now that you mention it, honey... I guess I don't" Yuuichirou smiled at the raven-haired vision of beauty sitting before him. Closing their bedroom door, he turned to join his waiting lover.

. . . . .

'This looks like the right road to Mako-chan's place' Usagi thought as fifteen minutes of brisk walking had finally put the town of Nerima behind her. 'I'm so glad I didn't bring anything heavy in my bag this time!' She continued on, muttering to herself as she went, 'It'll take another hour to get there at this rate, and my poor feet are already killing me! Maybe I should have listened to Luna after all.'

. . . . .

"Table for six?" the maitre d' asked the newly-arrived group.

"Yes, please. Would you happen to have a more private spot available?" Taro asked hopefully.

"We have a party room that hasn't been reserved. You may dine there. Right this way, please." The tuxedo-clad older gentleman led them through the quiet, dimly-lit restaurant and into a small room at the far end. "Someone will be with you shortly" he said, lighting candles on the table after they took their seats. After a deep bow, he disappeared from sight.

"Oh, this is so elegant, Taro-chan!" Minako's eyes sparkled in the soft candlelight. "A girl could get used to being treated this way!"

"Nothing is too good for the wonderful woman I love" Taro replied, gently kissing the back of her hand.

"Taro-chan!" Minako giggled.

Normally, Makoto would have found herself teasing the couple for their behavior, but as she sat beside her Yuji, the only thing on her mind, and in her heart, was him.

He smiled shyly back at her, his handsome young face aglow with love for the beautiful brunette seated close beside him. "I wish we could be together like this every day, Mako-chan" he spoke softly.

"I do too, Yuji-chan. Maybe someday..."

Yuji slipped an arm around her, brushing against her soft brown ponytail that was fastened, as it always was, with a tie that ended in two small green spheres. "That time will come, my love" he promised her in a whisper.

A soft giggle from across the table made Makoto shoot a stern glare at the blue-haired girl and her boyfriend who sat watching her with big grins on their faces. "Not one word, you two!" the brunette chuckled as a waitress entered the private room.

. . . . .

"I don't believe it!" Usagi gasped. "I finally made it!" Wearily, the exhausted blonde staggered the last few agonizing steps toward Makoto's home. 'What's this?' she wondered as she neared the old house. 'That looks like the van from Rei's shrine parked behind Ami's car! "Ohh!" she fumed. "It's just like Rei to come all the way up here and not offer to bring me along! She's always so mean to me!" Usagi tried the door and finding it unlocked, she made her way inside. She sat down on the hallway floor, gingerly pulling off her shoes and massaging her tired feet until the worst of the ache subsided. Kicking her shoes into the hall closet, she slowly got back on her tender feet. The house was remarkably quiet, and Usagi was briefly temped to yell out and see if anyone was at home. 'I'd better not do that' she thought with a sly smile. 'I wouldn't want to disturb Ami and Ryo if they're upstairs studying!'

Laughing at her own joke, she dragged her small wheeled suitcase into the living room and instantly spotted the box of chocolates. 'Ohh! Mako-chan has candy! I'll have to try one, I'm famished!' Opening the box, two pieces of the sugary treat quickly disappeared into her mouth. "Mmm! These are really good!" Usagi tucked the box under her arm and carried her luggage upstairs, finding only Rei's bedroom door closed. 'Aha! It looks like someone else is studying today instead of Ami and Ryo!' The blonde tiptoed past the closed door and made her way down the hall to her regular bedroom. She pushed her small case into one corner and ignoring it, Usagi closed her own door and sat on the bed, unable to resist another chocolate despite her fatigue.

'I wonder where everyone else is? Oh well, I'll find them later.' She munched on yet another sweet, growing sleepy after her long ordeal. 'I think I'll just stretch out here and rest for a few minutes' she sighed. Her head met the pillow, and five minutes later the box of chocolates sat empty and the blonde-haired girl was fast asleep.

. . . . .

"You certainly were correct, Taro-chan" Ami said as she delicately dabbed her lips with a napkin. "The cuisine here was quite delicious."

"As good as mine?" Makoto asked, knowing her friend would give her an honest answer.

"Well... not quite, Mako-chan" Ami replied. "Yours is even more special."

"That must be the love my Mako-chan puts into all her meals" Yuji said. "When someone you care so deeply about takes time to prepare something special for you, it really shows."

Ryo whispered something to Ami, and his girlfriend watched with amusement as Minako and Taro pored over their dessert menu together. After months of constant teasing about Ryo and her, and their intimate evenings together, the petite blue-haired girl genius couldn't resist one last remark.

"Minako-chan, are you having trouble deciding what to have for dessert?"

"I am, Ami-chan" Minako nodded. "Everything on the menu looks so inviting! I just can't make up my mind!"

"Well, Minako-chan... perhaps you need to give it further... study."

Having finally learned the girls' secret meaning of that word, Yuji laughed along with Makoto at Minako and Taro's reddening faces. "Revenge is sweet, isn't it, Ami-chan?" Makoto grinned.

"Hai. It is, Mako-chan. But true love is even sweeter."

"It definitely is, my darling Ami" Ryo said. Feeling less shy and completely relaxed in the close company of their good friends, he placed a tender kiss on Ami's lips. "And your kisses are the sweetest dessert of all, my love" he whispered after they slowly parted.

. . . . .

Rei awoke first, still nestled snugly against Yuuichirou as he slept. Still feeling a wonderful sense of euphoria from their earlier intimacy, she lifted her arm from where it had rested across his well-toned chest and reached out her fingertips to lightly stroke his cheek. "Lover, that was fantastic!" she whispered softly, being careful not to wake him.

After a few more minutes of quiescent happiness alongside the young man she so dearly loved, Rei sat up and glanced at her wristwatch she had left on the bedside table. 'We've been here two hours... I suppose everyone else is back by now.' Reluctantly leaving her still-sleeping boyfriend's side, she got up and bundled herself in her red robe. In the hallway, she noticed that the bedroom down the hall from hers had its door closed.

'Minako must be using Usagi's room this weekend' she thought. 'I'd better be quiet, just in case she's with Taro.' Arriving downstairs, she was surprised to find no one else at home. 'This is really odd.'Shrugging, the miko went into the kitchen to prepare a fresh pot of coffee for Yuuichirou and herself.

---

Chapter 6:

Outside the restaurant, Yuji slid open the minivan's side door and everyone took places inside. He got in last, and the driver asked him, "Am I taking everyone back to the same address I picked you up at earlier?"

"Hai" Yuji nodded, receiving a bright smile from Makoto as he added, "We're going home."

"I can easily imagine you and Mako-chan living there together" Ryo told his sixteen-year-old friend.

"You really think so, Ryo-chan?" Yuji asked, the thought of living life under the same roof as his wonderful girlfriend giving him a warm feeling inside and a hopeful smile of his own.

"Definitely, Yuji-chan" Ami agreed. "And with the grounds around the outside of your home filled with pretty, colorful flowers every summer. Can you picture it, Mako-chan?"

Makoto's voice carried from the seat in front of Ami and Ryo. "That would be... heaven" she sighed dreamily, her thoughts much more on the idea of Yuji being with her than the flowers.

"Until one day when Usagi shows up and accidentally tramples on the flowers!" Minako joked from the rear of the taxi.

"Ha! You're one to talk!" Makoto snorted. "Taro-chan, did your girlfriend tell you about what happened to her and Usagi at Rei's shrine last Monday?" Minako's expression quickly turned sour at the mention of the unpleasant memory.

"No she didn't, Mako-chan. Why? Did something strange happen to her?"

"It wasn't so much what happened to her" Makoto answered with a chuckle. "It was more like what she did to-"

"Hush, Mako-chan!" Minako hissed. "Let's not bring up those silly old memories."

"Fine, I'll tell Taro all about it some other time" Makoto teased.

Minako's eyes shot daggers at the brunette in the front row. "You're as bad as Rei!"

"Speaking of Rei, Taro-chan" Makoto continued, her grin growing wider, "did you know that last Monday, Minako destroyed-"

"Would you hush, please! Like they say, it's best to let sleeping dogs cry!"

"Not 'cry', Minako-chan" Makoto sighed. "The word is... oh, I give up!"

Everyone in the taxi laughed, causing Taro to ask, "I'll have to hear the details later, Mako-chan. Sounds like my Minako had a very interesting day!"

"Now see what you've done!" Minako grumbled at the laughing brunette.

. . . . .

Yuuichirou appeared in the kitchen doorway wearing just a burgundy robe. He smiled at the raven-haired girl who was busy pouring two cups of coffee, her shapely form still visible beneath her crimson red cotton yukata. "Hello again, beautiful."

Rei put down the coffee pot and met him in the doorway with a passionate kiss. "Hello yourself." He held her tenderly in his arms and the two young lovers both sighed blissfully.

"After this coffee, I really should take a shower" Yuuichirou said. "It looks like no one else is home. Care to join me?"

"But of course, honey" the miko replied coyly. "There's always room for two." Rei felt her desire to be with her young man grow ever stronger, but quickly remembered, "Actually, someone else is here, Yuuichirou-chan. Usagi's bedroom door is closed, but I know it wasn't when we arrived."

"Minako?" her boyfriend guessed.

"Hai, and quite possibly Taro too."

"That's fine" Yuuichirou grinned. "They can have their shower after we're done."

The young couple carried their coffee cups to the sofa, with Rei snuggling comfortably against her man. "Yuuichirou my darling, do you have any idea how you make me feel when we... make love?"

"I hope you're not going to say you feel bored!" her boyfriend kidded.

"How does the word enraptured sound?" Rei said, her eyes still aflame with passion. "Your touch fills my heart and soul with fire."

"My Rei-chan, I fell in love with you from the moment we first met" Yuuichirou admitted. "Your beauty, your incredible spirit, your personality... even with all those times when I managed to upset or disappoint you, and you got angry and yelled at me, I could still feel something deep inside that told me you were the only girl in this whole world who could make me complete. The only girl I could ever truly love. My greatest wish is that you will always find love for me in your heart."

Rei softly squeezed his hand, gazing into his deep brown eyes, so honest and caring. "My darling Yuuichirou, I do feel that way for you. Yesterday, today, and for the rest of my life. I will love you forever."

"Now that I think about it, it was probably all the stress of having to deal with me back then, just some bumbling young apprentice your grandfather hired right off the shrine steps, that encouraged you to start smoking."

Yuuichirou's revelation caught Rei by complete surprise. "You knew about that too?" she exclaimed. "I thought no one knew! Except for Ami. I told her last Monday."

"I knew. And I know you still sneak away to the park for an occasional cigarette, even though you don't smoke that often." Seeing her eyes widen further, Yuuichirou chuckled. "If there's anything else you'd like me to tell you about yourself, just ask!" he offered with a grin, adding a playful wink for emphasis.

"But... I..." Rei found herself at a loss for words.

"A person can't keep many secrets from their soul mate, my love. My heart knows all about the girl it truly cares about" Yuuichirou said. "The girl I love and live each and every day for."

"Well... uh... that's a scary thought" the raven-haired girl replied. "Anyway, I don't smoke because of you, or from stress either, even though Usagi can give anyone enough stress in their life to make them want to strangle her. I just really enjoy it, that's all. So you shouldn't keep any other secrets you know about me all to yourself." Rei smiled coyly at her lover. "You really know me that well?"

"Hai, I do. Especially since the first time that we... the night our relationship became much more... intimate, I guess the right word is. Now I really know my sweet, beautiful shrine maiden!"

"You are so bad!" The flustered miko kissed his cheek as he nonchalantly sipped his coffee. She tilted her head to rest on his shoulder. "And I love you so very, very much, Kumada Yuuichirou."

"Though I have to admit that I never would have guessed that you're Sailor Mars" her boyfriend confessed. "It took a youma attack at the shrine last summer for me to discover that. Thank you for saving my life that day, Rei-chan" Yuuichirou said, his voice becoming soft and humble.

"Don't mention it" Rei softly whispered back.

After a few more minutes on the sofa, reveling in the pleasure of each other's company, the happy couple walked hand-in-hand upstairs to share a relaxing shower together.

. . . . .

"You've got more visitors, Mako-chan!" Minako observed as their taxi neared the house. "Looks like Rei and Yuuichirou are here. That's the Hikawa Shrine van in your driveway."

"That's good to see, Minako-chan. It must mean Rei's grandfather is doing really well, and they could spare some time away to be together. Rei could definitely use a little more relaxation in her life."

"I'm so relieved I didn't leave my suitcase in her room!" Minako suddenly remembered. "That could be all I needed to make Rei mad at me again!"

"You mean like she was last Monday?" Makoto teased her again.

"Will you please stop mentioning that?" Minako yelled at the brunette.

"That must have been quite the day you had, sweetheart" Taro said to her. "I'm really intrigued to hear more about what happened."

"To be honest, Taro-chan, it wasn't exactly my... finest hour" the blonde admitted glumly.

The taxi stopped at the end of the driveway, and a minute later the three couples were back inside the old house. Minako and Taro had just sat down together on the sofa when Minako suddenly blurted, "My chocolates are missing! I left them right here on the coffee table! I hope Rei didn't take them!" she fumed. "I'm sure Yuuichirou didn't, he's not a big fan of chocolate."

"Rei and Yuuichirou may be upstairs" Ami observed as she and Ryo went over to their usual spot on the end of the sofa. "I think I hear the shower running."

Minako angrily leapt to her feet. "Well! If Rei took the chocolates my Taro-chan gave me, I'm going right up there this instant and giving her a piece of my mind!"

"Minako-chan, will you please calm down?" Makoto pleaded. "You're not sure Rei took them, and even if she did, how was she to know they were a gift to you from Taro?"

"I... I have to find out!" Minako shot back as she marched to the stairway. "They didn't just disappear into thick air! I'm going to get to the top of this now!"

. . . . .

Usagi stirred restlessly as the voices from the room beneath her grew louder. Her eyes flickered open, and it took the still-groggy girl a few seconds to realize where she was. 'What's with all those voices? Oh, I fell asleep in Mako-chan's house!' Her feet were still throbbing from her long trek and she hesitated, not wanting to put them back into use right away.

. . . . .

Minako stomped up the stairs, pausing for a moment at the sound of her boyfriend's voice calling to her. "Minako-chan my sweet, please don't worry about the chocolates. I'll get you more."

"I'll be right back, Taro-chan" she reassured him. "I just have to know if Rei took them on purpose."

Behind the shower curtain in the upstairs bathroom, two young lovers held each other close, sharing tender, lingering kisses amidst the warm, gentle spray.

---

Chapter 7:

"Rei-chan! We need to talk! I'm very upset with you!" There was no mistaking the unhappy tone of Aino Minako as she stood outside the upstairs bathroom door.

In the shower, the girl's sudden arrival and surprise outburst caused Rei and Yuuichirou to interrupt a particularly passionate kiss. After exchanging puzzled looks, Yuuichirou hurriedly shut off the flow of water, while his girlfriend yelled back through the shower curtain and closed door, "Don't come in here, Minako-chan! Yuuichirou is with me!"

The return yell was prompt and even more confusing. "Rei-chan, I don't care if the whole shrine is in there with you! I just want to know what you did with them!"

The confused miko looked again at her dripping-wet boyfriend, hoping he had some idea as to what Minako was bothered about. Yuuichirou merely shrugged his shoulders. "I think I should put my robe on in case she comes in, Rei-chan. She's really mad about something, but I honestly have no clue what it could be."

"She'd better not open that door!" Rei scowled, the romantic shower she had been enjoying with her boyfriend now abruptly halted. "Minako-chan, what on earth are you talking about?" the miko hollered.

"You opened the box, didn't you?" the blonde hollered back. "They were for me, Rei-chan!"

"Nani? You're not making any sense, Minako-chan! Give us a minute to dry ourselves and get out of this bathroom. It'll save both our voices."

"Ok! I'll wait!" Minako grumbled impatiently. "And I'm not leaving this spot until I get an answer!"

After a short while, the door swung open, revealing Rei and her Yuuichirou in their robes. The miko confronted her blonde friend in the hallway while her boyfriend decided more discretion was in order. Yuuichirou dodged around the two girls and waited quietly in his and Rei's bedroom, watching in utter confusion as Rei and Minako glared angrily at one another.

"Minako-chan, what is this stupid box you're babbling about? I have no idea what you mean, and you just managed to ruin a very nice... shower we were having!"

"You have no idea? Then what happened to them? You expect me to believe they just flew right out the window like a herd of birds?" Minako fumed.

Downstairs, everyone was listening to the heated exchange and Makoto's palm met her forehead upon hearing Minako's latest word mix-up. Taro asked, "Should I go up there and try to help settle this? It sounds like just a simple misunderstanding."

"I wouldn't if I were you, Taro-chan" Ami advised the teen. "But don't worry, Rei and Minako's little discussions never seem to last very long. Things should be back to normal quite soon."

"What flew out the window, Minako-chan?" Rei screamed, quickly losing the last of her patience.

"My box of chocolates, that's what!" Minako fired back. "They were a present for me from my Taro-chan, I'll have you know!"

"Your box of..." At last, the reason for the blonde's rant became clear to the miko. "Minako-chan, I don't know anything about your chocolates. I certainly didn't take them!"

"No?" Minako replied unbelievingly. "Then who did?"

Both girls suddenly looked down the hall as the bedroom door at its end creaked open. A sleepy, odango-haired girl emerged from within, shuffling slowly toward them while clutching an open box in one hand.

"Minna, why all the noise?" Usagi asked with a yawn. "You woke me up."

"YOU!" Rei screamed, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

"MY CHOCOLATES!" Minako gasped, horrified.

Usagi looked at the empty box in her hand. "These were yours, Minako-chan?"

"Hai! They were a gift for me from Taro! Before you ate them all!" the other blonde stormed.

"Usagi-chan, how on earth did you get here?" Rei growled. "Did you find out I was having a nice day and decided to ruin it? Because if so, you're doing a really great job so far!"

Cringing from the girls' two-pronged attack, Usagi took a step back, her lower lip beginning to quiver. "I came on the train and walked here all the way from Nerima! I didn't know the chocolates were from Taro, Minako-chan. I'm really sorry I ate them." The blonde sniffled, then began to sob.

Rei and Minako looked at each other as pangs of guilt came over them. The miko sighed, reaching out a hand and placing it on Usagi's shoulder. "Listen... I'm sorry I was a little hard on you. You couldn't have known what was going on."

"Well... why didn't you invite me along, Rei-chan?" Usagi said, sniffling. "You didn't want me here, did you?"

"That's not true! I tried calling you at home before Yuuichirou and I left the shrine. Your mother said you weren't there."

"Oh... well... I guess that's not so bad then" Usagi relented.

Minako took the empty box form Usagi's hand and looked at it. "You didn't have to eat all of them" she grumbled.

"I was really hungry, Minako-chan! I hadn't had a thing to eat in hours, and when I saw the chocolates sitting there, I just... couldn't resist."

"You couldn't resist?" Rei scoffed. "I'm surprised you didn't eat the empty box, too."

"Never mind, Usagi-chan. It was an honest mistake. We forgive you" Minako told her friend. "Don't we, Rei-chan? Rei-chan?"

"I suppose" the miko sighed again. "But now that you're here, please try not to interfere with anything else today. And especially, tonight."

Usagi's face brightened. "I won't be a pest, Rei-chan. I promise!"

"That's what you always say" Rei muttered.

. . . . .

With peace restored in the house, the group of teens relaxed together in the living room. Makoto prepared some light snacks for everyone, as well as a quick meal for Usagi. "Arigatou, Mako-chan!" the girl said as she went into the dining room and began devouring the delicious food. "You're a life saver!"

Makoto grinned. "If you finish all that, let me know. There's more in the kitchen." The brunette went back to the sofa to sit with Yuji.

"So what brought you here alone, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked, as she and Rei sat at the table beside the famished girl. "Mamoru couldn't accompany you?"

"No, Ami-chan, he's busy at the university all weekend with some silly lab work or something" Usagi replied between bites. "I got really bored sitting at home, and knew everyone would be up here having a good time, so I decided to come. Maybe I can help make everyone's day more fun" she offered.

"You haven't so far" Rei grumbled. "Usagi-chan, you may get bored here too without your boyfriend with you" Rei told her. "Everyone else is part of a couple." She looked intently at the girl. "I shouldn't have to tell you about tonight" she said, lowering her voice so her friends in the living room couldn't overhear. "But I will anyway."

"Tell me what, Rei-chan?"

"This could be a... very special night for Makoto and Minako. Do you know what I mean?"

"No, I... Ohh! Now I know what you mean!"

"Do you also know you'll have to sleep on the sofa tonight?"

"I... guess so" Usagi agreed unhappily. "But it's so dark and creepy down here alone at night! What if I get scared?"

Rei frowned. "Usagi-chan, do you remember how it was, the first time you and Mamoru were... intimate together?"

"Hai!" the blonde nodded vigorously, a huge smile appearing on her face. "It was so wonderful, Rei-chan!"

"Well, there's a very good chance that tonight may be a very special night just like that for Minako and Makoto" Rei explained. "So it is extremely important that no one be disturbed. For any reason. Understand?"

"I know what you're saying Rei-chan. But... what happens if there's an emergency? What if... uh... that mouse that was here last New Year's comes back?"

Rei glared sternly at the blonde. "Usagi-chan, a little mouse is not an emergency! Look, I don't care if that mouse does come back, he brings a hundred of his friends, and they all spend the entire night marching around on the coffee table! I don't care if there are youma lined up from Mako-chan's front door all the way back to Nerima! Stay down here and please keep quiet!" Her voice softened. "Do it for Ami and me, we don't share hardly enough... personal time together with Yuuichirou and Ryo as it is. But do it mostly for Mako-chan and Minako-chan and their boyfriends. Will you please?"

"Ok" Usagi replied just a little reluctantly.

"And no sneaking upstairs and prowling around the hallway after bed time! If you need extra blankets or anything from the upstairs closet, get them before everyone goes to bed. Ok?"

"Ok. I promise."

"Good. Now that that's settled, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find Makoto's radio and put on a little soft music. I feel like dancing with my Yuuichirou. Ami-chan, will you and Ryo be joining us on the dance floor?"

"Hai!" Ami said brightly, and the two teenagers quickly left the room.

"Nobody trusts me at all!" Usagi muttered before digging back into her meal.

. . . . .

Darkness arrived in the tranquil countryside outside Nerima, and as a soft, slow-dance melody issued from the radio inside Makoto's living room, four couples swayed together romantically to the music. Makoto and Yuji in particular were in fine form, their gracefulness and poise apparent to everyone. Usagi watched quietly from a chair, wishing her Mamoru could be with her and missing him terribly.

Makoto whispered to her boyfriend, who held the pretty brunette close in his embrace, "Still not worried about... tonight, Yuji-chan?"

"Not at all, my sweet Mako-chan" came the reply. "Not anymore." The song finished and Yuji and Makoto lingered a moment, the boy placing a gentle kiss on Makoto's soft, sweet lips. "I love you so very much" he whispered in her ear.

"Time for a little break" Rei announced, and she and Yuuichirou went back to the sofa and sat down. She took a sip from a long-stemmed wine glass, then held it to her boyfriend's lips, sharing the liquid within with her love.

"That's a really good radio station you found, Rei-chan" Taro said, his arm holding his Minako close beside him. "They always have excellent dance music playing."

"Speaking of music, Taro-chan, did you know that Rei can play the piano?" Ami asked as she and Ryo sat nearby. "She's quite good at it too."

"She can? That's a very nice ability to have, Rei-chan" Taro said from his seat beside Minako, in between Ami and Rei. "I'll have to hear you play sometime."

"Well, I'm honestly not that good" Rei said modestly. "I never have time to practice the way I need to do to get really polished at it."

"I know exactly what you mean" Taro agreed. "It's the same problem with me, there's never enough time for me to to get much past the beginner level."

"Taro-chan! You play the piano too?" Minako asked with surprise.

"Not the piano, Minako my love. I've been practicing the guitar for a few years though."

"The guitar?" Minako exclaimed, beaming proudly at her boyfriend. "That's even better!" she boasted.

Rei glowered at her. "Thanks a lot for the confidence boost, Minako-chan."

"My Taro-chan plays the guitar!" the bubbly blonde announced to everyone. "Isn't that great?"

"It is" Rei admitted, hating the feeling of being upstaged, even accidentally. She suddenly remembered something and smiled teasingly at her friend. "Oh, by the way, Minako-chan. Did you know I drove here today?" she bragged.

"What do you mean, you drove?" Minako asked. "You don't have your provisional license yet."

Rei grinned. "I've driven before, too. But today I drove all the way here from that coffee shop in Nerima. It was a lot of fun, Minako-chan. If you were here when we pulled in, you would have seen me."

"Yuuichirou-chan, is this true?" Minako asked him with skeptically-raised eyebrows. "Rei-chan was driving?"

Yuuichirou nodded. "I'll say she was! It was quite the experience, Minako-chan."

Minako frowned. "Well... It doesn't count if you crawled here on the side of the road like a turtle, Rei-chan. That's not real driving."

"So who was crawling?" Rei replied. "I drove the van as fast as it could go, all the way here."

"I don't believe you!" Minako was green with jealousy.

"No? Tomorrow I'll prove it!"

"You're on!" the blonde agreed.

"Rei-chan, please be careful!" Yuuichirou pleaded with her. "I know there's almost no traffic on these roads, but if something happens and the van gets a dent in it, your grandfather won't be too happy."

"That's ok, my love" the miko smiled. "I'll just say it was your fault!" she teased, before silencing any further objection from her boyfriend with a long, deep kiss.

---

Chapter 8:

"Aren't you overdoing things just a little, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked the blonde as she reappeared at the top of the stairs with a second armload of blankets. "This old house isn't that cold at night."

Undaunted, Usagi continued downstairs with enough thick sheets in her arms to make up three complete beds. "I'm not taking any chances, Mako-chan!" the girl replied as she dumped her pile on top of her first load of blankets that lay in a vacant chair. "These may be the only protection I have."

"Protection? Against what?" Rei laughed. "Are you expecting another ice age, Usagi-chan?"

"Never mind, Rei-chan!" Usagi grumbled at the miko. On the sofa, Taro suddenly frowned deeply.

"Oh, I know!" Rei teased. "This must be in case that little mouse shows up again. It will suffocate before it can get anywhere near you. Or die of exhaustion trying to find you in that ridiculous mountain you're planning on burying yourself under!"

"Do you always have to be so mean to me?" her blonde friend whined. "I'm just following orders, remember?" she pointed out to the miko with an angry glare. "You're awfully good at telling me what to do, Rei-chan."

"Well, at least you listened this time" Rei said. "That's a good start."

Everyone was suddenly startled by a low, faint rumble that gently shook the house. "Earthquake!" Usagi screamed, diving into her mound of sheets and quilts.

Makoto and her friends looked with concern at the surrounding walls, but after a few seconds the shaking ceased. "Don't worry about it, Mako-chan" Yuji reassured his girlfriend, squeezing her hand gently. "We get an occasional light tremor here from time to time, the same kind of thing you probably feel back in Tokyo. Your house has survived this long, I don't think anything short of a really big quake will bother it."

"I'm sure you're right, Yuji-chan, my love" Makoto nodded appreciatively. "But this was the first time I've experienced one in a wooden house. It's kind of unsettling."

Rei leaned toward the brunette, whispering, "There'll probably be another earthquake or two happening later, Mako-chan... upstairs!" she winked. Turning her attention to her frightened friend, she said, "Usagi-chan, you can climb out of your bunker now, the tremor is finished. We're all still alive." Usagi's head slowly popped out of her pile of blankets and the blonde looked around cautiously.

"Rei-chan, please!" Makoto said, trying her best to hide a smile, before adding, "Good grief, I'm starting to sound just like Ami!"

The blue-haired girl sitting with her Ryo-kun at the end of the sofa giggled at Makoto's remark.

"If you'd like, Yuji and I can do a quick check of your house's inside plumbing, Mako-chan" Taro offered. "Just so you know there aren't any obvious leaks."

"Taro-chan, I don't think that tiny trem-" Yuji watched Taro discreetly place his finger to his lips and fell silent. After a moment, he nodded and said, "Hai, let's go check the kitchen pipes, Taro-chan."

"Thats an excellent idea, guys. I'll go check the upstairs bathroom" Yuuichirou agreed. The three young men got up and Rei's boyfriend hurried upstairs, while the two brothers disappeared into the kitchen.

"Taro-chan, that little tremor wasn't strong enough to hurt anything" Yuji said to him, speaking quietly. "Why the sudden concern?"

Taro opened the cupboard doors under the sink and took a quick look at the water pipes before answering, also keeping his voice low. "I know it wasn't, Yuji-chan, but that's not what's bothering me right now. I just realized we have a much bigger problem."

"Oh? What's that?"

"I'm sure you and I both have a pretty good idea what our girlfriends have in mind for tonight" Taro whispered.

"I think so" Yuji smiled. "Are you worrying because neither of us has been... with a girl before?"

"It's not that. We may have to disappoint them, Yuji-chan. We don't have any protection. When Usagi and Rei were talking about the blankets just now, it jogged my memory."

The sixteen-year-old's face went blank for an instant, then Yuji slapped his forehead in despair. "You're right! How stupid are we to forget something as important as that?" he groaned. "Mako-chan and Minako-chan will be really disappointed with us."

"We do have one hope" Taro continued. "We can ask Ryo or Yuuichirou. Maybe they can help us."

"Everything ok in there?" Makoto's question carried from the living room.

"Uh... still checking, my love" Yuji called back. "We're almost done." Turning back to his brother, he said, "That's an awfully embarrassing thing to ask for, Taro-chan. But if it means we don't disappoint the girls and look like complete idiots in the process, I'll volunteer to talk to Yuuichirou about it. He's alone right now."

"I always knew having a brother would come in handy some day!" Taro chuckled. "Go talk to him quick, before he comes back downstairs."

Yuji nodded and left the kitchen, with Taro following a few seconds later. "Everything looks good down here, Mako-chan. Yuji's going to... check on things with Yuuichirou."

"That's a big relief!" Makoto said with a happy sigh. "Thanks for looking into that for me, Taro-chan. I really appreciate it."

. . . . .

In the bathroom upstairs, Yuji spotted the Shinto apprentice on his hands and knees under the sink. "No problems here, Yuji-chan" Yuuichirou said, crawling out. "Everything looks good."

"Uh, Yuuichirou-chan... may I ask you... something personal?" the boy mumbled.

"Sure. How can I help?"

"It's... uh... kind of embarrassing." Yuji gulped nervously before continuing. "My brother and I seem to have... forgotten something. Something very important."

"What's that?" Yuuichirou asked, wiping his hands on a tissue.

"Well... uh... we don't have any..."

The older teenager grinned. "Stop right there. I know just what you were going to say."

"You do?" The young man's eyes widened.

"You're both worried about accidentally... causing future problems for Makoto and Minako. Family problems. Am I right?"

"Hai!" the boy nodded, blushing. "We are! When we came over today, we never thought..."

"It isn't a problem, Yuji-chan. You have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"We don't? I don't understand, Yuuichirou-chan."

Yuuichirou sat on the edge of the bathtub. "You're aware that our girlfriends aren't exactly... normal girls."

"Hai. They're Sailor Senshi."

"Indeed they are. And even though they aren't Senshi most of the time, the special powers that they have still affect their lives in certain ways, even when they're just regular teenage girls. All five of them have an energy field within themselves. I'm told it's the thing that their henshin sticks trigger to make them transform into Sailor Senshi."

"I understand. But how does that help in this situation?"

"Ami first discovered it when she was using her Mercury computer one day" Yuuichirou continued. "That energy field also protects them in another way too. It prevents them from getting pregnant by accident. It's quite effective" he smiled.

"So they won't become…"

"No chance. Not unless they make a concentrated mental effort to turn it off. I don't fully understand all the details myself, but it is there, and it most definitely works. If it didn't, Ryo and I would most likely be fathers-to-be by now!" he laughed. "And Mamoru too!"

"You're really sure about this?" the teen asked with renewed hope.

"One hundred percent sure, Yuji-chan. You can ask Makoto about it later if you want, she'll confirm what I told you. Plus," he added, "Luna and Artemis also confirmed that the girls all have this... gift." He chuckled as he recalled, "Luna didn't want to talk about it at all in the beginning. It took some serious prodding by the girls before she finally admitted that Ami's discovery was accurate. The girls apparently were the same way back in the old Moon Kingdom days."

"Luna and Artemis? Who are they, Yuuichirou-chan?"

"Oh, I forgot you haven't met them yet. I won't say much about them now, other than that they're kind of... guardians... to the Sailor Senshi. But when you do finally meet them, be prepared for a big surprise! On second thought, make that two small surprises."

"Ok. I will" Yuji nodded. He asked once more to be doubly sure. "So Taro and I don't need to..."

"No."

"And Mako-chan and Minako won't get..."

"No again. They won't." Yuuichirou stood up. "You should let Taro know about this soon, he's probably worrying a lot about it too. Not having that particular problem to concern yourself with certainly makes things a lot better. In many ways!" he smiled.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Yuuichirou-chan!" The boy thanked him with a deep bow of gratitude.

"Hey, don't go getting all formal on me, Yuji-chan!" the apprentice laughed. "After all, it's just me here!"

. . . . .

Yuji and Yuuichirou returned to the living room, finding four of the girls missing. "Where are the others, Ami-chan?" Rei's boyfriend asked, as Yuji quickly pulled Taro aside and began whispering to him intently.

"Well, Usagi is in the kitchen stocking up on late-night snacks, Makoto and Minako stepped outside for a little air, and Rei is calling the shrine, Yuuichirou-chan. She's checking up on her grandfather."

"That girl of mine really does worry too much!" the apprentice sighed. "I'm sure he's doing just great. I feel sort of bad for the two apprentices staying with him this weekend, though. Hino-sensei's probably got their poor fingers worked right down to the bone by now!"

. . . . .

On the front steps, Makoto and Minako were sharing a little last-minute girl talk about the road ahead for them and the boys they loved.

"Are you nervous, Mako-chan?" the blonde asked her taller brunette friend with a giggle.

"You know, I always thought I would be, if this day ever came" Makoto admitted. "But now that it's here... at least I hope it's here!... surprisingly, I'm not, Minako-chan. Well, not much."

"Me too" Minako agreed. "When I think of Taro and how deeply I love and cherish him... and I know in my heart that he's the only boy I will or could ever love... the nervousness I thought I'd have just fades away. All I can think of now is how much I want to be with him. Not just tonight, but for the rest of my life. And I know without any doubt that he feels the very same way about me."

"That describes my thoughts about Yuji exactly, Minako-chan."

"Well, I am the Senshi of Love, silly!" Minako smiled.

Makoto looked toward the sky as a rising, thin crescent moon glimmered above the distant eastern horizon. "There was a time when I assumed I was going to go through my whole life on my own" the brunette reflected. "When I became a Sailor Senshi, I thought that things had finally turned around, now that I had found close and dear friends in you and Usagi and Ami and Rei. But... something was still missing. A piece of the puzzle wasn't there yet." She thought of the kind and loving young man who waited for her inside her home and her pretty face brightened, the warmth and joy of the love Yuji and her now shared sweeping through her anew. "And then fate brought Yuji to me, just as Rei said it would that night you and I walked with her along this very road. Remember last autumn, and our first visit to the house?"

Minako nodded. "Rei was right... about fate finding someone for us. She told us it wouldn't be just anyone. They would be the right ones, Mako-chan. Our soul mates."

"Hai. She did. Minako-chan, Yuji was the missing piece of my puzzle. He was the boy my heart yearned for all along."

"And my Taro is mine" the blonde said, her voice soft and completely without doubt.

Makoto smiled at her friend and gestured back toward the door. "Come on, Minako-chan. It's time to go inside."

---

Chapter 9:

"How's he doing, Rei-chan?"

Having finished her phone call, Rei walked over and sat beside her Yuuichirou, looking very relieved. "Ojii-chan said he's never felt better, my love. Even if he's exaggerating a little, I have to admit he sounded just fine on the phone. Almost... happy."

Yuuichirou frowned, mumbling under his breath, "I was afraid of that."

"Nani?" The miko looked at her boyfriend in shock. "What exactly do you mean by that, Yuuichirou-chan? Do you want him to be sick?"

"No, no, my sweet!" her boyfriend shook his head. "Of course not! I'm overjoyed that he's feeling ok. But if he sounds happy, that must mean those two apprentices must be doing a really great job at the shrine."

"So?" Rei asked, puzzled. "Isn't that what they're there for?"

"If they make me look bad, maybe your grandfather will think I'm useless. He'll kick me out, Rei-chan! Then he'll take on someone else as his apprentice and I won't be there with you every day" the young man fretted.

Rei smiled understandingly. "Yuuichirou-chan my love, now you're the one worrying too much!" the miko told him confidently. "I can guarantee you that Grandpa will never do anything like that."

"How do you know?"

"Because..." Rei paused. "Because... he really likes you, honey. He's told me that many times."

"He likes me?" Now it was her boyfriend's turn to look surprised. "But he's always going on about how I don't try hard enough sometimes, or that I can be a little... lazy in my duties now and then."

"Yuuichirou-chan, trust me. He likes you. A lot!" Rei insisted. "Didn't you ever think that if he didn't feel that way about you, he would never have allowed us to start dating in the first place?"

"Oh! I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does." Rei's voice became stern. "Now please don't let him know that I told you this, or Ojii-chan will never trust me with anything ever again! Ok, my love?"

Yuuichirou nodded happily. "I'll never say a word to him about it, my sweet!" Wearing a goofy grin, he looked over at Ami and Ryo. "He likes me!"

The young couple both laughed aloud. "We both like you too, Yuuichirou-chan" Ami giggled.

"Everybody likes me! I must be one fantastic guy!"

"Uh, excuse me, Ego-san, try not to let it go to your head too much" Rei grumbled.

"I won't." He grinned again at Makoto and Minako as they reentered the house. "He likes me!"

The two girls looked at him strangely. "What's your boyfriend talking about, Rei-chan?" Minako asked.

"Nothing at all, Minako-chan" the miko sighed with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I knew I should have kept my mouth shut!"

Usagi staggered in from the kitchen, overloaded with snacks, bottles of juice and anything else edible she could carry. "There!" she announced, unceremoniously dumping her loot on the coffee table. "That should see me through the night." One bottle rolled onto the floor and the blonde quickly grabbed it and set it back with the others.

"Usagi-chan, is there any food at all left in the cupboards or the refrigerator?" Rei asked, regarding in awe the jumble of items that covered nearly half the table. "The rest of us might like to have something to eat tomorrow morning."

"There's still lots left!" Usagi blurted defensively. "There's even enough for a second trip to the kitchen if I run out later."

"You are impossible!"

Usagi ignored the insult and asked her brunette friend, "Mako-chan, do you have a night light? I don't want to stay here alone in the dark."

"You big baby!" Rei scoffed.

"There's that desk lamp in the office, Usagi-chan. I'll get it for you."

"Don't encourage her, Mako-chan! Next thing, she'll want to be tucked in at bedtime. Usagi-chan, would you like me to read you a bedtime story too?"

Makoto chuckled but retrieved the lamp anyway and set it on top of the old piano, plugging it in. "That should do it."

"Arigatou, Mako-chan!" Usagi thanked her, then stuck her tongue out at the miko.

"And to think you were the Moon Princess" Rei muttered. "It boggles the mind!"

. . . . .

As evening became night, the four happy couples chatted together on the large leather sofa. Knowing the thoughts and emotions that must be running through Makoto and Minako's minds at this special time, Ami stole an occasional fleeting glance at them, noting that their conversations with Yuji and Taro gradually became less of words, and more of tender looks and soft kisses.

Ryo noticed the change as well, and whispered softly in his girlfriend's ear, "Does this remind you of something, my Ami-chan?"

The blue-haired girl smiled coyly at the love of her life. "Hai. I was just thinking of our first night together, Ryo-kun." She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek, the young couple's ever-present shyness now hidden within the shadows that reached to their end of the sofa. "A night of ecstasy I will never forget, my love" Ami sighed, her sweet voice thick with passion.

Ryo blushed, then said, "It's getting late, darling. And I believe we've both fallen quite far behind in our... studying."

Ami gazed lovingly into his soft blue eyes. "You're absolutely right, my Ryo-kun" his petite girlfriend whispered back. "Let's go... catch up." Excusing themselves and wishing everyone a good night, the young lovers walked upstairs holding hands.

As they disappeared behind their closed bedroom door, Rei leaned more snugly against her Yuuichirou's side. "It's been a busy day, honey. Feeling tired?"

Her boyfriend stretched, feigning a yawn. "I'm really beat, Rei-chan. I bet I'll be fast asleep the minute my head hits the pillow." Yuuichirou tried unsuccessfully to hide his sly grin and glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes.

"I bet you won't" Rei replied, her voice sensuously low and sultry. "Besides, you promised me something earlier, remember? Something about... pleasing me." She placed her hand on his knee and slowly, teasingly, began sliding it up the inside of his leg.

"Well, if you put it that way!" Yuuichirou chuckled, standing up before his girlfriend's reach went just a little too far. He took his Rei-chan's hand and helped the gorgeous, raven-haired girl from her seat. "May I escort you to our room, darling?"

"I thought you'd never ask, lover." After a quick goodnight to the five remaining teens, they too disappeared upstairs.

A few seconds later, Usagi pried herself out of her chair near the now-dormant fireplace. "I have to go change in the bathroom" she announced to no one in particular. "Minna, good night!" She walked away, leaving the last two couples sitting together on the sofa.

Minako and Makoto stole a quick glance at one another, both wondering who would be the first to leave their seats. Taro and Yuji repeated the action, feeling considerably more nervous now than they had just minutes before.

Minako rested her head on Taro's shoulder, sighing softly. "Shall we retire soon, my Taro-chan?" she asked him sweetly. Her boyfriend raised his arm from where it had held her slender waist and gently, almost reverently, ran his fingers past her red bow and down her long golden hair. "Of course, my love" Taro nodded, and without any further words to each other, the blonde and her boyfriend both rose from the sofa. "Good night, Mako-chan, Yuji-chan." As they moved toward the stairway together with Taro's arm snugly around her, Minako turned her head and winked at Makoto. "See you in the morning."

Now the living room held only two. Makoto was sure a thousand butterflies were fluttering wildly in her stomach, and one look at her boyfriend convinced her that he, too felt the same way. The brunette smiled at him, her sparkling green eyes shimmering with love and desire. "It is getting late, Yuji-chan."

"Hai. It is, Mako-chan" Yuji replied quietly. His parted lips reached out, searching for and meeting hers in a last sweet, tender kiss before they left the empty living room behind to share their first night together.

. . . . .

The last couple to arrive on the second floor walked together along the upstairs hallway, every door they passed now closed but the final one on the far right. They entered the master bedroom and Makoto clicked on the bedside lamp while Yuji quietly closed the door behind them.

"Well... here we are" Makoto said. She sat on the nearest of the two beds. "This is... where I sleep." Reaching for the green tie that held her ponytail, she slipped it off, releasing a stunning cascade of soft brown hair that flowed gracefully past her shoulders.

Even though Yuji had dreamt of his Mako-chan a thousand times before, picturing her pretty face and warm, sweet smile, this incredible, breathtakingly beautiful young woman sitting before him now was beyond anything he could ever have imagined. His heart raced wildly within his chest as he sat down beside her on her bed, and he smiled shyly, speaking the only words that really mattered, words that came sincerely and honestly from the very depths of his heart.

"I love you, Mako-chan."

Makoto returned his smile, her emotions a delicious overflow of joy and intense longing to share the most intimate act of love with this kind, caring, handsome young man who had forever captured her heart and her life.

"I love you, Yuji-chan."

"I... uh... I should tell you something" the boy confessed. "I'm not very... experienced in... things like..." he blushed, stumbling over the words. "I've never... done this before."

Makoto gave her boyfriend the most incredibly beautiful, love-filled smile he had ever seen.

"Neither have I, my Yuji" she whispered. Makoto gently took his trembling hands in hers, her touch so warm and soft and inviting. "Let's... learn to love together."

The young lovers allowed their hearts to take control and guide them, and some time later, as the silvery crescent moon above shone down on the old house, two soul mates whose lives had become separated in a far distant past at long last became blissfully joined as one.

. . . . .

Downstairs, Usagi returned from her washroom break and began making up her bed, filled with happiness for her friends and thankful to whatever fates that had finally reunited each of them. Ignoring the snacks that she had brought to her bedside earlier, the blonde fifteen-year-old girl, now in her pink pajamas, lay back and relaxed beneath a thick, cozy layer of blankets and quickly drifted off to sleep.

---

Chapter 10:

Yuji stirred, then slowly awakened, unaware of and uncaring about the time. All he knew was that it was well past one in the morning, and that the sleeping girl who had drifted into peaceful slumber beside him was still there, still nestled close against him in their small bed.

There was just enough illumination within their bedroom for him to gaze at her pretty face, her head resting on the pillow they shared, her breathing soft and even, and her expression one of complete and utter contentment. He himself felt so many incredible emotions within, wonder at her beauty, joy at their love, and the happiness he felt when he had given this girl, his girl, all the pleasure a boy could possibly share with the special one he truly loved.

Makoto shifted slightly, pressing herself against him even more snugly with a soft sigh. Yuji wanted so desperately to gently awaken her, to gather her into his arms, to kiss her, to love her yet again. To have her once more experience purest ecstasy as she already had twice this night, when he had tenderly brought her passions to the point of sweet release.

He resisted disturbing his sleeping lover, allowing her to rest and dream a little longer. But moments later her eyelids opened as well, revealing those stunning, deep green eyes that Yuji was convinced could somehow magically look straight into his soul.

"Hey, boyfriend" she smiled at him, her eyes twinkling happily. "How long have you been awake?"

"Not long, my love" he replied. Their heads were resting close together, and a moment later their lips touched in a deep, lingering kiss.

Makoto's soft lips pressed hungrily, almost urgently, to his own, their tongues caressing as their kiss deepened and she reveled in his taste. Their passion again quickly reached the point of no return, and Makoto and Yuji soon found themselves setting out together on another voyage to paradise.

. . . . .

"I can hear you snickering, Rei-chan. What's so funny?"

"Don't you hear them? It sounds like Minako and Taro are still going at it."

"Hai, I do. I'd have to be deaf not to!" her boyfriend chuckled quietly. "They can probably be heard all the way back to Nerima!"

"I think Minako is trying to wear Taro out!" Rei laughed softly. "That poor guy! It's been..." she glanced over at her watch on the bedside table, "nearly two hours. They're going to need to come up for air sooner or later!" The amorous miko turned her attention back to her love, running her slender fingers over Yuuichirou's chest.

"Hmm..."

"Wondering something, my sweet?" he asked.

"I wonder if it is possible... to wear out a boyfriend."

Yuuichirou grinned slyly at her. "Care to try?"

"As a matter of fact, my love, I think I will."

. . . . .

It was just after three in the morning when Usagi's eyes popped open, her body shivering and her arms covered in goosebumps. 'Ohh, I kicked all the blankets on the floor!' she realized, muttering aloud, "I wouldn't be freezing tonight if only my Mamo-chan was here!" She groped for the fallen covers in the dim light, managing to drag them back over herself in a tangled, haphazard mess. With her bare feet still sticking out into the cool living room air, she grumbled, "Well that didn't work! I guess I have to get up and re-make my bed properly." Sighing, the blonde reluctantly sat up and was about to untangle her nest of blankets when she first saw it and froze rigid in fear.

Across the room, faintly visible in the semi-darkness, a thin, translucent white mist had formed between floor and ceiling. Usagi watched in horror, terrified yet unable to divert her gaze as it began to thicken and grow, quickly reaching human-sized proportions as it slowly drifted nearer.

The girl panicked, realizing her transformation brooch was nowhere near close enough to reach. Despite Rei's earlier warning, Usagi tried calling for help, but only the faintest of gasps could escape her quivering lips.

Bending her knees, she scrunched herself together, pressing hard against the back of the sofa. The cloud began to coalesce into a visible form, slowly at first, then in an instant the change was complete.

Appearing before the frightened teen was a woman, dressed in a long flowing white gown with a gold crescent moon centering the bow that covered the top of her garment. A second upturned crescent moon glowed in a soft golden-yellow hue from her forehead. Her hair glistened pure white, flowing gracefully down from two odango remarkably similar to Usagi's and reaching to her knees.

'I must be dreaming!' Usagi thought, convincing her mind that she was only imagining this oddly-familiar older version of herself from the safety of her sofa bed. But then, the apparition spoke to her.

"Do not be frightened, my child."

The woman's tone was clear and somehow quite regal-sounding to the young girl's ears. Usagi forced herself to string together a few halting, faintly-spoken words.

"What... who... are you?"

The woman smiled. "Don't you remember me? My name is, or I should say was, Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. And you were my daughter."

"You can't be!" Usagi gasped. "She's... gone! The Moon Kingdom is gone!" The girl's shoulders trembled, her eyes filling with tears. "And this is all a bad dream!"

"It is no dream, my child" Serenity corrected her. "True, my kingdom was destroyed many millennia ago by Beryl and her wicked forces. And as Luna has told you, I sent you, your court, and their lovers far into the future, in hopes of giving you a second chance. A chance to live again, together with your friends in peace and harmony. That future is where you find yourself now."

"Then... if you didn't survive the attack on the Moon Kingdom... how can you be here?" Usagi asked, still unconvinced.

"My body was destroyed, daughter, but not my spirit. It is this which you now see before you, and exists yet for a short time. True, I am no longer capable of helping you or guiding you into adulthood as any good mother should, but with your earthly family, your dear friends, and the love of your Prince, I am confident you will succeed."

Usagi began to feel the ancient bond she and her parent once shared as it began to rekindle, a soothing familiarity and loving attachment to this ghostly apparition from her distant past.

A tear ran down her cheek as Usagi whispered a single word.

"Mama."

"My child, I cannot stay with you long. But my spirit would not rest until I knew firsthand that my plans have come to fruition. And they now have. You once again have your Mamoru, Sailor Mercury has her Ryo, Mars has her Yuuichirou, Jupiter her Yuji, and Venus her Taro. These boys were once the Senshi's lovers, destined to wed them, and though Beryl attempted to destroy their love along with their lives, she did not succeed. Things are again as they once were. As they were meant to be. And my spirit can now be at peace."

"I... understand" Usagi said. "But... Mother, if my future was planned for me, why is life still so hard sometimes? I have trouble learning things at school, Rei teases me all the time, and everyone is always bossing me around. Some days I just don't know what to do with myself."

"Apply your mind to your studies, Usagi. They will be of immeasurable help in your future. As for Rei" the Queen smiled, "Sailor Mars always had a way of getting under your skin. It kept you from becoming too proud."

Serenity's form began to blur as she gave her daughter one final piece of wisdom. "Do not shirk your responsibilities, daughter. If your friends need help or tell you to do something, consider carefully before you refuse. Those who would rule, must first learn what it means to obey."

"Mama, please don't go!"

The Lunar Queen's form faded into translucence once more but the young blonde could still hear her farewell. "Perhaps we will be able to talk again some day. But now I must say goodbye, my daughter. I am very proud of you."

Usagi broke into fresh tears, sobbing deeply as the mist vanished.

---

Chapter 11:

Inside the bedroom nearest the stairs, Ami traced small, delicate circles on her lover's chest with her index finger. "I don't know how I managed to live before we met, my Ryo-kun. With you by my side and in my heart, now everything seems possible. I love you so very much."

The boy gently stroked her soft blue hair. "Sometimes... I find myself thinking this is all a dream, my love. A wonderful, beautiful dream that I hope I never, ever wake from." They kissed softly, the girl pressing her petite body firmly against his.

As their lips parted, they both recognized the sound of crying emanating from somewhere downstairs. Ami abruptly sat up, a look of concern appearing on her pretty face. "That's Usagi! She sounds really upset, Ryo-kun. I'll go see what's wrong." She slipped from their warm bed and into her blue yukata.

"Would you like me to go with you, my love?" Ryo asked.

"Not right now, sweetheart" Ami replied. "Let me find out what the problem is first." She left the room, whispering, "Don't go anywhere. We're not quite finished our... homework yet."

"My beautiful Ami-chan!" Ryo grinned. "Never one to miss an opportunity to... study!"

"That's because you make it so pleasurable, my love!" she smiled back. She sweetly blew him a kiss and closed the bedroom door.

Downstairs, Ami found her friend sitting on the sofa, tears staining her cheeks. "Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" her friend asked softly. "Did you have a nightmare?" Ami sat on the sofa beside the troubled girl and gently patted her hand. "Please don't cry."

Usagi looked at her friend through moistened eyes. "Ami-chan, I'm still not sure what happened. Someone else was here a few minutes ago."

"Someone came into the house?" Ami gasped. "Was it a burglar?"

"No... it wasn't that..." The blonde was still trembling as she looked into her friend's worried face. "Ami-chan, it was my mother!"

"Your mother? She came here from Tokyo?" Ami exclaimed, stunned.

"Not my mother at home, Ami-chan. It was Queen Serenity!" Usagi described to her dear friend what had happened, leaving Ami nearly speechless. "Before she... left, she mentioned Ryo's name. And the other boys, too. She told me they were going to marry you and the other girls, before... but then Beryl attacked and everyone was..." The blonde confirmed what Ami had thought, "So she sent them with us into the future."

"That's incredible!" Ami could scarcely believe what she heard, though she had long suspected she had been involved in a serious relationship with Ryo in her past life during the Silver Millennium. "Usagi-chan, are you sure you weren't dreaming? Eating too much late at night can make a person do that."

Usagi waved at the food, still undisturbed on the coffee table. "But I didn't eat anything, Ami-chan! I thought I would be hungry, but my bed here was so comfortable, I just... fell asleep." The blonde wiped away another tear. "It was so real! It felt like it really was Queen Serenity. And... my mother!" Usagi touched Ami's hand. "Please don't tell the others about this. I'm still not sure what happened, and I don't want Rei teasing me or calling me crazy if she finds out."

"I won't mention it to anyone until you decide the time is right" Ami agreed. "Would you like me to sit with you for a while?"

The blonde wiped away the last of her tears and sniffled, "It's ok. I'm fine now." She told the blue-haired girl beside her, "You should go back to your room, Ami-chan. You have someone very special waiting for you up there."

"Hai" Ami nodded with a smile. "I do." After making sure everything was ok with her close friend, Ami returned upstairs to her boyfriend, convinced that what Usagi had seen was indeed very real. 'And now I know why Ryo and I were so strongly drawn to one another' she thought, smiling happily. 'It truly was meant to be! We're just picking up where we left off!'

. . . . .

With the dawn of a new day, the rising sun cast its rays of light and energy over the gradually-greening landscape around Makoto's old house. Usagi carefully folded her blankets and stacked them neatly in a chair, while on the second floor the sound of running water came from the shower. As Usagi returned the last of the uneaten food to the kitchen, Rei and Yuuichirou strolled downstairs, holding hands and smiling lovingly at each other.

"I see you made short work of your late-night snacks, Usagi-chan" the miko teased after spying the empty table. "I think I'll go make some coffee... if you haven't polished off all of that too!"

"The coffee is already made, Rei-chan" Usagi told her. "And for your information, I didn't eat anything last night!" she added indignantly.

"You didn't? Why not? Aren't you feeling well?" the miko joked. She went into the kitchen and was surprised to find a fresh pot of coffee waiting for her, just as her friend had claimed. "Usagi-chan, what's come over you?"

"I thought everyone would like some coffee, that's all" the blonde replied. "So you don't have to pick on me again this morning the way you always do!"

"I'm honestly impressed!" Rei poured two cups and took them into the living room. She sat beside her boyfriend, passing him a cup. "Something strange must have happened to Usagi last night" she told Yuuichirou. "She's acting just like... a normal person!"

"I heard that!" the blonde growled. They were soon joined by Ami and Ryo, who soon took their usual places on the sofa with coffees of their own.

"How are you feeling this morning, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked. "Is everything... ok with you?"

"Hai. I feel fine now, Ami-chan" Usagi nodded, smiling happily. "Though I'm sure I don't feel anything like you and Ryo do at the moment!"

"Usagi-chan!" Ami scolded, her face reddening.

"What on earth has gotten into Usagi?" Rei wondered aloud. She heard footsteps on the stairway behind her and turned to greet Makoto and Yuji. "Ohayou, love birds! Did you sleep well?" she asked with a wink.

"We slept very well, thank you Rei-chan" Makoto grinned. "When we... eventually did decide to sleep!" Grasping her boyfriend's hand, she promptly headed for the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast, humming happily to herself. Rei could plainly see the glow on both of the young lover's faces before they disappeared into the other room.

"That only leaves Minako and Taro still upstairs" Rei whispered to her love. "I wonder if they'll make an appearance before noon?"

As if to answer her question, a few minutes later a beaming Aino Minako and Ito Taro joined their friends in the living room. "Ohayou, minna!" the blonde blurted enthusiastically. "Isn't it a beautiful day?"

"Not as good as your night must have been!" Rei murmured under her breath as she watched Taro collapse onto the end of the sofa, looking pleasantly exhausted. Minako sat in his lap, slipping her arms around his shoulders and planting a deep, passionate kiss on his lips.

"Haven't they finished yet?" the miko muttered quietly to her Yuuichirou. "Poor Taro looks like he's just run a marathon!"

"And now you know you just can't wear a boyfriend out, my sweet!" the apprentice quietly chuckled.

"Maybe not, but it certainly was enjoyable to try!" Rei replied. "Though I'm still not convinced, lover. I'll have to try much harder next time" she mused before sipping her drink, causing Yuuichirou's face to redden.

He teased her in return, just loudly enough for Ami and her boyfriend to overhear. "Would you like a cigarette with your morning coffee, my love?"

"Hush, Yuuichirou-chan!" Rei hissed, blushing. "Let's keep my private life just that, ok? Private!" Ami and Ryo both laughed at their miko friend's embarrassed rebuke.

Makoto and Yuji reappeared from the kitchen, carrying a tray of small bowls and a pot of steamed rice. They quickly set the table in the dining room, and Rei was astonished to see Usagi pitching in, bringing out still more bowls of miso soup which she carefully placed before each chair.

"I just have to get the natto and we can start" Makoto announced, waving everyone over to the table. "Come and get it!"

Minako sighed, "I wish we could stay here forever, Taro-chan. I don't want to leave you ever again. Even for a single day!"

"My sweet, beautiful Minako, I promise to do my very best to make that dream come true for us just as soon as I possibly can" Taro vowed.

"I know you will, my love" the pretty blonde smiled as they stood and she hugged him tightly. "Dreams can come true after all!"

Holding Ryo's hand snugly within her own, Ami walked up behind Usagi before they sat at the table. "Usagi-chan?" she whispered, ensuring the others could not hear.

"Yes, Ami-chan?"

"If you ever meet your... mother again... please thank her for everything she did for all of us."

Usagi nodded, smiling warmly at her friend. "I will."

. . . . .

As everyone finished breakfast, Rei fetched her purse and strolled over to Minako. "Minako-chan, I think it's time to prove something to you, since you obviously didn't believe me when I told you yesterday." She opened the small red purse and produced the key to the van, twirling it casually around one finger.

"You weren't kidding?" Minako gasped, her jealousy quickly returning. "But you must be!"

"I think I'll take a little drive just up the street a ways" the miko replied. "Care to join me?"

"You bet!" the blonde exclaimed, leaping from her seat. "Let me get my jacket!"

"Please be careful, Rei-chan" Yuuichirou pleaded. "If the van gets damaged, Hino-sensei really will kick me out of the shrine!"

"Sorry you can't come along for the ride, honey, but the van only has two seats." She kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry, we'll be back in a few minutes."

Yuuichirou leaned over the breakfast table, burying his face in his arms. "I can't bear to watch!"

"Well I can!" Makoto said. "I just have to see this!" She and Yuji joined Ami and Ryo outside, watching in disbelief as Rei slipped behind the wheel. Taro looked at his girlfriend worryingly. "Please be safe, my sweet!"

"Don't worry, darling!" Minako grinned back as she buckled herself in. "We won't be long! Try not to miss me too much!" She blew him a kiss as Rei started the engine.

Rei carefully backed the small van onto the empty road as Minako looked at her in awe. "Rei-chan, you weren't joking! You really do drive!"

"This isn't driving, Minako-chan" Rei replied. "Now this!..." She gunned the engine, and the two girls shot off down the open road. "This is driving!" Minako squealed with delight as they roared away.

Makoto shook her head as the van quickly disappeared over a low hill. "If she drives like that now, what on earth will she be like when she's finally fully licensed and has her own car?"

"Ami-chan, Rei drives just like you do when it's just you and me in the car together" Ryo observed.

"Sshhh, Ryo-kun!" Ami's face immediately turned bright crimson.

"Aha!" Makoto grinned. "So Rei isn't the only terror on the road! Ami-chan, I really thought I knew you, but you surprise me more and more each day. I've always regarded you as such a quiet, sedate girl. But not anymore!" she laughed. Ami blushed further and shyly looked away.

His worry getting the better of him, Yuuichirou joined the others outside. "Did anyone hear a crash?" he muttered.

"Rei looks like she knows what she's doing, Yuuichirou-chan" Ami tried calming the concerned teen. "Anyway, it's very quiet here. There's really nothing around for her to run into."

A couple of minutes passed, then the sound of a rapidly-approaching vehicle could be heard from somewhere beyond the gently-sloping hill. Rei and Minako soon reappeared and Rei slowed from her usual breakneck pace, turning smoothly back into the driveway.

"How was that?" the miko asked her companion as she parked the van. "Do you believe me now?"

"Wow! Rei-chan, I'll never doubt you again!"

The girls got out and Yuuichirou told the passenger, "Minako-chan, don't worry about the shaking. It should stop in a few minutes."

"Shaking?" Minako looked at him with puzzlement. "I'm not shaking, Yuuichirou-chan."

"You weren't terrified?"

"Are you kidding? I loved it!"

Yuuichirou regarded Taro's expression with amusement as Minako's boyfriend breathed a sigh of relief. "Now you know what you have to look forward to later this year, Taro-chan!"

The other teenager laughed. "Maybe we should all get safety helmets for when the girls start driving full time!"

Minako glared at her boyfriend, wagging a finger at him. "Don't you trust me, honey? Don't worry, I promise I won't drive the way Rei does."

"That's good to know" he sighed.

"Of course not, silly! I'll drive a lot faster!"

Taro groaned. "I'm going to have grey hair before I'm eighteen!"

Yuuichirou took the keys from Rei's hand before she could slip them into her purse. "Minna, let's go back inside" he suggested. "I think that's more than enough excitement for one day. It certainly was for me!"

---

Chapter 12:

With Rei and Minako's driving adventure now behind them, Makoto stood in the center of the living room and announced, "Minna, it's laundry time. There's a lot of sheets to wash, would everyone mind bringing your bedding, and anything else you want cleaned, down to the kitchen? It would help a lot."

"Hai, I'll go get ours, Mako-chan" Ami said. "Ryo-kun, you stay right here and relax. I won't be long." She kissed his cheek and headed up to their room.

"That's a good idea, Ami-chan" Minako said to the girl. "The boys can rest a while and let us take care of everything!"

"Your boy in particular could certainly use the rest, Minako-chan!" Rei told her quietly as she left her seat beside Yuuichirou. "How much sleep did you get last night?"

"Not a lot!" Minako giggled as they walked up the stairs together. "Taro and I were a little busy with... other things."

"I could tell!" the miko laughed.

"Rei-chan! Were you listening to us? That's just so rude!" Minako admonished her friend, though she smiled happily nonetheless.

"Were we listening? Minako-chan, everyone in Nerima could hear your antics! Your Taro isn't going anywhere, you didn't have to try to fit an entire lifetime of loving into a single night!" The pair reached Rei's room and Rei grinned at the blushing blonde. "Besides, you're hardly one to talk! Remember what you did to Ami and Ryo the first weekend we were here? You think holding that glass against the wall and snooping on them wasn't being rude?"

"I was just... curious, Rei-chan. That's all."

"Uh-huh. Right. Just curious."

"You and Yuuichirou weren't exactly being as quiet as a moose last night either, you know."

"A... moose? Minako-chan, you have to... oh, forget it!" Rei laughed.

"And anyway" her friend continued, "when we leave here later today, you'll be going home with your boyfriend. I have to leave my Taro... behind." As the realization sunk in, Minako's eyes began moistening. "I don't want to leave him here alone, Rei-chan" she blurted, grabbing Rei's arm. "I really don't!"

"I know it's a difficult thing to do" the miko said. "But everyone has to go back to school tomorrow, remember? That big building with all the books and sensei in it? It's kind of important to our futures, Minako-chan. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll all be back here again very soon."

"Next weekend!" Minako brightened. "I have to ask Ami if she'll bring Mako-chan and me back next Saturday!"

"Somehow, I don't think Ami and Ryo will have a problem with that!" Rei laughed. "This old place really is becoming a home away from home, isn't it?"

"With my Taro here with me, it's starting to feel more like... my real home" the blonde confessed.

. . . . .

A large collection of laundry began forming beside the small washing machine, and Makoto busied herself preparing the first load. Rei and Minako returned with theirs, adding to the pile. "Mako-chan, would you like some help with that?" Minako asked.

"Don't let her touch anything or you'll regret it, Mako-chan!" Rei warned the brunette. "She's a hazard around washing machines. And most other machines too, come to think of it."

"Hmph! I'm not that bad!" Minako objected.

"No? Do I have to remind you about-"

"Ok, ok! Forget I mentioned it!" the blonde grumbled with a frown.

Makoto closed the lid and pressed the start button, but nothing happened. "That's odd. It was working fine the last time we were here." She tried again with no success. "I hope this thing hasn't died on me!" the brunette worried. "I can't afford to replace it."

Usagi wandered into the kitchen in search of a mid-morning snack. She watched quietly for a moment while the other three girls puzzled over the silent device. "Why don't you ask one of the boys to help, Mako-chan?" she suggested. "They may know what's wrong."

"I can ask Taro for help!" Minako exclaimed. "He's very good with his hands."

"Yes... I'm sure he is" Rei mumbled. "Look, we can't go running to the guys every time there's some tiny problem. They'll think we're just a bunch of helpless little girls."

"Aren't we?" Minako asked the miko innocently.

"Speak for yourself, Minako-chan!" Rei stared at the machine for a moment. "Is it overloaded? The one at the shrine won't work if there's too much in it."

Makoto shrugged, pulled out a couple of sheets and tried to start it again. "Nothing."

"Is the lid shut properly?" Minako opened and closed the lid several times, slamming it down hard.

"Easy now, Minako-chan!" Makoto yelled. "Don't break it!"

"Minako is an expert at breaking things" Rei said, ignoring the blonde's subsequent angry look.

"Maybe it's not plugged in" Usagi volunteered.

"Don't be ridiculous, Usagi-chan!" Rei growled at her, as Makoto reached behind the device and wiggled the plug in its socket. "Of course it's-"

With another press of the button, the machine hummed to life. "Arigatou, Usagi-chan!" the brunette thanked her. "You were right! The plug must have worked loose."

Usagi grinned wordlessly at a speechless Rei before reaching for a bag of chips in the cupboard and quietly leaving the room, a huge smile on her face.

"But... how..." the miko stuttered.

"That was simple!" Makoto said happily. "What a relief!"

"What's going on with that girl lately?" Rei muttered to herself. "Usually Usagi's the one causing all the problems, not fixing them."

. . . . .

With the last load of laundry done and the beds remade, everyone gathered in the living room to make plans for the afternoon. "Would anyone like to go into town?" Taro suggested. "We could all take in a movie together."

"Ah... I don't think that would work, Taro-chan" Minako said, embarrassed. "The last time we went to the theater in Nerima, we ran into... a little problem."

"A problem, my sweet?"

"Hai. We were... thrown out for causing a disturbance" his girlfriend admitted sheepishly. "But it wasn't my fault!" she quickly added. "Usagi and Rei were fighting again."

"Well, she was asking for it" Rei grumbled, Usagi glaring back at her from her chair.

"To be honest, I can think of something else I'd rather do this afternoon than see a movie" Ami said.

"What do you have in mind, my love?" Ryo asked her. He suddenly smiled. "Oh..."

"Let me guess, you're both falling behind in your studies again!" Rei laughed. She paused for a moment, glancing coyly at Yuuichirou. "Now that you mention it, that's not such a bad idea at all!"

"I agree, Ami-chan. That's a great idea!" Makoto exclaimed, blushing as everyone grinned at her and Yuji. "Well... you know... we haven't touched a book all weekend."

"And I'm sure you won't be touching one today either, Mako-chan!" Minako giggled. "Or should I call you Ami-chan from now on?"

Her face red, the brunette took her boyfriend's hand and quietly disappeared upstairs. The other couples exchanged looks before everyone abruptly got up together and followed Makoto's lead, closing their bedroom doors behind them.

Usagi sat alone near the fireplace, contentedly munching on her snacks and thinking back on her previous night's very special visitor.

. . . . .

"Here we are again, lover" the miko whispered. Rei and Yuuichirou held each other close as they stood beside their bed, the young shrine maiden's head tilting back to place lingering kisses on the taller boy's lips. "Do you feel... up to... a little studying with me today?"

"I do every day, Rei my darling." Her boyfriend's voice was husky as he tenderly held the raven-haired love of his life close in his embrace. "Uh... weren't you saying something earlier about... trying harder next time?"

"I think I did say something like that, my Yuuichirou-chan" she smiled. "Are you ready to-" She was interrupted by giggling coming through the wall separating their room from Minako and Taro's. Rei stared at the wall as Minako's giggling soon changed to more intimate sounds. "Those two certainly don't waste any time!" she muttered as the volume next door gradually increased.

"I want you so much!"

"Oh! My sweet, beautiful Minako!"

Rei tried valiantly to ignore the amorous couple nearby. "Anyway, Yuuichirou my love, as I was saying-"

"Ohh, Taro-chan! Take me!"

Rei glared at her chuckling boyfriend. "AS I WAS SAYING-"

Yuuichirou couldn't help himself. He sat on the bed, breaking into uncontrollable laughter. "I'm really sorry, honey! But Mako-chan needs to invest in thicker walls for her house!" he chortled.

Rei placed her hands on her hips defiantly. "I don't care how much noise that blonde sex-crazed maniac makes!" she blurted with a stomp of her foot. She reached out, pushing her boyfriend onto his back and forcefully unfastening his belt buckle. "Yuuichirou-chan, you're going to make love to me, and you're going to do it right this instant!"

"Anything you say, dear" he grinned.

---

Chapter 13:

Back in Tokyo, a pleasant spring afternoon had brought crowds of people out into the sunshine, with a number of residents of Azabu-Juuban paying a visit to Minato's ancient Hikawa Jinja. Inside the shrine's business office, Hino-sensei sat at his desk, chatting on the phone with his old friend.

"Hai, Michio-san, those two young lads you sent over to help me have kept the shrine humming smoothly all weekend. I'm sure they both have a bright future as sensei at their own shrines some day."

The elderly priest listened to the voice on the line. "Absolutely, Michio-san. The shrine is spotless, as are the grounds... I don't think it's ever looked better... They're both outside with our guests at the moment... No, I'm not quite sure exactly when Rei and Yuuichirou will return, but I'll let you have your people back shortly before we close for the day... I will, and thank you again, my friend. I do appreciate your concern... Sayonara."

Rei's grandfather hung up the phone and sat back comfortably in the old chair. 'The shrine really has never looked better' he thought. 'And those apprentices are extremely hard-working and very knowledgeable, unlike my current apprentice.' The old man stroked his chin thoughtfully. 'Then why do I find myself missing Yuuichirou so much?'

. . . . .

On the quiet country road that passed by Makoto's second home, a blonde-haired girl strolled alone, deep in thought. She had decided it would be best to give her friends a little more privacy this afternoon, and went for a walk shortly after everyone else had gone back upstairs. The girl looked up, watching as a pair of small colorful birds passed high above the road and flew into a nearby field, swooping gracefully as they chirped and tweeted nature's own melody. The birds soon nestled together in one of the few trees that dotted the landscape, and Usagi smiled as she realized they reminded her of the four young couples she had left back at the house.

'Spring really is the season of love and new beginnings' she thought. 'Now that Mama's plans are finally complete, my friends can live the kind of lives they always dreamed of having, filled with love and happiness.' Though she did not know what had become of her mother's spirit, Usagi found herself looking into the bright cloudless sky, so vast and seemingly endless in its possibilities. She paused for a moment, gazing up into the sea of blue. "Arigatou, Mama" she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

. . . . .

Ami felt as though she were floating on air as she and her soul mate walked downstairs together. After sharing an afternoon of heavenly bliss with her Ryo, the fifteen-year-old girl went into Makoto's kitchen and prepared some tea for herself and her love.

"Arigatou, my sweet Ami-chan" Ryo thanked her with a warm smile as he took the offered cup. "It's amazing how thirsty a guy can get after an afternoon of... studying."

"You have to remember to help keep all your bodily fluids replenished, my darling" his Ami told him. "Especially since... you've given so much of yourself to me lately" she added with a coy smile.

The young couple relaxed on the sofa together, enjoying each other's presence and companionship in a less physical way than the tender intimacy they had just shared upstairs.

"I guess Usagi has gone out for a walk" Ami noted after a while, her head resting comfortably on Ryo's shoulder. "She must miss her Mamoru dearly this weekend."

Ryo agreed. "I'm sure she does, Ami-chan. I feel really bad for Makoto and Minako too, and Yuji and Taro. It isn't going to be easy for them to say goodbye when we head home to Tokyo tonight."

"Minako has already asked me about coming back again next weekend" Ami told her boyfriend. "Of course I'm more than happy to drive her and Makoto here."

"Will you still have room in your car for your Ryo?" the young man asked hopefully.

"Most definitely, darling. Room in my car, in my life, in my bed, and especially in my heart. I don't think I could live another day without you there by my side, my Ryo-kun" she said in a soft voice. "Not in this life, or in any other."

Not long after, a second couple joined Ami and Ryo in the living room. Minako and Taro sat nearby, the spirited, outgoing blonde once again choosing the comfort of her boyfriend's lap over that of the sofa. Minako clung onto him with one arm while grinning mischievously at her close friends.

"Taking a little break from love-love?" the blonde asked teasingly. "I mean... studying!" she giggled.

"Uh... we just... felt a little thirsty, Minako-chan" Ami said, her cheeks warm with redness. "There's fresh tea in the kitchen if you and Taro would like some."

"Perhaps later, thank you" Minako replied. "By the way, where is Usagi hiding?"

"We're not sure, but I assume she went out for a walk." The blue-haired girl thought about Usagi's surprise visitor the previous night. "Usagi has had a lot on her mind lately."

"I understand. Thanks so much for offering to drive Mako-chan and me here next weekend" the grateful blonde said. "And maybe Usagi can come out with Mamoru next time, if he can get away from the university for a while. I hope you didn't mind my asking for another ride, Ami-chan." She kissed Taro on the cheek and beamed at him. "Someday soon I'll have my driving license, honey! Then I'll be able to see you a lot more often. Maybe even every day!"

"You'll need more than just a license, my sweet" Taro reminded her. "You'll also need a car to use it with. I'd gladly offer you mine, but unfortunately I don't have one yet."

"Oh! A car! A license isn't much use without one, is it?" Minako laughed. "I forgot all about that little detail! Hmmm..." She pondered the problem for a while until her expression suddenly brightened. "My father has been doing really well in his business dealings lately. If I try, I'm sure I can convince him to buy me a car! And I'll make sure it's a lot cuter than Rei's van. A lot faster, too! Then I can zoom out to see you in no time, Taro-chan my love!"

"Does anyone have a mirror?" Taro asked with a chuckle. "I need to check and see how my grey hairs are doing!"

"Silly!" Minako gave her boyfriend another peck on the cheek. "If Rei can teach herself to drive a real car, then it obviously must be easy to learn!"

"You think so?" Rei asked as she and Yuuichirou descended the stairs behind the other two couples. "Minako-chan, knowing how inept you can be around mechanical things, your car will probably be sitting in the scrap heap a week after you get it!" She sat down with her boyfriend between the other two couples and glared at the blonde.

"Well... at least I'm sure I'll pass my driving test before you will, Rei-chan!"

"No chance!" the miko scoffed.

"No? We'll just see about that!" Minako insisted, returning Rei's glare. "Won't we, my Taro-chan?"

Yuuichirou looked at Taro and both boys sighed. "I think this is one little disagreement we should stay out of, Taro-chan" the Shinto apprentice said. He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair. "That reminds me, does anyone see any grey up here yet?" he joked.

Rei playfully jabbed her boyfriend in the ribs with her finger.

"Ow! That hurt, honey!"

"Good. It was supposed to."

. . . . .

Yuji slowly and tenderly kissed his lover's neck, then her cheek, and finally gently caressed her soft lips with his. The girl laying beside him sighed blissfully, completely enveloped in the sweet afterglow of their intimacy. "Are you sure you've never loved a girl before, my Yuji-chan? Because I think you're awfully good at it."

With a shy blush that reminded Makoto a little of Ami's boyfriend, her Yuji shook his head. "Never, ever before, my love. But if I do please you when we are together like this... it's because I care for you so very much. My heart is filled with a whole lifetime's worth of love for you, my sweet Makoto."

"And this is really just the start of our lifetime together, Yuji-chan" Makoto whispered. Once more, she gave silent thanks to the fates that had somehow brought him to her.

Her boyfriend's eyes took on a distant look. "In a few more hours, the weekend will be nearly over and I guess you'll be going back to Tokyo. Promise that you won't forget me."

The brunette he held tenderly in his arms nodded solemnly. "I promise." Makoto's fingers slowly caressed his face. "Yuji-chan my love, I've lived on my own for the last two years. I've had plenty of struggles in life and in school, and as Sailor Jupiter I've fought more horrible youma than I ever want to remember. But the hardest thing I will have ever done in my life so far, will be to say goodbye to you this evening. I don't want to go, Yuji-chan. Not tonight, and not ever." Her green eyes began to mist at the mere thought of leaving him behind. "I will think of you every waking minute, and in every dream I have. And I will keep doing so until I am in your arms again."

They hugged each other tightly, both wishing that time could somehow stand still, sparing the young lovers from ever having to part.

. . . . .

Swinging the front door open, Usagi was met by the raised voices of two feuding girls.

"How was I supposed to know you had a tool to cut that stupid strap, Rei-chan?" Minako was grumbling. "I looked everywhere and couldn't find it!"

"Try opening your eyes next time!" Rei shot back. "Or at least bother to ask me or Yuuichirou for help. Wouldn't that be a better idea than transforming into Sailor Venus and destroying everything in sight? I still haven't replaced that good knife you ruined."

Minako's eyes narrowed and she turned to glare silently at her laughing boyfriend.

"I can't believe you attacked a box of ofuda with your powers, my love!" Taro chuckled. "And... blew it up!"

"It... seemed like a good idea at the time" his girlfriend mumbled, her shoulders drooping.

"I'm sorry for laughing, my sweet. But that's the funniest thing I've heard in ages!"

"You just had to bring that up again, didn't you, Rei-chan?" Minako steamed. "Now I know how Usagi feels!"

"How I feel about what, Minako-chan?" Usagi asked as she entered the room.

"I know just how bad Rei makes you feel when she's picking on you."

"That's ok, Minako-chan. I guess there were days when I deserved it" Usagi said, sitting quietly in a chair.

"And that's another thing!" Rei exclaimed. "Usagi-chan, what's going on with you? You haven't been your troublesome self lately, and though I know I'll regret saying this, I'm actually starting to miss the old Usagi."

"I thought you'd like things better this way, Rei-chan" the blonde replied. "But don't worry. I'm sure I'll do something to make you mad at me before I take the train home later."

"The train? Why would you want to take the train home, Usagi-chan?" Ami asked. "There's room in my car, you can ride back with Ryo and Minako and Makoto and me."

"But... I already bought the return ticket, Ami-chan!"

"Baka! Didn't you stop to think that Ami could drive you home?" Rei scoffed.

"But when I left ... The trip was..." Usagi suddenly scowled. "Ohh! I've wasted my money!"

Rei grinned. "Now that's the Usagi we all know!"

"Shut up, Rei-chan!"

"Welcome back, odango atama!"

---

Chapter 14:

Promptly at six, Makoto summoned everyone to the dining room for their last meal together before going their separate ways. "Mako-chan, this time you're really outdone yourself!" Yuuichirou announced, taking his place at the large table and surveying the bounty of food that covered most of it. "If I ate like this every day, I'd gain five pounds in no time!"

The grateful brunette smiled happily in thanks. "I wanted this meal to be something extra special, Yuuichirou-chan. I won't be able to cook like this for everyone for another week. Minna, thanks for pitching in with the groceries." She placed the last bowls of domburi on the table and sat beside her boyfriend. "Yuji-chan, be sure to eat enough. I want you to keep your strength up."

"After this weekend, he'll need to get his strength back!" Rei joked.

"Hush, Rei-chan!" Makoto scolded her, with the sudden realization that she was sounding more and more like Ami lately. "We have to take good care of our guys, and preparing a nice meal for them is one way to do it."

"I can think of another way!" Minako giggled.

"We all know what you're thinking, Minako-chan" Rei groaned. "On the bright side, your Taro hasn't had to face your culinary skills yet. He's still alive, after all."

Minako gave the miko a pouting, sour look. "For your information, Mako-chan is going to help me learn some new dishes next week. I may even try making one of them for my Taro-chan when we're back next Saturday!" She looked at her boyfriend, beaming brightly.

Rei reached out and patted Taro's arm. "I'm so very sorry."

"Will you please stop it?" Minako blurted defensively. "I'm not that bad in the kitchen! Just ask Usagi, she likes my food."

"That's because she'll eat anything that isn't moving."

"Ohh! Rei-chan, must you always be so mean to everyone?" Usagi grumbled. "I don't know how Yuuichirou can put up with you sometimes." The hungry girl poked her chopsticks into her bowl and lifted out a huge mountain of fried rice.

"I'm not hearing any complaints from him, Usagi-chan" Rei said. "Am I, darling?"

"I never complain" the apprentice replied, grinning. "I'm too fantastic, remember? Everyone likes me. Even your grandfather!"

"Shut up and eat, Yuuichirou-chan."

"Mako-chan, this food really is wonderful" Minako told her friend, "though green tea isn't an exotic enough compliment to your cooking. We should have a nice glass of wine with our evening meal, the way they do in Europe. That would be so romantic!" she sighed.

"Sorry, Minako-chan, but my wine cellar is a little bare at the moment" Makoto chuckled.

"Minako told me she spent some time in Europe early last year" Taro said. "You were mostly in England, weren't you, my love?"

His blonde girlfriend nodded. "Hai. That's where I learned to speak English!"

"No kidding!" Rei scoffed between bites. "I thought everyone spoke Spanish over there."

Minako stuck out her tongue at the miko. "You're just jealous because you're stuck at the shrine every day, while I'm a world traveller!" she replied haughtily.

"That's our Minako-chan" Rei said. "Visiting foreign countries and probably leaving a trail of destruction everywhere she goes."

"Jealous!"

Usagi quickly emptied her first bowl and reached for another. "I'd like to travel the world too some day. But only if my Mamo-chan is with me." She asked the quiet couple to her left, "Ami-chan, you and Ryo should go on a nice vacation like that. I'm sure you'd learn a lot more by visiting other places than just reading about them in books."

"We'd certainly like to, Usagi-chan" Ami replied. "But for now, we're happy just to be able to be together at home." She squeezed her boyfriend's hand lovingly.

"You're one lucky girl, Ami-chan" Minako said. "Your mother doesn't mind if Ryo stays over at your place sometimes."

"My mother is hardly ever home, Minako-chan. She's been working so much at the hospital lately, I see my Ryo-kun far more often than I see her."

"Speaking of parents, how did your father take the news that you're in a serious relationship with Mamoru?" Rei asked Usagi. "Did he blow up when he found out?"

"At first he wasn't happy at all" Usagi confessed. "But after he realized how much Mamo-chan and I love each other, he's not so worried." Usagi was silent for a moment. "My mother was a big help. She told him that I'm old enough now for a relationship, and she does her best to keep him from interfering too much. She's very understanding."

"What would we do without our mothers?" Minako reflected. "Somehow I don't think a weekend like this would be possible without their help."

'There's more truth to that than you realize, Minako-chan' Usagi thought to herself.

. . . . .

After clearing the table, Makoto started on the dirty dishes with her Yuji by her side. "Mako-chan, I'd like to help" Usagi volunteered. "If you wash and I dry, it won't take as long to finish."

Rei shook her head in disbelief after the trio entered the kitchen. "I knew this weekend would be very special for Makoto and Minako" she told her boyfriend as they relaxed on the sofa after dinner. "But I never thought it would change Usagi. It has. She's different somehow."

"I think so too" Yuuichirou nodded. "Staying down here alone last night has... mellowed her a little."

The crash of a breaking dish came from the kitchen, followed quickly by an apologetic "Ohh! Sorry, Mako-chan. It slipped!"

"Well... maybe not that different!" Rei laughed. She looked over at the couple on the far end of the sofa. Minako and Taro were sitting close together and the miko could see the sadness in their expressions.

"I'll miss you so very much, my Taro-chan" the blonde whispered, tears beginning to form in her usually-bright blue eyes.

"I'll be here waiting for you, Minako my sweet" her love replied softly, gently caressing her hair. "As I promised you before, the day will come when we'll never have to part like this ever again."

"I"m living for that day, my love." Minako and Taro kissed slowly and tenderly, savoring their precious moment together.

A few minutes later, Makoto, Yuji and Usagi reappeared from the kitchen and joined their friends. "That wasn't so bad" Makoto laughed. "Only one casualty this time." She looked at Yuji and her smile faded, her heart aching anew at the thought of soon being apart from the young man she dearly loved.

"I wish I could go with you tonight, my Mako-chan" the boy said with a deep sigh. "But our big exams aren't that far off and I can't afford to take the time away from classes. If only I could..." He slipped his arms around her as they stood near the fireplace. "I worry about you so much. Try to be careful this week." They kissed, a single tear slipping down the tall brunette's cheek as he whispered to her, "Please come back to me."

"I will, my Yuji-chan" Makoto smiled at him through moist green eyes. "I promise."

Rei turned to see soft-hearted Ami also wiping away a tear at the sight of her friends' sadness. "I don't know about you, Ami-chan, but I think everyone has time for one more dance together."

Her studious friend agreed. "That's an excellent idea, Rei-chan."

"Usagi-chan, while you're over there, would you mind turning on the radio?" the miko asked. "Try to find something... nice."

The blonde nodded and clicked it on, only to hear an evening newscast in progress. Frowning, she twisted the dial in an attempt to locate something appropriate to everyone's mood. The hiss of static suddenly cleared and a voice spoke, "... and now by special request, here's an oldie from way back in the distant past..."

As 'Ue o Muite Arukou' began to play, Usagi looked at her friend questioningly. Rei was about to motion for her to change the station, but after a moment she simply nodded. "That's good, Usagi-chan. Leave it there."

The four couples came together in the living room, each holding their lover in the most tender of embraces. The boys closed their eyes as they hugged their soul mates, the girls pressing themselves tightly against their boyfriends, Minako and Makoto's eyes shedding still more tears. From the radio, the voice of Kyu Sakamoto filled the room, performing the old song known outside of Japan as 'Sukiyaki':

'I look up as I walk

So the tears won't fall

Remembering those happy spring days

But tonight I'm all alone

I look up as I walk

Counting the stars with tearful eyes

Remembering those happy summer days

But tonight I'm all alone

Happiness lies beyond the clouds

Happiness lies up above the sky

I look up as I walk

So that the tears won't fall

Though my heart is filled with sorrow

For tonight I'm all alone'

. . . . .

With the old house securely locked and the last of the luggage stowed in the back of Ami's car and Rei's van, Rei and Yuuichirou said goodbye to the two boys from Nerima. Ami, Ryo and Usagi also wished them well. "We'll see you again next weekend" Ami said. "Take care of yourselves." Ryo held the driver's door open for Ami to slide behind the wheel of her little blue car. He opened the rear door and got in behind her, leaving the front passenger seat vacant for the taller Makoto to use.

Under a starry, moonlit sky, Minako and Makoto held their boyfriends one last time, sharing a final bittersweet kiss with them before the two couples reluctantly parted. "See you soon, my Yuji-chan" Makoto spoke, her voice thick with sadness.

Her parting words to him were spoken in a gentle whisper.

"I love you."

The girls buckled themselves into their seats while Ami started the engine, and the two teenage boys watched the vehicles reverse onto the roadway. Minako and Makoto both blew them soft kisses from behind their windows, and the boys waved at them as the car slowly pulled away.

After their girlfriends had vanished into the darkness, Taro and Yuji Ito started on their long, lonely journey towards home. As they quietly walked along, they both looked up, struggling to hold back their tears.

---

Chapter 15:

"There go two very unhappy girls" Rei remarked. The taillights of Ami's car lead the way through the darkness as she and Yuuichirou followed in the van.

"I can't say that I blame them" her boyfriend replied. "I've never been in a long-distance relationship, and honestly I don't know how some people manage to do it." He glanced over at Rei as he drove. "Honey, I miss you enough as it is when you're in school during the day."

The miko placed her right hand on his arm, squeezing it gently. "You really miss me that much when I'm not home, Yuuichirou-chan?"

"Hai. I really do. The day feels so much longer when I can't see my beautiful shrine maiden until your classes are done. I can't wait for your spring break to start!"

"Makoto and Minako will probably spend the whole time up here at the house with Yuji and Taro." She laughed. "Did I say 'probably'? Make that definitely!" Rei was quiet for a while, thinking as they drove, then finally said, "It's kind of strange, though. Most couples would be ecstatically happy after a weekend like they've just had, and knowing in six more days they'd be together again. I can't really understand why they're taking it so hard."

"Rei-chan my love, I'm no expert on the Moon Kingdom" Yuuichirou replied. "I'm sure you know a whole lot more about it, with all that stuff Luna and Artemis told you and the other girls. But I believe there's one thing that makes Minako and Makoto's leaving their boyfriends for a week a lot harder for them than you think it should be. It's obvious, really."

"Oh?" The miko's curiosity was piqued. "What am I missing, Sherlock?"

"Now that they've shared themselves so intimately with their true loves, their relationships are at the very deepest levels" Yuuichirou explained, "and I'd be willing to bet that the last time Makoto and Yuji or Minako and Taro were forced to part after becoming that close, was when they were together back in the Silver Millennium. When Beryl attacked, the Sailor Senshi were separated from their loved ones for the first time. Only, that time-"

Rei nodded as the realization dawned on her, and she finished Yuuichirou's thought for him. "Then, their goodbyes weren't just for a week. The last time they parted after becoming this close was for... forever. They all died in Beryl's war against the Moon Kingdom."

"It would have been forever, my love, if Queen Serenity hadn't stepped in and sent everyone here" the apprentice said. "At least that's how I understand what happened."

"Hai, that's right, Yuuichirou-chan." Rei suddenly snapped her fingers. "Of course that's why they're so down! Leaving their soul mates tonight, everyone must have felt traces of the horrible pain and loss they felt when they were torn from their lovers the first time." After reflecting on that somber thought for a while, Rei smiled at her boyfriend as they drove into Nerima. "I'm impressed, darling! Your reasoning skills are really good. Did Grandpa promote you to detective without my knowing?"

The young apprentice grinned at his girlfriend. "No, I'm a detective next week, honey. This week I'm a rocket scientist!"

"Will you stop it?" Rei laughed.

. . . . .

In the lead car, Minako finally broke the silence that had been present since the moment they drove away from the house.

"Ami-chan?" Her voice wavered between uncertainty and longing. "I want to go back."

The blue-haired girl behind the wheel sighed. "Minako-chan, I know it's hard to leave. I can only imagine how you feel right now, but I have to say that turning back would not be a good idea. Not for you, or for Taro."

"But I miss him so!" Minako was again on the verge of tears.

"I miss my Yuji terribly too, Ami-chan" Makoto added. "I have to admit, I was thinking just this minute of asking you to turn around, but Minako asked first." Holding the flower bouquet Yuji had given her, she gazed through her window as the lights of Nerima drifted past. "But... I know we shouldn't. My grades would suffer, and with my recent test scores, that's the last thing I need."

Ryo spoke up, "You and Taro would fall behind in your schoolwork too, Minako-chan. I don't think you'd want that to happen."

The usually effervescent blonde sighed glumly. "I guess you're right, Ryo-chan. Going back now would mean a missed day of classes for both Taro and me. I can't expect him to do that." She turned to the girl sitting to her right. "Usagi-chan, I don't know how you did it."

"Did what, Minako-chan?" The odango-haired blonde frowned. "Did I do something wrong again?"

"No." Minako forced a smile. "I was just thinking about that time last year when Beryl kidnapped your Mamoru and tried turning him against us. How did you manage to live without him? And it must have been even worse, knowing that the Sailor Senshi possibly had to fight against the guy you love. I never really imagined how hard something like that would be before I met Taro."

"Well, Minako-chan, I did the only thing I could think of" Usagi replied. "I kept myself cheered up by trusting in fate to make everything work out in the end. I hoped that the love Mamo-chan and I have for each other would bring him back to me. And it did! But..." Usagi frowned, thinking back, "it was a really scary time."

Ami tried to lighten the mood. "Minna, I'm sure the week will pass before you know it" she insisted. "I find that losing myself in my schoolwork always make the days go by more quickly."

Makoto chuckled, "You would say that, Ami-chan!"

"Mako-chan, we need to make plans for next weekend!" Minako blurted, her mood suddenly brightening. "You promised to teach me how to improve my cooking skills, remember? I want to surprise my Taro with a nice meal, just like you do for your Yuji. Where should we begin?"

"Ah... I was going to suggest something really basic at first, Minako-chan."

"Ok! Like... how to make sashimi? Or maybe some kind of yakimono?" the blonde asked hopefully.

"More basic than that. Maybe we can start with... how to boil water?" Makoto grinned.

"Very funny, Mako-chan!"

. . . . .

Makoto unlocked the door to her apartment and clicked on the light switch. She dropped her bag by the door, slipped off her shoes, and hung up her green jacket on a hook in the hallway. Her tiny home was ghostly quiet, and after slipping the flowers she had carried from Nerima into a slender glass vase, the brunette debated turning on the radio to brighten her mood with a little background music. 'I'd better not' she thought. 'If they play something Yuji and I have danced to, it'll make me miss him even more... if that's even possible.'

She carried the flowers into her bedroom and set them down on one corner of her study desk, next to a small wood-framed photograph. Picking up the photo, she cradled it between her fingers as she looked at the picture Minako had taken during one of the boys' recent visits to Tokyo. It showed Yuji and her, holding hands and smiling happily as they stood outside the Game Center Crown.

Makoto raised the photo to her lips and gently kissed Yuji's face. "Don't worry, Yuji my love" she whispered, her voice echoing softly in the stillness of the room. "No matter what happens in my life, I'll always come back to you."

. . . . . . . . . .

Note: The next story is 'The Visitors'.