A/N: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. I simply kidnap them for my nefarious schemes and hope Naoko doesn't notice.

Shelter

Heavy raindrops drummed against the shaft door, which was located on the ceiling. A lone light bulb dangled 2 feet away from said exit, dispelling the darkness just enough in the closet-sized kitchen. The only other source of light came from the ghostly blue flames of the gas burner, on which sat a billy can full of potato soup.

Ami stood behind the burner, staring at the creamy bubbles crowding about the billy can's rim. She stirred the soup once with a spoon, decided it was good to eat, and turned the gas off. The rich smell of the soup made her salivate instantly. She wanted to eat it straight from the can right then and there, but she reminded herself that she had made it for Makoto. Besides, the pantry was nowhere close to being empty. She figured the gods had been feeling particularly generous on the day she and Makoto stumbled upon this underground shelter.

Taking care not to burn herself, Ami ladled the soup into a bowl and then carried it to the other room.

"Mako," Ami called out softly as she pushed past the door. "I brought you something."

The room was just as dimly lit as it was in the kitchen, but Ami could still make out the pained expression on her lover's face. Makoto lay on a cot, her left side thickly bandaged. With a grunt, she lifted her head and grinned at Ami. "Hello beautiful."

Ignoring the comment, Ami pulled up a chair and placed the bowl carefully on the small table to her right. Sitting down, she laid a hand over Makoto's forehead. "You're no longer feverish," she said, pulling away. "How's your side?"

Makoto scooted to prop her back against the wall, wincing as she did so. "Still throbs a little, but it's gotten a lot better. I gotta hand it to you—you did one hell of a job patching me up." Her grin fell when she caught the solemn look in Ami's eyes. "You…you still mad at me?"

Ami didn't say anything. She looked away from Makoto and fixed her eyes on the wound. She clasped her hands together, one thumb tracing circles over the other. "A little," she finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Makoto pursed her lips, and then began rubbing her shoulder. Ami kept her gaze down, away from Makoto's face. She could feel the taller woman's eyes flitting about the room. No, Ami thought to herself, she could no longer afford to be angry. Makoto had only done what she believed the situation had called for, and Ami knew she had to accept that. But Ami had also learned long ago that belief alone did not guarantee survival. Not when there was so much danger lying in wait out there. She had tried many times to remind her lover of this stark truth, but Makoto, with that cheeky grin on her lips and mischievous glimmer in her eyes, replaced those warnings with the assurance that she could 'handle any god damn mutant or bandit that came her way'.

Ami sighed internally. Makoto could be so damn stubborn sometimes.

Outside, the sky cracked and roared, sending down rumbles that shook the bunker walls. The ceiling light droned off, only to flicker back on again.

The silence in the room was beginning to weigh down on Ami. She made to stand up and leave, but stopped when she felt a calloused hand latch onto her wrist.

"I'm sorry," Makoto said, her beautiful green eyes heavy with the kind of sadness that belong to a guilty child's face. Ami felt her eyes moisten, but steeled herself for Makoto's sake.

"I couldn't forgive that bastard for…saying such things to you," the taller woman continued. "I've never been that angry before. At anyone. Ever."

Ami settled back into her seat. She placed a hand over Makoto's, the same one that held on to her.

"I know I shouldn't have let him get to me, but the mere thought of you…being tortured like that…Christ…I just lost it."

"Mako," Ami cut in. "We were outnumbered by 4. It was a miracle we escaped with our lives."

"I know. And I'm sorr—"

"No, stop apologizing to me," Ami retorted, perhaps a little more sharply than she had intended. She felt her lover tense up. The smaller woman heaved a sigh. "I just worry about you," she resumed, squeezing Makoto's hand. "If anything…if anything happened to you…just…how do you expect me to go on living?"

"Ami…"

"I know that you do it to protect me. But Mako, you know I can fend for myself. And…and it's a crazy world out there with even crazier people, and if you don't exercise more caution, I just might…I just might end up losing you for good."

Ami dropped her head onto Makoto's shoulder. "You know how scared I was when that scavenger stabbed you?" She looked up. Makoto wore a clouded look, one that made Ami wonder briefly if her words had struck a wrong chord in the taller woman.

But Makoto did not protest. Her lips curved into a small, gloomy smile and she raised her hand to gently massage the back of Ami's neck. "I'm an idiot, aren't I…"

Ami shook her head. "No Mako. I didn't mean it that way. I just want you to be safe, that's all."

"I know," Makoto whispered as she raised Ami's hand to her mouth. She kissed her palm. "I know." She continued to plant slow, gentle kisses over Ami's bruised knuckles.

Withdrawing her hand from Makoto's grasp, Ami buried herself into her lover's arms.

"I love you," Makoto spoke into Ami's ear.

"I love you too," Ami replied and kissed Makoto lightly on the lips. She rested her forehead against the taller woman's, savoring the warmth of her touch.

"Your soup's getting cold."

"Screw it," Makoto mumbled, pulling Ami onto her lap. "You're all I need right now."

Ami tapped a finger against Makoto's nose. "You still need to eat. Doctor's orde—"

That was all she could manage before Makoto claimed her lips in a hungry kiss.

They held each other as the storm raged above them. The light bulb was nearing its life span. The walls were creaking. The desolate expanses beyond the shaft door held no promise of tomorrow. But none of it mattered tonight. They were both alive and together.

And that was enough.