AN: This is another 1,000 word short piece, done for a holiday contest on the Galaxy Caldron Forums. This all takes place during Crystal Tokyo, if I wasn't clear enough below.

Motoki Furuhata looked out the window of his apartment, fireworks blooming across the night sky. It was amazing how the lights from the pyrotechnics glinted off Crystal Tokyo's buildings at night. He couldn't believe that it was New Year's Eve already, but time felt harder to judge ever since Neo Queen Serenity took her throne. Behind him, sounds of glassware being shifted around in the kitchen emanated, accompanied by Makoto's voice as she figured out a new recipe. It would take a while for him to get used to his now pregnant wife's presence.

She had slipped back into Motoki's life just as easily as she had left it so many years ago. He could still remember the first time Usagi had dragged the lonely teenager into the Arcade Crown to play a game, and the obvious crush she had on him. At that time, he thought he had gotten used to junior high school girls blushing and whispering about him as he worked, but Makoto was the first one to ever volunteer to clean his old apartment and teach him to cook. After years of seeing her and the other girls on a near daily basis, they had suddenly disappeared sometime after high school. Motoki had assumed the girls were busy with jobs and higher education, but then the city and the entire world had changed overnight, and he was too preoccupied trying to resettle to wonder about Usagi's gang for too long. Soon, everything was back to a new normal, senshi and magic included.

Motoki was owner of the Crown Arcade when he saw Makoto again. He was at the counter as she walked in, like it hadn't been years since she had last entered. She was somehow even taller than before, and the look in her green eyes was far older than he had expected, but it was definitely Makoto. After looking around some more, her gaze caught his, and her expression immediately brightened. The children sitting at the bar laughed and left to hide behind the game cabinets when she walked towards him, expecting something to happen.

Her first visit had started off awkward, Mako acting more distant and reserved compared to her younger self, but soon they relaxed and talked as they did before. As she sipped on a milkshake, she mentioned that she worked for the King and Queen in the palace now, along with the rest of her close friends. She couldn't say anything too detailed for security reasons, but it did keep her very busy. And how could she complain about living in a castle? When Motoki had to close the arcade, Makoto promised to come see him more often.

At least once every week after that, she returned. They didn't say anything too deep, but he still looked forward to just seeing her each time. After their meetings had started to migrate into the cafe upstairs after game center hours, Unazuki had started teasing him over his "girlfriend", though it didn't really bother either of them. It did get Motoki thinking though...

As months passed, others started to populate the Arcade. Minako had shown up suddenly, said hello, and then played on the now technically retro Sailor V game. Right until Rei appeared to drag her back off to work. Ami also stopped by, first to apologize for her friends' behavior, and then to ask how his family's business was doing. It was nice to know they had the same kind of bond even as adults. After nearly a whole year of seeing one another, they seemed to be in a strange grey area between friendship and something else. Motoki didn't want to push her into anything, and she was still hesitant to say much about herself. He had started to assume she was staying distant because of bad prior experiences with dating, but maybe it was more than that.

As if she had similar thoughts, Makoto showed up at his apartment door a couple of weeks later, looking serious.

"Motoki, can you keep a secret?" she asked, after he had invited her into the kitchen. Her tea sat untouched on the table. Was she finally going to open up?

"Sure," he said. "Tell me whatever you want, okay?" She nodded, before standing and taking a few steps back.

"I kind of have to show you…" Mako closed her eyes, and the room hummed with energy. He stared in amazement as she disappeared in a cloak of green spark, emerging in a sailor fuku. Whatever magic had kept him from making such a simple connection before now suddenly shattered. She was Sailor Jupiter. She looked at him in silence, searching for a sign of approval or anger.

"Mako…" he said. He walked over and pulled her into a hug, which she hesitantly returned, squeezing a little harder than normal as she fought the tears threatening to fall. The slowly building static electricity was getting uncomfortable, but Motoki didn't let go until she did. "I'm sorry for not figuring it out sooner. All this time…"

"So you're not mad at me for not telling you? I just...I couldn't decide if it was worth the risk."

"No, not really. I'm just happy you wanted to trust me." Motoki hesitated, and then leaned in to kiss her. She didn't pull away. The electric wiring in his kitchen never quite worked the same after the power-surge it had received, but neither regretted it.

"They really outdid themselves this year," Makoto said, now standing beside him at the window. The extra weight from the baby didn't slow her down very much. She handed him a champagne glass, smiling. "You'll have to drink for the both of us this time." He laughed and accepted it.

"I'll try not to have too much fun without you." Their hands laced together and they stood in silence, content with watching the show outside.

"...Motoki-kun?"

"Hm?" She touched her stomach.

"I think it's time."

"Wait, what!?"