Author Note: This series is a sequel to the story 'Ever After' by 'Corvus'. It can be found here on FFnet.

Once Upon A Time: Chapter One - Lightning Crashes

Makoto woke instantly. Three years in a land where danger comes in many forms had taught her that being slow to wake could mean the difference between life and death. Her other senses told her that everything was fine before her eyes even opened, and the sight that greeted her caused her to smile. Just as it had for the past week. Ami was curled up against her side, one arm around Makoto's waist, and one leg twined between her own. It had been rather cold last night, and there are only so many blankets that can be piled on a bed. Makoto looked toward the fireplace, saw that it was down to the last log, and sighed. There was a chambermaid assigned to the rooms, but Makoto thought the girl was frightened of her for some reason. The few times Makoto had come in to find the girl there, she'd hastily finished her duties and scurried out the door with nary a word.

Makoto sighed again and put her hands behind her head, letting her eyes follow the pattern woven in the canopy of the four-poster bed. She suspected it had to do with her and Ami's 'status' as 'heroes'. Three years ago, they had found themselves summoned to this mist-covered land. Literally summoned. Under command of their ruler, a council of mages had held a ritual to bring much needed heroes to their beleaguered country. They were rather surprised when the end result of the summoning was two teenage girls. Not as surprised as Ami and Makoto had been, though. But their passage to this land had disrupted their memories, and it was many months before they remembered much more than just who their were. Even now, their memories of home were incomplete. They knew names and places and faces, but so many of the emotions behind them were lost. Usagi, Rei, Minako, Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru, Setsuna. Moon, Mars, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, Pluto. Fellow soldiers all, but neither Makoto or Ami could remember details of what battles they fought together.

Makoto looked down and stroked the short, blue hair of the sleeping girl beside her. Even in the whirlwind of confusion that were their first moments here, Makoto had known in her soul that she had to protect this oh, so precious person. And as time passed, and they regained their memories, she had realised that it wasn't just kinship that she had felt towards Ami, her fellow stranger in this strange land...

For the longest time, Makoto had hidden her feelings. Partially from herself, but mostly from Ami. She didn't know how, but she knew that where they had come from, she and Ami had merely been good friends. Nothing more. But as the months turned into years, and their shared experiences built up, Makoto knew she couldn't keep her feelings buried. She let her love come to the surface for Ami to see, and she waited. She made no mention of her feelings, but did not hide them. She knew that Ami knew her true feelings, for the young mage was far from a fool, but she did not press. She wanted Ami to make her own decisions without feeling pressured. For a year, she had waited. Patiently. Calmly. Lovingly. Those who had trained her and trained with her would never have believed that she could be so patient, but Makoto knew that--for all her knowledge and power--Ami was as a bird. Ready to take flight in an instant if startled. And Makoto would not dare jeopardize losing the one person she loved in all the worlds.

An incident a week before had thrown that to the wind. While escorting 'their' country's ambassador, they had come under attack, and to save Makoto's life, Ami had taken someone else's. When Ami had first realised the power she commanded as a mage, she had sworn to use her powers to defend and heal, but never harm. And here she had killed to defend her closest friend. To protect herself and Ami, Makoto had taken many lives in the time they had been here, but she had always managed to shield Ami from that pain. In the aftermath of the attack, Makoto saw that she was going to lose the one she loved unless she acted. Ami was still a bird, but she was taking wing and that meant Makoto couldn't wait any longer...

The baring of souls is never easy, but in the other, they each saw what had been missing in themselves. Tears were shed. Of pain. Of joy. And of relief. Relief for Makoto because she knew her precious bluebird would not fly away from her. And relief for Ami because she knew that, no matter what, she had a safe refuge in Makoto's arms.

The final days of their trip were uneventful, and once they reached the ambassadorial compound they were released from their duties until the return trip. Aside from the reception dinner the night after their arrival, their time had been their own, and they had spent most of it talking.

Of course, they already spoke to each other every day, but the opening of their hearts had also opened new avenues of conversation, and Makoto thought that they had finally truly spoken to each other for the first time. No more walls between them. No more mirrors to hide behind, showing the other what they wanted to see. While on the road, they hadn't had time to speak to each other. At least not alone and at length. Once they were settled into their rooms, though...

Their first night in the compound, they had talked long into the night. Finally falling asleep in each others arms. And that was a pattern that repeated itself on the following nights. During the day, they also spoke, but the deep conversations were saved until the nighttime. It was not something that they had decided consciously, but more of a mutual unspoken understanding. And though they did sleep together, that was all they did. Sleep. Makoto had had years to get used to the idea that she loved another woman, but for Ami this is something new. And this was something else that Makoto could wait on for as long as it took.

Makoto looked to the window and saw the dull glow of dawn pushing through the morning fog. Then she looked back at the fire and saw that the log was on its last legs. Loath though she was to do it, she touched Ami's shoulder and gave it a little shake. "Hey, I know it's cold, but you need to let go of me for a minute."

Ami gave a low "mm" and hugged herself closer to Makoto.

Makoto chuckled and bent her head to kiss Ami's hair. "You know, for someone who was the Soldier of Ice and Water, you sure can't handle the cold well."

Ami took a deep breath, and Makoto could see her eyes open underneath her bangs. "Mmh. I'm not Mercury anymore, and you aren't Jupiter. We lost those parts of us when we were brought here."

Makoto's smile faded and she squeezed Ami's shoulder. "I know, Ami. I'm sorry for bringing it up. We will find a way back to our world. I promise." She sighed. "I was a fool for giving up so easily. I had lost hope."

Ami shifted her head to look at Makoto. "You are not a fool. Even though we didn't realise it at the time, we both fell back on our strengths. You learned how to protect me in this new world, and I sought knowledge. We both got sidetracked before we even realised there was a track. We barely remembered each others name when we first arrived here. You can't blame yourself."

Makoto sighed again. "I have to blame someone. I wonder if it's something to do with this land. Everything is so...shrouded. What light gets through seems to barely warm you. Maybe it's like that with hope as well. There seems to be so little here."

Ami smiled and brushed Makoto's hair back behind one ear. "There are sunny days here, Makoto. And there is hope. Maybe not as much as back home, but..." Ami laid her head on Makoto's shoulder, her voice thoughtful. "Maybe...maybe that's why we're here. To show them that there's hope."

"Us against the world?" Makoto asked with a smile.

Ami lifted her head again to look Makoto in the eyes. "Us. Together."

Makoto's eyes widened as she gazed into those deep blue pools. This... This was what had been missing. This was what she had been seeking the whole time they had been here. Her other half. Finally and forever at her side. "Together. Together we can do anything. We can change the world," she said in a low voice.

Ami reached up and drew Makoto down to her. "And we will..." she murmured just before their lips touched.

oOoOoOo

Makoto added two more logs to the now-roaring fire before turning to warm her backside. "I don't understand why you couldn't just...I dunno...levitate more logs onto the fire from the bed."

Ami giggled from the bed, where she sat with the covers wrapped around her. "It doesn't work like that. Each element has certain things it can do. Water is the most malleable, and Metal the least. Wood can grow or rot or be shaped easily, but it doesn't naturally fly through the air. I could have made the fire larger, but without a suitable fuel source, it would have to feed off my energy, and without an ether-focus, I could only have sustained it for a few minutes."

Makoto stepped away from the fireplace now that she had warmed up. "And with your scepter?"

"Mm...a half-hour or so before I started getting tired. But Fire is dangerous to try to control for so long. It's not a true living thing as Wood is, but even so, it seems to have a mind of it's own at times."

Makoto looked down at her hands. "That reminds me of the lightning... I could call it down... Make it do my bidding...but there was always the thought in my mind that it was allowing me to do so. That I could control it only so long as it pleased." She let her hands drop. "I suppose it doesn't please to any more..." A sharp krack and rumble of thunder caused her eyes to go wide and her head to snap up. Both her and Ami looked toward the window where they saw the morning sun being hidden behind dark stormclouds. The wild look in her eyes faded and Makoto sighed. "Looks like this isn't going to be one of those sunny days."

Ami groaned and dropped back down on the bed. "Oh, no..."

"What is it?" Makoto asked as she stepped back beside the bed.

Ami shook her head, "I had just promised to meet someone today, and here it's going to rain."

Makoto furrowed her brow. "Meet? Who?" She felt a sudden surge of emotion, and a moments reflection made her realise that it was jealousy. Here she was being the jealous girlfriend already? She couldn't help it as she broke into a laugh, which of course, made Ami look at her questioningly.

"What's funny?"

Makoto just shook her head as she smiled. "Nothing. Nothing at all. Just my being silly." Ami just looked at her for a moment before her eyes went wide and she blushed, then she grabbed a pillow and swung it hard at Makoto.

"I can't believe you!" she cried with a laugh. "Hasn't been a week and you're already jealous!"

Makoto just stared at Ami as the pillow fwaped against her. "How could you know that?!"

Ami pointed at her with a grin. "Iknow you!" The grin faded to a soft smile. "Now, more than ever..."

Makoto matched the smile with one of her own, and time passed unheeded until the moment was interrupted by a knock at the main door of their chambers. "Ah. That's probably breakfast," Makoto said. She cocked a thumb at the table by the fireplace. "I'll have them bring it in here since it's nice and warm in here now." Ami nodded and slipped out of bed, pulling on a fur-lined robe.

Makoto walked out of the bedroom, and shivered. The fireplace in the main room was stone cold and her long nightshirt was not much protection. She really needed to have a talk with that chambermaid... Makoto didn't feel that she was being snooty or anything. She knew she was not some noble lady miffed at the 'help', but the girl did have a job to do and was ignoring it for some reason.

When she opened the door, there stood the subject of her thoughts, carrying a well-laden tray. Makoto cocked an eyebrow at her, and wondered for a moment how she'd knocked on the door while carrying it. Then she noticed that the girl was blushing and had given a little start when she'd seen Makoto. The girl swallowed. "I have your breakfast, my lady."

Makoto's brow furrowed at bit at the 'my lady', but she motioned the girl inside. "Take it into the bedroom, please. It's a little too cold to eat out here." As the girl went past her, she didn't speak, but Makoto saw that she had the good grace to look chagrined. After closing the door and pondering for a scant moment of locking it, Makoto followed her into the much warmer bed chambers. Ami had settled herself at the table, and as the girl was setting the breakfast plates on the table, Makoto followed Ami's example and grabbed her own robe, knotting it tight as she shivered slightly.

Breakfast was quickly laid out, and as the girl gave a quick bow and turned to leave, Makoto spoke, "Wait! Please."

The girl froze and slowly turned back to Makoto, her eyes wide. "M--my lady?"

Makoto rolled her eyes at the 'my lady'. "Look...what exactly is your problem?" she asked as she spread her arms to indicate the rooms, Ami, and herself.

"I...I...I don't know what you mean, my lady!"

Makoto sighed and waved her hand at the girl. "Oh, stop with that! I'm nobody's lady."

"You're mine," Ami replied matter-of-factly without looking up from the hot bread she was spreading jam on.

Makoto could feel a blush spreading up from her neck and slowly turned toward the table. "You're not helping Ami..." she said through clenched teeth. To which Ami just giggled in reply. She turned back to the girl, who had turned beet-red, and took a deep breath. "What I mean is, do you have a problem with myself or my friend? Ever since we got here, you seem to have been avoiding us. Any time you're here when I come in, you run out like a startled deer. You are the chambermaid, and I've asked around... You just have our chambers and one other to see to, and unless the person in those is a slob of godly proportions, I don't see why you aren't doing your job here." She pointed to the main room. "There's no fire in there, and the one in here was almost dead when I woke up." She shrugged and spread her arms again. "What is the problem? Tell me!"

The girl stood there trembling. Looking like she wanted to be anywhere else in the world but where she was. "I...I...I'mverysorrymylady!" she let out in a rush, as she bowed deeply. "It won't happen again! I--I have other duties to attend to, but as soon as those are done I will return to see to your chambers!" And before Makoto could do more them open her mouth to reply, the girl fled from the room and they could hear the chamber door quickly open and close.

Makoto looked at Ami, who returned her slightly shocked look. "What was that all about?"

Ami just shook her head. "No idea," she said before taking another bite from her bread. She motioned to the other chair and swallowed. "Sit. Eat. Before it gets cold. The trali is excellent this morning," she said, indicating the pot that contained the local equivalent of coffee. It wasn't quite as bitter as the coffee they remembered, and held a hint of fruitiness. Makoto sighed and sat down, pouring herself a cup before digging into the food.

After taking the edge off her hunger, Makoto spoke, "Do you think it might be because...well...because we're...together?"

Ami smiled at this as she sipped her trali. "You mean because we're lesbians?" She shook her head. "I don't think so. It..it doesn't feel like it's that." She grinned. "Listen to me! Like I would know about things like that. Ah, I wish Minako was here, she wo--" she stopped and all but dropped her cup on the table. "Oh, what am I saying?! I don't wish Minako was here! I wish we were where she was!"

Makoto reached over and took Ami's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Ami...it's all right... Calm down..."

Ami closed her eyes and put her other hand on top of Makoto's. After a few moments her eyes opened and she looked at Makoto. "It's not all right, but I'll be okay." She pulled Makoto's hand up and kissed it. "You're here. And that makes it all right." She smiled. "I would have been lost years ago without you."

Makoto blushed and squeezed Ami's hand again. "As would I without you."

Ami patted her hand, then let it go, and they both went back to their meal. When they finished, Ami spoke up again, "To change the subject slightly, you know what I miss about our world?"

"What?"

"Radio."

"Hm?"

"Being able to flip a switch and listen to music any time I wanted to. Before the reception dinner, when was the last time you heard music?"

Makoto sipped her trali as she thought. "Mm...last month sometime. One of the stableboys was playing a flute he'd made."

Ami nodded. "And it was two or three for me. And I used to listen to music every day. Of course, living somewhere without all the noises of a huge city lets you hear nature's own music. Back in Haalo I think the local birds are forming an acapella group outside my rooms. I couldn't sleep late even if I wanted to!"

Makoto grinned and got up to put the half-full pot of trali on the lip of the fireplace to warm it back up. "My turn to change the subject: who are you going to see today?"

Ami laughed. "One of the local mages I spoke with at the dinner. He runs an apothecary in town, and mentioned some medicines he'd made from local plants. I wanted to go by and see if they were anything I could add to my healing kit," she said, indicating the pouch hanging on the side of the wardrobe where their gear was stored. Her magic was good at healing wounds and such, but diseases were something beyond the ken of magic.

Makoto nodded. "Sounds good. I'll escort you." She held up a finger as Ami opened her mouth to protest. "Ah-ah. No 'but!'s. The ritual that brought us here might let us understand the languages of this world, but this is still a foreign country. They might have some strange law about how beautiful, unescorted, sorceresses become the property of whoever can catch them!"

Ami crossed her arms and cocked an eyebrow up. "Now that is reaching. Adorable, but reaching." She raised her hands in surrender. "Fine, fine. You win. You'd follow me anyway just to make sure I was all right."

"Damn right I would," Makoto said with a smile.

At that moment rain began lashing the windows and another rumble of thunder broke overhead. Ami grinned at Makoto. "You sure you want to come with me?"

Makoto stuck her tongue out. "Positive. But let's wait a bit and see if this passes."

"Sounds good," Ami said as she stood and stretched. "Nnn...ah! I'm going to get dressed and head downstairs at least. I want to see how things are progressing on the diplomatic front."

Makoto thought that was a good idea and soon they were both dressed. Ami in the traditional white that Haaloan mages wore, but wearing white pants instead of her normal skirt in deference to the weather, while Makoto was in her normal wood-brown boots, pants, and jerkin. Her hunter-green cloak and red-auburn hair the only spots of color on her. Ami slipped her scepter into a loop on her belt, the small ether-globe at its tip holding it secure. Makoto checked her sword before buckling it on and hanging her gloves on her belt for later when they went outside. As they headed out and down the stairs Makoto noticed something. "You know, with all the white stone they use for building material in this city, you're better camouflaged than I am."

Ami looked at herself, then Makoto, and laughed. "You're right! I guess I'll be the sneaky one today."

When they got to the main floor and asked around, they found that they were too late to talk to the ambassador. He'd already left for the palace for the days talks. While Ami got directions to the apothecary from one of the compound staff, Makoto stepped outside to check the weather. She saw that the first wave of the storm had passed, but she could smell another one coming, and it was going to be a rough one. She could almost taste the ozone in the air from the lightning arcing through the clouds overhead. Things were going to get exciting real soon now...

oOoOoOo

Makoto waited for Ami outside the apothecary while the sorceress consulted with the owner over medicinal matters. The myriad scents inside the shop had caused Makoto to start sneezing the moment she walked in, so she'd retreated outside to the entryway. Makoto watched a small two-horse coach roll past and she really felt for the driver and footman. The rain had let up for a while, but was coming back with a vengeance, and she didn't envy them stuck huddling under their cloaks while their charge rode in dry comfort.

A few score meters past the store, the coach slowed to allow a man in a dark cloak to cross the road. As the man came to Makoto's side of the road, his cloak swirled open and she saw a large naginata-type weapon appear in his hands. While she was still puzzling how he had hid a two-meter-long weapon under his cloak, he ran toward the coach and, in a swing testifying to both his strength and the quality of his weapon, the man sliced through the hindquarters of the lead horse and the neck of the second, dropping them both to the ground and sending the driver flying off his seat into the street. When the coach had slowed, the footman had looked around from his position on the running board along the back of the coach, and so had braced himself when he saw what was happening. As he jumped off and started to run toward the front of the coach, Makoto saw four more dark-cloaked figures emerge from rain-shrouded doorways on either side of the street, and knew this was more than some random act of violence.

Pausing only to throw the door to the shop open and yell for Ami, Makoto fairly flew down the street, her long, curved blade flashing from its sheath as she ran. Barely had she gone a dozen steps when one of the new figures' own blade found the neck of the driver as he struggled to pick himself up from the ground. He fell back down as a spray of crimson joined the rain in falling from the sky. When the footman saw this he slid to a frantic stop beside the coach. He made a few quick gestures and as he spread his arms wide Makoto felt the itching in the back of her skull that she had come to know as the feel of magic being used nearby. There was a flash and suddenly the coach was surrounded by a tall ring of flame, the footman barely visible behind the shielding fire. The cloaked figures pulled up short at that and looked at each other. Makoto thought she heard one of them speak, but the rain and the distance made the words indistinct. With a nod another of the figures stepped forward and spun in place. Her cloak flew open and Makoto saw what looked like tiny flashes of light come from under it. As suddenly as it appeared, the ring of flame vanished, and Makoto saw the footman drop to the ground with dozens of thin metal spikes sprouting from his body.

By this time, Makoto had gotten within striking range of the assailants without being noticed. They certainly noticed her when she swung low and cut through the knee of one of the attackers as she ran past him. When what appeared to be the lone woman of the group had flung her spikes, Makoto had seen that she was wearing a chain shirt under her cloak and so assumed the rest were as well, since they appeared to be dressed identically. As the man fell screaming to the stone street, she saw that she was correct in her assumption. With that in mind she brought her sword around in a two-handed swing that beat aside the hastily-raised defense of the man who had slain the driver, then thrust her blade into his neck.

As more red rain fell, the man dropped, and Makoto had an instants warning in which to duck and roll as the initial attacker swung his weapon at her. She felt a tug at her throat and realised that he'd gotten part of her cloak with the swing. As she came to her feet, she saw that he'd continued his motion and spun completely around as he moved toward her. The thick, curved blade at the end of the staff whistled as it cut through the rain, and the upward swing missed her by scant centimeters as she danced back. He spun the blade and brought it back around in a quick backhand swing that she managed to block, though she felt the impact vibrate up her shoulders. She knew that if Ami hadn't strengthened her sword with what little Metal magic she knew, it probably would have snapped. He stepped back, pulling his weapon back into a defensive position as he gave her a quick once-over. One eyebrow quirked up over the stormcloud eyes that were all Makoto could see above the mask he wore. "Sorry, dear. This is a private party."

"Well, dear, I'm crashing it," Makoto growled.

The last two attackers were beside the coach, the man doing something with a metal vial as the woman eyed Makoto with pure hate. Makoto saw glimmers of steel in her hands and made sure to keep her opponent between her and the woman, as she didn't fancy becoming a pincushion. The woman said something to her companion, then turned to Makoto's opponent, "Don't just stand there, kill her while we get through the wards!" to which the man nodded and shifted his grip on his weapon before launching himself at Makoto...

oOoOoOo

As Ami she ran down the rain-slicked street, she once again envied Makoto for her long legs. Through the downpour she saw her friend down the second man, and before she could even draw breath to warn Makoto, she watched the girl roll clear of the sneak attacker, then face off with him. Ami was close enough by then to catch what the woman said, and that made her turn her attention to the two beside the coach. While the woman watched the fight, her companion dipped two fingers in a metal vial and quickly outlined the door of the coach with a shimmering silver substance that Ami recognized as silverbreak, a viscous liquid that was used as a component to help remove unwanted enchantments. Ami's mind shifted and everything slowed as she worked through all the possible options...

It was obvious that they wanted whoever was inside the coach. And whoever it was, was a person of importance. Normal coaches did not have magical wards on them. If they wanted to kidnap them, she and Makoto would probably be able to prevent that. Makoto and her opponent were evenly matched, and moving so swiftly that Ami was afraid to use her magic to help, for fear of striking her friend. But if they had to run with whoever their victim was, the man would have to break off the fight, giving Ami a clear shot at him. However, if they wanted to kill whoever was inside, Ami would have to prevent them from getting the door open, since Makoto wouldn't be able to stop them before they did so. If Makoto hadn't been so close, Ami would have frozen the water on the road and just left the attackers to slip and slide until more help arrived. Sadly, she no longer had the precise control over ice that Sailor Mercury had, and such a spell would cover most of the road, endangering her friend. Thankfully, as a master of Water magic, she had a lot of options at the moment.

Options that were currently falling all around them...

Gripping her starwood scepter, Ami lifted it high, feeling her power flow through the wood and into the ether globe at its tip, where it was magnified many times over. For just a moment, her power over Water allowed her to feel every separate drop of rain falling around her, and that moment was enough for her to hold them. Then she began to move her arm as though twirling something above her head, and as she did so, the rain gathered itself into a string of water. And as more rain fell into her control, the string became a cord, then a cable, and then...

oOoOoOo

The man working on breaking the wards never knew what hit him as he was suddenly slammed sideways by what felt like a giant club. At the last second, the woman saw the massive stream of water hurtling toward them and threw herself back against the coach. Her friend was not so lucky as he was struck by the equivalent of a narrow-stream firehose, and went flying across the road to crumple against a building. Her attention finally torn from the duel before her, she saw the white-cloaked sorceress gathering another stream of water, and decided to not give her the chance. With a step and a spin, a double-handful of spikes flashed through the air...

oOoOoOo

Makoto had grinned to herself when she saw Ami begin casting her spell. She'd seen it used before and knew how effective it could be. The grin was quickly replaced by a grimace as she blocked another low swing. She was too used to fighting other swordsmen, not someone whose weapon allowed them to put so much force behind their blows. And he was a shade too fast to allow her to dodge his attacks. If she didn't end this quickly, she knew her arms would tire and he would force his attack through her guard.

The sound of water impacting flesh reached them and caused her opponent to glance behind him to see what happened. Makoto took the split-second break in concentration to thrust her sword in a one-handed lunge at his face, but as she did so he spun the staff end of his weapon up in an apparently reflexive action the moment his eyes left her, and knocked her blade away. The tip of it cut the edge of his hood and nothing more, but that was enough for him to give her a startled look as he jerked back and dropped into a defensive crouch.

"Gods, girl! You're fast! Been a long time since someone got through that!"

By his eyes, Makoto could tell he was grinning, and she felt one of her own coming on. "I just got your hood. Hold still and I'll get the rest."

"Sorry, dear. No can do."

Makoto's grin turned into a growl at the 'dear', but before she could launch herself at the man, she caught sight over his shoulder of the woman spinning into her attack. But not at Makoto, at...

"AMI!!"

An instant before Makoto's cry, Ami saw the danger she was in. Knowing her control over Metal was too weak to deflect the spikes, she thrust her scepter toward her attacker and willed the stream of water she held sway over into a spinning shield before her. The thick 'ropes' of water knocked the spikes off-course, but Ami knew if she shifted the water enough to attack with, more spikes would come her way, so they were at a standoff.

The woman screamed at the man as she pulled more spikes from under her cloak, "Orek! Quit playing with the bitch and take out that sorceress!!"

Orek nodded without letting his gaze leave Makoto, then brought his weapon up over his shoulder as though it were a bat and he were going for a home run. Makoto jumped back out of range, but she saw the grin in his eyes again as he spoke. "Sorry about this, dear, but duty calls..." Then he swung, and as he did so, crackles of lightning flowed from his hands and up the staff into the blade.

Ami saw this and had just enough time to scream Makoto's name before the blade arced in front of him, and the lightning was released in a wave that slammed into the auburn-haired warrior...

...whose face broke into a large grin as the lightning played over her body before traveling down her arm and gathering into the blade of her sword. "Lightning and I are old friends...dear!" she yelled as she swung her sword and sent the lightning back at the wide-eyed man..

"Oh, shi--" was all Orek got out before the lightning struck him and, with an explosion of thunder that shattered windows down the street, sent him flying back a score of meters before he slammed to the ground.

The lone attacker still standing stared in shock at the twitching form for just a moment before snapping her gaze back to Ami, then Makoto. Pure hate radiated from her eyes. "I am NOT done with you!" she screamed at Makoto before diving around the coach and down an alley before Ami could even think about sending an attack at her.

Makoto planted her sword point-first on the ground and dropped to her knees, clutching the sword to keep herself from collapsing all the way. Ami gasped and ran toward her, noticing as she got closer that Makoto was twitching slightly, and she could almost swear she saw a stray arc of electricity go from her sword to the ground. "Makoto...my god...how did you do that?!"

Makoto shakily smiled up at her. "I...guess the...lightning still...remembers...me... Sadly my...body...is a little...out of practice!"

Ami wiped her eyes, not knowing if it was rain or tears or both that ran down her cheeks. "That could have killed you..."

"Ah, I'm tougher than that. But it still hurts like hell!"

Ami smiled at that and placed her hand just above Makoto's head. After a moments concentration, a green aura spread from her hand down to cover Makoto, who let out a low groan. "Wow. Like dipping into a hotspring. I usually don't get the full-body treatment from y--"

"STEP AWAY FROM THE COACH!"

With speed belying her recent exertions, Makoto pushed herself to her feet and spun, her sword in a defensive position as Ami turned with her scepter at the ready. Facing them were a dozen armored figures, half with swords and shields, the rest with crossbows which were cocked and aimed at them both.

Ami felt Makoto tense up beside her, and heard a low, "Oh, boy..." come from the tall warrior. Ami placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Makoto, wait. That armor... Those are palace guards!"

Makoto glanced at her. "Palace?"

One of the guards spoke again, "This is your LAST warning! Step--"

"It's all right," came a clear voice from behind them.

The guardsman stepped forward. "Princess!"

Ami and Makoto turned to each other. "Princess?!" Then they continued the turn to look behind them, the sight causing both of their jaws to drop.

Stepping down from the coach, the white-cloaked young girl ignored the rain as she pulled her hood back and let her long cornsilk-yellow hair fall loose from its two ties on either side of her head. "It's all right," she said again to the guard before smiling wide at Makoto and Ami. "These two are my protectors."

End Chapter One

Next Chapter: New Moon Society