A Second Chance

By: Ryu

Chapter 2

"I'm telling you Zoe-chan, the largest edible fungus is Calvatia gigantea!" "For the last time, Ami it's Armillaria ostoyae!" Ami Mizuno and her boyfriend Zoisite Sakura argued as they walked out of the library.

To most people they appeared to be the average happy young adult couple. However, no matter their appearance, they were not like other people their age. The blue haired Ami was a Sailor Senshi, Mercury to be exact. The elements of ice and water bowed down to her will and power. She was the only surviving member of the Mercurian Royal family and a protector of Serenity. Zoisite, on the other hand was a polar general of Earth. Like his lover, he had dominion over the ice and water elements. He was once a slave to Queen Beryl, a traitor to the Tau'rian kingdom, and enemy to his beloved. Now the blonde long haired general, lived to protect the Tau'ri prince, Endyminion, and the woman he was currently in debate with.

"Look Zoe-chan, here it is…page 1,089!" Ami Mizuno was the most level headed of the inner senshi, but one thing she couldn't stand was being told she was wrong. At least, not if she knew that she right. Ami wasn't a vain woman, far from it in fact, but Zoisite knew if he was wrong there would be hell to pay. "Oh! You were right love…heh heh. Gomen?" Zoisite replied after reading the page. So it would seem Lady Luck had deserted him after all… Knowing he had seriously offended his girlfriend, he produced a bouquet of pink roses and handed them to her. 'Prince Endyminion isn't that only one who can do that.' He thought smugly. "Truce? I bought you that new ChemLab software you wanted. Zoisite knew without a doubt that would get him back within her good graces. "Oh Zoe-chan you shouldn't have!" Ami through her arms around his neck and thoroughly kissed him. Slightly dizzy from the intense passion that his lover hid underneath her reserved demeanor, Zoisite flashed Ami a winning smile. Then again when you had Ami Mizuno who needed Lady Luck anyway? "Come on killer, we can go back to my apartment to study." The blonde general replied as he put his arm around her.

Punching her love's arm lightly, she glanced at him feeling a little mischievous suddenly. "What do you mean we? You're the one who can't keep his facts straight!" Zoisite laughed at his girlfriend's mock imperious tone. "Alright, alright! I, your humble servant submit myself wholly to your… instruction mistress. Please, teach me." Zoisite replied with a barb of his own, letting his voice drop to its trademark sensual purr.

Ami blushed and clutched her book tighter to her chest, slightly embarrassed to have not only been caught but shown up at her game by her boyfriend. Zoisite leaned over and brushed his lips across his love's forehead to ease her nervousness. With a smile Ami, slipped her hand into his and they made their way to blonde's apartment.

"Hey Usagi-chan, wait up!" Minako shouted over the crowd. Usagi had been shopping, and had just decided to head to the arcade to play some Sailor V. She was caught quite off guard to see her 'twin' pressing through the crowd yelling her name at the top of her lungs. "Geez, you walk fast girl!" Minako complained when she had finally caught her breath and her prey. Usagi smiled at the other blonde's attempt at humor. "Comes from being late to school when we were younger. So where is Kunzite-sama?" Usagi questioned looking around for Minako's tall, white haired shadow. "Ugh, car expo with Haruka-san." Minako replied making a face, more than a little annoyed that her boyfriend went without her. Now that Minako thought about it, she had seen none of the generals or their significant others recently. "Mako-chan and Nephrite-sama are at a cooking competition and Rei-chan and Jadeite-sama are doing a fire reading. And knowing Ami-chan and Zoisite-sama there is some type of studying involved. Stuff that I would hardly call date material but…" Minako rattled on more to herself than Usagi as they entered the arcade.

Suddenly a mischievous grin lit up the self appointed goddess of love's face. "And why aren't you with Mamoru-san?" She questioned, not wanting to add 'again' for fear of Usagi's reaction. Despite her playful tone, the senshi of Venus was worried about her charge. Usagi shrugged, her smile bittersweet. "Ski trip with Yuuchiro-kun. To be honest with you Mina-chan, I'm glad he's not here." Usagi confessed, her voice strangely strong. "Really, why?" Minako, made the attempt to feign obtuseness but she'd sensed the potential for discord long ago. It only pained her that her beloved friend had to endure it for the sake of the world. "All we do is argue. He's changed so much, he's colder than when the Black Moon Family attacked. Perhaps he hasn't changed at all. I think… that he's starting to have the same doubts that I do. Destiny isn't enough to sustain love…" Usagi trailed off, shocked that she'd let so much of her mask drop. It wouldn't do… the senshi, no the world needed her to be their savior… their queen. They had no time for the woman who slowly died within, consumed by destiny.

"Well come on, you can watch me kick your butt in Sailor V!" Usagi challenged, dropping a token into the machine. Minako let a sad smile grace her lips briefly, her heart breaking for a woman who was forced to bear the world upon her shoulders. For a moment her mind drifted back to a desolate cave, her ears ringing with Sailor Moon's words: "I am Usagi Tsukino! Even if I am the moon princess, this has nothing to do with me!" The only thing that had hurt her worse was the slap Mars meted out for her leader's impudence. Who was she to want to just be a woman… to be Usagi Tuskino? "In your dreams! I am the queen of that game and with good reason!" Minako answered, trying to ignore the pain that lurked behind her best friend's eyes.

"Seiya are you ready yet!" Taiki bellowed. The normally aloof starlight was filled with nervous anticipation about seeing the woman she loved again. Four years of thinking of little else had convinced Taiki that Ami was the woman she wanted to spend her life with. 'Now if only I can tell her that.'

Seiya's entrance tore the brunette from her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm ready. Umm... Taiki?" Taiki turned around upon hearing heard the hesitation in Seiya's voice. "What's wrong?" The brunette queried. "Well, maybe we should change into our male forms." Seiya answered her voice cracking from her nervousness "Why?" Taiki noticed her 'sister' had been on edge all morning. 'Almost as much as myself' She thought absently "Well I think it would be easier on the senshi if we were men. I mean they rarely saw us as women, unless it was in a fight." Seiya replied, while trying not to sound like she was begging. The tallest starlight stared at her for a while weighing Seiya's argument. Seiya stood her ground, while mentally begging her sister to agree with her.

"You could have a point. Very well, let's change." Taiki replied. Letting her eyes drift closed she and her sister willed their bodies to surrender its natural form, transforming themselves into male versions of themselves. At the moment Seiya and Taiki opened their eyes, Yaten walked into the room. "Hey guys! Which pair of shoes do you think matches this skirt? The pumps or the… oh hell no!" Yaten cringed as she took in her sisters', no her brothers' forms. Taiki blinked at her sister's choice of language. 'Yaten hasn't cursed since we returned home. I knew she hated being a boy all the time but to this degree?' Seiya just cracked his knuckles and walked towards his sister who was now trying to duck out of the room. "Oh no you don't squirt!" the raven haired starlight yelled as he snagged his shorter sibling by her ponytail and reeled her in- literally.

"Oh Seiya come on! Please don't make me change… oww! Don't pull so hard!" The silver haired woman lamented. Seiya released his sibling's hair and Yaten caressed her ponytail as if it were a wounded animal. "Oh brother… Look Yaten, you don't change, you don't go." Seiya told his sibling, his tone brooking no room for an argument. Yaten looked wounded for a moment before a stony mask stole over her features. "Well fine! I don't want to go to that lump of rock anyway! Barbaric humans and their stupid emotions!" Yaten huffed and crossed her arms, trying to appear as nonchalant a possible. Seiya would have none of it. "Oh really? Well I suppose you wouldn't mind if…." Taiki frowned as his brother trailed off, only to finish his sentence as a whisper in Yaten's ear. Taiki was quite confused by this point, only having picked up something about 'Aphrodite and her boyfriend Adonis'. However, whatever Seiya said seemed to have the desired effect upon the silver haired woman as Yaten's verdant eyes widened in horror, only to flare violently as her face contorted in anger and … jealousy? With a smirk Seiya stepped away from his sibling who glared at him with enough force to melt steel. With a growl, Yaten stormed out of the room, only to return moments later in a stylish unisex ensemble… and as a male.

"You two brick heads can't sing worth a crap without me anyway! If I don't go Three Lights will be finished!" Yaten huffed out in indignation. Taiki smiled at his shorter sibling's antics even as he still wondered at what passed between Seiya and Yaten.

"Sure shrimpet, sure."

"Damnit Seiya I told you not to call me that!"

Taiki smiled, his family was back to normal.

"Yaten! LET GO OF MY PONYTAIL!" Taiki cringed when Seiya's exclamation was followed by a large crash. With a sigh he walked out of the room. "Let me know when you guys are ready…"

Yes, the Kou family was back to normal alright…