"Man, college plus work is rough. It's been months since we've all been together like this."

Everyone was seated around the low table in Makoto's living room. Makoto and Minako were sharing the couch, with Usagi across from them on the floor, while Ami and Rei were also on the floor on opposite sides of the table. Ami on the side near Makoto, with Rei on Minako's side.

"I know, V-chan!" Usagi said as she leaned over and snagged yet another rice ball from one of the now-mostly-empty plates layed out on the table. "I saw Makoto last month when I needed help with my calculus. Before that..."

Rei reached over and lightly whapped Usagi on the head. "Hey, leave some for the rest of us!" She quickly grabbed one of her own and started munching.

Minako finished a sandwich and added one of the rapidly-disappearing rice balls to her plate, before leaning back on the couch. "Wait...you went to Mako-chan for calculus help? She's almost as bad as I am! Why not Ami-chan?"

Ami grinned. "Because I was in Yokohama visiting my dad."

Makoto reached over and plucked the rice ball from Minako's plate. "And I am nowhere near as bad as you, young lady!" At Minako's pout, she said, "And I'd remind you to remember whose food you're eating."

Usagi grinned and slipped a rice ball to Minako behind Rei's back like she was passing a note in class. "As I was saying, before that was the winter park trip. Thanks for putting this together, Ami-chan."

Ami waved her hands. "Hey, I just realised that everyone had today off. Makoto is the one you need to be thanking. She made the food."

Makoto shook her head. "Not all of it. You made the sandwiches."

"And yummy sandwiches they are," Usagi said between bites of one. Rei just stared at her.

"How the hell do you keep your figiure when you eat like that?"

Usagi swallowed the last bite. "Fast metabolism."

Minako leaned over and stage-whispered to Rei, "I think Mamoru-san probably helps her lose it." Usagi went red at that and they all laughed. Even Ami, who was blushing as well.

"Well, we are married. It's allowed you know," Usagi said haughtily with her nose in the air, though her breaking down in giggles somewhat ruined the effect. She sighed happily and rested her head on her crossed arms on the table. "God, I love him."

Rei smiled and reached out to play with Usagi's hair. "We know."

Usagi smiled back, took Rei's hand and squeezed it. "I love you guys as well."

"We know that too," Ami replied, smiling at their Princess.

Usagi looked the four of them over and her smile faltered a bit. "I just wish...I wish you guys would..."

Rei shook her head. "It wouldn't work, Usagi-chan. You know that. What we do, and what we'll have to do in the future isn't something an outsider could be part of."

Usagi nodded slowly. "I guess that makes Haruka-san and Michiru-san very lucky."

"Everyone who finds love is lucky," Minako said with a smile, then a thoughtful expression crossed her face. "Hey! Now there's an idea!" Everyone looked at the errant blond curiously as she gave each girl an appraising look. With a grin, she turned and lay back on the couch with her head in Makoto's lap. "I claim Mako-chan!" she said as Makoto raised an eyebrow at her.

"...What am I? Luggage?"

"Nope. My senshi-love!" Minako replied with a smile, before closing her eyes and puckering her lips in expectation.

Makoto raised the other eyebrow, and looked around the table. Rei was staring at Minako and starting to develop an eye twitch. Usagi was looking at Makoto and Makoto could see she was trying her best not to break out in laughter, as was Ami. Makoto took a deep breath and let it out. "Sorry, Minako-chan. Your ticket is invalid. I've already been claimed."

Still with her eyes closed, Minako's pucker turned into a pout and she sat up. "Dammit. I knew that, but I still had to try."

Rei blinked at that. "Wait...what?" She looked back and forth between Minako and Makoto, before finally settling on the tall auburn. "You're kidding, right?"

Minako shook her head. "No. She isn't. I knew it when I walked in here."

Makoto blinked and stared at Minako, then facepalmed as realisation dawned. "Oh, hell..." Ami nodded, having made the connection a second before Makoto, but Rei still looked confused.

"Right, you lost me..."

"Oh, Rei... How quickly they forget. What am I?"

"...A few noodles short of a ramen bowl?"

Usagi snickered as Minako sighed. "I walked into that one. What am I the Senshi of?"

"Lo-wait..." Minako started nodding. "Are you telling me...?" More nodding. Rei shook her head. "You can tell when someone is in love?"

"Yep! With the sole exception being anything having to do with myself." She looked sideways at Makoto. "Which means she isn't in love with me."

Usagi quickly raised her hand. "I'm taken! Sorry, Mako-chan..."

Ami grinned at Makoto and sat up straighter. "Well, let's look at this logically." She began ticking off on her fingers. "It's not Minako-chan. It can't be Usagi-chan. Rei-chan seems surprised by it, so it's probably not her. And Makoto said she was 'claimed'. Which means it's not a one-way thing..."

Oh, so slowly, three pairs of eyes settled on Ami, who oh, so slowly scooted over to lean against Makoto's legs.

Minako blinked. "And here I was concentrating on Mako-chan..." She leaned toward Ami. "Since when?"

Ami took a deep breath to settle herself, and smiled as Makoto laid a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't something that just happened one day out of the blue. It had been building for years. I realised my feelings a few months ago, and...well, let Makoto know on Valentine's Day." She reached up and covered Makoto's hand with hers.

"She...kinda told me just as she was leaving for Yokohama," Makoto said, picking up where Ami left off.

Rei blinked a few times, trying to process it all. Then she stared at Ami. "You told her just before you left?"

Ami blushed and held tighter to Makoto's hand. "I was scared, okay? I mean, I was pretty sure she felt the same way, but it wasn't a hundred percent. In math and science, I'm sure of myself. But love?" She let out a nervous laugh and shook her head. "I thought it best if she had a few days to think over things. I didn't realise I was in love until my mom pointed it out."

Makoto squeezed Ami's shoulder. "And I did think it over. A lot. All we'd been through. All we'd done." She smiled. "Appropriately enough, I was reminded of snow."

Ami looked at her quizzically. "Snow?"

Makoto nodded. "Light little flakes that, over time, build up into something massive. Over the years there were little moments here and there that built up, until you gave me that cake and caused an avalanche."

"Cake!"

Surprised at the outburst, everyone turned to look at Usagi, who had been silent until now. Minako laughed. "Trust Usagi-chan to focus on the important things."

Usagi ignored the other blond and looked at Makoto. "That cake I had when I came over. That was Ami-chan's cake?"

Makoto nodded as Ami spoke. "Yes, but we both made it. I asked Makoto to help me make it without really telling her who it was for."

Usagi examined the two of them for a minute, a thoughtful expression on her face. No one spoke as they waited for their Princess's-no, their Queen's-judgement. Finally, Usagi stood up and motioned for Makoto and Ami to stand as well. They did so, nervously. Usagi took one of Makoto's hands in her left, and one of Ami's in her right. She stepped away from the table, leading them to an open area in the room, and looked up at them with a small smile. "A few years ago, I would have said something about how since the cake was so good, and since you made it together-made it with love-that it meant that you would make a perfect couple." She shook her head slightly. "But love isn't cake. Love is joy...and sadness. It's pleasure...and pain. It's agreement...and argument. It's long days...and too-short nights." She brought her hands together, placing Ami's hand over Makoto's. "Love is easy...but it can also be very, very hard." She looked Ami directly in the eyes. "Ami, do you love Makoto?"

Ami knew she was no longer looking at Usagi. Neo-Queen Serenity stood before them. "Yes, my Queen. I do."

Serenity looked up a bit farther to Makoto's eyes. "Makoto, do you love Ami?"

"I do, my Queen."

Serenity smiled at them and released their hands, which were still clasped together. "Then I am happy for you."

Ami and Makoto returned the smile full measure and turned to each other with tears in their eyes. Makoto brought her free hand up to cover Ami's and Ami brought hers up to cup Makoto's cheek. They smiled at each other a few moments until Serenity leaned closer and stage-whispered, "This is the part where you kiss." They both glanced at her and laughed, the tears flowing freely now. Ami wiped Makoto's cheek with her thumb, then slipped her hand behind the taller girl's neck and pulled her closer, while Makoto wrapped her arms around Ami's waist and fairly lifted the smaller girl off her feet as their lips met...

Minako let out a low whistle as she watched and Rei nodded, whispering, "The Dark Kingdom could show up again and they wouldn't notice."

Serenity turned from the kissing couple to look at the blond and brunette. "I hope you two were paying attention," she said with a knowing smile.

Rei and Minako blinked at her. They turned to each other and blinked again, then turned back to their Queen and exclaimed in unison, "What?"

-Fin-