Disclaimer still stands. I also would like to direct you all to the disclaimer posted in Chapter One. Ta ta.

The Senshi were gathered in the living room, watching a movie.

It was the Swan Princess.

ChibiUsa had suggested it. Accordingly, they all blamed her.

Minako found herself jumping at every occasional shutterflash of lightning. Thunder boomed. She yelped and jumped into the Senshi of Time's lap, who was sitting in an armchair by the window. Setsuna frowned at her, although inside she was cheering in delight. Sighing, she went back to reading the book she had borrowed from Ami on quantum physics. However, it was proving difficult as Minako kept tightening her grip on her every time the storm rumbled.

"Will you stop?" No, don't stop! Ignore my mouth! Listen to my mind, it's so much smarter! "I don't mind if you sit on me, but please stop acting like I'm a porcupine instead of a person." Minako calmed down then, sprawling herself across Setsuna like a great blond blanket. Setsuna sighed again. "Great, now I can't read my book at all. Your body is in the way." Across from her on the couch, Haruka and Rei bit back a snicker.

Setsuna glared at them. They shut up.

Hotaru and ChibiUsa lay on their stomaches, right up against the television screen. "You know, I wonder why our electricity hasn't been affected by the storm." The Senshi of Silence pondered aloud, not really expecting an answer. ChibiUsa shot the young Tomoe a meaningful glare.

"Shh. Odette is talking."

Hotaru grumbled and rolled her eyes, but closed her mouth and concentrated on the screen. Beside her, ChibiUsa stared at the swan princess with such an expression of lovesick infatuation it made Hotaru's stomach churn. She couldn't understand the pink-haired girl at all sometimes; Odette wasn't even a real person. Plus, Hotaru knew she was way more attractive than some blond trollop. No, she was not jealous. Haruka sat on the couch behind the two, legs spread in a gesture of casual manliness. Michiru was seated the space of a cushion away on the same couch, hands resting lightly on top of her own crossed petite legs.

Rei and Usagi sat on the floor, sensing what would happen if either one of them tried to claim the spare cushion between the Senshi of Wind and Water. "I bet Makoto knows," Usagi said in a singsong voice, crossing her legs in the Lotus position. The miko snorted in disbelief.

"Yeah, of course she does. She transformed into Sailor Jupiter when everyone was looking the other way and asked the storm nicely if it would let us keep our electricity so we could watch a movie about arranged marriages and grown men that have a thing for chicks who can sprout wings and feathers."

The future queen and her daughter both glared at the Senshi of Fire. "Don't mock me, Rei." Usagi warned, prodding Rei in the shoulder. She brushed the annoyed blond's hands away with a dismissive smirk.

"Oh, I'm not mocking you. Mocking you would be saying that if brains were gasoline, you wouldn't have enough to drive an ant's Go-cart around the inside of a bottle cap. Or that when they made you, they broke the mold - and beat the mold maker with the pieces."

"Go play in traffic, Rei. If I wanted your opinion, I'd rattle your cage. You wouldn't know a good idea if it beat you over the head with a hair crimper while singing 'Old McDonald'. Besides, what if I'm right? What if Makoto really does have some sort of control over lightning?"

"I think she's kinda busy as it is without doing stuff with a power she may or may not have," Rei pointed out, jerking a thumb at the loveseat behind her. Ami and Makoto had been sharing it when the movie had begun, but over the course of time the genius had fallen asleep. Makoto held her, stroking her head absentmindedly, not paying attention to anything. Everyone else had refrained from laughter or teasing, fearing that they would ruin the moment, as rare as it was.

Usagi nodded. "Good point. You should do some more soul-searching. Maybe you'll find one."

"All right, but only if you believe me when I say I don't want to make a monkey out of you, Usagi. Why should I take all the credit?"

"Hey!"

Deep in exhausted sleep, Ami mumbled and snuggled deeper into Makoto's arms, moving unconsciously towards a source of welcoming heat. Makoto let her do it even as her mind raged with its inner turmoil. This felt nice. It felt very nice, in fact. Makoto knew that if she happened to die right there, she would do it happily. She could smell Ami's shampoo. It was a smell Makoto knew and identified at once, because it was the same aroma that haunted both her dreams and her greenhouse back home. It was the scent of flowers in bloom.

All very nice, but it wasn't worth anything. She was a pillow, not a lover.

Makoto sighed and leaned back, forgetting for a moment that she wasn't in a real sofa. Shuffling around a little, the brunette tried to move into a more comfortable position. As she was in the process of laying down, Ami rolled over in her sleep. Makoto found herself pinned, unable to move for fear of waking the young Mizuno. Rei and Usagi started giggling quietly. Makoto blushed and shot a death glare at them, but didn't say anything.

Minako, meanwhile, had made Setsuna into her own personal set of monkey bars. Clambering over the back of the armchair, the blond perched herself on its top, balancing on Setsuna's shoulders. The Senshi of Love leaned over until she was staring into the green-haired woman's violet eyes, her spine curving delicately like a crescent moon, golden hair spilling down and forming a curtain around Setsuna's face.

"Whatcha reading?"

Setsuna whacked her gently on the head with her book.

"How to swat annoying blondes. Now shoo!"