"Mako-chan… Uhm…"
She stopped their movements as they strode hand-in-hand, pausing to look around them.

"Where are we?"

This caused Makoto to look around as well, pausing to take in her surroundings.
"I don't… know…"

She trailed off, focusing on gaining her grounds. Unconsciously, she was slipping in her mind away from that of Makoto and into Sailor Jupiter; gauging any dangers, finding her whereabouts, and protecting the smaller Minako beside her.

When had they ventured off so far? Neither had noticed, apparently, as they had meandered the streets aimlessly, lost in their conversation. She could swear she had been here before…

Minako's grip tightened, and her body instinctively huddled closer to Mako's own.
"Should we… be worried?"

Mako smiled, wrapping her grip tighter as she smiled assuredly down at her.
"No, no it's fine…" She laughed lightly.

"I mean, we're senshi… And… besides…"
Her glance shifted up, eyeing a particular building.

"I'm pretty sure I've been here… As long as there's a bus stop, we're fine," she answered, running her eyes along the sidewalk for the familiar sign. She was absolutely positive she had been here before…

Her hand came to grace the goddess' cheek, consoling her.
"Don't worry, Mina-chan. We're fine."

Before she could second-think it, Mina's hand had come to cover the amazon's own on her cheek, turning the amazon to face her. Their eyes caught, and the goddess giggled softly, enthralled in the moment. She gulped, considering this act for a moment. Her teeth chewed her lip before she glanced up again to the emeralds in front of her.

"You'll…. You'll keep me safe?"

Makoto smiled, realizing, not for the first time, she had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Her other hand moved up, pulling a golden strand behind her ear, then let it rest there lightly.

"Yes, Mina-chan… I'll keep you safe."

She smiled, bending down to lay a kiss on her lips. As the headlights washed over them, Minako focused on the face behind the wheel for an instant, connecting eyes for a span of time so brief, you second-guess if you saw it, before letting out a sudden gasp.

She laid a hand on her fiancé's knee, tilting her head in question.
"What's wrong, Naku?"

His eyes continued to squint into the darkness, the car idling quietly at the stop sign.
"I thought I saw someone… There were two girls..."

She craned her neck to the darkness outside, revealing nothing but a desolate sidewalk. She patted his knee comfortingly.
"You're just tired, honey. It's been a long day."

He nodded, pushing the car forward through the dark night. He had seen that woman before, he was sure… Or was he just seeing things?

"What's wrong?"
Minako shushed her shortly, her thoughts no longer on the kiss she so utterly wanted. With a quick wave of the hand, she was tailing a few steps after the car, being sure to stay hidden as she watched the passengers inside while Makoto followed her lead.

"I've seen him. I know it…"

Makoto followed her gaze, squinting but seeing no familiar face until she caught a glimpse of the passenger.
"Is that… Ayune?!"

Her eyes flew upwards, to the building she had been eyeing earlier.
"Ami's apartment! That's where we are…"

Minako nodded, wrapping her hand in the girl's own and pulling her along.
"Come on. We've got work to do."

Sailor Jupiter sat alongside Sailor Venus, crouched in a tree as a Jeep pulled into the complex and parked. They both sat silently as the two got out, ascending the stairs. Jupiter let out a gasp as the two forms melded together, sharing a passionate kiss as the man fumbled with his keys before jarring the door open and leading them inside. It closed behind them with a resounding click and did not open again. They sat in silence, digesting the scene and waiting for any more movements.

Finally, Jupiter broke the silence.

"So… she has a boyfriend?"
Venus nodded, watching but not expecting from the lighted windows.

She sighed, sifting through her thoughts out loud.
"I mean, Rei mentioned it, but why didn't she push the fact?"

Jupiter sighed, shaking her head in thought.
"She's mentioned it a few times, but it's a pretty unlikely scenario. Rei was worried about others."

"Huh."
She was very aware of examples of parents and children having distant relationships, she being a prime example. Although Ami didn't see her as much as she liked, she thought that Ami would have mentioned something like this. Why was she finding out like this instead of through Ami?

"There's no way something like this would have slipped through…"
Her head tilted to the side in thought, as Jupiter waited patiently for her next decision.

"Time?"
The amazon pulled out the communicator, checking it briefly.

"It's 1:34."

She let out a frustrated grunt, silently cursing the late hour.
"They're asleep by now… We shouldn't wake them up over something that could be nothing…"

Her eyes drifted over to Jupiter. Her head was tilted quizzically as the green-eyed-girl surveyed her. She had never known her to be so…resigned. Throughout the entire play of events, she hadn't said a word of direction; she seemed perfectly happy in her own decisions and seemed completely satisfied following her. Even now, she offered no intention of moving until Venus offered her instructions that it was time to go. The goddess couldn't help grinning, her lips turned coyly upwards as she regarded her.

"You ready to go?"
The amazon simply nodded, without first the tips of her lips pulling slightly upwards.

Venus nodded, glancing up at the bright night stars as she spoke to the now silenced guardian next to her.
"I think it's time we head in for the night…"

She repositioned herself, edging along the branch so she could effectively drop herself unharmed to the ground below.
"Next time we get a chance, we need to pay Rei a visi—"

Her words caught in her throat as a gentle hand pulled doggedly at her own, demanding her attention. It all happened so quickly it caused her to catch her breath in her throat.

Had any stranger been out that night, he would have caught two scouts, perched expertly in a tree and locked in a deep kiss that spoke of much more than friendship, and lasted an eternity.

Minako giggled, pulling her head away an inch to look better into her eyes. She was now completely in Jupiter's arms, and had no intention of moving. As she caught eyes with her… The look she saw reflected was nothing more than sacred. Her finger laid itself on the taller girl's lips, to be replaced by her own as she tasted her again, reveling in the feeling of her lips against the girl's own. She tasted… like ice cream and soda, smelled like lavender and felt soft enough to make any man envious. She pulled away, her own eyes mischievous under lowered lids as she touched foreheads.

"You ready to go?"
The taller girl only nodded before dropping down onto the soft ground after the blond had done so herself.

"Mako, what gives?"
She stomped forward a few steps and spurted it out as soon they had entered the quiet apartment, not even waiting for the door to close or the light to be turned on.

She looked up to a grave Makoto, as she let the door close with a somber click and flicked on the light. Minako's hands rose flatly to the air.
"You haven't said a word since!"

It was true, she had not uttered even sigh. Being fully aware of their whereabouts, it had been easy for the normal-clad teenagers to find the nearest bus stop and ride back to the apartment. Even so, it was an eternal walk to the bus stop and an even longer one to the apartment. The silence was deafening. The entire time, Minako had been holding out for some kind of response, but not a word had broken the silence. Even though the girl had kept a possessive hand on her the entire time, Minako was practically fuming by the time they got back to the complex.

Instead of answering, the girl glanced at her before quickly rethinking it and returning her gaze to the floor. She leaned up against the closed door and let out a long, deep breath.
"Mako—Wha- WHAT? Say… Something. Please. You're making me think I just made an absolutely horrible mistake…"

Her cerulean eyes regarded the girl's mop of brown hair, begging.

She shook her head, speaking in a whisper to the brown carpet.
"I… I don't… I don't know… I'm just… in awe, really. Of all the people in world…"

Her head rose as she attempted a swallow, connecting eyes with the girl for the first time and displaying a sincerity there she had never seen before.
"…you picked me."

Her eyes welled up at the pure of amount of heart displayed there. She sighed, gathering her courage and closing the gap between them as she laid light fingers on her waist. Now that she was here; the paralyzing fear was gone. Even so, she felt like the very ground she stood on was rocking beneath her. The most stabbing pain was the one in the back of her head reminding her she was the one that had shook the foundations. She found herself having a dieing thirst for knowledge, to get inside this woman's head. They were at a crossroads, she realized, as she looked up at the deep pools reflecting her own. They were either at the point of beginning a new relationship, or, if they got through this, a very, very rocky testament to their friendship. The last option was so scary she forced herself not to think about; she had no intentions of losing her best friend. Therefore; she needed some questions answered. She'd hate to be so blunt; but at this point, it was the only way. She pulled in a sharp breath, steadying herself and realizing that it was far too late to back out now. As she focused on her own fingers as they lay on the foreign body in front of her, she registered dimly that they were shaking.

"Do you… love me?"
Her eyes slanted up, begging the amazon for some truths she wanted to hear.

"I don't… I don't know."
The amazon broke her gaze away, finding herself unable to answer the questions in her eyes. She brushed past the goddess, her eyes searching for something unknown on the lush brown carpet beneath her as she paced the living room. Her heart sank. For a moment, she regarded the taller woman before her without saying a word.

Her blue orbs misted with the weight of a thousand unshed tears. She let out a barely audible whisper that permeated the deafening silence.
"Have you… ever?"

Her hands rose to the air in justification as she paced doggedly around the room.
"I thought it was just a phase."

Her form moved to the couch, sinking defeatedly onto the cushions.
"I figured… if I just waited it out… I'd get over it…"

Her head fell, shaking, into her hands as she rummaged through the questions swimming through her own mind. Minako watched her sullenly as the figure sagged into the cushions. Her head lilted to the side as her mouth moved unconsciously, chewing agitatedly on her lip. The hand that was twirling a blond strand fell, defeated, to her side as her feet padded lightly to stand in front of the woman.

The amazon was pulled out of her thoughts as two hands laid themselves on her knees. She gazed up to see two foggy ceruleans gazing anxiously up at her as the goddess laid herself gently on her knees before her.
"How long?"

Her eyebrows as well as her voice raised as she saw the burning need to know reflected in the girl's own.
"I…!"

Her eyes ripped away, and she pulled in a deep, resigned breath as she peered at her own shaking hands. The moment of silence lasted an eternity between the two and she finally let out a whisper that seemed to echo off the walls.
"Months."

The goddess' eyebrows rose at the implications this raised. The sheer amount of time leading up to this point was… unfathomable. She realized, this had not been something that had just appeared out of the blue, but had developed through the both of them; and yet, here she was, doubting it. She swallowed; her throat was parched.

In an instant, she was on her feet. Makoto uttered out a sound of resignation as she felt the warmth disappear.

"I… have to go."
Her voice cracked audibly, and a single tear made its way down her cheek as she laid her hand on the doorknob. Her head bowed as she found herself once again thankful for her long veil of hair to hide behind. She pulled the door open, and all she could think about was going home, running to her bed. She wanted to disappear for days, she needed to think.

There was a deafening thud as the doorknob was ripped from her hands and slammed shut again. For an instant, the room was enveloped in heavy, strained silence.

"You don't…understand." She hovered over the goddess, whispering in her ear as her hand stayed firmly planted on the door, guarding it.

"I… can't."
Her voice was choked with tears. The hand slipped away from the door, whispering a brush as it passed over her that spoke so many unspoken words. The goddess' eyes squeezed shut as the tears seeped out silently and she laid her forehead against the cool wood. The warmth left her and she could hear the figure stalk away to stand a few feet behind her. She spoke to the silent air, her back to the goddess.

"I loved… needed my parents… And they were taken."
She sniffed loudly, her own tears distinct in her voice.

"And when I found my sempai… I thought I had something… I loved him, and he left too…"

Minako pulled in a sharp breath of air, turning to face the girl as she did same.

"I can't lose you, Minako."

The goddess closed the distance between the two, brought her hands to girl's tear-streaked face, wiping them as they fell. The brunette's own hands came up to cradle the girl's arms, supporting them at the elbows.

"I won't have anything left."

How could she have been so selfish, to think of only herself? How could she speak of true fear, compared to the fear that was jeering at Mako from all points? She had been so scared for herself, but what of Makoto in all of this? What then, if things didn't work out? Not only would it destroy the best relationships they had, but where would she go then? It would strain the only relationships that they knew to be pure, that they all knew would last centuries. Where would Makoto go, if it didn't work? She, herself, had family to go to, had friends outside of this small circle. But Mako had neither. What if she lost something in the process, her home, her belongings? What then?

The goddess let out a whimper, laying her forehead against the girl's own and laying her eyes shut as she let her own tears mingle with hers.
"You won't. You won't."

She laid a feather kiss on her lips as she looked into her emeralds, promising.
"Just trust me," she whispered, kissing her again and wrapping her in a deep hug as she laid a cheek against her own and whispered in her ear.

"You won't."
She kissed her lips, her cheeks, wiped her tears and held her there for an eternity, promising.

"I won't ever let you lose me."
Makoto did not say a word, but held her, listening to her promises, and in her own time accepting them.

"I won't ever lose you."

The miko yawned sleepily as the warmth left her. She rolled over, turning to watch the fuzzy figure exit the room through squinted eyes as she talked through the small phone in a hushed voice.

She had to admit, she was quite relieved to hear the rushed, quipping tone usually reserved for her mother. It wasn't something she did purposely. For a doctor, her mother called her quite often; when they did have time to talk it was usually concise and to-the-point. She yawned, stretching into a comfortable position as she waited for the girl to return to her.

Her eyes cracked open and consciousness filtered in as Ami's cool hands found themselves on her cheeks, cooling her pleasantly. She smiled, returning the kiss that laid itself on her lips.

"Everything okay?"

Ami nodded down at her gravely, but happily. The two had been playing phone tag for all of three days, but just couldn't seem to catch each other. Gratefully, Ayune had waited only a day before breaking down and attempting to call her; not realizing the time and the fact that Ami was passed out, in school, out of the room, or otherwise preoccupied in one way or another.

The nymph burrowed back into the warmth of the blankets, curling her own figure into the girl's own. She always felt as if she wasn't completely warm until she was in her arms.

"I'm just relieved to hear her voice. Her real voice. Feels like it's been forever."

Instead of responding, the miko busied herself with burying her fingers in the smaller girl's hair, combing her fingers through it lightly.
"She said she really wants to see me."

"When?"

"She invited me to lunch at the hospital. No pressure. She said she 'just wants to see her daughter.' She has a double shift today, but she's worked out a guaranteed hour lunch; just me and her."

Rei could hear the smile in her own voice, and she let out a sigh of relief as well.
"What about Naku?"

"Out of town on business…"
The smaller girl giggled into her ear, cutely.
"It wouldn't make a difference to her if he were here or not."

Suddenly, the miko smiled. Every impression that she ever had of Ayune was very strong. Independent, hardworking, dedicated. And working in a male-dominated world; not only side-by-side, but rising above? She smiled to herself, realizing the truth. Any higher authority spouting rules on her own daughter, husband or not, was suddenly outright absurd. She chuckled lightly to herself, tucking her head into the nook of the girl's neck. Within minutes, her eyes had eased shut and she was drifting off again.

She cracked open an eye sleepily, as she answered the ringing phone by her bed.

"MMmmreelo?'
Ami's voice, sounding a tad less sleepy than her own, answered.

"Hey, Mako. I'm sorry for waking you up…"

She answered with a deep yawn, as she glanced down at the lengthy body currently stretched out on her own. The figure pulled in a breath and readjusted herself silently before falling back into a restful slumber. She smiled.

"It's fine, Ames. Something wrong?"

"Not really. I just wanted to let you know ahead of time that I have to cancel on the beach… I'll let Rei explain later so I don't keep you."

Mako's eyes cracked open their full length.
"Crap, the beach!"

Her figure sat up involuntarily, shaking the girl laying beside her into a unpleasant conciousness.
"What time is it?"

There was a pause as Ami processed this on the other side.
"It's 11am… You should be meeting Rei there in—er, now."

She cursed again, louder this time, her struggles for an apology, however were met by a giggle on the other side. She realized at the same time, she had never heard her giggle quite like that before in her life. It almost seemed to say, 'serves-you-right-I-told-you-so' all at once. The blonde beside her laid a hand on her stomach, her eyes sharing her own deer-in-the-headlights look.

"It's fine. Rei was running late too… She probably hasn't even left yet."

Her jaw dropped for a moment, before she recovered in enough time to begin apologizing profusely. They were cut off by a very kind-hearted, normal Ami giggle that she had to admit, warmed her to hear it. If she ever finished beating herself over the head for it, she had a feeling Ami would find it in her heart to forgive her.

"Really, it's fine. I'll call and let her know. Besides, it all worked out fine. You didn't get Usagi's message? She spent the night with Mamoru, you and Mako are supposed to be her cover."

There was a pleasant smile in her voice.
"I'll catch up with you guys later, okay? I've got an early study session to catch for now. Maybe everyone will have their wits gathered about them to get together tonight. I'll see you later, yeah? Bye."

The brunette stuttered out a string of broken syllables, but was met by dead space on the other side. She pulled the phone away from her ear to stare at it for a moment, then let her gaze fall to the silent blonde staring pleadingly beside her. After a moment's pause, she smiled and broke into a full laugh.

"I think we're off the hook for now… You want some breakfast?"The blonde sighed, fwapping back onto the sheets thankfully as she simultaneously caught the time.

"I can't. It's Saturday."
The truth sank in hard and deep to the brunette above her.

Saturday. Dinner with parents day. The guaranteed day of no Minako whatsoever. She glanced at the clock. She was guaranteed a chewing-out for the amount of time she had been missing already. A cold snake curled into her stomach and settled there.

"Oh."

There was hushed silence between the two as they both digested this.
"Come with me."

A scoff.
"What?"

"Come with me!"
She chuckled, goodnaturedly at the idea, but shook her head nonetheless.
"No."

The blonde sighed, curling her body back onto the girl's own as she called the girl's attention.
"Mako-chan, come on. You have to meet them eventually."

Her eyes met the girl's own, begging.
"Please."

She sighed, letting her head drop back onto the pillow, her gaze crawled its way up the wall until she was staring fixedly at the ceiling. She realized, dimly, that she couldn't remember the last time she was at a family dinner. A couple months, at least? The only ones she had the heart to attend were those of the scouts, and even then, they were usually far and few between. Even a promised 'yes' had the potential to fizzle into some bad excuse here and there; the only guaranteed date was the holidays.

"I don't know…"

She could feel the deep blues boring into her, and she found herself afraid to look for fear that they would crack her. Finally, she let out a deep sigh and met glances with her; only to be met by the worst puppy-eyes that could be envied by any puppy, roly-poly, cute and cuddly, whiny lovey… These eyes could take them all.

She let out a deep, regretful sigh. She should have counted the spots on the ceiling.
"Yes, yes… I'll go. Just… Stop giving me that look!"

Minako let out a squeal of delight and proceeded in clamping her into a very harsh hug. Little did Mako know, she was in for a lifetime of puppy-dog eyes, and a proper defense was nonexistent.

A/N

8.27.12 Updated chapter. Fixed the upload format problems and have made some final changes, making sure the final timeline matches up. This is the 'final' copy; not to be trifled with, these chapters will be untouched after this and we're now only waiting for the final chapters. (We're looking at 2 - 5) I won't be rushing or trying to squeeze them in a particular number, just let it be what it wants to be. Hope you've enjoyed the trip with me so far. It's been a hard, painful one, but very well worth it. Thank you, to those of you that have kept up with me all these years. I owe you the world. If it wasn't for you, I never would have made it this far, and it's you that's ensuring that this gets finished.