Chapter 10:

Miho awoke to find bright rays of sunlight streaming through the thin curtain covering her apartment window, and she checked her alarm clock. 'It's nearly six-thirty. I may as well get up.'

She turned off the alarm before it had a chance to sound and slipped out of bed. Hearing only faint breathing from her kitchen, she tiptoed over to its entrance and peeked around the corner. She felt a warmth deep in her heart at the sight of her Yusei, still fast asleep beneath the blanket she had given him, and Miho decided to freshen up and dress before awakening her boyfriend.

A few minutes later, she gingerly tapped her finger against his left foot and Yusei awoke to find Miho kneeling beside him, now wearing her Sensha-do competition uniform. "Ohayou, Yusei! Did you rest well?"

"I dreamt of you all night, my love," he smiled happily, sitting up. "I even had one dream where we were on a big beach somewhere, and we were sitting on a blanket together on the warm sand, holding hands. I didn't want that dream to end!"

"That sounds so romantic!" She impulsively kissed his cheek. "Maybe someday we can make your wonderful dream come true for us, darling. But today, we need to get you on that bus into town, and I have a Sensha-do match to compete in."

"Hai! The match!" her boyfriend exclaimed. "Miho, you promised me something so very special last night, and now I'd like to ask you to promise me one other thing."

"Sure! What would that be?"

"Please forget about me."

"Nani?" Miho gasped.

"Not permanently, of course" Yusei grinned. "Just for the next few hours or so, until after you finish your match. I wouldn't want you to do badly in the competition because you were thinking of me instead of concentrating on winning your battle."

"Well... I'll try" Miho smiled sweetly back. "But even if I do become preoccupied with the match this afternoon, you'll still be in my heart, my Yusei. Now... then... and forever."

"And you will be in mine" Yusei softly spoke. "For the rest of my life, Nishizumi Miho... I belong to you."

. . . . .

An hour later, after sharing a tender and very lengthy farewell kiss and wishing his girlfriend all the best in her upcoming match, Yusei left the apartment carrying the now-empty tea box. "If anyone should ask, just say you're making a special delivery ashore" Miho had suggested. "It looks less suspicious that way."

She also soon left her apartment and walked to school, trying hard to focus her mind on the day ahead. Arriving at the tank hangar, she found most of her teams already gathered there, chatting in groups beneath a crystal-clear deep blue sky. Only Saori and Mako were missing from her team, and Miho expected another frantic phone call from her radio operator at any moment, telling her that her driver was still slumbering in bed.

After Miho had greeted the other girls, Minako hurried over and steered her off to one side. "Well?" the blonde grinned. "How was last night, Miho-san? Or should I already know?"

Miho lowered her voice so no one else could hear. "If you're asking about what I think you are" she giggled, her cheeks beginning to blush, "Yusei spent the night on my kitchen floor, Minako-san."

The blonde stared at her in shock. "He did what?"

"Hai. We couldn't... you know... actually do anything too intimate" Miho whispered. "I certainly wanted to, and I think Yusei did too, but we couldn't because we weren't... prepared."

Minako groaned and slapped her forehead. "That's right, Miho-san! I forgot all about that really important detail!" She told the brown-haired girl, "One of the benefits of being a Sailor Senshi is we don't have to worry about protection because of our special powers. I completely forgot that you and the other girls on your team don't have that ability. How silly of me!" Minako thought for a moment. "And using regular old-fashioned protection is definitely not ideal. Hmm... I wonder if Usagi can do something to make it a non-problem, at least for a while. I'll talk to her about it after we win today's battle!"

"If she can help us in that way, I'm sure it would be a big relief to all of the Anglerfish girls!" Miho exclaimed. "And it would be to our boys too!" She smiled, "I'm glad to hear you're thinking so positively about our match, Minako-san. Victory for Ooarai today is far from assured. Perhaps even... impossible."

"Nothing is impossible, Miho-san! You're going to win and make your boys proud of you!" the bubbly blonde insisted. "I've never seen Mako-chan so determined to win anything as she is today, not ever! And I'm going to help do my part by driving my Panzer like it's never been driven before!" Minako stamped her right foot down on an imaginary gas pedal. "We'll be flying around the other tanks so fast, no silly Tiger or Sherman will get a shot at us! You'll win this thing, I promise!"

"Arigatou, Minako-san. I hope you're right" Miho smiled at the confident, eager blonde. "I need to make a phone call to find out what's happening with my missing driver, give the girls a little pep talk, and then... next stop, Nagasaki!"

. . . . .

Five teenage boys sat waiting outside on the front steps of Makoto's country home, having been requested by Setsuna to be present for what she had promised Yuji by telephone to be a special surprise.

"Any idea what Setsuna is planning, Mamoru-san?" Yuuichirou asked the last male to arrive.

"None at all, Yuuichirou-chan, though I'm sure it involves our fiancees in some way" Mamoru answered. "Pluto has quite the knack at being cryptic in her communications, to put it mildly" the university student chuckled. "My Usako has always complained to Setsuna about that, and today I can sympathize with her."

A short time later the teens spotted Michiru's gold Lexus approaching, with Haruka behind the wheel. "Michiru is joining us too, but I don't see Setsuna with them" Yuji said as the vehicle pulled up. "That's strange."

Haruka opened the trunk of the luxury car and waved the boys over. "Ohayou minna. I have a rush job for everyone."

Taro peered into the trunk, noticing a long rectangular box, and read its label. "Looks like you brought us a really fancy tv antenna, Haruka-san."

"Hai. How soon can you assemble it on the roof of Mako-chan's house?" the boyishly-dressed blonde asked.

"It won't take long at all" Minako's fiancee grinned. "Any idea why we're doing this?"

"Sailor Pluto is currently at her Time Gate" Haruka told the boys. "She's been closely monitoring the dimension your fiancees are currently living in, and discovered there's a big Sensha-do match involving Ooarai happening today, and it's being televised live on air. Setsuna believes she may be able to channel the signal to Mako-chan's house through an antenna like this one."

"We can watch our girls compete live?" Ryo exclaimed. "That's fantastic, Haruka-san!"

"She thought you'd enjoy it" Haruka chuckled. "Michi-chan and I certainly will. I brought all the tools you'll need, so let's get this thing put together, sit back and watch the show."

"Hai!" The boys scooped the box from the trunk and quickly set to work.

. . . . .

Precisely at eight, Ooarai's rag-tag collection of tanks rolled out of their hangar and followed Miho's Panzer IV through the small town atop the Zuikaku, amid cheers of encouragement from its residents. Driving past her father's barber shop, Yukari's eyes lit up when she spotted her parents standing outside. "Minna! My mother and father are watching us!" They waved enthusiastically at her and her team as the big Panzer rumbled past.

Miho asked her loader, "Did you tell your parents about your relationship with Ryoto yet, Yukari?"

"Hai! I did, Nishizumi-dono! At first they couldn't believe I really do have a boyfriend!" she giggled. "They're so happy for me!"

Reaching a lower deck, the tanks of Ooarai Girls Academy were once again held up at the shore-bound vehicle ramp by a long line of other traffic exiting the Zuikaku.

Rei frowned at the collection of cars and trucks surrounding their tank. "This reminds me of rush hour in Tokyo, Mako-chan."

"Hai, it does. So far, today is starting out a lot like the day we had our match with St. Gloriana, but I'm sure that'll change when we finally get past this traffic jam and off the ship" Makoto spoke to her team as their Panzer sat behind Riko's STuG, waiting to drive down the ramp. "I wonder if anyone in Nagasaki will be cheering for our school?"

"I know at least five guys who will be!" Minako replied over the Panzer's intercom. "Oh! That reminds me!" She told her teammates what had happened the previous night between Miho and Yusei. "Do you think you could use the powers of your Silver Crystal to help our friends out, Usagi-chan?"

"I'm not entirely sure, Minako-chan" Usagi replied. "But now that you mention it, there is something I can try. Ami-chan, can you use your Mercury computer on the girls to see if it works?"

"I think so, Usagi-chan, but there is a problem" the blue-haired gunner reminded her. "I don't have access to my computer in this dimension, and you aren't able to use Princess Serenity's powers until you're back home as well."

"Well, I guess future you will just have to bring Miho's team and their boyfriends back to Nerima again, Usagi-chan!" Minako told the other blonde. "My brilliant matchmaking skills got them started as couples, but I won't rest until they're all happily enjoying the many pleasures of Phase Three! Then I'll know my work is complete." She laughed, "Minna, don't forget we're all invited to their future weddings!"

"Weddings? Here we go again" Makoto muttered. "Stop rushing things, Minako-chan. And pay attention to your driving, the traffic is finally starting to move."

Minako started her Panzer's engine and slipped the tank into gear. "I'm not rushing anything, Mako-chan. Miho told me she and her boyfriend are both ready to take their relationship to the next level, and I just know the other couples feel the very same way."

"You think so?"

"Have I been wrong yet?"

"No... you haven't" Makoto grudgingly admitted as Miho's Panzer at the front of the column of Ooarai tanks began rumbling forward. The brunette smiled as she thought of that first incredible night of sweet intimacy she had shared with her Yuji. "Minako-chan, I hope you're right about this too, I really do."

"Of course I am! My little talk about love-love with the Anglerfish girls will be coming in handy real soon, you'll see!" Minako giggled, "And it's about time!" She eased out the clutch and stepped on the accelerator, pushing both control levers forward to set her Panzer's tracks in motion. The massive machine followed Riko's STuG onto the ramp. "But first, we've got a match to win!"

Makoto squeezed her throat microphone, the tall brunette telling her crew, "Damned right we do! Minna, its time to put your game faces on. Luna team is heading into battle, and we're going to give Kuramoramine and Saunders a taste of what Sensha-do feels like when it's done our way. Sailor Senshi style!"

. . . . .