6 | Building Warriors

"I know you're really impressed with your new communicator, but you really need to stop playing with it out here."

Hearing Ami's terse whisper was enough to break Usagi free from her blissful daze. Sliding the small pink device into her purse, she peered upward at her companion while sporting ever the mischievous grin.

"But, can you blame me? It's so beautiful."

"I'm honestly thrilled that you like it so much, but you can't go showing it off in a public space, especially when we're trying to be inconspicuous." While her sigh was louder, it was only because it wasn't muffled by her hand in the same way as her subsequent giggling. "Also, the stuff on the inside is a lot prettier in my opinion."

"I'm not surprised you would think that."

Ami merely smiled and shook her head at that statement. "So, I figure there's a reason we're meeting Mako-chan here and not anywhere else?"

"Of course. We have to show her the room. She needs—" Usagi slowly eyed the people surrounding the pair in a manner Ami found shockingly adept in its furtiveness before leaning in close— "she needs the training. And so do you."

"I- I know." The mere thought collapsed her mood, and her shoulders followed suite. "I apologize for letting you down so badly."

Usagi grasped Ami's hand beneath the table and spoke in a low but unmistakably caring voice. "You've never disappointed me, Ami-chan. Never."

"But, you wouldn't have been in this predicament if I could have fought against Zoisite." Despite her princess's caring touch, her tears began to stream down her cheeks. "The other girls wouldn't have tried to attack you. Sazaratha and Beryl would not have been able to capture you and torture you. You wouldn't have tried to kill…" That last, unfinished thought sent her over the edge into uncontrollable sobbing.

"Ami-chan…"

Forget mere hand-holding. Usagi immediately leapt into a tight yet incredibly tender hug of her despondent friend.

"Shhh. It's alright. None of that was your fault, okay? I don't blame you for any of that at all."

Her whispered consolations were interrupted by a young woman who approached the table.

"Oh. Err… I hope I'm not interrupting anything." She bowed as an expression of confusion and repentance fell across her face. "I can come back later if you'd like?"

"Thanks Una—er, Furuhata-san for your understanding. We might need a few more minutes before we can order, as we're waiting for a friend to show up."

"I'll be here whenever you're ready." The waitress's weak smile disappeared behind a veil of professionalism as she bowed once again before walking away.

"I-I'm sorry for losing my composure like that, Usagi-chan." Ami could barely muster a hoarse whisper, but it was enough. "I know you don't think I had anything to do with the horrible things you had to endure, but I definitely believe otherwise. How can I possibly protect you if I can barely fight off the weakest youma?"

"You know as well as I do that you're not that weak. Besides, the other senshi had just as much trouble fighting the youma as well, let alone having to deal with Zoisite on top of it."

"Maybe so, but they actually have offensive attacks to use against such youmas." More tears fell and further dampened Usagi's shoulder when she shook her head. "My so-called attack is creating the equivalent of bubbles. What good is that?"

"You're selling yourself short, Ami-chan."

"No, I'm being honest to myself and to you."

Usagi sucked in a deep breath and held it for a full second before slowly releasing the air and with it her frustration. A steady resolve took its place.

"No, you're only lying to yourself if you believe that you're no good, or that you can't possibly protect me. After all, you've already proved yourself to be better than good many times before. And, more importantly, you've saved my life. I wouldn't have even been around to be captured or any of that other stuff you're worrying about if you hadn't been there for me when I needed it most. Because of that, I believe in you. So, please, stop with this moping about already and believe in yourself, okay?"

That plea might have been what Ami needed to finally stop her tears, or maybe she just naturally ran short of tears to shed at that point. Whatever the case, there were only a few sniffles from the girl when she pulled away from Usagi's hug. She was met by a small yet tremendously warm smile when she gazed at her princess.

"I'm okay now. I promise. It's just, ever since the battle with Zoisite, at least up to the point when I lost all consciousness, I was feeling horribly inadequate. Those feelings resurfaced during the hospital visit when I finally found out what had happened to you after the ambush. Making the new communicators was as much a distraction from those painful thoughts as it was a labor of love."

"Well, we've already established that you're not inadequate, so you never have to worry about that ever again. So, no more tears from you. Between you just now and Mako-chan earlier this week, my shoulder's been getting quite a drenching." A nod and hints of giggling from Ami widened Usagi's grin. "Anyway, now that I have my Ami-chan here again and not that horribly depressed girl who took your place, how about sharing an ice cream sundae with me? I have a hankering for a great big strawberry and banana sundae myself, especially since somebody decided not to share theirs with me last time." She opened her shoulder bag and directed a not-quite-fully serious glare at the black feline lying within.

"Hey, it's not—"

Before Luna could even really start that sentence, let alone complete it, she saw Usagi stick her tongue out at her and zip the bag nearly shut. She was left to do little more than grumble before lying on her stomach at the bottom of the bag.

Don't think I won't get back at you for mistreating your advisor like this.

Meanwhile, a subtle wave of Usagi's hand brought Unazuki, their waitress for the evening, to their table once again. The orange-haired girl was stunned to see Makoto walking up to and sitting down at their table at about the time she arrived to take their order.

"Sorry for being late," Makoto said as she sat down across the table from the other two. "I was held up for a short while in getting away from school."

"So, what would you like to—ah, Mako-chan! I'm glad that you're much happier than the last time I got to see you." Wide-eyed confusion soon set in, wiping the smile from Unazuki's lips. "Oh. I see you're here, but where are the others? You usually meet with them at around this time."

"They, um, got stuck with school-related stuff and couldn't make it today." Makoto shrugged as she glanced at Usagi and Ami. "Maybe they'll be by next time."

"I do want to see them again. I do hope they're doing okay, and you as well. I know it's been tough missing Ami-chan since she had to move away so suddenly. And, I haven't seen Usagi-chan in such a long time that I'm starting to get worried. I hope she's doing well also."

In spite of her older acquaintance's dismal expression, Makoto could not help but to grin and attempt to stifle a chuckle. "I'm sure you'll hear from both of them again really soon."

"I really hope so." She froze once she remembered that Makoto wasn't the only person at the table. "Oh, goodness! I'm so, so sorry you two. I didn't mean to ignore you. It's just that I know Makoto-chan here so well and I was surprised to see her here alone—well, not alone, but not with the people she usually hangs out with."

"We understand," Usagi said. It was convenient that the hand into which she coughed also helped to conceal her snickers as she tried to push herself from the brink of outright laughter. "Um, anyway, could we get your largest ice cream sundae…?"

Once Unazuki departed to have their orders completed, the three girls exploded into muffled cackling that, were they not in a public location, would have quickly spilled over into raucous laughter. It was easy for Makoto to understand their waitress's confusion given her recent experience, but that did not make it any less hilarious for her. Nor were the other two particularly saddened at the moment for taking advantage of a distant friend.

"Well, that went much better than expected," Ami whispered. A deep crimson blush covered her face for the second time in only a few minutes, but for a completely different reason than before.

"Mako-chan nearly blew it for us with that last line though," Usagi said with a playful wink directed at the girl.

Makoto lifted her hands up in front of her and waved them about in a defensive gesture. "Hey! I was just trying to cheer her up. After all, as far as she knows, one of you has moved to God-knows-where and the other just completely disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"I get that. And, maybe, sooner rather than later I can surprise her, but I obviously can't right now."

"And I definitely have to remain hidden alongside Usagi-chan, or else we'll both get in a heap of serious trouble."

Makoto nodded. "Yeah, yeah… that much I definitely understand. Saying that, I'm really amazed by how good your disguises are. If I didn't already know what to look for I wouldn't have been able to find you."

A mischievous smirk leapt upon Usagi's lips. "You have the Disguise Pen to thank for that." That wry grin was swiftly replaced by a sharp wince, a move that surprised and worried both Ami and Makoto. "However, I can't wait to get into the room—or at least eat something—as I don't know if I can keep this up for much longer."

Makoto stared at Usagi with wide eyes. "I had no idea using the Pen was so hard on you."

"Both of us used the Pen." Ami turned an utterly rueful look to Usagi. "But, I didn't know until just now that it was your magic that was providing my disguise. I figured I would have been contributing my own magic."

Usagi's warm and reassuring smile quickly eviscerated Ami's glum mood. "Don't worry about it, Ami-chan. I didn't want you trying to use the same costume that you used earlier lest Motoki-kun finds out that it's you." Her smile morphed into one that was more teasing. "But, to be honest, those glasses looked really cute on you."

"T-thanks." She could feel the heat on her cheeks but could only imagine how red they were. "I only wish I hadn't accidentally run into Motoki-kun. I hated every second of pretending to be a mute, because it's very difficult not to speak when you really want to."

"I hear that."

Makoto nodded and was about to expound on that thought when she saw Unazuki approach their table. The angle taken by the waitress meant she was the only one of the trio who had noticed the young woman. She lightly tapped Usagi's shoe, grabbing the girl's attention, and subtly placed a finger to her lips. Fortunately, her unspoken message was simple enough to be readily comprehended.

"And here you go you. One delicious strawberry and banana ice cream sundae. If there's anything else you want, don't hesitate to let me know. Enjoy!" Unazuki turned to Makoto and gave her a friendly wave before retreating to attend to other customers.

"Let's hurry up and finish these before I pass out." Though Usagi's intent was one of absolute seriousness, her jovial wink and outstretched tongue worked to put her friends at ease.

—|1|2|3|4|—

"Okay, that was a lot more fun than I expected." Makoto bent down into a crouch and breathed heavily in an attempt to catch her breath. "Having said that, I hope I never have to fight anything that moves that damned fast ever again."

Ami did not hear the lightning senshi's complaints, as she was too enthralled with her immense joy to notice. "I finally did it," she whispered.

"Way to go, Ami-chan!" Usagi enveloped her friend from behind in a tight hug, the surprise of which caused the girl to jump. "Now you can't say you're completely useless as a fighter since you've killed an enemy by yourself."

"Thanks, Usagi-chan!" Ami's smile gradually fell from her lips as she fell into a more pensive mood. "However, I wonder if I can do the same thing when I have to go against something much more difficult than Darangel."

"I'm sure you'll figure out a way. You're way too smart not to, and I believe in you all the same."

"Are you two ready for the next round, or do you need a bit more time to rest?" Luna asked.

Makoto rose to her feet and donned an expression of confidence that belied her mounting fatigue. "I don't mind going again. Besides, we're not always going to have an opportunity to relax in the middle of an actual fight."

"Putting it that way, you make perfect sense," Ami added. Her unsteady voice exposed blatant trepidation despite her attempts to hide it. "Rafki is our next opponent, right?"

Luna nodded. "It's significantly slower than Darangel, but its potent fire attack is not something you want to take for granted. Though, you should fare better against it given your water-based attack."

"I still wouldn't really call what I do an attack," Ami said while looking down at her feet and shrugging.

"Well, it certainly counts as one in my book." Luna then leaped from her seat at the control panel and turned to address Usagi. "You're going to be running the simulation for this round."

"Me?" The blonde's visage twisted into one of outright astonishment and perplexity. "But I've never done anything like that before. Isn't this a little too important to just throw in my lap? Why now?"

"You never know if or when you'll need to use this system yourself. I can't be the only one to have all the fun. Besides, the controls are actually very straightforward."

"So you say…"

Despite her uncertainty, once Usagi actually took a close look at the myriad buttons, knobs, and switches on the control panel, she could see order in the apparent chaos. Almost every switch she would have to press or flip, including the all-important reset button, was placed in a set labeled Simulation Control. The only thing that was separate was the microphone, and it took her very little time to determine how to operate that device. Her self-assurance skyrocketed once she figured out her job would be far less daunting than she initially feared.

This should be a piece of cake. She then turned toward Makoto and Ami. "Are you two ready?"

"Absolutely," Makoto said while giving Usagi a sharp nod. Ami might have been less enthusiastic about the whole ordeal, but she was no less willing to take on her next opponent. Usagi merely smiled as they turned and walked through the door and into the training room.

—|1|2|3|4|—

Rafki was proving to be a more formidable foe to Makoto than Darangel ever was. Only once was she provided an opportunity to launch her attack thus far as a near-constant wall of flames had kept her at bay during most of the fight. The winged, beetle-like youma hovered at a distance and seemed to taunt her as any attempt to make the motions necessary to send her bolts of lightning were answered with more fire. She was starting to become extremely frustrated at the whole ordeal.

What the hell do I have to do to get an attack in on this thing?

She shuffled backward along the hard, barren ground as another ball of red flames approached. Rafki had effectively created a large, arcing inferno that, in conjunction with the edges of the cliff, provided a formidable block against any physical attacks. After that, it could—and did—send wave after wave of flames to disrupt any attempts at counterattacking. Standing still to collect the energy necessary to deploy her lightning was becoming an increasingly bad idea. Fortunately, she was about to be reminded of a way she could counteract her increasingly dire situation.

"Don't forget what you learned earlier, Mako-chan!"

That's right! A tiny grin spread across her lips right then.

She turned and began to run away from the red beetle. For the first time during the battle it began to move as it quickly pursued her, spitting balls of fire in an attempt to corral the brunette. Luckily, she was just fast enough to evade the conflagration, which then enabled her to enact her plan. Her antenna was extended the entire time she ran, giving her constant access to the potent electricity that cackled throughout the dark-gray clouds. Suddenly she skidded to a stop and reversed her course, causing the ball of fire that shadowed her to fly over her head and explode along the ground behind her. At the same time, she continued to sprint toward the youma while ferociously shouting her incantation. Abrupt as it was, her move bought her enough time to send a beam of green lightning at the monster and land a direct strike on its midsection. That was enough to enable her to stand beneath the startled beast. Peering at its belly, she could see that it appeared less armored there than elsewhere on its body.

"Supreme Thunder!"

Though two uses of her attack in quick succession severely drained her, Makoto needed to do exactly that in order to see the end of the battle. She raised her hands directly above her head and propelled the lightning that had accumulated on her tiara directly into the youma's unprotected abdomen. From there it required little effort on Makoto's part for the beast to explode into a cloud of red dust. Finally, Rafki was no more.

"Congratulations, Mako-chan!" boomed Usagi's happy voice. "I knew you could beat Rafki!"

Makoto bent down and took a few seconds to catch her breath before responding. "Yeah, but it seemed to take forever. The damned bug… beetle… whatever it is just wouldn't stop belching fire at me."

"But aren't you glad it's over now, and that you've managed to beat two enemies in a row by yourself?"

"Yeah, very." She remained hunched over and breathed heavily while she spoke.

"Well, you can relax for a while. You definitely deserved it. When you're ready again, you'll only have two more enemies to fight. Then you're done for the night."

"That sounds nice." Tired as she was, Makoto managed a faint smile.

Usagi's position in the control room hid the much wider grin her lips had formed. She remained silent for a few moments as she continued to gaze at the image of the crouching girl on her monitor.

"Hey, Mako-chan. Did you have any plans for anything after this?"

She took a second to think before shaking her head. "Um… no. Not really."

"Well, in that case you'll be able to join us for dinner tonight."

That statement caused the brunette's eyes to quickly widen as she suddenly felt a curious mixture of nervous glee and outright astonishment. "You— you're inviting me to dinner with you?"

"Why are you so surprised? It's not like it's the first time I've ever invited you to dinner before. Think of it as one more step in returning to normal between us."

"I'll absolutely be there."

Makoto couldn't help but to smile at the thought. Neither could Usagi.

Or, that was what she intended to do. Instead she yelped. Loudly. She also unwittingly jerked her entire body straight into the air, stumbling as she nearly missed her seat on the way back down. However, she couldn't really be blamed for acting so strangely.

Ear-shattering explosions, especially those of the unexpected variety, tended to do that to a person.

—|1|2|3|4|—

Rafki's fire did not concern Ami as she easily countered it with her cool bubbles. However, her lack of an offensive capability resulted in her becoming trapped in a stalemate. It was an impasse that slowly turned toward her enemy's favor as maintaining the shield of bubbles proved a continuous drain on her store of magical energy. While Ami tried her best to maintain her composure, there was a very good reason for her growing panic. If something did not change, and soon, she would lose any sort of safeguard and become a sitting duck to the raging inferno.

What can I possibly do to beat this thing? I can't keep this up forever, but it's the only move I have.

A tremendous spiral of flames suddenly managed to break through the foggy barrier, tearing the girl away from her thoughts and forcing her to dive out of its path. The singeing of her skirt's hem was a timely reminder of the creature's ferocity and the potent attack it possessed. It was only training, however, and Usagi could terminate the simulation before she became seriously injured. Otherwise, she faced the very real and horrifying prospect of being killed by a youma that was considered one of the easiest she would face in the near future.

She extended her arms and sent forth a stream of bubbles to meet yet another incoming ball of fire, fully intending for it to smother the flames as it had done many times before. Instead, she had to furiously backpedal to avoid being ignited by the blaze. Her magic was weakening faster than expected. Soon, Rafki had the advantage, and it wasted no time in exploiting it by pushing the girl closer and closer to the edge of the ravine. There would have been no hope for Ami if it succeeded at that task, and she was just as painfully aware of that fact as anyone else.

Level two and I'm already about to be defeated with ease. Another mass of scorching flames prompted her to shuffle backward, and her desperation increased once more. I truly must be useless to my princess if this is the case. Beating Darangel must have been pure luck and nothing more.

The heel of her boot fell against the cliff edge and at that moment she knew there was no more running away. Her paths forward and side-to-side were blocked by the inferno that surrounded her. She briefly considered jumping, but without her Sabão Spray she would have been an incredibly easy target. There was no way out. She was trapped, and her adversary was moments away from sending forth the finishing blow, a stream of flames so tremendous that surviving it, let alone escaping from it, was nigh impossible. She recognized the futility of shielding herself with her arms, but that didn't stop her from doing it. Interestingly, the thought that the simulation likely should have ended by that point never crossed her mind.

What did cross her mind were the sage words of advice she remembered hearing from her dear friend and princess. Even as the lethal fire quickly bore down upon her, she closed her eyes and began to fervently believe in herself and in her abilities. There was no way she was going to lose. She had to possess a means to truly fight given her position as one of the vaunted senshi, and she had a suspicion that merely tossing bubbles was far from the pinnacle of her strength. All that was required was to discover the extent of her powers. The feeling of warmth intensified as she feverishly probed her subconscious for any answer or even the smallest hint. As she continued to meditate a cold tingling sensation spread through her entire body despite the searing heat that engulfed her, and she could feel water droplets at her fingertips. She knew it wasn't sweat as it felt quite different and was on the outside of her gloves. It was a liquid that clearly could not have originated from the arid landscape, and more importantly it was a sign she had found the solution to both of her problems. Moments later a phrase came into her mind, words that seemed awfully familiar to her despite never having uttered them before.

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

The few drops of water at her hands circled her body and coalesced into a large stream, soon creating a veritable river that punched through the incoming inferno. An almost deafening roar accompanied the attack and surprised both the target of its fury and its originator. Not only was the ice-cold torrent loud but it was incredibly swift as it had found and overwhelmed the youma within the blink of an eye. It struck the beast with such immense force that it immediately burst into a cloud of frozen dust. Never before had Ami released such a potent assault upon anything. The sheer awesomeness of it all left her motionless and staring wide-eyed into space for several seconds.

"Ami-chan…" Usagi uttered with equivalent astonishment. She was completely oblivious to the scene, her attention wrested away from her conversation with Makoto and to the battle by the massive rumble.

"I did it," Ami whispered.

"Yes, you did. I'm so proud of you. That's two enemies in a row you defeated by yourself."

Ami slowly shook her head and allowed a small grin to tug at her lips. "I mean, I finally have an attack. An actual attack. I truly am a warrior now."

She promptly collapsed to her knees and fell flat on her face.

"Ami-chan!"

"She must be truly exhausted," Luna said. "I doubt she has ever used that much magical energy before. Nor has Makoto for that matter."

"Do you think I should call off their training for the night?"

"Unless you intend to torture them, I would highly suggest it." She dutifully ignored her princess's irate glare.

Makoto and Ami returned to the control room a few seconds later, the former girl setting the latter upon the floor as gently as she could before she slumped down against the back wall. In almost no time at all a blond blur dashed the short distance from the console to kneel next to her reposed friends.

"Whew! Ami-chan's a bit heavier than I thought she'd be."

Before Usagi could respond to Makoto's comment, a faint moan filled the air, one the pair recognized as Ami's. A pained whisper followed soon thereafter, drawing everyone's attention to the girl.

"Ugh… I-I'm okay… Just n-need… few m-minutes rest…" A pant-filled beat, and a deft head turn to glower at the brunette. "Also… I h-heard that… Mako-chan… H-heavy… my b-butt…"

Any concern melted away from Usagi's visage after the latter comment. "Looks like Ami-chan's going to be just fine."

Indeed, the two senshi were in vastly better shape mere minutes later. By then, Ami was sitting upright and looking no worse for wear, while Makoto appeared as though she could stand another round in the simulator. Not that Luna would ever allow such a thing.

"I guess now's as good a time as any to get back home," Usagi said, motioning toward the exit. "Though, not before rewarding our new warriors with a light snack."

"You're not fooling anyone, Usagi-chan." A smirk graced Ami's lips as she hauled herself to her feet. "Still, I think I could use a little bit of food after exerting so much effort."

"Oh yeah, same here," Makoto added. "Though, don't forget your disguises. Unazuki-chan would have an absolute heart attack if she saw you guys suddenly show up here."

The Disguise Pen appeared in Usagi's hand as if by magic. "Already a step ahead of you. Anyway, shall we."

After a pair of bright white flashes, Usagi—donning the same disguise as before—opened the door and walked through. Makoto started to follow, but a light tug on her arm by a similarly camouflaged Ami prompted her to stop.

"Ah, Mako-chan, I should give you this before we go out." In her other hand was a communicator similar to Usagi's but light green in color.

"I know you had to make a new communicator for Usagi-chan, but I already have one."

"Not like this, you don't. Now, I'll need your old device since it's no longer very useful."

Makoto sighed and reached into her pocket. As she handed the older communicator to Ami she asked, "What's so special about the new one?"

A giggle preceded the wry smirk that spread across Ami's lips. "I'll tell you later. We don't need your jaw dragging along the ground all the way home. Anyway, Usagi-chan's waiting on us."

The taller girl could do nothing but shrug and wonder what all of that was about as she followed her strangely secretive friend back into the arcade.