Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
A/N: I have to apologize again for the long delays between chapters. Between school and work, I don't have as much writing time as I would like. Thank you to everyone again for sticking with me through this journey. Hope you all enjoy!
Chapter 18: Stronger Together
-Tokyo: Many Years Earlier-
Usagi slid into the booth beside Minako, dropping her head onto her crossed arms dramatically. They'd had an exhausting battle. The youma had been much tougher than they'd expected. It had taken all of their combined power to defeat it and she felt completely drained. She sighed heavily for effect.
Minako bumped her lightly with her shoulder. "Are you going to make it?" Usagi lifted her head but, instead of the concern she'd been expecting, the blond was sporting her usual half grin and her eyes danced with amusement.
Usagi huffed and crossed her arms. "You're worse than Rei!"
Ami chuckled as she slid into the opposite seat. "Don't let her hear that," she teased.
Makoto sat heavily beside Ami and slipped an arm behind her. "No kidding," she agreed, "especially since it looks like she's buying." She gestured toward the counter where the Miko had her back to them.
Minako rested her chin in her hand, grinning lazily. "She really knows how to wear a pair of jeans," she murmured.
Usagi's gaze followed its own accord before she clamped her hands over her eyes. "Minako!"
"What?" she replied innocently. "Just making an observation."
Usagi glanced at the others for support. Makoto was biting her lip trying not to smile and Ami had her face buried in her hands, only her crimson forehead visible.
"What did I miss?"
Four heads snapped around guiltily. Rei stared at them suspiciously for a moment. "Never mind," she decided. She set down a heavily laden tray, grinning as she shook her head in mock disapproval. "I'm sure you started it," she added, sliding a shake toward Minako.
Minako didn't bother to deny the accusation, simply winked at her before turning her attention to her shake. Rei distributed everyone's treats before sitting on Usagi's other side. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Minako reached behind Usagi to touch her cheek lightly. "You okay?"
Rei took a breath before giving her a soft smile. "Just tired."
Usagi squeezed her arm lightly before turning to give Minako a wounded look. "Where was that sympathy a second ago?" she demanded.
Minako laughed, dropping her arm to give her friend's shoulders a squeeze. "Are you okay?" she asked, smiling at her.
Usagi let her head fall to her guardian's shoulder for a moment. "I will be." She looked across at the other two. "I'm always fine when I have all of you with me."
-Distant Future: Deep Space-
Makoto stretched her arms over her head, trying to shake off the last vestiges of sleep. She'd been plagued with strange dreams all night and was hoping to clear her mind with a workout before anyone else was up. Her steps faltered as she passed Ami's door and she had the brief thought to check on her. But their relationship was barely healed and she didn't want to push. Instead, she continued to the main room.
When she entered, she saw that she wasn't alone. Chibi-Usa and Hotaru were both on the couch, fast asleep. Chibi-Usa had her head tilted back, mouth open in a way that was reminiscent of her mother. She had one hand curled around Hotaru's shoulder, the latter lying with her head in her friend's lap. Makoto smiled at the sight before moving on.
Her good mood dissolved in a flare of annoyance when she saw that the training area was already occupied. Rei sat cross-legged in the middle of the sparring mat, apparently in the middle of some sort of meditation. Makoto stood uncertainly behind her.
"Good morning."
Rei's voice startled her in the quiet. "Hey," Makoto murmured, moving around to face her. Rei's eyes were still closed and she looked completely relaxed. "Um, were you…" She didn't know how to finish the sentence without seeming rude. She debated simply returning to her room to stretch out instead.
As though she'd read her mind, and she probably had, Rei nodded and got stiffly to her feet. Her eyes met Makoto's briefly before she stepped back, gesturing for the other woman to take her place.
"Thanks," Makoto said awkwardly. She moved to the middle of the mat, feeling Rei's eyes on her. Pulling one arm across her chest, she turned deliberately toward the wall so she could focus on what she was doing. But when she switched sides, she twisted back to find Rei still staring at her. "What," she demanded, her tone harsher than she'd meant.
Rei's eyebrow arched in disapproval. Makoto let out a breath and turned away again. She focused on unlocking her shoulders, taking the time to count out each position. Finally, she moved around to face the room again.
Rei stood with her arms crossed, watching her intently. Makoto let her arms drop heavily to her sides and stepped toward her. "If you have something to say…"
"How long have you been angry with me?" Makoto narrowed her eyes but didn't respond, so Rei continued. "Was it the darkness that brought it back up or was it always there?"
"Do you really want to talk about this now?" Makoto asked, trying to keep her voice level.
Rei shrugged. "Why not? Do you have somewhere to be?" When Makoto didn't respond, Rei gave her a hard look. "I thought we resolved this a long time ago."
"We did," Makoto said stiffly. Rei stared at her until she looked away. "We did," she repeated, softly, "but then you left. And Serenity fell apart without you."
She waited, bracing for whatever harsh response would be thrown at her. Instead, Rei's posture sagged and she dropped her head. "I'm sorry."
Surprise kept Makoto silent for a moment. "For leaving?" she said finally.
"For everything. I never meant for any of you to be hurt." Rei moved to sit down on the mat and Makoto followed. "At the time, I was sure I was doing the right thing. But we've always been stronger together."
Makoto nodded, thinking back over the years and the many battles they'd fought. "And she was always strongest when she had all of us." It occurred to her that Serenity's downward spiral had started before Rei left. She'd started breaking down as soon as they began to drift apart. She wondered if it had been the increasing darkness within her that had focused her on her long-forgotten rivalry with Rei. After all, even though the miko had been Serenity's confidante, they had each had a special relationship with the princess in different ways.
"I guess I hadn't really thought about it," she continued, frowning down at the mat. It would be easier to blame it all on the darkness. But, wherever it came from, that darkness didn't create anything within them, it simply played on what was already there. She'd made her peace with Rei years ago, it was true. But maybe she'd held onto those feelings just a bit. "I'm sorry, too," Makoto told her, offering a smile.
Rei smiled back and sat back on her hands, crossing her feet in front of her before giving Makoto a sideways look. "So how are things with you and Ami?"
"They're…" Makoto could feel her face getting hot and grinned. "They're getting better."
Rei's smile turned a little devilish. "I see."
Makoto rolled her eyes and got to her feet, offering the other woman a hand up. "I think that's enough talk about feelings for one day."
Rei chuckled and moved to the rack of training weapons, picking up the translucent red sword. She ran her fingers across the orange one next to it, smiling briefly, before turning back to Makoto. "Are you up for a match? Let's see if you've still got it."
Makoto grabbed her staff and squared off against her old friend. "It's good to have you back."
The dull thump of practice weapons could be heard as Rei made her way down the hall. She assumed that Makoto was at it again, she trained three times a day like clockwork, but when she entered the room she found the other woman on the couch looking at Ami's computer over her shoulder. Ami had her visor on and was watching the corner intently. Chibi-Usa and Hotaru were circling each other slowly, staves held at the ready.
Rei sat down on Ami's other side, glancing at the collection of graphs on the screen. She seemed to be monitoring both girls as they fought. Over the past couple days, she'd been compiling data on all of them to see how their physiologies had changed over the years. Rei watched the lines move for a moment before giving up and watching the girls instead.
Hotaru unleashed a flurry of attacks, forcing Chibi-Usa back as she blocked them. Hotaru tried to keep pressing her, but Chibi-Usa got under her guard. She twisted her staff, getting between Hotaru's hands. She brought her knee up between them, driving into Hotaru's ribs and forcing her back. As she dropped her weight back, she twisted her hands, jerking the weapon from Hotaru's grip and knocking her onto her back. She grinned as she let her friend up, pushing back sweaty bangs and laughing at Hotaru's low comment.
Ami muttered something under her breath, drawing Rei's attention. "See something interesting?" she asked mildly.
Ami didn't answer as she began typing rapidly. Makoto leaned back to talk around her. "She's gotten a lot better, hasn't she?"
Rei nodded, glancing at the princess. It was hard to reconcile the woman with the little girl she'd known before.
"Makoto, how are you feeling?" Ami asked, not looking up from the screen.
Makoto gave her a bemused smile. "Fine. Why?"
Ami ignored her, instead setting her computer aside and jumping to her feet. "Hotaru! Come here, I want to try something."
Hotaru fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, filled with nervous energy. Across the room, Rei moved to sit beside Ami, neither showing a trace of anxiety for what the latter had planned. They'd dragged the furniture back and set up the mats in the middle of the room. Chibi-Usa and Makoto faced each other bare-handed and Hotaru stood uncertainly a few feet away.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Hotaru asked, looking between the pair before settling her gaze on Ami.
Ami waved her off, her attention glued to her computer screen. "I'm sure it will be fine. Ready?" Hotaru swallowed her doubts and nodded. "Alright, go ahead."
Hotaru called a barrier, molding the wall of purple energy into a sphere around Makoto and Chibi-Usa. They looked around at the shimmering light surrounding them before focusing on each other.
"Okay you two, whenever you're ready." Ami said loudly, an excited smile forming.
Makoto inclined her head to the princess before holding out her hand. Vines spread from a green glow in her palm, forming the thorny staff she'd used on Jupiter. She held it at the ready in front of her. A pink shimmer preceded the formation of Chibi-Usa's staff, which she gripped tightly as she stepped closer.
"Go ahead," Ami urged, "you're perfectly safe."
Beside her Rei grimaced but chose not to comment. Hotaru shared her sentiment but made herself focus on holding the barrier around them rather than the list of things that could go wrong.
Makoto took a tentative swing which Chibi-Usa ducked easily. The princess blocked her second strike with her own staff, causing a shower of sparks and a puff of pink glitter. As they continued, their strikes became harder and faster until their weapons were a blur of color. Both women were starting to show signs that the battle was wearing on them. A particularly hard hit from Makoto threw Chibi-Usa back against the wall, and knocked the staff from her slackened grip. The weapon disappeared in a weak shimmer.
Hotaru glanced at Ami, who was leaning forward intently watching them. Rei was frowning now, looking between them and the bluenette. Makoto swung her staff in a downward arc, obviously intending to finish the match. But Chibi-Usa slipped under it, stepping inside her guard. Her fists took on an unearthly pinkish glow as she swung low. The punch landed hard, and Makoto doubled over. Chibi-Usa's second hit clipped her jaw and sent her spinning. Makoto let go of her staff with one hand, trying to block as another supercharged punch came her way.
"Ami," Rei growled, "I think that's enough."
Makoto bounced off of Hotaru's barrier, her staff disappearing with a static zap as she fell to her knees.
Hotaru glanced at Ami too, but her attention was on the screen in front of her. "Ami?"
She shook her head. "She's not fighting at anywhere near full strength," she murmured.
Chibi-Usa had stepped away, allowing Makoto to return to her feet. She called her staff back and moved into a defensive stance. Makoto's own staff reformed and she attacked again with renewed vigor.
"She seems to be doing pretty well," Rei noted, following their movements with her eyes.
Ami gestured to her computer. "No, she's holding back. Look."
Rei dutifully looked over her shoulder at the incomprehensible mess of lines and graphs but said nothing. "Chibi-Usa," Ami called, "I need you to go a bit harder."
Hotaru looked over in surprise. The princess was sweating profusely and clutching her staff in bloodless knuckles. She looked like one more hit would finish her off. "Ami, I don't think-"
Hotaru's attention snapped back to the fight as a sudden pulse of energy threatened to collapse her barrier. She turned her full attention to holding the wall steady as Chibi-Usa sent a barrage of attacks at the taller woman. Makoto blocked the first few but she was losing ground. A bright light began building up around the princess's hands, spreading along the length of her staff until the whole weapon seemed to crackle with energy. Makoto tried a power strike at her head, but she dodged and pushed forward. On the next half step, Chibi-Usa swung her staff in a quarter arc to push down Makoto's guard. She took advantage of the momentary opening to jab at the taller woman's chest with the blunt end of her weapon. As the staff made contact, it released a blinding flash of pure white light. Makoto was thrown back against the barrier with such force that she nearly broke through. Deep purple cracks spiderwebbed away from where she'd hit it. Hotaru gritted her teeth, straining to keep the wall from shattering completely. Rei was on her feet before the soldier of thunder hit the ground.
"That's enough," she said, her voice a commanding growl.
Chibi-Usa let her staff shimmer out of existence and dropped to her knees. Hotaru let the barrier fall and rushed to her friend. She was panting for breath and, as Hotaru knelt beside her, she leaned into her.
Rei was on her knees beside Makoto, easing her into a sitting position. "Are you alright?" she asked, scanning her for injuries. She had a thin trickle of blood running from the corner of her mouth and a bruise forming above the neck of her tank top.
"Makoto…" Ami set her computer aside and moved to her other side. "I… I'm sorry." Her hands were trembling as she reached out to the other woman.
"Ami, are you okay?" Rei asked, taking in how pale she'd gone.
Ami shook her head, touching Makoto's shoulder with a trembling hand. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I just wanted to see… I didn't want you to get hurt." She had tears in her eyes and more fell as she tried to blink them away.
Rei thought she understood. She put a hand over Ami's, drawing her reluctant gaze. "It's alright," she said softly. "This isn't like before. You're not that person anymore."
Ami looked down at Makoto again as she groaned and her eyes fluttered open. "No, but…" she gestured helplessly to the prone woman between them. She was sure the genius was remembering her time in the labs. She'd had a few visions of what Ami had done there and it hadn't been pleasant.
Makoto groaned and sat up. "Did it work?" She gave a pained grimace that Rei guessed she'd meant to be reassuring. "It felt like it worked." Ami sniffled, drawing her attention. Makoto reached up to brush a tear from her cheek. She winced at the effort but managed a smile when Ami looked up at her.
"Mako, are you hurt?" Chibi-Usa and Hotaru had moved over to crowd around her. "I'm not sure what happened. I didn't mean to hit you so hard."
Makoto huffed as she got stiffly to her feet, waving away the others as they fussed around her. "You kicked my ass, that's what happened."
Rei smiled and even Ami managed a weak chuckle. "Well, I'll have to look over the data, but I think it was a success overall." She glanced up at Makoto, who was rubbing her sternum gingerly. "But that can wait," she decided, catching Makoto's free hand. "Let's get you some ice first."
Makoto watched Ami as she rummaged through the medical supply cabinet. She'd barely spoken since they'd left the others upstairs and Makoto was sure she was dwelling on what had happened. She'd blacked out for a moment, and Ami's stricken face had been the first thing to come into focus. The ringing in her ears had made her miss Ami's quick conversation with Rei, but she could guess what had been said.
"Here we go." Ami emerged with a bottle of ointment and a gauze pad. Makoto stopped her as she approached, earning a frown.
She held up her hands. "Do you mind if I take a quick shower first? I'm sweaty and I'm sure you don't want me washing off whatever that is."
Ami glanced at the bottle in her hands and a blush spread across her cheeks. Makoto tried not to grin at the unexpected reaction. "Right, of course." Ami shuffled uncertainly for a moment. "Go ahead, I'll just go grab you some clean clothes."
Makoto allowed herself to smile as they parted in the hallway. Not for the first time, she wished she knew what was going through her wife's mind.
She froze, as the significance of the thought struck her. She hadn't thought of Ami in that way in a long time, but lately they seemed almost the way they used to be. She glanced over her shoulder, but Ami had already made her way upstairs. "It's not like I said that out loud, anyway," she murmured, striding forward. She stripped off her sweaty clothes and left them in a pile on the bathroom counter, then stepped into the shower.
She let the warm water sooth her muscles, which were starting to ache from the effort of fighting the princess. The bruise on her chest was already dark and she could feel heat radiating from it, even through the water. She focused on scrubbing her hair, trying to separate herself from the building pain.
A few minutes later, she felt a small gust of cooler air against her ankles as the bathroom door opened. "Makoto?"
"Almost done," she answered. She rinsed her hair once more before shutting off the water. She glanced at the blower controls before reaching for the towel she'd brought with her.
Ami was sitting cross-legged on the counter waiting for her. Conscious of her current state, she tightened the towel around her body before checking the nearest cupboard.
Ami clucked her tongue in exasperation. "I don't know why you won't just use the blowers, it's so much faster."
Makoto huffed as she dug through the supplies. "If you had curly hair, you would know why," she replied. She shut the cupboard door in defeat and found Ami grinning at her and holding out a second towel. "Thanks," Makoto murmured, giving her a grudging smile.
Ami nodded, watching has she wrapped her hair with a practiced ease. Her eyes drifted down her body, taking in her strength and beauty, such a perfect combination. Her gaze focused on the angry bruise beneath her throat and Ami reminded herself that she was here in a professional capacity. She hopped off the counter, handing Makoto her neatly folded clothes before turning away.
"So, I took a quick look at the numbers from earlier," she informed the wall. "You've gotten much stronger than you were back home. It seems we all have. Especially Chibi-Usa. It's hard to believe I'm looking at the same person we knew."
She realized she was on the verge of babbling, a nervous reflex she thought she'd conquered a long time ago. A light touch on her shoulder made her jump.
"You can look now," Makoto teased gently.
Ami felt her face get hot as she turned to glare up at the taller woman. "I was only…" flustered, she reached past her for the menthol ointment. "Undo your shirt, please."
Makoto grinned as she moved to comply. "Yes, ma'am"
Ami rolled her eyes, wetting the gauze pad in her hand. "Just-" she broke off as her voice cracked. "Just the top couple buttons is fine."
She couldn't meet Makoto's gaze as she moved closer and began applying the cream in small circles. Despite her attempts to be gentle, Makoto flinched way. She glanced up and saw that her face was tight with pain.
"Sorry," she murmured, moving a little slower. Makoto shook her head, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I didn't mean for you to get hurt like this."
"It's just a bruise," Makoto reminded her softly.
But it could have been much worse. She should have stopped them sooner. As soon as she'd seen the spike in Chibi-Usa's energy, she'd guessed what was coming. But she'd wanted to see what would happen, to see how far she could push them. As if they were subjects in an experiment rather than people she cared about. She wondered if she'd changed at all since Mercury.
She realized she'd stopped moving. She looked up at Makoto, meeting the emerald pools she used to know so well. Makoto raised a hand to cover her own and smiled at her. "Ami, I'm okay. Really."
"I still love you." Ami caught her breath. That wasn't what she'd meant to say. Her mind was instantly brought back to the last time she'd spoken those words to the woman before her. She could almost feel the pouring rain and the coolness of icy daggers against her palms. She remembered looking into her eyes while sliding the knife between her ribs, and seeing her blood wash over her hand.
A light touch on her arm brought her back to the present.
Makoto had tears in her eyes but she smiled through them. Her hand tightened over Ami's, still resting lightly on her chest. "I love you, too. I never stopped." She sighed, moving away from her and dropping her hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me."
Ami smiled at her, forcing her dark thoughts away. She focused on reaching up to redo the button on Makoto's shirt. "You're here now." She let her hands slide up the sides of Makoto's neck and moved closer. When Makoto didn't back away, she got up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "That's what matters."
Rei found the others in the living room later that day. Makoto was stretched out on the couch with her head in Ami's lap. Ami was typing in her mini computer with one hand and absently twirling a strand of brunette hair with the other. Rei paused in the doorway, smiling at the familiar scene. She was glad that they were beginning to get back something of what they had before.
As she moved further into the room, she saw that Chibi-Usa was curled up in the chair opposite them. Hotaru was on the floor in front of her, sitting with her arms crossed and her head down. Both were sound asleep.
"How's it going?" Rei askes softly as she approached Ami.
Ami smiled wearily up at her before patting the open space on her other side. Rei sat and looked at the screen with her, trying to decipher the graphs and charts. Ami types something, enlarging a line graph. "Look at this," she said, pointing. Rei saw that it moved steadily upward before spiking out of the frame. She nodded dutifully. "This is some of the data from the fight earlier," Ami said excitedly.
"That's… her energy?"
Ami grinned apologetically at her. "Essentially. Basically, this line tracks the power Chibi-Usa was exerting. See where it spikes here? And this line here?" She pointed as she spoke but didn't wait for a response. "Those last couple hits were much stronger than anything she's been capable of in the past." She met Rei's bemused gaze. "Ever."
Rei frowned, looking at the chart again. "Ever?" She glanced at the sleeping princess. "How is that possible?"
"I think she accessed the Silver Crystal. Just a bit of its power, but still, it's a huge step for her."
Rei considered. "So, you think she's getting stronger? Why?"
Ami shrugged. "Maybe the training, or something to do with her aging. I'm really not sure."
"Maybe it's us," Makoto said, sitting up. Rei hadn't realized she'd been listening. She moved stiffly as she scooted closer.
"What did we do?" Rei asked blankly.
"We're together." Makoto said simply. "She's channeling her mother's power. And Usagi was always strongest when she had all of us with her."
Ami stared at her in amazement. "That's true!" She began to type rapidly, pulling up more charts. "That's how she was finally able to defeat Galaxia all those years ago. And Beryl before that."
Rei grimaced at the memories. "Maybe those aren't the best examples."
Ami looked at her in confusion.
"We died," Makoto reminded her. "Both of those times."
Ami stopped typing to frown at nothing for a moment. "Right." But she shook her head and resumed a moment later. "But she won, and she brought us back, so it was fine."
Rei exchanged a look with Makoto. "True, but…"
"That means that by the time we get back to Earth, she'll be as strong as her mother at her best."
Rei sighed softly. She was making one very big assumption. "If we can bring Minako home with us," she said quietly.
Makoto reached across Ami to give her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "We will."
"Maybe we should-"
Makoto yawned loudly, cutting Rei off. Rei narrowed her eyes at the brunette, who gave a sheepish grin.
"Maybe we should get to bed," she said, smiling. "It's been a long day."
Rei nodded and move to wake up the younger girls. Chibi-Usa mumbled something incoherent as she got unsteadily to her feet, dragging Hotaru up with her. They bid the others good night before both making their way to Chibi-Usa's room. Rei smiled after them before disappearing into her room across the hall.
Makoto stopped beside Ami in the hall between their rooms. "Well… good night." She started to turn away but Ami's hand on her wrist stopped her. Their eyes met and held for a long moment before they wordlessly came together. Ami's arms slid around her waist as their lips met in a passionate kiss.
"Stay with me tonight?" Ami said breathlessly as she pulled away. Her azure eyes were dark with desire, but still the pure blue of the girl she'd fallen in love with so long ago. Makoto nodded. There was nowhere else she'd rather be.