The Client

Summary: Makoto is Minako's new client and hopes to be with Mizuno Ami. Will Minako fall in love with her client? Probably.

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is mentioned in this fic.

Chapter Nine: Not So Normal

I had let Makoto enjoy peace while she still knew what it felt like for a week – her final appointment had arrived. The strange behavior that had begun before vacation was subtle yet obvious. It was subtle because Ami wasn't catching on, and it was obvious because even Usagi picked up on it. I had to give Makoto credit – she was sneaky, and she knew she was sly. In front of everyone, she was acted as though she were her usual self, but there were times when she would give me an odd look or use a special tone in her voice just for me. Those changes weren't major, but they were still big enough for me to realize. It may sound as though I'm just imagining things or I'm completely delusional, but I know I'm not making this up. Makoto fell for me just as I had fallen for her months ago.

The brunette was sitting in my usual chair, fidgeting about and such. She seemed nervous about being with me, but nowadays that was kind of normal. Whenever we were alone together, she would move around a bit (she was never very smooth when it came to something like this). Of course, that wasn't for very long, since we would have to go our separate ways or return to Ami and Usagi.

Sitting on the bed, I asked, "You haven't kissed her yet, have you?" Makoto shook her head, giving me a feeling of relief. However, part of me was actually expecting her to say the opposite. After all, they had been dating for a little over three months, so it wouldn't have been surprising if they had kissed at some point.

"So, what's this appointment about? You said this would be the last one?"

I nodded and stared away from her, a sudden rush of guilt flowing through my body. "Since you haven't kissed her, I was thinking, you know," I asked softly, my heart pounding hard in my chest, "maybe you could practice with me." Oh yeah, I was going for it. This was the final test. If she passed, she would no longer be my client. If she didn't, her first kiss wouldn't be with Ami.

"Why?"

My eyes wandered to find her emerald orbs. They were full of uncertainty. Was she actually considering it?

"So that you know what you're doing," I answered. "Make her first kiss unforgettable." She studied me curiously, maybe thinking about the offer. She crossed her arms and sighed at me, wondering where to go from here. I knew she had trouble saying 'no' to me, so I'm not surprised her final reply was taking a while to come out.

"This doesn't have to count if you don't want it to," I quickly blurted out, trying to get an answer out of her faster. This decision-making was taking too long for my tastes. Makoto looked around the room, still thinking about it. I waited silently for her to decide, although this should have been a no-brainer.

After a few more minutes, she sat next to me and sighed, "Alright." My heart wanted to pop out of my chest as I bit my lip, wondering if she really wanted this.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

I nodded and took a deep breath. "Kiss me then."

Makoto inched her body closer, sitting closer to me. She was beginning to blush as she intertwined our fingers. Her touch was so warm; I wanted to feel more. She closed her eyes once she began closing the distance between us. I closed my eyes as well and waited for her lips to connect with mine.

Sooner than I expected, it happened. This was probably the greatest feeling I've ever felt, the best kiss I've ever had. I felt so weak, so vulnerable. I felt her free hand move up my back, pushing me closer to deepen the kiss. I wrapped my arms around her neck, and she didn't reject me. She wanted this as much as I did, and she couldn't deny that. Our chests were pressed together, turning me on like crazy. Could she feel how fast my heartbeat was getting?

Leaning closer and closer, she pushed me down onto my back. She licked my lips gently, driving me crazy. I was losing myself, and I loved every second of it! I caressed her tongue with mine without hesitation. Suddenly, I felt a wave of jealousy wash over me because it was obvious that this wasn't her first kiss.

Slowly, she pulled away, causing me to open my eyes. She was staring at me now, looking like she was ready for more. "Sorry," she said, sitting up straight. I got up and sighed. Staring at the ground, I muttered, "You failed." Makoto asked me to repeat myself. I didn't want to. I had a feeling that if I did, I would say something bad. I didn't want to hurt her or myself by whatever I was going to say next.

"Minako?"

I looked up at her, slowly getting upset. Gritting my teeth, I said, "You failed, Mako-chan." I felt tears building up in my eyes. I bit my lip hard for a moment before continuing. "You weren't supposed to kiss me. You're supposed to like Ami-san so much that you couldn't fathom kissing anyone other than her."

Makoto scratched her head like she usually did when she was troubled. We were still pretty close, which worried me. Now, she could probably see the tears in my eyes, understand why I was getting upset, and figure out why I didn't stop the kiss. She could read me like an open book like this, being so close to me.

"I really liked spending time with you back when you were trying to help me," she said. "It was a lot of fun." I nodded to agree, hoping tears didn't fall down my face. She stood up and walked over to the door, picking up her bag from the floor and placing her hand on the doorknob. "I think I should go now," she murmured, hanging her head.

"Do you still like her?"

My voice cracked predictably. At the same time, a tear rolled down my cheek, tickling my skin. I grabbed my sheets as hard as I could, wanting a response. When I didn't get one, I added, "Be honest with me. Is it her…or is it me?" Makoto sighed and released the doorknob. She leaned against the door and gave me a funny look. In a way, she was asking why I had given her a choice between Ami and I. After all, she had a girlfriend. How did I fit into the equation?

"I know you have feelings for me, no matter how small they may be. You look at me different, and they way you talk to me isn't the way you talk to anyone else. And that kiss, it meant something," I elaborated. "If it were nothing, then it wouldn't have been so…so…" Makoto tilted her head curiously, wanting me to finish my sentence. "Beyond amazing," I breathed. For a moment, Makoto smiled, happy to hear her kiss was satisfactory. Then, it quickly disappeared as she sighed.

"It's her."

That was a lie, and she knew it.

"I had fun, Minako," she continued. "You're a great friend, and I enjoy being with you." Was she trying to tell me something indirectly? She didn't use an honorific this time. Maybe I was just over-thinking everything. After all, it did seem like Makoto was rejecting me. "I'm sure being more than a friend would be fun, but I have Ami."

An arrow to the heart. How perfect. She had such a way with words.

"If you want to be with me, just say so," I said. Makoto nodded slowly. "Well, I'm going home. I'll see you Monday." Before I could get the chance to say anything, she opened the door and left. With the door wide open, I could hear her saying 'goodbye' to Mom and exit the house. More tears rolled down my face now that she was gone. I buried my face in my pillow to stifle the sounds of my sobs.

It hurt knowing I had no chance with her. Perhaps accepting that was the first step to recovery. Damn, this was going to be a long weekend.

It's almost been a week. Since that day, I've been the same for the most part. Things were slightly normal – well, not counting the odd looks she and I gave each other from time to time. I hadn't dared to tell Usagi of what had happened, so for the time being I was the regular Aino Minako.

Ami hadn't suspected anything to my relief. To see that Makoto could still act the same with her, however, made me upset. I didn't show it – I couldn't – but I didn't have to either. Makoto knew how I felt, no matter how normal she acted with the others. We were never alone anymore, though if we were, it wasn't for long. Whenever I told her we needed to talk, she weaseled her way out somehow.

After another month of awkwardness, I decided I had enough. I needed answers, and I needed them now. Capturing Makoto was hard, since she pulled the convenient "I'm not your client anymore" line and slipped away from my grasp. Now, I had a plan, and I knew what had to be done.

One day after school while Makoto was standing outside, I made my move. She glanced at me with an exasperated look before turning her head away and waiting for my arrival. Talk about giving the cold shoulder.

"Where's Usagi-chan?" she asked as I came closer, moving the conversation in a different, unexpected direction. "Somewhere," I answered, rolling my eyes. "We need to talk." Makoto grinned at me with that know-it-all expression, ready to counter. "Not your client," she said.

"That may be so, but we're still friends and as such, we need to talk. Right now."

Makoto's grin softened into an amused smile as she patted my head. "How about this?" she began to bargain. I raised an eyebrow curiously, urging her to continue. "We'll talk about everything tonight," she planned. "I have to walk Ami home when she comes out, so I'll swing by your place later. Usagi walks you home, I walk Ami home, and no one suspects a thing. We're normal – as usual."

I nodded, making her promise she would see me. She agreed and shooed me away as Usagi came our way. Thinking nothing was amiss, Usagi grabbed me away jokingly and began our trek home.

"You've been doing very well," Usagi whispered as we walked away. "What with your feelings and all. I think she might feel the same way you do though…what do you think?" I giggled and waved my hand, saying she couldn't possibly feel that way. "Did you put her through that test?" she asked, probably remembering the day she went through it herself. I nodded, saying Makoto passed just as Usagi had. Lying and keeping things from Usagi was hard, but I had to keep up appearances.

Things had to seem normal – as usual.

Mom and Dad didn't mind me having a visitor on a school night, especially when this visitor had taken care of me selflessly once before. They tried pampering her and treating her like a queen, but we had better things to do, so she politely declined any offers they made.

When we were in my room, she sat in my chair and I sat on my bed. We stared at each other for a little bit, waiting for someone to say something, anything. Of course, since I was the one who wanted the talk, I had to speak first.

"Promise you'll be completely honest with me," I started cautiously. She agreed, giving me her word. I took a deep breath and asked my first question.

"Do you like me?"

Makoto tilted her head, showing almost no emotion on her face. What was that supposed to mean? Why was her body language so cryptic? This girl knew how to drive me insane!

"I do, but that's not going to stop me from going out with Ami," she shrugged nonchalantly. "I like her too, and it wouldn't be fair to throw her away to be with you." She wiggled her index finger at me to emphasis her point.

"Who do you like more?"

Another shrug was her answer. When that's all she gave me, I sighed. "Why didn't you stop being my client when you had the chance?" I asked next. "It would have saved both of us some trouble."

"I only wanted to think of you as a friend," she explained. Then she scoffed, probably thinking about how that turned out. "We had so much fun together, and I wanted that to last for a long time. At that point, though, Ami and I were aware of each other's feelings for sure, so I thought there was no turning back."

I ran my fingers through my hair, wondering where to go from here. From the sounds of it, Makoto was trapped and had to stick with the decision she made months ago – even when things changed dramatically.

"So what are we supposed to do?" I sighed. "Pretend our feelings don't exist?" Makoto made her way towards me and sat at my feet. I looked down at her, waiting for an answer (if there was one). She frowned as she lay her head in my lap, staring into space and rubbing my feet. This was perhaps one of the few times I saw Makoto being serious with me, showing me how she really felt instead of some taunting or joking façade.

"I can't do that," she said softly, shaking her head. "I don't want to stop liking you." I mentally agreed, but what could we do? That seemed to be the only alternative if she was going to stay with Ami. We were both silent for a long time, wondering where to go from here. There was a state of confusion in the air, and it wasn't going to clear up anytime soon. Why did this love have to be so forbidden?

"Minako?"

"Yeah?"

"I've kissed Ami a few times, but they weren't like the one we shared."

I avoided Makoto's eyes when she looked up at me, not wanting to deal with this anymore. If I had to, I would ignore my feelings; there was no hope for either of us. I shook my head, telling her not to continue. She grew silent and put her head in my lap once more.

"We can't be in a state of limbo now," I stated. "You're with Ami-san, and that's how it will stay. I'll just be your friend like I've always been." Makoto only nodded, knowing it was useless to argue. It was better this way – Ami didn't have to get hurt. Instead, Makoto and I would share a common pain in silence so that Ami could be happy.

The next day was normal. Although we were both hurting, Makoto and I were good actresses. Usagi and Ami didn't suspect a thing, so all was well. Of course, the day had been completed by the odd glances Makoto and I exchanged every so often. It was a shame that we had a somewhat 'deeper' friendship for all the wrong reasons.

At the end of the day, I saw Makoto walking away from the school without Ami as I waited at the entrance for Usagi. She had told me she had to stay after for a few minutes for reasons unknown, but I decided to wait. Going home by myself was kind of weird at this point, so why not?

After ten minutes of watching students evacuate the area, I saw Usagi walking with Ami who looked a bit dejected. Usagi had that angry, determined look on her face, and I didn't know what to expect. Something told me that this wasn't going to end well at all.

"Ami-san, is there something wrong?" I asked as the two got closer. The blue-haired girl shot me a glare that made me tense up but looked away in shame a few seconds after. Usagi asked me if I had seen Makoto around anywhere, and I said that I had while I was waiting. I turned my attention back to Ami and repeated my question. She picked her head up and stared at me – well, it seemed like she was looking through me – and nodded.

"Yeah, there is. Makoto and I are no longer together."

To be continued…

This chapter went by really fast, since I wrote a lot of it a loooong time ago :D I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the last one, so look forward to it! Til next time

Serenity101