A/N: -.- Hmm, explaining qualities here, since I keep promising to clear things up. . ^^;

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon and Coffee Prince don't belong to me, but they sure keep me amused when I watch/read/listen to the characters. .

This Is ME, I'm Sorry I Lied

Ami sighed, her hand coming up to rest on the bridge of her nose.

She had only known Makoto, talked to her, propositioned her, for about a half a week ago but with one call on her conch phone and the sure voice over the line, Ami was lost. Hmph. Pathetic. Flopping onto her bed, Ami closed her eyes and tried to concentrate on anything familiar to draw her thoughts away from the ponytailed brunette.

Numbers.

Nope.

Not even that could shake her usually-intent concentration. Instead, Ami found herself picturing the similarities between Makoto and Sailor Jupiter. Somehow there had been something odd in the meeting of them, as she hadn't even been able to talk to the lightning senshi.

And the fact that Sailor Uranus, the one who'd she'd always tracked on her scanner appeared nowhere near Sailor Neptune in the battle until after Sailor Jupiter had saved the aquatic wielder from a pretty horrid attack.

Frowning, Ami turned to Ryohizu, only to find him darting across the small expanses of 'relay' routes she'd made out of tiny pieces of coral and new designs she'd been making out of ice and marble.

With the water being at somewhat colder than normal fish tanks, the ice would not melt and Ryohizu could get a better work out fighting his way through the thick water.

Ami sighed once more.

"Blue! Hey, Blue!"

Ice wielder bolted upright, wincing as her bed made an embarrassing squeak sound. Padding softly to her window, Ami studied Makoto before she let her in. There was an odd aura surrounding her, almost seemingly to cling in a protective way, and Ami bristled slightly when she recognized Sherona on her employee.

Makoto shifted on her feet as she hopped in, and blue eyes narrowed when the pony-tailed brunette headed straight for her fishtank. Ryohizu instantly stopped zooming around and stilled, becoming the harmless fish he was supposed to be.

But Makoto had already seen him.

". . Blue? I've got something to tell you. But before that, I'm going to come clear about a lot of other things. I know I should have told you before, when I was still in the clear, but I didn't, so I've got to tell you now, before it gets out of hand like in the movies where everything's oh-so-dramatic and full of fakes."

Turning, Makoto stood, her dark green gaze on Ami. She could feel her breath hitch inside as those broad shoulders slid down in a slump, and Ami almost stopped thinking when Makoto smiled at her, those emerald orbs glistening in something close to tears.

"You didn't hire me because you needed an actual girlfriend to pose as someone who you could use to break away from your aunt. Blue, you could have told me. I'm sorry I have to guess. Remember when I said I was not going to just do this and not ask questions? Well, I have one question to ask, Blue. Why?"

Ami stared at the girl before her.

Those eyes were piercing right through her soul, and she couldn't hold anything secret. Not from those eyes, not the ones which she'd wished she could look into without the slightest guilt.

It was time.

0000000000000000000000000

Makoto grimaced as she backed away from the aquarium.

How had she not realized the subtle ache in her bones from the last time she'd been in here? It was freezing cold, yet somehow she'd managed to ignore it for this long. Inside she knew better. Inside she knew Ami had been beside her, warding off the frigid loneliness she'd kept from them.

The thing that made her dark.

The thing that had made her dark, once.

It wasn't that long ago, since she clearly remembered what she'd been through. So she would force Ami to tell her what was wrong, or at least damn well try to drag her to Usagi and make sure her Princess would heal her senshi.

But Usagi wouldn't force her love on Ami.

Nor would she.

"Tell me, Blue. Please. No more secrets, because after this is over, I'm going to tell you mine."

Makoto knew it was childish, but she expected Ami to rouse herself and shout an indignant, 'You first!' Yet Ami didn't. Those iceburg blue eyes hardened, then shattered. Behind the soft facade of casual millionaire used to devotion from money-hungry people was a girl who just needed the soft comfort of a friend.

So Makoto went to her and pulled her in a warm hug, ignoring the biting cold and tugging her gently to the bed, where she sat down and shushed the shuddering girl.

Ami was shivering, her teeth chattering as she wound up to tell her story. Makoto knew it was coming soon, she had acted the very same when she'd had to let it all out to Rei. The miko was the first person to ever KNOW and force her way into having the lightning senshi reveal her dark past.

It was a sin Makoto was so glad she'd talked through.

And so would Ami, now.

"Shh, Blue, don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you, tell me what's been bothering you. Just tell me, Blue. I won't laugh, I promise. Just let it all out, Ami. I'm here, Ami. Let me hear you."

Another shudder, and suddenly the air around them became a crisp howl as the oxygen was sucked out to make a thousand icicles. Icicles hung around every spare inch and centimeter, crowding the ceiling and suffocating the living.

Makoto clenched her fists and hoped her hold wasn't too tight on the smaller girl in her arms.

"C'mon, Ami, let it out. I'm listening, don't worry, just talk. That's all I want."

Ami let out a pained growl, but Makoto held on, staring over the blue head of curls and into the eyes of a green fish. Ryohizu smirked at her, his eyes glowing a fierce green, and Makoto could hear the soft clickings of camcorder and video recorder as the fish reacted to the inner equipment stored inside him.

She didn't care.

"Ami, Blue, listen to me. I'm sorry I lied. I'm sorry I was so pushy in knowing your reasons. Ami, hear me now. I-I lied to you. From the beginning. When I told you I didn't care, I-"

Ryohizu's lips smirked into a wide grin, and Makoto went on, ignoring the creepy algae flowing about his torso in a slick tornado of green seaweed and wrapping about him. The video was still running inside of him, but Makoto still didn't care.

Her grip tightened on Ami, her breath coming out in harsh pants as the cold invaded her throat, her nose, her lungs, her stomach, the inner recesses of her soul. Makoto let it all in, aware that if she wanted a partner, she had to trust her and communicate what she needed to her.

"Ami, yes, I lied. We- from the very first, since that time we went shopping, and Sailor Uranus jumped behind me. I was getting ready to transform. Ami, I'm Sailor Jupiter."

The air around them crackled, and Makoto realized the ice was spreading, spreading over her skin, the tops of her eyelids, into the small crevices under her shirt and around the room, freezing everything in sight.

It was so cold.

So frigid freezing.

But she'd told Ami.

She'd told her.

Makoto smiled down at the smaller girl and hugged her even tighter, enduring the bitter ice coccooning them in a tight hard ball of cold. The white stuff didn't even crackle. Makoto shook herself, and Ami in her hold.

"Ami, I know who Sherona is, really, and Ryohizu is not going to appreciate it if you freeze him inside of his aquarium. I know he's a robot, Ami, but he still has a soul- he's laughing at us, look. He's grinning like crazy over there, c'mon, Ami, snap out of it, you're my partner, if you'll accept me. That's right, let it thaw out, let it drip Ami."

Crooning softly down into the center of all the ice protruding into the air and room, Makoto nuzzled the soft skin and winced when she felt her clothes, brittle with ice, snap and fall to the floor. First her collar, then the sleeves, the actual cuffs and edges.

It was like she couldn't even roll her eyes anymore, she was afraid they might turn brittle and pop off like some kind of ancient recipe of lizards' eyes.

Inhaling deeply, Makoto whispered to her planet and felt the power surge through her.

Ami jumped in her hold, and Makoto held on, transforming into Sailor Jupiter and crackling with energy in the small expanse of Ami's rigid hold. Suddenly, something hot scorched her arms. Looking down, Makoto saw tears rolling off Ami's cheeks.

Reaching down to wipe them away, Makoto ignored the hot burn of boiled water, salty, and brushed the tears away. Ami sniffled once and slumped in her hold, exhaling as she closed her eyes and fell asleep in her arms.

Grimacing as the air crackled around her, Makoto lowered her head and wondered how in the world the room was going to dry off, it was dripping wet. Everything was dripping wet- wait. Looking closely, Makoto realized everything was hovering, almost.

"She's covered everything with water-proof material, Makoto-chan. Ami-chan here's a smart girl. She knew one day something like this would happen."

With a soft blink of red light, Sherona appeared. Makoto tried hard not to jump at the close proximity of the youma, even a comrade, but it was hard, that stealthy pressure tapping on the edges of her dangered conscious multiplied high since she was in her senshi state.

Finally nodding, Makoto got her muscles to relax.

It was pretty awkward, actually, to stay in one place while in senshi mode. The only time she'd ever really called on her planet was in fights, in summoning up inner power and support to calm the one-sided struggle of being herself among all the normal civilians.

Stretching her shoulders, Makoto eyed the green fish still staring at her, knowing full well the soul inside was watching her, closely, recording every word, breath, movement she let out. Turning slightly towards the aquarium, Makoto reached over to Ami's bedside and calmly unscrewed a small vial.

"Ryohizu-kun, eh? Well, you're pretty handsome there, Ryohizu. Here, have a. . 'nibble'?"

Tossing the small grains of brown specks mashed into fish nibblets into the aquarium, Makoto wondered at the sudden chuckle she got. It was much more friendly than the menacing stare she'd been receiving earlier.

"You're just like Ami-chan right there, girl. She's always giving me nibblets when she wants me to tell her something or I'm doing something good."

Makoto blinked.

Inside her, something coiled. Maternal instinct swelled inside her, and she let it out in a gentle tone, looking directly at the dark green fish, now making mad dashes around the tank and checking out the new water levels the thawing of ice had done.

"Ryohizu, if Blue here gives you nibblets, it's because you deserve it. Same with me. Or at least, that's why I gave you some."

"Yeah, well, you know what Hizu-chan? You might as well get no nibblets from me, if that's what we're supposed to give you them for."

Makoto almost snickered at the indignant backlash of hiss from the lashing robot, and Sherona's obvious teasings as the youma advanced on the tank and waggled her finger in the air to tut-tut the fish.

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't want one from you, anyway! You can't judge character! And stop calling me '-chan'!"

"Hey, hey, if you could show me proof you're an actual guy, well, only then, Hizu-chan."

"! Oh, yeah? Well, you just couldn't handle it! 'Sides, you youma can't even touch my nibblets anyway, even if you DID beg to give me one."

"Like I'd beg-!"

"Wait, say that again?"

Makoto cut in on them, her green eyes flashing as she advanced on the bickering two. Their eyes widened as senshi descended on them, the air about her crackling in electricity and danger as Jupiter lashed out in agitation from confining herself to normal civilain tasks in her senshi form.

"I'd never beg to give him a treat, Makoto-chan, I'm telling you!"

Jupiter waved a hand and pointed at Ryohizu. With a gasp, the green fish was a dark blue streak and hiding under the rocks and conch Ami used as her private phone.

"Ryohizu-kun! What did you say? Youma can't touch your nibblets?"

Green eyes peered up in a positive nod.

"Yup. Sherona here, she can, 'cuz she's only HALF-youma. HALF the power, too."

"I CAN SO BE A FULL POWER YOUMA!"

Makoto winced as the red-head's roar shook the room, alighting a couple of doorknobs on fire. Dashing over to Ami as the girl started to moan, Makoto shushed her quietly and pulled her up into a soothing hug. Throwing a look to Sherona and Ryohizu, Makoto shushed them as well.

Blue eyes peered up at her in a daze, and it was amazing.

Ami's eyes were a lighter shade, not a brilliant sky blue, but it was definitely lighter than the usual dark lurkings of underwater cerulean she'd been used to in the past few days. It was as if a veil was lifted, even if there were a few splotches of dark in the beautiful orbs.

"Blue. . . Ami. ."

"Mako-chan, Sailor Jupiter. . ."

Makoto nodded. The room's temperature was rising, and she was sure Tokyo's sidewalks were getting a cold shower underneath the open window of Ami's bedroom. Shifting so she held the smaller girl a little bit looser, Makoto released the pent-up groan she had and transformed back into Makoto Kino.

Feeling her muscles release their always-tense pose, Makoto groaned again and rolled her shoulders. Turning back to Ami on the bed, she was amused the girl wasn't wet or anything. Just another day lounging around in the bedroom.

"Blue, Sherona and Ryohizu say that youma can't touch the nibblets Ryohizu has. Or at least, full-blooded youma. Has your aunt ever come near Ryohizu? If this is right, she can't since last time I checked, anything fishy emits a certain radiation. Actually, practically everything does."

Blue eyes narrowed in concentration.

". . . I really haven't seen her swim in lakes or the ocean, but that could only mean she's allergic to fish. But in Ryohizu's nibblets' case. . ."

Makoto jerked slightly as Ami stared up at her, her eyes flashing.

"Ryohizu's nibblets are different. And when Sherona had first brought Ryohizu here, she hasn't touched him or anything at all!"

A grin split her lips, and Makoto about shouted her joy.

The turning of a knob cut her off.

A/N: . Okay! So I'm GETTING there with the wierd explanations! ^^ 'Course, I'm still feeling around and trying to look if I can crowd anything else crazier than what I'm doing into this fic. ^^ Thanks for reading with me this far, ja! ((Til the next chapter. . .))