A/N: . . . ^^; I'll be truthful here. I honestly forgot what I wrote in this story! . That's bad, that's bad! But looking back, chabam! I've got it again, so please stick with me here and let's see if I can get this crazy thing rolling again! ^^

DISCLAIMER: Ryohizu, Sherona, Ami's Wierd Aunt Who I'm Not Really Sure How She's Evil But IS, and Boja, are MINE! Yay! ((Hmmm, oh, yeah, Miki's in there, too.)) Sailor Moon characters aren't mine, they belong to coolness Naoko Takeuchi. ^^ And Coffee Prince, I hardly know the plot. ^^

"Your aunt was definitely after Minako here, Ami-chan. I think she knows we were the only ones who could put a stop to her when she was visiting here, so she had her minions go after us first. The only thing was, why was she here in the first place?"

Ami frowned.

Why. .?

Then it hit her.

Turning to Makoto, she whispered, deadly cold.

"My mom. . ."

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Before We Do This: Are You Sure?

"Mako-chan, are you sure you want to look at this?"

"Yes, Ami-chan. I need to look at this. Right now. . . Right now I don't have any reason to not like your aunt. Yes, she's done all these things, and she's hurt my family and Minako, but. . . I need proof, and reasons. I've seen her, but. . . I need to see this."

Ami turned in her chair to look over her shoulder at the fierce brunette. With her forest green eyes narrowed at the computer screen, her form bent over her right shoulder to balance naturally in waiting, Makoto Kino was one heck of a beautiful woman.

A beautiful senshi.

Her beautiful partner.

They had begged off a few moments away from the others, padding softly down the hospital halls and settling down back into Minako's room. The blonde had seen the look of determination in Makoto's eyes and had resumed looking after Rei, shackling Usagi in a bear hug and shaking her around.

Right now Makoto needed clearance to harm one of Ami's blood relatives, and she needed proof. Ami understood. Somehow, if she was in Makoto's position, she would have considered this, too.

"Here, Mako-chan. I've chipped away some of their files and altered the actual information inside to replace what I've got for the future plans, since it'll reduce the damage that way. Of course, you'll want to look at your parents' files. I. . I want you to know, I'll understand if you need time alone-"

"Don't leave me, Ami-chan. Please. I-I need someone here. . Just. ."

"I understand, Mako-chan. Here."

Turning back to the screen, Ami shut out everything.

She shut out all the problems they currently had, the hesitant way Makoto shuffled to look at the small computer screen. Using the senshi communicator to boost the screen into something 3D, Ami drew the chart around and wheeled it about into word style, her fingers hitting the familiar keys and jumping easily past the sorry excuse for a security system.

They had to hurry, after all.

*BEEP*

Ami raced over the words, those solid, perfect computer scribbles that showed no emotion. Only hard evidence. Only the cold logic of that tragic plane accident, all due to one woman's greed for power and cold cash.

Debt.

Lives.

Lost.

All her fault.

All because she hadn't been there in time, all because she hadn't known what was accessible to her, even back then. Just a certain key pecks away, everything lost because she had been afraid to stand up to that woman.

Her aunt.

That barraccuda had taken so much away, everything, had affected everyone, just for personal reasons that she couldn't even use, that she wouldn't use, just store it away as a few more million dollars, ruining the lives of many around her.

She hadn't cared.

At all.

Why?

Ami hung her head low, trying to block the hard ice ball forming inside of her. Regret. Hatred. No. This was wrong. She could feel hard tears welling up behind her eyes, feel the familiar clenching of betrayal at her heart.

No.

Stop.

She had to stop her. Had to. Or else everyone would die, she would be the cause, she hadn't tried hard enough, was this really the only way. .? Youma would take over the center of Tokyo, would then spread and attract other youma under rule of her aunt, and she'd be useless, useless. .!

"Ami-chan! Ami-chan, snap out of it! AMI-CHAN!"

Makoto.

Where was she. . .?

*BZZZZZTTT!*

"Ouch! Mako-chan? Wh-What is. .?"

Ami stared up into Makoto's electric green gaze, her mind reeling. What had happened, why? Looking around, she saw the dangerous cold blue of icicles hanging from the hospital walls, the ceilings, cracked ice slashing across the tile floor and burrowing its cold fist into the outside windows.

Makoto held her, one cheek bleeding as she drew her hand across to ruffle her hair, a small smile coming to her lips as she drew the ice wielder closer. It seemed she'd shocked her out of her icing the whole hospital.

"I could get used to this, you know. But, maybe we could keep it in your bedroom, since the hospital's not exactly water-proof. .?"

Ami stuttered, her shock apparent as she unconsciously burrowed into the warm embrace. What had she done? The slamming of bodies against the hospital door drew her back to the present, and Ami blinked as Rei and Minako burst through, roaring in a warrior-like manner and dragging a crying Usagi behind them.

"Thunder! You okay? Ami-chan, we can figure this out later, but right now we've got to GO!"

Fire flared as Rei transformed into Sailor Mars, her fuku flashing a bright red and evaporating all the ice completely. Turning to grab Minako and Usagi's hands, she nodded once and then jumped out the window, carrying the two just as two youma came crashing in the open door.

Ami automatically tensed as Makoto jumped off the bed and threw a small lightning bolt at the floor, somehow gathering all the dust in the room and making a smoke bomb as they catapulted out the window.

Seemingly, Ami's aunt had sent another horde of youma through the hospital and had created a good enough illusion to mask the damage of the building's structure from the outside world.

Landing smoothly, Makoto rolled, tucking Ami inside her arms and coming to her feet. Ami exhaled slowly, trying to come to her own bearings as she was overwhelmed almost by Makoto's scent. She had made maneuvers like this before, sure, but only on her own and never tucked into someone who cared for her, who she cared for.

The moment was short-lived when a fire-hot arrow speared by her face and around Makoto's shoulder into the broken window above, frying the enraged youma inside and turning them into a burnt crisp.

"Rei-chan! Next time you watch where you're aiming that thing, or I'm gonna really send you a present come next thunderstorm!"

Ami couldn't help but grin at the good-natured bark Makoto sent out at the smirking senshi of fire, and she pulled away gently and gave Sailor Mars a thumbs up. Looking back at the broken window above them, Ami turned to Makoto.

Searching those warm green eyes, Ami exhaled slowly.

"You ready for this, Mako-chan?"

A steady smile, and the hardening of aura as the sky above them crackled with unspent rain and sharp lightning. Makoto had seen what kind of evil person Ami's aunt was and she had no qualms now whatsoever of preventing her from doing anything bad like that again.

Makoto nodded back at Ami and closed her eyes, relaxing herself as she felt the first drops of water. Seemingly together, both called to their planets.

"Jupiter Power, Make Up!"

"Mercury Power, Make Up!"

Even through their transformation they were clearly aware of what the other was doing. Glances were met and held, and when ice blue met thunder green, both smiled.

"Let's go guys."

Setsuna Meioh stood at the the gates of time and contemplated her fellow senshi's situation. While the Inner Senshi hadn't called for their help, it was needed, but Haruka and Michiru would be there when the time came.

Yet it wouldn't be fighting power needed.

It would be restraining power, and the ultimate test of wills and sacrifice would be taken, right there, in the Mizuno mansion. Setsuna smiled, her eyes gentling as she watched the inner struggle of a certain moon princess.

There was something steaming inside, something almost so sweet no one would be able to handle it. Except for her. She would know. She SHOULD know. Setsuna smiled again and watched as those sparkling blue eyes twinkled at her senshi as she watched them grow, partnering and relying on each other to the best of her abilities.

"Don't worry Usagi. You're not alone."

Whispering her promise to the night sky above, Setsuna closed her eyes and blinked out of existence, back into the planes of earth and into the home of her fellow outer senshi.

She would tell them to rest before the actual fight, when they would be needed.

Yet even before then, she would watch over them, still.

A/N: . . . WOW! ^^ An update, and this time, more stalling on my part. Sorry for the REEEAALLY long delay, I'll try to make the next one longer and more in coming. . Thanks for sticking with me here, I'm going to re-read all of this to make sure I wrap it up in the end and stuff. ^^ Ja!