Chapter 6: True Love

"Are you sure we have to do this?" Makoto asked Ami as they made their way up the steps to the Hikawa Shrine.

"Well, we should tell our friends, shouldn't we?" Ami replied.

"Yeah, but Minako already basically knows, same with Rei from what you've told me, so all that's really left is Usagi. I guess I just don't want to make a big spectacle of it is all." Makoto looked over to Ami to see her facial features had fallen upon hearing this.

"I guess… it's just that… well…" Ami began before trailing off.

"'Well', what?" Makoto questioned.

"It's nothing. You're right, we don't have to make a big deal out of telling them. We can just-"

"Ami." Makoto said sternly, cutting off her other half, "What were you going to say?" She asked gently.

"Well, it's just… even though I never really believed we'd ever get together, I always dreamed about how, if we did, we would get all of our friends together and tell them and how they'd be so happy for us and… yeah." Ami said, her face turning as red as Sailor Mars's skirt. "B-but we don't have to!"

Makoto smiled warmly at the bluenette. She then reached over and took her hand in her own, "Well, far be it from me to deny you your dreams," she said, leaning down to kiss the back of Ami's hand, "my princess."

Ami was reduced to a blushing, babbling mess from this, to which Makoto simply giggled in response. She had always thought Ami looked cute when she was flustered, but this was a whole new level.

"Anyway," Makoto began, deciding if she went any further Ami may actually explode, "we should probably get moving. They're probably waiting for us."

"Y-yeah." Ami stuttered, still blushing profusely, "Ahem, well, after you…" she said, gesturing towards the shrine, "... my princess."

This time, it was Makoto's turn to turn red.

…

Entering into Rei's room, the new couple was met by their friends sitting around the table which they typically used for studying. Without Ami there to keep them in check, however, it was no surprise that all three of them were reading manga with their school books nowhere to be seen. Upon hearing them come in, the three girls all closed their manga and stood up to greet their friends.

"About time you guys showed up." Rei said, wearing a small smirk.

"Yeah, sorry we're late." Ami said sheepishly.

"Don't sweat it Ami!" Usagi replied with a grin, "But so what was it you guys wanted to tell us?"

Ami's heart rate immediately quickened. It was true she had called this meeting to tell her friends about her and Makoto's relationship, even breaking the rules by using her communicator for something other than her Sailor Guardian duties. Now that she was here, however, she felt a massive amount of pressure. Simply the gravity of what she was about to share felt like it was crushing her.

"Well… um… you see…" Ami began, unable to center herself. That is, until she felt another hand intertwine itself with her own. She looked up at Makoto to see her giving a reaffirming nod. And with that, Ami pressed forward, "Well, just to get to the point… everyone… me and Makoto… are dating. This just happened today and well we… we wanted you all to be the first to know."

As she finished, Ami looked around to see her friends' reactions. Minako and Rei were smiling at them like proud parents. Although, Ami couldn't tell if they were proud of them, or proud of themselves for their role in making it happen.

Usagi, on the other hand, simply stared at them, her mouth slightly agape. For a second Ami worried that Usagi would not react as well to the news as their other friends, but this worry was quickly replaced by both confusion and concern when she saw tears begin to fall from Usagi's eyes.

The bluenette and her partner quickly ran towards their friend to support her, "Usagi, what's wrong?" Makoto asked as everyone lowered back into a seated position around Usagi.

"Oh, nothing's wrong, Mako." Usagi said with a smile, "It's just that… when I thought I lost you guys, one of the things I thought about was how Ami would never get the chance to tell you how she felt and now… seeing you guys here, together, it just… it makes me so happy." Usagi finished, Rei handing her a tissue to wipe away her tears.

Ami smiled softly at Usagi, until everything she had said fully sunk in, "Wait a minute…" Ami began, "You knew too?!"

Usagi looked up at Ami and gave an awkward smile, "Well… I mean… yeah. No offense Ami but you weren't very good at hiding it."

The girls all laughed as Ami turned red once more. Ami eventually joined in on it, if for no other reason than the fact that she was simply bursting with joy.

"But this is so great!" Usagi continued, "We absolutely have to go on a double date sometime!"

"Of course!" Ami responded enthusiastically, "Although, I would feel bad leaving Minako and Rei out."

"All right, a triple date then!" Usagi shot back, not skipping a beat.

"Wait, what?" The blonde and raven haired girls said in unison, both blushing lightly.

…

It had been a long night filled with joy and laughter, but eventually the girls all had to part. After saying their goodbyes, Ami and Makoto began making their way home, hand in hand.

"I still can't believe this is real." Makoto heard Ami all but whisper.

"Well, believe it." The brunette responded, squeezing her partner's hand. "Because I'm not going anywhere."

"You'd better not." Ami replied, resting her head on Makoto's shoulder. The two went the rest of the way mostly in silence, until they got to the part which Makoto had been dreading the most: the corner where they had to part ways.

"Well I guess… this is it." Ami said, disappointedly.

"You could always just come back to my place with me." Makoto said, "I mean, unless you were as bad at hiding that you're gay from your mom as you were from everyone else I don't see why she'd have a problem with it." She finished with a sly smirk, earning her a light punch in the arm from Ami.

"Oh ha ha SO FUNNY." Ami shot back sarcastically, before her demeanor changed to be more serious, "But… I probably shouldn't. I wouldn't want to betray my mom's trust and also… well…" Ami trailed off, lowering her eyes to the ground.

"'Well', what?" Makoto asked, concerned.

"Well, it's just… this day's been so perfect and I wouldn't wanna ruin it by… by moving too fast, I guess? Does that make sense?" Ami said, still keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.

Makoto reached out and tilted Ami's chin up so she could look her in the eyes before caressing it with her thumb, "Of course, don't worry about it." The brunette said before placing a kiss on Ami's forehead.

Ami blushed and fidgeted with her hands, "Well I mean…" she began, piquing Makoto's interest, "... we could maybe move a bit faster than that." She finished in a tone just above a whisper.

"Oh?" Makoto replied with a devilish smirk. She had gotten the message loud and clear. She cupped her hand around Ami's cheek and slowly leaned in until their lips finally met. Unlike their last kiss, which had been much too brief, this one lasted for some time, the girls wrapping their arms around one another, neither quite wanting to break away. Unfortunately, their need for oxygen got the better of them and the two parted their lips, but still held on to one another.

Makoto looked into Ami's eyes. If there was any doubt left in her mind, it melted away when she stared down into those beautiful oceans of blue. This was it. This was what she had been chasing for all those years. This was true love. She had it. And now that she did, she would never let it go.

"I love you so much, Ami."

"I love you too, Mako."

(And with that, I must unfortunately bring this story to a close. Thank you so much to everyone who read, faved, followed and reviewed! I've got some plans for what to do next. Nothing's set in stone, but let's just say you likely haven't seen the last of my versions of the Sailor Guardians.)

(But until then, please please please remember to leave a review, I really want to know what you all think!)

(And until next time, take care everyone!)