1531/Not Alone

Not Alone
Date of Scene:	29 May 2016
Location:	Makoto's Apartment
Synopsis:	In the wake of the blowup with Takashi, Ami needs a shoulder, and Makoto is more than willing to provide.
Cast of Characters:	Makoto Kino, Ami Mizuno

---

Makoto Kino has posed:
It's past midnight, a time when sensible middle-school students should be in bed. Of course, nobody ever accused the Sailor Senshi of being particularly sensible... and there's nobody at Makoto's apartment to enforce bedtimes if she doesn't see fit to do so herself.

Besides, it's Saturday night, so who cares?

So as it happens, the lights are still on at Makoto's apartment... at least for a little while longer. The dishes from dinner have been done and put away, the apartment is freshly-cleaned, and she's curled up on the couch with the newest volume of Bride Of the Mountain God, far too absorbed in the fantasy romance manga to care how late it is.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
The sudden vertical slice in the room might be alarming. It swirls outwards into a tunnel drilled through subspace, and through it comes a brief blast of arctic air. Sailor Mercury steps through that tunnel bearing a massive halberd in her hand--Frost Knight's halberd.

As soon as she steps through, the doorway behind her closes, and Mercury takes a deep, steadying breath, then looks at Makoto. The expression on her face is almost unreadable. There are, maybe, two people in the world who can see past the calculating, studying expression to read the pain underneath. One of them is Makoto.

"Hi," Mercury says, and then there's a look of uncertainty in her eyes; worse: of self-doubt. "Um. Sorry. I should have ... used the door. It's not an emergency. Can I come in?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto is up off the sofa before the subspace tunnel has fully opened, the manga dropping forgotten from her hand. That's about as much time as it takes for recognition to kick in; by the time Sailor Mercury steps through the gateway and into the apartment, she's begun to relax again.

Almost. She only half recognizes the halberd, but even without knowing who it belongs to, it's clear from Ami's expression that something is wrong.

"You don't have to ask that," Mako says immediately, moving to meet her friend. "You're always welcome here. What happened? Are you okay?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Mercury glances at the halberd in her hand, then instructs, "Eiszapfen, Stromausfallen." The device remains oddly quiescent in her hand, and Mercury's expression looks displeased. "Fine, I'm just going to put you in subspace like this," she notes, then flicks her wrist. The device suddenly vanishes, and along with it goes Mercury's henshin.

Instead, Ami stands before Makoto, dressed in a long white sweater dress and tall stockings that are entirely out of place in the coming summer's humidity and warmth. Without the benefit of her henshin, Ami nearly looks defeated, and she leans forward to put her forehead on the taller girl's chest.

"I broke up with Takashi," she admits, her voice almost a whimper. Almost, but not quite. "He nearly exploded with rage. He threw Eiszapfen away. He embraced his darkness. Did I do the right thing?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto's arms go around Ami without hesitation, hugging her gently close. "Oh, Ami-chan," is the first thing she can think to say, voice brimming with sympathy. "I'm so sorry."

For a moment that's all that she can think to say, and she falls quiet as she reaches up to stroke her hand lightly over Ami's hair. She can't help wishing that Ami had let her know what she was going to do, so that she could have been standing by with her Virtue phone just in case Takashi reacted badly - but the last thing Ami needs right now is a 'should have' or a 'why didn't you?'

"...That's what dark energy does, isn't it?" she asks instead, quietly, after a short interval of silent support. "It makes all those bad feelings stronger, lets them take control. With so much dark energy in him, there's probably no way he could've taken it well, but that doesn't mean you did the wrong thing."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I sent a message out on Heartnet," Ami says quietly. "I admitted it's my fault, but asked everyone not to kill him. It's not his fault," she explains, still defending him. "And there's still a good person underneath the anger and the darkness."

Ami wraps her arms around Makoto as well, and seems to sag a little, putting more weight on the taller Senshi. "When he embraced the darkness, there was an explosion of energy on the mountaintop. But it missed me. It completely passed around me. He spared me the effect," she explains to Makoto.

"I have to save him," she begs her friend. "I can't let him suffer, when I gave so much for the Shitennou and Mamoru. But I can't ... I don't know what to do. And I'm scared of what he's going to do."

Makoto Kino has posed:
As ever, Makoto is a sturdy and unwavering support, not even swaying the slightest bit as Ami's weight leans against her. "It's just like it was with the guys," she says, soft and soothing. "Remember how Zoisite took it when we first started trying to help him? Neph, too. They got mad, they lashed out... but we got through to them. We'll get through to Agera, too."

Steady and sure, she lets Ami lean on her, arms wrapped warmly around her. "Even though he was angry and lashing out, he didn't want to hurt you. That's a good sign. We'll just have to keep working on him."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I tried," Ami says, and now Makoto's chest is growing warm with the wet of tears she's not managing to hold back. "I tried to not make it a bad thing. I told him I want to be his girlfriend. I told him I just can't while he's a danger to my judgement. I told him," she explains to Makoto. "But it just made him angry. He doesn't want to change. Doesn't want to hear anything I have to say." Now her knees are practically giving out entirely, as she sinks towards the floor. "He asked me to give up being 'good'; to give up my friends for him. I can't. I hate this. I hate that this evil exists. I don't understand why someone did this to him. Why creatures like Beryl and Metallia exist. And now somehow we have to stop this. But we're not even old enough to drive or vote. We're responsible for the fate of the entire world, but the world has no reason to listen to our opinions. And it sucks. I just want to be normal. I want to grow up, and learn science and medicine, and heal people."

Makoto Kino has posed:
As Ami's knees start to buckle, Mako sinks down in a more controlled fashion, supporting her friend until they're both kneeling on the floor. Maybe it's just as well that Ami is crying into her shirt - it means she doesn't see the helpless look that crosses Mako's face as she listens to the feelings that Ami pours out.

There is nothing she can say to fix this, no way that she can make it better. All she can do is hug Ami close and let her cry it out. "I know," Makoto murmurs. "It sucks. It sucks so hard, but you don't have to take it all on alone. You've got all of us to help you, Ami-chan."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I know," Ami burbles at Makoto, grateful she doesn't have to try holding herself up anymore. "I know you're all here, and you'll all help me," she says. "And I know I'm not alone, but ... you all expect so much from me, and I've let you down so badly, this time," she says. "I shouldn't have put Naru-chan in danger. I shouldn't have ever put any of us in danger. And now I've just made things worse; I've unleashed some horrible, unstable creature of darkness on the city, and I don't know what he's going to do or where he's going to go."

Ami shakes a little with uncertainty, "And you all look to me to figure out what to do. How to stop him, how to stop Fiore, or how to stop this Xenian Meteor. But I don't know, Mako. I don't know. And there's so much to do and there's so little time and somehow I still have to pretend like none of this is happening, and go to school and do my homework and get sleep--not that there's ever time for sleep.

"And to top it off," Ami says, "I feel like I'm not even sure I understand who I am or who any of us are, anymore. I used to be so happy with my test scores, and my grades, and with Cram School, and now I don't even attend that, and I keep wishing I was in college, or studying Eternity MAIN's database. And Minako's never around, and Rei wants to go be an idol. When did she get aspirations of being an idol!? And you've got a boyfriend, and Usagi-chan kissed me and I don't even know what that means, either. Oh, Mako-chan, I'm lately I feel like the Senshi of Poor Choices and Ignorance."

Makoto Kino has posed:
For a second there Makoto's brain kind of hitches at this last bit of information: Usagi-chan whatnow?

In the next moment she puts it aside as something to be addressed later. There are more important things going on here. "Okay," Mako says, placing her hand on Ami's shoulder while the other arm stays snugged around her, doing her best to keep her voice steady and reasonable, "first of all, you are not responsible for whatever Agera does. With all that dark energy in him, he was probably practically a time bomb, who knows what could've set him off sooner or later. What were you going to do if you hadn't decided to break up with him - walk on eggshells forever and let him have his way on all the important stuff to keep him from getting mad enough to go off? Screw that." She bites off the words decisively. "We'll be on the lookout to stop him if he tries anything crazy, because we want to help him and we don't want him hurting anyone else, but it's not because it's your fault, and I'll fight anyone who says it is."

Makoto catches herself here, takes a breath and a moment to rein herself in. When she continues her voice is softer. "...You haven't let anyone down," she says. "You made a mistake, yeah, but... come on, the rest of us have made worse ones, and let them go for way longer." Her arm tightens around Ami, just a little. "We should be the ones apologizing to you. I didn't realize how much pressure we've all been putting on you... leaving all this stuff to you to figure out, instead of working on coming up with a way to fix it together. You shouldn't have to be the one responsible for thinking of everything, that's not fair to you. So... I'm sorry, Ami-chan."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Even when she's crying and feeling miserable, Ami is still a good listener. She doesn't just allow the other person to talk, she actually allows her thoughts to be influenced by their words. And to have Makoto absolve Ami of blame--especially when it was Makoto that pointed out the problem in the first place--seems to lift a tremendous burden from Ami's shoulders. She closes her eyes, and although there are still tears, she seems to be getting control of herself, again.

But when Makoto talks of apologizing to her, that seems to take Ami entirely by surprise--and not necessarily a welcome one. She shakes her head and leans away, staring up at Makoto with such worry in her bloodshot eyes and puffy face. "G-no," she mumbles out. "It's not your fault, Mako-chan. You don't have to apologize. It's my responsibility to do this; to make sure we're all well informed. To dig through the archives and the past and come up with things we can use. I just ... there's just so much of it at once, and I'm not smart enough; not fast enough to deal with it all."

Makoto Kino has posed:
As Ami listened to her, so Makoto listens as Ami speaks, though the look of self-recrimination and honest apology on her face doesn't particularly go away as Ami insists that she need not apologize. As she listens, she does her best to put aside her knee-jerk reactions and think of it from Ami's side, to really hear and understand what her friend is trying to say.

She's quiet for a little while after Ami has finished, digesting.

"...If it's too much to handle all at once," she says slowly, trying to pick her words with care, "you don't have to do it all yourself, you know? I mean - I know I can't do what you do. Probably none of us can, but I could at least help organize things for you or something. Look through files for references to things that might be related to what you're looking for, or - I don't know, there's got to be something you could draft me to do that would take some of the load off you. Or if I'm not smart enough, you could ask Kunzite - geez, Mamoru-niisan's had him acting as my kitchen assistant, I'm sure he wouldn't complain if you drafted him to be your research assistant or something like that."

She's reaching and she knows it, grasping for something to do about the pressure that Ami's clearly been feeling. "My point is," Mako persists, "this stuff might be your responsibility, but it's not something you have to carry all on your own. You should be able to rely on us to help you carry the load, just like you back us up when it comes time to fight."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
It really has been too much to handle. Sailor Moon has apologized for it numerous times, since Mamoru was kidnapped at the orphanage. And yet, even now that Beryl is defeated, Ami still finds herself taking on too much. It's probably not anyone's fault but her own; like her mother, she's a chronic workaholic, and doesn't know how to say 'no' to a task.

Still, there's some gems of wisdom in Makoto's advice; literal gems, since the resource she could probably best use is Kunzite himself. But she's been so busy worried about how he views her that she has, for the most part, avoided him out of fear that the layers of tension built up between them will be troublesome.

On the other hand, the last time they talked they nearly terrified Makoto into baking food for an army. But the topics they discussed turned out fruitful, and there's still more to be done.

Ami leans forward again, very suddenly, to grip Makoto tightly. "Thank you," she says, without explaining why. Once more she buries her tear-filled face in Makoto's chest, taking solace in the other girl's nearness. "You're so smart, sometimes. I do need help," she agrees. "I thought Takashi could be that help; I thought he'd be able to fix the problems with me. But he can't do that so long as the darkness is in him. But ... but ... there is someone who can." She squeezes Makoto, then sighs and simply leans against her, calmer, now, very suddenly. "Thank you."

Makoto Kino has posed:
She's not entirely sure what, out of what she said, gave Ami what she needed, but regardless the relief that washes through Makoto is almost pathetic. The hand that had settled on Ami's shoulder reaches up to once again smooth over her short blue hair, and Mako begins to smile, uncertain but hopeful. "Any time," she promises, and means it entirely.

And then, after a moment: "Do you want to stay over tonight?" A beat passes before Mako goes on, "I mean, it's already pretty late, and I'm sure you're worn out. I'd be happy for the company, if you wanted to spend the night."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami leans away again, eyes widening at Makoto's offer. "Can I?" she asks, as if she's not entirely sure the offer is real. Then she hugs her friend all the tighter. "I'd like that a lot. I could probaby get home safe, but mom's working again tonight," she's always working, "and I really don't want to be alone." Especially if her virtue phone rings with an emergency.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto's uncertain smile warms in answer to Ami's wide-eyed question. "Of course," she says, returning the hug with a tight squeeze of her own.

Really she has no doubt that Ami could get home safe - this is the girl who travels by subspace tunnel whenever she feels the need to. But that 'I don't want to be alone' thing is important. It's a feeling that Makoto knows all too well.

"What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?" she asks, settling easily into normalcy for the moment. "Pancakes? French toast? I'll make whatever you want."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami seems relieved, now that she has a plan for going forward. Wiping her eyes on her sleeves, she shakes her head, "I don't kn--" but she does know, and she cuts herself off and looks away. "Well, I do," she says, "but it's not fair or reasonable and you don't have to make it for me."

Finally pushing up onto her own knees, supporting herself, she says, "I should go wash my face. Maybe change into something less hot. Do you have something I can borrow?" It's going to be too large for her, but maybe Makoto has a teeshirt or something she can wear like a dress.

As she heads towards the bathroom to wash her face, Ami explains, "Do you remember that little crepe place that was across the street from our hotel in Paris? They had this apple-cinnamon honey crepe that was just delicious. It reminded me a little of my father."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako follows Ami back onto her feet, heading to her dresser to hunt up something for her to change into. "I remember that place," she says over her shoulder, pulling open a drawer. "I can make crepes... although it probably wouldn't taste the same if I tried to recreate the ones they made there."

She pulls a t-shirt out of the drawer, shakes it out, and holds it up against herself to judge size. Hmm, not big enough. She begins to fold it back up. "I can try if you want, though! Or I could make a different kind of crepe?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Meanwhile, Ami heads to the bathroom and flicks on the light switch. There, she stares at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks are puffy, her eyes are bloodshot, and she generally looks like hell warmed over. With a grimace, Ami grabs the hem of her sweaterdress and pulls it off over her head, leaving her in just her underwear--white cotton lowrise and a blue bra with a cute little bow on the chest.

While Makoto hunts for more clothes, Ami sets the dress aside, then leans forward to start washing her face. There's something cleansing about just washing herself, and when she picks her head back up from the faucet, Ami looks decidedly better. She turns off the water and grabs a towel to dry her face with, then tugs off her tall socks and adds them to the pile with her dress.

Emerging from the bathroom, Ami moves to join Makoto and see what she's found for her to wear. "Mako-chan, just make whatever you'd like. I'd love those crepes, but if they're too much effort, I understand. I will honestly be happy with just pancakes or waffles or eggs or ... anything, really."

Makoto Kino has posed:
By the time Ami has come back out of the bathroom, Makoto has found a t-shirt that's a bit oversized on her and will accordingly fit Ami more like a nightgown. (It's pink, smells very faintly of ozone and roses like most of Makoto's clothing does, and it has a picture of a Norse warhammer on the front with the slogan 'It's Mjolnir Time'.) She smiles as she offers the folded t-shirt over to Ami.

"I can figure it out in the morning," she says cheerfully, as though there's not a part of the back of her head that's already considering what should go into apple cinnamon honey crepes and making plans to get up early to go to the store for fresh apples. "It'll be fine."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami takes the shirt and unfolds it, studies it a moment, then tugs it on over her head and smoothes it out before looking back up at Makoto. She looks down at the shirt again, then smirks and shakes her head. "Silly," she says, then hugs Makoto one more time.

"I'm sure whatever you cook will be amazing," Ami points out to Makoto, as she disengages from the hug, then pads back to the bathroom to collect her discarded clothing. "So um. Can we talk about this Usagi thing?" she asks as she makes her way to the livingroom again. Sitting down on the couch, she begins carefully smoothing out and folding her clothes. "Because I really don't know what to do about it."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Mako laughs as she hugs Ami back, before Ami heads back to the bathroom to get her clothes and Makoto turns back to the dresser to pull out some pajamas for herself - a pale green tank top and a pair of boxer shorts patterned with tiny pink flowers, in her case.

She's in the process of stepping out of her skirt when Ami speaks up again and she pauses, expression momentarily becoming one of faint, bemused dismary before she cracks a wry smile. "She really kissed you?" It is slightly hard for Mako to process, it must be admitted. "Like, kissed kissed?"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami looks up from her busywork to watch Makoto through the door, studying her friend's briefly. Then she blushes and looks away--not because of Makoto's state of (un)dress, but because of the question. "Like, the way she kisses Mamoru-kun," Ami says shyly.

"It wasn't like when they haven't seen each other in a few days," Ami explains thoughtfully. "There wasn't any tongue or awkward grabbing of body parts. It was more like the way she kisses him when they've been kissing for a while, and she wants to add one more kiss to the mix." Pause. "No, not that one; it's more like the way she kisses him when they've been sitting together for a while, not kissing, and she suddenly realises she needs to kiss him." It is, perhaps, more than mildly disturbing that Ami has a catalogue of 'the ways Usagi kisses Mamoru'.

"Actually, it was kinda like how I'd expect Snow White and Prince Charming to kiss," Ami says, looking back to Makoto with still-rosy cheeks. "And she told me she felt like she was cheating on Mamoru-kun to do it, but since he has been kissing Kunzite, I reassured her that I think it's probably okay." How does she even know these things!?

"But also both of us were really emotionally compromised at the time," Ami continues her explanation, "and I told her we shouldn't make any assumptions about what it means, and that we should evaluate it after she talks to Mamoru, and after we have both had time to think about what it means."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto, on the hearing end of this flood of information, ends up just kind of standing there halfway out of her skirt, blinking. "...Wow."

That's really all she can come up with to say for a second, and she hastily busies herself with changing the rest of the way out of her clothes and into her PJs as the wheels spin wildly in her mind. And Kunzite - well, but on second thought maybe that's not exactly a surprise. More like something she hadn't quite consciously put the pieces together on. That Ami has made such a study of the different ways Usagi kisses Mamoru is more bewildering, in its way.

Soon enough she's changed and her clothes have been deposited into the laundry hamper, and Mako comes wandering over to where Ami is sitting. "I don't know," she admits, looking faintly helpless. "I'm not sure this one's something I can be a lot of help with."

She sits down heavily, pulls her legs up to tuck up underneath her. "You were definitely right to say you shouldn't make any assumptions right away and that she should talk to Mamoru-niisan. I mean, if he's okay with it, and she's okay with him and Kunzite..."

Makoto's voice trails off there for a little; she looks down at her hands where they're planted against her thighs.

(The lunar palace's training salle reverberated with the sharp crack of the practice form cracking under Jupiter's fists, the ferocious power of her blows giving the lie to her efforts at keeping her tone of voice detached and reasonable. "If all he's interested in is an uncomplicated good time," she declared, "it's none of my business. But I won't be the latest in line.")

"I don't think I could do it," she confesses at last. "But that doesn't mean it couldn't work out."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I don't think I can either," Ami admits to Makoto quietly, lowering her head just a little as she leans against her friend. "It's not that I don't love her," Ami says softly. "I do. And it's also not that I'm opposed to the idea of girls kissing girls--actually I think I quite liked it, for a kiss. Although it was my first real kiss that wasn't in the midst of combat, so maybe I'm biased, there."

She takes a breath, then sighs and gives up properly folding her clothes. At this point, she's mostly worked them into a confused bundle, rather than actually managed to put them in any semblance of order. "I love her so much, but she's like my best friend and my sister. I don't think I want to be ... intimate with her."

Makoto Kino has posed:
At this, Mako smiles gently, and reaches over to lightly ruffle Ami's hair. "Then just tell her that, when you guys talk about it," she says. "It's Usagi-chan. She'll definitely understand."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami crinkles her nose and ducks beneath the ruffling, but only a little. "I just don't want to upset her," Ami says softly. "I've already broken up with one person this week," she explains, then sighs and closes her eyes. She falls silent a moment, then admits, "I'm jealous of you and Nephrite. It was nice, having someone fawning over me; bringing me presents and making me feel special."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"It's Usagi-chan," Makoto says again, still wearing that fond smile. "If she's upset, it'll probably only be for like ten seconds before she starts worrying that you're upset. It'll be okay."

She can't help feeling a little guilty at Ami's admission of jealousy. A quiet sigh goes out of her, and Mako looks away across the apartment. "It is nice," she agrees, a little reluctantly. "I'm sorry things didn't work out better with you and Agera. Hopefully it won't take too long for him to get his head out of his butt, and then maybe you two can work things out."

A brief hesitation follows those words, as Makoto tries to sort out what to say. "...It is really nice," she says again, fumbling a little for words, "but it's kind of scary, too."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami smiles at the realization that Usagi will probably be more worried about upsetting Ami for upsetting her, than at being upset herself. She glances at Makoto, opening her eyes, when the girl talks of her relationship with Takashi. She doesn't look particularly optimistic.

But then Makoto's hesitant and sorting through something obviously deeper than just Ami's minor jealousy. Then she admits that she's a little scared, and that surprises Ami completely. "Scary?" she asks curiously. "Why scary?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Now it's Mako's turn to duck her head a little, shoulders hitching awkwardly. "It's fun when we're together," she says, a little hastily, as though anxious to make sure Ami understands that it's not Nephrite who scares her exactly. "And there are things about what we do that he understands, because they're the same for him as they are for me. It's when we're apart that I start getting confused, and wondering where we fit."

She grimaces after she says this, clearly dissatisfied with her own explanation. "I mean--" Lifting her head, she looks toward Ami again, green eyes anxious. "The guys... they're pretty much always going to put Mamoru-niisan first, you know? They'll put themselves on the line for him, any time. And it's dumb to worry about it, when I'd do the same for Usagi-chan, it's just--"

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Oh," Ami replies with a faint frown. "Differing objectives and priorities," she says quietly, then nods her subtle agreement. "I suppose that makes sense. You're worried that someday he may be forced to choose, and you don't think he'll choose you if it comes to it--and worse, you don't even think you can fault him for not choosing you."

Ami stares at the wall for a moment, then hugs Makoto tightly. "I can see why that would be scary," she agrees. "But I don't think it will ever come down to that."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"It already did." Makoto's voice is very soft. She leans her head against Ami's so that she doesn't have to look her friend in the eye. "At the North Pole. It wasn't even a choice. For either of us."

Remembering sends a faint shiver through her. "I know D-Point was an extreme situation. Maybe we'll never be up against anything that bad again - I hope we never are. But it could happen. And I know what he'll choose if it does, because it's the same thing I would."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"Except it wasn't a choice," Ami points out gently to Makoto. "And both of them are here, today; we all are, because of the actions every one of us took. Because of our faith in Usagi, and their faith in Mamoru."

Ami gently rubs Makoto's back. "I don't think it will come up as an actual choice, Mako-chan. Not one where the decision to support him is not just as beneficial as it is to support her. Or you. But I do understand the concern. The fear."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The breath goes out of Makoto in a soft sigh. "Maybe you're right," she says. "You probably are." It's Ami, after all, and Makoto's faith in her friend's powers of observation and reason is as strong as it ever was.

But she can't say it makes her feel much better. "There's probably no point in worrying about it," she says. "If you think about it, it's a miracle we're together at all. Anything else from this point is extra."

Her arm curls around Ami, hugs. "Anyway, sorry for complaining. I promise I wasn't trying to play angst poker or anything. Right now saving Agera so you two can sort things out is definitely a bigger worry than something that might or might not ever happen."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
"I don't agree," Ami says as she leans in to kiss Makoto very gently on the cheek. "Your concerns are equally important to mine. Besides," she says, "I don't think I had a boyfriend in the Silver Millenium. I don't really need one in this lifetime, either."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto pulls her head back a little, enough that she can make a face at Ami. "Maybe not," she replies, "but you should be able to have one if you want one. Whether you had one back then or not doesn't have anything to do with it."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Here, Ami turns shy again, looking away from Makoto and blushing. "Well," she says quietly, as she huddles in on herself, "It doesn't really matter, right now. There are no boys or girls interested in me who aren't also evil, and I think saving Takashi is going to be harder than Zoisite was. I just hope he's not as difficult as Kunzite. I doubt there's any real likelihood of us being a couple again."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Hey," Mako says gently, turning towards Ami a bit more and putting both arms around her as she curls in on herself. "Believe me, I know that feeling. We'll just have to do what we can for right now, and see what happens."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami leans into the embrace and closes her eyes, then lets out a soft sigh. There's nothing else for her to say about the subject. Doing the breaking up apparently hurts, too. She didn't expect that, but there it is.

After a few moments of silence, Ami stifles a yawn, then opens her eyes slowly. "I've kept you up so late," she mumbles. "We should probably get some sleep. Do you have a spare blanket or something I can use out here on the couch?" All alone.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Hm?" It's kind of a shame, Mako was starting to feel pretty comfortable... although her legs were probably going to fall asleep underneath her if she kept sitting like this, so maybe it's just as well. One more little squeeze, and then she starts to disengage and unfold herself from the couch.

"Sure," she says. "I can pull out the spare futon for you, if you want." She's already headed towards the closet.

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami folds in on herself further, when Makoto gets up so quickly. She frowns, and glaances after her friend, then sighs and shakes her head, "No, the couch is fine. Or the futon. It doesn't matter where I sleep, I guess. I doubt I'll get much sleep anyways. Too much on my mind."

Makoto Kino has posed:
A sympathetic look flashes across her face, before Makoto turns her attention to the closet. After some deliberation, she pulls out a blanket - not too heavy, just enough for comfort. With the folded blanket tucked under her arm, she closes the closet door, then starts back toward the sofa.

"At least tomorrow we can sleep in," she says hopefully, shaking out the blanket - and once she's got it spread to its full width, she plunks unceremoniously back down next to Ami, draping the blanket over the both of them. "If you're not going to be able to sleep," she declares, "I'll keep you company."

Ami Mizuno has posed:
Ami starts to lie down on the couch; to curl up on her own before Makoto brings out the light blanket. But when her friend sits down nex tto her, Ami turns to stare at her confusedly, then wraps her arms around Makoto and smiles. "You should sleep," she says quietly, as she nestles in anyways. "You're going to hate yourself if you let yourself stay up all night. But I won't mind if you sleep next to me. It'll be warm, but at least I won't be alone."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Looking rather pleased with herself, Makoto snuggles in and begins to get comfortable. It will be a bit warm, but there are worse things. "That'll work," she says, and closes her eyes. "Good night, Ami-chan."