Chapter Text
"A Sailor Guardian’s power should be used to keep peace and justice in the galaxy! And to serve our friends and loved ones!"
— Sailor Moon , Manga Act 59
Ami Mizuno clutched her pillow as the sinister red eyes from her dream faded into the abyss. A distant rumble of thunder shook the bedroom windows. Ami flinched. She peered out from under the covers, her tousled blue hair flowing over her matching vibrant eyes. With a relieved smile, Ami reached across the silky sheets and wrapped her arm across Mako’s warm chest, comforting her beloved partner.
Mako moaned through soft pink lips. She pulled the blanket over her shoulder, falling back into a light slumber. Mako’s dark-brown hair sprawled across her pillow, gently tickling Ami’s face. Rose perfume permeated the atmosphere with a flowery, romantic scent.
She’s so cute when she sleeps, Ami thought, admiring Mako’s lovely face. With her heart racing, Ami stroked Mako’s soft cheek. It felt like a dream. Ami wondered if her life was a dream—as if she had truly perished inside that Dark Kingdom chamber several weeks earlier. She tilted her head to the side, twirling a strand of Mako’s lustrous hair. No…this is real, Ami assured herself.
Mako moaned again, blinking her eyes lazily.
“Good morning, Mako,” Ami whispered, rubbing her leg against Mako’s thigh.
A smile crept across Mako’s face and she closed her groggy eyes. “ Mmmnnn …Ami…wh…what time is it?”
With a playful giggle, Ami embraced her girlfriend. “Time for a delicious breakfast.”
Mako gazed at an alarm clock that read 5:30 AM and gave Ami a funny look. “Couldn’t sleep again, huh , Ami?”
Ami frowned. “Sorry…I—”
“Was it that dream again?”
Mako…she sees right through me , Ami thought. It was the same dream Ami had been having since their fateful battle with Queen Beryl. She recalled the dark clouds spreading through the sky, with a pair of sinister red triangular eyes staring back at her. Its voice was lifeless and mechanical as it spoke. Ami shook the vivid images out of her head and smiled back at Mako. I can’t let her worry…we’ve been through so much.
“Nothing to worry about,” Ami said, grinning mischievously. “Back to sleep, you!” Ami grabbed a piece of the blanket and smothered Mako’s mouth with it.
“Mmmphh! No! Not the chloroform …hrmmphh!” Mako said, as Ami crinkled the silky sheet over her nose. Mako took two deep breaths, filling the sheet with a pocket of warm air. She shut her eyelids and released all tension in her body, pretending to fall asleep. “Mmmphhh…”
Ami stifled her laughter as Mako remained limp and motionless under the covers. “Enjoying this a little too much?” Ami asked, pressing the blanket harder into Mako’s nose.
The sleepy peril role-playing sessions had become their secret tradition, born from Ami’s half-serious suggestion in the early days of their relationship. Their games even escalated one night, with Ami getting tied-up and gagged on Mako’s bed. To Mako’s delight, Ami played the role of damsel-in-distress very well.
“BOO!” Mako shouted suddenly, giving Ami a scare. She rolled out of the blanket and cuddled Ami like a stuffed animal. The two girls caressed each other under the covers, filling the bedroom with their youthful giggles. “Nah, I think you’re currently leading the score, Miss chloro-queen,” Mako said. She grabbed a chunk of the blanket and returned the favor, pressing it playfully over Ami’s mouth. “Nap time, princess !”
“Mako, nooo…MMMPHH!”
The frisky move brought back memories from just a few weeks ago when Mako had become Dark Jupiter. The chloroform-soaked bow, the battle at the shrine, the thunder dragon—all the memories flooded back. They had come so close to losing each other that day. Ami knew how lucky she was and she cherished every fleeting moment with Mako. I can’t lose you again , Ami thought. I just can’t.
She pretended to struggle for a bit, then stopped, gazing into Mako’s eyes.
Mako lifted the blanket from Ami’s mouth.
Ami looked away for a moment, blushing, then glanced back. “I’m just…so happy when I’m with you, Mako.”
With an affectionate smile, Mako combed her fingers across Ami’s hair and leaned in for a kiss. Ami closed her eyes and followed, giving Mako a tender, warm kiss over the lips. Her hands glided across Mako’s abdominal muscles, gently touching the frills on a pink brassiere—a gift from a high-end sleepwear store. Mako responded, placing her hands under Ami’s light-blue nightshirt and massaging her back. Ami let out a delicate, steamy gasp, stiffening her shoulders as intimate emotions—and pleasure—flared inside her. The two girls shared a few more sweet kisses, then relaxed and cuddled each other.
Ami’s eyes shimmered with tears—something that seemed to happen every time she looked at Mako. The emotions were impossible to control. She blinked and looked away, wiping her eyes.
Mako placed her hand tenderly over Ami’s cheek. “What’s on your mind, Ami?”
Ami gave Mako a worried look, then hugged her tightly as thunder boomed outside. “It’s…the Dark Kingdom…I had that dream again—”
“The one with the dark cloud and evil red eyes?”
Ami nodded. “Yes. I’m worried they are planning something big…and that I…”
Mako gripped Ami’s shoulder, feeling her tremble.
“And that I…won’t be able to protect you, Mako,” Ami said, looking down.
The anxiety Ami felt was an ever-present constant. Their escalating conflict with the Dark Kingdom was still unresolved. While the past few weeks had been quiet, Ami was sure Queen Beryl was plotting her revenge. I’ll never forget that demonic face , Ami thought, remembering her confrontation with the evil queen.
“Hey, listen,” Mako said, her voice filled with gratitude. “I appreciate you looking out for me. But sometimes…” she trailed off, looking out the window longingly. “Sometimes, it’s just not possible to save everyone.”
Ami clutched the sheets, shrinking further into the bed. “But…I—”
“No, Ami… listen .” Mako sat up straight and held Ami, giving her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Don’t kill yourself to save me. Okay?”
A tear rolled down Ami’s face, as she pondered the implications of Mako’s words. While Ami was endowed with the celestial powers of Sailor Mercury, there would always be limits to what she could accomplish. It was a tough pill to swallow for the bright young girl. The sinister nightmare flashed through Ami’s mind again—those evil red eyes beaming out of the shadows. Then she saw her—Sailor Jupiter, fighting bravely against the colossal dark cloud. I can’t tell Mako how the dream ends , Ami thought. It was too tragic.
“Alright,” Ami replied softly, with a single, sad nod. “Just stay out of trouble, okay?”
“ Haha. I’ll try.”
Ami leaned in for a hug. “I…I love you, Mako.”
Mako chuckled delightfully and gave Ami a kiss on the cheek. “You’re adorable, Ami.”
In an effort to lighten the mood, Mako grabbed a remote off the nightstand and flipped on the television. She rolled off the bed and tended to some flowers next to the TV, a pink camellia standing out among them. Next to the flower vase was a framed photograph of Mako’s late parents. The image of Mako’s mother bore a striking resemblance to Mako herself, emanating a bittersweet warmth through the room.
Ami hopped off the bed and adjusted a cute pair of blue shorts around her hips. She picked up a compact computer from the nightstand, nearly knocking over a photo frame. Inside the frame was Ami’s love letter, still decorated with those cute green hearts. Ami shook her head when she recalled the hours she spent writing that silly letter.
Mako flipped the TV to a news channel, where a weatherman was speaking:
“And back to our top story, the once-in-a-century typhoon is now three thousand kilometers from Tokyo. The trajectory has been updated…”
“Oh, so that must explain the storm,” Mako said.
Ami observed the TV’s radar map, following a yellow dotted line as it curved toward Tokyo, her expression growing worried. “Yeah, this looks bad,” she said, flipping open her computer. The computer screen showed a map similar to the one on TV. “They say it’ll top the one in 1959…”
“You don’t say?” Mako said, staring at the TV.
“Yes. This one’s unusually strong,” Ami replied, scanning through her computer’s historical data.
Mako walked over, wearing nothing but her pink bra and panties. She picked up a scrunchy with two pink beads and tied her hair into a ponytail, giving Ami a poised smile. “So…end of the world, huh?” Mako said, looking over at the computer screen.
Thunder boomed outside the apartment window, perfectly timed with Mako’s dramatic sentence. The end of the world . Ami was certain the natural disasters around the globe were the work of the Dark Kingdom. And she was certain the Sailor Guardians would need to leap into action soon. Ami opened her book bag and put the computer inside. She then took out her golden Sailor Mercury transformation pen, rubbing its symbol with her thumb. Am I ready? she wondered.
“Getting ready to rock those blue boots, Ami?” Mako said, attaching two pink rose-shaped earrings.
Ami dropped the pen back in her bag. “Just making sure we’re ready when the Dark Kingdom makes their move.”
“Well, we can’t be superheroes on an empty stomach,” Mako said, slipping on a green shirt and walking over to the kitchen. “Pancakes or waffles?”
Ami couldn’t help but steal a glance at Mako’s statuesque, athletic figure. It was a lovely sight Ami never grew tired of. Maybe this really is a dream, Ami thought, a mesmerizing smile forming on her face.
Mako held up a box of pancake mix, raising a seductive eyebrow at Ami.
“Waffles,” Ami said, blushing adorably.
✽ ✽ ✽ ✽ ✽
Queen Beryl stirred, awakening on a regal bed covered with velvety purple sheets. Her curtain of ebony red hair flowed onto the rocky floor. The throne room was dead silent, save for the distant eerie sounds echoing off the chamber’s stone walls. Above Queen Beryl, swirled a black, ominous cloud of dark energy. A pair of red eyes emerged, shaped like long oblique triangles.
“Long live…Queen Metalia,” Beryl whispered in a raspy voice.
The black cloud billowed across the sky, twisting and writhing as if dancing to a wicked symphony of malevolence. Gradually, the amorphous cloud coalesced, morphing into a haunting, evil face. It loomed over the chamber, a manifestation of chaos and despair. A red mouth opened in the cloud and began to speak in a cold, mechanical voice:
“The Sailor Guardians…did this to you.”
Beryl nodded, then winced as she looked down at her injuries. “Yes…help me enact my…my revenge—”
“Patience. The pieces are nearly in place…for my awakening.”
An evil smile formed on Beryl’s face as she thought about the natural disasters taking shape on Earth. They were the manifestation of Metalia’s power—the seeds of her revival. “Oh, Evil One…what I must do to fulfill your awakening.”
The red eyes disappeared into the black cloud, then emerged with a newfound intensity, its evil power sizzling in the dank air.
“Bring me a source of celestial energy.”
There was no disputing the meaning behind Metalia’s profound order. Beryl nodded in understanding. The black cloud expanded in the sky, its ominous, mechanical voice booming before Beryl could respond.
“Bring me…the Sailor Guardians.”