"A Time and Place for Everything"
By: Krys Bear
e-mail: krysstrife@hotmail.com

Rated: (PG)

Note: This story depics two girls in love (Makoto and Minako). If you have a problem with that please evolve.

Disclaimer: The Sailor Moon characters are not mine. I'm just using them for my own romantic pleasure. I promise I'll put them back as soon as I'm done with them.

Part 4

Makoto was awakened early the next morning, by neither cuddles nor kisses. No, there was no sweet morning sentiment here, no gentle shakings or even tickles. Not even the sun warming her face. No, today she was going to wake up a new way, that was what the young girl she had been sharing the bed with had decided.

*Poke*

"Huuuhmmma...uhh...hey!" Makoto clumsily batted her hand to ward off whatever it was that had been repeatedly poking her in the eye. "Owch! That hurts!" Scowling, she opened her eyes and looked at little Minako accusingly. The blond only giggled in response. "Time for waking up though." She said matter-of-factly. "I _tried_ to wake you up nicely...but you just rolled over and said uuuuuggghhhhhaaaa like a retarded monster. So, I waked you up a different way."

"Yeah, by poking me in the eye with Peeko's paw! I was tired."

Minako laughed and shrugged. "You slept all night last night." She grabbed Makoto's cheeks and pinched them playfully, like some old granny would do. "And I don't wanna go eat cereal by myself. You said you'd play with me today."

Makoto just looked at the bundle of energy that was young Minako. "I meant I would play with you when I woke up. When I woke up nicely." She looked out the window. "When it became light out!"

Minako jumped out of bed with Peeko, mindless of Makoto's ramblings. "Come on, we're gonna have cereal now. You'll like it. It has marshmallows in it, and it's all different colors."

Makoto's morning scowl lessened a little. "Marshmallows?" Her father never allowed her to have the good cereal. Said that it wasn't any good for someone in serious training, and that it had no...no...new-triton, or something like that. It was always an argument when the family went shopping through the cereal aisle. 'Dad! Other kids get good cereal! You always make me eat old person stuff. It doesn't even taste good!' 'Come on Makoto...you decide or I'll decide for you. Oatmeal...or Shredded Wheat...or Corn Flakes.' 'I told you...I want Pac-Man!' 'Shredded Wheat it is then.'

Minako looked at her, that wide grin still in place. "Marshmallows. AND colors. And I think there's even a prize in the box I never getted yet..."

That was enough for Makoto. She jumped out of bed and started to run down the hallway, before even realizing her mother had put her in a pair of Minako's grim little Barney pajamas when she put her to bed.

"I like Barney."

Makoto looked at Minako while chewing on her sugary delight cereal, and nodded. "You would." she mumbled around her mouthful.

Minako stuck her tongue out at Makoto. "Well you're stuck in them until our parents wake up and tell you where your bag is anyways."

Makoto paused for a moment. "No I'm not." she said, as she started tugging the fuzzy purple dinosaur shirt over her head.

Minako's eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you doing, Mako-chan?"

Makoto gave the girl a determined grin. "No one tells me I have to wear pajamies with that...pussy...on them!" She threw the shirt aside, and tugged the flannel bottoms off as well.

"MAKOTO!"

Makoto turned to the dining room entrance, to see her very angry mother standing there. "What just came out of your mouth, young lady?! And what in heaven's name are you DOING?" she gestured to the cast away garments lying on the floor.

Makoto nervously looked at her mother, than at Minako. It was a choice between getting into big trouble...or being embarrassed. She had just told Minako that no one told her what to wear.

In the end, stubborn, mule-headed pride won out. "I said Barney was a pussy! And I'm not wearing his ugly ol pajamies! You know I don't like him!" With that, Makoto kicked the pajama bottoms with a huff, and did what any smart child would do in that situation.

She ran like hell.

It was quite a sight to everyone who didn't know what was going on, really. A young girl, naked except for a pair of white cotton underwear, streaking through the halls like a bat out of hell. Many a palace worker was knocked aside by the little desperado, who seemed to be running from a very angry mother. "MAKOTO! YOU GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

The little girl only ran faster. ~Why do they always tell me to go to them when I _know_ they just want to spank me? Like I'm going to stop so they can do that...~

"MAKOTO!"

Makoto was putting enough distance between herself and her mother that she began to seriously think she'd get away. That is, until she saw her father step out into the hall about thirty feet away from her. "Oh no!"

Not knowing what to do, she stopped between the oncoming trains. She truly was a deer caught in the headlights, frozen with the fear of inevitability. That is, until a small hand too her own and pulled her into the servants quarters.

"Minako?!"

"Shhh!" The blond busied herself with locking the door. "We're gonna hide."

Makoto was grateful, but puzzled. "But you never did anythi-" She stopped in mid sentence and took a moment to REALLY look at Minako. The blond had two froot loops stuck to her bow, and another stuck to her cheek. And she was naked, except for her teacup undies, just like Makoto. "What did you do that for?!" Makoto asked incredulously. "Now we're both gonna get it!"

Minako looked around for a place to hide. The girls' parents were pounding on the door now. "You were playing without me!" She whispered angrily. "So I had to hurry to catch up. It was ok though, cause my mommy and dad came in right after yours." She pulled Makoto over to a large walk in closet. "There's a door inside one of these, that goes to the next room. I found it by accident one time, when I was looking for candies." She looked up a Makoto. "Before we go, what does 'pussy' mean?"

Makoto shrugged. "I dunno. I just heard my dad call our lazier guards that before. It usually made them angry enough to start working harder."

"Oh." Minako seemed satisfied, and busied herself with searching through the closet.

The pounding on the door stopped. Makoto grew fearful. It was when you couldn't hear them that you had to worry most. "Minako...hurry up...they're gonna get us."

Minako just smiled. "Silly, I don't hear anything, and I'm looking my hardest." Her young brow furrowed. "You know, I can't seem to find it....I was sure it was this closet though."

Makoto heard a key playing inside the lock of their room. "Minako, hurry up! They're unlocking the door!"

Minako heard it too this time, and paled. "I can't find it Mako-chan. It must have been the other closet."

Slowly, deliberately, the doorknob turned. Makoto swallowed. Adults always did it that way. They made you sweat it out, made you wait, getting more and more afraid by the second. Without thinking, she stepped in front of Minako. The excited blond was now silent and visibly shaking.

The door opened finally, and two very angry mothers stepped in, cornering the two children.

"Mako-chan," Minako whispered in a small voice, "I think I'll choose what to play next time."

Makoto was staring at the corner of the wall, going out of her mind. Every few seconds she glance over at Minako across the room, in the farthest corner away from herself. Both girls were dressed now, Minako in an excited orange jumpsuit with cookie monster dancing on the front, and Makoto in a small black training gi. Although their punishment hadn't been thought up yet, one thing was for certain. Makoto was going to get the workout of her life as part of it.

The young brunette sighed. She knew what she did was silly, but she couldn't help it. She felt compelled to show off in front of Minako. Maybe it was because she wanted Minako to look up to her. Or like her. She wasn't entirely sure. All she knew was, she would have to watch it from now on, because all it did was cause trouble, and trouble was the last thing she wanted.

She peeked back at Minako again. She had gotten off relatively easy in comparison to Makoto, and was smiling again. The girl couldn't go five minutes without smiling. Makoto found it odd, but loveable at the same time. Minako's happiness was infectious, and she smiled to herself. ~She was pretty brave too. No other kids I know would have run with me like that.~ Minako turned to see Makoto smiling at her. She waved and blew the taller girl a kiss, before she was chastised and forced to look to the wall again. ~Ooops...I think I got her in more trouble. Careful now. Gonna have to be good from now on. I don't want to get Minako-chan in more trouble either.~

Makoto twiddled her thumbs and tried her best to stare at the corner. They had only been stuck there for about twenty minutes while their parents conferenced on what to do with their young streaks, but it felt much longer than that. She was getting fidgety, feeling energetic. She would have given anything to jump up and run around the room just for a few seconds. Unable to wait it out any longer, she decided to bring this to a climax herself.

"Mom?"

"No talking, Makoto."

"Mom, you can give me trouble now." The brunette turned from the corner to face her powerful adversary.

Sarin only quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, well, that's very nice of you to give me permission to discipline you. Had enough of the corner already, hmmm?"

Makoto reddened, and nodded slightly. ~I wanna play with Minako-chan... ~ "Yes I have, mom."

"Well then...maybe you can finally explain to me what made you decide you needed to run almost completely nude through the halls of the Venusian Palace."

Makoto didn't know what to say. All she could think to use as an explanation was the origin of her defiance. "I don't like Barney." She shrugged. "You know I don't like Barney. No one likes Barney."

Minako piped up from her corner. "I like Barney."

Makoto scowled in her direction for a moment before continuing. "Mom...can't you give me trouble somewhere else?"

"Why? So you won't be embarrassed in front of Minako?"

Makoto nodded furiously. "Yeah!"

Sarin moved in for the kill. "Well....you just ran almost completely naked in front of her without getting embarrassed."

Makoto's little jaw dropped, and she just stared at her mother. Before she could think of anything to say, Samantha stepped into the room. Minako looked up at her and gave her a big smile. "Mommy, I love you!"

Samantha grinned that evil, predatory smile each parent is gifted with. "I love you too honey...I especially love you when you don't run around the house naked."

Minako threw Makoto a longing look and stared at her corner again. She knew when she was beaten.

Samantha made her way to Sarin. "Adrian and Dominion are waiting in the gymnasium." She chuckled. "Dominion wants to show Makoto off for a little while. What do you think?"

Sarin nodded. "I knew he would. I think it's a man thing, don't you?"

"Oh, most definitely. Adrian's just as hyped to see what she can do as Dominion is to show him. He's even considering putting Minako through training now. And I actually don't think that would be a bad idea. She's very hard to keep up with...she just won't stop sometimes. Maybe if she had somewhere to channel her energy, she'd start learning a little self control and focus."

"So this is testing the waters a little, hmm?"

"Yes. I'd like to see how Minako reacts to the idea. If its positive...well, the way things are going, I think Adrian will want Dominion to train the girls together, once Minako has caught up a little."

Makoto rolled her eyes. Adults. Always talking about people like they're not there in the room to hear. She almost commented on that noted fact, but she bit her tongue in time. ~Time to be good now. Have to remember that.~ She looked over at Minako again. Minako smiled and gave the thumbs up sign. Apparently, she knew something Makoto didn't.

Makoto wasn't left in ignorance for long, however. Within just a few moments, her mother was kneeling down beside her. "You got lucky, young lady. Your father wants to spend some time with you in the gymnasium."

Makoto's eyes brightened. "So I get out of the corner? And Minako's coming too?"

"Only if you promise to be on your best behavior for the rest of our stay. I mean it Makoto...we've shown Adrian and Samantha how...creative, you are...now we'd like to show them how good you are."

Makoto nodded enthusiastically and stood up. "I'll be real good, I promise. Can we go now?" Little Minako bounded to Makoto's side, having just been freed herself, and grabbed her arm happily.

"Yes." Samantha and Sarin both stated together. "You two go on ahead. Minako knows the way. We'll catch up in a moment."

With that, the two girls ran down the hall to the gymnasium, leaving a pair of conspiratory parents behind them.

"Renzokun attack!"

Makoto had already leapt up into the air before Dominion had even finished the command. She was in her element now, and everyone in the room knew it. The little girl had astounding speed and incredible strength, and she was performing like never before. She had more passion now, more determination.

Adrian and Samantha sat slack jawed, with their arms around Minako. The warm up drills looked to be murderous for a child, but Makoto had flown through them without even breaking a sweat. The katas that followed were at a difficulty level that was unattainable to many twice the young girl's age, and again, it was as easy for Makoto as breathing. And now the array of special attacks. The girl already had more moves than the General of the Venusian army. And from the looks of it, much more stamina as well.

"Dominion said she had an aptitude for it...but this..." Adrian leaned over and whispered to his wife. "I think it was a very good idea, us asking for his help. If the entire Jupitarian Army is trained even half as well, we'll have nothing to worry about."

Samantha smiled and nodded enthusiastically. For the first time since her husband had told her of Serenity's vision, she had real hope for changing the outcome of it.

"And it eases my mind to know...that if all goes as we plan...Minako will be safe." For the first time also, Adrian allowed himself the luxury of relief. The future is what we make it. Disasters can be averted.

Minako, for her part, was absolutely spellbound. She followed every move, even mimicking them herself when she got real caught up in a pattern. ~If I get strong, I can make mom and dad happy again. They haven't been happy in so long, no matter what I do. They're scared of something...but if I learned to fight like Mako-chan...I bet they wouldn't be afraid anymore. I bet they would be happy again.~

Throughout the training session, Adrian and Samantha had been monitoring their daughter's reaction closely. The girl seemed enthralled with the action that took place before her, and it looked as if she truly wanted to be a part of it. But they had to be sure.

Makoto and Dominion finished with a bow to one another. It was then that Samantha took Minako aside, to hear an answer that would change a little girl's destiny. "Minako. Tell me, what did you think of what you just saw now?"

Minako's blue eyes shone with adoration and excitement. "Mom," she gushed. "Mako-chan is really good! And can you believe how strong she is? She's the same age as me, but I can't lift those heavy things, or do those kicks, or-"

"Would you like to?"

Silence for a moment. Then a shy "Do you think...I could? Could someone teach me? Would you and daddy let me?"

Samantha saw the sincerity in Minako's eyes. Her daughter wanted this. No. Her daughter needed this. "Minako...you take a few nights to think about it. When I ask you again, you tell me if you're still interested. If you still want to do it, your father and I will let you."

Minako wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her as tightly as her small arms would allow. "Thank you," she whispered into her mother's neck, followed by a soft "I love you."

It was late. They were supposed to be asleep, and they knew it. But neither of them could.

"Mako-chan?"

Makoto turned to Minako. "Yeah?"

"Why do you fight?"

Makoto was taken aback by the solemnity in her friend's voice. It was the first truly serious question Minako-chan had asked her since she got here. "Well...I just did it before because dad wanted me to. And I liked training with him. It was fun. But now-" she shook her head.

Minako persisted. "But now what?"

Makoto sighed. "Now I'm scared." She hadn't told anyone what she'd overheard her parents talking about a few nights earlier. She never said anything about the nightmares that plagued what was supposed to be the sleep of the innocent now either. But she had grown close to Minako over the last few days. She was her best friend. And she felt if she didn't tell someone soon, she'd break down and cry and cry and never stop.

Minako knew she would have to wait for Makoto to answer her. She sat up in bed, and looked at the rose Makoto had given her as a gift not long after she had seen her training with her father for the first time. She loved it...she loved beautiful things, and this was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen. Even her mother stared at it every time she was in the room. When she had asked Mako-chan where she had gotten it, the girl just shrugged and looked to the side. Her mother had smiled then and said 'It was a hero's ransom.' Minako hadn't quite understood what that meant, but she figured it was one of those things she wasn't really meant to get. Parents said things like that a lot.

Makoto held Peeko tightly to her chest and did her best to calm herself. She knew Minako-chan was waiting for her to answer, but she didn't know what she could say to the young blond. She wanted to be honest, but she didn't want to scare her. She looked into Peeko's glass eyes, as if she'd find all of her answers inside of them.

Peeko had been Minako's gift to Makoto. It had shocked her parents, for they knew how much she loved that plush toy. She'd carried it around with her since she could walk, and they honestly thought she'd have a small throne made for him beside her own when it came time for her to rule. It was truly a heartfelt gift, and Makoto had been very moved by the gesture. She was also very glad to have him to take back home with her. It hurt whenever she thought about going home. She knew she'd miss Minako more than she missed anyone else.

"Mako-chan? Are you ok?"

Makoto snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah." Then suddenly she blurted out "I'm scared about the Silver Millenenum!"

"The Silver Millenenum?"

"Yeah. You know what it is, right?" Makoto hoped she did, because she had no idea how to explain it if she didn't.

"I know." Minako said softly. "I know why you're scared. My mom and dad...they've been scared too. I don't know why...but I do know its part of the Silver Millenenum."

The two princesses were quiet then. Sometimes everything can be said in silence. They were two children, living with grown up fears. It had matured them in some ways...and it would scar them in others. Minako snuggled beside Makoto, holding a stuffed bunny tightly. She had made her own promises within the last few days, and just as when Makoto had made hers, they were heard.