"Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.

-Langston Hughes

"Phone for you, Dr. Mizuno. A Mrs. Chiba Usagi."

"Oh, okay. Please hold the line." Turning once more to her fellow doctors, Ami gave them a few nods and walked towards the receptionist area, taking the receiver with a faint smile and a thank you.

"Usagi-chan…" was all she managed to say when a high-pitched squeal assaulted her ear.

"AMI-CHAN!"

Ear still ringing, the young doctor rolled her eyes, eliciting a soft chuckle from the older woman manning the area. "Yes, Usagi-chan? "

"Ami-chan, you won't believe it. Nephrite just prop…"

All Ami heard after were muffled voices and likely, a screaming match that she was sure was Usagi and the fiery priestess, Rei.

"… you just can't keep your mouth shut, Meatball head."

"Don't call me that!"

"But, but…"

"Just shut it. Leave it to Mako-chan."

Hearing her friend's voices, Ami smiled. They were together now for what seemed like ages, having grown out their childish behaviors. 'Well, Usagi-chan sometimes have her moments. And Rei-chan as well.'

All of them now are successful women in their own. Aino Mina, at last, made it to the spotlight, a now sought after actress, designer and model, after taking risk starring in the supposed to be last installment of the Sailor V movie, V – Revival. The movie was a hit that when the producers phoned Mina to tell her the news, the poor girl fainted, face flat on the floor of the Crown Arcade. It took Ami almost the whole bottle of ammonia to get Mina to stir, when the impatient Rei decided it was time that sleeping beauty woke up and pour her a bucket of water in the head, much to the shock of Motoki and his patrons.

Hino Rei, dubbed as 'Pyro' by Usagi and Mina, was now a lawyer and the head priestess of the Hikawa Shrine, succeeding her grandfather after his death four years ago. Juggling her time in between studying and shrine duties, it was a hard time for the miko who was then trying to focus for her upcoming bar exams. That, and add to the fact that also four years ago, out of nowhere Usagi and Mamoru got the sick idea of reviving the Shitennou and surprising the Senshi. And what a surprise indeed. Kunzite almost got his neck snapped by the Venus Chain, Nephrite's hair got sapped by Jupiter ('Be thankful I didn't fry him, Mamoru.') Zoisite, much to the envy of the other generals, only got a dead glare from his 'sweetness Ami', pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered a 'Sleepless nights are finally getting into me.' But what surprised them all was the temperamental Martian. Rei just looked at Jadeite, sighed and walked away. It was a few days after that Ami learned that her grandfather had an attack, and was only given five to six months at best, and that Rei was almost at her breaking point, nearly deciding to drop law school to be by her grandfather's side within the remainder of his time. And Jadeite, the crazy general, knowing an opportunity when he saw one, quickly jumped in to the rescue, effectively manning and performing shrine duties, selling charms and charming ladies, much to the amusement of the other males, and much, much more to the irritation of the fiery priestess.

Makoto was a renowned celebrity chef. During high school, the girls sans Ami dared the soft hearted Senshi of Protection to audition for the Japanese version of Master Chef. To say that her audition piece was outstanding was an understatement. Makoto really blew the roof off with her 'Millennium buns,' the favorite food of the Lunarian royalty, much to the delight of Usagi, thinking that her 'nickname' doesn't sound too bad after all, earning a sigh from Mamoru and a snigger from Rei. Though she only finished as a runner-up, doors of opportunity flooded Makoto who was, at first overwhelmed that she decided to camp out of Ami's house until the older Dr. Mizuno saw her and usher her inside to a cup of tea and a well received guidance and a place to spend the day.

The most surprising was Usagi. Gone was the crybaby brat who used to whine left and right. Still sporting her meatball buns though, Usagi grew up to be a wonderful pre school teacher, teaching at their very own Juuban Elementary School, a fact that Rei still think is just a very good dream from eating too much of Mako-chan's food, and for Ami, who was with Usagi all the way from every study nights to every grueling exam days and killer entrance exams, a very huge success. Nowadays, if not clinging on her husband, Mamoru's arms or stuffing her face with food or drowning herself with milkshakes, Usagi can be found buried in her notes and lesson plans, writing or reviewing something, and sometimes talking about her 'kids.' But asked if she wants a student like Chibiusa, her answer would always be a flat no. And for the life of her, Ami cannot make out the logic in that.

Chiba Mamoru, or Ami would rather call Dr. Chiba, was her senior at Tokyo General Hospital. He was a blossoming neurosurgeon, quickly catching the eyes of his professors and superiors alike with his intelligence and talent, but for the Meatball Head, he will always be 'Mamo-chan.' After their 'Senshi Days, ' as Usagi would call, things went easy for everyone, allowing them to pursue their dreams. For Chiba Mamoru, aside from being able to help save lives, his other dream was to have a family, a dream that Usagi was all too happy to help achieve when she agreed to marry him on the day of her high school graduation, with Mr. Tsukino agreeing provided that they only get married after Usagi graduated, and if she manage to graduate from college, something that the girls took as a challenge, saying that even studies cannot get in the way of true love.

"Just what are we talking about?" Ami patiently asked, eyeing her wristwatch. She have a lunch meeting with the hospital director and she doesn't feel like getting late.

"Nothing, Ami-chan." This time it was Rei. "Meatball head was just talking nonsense as usual."

Ami raised a brow. "Is that so? I thought I heard Mako-chan's name and Nephrite though."

"Ahaha…it's nothing. Usagi-chan's just…Shut up meatball head! Opps, sorry it's not you Ami-chan."

'You are so rude to me Rei-chan…'

'Usagi you will shut up now or I am telling Mako-chan to stop making you desserts.'

The usual banter, Ami thought. "Hey Rei, sorry but I need to be going now. I have a lunch meeting and I only have fifteen minutes to go there."

"Yeah, sorry about that. You go save lives Ami-chan. See ya."

The line went dead before Ami could give a response. 'Well, it's just the way they roll.' Putting back the receiver, she thanked the receptionist and walked away to her meeting, not noticing a pair of ocean blue eyes watching her from the shadow under the stairs.

'There you are, peasant.'

"Seriously, Usagi? You can't just keep a secret even if your life depend on it?!"

The woman in question seemed to shrunk in her chair, taking her milkshake with her. "But Rei-chan, we need to tell Ami-chan about…"

A hand was slammed on the table, making a few patrons turn their heads in their direction, making the fiery lawyer slash priestess' face burned crimson. Quickly sitting down, Rei glared at her friend. "Baka. You just can't tell people about it. Leave it to Mako-chan and Nephrite. Let them have their moment. "

Usagi put down her shake, crossed her arms around her chest and and huffed. "Mako-chan told us."

"No. She didn't told us. She made a slip." Rei retorted. "How would you feel if you and Mamoru just got engaged and I took the liberty of telling all out friends about it?"

"That would make things easy."

Rei face palmed. "No Usagi. You are excited and you want to surprise us about it. But how would you feel if you didn't get to do that? That I ruined your surprise?"

"That's…that's…I see." Usagi said, her pout slowly vanishing at her realisation. "I wouldn't like that."

'Thank god.' Rei thought wryly. "Yes. And Mako-chan wouldn't like that. She will stop making you not just desserts, but anything."

Hearing her friend, Usagi blanched. And gulped. No!

The tinkling bells signaling a customer's arrival made both girls look up, and Usagi squealed and Rei smiled.

"Yoohoo. The Goddess of Love has now arrived." Stopping a few meters from their shared table, Aino Mina was only allowed time to strike Sailor V's signature pose and then she was practically tackled to the floor by a whirlwind of blonde. "Miss me, Princess?"

"Mina!"

"Goddess of Love my butt."

"Miss you too, Rei-chan."

Welcome home, Mina."

"I'm sorry I'm late."

"It's okay. Sit down."

Ami sat down and looked around. The place was cozy, classy, with Bach playing on the background. The wall was of Victorian style, in faded whites and cracks that Ami was sure was just added touch to make the place look more classical. Classical like the Silver Millennium? Cracks and classic? Ami smiled wryly.

"And I had hoped that I can have your attention all to myself. Seems like this place is ruining my chance."

Ami blushed and ducked her head. "Sorry Mom. Just this place is just…"

A warm hand touching her arm made her stop. "I understand. I was just teasing a bit. Is this place…?

The question was left hanging and Ami knew. Her mother was asking her if the place was bothering her. If it reminded her of something from her past life.

Being a bunch of students and heroes at day, sometimes night, it took all of their powers to balanced everything. Such times, when battles turned rougher than they think they ended up not just with cuts and scratches and bruises, but also with broken bones, wounds that require stitches and more. And as much as an efficient healer Ami and Mamoru was, it wasn't enough. There were instances that one or two of them will need professional medical assistance and Mamoru was too beat up to afford to use the golden crystal to heal them. They just cannot skip to the hospital and get treated, fearing their transformation wouldn't hold up, compromising their identity. A unanimous decision was made and Dr. Mizuno was told of the truth about the Senshi, about them needing her help and cooperation. It was with bated breath when they waited for the older Mizuno's answer, who just smiled at them and told them that she always had had a hunch about her daughter, but not to the extent that her sweet Ami was a reincarnated Princess from a thousand years.

"If you want, we can go check out the other places."

"No Mom. This is okay. Just my head. Nothing to worry about."

Dr. Mizuno eyed her daughter like a hawk. She noticed Ami had bags under her eyes. Well, Ami was a doctor and all nights are the norms. But her Ami was used to sleepless nights even when she was still a student. If anything, Dr. Mizuno can gloat that her Ami was immune to eye bags. Something was bothering Ami and the older doctor sighed knowingly. "It's this time of the year again, right? This still bothers you."

The waiter arrived and took their order, with the older doctor taking reigns for both of them. After the waiter left, Ami looked at her mother and nodded. "I swear it's not voluntary mom. I just get restless and I can't sleep."

"How long?" Her mother's voice was not gentle. It was the 'doctor's voice.

"Three? No, four. Four years I think. Mom, I swear I wasn't like this before. Dad left us when I was six. There's just too much time to move on. I shouldn't be having this…nightmares, dreams."

Her mother's voice became gentle, that of a concerned mother again. "I had no idea that it was this worse. I know that it's still a sore subject for us both, but Ami, it was more than a decade. You shouldn't be having these...I don't know. Dreams? Nightmares? You were but a child back then."

"I know that, Mom. You of all people should know that I know that." Ami answered through gritted teeth. "I perfectly know that I was six when the famous painter that was your husband and my father decided that he doesn't want anything to do with us. He walked out of our lives after calling me...he called me..." She swallowed a sob that was trying to escape, trying not to make a scene and a mess of herself.

Dr. Mizuno's gentle voice flitted through the air." Ami, deep breaths. Okay hun, I got you." She moved her chair closer to her daughter and rubbed her back soothingly. "You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. I may not be the ideal mother that you've dreamt about, but you were and you are the perfect daughter that I prayed for. I may never have told you, but you made me proud with what you've become, not with just achieving your dreams and becoming a doctor, but with the kind of person that you grew up to be. Never forget that."

"Thank you mom. I guess I really needed that." Ami said, a small smile in her lips as her mother wiped the little tears from her daughter's cheeks.

"Now, what was I saying before all this waterworks? Ahh, yes, about that. Ami, I just thought of something. You said the uhm...dreams...uhm...the time span. Four years. Don't you think it has something to do with the return of your…I mean the generals? Don't you think it's a little too similar?"

Ami's eyes widen for a second. Could it be? The time span was relatively the same. But. "But mom, I don't have them in any of my dreams. And my dreams are repetitive. A basement, a dungeon, I don't know. A dark place with a particular painting I know dad made. But for the life of me, I can't remember what the painting looks like."

Their foods arrived and they started to eat, Ami taking her time to cut hers into pieces that Dr. Mizuno knew was her way of trying to figure out what's happening in her head.

"Have you told the girls about it? Or Mamoru?"

Ami bit her food, chewed and swallowed. "No. The girls will make a deal out of it. Also, Mamoru and Mako-chan are both sensitive to parental stuffs. I can't do that to them."

"Did you tell Zoisite? You two are still taking your time, right?"

Her mother's words made her face turn crimson red. "Mom!"

Her mother just rolled her eyes. Seriously? How much of a late bloomer was her Ami? "Ami dear, you told me that in the past, you and General Zoisite were acknowledged lovers."

If Ami's face was crimson red before, now she literally can feel herself burning up. "Must you be so bold, mom?" she hissed, making her mother laugh.

"Dear, I didn't say anything wrong. And that was the wording you used when you told me your identity and past life. Trust me it wasn't easy for me to accept the fact that my Ami had had a lover. And a very beautiful and gentleman indeed." Then her mother winked.

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay. I'll stop. But Ami, I'm serious. You need some male perspective."

Ami sighed and put down her utensils. "You're starting to sound like Mina. And no, I don't think that he can help. Even back in the Silver Millennium, I never asked him about his parents. And I'm not going to do it now. I don't want to unintentionally open a can of worms."

Dr. Mizuno smiled softly. "Ami, I wasn't saying that you go and asked him about his parents in the past. I was saying this time."

Ami looked at her, puzzled. "This time?"

Her mother sighed exasperatedly. Where had her smart daughter gone? "Surely you don't think that when Mamoru and Usagi-chan revived them, that they just started sprouting left and right?"

"I know mom. I just can't ask Zoisite that." Ami grumbled, choosing to attack her already mutilated lunch of sirloin steak.

"And why is that?"

Ami closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ami," her mom called her. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Dr. Mizuno reached for her daughter's hand and lightly squeezed it. "You can tell me anything."

Ami looked at her mother's eyes and she felt herself shaking. She needed her mom, damn it. But her logical mind protests. Dr. Mizuno was already in a compromised position, she needs to protect her. But hasn't it been years since the last attack? Isn't it peaceful now? Now and then, Luna and Artemis would run a check for negative energy only to come up with none. Ami also do her checks with the same result. So it was safe, right? It was safe. But why can't she tell her mother anything?

'Tell me little peasant. Who should I kill next?'

Ami tried hard to think of the advantages of another pair of logical minds: her mother and Zoisite. Her mom was already in front of her. Telling her what was inside her mind was the logical thing to do if she really wants her help.

And Zoisite? Contrary to the Senshi's gossipings, Ami and Zoisite were keeping things as slow as possible, that Usagi had dubbed them the 'Turtle Couple,' to which the smart ass general of the past rebutted with a 'I am sure we all know about the fable of the 'Turtle and the Rabbit' and who won that race.' They weren't that 'close' as people assumed, and Ami was sure that she wasn't that ready to tell him about some part of her life that still was sore to her and haven't had closure. Or to even tell him something than even her mind could not understand.

Tell me little peasant. Who should I kill next?'

She blinked as the words filtered in her mind. What the hell was that? Ami looked at her mother who was looking back at her with expecting, brilliant eyes. She then felt a sudden pain in her head and she closed her eyes and tried to calm her mind.

"Ami?"

'Little peasant, who is she?'

'Stay away from her!'

"Ami, are you alright? Ami?"

'Can I play with her?'

'No.'

"AMI!"

She slowly opened her eyes, her sight getting a little foggy. She blinked again to clear her head and found her mother's face pale, her eyes staring hard back at her, knuckles white as she gripped her utensils. "Mizuno Ami you will tell me what really is happening to you. Right now."

Her mother's tone was stern, the kind she rarely used to her, for Ami was, if not rarely, never a bad daughter.

'Can I play with her?'

'No.'

"I'll tell you when I'm ready mom." She lied through gritted teeth.