She’d never before had a reason to dislike warp engines, but after leaving Mercury, Rei found herself cursing the speed at which their shuttle flew back to the Moon.
True to her word, Minako certainly had picked up where they’d left off, and the Priestess hadn’t imagined they could have spent nearly the entirety of the two hour trip necking and simply enjoying each others closeness. But then, she guessed anything was possible when it came to Minako, and it certainly wasn’t like she was complaining.
It wasn’t that she felt the need to be attached to Minako at the hip – after all, it wasn’t even like they’d declared an actual relationship – but when Minako was whisked away from her all too soon to brief Queen Serenity once they’d hit the surface, Rei had instantly felt the loss.
…and things only went downhill from there.
“What do you mean she’s gone back to Venus!?” Rei exclaimed.
Makoto’s hand lunged for her juice glass and her quick reflexes kept the orange liquid from spilling onto the table. “We got a dispatch from her planet late yesterday afternoon. Apparently, the youma invasion is getting worse on Venus and there was a skirmish outside the main capital.”
“And you guys let her go alone?”
“Its not that we wanted to let her go by herself, Rei-san.” Ami clarified.
The Priestess frowned darkly. ‘That hypocrite! She can’t be allowed to scold me for not accepting her help the way she did on Jupiter if she’s going to do the same thing to me.’
“You know how she gets,” Serenity pointed her fork at Rei, “all we can do is support her from here. Besides, we made her promise she wouldn’t fight. She was only allowed to go if she agreed to check the damage at the capital, show her support for her people, and come right back.”
‘Sure. We promised not to fight the youma on Mercury’s pole, too.’
Makoto nodded brightly. “Yeah, and if the youma attack the city again, she knows we’re on standby if she needs our help.”
Rei pounded the table again, and this time, Makoto’s juice did splash out of her glass.
Serenity jumped to her feet. “Rei-chan, where are you going?”
The Martian halted at the door before glancing back over her shoulder. “To Venus!”
She slammed the door behind her with an air of finality but she’d no sooner turned down the next hall than a timid voice caught up to her.
“Rei-san, please wait!”
Against her better judgment, the Priestess stopped and waited for the blue haired genius to catch up. The small woman stood well outside the Martian’s boundary of personal space and bit her lower lip nervously.
“Before Mina-chan left, she consulted me about something.” Ami said tentatively. “I… explained to her about Martian possessiveness, that when a Martian finds something they deem worth protecting, they go to great lengths to protect it.”
“Why are you telling me things I already understand?”
“Because you don’t know about Venusians. Rei-san.” Ami said with a sad frown. “It’s in a Venusian’s nature to either love freely, or love deeply. I… just don’t know which Minako is. Maybe she’s feeling she’d led you on with her flirtatious nature, or…”
Rei seemed unmoved. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Or?”
A slight blush dusted Ami’s cheeks. “Or maybe she really is a one lover kind of girl.”
“She is.” Rei said simply.
“How can you be so sure?” A slight smile tugged at one corner of Ami’s mouth. “I thought Minako was the empathic one.”
“She is. But she can’t keep something that powerful from making itself known in her aura.”
The Mercurian nodded. She wanted to believe in Rei’s certainty. “I just… don’t want either of you to get hurt. I know Minako’s primary reason for going to Venus was to help her people, but I know that no matter how seriously she takes her duties, she’ll also be thinking of you.”
Rei smirked. “Does she know you’re telling me all this?”
“No,” Ami said, meeting the Martian with a mischievous grin, “and she’s not going to find out, either.”
The Priestess offered the smaller woman a rare, genuine smile. “You seem to know a lot about all this.”
“Of course I do. After all, Martians aren’t too far removed from Jovians.”
The two women shared a brief laugh that was cut all too short by Rei’s stiffening posture. She didn’t need a heightened spiritual sense to detect the presences lingering on the other side of the corner.
“I know you’re there, Princess, Makoto-san.” Rei said, and then smiled gently, offsetting her gruff voice. “You can come out now.”
Chuckling to herself, Serenity turned the corner, trailed by the Jovian. The Princess passed Ami’s respectable distance from the Martian and clasped Rei’s hands in her own.
“You should know that despite her confidence and strength, Mina-chan tends to run away from the things she really wants.”
The Priestess nodded. Her suspicions had been proven correct by those closest to the Venusian. She found strength in her Princess’ soft smile.
“Go get her, Rei-chan.”
Palm fronds swayed in the gentlest of breezes. Limestone walls jutted in every direction; apartments, shops, and offices fought for space in the teeming city. A dark haired woman among the golden Venusians, the Martian had to twist and turn her body to cut through the crowds, earning inquisitive looks and admiring gazes. She scowled at the attention and wiped at her brow. The arid heat was nearly oppressive and there were entirely too many steps to climb to reach the main Venusian Palace.
She’d chosen the direct route, but then, Rei wasn’t one for playing games and there was no stopping a Martian on a mission. Finding Minako was her priority, and if it meant she had to break through the doors of the throne room, then so be it.
She quickly found that she didn’t have to take such drastic measures. Marching down the middle of a row of limestone columns in the open-air walkways of the Venusian’s palace’s first courtyard, it seemed that she had been found first.
“Priestess-san!”
The Martian turned her attention to two men. She instantly recognized their tanned, toned bodies from Minako’s traveling party back on Mars. But there was no time for pleasantries.
“Where is Minako.” She demanded.
There was something so protective, so possessive in those wild, amethyst eyes, that despite their size and strength, both men faltered before the dark haired woman’s slender form. They had been ordered not to reveal their Princess’ location, but could they dare withhold that information from the Martian standing before them?
One of the two finally broke under her unrelenting glare. “She’s gone north to the pole.”
Rei scowled. “You let her go alone?”
“She insisted! Surely you understand that we could not defy her orders.” The other said.
“No.” The Martian’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I don’t understand at all.”
She turned then, and began to retrace her steps but quickly found the Venusian guards blocking her path.
“Princess Venus said that if you were to come to the palace after her, you were to stay here until her return.”
The Priestess pushed past the two men effortlessly. “I don’t care what she said.”
The guards could only stand uselessly as the Martian warrior descended the steps and made her way through the throng.
‘So she knew I’d come for her after all.‘ A distant smile touched Rei’s lips. ‘Maybe she wanted me to find her all along.’
Her pole had been a welcome change from those of the other planets. Venus’ constant cloud cover provided an isothermal climate, resulting in little temperature variation between equator and pole. No ice to slip on, no snow to trudge through, the worst she’d had to deal with was the drifting lightening storms caused by distant volcanic activity.
But best of all, although a group of the rogue monsters had attacked the outskirts of her capital directly, the youma presence on the pole of her planet was minimal compared to those of the other planets. It was a small amount of relief to Venus’ troubled mind as the pole’s slow but forceful winds buffeted against her on her return from her successful solo mission.
The Venusian knew the fiery Priestess would be upset that she’d left without a word. She’d shown Rei many sides of herself, but not this one; not the part of herself that refused the help of others, the part of herself that contradicted every other aspect of her.
It was the part of her that most resembled Rei and she wondered how the woman would handle it.
‘What was I to do? Drag her to my homeland to conquer that threat too? Why? This is my problem. What good would a woman with which I have an undefined relationship with do anyway?’
Venus hung her head. She hadn’t meant to be so harsh, even within the confines of her own mind. She was running away again when she should be facing her fears, but though the rational part of her recognized that fact, the irrational part of her refused to do anything about it.
‘I’m just… I’m scared of…’
“Venus!”
Cerulean eyes that had been open finally took notice of her surroundings. Her voice was a whisper as her companion closed the distance between them at a steady jog.
“Mars…”
It was only then that Mars, that Rei herself first realized just how much attention she’d paid to the other woman; just how much each of Minako’s mannerisms and her appearance had subconsciously ingrained themselves in her mind. For as she finally stood before the other woman, panting slightly from her prolonged jog, she noticed instantly the tiny details that translated Venus’ emotions clearly.
The woman shifted her weight from foot to foot as though she’d flee at any moment. Her long, golden hair, usually so well cared for, was haphazardly tied back into a messy ponytail. But most of all, Venus’ trademark smirk betrayed her; for it didn’t reach her listless eyes.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Mars opted for blunt confrontation. After all, it hadn’t failed them yet.
“It was a mission I assigned myself.” Venus grasped the false sense of confidence her position of leader granted her. “I hit the pole, took detailed photos of the access point that Mercury needed, and made it out undetected.”
“That was incredibly dangerous.”
Venus flipped her long ponytail over her shoulder causally. “Without you slowing me down in your civilian form like you did last time, I was quite safe as Venus.”
“Don’t give me that crap. The two of us as senshi had a hard time in that ambush on Mercury. What if you had-“
“I ordered you to stay behind!” Venus violently cut off Mars’ words.
“I may be your subordinate, but I will not heed reckless orders when it comes to your safety.” Rei crossed her arms smugly. “Someone’s got to rein you in, Venus. “
The Venusian’s gloved hands balled into tight fists. She frowned, and began to stammer. But Mars wasn’t through with her yet – she was far from it.
“What,” Mars asked, “you can dish it out, but you can’t take it? Don’t you think you’re being hypocritical here?”
The crimson warrior began pacing around her leader, ever conscious of the dark glare the golden warrior gave her. “First, you got mad at me for not accepting your help on Jupiter. Second, you kept me from charging recklessly into battle on Mercury.” Mars stopped in front of the Venusian, a stony expression on her face. “Does that sound familiar to you?”
“I don’t need your help.” Venus spat. She sank into an offensive position. Her golden chain formed in her hand and her fingers closed around it comfortingly. “And I don’t need your condescending attitude.”
The Martian smirked. Oh, she’d show the little Princess condescending, all right. “Don’t you think it’s little ironic that the fight on this pole is between you and me, and not the youma?”
“I think its quite suiting.” Venus nearly growled as she affected an offensive stance.
Mars sank into a defensive position. A drifting electrical storm shot a forked spike of lightening through the dusky sky. She had to shout to be heard over the resulting thunder. “Bring it.” She barked.
In a blur of crimson and gold, the two warriors jumped away from each other.
A bow of fire appeared in Mars’ hands and a fire-arrow shot towards Venus. The deadly projectile was easily deflected by the golden warrior’s chain. Too easily.
The golden chain regrouped quickly, and lashed out towards the Martian. She’d seen the deadly weapon take down youma in a single blow, effortlessly slice them in half, yet in a leap of faith, Mars easily caught the weapon in a gloved hand and pulled it taught. Stuck in a stalemate, the two women glared at each other.
“That could have taken your hand right off.” Venus said coldly.
“It could have.” Mars smirked. “But it didn’t.”
Venus snarled at Mars’ smugness, but… she didn’t want to be so far away from the other woman, either. She gave a tug on her end of the chain, and unbalanced, Mars was suddenly falling towards her. Venus dropped the weapon, and with her right hand, unsheathed her sword.
Their blades met with the echoing clang of metal on metal that was muffled only by another clap of thunder. Their shoulders pressed together. Their faces were so close.
‘I could almost…’ Her contrasting emotions fought harder than she did. Venus was tempted to steal a kiss. Instead, she pushed the Martian back so she could breathe again.
Making sure her every movement was being clearly transmuted, Mars charged, swinging her blade in a rapid succession of blows that were easily parried as the Venusian skittered backwards on flat feet. The crimson warrior allowed Venus a scant moment to collect herself, and the golden warrior took the opportunity, pressing the Martian back with an equally impressive display of fast, yet easily blocked moves.
Mars was done playing. She’d gotten all the information she’d needed. “Is this all you’ve got?” She barked as she planted her feet and met Venus’ blade with her own.
The Venusian frowned, but swung her sword again. And again. And again. Blindly.
Mars’ powers were strong indeed, but they couldn’t be stronger than hers. ‘No,’ she suddenly realized. ‘They aren’t… Neither one of us are fighting to even half our abilities. My heart’s not…’
“Your heart’s not in this!” Mars shouted.
Venus’ blade came down in one, last, halfhearted effort. Her hands shook, her blade wavered as the two women pitted their strength against the other.
“It’s obvious you don’t want to fight me!”
Venus’ blade slipped out of her grip and clattered on the slab of rock beneath their feet. Mars followed suit, throwing her sword to the ground, and she closed the remaining distance between them.
“Surrender, Venus. Accept my help. Let me be there for you the way you were there for me.”
The golden warrior’s bruised pride made one last attempt, and she pushed at the Martian’s shoulders, trying to shove the other woman away weakly…
But Mars would have none of it. She grabbed the Venusian’s trembling hands, hooked her foot behind the other woman’s knee, and took the Venusian down to the ground.
The emotional turmoil had taken its toll, and when the breath returned to her lungs, the golden warrior was no longer Venus, but Minako. She opened her eyes to find Mars pinning her. The crimson warrior had straddled her hips and had captured her hands at her sides. Mars’ transformation faded in a crimson glow.
Minako’s sense of utter defeat didn’t change when it was Rei on top of her, looking down at her with those unreadable violet eyes…
And Minako never would have thought that utter defeat would feel so… liberating.
“Why are you running away from me, Minako?” The venom in Rei’s voice was gone, exchanged for gentle, imploring tones. “You weren’t running away from me on our return from Mercury. What’s changed?
Backed into a corner, the Venusian was out of places to run. She had to face her fears. “Because I’m afraid of how strongly I feel for you!”
Minako recoiled at the intensity of her voice that bordered on tears. Even for a Venusian, the depth of her feelings for Rei were frightening, a force inside her that had grown in leaps and bounds since the day she’d met the Martian. Rei had become her everything, and it had spiraled beyond the control of one who was so used to being in control of everything.
Rei remained unmoved. “Don’t you see? This isn’t about my sacrifice on Mercury’s pole. This is about your sacrifice on this one.”
“Wh.. what?”
“You’re the one that’s all wrapped up with denying yourself, making yourself the martyr… Minako, if we feel the same way then what are you afraid of?”
“Do you… really feel the same?” The Venusian’s voice was hopeful.
“Didn’t Ami go over this with you already?”
‘Wrong choice of words, fool!’ The Priestess suddenly looked like a deer caught in a set of headlights. She chuckled impotently.
The leader of the senshi lifted an amused eyebrow. “She told you?”
“Look,” Rei said sheepishly, “maybe you’re going through a lot right now. Why don’t we just see where this takes us?”
Minako’s tentative smirk fell sharply. “Where what takes us, Rei?”
Rei tensed. “This is getting us nowhere.” She quickly steered the conversation out of dangerous territory. No matter how much she wanted to tell the Venusian what she wanted to hear, she felt it was too soon to go there, for both of them.
And there was only one solution to avoiding proper topics when it came to her and Minako. “You know, for all your leadership skills, you suck at proper communications.”
Minako grinned. Her response was automatic. “You’re one to speak, you recluse.” But then, that smirk slipped and her cerulean eyes suddenly turned serious. “Rei, I…”
“Shh.” Rei shook her head silenced the woman underneath her with a finger. “Later, Mina.”
The other girls called her Mina-chan, but hear the abbreviation of her name, sans suffix, from the Martian’s raw voice sent a delicious chill down Minako’s spine. The Venusian leaned up, as much as Rei’s hold would allow, and gently kissed her.
‘It’s only been a day but how did I ever live without her kiss? We can talk about our feelings later, right? Right now, this just feels far too right.’
Their lips parted reluctantly. Minako’s head rested on the rocky ground once more. Finally, she smiled. “Can you kindly get off me now?”
“Huh?” Rei frowned. “Oh!”
With a slight blush dusting her cheeks, the Martian jumped off Minako and quickly helped the other woman to her feet. She assisted the Venusian in patting the dust off her traveling clothes and out of her golden hair, but before long, her motions slowed. Rei found her hand lingering on Minako’s waist and finally, their eyes met again.
The hold around Minako’s waist slowly tightened, and Rei pulled her in for another kiss that refused to end.
“You know,” Minako said, as she claimed the corner of the Priestess’ mouth, “I hate it when you’re right.”
“Hn?” The barely coherent question was the result of fingernails clawing at the back of Rei’s neck.
“I can finally read the two of us with my senses.”
“Your… love… reading?” The awkward question was asked between carefully placed kisses to Minako’s neck and the golden warrior could feel the heat of Rei’s cheeks on her skin.
“Un.” Minako nodded and cracked a grin that banished every doubt, every worry, every fear she’d foolishly felt. She pressed two fingers under the Martian’s chin, and forced her to look at her.
“Well?” Rei asked grumpily, “What does your reading say?”
“Hmm,” Minako’s grin turned predatory, and her fingers traced Rei’s delicate jaw line, “I think I need to interpret it more.”
The Venusian claimed the Martian’s knowing grin with another searing kiss.
Please review! Feedback is so very much appreciated.
Special Thanks:
Amiko-Gabriel: you might be a little disappointed at Minako’s obvious monogamously orientated nature. I felt this fit her character more closely in this story. I am, however, trying my hand at a more poly-orientated view of her in the next fic I’m working on.
Bomichan: in the last chapter, Mercury wasn’t witness to everything that happened between Rei/Minako/Mars/Venus in the last chapter. She went silent for most of the trip to the pole, but signed off completely after the three of them had worked together at the pole and before Rei became Mars. So Ami and the others are still in the dark about what’s going on.
OOO
Preview: Chapter 8: Lunar Diplomats
“Lets talk of our next steps.”
Ever Minako’s equal, Rei had no problem asserting her opinion. “We’ve searched the planets closest to the Earth, but what of the others?”
Ami fidgeted slightly. “The planets of the outer rim-“
“Keh!” Minako crossed her arms in a huff.
“-have their own senshi.” Ami continued. “Their reports indicate that the youma invasion has reached as far as Neptune.”
“Wonderful.” Minako groaned.
The Martian watched the dynamics between the Venusian and the Mercurian with a confused sense of interest.
“Their leader will blame me,” Minako clarified bitterly, “blame us, for allowing it to happen.”
“Mina-chan and Haruka-san don’t get along very well, you see.” Serenity added helpfully.
Makoto snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.”
“Anyway,” Minako’s frown deepened. “I’m sorry, Princess, but we can no longer err on the side of coincidence when it comes to the Earth’s involvement in the matters at hand.”
Serenity frowned. Her eyes dropped to the ground. All four of her guardians looked elsewhere lest their better judgment be clouded by their Princess’ disappointment.
“All of our clues point to the blue planet.” Minako said quietly. “The access points found on each planet’s pole seem to be of Earth make. Rei insists that the signatures of the five individuals we saw time and again were definitely human. Ami-chan is still researching the data, but we believe that the location that the access points were pointed to in order to transport the youma from was Earth as well.”
“This whole thing reeks of that damned planet.” Rei spat, and then had the decency to look sheepish once scolded by Minako’s reprimanding glare.
“Still, this will be a touchy political issue, and there is already word that there is a large amount of civil unrest on that planet. It’s widely known that the Earthlings harbor mistrust against the Moon Kingdom.”
Ami nodded. She called to life her transparent super computer and wasted no time in analyzing data. “We must also keep in mind that the youma are not a native Earth species.” She examined Rei and Makoto’s blank expressions. “That means the youma have technically invaded their planet as well, and though it must mean that someone is controlling them to their own ends, we don’t know who that is, and we can’t condemn the entire race of humans.”
Serenity rose on shaky legs. “We must meet with their Prince. We must initiate diplomatic relations with the Earthlings.”
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