Personal Agendas Of all the places she had been in her life while being dragged around the world by her father's job, this was her favorite. Everything seemed so much simpler when she was here, and that was why she had returned here to think. She always did, whenever she could. Iron Bridge Gorge, England. Her textbooks from her junior high class stated that this place had been the birth of the industrial revolution. A truly wonderful Victorian museum was nearby, and the famous bridge itself dated back to 1779. However, none of these things were what captivated her about the place. Here, she could be at peace. It was the view that drew her here, to her own special place, time and time again. She sat on a small hill, offering a view of the beautiful clean blue river, the surrounding countryside, and large trees. Everything was so simple on her secret little hill, out of the way of the rest of the world. Here, nothing mattered. Here, she could be at peace. Mina twirled a flower between her fingers absently as she thought about her day with Rei. In its own way, it had been much like this place. Beautiful in its simplicity. Everything from the work Rei had made her do, to being able to be herself for the first time in a good long while. It had been over a decade since she had allowed herself to actually be herself. Despite being grumpy, cranky Rei, the woman had helped her in ways Mina doubted the Miko would ever truly understand. Then she laughed out loud at the thought that she wouldn't know Rei for another year. That thought brought about a small amount of confusion to her mind. It was Ray that she would meet in a year. She wouldn't meet Rei for another . . . She shrugged, happy to leave the confusion and chaos of the future be. After all, here, such things didn't matter. She pulled away the petals on the flower one by one, smiling happily as she said, "She loves me, she loves me not. She loves me, She loves me not." She stopped a moment as her smile grew just a little bigger. Then, with almost childish glee, she laughed as she pulled the last petal from the stem before saying, "She loves me!" Then in a fit of pure unadulterated joy, she allowed herself to roll on her side down the hill, feeling the grass beneath her. She didn't worry about attracting unwanted attention from tourists, ruining the new sundress her mother had recently bought for her, or even about rolling over rocks. Such things didn't matter here, in her secret place. After all, no one could even reach her here. She was safe here. She came to rest at the foot of her hill, looking up at the sky, and sighed happily to herself. It had been a long time since she had been here, too. It felt good to be here. It felt right. The smile she wore on her face slowly faded as she heard the distant rumble of thunder, and a storm cloud slowly covered the bright, happy blue sky before her eyes. Mina sat up and went back to a path that would take her across the bridge and home. There wasn't any point in running since she knew the rain would catch up with her long before she got there. As the sky continued to darken, she walked back to Iron Bridge, lost in thought. Her thoughts quickly turned back to Rei. Rei had somehow managed to touch her. Not physically, but on a mental level that the young Sailor V could hardly comprehend. Not even Maiku Otanaru had truly managed to do that. This feeling she had was far more than a crush. "Love at first sight, perhaps? I didn't think such a thing was possible." A small smile came to Mina's lips an instant before rain drops slowly started to darken the pavement she walked on. It still wasn't raining hard, but her hair was starting to stick to her neck just the same. As if that brought her back to 'reality' somewhat, she scoffed then said, "Love at first sight? How can you love someone at first sight when you don't meet them for another . . . sixteen years? Why on earth am I thinking about this anyway?" Here, nothing mattered. Here, she could be at peace. Then she heard someone laughing not too far in the distance. She could tell from the laugh that it was a woman's voice, almost musical in nature. Perhaps this woman was on the bridge? Perhaps it was . . . no. It couldn't be, could it? Mina continued to hear this stranger's laugh. A large smile spread across her face. "Rei?" Then she started running. If it was Rei, she didn't want her to leave before she got to her. They had so much they needed to discuss! As she ran, she noticed that the closer she got to the bridge, the harder the rain fell. By the time she reached the bridge, the rain felt like needles stabbing into her skin. The rain had become so thick that she couldn't see more than a few feet in front of her. She called out to the voice. "Rei? Is that you, Rei? I - I can't see you, Rei. . . Rei, I . . . Rei?" The voice she had heard had suddenly become quiet. Mina looked around futilely, trying to keep the rain and her hair out of her eyes. She looked around in confusion, finally being brought back to her senses when an all-too-close thunderclap startled her. She said to herself, "Mina, what are you doing? This is stupid. You're soaking wet. Just run on home already." As soon as she finished speaking, electricity arched across the sky, followed by another all-too-close crack of thunder, and then it stopped raining. The blonde looked around a moment, but before she could speak, a voice said from behind her, "But you are home, my child." The young girl turned around to look at the person who had just spoken to her. This newcomer most certainly wasn't Rei. She was just a little taller than Mina, had long blond hair with a red bow in it and was about sixteen years older than her. She looked beautiful, but her face had the appearance of someone who hadn't smiled in a long long time. Mina regarded the blonde adult a moment, then asked the obvious question. "Who are you?" The woman gave her a cool smile, then said simply, "The question isn't who am I, but rather, who are you?" She paused, letting her words sink into the girl before continuing. "I am you. And yet, at the same time I am not. For I am also your worst nightmare. The thing you fear becoming most of all." She stepped forward as she said, "You fear that you are evil, and evil is what you are. I am you without a soul of your own. With no conscience or morals to speak of. I am the Sekkou known as Dark Venus, you without innocence or love. Worst of all, I am who you are, my little friend." "But I don't understand. How can you be me?" When Dark Venus said nothing, Mina stepped back. She started to turn away, fully prepared to flee, but too late, she realized the other half of the bridge had disappeared along with the entire gorge leaving nothing but the surface she and this bizarre woman stood on and deep black space. She screamed out as she started to fall off what was left of the bridge, flailing her arms in panic. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for a moment. She felt her feet slip off the edge, felt her stomach doing flip flops, and then started to see her all too short life flash before her very eyes. Then, she felt a hand wrap around her wrist at the last possible second, causing her to stop falling. Mina looked up and smiled at this strange woman for a moment. "Oh, thank you. For a moment I thought I was--" Dark Venus yanked Mina back up onto the remains of the bridge. As she did so, Mina heard more than felt her wrist break moments before the Sekkou tossed her to the ground before her. She lay on the ground, writhing in agony as Dark Venus spoke. "You were close today. Close to breaking free of my control. It is strange how such a pathetic, weak emotion can free you from the spell." Then she gave the teen that same cold smile before she said, "Obviously, I can't allow that to happen, now can I? After all, where would that leave me?" Mina started to reach for her transformation pen with her unbroken hand only to have it kicked out of her grasp in an instant by her attacker. With no other options left to her, she looked up at the woman, who now towered over her, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about or what you want, but you won't get away with it." Dark Venus reached down, then lifted Mina off the ground by her throat as she growled, "It's simple, really. I want you to die, Sailor Venus. Once and for all." She started cackling as she began to squeeze, bruising the soft, pale skin of Mina's throat in the process. Then, her voice changed slightly. It became a little deeper and just a touch more sinister sounding. At the same time, Dark Venus's skin began to blister and peel away and her hair became as red as blood. Feeling more fear by what she saw before her than even the feeling of being suffocated held, Mina started to kick and squirm. She would have screamed, but with the iron grip around her throat she couldn't make a sound. A strong gust of wind tore at the two of them, seeming to rip the rest of Dark Venus's skin from her body. Beryl's smile was sinister as she tightened her grip around Mina's throat, now using both hands. With an almost inhuman roar, Beryl screamed, "Now you die!" Without any sign of remorse, she tossed Mina off the side of the bridge, and watched the helpless child scream in terror as she did so. Mina gasped then sat up from her bedroll beside Rei's and clutched her chest for a moment, feeling her heart beating rapidly from beneath her ribs. Once she had started to calm, she quietly looked around the darkened room of the shrine. There was no Iron Bridge, no Beryl, and no all encompassing void. And she most certainly wasn't dead. The dream was over. Now, the nightmare would begin. Mina looked over at Rei thoughtfully. Such a beautiful girl, full of life and energy. Talented and spiritual. A powerful, if stubborn personality. It was now time to change all of that. From somewhere inside her head, Mina could hear a voice demanding, 'Kill her.' A look of determination crossed the Sekkou's face as she withdrew the large knife she had stolen from the kitchen earlier that day from underneath her pillow. She studied the blade for a moment, looking at her own reflection in it as she did so. Cool steel, and sharp. All it would take would be a quick swipe across the Miko's throat and it would all be over. She gripped the handle tightly in her fist and let out a shuddering breath. She hadn't noticed she was nervous until now. 'This is wrong. She deserves to die an honorable death. Not like . . . not like this. Not like this.' 'She is the enemy. Kill her! Kill her now!' ' . . . No. I can't do it. . . . I WON'T do it.' The other voice in her head paused for a moment before replying. 'If you kill her, you can have her. No, you WILL have her. A reward for the trophy you present to your Queen, if you will. You will regain your lost authority and earn something even more valuable to you than that. You aren't killing her. Think of it as . . . yes . . . taking her as your own. Now claim your rightful property!' 'How do I know you're telling the truth? What if you're wrong?' 'That is none of your concern. You have only to obey. You live to obey.' Mina rose to her knees, looking down at her sleeping companion. She let her hand trace the sleeping Senshi's jaw line gently before saying softly, "She looks so peaceful." 'Do it!' The blonde raised the knife over her head, noticing the moonlight gleam off of it momentarily as she did so. She could feel her hands trembling. She looked at Rei again, watching her chest rise and fall, totally unaware of what was about to happen. Much like a lamb to the slaughter. Mina whispered into the dark,"I don't want . . . No. Not her throat. Perhaps her heart would be quicker? Less painful?" 'Do it now!' Mina suddenly felt herself move without actually willing herself to do so. Her hands thrust the knife down, making a quiet swooshing sound as the blade plunged through the air toward its unsuspecting target. At the last moment, she pulled her left hand free of the handle and gripped the blade an instant before it could touch Rei, stopping its momentum. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut trying not to scream out in pain. When she finally looked, she could see her own blood slowly dripping down the edge of the blade, staining Rei's blanket. The Sekkou slowly rose to her feet and backed away. She stopped to look at Rei one last time before leaving to tend to her wound, as well as to clean and replace her stolen weapon. As she turned away, she felt a wave of emotion that was the closest to true guilt she had felt in years. Once her roommate was gone, Rei allowed her eyes to drift open. The Sekkou hadn't known it, but Rei had been watching her the entire time. How could she not have been? Mina had been screaming in her sleep at the top of her lungs. It was a miracle her grandfather hadn't come running into the room, even if he was starting to become hard of hearing. Rei released her grip on her transformation wand she had been holding under her blanket. She had been so close to transforming that she was surprised she'd been able to stop herself at all. Part of her wanted to go after Mina and beat her to the ground, but something she had seen in the other woman's eyes as she had departed kept Rei from doing it. There had been an unmistakable look of regret, and somehow Rei doubted it had to do with the fact that Mina had sliced open her own hand. Rei sighed loudly, then said, "What's wrong with you, woman?" It was only after she said the words that she realized she wasn't sure if she had meant herself or Mina. It was only after she'd started trying to go back to sleep, that she realized she probably meant both of them. ---------- The morning sun rose over Tokyo much the way it always did. And since she had the day off, Minako was now taking the opportunity to watch it from the roof of her apartment building. She'd come up here to get away from her roommate and her girlfriend so she could think. It wasn't that Makoto and Ami were loud. It was just . . . They didn't help at the moment. Never one to remain completely still even while in deep thought, Minako bounced up and down on her heels as she felt the sun start to warm her skin. It was a breathtaking view to be sure, but today it wasn't doing much to help her mood. While she'd never show it to her friends, she was feeling just a tad bit hurt by recent events. She sighed, clasped her hands in front of her and declared to no one, "All right, let's think here." A quiet yawn was followed by, "Don't strain yourself too hard." Minako rolled her eyes then looked around until she saw the familiar white cat sitting on the ledge. His eyes were closed as his tail twitched back and forth slowly. If he hadn't have spoken, she would have thought the cat was asleep. "What are you doing up here, Artemis? Here I am, trying to get some time to myself and--" Artemis opened one eye and said lazily, "I could ask you the same question. But if you want to know, I always come up here this early. You've been working mornings too long." Then he added, "It's the best time of day to catch pigeons. Tasty little critters. And you know what they say! The--" "Yep! The late marshmallow gets the largest glass of milk!" She nodded her head in confirmation of the fact. Such things were just self evident to Minako. After a second of thought, she asked, "You eat pigeons?" Artemis sat up and stretched. "Yep. They thrash around a bit at first, but once you get past the feathers and rip the heart out they--" "Eeew. That's just gross." "What's the matter? You cook sometimes, and don't you eat chicken?" Minako smiled at her friend as she patted his head. "I just don't see how you can catch birds when you're asleep all the time." "And you never answered my question." "And maybe I wasn't going to." "We cats have ways of making people talk." Minako glared down at Artemis in irritation. She remembered the last time he'd said that. "You wouldn't dare." Artemis licked his paws and started washing behind his ears, saying casually, "With Ami moving out? I'd do even more than the last time. I'd sing the second verse. A l'il bit faster, and a l'il bit worse." Minako remembered the last time Artemus had 'sung' to her. It was the middle of the night and he just started yowling at the top of his little lungs, right next to her ear like a good little kitty. Or so her parents had thought. "Ok. Fine." She huffed at her bangs a bit, exaggerating her irritation with the feline then said, "It's really nothing earth shattering though. I just . . . you know, aside from Hotaru and Setsuna, I'm the only one . . . well, you know, not seeing someone. Even Ami is getting it on with someone these days." She tapped her chin with her finger thoughtfully, then said, "Perhaps I'm losing my touch?" 'Oh. You want to play this game? Ok, let's play.' Artemis had known Minako long enough to know when the blonde was lying to him. He decided to take the 'wait and see' approach. Sometimes Minako spilled without any poking. Minako absently picked up the cat, petting him as she talked. "I mean, I'm pretty, right? Don't you think I'm a good person?. . . don't answer that flea bag. What I guess I'm thinking about is . . . what's wrong with me?" She continued to look out over the sea of concrete a moment, giving Artemis time to think. So, it wasn't that Mina was hiding the truth from him. She was trying to hide it from herself. Artemis made an audible sigh when he realized it was now time to start . . . poking. "It's Rei, isn't it." Not thinking, Minako tossed Artemis in the air at the same time that she threw her arms up in frustration. He screamed out, just as he managed to land without breaking something, "Hey! Us cats don't always land on our feet, you know?!" The blonde put her hand on the back of her head feeling suddenly embarrassed. "Oh, sorry. I forgot you were there." Her embarrassment quickly melted to anger as she walked over to the concrete barrier and smacked her palm against it, hoping it would help relieve some of her feelings. When it didn't, she glared out at the buildings as if it were their fault. "Even Rei's got someone these days." Artemis gave another disappointed sigh, then said, "You know, you could just talk to her and tell her how you feel." Minako finally let some of her sadness seep into her words. "It's just not that easy, Artemis." Artemis had originally expected to spend the rest of the morning trying to convince Minako that it was ok if she had feelings for another woman. For her not to deny it had somehow managed to throw him a bit. He said dumbly, "It's not?" "Of course not! It's not like she's some normal girl off the streets. She's a Senshi." "But I don't see where that's a problem, Minako. I mean, You're one too, you know and--" Minako huffed at her bangs and said, "I knew you wouldn't understand." Artemis jumped up on top of the barrier so he could look into Minako's eyes as he said, "Then explain it to me." "It's just . . ." Minako seemed to look right past Artemis while she spoke. "It's just, I'm her leader. It's not like Ami and Makoto. If I tell them to do something, they'll do it. And I can tell them to do some dangerous things even though we are all close friends. But if I . . . ya know, started to . . . sleep with someone on the team, it . . . might affect my judgment when a tough call needs to be made." She finally looked into Artemis's blue eyes as she said, "I just don't think I could send her to die if we became closer. And there might be a day I may have to do just that." Artemis didn't say anything for a moment. It was such a simple logical reason that it simply had never occurred to him it would be a problem. "So, it's like that, huh?" Minako nodded, then scooped Artemis up in her arms as she started to make her way downstairs. "Yep. It's like that. The most we can ever be is friends. Now that I have made that decision, I have to learn to live with it. It's just as simple as that, and that's all their is to it." She looked out at the city one last time then said, "Come on. We need to go check on them. Ami I trust, but you know Makoto will try to put the moves on her again if we leave them alone too long and then we'll be late getting over to Rei's." ---------- "Grandpa, have you seen Mineko?" Rei asked, as she stormed into the kitchen. "She's supposed to be sweeping the patio." Rei's grandfather finished drying a plate, shrugged then replied, "No, I haven't seen her since breakfast. She said she had a few things to do before she started working this morning." He held up a hand to interrupt Rei before she even started talking. "She also said to make it a point to mention that she's still on the grounds. Really, Rei, you should be kinder to the girl. She is still recovering from being in a car accident, after all." Rei grumbled, "Just great. Well, if you see her tell her I'll be in with the sacred fire." Without waiting for another word, she twirled on her heels and left the room, fuming. "I give her a place to sleep, food, shelter, and all I ask in return is for her to do a little bit of work. And how does she repay me?" Rei threw up her arms as she continued to walk and answered her own question, "By considering stabbing me in my sleep. Some people have strange ways of showing gratitude. When I find her I'm going to give her a piece of my--" Rei pushed open the door leading to the room that held the sacred fire and stopped dead in her tracks. Mina, calmly sitting in front of the sacred fire, was in the last place she had expected to find the woman. Rei was about to yell at her from the doorway, but the sudden realization that the woman was making a real effort to read the sacred flames made her forget her anger for the moment. When it was clear Mina wasn't going to acknowledge her presence, Rei walked over and quietly sat down next to her, saying nothing. For her part, Mina just kept staring into the fire, deep in concentration. After several minutes of silence between the two, Rei asked softly, "So, what do you see?" The calm expression on Mina's face melted away to anger and without a second's hesitation she stated mater-of-factly, "I see a stupid blonde sitting in front of a fire, slowly sweating to death while she questions why in the hell she's doing that. Why do you ask?" When all Rei did was giggle, Mina glared at her and yelled, "What's so damn funny?" Rei smiled and said, "That's exactly what Minako said when she tried to read the fire." Rei turned her head back to the flames as she said, "The trick is, you need to let go of your thoughts and emotions and let the fire think for you." Rei's eyes closed to slits as she began chanting softly. As if on command, the flames began to bend and twirl, sending small sparks flying in every direction causing Mina to stumble away in surprise. After several tense minutes, the fire calmed and Rei opened her eyes and looked down slowly. Mina tilted her head to the side in curiosity and asked, "So what did you see?" Rei squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then said, "The same thing I saw the last time I looked into the sacred fires." The blonde tapped her fingers on the wooden floor then said impatiently, "That's all you're going to tell me?" Rei nodded her head slowly then said, "It concerns Makoto. I've been seeing the same image since just before her and Ami got together. At first, I thought it was a sign that things weren't meant to be between them. But now I . . . It's nothing. They were just arguing. Besides, the fire often speaks in riddles anyway. Most of its messages aren't clear until the events have already happened anyway." Before Mina could ask more, Rei asked, "So what were you looking for?" "Huh? Uh . . . nothing, I guess." Rei rolled her eyes. "You know, for a villain, you're not great at lying." Mina shot her a sideways glance then said in annoyance, "I'm no villain. I--" Rei gazed into Mina's eyes, silencing the woman. "I saw you last night. If you're not evil, now is your chance to prove it to me." Mina gibbered nonsense for a moment, torn between the want to lie, and the need for redemption. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to clear her mind. Then she whispered, "I was looking for myself." Without warning, she grabbed Rei by the collar of her kimono then asked almost pleading, "Do you think a person can change their destiny?" Rei was ready to scold her, when her eyes met Mina's, stilling her anger once again. What she saw in those eyes could only be described as fear. The great Sekkou Dark Sailor Venus had finally come to the point. The woman who had seriously considered stabbing her in her sleep just last night, was now asking Rei for reassurance. Rei remained calm, but she knew her honest opinion would give little of what the other woman was seeking. "Personally? . . . No. No one can change their destiny. By definition, destiny . . . our fate . . . is what we are meant for. It's our whole purpose to exist. You can't escape it." Mina still held on tightly to Rei's kimono, but she looked down, slumping her shoulders in defeat. She mumbled, "Then what you are saying, is that I and my friends were all damned from the beginning of time. We never had a chance in hell at all, did we?" Rei blinked at the other girl for a moment in surprise. "You are rather talkative today." Mina didn't say anything. She just clung to Rei, shaking just a bit as she continued to look down. It was only after she saw small drops land on the other woman's red Hakama that Rei realized she was crying. Doing her best to hide her astonishment and pity she suddenly felt for the monster before her, Rei put a hand on Mina's shoulder. "You're scared, aren't you. I . . . I'm sorry. I never realized--" Mina suddenly fell back laughing. Not a happy laugh though. It was the laugh of a mad woman. "You have no idea what happened to us, do you." Rei remained calm, saying, "I know enough. You lost. We won. That's the main difference between us. In the end it was just . . . bad luck. No . . . it was--" "If you tell me it was destiny I swear to god I'll shove my fist down your throat." Finally, Rei narrowed her eyes at the girl, as her temper returned. "Fine then. What in the hell would you call it?" The question silenced Mina's laughter. When Mina looked back at Rei, she once again saw fear behind her blue eyes. "I call it terror. I call it unfair. I call it a fate worse than death. That's what I call it." Rei folded her arms into the sleeves of her kimono and asked simply, "Want to talk about it?" Lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling, Mina told Rei her story. Or, at least what she and the other Sekkou had thought happened to them. "When Beryl first killed us then brought us back to life . . . it was like she left a part of us missing." She rolled onto her side and gazed into the sacred fire as she continued. "Yeah. Missing. Or perhaps lost to time. I suppose no one really knows the answer to that, do they? In its place she . . . put a copy. A copy of a small part of her soul. She doesn't have control over us, but we fear her. We fear her because we have a small part of her within each of us. We can never escape her grasp, no matter how far away we try to hide." She looked back up at Rei. "And believe me, we tried. God, did we try. But when Beryl speaks, we must obey her. If we don't, she'll . . . just jerk our strings. Take what we love. Crush us like bugs. We're nothing but puppets . . .pawns . . . mere toys to her. Nothing more." Rei gently pulled Mina up so that she was once again kneeling beside her then asked, "If that's true, why didn't you just kill me last night? Surely that's something she wants . . ." Mina gave Rei a twisted smile. "Didn't you listen? She has control over us, but not direct control. I have essence of Beryl within my spirit, and if it's one thing Beryl possesses within her mind, it's her own agenda. That . . . gift she gave us isn't a part of her. It's separate from her because she felt that autonomous thinking allows us to avoid her fate in your world when we fight. It also has its own agenda." Rei slowly looked into Mina's eyes and asked, "And, what is its agenda? . . . What does it want?" Mina put her hands over Rei's as she said, "It wants you, Rei Hino." When Rei didn't pull away, Mina gently squeezed Rei's hands, adding, "And . . . so do I." ---------- Grandpa Hino smiled up at his guests as he said, "It's so kind of you to come visit your sister, Minako. No doubt, your friends you have brought with you will make her feel that much more welcome, I'm sure." Minako tried not to grit her teeth at the mention of her 'sister', instead choosing to say, "Thank you. I'm sorry to bother you, but you wouldn't happen to know where they are, would you?" The old man tilted his head in the direction of the main complex saying, "Last I saw, they were both meditating in front of the sacred fire. Though . . . now that I think of it, they have been there for some time now. Should I tell them you're here?" Minako started heading that direction before he finished talking, so Makoto said cheerfully, "No, that's all right. We can find 'em from here." Then she grabbed Ami's hand and tugged her in the direction their third companion had gone. When they caught up with Minako, Makoto said, "So, I don't get it. What's the hurry in finding these two anyway?" Minako looked over her shoulder. "This was your girlfriend's idea. Why don't you ask her?" Ami pulled her attention from Makoto's hand with a light blush. Minako stopped walking a moment, watching the bluenette as an amused look crossed her face. "Ami, you look like you just got caught with your hand in the cookie jar, ya know that? She's your girlfriend. Believe it or not, it is ok if you hold hands." Makoto's grin was probably visible a mile away as she stated, "She's not used to it yet." Then, still holding onto Ami's hand, Makoto reached out, picked a bright flower from a nearby plant and tucked it behind Ami's ear. Ami stammered, "Well . . . I, Uh . . . you see . . ." Her face started turning a darker shade of pink as a sheepish smile spread across her lips. Makoto nodded, then said, "She's not used to getting flowers yet, either." Minako tossed her hands up then grumbled, "I swear, sometimes the two of you are worse than Usagi and Mamoru!" As the three continued walking, Ami explained, "Mina has ano-- one of the pendants that activates the portal to their home dimension. Since it does not work, she should not have a problem giving it to us. I would like to take it apart and find out how it works." Minako stopped at the door to the sacred fire and asked, "Are you sure that's such a good idea? Don't you remember what happened the last time you tried to get a closer look?" Makoto nodded and answered for her girlfriend. "Yes, that's why when she starts playing with her new toy, I'll be right there to keep our genius from doing anything stupid." Then she pushed Minako aside and opened the door.What she saw caused even her face to turn dark red from the awkward scene before her. Ami quickly ripped her hand out of Makoto's grasp, covered her face as she shook her head, and turned around, while Minako stared in almost childlike curiosity into the room. After a few seconds, the blonde yelled, "Why, hi guys! Gee whiz! imagine running into the two of you in a place like this . . . doing . . . that." A part of Minako was furious, but there was another question that she just couldn't get out of her head that was of far greater importance to her than her burning jealousy at that moment. 'Does my butt really look like that from behind?' Rei quickly pulled her Kimono over her chest and pushed Mina off of her in one fluid motion while screaming, "Oh my god! Don't you people ever knock?!" Mina laughed as she pulled her own kimono over her front while Rei shrieked at her, "Don't you have any decency at all?" Turning her attention back to her friends turned peeping toms, the Senshi of fire said, "Can't you at least close the damn door?" Without a word, Rei watched as Makoto slowly closed the door. Only when they were alone again did she breathe a sigh of relief. Then she yelled, "The damn pendant's in my night stand!" Next, she looked over at her companion and asked, "What's so damn funny?" Mina bit her finger in an attempt to muffle her laughter, then said, "You just aren't having any fun today, are you, Rei? Come on now, all you have to do is relax. Just forget about them, and do exactly what I asked you before. Just think of me as Minako, only the sex is just a little rougher." Rei sighed and started to put her kimono back on, asking, "How much do you think they saw?" As Mina did the same, she said, "Who cares?"
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