Authors Notes: This fic takes place approximately 8 months after Makoto and Minako have 'hooked up.' They are both seventeen years old. ----------------------- There are a few moments in life that are absolute bliss. Minako Aino was living in one of these moments, and as she lazily turned onto her side, basking in the rays of the early morning sun shining through her window, she decided that this was the best day of her life. School was out for summer, which was good. Makoto was taking her to see a concert in the evening, and that was very good. There had been no youma attacks for nearly a month, and that was very very good. Minako's mother tearing the blankets off of her to wake her up, however, was not good. "AHHH!" Minako sprung up in bed, the fresh cold of the morning jarring her out of her much enjoyed doze. Feebly she tried to snatch her blanket back from the tyrant who was her mother, only to have it pulled even farther away from her. Mrs. Aino scowled at her daughter and shook her head. "Oh no, young lady. You're going to wake up right now, and we're going to have a talk." Minako wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. "About what? And why can't I talk with my blanket?" No one could ever accuse Mrs. Aino of being an overly loving mother, and this certainly wasn't the first time Minako had been woken up in this manner, but it was the first time she'd had looked so completely outraged when she'd done so. To Minako, she looked like a vicious animal - the type that devours its young on a whim. It could only mean one thing. Minako was in big, big trouble. But for what? "Young lady, where in Kami's name were you last night?!" Oh. That. Living the kind of life she led, Minako had a lot of experience with sneaking out of the house at night. There was an unwritten rule in the super hero biz. Parents don't matter when there is senshi business to take care of. So either you learn to sneak around those parental units, or you leave anyway, and deal with the consequences after the world has been saved. Minako had decided on the safer route to heroics, and mastered the art of stealth, right down to learning how to soundlessly pick a lock. In the three years she had been sneaking out of the house on a regular basis, she had only been caught once, and that was when she had just begun to master her skills. It was expected. Lately, however, she had grown quite confident with her abilities. The little things no longer concerned her like they used to, and more often than not she was careless about her escapades. Like forgetting to stuff a few pillows under her comforter in case her mother checked on her before going to sleep, or leaving the window open. Once, she'd even left her communicator out on top of her dresser, in plain view. Luckily, Artemis had caught that one before he had followed her out the window to battle. But she'd heard all about it on the way home. Artemis let Minako get away with a lot of things, but downright foolishness was not one of them. As punishment for that particular scenario, Artemis had 'volunteered' Minako's services at Rei's temple. The blond had spent the entire day sweeping the ninety-nine steps that led to the holy ground, all the while dodging droppings from all the crows that hung around the area, and doing her best to avoid Rei's lecherous grandfather. Yes, Artemis could be very cruel when he wanted to be. Something he and Mrs. Aino had in common. Mrs. Aino crossed her arms in front of her. "Answer me, Minako. I can wait all day." A thousand excuses ran through Minako's overactive mind. Alien abduction and sleepwalking waving themselves in front of her prominently. All she managed to stutter out however was a sleepy "I went for a walk." It was true, in a sense. She had gone for a walk, all the way to Makoto's apartment. Mrs. Aino quirked an eyebrow. "A walk? Really?" She slowly began to circle around Minako's bed. "A five hour walk. Interesting." Minako began to panic. She hadn't counted on her mother keeping track of how long she'd been gone. Think Minako, think! "I just really wanted some fresh air." Thanks a lot, brain. Some help you are. "Uh huh." Her mother nodded slowly as she kneeled down to look her daughter straight in the eyes. "Who is he, Minako?" Minako's eyes grew wide. "What are you talking about?!" "The boy you've been sneaking out to see, Minako. Tell me who he is.” "I'm not seeing any boy!" Makoto is a girl. Minako shook her head and waved her hands to emphasize her point. "I just wanted to go for a walk is all, that's all there is to it!" A pause. "Are you pregnant?" Minako bounded out of bed and held her hands in front of her. "Mother! Stop and listen to me! I am not seeing any boy and-" her face flushed a deep red- "and I am definitely not pregnant!" Mrs. Aino let out a nearly unidentifiable sigh of relief. She was sure Minako was lying about seeing someone, but at least she wasn't pregnant. There was a moment of tense silence between the two before Mrs. Aino stood up again. "I don't know what's going on with you right now Minako, but I don't like being lied to. I know you're seeing someone, and until you can be honest with me about him, you're grounded." "But mom, you can't! I'm supposed to go see that concert tonight, we've been planning it for months, and-" Mrs. Aino shrugged. "Well, I guess you'll have to cancel then, unless you tell me what's going on right now." "I told you! Nothing is going on! All I did was go out for a stupid walk, that's all!" Mrs. Aino's face darkened. Her daughter had become very adept at lying, that was obvious, and it infuriated her. "Oh, not seeing anyone you say? Are you very sure now?" Angrily she made her way over to Minako's closet, and pulled a small trinket out of it. "I suppose that this isn't yours then?" She held out her hand, a small gold ring nestled in her palm. Inscribed inside the band were the words 'Yours for Eternity'. She gazed at Minako, who had backed away a step, and paled somewhat. "You...you went through my things." Minako whispered softly, feeling much colder now than she had only seconds before. Mrs. Aino slipped the ring into her pocket with one smooth motion of her hand. "If you had been honest with me in the first place, I wouldn't have had a reason to look through anything, now would I?" She turned on her heel and began to make her way out of her daughter's room before turning around and uttering one more cruelty. "Oh...and you can forget that concert tonight, Minako. You're not going anywhere for a while. I'm going to discuss this whole matter with your father when he comes home, and then we'll decide on a suitable way to deal with it." And with that, Minako's door was shut with bang. A few minutes after the confrontation, Artemis poked his head out from underneath Minako's bed. "Is she gone?" Minako rummaged through her drawers and yanked out some clothes, throwing them on the bed. "Yes, she's gone! Did you hear that Artemis? That....that hag went through my things!" She stomped over and pulled a spaghetti strapped tank top over her head. "She took the ring Mako- chan gave me!" She tugged on a pair of dark blue jeans. "Dammit, that was mine! What if she'd found my henshin pen?" Artemis slinked out and shook his head. "Knowing your mother, she'd have thought it was some kind of new fangled vibrator." Minako facefaulted. "Artemis!" The cat shrugged. "It's true. Your mother isn't the brightest light at times, you know." Artemis shuddered at the memories that suddenly flooded his mind of his personal experiences with Mrs. Aino. Being fed dog food, because she was too careless to properly check the label when she had been grocery shopping. Being forced to sit happily on her lap, while she roughly 'pet' him, stroking against the natural wave of his fur. Having her purposely rest her smelly feet right beside him while he tried to doze on the floor in the living room. Having her excitedly place a pink 'kitty bonnet' she'd bought on him, forcing him to wear it for three days before he'd managed to claw it off. It was the little things that made Mrs. Aino happy. The little things. Minako let out a frustrated sigh and lay down heavily on her bed. "What am I going to do Artemis? I don't...I don't know if it's safe for me to stay here anymore. If she finds out I'm Sailor Venus...the entire world will know within a day. I'm pretty sure I've hidden my things pretty well, but she found my ring. And now she's so suspicious, she's going to watch my every move." Artemis jumped up beside her. He didn't like to see his charge this distressed, but what he liked even less was the fact she had a very valid reason for her worry. He took a few thoughtful moments to think about their options, before beginning to present them to Minako. "Well, the first choice you have is to somehow appease your mother's curiosity. Which won't be easy. You'll probably have to come clean to her about your relationship with Makoto." Minako groaned in response. She was by no means ashamed of the fact she was in love with the tall brunette, but her mother...there's no way her mother would ever understand. Her father might, he had a high opinion of Makoto due to her self-discipline and independence. He also loved Minako much more than his moody wife. But he also had a very strong sense of honor, and under no circumstances would he find their relationship honorable. No. Telling them right now was not a good idea. Minako wasn't yet prepared for the painful rejection that would ensue. Artemis sensed this, and moved on to another possibility. "There's also the fact that you're almost eighteen now Minako. Your birthday is just over three months away. It wouldn't be unreasonable for you to decide it's time to move out of the house. It would completely eliminate any danger." And I wouldn't have to hide from Mrs. Aino's 'loving arms' every time you left the house then either. Minako was quiet for a few moments, which meant she was considering the possibility. Artemis did a victory dance within himself, and pressed forward. "How long have you and Makoto been seeing each other now Mina?" Minako grinned. "Eight months, and four days, counting today.” "And how many times in that eight months and four days has Makoto tried to throw you over her shoulder and drag you out of this house to live with her?" "....lots." The blond nodded. And it was true. After only two months of seeing each other, Makoto had tried to talk Minako into moving in with her. She didn't like Mrs. Aino at all, after seeing the way she treated Minako on a few occasions, and thought she'd be much better off without her oppression. Not to mention the fact she knew that Minako was the one she wanted to be with. Makoto was never one for patience. Minako had seriously thought about it a few times, but never went through with it. It was a big step. And although Venus was the Goddess of Love, she had been unlucky too many times before. Things were going so well for her now with Mako; she was worried about somehow cursing it. A childish superstition of course, but as they say, once bitten twice shy. But Makoto was different. She was the longest lasting relationship Minako had been in so far, but just as important, they'd been friends a long time before they got romantically involved. She knew every side of Mako, not just the one Makoto chose to show someone she was dating. And vice versa. And maybe...just maybe Mrs. Aino's violation of privacy was Fate's way of telling Minako where she was meant to be. Minako turned to her white guardian and chuckled. "I guess it is time I got out of here, huh? I mean...there's not really anything holding me back, when I think about it. Certainly nothing worth endangering our future for." Artemis rolled onto his side and looked up at her. So many people couldn’t see past the smile that she always wore, to the pain underneath. It was pain that had caused her to grow up too fast, and lose a lot of her childhood. Which was why she relived it whenever she could now. Most mistook it for immaturity. Only those who were very close to her knew exactly how mature Minako really was, when push came to shove. "To be honest with you," he stated quietly, "I don't really think it's good for you here. It never was. Not with your mother the way she is, and your father gone so much. I think that once you get out of here...you’ll be a lot healthier mentally.” Minako looked up at her ceiling. Artemis had been with her from the start, and had always tried to steer her in the right direction. Even when she'd been young and stubborn, and refused to do things his way, he was there to fall back on if she failed. Never once saying 'I told you so, or making her feel stupid. And even now, despite the fact he so obviously wanted to leave with her, if she decided to stay, he would stand beside her decision, without question. "I'm going to really think about it Artemis. I don't want to go and move in with Mako-chan just because I can't stand being at home. That wouldn't be fair to her, and it wouldn't be fair to my romantic dreams either." The cat nodded, knowing it was the kind of thing that would take some serious thought. "I understand." And with that, he curled up for a catnap, while Minako considered her destiny. "Hello?" Makoto winced at the voice that greeted her on the other end of the phone line. She was hoping that Minako would be the one to answer, she absolutely hated talking to Mrs. Aino. All of the senshi did. However, Mrs. Aino was who she was speaking with now, and she would just have to deal with it. Clearing her throat and making her voice as civil as possible, Makoto engaged the older woman in typical telephone rapport. "Hello, Mrs. Aino. Is Minako home?" "She is, but she's not permitted to take any calls right now. Who is this?" "Kino Makoto, ma'am. Could you please tell her to call me as soon as she is able?" A grumble is heard on the other end, then a haughty "Fine, fine. Goodbye," followed by a click. Makoto clenched a fist and slammed her phone down. Gods, how that woman aggravated her! She was sure if she had pretended to be someone else that she would have been permitted to talk to Minako. But that didn't matter, there was more than one way to 'stink a cat', as Minako would say. She rummaged through the pocket of her blue jeans and pulled out her communicator, activating it. Rei's face appeared on the screen instantly. "Trouble?" She asked, pulling out her henshin pen. "No," Makoto shook her head. "Sorry, I just really had to talk to Minako. I can't get through her mother on the phone." Rei scowled. "You know, Mako-chan, our communicators really aren't toys-" "Ah! What's going on?" Usagi's face popped up in place of Rei's, chocolate dotting each corner of her mouth. "Do I have to get out of my pajamas?" Makoto sighed and shook her head. "No Usagi, I'm sorry to bother you, but I really need to talk to Minako, and the communicator is the only way I can get-" "Where is the enemy?" Ami popped up next, already transformed into Sailor Mercury. "THERE IS NO ENEMY!" Makoto yelled at the pink device. Ami was taken aback, and Makoto quickly apologized. “I’m sorry...it’s just that I really have to talk to Mina-chan, and this was the only way that I could do it.” Ami raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong with your telephone?” Makoto scowled. "Two words. Mrs. Aino." "Oh." Ami nodded in sympathetic understanding, and closed off her connection, leaving Makoto with the girl of her pursuit. "Minako, I just tried calling your house and your mom was even worse than usual. What's wrong?" Her brow furrowed with worry, as she saw the downcast look on Minako's face. "I...I can't go to the concert tonight Mako-chan. She looked through my stuff, and found the ring you gave me, and she got all spastic, and she found out I snuck out last night, and now she thinks I'm seeing some guy, she even asked if I was pregnant-" Makoto's jaw dropped. "What?!" "-and she won't let me out of the house until I introduce her to this guy she thinks I'm seeing, and she took my ring!" "Alright, alright. Calm down Minako. Just sit tight. Don't worry about the concert, I'll just give the tickets to Usagi and Mamoru. We'll catch the show next time it comes around. Don't worry, we'll get you out of this mess." Makoto silently berated herself. She should have just had Minako stay home last night, she'd had a bad feeling earlier in the evening. But in the end, her heart had ruled out over her head, and she'd wanted to spend time with the girl who'd captured her heart more than she'd wanted to keep her out of trouble with her parents. She'd been on her own so long, she'd forgotten what it was like to get into jams at home. Minako nodded, calming down somewhat. Everything would be ok. Makoto knew what was going on now. "You know, when I was lying in bed this morning, I was thinking that today could possibly be the best day of my life. Now, I feel completely torn. I'm sorry about all this Mako-chan. I'm going to have to go now though, Artemis just told me she's on her way upstairs. I love you." And with a click, her communicator screen went blank. "I love you too," Makoto whispered softly to the empty air around her. "And the day isn't over yet." Minako shut off her playstation, officially and totally bored. Usually she loved playing her Sailor V games, but that's all she had done all day, and there was only so many times she could stand seeing herself fall of a cliff. Absently she looked at the digital clock beside her bed. Quarter past eight. She would have been at the pop concert right now, if things had gone the way they were supposed to. She wondered what Makoto was doing now, since she'd given the concert tickets away. Probably training. The whole situation was beyond frustrating, and the way Makoto dealt with frustration was through her fists. But she did have the self-discipline to restrain herself around people more now, after purchasing a heavy punching bag and putting it up in her spare room. "Artemis?" The cat spit the yarn he was chewing on out of his mouth. "Yes?" "I'm bored." "So am I." He went back to playing with his yarn. "No you're not! You have yarn to play with. I have nothing to do." "Well what do you want me to do about it? And you have plenty to do. This room is filled with happy, human things to do. Leave my yarn alone." Minako was about to start arguing with him again when a quiet tapping at her window got her attention. Sticking her tongue out at Artemis, she got up and checked to see what had caused it, and instead found a who. "Mako-chan!" She whispered excitedly, and opened her window. "How did you get up here?" Makoto grinned lopsidedly and quietly slipped in through Minako's window, hauling a black backpack behind her. "Oh, it was easy." She gestured out the window to the tree that grew in the Aino's front yard. Minako giggled and pulled Makoto into a tight embrace. "You're lucky mom didn't see you. The mood she's in, she'd have shot you down before even checking to see who it was." Makoto chuckled. "I know. That's why I put on my sneaky clothes." She gestured to the black ninja type getup she'd put on. "It's dark enough she'd have trouble seeing me. But enough about that. There's a concert on that I know you don't want to miss any more of than you already have." Minako frowned. "I can't go, Mako-chan. If she finds out that I took off, when I'm already in such trouble, I think she'll lose it." "Which is why you're not going anywhere." Makoto unzipped her backpack, and pulled out an odd looking device that resembled a cross between a computer and a radio. Minako blinked. "Where did you get that? And what is it?" Makoto slid a few cards into the side of the device, and plugged it in, resting it on Minako's dresser. "That, sweet Venus, is your own personal showing of the concert we didn't make it to. I got it from Umino; I have to bring it back tonight." She turned on a switch, and the small monitor perked to life, giving a near crystal clear showing of the concert Minako had been so upset about missing. "This is actually very illegal, and it was really nice of Umino to trust me with this. I know it's not the same, but-" Before Makoto could finish off her sentence, she was bowled over by a very excited Mina, who began covering her blushing face with happy kisses. "I can't believe...thank you so much Mako-chan!" BEEP ! Makoto's communicator went off, disrupting any further display of gratitude. Scowling, she clicked it on. "What?!" she growled. Sailor Mars ignored the grouchy greeting and got right to the point. "Something weird is happening down on central. Mercury says she's not picking up the negative energy of a youma, but something is definitely there. I don't know how dangerous it is, so we need some backup. Sailor Moon is already on the way.” Makoto nodded. "All right, I'll be there in five. Minako's in a bit of trouble...do you think we could handle this ourselves? I don't want her leaving the house till everything gets straightened out." "Yeah, we should be fine. Meet you in five." And then Sailor Mars was gone. Makoto stood up, and kissed Minako's cheek. "It's probably nothing so right now its better if you stay here. I won't be long." Minako nodded in agreement. More trouble was the last thing she needed, especially over something that wasn't even a threatening youma. "All right. Just come back as soon as you can." She swatted the senshi of thunder's butt and winked. "I'll be waiting." Makoto grinned and jumped out the window she came in, transforming on her way to the ground. A flash of light and the senshi of protection was gone. "It should be right around this area." Mercury punched a few keys on her computer, and pointed to the abandoned warehouse to their right. "In there." The other senshi nodded, and followed Mercury's lead. She was still trying to decipher the readings she was gathering; they were unlike any she'd seen before. Even her supercomputer was having a hard time categorizing them. All that was certain was that whatever was in the warehouse was negative. "Be careful," she cautioned as they stepped into to decaying building. "I can't pinpoint its exact position, and this building is far from stable. Stay together, and fall back at any sign of collapse." Mars lit a small ball of fire in her palm to work as a flashlight, and the senshi reigned in, surveying the area. It wasn't that big, and it was almost completely empty, so there was nowhere for anything big to be hiding. "I don't know Mercury," Sailor Moon began, "It doesn't look like there's anything in here..." A creak was heard from the rafters above, and before any of the soldiers could ready an attack, a shadow swooped down at Sailor Moon. "Sailor Moon, watch out!" Mars had flung herself at the moon princess, knocking them away just before the creature hit. "What is it?!" Mars shouted, looking to Mercury. "I...I don't know! I can't see any physical features, and my computer can't read any of its vital signs!" The blue haired genius was beginning to panic. “Just try attacking it, and I’ll see if anything comes up that I can use!” Sailor Jupiter nodded, and went into attack mode. The creature was truly no more than a shadow, with glowing, silver shaded eyes, making it incredibly hard to spot in the dim light of the building. As soon as she found the general direction of it though, she threw a sparkling wide pressure at it, hoping that by chance it would hit. It didn't. "It's too fast to attack with our powers!" Sailor Mars yelled out. "There's no way we can keep it still long enough to hit it!" Sizing up the situation, Sailor Jupiter abandoned the idea of using her abilities to tag the monster. Instead, she motioned for Mars to prepare a flame sniper. Then she lunged at the shadow, pulling it into a chokehold. "Hit it fast Mars, I don't know how long I can hold it!" The creature was very strong, and did not like it's sudden captivity one bit. Throwing its head back and letting out a roar of rage, it broke out of Jupiter's hold and wrapped its midnight hands around her neck. Its eyes began emitting an eerie light, and it looked as if it was smiling “I can’t fire; I might hit Jupiter!” "Sailor Moon, try using your scepter!" "It's overheating my computer! I don't know what he's doing to her!" A brilliant flash of light burst from within the torso of the shadow, and it threw Jupiter to the side. The light pulsated and grew, until it filled the building, and nearly blinded the senshi. And with one last bloodcurdling cry, the creature was gone. As soon as the senshi could see again, they rushed over to check on Sailor Jupiter. What they found when they got to her, however, was not their senshi of thunder and lightning. It was a five year old Kino Makoto, clad in a pair of dark blue overalls with a little white t-shirt, and small black Nike runners on her feet. Fast asleep. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- More Notes: My muse is crazy, but I am a slave to her whims. I decided to try and see if I could capture Minako a little more in this fic, and give her some much needed character development. I'm tired of her being represented as an eternally happy airhead. Maybe it's me, but I just think she's a little bit deeper than that. ;) Although it may not seem so now, this fic is going to be very lighthearted, in contrast to my other current fic, Purgatory. I hope that this satisfies all of my readers who don't like my darker work as much. =) This fic is dedicated to everyone who took the time to e-mail me and let me know what they thought of my writing, and give helpful suggestions. You all know who you are.
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