Rei's POV I couldn't sleep. If what Manuke said was true, then this is it. I know Mina and I practiced till we were exhausted but even then I can't help but worry. For a moment I could hear nothing but the ticking tock, signaling the passing of the seconds and then minutes until the awaited moment where it all comes back to reality. Oh...this is stupid! Since when do I worry about anything? I'm not supposed to be insecure because of some man; I'm a sailor soldier for crying out loud! Frustration seeped in. Not being able to sleep my eyes began to wander around Mina's room, looking for something, anything to keep my mind occupied. If I was at home right now, I would have gone straight to the sacred fire and meditate. There was no point in wasting energy or fooling yourself that you were conserving any lying there like a dead slug. You'll be tired the next morning, no matter what you do. With that thought in mind I pushed myself up from my sleeping bag. I had insisted on sleeping on the floor so Mina could keep the bed. But you know her. You can bet we had a little 'talk' about that (It was actually a screaming match). Of course in the end I managed to win out (like there was a doubt); even if she hadn't fallen asleep during our argument I'm sure I would have won. Although...right now I was almost regretting my victory. The floor was very cold. If only the girl decided to keep a futon instead of those things they call beds! Knowing Mina though, if I ever brought the idea up she'd ask me if 'I was growing old'. Of course I would retort with 'well I am a miko and I live in a shrine'. And then we'd end up in another pointless argument. We've been having a lot of those lately, but for play for the most part. It's practically routine now, like a second instinct. I thought back to when I carried her from the living room to where I placed her gently in her bed. When I carried her in my arms, she felt light as a feather. It was amazing how light she actually is, I thought for sure she'd be...heavier, although I won't be telling her that anytime soon (She'd sock me). It could be that I was just imagining it, or perhaps I had grown some muscle from all of my shrine duties, but it was definitely something... Familiar. Familiar...familiar...familiar... The words sent a wave of ripples through the calm I had established only moments before into chaos. The fact the sacred fire refused to show me what I wanted to know hovered like a heavy weight over my mind. The flame would only show me past memories that made no sense whatsoever... or brief images of...death. Every time it would be Mina's. Why did it have to be hers? Why couldn't it have been my own? Wait, scratch that. What I saw last time might've been my death. Never mind, I sarcastically thought. "Rei chan...mm...do your best..." I could hear Mina mumble. I wonder what Mina would say if I told her that she dreams about me? It was almost cute, knowing that you're wanted, even if that person is fast asleep and conscious about it. One of my hands automatically reached out to touch her soft face. Thoughts of trailing my fingers down her cheek, to touch those soft lips where I wished to lay my own slipped through my mind, but they would not reach my hand. If I compared myself to this sleeping angel, my touch would soil her perfection. It would be a crime of selfishness. I let the hand drop back to my side. It's taking me a long time to figure out what my feelings are but it would take even longer suffering for an eternity if I did sometime unforgivably wrong. Especially with her, the goddess of beauty and love. The past is the past, who Mars was, what she chose to do, it has nothing to do with me or my present situation. It shouldn't! But it does. How do I know who these feelings belong to? Damn, it's so frustrating! If only I wasn't the reincarnation of Mars... I leaned my back against Mina's mattress, allowing my head to fall beside the sleeping beauty's. "If only you weren't..." ...So special to me... I wouldn't have to feel this way. I could have gone on believing that the world was unjust and cruel. I could have stayed alone, by myself...if I hadn't met you. "If I weren't what?" I was suddenly startled by my companion's voice. How long had she been awake? In response I tilted my head towards hers to see her watching me through half-lidded baby blues. Couldn't have been very long then. "I...didn't wake you did I?" She lightly shook her head and made a negative noise. "You know, you should be sleeping too Rei-chan. If you don't get enough rest, you'll be all woozy for tomorrow." She glanced over at the clock. "Erm...I meant today." She corrected herself. "Woozy?" Leave it up to Mina chan to come up with the weird sayings. Although I had to admit, they were always amusing. "How to explain it...Oh, I know." With that she tried to push herself up to a sitting position but failed miserable when her arms buckled under her, landing her back on the bed with a, Flop. "That was a flop." I said flatly. "But a comfortable one." She giggled. "If you go flop today, you'll hit a wooden floor Rei-chan, not a soft be-heeeeey, why are you sleeping on the floor anyway? No wonder you can't sleep! I told you to take the bed!" Oh, there was A LOT of reasons why I wanted to be on the floor. "It's more comfortable down here." "Liar, I happen to know that floor is cold and hard as all get out." "And how would you know that?" "I...Well...umm...I fall out of bed sometimes." Her voice shrunk to a whisper and her gaze averted downwards. I could feel my eyes grow wide. I was trying to imagine our great leader rolling out of her bed like a little kid and then hitting the floor with a thud (which was almost too hilarious). I bet she gets a lot of 'boo boos' that way too! "Hey, what are you snickering at?" Mina pouted. "You can't tell me that's never happened to you before!" "Nope, it hasn't because I ALWAYS sleep on the floor." "You mean you've never slept on a bed? People do it all the time back in England you know." She paused for a moment. "Unless...Rei chan is too scared to fall out of the bed and THAT'S why she sleeps on the floor." A smirk lit her features. I gave a grunt. "You're just jealous." "Proooove it." Her arm lazily slapped my shoulder. "How? By sleeping in bed with you?" I saw her face flush instantly at my words. It actually had taken me a few seconds to realize what I had just said. I hadn't meant it that way! But then again, why was she blushing? Oh, wait a second here! Wait a minute...I can use this...to my advantage. Evil thoughts were going through my head but who cares? If you were awake at 2:00a.m in the morning and you were tired I say screw it, anything goes! "Why are you blushing? Unless ...don't tell me Mina chan is having perverted thoughts!" I feigned shock with a hint of surprise. Now just to ham it up. (If this was with anyone else instead of Mina chan I would have died from embarrassment by now). "P-Perverted thoughts?" She sputtered. "Absolutely not!" "Aww, you hurt me. Do you mean to say that... I'm not desirable?" Now it was time to take the cake. "R-Rei...? W-what are you doing? Keep your pants on!" She panicked. "Hmm?" I took my long pants off to reveal a pair of shorts underneath, leaving Mina's face as red as a tomato. "What did you think I was doing?" I gave an innocent face. WHAP! A pillow flew into my head, yet I didn't care, I was too busy rolling on the floor laughing my ass off. "Don't give me that, you did that on purpose!" She accused with a pointed finger. Yup, she was definitely awake now. "So what if I did? There's nothing you can do about it-" I stopped dead sentence, feeling the strap of my shorts being pulled back. She wouldn't! "C-come on Mina-chan, you know it was a joke right?" "Yes Rei-chan I know." She raised an eyebrow. "And this..." Snap! "YIPE!" "...is revenge." I really...reeeeally hate it when she does that. "Uh oh." She squeaked. I was about to argue back when I noticed half of Mina's body was hanging over her bed, her face was staring at the ground. How long was she like that? I knew she had to reach out to grab my shorts, but... "Mina-chan?" I walked up to her and crouched down with my knees together, checking if she had passed out on me again. You never know; Mina can be strange in those ways. It made me wonder...was she was anything like this in our previous lives? "Mina...?" "I...can't...get...up." She sweat dropped. "Do you think there's a chance that you'll fall out of bed if I left you this way? Because, that would be really interesting to see." "Rei! I'm serious!" I could see the blood rushing to her head. It was also a shame that her shirt happened to be slipping down as well. Oh dear... "Okay, okay... give me a second." I seated myself on the bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her waist, immediately noticing the direct skin contact. Wait, first concentrate on helping Mina! I tried to command my brain. "Errr-up you go. Are you good-" The next thing I knew, her arms flung around my neck and sent up both sprawling on the bed. "Now I'm good." Her eyes twinkled back mischievously. "I needed a new teddy bear anyway. Rei-bear." I lifted an eyebrow at the new nickname. "What makes you think I'm going to be your teddy bear?" Where did this look familiar? "Because I said so, slave." I opened my mouth but no words came out. She wasn't supposed to take that whole slave/master bit seriously! "Oh, don't worry so much Rei-chan, you shouldn't take things so seriously all the time... Lighten up." S...ser-serious.... "Serious?" It made me wonder how I could be any less 'serious'. If anyone else saw me like this I think they would have a heart attack or think they were in the twilight zone. "Besides, you'd make a good teddy bear. You're warm, strong and really, really soft." I felt her snuggle into my chest for emphasis, making me gulp. And you can keep me from falling off the bed." She quickly added. "Oh. Well, if you put it that way..." I allowed myself to slip under the covers. "Hey Mina..." "Mm...?" "This is actually quite comfy." Minako's POV Dress Rehearsal "Testing the lights!" The light's controller called out. "Testing set one." CLICK- Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk. The first set came on accordingly. "Set one check. Turning on set two." CLICK- Clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk, clunk. "Set two check." I watched in awe behind the curtain as our technicians were doing the round about system check. It looked like a lot of fun! I wonder what it would be like to play around with the lights? Maybe they'll let me help next time? "You still act like a kid." Rei mumbled from behind me. She had her usual frown on, the one for whenever she's in public. I wonder if her face ever hurts from keeping it that way for so long? It made me think back to Manuke's smiling from before, when we were talking about Rei-chan in the park. Does that mean smiling hurts people too? I put a finger to my lips. Funny, because I've never had that kind of problem. "Is that such a bad thing?" I turned to face my companion. Rei shook her head."No, but I just think you should be taking this a little more seriously, that's all. I mean none of us have been in this sort of situation before. There's going to be a lot of people watching. Our fate really seems to be resting in their hands." Rei always disliked having to rely on others...but I think, by now she's come to rely on me a little bit. Or that's what I secretly hoped. "Don't be silly! We'll do fine if we put our hearts into it!" "..." Rei gave me a 'you're too cheerful it's scary' look. "That's right Rei, don't be such a downer." Manuke had joined us in his usual attire. As predicted, Rei was fuming at the sight of the man. "Mind your own business." She growled. "Manuke, Rei, please don't fight! The concert is today." I tried to remind them. What was a show without a manager or one of the singers to a duet performance? "You're so right Mina-chan." Manuke immediately smiled. "We shouldn't be fighting, not when this is your big day." "But it's Rei's big day too." "Ahh...yes, her too." He looked at his watch. "Oops, look at the time, we must start. So I will wish you good luck ladies, please, try to avoid any injury." "We will!" I instantly agreed. I mean, how we possible get injured in a dress rehearsal? Rei's POV, start of dress rehearsal I waited on the far end of the stage, opposite to where Mina was positioned. It was supposed to be our big entrance, something that 'would catch the crowd' from the start. Supposedly all the pros do this when they're starting out. It's called a 'gimmick' or something that would give the performing band/group a trademark that people can easily identify with. But I don't know...I really disliked the fact they keep the stage lights this dim! It was hard to see anything. "Cue the music!" A soft tune wafted through the area. That was the cue. First I needed to reach out my arm. I raised my arm out, palm up and then waited until I heard Mina begin the song. After she sings the first few lines, I was supposed to take over. Can't say that I'm not nervous myself so it made it curious as to how Mina would take this, especially since she was opening the show. I could hear her voice but it was too soft! I was afraid it would stop altogether until it began to steady out as she pushed forwards. Well, if she could get through this, then I should be able as well. "Can you find the real me? Somewhere here, dreaming somewhere, hurting everywhere For a far off memory..." I took a step forward but jerked to a stop when I felt the floor sag quite a bit under my weight. Creeeeak Instinctively I stepped back before tentatively pressing my foot back down on the spot once more, checking it for faults. It was definitely sinking too much, nothing like the other places on the stage. "Rei, that was your cue." Huh? "O-oh, sorry." Up in the control room Manuke grinned happily as he watched Rei hesitate with her lines. This is it. He thought. He was practically giddy thinking of how he could hurt dear Rei-chan. She had become a nuisance, a thorn in the side. If his angel didn't have to worry about that overprotective mutt that she called a friend then surely she would fall into his arms. He had to admit though, the raven haired woman had unexpected spunk; he never thought she would last this long. While the control attendant was busy doing the finishing touches to the lighting system Manuke's fingers flipped up the switch for the third set of lights, bringing them on full force. CLICK Ooooooops. Rei's POV Down on stage CLICK- What was- Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! Clunk! "Ah!" My arms flew up when bright lights suddenly engulfed me. "Rei-chan?" I heard Mina yell. Ow, my eyes! Words would not come out of my mouth, only sounds of painful hisses. It feels like they're burning! Shaking, I stumbled backwards before coming to a dead stop at the stage's edge. Sensing the sudden lack of ground my legs reflexively stopped before my balance would fail me. The action had then prompted me to force myself to step forward instead of backwards. As I fell to one knee, I couldn't help but curse how the lights weren't due to come on for another six lines! And definitely not that many! What was going on? Tup, tup, tup, tup! "Rei, are you all right?" "...I'm fine Mina." "But you're shaking..." "I said I'm fine!" That was when I heard Manuke's annoying little voice boom throughout the stadium. "Ah, sorry about that! Technical difficulties, we'll have it sorted out in a bit. Is everyone okay down there? Mina chan? REI chan?" "I think-" Mina was about to reply. "We're fine, thank you very much!" I snapped back; this was his doing wasn't it. Well I wasn't about to give in to his little tricks anytime soon. "Oh..." I heard disappointment playing in that bastard's voice. "Well, glad to hear that. Let's continue shall we?" I could have sworn he sung that last sentence. Unfortunately the rest of the rehearsal wasn't much better. Throughout the entire act there were multiple 'mishaps', or 'technical difficulties' according to Manuke. Something would barely nick me or put me out of action and his annoying voice would then announce the oh so obvious along with his false apologies. At the rate things were going, I doubt Mina and I will make it past halfway of our routine. "All right, we fiiiix it. From the top if you would please." The stage became dark once more. Although I was now used to expecting some sort of dirty trick against me, I had to wonder what else he could do. He's practically used everything at his disposal hadn't he. Then again...there was that one spot on the floor that kept coming back to me. Why did it keep creaking the way it did? Wasn't there some sort of name for those sort of spots on stage? "Cue the music!" "Can you find the real me? Somewhere here, dreaming somewhere, hurting everywhere For a far off memory..." I stepped forward. Creeeeak Up in the control room A smirk spread across Manuke's features once more. He was not perturbed that Rei had escaped his little surprises, mainly because they were only the warm ups. His fingers drummed the top of the control panel thoughtfully, cocking his head the side as he watched his victim about to make her move. Now if only she would take one-step to the left...that's right...one more...It was a part of the choreography after all, dear Rei-chan couldn't stray off of it now. "Press that button for me will you?" He casually asked the personnel. "What? You can't be serious! That's the one-" "Hey, who's the manager here? Press it or I'll have you fired before you can say 'damn I'm so stupid that lost my job'." The other man stared back with disbelief on his face. He couldn't understand why the girls' manager of all people would want to sabotage their debut performance! "Do it now before I get really mad. And I can promise you, you don't want that." Manuke growled in a deep voice. The action had done its job. It was enough to startle the worker into submission. Click. Rei's POV, stage Ka-whop! The next thing I knew, I was falling! "AHHHHHH!" THUD "Stop the rehearsal!" Someone was screaming. Slowly I pushed myself to a sitting up position, feeling dizzy and confused all at once. What just happened? I remember stepping forward like I was supposed and then...I heard that creaking noise before the floor disappeared! Immediately I looked up to see the bright light from the stage shining through the square like opening. That's right, now I remember. Trap doors... Manuke...I silently growled. Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! "Rei! Rei-chan!" Mina's face appeared in the small window above. There was concern painted all over her face, making me feel guilty to allow myself to let my guard down, even if the attack was a cheap shot. Now I've gotten Mina all worried, I inwardly groaned. This was not how it should have been. Casually as I could I replied back with a, "Hey." "Are you all right? We'll get you out in a second! Don't move!" She called back. Don't move? Is that supposed to be a joke? I feel so sore that I doubt I could move if I wanted to. (Unless I was going to kill Manuke, I could make an exception for that. I'm sure that sort of motivation would get me moving again). In a matter of moments, a ladder was hauled down. Mina was the first one who had made it down to me. "I'm fine, really." I mumbled when she began to pat my body, searching for injury. She was acting more like...I tried to finish the thought with mother and then father but neither word seemed appropriate. Grandpa was nice but he was perverted. So what did that leave me with? Friend or... "You didn't sprain anything did you?" "No." "Do you feel dizzy?" "Not really." I lied. My head was actually throbbing like crazy! "Okay...okay..." "Mina...breath." I watched the blonde take a deep breath. "HAH...Hoooo." I understood that it had been some time since the both of us had these exciting battles to deal with. Although Mina had been our leader, she hadn't been required to keep her emotions quite in check as she used to. That little face actually made me happy; it's nice to see her being herself. "Feeling better?" I asked. "Ha. Ha...I should be the one asking you that. Now let's get you out of here." I felt her sling my arm around her shoulders before we were about to make the climb from hell. Mina's dressing room "Here." My blonde partner handed me an ice pack. Taking it, I immediately pressed it to my head while refusing to meet her gaze. The entire incident was still humiliating, not matter how I looked at it. Mina had to come to my rescue. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around? I inwardly groaned. This just wasn't my day. "Thanks." "So what happened?" "I don't know," I shrugged. "I was about to start my part as planned when the floor suddenly dropped out from beneath me. Oh and please don't tell me Manuke said it was another 'technical difficulty'." Or I'll strangle him for real! Mina slowly nodded. "Do you actually believe any of that? Because I've been thinking we've been having a little too many accidents." "Then you think he's trying to sabotage us?" Mina frowned. I could tell she doubted what I was telling her. The man was our manager after all, even if he was a perverted, twisted rat, Mina would still believe him because she was too kind hearted. And even if she did know the truth, she couldn't do anything about it without risking her dream. "I doubt we'd have so many difficulties in a row. First it was the lights, then the incident with the curtains, the mike shutting off, the music frizzing out on my parts and then the trap door! Unless I'm extremely cursed, I'm willing to bet my life that it's no accident." I watched the blonde woman open one of her dresser doors and took out a long, red ribbon, seeming to ignore me. Why was she doing her hair now? Wasn't she listening to a word I was saying? "Hmm...Well just in case you are cursed, let's put your hair up with this. It'll bring you good luck!" She giggled. I nearly choked on air after hearing that kind of reply. I-It was for me? "I'm not cursed!" I insisted. I was indignant! "Oh, don't be like that." She hushed me as she would a child with a temper tantrum. Seeing the smile on her face I immediately shut up. (Raises the white flag of surrender) Sometimes...I think I'm a real pushover. I sat patiently as Mina put my hair up into a ponytail with the long, thin strand of material. I seriously doubted it would bring me luck but she means well. "Thanks..." She sighed. "I know what you're saying Rei chan and don't worry! I'll go talk to Manuke okay?" "What? Wait a minute, what are you going to say? You can't really do anything you know..." She did her 'V' for victory pose. "Don't worry about it Rei. Lighten up, I've got it covered." "Mina..." "Be back in a bit." And she was out the door. Great...But I couldn't help but wonder what she meant when she said that she had it covered. For all I know, Manuke could assure her that all those mishaps were real accidents and she'd believe it. It's known that people will believe anything if they're truly determined, no matter what the evidence is. Even if there was a 'maybe' or a shred of truth that could be used as an excuse, they'll naturally turn a blind eye. Tick...tock...tick...tock... Time continued to tick by without a word or hair of Mina. "I wonder what's taking her?" Briiiiiing, briiiiiiiiing... Could things get any worse? I pushed myself onto my feet and stumbled out of the room to check both sides of the hallway but still no Mina-chan. Who was supposed to answer her phone then? The phone continued to ring, leaving me the only person in the room or a radius of the hallway around. Briiiiiing, briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing... Grumbling in defeat I sorely moved over and picked up the irritating device. Briiiiiin- "Hello?" There was an odd static sound from the other end of the line and then a bunch of jumbled up noises. Was the person talking or what? I pressed the phone closer to my ear. "Oy, Reeeeeeeei-chan." My eyes automatically narrowed from hearing THAT voice. "Listen, if you're looking for Mina she's not here." There was a slight pause from the other end. "...Oh, I know. In fact, she's actually with me." "So?" "Nothing, nothing. I just thought...you might want to know where she's been for all this time. We're all having an outdoor party at the company building, did you want to come?" "No thanks." He bothered me for this? I was about to hang up the phone when I heard an," Ah, ah, ah! Perhaps I should have made myself clearer. You. Have. No. Choice. Because...you see, I get quite lonely being all by myself working long hours for the company and I love having people over. So me n' Mina-chan might have a night out together." "YOU BETTER NOT LAY A HAND ON HER!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Owww...you scream loud." He whined. "But that's good! It means that you have energy!" CRACK The phone's cheap plastic broke in my hands, cutting our conversation short. He was always going on about this for some time now but now he's crossed the line. "Enough of this bullshit." Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Minako's POV, outside her dress room, sometime later I wonder why Manuke asked me to go buy us all drinks. And I couldn't believe the machines were on the other side of the building, why do they make them so far? It took me forever just to get there and not to mention that horrendously long line up! Don't people have anything better to do than to drink coffee on their work breaks? I entered my dressing room wondering if Rei would even like what I got her. The priestess tended to be quite secretive about what she liked and disliked...well, except when it came to Manuke; she made it clear that she hates him. "Rei-chan, I got you something-" Huh? I walked over to the sitting stool where I had left the raven-haired woman. To my surprise, she wasn't there now or anywhere in the room for that matter. "Rei-chan?" Where...could she have gone? It was possible that she went out for a walk, she does that a lot when she's feeling down. Or maybe she decided to go get a drink for herself. Darn it Rei! I hung my head. "Aww...now what am I going to do with all these drinks?" Rei's POV, outside the company building If I thought I had a bad feeling before, the one I was getting now was hitting the maximum level bar. I never thought I'd feel this again, not since those youma battles awhile back. Tup...tup...tup... As I walked forward I scanned my surroundings. Manuke said they were outside didn't he? So where was everyone? The place was empty! There were a few trees out front but that was it. There weren't any tables, any guests, or...anything related to an outdoor get together. Then that meant it must have been another one of his lies. Even if this 'get together' was a lie there was no telling if he was lying about Mina-chan. Who knows, he could have her all tied up and hidden in a closet for all I know. All right, I admit I'm exaggerating. Mina knows how to take care of herself but there are just some things you can't guard against. Like...blackmail. Not being the one who likes to wait around for action to come to me, I circled around the building slowly. Occasionally I thought I saw something in the bushes but it couldn't have been anything serious. My senses would have warned me. Finally I peeked around the corner to check if the close was clear. Thinking it was, I stepped into a clearing only to find I had done so too soon. "So you actually came? And you even changed clothes! Pity, for such a formal invitation you only came in casual wear?" I spotted Manuke staring out at me from his office window. Manuke was leaning on his elbows on the windowsill, watching me in amusement. "Wow, then that means...you have a lot less brains than I gave you credit for. TOOOO BAD Rei-chan!" "Where is she?" "'She'?" He gave an innocent face. "What are you talking about?" "Stop playing games Manuke!" "Oooh, you mean my gorgeous blonde to-be lover? Ain't here." "..." I glared up at him. If I could transform into Mars I would burn his ass so bad right now. "Tell me Rei-chan, have you ever thought about the meaning of life? ...Rumble...rumble... My eyes were momentarily distracted by the circling clouds overhead. Don't tell me it was going to rain! "What of it?" He better make this quick. "People spend so little time actually thinking about it don't you think? Some dream of fame, some of fortune while others just want to find their lifetime soul mate...isn't that romantic? Yet...society forgets that there's one tiny, tiny problem. All life must come to an end." There was a dangerous glint in his eyes as he finished. He snapped his fingers. Snap. A group of bodyguards emerged from the green covering. I noticed that they all wore a black uniform similar to Manuke. As for their weapons, from what I could see some carried guns while others carried large batons that a police officer would normally carry. The standard bad-guy equipment in my books, they had nothing to a youma. Yet it wasn't the fact that they were here that bothered me, not quite so much. I wanted to know why I hadn't been able to sense them! Plip plip. "Ah, the rain..." Manuke softly sighed. "Look on the bright side Hino, at least the sky is willing to cry for your death. And I'd love to watch the event but I've got an angel to comfort after her 'single' performance. Good-bye Rei-chan." "Manuke!" Ah! I turned in time to see one of the bodyguards lift his gun. Ca-chink. BAM! Minako's POV, stage I wonder where Rei-chan is... Through the curtain I could see the crowd was pouring into the stadium in droves, making me all the more nervous. There were so many people! I never thought they could all fit, despite the stadium's size. At the corners of the place the technicians were doing last minute check-ups, prompted from today's dress rehearsal. I really hoped nothing bad would happen, this was the actual performance. I watched one man in particular turn on the switch to the large screens on the walls. Each window had a picture of the stage up close and personal-if I wasn't careful, I'd be seen before the show even starts. With that in mind I back away from the red curtain. Rei chan wouldn't let me down would she? My hands fumbled unconsciously. No, that's not possible. If Rei says she'll do something, she'll do it... I'm not going to do anything half way! If I agree to do it, then I do it with everything I've got. ...That's right, she'll do it with everything she's got. I clenched my fists. Besides, who do I think I am? I used to be a warrior who faced countless battles and died many times when it was required. Why should this life be any different? Why should I be afraid of what the crowd thinks? What will happen, will happen, that's the way things go. And... There's no guarantee that Rei will love me back the same way I love her. I can't allow myself to lean on her so much! I...I can't. I try so hard not to but as they say...old habits die-hard. Hope. That's what I have, what I cling onto. Rei-chan will come through...I know it. Rei's POV, company's back building "OOF!" I had evaded the attack and kneed the man in the chest, taking him down in one hit. "Bitch!" One of his comrades cried. Four more came at me. Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! WHACK! POW! WHOP! KA-CRACK! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Enough of this play fighting, I needed to get back to the stadium and NOW! "Hey, get back here!" Like hell I will! In a flash I was running down the streets through the pelting rain. With nothing but the casual clothes I wore, I was quickly soaked to the bone. Too late to worry about a jacket now! Cold, so cold! Everything was becoming numb. I was barely aware of the sound of rushing footsteps behind me, how my own legs clicked on the sidewalk as I ran, or the fact that I couldn't see where I was going. There was only one thing on my mind. "Hah! Hah! Mina..." I zipped around a corner just as a car past me, sending even more of the water up into the air. In surprise my reflexes made my body twist accordingly to avoid most of the splash, only to fall due to the slippery sidewalk surface. Twist Thud. Ow...No problem I'll just get u- "Gah!" I took a sharp intake of air as I tried to move my leg. Instantly I knew it was my ankle. Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! My eyes darted behind me to the closing in of following footsteps. They would be here any minute, leaving me with only one option. This time I found myself swallowing my pride for the sake of survival. Skff...skff... Forcing my arms to move I dragged my dead weight into the side alleyway and hid as the group of bodyguards went zipping by. They sounded like an army with all their footsteps exactly in time with one another. Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Well...doesn't this bring back memories? As my eyes took in the sight I felt a strong sense of amusement rise up despite my own anxiety. Mars was having fun wasn't she? Well I wasn't. I had avoided detection but damn, now they're going to beat me there! "Frick..." For a moment I held still, listening to the water falling all around me. Hard droplets battered the building's walls and into the ground to form the large puddles before flowing down the streets and into the sewers. I couldn't sense another human being for blocks around. It was just me...here...alone. Gomen ne...Venus. Mar's words came back to me. If I really did die back then...right there... CRACKLE-BOOM! Lightning broke the sky above, briefly illuminating the area. I could see the small scrapes on my arms, the traces of dirt on my arms and clothing as it was being ripped off by the rainwater. Again I tried to move my leg again to feel the anticipated pain shoot upwards, only this time it didn't hurt nearly as much. Both of my legs were almost completely numb even though I wore a pair of jeans. Unfortunately my arms were not so lucky... It then occurred to me that could just stay here...nothing was going right anyway. The dress rehearsal was a flop so how will I actually perform in front of all those people? Mina could pull it off without a hitch I'm sure. She didn't need to worry about someone else, she could concentrate on her parts. Besides, she knew the song inside out. It was ironic how both of us didn't have to worry about Manuke in the end. I found out that I was capable of taking myself out of action. Maybe I was cursed. If I stayed here where I was, I'd probably catch a cold. But even before all that, my body would shut down like it was doing now. Sailor Senshi...were not immune to death after all. Gomen ne... I shook my head, trying to expel the echoing words. They sounded cold and distant, yet they kept coming back, haunting me as before. Why couldn't she stop this madness? I know Mars was something at least. Even though she knew her actions would lead her to death's door, she did it for Venus. I know that! Give...me a break... But...that would mean she also left Venus all alone didn't it? Another voice gently reminded me. Even though Mina-chan wasn't Venus, even though she was a reincarnation of the woman, Mar's lover...Was Mar's reincarnation liable for the blonde woman and leader that Hino Rei had come to trust? Perhaps even... Gomen ne... ...What did I fear...What was there to fear? Losing my own life? No, it definitely wasn't that. I've died so many times already. Then...was it failure? Hmm, what do I think? I think... I'll believe in Rei-chan. Mina-chan... "..." I leaned back against the building's brick wall and smiled up at the sky, my bangs laid over my eyes. "Pfft...who ever heard of the goddess of war being afraid to fight?" If I died now, the next time I meet Mina, I'm sure she wouldn't let me live another lifetime down without teasing me about it. We can't that happening can we? My hands came up behind my head to undo the 'good luck charm'. Maybe you were right Mina... I wrapped the ribbon around my leg and my high-heel shoe before tugging it tightly into a firm knot. Surprisingly enough I knew some first aid. I had remembered not to wrap the material too tightly and cut off what little circulation I had. ...Maybe it will bring me good luck. "This...should do it." I gripped the wall as I stood, making sure I had something in case my plan failed. As I applied pressure to the injured limb and tested it, I soon found to my delight that the wall was not necessary after all. "All right! Here I go!" Tup! Tup! Tup! Tup! Wait for me Mina... Minako's POV, stage "And now we finally introduce to you our star of our show!" The curtain parted, revealing my dressed up form to the audience. Immediately there were mummers of all sorts. "What, wasn't this supposed to be a duet?" "That's what I heard." "Who cares? That chick is so hot!" "Hey, will you go out with me!" I felt my hands tighten around my microphone as the crowd screamed and cheered. Inside I was nervous, deadly nervous but I refused to show it. No one would be able to tell by looking at my face. As I glanced around at all the giant screens around me I could see they portrayed to the crowd a confident, resolved woman who was about to entertain them with one song. I can do this, I told myself. The crowd wasn't my main concern now, their presence didn't affect me as it had a half hour before. If I was going into this business then seeing so many people was necessary. The crowd hushed as I lifted the microphone to my mouth. "This song..." Wherever you are, please hear this Rei-chan... Rei's POV, stadium entrance "Hey I've spotted her!" "Well don't just stand there, get- GAH!" Thud! Thud! I had finally broken into the building. My prize? Only to see guards absolutely everywhere! Manuke must have really gone full out with this. I wonder how much he pays these goons anyway? Because he isn't getting his money's worth! I tried taking the main entrance to the backstage door but I should have known I was asking for it. The plan was essentially suicide! I had only taken one step into the hallway when another group of guards had already lifted guns pointed in my direction. Oops, wrong way. Tup! Tup! Tup! Bam! I ducked back around the corner as the bullet missing my head by inches. Guess there's no choice then. If I can't get backstage, I'll break in through the top balcony! I ran around another corner before shooting into a narrow staircase, one that had been conveniently left unguarded. I doubt anyone could have guessed the refuge would take the long route. I was just running on pure emotion now. Only a little more... Click-WOOOOOSH I threw open the door at the top, bringing me into the stadium. The crowd's roars bombarded my ears. After hearing nothing but the falling rain or the guards demanding for my death, I couldn't help but think that this was a nice change."Who's she?" One audience woman asked her friend. Now if I could get to the stadium's center, I'll be able to jump down the entranceway's rooftop. "Stop her!" One of the bodyguards yelled. Uh oh. He was about to raise his gun when one of his comrades pushed his arm's back down. "We can't fire in the stadium! There are too many people." "Cue the screens!" A worker called as I ran by the controls. While he was preoccupied I snatched up a mike for myself. Wherever Manuke was, he wasn't going to be a happy little boy for much longer. All around the stadium the giant video screens came up, all of them with Mina's face on it! The show was only starting much to my relief. The blonde woman slowly brought the microphone up to her mouth. "This song...was written by myself and a person very dear to me. I hope you will all enjoy yourselves." A person very dear to her? "Go out with me!" I was snapped out of my thoughts when I spotted a guy up ahead continually calling out to Mina and to be quite honest, it was getting on my nerves! As I ran by I hit him on the head shouting, "Stuff it!" Yes, it was the business way of handling things. "Yo dude...who was that hot chick who just clobbered you?" "Oww...I don't know... But do you think she'd go out with me?" The lights dimmed until only the center of the stage was lit up. 'Cue the music!" This is it! "Can you find the real me? Somewhere here, dreaming somewhere, hurting everywhere For a far off memory..." Mina held her breath as did everyone else. Tup! I jumped up onto the middle platform. "Even if it would take until my last breath, I will find you, my love, for the illusion is nothing. But we are, we're something" I didn't need to see the screens...because I could feel her relief from where I stood. Her eyes were tearing bit as the lights in the stadium revealed my location. Two lights in the darkness, that's how many would see us, yet it wasn't true, not entirely...because Mina-chan was my only light. Whatever the circumstances were between us, I knew that much was true. Together we finished the last of the slow part, "If you believe in me, in us, Then our eternity can be real." I ran down the platform as the music began to pick up, my own heart beating strong in my ears. I didn't care if I was showing off, I didn't care that the crowd was whistling and cheering...there was only one person that mattered to me. TUP! "Woah, did you see that flip?" I landed beside Mina. Momentarily we exchanged knowing glances before we jumped into the next steps of our routine, leading into what would be a very successful performance. A rule in life, if you do something good by accident, go with it and make people think it was supposed to happen. The song came to a brief instrumental portion. As planned, I spun and then twist, to where Mina came into my waiting arms. (Up yours Manuke!) I couldn't help but grin at the thought. "That was perfect Rei-chan." Mina softly giggled. "Quite the entrance if I may add." "Did you ever doubt me?" I whispered back. "Never." She then threw back her head and arched her back in my arms, bringing me to step forward to lean over her accordingly. In response the crowd made 'ooh' and 'ahh' noises, absolutely eating our performance up. Somewhere in the manager's room... "ARRRRRRRRRRGH!" Manuke gritted he teeth at a maddening pace. An unlucky bodyguard happened to stumble in to report at the wrong time. The middle-aged man ran one of his free hands through the back of his hair, nervously as he was about to deliver their group's failure. "Umm, sir, that girl you told us to kill, well...she kind of...escaped." Manuke slowly turned around in his chair, away from the eighteen television screens that each played the concert performance live. His face twisted, eyes flaring up with unspeakable anger. "YOU DON'T SAY?" "S-sir, now there's no need to become violent. I-I-uh oh." WHACK-A-POW! Concert end CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
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