It is nearly midnight. She is face to face with Rei when she opens the door. Minako tries to stifle her surprise when Rei brushes past her and comes inside. She wonders if Rei comes with an entourage and stares down into the hall for her other friends before realizing that Rei has come alone. Minako closes the door behind her and turns the lock. Crossing her arms across her chest she stares at Rei who looks only slightly more aggravated than she usually does. "It's a little late to come over," Minako tells her, going to resume her seat on the couch. She indicates that Rei sit but isn't taken aback when she doesn't. Picking up a magazine with her picture on the cover, Minako shows it to Rei. "Have you seen this one yet?" "You know why I'm here." Rei barely glances at the magazine; her eyes are set on Minako's intensely. Mina feigns not knowing and invites Rei to sit once more. Rei does this time as if sensing this is the only way to start any sort of proper negotiations in terms of talking. "You couldn't sleep?" Rei glares. "What you did at the temple, you had no right." "What I did?" "You know what I mean." Mina thinks it's funny that Rei won't just say it. "You mean when I kissed you?" She leans forward when she asks as if daring Rei to pull back in any way. When Rei refuses to budge, Minako is impressed. "It bothered you so much you had to come here and tell me to my face?" "It isn't the sort of thing you talk about over the phone," Rei says fiercely. She deliberates for some moments and Minako watches her, waiting her out. Rei takes a breath. "You said you were addressing the issue. I don't understand what you mean." Minako sighs and crosses a leg over another staring past the sliding glass doors and outside. "You're joking, aren't you?" She settles her eyes back on Rei who appears to be having a dilemma. "You're usually more talkative. Don't tell me you've gotten shy now." "Had you thought of doing that before?" Rei shakes her head, thinking she's not explaining well enough. "What happened at the shrine," she clarifies. "Yeah." Minako thinks. At least, she has since recovering her memories in this life. The Aino Minako of the past probably hadn't, but she likes to think that she would have been smart enough to figure it out in time. "You hadn't?" There are some moments of silence before she smiles lightly. "I'm embarrassed." But she thinks that Rei is lying. How could it not have occurred to her? Not even the slightest of ideas? Minako thinks that Rei is either very naïve or dense. But it's probably more of the second. Didn't she have even a little crush on her before she died in the past? "You might have mistaken my actions," Rei mumbles quietly. "I was only worried before. It isn't like Mamoru and Usagi or Motoki and Makoto." Minako drapes an arm along the back of the couch and shifts to look at Rei better. "We're both idols for one, and women." Rei doesn't like this explanation. It seems too oversimplified. "I'm not Mars Reiko anymore," she says instead. "Mars Reiko always seemed more fun." Rei frowns at her. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that." "What have you told me?" "Look, I was concerned for you before. I wanted you to be better. We may have had our differences, but I believed we were friends." "And now? Do things change because I'm no longer sick?" "Well, of course things are different now. We no longer have to guard the princess," a shake of her head and she corrects herself, "Usagi. And it doesn't weigh on my mind that you're no longer ill. It's wonderful. More than anything, before I wanted you to be well. I wanted to believe that you would be, no matter what." Minako stares at her, a serious expression on her face. "And when I wasn't?" Rei smiles watery at her before she bows her head. Minako can tell a frown has permeated her expression. "I really thought things were going to work out. I didn't want to trust your pessimism," her voice quivers momentarily. She takes a deep breath. "But when they weren't- and you died..." There's a long pause. Minako's hand settles atop of Rei's. The two of them look at their hands and Rei lifts her head to face Mina. The hand that had formerly rested along the back of the couch now touches her face lightly. Rei wonders if she's absorbing the warmth from Mina's fingertips. She ponders if before, Mina's hands had been cold. She hadn't touched her then so she doesn't have anything to compare it to. "I'm here now." Minako says. "The two of us are, in the present. You were always bothersome because you made me consider other options and think of things I would have preferred not to think about. Maybe I shouldn't have waited so long last time to have the operation but I don't regret it. In the end I chose to have it and it was my decision. Still, that's the past. Maybe I've just taken up your position. We should hold on to the present and not lose opportunities because of fears or other things. But the past should never be forgotten either. If you're still wondering why I kissed you at the temple, that's my answer." When Rei lifts her hand to Minako's which still lingers on her face she doesn't budge though her heart beats irregularly. She wonders if Rei will pull the hand away from her face but no, her fingers circle lightly around Minako's hand. "The past is important," Rei admits as if in thought. "When you first regained your memories, what did you think of me?" "Oh, that?" Minako smiles. "I remembered you being stubborn and not as good a singer as me." Rei looks cross. "If you hadn't been sick I wouldn't have worried as much about you." "Well, that's natural isn't it?" "Still," she ignores her remark, "when everything came back I was happy that you had returned." "You barely glanced at me at first." "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea." "Which would be?" There's a long silence that neither is particularly bothered with. Rei has nearly forgotten that Minako's been touching her face and that Rei herself has clasped the idol's hand. She ponders if the forgetting only came about because it feels natural or if it is some other reason. Either way, she doesn't mind it enough to pull away. With a form of latent dreading moving through her, she admonishes herself for not pointing out that Minako has been moving closer to her. It takes her a few moments to collect herself and her thoughts. She knows that this is the closest she's been to anyone and not only in a physical and intimate way. As much as Rei would like to deny it, she has to face that she and Minako have a bond that she has never been able to find with any other person. Her eyes meet Minako's and she looks grim when she speaks. "I'm sure I won't like it, but can we try it again just to make sure?" Minako's lips become an 'o' for a second but soon she's back to business as usual and has that haughty teasing smile on her face that Rei is well accustomed to. "Is this your way of telling me you want me to kiss you again?" "You're always so arrogant. I just want to be absolutely certain and not think of it again." "I think you want something to brag about." Minako scoots closer again. "Not everyone gets to kiss Aino Minako." "You've forgotten that you kissed me." Minako frowns and mentally gives a point to Rei. "Just because I knew you'd be too scared to do it yourself." "Forget it, I've changed my mind." When Minako kisses her, Rei wonders why everyone makes a big deal about this sort of thing. It's only moments later when she feels a warm feeling spreading through her that she can begin to understand. There's something nice about this that if asked, she wouldn't be able to explain. She feels Minako's fingers threading through her hair delicately and her own lips parting and responding to her. Minako, she knows, will never let her live this down and she can't help but be annoyed at this while at the same time not particularly caring. Everything about Minako right now is so warm and alive, reassuring. She had never intended for this to happen and when they part to breathe Rei searches for anything to say. "Where's Artemis?" She maintains her composure though she is lightheaded and out of breath. "He isn't here." Minako isn't exactly sure where he is, but she assumes it's with Luna and some of the other senshi. Either way, she's happy that it's worked out this way. Even more so when it's Rei who leans forward and catches her lips.
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