Seven Days Without Minako
The morning after Minako’s welcome back party, Rei woke up with a throbbing headache and bleary eyes. She felt like she had a hangover. In reality, she had to assume that Minako just had that effect on her.
She knew her best friend well. She had observed Minako’s critical eyes on her several times the night before and it was clear that the singer had known something was up. She had suspected that Rei was remembering their past lives. But the question was, even if she would admit that her best friend’s suspicions had been correct, what did Minako expect from her? Did she expect Rei to jump into her arms and proclaim her love for her? Rei snorted, and then frowned.
No. That had been Minako’s failing when they were younger, not her own. Rei would not be swayed by decisions made in any past life and Minako knew as much. And if her best friend did want something romantic out of her in this life, a wild thought the miko couldn’t begin to hope was true, then where did that leave her? Was that something she wanted?
With a groan, Rei rolled over and sat up. The rising sun was spilling its golden orange light through the paper coverings on the windows. It was a new day, and she had seven more before she’d get to see Minako again. That was seven days time to sort things out, to learn more about her past self and her past relationship and its impact to her feelings in the present - seven days time to decide what her next move would be.
Rei didn’t need psychic abilities to know it was going to be a long seven days.
OOO
Rei was seething.
It was the third time in as many hours that she’d caught her three novice miko huddled in the courtyard, all crowded around one set of headphones. By now, news of Minako’s Encore Finale concert had reached even the sanctuary of her shrine, and she was wondering when she’d ever hear the end of it. She cruelly imagined the looks of shock she might receive if her young protégé were to learn that she already had tickets to the main event, let alone backstage passes granted by the pop star herself.
One of the girls waved to her from across the way, “Hino-sama! Isn’t Minako-chan the greatest?”
Rei frowned and furiously returned to sweeping the courtyard. Under her breath she grumbled, “Yeah, if you mean the greatest, most stubborn contradiction ever.”
Mars was seething.
All too quick to assign her troops to separate coordinates instead of coordinating their abilities, Venus had divided them, and she didn’t know she was walking into a trap. With a speed she hadn’t even been aware of possessing, Mars flew across the undergrowth of a dense forest. Deliberately disobeying direct orders from her commander, she cursed under her breath.
‘I’m not doing this for her. I’m doing this to prove that I have the better tactic.’ Even as her stressed quads quivered and threatened to give out underneath her, the Martian senshi repeated this mantra to herself as she found yet another burst of speed.
As she closed in on her leader, she watched that infuriatingly beautiful blonde haired warrior as she flipped, dodged, and attacked with a golden chain that had been secured loosely around a slender waist. Slim, yet muscular legs flexed as she dashed from droid to droid. Unaware of the ambush that lay in wait, she picked off the low hanging fruit that were the decoys.
“Behind you!”
Venus spun, affecting a deadly serious defensive position, but she didn’t know what to be more shocked about; that six droids were rushing her, only feet from her position, or that the flames of Mars were close enough to singe the ends of her hair, taking down the four closest to her. With no small amount of effort, she managed to recover her grace and take down the remaining two with an attack of her own.
Mars slid in beside the other woman, placed her back to Venus’, and scanned the quiet wilderness pensively.
Venus calmed her shaking nerves and glared at Mars over her shoulder. “What are you doing?” She hissed.
“Saving your ass! You may be our leader, but no matter how stupid you are for charging headlong into unknown territory after scattering your team to the winds, I’m not going to sit around idly if I can save you!”
For the first time since she’d met their stubborn leader, Mars saw Venus at a loss for words.
A sudden rush shook the forest. Their cover blown, the remaining ten droids didn’t hesitate to rush their prey, and they came at the two senshi from all angles. Venus and Mars pressed up against one another, and without fully understanding what they were doing, combined their formidable strengths, causing the flames of Mars to mingle with the light of Venus in a massive attack that should have been far beyond their skill levels. A bright flash of light enveloped them, and when they could see again, all that was left within a twenty foot diameter was the blackened remains of the forest floor.
Venus was suddenly acutely aware that she was still leaning against Mars’ back, and made a show of standing on her own accord. “You… you had your orders!”
“To let you die out there if this was a real battle?” Mars spun, but faltered when she found herself toe to toe with her leader. Not finding the anger and hatred she’d been expecting, there was a glimmer in those caramel eyes that she couldn’t comprehend, and it frightened her.
Venus’ hand shook as it reached towards her second in command’s face and her voice was a soft whisper when she called the others’ name, “Reiko…”
Mars’ fists clenched. She could fight any number of foes, but she didn’t know how to deal with this pain inside her chest. She turned, and ran.
OOO
The novice miko unsteadily presented a small tray that held two delicate cups. An unnoticed blush covered her face as she looked away from her superior shyly. “Tea or hot chocolate, Hino-sama?”
Barely looking up from the shrine documents she hadn’t really been paying attention to in the first place, Rei nodded her thanks to the young girl. Reaching her hand for the bitter green tea she was so accustomed to, she suddenly changed course, grasping instead the small cup of chocolate.
The young miko bowed slightly before taking her leave. Rei only stared at the cup of still, brown liquid that warmed her chilled hand as though she’d never seen it before.
Minako caught the slight twitch of Reiko’s eye. “Too sweet for you?”
Reiko allowed herself to openly grimace. “What is it with you Venusians and chocolate?”
“We like our sweets.” Minako said coyly. Pinning the other woman with her eyes, she leaned in and briefly captured the other woman’s lips with her own before smoothly taking the cup of chocolate from Reiko’s hands. With a glance over her shoulder, she winked and retreated to the balcony.
‘It doesn’t taste so bad when it’s on her lips.’ The Martian stared after her leader and closest friend dumbly for a moment before she could master control of her legs again in order to follow the seductive vixen.
Swathed in the blue glow of the Earth where it broke over the horizon, Minako sat with her legs swung over the low railing that bordered the balcony outside her room, her eyes trained on the beauty of the courtyard garden. But in Reiko’s eyes, the exotic flowers, the elegant foliage, even the ornate statuary of her surroundings paled in comparison to the beauty that was Venus.
Feeling as though she were an intruder to the scene before her, Reiko hesitantly approached the other woman. Stiffly, she sat next to Minako with her legs on the opposite side of the railing.
“The palace is quiet tonight.” She tried awkwardly.
“Un.” Minako replied. They sat in silence for a moment before she leaned back into her best friend.
It was a cool evening, but as Reiko twined her arms comfortably around Minako’s familiar waist, she realized that she had not only what she needed to keep warm, but that she simply had all she needed.
OOO
The familiar tale of Kaguya-Hime completed, Rei closed the well worn book her mother had often read to her as a child. Having digested the fairy tale, the small group of young children that surrounded her all began talking at once, to which the miko responded with a smile.
“Is there really a Princess of the moon?”
“Of course there is.” Rei replied causally.
“How do you know?”
“Because I happen to know her personally.” Her smart remark was paired with a pinch to the cheek of its asker, and when this gesture brought a blush to his cheeks and laughter to the rest of the children, it was music to her ears.
A group of blonde haired children scrambled over the grassy hill and surrounded the usually formidable red fuku clad Sailor Mars. She smiled patiently at the barrage of questions they had for her. Kneeling down to their level, she addressed each of their questions with a motherly indulgence.
“Aren’t you the Princess of Mars?”
“Are you really friends with the Princess of the moon?”
“My big brother says you’re the strongest of the senshi. I want to be just like you when I grow up!”
Having eventually gotten their fill, the children finally went on their way to their next activity, leaving Mars watching after them, making sure they each got down the hill uninjured.
“Who’d have ever thought the senshi of fire would have such a soft spot for children?”
That singsong voice would have made her hackles rise even just a few short weeks ago, but now, Mars didn’t even bother to hide her tender smile, but only lifted an eyebrow at her companion warningly.
The senshi of love laughed melodically and sauntered over to her closest friend. “Oh come now, Reiko,” She twined an arm around the slightly taller woman’s waist and pulled her toward her to whisper in her ear, “I find it absolutely adorable.”
OOO
There was a special tub on the shrine grounds for higher ranking members of the shrine clergy. Miko though she still was, Rei had seniority on almost any other there. It was an indulgence she rarely allowed herself, but on a cold night like this, especially after several days of collecting memories that were enlightening, frightening, and enticing all at the same time, she was in need of some serious relaxation. It especially hadn’t helped that the emotional rushes associated with each memory had almost always given her a burst of energy that she would siphon into her physical duties around the shrine, and as such, she hoped the soothing waters would do her aching muscles a world of good.
Then again, after being up to the wee hours of the morning trying not to think about Venus Minako or Aino Minako, not for not wanting to think about her best friend, but simply for needing some precious sleep, anything would do her a world of good.
Having showered and cleansed her body first, Rei let her towel fall to the floor before she slowly slipped into the hot water, but even in this sacred place, her memories found her.
Reiko stared in reverent worship as the Venusian princess climbed out of the tub. Resplendent in her nakedness, the jasmine scented suds slid from Minako’s gleaming body as their eyes met.
A knock came at the door, but neither woman flinched.
“My Princess, will you or the Princess Venus be needing any help with your gowns this evening?”
“No. We will not require assistance.” Reiko replied flatly.
“And we won’t be attending the ball, either.” Minako added.
“As you wish, my ladies.”
Reiko raised an eyebrow at her lover’s boldness and then grinned scandalously before her attention returned to where it had previously been, for Minako’s silky, black hair, she decided immediately, which was done up in a tight twist at the top of her head, would be only the first thing to come undone that night.
OOO
She didn’t know what she was looking for. Maybe she was trying to trigger another memory. Maybe she was just killing time, but when she found herself rummaging through her closet, she finally realized what it was that she’d been searching for.
Though it was magical in its powers, and when she’d been a senshi she’d had the ability to summon it at will, its physical presence had to reside somewhere. For the past five years, it had been housed in a non descript cardboard box in the back of her closet. In all its pink, girlish, garishness, Rei picked up her star tambourine gently, knowing that for its tacky façade, it was the host of an infinitely powerful weapon.
And that weapon had a twin that was even more powerful than her own.
She had felt that power once. When Minako had died, she had summoned her leader’s weapon, and had felt Venus’ sword surging to life in her left hand, resonating its power in harmony with its twin in her right. Likewise, Venus had called on Rei’s sword barely a year ago, and though Rei had been unable to participate in the battle against Kuroki Mio, she had surrendered what little power she’d possessed to her leader.
She’d been with Minako in heart.
“Wait, Mars. I want you to take me with you.”
Mars spun and wished she hadn’t, for seeing her bruised and bloodied leader lying prone on the hospital bed only cracked at her defenses. It was all she could do to keep from breaking, let alone give in to any whim Minako desired. She bit her lip and straightened. She had to be the leader now, until Minako regained her strength. They’d discussed this very scenario, but she could have never prepared herself for it.
“No, Minako. Don’t make me say it again.” She barked.
Mars flinched when she felt Minako’s cold hand take her own, her fingers twining with hers briefly, but when the other woman retracted her hand, she felt a foreign object in the wake of the familiar touch. When she looked down to find Minako’s tambourine held loosely in her fingers, her mouth hung open slightly.
“Take me with you through this.” Minako summoned a brave smile for her second in command, to which Mars managed a desperate nod in return. “Now go. I expect a briefing on the results of the mission at 1800 hours.”
Mars stood tall and mastered the sideways smirk she’d learned from her leader. “I’ll have my report to you shortly.”
OOO
Lining up the last number, Rei put the finishing touches on the shrine’s budget report.
After a long day of shrine duties and meditation, the miko had found herself suckered into working in the office on the shrine’s administrative documents for most of the night. Having capitalized on her stay, her elders had taken the opportunity for an evening out on the town, leaving her to their dirty work.
A rumble of her stomach reminded her that she’d forgotten dinner. Clicking off the lamp at the low desk, she pulled away from the warmth of the kotatsu and padded down the empty, quiet halls to the kitchen.
The options presented by the refrigerator proved as exciting as the budget report; some raw vegetables, some old rice and a carton of milk. Perhaps they should have sent her to the grocery store instead of handing her the paperwork.
With little hope, she opened the freezer. When she started laughing at its lone content; a sad, freezer burned bag of eggrolls, her first thought was that the numbers had driven her crazy.
The long haired woman frowned at the two greasy tubes in disgust. “What is that?”
Her glamorous companion giggled as she sauntered into the moon palace’s kitchen. “Silly, they’re called eggrolls.”
“Is it food?” Reiko asked, on the heels of her leader.
Minako’s long suffering roll of her eyes was overly dramatic. “Yes, my suspicious one.”
“From that dreadful planet, I assume?”
“Oh, Reiko, the Earth isn’t that bad.” Minako thrust the plate at her second in command expectantly and picked up a magazine that had been left on the countertop to idly flip through its pages.
Her stomach was at odds with her mind, and though it did smell good, Reiko warily popped their dinner into the food warmer with a certain amount of hesitation. Quickly loosing interest, she glanced at her best friend from the corner of her eye and became transfixed as a lock of silky, black hair fell over Minako’s bare shoulder, coming to rest right above her breast.
The senshi of love released a squeal of surprise that was hushed by familiar lips. Her magazine fell to the floor forgotten as her lover’s arms slipped around her waist and she was pushed back against the edge of the counter.
“Someone might see us.” Minako’s words were a quiet whisper in Reiko’s ear. It was a statement with no inflection, nor was it laced with fear. Ever practical, she was simply identifying a possibility.
“I,” Reiko kissed the corner of Minako’s mouth, “don’t,” she nipped Minako’s bottom lip with her teeth, “care.” Finally, she fully claimed possession of the other woman’s lips.
The Venusian moaned into her lover’s mouth as Reiko’s fingertips teased the hem of her shirt before slipping underneath to caress the smooth skin of her hip, eventually sliding up the flatness of her belly, and then, as Minako’s knee came to rest between Reiko’s legs, settling just below the swell of her breasts-
Reiko paused, her lips hovering over the nape of Minako’s neck. “Do you smell something?”
“The eggrolls!” The two girls shouted in tandem, only to look to the food warmer to find flames consuming their dinner.
The senshi of love acted quickly, extinguishing the fire with a towel. Wearing a wide grin on her lips, Minako tossed the incriminating evidence in the trash before returning to the awkward arms of her best friend.
The senshi of fire looked away somewhat sheepishly, the blush on her cheeks a toss up between embarrassment and arousal, but when Minako took Reiko’s hands, still tingling with the feel of her lover’s skin, and placed them where they’d been only moments before, the Martian smiled and effortlessly found her pace again.
“That’s my little pyro.” Minako purred.
OOO
Rei’s newfound reminiscences weren’t all so enlightening or heart warming. There was something else, something darker and more confusing that continued to drive her.
After six days of trickle down memories, the miko had found herself in the fireroom on almost a daily basis, that lingering prickle of something missing, a particular vision of a wounded Venus and a warning Mars, that had driven her to long bouts of searching for answers before the flame, each time to no avail. As the acidic scent of sulfur she’d come to associate with the well-hidden memory faded from her senses once again, Rei realized she’d failed this time, too.
But the fire wasn’t done with her yet.
Suddenly, she was standing under a black, starless sky, beneath the angled roof of a stadium. She was numb, unseeing, unfeeling. She could sense her friends at her back, their question was obvious; where was their leader?
And then, her voice was raw and not her own, and when the flames of Mars ignited her transformation, she briefly wondered if the fire of her fury would eat her alive. She wasn’t so lucky. Instead, she attacked with a ferocity she hadn’t been capable of harnessing ever before, and when their foes had been eliminated, she had felt herself shaking like a leaf as she fell to her knees, crying out her name,
“Mi…na…ko!”
Rei forcibly severed her link with the sacred flame and collapsed forward, resting on her arms. Her raven hair cascading over her shoulders, falling in her wide, frightened eyes, she wondered why the fire would return her to the single most painful moment in her life.
Minako had been the first to die in this life. Did that mean anything to their past lives?
“Mars, retreat!”
She felt the briefest of connections, but couldn’t quite make the link.
Instead, she collapsed backwards, exhausted. Laying on her back, looking through the open shoji screen doors, the cold winter air chilled her damp skin and she cursed herself for having left the them open in the first place. Too tired to amend the situation, she settled for looking at the world from her upside down vantage point, where the setting sun was caught in the craggy claws of the barren maples. The quiet babbling of a distant koi pond eased her ragged nerves, if only a small amount.
It had been almost a week since Minako had returned to Japan, and in that time, Rei had accomplished what she’d planned to do. She’d waited, and she’d learned. She’d come to understand her past life. And although she’d regained other memories as well; ones more… mundane; memories of her comrades Jupiter and Mercury, her beloved Princess Serenity, her honorable Queen, and their teachers, Luna and Artemis, all these memories paled in comparison to the importance of the relationship that Reiko and Minako had shared.
And she’d found that the knowledge of their relationship hadn’t affected her own original attraction to her best friend, the attraction she’d felt for Minako five years ago that had steadily grown ever since. The attraction she had never acted on.
But now what? So she was as, if not more, attracted to her best friend than ever. That still didn’t change the fact that she didn’t know what Minako wanted. She still didn’t know why Minako had wanted her to remember her past life.
Her best friend had remained as unreadable in this life as she had in the past, but if she was to believe that Minako wanted the same thing she wanted, where did that leave her? For no matter how badly she seemed to long for Minako, the mere thought of letting anyone, even her best friend, get that close to her, was a frightening thought for Rei.
And now, the concert was tomorrow. But was she ready to face Minako again?
OOO
“Okay, Aino-chan! One more time from the top!”
Minako grit her teeth, plastered a smile onto her lips that didn’t reach her eyes, and stepped back up to the microphone. Aside from the fact that she’d steadily gotten more and more fed up with the exhaustion of touring, of singing the same songs over and over, of dealing with the same routine in a different city all the time, this wasn’t the cause of Minako’s restless anxiety.
With her Encore Finale concert less than twenty four hours away, all she could think about was Hino Rei. Had she done the right thing by giving the miko space to think things through on her own? Could this be their chance to finally address their feelings or was she only setting herself up for a painful rejection?
Was her tactic working, or would it only backfire?
Only one thing was certain, and it was a conclusion Minako didn’t want to accept; only time would tell.
OOO
Author’s notes:
I’m a little mixed on this chapter. Although I like each memory and think they add to the overall plot, I don’t like how fragmented the overall chapter is. Actually, I think this entire chapter is just an excuse for the eggroll scene. It was one of the single most enjoyable scenes I’ve ever written. . In all though, I feel like you guys got jipped with this chapter.
OOO
Chapter 6 Preview:
Minako smiled softly and rested her hand lightly on Rei’s thigh. “It’s late, and it’s cold. Why don’t we go back to my place and-" Minako could feel the miko’s muscles quivering under hand. “Rei?”
The long haired woman finally looked her best friend in the eye. “You were right. My past is returning.”
The singer fought back a gasp at hearing the one thing she’d waited to hear for what had seemed like endless years. “Then you-“
Rei forged forward, feeling that she had to get this out now or she’d never say it at all. “And I’m sorry that… you’ve been calling to me all this time and I’ve never really listened until now.”
‘An apology?’ Minako asked herself with wide eyes. The miko never apologized! The singer’s mind raced and got the better of her. ‘Could Rei and I be on the same page after all this time?’
Minako’s voice was a whisper. “Reiko…”
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