Rei sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time, her anger radiating off of her. Her amethyst eyes stared out of the backseat window of Makoto's car, not particularly looking at anything. All she could think about was how her odango-haired princess had ruined her day of well-deserved alone time with Minako. 'Damn her for being born today! Why couldn't she have popped her little odango-headed-self out tomorrow? Or even yesterday?' She let out another sigh. 'Okay, so maybe I'm being a little harsh... After all, Usagi did help bring Minako and I together... And OK, it wasn't very nice of me to forget her birthday... But still! Baka Moon-bunny!' Minako glanced at the passenger side rearview mirror and saw Rei's reflection projected back at her. She frowned sadly at the expression on the raven-haired girl's face. 'Poor Rei-chan, she looks so upset. Although...how could we have forgotten today was Usagi-chan's birthday party? She's only been mentioning it since the middle of May. Then again, summer vacation DOES throw everyone's sense of time out of wack. But then again...' she smiled as she leant back into her seat, her baby blue eyes still glued on her lover's reflection. 'My mind-set is always thrown-off when I'm with Rei.' She allowed her mind to go over every moment leading up to the day where she and Rei finally found each other. It was almost like a movie to her. 'Yeah, like a romantic-comedy! But with gross monsters and teen-aged girls dressed in skimpy outfits! But I guess the whole 'girls in skimpy outfits thing' isn't too uncommon when it comes to any movie...' After many unsuccessful dating stints, Minako had herself convinced that she was meant to be alone. She felt like her senshi title eluded her, and even cursed her. Sure, teen-agers were supposed to have relationships that ended badly and tore their hearts apart, but none of Minako's relationships even got that far. Right before she told herself she would allow herself to fall for the guy this time and let herself go, the guys either broke it off or turned into complete asses. It didn't help that Rei tried to talk her out of every relationship she ever got into, either. For a while Minako thought Rei was jealous at first, (not over the boys at the time, of course; Minako could've never imagined Rei was interested in her) though she had no idea as to why. Guys were constantly begging to go out with her, but she always told them off and scared them away. The only one to ever stick around and keep on with his mission to attain her as his girlfriend was Yuuichiro-though he had yet to succeed. It wasn't until one cloudy, humid, and otherwise uninteresting day when Minako became aware, somewhat painfully aware of Rei's hidden feelings for her. The study group was moved to Minako's apartment that day since the shrine was being renovated, and grandpa feared five, very good-looking teen-aged girls would distract the men doing the job. Rei had rolled her eyes at her grandfather's mischievous grin but complied. Makoto's house was out since her fridge was empty (probably from a certain blonde's last visit), Ami's mother was at home sleeping (she worked the nightshift) so THAT was a no-go, but Minako's fridge was fully stocked, and her Mom would be at work until 11. Gradually the food began to disappear and the group started to dwindle down until only Usagi, Rei, and Minako were left. Minako glanced over at Rei frequently, taking notice of how she'd barely said two words to her the whole night. What was even stranger was how she made sure to break eye contact immediately the moment their eyes caught each other's. It made Minako uneasy. Had she done something wrong? Said something offensive? She racked her brain for almost two hours but nothing came to mind. She watched as Rei performed her usual routine of teasing Usagi, a familiar yet so unfamiliar feeling welling up within her. 'She's never been seriously mad at Usagi before. She's been upset with me, Makoto, the outers, and even Ami, but never with Usagi-chan. And I...' She continued to watch as Usagi tried to pout at Rei but instead broke out into laughter with Rei following close behind. The feeling became worse. 'I think I'm jealous of Usagi. But why? They've always been close and I've never felt so... Ugh!' She heard Usagi let out a loud grunt and turned her head towards the girl. "Well guys, it's been tons of fun but Mamo-chan is coming to get me in a few minutes." She gathered her books in her arms and stood up from the cushion she'd been sitting on. Minako and Rei stood up as well, the latter also gathering up her belongings. "Usa-chan," Rei began, and Minako flinched at the pet name. "Do you think Mamoru could give me a ride ho-" Usagi cut her off. "Ahh, no! No, I DON'T think he can! Maybe Minako-chan could walk you half-way home? Well, I have to go, bye!" With her speedy good-bye, the blonde was out the door and down the stairs in five seconds flat. How she managed not to trip, neither Rei or Minako knew. "Usagi!" Rei called after her. In response, she and Minako heard a small giggle then the front door slam shut. Rei rolled her eyes and sighed, a hand coming up to rub the bridge of her nose. "Rei-chan?" Rei hesitated for a moment but then turned her head towards Minako. As soon as she saw those big, azure eyes looking at her worriedly, she felt her knees begin to grow weak. She forced herself to look away. "Hmm?" "Why have you been ignoring me all night?" Rei knew that question was coming. She'd felt Minako staring at her the entirety of the night, the hurt radiating from her stare. She'd been hoping she could escape with Usagi, but it seemed the Moon Princess had other plans in mind. "I...haven't," she lied. She rolled her eyes at how unconvincing her voice sounded. But...it was always hard for her to pretend-especially with the blonde senshi in front of her. Minako's brow furrowed. "It sounds like you can't even convince yourself. What's up with you, Rei? You and I-we've... Things are different between us lately. I've been thinking back on the past week, and I can't figure out what it is that I did to make you distance yourself from me." Rei couldn't find her voice or her usual strong will to express her feelings. To admit what she feeling- even to herself- could put so many people at risk. Too much was at stake and she would NOT let herself screw anything up-especially her friendship with Minako. However, it seemed as if she were already doing a decent job at that. Minako grew irritated at Rei's recent vow of silence. The girl never held her tongue before; why was the current situation any different? Before she could stop herself, she marched forward and grasped Rei's shoulders roughly with her hands. The priestess jumped at the contact. "Answer me, Rei-chan!" she cried out. "Tell me what I did wrong, because...because I can't stand this horrible feeling!" Rei's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. "W-What?" "You and Usagi... I don't... You two are so close and I..." Minako turned her eyes towards the navy carpet, ashamed to admit that perhaps she was in fact envious...of Usagi. It wasn't right. Soldiers couldn't feel such a sinful emotion towards their princesses they'd sworn to protect. "What does Usagi have to do with anything?" Rei gazed at her comrade intensely. She stepped forward, rapidly closing any remaining distance between them. "Minako...talk to me. This-is so unlike you." She frowned, muttering to herself, "so unlike me." "Listen, Mina, we need to talk." She decided she'd go against her better judgment. She couldn't lie to Minako anymore... She'd have to tell her, and then, although things seemed to be tense, would be the best time to do so. "Ever since the fight between us and Galaxia, I've been thinking a lot. A WHOLE lot. I can hardly sleep anymore because of it. It's just that... Well, that was the one time I had any doubt in my mind that we wouldn't come back; that THAT moment would be it. I would never tease Ami about some boy at the Crown that she thought was cute, but was too shy to talk to, ever again... I would never marvel at how Mako could have four things going on the stove and then two different foods in the oven, and still manage to make all of them come out perfectly, ever again... I'd never fight with Usagi over who was the better leader ever again, and worst of all..." She blushed slightly. "I'd never just get to be around you anymore, get to see you. I'd never get to look at that smile of yours, or hear that laugh whenever you and I crack-up about the most recent Sailor V. comic, and how they totally screwed up your personality." Minako's eyebrows upturned and her head dropped. "I hate telling anyone about things like this. How I'm feeling. It makes me feel like I'm weak, like I can't handle things on my own. It worries me when I need other people to depend on. But, I..." Rei trailed off, slowly bringing her gaze on to the blonde. "Minako-chan, I like you. I like you more than I've ever liked anyone in my life, and it's terrifying." She paused, waiting for Minako's reaction. There wasn't one. Taking this as an awkward but appropriate time to escape, she began to turn, only to have Minako grab her arm. The goddess of love rose her glassy blue orbs to Rei's worried amethyst ones. Her lips parted, her white teeth showing slightly. "I like you too," she replied breathlessly, and for a moment, she could barely believe what she'd admitted. Rei's heart began pounding quickly in her chest. Minako...liked her?! As in 'more than a friend'?! Her question was answered when those pink lips which parted only moments ago were upon hers. The kiss was somewhat like how Rei dreamt it would be-soft, light, teasing, and short. Very short. Too short for Rei's liking. Minako pulled back quicker than she'd moved in. Her cheeks were flushed, and her lips had darkened a shade. She kept her eyes glued to Rei's. Although she was partially embarrassed and nervous, being shy-especially when it came to matters of the heart- was something she rarely ever was. Rei's coloring in her face was similar to Minako's, her usual pale skin taking on a crimson glow. "Sorry," Minako whispered, almost inaudibly. Rei blinked. "Are you really...?" Minako licked her own lips, her taste buds picking up a faint hint of sugar from Rei's tea. "...No." She moved in again, this time wrapping her arms around Rei's neck and laying a lengthier kiss on the priestess' lips. Rei's arms snaked around Minako's waist, pulling their bodies as close as they could get. They stayed this way for a few minutes, barely noticing they were moving closer to Minako's door that Usagi had left slightly open since her departure. Rei's back collided with the door, causing it to slam shut. Meanwhile, Mrs. Aino opened the door to the apartment she shared with her teen-aged daughter and husband (whenever he was in fact there), glad to be home from her long day at work at a doctor's office. Sure she was just a secretary, and it was a rather easy job for her, but it was painfully boring most of the time, especially when her favorite gossiping partners were scheduled to work at a different office on certain days-which they had been that particular day. Luckily, the head doctor had gotten sick and cancelled all of his evening appointments, meaning the staff was free to head to their lovely abodes and relax for the rest of the night. After placing her heels near the front door, Mrs. Aino hung her keys on the key-hook, seeing that her daughter's were dangling off of it as well. She smiled at the cute, mini-chibi plushy keychain of Sailor V. that belonged to her daughter, knowing how much Minako was addicted to the show and the comic. 'It's probably because they look so much alike.' She eyed the keychain thoughtfully. 'VERY alike.' She shrugged and padded over to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator, desperate for some kind of nourishment. She spotted a microwavable meal, debating with herself before grabbing it. 'With my hubby out of town, it's not like I really have to watch my figure much, eh?' As she waited for her dinner to heat up, Mrs. Aino sat on her couch and flipped on the television, surfing through the channels to find something that would catch her interest. She settled on a make-over show after about two clicks. Mere seconds into the show, she heard her daughter's door close loudly. She rose an eyebrow. "Minako?" she called, slowly rising from the couch. Feeling that her woman's intuition was strong-and usually right- she decided to investigate. It wasn't as if her daughter never slammed her door, but she felt like there was more to it-that her daughter was up to something. She began her short trip up the stairs and then descended down the hall. She paused when she heard the floor creak from Minako's room. She poked her head out slightly, listening for further noise. Some shuffling was heard, along with a peculiar sound. Her curiosity got the best of her, so she placed her hand on Minako's doorknob and began to turn. She pushed the door with a small amount of force, hoping to give her daughter time to get herself-and whoever was in the room with her- together. However, when the door didn't budge, she grew even more suspicious. She applied more pressure, but the door STILL wouldn't give. Mrs. Aino sighed heavily, realizing she'd have to break it up the hard way. "Minako," she said. No answer. She frowned. "Mi-na-ko," she enunciated. Rei and Minako abruptly stopped with their heated make-out session when they heard the voice of Minako's mother calling to her daughter...and her voice was VERY close. Minako's eyes grew considerably when she heard her mother repeat her name. Rei seemed to reflect the same expression, and she gulped loudly. "Minako, open the door right this minute!" Mrs. Aino spoke loudly. "She's outside the door?!" Minako mouthed, and Rei shook her head. Minako backed off of Rei and glanced around the room. Rei made the move to get off the door when Minako held her hand up and stopped her. "Lean on it for a few more seconds, Rei-chan!" she whispered. The blonde grabbed one of Rei's books (apparently the priestess had dropped them earlier) and tossed it to Rei. Being caught off guard, the brunette barely caught the book and slipped out a very audible, "Damn!". She glared at Minako but caught on to her plan. She felt Mrs. Aino push the door once again, this time almost opening it. Minako went back over to Rei and gestured toward the bed. Rei shook her head and quickly tip-toed over to it, cracking open the book and sitting cross-legged on top of the comforter. After an affirmative nod between the two teens and a quick pat down of their hair, Minako reached for the door handle. However, before she could, her aggravated mother swung the door open... And smacked her daughter right in the face. The fiasco ended with a bloody nose and a partially bruised cheek for Minako, but she saw that day as much more. It turned out that Usagi had intentionally set up the two. She'd told Rei's grandfather to come up with a fathomable excuse to move the study group in the first place, then asked Makoto to decline the offer to have it her house because she'd supposedly 'ran out of food'...which Usagi made sure of, of course. Ami's mother had in fact really been home, and actually encouraged the study meeting at the apartment, but with a strange and confusing explanation from her daughter's odango-haired friend, the apartment suddenly became unavailable as well. The only problem in the whole plan was obviously Minako's mother, who of course she hadn't anticipated. 'But that's alright,' Minako thought to herself with a smile, peering some more at Rei in the back seat. 'Her intentions were good, and everything worked out...for the most part. Usagi-chan is such a great friend. That's probably why she's the princess, because Kami-sama knows she certainly lacks the grace and sophistication...' Minako looked away from the mirror and leant back in her seat. 'In any case, Usagi deserves to have the best seventeenth birthday she could possibly have, and I'll make sure of that! I just hope Rei and I will be able to keep our hands off each for most of the night...' Minako grinned and scratched the back of her head. She put on a determined mask and thrust her fist into the air, barely grazing the ceiling of the car. Makoto, the driver, eyed her suspiciously. "Minako-chan...?" 'I can do it!'
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