"See? I told you it wasn't that bad." Minako frowned. "Alright, apparently we were listening to two different Ami's." "Relax. It's just a few bruises." "A few? Rei, you still have handprints on your throat." "They'll fade." "How can you be so calm about this?" the blonde demanded. "Well, I don't know. How can you be so hysterical?" "I'm going to pretend you didn't say that." "Good." Rei replied with a grin. "I'd really hate it if you dropped me." "I don't even think this is a good idea." Minako grumbled. "You should be in bed, resting." "And I will be, in my own bed." The blonde laughed nervously. "Um...about that..." "What?" "Nothing, nothing..." Mars winced and shifted the arm currently slung over Minako's shoulder as she limped down the corridor. "What did you do to my room?" “I just borrowed it while you were gone.” Rei sighed. “Why do I suddenly have horrific visions of butterflies and flowers?” “Oh, stop it. You know as well as I do that my fetish is strictly pink silk.” The fire soldier paled. “Oh no. Did I hurt you?” Venus cried worriedly. “No. But you are scaring me.” Minako giggled. “I wouldn’t do anything like that, so relax.” “I don’t know...” Venus rolled her eyes. “I have more respect than that. “ “Yeah, we’ll see.” Rei scoffed as they rounded the corner albeit slower than she would have liked. She hated being wounded, and if there was anything she hated more than that, it was needing help. She shouldn’t have been surprised really, now that she thought about it. She should have guessed that the minute she pushed herself out of bed with every intention of sleeping in her own room, the blonde at her side would have thrown a fit. And she had, even offering to carry the soldier to her room. Like the Martian would let that happen. Venus just had to settle for escorting Rei through the palace, and as much as she hated to admit it, she did need the help. Her whole body throbbed, and all of Ami’s poking and prodding looking for more serious injuries hadn’t helped matters. A bath. That’s what she needed. A nice hot bath. “I want a bath.” Rei mumbled, a little whinier than she had intended. “Really? That’s a shame, ‘cause this whole blood, sweat, and bruises thing is turning me on.” Minako replied coolly. Mars flushed. “Knock it off.” “Heh. Admit it. Now you‘re all hot and bothered.” “Smartass.” “Watch it. I will drop you.” Minako warned playfully. “My hero.” Mars drawled. Venus responded by giving her a quick peck on the cheek and a nervous smile. “We’re here. Just lean up against the wall for a minute so I can get the door open.” The fire soldier nodded mutely, grimacing when her shoulder popped loudly in protest. Minako was back by her side, carefully winding her arm around the Martian’s waist and helping her through the doorway. “There we go. Just um...watch your step.” “My step?” Rei surveyed her room, jaw dropping in shock. Her room had always had a perfect sense of harmony, everything where it belonged, neat and tidy, no extras or clutter. She had a soldier’s room, clean and clear of any non-essentials. But not anymore. It had been completely trashed. The blonde’s clothing littered the room, and things had been tossed about haphazard. She squinted downwards at the long, pink fuzzy thing running the length of her bed on the floor. “What the hell is that??” “Um...a rug?” “That I can see. But why does it have fur?” “My feet were cold!” Minako squeaked out. “I have no idea how you can live in such a cold, empty room.” Rei sighed, and glanced about at the clothing covering every possible inch of her room. “And I don’t understand. I was only gone for a little while. How could you have possibly gone through that many articles of clothing?” “I was nervous. And stressed. Very stressed. Spent a lot of time in here pacing. Are you mad?” Mars surveyed the remains of her sanctuary and laughed. “No. I’m not sure why, but no.” “Good. Let’s get you into bed, and I’ll run you a bath.” “Best idea I’ve heard yet.” Rei replied, limping through the path Minako graciously made for her by kicking things aside. The fire soldier lay back on her mattress, groaning slightly as the motion put strains on her bruised ribs. She rested her head back on a wonderfully soft pillow, and let out a sigh of contentment. This satisfied the blonde, who trotted off to run the bath as promised. Rei draped an arm over her eyes and chuckled quietly. After everything that had gone on lately, she felt like it was a crime to get angry at Minako. Had the situations been reversed, Mars was almost certain she would have holed herself up in the blonde’s room, with less destructive consequences of course. That aside, she just couldn’t get comfortable, and figured it had something to do with the uneven angle her pillow was positioned in. She frowned lightly, and slid her hand under her pillow to find whatever it was that was making such an uncomfortable lump, half expecting to find more clothing. What she did feel, however, was a furry limb. She slid the item out from under her head, and held it up where she could see it. A stuffed bear. A very mangled stuffed bear. Minako popped into the room from the doorway to the bath and gave her a smile. “How are you feeling?” “Wonderful. What’s this?” the Martian questioned, dangling the bear out in front of her by a tattered limb. The blonde’s face fell. “You don’t remember?” Rei shook her head guiltily, but Minako burst into a bright smile anyway. "Hey, it's alright, don't worry about it." She crossed the room and retrieved her childhood friend, holding the bear upright. "This is Mister Booboo Alfred Whitmore Sprinkle Sparkle the Third." "...are you serious?" The blonde blinked. "Yes." "Figures." "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Venus asked indignantly. Mars laughed quietly. “It’s just typical for you, I guess.” “Yeah, well, you laughed at me back then too.” “I did?” “Oh yeah. You and the bear go way back.” Rei arched an eyebrow. “Now you’re just making that up.” The blonde shook her head and grinned. "You even took him hostage once. Haruka almost beat you senseless." The fire soldier let out a huff of air. "I suppose it's a good thing I can't remember that." "She was just trying to be a hero." Minako replied, smiling fondly at the memory. "The princess and I had tried to get you to dress up into something frilly, but you wanted no part of it." "There's a shock." Mars deadpanned. "We tried to corner you, but you bolted and got a hold of my bear, threatening to rip his arms off. Of course, I got all upset, and Haruka being who she is, threatened to rip your arms off if you didn’t return him.” The blonde giggled. “End result, I got my bear back, and you ended up in a frilly little pink dress.” Rei laughed quietly. “Now I really dislike that bear. But tell me something. Why was it under my pillow?” “I guess he’s a comfort thing, you know? I’ve had him about as long as I can remember, and it made me feel better to have him close by.” she smiled again, and it brightened the dark room. “Some leader, huh? I need a stuffed bear to fall asleep.” “I won’t say anything if you won’t.” the fire soldier replied quietly. “And for what it’s worth, you’re a good leader.” “You’re sure you’re not just a little biased when you say that?” Rei smiled. “Hey, I mean it. I thought it even before all of this happened.” Minako fidgeted with her bear. “I still think you’d be better at it than me.” “Yes, because my random acts of violence have paid off well.” the Martian replied, gesturing to her banged up body. “You hold the rest of us together, even during times of crisis. I could never do something like that. I get an idea into my head, I go with it, and it usually ends in great deals of unpleasantness.” “Funny.” Venus said, cocking her head. “I used to think that we fought so much because you had an issue with me being the leader.” “No. We fought so much because you aggravated me.” Minako smirked. “Not as much as you annoyed me.” “Maybe this really was meant to be.” “I keep telling you that, but you won’t listen.” the blonde replied, laying the bear down. “And I do think your bath is ready, so let’s get you into it.” -- “Oh my God.” “What, do I really look that bad without clothes?" Minako flushed. "That's NOT what I meant." "Alright. Just checking." "I had no idea you were banged up this badly." Mars winced as she lowered herself into the tub. "She got a few lucky shots in." "A few?" "I don't understand why everyone is making such a big deal about it. It's our job to get beaten up." "Rei, we have to face this woman in less than a week. If she can do this to you, what can she do to our army??" Mars swallowed hard. She knew how the blonde felt. After her last encounter with that witch, she really didn't want to face her again, and to be quite honest, she was terrified of the damage Beryl could do, after experiencing it first hand. "Hey, Mina, worrying about it now isn't going to help anything, you know? We just have to keep taking it one day at a time." "Rei?" "Yeah?" "What if these are the only days we have left?" "Easy." The Martian replied as calmly as she could. "We make these the best days we've ever had." "Aren't you scared?" 'Fucking terrified. I'll lose you, I'll lose my friends, I'll lose everything I've ever cared about.' The fire soldier shook her head. “No. Desperation is the best motivation, and she is no God by any means.” ‘Tell yourself something long enough, and it starts to become true.’ Minako dropped to her knees beside the clawed bathtub, and wrapped her arms around the Martian's shoulders from behind. “I’ve never been so scared.” "It'll be alright. I promise." Mars replied gently, reaching up and back to stroke her cheek with the back of her hand. 'If I only knew today what I knew yesterday. I think my whole life has been backwards.' Venus let out a choked sob near the soldier's ear, and Rei felt her heart break. What had happened to the sweet, cheerful girl she had fallen in love with? Who was this terrified girl holding on to her now, shaking to the bone? "Minako...why don't you join me? There's plenty of room." Rei felt rather than saw the blonde nod in response, and the arms that had been wrapped around her shoulders disappeared. She rested her head back against the edge of the tub, closing her eyes and willing her hammering heart to slow down. She made it a point, then and there, to make sure the next few days would be the most enjoyable Minako had ever had. There was a gentle rustle of fabric as Venus disrobed, and Rei held out a hand to help steady the blonde as she stepped into the bath. Minako flushed prettily, taking the offered hand gracefully as she slid into place across from the fire soldier. “You okay?” Minako sniffled and laughed quietly. “I’m sorry. I think all the stress from the past few days finally hit me.” “I think I know what you mean. Come over here?” The blonde smiled and it lit up the room, putting Rei at ease almost instantly. It was amazing really, what she could do to the fire soldier without saying a word. “Oh Rei, putting the moves on me?” Mars arched an eyebrow. “Alright, but are you sure this is a good idea? You’re still all banged up.” “I’ll be fine. Just get over here.” "How about we do this my way?" Venus murmured softly, guiding the fire soldier towards her instead. Rei didn't protest as Minako wound her arms around her waist, and pulled the Martian back against her chest. "Let me help you, alright? Just lean against me." The raven haired girl complied, sighing as the warmth of the water and her lover eased away her pains. -- "Are you feeling better?" "I'm actually a little more worried about you." Rei replied softly, easing herself down onto her bed. "You're not acting like yourself, and it's a little scary." Minako grinned. "I guess that makes us even." The fire soldier tilted her head. "Two points for your side. I'll give you that." The blonde laughed quietly and dropped herself down on the mattress, bouncing Mars rather violently. "You know, Mina, for someone so small, you can throw your weight around." "Are you implying that I've gotten fat?" "Uh, no. That's why I started that sentence with someone so small..." “Right." Venus ran her fingers through damp raven locks, and pressed a kiss to Rei's temple. "How about we get some rest? You really need to heal up." "Promise me something first." "What's that?" Minako asked gently. "You'll be here when I wake up." The blonde was taken aback. "Where else would I be?" Rei grinned sheepishly. "I'm not sure. But I just can't shake this feeling." "It's going to be okay." Minako replied softly. "I'll be here." The Martian wrapped an arm haphazard around the blonde's waist, pulling her closer and kissing her tenderly, reveling in the warmth. Minako tasted like everything sweet and pure, and it twisted her heart in her chest to think about what she had almost lost. Everything with the blonde felt new, and she wasn't sure if it was parts she had lost, or just the simple fact that she could be near her again. Mars buried her face in Minako's shoulder and let out a shaky sigh. Everything just felt so goddamned scary right now. Venus said nothing as she eased herself back onto the mattress, bringing Mars down with her. -- Bright sunlight poured through the open window, and Rei growled as the golden rays stirred her from her slumber. One more night gone. That meant yet another day lost. That thought alone snapped her awake, causing her muscles to tense. She stifled a groan and willed herself to relax, lest she wake the blonde sleeping so peacefully on her chest. Mars shifted herself just enough to drop a kiss on the top of Minako's head, and idly began running her fingers through the golden waterfall splayed across them both. Four days. Just four days.
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