ONLY LOVE CAN CONQUER HATE
By SailorJane & Anonymous
CHAPTER 5
“VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!”
A crowd was gathered around the busy afternoon street where Sailor V was fighting a monster. The enemy looked like a giant praying mantis: green, giant spears for hands, and horrible looking bug-eyes. The police gathered around trying to hold back the crowd. Only a couple seconds earlier, Sailor V had warned the cops not to interfere; only her powers could destroy this fiend. Another strong kick to the enemy’s head knocked him to the ground. But he was determined. He got back up and swung his spear-hand towards the super hero, unsuccessfully. Sailor V was agile and moved quickly. Unfortunately for her, the youma was also agile and evaded her Crescent Beam shots.
Watching the battle at the front of the large crowd was Raye Hino, in full priestess garb. She could hear the commotion from her temple and ran to see what was going on. Standing before her was the girl she had previously only seen in the newspapers and television. Despite the intense scene of violence, Raye was watching Sailor V with strong admiration. It was the way the super-hero moved, so gracefully like an Olympic gymnast, juxtaposed with the fighting power of a kickboxer.
However, Raye was feeling more for this super-hero than simple admiration. ‘She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.’ The priestess thought. Wait what? Why is she thinking of Sailor V in that way? Raye was as boy-crazy as anyone, even if she was more reserved than other girls. She couldn’t possibly be attracted to this girl, could she?
The monster managed to kick Sailor V hard into the chest, the first blow he managed to obtain. The crowd was shocked to see Sailor V now on her back, the monster advancing towards her. A sudden feeling of fear overcame Raye; something deep in her subconscious told her to help the fighter: “Sailor V!” She shouted.
Raye evaded the policemen and ran towards the enemy. The youma was now distracted by this priestess’ presence. She pulled out one of her Ofuda scrolls and placed it in front of her face. A strange wave of energy surrounded the priestess as she closed her eyes. As soon as she opened them, she shouted:
“Evil Spirit, BE GONE!”
She threw the charm into the enemy’s face, casing him to scream and move around erratically. Raye could not believe what she had just done. Her focus now turned to Sailor V who jumped up and ran towards her. The blonde superhero grabbed Raye and pulled her away from the trashing monster. The raven-hair did not protest, but felt a shiver down her spine as Sailor V held onto her. As she wrapped her own arms around the superhero, she looked at her face. Time seemed to temporarily stop as Raye stared at the young girl’s beauty. It was difficult to study her face, because her red mask covered her eyes. But there was no mistaking that Sailor V was a living carnation of the Roman Goddess of Love, Venus.
Venus had her mind solely and protecting the priestess and destroying the enemy once and for all. With one hand free, she pointed her index finger towards the foe:
“VENUS CRESCENT BEAM SMASH!”
A direct hit this time as Sailor V’s beam lit up the enemy causing him to scream and disintegrate on the street. The crowd began to cheer. The heroine sighed as the monster disappeared and turned to the priestess, still in her arm staring at her. Both of them smiled:
“Thanks for your help sister,” she said sweetly. Raye smiled back, even if Sailor V had her confused for a nun. “You got some fire in you, I like that.”
Even through her priestess garb, Sailor V could admire Raye’s beauty. Her bangs reaching down to her eyes revealed a mysterious nature to her personality.
“Glad to help you Sailor V,” Raye said without fear, “I almost hate to sound like a fangirl, but I’m a huge fan of yours-“
Sailor V let go of the girl and began making her way towards a nearby building. The crowd began advancing on her. “Take care,” Sailor V said to the girl as she jumped clear up onto a tall building and disappeared. The crowd groaned seeing her escape but Raye didn’t give up so easy:
“Wait!” Raye said as she ran to the building. She couldn’t get inside the apartment building, but the Priestess could see a narrow alleyway just off to the side. She walked sideways in the narrow alley and came to a back area. She quickly spotted a fire-escape and quickly climbed up. Raye was in incredible shape so it took very little time for her to get up twelve stories. She came to top of the building and saw Sailor V crouched down with her back to her. In her hand were her red glasses. Even from behind, Sailor V had a muscular, yet feminine form. The heroine appeared to be resting, but Raye wanted to talk to her.
“Sailor V?”
A slight jolt of surprise, the blonde immediately put her glasses back on and turned around. She wasn’t sure who it was, but was relieved to see the priestess standing before you.
“Oh,” she sighed, “It’s you.”
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Raye began walking towards her, “I’m Raye, Raye Hino. I work at the Hikawa Shrine down the street.”
“Nice to meet you Raye,” Sailor V was very warm. She held her hand out for Raye to shake. Raye grabbed Sailor V’s gloved hand.
“You too,” The priestess smiled, “I’m sure I speak for the whole city when I say I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, and for being a strong role model for young girls everywhere!”
“Well,” Mina smiled, “All in a day’s work as those old super heroes would say.”
Raye could almost feel a sense of power illuminating from her hand, she didn’t want to let go.
“Wow,” Raye said looking down as her fingers interlaced with the heroine’s, “Your hand feels so warm and… comforting.” She looked in the girl’s hidden eyes, “Is it okay if I hold it for a while?”
“Sure,” Sailor V said feeling a strange sense of adoration which caused her to stare at the raven-haired girl, “Your hand feels nice too.”
“Thank you,” Raye said and the two stood hand in hand silently. Perhaps it was love at first sight that struck the two, but Raye quickly threw the thought out of her mind. The awkward silence between the two girls became very intense as their eyes studied each other. The raven-hair cleared her throat, “So what are you doing up here?”
Sailor V regained her composure and stood tall, “Oh, well this is almost like my backstage area before I go out to face fans and the press.”
“Yeah,” Raye laughed, “The press certainly loves you.”
“I guess,” Mina replied, “But even so it’s just kind of tiring having to talk to them after a heated battle like that. I got a lot of deals going down too. Nintendo want to make a video game out of Sailor V.”
“I guess being an Idol is not all it’s cracked up to be.”
“Oh no,” Sailor V said, “I love it, don’t get me wrong. But the responsibilities of being a super hero are not so great.” She smiled at her friend, “You seem to have some fight in you. Where did you learn how to use those charm things of yours?”
“I’m not sure,” Raye answered, “I was kind of born with these powers of the Shinto. You should come down to the Shrine someday, we do a lot of work for the community-“
“Where is your Temple?” Mina asked.
From the rooftop, the two girls could see everything. With her hand still holding Sailor V’s, Raye pointed the blonde’s finger to the temple, “Right there.”
Mina adjusted her glasses and could see it quite clearly, “Oh wow, it’s beautiful.” She let go of Raye’s hand and pulled her left glove down to her wrist. A small watch revealed itself, “Well I better get going.” The soldier gave Raye a hug and began to walk towards the edge of the building, “It was great talking to you Raye. Thanks again for the help.”
“Wait!” Mars held her hand out towards her. Sailor V turned around. “When can I see you again?”
Sailor V shrugged her shoulders, “Who knows, I might just surprise you.” She blew the Raven-hair a kiss and jumped off the building. Raye only heard the sounds of applause as Sailor V disappeared from her sight.
The rest of the afternoon went uneventful as Raye finished her daily chores. Her grandpa was talking with visitors. Raye spent every afternoon alone attending to her duties. It was a lonesome existence but she was used to it. Just as Raye put her broom down, a young girl walked up the Shrine’s long staircase.
“Hi,” she said.
The girl was blonde, with blue eyes. She was around Raye’s height, probably the same age and grade as her. She wore a red bow in her hair, much like Sailor V. Raye couldn’t help but stare at the girl. She almost looked exactly like the hero she had met a few hours before. It was difficult to study her body because she was wearing her winter school uniform.
“This is the Hikawa Shrine?” The girl asked. She almost spoke in a somewhat ditzy valley-girl voice.
Raye walked towards the girl slowly, “Yes it is, can I help you?”
“I’m just checking this place out,” she said looking around at the well-maintained shrine, “I’ve walked by here hundreds of times but I’ve never actually come in.”
The girl may have looked like Sailor V, but her personality and voice didn’t seem like her at all. Raye found it easier to talk to this girl:
“Are you interested in Shinto?”
“Uh,” the blonde droned, “I dunno.”
Raye laughed at the girl. Certainly the girl was no genius, but she was cute.
“Hey what’s so funny?” She demanded.
“Sorry,” Raye smiled, “My name’s Raye, my Grandpa is the head priest here.”
“Minako Aino,” the girl extended her hand, “But you can call me Mina.”
“Nice to meet you,” Raye shook the girl’s bare hand, but could not help but notice it felt so familiar. Was this the hand of Sailor V? Raye couldn’t be too sure, as the soldier had been wearing gloves. She decided not to waste time anymore, “Um,” she hesitated, “Have you heard of Sailor V?”
“Of course,” Mina smiled, “Who hasn’t heard of her? She’s so awesome!”
“It’s strange,” Raye said, “You look like her, especially you being blonde and with that bow in your hair.”
Mina laughed, “Yeah, I get that a lot.”
Maybe she wasn’t Sailor V, Raye thought. Even so, it was a strange coincidence. She had told Sailor V exactly where her Shrine was, and the soldier admitted that she might just surprise her. But no, Raye thought. Sailor V is far too busy to come hang out with me. Even if she does have a secret identity, it can’t be this ditzy girl in front of me.
“So is there anything I can help you with? I’m sure my grandfather would be happy to tell you all about the practice. Just be aware, he might hit on you.”
Mina laughed, “No, that’s okay. What are you doing right now?”
“Well,” Raye said, slightly suspicious of this girl’s motives, “I just finished my chores. I was going to go inside and meditate.”
“That sounds cool,” Mina said, “Would it be cool if I joined you?”
Raye was beginning to wonder if this girl even knew what meditation was, but it would be nice to have some company for once, “Okay. Follow me.”
Raye took Mina’s hand and led her into the temple. Mina was in awe of everything. She continually asked “What’s that” about everything, to which Raye explained everything.
“Maybe I can be a priestess?” Mina smiled in an insipid way, “It sounds like fun!”
Raye chuckled, “It takes many years of hard work and intense study to become a Priestess of the Shinto.”
The blonde groaned. Raye laid down a couple of futons inside the room where a huge fire blazed. “Can’t I just buy the costume and start predicting the future?”
“All right,” Raye sat her down, “That’s enough out of you. Believe it or not, I take this very seriously.”
“OK,” Mina raised her hands, “I’m sorry, I was just kidding around.”
“Sit.” The priestess commanded her.
Raye kneeled down on the zafu. Mina, on the other hand, sat with legs extended out and her palms on the ground. Raye corrected her and got her to kneel before the fire and place her palms in a prayer position. Mina and Raye felt a strange sense of intimacy as the raven-hair’s hands directed the blonde’s body.
“Okay,” Raye said in a relaxed voice. She closed her eyes and allowed the fire to warm her spirit. “Now close your eyes and clear your mind.”
“Is it hot in here?” Mina joked around, “Or is it just me? Oh, what a silly question, of course it’s me.”
“Close your eyes,” Raye said in an annoyed tone of voice, “And clear your mind.”
“All right, all right,” Mina did as the Miko commanded.
“Now take long deep breaths,” The priestess’ voice became soft again, “Allow your body to relax.”
Mina began to twitch and turn, “I can’t relax in this position.”
“Yes you can,” Raye said, “Just allow your mind to let go. Your mind might be compelled to wander. Allow your thoughts to be like clouds passing in the sky.”
Mina opened one eye and looked at Raye who was fully concentrated on her meditation, not opening her eyes or twitching for a second.
“Keep your eyes closed!” Raye snorted without opening her own.
Mina immediately closed her eyes. What she didn’t know was that the priestess was having trouble concentrating herself. Her mind was fixated on Sailor V. She felt like she was getting obsessed with this hero. However, Mina’s presence was only making it harder to concentrate. Perhaps this is why she didn’t meditate with other people too often.
“Hey Raye?” Mina interrupted.
The priestess sighed, “Yeah?”
“How long do we do this for?”
“Until you achieve inner peace.”
Mina wasn’t sure how to respond to this, “How long does that take?”
“It’ll take a lot longer if you don’t stop talking!” Raye snapped without moving or opening her eyes.
Mina opened her eyes and began whining, “Oh, why are you so mean?”
That was not the first time Raye had been called mean, but she had no idea that the word would echo like a broken record in the years to come, out of a different blonde’s mouth. Nonetheless, Raye was benevolent to her guest, “Just give me a few more minutes.” She reached her hand out towards the blonde and said, “Here, take my hand.” Mina held Raye’s hand and heard her say, “Concentrate.”
Raye allowed herself to delve into her subconscious. Yet even there, she could not escape the thoughts of Sailor V. The images became very real to her: a raven-haired priestess in bed with a sailor suited soldier. They were not only kissing, but allowing each other to explore their naked bodies. This was not a case of hero-worship or desire to be like Sailor V. Raye Hino, the Shinto priestess, known for being boy-crazy, was in love with the Sailor Soldier. She allowed her mind to slip out of her subconscious, but the feeling of Mina’s soft hand holding her own only made these feelings more uncomfortable. Frightened by what she was seeing, Raye decided to let go of Mina’s hand, allow her hands into a quick prayer position. Within a few seconds, Raye opened her eyes and stood up:
“Okay, I think I’ve achieved enough inner-peace for one day.”
Mina began to groan, “Aw man, I was starting to get into it. Once we were holding hands, I could feel the force flowing through me.”
Raye decided not to patronize Mina’s Star Wars analogy, “Well,” she said, “It was nice meditating with you Mina, but I gotta do some homework.” She began to walk away.
“Wait!” Mina said as she ran towards the priestess, “I was wondering, do you wanna go out and get something to eat?”
Raye was very surprised to hear what the blonde was saying, “You mean like a date?”
“No,” Mina shook her head, “No, no not that, I mean just go out and grab a burger or something.”
“I’m a vegetarian,” Raye said, “Besides I gotta get some work done.”
“Oh come on Raye,” Mina pleaded, “I really like you, I want to get to know you better. Why don’t we just go grab a couple slices of pizza real quick? You can eat pizza right?”
Raye pondered the thought. “Well,” Raye said, “I do like vegetarian pizza.”
“Well come on then!” Mina grabbed Raye’s hand and dragged her out of the temple.
The two girls sat at a wooden booth opposite each other in Angelo’s pizza place. The two had been engaged in a long conversation. What was only going to be a half-hour dinner, turned into an hour. They sipped on their sodas, having already finished their pies. Realizing she had been talking incessantly about herself, Mina decided to ask Raye about herself:
“So,” she said playfully, “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No,” Raye said as she took another sip of her drink.
Mina turned her head slightly while looking at the priestess. She hesitated before saying: “Girlfriend?”
Raye put her drink down and stared at the blonde inscrutably. The blonde wasn’t about to hit on her, was she? “Girlfriend?”
“Sorry,” Mina raised her hands, “I didn’t mean anything, it’s just I wasn’t sure if you were that way or not.”
“Well,” Raye wasn’t comfortable talking about this, “Do you have a boyfriend, or girlfriend?”
“Mmm,” Mina mumbled, “Not boyfriend per say, I have a few boys I’m seeing at the moment-“
“A few?”
“Yeah, there’s this one guy from the football team; American football that is-“
“Why are you seeing so many guys at once?”
“The more the merrier I say, and it’s more fun having different guys.” She twirled her hair around, “Having this much beauty really is a crime.”
“Wow,” Raye’s tone might have been having joking, but it did have some truth to it, “You’re a real slut aren’t you?”
“HEY!” Mina scowled, “Look don’t get me wrong, I’d love to find my soulmate, but I don’t think I’ve met him yet,” Mina then hesitated before saying, “Or her. I’ll admit, I like girls too, although I don’t meet too many of them. I’d love to have a girlfriend.” She then chuckled at the raven-hair, “What do you say Raye, you wanna be my girlfriend?”
“Hell no!” Raye spat back and smiled.
“Oh,” Mina whined, “You’re no fun.” She laughed as well. Unfortunately, Raye didn’t realize that Mina was being serious. “Of course if my dad found out that I was dating so many guys, and girls, he’d lock me in my room until I was 30. Dads can be such a pain sometimes.”
Raye’s smile began to disappear, “At least your father cares about you enough to do something like that.”
“What’s the deal with your dad?” Mina asked.
Raye’s mood changed to one of annoyance. “He’s too busy with his political career. I never see my father, and quite frankly, I don’t even care to see him. I always hear the excuse that politics corrupts people, but I don’t buy that. He’s a fucking asshole and he always will be. He wasn’t even there when my mother died.”
Mina almost choked on her drink, “What?” Mina put her drink down, “Oh my God, that’s horrible! When did this happen?”
Raye found it very difficult to talk about this, but she trusted Mina enough to confide in her, “I was really young. She started going to the hospital often. The doctors said she had a heart-condition, I can’t even explain it that well; you know scientific mumbo-jumbo.” The girl chuckled slightly, obviously some kind of defense mechanism. “My grandpa and I were with her at the end, but my father never came. I think honestly that’s what did her in. The man she loved was too god-damned busy to visit his own wife in the hospital.”
Raye now brought her hand to her forehead, “And then one day, she just died.” She shook her head, “Just… fucking died.”
Mina began to feel tears gathering in her eyes upon hearing Raye’s sad story. She was speechless. Raye didn’t cry though. She had probably shed enough tears for her mother. Mina got up and sat next to Raye. The two embraced each other. It was a touching moment for both of them. It eased the raven-hair’s mind to know she had a friend to comfort her. The blonde in turn liked having a friend confide in her.
“I’m so sorry Raye,” Mina began to cry.
Raye was silent for a second but soon replied with a cold tone of voice, “What are you gonna do.” Raye shook off her insecurity and looked at Mina, “As horrible as this might sound, it felt kind of nice to have someone to talk to about this.”
Mina and Raye’s eyes met each other. Mina wanted to kiss her so badly, but not at a moment when Raye’s mind was on such a tragic subject. She merely replied, “I really like you Raye.”
Raye smiled, “Thanks. I really like me too.” Both of them laughed. “Anyway, I better get back to the Temple.” Both of them stood up and walked out of the restaurant.
“Can we hang out again,” Mina said, “Tomorrow?”
“Sure,” Raye said, “You know I hear Sailor V is appearing for some benefit downtown tomorrow around 2. You want to go together? I might be able to introduce you.”
Mina’s face was overcome by confusion, but she managed to gather her thoughts, “Oh that sounds great, but I gotta stay for Volleyball practice after school tomorrow.”
“Oh,” Raye said. Her suspicion of Mina being Sailor V came back, but once again she threw the idea out, “Later in the afternoon then?”
“Yeah,” Mina smiled, “That sounds good. Maybe we can do more of that medication together!”
“Meditation.”
“Whatever,” Mina and Raye stood outside face to face. They both grabbed each other’s hands, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You too.” Raye said.
Mina moved in towards Raye and kissed her on the lips. It was a simple kiss, no tongue action, but it certainly wasn’t purely platonic. As they broke their kiss, Raye looked at Mina for a second. The blonde was hoping her friend would want to kiss her back, but Raye simply let go of her hands and said, “I’ll see ya.”
Mina watched Raye walk away towards her temple until she disappeared from the girl’s sight. Although Mina was sad to see her love walk away, she was confident that something would come out of it.
Just as Raye reached the top of the Shrine’s staircase, she turned around to see Sailor V jumping across the building tops. The priestess stood there contemplating:
‘It couldn’t be,’ She thought to herself.
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