The Other White, a sailor moon fanfic

THE OTHER WHITE

A PGSM PREQUEL

The snow was white as new parchment that night. Normally it was not such an obvious sight, as Tokyo was not as privy to snow as certain other parts of the Japanese islands. It was also not always obvious due to the heat of the city, where lights obscured the vision of true nature. But even on this night, the contrast between the ground and the sky could not have been any more obvious. It was also cold, the coldest night seen by the people of Tokyo in more than ten years.

On the other hand, many people did not notice the coldness. Most of those who were outside were children, either way. They were amongst the silent cars in the street and in the few backyards of the more affluent, making snow angels and snowmen from the abundant piles. Having snow fights and making snow fortresses, the children did not have a care in the world, not even if they slide on ice - in that case, they'd just jump back up and resume their games. They did not know suffering or sadness with the winter.

They did not know of the other white - the white of death, the final sleep. The white of the hospital, of the doctor's smock, of sanitation, a doctor washing his hands as he readies for the slaughter. The color of a shroud covering a body.

Of her shroud.

"Aino-san. I am not sure how to say this gently..."

The snow fell softly into her quivering, pale hand. It melted quickly, turning into water and dripping off of her palm. Each subsequent flake repeated this venture; all were soon liquefied, cascading like an icy river through the creases in her palm.

"Your migraines...they are not merely alluding to a case of allergies. It is an indicator of a far greater problem."

Minako could remember her life before. She had lived with her parents for a time, when she was very young. But that was long ago, and it was during a winter much like this one when she had been taken away. She didn't clearly remember why or how - just that she no longer had parents. All she really had was Saitou, the man who had raised her to sing.

"Doctor...what is it?"

She was a very good singer. After many years of working hard and acting, the payoff was finally coming for Minako. This winter was supposed to be celebratory - her newest album was getting critical notice, she was getting fans, she was making money. She had already achieved financial freedom long ago from her parents through Saitou's patronage, yet this winter was to be the first one where she would be free even of that. Not only that, but tonight, there was a gala in her honor, where she would be revealed to the rich and famous of Japan as a 'future pillar of culture'. She should have been happy, ecstatic even, that her future was so secure, that she had everything a girl could want.

But just as the snow fell to the ground from the sky that night, so too did Minako's happy hopes and dreams come crashing to the floor that very afternoon.

"...A...tumor...?"

She had experienced headaches for as long as she could remember. She never really told anyone about them, even though once in a while she might have tripped or fallen for no reason, but she never really connected that to her occasional headaches. Within the past year, however, she had started to get the headaches more frequently, and they were sometimes so bad that she would throw up, but she would always feel better afterwards. It was only after one particularly bad headache, which caused her to lose her balance and sprain her ankle, that she finally went to a doctor.

"...Yes."

Minako made no secret of how she detested the exams and biopsies they performed on her. She hated hospitals. They were so clean and white, like a funeral home. But indeed, that afternoon, the reason for her hatred was fulfilled. She was at her own funeral, hearing her death sentence from the mouth of her doctor.

"You have a medulloblastoma." The doctor pretended to be kind when he broke the news to her. "It's a rare tumor at the base of your spine and brain. Normally, it is not anything to fear, but looking at what you've told me, it's become cancerous, and as you've had this tumor for a very long time..."

Minako wasn't wearing the white dress she had originally planned to wear to the ball. Saitou had expressed some surprise at this when she appeared in a dark brown dress instead, but she managed to hide her pain with an ever present smile - and the excuse that her white dress had received a rip in it. She didn't want to wear white and blend in with the snow. She did not want to wear the color of death.

"The time left to stop this problem from escalating even more is short. If it is not removed very soon..."

"Aino-san?"

Minako's head turned around. Saitou stood before her, wearing a hot pink tuxedo and a black vest underneath, complete with a shirt bedecked in frills. He held a glass of wine in one hand, his other hand on his hips.

"Here you are!" Saitou grabbed Minako's arm. "I've been looking all over for you. The presentation's about to start!...Ooooh, it is freezing! You shouldn't stand near open windows! You'll catch a cold and then you can't sing anymore...!"

Minako looked over at the window one last time. The wind began to blow, and the snow was falling into the room, scattering around her feet like icy petals.

"...The surgery carries a great risk, as it is experimental. There is less than a one percent chance of total recovery from this if you choose to undergo it, and it gets lower if you wait..."

"...I'm fine." She forced another smile. "I'm perfectly all right, boss."

"Good, good!" Saitou's ignorant face beamed with happiness. "Well, well, what are you waiting for! You're on!"

With that, Saitou closed the window, barring the cold and the snow from contaminating the elated atmosphere any longer. Then, he took Minako by the hand and brought her to the center of the floor, where she was greeted by a burst of applause and whistles.

"HERE SHE IS!" With a grand gesture, Saitou gestured to his charge. "The jewel of the evening!"

Minako's feigned smile did not fade at this gesture. The warmth of the reception lessened the inner turmoil, made her forget for a moment about herself. About her destiny, about her illness about life and death and about the cold snow outside.

"We cannot force you to undergo this surgery." The doctor's words echoed through her as she abruptly turned to leave the doctor's office. "The choice is yours, Aino-san."

About everything, because it was far easier to do so. Indeed, that night, it was better to choose ignorance, to bury her problems beneath the snow outside and present an ideal winter, than to face the blizzard that was her harsh new reality.

fin