Authors Note:
Alright, this sat around on my hard drive for a long, long time before I took it out, and cleaned it up for public consumption. I don't even remember when I started writing this, or why, but I have a pretty clear idea of what to do with the story, and where to take the characters from here. Maybe you'll like it, maybe you won't. Either way, here it is.
Together
The fire struck the ground as Sailor Venus narrowly got out of the way. She jumped up onto a bench and used her Billion Volt Rock 'n Rouge attack, almost missing, but vanquishing the youma. With a sigh, she sat on the bench; her see-through orange skirt only slightly tattered. Everyone had gone they're own way after Mamoru and Usagi got married, and she was back in England. The police arrived, and a rookie walked over to her to see if she was all right.
"I'm fine." She told him, speaking in English, as opposed to the Japanese she would be speaking were she still with the other Senshi.
"Are you sure?" He asked. His accent was thick, any thicker and it could be cut with a knife.
Am I fine? She wondered. Something seems wrong. Maybe...
"Yeah..." She said. "Fine..." The last word was a whisper. She got up, and bowed. "I'm going now," She told them. "Ja." She gave a peace sign and ran off, jumping onto a house, and then a building, and so on, until she was out of they're sight.
The next morning she woke up, stretching and yawning. She hadn't de-transformed, as she normally would have, but had actually taken her fuku off manually, and mended the skirt with the 'Liquistitch' she had bought at the store a little while ago to mend her school clothes.
Oh, shit! She thought. School!
She hurried to put on her clothing, which she had chosen the night before just in case she slept in. She was glad she'd taken the precaution now, as she hurried into her kitchen. She couldn't cook very well, but what she knew, she knew, and she had something prepared last night. She packed the other stuff while she heated her breakfast up.
"Come on, come on," She urged the microwave, in Japanese.
How amusing, Mina-rin. She thought to herself. The mighty Sailor V waiting for her breakfast, late for school.
The microwave dinged, and she pulled her food out, she had already gotten her shoes and jacket on, and her bag was right at the door. She picked it up, and locked the door behind her, munching on her food as she ran to school.
"Aino Minako!" Her teacher exclaimed. "You cut that really close this time. You wont make it one of these days, and then it will be detention for you!"
Mina wished her homeroom teacher were a youma so she could excuse herself to the bathroom and transform to destroy her, but sadly this was not so. She sighed, and took her seat. No one she knew remembered her, so she had a fresh start, but no one was willing to give the exchange student a chance.
So, She thought, bitterly, my name means Surrounded by Beauty of Love, eh? Well, so much for that. Oh well, if all else fails, I can make it seem like I died, and just live as Sailor V. That would probably work out for the best, too... But, nah, too much planning involved.
She took down her notes, and the teacher gave them they're assignment. It was on Grecian Mythology.
Myths? Mina thought. That will be easy. I have books in my mother's old library. Speaking of mother, I wonder where she is... She just mailed me the key to the house, and her and my family disappeared. Strange.
Mina was the only one in class that didn't look disappointed because they didn't know Mythology. One girl noticed; she had white hair and blue eyes. She waited until the end of class, and cornered Mina in the hall.
"Mina-sama," She said, bowing. "You seem to know something of Greek Mythology, you don't seem very surprised at the assignment."
"So..." Mina replied. "You want to study with me tonight?"
"Well, I'd like to study with you a lot, as you seem to cut it close getting to class, but you make it no problem with the assignments. I've also got knowledge that may help you. I've noticed you in a few of my classes. And I need to talk to you in private after school."
"Why?" Mina asked.
"Because..." The girl replied. "I know."
Mina's eyes widened. She knows? Mina thought. How could she know? Her mind raced, and the other girl smirked.
"We should get to our next class." She said, and pulled Mina along by the wrist.
The only class Mina didn't have with the white haired girl was third period, gym. Mina took the time she wasn't practicing to think about what was going on here, and concentrated hard while she was pulling off moves.
No... Mina thought. How could she know? She's bluffing, or something... But still, I should meet with her after school. And I should study with her, as well. We do have three of the same classes. She did a summersault, and everyone clapped. Mars would know what to do...
Fourth period was spent uneasily, with the white haired girl staring at her a lot. After fourth, the white haired girl cornered her in the hall again.
"So, we were going to have tea?" She asked. "My name is Chuuko Nezu, By the way."
"Yes, Chuuko, We are going for tea." Mina replied. She took the other girls hand, smiling.
"Very good," She replied. "I like you. Lets go."
The two girls walked to the café at the end of the street on which they're school was located. The entered, and a server showed them to a booth in the back, as Chuuko requested.
"Now," Mina began. "What do you know?"
"You mean about you?" She asked.
"Yes," Mina replied.
"Well," The other girl began, folding her arms and resting them on the table. "I know who you are, and who you really are." She winked, then whispered: "Sailor V."
Once again, Mina's eyes widened. She would have choked if she were drinking the tea they ordered, but it hadn't arrived yet.
" Chuu-chan, How do you...?" Mina began. Chuuko cut her off.
"I saw you, I know you, and we've met before." She told Mina. The server brought them the tea, and Chuuko thanked her. "I'm one like to you."
"Your a Senshi?" Mina asked.
"Yes. S. I. M." She replied. "You met me a while ago."
"S. I. M.?" Mina repeated, as a question. "Oh! Iron Mouse..." Her eyes widened once more. "Iron Mouse?" Chuuko nodded.
"Yes. I'm Chuuko 'Iron Mouse' Nezu, Senshi previously under Golden Galaxia." She smiled, winked, and blew a kiss. "I think we'd do well to work together here, partners in School Work, and as Senshi, ne?"
"I think it could be done, yes." Mina replied.
"So we spend more time together, and let me see where you live, base of operations and such."
"Alright," Mina replied, and drank her tea. Chuuko also finished her tea, they got up, and both of them covered the bill.
The door opened, and Mina spoke.
"Welcome to my house, as you see, I live alone."
"Whoa, this is more super hero-ish then I thought it would be!" Chuuko stammered.
"Of course." Mina replied. "I have a library, and two bathrooms, three bedrooms, two of which I have no use for, a kitchen, with a stove, a fridge, and a large stand-up freezer." She motioned towards a door that had the Japanese script for Kitchen on it. "I have a basement with a computer, washer and dryer, and a sitting area, with enough seats to fit all the known Senshi, and maybe more." She motioned to a door that said 'War room (Basement)' on it in Japanese script. "I have an Upstairs, which is where the bedrooms are located, and an Attic, with nothing in it but junk" She motioned towards her stairs." And my cat Artemis has been missing for a few days, but he told me he'd be gone a while before he left, so I'm not worried."
"Oh, that's right..." Chuuko mumbled. "You have a guardian cat from the planet Mau."
"Are you hungry? I have some food from last night that I didn't eat that we can heat up, or I can make you something."
"No, its alright, I'm not hungry." Chuuko smiled.
"Alright then," Mina smiled back.
"Mina-rin, I know this is a bit much to ask, but..." Chuuko trailed off.
"Yes?" Mina asked.
"I can't afford rent in my apartment anymore, I lost my after-school Job..."
"You can stay with me for as long as you need to." Mina told her.
"Thank you." Chuuko said. "When do we move my stuff in?"
"How about now?" Mina asked. "I've got my license, and my Car, we can go get your stuff. I'll see if I can dig the trailer out of the Garage, too."
"Oh, thank you, I can't believe how nice you are." Chuuko smiled, and hugged Mina, who hugged back.
"You, Chuu-chan, are a Senshi." Mina told her. "If I turned my back on a fellow Senshi, it would be wrong. Besides, your adorable, and I like talking to you." The two smiled at each other. "Now come on, lets go dig that trailer out of my garage!"
Once they got the trailer out, they hooked it up to Mina's four doors Lincoln Continental, and Mina drove, by Chuuko's directions, to the building they'd move Chuuko's stuff from. The building was large, and brown. It was, at the most, ten stories, and Chuuko was on the fifth. Arms locked together, Mina and Chuuko went to see if the superintendent would allow them to move the stuff by giving them one of the elevators.
"So you are moving?" The super asked Chuuko.
"Yes, I can't afford next months rent, but I do have enough to cover this months."
"The reason you pay first and last months rent at the beginning is so you don't have to cover your last month. At least, that's what it is to me. Don't worry about this month, as it's your last. I don't mind not counting it. Come on, then, lets go get you the elevator you need."
She took them, and put the elevator at they're use. They went up, and together moved out all the stuff that they didn't need in boxes. Mina loaded up her backseat and trunk, and then ran to the back of the corner store down the street from Chuuko's building to grab a bunch of the boxes that were to be recycled. After taping the boxes back into a usable form, they packed them up and loaded them away.
When they had all that would fit, they drove back to Mina's and unloaded everything, went to one of the empty rooms (Chuuko chose the one right beside Mina's) and unpacked all the boxes into the dresser they brought, they put everything else in as well.
They continued back and forth with the same boxes, packing and unpacking them, and all the furniture, until all that was left was the food in the fridge, and some of the clothing and a few chairs. Mina had thought to bring an icebox with her this time, and they packed what they wanted into it. Then, with another one of the cardboard boxes Mina snagged, they packed the clothing, and took that and the food to the car. They brought down the chairs, and put them in the trailer, tying them down tightly.
Chuuko went back up and locked the apartment, and went to the super to give her the key.
"Thank you, ma'am. It was nice being a tenant here, and I'll miss this place." Chuuko told her, Mina standing behind her, smiling.
"I'll miss you too, Chuuko." The super replied.
"Well," Mina said. "C'mon Chuu-chan, its time to take the rest of this stuff home."
"Alright then, Mina, lets get going." Chuuko replied. "Bye, and have a nice evening."
"You and your girlfriend, too." Chuuko's ex-super replied, and Chuuko and Mina giggled, as they drove away.