Endless Story

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters.

I decided that I should write a little something for the New Year once again. I'm sorry to say I missed the previous new year, even though I was nudged to write a little something to continue tradition. I suppose you could say I was still much more inclined to read fanfic than to write it. I still am, of course, but this little idea came to mind tonight and I thought, what the heck, let's give it a shot.
It's sort of a continuation of my other fanfic, New Year. You don't have to read it first, but you may want to read it at some point since I allude to it in this chapter, at least.

This is a story based on my favourite pairing, Hino Rei and Aino Minako, from Sailor Moon.
It's unbeta-ed, since I don't really know how to use that option and I'm hoping there aren't too many mistakes.

This is dedicated to a certain someone who makes me smile on days when it's hard to find a reason to.

Chapter One: New Year's Eve

Hino Rei sat in her seat unmoving, her drink on the table, her hand ready to lift it to her lips.
On the outside, it would seem as if she were staring out onto the dance floor, her attention captivated by a couple dancing, but on the inside, it was an entirely different matter. She was questioning, for the first time tonight (but certainly not the first time in the past years), why she was sitting alone. Recognizing this familiar thought, she closed her eyes, searching her memory. And so she found it; the reason for this was because every New Years Eve, she opted to spend it alone. A tradition of sorts, you could say. Ever since that day…she had sworn to save this night for her. Memories of their time together, memories of her, and most of all, the night they had confessed their love for each other. It was a night just like this one, and yet, very different. That night had been New Years Eve as well, but it was spent outside, light snow falling from the sky around them, a picture perfect night to spend with someone you love. They had been amongst quite a crowd, but they only saw each other.
But…that was all in the past. A past she loved, a past she wished she could return to, a past…that was exactly that, the past.

Sighing at her reminisce of the past, Rei took a sip of her drink. While she was quite capable of holding her alcohol, she'd decided on a drink she actually liked having (and if she would admit it to herself, it was also her favourite drink), a mix of the tropical taste of Piña Colada and the fruity flavour of Strawberry Daiquiri, also known as the Miami Vice. It was quite a delicious cocktail, and Rei had come to appreciate it the first time she was introduced to it. Ironically enough, the one person she didn't prefer to have on her mind this night just kept appearing in her thoughts.

She was, for Rei, the most important person to have ever come into her life. Rei had preferred to be alone, spending time with only a cherished few who she had known since her childhood. She had scoffed at the boys who had confessed to her, and quirked an eyebrow at the girls who had attempted to.
Rei was always amused to see her reputation precede her and many peers too afraid to make a move on her. On the other hand, she was glad for it; she didn't have to deal with as many mumbling idiotic boys and was able to avoid the more egoistic girls she tended to dislike. They didn't truly want to know Rei; they were merely taken by her appearance. Hino Rei was rather attractive, and she knew it. She did not take steps to flaunt that fact, nor did she have the stereotypical attitude to go with a pretty face. She preferred her ability to observe in silence her surroundings, and she definitely appreciated her air of mystery. She wished to remain an enigma forever. That was until she had come along into her life.
Her name was Aino Minako; an angel, a best friend, a soul mate. Or so Rei had thought.

It was fall when Minako transferred schools during her high school years, and had been interested in Rei the moment their eyes met. Of course, it wasn't as if Rei wasn't just as interested. The difference was that Rei couldn't bring herself to approach the blonde beauty because she wasn't sure if Minako was only interested in her appearances. But Minako was persistent. She had asked if Rei could show her around her new school, asked if they could have lunch together and probed Rei for details concerning her life in between. The cheery blonde wouldn't let go of Rei until they had exchanged cell phone numbers and had gotten Rei to promise that they could meet after classes ended.
That first day of their meeting, they had walked together to Minako's house, and after a slightly uncomfortable hug (Rei was tense and didn't really like physical contact with others), Minako had thanked Rei for taking her home and gone in. Rei continued on past Minako's home to reach her own. Ever since then, they spent every day together, slowly warming up to each other, until the day Rei realized that Minako was not merely just an acquaintance, but a real friend. Their friendship only became stronger after that, sharing secrets with each other, talking about everything and nothing at all. Time didn't exist in those months, in fact, time didn't exist when she was with Minako, though looking back, Rei always felt that they had never had enough time together.

Soon enough, the only person Rei wanted to spend time with was Minako, all she could think of was Minako, and every morning, the person she looked forward to seeing was Minako. It troubled Rei then, how someone had crept past her barriers, though it also relieved her, that the same person truly wanted to know her and liked her the way she was. Yet another issue came to her mind however, because she was unsure for the first time in her life. These feelings she had for Minako were more than she had for any of her other friends. She wanted Minako all to herself, to know all of Minako, to…own her, possess her entirely. It was a foreign thought to her, to desire someone. Rei was unsure of how Minako felt though, if her feelings were merely of friendship and not more. Minako had grown more and more attached to Rei, if only in the physical sense. Rei remembered the times the blonde would attach herself to Rei's arm and when she would move in slowly to hug Rei before parting ways for the day. It was because of Minako that she came to like physical contact with others (though it was mainly just Minako she liked being close to).

Winter had settled in and their usual walk home had become a short bus ride followed by an even shorter walk to Minako's house. Rei was often invited in for a cup of hot tea and an afternoon of doing homework and hanging out before she would go to her own apartment in the evening. On one of her walks home, she came to a realization. She spent more time at Minako's than at her own home sometimes!

A few days before the New Year, Minako had brought up the discussion of what they could do for New Year's Eve. Rei knew that Minako was the more outgoing one, even though she was a new student at Rei's school, she had become a popular one. Minako's love and talent for volleyball had landed her on the school team, and Rei had to admit, even she liked to attend a practice or two to watch Minako play. So Rei wasn't surprised when Minako suggested they go downtown on New Year's Eve for the countdown.

On New Year's Eve, they bundled up warmly and spent the night with many others, watching performances on the stage until the countdown of the final seconds of the year ticked by. Minako had been close, very close to her that night. And the most memorable of that night…was when Minako told her she loved Rei. They had shared their first kiss that night too, as well as Rei's first time saying those three words to someone. That night, they had gone to Rei's apartment, hand in hand. They had slept in Rei's bed, and before falling asleep, they didn't really talk, but basked in the feeling of being with the one they loved in comfortable silence. Slowly they drifted off to sleep, blankets covering them (Rei made sure they were under the blanket, adjusting it so that Minako's shoulder wasn't exposed to the cool air), Minako's arm around Rei, Rei's hand on Minako's. It was a night Rei wasn't likely to ever forget, because it was the most enjoyable night she had ever had.

But things had changed, and now, Minako didn't sleep in her bed anymore, Minako didn't smile or grin at her anymore, she didn't see Minako anymore. Rei took another sip of her drink. These thoughts always made her sad and lonely. The countdown had just finished, and the beginning of a new year had just arrived.

Author's Notes:

I hope you all enjoyed that bit :)
I'm not sure where all of this will go, since I didn't plan on writing this, and I haven't really made notes.
I'm pretty sure I'll be continuing this, unsure of my updating tendencies, and would be grateful for any reviews or comments.

The title Endless Story is based on a song I've recently fallen in love with. It's from the manga/anime NANA, sung by Yuna Ito.

Thanks for reading!
~Polo73