Golden Haze

Part One: The Glamour Fades

by Golden Lady Serenity

*Standard disclaimers apply. I do not own Sailormoon, nor do I make any claim to it. Though I do lay claim to my mangas and soundtracks. ^_~ Sailormoon belongs to Takeuchi Naoko, Toei, Cloverway, Pioneer, and gods know who else. Please don't sue me. I'm far too poor.*

Sunlight peeked through the curtains, to spill onto closed blue eyes, and shine upon pale blonde hair. With a groan, Aino Minako pulled herself out of bed, to begin her morning routine. Shower, dress, fix up bed, check purse for keys, wallet and henshin wand. Generally, the blonde would've spent a Saturday morning in bed, just letting the drowse and semi-dreams wash over her. For weeks, though, she'd been planning on spending a day outside, with no plans but to roam about. Rubbing the final moments of sleep from her eyes, she gave a shout towards the livingroom. "Mama! I'm headed out, I'll be back later!" She winced at the answer.

"Goddamn, bastard! 'Kay, fine! Go! Like that mis'rable...bast'rd...g'on..." Something made of glass shattered, and screams and curses were heard, followed by tears. Then silence. Minako had frozen, partially terrified by her mother's behavior. Hesitant, she made her way into the kitchen, and sighed in relief at what she saw. Her mother sat at the table, head on her arms, seemingly asleep. Broken glass and spilled whiskey covered the floor, along with a few dishes. Minako'd feared worse: blood, slit wrists, glass embedded in her mother's skin, or the babblings of a broken mind. There was none of that, only a woman who'd taken to the bottle too often. Carefully, she disposed of the glass and alcohol, her expression a bit dull. She'd been doing this far too often, of late. Her father'd returned for a while, but for what reason, but to leave them again, hurting. Where did he return from, anyway? Where'd he go, for weeks on end? Sighing, she headed back towards the door, in silence.

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"Sacred Flame, guide me in this time of need, show me the path of light and truth." A flame blazed in front of Hino Rei, tongues of fire reaching upwards. Yet there was no real change. No spiritual messages, no images of their enemies, only silence. And dread. 'No luck...not a thing. What does this mean?' The raven-headed girl remained seated, contemplating the fire's silence, violet eyes turned inward. A ringing voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Rei-chan, hey! How are you?" Minako settled next to Rei, as exuberant as ever. The young shrine maiden gave a brief smile to her friend, which quickly grew. She laughed as Minako then leapt up, dragging the raven-haired girl along with her.

Laughing and talking, the two made their way from the Hikawa Shrine, towards the commercial districts. They proceeded to weave in and out of the stores, as a small collection of bags slowly grew in proportion. Exhausted by the impromptu spree, the two friends flung themselves on a bench, and rummaged through their acquired loot. As Minako looked up, a glint of something green caught her eyes. One of the shops was a wine cellar, with racks of vintage wine bottles on display. A look of sorrow and horror crossed Minako's face.

"Mina-chan, what's the matter, what's wrong?" Rei carefully turned her friend around to face her, searching for some clue as to what'd alarmed the blonde.

Minako's face now revealed nothing of the turmoil she'd been feeling, yet her eyes seemed too dull. She stood up, and quietly gathered her things. "Rei, could we go back to your home now?" Her voice was subdued, unsettling pensive.

Rei nodded, and the two made their way silently back to the shrine.

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The two sat in silence for a few minutes, simply absorbing the quiet. The only sounds to be heard were the cawing of the crows, and the soft ticking of the clock. Finally, Minako shattered the silence with a single phrase.

"My mother's an alcoholic."

Rei's head jerked up at the confession. It...it couldn't be! Minako wasn't supposed to be from a dysfunctional family. She was supposed to be the girl with fun, loving parents and a beautiful home. Wasn't she? Rei thought hard for a moment, trying to think of a time when she'd met Minako's parents. She couldn't. She just couldn't, because she'd never met them. Ever. Finally, she found her voice. "Mina-chan, that's awful..."

"She...she gets mad a lot...work, and bills, and...and Dad. She starts out with a glass, then a refill...then she goes straight for the bottle, and another after that." By now her voice was choked and strained. "It gets worse when my dad gets back from...I don't know where. They start fighting, and there's glass thrown and he hits her and it sounds so awful--"

"My god, Mina-chan! He hasn't hit you has he?"

The blonde shook her head. "No, no he hasn't...things got bad a few months after we moved here. The construction crew he works for went pretty much bust, and he just started...taking off. Least that's what I gather. And Mom used to be able to hold her addiction in check, but now...now she just downs the alcohol." A tear slid down her cheek.

At that moment the door slid open, to reveal a short, elderly man. "I couldn't help overhearing your family troubles. I know it can't fix everything, but would you like to stay for supper young lady?" Despite his cheery demeanor, he was in agony over Minako's homelife. Such a sweet girl, in an environment like that?

Minako nodded. "I...I'd like that. Thank you." She took a deep breath, and collected herself. She had friends she could rely on, and she was sure they would help her however they could. She took another breath. "Mind if I use your phone, Rei?" Might as well tell her mother she'd be home a little later than expected.

"Sure, go right ahead," was the casual reply. Silently she thanked her grandpa's intervention, and mentally promised not to yell at him for the entire evening.

"Thanks." Minako picked the receiver up, and dialed her home number. After several rings it was picked up.

"Yeah, who is this?"

"Mom, it's me, it's Minako."

"Well, you don't gotta give me yer name, I know your voice."

"I know, I know Mom. I'm eating at Rei's okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, fine, go ahead. Betcha would anyway!"

"Mom, you know that's not--" She was cut off by the sound of a loud CRACK! The sudden sound forced her to drop the cordless. Not a second later, she had the phone back to her ear. "Mom. Mom!" What answered her were shouts, both male and female, the gist of it being that her mom was nothing more than a lousy lay and her father nothing more than a worseless druggie. The sound of shattering glass and ripped flesh could be heard, mated with screams and curses.

Mutely, she cut off the call, and hit the emergency number. "Hello? I think...I think the police and an ambulance are needed." She proceeded to give the technician her home address, and the situation. "I--thank you." With tears staining her face, she turned back to Rei. "Can...could I spend the night, instead?"

"Of course."

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Well, that's the beginning. Review, and tell me what you think, please! I even accept flames. ^_^ So long's you tell me why you're flaming. Comments, ideas...anyone? Come'on, I don't bite. ^_~