Sailor Moon:
"Venus' Valentine"
By: NeoMoon
Rated: PG
It is Valentine's Day, and I find myself lying on my bed, staring at the white ceiling of my room. My favorite teddy bear is held tightly to my chest, as I sob silently. I do not know how long it took but I finally turn my head and look at the small pillow that lies in the center of my room. He is here; probably he is out with Luna, celebrating the holiday, uncaring of his mistress's plight. I sigh and feel a single warm tear roll down my check. I am alone.
I wipe the tear from my check and scold myself. I am a soldier! I am strong! Then I laugh. I laugh because I am a soldier, I laugh because of the fact that I am the soldier of love, and yet I cannot find love.
With a final sigh I swing of my bed. My bare feet land in the soft plush carpet, and I make a decision. I do not care if Mother will be upset, I do not care that I am wearing a ratty pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt. I just don't care.
I find myself walking the darkening streets of my neighborhood. All over I find reminders of what day it is, and with those reminders I feel an invisible knife thrust deeper into my chest.
I have never had a boyfriend, boys do not like me, and I know it is I. They do not like a girl like me. They do not like a girl who can be so carefree. Not even when I was in England, a mysterious girl I a mysterious land, and even there I did not find love.
No, that is not true. There was a boy, a boy to call my own, a boy who cared for me, a boy who would do anything for me, but he too was taken from me.
I am reminded of Shakespeare, I am reminded of so many things, but must of all I am reminded of my own self-loathing. I find myself blaming no one but me, but whom else could it be that does this to me? Surly fate is not the answer. No it is I who torment myself. I who causes my heart to hurt. I am my own enemy.
I stand at a street corner, a cold wind blowing through my hair, tangling it. I feel embarrassed, what if a boy saw me like this? I sigh, and conclude they would ignore me either way.
I notice him first out of the corner of my eye, and turn to look fully at him. He is short, and kind of fat. He wears a wrinkled shirt and khaki pants. I notice in his hand he holds a bouquet of yellow roses. His hand is lowered in defeat; the roses sag under the weight of gravity. The wind picks up, and blows one to the ground. As I watch it fall, as if in slow motion, my heart falls with it, until it hits the ground. And like fragile crystal my heart shatters, and I am defeated.
The light final changes, an eternity gone, and I slowly begin to cross the street, my feet dragging along the paved ground.
I pass the boy; he looks up at me and quickly away. Even he does not want me.
"Min . . . Minako Aino" I hear a meek mousy voice say, barely a whisper.
I turn; the small fat boy looks at me, the hand with the roses raised, waiting for me to take them. I look at the boy; a doubtful smile plays on his face, his eyes shining as if watering, already in defeat.
I smile, I cannot help but too, and slowly I take the flowers. "For me?" I ask, my voice is shaking, the shock of the surprise not fully entered into my mind. "Wh . . .Why?"
The boy begins to blush, and looks away then back at me, time seems to stop, and the whole world, save us two vanishes. "Be . . . Because I love you Ms. Aino."
I step back in confusing and shock, the words hitting me like a bullet. I look at the boy; his face is redder, his eyes looking at me with defeat and hope all at once. I bend down, kissing him softly on the check, I do not know what else to do.
Suddenly the world comes back and I notice that we are sanding in the street cars are around us. I begin to blush, and grab the boy's hand, and run to the sidewalk. I look at him again, he stares at his hand were I had held it; his other hands softly rubbing were I had kissed him.
"What are you doing?" I ask him softy.
He looks up at me, and suddenly there is fear in his eyes. "I didn't mean too, I'm sorry." He says, his voice is low and soft.
I giggle, I really don't know why, and place a hand on his check. "No silly. What are you doing? Would you like to get something to eat?"
I hear him gasp, surprised that I had said this. "Yes, yes please Ms. Aino!"
I smile and take his hand and start down the street. "Minako is fine." I grip his hand, joy flooding through me, that I am not alone.
He is not what I dreamed, he is not a model, he is no hunk, or doctor or rebel. I look down at him, and realize I am a fool. Hunk or model, doctor or rebel. Nerd or not. It doesn't matter. All that matters is sharing something with a kind person. Even if only on one day.
The End