one

"Sally, babe!"

Sally Po wondered why she never bothered to lock her door when she was trying to meet deadlines. Although it was technically Une's place to handle budgets, Sally liked to oversee her own department. And sure, her department really consisted of only her and Wufei, but she learned (quite the hard way) that Wufei preferred to forsake stealth for explosives.

She had been staring at the current funds allowed for explosives and decided that Wufei would have to go with the cheaper manufacturer. She glanced over her laptop to find him staring at her with raised eyebrows. "Well?"

"We're going to have to go with the cheaper manufacturer."

"Why?"

"Wufei," Sally said patiently, and she tried not to add that little 'honey' that she always wanted to add whenever she addressed him. It was the way he acted like such a stubborn child sometimes. "We don't have the money."

"Then order these parts. I'll build my own."

He held out to her a stack of papers. Sally sighed. "You know I can't let you do that."

"Why not?"

Then her door burst open and Minako Aino barged in, bringing with her a white cat and an immediate headache. Wufei whipped around, glaring at the blond (and no doubt judging her attire, which was an obvious no-no in the workplace). Sally tried to smile. "I wasn't expecting you today."

Minako flew to the front of Sally's desk, flopping herself in the seat next to Wufei and crossing her legs. The cat remained perched on her shoulder. "What, I can't visit my favorite employer on my day off?"

She added a cheeky grin. The cat meowed.

"Did you need something?" Sally set down her papers, focusing her attention on Minako. She was exactly the opposite of Wufei, who, to Sally's slight amusement, was glaring at her with exasperation. Where Wufei sat straight in his ironed Preventers uniform, Minako was loud in her cropped red top, rolled up white pants and strappy, strappy sandals.

Minako was oblivious to the look Wufei was giving her; she put a finger to her lip, glancing up in pretend thought.

"Well," Minako said, "I was wondering if I could get an advancement on my next—"

"No," Sally said, shaking her head. The cat meowed again. "I'm sorry, Minako. They're doing budget cuts, and I can't afford to include your salary in my report."

"Oh come on," Minako said, leaning forward. Sally briefly wondered if the younger woman was trying to seduce her, as she had a good view down that low-cut top. "I've been doing a good job, haven't I? Keeping the peace and all that jazz?"

"Of course, but you have been employed for only a month."

Minako fell quiet, leaning back in her seat. She puckered up her lips and glanced at her cat. "What do you think, Aretmis? Pull out the big guns?"

The cat meowed. Wufei gave an impatient sigh. Sally picked up that he was at his wit's end, meaning this conversation had to stop. "Minako, could we talk about this later? I was in the middle of something."

"Sure," Minako said, standing up. She gave Sally a tearful smile as she glanced at the ground. Her fingers played idly with the ends of her hair. "It was nice seeing you, though. Guess I'll talk to you later..."

"Are you trying to guilt me?"

"Only because I love you!" Minako said, brightening up immediately. "Look, Sally, you're smiling! That means I don't completely annoy you, right?"

Sally rolled her eyes. That was the thing about Minako—despite the fact that is seemed like she was going through the motions, she knew exactly what she was doing. That was part of the reason why Sally had looked to recruit her in the first place. "I really can't give you that advancement though."

"Not even half?"

Minako dimpled. Sally was pretty sure she didn't have dimples. She was also pretty sure that Wufei was staring at her with utter contempt as she heaved a sigh. She would never hear the end of it. "How much do you need?"

"Only half," Minako said, drawing back. Her fingers casually stroked her cat behind its ears. Sally wondered how she got the cat past security; then she remembered the big blue eyes. Minako always made good use of her big blue eyes. "I'm still a little behind on rent."

"I keep telling you to go for the full-time position, it pays more," Sally said as she rummaged through a few papers. She spotted the form she needed and pulled it out, putting it aside for later. "I can have your payment ready in two days."

Minako flashed a grin, scurrying around the desk to clasp Sally in a brief but tight hug. The cat somehow kept its balance as she pulled away. "You're the best!"

"I'm not going to do this again," Sally reprimanded. She shuffled her papers, giving Minako a slight glance. "Anything else I can do for you?"

"Actually," Minako said, as if the thought had just occurred to her. "Where's the press conference taking place? I was gonna stop by, check on things, make sure Yorkton's ready to handle the pressure."

Sally tried not to tell Minako to apply for the full-time position again. Instead she gave her employee a small, thankful smile. "In front of Tokyo Tower. You know how to get there?"

"Of course," Minako said with a wink. "Thanks again, Sally!"

"Hmph," Wufei said, barely audible.

Minako made her way to the door. She paused, her hand on the knob, before she turned back around. "Oh, I couldn't help but notice..."

"You always can't help but notice," Sally said dryly, but not without affection.

"I'm just saying! Those explosives, my friend works for Crown. I could probably snag a discount, if you want."

Sally raised her eyebrows, glancing at Wufei. Wufei seemed disinclined to answer, but she noticed the struggle he was in. He didn't want any help from the loud and overbearing Minako, but Crown was the lead manufacturer of explosives. Way better than the cheap stuff—and way out of their budget.

"I'll think about it," Sally said. "Thank you, Minako."

"Anything for you, babe!"

The door closed behind her and the room was quiet again. Sally started chuckling to herself. "Don't look so upset, Wufei."

"Normally I wouldn't ask," Wufei said, unhindered, "but who was that obnoxious girl?"

"I never introduced you?" Sally asked casually. She made a note at the top of the papers with information of explosives. "That's Relena's part-time bodyguard. I hired her about a month ago."

"Bodyguard?" Wufei was the type of person to look surprised in small ways. In fact, if Sally hadn't worked so closely with him, she wouldn't have known that the slight widening of his eyes and thinning of his lips meant he didn't know what to think. "She seems too obvious."

"You'd be surprised," Sally said, leaning back in her seat. "Minako seems like every other person once she's on the job. Of course, she's wearing the uniform, too, that might help."

"Hmph." Wufei stood up, his eyes sliding to the clock. All thoughts of Minako were instantly gone. "What time are we meeting with Une?"

"She had to cancel," Sally replied. "Something about Mariemaia being sick."

Wufei didn't respond. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair, slipping it on. Sally watched him, marveling as she often did at how certain his movements were. There was no hint of hesitation in Wufei, nothing that even suggested that he was unsure. After all these years, he was still the same... She supposed it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. "Black?"

"Hmm?" Sally snapped out of her thoughts, finding him watching her carefully.

"Black," Wufei repeated. "Or did you want something else?"

The coffee, she thought. He was talking about the coffee. "Yes, black, whatever roast they have."

Wufei nodded, turning to leave. Outside, the snow was starting to fall. What the hell was Minako doing wearing sandals in the winter? Sally shook her head, stretching her arms above her head. Right before the door closed, she called out, "Tell the cute worker I say hi."

Sally didn't need to see Wufei's face to know he was very much annoyed.

x

"Aw shucks," Minako said, fastening the buttons on her jacket as she hurried down the street. "Who the heck thought it was a good idea to start snowing now, huh?"

Artemis pattered on silently beside her. Minako stuck her hands in her pockets as she neared the large crowd gathered at the base of the Tokyo Tower. She could see Yorkton, a large man in the standard Preventers uniform, standing off to the side of the stage.

"He looks worried," Minako said, more to herself. She slipped through the crowd easily, apologizing when she knocked over a child and his mother. Poor Yorkton, she thought. He had been Relena's bodyguard longer than she had, but he was also a nervous wreck. It wasn't hard to calm him down (usually Minako just flustered him to the point where he was too embarrassed to be nervous), but this was the first time he had front duty. She frowned, unable to spot others. It was unusual for there to only be one main bodyguard instead of three.

Budget cuts, Minako remembered. She sighed, shivering in her jacket. Her thoughts trailed back to how she accepted this job in the first place. It was entirely random, entirely coincidental, and entirely fated—random in that she had never expected to run into Sally Po at the supermarket, coincidental because she had been looking for a job, and fated because it began with Sailor V.

Eight years ago, Minako had regained her memories as the soldier of Venus. She had been thirteen and foolish, restrained to the life of a public school girl on Earth. The second she recollected all her memories of her past life, she knew that she couldn't stay idle. It had been something innate in her, she figured, the overwhelming feeling to do, to act.

So Minako put on a short skirt and a glittery red mask and snuck out at night into United Earth's Sphere Alliance hideouts. It was surprisingly easy, she remembered, to creep in unnoticed. She didn't actually engage in battle nor try to break into actual headquarters, no; her thirteen year old mind, though fearless of danger, was still afraid of death. Instead, she tinkered with what mobile suits she could find. She loosened a few screws, bent a few wires, punctured a few holes.

It wasn't much, but it was something. And two years later, Sally Po caught her.

Minako smiled, scooping down to pick up Artemis. He meowed, licking her hands. "Gross," she said, placing him on her shoulder.

Sally Po had changed everything. She had admonished Minako, given her a verbal beating that not even her mother had the guts to say. But at the end of it all, she had let Minako go.

"What?" Minako asked blankly. "You're not going to kill me?"

And it seemed to Minako that Sally had the saddest smile she had ever seen. "Of course I'm not going to kill you."

"But you just said if you were my mother you'd skin me alive."

"I'm not your mother," Sally said. "Go ahead. Go. I'll forget this ever happened if you stop putting your life at risk."

Minako bit her lip, holding back what she really wanted to say—that she wasn't risking her life, that she was just toying around, trying to play hero when she wasn't. Instead, she said, "Thank you."

She turned on her heel. Sally's voice stopped her again. "What's your name?"

"Sailor V," Minako called out, winking. Sally shook her head, giving her that sad smile again.

"Everyone knows who Sailor V is."

"Really?" Minako faltered, staring at the older girl. "But... How?"

"The public might not know what you do, Sailor V, but The Alliance does. You're quite the talk amongst soldiers, you know." Minako flushed at her words, feeling a bubble of pride swell in her.

"Cool," she said.

"I'm Sally Po."

Minako nodded slowly, disarmed by the earnest look in Sally's eyes. "Minako Aino."

Eight years later and a month late on rent, Minako bumped into Sally at the local supermarket. Two weeks after that, she found herself working part-time for Preventers as Relena Darlian's bodyguard.

Artemis's claws on her shoulder brought her attention back to the press conference. Giving him a flick on the nose, Minako turned her attention to the stage. She attempted to maneuver her way more comfortably in the audience, at least until she was in Yorkton's line of sight. That way she could give him an encouraging wink if he needed one.

Minako found herself right behind the press. They were all checking their cameras and recorders, rereading their notes to make sure they were ready. Relena Darlian's appearance in Tokyo was rare. She usually dealt with affairs concerning the colonies; it just so happened, however, that a few engineers in Tokyo were ready to launch the plans for construction of a new colony, near the L4 Langragian point. The proposed colony was small enough to not disturb any balance—but that also meant that it wouldn't be large enough for humanity to thrive.

Ami had explained it to her over dinner a week ago. The colony would only be for research purposes. For such a small colony, it would be pointless to try to have civilians. Although it wasn't confirmed, Ami was quite confident that it would be a base for preparations of exploring the idea of colonizing Mars.

At the thought of Ami, Minako smiled slightly. Though they all had been born in separate places (Makoto and Ami had both come from the colonies), they had somehow reunited. Again, Minako thought—chance, coincidence and fate. After Sally had put an end to her antics, she had gone back to focusing (or not) on her studies. And then suddenly there was Usagi, a new transfer student at school.

Usagi immediately latched onto her the second they locked eyes. "Minako!" she cried out. "Do you—do you remember?"

"Usagi!" Minako sobbed dramatically, clinging onto her friend. "Of course I do!"

After their tears had dried, Usagi explained that everything was almost the same. She had found Ami first, then Rei and Makoto—and finally, her. The last of the team. The only difference was—in this time and place, they were no team, they had no powers, and they were not senshi.

But it didn't matter. The five of them were together again.

"Vice Foreign Minister Darlian," a jarring voice cut into her thoughts. "Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you. We will proceed from the left. First question?"

Minako slid her eyes to the podium where, as she had been off reminiscing about the past, Relena Darlian made her way onto stage. She was wearing her impeccable white suit, looking the very part of her role. Unlike her co-workers, however, Minako was not necessarily impressed with her.

It wasn't that she was unlikable (quite the opposite, in fact; Minako found Relena to be endearing when she wasn't yapping about business). It was rather that she couldn't understand what Relena had been thinking during the Eve Wars. Peace was admirable, yes, and attainable, but not through the means Relena had chosen. And true, Relena had admitted she was wrong during the Dekim Barton and Mariemaia Kushrenada conflict, but Minako couldn't help but think she was too young to be a leader.

Still, she didn't voice any of this. Her job was to protect Relena, not politically advise her. Relena was not Usagi.

Minako paused suddenly, her eye catching sight of something shiny on Yorkton's jacket. Her mouth went dry as she realized what the symbol on the pin was. Her hand clutched as Artemis's fur. "Do you see that?"

Artemis glanced up, his eyes narrowing at the pin. "That's the emblem of that organization."

"Shit," Minako said as a reporter in front of her asked Relena another question. Relena answered smoothly, her gaze steady. There had been another reason Minako had accepted Sally's job offer. It had less to do with the pay, actually, and more with the fact that Artemis and Luna had discovered a rebellion lurking under the Sanc Kingdom's fallen borders.

The rebellion was an unnamed organization, and they were relatively small. They hid under Relena, acting as her advisors while she, unaware of their intentions, protected them. Not a particularly big threat, so Minako didn't mentioned it to the Preventers. The problem, however, was that they somehow had possession of the Ginzuishou.

Minako deftly slipped between two reporters, managing to charm her way out of a glare with a smile. She continued to slide her way into the front, hoping that everyone was too focused on Relena to notice her.

Then her eyes caught sight of another pin on a reporter's jacket. It had the same symbol. She gave Artemis a quick glance; Artemis leapt off her shoulder and skillfully made his way around to the reporter. Minako turned her eyes back onto Yorkton; he was moving his lips subtly, speaking into a hidden microphone.

Minako couldn't read lips, but she could read faces. And Yorkton's face showed that he was tense, wound-up—not nervous, as she had first suspected. Up close, she could see the pallor of his skin, the dark bags hanging under his eyes. She also saw the way his eyes constantly darted to Relena.

Minako swallowed, finding herself at the front of the crowd. She scanned the area, finding nothing too suspicious about the surroundings. But she usually wasn't wrong about her gut instincts. Relena was saying something about progress, about advancement, about understanding and empathizing, and that was when Yorkton slipped a hand into his jacket.

Yorkton usually stood straight without moving during duty. Minako started, whirling around. The reporter with the pin also had his hand in his pocket. "S—someone—"

"Get out of the way," a reporter said to her, shoving her aside. She stumbled; that was enough to draw Yorkton's attention to her. His eyes widened as she gazed back at him.

So Minako winked. "Good luck," she mouthed, as if nothing was out of the ordinary. She could see on his face the wheels turning before he decided that she knew nothing. He flashed a brief smile before returning his hand into his jacket.

Big mistake, Minako thought, the smile slipping off her face. Artemis climbed back onto her shoulder, ignoring the reporters that were hissing at them to get down. "Minako, the microphone—"

Not Relena, Minako thought, he was looking at the microphone. And she moved. Leaping onto the stage was a piece of cake; she was as agile as when she had been captain of the volleyball team years ago. Relena jumped, looking visibly shaken. "What are you—"

Yorkton moved forward to grab her. His face suddenly betrayed his anger at writing her off earlier. Minako ignored him, pulling Relena around the waist and throwing her onto the ground. "Sorry, Miss Darlian, but—"

And then the microphone exploded. Minako covered Relena with her body, wincing as she felt something tear through her jacket. Relena was deathly still, clinging onto Minako's shoulder for dear life as more explosions rocked the area. They had the bombs laced throughout the crowd, Minako thought with a grimace.

She glanced over her shoulder, ignoring the piece of metal she saw in her back. Instead she tried to focus on Yorkton, who was calling out orders and pointing at them. Minako flew up, grabbing Relena and running. She could hear the screams of the civilians, as well as a few more explosions going off. Damn, she thought, what a night to be off-duty.

"Miss Darlian, are you alright?" Minako managed to ask, turning a sharp corner. Yorkton was still following them. They had to lose him, quick.

"What's going on?" Relena asked between breaths. Minako glanced back. Despite the fact that she was trembling, Relena's eyes were still steady. Well, at least she was a fighter.

"You might not remember me," Minako said through gritted teeth, "but I'm your new part-time bodyguard. And we need to get out of here."

There was something she had that Yorkton didn't, and that was the knowledge of the terrain. She pulled Relena into the nearest alleyway. Cheap trick, she thought, but that was the beauty of it all. No one suspected cheap tricks. And, true to her plan, Yorkton and his men flew right on past the alley.

"Come on," Minako said after peering around the corner. "We need to get to Roppongi."

Relena was wordless as she allowed Minako to pull her. Good, Minako thought. Because while Preventers were probably on scene and analyzing every angle of the explosions, she had another plan in mind. It sprang up suddenly, threatening to shock her into giddiness with how clever it was. Ami would have been proud.

Sorry Sally, she thought as she quickly found her car. She unlocked it and tucked Relena in, even fastening her seatbelt. "I can do that myself—"

Relena was cut off as Minako sped through the streets. Sure, it was snowing, and yeah, her license had been technically revoked, but this was life-or-death, do-or-die. "You're probably very confused," Minako said after she ran a red light.

"I remember you," Relena said softly. "Miss Andrews?"

"Something like that," Minako said with a grin. Then her back flared and she grit her teeth, trying to withstand the pain. She had forgotten about her little battle scar.

"Does it hurt? Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me," Minako said as cheerfully as she could, even though she was sure the blood all over her seat was going to be a pain to clean. She turned a sharp corner and haphazardly parallel-parked. "We're here!"

"Where..."

As Relena stepped out of the car, Minako took a moment to breathe. This was it, she thought. Now or never. She had already brought Relena this far. There was no turning back. And on a second thought, Ami maybe would not have been proud. No, she was sure Ami would have a heart-attack. Good thing she didn't go to Ami first.

"Shouldn't we be at Preventers headquarters?" Relena asked. It was easy to see the suspicion in her voice.

"I had to pick something up," Minako said swiftly.

"It couldn't wait?"

"I'm anemic, you know, and bleeding to death," Minako lied. Relena's eyes widened.

"Then we should take you to the hospital—"

" Yorkton's probably got men there." Another lie, of course. If Minako weren't in it for her own gain, she might have felt bad for Relena. "This is where I've been staying the past couple of days. It'll only take a moment for me to get my first aid kit, don't worry."

She grabbed Relena's wrist and led her up the numerous stone steps. The view of the shrine beckoned her close; she couldn't help the wily grin that appeared on her lips. Despite what she had said, she had not, in fact, been staying here. There was no way the head priestess would even let that be a possibility. She glanced back at Relena, not at all surprised to see confusion written all over her face. "Miss Andrews—"

"Yes?" Minako interrupted, hoping to charm her questions away. Relena fell silent, shaking her head as they stepped up to the main shrine door. Minako didn't even need to knock; the door slid open with a bang and Rei Hino stood there with her hands on her hips.

"I just saw the news," Rei said, and although she seemed calm, Minako knew she was on the verge of throttling her for answers. "Is everything okay? What—"

Rei broke off, staring past Minako's shoulder. Vice Foreign Minister Relena Darlian shivered in the cold.

"Hey, Rei," Minako said feebly. "Long time no see!"

Rei continued to stare, this time turning her gaze onto her friend. Minako fumbled with her hands before she threw them up, exasperated. One could never defeat Rei when it came to staring. It was her specialty.

"I'm kind of in a bad spot right now, you know, stuck between a rock and some mud. I need your help."

"What did you do?" Rei said flatly.

"Well," Minako said, taking a deep breath and leaning forward so Relena wouldn't hear. "I think I just kind of kidnapped my boss."

an standard disclaimers apply.

ahhh oh man what am i doing? do people still read/write gwxsm fics? haha i'm not sure how fast updates can come along, but this is a plot bunny i've had for awhile and i finally saw endless waltz so... here this is! apologies if it is confusing haha. contrary to the summary and this chapter, i'm not planning for this fic to focus solely on minako and relena. all of the senshi and major gw characters will have a major focus. as for pairings? ;)

also... i did not know where to put this (crossovers vs the misc gwxsm section) so-o-o i'm leaving it here for now.

thank you for reading, and enjoy!