Author's Notes: This story was written for the July Challenge at the sm_monthly community on LiveJournal. The theme for the month was Aino Minako.

The author's notes for each chapter will indicate the prompt and date of the prompt.

7/1/09 - Volleyball

They had found each other again, after many heartbreaks and betrayals and twists and turns of fate. The Shitennou had returned, and they were a key part of the new Crystal Tokyo.

All was not well for them. There was still guilt, hurt, confusion and pain, but they had found solace in each other. It showed best on the pitch.

They had organized weekly games of soccer, and were joined by members of the Royal Guard in spirited contests that helped build the morale of the budding army.

The game offered them a chance to escape, and it let them relive a bit of their youth, those precious happy days before the world ever heard of Sailor Moon or Queen Beryl.

Kunzite played center back and remembered the days when he was Kemal Baig. He was an undersized boy who eventually grew into his frame. But growing up small and of lower class put into him a fighting spirit and a never say die attitude. His idol was Bülent Korkmaz, the Istanbul born center back for the Galatasaray team that won the UEFA cup. Kunzite remembered how Bülent played the final with a dislocated shoulder and refused to leave the pitch; a fitting role-model for the man who had been and would be again the leader of Endymion's guard.

Kunzite was partnered in central defense by Nephrite. Nathan King grew up in Edmonton, and hockey was his first love. If there was no Chaos, perhaps someday he would have had the chance to play professionally. But sometimes, he liked to get his aggression out on the pitch instead of on the ice. He was a Western Canadian boy, and he had Western Canadian values. He worked hard, he played hurt, he laughed, he cared, he gave, but never gave in and never gave up. Very few people managed to get past both him and Kunzite.

Jadeite played the midfield, like his boyhood idol, Steven Gerrard. Jeffrey Ryan's parents had taken a very long and winding road. They first left Belfast for Liverpool to escape the troubles, and then decided to take a chance on making it big in Bangalore. With so much moving, it was hard to have roots. But whenever Jeffrey put on the red jersey and sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," it didn't matter if he was in a Merseyside pub or watching the game on satellite half a world away. He was home.

Zoisite was the flamboyant striker for the team. As young Zacharie Roy, his heart was given to music, and he played The Beautiful Game, treating it as a mixture of symphony and strategy. He had a fluid grace that could be deadly in attack. Something of his own warrior spirit shone through when he played.

Perhaps most importantly, the game had given an outlet to Endymion. Chiba Mamoru was a smart young man, who was very alone growing up as an orphan. He didn't know he once had four friends who were closer to him than brothers. He threw himself into his studies to escape the loneliness, and his dreams were haunted by a love he did not remember. Now that he was a full-fledged superhero, he discovered he had some athletic ability, and was a half-way decent left back and left midfielder. The quiet, stoic and reserved Mamoru disappeared on the field, and was replaced by a spirited and happy man fit to lead men into battle.

As it was a thousand years before, they made quite the team. When they were together, they were stronger, faster, better. When they were together, they fought more fiercely and laughed more freely. When they were together, none could stand against them.

A goal was scored and a mighty roar went up from the team. Proud warriors, or perhaps it was enthusiastic young boys, met in celebration. For the moment, there are no bitter remembrances, no weight of guilt. There is simply joy, and a game to be played.

Aino Minako watched with jealousy. It was odd that she would feel such a thing. She was no traitor. She has remained loyal to the cause. Her hands are stained with no blood, and her conscience was clean. There was nothing to atone for, nothing to regret.

She wondered then why she was the one feeling despair, isolation and anguish.

Somehow, the four men who were guilty now felt joy. It was the innocent who suffered. For the thousandth time, Aino Minako reflected on the unfairness of fate and the frightening truth of fortunes told.

The girls each handled the reunion differently. Ami showed tentative acceptance. Rei was guarded and revealed little, but it was clear she had reservations. Makoto had avoided matters all together.

And Minako had played the role of leader. She obeyed orders and accepted the return of the Shitennou. They were mighty warriors who were a credit to the Royal Guard. They would be strong allies.

This was what a leader did. A leader evaluated threats, and determined the best course of action to protect her team and her charges.

A leader did not place any value on love lost a thousand years ago. A leader did not dream perhaps that love might come again. A leader did not mourn for a life lost that would not return. A leader did not begrudge the sacrifices she had made for the sake of her leader, her sister, her hope, her salvation.

So Aino Minako may have watched with jealousy, and may have idly tossed an old volleyball around, wishing for someone to play with. Aino Minako may have sought a touchstone of her old life to bring comfort in troubled times.

Aino Minako was once a fine volleyball player. She would have one day represented Japan in the Olympics. Her teammates looked up to her. Her skills and her leadership saw her team through many close matches, and they shared many great victories. Aino Minako was a fine volleyballer.

But Aino Minako was no more. There was only Sailor Venus.

The ball rolled away across the empty gym floor, discarded and forgotten. Many dreams followed in its wake.