Aah! My first girl fic. Oh, I'm hilarious. (lolz.) Not my strong suit, guys, but I'll give it my best shot!


London isn't all it's cracked up to be. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'd like to get out of here as soon as I can. But Artemis insists that there's still one more source of evil energy that needs to be dealt with before I get to leave. I'd like to believe him, but this is the third time he's said it.

"The last one, I promise," he said. Yeah, sure.

I love being Sailor V. Protecting the world, all that good jazz. It really does a number for my self-esteem, seeing one bad guy drop after another. But God, what I would give to be normal. To not have to skip volleyball practice three times a week. To be able to do my homework at a time that's not three in the morning. To be able to fall in love. But I'm the chosen one, what choice do I really have?

**

My volleyball team and I went out for lunch one spring afternoon after a logistical meeting to set up a practice schedule for the summer. It was cloudy, but warm, and the rain was starting to pool in fluffy clouds above our heads. I could feel the water coming through the pores on the skin on my arm, and it felt sticky to the touch. My blonde hair was the only piece of sunshine on the whole block, and my blue eyes didn't seem to blend in with the somber gloom around me. I guess I was distracted, because I was staring intently at a leaf in my fingers.

"Mina? Sweetheart, are you okay?" my team captain asked me. She was a good friend and a senior, a year above my meager "junior" status.

"Yeah, fantastic!" I perked up in her direction. I flashed her a big smile and she relaxed; people aren't used to seeing me when I'm not bubbly.

"We're all going back to my apartment to work on some good workouts for the summer. Did you want to go with us?" She smiled, hoping to snap me out of whatever it was she thought I was in.

"Sure, I'd love to. You know how I just love practices that make me vomit."

**

The walk home was gloomy, as it was every other day. There were twelve of us, all seemingly happy, giggling girls, all walking home together. We walked down cobblestone streets, past cafes and the bakery, and over the bridge to the other side of the river. I stopped and grabbed the railing, looking over my beautiful city. It was beautiful. Gloomy, but beautiful. The city lights were beginning to flicker in the cloud cover, and the rain started to fall. My teammates started to scream like girls surprised by the rain, and all ran off in the direction of home. It didn't bother me much, it wasn't enough to cause a bother. I pulled my little red umbrella out of my bag and popped it open though, just in case it decided to surprise me.

The rain started to tick away at the umbrella above my head. I always love the sound of rain, it sounded mind-numbing. Just a continuous progression of absolute nonsense that you could sink your teeth into. I turned around, away from the city that had stolen my life, and were met with a pair of familiar eyes. Dark violet, with a mass of black hair behind her, a orange umbrella over her head. She saw me from the other side of the bridge, and walked over towards me.

I knew these eyes. I knew them all too well. And somehow, I didn't know them much at all.

They loved me once.

And I loved them. I still loved them. But she had run away from me, so to see her coming towards me now, I wasn't sure how to handle.

She stopped just short of me, the tips of our umbrellas touching. She cocked her head to the side slightly and the corners of her mouth flipped up, just a little.

"Hey."

I felt like one of those dumb girls in the romantic comedies. The man of your dreams walks up to you, big smile on his face, and asks you something stupid or professes his love to you or whatever. And you, being the smart, beautiful, intelligent woman that you are, should know exactly what to say. But you don't. So, here I am. Tongue-tied whilst in the presence of the girl of my dreams.

I swallowed. "Hi."

I could see her trying to hide a smile, but it was never her strong suit. I took my other hand out of my pocket and put it on her shoulder.

"Rei," showing as much concern as I could muster. "You okay?" I could feel my eyes soften like butter in the microwave.

"I missed you."

I cracked a smile. I tossed my umbrella to the ground, threw my arms around her stomach, picked her up, and spun her around. She wrapped her arms around my neck and had her elbows on my shoulders. When I put her down, our faces weren't far from each other.

Under her orange umbrella.

"I missed you too."

And then I kissed her.