Author's Note: This story was born out of my love for PGSM and my desire for it to continue onward. Not much happens in this prologue – it's a Minako-centered reflection piece set during the Special Act; more specifically, it takes place after the battle with Mio Kuroki but about a week before Usagi and Mamoru's wedding. Oh, and the flashback is taken from Chapter 15 the Sailor V manga. I lightly tweaked it given the fact that manga Minako and live-action Minako seem like two completely different people, but 99.9 of the dialogue between our heroine and her adversary is taken directly from the Sailor V English scanlations by Grand Theft Fansub and ANViL. I do hope this prologue serves its purpose as a spring board for the later storylines I have swimming inside my head (and even a few ideas for various prequels and whatnot). Here's hoping it doesn't suck completely.
Disclaimer: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon belongs to "Princess" Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation Co., Ltd., Kodansha Animation, etc. etc.
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Visiting hours had long since been over, but Minako Aino still managed to enter Rei Hino's hospital room despite the ridiculously late hour. Being a famous idol really did have its perks after all – the night-shift nurses had been more than accommodating when the dark-haired star showed up at their station.
The room was dark save for the moonlight from the window. Minako stood still for a moment, letting her eyes adjust before she walked slowly to the hospital bed and looked down at the priestess' prone form. The injuries Rei sustained from her run-in with Mio Kuroki were far worse than the idol had imagined – her head and left eye were bandaged, as were both her arms. Seeing the renowned Guardian of Flame and Passion in such a weak state made Minako's heart clench painfully.
"Idiot," she said softly.
The idol shook her head and chuckled lightly as she imagined the glare her statement would have elicited. Without much forethought, Minako gently brushed away Rei's bangs and placed a kiss on her bandaged forehead – something she would never have gotten away with had the dark-haired woman been conscious.
She pulled up a chair next to the former Sailor Mars and sat down.
Despite the fact that she jumped straight into the conflict after her long flight from England, the day's battles had left her feeling wired, like she had taken 10 shots of espresso all at once. Channeling and harnessing her powers as Sailor Venus for the first time in four years had been exhilarating enough alone – but the combination with Mars' power had been… absolutely indescribable. She had almost been overwhelmed by the force of it all. When that initial feeling subsided, the commingling of their energy had felt completely natural. Considering their less than amicable encounters in the past, Minako was surprised by how well their powers had complemented each other, working in harmony to become greater than the sum of its parts.
Although she couldn't explain it, she had felt more than just the power of Mars. She had felt Rei herself. It had been…more than intimate.
Rei's heart is with us, she had told Luna as she, Ami and Makoto surrounded the 'Spirit of the Senshi' sword sent by Queen Serenity.
More specifically, her heart was with me. Minako shook her head, a wistful smile appearing on her face. Yeah right. Wishful thinking, Aino. Rei would never see you that way. And yet…
After they had all reunited with Usagi four years ago, Makoto and Ami had filled Minako in on the final battle with Princess Sailor Moon and how Mars, despite Venus' absence, had been able to channel the power of the Guardian of Love and Beauty. The news had not surprised her. Even when she had been…gone…she could feel her spirit being drawn to her friends, to Rei in particular. Of course, the Fire Guardian had been mum about the entire incident and Minako knew better than to pry. Since then, the level of antagonism between the two girls subsided and the grudging respect they shared for one another gradually turned into a deep friendship. Of course, that didn't mean they didn't still have the occasional 'snark-fest,' as Makoto liked to call them.
Minako continued to gaze at the woman who had become equal parts her biggest rival/pain in the ass, best friend, and, loathe as she had been at first to admit it, object of her quite unrequited affection. She didn't know when it had happened, but somewhere along the way, she had fallen for the tempermental young miko. Just as Venus had fallen in love with Mars in her former life…
And just like her past incarnation, Minako had decided to keep her feelings to herself – although she suspected that Artemis, and possibly Makoto, had already figured her out. If they did know, they never said a word to her. Indeed, Minako would rather have hurled herself from atop Tokyo Tower while lit aflame before she ever willingly admitted her love to anyone – especially Rei, who she imagined would accuse her of being unduly influenced by the past life yet again. And that certainly is not an argument I want to bring up again.
Minako sighed, her eyelids beginning to droop. She hadn't felt tired earlier, but now that she was with Rei and saw for herself that the priestess would be all right, she could feel the fatigue begin to settle in.
There were times, she thought, when it seemed that maybe, just maybe, Rei shared her feelings. It wasn't anything Minako could pinpoint with absolute certainty. Indeed, it could very well have been just her imagination. But every once in a while, there was just something about the way Rei would speak to her or the way she would look at her that would make Minako's heart skip a beat. But if such evidence was quick to appear, it was just as quick to disappear – not surprising given their history.
It had always been the same between them – an endless dance of touch and go. Whenever Minako thought they were finally moving forward, something always went wrong. As much as she wanted to chalk it up to Rei's stubborn and at times incredibly infuriating personality, Minako grudgingly acknowledged that she was just as much to blame for their rocky relationship by setting off the easily irked miko with all her teasing. And, of course, when things got heated, Minako would have been damned if she backed down to Rei. She hated to lose after all – even, or especially, to the woman she loved. From there, things would escalate until either Minako or Rei would say or do something they both would regret later, and they were back at square one. Artemis was right, sometimes it really did seem like they brought out the worst in each other.
"Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."
The haunting words came unbidden to Minako's mind, causing a frown to form on her delicate features.
It was a memory she would have been happy to forget – Sailor Venus' first encounter with a soldier from the Dark Kingdom. Adonis… no, Danburite… No one knew of the meeting save Artemis, and even he hadn't heard Danburite's last words to her.
The event had occurred shortly after her first skirmish with Tuxedo Kamen, when she had regained the memories of her mission to protect the princess and remembered her "true name" as Venus. She had barely enough time to digest it all before the next day, when Sugao Saitou, her manager, had whisked her off to China in order to film "A Chinese Princess" opposite idol Ace Kaitou.
Minako had heard of the handsome Ace's famed charm – and he more than lived up to his reputation. She, too, probably would have fallen under his spell if she hadn't been preoccupied with her newfound mission. She had found that the more she tried to sort through her memories, the more she would be deluged with even more images, emotions and snippets of past conversation. It had all been so confusing… especially the ones revolving around a certain raven-haired woman in a red sailor fuku.
The filming had gone by without any problems until the day Minako decided to visit the set early to talk to Sugao and found herself walking in on Ace and his youma LinLin draining energy from the cast and crew. Minako had confronted the two as Sailor V and in the ensuing battle, she had released a tad bit too much power to destroy LinLin – Artemis attributed it to the unlocking of her memories – and as a result, the studio began to fall apart around her.
As Artemis worked to get the survivors out of the building, Minako moved deftly through the crumbling studio to reach Ace. It had been then, amidst the remains of the set of a palace, that more memories flowed through her mind and a bright, almost blinding light engulfed her body. The spirit of Venus, which had been lying dormant within her, had awoken. She had felt her blue and white fuku dissolve as she fell to her knees.
In her mind's eye, she had seen her laughing Princess dressed in a white gown, holding her arms out to catch Artemis. Next to her, Mercury held a huge text, not bothering to hold back her smile as she attempted to scold the Princess for neglecting her studies. Leaning against a nearby pillar, Jupiter took in the scene with amusement, while Mars entered carrying a tray of lunar nectar, shaking her head at the Princess and then throwing a small smile over at Venus. She's so beautiful…
Minako hadn't known if the thought had been hers or Venus', but before she could ponder it any further, the light had dissipated and as her eyes adjusted she could make out a silhouette standing in front of her.
"Are you all right, Princess of Venus?" It was Ace.
Pulling off her red goggles, Minako stood and looked down at herself, surprised – and yet not – to find that an orange and white fuku had replaced her Sailor V uniform. Indeed, she was more taken aback about finding herself standing on a platform overlooking what appeared to be a desert instead of being inside a collapsing studio.
"This place often gets foggy around this time," Ace said.
She knew then that she was on what appeared to be the surface of Venus – or at least what the surface would have looked like in the days of Silver Millennium. She remembered the fog of sulfuric acid that would surround the young planet due to volcanic activity on the surface.
"I am not a princess," she said, turning her gaze on Ace. "I am the Guardian Soldier of the Planet Venus… Sailor Venus. I was born a soldier to protect that single precious person."
Ace merely smirked at the blonde sailor soldier knowingly, as if she hadn't said anything he didn't already know. He walked toward her and handed her the script to "The Chinese Princess."
"Shall we film the climax?" he said, pointing to a specific page. "The scene where the princess, an abandoned child who has lost her memory, is taken to her homeland. From your line princess."
Despite herself, Venus looked down at the script and half-recited, "This… is my true land?"
"No." Ace looked her in the eye. "The land you loved, the people you loved…are no more."
Before she could react, Ace enveloped her in an embrace.
"They were destroyed by the enemy."
"Stop it!" Venus violently pushed Ace away from her. "Who are you? How did you know I was born of Venus?"
"That is because… I am Adonis." As he spoke, the sigil of Venus briefly appeared on his forehead only to quickly disappear. "I burn with a passion for you. We were supposed to love one another. I am your mystical lover."
Off Venus' incredulous look, he continued, "But you do not know me. In my previous life, I had no rank. I was a miserable soldier in a remote region.
"You lived in a palace overlooking Venus – the chosen strongest Sailor Soldier, shining brightly. Before long, for your mission, you went to the ruler of the solar system – the Moon."
Adonis turned from her, walked to the edge of the platform and looked to the horizon.
"In your absence, some of your people were…borrowed…for the war taking place on the chief planet – Earth. It was then, that I finally saw you, the lovely goddess of love and beauty."
He turned back toward Venus. "At that moment, I knew. If I could just change one wheel of fate, the two of us might fall in love…"
Without warning, what appeared to be a playing card suddenly materialized in Adonis' hand and dark energy began to surround him in the form of a crackling sphere. Venus jumped back into a defensive position, her own aura beginning to surround her in protection.
"But there is only one destiny," Adonis said, his eyes darkening and his voice rising steadily. "I was born into this world again and raised to the status where I can confront you! I am a soldier under the Shitennou of the Dark Kingdom… Danburite!
"And YOU Sailor Venus… You are my ENEMY!"
With all his might, Danburite threw a wave of dark energy at the sailor soldier. Venus quickly dodged to her right, the attack narrowly missing its intended target, and twisted her body just in time to see Danburite leaping into the air and gathering more dark electricity for a follow-up blow.
At that moment, instinct took over and as images of her fallen comrades flashed in her mind's eye, Venus lifted her right hand and released her power in one single, crescent beam. The energy of her strike clashed with Danburite's second of wave of darkness, and eventually pierced through his attack, striking him dead center in the chest. As quickly as it began, the battle was over.
Breathing harshly, the adrenaline still flowing through her, Venus stood over Danburite's slowly disintegrating body.
"Is it your fate to defeat the ones I love?" Her voice was quiet and held no malice.
As she looked down at the agent of the Dark Kingdom, she watched as the darkness left Danburite's eyes and a small, almost sad smile graced his handsome features. He lifted his arm as another playing card appeared in his hand – the Ace of Hearts.
"I'll tell your final love fortune."
Venus took a step back, ready for an attack, and was startled when the card spontaneously ripped into shreds.
"Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."
Venus' heart froze at his words.
"What's wrong?" Danburite asked after she failed to respond. "You should look happier. Now you can go on living… without having to torment yourself over the ultimate choice – your love or your duty."
The dark soldier's form was quickly fading into oblivion and, despite herself, Venus knelt beside him. She knew that the person lying before her now was no longer Danburite, but Adonis.
"Your fate is to continue fighting," the former Venusian said as he disappeared. "Your true battle begins now."
Minako recalled continuing to kneel there until her surroundings morphed back into that of the studio, with Artemis running up to her and yelling at her to escape the building. Once outside, she had reaffirmed her vow to fulfill her mission no matter what the cost.
"Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."
"Your love or your duty."
As hard as she tried to forget that fateful encounter, Adonis' last words still managed to seep back into her consciousness now and again, always when she least expected it.
Minako shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose. That bastard… What would he know of love...? The idol knew better than to heed the words of a dying enemy, and yet she could not quite quell the feelings of unease that the memory stirred in her. What exactly did she know about love? Indeed, very little. It was almost laughable. Here she was, the supposed Guardian of Love and Beauty, and she couldn't even admit her feelings to the woman she loved in this lifetime and the last. Why? Because she knew she loved someone who would most likely never return her feelings. Perhaps… perhaps it is for the best.
The idol's dark thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a soft whimper coming from the direction of the hospital bed. Minako immediately stood next to Rei's side, watching as her friend's face scrunched up in pain. She lightly placed her right hand over the miko's and used her left to gently caress the side of her face.
"Shhhh. It's okay, Rei. It's okay."
Minako repeated the mantra until Rei's movements stilled and her breathing became slow and steady once again. Satisfied that Rei was fine and asleep, Minako settled back into her chair.
Closing her eyes, she finally allowed herself to fall into the arms of slumber.