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Sweet Escape
She blew out a sigh, putting a forefinger to her temple. Her blue eyes just stared at the annoying white iPhone playing her once-favorite song, the screen illuminating the name of the caller: Usagi. Her phone had been ringing non-stop for the past few weeks, ever since she agreed to help plan her friend's wedding.
"I need a new ringtone," Minako breathed before hitting the answer button. She brought the phone to her ear, listening to the eager voice of her friend talk about a new idea for the wedding. It was only fifteen minutes before a familiar feeling pressed against her right temple, a headache threatening to erupt at any moment.
"Sorry Usagi, but I have to go. I have some things I need to do. I'll call you later. Bye." Minako flopped on her bed in another sigh. Her eyes landed on a poster of a kitten dangling from a tree with the words in bold "Hang in There", something she put up a few years ago as encouragement whenever exams came around at school or when she was tired of studying.
"How are you doing?" A soft voice asked. Minako briefly raised her head to see Artemis sitting on the end of her mattress, concern shown on his face.
"Um, I'm hanging in there, I guess," she replied, taking another glance at the poster before shutting her eyes tight, trying to calm the pain that was pulsing in her head. Blindly searched for the bottle of painkillers that she kept on the table next to her bed, knocking over several things in the process.
"Artemis! Did you hide my painkillers? That's not funny!" Minako snarled when she didn't find the bottle, sitting up to glare at the white cat that now looked scared instead of concerned.
"I haven't done anything! They must have run out."
"Don't play dumb. A bottle of pills can't run anywhere," she frowned, noticing Artemis roll his eyes.
"No, Mina. I meant that they've been used up."
Minako inhaled deeply, taking a moment to calm down. She realized it was better to get some more medicine to soothe the pain that now was pounding against her forehead than continue to bicker with Artemis. Slowly standing up, she trudged downstairs to the front door to collect her sandals and purse, trying not to further irritate her headache.
As soon as she stepped out, felt the heat stick to her skin. Bright sunlight blinded Minako for a moment. 'Oh, how I love summer' she grimly thought as her eyes adjusted. Minako noticed as she dragged her feet down the sidewalk that despite the boiling weather, many people were still out. Riding bikes, carrying fans, wearing sunglasses... 'I should have worn my sunglasses. Then I wouldn't have to squint so much'
She rounded a corner into a large crowd of people. The sidewalk was filled with people waiting outside a store whose sign reflected sunlight right into Minako's squinting eyes when she tried to read it, causing her to wince and stumble back into a person right behind her.
"Sorry," she said, squinting up at the person's face, noting the long black ponytail. Something seemed very familiar. But she couldn't be certain because of the sunglasses protecting their eyes.
"It's alright, Venus," the stranger replied, grinning. He tilted his dark glasses down to reveal blue eyes that twinkled with amusement.
"Seiya!" She gasped before his hand clamped down on her mouth. Seiya glanced around to see if anyone heard, but everyone seemed preoccupied with their own conversations or just getting inside the store. As soon as he dropped his hand, all of her questions started flooding from her mouth. "When did you get back? Wait, why are you back? There isn't another enemy, is there?"
"Before I answer, can we go somewhere else? It's too hot out here."
Minako was about to agree when she suddenly remembered her to-do list. She had to meet up with Usagi to talk with the florist, order the cake, and look at a multitude of table settings. Just the thought of it made her head hurt. 'Oh yeah, I need to get something for my headaches too' she remembered. But she was so tired of errands and she really needed some sort of escape from it all. 'Taking one afternoon off won't hurt'
"Sure. There's an ice cream shop not far from here," Minako replied. "But I can't talk for very long. I have stuff I need to do today."
They walked in silence along a quiet street. The weather had become hotter so that the road in the distance looked more like a pool with its wavering image. The whirring song of cicadas filled the backdrop of their thoughts, creating an environment that felt desolate, like there wasn't another soul around for many miles.
Minako's head was filled with thoughts crashing into each other. Her mind started to feel dizzy, spinning around searching for some answer that would provide an escape, a path that would lead back to herself full of dreams and light. To when she tried to live every minute to the fullest, and she dreamed every spare moment. Now that high school was over, responsibilities piled up and had to push the pursuit of her dreams aside for a little while that turned into a long while.
She didn't realize until now how her lungs felt deprived of air, being suppressed by the feeling of going nowhere. Realized how days would pass without much purpose, and every morning she got up just to walk in the same circle again. Felt tears burn her eyes, ready to expose how she really felt beneath forced smiles.
"Watch out for-" Seiya started to say right before a big thunk. "That pole."
Minako stumbled back, holding her head with her eyes shut tight. A ringing pang rushed through her skull, the pain so powerful she had to crouch in a ball on the ground or risk falling over.
"Must have gotten too caught up in your thoughts there. Here, let me take a look." Seiya's tenor caused to open her eyes, tears flowing freely now. One of his hands push her bangs aside while the other held her chin, tilting her face up so he could get a better look at her injury. She stared at him, feeling a different kind of warmth wash over her face due to the proximity. Her heart started pounding in a quick tempo as shivers crept along her skin, sending the hairs on her arms to stand up straight. "Hmm, it looks fine. You can't tell that you ran into a pole at all," he said with a chuckle, waking Minako from her trance.
"Don't laugh! That really hurt," she exclaimed, rubbing her forehead. Surprisingly, the pain was already gone. She got up from the ground with a smile playing across her lips, quickly wiping the tear stains on her cheeks with the back of her hand.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine. I feel a lot better now." She took a breath, filling her lungs with air. Felt more peaceful and happy, like the calm after a storm. "Let's go. The ice cream store is just ahead."
After stopping to get an ice cream cone each, they continued walking while Seiya pointed out each pole, much to the annoyance of Minako. Just as she was about to tell Seiya to stop, the front of her sandal got caught in a crack in the sidewalk. Seiya quickly grabbed her elbow, stopping her fall but the cone still slipped from her hand, landing on the pavement.
"You're just full of bad luck today," Seiya joked, lightly laughing.
"Maybe, but today was just the escape I needed," Minako replied. Looking at the fallen ice cream, she added, "A sweet escape."
Helloo! ^o^
Thank you for reading my drabble for this pairing. I haven't written for these two before, but I think they make a cute couple
As always, please leave a review and tell me what ya think!