Disclaimer: It's implied considering the medium I'm publishing through.

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Chapter X

Rei burst into the room with a first-aid kit held out in front of her. She looked heroic in a comedic sort of way. Minako's face flushed at seeing Rei arrive back to their dorm before midnight, relief making her sweat her like aerobic kickboxing. Rei was flushed from running from the school parking lot, but Minako was also only wearing a camisole and thong. And a stuffed Artemis, formerly known as Art, was dangling from Minako's hands. Rei almost fell over.

"Rei…" Minako began.

"What are you wearing!?" Rei practically shouted, waving her hands and kit all over the place.

"See these sick bruises?" Minako turned to the left to show Rei the right side of her body. Cool colors of green, purple, and blue marred her otherwise fair, nourished skin from her calves to her small, but nicely-shaped bottom.

A stitch in Rei's heart sent her scurrying to Minako's side, guiding her to a lying position to better inspect. "This looks terrible…"

"Thanks sis," Minako deadpanned.

"—against your perfect skin." Minako had nothing to say back to that. "That smell…oh, you applied some of mom's herbal medicine?" Rei asked. She also tried not to stare at Minako's alert nipples, practically waving at her through the thin top.

"Reminds me of home and growing up…even if the stuff doesn't work and reeks." Minako said.

"Haha yeah, I mean, dad's a doctor, but we still use these ancient, untested, Eastern remedies," Rei rejoined with the memories.

"Did you get that," Minako pointed at the kit, "from daddy?"

"Oh…maybe he put it there. But I'm pretty sure it came with our car. I found it in the trunk, and we've never had to use it before. The school's health center is closed on weekends," Rei said.

"It's fine; I'm all taken care of, thanks to mom secretly packing her herbal goods in one of our boxes, see?" Minako forced a smile. Rei nodded demurely in turn and put the kit aside. Seated at the edge of Minako's bed-made-couch, Rei leaned into the curve of Minako's lying position and let her hand rest on her ankle. Rei slowly began to trace the length of Minako's bruise. Minako was extremely thankful that anatomy placed erratic hearts far from the legs of the body. But she couldn't help the sharp intake of air when Rei moved all the way to where her normal underwear usually covered.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Rei looked at the singer worriedly, but she didn't move her hand despite that. Minako shook her head, eyes irresistibly drawn to the contact of Rei's hand and her bum.

"So…" Minako was just saying something. She couldn't think. She sort of just wanted Rei to push her on her back and take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately, Rei would never do something so audacious. Minako hated that part of Rei right now.

Rei thought of where to begin. There were so many things she wanted to ask, but she probably wouldn't ask them all. She wasn't one to pressure others, but there were too many blanks in her logic after tonight. At the very least, she would cover two subjects, and not deciding between the two, "What were you doing in that tree? An-and why don't you want Zoicite to be your boyfriend any more!?" Rei let her voice crescendo instead of outright frightening the already wounded girl. Rei moved her legs up to the couch, hand still on the singer, moving so that she was also lying down, facing her. While Minako was just letting her head fall to the bed, Rei held her head up with her right hand and elbow.

"I broke up with Zo," Minako started with the easier question, well, for her.

"Fffffu-what!?" Rei's right arm slipped from its pick, and her left hand glided off of Minako's bum to catch her weight from completely collapsing onto a surprised Minako. Rei was hovering above Minako in a push-up position, except that their legs had become tangled with Rei's leg in between Minako's legs especially close for comfort. Rei's left leg twined determinedly around Mina's right thigh…The placement altogether left them taut against each other's increasingly wet selves.

Well, I guess I did ask for this, Minako crooned to herself as she knew that her blush could not be hidden at this distance, with Rei's face inches from hers.

Rei wouldn't let this embarrassing situation eclipse her burning curiosity. But her damn desires were burning too as her periphery caught Minako's chest heaving slightly, panting and flushed, probably from being winded by Rei. Great, she shoved Minako. Rei would beat herself up later for this. "When did this happen!? …Why didn't you tell me you were going to do this?" Rei quieted down, realizing she didn't need to raise her voice if Minako could practically taste what she was saying. Rei twitched, feeling like she needed a cold shower down there, as she thought about kissing Minako at this vantage point.

"You seemed busy with your own stuff…I wasn't even sure going in that it would really happen. Thursday, it happened Thursday. You know…I'm not very firm when it comes to my feelings. They're all over the place! But…I think I learned a lot from it all. Hopefully, I've grown in some way," Minako said sadly.

"Even if you broke it off with him, why do you still seem so down about it? Shouldn't you be relieved?" Rei asked with bias.

"I hurt him, Rei, I really fucked it over. It wasn't some clean break."

"Oh."

"He cried, oh god, he cried, Rei! In all the time I've known him, he's never shown me so many negative feelings in minutes, minutes!"

Rei, believing that Minako was unhappy about the breakup, couldn't help blurting out, "You want to get back together with him? Will that make you happy?"

"Rei, have you listened to anything I've said this past month!?" Minako's barb made Rei draw back, but Minako grabbed the sides of Rei's face pulling her back, "Zoicite and I are not meant to be. I'm just sorry for what I've done to him," Minako tapered off. They shared each other's understanding through a sympathetic, longing gaze.

Rei nodded into Minako's hands, comprehending, well, half of it, "You seem really repentant about it; that's really big of you, Minako."

"Eh he he huh…" Minako laughed nervously, not thinking it would be wise to mention that she was also wallowing in unrequited love for the girl on top of her.

"But sometimes you have to be selfish," Rei said, never really following any of the advice she gave to other people. "Maybe you're worried, but I'm not worried for you. I know I said earlier this week that no one was good enough for you, and I can't really take that back, but that just means you're going to get the best in the end. I have absolute faith in that, and I'll always be here to support you," Rei beamed at Mina. "—And personally assassinate anyone who hurts you." Rei was dead serious.

Minako's vocal chords constricted as she thought bitterly to herself, how can I be with anyone else if I can't even fall asleep without you? Goodnight honey, now let us go to our separate bedrooms, because I must sleep with Rei-chan. I have to see her multiple hours a day for my normalcy dose, and half of that time I'm draped around her in some way. To me, that is my life. I do other nonsense in my life, but it always comes back to Rei.

"Thanks Rei-chan. I'm going to hold you to that 'always,' even when you're married, erm, with your life partner. I have a bad dream, well that girl's just gonna have to scoot over, because remember, you were created for my selfish devices—

"Made for you and only you." Minako blinked in surprise at Rei finishing her line. Had she really said it that many times before? She thought it only ran through her head multiple times a week, not actually out her mouth. "Heh…my girl is going to hate you," Rei said.

"You know what? Get over here," Minako pulled Rei down with her so that they were both lying down, similar to how they slept at night. Minako's hands lingered on Rei's face, her elbows gently resting on Rei's chest. Minako was a little disappointed that Rei's hand went to her hip instead of her blue butt again.

"Okay Jane of the Jungle, what about the tree fiasco?" Rei hadn't forgotten. Minako found her relentless.

"I don't trust her," Minako murmured. Enough for Rei to catch.

"Well after tonight, she really doesn't like you too," Rei grimaced.

"She never gave me a chance. She totally poured that tea on me the first day we met her," Minako said.

"…" Rei chose not to respond. She wasn't too sure any more. It was possible. Mio had probably figured that Rei prayed only at the temple of Minako, goddess of everything wonderful, Venus-hime. Not to mention Mio said a lot of shit about Minako.

"Ah-hah! So you agree, I so know what it means when you're silent, Rei-chan, and when she kisses yo—"

"You were watching us kiss, Minako? That's just sick!" Rei shook Minako's wrist, effective removing one of the singer's hands from her face. "I always turned away when you kissed Zoicite. Thank goodness he wasn't keen on public display."

"She yanked your hair like a leash. It was messed up. Like abuse," Minako shuddered and gathered Rei's ponytail strands in her hand, letting them waterfall out as she strummed them. Not one single dead-end, but Minako found a white hair. Rei would sprout white hairs earlier than she should because she was the anxious type.

Rei restrained herself from sighing as Minako played with her hair, "Yeah…it took me aback as well. She can be really…forward with her actions. But it's not like I can be super critical or picky. It's not like girls look at me that way," Rei said.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Minako bulged her eyes at Rei, in that challenging flare her eyes often took. "Girls would throw themselves at you if they knew you were gay. If you had played sports in high school, you would have suffered so much homoerotic attention. You're an alpha female that isn't overbearing, and people want to listen to you because you just ooze competence. You're also intimidatingly withdrawn, so girls would go crazy over your mysterious moodiness."

"Um, thanks? How would you have this knowledge? It's not like you associate with that crowd," Rei retorted.

"Because I am the queen of all social behaviors and love relationships, trust me. I can't get my own act together, but I see it in other people. And the winning quality: you're gorgeous. If you were butch, you'd probably scare off the girls on the fence, the bi-curious ones. If you were femme, you'd just blend in with most of the female population. But you're just a strong, unique without being pariah, woman. So girls are always paying attention to you Rei. You're definitely admired, but none of them would jump you because they think you're straight."

"You're deluded," Rei looked at her with disproving eyes, doing very well to hide her glee at Minako calling her "gorgeous."

"You don't believe me!? Gosh, SO many girls in high school wanted to get to know you, thought you were SO cool with your "fuck-off" aura and dreamy purple contacts—what happened to those?—and effortlessly toned body…ugh, FINE! I'm dragging you to LASS," Minako pointed her V-sign in Rei's face.

"What is LASS?"

"Lesbian Asian Student Society. Haruka and Michiru are in it, probably officers. They tell me it has a decent amount of members. Not saying you'll find your soulmate there…" Because I might murder her first, "—but I bet at least two girls will ask you out. I'll give you my next shipment of manga coming in soon if I'm wrong. But I won't be. I'm so certain that I won't even ask for anything if I'm right."

"You…you really don't want me to be with Mio, huh?" Rei said.

I don't want you to be with anyone. "Nope!" Minako grinned at Rei. Then she felt a pang of guilt, her conscience coming out of its frequent and prolonged vacations. "But…I talk a lot. Whatever you want in the end is what you should get. I…I know I always force my opinion onto you, but I just think I know what's best for you. God I sound like a mom. Not our mom, but some TV mom. Anyway…I would probably cut off my fingers to prove to you, stop you from being with someone that would hurt you, but I guess it'd be the same if you really loved someone who wanted to cut off my fingers…uh what did I just say? I'm confused."

"I think that fall obliterated a population of your brain cells. You're likely tired on top of that. Let's go to bed, Mina-chan," Rei ushered.

Minako let the insult go as she was bought by the affectionate name. Twice in one night! Much better than "bitch." "Mm," Minako nodded happily as she scrambled up the ladder to Rei's bunk.

"I'm just gonna take a quick shower first," Rei stood on the second rung of the ladder to poke her head up at Minako.

Minako felt a pout and tantrum coming up. She wanted to cling to Rei as much as possible tonight, and Rei could never be dirty in her mind. Cleanliness-wise. The thought of joining Rei for a shower sprung itself mercilessly to Minako's mind, but they hadn't bathed together since intermediate school. And that was back-scrubbing, something very normal to the way they were brought up. Minako should really revive that faded tradition of theirs, but their dorm shower was so small! Instead, spontaneity took over Minako as she approached Rei's head peering over the railing. Minako kissed Rei daringly close to her lips. Barely off-center, it couldn't be called a kiss to the cheek. She lingered, feeling Rei tense up. Minako pulled away after a pulse-stilling ten seconds and said to Rei, "Thank you for coming back tonight. I know you wanted to patch me up, but it's more that you're here with me. I can't sleep without you, do you know that?" Minako said it rhetorically.

"Uhm…yeahhh…Imergo…" Rei couldn't form proper sentences, or words for that matter. The intimate kiss, the shy smile on Minako's face, her eyes. They were glowing with so much love, a sort of magnitude Rei had never witnessed before. The beauty of it all, the joy so apparent on Minako's face, was it all because of Rei? Rei felt rusty weights letting up from her aged, tormented spirit. She was light enough to stand confidently now. Sure, LASS members, bring it! Rei wasn't just some loser who would die waiting and alone; she was strong. She was worthy. And she now had hope. Renewed hope that her love could be returned. Just maybe, Rei would always be the one Minako slept with, beside.

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Ha, I'm making this longer, because I don't think about how to end something. I'm getting ahead of myself, but hopefully you'll be able to enjoy it more then!