Chapter 11: God of Wine

"She takes a drink and then she waits

the alcohol it permeates and soon the cells give way

and cancels out the day, I can't keep it all together, I know.

And the siren's song that is your madness

holds a truth that I can't erase all alone on your face.

Every glamorous sunrise throws the planets out of line

a star sign out of whack, a fradulent zodiac,

and the god of wine is crouched down in my room

you let me down, I said it, now I'm going down,

and you're not even around, and I said no....

and there's a memory of a window,

looking through I see you,

searching for something I could never give you..."

They had gotten through the whole day without even sparing a glance at each

other, from the time they had both stomped into the house and fired bullets at each

other with their eyes, and after Artemis had practically whined out a "dear god"

they had been ignoring each other's existence.

Now it was time for bed, they had been pacing around till midnight wishing that

the other would just give up already and hit the sack, and with each of their silent

tantrums gone ignored, their tempers began to steam. Almost throwing herself onto

her sleeping bag in the middle of the floor and giving the bag a ferocious yank Rei

closed her eyes shut tight and tried to get to sleep all the while ignoring Minako's

indignant shuffling.

Rei hoped that Minako wouldn't bug her about this in the morning that maybe in the

morning they could just go back to the way things were....without having to gloss over

the events of today. It always worked out like that, with things being left unsaid

between them, but they left it at that with loose ends, because none of them would

bring up the subject. Rei thought their method was so much easier than talking it out

....so much easier...than talking beyond midnight until the sun rose eating everything

that wasn't nailed down.....Rei shook her head petulantly under the covers as the

thought of talking beyond midnight seemed to appeal to her. NO! Ignoring it would make

things go away....and with that she turned her head the other way and surrendered

herself to sleep...

-------------------

"AH!...aaaa.....MINAKO! It.....hurts! F-fire..."

Minako at first, tried to ignore Rei's slight whimpers and her constant thrashing,

but when Rei's convulsions started getting violent, that's when Minako started to

worry. Throwing off the blankets that covered her body, Minako strode over to

where Rei lay thrashing around like she was bound by ropes, or on the verge of

a seizure. If she continued like this any longer her arm was bound to swell some

more and she'd cause more injury to herself. Taking a hold of Rei's injured arm so

that Rei wouldn't lean on it unconsciously Minako shook her softly.

"Rei....REI! It's just a bad dream, wake up," Minako spoke softly jostling the more

fiery woman.

When Minako's voice seemed to finally get through to Rei, Rei's hand shot up and

grasped onto Minako's shoulder squeezing it painfully against her fingers. Almost as if

she was afraid to open her eyes, one of Rei's eyes creeped open cautiously before she

opened the other, and relief seemed to swim through her face as she saw who was

next to her. Then almost as if she had been burned, Rei snapped her hand away and

quickly turned her head the other way, almost embarassed at her show of weakness.

"What's wrong? You started calling out my name while you were still dreaming," Minako

asked tracing idle pattens in the palm of her left hand.

"......it was nothing," Rei had paused just briefly before she answered, as if debating

whether to tell Minako or not about her dream about the daisy field, and Minako's fading

form.

Minako frowned at that glaring at Rei surrepriously.

"You know Hino Rei that it wasn't nothing," Minako shot back her anger returning.

"Okay! Fine! So what if it was something? It's none of your business anyway...you

would'nt know what it's like. Having such a power that you can't control or can't wish

you never had...I have to do this alone...because you wouldn't understand...this is my

power and I have always done this alone," Rei muttered angrily, as she found she had

nowhere to go since it was still dark outside and the only light came from the moon that

shone through her window, and splashed onto Minako's shoulder.

"You are a hypocrite," Minako replied shortly after.

Minako's grip tightened a little on Rei's hand but she remained silent throughout

the whole of Rei's epiphany, finally just getting up and walking to the bed and taking

the mattress and blankets from it, returned and put the matresses on the ground like

a make-shift bed, but now she was next to Rei's sleeping bag. Laying down flat on

her side she looked at Rei with a bit of a smile on her face.

"So explain...what have you been doing these past few years?"

Turning her head around hesitantly, so that lying on her back she could look

directly into Minako's eyes, she swallowed softly as her face ended up close

to Minako's, but she disguised it by shifting so that she didn't have to stare at

Minako directly.

"...talk about what....? Why do you want to know?" Rei asked softly.

"Well you said you didn't know me anymore than that says the same to me that

I don't know you anymore...so tell me...what kind of trouble have you been getting

into?" Minako asked unperturbed.

Rei's mouth opened and closed...where to start? She made it sound all necassary

to get a feel for Minako but now when it came down to it, she found it hard to tell all

the rest of 3 years absent in a few hours, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't try. Rei

decided that it was best to start from when she had landed up in Kyoto and trailed

herself from there. She told Minako about all the beautiful sights she had seen and the

people she had met good and bad altogether. She even told her of the hard lessons

she had faced, while amidst strengthing her powers against the fabric of the mortal

world.

Minako in her turn, let Rei speak and mainly just took an intake of breath whenever

Rei paused, or when the climax of one of her adventures approached Minako would

clench her pillow tightly as it passed.

"...I just couldn't stand there while the whole world was practically spinning around

me, that's why I decided to take the government job, well that's how I ended up being

some kind of catapulting wonderwoman in kyoto and all, but I don't know I'm not that

great," Rei added modestly after her speech trying to shine some light away from her.

Minako looked at her in wonder a slight smile crinkling around the edges of her

lips as she pinched at a little corner of her pillow she looked at Rei as if Rei was

some new person.

"You've changed Rei....that's good for you....but you know something in you is

still the same," Minako murmured laughing at the thought of Rei being so mature and

yet so childish at the same time.

"Hey, you have too...you've spread your wings far beyond what I can do," Rei

replied blushing a little.

"We all have Rei, we've grown new wings after our old ones fell out. That's

how life goes, you lose your wings, but you will always grow new ones."

"It all feels the same sometimes. Like I'm some classical hero in some prodigous

play, like everything has already been planned ahead, the ending has already been

ordained, but the way I take the journey is unpredictable, and the happy ending is

a milestone away," Rei sighed as her hand twisted the fabric of sleeping bag

restlessly.

" We deal with what we are given. I've doubted for a long time about what

matters the most, to be a hero in someone else's world and tackling everything big

and dubbed heroic, or just being a hero in your own world, living life as it is as who

you were born to be."

---------------

(later)

"So, do you like wine?" Minako asked as she popped a cork in the kitchen as

she seemed to make a toast to the moon outside.

Rei fidgeted, because she never had drank wine, or even tasted a drop of
alcohol before in her life. She had seen her mother drink just a little, when she felt

hassled and tired with the days she had to go through, but she had rarely seen

her mother drunk.

"No...never tasted it before," Rei murmured not wanting to lie to Minako.

Minako looked at her in a bit of shock and then smiled and poured out another full

glass for Rei. Rei wasn't sure if she should intake that much either, but not wanting to

backdown from a challenge, even though Minako hadn't expressed it as one Rei smoothly

took the glass, and without a second thought she gulped about half of it down....bad idea.

As soon as that fiery liquid entered her mouth, it burned its way down her throat forcing her

to cough and spit most of the wine across the floor, as she and Minako sat cross-legged on it.

Rei's eyes burned fiercely and sparkled with tears, as the liquid slowly settled in her stomach,

and sat there setting fire to each and every cell in her body. Minako forced back a laugh as

she saw Rei's first encounter with wine as she handed Rei a napkin to brush away her

tears.

"You sure are an amateur at this, even I knew not to gulp down wine the first time,

here. You have to sip it slowly, and hold it in your mouth, until it changes taste in your

mouth. It'll be spicy at first, then sour, and then finally sweet and then you may swallow

it," Minako informed Rei as she watched Rei wipe away the droplets of wine across the

floor.

"Thanks for the advice," Rei drawled sarcastically. "I could've used that a moment

ago before I drank it."

Smirking, Minako answered with a flip of her hair and another sip from her wine

glass as she was half-done with it. The wine bottle sat between them, where they

had found it in the recesses of Rei's belated grandfather's room and had brought it

out, just for the sake of toasting the old man.

"So, Rei...why didn't you move in with your father after your grandfather died?

I hear, Senator Hino has quite the luxurious accomadations," Minako said starting idle

conversation.

"I lived with him for awhile, but it was all too rich anyway, and it's not like

I ever got to see him more, it was just too uncomfortable for me. I got myself

emancipated," Rei replied taking a slug of the wine and holding it in her mouth

before swallowing.

"Why? You could've gotten taken care of," Minako murmured watching her

wine splash across the rim of her glass.

"I'd rather live out on the streets than live with my father...sometimes it takes

more time to forgive and forget," Rei muttered bitterly as she finished her glass of

wine headily.

"Family is family...you're lucky to still have family left," Minako retorted also

finishing her glass and pouring for them out another.

"I think my father gave up on me when my mother died...he never tried

even the slightest to be there for me or my mother. Not even when she died,

he was always working, and he worked even more when she died. It was

always work," Rei muttered angrily as she ignored the burning sensation going

down her throat as she guzzled the wine.

"No he didn't...Rei you know some people in this life...are unhappy because

they don't have anything left to lose," Minako retorted while watching her wine

flicker across the rim of her glass.

"Aren't you supposed to take my side?" Rei asked, as she took a large gulp of

wine, liking the way it left a burning sensation in her throat, the only thing that

distracted her from her thoughts and feelings.

"Well, I'm not a good person, Rei," Minako commented, as she tipped the contents

of her wineglass to her lips not caring if some of the wine dribbled down her chin, and

onto her black shirt.

"Agreed," Rei murmured as she did the same to her wine glass feeling light-headed

now.

Her body felt numb actually, like her legs were made of jello and she couldn't

move them, but she could turn her head and speak but mostly her conscience was

blocked from her, and whenever she tried hard to think she came up blank. Rubbing

her forehead she made a mental note to stop drinking, but forgot that mental note, as

soon as a full wineglass was shoved at her. So much, for safe-drinking....

Minako didn't know how many glasses of wine she had, had she just knew that

the wine bottle was empty, and they were still clinking their wineglasses together in

makeshift toasts. Rei's head, had fallen onto her shoulder and stayed there as they

talked about everything and nothing at all, their sense of formality out the door.

"Let's make a toast...to imperfection, and my father, who still can make excuses

about work at a time like this," Rei slurred, as she thrust her wineglass out into the air

as the air seemed to hang thick and heavy between them.

"Here, here," Minako answered her voice steady as always and she clinked

glasses with Rei.

Minako was amused at the fact that this was how Rei was drunk....boisterous

and definetely more open hearted than the not-drunk Rei. Minako wondered if Rei knew

that she was drunk, but thought, of course not. Rei had always been full of pride so

she would deny any idea of her being drunk. Minako herself felt a little tipsy as she had

consumed more wine than required for just "social drinking". In truth, Minako had never

consumed as much alcohol as she had consumed tonight, sure on talk shows she

would have a small glass of wine, but never let herself go.

"So this is what it's like....being drunk. Doesn't feel that much different from being

awake," Minako murmured, certain that however in control she was of her state right

now, that she was drunk, as was Rei.

"M-not drunk," Rei mumbled, as she tried her best to sit up by herself, without

inconsequently leaning over onto Minako.

"Whatever you say, Rei," Minako spoke passively as her hand gripped the neck

of the wine bottle, and she threw it apathetically against the wall, shattering it.

That brought Rei quickly to her senses as her drugged like state took backseat

and she was very aware of the crinkling of glass.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Rei exclaimed as she watched as pieces of

glass fell to the tiled floor of her kitchen.

"I just wanted to see what would happen," Minako replied breezily waving her

wineglass in the air, contemplating on what to do with it.

"What would you think if I did something bad just to see what would happen?" Rei

retorted prying the wineglass free from Minako's careless grip.

"Depends on what you were planning to do," Minako replied, smirking as she

watched how Rei snapped out of her drunken stupor.

Rei tried her best to ignore the little dots of light dancing in her eyes as she glared

at Minako, but couldn't keep her glare up, as she felt her hazy wonderland start back up

again. Rei started noticing little things about Minako all at once, things that she would've in

her sober state overlooked, Minako....looked beautiful. Rei had always thought that Minako

was pretty, just a step above her, but now with the way the moon just splashed its beams

onto Minako's shoulder, accentuating Minako's lovely curves and cupid-like smile, Rei had

this need now....this urge to just reach over and touch Minako's lips and see how they felt,

and see how they could they look so tempting and innocent at the same time. She wanted

to press her lips upon them and see how they tasted like, and maybe find out if the gloss

on Minako's lips would stay, or just rub off on her lips.

Minako's eyes widened as she stopped her useless jabbering on about how the wine

bottle pieces were a nice centerpiece for the floor when she felt a tentative touch on her

bottom lip. Turning her head around hesitantly, she saw Rei swallow slightly, as Rei's eyes

seemed to be transfixed on a target that was not her eyes. Minako tried to speak, tried to

move her mouth to say anything just to spoil this moment, because it was making her

uncomfortable, that look in Rei's eyes pained her. She knew what that look was, it was

one of desire, of lust, and most of all the mixed beginnings of love. She wanted to protect

Rei from love, from ever having to put up with someone like her for a lover, and maybe to

protect Rei from her way of life, to run away, before loved hooked itself into her. If Rei was

to fall in love with anyone else Minako wouldn't have had any objections to it, but with her?

Why? What did Rei see in her? What did Rei want of her?

Rei was aware of her fingertips on Minako's lips, and she could feel the silky

smoothness, and the warmth of them. Every small exhale Minako took Rei could've

counted against the ticking rhythm of her watch, but she didn't. She could only

concentrate on Minako, and she couldn't take her eyes off of her, and she didn't

want to. It was a painful thing to fall into what was most likely an unsteady path

where there was no trail for Rei to follow but the emotions Minako showed her.

Her head was leaning forward unconsciously as she noticed Minako had leaned

half the way for her, and as their lips met Rei lost herself to the explosion of flavor on

her tongue as she tasted remnants of wine on Minako, and cinammon just briefly...then

strawberry, the taste of the lip gloss. Slowly, Minako moaned softly, and tipped her head

back letting Rei's tongue slide effortlessly into her mouth. A fire had started itself in Rei's

stomach, as she felt the wine she had consumed from before coming back to her in full

throttle, as the burning sensation seemed to have slipped down from her stomach to

between her legs.

Minako's lips were hot and scorching as she felt Minako reciprocate, and that only

made her eager for more, as she trailed her hand down Minako's lower back to bring

her in closer to her, but just as soon as their bodies had made brief contact Minako's

eyes fluttered open wide in realization. Cutting off their heated kiss, Minako stood up

jerkily, as her elbow hit the kitchen counter. Eyes open wide, Minako looked at Rei as

if she had just been burned, and she backed away with a look of hopelessness in her

eyes.

"What's wrong?" Rei asked finally finding her voice and her tongue back.

Minako just shook her head as she backed away to the exit of the shrine

almost tripped over her shoes.

"Minako," Rei called out worried now and she stood up shakily and lurched

after Minako.

"D-don't Rei...just stay there. Don't go after me or come after me. Just don't," Minako

cried as she clumsily put on her shoes and ran off.

"Dammit Minako, come back here! You don't just kiss someone and leave....me

hanging...I love you!" Rei sputtered trying to do the best she could to pull Minako back.

At those three words Minako paused in her hurried steps and turned around

exhaling a breath.

"Don't say things that you don't mean, Rei," Minako replied shakily as she once

again turned her back on Rei and walked away.

Rei watching all of this, slammed her fist onto the counter feeling the mind-numbing

pain shoot up her uninjured arm, and temporarily ease her of the ache that was forming

in her chest.

"DAMMIT...damn you Hino Rei...you just had to mess it up!"

--------------

Artemis had been crouched in the bushes when Rei and Minako had started

drinking, and had stayed there until he heard the shattering of glass, and a few

moments later Minako storming out of the shrine in what seemed like to Artemis

another breakdown. Artemis' two beady eyes squelched together, as no sooner

than second later Rei's ragged voice split through the night air delivering the words

"I love you", splitting into Artemis' conscience like a knife. If he had been drowsy and

content before now he was distressed and worried.

It wasn't a surprise for him to hear Rei say those words it was just Minako's

reaction he was so tense about. Maybe, it was wrong to stay at the Hikawa shrine,

when tender lines were being stretched for Minako already, but without Rei, Minako

would've never gotten where she was now. Artemis was a fool to think that this

wouldn't help progress and escalate the momental pinnacle of Rei and Minako's

growing emotions. Now he paid a blunt blow as a price as he laid eyes upon

Minako's tear-strained and confused face.

"Oh dear...." Artemis murmured to himself, as he nimbly appeared out of

the bushes just in time, to catch Rei in a fit of rage hurt herself again.

If he didn't fix this everything would become unwound and who knows

who Minako might end up going to? Artemis didn't even want to think of it as he

ran forward only to see Minako come crashing into a figure on the street...Kaijou.

Artemis heard Kaijou murmur something low to her, and Minako utter out a curse

before walking hurriedly away, while Kaijou just calmly wiped the spit off of his

face. Artemis dove behind a tree as Kaijou started back up his saunter to the front

of the shrine and Rei noticing the figure approached.

To say that she was surprised was an understatement. Rei recognized him

even in the darkness shadowing his features, she didn't remember his name, but

she remembered all too well, that one newscast where he had pronounced that he

had fucked Minako. Just the mention of that fired off Rei's already smoldering temper.

"It's late what do you want? If you want to buy a charm or pray you're out of

luck, nobody in their right mind would be out here for that reason, go away!" Rei

snapped angrily without even bothering to let him talk first.

Rei wanted nothing more than to go inside the shrine and just sit in front of

the sacred fire, that usually calmed her, but after meeting Kaijou she felt like she

needed someone to just knock her out.

At Rei's bitter reprimand Kaijou smirked, and just ran a hand through his wild

hair, and pushed out to Rei in his hand an old copy of Juuban News the local newspaper.

The issue was dated back to nine years ago, and on it's front cover was a shadowy

picture of Sailor V, Minako's other identity before she became Venus. Rei wondered

why this had anything to do with her or Minako at all, she just knew that Kaijou had

extended it out to her and she took it.

"Now, I thought Senator Hino's daughter would be a beautiful young woman, but

all I see is a little girl with an ugly scowl on her face. Be a dear, and give that to Minako,

won't you?" Kaijou teased, testing Rei.

"What do you know!? Stop prying into other people's business," Rei retorted almost

ripping the newspaper from Kaijou's hands by force.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's my nature to be worried about what the senator's daughter

is doing, because it might affect his campaign and image. It's pretty weird in itself

why Minako would want to spend her day cooped up in an old rundown place like

this with the senator's tempermental daughter," Kaijou remarked feeling like nothing

could hurt him now.

"You...!" Rei sputtered but refrained from saying what she really thought of

him, because she knew he held the power that could destroy her father right now,

and even though she hated her Papa she didn't hate him enough to ruin his life.

At Rei's pause, Kaijou knew he had the upper hand, and played it to his advantage

to further infuriate Rei.

"I saw Minako storming from here with tears in her eyes, oh dear, you've made

her cry haven't you? Well, with a rarity like Minako you must hold her in by force, if

you want to keep her," Kaijou said his voice dipping low at the mention of Minako.

Rei's eyes widened at this, and she raised her hand as if to strike Kaijou, but

instead she threw the newspaper at Kaijou's feet.

"I'm not going to be tempted with you, you're a waste of my time," Rei scoffed as

she turned away, not wanting to let Kaijou know that he had her cornered and on the

edge.

"You know it was so easy to find you, news of a riot carries fast, especially that

of Aino Minako in a grocery store, of course, if I had known it was this easy I would've

scheduled the riot earlier when you were at her flat. You can't protect her so you can't

ever have her...don't be stupid, she needs someone who can protect her, that's why

she ran away from you. You'll never be enough, because in the end you know what

you really are? Your father's daughter...deadbeats run deep in the Hino family," Kaijou

mocked at her back.

Rei bit her lip hard enough for her to taste her own blood, as she realized the

meaning that Kaijou was implying that he deliberately scheduled the riot in the grocery

store, and did not care that Minako would've gotten hurt, it seemed like part of his plan.

She tried to ignore that nagging feeling of truth at the pit of her stomach, but she could

barely contain her seething anger at him lecturing her on what Minako needed. Yes, she

had failed Minako countless times in the past, as a leader, as a support, and now as a

friend she couldn't do anything. She had been operating blind that day and she had paid

for that, but now just to see her mistake spat back in her face from the man that had

supposedly stolen Minako's virginity right from under her, made it ten times worse as

everything around her vision went white as she tried her best not to lose control and

actually do physical harm to him.

"Oh, remember to deliver the newspaper to Minako, I'm sure she'll accept it, since

my message to her is in it," Kaijou chuckled as he sauntered away certain that he

had a made a lasting impression on the Hino girl.

"Now...I wait for her to answer my calling...Minako your days of freedom are

counting down," Kaijou whispered to himself as he dove into his limo to finish off his

casket of wine.

----------------

Artemis pawed at the ground with his plushy feet as he wished he had teeth

to gnaw at his own skin at the frustration he was feeling. Kaijou had scored a low

blow to Rei, reminding her of just how Kaijou had been close to Minako, and he of

course had over-exaggerated Minako's "consent" at his love and protection, but

still he had done what he had sought to do, and Artemis was left alone to deal with

the damage.

No one could help Artemis now, not Usagi, not Makoto, or Ami. Artemis tried his

best to ignore the way Rei was huddled onto the floor now,curled up into a ball. He

could even hear the silent stifled sobs that ran through Rei's body as she tried her

best to hide them from him. He knew she knew he was there.

"Rei..." Artemis murmured weakly as he slowly made his way to her afraid that

Rei in her state would create harm to herself and others.

"What is it?" Rei asked harshly as her throat seemed to have constricted and

forced her to take heaving breaths.

"It's best if you take that newspaper...I fear that...what's in it may be the worst

for you and Minako," Artemis advised her softly as his eyes drew together in sorrow.

"What else could be worst? I've done the worst possible thing...I've destroyed our

friendship, I was so stupid...she wanted it to be innocent and I even refused her that,

oh I've fucked up so badly," Rei moaned as she put a hand over her face shamefully.

"Rei...it's not your fault, you can't stop how you feel, and it's not Minako's fault

either but if you don't pull through, Minako will be worst off...pull yourself together

Rei or else thing's will get worse!" Artemis retorted trying to help Rei up off of her

side.

Rei sat up and looked at Artemis.

"She won't talk to me...I know that for a fact. She doesn't want me or anyone

else, that's how she's always been, alone and happy with it," Rei said bitterly as

she swiped the angry tears off of her face.

"I'll talk to her, Rei, and she does want you in a way you wouldn't know Rei, but

this is just her trying to run away and protect you, you might not understand it but

you know Minako more than she knows herself and I know you know she wouldn't

do anything that she didn't feel was right, somewhere deep in her heart of

hearts," Artemis pleaded with Rei at the end of his line.

Sniffling, Rei stood up and walked over to the fallen newspaper and picked it

up hesitantly and scanned the front cover still confused about what it meant.

"What do you think...this means?" Rei asked getting back a shred of her resilience

again.

"I don't know....but I have a feeling it's not good, the only clue we have is

the newspaper dates back to nine years ago the first time Sailor V started

appearing," Artemis replied.

"I don't think this could do any damage," Rei murmured.

"Still it's best if we keep it hidden from Minako...Minako isn't very...fond of her

past as Sailor V, so please...for me...for Minako and for you, please keep it hidden

until we can no longer hide it," Artemis pleaded again.

Rei looked at Artemis, and he looked straight back at her, their expressions somber

and serious. Rei inhaled a breath as she nodded slowly and sought out a place in the

shrine to hide it in for the time being while Artemis sped over out of the shrine to find
Minako.

---------------

Artemis didn't know where to find Minako, but he had promised Rei that

he would try so he dashed across the block a few times, before he caught

sight of Minako walking calmly back to the shrine with her body kind of leaning

against the fence as if for support. Artemis knew then that Minako was drunk,

you never could tell with Minako because her mood stayed the same, but she

would go into these long silent periods where her eyes would just concentrate

on something faraway, and she'd start walking almost sideways as if her world

was tilted.

Minako had that faraway look now as in her hands she brandished an unopen

bottle of red wine. Upon seeing Artemis, Minako smirked knowing what he was

approaching her for.

"Is it the right time for you to be talking to me when I'm like this?" Minako asked

Artemis as she walked up the shrine steps.

"Yes, I think it's the right time, because the only time you're really awake and

listening is when you are drunk," Artemis replied as he trotted up the stairs with

Minako.

"You have so little faith in me," Minako muttered as she entered the shrine's

kitchen when she knew that Rei was gone.

"I have a lot of faith in you Minako. That's how I know, you'll sit and listen to

me, and not drink another drop of wine," Artemis intoned his voice reaching a

pleading note.

Minako didn't reply as she plopped down on the floor and popped open the

cork on the wine bottle.

"Minako...don't do this to Rei. It's not what you want and you know it," Artemis

pleaded again.

"What am I doing wrong but protecting Rei?" Minako asked harshly.

"You're not protecting her you're hurting her! For once, Minako put

your faith in her and let go of the past, because if you let go of Rei it'll be

the worst decision you've ever made in your life," Artemis retorted ready

for an argument.

"Don't tell me about decisions Artemis...leaving couldn't be the worst decision

I've made. Staying would be, and meaning something to Rei, and then one day

when that day comes when I have to leave, it'll hurt her even more...you know

that," Minako replied.

"I've never seen you so afraid of anything in your life Minako. You do not

fear death but you fear love in itself? The time of the senshi is over Minako you

have the right to live as you wish! Minako you are throwing away something

irreplaceable in only a few days I've noticed you become so different from when

you were alone, more alive, and...happy. I wish to see you happy Minako," Artemis

replied softly.

Minako was silent after that, her eyes shifting away from Artemis, in guilt. The

bottle of wine had looked appealing before, when she had sought out to buy it

so certain that it would drown away her problems, and give her the courage to

leave everything behind, but now it sickened her. Her thoughts were swimming

slowly into her mind but she didn't know where to follow through. Would she

leave? Could she leave? Somehow she knew her heart would never let her

live it down and she'd probably end up hating herself....like always.

"Damnit...I hate thinking, I hate complications and most of all I just hate myself

for falling this way," Minako muttered placing a hand upon her forehead.

"Don't...there's nothing wrong Minako. You fell for the right person," Artemis

comforted her not sure what she was saying but he hoped that it meant she

would stay. "This is your home, Minako."

Minako in her desperation took a swig of wine, only to have it come back

up as she gagging a little, ran to the sink to cleanse her body of the liquid.

Figures, she couldn't even take at least take some numbness with her, but

something about the word home...made her want to stay. Spitting out the

remnants of her wine Minako tumbled down heavily against the floor as Artemis

watched with sad eyes.

"Minako....." Artemis sighed.

"I know...I'm being foolish, Artemis. To let her get away from me...to try to

run away, either way the pull of destiny will always bring me back to her," Minako

said as she picked Artemis up and put him in her lap.

"Then you should go to her," Artemis replied closing his eyes in contentment

knowing that he had stopped Minako from leaving.

"Can't I at least keep her waiting? You know...make it more romantic?" Minako

as giggling softly.

"Minako..." Artemis sighed at the return of Minako's mild humor. "You're drunk

and desperately in need of sleep, I'll meet you in the morning."

and with that Artemis tumbled off of Minako's lap and onto the floor.

"If you excuse me but I think I have a ball of yarn in the yard that I need to

chase," Artemis stated as he bounded off outdoors.

At that, Minako chuckled and shakily got up, her vision swaying a little as

she made her way to what she memorized was the way to Rei's room. Upon

approaching the doorway, she noticed that the light was turned on as Rei lay on

the floor sprawled out, but her head was turned towards the bed as if she was

contemplating whether to just lay where she was or get up. Minako approached

slowly and Rei turned her head out of surprise and her eyes widened as she

saw Minako above her.

Sputtering, Rei struggled to stand up but just a small touch of Minako's hand

on her shoulder was enough to make her stay put. Rei lowered her gaze from

Minako's unwavering ones as she waited for Minako to say anything...a curse,

a reprimand, anything, but what she didn't expect was for Minako to lean down

and capture her lips nto a kiss. The shock was only registered into her mind for a

moment, before all melted, and she was drawing Minako closer into her, breathing

a sigh as Minako didn't resist her.

"You came back...?" Rei uttered in disbelief as Minako pulled away from her.

Minako just smiled as an answer and poked her.

"Are you going to get up, or are your legs numb from laying like this?" Minako asked.

"I don't know....maybe I just need something to stimulate me to get up," Rei replied

as she leaned up again to kiss Minako.

"Oh...and what parts am I exactly going to be stimulating?" Minako murmured before

she relented and drowned in the blissful caress of Rei's lips.....

--------------------

for joefong: this'll make up for all the teasing I've done.

(finally somebody who agrees with me that shopping can be romantic!)