~Wavering Destiny~
by Strawberry Moon Rose
If you enjoy Seiya & Usagi and Minako & Yaten shipping you should follow me on instagram where I post my drawings of them: taylorlynn04art
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Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi.
Chapter 9: Black Eclipse
Minako swerved through customers and mannequins. Oh my god! I can't believe it! They were standing so close! 'Dancing', huh? More like they were about to kiss back there!
"Hey Minako, did any of those fit?" Rei asked when her friend returned.
"Eh? Oh. Yeah, most of them did," she replied nervously. She dropped the pile of clothes into the small shopping cart.
The sky outside grew darker and the light sprinkles of raindrops melted into a downpour. The rain splashed off of the cold sidewalk outside.
"Wow, I thought it was supposed to let up. It's raining cats and dogs out there!" Minako said, looking out the store's large front windows. She shook her head, "Anyways, you wouldn't believe it! I just ran into Seiya and Usagi back there..."
"Yeah?"
"They're definitely up to something. You should have seen them."
Rei pursed her lips. Before she could reply, Makoto caught her attention with a wave. She approached with Taiki and Ami at her sides. Yaten was nowhere in sight.
"I was just coming over here to tell you two about the party's attire. It is a bit formal, so you should pick something nice out," Taiki told them.
"Yeah, look at mine!" Makoto held up the dress she had chosen. It was a long and flowing light pink gown.
"Wow! That's gonna look great on you, Mako!" Minako gushed.
"It's really pretty," Rei agreed. She turned to the tall Starlight. "Do you have something Taiki?" The thought of her in a dress was kind of strange to Rei. She imagined her in a white tux instead.
Taiki folded her arms across her chest. "Unlike Seiya's decision to wait until the last minute, I have had mine picked out well in advance."
Ami smiled. "You two should go get yours! We were just going to look at the jewelry," she said motioning to the glass case on the other side of the boutique.
"Okay, sounds good!" Minako waved to them and headed over to a rack full of dresses. She begun to rummage through them excitedly. Rei nodded to the others and followed Minako.
"Oh wow! These are so cool!" Minako pulled five dresses in her size off the clothing rack. Her eyes were lit up like a child in a candy shop.
Rei eyed a fire engine red dress. "I definitely want this one! Let's see how it fits."
The duo returned to the dressing rooms, and Minako found they were empty. I wonder what Usagi's up to now.
Minako slipped into the short, black dress that caught her eye.
"I think I found which one I want," Rei called. She stood outside of the stall and critiqued herself in the endless mirrors.
"Really? Let me see," Minako stepped outside and gawked at Rei. The bright red dress fell just above her knees, showing off her toned calves. The spaghetti straps accented her shoulders. Red was definitely her color.
"That's it! That's the one!" Minako told her.
Rei blushed and examined her reflection. "Oh, you really think so?" She gathered her silky black hair and bunched it up as if it were in an updo. "I was thinking the same thing myself, actually."
"What about me? How does it look?" Minako struck a pose. The black dress was as short as her guardian uniform and had a plunging neckline that revealed ample cleavage.
Rei's mouth fell open. "Minako, you can't be serious, can you? I mean sure, you look hot...but who are you trying to impress?"
Minako's face fell. "N-nobody," she said quickly. It wouldn't do any good anyways... She stepped in front of the mirrors. "Is it that bad?" She tilted her head to the side. It was quite stylish.
Rei shook her head. "No, it's not bad. It's sexy," she admitted, blushing a little. "But I think it's for the wrong occasion. I mean, look how short it is!"
Minako sighed. "Okay, I guess you're right. I don't know what I was thinking." She headed back to her dressing room and slid the curtain shut behind her, dejected.
"Do you want me to wait for you?" Rei called after her, while she changed back into her clothes. She wanted to find some heels to match.
"No, you go on ahead. I won't be that long," Minako replied. She sighed and reached for the pile of other dresses she'd chosen. She begun to change into a glittery maroon one.
"Okay, I'll be at the shoes when you finish," Rei told her and strode off, leaving Minako alone in her stall.
Minako eyed herself in the dressing room mirror. The maroon dress was longer than the black one and had sleeves. It was full of sequins and threw prisms of light when she moved, but it was skin-tight and the thin material was somewhat transparent. Rei's right, what the heck am I thinking? I can't wear something like this! Ugh!
She turned around and let out a small scream. Someone else was in the dressing room stall with her!
A hand flew over her mouth, drowning her voice into a muffled cry. Minako's eyes widened.
"Shh! Be quiet, would you?" Yaten hissed. She flitted her eyes around nervously. Luckily, there was no one else around, so she dropped her hand from Minako's lips.
Minako was frozen in surprise. She wasn't sure if she should feel scared or ecstatic. After a few seconds, she composed herself. "How the hell did you get in here!?" she hissed.
Yaten shrugged. "It wasn't that hard." She looked over her shoulder at the velvet curtain that served as the door behind her.
Minako blushed. "You don't just walk into a girl's dressing room, you perv!"
Yaten looked her up and down. She crossed her arms. "But you're dressed, so what's the problem?"
"Yeah but...what if I wasn't?" The thought amused her.
Yaten looked away, face warming. "Well, that would've been pretty awkward," she admitted.
Minako lightly slapped the Starlight's shoulder.
Yaten grasped her arm. "Ouch! Hey, take it easy!"
Minako couldn't help but smile. She didn't really care if she came into her dressing room. She was just happy that Yaten wasn't not ignoring her.
Yaten brought her emerald eyes up. "I wanted to apologize about yesterday," she said, tone turning serious.
Minako didn't think she was ever going to talk to her again, yet here she was, right in front of her. "It's okay. I put you in an awkward position with that confession. I should have kept my mouth shut..."
Yaten shook her head and took a step towards her. They were standing right in front of each other. "I didn't sleep at all last night," she continued, "I kept thinking about what you said."
Minako felt her heart skip a beat. "Really?" She inched closer to Yaten.
"Yeah." Yaten looked away. "I wish I would've acted on my feelings back then, but I didn't have time for that kind of stuff. We had a mission to find our princess, you know?"
Minako nodded. She understood how important it had been. It was the sole reason they came to Earth in the first place.
"And it pissed me off when I'd see Seiya falling head-over-heels for that girl," Yaten went on. "We had to focus!" She sighed and ran her hand through her silver bangs. "I don't know, I just guess that deep down I was always jealous of her determination, or something like that. She hates giving up."
Minako nodded, thinking back to all the times Seiya would relentlessly hit on Usagi. She remembered getting them all in trouble that first day they transferred to their school. Seiya sat behind Usagi and kept teasing her and the teacher finally told all three of them to be quiet.
"Me on the other hand, well I give up far too easily. I'm selfish and I hate working for things. But..." Yaten smiled faintly. "I think that's just been a lame excuse this whole time. If I want something bad enough, I need to find a way to get it. I just wanted you to know that, Mina." Her eyes flickered.
Minako stared into them. The colors were a deep swirl of light green surrounded by long lashes. She seemed to get lost in them. She...she called me 'Mina'... Oh my gosh, what am I supposed to do? She's standing so close to me, I can barely breathe!
Yaten sensed her discomfort and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into an embrace.
Minako was startled. She closed her eyes and hugged her back. She had never been so close to Yaten before, ever.
Yaten whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry. I don't know what I want, but I know you're right, that there is something between us. And you're going to leave soon, but even if it's just for a little bit..."
Minako felt dizzy. Yaten's breath was hot against her ear. The words seemed to penetrate her system, leaving her stunned. I'm dreaming, aren't I? This can't really be happening!
Yaten pulled back so their faces were inches apart. Yaten still had her hands on Minako's shoulders. "I've always let things hold me back. But I'm gonna change that. I think I'll start here..." Yaten brought her face closer, hesitating for a moment to see if Minako would object.
Minako sensed her coming in and closed her eyes. Oh my god, she's gonna kiss me! She's really gonna kiss me! Wait- what do I do?!
The distance between their lips closed. Yaten slid her hand up from Minako's shoulder and rested it on her cheek. Her touch was soft and sweet. Yaten closed her eyes and kissed her. Their lips softly brushed against each others, sending sparks flying between them both.
Flick! The lights suddenly went out, leaving the entire store in darkness. They might not have noticed if it weren't for the worried murmurs of the customers.
Minako felt Yaten tense up, then pull away.
"What's going on?" Minako asked, starting to panic. It was too dark to see a thing. "Yaten? Where are you?"
Yaten felt blindly in front of her. "I'm right here, don't worry." She ran her hands along her shoulders until she found Minako's hand. She held it tight.
Minako tightened her grasp on the Starlight's hand. "What just happened?" she asked in a small voice.
"Probably a power outage. It must be because of the storm," she answered calmly. "It's not a big deal, just stay by me and don't freak out."
Minako nodded. She realized Yaten couldn't see her so she whispered, "Okay." She brought her free hand up to her face and traced her index finger along her lips. My first kiss...does it count?
"Ahhh!" Usagi screamed. She was standing with Seiya and the others in the shoe section when everything went black.
"Bun Head!"
"Seiya! What's going on? Where are you?" Usagi cried. A bright flash of lightning crackled across the sky. A few seconds later, a deafening clap of thunder boomed, rattling the windows. Usagi shrieked again. She brought her hands to her ears, dropping the box of flats she was holding. They hit the floor with a thud.
"Attention customers! Please remain calm!" a woman's voice commanded them. "We are experiencing a city-wide power outage. Please stay patient."
"Bun Head, it's okay! I'm right here!" Seiya said and reached through the darkness.
"Where?" Usagi whimpered. She waved her hand in front of her face, but couldn't see a thing. It was worse than a nightmare.
"I'm right beside you, I think..." Seiya said. She outstretched her arms, feeling blindly in the empty air. Her hand finally met something. "Bun Head, is that you?"
"Yeah."
Seiya moved her hands up her slowly, trying to find Usagi's hand. It was pitch-black and she couldn't see a thing.
Usagi flinched. "D-don't touch me there, you pervert!" she hissed.
"What?" Seiya realized she was touching the back of her thigh. "I'm sorry! I didn't know, I swear!" She quickly fumbled for her wrist.
"I'm sure you didn't!" Usagi shot back. She slapped Seiya's hands away.
"Bun Head, it was an accident!"
Boom! Another explosive thuder crash sent the chandelier clinking together.
"Ahh!" Usagi cried again.
"I'm right next to you, don't worry," Seiya said in a soothing voice. Makoto sure wasn't kidding, she's really terrified of thunder.
"Seiya!" Usagi threw herself around the taller girl. She wrapped her arms around the Starlight.
Seiya hugged her tight. "It's okay, they'll have the lights back on soon."
"Don't leave me," she whispered.
"I would never do that," Seiya assured her. Usagi was warm in her arms. It was a nice feeling hugging her and she wouldn't mind if the lights stayed off for a little while longer, if Usagi weren't on the verge of having a panic attack.
"Taiki, you said the weather was going to clear up!" Seiya heard Rei complain.
"That's what the forecast said," Taiki replied from somewhere in the darkness.
"Rei, you can't blame her for this," said Ami quickly.
"Oh whatever, Ami. Why are you defending her?"
"I-I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"Hey guys, where're Minako and Yaten?" Makoto asked from somewhere.
"Oh no! Minako's back there in the dressing rooms by herself, probably freaking out! I've got to go back there!" Rei cried.
"Rei, don't! It's too dangerous," Ami warned her. "You'll-"
Rei took one step and stumbled right into a mannequin. "Uah!" She quickly caught it and stood it back upright.
Two beams of light cut through the blackness, moving across the ceiling. The cashiers had found flashlights. "The lights will be back on momentarily. We ask that you do not leave the store. Please try to stay in the same spot until the lights come back on. Thank you."
Seiya leaned her face down to her Usagi's level. "You see? Everything's going to be okay. I've got you."
"What if it doesn't stop thundering? How'll we get back?"
Seiya had never seen her so frightened before. "Don't worry about it, we'll contact the palace and have them send a car."
"But what if it doesn't stop? What if it keeps on storming until tomorrow? I can't sleep when it's like this, it's too scary!"
Seiya whispered into her ear, "If that happens, you can sleep with me tonight."
Usagi remained quiet, contemplating. She looked away from Seiya, forgetting that she couldn't see her expression anyways. "Okay..." she said.