Chapter 2
Hitomi arrived just as Mina and her mother pulled into the driveway. A tall and strikingly beautiful young woman stepped out of the car. Hitomi gasped. That can't be Mina! She's changed so much!
Mina looked up and did the same thing. Hitomi is so beautiful! She thought immediately.
Her sandy brown hair was still short, cut in her familiar pixy-style, but her features were smoother, her limbs longer, and she definitely had more curves. Her green eyes still sparkled, but even from the short distance between them, Mina could see a certain sadness lurking like a shadow in their depths.
Mina shook her head to clear her thoughts and broke into a run. Hitomi followed suit and in seconds they were in each other's arms, squealing with laughter and happiness.
"Oh Hitomi! I've missed you so much!" Mina cried, hugging her cousin tighter.
"I missed you too, Mina! Why didn't you come visit me more often?" Hitomi asked. Mina blushed.
"I-uh, well, I've been really busy lately, but my schedule is free now!" She said, giggling sheepishly. Hitomi wouldn't understand about Scout business.
Hitomi peeked over her shoulder curiously. "You seem to be minus one white kitty... Where's Artemis?" She wondered.
"Oh! He's back at home with Luna. He told me he was afraid-" Mina stopped at Hitomi's raised eyebrow. "Oh-uh, I mean, *I* was afraid he'd get in the way." Mina giggled nervously.
Get a grip Mina! She thought to herself. You're getting rusty at keeping your secret already!
"Well," Hitomi broke the silence. "What do you say we head up to my room and you unpack?"
"Sounds great! While I'm at it, you can fill me in on what's been going on here! Kill two toads with one rock!" She winked.
Hitomi stared at her for a moment, and then burst into a fit of giggles. She had nearly forgotten Mina's uncanny ability to butcher phrases. This was a new one!
"What?" Mina asked, looking a trifle annoyed.
"Nothing, Mina." Hitomi managed between snorts of laughter. "Let's just go unpack your stuff okay?"
As Hitomi lead a bewildered Mina away, her mother stared after her.
"Good luck, Mina." She whispered, and then followed them inside.
***********************************************************************
That night, Mina and Hitomi sat in Hitomi's bedroom talking.
"So how's your guy life been going?" Mina asked casually, applying another coat of tangerine nail polish to her fingernail.
Hitomi froze and pain filled her eyes. She reached up, and if to clutch something at her neck, then stopped. Mina noticed her expression and immediately felt awful.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Hitomi. It was none of my business, forget it." Mina apologized quickly.
"No, it's okay." She answered, her voice distant. "I don't really have a love life. Not anymore..." She whispered, tears filling her eyes.
"Hey." Mina said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me anything, you know that right?" She asked.
Hitomi stared into Mina's impossibly blue eyes and shook her head. "I can't." She managed. "I just can't." And with those words, she broke away.
Mina watched her get into bed with pained eyes. "I'm sorry, Hitomi." She said suddenly.
"It's okay, Mina. It's just hard for me to talk about it, okay?"
"Okay." She agreed.
The finally smiled at each other and Mina got into bed. "Good night Hitomi." She said.
"Good night."
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Mina peeked over at the sleeping girl across the room and listened to her deep breathing. She pulled back her covers quietly and tiptoed out of bed to Hitomi's open bathroom door. She pulled her communicator out from the pocket of her robe and turned it on.
"Raye." She whispered. "Raye, it's Mina, come in."
A very groggy and rumpled Sailor Mars came into view. "Mina? What's wrong?" She mumbled.
"Nothing, I just needed to talk..." She answered.
"Mina, do you have any idea what time it is?" Raye demanded grumpily. "There is a little invention we people like to call a telephone, and such a time as tomorrow morning! I've been cleaning the temple all day and the Sacred Fire has been giving me strange readings. It took me a while to get to sleep because I was thinking about them."
"Really? What are they about? The Negaverse isn't back it is?" Mina asked worriedly.
"No, nothing like that!" Raye assured her, looking relieved herself. "No, they're very blurry, but from what I can see, there is a bright pillar of light and four figures- two male, two female... There is something strange about one of the male figures however..."
"What is it?"
"He has wings of an angel..." Raye finished, her voice full of wonder. "There are other images, faint traces of battle, but they're so distant... I don't think the Earth is threatened." Raye said.
"Weird. Well, get back to me on it, okay?" Mina asked.
"All right. What did you want to talk to me about?" Raye asked.
Mina hesitated. "It was nothing." She finally said. "I'll call you tomorrow."
"Okay..." Raye answered slowly, sounding suspicious.
Suddenly, a high-pitched wail sounded from behind Mina. "Hitomi!" Mina cried.
Hitomi arrived just as Mina and her mother pulled into the driveway. A tall and strikingly beautiful young woman stepped out of the car. Hitomi gasped. That can't be Mina! She's changed so much!
Mina looked up and did the same thing. Hitomi is so beautiful! She thought immediately.
Her sandy brown hair was still short, cut in her familiar pixy-style, but her features were smoother, her limbs longer, and she definitely had more curves. Her green eyes still sparkled, but even from the short distance between them, Mina could see a certain sadness lurking like a shadow in their depths.
Mina shook her head to clear her thoughts and broke into a run. Hitomi followed suit and in seconds they were in each other's arms, squealing with laughter and happiness.
"Oh Hitomi! I've missed you so much!" Mina cried, hugging her cousin tighter.
"I missed you too, Mina! Why didn't you come visit me more often?" Hitomi asked. Mina blushed.
"I-uh, well, I've been really busy lately, but my schedule is free now!" She said, giggling sheepishly. Hitomi wouldn't understand about Scout business.
Hitomi peeked over her shoulder curiously. "You seem to be minus one white kitty... Where's Artemis?" She wondered.
"Oh! He's back at home with Luna. He told me he was afraid-" Mina stopped at Hitomi's raised eyebrow. "Oh-uh, I mean, *I* was afraid he'd get in the way." Mina giggled nervously.
Get a grip Mina! She thought to herself. You're getting rusty at keeping your secret already!
"Well," Hitomi broke the silence. "What do you say we head up to my room and you unpack?"
"Sounds great! While I'm at it, you can fill me in on what's been going on here! Kill two toads with one rock!" She winked.
Hitomi stared at her for a moment, and then burst into a fit of giggles. She had nearly forgotten Mina's uncanny ability to butcher phrases. This was a new one!
"What?" Mina asked, looking a trifle annoyed.
"Nothing, Mina." Hitomi managed between snorts of laughter. "Let's just go unpack your stuff okay?"
As Hitomi lead a bewildered Mina away, her mother stared after her.
"Good luck, Mina." She whispered, and then followed them inside.
***********************************************************************
That night, Mina and Hitomi sat in Hitomi's bedroom talking.
"So how's your guy life been going?" Mina asked casually, applying another coat of tangerine nail polish to her fingernail.
Hitomi froze and pain filled her eyes. She reached up, and if to clutch something at her neck, then stopped. Mina noticed her expression and immediately felt awful.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry Hitomi. It was none of my business, forget it." Mina apologized quickly.
"No, it's okay." She answered, her voice distant. "I don't really have a love life. Not anymore..." She whispered, tears filling her eyes.
"Hey." Mina said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can tell me anything, you know that right?" She asked.
Hitomi stared into Mina's impossibly blue eyes and shook her head. "I can't." She managed. "I just can't." And with those words, she broke away.
Mina watched her get into bed with pained eyes. "I'm sorry, Hitomi." She said suddenly.
"It's okay, Mina. It's just hard for me to talk about it, okay?"
"Okay." She agreed.
The finally smiled at each other and Mina got into bed. "Good night Hitomi." She said.
"Good night."
***********************************************************************
Mina peeked over at the sleeping girl across the room and listened to her deep breathing. She pulled back her covers quietly and tiptoed out of bed to Hitomi's open bathroom door. She pulled her communicator out from the pocket of her robe and turned it on.
"Raye." She whispered. "Raye, it's Mina, come in."
A very groggy and rumpled Sailor Mars came into view. "Mina? What's wrong?" She mumbled.
"Nothing, I just needed to talk..." She answered.
"Mina, do you have any idea what time it is?" Raye demanded grumpily. "There is a little invention we people like to call a telephone, and such a time as tomorrow morning! I've been cleaning the temple all day and the Sacred Fire has been giving me strange readings. It took me a while to get to sleep because I was thinking about them."
"Really? What are they about? The Negaverse isn't back it is?" Mina asked worriedly.
"No, nothing like that!" Raye assured her, looking relieved herself. "No, they're very blurry, but from what I can see, there is a bright pillar of light and four figures- two male, two female... There is something strange about one of the male figures however..."
"What is it?"
"He has wings of an angel..." Raye finished, her voice full of wonder. "There are other images, faint traces of battle, but they're so distant... I don't think the Earth is threatened." Raye said.
"Weird. Well, get back to me on it, okay?" Mina asked.
"All right. What did you want to talk to me about?" Raye asked.
Mina hesitated. "It was nothing." She finally said. "I'll call you tomorrow."
"Okay..." Raye answered slowly, sounding suspicious.
Suddenly, a high-pitched wail sounded from behind Mina. "Hitomi!" Mina cried.