Disclaimer: I don't own SailorMoon, all rights given to the original creators.

Summary: A short little look at the beginning of a relationship through the guardian's eyes. Shoujoai.

I was a guide for the girls for a long time. Minako longest, of course, being her guardian and all it was only natural. Being with her all the time, it gave me a pretty good insight into her personality, knowing when she was wearing that damned emotional mask of hers, not letting any of the other girls see what she was feeling, and I hated that. She had gotten better over the years, but still hid when things got really bad for her. It broke my heart to hear her crying, and knowing that the other's could help somehow. I knew that Usagi knew sometimes that the leader of her protectors wasn't always completely okay, but she was usually the type to let her friends come to her most of the time, and would quietly let Minako know that she could speak with her, but she never would.

Which is why I was paying particularly close attention to the lately developing friendships. After the whole deal with the Starlights and Galaxia, all the senshi had finally really gotten closer together. I knew Minako looked up to the older girls, even if I thought she was pretty well their equal as Venus, but anyway...I was hoping that she would maybe open up to one of them, like Michiru or Setsuna. She'd been spending more time there than the others were, visiting during the week after school when she wasn't with one of the others, avoiding her mother, things like that. She seemed to be spending more time with Hotaru in specific, and I liked that. There was just something about the young girl that made me like her, a lot.

We were all currently gathered at the 'Outer House', everyone having been invited us over for a cookout to celebrate the start of summer vacation. Ami and Makoto were currently in the pool, Rei and Usagi nearby talking to Michiru and Setsuna. Haruka was tending the grill with Mamoru, and Minako? Well, Minako was sneaking up on the youngest of the senshi, Hotaru, who had just gotten out of the pool herself, Minako taking aim with a squirt gun.

Hotaru's shriek of surprise and Minako's laughter caught everyone's attention for a moment, everyone laughing or smiling as Hotaru scrambled to her feet to chase after my retreating charge. I jumped off the chair Luna and I were settled on, and followed the two girls around the corner of the house into the larger side yard. It was Minako's turn to yelp as Hotaru got the ultimate weapon, the water hose itself.

Minako took refuge behind a tree. "Hotaru-chan, that's cheating!" She laughed and shrieked as a spray of water came close to her head, and soaked half her body.

"And hitting me with my back turned wasnt? You've got odd ideas of cheating, Minako-chan!" Hotaru laughed as she tried to angle the spray to get Minako. I had to blink as I heard the two use such a familiar way of addressing each other...the younger girls had always had a habit of calling the outer senshi 'san', even Hotaru, even if she was younger than they all were.

Hotaru was creeping up on the tree, and I had to smile as I noticed that Minako was no longer behind it, and had managed to climb up into it, and across a branch into another one, out of Hotaru's sight. Minako had been a senshi the longest, and I was always proud of how good she was at things like that, not even making the tree rustle. When Hotaru got up to the tree and jumped around it, I had to fight not to laugh out loud at the look on the young girl's face as she discovered that Minako wasn't there. She whirled around, and faced a grinning Minako, who was standing in the middle of the yard with the hose in her hand, squeezing it closed with a kink. She twirled the squirtgun in her hand, and winked. "I think we could call this a draw, hey? I used up all my water on you, and well, now you have none."

Hotaru giggled and crouched down, holding the spray nozzle just above the ground. "I'll put this down when you put your gun down." She smiled sweetly, disarmingly.

I didnt think that Minako's grin could get any larger. She laughed and nodded, twirling the gun around again and holding the butt of it towards Hotaru, letting go of the hose. "Here. I can never resist that cute look." Hotaru giggled and reached to take the toy from Minako.

It was about then that the most interesting thing yet happened. You could see the exact moment that Hotaru's fingertips brushed against Minako's hand, and I swear I could feel the shock myself, simply seeing it on their faces was enough, that short little moment seeming to stretch out much longer then it actually was. Minako's eyes widened, and Hotaru's cheeks flushed, both of them looking down to the contact before looking up, blue locking with violet. So many emotions in that moment. Maybe being around Minako had rubbed off on me, and I felt more able to spy and figure out the different feelings...yeah, yeah, Minako's the avatar of Love, why would she know other emotions? Minako once said to me that everything could stem from love. Jealousy, anger, fear, confusion, joy, rage, depression, calm, elation; they were all simply facets of some sort of love, at the core. The greater the influence of love was in the emotion, the easier it was for her to pick up, and made things difficult for her sometimes...as if she needed anything else. But, at the moment as I watched the two look at each other, I could feel massive amounts of confusion. The intensity of the feeling, well...there was a lot of love in there, I could confidently say that. But since it was confusion, as well, I knew that they didn't really understand what was going on, and I knew that Minako wouldn't be able to really feel it herself, since when it came to her own feelings or things directed towards her, whatever power had seen it fit that Minako should be able to feel things so strongly, had also decided that Minako's personal life should be more of a mystery. Thankfully.

But, anyway, back to Minako and Hotaru. Hotaru had pulled her hand away from Minako, and I faintly winced at the soft look of loss I saw on Minako's face. They both blushed and looked away, and Minako cleared her throat lightly, reaching up and rubbing the back of her neck. She smiled softly and turned to look back to Hotaru. "Uhm..."

"Hime-chan! Minako-chan! Food's up!" Haruka either saved Minako from an awkward moment, or interrupted something that needed to be said, a mutual look of frustration crossing over their faces. Minako leaned close to Hotaru and clearly said something to her, causing Hotaru to blush and nod lightly before she dodged ahead and past me as Haruka called again.

Minako stood there for a moment, then started walking back towards me, and I stepped out from behind the corner, startling her a bit. "Artemis, hello." She opened her arms and I hopped up quickly, climbing to her shoulders and curled around, nuzzling at her cheek.

"So...is there something you want to tell me?" I smirked at her expression. She then gave me a look out the corner of her eye.

"Were you watching us?"

"Of course." Minako laughed, and I purred and rubbed against her cheek. She walked about to the garden where the patio was set up, and paused before really getting into view. "Minako?"

"I think I'm falling for Hotaru, Artemis. The times we've been together lately, its just...there's something about her that just draws me to her, you know?"

I swished my tail about against her shoulders. Of course I knew, I had been hoping for it. Where Usagi could sense that something might be wrong, she never directly confronted anyone to find out and try to help, but Hotaru seemed to know when it was a good idea to say something, and I had a feeling that she could see past Minako's mask. "I've noticed."

She gave me that look again, but I could feel the confusion over her feelings behind it. "Is it bad?"

"Why the heck would it be bad?"

"I don't know! What if she hates the idea of us in a relationship?"

It was my turn to give her a look. "Minako, did you even hear what you just asked? Hello, look at her parents!" I gestured past Minako's face to where Haruka and Michiru were standing, Haruka with her arm about Michiru's waist.

Minako reached up and rubbed her forehead. "I know, I know, but everytime I think about this my brain just like, short circuits and I forget like, everything I know it seems."

I nuzzled against her cheek again. "Just follow your heart, my Venus. I know you might be confused, but if you follow what you feel, things will work out."

She sighed lightly and nodded a little, giving me a small smile. "Yeah, I guess..." Her cheeks flushed a soft pink as Hotaru started to approach her, holding two plates of food. "I guess...now to just find the right time, hum?"

Another nuzzle to her cheek, and a reassuring purr. "You'll figure it out." I hopped from her shoulder then, and meandered over to Luna, who was inspecting the food Usagi had brought over for us. Casting a look over my shoulder, I smiled as Minako accepted the plate from Hotaru before they went to join the others in the chairs around some tables.

"Everything alright?" Luna asked as I hopped up next to her again.

"Oh, yes, everything is quite alright. I think it'll be even better than alright, really." I couldn't stop myself from purring, and Luna tilted her head a bit, glancing over to the girls.

"Something happening that I should know about?"

"All in good time. Things have to go on their own, I think."

"Well, if its nothing bad, then good I suppose."

I laughed and nosebumped her cheek as laughter echoed about the yard from the girls, smiling as I watched Hotaru move just a little closer to Minako. "It's a very good thing indeed..."