Stubbornness
One-shot semi-fluff Mina/Rei
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or any of its characters. I do, however, have downloaded every SINGLE episode of the whole series to my laptop (including the Live Action show). If you wanna know more, REVIEW!
This is slightly based in the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Live Action series…
That means the character descriptions coincide with how they look in the show (i.e. Japanese girls except when they transform into Senshi and get their colorific hair). That also means Aino Minako, the international idol, has some 'condition,' which I believe to be a brain tumor, and is scheduled to die in a few months or so.
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"There is no other me than Sailor Venus, Artemis." She said, her voice a mere whisper. She had already made a choice. The mission mattered, her past life mattered, nothing else. Not even her.
"But… Mina…" A quick glare quieted him down. There was no use in trying to change her mind and Artemis knew that. She moved to the balcony, she didn't feel like discussing it further with him. She had made up her mind. A chilly wind began to play with her black hair; it gave her arms goose bumps and a bitter smile played across her lips. Her unclaimed lips. She began to think; to reason with herself. She had no doubts, no regrets besides that single one; besides her. She had fought her share of battles both as a senshi and as a young woman. She had even fought her. She had spent almost as many years as she had lived in the entertainment business. It was her life. No, she corrected, it had been some time ago. Not anymore.
She had to surrender herself completely to Sailor Venus now, to the mission. There was no time to waste. She had no time to waste. Earth could be destroyed if she succumbed to the mortal desires. If she succumbed to her and her ideals.
Artemis knew that. He knew it just as well as Mina, herself, knew. He had been there with her. Saw her suffer through hospital after hospital, doctor after doctor, youma after youma. He knew how much she was suffering now, alone. If that was what she really wanted. If that was how she meant to spend her last days on earth, then he wasn't anyone to stop her. She had sacrificed enough already.
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"You are incredibly stubborn, did you know that?" The Senshi of fire said breaking the silence between them. Mina turned her gaze from the sea to look at her, her head tilted slightly to one side smiling.
"You are the one to talk." They were sitting on a bench looking out to sea. The two girls separated by only a few inches of air and an incredible disagreement over the past, the present and their duties. Rei returned the smile with a small one of her own. Mina took that opportunity to lean to the side and rest her head on Rei's shoulder.
"Gomen." She said quietly. Rei sighed.
"Just have the surgery. Forget about being a Senshi for a minute. Forget about the mission. Just this once." She whispered in Mina's ear earnestly. "Please." Mina giggled and left her resting place to face Rei.
"You know I can't do that." Rei looked away, annoyed by her leader's words.
"I wish you weren't so stubborn." Mina giggled again and leaned in closer to Rei.
"I thought you liked me stubborn." Rei scoffed and instinctively backed away from her.
"I've never liked you, Mina." The blonde girl pouted and with a quick movement of her hands positioned herself on top of Rei's lap.
"Hey! What the-" Rei began to stutter as a small blushed formed on her face. She was quieted by Mina's index finger over her mouth.
"Sh, Reiko-chan." Rei froze, a weird feeling taking over her the pit of her stomach. "You should never" Mina inched closer and her voice lowered to such a sexy tone that any man would've killed to listen to her speak. "say never." Rei's blush completely covered her face. Was Minako… going to kiss her? Mina inched closer still until Rei could slightly feel Mina's velvet lips touching her own. Mina's hands moved to Rei's shoulders, and then when it appeared she was about to seal the deal she moved her head back and exploded in laughter.
Rei's face turned red for an entirely different reason than before.
"Why… you!" She stood up, dropping a laughing Minako on the floor and began to walk in a fast pace to the shrine. When she sensed Mina had gotten up she increased her speed until she was running home. Tears escaped her eyes as she cursed the gods for playing with her heart and mind like that. She cursed them for making Minako, well, Aino Minako. She cursed them all.
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"Reiko-chan!" Mina said in between gulps of air. She was physically fit but not enough to run from the bay to Rei's shrine without tiring. She sighed and scolded herself mentally. She knew what she was doing. She was, in fact, ready to do it but something stopped her. Something had stopped her from kissing Rei and she was mad at herself for it. She had been afraid and she had stopped just before her lips claimed Rei's.
"Go away!" Rei's voice was muffled and distant but Mina could tell she was crying, or at least had been crying. Mina's fist tightened. Reiko-chan had been crying because of her and her stupid fear.
"Listen, Reiko-chan! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to play with you like that." She began to explain opening and closing doors to empty rooms that did not hide her Reiko from her. "I really am sorry. I didn't think you'd react like that." She kept on going. Rei did not answer her. "Reiko!"
"Stop calling me that!" Finally, the voice sounded louder than it had before as Mina entered an empty hallway. There were only two doors there. The first one to the side, the second at the end.
"Why should I?" Mina began to regain control as Rei sensed her coming closer and closer. She had no escape.
"Because…" Rei's voice faltered, there was nothing wrong with her nickname. It even made her feel something odd yet pleasant at the pit of her stomach. She still didn't want to be called that, not by Minako. "Because I don't like it!" She said loud and clear and only after it had all left her lips did she realize what she had done.
"I've found you!" Mina said as she opened the closet door and saw a scared Rei inside. Rei held her breath. What was Mina going to do now? Mina smiled kindly at her and joined her inside the closet, closing the door behind her.
"Mina…" Rei tried backing away as much as she could but the closet was not big enough to escape Mina's arms. Rei soon found herself surrounded by them, their warmth mixing with her own.
"Reiko-chan…" Mina whispered longingly, her eyes depicting centuries-long loneliness. And how couldn't that be. Mina remembered everything about their past life. Everything. And she had for many years. Rei, on the other hand, still didn't remember anything at all. Rei smiled nervously.
"Ye. Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about earlier." Mina began to lean closer to Rei. "I'm sorry for everything." It seemed as if Mina was really going to kiss Rei this time. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly opened. Rei stared at her wide-eyed; she was going to kiss her. But at the last moment, Mina pulled back, her face pained. "I don't want to force you to love me, Reiko-chan." She said and let go of Rei. With her head down she took a few steps back. "Gomen." Rei continued to stare at the famous idol for a few minutes. She was stunned.
"Mina…" She began, not really knowing what she was going to say. "I… uh…" She looked up, confused. "It's ok, really." Mina's face lit up.
"Really?"
"Uh… Yeah." Rei flashed her a shy smile.
"That's great!" Mina jumped in excitement and then hugged Rei.
"Mina… stop… hugging me!" She struggled against the idol's warm embrace. Rei couldn't have Mina's body so close right now. She'd remember something.
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"Come on Reiko!" A young girl said in between giggles as she ran up a flight of white stairs.
"Slow down, goddess!" The other girl said as she stopped to catch her breath. Venus pouted and began walking down the stairs to reach her lover.
"That better?" She said as she gently pushed the tired Senshi of fire to the wall. Mars nodded, lust shining through her eyes.
"You know. We don't have to go to the bedroom." She said as she gently moved some stray hair out of her lovers face.
"No, of course not. We don't have to go." The goddess of love said as her hands, already on the other girl, traveled southward. The senshi of fire chuckled.
"You don't ever miss one, do you?" She received no answer. Mina's lips were busy already.
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"Rei-chan! Rei-chan! Wake up!" Mina frantically shook Rei awake from her sleep.
"Huh?" Rei opened her eyes and found herself again inside the dark closet with Minako. "What happened?" Minako sighed and then smiled.
"You passed out right after I hugged you." She said still with her arms slightly around the other girl.
"Oh." Rei closed her eyes as memories of her past life began to flood her mind. Each one hotter and more sensual than the next.
"You ok, Reiko-chan?" Mina said as she shook Rei awake again. "Did you… pass out again?" The concern in her voice wasn't lost in Rei.
"Yeah. I'm just tired, I guess, from all the running." Rei gave her a weak smile.
"Are you sure? Your face is red. Are you sick?" One of Mina's hands left the embrace to land on Rei's forehead. "Nope. You don't have a fever. You should still go lay down. Come on." Mina wrapped her arms around one of Rei's arms and led her outside of the closet to her room.
"That's not necessary Mina." Rei mumbled. "I'm fine."
"Nonsense!" Mina interjected. "I mean, your face is all red and if you aren't sick then you must be…" Mina stopped walking and her head slowly turned to face Rei. "Blushing…?" Rei nodded slowly.
"I just… remembered… stuff… from our past life…" She continued to mumble, her face not capable of getting any more crimson.
"Oh"
"Yeah. And when I say 'ours' I mean you and me… Mina." Rei finally met Mina's confused gaze. "Did you… know about us? Did you remember?" Mina nodded. "I see…"
"But you know, nothing. Nothing has to happen, ya know? I mean, it's our past not… our present." She began to talk nonsense, moving her hands side to side, slowly backing away from her past lover, her eyes watering. Rei smiled.
"Don't be stupid." Mina froze. "You know I wouldn't do anything just because of my past life." Mina nodded slowly, her gaze falling to the ground, a tear escaping her eye, her fists clenching. "Mina." Rei closed the small gap that had formed between them and pushed her to the wall. She grinned. "I only do things because I want to do them." She said in a low voice and captured her goddesses' lips with her own. The kiss was short and sweet and even sloppy. Neither Rei nor Mina, even with the memories of their past life, had ever kissed anyone on the lips. The experience was new to them. After they separated, silence fell among them.
"That was… unexpected." Said Mina with a sigh. "Great but unexpected." She smiled as she grabbed Rei's shirt and pulled her closer. A sly grin on her face.
"Do-over?" Rei whispered. Mina nodded.
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"I have to say that I never thought you'd make it, Mina." Makoto joked as she avoided a crumpled piece of paper thrown by Rei. "You managed to control the senshi of fire!" She said and started laughing, joined soon by Usagi and Ami.
"Shut up!" Rei crossed her arms and legs in annoyance. Mina, the international idol, smiled and put an arm around her lover.
"Well, what can I say…" She grinned. "It wasn't that easy though. This one is really stubborn." She said as she pinched one of Rei's cheeks.
"You are the one to talk!" Rei retorted. "You wouldn't have the stupid surgery! Usagi had to revive you for you to be cured!" She said her arms moving carelessly in the air. It had been a few months since they have defeated the evil pestering the earth. It had been a few months since everything had returned to normal but Rei couldn't forget the day when she found out, or the feelings she felt when she realized she had lost her love. Mina slipped her other arm around Rei and smiled before giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"But I'm back see? And I'm in love, too." She gave Rei another peck. Rei smiled slowly and nodded.
"I know." And then grinned after stealing a quick kiss from her goddess's lips.
"I'm so happy for you guys!" Usagi squealed as she jumped up and down on her chair. "Rei, I've never seen you so happy!" Everyone nodded and Rei blushed profusely.
"Shut up."
"REI! Want to sing some Karaoke?" Usagi asked thrusting the microphone into her hands. "We all know you can sing Rei! Come on! A duet with Mina!" Rei's eyes widened.
"NO!" She said, loud and firm. "No way. I hate Karaoke."
"Not even with me, Reiko-chan?" Mina whispered seductively into her ear. Rei shook her head. "Not even if… I reward you later for such… great effort?" At this statement, Rei smirked.
"Not even." Mina pouted and Rei laughed at the sight of her lover. "Nope, sorry, goddess." She said and put her arms around her lover protectively. "No karaoke." She said.
"God, you are so stubborn!" Mina moaned in annoyance. Rei smirked again.
"I thought you liked me stubborn, Mina?" She said innocently.
"I've never liked you, Reiko-chan." She said and both grinned relieved that their past was finally put to rest and their present was brighter than ever.
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Well, overall, I did like this story. I'm not satisfied with the ending but… I won't change anything today. I'll return to it later and see if I can figure out a better way to end it.
Please review!