Author's Note: Sorry for my absence and lack of updates. My college had decided to go on strike and even with an abundance of time on my hands I still felt unable to write. When I do actually sit down to write, I find everything I type out really… mechanical. Like a robot is narrating. Weird, isn't it?
Disclaimer: I disclaim privacy because I haven't gotten any in a while. I also apologize for typos ahead of time!
CRY OF THE RAVEN - CHAPTER III
It was not a bright and sunny day; the grass in the park was damp with morning dew, the skies were dark with heavy gray clouds, and there was a threat of lightning-storms. If any of that had mattered on that particular morning and at that particular moment then Minako would have found the strength to complain. However, she was a strong believer in dreams and the protection of the one she felt she was having at that moment.
She had felt defeated at first because she thought she had escaped dreaming of a certain lovely dark-haired miko. Nevertheless, she sighed with the warm feeling of relaxation and nestled further into the soft, cloth-covered chest; enjoying the familiarity of the dream.
Her lips spread into a slow smile as she watched her hand intertwine with another and enjoy a peaceful game of stroking. Her gold tendrils lay atop her own shoulders, sliding lazily over them, falling in and tangling around some strands of raven black. The large tree she and her guest lounged under offered a decent amount of unnecessary shade, only adding to the coolness of that day. Luckily, the body she dozed on was warm and supple. It was a satisfying situation only accurately described in one word: Ecstasy.
"Minako-chan is a sleepyhead!" Offered a cheerful intruder. Usagi cackled like a clumsy dope and forced an ice cream cone into the tired blonde's view.
Minako snapped out of her tranquil daydream and hastily absorbed her surroundings. The day was not bright and it was definitely quite cool, truly made warm by the body she had been resting on. Recognition left her blushing and she pushed herself off of her best friend's body. Rei could only gaze elsewhere somewhat uncomfortably.
"You're all red," The louder of the two blonde's placed a hand against her could-be twin's forehead, "… has she been sick, Rei-chan?"
Rei's unwillingness to lie to her friend left her silent. Minako quickly and complexly began to explain away her flushed features and constantly tired state in such a way that would simply confuse the Princess. Minako assured Usagi that she would be well soon and the smaller of the two seemed content with that promise of wellness. It led Rei to wonder how many times she had been lied to.
"Will you be staying with Rei all the time again, Mina?" Usagi smiled sweetly, her tone was innocent yet suggestive and Minako caught every bit of it.
"I often hear from my health inspector that our little Pyro has been over-exerting herself quite a bit… if she isn't careful, she will definitely have me to deal with."
"Over-exertion doesn't seem to be in my cards anymore." Rei glared angrily.
Between Minako and Usagi, her temper had been forced far too many times that day. Listening to Minako lie was excruciating. Rei had spent several nights, sending her friend off to battle only to follow her into it at a later time. Minako was always appreciative of her help, but time after time she asked Rei only to live as normal a life as she possibly could.
Now the pressure was beginning to kick in, time was falling off the clock and Minako did not seem to be any closer to the enemy than she was when it all began. To make matters worse, Minako still refused to relay any information on her exploits in England.
Usagi stood suddenly and began shouting happily towards the others who arrived. She took off, sprinting towards Makoto, Ami and the food.
"What about your life…?" Rei asked as though thinking aloud.
"How many times must I explain?" Minako sighed and began rubbing her arms for warmth.
"Until I am satisfied with the answer."
Minako thought for a moment, knowing the answer and saying it could be completely different at times. If one were to say what they thought incorrectly, then what they thought could be misunderstood. "This is my life."
"Is there no distinction between what Sailor Venus wants and what Aino Minako wants?" Rei asked.
"You know very well that Aino Minako was first and foremost Sailor Venus; a guardian and princess of the past. I will fight no matter what. I am not simply defined by my powers but by what I would do to defend peace, love and dreams. That's who I am."
Rei did not feel comforted by Minako's certainty. She couldn't believe that beneath her friend's surface, she only aspired to be a hero. Some kind of sacrifice for the good of all things.
"Aren't you afraid?"
Minako smiled and waved as the others approached. "I have been both a leader and a loner in this lifetime. I find that they can be similar at certain times." Minako looked around than scooted back towards Rei. She rested her head against the fire soldier's chest and closed her eyes. Softly she continued, "As both, I find that I am always deeply frightened."
Remembering the awkward appearance this position last left the raven-haired miko in, she frowned and took to lying next to her. Rei leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes, breathing deeply she concentrated as best she could in such a noisy environment.
With such an unexpected call for a trip to the park that morning, it was pleasant to be able to relax that evening, at least momentarily sheltered from the pouring rain. Of course Minako could not go to her own home. She was still deteriorating from sickness and so excuses were made as well as the appropriate phone calls.
Her mother had always been upset with Minako for her long absences but the blonde had always been the disobedient type. Rei sighed with that thought and watched her dinner get cold. Minako's bowl of instant ramen sat untouched as well. Both girls felt nervous and both were obviously deep in their own thoughts.
"Should I…" Rei chanced at conversation but was interrupted.
"Stay here? Yes, definitely. That's a brilliant idea." Minako smiled sweetly.
"You know that wasn't what I was going to say." Rei replied impatiently.
"But it's still what I want you to do." The blonde said.
"What about what I want?"
"…You're so stubborn. Don't you ever give up?"
"Where your safety is concerned? Hell no!"
"That's sweet." Minako continued to smile contently than mumbled, "…you should try that on Usagi."
"…What?"
"Nothing… I'm going to get ready." Minako sighed, stood and began limping towards the door. The other girl only groaned and followed Minako out of the room, lending her support as she carefully walked back towards the bedroom.
"Spirits are restless tonight." Rei muttered. The rain water crashing against the rooftop created an eerie beat. The wind howled and thumped against the sides of the house.
"That's pretty spooky, Rei." Minako said through a wince.
The crash of glass surprised them both and Rei was the first to catch sight of the small beeping object which rolled towards them.
"Bomb!" Rei took Minako by the arm and began to sprint towards the entrance of her home.
Overtaken by panic, they had narrowly avoided the explosion and though it was small, the force still sent them airborne amongst the debris. Clutching the blonde to her chest, Rei landed harshly against the ground and rolled to shield them both from further explosions or attacks. When neither occurred, Rei risked sitting up. She wiped blood from above her left eye and studied the remains of her home in a kind of silent shock.
Minako was speechless as she watched the raven-haired girl kneel with her head hung. Her long tresses obscured her face but Minako knew she was crying by the way her shoulders shook. The temple stood but the living quarters were in chaos, still being torn by some rebellious flames that the rain could not devour.
"Rei…" Minako hesitantly put a hand on her back. Her friend seethed in anger and that much was obvious. There would be hell to pay for this attack. Surprisingly, the fire senshi leapt from her spot and pinned the wounded soldier beneath her. Minako gasped from the impact on the ground.
"Minako! Tell me everything you know! And don't you dare lie to me!" She gripped Minako by the shoulders and shook her violently against the ground. Minako felt lifeless beneath her. She had meant to protect them by returning… but this was, in essence, all her fault. She watched the fire fight to consume what had become her second home over all the years as a senshi. It was Rei's only home.
"I'm sorry." Minako whispered; her head pounded and her ears rang because of the explosion but Rei only shook her again. The dead look in the love soldier's eyes did little to frighten her, it simply angered her more.
"Don't run and hide in there! Tell me!" Minako whimpered weakly at Rei's fierce interrogation.
Before Rei could continue, the heavy breathing and exposed aura of enemies brought promise of battle. Rei did not falter in transforming. Super Sailor Mars stood fuming. Her anger was a fuel for an insatiable fire. There were eight of them, maybe ten...maybe more. It didn't matter. Mars wanted war, her home would become a battlefield and she would soak it in the blood of the enemy. There were all kinds of beasts, each of which would soon be nothing but a corpse. Mars wanted to ignore the wailing of sirens which grew louder with each passing second.
A past conversation with her annoying flame spirit suddenly came to mind…
"This would be a mistake."
"What are you talking about, now? I haven't done anything."
"You will if you are not careful."
She clenched her teeth and growled wildly. It was a war cry of frustration as she fell back, collected the stunned Minako and retreated from the scene. The monsters were rapidly pursuing them. They would need to get far from the scene and into hiding. She landed atop a hotel building and laid Minako there to rest momentarily. The girl was unusually faint and feverish.
"Are you okay?" Mars asked.
Minako only nodded.
Mars placed a hand against her friend's forehead. "No you're not."
The crushing of the rooftop behind Mars was enough to let her know that they were no longer alone and luckily her fury was far from extinguished. She did not hesitate. Mars seized the closest to her, easily avoiding its clumsy attacks and began to batter it. She leapt from it corpse and attacked another. There was not any time to falter, nor would she had she had that time. The adrenaline coursed through her veins and her rage only increased with each fatal blow.
The remaining few enemies were cautious but not visibly intimidated by Mar's shocking display of hostility. She stood panting in the midst of the graveyard that rooftop had become. But glancing back to Minako, she felt the inferno inside her dim. The blonde's shoulders drooped miserably; her henshin pen lay lifelessly in her hand. Tears she could not bother to stop streamed down her cheeks. There would be no Sailor Venus and their time in finding a way to cure the ailing love goddess was running even shorter.
That thought brought Mars' temper to a boil once more and she looked back towards the repulsive demons which awaited destruction.
Rei had checked them into a nearby motel. Her savings weren't enough to buy luxury but all they had needed was a roof and four walls. And a bath. Disheveled appearances were never explained very easily but money bought silence. She was still angry when they had gotten there and she would not admit to overreaction. The miko was being as patient and co-operative as she could be considering the circumstances.
Her home had been destroyed. Minako was unable to transform. The enemies were becoming stronger and the bruises Rei had sustained from her rooftop skirmish were proof of that. Still… the thought of losing Minako made her nervous the most. She wondered if she would be strong enough to save her… nothing ever made her doubt her power so completely.
Rei entered their rented room and approached the bed that Minako had taken to curling on. The blonde shivered in her wet clothes.
"I brought towels… Do you want to take a bath?" Rei asked.
"Go away…" Minako sniffled.
"No." Rei sat on the edge of the bed. "Why the hell should I do that?"
Minako chose silence.
Rei shook her head and took one of the towels from the pile she had claimed. She pulled the struggling blonde into a sitting position and admonished her for being tenacious. Rei tugged the wet, old volleyball jersey that Minako wore until it was free from the blonde's body and hair. She wrapped a towel around the shivering girl's shoulders and carefully massaged some warmth into her arms.
"Please just leave me alone…"
"You never left me alone. Just shut up and let me take care of you." Rei sighed.
Rei continued to disrobe the blonde while drying her off and kneading aching muscles. She left only to fill the small washroom's bathtub with hot water and the oils she had collected earlier. With little help, she managed to get Minako into the water. The blonde was unresponsive for the most part. The fire soldier only shook her head, picked up a cloth and began to wash her friend.
"I bet that's starting to feel a lot better." Rei sighed, soothed by the scent of the bath.
Minako seemed to warm up rather quickly and though Rei was still fully clad in her cold and damp clothes, she felt herself warm up too each time she touched her friend. Rei was riddled with concern about her friend and her future. Minako seemed as though she had already given up and this caused a seriously disagreeable pain within the miko. Her friend's aura was so dim. They needed to take action that night and without further hesitance but Rei did not want to push the blonde further into herself by having another impatient outburst.
Minako's own thoughts churned within her. Rei's touches served to confuse her. She felt as though she were a failure for not being able to protect what was dear to someone she loved so much. She knew Rei was angry with her. All she could remember was how cross the raven-haired girl had been when she had been shouting at her. But the way Rei would touch her conflicted with those memories… and again nothing made sense.
In the square that was that bathroom, Minako found that there was no where to run from how much love she felt for the girl beside her. There was never any way to escape the feelings she had for Hino Rei and that scared her. She couldn't love. Not for reasons as clichéd as being hardened and unable. She was simply cursed in too many ways and experiences lead her to believe in those curses fully.
But that night she had committed something atrocious by not protecting her friend's home. In a way she had betrayed Rei…
In English, "I feel very strongly about you…"
Rei glanced at Minako confused.
"I'm such a coward." Minako continued in her second language. She leaned closer to Rei, taking hold of the other girl's collar and grasping tightly. Her own breathing became awkward and her nervousness was evident as she pressed her lips against Rei's.
The kiss made heat where Rei was cold. The miko's reaction had been sluggish but appropriate as she began to return the endearment. Rei let her hand drift against Minako's cheek and slowly entangled itself in golden tresses. But than her eyes shot open and she fell away from the kiss as quickly as she could; panting to regain her breath and composure.
Minako frowned and looked away. "How thoughtless of me…"
"Minako…"
The blonde turned a bitter look towards her friend and in a voice to match it she sneered, "…She won't ever love you… Not like I do."
Rei had winced at those words. She wanted to be angry… but she hadn't anything in her to fight what the other girl had just said to her. Instead, she simply left the room. She needed distance. Anything else than to face what her friend had just said.
Endnote: Hope you liked that one! Once again, sorry for the lack of updates.