5 times Minako showed why she's the leader

(or: o captain, our captain)

*** one ***

Venus has returned.

Luna's words echoed in Princess Serenity's mind as she raced down the palace hallways. It had been nearly a whole month since Venus had left for some sort of mission on Mercury - Luna had tried to explain it to her but she still couldn't remember (in her defense, it had been during dinner and who in their right mind expected her to remember anything but the bliss of the meal?) - and Serenity could not, would not, wait any longer to see her.

There was so much to tell! Mercury and Jupiter had found an endangered flower native to the Moon and had received an intergalactic award for their propagation efforts; Mars had actually talked to her for five whole minutes before snapping at her (if only she hadn't tripped and spilled the tea!); Mother had thrown a ball to celebrate the ginzuishou finally reacting to her thoughts; and most of all, there were dozens of new dresses and shoes and wraps from Earth that she was dying to try on. Venus was the only one who would truly understand it all, who understood her and she was finally back -

The sharp clang of metal against metal made Serenity wince but she picked up her pace nonetheless. 'Where there's metal, there's Venus,' she thought with a smile. She snuck onto the upper level like Venus had taught her as a child - it's the best vantage point to see yours truly , Venus had said with a wink - and held her breath as she peered over the balcony.

'Where there's gold, there's Venus.' Serenity's breath caught at the sight of her guardian's long hair, golden in the sunlight streaming in from the opened ceiling, as bright as the chain whipping out to disarm her opponent. The grin on Serenity's face turned into a frown as another opponent stepped up to face Venus. 'She's only just returned, couldn't they let her rest before training?'

Serenity nearly called out to stop whatever this was, but then she felt Venus' aura grow. It filled the training area, warming Serenity's chest, her face. She barely held back a gasp as the golden chain in Venus' hand glowed, the links fusing together to form a sword.

A hand raised to her lips. 'Just what had been that mission on Mercury?' The question flittered forgotten in her mind as Serenity breathlessly watched Venus fight. Venus was a blur of gold as she spun around her would-be attackers, her weapon shifting from sword to chain and back again within the blink of an eye, every now and then a fist or a heel shooting out to deliver a more personal form of justice.

It was over as quickly as it had begun. Groans lifted from the pile of soldiers on the ground though there was no blood at all. Serenity watched Venus as the woman turned in a slow circle. She stopped in profile, eyes sharp as she lifted her chin.

"I didn't say we were done."

The words were low but they triggered a fevered rush of movement. The soldiers clamored to their feet, hastily picking up weapons, pieces of armor, their pride. They stood at attention in front of her in a rough group formation.

But what surprised Serenity the most was the look on the soldiers' faces: complete awe.

Serenity smiled to herself, knowing that her own face likely held the same expression. 'And where there's love …'

She settled more comfortably against the wall as she watched Venus twirl the sword around her arm and begin a demonstration. 'At least I'm not the only one.'

*** two ***

"Look, you asked me for what I saw and that's what I'm saying I saw. If you don't believe me, you can just get someone else for your Sailor V exclusive, whatever -"

"Fine. Like I was saying earlier before your colleague so rudely interrupted me: It was just after lunch. I was getting ready for my 1:00 appointment when I heard my assistant screaming outside my office. When I got out into the hallway, that's when I saw the monster."

"It was huge. All these twisted parts - except for the arms. The arms were knives, swords really, the hugest blades. They almost got us but … One moment I was standing there about to pee in my pants then the next moment I'm on the floor and staring at Sailor V's back."

"I'm not going to lie, I was terrified. And not just for me, but for Sailor V too. I never realized how small she is. I've only seen pictures you know? But standing there in between me and my assistant and the monster, she looked like just a little girl. But then she started fighting and wow. Wow, that girl can fight."

"I mean she was so fast! Just a blink of an eye and bambambam - it was amazing. And in the middle of it all, she told us to run and even pulled the fire alarm so everyone else in the building would evacuate."

"Right? So smart."

"Of course I followed her directions, what kind of question is that? Your colleague sure has some weird ideas about Sailor V…"

"Look, let me make this clear: Sailor V is the bravest, most courageous person ever. She literally put her life on the line for a chump like me, for people she doesn't even know. And she does it all the time. So yeah, if Sailor V told me to jump, I wouldn't think twice about it."

"Sailor V is a hero; that's the only headline you need."

*** three ***

It was supposed to be an easy win.

Kimika sends a glare across the court at the other team as she passes out towels and ensures each girl has their water bottle. She tries not to look at the scoreboard, tries to smile at the faces around her despite the frustration she feels rolling off of them. Just this morning the path to Nationals had seemed so simple. Her hands tighten around the extra towels. But now…

She nods her head automatically along with the others as Coach finishes talking strategy. Then all eyes shift to the captain. Kimika swallows, feeling those age-old nerves rise as she meets Minako's gaze. Even after a year as the club manager she still can't help the blushing, the tongue-tied clumsiness. She'd tried talking to some of the third-year players about it once but had only received ribald teasing in return.

There was no one else like Minako. How someone could be such a fascinating mix of intensity and casual elegance on the court, then immediately switch to impish mischief off-court was a mystery to Kimika. Today, that intensity seemed to be burning brighter than ever as the team fought for every point.

Kimika feels her breath still in her chest as she waits for Minako to speak. Would it be some flubbed proverb to break the tension? A sharp reprimand to whip them back into focus? A rousing speech to lift the dejection weighing on everyone's shoulders?

None of the above. Minako shrugs and flips her hair over her shoulder in a distracting flash of gold. "You heard Coach. This isn't anything different from what we've done before." She turns to set down her water bottle on the bench. But when Minako faces them again, it's with her trademark grin. "Just get me the ball."

There it is . Kimika's back straightens, the air electric as the players nod - not just at the command itself but the confidence behind it. She quickly gathers the towels, the bottles, cheers them on as they make their way back onto the court. She knows she's supposed to watch everyone so she can help Coach mark the stats book, but she can't help it when her eyes zero in on just one person.

The other team's serve comes right at the whistle. For a chilling moment, Kimika fears the blur will be a service ace like the one that had shocked them at the beginning of the match. She lets out a breath in relief when the ball is dug up, arcing towards the setter.

To Kimika, Minako in motion is her favorite thing to watch. No one else looks that focused during their run up, that confident in the air, that joyful . Even in the face of a wall of three blockers, Minako's form doesn't falter. Golden hair streams behind her, her whole body coiled and tense with a power that seems to emanate from the core of her being.

The sound of Minako's spike echoes throughout the court. The ball blasts through the block - Kimika's not sure if the wince on the blockers' face is from physical pain or the pain of failure, maybe a combination of both. Several of the opposing team's players dive to try and put themselves between the ball and the floor but to no avail.

Kimika knows it's just one point, knows it won't suddenly become an easy game. But as she watches that grin flash across Minako's face as she shares high-fives with the others, Kimika can't help but regain her confidence that it will be their win.

*** four ***

It doesn't happen often, but there are days when the girls don't get along.

Minako doesn't call it that, though. Whenever Artemis notices, she says it's more that they're not on the same tide mark - 'wavelength,' he corrects and dodges a swipe - but he agrees all the same.

It's never anything overt. In fact, a casual observer would mistaken the scene as something commonplace: exasperated eye rolls, dramatic sighs, snarky remarks. But there are times when they pile up too high and too heavy, leading to mocking comebacks that cut a little too deep, drawing silences held behind gritted teeth and tightened fists.

The meeting ends with the same pleasantries as it always does, but Artemis knows Minako's sensed it too. They exchange a look and a nod; it's all Artemis needs to know that she'll take care of it.

Artemis hardly sees her over the next few days. He hears from Luna how Minako had wheedled dinner and a sleepover from Usagi immediately after the meeting, complete with video games and a record amount of ice cream. He's barely awake the next morning when he feels a pat on his back after she picks up her school things on the way to Hikawa Shrine to help Rei before morning volleyball practice. On the weekend, Artemis gets a sandwich Minako manages to sneak out from the "proper high tea" she treated Ami to, and she smells like sun and flowers when she returns from the behind-the-scenes tour of the gardening TV show Makoto loves (Minako admits later that she was only able to arrange it after promising to do a month's worth of free voiceover work for a new gachapon company).

The next time they all gather at the Crown, it's the same joking and laughter but without the uncomfortable undercurrent that had belied their last meeting. The joy and amusement is genuine this time, squawks of outrage easily soothed by apologies and compliments, and promises are made and remade anew.

Artemis lets out a breath and beams proudly at Minako from the inside of her bag. She catches his eye but says nothing, just sits back to sip her drink. But Artemis knows that above that relaxed smile, Minako's eyes are always watching.

*** five ***

She would have mistaken the sight in front of her for a forest if it weren't for the smell. Or the garbled screaming. Wasn't there a Shakespeare play that had a forest army? She'd take that over a horde of decomposing monsters any day.

"10 minutes until they're in attack range." Mercury's voice was even, would have passed for indifferent if it wasn't for the nervous dip at the end. Venus almost smiled hearing that old tell.

Venus didn't blame Mercury for the nerves. Crystal Tokyo hadn't had an attack in months now, and the last one had been a one-off fight that had barely lasted an hour. This, however, was different. The horde had arrived en masse at the edge of the city without any prior warning. One second they had been having brunch in the grand hall - then the next second, sirens were wailing and plates clattering as they received news of the intruders.

She could feel the shock and anxiety from the others behind her, as well as their expectation. It didn't matter that she had the same information as them - which was nothing at all - or that the odds were wildly against them. She was the leader and she had to have a plan.

Venus sighed. One day, she'd be caught too unawares, too tired, too slow. One day, she'd have to come home without one of them. And one day, she would be the one to not come home.

She glanced up at the sky. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend the wailing was just seagulls, that they were at that beach they'd visited just last week. 'We should do this every day!' her queen had exclaimed. 'Or at least every month!' They had all agreed, pink from sun and laughter.

The wind shifted. The sea salt from her memory gave way to rotting flesh.

Venus narrowed her eyes. Today was not going to be that day.

"So what shall we do this time?" She glanced lazily behind her and smirked at the confused expressions that met her gaze. "Last to a thousand pays for dinner?"

A pause of stunned silence. After a few breaths, it was finally broken by a soft snort. Mars crossed her arms casually over her chest. "Plus karaoke afterward," she said, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Jupiter gawked then shook herself. "Oh hell no, karaoke nearly broke my bank account last time."

The sound of a throat clearing brought their attention to Mercury. "We could also have the first to a hundred choose the restaurant."

Jupiter and Mars' hums of agreement were drowned out by a wail. "That's not fair!" Sailor Moon's tantrum quickly escalated into an argument with Mars, one citing missed practices and the other the necessity of donuts and naps.

Venus smiled, feeling the tightness in her chest ease. She stepped towards them to complete their circle. "Now that we've got the important things out of the way, here's what we're going to do…"

Author's note: Been a bit of a rough month but here we are.

1) Ever since watching "La Reconquista," I've just wanted everyone to have swords lol. And then I remembered Ivy's chain-sword (from the Soul Calibur games) and thought, couldn't Venus have something like that?

2) Up to you who and where and when this sequence takes place tbh.

3) Thinking about volleyball made me remember all the different captains in the manga "Haikyu!" and also made me wonder, would Minako be the kind of captain who stabilized the team (like Karasuno's Daichi or Inarizaki's Shinsuke) or would she be the ace (ex. Shiratorizawa's Ushijima or Fukuroudani's Bokuto)? Also Kimika comes from an alternate reading of the first name of Karasuno's second manager, Hitoka (仁花).

4) I was definitely thinking of "Flowerbed of Hobbies" from the manga "Yamada to Kase-san" lol.

5) Karaoke, often and always.