Last note: This is based on the anime.

Minako was sitting on her bed one day staring into her mirror. Her hair sat there limp and unfeeling. It was a lighter blonde than that of Usagi's, but it just didn't have the radiance that it once had. She wanted to change it, but her hair wouldn't let her.

Every one of the other senshi had beautiful hair. Rei had beautiful black hair, and she had these gorgeous raven tresses that really expressed who she was--a miko, sarcastic and a bit quietly fierce. Makoto had her ponytail which was utilitarian, and very much like her. She was sporty and it came in handy to have it up that way. Even Ami had a cool hair style, which was nice an flowing shade of blue. It hung loosely around her face. Minako didn't want to even think about Usagi, whose hair was always perfect, and she always got comments on, "Oh, how cute!" Even Chibiusa out did her with that shock of pink hair.

It wasn't unusual that Minako wanted to change her hair. All the beauty magazines said that everyone should change their hair every few years. It's a good change to make to boost one's confidence and stay trendy. The magazine had said that ribbons were out and that shorter hair was more fashionable. It also said that men were tending towards the more red locks this season, and though that red washed out easily it didn't really cost that much to do.

So Minako saved up her allowance for a month. She didn't go to the Crown Game center, buy any sweets, or do anything, reminding herself that she wanted to save up for an idol's haircut.

Minako was all set and ready yesterday. She even smirked as her mother scolded her for not keeping her hair out of her food. She told her mother that she was going for a haircut after school. Minako's mother said it was OK, as long as she did her homework after she got back. Minako was fidgeting all day at her school. Her body trembled with the promise of changing her hairstyle. She ran home and even tied up Artemis to her study chair (Since Artemis didn't understand high fashion and started to complain about how her past self would have never changed her hairstyle.)

So, she went to the trendiest salon in Tokyo at the heart of the Azabu Juuban, and flipped through several magazines. She thought about how ribbons were out, and how it wasn't fashionable anymore. In fact, what was she thinking by putting a red ribbon in her hair to impress her senpai? She really couldn't decide, so she decided to let the hair dresser decide if she gave them some clues as to what kind of haircut she wanted.

She thought that since no one in the group was a red head, that maybe if she changed her hair red and cut it, that it would be more fashionable.

She was reflecting on how even Luna when she became human had a cool hair style. (She'd heard about it later from Kakeru–– well maybe more from Usagi's brother who'd pried into Usagi's letters.)
Artemis came into the salon, and somehow got past everyone and jumped into her lap just before her hair was supposed to get cut. She had to take him outside while he explained, "The red ribbon is a symbol of love. The red ribbon that connects everyone to their soul mates is the symbol that you wear in your hair."

Minako put him in the dumpster, and then marched right back into the salon. She didn't have to say anything. She was going to have this haircut!

The hairdresser and her talked a great deal on what she wanted. Minako said she wanted an idol's haircut.

"I want something trendy that won't get in the way of my idol career. I'd like red hair too."

The women thought that an auburn might suit Minako's hair and coloring. She said it would really bring out Minako's smoky blue eyes.

"It's also very fashionable these days and the red dye I will use will wash out beautifully over time, without too many problems with roots."

The hair stylist spent an hour after clipping Minako's hair down dying her hair into a nice color of auburn. It glowed and it sparkled beautifully. She put in the finishing touches and even a few highlights before cutting the final haircut. Minako was delighted with it as the woman primped it and used the hair drier and shiner to make it beautiful. It was radiant, and Minako thought that she was the most beautiful girl around. She was feeling really good until her communicator beeped.

When duty calls to fight some bad guy, it would be a really good idea to maybe show off a little. It's always a chance that they will end up being a handsome bishounen that could be stunned into silence from her new and beautiful haircut.

She paid the month's allowance, which was 5,000 yen. (She had to borrow a little for the next few month's of allowance, but her mother said it wasn't a big deal.)

Artemis was waiting outside of the salon when she came outside to transform.

"Not now Artemis," she said confidently, raising her henshin stick.

The light raised around her as her semi-nude transformation started. She saw the swirl of lights, her Sailor Suit wrapping around her tightly and posed beautifully in her best pose ever. She was really happy, she could show it off to Sailor Moon, and Sailor Moon would say to her, "I want a nice hair cut like that."

So Sailor Venus was running when she saw a streak of blonde hair and Artemis yelling at her about something. It couldn't be so. It couldn't be that all of her 5,000 yen was for nothing. The hours she could have been playing video games dissolved in that instant. Her new cute haircut was gone!

She put her hands on top of her head and then felt around there. It was a red ribbon. But she'd thrown out all of her red ribbons this morning when she decided to get rid of it.

Her voice shrieked said, "Artemis, what hair color do I have?"

"Don't we have to go and fight?" Artemis asked cowering a little.

Minako asked a bit more menacing holding up her henshin pen, "What hair color do I have?"

"Uhhh... red," Artemis said.

"Artemis!" she screamed.

"Blonde hair with a red bow," Artemis said.

Minako sighed. She should really go and help them. Maybe when she transformed back her hair would be, you know red with cute little highlights like before. She could be really beautiful. She quickly discarded the idea of Sailormoon commenting on her hair, but Usagi, she would definitely squeal. Well, as Minako saw it, as the representor for the Goddess of Beauty, she had a duty to look the best out of the group. She would detransform, and then show it to everyone. The boys in her class would all fall in love with her, and the boys would start a fan club just for her. She would be the talk of the school for weeks.

"It's not so bad..." Artemis started before Minako gave him a glare.

Yeah, like the cat ever paid for anything in Minako's household. Artemis didn't understand the heart of a girl. He never had any hair to cut on his body. He was an American Short hair cat who licked his fur every day and rarely ever picked up his disgusting hair balls, because he didn't want to raise any suspicion. Artemis couldn't understand why Minako wanted to be fashionable in the first place.

The fight wasn't really important, it was the usual stuff. The daimon attacks everyone, Sailor Venus shows up to pose with them and everyone smiles happily as Sailormoon defeats the daimon with a cute attack that looks physically impossible. The people magically recover, don't remember anything and everything goes back to normal as if this is a regular day in Tokyo when it isn't being blown up to little shards of radioactive matter.

The real tragedy was when Minako detransformed. She posed for everyone who stared at her blankly as she said, "You like my new haircut?"

Everyone sweat dropped and said, "Yeah."

That's when she realized that her hair was blonde with a red ribbon. Minako screamed for two hours into her pillow as she tried to concentrate on her homework.

It was bad enough that her mother asked, "So, I thought you were going to get a haircut today, Minako-chan. Why didn't you?"

Minako could only grumble and push her bonito around her plate a few times before her mother scolded her.

Minako went to bed very depressed that day. So, here Minako was looking out the window of her room asking herself why she couldn't get a haircut like usual.

Artemis came up to her and said, "Mina-chan it's not that bad. Don't worry about it."

"But Artemis," Minako began to cry clenching her fist at the injustice of it, "How am I to become an idol if I can't change my hair cut! I must try harder! I must overcome my henshin, or stop being a Sailor Solider."

The next day was a holiday. She could try again. She would succeed. She thought that if she begged a few people that she could gather up enough money for a new salon. (Since it would be difficult to explain that she had an estranged twin sister and she wanted to have the same hair cut before, when the hair stylist asked if she had any sibings, and Minako had said no.)

Author's Notes:

This fan fiction is based on the episode where Usagi changed her hair style and got it shampooed, washed, and then transformed. Her hair magically changed into perfect odango without the shampoo.

This fan fiction takes pace around the episodes 100-114. That's the the super series from (Retire from being a Sailor Solider? Minako's Concerns.) to (Crazy for Celebrities! Mimet in Doubt). I included references to (Self awareness as a Soldier! Strength Lies in the Pure Heart). However, none of those episodes are needed to actually enjoy the story.

If you liked or hated this story, please e-mail me at the address listed above. Thank you.