"Rei."

The golden light returned, pulling her from the darkness. Aster flowers and citrus; the perfume synonymous with her timeless beauty.

"Reiko."

Hair tickled her nose. Minako's soothing scent and voice lured her to the present. The ever-present entity inside of her flickered as well. A sigh escaped her lips as she forced her eyelids open. Rei couldn't tell if she'd slept for one hour or ten.

"Hey." Rei rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She hated feeling groggy. Going without sleep was easier than waking up. Silver moonlight poured into the room through the cracks in the window shades, framing Minako to appear more like Selene than Venus. "What time is it?"

"It's like three AM. I woke up an hour or so ago. You were so cute, I couldn't wake you."

Rei hadn't felt Minako move or slip out of bed. Years spent teaching herself to wake at the sound of a feather dropping, defeated after one sleepless night. Despite having no desire to sleep any further, Rei groaned. "Evidently something changed your mind."

"Yeah, I noticed you left these out!"

Rei was only halfway to sitting upright when one of the bento lunches she brought from the shrine was dropped into her lap. The reminder of food set her stomach grumbling once more. To Rei's pleasant surprise, Mars seemed as enthusiastic about taking time to eat as Minako was.

Rei tucked away loose strands of hair getting between her and her food. She cupped the pink cupboard edges with her hands and sighed. "I didn't mean to sleep so late."

Minako scoffed. "You? I'm the one that slept all day and half the night. Why'd you let me sleep all day?"

Rei rolled her eyes. "I didn't let you do anything."

Minako's eyes fell to her unopened lunchbox as well. Rei caught a peek at her downcast eyes, the shade of which suggested more annoyance than sadness. "Ugh… I don't want to think about how many messages and emails I must have. Damn it."

"Somewhere between a hundred and a thousand," Rei answered. Mina gave her a dubious glare. "Don't worry. Mizuno is taking care of it. I turned off your phone and plugged it in right there. Took me forever to find the charger."

"Well Rei... ." Mina shifted her body over, rubbing their shoulders and casting a playful look. Rei noticed for the first time she was wearing a pale yellow camisole. She hoped the darkness would shroud her blush. "If you were a normal girl, you'd know we always keep them in our purse."

Rei had no plans on dignifying that statement with an answer, but a grunt that bubbled up from her chest.

"Hey, where's Artemis?" Minako asked. "I couldn't find him anywhere."

"He's taken care of. He followed me back to the shrine yesterday. He was playing with Phobos and Deimos when I left."

"Playing a game of cat and crow, huh?"

"You mean cat and mouse?"

"Why would I mean mouse?" Minako blinked. Her attention quickly turned to Rei's body. She yanked the bed sheets collected around Rei's waist away, revealing the red hakama beneath the crisp white folds of her kosode. Knowing she hadn't taken the time to change had Minako giddy for some reason. "In such a hurry to see me, you didn't even get changed?"

Rei met Mina's eyebrow wiggling with an arch in her own. If she was excited now, how would she react to the matching undergarments Rei borrowed and still wore beneath her uniform? "Maybe."

"What did I say about you wearing clothes in my bed?" Minako whispered while letting her fingers creep up the scarlet fabric of Rei's hakama.

"I'll leave then, if you want."

Minako shot daggers at her. She had no intention of doing so, but getting Mina going was too easy. "Hino Rei, I swear to the kami, if you think I'm letting you leave my bedroom anytime soon, you're out of your damn mind."

Rei's lips twitched. She was beginning to see the appeal of innuendo-laced banter. "Never thought you'd deflower a Shrine Maiden, did you?"

"Are you hiding flowers in there?" Minako tugged at Rei's top and pretended to peek inside. If Minako caught sight of her bra she didn't say.

"Please tell me you know what that phrase means so I don't have to explain it to you."

Mina made a noise, something between a hum and a sigh; paired with her fingers tugging at the collar of her kosode, Rei's heart skipped a beat. "I was thinking about 'deflowering' you in Paris… Then in London... Oh, the shameful thoughts I had," Minako crooned.

"London." Rei's cheeks flushed at the memory. Minako's voice called out to her, the memory as clear and vivid as if it were happening now. Rei had tortured herself with thoughts of what could have been that evening, had she taken the idol up on her offer. The Shrine Maiden cleared her throat, in turn trying to clear her mind. "And what shameful thoughts did you have while touching yourself?"

Minako hesitated for a brief second. Rei didn't blame her, she almost didn't believe the words coming out of her mouth either. The confidence her crystal spent the entire day garnering waned when faced with Minako's sexual advances.

To Rei's relief, Venus advanced with confidence only a goddess of love could harness. Her fingertips tingled Rei's cheeks as they brushed down to cup the back of her neck, in a gesture that turned from gentle to possessive before Rei could blink. The darkness could not contend with Minako's blazing blue eyes. "How about I show you?"

Rei's blush deepened but her face remained determined. Tense as she was when Minako claimed her mouth, she didn't disengage or stutter. It was easy to let the love goddess work her wonders. From her soft, inviting lips beckoning hers, to the fingernails clawing the back of her neck to draw her in closer, Venus emanated seduction effortlessly. For an assassin who prided herself on shutting off this unpredictable, erratic emotion less than a year ago, it was almost baffling how easily she found herself ensnared in Minako's web. Almost.

The burning sensation swallowing her chest reminded her that she was helpless from the start. Aside from the expansive yearning, Mars was mercifully silent, allowing Rei to enjoy the feeling of Minako's tongue flickering against her lips and their bodies pressing together.

Until something else inside of her made its demands known.

The hunger pangs she experienced back at the shrine returned with sudden and unexpected ferocity. Loud rumbling interrupted their steamy kiss. Too mortified to groan or make a snappy remark, Rei froze, mentally preparing herself for Minako's japes.

Lips still brushing against hers, Mina giggled. "So you aren't a vampire after all."

Rei rolled her eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well you barely eat or sleep! I was beginning to think you weren't human. And I don't mean part Isu, either."

"You're ridiculous," Rei grumbled while crossing her arms over her chest. She watched as Minako opened one of the bento and squealed.

"Oh my god they're so cute!" Minako strung the words so closely together, they sounded as one. Rei didn't know what the fuss was about until Minako set hers down on her lap.

Looking up at her were two large rice "balls" formed to look like panda heads, with seaweed flattened and formed for the eyes, mouth, and ears. They rest on a bed of greens, with a side of pickled ginger and a couple of wrapped chocolates. The aromas agitated her stomach once more. Rei had to admit she was absolutely ravenous. It had been well over twenty four hours since she last ate.

As she unwrapped her chopsticks, Minako's face was already buried in her own meal. Chopsticks flew as she shoved rice and pea pods into her mouth.

"Itadakimasu," Rei said, apparently to herself since Minako was already stuffing her face.

"Did Makoto make these?" Rei thought she heard Mina ask with a mouth full of roughage.

Unlike her less refined partner, Rei waited to swallow her mouthful before speaking. "Yes."

"Does she know how much you love pandas?" Minako paused while chewing. Her eyes turned suspicious, so much so that Rei paused while bringing chopsticks to her mouth. "Has she been in your room?"

"A few times, I suppose. Why?"

"And here I thought I was the first eligible young lady you let into your room." Minako turned her head away, nose lifted, suggesting she was… jealous?

Rei was too hungry to humor her antics. She took her time eating, letting Minako stew in her self-created misery. After purposefully chewing and swallowing a few bites in silence, Rei set her chopsticks down and returned a suspicious glare of her own. "With the way you're reacting, you'd think I was the first person to share your bed."

"Actually…" Minako set her half-eaten meal aside. The popstar cuddled Rei to the point where she was smothering her. Rei had to move her food aside to keep it from being squashed by Minako's thighs. Those electrifying fingertips, with their inherent energy that created sparks against Rei's flesh, trailed the collar of her kosode again. "I've never had anyone here. In my own bed. I've only ever hooked up with people while traveling in hotel rooms and stuff. I couldn't risk it. Not worth it for casual hookups. So yes, you are the first person-um, lover, in my room."

Rei credited her slight stutter at the end to her nerves, but she hesitated in a way that made it seem like she was upset about something. In true Minako fashion, she glossed over her discomfort with a smile and words. "So take that back."

"Fine," Rei softened her glare. She appreciated the vulnerable gesture; humbled by it, if she were being honest with herself. It was easy to forget how private and cautious Sailor V was her entire career, especially after the Templars had their claws around her neck. Engaging in the primal pleasures of the flesh was perhaps the easiest way Minako could disengage and enjoy herself, but it meant little when she could not enjoy the finer, more intimate moments with another. An expensive, gorgeous house with no visitors. Rushed sexual encounters. There was no napping beside each other. No eating meals together in bed. None of these casual, domestic moments that most people took for granted. Minako trusting Rei with this side of her that she never shared with anyone before meant more to her than how many lovers she'd had. Letting go of her insecurities made sense logically, but they were still hard to shake.

Rei realized she took the sisterhood, and the familiarity of her makeshift family there, for granted. Sailor V had been a lone, solitary soldier, silently suffering with no one to open up to. All the while, Rei had been selfishly keeping those who actually wanted to help and understand her at bay, due to trust issues that had nothing to do with them. Between her own life experiences, and the unshakeable bond between the crystal bearers Mars showed her, Rei knew better now. She had allies, no… friends, who were deserving of everything she had to give, and more.

And she had the perfect goddess cuddled against her, whom she would never deserve, even if she spent the next hundred lifetimes trying to be worthy.

Rei cradled Minako's head into the crook of her neck. She stroked the golden strands of hair, smelling cleaning products as well as Venus perfume. Minako must have showered before waking her.

"Are you done eating?"

"Hmm…" Mina made a show of reluctantly pulling herself from Rei's embrace to pluck the wrapped chocolates from her box. She popped both of them into her mouth at record pace before giving a muffled reply. "Now I am."

"So refined," Rei sarcastically observed. She collected their bento and deposited them on the nightstand beside the bed. The bedazzled cell phone caught her eye. "Do you want your phone now?"

Mina pouted. "You said I could inspect and deforest you."

Rei decided against correcting her. "Oh did I?" The flippant quip barely escaped her lips before Minako silenced her with a kiss rivaling her earlier aggressiveness. They picked up right where they left off, and Minako was more than ready to take it to the next level.

Before Rei could decide what to do with her hands, Minako was straddling her lap. Sheets and clothes be damned, Rei was taken aback by the intimacy of their position. Though she was still upright, Minako had already established dominance, in both her posture and forthright kisses. Rei's face was cradled in her hands, her legs pinned beneath.

"You did," Minako growled while nibbling her bottom lip. "And I intend to take what's mine."

The crystal threatened to set Rei's chest to fire, with how intensely it blazed. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, a similar yearning resurrected between her legs. Her body instantly remembered how good it felt, letting Minako shower orgasmic pleasure upon her. Selfishly, she wanted it again. Mars wanted it just as much; to vicariously experience making love to Venus through the mystical link they shared.

There was no denying the passion in Minako's eyes. She would have Rei one way or the other. And maybe easing into lovemaking by letting the goddess of love take the helm was what Rei needed to build up to reciprocating the favor.

"There is something of yours hiding in my kimono," Rei teased, albeit awkwardly.

Minako arched an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"I'll give you a hint… It isn't flowers."

"Hmm… Well now I'm intrigued." Minako wiggled her eyebrows before descending into the crook of Rei's neck. Ecstasy and chills fanned the flames welling within her. Minako's supposed intrigue brought Rei shrugging out of the shoulders of her kosode, briefly blanketed by Minako's blonde veil until the starlet pulled away with a quizzical glint in her eyes. "Well... what do we have here?"

"Something look familiar?" Rei inclined her eyebrows.

"A couple things." Mina accentuated her point by cupping Rei's breasts in her hands. The flare in Rei's chest was matched by the sudden flush in her cheeks. Mars felt about as amused as Minako looked. "Except they look better than I remember."

Rei began to roll her eyes, but abruptly stopped halfway when her nipples were squeezed through the fabric. A brief, but not entirely unpleasant, jolt of pain spread through her chest.

"Ow."

"Seems the assassin is also a thief. Anything else of mine hiding beneath your miko getup?"

Rei flippantly shrugged, prompting Minako to further her investigation. She expected her eager lover to rush into removing her red kimono, but lips sucking the curve of her neck suggested otherwise. The intrinsically delicate kisses were also dominating. Distracted as Rei was by the chills going up her spine, she didn't realize she was on her back until after the fact.

Rei wanted to gaze upon Venus' startling beauty, even to touch her immaculate form, but the goddess was set to task, kissing her way down Rei's neck and chest. Silken lips kissed their way around the lace cups, tongue escaping with a flicker to make Rei squirm every so often.

"Have I mentioned how much I love your damn abs?" Minako did not wait for a response before the tip of her tongue traced the subtle ripple of her muscles.

Rei closed her eyes with a groan. "Once or twice… I think."

"You're in trouble if I find something else of mine in here," Minako teased, telling Rei she knew exactly what she would find. Without waiting for a snarky reply, Mina scooted forward to throw the bothersome bedsheets away. "Can't believe I'm undressing a Shrine Maiden…" she smirked.

Rei lifted her hips, allowing the red bottoms to be removed. She wasn't as nervous as the first time Minako undressed her, but the ravenous baby blues eating her alive made her stomach churn with nervous anticipation.

"Yeah. These do look better than I remember." Minako leaned forward and snapped the elastic band of her borrowed undies. "That's it. From now on, I'm buying your bras and panties."

"I can't borrow yours forever?"

"We aren't the same size, silly." Minako slipped her fingertips beneath the loose straps. "You're getting measured by a professional and then I'm buying you all sorts of sexy lingerie so I can spend my days fantasizing about what my miko is wearing underneath her kimono. Or what my assassin is wearing beneath her badass hoodie."

"Given this a lot of thought, have you?" The gesture was coming from a good place, but the frugal Shrine Maiden was not comfortable with the idea.

Minako shrugged. "Not as much as other things… Now be a good girl and give me back my bra."

Butterflies returned to her stomach. Doing her best to plaster on a poker face, Rei sat up and reached behind herself for the clasp. One snap and the bra was loose. Rei let the straps dangle from her arms in an attempt to be coy. She hoped Mina would get impatient and just take it, but she patiently waited. It took every ounce of control to keep herself from covering her breasts when she passed it off. While Minako was technically still clothed, her lingerie left little to the imagination. The yellow lace kept her breasts in place and gave them some lift, while still allowing the flesh beneath to show through.

"You know…" Mina practically purred when she dipped her face back down into Rei's neck. The lace she wore was rough against her own skin, nearly as arousing as her cooling breath sending chills down Rei's spine. "Venus gave me all sorts of ideas while I was sleeping. Best dreams I've ever had."

Rei debated on whether to reveal that she shared a similar experience with Mars the entire day. She didn't know how Minako could possibly get any more ideas, but it was comforting to know her crystal was as impressionable and invested in their relationship— even if it could be rather annoying.

"I get the impression she's a bit disappointed in me," Minako mumbled almost in passing before flicking her tongue against an areola.

The inviting tingle spreading from her nipples did not make Rei deaf to the forlorn tone in her lover's voice. She tilted her head. "Disappointed? How?"

"I've had you in my grasp this entire time and I've been far too chaste for her standards."

For a second Rei thought she was joking, but the flat line of her eyebrows indicated otherwise. Mars' memories made it obvious that when they were not on duty, they were exploring the limits of each other's bodies. To prove her point, Mars shared one such occasion. Rei caught a glimpse of Venus, skirts lifted and legs spread wide, sitting on Mars' face in a location that looked more like an office than a bedroom.

Rei tried shaking the vision from her mind. She nervously laughed. "Well, we've been busy."

"Ah huh." Minako's voice assumed the seductive, playful cantor that made Rei's legs shake. "And now it's time for us to get busy. In the fun way. You know—"

"Yeah. I know." Cheesy as Minako was acting, the casual conversation helped Rei forget she was nearly naked. Rei almost poked the bear with a sarcastic remark, but fingers rolling the nipple on her right breast destroyed any clear thoughts she might have.

"No more sass from you," Minako playfully ordered.

"Or?" Rei groaned when a retaliatory bite sank into the crook of her neck. Her back arched into soft hands. Minako's expert combination of gentle and rough massaging had her nipples hardened before she could remember to release the breath she was holding.

Gasping, Rei stared incredulously at Minako when she finally came up for air.

"Or I'll shut you up."

Rei swallowed hard. Had Venus shared the same memory as Mars? Could the two be so incredibly in sync, even as crystals?

While Rei was distracted with her mollified thoughts, Minako's mouth traveled south. The Shrine Maiden snapped back to reality when cool tendrils of air coiled around her lower belly. Tension ran through her as Minako curled her fingers inside the lace band. It took every ounce of courage to meet Minako's gaze as her final garment was slowly peeled away. Allowing the vulnerability, the sheer intimacy, was hard. So hard. Losing herself to Minako's raw desire was more difficult than losing her life in the heat of battle.

She found she hated that about herself. How had bloodshed and war become easier than love? Neptune was right; her own nature sealed her fate. She wanted fire and war; what could the passionate lover Venus see in her?

In a span of mere seconds, Rei witnessed centuries of courting between Venus and Mars. Tenuous, uncertain periods of angst, confusion and longing, as Mars wavered between stoic second-in-command and smitten lover. Part of Venus embraced the chase, leading to the eventual conquest of Mars' heart… but her victory did not come without scars and bruises. Through the memories, Rei realized Mars had unsuccessfully kept Venus at arm's length for years, for many of the same reasons Rei felt herself unworthy of Minako's affections.

"Are you okay?"

Rei emerged from the sea of memories. Minako's concerned expression belied the guilt she already felt. "Sorry. I was, um, 'talking' with Mars."

Seeming relieved her silence wasn't over something she was doing wrong, Minako smiled. Positioned between Rei's thighs, she relaxed her head against Rei's knee. "For beings who can't speak, they're awfully talkative, aren't they?"

Rei nodded. The pile of hair spilling around the inside of her spread legs tickled. Given the salacious nature of most of Mars' focus, she was afraid to even ask what Venus had to say. "Mars gave some much needed clarity, is all. You?"

"I could tell you, but…" Minako's face turned inward, breathing against the inside of Rei's thigh. Slow, purposeful kisses planted themselves in a straight line towards the junction between her legs. Each kiss ignited more sensation than the last, building the anticipation to an unbearable level. Just when Minako's mouth reached her sex she pulled away to repeat the gesture on the opposite leg.

Rei groaned when she realized what Mina was up to. The flames in her chest blazed before leveling once more, seeming to prepare for the delay in gratification. Rei grounded herself in the present, focusing on how wonderful Mina's lips felt against her skin, but moreso, how the personification of love and beauty looked in this moment. In her element, making love to her soulmate. Face dipping down, tongue experimentally darting out to taste her already moist labia; the ethereal experience should have been a vision of Mars and Venus.

Except this was their bodies. Their truth. Their reality. And the center of her existence was between her legs, offering sensations she had never felt before.

"Venus is right. I should have done this a long time ago." Minako looked up Rei. With a devilish grin, she licked her lips. Feeling her face turn as hot as her crystal, Rei looked up at the ceiling.

"Looks like I found one way to shut you up," she slyly whispered.

The declaration did not prove to be entirely true. While Rei couldn't speak any specific words, she was far from quiet. The tongue sliding up and down the length of her labia felt good, but it was a new sensation against her clitoris that had Rei crying out. Her sounds only encouraged Minako. The rotation of pressure and licking, accompanied by Mars' visions showing her exactly what Minako was doing down there, made the throbbing unbearable.

Rei stiffened. She wasn't sure how much more of the delightful torture she could withstand. The comforting warmth of her mouth vanished. Before Rei could look up, a blast of cool air blew across her wet pussy.

"Mina…" Rei shivered. Her thighs tightened even more, squeezing harder than she intended.

"Venus said you'd like that," Mina crooned as she slid a finger inside. Rei constricted around it, both loving the sensation and wanting more. "Because you're hot like Mars."

Rei made a sound that was half laugh, half moan.

"Next time I'm bringing ice," Mina teased.

Rei was too afraid to challenge that threat. She braced herself for the next round of Minako's assault. Another finger slid inside, filling Rei with the firmness she didn't know she craved. The first time they were together, Mina brought her to orgasm with two fingers alone. Rei wasn't sure if she could handle that with Minako's mouth, now lowering itself against her clitoris once more.

Promising herself not to overthink things, Rei leaned back on her elbows and concentrated on everything but her thoughts. Mars' heat burned inside her heart, longing to be satiated. Venus' essence poured from Minako's body, making it nearly impossible not to surrender. The pressure became unbearable, telling Rei she was going to do just that.

With a choking sob and a burst of crimson she surrendered in body and mind. Her release was both physical and mental, natural and ethereal. The climax spread throughout her body, somehow holding multiple focal points as the euphoria centered in her sex, her mind, and Mars. It was as if another orgasm rippled from her crystal, multiplying the emotional ecstasy.

She rode the waves as long as Minako was willing to give them, long after her arms gave out and she stopped trying to rub the tears from her cheeks. Memories of Mars succumbing to Venus' lovemaking doused her mind, making it difficult to remember where she was. There was only the flames of passion, fueled by Venus' warmth, burning her alive.

"Reiko," she purred, saving Rei from drowning in her scarlet sea of ecstasy. Golden hair veiled the lovers. Every strand of it radiated Venus' innate aura, filling their hearts with love and soothing their minds.

Rei was aware that she'd been crying, but she hadn't the will or the strength to wipe the tears from her face. The unworldly orgasms she experienced left her momentarily paralyzed.

She knew she had to say something. "Mmmm."

"I wanted to make you cum, not break you," the joke was sweet, yet Rei detected the concern.

Explaining what had just happened to her body, mind, and crystal would be impossible. Rei would have to show her. As she lay helpless, she expected Mars to bombard her with suggestions as it had all day, but it was docile, likely riding the post-climactic haze with her.

"Just… give me a minute." Rei swallowed hard. Her throat was drier than she remembered. Perhaps she'd been more vocal than she thought. Everything was an euphoric daze.

Gentle fingertips wiped the moisture from her cheeks. They brushed loose strands of hair, caressed her neck, and eventually relaxed against her waist. The bright light that guided her from the darkness of slumber returned, beckoning her back to the present.

Rei opened her eyes. The crystalline orbs of her mate stared into her, heavy with both lust and concern.

"How do you feel now?" Minako anxiously asked. She must have been counting down the seconds.

Rei knew the best way to prove she was recovered. "You didn't break me. Don't flatter yourself."

"Didn't I say no more sass?" Minako perked.

"Guess you'll have to shut me up," Rei quipped as casually as she could manage.

The jab elicited the response she secretly hoped for; the realization of one of the many scenarios she'd witnessed. Rei had no idea what she was doing or how she would reduce Mina to whimpers and tears, but as Minako crawled on top of her, she vowed she was going to try her hardest. With everything she knew of the female body, and Mars giving explicit details, she committed herself to making it happen or passing out trying.

Yellow lace splayed around her shoulders and hair; a decorative cage between Minako's thighs. Rei crept her hands inside as well, crawling them up Mina's thighs to grip her hips. All of her flesh was flawless and smooth, from her pale inner thighs to her rosy nether lips, which were slightly parted enough to offer a peek of the glistening folds.

Minako's body shifted forward, leaning against the headrest and subsequently shoving her sex against Rei's face. She smelled of Venus perfume, a body wash Rei was unfamiliar with, and her natural, heady scent. Enticing. Rei thought it best to start slow and experiment; it would be unwise to assume Minako was an exact replica of Venus in bed.

Her tongue darted out, just above the entrance. Then again, traveling north and then south, exploring and noting what reactions each area elicited. As expected, Minako squirmed the most when Rei's mouth was against her clitoral hood. Without free hands to part her lips, she squeezed the hips harder and pulled Minako down into her.

"Fuck… Your mouth is so hot."

The way she swore; it was guttural and desperate. Her voice yearning to be finished stirred Rei's libido. She hesitated, not wanting to apply too much pressure, but Minako's sighs and Mars mentally egging her on made it difficult to hold back. Soon she wasn't given much of an option, as Minako took matters into her own hands. Her hips assumed their own rhythm, grinding down into Rei's nose and mouth. She licked and sucked to the rhythm as best she could, until oxygen necessitated a break.

Rei yanked hard against her hips, hoping she would enjoy the assertive display as much as Venus did. "Hey, I need to breathe you know."

Rei looked up with a grin, but was unable to make eye contact. All she could see was smooth belly, slightly jutting ribs, and the underside of her lace cups. A lovely sight, but not the serene face she desired.

The frustrated groan she received was rewarding enough. "Shut. Up."

"Maybe I should make you beg," Rei teased, letting her know she hadn't forgotten how Minako treated her their first time together. Not waiting for an answer, she lowered Minako down onto her face once more, turning her face to leave a mark on the inside of her thigh.

"I swear to the kami, if you… Ah," Minako cried out when Rei's teeth sank into her flesh. The shrine maiden was already intoxicated with her taste. Minako was the goddess of love, after all, her very nature was to ensnare and enrapture those she desired.

"If I what?" Rei didn't plan on keeping the teasing going for much longer, but she wasn't about to tell Minako that.

"If you don't shut up—"

Rei bit her on the opposite thigh, ironically shutting Minako up instead. Minako's full weight pressed down upon her, muzzling her. She should have expected that. Rei muffled a few words into Minako's pussy, trying to push her off so she could breathe. After a few beats, Mina lifted herself higher onto her knees. Rei could only imagine the smirk on her face.

"Point taken." Rei took a deep, level breath before diving in once more. She assumed another method Mars kept insisting upon her. Her tongue slipped inside, tasting and feeling as much of Minako's sex as possible. As her tongue moved, the muscles contracted in response. Harder and faster, Rei tried controlling Minako's hips as best she could, just so she could haphazardly breathe. Rei's nose pressed against her clit, which was now throbbing. Minako grinding her hips hard and fast against her face made maintaining any sort of control over the situation nearly impossible. So she dipped her tongue in and out of Minako's vagina with as much force as she could muster, while guiding Minako's hips with her hands.

The increasingly haggard sounds told Rei she was on the right track. She was tempted to try inserting a finger or two inside as Minako had, but thought to wait it out for a few more breaths. Minako's pitch was promising and alluring, and her taste made Rei forget how many minutes passed as she happily worshipped her goddess.

Rei lost herself in Minako's delightful flesh; so much so, that she was unprepared when the tidal wave rushed in. There was no sound. Not at first. Thighs clenched against her ears. White hot cum came first, followed by noises Rei had never heard before. Panting and a high-pitched cry.

As much as Rei loved the sound of it, she was preoccupied, drinking in as much of the nectar as possible. Memories of the Isu lovers showed just how messy Venus could be, but Rei hadn't anticipated it to be anything like this.

Before she could drink her fill, Minako crumpled on top of her face. It took every ounce of strength to roll Minako down onto the bed beside her. Her body was shaking and she was softly crying as well, but her eyes were filled with light and hope. The memories and the emotions rippling from her crystal had emotionally overwhelmed and paralyzed Rei; she imagined it must have been even more impactful for the goddess of love.

Rei wrapped her arms around Minako and cradled her close, pausing to place a kiss on the crown of her head. She patiently waited for Minako to recover. Holding her warmth and feeling the glow of Venus from inside Minako's heart was as fulfilling as bringing her to climax for the first time.

"How do you feel?" Rei asked after Minako's breath steadied.

"Like… Well, thousands of years of yearning and loneliness were satisfied. But Venus' emotional toll is… heavy."

Rei nodded, stroking her hair, saying nothing.

"But also so incredibly amazing. Reiko, you're…" Minako paused and smiled. A little embarrassed, which made Rei concerned. "I'm sorry about your face. I should've gotten a towel. Do you want me to get you a towel?"

Minako bashful about sex functions? That was a first. Rei shook her head. She had forgotten how drenched she was until Minako mentioned it. "We can shower after. I'm happy that I could, you know, make you do that. I wasn't sure I could, after all, since I've never..." Now she was being embarrassed over nothing.

Minako circled a finger around one of Rei's nipples, leaving a faint red circle. "Hmmm that's right. You haven't, have you? Been with a woman or a man before?"

The lilting tone in Minako's voice made Rei's heart race. "No… You're my first." She swallowed hard.

"You still need to be deflowered, right?" Minako's fingers walked down Rei's belly. Her skin prickled when she realized what Minako meant.

"Well, need is a strong word, but—"

"You said that I could deflower you… That I could inspect every inch of you…" Minako's pout was unbearable. She knew exactly what to say, and how to say it, to get her way. And her crystal had the insufferable habit of showing a few examples of what Minako meant to do, as if she didn't already know. With the visions came the emotions; there was no doubt Mars enjoyed it. She craved it. Begged for it.

Rei cupped Minako's chin and turned her face, ensuring their eyes met. "Okay."

Mina blinked. "What? Okay?"

Rei smiled, despite the anxious cramps returning. "Yes. I'm serious. Get ready before I change my mind."

Minako's eyes lit up like a child in a candy shop. She nearly leapt out of bed, and would have, if Rei hadn't held her in place by the back of her negligee. Rei ignored her whine as she released the clasp holding the nightgown in place.

Yellow lace pooled around Minako's hips. There was an exaggerated shimmy as she stood and slid the fabric past her bottom… her perfectly shaped, rounded bottom, that aroused lurid thoughts in her mind and her crystal. Mars was rubbing off on her already.

Minako's golden mane, which tapered to a stop at the base of her spine, swayed. Rei felt her narrow stare over her shoulder. "Enjoying the view?"

Rei stuttered. She hated to feel as if she were objectifying her lover of lifetimes, but Minako's body was painstakingly sculpted in the image of Venus. Crafted in the form of feminine perfection, down to every minute detail.

Her speechlessness must have been a good enough answer. Minako giggled and sauntered off to the adjacent bathroom. Rei sighed and rubbed her eyes. As she waited, she rearranged the pillows, making sure to toss the damp one on the floor. She folded her kimono and set it on the floor, in what she assumed to be a safe distance away from the bed. Still naked, but never cold, the assassin laid back on the voluptuous sheets and tried her best to relax.

Focusing her attention on Minako's body earlier had helped her recover from her otherworldly orgasms. The combination of her own emotions with Mars' was inexplicably powerful. Rei couldn't help but wonder if every time would be like that. A snippet of Mars and Venus relaxing nude in bed together sent a calming wave through her, as if Mars was trying to soothe her.

"Maybe you should apologize instead," Rei muttered.

"What was that?" Minako asked as she returned to the bedroom.

"Nothing." Rei kept her focus on the ceiling. Each soft patter of Minako's footsteps rang in her ears until she was sitting on the bed beside her.

"Here, lover." Her voice was soft. Serious. Rei turned towards the genuine affection in her bright visage. A cool, damp washcloth pressed against her face; one cheek at a time, then stopping to rest on her forehead.

Rei didn't want her to think she wanted the cum washed from her face, but the gesture was kind and soothing. "Thank you."

"No, thank you." The coy lilt returned. "That was… amazing. I've never felt anything like that before. Venus, she's… Well, I guess you know."

"I have an idea," Rei agreed. Mars and Venus were opposites in many ways, but their unwavering dedication to each other was identical. She laid her hand on Minako's arm, silently encouraging her.

Their lips met once more, entwined in a more languid, patient dance this round. Minako kept true to her word, for she inspected every inch of her mouth that her tongue could reach. Each lick and thrust of her tongue was purposeful, waiting for Rei's body to respond before moving on.

Rei's heightened senses centered on Minako's heartbeat; slightly elevated in excitement, but otherwise steady. Mars was impressed by her ability to feel and hear heartbeats and pulses. Pressing Minako down into her magnified the feeling. Her heartbeat was Rei's favorite sound. She remembered the shattered, defeated void, in the few minutes the world continued spinning without Minako's heart beating. The thought of a life, or a universe, deprived of Love's presence, made Rei all the more eager to give her everything she had left to offer.

Mina's mouth migrated to her ear. Teeth nibbling on her earlobe made her entire body tingle in delight. She found herself incapable of letting go; she needed Minako's heart against hers, to feel the combined strength of her physical body and Venus' manifestation inside. All of Minako's curves were against hers, including a solid phallus currently pressing against her belly.

The throbbing hunger returned, if it ever really vanished, but with a different desire. She needed the satisfaction Mars showed her for herself. To claim the intimacy of penetration with her own body. Her hands moved to Minako's hips, finding the waistband. Fingertips curved around the supple butt she was ogling only a few minutes ago. The flesh was firm, but still malleable. Hoping Mina would take the hint, Rei rose her hips and gripped Mina's hips down into her.

With a squeal and a shudder, the former templar raised her head. She somehow crept her hand between their bodies, feeling her way down to Rei's sex. Magic laced each touch, leaving fingerprints of ecstasy down her belly to her clit, which Minako rubbed with a maddeningly slow pace.

"You're still wet," Mina observed as her fingers slipped downward. Of course she was still wet. Wetter than before, if she had to take a guess. Minako's very touch sent her body reeling. When two fingers entered once more, Rei's muscles immediately clamped around them.

"Still… You can never be too wet. Pick your butt up," Mina instructed.

Rei was bewildered, then a bit disappointed when the fingers and her enticing aura retreated. After catching her breath, she dug her heels into the mattress and lifted, giving Mina room to slide something beneath her.

"I came prepared this time," Mina said while situating herself above Rei once more.

"Is that a towel?" Rei felt the fabric beneath her bare bottom. "I doubt I'll need that."

Rei settled down as Minako spread her legs wide. The idol situated herself between them and leaned back down, rubbing their noses together with a smirk. "You didn't see what I saw the last time I fingered you."

Despite herself, Rei blanched in embarrassment.

"Now where was I?" Minako continued in her singsong voice as if nothing were amiss. "Oh, that's right…"

Rei clutched Minako's shoulders. The fingers returned, easily slithering inside and pressing against her gland. She thought she might burst, considering how stimulated she already was. As Mina slowly curled her fingertips, Rei arched her back in kind, trying once again to pull her lover closer.

The burning sensation in her chest intensified with each quickening stroke; rising to meet the heat in her loins. Venus radiated, embracing them with her essence. The orange glow of her crystal ignited the orgasm that was building inside of her.

"Venus," Rei sighed in benediction as she came. Soft lips clashed against her mouth, ravenous, devouring the rest of her prayer. She was conscious of precious little; hot gushing and a palm pressed against her, a mouth claiming hers, and Minako's addicting moans, crying out as if she were the one unraveling at the seams.

It was not the crimson flames of Mars that conquered her senses, but the goddess of love's golden afterglow, settling her and preparing her for what was to come.

Minako pulled her mouth away, panting. The tips of her bangs tickled Rei's eyelids. Her limbs shuddered, eyes narrowing down at her with an unreadable expression.

"What?" Rei asked after catching her breath.

Minako closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and swallowing before opening them again. She cupped Rei's cheek, stroking her flushed skin as if she would a kitten. "I don't think you realize how badly I want to fuck your brains out. But…"

Her brash words were a jarring juxtaposition from her gentle touch and soothing words.

"But?"

Mina cleared her throat. "But… It's your first time. So I need to practice restraint. You know, be gentle."

"I already told you, you're not going to break me," Rei quipped, annoyed. She realized her retort probably should have been softer, but she wasn't the type to mince words.

"I know. But that doesn't mean I can't hurt you. Or make you uncomfortable."

Rei bristled, more at the fact that Mina was entertaining the idea that she could ever hurt her, than what Mina was insinuating. She didn't know enough about her own biology to say one way or the other, but she wasn't about to back down now. "Don't be ridiculous. I can handle it."

"Are you sure?" Mina dragged out the last syllable, even raising her voice an octave.

Now it was a challenge.

Rei grabbed the back of Minako's head and pulled her down. Mars pumped the fires of passion through her veins, ensuring she would rise to the occasion. Even when she spoke, her words did not sound her own. Rei kept her gaze stony, unwavering, and firm. "Make love to me. Fuck me. I don't care which. Just do it now."

The azure fire in Minako's eyes told Rei she was going to regret those words. The sapphire gaze disappeared in a flash as Mina bowed down to consume her lips. Desire, bearing a level of aggression Rei would have expected more from Mars, radiated from her. Minako was right about one thing: Rei didn't realize how badly she wanted this.

Minako's hips bore down into hers. With courage bestowed by Mars, she wrapped her legs around Minako's waist, raising her bottom from the bed. The shaft was cold against her burning flesh. Her imagination ran wild, wondering how different it would feel compared to Mina's fingers. Her hand wandered toward it, but Minako beat her to it. She sat back on her knees and lifted Rei's hips to position the tip at her entrance.

Their eyes met once more. Deep in her heart, Rei knew she could never say no to her voracious goddess. She was as hopeless in the face of her desire as Mars was to Venus. Perhaps even moreso.

Minako silently begged permission, and Rei granted her entrance with a curt nod.

Years worth of memories couldn't adequately prepare her for the sensations that followed. The cold tip made her entire body shudder.

"Just… cold," Rei explained when Mina paused.

Rei hadn't lived a very long life, yet she believed she had experienced most of what there was to offer. She had only made love a couple of times, but didn't anticipate the difference from one method to the next. There was something to be said for the act of penetration. Minako managed to control herself, looking more vulnerable than Rei felt at the moment, ever-worried she might hurt or upset her. Excited as Mars was, she disassociated enough to allow Rei to accept these feelings as her own.

Discomfort. Yet also pleasurable. Taut muscles, instinctively throbbing against the welcome intruder. A tease, really.

Their hips met. Technically, the deed was done. Latent ripples from her recent orgasm shielded most of the pain, she assumed, but any significant discomfort was dwarfed by the goddess' aura. Her flushed, vibrant smile returned. Rei couldn't help but kiss it.

Her lips bore hesitance. Distraction. Minako pulled away. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

Rei shook her head. "Not really."

Thankfully Minako took her response at face value. Relief washed over her furrowed brow. "Do you want to stop?"

Never in her life did she think she would hear Minako ask such a question. "Stop? After you went on and on about how badly you want to fuck me?"

A dangerous sapphire glint flashed in the moonlight. Breath on her face. Sexual energy and mischief potent enough to taste. Minako's voice assumed that of the dominant leadership Venus displayed during battle, only in private. Only for her.

"I said no more sass." Fingers squeezed just below Rei's chin. "You just can't help yourself, can you?"

Something Rei had never felt before expanded in her chest. It was akin to nervous anticipation; a sense of wonder and dread in response to this side of her otherwise sweet, playful lover.

"You like it," Rei quipped, unsure of any other response that might not earn herself a thinly veiled threat of punishment. She yearned to surrender completely, as she had seen Mars submit in so many teasing memories over the last twenty four hours. Rei had already given Minako her life, more than once, but had yet to offer this.

"I like…" Mina's eyes wandered over her breasts. Soft fingers wrapped around Rei's hips, squeezing with deceptive strength. Minako slid the phallus out with slow deliberation, only to force it back in.

Rei had no intention of giving her the satisfaction of a vocal response, but it couldn't be helped. She released a surprised yelp. As expected, it encouraged the relentless goddess.

"I like the look in your eyes right now," Minako continued. Her hips swayed gracefully. Rei felt the difference in how the languid movements felt compared to forceful thrusts.

"I like your perky breasts." As if to prove her point, Minako cupped them. Rei was unsure what she did to earn a gentle message, but she did not complain. Awareness came a moment later, when teeth claimed a nipple and Minako drove her point home yet again.

"Mina…" Rei groaned when pain lanced through her breast and groin. Pain, accompanied by its closest companion.

Teeth retreated so her tongue could gain purpose. Wet instead of sharp, but possessive all the same. Minako relaxed Rei's hips down onto the bed, if for no other reason than to more easily smother and claim her. The shrine maiden welcomed the full length of Minako's body against her own. Each time their hips collided, the pressure mounted.

Rei lifted her legs to wrap them around her waist. The fullness intensified, bringing more relentless throbbing. The couple gasped; Minako in pleasant surprise, and Rei in bliss.

"I like all of this." Minako's fingers drifted down the ripples of her midriff, pausing at her clit. Rei's head thrashed. It was sensitive. Almost too sensitive.

"And you like my temper," Rei panted.

"I love your fire," Mina corrected while pressing her button harder. "I love that it burns for only me."

Rei could not deny the statement. The proclamation itself returned Mars to the present, igniting the inferno that was the energy of Mars within her chest. The fires of passion were insatiable and unbearable.

"For you," Rei echoed before Mars consumed her remaining inhibitions. Their mouths met in unison, equally ravenous. Venus radiated as brightly as Mars, needing to conquer as badly as Mars needed to be conquered. Rei would have given anything to momentarily quell the blazing heat spreading from her crystal to her loins.

Venus claimed what once was hers; mounting, ferocious thrusting and insatiable moans. Golden hair swayed in a display of determined dominion and lust. Rei didn't know what to expect when the golden red haze grew to an uncontrollable volume, save that Mars imparted her own magical, emotional climax to accompany Rei's hormonal release once more.

Her arms clenched around Minako's neck harder than she realized as she came again. The release of control erupted the contained auras in their crystals. Through her closed eyelids, Rei saw flashes of crimson and gold dousing the waning moonlight. She processed little else outside of Minako's body against her, soothing voice, and surging pleasure.

Rei could not unhinge her arms, despite recognizing that Minako was attempting to disentangle their bodies. The other seemed to forfeit the idea, and cuddled against her. She could never get enough of Minako's scent. Or her luscious golden locks. Or her sapphire eyes full of life and lust.

"Rei," Minako interrupted her wandering thoughts. Rei felt her manicured fingertips gently scratching her scalp.

A sigh was all she could afford. Minako cradled her for a few breaths before trying again. "Rei…"

"Hmmm."

"Do you want to go get cleaned up? You really should go pee, at least."

An immortal goddess, born from the galaxy cauldron, bathed in fire, and she had to concern herself with trivial human problems like infections? Mars thought the situation was quite humorous.

"In a minute." Rei drew herself as far into Minako's embrace as possible. It was not enough, having flesh and bone separating her from the essence of Venus inside.

"Do you think you'll stop being Sailor V?" Rei asked.

"No. At least, not for a while anyway. It'd be more suspicious if I suddenly quit. Besides… I think my passion for performing will return. Now that I can control my own material again."

"I promise I won't try murdering you in your dressing room," Rei grinned.

Sweet laughter laced with melancholy graced her ears. "I'd love to tie you up with my whip again. Under different circumstances, of course."

Rei was too tired to let her mind run wild, but Mars handled it for her. "Ami said we'll be meeting with the princess tomorrow."

"And the day after that. And the day after that," Mina mused, already sounding stressed at the thought of balancing yet another secret life.

"Most likely," Rei agreed. Her thoughts wandered to the princess and the silver crystal. The Isu and the First Catastrophe. The human rebellion. The grief that overcame Mars when Queen Serenity died… Rei knew that if she were faced with a similar tragedy concerning Neo Queen Serenity, her sentiments would echo those feelings, though in reality she barely knew the woman. Their bond with the Moon family was ingrained into their DNA, as much as her connection to Venus.

"We'll figure this out," Minako's voice lacked the conviction Rei knew was hidden away.

"We will. You're our leader. And I'm your support. Whatever you need… I will provide."

"Who knew you could be so romantic?" Minako giggled, immediately earning herself a scowl. She turned to the window, where the early morning sunlight was cracking through the violet dawn. "Hey… it's morning already."

Rei grumbled an unintelligible reply about not wanting to know the time.

"Come on, let's go shower." Minako prompted. "And don't think I've forgotten about the sexy onsen time you owe me."

Rei snorted. "Oh I know you haven't forgotten. You have an ironclad memory when it comes to sex."

"No. Just when it comes to you," Mina crooned while tracing a finger around her belly button.

"Me and sex," Rei determined. "I hate to think of all the lurid situations you and Venus have planned."

"Yeah. One of them is in the shower. So get your sassy ass in there!"

Rei felt the need to say something tangible about everything they experienced the last two days together. Meeting the Moon Princess, Inheriting their birthrights, becoming figureheads for their respective organizations… Any words she thought to say sounded woefully inadequate.

"How many centuries do I have to look forward to being bossed around by you?" Rei joked while forcing herself to sit up.

"Not enough. Now get up, silly."

Venus in her post-coital glow was a sight too exquisite for mortal eyes. Flushed cheeks, a golden glow pooling around her form as she gazed out the window; a goddess among those that did not deserve her grace and beauty.

Mars stirred, echoing her sentiments.

"Not enough."