"Minako…deeeear…"

The sound of her mother's voice calling her name made Aino Minako scowl, twisting her lovely features into something that was still lovely but unpleasant, like catching a whiff of mildew in a well-appointed room.

'I told her I wanted to be left alone! Mothers!'

Heaving herself up from her vanity seat, which tipped over at her motion, Minako had one thought in mind. Find out what that woman wanted and handle it so that she could be left alone again. Her actions, though, were not as quick as her parent's. The bedroom door swung inward and a richly dressed woman of middle age poked her head in, clucking her tongue as she caught a glimpse of the disordered room. Clothes of every possible type were piled on every surface and strewn across the floor in a riotous display of paisleys, prints, and fantastic color.

"Tsk…I don't know how you can stand this mess, Minako." Her mother paused, gazing in dismay at the room. It was much, much worse than usual, as if Minako had been truly wallowing in it instead of living there. Even the cat hadn't wanted to stay in there. It was worrisome. And the girl had been brooding again. "If I were you…"

"What did you want, mother?" Minako cut in stonily. Once her mother got on a roll about Minako's disappointments to her family it was sometimes hard to get her stopped and Minako was in no mood for it. Not these days.

Her mother frowned at her as if she was considering giving her Standard Lecture 247 on cleanliness and maternal respect again, but decided to forgo it. It had never made much of an impact before.

"That lovely Rei-san is here to see you, Minako dear. I'm glad because you've been so…"

She broke off as a sound behind her in the short hallway alerted her to the presence behind her. "Be welcoming, Minako," her mother hissed under her breath, abandoning her daughter to the unwelcome visitor. Minako could practically hear the unspoken, 'The Hino's are a respected and distinguished old family. Don't you dare insult one of them.' So as her mother departed, Minako was left face to face with one of the very people she'd been trying to avoid.

"Konnichiwa," she mumbled through a clenched jaw.

"Konnichiwa," Rei grumbled back, brushing past Minako without a backward glance. She took in the familiar chaotic state of the room and rolled her eyes, shoving a pile of skirts and sweaters off of the nearest chair to clear a space for herself. It was not the first time she'd done such a thing.

"Well make yourself right at home," sniffed Minako testily. Rei smirked, readjusting her perch on the chair so that her scarlet and white chihaya robes would be less crushed.

"I wouldn't have had to invade your home, Minako deeeear," –Rei intentionally mimicked the annoying cadence of Minako's mother–, "If you'd have talked to me over the phone or met me at the Crown."

"I didn't want to see you," announced Minako bluntly. "I even told my parents as much."

"I know," A sly smile flitted across Rei's face and she looked very pleased with herself and not the slightest bit offended by Minako's rudeness. "And since you were too chicken to face me, that's why I came. I told your mother I was here to ask you to help us at the shrine. She was quite willing to volunteer your miko services when I mentioned my father was likely to stop by."

"But your father never stops by!" blurted out Minako, shocked at her friend's cleverness. Her mother, who had certain aspirations for her station in life to rise, would have leapt at the possibility of a member of her family meeting and possibly charming the socially prominent and well-connected but elusive politician, Hino Masahiro. In fact, Minako's making friends with the man's only daughter had been one of the few times that Minako had done something that had made her social-climbing mother completely happy.

"You and I know that," Rei agreed pertly, tucking a strand of hair behind one ear, "but she didn't."

"Why you conniving little…"

"Here!" Rei said, ignoring Minako's outraged outburst as if she'd never noticed. She shoved a paper wrapped packet into her friend's hands. A delicious spicy and doughy scent wafted upward, tickling Minako's olfactory senses.

"What's this?"

"Your share," Rei commented, readjusting her perch on the chair so that her scarlet and white robes would be less crushed. "Mako-chan's karē-pan," she elaborated when Minako heaved an aggravated sigh at the flippant answer. The sigh turned into a hard swallow as Minako tried not to drool on cue like Pavlov's dogs. She loved curry and the curry-filled, deep fried bread balls that her friend made were much favored treats. Not able to resist, Minako ripped into the packet revealing the savory rolls in all their golden-brown glory. They were even still warm.

"I had to give some of them away or we'd all be drowning in a sea of buns, even with Usagi helping out." Rei continued. "Mako-chan's been a little upset these days and you know that when she's upset, she cooks up a storm."

The raven-haired young woman's smoked amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously. "Now I wonder who could have upset her, hmmm…"

To spare herself from answering, Minako stuffed one of fat buns into her mouth whole. For the first time ever, though, the spicy snack was tasteless, dry as dust in her mouth. She chewed mechanically, wondering if by chance it would catch on the enormous lump in her throat and choke her to death so she wouldn't have to endure this particular conversation with Rei.

"You know," Rei said a bit too casually. "It seems one of Mako-chan's best friends dropped her flat. Wouldn't even speak to her. The poor thing's been so upset lately that she's actually been getting physically nauseous…"

Minako nearly spat out the bun. Swallowing hard instead, she forced down the bite and growled, "Maybe instead of wasting her time making these dried out things, she should take a pregnancy test. There's every possibility she's knocked up, the traitor, since she's been screwing the enemy!"

A second later, Minako found herself lying sprawled out on the floor, holding her burning cheek. A red-faced Rei loomed over her like one of the mythical furies, violet eyes blazing. "That was completely beneath contempt, Aino Minako! How dare you say such a thing about Mako-chan?!"

Sullenly, Minako refused to answer, looking anywhere but at the accusing gaze of the fiery miko. She kicked out at the bedpost, hissing as she stubbed her toe.

Rei ranted on, not missing a beat. "And before you blame her for anything ELSE that's not her fault, you should know that Mako-chan doesn't even know I'm here, OR that I know what vicious, hateful things you said when you were at her apartment! Haruka-san told me! If you ask me, you should be grateful that Haruka-san didn't kick your butt straight back to the moon for some of the vile spew you came out with!"

Sick silence hung heavy in the air for such an extended moment that Minako dared to glance upward.

It was a mistake.

The second her gaze met Rei's, the other woman locked eyes with her and would not look away. Minako found herself trapped in the intense gaze, hypnotized, like a mouse before a serpent.

The miko stuck a finger in Minako's face, wagging it furiously. "I never knew that a self-professed 'Goddess of Love' could begrudge anyone a little love in their lives. Especially when someone needed it as much as Mako-chan."

The shaky veneer of calm that Minako had been mustering around her home as she brooded alone, splintered under the accusation. Angrily she hurled a sandal and a tennis shoe at Rei's head, cursing the ultra-quick senshi reflexes that allowed her to dodge the sporty missiles. The footwear smacked into the wall, leaving black scuff marks on the sunny, daisy print wallpaper.

"Nice, Minako-chan. Real nice." The raven-haired spitfire's lip curled. "I don't suppose that it ever occurred to you that Mako-chan needed someone in her life way more than the rest of us. You," she managed to make the word sound incredibly selfish, "have both your parents who love you, as does Usagi-chan."

Minako snorted disgustedly. Yeah, she had her mother. Some prize that.

"My father is MIA, but at least I have my Ojiichan. And even though Ami-chan's parents are divorced, she knows they both love her and she's got her mom. You and Usagi and I even have guardian animals when we need to talk about senshi things."

Rei glowered down at Minako's blonde head. "Who did Mako-chan have, hmmm? Nobody. That's who. Nobody to care if she was sick or well or to make sure she ate right and did her homework. Nobody to come home to after a horrendous day or to worry over the mystery bruises she got after battles. No one even to mourn her if she ended up dead."

With immense grace, Rei managed somehow to lower herself to the cluttered floor in one smooth motion. She sat beside Minako like a wise Buddha, cross-legged, tucking her hands inside her bell-shaped sleeves. "Did any of that ever cross your mind when you were calling her names for trying to grab with both hands onto the little bit of happiness that had suddenly happened back into her life?"

Sudden tears sprouted at the corners of Minako's eyes, stinging like nettles. The guilty knowledge that Rei was right galled her. "Why didn't she just get a damned puppy if she wanted someone to love? Why did she have to choose that kami-cursed traitor?"

"Why does anyone's heart go to anyone? All I know is that he completes her somehow. And she him. And he's been the only shred of happiness she's had since you broke into her home the other night and started ripping her to shreds. He makes her smile, while you, who were supposed to be one of her dearest old friends, made her cry."

"He killed her! Destroyed the Silver Millennium! How can she just forgive that, Rei?! Forget that? Tell me how!"

"Mako-chan's big hearted. I know she hasn't forgotten. I don't think she ever could. And as for forgiveness, I can't fully answer that Minako…but then it's YOU who can't forgive. And I'm pretty sure your nasty little tirade had a whole hell of a lot less to do with the dark haired man in Mako-chan's past and present lives…"

"Bed!" interjected Minako petulantly, drawing a disgusted look from Rei.

"…lives, than the silver-haired one who ISN'T in yours at the moment."

"I HATE THAT MAN!" bellowed Minako defiantly, clearly not referring to Nephrite, as the tears spilled down her cheeks, hot and burning. She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.

"Do you?" A crisp white linen handkerchief was pressed into Minako's hand. Rei decided not to further push Minako, who was teetering on the emotional edge, as to the truth or falsity of that statement, though she harbored her own opinions on the subject. "Well you'd better figure out how to deal with him, because Mamoru-kun reinstated the Shitennou. All four of them."

"He WHAT?!" Minako's eyes shot wide open, staring at Rei in horror as she croaked, "He couldn't!"

"He did. And what's more, you'd better learn to deal with seeing Jadeite too," Rei's smile took on a certain feline quality, like a cat well-sated with cream, "because I guarantee he's going to be around a lot. Zoisite too, since he declared his love for Ami-chan."

"That bastard!" Minako sniffled moistly, the handkerchief in her hands forgotten but for the horrendous twisting she was giving it. Again, it was clear she was really referring to another.

"Look, Minako-chan," Rei hugged the soggy mess of a blonde. "He's not evil now. None of them are. That was Metallia's influence and we all saw what it did to Mamoru back when. What he did to Usagi and she still loves him. Can you truly blame…" –Rei paused to consider her next word carefully– "…him for what that demon did?"

When Minako twisted the handkerchief until her knuckles went white, Rei heaved a sigh. "Nobody says you have to love him or forgive him or even be anything more than marginally civil to him. Hell, maybe not even that. You don't even have to see him outside of senshi meet…er, senshi-shitennou meetings."

"But what you DO have to do is swallow your pride and go apologize to Mako-chan…on your knees if you have to. Because she is your friend, who has rarely been anything but kind and sweet and loving to you, and you hurt her for no good reason. Do you hear me?"

"Hai," whispered Minako weakly, chewing on her lower lip to the point of drawing blood. Tears still pattered down her cheeks, wilting Rei's hakama and smearing Minako's makeup beyond all repair. "I'll go tomorrow and tell her I'm sorry, Rei-chan."

Rei leaned in until her forehead bumped up against Minako's, their long blonde and brunette locks flowing together. "Look on the bright side, Minako-chan. If he breaks her heart again, you can tell her I told you so."

"I don't want him to break her heart," muttered Minako. "I really don't. I'm not really a spiteful bitch, even if I acted like one. You were right about her deserving to be happy. I want her to be happy."

"Good," Rei replied a gentle smile warming and softening the planes of her face. "Because if what I saw in the sacred fire is correct we'll probably be dancing at their wedding one of these years. If not, I'd hate to have to tell the fire kami they screwed up a prediction. They hate that."

"Eh…A wedding? But…"

"Now don't go all chicken spit on me Minako-chan again, and don't borrow trouble," laughed Rei, rising and hauling Minako to her feet.

"Now, emotional scenes like these always make me hungry and the state of this room is making me sick. So I'll help you clean things up, including getting those wallpaper scuffs off so that your mother won't have anything to ride you about, and then we can eat an early dinner at my home. And while we work, how about sharing some of that karē-pan? It's poultry flavored, no?"

Finally smiling, Minako picked up one of the fried rolls, offering it willingly. "It's chicken."

Rei chuckled, taking the proffered bun, then picked up another, handing it to Minako. "My favorite…"