First Love

by LouEthelip

COMPLETED1st Draft Mina is reintroduced to her first love. Please read and Review Based on 4 Sister segment of Sailor Moon

3. Problems in Paradise

CHAPTER 3: PROBLEMS IN PARADISE

After comforting each other, the two sailor scouts sat on Mina's bed to discuss the situation further. Ami was relieved that Mina bared no ill will towards her and Mina began to feel better being able to talk to somebody else about what she was going through and what happened in her past.

"You see Ami this all happened when I was in England. As you know, my father was transferred there for a while and I was fighting the negaverse as Sailor V. Anyway, that was when I met Shawn. I remember it was soon after our arrival. The company my father was going to work for was having a party to celebrate his arrival. While the adults were mingling, I decided to look around and saw some people in a corner of the room setting up speakers, microphones, lights. I went up to this one guy, he was kind of cute, and started chatting with him. He guessed that I was the daughter of the guy they were having the party for and I said I was. We must have talked for half an hour"

"I'm assuming that was Shawn."

Mina nodded her head in confirmation.

" Well Shawn said that there was going to be a show there that night by The Laff Factory. I thought he was just one of those roadies who fix up stages for the stars so I had a nice conversation with him. It wasn't until later that I found out he was actually part of the show. You should have seen him Ami, he was so funny. Actually, they were all funny but I could not keep my eyes off him. Sometimes when one of the other performers were on the stage I'd sneak a peek to where he was and if he saw me he'd give a wink, or a little wave. Sometimes when he was on the stage I could have sworn that he was doing things just for my benefit, then again maybe it was just my imagination because he was such a hunk. The show was over a couple of hours later. When they left, I thought I would never see Shawn again. Then he came back a few minutes later claiming that a microphone had been left behind but it was a ruse so he could see me. He gave me 4 free tickets to The Laff Factory as a welcoming gift to England."

"That was sweet of him. So you became sweethearts at The Laff Factory."

"No, actually it happened a couple of days after the party. It was the day after my first battle in England with The Negaverse. I won but got busted up pretty well. I didn't have a chance to recover from the battle when I went to school the next day. I had fallen asleep in class and got detention, plus a bad test score and my mood wasn't the best. The final blow was when it rained outside and I had forgotten all my bad weather gear. It was late, I was still tired, cold, hungry, and miserable, it was raining and I had no way to get home without getting soaked. I probably cried worse than Serena ever had. I was just being a big baby.

Mina's head bent down. As she began to tell the story, her mind began to picture the way the tale happened. She remembered the image of her sitting on the front steps of her school under the awning while a thunderstorm deluged the ground. The emotions she went through were still felt strongly even after all this time. In her vision, her knees were drawn to her face with her arms wrapped around them. Figures passed to and fro on the sidewalk. Sometimes a couple would snuggle under an umbrella, which added to her depression for in this weather Artemis wouldn't come unless her life was in danger. She buried her head into her knees and began to sob uncontrollably.

"Mina? Is that you?" ,came a concerned male voice.

Pulling her head up she wiped away her tears to see who was talking to her. Down on one knee she saw Shawn looking at her with concern.

"You all right?"

Offering his hand Shawn helped Mina to her feet. There was embarrassment on Mina's part that she had behaved like such a baby.

"He offered me his raincoat which was too big for me but it did cover everything and then some. He offered to take me home but I was concerned that he was going to get wet now."

"That's all right. People think I'm all wet anyway" ,he joked.

Bringing the umbrella inches away from his head and tilting it so it would equally protect the young lady head as the raincoat did the rest of her body, the pair moved out of the awning, into the storm.

"As he held me I could tell how strong he was, yet there also a wonderful gentle nature to his touch. He was determined to see that I didn't get wet even though I could feel his back was soaked. He would crack jokes and I started feeling myself getting over my depression. Even the jokes that were incredibly lame or corny were done in a way that I still would laugh even in spite of myself. For the first time since I had arrived in England, I didn't feel so alone. I remembered how soft his shoulder felt when I leaned my head against his. I wished that time could have stood still at that very moment with just the two of us in that rain holding onto each other. When we got to my house, I didn't want him to leave but of course, he had to get to work. He waved at me as he walked down the steps and I waved back. I still remember how he looked at me standing at the window and started doing a dance down the middle of the sidewalk. People looked at him as if he was crazy. He wasn't crazy, he was just a little...flaked. "

Shawn pulled out a portable CD player from his dresser drawer. Putting the earphones on he looked around for the CD he wanted to play among the selection he had brought on this tour. When he found what he was looking for he opened up the disc and put it into his player. As the music started to play, he laid down on his back on the bed to relax to the soft sounds of the music.

The music had a slow, sad beat to it when Shawn closed his eyes. With the immediate world taken away from him voluntarily, he began to float into a dream world of his creation. In it, he remembered an earlier time. Simpler, less hectic, less confusing, more satisfying. He remembered a first time.

He was there to do a show at some high society home. The group he performed with was hired to entertain the gallery with their unique brand of comedy. How many shows had he performed to that point? More than he cared to count. It was just another night, another show, another aristocratic function with high society who thought they were better than he was. Still the money they would be making that night spent just as well as money from anybody else. It was business as usual...until he met her.

Even in a crowd she stood out with her golden blonde hair tied in a ponytail with a big red bow and a walk that made her look like she was floating, but what first drew him was that smile. The ways that smile caused her entire face to beam. He tried to continue working on getting the portable stage ready but her presence made his ability to concentrate difficult at best. When she came over, she didn't have the arrogant, superior attitude he had received from other high society gatherings. She was kind, gentle, and charming. She was easy to talk to and when she blushed at his comments concerning how pretty she was, he felt his heart being taken from him. When the show started, he continued to look her way, sometimes on stage, other times when he was off, and he continued to marvel at this perfection of nature in body and soul. He didn't want the night to end even if he could only admire her from a distance.

When the show was over, he tried to stall as long as he could so he could continue to talk with her as the others were putting their equipment away. When he was told they had to leave his heart began to feel heavy but the job was over and the others wanted to go home. He got halfway to the van when he decided to do something crazy. The group had already been paid and the show was over so they couldn't be fired. He went back under the ruse of locating some missing equipment. Fortune smiled on him with his being able to find Mina so quickly. He gave her tickets to a future show that he had kept in his wallet. It was a perk of employment but until then one he had never had a use for. He told her where the building was and she made a remark about how close The Laff Factory it was to her school. In his rush, however he forgot to ask exactly where her school was.

The next few days he checked some of the local schools near The Laff Factory. Though she knew her school was close to where he worked there were several in various directions a short distance from where he worked. He found the school during a heavy rainstorm. Crying on the school steps, her face was hidden but the large red bow was impossible to miss. It had to be her. Carefully he approached her since he was not sure that she even remembered him from the show even as he called her name. Raising her head he could see her reddened eyes yet even in this state she possessed the ability to take his heart away. How could he turn away such a beautiful creature when she needed help, especially since he considered himself a gentleman?

Taking her home, he was amazed by how trusting she was. There was no objection as he held her close to him, a man she had only met once. He wanted to talk seriously with her but the words he sought would not come out of his mouth so he went to what he knew best, humor. With each laugh from her Shawn began to feel more comfortable with her and visa versa but the trip ended before he could find out more about her. Arriving at her apartment, he said his good-byes and left. He looked up to see her waving good-bye and in an instant of inspiration, he began to do his impersonation of "Singing in the Rain" which enticed one final laugh from her from the window. Even the resulting pneumonia he got was worth the privilege of the time they had spent together.

He would stop by her school almost every day he could when the bell rang. Most of the time she was there to meet him, occasionally she was not. Sometimes it was due to volleyball practice once the season started but other times she would say that something came up that she couldn't get out of. He took it all in stride. After all, there were times when he could not see her because he was doing a road show. He just would be glad for the next day to come so they could be together.

The parents were not as trusting of him as Mina was. It took a lot of time and effort before they would trust Shawn with their only child. An entertainer's reputation was not one of wholesomeness and their concern for their daughter was understandable. One of the parents and sometimes both would chaperone them when they went out even for some ice cream for the first few months. Even when the parents had finally let the two share time alone the father gave him a stern warning that he was expected to treat Mina with total respect and the consequences of what would happen if he failed to obey. He caught more than a few angry glances from the parents whenever he tried to do so much as hold her hand when they first dated together. The pair tried to work their way around the stern parents by carefully just holding each other pinkies when the parents could not see it. It became their secret signal and a way of showing their affection for each other. In time, Shawn used it on stage to signal to Mina that he knew she was there. When he would be introduced to the crowd, he would bow in the honor of the stage. As he came up, he would wave his little pinkie as the signal. At the end of the show, as the house lights came back up Mina would pretend to stretch and flash him the return signal. It became a private joke between them that nobody else knew about.

The time Mina was in his life were the happiest he had ever known. She was able to bring out things in him that he never thought possible. In the past, he used laughs to help him get out of uncomfortable situations, especially social ones. It was this self defense mechanism that eventually brought him into comedy. With Mina, though he didn't feel the need to be "on". Even when he started to feel uncomfortable, she had a way of letting him know without saying a word that everything was all right. He didn't have to be "The Flake" to impress her. She was more interested in Shawn Foley.

The people he knew told him that he was being foolish since there were so many obstacles in the way of any sort of relationship. While agreeing that there could be difficulty those thought left him the moment he saw her and he reveled in the moment.

Those moments came crashing down her last night in England. While knowing this day was coming for some time, it didn't make its arrival less difficult and awkward. The two were spending one final night together trying to find words to say good-bye that wouldn't come. It hurt him to see Mina so miserable so he went to his bag of humor. Make jokes, help her to laugh, and try to stop her tears even though he was doing the same thing inside. The humor didn't have the effect he had expected. Instead of relieving the pressure, it made the situation worse until Mina reacted in a way he had never seen before. She was genuinely angry with him for making light of the situation. At first, he tried to defend his actions and tried to apologize but it didn't help the situation. In retrospect, he knew she didn't mean the things she said to him, she was simply upset. At the time, though he made the mistake of escalating the situation. Feeling he was being unfairly accused he verbally struck back and said things that he didn't mean. When she ran away, he should have run after her to apologize but he didn't. It wasn't until much later when he couldn't sleep and he was able to calm down that he realized what a fool he had been. He knew what needed to be done. Getting dressed he made his way to the apartment where she lived as fast as he could. The sun was just beginning to rise when he arrived to knock on the door. He rang the bell repeatedly only to be answered in silence. He peered in the window but the curtains blocked any indication of what was inside.

"Please, don't let it end like this. Not without her knowing how I really feel." ,he prayed.

Shawn kept ringing the doorbell until the resident manager came out of his apartment to confirm what he feared. That they had left just a short time before his arrival.

A part of Shawn felt like it had died. An important part of his life had been ripped away and he was the culprit. He ran back to his flat and wrote a long letter of apology to Mina hoping that she would know what he felt. After putting it in the envelope, he realized he didn't know where she lived in Tokyo. He sent it to the apartment complex hoping that the post office had a forwarding address. The letter was returned saying that such information had not been provided. He tried to call her but discovered that the phone number was unlisted. At every turn to find her he was thwarted and with each failure he fell into a deeper depression. A depression that lasted for a long time.

As the final song on the CD faded out Shawn opened his eyes to see Gator looking down at him. His friend looked down with amusement as the earphones were taken off Shawn's head.

"Thinking about that blonde angel of yours again, aren't you." ,he joked.

Shawn didn't want to admit that his friend was right.

"I was just sitting here trying to relax. Today was a bit crazy." ,he lied.

Gator laughed aloud in his booming voice.

"Don't lie to me Flake, you've never been very good at it. The only time you ever play that CD is when you've got Mina on the brain. Can't say that I blame you though. She was a cute one to be sure. If I had been 10 years younger, I would have made a play for her myself. Anyway, the others are down in the restaurant and wondered if you'd like to get a bite to eat."

While the meal he had earlier had satisfied him he thought it might not be such a bad idea to go downstairs anyway. Having traveled back and forth promoting the tour it had been a while since he had a chance to shoot the breeze and just have fun with his fellow performers.

"...and that's the whole story. We fought, I said some things that I wish I hadn't and never got the chance to apologize for it. I know he wasn't trying to be mean, he just wanted to have me smile again only I took it the wrong way and blew up because it was breaking my heart to be leaving him. When we came back to Japan, I kept trying to write him but every time I tried, I couldn't find the words to say what was in my heart. Only Artemis knew of this little secret, until now. After a while I gave up trying to contact him because I thought he had moved on and found somebody else but I never got over loving him." ,Mina reflected.

Taking a tissue from nearby she wiped her teary eyes and blew her nose. The discussion had brought forth a catharsis within her that she had never thought possible. With each word, Mina felt a burden being lifted from her shoulders. There was no need to hide the past any longer and the more she had shared with Ami, the more she wanted to tell.

Her counterpart listened attentively to each detail without comment, wondering how difficult it must have been like for her to feel like she couldn't share this with anybody. To keep the whole affair secret. On the surface, she always gave the impression of an open and friendly person, an open book to all. The truth though was she only showed the world what she wanted to. Mina was perhaps the most private of the sailor scout, more concerned with helping others than with her own happiness. If Shawn had not come to Japan, which had caused the trauma in her life it would have been doubtful that she would have ever let her secret out on her own.

Taking a deep breath Mina continued the discussion, talking about the things that had happened to her since Shawn's arrival. The meeting at the Laff Factory, her chance encounter with him as she came home from school, the discussion the pair had in Shawn's room, and his request for help. .

"...but even with all we discussed I wasn't ready for the favor he asked. He gave me this photograph and asked me to find...me."

She produced a photo that Shawn had given her. It showed Mina and Shawn together on horseback. One of the horses Mina rode confidently, on the other Shawn's face was one of total terror, not an exaggerated comedy fear face but a genuine fear that at any moment his horse would do something he couldn't stop.

The announcement took a few moments to understand. It took a few seconds more for the announcement to sink in to the surprised Ami. Once over the surprise and shock though a wide grin crossed the petite scout's face.

"That's great! I'm happy for you." ,Ami congratulated.

"No Ami, you don't understand. He wants to see me!" ,Mina stressed.

"Right, he wants to see you." ,Ami agreed but looked with curiosity upon her friend sensing that more was meant by the statement than she was comprehending.

"No you don't get it Ami. His image of what I am is almost two years old now. He wants to get back together and have things be as they were when we were in England. There is no way that can happen. I've got responsibilities now as a Sailor Scout. He's got responsibilities too as a performer. He's only going to be in town for a few days longer and then he'll be gone again. I don't think I could go through having us apart again and having my heart broken again. We can't possibly have a long distance relationship. You know yourself just how hard it is. How often do you see Greg? I know how you miss him when he's not around. You are the only person who could know what I'm going through."

She nodded her head in agreement to Mina's points. This conversation dredged up memories of a conversation she once had with Lita. It was when Greg had returned to Tokyo because of a vision he had of the negaverse returning to gather the seven rainbow crystal carriers again. She was throwing every excuse she knew of why she couldn't be more than a friend with Greg, but Lita saw through all the transparent alibi's to the ultimate reason. Fear of losing Greg had prevented her from admitting the way she felt about him. In time, both were able to admit how deeply they felt about each other. Now she saw an opportunity to do for another what had been done for her.

" Yes I do know what its like. The loneliness of not having him here, just talking to him via E-mail can never satisfy talking face to face or being held. I'm lucky if I get to see him a weekend every other months because of his fathers constant moving, or if I'm lucky I'll get a phone call a week just so I can hear his voice. It's not exactly the type of relationship that I would recommend to anyone."

Fixing Mina with a hard look, Ami continued.

"Even with all that though I wouldn't trade the time I've spent with Greg for anything. As difficult as it has been, with all the problems and obstacles thrown in our path, I've cherished every moment we have together. When he use to leave I would wonder if he'd find someone else who because they are closer to him, and he can see them everyday, that he would love with somebody else and lose interest in me. The only thing that thinking those thoughts did was make me depressed until he contacted me again. The fear had not come true and eventually I made the choice that I wouldn't allow that fear to cripple what I've got with Greg. What happens when we're not together is something I can't control. The only thing I can control is the time I do have with him, and those times are very special to me."

What had started as a discussion of Mina's problem was turning into a conversation about Ami and Greg. This wasn't what Ami wanted to do. She wanted to help if she could with Mina's problem. Once realizing this she brought the discussion back to its proper focus.

"Then again what has worked for me may not work for you, that I can't tell you. You must ask yourself that question. How much do you still love him? Is it enough to take the chance of contacting him again? Is it worth the possible risk of being rejected now or later? Is it worth wondering for the rest of your life what could have happened if you decide not to pursue this? Could you live with not knowing the answers?"

Becoming still Ami realized she had said enough. Anything beyond this point would only serve to confuse the already bewildered scout further. She sat patiently and waited for Mina to make the next move. Running her finger through golden locks of hair Mina's eyes spoke volumes of the uncertainty in her heart. She had hoped that she didn't go too far with her challenge and that it would not be held against her, especially to the point of losing this friendship.

"What should I do Ami?" ,she finally question asked.

"So do you think he'll show up?" ,asked Susan Hawk

"10 pounds says that he doesn't." , Brian Coe wagered.

"I'm not taking any part of that bet." , Terri Hearst added with absolute certainty in her voice.

"Momma didn't raise a fool." ,Susan agreed when she stopped as her attention had been drawn elsewhere.

Walking through the restaurant with his head looking down to the floor Gator worked his way towards the table. Taking a seat, he grabbed the menu, which had been placed, on top of his plate.

"So his royal highness decided against slumming with the common folk.", Brian stated without even attempting to hide his disgust.

"Flake was asleep so I thought I'd let him be. He still has that first pitch at the ballgame tonight and he has two more appearances after that. Poor guy will be lucky if he's back before midnight."

The comment was a half-truth. While Shawn was awake when he was in the room, Shawn did want to take a nap before the evenings activities required his services. Gator also knew about the rest of the nighttime rounds that were required. One of which would include a banquet where he could eat. Besides the logical reasons for staying in his room and sleeping, he wanted to be close to a phone just in case he got a call he was praying to receive against all logic of it happening.

The others didn't show such compassion for their fellow performer.

"Aww isn't it such a shame that he's got to work so hard. It must so difficult. Working his fingers to the bone shaking all those hands.", Susan ridiculed.

"Oh and don't forget how exhausting it must be posing for all those photographs too. Sitting there smiling and waving as the paparazzi snap their cameras. Oh the poor dear must be worn to a frazzle." ,Terri adding her opinion to the conversation without the slightest sound of sympathy in her voice.

" Being famous does have it drawbacks you know. Girls chasing you everywhere you go trying to kiss you and tearing your clothes off. Being idolized as a sex symbol. It must be an incredibly hard life.", Brian continued on the attack.

Gator continued to look at the menu trying his best to ignore the conversation. It was old ground and he did not want to go through it again yet he also couldn't just let them attack somebody who was not even there to defend himself.

"Why can't you just give the guy a break?" ,he asked while still not daring to look in their eyes.

"Why do you keep defending the guy day after day? How can you just sit there and take it Gator? He's stabbed you in the back more than he has any of us. You should be as angry with him as we are, maybe more so.", Brian pressed.

An interesting comment he thought. One that had never been expressed before. It was a strong enough remark for him to lay his menu down and follow the discussion more intensely. He focused his attention on Brian.

"Et Tu Bruti? I don't see any knife wounds in my back. So how has Flake stabbed me? In what way has he stabbed me." ,he wanted to know.

Nodding his head Brian began to state his case.

"When we started this tour you were the star of the show and we all accepted that fact. You are the last remaining member of the original Laff Factory troupe. You've been there since its inception. For more than 10 years, you had paid your dues to the team. Then we get to America and suddenly Flake is starting to get the appearances you should be getting. Suddenly he's jet setting everywhere and sometimes we're lucky if he graces us with his appearance, a half an hour before the show starts. Then once the show is over its more television for him, maybe another plane ride for an appearance in another city, or country."

Listening intently, Gator didn't say a word as Brian listed even more grievances against Shawn Foley. The girls then added their own perspectives on the situation with their own prosecution of the events that had taken place during their tour. Until all had finished speaking did Gator address their objections.

"Let's look at things in a different light shall we? Yes, I have been with the troupe a long time and let me tell you, sometimes being the top dog isn't all its cracked up to be. While we all work as a team many times when the show flops its the top dog who gets the blame whether its deserved or not. I am flattered that you think so highly of me but the fact is that Flake has earned what has happened to him for better or worse."

The others snickered at the remark but became still when Gator fixed them with a strong look of anger.

"He's been working very hard this entire trip. When we came to the United, States I was suppose to do that television talk show but I was too sick remember? I had a fever of 102, coughing up everything but my socks, dizzy spells, you name it. I asked Flake to fill in for me and he didn't complain, he just did it as a favor for me and did a great job. Brian, remember when you complained about going to that radio station in Florida at five in the morning saying that nobody would be listening. Flake wound up doing it because you didn't want to and he got the press. Terri, in Los Angeles you wanted to tour the movie studios hoping that maybe you'd be put in pictures after the tour ended and you asked Flake to fill in for you at the hospital. Well he did and the paper talked about what he did. Susan..."

Before he could embarrass her with what Shawn had done for her Susan Hawk put up her hands signaling for Gator to stop. Gator nodded knowing that the point had been made and that she realized how the events have taken place.

"This entire tour has been very hard on him physically and mentally. He's done more for putting this troupe on the map than any of us on this trip. There are times when I wonder how he can keep going without falling asleep on his feet. Now he's been even more of a wreck as we've been getting closer to this Japan show. I don't think I need to explain why he's this way."

"Don't tell me he's still got a thing for that Mina girl." , Heather asked not believing what she was saying.

"He said he was over her now.", Brian added.

Gator took a long sip of his drink to wet his throat. Rolling his tongue along his lips to get the remaining droplets of cool liquid he put his glass down.

"And do you think he would confide in any of you after the prank you pulled on him in Los Angeles? Writing that little note saying that Mina was in San Francisco and wanted to see him? He caught the first flight out of LAX, almost getting a cold from standing in the rain for hours waiting for her to show up. Then when he found out the truth, that you had set him up. It's a miracle that he didn't flatten you three, and I would have helped. After all that do you think, he'd trust any of you. Mina meant a lot to him."

Finishing the drink Gator looked intensely at the ice that was at the bottom of the glass. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"You don't know what it was like for Flake when he first started. Oh, he was all right as a performer. After all, if he weren't, he wouldn't have hired by the troupe in the first place. As a person, though he was rather shy and reserved. When he wasn't performing, he liked to keep to himself. At first, I thought it was because like me, he was from a foreign country and felt like an outsider, but instead it was because he was simply not comfortable unless he was on-stage. Only there did he feel confident in whatever he did."

Gator stopped his speech when their waitress came over for their dinner orders. Each ordered, not bothering to continue the conversation while she was there. Receiving the orders, the waitress bowed her thanks and left. Gator continued.

"After Mina came into his life Flake started changing, it was defiantly a change for the better. He started becoming open with the rest of the group. In the past, he'd just change clothes and then leave after the show was done, after Mina showed up, he started hanging around and wanting to do things with the rest of us. He started becoming more confident off stage. When you would see him, it would take less than 30 seconds to know if he had seen Mina that day or not. The differences were that strong."

"You make it sound like she was the only women in the world for him. There are other fish in the sea." ,Heather suggested.

"You say that only because you never saw them together. If you had then you would have thought that at least for Flake, she was. I still remember the day she left. Flake told me about what had happened the previous night. I had seen him high, low, and every mood in between but never before or since had I ever seen him so totally devastated. It was a scary time. For almost a month, he barely ate or slept. He lost almost 20 pounds. Sometimes his eyes would simply look out into space. I was scared he was going to try something very dumb when he was like this. The only time he'd come out of his flat would be if he had to do a show and I made darn sure he showed up. The shows started becoming therapy for him. All the emotions he was feeling started coming out in the routines. At times, his characters were rather macabre but he was getting the pain out of his system. Even after all that though he still carried quite a torch for her in his heart."

"So do you think he'll find her? I mean if she is the beauty that he's boasted then I'm sure she's got another boyfriend." ,Susan inquired.

"I've tried to tell him that believe me. When it comes to Mina, he just doesn't think logically. I was concerned about what might happen to him when we got the Japan. If she doesn't call him he might get some closure on this finally, or it could depress him even worse than before. What scares me is what might happen if she actually manages to contact him. I'm not sure how he'll handle it."

Shawn continued to lie down on his bed. His body was trying to rest while his mind continued to remember Mina. Sleep was impossible but he was willing to settle for rest before the flurry of activity that was to consume his evening.

His rest was disturbed by the ringing of the phone on the nightstand near him. On the third ring, he picked it up. Leaning on his side, he cradled the phone between the pillow on the bed and his ear.

"Hello." ,he said sluggishly.

"Mr. Foley. This is security. We have a young lady at the back door who wishes to see you. She wasn't on the pass list but she knew the password and said it was important

" Does this person have a name?"

" Yes. Mina Aino."

Waiting at the back door Mina watched as the security guard continued talking on the phone. With each second she began to second-guess her decision to come here. When she had left the house with Ami, she felt certain as to the course of action she would take. She would go to Shawn and admit that she was just as much at fault for the day they broke up as he was. That she wanted to know if Shawn truly felt the same way about her that she had felt towards him all this time. To see if that after all this time if the two could still have something together.

She looked upwards to where the other Sailor Scouts stood by with Artemis. It gave her a sense of protection to have somebody she trusted nearby. After coming to grips with her feelings on the subject Mina decided it was time for her secret to be exposed to the others. Even with Ami's help, it was not the easiest things she had ever done. Breaking down in tears on a few occasions, she stood before the other scouts to tell the whole story. Once the air had been cleared, she apologized for having kept this secret from them, plus her behavior during the previous few weeks towards them.

There was not a single scout who could find anything wrong with what Mina had done. Each had been through difficult relationships, some worse than others. They made it clear that they would be willing to help their friend in any way they could.

Their support led them to the roof of a building across the alley from the hotel where Shawn and the troupe stayed. Physically there was nothing they could do for her. That didn't stop Sailor Mars from praying to the Gods for success. The others tried to channel their good will hoping that it would make a difference in Mina's quest.

Mina nerves caused her to fidget with her hair. Softly pulling on her golden locks, she saw the guard put the phone down.

"Shawn will see you now.", the guard informed her.

Opening the back door another guard escorted Mina up the flights of stair. The stairs seemed a little steeper than before, the walk longer. She could start to hear footfalls above her. Growing louder their pace quickened, then the sounds got louder but less consistent. The guard positioned Mina behind him concerned for her protection in case the sounds were of someone who wasn't suppose to be there.

Finishing one of the flights of stairs the two looked up where they both saw Shawn running down the steps at a two or 3 step pace. When Mina's and Shawn's eyes met, he started to slow down. The last two steps to the floor landing were taken slow and cautiously where he hesitated.

Moving around the security guard Mina wondered why he had stopped. He had come more than halfway around the world, tried so hard to contact her. Now at the decisive moment he froze. It befuddled her.

That was until she looked into his eyes, the expression of disbelief that she was really here in front of him. The total shock of the situation. The biggest expression though was of uncertainty.

She appraised the situation a little longer. In the past, he had never hesitated to wrap his arms around her when the pair had gotten together yet he was clearly unsure what to do. Was he concerned that if he hugged her now would she run away? That if he didn't hug her and she expected it would that give a false indication that he wasn't interested in her. He looked at her hoping for a clue as to her mood and what would be the best course of action.

Mina didn't like the tenseness of the situation. If there was any hope for the twosome to get past this awkward stage somebody would have to take the initiative, then again if there was anything Mina Aino had in abundance, it was initiative.

After the thousands of miles traveled by Shawn, it was Mina who traveled the final few feet forward to wrap her arms around him. Without another moment wasted, she felt his arms wrap around her tightly with a deep exhale from his lips. It had been so long since she had been held in his arms she had almost forgotten how wonderful it felt.

"Oh Mina! It really is you!" ,he finally groaned out in a whisper.

"Shawn!" ,was the only response she was able to utter allowing herself to become lost in this moment.

She didn't know how long the two held each other, she also didn't care. She could easily allow herself to get lost in this feeling forever. The sweet bliss to be held by him again and very secure in the knowledge that he still cared for her so much.

"I'm so sorry Mina. I'm so sorry for what happened." ,she heard in whispers

The words brought her back to reality. While she had been enjoying the moment, it became apparent that Shawn was still recalling the last time they had seen each other. He was making good the plan he had discussed with her when she was Sailor Venus. He was trying to right the wrong of two years ago.

"It's all right Shawn. It was as much my fault as anyone's. I'm sorry for any pain that I have caused you. ", she admitted.

"You had every right to be mad at me. If I hadn't behaved like a horses…",he continued to confess before Mina cut him off by placing a finger against his lips.

"Please, just hold me. Just hold me and never let me go." ,she implored

She could feel his arms tightening even more around her, more than willing to comply with her wishes. Feeling a sensation of floating she reveled in the impassioned hold of the man she still held a flame for in her heart. She went to step a little closer before she realized that her feet were suspended from the ground. In his hold, he had picked her up off the ground with no indication of strain.

When he finally did put her down they separated looking at each other. Shawn placed the palms of his hands against both sides of her cheeks, his thumbs rubbing away the tears that had welled up and fallen from her eyes.

"I didn't think it was humanly possible but you're even more beautiful than I remember." ,Shawn stated with total sincerity.

Flattered at the statement Mina blushed and looked down in embarrassment, which made her look even more adorable to Shawn. He softly lifted her head up again and began to move his lips to hers.

"Oh my god. Is he going to kiss me? Please let it be true. I'd die of embarrassment if I was wrong." ,she thought to herself wanting to show just how she felt as well.

Her impression of the situation was indeed correct. Slowly, carefully in case there had been any sign of resistance from her he moved towards her lips. Mina closed her eyes to feel the full impact of the forthcoming kiss tilting her head to the right while his hand cupped against the back of her head.

"FLAKE! WHERE IN BLAZES ARE YOU! FLAKE!" ,a voice bellowed from above.

The sound startled the lovers who turned their heads toward the noise. as Gator worked his way down the stairs. Turning the corner to their floor, he saw Shawn at the bottom looking at him with great agitation, which surprised him. Shawn rarely showed that sort of emotion but he could tell that he walked in at a bad moment.

"Hi Gator.", she greeted while mentally cursing him for the timing of his arrival.

Gator cocked his head to the left side unsure of what he was seeing.

"Mina? Is that really you?" ,he asked.

"In the flesh."

"Uhhhhh. Nice to see you again.", Gator replied but his voice didn't sound like he totally believed what he was saying.

"Did you want something Gator?", Shawn inquired.

Gator pointed to his watch

"We've got to get going. Ball Game? First pitch? Ring a bell?"

Sailor Mercury continued to look through the building via her VR Visor. Mercury tried to keep her composure as she answered. In her visor, two small white dots appeared to indicate the position of items and their numbers.

In her visor, Mercury saw the two white dots starting to merge into one. She turned off the visor wanting to give Mina some privacy in this moment through being discrete. While the odds were high that the two were in an embrace it could easily be that the two dots were simply the fact of the two facing each other in a direct line to her visor giving the appearance of only one person when there was in fact two.

After a couple of minutes, Mercury resumed her transmission where the two were still close together. As the scene unfolded before her, Mercury felt a sense of accomplishment. The one dot continued to hold its form. She wondered if Lita felt the same satisfaction when she once played a major role in her admitting her deepest emotions about Greg. For Mina and Shawn this was just a first step but a very important one. Another white dot became visible as it came down diagonally on her visor. She saw the single dot once again become two separate ones.

Mercury thought through the options available to her. If there was danger, she was certain Venus would try to send a signal indicating her distress. However, there was still the danger of having her other identity compromised if she did so. Maybe the best course of action would be to wait and see what happened next. On the other hand, if there was danger, waiting would put Mina in jeopardy when she needed her friend the most.

Looking down she saw the security personnel, which reminded her of the security presence around the area. As the three blips of light moved upstairs sideways, she deduced that they were on the floor where the performers were staying. If there were any danger, surely they would have reacted by now.

The moment made her realized just how vulnerable she was. If Mina had needed her, help she would have needed to contact the Sailor Scouts but it would have taken time for them to get there. In addition, the others were waiting for her to report about the situation with Mina.

Grabbing her communicator Sailor Mercury started pushing its buttons.

Walking with Shawn and Gator into their room, Mina listened to the pair make plans to sneak her into the groups limousine so she could be with Shawn as he made his scheduled appearance at the ballgame. Shawn mainly listened as Gator told him of a 'foolproof' plan to get the two of them together.

"Won't you get into trouble if we're caught?", she asked not wanting to be the cause of some calamity.

Gator smiled with a great deal of confidence in his mischievous smile.

"Trust the Gator will you. I've executed this plan quite a few times and haven't been caught yet. It's as simple as one, two, and three. First Flake gets into the limo as he's suppose to. Two I come running out shouting at the limo to stop. Three I claim you're suppose to accompany him tonight as his 'Special Event Coordinator'. Just hold the clipboard I've got, occasionally look down as if you're doing something important and look like you belong there. Flake has run this con for me a few times. Certainly its time for me to return the favor."

Gator grabbed a clipboard from the closet and held it out for Mina. Gator ran through the plan one more time.

The door to the room was knocked on. Shawn opened it expecting one of the other members of the group. To the surprise of all that is in the room, it was instead their host 'K'. Opening his mouth to state his intentions he stuttered when he saw Mina.

"What is this girl doing here?" ,'K' finally said as he became angry and indignant , "What is this girl doing in your room gentleman!"

Mina was about to address the man when Shawn leapt to her aid.

"Wait 'K'! It's not what you think! Let me explain. This is Mina. She is somebody I knew in England."

"A likely story, and how did you two meet." ,'K' responded not believing what he was hearing.

She stood by as Shawn gave a quick account of their tale. He talked quickly as if afraid that if he didn't do so he would be interrupted, that Mina would be at best thrown out, at worse arrested.

"...I know how this must look to you 'K'. You think she's just some groupie coming up to our room but you're wrong. She's my friend...actually more than a friend...I can't exactly explain what our relationship is like but when I found out she was here..."

"And how did she get up here? How did she just happen to know our password?"

"Sailor Venus was able to find her for me."

Rolling his eyes 'K' shook his head in skepticism of the tale he was hearing.

"And just how do you happen to know Sailor Venus? She isn't exactly somebody you can call from the phonebook. Look, if this is some sort of joke or comical routine this isn't the time for such foolishness. Look Shawn, we need to get going to the game and I'm sorry miss but you'll have to be escorted from the building."

"Perhaps this would help you believe Shawn? Sailor Venus asked me to return this you Shawn." ,Mina calmly spoke.

From her small purse, which she had brought with her, a photograph was produced. She handed it over to Shawn who in turn gave it to 'K' confidently. The sponsor looked at it intently. The girl in the photo looked younger than the one that stood before him now but there was no question the it was the same girl.

"That was the photo taken during our groups picnic." ,Shawn explained to 'K' ," Haven't been on a horse since then. So as you can see we have known each other for a while."

"That may be true Shawn but you know the rules. No unauthorized personnel on this floor. It is for your own protection. I am sorry miss, but you will need to be escorted from the building. Since you were obviously invited, there won't be any repercussions. As for you Shawn you need to head to the ball park.", 'K' instructed.

Anxiously Mina tried to think of a means to avoid being separated from Shawn again and the way he gazed into her eyes showed that he felt the same way.

"Can't Mina come with me? I'll be willing to take full responsibility for her. We have so much to talk about tonight. I can't tell you why but this is very important to me. Please 'K' I'm not asking... I'm begging you please. Nothing will happen, not because of what you would do to me but what her father would. I'm more scared of him than you." ,Shawn beseeched.

Looking carefully at the sponsor Mina began to worry that Shawn's passionate plea was falling on deaf ears. She saw Shawn looking for more to say that could sway his judgment.

"Look I've done everything you've asked of me since I've been here 'K'. You've changed the schedule I was suppose to follow, you've added things for me to do, each time you said it was business, and in the end not once did I refuse no matter how I truly felt just because you asked it of me. Well now, I am asking for something. I'm not asking for the world. I'm not asking for extra money or extra perks. I'm asking to be with Mina for a while. I am simply asking you to let me be with Mina. Am I really asking that much?"

'K' nodded in agreement as he looked into the eyes to see how important this was for Shawn. When he looked into Mina's eyes, a sweet, innocent gaze was returned. He realized that this person wasn't the usually groupie who would do anything to meet with their favorite stars. 'K' nodded in acceptance.

"All right, you can take her to the game but that's all. Before you go though I'm sure this young lady has parents who will also need to know about this. Last thing we need is some trash magazine claiming we're kidnapping somebody. I'll make arrangements with the limo drive so he'll know."

"So what's going on Mercury?" ,asked Sailor Moon unable to stand the suspense any longer.

"I'll tell you when I have something to tell."

"By the way Mercury, way to go. You did a great job getting those two together." ,Jupiter praised in a way that made Mercury blush.

"Well you can say I was able to learn from a great teacher." ,she reciprocated that caused the same shade of hue to come from Jupiter's cheeks as well.

"So how is it going? How long has she been inside?", asked Rei.

"She's been inside for half an hour. So far, so good I suppose but I can't tell what's going on. " , reported Sailor Mercury.

The back door of the hotel opened up. Sailor Mercury stopped talking to look at what was going on. The remaining scouts also looked down in curiosity.

Mina stepped out of the door...alone. This wasn't a good sign thought Mercury until she saw her smile. A few seconds later Shawn made his appearance through the door as he put on his jacket, his arm over Mina's shoulder and the pair began to walk together down the alleyway to the waiting limousine.

A feeling of accomplishment was felt in the heart of Sailor Mercury as the other scouts patted her on the back for a job well done. She began to tear up as she saw Mina look up to her and mouth out the words 'thank you'. Together they got into the limo and started to drive off.

There was nothing more to be gained by staying at the hotel so the Scouts moved away from the scene so the two reunited lovebirds could be alone.

The scouts began to leap from building to building with a lighter heart now, filled with adrenaline because of what had been accomplished. They were all overjoyed for their blonde haired friend.

In mid-flight between two of the buildings Sailor Mercury finally let out her feelings as she pumped a fist in the air in joyful triumph.

"YES!"

The Four Sisters saw everything that had transpired. Unobserved from another tall building next to where the scouts were, the quartet spied.

"I only counted four of those brats. Did anybody else see Sailor Venus anywhere?" ,Catsy queried her sisters.

The other sisters shook their heads from side to side.

"She might still observing the Laff Factory."

"Might is not good enough. We need to know for certain where all the scouts are so we can make our move if the opportunity presents itself. Avery, Prizma, you check out the Laff Factory and report what you find out. I'll keep following our prey. Birdy you will report what we've got so far to Rubeus. Move out." ,the eldest sister commanded.

They dispersed towards their respective destinations.

Inside the limousine, Mina and Shawn tried to catch on their pasts as the driver worked his way through traffic to the ballpark. Mina talked about how her life had changed since the last time they had been together. She talked about her new friends but made sure she didn't mention that her new friends were also the Sailor Scouts. School was also mentioned and how different it was from the school in England.

When he asked how well she was doing with the school volleyball team Mina surprised him by mentioning she wasn't playing competitively anymore. When asked why she simply said that she had too much to do in her life to fit it in but didn't rule out the possibility of going back to it someday. They recalled some of the games he watched her play. He was her biggest fan on and off the court and all this time later that hadn't changed.

Continuing the conversation Mina started to take mental notes and began to realize some of the changes in Shawn from the time the two were together in England. In height, he didn't seem as tall as he use to be. Of course, in two years she developed a growth spurt while at his age Shawn had reached the peak of his prominence. In addition, he appeared to be more serious than he use to remember. While occasionally still reaching into his bag of tricks for the witty comeback, he mostly remained silent, focusing on what was being said until there was nothing else for her to say.

"Well that pretty much everything on my side. So how does it feel to be a big star now." ,she asked Shawn.

Shawn looked excited as he opened his mouth ready to give a quick response without really thinking about it but stopped. His expression then changed from happy to sad as his mouth opened again before shutting up. Finally, he became quiet giving the matter quite a bit of thought before he spoke.

"In some ways it's been a blessing, in other ways it's been a curse. Ironically, many of the blessings and curses are one and the same. Its a blessing that when I walk down the street everybody knows who I am yet its also a curse because everybody knows who I am and they all seem to want my autograph. I just can't seem to get any privacy. Don't get me wrong Mina, I still get a kick out of signing autographs and it's a lot more fun to be noticed than ignored. Still I miss many of the things I use to be able to enjoy. Going to the movies, the mall, eating out, being able to actually enjoy a meal in a restaurant without interruption, even the simple pleasure of doing the things we use to do. Do you know that I've only had one day off in the last 2 months? We were all in Colorado in America. From the hotel in Denver, I could see the Rocky Mountains. All those mountains and I wanted to climb every one of them. Haven't done too much of that since I had left for England a couple of years earlier. One day I caught a break and both my appointments were canceled. I wanted to rent a car and drive to the base of this mountain I had heard about. I wanted to spend an entire afternoon climbing what they call The Devil's Thumb. It would have been wonderful. Just the mountain and myself. Feeling the wind against my face, sitting down at the summit in awe of the view. I thought about how lovely the area would be. I reveled in how wonderful it was to hear silence. Instead I had to stay in my hotel room for 'security reasons', eat room hotel food, watch TV, and do a lot of thinking."

Stopping his sentence bent his head down sadly.

"Especially a lot of thinking... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ramble like that." ,he whispered.

Putting a hand on his thigh Mina gave an assuring warm smile.

"Hey it's OK. I want to hear everything you want to say. After all, you were willing to listen to me babble on. So what did you think about?"

Her gentle nature helped to draw Shawn out of the shell he was trying hide in. It was a talent that he appreciated in her when they were in England. It was one of the many qualities he missed once she had left.

"I thought about a lot of things but for the most part I kept thinking about you. Remembering everything we had together. Remembering the things we did together. Remembering your smile, the way you laughed even at some of my corniest jokes, the way you moved. Yes, I said it. Even back then, the way you walked turned my head. I kept wondering if you were doing well. Wondering if you were still angry with me for...you know. Wondering if... you ever found... somebody else." ,he spoke with each word becoming more difficult to say.

For a second he paused before asking the important question. He kept his head down looking at his hands, which were clasped in prayer.

"So did you?"

"Did I what?" ,Mina returned not sure she understood the question.

"Did you ever find somebody else? Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No." ,she said with a blushing smile that he didn't notice.

"I see. Is that because you simply haven't found the right man yet or is it because I hurt you so badly that you are afraid to try and have another relationship?" , he continued.

"Oh I've found the right man all right. I found him a long time ago. I was just too young and too foolish to notice it until it was too late when I pushed him out of my life."

The comment caught him by surprise. Turning and raising his head to finally see her expression the weight of his burden became lighter. He looked at her in a combination of amazement and disbelief.

" It still surprises me that nobody has at least tried to go out with you. I can't be the only person who can see how special you are."

" I'm equally surprised that you haven't found another woman to replace me. After all, you're doing all this traveling now, going to different cities with all sorts of women. I've read in some of those teen magazines of you going out with women who won a date with you. Didn't any of them appeal to you?"

Shawn paused for a moment but never took his eyes off her.

"Let me tell you about those contests. Yes, I did go out with these women but there are several differences between them and you. First and foremost, they didn't want to date Shawn Foley. They wanted a date with 'The Flake'. They wanted the celebrity not the person. I was expected to crack jokes, do silly things, be all the various characters that had gotten me this far. If I tried to have a serious discussion with any of them, the typical response was that I was becoming dull. Do you know how much that hurt to not be able to share all the other things about me? Therefore, after a while I just stopped trying and gave them what they wanted. I remember how you and I could talk for hours about anything under the sun. We talked to each other. You would tell me things, I would tell you things, and we would listen to what each other had to say. All that the others wanted was to say that they spent time with a celebrity. Well they got their wish. They got to spend time with 'The Flake' but that is all they got. In addition, you are more mature than any of the others. You may only be 16 now but your maturity level even back then was much higher than that, yet you have managed to maintain your aura of innocence. I envy that in you. Then there is your intelligence. OK, I know you weren't exactly a straight A student but you are more intelligent that you gave yourself credit for. You were not only smart in the classroom but you were people smart too. You are hardly a stereotypical blonde airhead. Finally and maybe, this is sexist to say so but I'm going to say it anyway. You are the most beautiful women I have ever known."

The words caught Mina by surprise not because of their content but because of the intensity of which they had been spoken. Even with Sailor Venus, he hadn't been this intimate about his feelings. It was one of the nicest compliments Mina had ever heard a person tell her and told him so.

The words suddenly stopped and the pair looked at each other. Mina could feel her heart beating strongly against her body. Looking at Shawn, she saw him put his hands into hers tenderly. When they had talked, there was a conspicuous gap between the two. Now he had shifted his body closer to her. Their breath began to steam up the inside of a window.

It was Shawn who made the first move. He moved his lips towards her as he had done in the staircase of the hotel. On the other side Mina was only to happy to reciprocate. Their lips grew closer together. She had kissed her mother and father all her life before she went to school, came home, or just before she went to bed. In other cases, she had given kisses of kindness to Artemis. This would be the first real kiss to a boy she loved. Wondering how it would feel to kiss somebody as she was about to do Mina closed her eyes to make the sensations more intense. The heat of his hands resting against her cheeks. The exhaling of his breath touching her exposed skin. The smell of the cologne he was wearing. The...

CLICK!

The pair reacted quickly to the sudden intrusion. The limo door had been opened by the driver who didn't know what had been transpiring in the back but deduced certain actions the pair had been doing. He was embarrassed but did his best not to let it show.

"We're at the ball park Mr. Foley." ,he finally announced.

The pair looked at each other with a 'somebody up there doesn't like us' expression. Shawn was the first to exit the vehicle that had been parked in the VIP underground parking area before extending his hand to the lady with him to help her out as well. Employees for the ballpark greeted them before giving an escort to the ball field.

Catsy continued to follow the limo containing her objective. As the vehicle disappeared inside the stadium, she looked at her options. Most likely, she couldn't attack with so many witnesses but perhaps an opportunity would present itself. Of course, if the chance came where she could make an attack she'd be in the perfect position to do so. For a moment, she thought about the girl who was with him. It would be too bad if she had to be killed as well but this was a war and sometimes in war, innocent people die. This was too important to allow any witnesses to survive.

She found a position on the roof where she would have a good vantage point of the situation. Looking out into the stands, she saw tens of thousands of people buzzing in the stands. There would be no chance of her sneaking about, not with arousing suspicion. For now, she would stay at the stadium and keep abreast of the situation.

She had never seen a baseball game before although she had heard about the sport. While continuing to perform reconnaissance on her target she could see what the fuss was all about with this activity. Sitting down she got as comfortable as possible considering her whereabouts.

The officials of the ballpark escorted Mina and Shawn to the dugout via the underground tunnels within the stadium walls. Shawn was given the rundown on how the first pitch would happen. The two be allowed to stay inside the home team's dugout until it was time but were asked not to speak with any of the players unless they were spoken to first so as to not distract them from their concentration on their task. The national anthem would be then be played followed by the first pitch. Until that moment Mina had no idea how much went on behind the scenes for something so simple.

Looking at Shawn, she could tell that for him this was business as usual. She hoped that she wasn't being a distraction to him for he was doing his best to walk the line between listening to their host and making sure he wasn't ignoring her.

In the dugout, Shawn asked for a ball so he could warm up before the pitch to assure he wouldn't hurt himself. The pair stayed in the dugout tunnel lightly lobbing the ball back and forth between each other. Overhand, underhand, side throw but not with too much speed since neither had a glove. There was a cold night wind blowing through area and it was hard for Mina to not feel the chill. Still she tried her best not to indicate any discomfort though in the end she did not succeed.

Seeing her distress Shawn stopped the warm-up and came to her grabbing his orange jacket that he had taken off earlier. She tried to protest his assistance because she didn't want him to be cold as well. Refusing to take no for an answer he made sure she was being taken care of. Her mind went back to that rainy day in England when he did the same thing for her. After all this time, he still thought more for her welfare than for his own. Rubbing her arms vigorously up and down over the sleeves with his hands Shawn helped her bloods circulation move throughout her body. It gave her a warmth as strong on the inside as it was on the outside.

"Better now?" ,he asked.

"MMMMMMMMMMM" ,she sighed.

Resting her head in the middle of his chest Mina placed her hands on each side followed by his arms covering around her body again. There in the hallway between the locker room and the dugout two people held onto each other, oblivious to the rest of the world, enjoying the silence of words between them. To speak now would have destroyed the moment for no words would have been sufficient to add to the moment.

It wasn't until the Japan national anthem was heard that the pair separated reluctantly. The earlier unease at the hotel and the discomfort in the limo had melted away and the two were closer now than they ever had been before or could have ever imagined before.

"Ummmmmm. Have to go to work. Stay here. I'll be back before you can miss me." ,Shawn said.

"I'm missing you already." ,Mina responded mischievously.

Smiling the two parted. By the time, he had reached the dugout steps Shawn had transformed from the gentle, introverted man she knew to the wild, extroverted, devil may care performer the world had come to know. Stepping out of the dugout for his trip to the pitchers mound he worked the crowd giving a few high five's to some of the fans, waving his ball cap to the other sections of the crowd that he couldn't reach. It was interesting, To the public he shared only the most superficial emotions, never letting them get too close to him inside, always appearing to have the time of his life thus staying on good terms with everybody but not giving so many pieces of himself that he didn't have a few for himself. A moment ago, they were in a tender clinch that nobody would ever know about, it was something special, just for her.

When Shawn moved away from the dugout, Catsy had a perfect angle to execute an assassination. To bad there were too many onlookers. Patience was not a quality Catsy possessed a great deal of but her fear of what the Wiseman would do to her if she disobeyed reigned in her zealous attitude.

A visitor arrived on the rooftop as Birdy put in an appearance. She scoured the scene along with her sibling.

"So who's winning?" ,Birdy said.

"Game hasn't started yet. Shawn's just threw the opening pitch. " ,Catsy informed her.

"Too bad we can't stay for the game. Reubeus has called a meeting of all the sisters. Apparently he's been visited by the Wiseman with a new plan."

With that, the pair disappeared with no one the wiser.

Looking out from the window of her bedroom, Artemis watched the cars pass by, watched an occasional pedestrian walk by the house, all the time hoping to see Mina come back. With each passing minute, he became lonelier.

He could have gone downstairs to spend time with the parents but he wasn't the most social of creatures at that moment. The meal they had put in his dish would have normally been wolfed down in a matter of minutes but this evening it didn't look so enticing.

Not able to stand watch any longer he moved off the ledge of the window into the main bedroom area. He moved about all the stuffed animals she had collected over the years. There wasn't an area in the room that didn't have at least one. From the tinniest teddy bears to an 8-foot tall giraffe, every species seemed to be represented.

He walked to the only creature that didn't belong to her. It was a black cat curled up in slumber in front of her bed. It was a gift given to him in fun by Mina because of the strong resemblance it had to Luna. The only noticeable feature to indicate a difference between it and the real cat was the lack of a crescent moon on its forehead. He laid down across from it looking into the closed eyes.

"I bet Mina is having a wonderful time tonight." ,he spoke to the figure not expecting any sort of response.

" I know she isn't in any danger, after all Shawn's nice. If I thought otherwise I'd have never let her get near him. After all she's battled the Negaverse, the Doom Tree, and the Dark Kingdom so what problem could arise from this one boy."

"Maybe because she's more interested in this 'one boy' that she had with anybody else, even you." ,came a voice loud and clear in his head.

"That's silly. What could he do to me that's dangerous?" ,he asked the inner voice.

"He can take Mina away from you or haven't you thought about that yet? If the relationship takes root then she'll be seeing more of him than you." ,the inner voice responded.

"Shawn will only be here a couple more days then he'll be gone and he'll be out of her system.", trying to use logic to end the conversation.

"Or he could decide to stay behind, worse he could convince her to leave with him. " ,the inner voice countered

"This is getting ludicrous. Mina isn't the type of person to simply do something that impulsive on a whim. She wouldn't abandon the scouts. "

"Who is talking about the scouts? I'm talking about her abandoning you. "

"No. Not that. Anything but that... No, I refuse to believe this. That will never happen" ,Artemis affirmed but his heart became chilled with the fear of such a situation becoming reality. He felt a cold sweat of panic throughout his body.

Not able to get the thought out of his mind Artemis ran back to the windowsill to resume his watch for the limo and Mina. It would be another half hour before his vigil would bear any fruit.

Artemis saw a long car turning left at the corner, the stretch limousine made its approach on the street where Mina lived. In the darkness of the night, only the lights on the vehicle & the lampposts gave away its position when it pulled up to the sidewalk beside the house. The doorman got out to open the door at the rear where Shawn stepped out first. Turning around he extended his hand, which was accepted by Mina. Signaling the driver not to follow Shawn and Mina walked up the walkway to the porch. They disappeared from Artemis's view when they walked under the awning.

Not wanting to miss a thing he bolted out of the window, becoming airborne, he took to the big tree in the front yard. He needed to get down quickly before something happened. Descending the branches of the tree, he touched down on the lawn.

Two people stood on the porch in the night sky with the full moon shining its light down on them. Facing each other, they looked deep into the eyes of the other. In a few hours, they had gone from awkward friends who had just been reunited to something closer to what they had in the past.

"Thank you for a wonderful time Shawn."

"The pleasure and honor was mine. As much as I've prayed for this moment, I had a hard time believing that it would ever come true. I'm almost afraid that this may simply just be a dream and that I'll be waking up in a few minutes."

"If you want I can show that this is for real and not a dream.", she cooed while touching his arms gently.

Shawn's eyebrows arched up in surprise. Mina had never flirted so obviously before with him before. Then again, Mina had never flirted with anybody like she was attempting to do now and it made her a little nervous. Looking into his eyes the young women could tell that he had no idea what she hand in mind. She leaned up her body against him tilting her head slightly upward to kiss him. Twice this evening they had tried and failed when outside forces interrupted the pair. She would not let this opportunity pass if she could help it yet hoped she wasn't being too forward.

It felt good as Shawn wrapped his arms around her. To see his face coming closer to hers. Soon their lips would touch and the two could express their feelings more intimately than they had done with mere words. Their lips began to press. She wanted to express her feelings as honestly as possible, yet how does one put all of ones hopes, emotions, dreams, and desires into a pair of lips? Perhaps that is the purest essence of a first kiss. Not having suffered through the disappointment, broken promises, or mental games she would be able to give of herself more fully than she ever would be able to again. In the future, there would be other kisses but none would have the innocence or pleasure of this first one.

From a distance, Artemis watched the scene before him. The longer the pair held each other in embrace the harder it was for him to watch. Part of him wanted to claw the young man to pieces for being so brazen with Mina yet he realized that all he was doing was a response to the invitation that had been laid before him. Finally he couldn't watch anymore. With tears coming out of his eyes he ran back up the tree, and jumped back into the bedroom.

After what seemed like an eternity yet in reality was perhaps one minute, the lips of Mina and Shawn parted from each other. Her mind swirled with emotions from the just completed kiss. The knees were growing weaker as she leaned into Shawn's body. Her body was physically weakened yet inside there was a surge of energy she had never experienced before. She didn't speak for there were no words in existence to explain what she was feeling or how to express it.

"Oh Mina, you really are growing up." ,was the only thing she was able to hear from Shawn .

He would never see the smile of satisfaction that crossed Mina's lips as she rested her head against his chest. Heaving a sigh she tried to make these moments lasts.

"Tomorrow, I've got to attend the grand opening of the theatre and a buffet served. After that I've got some time off finally. Would you like to go out with me?" , he asked her.

She looked up at him with a surprised look on her face. This was more than she had dared to hope for when she had gone to see him tonight.

"I'd love to.", was all she could say in response.

Late in the nighttime a kitchen area in the downtown district had been dark and empty for a couple of hours. The food had been stored away, the utensils cleaned up, and employees had gone home for the evening,

With a glow in the center of the room, the four sisters transported themselves into the area. Avery turned on the lights so the foursome could see where they were walking. Opening up drawers and doors, they searched the entire area.

"If only we could figure out which of these foods were being served tomorrow at the opening?" ,Birdy observed as she rummaged through one of the smaller freezers intently, picking up various foods to determine any possible clue as to its origin.

"I say we just take poison all the food and get out of here. Its late and I need my beauty sleep." ,complained Prizma in her usual impatient tone.

"There isn't enough sleep in the world that will help you.", snipped Avery back always ready to tweak her sister.

Prizma shot a look of anger back at Avery. Realizing that it wouldn't take much for another fight between the two to start Catsy jumped into the middle of the quarreling sisters. There was an objective to achieve and family or no, she wasn't going to allow them to put the mission at risk.

"You two want to fight, do it on your own time. We need to get this done first or Rubeus and Wiseman will have our hides. So shut your mouths and open those doors.", Catsy commanded.

For the better part of half an hour, the four searched high and low. Systematically they moved through the area.

"OVER HERE!" shouted Birdy triumphantly.

She opened the large freezer, waving her hand to her other siblings to come forward. Coming forward they, saw trays of food covered in saran wrap. Across the top of the wrap in black marker was written in bold letters 'LAFF FACTORY'

"Jackpot!" , added Catsy pulling out a large corked pot , "Now lets add out own little ingredient to the recipes. Be careful when you lift up the wrapping. We have to make it look like it hasn't been tampered with. These humans may not be the smartest but they are not complete idiots. If they sense the food has been meddling with they'll just throw it out and substitute something else."

Carefully taking the food out the contents were placed on the counters nearby. It would be a long night ahead for all of them. Uncorking the pot she grabbed a small handful of dusty green powder.

"Prizma, you've got 1st watch. Birdy will relieve you in an hour. Make sure nobody comes in." ,commanded Catsy."

No sooner did the sister leave that the others began their evenings work.

Artemis stood outside the bathroom where he heard the sounds of water running and Mina singing. It had been so long since he had seen her so happy. In his heart, he knew that last time she had been this ecstatic was when she had been in England...with Shawn.

His stomach began to knot again at the thought of the two together. Why did he have such a negative reaction at the thought when he was the one who encouraged her to seek him out in the first place? Maybe it was the pain that his realization that Mina was growing up. She was becoming a very beautiful woman both inside and out. Of course, he had known how special the young girl was for the longest time. Not just because of her being a sailor scout but because of many other qualities that belonged to Mina long before he reappeared in her life. The realization that that soon she would be a woman hit him hard. If she ever wound up having a relationship with any boy that became serious, would she still confide in him as much as she had in the past? Would their relationship change by the inclusion of someone who she truly loved? For years he had Mina alone to himself, now that was starting to change, and it scared him down to his heart.

Was he scared of the change or simply jealous that her affections and the close relationship that they shared wouldn't be just between the two of them anymore? Luna primarily took care of Serena, but also worked very closely with Ami, Rei, and Lita. He cared about the others of course but not in the same way he felt about Mina. In his heart, he would always be hers, through the good times and the bad, no matter what.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the shower being turned off. His sensitive hearing could hear the towel being taken off the rack and wrapped around her body. He moved out of the way so she wouldn't accidentally step on him or his tail when she exited.

Stepping out the door, he could see in Mina's eyes that she was still lost in the images of the night she had just experienced. Attempting to put on a happy face Artemis walked with her to the bedroom.

He turned away from her before the towel could be removed and allowed Mina the privacy to change into her pajamas. When he heard the chair of her dresser being pulled back Artemis knew it was safe to turn around.

Mina sat down in front of her dresser mirror to begin the nightly ritual of combing her long blonde hair before she went to bed. In its reflection, Artemis could see the smile on Mina's face. When asked all about what happened between her and Shawn, Mina regaled him with all the details that she could remember of the evening. With each tale, Artemis fell into a deeper despondence. Curling himself up he buried his face.

At first he responded to her comments with an occasional "uh huh.", or "I see", while at the same time trying to keep the emotions under control. Finally, he became silent knowing that if he spoke up again the tears falling from his eyes would show up in his voice.

It took several minutes before Mina noticed the silence. When she did though she turned around to see her feline friend it was not the normal, jovial, Artemis she was use to seeing. Something wasn't right and she knew it.

Leaving the seat, she laid down on her bed next to her friend. Using her fingernails she softly stroking his clean white fur up and down. At first, there was no reaction from her feline friend indicating that the situation was worse than she suspected. Customarily he enjoyed the feeling of being petted, and the attention that Mina would give him during those times. After all, he may talk like a human, surround himself consistently with humans, and occasionally behave with very human characteristics, still like any cat being stroked in this manner was traditionally a primal pleasure.

"Artemis? Are you...all right with my wanting to see Shawn tomorrow? I guess in all the excitement I haven't done much thinking about how you feel about the situation. Are you against my seeing him?"

The questions put him at a disadvantage. While in the past, he had told a white lie or two in order to protect her feelings he couldn't bring himself to saying anything bad about the boy. He looked into those caring eyes of Mina Aino and saw nothing but love and compassion for him. He was tired of fighting it. He didn't have the strength to bear under the pressure anymore. He had to tell her.

"Mina, I am having a major problem with this. I've got nothing against Shawn personally. I know he cares for you more than anything in the world. His actions tonight are proof of that. Moreover, I want you to be the happiest women in the world. You deserve it more than anybody I know, even the other scouts."

Her cheeks reddened by the compliment.

"Do you know how much I love you Mina?", he added.

"I've always known that you loved me.", she admitted.

"I don't think you do. You see I've been trying to fight what I've been feeling for a long time Mina. I don't recall when I knew it. I don't know how it happened. It happened slowly, gradually, and snuck up on me so fast I never saw it coming. I tried to pretend it wasn't real but the harder I tried to ignore it the more forcefully it came back."

Laying down on her bed with one elbow propping up the upper half of her body Mina was confused by what she was hearing.

"What are you trying to tell me Artemis?"

His lips quivered for a few moments unsure of taking his final steps on this journey. Still he had gone this far and if he didn't get it out now he never would.

"Mina Aino. The fact of the matter is that I'm in love with you and have been for quite some time now."

Back at the kitchen work proceeded slowly but surely. While the girls wanted to put the fateful potion into everything, they learned early that some items couldn't be done. The powder could not be placed into the gelatin without disturbing the smooth surface of the desert. Avery put too much into one of the dishes causing it to change into a moldy green forcing the sisters to remake the appetizer.

Catsy not only supervised the activities but also worked as hard as any of the four. The other three took half hour shifts watching for anyone to possible come in. It gave them also a chance to take a rest. However as the leader of the mission Catsy wouldn't stop. There would be time for rest and sleep after this objective was achieved.

Still the other girls complained of Catsy ordering them around too much. They complained about how the menial labor was ruining their manicures, their soft skin, and their good looks. Normally a threat about what the Wiseman would do to them if they failed was enough to shut their mouths for a time and the work continued into the night.

Once the mixture had been mixed to hide the powder within Avery, Prizma, and Birdy was ready to leave. Catsy however knew the night wasn't over. All traces of their appearances had to be erased. The utensils used to combine the food and powder had to be cleaned. Because the dishwasher had been shut off for the evening this meant the only method of cleaning was old fashioned soapy water, hard scrubbing, dipping the soapy utensils in cold water, drying them completely with a towel, and putting them away in the right drawer.

When the girls complained this time about the water ruining their hands Catsy had enough of their complaining and bickering to the point where she lost her temper. Going over to Prizma and Avery, she bared her sharp claw fingernails, placing them underneath the jaws of her two sisters.

"One more word. Just one more word out of any of you and there will be a lot more ruined around here than just your hands. Understand me!"

No one doubted that Catsy meant what she said. One by one the other girls retreated to the sinks. Prizma gave a look like she'd rather deal with Rubeus and the Wiseman combined rather than put her hands in the hot soapy water. She made a disgusting face as the hands went in and scrubbed the first item, a spatchula. After a few seconds, Prizma dropped it into the cold water where Avery was ready to rinse before handing it to Birdy ready with a towel to dry.

"You call that clean? Try again and take one step closer to the sponge.", Catsy commanded.

Prizma started to open her mouth in protest when Catsy bared her claw again in her sister's face. The oldest sister wasn't fooling around any more. She didn't care if her other sisters hated her guts after this mission but she wasn't going to put up with any more of their insignificant squabbling this evening. Birdy shrank back not wanting to see her sister take out hostilities on her. Avery while as good a fighter as Catsy wasn't ready to prove it this evening, especially since she knew who was right in this matter. The mission had to take precedence over anything else.

One by one, each item that had been used was cleaned properly under Catsy's watchful eye. Each item was washed, dried and put away in its proper place. Once this distasteful activity for them was finished, they still weren't through. The sink that had been used for the washing had to be drained and dried or else when the workers came in the water stains would give away that someone had been inside during the night. Catsy using a large towel took care of this final detail, and then performed a visual sweep of the entire kitchen to make sure everything was the way the sisters had found it when they arrived that evening.

"All right. Now I know I've ridden you all pretty hard tonight...",Catsy started to say.

Avery rolled her eyes in sarcasm.

"You don't say. We hadn't really noticed." ,Avery spat back.

Catsy decided to ignore the comment. They had been working together for hours into the night. They were all a little tired, a little grouchy. She wasn't above taking a cheap shot for the sake of harmony now that their mission was complete for the evening.

"Be that as it may. You all did a good job. Now get some sleep. Tomorrow is the big night.

One by one the other sisters disappeared until only the eldest remained. She looked around one final time at the dark kitchen. Satisfied nothing had been missed she too left the scene.

Mina sat down on her bed in disbelief having great difficulty believing what she had just heard. It was almost more than she could have ever comprehended. She was unable to talk, to give any sort of response.

"I know what a shock this is to you. Believe me if things had not happened today I wouldn't have shared this information with you now."

"But...when?. How? I mean...", she stuttered and stammered.

The cat tried to compose himself. The girl was still bewildered but tried to look calm about the situation. Neither was very successful at their tasks.

"I can't say exactly when I knew. It isn't something that one day I wake up and said 'I'm in love with someone.'. It caught me off guard just as it's now done with you. It wasn't your eyes that I fell in love with first. It wasn't your hair either. It wasn't the way you walked, or talked. It wasn't your charm, grace, beauty. It wasn't anything that was physical or mental. I wound up falling in love with your whole package. I tried not to let it show. Therefore, I buried the feelings deep in my heart, tried to hide the emotions. I did it by putting on my best playful cat persona. Sometimes when we'd play I'd run away for no apparent reason. That was because my feelings for you were getting too close to the surface and I knew that a love like I was feeling could never be reciprocal."

She heard the anguish in his voice, the burden, and the hidden emotions that were now bubbling to the surface. She marveled at his being able to such a secret from her for so long. It was then that Mina was able to find her voice again.

"Why couldn't you tell me this before Artemis? Why the big secret? Do you think I wouldn't understand?"

"There were times when I wanted to but I didn't. This is a conversation I've had with myself countless times. I looked at the pros and cons of if I should tell you or not. Every time I saw a boy flirting with you at school I became jealous. I'd want to tell then but couldn't, in the last few months when I'd see a teenager even look at you I could feel the envy rising up within me. I looked for excuses to deny myself. Finally when Shawn came into town the feelings became too much to bear. I didn't expect what happened. Maybe I was so caught up in myself I couldn't think straight. Now as for the biggest question of all. Why? Why didn't I tell you before now?"

Pausing for a moment to catch his breath and self-control he looked at the young girl. His eyes showed what was in his heart for so long.

"Mina, pick me up."

Doing as instructed she picked up the white cat and let him sit on her lap. He sat in the gap between her yoga styled crossed legs. Instinctively Mina began to caress the dark fur on his right side while his left side rested comfortable against her stomach and chest. He wanted to enjoy the feeling but this was not the time.

"Tell me Mina, would you ever hold Shawn this way?"

At first, she didn't understand what he meant, and then it hit her. She would have her arms wrapped around Shawn's shoulders or waist with him looking directly at her. Then Shawn would do the same things in return. She couldn't picture ever-holding Artemis in such a manner.

Her arms loosened slightly allowing her faithful companion loose. Using his hind legs for support, he stretched the upper part of his body so that his face could rub against hers.

"Tell me Mina, when our cheeks touch do you feel the same warmth that you feel with Shawn?"

Lifting his head up he stretched his paws out to touch each side of her face on the cheeks. Mina began to see where this was leading.

"Could I ever caress your face the way he does? Can these paws ever wipe away your tears? Yes I've done so in the past but we both know it isn't the same."

He pressed one paw into her tender hand. The one that often pleased him with the stroking of his fur.

"All I can give you is the warmth of my fur, not the warmth of a human hand with fingers that could interlock with yours and hold each other as you walked down the street."

For a moment, she saw Artemis's face closing in on hers. Slowly as to not scare her, his face getting larger. He tried to show what he had in mind but found his respect for the young lady too great to do so. He simply whispered.

"Could I ever kiss you the same way Shawn can?"

The words were still difficult to pronounce. Even now, he wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing but at least he could stop pretending and keep part of himself secret.

"Oh Artemis. I'm so sorry. I should have known. I should have seen..." ,she apologized never having realized what she had been doing unknowingly to her friend.

The cat shook his head negatively.

"No, I worked very hard to keep this from you. For a long time it was easy to slip into 'cat mode' pretending I was nothing more than what you see. Still Mina no matter how much I wish things were different I am a cat. I was born a cat, raised a cat, live as a cat and one day will die as a cat. Nevertheless, even though I am in every physical way a cat I'm not a cat. I have very real human emotions. I think like a human, I feel like a hum... I...I love...like..."

At that point the words couldn't come. His tears fell from his dark eyes. It was more than he could handle. Still Mina was there to pick him back up and bring him close stroking him tenderly.

"Please, don't Mina.", he asked.

The young girl refused. After hearing such an intimate confession from his heart how could she in turn abandon him? She laid her back down on the bed bringing the feline to her chest sympathetic to his emotional well being as well.

"So would you prefer I not see Shawn tomorrow?", she asked.

His head popped up quickly in horror answering her question with conviction.

"NO! I would never ask you to do such a thing! I would never ask that of you. You've sacrificed so much already to be a sailor scout. The last thing I'd want is to deprive you of anything that would make you happy. Being with Shawn makes you happy. I know that. "

Mina smiled. Even with all he's going through, he was still more concerned about her happiness than his.

"Mina, I might be more than a little difficult to deal with, especially now that you know my secret. For a long time I was also afraid that eventually something would snap inside me and I'd start doing things that might make you wonder if I still cared for you anymore. The truth of the matter is that it isn't because I don't love you that I'd do these things. It would be because I do love you. I love you so...much. So please accept my apologies for anything I've done that hurt you and for anything I might do in the future. I guess I'm just afraid that there may be a day when you don't need me anymore."

Her fingers continued massage over his fur, showing him without words that this new revelation had not changed their relationship. She rested her head against his to whisper.

"Artemis, I can't ever imagine a time where I wouldn't need you, past, present or future. I'm sure I haven't been the easiest person in the world to deal with. Yet you've always been there for me. You've been one of the few constants I can always believe in. It would mean a lot to me though if you liked Shawn, I'd like to have the two special men in my life to be all right with each other."

A special man in her life? Artemis had never heard Mina refer to him in such a manner before. It comforted him to know she felt that way. It helped to calm, though not erase some of the fear he had been possessing.

"However, I won't force this on you. I won't ask you to feel in a way you honestly won't at this moment.", she finally added.

The white cat heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that all his fears had been for nothing. That this disclosure hadn't made their relationship weaker. On the contrary, he understood better than he ever had before just how mature his young charge had become, in return he could have sworn seeing a deeper look of respect coming from her blue eyes than he had ever seen before as he felt his eyes start to close, ready to sleep.