Author Note: Fairly sudden, but just found out I'll be out of town and won't be able to write that much this week or post a chapter for this coming week. So posting another chapter as a bonus to make up for the lack of one next week and buy some time for me to write some more once I get back.

Gūji = [Japanese] Chief priest of a Shinto shrine

Job Titles at Most Shrines (High to Low). (2013). In Becoming a Shintō Priest or Priestess: Titles-Roles of Men & Women Serving Shrines. Retrieved September 2, 2013, from ... (type "how to become a shinto priest, onmarkproductions" into your search engine and it should be the first link)

Miko = [Japanese] Shinto shrine maiden

Priest. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 2, 2013, from wiki/Priest

I don't own Sailor Moon and have tried to the best of my ability to site my references.

Takeuchi, N. (1991). Sailor Moon. Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha Ltd.

Chapter 7:

Minako started by sharing that her father, who was Finnish, was where she got her blonde hair, blue eyes, and last name. But that was the extent of his involvement as he married her mother and left her shortly thereafter, pregnant with a set of twins.

"Men suck," Rei scoffed, "I wish my father was out of my life." Her eyes widened when she realized what she just said, "S-Sorry! That was really insensitive of me! I didn't mean-"

"No, no, it's ok," Minako replied reassuringly, waving her hands in front of her as if waving away Rei's concern, "I never knew him so it doesn't bother me that he wasn't there. I don't think I missed anything by not having a dad."

"M-Mmn," Rei replied. Her gaze fell to her hand which was on the table, fiddling aimlessly with her sake cup, "My…Mama…she passed away from an illness when I was four."

"Oh, wow," Minako replied sympathetically, "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok," Rei shrugged, "It was a long time ago…I still miss her though."

"Of course," Minako said comfortingly.

"I don't really remember her that much," Rei continued as if almost talking to herself or to the inanimate sake cup in her hand, "People tell me that I look like her, but with black hair since she was a blunette. But what I really remember about her was her aura. It was always so…loving...so warm. When she would hold me, it was like...I would know everything would be ok."

She turned to look at Minako with musing, lavender eyes, "Her colors were so radiant."

Minako looked at Rei with confusion, "'Colors'? What do you mean?"

Rei chuckled and shook her head, pulling herself out of her musings, "Sorry, sometimes I forget that others can't see them. When I look at someone, I see their aura as a glow of light around their body and that's how I can read emotions. Everyone's aura gives off a different color that's unique to them. Grandpa always told me mine was a flame-red color so it's always been my favorite color since then. Mama's was always a golden-orange color."

"Wow," Minako said with intrigue, "That's really cool! So, when you look at me, what color is my aura?"

Rei smiled shyly as she looked into Minako's cerulean eyes, "Beautiful."

Minako blushed and averted her gaze, flattered by Rei's sincerity and honesty.

"Yours is…actually really similar to Mama's," Rei replied with a hint of surprise. She tilted her head slightly as she examined Minako's colors, "I've never met anyone that had a similar aura signature to her before. But yours is kind of more of an orange-gold color. It's really…comforting. "

Minako felt butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't help but become shy between the raven-haired woman's intense gaze and her honest words. She cleared her throat a little, "S-She sounds like a wonderful person."

"She was...from what I remember," Rei said. Both sat in silence for a few seconds, starting at their cups.

"My...Mom...died in a car accident during my second year of college," Minako said, breaking the silence. Rei's brought her empathetic gaze to Minako, who continued staring at her sake cup, "She always worked really hard, sometimes two to three jobs at a time to support Usa-neechan and me. Almost every day she was out working from 5:00am to sometimes 12:00am so Usa-neechan was kind of like my mom while I was growing up and we became really close."

She chuckled softly, "She's always fussing over me. Sometimes it's a little much, but I know it's because she loves me."

Minako sighed, "I knew that Mom loved us and worked so hard because she cared and wanted the best for us. But...sometimes it felt like we didn't even have a mom. It was always just the two of us."

She shook her head and smiled softly, "But we made it work and we had lots of fun together. We always supported each other in anything we did. So when Mom passed away, Usa-neechan and I had to find jobs to cover college tuition and expenses. She was able to land a fairly good job and was supporting me for a while until I started working part-time at Kirei. After working there for the first week, I found I was really good and I really liked working there. So I changed my major to Marketing and Advertising and helped to promote the store. I also began doing cosmetology school at the same time as going to college and working so I could get promoted and not burden Usa-neechan. It was a lot of work, but I figured since my mom was able to work so hard, I could too, right?"

She brought her sapphire gaze up to look at Rei as she smiled widely, "A year later after I finished cosmetology school I was promoted to head makeup artist and given a full-time position so I could pay for my last year of college on my own. I was pretty stoked about that."

As Rei listened intently to Minako, she found herself admiring the gorgeous blonde. Her positive energy seemed to bring life and light to her lonely, dark condo, She's gone through so much and yet she still has so much optimism in her aura. I want to see her smile like this all the time.

"And now look at me," Minako giggled, "'Morning Manager'...I still can't believe it. So even though I was really sad when Mom passed away, Usa-neechan always told me that things happen for a reason."

She blushed slightly, "I think if...if I didn't need to start working at Kirei…I might…I might not have ever met you."

It was Rei's turn to become shy. Minako was so sweet and had the purest heart of anyone she had ever known. She felt butterflies in her stomach under Minako's soft gaze.

"I-I see," Rei said as she cleared her throat a little, trying to compose herself, "S-So, where's your sister now?," she said, trying to change the subject.

"She lives here in Tokyo, but she travels a lot for work so I don't get to see her as much as I want. But we talk as often as we can," Minako replied. Even though Usagi was usually the mother-hen of the two, Minako was really protective of Usagi's privacy. She quickly changed the subject to avoid having Rei ask anything more about her sister, "How about you? Do you have any siblings?"

"No…well, kind of…," Rei began, "I was an only child, but my father had this college friend who later became a business colleague. He had an only child who's three years older than me. We practically grew up together and she's my best friends so I like to think of her as my older sister."

Rei paused as she thought about it and giggled, "Actually, I think she's more like an older brother than a sister. She's kind of a jock. Mama also had this high school friend who would come by all the time. She had an only child, too, who would hang out with me and my best friend pretty often. They're the same age. She's more like an older sister."

"So what're they up to nowadays?," Minako asked with interest.

"They actually started dating in high school and have been together ever since," Rei replied with a smile, her gaze a little distant as she thought of Haruka and Michiru's journey, "My best friend's father passed away a few years ago so she took over his…business. She travels a lot for work, too, but we call each other all the time. My other friend, her partner, is…in the arts."

Rei kept it vague, not wanting to out the fact that her best friend was Tenoh Haruka, daughter of Tenoh Sho, the first Japanese race car driver to make it big internationally in the sport and that her partner was Kaioh Michiru, the world-renowned prodigy violinist and painter. She casually steered the conversation away from her famous friends,

"My best friend knows about my abilities, but her partner and my grandfather are the only ones who really understand my abilities. When I was younger, I thought everyone was like me and could see and do what I could. Grandpa was the one who told me that I had a gift that was special to our family. He has it and so did Mama, but I guess mine is a lot stronger than theirs from what he's told me. He trained me while I was growing up to understand it, control it, and use it. Since then, I've mostly kept it to myself because the kids at school thought I was a freak and would call me 'strange' or 'weird' when I told them I had special abilities. Plus, because of the whole 'connection via proximity' thing, I just tended to…distance myself from people."

She looked at Minako shyly, "That is, until you."

Minako smiled and looked away bashfully as Rei chuckled to herself, "It feels kind of weird talking about it with someone other than my grandpa and my best friend and her partner."

Minako looked at Rei with concern as she smiled sincerely, "I really appreciate that you're sharing all this with me and I hope you know that I respect the fact you want to keep it secret. I don't think you're a freak at all. I actually think it's really cool. But I don't want you to force yourself or feel like you have to tell me these things if you don't feel comfortable talking about it."

"No, no, it's fine," Rei said reassuringly, "It's nice being able to be myself and not hide it. Besides, I know I can trust you." Rei didn't want to mention that she sensed Minako's protectiveness for her sister and knew Minako was someone who could be trusted when it came to privacy.

"Do you mind if I ask about your grandfather?," Minako asked tentatively, "I never knew my grandparents, but you sound really close to him. Was he around a lot while you were growing up?"

"He raised me after my mother passed away," Rei replied, "He's the gūji at the Hikawa Shrine so I was raised as a miko out there. He practically saved my life. I don't know where I'd be if I didn't have him."

"Whoa, really!? You were a miko!? I would have never guessed! That's so cool!" Minako exclaimed, she quickly blushed crimson, "S-Sorry about that," she said sheepishly regarding her outburst.

Rei chuckled amusingly in response, "I've never had that reaction before. Most people just think it's odd."

"Can you do, like, readings and fortune-telling and stuff?," Minako asked with intrigue.

"Yeah, I can," Rei replied proudly, "Because of my abilities, I was pretty good at it. Fire is my specialty, but I haven't done any serious readings since high school. Grandpa also trained me in martial arts and…," Rei caught herself before she said 'archery'. If Minako hadn't recognized her up until now, she most definitely would have if Rei made that connection for her, "…and I really miss the simplicity of that lifestyle."

Rei's face fell as her eyes began to swirl with a mix of sadness and anger, "But…," she paused.

"'But'?," Minako probed gently, seeing the change in Rei's demeanor. Rei took a breath, trying to rein in her emotions,

"But my sorry excuse of a father had to have his way," Rei said in a low voice, "When Mama passed away, he was too busy working at his precious company to even come back for the funeral or take care of his only daughter. That's the reason why my grandfather raised me. The only thing my father did was send checks once a month. He didn't even send a note, like I was some bill or obligation. I didn't want to have to depend on my father's stupid money or be a burden on Grandpa so when I entered high school I…got a job…to help support myself and I would send his checks back."

Rei didn't want to mention that the 'job' she got was doing archery competitions where she would use the prize money to support herself and pay for her private high school tuition so she could attend the same school her mother attended,

"I got into college on a sports scholarship that would help me pay for tuition," Rei continued, "I always dreamed of majoring in Religious Studies and, someday, taking over the shrine as head priestess. I saved enough money to pay for school supplies, books, and living expenses in the city to attend, but then Grandpa got really sick and had to be hospitalized for a while. The bills for that were...crushing. With that and the regular bills for the shrine, we ran out of money pretty quickly and were...drowning in debt. We were so close to losing the shrine. On top of that, Grandpa need at least half a year's worth of at-home care before he would be able to take care of himself again. So I…,"

Rei's hands balled into fists in her lap. Minako watched with a mix of concern and fear as Rei's eyes began tinting to an indigo color, "It was so...humiliating. There I was...in front of that loathsome man...asking for help. And, of course, in true, sleazy, businessman fashion, he wrote up a contract. A fucking contract! For his own daughter! It guaranteed that he would pay for Grandpa's hospital bills, the bills for the shrine, the live-in nurse that he would need while he was recovering, everything. He would even take care of anything I would need to attend college. But, in exchange, he would own the shrine and I would have to do what he wanted or he would tear it down and sell the property. It stipulated that I would have to major in Business and do promotional work for the company during my time in college. He also added in there that all my personal finances and any money I would make from then on would be considered company finances, not my own, so I would be forced to depend on him and wouldn't try to cut him out of my life like I did before. And, after I graduate, I'm supposed to take over the family business to 'continue paying off my loan' for him saving the shrine and Grandpa."

Her eyes narrowed, her voice lowered to a dangerous tone, "I...nearly...lost it on him. The company that took him away, the one he chose over Mama, over me, I'd not only be working for it, but eventually running it! It...It made me sick!"

Hopelessness seemed to wash over Rei as she relaxed her hands from being balled tightly for so long. Her voice was nearly a whisper, "But...but I had no other choice. I needed the money...Grandpa needed care and I...I need to...save our home. So…I signed it."

Her eyes returned to their amethyst color and were filled with a haunting sadness as she stared into the distance at nothing in particular, "It was so weird at first. I was still doing school, practice, and competing like any normal college athlete but I was anything but normal outside of that. I was introduced to a very different lifestyle having to promote the company and be part of the whole glitz and glam of it all, always being scrutinized, always having to be perfect. I had to adjust fairly quickly. Sometimes I feel like two different people, one who's worldly, sophisticated, and able to navigate the bougie scene and one who just wants to hide away from the world to live a simple, humble life. Most times I feel like a hypocrite."

She sighed, looking as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders, "At least I was able to negotiate an addendum to my contract that allowed for a short moratorium between when I graduate from college and when I start working full-time at the company…kind of like my 'last hurrah'. It actually starts this coming Sunday."

As Minako listened intently to the raven-haired woman, she began seeing who Rei really was: someone deeply loyal, strong, proud, but also extremely lonely. Her heart ached to hear how Rei had to face such adversity and had become a prisoner in so many ways, Even after all that with her mother, her father, and her abilities, she can still be so kind and gentle, she thought reflecting on their earlier interactions. She shuddered at the thought of where Rei would be if she didn't have the support and love of her friends and grandfather growing up.

And…she trusts me, Minako thought. She vowed in that moment to never betray the beautiful woman's trust.

After a short silence, Rei shook her head as if coming out of a daydream, "Wow! I just started word-vomiting all over, didn't I? I don't know where all that came from." She laughed nervously, "I'm so sorry for boring you with my life story. I'm sure you didn't want to hear about all that. I-mmm!"

Rei's eyes widened as she took a sharp intake of air through her nose, Strawberries…, was all Rei could think as she registered the scent she took in. Everything happened so fast, she didn't have time to react or comprehend what was going on. Strong, warm, orange-golden emotions quickly flooded her senses…Protectiveness, Sincerity, Empathy…Rei was being pulled in and enveloped in it.

It feels so…safe. Everything's going to be okay, she thought as she closed her eyes and felt her anger, loneliness, and hurt melt away. She allowed herself to fall into the welcoming emotions.

Her lips are softer than I thought, Minako thought as she breathed in the raven-haired woman's vanilla scent. Listening to Rei's story and watching the pain and sadness in the agonizingly beautiful woman's amethyst eyes, she was overcome with a strong desire to protect her and save her from her loneliness. She couldn't help herself and ended up leaning in to softly kiss the raven-haired woman on the lips.

Rei hesitated at first but quickly returned the kiss. Minako began moving her lips against Rei's, gently exploring her taste. Rei returned the action in kind just as softly, enjoying the sensations.

When the kiss ended, both women let out a sigh of content. They opened their eyes at the same time and stared at each other.

My first kiss, Rei thought as she smiled softly at the gorgeous blonde, "Thank you…Minako."

"No, thank you, Rei-chan," Minako whispered, "Thank you for trusting me."

Minako blinked and her eyes widened as if remembering something. She quickly jumped back, "Gods! I'm so sorry, Rei-chan! I forgot about the whole 'close proximity' and 'touching' thing with your abilities! Are you okay!?"

Rei blinked blankly back at Minako a few times before she began to giggle, which turned into a wholehearted laugh. Minako, seeing Rei almost fall out of her chair from laughing, eventually joined in.

When their laughter began dying down, Rei was the first to speak, "Yeah, I'm fine, Minako." She glanced over at the kitchen, "Since we've been around each other for a few hours now, I've been able to adjust to your aura mostly, if not completely, already." She winked at the blonde, "The hug you gave me earlier didn't hurt in making that process go quicker also."

"A few hours!?," Minako practically yelled. She looked around and her eyes landed on the stove clock, "Wow, 1:00am already? Damn! Where did the time go?"

"I know, I didn't notice it myself until I looked at the clock just now," Rei replied, "But I am enjoying your company and getting to know you. Since we haven't really touched the sake, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste since it's a pretty expensive brand. Do you want to keep going until we kill it?"

"Mmn, sure!" Minako replied enthusiastically. Rei poured them another round and they toasted again before shooting their sake.

"So," Rei said as she poured them another glass, "I told you about my future plans, if you can call them that. How about you? Do you plan on staying at Kirei? You're really talented. Would you want to strike out on your own?"

"I…I don't know," Minako hesitated, "I mean…I like what I do and I thought about possibly starting my own line of products, but...I don't know. I still feel like a little kid pretending to be an adult. I want to enjoy being young and having fun, you know?"

Rei nodded, "Yeah, that's why I really pressed hard for my moratorium. I just wanted some time to relax and not do…anything. I just want to enjoy life, maybe travel, visit Grandpa, something before I have to put on a power-suit and hate the rest of my life. At least I'm hoping to make some fun memories during this time to look back on while my soul's being eaten alive by the family business."

"Wow, so dramatic, Rei-chan," Minako teased, "I know it sucks, but you make it sound like this is your last meal or something."

"It kind of is," Rei huffed, trying to keep a serious face but couldn't help letting out a chuckle. It was so easy to talk to Minako, even about the not-so-pleasant parts of her life. She made it so easy for Rei to be herself.

Minako smiled, happy that she was able to keep Rei from slipping back into anger and sadness, I wish I could make her smile and laugh like this all the time. I don't want her to ever feel sad or alone again.

"Oh, speaking of your work," Minako said as a realization came to her, "You never did show me your office. Can I see it?"

"U-Ummm…," Rei began hesitantly. Even though she was becoming more comfortable around Minako and knew she was someone trustworthy, she was still afraid of how Minako would react once she put together who she really was, If she sees my archery equipment and trophies, she'll probably freak out!

"I…I like to keep my work private so…I hope you don't mind," Rei said apologetically.

Minako could tell Rei had been avoiding talking about the specifics of her work since they met. She wanted to respect her privacy but that didn't mean she wouldn't use this opportunity to her advantage. She lighten the mood the one way she knew how: teasing and flirting.

"I get it," Minako said with a sly grin as she giggled, "You're probably hiding some fantasy sex room in there with red walls, leather tie-ups, and whips or something. That's why you don't want me to see it because you think my innocent, little, blonde head would explode from fright, huh?"

Rei blinked at first, but quickly realized what Minako was doing and was grateful that the smaller woman took the hint and changed the subject. She smirked at Minako,

"Look who's ecchi now?," Rei quipped with a smirk, "What would you know about that stuff, anyways?," she challenged playfully.

"I'll have you know, Rei-chan," Minako said seductively as she leaned in closer. Rei froze as the blonde closed the distance between them, stopping just inches from her, "Even though I'm blonde and have big, blue doe-eyes...don't underestimate me. I'm not as innocent as I look." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs provocatively as she shot her sake slowly, eying Rei behind hooded eyes.

Rei found herself breathless as she watched the blonde creature in front of her. Rei couldn't help but imagine her head to toe in black leather, holding chains. Surprisingly, the image seemed to fit her. Rei's intense gaze trailed from her sapphire eyes, down to her cheeks, down to her alluring lips which were parted slightly to allow a tongue to slowly drag from one corner to the other suggestively.

Fuck...she's so hot!, was the only thought that came to Rei's mind.

Minako grinned triumphantly as she watched Rei's reaction to her antics. The beautiful, raven-haired woman's jaw had dropped and she was openly gaping.

"So, how much you getting paid to babysit that drink, Rei-chan?" Minako teased. Rei blinked and shut her mouth with an audible click. She shook her head, bringing herself back to reality. Accepting the challenge, she flicked her hair behind her shoulder and didn't take her eyes off Minako as she brought her cup to her lips and knocked back her sake expertly. She slammed the cup down and began filling her cup again.

"I'll have you know," Rei said confidently, "Even though I was raised as a miko in a shrine, I'm really good at drinking. My best friend taught me how to hold my liquor and is the only person who's ever out-drank me. Not even the soccer team from her high school could keep up with us when we played Century Club with them."

"Oh really?," Minako raised an eyebrow, "Well, isn't that a coincidence. It's an honor to finally meet another member of the club."

Rei narrowed her eyes slightly at Minako, "Huh, you really are a member aren't you? I'm impressed."

"Hey!," Minako exclaimed with feigned annoyance, "Did you just use your abilities to see if I was lying!?"

"Maybe," Rei replied with a playful wink.

"Cheater!," Minako huffed, "So, then, how do I know that you're not lying and just talking big game?"

"Well, we could play with the rest of the bottle," Rei suggested, "We've both had three shots each so far. Beer usually has 4-5% ABV, right? This stuff has 18% so even though there's only enough for about 30 minutes, it'll definitely have the same effect if not more."

Minako thought for a bit and slid her glass towards Rei, "You're on."

Author Note: I'm not too proud of this chapter. I don't think the writing in it is my best, probably because of how information-dense it is with such limited action/movement. Like I said, this scene in Rei's condo is long so bear with me!

I don't condone underage, unsafe alcohol-consumption practices. This is a fiction piece.

Fun Fact: Catch the subtle nod to Minako's senshi weapon? ;)

In case you're wondering, Aino is actually a female character from a Finnish epic poem called The Kalevala by Elias Lönnrot. Seemed to work out well as part of Minako's back-story to explain her physical characteristics so I borrowed it for a bit. ^_^

Aino (mythology). (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 2, 2013, from wiki/Aino_%28mythology%29

Again, constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated!

(updated 09/2013)