Author Note: Another information-dense chapter like Chapter 7. Well, at least the end of this chapter is.

Senshi = [Japanese] "soldier", "warrior", "guardian", or "fighter". When referring to people, I use it more as "guardian". When referring to other things, it's more "warrior" or "fighter".

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 12:

Since Makoto would have to go back into the kitchen from time to time during the event, Minako decided it would be best to put her long, slightly wavy, brown hair up in a high ponytail to keep it out of the way as well as meet food-safety regulations. Fearing a hair ribbon could potentially get caught on something, Minako opted to use an elastic hair tie to hold most of Makoto's hair up and in place. Wanting to still be within the color-scheme of the wedding, she chose one with two, teal, spherical beads from her hair-styling supply.

Even though Makoto's hair had to be put up, it didn't mean she couldn't have some flare, right? Minako allowed two strips of hair to flow freely down either side of Makoto's face and used a curling iron and a quick dusting of hair spray to keep them in place. Once she finished with Makoto's makeup, which she kept simple, she straightened and stepped back to examine her work,

"Ok, I think you're good, Kino-san," Minako said cheerfully with an approving nod. I hope Ami-chan approves also!, she giggled to herself.

"Great! Thanks, Aino-san!," Makoto replied as she got up from the couch and walked towards the full-length mirror to examine herself.

"You're up, Haru-chan," Minako called towards Haruka, who was at the bar, happily munching on some veggies.

"Oh, coming!," Haruka said as she quickly swallowed the carrot she was chewing on before she began laughing, "Haha! That's what she said!"

Rei, who was standing next to Haruka, leaning against the bar and enjoying some fruit, rolled her eyes and shoved her best friend towards the couch with one hand, "Rude," she chided evenly.

"Oh, c'mon, Rei. You know you were thinking it, too," Haruka said playfully over her shoulder as she went to the couch and sat down. Rei scoffed and returned to picking at the fruit platter.

"You're such a twelve-year-old boy, Haru-chan," Minako chided playfully as she shook her head and began quickly styling the race car driver's short, thick, blonde hair with a small amount of hair wax, "How does Michi-chan put up with you?"

"She can't resist my killer smile and charming wit," Haruka said with a smirk. She shrugged casually as she sighed dramatically, "No one can, really. It's a gift." She looked at Minako and wagged her eyebrows flirtatiously, "Want to put it to the test, Mina-chan?," she asked mischievously with a playful tone.

"Pass," Minako replied with playful disinterest as she began applying Haruka's makeup, "Both of us are too young to die and I wouldn't want to put poor Rei-chan in a position where she'd have to explain to little Hotaru-chan why her Michiru-mama had to go to jail for double murder."

She glanced up at Rei briefly, whose eyes were trained on the fruit platter as she push the pieces casually around with a fork, trying to pretend she wasn't intently listening in on their conversation. Minako blushed slightly before her gaze returned to Haruka as she continued with her makeup, "Plus, I'm already seeing someone with an amazing gift of her own," she said in a softer tone.

She glanced up at Rei again and saw a slight blush appear on the archer's pale cheeks. A small, bashful smile began pulling at the corner of her alluring lips. Minako smiled softly at the sight.

Haruka smirked knowingly as she watched Minako sneak glances over her shoulder at her best friend, "Good answer," she whispered approvingly, bringing Minako out of her musings.

Minako cleared her throat softly as she brought her attention back to Haruka, "Now, shut up and sit still so I can finish," she chided firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," Haruka chuckled obediently. Minako smiled to herself as she heard a smooth voice chuckle softly from the direction of the bar.

By the time Minako began working on Rei, she had only used up nine of the twenty minutes Setsuna had provided. She decided to let Rei's dark mane flow naturally down her back and so was able to immediately begin working on the archer's makeup. As she worked, she noticed Makoto was standing anxiously near the front doors, checking her watch every few moments. Haruka, on the other hand, was standing near the couch with her arms crossed and her head tilted as she watch with subtle interest as Minako worked on Rei.

"You guys don't have to wait for us, you know," Minako said, addressing Makoto and Hakura as she continued to work, "Especially you, Kino-san. I'm almost done so you two can go ahead. We should be right behind you."

"Sounds good!," Makoto said a little too eagerly with a hint of relief underlying her tone as she checked her watch yet again and turned towards the front doors, "Thanks again, Aino-san. I'll see you all soon!," she called over her shoulder as she opened the door quickly and walked out.

Haruka stayed where she was. A sly, knowing smirk pulled at her lips and she chuckled, "Maybe I should stay and chaperone the two of you?," she said teasingly as she eyed Minako, who was still focused on applying makeup to Rei's face, and Rei, who was sitting patiently on the couch, "I don't want to have to tell Setsuna and Michiru why we have to start the ceremony late if you two decide to get frisky now. They'd probably kill both of you and have my head for good measure."

"Mou, Haruka!," Rei said with irritation as a dark blush formed on her cheeks from embarrassment, "Shut the fuck up and go!"

"Mou, Haru-chan!," Minako said with annoyance as she straightened and began fanning Rei's face with her hand, "I won't be able to get Rei-chan's makeup right if you keep hanging around making her blush like this!"

"Haha! Sorry!," Haruka laughed.

"Anyways, I need you to go downstairs and tell Setsuna-chan that we'll be done on time so she doesn't get worried," Minako said as she turned to get a different palette from her makeup station, "We'll be down once I finish with Rei-chan and pack a few things to bring with me for Hotaru-chan." She paused for a moment, "That is, unless Rei-chan tries to get fresh with me," she said teasingly. She turned and winked playfully over her shoulder at the archer, "Try to restrain yourself, ok, Rei-chan? We're in a time crunch here."

"H-Hey!," Rei said with feigned annoyance as she began blushing more.

"I thought you said you couldn't work on her if she's blushing," Haruka said accusingly with a hint of playfulness.

"She's already blushing so I might as well take advantage of the moment and get some good teasing in, right?," Minako giggled in reply as she returned to her makeup station and continued rummaging through her collection.

"Damn opportunist," Rei mumbled under her breath as she turned away and let out an exasperated scoff.

Haruka chuckled at her best friend's expense, She totally knows how to cut through Rei's defenses. I would have never thought of it, but Mina-chan's absolutelyperfect for Rei!

"Ok, you crazy kids," Haruka continued to chuckle as she turned to the door. She opened it and walked out, "See you soon!"

"Alright, now for the eye shadow," Minako said as the door clicked shut behind Haruka, "Close your eyes."

Rei huffed but obeyed, expecting to feel a soft eye shadow sponge slide across her eyelids. Instead, Rei felt lips hungrily pressing against her own. Soft, familiar hands came up to cup Rei's face, tilting her head back slightly, urging her to deepen the kiss. The couch shifted beneath her as Rei felt the smaller woman climb on top of her, straddling her with her knees. Teeth gently raked Rei's lower lip desperately while a needy tongue begged for access. Rei's senses were filled with the hint of strawberries as an overwhelming orange-gold wave surge through her. Giving in to the sudden sensations, Rei parted her lips, allowing their tongues to explore each other's delicious taste. Rei brought one hand up to caress the back of Minako's neck, pulling her closer. Her other hand had found a place on Minako's hip and began massaging sensually.

When the passionate kiss ended, Minako rested her forehead on Rei's, panting for air. Rei, who was also breathless and panting heavily, slowly opened her rare, violet eyes to take in the image of the gorgeous blonde panting above her. Minako's eyes were still closed as she tried to catch her breath and calm down. Rei's eyes widened as she took in Minako's aura, which was flaring like an orange-gold flame around her lithe body. It was so intense, Rei half-expected...maybe even half-hoped?...for it to burn like a real fire.

As Rei watched, captivated by this new form Minako's aura took on, she felt a struggle within that beautiful aura. There was a fierce, fiery passion at its brink being combated by a restraint that was struggling desperately to keep it under control. As she analyzed it more, it slowly became clearer to Rei that she was the reason behind the struggle. She was slightly taken aback by the knowledge of how strongly she affected the gorgeous blonde.

"Thank the Gods, I thought they would never leave," Minako panted softly as she licked her lips, "I've been wanting to kiss you since I walked in the room."

Rei chuckled at Minako's words, "So, Aino-san," she said teasingly, allowing the hand she had on Minako's neck to fall and rest on her other hip, "Do you make it a habit of making out with your clients while you're working?"

Minako smirked, "Only clients I find sexy as hell, Hino-san," she quipped. Minako slowly opened her dazzling, sapphire eyes and quickly became mesmerized by Rei's intense, amethyst eyes that stared back at her, "And you're the only client I have that fits the bill."

Rei watched as Minako's breathing gradually slowed as she regained composure over herself, her aura returning to its familiar, warm glow, "Plus," Minako continued, "It's not my fault your kisses are so addictive."

"So, tell me, Aino-san, which one of us has to exercise restraint?," Rei challenged teasingly as she smirked.

"Shut up, Rei-chan," Minako chided playfully. As Rei giggled in response, Minako brought her hands down to Rei's shoulders and pushed herself back so she was sitting up, "You sick of my aura yet?," she asked playfully.

"Never," Rei replied with a smile, "And, if you want to talk about addictive, your aura should come with a government warning label."

"Flirt," Minako said coyly, "But I'm glad you're still ok with me being this close to you because you're really comfortable and I don't want to get up just yet."

"Sounds good to me," Rei said. She leaned in slightly as a sly smile pulled at her lips, "Plus, I kind of like having you on top," she said in a low, suggestive tone.

Minako froze and closed her eyes tightly, taking deep, slow breaths through her nose as she bit her lip. Rei saw Minako's aura flare briefly as she felt the muscles in Minako's thighs clench and her grip on her shoulders tightened slightly. As Minako's body relaxed again, her aura returned to its natural state and she slowly opened her piercing, cobalt eyes,

"For someone who's never been with anyone before, you're such a fucking tease," Minako whispered as she looked at Rei through hooded eyes. She suddenly turned serious and cupped Rei's face gently, stroking the pale woman's cheeks with her thumbs.

Rei felt Minako's aura shift quickly to…Hesitation? Fear? She looked at Minako with confusion, "Minako, are you ok? You're scared. What are you afraid of?"

Minako sighed heavily, "The kiss was my fault, you're just so damn irresistible, Rei-chan," she said hesitantly, "I'm just...I'm really trying to take it slow and not rush you into anything. I want to make sure that...that when we do things, it's what you want too and not because I'm forcing you or because my aura's invading you. I don't want you to regret anything," She closed her eyes briefly and took a deep breath before she opened her eyes again and continued, "I'm…I'm really afraid of...of not being able to control myself around you. Everything you are...everything you do...makes me want to be near you and it...also make me...want you." She blushed slightly as she looked away, "So it's...it's hard enough already trying not to jump you every second I'm around you...without your innuendos."

Rei looked at Minako with a mix of sadness and concern as she now understood the struggle she saw in Minako's aura. She reached up and gently brushed a stray blonde hair behind her ear, "I'm sorry, Minako. I didn't mean to tease you like that," she said sincerely, "I can tell that you're trying to hold yourself back. I appreciate it but, please, don't ever stop being yourself just for my sake. I know how affectionate you are and that's one of the things I like about you. Remember, I agreed that if we do this I'd be honest and talk to you about how I'm feeling. But I need you to trust me. I'll be sure to let you know if I'm not ok with something." Though Rei could feel that Minako was still a little hesitant, she was glad at least that Minako began to relax a bit from her words,

"Ok," Minako sighed and nodded slowly, "I'll...I'll trust you." She smirked softly, "I guess it's the least I can do if you're willing to trust me being myself and risking a possible attack on you whenever I get the chance."

"That sounds pretty fair to me," Rei chuckled. She wrapped her arms around Minako, bringing her closer, "And, about my abilities, I already have Haruka and Michiru fussing over me all the time about it so I don't need you doing that, too. Plus, I've already gotten used to your aura so it won't affect me unless I let it." She lowered her voice to a seductive whisper, "And, trust me, Minako," she said as she brought her hand to the back of Minako's neck, urging her to lean closer, "I really want it to affect me. Starting now."

Minako moaned in Rei's mouth as they started another passionate kiss. This time, Rei was the aggressor, capturing Minako's lower lip and gently sucking on it. Her tongue fought for dominance against Minako's as her hands desperately tried to bring Minako's body closer to her own.

Suddenly, Rei froze and her eyes shot wide open. Minako, noticing the sudden change in Rei's actions, broke the kiss and opened her eyes to look at the beautiful woman.

"Wh-What's wrong, Rei-chan?" Minako asked, panting. Rei stared blankly into the distance, her eyes glazed over.

"I'm really sorry, Minako, but you have to get off of me. Now. You have 15 seconds," Rei said flatly.

"W-Wait, what?," Minako asked, concern evident in her voice, "What happened? Did I...Did I do someth-"

"10 seconds," Rei interrupted, a slight hint of panic evident in her tone. She blinked a couple times and her eyes returned to their intense, amethyst color as they focused on the gorgeous blonde. Tightening her grip around Minako, she quickly stood up, bringing Minako with her so that they were both standing. Minako continued to look at her with stunned confusion as Rei brought her hands up to Minako's shoulders and carefully, but firmly, pushed her back so she was at arm's length away from her. Rei quickly took a couple steps away, increasing the distance between them as she turned to face the front doors.

A sharp pang of hurt shot through Minako's heart as Rei moved and turned away from her as if she were some social pariah.

Shick...Click Click!

Before Minako could ask Rei what was going on, her attention was drawn to the front doors as the sound of a key card being slid and the doors unlocking was heard. She watched as one of the doors slowly opened.

"Hi, Firefly," Rei greeted Hotaru with a warm smile as the child peeked her head into the room, "Did Haruka-papa send you up here to check on us?"

"Yep!," Hotaru responded cheerfully, "Haruka-papa said if I came up here and surprised you two, Setsuna-mama would give Mina-neechan a couple more minutes to do my makeup!"

"That fucking asshole," Rei muttered under her breath as she half-turned to look at Minako with apologetic, violet eyes. She knew, somewhere downstairs, Haruka was probably laughing her head off at the idea of little Hotaru walking in on them making out or possibly even…Rei shook her head slightly, chasing the idea away.

Though Rei's comment was soft enough for Hotaru not to hear, Minako was able to pick it up and finally understood what Rei had done. She stepped forward and brought a hand up to Rei's back, rubbing it reassuringly, "Another example of how I should just trust you," Minako said warmly as she smiled at the beautiful, raven-haired woman in understanding.

Rei sighed with relief and smiled softly at Minako. She felt Minako's aura emitting understanding and she was glad that the painful confusion and hurt she felt earlier from being forced abruptly away was no longer evident.

Minako brought her attention to the young girl, "C'mon, Hotaru-chan, let's do your makeup right now and then we'll all go downstairs together."

"Yay!," Hotaru exclaimed as she ran into the room and jumped on the couch, waiting patiently while Minako turned to her station and began pull out some palettes to use on the young girl.

"Wait, what about me?" Rei asked with confusion.

"Mataku, Rei-chan, it's not always about you, you know?," Minako teased. She turned and handed Rei a slender tube from her collection, "And, besides, you're pretty much done. I finished with your makeup a few seconds before Haru-chan left the room, all except for the lip-gloss and I'm sure you can do that yourself."

Rei stared back with a puzzled look as she dumbly took the tube of lip-gloss. She then narrowed her eyes at Minako and smirked, "You little minx."

"I get what I want," Minako said coyly as she stuck her tongue out at Rei. Rei shook her head with amused astonishment and sat down next to Hotaru on the couch as Minako knelt down and began working on Hotaru's makeup.

"You know," Minako said to Rei while working on Hotaru, "I knew…I knew I've seen you before when we met at Kirei. It's that darn smirk of yours!"

Rei laughed nervously as she brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck, "S-Sorry, I was afraid you'd freak out and become a fangirl if I told you who I was." She looked down at the floor and blushed, "I...I really liked you, so I...I didn't want you to like me just because I'm the Flame Sniper."

Her lavender eyes quickly went to Minako, "But I hope you know I wasn't trying to lie to you or anything," she rushed to say, "When we were at my place and talked about family and growing up, everything I told you was true, I just…omitted some things."

"Like how your father owns the biggest sports supply chain in Japan and your childhood friends are an international race car champion and a world-renowned prodigy violinist and painter?," Minako teased as she raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Rei, who's blush darkened significantly,

"Well, I guess you weren't the only one keeping secrets," Minako admitted as she looked back towards Hotaru and continued working. She blushed slightly, "I really liked you, too, and I...I got a little nervous when you started asking about Usa-neechan. I didn't want you to like me just because my twin sister's a famous supermodel."

"I really like both of you!," Hotaru said cheerfully.

"Thanks, Firefly," Rei chuckled as she reached out and patting Hotaru on the head briefly.

"Thank you, Hotaru-chan," Minako said warmly as she smiled at the young girl, "That's a very nice thing to say." She got up from where she was kneeling and went back to her station to pick out other products to use, "It makes a lot of sense now why you said you understand better than anyone the value of privacy," Minako said sincerely, addressing Rei, "I can't tell you how much it bothers me when Usa-neechan gets hoarded by fans or papparazi. I'm always so afraid she's going to get hurt." She shrugged and sighed as she turned back around, knelt down in front of Hotaru, and continued working, "But she loves it."

"So, I'm still unclear about something," Rei said in a puzzled tone, "Why do you and Odango have different last names? Is 'Tsukino' like a stage name or something?"

"Kind of," Minako explained, "She didn't want people to know her real name when she got into the business. Her last name is still 'Aino' officially, but 'Tsukino' is our mother's maiden name. Because of our blonde hair and blue eyes, her agency thought it would make her more marketable and exotic if she had a more Japanese-sounding last name with a foreigner's look."

"I guess that makes sense," Rei nodded. She smirked as she shook her head, "I still can't believe we've never met before even though we know pretty much the same people."

"Haru-chan and Michi-chan are always talking about their 'little sister' and how she was an athlete of sorts, but they were always pretty quiet when it came to specifics," Minako replied. She smirked, "They never mentioned that she was the archer of Japan."

Rei chuckled, "Yeah, Haruka and Michiru always had pretty good stories when it came to hanging out with Odango and her little sister." She smiled shyly as she looked away, "They never once mentioned how attractive Odango's sister was," she said softly, almost to herself.

"You mean they never mentioned I was a 'sexy, blonde bombshell'?," Minako smirked. She looked up at Rei who was doing a really good imitation of a tomato.

"S-Sorry!…A-About that-," Rei stuttered.

"It's ok, Rei-chan, I'm flattered by it," Minako giggled as she returned her focus to Hotaru. She mercifully changed the subject, "So, since we're sharing everything now, I remember you mentioned that your grandfather and your best friend's partner are the only two who really understand your abilities. I'm guessing that's Michi-chan?"

"Michiru-mama can see colors like Rei-niichan!," Hotaru chimed in.

"Really!?," Minako said as she pulled away slightly in surprise.

"Hotaru," Rei said with a slight warning tone as she turned to her 'adopted niece', "Remember what we talked about when it comes to my and Michiru-mama's secret?"

"Oops," Hotaru said sheepishly. She knew when Rei used her given name, she was in trouble. She turned to Rei apologetically, "Sorry, Rei-niichan."

Rei sighed and half-smiled as she rested her hand on Hotaru's shoulder, "That's ok, Firefly. Just be careful next time." Her gaze shifted towards Minako, "Luckily, Mina-neechan's a senshi so it's ok to talk about it with her."

"'Senshi'?," Minako asked with confusion.

"When Firefly was younger, I used to read these children's books to her about a group of girls that called themselves 'senshis' who had superpowers and guarded the Earth from evil," Rei explained, "Since then, Michiru and I have used it as a code-word to refer to someone we consider safe with our secret."

"Like Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama!," Hotaru exclaimed.

"Yeah, just like Haruka-papa and Setsuna-mama," Rei chuckled as she looked to her 'adopted niece' and patted her on the head. When she turned back to look at Minako, she saw her orange-gold aura swaying with wonder, her cobalt eyes appeared to be swimming with questions, "It's ok, Minako, you can ask about Michiru. I can tell you want to."

"W-Well," Minako said hesitantly, "I-I thought you said your gift was special to your family. So...is Michi-chan related to you? No, wait, you said her mom was a high school friend of your mom's, right?"

"Yes, no, and yes," Rei replied with a smirk, "Yes, my abilities are unique to my family. No, Michiru isn't related to me and, yes, her mom was a high school friend of Mama's. Michiru's a...special case. Her story is actually pretty amazing. Mama saved Michiru's life."

"Whoa, what!?" Minako said with shock and disbelief, "What do you mean!?"

"Well, from what Grandpa told me, Michiru's mother had complications while she was pregnant with Michiru," Rei explained. Her violet gaze went to the ceiling as she thought, "I don't remember exactly what the circumstances were, but she ended up bleeding internally and needed a blood transfusion. She not only almost lost Michiru but she almost died herself. Luckily, Mama was a blood match and was able to saved them both."

Rei's gaze returned to Minako, who was intently taking in the information Rei was providing, "While Michiru was growing up, she started telling her mother how she saw people's colors. Her mother told Mama about it because she had a sense it had something to do with the transfusion. It was then Grandpa and Mama realized that my family's abilities were carried specifically in our DNA. So, when Michiru's mom had the transfusion with Mama's blood, Mama unknowingly passed a little of our family abilities to Michiru."

"Wow...," Minako breathed with awe, "That's...so crazy! It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie or an anime."

"I know, right?" Rei replied, "The difference between Michiru and me is that she can only see people's colors. They basically look like a halo around people's bodies and are pretty static so she can't read them like I can. To me, people's colors are really dynamic and react as people feel different emotions. Like, for example, yours looks like a raging fire when you-," She stopped herself, remembered Hotaru was still in the room, "-get excited," she coughed. Minako blushed, catching the implication.

"Anyway," Rei continued quickly, "She also can't tap into them like I can to read thoughts. But, she does have an unusually heightened intuition. Since her mom has pretty good intuition for a regular person, Michiru thinks Mama's blood just enhanced that ability in her."

So that's why Michi-chan's intuition is so insanely accurate!, Minako smirked to herself as she remembered having to lock herself in the bathroom earlier because of it.

"Another thing is Michiru's hair," Rei continued, "Everyone thought it was weird she was born with teal-colored hair since no one in her family has that color. Michiru thinks it has something to do with her mom being blonde and my mom being a blunette. She's been working with this scientist-friend of hers for a while now trying to find out more about my family's abilities." Rei snapped her fingers as a thought came to her and she spoke aloud to herself, "Which reminds me, I need to ask Michiru about what she's found so far."

"'Scientist-friend'?," Minako said mostly to herself as she went back to finishing Hotaru's makeup, "That must be Ami-chan."

"'Ami-chan'?" Rei asked.

"Michiru-mama said Ami-neechan's a senshi too!," Hotaru said excitedly to Rei.

"Great!," Rei replied to Hotaru. She then looked to Minako, "So...who is she, exactly?," she asked curiously.

"Her name's Mizuno Ami," Minako explained, "She's a high school friend of mine and Usa-neechan's. She's a doctor in residency in the States, but she's also a really prominent researcher on genetics and DNA. When Usa-neechan and Michi-chan became friends in college, she introduced me and Ami-chan to her at the same time and we all became friends. She's actually one of Michi-chan's bridesmaids."

"Really!? That's perfect!," Rei said excitedly. She suddenly paused and looked at the clock, "Speaking of which, I think we're going to be late."

"No, we're not!," Minako said triumphantly as she stood up, "Just finished!"

"Thanks, Mina-neechan!" Hotaru sang cheerfully.

"You're welcome, Hotaru-chan," Minako replied. She turned and quickly packed up her stations.

Once she was done, she turned back around, "Now, let's get going before Setsuna-mama and Michiru-mama kill us!"

Author Note: This chapter started out kind of short. As I editing, I began adding more and more things so now it's a little longer than it originally was. Yay! ^_^

Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated!

(updated 09/2013)