Disclaimer: I do not own any Sailor Moon characters.

Author's Note: English is not my first language. Please be gentle with me.

ASSASSIN'S LOVE

CHAPTER EIGHT – MY GIRLFRIEND

Far from the organization's building, Makoto had brought Minako to her training field where she always practiced her sniping skills. They were on top of a hill nearby. Minako was lying down on the ground, getting ready for her shooting. She pointed her sniper rifle at her target, a human-shaped target board located about three kilometers away. She took a deep breath and squinted her left eye, looking through the magnifying glass, trying to focus on her target. Her index finger was poised to pull the trigger.

She pulled the trigger, and it hit her target's body part. "Damn!" she cursed, frustrated with the result.

"Not bad," Makoto commented, looking through her binoculars.

"I need to shoot the head, not the body. If it were a real person, that person might still be alive," Minako pouted. "I'm sorry, I'm not good enough to be your apprentice."

Makoto arched her brows when she heard Minako's words. She thought for a while before deciding to lie next to Minako. Makoto's action had caught Minako off guard. Now Makoto was lying next to her, and they were really close. Makoto wrapped her right arm around Minako.

"Now, I need you to focus on your target," Makoto whispered, her mouth almost brushing Minako's left ear.

Minako blushed harder. "How can I focus when you are wrapping your arm around me?" Minako mumbled under her breath.

"I'm not seducing you, moron. I'm trying to help you stabilize your hand," Makoto said with a smirk on her face.

After a few weeks working together with Makoto, she became comfortable with her senior. Since the awkward moment at the waterfall, Makoto remained professional with her. They both knew they were attracted to each other, but because of their jobs and responsibilities, they put aside their feelings, especially Minako, who was still new here. Sometimes Makoto could flirt with Minako lightly to make her junior more comfortable.

The blonde woman sighed and tried to focus back on her target. Her left eye squinted as she viewed her target through the magnifying glass again. Makoto's hand had stabilized her trembling hand without her even realizing it. She didn't even know why she felt so calm in this woman's arms. Taking a deep breath and holding it for a few seconds, her index finger finally pulled the trigger.

It hit the head of the human target. "Yes!!!!" Minako shouted in happiness.

Without thinking much, she tackled Makoto to the ground with a hug. Only then did she notice that she was on top of Makoto. Their eyes met. Both women breathed heavily, trying to catch their breath, which they had been holding since they looked into each other's eyes.

"Beautiful…" Makoto whispered.

Minako could see the sincerity in Makoto's beautiful emerald eyes. Her eyes darted to Makoto's delicate lips. She really wanted to taste those lips. Minako leaned down to Makoto's face and slowly closed her eyes. She didn't care anymore. She wanted this. She wanted Makoto. She knew she had fallen hard for this woman since the first day she met her.

Ringgggg!!

Minako's eyes snapped open and met Makoto's wide eyes. "Damn!" Makoto cursed when she noticed her phone was ringing. Minako's face turned beet red. As she was about to remove her body from Makoto's, Makoto wrapped her arm around Minako's waist, making Minako lie on top of her, while her free hand answered the call.

"Kino Makoto speaking," she answered the call with a slightly irritated voice.

Minako looked up at the brunette's face. She was still surprised by Makoto's action, who had wrapped her arms around her to keep her on top of her. Makoto stole a few quick glances at Minako while listening to the call.

"Noted. Send me the details," she said with a serious face. The face that she always wore in the organization around other people.

Makoto turned off her phone, but her eyes stared at it for a few seconds.

"Assignment?" Minako finally asked, still unable to move her body from Makoto's.

Makoto nodded. "I need to go to Paris tonight," Makoto told Minako. Their eyes met.

Minako understood that when Makoto was on her mission, she would be away for a week or more, depending on the difficulty of the mission and target.

"Before I go, I need to know something," Makoto said, her eyes on Minako. "You were trying to kiss me earlier," she pointed out. "I thought you didn't want this?" Makoto asked, looking for an answer from the smaller woman.

Minako blushed when she remembered what she had been trying to do earlier. "I'm sorry..."

"Minako…"

Her eyes found Makoto's again. She took a deep breath before finally explaining. "I never felt this way with anyone else before. I mean, I've had a few crushes, but it's just a crush." She paused, trying to think about what she wanted to say to Makoto. She gazed into Makoto's beautiful emerald eyes, those eyes that kept her awake at night. "I tried to deny it, but I can't. I can't stop thinking about you since the day I met you. I... I..."

Makoto pulled Minako down and kissed her softly. Minako pulled back to look into Makoto's eyes. When she saw no regret in those eyes, she leaned down again to kiss Makoto's lips with more passion.

-

Makoto had departed that night after they had spent the evening at the hill. Minako couldn't help but grin when she remembered how her evening training was filled with loads of kisses from Makoto. Makoto was such a great kisser. She could still feel those soft lips on hers.

"Aino?"

Minako stopped her walk on the treadmill when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw Kunzite, the owner of this place, and his assistant, Beryl, standing next to the treadmill.

"Mr. Kunzite," she bowed in respect. "Beryl." Her eyes met Kunzite's again. "How can I assist you?" she asked, still puzzled about why this man was in the training center instead of his office.

"Kino had asked me to look for you while she was away," Kunzite said. His eyes looked Minako up and down. Minako, who was only wearing a sleeveless white shirt and shorts, felt uneasy with it. "Kino really has good taste in women," he said with a smirk on his face.

Minako blushed at the comment but didn't say anything.

"Well, Aino. It's great that you are working hard even when your mentor is not around," he said again, still had his eyes on Minako's body. Finally, his eyes met Minako's again. "Good to see you, Aino. I will see you again," he winked at Minako.

As he walked away, Beryl glared at Minako.

Minako frowned when she saw Kunzite for the first time and didn't like him. She sighed, wishing Makoto would come back soon.

-

It was 3 in the morning. Minako couldn't sleep. Since Makoto had been away, Kunzite kept looking for her. Sometimes that man tried to seduce her. She hated it. Lucky she was able to defend herself. Now she was in the training center gym. She punched the punching bag in anger. She really hated that man.

The scene where he pinned her against the wall in the gym made her unable to hold her anger anymore. "I'm not that kind of woman!!" Minako groaned as she punched the bag harder. She swirled her body and kicked the bag, imagining it was Kunzite.

After a few minutes, she breathed fast after having a heavy workout. A hand on her shoulder made her turn around in defense mode. When she noticed it was Makoto in the room with her, she couldn't hold back the tears that she had been holding back for days.

Makoto was shocked when she saw Minako crying right in front of her. Without saying anything, she pulled the smaller woman into her embrace, not planning to let her go.

-

Makoto brushed Minako's hair softly, who had fallen asleep on her lap on the bed. Minako hadn't told her why she was crying earlier. Seeing this woman cry made Makoto's heart ache.

Since that day when she and Minako kissed, they hadn't discussed it yet. What she knew was that being away from this woman made her miss her so much. She had never felt this way before. Was this love?

-

Blue eyes blinked a few times, trying to brush off the sleepiness. She saw there were legs in front of her face. Only then did she remember that she was sleeping on someone's lap. Makoto's lap. Makoto was back home. She couldn't help but smile. Minako arched her neck slightly to face the woman above her. Makoto was sleeping with her back leaned against the headboard. Her mouth was slightly open, making her look so cute in Minako's eyes.

Minako would love to watch the brunette's sleeping face, but she felt pity for the woman because of her awkward sleeping position. The blonde woman decided to wake up from Makoto's lap.

"Hmm..." Makoto's eyes slightly opened when she didn't feel Minako's head on her lap anymore. She saw Minako staring at her. Makoto smiled sleepily at the other woman. "You're awake," Makoto said, brushing her sleepy eyes.

"Sorry for falling asleep on your lap," Minako said sheepishly.

Makoto stretched her aching body. "I can't complain much," she smiled proudly. When her eyes finally met Minako's, the smile on her face disappeared. "Why were you crying last night?" she asked, her hand cupping Minako's face softly.

Minako's breath hitched when she felt Makoto's hand on her face. She felt calm with just her simple touch. "I just missed you, I guess," she said, half-lying, even though that was one of the reasons why she was crying last night.

Makoto stared into those blue orbs. She knew Minako was telling the truth, but she could feel there was something else inside her. "I missed you too," she said with a small smile on her face. She pulled Minako into a hug and held her tight. "You know, you can tell me anything, right?" she whispered into Minako's ear.

Minako stared blankly at the wall. She knew she could trust Makoto, but she didn't want to burden her with her problem. Just not yet. She didn't know what her position was in Makoto's heart. Everything happened so fast. She returned the hug and sniffed Makoto's scent, which she missed the most.

-

Makoto had entered Kunzite's room, with Minako following behind her. When she was informed that Kunzite would like to meet her in his office before she leaves for another mission, Makoto decided to bring along her apprentice, Minako. At first, Minako rejected the offer, but when Makoto said she wanted to share everything with Minako, Minako finally agreed. It had been a month since their first kiss. Since they were separated for the first time, Makoto had always kept Minako close to her.

Kunzite looked up from the sofa he had occupied. "Hello, Kino," he smiled at the tall woman before his eyes darted to the blonde woman behind her. "Hi, Aino."

Makoto and Minako bowed slightly to their leader. "What was so important that made you call me here?" Makoto asked, wondering about Kunzite's strange order. Usually, he would ask his assistant, Beryl, to inform his assassins of their assignments.

The white-haired man laughed. He stood from his seat and walked closer to Makoto. "Actually, I have something to offer you," he said while patting Makoto's shoulder. "You trained Aino very well," he continued, looking at Minako. "So, I would like to put Aino under my care, and you can start training another new candidate," he explained, his eyes never leaving the blonde.

Minako's body stiffened at the look from Kunzite. She really hated it. His idea of having her under him was bad.

"Kunzite, I'm sorry. I can't take your offer," Makoto said coldly. Minako looked up to look at the back of Makoto's head in surprise. "She hasn't gone on any mission with me, so I won't let her go," Makoto gave a challenging look to her leader.

"Kino…"

Makoto turned her head to his assistant. "Send me the details. Minako and I will leave tonight," Makoto ordered Beryl, who nodded in understanding. Her eyes met Kunzite's. "I think Beryl is enough to serve you," Makoto said before turning around and walking out of the room, followed by Minako.

Kunzite looked at the door with an angry face.

"You want me to kill her?" Beryl asked.

Kunzite shook his head. "No! Not yet! She is the best we have. I can't lose her yet," he said, holding back his anger. "Besides, she was my late uncle's daughter. I can't kill her with my own hands," Kunzite smirked evilly.

-

Minako walked behind Makoto in silence. When they finally reached Makoto's room, Makoto stood still in the living room while Minako leaned against the door. "Was he the reason you cried before?" Makoto asked without facing Minako.

Minako's eyes widened. "How do you know?" Minako asked in surprise. She had never told Makoto about it after that day.

Makoto turned around to face the woman she cared so much about. "When he asked me earlier, I could feel that you were uncomfortable with him. Besides, I knew him very well. He is a womanizer," she explained, trying to find the blue eyes she had been craving. "So, is that true?" she asked, waiting for Minako's confirmation.

The blonde woman looked at the floor, didn't dare to look at Makoto. She nodded slightly enough to answer Makoto's question.

Makoto took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. "I'm sorry," Makoto said in a weak tone. Minako looked up into her emerald eyes. "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you."

Minako shook her head slightly and quickly walked towards Makoto. She cupped Makoto's face and gazed into her eyes. "No. You just protected me from him today," she said with a smile on her face.

"Did he do something bad to you?" Makoto asked, her eyes glittering with tears, thinking what Kunzite might have done to the woman she cared about most when she wasn't around.

Again, Minako shook her head. "No. He almost kissed me, but I got away," Minako explained. "Because I learned from the best here," she smiled, talking about Makoto.

Makoto nodded. "Will you come with me for this mission?" Makoto asked.

"I thought it was an order?" Minako asked playfully.

Makoto smiled. "I was mad at him earlier, but I do plan to bring you along this time. I can't stand to be far from you," Makoto admitted, blushing slightly.

Minako's eyebrows crooked at the admission. "Someone was missing me," she teased the taller woman.

"Well, yes. And I'm proud of it because my girlfriend is beautiful," Makoto said bluntly.

The blonde froze. Her eyes widened after Makoto said that word. She looked up to find Makoto's emerald eyes. "I'm your girlfriend?"

Makoto blinked her eyes, only to realize she had mentioned Minako as her girlfriend. A wide smile appeared on her face, as she really liked the idea. "Yes, my girlfriend," she said, unable to wipe off the smile on her face.

Minako couldn't stop smiling after hearing that confirmation from Makoto. She wrapped her arms around Makoto's shoulders and pulled her into a soft and tender kiss. Makoto had her arms around Minako's waist as she deepened the kiss. As they parted from kissing due to lack of oxygen, Makoto leaned her head against Minako, enjoying the feeling of being close with each other.

"My girlfriend," Minako whispered, smiling at her girlfriend. She didn't plan to let her go yet.