Okay so this was my Tuxecret santa fic for commas-and-ampersands, and I figured it was worth crossposting here as well.

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A fourteen year old girl wasn’t supposed to have her affairs in order.  Then again, Minako Aino wasn’t like most fourteen year old girls.  How many other teenage girls were a successful idol singer AND a superhero?

Minako had dreams about being a princess and a warrior, all throughout her childhood, after all, what kind of little girl didn’t want to be princess when she grew up, and if she could also be a magical warrior… Well, who says princesses can’t kick butt as well thank you very much.

But even as a kid, Minako had her heart set on becoming a famous idol singer, even when her mom tried to remind little Minako how much hard work was involved in becoming famous, something the little hyperactive and somewhat rowdy tomboy tended to brush off.

If only she hadn’t passed out on the volleyball court, if only her volleyball coach hadn’t freaked out and sent her to the nurse, if only the nurse hadn’t made her go to the doctor, if only her doctor hadn’t called in a specialist, and if only she hadn’t been given a few years to live.

Minako found it hard to care very hard about school after that.  After all, what was the point of trying to get into a good high school if she wouldn’t live that long?  It was fatalistic, but Dr. Iwata’s estimation of her chances were never that great to begin with.

It didn’t help that she started having night terrors, dreams of blood and of loss, watching the world she was on and the earth from afar consumed in flames.  Minako dreamt that she laid dying on the marble surface of a former palace, watching the ruins crumble.

Sometimes though, sometimes the dreams weren’t dark.  She dreamt of a girl, she didn’t remember much at first, only how soft she felt, strong feelings towards her, and her long silky black hair.

Hikaru was having all kinds of crushes on different boys, and Minako… wasn’t.  Minako realized that she was almost completely indifferent to boys.  Yet she would look at girls around her school and feel her cheeks heating up and she’d start thinking of that black haired girl in her dreams.

Minako was determined that if life was cruel enough to cut somebody as great and amazing and talented as Minako Aino down in her prime, then she was going to make sure that the world never forgot who Minako Aino was.  Minako would skip class to go to auditions, to submit her headshot and demo tape to every talent scout she could possibly think of.  The world couldn’t possibly forget about Minako Aino, that was just unforgivable.

—

Minako Aino was bored as hell.  She had gotten all of her affairs in order, she had made sure that the princess was safe and protected, she was supposed to be dead by now.  In fact, she originally had died on that operating table.

But then, her princess was able to work a miracle or two.

So here she was, bored out of her skull.  Minako figured that she could go back to school, but her grades had essentially tanked due to the amount of time she put into being an idol and making it in that world.  Still, she probably should go back at some point.

Minako Aino had, by every measure of the world, been a success, and now here she was, having it all and not having a bloody clue what to DO with it.

Well, there was one thing that kept her going through those dark years, that image in her mind, the memories of that passionate love.

Her memories of Mars had been there for her when she slept, and when she had nothing else, her recollection of that passionate affair from eons ago had kept Minako going.

She remembered how happy a part of her had been when she saw Mars’ incarnation in that church for the first time.  Mars, the goddess of passion and war was reborn as the humble shrine maiden Rei Hino.  But seeing her Mars alive and in the flesh had brought up feelings that had been long-buried.

Rei and Minako might not have known each other that well, but the passionate love that Venus and Mars had shared was as alive as ever in her heart.

Minako just needed to sort our what her own feelings for Rei were, as opposed to Venus’ aching need to have Mars in her life again.

—

She sat under the trees of the Hikawa Shrine, not doing anything in particular except listen to the small slice of nature hidden within urban Tokyo.  She had no rehearsals to go to, no new album tracks to record and no publicity appearances to make.  For this brief moment, Minako Aino was free.

“What brings a world class idol to this humble shrine?” asked a voice behind Minako.  She turned around and saw the dark-haired Miko standing there.  Looking at each other, the two girls shared a brief smile.

“Perhaps I’m seeking spiritual enlightenment, or maybe I wish to offer a prayer of thanks to the kami.”  Minako replied.  “Or maybe I’m just here to get the autograph from an up and coming idol singer.”

“Oh?” The Miko replied. “I don’t know of any other idol singers here.”

“I’m surprised you haven’t heard of her.”  Minako said.  “Her name is Mars Reiko.”

“Mars… Reiko…?” The shrine maiden replied.  “Can’t say that I’ve ever heard of her.”

“Are you sure?” Minako asked.  “She seems like she’d be right up your alley.”

“Okay, maybe I was there for her performance at that hospital.” The girl replied.  “But maybe she’d be better off working at a miko at this shrine.”

“Oh I don’t know.” Minako shot back.  “I think she’s more suited for the international success life.”

"International Success Life..." Rei muttered.  "I don't know why I tell you these things."

“Because you love me.” Minako said, smiling.

Rei tensed up for a moment.  “Mars and Venus loved each other.”

“But what about…” Minako started to ask.

“I don’t know.”  Rei replied.  “I don’t know about us yet.”

“Rei…”  Minako whispered.  “Do you remember?  You remember us?”

“Minako.”  Rei said.  “I remember Venus, and I remember what they had.  But I don’t know if that’s us.”  Rei paused, centering herself emotionally.  “Just give me some time, Minako.  I need to figure out what my own feelings are and what’s Mars”

“I see.” Minako swallowed her words in her throat.  “Well, it’ll give me something to look forward to.”

“Minako…” Rei said, sensing that she was walking into a verbal minefield.

“Rei, I was ready to die, back then.”  Minako said.  “I threw myself into becoming an idol because I didn’t think I’d live to graduate junior high.  Once I became Sailor V I threw myself into that, so people would remember that I existed.”

“And now you’re alive and you have everything you wanted and you don’t know what to do with it all.” Rei said.

“Yep!” Minako replied.  “Poor old Mina, all this fame and nothing to do with it.”

“Minako, you don’t need to have your life figured out for you.  You’re only fifteen.”  Rei said.

“I don’t feel fifteen.”  Minako replied.  “I feel old.”

“Mina…” Rei softly spoke.

“Back at Shiba Koen, Hikaru and I used to chase idols together.”  Minako said.  “Then I got discovered and I was just another idol to chase for Hikaru.  Anyway, I don’t mind waiting for you.”

“Minako,” Rei said. “Please don’t put me under that kind of pressure.”

Minako stood up and started walking out of the shrine.  “I’ll see you around, ‘Mars Reiko.’”

—

Four Years Later.

—

Rei and Minako sat in Minako’s hotel suite, having just seen the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Chiba off on their honeymoon.

“Here’s to ageless immortality!”  Said Minako, clinking her champagne glass against Rei’s.

“And to watching the timeless love of Serenity and Endymion argue over who pays the phone bill!”  Rei cheered, clinking her glass against Minako’s

“Here here!” Cheered Minako.  “As the resident goddess of love, may their union be blessed into eternity!”

“I dunno, eternity seems like a pretty long time.”  Rei said, slightly tipsy from the champagne.

“You’d think with a name like Usagi, it won’t be long till she’s got a whole gaggle of pink-haired brats running around.”  Minako said.

“Pink-haired?” Asked Rei, trying not to laugh at the mental image.

“You never know, Reiko.”  Minako said.  “Considering how much power is in the Ginzuishou, I wouldn’t put it past our princess to give her kid pink hair.”

“Fair enough Mina-P.”  Rei conceded.  “It’s not like one of her future kids is just gonna drop out of the sky so we can find out.”

“Could you imagine what our kids would be like though?”  Minako mused.

“Ha!”  Rei laughed.  “I bet she’d study as much as Ami-chan just to annoy you.”

“If anything!”  Minako retorted.  “She’d probably try to become an idol just like her mom to annoy you, Reiko.”

Rei seemed to tense up when she realized where the conversation had so easily flowed to.  “Do you still think about us?”  She asked.

“I tried not to, for a while.” Minako explained. “I tried to tell myself that was just Venus and that we weren’t the same people anymore.  But I couldn’t do it.  I couldn’t help but keep thinking about a certain grumpypants miko.”

“I tried as well.”  Rei replied.  “I told myself that it was just Mars wanting to be with her Venus again.”

“Rei…” Minako whispered.

“I couldn’t be honest and say it was just Mars’ feelings for Venus.  I missed a certain utterly irritating idol singer with an obsession for cowboy hats.”

“I do not have an obsession!” Minako shouted in mock-protest.  “I just like the look of them is all.”

“I believe you, Minako-chan.” Rei teased.

“So, where does this leave us?” Minako asked.  “I’ve never been able to have a real relationship, you know.”

“Can I let you in on a secret?”  Rei replied.  “Me neither.”

“How about we start with something simple, like coffee.”  Minako suggested.  “And we’ll see where we can go from there.”

“I can do that.”  Rei said, getting up from the hotel couch.  “Coffee tomorrow then?”  Minako nodded at her as Rei walked towards the door.

“Rei wait.”  Minako said, getting up and walking over to where Rei was standing, right in front of the hotel suite’s door.

Minako walked closer to Rei, softly placed her arm on Rei’s back, and leaned in, planting a kiss on the other girls’ lips.

“That was for Mars.”  Minako said.  She leaned in and kissed Rei again.  “And that was for Rei.  See you tomorrow.”