Not that Simple
Focus: Rei/Minako.
Timeline: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (live action). Somewhere during the Special Act.
Summary: Rei wasn't particularly fond of idols, but Aino Minako was a complicated case.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon or any of the recognizable characters in this fiction. Worship Takeuchi Naoko and Toei instead.
Minako herself said it best: "You're the first girl I've met who doesn't know me."
She was certainly different from most girls her age, not having a favourite celebrity over whom to squeal or chase around begging for an autograph. Then again, she'd seen white-collars fall victim to that same spell so she really shouldn't be limiting an idol's effect to adolescent females alone. Minako was, after all, the industry's newest and hottest star at the time; Hino Rei probably stuck out like a sore thumb, what with her needing a long stare and conveniently-placed magazine to identify the other girl. Could you blame her though? She watched little, if any, television.
But even if she was as big an Aino fan as Usagi, Rei doubted that it would've changed anything. They were Mars and Venus—fire, passion, love, and beauty. As Sailor Senshi, they were destined to come together, and that fact alone should've overwhelmed any excessive idolization on her part. If it somehow proved insufficient, Rei was pretty sure that the girl's unique agenda and sharp tongue would've driven the point home eventually.
Wait. Was she actually entertaining this scenario? Setting aside for a moment four years of maturity, how could she possibly face herself knowing that she once looked to a fad as her guide through life? New faces graced the covers of fashion magazines every month, provocative clothing draped over polished frames, over-emphasized eyes staring cutely at the reader. The idol world was a storage house of pretty girls who just happened to do one thing better than the average person, and Rei found it incredibly annoying. Unfortunately, due to a little competition and a certain someone's meddling, she got herself roped into masquerading as one of them. Thankfully, her stunt as Mars Reiko was brief so it wasn't the worst thing that ever happened to her, but it was the first of many tests Minako tied to their mission.
Everything was for the sake of the mission.
It was possible that she'd initially envied Venus for having remembered their past lives, for understanding completely the motives behind a duty of which the rest of them could only grasp an outline. Maybe Rei was just a little jealous that her leader was the only one who could commit herself so fully to the mission. Maybe she wanted to follow her example. However, that all changed the moment she learnt the truth about Minako's condition, of the few months she had remaining. She would be lying if she said that Minako's dwindling health didn't trouble her, but the idea that she was willing to sacrifice her present to make room for a long-gone past was unforgivable and stupid. If their relationship was on the rocks before, this pushed it over the edge.
Really, some second-in-command she turned out to be.
But how was she supposed to support her? Minako should've known better than to expect the Senshi of Fire to remain a spectator after hearing something like that. She should've known that Rei would've fought for her life, convinced her to go through with the surgery, take one more stab at life, but Minako, stubborn kid she was, refused to listen. Venus insisted on remaining the Senshi's unwavering leader, pushing herself to the point of exhaustion, fully ignoring Mars' knowing gaze. Rei was worried about her—once the secret was out, they all were—and watching Minako so fixated on the mission was scream-inducing. It bothered her, annoyed her, and who could forget the persistent ache that stuck with her for weeks on end? She tried once to shine light on the good points of the girl behind Venus, the smiles that made life worth living, but as was typical, the idol just stormed off at the end of it.
Well, she got back at her for that Mars Reiko thing, but their similar personalities usually served to complicate their relationship. After all, two hard-headed individuals who didn't believe in defeat couldn't stand on opposite sites of a coin and expect victory handed over to them. They found themselves in constant competition, in arguments about the past and present that would lead to feelings distorted by pain and anger. Yet they'd grown because of this not-so-simple relationship; in some weird way, they could be said to complement each other.
And that made losing her so much more than she could bear.
Since when had the idol held such a strong grip on her emotions? How was it that she could leave her numb and empty one moment, warp her into an enraged—almost rabid—animal the next? She had brought her collapsing to her knees, reduced her to an uncontrollable sobbing mess, tore a coarse and prolonged scream from her throat, but why? The contents of the letter provided no answer for her tears, and her agony would've been sustained had not a popular saying come to mind: The true value of something comes to light only after it has been lost.
As much as she hated to admit it, Hino Rei was heavily indebted to the past life. It brought her together with the few people to whom she could entrust her life, allowing her to experience first-hand the bonds of a friendship she knew would last forever. It forced her to confront her weaknesses, her dislike of working with others, and helped rebuild the foundation on which she and her father stood. And, despite all the damage it had done, it ultimately stepped in one last time to give Aino Minako a second chance.
It was weird having to adjust to the reset, to accept that everything they shared had been reduced to memories of a time that was not. The idea that it was all just a dream crossed her mind, but all it took was one look at Usagi, at Makoto and Ami, and she was convinced that such a small detail wouldn't affect connection they had. The former Senshi of Mars had then turned her eyes for the cold, indifferent orbs of Venus and found someone new staring back at her. Those dark jewels that sparkled with a renewed vigor for life, the warmth that radiated from her chest when they finally addressed each other by name, and Rei knew they had indeed grown into different people.
From that point on, Minako began to live for herself. This translated to her prancing about on stage most of the time, but they were happy for her. And as if she wanted to make up for all those periods of isolation, the super popular idol would always ensure that a few moments could be spared for the rest of them. For reasons unspoken yet mutually understood, Minako allotted some time every day to pester a certain priestess, be it over the phone to ruffle a few feathers or off on a lunch date. It amused Rei to know that even though shewas usually the one to instigate these things, Minako always made it out to look like she was the one being rudely snatched off the street. She remembered coming home one night, chuckling to herself that some aspects of Minako didn't change at all.
Some things had to change, however, and Ami's two-year-early graduation from high school was the first spark. A few months later, Minako launched her international career, leaving her friends with the same smile she left millions of fans in Japan, plastered on posters everywhere. It didn't bother Rei too much, but it certainly reminded her of her initial contempt for idols. She decided, though, that as long as Minako was living life to the fullest, then she wasn't going to be a complete hypocrite and speak out against it. Minako probably wouldn't listen to her anyways, but that was just how she was, how they were.
Waking came a lot easier this time around, a sign Rei interpreted as her body almost completely healed. She opened her eyes slowly, giving up a few seconds for the fogginess to clear and another few for her pupils to adjust to the sudden bombardment of light. Her bandages had been removed just last night and the attending doctor had been amazed, having never seen an injury like hers close up so cleanly before. While she could've attributed it to her heightened spirituality as a priestess, to any lingering abilities as Mars, she instead settled on her determination to attend Usagi's wedding. Knowing Usagi, she would probably delay the entire ceremony for her, and above all else, Rei hated being a burden to others.
The same speckled ceiling and white-washed walls she'd been staring at for the past four days taunted her sight yet again, and a sigh escaped her lips. She pulled herself into a sitting position, wrinkling the hard work of the infirmary staff, and noticed immediately that something was different from usual. The bright lights in the corner demanded her attention first, and Rei was greeted with an exaggerated wave from the girl on screen; the panning of the stage and crowd told her that this was a variety show of some sort. When the girl started to dancing to a silent beat, Rei was glad that whoever left the T.V. on had at least the decency to mute it; she wasn't in the right mood for a preppy performance. She scanned the room for a remote.
She found a fresh vase of flowers instead, accompanied by a simple card, and couldn't help a smile when she recognized the penmanship as Makoto's. Ami's neatly printed characters reassured her that she would be up and about in no time, and some messy hiragana scribbles in the corner listed various exercises she could try to speed up the recovery process. "I won't be walking down any aisle unless Rei-chan is there too!" was the final remark, coupled with a picture of a bunny (as if she couldn't already identify the writer). Making a mental note to thank her friends afterwards, Rei leaned over for a closer look at the blossoms and was hit over the head with the lingering effects of perfume. She may have recoiled in surprise, but her smile only widened; she would have to criticize her later for wearing such a strong scent in so delicate an environment.
Rei swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped into the fluffy, hospital-provided slippers. Her lower limbs were pretty stiff from the incredible amounts of inactivity lately, but she somehow managed to stand and make her way over to the television set. What had her visitor been doing? she wondered, gazing lazily at the bubbly teenager. It wasn't a bad idea to keep an eye on any emerging talents, but this girl hardly looked like she would amount to any competition. Idol bias aside, she would be lying if she said that the girl appealed to her in any way. The young star radiated with an eagerness characteristic of her age, but Rei could see something insincere in the way she moved, something fake in her smile. She had a long way to go if she wanted to make it big in the idol world.
Shaking her head, the former Senshi turned off the T.V. and started toward the door, intending to get some much-needed exercise.
Her perfume really was strong so she had no idea why she didn't smell her before she saw her.
The surprise that widened her eyes was reflected in those world famous orbs, but of course, those were the first to recover. Lightly-glossed lips curled up in a teasing smile. "I was wondering when you were gonna get up. I know a lot of fans want my flawless complexion, but I never thought you would be one of them."
The priestess wanted to protest, but finding her voice suddenly became a difficult matter. Where was it expected that she would return for a second visit? "Minako," she eventually managed, and hated the way the name cracked at the end. She tried again and got a better result. "Fashionably late as usual, huh?" Okay, maybe not, but Minako didn't have to know that she knew.
"Unlike you, I have appearances to keep up," Minako answered simply, further lowering her cap—poor excuse of a disguise it was—before stepping past Rei into the room. "Besides," she added, taking a seat on the sheets, "how could I face myself knowing that I was the one being kept waiting?"
An eye roll. The idol sure acted like a spoiled kid at times. "Even after all these months, I expected something like that out of your mouth."
The bed creaked as Minako leaned back on her arms and answered the comment with another smile. It took Rei half-a-second to realize that this smile was different from the one captured everywhere in magazines, that it stemmed from a deep and secret source. It returned that warmth to her chest. "It really has been a while, hasn't it, Rei?"
The young woman uncrossed her arms with a sigh and finally moved to take the vacancy beside her. She looked into those sparkling eyes watching her with amusement and returned the smile. "It has." Once more, what they both wanted to say was left unsaid.
No, Rei wasn't particularly fond of idols.
But somewhere along the way, she had fallen for this one.
Note: I can't really explain why I wrote this, except that I'm at a high point in my "PGSM Revival Period" and simply adore the pair. Corny it was, I just have to thank it for being my "gateway drug", so to speak, into my current anime phase. I guess you could call this an experiment in style—the first part in particular, but I don't know... Not too original either. Maybe I just felt really depressed coming back here and finding out that the fics I'd followed three years ago weren't continuing anytime soon. ::sigh:: I'm no substitute, just someone trying to get an idea out of her head. Hope you had fun. Reviews would be nice, but if you got this far, I should be the one to applaud you. Great job getting through something written on a major whim! =) ...Honestly, this is the reason why I take years to write stuff.
Written: November 22 2008 - November 26 2008.