Name

And even though the moment passed me by

I still can't turn away

I saw the dreams you never thought you'd lose

Tossed along the way

Letters that you never meant to send

Got lost or thrown away

The sun was setting over Tokyo, its oranges and reds illuminating the sky. Yaten Kou looked up at the sky, stars just barely starting to sparkle dimly. He was fairly quiet as everyone said their goodbyes to the senshi of Earth on top of the roof of the school building. The colors in the sky and the small stars made him think of someone, someone who had quietly escaped the group, someone who was usually never quiet.

He looked around and noticed that Minako hadn't gotten far. She was sitting on the edge of the building, looking off into the distance. He winced at the sight, thinking for sure she would clumsily fall off. When he found a free moment, he walked over to her and slowly sat down next to her.

"Hi." The silver haired boy said as he sat down next to the blonde. He looked at her curiously, wondering why she had separated herself from her friends. He wasn't entirely sure why he had gone over to her, but it made sense. She had sacrificed her star seed for him. The thought made the image in front of him seem almost like a ghost, especially since she had a somewhat vague expression on her face. He had to say… something to her before he left… thank her or something… didn't he?

"Hi." She responded a little dryly, looking out into the distance. Her blue eyes which usually sparkled with happiness seemed to be contemplating something. But her lips were neither frowning nor smiling.

Yaten looked at her for a moment, somewhat unsure of what to say to her. But he felt like he had to say something. He wasn't going to see her again after this. He opened his mouth to say something, but she didn't seem to notice and spoke first.

"So when you get back to Kinmoku, what are you going to do then?" she asked, still watching the sun setting in the distance.

He was a little surprised by her question, but perched his head on his knuckles and looked at her, still studying her as he answered. "Well… we'll have a lot to do, I guess. We'll have to continue searching for survivors, rebuilding things. Then we'll live at the palace, protecting the princess like we always have."

The blonde nodded and then looked at her silver haired companion curiously, her blue eyes reflecting the setting sun. "But you specifically… what will you do?"

He was a bit taken aback at this. "Well, I like taking pictures…" he said after thinking for a moment. He never thought much about his personal time. His life was centered around his duties as Star Healer.

"Why so curious?" he glanced at her curiously.

The blonde smiled back at him softly. "I want to be sure that you won't give up your dreams again." She looked into his eyes. "When you go back, you'll be doing all those things, and your princess is back now… but I don't want you to give up having a dream."

Yaten was speechless for a moment, then slowly nodded at her and gave her a small smile.

Then he threw her question back at her. "What about you? What are you going to do now that you've got your freedom?"

She smiled. "Sing!"

Yaten looked at Minako a bit confused.

"I won that competition right? And you judged hardest." She playfully punched him and he laughed slightly.

"I don't understand why you want to be an idol so badly. It's not always glamorous." Yaten said and turned his head to the sky.

"I still want to." The blonde said decisively. "Like I said, I want to give people hopes and dreams through song." She looked at the sky smiling widely.

A small smile formed on the starlight's face and he turned his attention back to Minako for just a second. "And what if you've already inspired someone's hopes and dreams?" he said casually as he rested his chin on his knuckles and looked ahead at the sunset.

The blonde turned to look at him wide eyed with her mouth slightly opened, slightly surprised.

And now we're grown up orphans that never knew their names

We don't belong to no one, that's a shame

You could hide beside me

Maybe for a while

And I won't tell no one your name

I won't tell 'em your name

"So when you're back on Kinmoku, will people still call you Yaten?" Minako was suddenly curious.

The silver haired starlight laughed slightly. "No, we're always… in senshi form on Kinmoku…" he turned only a little red.

"I understand." Minako said, smirking a bit.

"Do you think there's a difference between Star Healer and Yaten?"

"Where are you going with this?" He looked at her shifting uncomfortably.

Minako laughed lightly. "No no, I just meant… Sometimes I feel like I don't know whether I'm 'Minako' or 'Sailor Venus.' Venus is a senshi, entrusted with protecting this solar system, and Minako is a schoolgirl that's an underachiever." She looked out at the setting sun again, her eyes distant once again.

"I can understand, I think. With this 'disguise' I always felt like I was being someone else. I hated it..." The silver haired light looked at his blonde companion.

"In the end, maybe it doesn't really matter what we look like, does it? It's still Minako and Healer underneath the disguises. I still have the same thoughts, same feelings, same convictions when I'm wearing a short orange skirt as I do now."

Yaten looked at her, his green eyes a bit wide with surprise. She had said 'Healer,' not 'Yaten'… she actually understood. He looked at her looking off into the sunset, the colors reflecting off of her golden hair. That made sense, he thought… maybe she really could understand him.

"You know, it's sad, Minako." He called her by her first name for the first time.

"What is?" the blonde looked at the starlight curiously.

"We didn't know each others' identities sooner. We couldn't ever talk about this stuff before. It would have been nice to have had someone besides Seiya and Taiki to talk to about these things sometimes." He lightly grabbed her her hand and Minako blushed a bit, letting him take it.

"Of course I get it. I know what it's like, wearing a mask and all that. I'm a senshi too. It took you this long to realize this?" the last part was a joke.

"Guess I'm not so bright." He said looking ahead with an ironic smile on his face.

Scars are souvenirs you never lose

The past is never far

Did you lose yourself somewhere out there?

Did you get to be a star?

Don't it make you sad to know that life

Is more than who we are?

"…Did it hurt?" Yaten asked. His ironic smile was now replaced by a small frown.

"My star seed?" Minako asked, not as afraid of approaching this subject as Yaten was. The silver haired boy nodded.

Minako looked distant for a moment then answered. "…Yeah, hurt a lot." She said, not wanting to lie. "I feel okay now though." She smiled brightly at him, trying to reassure him.

He looked at her with a sadness filling his green eyes. "What… what happens to you… when it happens?" he asked with a bit of apprehension.

"Well… I think I became a star." She half smiled, blushing a bit.

Yaten looked at her and couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"I know it sounds kind of silly, but… I saw everything. I was with everyone the whole time. It was like I was watching from a distance, but couldn't physically do anything. I was there though. I know I was…" she said softly, looking at the sky.

The starlight blinked at her, then smiled softly. "Maybe you were."

He looked at the sky as well for a few moments, the stars trying to twinkle through the sunset. The he looked back at Minako, the light from the sky reflecting in her contemplative blue eyes. She had so much love and life in her and so many dreams, and she had willingly just forgotten them all in an instant, all to save him.

He tugged at her hand a bit to get her to look at him. "Thank you… for saving me."

She looked back at him, her blue eyes a little wide with surprise. His emerald ones returned the gaze with a look of gratitude and maybe, something more.

After a few seconds, the blonde managed to stammer out a shaky "Y—you're welcome." And smiled awkwardly at him.

We grew up way too fast and now there's nothing to believe

The reruns all become our history

A tired song keeps playing on a tired radio

And I won't tell no one your name

I won't tell 'em your name

"Will I see you again?..." Minako asked looking ahead at the sunset. There was a sadness in her voice that hinted she already knew the answer.

Another ironic smile plastered on Yaten's face. "I wish I could tell you 'yes.'" He said, his eyes distant now.

Minako nodded a bit solemnly in grim understanding. "Promise you won't forget me?" She asked.

"That would be hard, with all the stalking you did." The silver haired light joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Minako just stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled slightly.

"Oh!" The blonde perked up for a moment and fished in her pockets and pulled out a card, handing it to Yaten.

"Three Lights Fan Club… Number 278… Aino Minako…" Yaten laughed almost loudly, looking down at the card as he read it.

Minako looked at him somewhat annoyed. "What, what?! It's my card. It's not as if it will do me any good any more."

After finishing laughing, Yaten handed the card back to her. "I would like you to keep it. So you have something to remember ME by." He gave her a charming smile.

"I have a million things to remember you by." The blonde said.

"I hope these are items you came by legally." The starlight smirked at his joke.

"Very funny." Minako crossed her arms. "I mean I have CDs, posters, magazines… those kinds of things."

Yaten nodded. "Still going to listen to those, even after the 'Three Lights' mysteriously disappear?" he asked.

"Of course. Every day." She said sincerely, looking up at the sky with a small smile.

"So will you leak that the Three Lights are actually female senshi from another planet?" Yaten asked.

"Of course not. I haven't yet. Besides, who would believe me?" they both laughed slightly.

"Here." Minako began undoing the red ribbon in her hair.

"What are you doing? You always wear that. I don't think I've ever seen you without it."

The blonde took the ribbon and delicately placed it in Yaten's hand.

"This is something you can take with you. You'll remember me. You said you know I always wear it." She smiled.

Yaten looked at her for a second then smiled. "Thanks." It would serve no purpose other than a reminder, but for that he was grateful. "I wish I had something to give to you…"

"Hmm…. You never gave me an autograph before." Minako said.

"Really? You of all people?" he asked smirking.

"It's true." The blonde said nodding at him.

He laughed slightly. "Too bad I don't have anything to sign."

"I'm here." She said and looked at him.

"…Why do I have a bad feeling about where this is going?" he looked at her trying to hide a smirk.

"You have a dirty mind!" She stuck her tongue out at him again and then held out her hand.

Yaten laughed slightly and took a marker out of his pocket and took her hand, writing his name on it in a beautiful script. Minako smiled looking at it, holding it up in the light and being careful not to smear it.

"And how about you?" He looked at her and she looked at him quizzically.

"You're going to be famous, right? I can be your first autograph." He smiled at her. "Just make sure everyone knows you got there because of me." He joked.

She blinked in surprise for a moment, then smiled and took his hand, writing her name on it, though not as neatly as he had written. She was somewhat surprised to see he was careful with his hand as well.

"So this is it then…" She looked up at the sky. The sun was almost down now and the stars were becoming more visible.

Yaten lightly took her face and guided it so that she was looking at him. "Hey. Don't be sad. You have all those CDs. You can hear us anytime you want."

"…But I won't be able to talk to you…" Minako said, looking into Yaten's eyes.

Yaten was speechless for a moment. "I… I'll miss talking to you." He said, turning somewhat pink in color.

"Minako… listen to the CD every day… okay?" he took her hand again and looked at her intently.

She blinked, feeling drawn in by his green eyes. "I will…" she slightly stammered a bit.

"Goodbye, Minako…"

"Yaten…" She pulled his arm as he was about to stand up, but feeling the tug he stayed and looked at her again.

"I don't care what the card says… I was your number one fan. Always…" she blushed some.

He looked at her, the wind slightly tussling her hair now, and smiled at her, the blonde looking at him painfully.

"Thanks." He put a hand softly to her cheek, then leaned forward and gave her an intense but quick kiss. He smiled watching her sitting there flushed as he got up and walked back to the others, then waved goodbye before they all left.

Minako never stood up to go say goodbye. She sat still and had to work simply to keep herself steady and from falling off of the roof from the surprise of the kiss. She simply sat where she was, watching silently as the others said goodbye and the lights left.

The stars were finally out now, and there was just enough light showing where Minako could make out the signature still on her hand as she held it up in front of her. She stared at it for a minute, then looked up at the sky as a shooting star shot across it.

I think about you all the time

But I don't need the same

It's lonely where you are

Come back down

And I won't tell 'em your name

****************
Lyrics typed out by me listening to the song, so hopefully they're correct.
For some reason this song really reminded me of Minako and Yaten. The things they're talking about are really similar to a conversation I had as Minako with a Yaten in a RPG. That could be why the song made me think of them haha. So when I heard it, I wanted to write a story to go with it. I promise to do some other pairings soon!