Venus' Flame

Prologue: Theatre Daydream

"I just want to let you know that I want to see you again."

"Why me?" a girl with blonde hair asked, looking up at the silhouette above her.

"It's hard to explain. In fact, it's going to sound pretty weird."

"Weird?" The blonde tilted her head to the left, a soft giggle coming out of her mouth. "Nothing you say could ever be weird."

"Vee, when I'm around you, my heart leaps. Whenever I see you, I want to wrap you up and never let you go..." the silhouette confessed.

"Mina... Mina! Mina! Mina!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Mina... Mina... Mina... Mina!" a white cat shouted whilst he was shaking a blonde awake.

Looking disgruntled, the blonde lifted herself up. "Just you, Artemis...?" she mumbled.

"MINA!" the cat chided. "Now isn't the time for that. Everyone's been waiting outside the theatre for you for the past two hours because you wouldn't stop snoozing! You fell asleep in the middle of the movie and wouldn't have woken up for a while yet if I hadn't woken you! Be thankful!"

"So... that thing with the silhouette hugging a girl was just a dream," the blonde huffed, dusting herself off. "Why didn't you wake me sooner, Artemis? You're pathetic with this! If you'd woken me sooner, maybe I would've known!"

"Haruka and Michiru came to get you because they were concerned. The next movie session starts in half an hour, and if you don't get out of here soon enough, you'll—"

Minako put a hand over the cat's mouth.

"Shh," she hissed. "I hear footsteps! Someone's coming..."

"Probably the police!" came Artemis' muffled tirade.

It's not the police.

Minako watched as the figure drew closer to them. Whoever it was had a familiar scent.

"There you are, Venus!" A playful voice sighed exaggeratedly with relief. "We were waiting for you to wake up! The others are outside. Please don't keep them waiting."

That voice sounds familiar...

A familiar looking platinum blonde looked down at a disgruntled and confused Minako.

Is that... No way! Haruka-san?!

Minako looked up at the teasing older blonde and stood up, biting her lip. She blushed slightly before her face turned red from frustration. "So it was you who woke me up, Haruka-san! What an unforgivable treason to commit!" Minako snapped, folding her arms over her chest.

"Well, if Artemis here hadn't woken you up, you would've been escorted out by police," Haruka said with a shrug. "Michiru and I were just doing the right thing. Getting pulled out of a theatre would've been a bad look for such a pretty face, Venus."

"I would've been pulled out the theatre for having a cat on my person if I'd been seen!" Minako shouted angrily, glaring away from Haruka. "Do you want me to be found out?"

Haruka just shook her head, hands laying frustratedly over her chest. "Go out and see your friends, Venus," she said simply, trying to push the blonde out of the theatre.

"Do you want to cause a scene, Haruka?!" A teal haired woman yelled as softly as she could.

It's Michiru-san! She's here too?

"Don't you think we should be escorting her out, Michiru?" Haruka asked and pinched Minako's cheeks. "She seems a little lost."

Michiru shook her head with a sigh. "Don't worry about Haruka, she's only teasing you," she whispered to Minako. "Let's get you out of the theatre. You wouldn't want Rei any more stressed about your whereabouts than she already is."

Minako nodded. Rei-chan is really scary when she gets herself worked up.

"Let's get you out of here, Ms. Venus! After all, you wouldn't want to annoy Rei," Haruka teased as her girlfriend escorted Minako out of the theatre.

"You're only pissing me off even more than you already have been," Minako seethed, clearly mad at Haruka.

Honestly, how is she so capable of pissing me off so well? It's kinda like how Mamoru was with Usagi-chan at first.

Michiru only shook her head, glancing at Haruka to warn her that her conduct was inappropriate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Minako was in the car and Rei was driving her back home. Finally feeling peaceful, Minako decided to let Artemis out of his bag and onto her lap. The cat purred. She began to pet him and her mind began to activate some thoughts that she had never thought she harboured.

I wonder what the significance of the dream I had back at the theatre was?

She sighed, letting the thought make its rounds of her head. She sighed and petted Artemis. His fur was very warm. She wondered when the last time she had pet him like this was. It had been a while, she knew that.

It's such a quiet drive. Rei hasn't said a thing. Is she mad at me...?

Sighing, Minako ignored the thought and continued to pet Artemis, slowly slipping back into her slumber before realising that this was the perfect time to get to know Rei.

"Hey, Rei-chan. When did you get your license?" Minako asked, genuinely wanting to know.

Rei sighed. "I had to do the driving test a day or two ago. If I can't keep my position at the shrine, I'm going to have to abandon it and find a different job."

"But... I thought being a shrine maiden was your passion!"

Rei looked at Minako as they stopped at the traffic lights. "You wouldn't understand, Mina. You could take an idol audition any day of the week. I can barely get by as a shrine maiden. I'm no money-focused hag... but there's no money in it anymore. Some days..." Rei's voice began to break and she looked at the road again.

"Some days?"

"Some days I can barely afford three meals a day and I can barely pay the bills. I think I need a side job," Rei finished. "There's retail work in the shopping district. I could do that for four hours a day and three days a week. I'd still have tome for the shrine."

"Never once did I consider you to be the type for retail work. Rei, if your passion lies in the shrine... I'll help you out sometime."

Rei sighed and looked at Minako with a pleading look. "Six o'clock tomorrow night. Be there."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Oh Vee, ya little munchkin! I love you so much. I would beg to undo your curse."

"But you can't," the blonde sighed, laying down on the grass below her. "It's permanent."