Venus' Flame

Five: Awkwardness of Mars

Rei had been awake since around five in the morning, but she couldn't get back to sleep no matter what she did. She had thought it was due to the dream she had the night before, but there was something else. Something the Shinto priestess would be too fretful to admit. The idol-chasing guardian of love and beauty was the one she'd been completely enamoured with for at least two years. And today was the day, after that dream, that she would finally confess to Minako exactly how she felt about her. And dear God, she knew it'd be hard. She'd gotten inspirited and kissed the blonde. What worse could be done to damage a friendship apart from that?

Rei sat in front of the fire, doing her prayers and checking it for any ominous oracles. Closing her eyes, the raven haired Shinto priestess prayed in front of the fire. A soft sigh came from her mouth as she heard the fire go further up. Within the flames, she saw a poisoned moth. Within her mind, however, was something entirely different. The shrine maiden was imagining the dream she'd had last night about the silhouette and the blonde. She felt she was closer to gleaning more, so she shut her eyes as tight as she could.

~~~~~~~~~

"Vee," the silhouette said to the blonde, with a welcoming smile slightly visible on her shadowy face. "That dress looks perfect on you."

"I could say the same for you! The red really suits you, Mars," the blonde told the silhouette with a soft giggle.

The silhouette spun around, revealing a red dress that sparkled like a ruby in the sunlight.

"Mars, you pretty little tease," The blonde said, grabbing the purple eyed silhouette by the back.

"Vee, I could just eat you up!" The silhouette teased, scooping the blonde up in her arms.

Both of them hugged, before the blonde held the silhouette's hand, telling her they needed to part ways.

*Rei Hino, you have to stay away from Minako Aino. The closer you are to Minako Aino, the more tragedy that will befall her will be present. You mustn't cause the inevitable danger that Minako Aino will be in. Keep her safe, Rei Hino.*

An earthquake split the two dress-wearing princesses apart.

"Vee! Wait, wait! Don't leave me! Nooo!" The purple eyed silhouette shouted as their arms became unlinked with one another.

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

"Minako-chan..." Rei murmured, tears falling from her violet eyes. "Please be safe, Minako-chan..."

Rei backed away from the fire and rushed out of the calm shrine. As she rushed out, she fed her two crows. They were named Phobos and Deimos respectively.

Wasn't there a myth about a Phobos and Deimos being children of Venus and Mars...? She thought within her head whilst she fed the little crows, remembering when they revealed themselves as humans from the planet Coronis, where one of the Sailor Anima Mates came from. Scarred from the experience, the Shinto priestess rushed out of her shrine, making sure she kept the information from the dream that she'd had earlier within her heart.

The blonde was familiar. It couldn't possibly be the idol-chasing Guardian's form from their past lives, could it? Minako had been in love with Kunzite back then, unless that memory wasn't true. Now that she thought it over, the memories of their past was quite fuzzy in Rei's mind. Maybe that vision of Vee was a vision of her past...

Rei sighed as she checked her communicator watch. It had started pinging while she was having that vision, but now it was pinging louder. The voice was right. The nearer I am to Mina-chan, the more danger she gets herself in, the raven haired Shinto priestess thought to herself as she rushed off to find her friends.

"Rei-chan! We're at T.A. Academy! The girls there are in danger!"

Danger at T. A., huh? Why does that sound so familiar...? Rei wondered as she headed to the school.

The Shinto priestess remembered what happened as she made her way to the school. I had kissed Mina-chan because I was possessed by some deity that resided within the well. I didn't want to admit to it, though. Blushing, the raven haired shrine maiden rushed her way into the school gates. She heard screams and a rumble of chatter, thinking to herself that it was to be the time that she should intervene in this situation.

Grabbing a piece of paper, she put some prayers into it and lit it up with fire. At this point, Rei was out where the atavistic monster was wreaking havoc. Right near that accursed well that had been said to possess demons since before she had even started going to school at T.A.

She flung the piece of paper at the monster, shouting, "Evil Spirit, Begone!" As she brought the paper down on the enemy, she noticed that Sailor Venus was fighting the monster as well.

"Venus Love-Me Chain!" Sailor Venus shouted, throwing a heart-adorned whip at the enemy and letting it wrap around it. However, as the attack was about to reach the enemy, a mysterious force flung it right back at Sailor Venus, bringing the blonde female down to the ground.

Rei shut her eyes and tried not to think about it. She saw Venus try to attack again, this time gripping a sword that was adorned with a ball chain. "Venus Wink Chain Sword!" Venus hollered, bringing the sword down to the atavistic monster's chest. However, the attack was batted away by some mysterious force yet again.

The Shinto priestess couldn't bear to watch this anymore. The monster turned its head towards the raven haired shrine maiden and she flinched. The monster's claw slashed at her, and, as she ducked under to avoid it, she shouted, "Mars Crystal Power! Make Up!"

"Rei-chan, please be care—" Venus began and Mars smiled.

"From the planet of fire, Mars, the Guardian of War and Passion... I am Sailor Mars! In the name of Mars, I'll chastise you!" Rei shouted with a smile, now transformed into Sailor Mars. "Mars Snake Fire!"

The fireball went straight for the back of the enemy's head, and landed right there, injuring the monster. Mars then jumped into the air, and shouted whilst diving through the enemy, "Burning Mandala!" A bunch of geometric flames flared inside the enemy and Mars smiled. She looked towards Venus and she nodded.

"Rolling Heart Vibration!" Venus shouted, the attack going straight for the enemy's heart.

"Mars Flame Sniper!" The guardian of War shouted, flinging a flaming arrow at the monster's back which caused critical damage to it, reverting the atavistic monster back to the creature it was possessing.

The moth separated from a student of the Academy, and Rei gave a sigh of relief before transforming back.

"Mina-chan... did you have a dream again?"

"Yes. About that Mars figure. She seemed to have raven hair," the blonde commented with a blush and a giggle. "How about you?"

"I was told to... stay away from you."

"I was told the same."

"Could it possibly be related to our past lives?" The two women asked in unison.