Venus' Flame

Six: Mysteries of the Past

Minako looked at her best friend, Rei, with slight concern in her eyes as they wandered to Fruits Parlour Crown so that they could discuss their past lives. The both of them thought they knew what their past had been and who their lovers had been, but the dream about the violet eyed, raven haired silhouette named Mars and her lover called Vee was messing with the both of their heads. The blonde flicked bright and eager blue eyes to a slightly somber looking Shinto priestess. The shrine maiden looked at the blonde with a nervous smile on her face.

A short walk awaited the two, so the both of them decided to chat to make the walk to the parlour less awkward.

Minako opened her mouth first. "Rei-chan, how've you been recently?" The bow wearing blonde asked, casting a nervous look toward her best friend. Anyone on the street could tell that the idol-chasing teen was too nervous to speak.

An astounded smile flew across the face of the raven haired shrine maiden. "Mina-chan, I was about to ask the same of you. You've been awkward around me recently," Rei replied, looking at the blonde haired female with concern in her eyes.

"I could say the same for you, Rei-chan! Recently, you've seemingly being ignoring me and purposefully trying to stay away from me. Why is that?" The blonde cocked her head to the side in curiosity.

"It's hard to explain," the raven haired shrine maiden stumbled over her words. She wanted to tell Minako about the premonitions she'd been having through those visions, but she wasn't sure how to bring it up.

"Yeah, it's really difficult to explain," Minako told the raven haired shrine maiden with a small smile on her face. "It's like I've been told to..."

"Stay away from you," they both mused in unison, thoroughly confused with what was happening.

The idol-chasing blonde gave her best friend a euphoric look before blushing and looking down. "So you've been having those as well? Premonitions of uncertainty, telling us to stay away from each-other."

"Otherwise, danger will befall us," Rei murmured softly, thinking over what had happened before. "So, you've had the exact same dreams as me, huh. What could that possibly mean...?"

That was the last thing the raven haired shrine maiden was able to utter before she was stopped by a woman on a motorbike. Taking off her helmet, the rider revealed herself as the masculine seeming Haruka Tenoh, and gave both the girls her tell tale smirk.

"Venus," she stated simply, looking straight at Minako.

"What the hell are you doing here, Tenoh? Don't you have anything better to do than chase after girls?" Rei snapped with frustration. Hands on her hips, her mood changed from something calm and soothing to a volcano ready to erupt. "After all, you're in a relationship with Michiru-san. Shouldn't you be loyal to your girlfriend and stop poking and prying after other girls?"

"Geez, what's your problem? I was just saying hello to pretty little Venus over here," Haruka stated with a small smirk on her face. "What're you going to do, incinerate me?"

"I might actually consider that," Rei huffed, with growing anger becoming evident on her face. "How about you shut your damn trap and leave us alone? We were doing just fine without you and your smart remarks!"

"Yeah, without your smart remarks!" Minako echoed her best friend's sentiments.

"Come on, Venus. This isn't fair! Two against one is never fair!" The motorbike riding female whined.

"Stop acting like a child!" Rei hissed, kicking the other female in the shin. "Let's go, Mina-chan," she told her best friend.

As they both walked to the parlour, Minako felt her heart beat within her chest and some heat began to rise up her cheeks. Looking away from the raven haired shrine maiden, the blonde felt slightly better and less nervous. She knew she would have to confess eventually but she didn't feel that it was a necessity to do it yet. No, not until she found out about her past life.

My heart's never gone insane like this around her! I mean, I've felt this way for a while but I didn't expect it to become so obvious to anyone like this, she thought to herself. Sneaking a glance back at Rei, the idol-chasing blonde blushed and looked down almost as instantaneously as she had looked up. Eventually, she made it out the front of the parlour, and Minako breathed a sigh of relief. No more being awkward around Rei-chan like this! I've got this!

She opened the door and found the table at which her friends were sitting. Minako noticed that Usagi hadn't brought along Mamoru or Chibi Usa yet, but that was bound to change. Mamoru was the one that caused them to question these things, after all.

She slipped in the seat next to Rei, eager blue eyes willing to sneak another glance at the raven haired shrine maiden. When she noticed that the others were observing her, she gasped and immediately looked away. Minako was clearly blushing, and this was not helping matters whatsoever.

A black cat and a white cat were sat in Usagi's lap. The black cat ended up wriggling away from her owner's grasp. The white cat began to do the same. Cocking her head to the side in amusement, a raven haired shrine maiden let soft velvet eyes give the two cats a glance.

The black cat cleared her throat to speak. "So, Rei and Minako, you two came to ask us something," she stated.

The blonde nodded with a nervous smile on her face. Rei, noticing the awkwardness in the air, decided to speak up for Minako. "We were wondering... is there anything we don't know about our past lives?" The raven haired shrine maiden queried with a hopeful glance at the black cat.

"What do you mean by that? I told you all that you needed to know a few years ago," Luna reminded the two.

"I know," Minako murmured softly. "But what we were wondering was if you remember anything... about the lovers we had in the past. What I mean was, were the Shittenou our real partners in our past? Or were there others?"

Artemis spoke up for Luna, as he was aware that love topics were not the black cat's strong suit. "Now that you mention it, the relationship you had with the Shittenou is a little dicey. You could say that you loved one another, but others would say something different."

"What do you mean by 'different'?" Rei questioned, with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Different as in... you didn't only have the Shittenou. Especially you, Rei and Minako. Mars and Venus had been soulmates since ancient times. Ever since Aphrodite, Minako's mother goddess, had fallen in love. In fact, your guardian birds, Rei, were named after the alleged children in mythology: Phobos and Deimos. Minako, you had an affinity with dear Rei during the times before the Silver Millennium fell," Artemis told them.

"So were those dreams we had... visions of our past?" Minako asked her guardian cat.

"I'd say that they certainly were visions of your past. Mars had almost found a cure to the curse that was fixed on you, in fact," Artemis explained. "Since you were reborn after the battle with Galaxia, I feel that the curse was lifted."

"Thank you," both girls murmured in unison.

A soft blush hit both of their cheeks. They had to confess now.