Kisses

By youte

A few weeks post Final Act

She certainly hadn't been expecting the first one. Like, at all.

Because, well, she had always thought that she'd be the one initiating it. Hey, she was Venus and Minako Aino, it was not only arrogance talking, okay?

But life had taken this last year a surprising taste. And she loved it.

The situation had been simple enough, an usual day for them. Minako had come to the shrine one evening, to see Rei one last time before going on tour and leaving the city.

She had found Mars with her two crows, in the gardens. To know what their conversation had been about wouldn't really be interesting. Their fight wasn't that interesting either. At the time, it happened often. What? They were communicating, okay?

Anyway, that wasn't the point. The point was, Minako really had not been expecting that first kiss.

Once calmed down, Minako sighed and fingered the little key ring hidden in her pocket. It was a Nako Nako dressed in red with a little hat, Venus' symbol on its forehead and Mars' one on its heart. After an hesitation, she held it out to Rei with a teasing smile (falsely confident), and shoved it in the girl's hand when she saw her frowning.

"Here. It's for you."

"Why do you give me this blue thing?"

"Why do you dislike Nako Nako? Everybody loves him!"

"Everybody who isn't more than twelve, maybe," Rei answered back while she examined the offering.

"Hey, it's how old I was when I created him. Isn't he cute?"

"A blue unicorn?"

"They existed on Venus," Minako confided, waiting for the inevitable admonition.

That didn't come. Instead of that, she found Rei gazing at her with a strange little smile and warmness in her eyes. It totally threw Minako off guard.

"So... you can thank me now."

"You wish!"

Minako couldn't help but laugh. Rei was really too adorable when she was annoyed. Her pout was cute, too. And her eyes…

Gorgeous.

She looked at Rei who was once again studying the toy, her thumb softly caressing the Mars' symbol. Minako wondered if the other girl understood the real meaning of this Nako Nako, who it represented and why it had this sign over its heart. And she found that at the end she didn't really care.

As long as Rei kept projecting so delicious feelings toward her.

"It's just a gift to thank you. I wanted to offer you a one-week trip to Europe, but at the last minute I thought that you wouldn't easily accept it."

The miko rolled her eyes, but Minako saw the warm gleam in them. She grinned.

"Well, I have to go now. We leave early tomorrow morning."

"Be careful. Fans can be a little crazy, I've heard."

"Oh, are you worried about me, Mars Reiko?"

"Never," Rei proclaimed. "But my ears might not take Usagi's cries and screams."

Minako turned her gaze away, hiding her smile. They both knew what their words really meant. They just weren't ready yet to acknowledge it. The idol hesitated, not in a hurry to leave, but not finding the courage to finally do what she had been dreaming of doing for weeks. She sighed and smiled.

"Well, see you later!" Minako finally said, waving.

She began to turn around, her smile fading, when a hand on her wrist stopped her. Surprised, she turned to Rei and froze when she saw the intensity in her eyes, the fire in her gaze, and her aura shining in a way it never did before.

She held her breath, suddenly frankly nervous, and couldn't move when the other girl's lips found her own, tenderly. The kiss was wonderful, soft, chaste, all sparks and magic and innocence.

This first kiss tasted like hope and dried tears, like sunshine and strength.

To Minako, it tasted like life.

The girl was mortified to feel herself blushing. Rei looked at her with her ever sincere eyes, apparently proud of herself. She was clearly a little bit embarrassed but hid it behind a tiny shy and charming smile.

"You're cute when you're blushing," Rei teased with the softest voice.

It didn't help Minako's sudden bout of embarassment.

"Sh - shut up."

The second kiss didn't surprise Minako. It was just after the first, both of them initiated it, and it was longer, bolder, slightly clumsy but absolutely unforgettable.

This time, Minako was able to move (to her relief). She put an arm around Rei's waist, her other hand finding her neck, and basked in the joy and excitation that invaded her body and mind, even the tenseness, even the faint embarrassment that stayed with her. She loved every second of it, every delicious second during which she could hold Rei in her arms, against her body, play with her soft hair, caress her cheek and above it all kiss her.

That kiss tasted more like promises and future, and surely Sailor Venus could identify it.

For it tasted like love.

When they separated, they looked at each other, neither knowing what to say or what to do, both immensely relieved of not being alone in their hesitation. They softly said goodbye to the other, and Minako left for her hotel, her boucing step betraying her glee.

When she arrived at her room at the hotel, she kicked her expensive shoes off, left them there, threw her jacket toward the armchair (missed it but didn't care), and went to sit down on the sofa, her handbag forgotten in her hand.

Artemis, who was sitting on the armchair, was watching her curiously. She didn't see him. In fact, all she was seeing was Rei, and all she was feeling was her lips upon her own. The desire to do it again was overwhelming, and she suddenly giggled, delighted.

She had the right to act like a sixteen-year-old sometimes, after all. Especially when she was this happy.

"Mina?"

She caressed her lips with the tip of her fingers and didn't let herself worrying about the whys, the hows, the future or the significations. She smiled softly and quietly thanked life.

"Minako?"

And it was Rei. Rei and her, it had never been simple but it worked, it was intense and warm and always full of surprises. Minako hoped it would always be that way.

"Minako?"

"She kissed me," she whispered, feeling like she was in a dream.

"Huh?"

"She kissed me."

"Rei?"

She finally looked at him, and was almost surprised to see him here, watching her, amused. But she smiled, that time a little sheepishly.

"Yes. Why? Does it surprise you?"

"That you kissed each other, certainly not. I'm not blind, I knew you were in love with her well before you did."

"Hey!"

"What? You're a little slow, you know?"

"I… I'm not slow. And I'm not –"

"In love ? If you think you can hide something like that to me, you're sadly mistaken!"

"I know, I know. I love you too, Artemis," she teased.

"But the fact that she was the one to kiss you first, that astonishes me."

"Huh, well..."

"What by Mau were you waiting for, hmm, Venus?"

She rolled her eyes, her embarrassment and her annoyance at the fact clearly visible. She didn't know what she had been waiting for, but she certainly knew it had been worth it.

"Stop commenting my private life, furball. And I'll let you know that I kissed her, too. The second time. Well, we kissed each other but... I'll do it next time!"

He laughed, got up and stretched.

"And you, you should stop smiling like that," he teased with affection, "or the entire country will understand."

"I am not smiling!"

"Right, princess."

And Minako couldn't help the big happy smile that shined beneath her pathetic serious mask, her eyes, for the first time in years, alighted with joy.

For it was Rei. And for it was her.