She raced out of his building, wildly looking around for a cab. She stepped on the streets and hailed the first one she saw, causing it to come to a hold with screeching brakes. Almost bursting with feeling, she needed to vent, she needed to blame, she needed to explode. Minutes later, she tossed the driver some notes, jumped out of the car and bounded up the familiar steps to the shrine, which lay deserted in moonlight and rain.
She found the priestress kneeling in front of the holy fire, hands folded in silent prayer and tangible concentration. Her own voice cut through the silence like a blade.
“Rei!”
The girl closed her eyes briefly, knowing what was to come. It had nothing to do with premonition and everything to do with common sense. Takeshi had broken his silent promise and told her about their meetings. Once a traitor, always a traitor. It didn't come as a surprise.
“Rei, I am talking to you! So get up and turn around, for crying out loud!”
Sighing, the priestress got up, smoothing wrinkles out of her traditional clothing as she went. Minako stood in the middle of the room, the door open and shivering from the storm behind her. Wind and rain entered the shrine, tugging at their hair and at their clothes. Her friend's face was set in a fierce expression, one that spoke volumes about the emotions cursing through her blood. Already, Kunzite's influence was running strong, tainting the senshis' friendship and Minako's peace of mind with the desperation he kept locked up in his flat.
“This is a place of harmony, Minako. It is holy. Do not sully it with your anger.”
The quiet reprimanding of her friend only fuelled the blonde's agitation as she stalked out of the building, dimly aware of the other's footsteps behind here. They walked out in the rain, bringing a safe distance between them and the fire that knew more than many humans ever would. The drops hitting the ground formed an intoxicating rhythm, one that drummed loudly in their ears and invited them to give into the rage.
“You knew! You knew that Takeshi was back, you knew before I did. And you kept it a secret from me! When did you meet?” She hurled her words at her solemn woman, her voice full of betrayal and accusation. It was so good to have a responding outlet for all that silence, all that pent up emotion that reigned the nights in his arms.
“He may call himself Takeshi now, but he is still Kunzite through and through. His penthouse reeks of coldness, it is dripping from him like the rain is dripping from your fingertips right now. I knew that you would welcome with open arms, because you cannot act any differently, so I did what I had to do to protect you from this man.” Her voice carried easily through the distance between them and it didn't matter how softly the words had been uttered. At this place, every syllable Rei pronounced would be heard if she wanted to. It was her ground, her home and she was thankful that the confrontation could happen on her terms, for she needed every advantage she could get in the face of an irate Venus. Even in the Silver Millennium, their arguments had been legendary, prompting people to scuttle out of their ways as they strode from one place to the next, spitting out disagreements and pure emotions. It was the price they paid for the closeness they shared.
Meanwhile, all the colour had drained from Minako's face, leaving her to look more doll-like than ever. Her eyes were swallowed by a blue so much darker than the one that normally resided behind the porcelain skin of her lids.
“You have been in his flat?”
Thunder struck next to the old oak under which Minako had shared the knowledge of Ando's return. The ground crackled with electricity, sending a shiver up their spines.
“Rei, when did you meet?”
Rei didn't move, but when she spoke her voice was devoid of any guilt, for she didn't feel any. Her actions had been justified.
“The fire told me about his return on New Year's Day. I went to him a couple of days later. I did so again when Nephrite returned, because I felt that he deserved to know. But seeing how he abused my trust by telling you about it, he didn't deserve it after all.”
Seldom had Minako looked at her like that.
“So a man for whom you feel nothing but contempt deserves to know that a loved one of his has returned and I don't?”
No words came to the Martian's mind. It was checkmate for once.
“I brought Ando to you the minute I found him with his memories intact!” The soaking blonde shouted, her wet hair clinging to her shivering frame like tendrils.
“But you must have known before. You wanted to protect me from pain, just as I wanted to do for you. So how can you possibly be angry with me now, Minako?” Her reasoning fell on deaf ears, and her soul went out to the broken girl in front of her. Damn Kunzite.
Minako's voice was barely above a whisper.
“I found out the day before. I set out to seek him the very next morning and in the afternoon, I brought him here because I know how you used to feel for him. Ask Ami, if you don't believe me. So do not imply that you and I acted the same way, because we didn't. You treated me like a child, assuming that I wouldn't be able to control myself anyway.”
“Were you?”
The acid inquiry, whose venom was prompted by as much as alluding to the love Mars used to feel for Jadeite, caused Minako to look up. Her soulful eyes told the priestress everything she needed to know. They spoke of longing, of love, of pain and of hope. Not only had she met him again, but she had fallen for him in what Rei supposed was the first second Minako had laid eyes on him.
“Rei, let me make myself very clear. Whatever transpires between me and Takeshi is our business, and our business only. Your concern may be justified, it may not, but you keeping this from me makes you a bad friend. A very bad one. Do not presume to know what is in my best interest, and next time something like that comes up, I would be grateful if you could overcome your own hatred for Ando and make sure that it doesn't affect your actions when it comes to me!”
Not a second passed before Rei retaliated spitefully. “It is with our passions as it is with fire and water: they are good servants but bad masters. If you entangle yourself from his bed long enough to look into his eyes and see what lies behind them, you might understand what that means. Contrary to you, my decision was not based on the flimsy illusion of what you insist on calling love.”
Years later, Minako would still wonder at how she managed to keep herself from slapping her friend then and there. She had simply brushed past her, trying to bring as much distance between them as possible before vile words could destroy a friendship that the world needed to last forever.
As her feet moved over the muddy ground, she called over her shoulder, her voice once again level.
“Takeshi didn't say a word about your meetings, at least not to me. It was Ando that gave me the clue, because he is so desperate to hear from you that he is risking to taint the friendship to his leader if it only gets you to at least acknowledge his existence again, even if it is in anger only. I would think about this if I were you.”
The oak was set on fire with one swift movement of her thin wrist, and not even the rain could distinguish the flames that licked and clawed and tore at it for the next hours, when it was the senshi of fire that had doomed it die on this sacred ground.
