Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes
By WolfByte
Sailor Moon and associated characters were created by Naoko
Takeuchi, and are property of Toei Animation, DiC, etc (I don't in
all honesty know the full list anymore). These characters are used
without permission for the sole purpose of entertainment.
Please e-mail comments, constructive criticism, etc to
wolfbyte000@yahoo.com
Chapter 2
"Beaten to the Punch? Minako's double takes over."
Makoto stretched her limbs, deciding to get a quick drink of
water before class started. She turned to an exhausted Minako who
had arrived moments before, studying her friend's expression.
It seemed as though yesterday's occurrence continued to bother her,
as the girl hadn't said a word to her since she'd gotten to class.
'Maybe she'll loosen up as the day goes along,' Makoto thought
to herself as she made her way out the door.
Students straightened themselves as their teacher entered the
room, returning graded assignments before class begun. Placing a
paper in front of Minako, she snapped the girl from her mental
retreat, and smiled warmly. As she continued on, Minako followed
her trail with a puzzled look before her eyes fell upon the returned
paper. Written in red with a practiced pen that only teachers seemed
able to pull off was the message: "Thank you for the help this
morning, I expect you bright and early tomorrow as well."
The quiet conversations of her classmates vanished with the rest
of the world, as the only sound that filled her ears was that of
Minako's own heart beating in maddened revelry. Her writing, the
grade in the corner, all faded into a blur as her eyes focussed
solely upon the red ink at the top. 'Help this morning?' Minako's
hands clenched tightly, she had almost been late!
A gentle shaking of her shoulder suddenly jolted her alert.
"Minako-chan, is everything alright?"
The blonde blinked her eyes at her brunette friend. "Eh? Oh
sure Mako-chan, just fine. I'm just a little tired I guess, I didn't
sleep well last night."
-----
"...whoever this imposter is, they've done their homework.
And duplicating a Senshi's powers takes some work."
Luna took a small mouthful of tuna fish from the plate on the
floor, and chewed absently as she thought of the situation at hand.
"Any ideas Artemis? You know Minako better than the rest of us, any
thoughts as to where to begin?"
"I do have a couple," the white cat replied as he stretched
his front legs, and curled up upon a small round pillow. "But I have
my doubts as to whether or not they're feasible. It may be a bit much
for them to pull off. I think I'll keep them on the backburner for
now. Tell me Luna, what would you do if a duplicate of Usagi was
running around, committing crimes?"
The black cat sighed and turned her head away with a look of
mild frustration. "Warn the bakeries."
Makoto and Ami stood in the hall, listening as Usagi chatted
about her teacher's latest complaints on her regular tardiness.
The blue-haired 'girl-genius' shook her head slightly, smiling at her
friend's antics. Over the years the odango'ed blonde had matured
much, grown in so many ways, but in all she was still Usagi.
Minako emerged from the nearby restroom, smiling brightly
at her friends.
"How are you feeling Minako-chan?" Usagi inquired.
"Just great Usagi-chan, you know what they say, all stress and
no play-"
Makoto lightly covered her friend's mouth, cutting the bubbly
blonde off in mid-sentence. She sighed and nodded her head from side
to side. "Not even close Minako-chan."
Minako pulled her friend's hand away and smiled, flashing
an eager 'V'. "Ah who cares, anyway a sour look doesn't suit one of
my stunning beauty."
As the friends walked on towards their next classes, Minako
turned to glance out a nearby window. Her eyes met with mirroring
blue orbs that locked gazes with her, the two identical faces glaring
daggers at one another. For a split second a silent battle of wills
raged, before the blonde inside grinned confidently. Her eyes
glimmered with delight as she spoke softly to her counterpart.
"Have a nice day, whatever it entails; I'm Minako Aino now."
-----
The blonde pounded on the console as the words "Game over"
blinked in blue and white in front of her eyes. A short breeze blew
threw the arcade as someone entered through it's automatic doors,
the air rustling the red bow she wore in her hair. Reaching up to
scratch an itch it had caused, Minako's fingers brushed over the
fabric, reminding her of its constant presence. She wrapped her
fingers around it, and pulled the bow from her hair, holding it
before her as she studied it closely.
The bow had been a gift, to wear it in her hair a suggestion
from a crush several years ago. The boy, who'd seemed nice at first,
had turned out to be the first enemy she fought after becoming
Sailor V. She'd continued to wear it over the years, liking how it
looked, and comforted by it's constant reminder of who she was, and
who she had been.
But as Minako stared at the crimson cloth, it only served to
remind her of the life she'd given up and the person who'd taken
it over, along with her current one. Minako moved to throw the bow,
but an unfamiliar hand grabbed her wrist just before she let go.
"Oh, don't do that," a feminine voice pleaded. "I was just
thinking how nice it had looked on you."
Turning around, Minako took a moment to inspect the girl
standing next to her. She was almost Minako's height, standing
just enough shorter for one to tell. The girl's eyes were a vibrant
green that sparkled with the look of one who was eternally amused.
Her skin was a tad lighter than most, but only to the degree that
made her eyes stand out just that much more. Her hair was white and
hung loose to the small of her back. She wore violet shorts and a
light blue tank top with an unrecognizable symbol embroidered upon the
right breast.
Minako's eyes drifted to her wrist, which the girl still held
lightly in her hand. "Oh, sorry!" the girl apologized as she let go
suddenly, a slight blush rising in her cheeks. "But really, why
would you throw that away? It's so pretty in your hair."
"It reminds me of something unpleasant," Minako said softly.
"Can I have it then?"
Before she could react, the girl grabbed the bow from the
blonde's hand, and grabbed one tail of it with her teeth. With a
quick motion she pulled it loose, and began to braid her hair, teeth
still gripping the red ribbon. With practiced motions the girl braided
her hair in a record time, and began to tie the bow just above the end
of her now styled hair.
"Perfect," the girl commented as she tossed her hair over her
shoulder. Grinning at Minako, she grabbed the blonde's arm.
"Shouldn't you be in school?" she asked as she began to drag her
captive across the arcade.
"Hey, I could say the same for you!"
"Fair enough, I'm Ayn, what's your name?"
Minako raised a questioning eyebrow as they stopped. "Ayn?"
Ayn shrugged. "A moment of poor creativity on the part of those
who named me, so one-up me, what's your name?"
"I'm Minako."
Ayn now seemed to take the time to look Minako over as she had
in turn been studied moments before. "Minako huh? It suits. Pretty
name, pretty girl. Good figure too, bet the boys love you."
Minako laughed nervously at the comment, not quite certain
how to take it, or respond. The awkward moment however, was broken
as Ayn pushed her into the seat next to them. "Ever play Sailor
V? Let's see who can get the higher score."
-----
"Go Minako-chan!"
Their teammate leapt up with all her might, her arm cocked back,
ready to lash out at any moment. The white ball approached its
attacker, spinning rapidly. With calculated precision the blonde's
hand contacted the volleyball and sent it flying at incredible
speed back over the net and into the floor between two stunned
students.
A shrill whistle cut through the gym, followed moments later
by the teacher's voice. "That's game, blue team wins!"
"Man that shot was unreal," muttered one of the opposing
students. Makoto put her arm around her friend, and smiled. "That's
our Minako-chan."
The blonde smiled, and wiped a few beads of sweat from her
forehead. "Phew."
"Tired already Minako-chan?"
Minako's double felt a knot form in her stomach. The real
Minako wouldn't have been noticeably tired after such a short game,
and were all things equal, neither would she, however other things
were draining her strength at the moment. "Like I said earlier," she
lied, "I didn't sleep well last night."
"Ha, ten thousand," Ayn smirked confidently. "What are you at?"
"Eleven thousand," Minako replied. "I've played this game since
it first came out."
The two girls played on in silent contest, each one glancing
over at each other's scores as they climbed closely. "Have you ever
wondered what happened to Sailor V?" Ayn asked suddenly.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, she just disappeared. One day she was seen all over, and
suddenly she just stopped showing up. Of course, then Sailor Moon and
the others showed up. I think I liked her better though."
"She probably went away when Sailor Moon came along. I bet she
regrets giving up her fame now though."
Ayn shook her head. "I doubt it. I'll bet she's out there,
living a great life, happy the way she is. Probably has friends
and family, and knows everything is in good hands."
Minako turned to face Ayn, forgetting about the game before
her. "What makes you say that?"
"Well think about it," Ayn answered, also turning away from her
game. "If Sailor V had regretting vanishing, and had wanted back into
the lime-light, she would have come back. But she didn't. And every
kid still knows who she is; everyone plays the games based on her,
and watches the movie they made years ago. Even though no one points
at heron the street, she knows who she is, and I'll bet that's all she
needs. She can be famous as herself if she wants."
'She sounds like Artemis.' Minako stared at the girl before
her, wondering for a moment if it were her cat somehow in disguise.
The lunar pen perhaps? Luna and Usagi would no doubt lone it out to
cheer her up, though she would have figured Usagi to try it herself
if that were the case.
The two girls suddenly noticed their games flashing, and they
groaned in unison as they realized they'd died when they had turned
away from the controls. Glancing at both screens, Ayn shook her
head, biting her lip softly. "It looks like you won by a thousand.
I guess you're the better Sailor V."
"Don't feel bad," Minako said cheerfully. "I've had more
practice than anyone. This was fun, but I need to go now."
The white-haired girl untied the red ribbon, letting her braid
fall apart. "Do you want this back?"
Minako reached to take the offered ribbon, but stopped and shook
her head. "I have another one, you keep it."
Ayn's eyes widened. "Cool! Sure you don't wanna play another
game?"
"Sorry."
The girl stepped closer, her breath tickling Minako's ear as she
whispered into it, her voice soft with a sultry tinge. "You sure
Minako?"
"Ehh," Minako took a step to the side, once again not certain
how to react to Ayn's comments. "Really, I've got to go."
"Fair enough," Ayn relented. "I was going to challenge you to
the new racing game, but I'd probably win anyway."
Minako's lips drew into a flat line as she looked at Ayn through
slit-like eyes. "Prepare to loose missy."
-----
"Meet you later at Rei's!"
Minako's double waved at the three friends as she went her
separate way, following the same route Minako always did to go home.
A small noise behind her caught her attention and she spun around
to face who was there.
A sidewalk, occupied only with a few dead twigs and leaves
stretched back along her path and the blonde girl turned back around,
laughing at her own foolishness. A gloved finger suddenly met her
forehead as the familiar figure of Sailor Venus stood blocking
the way. The Senshi of Love glared with anger burning brightly
in her eyes as the two stood in silence for a moment.
"Leave," Venus commanded. "Leave me and my friends alone, your
game isn't amusing and I'm not playing it any longer."
"That's too bad," the doppelganger replied smugly. "Because
it's not a game at all, and participation is not optional. You
destroyed me, tossed me aside like a cheap outfit that you'd tired
of, and now I'm taking back that life, and your friends... well
they're the interest accrued."
"I didn't throw away anything. I loved being Sailor V, but
becoming Sailor Venus was never something I doubted. I didn't
destroy anything, I am who I am, and I don't regret anything,
and I'm not going to let you try and take over something that isn't
yours."
Two golden crescent moons glowed to life at Venus's fingertips,
but the double simply pushed her attacker's hand away. "It won't
be that easy Minako, I know you better then you could imagine,
better, perhaps, then you do yourself. And I certainly know you
better then your friends. Everything that is yours is now mine, but
I'll let you have a day to say goodbye to it all."
The dark double pushed her way past an enraged Sailor Venus,
who ground her teeth for a second before turning to pursuit. However
the street lay empty, her 'twin' having vanished in that short
moment.
Without hesitating she leapt over the concrete wall that lined
the sidewalk, making her way through the small park on her direct
route to the first person she could think of to talk to. Her mind
replayed the last two days over and over as she traveled without
thought towards a destination she knew, perhaps, better then her own
home.
The fight the previous day, the way her double had moved, and
counteracted... Its words brought up buried issues she'd shared only
with Artemis at the end of bad days, when she found herself unable
to sleep. Whoever, whatever they were, they knew so much about her.
But they didn't know her well enough. Minako Aino had made her
choices freely in life, and no shadows of the past were about to take
them all away.
With a thought her Senshi fuku faded, and ordinary Minako dashed
out across the street, and raced up the long and steeps stairs that
lead to the Hikawa shrine.
"Minako," a familiar voice called, as she raced around the main
building. She waved and smiled at Yuuichirou, who pointed over his
shoulder. "She's sweeping up leaves over there," he told her.
Without stopping she turned to make her way in the indicated
direction, calling out her thanks as she ran by. Within moments, much
to her relief as her breath was becoming ragged; she spotted her
raven-haired friend battling with a stubborn pile of fallen leaves.
"Rei-chan!"
The priestess in training looked up and smiled at her winded
friend. "Minako-chan, you're here early?"
"Rei-chan, have you talked to me at all today?"
"That's an odd question," Rei commented, her face showing her
obvious confusion. "Wouldn't you know the answer to that one? No I
haven't."
"Well the others have, all day in fact."
"So?" Rei propped her broom against a nearby tree. "Minako-chan,
what's wrong?"
"Rei-chan," Minako tried to clarify, taking a deep breath. "The
others have been with me all day at school, but I've been at the
arcade..."
WolfByte
wolfbyte000@yahoo.com