I have not gotten anything from the list for a while but have sent a
couple of things out...
I decided to send this as opposed to a bloody "Test" post...
If anybody actually reads this can one or two give me a shout.
(Talk about a cheap and sneaky way to get C&C) (just joking)
Intro which just has thoughts credits and
stuff.
As you may have guessed the characters of Sailor Moon and
others are not mine. Don't shoot I bleed easily.
To give credit where credit is due I think the seeds of this
were planted in several other fanfics - and of course the
wonderful anime and manga (did you know that I never could
have ever seen myself saying this 4 years ago...scary)
...I'd love to give names and titles but these things grow
blurry with time (and appropriation) If I've managed to snag
someone else's' idea (which of course they have actually
written and are not just thinking about) well give yourself a
pat on the back for influencing me in the realm of my subconscious. If
you want you can also shoot me a dirty look for not giving you
proper credit :)
Some of the thoughts in this piece actually came about from
reading a lemon about.... well you will probably guess.
This is however not even close to that particulair name or
title...
I can honestly say
NOT A LEMON....NOT EVEN A LITTLE BIT!!!
I sure this causes no small amount of depression.
...however it (the story of course) gave me an idea for a modified
(and strangely reversed) version of said lemon.
I may write it...or not....If you get to it before
me...good luck.
Neil
I don't know why or how I keep writing these things...I mean
why am I not writing BGC stuff like I want...?
I am possessed.
This is sort-of a sequel to Valentine's Day.
Sunday Morning.
She sipped her tea in the sunlight.
The cozy kitchen was filled with the rich yellow light and the smell of
good things to eat. Although She knew there was no gingerbread left over
from the night before faint whispers of it's spicy smell lingered like a
half-banished ghost.
The sun warmed her and made the fabric of her jeans look much richer than
just plain brown.
She was glad she had just worn a sweater over her blouse as opposed to a
heavy jacket. She had slipped the fuzzy wool off and hung it up almost as
soon as she had gotten in the door.
She inhaled deeply.
The rich smell of the honey and chamomile tea seemed
to mingle with the light making it more golden as it gave itself to the
plants which hung in green profusion in the window planters.
Sitting at the kitchen table feeling the almost-afternoon warmth she
decided that this was just about the best
way to start a weekend.
Well....
The best way was probably with a boy...well possibly.
She thought about it and contemplated the things they would
do and felt her face flush.
Although her friends considered her far more experienced than them the
truth was she probably was just better at acting like she was.
She giggled to herself-a warm musical sound, and then pouted at her
reflection in the toaster.
It wasn't as if guys were lining up around the block to date with
her anyway. Her reputation of being possibly more worldly than her friends
and classmates intimidated more than it attracted. If she was interested
in a boy and managed to corner him somewhere he would begin to blush and
stammer before any real sort of conversation could get started. Older boys
strangely were like that too. They expected her to be quiet and submissive
and so when her naturally bubbly personality came forth
(because no matter how she tried that just happened) they backed away.
She stuck her tongue out at the distorted face in the toaster.
It responded by returning the favor.
Soon she gave way to pressing her nose and flaring her nostrils while
she made "blaaaaa" noises and wagging her tongue...
Her hands pulled at the corners of her mouth and she waggled her free
fingers until what looked at a demented catfish - it's sensitive feelers
moving erratically looked back from the chrome.
"Keep doing that and it will stay like that." her friend said entering
the room with her light spring coat and purse.
Although startled she remained poised.
Turning from the reflection the blond girl resumed her
facial attack, This time upon her friend.
"What's the point?"
She sighed releasing her mouth from it's odd shape
"Maybe guys will like me better this way. Pppppppppttttt"
"I could say something rude about that tongue of yours ." her friend
replied an evil glint
in her green eyes "But I'm a lady."
"EEEEEeeeeewwwwwww!" Minako said " Ecchi. Don't be gross!!!"
"Well you asked." Makoto said pulling on her spring jacket. "Anyway, are
you sure you don't mind waiting here while I go to the store?"
"And let these poor sweet muffins go to waste?" She asked
eyeing the covered basket in front of her where she could (or at least
imagined she could) smell the warm baked goods.
"More like "go to your waist." Her tall friend chuckled and dodged out
the door to avoid the hurled apple (from the bowl of wax fruit).
"You know," she said peeking around the corner after the missile had
glanced off the door. "I noticed you blushing when I came in...thinking
about anyone special?"
Makoto dodged back out as Minako made her reply via a ballistic plastic
banana.
Later, a few seconds later anyway.
Anyone special.
Ha.
It seemed that this was a particular battle that Sailor V, Captain of
the Sailor-Suited Warriors would never win.
She knew it wasn't really a battle to find someone you cared for but it
was a struggle. And a difficult one.
The only boys who did seemed to be attracted to her and didn't run off
soon afterward had somehow gotten the impression that because she had
posed for Sailor V promotional shots and a few products wouldn't mind
posing for them in their homes wearing considerably less and DOING
considerably more.
She sighed and put her cup down.
Maybe it had been a bad idea to come over to visit her friend today.
She was moody and probably wasn't even decent company.
Lord knows that was what Artemis had said to her when she had snapped at
him (for the 3rd time) this morning when she was getting ready.
He had left the house in debatable spirits as well.
Where had he been headed?
"Wherever she wasn't" had been his reply and it had stung.
However bad a mood he had been in, he had at least thought to
soften his snapping and hurtful remark before leaving.
"Listen, Mina-chan," he had said with serious eyes obvious
in hindsight to the fact that his last retort had hurt his
dearest friend as much as it had. "I just think...I just
think that we both need to get out to be by ourselves for a
while. It's been a busy week and we both need some time to
vent off some steam."
His next words came in a rush and sounded as if he was as
confused and hurt as Minako felt. "Maybe..maybe we have been
spending to much time. Besides.." He had deliberately let
humor slip into his expressive voice "If I'm going to get
ANYWHERE with Luna I can't have an of you hanging around
cramping my style."
Minako had been forced to laugh at this.
"As if you ever will. You know she's just to...proper for
that sort of thing."she giggled feeling some of the hurt and
tension seeping away.
"Well be that as it may." he replied in a conspiratorial tone
before bounding away to the sound of her laughter "I do know
where a big plot of catnip is and I plan to take her there
this afternoon."
Jolted back to the present Mina noticed the remains of a
muffin in her hand.
When had she eaten that?
She hadn't even noticed.
How Many had she eaten while she was lost in
thought....oh no... THREE!
She was as bad as Usagi.
She finished off the rest of it and washed it down with the
last of her cooling tea.
It was strange, sometimes she forgot that Artemis was a cat.
Oh she saw him all the time all right, but it wasn't a cat
she saw it was a friend.
Her best friend.
Sometimes when she was talking to him and he was out of sight
for a moment or two she simply forgot. All she could feel the
strength in his voice, the compassion and the caring.
Out of sight he became a man (or at least a good looking boy)
of her dreams in her mind. Of course this was shattered the
second he hopped up on the table or rubbed against her ankle.
It wasn't fair.
Even if somehow he managed to become human it wouldn't last -
after all, he had Luna - or at least tried to.
Many times.
Maybe that was it.
Sometimes this strange attraction and frustration reached a
boiling point. Sometimes like today. Maybe if she went out to
more of the parties that other girls went to? Maybe if her
friends new some guys that were good looking - And weren't
destined to be with for hundreds of years she amended.
She shook her head and her long golden hair moved like a
fantastic waterfall designed by King Midas until the silken
strands again rested on her shoulders.
She might as well ask herself to give up her heritage.
She could simply leave her transformation stick here and walk
away.
Yeah, right. And monkeys would fly out of her butt.
O.K. then...If that was one (or two) options out of the way
what else could she do?
Well, she could get out with other people more often and this
meet more new people - which was kinda scary when it came down
to it. She liked meeting new people and was outgoing Heck
she had to be. Moving from country to country if you didn't
make friends you ended up so alone.
...but
the way she considered this
- that felt a little to much like cutting a lifeline
One that she was quite sure she never wanted to cut.
That, and she also didn't want to have to try and explain to
her friends why she was now "avoiding" them to be with
other people.
The rest of the group knew she had been on her own as
an independent crime-fighter and also respected her privacy.
Usagi, strangely perhaps giving her a little bit more
consideration than she did of the others
- if she was to listen to Rei's countless complaints about
her best friend/rival.
Strangely enough she felt as if Usagi even would understand
this (all of it) more than any of the others.
-if she talked to her about it.
Oh Artemis what ever should I do?
That was odd, she thought...here I am moping about not having
a "special someone" and my mind keeps drifting back to him.
He's a cat for heaven's sake....why did she care what he
thought or did?
Maybe, she decided the best thing to do was simply wait and
see what happened.
Time did strange things and hopefully one of them would be
dumping a cute guy in her lap.
She giggled and blushed at her choice of words even if
they had been spoken inside herself.
"Alright." She said aloud "What I mean is I hope I meet the
guy of my dreams and it happens in a completely unexpected
way - soon."
She cocked her head skyward " Are you listening Kami-sama?"
Oh well, she had better things in her life to do than brood
on all of this - didn't she? Of course she did. Mako-chan
would be at least another half an hour or so shopping so she
might as well make herself useful.
She began to putter about the cozy kitchen until she
realized that the only things that really needed to be done
were the washing-up of her tea-cup and plate. Makoto wasn't
what anyone would call a "neat freak" but did keep her small
house in tidy order.
Her Parents house.
It was sad Minako mused that her friend had no family to
speak of but sad didn't really cover it. She knew she could
never really understand.
Mina knew what it was like (a little) not really having anyone around
what with her father either spending time with his company or
working with the Trade Commission and her mother acting as his
secretary on more than one trip overseas. But dead? No, she
couldn't imagine them that way.
Never.
She wondered if Makoto sometimes simply managed to convince
herself that she was acting as a sort of caretaker and that
her parents would someday walk in the door.
Makoto had shown her the ticket once - the seat on the plane
that should have been hers - if she hadn't had the measles.
Minako shivered.
All her friends seemed governed by ifs.
If Rei's father hadn't sent her to the Shrine.
If Ami had decided to go through with her plans to become a
doctor and abandon the others.
If she had been in that building when it had burnt.
If she had never seen them embrace, the way HE had looked
into her big sisters eyes.
Her throat tightened with emotion and she thought of another
if which some how made things lighter.
If she hadn't eaten those muffins.
If Usagi had some form of co-ordination.
Ya. Right.
She put the might -be's and might have been's behind her with
a soft smile - Almost sad, but not quite. and made herself
another cup of tea.
***
Where was she?
Makoto was late.
Not really late, but enough to have another cup of tea.
Minako sighed and looked at the clock.
The lateness probably meant one thing.
The arcade was on the way to the store and of course inside
the arcade was....
Sometimes that girl was just to obsessed
with boys. And, this unhealthy obsession usually allowed her
to find all the good ones first another part of her mind added.
Minako went into the living room and retrieved her
shoulderbag from an overstuffed armchair.
At least she would do something constructive then.
She took out the tangled mass of white yarn and slender
needles and began to determedly knit.
A few minutes later she had finished.
She had forgotten when she had put (shoved) her knitting in
the bag this morning that all she had to do were a few odd
stitches to finish the mittens and now that was done.
She wondered whether she should start on a scarf again. She
pulled it out and regarded the three foot long two inch wide
project she had earlier abandoned.
She knew that it was unlikely that anyone would really have
any need for them now in late April but you never knew. She
put the mitts on and stared at them.
Funny, she had never noticed how much they looked like paws.
Thinking of paws made her think of Artemis.
She hoped he wasn't angry at her any more.
Sometimes she just didn't understand him. It probably came
from him being a cat she guessed. Suddenly she had an idea.
Maybe if she WAS as cat (or at least thought like one) she
might just be a little more thoughtful.
It was worth a try.
Mako-chan kept a bunch of paper and things around for making
decorations and that would be ideal.
After a few minutes of working out the mechanics she went to
work.
***
Some time later the kitchen door opened and Makoto stepped
in, purse over her arm, a shopping bag in one hand,
a large drooping potted plant held precariously in the other.
"Hi. I'm back. "
"Hi." Drifted Minako's voice in the living room.
"Sorry I took so long." Makoto apologized as she opened the
refrigerator and began putting things away.
"I saw this guy about to throw away this perfectly good plant
and had to convince him that he should give it to me."
"He remind you or an old boyfriend?" Came the familiar
question.
"Naw. My old boy friend was great with plants."
Makoto planted the drooping thing affectionately and entered
the next room.
"As a matter of fact he......"
"He what?" Minako asked, looking up from her book.
"What?"
"Your' old boyfriend. 'as a matter of fact' what?"
"Umm. ahh He was just good with plants that's all." Makoto
stammered. "But what are you doing?"
"Reading."
"I can see that... but...what....?"
"What am I reading? It's something for school but I like it."
"No." Makoto waved her arm, gestured. "No, What are you
wearing?"
"Oh, That."
"Oh, That." Makoto repeated dryly. "Yes,
that. I suppose you have a good explanation?"
"Of course."
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"I'd sort-of like to hear it."
"Oh, Okay." Minako rubbed a be-mittened hand across her nose.
"Stop that...You look like...like..."
"A big cat?" Minako suggested helpfully.
"A big cat." Makoto said with a sigh.
"Exactly." Minako jumped to her feet.
"I'm a cat!"
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Fine." she spun around the room and the scarf deployed about
her depending from a large safety pin at the back of the jeans.
"I even have a tail!"
"So I see."
"Look!." She leapt in her imitation of
catlike-grace and ended in a crouch on the floor.
"See." she said excitedly. "Just like a cat."
Makoto had seen how like a cat she was and had just managed
to grab the lamp on the table as it was swept off by her
friends "tail."
"Mmmmm." She replied noncommittally.
"It's like this." Minako said pretending to "groom" the
cardboard ears she had affixed in her hair.
"Artemis and I have been... well, edgy around each other
lately. Part of it has been my fault but I'm worried about
the way he's been reacting. I'm worried about us."
"Us?" Makoto laughed. "since when did you two become a
couple? And what would Luna say?"
"Stop it." Mina said feeling the rise of a light flush across
her face. "It's not like that. It's just that we've always
been partners and we seem to spend less time talking than we
used to."
"Well," Makoto said noticing and avoiding her
friends psychological reaction. "Maybe that's just the way
things are. You to had to depend on each other didn't you? I
mean there was no-one else right."
Mina began to speak in denial of this then thought briefly of
the two figures embracing against the flames.
"Um.. yes."
"Well now you have us." Makoto said smiling.
"It's just natural." She continued, "that you both need time
to be with new ...friends.."
"I guess so." Mina nodded.
"So why are you dressed like that?"
"Well, I decided that the only way I could really understand
how Artemis felt was to think more like a cat... so I became one.
And you know it worked."
"Yea...?" Makoto did not sound entirely convinced.
"You know," Minako said enthusiastically working to convince
her friend. "It's like that old saying about not really understanding
someone unless you make a smile in someone else's' skin."
Makoto winced and gently tried to correct her friend.
"That's walking a mile in another person's skin...or even
shoes," she added as an afterthought.
"That's just stupid." Minako said brightly. "I mean Artemis
is a cat. He doesn't have shoes... and look at his size."
Minako gently chided her friend. "And, If he did, they
certainly wouldn't fit me."
Makoto felt the strong need to sit down.
___________________________________________________________________________
Nene Nene Nene Nene Nene Nene Nene Nene Nene
I met a Lady in the Meads,
Full beautiful, a faery's child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light
And her eyes were wild.
J.Keats
________________________________________________________________________
Agent Of Chaos. Robyn, Duke of Amber. Unicorn Knight
****************************************************************************