Title: Out of the Closet

Author: LLE

Pairing: None

Rating: K+ (PG)

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all it's characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi. No profit made, no copyright infringement intended. You know the drill.

”Wait a minute… ” Usagi held up a hand, looking pointedly at her friend. “You, Aino Minako, the most boy-crazy one of us, Haruka and Michiru not included, are gay?!”

The Senshi of Love ducked her head and blushed lightly, glancing around at her friends.

Rei was standing by the wall, eyes wide and decidedly unfocused, and had apparently forgotten all about the small cup of tea that was raised halfway to her mouth. Ami’s eyes and raised eyebrows were barely visible above the edge of the book the blue-haired Senshi was holding, but her forceful blush was plainly visible. Makoto stared at the blonde wide-eyed, not noticed as her pencil dropped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor of the Hikawa Shrine.

Setsuna was, as always, the picture of calm. Haruka was peering at the other Senshi with obvious amusement, and Michiru merely leaned back in her seat and sent the young blonde a supportive smile. Hotaru had raised her camera and forever captured the mostly shocked group on film.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong,” Usagi rambled on, “I’m just happy as long as you are, Mina-chan. I hope you know that.” She sent her friend a smile and was rewarded with a small one in return before she continued. “But am I the only one who’s surprised by this?”

Usagi gazed evenly at all of her Senshi, her eyes eventually stopping at the Senshi of Time. “Oh, don’t bother,” she huffed indignantly. “We all know you saw this one coming a mile away. The Gates tell you things, but you can’t tell us because that might unbalance the timeline and God knows Crystal Tokyo would crumble to dust if you let it slip what we’re having for dinner a week from now.” She waved her hand dismissively at Setsuna. “Yadda, yadda, yadda.”

Haruka bit her lip to keep from laughing, sneaking a look at Setsuna. Michiru clapped a hand over her mouth to quiet the bubbling laugh, as she too noticed the look of outrage on the face of the otherwise so stoic Senshi of Time.

“Hey, odango head!” Rei snapped out of her haze and glared at the girl. “How about a little respect for your elders?”

When the raven haired girl noticed that her interference did nothing to change the look on the Outer Senshi’s face, she blanched slightly. “Err, sorry Setsuna. That didn’t come out quite the way I wanted it to.”

Setsuna leaned her head forward and pinched the bridge of her nose lightly, emitting a small chuckle. “It’s quite all right, Rei.” She gave the Fire Senshi an indulgent look. “I am older than the rest of you, and I did have an inkling that Venus’ appreciation for the female form might carry over into this timeline. It did for Neptune and Uranus, so why not her too?”

“Getting back to the original issue here,” Minako spoke up, looking very amused and not just a little relieved, “Yes, Usagi, I’m gay. I’m glad most of you don’t seem to want to make a big deal out of this.”

“Really, Mina-chan, what’d you expect?” Ami smiled, her tone light though her cheeks were still tinted with pink. “We’ve been around Haruka and Michiru for a long time and have no problems with their relationship.”

“I know.” Minako smiled at the blue-haired genius, the shifted her focus to the girl sitting next to Ami, and giggled slightly.

Ami turned her head and looked at the brunette, who was still frozen in the exact same position as earlier. “Mako-chan?”

Usagi waved her hand in front of the brunette’s face and, when this gained no response from the girl, resolutely pinched her side.

“Yaa!” Makoto jumped and glared at the blonde, while Rei smacked Usagi in the back of the head.

Minako leaned back and, with a small, happy sigh, surveyed the room.

Usagi was wailing at Rei, proclaiming for all the world to hear that the Fire Senshi was the meanest person on the entire planet, while simultaneously maintaining an ongoing tongue-war with Makoto. Haruka and Michiru had given up trying to hold their amusement in, and were both laughing openly, while Setsuna covered her eyes and shook her head. Ami had decisively buried her head in her book again, and Hotaru was walking around snapping pictures of everyone with a devilish giggle, while Artemis and Luna lay in a corner of the room, both with their paws over their eyes.

Minako sighed again, a small grin shaping her lips. Everything was back to normal.

- END