Title: Dinner Revelations
Author: Raya Light
SM Monthly Challenge Theme 04JAN05: Wine
Genre: Drama
Version: Manga (Post StarS, pre Crystal Tokyo)
Rating: G

Disclaimer: Rei and her father are both owned by Takeuchi Naoko. If The Rose of Bangkok exists, it doesn't belong to me either.

Dinner Revelations

Rei sat at her table for two at The Rose of Bangkok with a slight smile on her face. As she waited, as usual, for her father to join her for her annual birthday dinner, she studied the glass of Cabernet that she had ordered. She swirled the red liquid slowly around in the crystal goblet, admiring the ruby highlights brought out by the candlelight and absently reflecting that it was nice to know the head chef so well. Although at seventeen she was technically under age, the head chef and the owner both knew that her father always allowed her wine if she desired it.

'It is so nice to be alive,' she reflected as she finally took a sip of the smooth yet tart liquid. She closed her eyes and savoured the taste, trying to identify all of the flavors the menu had said would be in there.

All around her in the dim restaurant, men of every age watched her surreptitiously drawn in by her incredible beauty and air of mystery. The long, formal looking gown that she wore was a sultry red which accented her black hair and pale complexion. The candlelight sparkled off of the rubies in her simple necklace, earrings, bracelets, and barrettes that had been her birthday present the previous year.

She opened her violet eyes once more and turned her attention from the wine to the flame on her candle. It was hard to believe that seven months had passed since their battle with Galaxia. She still woke from nightmares of great pain and fading away into nothingness. She rested her wineglass against her cheek as she sighed softly. 'It was worth it, though,' she reflected as she pushed those thoughts away once more. 'Anything to protect Usagi.'

Her smile widened as she thought of her best friend, now a young newlywed. Usagi seemed to glow even more brightly these days. The blonde headed young queen had finally, after several millennium, achieved her the second step of her long-cherished dream. Secretly, Rei wondered if the early spring that had filled Japan was a result of Usagi and Mamoru's happiness. Given Mamoru's connection with the Earth, she wouldn't be too surprised.

"Umm, excuse me, Miss."

Rei started, and turned to look at the man who had interrupted her musings.

"Umm... Are you... Are you dining alone?" the young gentleman asked, looking a little nervous. Rei studied him for a moment, taking in his dark hair, brown eyes, and good looks. "I... Forgive me for my bad manners," he continued with a quick bow. "I am Ichijo Honda of the Honda Family." As he spoke, he regained his confidence and proceeded more smoothly. "I noticed that you appear to have been stood up, and since I am alone as well, I came to offer my company." He indicated the two place settings and empty chair as he spoke, and then smiled charmingly.

Rei's eyes narrowed slightly in irritation. "I have not been stood up," she said coolly as she turned her attention back to her wine. Beside her, the young man gulped as he realized that he had accidentally insulted her. "I merely arrived early."

"I... I see," he replied. "Well then, may I keep you company until your... friend... arrives?"

Rei looked at him again. "No thank you," she replied politely. She turned her attention back to her wine once more. 'Men,' she thought with a flash of her old anger.

"Oh... I see..." Flustered once more, the young man tried again. "Umm... Would you, by any chance, be waiting for your husband? Or finacé perhaps?"

Rei looked at him irritably once more. "No," she replied tartly.

He looked a little relieved. "I see," he repeated once more with a brighter smile. "In that case, may I invite you out to dinner sometime next week? I know this nice French place a short distance from here."

"No," she replied more strongly.

"Rei," another masculine voice said quietly. She recognized it instantly, along with its subtle tone that warned her to watch her temper in public. Quickly, she pushed back her chair, stood up, and turned to face the speaker.

"Good evening, sir," she said quietly as she walked over to the man and gave him a small hug. Her father lifted an eyebrow at her unusual behavior, and then turned his attention to the young man that his daughter had obviously been trying to get rid of.

"Honda-kun, isn't it?" he asked politely as he studied the embarrassed young man.

Ichijo nodded, and bowed quickly. "Good evening, Hino-sama. Excuse me. I was just leaving." Quickly bowing once more, the young man fled back to his table a short distance away.

Rei let out a soft sigh as she allowed her father to seat her once more. "And what was that all about, if I may ask?" he said as he took his own seat and signaled the waiter for a glass of wine.

"Nothing important," she replied as she picked up her own glass. "Just someone who could not understand the word no."

"Ah, you've been dating?" he asked innocently as the waiter put a glass in front of him and poured in a splash of Merlot for him to approve. Rei choked on her Cabernet. She hurriedly put her glass down and picked up her napkin as the waiter watched from the corner of his eye. Ignoring her, her father nodded his approval to the waiter who then filled his glass and put the wine bottle on a side table.

"No, I have not been dating," she said after she finally caught her breath and the waiter had walked out of earshot. She gave him a small glare. "I do not intend to get married, so why should I waste my time dating?"

He shrugged in response. "I fail to see why you do not wish to marry. Surely you wish children? A husband to care for you and keep you safe?"

Her glare grew hotter. "I do not need a man to keep me safe," she bit out. And then her eyes grew cold. "And I will never, ever have a child." 'I will not repeat your mistake,' she thought to herself.

For the first time, her father looked interested in the conversation. "No children? Why not? I thought a happy marriage and children were the wish of every girl. I believe your mother told me that once, long ago."

Rei slowly sat back and took a deep breath. She studied the man sitting across from her. He truly looked puzzled at her response. He knew so little about her, had not taken the time to know her or her wishes and dreams as she was growing up. "Why were you late today?" she asked in an apparent bid to change the subject.

He tilted his head very slightly to one side, and then sat back in his own chair as he studied her. His intelligent brown eyes studied the flashing pinkish red of her jewelry, the sultry red of her dress, her composed air, and her stubborn, blank face. A trace of regret appeared as he realized that his little girl had grown up. The maturity in her violet gaze was more suited to someone twice her age. Finally, he responded truthfully. "I had a sub-committee meeting which ran over. That idiot, Sunuma, was playing politics and refusing to recognize the real problems that we were there to solve. We finally managed to break through to him, but it took practically all evening." A frustrated expression appeared on his face as he leaned forward to pick up his wine.

"And last year? When you canceled?" she asked quietly as he took a swallow.

He sighed as he placed the glass back on the table. "That was the emergency meeting over in Osaka that I couldn't avoid. I told you that," he responded irritably.

"And the year before that? And the year before that?" Rei asked implacably. When he looked at her with a narrow gaze she leaned forward and picked up her own glass of wine. "Your job is important," she said with a small nod, and then took a small sip. "I know that. I have always known that. And you love it. I have always known that, too. But it has always been more important than your family." She glared at him when he started to protest. "Yes it has. And once, I was very hurt and angry about that. But not anymore."

"Not always," he whispered. Rei froze for just a moment as she saw a tearing, aching pain in his expression. Quickly, he smothered it and smoothed his face back into his pleasant public one.

"It seems like always," she whispered back, and then took a deep breath as she put her glass back down. "I realized," she continued in a soft voice, "that it didn't matter. For whatever reason, whether because it was expected or because it made you look good or whatever, you decided to get married and have a family. It was a bad decision. Your job took over your life until you had no room for your family any more."

He shook his head a little violently. "Not true," he argued. "I made time for you. Until... Until..."

Rei looked at him in surprise. "You never made time for me," she protested.

He glared back at her. "I was there when you were conceived and I was there when you were born. I missed your first steps, but your first intelligible word was Papa. You had a small doll dressed as a fairy princess that you would never let go of. If you didn't have that doll, you would scream your head off and refuse to let anyone sleep, much less go to bed yourself, until it was found. You loved spicy food, the spicier the better, and we always had to hang on to you if we were anywhere near a flame." He smiled a little reminiscently. "Your mother could never keep a coat on you, no matter how cold it was. You were always hot. Until..." His smile faded and was replaced by a look of pain. "Until your mother got sick looking for you one day while I was out of town."

Rei trembled in shock. She knew her mother had become very ill and died when she was little, but she had never known that she had been the cause.

He shook his head, and took a deep breath. "But that is all the past. What was your point?"

Rei took a deep breath as well. "My point? Oh. My point was that I have found something as important to me as your job is to you, and I will not repeat your mistake. I will not have a family that will eventually have to come in second place."

He stared at her. "I see..." he said a little weakly as he studied her resolute expression. 'So mature, and yet still so young,' he thought to himself. "This important thing will not let you have both?" She shook her head. "And what would this important thing be?"

Her violet eyes flared in panic for a moment, and she quickly raised her wine to her lips again. 'I can't tell him!', she thought fearfully. 'He'd never understand, and worse, he wouldn't believe me. What? What can I say that is so important and not sound silly?' "I..." her voice trailed off. "I..." He quirked his eyebrow again, waiting patiently. "I'm going into public service," she finally choked out. Her father's eyes widened. "Not politics. If I can help it," she added with a mutter, and then continued more loudly. "Something like the police force or a firefighter. I haven't decided exactly what, yet, but something like that."

He studied her red, panicked face for a moment. "It's not something that will embarrass me or hurt me in the polls is it?" he asked quietly, already sure of the answer. She shook her head violently. "Then when you... decide... what it is, just let me know. In the meantime," he said smoothly as he picked up the menu, "I think we've kept the staff waiting long enough, don't you? What will you have for dinner tonight?"

Rei breathed a sigh of relief. Someday, someday he would know. But for now, she would be thankful that he had decided not to press her. She reached for her own menu, more than ready to get back to normal.