Allo minna! More ficcy writing going down! ^^ I've been a bit on the busy side recently, sorry about that. I started this while house-sitting for my dad, I figured I'd go ahead and post the beginning and continue the rest as it's written. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is MIIIIIIINE!! Mwuhaha! *Clings*...no, not really.
That's As Close As I'll Get To Loving You
By: Rei_Firestar
~*Chapter One*~
Rei yawned and stretched out under her blankets, slowly cracking one eye open to look at the clock on her mantle. 9:16 AM. She had overslept, but she didn't care much. It was winter holidays, which meant her grandfather and Yuuichirou were gone and she had no school. She grunted as she arched her back then sighed heavily as she plopped back onto the matress.
She folded one arm over her eyes, leaving just enough space to see out the window. Snow was drifting lightly to earth, a small pile collecting at her window sill. 'Snowing again,' she thought to herself sleepily. 'No wonder it's so cold this morning. Mmm but these blankets are so warm...'
Just as she was falling back into a light sleep her phone rang. She grunted in disdain but made no move to answer it. It rang again and she continued to lie there. Three times. Four times.
By the time the fifth ring echoed through the empty halls she was cursing heavily as she stumbled to her feet. She reached the phone and picked it up.
"Hello, Hikawa Jinja, Rei speaking."
She was returned with a dialtone. She groaned and slammed the phone back down onto its receiver. Muttering, she headed back toward her bed. As she was getting back under the covers, the phone rang again. Rei resisted the urge to scream as she stomped back over to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" she asked dangerously.
"Rei? Is that you?"
"Usagi? Did you just call?"
"...Uh, no." Rei could tell she was lying.
"Hmn," the miko said simply.
"Did I wake you?"
"Somebody did," Rei muttered. She heard Usagi pause on the other side of the line, and though still a bit angered, she smiled. "So, what's up?"
"I just wanted to see if you wanted to spend the day with me. I don't have anything to do for the holidays. I thought I could get some shopping done today then we could head to the park."
"You realize it's snowing, right?"
"It is?" There was a break on usagi's end as she stopped to look out the window. "It's not here," she said. "Must've just stopped though. It looks pretty fresh."
Rei shrugged though her friend couldn't see it, rubbing the soles of her feet against the legs of her pants in an attempt to warm them from standing on the chilled hardwood floor. "Well all right then."
"Yay!" Usagi shrieked with joy. "Meet me at the arcade in about an hour?"
"Will do. See you in a bit."
"'Kay! Bye!"
Rei set the phone back down on its cradle and rubbed at her eyes. She looked back at her bed forlorn. Giving into temptation she crawled back under the blankets and curled up, closing her eyes. Unfortunately she had been out of the bed for so long that the body heat she had left was gone, leaving the blankets just as cold as the rest of the room.
"...Damn it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
An hour later Rei was sitting on a barstool in the Crown Arcade, still slightly miffed that she had had to sacrifice her warm and cozy bed. To make matters worse, Usagi was late.
"Good morning, Rei," Motoki said, leaning against the countertop.
"Oh, good morning, Motoki. How's it going?"
"Pretty good."
"Get Reika a Christmas gift yet?"
"Sure did. Want to see?"
Rei nodded and Motoki gave a conspirical grin. The way he whipped his head around looking to see if anyone noticed him made Rei wonder just what kind of gift he may have gotten, and who he might have taken it from. Then he smiled and pulled a velvet box from his apron pocket, sliding it to his friend. She picked it up and flipped it open, gasping.
"Motoki, it's beautiful!"
"Shh, keep it down, people might think I'm proposing."
Rei giggled and lightly brushed her fingertips over the giant heart-cut diamond centered in the ring. "Well, just not to me, right?"
He chuckled. "Right. I'm going to propose to her on Christmas eve."
"How romantic," Rei said with a soft sigh.
"What about you? I know a certain blonde-headed buddy of ours that I'm sure you'd like to get a special gift for."
"Ha." Rei snapped the box shut and handed it back to the barkeep. "Don't tease me, Furuhata."
"Ouch, got the last name. Struck a nerve, did I?"
"You know you did."
"Oh come on, Rei. You've been head over heels for that girl ever since I met you. I could tell even then. Come to think of it, I think the only person who couldn't tell was the odango herself."
"Yeah, well, she's taken anyway."
Motoki sighed and ran his hand back through his hair. "Come on now, Mamoru's not a bad guy."
"I never said he was."
"He's just never around. He can't help that."
"Didn't say he could."
"You don't have to be bitter, Rei."
She lowered her head and rubbed her forehead, muttering under her breath. "I'm not bitter," she gritted. "If you've noticed I haven't said a bad thing about him since this conversation started. You're the one turning him into an ogre, not me."
"Uh huh."
Rei inhaled sharply through her nose, repressing the urge to spring over the counter and choke Motoki with his own apron. He was a nice guy - it's just that sometimes she thought he and Usagi were the male and female epitome of every blonde joke ever recited. "Poootaaatooo," she muttered.
"I heard that Rei. I know that joke. And by the way, I resent that remark," he said.
"You /resemble/ that remark, Motoki," she said with a grin. Okay, so he wasn't /as/ bad as the blondes in those jokes.
"For that," he said, "I won't give you advice on how to win Usagi over."
"I don't /want/ to win Usagi over."
"Liar."
"She has Mamoru," she said. "I don't want to ruin what they have."
"You're so noble, Rei..." Motoki got off of the bar and walked over to the soda machine. "And so full of bullshit."
"Don't make me jump this bar and drown you in Pepsi."
"Ugh, gruesome death. Here," he placed a drink in front of her, "bribery for you not to tell Reika what her Christmas gift is."
"Mmm appreciate it," she said as she took a sip.
"So, where is the bunny anyway?"
"Ah, who knows? I didn't expect her to be on time."
Motoki nodded and glanced out the glass sliding doors. "Kind of slow today."
"Have you been outside this morning? It's cold! People are being smart and staying in bed. I'd still be in mine if it weren't for that bubbly wake up call I got."
"Well some people have to work, you know. Not everyone gets to stay in bed on sleepy mornings."
"Oh poor you. I should've gotten up early and cleaned the shrine, that's work."
"Well you're just irresponsible."
Rei rolled her eyes and finished off her drink. She looked up at Motoki wordlessly. He blinked confusedly.
"What?"
"I can still tell Unazuki what you got Reika for Christmas, you know."
He half glared at her and grabbed her cup. "For that you get Pepsi."
Rei shrugged and he turned away. She heard the doors of the arcade slide open behind her and shivered as a winter breeze drifted into the building. She turned around to see who was coming in the door and gasped softly.
There stood Usagi, clad in a forest green parka. The hood went up so far to cover her odangos that the parka was shortened a bit, coming to an end about the middle of her shin. Small flurries of snow swirled around her like dancers ('Snow dancers, eek') on the wind. As she stepped inside the doors closed behind her, shutting off the wind and reducing the snow to droplets of water on the welcome mat.
Usagi pulled back her hood and shook her head a few times. She spotted Rei at the bar and waved to her, snapping the miko from her reverie and reminding her to breathe. The blonde bounded up to her, smiling sweetly.
"Hi Rei! Sorry I'm late, my parents wanted me to walk Shingo over to a friend's house. I swear, they still treat him like he's a baby. I almost feel sorry for him. I probably would if he weren't such a brat."
Rei chuckled. "That's all right."
Motoki returned and sat Rei's drink on the counter. "Here you are, Rei. Oh, hey Usagi."
"Hi Motoki! How are you?"
"I'm doing pretty well. How about you?"
"Great! I'm going Christmas shopping today. I've been saving up money ever since my birthday."
"Wow, that's amazing that you haven't spent it all."
"REI YOU'RE SO MEAN!!"
Motoki sweatdropped. "Right..."
"You ready to go?" Rei asked her friend.
Usagi nodded, the miko's comment already forgotten. "Sure."
"All right. Motoki, just forget about that drink. Get my a good gift for Christmas and my lips will remained sealed."
He laughed. "Got a deal. I'll see you two."
"Bye Motoki!" Usagi called as she flipped her hood back onto her head. Rei zipped up her red windbreaker and stuck her hands in her jacket pockets as the two stepped outside.
"All right," she said, "where to?"
Usagi pointed down the street and exclaimed "That way!" With a nod from Rei, the two teenagers headed off toward the shopping district. The streets, though far from empty, were not very crowded. Rei figured it was due to the same excuse she had given Motoki, that all sane persons were still curled up in their beds. She had to admit, though, it was a beautiful day. There were only a few clouds in the sky, just enough to cast a soft shadow over the earth. Most of the snow from the night's shower had been cleared from the streets and sidewalk, most of it having melted away anyway.
The two girls chatted idly about the weather, cliche as it sounded, wondering things about snow falling on Christmas and New Years Eve. Usagi asked if Rei thought it would snow enough to build a snowman, to which the miko responded with a grin asking Usagi if Mamoru was inadequate. When Usagi blinked at her, Rei laughed, but promptly dropped the subject when her blonde friend demanded to know what she meant. A moment later Rei noticed that she was blushing, apparently having figured out what the snowman joke had meant, and smirked to herself.
After a bit of walking the girls turned the corner and headed down the strip of outlet stores known as the shopping district. Usagi's eyes lit up and she whipped her head around, trying to find which store she wanted to go in first. She skipped down toward a music store and ducked inside, Rei following without as much gusto. Usagi started thumbing through some recent pop albums while Rei sauntered over to the rock section.
Rei was usually all up for shopping, but today she just wasn't 'in the zone'. She picked up an old 80s rock CD for Yuuichirou, having gone through his music collection a few days before looking for an idea on what to give him and noticing the power rock genre seemed very prominent. She had thought of giving him a tab book for some of the songs he already owned but had quickly dismissed the idea. At least this way the music he played would be coming from professionals.
Making her way out of the rock selection, Rei wandered around until she found some country music. She knew for a fact that her grandfather was a country fan, having listened to his tapes with him ever since she was a little girl. She wasn't as avid a fan as she had been all those years ago but she still had a small taste for it herself, which was why she got distracted looking for her grandfather a gift - she started looking for herself.
As she looked over the CDs, she began to hum to herself. The tune was that of a country song she had written herself, one about a very special blonde haired girl in her life.
Who just happened to be standing right behind her.
"That's pretty, Rei. Who sings that?"
Rei let out a startled "Gack!" and whirled around. There stood Usagi, smiling softly like she usually does, expecting an answer. Rei wasn't ready to admit the truth, however, so she grabbed the first CD at hand and held it up to her friend. "He does."
Usagi cocked her head a little as she read alout the name Aaron Tippin. "Oh, isn't that the guy who sings that Kiss This song? I love that one!"
Rei blinked. "You're a country fan?"
The blonde shrugged. "I don't have a big distaste for it, I just rarely listen to it. I only heard that song on the radio a few times."
"Oh. Hmn." Rei placed the CD back where it was supposed to go and began to walk down the aisle.
"I didn't know you were a fan though," Usagi said.
Rei chuckled. "My grandfather is. I've been listening to the stuff ever since I came to live with him. I'm not as big on it as I was when I was younger, but I don't hate it either. I was actually looking for Leann Rimes. He has a bit of a crush on her," she said, sweatdropping.
Usagi giggled. "How cute."
Rei grabbed the CD she was looking for and smiled. "There it is. Well, I'm finished in here. Ready to go?"
"Sure!"
The two headed to the counter with their items. Once finished with their purchasing, they moved two stores down to a clothing outlet. Usagi weaved in and out between the displays, sniffing out combinations of style and low prices like a verteran shopper...or perhaps like a crack dog, says this shop-hating author.
Rei drifted through the sweaters idly, absently fingering the fuzzy cuffs on a few of them. She spotted Usagi looking over a baby blue sweater at the end of the aisle and trotted up. "Hey Usa," she said, calling her by her pet name, "I'm going to head over to the jewelry store across the street. I'll be back soon."
"All right, Rei," Usagi said, never looking away from the sweater.
Rei chuckled and headed out the door. She hurried across the street and stepped into the jewelry store. She didn't look around much. She already knew what she wanted and where it was.
She approached the lady behind the counter who smiled brightly. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
"I'd like that necklace right there," Rei said as she pointed to one of the necklaces on display below her. The lady smiled.
"Nice choice, madam."
The necklace was that of a sapphire heart, studded in small diamonds, hanging from gold chain, the two gems and the chain all 24 karots. Rei agreed that it was a nice selection, but whereas she thought it was nice because of its appearance, she was certain the teller thought it was because of the price.
The woman pulled out the necklace carefully and offered it to Rei so she could make sure it was what she wanted. The miko waved it away and reached for her wallet.
"Would you like the necklace gift-wrapped?"
"Uh, no...could you put it in one of those velvet boxes like that one there?" she asked, pointing. She realized she was pointing to an engagement ring and blushed a little.
"Sure thing. I take it this is a special gift?" the woman asked mischeviously.
Rei chuckled as she fished out the cash for the necklace. She flipped through it to make sure it was enough then set it on the counter. "Uh, something like that," she said.
Once she was finished the teller held the box out to Rei who took it and flipped it open. The jewel heart shimmered up at her and she smiled to herself. The woman behind the counter rung up the price, returned Rei's change, and placed the box and the receipt in a small bag.
"You have a nice day," said the teller.
Rei nodded. "You too." Then she walked out the door.
Once she was outside, Rei took the box from the plastic sack and put it in her pocket. She then tossed the bag into a nearby trashcan. Across the street she could see Usagi coming out of the clothing store and waved to her. Usagi waved back, glanced up and down the street to make sure an 18-wheeler wouldn't splatter her on the concrete as she tried to cross, and made a quick jog across the street. She was holding a large bag in her hand, proof that she had bought a few things in the store.
"Find anything?" Usagi asked as she approached.
Rei shrugged. "Not really. Stuff in there is expensive."
"I want to go in and look. Come on, Rei."
Usagi stepped into the jewelry store, Rei following a step behind. When the teller saw Rei she smiled.
"Welcome back, madam."
Rei put a finger to her lips then pointed at Usagi. The woman blinked a few times then her eyes went slightly wider with recognition. "I-I hope you find something you like this time," she said. Rei raked her hand across her forehead as if wiping away sweat and gave the teller a thumbs up. She smiled at her in response. And Usagi, of course, noticed none of this.
Rei stood leaned against a wall as Usagi drifted about the store looking at the pricey gems. After a few moments, Rei moved toward the door.
"Hey Usagi, I think I'll drift down to the electronics store. There was something down there I was going to get Ami."
"Wait for me," Usagi said, "I think I'll go too. I don't have enough money to buy something from here."
Rei nodded and held open the door for her friend. As she stepped out, Rei waved to the woman behind the counter. She smiled and waved back, then the two teenagers were off down the street.
~*End Chapter One*~
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is MIIIIIIINE!! Mwuhaha! *Clings*...no, not really.
That's As Close As I'll Get To Loving You
By: Rei_Firestar
~*Chapter One*~
Rei yawned and stretched out under her blankets, slowly cracking one eye open to look at the clock on her mantle. 9:16 AM. She had overslept, but she didn't care much. It was winter holidays, which meant her grandfather and Yuuichirou were gone and she had no school. She grunted as she arched her back then sighed heavily as she plopped back onto the matress.
She folded one arm over her eyes, leaving just enough space to see out the window. Snow was drifting lightly to earth, a small pile collecting at her window sill. 'Snowing again,' she thought to herself sleepily. 'No wonder it's so cold this morning. Mmm but these blankets are so warm...'
Just as she was falling back into a light sleep her phone rang. She grunted in disdain but made no move to answer it. It rang again and she continued to lie there. Three times. Four times.
By the time the fifth ring echoed through the empty halls she was cursing heavily as she stumbled to her feet. She reached the phone and picked it up.
"Hello, Hikawa Jinja, Rei speaking."
She was returned with a dialtone. She groaned and slammed the phone back down onto its receiver. Muttering, she headed back toward her bed. As she was getting back under the covers, the phone rang again. Rei resisted the urge to scream as she stomped back over to the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" she asked dangerously.
"Rei? Is that you?"
"Usagi? Did you just call?"
"...Uh, no." Rei could tell she was lying.
"Hmn," the miko said simply.
"Did I wake you?"
"Somebody did," Rei muttered. She heard Usagi pause on the other side of the line, and though still a bit angered, she smiled. "So, what's up?"
"I just wanted to see if you wanted to spend the day with me. I don't have anything to do for the holidays. I thought I could get some shopping done today then we could head to the park."
"You realize it's snowing, right?"
"It is?" There was a break on usagi's end as she stopped to look out the window. "It's not here," she said. "Must've just stopped though. It looks pretty fresh."
Rei shrugged though her friend couldn't see it, rubbing the soles of her feet against the legs of her pants in an attempt to warm them from standing on the chilled hardwood floor. "Well all right then."
"Yay!" Usagi shrieked with joy. "Meet me at the arcade in about an hour?"
"Will do. See you in a bit."
"'Kay! Bye!"
Rei set the phone back down on its cradle and rubbed at her eyes. She looked back at her bed forlorn. Giving into temptation she crawled back under the blankets and curled up, closing her eyes. Unfortunately she had been out of the bed for so long that the body heat she had left was gone, leaving the blankets just as cold as the rest of the room.
"...Damn it."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
An hour later Rei was sitting on a barstool in the Crown Arcade, still slightly miffed that she had had to sacrifice her warm and cozy bed. To make matters worse, Usagi was late.
"Good morning, Rei," Motoki said, leaning against the countertop.
"Oh, good morning, Motoki. How's it going?"
"Pretty good."
"Get Reika a Christmas gift yet?"
"Sure did. Want to see?"
Rei nodded and Motoki gave a conspirical grin. The way he whipped his head around looking to see if anyone noticed him made Rei wonder just what kind of gift he may have gotten, and who he might have taken it from. Then he smiled and pulled a velvet box from his apron pocket, sliding it to his friend. She picked it up and flipped it open, gasping.
"Motoki, it's beautiful!"
"Shh, keep it down, people might think I'm proposing."
Rei giggled and lightly brushed her fingertips over the giant heart-cut diamond centered in the ring. "Well, just not to me, right?"
He chuckled. "Right. I'm going to propose to her on Christmas eve."
"How romantic," Rei said with a soft sigh.
"What about you? I know a certain blonde-headed buddy of ours that I'm sure you'd like to get a special gift for."
"Ha." Rei snapped the box shut and handed it back to the barkeep. "Don't tease me, Furuhata."
"Ouch, got the last name. Struck a nerve, did I?"
"You know you did."
"Oh come on, Rei. You've been head over heels for that girl ever since I met you. I could tell even then. Come to think of it, I think the only person who couldn't tell was the odango herself."
"Yeah, well, she's taken anyway."
Motoki sighed and ran his hand back through his hair. "Come on now, Mamoru's not a bad guy."
"I never said he was."
"He's just never around. He can't help that."
"Didn't say he could."
"You don't have to be bitter, Rei."
She lowered her head and rubbed her forehead, muttering under her breath. "I'm not bitter," she gritted. "If you've noticed I haven't said a bad thing about him since this conversation started. You're the one turning him into an ogre, not me."
"Uh huh."
Rei inhaled sharply through her nose, repressing the urge to spring over the counter and choke Motoki with his own apron. He was a nice guy - it's just that sometimes she thought he and Usagi were the male and female epitome of every blonde joke ever recited. "Poootaaatooo," she muttered.
"I heard that Rei. I know that joke. And by the way, I resent that remark," he said.
"You /resemble/ that remark, Motoki," she said with a grin. Okay, so he wasn't /as/ bad as the blondes in those jokes.
"For that," he said, "I won't give you advice on how to win Usagi over."
"I don't /want/ to win Usagi over."
"Liar."
"She has Mamoru," she said. "I don't want to ruin what they have."
"You're so noble, Rei..." Motoki got off of the bar and walked over to the soda machine. "And so full of bullshit."
"Don't make me jump this bar and drown you in Pepsi."
"Ugh, gruesome death. Here," he placed a drink in front of her, "bribery for you not to tell Reika what her Christmas gift is."
"Mmm appreciate it," she said as she took a sip.
"So, where is the bunny anyway?"
"Ah, who knows? I didn't expect her to be on time."
Motoki nodded and glanced out the glass sliding doors. "Kind of slow today."
"Have you been outside this morning? It's cold! People are being smart and staying in bed. I'd still be in mine if it weren't for that bubbly wake up call I got."
"Well some people have to work, you know. Not everyone gets to stay in bed on sleepy mornings."
"Oh poor you. I should've gotten up early and cleaned the shrine, that's work."
"Well you're just irresponsible."
Rei rolled her eyes and finished off her drink. She looked up at Motoki wordlessly. He blinked confusedly.
"What?"
"I can still tell Unazuki what you got Reika for Christmas, you know."
He half glared at her and grabbed her cup. "For that you get Pepsi."
Rei shrugged and he turned away. She heard the doors of the arcade slide open behind her and shivered as a winter breeze drifted into the building. She turned around to see who was coming in the door and gasped softly.
There stood Usagi, clad in a forest green parka. The hood went up so far to cover her odangos that the parka was shortened a bit, coming to an end about the middle of her shin. Small flurries of snow swirled around her like dancers ('Snow dancers, eek') on the wind. As she stepped inside the doors closed behind her, shutting off the wind and reducing the snow to droplets of water on the welcome mat.
Usagi pulled back her hood and shook her head a few times. She spotted Rei at the bar and waved to her, snapping the miko from her reverie and reminding her to breathe. The blonde bounded up to her, smiling sweetly.
"Hi Rei! Sorry I'm late, my parents wanted me to walk Shingo over to a friend's house. I swear, they still treat him like he's a baby. I almost feel sorry for him. I probably would if he weren't such a brat."
Rei chuckled. "That's all right."
Motoki returned and sat Rei's drink on the counter. "Here you are, Rei. Oh, hey Usagi."
"Hi Motoki! How are you?"
"I'm doing pretty well. How about you?"
"Great! I'm going Christmas shopping today. I've been saving up money ever since my birthday."
"Wow, that's amazing that you haven't spent it all."
"REI YOU'RE SO MEAN!!"
Motoki sweatdropped. "Right..."
"You ready to go?" Rei asked her friend.
Usagi nodded, the miko's comment already forgotten. "Sure."
"All right. Motoki, just forget about that drink. Get my a good gift for Christmas and my lips will remained sealed."
He laughed. "Got a deal. I'll see you two."
"Bye Motoki!" Usagi called as she flipped her hood back onto her head. Rei zipped up her red windbreaker and stuck her hands in her jacket pockets as the two stepped outside.
"All right," she said, "where to?"
Usagi pointed down the street and exclaimed "That way!" With a nod from Rei, the two teenagers headed off toward the shopping district. The streets, though far from empty, were not very crowded. Rei figured it was due to the same excuse she had given Motoki, that all sane persons were still curled up in their beds. She had to admit, though, it was a beautiful day. There were only a few clouds in the sky, just enough to cast a soft shadow over the earth. Most of the snow from the night's shower had been cleared from the streets and sidewalk, most of it having melted away anyway.
The two girls chatted idly about the weather, cliche as it sounded, wondering things about snow falling on Christmas and New Years Eve. Usagi asked if Rei thought it would snow enough to build a snowman, to which the miko responded with a grin asking Usagi if Mamoru was inadequate. When Usagi blinked at her, Rei laughed, but promptly dropped the subject when her blonde friend demanded to know what she meant. A moment later Rei noticed that she was blushing, apparently having figured out what the snowman joke had meant, and smirked to herself.
After a bit of walking the girls turned the corner and headed down the strip of outlet stores known as the shopping district. Usagi's eyes lit up and she whipped her head around, trying to find which store she wanted to go in first. She skipped down toward a music store and ducked inside, Rei following without as much gusto. Usagi started thumbing through some recent pop albums while Rei sauntered over to the rock section.
Rei was usually all up for shopping, but today she just wasn't 'in the zone'. She picked up an old 80s rock CD for Yuuichirou, having gone through his music collection a few days before looking for an idea on what to give him and noticing the power rock genre seemed very prominent. She had thought of giving him a tab book for some of the songs he already owned but had quickly dismissed the idea. At least this way the music he played would be coming from professionals.
Making her way out of the rock selection, Rei wandered around until she found some country music. She knew for a fact that her grandfather was a country fan, having listened to his tapes with him ever since she was a little girl. She wasn't as avid a fan as she had been all those years ago but she still had a small taste for it herself, which was why she got distracted looking for her grandfather a gift - she started looking for herself.
As she looked over the CDs, she began to hum to herself. The tune was that of a country song she had written herself, one about a very special blonde haired girl in her life.
Who just happened to be standing right behind her.
"That's pretty, Rei. Who sings that?"
Rei let out a startled "Gack!" and whirled around. There stood Usagi, smiling softly like she usually does, expecting an answer. Rei wasn't ready to admit the truth, however, so she grabbed the first CD at hand and held it up to her friend. "He does."
Usagi cocked her head a little as she read alout the name Aaron Tippin. "Oh, isn't that the guy who sings that Kiss This song? I love that one!"
Rei blinked. "You're a country fan?"
The blonde shrugged. "I don't have a big distaste for it, I just rarely listen to it. I only heard that song on the radio a few times."
"Oh. Hmn." Rei placed the CD back where it was supposed to go and began to walk down the aisle.
"I didn't know you were a fan though," Usagi said.
Rei chuckled. "My grandfather is. I've been listening to the stuff ever since I came to live with him. I'm not as big on it as I was when I was younger, but I don't hate it either. I was actually looking for Leann Rimes. He has a bit of a crush on her," she said, sweatdropping.
Usagi giggled. "How cute."
Rei grabbed the CD she was looking for and smiled. "There it is. Well, I'm finished in here. Ready to go?"
"Sure!"
The two headed to the counter with their items. Once finished with their purchasing, they moved two stores down to a clothing outlet. Usagi weaved in and out between the displays, sniffing out combinations of style and low prices like a verteran shopper...or perhaps like a crack dog, says this shop-hating author.
Rei drifted through the sweaters idly, absently fingering the fuzzy cuffs on a few of them. She spotted Usagi looking over a baby blue sweater at the end of the aisle and trotted up. "Hey Usa," she said, calling her by her pet name, "I'm going to head over to the jewelry store across the street. I'll be back soon."
"All right, Rei," Usagi said, never looking away from the sweater.
Rei chuckled and headed out the door. She hurried across the street and stepped into the jewelry store. She didn't look around much. She already knew what she wanted and where it was.
She approached the lady behind the counter who smiled brightly. "What can I do for you?" she asked.
"I'd like that necklace right there," Rei said as she pointed to one of the necklaces on display below her. The lady smiled.
"Nice choice, madam."
The necklace was that of a sapphire heart, studded in small diamonds, hanging from gold chain, the two gems and the chain all 24 karots. Rei agreed that it was a nice selection, but whereas she thought it was nice because of its appearance, she was certain the teller thought it was because of the price.
The woman pulled out the necklace carefully and offered it to Rei so she could make sure it was what she wanted. The miko waved it away and reached for her wallet.
"Would you like the necklace gift-wrapped?"
"Uh, no...could you put it in one of those velvet boxes like that one there?" she asked, pointing. She realized she was pointing to an engagement ring and blushed a little.
"Sure thing. I take it this is a special gift?" the woman asked mischeviously.
Rei chuckled as she fished out the cash for the necklace. She flipped through it to make sure it was enough then set it on the counter. "Uh, something like that," she said.
Once she was finished the teller held the box out to Rei who took it and flipped it open. The jewel heart shimmered up at her and she smiled to herself. The woman behind the counter rung up the price, returned Rei's change, and placed the box and the receipt in a small bag.
"You have a nice day," said the teller.
Rei nodded. "You too." Then she walked out the door.
Once she was outside, Rei took the box from the plastic sack and put it in her pocket. She then tossed the bag into a nearby trashcan. Across the street she could see Usagi coming out of the clothing store and waved to her. Usagi waved back, glanced up and down the street to make sure an 18-wheeler wouldn't splatter her on the concrete as she tried to cross, and made a quick jog across the street. She was holding a large bag in her hand, proof that she had bought a few things in the store.
"Find anything?" Usagi asked as she approached.
Rei shrugged. "Not really. Stuff in there is expensive."
"I want to go in and look. Come on, Rei."
Usagi stepped into the jewelry store, Rei following a step behind. When the teller saw Rei she smiled.
"Welcome back, madam."
Rei put a finger to her lips then pointed at Usagi. The woman blinked a few times then her eyes went slightly wider with recognition. "I-I hope you find something you like this time," she said. Rei raked her hand across her forehead as if wiping away sweat and gave the teller a thumbs up. She smiled at her in response. And Usagi, of course, noticed none of this.
Rei stood leaned against a wall as Usagi drifted about the store looking at the pricey gems. After a few moments, Rei moved toward the door.
"Hey Usagi, I think I'll drift down to the electronics store. There was something down there I was going to get Ami."
"Wait for me," Usagi said, "I think I'll go too. I don't have enough money to buy something from here."
Rei nodded and held open the door for her friend. As she stepped out, Rei waved to the woman behind the counter. She smiled and waved back, then the two teenagers were off down the street.
~*End Chapter One*~