A Wolf In Cheap Clothing

Mina put on her new red hooded cloak. She tugged on it in front of the mirror and undid the golden clasp, which attached with a delicate chain latched over a large shiny button. She had initially bought it as part of the costume, but Ami had made a good point saying 'That it could probably double as an extra layer in the spring and fall.'

Satisfied, she turned to face Rei. "So, what do you think?"

"It's nice, I guess." Rei thought she looked cute, but she always looked cute.

"C'mon Reiko, you've got to use your imagination… Like, obviously I won't be wearing my school uniform underneath."

The miko rolled her eyes. With the blonde that could mean almost anything.

She and Rei were supposed to go a party together. While you could hardly call Minako organized, she could be oddly focused about certain things. If something fun caught her attention then she usually planned weeks, if not months in advance.

She had started to plan things out as soon as she had bought the cloak back in the spring. She was determined now. It was now her life's goal to go somewhere as Little Red Riding Hood with Rei as The Big Bad Wolf.

Rei grumbled, "Why do you always want to be some beautiful thing and I'm left as some monster?"

"Not at all Rei!" Mina objected. "It would be sooo cute. You wouldn't need one of those ugly, scary rubber werewolf masks or anything. You'd just have little pointed ears, and a fluffy tail. Maybe black to match your hair. Maybe I could even draw a cute little nose on you! I can see it now…"

Somehow Rei still didn't look convinced.

Mina tried to sound a little less enthusiastic. "You could wear whatever you want, but it would look killer with a black cocktail dress, all cut up one side." Minako continued on. "To show, like, I'm kind of the sugar and you're the spice!"

"Uhh, well, I don't think it's a good idea. I don't know if people would 'get it'. And besides, if we match then they might think we're a couple or something… Y'know?"

"So what? But If you don't want to be a black wolf in a dress. You could be a kitsune? Maybe wear red, it would probably go with that red leather jacket you've got? But for this one you'd need nine tails. That'd actually be really cool too!"

"Look, I don't know yet. We'll see I guess?" Answered Rei skeptically.

"Pleeease? For me?" She batted her lashes at the stoic girl. Rei was such a sucker for blue eyes.

"Argh! Alright, fine!" By now she was pretty used to giving in to Minako and Usagi and their relentless whining.

Mina grabbed Rei in a tight hug. "Thank you, you're the best you know that?"

The dark haired girl blushed. "Yeah yeah…" Secretly she wished their embrace had lasted a little longer.

Minako had planned on wearing a white lace lolita dress that she already had bought last year on sale, but never had an occasion to really wear, white knee-high stockings and some kind of really cute shoe. Little black kitten heels, maybe Mary Janes. She might even see something while she was out shopping. She hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

'Hmph! You'd think Rei would do anything to see me in it.' Mina had a scenario run through her head that she'd wait until the perfect moment, sometime after the party when they were back at the shrine. She'd wait until Rei was going to hug her good night and instead of stepping down the stairs to leave, she'd steel her nerves, lean in and in her most seductive tone whisper 'All The better to eat you with, my dear…'

And then she'd lick her lips or bite her lip or just something to draw attention with her mouth. Like, sure, it's the wolf that's supposed to say that, but she knew Rei wouldn't have thought of it, and in this case it would have to be close enough.

If it worked, it was brilliant! And if it didn't, there was always Plan B. She knew that she could just play it off like she was kidding. Mina was always teasing Rei about something or other, it was very believable. But just maybe this time one of her crazy schemes really would lead to something, even if it was just a kiss or finally knowing whether or not she was alone in this soul crushing, one-sided, unrequited love.

—

A few weeks passed. Minako had already picked out all new make-up. She decided to wear long fake eyelashes to look extra doe-eyed and innocent. She even found a really cute old fashioned picnic basket, with a red and white gingham lining. She figured that it could serve as a prop and her purse for the evening. Maybe she'd give it to Makoto when she was done, she was always trying to get Ami's nose out of a book long enough for her to eat something.

She was still putting on the final touches when the phone rang.

"Hey– It's uh Rei."

"I know who it is dummy, us non-psychics have a little thing called call-display?" Not to mention she'd know the sound of her best friend's voice anywhere.

"Look, I'm really sorry but I'm not gonna make it to the party. You and the others should go without me. I just, I dunno, don't feel well." It was a lousy excuse and Rei knew it.

Mina was always a fabulous actress and she hid the disappointment in her voice as well as anyone could. "Ha, don't worry about it. Um, you just work on feeling better. I'll come by tomorrow and tell you all about it, okay partypooper?"

"Yeah."

"Night Rei, Happy Halloween."

"You too. I'm really sorry."

"I know, it's okay." She had suddenly felt sick herself.

Mina got undressed, she folded the tights on her bed and put them in a drawer. She hung up the dress on a coat-hanger. She looked sadly at the cloak she'd been waiting months to wear. Her fingers grazed the crushed velvet fabric once more before she slid the door closed.

'There'll be other parties,' she mumbled wistfully to herself. 'Maybe we'll both be out of the closet by then.'

—

Two years later, Minako was rifling through Rei's bedroom to find something to wear to the dance club. She shrieked out loud when she grabbed something furry.

"EWWW! Wh-What is that? Why do you even HAVE that? Oh my god! I thought it was a dead rat!" Her skin was crawling. She hopped around the other girl's bedroom to shake that feeling away.

"It's only a tail. D-Don't worry it's fake. It's a wolf tail…"

"Rei…"

"I wanted to go, I just… I couldn't."