Chapter 2

After Serena and Minako left the room…

"Where are you taking me Serena??"

"I said that I was going to show you the school, didn't I?"

"Yeah... But I already told you... I know the campus very well…"

"Ok but... will you accompany me to the cafeteria then?? Pleaseeeeeeeeee??" With puppy eyes she was asking Mina...She really was hungry, with a bento that looked worth eating, and with no much time before classes restarted... "I don't have a break until 2:30 please??"

"Ok... I am little bit hungry too..."

"Thanks Mina!! You're wonderful!!"

They proceeded to the cafeteria which was located almost in front of the media center. They found an empty table and after putting their stuff down, Mina went to order. When she came back, Serena had already started eating. Minako had never saw such an appetite in just one person. With that image on her head, her own appetite seemed to disappear…

Even with the mouth almost full, Serena continued to talk about everything that went around the school. From what teacher was hired to who liked who... well she knew almost everything about everyone... And even though Minako was not really interested in knowing that amount of useless information, in her point of view, she was hoping that Serena make a slide on the theme and said something about the raven girl that even there was in Minako's thoughts. But unfortunately for her the time went pretty fast and Serena didn't mention anything of her friends, until...

"Ohh... I shouldn't have eaten all this food...even if it was really delicious… Anyway you have free period right?" Giggled a bit.

"Uhm? Yes I have... why??"

"Because you're soooo kind and good friend to us that you're going to deliver Rei her breakfast..."

"Me???" 'Friends already?? I think I am being used, but in the other hand… delivering Rei her breakfast doesn't sound like a bad idea...I may have the opportunity to stay with her the whole hour and maybe I'll get her to like me.' Serena only saw Mina's grin....

"Yeah... Who else??" And from nowhere she took out an apple, a bottle of water and put them all together in a plastic bag.

"Ok... I'll give it to her... but you owe me a favor..."

"Thanks Mina-chan!!!"

"Just one more thing... Where do I find her??"

"Ohh right I almost forget to tell you... She is probably at the archery's section."

"Archery's section??"

"You said you knew the school... anyways it is right behind the tennis courts so it would be easy to find, there is a path that differs between them, if she's not there, she's maybe in the gardens near the same area.... Because of eating and talking I kinda lost track of time... What hour is it?"

"8:34"

"Ohhh noooooo, I am already late…" And after what Serena said, Minako only saw a figure disappearing though the cafeteria's door. 'Wonder why she's not in athleticism or something like that she would be pretty good...'

'What should I do? Should I go?? Should I stay? Don't know what to do... Rei is surely frightening but she has that don't know what that makes you like her... Well at least it leaves that feeling of wanting to know her... I should go... Serena asked me as a favor... and also Rei'll be hungry be now...'

Minako took everything Serena gave her but she had the feeling that maybe she should get her something else. So as she started to go away with all her things, she bought some things more that maybe would be of Rei's like.

Following Serena's instructions, she started to walk towards the tennis courts. She didn't notice when her feet started to take her to the invisible path that pulled apart her destination and the one to the tennis courts.

Someone called her but she was so deep in thought that she didn't really hear it. Trees at both sides of the path make her impossible to see what was behind them... She slowed her pace making her not hearable, unnoticeable....

She stopped and pulled her bags down when her eyes laid down in the figure of an archer standing in the middle of the court, unconsciously she knew that the archer was Rei, but her eyes only saw what she wanted to see. She seemed unbeatable, unapproachable, just perfect...

As Rei prepared herself for the last move she smiled knowing the unknowable destine of the arrow she launched.

Rei put her arc down, took another arrow and prepared for launching it; but her attention was no longer in the target. Her attention was now upon certain blonde that appeared of nowhere or at least that she thought.

Neither Rei nor Mina moved from their places just glanced at each other, no one wanted to brake the moment, each other unnoticeably embellished with the sight of the other...

"Why are you here?? Serena sent you, right?"

"How did you know??"

"I knew because... I know Serena and she wouldn't leave like that without breakfast even if she's really hungry.... When I give it to her she usually comes herself or she sends one of the others..." 'Why I am telling her this...' She pulled her arc and arrow down....

"I...I didn't want to bother you, I'll just leave here the bag and I'll go....I added some things... I'll hope you'll like them..."

She left the bag in one of the benches that were disposed for those who wanted to watch the players, and started to walk away.

"Wait... Please don't go...." Rei said pleading while extending her arm like trying to reach her... 'What am I doing...? What am I doing? If Kat can pass through us then I can too' "Stay...please... well... If you don't have anything to do...I'll be really glad to have err… some... uhm... company..."

Her hands were sweating; her ears and cheeks were all red. She indeed felt strange...She didn't have felt like that since....well…a long time ago...

"Hi! Not very talkative, are ya?" Said a younger version of Akira to an also younger version of Rei. Both of them were stood in the front door of their school, after a while both of them moved aside to let everyone else enter.

"..."

"I am Takashi Akira, and you are??"

"Hino Rei…Nice to meet you…"

"You are something of Hino senator??"

"Ehm… yes… I'm his daughter…"

"Wow…that's cool…you're going to enter Juuban Institute too??"

"Yes I am going to start high school…"

"What a coincidence, we're going to enter high school too…"

"We??"

"Ahh yeah… me and my cousin… Just wait to see her you're going to like her, she's just a wonderful person…She was supposed to arrive fifteen minutes ago but I think she lost her way up here… She's from England and this is the first time she'll be studying in Japan…but anyway I think she knows more than I do from Japan… "

"Akira where are you?? Akira!!"

"Here I am Kat… Let me introduce you Rei Hino, she'll be studying with us… "

"Hi!! Nice to meet you I am Sanders Kathleen…"A short brown haired girl appeared behind Akira. She was thin, good looking and she had brown eyes as well.

"Hino Rei." Both of them shook hands. Rei was nervous; she had never felt like that in her entire life. A part of her was telling her that she had to do her best in front of that girl, she wanted to impress her. On the other side, Kat seemed kind of astonished, she just wanted to stay forever looking at her eyes, swim in them, drown and never come back.

Since that day the two of them were never apart. No one could separate them…

Mina looked back, she smiled but inside her she felt disappointed. 'She just needs my company nothing more ... but why do I feel disappointed, I just met her two hours ago... for god's sake... what else would she want from me rather than company....'

"I don't know, I... I have to go to ... to see the dean... to... arrange some of the paperwork that is left...and so on..." Minako said nervously seeing how Rei started to get more and more close to her.

"Please don't go..." And after she said that Rei extended once more her arm and took Mina's hand in her own, in that same instant Minako turned around completely being now at Rei's mercy. The time seemed to stop again.

"Please...Mina..." Repeated Rei in a slower tone... 'Her hands are so soft… their softer than hers… I don't want her to go…'

Unconsciously Rei started to approach her again. Her right hand sliced through Minako's arm just touching it with the tips of her fingers until it reached her back. Her other hand sliced up until it touched Mina's left cheek.

Mina was paralyzed; she didn't know what to do... Her mind was off... Her eyes were looking upward and downward between Rei's flaming eyes and her parted lips. After realizing the closeness, Minako closed her eyes. Their breaths were unsteady, their bodies almost touching, their lips only millimeters away... Rei realized their closeness too, but she was too intoxicated by Minako's essence that she didn't want to move away from her.

They tore apart when they heard the sound of a tennis ball falling near them. It broke the moment and the time regained its steady force.

Their bodies were burning in those places where they had just touched, they were trying to stabilize their breathings but their shakiness wasn't helping.

Both felt the lack of the other, the lack of the warm that invaded both during the second they were together... But Rei's action was not in vain, the flame was turned on. On their hearts and deep on their souls, they realized that they wouldn't live without the other at least around, at least at sight.

Mina saw what Rei was doing but it didn't hit her until she saw that she was taking away her equipment.

"What are you…?"

But before Minako could finish what she was trying to say, Rei had already finished packing up her things and in the rush of her actions she took Minako's hand in her own again and ran with her until they reached the garden Serena was talking about before.

When Rei decided that it was secure she stopped.

They were still agitated but acted as if nothing had happened. They sat down in one of the benches and Rei started to get out the food of the bag picking up mostly, for Minako's delight, the things that she had chosen.

"Do you want something from here.... feel free to pick whatever you want... jeje... is the less I can do after you brought me the food…I am in debt with you…Mina.." Said Rei trying to break the ice created after the almost kiss...and the running…

"Thanks… just seeing Serena eating took away my appetite…but anyway…why did we run away?"

"I… I just didn't want to be disturbed by the tennis players that were going to go for the ball…that's all" 'I didn't want them to interrupt us…I didn't want them to start saying something awful about you for being with me…I just wanted to protect you…Mina… Don't know where this feeling comes… but I feel… safe… good…' "They were friends of Akira… that's why… I saw them going there when I went to practice…" Her face darkened just at the mention of them. Minako knew that it was not the moment to ask about it so she let it go.

They both felt awkward, but at the same time as well, they felt like, even if they knew each other for just few hours, an invisible connection was growing upon them every minute they shared together.

They ate and talked of no sense. Almost every topic was covered letting away just those who both thought were too personal to share at least at that moment. The unease feeling they both felt at the beginning started to disappear. Rei forgot everything and started to open herself to the stranger in front of her. Mina forgot the preview scene and opened herself as well.

The rest of the hour and a half of their free time passed away really quickly. They didn't feel it.

Looking that it was almost hour, Rei started to talk fearful of what Mina would say.

"Would... you... would... you like me... to accompany to your.... uhm… next classroom... just because you're new and... that....of course, if you don't want then...." 'Take it slow Hino... Take it slow... You almost kissed her already and you don't know if she is like you... ohh what am I thinking ohh my gosh...'

"I'll be... glad if you accompany me there I... I... don't really know the school..." 'You already told Serena you knew very well the school... What are you playing at....?? ehh?? But I feel kind of different with Rei I never felt something like this before.... I think we're going to be really good friends...'

They picked up their things and after getting ready both started to walk back to the main buildings. Rei felt the burning desire of taking Minako's hand in hers but stop the urging and she stared apparently at the road they were taking...They kept silent all the way back enjoying the presence of each other and the singing of the birds that were nearby.

When they got to the right room, they stood in the door looking who was getting in. Both were in peace until Akira and her friends arrived to the scene.

"Ohh look at that... It seems that Rei has found her new victim...Mina I told you not to befriend this...this type of persons...poisoned inside, evil, creaky, bitchy..." All of her supposed friends started to shout at Rei as if she was the devil in person....

"I should have known that this would happen..." And after saying this Rei left without looking back at Minako, not even letting her reply...She was too far away to hear Mina shouting her name. When Rei was about to take the stairs she found Makoto, Ami and Serena. She avoided them and took the stairs to the next level where her next class was going to start.

Meanwhile Minako's rage burst out of the limits. She had never been this angry before and she had her fair share of disagreements. Her face was red just of pure anger, her hands were white of the courage, and her eyes were like killing guns ready to shoot. Makoto, Ami and Serena were just in time to see the yelling that was going to start.

"How do you dare to tell me who I am supposed to befriend with?? Ehh? You don't have the right; did you think that because you talked to me like thirty minutes you have that right?? If I want to be her friend then I will, no one ever has tell me what to do and you won't be the first one in the list... Understood?? Don't ever try to do that again you don't even know me!!! And don't insult her ever again…If you do you'll know me angry and you don't want to meet me like that…"

Akira was ready to answer that but was stopped just at the sight of Mako, Ami and Serena behind Mina. Minako felt the support that these three girls were giving her. She took her things up and went inside the room. Serena indicated four free places and they took seat there.

The class started but Mina's fury was still there impregnating the air…Minako was also submerged in such sadness because of Rei sudden departure. Her thoughts were far apart again from the now history class... She started daydreaming, thinking of Rei. A Rei who told her that she needed her friendship... but of course those silly thoughts were drifted apart by her mind that told her that it wasn't right to think like that even if she couldn't keep those thoughts apart... 'What if I like her... what if I want to be near her... I just want to be her friend... is that too bad??'

Almost at the end of the class, she started to compare her own schedule to the one of her new friends and saw that every class she had was at least with one of them. Her next class was Literature and she had it with Ami and Serena, so after the class finished she went with them to the next classroom.

During that break she started to talk with them and started to feel at ease, something that was strange for her since it was her first day at school. Usually it took her at least two weeks for that but... who cares...She felt happy and that was the only important thing ...even, she would feel better if the raven girl was around but no one can have everything without fighting for it.

As you may see, she was definitively decided on getting Rei's friendship at whatever cost. With that thought in mind the next class happen to be faster than the preview ones. Also because she used it to get all the information that was possible about Rei from her friends. Ami didn't talk much but Serena was certainly of help, though both of them didn't know much of the really private things. But that didn't stop Minako from getting valuable information from her point of view. She got to know her schedule, her address, some of her preferences, their likes, and hobbies.... all general information.

11:30 in Rei's classroom after getting a little bit relaxed about the discussion.

"Are you better??"

"Yeah… I guess... I shouldn't have Minako get that close to me… I knew something like that would happen… I hate them… I hate them all!!" Her body was flustering all with anger.

Makoto knew better to wait a little before talking again to Rei. She knew that every time they talked with her about those girls they had to be very cautious.

"Are you angry with Minako too??

"I don't know… she did not offend me but she didn't do anything to prevent it…"

"I wouldn't be so sure in that aspect… she did defend you…you should have seen that, she was amazing… I never had seen someone as angry as you are… sometimes… jeje…" Lowering her volume… "She really seems to want to be your friend…"

"She should then seek in other place if she wants friends… Akira and her friends want her friendship more than I do…"

"As you want… but at least consider it…" Rei just nodded in response, she was almost hidden between her arms and the desk. Makoto first noted in Rei's tone that she was really hurt by the fact that Minako was with Akira but after what she had said, that Minako was in her side, she seemed pretty relieved.

The class passed away without talking again of the fight.

That day Rei was supposedly to stay until 2:30 p.m. and after that she was going to left to her home. Since Mina was out at 1:00 p.m., she used the time left to go check some of the paperwork and she was at the entrance of the school with thirty minutes of anticipation.

She was getting really impatient so she searched for a place to sit down.

"Minako!! Minako!! Over here!!"

Mina saw Ami who was talking to her. She went there and started chatting with her.

"It's almost 2:30 I should get going…thanks for the talking… see you tomorrow!!"

As Minako was starting to left, Ami shouted at her.

"Wait… there's something I want to give you before you leave…"

"What is it?"

"Here it is… In this paper are written all of our mails, phone numbers and cell numbers as well…just if you need them…"

"Yay… Thank you…If that's all…I am going to leave…"

"Just one more thing…well…question… Do you really want to be Rei's friend?"

"Yes I really want… Why the question?"

"Are you ready to fight for her? Because if you don't, better you stay aside… We don't want her to get hurt…not again…" Ami took a break and Mina sat down again. "We don't know what happen between Akira and Rei but it was something huge…they were best friends when they started high school along with Akira's cousin but in one of the school trips they had a fight… nobody knows what about or what really happened because the director and teachers stopped the rumors and every information at the respect… but after that they tore apart…She was really depressed… and we were the only ones to help her…I don't want her to be like that again… so please take care on what you do and say…please…Ohh nooo it's already late I have to go to see Mako… I hope she does not get angry ayy see you!!"

And with that Ami left a thinking Minako…but before she was getting to deep in her thoughts she saw a raven flash passing though the principal door. She got up just in time to follow Rei.

Rei seemed not to notice that she was been followed by Minako. They passed several streets and they were heading towards the south part of the city. When they arrived to a park Rei looked back and surprised Minako who couldn't hide well and was behind a tree acting as if nothing.

"I know you're there Minako… I know also that you've been following me since I left the school… care to tell me why you're following me?"

Minako tried to decipher Rei through her tone and her corporal expressions but she couldn't get anything from her, she was really good at hiding her emotions.

"Are you mad at me for following you?"

"Don't change the theme…" At seeing Minako's puppy eyes she started to get a sudden longing for feeling Minako in her arms… "Ok…. Don't look at me like that…you can walk with me if you want… But don't hide behind the tree…please…"

They started to walk again…side by side…

"Where are we going?

"I thought you already knew…Mina…"

"Well…uhm… no…"

"We're going to my home… Hikawa Temple…"

They continued to walk to the temple both in silence…until…

"So… tell me… why were you following me?"

"I… just wanted to know if you're still mad at me… I really want to be more than a classmate to you…"

"Here we are…we just have to climb upstairs…" 'Did… did she mean it?? Maybe… is a chance after all…'

While they climbed up, Minako tried to ask again but Rei was so deep in thoughts that she didn't answer until they got to the top.

"I know what you did after I left and I really thank you because of that but I don't want that to happen again… I don't want you to get involved in our problems… I don't want them to shout at you… like they do sometimes to the others…"

Rei put her head down but her chin was picked up by Mina's hand. Both frowned upon the contact…

"Don't worry for me… I really want to be your friend…I'll see you tomorrow in class…" She removed her hand and planted a sweet kiss in Rei's cheek. "Bye girl…" 'She likes me…!! yay!!'

Minako departed with a smile upon her face…She was really happy with the result of her talking with Rei. She left a Rei with her hand in her cheek trying to know if the kiss was real or not. Rei was happy because of Minako's decision but she was also sad as well because she knew how Akira could get… 'Only if you knew…Mina…this is like declaring war to Akira and it is just your first day…'

Minako couldn't sleep…She was too agitated because of the day events…She couldn't get Rei out of her head…She remembered every gesture, every part of her face… every part of her body… She couldn't forget her but she thought that it was because she had never met anyone like her and she was impressed.

"I want to get to know you, you know...? Rei…"

In other different place same circumstances, Rei was as well unable to sleep. Her thoughts were drifting her to the same person even she didn't want to think of her. Her thinking was in the same way of Mina's but she knew that it was not only that she was impressed by her…She was attracted to her…Mina was gorgeous in every way she could think of… It was almost like last time but ten times stronger…She wanted to get to know her in every possible way…It was like finding someone who was like her, that would comprehend everything she was…

Author's Note

Thanks for your reviews and to everyone who's reading this little story... I'll see ya next week and don't forget to leave a little bit of loving hehehe... XD