Author's note:
Hi, guys! I'm still alive and I haven't abandoned this story!
I apologize for the long time without updates, but many things happened in the past year that prevented me from writing. Anyway, I'm back! And I will do my best to update as fast as possible. Thank you all for sticking with me.
CHAPTER 14 – How Much Has She Changed?
Minako opened the door of her apartment and raised a curious eyebrow as she saw Artemis alone in the living room.
"Artemis?"
The white cat, half asleep on the couch, lazily turned to her as he heard his name.
"Where is Rei?" Minako asked, looking a bit concerned at her wife's absence.
"Rei? I haven't seen her. I thought she was with you, since none of you were around when I woke up this morning." Artemis yawned and stretched, then he narrowed his eyes at her, disapprovingly. "Where were you, by the way? It's not like you to go out without telling me."
But Minako just ignored him as she headed to the kitchen. There she saw the untouched breakfast on the table, the same breakfast she had ordered for Rei before she left early in the morning.
"Is she still in the bedroom?" Minako was thinking out loud. "But it's 1 pm already, she should be up by now."
"Minako?" Artemis walked towards her, drawing her attention. "Maybe we should check on her."
The thought that Rei was in trouble crossed her mind and gave Minako chills. She practically ran to the bedroom, forcing herself to knock on the door before entering. Even though she was worried, she didn't want to end up invading Rei's privacy.
"Rei?"
Artemis noticed the concern in Minako's voice. In fact, since there was no answer, he was starting to get worried too.
"Rei, are you there? Open the door!" Artemis said more loudly.
By now, Minako's heart was beating fast inside her chest.
"REI?!" Minako couldn't hold herself anymore and stumbled awkwardly inside as she forced the door open. She obviously wasn't expecting it to be unlocked.
Minako somehow managed to regain her balance and then she looked at the bed, noticing Rei was lying there. The fact that she could see her breathing instantly made Minako calm down a little, but as she heard a sob escape Rei's lips, Minako's concern came back with full force.
"Rei?" She called her name, trying not to sound too desperate. "What happened? Are you okay?"
No answer came, only muffled sobs.
"Rei, please?" Minako was approaching the bed and Artemis just silently indicated that he would leave them alone. Whatever it was going on with Rei, he knew it concerned only the two of them and he didn't want to get in their way.
As the door was closed, Minako knelt in front of Rei, noticing that the girl turned to the opposite side, probably avoiding her stare. She didn't want to impose herself, so she decided she would just ask one more question.
"Please tell me if you're feeling sick. Are you hurting somewhere? Because if you are-"
Rei shook her head negatively, but still remained silent.
Minako was beginning to feel frustrated. Still... she couldn't just leave Rei in that state.
"Okay, then... I'll bring you something to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
Her voice was low, muffled against the pillow, but Minako still could hear her.
"Rei, you need to eat. If you don't, you are going to get sick."
"I don't care."
Minako frowned. "But, Rei-"
"I wish I had died that day. It would have been better this way."
Rei answered sharply, cutting her off. She didn't mean to be rude, but she was tired of feeling she was a heavy load for Minako to bear. If she had died, at least Minako would be free to live her life without having to worry about her.
Then something occurred to Rei: a couple of minutes had passed and Minako still hadn't said anything.
She knew she was there, she could feel her presence. So Rei wiped the tears from her eyes and decided to finally turn around and stare at Minako, but what she saw made her instantly regret the words she had said. Until that moment, Rei didn't know how badly she had hurt Minako.
"Minako..." Rei muttered and quickly sat on the bed, panicking as she saw all those tears running down Minako's cheeks. "I..."
But Rei didn't finish her sentence. She fell silent as she recognized Minako's expression. That hurt, that pain... it was the same look she had on her face when she heard Rei didn't know who she was, a few days ago back in the hospital.
The realization that she had hurt Minako again made Rei's heart ache.
"Do you... do you have any idea of what you said?" Minako asked through her tears, her tone full of resentment.
Rei got off the bed and stood in front of Minako. She knew she should apologize, she was ready to do that, but she just couldn't find the right words.
"I-"
"Do you have any idea, Rei, of what I felt when I heard you had been shot?!"
Now Minako's tone was sharper, so much that Rei instinctively took a step back. Weakly, she shook her head to answer 'no'. She was a bit shocked by the way Minako was talking to her.
"Can you imagine, Rei, what I went through, what your friends went through, when you were in a coma for a month and we had no idea if you were ever going to wake up again?! Can you?!" By now, Minako was practically screaming at her, her face flushed and tears running freely down her cheeks.
The only thing Rei could do was to lower her head in shame.
As she stared at the ground, she saw Minako's feet appearing in her field of vision. So Rei slowly raised her head, afraid that Minako would slap her, but instead, she felt two arms quickly wrapping around her, bringing her closer.
"Don't you ever say something like that again!" Minako sobbed as she held her tight. "I would be so lost without you, Rei, I would have died if you... if you..."
She was crying so heavily that she could hardly finish the sentence and Rei just stood there, paralyzed in her arms.
"How would I live without you?" Minako mumbled. "You mean everything to me. There would be no point in living without you."
Since Rei said no words, Minako finally noticed what she was doing. She forced herself to stop crying and loosened the grip around Rei.
"I'm- I'm sorry, Rei, I-"
"Don't."
Before Minako could actually let her go, Rei inhaled deeply and, gathering all the courage she had, she quickly wrapped her arms around Minako's waist.
"Please, don't." Rei said again, softer now, lying her head on Minako's shoulder. "Don't let me go."
Minako widened her eyes and parted her lips in surprise, which Rei obviously couldn't see. Hesitantly she held her tight again. As she embraced her, feeling her against her body, Minako let out a sigh. Rei was there, in her arms again after so long, letting her hug her, *asking* her to hug her. Tears filled her eyes as she felt a sense of relief she hadn't felt probably ever since she heard Rei had emerged from the coma.
"This is the first time you hug me." Rei whispered, closing her eyes and shyly snuggling into her. "It feels so... good."
As she said the last word, Rei herself seemed a bit surprised. That was a new sensation, one she had never before experienced, and she couldn't quite name it... but she definitely didn't want it to stop.
Meanwhile, Minako was smiling sadly, perfectly aware that wasn't the first time they hugged each other. Rei's words made her feel happy, but at the same time, they were a sad reminder that all her memories about their past were gone.
Even so... having Rei in her arms still had the same effect on her. It didn't matter if Rei couldn't remember anything that had happened between them; all that mattered was the feelings were just the same, her love for Rei was still there, untouched. And, apparently, she still could make Rei feel better with a hug.
"I missed you," Minako closed her eyes and whispered in Rei's ear the word that she hadn't spoken for weeks: "Reiko."
As she heard the pet name, Rei slowly loosened her embrace and stared at Minako in the eyes.
"Please don't call me that. I'm... I'm not that girl anymore." Her own words hurt her deeply, so Rei failed to keep staring at Minako. She was still sensitive about the night before, when she found Minako asleep on the couch and old videos of them playing on the TV screen. "You miss *that* girl, but I'm not-"
"Shh." Minako silenced Rei with two fingers on her lips. "You are." She smiled reassuringly. "You are still the girl I fell in love with."
Rei blushed slightly at those words and at Minako's touch, but she didn't move an inch or said anything. It was Minako who took a step back, breaking their contact and putting some distance between them, but that cute smile was still on her face.
Even though that was a small thing, Minako was happy she was making advances with Rei.
"So..."
She stretched the vowel and Rei stared at her curiously. She was fighting the urge to take Rei in her arms again, but Minako knew she had to take things slowly with her.
"You skipped breakfast, but would you join me for lunch?"
When Rei heard the invitation, she parted her lips. So Aino Minako, the world famous singer, a girl who could have anyone she wanted, was really there, standing in front of her, asking her to go out and have lunch... "like on a date?"
As she realized she had said the last part of her thoughts out loud, Rei quickly covered her mouth with her hands. That only drew more attention to her, though. She flushed, positively sure that she could even die out of embarrassment.
"I'm- I'm sorry... I didn't want to imply that- that this would be-"
Minako was giggling as she watched Rei so uncharacteristically stumbling over the words. But Minako's reaction only seemed to annoy Rei, bringing her closer to her old temper. She made a scowl and she was turning on her heels, ready to leave Minako alone in the room.
"Oh, just forget what I've sai-"
"Yes. Like on a date." Minako quickly took a step forward and held one of Rei's hands, making her face her again. "I mean, if the idea of going out with me doesn't bother you, of course."
As she stared at Minako's hand on hers, Rei felt her heart speeding up. She gulped and her eyes unwittingly wandered off to Minako's arm, collarbone and lips (that was now with an annoying-but-cute smirk), ending up on Minako's waiting stare.
"Do you really..." Rei shook her head, "I mean, you don't have to do that."
Minako cocked her head to the side. That made her look so young and beautiful Rei found it difficult to concentrate.
"What do you mean?" She knew what Rei was talking about, of course she knew it, but Minako wanted Rei to talk about it.
"You know. You don't have to take me on... a date..." Rei blushed at the last word. "We are married and all, but I'm not the girl I used to be, so you don't have to force yourself to like this new version of me."
"Well, that's what dates are for, right? To get to know each other better." Minako argued. "You don't remember me and you said you are a different person now, so what do you say we get to know each other? As if a new beginning, you'll get to know me and I will get to know this so-called new version of you."
Rei seemed a little hesitant.
"What... what if you don't like this new version me?"
Minako raised an eyebrow at Rei and returned the question.
"What if you don't like me?" At Rei's surprised look, Minako went on. "Come on, Rei. If you have changed that much, then it's possible you won't like things, and that includes people, you used to like before."
That was a good point and Minako knew it. She smiled when she noticed Rei couldn't find an answer.
"Well," she spoke as she walked towards the door, "I'll leave you alone so you can change. I'll be in the living room, waiting for you."
Though Minako couldn't read her emotions now like she used to do, she noticed something was still bothering the former miko.
"Hey, Rei."
Minako's body was outside, but she was holding the door open. Only her face was visible to Rei, who raised her head and stared at her curiously.
"You're not the only one who feels insecure." Minako admitted. "The thought you might not like me terrifies me. So I... I hope you haven't changed that much."
She smiled almost sadly and Rei opened her mouth to answer, but Minako was gone before she could say anything.
After the door was closed, Rei sighed and let her body fall onto the bed.
"Apparently... I haven't..." She murmured as she touched her lips where Minako's fingers had been just a few minutes ago.
"You are quieter now... Is everything okay?" Minako asked hesitantly.
They had talked and enjoyed their meal together in their apartment, but now Rei seemed uneasy. Minako had spent the last ten minutes wondering if she had said anything that had upset Rei, going through every topic they had talked about. Nothing came to her mind, at least nothing that could have distressed her. Rei seemed a little shy during their lunch, indeed, but the atmosphere between them was pleasant, so Minako honestly didn't know what was wrong with her.
"You don't have to go and meet the girls if you're not in the mood. It's just that Usagi and the others really wanted to see you, so I-"
"No... it's not that..." Rei interrupted her.
At the idol's puzzled expression, she motioned with her head to the front part of the car, where Minako's driver and a huge and intimidating guy were sitting.
"Oh." Minako finally understood. She then pressed a button located on her left and a glass partition came up, separating the driver from the rear passenger compartment, giving Rei and her some privacy. "I'm sorry, I'm so used to their presence that I don't even bother anymore."
"Is that really necessary?" Rei sighed.
"Sachou insisted I always had them with me, for precaution. If only he had thought of doing the same thing for you, then you wouldn't-"
"Hey. That's okay, Mina." Rei reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.
Minako stopped talking at Rei's tenderness, the contrast in their tones making her realize she was practically hissing.
"I'm sorry... I got carried away. I think I will never forgive him for what happened to you." She lowered her head and then she added in a quiet voice. "Nor myself."
Rei didn't let go of her hand. Instead, she started to caress it. She wanted to tell Minako to stop blaming herself, but she knew words wouldn't be enough.
"I'm glad we are getting to know each other again." Rei purposefully changed the subject, offering Minako a smile while still holding her hand. "You know I can't remember a thing, but somehow... it feels familiar. You feel familiar."
"Really?" Minako smiled brightly at her unexpected confession.
Rei was thrilled to see a sparkle in the other girl's eyes. She also felt proud of herself for making Minako feel better. Little by little, she was beginning to understand the idol, learning what was the best thing to say, knowing how to comfort her.
"Yes." Rei reassured her, looking at her in the eyes, trying to sound as truthful as she could.
Something in Minako's expression made Rei feel... strange. She couldn't quite describe it, but it felt like butterflies were dancing in her stomach.
Minako was still looking at her, her lips slightly parted, her eyes a little wet as if she was about to cry. She looked so vulnerable Rei felt the urge to lean forward and caress her cheek, hug her, protect her. It was like Minako had some kind of magic power that acted like a magnet, becoming just impossible to resist her.
Her eyes couldn't leave Minako's lips and they seemed so soft, so inviting...
But the car pulled over, taking Rei and Minako out of their trance. They smiled shyly to each other, finally breaking their eye contact when Minako's body guard opened the rear door for them.
"It's clear, Miss Aino. You and Miss Hino can go out now."
Minako thanked him and Rei was about to get off the car, when the idol held her arm and jumped out first.
"Stay here, Rei. I want to check myself if it's really safe for you." She said, putting her sunglasses on and adjusting her cap. The last thing Minako wanted now was to be recognized, especially by the paparazzi that used to follow her everywhere.
The bodyguard seemed to be hurt by Minako's lack of trust, but he tried not to show it. Minako, however, could easily sense his emotions and then she looked at him and added.
"It's not personal." She said, touching his forearm with an apologetic smile. "I trust you, and I know that damn bastard who hurt her is in jail, but I just want to double check. I can't put her on risk again."
The man smiled back and nodded, watching as Minako took a long and careful look around.
Meanwhile, Rei was rolling her eyes at her behavior, but she secretly admitted she liked when Minako was being overprotective. Besides, Minako was right: she could only imagine what the girl went through after everything that happened, so Rei decided she would let Minako have it her way. The only thing Rei wanted was that someday Minako would overcome the guilt.
So after Minako had finished, she offered her hand to Rei, who accepted it and got off the car. She entwined her arm with Minako's, much to the idol surprise. She wasn't expecting Rei to do that so naturally. But if she had taken a good look at Rei, she would have seen the pink color in her cheeks and the cute, satisfied smile she was wearing now.
They walked in the Arcade and then Minako saw a curious look on Rei's face. That place, the same one they had spent so many moments together, seemed completely unknown to her. She then outpaced Rei and stopped in front of a wall.
Or so that was what Rei thought, because she gawked when Minako said they had reached their destination.
"Are we supposed to meet them here?" Rei asked with disbelief and when Minako nodded, she asked again. "In front of this wall?!"
"Can't you see the door?" The idol frowned. She was expecting Rei at least to be able to see it. The fact that she couldn't made Minako realize Rei still hadn't recovered any of her powers. "Well," she said as she grabbed the doorknob, trying to act naturally and not to make a big deal of it, "you'll be able to see it when you regain your powers."
Rei's jaw almost hit the ground when she saw the invisible door opening. There inside Makoto, Ami and Usagi were sitting on a couch, chatting cheerfully, when they saw the two of them getting inside.
"REIII!" Usagi jumped to her feet and ran up the stairs, practically throwing herself in Rei's arms. "I'm so glad you came! I've missed you so much! I was so-"
"Oi, Usagi!" Makoto called her from downstairs, laughing at Rei's astonished look. "Take it easy with her, she's not used to your manners anymore."
"Hi, Mrs. Chiba." Rei greeted her in a more polite tone, but she giggled at Usagi's comical offended expression as she was called 'Mrs.'.
The princess then turned her scowl into one of her biggest smiles. "Call me Usagi, just Usagi, like you used to do."
"Usagi."
Rei corrected herself and returned her smile. She liked the energy Usagi emanated, the same warm energy she felt that day in the hospital, when she woke up from the coma and saw the girl with odangos holding her hand.
As she walked down the stairs, Rei decided she would try and let her shyness aside, focusing on getting to know her friends again.
"So... how do I call you?" She turned to Makoto and Ami, who grinned at her as they answered.
"Ami!"
"Mako!"
The two girls answered promptly with contentment, one after the other.
"And I'm Luna." The black cat, who was sitting on the counter with Artemis by her side, spoke. "It's good to see you reunited again. Welcome back, Rei."
Rei's mouth turned into an "o" when she saw there was another talking cat. She quickly reminded herself not to make any comments about it, since it was still vivid in her mind how much she had upset Artemis that other day. But then, she recalled Minako had said something about another plush cat too. Maybe she was referring to this black one.
"T-Thank you." She said demurely, trying not to stare at Luna.
"Come on, Rei!" Usagi squealed happily, drawing her attention. "Let me show you around!"
While the cheerful girl dragged Rei with her, explaining about every little detail of the room, Makoto and Ami approached Minako.
"You look better." Ami noted with a smile. "How are things between you and Rei?"
Minako couldn't help but smile too.
"We are making small advances. She agreed on getting to know me better, so we are kinda dating, and I think she's starting to feel more comfortable around me-"
"A karoke machine?"
The three girls turned their faces as they heard Rei's voice.
"That's so cool! Can I sing?" The former miko asked with apparent enthusiasm. But, since the others, including the cats, were gawking at her, Rei blushed. "What? Did I say something wrong?"
"No, no!" Makoto hurried to explain. "It's just that... you used to hate karaoke."
"Ah..." Rei went from ecstatic to depressed. The fact that now she liked things she used to hate only showed how much she had changed. "Did I really hate it that much? You all stared at me like a second head had grown on me."
It was Usagi who mended everything.
"You only acted like you hated, Rei, but I always knew you loved to sing. You have a lovely voice, by the way, just like Minako and- WAIT!" Usagi interrupted herself as an idea crossed her mind. "Why don't you and Minako sing together?! I've always wanted to see that happening, but Rei had never agreed, so now I think it's the perfect time to... to..."
Usagi's voice trailed off as she saw Minako turning around, walking to the counter, completely ignoring her suggestion.
"I should have kept my mouth shut, but I thought she would be excited to sing with Rei..." The Princess lamented, trying to explain herself.
While Makoto went to where Minako was to talk to her, Ami approached Usagi and placed her hand on the Princess' shoulder to comfort her.
"I don't understand..." Rei was with her eyes on Minako, who was clearly upset. "Why is she acting like this? Why singing with me would be a problem to her?"
"It's not you, Rei. Actually, after what happened to you, Minako made a promise she would never sing again." Ami explained, letting out a sigh.
Rei widened her eyes. She knew Minako didn't want to talk about her career, Artemis had told her that, but a promise to never sing again, not even in a karaoke with their friends... that was something Rei would never expect.
"And I was hoping she would forget about that when Rei suggested we sang." Usagi whined again. "I guess I was wrong."
"That's okay." Ami smiled to her friend. "Maybe someday she will get over it."
Rei kept staring at Minako, her heart heavy in her chest. She had seen Minako perform in those videos and she was positive sure the girl was born for that. But now Rei knew that what happened to her had made the idol decide not only to end her career but also to never sing again. And for her, this was heartbroken.
"I wish I could make her change her mind." Rei said in a whisper.
"Remind me why did I agree to this?" Artemis was at the verge of a stroke. "Haven't you seen how much upset Minako was? Don't you think she will kill us if she finds us in here?"
Rei didn't even take her eyes off the screen as she answered. "Maybe. But I bet she will spare my life, since you are the one who knows where she keeps the key."
The white cat gawked, then he narrowed his green eyes at her and commented in a judgmental tone. "You used to be more loyal, you know?"
"All is fair in love and war. There is a quote like this, right?" Rei feigned a thoughtful expression, then she giggled at his expense.
But Artemis didn't mind the teasing and he saw in her words the opportunity to take revenge.
"So is this a matter of love... or a matter of war?" He smirked at her.
Rei parted her lips, trying to come up with an answer, but then she sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. Love, I guess."
Having Rei admitting her feelings for Minako was not as fun as having her denying them, like she used to do in the past. Artemis noticed she seemed a bit upset after his question, so he decided he would let her go. For now.
They both stood silent for a moment, Rei watching Minako's show and Artemis lost in his thoughts. Then, all of sudden, Artemis recalled Minako was about to come home so he decided to hurry Rei again.
"Come on, Mars! Isn't it enough for today?! Minako just went to her former record company to sign some papers, but she will be here any minute!"
"Look at her." Rei said and then she burst into laughter as she saw Artemis close his eyes tightly and wince. "No, silly. On the TV. Just look at her."
Artemis slowly opened one of his eyes, then the other, staring at the screen. "What am I supposed to see?"
"Her passion." Rei smiled sadly. "She can't give up on singing. I fear she will never be this happy again, if she does quit."
Artemis nodded. He agreed with Rei, but he met Minako when she was a little girl. After spending so many years together, he knew she could be stubborn sometimes. Most of times, he mentally corrected. And he had seen how Rei's incident had affected Minako, so he thought it was useless to try and talk to her about resuming her career.
As Rei moved to the piano, opening its cover and revealing the piano keyboard, Artemis lost it.
"Oh, my God! Please don't make unnecessary nois-" He stopped talking and gawked as he heard something completely different from noise. He heard music. Minako's music.
Rei was smiling to herself and after a few seconds, she glanced at Artemis. "Does it sound like the original song?"
She was playing the first chords of C'est La Vie. Artemis just couldn't believe it.
"How- how can you play it?! I don't remember ever seeing you playing the piano before! I didn't even know you could play! How is that possible?!"
"Well, maybe I have learned at school or something. Who knows? I'm not the most qualified person to talk about the past." She shrugged and started to sing the lyrics distractedly.
Artemis felt like he had been sent to a parallel universe.
"This isn't happening..." He was shaking his head in disbelief as he watched Rei playing and singing Minako's song flawlessly. He was trying to figure out how this was possible and he recalled a TV show about incredible things like this, a documentary with people who had developed abilities like speaking languages they didn't know before, memorizing whole dictionaries or telephone lists after a brain trauma. But he never thought he would witness something like this.
Suddenly he paralyzed and widened his eyes, his ears pointing up as something crossed his mind.
"Mars could play the piano..." He murmured to himself, referring to her past life.
"What did you say?" Rei stopped singing and asked, but kept playing the melody.
Then they heard the sound of a door opening.
"Oh, dear Lord! Minako is here!" Artemis whispered in a desperate tone. "What do we do? What do we do?!"
Rei giggled at his reaction and closed the keyboard cover slowly, trying to make as less noise as possible. She then turned off the TV and picked Artemis up in her arms, speaking in a quiet voice.
"Try not to freak out or she will listen to us."
They stood there, quietly staring at each other. Rei tried hard not to laugh of Artemis' alarmed face, noticing he started to relax as she caressed his back. Apparently he was still a cat. They followed the sound of Minako's steps, walking through the hall, passing right in front of where they were, but she didn't stop and went towards the bedroom.
Artemis finally let go of the breath he was still holding.
"You and your obsession with her career will be the death of me." He rolled his eyes.
Rei quietly turned the doorknob, checked the surroundings and quickly closed the door behind her back, using the key to lock it. Then, she put the key inside the Kimmidoll jar and sat on the sofa with Artemis on her lap.
"Are you feeling better now?" Rei asked sweetly, still keeping her voice quiet while caressing his back.
"Yes, thank you." Artemis snuggled on her lap as he answered. "I just don't want to hurt her. Did you see the way she reacted today? She's very sensitive about this matter."
"You are right... After Usagi's suggestion earlier, Minako remained quiet most of the time. I feel awful for not knowing what to do in this kind of situation." Rei sighed. "Maybe I should go and talk to her. Do you think this is a good idea? I mean, do you think she would get upset if I went there just to check on her?"
The white cat returned the question. "What do you think?"
Rei seemed thoughtful for a moment, then she placed him on the couch and rose without a hint of hesitation. "I'll be back in a minute."
As she rose from the sofa and went towards Minako's bedroom, Artemis smiled and spoke to himself.
"Apparently you haven't changed that much. Contrary to what you think, you still know what to do."
"Minako?" Rei noticed the door of the bedroom was half open. "Are you there?"
She squinted her eyes, as if this could make her hear better, but there was no response.
"Minako?"
Rei frowned and pushed the door a little wider, which allowed her to see inside the room. Minako wasn't there, though.
Her absence made Rei question if she and Artemis had been delirious and, in fact, Minako hadn't come back yet. But when Rei effectively came in, she heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom.
Minako was taking a shower, Rei presumed. She then turned around and was about to leave when she noticed the door of the bathroom was open.
She knew she shouldn't. She knew that would be disrespectful and wrong in so many ways... But it was like her feet were moving of its own accord, taking her near to where Minako was.
Her heart was beating like a drum when she pushed the door a little, only enough to take a peek at the inside. Behind the glass door, Minako was there, her back turned to Rei.
In fact Rei wasn't able to see much, because the bathroom cabinet had misted up from the steam coming off the hot water. She could only see Minako's silhouette as she washed herself with unpretentious slowness.
Without even noticing, Rei took a couple of steps towards the cabinet, but she regained her senses and quickly stopped herself.
She couldn't stop staring at Minako's body's, though. Her sense of decency was telling her to avert her eyes, but she lost the fight against this new feeling she discovered: desire. She found herself mesmerized by Minako's beauty and delicacy.
Unaware of Rei's presence, Minako continued do clean herself. She poured shampoo into the palm of her hands e began to wash her hair absentmindedly.
Meanwhile, Rei still had her eyes on her. And to Rei, every movement Minako made seemed perfect, as if she was dancing in slow motion. Her body quickly began to respond to what she was seeing. She could feel her temperature rising as she wondered what would it feel like to touch Minako's skin and if her body was as soft as it looked. The thought of Minako reciprocating her touch made Rei shiver and she began to feel her cheeks and even her ears burning. She was probably blushing from her head down to the toes.
She gathered all her will power to leave the bathroom as quietly as she had entered it.
"What did I do?" Rei whispered as she closed the bedroom door behind her back, shaking her head in incredulity. "What was I thinking?!"
As she hurriedly passed by Artemis in the living room, the white cat called her attention.
"Oi, Mars!"
"God! You scared me!" Rei stopped abruptly, startled by Artemis' voice.
"Why? You knew I'd be here. You even told me to wait."
"I... I..."
"You what? Talked to her?" He was trying to guess, since Rei seemed at a loss of words.
She shook her head.
"Lost your courage?"
Again Rei shook her head.
"I'm not good at charades, you know?" Artemis was beginning to lose his temper.
"She was... taking a shower." Rei breathed, the images of Minako still dancing in her mind. "I'm going to take one too."
Rei said, practically running to her own bedroom.
"She's acting strange." Artemis frowned, thinking to himself, then he shrugged. "Apparently she really hasn't changed."
Rei was sitting on the bed, staring down at her hands. She was so immersed in her thoughts that she startled as she heard a knock on the door.
"Rei? Are you still awake?"
Minako's voice caused Rei to jump to her feet.
"Rei?"
At Minako's second try, Rei realized she hadn't answered the first one.
"Yes, come in!" She tried not to shriek.
Wrapped in a robe, her hair still wet, Minako slowly walked into the bedroom and took a good look at Rei's face. She looked beautiful in Rei's opinion.
"Are you alright?" She asked cautiously.
"Yeah, why?" The incredibly fast answer made it sound even more suspicious.
"You look... nervous."
For her expression, Rei knew Minako was studying her, analyzing her. Rei had tried to disguise it, but it seemed Minako was indeed very perceptive.
"I was just surprised you knocked on my door, since I myself was about to go and check on you." It wasn't a lie, Rei intended to go there again as soon as she managed to calm herself down. But the sight of Minako wrapped in a robe wasn't helping her now, so she averted the stare to try to focus on the conversation. "I was worried about you. After what Usagi said earlier you got weird. I was wondering if you would like to talk about it and tell me why you didn't want to sing with me."
Minako's look of curiosity vanished in that moment. She retracted herself, her eyebrows furrowing, arms defensively folded in front of her.
"There's nothing to talk about."
"Minako..."
"Please." For her tone, it seemed she was about to cry. "Don't."
Minako tried to sound more steady when she said the last word.
"Okay." Rei nodded. She didn't want to insist, because she knew that would make Minako feel uncomfortable. "Listen, I'm sorry for bringing this up. I didn't mean to upset you."
Minako seemed surprised at Rei's apology.
"That's okay. I'm sorry if I was somewhat rude. I didn't mean to upset you either. It's just that... I'd rather not to talk about this subject, that's all."
"I understand."
"So," Minako forced a smile, changing the subject, "I should let you rest. I'll be in my room if you need me."
For a moment, their eyes lingered on each other. Minako was trying to disguise her sadness, but Rei easily noticed it. And seeing the girl so broken made Rei do something she didn't even know she had the guts to.
"Stay." The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it. At Minako's shocked expression, Rei just prayed she wasn't blushing to her ears and went on, trying to sound as natural as possible. "I mean... this is your room, right? It's only fair that you sleep in here."
"You want me... to stay... here?" Minako repeated weakly as if she couldn't believe her ears.
"Yes." Rei insisted. "If that doesn't bother you, of course."
She was absolutely sure she was blushing now, but Rei felt a certain relief when she noticed Minako also was.
The idol looked at the bed, then at Rei, then at the bed again.
"Rei... I'm sorry. I don't think that's a good idea. I just... I can't."
Just the thought was excruciating to Minako. How could she do that? How could she lie next to Rei, feeling her scent, the warmth of her body, and not touch her? How could she endure a whole night having Rei so close yet so far? Besides, she wasn't really sure why Rei had asked that. Maybe she felt sorry for her? Was it for pity? Either way, she quickly turned on her heels and headed to the door as fast as she could.
But she was not as fast as Rei, who held her left hand. Minako's burst was suddenly stopped, which caused her to turn around abruptly and end up face to face with Rei.
Today had already been a whirlwind of emotions and now they were so painfully close that Minako broke into silent tears. Teardrops were running down her face and decorating the floor, while she tried hard to put herself together.
"I'm sorry, I-"
Eyes fixed on her, Rei reached up and touched Minako's face, brushing her tears with her thumb. Her heart was clenching in her chest at the sight of Minako crying.
Rei didn't let go of her hand and so she guided Minako to the bed, silently suggesting her to sit. Minako just observed her, unable to stop the tears that insisted on falling, but she did as Rei commanded.
So Rei walked to the other and lay down on the bed.
As Minako kept on watching her with disbelief, she saw Rei motioning to her to come and lie in her arms. Then she understood.
Unable to hold any longer, Minako burst into crying, throwing herself in Rei's embrace.
Rei lulled her, whispering words Minako could barely hear, but that had an incredible soothing effect. And, within few minutes, Minako began to fall asleep.