Author Note: I originally envisioned this chapter having quite a few more scenes to move the story along, but it would have made for too long and bulky of a chapter.
Omedetou gozaimasu = [Japanese] Congratulations
kagura = [Japanese] ancient Shinto ritual dance. The four main types are Miko, Ise, Izumo, and Shishi.
Shinto. (2017, April 12). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:02, April 16, 2017, from . ?title=Shinto&oldid=775064925
Pop-Quiz: 4 Questions
1 - In Chapter 10, when Mamoru met Rei, where did he say he met Usagi?
2 - In Chapter 21, what disclaimer signs appeared periodically along the fence of the fleet management facility Rei takes Minako to?
3 - In Chapter 29, what did Nobuo say he didn't do when he was checking if Minako found her phone at the Laundromat?
4 - In Chapter 30, when Rei slammed her fist onto the top of the car while she was angry about her father, what did she say?
I don't own Sailor Moon, Girl Friends, any brand names, or any songs and have tried to the best of my ability to site my references.
Takeuchi, N. (1991). Sailor Moon. Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha Ltd.
Morinaga, M. (2006). Girl Friends. Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan: Futabasha Publishers Ltd.
Clarkson, K. and Tedder, R. (2009). Already Gone [Recorded by Kelly Clarkson]. On All I Ever Wanted [CD], New York, New York: RCA Records.
Gottwald, L., Martin, M., McKee, B., Perry, K., Walter, H. (2012). Wide Awake [Recorded by Katy Perry]. On Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection [CD], Los Angeles, California: Capitol Records, LLC.
Abraham, J., Goldstein, O., Jepsen, C., Maher, K., McKee, B. (2012). Turn Me Up [Recorded by Carly Rae Jepsen]. On Kiss [CD], Vancouver, British Columbia, and Santa Monica, California: 604 Records, School Boy Records, and Interscope Records.
Honda and the Accord belongs to Honda Motor Co., Ltd (cited April, 2017). Mercedes-Benz and the S600 Guard is a division of, and belongs to, the Daimler AG Corporation (cited June, 2015). Subaru belongs to the automobile manufacturing division of the Subaru Corporation (cited August, 2013). Lexus is a division of, and belongs to, the Toyota Motor Corporation (cited September, 2013). The brands are used merely as a descriptor for this fiction piece.
The restaurant 'Himitsu' that appears in this work is fictitious. Any resemblance to real businesses, existing or defunct, is purely coincidental.
Chapter 38:
Brrrrrrrrrring!... Brrrrrrrrrring!...
The distant, shrill ringing of a rotary phone echoing down the hall caused pale eyelids to flutter open. Rei took a deep intake of breath through her nose as she began to wake up from the familiar sound. Once she had awakened, her rare violets were drawn downwards towards a certain gorgeous blonde whose nude form was currently wrapped tightly around her. A soft smile came to her lips as she took a moment to appreciate Minako's peaceful, sleeping face and that dimmed, warm aura glowing gently around her being. She leaned down to kiss the top of her head gently before carefully untangling herself from the smaller woman.
Brrrrrrrrrring!...
The raven-haired miko rolled lazily to her feet. She donned her cotton robe and quietly exited her bedroom to answer the phone.
Brrrrrrrrrri-!
"Hikawa Shrine," she greeted once she had brought the handset to her ear, her smooth voice a touch hoarse from having just woken up.
"Good morning, granddaughter," a cheerful raspy voice responded over the line, "I'm calling to let you know that I have just arrived at the Musashino train station."
"Already?," Rei asked with a yawn and a bit of surprise. She brought a hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes, "Isn't your train leaving there at 5:15am?"
She heard her grandfather's signature chuckle over the line in reply, "Reiko, my dear," he said good-naturedly, "It's already 10 minutes past 5:00am."
"Wait, what?," Rei asked in shock, fully awakening now from this bit of information. She took a side-step towards the restroom, bringing the handset with her, to look at the digital clock resting on the counter of the sink, 5:10am.
Her grandfather continued to chuckle with amusement, "I can't recall the last time my beloved granddaughter slept in so late," he teased playfully.
"M-Mmn…me neither," Rei responded sheepishly, knowing she would have probably continued sleeping had it not been for her grandfather's call. She could feel a blush beginning to spread on her pale cheeks as she brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck bashfully.
"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Reiko," her grandfather assured cheerfully, "It is quite understandable that you would be so exhausted given the exertion that was put upon you."
Rei froze at her grandfather's words. The blush on her face began to darken as she could only imagine what her clairvoyant grandfather may have foreseen regarding the events from last night, Kami-sama! Does…Does Grandpa know that Mina and I-
"Yuuichirou-kun informed me that you three were quite busy with visitors yesterday," Rei's grandfather continued, a touch of concern apparent in his raspy tone, "I apologize for not being there to assist you. I hope you did not over-extend yourself?"
"…M-Mmn! I-I mean, no! I mean…," Rei took a breath to collect herself from her initial embarrassment, "Y-Yes, it was pretty busy. And, no, I'm fine, Grandpa."
"Wonderful! I'm glad to hear it," her grandfather responded with a hint of relief in his voice, "But isn't it getting a bit late, my dear? If I remember correctly, Aino-chan mentioned the other day that she needed to be at work this morning by 7:00am? Am I mistaken?"
"No, you're right, Grandpa," Rei replied with a nod as she glanced at the clock again, "I'll probably go wake her up after we hang up."
"Splendid," Rei's grandfather said approvingly, "I should be back at the shrine before she leaves so that I may say goodbye."
"Wait," Rei said with some confusion, "Don't you need me to pick you up?"
"Yuuichirou-kun was kind enough to offer me a ride from the train station on his way to the shrine this morning," her grandfather explained, "He wanted you two to enjoy the morning together before Aino-chan left, as do I."
"…Oh," Rei responded dumfoundedly, trying to comprehend her grandfather's words.
"I believe it is a gesture of gratitude for mentoring him yesterday," her grandfather explained patiently, "Perhaps when you see him later today you could…what is that phrase the kids are using? 'Cut him some slack'?"
An amused smirk came to Rei's alluring lips at her grandfather's words, "Ok, I'll be sure to thank him when I see him." She gave an exaggerated sigh as her rare lavenders went to the ceiling, "Aaaand I gueeessss I'll try to be nice," she said in a feigned, exasperated tone.
"That's my granddaughter," she heard her grandfather chuckle playfully with pride.
Whoooooooot! Eeeeeeeeeeee…Chhhhhhhhhhh!
The beautiful raven heard the sound of a train whistling as it pulled in to the station in the background.
"Oh!, I must go, Reiko!," Rei's grandfather said hurriedly, "But I shall see you very soon. I love you, my dear."
"Mmn. I love you too, Grandpa," Rei responded fondly. She was about to hang up when-
"Oh, and Reiko?," she heard her grandfather's raspy voice called out suddenly.
"Y-Yes, Grandpa?," Rei replied as she brought the handset back to her ear.
"Omedetou gozaimasu!," her grandfather said quickly with a hint of mischief before she heard him let out a full laugh and the line went dead.
Rei set the handset down on its cradle on the telephone base and crouched down low next to it on the floor, making herself into as small of a ball as possible, utterly mortified now since she knew for sure that her beloved grandfather knew exactly what happened last night between her and the gorgeous blonde currently resting in her bedroom.
"I know I have to go, but I really don't want to," Minako whined as she pouted childishly. Her arms were wrapped around Rei's neck, her forehead resting on the taller woman's as they stood next to Minako's car. Given how late it had already gotten, she had opted to dress in her manager's uniform that she brought with her, planning on driving directly to Kirei from the shrine in order to get there on time.
"Now, now, Manager-san," Rei chided playfully as she smirked, amused by Minako's antics, "Be a good boss and set a good example for your coworkers." She was dressed in her miko garbs, ready to open the shrine for the day. Her hands were resting on the gorgeous blonde's hips, holding her close and enjoying her warm, gentle orange-gold flames.
Once she had recovered as best she could from humiliation by her grandfather's teasing remarks on the phone, she had gently woken up the gorgeous blonde and they both set about their morning routine, had breakfast, and packed their things. All the while, Minako's aura seemed to permanently take on the form of that gentle, warm, orange-gold flame she adored so much whenever the smaller woman's attention was on her. After last night, she had come to recognize that this soft, fiery aura was the personification of the gorgeous blonde's true feelings for her, which only made her cherish it even more.
Now here they stood, behind Minako's car at 6:32am, with Minako's things packed up and them stretching their goodbyes for as long as they possibly could, not wanting to part from each other.
"Ugh, fiiiinnneee," Minako groaned despondently as she rolled her eyes, causing the beautiful miko to giggle softly. She pulled away a bit and brought her hand up to Rei's cheek, getting her attention, their unique eyes finding each other, "Will you be home by the time I get off work?"
"Mmn," Rei nodded softly in response, leaning into the gorgeous blonde's touch, "The shrine closes early on Fridays so I should be home by then."
"I'll stop by once I'm off then," Minako said with a soft smile as she enjoyed losing herself in those rare, captivating violets.
"Sounds good," Rei replied as a gentle smile tugged at the corner of her alluring lips. She pulled the smaller woman closer and closed her eyes as she rested her forehead on Minako's again, "I love you, Aino Minako," she whispered softly, as if disclosing a deep secret meant just for the gorgeous blonde before her.
She sighed contently as she felt those warm, orange-gold flames flare delightfully in response. She could almost feel Minako's soft smile against her lips as they were captured by them in a gentle, lingering kiss. She felt the gorgeous blonde move closer, bringing their bodies together, savoring the moment as their kiss began to deepen.
…vvrrOOOMM…
The distinct sound of a car changing gears as it drove up the hill towards the house caused the two women to reluctantly end their kiss. As they parted to stand next to each other, a modest, silver, Honda Accord drove around and onto the stone-paved driveway to park beside Minako's car. Once the engine stopped, Rei's grandfather stepped out of the vehicle.
"Aino-chan!," Rei's grandfather called out cheerfully as he shut the passenger-side door and shuffled his way towards the two women, "I'm so glad we made it back in time to see you off before you left."
"Mmn," Minako nodded in agreement, "Perfect timing. I was just about to head out, too."
"Hey, Aino-san," Yuuichirou greeted cheerfully with a wave as he shut the driver-side door and trotted around his car towards the group, "Good seeing you again," he said with a polite bow, "I hope you have a safe drive back."
"Mmn, thanks," Minako replied with a friendly smile as she bowed back. She turned to Rei's grandfather and bowed respectfully, "Thank you so much for having me, Ojiisan. I really enjoyed meeting you and I can't want to see you again."
"Likewise, child," Rei's grandfather replied with a kind smile as he bowed in return, "Come back anytime you like. This is your home as much as it is ours."
"Thanks, I'll be sure to do that," Minako responded sincerely as she straightened. She turned towards the raven-haired miko and slid her hand into the taller woman's, intertwining their fingers, "I'll see you later, baby?," she said endearingly, her piercing sapphires full of adoration.
"Mmn," Rei nodded in reply as she gently squeezed the gorgeous blonde's hand. She found herself blushing bashfully as the smaller woman stepped towards her, planting a sweet kiss on her cheek, before gently squeezing her hand and releasing it to walk around her car to the driver-side door.
As Minako started the car, a driving pop-ballad began playing from the radio over the speakers.
- You know that I love you so. I love you enough to let you go. I want you to know that it doesn't matter where we take this road. Someone's gotta go. And I want you to know you couldn't have loved me better. But I want you to move on. So I'm already gone. -
She watched as Rei, Rei's grandfather, and Yuuichirou moved aside to allow her to back up from her parked spot. And as she shifted gears to make her way down the hill, she gave a wave to the group and began her journey back to the city.
"Such a pleasant girl," Rei's grandfather commented musingly, "It's a shame I wasn't able to spend as much time with her as I would have liked."
"Don't worry, Grandpa," Rei responded reassuringly as she saw his solemn countenance and heavy shades of disappointment in his light-green colors, "I'll see if we can schedule another time to visit soon."
"Mmn," Rei's grandfather responded quietly with a soft nod. He took a deep breath and let it out quickly before putting on a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "So," he said as he turned to address both his granddaughter and his apprentice, "Shall we begin opening the shrine for the day?"
"Sure!," Yuuichirou replied cheerfully, ready to get to work and learn as much as he could from not one, but two senseis for the day.
"M-Mmn," Rei replied hesitantly. She noticed her beloved grandfather's typically playful aura waver slightly, as if faltering for a brief moment, before it returned to its usual glow as he changed the subject.
"Wonderful," Rei's grandfather exclaimed cheerfully as a wide smile graced his worn face. He shuffled towards Yuuichirou's car to retrieve his bag before he began shuffling towards the house, "Reiko, could you assist Yuuichirou-kun in the initial set-up?," he called over his shoulder, "I'd like a moment to freshen up before I join you two. I'll just be a minute."
"Yes, Grandpa," Rei replied obediently, shrugging off her concerns and chalking it up to her grandfather probably being tired from his journey.
As Rei's grandfather headed into the house, Rei turned to the young apprentice and bowed low towards him, "I must apologize for my behavior towards you yesterday," she said formally, "It was uncalled for given the dedication you've show to my home and my grandfather and the kindness you've shown to Mina and myself. Thank you." Though she was being much more cordial to the young man than she had been, she still kept her demeanor a bit distant and reserved. After all, he was still a man.
"O-Oh! No, no, I should be thanking you!," Yuuichirou sputtered humbly as he bowed respectfully in return, "I learned so much from you yesterday and I look forward to learning more from you and Sensei today!"
"Are you familiar with any of the kaguras?," Rei inquired as she straightened.
"W-What?," the young apprentice stuttered as he straightened, a bit thrown by Rei's sudden change of topic before the question sank in, "O-Oh! Umm…Y-Yeah, the shrine in my hometown does, uh…Shishi and Izumo kaguras. I-I've only seen them a couple times before, but that's about it."
"Mmn. That makes sense since you're from the northeast," Rei replied with a nod as she considered Yuuichirou's comments, "Well, perhaps if there aren't too many visitors and we have some available time, I can teach you a little more about those two and show you the Miko and Ise ones as well."
Yuuichirou stared blankly at the famous archer, a bit puzzled by what she was trying to say. But once he comprehended her words, realizing now that she was openly offering to teach and mentor him, his dark-blue eyes lit up with excitement, "Y-Yeah…Yeah! Sure! That'd be really great!," he said enthusiastically, "I go get started on opening then!"
"I'll catch up with you in a bit," the beautiful raven-haired miko replied, "I have something to attend to first."
The young apprentice nodded in confirmation before he trotted off towards the shrine, eager to have as much time as possible to learn as much as he could.
Once Yuuichirou was out of sight, Rei reached into her miko garbs and pulled her phone out. She flipped it open and began typing a few keys. Once the sound of a sent text came from the device, she shut it and put it away as a wide smile graced her alluring lips. She had a feeling that today was going to be a great day.
"Have a safe trip, Hino-sensei!," Yuuichirou said eagerly as he bowed respectfully towards the beautiful, raven-haired woman who was dressed in a loose-fitting, short-sleeved, light-purple tank top, flattering faded jeans, and white flats. It was already 12:37pm and she had just finished loading her car with the remainder of her things to return home., "I learned a great deal today. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome, Kumanda-san," Rei replied with a polite bow, "Thank you for all your hard work today. Please continue to take care of my grandfather whenever you come by."
"Of course!," the young apprentice responded cheerfully as he straightened. He turned towards Rei's grandfather, who was standing nearby, "I'm going to go start closing up the shrine," he said with a quick bow before he trotted off, leaving the beautiful woman and her grandfather to say their goodbyes in private.
"You sure you don't need me to stay and help with that?," Rei asked with concern as she turned to her grandfather.
"There isn't much left to do, Reiko," her grandfather chuckled amusingly at his beloved granddaughter's worrying, "We'll be fine closing on our own. Besides, Aino-chan said she would visit you once she was off work today, correct?," he continued with a playful wink, "It would be rude to keep such a lovely woman waiting now, wouldn't it?"
"Uh…m-mmn," Rei replied shyly as she averted her gaze to the ground beside her, an adorable blush beginning to form on her cheeks from her grandfather's teasing.
Rei's grandfather continued to chuckle good-naturedly as he watched those flame-red colors sway with a bit of bashfulness. He shuffled closer to his beloved granddaughter and gently took both of her hands in his, bringing her rare amethysts back to meet his warm, dark orbs, "You don't know what it means to me to see you so happy, my dear," he said sincerely as he looked intently at his beloved granddaughter, smiling contently as he felt the full strength of her aura for the first time, unmarred by sadness or loneliness, "I'm so delighted for you that you have found what you've been looking for after all this time."
Rei couldn't help the tears that began to form in her intense lavenders, at her beloved grandfather's words, touched by the meaning behind them and the warm, loving emotions bleeding into her in the form of light-green colors. She sniffed a bit as a soft smile came to her lips, "Thanks, Grandpa," was all she could manage whispering sincerely in response. She knelt down to his height and pulled him in for a warm hug, wanting to convey to the wise, diminutive man how much he meant to her and how grateful she was to have him in her life.
Rei's grandfather returned the hug just as tightly as tears began forming in his wise, dark eyes, "I will miss you terribly, my dear," he said endearingly.
"I'll miss you too, Grandpa," Rei replied sincerely as she held him tighter, as if trying to comfort the sadness she began sensing within those light-green colors, "I promise I'll come see you again really soon."
"Mmn, I know you will," Rei's grandfather nodded as the tears slowly trickled down his worn cheeks. They stayed a moment longer holding each other before Rei's grandfather gently pulled away to take in his beloved granddaughter's image. He smiled softly as he brought his worn hands up gently to the sides of Rei's face, tilting her head down slightly so he could place a loving kiss on her forehead before pulling away again, "You have always made me so proud, Reiko," he said softly, "Kami-sama has truly blessed me beyond what I deserve to be able to raise not one, but two independent, strong, intelligent, beautiful, and kind women."
"Grandpa," Rei whispered, her smooth voice cracking slightly. She could see the pride in his dark eyes, could feel the overwhelming love he had for her and for her mother within his comforting colors as they caused the tears that had formed in her eyes to fall down her elegant cheeks, "I love you, Grandpa."
Rei's grandfather gently wiped his granddaughter's tears away with his thumbs, "And I love you, Reiko. More than I could possibly ever tell you." He smiled warmly before he moved closer to hug her again, "I only hope that this will suffice."
"Mmn," Rei nodded, feeling his light-green aura encompassing her with such care and love. She held her grandfather close in return, hoping that he could feel how much she loved him in return.
They stayed that way for a moment longer before Rei's grandfather reluctantly pulled away, "Now…run along, Reiko," he said kindly, a bit of his usual playfulness returning to his raspy voice as he brought the corner of his hakama sleeve up to wipe the tears from his face.
"Yes, Grandpa," Rei replied obediently with a small chuckle as she took a breath to steady herself. She wiped the tears from her face with her hands as she stood up, "I'll call you later, ok?"
"Mmn, please do," her grandfather replied with a nod. He watched as his beloved granddaughter gave a small wave before she turned and went to the driver-side of her Lexus, gracefully sliding into the driver seat, and started the engine.
…vvrrOOOMM!
As the beautiful raven shut the door and rolled down the window, a pop-ballad began playing from the radio:
- How did I read the stars so wrong? (I'm wide awake.) And now it's clear to me that everything you see ain't always what it seems. (I'm wide awake.) Yeah, I was dreaming for so long. I wish I knew then what I know now. Wouldn't dive in, wouldn't bow down. Gravity hurts. You made it so sweet. 'Til I woke up on, on the concrete. Falling from Cloud Nine, crashing from the high. I'm letting go tonight. I'm falling from Cloud Nine. -
"Ittekimasu," Rei called out towards the elderly man through the window.
"Itterasshai, my dear," Rei's grandfather replied as he waved. As she began slowly backing out of the driveway, he smirked mischieviously, "And give my love to my future granddaughter-in-law as well!"
Rei instinctively slammed on the brakes from her astonishment at his remarks. When her wide, violet eyes looked to him and was met only by his full and playful laugh at her reaction, her astonishment immediately turned to mortification at his teasing, "G-GRANDPAAA!," she whined with embarrassment and irritation, only earning her a much boisterous round of laughter from the elderly man who was nearly doubling over from it.
"Mataku…," the beautiful raven grumble quietly to herself, feeling her cheeks blazing with a deep blush as she rolled her eyes at that flickering light-green aura that was dancing a bit too playfully with mirth and teasing for her liking before she continued on her way down the hill and towards the city.
Once Rei's car was out of sight, her grandfather's face fell and became solemn. He closed his eyes and he took a deep breath to steady himself from his overwhelming emotions, Thank you for your generosity, Kami-sama, he prayed silently.
His countenance relaxed as he felt a gentle wind flow by, as if responding to his prayer. He smiled to himself as he listened to it softly rustle the leaves of the surrounding trees and scrape the leaves that had fallen to the ground gently across the stone-paved floor before it left as quickly as it had arrived, returning the atmosphere to its original state.
He carefully opened his dark orbs, feeling a calming sense of peace, It is time, he thought to himself matter-of-factly as he turned and shuffled his way towards the shrine.
Ssssshuck
"Yuuichirou-kun?," Rei's grandfather called out once he had entered the shine through the shoji doors.
"Yes, Sensei?," the young apprentice replied as he lifted his head to bring his attention to the elderly man. He was on his hands and knees, busy scrubbing the wooden floors of the shrine.
"I must apologize, child," the diminutive man began as he approached and bowed apologetically, "I did not realize until now how much the trip I took this morning and working today would wear on me so. Would you mind terribly if I took a nap while you finish closing the shrine on your own?"
"No, not at all!," Yuuichirou replied as he sat up to properly address his teacher. He brought a hand up to give him a thumbs-up, "Just leave it to me!"
"Wonderful," Rei's grandfather responded with a kind smile, "When you're done, please stay for dinner and keep an old man company, would you?"
"Sure!," Yuuichirou replied eagerly, "You don't have to tell me twice. You know how much I love your cooking."
"Splendid!," Rei's grandfather chuckled in response as he gave an appreciative nod, "Well then, I'll take my leave," he said as he shuffled his way towards the house.
"Mmn," Yuuichirou nodded as he knelt back down to continue his work, "Sleep well and pleasant dreams!"
"Mmn," Rei's grandfather replied softly as he continued through the back shoji doors to the house. He prepared his room by setting up his futon before going to the bathroom and taking a quick shower. Feeling a bit more refreshed from the day, he searched his closet, sifting through his clothes until he found a simple, white yukata. Donning the yukata, making sure to carefully cross the right side over the left, he crawled onto his futon and pulled the blanket up over himself before he closed his eyes to rest peacefully.
- I'm breaking up with you. You're breaking up on me. You kissed me on the phone. And I don't think it reaches. What am I to do? And how's it gonna be? 'Cause breaking us in two is breaking me to pieces. -
Knock, Knock!
"One second!," Minako called towards the locked door of her office. The store had been fairly busy all morning and Minako found herself helping out in the front for most of that time. Once everything seemed to calm around noon, she purposefully locked herself in her office so she could focus on catching up with things she missed while she was away, wanting to finish everything up before her shift ended so she could start enjoying her weekend with a certain raven-haired beauty without any worries.
She was already close to finishing by the time a knock came to her door so she took a moment to complete the last of her tasks and save her work. She checked the clock on her computer screen, 1:10pm. Mentally congratulating herself for her efficiency, she pressed a button on her keyboard to turn off the music she was listening to and walked around her desk to the door, unlocked it, and opened it.
"Aren't you the popular one these days," Akko said teasingly as she smirked playfully with her arms crossed in front of her.
"What?," Minako asked as she gave her adorable mentee a perplexed look and tilted her head questioningly.
"There's two gentlemen-callers here to see you," the younger woman explained. She relaxed her stance and brought a hand up to run her fingers through her light-brown hair, "They're dressed like the guy who came here last time so I'm assuming they also work for that girl you're dating…but…," she paused and looked away, her eyebrows knitting slightly.
"…'But'?," Minako asked expectantly as she raised a delicate eyebrow at her mentee.
"I…I don't know," Akko explained hesitantly, shrugging as she allowed her hand to fall to her side in defeat, "They just…I can't explain it. I just don't have a good feeling about them."
"Well, now I have to go see them if you put it that way," Minako replied in a sarcastically eager tone, playfully teasing the younger woman as she began walking towards the locker room to the storefront. Her mentee responded only by rolling her eyes before following close behind.
"That's them?," Minako whispered over her shoulder to Akko as she subtly gestured towards a tall, fit, ordinary-looking man in his mid-fifties standing next to a younger, boy-ish looking man in his early thirties. Both were wearing sharp, black suits and white dress shirts, standing stiffly towards the front of the store and looking sorely out of place.
"M-Mmn," Akko whispered back nervously, her voice carrying a bit of apprehension, "Do you know them?"
Minako shook her head, "Nope, never seen them before." She turned to face the anxious younger woman. As she moved closer and brought a hand up to rest on Akko's shoulder, the younger woman looked at her with deep worry, "Well, Akko-chan," Minako said softly in a solemn tone, "It's been nice knowing you."
Akko blinked a couple times before she registered the mischievious smirk beginning to play across Minako's lips, "B-Baka!," Akko sputtered as she pouted and swatted Minako's hand away playfully.
Minako giggled at her mentee's reaction, "Sorry, it's just too tempting to tease you when you get all serious!" She started heading towards the front of the store, "I'll go see what they wants."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Akko huffed, "Just…be careful, alright?," she couldn't help but hiss quietly with concern.
"Yes, ma'aaaaam," Minako sang obediently over her shoulder playfully as she continued towards the mysterious stranger.
"Hi, welcome to Kirei," Minako bowed politely towards both men once she had approached, "I was told you wanted to see me?"
"Good afternoon, Aino-san," the older man responded formally with a polite bow, "My name is Hamada Zurui and this is my associate Sato Iwao. We received a message from Hino-sama earlier today requesting that we fetch you at this time."
"…Oh?," the word came out as more of a question as Minako looked at the strangers with confusion.
"Please collect your things and come with me. I have a car waiting for us outside," Zurui said formally. He gestured towards Iwao, "My associate will take care of your car if you would be so kind as to provide him with your keys."
"M-Mmn," Minako responded with a small nod as she looked at the two men, still processing what was going on, "Well…umm…ok. Let me…let me just close out my shift." She began to half-turned to head towards the back to get her things before she paused for a moment and brought her attention back to the two strangers, "I-Is…Is everything alright? I mean…I thought we were just going to meet up after I got off work so I'm a little confused as to-"
"My apologies, Aino-san," Zurui interjected apologetically with a formal bow, "We were only given instructions to collect you so we're unaware of any specifics outside of that."
"I see," Minako replied simply. She was silent for a moment before she shrugged, "Well…alright then," she conceded, "I'll just be right back." She turned and headed towards the back door and made her way to her office.
"M-Mina-chan!," Akko called towards her gorgeous mentor as she followed after her mentor down the hall towards Minako's office, "What's going on? What did they want?"
"All they said was they were here to pick me up to meet her somewhere," Minako replied with a casual shrug as she went around her desk to turn off her computer.
"Are you sure?," Akko asked anxiously, "I mean, at least you knew the guy that came by last time but these guys you don't even know! How do you know if they're even-"
"Akko-chan, chill out," Minako giggled playfully, interrupting her adorable mentee as she turned to face her, "All this worrying is going to give you white hairs. I'll be fine. She's probably trying to surprise me or something."
Her young mentee pouted in reply, her countenance still plainly showing she didn't approve of any of this and was deeply concerned for her mentor.
"Mou, Akko-chan," Minako cooed playfully as she hugged the smaller woman tightly, "I'll text you later so you know I'm still alive, ok?"
"M-Mmn," Akko nodded as she hugged her mentor in return hesitantly.
Minako released her and made her way out of the office, "Have a good weekend, Akko-chan!" she called over her shoulder.
Akko continued to anxiously watch the gorgeous blonde as she followed her back towards the front of the store. Her amber eyes were trained worriedly on her gorgeous mentor as the older woman gave her keys to the younger man and followed them both to the parking lot where she got into the back of a black Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard. Her frown deepened as she watched the older man get into the driver seat of the Mercedes while the younger got into Minako's white Subaru and started the car. She crossed her arms nervously as they both left the premises with the Subaru following close behind the Mercedes.
The black Mercedes pulled up to the front of a lavish hotel and as Minako gracefully exited the car once Zurui opened the door for her, she was surprised to see Iwao continue with her Subaru passed them.
"No need to be concerned, Aino-san," Zurui addressed Minako as he shut the door and began walking towards the hotel lobby, answering the puzzled expression on the gorgeous blonde's face as her piercing cobalts followed her vehicle, "Your car will be well taken care of. Please, this way."
"M-Mmn," Minako replied hesitantly as she turned and quickly followed close behind the tall man into the hotel. They continued to the elevators where, once inside, Zurui pressed the button for the fourth floor.
Wrrrrrr…
An uneasy apprehension began gnawing at the back of Minako's mind, but she decided to shrug it off. Though the situation was a touch odd, she continued to consider that perhaps this was just Rei up to some mischief so she continued to go along with it all, trusting the beautiful raven.
Wrrrrrr…Ding!
The elevator doors opened and Minako followed after Zurui as he exited and turned down the hallway until it dead-ended in front of a set of double-doors.
Shick…Click Click!
"Right this way, Aino-san," Zurui said professionally as he returned the key card that he used to open the door to his front pocket. He turned the knob and held it open for Minako to enter the studio suite, "Have a seat and Hino-sama will be will you shortly."
"Oh," Minako said with suprise as she turned around towards the door, "She's not here alr-,"
Cha-Chunk!
The door had shut behind her, cutting her words short and leaving her alone in the room. The gorgeous blonde sighed and having nothing else to do, she took Zurui's advice and went to sit down on a plush, sand-colored couch that had decorative, dark-brown accent pillows. As she sat, she brought her hand up to fiddle with her locket aimlessly as she took in the space.
She was sitting on one of two identical couchnes that were facing each other separated by a dark-brown, rectangular, wooden coffee table. To her right was the entrance she just came in from and to the left was a sizeable window that took up most of the wall space and gave an excellent view of the street and city happenings in front of the hotel. Cream-colored carpeting ran throughout the floor of the space.
In front of her, beyond the other couch, was a massive king-sized bed with sand-colored bedding and pristine white pillows. On the wall behind her was a large flat-screen television and a door to the left, closest to the windows, that led to the bathroom of the suite.
She continued to sit in silence, patiently waiting for the love of her life to arrive.
"Tadaima," Rei said casually to her empty condo as she entered and locked the door behind her. Once she had put her things away, had a snack, showered, and got dressed in a simple white t-shirt and comfortable dark-red jeans, she pulled out her phone and flipped it open. She pressed a few keys before bringing it up to her ear.
Brrrrrrrp…Brrrrrrrp…Click!
"H-Hikawa Shrine! How may I help you?," an eager voice answered the phone, taking the beautiful raven by surprise.
"Kumada-san?," Rei responded formally with a touch of puzzlement.
"Oh, Hino-sensi! Hello!," Yuuichirou replied in a friendly tone, "So sorry, Sensei's taking a nap right now. He said he was tired from his trip and working today. I'm still finishing closing up."
"I see," Rei replied politely. Though she felt a touch of concern for her beloved grandfather, she shrugged it off, satisfied with the thought that he was at least resting if he did exert himself too much today, "Would you please leave him a message saying that I called and made it home safely?"
"Oh, sure!," Yuuichirou responded cheerfully, "I'm actually staying for dinner so I'll go ahead and tell him once he wakes up and I'll have him call you right back."
"Thank you," Rei replied formally, "Goodbye, Kumada-san."
"'Bye, Hino-san," she heard Yuuichirou say kindly before he hung up.
Rei brought the phone from her ear and checked the time, 1:18pm. Before she was able to close it and return it to her pocket…
Beep Beep!
The sound of a text message being received came from the small device. She pressed a button, opening the message:
TENOH HARUKA: FUCKING CALLED IT! =D That's really great, Rei! We're so happy for you! Can't wait to see you love-birds again! ;)
A bashful smile came to her alluring lips as she read the message from her best friend. She scrolled up just a bit to reveal the message she had sent earlier that day:
HINO REI: Vision came true. Mina's the one =)
Her smile widened as she read the words she had typed to her 'sisters'.
Mina was the one. She was her soulmate.
And she was going to see her again in a little but as her shift at work was ending fairly soon. She shut her phone and headed to her bedroom, deciding to pass the time waiting by catching up on some of her mangas.
Shick...Click Click!
"My apologies for keeping you waiting, Aino-san," a low, commanding voice said as the door to the hotel suite opened. The suddenness of the door opening and the male voice interrupting the quiet of the space made Minako jump a bit.
Cha-Chunk
"I have a very busy schedule today so I'm hoping to keep this meeting as brief as possible," the low, commanding voice continued once the door had shut, bringin Minako's attention to the direction of the suite entrance. She was met with the back of a tall figure of a man wearing charcoal jeans and a brown suit-jacket with the edges of a white, button-up collar peaking up from the top. His hair was short, neatly kept, with streaks of white that ran elegantly throughout jet-black strands.
As the man turned to face her, she first registered his piercing, steel-grey eyes, how they had a distinct intensity to them. His darkly, handsome features were not something to go unnoticed either. Both felt…hauntingly familiar for some reason.
And as he approached, coming to sit on the couch across from her, she could feel the blood draining from her face. Those features, the intensity of those eyes...Minako's heart sank as realization began setting in that she had made a grave and terrible mistake in who she thought she was coming to see when she heard the name 'Hino-sama'.
"My name is Hino Takashi," the man said authoritatively as he tossed a stack of manila file folders he was holding onto the coffee table in front of her, causing some of the contents from the top file to spill out onto the table, revealing what looked to be quite a few still photos taken from security camera footage. All of them were of her and Rei together in various situations: having dinner at Himitsu, hand-in-hand heading towards a white jet in a hanger, Rei sitting in her make-up chair as she hovered close just inches above her, Rei pinning her hands up above her head while she had her back up against an elevator wall, them locked in a passionate kiss in front of Rei's door…and these were just the ones that just happened to slip out from the seemingly hefty stack, "And I want to discuss this…issue…between you and my daughter."
Author Note: Cliffhangers are the worst! =( But here is the official the end of "Act 1" of the story. "Act 2" of this story I think will be shorter in chapters but have a bit more turbulence, travel, lots of character involvements (possibly more jumping around), and overall happenings!
Did anyone remember that small phone conversation Takashi had in Chapter 29 with his Director of Information Technology and Transactions while Rei and Nobuo were leaving the gala? I didn't want to make this a pop-quiz question because I didn't want to give it away.
Why the fourth floor? The number 4 in Japanese is usually considered an unlucky number.
Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.
(updated 04/2017)