Crescentia's Story
I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters from the Mange Series or anime…but I do own this storyline, any other characters outside of the original works of the Sailor Moon franchise, and any other fictional environment outside of the original Sailor Moon.
Read and Review!
There is a part two to this chapter. It was too long so I split it up. I am working on editing it and hopefully get it up by tomorrow.
Chapter 20 - Grandfather's Resolve
Wednesday Evening
It was quiet.
Not silent. Just quiet.
It was a bit unsettling.
She'd become accustomed to the noise. The roar of cars passing by. The creeks and cracks of trees. The noisy breeze.
Human voices. That was what was missing. Human voices.
She could still hear cars driving by. Still hear the sound of birds and other creatures blending through the natural noises of trees whistling in the breeze.
Human voices. That was missing.
There was no one at the temple.
No one. Except her.
Her grandfather had gone with the town's folk to look for the missing girl.
The town's clown. The straight F student who couldn't stand upright even if you paid her.
Rei sat by the fire, her eyes closed as she sat crossed legged Indian style. She looked like she was meditating. And perhaps she was. Perhaps her efforts to tie back her frustration at the situation could be considered meditating. She'd been sitting like that for two hours.
Two long hours of trying to calm her rising frustration and all she had to show for it was the tranquil way she looked on the outside even as her inner mind scoffed and scorned the missing blonde.
She was so tired of living in the shadows of one so unworthy.
"Rei?" Her eyes snapped open, a gasp escaping her. She turned swiftly to the voice behind her.
"Grandpa!" she said, startled.
The older Hino looked at her. She followed his eyes to the empty hearth.
"I thought you said you were going to use the fire to find her." He said, his voice flat even as the accusation rang through.
She cringed inwardly. She should have at least started the fire.
"Oh, sorry about that Grandpa. I meant to but I started meditating and I forgot," she said smoothly. The lie falling easily from her. The old man looked at her, his eyes were devoid of all emotions.
"I see," he said, still in that flat voice of his. Rei cocked her head.
"Did you guys find her?" she asked, faking concern. But Grandpa Hino did not reply. He stared back at the fire. The empty fireplace that is.
"Grandpa?" Rei said again. The old man did not reply.
Rei blew out a frustrated breath. The old man had been acting weird lately.
"Grandpa, did you guys find her?" She asked again but this time she fortified her voice with a bar of steel.
"I spoke to your father." Grandpa Hino said.
Silence followed his words as Rei tried to process what he'd said.
"Huh?" was her intelligent comeback.
"He's your father," Grandpa said, still looking at the fireplace.
Rei went still as a chill swept through her.
"He is not m…"
"He is willing to let you live with him." Grandpa Hino cut her off. Rei blinked, discombobulated.
"It will be good for you. To spend time with your father." Rei's jaw dropped.
The two stood in silence for a long time.
"Why would I want to live with him?" Rei asked, entirely unprepared for this conversation. The old man did not reply. Instead, he closed the door to the fire room and walked away. She found herself running after him.
The silence that had been was no longer. The hallway of the temple was darkened by the approaching night. Though they had electricity, Grandpa often insisted on lighting candles and lamps instead of turning on the lights.
He stopped as she reached him. He didn't turn around to look at her.
"Grandpa?" she asked, her heart hammering in her chest cavity.
"You should live with your father Rei. In April you'll turn 18. You'll be an adult. Before that, you should get to know your father."
"Why?" she asked, her confusion giving way to rising anger.
"Because he is your father."
"He is my father?!" Rei replied, her voice rising in shrill disbelief. Grandpa Hino did not reply. She rushed around him, to stand right in front of him.
"Have you gone senile Grandpa?" She asked in irritation. He just looked at her blandly. After a long pause, a growing sense of unease stole her breath.
"You…" she began but swallowed, her eyes widening in utter disbelief.
"Are you serious?" she finally got out in a whisper. He didn't reply verbally but his stoic countenance affirmed it.
She blinked, shook her head, then she blew out a breath.
"I don't know what's gotten into you, Grandpa. Why would I want to go live with HIM? What father? He is no father to me!" She said with a stamp of her foot like a petulant child, annoyance radiating off of her. She hated to even think of that person. How could Grandpa even suggest such a terrible thing?
"Your father is a public figure. To be seen with him will open many doors of opportunity for you." Grandpa Hino said gently.
She just blinked at him, then ran her fingers through her hair. She was pretty certain that her grandfather was joking. He had to be. They both hated that man. There was no way he would send her off to live with a man who abandoned them both ever since she was a child.
"I am going to be the head priestess of this temple. I don't need his connections for that," she said patiently as if talking to a child. She blew out an annoyed breath yet again and started to walk away from the old man.
"I don't know what's gotten into you old man. You should probably get checked out," she said lightly over her shoulders, dismissing the conversation and her Grandfather.
"December." He said softly, almost a whisper. But she heard him.
"December what?" she asked irritably.
"You'll go to your father in December. At the end of this school term."
He started to walk away. She gave chase and rounded to stand in front of him again. She placed hands on hips and looked down her nose at him.
"What is wrong with you!?" she demanded, not at all amused by his jokes.
"Himiko will be transplanted here in about a week and a half to take over the temple duties. When she comes, you are to show her how things work around here. She's nearly done with her Miko training and will assume the full role as a full-fledged priestess in early spring. I am an old man. I need to retire." he continued in that same gentle voice as if his granddaughter hadn't just screamed at him.
With every word out of his mouth, Rei's jaw continued to drop.
"..." she tried to speak but she couldn't form coherent words. She took a deep, steadying breath. And then another. And one more for good measures.
'Calm down. He is just upset.' she told herself as she reached for a calmness she really didn't feel.
"Grandpa, I am the priestess of the te…"
"No. No Rei, you are not. You are in training and it is my right to appoint whomever I please to be the head priestess. Himiko is more than qualified for the position." he replied coolly. Rei looked at him as if he'd grown multiple heads.
"I am your granddaughter," she said simply, disbelief quite evident in her tone and on her face.
"Yes. Yes, you are." He said.
Then walked away.
Thursday After School
She didn't go to the Crown after school.
For the first time in a long while, Rei headed straight home after school. She'd called the arcade to tell Andrew to tell the girls that her grandfather was not feeling well so she had to go straight home. Andrew had barely responded when she hung up and rushed home.
She immediately donned her priestess clothing and started her duties. Focused and purposefully, she swept the entire temple. It took longer than usual and she had to admit to herself that maybe she hadn't been doing her duties as effectively as she should have. She emptied out all trash, wiped all floors, dusted the huge temple from head to toe. By the time she leaned against the water well at the back of the temple house, she was exhausted. Her muscles ached.
"I should have asked the girls to help me," she said tiredly. She closed her eyes, thinking about all that she had done.
'Grandpa is just a little upset that I've neglected a few of my duties. He just needs to see what I've done today and he will stop his nonsense talk.' she thought, believing it. She opened her eyes and began drawing up water from the well.
"Well well, you've done a great job. I was going to ask you to give the house a thorough clean."
She nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned her head and saw her grandfather standing behind her. She hadn't heard him approach.
She harrumphed to hide her disgruntlement at being surprised by her grandfather of all people.
"I know I've been slacking a bit but that doesn't mean I don't know what my duties are," she said haughtily.
"Well, that's good. Himiko can come and start her work right away," he said and turned to leave. She gritted her teeth.
"Grandpa," she said but he didn't reply. Soon he was gone. She was tempted to drop the water pail into the well but refrained. Through clenched teeth, she finished her work.
'I will take a shower and then go talk to grandpa.' she thought. With deliberate attentiveness, she showered, dressed in another priestess gab, and went in search of her Grandfather.
He was nowhere to be found. She went around the temple, calling out to him.
Nothing.
She sighed in annoyance.
"Crazy old man," she muttered as she sat by the door to his room to wait for him. Closing her eyes, she attempted to meditate. Slowly, she regulated her breathing, exhaling and inhaling rhythmically. She'd almost succeeded in entering a meditative state. Almost.
Long hair.
Brown.
Dark eyes.
Lightly tanned skin.
Rei's eyes flew open. She gritted her teeth. There was absolutely no way she was going to lose her birthright to that pretentious whore.
"This temple is mine!" she gritted out. She settled herself more comfortably against her grandfather's door. She refused to close her eyes, not wishing to see the face of Himiko again. She'd always hated that sly woman.
'No good goody-two-shoes!' Rei scoffed internally.
They met when they were both six years old at the priestess initiation conference in Kyoto. Usually, girls had to be between the ages of eight and ten to be inducted into the service. Rei had shown exceptional promise very early in her life. She'd been so promising that one of the head priestesses had petitioned for her to join as early as her sixth birthday. Such a feat was unheard of. No child that young had ever been allowed to join. She'd been so proud to be chosen. She felt special. Grandpa had been ecstatic.
Before they left for the conference, she'd made sure to buy new robes, new shoes, and modestly braided her long hair down her back in one single braid. She wanted to appear humble but polished and poised. Mature. She soaked up all the admirations and praises she received when they arrived at the conference. As the conference commenced, she walked down the red-carpeted walkway to the stage. She'd been announced with fanfare and words of praise and promise. She felt on top of the world and looked down her six-year-old nose at the eight to ten-year-olds that would be beginning their priestess journey. The applause that rang out as she stopped at the podium and received her badge of apprenticeship stretched her already big ego into dangerous proportions.
"My friends, we must count ourselves fortunate this year. The fates have smiled down upon us and blessed us with beginning priestesses that all show great promises. The talents we have witnessed thus far among our initiates means we're going to have a generation of priestesses highly competent and able to fight back the tides of the darkness that grows with each passing year. This year, not only have we been blessed with several retiring masters to guide our young initiates, but we have also been blessed with two very young initiates whose strengths exceed our expectations. Just as you've given a warm welcome to young Rei Hino, please help me welcome our second-youngest initiate. Hailing from the province of Jeju in South Korea, please help me welcome Sunyoung Lee, our youngest initiate whose birthday is today by the way. Please wish her a happy birthday when you get a chance."
Rei, whose birthday had been the month before, making her 6 years and a three weeks old suddenly felt like her 'specialness' had been stolen from her as she watched the girl bound up the walkway with untamed energy. Sunyoung did not walk. She literally ran and hopped like some sort of demented rabbit. She had none of Rei's grace or poise. When she reached the podium, she smiled a toothy grin at the audience who had gone still in their amazement at the girl's lack of decorum. But her smile and energy were infectious and soon wide grins and laughter descended on the crowd. Even the three old ancient priestesses who sat behind them smiled at Sunyoungs energy.
People flocked to the girl all three days of the conference and had nothing but positive things to say about the monkey girl who it seems, couldn't sit still to save her life. While Rei got her share of admiration and praise, her dissatisfaction with the situation made her cold and unwelcoming, thus it was no surprise that many people liked the other girl much better.
Sunyoung had also shown great admiration towards Rei. She was slightly pacified by the girl's admiration of her but Rei refused to return the sentiment. As they grew, the hopping, running, country island girl grew up to be a graceful young woman. Her kindness and smile were as open and warm as it was when she was a child. And her popularity outgrew her. Until six years ago when she was almost barred from the Sisterhood of Priestesses. Rei had been ecstatic when the swan fell from grace. People who had admired the South Korean beauty turned their backs on her.
While she wasn't at fault for the actions of her parents, her father's embezzlement of government money and her mother's inaction had almost cost the young woman her hard-earned respect and emerging role as a priestess. Low and behold, it had been Rei's grandfather and a few others that had stood up in favor of the fallen priestess, protecting her from those who wanted to ban her under the reasoning that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If her parents were crocks, it stands to mean that she would become one as well. Since that incident six years ago, the girl disappeared from public view and Rei had heard nothing about her since then. Obviously, Grandpa Hino had been keeping tabs on the girl for him to decide that she was better suited to the Cherry Hill Temple than his own granddaughter. Rei scowled fiercely. There was no way she was going to give up her place to that priestess wannabe!
Sometime during the night, she fell asleep against her grandfather's door. When he was sure she was out, Grandpa Hino appeared in front of his granddaughter, his heart heavy and sad for the decision he'd had to make. Even if Rei wasn't walking down a dangerous path of self-indulgence, he'd known from the moment he learned the true identity of his granddaughter as the sailor soldier of fire, he'd known she couldn't inherit the family temple. It would tie her down. It would get in the way of her duties to the earth and to her ruler, the future monarch of the moon.
"Keep telling yourself that you old fool," he muttered to himself.
The truth of the matter was that Rei had become dangerously selfish. She had long exhibited signs of self-righteousness that was contrary to the nature of priestesses. She cared too much for her own appetites and had forgotten her vows to do no harm, to act in the interests of others, and to practice self-denial. To make matters worse, he was pretty sure she was consuming alcohol, a taboo for a priestess. He knew that if the council found out about Rei's drinking and her selfish behaviors, they would strip her of her title entirely, and no order would accept her as a priestess. He knew he should report her but how could he? He'd trained her himself. He was responsible for her upbringing!
But he'd been soft on her, kept back a lot of his discipline out of love and pity for the little girl who had lost her mother to death and her father to the world. At first, it seemed her relationship with Serena and the other girls were helping her become a better person, a less selfish creature. But somewhere along the way, she'd lost sight of herself. She'd become competitive again. When Grandpa Hino had first met Serena, he'd been worried. The blonde displayed the same temperance as the South Korean priestess. He'd been worried that her good nature and her popularity would arise Rei's jealousy. At first, only Rei's anger had been kindled but as he feared, the passage of time woke her envy and jealousy.
He knew his granddaughter well, knew she'd been jealous of Sunyoung from the moment she met her. She hadn't given the Korean girl a chance. He also knew she had felt no compassion or pity for the girl when her priestess career had almost ended. Grandpa Hino didn't really understand his granddaughter. Could growing up without parents really cause a person to be so...so...he lacked the words for it. He'd tried. Tried to provide Rei with everything she could possibly want. But it seems he'd failed somehow. He was desperate to save his granddaughter from herself but he was scared that taking away what she considered to be her birthright would cause damage no one could heal. And yet doing nothing, allowing Rei to go on as she was could not be any better. Especially when she possessed so much power.
For months he agonized over the options he had, consulted with a trusted old priest and priestess. In the end, he felt he had no choice. This was the only way he could drive home that her behavior has consequences. She needed to lose something precious to her to learn that she wasn't above moral law, that she was accountable for her actions.
And yet he was fearful that instead of learning a lesson, she'd only grow bitter and angrier. He hated to see her so upset. She had shown so much potential. Should he have prevented her from joining the order so early? Had he done wrong in encouraging her to reach her highest potential? What was right? And what was wrong?
This decision he was making would result in one of two outcomes. He hoped that by experiencing the loss of her position as head priestess due to her own action, she would reflect on her character. In addition to that, he hoped that by living with the man who fathered her and abandoned her, she would see his selfishness reflected in herself and that would trigger in her a need for change. Lastly, he hoped that by isolating her from the people she wielded power over, the girls, in particular, she would learn to socialize with people, rather than boss them around. His granddaughter was either going to go through a metamorphosis and change for the better, or she was going to solidify in her foolishness and fossilize. He feared the later even as he hoped for the former. He's granddaughter was not beyond saving!
He had only one last resort of this ploy didn't work. One last weapon. He hoped he never had to resort to that last measure. He prayed what he was doing now would be enough. If he had to use his last and final means, it would destroy them both.
"Please, please wake up." he murmured. He wasn't referring to her sleeping form against his door. He wanted her to wake from the delusion of superiority she clothed herself in so constantly.
Friday Morning
Used to waking up early for school, Rei woke with her internal clock. The hallway in front of her grandpa's door was still dark. She guessed it was around 5 am. She attempted to stand, groaning at the ache in her bones. She hadn't slept in a comfortable manner. She stood slowly and noiselessly opened her grandfather's door. The room was empty. She sighed and rolled on to her own room to prepare for the day. She would talk to him when he stopped running away from her.
School ended as usual and she headed to the arcade to meet her friends. She was one of the first students to arrive at the arcade, beating the 3 pm traffic.
"Hi, Rei!" Andrew in his usual white apron called out as he spotted the black-haired purple striped girl. Rei nodded to him and walked up to the counter, sitting across from him.
"How's your grandfather?" he asked. She rolled her eyes.
"Senile," she replied and he laughed.
"It happens even to the best of us it seems," he replied in amusement. She gave him a baleful look. Before she could rattle his bone, he was saved by a customer calling his name. Fifteen minutes later, the girls showed up. The girls minus Mina. When Amy and Lita approached her, she raised a brow in question. Lita shrugged.
"She said she had something to do," Amy replied to the silent inquiry. Rei snorted.
"It seems she's had something to do all week." She replied snidely.
She was not amused by Mina's sudden disappearances. The girls all grabbed a seat and waited for Andrew to come to serve them. She was waiting for them to ask her about her grandfather. After all, she ditched out on them yesterday. But seconds turned to long minutes of silence. Angered by their lack of care, she cleared her throat pointedly. The two teenagers looked at her, their eyebrows lifted in unison. After it became obvious that neither girl was going to respond verbally, Rei fisted her hand under the table in irritation.
"Aren't you going to ask at least?" she said through gritted teeth.
"Ask what?" Amy asked with a genuinely surprised facial expression. Rei's lips thinned into a fine line.
"I wasn't with you guys yesterday for a reason!" she said, her displeasure showing right through. A few seconds later the two girls got it.
"Oh yeah, how's your grandfather?" Amy asked politely. Before the words were even out of her mouth, Lita had already turned her away, her interest in the conversation not at all there. Rei noticed their preoccupation and their lack of concern but chose to ignore it. Instead, she launched into her frustration with her grandfather and his delusions about giving her birthright to an unworthy priestess.
Amy tried to listen attentively but months of learning to tune Rei out was hard to overcome. She half-heartedly paid attention, replying with coded sympathetic sounds that Rei mistook for attentiveness. Thus she did not understand the gravity of what Rei was telling her. When they parted ways for the night, none of them grasped the complications that would ensue if the soldiers of earth were split and what it would mean for the protection of the earth.
Arriving home with renewed determination to get to the bottom of her grandfather's madness, Rei found the old man in a meditative state before the great fire. Knowing not to disturb him when he was thus occupied, she went about her duties. Grandpa Hino was not surprised when he found her waiting for him outside the door of the fire room.
"We need to talk," she said. He knew he wasn't going to be able to evade her again so he indicated that she lead the way. She led him to a room considered the family room and when they made themselves comfortable on the various cushions on the floor, she launched into her bullet points of reasons why she was the best person fit to be the priestess of their temple. Halfway through her rant, he spoke.
"She's ok."
"...I don't know why you think….wait what?" Rei asked, blinking.
"She's ok," he repeated. She scowled at him
"Who is ok?" She asked.
"Your friend. Serena. She's in good hands now."
Rei blinked then brushed it off.
"Well duh. Someone called earlier in the week to say she only had a fever. She's just a drama queen." She said dismissively.
"Now as I was saying…"
"You are not fit to be a priestess, and even more unfit to be the head priestess of this temple that has been in our family and in this community for over ten generations." he interrupted, his voice sharp. That caused her to pause. The atmosphere in the room chilled considerably as her grandfather's anger became all too visible.
"Grandpa?" Rei hesitated.
"I have done all I can to raise you. To give you a place to call home. To show you all the love and acceptance of a family. When will it be enough for you?" he asked. He was not looking at her but his words hit her like a whip.
"Grandpa, what are you talking ab…"
"Your friend goes missing and all I ask you to do is to use the sacred fire to help find her, to make sure she's ok. Not only did you not care to do what is right for the missing girl and her family and the community, but you have also shown a complete lack of compassion for human life. You are unfit to be a priestess. I am sorry I ever thought you could be...be..more."
Silence.
For a long minute, there was absolute silence as she absorbed his words and the bite of harsh words. Then she gasped in pain and in incredulity.
"How can you say that," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I thought that if I could at least do right by you, If I could raise you to be an exemplary young woman, your mother's death would not have been in vain. But you turned out to be exactly like the man who sired you. Since you've chosen to walk in his path of complete lack of empathy, the two of you should get along just fine. You will go live with him come December. Perhaps living with him will help you see your true reflection."
Sunday
If there was anything Rei was good at, it was hiding her emotions behind pride and arrogance. In that way, she and Darien were much alike. So she cloaked herself in that unfailing garment, choosing to believe that things would work out in her favor. After all, she was Sailor Mars, the soldier of fire, the princess of the red planet, AND the priestess of the temple of the avian of fire. And so she spent all of Saturday building up her walls of protection, her mask of indifference. No barred priestess or stupid princess was going to get in the way of her high calling. And so Saturday passed without incident. She hardly saw her grandfather the day after his cruel words but she didn't care. The old man needed some time to think about his nasty temper and to apologize to her.
When Sunday rolled around though, she was feeling suffocated by the walls of the temple. She hadn't hung out with the girls yesterday, she needed...needed something. Thinking about what she needed, an image of Daien Mamoru Shields dressed in a white button-down shirt and blue jeans appeared in her mind, his dreamy face made further handsome by the gentle smile he wore. A smile curved on Rei's lips.
"Yeah. I haven't seen him all week," she whispered. She found herself standing in front of the wall-mounted phone in her bedroom. Around the time she became Sailor Mars, she'd insisted on having her own private phone because she was becoming an "adult" and needed her own privacy. While her grandfather had refused for her to get a cell phone, he'd conceded to let her have a phone in her room to take private calls.
The phone rang twice before it was answered by a familiar sweet voice.
"Moshi Moshi, this is Irene speaking."
"Hi, Mama Irene."
"Good morning Rei. how are you?" the woman on the phone answered. Rei hardly paid attention to the voice that was lacking it's usually cheerfulness.
"I'm good mama. Is Rini awake?" She asked. There was a bit of a scurry as if the woman was moving away from the phone and the wire had ruffled something.
"Yeah, she's walking down the stairs right now. Would you like to speak with her?" the woman asked.
"Yes please."
"Ok." she heard Irene Tsukino call out to Rini. A minute later, a light child-like voice answered the phone.
"Moshi Moshi."
"Hi Rini, it's Rei."
"Hi, Rei. What's up?"
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to get breakfast together. I know Darien's been busy lately. I thought it would do all of us good to meet up for a change." she said as casually as possible. There was a momentarily heavy pause and Rei chewed her lip, worried that she'd given herself away.
"OK! Does Darien know?" Rini finally answered, cheerfulness clear in her light alto tone.
"No, but how can he say no to his favorite person?" Rei crooned, knowing that Rini was perhaps the only one that could implore Darien to come out. For a couple of weeks now, it had become obvious that Darien was slowly withdrawing into his shell. His withdrawal would have been faster if not for Rini. Darien's overprotectiveness and possessiveness over his future daughter puzzled even Rei. And the little girl was more than happy to use his attachment to her benefit. And so was Rei.
So long as she could get Rini to side with her, Darien would always side with Rei also. Even against Serena. She'd become close to Rini over the past two years. She knew how truly dangerous the pink-haired brat was. But if Rei was going to get Darien to notice her, she needed to use Rini as bait. One day though, she will not need Rini to attain Darien's affection.
Plans were made and goodbyes were said. An hour later, Rei, Lita, Amy, and Rini met up at the arcade.
"Where's Mina?" Rini asked, looking around for the blonde soldier of love.
"Don't know. I couldn't reach her." rei replied with a touch of irritation. She was starting to get sick of Mina's unexplainable disappearances. Mina was supposed to be her best friend. More than ever, she needed her best friend but all week long Mina had made no appearance at any of their hang out sessions and whenever Rei called, the girl never picked up or even returned her calls. Amy obviously didn't seem to have a problem at all reaching Mina.
Case in point Amy said, "she's been worried about Artemis and Luna lately. She told us on Friday while we were at school that she was taking the evening flight to visit her family in England and find out what is taking Luna and Artemis so long to return."
"She's in Europe?!" Rei asked in surprise.
"Oh, I thought I told you Friday when we met at the crown," Amy said apologetically. She had mentioned it but Rei had been too keyed up on her own drama to hear.
"She just decided to go...just like that? Didn't even ask us if that was ok." Rei said, feeling both stunned and betrayed somehow. Lita raised a brow at Rei but kept her silent.
"She doesn't necessarily need our permission to go visit her family. Besides, she should be back this evening anyways." Amy said, hiding her own growing irritation behind her usual calm exterior. Amy, like Lita, had learned to let Rei do as she pleased. But the girl was growing ever arrogant. It wouldn't surprise Amy if Rei thought she was their leader since Serena has basically been out of their group and had been for months.
Rei opened her mouth to argue but closed her mouth when she noticed the hard look in Amy's eyes and Lita's uninterested presence. Gritting her teeth, she turned and plastered on a fake smile for Rini's benefit. She took the little girl's hand and they left the arcade in the directions of Darien's apartment.
When they arrived at Darien's fifteen minutes later, they rang the doorbell, and when no response came, Rini fidgeted through her backpack. She pulled out an extra key Darien had given her a long time ago.
"Aha!" she exclaimed. Then insert it into the apartment.
They entered.
They found Darien sitting on his couch, his body positioned as if about to rise. A familiar rush washed over Rei as she took in the handsome man that had been her first boyfriend for a brief moment in time. He looked disheveled and tired but he was still beautiful. Easily the most handsome man Rei had ever seen. He was lean but not lanky. His body was well defined and proportioned, hardened muscles built from years of running through Juban's dark nights to save the world from monsters straight out of a horror movie. Dark hair fell over his deep dark blue dreamy eyes. He looked slightly pale than usual but then again, he hadn't been hanging out much lately. Locked indoors for so long was bound to lighten his complexion.
Despite her admiration of his physique, Rei noticed with a note of concern a strange emotion passed over Darien's features but it was gone as quickly as it came on. She tucked what she'd just seen away for a later date.
"Darien!" Rini cried out Darien's name as she ran to him. He bent and picked her up and hugged her.
"Hi munchkin," he said. There was something odd. Rei couldn't quite put her finger on it. He was hugging Rini and he was smiling, but something felt off.
"Hi" Lita greeted.
"Good morning," Amy said warmly. Rei was too distracted by her observations to offer a greeting. Because she was watching him like a hungry shark, she noticed the tightness around his eyes when he glanced briefly at them, returning their smiles with one of his own that felt forced.
"We're going shopping! You should come with us!" Rini said when Darien let her go.
"I'd love to, dear but I have a lot of materials I need to go over." He told her.
Rini's face dropped in disappointment just as a bitter taste of disappointment dropped into Rei's own stomach. She wanted to call Darien out on it, wanted to tell him he was changing on them. She didn't have to.
"I feel like you've been distant lately. You're not mad at me are you?" Rini asked, echoing Rei's own worries. Rei watched Darien kneel eye level to Rini and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Rini. I've been a bit busy lately. I am not mad at you at all." he said. Rini looked up at him.
"Really?" she asked, wide-eyed.
He nodded.
"I am going to be starting my residency soon. I just have a lot to do before then."
"Will you hang out with us when you have some free time?" she asked, her eyes shining.
"Of course," Darien promised.
After a few more reassuring promises, he excused them out of his apartment. Rei let Lita and Amy pass her. She wanted a few minutes with him, to tell him that she was there for him. But Rini didn't give her that opportunity. The little girl grabbed her hand and began to tug her towards the door. She looked at Darien, opening her mouth to say something but he turned away from her. A shot of pain sliced through her. Meekly, she followed Rini out the door.
Feeling unsettled by Darien's silence and cold dismissal, Rei pondered what could have brought that on. She and Darien had become really close in the past two years. So close she was sure the only reason he wasn't with her was because of his need for Rini. And Rini could only be born through Serena. Rei scowled when a picture of Serena popped in her head.
Rei truly believed that Darien wanted her instead of the meatball headed princess. There were times he would look at her with so much passion, heating her blood and wreaking havoc on her lust. She wanted him so badly. She'd always wanted him. She just had to convince him to give up on Rini. They could be so happy together. They were very similar, he and her. Both mature, poised, and popular. They were also both smart and really good looking.
'He's only with Serena because she's the moon princess. If not for that, I would be his girlfriend!'
Initially, Rei had pretended to be ok with him dating the blonde idiot. But over time, especially in the last two years, her feelings for him had awakened with a vengeance. Every glance from him, every look, every smile made her blood boil. And besides, it was very obvious Darien wasn't interested in Serena. He found her too annoying. The more he found Serena repulsive, the more hope Rei had. And they'd gotten close. They'd almost kissed once. She just knew he was waiting for the opportunity to be with her.
She was patient.
She would wait for him and once he was hers, not even stupid Rini would be able to take his attention off of her. After all, he was just a man underneath it all. And men had never really been able to resist her. Her dark long hair and light complexion, plus her rounded ass and perk breasts make her very desirable. She was also smart and strong, and she'd learned a thing or two about pleasing men from her mistake when she dated that good for nothing Yuuichirou Kumada. That had been an embarrassing mistake. The boy was so uncool. What had possessed her to waste her beauty on such an embarrassment? She, priestess of the Cherry Hill Temple and the Hikawa shrine, deserves a cool man, a man of dignity and significance. A man like Darien.
But Darien had hardly looked at them. Hadn't looked at her at all.
He paid attention to Rini, but not to them. He hadn't even asked where Mina was. And like Rini, she too had noticed that Darien had distanced himself a little. What was going on between Darien and Mina lately? Both seemed lost. Or maybe he didn't want the others catching on to his growing feelings for her.
'Hope it has nothing to do with Serena's disappearance.' was what she settled on thinking.
"Rei?" She blinked and looked up to find Amy, Lita, and Rini looking at her questioningly.
"Yeah?" she asked, not sure what she'd missed.
"Are you planning to cross the street anytime today?" Lita asked, an eyebrow lifted. Rei looked around her and realized the crosswalk sign had long begun its countdown.
"Oh yeah, sorry. Just lost in thought," she said.
They crossed the street and continued on to their destination.
As they walked, Rei couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was looking at them. But every time she'd look, there was no one there. She couldn't tell if whatever watched them was benevolent or otherwise. She kept her observation to herself. There was no need to alarm the others just yet.
From a distance, atop a building, Mina watched the progression of the girls, her face a sad reflection of her inner turmoil. Since waking up last weekend in a drunken mess at Rei's house, she'd felt a sickness in her soul she couldn't explain. Being around the girls only made her feel worse. She knew it would only be a matter of time before they realized she was deliberately keeping her distance from them. It wasn't that she hated them. It was just hard to recognize her own individuality when among them. Groupthink was a real thing.
So she'd lied to them instead. Told them she was going to England to visit her family. Her Grandmother, her only living relative. And to check on the status of Luna and Artemis, their guardian cats. Yes. They were cats. Talking magical cats. From a race of beings long deceased.
6 months ago, their guardian cats had decided that they needed vacation. Because Artemis and Luna had been married in the past, in the Silver Millenium, they didn't feel the need to do another wedding in this time period.
Instead, they asked to go on a vacation/honeymoon. They planned to travel all over Europe. They were supposed to have returned before the beginning of the new school year. They were a good three months late. She was worried about them and wanted to travel to Europe to look for them. The last time she'd heard from Artemis was three months ago. He'd told her that they were heading into Greece, to check out Athens and the remnants of the Greek mythology stories. She hadn't heard from him since. They'd called her from payphones throughout their journey so the girls had no way of contacting them on their own. Luna had decided this was the best course of action. She didn't want her vacation interrupted by her unruly charge. She also thought that it would be a good lesson for Serena. So the teenage girl would understand how much she needed her guardian.
While all that was ok, now that they were missing, there was no way of knowing what had happened or why they had extended their trip.
The real reason for Mina's worry was that Luna and Artemis's disappearance is perilously close to how Darien had disappeared two and a half years ago. He'd gotten on a plane, on his way to America, and to Harvard. He hadn't returned. Hadn't called. Hadn't emailed or even sent a letter. For months, none of them knew he was dead.
Perhaps she was paranoid, but after what happened to Darien, they were all a little on edge.
But she hadn't gone to Europe like she'd told the girls. She hadn't even bought a plane ticket. She'd intended to of course. She had called her grandmother and told her that she was coming to visit. The phone had gone silent. Not the reaction she'd been expecting from her beloved grandmother who usually jumps with joy every time she heard Mina was coming back home.
"Grandma?" she'd said after the silence lengthened uncomfortably.
"I am old, not sensory deprived. You come from a family with a legacy of prophecy. The girl on the phone does not sound like my granddaughter. I don't know who you are, but find Mina before you come. I don't want an imposter in my house." the old woman had said. Then hung up.
Mina had crumpled to the floor in hysterical tears.
Her grandmother was right.
She'd wanted to run to Europe and hide. She would not have returned to Japan, she knew it. Because, lately, when she looks in the mirror, she finds it hard to recognize the eyes that stare back at her. Her voice had been lost somehow in the need to fit in. She didn't know who Mina was anymore. But she knew that she didn't want to continue to be Rei's sidekick. Because that was exactly what she'd become. And if her own inner conflict wasn't bad enough, she was now feeling a-ways about Serena and those damned sisters.
Every time she thought about Serena, an overwhelming sense of guilt would consume her. Then she'd remember that day a few weeks ago. The things she'd said to professor Raizen about Serena and his chastising. She cringed every time she remembered it. Those words hadn't felt like her own. Mina couldn't be that mean. She, of all people, knew how hurtful bullying was. She would never willingly contribute to such cruelty.
But she had.
Freely. Willingly.
Flashback
Mina sighed melodramatically.
"What I mean, Professor Draganov is that no matter how much she pretends to be a model student, she isn't. What she is is a lazy, selfish, no good, pathetic, worthless student who pretends to be a model student just to get the attention." The gasp that followed her statement was telling. Anger flooded Raizen, gripping him in a mad desire to do bodily harm to the bitch who'd just insulted his woman. He took a deep breath to try to calm his raging anger but all he could see was red.
The class erupted into chaos as a few took Mina's side. However, had Serena been there, she would have been shocked to the root at the majority of the people who defended her character. Getting himself under control, Raizen slammed his hand against his desk, silencing the room immediately. He turned blazing eyes on Mina who visibly shrank back.
"Have you ever given birth before Mina?" He asked a soft voice but the edge in it was unmistakable.
"n…nn…no sir." Mina stammered in reply, her eyes wide.
"Have you felt birth pains before? Have you gone into labor and felt your body stretched to its limit? Have you felt the pain of childbirth?" he continued, staring Mina straight in the eye. Mina gulped, fear settling in her bone as she shook her head no.
"So then what makes you think you have the right to insult, slander, judge the child of a woman who went through nine months of pain to give birth to her daughter? Tell me, if and when you give birth to your own child, how would you feel if others called her the same slanderous names you've heaped upon Serena?"
To this Mina had no answer. Her cheeks burned in humiliation.
"Pathetic? Worthless? By what standards have you used to judge her, and felt her lacking? By class attendants? Her grades? As far as I can tell, she has higher grades than you. So if the grade is what you're using to judge the worth of a person, isn't it glaringly obvious that you're the worthless, pathetic one?" Raizen said pitilessly. The class gasped and Mina's eyes watered. He didn't feel an ounce of pity for her. She'd insulted his Serena and the girl would pay.
"Before you start calling people pathetic and worthless and selfish, perhaps you should turn the mirror on yourself. There's no one more pathetic than someone who slanders others in order to feel better about herself." Raizen finished coldly.
End flashback
Goosebumps chilled her spine as she remembered that unfortunate day. What had possessed her to say such cruel things about Serena? True their friendship was strained but that was no reason to talk so savagely about the person that was both her princess and commanding leader. When had she become so coarse? She wanted to talk to Serena, to apologize for her words but something felt false about her wanting to make things right. She hadn't felt this way until those damned sisters appeared.
Those weird sisters had appeared and Serena had vanished. Raizen sisters her ass. None of those girls were related to Raizen. But then why would the teacher lie? And why were they so interested in Serena?
There was a thread connecting Serena's disappearance and the arrival of the sisters but she could not see it. When Serena had been pronounced missing, Mina had tried to look for Serena on her own but had no luck. Then that wired phone call had come saying she was ok but had a fever. Mina was no idiot. Ok maybe she'd been acting like an idiot but she knew bullshit when she heard it. Something was going on. Something was happening right under their noses that they were blind to. And it scared her.
'What is happening to us?' she'd asked herself that question a million times over the past week. She felt a true sense of fear she hadn't felt since….
'Since before I met her' her mind supplied.
She shut her eyes to that one truth, the one truth that led to all the other truths she was too chicken to face.
She couldn't go near her friends without wanting to throw up, she hadn't been able to find Serena, and she felt like the apocalypse was about to reign on them.
She was scared, she knew it.
The cellphone in her hand vibrated. She glanced at it, her eyes widening. She knew that number. An ill sense of foreboding seized her.
"What's happening?" she asked the emptiness around her mournfully as she wrapped her arms around herself, ignoring the ringing phone.
Read and Review!
Lately, I've noticed a pattern in my writing style. I realize that I write in four stages. When I struggle to write, instead of not writing at all as I did previously (reason why I didn't upload any new chapter for like a year or more), I force myself to write anyway. The first draft is the driest but it builds the skeleton. It's the most boring version to read. Once the skeleton is completed, however, I am able to go in and fill out the muscles on the second draft. Then there is the third draft of filling in the fats and fluffing things out. It's the fought draft, the editing part, that is as hard as the first draft. Lol. When you notice a lot of terrible spelling, that usually means I just couldn't make myself do the fourth part of the process. Lol. I generally have bad grammar so that doesn't count. Misspellings, on the other hand, come as a result of me pouring out everything on the page with little regard, I just need to get it out. That's why the fourth part is so important but after working three times on the same chapter, it's kinda hard to motivate myself to read it a fourth time and fix it lol.
For those of you who write, what process do you use? Or does it just come magically to you?