Chapter: Four
Minako laid sprawled out on her slightly mussed, silk covered bed and quietly pondered what she did to deserve such bad karma. Reliving the embarrassment of having her lover walk out on her, she snorted… Some goddess of love and beauty she was! She was still gripping her phone lightly in her left hand when she lazily ran her fingers through her blonde bangs. Gazing at the ceiling, she tried to decipher the wave of emotions churning in her head, heart and belly. There was a nervousness, sort of like the first-day-of-school type of nervousness, creating a small bowl of nausea to situate itself in the pit of her stomach. Then, there was anger… oh there was so much anger… Delicious little flames licking at her spine and pricking her skin, making Minako feel almost feverous since its wake.
Losing her calm for possibly the second or third time since she had received her sex blocking phone call, Minako grappled with one of the shams and tossed the innocent pillow across the room, sitting up only to glare menacingly at her phone. This was not how she planned to start her extended weekend! She couldn't decide whether she should damn Rei for mussing it all up or Usagi for facilitating the call in the first place. Minako's anger remained unsated, though it was beginning to dull, and she wasn't willing to continue the angry blame game any longer. Instead, she dressed in a less sexy pair of gym shorts and a tee; the kind that says, 'I'm here to Netflix and chill with my cat'. She then snatched a purple tattered notebook and lime green mp3 player from the top of the dresser and briskly walked out to the large deck overlooking the grand city of Tokyo.
Minako flopped down with a huff onto one of the few comfortable chairs situated on the far corner of the balcony, where she donned the mp3 player's ear buds, and began shuffling through the notebook. She had owned the tattered book since she was in high school, writing down little notes and verses, along with the occasional and embarrassing love ballad. She just recently picked up writing again and regretted letting the hobby get away from her for so long. During the infancy of her career Minako entrusted her manager to hire lyricists, as she was far too fresh within the industry to be trusted to organize her thoughts on her own. Success over the last few years gave Minako more confidence and creative freedom, so she had taken a more active role writing both music and lyrics. Her fans responded lovingly to most of her original pieces and Minako's popularity aged well over the years. Alas, the piece she was trying to write now was not a new song, but instead a therapeutic writing session to mend her frayed nerves.
Unable to pull the creativity, Minko read through her earlier entries. She cringed at what her 15-year-old-self considered "lyrical genius" and yet; nonetheless, continued looking fondly over the brightly colored ink doodles and poorly constructed poetry. As she tried to find inspiration on the old pages, she noticed crudely torn page frills that seemed sprout between every other few pages. Again, the blonde's sour attitude returned, remembering those particular torn out entries revolved around a certain grumpy priestess whose memory she was currently, unsuccessfully avoiding. Minako tossed her book on the tiny table next to her chair. I just can't escape her, she thought, aggravated at the remnants of the stubborn girl hiding in far too many crevices of her life than she cared to admit. Minako stared out at the city scape before here, the rage finally dissipating only to be replaced by an achy exhaustion.
I wonder if she called from one of those tiny boxes… Minako thought absently, but quickly dismissed the idea. Rei called from Usagi's phone… She didn't want to feel this way, but a bit of betrayal was slicing away at her psyche. How long had she been in town? Who else knew of her return? Was she the last on the list to find out? Minako continued skimming over the infinite sheets of glass and metal that mixed seamlessly within the concrete jungle of Tokyo. Giving up her fruitless search for answers, she closed her eyes against the harshly bright glare that was beginning to reflect against the towers before her, letting her thoughts drift to the night everything went so wrong…
It was a chilly November day, around high noon. Minako had urgently contacted her fellow senshi, demanding they cancel any prior engagements and immediately convene at the group's favorite coffee shop. It was a mostly indiscrete location, ironically placed directly across from the infamous arcade of their youth and next to a for-lease restaurant space that Makoto had been eyeing for months. The street itself was almost like a linear timeline of how the girls had matured over the years. Minako earlier snagged one of the small tables within the little fenced in area adjacent to the clean sidewalk. Indeed, one could argue it was too cold to sit outside, and Usagi probably would, but Minako was in full winter drag. She would easily suffocate to death inside the warm shop, being unable to remove her layers of clothing for fear of being recognized by an over enthusiastic fan.
Minako just couldn't sit still, too eager to share her good news with the other girls, so she took out her phone and used its camera to double check her persona. At a glance, the girl easily pulled off a young college-aged male, sporting a western letterman jacket from a university she most certainly did not attend. Underneath, she wore a hoodie and sweater in order to give herself a more masculine build, effectively hiding her feminine assets nicely. Her golden hair, though not expertly hidden, was stuffed in an unremarkable chin-length clipped black wig. A baseball cap topped her head; only black bangs sprouted from underneath its bill. Completing the disguise were brand-less sunglasses, though Minako felt sure she looked silly, as they clearly weren't needed on the blustery, cloudy day.
From the corner of her eyes, she saw Makoto eyeing her suspiciously from beyond the gated area, and immediately Minako ceased her self-inspection. Sometimes it was difficult, traveling incognito just to have an outing with her friends, but, admittedly, she loved all these newfound cosplay opportunities. Minako often reminisced of her teen years when the group of girls could frequent the mall or the arcade effortlessly, not having to care about whether or not the press knew of her location. Minako lowered her sunglasses and puckered her lips at Makoto, who just rolled her eyes in response. Makoto changed course and steered away from the shop's entrance, only to occupy one of the five chairs surrounding the round, umbrella-topped table.
"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to you looking like that." Makoto said, still not comfortable enough with her disguise to maintain any form of eye contact.
Minako felt partially responsible for Makoto's unease. The first time she attempted dressing in drag, she decided to play a little prank on the girl and flirted with her relentlessly. To her delight, she received some fabulously cute blushes from Makoto… along with many terrible glares afterwards when her voice could no longer remain deep enough to pass as male. She tried the same prank on Rei too, but Rei coolly ignored her attempts and promptly told her she looked "ridiculous", completely ruining Minako's fun. The costume was apparently significantly flawed under the scrutiny of Rei's intuition…
"So what's this big news, hmm?" Makoto asked, staring at the for lease sign hanging on the building to their right.
"Not until everybody gets here!" Minako bounced in her seat. Noticing Makoto's gaze, she asked "Have you even tried calling the owner?"
"Of course not…" The other girl said hotly, but soon grinned, "I have to wait and see if the business loan gets approved first."
Minako squealed and launched herself to where Makoto was sitting, hugging her tightly. Her excitement almost toppled them both over. "You'll cater all of my parties, ya?"
Beaming at Minako's enthusiasm and returning the affection, Makoto giggled, "Sure, but I feel sorry for any diabetics you host. Your sweet tooth is uncanny."
Before Minako could reply to the jest, the remainder of their group had finally arrived. Usagi was already running towards the table, having easily looked through Minako's disguise. Usagi, still brandishing her yellow twin tails, called behind her, urging the other two girls to hurry. Ami, either having just left class or needing to attend one soon, wore a far too heavy bag slung across her shoulder and was falling slightly behind Usagi's energetic pace. Walking on par with Ami, was Rei.
A pang of sadness stung Minako's chest as she noticed the dark rings beneath Rei's usually bright and focused amethyst eyes. Rei's grandfather had very recently passed away and what troubled her was how Rei refused to break from her regular routine. Minako assumed chores must have at least doubled at the Hikawa Shrine and suspected Rei had no intentions of hiring anyone to help her. As a matter of fact, the entire senshi squad offered to help take care of the Shrine, sweet Ami actually created a rotation, but each and every one of their offers were politely declined. Equally frustrating and worrisome was how Rei seemed to be lacking any signs of experiencing the four or five stages of grief… or any emotion for that matter. Just like all her friends, she too had a certain skill and reading people's emotions was what she did best; yet when she dared peak into Rei's aura… the senshi of love and beauty was blind, disturbing her more than she cared to admit.
Ami and Usagi sat on either side of Minako; however, Rei remained standing. "Still looking silly I see." Rei stated, having the nerve to sound almost bored.
Minako was more than happy to rise to Rei's challenge, "Ya know, I bet you just secretly wish I could be your boyfriend. Maybe you want someone to show off to your old prep-school peers?" They both knew Rei didn't befriend anyone at her stuffy old school and Minako held a certain pride for that. She was proud of Rei for not conforming to what her old classmates considered to be "normal". After all, normal was boring. Normal, usually, was fake.
Beefing up for her next attack, Minako felt a bit let down at Rei's response. All she received was a soft humming sound; a simple acknowledgement that words had indeed been exchanged between the two, and then Rei began dutifully noting all of their drink orders. Shortly after having just arrived, Rei disappeared inside the shop and began placing their orders. Normally, Minako's jabs would have sparked at least a five minute competition of sarcasm and wit between the two; she felt somewhat cheated.
As if understanding her concern, Usagi sighed and said, "I've tried inviting her out every day since the funeral, but she keeps claiming she's busy."
"She's doing all the shrine work herself now," Makoto gently reminded everyone. "I'm actually surprised she found the time to show today."
"Maybe it's because Mina asked her," Usagi said smugly, cutting her eyes to Minako.
Minako smirked at her partner in crime. "Oooh, you think so?"
Minako loved egging on her fellow blonde. Personally, Minako thought she made her feelings for Rei quite obvious, yet the other girl resisted her in every way imaginable, which was delightfully frustrating. True, she didn't overly enjoy the pattern of cold shoulder treatment Rei endlessly dished out, causing Minako in turn grab more willing partners to satisfy her more "earthly" needs; however, Minako would be a liar if she claimed she didn't enjoy the chase. There was a certainly thrill on not knowing if the game was to ever be won, sort of like how children danced their hands around fire; it was as if the idea itself, of getting burnt that is, was the best part of the game. Anyways, best case scenario, encouraging Usagi gave her a match making ally. Worst case scenario, the two would combine forces in defense of Rei's sharp tongue.
"Don't you two start!" Ami lightly scolded the two of them while glancing at Rei through the widow, obviously needing reassurance that the subject matter was not overhearing the conversation. "Now's not a good time to tease."
Both Minako and Usagi bowed their heads in apology and soon Rei had returned to their table, warm drinks in hand. She sat the tray of coffee in the center of the table, filling the last seat. Minako observed how the silent girl sipped her drink, admiring the pink hue the cold air painted on Rei's cheeks and nose. She only wished Rei would look up from studying the bland table; Minako wanted so bad to see those amethyst eyes shining brightly again, even if they were in frustration of her very own poorly timed flirting attempts.
"So, the news…" Makoto asked again, only this time impatiently.
Minako's mood lifted again, becoming giddier as she saw the curious looks her friends were giving her… well all but Rei at least, but that couldn't be helped. Or, rather, it could but it would be a cold day in hell the moment Minako Aino would be allowed to have her way with Rei. Though it was harder than it really should have been, breaking her thoughts away from Rei, Minako refocused on why she had demanded the meeting and began shuffling her gloved hand in her jacket pocket, retracting four lanyards with plastic V.I.P cards attached.
"Another concert?" Usagi asked, her bright blue eyes lighting up at seeing the passes.
Temporarily ignoring Usagi's question. Minako directed her attention to Ami, "Your winter break—"
"If it's between December 24th and January 7th, I can make it." Ami replied grinning. Minako always felt terribly guilty when Ami couldn't make it to her events because they rarely jived with the med-student's academic year.
"Then start clearing your schedules for New Year's Day, ladies!" Minako announced happily and for special effect, continued after a long pause. "You will be attending Minako Aino's winter-jam, for the very first time being hosted in… London!"
Usagi immediately began squealing and hugging her and Minako happily reciprocated the affection. "The plane tickets are on me, and don't worry about the hotel. Saitou-san has it worked out." She started rambling," I just can't think of anything better than ringing in the New Year with my girls! Consider it your Christmas gifts." Minako finished with a victorious wink. She loved surprises: receiving and giving.
"I knew it wouldn't be long before the westerners wanted a piece of our Mina." Makoto smiled, and her comments warmed Minako's heart.
"The only downside is that after the tour, I'll be recording in Europe for a year or so. Saitou-san said it's to 'cement my presence'—"
Usagi interrupted her, "But then that means we can visit Europe whenever we want!"
"Careful, Mina," Ami teased, "Usagi may just decide to room with you. It's a shame you never got around to giving her those English lessons."
Usagi stuck her tongue out at Ami, causing laughter to erupt from the table. Minako, wiping her now watering eyes, saw that Rei had stood from her seat.
"Rei?" Usagi asked timidly.
If Minako didn't know any better, she would say Ami and Makoto were both holding their breath. Due to current events, Rei was treated as a wild card by them all and treating her delicately was priority number one. Minako desperately searched Rei's eyes and was disheartened when her gift failed, yet again, to tell her what was going on in Rei's head. She didn't like not being able to read what the other girl was feeling. The two stared at each other for what seemed like several minutes, in actuality it was probably just a split second, before the silence was broken.
"I have to go." Rei tightened her red scarf around her neck, picked up her bag, and started walking away.
"Hey wait!" Minako tried to catch up to the other girl, but Ami grabbed her gloved hand.
"Let her be for now…"
"But—"
"She just lost somebody, Mina." Ami explained carefully, "She may not want to deal with the idea of losing somebody else… especially so soon."
"But I…" The high Minako was feeling earlier was gone. She certainly didn't intend to make matters worse for Rei, but she had just received the news herself earlier that day. She wanted one last celebration before her impending relocation. Maybe it was selfish of her to expect one last party with her friends in light of recent news…
Though Rei's abrupt departure certainly brought the mood down, the four remaining women made the best of their time, planning their upcoming vacation to London and discussing famous landmarks to visit. The visitation was brief; however, as Ami had a paper to write and Usagi had successfully cooked dinner for Mamoru all week and didn't want to break her streak. The ladies said their goodbyes and Minako called her chauffer. As she waited in the brisk, afternoon air, she noticed Rei's coffee, hardly touched, and next to the plastic cup was the V.I.P pass identical to the other passes her friends had gladly accepted. She remembered Ami's words, about how Rei didn't want to deal with the idea of somebody else leaving. Minako needed Rei to understand she wasn't leaving forever, and if the she had it her way, the two would visit each other frequently. Resisting the urge to immediately chase after Rei, Minako decided she would deliver the pass later that evening, long after Rei would normally be finished with her chores.
That evening, Minako eagerly climbed the shrine steps, huffing little white clouds of hot air. She was still wearing the false letterman jacket, but had ditched the wig and cap, letting her long hair fall free; the darkness of the night was all the disguise she needed. She'd also lost the many layers of clothing underneath, now comfortably wearing a long sleeved shirt. Hands in her pockets, she twisted the lanyard between her fingers, nervously wondering if Rei would be upset at the unannounced visit. She'd rather not upset her twice in one day – even though it wouldn't exactly set any new records, all things considered… As she raised her hand to knock on the shrine's administration building, or rather the building that had been remodeled to house the Hikawa Shrine's residents, a faint noise caught Minako's attention.
Listening closely, not at all caring if she looked suspicious, Minako heard it again. Shattering glass! Had somebody broken into Rei's home?! No longer did she care about in disguise. Minako Aino, using her Sailor Venus strength, crashing through the door, charging mercilessly forward towards the racket. Minako was concerned, yes, but knew Rei had faced far worse than a common house burgler. Still, she prayed that's all that could be causing the ruckus.
Upon entering the kitchen, Minako was forced to dodge, what she suspected, was a once ornately decorated tea cup. Surprise shocked her at who the true culprit creating the distress happened to be. Such a terrible sight greeted her… Rei Hino was not fending off a thief, but instead, was standing all alone inside the small kitchen, looking awfully small and afraid in the middle of seemingly thousands of broken shards. The sight shook Minako; Rei was her rock, her solace and savior from all the worries and stressors the world threw onto her shoulders, not only as an idol but as senshi leader. To see her obviously losing an internal war… well, it shook her. Being unable to sense such terror… such turmoil that was so apparently eating the other girl from the inside out, troubled her more than words could describe.
Rei's nervous laugh startled her more than it should have. "I should clean this up…" Rei had obviously noticed her presence, but Minako had a feeling Rei wasn't exactly seeing anything clearly at the moment.
To Minako's horror Rei reached down and gripped a rather large chunk of jagged china, a piece of the teapot matching the cup from earlier she'd guessed. She feared that Rei might unintentionally add to the few cuts that were already etched on her forearms and cheek in her attempt to "clean". She couldn't help but berate herself. She shouldn't have waited so long to come over. Earlier that day, her instincts screamed something was wrong, so, dammit, why didn't she listen to them? Immediately, Minako rushed over, ignoring the crunch of shards that were undoubtedly embedding themselves into the rubber soles of her shoes, and snatched the shard from the distressed girl's hand, flinging it away from them both.
Rei looked at her confused, clearly beyond the point of being able to register what was happening. "Mina…I need to—"
Before Rei could continue her self-destruction, Minako gripped Rei in a tight hug; however, she didn't expect such a harsh struggle to ensue. Rei was hating being restrained, she knew, but Minako was far too scared of what would happen if she let go. As Rei started to twist and turn, shouting demands to be let go, two partook in a very strange waltz, only it wasn't music playing but harsh scrapes, snaps, and cracks echoing from beneath their feet. Minako managed a glance, and was allowed a small moment of reprieve seeing her stubborn friend had uncharacteristically kept her shoes on rather than leaving them at the front door. But then again, this entire situation was incredibly uncharacteristic of Rei. At least there would be fewer cuts for her to bandage up later, as she had no intentions of leaving Rei alone for a good while.
Rei was growing wilder by the second, so Minako performed the only action that she thought would break through Rei's chaos. She spun the other girl around and kissed her. Only a quick, silent moment passed before Rei violently shoved Minako away, causing Minako's hip to crash into the edge of the counter's surface. Recovering, Minako only caught a glimpse of dark hair escaping to where she knew Rei's bedroom lay. The pain in her hip throbbed, but it helped ground Minako. Following tentatively, she didn't have to search long to find Rei pacing back and forth, one hand firmly pressed against her forehead, still struggling against an internal fight Minako wanted nothing more than to help Rei win.
"Rei…" Minako whispered, feeling stupid as she held her hands up displaying she had no weapons. She was pretty sure Rei couldn't summon her flaming mandala without transforming; however, she certainly kept an eye out for any ofuda scrolls she could be keeping handy. Perhaps it was wrong of her to think Rei could be so dangerous, but then again, this was uncharted territory for Minako.
Rei spun around, and the one eye Minako was able to see shifted uneasily in its socket before narrowing in on her; for a moment, and only a moment, Minako thought her normally controlled and calm friend resembled something unearthly – non human. Though she knew Rei was looking at her… she didn't feel like Rei was ACTUALLY looking at her…
"Rei," Minako tried again, hoping her voice didn't portray just how afraid she was beginning to feel. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Rei bit out a crude laugh, "That's all you've ever done."
Minako inwardly winced at the cold words. All the same, Minako tried again, ignoring Rei's previous comment, "That's not true. I—"
"What is it you want?"
Minako didn't know how to answer and so remained silent. The question seemed to ask more than what Rei was leading her to believe.
"Was all of Japan not enough?" Rei tried another question. Each word colder than the night's winter air.
Minako was sure she felt the ground shifting beneath her and had to ensure her feet were indeed, still planted on the smooth wooden surface. Was all this really her fault? Should she have waited to announce her relocation? No, it just would have been worse the longer she waited to tell everyone. Minako couldn't tear her gaze away from Rei, because if she did, she would no longer believe it was actually Rei speaking these harsh words to her.
Rei continued, still lost in the fray. "Is it because you can't love yourself, Minako? Is that why you steal the love of others and then disappear?"
"Stop." What Minako wanted to say was all the admirers in the world wouldn't be enough, because the only admirer she ever wanted was her. That perhaps this was true at one point, and then it was Rei who allowed her to start loving herself again after spending so many years alone, figuring out what it meant to be a guardian soldier.
She almost said it too, but when she glanced once more into Rei's aura, she finally gained small insight for the very first time. There was a darkness not coating the other girl, yet emitting within and she wondered if these spoken words were perhaps Rei's insecurities. This was a darkness that Minako could only pray she wasn't the cause of. Never did Minako want to bring darkness into Rei's heart… she wanted to be her light. None of this was making sense… Minako didn't feel like she was listening to the very same teenaged girl that encouraged her so emphatically to follow her dreams of becoming an idol only a few years prior.
But Rei didn't stop. She kept twisting her sharp words, making Minako's heart bleed even more. "Are all of your actions just endorsements to make you feel comfortable in your own skin?"
"Enough." Minako tried again, but knew her voice betrayed how weak she felt.
"What you do is no better than the youma –"
"Just… Just shut up Rei!"
"—Cursed never to love and so she steals it from –"
But Rei didn't finish her sentence, because there was a sharp *clap* that interrupted her monologue. Minako, not having realized when she had squinted her eyes shut, opened them only to wonder when she had closed the wide gap between her and Rei. Her right palm was stinging painfully and Rei was no longer speaking, but staring away from her, Rei's cut cheek was speckled with red blotches, not blood from the cut, but from obviously enduring a blow. To say Rei looked surprised wouldn't be right… She looked as lost as how Minako felt, as if she was just tuning in, trying to piece together what had transpired only seconds ago. Rei was once again cradling her forehead and Minako lost her second sight which given her a glimps of Rei's aura earlier. Once again, she was blind, yet awfully aware of the length she had gone to silence the woman before her. She questioned her earlier assumption on whether or not Rei was voicing personal insecurities… because now, she was the one who felt her insecurities had been trampled over.
Rei lowered herself onto the twin sized bed, and the movement startled Minako enough for her to accidently bump into the tiny dresser she was standing next to, toppling over a few of the picture frames and bottled perfumes. Minako's heart raced and she suddenly felt very warm and very sick. For some reason, the air was beginning to grow too thick for her to breathe. Minako took a moment to observe Rei, sitting quietly on the bed as if she had just been scolded, and didn't know who she felt more abhorred with… herself or Rei? Unwilling to answer the question and being unable to stand the other gir'ls presence any longer… Minako ran away. She dashed through broken shards of glass, bolted down the cold stone steps and continued running until she couldn't anymore.
Minako remembered once she had caught her breath, the only person she could think of calling was Saitou-san. Her manager questioned her relentlessly, very worried about her well-being. She had lied, of course, and said she'd almost been mugged and so the two discussed hiring a small security team; Minako was only trying to appease the man and eventually agreed to hire one bodyguard once she arrived overseas. The very next day, she had reported to the shrine, Minako didn't know if she returned to apologize or to demand an apology, but Rei was nowhere to be found. The entire senshi squad, Mamoru too, conducted a small search, all failing to locate the girl. Weeks had passed, and all agreed that Rei must have left behind the pressures of administering the shrine all alone and when she was ready, she would contact them. Who would have thought it would take the girl four years to feel "ready", she thought wryly.
She could hear the soft tune of her smartphone ringing from the bedroom, saving her from reminiscing even further about the damaged relationship. Minako sighed and left her spot on the balcony, having not written a single verse and began searching for her phone. It took longer than she expected to find the slim phone amongst the wrinkled sheets. Finally, she felt her way through the nest of fabric, only to stare suspiciously at the glowing letters spelling "Usagi". Minako decidedly accepted the fact that she would never feel the same trust with Usagi's number as she once had… and then felt she was being a little dramatic. It was just a phone number for christ sake.
Fighting the urge to ignore the call, Minako answered. "Hello…" she said suspiciously.
"Mina-chan! I've been calling for hours!" Minako let go of a breath she didn't know she was holding. Definitely not the neighborhood fire-breathing dragon, she thought, kind of liking the image it created in her head.
"I haven't even been away from my phone for hours." She grumbled, still annoyed with Usagi for letting Rei use Usagi's number under false pretenses… In her mind that's how she saw it at least.
Usagi was in far too good a mood to notice her poor attitude. "So, Rei's come back and we were talking about throwing a party…"
"Is that so?" Minako replied sarcastically.
"We're going to have it tonight because tomorrow's Sea day and Ami already said she's off and Makoto should be too, and I was wondering if you could provide the location." Usagi was rambling now," Papa has to be at work early, so Mama was going to come here to babysit Chibiusa—"
"I don't know, Usagi." No, no, no! Absolutely not! This was HER castle; even the knights of old knew you went to the dragon's den in order to slay the dragon, not the other way around. That's basically inviting the dragon to blow up the fortress!
"You don't have tomorrow off? I mean, we could cut out early—"
Minako interrupted. "I do. I do have tomorrow off; it's just I might have to go in later tonight and there's nothing to eat here…" She was grappling for excuses and wished Usagi would just suggest another venue or, even better, forget the idea altogether. Rei was allotted four years to hide – couldn't she just get the weekend?
"Oh…"
Minako felt shitty. Rei had made her feel shitty and now Usagi was making her feel shitty and maybe she was just an all-around selfish, shitty person. Though, she had to admit, Usagi was completely innocent in regard to making her feel bad. She hadn't mentioned the negative run in she and Rei had so many years ago to anybody. For consistency purposes, she should be plotting with Usagi this very second on how to get into Rei's pants, and maybe even a part of her still wanted to…
"Let me think about it?" Minako caught herself saying, hoping she didn't regret it.
"Text me, ok? Don't worry about food – I'm going to the store now and Makoto is bound to supply the sweets that you and I can't bake..."
The two ended their conversation and again, Minako was left with another roller coaster wave of emotions. There was no anger this time; however, but she was now more nervous than before. She was even getting a little jittery, like before walking on stage kind of jittery. It was probably appropriate, because if she were to invite the fire breathing dragon into her home, her sanctuary, the idol would have to put on her best performance yet to simply keep peace in the kingdom.
Ah dammit… she was going to give in and it hadn't even been a whole minute since Usagi called. At least she'd be able to do battle on her own turf, surrounded by the comforts of her home.
She grudgingly texted: "Cleared the schedule. Good to go."
Her only response was a pink emoji bunny wearing a party hat.
A/N: This chapter was a bit longer than usual, so for those looking for consistency; sorry about that! So... I have the next 5 chapters already written and I'm looking to see if I should continue the plot, or start wrapping things up. I'm looking to you guys if y'all think this is catching enough to be a longer fic, or if it's like... a certain series that needs to end lol. Looking forward to your thoughts and see you all next Friday! Feel free to PM me here, or chat with me tumblr: its-decido. Tchüss!