Chapter 5:
With a great sigh of relief, Makoto slid her last baking sheet onto the industrial sized cooling rack and began her end of day routine. After shutting off all the ovens and warmers, the only chores left were to count the cash drawer and look over the job applications littering her office desk. She loved having no shortage of customer orders, but that in turn arose a need to seek out help. So, upon placing a part-time help wanted add in the paper, one after another, applications from high school and college students alike poured in. Now sat a stack of papers the size of a small tower on her desk; the papers still standing tall only due to her office plant's supporting it.
A small chiming sound, signaling a customer had entered her store, stopped Makoto just short of shutting down the register. "I'm sorry," she apologized, continuing to count her debit and credit receipts, "I close at three, but you're more than welcome to grab anything from the display tower. I can still ring you up—"
"Baker's hours sure are nice. Calling it a day before rush hour begins and all." A light, familiar voice said teasingly.
Makoto immediately recognized Ami's voice. Still continuing her methodical counting procedures, she snatched a glance at the shorter girl, who was indeed taking her advice and snatching a chocolate chip cookie from her display tower. Ami had her usual white coat tossed over her shoulder, probably unable to bear the jacket's warmth during the afternoon heat. Makoto felt slightly puzzled at the other girls sudden appearance. It was a rare occasion for Ami to visit her so early in the day, but she was nonetheless happy to see her friend.
Makoto placed her profits in a small felt bag, locked the cash drawer into the nearby small safe, and breezed past her friend to flip a "closed, sorry we missed you" sign on the entrance door. As she locked the glass door and closed the blinds, she responded to Ami's earlier comment.
"I've been saying for years now that you went into the wrong field. Who rationally chooses 12 – 16 hour shifts?" Makoto laughed.
Ami smiled, but chose to ignore her. "I hope you made extras." The blue haired girl said, stealing her second cookie; oatmeal this time.
Rolling her eyes at Ami's evasive tactics she said, "With friends like Usagi and Minako, I've learned to make an entire contingency reserve."
Ami's delightful giggles filled the empty bakery, and though Makoto enjoyed these rare visits, Makoto's curiosity finally got the better of her. "So is it safe to assume your visitation is more than just an opportunity to steal sweets?"
"I was in the neighborhood. Chibiusa's booster shot was today, you know?"
Makoto nodded, sensing there was more to Ami's visit than simply being in the neighborhood. Instead of rushing the other girl for answers, she took a seat at one of the many two-seater tables and silently offered the space across from her to Ami, who graciously accepted, but only after taking two more sugar cookies.
"I hope she didn't cry too much." Makoto stated, watching Ami carefully wrap the cookies with napkins and depositing them into her bag.
"Ha! Loud enough to wake the dead, if I had to guess. That little girl is certainly a force to be reckoned with…"
"Oh? I was talking about Usagi." She gave a toothy grin.
The two women shared a knowing look and enjoyed a hearty laugh. Soon thereafter; however, Ami steered them back to the light conversation. Clearly, small talk was not her reason for visiting. Seriously though, what was all this about?
"So, I need you to promise not to get mad." Ami said patiently.
Well, this is certainly an interesting twist. Makoto thought, but quickly refocused. "What do you mean, 'don't get mad'?"
"Just promise…" Ami rolled her eyes exasperatedly. What the hell is this, some kind of verbal formality? It was getting harder not to take Ami's words personally. Was she known to be such an angry person?
"I won't get mad." Makoto said, perhaps a little too defensive, earning her "the eye" from Ami.
"Really, Makoto? Because I know how you are and you tend to get a little hot headed about certain things—"
"I wont get mad, alright!" Makoto said, blushing slightly at the accusations. Jeeze, she wasn't that bad, was she? Regaining her composure, she then added, "I promise, ok? Just tell me what's going on."
Ami seemed to have been examining her, but only for a second before deciding to continue the discussion. "Like I said, today was Chibiusa's booster and Usagi had obviously been avoiding the appointment so I took it upon myself to clear my schedule and perform a house call."
"Was she ok?" Makoto asked, her heart starting to race, very worried for the child. "Is Chibiusa alright?"
"Yes, yes," Ami said waving her hand, as if to clear the air of her worry. "She still has a magnificent voice box and set of lungs."
Makoto, trying very hard to not let her impatience get the better of her, began bouncing her food against the wooden floor, attempting to release the nervous energy that was slowly starting to build inside. "Then what happened!?"
Again, Makoto could feel Ami debating if she should follow through with telling her the scoop. The anticipation was killing her! The baker made a visible effort to calm her now spiked nerves, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in the wooden chair. Finally, after eternity, Ami spoke, but she couldn't believe her ears.
"Rei was there."
There was a pause, and Makoto just stared at Ami, who was now fishing in her bag for the cookies she had stashed earlier. Now she saw why Ami had made her promise not to get mad. When Rei Hino had disappeared all those years ago, Makoto was quite furious with her. In Makoto's mind, all of the sailor senshi were incredibly close, inseparable even. She had willingly put her life on the line, at least once, for every single one of her comrades; therefore, she expected a damn explanation as to why one of them would just abandon them all of a sudden. In lieu of giving into anger, Makoto decided to instead focus again on why Ami was here in her shop. She wondered why Ami deemed this worthy of a face – to – face meeting. Of course, Makoto agreed, this was certainly big news, bigger than a text by far, but more than a phone call?
Makoto took a calming deep breath, determined to honor her word. "So Usagi was stashing her?"
Ami was munching again, simply giving her a hum of approval.
"For how long?"
"She just got in this morning, apparently."
There were so many questions Makoto wanted answered, but Ami probably knew only slightly more than she did. Besides, she wanted to hear most of these answers from the runaway herself.
"So, what's eating you then?" The baker asked.
Ami stopped her nibbling, wrapping the cookie and returned it to her bag. "What do you mean?" Ami was rather good at feigning innocence, she had to admit.
"Well," Makoto said knowingly, "Usagi eats sweets because she's a glutton, and Minako when she's bored. Rei can only handle a little sugar at a time so when she does it's usually for a special occasion; but you, my dear Ami… you horde my desserts when something's bothering you."
The explanation elicited a small smile and Ami's cheeks flushed from having been caught. She finally confided, "I'm afraid I was rather cold to her when we spoke."
"Rei you mean?" Makoto asked incredulously. In her opinion, Rei needed far more than the "cold shoulder treatment". Then again, Ami's cold shoulder could be truly frightening at times… erm… all of the time actually.
"Look, it's best that you got to her before I or Mina did." Makoto tried to cheer her friend up. "I would have done something stupid and Mina… well you know how upset she was. Usagi is probably just acting like nothing happened… It really is best that you spoke to her first."
Ami absently nodded and shifted her gaze to stare between the cracks in the window blinds and out into the street. She had such a horrible habit of over analyzing situations; Makoto couldn't imagine how exhausting that must be.
"I'm guessing this is why Usagi has been spamming my phone with mentions of a celebration tonight." Makoto started again, wanting to lighten the air a bit.
"Probably."
"What did you two discuss?" She probed gently. Makoto didn't want to push into Ami's business, but at the same time she knew the only way to help her feel better was to talk about the actual problem.
"Where she had been, why she had gone…" Ami recalled.
"Well, what did you find out?"
"She went to Kazuno, her mother's old property apparently," Ami returned from gazing beyond the window to looking adamantly at Makoto, "but what's weird is that she can't remember the moment before she left." Ami said. Makoto could tell Ami was concerned.
When Minako had reported Rei's absence, she was torn up, crying, yet evasive as hell. They had all questioned her, but all she ever said was Rei was simply upset and she couldn't find her.
"I told her to speak with Minako if she wanted help regaining her memories. I now question whether that was wise…" Ami said quietly.
"You didn't tell her how upset Minako was?"
"No," Ami bit her lower lip, "I didn't think it was my place to do so."
"Ah, I see." She nodded, feeling like she finally understood.
Ami had a tendency to overthink her actions far too extensively; the poor girl's head was probably turning this decision over and over again since the second she uttered it. Makoto meant what she said earlier; about Rei being lucky it was Ami who had scolded her first. Makoto truly didn't know how she would have reacted if it had been she.
"I believe you did your best, and I would stand by your decision." The baker gave her worried friend the brightest smile she could manage.
"Yeah?" Ami clearly needing the reassurance.
"Yeah."
"Mind if I stay here a bit? Maybe catch a ride to Mina's with you?"
Somehow, Makoto managed to pull a small smile from Ami. A loud scraping sound disrupted their warm silence as Makoto stood from her seat. As she walked around the table, patting Ami lightly with her bag of profits.
"C'mon, let's go make some welcome home treats for our little runaway."
Her heart was puttering away in her chest and Rei's only solace was knowing Ami would be around to resuscitate her if need be, that is, if the good doctor wasn't still upset with their earlier run in. Suddenly, the elevator she and Usagi were sharing shifted to a stop. The small ding emitting from the overhead speaker was enough to startle her. I mean, who really needs to live this lavishly… Rei thought, latching on to any petty criticism she could wrap her mind around in order to avoid a nervous breakdown.
"Something wrong, Rei?" Usagi asked, a little too smug for her taste.
"I have never felt better." Rei grumbled in response, but made sure to articulate every word.
Dammit, she wished she could stop shifting around, but Usagi wouldn't quit looking at her and it just made her all the more uncomfortable. She greatly suspected the odango head was reading into her every miniscule movement, escalating her discomfort even further. Both women exited the posh elevator and had to walk a very small distance before arriving at a door she assumed belonged to Minako Aino, Japanese idol, international star, and sweetheart to all… except to shrine maids who clearly suck at telephone communication…
The two women stood side by side as Usagi rapped a cute beat against the wooden door. Rei shifted the plastic bag of chips and salsa to her other hand, another unnecessary movement, and it caught Usagi's attention yet again.
"Rei." Usagi leaned over and whispered, distracting her from the thumping footsteps she faintly heard approaching. "Just remember, if you run… Mako is still very athletic. She will catch you."
Dumbfounded, Rei knew not what to say to the idle threat hanging in the air. She didn't have any intentions of bolting… well maybe she entertained the idea, but she damn sure didn't now. Suddenly, the portal to all that was Minako Aino swung open, snapping her incredulous stare away from Usagi. Before her stood a grinning Ami, who greeted her in a far better manner than the last time the two had spoken. She gently grabbed the plastic bags of goodies from her hand. Before Rei even had the chance to enter the doorway, Usagi thumped her palm harshly between her shoulder blades, causing Rei to stumble into the doorway. Shit, she really wasn't off to a good start here and what little confidence she had managed between now and noon was quickly dissipating.
Ami waited patiently as Usagi and Rei removed their shoes and hung their bags. As Usagi pranced away, probably seeking out wherever their karaoke stage was located, Rei couldn't help but observe the luxurious surroundings. The foyer resembled a high-end hotel, but Rei noticed small accents amongst the modern furniture that illustrated Minako did indeed have a hand in designing the penthouse. Pictures of major European landmarks adorned the walls, giving notice to her love of the west. A slightly battered pair of sneakers were shoved in the corner as well, and oddly enough, Rei felt a little more at ease and… familiar, for lack of a better term.
"Are you feeling alright?" Ami's soft voice touched her ears.
Rei didn't know exactly what she was feeling, but answered positively anyways. "Never better." She put on her best smile, "Nice to see you again."
She tried to continue further into the finely decorated home, but was stopped as Ami tugged her sleeve. "Mina is about to release a new album; you should ask about it. Makoto made you cupcakes and would prefer not to bring up your… absence. Eat no fewer than four cakes and compliment each one as if you're tasting heaven itself." The girl then paused briefly before continuing. "And yes… me and you… we're fine." Ami smiled again, giving Rei all the reassurance she needed to start believing she may actually get through this night alive.
As she and Ami entered the living area, Rei couldn't help but smile at the sight she beheld. Poor Makoto was stuck lugging around box speakers that seemed to date back to the early 90s while Minako sat, barely visible, behind the entire giant entertainment center mumbling curses in both Japanese and English as she struggled with old, color faded wires. Usagi, on the other hand, seemed completely at peace, laying belly down on the sofa opposite from the other two girls; she was happily sorting through brightly colored cassette and cd cases, creating categorical piles only Usagi herself would be able to distinguish no doubt.
"Hey everybody," Ami announced, "Rei's here."
"Great." The brunette growled out as Minako once again ordered her to reposition the box speaker. "Tell her to get over here and help. We're about to be one senshi short if Minako shocks herself again."
"Oh, will you just let it go? I'm pretty sure I've got it this time." Minako bit out.
Rei, hoping to rid her anxiety by feeling useful, treaded softly to where Mina was obviously struggling with the wiring behind the set; however, upon reaching her destination, she found that Minako was far less forgiving than everyone else. She could feel the tension and instinctively braced herself.
Without even looking at her, Minako greeted her stiffly. "Mars."
Unable to stop herself, Rei quirked a brow at the strange formality. "Hello, Minako. How are you?"
Minako completely ignored her inquiry, irking Rei more than it should have. "You can wait with Usagi. I'm almost done."
Rei skeptically looked at the many cords littering the floor and the irritated scowls on Makoto's face. Makoto was clearly getting tired of shifting audio equipment around and having no results to show for it. Minako was most certainly not "almost done". Rei would bet money that if Minako didn't electrocute herself first, Makoto would most certainly make it happen very soon. Kami, help me… this is going to be a long night.
"I'd rather help." Rei politely countered, concern growing for both Makoto's temper and Minako's well being.
"Well," Minako gritted her teeth, struggling with a cord, "sometimes we don't always get what we –"
"Give her a damn wire!" Makoto aggressively grunted, interrupting Minako harshly, and causing both Rei and Minako to jump at the startling command. Rei made another mental note to make sure she complimented Makoto's desserts; her temper definitely hasn't changed over the years.
Rei sighed, failing to mask her aggravation with Minako, "C'mon, Mina. For efficiency's sake, let me help you."
Unfortunately, Minako was not going to willingly accept the offer, or perhaps she just enjoyed being difficult, Rei could never tell.
"For efficiency's sake, huh?" Minako asked in mock consideration and then, rather unceremoniously, scooped up the stray cords only to have them dumped in Rei's lap. "Let's hope this efficiency of yours doesn't take four years to finish, neh?"
Unwilling to work together, Minako joined Usagi atop the sofa and began sifting through the piles of boldly colored plastic cases. Rei was sure Makoto and Ami were feeling uncomfortable with the little spat she and Minako had started, but no longer cared. She quickly plugged in the outdated audio equipment, trying not to grit her teeth in response to Minako's poor attitude. She always managed to get under her skin, so why would tonight be any different?
Makoto and Rei eventually sorted out the audio set up, but instead of joining the others atop the plush sofa she sat on the floor next to a recliner that Ami currently occupied. There were other seating options, of course - bar stools, accent chairs… even a chaise lounge – but Ami was currently her sole ally and she didn't know who Makoto was pitching in with. Of course, she grimly observed both Usagi and Minako giggling and glancing at her, those two have doubled up…
Suddenly, the aforementioned fiends jumped to their feet. Makoto, stared at them curiously from the bar stool she occupied and Ami grinned in excitement, enjoying their energy. Rei, very wary of both Usagi and Minako, eyed them suspiciously.
Coughing to clear her voice, Minako spoke. "Sailor Mars, your absence did not go unnoticed, and though we are all gathered here to celebrate your return", Rei's annoyance was rising at the faux disciplinary tone Minako was taking, "it is my duty as senshi leader to ensure that you are duly disciplined."
Not really registering what she was doing, Rei rose to her feet, facing off with the cocky blonde. "Duly disciplined, huh? I was unaware we had such procedures in place."
"Well, it is not every day one of us decides to skip town, so Usagi and I had to make it up on the fly." Minako said, closing her eyes and smiling sweetly. Her words stung slightly, but as masochistic as it sounded, Rei was sort of thankful for it. It was like the two were shifting back into place, biting and snapping at each other. She latched on to her rekindled fiery temper and its sense of normalcy. She missed how Minako teasingly pushed her annoyance as far as it could go. Minako's smile made her feel like she was drinking a far too sweet alcoholic beverage; like one of those drinks you just know will give you a headache later. Yet, none the less, as fake as the smile was, she continued drinking it in.
Before Rei could present a counter argument, not that she had one prepared anyways, Usagi cut in. "Rei Hino, you owe us all an apology!" Rei arched her eyebrows at Usagi's intrusion in her and Minako's stand off. She couldn't tell if Usagi was scolding her or just whining.
Rei grinned, remembering Usagi's earlier words. "I thought you didn't want any apologies, Usagi." Damn, she really was getting off on this. The idea of verbally duking it out with the two blondes brought on such a sense of nostalgia.
"Yeah… but that was—"
"I would!" Makoto interrupted, or maybe saved, Usagi from having to explain. Well, at least I know who you threw your chips in with, Rei thought sourly.
"As you deserve, my dear Jovian!" Minako encouraged, as though Rei were on trial and she was the prosecuting lawyer. To top things off, Usagi was giving a "here, here!".
Rolling her eyes Rei finally halted her semi assault, mostly because she didn't particularly want to take on Makoto's wrath. She sighed, "And do tell, fearless leader. What is this 'punishment'?" Rei carefully stared straight ahead instead of glancing worriedly down at the massive bottles of alcohol littering the coffee table.
"Oh, Reiko, if it's punishment you want—"
"Can you just get on with it!" She snapped, fighting a terrible blush. She glared at the still grinning Minako who had now crossed her arms defensively.
"You're going to sing for us Rei-chan!" Usagi said proudly.
Feeling slightly better, Rei regained a bit of confidence. "Well, yes… It is a karaoke party. Is that all?" She was questioning the idol more so than the princess, ready for some catch to it all.
"Mina and I decided you're going to sing a song for each of us as apology. We get to choose the song. You also have to do one after the other…" Usagi continued to count conditions off on her fingers, but Rei was no longer listening. No, she was too busy glaring flaming arrows at Minako, who was innocently picking at her nails. She highly doubted Usagi had much to do with this plan of retribution, guessing the idol fabricated around eighty percent of it.
"Maybe that's a little harsh," Ami said, probably sensing her discomfort. Thank you, sweet Ami…
"Yeah," Minako said, surprising the shit out of Rei. "You're probably right."
"What! But you said—" Usagi started to complain, but Minako cut the other blonde off.
"Look, if Rei can't handle owning up to what she did," The idol tried to console Usagi, but continued looking at Rei, "who are we to force it?"
Rei seethed. She knew she was being baited. Minako is a very spoiled little thing, incredibly skilled at getting what she wanted, but the problem was that she didn't know what Minako wanted. Natural instincts demanded she rebelled, but again… she didn't know what to rebel against! Was she supposed to give in and take the easy way out that was given to her? Why would Minako give her an opportunity to run away from her "punishment"? Unless… she wanted her to run away….
Feeling determined, Rei broke the seal on the vodka bottle, poured a shot's worth in one of the plastic cups, and downed it for courage. She squinted her eyes at the stinging taste and her lips prickled from the clear substance. Oh, how she hated the way this shit tasted, but the surprised look on both of the blonde's faces was the only chaser she needed. Surely it would all be worth it in the end. Makoto's "atta girl!" also helped inflate her ego. If Minako wanted to play war, then fine. But by all rights… playing war was what her entire existence was known for.
Rei grinned, "So, who's first?"
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter… next chapter is gonna be fun!
Thanks for all the reviews. You guys… it seriously warms my heart!