Chapter Six:
Usagi eyes had widened at Rei's attempt to quickly down the beverage. "You're the only person I know who treats having fun as if it was a chore, Rei-chan."
Seeing that simply squinting her eyes wasn't chasing away the vodka's stinging taste, Rei began, not too frantically, to search for Makoto's promised sweets – a tried and true method of chasing away any horrid taste, ranging from distasteful medicine to Usagi's and Minako's cooking.
"You and I both have vastly different ideas of what 'fun' is." She managed to bite out without much difficulty.
Usagi snappily replied to her earlier comment. "Well, excuse me for wanting to experience more to life than sweeping and scowling."
"Oh, yes…" Rei said testily after biting into the sweet cake, thankfully chasing away the shot's taste, and dusting her hands free of crumbs, "smelly canned beer and watching you vomit it all up is exactly the experience I've been missing all these years. Very queenly I might add."
Sadly, of all the dreadful activities Rei had anticipated for the night, she was fully prepared to consume massive quantities of liquor. After several years of having tempted alcohol poisoning, usually at the whim of Usagi's or Minako's party games, Rei had inadvertently become a seasoned veteran at surviving games such as "have you ever" and "shot-poker".
Rei's snarky comment awarded her a quickly stifled laugh from Makoto, as well as a bristling blushing Usagi. Minako was fooling around with her phone, but Rei suspected she was smartly staying out of the conversation on purpose, avoiding Usagi's wrath or just Rei in general. She didn't know and didn't want to give too much thought to it anyways. Smugness washed over her at seeing Usagi's flustered attitue; Rei had to admit, she did miss, at the very least, teasing Usagi and her bad habits.
The affronted Usagi bunched her hands into fists and leaned forward, visibly readying for their usual verbal throw down and Rei crossed her arms in defense; however, always the peacekeeper, Ami quickly spoke up before Usagi could unleash whatever ammunition she held at the ready.
"I have a request," Ami interrupted the two, "if you're ready."
Instantly the bantering ceased, catching both Usagi and Rei's attention. It was impressive how easily their most mildly mannered friend could control a room. Definitely a talent Rei wished she possessed, as there were numerous occasions when their gatherings interrupted her moments of meditation or fire readings. Usagi supplied one last huff and returned to her post of plastic CD cases littering the sofa.
And so it begins, Rei thought solemnly, but still determined to ensure her friends received the apology they asked for. She still had her arms crossed over her chest, not being able to feel one hundred percent confident. The clacking of plastic echoed in her ears as she desperately resisted the urge to stand on her tiptoes and pear over Ami's and Usagi's shoulders as they sifted through the CD cases.
"Found it." Ami said brightly, handing an album to Usagi, who had apparently taken lead position of karaoke operator, before returning to the armchair that Ami was previously occupying.
Grudgingly giving into curiosity, Rei casually tried casting a sideways glance in the direction towards the root of her growing anxiety but sadly couldn't get a good look. What she did manage to catch was Usagi rolling her eyes and muttering something about being "boring" and Minako leaning overlooking equally nonplussed. Whatever the song was, Rei instantly loved Ami for the seemingly superb, and reputation saving, selection. She couldn't begin to guess what Ami normally jammed to; she only prayed her preferences didn't revolve around the current teen idol music that saturating the market today. That in itself would serve as a small blessing.
"What did you choose?" Makoto asked while claiming a spot next to Usagi, curling her slender legs beneath her, settling in for the upcoming "shit show" as Rei began affectionately dubbing it. The brunette was, no doubt, also very curious at Usagi's and Minako's lack of enthusiasm.
Ami smiled sheepishly. "'I will walk while looking up' by Kyu Sakamoto."
"Oh, I like that one!" The baker encouraged.
"But Rei always sings this one…" Minako sighed while grumbling in response. Rei stifled her own eye roll at the remark. How far were the two willing to push her from her comfort zone?
"I know," Ami explained, "but I really want to hear her sing it. It's a very pretty song."
"It's a sad song." Usagi whined.
"There isn't a rule against playing this one." Rei cut through Usagi's protest. It was obvious that Ami was tossing her a life raft and Rei was going to grapple for it if she had to.
Having no other choice, and probably wishing she had added further stipulations to their arrangement, Usagi brushed passed her to insert the disk. The old player hummed and after the pigtailed blonde located the track, the casual music filled the room. Rei on the other hand felt elated and was still beaming. Truth be told, she actually wanted to perform this tune. The oldie but goodie was a favorite of hers and she knew it by heart. The single was introduced to her when she was incredibly young, maybe four or five years old. She and Grandpa would sing it together regularly after he had first convinced her younger shy self to sing karaoke with him at the senior center. This in turn solicited hundreds of coos from the elderly audience, always angering the tiny girl and yet delighting her grandfather all the same.
So in turn, when Rei had first been dragged to Usagi's karaoke parties, she always performed it to boost her confidence; the song had become sort of a reassuring constant in her life. As a matter of fact, Minako probably commandeered that exact album from her long ago; Minako was really quite the klepto, thinking back on it now…
Being a hit single in the sixties and now a Japanese/international classic, all the girls knew the song well and bobbed their heads along with it. Rei couldn't keep from grinning as she sang, watching her fellow senshi resembling the old coots and broads her grandpa befriended at the senior center decades earlier. As she finished up the short tune, Rei made a mental note to "borrow" the disk back some time in the near future.
After finishing the tune, Rei performed a bow in response to the small applause that reached her ears. The night was proving not to be so bad and she was, at least, maintained good will with three out of four of her fellow guardians. Her rising hopes; however, were stunted as she rose from her bow, having Usagi holding another shot of clear liquid hell waiting for her.
Not willing to argue, Rei bought herself a few extra seconds and swirled the liquid around a few times before she downed shot number two, reliving the familiar warm sting, only this time she swore her teeth and gums were going numb in protest. Yeuck… next time I'm demanding we play shot trivial pursuit. Usagi will be long passed out and Minako too, as long as we avoid anything pertaining to pop-culture. Ami, as always, would play as game moderator to keep things fair.
Resulting back to her previous coping method, Rei snatched up one of Makoto's breaded snacks. "Mako," she said as an afterthought, "These are really good." Though Ami had given her advice on how to win back the baker's heart, she wholeheartedly meant the compliment.
Makoto smiled widely, always eager to receive feedback regarding her edible creations. "Actually, Ami made them. I just walked her through the steps."
"But it was your recipe." Ami noted.
Makoto brushed her hand behind her head and played with her ponytail, looking bashful.
"I'm told you have a shop now." Rei continued. She was partially trying to buy some more time, wanting to wait for the beverage and food to settle in her stomach before jumping up again, but mostly Rei was just honestly curious at what Makoto had been up to during her years away from Tokyo.
"Yes!" Makoto obviously wasn't bashful about this particular topic, "You'll have to stop by sometime. I branched out into catering too."
"Like weddings?"
"Well, it started with weddings but—"
"Minako monopolizes her for events" Ami said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, you act as if I enslaved her!" Minako removed her attention from her phone and playful tossed a cushion at a laughing Ami who just barely managed to catch it. The small outburst almost made Rei jump in surprise at having heard Minako speak at all. Other than laying out the rules of the game, she hadn't really involved herself with anything. She seemed to be in her own little word, sipping beverages and checking her mobile device. The unusually quiet attitude unnerved Rei but considering the alternative attitude she could be receiving… well… who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth?
"You practically did!" Usagi instantly inserted. "I had to compete with you for the date of small lady's baby shower!"
"It is not slavery!" Minako insisted. "It's called staking claims." Minako placed her hands behind her head, looking all sorts of entitled, and displayed a playfully stern sideways glance at the baker. "Neh, Mako-chan, I still can't believe you told on me."
Makoto motioned apologetically, "It wasn't me, Mina. Usagi stormed in the shop and pirated away my booking sheets. She created a huge scene in front of my customers, calling you all sorts of unflattering names I'd rather not mention… It was all really embarrassing, to tell ya the truth."
Rei laughed at the rekindled feud sparking between Usagi and Minako while having poor Makoto in the middle of it all. She tentatively looked at Minako, noticing she was in a far better mood than earlier. "You tried to steal her baby shower date, Mina?" It was a rarity to have the blondes turn on each other, and she'd be damned if she didn't milk it for all it was worth.
Minako waved her accusation away, still in the throes of retelling her side of the story. The gesture was reminiscent of how Minako treated all idol gossip and misunderstandings. "There was an event that just happened to be on the same day and it wasn't even our baby shower." She added that last part briskly, causing Rei to quirk her brow. "The one Usagi's talking about was being thrown by her old office mates."
Rei nodded her head, not really following why Minako deemed herself innocent, but nonetheless appreciating how cute she looked, arms crossed and unrelenting. Minako was irrefutable, ready to defend her position on why only the senshi's party for the babe mattered and to hell with the rest of Usagi's other family and friends. Maybe I can get behind that, Rei thought, all things considered. The group had been through a fair amount of hardship together, making them incredibly close - closer than what the word "family" could describe, but nonetheless would have to suffice. There was doubtfully a word any language could supply that'd truly describe the relationship they all held with one another.
"And then, do you know what Mako does?" Minako was really getting into it now, still too lost in the memory of it all to probably even notice she was acting civil with Rei.
Rei supplied a fetching look of feigned curiosity, not wanting to ruin the moment. Honestly, she was no longer that interested in the dispute, more so just enjoying the scene before her, particularly captured by the emotions molding Minako's facial features. Minako's eyes were finally getting their glow back and Rei would wager it was possibly the most authentic moment the two had exchanged all night.
Minako continued, apparently pleased with having claimed everyone's attention. "She decided it would be 'civil' to decline both of our service requests and took on some stranger's instead!"
"Makoto, you fiend!" Rei exclaimed to the baker who seemed to be regretting her decision of sitting next to Usagi who was playfully shooting daggers at her.
Rei couldn't contain herself any longer and burst out laughing, knowing this cute story was probably a very big deal to a previously suffering-from-pregnancy-hormones Usagi, which in turn gave Minako giggling fits. Both Rei and Minako crossed glances for a split second before Minako returned behind her mask of diplomacy and pleasant smiles, excusing herself for a restroom break. Increasing concern gripped Rei's stomach. At the rate they were going, the two would never be able to discuss the events that eluded her memory, and what's more, she had guess that the content of her missing memories might be what was holding the two women back from moving forward. Rei looked after Minako's retreating form, you really aren't going to forgive me that easily, are you?
"Enough," Makoto whined, not enjoying the earlier spat at all, and held up an album. "I made my choice now."
Rei returned from her funk and waited expectantly for Usagi to announce the request. Usagi gazed far too intently at the multicolored case Makoto had given her; Rei guessed it was to add a bit of dramatization to it all. Usagi flipped the album over to further exam it and then became immediately pleased. Unlike the first request, Rei was now either too troubled with Minako's attitude or just overall too intoxicated to really care.
"I remember this!" Usagi announced to the room, nodding her head in satisfaction. "This is acceptable Makoto. You have pleased me and have henceforth been awarded my forgiveness for your earlier disloyalty."
Makoto simply replied with a sour "uh huh".
Usagi handed over the case to Rei so she could also perform a quick study of Makoto's musical choice while Usagi fiddled with the player again, exchanging disks. The single Rei was to perform was by a female singer she couldn't quite place, but knew the song all the same. It was one of those 'one hit wonders' that saturated ring tones, when they became a thing, and radio stations all across Japan during the start of the new millennium. Overall, the piece wouldn't be too difficult to perform, as she remembered most of the verses, but the chorus would definitely work out her vocals, that she knew for certain. Her time in Kazuno allowed Rei more time than needed to calm her psyche, but other than mandatory social interactions, Rei hadn't really worked her vocal cords more than what soft humming and shower solos provided. It would be a surprise if she got through the entire night without croaking like a frog.
Minako pinched the bridge of her nose, all the while twisting the smooth faucet handle within the powder room she had retreated to. Cold water rushed into the white porcelain sink and using her free hand, she trickled cool water below her ears and all the way to the nape of her neck. The apartments air conditioner simply couldn't compete with the warm summer night combined with the entire inner senshi squad residing in her living room. It was a space that hardly fit them all comfortably to begin with, in her opinion. The again, the vodka she had been downing since she committed to hosting the damned party wasn't helping either.
She dried her still damp hand not with the soft yellow wash towel hanging on the adjacent wall, but instead by running it though her bangs, replacing the usually fluffy strands with a rather unflattering cowlick. It was a habit she knew that stemmed from feelings of anxiety and she instantly regretted it, glaring at her hair's ruffled reflection, yet knowing perfectly well she didn't have the patience to correct the out of place locks.
Needless to say, Minako was simply not happy with having Rei re-inserted into her daily living. Even though it had been years since the incident had taken place, she wasn't ready to face her after their horrible last encounter, let alone willing to discuss it. Before her friends' arrival, she truly had every intention of being polite and sociable. How hard could it be? Rei was practically her right hand in battle - sure they were nearly polar opposites, but there was, no doubt, an unspoken connection the two shared. In theory, it would be easier conversing with Rei compared to the struggle she experienced daily with "creative" producers and money hungry executives, but, alas, every time she looked at the girl, her blood boiled; reliving every nasty little comment that grated against her skin the last time they saw each other in person.
Topping it all, she knew Rei was going to want to talk about the exchange. The thought of having to recall the dirty details was becoming more and more overwhelming with every passing second, so she simply planned to avoid Rei, as if the other guardian were harboring a plague of some sort, and pray that Rei would pass out before she had a moment alone with her. Admittedly, it wasn't her best plan… At least it's definitely not my worst, Minako thought, feeling content with whatever small comfort that fact provided.
All of the worrying and stress over facing Rei and pleasing her other party guests were making her temples ache. Suddenly, the space she occupied seemed too small. Her unflattering bangs were annoying her more than it should, but when she tried looking somewhere other than the mirror, insignificant details like inconsistencies in the wallpaper pattern or a small chip in the bathroom tile caused her to feel equally uncomfortable and… displaced, for lack of a better term. Minako began to pace, swiping at her phone, constantly reloading her email only to be disappointed. It was a holiday weekend, after all, and there were no new messages available to save her from the hell of anxiety she was trapped in.
Feeling exasperated, and at the same time paranoid that her friends were starting to become suspicious with her absence, Minako inhaled an impressive meditative breath of not-so-fresh air, flashed a Minako-worthy bright smile at her reflection… and sat her ass right on the countertop to begin playing a cute little Sailor V game app Choco had downloaded on her phone ages ago. Maybe I should get a new catchphrase, she thought sourly while tapping away at the animations on her phone, I'll do away with "love and beauty" and insert "champion of avoiding your personal shit". Minako was decidedly more than willing to stay locked away in the cramped space, so long as she could continue ignoring the world and her problems.
Well… that was the case, until she heard a chorus of crashing and thumping.
Gritting her teeth and fighting the urge to ignore whatever occurring chaos that would surely cause complaints from her downstairs neighbors, Minako shoved her phone in her pocket and briskly returned to the party scene.
"Gimme that!" Usagi yelled, snatching a CD case away from a very annoyed looking Rei, who was previously trying to load a new disk in the player. "You're stalling."
"I'm not stalling." Rei countered with a bite of annoyance lacing her tone and brushed a few stray locks of hair behind her ear. In Usagi's defense, she probably was stalling, knowing Rei's lack of fondness regarding social events and all. "You're just impatient!" Rei tried snatching the disk back, but failed as Usagi wildly tried avoiding her, knocking down another four-foot pile of audio CDs.
Forget complaints, Minako looked on in horror as the drunk odango head accidently stepped on a few cases, causing them to snap under the pressure, I'm going to get evicted. I'll have to spend months finding another flat that'll accept pets, and I'll have to listen to Artemis rant about not being a 'pet' while doing it… Reminiscing of the previous nightmarish event that she and her feline guarding endured started to make her stomach turn.
It was plainly obvious that Usagi was now incredibly drunk, more so than herself at the very least, as she almost dove head first into the entertainment set, thrusting Minako from her thoughts – thoughts of whether or not she could buy her downstairs neighbor's patience. Minako clumsily lunged forward to grab Usagi's forearm and employing her quick reflexes, she was able to snatch Usagi back upright. She'd be damned if Usagi fatally injured herself during karaoke after all the shit they had battled against thus far.
What would be worse? Explaining Usagi's death to Mamoru or listening to Haruka's monologue about their failure to keep the queen safe. Minako searched for Makoto and Ami to help her steady the over agitated Usagi, but both girls were nowhere to be found.
"You're too drunk. Go sit down." Rei commanded, glaring at Usagi, though Minako knew Rei was simply keeping a close eye on the Usagi, ready to catch her if need be.
Really, it was astonishing when you think about it. Rei was already crouched and in position to act if called on, and what further surprised her was the subtle movements the other girl made in response to her own. If there really were moments when they truly synchronized, it was, without a doubt, while defending Usagi, their friends, or each other. She wondered if Rei was always so aware of their surroundings, or if maybe this connection they had was something more than battle awareness. Once upon a time, Minako would have yearned for the latter idea.
Usagi stuck her tongue out. "Maybe you're just not drunk enough Rei. Did you even drink at all?"
"Neh? You can't count? I thought your math scores didn't start going down until you hit junior high, not the start of grammar school."
Usagi opened her mouth to reply but Minako interrupted them both. "I don't hear any singing…" she chirped while trying very hard not to grit her teeth at their childishness. She knew if the two were allowed to continue bantering, Rei would never finish her end of the deal, which meant the damned night would never end, because then Rei would be too stubborn to leave the stupid challenge unfinished…
"That's because Rei—" Usagi began but was interrupted by Makoto, who had returned from the balcony with Ami trailing behind.
"Did we miss anything?" She asked.
"Usagi almost died, but we're good now." Minako casually stated, ignoring Usagi's slurred contradiction of "did not". It's not like it was the first time something along those lines had actually occurred, anyways.
Miraculously both Makoto and Ami simply nodded and returned to their seats. "Did you get the player working?" Ami asked Rei, curling back into the recliner.
"The disk was too scratched." Rei responded, crossing her legs on the floor in front of the player, "Usagi doesn't take care of her CDs very well." She grinned, lightly poking fun again.
"That's not true!" Usagi whined, tears nearly reaching her eyes as she held the plastic case tightly against her chest.
Usagi was definitely more upset that she wasn't getting her way more so than being on the receiving end of Rei's teasing. When Usagi planned an event, she tended to become testy if it didn't go her way; sort of like the whole baby shower incident mentioned earlier…
Minako sighed and gently pried the single away from the nearly crying woman. Upon removing the disk, it was easy to see that the CD was more than a little "gently used".
"Eh..." Minako tried to console the crybaby queen, "I don't think she's making it up, Usa-chan."
Sniffling, Usagi gingerly took the precious disk away from Minako's grasp and placed it back into its protective casing.
"Why don't you choose another song?" Ami suggested, most likely wanting to avoid a water works show as much as the next senshi.
Rei, to Minako's surprise, grudgingly encouraged as well, "Yeah, just choose another one. It's not like you lost your turn."
"B-but I wanted this one…" Usagi was starting to hiccup now, from wanting to cry or from being intoxicated Minako couldn't tell.
Minako tried to smile reassuringly at Usagi, but pieces of her were becoming impatient, wanting nothing more than for the night to just run its course. Usagi's cheeks were blushed from having drank too much and her attitude was becoming poorer by the second. Now, this isn't to say that Usagi was usually an obnoxious, crybaby drunk. Usagi was just an obnoxious emotional drunk, so whatever she felt, currently sadness apparently, was magnified tenfold. At the pace this was going, not only would she have to spend the rest of the night avoiding Rei, but she would have to suffer through an emotionally hijacked Usagi as well, a feat only Mamoru should have to endure.
"You should totally save your turn for later," Minako interjected in an expertly disguised emphatic tone hiding her real dread. This was enough to spark Usagi's interest, hook-line-and-sinker. "Ya know, like a rain check."
Usagi sniffled, "Rain check?"
"Yeah!" Minako continued, feeling rather smug as a mischievous glint returned to Usagi's blue eyes. "Like… you should save it until there's a karaoke event at the mall or something."
"I didn't agree to that!" Rei snapped but was promptly ignored, as Usagi had returned to her usual giddy self and pranced her way to the sofa, most likely envisioning the idea. Minako had to admit - the vision was quite entertaining.
Minako followed, demanding Usagi scoot over so she could begin pouring over the small castle of CDs. If Usagi was forfeiting her turn… Well, Minako certainly didn't have any reason to stretch this game out any longer. Soon, she knew from experience, a domino effect would ensue. Usagi would be passing out from ingesting too much food and drink. Ami would be the good samaritan, wanting to tote the girl home to safety and familiarity. This, in turn, would require Makoto's strength. Lastly, Rei would not have any choice but to catch a ride with Makoto back to Usagi's house; she was banking on this last crucial detail. Thus, Minako would have successfully protected her castle from the evil dragon that is Rei Hino! Maybe I'm also a little drunk, Minako hesitated in thought, imagining a red and black dragon with incredibly pretty amethyst eyes…
"Ah!" Usagi squealed, interrupting Minako's comical thoughts of orange knights and black dragons, "You should choose this one!"
Before bringing her attention to Usagi, Minako caught Rei rolling her eyes in response to their conspiring, all while fighting a yawn. There was no doubt that Rei felt none too thrilled as she waited for them to bestow the last dose of public penance, but it was also clear that Rei was quickly becoming exhausted. Small bags were forming under her eyes, puzzling Minako. Rei wasn't known to fall asleep at parties, like Usagi or sometimes Ami, and it was hardly past 10 p.m. Rei tilted her head and furrowed her brow, questioning Minako's gaze. Minako quickly looked away, slightly embarrassed at having been caught analyzing the other girl, though she couldn't figure out why. There had been many occasions where she "appreciated" Rei's features and not once had Minako been the one embarrassed by it.
Usagi held out a boldly painted plastic case that was easily recognizable. To her surprise, it was one of her own singles she had, at the time, specifically deemed "lyrical genius and clever-ness beyond all means". Usually, it was sort of an unsaid rule that the girls, including herself, would veer away from singing Minako's own published songs. Her friends, other than Usagi of course, probably felt too shy to try attempting one of her songs while Minako simply didn't want to feel like she was still working; however, the idea didn't seem all that bad now. Rei had delivered onto her an overstuffed platter of discomfort, so having the always-so-reserved Rei Hino perform a teen pop song that practically worshipped Minako's, or rather Sailor Venus's, existence would surely provide a sweet and just dessert.
It's a good thing, she mulled, that Artemis isn't around to berate me on being such a narcissist.
Minkao and Usagi parted as Minako coyly handed Rei the case. Rei shifted uncomfortably, deciphering Usagi's poorly written "C'est la vie" scrawled atop the smooth surface.
"Sing for me, Reiko." Minako smiled ever so sweetly and hoped Rei was choking on it or, minimally, feeling the same crushing anxiety she had been feeling all night. Oh, how she hated this strange game of social dominance they played… If that's true though, then why does it feel so good to keep playing?
A/N: I really adored writing this chapter and I'm so thankful to all of you who are supporting this story.
Auric: Hello friend! Years ago I wrote this story but sadly left it incomplete. Many changes happened in my life but I'm now able to finish it (and correct some old mistakes lol). Thanks for your review (I hope its ok that I'm answering you publicly like this XD)
That being said, if anybody had questions, feel free to shoot me a message here or on tumblr (my tumblr info is on my profile).
See you all next Friday!