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35 Millimeters II - Behind the Lens
By Lady Aishiteru
Chapter 4 - What Lies Beneath
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I woke up with a splitting headache. It felt like a hundred
angry monkeys were pounding on my head, and my skull seemed intent on
caving in. I rolled over and hit the snooze button on my alarm clock.
It was five thirty a.m., far too early for any sane individual to be
awake. I pulled the quilted down covers up over my face and closed my
eyes tight. I hate getting up early with a passion. It's not fair.

"Not even the sun rises before six o' clock, so why should I?"
I grumbled into my bed sheets. "I don't have to get up to work for
another hour, so why did I set my alarm clock at five thirty?" The
mystery continued to plague me until the alarm went off again fifteen
minutes later. Then I remembered why I set my alarm for that god-
awful hour; I had an appointment with Kunzite. I hoisted myself out
of bed, much to Artemis's disdain; he had been asleep by my feet.

Well, that's not exactly true. I didn't bother making one. I
figured anyone as brainless as Kunzite would have a moron for a secre-
tary. And morons are easily seduced. "Seduction," I thought, licking
my lips for effect. "I can do that. This should be a small task for
the Goddess of Love." I wished that only my anti-male persuasions
were as effective, for this would be It, the day I would convince
Kunzite to leave me alone forever.

I pictured it in my mind. I would march right past his dim-
witted secretary, then straight into his office. I would put on my
angriest face, the one I reserved for potential threats. I would
walk up to his desk, and I would be damned if I let him talk me out of
it.

The seemingly endless barrage of orange and yellow roses had
to stop, and it had to stop NOW. The building I lived in was
beginning to look as if a bulldozer had pushed an entire garden's
worth of flowers into my front door. And to make matters worse, every
time I would try to get rid of a dozen or so, someone would ask me who
they were from. I'd mumble something unintelligible under my breath,
deposit the flowers, and run like hell. There was no way I would
accept anything from that jerk.

I rummaged through my closet and found an appropriately
revealing dress. It was a multi-colored, floor length dress made of
chiffon and silk. Two large pieces of fabric crisscrossed over my
chest and trailed off into billowy, translucent ribbons in the back,
which stopped just short of the base of my spine. The fabric started
off as crimson, then gradually turned into a bright yellow as it faces
my back. A layer of crimson chiffon covers the rest, which is yellow
satin. It was one of my favorite dresses, and guaranteed to stun.

I put my hair up in a French twist, and put matching golden
combs in my hair on either side. Levina, one of my hairstylists at
Tokyo Inc, taught this particular kind of French twist to me. I was
shooting my very first ad, and I was wearing the same kind of dress I
had just put on. Levina had carefully combed, teased and spritzed my
hair until it framed my face perfectly. Rubina had applied to my face
a subtle combination of eye shadow, lip liner, mascara, blush and
foundation that brings out my best features.

As the final touch of blush had been applied, Rubina stepped
back to view me, her masterpiece. "Something's missing," Rubina had
mused, her hand placed pensively on her jaw. It was one of the rare
instances of lucid thought I have seen in her.

"What do you think, Levina?" I asked, grinning playfully.
"Am I done yet?"

Levina put down the blow dryer and stepped back a few paces,
where Rubina was. "No. I'm going to have to side with Rubina on this
one." she said, smiling her lopsided smile. For some reason, Levina's
smile had always tilted upwards on the left side of her face.

"Aw, man! Two against one! That's unfair, you guys!"

I remember seeing Rubina stand silently there for a moment,
then realization lit up her features like a Christmas tree. "I know!"

"The earrings!" Levina had squealed. I've heard Ami say that
twins may have some kind of telepathic abilities, where they can
transmit their thoughts to each other. I was seeing evidence of this
theory now, as Levina bolted off in the direction of the jewelry.

Levina had always been the artistic, levelheaded twin, but Rubina was
almost her polar opposite. Levina was a devout Christian, and very
conservative. Her ultra-conservative viewpoint was strange enough in
America, but over here in Japan, where nobody takes religion very
seriously, she is very unusual. She had graduated Harvard in the top
of her class, and then moved to Japan to work. She still keeps up-to-
date on American politics, and her English is better than anyone else
I know beside myself.

Rubina was a Bohemian; in other words, she lived on sex,
drugs, pleasure, and the belief she could do whatever the hell she
wanted. She had dropped out of high school at sixteen, then she
somehow got into Tokyo Inc. as an entry-level hairstylist. I had
heard that Levina had talked the execs into hiring Rubina, but it's
always been regarded as veritable gossip. I know Rubina's free-
wheeling lifestyle bothers her a lot, but I've never seen Levina
preach at her sister, well, not in words, anyways. I have seen it in
subtle body language, like whenever Rubina brings up the latest rave,
Levina would sigh and roll her eyes like she had heard it all before.
The only thing that the two had in common, besides the gene pool they
had originated from, was their profession.

The next thing I can remember was Levina bolting back into the
room. Rubina seized the earrings and put them in my ears. The twins
both stepped back and gasped at the same time.

"It's-" started Rubina.

"Perfect!" Levina had exclaimed, ending the sentence.

"Well, let me see!" I said, giggling and clapping my hands.
This was in the early days, when I was excited about my work.

The twins parted like a velvet curtain, revealing me, their
masterpiece. I got up and twirled around, the ribbons following my
motions like a ballerina's dream.

I caught a glimpse of a beautiful woman in the mirror. I
stepped closer and touched my reflection with my right hand, to see if
it was real. The mirror woman touched the same spot with her left
hand, and we stared at each other, wide-eyed and breathless, until
either one of us could come to terms with the fact that we were both
one and the same, this goddess named Minako.

"Well, what do you think?" I recall Rubina asking when my
thoughts had returned to Earth.

"Is...that...me?" I asked, placing doubtful emphasis on the
last word.

Levina laughed. "Yes, it's really you, Minako."

"You look like some kind of goddess," Rubina breathed.

"Kind of like Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love," finished
Levina.

Even when I had left the dressing room, the image of the
mirror woman, this modern Aphrodite, haunted my mind. It was as if a
piece of me had fallen away, and for a moment, I saw what lay
underneath.

A plaintive meow from Artemis brought me back to the present.
"Yes, I know, it's time to feed you." He jumped on top of my right
shoulder, and I quickly pried him off. "Arte-MIS!" I moaned. "I
can't hold you now! I'll get cat hair all over my dress!" He looked
at me as if he was deeply offended, then leapt onto the floor. I
shook my head as I watched him make a beeline towards the kitchen.
That cat is trouble; he's far too smart for his own good. If I didn't
know any better, I would swear that he understood me.

I could picture Artemis in his tomcat days, strutting around
the neighborhood like he owned the place. Maybe he'd come up to Luna,
Usagi and Mamoru's cat, and lick her face playfully. Luna would swat
him gently in return, Artemis he would circle around her, far away at
first, but the circle would narrow in diameter slowly, ever so slowly.
His eyes would shine a feral, predatory blue, and then the mating
dance would begin...

I shook my head as I set the food dish down. It's too bad
that Artemis didn't talk, or share tips on charm and poise with his
previous owner. I'd be willing to bet that Kunzite would benefit from
such lessons, if he listened, of course. Maybe he would be a regular
Don Juan; instead of a man I wanted nothing to do with. I sighed.
Life is so unfair.

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I found a parking space without incident at Chiba Inc, which
is rare. Usually, I have to keep circling the parking garage until
someone decides to leave. I noticed that Kunzite has a reserved
parking space right next to Mamoru. "Hn... Mamoru must like him a
lot," I mused. "But for the life of me, I can't figure out why.
Maybe he sees something in Kunzite that I've missed." I frowned a
bit. That almost sounded like I was wrong about Kunzite, and I'm not
...am I? I sighed a bit as I walked into the double doors.

I do think very highly of Mamoru. I like his quick wit and
dry sense of humor. I never would have known him if Usagi hadn't
pointed him out to me nine years ago as "that jackass from Azabu."
When I met him, I thought he was a stuck up idiot. My reasoning was
that Usagi didn't like him, and she likes almost everyone. It took me
half a year to realize that he was being a jerk because he loved her
and didn't know how to tell her. Since then, he has opened up a lot,
and I'm glad to have him in my circle of friends.

"Maybe my feelings were like Usagi's. Maybe my dislike of
Kunzite was merely the result of wounded love. Maybe I could be
wrong, after all. Nah. That can't be it." I shook the alien thought
out of my head and walked over to the receptionist in the main lobby.

"Hi, can you tell me where Kunzite works?"

The secretary squinted really hard, then a look of surprise
and exhilaration crossed her face. "Venus? Is that you?"

"Damn!" I thought upon hearing my modeling pseudonym. "The
jig is up!"

"Yes, that would be me. Would you keep it quiet, please?"

"OH MY GOD!" she shouted. "It's Venus! The Venus!"

"Shit!" I thought. "I knew I shouldn't have gone out in
public in my work clothes! What the hell was I thinking?" I dug my
heels and prepared for the inevitable.

I blinked twice. Nothing happened. "Nani? Am I missing
something?"

"Would you like me to give you my autograph?" I asked
politely. Not being mobbed always puts me in a good mood.

"YES!"

I winced as the woman's loud voice assaulted my ears. "I
don't have any paper on me. Do you have anything I could sign?"

"Sure! Here, you can sign this," she said, handing me the
latest issue of Sassy. I dug in my purse until I finally pulled out
my favorite pen. "Okay, whom do I make this out to?"

"Seiishi," she breathed.

"Interesting...your name is a number?"

"Yeah. My dad named me Seiishi because that was how many
sakes it took him to pass out the day I was born."(AN: Seiishi = seven)

I nodded sympathetically, and signed my name on the cover.
"May I ask you a favor?" I said as I returned the magazine.

"Sure, anything you want."

"Could you not mention where you got my autograph?"

Seiishi looked at me as if I was from another planet. "Why?"

I sighed. "It's a long story. Anyways, where does Kunzite
work?"

"35th floor. Take a left once you exit the elevator and keep
going straight. You can't miss it."

I smiled my trademark megawatt charmer. "Thanks! Later!"

"Bye," she said, as if she was still a little confused. I
shrugged my shoulders once inside the elevator and waited for my
number to come. I was surprised that the elevator went straight to
the top, as it seemed odd that nobody else would be using it. Could
it be an omen? I shook off that thought. I hate superstitions.

I walked right up to his office door, and was about to knock,
but for some reason, I hesitated. Was this really the right thing to
do? I frowned, doubting my conflicting logic and myself. I decided
to knock anyways.

"Um, miss? Do you have an appointment?"

I turned around. "Not this again!" I moaned, and then turned
around to answer the source of the voice. "Are you his secretary?"

"Yes. My name is Danburite. Nice to meet you," he said,
gripping my hand in a firm, confident handshake.

"Aino Minako," I returned.

"Ah, so you're the famous miss Mina, ne?"

I raised my eyebrows. The man standing in front of me was of
average height, average build, and he had platinum blonde hair like
Kunzite's, except his was cropped close to his head. Maybe the two
were related, or something. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

He smiled at me, the kind of smile that meant he knew some-
thing he wasn't about to share. "Go right in," he said, gesturing
towards the door.

"Thanks," I said curtly. I gave him credit in my mental
account. He didn't take the bait, and he didn't allow me to seduce
him. I like that.

I closed the door behind me and stood silently. The office I
was standing in was huge, and unlike Kunzite's apartment, impressively
decorated. The floor had a thin, navy blue carpet, and the entire
office was surrounded on three sides by shelf after shelf of books.
Rare pieces of fine art that Ami had told me about were placed
selectively around the room. The side that was not shelved was
nothing but a huge series of windows, overlooking an impressive view
of the Tokyo skyline.

I don't know how long I just stood there, taking it all in. I
was awed, and didn't know what to say. I was wrong about something
else; despite the seemingly random series of boxes scattered around
his apartment, he was neat and had an impressive sense of interior
design.

"Minako?"

"Uh...hi, Kunzite," I returned.

"What a pleasant surprise. Here, have a seat," he said,
moving in front of his desk and pulling out a chair.

"Thanks," I said, feeling unsure of myself. I sat there,
looking down at my fingernails, not daring to make eye contact. My
hands were shaking, and I bit my lip. All of my fury and bluster had
gone out the window.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" he asked.

I looked up at him and honestly admitted, "I have no idea."

He laughed a little, the kind that's with me, instead of
against me. "You have no idea?"

"Nope," I said, laughing. The whole thing was looking pretty
ridiculous, and I couldn't help laughing at myself. Once I had
regained my composure, I spoke, "Well, I was going to ask you to stop
sending me flowers," I said, frowning.

"Ah, so you did get them," he said.

"Yeah." I looked him in the eye, and for a few minutes it was
completely silent. I looked into his eyes, and he looked into mine,
each of us probing and testing the other.

"So, would you like to go out for breakfast?"

I smiled, the first genuine smile in a long time. "Sure."

He returned my smile. "Great! Can you hold on a second?"

"Okay," I said.

He punched a button on his telephone. "Mamoru?"

"Hey, Kunzite. Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, can I take the rest of the day off?" Kunzite asked.

"This is very unexpected. May I ask why?" asked Mamoru
curiously.

"Sure. A very special lady is visiting," replied Kunzite,
winking at me.

"Ah. No problem," Mamoru returned knowingly. "Tell Minako I
said hi."

"I will," said Kunzite, smiling from ear to ear. "Thanks."
He pressed another button and walked around the desk. "Shall we?"

I smiled again. "Let's." He linked his arm with mine, and we
walked out the door.

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Lady A: Don't you just hate me now? *Lady A laughs fiendishly* I
have something very special planned for the rest of the story...and
you'll just have to wait and see. BTW, Danburite is an intentional
manga reference to Minako's days as Sailor V. I won't say any more,
because it would spoil the story. Let's just say that it won't
be smooth sailing for Minako and Kunzite...hee! Later!