Arieslily: I'm back, after 6 months of being MIA. I apologize for that, by the way. It was just with school, and then exams and my world imploding for a while, and then I got into the University of Cambridge, in England, and I've had crazy work for that, plus I'm working two jobs, one full time and one part time, so it's about 60 hours a week…anyway, I've just not had time. But I've been dying to write some fiction for a while, so here we go. Anyway, this is expressly for DTN, as she has been bugging me for weeks to write some more Rei/Trunks stuff. She may not like it, but it's for her. It's also for everyboy who has been waiting for 6 months for me to update.
Nix: I've been bored to tears with all of the other crap she's had to do. Let's get to the good stuff!
Chapter 2: You Smiled and the Spell was Cast
After a lovely, relatively quiet weekend, Rei's grandpa came home and life returned to the normal: chaotic and hectic, with just a tinge of ever-present danger and imminent death, and the occasional fun afternoon.
Rei was waiting in the courtyard for her less than punctual boyfriend yet again, when her cell phone rang. Normally she would be opposed to owning something so material and trivial, but with grandpa being older and people always needing to get in touch with her about things for the festival or her friends trying to reach her because of an attack, it was just sensible to get one, so she could always be contacted in case of emergency. She slipped the tiny flip phone from a small pocket on her school bag and flipped it open and discovered she had a new voicemail.
"Guess it must have been ringing longer than I realized," she said, and typed in her access code. As it turned out, Trunks had called to explain his absence.
"Hi Rei, it's Trunks. Look, I'm sorry I'm not there to pick you up. I know we were going to take one of the capsule cars and go for a drive up the coast for a little while and have a picnic, but I can't do it tonight. I've been 'asked' to go to a meeting in the principal's office to discuss my lack of involvement in, well, ANYTHING at school. It seems they think it's unhealthy for a student to only go to class and not have any extracurricular activities. It's a bunch of crap if you ask me. Anyway, so I won't even be able to walk you home. I hope that's okay, and I'm really sorry that I can't take you up there tonight, there's some things I've been wanting to talk to you about and I thought that would be the perfect opportunity. Guess it just wasn't the right time. But we can try again soon, okay? Right, he's coming to take me to his office so I have to go. Love you. Bye."
She sighed. This evening had been something Rei had been looking forward to for a few weeks now. And she was hoping he would have finally opened up to her about the things that had been on his mind lately. Maybe he was right though; maybe it wasn't time yet. With that thought in mind she set off to take the long way home, through the park to clear her thoughts.
The sun beat gently down on Tokyo as Rei made her way through its bustling streets. "Even though I'm not with Trunks, I may as well enjoy the sunshine and the warm weather," she mumbled to herself as she walked through the park's entrance by the lake. Her mind wandered back to her dreams of late, and the haunting images that would not leave her alone. She tried to shake the thoughts away for the umpteenth time as it finally registered that the park seemed almost abandoned for such a beautiful day as this. Always a fan of flowers, Rei ambled over to the expansive flower gardens planted just a bit further away from her position on the bridge overlooking the boaters on the lake.
The Tokyo Public Park always had the most amazing flower gardens, with a vast mix of rare and common blossoms all arranged in aesthetically pleasing patterns. Unfortunately this year, the Casablanca lily, Rei's favorite, had not made the final list. But the perennial favorite, a wide variety of roses, was present and she enjoyed those almost as much, along with the orchids, tulips, white chrysanthemums, sunflowers, hibiscus, lavender, and others. She had just stopped to take a closer look at a lovely purple iris[1], surrounded by red camellias[2], begonias, [3] daffodils[4], monkshood[5], and orange mock[6], when she heard a slightly gruff, distinctly male voice with a bit of a German accent call out to her.
"Such a flower has not even the potential for beauty to parallel yours."
Rei was used to comments such as this, though not usually so eloquently spoken. She straightened up to her full height and turned around, ready to give the creep a piece of her mind about hitting on her while she was trying to enjoy a walk through the park but stopped. There was no one there except a tree off to her left. So she shook her head and turned back to the flowers. About to move on, she heard the voice yet again.
"Now, the…Verdamt! Was bedeutet Mondblueme auf Japanisch? Ah ja! The Moon Blossom, on the other hand, is a flower fit to be in your presence."
At this point, Rei knew she wasn't imagining it. For while the voice seemed strangely familiar, Rei didn't know any German, especially not the words that the bodiless voice was saying. She looked around again, and realized she was looking too close to the ground. Shielding her eyes from the bright sunshine, she gazed up into the branches of the tree. She gasped at what she found there.
It was a boy, as expected. But he was strikingly handsome, with dark, chiseled features, olive skin, and wavy-curly black hair no longer than Trunks'. He was wearing an Azabu High School Uniform, but through it one could clearly see that he was well built.
"You finally noticed me, I see." The accented voice said, as the boy jumped down from his perch and crossed to her.
"You startled me. I didn't know where you were," she replied, and her mouth formed as small oh, as she took in the full extent of his form. He was tall, and up close was even more handsome than she'd thought. Though in Rei's opinion, he couldn't hold a candle to her boyfriend.
"I certainly did not mean to do that. I only wanted to meet you."
"Well now you have. And since that's done, I think I'll be going now," Rei said, and started to leave.
He reached out and grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away. "I do not even know your name," he said.
Jerking her arm from his grasp she said, "Have you given me any cause to want to share it? You accosted me while I was trying to enjoy a quiet afternoon in the park, talking about a flower I've never even heard of, and then you grabbed me!"
"I apologize, we have started off on the wrong foot. I just could not let you leave without knowing your name."
"So you made up a flower to try to find out my name? I'll give you points for creativity, because that's actually one I've never heard."
"It is not made up! It only grows in my native land. I carry one with me wherever I go as a reminder of home." Upon saying so, he reached into his school bag and pulled out a beautiful silvery white flower like she'd never seen before. Rei gasped at the sight.
"My name is Michael Schwarzmond. In apology for my terrible manners, please accept this Moon Blossom."
"I, I couldn't possibly," she stuttered, "It's your only reminder of your home in Germany."
"I brought a whole bush with me, it is planted at my new home. Please, I insist."
"I, well I suppose I could. If you feel that strongly about it." Rei was apprehensive about accepting this gift. There was something not…right about this boy. Something different about his aura, that was vaguely familiar but not all together trustworthy or human. But she reached out and took the bloom into her hand. She held it up to her nose, and inhaled its enchanting scent. 'This IS a remarkable flower,' she thought.
"Good, I am glad this is settled. Now that you know my name, I would think it only fair that this lovely angel standing before me share her name." His gruff, yet soothing voice requested.
"Oh! Where are my manners? Rei Hino is my name. I go to the T/A High School for girls. I see you attend Azabu High School. That's right down the street."
"Yes, I have just transferred from Augburg, Bayern…I mean Bavaria, in Deutschland."
"My friend Trunks Briefs mentioned that last week. How do you like Japan?"
"It is a very different place. The city where I come from, it was big. Not so big as Berlin, or Frankfurt, or even Munich. But it was fairly large. It is so strange to now be living in such a large metropolis, let alone the country's capital. And the language adjustment has been difficult to say the least. But it seems very nice so far. When it has parks like this, and such amazingly beautiful women as you, Miss Hino, it can not be all bad," he explained, and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, which she hadn't even noticed he was holding.
His last action shook Rei and she realized just how long she'd been humoring this strange boy. The sun was beginning to set, and it must have been getting late. 'Grandpa must be worried sick about me,' she thought.
She started to back away from this Michael Schwarzmond boy, and exclaimed, "I'm sorry, but I really must be going. I have to get back home, everyone must be so worried about me; they were expecting me ages ago."
He held onto her hand and cried, "At least let me walk you home! It can not be safe for you to be out by yourself!"
She pulled her hand back and backed even further away. "Trust me when I say I can take care of myself. Besides, I have a boyfriend, Trunks you know, and I really don't think he'd like it if he knew you were trying to take me home and all of this…" And she turned fully to walk away.
Watching her long ebony hair swish as she stalked away he thought, 'Scheisse, I am losing her. I must not let her get away, or my plans will be ruined." Michael had known all about her relationship with Trunks. He had known since he first moved here and he had first seen her. The goddess. The most amazing woman he had ever seen and he had seen plenty. There was no soul in the universe like hers. So good, and yet with such potential for darkness. Her smile had cast a spell on him, and he had known he had to have her. And he always got what he wanted. He set up Trunks with the principal by mentioning that he thought it was odd that the boy had no extracurricular activities. The people in this country were so gullible. So Michael ensured that she would be walking home by herself, and all he had to do was wait. But now she was slipping away!
She was a good distance ahead when he caught up to her.
"What kind of fool is your supposed boyfriend to let you go off by yourself?"
"He knows perfectly well that I can handle myself. Plus he was stuck in some stupid meeting with your principal," she replied, "Now if you please…I'm suddenly not feeling well and I really think I should go home." A wave of nausea came over Rei that she dismissed as exhaustion but couldn't help but feel as though it was caused by the weird energy waves coming off the boy.
"Then by all means, if you're not feeling well, you shouldn't be walking alone!"
"No, I'll be fine, I…" She was abruptly cut off as a wave of dizziness swept her and she passed out.
"Rei! Rei! Lady Rei!" He cried. 'This was not supposed to happen! She was not supposed to remember…' He sighed and picked her up and ran her to a hospital. Once there he had them contact all her relatives and friends. He waited outside her room in the shadows until they all arrived, including her boyfriend. He slipped quietly away, but not without stealing into her room and leaving a chaste kiss on her forehead.
"I will see you again soon, Rei Hino. Count on it."
[1] Wisdom
[2] You're a flame in my heart
[3] Beware
[4] Regard, Unrequited Love, You're the Only One, The Sun is Always Shining when I'm with You
[5] Beware a deadly enemy is near
[6] Deceit
Arieslily17: Well, I'm not entirely sure I'm satisfied with this. Then again, that's the usual with me. I hope you all enjoy, and I hope I haven't given away too much.
Nix: Nah. It's still all, 'ooooohh, mysterious'. I think.
Arieslily: Right. Well, read and review, as usual. I have some more ideas that I'll hopefully be able to get out before I leave.