Mystery
Kunzite was driving to work when his cell phone rang. When he picked up, his captain told him to meet him in the downtown business district of Tokyo by the International Tech building. Curious, Kunzite followed orders and soon found himself in slow traffic. There was a policeman redirecting the cars. Kunzite followed through and parked at the nearest available spot, then got out and walked back to the scene. Flashing his badge when appropriate, Kunzite made his way to the International Tech building.
"My God," he muttered, looking at the cleanup effort two blocks further down and popping a cough drop in his mouth. His cold was still giving him trouble. "How did that happen?"
"We don't know," Kevin answered him, shrugging. "But it's our job to find out."
Kunzite frowned.
"So you boys are the ones on this 'mystical mystery,' eh?" a tall, greying man asked. He didn't wait for an answer, but turned to their captain. "I want a thorough investigation on this, John. I have a reputation to uphold, and I need this kind of thing taken care of quickly and efficiently." He shook a knotted finger.
"You got it, Henry," the captain replied, nodding.
"Good. Go to it, boys," the chief nodded and left.
Kunzite sighed and Kevin lit a cigarette. Soon they were trudging around the debris of the fallen building, ignoring the clean-up effort and wondering at the enormity of their task. Kunzite bent down, rubber gloves on, and scooped some of the abundant dust into a little plastic baggy for analysis later. He sighed and put it in his pocket.
"Was anyone hurt in the incident?" he heard Kevin questioning the building's owner, who had come down to see what had happened. Night guards in the other buildings had heard the collapse and called it in to 911.
"Some guards were killed, apparently," the man answered, running a hand through his hair. He looked a little skittish, Kunzite noted. What was his name again? Urawa? Urawa Ryo. Hm. He could check into that angle – the insurance would probably be hefty.
Kunzite looked back and saw a news crew nearby. He frowned.
Striding over, he approached a woman who looked important. She glanced up and saw him coming -- and a change came over her. Her eyes went round and blue, her mouth softened, and she reached up to smooth her hair. Kunzite fought back a smirk. He was seven hundred years old and still looked twenty-five.
The miracle crystal of Crystal Tokyo, he thought.
"Hi," she breathed.
"Ma'am, you're going to have to move your crew back . . ." he measured with his thumb, "about thirty yards, thanks." With that, he turned and went back to Kevin. He could almost feel the woman's stunned gaze on his back.
"Kev," Kunzite began, surveying the wreckage and trying to think of where to start, "we're going to have to . . ." he broke off, looking at something strange. There was something moving farther in the wreckage, causing the dust to shift and tumble.
"What's going on?" someone asked, and Kunzite turned to look. It was Kevin's cupcake of a girlfriend.
He frowned. "How'd you--" but was cut off by her shrill scream. She was staring at the shifting pile of rubble, which had burst and revealed --
"A monster!" she shrieked and ran off, clean-up workers following suit.
Kunzite cursed silly women under his breath and pulled out his gun, planning to unload a clip into the thing's skull. Kevin had obviously gotten the same idea, because he was currently discharging his weapon in rapid succession.
But the creature lunged and took Kevin down with the weight of its own body so that Kunzite had to stop shooting for fear of harming his partner. Instead, he rammed the butt of his gun into the thing's spine and tried to kick it off of Kevin. He had intended to hurt it, but it seemed that he just made it mad, because the creature reared up and snapped at him. Kunzite just managed to stumble out of the way, when . . .
"Mars Flame Sniper!" A line of fire shot through the air and pierced the monster in the shoulder. Kunzite fell back, but had enough mind to try and drag Kevin out of the line of fire. It seemed that the creature's weight had been enough to knock Kevin unconscious.
Then Kunzite's mind began to catch up with him. Mars? "The Sailor Scouts!" he whispered, looking toward the origin of the voice. But what he saw, he wasn't prepared for.
"With the magical armor of glory, we will take your filthy hide back to where it belongs!" A female voice came from the figure that stepped forward, but otherwise it would have been hard to tell the gender. The person was clad completely -- head to toe -- in a black body suit, like armor or space-gear, complete with an opaque-faced helmet. There were three copies of the figure behind her and, besides height, the only distinguishing feature of the suits were the symbols on the front. The one who had spoken had the flaming red symbol of Mars. Behind her was a shorter person with the ice-blue symbol of Mercury. The tall figure had the leaf-green symbol of Jupiter. And the last, the figure fussily checking that her left glove was on properly, sported the glittering gold symbol of Venus.
Venus. Kunzite stared. These were the Sailor Senshi. Right in front of him. And Venus. Kunzite had never admitted it to anyone -- though he thought Kate knew from snooping in his desk drawers -- but he had always been somewhat obsessed with Sailor Venus. It was just that she was the leader, he thought, and he was always craving new information and theories on her. He'd had magazine articles with fuzzy pictures of her (usually leaving the site of a battle, so mysterious and blurred that Bigfoot would be jealous) in his desk drawer with his History of the Royal Family and Their Guardians, but moved them out when he started to suspect Kate's snooping.
"It's the body of a human, taken over by a dark force! The human is nonretrievable!" Kunzite looked at Sailor Mercury, who was typing away on a small computer. He wondered how she could do that when her black gloves were so big and cumbersome, but didn't have time to ponder it as something slammed into him from behind and he went tumbling onto his partner, twisting enough to see the gaping, slimy mouth that opened and descended on him. For all Mercury said this thing was human, it sure had sharp teeth!
Before he could even try and twist his gun-hand out from under him, a line of fire shot through the monster's skull. Bits of the creature fell onto Kunzite, splattering onto his face and getting in his hair. The rest of its body slumped and Kunzite shoved it off of him in disgust. He sat up just in time to see the Senshi team gang up on the second monster. The thing wailed pitifully as its arm was burnt off by Jupiter's lightening, and then made a surprise leap at Sailor Mercury. The other three rushed to her aide and Kunzite gasped as three more monsters rose up and knocked each black-armored woman back. One rose up over Sailor Venus' sprawling form and Kunzite brought his gun up, ready to blow the thing's head off, but a cameraman, trying desperately to get footage of the fight, got in his line of sight.
Kunzite cursed and lowered his gun, wishing he really could shoot the cameraman.
The Sailor Senshi soon gained the upper hand and made short work of the monsters, though – Jupiter pitching a disk of sizzling energy through both hers and Venus'. Kunzite watched the fight end in a dazzling display of magic, Venus roping the last two injured creatures with a chain she had around her waist and holding them as Mars burnt the pair to ashes.
Mercury was typing again on her handheld computer, glancing up every now and then to survey the rubble. It was a moment before she realized that a cameraman was videotaping her. Stiffening, she pointed him out to the other Senshi.
And then Kunzite gasped at the swift convergence of all four Senshi on the man. Venus and Mars held him as Jupiter took the camera from him and Mercury looked intently over it. After a moment, she pushed a few buttons and the machine whirred and popped a video up at her. Mercury picked the video gingerly out as the man protested and struggled. Jupiter handed him his camera as Mercury stepped away with the video, all of them letting the man go.
Turning, they ran into the alley and disappeared.
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"Kevin?" Kunzite turned to see Kevin's girlfriend standing a few feet away. Her hair was slightly mussed, the wind picking up strands and tossing them about her. Kunzite was caught by her beauty. Her eyes were gentle and worried – hands clasped and pressed against her bosom.
She was the perfect imitation of troubled femininity.
"Kevin!" she gasped, dropping to her knees in genuine concern. She touched a cut on his head gingerly, looking at the bruises and glancing down his body for any other visible injuries. As she was kneeling across from Kunzite, he started to notice her clothing. Her shirt was tight, white, and showed her midriff – and as she was bent over Kevin, Kunzite was getting an eyeful of cleavage.
When she shifted, running her hands over Kevin's chest, worried, the slit in her skirt felt open and Kunzite got flashed with a liberal amount of thigh.
"Oh, geez," he breathed, flushing and turning away. Catching sight of an ambulance just pulling up, Kunzite stood and waved to them, ignoring Kevin's girlfriend until they got to them.
When he finally turned back to glance across the paramedics tending to Kevin, the girl was looking at him, laughter in her glance. She must have noticed his reaction. Kunzite's expression froze into a glare and she flushed a little, looking away.
Kunzite told the paramedics to call him if anything else was needed. Otherwise, he was going back to the station to make a report.
He didn't look back as he left.
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Minako got back to the castle later that afternoon. She tossed her jacket to one of the servants and went upstairs, finding the other Senshi in the common room. It was a big room with lots of comfortable couches and a TV/VCR set at one end. The Senshi were watching the video they had confiscated from the cameraman.
"Those suits really do make us look fat," Makoto was saying.
"It's not the suits, Mako, it's your cooking," Rei replied, and Makoto glared at her. "It's a compliment," she insisted.
Ami was calm and practical, eyes on the screen. "They protect us from most types of acid and projectiles, so they'll do." She cocked her head to the side. "You know, we could probably learn something from video taping ourselves and watching it for research purposes. See what we're doing wrong."
Rei ignored this last comment, addressing the first one. "You really do love those suits too much, Ami."
"You should marry them," Makoto put in. She just got a slitted, unimpressed look and then was ignored.
They turned the video down and flicked on a lamp when Minako sat down.
She slipped her shoes off and put her stockinged feet up on the coffee table. The camera rounded to show Kevin lying flat on the ground, unconscious, with Kunzite hovering over him, and she felt a twinge of pity. "Kevin's a gross, perverted chain-smoker, but I really felt lousy seeing him hurt and bleeding like that."
"Is he okay now?" Ami asked, her brow creased in worry. She was sunk deep into the tan cushions of the couch, a glass of milk and plate of cookies in front of her on the coffee table. Makoto made them, Minako supposed.
"He'll be fine. He just has a knot on his head and I promised to go see him at home later tonight." Minako wiggled her toes and grabbed a cookie.
Makoto raised an eyebrow and smirked. "And what will you do at his place later tonight?"
Minako glared at her, but the effect was spoiled by the cookie in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. "I'm going to do what I always do. Nothing."
"Come on, Minako," Makoto pushed, moving to sit right next to Minako. They sank together in the soft cushions and Minako laughed. "What do you do with that guy? You said yourself he was a pervert – what's the deal with you two?"
Minako sighed and reached for another cookie. "I let him tell people whatever he wants, and he doesn't make me do things I don't want to."
Makoto's eyebrows rose and she smirked. "So his friends think you're a slut. That's great."
"Thanks, Mako," Minako slumped and pouted. "You know, all we really do is cuddle. It's really nothing bad."
"What I wouldn't give to just be able to do that."
There was silence. "You . . . could," Minako offered hesitantly.
"Oh, and where would we find the time? Anyway, I'd feel like I was dating a child. We're hundreds of years older than anyone in this city!"
"Mm," Minako agreed, leaning back and closing her eyes. The couch was so comfortable . . . "Wake me up at seven," she muttered, and went to sleep on Makoto's shoulder.
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Minako stood outside of Kevin's door later that night. She waited for him to answer her knock and pulled her coat closer around her, despite the fact that she'd changed into warmer clothing. This was a fair apartment building, as they went. No rats, but the owner really needed to buy a better stain cleaner. The walls were a dirty yellow, chipped, scuffed, and boasted long-dried wet spots.
The door opened and Minako smiled, embracing Kevin and kissing his forehead gently. "How are you feeling, baby?" She slipped in past him and took her coat off. The TV was on.
'I intend to take care of the reemerging monster infestation of Tokyo. My police force will be trained to handle any kind of disturbance.'
'Police Chief Harris,' a reporter was saying, 'what would you have to say to the Sailor Scouts, who have previously handled such threats? What do you have to say about their interference with police procedures earlier today?'
'Well, Sara, the Sailor Senshi are beyond their prime. They're old, they're done, and it's time now for a new force to fight menaces to society. They need armor to protect themselves – I had two unprotected men out there soften up a monster with just their guns. The Sailor Senshi just came at the last moment, struck the final blow, and claimed the glory!
'And when it comes to interfering in police business, they should be arrested. They got one of my policemen hurt today, and it won't be long until their fumbling gets one of my men killed!' Minako frowned at the TV, not paying attention as Kevin came up behind her.
'The Sailor Senshi have a wide following, yet you still claim that your official position is against them. Do you think that this may cause a problem in the way society views you and respects your police force?'
'I think that the Sailor Senshi need to keep to their own purpose – protecting the Queen – and leave protecting Tokyo to us.'
'Thank you, Chief Harris.' The newscast went on to other matters.
Minako sighed and turned the TV off. Kevin was making them some tea, since she'd seemed so intent on the show, and Minako watched him for a moment, arms around herself as if she were cold.
He brought her the tea and they sat down together on the sofa, his arm around her shoulders.
"You didn't get hurt today, did you?" he asked, arm tightening.
"No," she murmured, bringing her tea up to her mouth. When her throat was clear, she looked up at him. "How's your head? Does it still hurt?" She was genuinely concerned – she hated seeing anyone in pain.
"It's a little better. The doctor said this tea would help it, though. It's supposed to be soothing – that kind of crap." He shrugged and sipped at his tea. It was still too hot.
The microwave beeped with their popcorn.
"I'll get it," she told him, and stood up, setting her cup of tea on a nearby table. As she turned, Kevin caught her hand and she found herself looking into his eyes.
"Thank you," he said, and his expression was so infinitely tender and gentle, Minako could barely believe it. She was speechless.
It was much later that night when Minako left to walk home. It had been a surprisingly sweet visit – she and Kevin had only watched TV and spoken softly.
As she left the apartment building, Minako wondered if her clothing had done anything to aid the changed mood. She had dressed much more conservatively than usual – instead of the clothes Kevin tended to like, she had chosen soft pants and a light pale blue sweater that was a little bit big on her. But it was all very comfortable, and that was what Minako had gone for.
It had started raining by the time she reached the bottom of the stairs in front of the apartment building – just cool, fat rain drops. She looked up and held her jacket tighter, hoping she could make it back to the palace before it soaked through to her skin.
To get home, she had to pass by the business district. Not through it, but close enough to make her feel nervous. Those monsters and that collapsed building – well, the rubble wasn't all cleared yet and there might be other things lurking in there. Other things that came out at night and liked the taste of beautiful blonde females.
She looked up at a shop sign and shivered, shrugging deeper into her coat against the wet. All the shops were closed by now, and those that weren't were in another part of Tokyo. So she was, essentially, alone.
With thoughts of evil monsters swimming through her mind, it was natural that she shrieked when someone grabbed her roughly by the arm and pulled her into the dark alley between two buildings.
"Do what we tell you and no one will get hurt," the guy said, pointing a knife at her white throat in the darkness.
She'd been so worried about monsters that she hadn't thought about human threats – though she had no real reason to. There hadn't been any notable crime in decades. The police force had softened and become, generally, a joke. That was the reputation that the present police chief fought – and Minako would probably sympathize if he hadn't decided to attack the Sailor Senshi's capabilities in his campaign.
"Please," she said as he and his friend shoved her against the side of a building and pressed the knife close. The water running down the side of the building was soaking into her clothes and probably staining them. "Please, what do you want?" She was going over in her head how to get away from these men without killing either of them. Killing was generally frowned upon, and she didn't want to give the police chief anything else to insult the Senshi with.
"Your money, first," the first guy said, pressing way too close for her taste.
She wrinkled her nose, as much against the water that was running down it as his breath, and gasped out, "I have none."
The other guy cursed and wrenched her away from his friend, hitting her hard across the face and shoving her to the ground. She cried out more in surprise than pain and looked up, seeing her chance to send a snap kick to the friend's wrist, knocking the knife out of it – but before she could move, a voice cut through the scene.
"Stop! Police!" The commanding bass reverberated through the alley and Minako's eyes widened. A police officer? At this time of night? She knew, by Ami's hacking and the general local gossip, that they all went home around six or seven because of the low crime rate. The emergency police phone line had barely been used in years, so that they had converted it to go right to the local captain's house instead of the police station.
Thunder broke the sky and her assailants were frozen in between her and the policeman. But right after a flash of lightning, one of them darted toward her, probably preparing to put her in front of him while he escaped – but a shot rang out, muffled by the now-violent rain, and he dropped in pain, purpose forgotten.
The other one dropped his knife and held his hands up, not pretending to be brave or do anything foolish. After the first one was properly handcuffed and the second rolled over, Minako saw that his left knee was a bloody mess. The policeman confiscated the weapons and put both the cuffed men by the corner of the building, cuffing them together with a third set for extra protection. She saw the point in that – if one couldn't even walk, the other couldn't run while attached to him.
And then he turned and knelt by her and asked gently if she was hurt anywhere, and if she could walk. And in a bolt of lightning, Minako recognized him as Kevin's partner – his tall, tanned, gorgeous partner – and could only nod at him, her voice completely gone.
He helped her up and picked up his umbrella from where he'd dropped it. His hair was now dusted with a thick layer of rain that would soak through quickly once he tried to dry it, but he didn't seem to care, as he handed her the umbrella and prodded the two men before him, driving them toward the police station. It was very slow, as one of them was injured, but Kevin's partner was quite patient and didn't complain. The only times he spoke the whole time they were walking was to ask Minako repeatedly if she was okay.
At the police station, the man read the two men their rights (there was a small pamphlet by the cells in case of an arrest) and left Minako at one of the many desks in the room. They were all the same size and plain style. Tall, made of thick wood, with two drawers on either side. No frills or carvings except for ink and coffee stains. Each desk had a computer, though all monitors were dark, staring at her with blank animosity. The room was dimly lighted, as the policeman had only turned on the lights to show the way to the jail cells and forgotten to light the rest of the building. This seemed to be the main room, and there was an office to her right. She faced the entrance that he had locked behind them, just in case.
There were also name-plates on each desk, and she stood and bent over to read "Detective Kunzite."
The clang and screech of metal on metal reverberated through a doorway to her left – muffled by the walls in between. After a period of time that made Minako very nervous, Kunzite returned, carrying some towels.
He handed them to her and stood by the desk as she draped her sopping coat over the back of the chair she was in and wrapped her hair up in a towel.
"An ambulance is on its way, as well as my captain. That one man needs medical help." He had the decency to look concerned about the man, then sighed and shook his head, disturbed. "This is the first crime I've seen in this city in months. Before last year, I'd say it's the first I've seen in years. Things have been so peaceful."
"Thanks to the queen," Minako murmured, pride flashing briefly in her eyes.
"God bless Queen Serenity," he agreed. There was a moment of silence and he resumed business. "You'll need to make a statement and tell us everything that happened. After you do, I'll have a black-and-white drive you home." He knelt down beside her and opened a drawer, pulling out some papers. "We might as well get started now." He grabbed a pencil and handed her the form. "Fill out that top part, could you?"
Name:
Day Phone:
Home Phone:
Address:
Minako looked blankly at the paper but didn't have a chance to say anything as the ambulance arrived. What was she going to do about a phone number and address? She watched Kunzite greet the paramedics and lead them to the back where the injured man was. Biting her lip, she recognized a few very important things: she couldn't tell them she lived at the palace without compromising her identity (Kevin thought she was a private secretary on the other side of town), and she had no alternate information to give them. So she needed to get out of there quickly and find another way home.
Her acting skills came quickly to the fore as she heard Kunzite returning. She slumped into the chair and put her head in her hands, holding it tightly as if in pain. The pencil rolled to the floor, but she didn't bother to pick it back up.
"Are you okay?" Kunzite asked, approaching her with concern.
Minako raised her head and blinked at him, then shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She tried to stand – and stumbled as if struck by a dizzy spell, falling into Kunzite, who caught her shoulders and helped steady her.
"You're not fine," he remonstrated, frowning. "I should have one of the paramedics look over you. Sit back down," he helped her back into the chair and waved one of the men over.
"What are you feeling, dizziness?" the paramedic asked. She nodded. "Did you hit your head?" He flashed a light in her eyes, examining them.
"Not very hard. They pushed me down . . ." She played up the weakness and fear. She was one helluva little actress, if she did say so herself.
The paramedic sighed and nodded. "Even a slight blow to the head can cause problems if you hit it right." He had her bend forward and felt lightly over her scalp, asking her to tell him where it hurt.
"Near the back," she murmured and groaned. "The whole area aches."
He sighed again and took his hands away, scratching his neck and looking up at Kunzite. "I think I'd like to get her over at the hospital and run some tests, to make sure there's no lasting damage. I'm a little nervous about her having a concussion right now . . ." Minako glanced at him with eyes full of tears from the "pain."
Hospitals meant more paperwork.
"No," she protested, "I'll just call a friend to come get me. I'll be fine." She looked up at them with sweet, suffering, brave eyes and the wide neck of her sweater slipped a little to bare one shoulder. She was the ultimate sexy little victim.
Minako was very good at playing the ultimate. The only trouble would come if someone decided that her performances were a little too perfect.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Minako," Kunzite said, kneeling in front of her and taking her hand. He was being very gentle, and Minako was surprised that he knew her name. Most men were too interested in the performance she gave them and the cleavage she showed to pay any attention to her name – and that was the point of it most of the time. For them to remember her physically, but forget any information about her that may have been offered.
But Kunzite seemed to be very perceptive. She would have to remember that.
"No, I'm fine," she replied with a brave smile. "Really. I'll stay up for a few more hours in case I have a concussion, and I'll go to the hospital tomorrow." She looked at him with big, blue, pleading eyes, "I'm just so tired – and that whole ordeal . . ." she lowered her eyes as if to hide from them. "I've never been mugged before," she pressed her hand to her mouth and let out a sob, tears escaping from underneath her lashes. Kunzite's arms came around her in a comforting movement, and she clung to him. "I just don't think I could handle anything else tonight."
"It's okay, it's okay," he murmured, rubbing her back. "You don't have to go anywhere else tonight. I'll take you home myself, if you want."
"No," she murmured into his shoulder. "My friend can pick me up. It won't be any trouble." He drew back and started to protest, but she stopped him. "You need to stay here and take care of business."
"She's right," someone said from behind her. Minako was startled and turned to stare at a young man with a sweet smile and bright blue eyes. He stepped forward and shook her hand. "I'm Officer Jadeite. I'm taking Kevin's place until he gets better."
She frowned. "Kevin's not working right now?" That put a glitch in things.
"Since he's injured, he's gotten some time off. Just until the doctor says he's well enough to get out again." Kunzite looked at her oddly. "Didn't he tell you that?"
"No," she was honestly confused. "I just came from his place – I was walking home from there, actually – and he hadn't said a thing about it." She frowned and they didn't bother her. Finally, though, she shook herself and got her cell phone out of her coat. It was, essentially, a real phone, but there were six colored, plain buttons on the top row. White for the queen, yellow for Venus, blue for Mercury, green for Jupiter, and red for Mars. There was also a black one for the official castle phone line.
She pushed the red one and slipped back into her act.
'Hello?'
"Hey Rei," she attempted to sound as pathetic as she looked. "Don't panic, but . . . I was mugged."
Silence. 'Are you . . .' She could almost hear Rei thinking "Are the muggers okay?"
"I'm at the police station. I wasn't hurt. Kevin's partner, Detective Kunzite, was walking by. He saved my life." He saved their lives.
'I'll be there in five minutes.'
Minako smiled, but weakly. "I knew I could count on you. Thanks."
Kunzite watched her hang up.
"My roommate," she explained when she caught his eye. He only nodded and sighed, as if she should have let him drive her home, and he doubted the safety of her roommate's company.
"So you're Kevin's girlfriend, right?" Officer Jadeite pulled a chair up beside Minako and smiled sweetly, handing her a small cup of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. When she glanced at him in surprise, he said, "Kate had a stash in the fridge. I didn't figure she'd mind if we borrowed two." He twirled his plastic spoon and dug heartily into his own cup. Minako looked at him for a moment, startled, and then smiled widely, laughing a little. She followed his lead and ate the ice cream with gusto. They chatted a little between bites, laughing and smiling together. Kunzite, watching them, frowned darkly to himself, but rationalized that his discomfort was just because of Kevin's right to her.
And then the front doors swung open and Hino Rei walked through them. Breezed through them. Strode through them. Her hair fluttered out behind her and she wore a red tailored skirt suit that emphasized her slim beauty. Black heels clicked their way through the office, her appearance making everyone pause briefly in their work. Her lips were red, her skin was pale and smooth, her nose was graceful, her hair long and glossy black, and her eyes – her deep, thickly lashed, beautiful Japanese eyes – were unamused.
She stopped by Minako. Put one hand on her hip and looked down at her.
"You got mugged."
Minako swallowed her mouthful of ice cream and put her spoon down. "Yes."
Rei sighed and nodded, tossing her hair negligently.
Minako stood, putting her ice cream down. "This is Detective Kunzite," she introduced, Rei turning to look down at the man sitting behind her. "He stopped the muggers."
"Detective," she greeted coolly, holding out a slim white hand. She looked like a sleek and elegant business woman. He gripped her hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you for your services."
"And this is Officer Jadeite," she said, biting back the words screaming through her mind, that he was replacing Kevin and that they had a big problem.
And then she glanced at Jadeite as Rei touched his hand and knew that it wouldn't be so hard to fix.
He was as dazzled by her beauty as hundreds of other men had been throughout her life, the plastic spoon in his free hand dripping ice cream onto his pants. His lips were parted and he swallowed when she let gracefully go of him.
Bingo, Minako almost smiled.
Out on the front steps, Rei sighed. "You got mugged. What were you thinking!"
Minako bristled. "I was thinking how much I didn't want to kill them -- besides, they had a knife to my throat. By the time I had a good chance to disarm them, that detective was waving his gun around and yelling for them to put their weapons down. I couldn't exactly play Sailor Soldier around him."
Rei said nothing, only tossed her hair over her shoulder and unlocked her car. It was a sleek, shiny black thing that glittered with money.
"Besides, we have more important things to consider right now," Minako turned serious as she slipped in the car. "Kevin's no good anymore for our inside source -- Officer Jadeite is taking his place while he's wounded."
"That creates a problem," Rei agreed, starting her car and pulling out of the parking lot.
Minako grinned. "But Officer Jadeite thinks you're hot -- so we're not at such an impasse after all."
Rei frowned at her, starting to worry. "What? Minako . . ."
"You're going to graciously let me set you up with him." Minako sat back and smirked, ignoring the tension in Rei's hands on the wheel.
"No." Her lips were thinned and her back was rigid.
Minako's voice softened. "Yes, Rei. You only need to go out with him until Kevin gets better. Then I'll take over again."
"Get Makoto to do it -- she's dying for a little romance."
Minako sighed. "We already know he likes you. Just do this, okay?"
Rei sighed and shook her head. "Was there ever any doubt I would?" she asked softly, watching the road.
"No," Minako replied, smiling. No, Rei never went against her duties, even if she didn't like them.
They rode in silence to the palace.