I know I know, I took forever and I apologize. It's a bit hard to write such a romantic tale when all my romance has gone and died. Hope you like the new chapter!
P.S. I got a new sn! : Kiwi Gal of Love lol makes sense no?
Oh yeah, thank you to all of my reviewers who kept me going with their random reviews, especially last week.
Do I need any other dedications?
Mike: You know why
Rabid Fangirl-person: cause you are rabid, and with all the fluffyyishness in this chappy, this one's for you!
"Artie... wake up, we are at the studio." Minako said half an hour later. Artemis looked up at her with a bored stare, he hated the studio, all those annoying men all over Minako all the time. Thankfully he was generally with her when she had to go in for photo shoots or what not, after all who would protect HIS goddess of love from the forces of evil (rabid fans, we mean).
"What is happening today anyways?" Artemis said walking out of the bag as he was set down on the couch in Minako's dressing room. Minako twirled around and smiled coyly at him.
"It's a surprise. Now I want you to go humanoid and take a shower. Cat cleaning just won't cut it. I would have had you showered at home, but I left my best shampoo here last week. So you go in there and in a little while I'll bring your clothes in once I remember where I put them. Okay?" she said happily, smiling wider.
"Why?" he said, turning human in a small cloud of mist. His long silver-white hair went down to just above his elbows giving him an angelic look, not to mention his dusky blue eyes complimenting his features.
"Why what?" Minako said, rushing around the room to find the clothes she had just bought for her friend.
"Why do you want me to be a human today?" Artemis said standing up and brushing away the imaginary dirt on his pants. "Is that guy bothering you to date him again?"
"Yeah that, and I have a surprise for you." Minako said, pushing her friend towards the bathroom. "You just make yourself look pretty and leave the rest to me."
After a few grumblings, Artemis walked towards the shower and was amazed, like every time he came to her studio, at how huge her bathroom was. Undressing himself and turning on the water, he settled himself in the steamy water pouring down on him. Scrubbing his body completely, and washing his hair a total of three times, he was amazed that Minako hadn't made her presence known and brought his clothes.
Turning off the water and stepping out onto the throw rug, Artemis has surprised to find that Minako had indeed come into the vast bathroom, not to deliver, but to take away his clothes. Sighing, he wrapped a towel about his waist and opened to door slightly to the main room.
"Minako..." he said softly, only poking his head out the door. His eyes went as big as saucers when he saw Minako laid down on the couch with a man on top of her. Artemis threw the door open and strode over to the two.
"What do you think you are doing?" he demanded as he yanked the man off of Minako and held him at an arm length
"Who the hell do you think you are?" the offender taunted.
"Artemis!" Minako squeaked in surprise and delight, jumping up and hiding behind her guardian. "Yutiku, please just go away! Besides, I have to leave for the casting. I'm sure that your latest invasion of my room will lower your chances of getting a decent role, not to forget that Alise hates you already."
"But Aino..." The man said stretching out his hand.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Minako wailed, crying as she clutched her arms around Artemis' waist. Artemis let go of the man and the actor gave Minako's protector a fierce glare before leaving the dressing room.
"What happened?" Artemis demanded softly several seconds later, Minako still crying into his back. After a few sniffles, the girl let go of him and turned to face the one wall without mirrors.
"Get changed first, your clothes are sitting on my make-up chair... just please don't leave me... I promise I won't peek." She said covering her eyes with her hands.
"Now tell me what happened." Artemis said after quickly changing, miraculously keeping the towel on until he was almost fully dressed. He turned around and looked at Minako, who was looking him over, deciding whether or not she should have bought him the clothes he was wearing.
"You look good enough to eat." Minako purred to herself. A million naughty images flashed through Artemis' mind, wishing that just one of them could come true. He looked down at himself, trying to figure out what the hell he could be wearing that would turn her on. White baggy pants and a fitted black tee showing off his slim but slightly muscular figure seemed like a normal enough set of clothing.
"So are you going to tell me?" he said, fighting away his blush at her comment and sitting down on the couch.
"While I was looking for your new clothes, he knocked on the door. I was expecting someone to come and get me for the meeting, so I just opened the door." Minako said softly, making her way over to the couch and sitting beside her guardian with her legs tucked underneath her. "He barged in and closed the door... and saying something about us getting back together again, he started kissing me and feeling me. I tried to push him off, but he's so much larger than me, not to mention stronger. He had just pushed me down to the couch when you came in."
"Oh, Mina..." Artemis said softly, wrapping his arms around the girl's shoulders and hugging her to his chest. The blonde snuggled closer to his chest, slightly purring with delight, which confused Artemis out of his wits. Unfortunately, Artemis' joy of cuddling was cut short as a knock was heard on the door.
"Minako!!! It's Alise!" came a preppy voice from the hall. "May I come in?"
"Go hid in the bathroom." Minako whispered, dislodging herself from her guardian. "I'll come and get you when she leaves."
"Are you sure?" Artemis said making his way towards the bathroom.
"Yes! Now go!" she hissed, waiting for him to close the door before she welcomed her guest.
"Minako! Yutiku came in here didn't he?" The girl said. She was slightly shorter than Minako, with a stylish short hair cut. The woman was the fashion director of the studio, her job included everything from deciding whether or not the actors were cute enough, to what they would wear. Alise ran her manicured hand through her semi light green hair.
"God I hate that man. Now, there is no way you are wearing a skirt- suit to the casting! Too business like, besides, we are doing the lead male roles today, so dress to impress. When the women come, you must dress normally as to not put them down... and I think you should be late to the meeting tomorrow... we want to give you a laid back look, but don't tell Director I told you to do it okay?" Alise said, pushing Minako into the room and running towards the closet, where she proceeded to trash the entire room looking for the perfect ensemble.
Artemis sat inside the bathroom listening to the girls chatter as they picked out Minako's clothes and Alise did her make up. Just about as he was ready to turn into a cat and annoy Minako for leaving him for so long, a knock was heard on the main door. Artemis tensed as he pressed his ear towards the main room. He sighed in relief when it was just the errand boy telling the girls that their conference started in ten minutes.
"Okay, well you are all done. Coming?" he heard Alise say as her voice traveled towards the exit.
"I just need to use the bathroom and I'll be there in a second. Remember, I need to make my 'polite' entrance." Minako giggled to her friend.
"Artemis, you may come out now." She said a minute later. Artemis walked out of the bathroom to see Minako's 'curve-showing outfit' as Alise appropriately described. A flowy black skirt clung to her hips before rippling down to around her knees, while her tight white v-neck tee gave a tiny preview of her plentiful cleavage. She wore strappy white high-heeled sandals, making her eyes about nose height with Artemis.
"You like?" Minako said softly, noticing Artemis gaze over her body. "Now, I suppose I should tell you your surprise now so you aren't left too much in the dark. I entered you under the name of a false agency as an actor trying out for my new movie. Today is the audition, so I'll have to leave you at the room with all the other contestants. Don't get nervous, I'm sure they'll love you."
"You are dragging me into a movie?" Artemis said disbelievingly. "I've seen you work on the other movies, there is no way I could do it. I've never acted in my life."
"I know, but don't worry, be yourself and we'll see if you get through the auditions first." Minako said giggling, as she wrapped her arms around one of his and lead him out into the hall. "Besides, I just know you'll love the subject of the movie."
Before Artemis could ask her what she was talking about, Minako pushed him into a room of chairs, all but one of them was filled with a male actor, almost all of them well known. Earning several glares and a couple curios looks, he made his way to the only seat lest, which had a piece of paper reading 'Tsukinoneko, Artemis'. Leave it to Minako to give him a last name meaning 'Cat of the Moon'. Almost as soon as he had settled in his seat, the stage started to be lit while the rest of the room's lights dimmed.
"Hello, and welcome to Studio Blue Penguin." came a woman's voice over the speakers. "Thank you for your co-operation and good luck."
"Welcome everyone to the auditions!" a voice said as the curtains were drawn back on the stage to reveal Minako, Alise, and several men.
"This studio always loves putting on a show, I mean it's just an audition." Artemis heard being whispered next to him.
"Now I'm sure that since many of you have been here about three hours you are ready to get started." The man wearing a suit on stage spoke. "Now, I'm sorry that we did not release the information on the film you are auditioning for, as we did not want to let the press know. As you have may heard, this is a romance film, staring our Aino Minako. Some of you may remember the super crime fighter from several years back... Sailor V."
Artemis chuckled to himself and leaned forward.
"Basically our film will feature Aino as Sailor V, fighting the forces of evil while falling in love with a man she meets, who turns out to be her greatest enemy. We already have written the script, but are accepting our actor and actress' changes, as we want to start filming in two weeks, and call backs will always be the day after the first audition. Now we will be announcing names in a little while and we ask you to come when your name is called through the door under the center of the stage. You will find a corridor that leads you to the auditioning room. All of us on the stage will be awaiting you there, and while you wait, please help yourself to the food, books and other things provided for you. On behalf of Studio Blue Penguin, good luck."
The curtain was closed and mumblings started erupting all over the room. Artemis decided on the only thing he could think of doing, taking a nap. Soon falling asleep in his chair, Artemis never noticed that the room's occupants slowly dissipated.
"Tsukinoneko, Tsukinoneko, please come to the audition room." Were the first words to greet his ears when he awoke, probably two hours after the stage announcement. Stretching, Artemis made his way to the auditioning room. The wooden door underneath the stage was normal enough, only to be followed by a dark corridor with fake torches lighting the walls. A dungeon cell type door was awaiting him at the end, pulling it open, he found himself in a moderately lit room.
"Welcome please sit." Said the man who had been talking on stage before. A black leather chair was sitting alone, obviously meant for the audition contestants. Artemis sat down and looked across the table, the three men in suits looked rather bored and weary, while the two girls (sitting next to each other) were playing finger soccer with ice cubes from their drinks.
"Girls, pay attention." The man said only receiving uninteresting mumbles from the ladies. "Pardon Aino and Alise, they get bored with this very easily. I am known as Producer, this here is Director, and next to him is Writer, and I suppose you recognize Aino next to him, and the girl at the end if Alise."
"Alise in charge of imaging!" the girl squeaked, glaring at producer, before looking over to Artemis. "Minako! We found a hot one!"
"That is the first time you've said that today." Minako laughed, turning around, slightly shocked to see it was Artemis. "She's right. He looks scrumptious."
"Aino, think don't talk." Grumbled Director. "Now Mr. Tsukinoneko, we have five parts to this audition, and you have already passed the first two. You qualified well, and Alise thought you... pretty.... So let's go onto the third."
Artemis found the third was a number of different questions, including saying one line in about twenty different ways. He found it quite amusing and fun, and was even more joyful when he saw Minako smiling at him. Alise barged into the questioning, asking who did his wardrobe for the day. Minako blushed lightly when he answered that his best friend did.
"Ready for part four yet?" Writer droned, keeping his head in the book he was reading. "Now you and Aino are going to read a section of script. In the first piece, you will be the malicious villain, and in the second I want you to read it to her as if you two were lovers, after a fight. Got it? Go."
"You two will be standing and acting the thing out, read the stage directions, but anything you add in is acceptable as long as it goes along with the plot." Director grumbled out.
"Just try your best to please three people, your actress, your director and your writer all at the same time and I'd be impressed." Producer said in his cheery sing song voice.
"Go for it hottie!" Alise called.
"Shall we begin?" Minako said standing without her book and walking over towards Artemis. He stood and quickly scanned over the script he was handed.
The first scene was tedious, as Minako kept on giggling when Artemis tried to be 'a malicious villain', not that he minded her laughing at him, he loved her chime-like giggle. Alise was also complaining about how they shouldn't waste such good looks on a villain, and soon Director yelled at the two actors to move to the next scene. The two started their second scene of only a few short yet emotional pages, calling for some rather over exaggerated stage commands. By only the second page Alise was in tears, mopping her face on her new expensive silk scarf, and Minako was tearing slightly at the eyes. Artemis was hopping this wasn't due to the fact she was keeping in her laughter, as he was acting as if he and the blonde in front of him had got into a fight, which unfortunately did happen every now and then.
Artemis had just finished his last line, when he looked down at the script to see one last stage direction: they kiss. His heart jumped, but knowing Minako was counting on him to try his best, and that she had kissed him every now and then in a normal friendly way, he went on with it. Laying his hand softly on Minako's cheek, he leaned down slightly to kiss her. He had meant it to be only a small, short, peck on the lips, but as he was about to pull away Minako's arms came up to wrap around his neck and hold him to her lips.
"Aino, it's not right to kiss in front of an audience for so long, I'm sure you're boring them." Artemis said after a while of kissing her. He had wrapped his arms around her waist, making her seemingly melt against him, also loosing her tight grip on his neck.
"Ummm" Minako mumbled blushing. Letting go of Artemis she returned to her seat.
"Well... not only is he hot... he pasted the impossible fifth test. Minako is pickier about the guys she kisses on first run that I am about looks." Alise said, her mouth hanging open in astonishment.
"Well, call backs are tomorrow, we have your number. Thank you." Producer said. Artemis stood up from the chair he had sat back down in. Bowing, he turned to the door to his left and was just out the door when Minako called to him.
"Tsukinoneko! If you'll wait for me I shouldn't be long, we only have seven more. I'd be delighted if you would walk me home." She said smiling sweetly at him.
"Of course, I shall wait for you by your dressing room." Artemis said bowing once again before leaving.
"What was that about?" Alise said before Artemis had closed the door all the way.
"Even if he doesn't get the part, he's getting my number." Minako giggled.
"That good a kisser, ne?" Alise said.
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