A/N: I wanted to see how these ladies would handle being in different parts of the world. These characters are my interpretation of the canon, which is to say, what fanfiction has always felt like to me. An interpretation of an inspiring work. If they seem a little AU, it's because I do not own them nor do I try to have them be anything other than how I've perceived them while consuming the media. That being said, let me know what you all think.
Part 1: In which Minako finds out that to be loved as an idol, isn't necessarily love at all.
"Los Angeles is a constellation of plastic." -Norman Mailer
"...life's a beautiful thing, and there's so much to smile about." -Marilyn Monroe
Los Angeles was warm in the winter. That was something different from the cool temperatures that Tokyo held. The sun was bright, and if you stood in it, you'd feel the warmth. You only had to wear a t-shirt most days. There were noticeable differences, of course. In the shade, it was about ten degrees cooler and you might have to put on a sweater or a shrug. And you definitely couldn't go out at night without a jacket, which led to everyone buying ridiculous faux fur coats that they would wear for a week in January and then put away in their closets until the next season.
Minako Aino had one of those ridiculous faux fur coats. It was leopard print, fluffy, and engulfed her frame. Tonight, she was wearing it over a tight black dress, with knee high boots. Her long blonde hair swished behind her as she made her way to the car in front of her apartment building.
"Out for something special tonight?" The driver asked her as she buckled herself in the backseat.
"A date." She replied, and if he heard the lack of enthusiasm in her voice, he said nothing. In fact, the entire rest of the drive was spent listening to him speak with family on the phone.
Minako watched downtown come into focus from the freeways. In America, there were so many freeways. At first, she was enthralled, being able to drive the coast of Southern California with her windows rolled down and the salty air weaving through her skin and hair. That was when she was first learning how to drive, and experiencing that "freedom" that some freeways could possess. Some was the word. Now, she hated driving with all her being but living in Los Angeles meant that driving had to occur. The alternative was having someone else drive you, and thank god for that new app.
Downtown looked sparkly and lonesome all at once. The Staples Center was lit up, anticipating some event, perhaps a basketball game? The skyline reminded her of a mineral she came across at The Natural History Museum. It was called Galena. Sharp dark edges with bright spots of Quartz growing on top. She had heard someone somewhere calling Los Angeles "The City of Quartz."
It seemed appropriate to her then. Shiny things tend to form under pressure of the darkness, the bleakness of a capitalist landscape. She herself was here for that reason, was she not? With casting calls and auditions several days a week, at several modeling and acting agencies, Minako was feeling the pressure. But it was Hollywood, and Hollywood was looking for blond girls that had natural blue eyes, and (of course!) Scandinavian/European features. She had better luck in modeling, especially for small brands that prided themselves on being independent of the large-scale corporations.
It wasn't long until she had discovered photo sharing social media platforms. She found she could post a picture of herself doing absolutely nothing, but still gain attention from strangers. A post of her face, or a new outfit instantly gained hundreds of "likes." This led to small brand deals, which eventually led to Minako wearing the latest styles, which led to aforementioned faux fur coat. She would be sent things to wear and promote, leading her feeds to become more advertisements than an actual sharing of what her actual life was like. She was drawn into it fast, her photos promoting new skin-care, or make up or bathing suits. And on nights like tonight? She shared her evenings through video stories, often highlighting the most glamorous places she attended.
Her date was waiting for her in the lobby. He seemed cute, polished and confident. She liked confident people, but most of the men she had been seeing in Los Angeles seemed to have mistaken confidence for a brash arrogance. As he stood and raised his arm to greet her, a smirk coming over his features, she noticed a really expensive watch on his wrist.
Another one, she thought. But she still smiled and giggled at him at the appropriate moments throughout their conversation of the night.
The restaurant was a mix of classy upscale French cuisine and Americana styling. They were seated outside next to one of those fireplaces that has rocks and crystals instead of coals. It looked like a glowing alien fireplace, not one that she would've guessed would be in an establishment that had Victorian couches inside or antique lamps. But that was just LA wasn't it? A fusion of all styles and mixes and Minako was not accustomed to it, used to the monogamous nature of design and people in Tokyo.
There were so many things that Minako missed about home. She had moved to Los Angeles about a year ago to follow her dreams of becoming an idol. A year ago, she stepped out of LAX's noisy airport, breathed in the exhaust and sea air, took in the assaulting sunshine and felt like her life was just beginning.
She learned how to drive! She learned about commuting! She learned that Los Angeles, while full of eight million people, could really feel like the loneliest city in the world. Separated by neighborhoods (West Side, East Side, WeHo, DTLA- how confusing for her to get through!)
Los Angeles was a city of extremes; she could see that after once accidentally stumbling across a street where everyone lived in tents. She would never forget the hollow eyes that stared at her, as she stumbled through, latching onto the arm of a new friend (though she learned that friendships here were fleeting) as they made their way into the Arts District.
Minako explored every inch. And she did so through dating apps. Dating was easy for her, she always had known how to be charming. She met people in every neighborhood, at every landmark, all in her own selfish pursuit of exploring this City of Angels. She went to amusement parks and national parks; she went out to late night raves and early morning yoga classes. She followed her roommate once to a radical political party meeting, where she felt uncomfortable by how extreme everyone seemed, and left to go catch up with a guy who she had went on a date with earlier that week. That night he told her he could see a future with her, and she broke it off immediately.
She didn't know what she was looking for, but at the time, she didn't think it was love.
Her friends at home would tease her about this, she knew. Minako Aino, the self-proclaimed "Goddess of Love" doesn't want to actually find love? Rei would be beside herself laughing. She missed them. She video chatted with them once a week when she had first arrived, but lately, she had been avoiding calling. Something was piercing her, her motivation for things had started to dwindle and her passions seemed scattered. She began to wonder if she wanted to really stay here, in this toxic city, with it's toxic people and it's poison air.
She posted pictures instead, of her face with "beauty looks" and her body clad in form fitting outfits, and sky-high heels. She took in the small hearts that appeared over her photos with the kind of determined competition that saw her through numerous volleyball tournaments as a high school student. Four hundred likes for a photo of her face, but nearly nine hundred for her body? People "loved" her. Astonishing.
In this fancy restaurant, overlooking the city, Minako was beginning to find some sort of realization. Her date was extremely boring, and kept staring at her chest. Well, she did put on a dress that was a little low cut. She asked him about the sights.
"Oh, that's some historical square, I think. I dunno, some sort of park or something." He said, shrugging away any last bits of interesting dinner conversation he might have.
She realized then, that she was testing him. Later that night, she excused his advances, and refused to go home with him.
Instead, she typed in an address on her phone, a few minutes later, opened the door to the backseat of a stranger's car, and rode in complete silence to the outskirts of the city. She was dropped off as the bottom of a small hill, where people were walking up or down a path.
She walked up that path, watching the top of the hill slowly coming into focus. The building at the top was old, not as old as some of the buildings downtown, but it still had that feel. She didn't go inside, where people were milling about. Instead, she walked to a large courtyard and made her way to the railing.
The city lay out before her, twinkling lights from all of the homes and sky rises. There was a little bit of an orange glow emitting into the horizon. As she took in the skyline, Minako had to admit; there was a charm about this city after all. She could point out her favorite neighborhood that had Korean spas, her favorite locations for Oaxacan food, and her favorite place to grab a specialty whiskey cocktail. She could see the direction her apartment was in, nestled between the craziness of Hollywood and the laid back West Side. But she could also see how much she was missing.
She came to LA looking for people to love her. She didn't realize that what she wanted, that the type of love that she was looking for, was in something else entirely. Amidst this sparkling skyline, glittering like a thousand diamonds against a darkening landscape, Minako Aino made the decision to give her love away instead.
The following day took her off of every course she had known thus far. In the morning, she stood on a beach with about twenty other volunteers, pledging to clean up trash found there. In the afternoon, she attended a local bookstore sale, benefiting one of the more marginalized communities in the city. In the evening, she was downtown again, but this time, writing letters to incarcerated youth.
Not once did she check her apps.
Instead-later that night-at her small kitchen table pushed up against her floor to ceiling windows, she pulled out a pen and paper and began to write to her friends in loopy handwriting:
"Hi everyone, I know it's been awhile. I've decided to make some changes to my life here. I know I'll see you all again soon…."