Rei was never one for crowds.
Having spent her entire life living in a relatively quiet shrine, she couldn't say whether she was made for the Shrine Maiden life, or the Shrine Maiden life made her. All she knew was that, if she were enjoying private time as Hino Rei, she much preferred to be fireside with a book, or conducting her cleaning chores outdoors with the sun on her back and her crows for company.
As an assassin, however, she welcomed crowds. Large congregations allowed for her to easily move about in the open without being seen. Adolescents waving their merchandise in the air and shouting above each other hid the assassin in plain sight. With her white hood pulled over her head, she silently absorbed her surroundings.
Rei spent the better part of a week preparing herself for this event. She studied the layout of the venue, spent hours scouring Sailor V's fan sites for information about the performer's schedules and habits before and after her shows, and researched the types of trailers she used for her dancers, band, wardrobe, and herself. Setsuna supplied the blueprints of the parking lot and venue, but that was the only assistance Rei was willing to accept.
This was her first mission. She was going to prove she could defy her father and live up to her mother's legacy.
Unlike the crazed fans who violently pushed and shoved each other to get to the gate separating them from Sailor V's trailers, Rei slinked between bodies with all the patience in the world. It was a hot summer day, making the body odor of hundreds of teenagers more pungent than normal. Rei's hoodie, while durable, was lightweight and breathable. Her hair was pulled back inside of her hood. Raven bangs provided a veil over her eyes when she became suspicious of a gaze lingering for too long. Her violet eyes were a nuisance in that they easily identified her.
Especially among the templars.
Rei sidled up to the metal gate blocking off the desperate fans from the rows of trailers Sailor V and her employees occupied. She was to the far left, opposite Sailor V's flamboyantly painted mobile, waiting beneath the shadow of an overhanging Japanese oak tree. Within seconds, the crowd would swarm in that direction, preoccupying security and giving her the break she needed to infiltrate Mina's secondary changing station; the trailer she would retreat to after the excitement and chaos of the event were over.
Across the distance, piercing through the screeching crowd, Rei heard it. Deimos cawing from his spying perch, indicating Aino was exiting her trailer. Rei held her ground, standing behind a clueless security guard, waiting for chaos to break loose.
Sailor V stepped out of her trailer, and it was an apocalyptic event.
As the fans began their inevitable struggles to garner her attention, Rei stole a second to study her target from afar. Aino's physical appearance was as expected: flowing golden hair, a radiant smile with perfect teeth, and clear blue eyes partially shielded by her trademark mask.
That mask. The reason Rei was here. The red, glittering mask enhanced Sailor V's stage presence, making it nearly impossible for anyone looking upon her not to be enraptured by her every word. Kaiou and Rei's father had knowingly bestowed this unfathomably powerful object to a pop star, of all people.
The entire situation was frustrating because it was effective. There were precious few methods of brainwashing civilians outside of idol worship.
Aino wore a sparkling scarlet bodice and heels to match her mask. The woman's bare arms and legs were toned and flawless; the product of dancing by day and training to murder by night. Wrapped around her waist was a string of beads that she often used as a stage prop. But Rei knew better. That was a whip, and while she could find no footage or other records of Minako using it as a weapon, it was best to remain on her guard.
Prancing around Sailor V's feet and seeming to enjoy the attention as much as its owner was her cat, Artemis. His fur was as pure as snow. Even his whiskers and feline nose were white. Rei had already accounted for her constant companion's presence. On the forearm opposite her hidden blade, Rei had prepared and loaded darts with the right amount of poison needed for a ten pound cat.
"Hi everyone!" Mina waved an inviting hand to her adoring fans. While the handful of security guards were distracted with keeping the fans from scaling the metal gate containing them, Rei made her move.
Certain no eyes were on her, Rei used the sturdy gate to propel herself up and into the tree above her. Its foliage was thick, providing ample coverage as she bounded from branch to branch, covering an incredible amount of distance without so much as disturbing a leaf.
After traversing ten trees, she reached her destination. The wardrobe trailer was below her. As expected, two security guards patrolled the lot. A sharp, short whistle to her arial companions dispatched them for as long as it took her to infiltrate the trailer.
"Ow! Damn bird!" The guard closest to Rei ran off while trying to shoo Phobos away. He ran in the opposite direction with the crow picking at his sunglasses with her beak. Rei smirked at the scene before dropping down onto the roof.
She isolated the panel containing the security system within seconds. After opening it with a lockpick, she disengaged the alarms and cameras. The entire process took less than a minute, but Rei recalled with grim satisfaction how many months of practice it had taken during her training to master the art of disarming electronic security systems as sophisticated as the templar's technology.
Snapping the panel back into place, Rei double-checked the location of the guards. The crows were still pestering them. She leapt down in front of the door. Using the same lockpick, she let herself into the massive mobile wardrobe.
Rei had no idea how a young woman the same age as her could amass such a staggering amount of clothes. Granted, she was not one to be concerned with material objects, especially when compared to most young women. The Shrine Maiden wore her white kimono and red hakama most days. And when she had no reason to wear her traditional attire, she wore figure hugging jeans that were worn enough to allow for full range of motion, paired with her white hood. Functional and basic.
But this? Rei didn't even know where to begin when she found herself staring at rows upon rows of sliding hangers containing clothing of every style and color she could imagine. Rei glanced up at the tracks on the low ceiling, memorizing their pattern. Hiding amongst the dangling wardrobe would be the smartest decision. Rei could hide in the shadows behind the layers of hanging outfits, line her poison dart, and lunge for Aino just as the cat was dispatched.
Rei nodded to herself. She had a couple of hours until the concert would be over, giving her plenty of time. However, there was no reason to dawdle. Rei wasn't interested in browsing hundreds of overpriced outfits, looking at herself in the full length mirrors, or disturbing any items on the vanity.
Careful not to move anything, the assassin dropped to the floor. She crawled beneath the hanging clothes. Even the floor of this mobile home was spotless, Rei noticed as her nose was only inches from the white linoleum.
After slithering past the last row of clothes, Rei discovered a shoe rack built into the back wall. She tested its durability. It appeared sturdy enough to support her weight. She stood up on the level wooden shelf, situating her feet between two pairs of heels. Being on the shorter side, she was able to stand on top of the shoe rack without her head poking out over the hangers.
Now that she was in position, there was little to do but wait.
Rei melded into the shadows. She entered a meditative trance. She controlled her breathing so that her chest barely moved. Stilling her thoughts to ensure she was hyper-aware of her surroundings was another matter. She struggled to bury vengeful thoughts of her father, her annoying need to prove to Haruka and the other assassins she could do this, and the shred of doubt tugging at her heart.
This would be her first kill. Rei had disabled and injured others during training and while acting as backup on other people's missions. But she had never killed anyone, let alone the most famous singer in Japan.
Rei reminded herself that Aino Minako had gotten in bed with the templars of her own accord. She was a templar just as much as the rest of them, even if she probably didn't share the same dedication to the New World Order as most.
Still, Rei couldn't forget the conflict and sadness she saw in Minako's eyes while experiencing her father's memory in the Animus.
Eventually, the assassin swallowed her concern and recommitted to her mission. With her thoughts conquered, she became a silent shadow until her patience was rewarded.
Deimos rapped her beak against the outside of the trailer wall directly behind Rei's back.
Minako was finally here.
From the opposite end of the trailer, the door opened. The unmistakable click of heels entered, followed by the door locking and closing behind her. Rei couldn't see anything through the layers of fabric blocking her sight. But assassin's didn't need their eyes. Rei's other senses painted a clear enough picture of her prey's movements.
"That was a great show, wasn't it?" Aino spoke. Her voice was light and carefree, blissfully unaware of her pending death.
The feline meowed a response. Rei felt and heard its paws against the floor.
"I'm so excited to go back to Paris next week! I— What is it, Artemis?"
Rei cursed to herself. She hadn't so much as made a sound, and still the cat sensed her presence. There was no time to consider where she went wrong.
Four legs were sprinting towards her. Artemis' raised tail swayed the loose fabrics between them, giving away his location.
She raised her arm with the attached poison dart gun. Taking less than a second to plan the cat's path and time the trajectory of her shot, she applied pressure to the trigger.
Somehow, Sailor V was faster.
Before Rei could get her shot off, the beaded whip was flying toward her. Rei instinctively lifted her forearm to protect her face, but it was fruitless. Both her forearm and neck were tightly wrapped and yanked forward.
The two met between walls of clothes. Rei felt her hood fall back as she was pulled against Aino's body. Rei brought up her free fist toward the templar's face, but the blonde grabbed her wrist.
The two stared each other down. Sailor V, the taller woman, looked down at her with a curious and amused expression. She was undoubtedly deciding what to do with Rei; kill her now or bring her back to her templar superiors for questioning.
Instead, Aino did nothing.
Trapped like a crazed animal, Rei could only snarl at her. Sailor V was still wearing the mask. Rei turned away, knowing that gazing through the Piece of Eden for too long would put her directly under its spell.
Magical artifact aside, Aino was a kept, spoiled celebrity. Rei couldn't accept that in only one year of training, this woman had defeated her in combat.
"Violet eyes… I know who you are," Minako whispered in a way that made it difficult to know what she was thinking. "It must drive you mad."
Her voice was almost as sickeningly sweet as her scent. Vanilla. She didn't smell like sweat after performing under stage lights for two hours. The hot breath tickling Rei's cheek carried motes of vanilla, mingled with a floral scent Rei couldn't place.
Rei had no desire to chat. "Just kill me."
The superstar pouted. "But we just met. I thought we'd have a little fun first."
Rei had been an assassin since birth. She wasn't going to allow herself to be patronized by this fledgling templar. Mina yanked on the whip, pulling Rei closer and giving her an opportunity she was not going to waste.
The hidden blade was trapped in the constraints against Rei's neck. As Mina pulled her closer, she unwittingly created an opening for the assassin to take advantage of.
With a grunt, Rei yanked her arm against the constricting whip, releasing her hidden blade toward Aino's neck.
Again, Sailor V was inconceivably swift. No sooner had the mechanism on Rei's wrist clicked, did she yank Rei away. The motion wasn't entirely futile; the hidden blade drew blood across Aino's cheek and caused her loosen the whip.
Rei escaped from her restraint and caught her balance. She turned to strike again. The broadside of her blade arced in a half-circle, this time aiming for her opponent's chest. A mere inch stood between Rei and victory, but she was foiled yet again.
Before she was able to pierce Aino's heart, the meddlesome cat interceded. Artemis threw all of his weight against Rei's arm, scratching and biting her hand. The trailer rocked when Rei and Artemis crashed against the wall. The vanity shook, and glass perfume bottles shattered on the floor.
The disturbance drew attention.
"Sailor V! What's going on!"
"Are you alright?"
The two security guards Phobos and Deimos distracted hours ago rushed through the door. Knowing she wouldn't get a better chance to make her escape, Rei charged straight for them.
"Hey!" Mina called after her.
Not risking a look back, the assassin leapt on one of the guards. Throwing all of her weight against him caused him to stumble backwards. Rei's crows joined the fray, harassing the second guard who was trying to unholster his pistol.
"Artemis, no!" Minako yelled. Whether she was stopping the feline from being attacked by crows or from apprehending her, Rei couldn't say. Nor was she going to find out.
With both men distracted and Sailor V nursing her injury, Rei made her exit. She shimmied up the side of the trailer, leapt into a nearby tree, and didn't stop running until she thought her lungs would burst.
Perched on the roof of an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city, Rei overlooked the evening traffic. She pulled her hood back over her head, waiting in silence for Phobos and Deimos to arrive.
The assassin fumed. She clenched her fists as she relived her botched assassination attempt over and over, mentally punishing herself for her blunder.
She should have known the cat would give her away. Aino kept an animal companion for the same reason she had her crows: superior senses and reflexes.
Artemis: Greek goddess of the hunt, wild animals, and female purity. Interesting choice of name for a male cat.
Rei glanced down at her hand. The back of it bore bleeding scratches from said feline. Rei knew she should be grateful she walked away with only cat scratches. But she couldn't be happy about anything right now.
Her first mission had been an abject failure. A humiliation, even. She couldn't call Tenoh after this. She didn't even want to go back to the shrine and face Meiou, who would arrive in the morning as she did every day to perform routine maintenance on the Animus.
Rei let her legs dangle over the side of the roof. Phobos and Deimos soon accompanied her. Each assumed a perch on one of her shoulders. Her thoughts wandered as she watched the sun set across the city. The sky transitioned from rose, to orange, and finally a dark shade of purple matching her eyes.
The violet eyes Aino recognized within a second.
They were Hino Takashi's violet eyes.
"Yes, it does drive me mad…" Rei answered Minako's question while staring into the moon.