Two months had passed since that night.
Rei spent two months cycling herself through the most intensive training sessions of her life. When she wasn't training, she took purifying baths and cleaned Hikawa Shrine until her hands were more calloused than ever before.
Two months of wondering why Aino's scent and smile lingered in her mind. Two months of questioning why she stayed after eavesdropping on the idol's phone conversation. Rei should have left or stolen the Piece of Eden while the woman was distracted with her self-indulgence.
Instead, she remained frozen against the outdoor wall, listening and struggling to keep herself steady.
Rei could have sworn she heard her name, sang as if Minako was praying to Aphrodite as she climaxed...
Her mind was playing tricks on her.
Rei thought she was prepared for such a scene. After all, she was taught to expect anything and everything while stalking a target. It would have been easier, she thought, if Minako was with someone else. If there was a lover there, whose name Aino would have called out instead.
As Rei sat before the roaring fire, her mind persistently wandered to that night. No matter how many chants or purifying rituals she succumbed herself to, Minako's voice rang in her ears and her sin burned Rei's loins.
Sweat dripped down her brow. The Shrine Maiden was about to give up on meditating, until a moving image began to take shape in the flames.
A white cat. A bolt of lightning striking from the heavens. A crow diving between the two.
Just before the bird in her vision was struck, Rei almost leapt out of her skin.
"There's our Clairvoyant Crow! See anything interesting?" an intruding voice called out from behind.
Rei was already annoyed at having her first vision in months ruined. Being visited by the person she had been avoiding all this time compounded her misery.
The Shrine Maiden forced herself to her feet. After smoothing the front of her hakama, Rei turned to her uninvited guest. "Hello, Tenoh. And nothing I've been able to make sense of."
The fellow assassin wore a pair of slim men's jeans and an untucked navy dress shirt. Her sandy, cropped hair was styled in a way that made it impossible for Rei to discern whether it was windswept or purposefully arranged. Haruka wore her annoying, cocky grin.
Rei braced herself for the upcoming teasing.
"Ya know," Haruka began while studying the room's layout. "I told you not to fuck up. Then you did. Twice. I'm beginning to think you're doing it on purpose."
"What do you want?" Rei transfixed Haruka with her steely violet gaze.
"I'd like you to answer my calls, for starters," Haruka answered. She placed both hands on her narrow hips.
"I've no desire to speak to you."
At least Tenoh couldn't accuse Rei of sparing her feelings.
"I somehow figured that out." Haruka didn't act offended in the slightest. "Pity, too, because I've got some information on your favorite idol."
Rei crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "What makes you think I care?"
Haruka stepped closer and leaned forward. She was tall, often using her height to impose on others. But Rei knew better. She glared up at Haruka with an imposing stare of her own.
"Because you're stubborn like me. You won't give up on a target, will you?"
"No." Rei's simple answer echoed over the crackling of the fire.
"Didn't think so. So I went ahead and got you these." Haruka reached into her back pocket, pulling out two tickets. She handed them to Rei, who took her time processing what she was reading, and the implications thereof.
"An exclusive charity event. Featuring a private meet and greet with international pop icon Sailor V?" Rei asked while looking up at Haruka. She had already guessed what the catch was. "Let me guess, I have to bring you?"
"What? No!" Haruka scoffed. "I've got more important things to do than babysit you."
Rei ignored the jab. "Who, then?"
"The only other assassin around here who's young enough to pass as a groupie. Makoto."
—-
"Come on, Rei. Say something!"
The reserved Shrine Maiden stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She was vaguely aware of the taller woman behind her, making last minute adjustments to her hair and fussing over her bangs.
Kino Makoto's rosy scent kept Rei grounded as she scrutinized herself in the mirror. The assassin couldn't recall the last time she wore a cocktail dress. Most likely it had been at another undercover assignment. She didn't own any extravagant dresses like this; Makoto had taken her measurements and done the shopping alone while Rei reviewed their plan for the thousandth time.
"You don't like the dress, do you? That's why you should have gone with me!" Makoto griped.
"No. It's not that." Rei shook her head. The dress was stunning, she admitted to herself. It was a sleeveless scarlet cocktail dress, with an ivory strip careening down the center. It accentuated her curves well—too well— making Rei blush at the thought of wearing it in public. She wore a red choker with a star pendant and matching red heels.
Most of her hair was piled high with the aid of bobby pins, allowing a few loose strands to caress her high cheekbones.
Makoto was skilled at all sorts of domestic chores, like cooking and gardening. Rei never would have guessed she was just as skilled at playing dress up.
"Then what's wrong?"
"I feel naked without my blade." The white lie was convincing enough. Rei and Makoto turned their eyes toward the abandoned apparatus sitting on the bed.
"I know. But don't worry, I've got it covered!"
Unlike Rei's evening wear, Makoto's dress featured sleeves. Long olive ones, that billowed at the elbows to provide space for her hidden weapon. In lieu of a hidden blade, she used a device that dispensed up to 600 volts of electricity. Depending on the speed of the current and where on the human body the wiring struck, it could kill someone instantly.
At the very least, it would be enough to paralyze the templar long enough to steal her Piece of Eden. Rei insisted that Makoto pull no punches; they had to do whatever it took to whittle down the enemy numbers.
Now that they were within hours of executing their plan, Rei was feeling nauseous at the thought of murdering her. She grew increasingly frustrated with herself. Her thoughts were jumbled and disorganized; a far stretch from her rigid approach to everything.
The sooner she was done with Aino Minako, the better.
"I know." Rei swallowed hard and turned away from the mirror. "Get your shoes. Let's go."
"Wait." Makoto's long arm reached around Rei and grabbed a small case off the vanity. "You still have to put these in."
"I'm not wearing those." Rei glared at the small case containing colored contact lenses.
"But Setsuna said—"
"I don't care what Setsuna or Haruka or anyone else said. I'm not wearing them." To further cement her argument, Rei snatched it and threw the case in the trash.
Makoto was perplexed, to say the least, at Rei's outburst. She tilted her head. "Why not? You're supposed to cover your eyes."
"She'll recognize me, regardless." Rei didn't mention the fact that she wanted Aino to look into her natural eyes. The assassin turned away from her partner and shook her head. "I don't know how. But she always knows when I am around. I assume it's the Piece of Eden."
"Oh. Okay…" Makoto tapped her foot. This wasn't in line with the strict plan they had spent the better part of three days formulating with Setsuna. Rei knew she was on the fence about arguing the matter further.
Deciding not to give Makoto the chance, Rei grabbed her fur shawl off the coat rack and tossed it at her. "Come on. We don't want to miss cocktail hour."
—-
Rei rarely drank alcohol. Being in complete agency of her mental and physical being was generally non-negotiable. But the more she thought about what was to come, and the more she glanced around the swanky establishment and realized how much she stood out for not having a drink, the Shrine Maiden was beginning to change her mind.
"Get a glass of wine or something. You're stressing me out," Makoto whispered as she returned to Rei's side after scouting the perimeter.
"Fine." Rei raised her hand, silently flagging down one of the servers carrying a tray of assorted wines. There were four rows, ranging from dark burgundy to white wine. They were all labeled. Not being an oenophile, or even a casual drinker, she stared at the options like a deer in the highlights.
"Try this one." Makoto plucked a glass of white wine and handed it to Rei before dismissing the server.
Rei expected it to taste strong or sour, but it was neither. She savored the citrusy blend while further studying the room. Considering Haruka's remark about them being the proper age for such an event, Rei was surprised to see men and women of all ages. In fact, most of them were older. She assumed the steep price tag had a lot to do with it.
"Find out anything?" Rei whispered to the taller assassin.
"No," Makoto whispered back. After swallowing a sip of her blush wine, she spoke again. "What about you?"
Rei shook her head. She assumed there were templars in their midst. They knew the security were hired by a contracting firm known to be on the templar payroll. Otherwise, the rest of the guests appeared to be genuine Sailor V fans. If their conversations were any indication, anyway.
Rei couldn't understand obsessing over a celebrity. Why did it matter what a stranger did first thing in the morning? Or what their favorite food was? Or favorite movie?
Then again, she knew that was a big part of why the templars were successful. It was easy to sway the collective mind of the masses when they spent more time concerning themselves with a stranger's habits than the organizations and governments wielding their tapestry of power and destruction over the world.
"Are you okay? You seem tense," Makoto observed out of the corner of her eye.
Tense did not begin to explain how she felt. Tense was mild compared to the conflicting dread and butterflies swirling in her stomach. Never in her life had she questioned her own actions. Her moral compass was always rigid and simple: get revenge on her father and aid the assassins in their cause to preserve humanity's freedom.
Though she still had no doubts regarding her sisterhood's motivations when pitted against the templars who wanted to enslave humanity with the Pieces of Eden, Rei somehow couldn't stomach the idea of killing Aino.
But it had to be done. Therefore, these bothersome feelings that clouded her judgment for the better part of two months, were an embarrassing slight she felt no need to share with her peers.
"I'm fine," Rei answered.
"Yeah, sure. Well get your head on straight because it's showtime."
Makoto patted Rei on the back, harder than she probably meant to. Rei choked at the unexpected force. It was easy to forget how naturally strong Makoto was.
"Don't worry about me," Rei grumbled. She hated being doubted, but given the circumstances, she couldn't blame Makoto.
A male voice came over the loudspeaker. "We ask that everyone remain seated for the entire performance. Please turn off all cell phones, cameras, and other electronic devices. And now, without further adieu, the moment you've all been waiting for, Sailor V!"
The already dim lights in the sleek, intimate venue darkened even further.
"See you soon," Makoto whispered before excusing herself to begin phase one of their plan.
Rei nodded before slinking into the nearest seat. There were only a dozen guests, all making themselves comfortable at circular tables seating three people each. Rei purposefully ignored the couple who joined her. Her eyes were transfixed on the vacant stage.
Lights bathed the stage in a golden hue as Sailor V made her appearance. She entered from stage left, smiling and waving to the crowd. Despite the formality of the event, the audience loudly clapped and hollered. Rei opted for a subdued golf clap as she held her wine glass.
Rei knew better than to look straight into her mask. Keeping her eyes away from Minako's face was difficult. She decided to focus on Artemis, who was resting in the crook of her left elbow. In her right hand, Sailor V held a microphone. She also had her weapon, the beaded whip, wrapped around her waist. The singer wore a gold cocktail dress that Rei imagined must have cost a small fortune.
"Good evening everyone!" Minako cheered, earning herself another uproarious wave from the small crowd. "Thank you so much for coming to my exclusive charity event! We have a special evening planned for you tonight. Starting now, there are—"
Rei was staring down at her own feet, but she felt Aino's eyes on her. A smug smile crossed her lips when she imagined Minako's shock upon discovering she was here.
"—There are drinks and hors d'oeuvres being passed around. Please help yourself!"
Rei wasn't sure if she could stomach any food. But if she was going to avoid eye contact, she needed some way to keep herself busy. As the popstar spoke about the songs being featured on her new album, Rei nibbled on gourmet rice balls and reacquainted herself with the structure's layout.
Minako's stage was small. There were no rafters to climb up. From their research, Rei knew there was an exit from the direction Minako had emerged from that led to her dressing room and a couple of staff rooms. She wasn't overly concerned with that part of the venue, but it was important to know in case their initial plan went south.
After the first song, Artemis jumped down from Mina's arms and pranced along the edge of the stage. Rei was close; close enough to lunge forward and snatch him. He sat on his haunches and glared at her. Rei returned the gesture with an equally disapproving one.
If it weren't for that damn cat, she would have completed her mission during her first attempt.
Next, Minako performed the world premier of one of her new songs, claiming it was reflective of her recent life journey. Rei picked the lyrics apart, listening for clues about templar motives. She heard lines about being "on the cusp of a new life," and "everyone living together in harmony," but it was too vague, as intended, to isolate anything to help the assassins.
Two hours. The undercover assassin spent two hours in abject misery. Listening to Minako's angelic voice, trying not to hear her name on the idol's lips, while looking everywhere in the room but her face, wore Rei down.
Soon, she would silence the singer once and for all, and be able to move on with her life.
Everyone around her stood and applauded. Rei remained seated. For the first time all night, she dared a glance up at Sailor V.
Minako was already staring straight at her.
"Thank you so much everyone!" She yelled into her microphone. Without breaking eye contact, she continued, "I look forward to private meetings with each and every one of you."
Rei smirked.
Chauffeurs came, organizing the attendees by ticket number in a line leading to a shut door framed with small red lights. Rei knew what was on the other side of the door. She was third in line.
"Ticket number four?" One of the chauffers called out.
That was Makoto's ticket number. Rei raised her hand to draw his attention. "Sir? I think she left. She said she wasn't feeling well."
"Oh. Well that's a shame." He crossed something off on his list and continued on.
Rei silently thanked the kami for his naivety. She glanced over to the restroom, where Makoto had escaped to before the performance began. She should be in position now, waiting for her signal.
Each ticket holder was allotted fifteen minutes with the celebrity, including a signed photograph of their time with her. The walls were soundproof and there were no windows; perfect conditions for a stealth operation.
To pass the time while she waited, Rei helped herself to another glass of the white wine. As she drank, she mentally talked herself down from the anxious precipice she had been dangling over for the last two days. Half an hour and two glasses of wine couldn't delete the image of Minako in her nightgown from Rei's mind, but at least her hands weren't shaking anymore.
"Hikawa Raven?" The usher greeted her by the pseudonym Haruka purchased her ticket under.
Rei was ushered into the room by a guard. He remained in position to the left of the door as it closed behind them. The lounge was much brighter than the rest of the venue and it took her eyes a second to adjust.
Minako was stretched over a plush pink loveseat, with Artemis nestled on her lap. She wore the same dress she performed in. Between them was a glass table holding an old-fashioned Polaroid camera, a handful of permanent markers, and sealed bottles of water. Without a word, Rei sat on the chair across from the templar and crossed her legs.
Rei closed her eyes. She could avoid looking into the Piece of Eden, but she couldn't free herself from Minako's sweet scent.
"I see you dressed for the occasion this time," Minako playfully observed. "I love your dress. Red is such a good color on you!"
Rei wasn't sure if Minako was patronizing her or flirting with her. She decided the safest answer was no answer.
"You spent all this money to have some private time with me and you aren't gonna talk?"
"You want to talk? Put away your mask and dismiss your guard. Then we'll talk," Rei countered.
An uncomfortable moment of silence passed. Rei almost though Minako wasn't going to play along.
"You heard her. Go outside," Sailor V waved away the solitary bodyguard.
"What? But—"
"I said go," Minako ordered in a firm tone Rei wouldn't have thought her capable of.
The guard grunted and made his exit. Rei heard the door lock behind him. In another move that surprised Rei, Minako buried her mask inside of the clutch she kept beside her on the couch. Then she placed it on the floor and kicked it across the room with her heel.
"There. Satisfied?" Minako's voice returned to its sweet disposition.
Rei cleared her throat. She was now free to look into Aino's eyes. They were clear, sparkling, and exhumed a comforting light that soothed Rei's soul.
A light she was about to extinguish.
"Why did you do that?" Rei asked.
"You asked me to," Minako plainly replied as if there was nothing strange at all about dismissing her security and kicking an ancient artifact across the room.
"You do everything people ask you to do?"
A strange expression marred Minako's angelic features. She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No… Not everything."
"But you let the templars boss you around," Rei prodded.
Mina scoffed. "First, I am a templar. Second, I'm indebted to my superiors for something you'll never understand."
"Oh I understand." Rei's temper rose as she recalled the memory she witnessed in the Animus. "My father is using you, just as he uses everyone!"
Minako blinked and shook her head as if she had a thousand things to say but couldn't decide on which topic to broach first. "Your father…. You're pretty infamous among the templars because of him, you know. It was pretty ballsy of you to come here undisguised."
"The lights were so dark in there, no one could see shit anyway," Rei mumbled.
Minako placed a hand over her chest and laughed. Rei didn't think her observation was funny at all, but Aino giggled until her eyes began to water.
"Look, now my makeup is getting ruined!" Sailor V wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes while struggling to restrain her giggles. "Anyway, I'm glad you didn't cover your eyes. They're very pretty."
Again with the condescension. Or flirting. Rei still couldn't tell. "They are my father's eyes. There's nothing pretty about them."
Sailor V jumped from her couch. Artemis leapt from her lap and sat on the table, not taking his eyes off of Rei for a second. Minako leaned forward, inviting herself into Rei's personal space to stare into her eyes.
Rei tried looking away from Minako's face, but was met with an eyeful of cleavage instead.
Makoto had better hurry.
Minako stood and crossed her arms. She huffed as if she were offended. "What's the matter? We still have five minutes. That's plenty of time to play… Isn't it, Rei?"
Rei. Her name poured from Minako's lips like a gentle tease. It was not urgent and begging like that night in Paris, but it immediately drew Rei's thoughts to the sounds she heard that night.
The assassin lost all hopes of keeping her mind clear. Minako subtly smiled, knowing exactly what she was doing. Rei was in a frozen stupor. Before she knew what was happening, Minako's warmth surrounded her. Rei was being straddled, pressed into the chair by Minako's weight.
What the hell was taking Makoto so long?
This was wrong. Minako was too casual. Too familiar. Rei watched as she slipped the chain from her waist. She had to get up. Her brain screamed at her to move, but her muscles wouldn't comply.
"Five minutes, Rei?" Minako asked again.
Vanilla and flowers. Rei was enraptured by the delicious, inviting scent.
Until it was tainted by something else.
Artemis howled.
In the blink of an eye, the private suite was enveloped in smoke.
Rei's body snapped back to attention. She looked up to the vent in the corner. The static of Makoto's weapon sparked.
As planned, it was aimed straight for their target.
"What the—?" Minako exclaimed when she realized smoke was billowing around them.
Instead of throwing Minako into the line of fire, Rei did the complete opposite. Making sure to hold her breath, Rei pushed Minako and herself down from the chair, just in time to avoid being struck by Makoto's lightning thread.
Rei felt Minako's body beneath her, but the smoke bomb was so effective she couldn't see her expression. Confusion and bafflement radiated from her; Rei could feel it on her skin.
Artemis leapt at her, but Rei dodged his attack in time. By now the feline and his owner had inhaled too much of the debilitating smoke. They coughed and struggled to move.
Still holding her breath, Rei ran for the door while extracting a pin from her hair. Makoto's heels clicked as she landed on the floor behind Rei.
"What are you doing?" Makoto coughed through the thick smoke. Rei blindly fumbled for the doorknob. She felt Makoto stumbling behind her.
Rei didn't answer. She couldn't. She didn't know what the hell she was doing. She only knew she couldn't let Minako die.
And now they had to escape before inhaling too much of Makoto's smoke bomb.
She unlocked the door in record time. Without giving Makoto a choice, she grabbed her by the sleeve and dragged her out of the room alongside her.
"Rei!" Minako coughed, struggling to catch her breath.
Rei didn't look back. She trudged forward, passed the comatose bodies scattered across the main room. The gas Makoto had dispersed through the ventilation shaft while Rei was with Minako worked as intended. Everyone was passed out on the floor.
"Rei! What are we doing?" Makoto struggled to catch up.
Rei had no idea.
Instead of answering, she ran as far as her legs would carry her.
"Tell me what's going on, Rei. Please," Makoto begged her friend for the hundredth time after they safely returned to their hotel room. She was pacing back and forth by the foot of the bed, interrupting Rei's brooding.
The Shrine Maiden stared at the ceiling. She wore her cocktail dress and heels. Her hair was still fashioned in the up-do, though the pins were struggling to contain her heavy locks after the hour of running.
"I didn't miss something, did I? Did something happen that caused you to abort our plan?"
Makoto was done pacing, finally. She decided to sit on the bed by her feet, much to Rei's chagrin.
Rei gave the only answer that made sense. "I overestimated my ability to resist the Piece of Eden's manipulative powers."
"You mean…" Makoto leaned forward. "You think she used its powers to dissuade you from killing her?"
The way her fellow assassin worded the question made Rei think she was skeptical. In turn, she grew angrier. "Yes! That's exactly what happened! It's a Piece of Eden designed to control human thought. You do remember that, right? It's the whole reason the templars gave it to a damn singer in the first place!"
Makoto shook her head. "I didn't feel anything."
Rei pushed herself into a seated position. "You didn't enter the room until it was secured. I've been exposed to it three times, now. I thought I sufficiently avoided eye contact, but I guess not."
The taller assassin tugged at one of her floral earrings as she considered Rei's excuse for fumbling up their first mission as a team. Rei frowned as she began pulling pins out of her hair, trying her best to ignore her concerns.
"You'll probably be mad at me for saying this. But if what you say is true, then I think you're gonna have to give up on this target. It's been two months you said, right? And it still has that much influence over your actions? Maybe you should move on to a different templar."
Rei's chest burned. Her fists clenched at her sides. Her initial instinct was to lash out in denial and anger. What did Makoto know of it? She hadn't been exposed to Sailor V's Piece of Eden, or her manipulations.
After forcing herself to swallow her pride, Rei knew her comrade was right. Makoto was level headed, and for reasons Rei couldn't fathom, she actually liked her. Unlike Haruka, she had never instigated any fights or bad blood between them.
Makoto only ever wanted to help; why should today be any different?
Rei looked into her friend's bright green eyes and sighed. She told Haruka she would never give up on a target.
Perhaps she was a naive novice after all.
"You're right. I'm done pursuing Sailor V."