The incognito popstar swirled her straw around the inside rim of her glass. She took a tentative sip of her strawberry milkshake. The sample was cold, thick, and had the perfect blend of sweetness and creaminess. Satisfied with the taste, she took a larger drink before looking across the table at her comrade.
"Thanks for meeting me for a drink, Ami-chan! We don't get to hang out often enough."
"You're welcome," she replied without looking up from her tablet, which was laying flat on the table beside her espresso. After tapping on the screen a few times, she glanced at Minako and smiled. "I'm surprised you could find the time, honestly. Your career has kept you rather busy."
The popstar adjusted the glasses on her face. She hated wearing sunglasses and a hat indoors, but if she didn't want to be recognized, she didn't have a choice. "Now that my tour is over, I'm concentrating on writing and recording my new album. So I get to stay put for a while."
"And catch up on your reading," Ami suggestively raised her eyebrows as if her statement were a question.
Minako groaned. She hated reading. She especially hated reading all the dry materials the Council of Elders and Guardians had been pumping out lately. "Yeah, yeah. That too."
"Did you read my report on the Lost City of Atlantis yet?" Ami asked before taking a small sip of her steaming beverage.
"No."
"But you have to read it, Aino-san! It's a revolutionary-"
"I will, I will." Minako waved away her friend's concerns while sucking down some more of her treat. She had no idea what Ami was going on about.
The Lost City of Atlantis was a myth, as far as she was concerned. Knowing the templars, it was probably code for some top secret research project. Minako would have asked, but if she did Ami would spend hours talking about it, and she really didn't have the time or desire to hear about it right now.
"Why haven't you? It's a top priority, you know."
Minako rolled her eyes. "You know I don't know. And anyway, I've been busy. Distracted."
"Oh?" There was a staccato clank as Ami set her cup on top of the matching saucer. "Distracted with what?"
Instead of answering, the popstar occupied her lips with drinking. That was the dumbest thing she could have said. There was no way she could tell Ami the truth about her irrational obsession with Hino's daughter. Sailor V hadn't seen Rei in over a week, but she couldn't get the Shrine Maiden out of her head.
Minako racked her brain for an answer, all the while praying that she wasn't blushing.
"I, um, I wanted to tell you I took your advice," Mina murmured. The perfect misdirect: a white lie.
"What advice?" Ami adjusted the glasses on her face.
"You know…" Minako bent low and whispered, "about going to Hikawa Shrine."
The scientist's cerulean eyes widened. She matched her comrade's posture and whispered back. "How did it go?"
"Um. Well…" Minako returned to playing with her straw. She wasn't entirely sure how to answer that question.
Her conversation with Rei wasn't exactly a success. It wasn't a disaster in every sense of the word, but it was awkward. And charged. And left her with more questions than answers.
"I'm not really sure…"
"Is Hino Rei like her father?" Ami's earnest question proved she was just as interested in the young enigma as any other templar who worked with Takashi.
Mina couldn't lie; that was part of the allure for her, too. In the beginning. She couldn't help but wonder what the Shrine Maiden assassin who was abandoned by her father and raised in a shrine was like.
"Sort of." Minako slid her fingertips against the cold condensation on her milkshake glass. "She's determined, like him. Serious. And not really friendly."
"She wouldn't be friendly with a templar," Ami quietly reminded her.
If Mizuno were speaking about anyone else, she would be right. But Rei was different. She was brusque and uncomfortable. Whenever she and Minako were together, the assassin only expressed two dispositions: bloodthirst or annoyance, sprinkled with a couple of off-beat comments that Minako thought were attempts at humor.
"I know what you're saying, Ami-chan. But it's more like… she's always on edge. She was totally convinced I was using my mask to brainwash her!"
"Weren't you using the Piece of Eden to sway her thoughts?" Ami asked.
"What? No!" Minako scoffed, offended.
Ami held her index finger against her lips and shook her head.
Mortified, Minako lowered her voice once more. "Sorry. No, I didn't."
"You should have," Ami suspiciously countered. "You could have convinced her to come to Kaiou-sama's office. That is one of your assignments, remember? Capture her and bring her to the templars."
Minako swallowed. She decided to keep her Piece of Eden's inability to hypnotize Rei to herself. She hadn't told Michiru or Takashi, and she wasn't going to tell Ami, either.
It wasn't because she didn't trust Ami. Rather, she didn't trust what the other templars might do with the information. Ami didn't work in a bubble. All of her work was shared with and vetted through the other templars they worked with.
Minako didn't know why, but the thought of telling anyone made her queasy.
Sailor V rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well… FYI, I was trying to capture her. I almost had her, too. Then she pushed me out of the way before her friend could zap me. The whole saving me thing, remember?"
Ami nodded thoughtfully. "And so we've come full circle."
"I don't know what to do." Minako sucked down some more of her thick dessert beverage.
"About?"
"About Rei!"
Ami's cropped azure bangs bounced as she tilted her head. "Why do you have to do anything?"
Minako opened her mouth to speak, but paused.
That tricky genius. Acting all sweet and innocent. She was playing Minako all this time, talking her into a corner and almost getting her to admit what was going on.
Minako wasn't entirely sure what was going on. All she knew was that she was playing with fire, and she fantasized about getting burned more than she cared to admit.
Not that she could tell Mizuno that.
"Um, well… I think there has to be a reason Rei hasn't made her move. She claimed it was my Piece of Eden, but I know that's not true. We talked at the shrine, but it was…"
Awkward. Confusing. Combative.
Enticing.
"Was what?" Ami pressed.
"Unsatisfying," Minako grumbled into her straw. "And I'm not sure speaking with her again will resolve anything. But..."
"But?"
"But I want to try. And I don't know how. I can't just call or text or email her."
A long silence lapsed as the pair took sips of their drinks and pondered. Ami glanced at her tablet more than once, but didn't move to use it.
"I'm surprised her crows didn't attack you on sight," Ami mused. "They remember human faces, you know. And hold grudges, too."
Minako's eyes lit up as a revelation came to her. "Her crows! Duh! You're a genius, Ami!"
The scientist watched in amused fascination as Minako rifled through her purse. After wading through makeup, tampons and other assorted items, she revealed a pen.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, just gonna say hi to a friend…"
—-
Rei entered Setsuna's office without knocking. The small office, housing her work desk and the Animus, was not as dimly lit as Rei had come to expect. A vibrant green light permeated the darkness, casting its rays across the Animus' sleek metallic case and wires strewn about the floor.
Setsuna's stern, olive features were also radiated by the light as she stared at a peculiar object floating above her desk. The small, curved gem, shaped almost like half of a yin yang, hovered just before Setsuna's eyes. The scientist was staring at the object as if in a trance; bathing in its green phosphorescence.
"What's that?" Rei asked.
Setsuna blinked, as if awakening from a dream. She turned in her seat and gestured to the small, queerly-shaped object. "This is one of the three sacred treasures of Japan."
"Yasakani no Kagami," Rei breathed in disbelief. She looked back at the comma-shaped piece of jade. "You found it?"
Setsuna solemnly nodded. "It was located in the Imperial Palace, as suspected. We finally made it through the security and traps. It was a challenge, to say the least."
"Is it a Piece of Eden?" Rei felt anticipation swelling her chest.
Haruka was already in possession of one of the other Three Sacred Treasures: Kusanagi, the sword. Recovering that artifact from the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya had been a high-stakes operation that required months of preparation. Rei wasn't even aware they were planning a covert heist to acquire the jewel as well.
This meant the assassins were in possession of two of the three Sacred Treasures.
"Yes. It bears the Isu markings. Have a look." Setsuna offered Rei her custom magnifying glass. The handle was riddled with an assortment of buttons, but Rei knew which one to press to elicit the desired effect.
There was a short beep, and the magnifying glass began scanning the ancient gem. As expected, ciphers and indecipherable characters formed in the empty space around the item, crafted by magical light.
While the young assassin could not read the ancient text, she recognized them as Isu writings.
"Amazing," Rei whispered as the writings of the deceased civilization continuously flashed in her vision. She forced herself to turn the scanner off. "Is it locked like the other one?"
Setsuna took her electronic magnifier back and nodded. "Yes. Like the sword, I have yet to find a way to release its power. I don't understand… none of the other discovered Pieces of Eden had their powers sealed."
Rei stared at the glowing piece of jade as she considered Setsuna's observation. "Maybe the Three Sacred Treasures have a different sort of purpose. Maybe they aren't weapons."
Setsuna nodded. "It is possible. Though I cannot imagine what other purpose they might serve."
"There's three of them for a reason, right? I bet they won't do anything unless they're all united."
A faint grimace crossed Setsuna's lips. With a garnet velvet cloth, she snatched the gem from its flotation and began wrapping it. "Which leads me to believe they were separated for a reason, as well."
Setsuna paused before continuing. "Rumor has it, however, that Templar Augur Kaiou Michiru is in possession of the mirror, Yaya no Kagami. I suppose that will be my next research project."
"Shouldn't be too hard to find out," Rei reasoned.
"In the meantime, I will be storing this in a safe place." Setsuna rose from her seat. "Did you wish to use the Animus? I've run diagnostics and it is ready to go."
Before Rei could respond, Phobos forced himself through the narrow crack she left open in the doorway. She fluttered her wings until she was comfortable on Rei's shoulder.
"Phobos? What are you doing in here?" Rei asked before noticing the folded white parchment in her beak. The bird bent low, waiting for Rei to take the delivery.
Rei warily grabbed the paper. Upon closer inspection, it was a folded napkin. As Setsuna silently watched, she opened it. Her eyes scanned the brief message.
Rei stared in disbelief.
Did her tenacity know no bounds?
"Something the matter?" Setsuna inquired as Rei fumbled to shove the message deep into her jean pocket.
"I have to go," Rei mumbled and stormed out of the room.
Phobos squawked when she broke into a sprint. Rei pumped her arms and legs, running toward the main entrance of Hikawa Shrine. She jogged down the cobblestone paths, making her own shortcuts as she leapt over benches and cut between the sakura trees. Her heart pounded in her chest; though she wouldn't admit it had nothing to do with the physical exertion.
The shrine was closed today, for which Rei was grateful. She did not have to push and shove through visitors as she made her way to the main gate.
After unlocking it, she ran down the stairs. Phobos squawked again, telling her she was wasting her time. Stubborn as she was, Rei would not concede defeat until she verified the truth with her own eyes.
The perpetrator was nowhere to be found.
Sighing, Rei changed course. With the note burning a hole in her pocket and disappointment weighing heavily on her heart, she backtracked through Hikawa grounds, heading toward her meditation room.
A crackling, vibrant fire reflected off the walls. Rei stood before the sacred flames. Sweat trickled down her brow. Her chest heaved with exhaustion. Her violet eyes stung.
As she stared into the dancing flames, the anger and disappointment and frustration rekindled within her. Every failure haunted her, playing out in vermillion curtains of heat. Rei hated herself for letting some idol templar best her repeatedly.
But she hated her own weakness more.
Rei dangled the napkin before the flames as an offering. They had predicted her betrayal; the moment she saved Minako and forsook her creed for reasons she still didn't understand.
No matter how many templars she killed, Rei couldn't stop hating herself for sparing Aino.
Still, Aino taunted her.
Rei tried throwing the message into the fire, but her blood froze in her veins. Phobos jumped from her shoulder. She stole the napkin with her talons in mid-flight.
"Hey!" Rei scolded.
Ignoring her human companion, Phobos proceeded to grab a pen with her beak and dropped both of the items on the nearby table.
Giving a sigh of defeat, Rei sat cross-legged at the table. She smoothed the napkin and read the short message out loud.
"I want to play."
The Shrine Maiden readied her pen. Every instinct and ounce of logic she still possessed told her to dispose of the note. To burn it.
Engaging with the popstar-turned-templar was a bad idea. Responding to this message was playing right into Aino's hands.
For whatever reason, Rei couldn't stop herself.
Phobos landed beside the note and began pecking at it with her beak.
"Fine." Rei closed her eyes as she considered her reply. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to respond. Just this once…"