Chapter two
Aino Minako had always wanted to be famous. She had always wanted to see her name up in lights, her face on every television screen and have people know just how talented she was. She had never thought that she wouldn't have to work to get where she was, she would have been an idiot to think that, but there was one thing she had never anticipated and that was the meetings she had to endure so much of the time.
Minako had not been expecting to be called into a meeting as soon as she arrived in work that day, and had it been just a general meeting with her manager then she would have made her excuses to get out of it. This time her excuses weren't going to work though, and that was because said meeting had been called by none other than Chiba Mamoru, who was effictively in charge of the entire section of the company she worked at.
Minako had never really liked Mamoru; there was just something about him that honestly gave her the creeps. Perhaps it was that he really did have a complete lolicon, hence the fact that Hotaru refused to go anywhere near him without someone else present. Of course no one believed that the perfect Chiba Mamoru would ever make a move on am underage girl, so nothing was ever done about him.
Minako sighed; any other girl would probably have begged Mamoru to hit on them, but Hotaru had never been interested in guys. As for Minako herself, well men like Mamoru just didn't do anything for her. She wouldn't have minded going after someone like that actor, Shinma Kunzite, but rumours were that he was in a relationship with someone already so she guessed he was off limits. In fact she would have prefered Ten'oh Haruka to a git like Mamoru, no matter how much the other girl seemed to her. Yes Minako knew that Haruka was a girl, but since when had that mattered to her? Not that she could afford to let the public know anything about that though.
Minako was rather surprised to realise that she had already arrived outside Mamoru's office. She pushed open the door and stepped inside, where she was met by Mamoru's charming yet rather unnerving smile, as always.
"You're on time for once, Mina-chan," Mamoru noted and Minako felt herself flushing with irritation at the nickname. The only thing worse than having Mamoru call her 'Mina-chan' was having Haruka call her 'Little Miss Groupie' or whatever the heck it was she'd said. Thank god Mamoru would think she was blushing out of attraction to him; she'd heard he could be very vicious if he thought otherwise.
"Sit down," Mamoru said and Minako complied, taking a seat and making herself look comfertable there, though she was never too relaxed in the older man's presence; she just didn't trust him at all.
"What did you want to see me about, Chiba-san?" Minako asked.
"It's with regards to your forthcoming album," Mamrou replied. "First of all we really need to clear up your image, make your public image match with the way you look in photo shoots."
Minako mentally groaned. Okay so maybe her green and red makeup and outfit wasn't exactly idol material, and maybe Ten'oh was right and she did look somewhat over-the-top Christmassy and was out to get herself mistaken for a Christmas tree, but so what? If she wanted to dress like some seventies retro reject then she would, who honestly gave a damn about other people's opinions?
Then again this was Chiba Mamoru, and if she didn't do exactly as he and the stylists said when it came to her image then she was putting her whole career on the line. In fact that was the one thing she hated about being an idol; everything was so false! In fact sometimes she even ended up wearing her faux persona outside of work. Like in school, she really wasn't as much of a ditz as she made herself appear to be. Maybe she should try wearing her real persona around Haruka, she mused; perhaps she wouldn't annoy her so much then. Yes, that's what she'd do…
"Mina-chan, are you listening?" Mamoru asked, making Minako start slightly.
"Oh, sorry, I just drfited off slightly," Minako replied.
Mamoru sighed and repeated what he had just said, "I was just making a few suggestions as to what we could do with regards to how to promote your new album. Your popularity levels are still high, but they're rather lower than they have been beforehand; it has something to do with Mars Reiko, who, as you know, is employed by one of our rival companies. However we do have ways to promote you and your image before your album is released. All publicity is good publicity in the end after all."
Minako frowned, "What do you mean?" she asked, and this time the look on her face had nothing to do with a feigned confusion.
"I mean that you have to do something to stop yourself from being just another throwaway idol; you have to spark off rumours, give the media fuel for its fire."
Minako began to get worried as the smirk on Mamoru's face took on a rather sadistic edge, but she asked the next question regardless.
"What exactly do you have in mind, Chiba-san?"
"I mean you need to spark a scandal to draw the media's attention to you, and I know exactly what, or rather whom you should use," he replied.
"But you're usually trying to avoid scandals with people like me," Minako frowned.
"Desparate times call for desparate measures," Mamoru replied. He picked up a picture from his desk and handed it to Minako. "I have no doubt you know who this is."
Minako looked at the picutre than back at Mamoru, "Of course I know who this is, but why?"
"It's necessary," Mamoru replied. "When you're doing this badly compared to your rivals then you have to risk it all, put it all on the line."
"But what about their career?" Minako asked. "What's this person ever done to us?"
"It was just an obvious choice," Mamoru replied. "And you don't have a choice in the matter, Minako. You have to try to seduce Ten'oh Haruka."
No matter how much Haruka loved her job, the training that went with it could be a pain in the neck sometimes, in both a metaphorical and a literal sense. She stepped into her changing room then stopped when she realised that there was someone else in there. Aino Minako was leaning against the far wall, a smirk on her pretty little face. Haruka noticed that she'd dropped the red and green in favour for an equally hideous orange and pink. Both colours suited the girl, Haruka had to admit, but the clash caused by the two together was rather nauseaous.
Minako batted her eyes at Haruka and licked her lips, causing the tall blonde to roll her eyes.
"What are you doing here, Minako?" Haruka asked. "Shouldn't you be out shooting a video or something?"
"I finished earlier," Minako smiled, still with that oddly sultry air about her. "And you seemed to have finished now too? How about we go out somewhere, if you're free that is?"
Haruka give her a look of complete shock; did Minako really have the audacity to turn up unnanounced then ask her out on a date? If so then she really was as bad a slut as the media made her out to be. Haruka never would have believed this – the media's portrayal of people was almost never right, except, it seemed, on this occasion.
"Actually I am busy, at least when it comes to groupies like you," Haruka snapped. "Contrary to what the media says; I don't exactly fuck every girl that begs me. Now get lost."
Minako pouted and stood in front of Haruka, winding her arms around the taller girl's shoulders and pulling her towards her.
"Now come on, 'Ruka-chan," she said sweetly. "I'm not a groupie, you know that. After all I know groupies just as well as you do, if not more so. Besides, I never make a move on someone I'm not serious about, do I?"
"Which of course explains the whole affair with Kou Yaten a few months back," Haruka shot back, causing Minako to frown.
"I was drunk."
"How do I know you're not drunk now?" Haruka sighed. "Because you're acting it."
"Don't be silly, 'Ruka-chan," Minako purred. "I'm perfectly sober."
She leaned in closer to Haruka, who pushed her away with a bit more force than originally intended, throwing the girl to the floor with tears welling in her eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?" Haruka hissed. "Look, Aino, I don't know whether you've realised this or not, but I'm not a guy no matter how much I look like one. You probably didn't know that when you kissed me the first time, that whole mess with Kou Yaten and all that, but guess what: I'm female, Minako."
"I realised that," Minako whispered.
"What?" Haruka gasped, completely taken aback by this.
"I told you I already realised you're a girl," Minako said, her voice beccomming shrill. "I know you're female, I know exactly who you are under that goddamned façade! And don't bring up that, just don't. Yes I admit I was drunk when I did that… but I love you,
Haruka. I love you…"
Haruka stared at the girl in front of her and shook her head.
"Get out," she snarled, "Get out!"
Minako stood up, shaking as she did so, and left the room as she had been commanded to do, but not before Haruka saw that tears were falling down her face, and there was no doubt in her mind then that those tears were indeed real.