Chapter 21 – To Live Or Dye
They could be heard coming long before they could be seen.
"I can't believe that you're the SANE one in that madhouse! Unless their shots are up to date, I fear I'm going to have to get a tetanus booster because of those crazed roommates of yours.
"Don't be such a baby. They barely touched you."
"Are you kidding? Look at my shirt. And the one practically drew blood with those claws of hers. She was worse than that damn cat. Hell, even Beryl never sported a set of dragon lady talons like that."
"Stop whining. It's just a scrat…wait a minute. Who's Beryl? Is she some skanky ex-girlfriend of yours?!"
"I don't want to discuss it."
"You owe me an explanation since you were the one who brought it up!"
"Well I'm sorry I did."
"Tough. Explain anyway."
"Not on your life."
"Fine! Be that way."
Even Usagi, who'd been happily absorbed in savoring the rare treat of a Western-style breakfast of pancakes and berries, couldn't help but overhear the bickering. She glanced up, dropped her utensils, choked on a bite of flapjack and began to sputter.
The front door to the Crown was held open and Minako, arms crossed petulantly over her chest, sailed in, her flaxen hair rippling out behind her like a stream of warm honey and brushing the peacock colored hem of her coat. Following closely behind her, with his coat over one arm, was an all too familiar warrior male with a Spartan hero's face, tangled silver hair that appeared to have been through a cyclone, and a shirt that had been ripped half open to reveal a muscled chest of truly drool-worthy proportions.
In spite of herself, and even as she aspirated half-chewed bits of pancake, Usagi found herself sitting up a little straighter, as did every other female with eyes in the place.
Mamoru openly gawked at his lieutenant, as he shifted in the booth to make room. Yet as he stared at the red scratches visible through the man's half-open shirt front, he experienced a strange sense of déjà vu. He decided to take refuge behind his coffee cup, though he couldn't help but ask the obvious. Anyone would have.
"What happened to you?"
"Please don't ask, my lord" growled Kane very softly, rolling his eyes heavenward. "It wouldn't be a particularly edifying tale."
Without asking, Minako snatched a berry off Usagi's plate and popped it between cherry-tinted lips, chewing with gusto. "He's just had a slight wardrobe malfunction is all."
"Hah!" objected Kane, fingering the rent in the sturdy white cotton and wondering if there was any chance it could be repaired or if the shirt was a total loss. Either way it would have to be changed before his shift. "It didn't malfunction, as you put it, until it was nearly ripped off my back by those hormone-crazed maniacs you call sisters."
"The only maniac I see is yours, egomaniac," retorted Minako hotly, clenching her jaw. "You think you're just the cutest little tick in boot leather, don't you? Well don't you dare pick on my sorority sisters!"
"Pick on?" sputtered the aggrieved law officer, raking a hand through his hair in an attempt to return it to some semblance of order. "It would be my fondest wish if I never had to see any of them again in this or any other lifetime." His tone was flat as he glared stonily at Minako's obstinately jutting chin. "But, sadly, I'm going to have to go back."
Mamoru gave him a raised eyebrow, 'why-the-hell-would-you-do-that?' look.
"That dragon-lady stole my hat," explained Kane with a shrug.
Minako let out a loud harrumph and fell silent, sulking, while Kane rolled his eyes.
Usagi swallowed hard and tried not to titter, knowing she'd choke again if she did. A laughing merry gleam, however, lit up her cornflower gaze. It was a rare and formidable man indeed who could get the last word with Minako. She fumbled in her purse, withdrawing a safety pin, which she held out on the flat of her palm as a humble peace offering. "Well, well…it seems we meet again, officer."
Kane forced his gaze away from the sexy blonde menace who vexed him more than he could say, studying the serenely lovely face of Tsukino Usagi nee Sailor Moon nee the Princess of the White Moon of Serenitas. A faintly troubled expression flittered across his face before he schooled its features back into their familiar impassive mask and bowed his head in a respectful nod.
"Good morning, milady. Officer Kazuhiko Kane, at your service."
As his intense silver-and-steel gaze lit on the safety pin, he slowly smiled, offering unspoken thanks. Usagi blinked as the unsettling feeling of melting ice prickled over her skin leaving her with goose-bumps. The man was dangerous, capable of making even an engaged and completely-in-love-with-her-destined-spouse woman tremble. She shivered.
No wonder he was giving Minako fits.
With one quick wave of his hand, Kane managed to secure the solicitous attention of a pretty young server who flirted shamelessly with him, lingering while she took his order of a single black coffee and the breakfast special. Minako, on the other hand was completely ignored. Seething for no good reason at the wait-tramp's blatant overtures to Kane, she finally interrupted giving the waitress the trendy coffee order from hell as punishment.
It would take at least ten minutes and two attempts to properly put together the order for a freshly brewed, half-caff, sugar-free, almond cappuccino with a double shot of caramel syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg, easy on the foam. Oh…and grate the nutmeg fresh please.
"That was mean," Usagi whispered in Minako's ear as the disgruntled waitress left. Kane was too busy pinning his shirt back in place to notice.
Minako smiled happily at the retreating waitress' back. "I know."
Chuckling softly, Mamoru patted Usagi's hand. "I believe it's time to get down to brass tacks now."
As if the words were the command to a great computer, Kane shifted into his business mode. He was a scarily efficient computer too, methodical and calculating. He had a proposed plan for every contingency. He suggested establishing formal patrols. He'd said he'd already decided to assign Zoisite to the creation of a communicator for the Shitennou that could also send and receive Senshi communication. Somehow between the time he'd left her and the time he'd picked her up, he'd compiled a list of known senshi enemies so that he could compare data to better prevent weaknesses that could put them at risk. He'd put together another list of press responses just in case. And so it went, ad nauseum.
His thoroughness left Usagi breathlessly impressed and Mamoru beaming like a proud papa. For her part, Minako almost felt sorry for the criminals whose cases Kane would investigate because clearly they didn't stand a chance against a man so driven.
Irritatingly too, at least to Minako's eyes, he seemed to possess eyes in the back of his head or an uncanny radar because he would drop all mention of anything that might remotely compromise their civilian guises any time anyone came near enough to overhear. The second, however, that they were gone, he picked up the thread of his conversation again as if he'd never left it.
So she was, maddeningly, left only to try to keep up, putting in the odd comment here or there and brooding as she toyed with her cappuccino. God she hated coffee!
Usagi had watched fascinated as plans were proposed, made or discarded and new ones offered, but she was not unaware of her friend's unhappiness. She could feel it bubbling poisonously just below the surface. The source was obvious as Minako's gaze never strayed far from the silver-haired Shitennou in cop's clothing.
When Kane said that he felt that the obvious thing to protect the best senshi from their demon foes was to pair them up with a Shitennou, Mako to Neil, Rei to Jed, Ami to Zarek, and, leader to leader, Minako to Kane, Usagi thought Minako was going to explode.
To save Minako from herself, Usagi whispered a suggestion to Mamoru that he go see if he could help Kane better deal with his torn shirt, using the excuse that it might keep the waitress from helecoptering around and disturbing them. Mamoru, skilled after years of deciphering Usagi-speak, nodded and ushered Kane away so that the women could talk in peace.
The immediate and nearly measurable lowering of the Minako's tension level made Usagi preen with satisfaction. She'd done good!
As she had with Makoto the day before, Usagi let Minako lead the conversation, rambling though it was, and thereby gained a very interesting picture of current Shitennou-Senshi relations. By reading between the lines she also figured out something Minako had steadfastly refused to say…that the last remaining scion of the Venusian royal family found the leader of Mamoru's Terran guard not only infuriating, but also hotter than the famed Oita Prefecture hot springs. Fascinating!
Minako, on the other hand, decompressed with each word until she was finally, for her, calm, a process helped along by her scarfing down without permission a goodly portion of Kane's unguarded breakfast. Under the two women's watchful gaze a bemused Mamoru exited the restroom again and begged the same waitress Minako had bedeviled for a second safety pin for Kane. Accepting it, he glanced back at Usagi and waved.
Usagi waggled her fingers at Mamoru across the room and he slowly smiled in return, heat warming his cool sapphire gaze as he blew her a kiss before disappearing again. The Venusian in Minako sensed and basked in the familiar soaring, heated rush of attraction and love freely given and freely returned.
Abruptly, however Minako froze. That sweet rush of warmth and tenderness and heartfelt emotion was so like what she'd felt between Makoto and Nephrite and Rei and Jadeite the night before. It had been tentative but unmistakable. At the time she'd just refused to call it by its proper name, afraid of what it portended.
Dammit!
The fragile realization of that truth was jolted away from her a second later as a feral scream split the air.
"YOOOOOOU!"
A pair of hands slammed down onto the booth's high back on either side of Minako's head, fingers digging into the padding, and she let out a soft, involuntary scream as she hunched her shoulders and neck, giving her best impression of a turtle pulling into its shell. The man's arms, though, pinned her in place in the booth. Escape was impossible. The suddenness of the attack had also startled a similar cry from Usagi, although she stifled it behind her hands.
A red-faced man with an unruly bush of dull, damp, straw-like jet hair glared down at Minako accusingly and spoke through gritted teeth. "This is all your fault!"
"Beg pardon?" she asked, mystified, wondering who in the hell he was. He looked so familiar, but…
The man actually growled low in his throat. "You sure deserve to, Aino Minako! Look what you DID!!!"
Usagi was staring intently at the strange man looming over her friend with fire blazing in his blue-green eyes. Suddenly her jaw went slack and she pointed, letting out a little screech. "Motoki-kun?! Omigosh…is that you?"
"Yes Usa-chan, it's me," he snarled before leaning over further into Minako's face.
"Y…your hair!" stuttered Usagi in shock. "Gawd! What happened to your hair?"
"ASK HER!" bellowed Motoki right into Minako's ear. She winced and clapped a hand over her ringing eardrum.
Without waiting for Usagi to do that, Motoki grabbed a handful of his own hair and held it out sideways for all to see. It was absolutely coal black. "You swore that stuff was a temporary rinse, Minako. Does this temporary to you? Reika tried washing it for three freakin' hours and my head still looks like the inside of an ink bottle!"
Minako eeped softly. "It was supposed to shampoo right out." She dug into her purse where she knew she'd stashed the box in her hurry from the night before. To her horror, she realized that the box said prominently in several different spots, 'Semi-permanent'. How she'd done it, she didn't know, but she'd grabbed the wrong box in her rush. Damn!
And, she realized when his eyes snapped, she wasn't the only one who'd noticed the wording.
"Heh...oopsie." She tried desperately to flash a winning smile as she prayed that the box would disappear by some magic. "Wouldja look at that?"
Unwilling to be swayed from his righteous rage, the arcade keeper answered darkly, "I have!"
Well that wasn't good.
His icy response had Minako squirming. "Well, ya know, I think it looks a lot better darker than blonde, which was kind of, um, er…wimpy."
The sudden light that flashed in his eyes made her realize that was definitely not the right thing to say. "That came out wrong," she squeaked hurriedly by way of apology.
Motoki was having none of it, flexing his fingers to strangle. "Dammit! Wimpy? That is IT! Minako, I. am. going. to. KILL. you!"
He really meant it, Minako thought with increasing alarm. Without even wondering why, she let out a semi-hysterical screech. "KANE! Help!"
Kane, who had been watching from a distance since the first scream, gave an audible sigh and waded in to break up the situation before it could escalate into bloodshed, however deserved. With immense efficiency, he plucked Usagi out of harm's way, handing her off to Mamoru, and then took on Motoki. But even as he did, he had to admit to a certain sympathy for the other male. After all, Minako did things to a man. She'd already driven him, the officer once known as 'the ice man' for his cool demeanor under fire, to swearing.
Only after he'd dispatched the distraught arcade keeper with the promise of a professional salon repair job for his hair at Minako's expense, the gathered crowd of onlookers under threat of arrest for loitering and/or disorderly conduct, and Mamoru and Usagi (who hadn't wanted to leave, dying to see what would happen next), did he get a chance to ask what he'd been intending to all morning long.
"After your classes, would you like to go to dinner and then start the first patrol, Aino-san?"
No good deed in this world goes unpunished. It was not so much his rescue of Minako that set her off, but the fact that she'd even called for him in the first place. She was a senshi, darn it, and should have been able to handle matters herself. So his words, innocuous though they were, made her bristle.
"Thank you, but no," she responded with turn of phrase she'd picked up from a woman's magazine. "I'm afraid that won't work for me.
His eyes narrowed at the flippant response.
She continued. "You see, I have a date."
The fact that it was a date with her school books, a carton of triple chocolate mochi ice cream eaten while in her rattiest (and most comfortable) pjs and slippers, and a DVD of Casablanca was neither here nor there.
"On a school night?" Kane was frankly disapproving.
Minako gave an imperious little sniff, tossing her head. "Who are you? My mother?"
Snatching up her purse, she sailed out of the café as grandly as she'd sailed in, leaving behind a cloud of sugared plum blossom perfume and a bemused, mostly male audience. It was only afterward that Kane disgustedly noticed she'd also stuck him with the check for her coffee, which cost nearly as much as his whole meal…more than half of which he'd never gotten to eat because she'd consumed it while he was in the bathroom.
The sneaky little minx!
The silver-haired officer stood there for a moment, clenching the bill so hard it left his knuckles white. That, though, and the vein which throbbed in his temple were the only outward signs of his frustration with her. His face remained stony. Suddenly, however, an idea occurred to Kane. With a wave to the waitress, he quickly ordered another breakfast special and sat back down to plot.
His resultant smile of satisfaction would have had the willful blonde quaking in her knock-off Manolo Blahnik boots if she had only known.
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"All done, Hino Sensei," Yuichiro bowed to the diminutive priest, shooting a quick triumphant glance over at Jed's as yet undone gardening before he inquired eagerly, "What do you have for me now?"
All morning long the one time musician turned temple acolyte had been in not-so-subtle competition with the newcomer to the temple, practically tripping over himself to best his opponent. Every chore assigned to the two men had become a race or an endurance contest. He had also been less than cordial, at least when his master wasn't around to see.
Jed, for his part, was more amused than distressed by his rival.
Rei's grandfather, the cagey old man, upon assigning work that day, had given Jed a conspiratorial wink even as he loudly scolded the 'scandalous boy' for keeping his innocent granddaughter out, "until all hours," and sentenced him to assist Yuichiro with his normal work. And then the Elder Hino had just as loudly proclaimed his trust that Jed's intentions were honorable. Yuichiro had been shocked and angry, but dared say nothing himself, for it was not his place to criticize and he knew it.
So Jed, despite having a huge lot of manual labor dumped upon him that morning and a hostile work partner, had been in a good mood. And he was learning a lot.
He'd never imagined just how much work running a temple could be. It was no wonder Rei's grandfather had delegated the rough physical work, which had, that day, been shoring up a crumbling stone and earthen retaining wall and replanting some shrubs which had gotten disturbed. In spite of the February weather, which was raw, cold and sullen grey, Jed had managed to work up a sweat.
He swigged down a gulp of water and wiped his forehead with a dusty hand before picking up his shovel again. Another few stones and he'd be done and could start planting.
From their perch on the black pine branch above his head, he could hear Phobos and Deimos squabbling softly together as they fluffed out their feathers against the chill and waited for him to finish. They'd been following him around since the day he'd brought Rei home. He wasn't sure how he felt about the feathered pair, but one thing was for sure… their unusually affectionate behavior toward him had gotten a response. Rei's grandfather had been highly amused. It had visibly aggravated Yuichiro. It baffled Rei.
And of Rei herself, that morning, there'd been no sign. Jed suspected she was hiding. Probably she was embarrassed at nearly falling asleep in his arms. But the thought of his allies, both feathered and not, and the memory of her in his embrace made him whistle cheerfully as he worked, even if he was coming in last in the two-man race.
A disapproving avian screech aloft drew all three men's attention and a chill swept through the air. Agitated, one of Rei's pet ravens took to the skies. As Jed watched, he noticed two newcomers in navy power suits striding briskly through the avenue of trees toward the temple complex. Uncharacteristically of most temple visitors, neither man had lingered to appreciate the ambiance. Evidently neither worship nor tourism was foremost on their minds.
The older of the two had clearly seen Rei's grandfather, but he said nothing, his face turning stony as he veered away from him toward the temple's living grounds. The second man, who was younger, lifted a hand and waved to the Elder Hino in mock apology before hastening to catch up with his fellow.
Jed gawked. The younger of the two men who'd crested the hilltop could have been his twin…or at least he could have been Jed in ten to fifteen years, as the man had started to show fine lines of age around his eyes. He also had an unfortunate faint hint of what could have been cruelty in the mouth. Still, the eyes were the same blue, the hair the same blond, and the face far too close to a mirror image. For the younger man it had been a bit eerie, like looking in the picture of Dorian Gray. Transfixed by the sight, he only came away with the barest impressions of the older man. Middle aged male, dark suit, darker expression, cold.
"Damnation," swore the elder Hino, heading quickly for the temple's living quarters. He paused just long enough to glance at the Jed-look-alike, who was sitting on the stairs.
"Honorable Master Hino," the senator's aide-de-camp began, "The senator asked me to convey his…"
Rei's grandfather cut off the oily speech with a single motion of his hand. "I respectfully request that you remain here, Kaidou-san, as this is a family matter. Do not interrupt. I will personally see to this."
As he disappeared inside, however, Jed heard an audible, "Dammit!"
The unexpected profanity from the wizened old priest had jolted Jed slightly out of his daze. "What's the matter?" he asked Yuichiro, drawing the shaggy man aside. "Who was that?"
Yuichiro's lip curled as though a foul stench of garbage had wafted under it and his tone was deliberately contemptuous. "That," –he waved a hand toward the temple– "was the esteemed Senator Hino Shigeo. Master Hino's only son and Rei-san's father."
Jed's brow furrowed in confusion. So the stone-faced man…er…senator was Rei's father and the disturbing look-alike must be one of his associates. He chanced another quick glance at the navy-suited blond on the stairs and amended his assessment. No…he had to be an underling, since he evidently didn't rate even an invitation into the temple itself.
Still, Jed didn't understand why a visit from the man's son would upset the little priest so much. "So why did he get so upset? I'd think he'd like seeing his son. And Rei too."
The shaggy-haired Yuichiro, shook his head disapprovingly. "Suffice to say, the master and his son are…" –he hunted for the most diplomatic term– "...estranged. That is all I will say, as I will not gossip about the Hino family. Besides, I have other work to do. And I intend to be done today. Unlike some people." He shot a disdainful look at Jed's unfinished half of the wall and sauntered away looking smug.
Now Jed was worried. Not because Yuichiro so evidently did not care for Rei's father, but because of her grandfather's reaction. The little priest was one of the most welcoming people he'd ever chanced to meet. Anyone who could take calmly seeing his unconscious granddaughter being brought home in the arms of a total stranger who unceremoniously announced that he was also said granddaughter's fiancé was not likely to be quick to temper. So to have such a breach with his own family…well, whatever had rent the Hino family in twain had to be big. And his Rei was caught the middle, though her very presence at the temple pretty much spelled out where her allegiance lay.
Come to think of it, Jed noted, he did recall her muttering something of a decidedly unfilial nature on the night they'd met. That explained a lot, actually. No wonder she was less than trusting when it came to men. She had father issues. Just great. He'd have to keep an eye on matters. And have a long discussion with the old man.
"Keep an eye on him," Jed mumbled quietly to Deimos, who hadn't taken wing when Phobos had. He surreptitiously pointed at Kaidou. Deimos cocked his head to one side and then fixed a beady black gaze on the other man, which was good enough for Jed.
Keeping well out of sight of his doppelganger, he ducked around the side of the temple to do a little quiet surveillance.
As he listened he heard voices rising and falling of voices in heated versus icy argument, but to his extreme displeasure he could not make out the details of words. It had nearly driven him to madness not to know, when one of the doors slammed open. He dove over the back of a cabinet, least he be caught spying.
It was Master Hino and he appeared as mad as it was possible for the merry little man.
It was with shock that Jed noted the state of Rei's face when she emerged a moment later. It was blanched white and her eyes looked dead, all the passion and fire that usually lit them gone, like a fire burned down to nothing but ash. She stared stonily at her father who wagged a finger at her. "Be ready tonight."
Rei said not a word.
Evidently Senator Hino interpreted silence as agreement, for he looked pleased as he left. Jed distantly heard him call, "Kaidou," and then he was gone.
"Are you alright, granddaughter?" asked the diminutive priest reaching for her shoulder.
As Jed watched, Rei jerked away before her grandfather's hand could touch her shoulder, and simply stared down at him with those eerie, dead eyes for a long moment before she ducked her head, turned, and walked away. Jed mouthed a silent curse.
The little priest echoed Jed's oath aloud, stamping one sandal-clad foot in a fury that nearly matched Rei's usual heat. Then quite suddenly, as if he heard a sound, though indeed there had been none made, he turned about until he was staring directly at the cabinet behind which Jed was hiding.
"You can come out now, boy. I know you're there."
Caught, but puzzled, Jed slowly eased out of his hiding spot. "How?"
The old man tapped his forehead with one finger. "I may not have her level of power, but my granddaughter is not the only one with spiritual ability in this house, if you recall. I can create privacy barriers and I can feel auras, especially when they're as strong as yours. She'd have felt it herself in an instant, if she hadn't been so…"
Suddenly he broke off, turning a very forbidding look on Jed, who had the grace to look even more embarrassed than he had before.
"You were spying on a family situation. Invading our privacy."
"I…I was worried for Rei. So yes, I observ…no, spied." Jed squared his shoulders, willing to shoulder the blame, but only for what was his due. "The way she looked when she came out… Well, I won't apologize for it. I love Rei and nothing should ever make her look like she did just now. Certainly not family."
He glanced worriedly in the direction she had disappeared and stepped that way. "I should go to her…talk to her." He wanted to hold her safe and secure until the dead look in her eyes went away.
The Elder Hino let out a short bitter laugh. An iron grip caught Jed's arm, jerking him up short. "As punishment for your eavesdropping I really ought to let you walk up on her unawares and let the girl sharpen that buzz saw of a tongue on you, but damned if I don't like your audacity. And more importantly, I believe you're good for her. So for both of those reasons, I'm going to save you from your foolishness"
"You leave my granddaughter be right now. She'll return when she's ready and safe to be around. And while we keep up our waiting vigil, I'll answer whatever questions you have. I'm sure you have several." His piercing gaze made the downy fine hairs on the back of Jed's neck stand on end.
"And you, boy, WILL answer mine."
'Uh oh!' Jed gave a nervous tug at the cuff of his robe as his subconscious screamed at him and warning bells jangled his nerves. 'Crap!'
The old man's wrinkles curved themselves enough to expose a wry, extremely cynical grin, making Jed wonder if the little man had read his mind. His next words left little doubt. "Got it in one, Jed-san."
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Makoto was in line and entertaining notions of doctoring up a bland-at-best cafeteria lunch when the cell phone in her pocket chimed. She answered it without a second thought. "Talk to me."
"Hi angel." Makoto felt her bones liquefy a little as Neil's slow, sexy voice rumbled to her. She'd been unconsciously anticipating hearing from him since they parted that morning, she realized with some shock. "Just checking in to make sure you're okay. I've only got a few minutes to talk."
"This cafeteria's a demon-free zone," she reassured him. "Even supernatural beings couldn't stomach the evil that is the mystery meat."
He laughed delightedly at that, then paused for a moment. "Tell me, are you up to going out to dinner tonight?"
"Why? Are you asking me out?" Makoto asked a bit suspiciously, though she unconsciously twisted a lock of hair around her finger and tugged on it in a dreamy fashion that she hadn't used since junior high.
"Well if you're gonna date someone, why not your own spouse? It's more efficient that way."
When Makoto didn't answer, nonplussed, Neil hastened to add, "Not that I wouldn't love to take you out someplace special, angel. Who wouldn't? But I can't take credit for this offer. The professor I TA for noticed I was wearing a wedding ring when I hadn't been before. And when he heard I got married, he invited us out for a celebratory dinner, though I think it's mainly that he wants to find out about you. At least, this is the first time he's ever made the offer in all the time I've been here. So it must be you."
"Me?" Makoto frowned as someone behind her in line poked her, but she never moved. She waved the person past her, inquiring a bit huffily, "What? Does he want to find out if I'm going to be some academic asset or mild-mannered faculty wife something? Because he'll be disappointed if that's the case."
Neil chuckled. "Nope. I think he can't help the nosey scientist in him. Occupational hazard for someone who's spent his whole career with his eyes glued to the heavens looking for the next big thing to come out of the clear blue sky. But he's a nice man for all of that. He said he'd take us to some restaurant called Demeter's Garden."
That news got Makoto's whole attention, so she never noticed when the cafeteria line suddenly swerved to move around her since she was fixed to the spot. She'd never been inside the place, but anyone who knew anything about the culinary world had heard of it. It was renowned for its fine French cuisine and exceptional service. Even the notoriously difficult to impress Rei, who, because she was her father's daughter, had eaten at many of the finest restaurants in Japan, had spoken well of it…and that even after her father had again pulled one of his famous no-shows for their dinner that night, which always soured Rei's mood. Makoto could only be suitably impressed.
She began to smile eagerly at the prospect. "Really? Demeter's Garden."
The sudden thawing in her tone made Neil smile. "Yup. So what should I wear? You evidently know more about it than I. Is it a casual dress code? Suit and tie? White-tie and tux rental or what?"
Makoto refrained from informing him that a certain acquaintance of his could probably lend him all the tuxes he'd ever need. "I think the tux might be a bit much…barely. Dark suit and tie, though, definitely. Demeter's Garden is really a nice place."
Her brow furrowed as she considered the contents of her own rather limited wardrobe. Most of her clothes were suited for being in the restaurant's kitchen, not its dining room. And at her height, she didn't even have anyone to borrow a good basic black dress from. For a moment she wondered if Usagi would lend her the Luna Pen, before remembering that Luna herself would skin both the Moon Princess and her alive were they to use the magical lunar artifact for such a trivial reason. However, before she could fret much more about it, Neil interrupted her.
"I've got to go, angel. I'll meet you after your last class today. Be safe. Love you."
The sound of an electronic click and then a sense of emptiness met her ear as he disconnected the call. Makoto heaved a sigh, then forced herself not to feel as if she'd been deserted by him. After all, how could she be depressed when she was going to Demeter's Garden?
The thought cheered Makoto and she hustled off to her next class forgetting all about lunch. Anticipating the prospect of a fine French dinner with the most handsome man she knew, any patience she might have had for a lonely lunch of cheap fish cake and udon had gone. She hustled off to her next class, wondering if she might be able to catch a peek inside the kitchen doors while they were there. At the very least, she'd have to at least give it the old college try.
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Just who in the heck did he think he was? How could he be so arrogantly possessive of her? Wasn't she her own person? Why would he act like that? What ulterior motives did he have? Why did he look so darned good in that cape?!?
Those were the questions that buzzed in an endless angry loop inside Ami's head as she attempted to go about her business that day. It was incredibly annoying (not to mention time consuming) to her to find that she kept having to repeat things because she'd done them wrong due to her distraction.
Still, much as it galled her, she hadn't been able to get Zoisite out of her head. He stuck with amazing persistence, as if, having crawled into her synapses, he'd pushed out rationality and good judgment and made himself thoroughly at home in her brain. Except for the few hours when sleep claimed her, she kept replaying the scene of the ridiculously good-looking Shitennou taunting poor Motoki-kun.
And apparently over her, of all the ridiculous things.
Balderdash!
In spite of what the others had repeatedly told her, Ami knew the truth about her allure…or lack thereof. Mizuno Ami was not a stunning glamour-queen like Minako, nor an exotic beauty like Rei. She hadn't the tall, athletic grace and presence of Makoto, or the appealing innocence and delicate, fragile beauty of Usagi. She was just plain, steady, sturdy Ami, who was known for her brains more than her beauty, and who'd broken out in hives the one (and thank goodness, only) time she'd ever received a love letter.
Ami was not, she knew, sort of girl who inspired any type of jealous romantic emotion in people. To even suggest it was absurd. It was incomprehensible. It was infuriating. There had to be something she was missing.
"How dared he? What game is he up to?" she found herself muttering aloud, to her very great disgust. "Augh! Arrogant prima donna! Out of my brain! OUT!" Her head thunked down onto the metal lab table, making glassware chatter.
"Everything okay?" inquired her bemused lab partner, peering at her myopically over the rim of his spectacles. He decided not to mention that she'd been uncharacteristically staring off into space for the last fifteen minutes or so. Again.
Ami flushed, humiliated, and forced herself to get back to work. She had experiments to perform and lab reports to write…reports which should have already been done but for her distraction that day. Still, her brain kept going round and round. And then finally she had an epiphany. Unfortunately for her lab report, it was not about chemical catalysts…though it definitely concerned chemistry in a round about sort of fashion.
She, Mizuno Ami, needed a life.
Minako, she reflected, had been bluntly telling her that for years, reminding her that they needed to enjoy being young while they were young and not be afraid of romance. Even Usagi, who was more kind in how she'd put it, had intimated that Ami hid in her lab to avoid socializing. She'd always denied it, but it was more true than Ami liked to admit. Still, if she'd had any sort of romantic life now, she was sure that the annoyingly possessive Shitennou wouldn't have hijacked her brain so easily.
Clearly if she wanted her brain back (and she needed it more than ever now), she needed to force him out of it. For just a moment Ami thought she would have given anything to have a love letter to read. Itchy, weepy hives left a body no room for fretting about anyone else. However, lacking that the quickest way she could think of to do that was to replace him in her thoughts with something else…or someone else. After all, if you couldn't love the one you wanted, then love the one you're with. Right?
"Oh gods," she muttered feverishly, kneading her temple. "Now I'm mangling quotes like Minako. I need my brain back. And I don't want him!"
Zoisite's face, his perfectly bishonen features all but screaming, "You can't forget about me so easily, princess," danced before her eyes maddeningly and Ami let out a small shriek of frustration, pounding her fist on her textbook, oblivious to the fact that her senshi strength, normally so well controlled, had cracked and split the poor thing's spine.
Who? Who could she replace him with?
That was when the second epiphany hit as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Of course.
A slow, unintentionally sultry smile curved Ami's lips as she blithely abandoned her beakers, Bunsen burner and befuddled lab partner and went in search of someone who was more than up to the task at hand.
She finally tracked him down in the library. His head was bent over a stack of periodicals, industriously taking notes that, by what she could see, looked like plans for an electronic device of some sort. Intellectual curiosity momentarily distracted her from her task and Ami bent over to have a look, unintentionally brushing his shoulder.
He reacted as though she'd tazed him. The poor man jumped about a foot, then scrambled to grab his papers as they scattered. As hastily as possible he stuffed them out of sight beneath his books.
"I didn't mean to spoil your research, Veridian-san," Ami whispered contritely, holding out a crumpled page that had escaped the almost-too-handsome young man. "I'm so sorry."
"That's alright, Ami-san. Nothing's spoilt. It's just that you startled me…" He nervously snatched the page from her hand, giving it a furtive glance before hiding it. Luckily it was nothing more than a hand-written list of additional research materials he was planning on using. He couldn't, of course, begin to tell her how horrified he'd been when he realized the small shadow that had fallen across his page had belonged to her. His guilty heart was still pounding double quick time.
"Research for your thesis?" she asked, trying to make some idle small talk for a moment while she screwed up her courage to ask what she'd come there for. Had she not been so distracted at the prospect of what she was going to do, she'd have noticed his distinct unease in her presence, a new development, at least on his part.
"Not exactly." He glanced down again quickly, making sure everything was under cover. "I don't…I mean… "
She placed a hand on his arm, gently cutting him off. "No need to explain. I shouldn't have asked. I don't like people seeing my work before it's done either."
Zarek heaved a sigh of relief, poking his slipping reading glasses back into place. It would have been impossible to explain what he was doing designing a device that would resonate on the same frequency as a senshi communicator and still maintain his anonymity. Ami would also have been justifiably angry. But luck had been with him. She hadn't seen. And he couldn't help but enjoy the soft pressure of her hand on his arm. Her skin was like warm, soft satin.
"I'm glad you're not offended, Ami-san. You're very understanding." He smiled.
Ami's pale face went petal pink as she looked into the face that was every bit as handsome as that vexing Shitennou's. Her breath caught somewhere in her lungs and she knew it was the moment of now or never. Without warning she blurted out in a breathless rush the words that had been pinging around her brain since she'd spotted him.
"WouldyouliketogooutwithmetonighttotheNationalMuseumandmaybedinnerlater?"
Zarek nearly dropped his papers a second time, staring speechless at her for what, to Ami at least, seemed to be the longest moment in recorded history. He simply couldn't believe Ami…shy, sweet, cautious Ami had actually taken the initiative and asked him out instead of the other way around.
Ami writhed in chilly embarrassment as the moment stretched on and on. She ought to have known better than to take his earlier flirting seriously and ask him for a date. He was so handsome he probably had lots of women prettier than she who were interested in him.
"Or maybe not," Ami squeaked, suddenly realizing she was still holding him.
She was about to beat a humiliated retreat when the habitually flirtatious lab tech recovered from his surprise, caught her hand and held it in place, smiling a smooth smile that she felt warm her clear down to her toes.
"I'd love to, Ami-san. Tell me more…"
As Minako might have said, the scent of dating must have been in the air that day.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Makoto sucked thoughtfully on her sticky thumb, eyeing the number on tag of the key she'd been given by Neil, who was off talking to someone, and then glancing at the numbers on the interior hall doors of the third floor of Sachi-Sachi Hall. She'd spent the afternoon in her favorite class, pastries, making baklava so delicious and full of honey it practically buzzed. She'd greedily sampled far too much of it for the good of her diet, but it had been so good she could hardly resist. Zeus but she was weak sometimes!
As she laved the last of the syrupy residue from her finger, she noticed she'd reached the right door. Sweet!
Plunging the key into the lock, she let herself in, unaccountably eager to see her new residence.
Her first impressions were of lightness, brightness and airiness, and a sense of expansiveness. It wasn't that the room was actually all that large, but compared to her former ultra-cramped quarters it felt like a palace. Makoto grinned, slinging her toque onto the bureau beside a healthy green and leafy Kamekichi, who appeared none the worse for his transplantation to new digs.
Two plain paneled doors set into the far wall drew her attention, and Makoto opened the first one to investigate. It was the closet, a walk-in affair, filled with all her things, all carefully hung in place. With a grin she shrugged out of her chef's jacket and slipped a fluffy pistachio green sweater from a hanger, though she didn't bother putting it on yet. The room was warm enough that her tank top would do for the moment. She felt something tight in her chest loosen when, while struggling with the hanger, she spotted the black lacquered box in which she stored her mother's things resting safely on the shelf.
However it was what was behind Door Number Two that had her practically squealing for joy. The room possessed its own small but serviceable ensuite bath. After multiple terms sharing a communal bath down the hall, this was practically Nirvana to her.
A soft, girlish rapping on the door pulled her away from thoughts of a protracted soak in steaming jasmine water. Pulling herself together, Makoto went to answer.
"Yes?" she asked as she pulled open the door and came face to face…well, face to top of the head with two young women, each of whom held something behind their backs.
"Are you Stearne Makoto?" chirped one of the women brightly.
Now it was one thing to know one was married, but a whole different thing to hear it out of the mouths of others. "I'm Kino…er…Stear…er…" For a moment Makoto couldn't seem to get the words out. Flustered, she blushed. "Yes, I'm Makoto. And you are?"
The two women exchanged knowing glances before bursting out laughing. "Isn't it cute?" the second one squealed to the other. "She's not used to her married name yet. I told you. They really are newlyweds."
"Er…may I help you?" Makoto asked a bit desperately, wondering who these two might be.
"With our best wishes for a long and happy marriage…" The first woman thrust a wine bottle into her hands. It was, Makoto noted as she eyed the label, a vintage that would have made her instructors weep, and not in a good way. However before she could do more than process that thought, the other one spoke.
"…From the brides group of the second floor," chimed in the second, pulling out a small plate from behind her back and plunking it onto Makoto's other hand. A tiny, slightly lopsided cake, just big enough for two and decorated with candied cherries stared back at her as Makoto stared down at it. "For you and your hubby."
"Eh?" she finally managed.
The two women grinned and the first one spoke again. "It's a tradition in this married student housing building. We always welcome the new brides on our floor with a cake and some champagne. There are so few of us, after all, that it's kind of like our own little club. Just consider this our friendly way of saying hello."
She bowed and introduced herself. "I'm Shinomara Emi, and I'm studying to be a kindergarten teacher. And this," she said as the second woman bowed, "is my friend, Sato Mariko."
"Studying to be a nurse," added Mariko, bobbing a quick bow and smiling winningly. "Wow I love your ring."
"Thank you." Makoto grinned. Bad taste in wine notwithstanding, it was hard not to like these two. They were so very earnest and friendly she liked them on sight. "I'm pleased to meet you both. I'm in Culinary Arts," she informed them, using the champagne bottle to gesture toward her tell-tale toque, which sat atop the bureau looking like an over puffed marshmallow, then set the bottle on the nearest flat surface along with the cake.
"Oh," said Mariko with an apologetic grin. "Now I'm embarrassed. My little cake must look pathetic to you, a professional."
"Not at all," assured Makoto with a wink, a smile, and a clap of her hands. "Cherries are my favorites. And I'm no pro yet. Otherwise I wouldn't be in school. So, you mentioned that this was tradition. Does this mean I'm supposed to bake the nex…"
"You're going to be baking, angel? Wonderful." The inquiry cut off what Makoto was about to say next as Neil arrived, looking so hopeful that Mariko and Emi began to giggle.
"And who are these two ladies?" he asked Makoto when neither woman volunteered to introduce themselves. They were staring up at him wide-eyed. He towered over them.
"Ah…Neil, these are some of our neighbors on this floor." Makoto quickly made the formal introductions. "They thoughtfully brought us a gift of cake and sparkling wine."
"That's very kind of you both," he told them, giving both women a charming grin which made Makoto, quite unaccountably, feel a faint twinge of jealousy. However before it could spoil the moment, he turned back to Makoto, sliding his arm around her waist.
"It must be in the air, beautiful. Because I brought you a little gift too." He plucked a small, plain box out of his pocket and caught her hand, kissing it first, then depositing the box in her palm. "It's not flowers…exactly, but I hope you like it anyway, darling."
Makoto felt herself flush as their audience sighed their approval at his gallant gesture. However she couldn't not open the box, especially since neither Emi nor Mariko seemed inclined to move, waiting eagerly to see what the present might be. Plus, she was female. She couldn't help but be flattered when a handsome man called her beautiful and brought her presents.
Resigned, Makoto opened it, wondering if it might be perfume, since the box seemed a little heavy for jewelry. However when she plucked out the little glass vial within it was definitely not perfume that she saw, though it was every bit as precious. She let out a soft gasp.
The little, somewhat industrial looking, screw-top jar appeared to be filled with a tangle of small pieces of red, nearly maroon colored string. A gorgeous Arabic script label covered the front of the bottle.
There was a blink, then two.
Suddenly Emi, who'd been staring at the container with a plainly puzzled expression burst out with a squeal of delight. "I know what it is! That's to symbolize the precious red thread that connects them together." She squealed, "He's a romantic!"
"Ooooh," Mariko said, nodding her head vigorously. "You're absolutely right, Emi-chan. Awwww…that's so sweet."
Their curiosity assuaged, the two bade the couple farewell and darted off down the hall to spread the gossip about the gooey sweetness that was their new dorm-mates. Neil grinned and herded his spouse back into their room, shutting the door behind them. Makoto, however, remained looking at the little bottle in shock. For she knew what Emi and Mariko did not.
The humble bottle contained a not insignificant quantity of precious, ultra fine grade saffron, the single most expensive spice on earth.
"My gosh, wherever did you get it?" she muttered, clutching it close. "That must have cost you an absolute fortune. Thank you!"
"Nothing but the best for you, angel." He chuckled and gave her lips a quick buss that made her tingle all over. "Like I said, not exactly flowers…but the best part of that one anyway. Though I like your friends' interpretation too. It's creative."
He kissed her again, more deeply this time, leisurely exploring the contours of her mouth until with her fully reciprocating until they were both breathing roughly and a delicious warm languor had them leaning into one another for support. Her softness cradled his hard muscles as though they'd been made for one another.
"Mmmm…you taste like honey," Neil mused, gazing deeply into her jeweled eyes. "I like it."
The guilty expression that crossed Makoto's face was partly hidden from Neil's view as she slipped from his arms to put her precious saffron down so she wouldn't drop and spill it…and so that she wouldn't do throw caution to the winds and do something rash like throw herself at her husband, pin him against the nearest wall and lap him up like sweet cream. She shivered deliciously at the thought, however.
"I was making pastries with honey today. I'm afraid I got a little sticky." The explanation made her writhe with embarrassment. He must think her either a slobby child or a pig.
She couldn't have been more wrong.
The twin mental images of his sweet Mako and syrupy, sticky honey was almost too much for him, especially when the pale pink tank top she wore showcased just for him a gorgeous view of her alabaster cleavage. Neil's groin tightened painfully as he murmured, "And there's just time enough for us to have a shower before supper..."
Turning back, she took the cake from him and put it away for them to eat later. 'In bed,' her evil id tempted. She groaned softly as the thought conjured up more intimate images. Memories perhaps? Or were they wishful thinking?
Her thoughts were scattered, disorganized. What was happening to her all of a sudden? The soul of a wanton had surfaced in the body of a virgin. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. He couldn't have said what she'd thought she'd heard.
"What was that?" she asked, her tone unintentionally sharp as she patted her flushed cheek and damned herself for her lack of control.
Patience, Neil heard his father's voice reminding him, was a virtue. He could also hear a voice that sounded suspiciously like Endymion's reminding him that she needed time and understanding. He couldn't rush her…couldn't force her into accepting their bond. They were taking baby steps together.
"I said, there's just time enough for you to take a shower before our supper with my professor," he transposed neatly.
"Mr. Clear Blue Sky, right?" Makoto forced a laugh, hanging up her sweater and swapping it out for an oversized terry bathrobe from the closet. "That sounds like a good idea. I won't be long." She fled into the bath, locked in the door, and turned on the hot water, wondering if she ought to be making it a cold shower instead.
"Wait for me," she called through the door, over the sound of the pounding spray.
"Forever, angel." His frustrated imagination running riot, he could almost hear the soft poof of clothing hitting the bathroom tile. Neil groaned as he watched steam curl under the door, beyond which his wife was tantalizingly nude and slippery wet.
She didn't hear the rest. "Just don't make it too long. I'm only human."
(Author's Notes to dear, patient, understanding readers: I am so sorry that this update took so very long. Honestly, many things have happened to cause it, not the least of which is that my puppy ATE my 'S' key off my laptop…no, I'm absolutely not kidding. Do you know how hard it is to write without an 'S'? Why not the Z…oh wait. That would hurt Zoi and Ami. Augh! No good. And expensive to fix. In any case, I'm not giving up on this story, and I'll try to keep the updates more frequent. Hope you enjoy it!)