Minako and Usagi Adventures: Loving A Man Series: Minako's Mystery: Morning Rises

5 August 2004

Summary: When Minako wakes up one morning, it is to find that she is not alone in a bed she's never seen. Her greatest mistake was bolting that fateful dawn.

Chapter 2

The next day Minako went back to work as Usagi had to as well. Usagi was an author and generally worked out of home but today she had to go to the library for some research. Minako remembered one of her surprise visits on her friend as she was passing the library from work. Usagi didn't get much time to work as often one of her books was in the library and a person had just read it and wanted to ask questions. Which was really what sparked Usagi's sudden career change, she was still an author but now also a freelance journalist. Her author duties had her going to several meetings with readers on opening days and she even got an offer to have a book turned into a movie.

Usagi had agreed only if Minako got to play the main character in that book. Which is why Minako was off to work so early today. Usagi said as long as somebody she knew was in the movie she trusted it not to get totally mixed up. The only time their paths would cross in the work place now was at the premier in Osaka this coming fall.

Minako loved working as an actress, she was quite good at it and had several offers to move to the States to continue working but she turned them down saying she had all she needed right here.

And now it was true, she even had a love that was based in Tokyo for most of the time. All she really needed to do was find him. She pulled over to a small coffee shop and got recognized by a few people wanting her autograph. By the time she signed a few of them she finally made it up to the counter.

"Hi." She smiled at the young man behind the counter. "I would like one of your frozen coffee drinks."

"Tall, Grande, or Supreme Grande?" He asked staring at her.

That quirked the side of her lip up as he could still do his job in the face of a celebrity, something not that many people could pull off.

"Grande." She ordered.

"Mocha, Carmel, Vanilla or Toffee?"

She made a face at the last one but said normally enough with out an edge of disgust in her voice. "I'll go for the Carmel."

"Right, Frozen Carmel Grande coming right up." The boy looked behind him at the one making drinks. "Carlo dude, stop staring, make her a C and C." Carlo snapped out of it and made the drink for her.

Minako accepted it when it was finished and gave them their money and a tip as well. "Thanks." She winked good naturally at them and turned to leave, right into a hard chest. She looked up with a gasp.

"We need to talk." Was all Mr. Tall blond and Mysterious said before grabbing her wrist and puling her out of the shop with several people watching in confusion and amusement. They walked into an office building and after a few words with the doorman found a conference room to talk in.

Minako sank to a chair. "I'm going to be late to work you know, and all my efforts to wake up at this hour will go unnoticed."

"I'm going to be late for work myself." The man said uncaringly. "Besides, you didn't have trouble waking up yesterday morning even earlier."

Minako stared at him unhappily. "And your point is?" She rolled her shoulders it wasn't one of her most happy memories, the sex had been good, and she knew she loved him, she always knew about love and how to recognize the truth about it but she wasn't proud of the way she acted that and she never even learned his name.

"Do you make it a habit to go around sleeping with strange men?" His tone implied that he was angry, well she was too, but she had no idea why he would be. She suspected that he'd be happy she didn't make a mess and cause a distressful morning after.

Minako shrugged in reply. "I don't know, are you a strange man?"

"I'm a stranger." He agreed then his tone hardened. "But you didn't answer the question."

"No I guess I don't." Minako raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you the hypocrite?"

"Be quiet." His voice was harsh. Minako realized that she didn't look very good on his view. "I came here to visit a friend, and I see you hanging all over him. The next thing I know we're in my bed. Then last night I saw you again with another person I know, and don't you think it quite coincidental that I see you again this morning. For a stalker you sure like to be seen. What is it you want? Money, jewelry?" He asked. "Power?"

"What are you getting on about? I didn't even know you were around yesterday." Minako huffed then stormed to the door. "I don't think I ever want to see you again."

"That's good, because if I do see you, then I know you're after something I've got. If I see you with anybody else that I know, I will think your playing the field." His voice cut chills through her but she kept her head up high and walked out to return to her car and go to work. That man wasn't worth her time of day.

Oh but he was, even though he was cold to her today, he was so sweet and gentle and passionate last night that it made up for any remarks he could have made to her. It dawned on Minako half way through a make-out scene that she'd never see him again and if she did it wouldn't be a very happy occasion. When she had to cry, the tears were real and said her lines with perfection.

When Minako got home that day, Usagi was putting away a few dishes in the dishwasher from a late afternoon snack. Minako smiled her first real smile of the day since her confrontation with the man of her dreams as she noticed that Usagi was humming and was finally her old happy self again. "Hey Usa-chan." Minako greeted swooping to help her put away the dishes.

"Hi Minako!" Usagi beamed at her then looking at the dishes in Minako's hands. "Thank you." She walked away and was still humming.

"Did you have a nice meeting with Mr. Mysterious Kunzite?' Minako teased.

"Oh, yes, I suppose I did. But always seeing him makes me happy." Usagi shrugged unhelpfully. "He's such a nice person, and charming too when he wants to be. If fact I think he charmed me right out of my most recent distress."

"Speaking of your distress." Minako hedged unwilling to spoil her friend's good mood but having to tell her anyways. "I saw him yesterday at the Mexican restaurant that I got our food. I told him to butt out of our lives and stay there. I also may have told him that you were having a very romantic dinner with Mr. Mysterious, I didn't use his name however."

Usagi did the unexpected and smiled. "That's ok Minako, it deserves that man to be put in his place every once in awhile." Minako stared in a mixture of disbelief and jealously at Usagi's upbeat mood. Whenever Mamoru was mentioned Usagi would clam up and sulk because she didn't want to hear anything about the nuisance of her life. "What?" Usagi asked large-eyed.

"Does this Kunzite really make you that happy?" Minako questioned tightly, if she didn't know better she'd say her friend was in love with Mamoru since the first day they met.

Usagi frowned at her. "Kunzite just always shows me that what I'm doing needs to be looked at in a different way, as with Mamoru, instead of getting angry at him, I should pretend I don't care and if I act like that enough I might soon believe it. Besides I'm over Mamoru right now, he's a distraction I don't need right now." Usagi waved off Minako's concern.

Minako knew however trying to forget about the love of your life wasn't a smart idea, nor was it healthy for you. Usagi had tried that before when she was 17 and it didn't do her any good. Now she was aware of it but didn't act like she was. But Minako had a few days left to get through and then the weekend would be hers to sulk. "All right Usa-chan, I'm going to bed though and I won't be waking up until I have to go to work."

Minako was so tired she felt like honoring that promise at that minute but Usagi's voice cut into her sleepy brain. "That's all right, Rei and Jiro wanted me to go out to eat with them anyways. They told me to extend the offer to you as well."

"They'll be kissing and in their own little world." Minako whined. "I don't want to see that no matter how much I'd like to see Rei. So no thank you." Minako went to her room and collapsed on her bed, too tired to move enough to even undress.

"Goodnight Minako." Usagi called into the room and then went back to humming as if she didn't have a care in the world.