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 5

The following day their bags were packed and they sat on a train to Niigata. It was a small town not too far from them and it bordered on the Sea of Japan front. Kunzite wasn't going to pick them up in fact he had given Usagi the key to his house years previously for use whenever she felt she needed it.

He'd be at a meeting until at least midnight and he'd see them the next morning before the party he had planned for that night. Minako was a little skeptic on Kunzite's intentions towards Usagi any guy other than Mamoru was bad news for them. Usagi only loved Mamoru and any guy who had tried to sway her towards him had ended up heart broken and put Usagi in tears because she felt bad.

But Kunzite was an old friend she never knew about so he couldn't be that bad. She did worry about how Kunzite would take an uninvited guest in his house and she voiced her worries to Usagi. Usagi brushed it off saying he'd love it.

When they arrived at the house Minako gasped. It wasn't a house at all but a beach mansion with an amazing view from just the outside. The house itself was breathtaking. There were large picture windows and airy colors inside the stucco-Japanese palace. She now knew why Usagi couldn't wait to come visit here.

"How come you never told me you had friends in such high places?" Minako questioned her best friend.

"Um, Minako, honey, do you recall what you are? Do you recall what Ami is? Or in fact, any of our friends are, including me?"

"That's not the same thing. It's easy to be famous or a good doctor in Tokyo but here? You have to be talented to live here and make a fortune."

"You're silly." Usagi tugged Minako inside. "Come, I'll show you to your room so you can hang up that gorgeous dress for tomorrow's party, it's usually a formal affair so you'll want to look top shape. There'll be a party later this weekend that's more relaxed on the dress code. Oh and I've got to show you the pool."

"There's a pool too?" Minako asked on a breath.

"It's under a retractable roof so you can go anytime."

"Is there a canopy bedroom outside or is it just a living room or a whatever? You know how the rich like to do it now in nice places."

"There's a patio under a canopy but its more like sheer curtains falling to give a sense of privacy while enjoying the sun." Usagi admitted. "But for the most part he's just like us, average guy and all that jazz."

"You're weird in this house."

"You're one to talk." Usagi rolled her eyes. "Now come on, let's go for a swim once we get you settled in."

"What about you? I still can't believe how light you packed."

"I tried to warn you that I had all the necessities here. Like the blow dryer and different size curling irons and straighteners. Plus a multitude of clothes I'd only want to wear here. Also a few other effects. I only bring a couple of new outfits and a few things every time which I bring back with me."

"That's why I didn't bring my curling rod or straightener." Minako sighed. "Lead the way madam hostess."

Usagi giggled and showed her to an aquamarine room that had her gasping again at the amazingness of the house.

"I'll leave you to it. I'm going to go change and I'll meet you downstairs."

"You sure I'm not going to get lost?"

"I doubt it." Usagi winked and disappeared out of the room.

Minako changed into a black bikini that didn't show anything more than what was appropriate and still allow her a nice even tan with the minimum number of pale lines.

She headed down the steps and found Usagi wearing a swimsuit that was a multitude of greens and blues through circles and dots under a white cover-up. Two towels were draped over her arm one with a hot Hawaiian man who was uncovered to his waist and the other of a Greek who was not quite so covered up. She was given the Greek male towel and they laid it over the back of their chair under two personal umbrellas that kept the chairs cool to sit on. They could move them when they sat to sunbath but they opted not to as Usagi stripped herself of the flimsy cover up and dove into the pool. Minako kicked off her sandals and followed her friend into the refreshing crystal water.

The sides and floor was padded as Minako pushed off the bottom to reach the surface again. She shook the water out of her face and did a lazy back crawl cutting through the surface of the water.

Usagi pulled herself out of the cool water and moved her towel to the ground by the rest of her items and turned the umbrella so she could relax. She waited until she was completely dry before applying sunscreen. That was where Minako and Usagi differed in skin types. If Usagi didn't apply sunscreen on within a half hour of being in the sun she would burn to a crisp but Minako could apply it whenever and whether she did or not she'd get a nice even dark tan within a few hours. Minako swore she had some bohemian blood in herself.

Minako did a flip in the water and swam to the other side of the pool. The fountain kicked on and Minako accidentally swallowed the water not expecting it. She came to the surface sputtering after sinking. She spat the water out and decided it was time to get out of the pool. She joined her friend and sprawled out on the lounger next to her and almost promptly fell asleep. Half an hour she woke up completely dry and a little hot. She pulled the umbrella back over her and applied the sunscreen before pulling out her Ipod and relaxed listening to music.

When she woke again Usagi was doing flips into the water from the diving board that was twenty feet high easily. She admired her friend's dexterity before she turned off her music and climbed the ladder of the smaller board and dived back into the water. It felt good to refresh after both naps. She cut across the water this time avoiding the periodically sprouting fountain and did many laps before coming back out. Her skin was like prunes and she figured she'd take a shower and be done for the day.

Usagi was already ahead of her donning her cover up again. "There's a shower right next to your room, it has shampoo and conditioner for both boys and girls you'll know which to use when you get there. There's vanilla lotion, I stocked it myself. There's pretty much anything you want short of makeup. I think I might take a nap after my shower before dinner tonight so whatever you want to do is fine, don't be afraid to explore the grounds. I'll have Kunzite give you a formal tour tomorrow, I'm sure you'll like it, he gives the best ones."

"I'm sure." Minako couldn't help but think her friend was smitten or at least had a crush on her mysterious man even though she loved another. Then again she might just idolize her old friend or they were that close. She didn't really care. Usagi gave her a look and Minako shrugged. "Ok you convinced me without me even meeting him, he's amazing."

"He really is and I know what you're thinking, but he's just perfect. I had liked him at one point but we're more like siblings now than possible love interests. It's kind of like Motoki and I or you and I."

"It's just I've never met him, and until this week I didn't even know about him."

"He likes to keep a low profile and I don't get to see him very often and I forget to tell you about him because you don't know him and the stories are more interesting when you've met him."

"So from now on you'll be telling me stories of him and I'll be laughing hysterically?"

"You'll at least understand them." Usagi stretched and yawned at the same time. "Just remember to get out before your skin turns to soup." She laughed as she walked away.

Minako rolled her eyes and headed to her own bed chambers, Usagi was only on the other side of the same floor. Apparently there were five floors. The main one which was where you entered and had every amenity. The second floor which had a library and a few other things. The third floor had Kunzite's study and his rooms. The fourth floor which was Usagi's floor it seemed like and any guest or guests she brought along. The fifth floor was for any crashers for the night.

If Minako didn't know Usagi was in the house she doubted they'd ever cross paths unless purely by accident and she'd probably get lost in a second. She didn't understand how drunken and disorderly people who stayed the night managed to make it to the fifth floor without passing out on the way or getting off on the wrong floor. Usagi confided with her that sometimes if they were so drunk they'd just fall asleep on the floor or the swarm of couches on the first floor but usually a plastic covering was placed over them if it was turning into that kind of party.

Kunzite usually had the party catered in and the helpers would gage if there was any need for the covers. They would be gone by morning but he liked the little extra help to watch over everybody until everybody on the main floor was gone.

Minako grabbed a towel and entered her shower. She'd be interested to meet this Kunzite fellow, from his actions alone he sounded caring but very stuck up but he liked to host wild parties and he could give fairly good advice but she didn't completely agree with it.

She turned the water onto fairly warm there was nothing like a luke-warm to warm shower even in the summer unless she was sticky and would becomes so again with the switch of the handle. She lathered the shampoo into her hair and let the water drip down her body as it washed the soap away. She turned and it cleaned her face. She pushed away the water from her eyes and massaged conditioner into her ends.

She washed it out before she herself got out and rubbed her body down to dry off. She wrapped her silk robe around her body and twisted her hair up with the towel so she could change before administrating any curls or drying it.

She changed into lightweight linen shorts and a multi-layered lace top. She took out her bag of bobby pins and twisted small strands into a circle that she pinned to her head. It was heavy by the time she finished and while Usagi was used to seeing her like this she was in a foreign house and she didn't know who would see her. She decided on a blond wig instead of a hat. She got it from work when they threatened to cut her hair otherwise. Now her hair ended just at her shoulders.

She bounced downstairs and saw a plate full of fruit sitting out ready to be ate before dinner. She nibbled on a few strawberries before she pulled a plate forward and put a few pieces on her plate of cantaloupe and muskmelon.

Usagi was nowhere to be seen. Just as she was getting bored Usagi popped into the room. "Hey Mina-chan." She smiled largely at her. "Sorry I received a phone call and I had to take it."

"That's ok." Minako replied and looked around for a place to sit.

"Over here." Usagi grabbed a plate and picked out a few pieces of fruit before leading her to a nook with benches by the windows that looked out onto the sea.

"Do you ever go swimming in the ocean?"

"Only when Kunzite's here. Sometimes the tides change so drastically it's good to have somebody know that you're in the water when it happens. He doesn't usually join me for that swim but he usually knows before they do, either by a weather report or how the sky darkens or something but he's pretty good at knowing when it's safe and when it isn't."

"Oh." Minako turned and looked out upon the sandy shores. It just looked so peaceful as the waves road up the shore then shrunk away into the loving embrace of their mother, the sea.

Minako stood there a few more minutes watching what had always been her fascination as a little girl, it was always her dream to end up living somewhere she could go running into the sea and swim and then come back and lay in the sun or have a peaceful dinner at a nice restaurant whenever and wherever she wanted.

Usagi didn't let her remorse for long and pulled her out of her thoughts by a suggestion of a pool game.

Minako tore her gaze away and followed Usagi into one of the other rooms. This room had the pool table and a stereo system was set up so it could be heard in a few different ones including the adjacent room which held a foosball table and another room with a pin pong table. "There's one with a dart board as well." Usagi motioned to a room where the doors were closed. "There's a bar in there too so people can drink and throw darts, very safe huh?"

Minako shrugged. She'd been to a few parties where there was a bar in the most dangerous room but the people that drank it were usually playing something a little more tame like cards or billiards. "Any room with a card table?"

Usagi paused. "Yes, it's fairly small compared to these but it's on the other side of the pin pong room. Do you fancy a game?"

"Not without a lot of boys to make the night interesting." Minako was thinking of the last time she played poker, it had been a strip game which she ended up the winner and more than half were men down to the suit they were born in, some were women too and it had been forbidden to put something on unless you had the complete wardrobe made by other people's clothing. Minako giggled to herself and shook her head when Usagi looked at her.

Usagi shrugged and set up the table. Minako broke and made a stripe in. Usagi sunk two solids after Minako missed her next shot. Then Usagi sunk in another one but she missed on her third attempt.

Usagi won the game but neither cared. They were too busy singing along with the newest pop hit song by the Idols to feel any competition.

When their game was over Usagi apologized but she was exhausted and wanted to retire to her room. Minako followed suit and removed her wig and changed into a silk slip and slid into bed. She had the best night's sleep she could remember having for a long time.