A/N: It's been one week since I posted the first chapter of this. Yay! I'll post two chapters today because I'm absolutely excited that I'm still on schedule, and because these two are kinda short and I want to go ahead and get all the drama started.

Disclaimer: see previous chapter.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mina. You busy."

"Extremely. What's up?"

"You work too much, Minako. Have lunch with me."

"I wish I could. I have a lot to do around here."

"Can I at least bring you something? I want to see you."

Minako smiled. Her girlfriend was extremely endearing. "All right, but I can't promise I'll have time to talk to you. As a matter of fact, I have to go. Love you."

"I-" Rei was cut off by the clicking of Minako's phone. "love you, too." The miko sighed. Scrolling through her contacts, she pressed call when she found the person she wanted to talk to. She had a lunch to order.

"You cannot go in there."

"Excuse me?"

"You are not allowed to go back there. It's not a public vicinity."

"I am not the public."

"I'm sorry ma'am. I'm just doing my job. Whoever it is you want to see can come out here to see you, but you cannot just go waltzing back there."

"Rei?"

At the sound of her name, the miko turned. She smiled, happy to see a familiar face. "Hello, Setsuna."

"How have you been, Rei? It's been a while."

"Indeed it has. I've been alright. Have you seen Minako?"

"Yes, I have. Follow me."

Rei turned and stuck her tongue out at the woman at the front desk. She knew it was childish, but she hadn't done something like that in ages, and it felt kinda nice.

"Minako is doing a photo shoot at the moment, but you can talk to her when she gets a break."

Rei smiled. "Thanks a lot, Sets."

The older woman smiled. "No problem." With that, she disappeared as quickly as she had come. No one out of their group saw much of the cryptic woman with the depressed eyes, save Minako because they worked together.

Rei walked around the dressing room Setsuna had brought her to, assuming it was Minako's. She put the food she brought on the vanity table and sat in a chair in the corner to wait for her girlfriend.

Her wait didn't last long. The blond walked into the room and smiled when she saw the food on her desk. She quickly opened it and would have began eating had it not been for the arms that materialized around her waist.

Minako leaned back into the embrace. "Hello Rei."

Their eyes met in the mirror and they smiled at each other. "Hey, Mina."

"Shit, Rei! I'm running late, thanks to you!"

"Don't blame me! You were the one who wouldn't let me go!"

"I was only trying to be fair."

"You shouldn't start something you don't have time to finish!"

"You started it!"

"You let me keep going!"

Their yelling match was interrupted. "Do I have to seperate the two of you, or will you play nice?"

Minako turned to the owner of the voice. "She's gonna get me fired!"

An eyebrow was quirked in the direction of the miko. "It wasn't my fault!"

"I see. I do have to seperate you. Minako, go back to work. Rei, follow me."

Minako stomped off in a huff. Rei looked at her feet, feeling like a child in trouble.

"Come, Rei."

Rei blushed. She had heard those exact words less than two minutes ago in a very different context. Ironically, those were the words that got her into this mess.

The miko looked around a very pristine office, feeling extremely out of place.

"You and Minako need to learn to keep your voices down in public places, Rei."

The miko looked chagrined. She was unable to meet the eyes of the speaker. "I'm sorry. I just get so upset-"

"That's not what I was talking about."

Rei blushed again. Chuckling nervously, she toyed with hands in her lap. "So you heard... that?"

"I'm sure people in China heard 'that,' Rei. You made no efforts to be quiet."

"Sorry, Setsuna."

The cryptic woman leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands; elbows resting on her desk. "There is no need to apologize. You should just keep in mind your surroundings when you decide to express your love."

Rei's blush deepened. She doubted she'd ever be able to look the other woman in the eye again.

Setsuna leaned back into her chair, eyes softening. "I didn't mean to embarass you. I do have to concern myself with Minako's image, though. Your tryst today didn't cause any complications, but you have to consider what may happen in the future. I won't stop you from seeing your girlfriend, and I will never bring up this topic with you again, but I do not doubt that you will discuss this with her. Please make clear the possible reprocussions for her actions. I trust you to do so. I have no doubts in your sense of responsibility, Rei."

Rei nodded. There was a reason she didn't see much of the woman in front of her. She was one of the few people who existed that could make the miko want to hide under a rock with their meer presence.

"What's wrong with you, Rei? You look horrible. I mean, not horrible, but really sad. Which is horrible. Why do you look sad?"

Rei's eyes never left the sidewalk she was walking on. "Setsuna heard us."

Minako blinked. "Yeah, she's the one who hid you away after our argument."

Rei shook her head, eyes still glued to the pavement. "That's not what I'm talking about."

"What- oh. She heard 'that.'" Minako laughed hysterically. "I can only imagine the face she made! She's such a prude."

Rei looked at her girlfriend. "Aren't you the least embarrassed?"

Minako calmed down a little. Still chuckling, she responded. "No way! Why should I be? It's just Sets."

"It wasn't just Sets! Who knows who else heard?" Rei groaned. That was an extremely unpleasant thought.

"No one else knows you but Sets and I. Besides, we've all heard almost everyone else getting it in around there, and I'm sure they've all heard me before."

Rei frowned, both at her friends choice of words and her lack of tact in her work place. "I don't think that's a good idea. You shouldn't have sex at work, Minako."

Minako returned Rei's frown. "Did you forget that you started it?"

The miko shook her head. "I didn't. But I won't do so again."

Minako squinted at her lover. "What did Sets say to you?"

Rei shrugged. "Nothing much; just that she heard us."

"You're lying." The blond grabbed her girlfriend's hand, pulling her in the opposite direction of the one they were currently walking. "I'm going to go talk to her."

"What the hell Setsuna! It's not your place to tell me anything!"

Rei was sitting in the hallway, listening to the loud parts of Minako's speech. The cryptic woman she was talking to never raised her voice above a whisper, so Rei only heard one side of the conversation.

"I don't care! You took that job upon yourself!"

Rei tucked her knees under her chin, wondering what the other woman was saying to her irate girlfriend.

"I've always been like this! It's my life to live and I'll live how I want to!"

It was quiet for a while after that, meaning Minako had either been stunned into silence by the other woman, or had lowered her voice.

"You're not my mother!"

Minako was yelling again. Rei didn't understand why the woman wouldn't let it go. It had to be bad for her blood pressure.

The miko jumped when she heard a slap, and opened the door to Setsuna's office. She saw Minako holding her face and staring at Setsuna with a wild look in her eyes as though she were about to attack the much older, much taller, much stronger woman.

Setsuna spoke then. "Minako, I suggest you be careful what you say to me. I may be your friend, but I am not above kicking your ass. Do not call me out of my name again.

"Now, I have work to do. If you two do not mind, I would like to get back to that. I have entertained this foolishness long enough. Good day, Minako, Rei."

Minako turned around, seeing her girlfriend standing in the door for the first time. She turned to glare at Setsuna, but was ignored by the other woman. Stomping, she made her way to her lover and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from the frustrating woman she worked with every day and escaping her work place to meet the warm air outside.

Once they crossed the threshold to the outside world and began their journey toward the upcoming idol's place of residence, Minako turned to look at the woman walking by her side. "Sets is going to make me hurt her. I'm going to hurt that woman!"

Rei decided it was not the best time to point out that even if Minako had the chance, she would never be able to beat the other woman. Rei was sure that Sestuna was stronger than all of them transformed while still in her civilian form. Even the miko had things she was afraid of - a cryptic time mage with all knowing eyes being one of them.

"Minako, calm down. I agree with her. She's only trying to look out for your well being and your future."

"It's not her place; it's not her life; I'm not her child. Hell, I'm not a child at all!"

A corner of the raven haired woman's mouth quirked upwards. The blond's behavior said otherwise. "I know that, you know that, and she knows that. She just cares about you. That's all.

"What did you say to make her hit you?" The miko doubted the composed woman would hit another person just for being told she's not their mother. Unless it was Hotaru. That would probably hurt the mage down to her core.

"I called her a bitch. It's her fault, she was acting like one! I mean, if you hate being called a bitch, don't act like one! If it walkes like a bitch, talks like a bitch, and treats you like a bitch, what you gonna call it? A bitch!"

Rei winced. Minako was lucky all she got was a slap. The last person to call Setsuna a bitch was sent back in time. Haruka came back looking much worse for wear.

"Minako, you may not want to call her that anymore."

The blond was unconcerned. "She won't hurt me. I'm her money maker."

Rei raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Did you forget that she was rich before she met you, and has money that won't run out for generations? Considering her life span, that's a lot of money."

Minako just shrugged. "Either way, she won't hurt me."

"She already hit you once. I don't suggest you push your luck."

The blond's hand unconsciously came up to her face, touching the still slightly tender spot on her cheek. Deciding that she had wasted enough time talking about the infuriating woman she worked with, she decided to change the pace. Literally.

She laughed as she shouted to the stunned girl behind her, "Last one home gets tied up for the rest of the day!"

Rei smiled. She started running, determind to get home before her lover.