Disclaimer: see previous chapter.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Minako inclined her head in greeting. She really didn't want to talk to the boy.

"You're not usually in here this early."

"I know. I came with Sets. I stayed at her place last night."

Kei blinked. "You weren't- were you?"

Minako laughed. "What's wrong? Does the thought of me having sex with my manager bother you?"

Kei frowned. "I'm the only one you should be having sex with!"

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Boy, please. I'm not having sex with you. If not only because you're a freaking kid, because you make me sick and I can't stand the thought of you."

The boy looked down. "You hate me again, don't you."

Minako felt bad. She didn't have to be that harsh. "No, I don't hate you. I just don't want to date you."

The boy nodded, but didn't lift his head. "I know. I'm sorry."

The woman put a hand on his shoulder and he lifted his eyes to hers. "It's only partially your fault." Minako forced a smile. "I have nothing to do until noon, though. Want to go get breakfast?" Seeing the boy smile help her smile to become genuine. "I know a great place not too far from here. Let's go."

"Minako, did I miss something?"

The blond looked up from her vanity table to look at the intruder in her room. "What do you mean, Sets?"

"You haven't seen it?"

The older woman threw a magazine down on the table in front of the blond. "When did that even happen?"

On the cover was a picture of her and Kei holding hands and walking down the street. "A few days ago. Why?"

"Do you not see it? I thought you hated him."

"I don't hate him, I just don't like being with him. I asked him to go to breakfast with me because I made him feel bad when I yelled at him."

"And you were holding hands because?"

"He grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go. Why are you complaining? This is good publicity isn't it?"

Setsuna sighed. "It is. I just don't want to see you getting attached to him. It'll hurt him more when you end it."

Minako nodded. "I'm not. He's a kid and I'm in love with Rei."

Setsuna looked sympathetic. She wasn't sure if she felt worse for Minako or Rei. "I know. I just don't want you to forget that."

Minako looked at her friend seriously. "I won't. Not ever."

The older woman's smile was sad. "Time can change things, Minako. Make sure to take a look at page twelve. Think about what Rei saw the last time you two talked and tell me if you don't see it as well."

"Fucking hell! Answer your phone, Rei. I've been calling you forever. I just want to hear your voice again, love. I miss you. Bye."

Minako sighed and hung up her phone, walking into her manager's office. Either Rei had no limit on the number of voicemails her phone could hold, or she was listening to all of them and still ignoring the blond. Minako frowned and walked into her manager's office. "Sets, can I take the day off?"

The older woman looked at her. "I don't see why not. Do you have any particular reason you want to leave?"

Minako nodded. "I don't want to talk about it, though. I just need to do something."

Setsuna raised an eyebrow. "I don't think seeing Rei is a good idea. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you yet, MInako."

The blond frowned. "I know, but I need to make sure she's still okay with everything. I don't want her to get upset with the promotions when she sees them."

Setsuna smiled. "And you want to make sure that she's still in love with you."

The younger woman blushed lightly, and nodded. "I shouldn't be so insecure, but she's never disappeared on me like this before."

"You're worrying too much about the wrong things. She still loves you. At this point, you should make sure she knows you still love her. Forget your insecurities and make her forget hers, Minako."

"How can I do that if I can't leave?"

"I'm wondering why you're still here. I told you earlier that you were free to go."

Minako grinned and bounded out of the office, not thinking to say "thank you" on her way out. Setsuna just smiled. She knew the signs of a girl in love.

Minako made it up the stairs to the shrine in record time. Not caring about manners, she ran into the building and into Rei's room. Seeing no one, she check the other rooms, still not finding the miko.

She walked outside and made her way towards the woods around the shrine. She saw Makoto walking out.

"Hey, Mako, have you seen Rei?"

The brunette grinned. "Good afternoon to you too, Minako. I'm fine, thank you for asking. How have you been?"

"Mako, shut up. I talked to you a few days ago. Have you seen Rei? I haven't seen her in over a month now."

Makoto's smile fell. "Yeah, she's in the woods training. She doesn't want to see you, though." The blond looked at her feet. "Don't be like that, Minako. She did something that was very hard for her."

Minako nodded. "Has she been eating well?"

"Yeah, I've been making sure she eats."

"And she's sleeping okay, too, right?"

"I don't know. I usually don't come around here at night because I have to close up everything at work."

"Well, how her health? Nothing out there has bitten her and given her an infection, has it?"

Makoto smiled. "Relax. She's fine. Nothing in there will fuck with her."

"Well-"

"Minako, stop. You don't have to worry about Rei. If she knew you were worrying she'd hang you up by your toenails. Relax. I have to run in the shrine for a minute. Come with me. I need some help."

The blond took another look into the woods.

"You don't want to go in there now, anyway. She's training. Come on, Mina."

The woman lowered her head and did as she was told.

"I know we had this talk a few days ago, but how are you doing?"

Minako sighed. Everyday of the past month had been a struggle. "I'm surviving. It's still hard, though."

Makoto nodded. "It will be. No one wants to be away from the person they love."

"You have no idea how right you are."

Makoto said nothing; thoughts travelling to a college a long way out of Tokyo.

"Does she talk about me?"

Makoto snapped out of her reverie. "She doesn't talk to me. I don't know if the others have seen her or if she talks to them. I'm sorry I can't help you, Minako.

"I did ask her about you, though. The only thing she said to me since you two broke up was that she didn't want to see you."

Minako looked at her plate, wishing she could force herself to eat even a single piece of the muffin in front of her.

Makoto looked sympathetically at her friend. "You do know you're not leaving until you eat that, right?"

Minako looked at her friend, eyes serious. "Good thing I don't have anywhere to be today."

"How did it go, Minako?"

"I didn't get to see her. Mako stopped me and told me that Rei said she didn't want to see me. Then she dragged me to the restaurant she's working at."

Setsuna nodded into the phone, even though the other woman couldn't see it. "I'm sorry, Minako. Don't take it to heart, though. Remember what she's going through is worse than what you're going through."

Minako nodded as well. "I'm trying not to. I was supposed to just be calling to let you know that I'm back in the building. I'm available to do anything else you have planned for this afternoon."

Setsuna's voice was unsure, which made the idol nervous. "Are you sure about that?"

Minako shrugged. "Yeah. What else is left?"

"The only real thing you had to do today was the photo shoot with Kei. I was just about to call his manager and cancel it. Are you sure you still want to go through with it?"

Minako sighed. She didn't. "I may as well get it over with."

"Minako, you have to make your relationship believable for the cameras. If you can't walk in here and convince me that you want to do this shoot, I'm going to cancel it. I'm giving you five minutes, then I want you in my office. If you're late, I'm cancelling the shoot."

The blond didn't have a chance to respond before her manager hung up the phone. She looked into her vanity mirror. It was time to become an actress.

"I'm surprised you're going along with this."

"It's a part of my job, Kei. I have to do this."

The teen smiled. "You don't have to, but I'm still glad you are.

"You do know you have to pretend to like me, right?"

Minako shook her head. "No. I have to pretend to love you. Don't get the wrong idea from this. I still don't want to be near you."

Kei smiled. "I know. I still love you though, V-chan."

"I am not-"

"It's time you guys."

Minako sighed and walked to the set for the photo shoot. The cameras were big, the lighting was hot, her shoes hurt her feet, the flashes of light blinded her, and she was with one of the most annoying creatures on the planet. She couldn't wait until this was over and she could get back to her Reiko.

Until then, she smiled, she posed, and she kissed Kei.

"I didn't think you could do it, Minako. You really are a good actress."

The weary blond smiled. "It's all a part of the job. You taught me that one."

Setsuna smiled and rubbed the head laying in her lap. "You learned well. Your pictures were quite believable."

Minako frowned. "You don't think Rei will get upset when she sees them do you?"

The older woman's smile fell back into the unfeeling mask she always wore. "I can't answer that."

The blond sat up. "I'm going to call her."

Setsuna eased the girl's head back down into her lap. "That won't work, Minako. If she hasn't answered you yet, she's not about to. Wait for her."

Minako sighed. She knew the other woman was right, but she didn't want to let go. She didn't want to give up hope. She didn't want to not be missed.

A/N: This chapter is shorter than my filler chapter lol. I tried to make it longer, but it wasn't cooperating. Either way, here it is. Tell me what you think. Also, Rei's gonna be back next chapter. Poor girl.