AN: So…yeah. How many months has it been now? Whoops. Eh, sorry guys. Everything's just gone crazy over here and I enetered a major lazy streak once APs were over. BTW, to all who dare to read upon the hell that is AP European History: TURN BACK AND RUN!

Anyways… Once again, I am very sorry that I put you all through this long wait. My old method was just updating the story if I have at least ten reviews per chapter. However, I think I'll have to ditch that option because I really want to finish this story for those who have been following the whole plot from the beginning.

So here is my newest update. Kunthan will appear to not be the calm, collected person we're used to seeing but, just youwait. Believe it or not, there is a reason behind my insanity. Also, I apologize if it's too lengthy for a lot of you, in fact, this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written for this story. But I've actually been writing scenes I could make up on the top of my head but I just never got around to filling in the blanks until now. Well, read, review, and I really hope you enjoy.

Meus Amor et Mea Culpa: My Love and My Mistake

Not-So Picture Perfect

Renowned photographer Desiree Scott raised her spiked head from behind the camera to give her model a wide smile. They had just begun the shoot and Jasmin, the model, was doing fabulously.

"Alright, love. Go get into the next one and we're halfway done with this first line."

Jasmin, the model, flashed a huge smile and nodded, leaving with a flock of people gathering around her as she entered a nearby room. Desiree was adjusting her camera settings when she noticed a glint of platinum blonde hair off to the side. She looked up with a grin.

"'ey there, Tsukino!" The young woman turned to look at Desiree and relief washed over her face as she straggled over to where Desiree was standing. Almost immediately, Serena dumped an armload of equipment at her feet. Desiree's grin widened. "I'm not workin' ya too hard, am I?"

Serena shot her a hard look. "Of course not." She replied sarcastically.

Desiree gave a depressed swoon. "Oh well, guess I'll just have to try harder." Serena glared at her and Desiree laughed, leaning over to give her a pat on her shoulder. "Ah, c'mon, you. This is all good for you. You need the experience anyway."

"I do need experience." Serena muttered. "Not hard labor."

"Pish posh." Desiree scoffed, leaning over the equipment Serena had to lug from Desiree's car up the studio and through a labyrinth of sets and photographers. "Work is good for you."

Desiree flashed Serena a grin at her exasperated sigh and bent over to pick up two rolls of film, holding them up to Serena. "Which one?"

Serena glanced at the two, noting one was black and white and the other was color. "Depends on what you're shooting."

"Forget what I'm shooting." Desiree shot back quickly. "What occasions would you use either?"

Serena didn't hesitate. "For shooting fashion like this, I'd have to stick with the color to make a stark contrast to the background, making the model and the clothes stand out." She paused and Desiree nodded approvingly. "As for black and white, they have the greater effect on mood pieces and emphasize more on emotions and the audience can see the tiniest details of the photo."

Desiree grinned. "I knew I'd like you."

Serena shook his head. This woman was almost as exasperating as her aunt and uncle…a quality she found intriguing and scary at the same time. Desiree had approached her after seeing a photograph she had taken a few months ago. She had been flattered and apprehensive. For God's sake, the woman nearly ran her over the first time she met her. Less than twenty minutes after her flight had landed in California, Serena was nearly run over by the spunky photographer outside the airport. Right now, Desiree called on her to adjust the lighting and props on the set and leaned against her camera, drumming her fingers in impatience.

"Where is that girl?" It was natural for some of the models Desiree had worked with to take twenty minutes to get ready but Jasmin was hardly one to take her sweet time. At that moment, it seemed as if a glimmer of sunlight had penetrated the set as Mina Aino glided into the room. Her cheeks were rosy and she seemed out of breath. Desiree raised an eyebrow. "Mina, darling." She greeted the young blonde that she had worked with since Mina was eight years old with a kiss on the cheek. "What on earth are you doing here? Aren't you working with Ramon today?"

Mina looked up from her panting and stared at Desiree with a confused expression. "What are you talking about? Ramon's assistant got a call saying you needed me here pronto."

"What?" Desiree frowned and looked over her shoulder and Mina winced as she suddenly shouted, "Sydney! What the hell is going on around here?"

A harried-looking woman with bobbed, dirty blonde hair seemed to appear out of nowhere. She took one glance at Mina and an annoyed Desiree and promptly groaned. "I can't believe Jeremy didn't tell you. He is so on desk duty from now on." She muttered, mostly to herself. She looked up at the two. "Jas got a call during the change time. Long story short: Family emergency. Everyone starts to panic and it just so happens that I remembered that Mina was going over a couple of photos for the new ad Ramon was doing. So I called her over and viola, she arrives."

Serena was fiddling with the lights and turned at the familiar name. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Mina!"

Mina turned at her name and spotted her friend nearby. "Serena?"

Desiree watched with amused eyes as the teenagers embraced. She arched an eyebrow as they pulled away. "I take it you two know each other."

Both turned to look at her but Mina was the one to speak. "Yeah." She smiled fondly at her friend. "Serena and I go to school together."

"That's great." Desiree smiled. "It's also a convenience. You." She pointed at Serena. "Fill her in and I'll be back in a jiffy." And then Desiree disappeared with her cell phone in hand.

Mina beamed at her friend. "Geez, Serena. What are you doing here?"

Serena nodded towards Desiree. "Desiree's taken me in as her apprentice. "

"Seriously?" Mina's surprised tone had Serena laughing.

"Yeah. Why are you so surprised?"

Mina shrugged. "Well, it's just that Desiree's refused taking in anyone to work as her assistant for years." She gave a wry smile. "I guess I was right about you the first time. You do have some hidden talent."

Serena laughed, recalling what Mina had told her on the very first day they had met and ushered Mina into the next room, where the model was bombarded with makeup artists and faced with a wardrobe that seemed to stretch from one end of the room to the other. Mina explained that while she had been doing modeling for part-time, she was working towards a designing career and often managed to get her own creations in the spotlight. Her prominence was evident in the stares and whispers of the other photographers and models in the room.

At that moment, Desiree walked back into the room, looking flustered. "I can't believe this crap." She was muttering. "I always specifically request a back-up model every time I do a shoot and yet here I am without one."

"What are you complaining about?" Serena asked. "You've got Mina, don't you?"

Desiree waved an uncaring hand through the air. "I know. I know. But still…" Here, Desiree frowned. "I can't shake the feeling that I'm completely forgetting something."

There was a moment of silence as Serena looked at Desiree, still furrowing her brows in futile concentration. It was at that point that Mina walked out into the scene. Clad in a stunning red dress with her hair done into a messy bun, Mina had the I-just-had-great-sex-and-still-look-hot look down to an art. Serena was mildly surprised to see minimal make-up on her friend's face. Mina was one of those people whom make-up was mere icing on the three-layered cake. Of course, Serena was one of those people herself, though she hardly took time to notice since she was too busy rushing out of the house every morning to really pay attention to her own looks.

Desiree smiled widely at Mina. "Well, come on, honey! We need to get this show on the road and fast." As Mina nodded and got into position, Serena turned to her teacher and was concerned by the look on Desiree's face.

"Des," Serena said. "Are you okay?"

Desiree was still frowning but nodded absently. "Sure. It's just that I can't shake the feeling like I'm forgetting something very important."

"Do you mean the male model that's supposed to be coming?" Serena asked. The said model was supposed to be turning up in about an hour or so.

"No, no," Desiree murmured distractedly. I know for sure he's coming but…" She trailed off, frowning hard in an effort to recall something. "God. What the hell is it?"

"What the hell is what?" Mina was looking at the duo curiously. She was standing on the set, wondering what was the hold up. Desiree smiled wryly.

"Nothing, princess." She said. Desiree got behind her camera. "Now shut your trap and start smiling."

Mina stuck her tongue out childishly at the photographer right when Desiree snapped the first picture. Mina gave a sound mixed between indignant and surprise but the smile never left her face. Serena went around, adjusting the lights whenever Desiree (a.k.a. the Slave driver) told her to. However, she managed to keep one eye on her friend, spinning in front of the camera and striking poses that would be blown up in ads to be seen all over the city. Mina was truly born to be in the spotlight.

This continued for the next hour. Desiree called for a change every now and then and Mina, with her experience, change quickly and efficiently without wasting too much time. By the end of the hour, Desiree was back on the schedule and had gone through three of the six lines of clothing she needed to do. Desiree paused, having used up her film.

"Mina," She said. "You are a lifesaver!"

Mina only laughed and blushed gracefully. She gave a bow. "At your service, my liege."

"Damn straight." Desiree snapped. "Now hurry and get changed. We've still got a couple more shots to take care of."

Mina mock-saluted her and went back to the make-up room.

"Wow." Serena breathed. "She's really good."

"Of course she is." Desiree beamed with pride. "I've been taking care of that kid for a long time. She's always been a natural for this line of work."

Serena nodded. "I can tell."

At that exact moment, there was a loud slam that reverberated through the walls of the studio. Everyone turned to the direction of the loud noise. Desiree frowned, annoyed.

"What the hell?"

Angry heels made sharp clicking sounds as they stomped on the floor and several people jumped out of the way of the intruder, parting like the Red Sea. Speaking of the color red…

"No fucking way." Serena and Desiree looked at each, surprised that the same words had left their mouths at the same time. They pointed at each other, almost accusingly. "You know her?"

In their surprise, they almost didn't acknowledge the seething redhead that was now towering over them.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?"

Almost.

Mina glanced up at the loud slam she heard.

"I wonder what that was." She murmured. Gina, the makeup artist, cupped her cheek and gently tugged it forwards.

"Mina," She drawled. "You know better than to move. Now hold still. It was probably someone being stupid enough to drop some camera equipment."

The young blonde nodded slightly and held still. Normally, she wouldn't even think to wear makeup. She found it gunky and always felt like mud on her face; really, really dirty, sticky mud that she wasn't allowed to get rid of.

Unbeknownst to Mina, her face had twisted into one of annoyance. Gina looked at her bemused. "Darling," She said. "I know you hate this stuff but this is my job."

Mina blushed, realizing the face she must've pulled. "Sorry, Gina."

"No problem." The makeup artist turned, picking up the eye shadow. "So tell me hon. How's life for you lately?"

"So-so." Mina replied, closing her eyes to let Gina apply the makeup. "Actually, my sister came home a couple of weeks ago."

"Really?" Gina's lip curled in amusement. They had tried to put Haruka in modeling a while. 'They' being the Aino couple. Of course, only one shot was ever developed that day of the girl. It was of the younger Aino twin, wearing a large grin with makeup smeared on her ripped dress as well as a lot of powder all over her face and arms. Gina never really forgot that day. Dear God. Was she really that old? "How long has it been?" Gina wondered aloud. "I haven't seen your sister in the longest."

"About almost a year." Mina replied. Gina stopped her brush of a stroke abruptly, causing Mina to open her eyes in question. "Gina?"

"It's nothing really." Gina said. "But I could've sworn I saw her in town just a couple of months ago."

Mina frowned but didn't say anything. Gina suddenly shook her head, laughing. "Oh, don't mind me. I must really be getting old if I'm seeing things now."

"Yeah." Mina said distractedly. "Maybe…"

A strangely familiar voice caught Mina's attention and she opened her eyes to see a strange sight on her mirror. A young man was struggling against some rather tall police officers, arguing about something.

"…Hey! I just wanna see her!"

"And we're sorry sir but you cannot go in without a pass."

"Geez. I can't even see my own sister? What the hell is this?"

"Mina! Wait!" Gina was confused when her subject suddenly leapt up to her feet and dashed out of the room.

Kunthan couldn't believe this bullshit. He promised his aunt he could keep an eye on his sister and yet these idiots were trying to keep him out. He'd been arguing with them back and forth for the last ten minutes.

"Look," He all but growled. "Just call her over. She'll identify me if that's what you really need."

"I'm sorry but you're going to have to leave." The officer said stubbornly.

It took a lot of Kunthan's strength to resist punching this guy's lights out. Oh the temptation.

"Excuse me, officer." A soft voice cut into the fray. All eyes turned to the newcomer and Kunthan recognized her as one of Serena's friends. The officers bowed their heads respectively, each sporting blushes on their cheeks. The girl, however, seemed to let the action roll over her like air. She was looking at Kunthan. "Kunthan, right?"

Kunthan nodded dumbly. 'What the hell?' He shouted at himself. 'Some words would be nice!' He cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah. You're Mina, right?"

How could he really forget her? The girl had turned and ran for the hills the second she set sights on him. The blonde nodded, absentmindedly clutching at her terry white robe. She then nodded at the officers.

"Let him through." Mina said. "He's with me."

Kunthan walked on, slightly dazed. He had been struggling against those men for the past few minutes and one word from this girl granted him easy access. She now held out a hand in greeting, giving him a pleasant smile. "Hi. Nice to see you again."

Kunthan gave her a small smile (a.k.a. a thin line) and shook her hand. "Likewise."

It wasn't a really false statement. He had been confused by Mina when she had taken off the first second he had laid eyes on her at the arcade he had picked up his little sister, Serena, at. Since he had missed her the first time, Kunthan didn't pass up the chance of looking the girl up and down. The last time he had laid eyes on her was when she was in her school clothes. Currently, she was sporting just a robe and flip flops from what he could tell and her long blonde hair was pulled into a clip. Kunthan recalled that this Mina was a model but what were the chances that his sister and she would be in the same studio at the same time? Studying her, Kunthan noted that it would be a shame if she wasn't a model. She obviously had the physique for it.

Kunthan stopped abruptly at the thought that crossed his mind. 'What the-?'

"..There something wrong?" Kunthan glanced at the blonde woman at his side, who was looking at him curiously. "Is there something wrong?" She repeated.

"No, nothing." He replied strongly. He glanced around, realizing that they had arrived in a make-up room. "Uh, where's my sister?"

He turned around and saw that Mina was leaving his side, walking to a tall woman, who was looking impatient. Mina looked over her shoulder at him. "She's on the set with Desiree. Hold up a few seconds. I'll go with you."

Gina eyed Kunthan with mild interest and then glanced at her charge, applying the blush. "And who, pray tell, is this my dear?"

Mina shot her friend a glare at the innuendo. "Gina, this is Kunthan. He's Serena's older brother."

"Really?" Gina looked amused. "Wow, for someone with a sister with Serena's height, you sure are a giant."

Kunthan only nodded politely. Gina shrugged and, with one final flourish of her brush, stepped aside. "Done. Now hurry up before Desiree gets her thongs in a bunch."

"Gina!" Mina slapped the woman's arm playfully. "That's gross."

Gina just laughed. Mina shook her head and stood up, taking off the robe. Kunthan's first instinct was to look away. Of course, he didn't realize she was even wearing anything under that. The dark blue satin dress was simple and skin tight with thin straps and the hem came a good way above her knees. Certain people would've made the dress look skanky. Mina, however, made the picture of a young seductress. The blue shade of the dress accentuated her azure eyes beautifully. Mina grasped the jewelry laid out for her shot and tugged her hair out of the clip. Another person came up to strategically place jeweled clasps in her hair. She turned around to face Kunthan, slipping on designer shoes.

Kunthan didn't bother to deny the thought that crossed his mind. Mina looked beautiful.

She was also squirming underneath his gaze. She didn't know what was it about the man but he seemed to have this hold over her that made her want to ease away from his look. But why, though? Mina was in a cut-throat business where it was every model for herself. Why would his thoughts over her appearance matter. Perhaps, she thought, it was because he was a man who bore a strikingly eerie resemblance to…

Kunthan temporarily thought that the girl's eyes had turned to ice. Geez. What had he done to deserve such a glare? She looked as though he just pulled the head off her favorite doll or something.

Mina abruptly broke the eye contact and spun on her heel. "Desiree and Serena are this way."

Kunthan nodded good-bye to Gina and followed her through another door. He didn't even get a chance to go through because he rammed straight into Mina. He frowned.

"Mina…?" He stopped when he saw her face. An icy mask had slipped over her features. Kunthan mentally wondered if this was to be his punishment: To be dealt with a girl who seemed to have his same detached demeanor. Well, it had been his detached demeanor. He had ditched that unfriendly personality back in Japan. He looked up at the scene Mina was looking at and frowned.

'What the hell…?'

Desiree and Serena seemed to be sharing the same thought at this point: Beryl Sinclair had arrived and she was out for blood.

"…Uh, helloooo?" The redhead was saying haughtily. "This was supposed to be my line to model anyways yet you gave it to that Jasmin chick. What the hell were you thinking when you did that anyway?"

"I was thinking of what the 'Dusk' client was asking for their ads." Desiree calmly replied though Serena could make out a twitch. "And I do believe that you should know by now that I require all of my back-up models to be present from the beginning to the end of a shoot."

"Who gives a damn?" Beryl snapped. "You could've called me on my cell anyways."

"And make my crew wait for your royal highness to arrive?" Desiree demanded sarcastically. "As if." She propped her fists on her hips. "And I would advise you to not raise your voice, Beryl."

The name was said condescendingly and did not escape the proud ears of the redhead in front of her. "I am not 'raising my voice', as you say it." Beryl said shrilly, imitating the quotation marks in the air with her fingers on both hands. "And this was supposed to be my shoot from the beginning and nevertheless you keep on choosing these second-raters."

The words 'you' and 'these' were spoken with disgust and contempt and Serena spotted Mina across the set and the two shot each other looks. Both looked annoyed though Mina's expression held the look of flaring defiance. Boy, if looks could kill, Beryl would've been six feet under and halfway to hell.

"I would strongly advise you to choose your words wisely." Desiree said slowly and deliberately.

"And you ought to know how to choose your workers wisely." Beryl retorted. She had spotted Serena and practically snarled at the girl but kept her distance. She had definitely not forgotten the bruise the girl had given her weeks ago in the girl's bathroom.

"Beryl," Serena wondered how someone so professional and sweet like Desiree could have such a slithery voice. Desiree was definitely not happy at this point. Her short, spiked hair looked like horns and her light brown eyes gained a golden glint, resembling shards of a broken mirror. "I do hope you change you attitude the next time you have to do a shoot." The corners of Desiree's mouth turned up in a grim smirk. "Envy is really not your color."

The redhead looked positively scandalized and more pissed off than usual, her violet eyes locking into Desiree's hazel ones. The older woman, of course, had no intention of backing down from this little spoiled brat. She had insulted Desiree's choice of models, her apprentice, her work, and was now in some delusional state if she believed that she could insult a close companion of Desiree and get away with it.

Desiree's eyes shifted, catching sight of her friend. Beryl, however, also followed her eyes. Beryl's face twisted into pure hatred.

"Her?" She shrieked. "Out of all the people in this damned world you pick that prude for my slot?!"

Desiree's hand shot out like a rocket, grabbing the girl's collar and bringing it dangerously close to her. "Better a prude than a spoiled brat." She spat.

Serena, for one, was grateful that Desiree did what Serena had wanted to do for the last five minutes that Beryl had managed to plague the set with her cheap perfume. However, all were distracted by another swing of the doors. A group of chattering girls was surrounding a single male who was walking like he owned the place.

"I guess that must be the male model." Serena said but stopped short when she saw the look on Desiree's face.

"Shit!" Desiree swore softly. "Now I remember!"

Mina had also looked in the direction and found herself glued to the spot. She should've known. Only Ace Victorius would carry around a groupie troupe to a shoot. She immediately brought a hand to her face, both to rub her tired temples and hide her face. In doing so, she turned around and promptly collided with Kunthan's (very broad) chest. Kunthan frowned down at her.

"Mina?"

"Shh!" She hastily whispered, motioning her hands wildly. "They might see me!"

Kunthan had to chuckle. "Yes," He drawled teasingly. "And in that get-up you're practically invisible."

Mina slapped the chest in front of her. "Hush!"

But it was too late. The blonde man in the center of his groupies had spotted her. A sly grin crept up on his face.

"Well, well, well," He said lightly. "If it isn't Mina Aino."

Kunthan had looked up at the sound of the other man's voice and found himself filled with the urge to smack that smirk off his face. However, that face had a very strange resemblance to his own. Mina uttered a curse then took a deep breath to brace herself, and then turned around, meeting eye-to-eye with the man who had been the thorn in her side for the past few months.

"Ace." The name was said with the icy coolness of a glacier.

A malicious glint entered Beryl's violet eyes as she took in the scene. She turned her sharp gaze on Mina.

"Sure you can handle this, Mina, dear?" Those last words might as well have been oral poison to whomever it was directed against. Serena and Kunthan looked from a worried Desiree to a smug Ace to a vindictive Beryl to a very tense Mina.

"Shut up, Beryl." Desiree muttered, walking over to Mina. "Mina," Mina's name was said softly and she turned to Desiree's understanding glance. The older woman sighed, leaning over to take Mina's hands comfortingly. "I understand if you don't want to go through with this."

There was a pause and Mina tore her eyes from Desiree's. Slowly, she nodded silently. Beryl's ears, sharp for hearing gossip, caught every word and she grinned cheekily. Desiree sighed. There would be hell to pay.

"Beryl, go to makeup." Desiree said tiredly. Beryl gave a triumphant smirk as she passed by Mina, Desiree, and Kunthan. Kunthan caught Gina's expression when Beryl walked through her door and plopped on her chair. She looked like death warmed over. Desiree glanced back at Ace, glowering as he was still being cooed over by his fans. "Security!" Mina and Kunthan winced at her loudness. Within seconds, the same guys who had kept Kunthan out came in, awaiting instructions. Desiree pointed to the gander of girls. "Get those groupies out of here. Leave the pretty-boy alone." Without a blink of an eye, they followed her orders. Practically all of the girls protested loudly but were whisked away and all swooned when Ace turned and blew them a kiss. Desiree rolled her eyes. "Ace! You, too! Go Giovanni for wardrobe."

With a Crest-worthy smile, he walked away. But not before looking over his shoulder and making a smacking sound of his lips at Mina's direction. Mina didn't bother to hold her repulsion. Desiree sighed once more.

"Dear God, Mina," She said. "I am so sorry it turned out like this."

"Not at all." Mina smiled reassuringly. She gestured to her outfit. "I guess I better give this back."

"As if." Desiree scoffed. "Take it doll. Consider it compensation for taking up your time and insulting you by giving your slot away to that…" Desiree made a wild hand motion in Beryl's direction, leaving the audience to decipher her meaning. She reached over to a rack and pulled of a long, dark coat. "Here," she said, thrusting it at Mina. Take it. I'd hate for you to catch a cold in that thing."

Mina giggled. "Thanks." She turned to Kunthan. "By the way, this is Kunthan Tsukino, Serena's brother."

Desiree looked at him, obviously surprised. Serena, however, launched herself at the tall man at the instant she realized her brother was in the vicinity.

"Kunthan!" She cried with glee. "I didn't know you were here."

Kunthan smirked and had his sister in a noogie in 0.5 seconds flat. "C'mon kid." He teased against her struggling head. "Whatever happened to paying attention to details?"

"Ugh!" She grumbled. "Kun-than!"

He released his little sister with a laugh and she punched his arm good naturedly. "Geez, you jerk. How'd you get here?"

"Eh, rode my bike over here." He replied.

Desiree arched an eyebrow at him. "A motorcycle?"

Kunthan looked at her. "Yeah. I parked it off to the side of the building."

Mina's ears perked up. "You don't mean in front of that office across the west side of the building do you?"

Both Desiree and Mina were looking at him intently and Kunthan backed up a bit. "Well, yeah." He said. "There really was no other place I could find. What..?"

Mina and Desiree had simultaneously groaned. Mina looked at him with a hint of exasperation.

"Kunthan, your bike is probably half-way to the pound now." Kunthan's icy blue eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"WHAT?"

"You couldn't find a place to park your bike because there isn't ANYWHERE outside this building that you could park." Desiree explained with a groan. "Everyone gets a pass to the parking lot that goes underneath the building! All other vehicles get towed."

The look on Kunthan's face would've been priceless if the situation hadn't been so grating. He let out a steady stream of curses and Serena glared at him.

"…Damn." He muttered, rubbing a hand over his mouth. "How the hell am I supposed to get back to the house?"

There was an odd silence and both Serena and Desiree slowly raised their heads to look at Mina. After a few seconds, she finally noticed what they were hinting at. She sighed.

"Well," Mina began. "I have my car out front…"

"No," Kunthan interrupted. "I couldn't…"

"Look," Mina said frankly. "It's no big deal."

"Yeah." Serena put in. "Kunthan, you get a ride home. And Mina, you need to pick up our report for Chemistry at my house and do the revisions you were meaning to do."

"Hey! It's for the good of everyone." Desiree put in cheerily.

Kunthan looked from one female to another. He learned a long time ago to not even bother trying to argue with a woman, let alone more than one. He smiled at Mina grimly.

"I guess you're my ride." He turned to his sister. "I'll see you back at the house tonight?"

Serena nodded. "Yeah. Take care."

"See ya kiddos!" Desiree called out as Kunthan and Mina were walking over to the entrance. Mina waved back at her friend cheerily but the mood was instantaneously ruined when Ace walked in front of her.

"Mina, darling," He purred. "I certainly hadn't expected to see you on the set but that was definitely a pleasant surprise."

What Mina would've given to deck his pearly whites at that point. His clammy hand was working its way up and down her arm and he was getting closer so that she could increasingly smell the scent of at least five other girls.

"I had been looking forward to meeting that adorable model Jasmin," He was continuing, fiddling with one of the straps on her dress. "But I figure seeing you again will have to do. After all," At this point, he smirked. "We did have some unfinished business."

That was the last straw. Mina's hand had curled into a tight fist without any warning. However she didn't prepare for Kunthan forcibly removing Ace's hand from her shoulder.

"Hey pretty-boy," Kunthan mocked, still gripping onto Ace's offending hand. "You might wanna get back to Gio over there. You've got a cowlick."

Kunthan chuckled, tugging at Mina's arm, leading her away as Ace grasped at his skull for any offending hairs.

"I didn't think you had it in you." Mina commented as she walked over to her car.

"Had what in me?" Kunthan asked as he got into the passenger side.

Mina smirked. "Humor." She giggled at his expression. "Don't get me wrong. I just figured at first glance you'd be one of those really stoic and quiet guys. Like someone who never bothers to make even polite conversation." Mina laughed. "Guess I figured you wrong. What…?"

She had caught Kunthan giving her a strange look. "What? What'd I say?"

Kunthan shrugged, looking back at the road. "Nothing." He glanced at the dashboard as if contemplating something. "You know, I don't recall you driving the last time I saw you."

"Well, I don't bother driving to school since I just either catch the bus or walk." Mina explained.

"I didn't figure you one for walking." Kunthan mused furtively. "After all, the last time you saw me, you looked like hell had broken loose."

A blush crept along her skin. "Eh, sorry about that." She said. "I'm usually not so…fleeting with new people."

"No big." Kunthan said. "Of course, I'm sure it had nothing to do with the detail that I bear some resemblance to that Ace GuuAHHHHHHHHH!! Mina!"

Several cars near them honked angrily when Mina's car swerved. Mina grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"God woman." Kunthan muttered. "Okay, alright. I won't mention him ever again."

Mina laughed despite what could've happened. "Oh geez." She glanced at him quickly. "Was it that obvious?"

Kunthan crossed his arms over his chest. "Sort of. You got that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look when you saw him. You gave me the same look that first day Usagi went to school."

Mina grinned. Pausing, she looked like she was thinking about something before she sighed. "Let's just say that me, Beryl, and Ace have a lot of drama between us." She said. "Suffice to say that if I never saw that dirt bag, it'd be too soon. He's a manipulative ass. Beryl's just as bad if not worse. They'd be perfect for each other. They're disgusting narcissistic jerks."

Kunthan raised his eyebrows in surprise. Her grip on the wheel had tightened substantially and her voice had gone practically deadly. Whatever had happened between them, it was something that Mina was unable or unwilling to let go of. They pulled up at the Cartier in a couple of minutes.

"You know," Mina began as she and Kunthan walked up to the door. "No offense, but for a teacher, your uncle makes pretty good money to live in this neighborhood."

Kunthan grinned. "No offense from here. Actually, he came from a pretty prominent family in France." Kunthan explained. "Plus, my aunt doesn't do half-bad for herself either."

Mina only nodded, stepping into the house. Kunthan walked over to a phone and nodded up the stairs. "Usagi's room is the room to the far left. You can't miss it. It's pink."

Mina followed his directions and grinned at the bunny sign with the name 'Usagi' on the front. She smiled. That was so Serena. She walked in and was mildly surprised to see a pile of school clothes in front of the closet. Spotting a table, she walked over there and looked at the scattered books and papers, wondering how long it would take her to sort all the mess. However, she was grateful to find, after five math papers, their science report. Mina smiled triumphantly and turned to leave.

Perhaps it was fate. Or coincidence. Or just pure dumb luck. Whatever it was, it happened.

As Mina was turning, her designer heel caught on one of Serena's stray shirts, causing her to stumble. Gratefully, the work table was right next to Serena's bed and Mina fell on top of the (unmade) bed instantly. Mina would've been trying to nurse her ankle and curse her shoes but a flying gold object caught her attention first. It must've been on the bed at first and flown off when Mina fell on it. But it was now on the floor. Mina looked at the object, surprised. It was a five-pointed star locket from the looks of things. However, it had an inner circle that had popped open when it hit the floor. The locket played a melody that sounded timeless and sweet to the ears. Mina felt a strange sense of foreboding as she reached over and picked up the locket off the floor. As she did so, however, something fell out.

"What on earth..." Mina murmured, picking up the object. It seemed to be a collection of pink strings tied together by a white ribbon. 'No.' Mina thought. 'These aren't strings.' To the touch, they felt like silk threads but… Mina frowned incredulously. "Is this… hair?"

chickay

Don't you just love cliffhangers? No? Well review and let me know.