Lenz's Law
by
Licketysplat
Chapter 4: Porcelain
She stood silently at the foot of the shrine steps, her feet almost buried under the wild layers of un-swept autumn leaves. She gazed up at the chipped stone, eyes tracing over the dull surface as a soft breeze lifted the ends of her raven hair. She had stood at this very spot only last week, yet it felt longer than that.
Too long.
The steps were uneven and rugged, worn from the shoes of too many tourists and too many shrine helpers. They were brittle and cracked where the unrelenting roots of trees had shattered them, yet were sturdy enough to tread on. She ascended them, head held high with a bitter smile on her lips, her feet finding each and every one of them easily, never stumbling or tripping. It was all but second nature to her - climbing these worn steps.
Rei's foot absently skipped the step with the split surface made loose by a web of roots. She remembered the salty tang of tears, the wind in her face and the step giving way like cracked porcelain. The light, jagged scar at her knee seemed to tingle, seemed to remind her. She was young then.
Too young.
And these steps too old.
"Rei, you've come."
She looked up at the wizened features of her grandfather, his face wrinkled in a toothless smile, his eyes sparkling at the sight of her.
Rei cleared a haphazard path for herself through the growing layer of leaves, frowning to herself.
"Haven't the shrine helpers been doing their job?" she groused, scowling at the full day of sweeping ahead of her.
Grandpa chuckled, a doting sort of rumble, indulgent and amused. He shuffled his feet around, kicking up a puff of dead leaves. "I've just been telling them to leave this to you. It is your specialty after all. They have been very obedient, I must say."
She had been trying to find a spot of concrete among the leaves for the past few seconds, but stopped to stare in bewilderment at him. "There must be an entire ecosystem under here by now!" she exclaimed and gestured all around her with an agitated sweep of her arms before throwing them up in the air in defeat, "God knows what's waiting for me in the backyard! Gramps, you're too much."
"That may be so," his eyes twinkled though his smile faded.
She winced inwardly at the change in mood and remained silent, watching him turn toward a cherry blossom tree, his eyes leaving her. Rei braced herself and fingered with the hem of her shirt. The branches above her rustled and crackled in the wind.
It's too early for this.
"Sometimes I'd wonder when you would stop coming entirely, when you would leave."
The wooden wind chimes by the entrance of the shrine tinkled pleasantly, but his words seemed to weigh down on her shoulders in sudden oppressiveness. Rei gave an uneasy laugh, hoping it would somehow diffuse the situation. She never could deal with issues like this. "So you blackmail me with leaves?"
It did sound ridiculous. Yet deep down she knew it would have worked. He knew that Rei could never stand the thought, let alone the sight of a leaf-littered shrine courtyard.
He cracked a wry smile. "That's all I really have right now you know."
Leaves.
It was unvoiced, but it sounded clearly to her.
The irony ringing too loud.
She really didn't want to have this talk now. Actually, she didn't want to have a talk about this ever. She was here, at the shrine, ready to sweep for all she was worth. That's all that should matter now right?
"Come on, what are the other helpers for then, hmm?" she said waggishly, light laughter dancing in her voice, trying to ease the tension.
Without waiting for his reply, she strode towards the shrine for her hakama and broom. And if her steps seemed too hurried and if a little too desperate, at least she was leaving the thick silence behind.
--
"So then, you think you messed up something potentially good?"
"Well, there definitely was potential. I'm just not so sure about the 'good' part," she sighed into the phone then flung herself onto the bed, ready to tear her hair out.
It had been almost a week now, a week of hesitant glances and fluctuating courage on her part. Real pathetic actually. Well, in truth, neither of them was avoiding the other. Though sometimes she'd be the victim of her overly hypothetical brain and let it stray down the path where it thought the raven-haired girl wanted nothing to do with her ever again. She knew it wasn't fair to think that way. Furthermore she'd like to give herself the hope that Rei was just being Rei, and that the girl has yet to say a word to her ever since that day because of the sole reason that Minako could never pluck up enough courage to start, let alone plough on through a conversation without things getting entirely awkward for her. Yes, for her, because she didn't think the word 'awkward' even existed in Rei's dictionary. That girl just stuck to good ol' 'ignoring'.
Certainly she knew Minako was uneasy, and of course she couldn't care less. It was nothing unusual though. Rei naturally wouldn't talk to her if she hadn't, say, pinched for her attention first.
"Well, in that case, go apologise to her," Aino Fujiro said plainly.
"What? Dad, no! I can't!" Minako exclaimed, sounding like it was the most ridiculous thing on earth.
She could almost picture her father frowning on the other side. "Why not? From what you've told me, she doesn't seem the kind to bridge the problem first. If you're not going to do it either, then who will?"
The many reasons she came up with for not approaching the subject around Rei dissipated along with the sense in his words. While Minako may be stubborn, Rei was the bovine lying placidly in the middle of the damned road. Minako groaned in defeat. "I really have to, don't I?" I've got to move the damned cow.
"Seems like it. Mm…well, my advice to you is that instead of walking up and stuttering like a fool…" he trailed off, pausing as if to think. "Do something."
"Er . . . dad? You're not really making any sense now," she sat up on the bed, confused.
Fujiro clucked his tongue in exasperation. "Do something. A gesture of goodwill, you know? Something to dull the awkwardness, but also that which encompasses an apology."
It was times like these that Minako really wished she could remain on the same frequency as her father and that he wouldn't assume she could catch up on his thoughts. "Wait, you're saying I should get her a gift?"
"Hmm…something to that effect. I was thinking along the lines of doing her a favour. But yes, that could work well too. Simpler, in fact."
She idly twirled the springy phone cord with her fingers and sighed, barely refraining from slapping a palm to her face. "Dad, I'm trying to resolve a problem which I think is thriving on my side only, not thank her for being the wellspring of my misery."
Minako loosened up at her father's hearty laughter. "Well, you do what you need to. Just remember that some people need more time than usual to open up. Don't rush it. Actually, I'm rather surprised you're attempting to make such a friendship work. You never really were interested in the broody type."
Minako rolled her eyes. "Oh trust me dad, I'm rather surprised with myself too."
He chuckled. "Anyway, I have to go now. You take care of yourself kiddo. We'll call to check up again soon."
"Ok. Bye. Oh, tell mom I said hi."
"Will do. Bye."
She ended the call and flopped back onto her bed, patting the spot next to her upon seeing Misty trot into the room. The pup leapt onto the bed and settled down into her side.
Get her a gift? Well, she could see where her dad was coming from, but wouldn't that be cheesy? What does Rei even like? She could get her a book, but how original would that be? Besides, the last thing she would want was for Rei to think that she's desperate. Which she was not. Well, maybe she was. But she wasn't going to tell the whole world that. Hell, she didn't even want to dwell on the 'Why?'.
I can't let things remain as they are. There's no closure.
Her groan of frustration sounded too loud for comfort in the large apartment and it creeped her out. Minako grabbed her pillow and hugged it to herself fiercely, and sulked. Thinking about what to get Rei only highlighted how little she knew about the stolid girl.
"For all I know, she's probably out and about, doing her daily Rei things, completely unaffected and sane. And what am I doing here? Hm?" she grumbled to Misty, who had taken to licking her big toe. "I'm expanding time and energy thinking of how to solve a problem that may not require solving."
Somewhere inside of her, there was a fear that Rei was simply ignoring the fact that something happened.
That they happened.
A bitter laugh sounded in the room. We always end up doing things that we've been going to extremes to avoid.
And here she thought she was being painstakingly cautious with Rei. It was cruel, but since the raven-haired girl gave voice to thoughts as often as she spared Rei one of Minako's Specially Concocted Headaches, there really wasn't any other means with which to test her boundaries other than to cross the line, step on a bloody land mine and get blown to smithereens. Well, the subsequent injuries would serve as a well-placed reminder of her folly, but she'd like to keep her limbs intact.
I'd like to keep my sanity intact too, thank you very much.
Did she not want to have anything to do with her ever? Or was she waiting for Minako to make the first move? Or maybe she was one of those people who left a relationship as it was, letting time eat away at it, leaving behind disintegrated fragments that can never be pieced together again? Dread filled her.
"She should just have a bloody signboard above her head if she can't be anymore direct than she already is! Better yet, she should wear one of those…those mood shirts! So at least people know – I know – the slightest bit of what's going on in that granite quarry of hers. Argh!"
Minako tossed her pillow across the room in exasperation and it fell against the wall harmlessly, just short of her open window, dropping to the floor with a dull thump.
She gazed tiredly out into the pearl-grey sky, watching the autumn leaves fall by the dozens, past the white square of the window pane, only to disappear from view almost as quickly as they came.
Ugh, depressing weather. Minako got up and was about to close the windows and draw the curtains when a lone maple leaf fluttered through, slipping through the air in large, swooping arcs before landing at her feet, still.
She plucked it up, felt its jagged edges and smooth underside, admiring its deep red hue, perfect in its intensity, and she was about to toss it out the window when the wheels started turning in her head.
A smile crept onto her face.
She withdrew her hand and shut the window firmly.
And perfect it is . . .
--
If peace had a sound, it would be this.
She leaned her head back onto the bark of the cherry blossom, eyes closed, ears tingling in delight.
The muted clinking of the wooden chimes, the musical rustling of charms on the old cherry blossom, the quiet crinkling of branches, the stirring of fallen leaves. Soft breezes danced by in gentle waves, the conductor of such fine orchestral melodies, crystal in its elements, warm where it filled her.
Rei breathed in deeply, taking in the scent of woody incense and freshly mowed grass.
If anything was going right now, it would be this – her sitting amidst refreshing, uncomplicated nature.
She had missed this, and if she had a choice, the power to remain here the rest of her days, she would. But things like that were beyond her control, as was much of what she did in life. Rei hadn't surrendered though; she'd like to think of herself as politely bending to a predetermined fate.
Rei loved sitting under trees. There was something about their shelter, something to lean on, that comforted her mildly. Yet somehow sitting alone under a tree now, any tree, felt strangely empty. Not gaping-hole empty, but just something out of place. Like dark clouds without the rain…
Or a blonde without a brain.
All right, she supposed Minako does have a brain. But that wasn't the point.
She reached into the small pack by her side and tossed some food pellets into the koi pond, watching the fish surge up eagerly, clearing the water's surface in frenzied ripples.
Rei crossed her legs under her and gazed out at the pond in quiet rumination.
She had felt mildly amused at the blonde's shifty glances and botched attempts in striking up a conversation throughout the week. She hadn't even thought anything would be different. Well, she had certainly walked out of her house without so much as a second word or glance. Granted, the girl may have touched on a sore spot, but given her outrageously brazen nature, Rei had assumed she would rocket back from a setback more shameless than before. So far, once set in motion, Minako never let up, so why would she now?
She's like a slinky. A painfully pesky blonde slinky.
In fact, Rei had been prepared for said slinky, so it was rather the spectacle when the graceless blonde had vanished, only to be replaced with a perfectly bearable school girl. That was wrong in itself. It actually took her a while before she realized that Minako must've thought they had hit a rut and was currently wallowing in the throes of self-doubt.
That was on Tuesday. Today was Saturday.
It was funny actually.
And of course Rei had gladly decided to play along. She would just see how long it would take for Minako to quit hesitating and finally vomit out stuff that vaguely forms words. Till then, she'll just sit tight and enjoy the view of a blundering, self-admonishing blonde, which is, quite surprisingly, rather entertaining.
She chuckled lightly to herself, idly trailing the tips of her fingers along the light carpet of leaves. She surveyed the neat piles of leaves dotting the courtyard and thought she'd done quite a good job, and all that was left to do was to gather them for disposal. There was time for that later. For now, Rei was content to remain as she was, with the golden sun dappling the fiery soil.
It wasn't long before she heard the crunching of leaves underfoot that she opened her eyes tentatively, a sinking feeling in her gut.
"Don't young people like you have other things to do? Homework? Parties to go to?" Grandfather asked, his voice teasing her from where he stood above and beside her.
She cringed inwardly and told herself that this has been a long time coming. Rei stretched out her legs, looking at her knees, refusing to look at him. She couldn't bring herself to. "I'm not like other young people, Grandpa. You know that. And I'd much rather be here than anywhere else."
"You are ever so stubborn, Rei," he admonished her, all trace of humour gone like the winds that blew by. "Though I suppose I shouldn't complain. But what if he finds out? You know he will, eventually."
She flared, head snapping up, violet eyes blazing with raw defiance.
"Then let him find out," Rei spat, her voice coated thick with venom and swimming with barely suppressed hatred. She clenched her fists. "This is the last bit of freedom I possess. What more does he want? To put a collar on me, like those damned rottweilers he had?!" Disjointed images of teeth and rippling muscle flashed in her mind. She shook her head vigorously, clearing them.
She turned to face her grandfather, recovering quickly, her glare accusing. "And what about you? You're contradicting yourself. First you want me here, and then now you want me gone!"
The instant those words left her mouth, she regretted them. Grandfather deflated, guilty, casting her a look of such sadness that it broke her heart.
"You know I'd never want you gone. If anything, I'll always try to keep you coming back," he said carefully, well aware of the hothead of a granddaughter that he had. Once incensed, she raged like a forest fire. "But I don't do it without any small amount of guilt."
Rei kept silent, lips pursed and stared out at the pond. Its waters had stopped shimmering with the arrival of dreary clouds across the sun. The wind kicked up, brushing by her cheeks in a strength that mirrored her own.
"Then don't do anything," she spoke, at length, evenly and resolutely. "Because I'll be back whether you like it or not, whether father likes it or not."
With a grunt, he sat down beside her and sighed. "As heartened as I am to hear those words, I'm ultimately worried for you. You're so headstrong, it's going to cost you one day."
Rei canted her head to the side and wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking herself restlessly before retorting, "Well, don't blame me. The last time I checked, one doesn't get to choose which genes they want."
She rolled her eyes and he smiled.
"Now, there's truth in those words," he gazed up at the clouds and seemed to reminisce of a time so long ago it took much effort to recall. "Your father was just like you. It took my daughter – your mother – to rein him in and drive the sense into his thick skull on more than one occasion."
A cheeky sparkle lit his eyes. " Hmm…you know what?"
She raised a solitary eyebrow at him. "Humour me."
"You should go get yourself a nice lady – not a man, no, heaven knows what you'll do to a poor chap – and then maybe you would be much less of an obstinate ass."
Rei gaped at him in complete disbelief, her eyes bugging out.
"Wha-?! No! Grandpa!" she slapped him on the arm and threw in an 'I hope it hurts good' when he winced.
And as she sulked and scowled, he teased and chortled.
And she knew, smiling under her guise of irritance, with a deep-rooted certainty that this was home.
--
Monday dawned sullen and sodden, the chill starting to kick in at last after weeks. And it was on this Monday that Minako found herself hiding behind racks of bookshelves like she had done not too long ago, fidgeting and trying to mutter words of encouragement to herself. 'Trying', being the operative word.
She had been stuck here in routine for the past fifteen minutes, pacing, then peeking through a slit in the books at the dark-haired girl in the armchair, then putting a foot forward in a burst of impulse before retreating behind the cover of the shelves, much to her own chagrin. She pounded a fist into a harmless book.
This was highly tormenting.
She was nervous.
Nervous to the point where her hands had gone clammy her heart beat fast against her ribcage.
Oh the woe…
A couple of students had passed by and saw her distress throwing her curious looks. She paid them no mind, telling herself that this was the be all and the end all there was to this relationship . . . thing. And may a curse befall her and her children and her children's children if she even allowed the thought of chickening out take root in her frightened being.
Well, procrastinating doesn't count…
But something sensible in her demanded that she stayed fast to where she was and get along with it already.
She pushed apart 'One Minute Can Change A Life' and 'The Power of Positive Thinking' with a scowl – trust her to choose an Inspirational shelf to seek shelter with – and stared with anxious eyes at the girl seating calmly and serenely, reading a new book. Yet another reminder of how long she hasn't made a move. Rei had completed that concussive book of hers while in Minako's absence.
Now that said a lot.
Damn.
She bit her lip, took a deep breath that did nothing to ease her anxiety, and stepped out, her mind terrifyingly blank and devoid of any thought.
Every step was leaden and almost painful, but she kept up her death march anyway.
And it was almost déjà vu, much like the day they first met in the crowded train, when the sitting girl's head tipped up gracefully and brilliant violet eyes met hers through dark slanted bangs.
Her mouth went dry.
They trained on her coolly, steadily, intensely as she took one measured step by one measured step towards the girl, holding a breath that she never knew she was holding.
A breath she was holding because of the quiet beauty in front of her.
And she stopped two feet away, their gazes remaining locked, one curious and one containing underlying fear. A chill crept up her spine.
Rei's stare was boring into her, but it would be only much later that Minako would realize that there had been a twinkle of amusement behind that entire cool. She sat as she was, shoulders pulled back proudly and legs crossed elegantly, head tilted up and away from her book as Minako moved closer still.
And it was subtle, so very subtle that she wouldn't have caught it were she not sensitive to the shift in demeanor of the bookworm; the girl's stare softened, still retaining a certain level of aloofness but was gentler nonetheless, as though sensing that it took much more than Minako would have known it would take to be standing firmly in front of her this way . . .
Or how she was teetering on the brink of fleeing.
They remained as they were for what seemed like hours and whatever words she had prepared beforehand eluded her as hard as she tried to grasp at their fringes, and her mouth opened once then closed. She didn't know what she was waiting for though it felt a lot like standing in the doorway of someone's house, hesitating, nervously awaiting their permission to proceed inside. It felt as though she was hanging by a thread, swaying treacherously in the wind, each gust unpredictable.
Then Rei cocked her head to the side, the first move, a silent 'Yes?', and all of a sudden the tension vanished.
Minako smiled a small smile of relief and she watched the bookworm arch an eyebrow, her eyes glinting, her question unanswered. Well?
The blonde giggled.
The raven-haired girl propped an elbow on the armrest and rested her chin on her palm, the finger of her other hand drumming in mock impatience on the other armrest as she looked off into the distance, sighing exaggeratedly. Ten years later…
It was then that she brought her arms out from behind her, catching Rei's attention with what was in her hands.
"For you," she said softly, ending the silent conversation she had secretly been enjoying.
And in her hands lay a rectangular strip of paper, a couple of leaves in a rich red held fast to their position on top by crepe paper and there was a slit near the top to slot a page between. A singular scarlet hair ribbon was tied to the top, and it swayed gently as she stretched out her hands in an offer.
A bookmark.
It was with quiet fascination that she watched Rei struggle to arrange the emotions flashing across her face in an indiscernible streak, cautious violet eyes traveling from the gift to meet with her own smiling ones, lingering and betraying only brief surprise, disbelief and something else she couldn't identify before looking back down at the bookmark.
A long, drawn out silence ensued.
"Thank you."
The words she uttered cut through the air, soft yet firm in sincerity.
It was a mere two words but it meant the world to the blonde.
She took a step closer and Rei reached out, taking the gift delicately between her fingers.
Jackpot.
--
While she knew fully that Minako would perceive the events of the past few minutes as a sign that things have been patched up, she certainly was thoroughly unprepared for the elated blonde's power launch at the slight space beside her on the armchair. The impact of another person's body sent her side of the cushion up, disorientating her a fair bit and so suddenly that not a word of protest could even be formed from her opened mouth, so she made do with a growl. Minako beamed at her.
"What are you doing?!" Rei hissed, narrowing her eyes at the girl who was gleefully squashed against her left side. She adjusted her spectacles and shifted around a bit, trying to rearrange herself into a less constricted position.
And by constricted – besides being compressed into a tangle of limbs - it meant trying to extract her hand from its stifled place under the fleshy round of Minako's ass.
If anything, the blonde's grin crept wider and she declared proudly, "I'm making up for lost time!"
"Lost time my ass…speaking of which, get your ass off my hand!" Rei growled ominously, and then flushed a deep scarlet as she realized that she felt a marked lack of a panty-line . . .
Minako wasn't . . . she was . . . she . . .
"For your information, you are groping me. And if I didn't know better, I'd say that you're enjoying this," Minako smiled roguishly, wiggling her bottom for emphasis.
Rei sputtered. "M-Minako!"
"Just in case you were wondering, I'm not . . . bare. I'm just wearing a thong."
The bookworm gaped at her, before yanking her hand out from under Minako with a sharp tug as if scalded, muttering to herself, "How can anyone be this shameless. . ."
There were yelps of pain and growls of aggravation as they shuffled around, jabbing and shoving each other to find a position in which nothing was touching anything inappropriate - on Rei's part at least, because she had the niggling suspicion that Minako's hand on her chest that split second had nothing to do with coincidence. And if the jostling wasn't as rough as she had intended to convey her displeasure with, then she'd just chalk it up to that fact that there wasn't space to do so, not that she didn't want to wind up hurting Minako in any way. In any case, there really wasn't any use in attempting to get the girl off her seat, and she definitely wasn't going to go find another one - this was her seat - so she sighed and flipped open her book. She was thankful that the commotion they had been making hadn't attracted the attention of the librarian. They wouldn't have been able to explain themselves at all.
It took a good bit of bickering before they settled down with Minako snuggling into Rei's side, peeking over her shoulder at her book. Rei was about ready to commence The Ignoring but sensed Minako's question before anything else.
"It's Stardust, by Neil Gaiman."
She felt the blonde jerk in surprise before she hunkered down once more, wrapping her arms around Rei's left one and resting her head on her shoulder. "Oh."
Rei flipped a page before giving the girl beside her a sideways glance, the girl who was doing a remarkably accurate impression of a human starfish. "You've become rather predictable you know, and not just in this aspect," Rei commented casually. "It's sad how your novelty wears thin."
Minako lifted her head to look at Rei, amused. "Really now, then I suppose I'll have to step things up a bit. I can't have you bored of me so quickly," she mused, her cheek pressed into Rei's upper arm, sending vibrations from her speech into someplace obscure within the bookworm. "You won't be disappointed."
Rei scoffed. "Cocky much?"
"Betcha weren't expecting that," Minako nodded towards the bookmark clasped in Rei's hand, a proud smile lighting up her face prettily.
That same smile disappeared in the blink of an eye, replaced with stark horror with what Rei said next.
"What I wasn't expecting, was your bizarre determination to wear a hole in the carpet back there." It took a few seconds for her words to sink in, it seemed, before the koala that was latched onto her arm stiffened and Rei burst out laughing at the squeak of mortification that escaped the girl's lips. "Alright, I suppose I'm not quite so bored with you now, but just so you know, next time you need to get your wits together? Don't pick a half-filled shelf."
A growl came from beside her before a stinging pain nipped at the sensitive skin of her forearm. She yelped.
"That'll teach you," Minako pouted, and seemed satisfied with the quickly reddening skin where she had pinched Rei. "And it's not funny . . ."
Rei arched a brow at the dejected note in the blonde's voice and for a moment, she almost felt regretful. Minako had now taken to sulking, head bowed and lips pressed into a tight, white line. Well, now, she realized her words had been rather insensitive, considering the amount of time the cheery girl had spent on her gift. And time she had definitely spent. Rei brushed her thumb across the thin, cream crepe paper that bound the leaves to their artistic positions, lightly tracing their defined edges before flipping the bookmark around deftly.
What she saw on the back robbed her of her breath.
She hadn't seen it before, but there, in the center and on a strip of parchment paper that was glued to the crepe paper, were beautiful kanji characters written meticulously in a thin calligraphy pen, done in a perfect vertical line with almost flawless strokes that said: "To Rei. With love, from Minako."
It was simple. So simple yet filled with so much significance that all she could do was stare wide-eyed at it, eyes burning Minako's name into her head, the inky quality an attractive contrast to the crepe paper. Her fingers hovered above the words, as if terrified that they would ruin it, smudge it, destroy it. Writing with a calligraphy pen was a feat in itself - every space between strokes had to be precise for such refined print.
How could Minako have . . .?
Her eyes darted to the hands curled around her arm and for the third time today, she was stunned into speechlessness. Ink stains marred the pads and sides of the blonde's fingers, some faded, some looking freshly made, the black splotches tainting the slender digits, a testament to the patient hours spent practicing for a mere string of words.
Something twisted pleasantly in her chest as a sliver of a smile drew across her face.
"Minako?" Rei shook her arm gently, requesting for the blonde's attention.
"Mmph."
She waited patiently for Minako to turn to look at her, granted it definitely wasn't as patient the achingly sweet girl had been, but she waited nevertheless. And when grumpy cerulean eyes finally met hers, she spoke softly, touched, attempting to convey all that she was feeling at that moment. "Thank you, again. It . . . it's beautiful."
Like you . . .
It was breathtaking how the blanket of unhappiness simply lifted from her face, how pink lips stretched and curled, unveiling a smile so radiant that Rei felt the need to turn away before she . . .
Before she what?
She didn't know.
Didn't want to know.
She was saved the thought as Minako pointed an ink-smudged finger at the opened book in Rei's left hand. "I better see you using it," she all but ordered, face arranged into false seriousness before Rei's incredulous look shattered it and she burst out laughing.
"Well, since you put it that way, I suppose I'll have to." The bookworm smirked.
Minako eyes narrowed in a challenge. "Oh, so you weren't intending to? What were you going to do with it then, hmm?"
Disregarding the threatening note in the blonde's voice entirely, and throwing all caution to the wind, Rei laughed. She received a death glare and wondered in mild amusement how in all nine hells their positions got exchanged. Something fundamental warned her not to but she couldn't resist blurting out that she'll . . .
"Use it as toilet paper."
The scandalized look on the blonde's face was priceless, but she added on quickly in reassurance "I'm kidding. Of course I'll use it as it was intended to."
"You'd better."
And all conversation slipped away, leaving behind a snug silence that was occasionally punctuated by hisses of annoyance from Rei as the blonde slinky swatted at her hand whenever she wanted to turn the page, whining about how she hadn't finished reading. But even that dissipated after a while, leaving Rei to her thoughts and that vow she had made to herself. She brushed a thumb across her gift again, brows knitting together, conflicted emotions warring within her.
She . . . isn't like the rest at all, is she? What position does that put me in then?
Maybe she shouldn't have accepted the gift. But could she have had it in her to turn her golden-haired schoolmate away? Will she ever have it in her? Hell, for her to even ask questions like that . . . it can't bode well.
But before she could ponder further, her thoughts were broken by a soft snore. She shook her head lightly and smiled.
I should've expected this . . .
"You smell nice . . ." Minako mumbled, awakened by the bookworm's movements, voice muffled by the fabric of Rei's uniform.
Rei blinked.
And as the drowsy girl's breathing evened out once more, she found herself closing her book, bookmark nestled within the pages, to watch her blonde companion sleep.
Author's Notes: Hmm... Rei seems to be warming up to Minako, if she hasn't already. Denial is such a bitch. This chapter contains more angst than usual, I realised, but there cannot exist fluff without angst! It's like light without dark, no pain no gain...there's a word for it, I just can't remember it for the life of me. You get the idea. Right, back to business...
OMG. Has it been this long? I should have given it another month or so before updating, make it a full year. I'm kidding. But in any case, don't blame me. Blame my muse. Really. Although she appears when I'm in the shower . . . Now this, I'm not kidding. I have sudden inspirational bouts in the shower. Ok... I think I shall stop this line of thought now.
Well, it's been a long time coming. And it's here. I'm just not sure what this entire academic year has done to my writing, but I hope it's nothing fatal. So there's this major issue I'd like to raise: I started this story without having a solid plot, therefore I now am faced with the difficulty in deciding which direction I should take this story. I do have a rough plot, I'm just not satisfied with it. I think it's rather cliched. I don't like cliches unless it's fluff. Having said that, if any of you readers have any suggestions regarding the direction that I should take this story, please do share asap because next year... will be hell for me. I doubt I'd be able to update much. That and the fact that I'm itching to write a new story, one that has been running amok in my head since a year ago. But! I learn from mistakes. I won't start it until I've got a proper plot. That or I finish the entire thing before posting. Bah. Well, hopefully this update would put some closure to this vague story arc that has been left hanging for so long. Once again, I apologise, though you should probably team up with me to bash A levels into the ground. As per normal, do let me know what you think with a review. And share any suggestions that you may have. SHANK EWW VEWY MUSH. Oh, well, you may do so on my livejournal as well if it so pleases you, though I should warn you that it's not so much a place where I post drabbles as much as it is a place where I rant and rave about my daily stuffs. (A blog that is).
To my reviewers (though I wonder if they have run off already):
secretedreamer: I think they should have a sequel for KnM. And a sequel for SP. They should just have more shoujoai anime. Period. All in favour, say 'Aye!'. XD And I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter, it's length especially. Because I wonder if I'll ever be able to write such long chapters anymore. I honestly, don't know how I did that. Hope you liked this one as well!
xXMiMiXx: I'm sure by now school and vicious teachers may have killed you already. :( But if somehow you've survived, I'm very much thankful for your support. And yes, I do wish to answer the questions I have raised throughout the chapters, only that most times, I have problems doing so because my writing style fluctuates depending on the material I've been reading. Say in school I'm supposed to read and write argumentative essays, I don't wish to write fanfiction then because it'll probably sound oddly political. Bad. So, once again, thank you for sticking with me!
Balticbard: I'm flattered. Really, I am. Thank you for your wonderful praises and support!
trusuprise: Well now, this time, I'm sorry that my review reply is late (though I really should do private replies but I don't have the time). And omg you actually did a scene by scene critique for me. I'm touched. XD Hopefully I haven't neglected any areas that you have mentioned or left plotholes anywhere. It's a terrifying feeling. Haha. I'm looking forward to what you have to say about this chapter as well, because, like I said, I'm paranoid. Heh. Also, thank you for all the advice you've been giving me regarding writing and they really have been useful. For instance, right now, I'm wondering what the hell hit my head hard enough for me to begin this story without even a skeleton of a plan. I really should finish stories before posting huh. Oh well.
Yuri-desu: Well, I'm sure what you meant by 'update soon' certainly wasn't an almost year long wait. I do hope I can come up with enough plot to plough on with the next chapter though. Hope I still have your continuous support!
mokit: I love my versian of Rei too! The non-PGSM version that I've conjured in my head. XD But of course I love the PGSM one too. I just don't know enough to write a story based on that. But oh...isn't Keiko adorable? Heh.
Noah Sila: I'm not giving up on this story, if that's what you're afriad of. I don't like leaving things hanging. I'm just never really punctual. XD In any case, I thank you for your very detailed and constructive review. While I have noted the certain issues, I'm finding it painful to somehow squeeze in something to rectify it. I might when I find the time. But oh, please don't hold back on your opinion, because that's what I look forward to ultimately after every chapter update. I may not write such long chapters for this story anymore, because like you said, there thrives this amazingly elusive empire of problems. As the writer, I may see it, I may not. Most times, I do not. Meh. Well, hopefully you're still sticking around, because I'm not giving up on this!
Krampus: I'm glad that you enjoyed the previous chapter, and hopefully I can include more Rei/Minako interactions for the next one. And yes, I do love how there seems to exist a dichotomy of sorts between them, but yet, they are more similar than they think they are. That's what I enjoy about writing them. Ah, such a challenge. XD
SakuBloss: It's finally here! And yes I do very much agree that Rei simply cannot hold out much longer. She can't. Really. I'll make sure she doesn't. Heh.
LunarMiko07: Yes, no Soumas, no mechas. I mean, what's with the irratating guy man?! It was funny for a while, what with him proclaiming his everlasting protection over Himeko while Chikane's frenching her, but even that wore out. There needs to be more shoujoai anime I tell you. All I'm seeing now are just subtexts, subtexts and more subtexts. But that'll tide me over in the mean time. And yes I enjoy writing Rei/Minako banter as mcuh as I love reading them too. One thing I can promise? There will be more. Lots. Oh joy.
TweekinTinkaToy, Venera22, Vanessa Riverton, 1010'jin, Supreme Distraction: School has been a...supreme distraction, if I should say so myself. XD Now that it's over (has been for a while actually) I've updated! Man, I feel proud. Haha. I do hope that you're still sticking around, because I don't know what I'd do without reviewers. Who's gonna go anti-schooling with me then? Once again, thank you for your support and praises!
sporadic101: I'm touched that you've read my fic over and over again. I didn't know anyone would. o.O Much less be the cause of withdrawal symptoms! (gasps) Hopefully this'll tide you over. :) And I haven't taken my Grade eight exam. I will next year in March. It's rather painful though, my teacher demands 5 hours of practice from me a day. But do you think I care when I'm busy writing? Heh.
--