Author Note: It's a little sad how anticlimactic posting a chapter is. It takes me weeks to write a chapter, wrestle with the wording to try and convey what I mean, edit and adjust it, but only mere minutes to post. I feel like confetti should shower down and a banner saying "Congratulations!" should appear or something.
But I have been enjoying reading the reviews I've received so far, thanks for those! They're very encouraging! I'm not really big into shout-outs, I like to write PMs instead. I find them more personal. So if you wrote/write a review, I'll try to PM you to express my thanks!
I don't own Sailor Moon or any songs and have tried to the best of my ability to site my references.
Takeuchi, N. (1991). Sailor Moon. Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha Ltd.
Kreviazuk, C. J. and Lavigne, A. (2004). Who Knows [Recorded by Avril Lavigne]. On Under My Skin [CD], New York, New York: Artisa Records.
Subaru and the Impreza belongs to the automobile manufacturing division of the Subaru Corporation (cited August, 2013). The brand is used merely as a descriptor for this fiction piece.
Chapter 4:
"You sure you're ok closing up on your own?," Karin asked with concern.
"Yeah, don't worry about it," Minako said confidently as she began wiping down the register counter, "Azumi-chan's already been waiting in the car for 5 minutes, there's no need to make her wait another 20 until we close. I know you two have a drive ahead of you so you should go. I'll be fine! And, plus, who's going to walk in this late anyways?"
"Ok," Karin sighed hesitantly, "I guess you're right. Well...text me once you leave, ok? I'm going out the back, I'll see you Saturday."
"'Bye, Karin-chan!," Minako waved.
- Why do you look so familiar? I could swear that I have seen your face before. I think I like that you seem sincere. I think I'd like to get to know you a little bit more. -
Minako continued to wipe down the counter, humming along to the soft music that kept her company in the store.
Jingle Jingle!
She was interrupted by the door chime ringing, signaling someone entering the store.
"Good evening! Welcome to Kirei!," Minako called towards the door. She couldn't see the person who walked in due to the display aisles, but she could hear high heels hitting the cement floor, "We close at 10:00pm, but please feel free to take your time and let me know if you have any questions!"
"Mmn," Minako heard a woman's smooth voice reply. As she finished cleaning the counter, she listened to the customer's shoes clicking against the floor, browsing the product aisles. Grabbing a push broom, Minako began going up and down the aisles smoothly and meticulously.
When she rounded the corner of one of the aisles, she came to an immediate halt. Her grip on the broom handle tightened as her breath caught. Her heart began beating so loudly she could hear it in her ears and she felt her face begin to blush.
Before her was a beautiful woman, kneeling in front of the blushes, examining one of the products in her hands. She was wearing a fitted, black tank-top that matched her black pumps with white jeans that accentuated her porcelain skin. Her long, raven-colored, silky hair barely brushed the floor and was tucked behind one ear so Minako could see the profile of her flawless face.
No, 'beautiful' was not the word to describe this creature. According to Minako, a word hadn't yet been invented to describe such perfection. She stood there, mesmerized by the woman.
Rei could sense a presence near her and was mildly annoyed, I hope she doesn't recognize me and ask for an autograph or something. I just want to get my things, pay, and go home.
"I don't need any help," she said almost curtly without looking up, "Thank you."
Minako snapped out of her trance. Her brow furrowed, Mataku! Why is it beautiful people always have to be so rude!?
She huffed and continued sweeping the floor, trying to ignore the woman as she walked passed. But, as she walked by, she chanced a glance at her from the corner of her eye and saw the blush the woman was holding in her hands, No, that's too orange for her skin. It's not going to work for how pale she is.
She quickly scanned the blush displays and her eyes landed on one she knew would be better. Placing the broom down, she approached and knelt down next to the woman.
"Someone with skin as pale as yours should go with something a little lighter," Minako said as she picked up the product she was eying. Satisfied with her choice after a quick examination, she held out the product to the stranger, "I think this'll be better for you."
"I told you, I'm fine. I don't need-," Rei began irritatedly, but stopped when she turned to look at the insolent woman. Her violet eyes widened as she was met by piercing, sapphire eyes. The woman's blond hair was just as long as her own and shined like the sun. Though it looked soft to the touch, her creamy skin appeared to be softer. Though the stranger's gorgeous appearance played a minor role in breaking Rei's standoffish attitude, what shook Rei to the very core was the aura that was radiating around her, That aura! It…It can't be!
Wow…, Minako thought in awe, Violet eyes…Where have I seen eyes like that before?
After a few moments of silence, Minako was the first to break it, "Ummm…Sorry, but...h-have we met before? You look...really familiar."
Rei snapped out of her trance and blushed slightly, "N-No, we haven't met before," she said as she averted her gaze to the floor, unable to hold Minako's gaze, "I…I would have definitely remembered you if we did."
Minako blushed at the comment and became a little more confident. She smiled to herself, Oh, this is going to be fun!
"Well, like I said, I think this color will be better for how pale your skin is. But, even though the color might be good, there's always a chance of putting too much on and making you look like a clown," Minako giggled as she became more comfortable around the stranger, "And with how beautiful you are, I think that would be quite a shame."
Rei continued to blush as she stared at the floor, What the hell's wrong with me? I can't…I can't even look at her! Kami-sama, is she…is she really-
"How about we go to my makeup station and I can show you some tricks for how to apply it for your complexion?," Minako offered and she placed the product back on display, interrupting Rei's thoughts, "We can also do some highlighting over the blush and find something for your eyes and lips to complete the look? It's free and I'll also give you a discount if you decide to buy anything." She stood up and began walking towards the makeup stations.
Rei, hearing the stranger shuffle and begin to walk away, was finally able to turn and look in her direction. Minako stopped a couple steps away. Slowly, she looked over her shoulder and smiled warmly at Rei. She half-turned to face her and extended her hand towards the kneeling archer.
"Oide, I promise it'll be painless," she said in an inviting melodic tone.
Rei barely made out what Minako was saying due to her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She felt the blood drain from her face as she stared in disbelief at Minako, Kami-sama! It…It really is her!
"A-Are you ok?," Minako's asked with concern. Rei nodded slowly as she hesitantly found herself reaching out to take Minako's hand. When their hands touched, Rei expected to feel her soul slowly filling with warmth as she had in her vision.
Unfortunately, she didn't. She sensed the woman's gentle heart and outgoing, carefree nature, but not the warm, enveloping feeling she always had in her vision. Rei's heart sank, I guess...I guess it isn't her.
Minako gently tugged on Rei's hand to help her stand up. Once the two women were standing face-to-face, Minako noticed that the beautiful woman was a couple inches taller than her. She became lost in the taller woman's intense amethyst eyes and almost forgot what she was doing,
Gods, I could get lost staring into her eyes forever, Minako mused. She almost didn't notice that they were still holding hands.
Rei, on the other hand, was more than aware of their physical connection. She could sense Minako's growing fascination through her hand and she found herself flattered by it, Well, even if she isn't the one, she's still really cute!
"Well then," Minako coughed, remembering she was still working. She reluctantly let go of Rei's hand, "Shall we go over to my station?"
"Mmn," Rei replied, slightly disappointed that Minako had let go of her hand. She followed Minako to her makeup station and Minako gestured for her to sit down as she did will all her customers,
"Have a seat and we'll get started," Minako began, "My name is Aino Minako, what's yours?"
Rei was hesitant to respond. Usually once people heard her name, they recognized her from her promotional ads for her father's company or from archery contests and that's usually when they became annoyingly fawning fans. But she also had too much pride to lie about who she was,
"Hino Rei," Rei replied slowly as she sat down in the chair.
"Nice to meet you, Hino-san," Minako said as she bowed politely, "I look forward to working with you."
Gods! Why the hell does that name sound so familiar!?, Minako thought to herself.
Rei was happily surprised, Whew! She doesn't recognize me! She began to relax as Minako turned to her station and pulled out the same color blush she showed Rei earlier.
"So, what I'm doing is taking an angled blush brush to pick up some of the makeup," Minako said as she turned back to Rei. She swirled the brush gently over the powdered makeup. Setting the compact down, she began to flick the end of the brush with her fingers, "What this will do is get rid of the excess blush so you don't put on too much. But if you do end up putting too much on, you can always get a beauty blender and roll it over your cheeks lightly to pick up the extras that way." She began applying the blush expertly onto the apple of Rei's cheeks, blending back towards her temples.
Rei listened to what Minako was saying, but was a little distracted by how close the woman's gorgeous face was to her own. She couldn't help but stare at her azure eyes, Wow…her eyes are captivating!
"If you wanted to do some highlighting shimmers," Minako continued, "I'd suggest probably a light champagne color and using a highlighting brush to go right over the blush."
Though Rei continued to listen to Minako's suggestions, her gaze had lowered ever so slightly to stare at Minako's alluring lips as she spoke. This didn't go unnoticed by Minako due to their close proximity and Minako smirked slightly,
"So, Hino-san, when you're not out at all hours of the night buying makeup, who are you doing?," she asked casually as she finished applying the blush and began applying shimmer over Rei cheeks.
"I-," Rei began but stopped herself when she registered Minako's question, "Wait, what?"
Minako giggled, "What?," she asked innocently, "I was just asking what you do for a living. Why? Did you hear something else?"
Rei smirked, Oh, so we're playing like that now, are we?
That smirk! I swear I've either met her or seen her somewhere before!, Minako racked her brain but couldn't place her finger on it. In the end, she decided to let it go.
"I work in the sports industry," Rei responded in her smooth tone, "Other than that, what I do and who I do is my business." She lowered her voice slightly, "Unless...you're trying to make it yours?"
Minako smirked, Yep, this is going to be really fun!
"I understand," Minako replied casually, "I have some…friends…in the fashion industry who like their privacy also," Rei subtly let out a relieved sigh that Minako respected her privacy enough to not push for more information regarding her profession, "But," she continued, "For my profession, I like to make it my business to get to know all my customers so I can help meet their needs. There's different types of makeup techniques people can use for all sorts of occasions so it helps to know what my customers do."
Minako stopped what she was doing and Rei looked at her with questioning eyes. Minako brought her hands down slowly to rest on the armrests of the chair on either side of Rei. Slowly, she leaned in closer, practically pinning Rei to the seat without touching her, her body only inches away from Rei,
"And...for customers I find…especially interesting," she said with a seductive whisper as she looked intently into Rei's amethyst eyes, "I take extra care to get to know them. Their likes…dislikes…I make sure that when they leave our store they're…satisfied with my services." She slowly pushed herself away and straightened up. Smiling slyly, she turned towards her station to pick out the perfect eye-shadow palettes for Rei as if nothing happened.
Even without her abilities, Rei could tell that Minako was flirting with her. Unfazed and amused, she continued to play along, "I see. You must be really dedicated to your trade."
"Well, I aim to please," Minako replied casually.
"Tell me then, Aino-san, do you use these lines on all your customers, or just the 'interesting' ones," Rei challenged playfully.
"I have a loose script I follow, yes," Minako replied as she glanced up at the mirror to sneak a glimpse of the woman, "I start with introducing myself, different makeup products and techniques that I think complement my customer's style and occasion. But the conversations I have are all based on the energy and chemistry that organically comes up between me and the person I'm assisting."
She turned to look at Rei directly, "To answer your question, I haven't quite decided yet whether I find you interesting or not to use any sort of 'line' on you, Hino-san," she quipped playfully, "But I'm thoroughly enjoying finding out. I'll be putting some eye-shadow on you that will complement your eyes so you'll need to close them for me."
She pouted slightly, "I almost don't want to, I like looking at your eyes. They're stunning." She grinned slyly, "But, then again, maybe I like the idea of you not knowing what I'll do once you shut them."
Rei raised an eyebrow, "Is that a challenge? I'd also like to know what you'd do to me if I was helplessly blind."
"Would you, now?," Minako asked in a low voice as she approached Rei, "Well then, close your eyes and find out."
Rei smirked and did as she was told. Minako began gently applying a light gold and light purple from a couple palettes she picked out to go with the shimmer on her cheeks and the color of her eyes, occasionally using her ring finger to smooth the colors together. Rei could see Minako's aura in her mind's eye flickering playfully. She could tell that Minako was enjoying this game they were playing quite a bit. She began focusing her energy more on the woman, reaching out to tap into Minako's thoughts,
Her lips look so soft. They already have a nice pink color to them so I think a sheer lip gloss would look great, Minako thought, I wonder if we still have any of that sheer, cherry-flavored lip gloss left in stock. She smiled to herself slyly, I'd love to know what it'd be like to nibble that off those enticing lips!
Minako's thoughts were interrupted by Rei chuckling softly to herself. Minako straightened, "What's so funny?," she asked curiously.
"Absolutely nothing, Aino-san," Rei said, trying to sound serious, "Please, continue."
Minako raised an eyebrow but continued with her work, "Ok, you can open your eyes now," she said as she finished. She stepped back to examine her customer. Rei let her senses relax as she opened her eyes.
"Disappointed that I didn't take advantage of you?," Minako asked playfully when she was met with Rei's lavender eyes.
"Maybe," Rei responded with a wink, "Does that mean you find me an uninteresting client?"
"So impatient and eager for answers, Hino-san," Minako replied coyly as she put the eye-shadow compacts away.
"Some of my best traits," Rei quipped.
"Well, like you said, I'm very dedicated to my trade so I like doing a good job," Minako said, "But, I'm also a professional so, of course, I wouldn't make a move on you while I was working." She winked at Rei flirtatiously, pausing to allow the implication to sink in before she continued, "There's something I want to try using on you, but I want to see if we have it in stock, I'll be right back."
She walked towards the product aisles to the lip gloss section. Rei stayed in the chair and smirked, She's really going to go look for that, isn't she?
Minako was a little disappointed to find that they were out of stock of the cherry-flavored gloss and settled on a plain sheer lip gloss instead. Returning to her station, she began opening the bottle, "This sheer gloss will bring the whole look together and finish the look perfectly," she explained as she began applying it to Rei's lips in broad strokes.
"So, while I had my eyes closed, what were you thinking of if you weren't planning on taking advantage of me?," Rei asked mischievously.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Hino-san," Minako smiled coyly as she finished up.
"I think I have a pretty good idea," Rei replied confidently.
"Such confidence, Hino-san," Minako said teasingly as she gracefully walked behind the chair and slowly swiveled it so both of them were facing the mirror. They both kept their eyes on each other instead of themselves through the reflection, "Another one of your 'best traits'?"
"One of many," Rei quipped as she smirked.
"Well, take a look and let me know what you think," Minako said, "After that, maybe I'll let you know what my verdict is on you."
Rei looked at herself in the mirror and was actually surprised by what she saw. She leaned forward a bit to get a closer look. She was not only pleased that Minako managed to avoid having her look ridiculously overdone, she chose the perfect shades and just the right amount of each product to bring out her best features. When it came to having her makeup done, Rei never looked her best.
"Well, Aino-san, I'm very impressed," Rei said as she leaned back into the chair and continued to look at her reflection, "I've had my makeup done quite a number of times, but no one has ever gotten it right until now."
"Like I said, I aim to please," Minako smiled. She leaned forward from behind Rei, bringing her lips close to Rei's ear.
"I shouldn't be saying this because of my profession," she whispered, "But, if you ask me, you don't need it. I think your pretty without any makeup on."
"Is that one of your 'lines', Aino-san?," Rei teased seductively, watching Minako in the reflection of the mirror.
"Perhaps," Minako replied just as seductively, looking back at Rei through the mirror, "But if it's any consolation, you're the first person I've ever used it on."
"Does that mean you find me 'especially interesting'?," Rei asked.
Minako giggled softly, "I never said that, Hino-san."
A delightful shiver went up Rei's spine as she felt Minako's warm breath tickling her neck, Kami-sama, I could listen to her giggle for hours, she thought.
"I see," Rei replied mischievously, "Is it because you couldn't find any cherry-flavored lip gloss?"
Minako was taken aback. Her eyes widened and she immediately straightened. It was Rei's turn to giggle at Minako's reaction and she gracefully stood up from the chair and walked around it to stand face-to-face with the makeup artist. She lifted her hand and flicked her long, black mane behind her shoulder before bringing a finger to her chin, pretending to be deep in thought, "If someone as uninteresting as myself could make you…How did you put it?...Want to nibble cherry-flavored lip gloss off my enticing lips, was it?...Then I'm curious to know what you would do to someone you did find 'especially interesting'."
Minako could only stare back with a mixture of awe, surprise, and disbelief, How…How did she know?
"I was born with a gift," Rei explained, answering Minako's unspoken question, "I can naturally sense people's auras and get a feel for their emotions. Sometimes, if I focus enough on someone, I can read their thoughts. I don't often do it because, one, I understand better than anyone the value of privacy and, two, it does take some energy on my part to do it."
She took a step towards the smaller woman until they were only inches apart. She brought her hand up and gently brushed Minako's bangs out of her eyes. Minako blushed slightly at the contact as she continued to stare into Rei's amethyst eyes with wonder,
"But, with close proximity or direct contact, it's much easier for me to tap into someone's aura," Rei smiled as her fingers traced lightly down Minako's cheek to her jawline, down the side of her neck, her hand coming to rest on her shoulder. Minako felt a spark inside her from the touch and was finding it a little difficult to breathe, which didn't go unnoticed by Rei, who watched her aura flare slightly and sensed a growing excitement coming from the smaller woman. Rei leaned in closer, bringing her lips to Minako's ear, brushing her cheek lightly against Minako's in the process.
"So," Rei whispered softly, "What's your verdict, Aino-san?"
A smile crept up on Minako's lips, "You…fascinate me…Hino-san," she replied breathlessly.
"I'm glad," Rei whispered as she stepped back, "It's getting late, Aino-san. I should really be going."
Minako glanced at the clock above her station, Wow, 10:00pm already? She sighed disappointedly, wishing she could spend more time with the alluring, raven-haired woman.
"I don't want to keep you," Rei said with concern, "But I would like to buy the products you used as well as some other items if that's ok?"
"S-Sure, of course," Minako replied, composing herself, "I can help you find the items I used along with the other things you were looking for."
"Sounds good," Rei replied with a smile. Minako led the way through the product aisles as Rei listed the few items she was looking for. Once complete with their search, Minako led Rei to the register, rang up her purchase, providing the promised discount of course, and bagged her items.
When Rei pulled out a credit card from her wallet and handed it to Minako to purchase her items, Minako purposefully brushed Rei's hand with her fingertips as she grabbed it from her, causing the taller woman to blush slightly.
"Can I see your I.D. also?," Minako asked innocently. Rei smirked and pulled out her driver's license from her wallet and handed it to Minako who, again, brushed her fingers gently across the back of Rei's hand as she took the item. Rei chuckled softly to herself at Minako's subtle flirting.
Minako examined the I.D. with the credit card, Wow, she lives there!?, she thought, recognizing the address of The Incendia, I've always wanted to see what that place looked like on the inside! I wonder what exactly she does in the sports industry.
She ran the credit card and returned it with the I.D. to the enchanting woman, who smiled slyly and mirrored Minako's maneuver by brushing her fingers along the back of Minako's hand, making Minako smile softly.
Both women couldn't deny the chemistry between them. They stared into each other's eyes as if searching for answers to explain the palpable attraction.
Brr...Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The moment was interrupted by the electronic sound of the credit card machine printing out Rei's receipt and copy. Minako reluctantly broke her gaze from Rei's magnetic, lavender eyes to tear the receipt and its copy from the machine. She laid both small pieces of paper on the counter with a pen in front of Rei, who bent over the counter to sign the receipt. When she finished, she straightened and stuff the copy, her card, and I.D. into her wallet. She gracefully grabbed her purchase from the table.
"Thanks for coming," Minako said with a hint of disappointment, "Maybe I'll see you around?," she said hopefully.
"I hope so," Rei replied with a wink, "Maybe next time you'll have some of that cherry-flavored lip gloss," she teased.
Minako blushed and smiled sheepishly. She found herself blushing even more as she watched Rei reach for her hand, which was resting on the counter, and bring it to her lips to place a gentle kiss on the back of her fingers. Rei gently released Minako's hand and looked up into her sapphire eyes, "I had a lovely time. Have a good night, Aino-san."
"Mmn, good night…Hino-san," Minako whispered as she caressed the hand Rei kissed with her other hand. With that, Rei turned and gracefully walked out of the store.
Jingle Jingle!
Once Minako heard the door chime, she allowed herself to collapse into a chair, fanning herself with her hand.
"Wow, that was intense!," Minako said out loud. She smiled, "That was way more fun that I thought it would be! What a great way to end the week!"
A thought came to her and she suddenly snapped her fingers and let out a disappointed groan, "Ah, damn it!" Minako was so taken by Rei's sweet action that she had completely forgotten she wanted to ask for Rei's number or at least give the beautiful woman her own,
"Well...too late now," She sighed to herself. She shook her head, "Ok, I guess it's time to get the stuff I was missing for tomorrow and close up. At least it's a good thing I finished most of the cleaning before she came in."
She found the broom where she left it near the blushes and quickly finished sweeping the store while picking up the items she needed. She returned to the register to put away the receipt Rei signed and ring herself up. When she picked up the receipt, she did a double-take. Below Rei's elegant signature was…a phone number! Minako smiled widely as she pulled out her cellphone and typed out the number, saving it to her contacts.
"'Hino Rei', huh?," Minako said as she looked at the beautiful signature. She grabbed a pen and quickly scratched out the number so that it was illegible to others. After all, Rei mentioned she liked her privacy, right? Putting the receipt away with the rest of the day's receipts, she quickly rang up her purchases and made a mental note to call the beautiful woman the day after tomorrow.
Once she was done, she went to her locker to retrieve her purse. When she opened her locker, she immediately got a radical and bold idea, Maybe I don't have to wait until Sunday to call her!
She giggled to herself as she collected her things, turned off the lights, locked the front door, and headed to her white Subaru Impreza hatchback. She quickly texted Karin to let her know she was leaving the store, started the car, and zoomed off into the night.
Author Note: One reviewer commented on my extensive use of certain Japanese words in the characters' speech being jarring to read. After thinking about it for a bit, I can see how that could come across so I've edited the previous chapters to get rid of most of them for consistency. There are a couple words I kept because I think it evokes what I want to convey, but for the most part you'll see them more sparingly. I really want this story to be good so I appreciate the feedback!
Another reviewer asked me what 'mataku' means so I've added small translations of words that I kept in the story so far and how I'm using them. As the story progresses, I'll continue to add these into the A/Ns:
Mou = [Japanese] An expression of frustration or indignation. Almost like "Geez!" but not exactly.
Mataku = [Japanese] An expression of annoyance, hopeless exasperation, or irritated disbelief. Almost like "Good grief!", "For crying out loud!", or "Honestly!" but not exactly.
Ittekimasu = [Japanese] "I'm leaving" or "I'm heading out and will be back"
Tadaima = [Japanese] "I'm back" or "I'm home"
Oide = [Japanese] "Come here" or "Come"
Yurusenai = [Japanese] "Unforgivable". Chapter 1 is the only place you'll see this word. Seemed to fit the tone.
I should also mention that I might be using honorifics unconventionally and, most likely, incorrectly. They're only used in this story, or lack thereof, along with either first or last names, to signal how close relationships are between characters. So, in the realm of this story, how they're implemented is considered 'correct' and I hope you please forgive any 'mistakes' I'm sure you'll find when it comes to those! ;)
-neechan = [Japanese] honorific, "older sister"
-san = [Japanese] honorific, closely analogous to "Mr.", "Miss", "Mrs.", or "Ms."
-sama = [Japanese] honorific, a more respectful version of '-san' to refer to someone of much higher-rank
-kun = [Japanese] honorific, mostly used to refer to males but it's not a hard rule as it can be used for a close personal friend of any gender
-chan = [Japanese] honorific, expresses endearment
Sempai or -sempai = [Japanese] roughly translates to "mentor", "senior", or someone with more experience in an organization
Japanese honorifics. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 11, 2013, from wiki/Japanese_honorifics
So, as usual, constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.
(updated 08/2013)