Author Note:As I write this story, I'm slowly realizing that poor Usagi and Mamoru are really outnumbered as the only straight couple...oh well! =)
Elegancia = It's a noun in Hungarian and Spanish for "elegance"
Baka = [Japanese] "idiot", "stupid", "fool", or "foolish"
162km/h = about 100 mph
Ara = [Japanese] "Oh!" or "Oh, my!" but not so exclamatory.
I don't own Sailor Moon, any songs, or brand names and have tried to the best of my ability to site my references.
Takeuchi, N. (1991). Sailor Moon. Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha Ltd.
Garibay, F., Germanotta, S., and Blair, P. (2011). The Edge of Glory [Recorded by Lady Gaga]. On Born This Way [CD], Oslo, Norway: LivingRoom Studios.
Gottwald, L., Levin, B., Martin, M., McKee, B., and Perry, K. (2010). Teenage Dream [Recorded by Katy Perry]. On Teenage Dream [CD], Hollywood, California: Conway Recording Studios.
Lexus is a division of, and belongs to, the Toyota Motor Corporation (cited September, 2013). The brand is used merely as a descriptor for this fiction piece.
Chapter 9:
"Ok, all set!," Minako said as she squeezed into the backseat behind Usagi. After some shuffling, she and Mamoru were able to fit most of their things into the trunk of Mamoru's car. The rest of the items that didn't fit occupied the seat and floor next to her and behind Mamoru.
"You sure you have enough space back there?," Usagi asked worriedly as she looked at her sister through the rear view mirror, "Do you need me to slide my seat forward for you?"
"No, I'm good. I've got plenty of space," Minako replied cheerfully.
"Are you sure you brought everything?," Usagi asked, "I really don't want to have to drive back if you forgot something."
"If she brings anything else, there'd be nothing left in her apartment," Mamoru mumbled to himself as he slid into the driver's seat and shut the door. He suddenly felt his head jerk to the side and a sharp pain from that side of his head, "Owowowowowow!"
"What was that, Mamo-chan?," Usagi asked in a subtle warning tone as she pinched his ear and yanked him towards her.
"N-Nothing, Usako! I love you! Ow!," Mamoru said painfully.
"That's what I thought," Usagi replied triumphantly as she let go of his ear with a huff, "The only one allowed to make fun of my baby sister is me! I earned it!"
"Y-Yes, Usako," Mamoru replied guiltily as he brought his hand up to rub the pain away from his ear.
Minako giggled at their exchange, "Yes, I double and triple-checked that I packed everything I needed before you got here."
"Good," Usagi replied, "Because if you brought anything else, there'd be nothing left in your apartment!" She let out a full laugh as Mamoru subtly rolled his eyes and started the car.
As they pulled away from Minako's apartment building and Usagi's laughter calmed down, Minako leaned forward and threw her arms around the chair and her sister, "I like your outfit, Usa-neechan!," she exclaimed as she rested her head on the shoulder of the chair and eyed the black, sleeveless turtleneck that hugged Usagi's body and was tucked into trendy, orange shorts. Dark-brown, knee-high Stiletto-heeled boots finished the look, "Did you get that from work?"
"Mou, Mina-chan! Put your seat belt on!," Usagi chided gently.
Minako giggled as she sat back in her chair and clicked on her seat belt, "There, happy now?"
"Mmn," Usagi nodded with a satisfied smile. She turned in her seat to talk to her sister, "And, yes, I did get this from work. I liked it so much that they let me have it. The shorts reminded me of you." Her eyes trailed down to the yellow, A-line sundress Minako chose to wear with a black bolero and black flats, "Your outfit is super cute too, Mina-chan! Is it new?"
"No, I've had these for a while, but I don't think I had the dress the last time I saw you," Minako replied as she looked down at her outfit and fingered the edge of her dress.
"I like it a lot! We should totally do another clothing-swap while I'm still in town," Usagi suggested.
"Mmn! That'd be fun!," Minako nodded eagerly in agreement. She always enjoyed doing clothing-swaps with her sister since she usually ended up getting the better-half of Usagi's wardrobe, which was ok by Usagi since she was always getting new clothes from work and needed to get rid of some items to make room for the new stuff.
"I'm so excited!," Minako exclaimed, practically bouncing in her seat, "I've heard so much about The Elegancia! I can't believe we're going to be staying there!"
"Me too! I haven't stayed there before so I can't wait to see it!," Usagi squealed, "I'm really glad Haru-chan's friend got us all really great deals on the rooms."
"I read some reviews online that said the food there is to die for!," Minako exclaimed excitedly.
"REALLY!?," Usagi practically screamed, "I CAN'T WAIT!"
The twins continued that way for some time until Mamoru couldn't take it anymore and began fiddling with the radio, which he immediately regretted when an upbeat pop song came on. Usagi and Minako squealed at the same time and began singing at the top of their lungs along with the husky-voiced singer.
- Put on your shades, 'cause I'll be dancing in the flames tonight, yeah, baby (tonight, yeah, baby). It isn't Hell if everybody knows my name tonight (Alright, alright). It's hard to feel the rush, to brush the dangerous. I'm gonna run right to, to the edge with you where we can both fall far in love. -
Mamoru groaned and brought a hand up to rub his temple. It was one thing for Minako to belt out a song since she was at least a good singer. The love of his life was…a different story...and she was closer in proximity to his ringing ears. He thanked the Gods that it was at least towards the end of the song.
"Gods, I love that song," Minako sighed as she flopped back in her seat.
"It's a good song!," Usagi agreed, "I can't wait to get my dance on tonight! Mamo-chan, you'll dance with me won't you?"
"Of course, Usako," Mamoru replied obediently. Minako giggled at how whipped Mamoru was by her sister.
"You'll dance with me too, right Mamoru-kun?," Minako teased.
"Of course he will!," Usagi answered for him. She continued talking but Minako was no longer listening as the next song that came on the radio caught her attention,
- You think I'm pretty without any makeup on. You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong. I know you get me, so I let my walls come down. -
Minako always loved music and was amazed by how there was always a song out there that could explain how she felt if she couldn't find the words herself. She actually dreamed of a career in the music industry when she was younger and took a few classes in music theory before her mother passed away and she changed her major.
Though she had heard this song numerous times, she smiled as she listened to the lyrics.
I wonder what she's doing right now, she thought to herself as she sighed.
"Let me drive, I'll get us there faster," Haruka called as she exited the sliding-glass doors of the airport and headed towards her best friend who was waiting at the curb.
Rei was leaning against the side of her red Lexus LS 460 F Sport with her arms crossed in front of her. She still had on the grey t-shirt and black jeans, but added black sandals and a tan baseball cap which was pulled down low, covering most of her face. Her hair was in a ponytail that was pulled through the back of the cap.
"No! It's my car!," Rei responded indignantly as she looked up at Haruka who was a full-head taller than her, "Besides, you're the one who taught me how to drive. I can get us there just as fast as you can!"
"C'mon, Rei!," Haruka whined as she stopped in front of her childhood friend and dropped her bags on the floor, "You know how I feel about driving those American cars. I miss driving on the right side." She immediately let out a full laugh, "Haha, get it!? Because our driver-side is on the right and I think that's the right way to drive!?" She ran her hand through her short, sandy-blonde hair as she laughed at her own joke.
Anyone who looked at Haruka would have agreed that she was heart-breakingly handsome. Not beautiful, but handsome. The tomboy wore black-rimmed, royal-blue, polarized, racing sunglasses and a white t-shirt under a black, leather jacket. On the bottom, she wore loose, dark-blue jeans and black boots.
Rei rolled her eyes at her best friend, "Baka," she mumbled to herself. Sometimes, Haruka was the most immature person she knew.
"You still love me anyways," Haruka quipped with a dazzling smile. She rested one hand on her hip as she held out her other hand and alternated between opening and closing it, "C'mon, Rei, hand them over."
"Fuuucck, fiiiine!," Rei groaned as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her keys. She dropped them reluctantly into Haruka's waiting hand.
Haruka smirked, "Hey, watch your fucking language, young lady," she said teasingly as she unlocked the car and headed towards the trunk to begin loading her bags.
"I learned from the best," Rei replied snarkily. She walked around the car to the passenger-side and got in, shutting the door behind her. She pouted as she rested her elbow on the door and leaned her cheek against her fist.
Mataku, Rei huffed to herself as she watched Haruka through the rear view mirror load the last of her bags into the trunk, Why do I always put up with her shit? Sometimes she's such a-
Suddenly, Rei felt a shift in the air. She quickly straightened up and directed her attention towards the sliding-glass doors of the airport. She closed her eyes tightly and reached out towards the disturbance that caused the hairs on the back of her head to stand on end. Her eyes shot wide open when she realized what it was, Oh, shit!
"HARUKA!," Rei yelled as she rolled down her window, "GET YOUR ASS IN THE CAR! WE HAVE TO GO! NOW!"
"What?," Haruka asked with confusion as she finished loading her bags and slammed the trunk shut.
"DID I FUCKING STUTTER!? MOVE IT, HARUKA!," Rei yelled as she leaned over to the driver-side door and rolled down the window.
"Oh my Gods, it's Tenoh Haruka!," a high-pitched, adolescent, feminine voice came from the airport. Haruka turned towards the voice and was met by a very large group of young girls in high school uniforms exiting the airport, obviously coming back from a class trip, Oh, shit!
"Isn't that Hino Rei's car!? Oh my Gods! I think that's her in the passenger seat!," another girl squealed loudly.
Haruka sprinted to the driver side of the car and swiftly jumped into the driver's seat through the open window as the sound of running, screaming girls progressively got closer and louder. She started the engine and expertly zoomed away before the stampede closed in on them.
Once they were on the freeway, Haruka rolled the windows up and raised her sunglasses to rest on top of her head. She let out a breath and laughed, "Woooooh! Haha! It's good to be home! I haven't had that happen to me in a while!"
"Shut up, Haruka!," Rei growled. She took off her baseball cap, threw it in the backseat, and pulled her hair out of the ponytail, "Kami-sama! Did you forget we wouldn't have a security detail until we actually get to the hotel!? If I hadn't felt them when I did or opened the window for you to jump in, we would have been trapped! You can toy with your own life all you want, but I'm sure as fuck not going to die by Michiru's hand for your stupidity!"
"Oh, c'mon Rei, lighten up!," Haruka laughed, "Admit it, that was pretty funny!"
Rei huffed, but couldn't help but feel a smile pull at the corner of her lips. Haruka glanced at her childhood friend from the corner of her dark-blue eyes and smiled before returning her gaze to the road. They stayed silent for a moment before Rei spoke up,
"Nobuo-san sends his best, by the way," Rei said, changing the subject.
"He's such a good guy," Haruka replied sincerely, "I need to challenge him to another sparring match soon."
"Yeah," Rei replied softly, "And…Papa sends his regards," she said reluctantly, relaying the text she received earlier that day from her father, "His text said he got the invite but didn't have time to respond that he won't be coming so he wanted me to tell you." She shook her head disapprovingly, "Fucking prick," she said under her breath but just audible enough for Haruka to hear.
"Mmn," Haruka responded quietly, keeping her eyes on the road. She was relieved that they wouldn't be seeing him today, Who knows what would happen if he and Rei were in the same room!
Haruka's father always told her stories about how caring, funny, occasionally hot-headed, and extremely smart his college friend Hino Takashi was and how, ever since Rei's mother passed away, Takashi had become a changed man. Growing up, Haruka only knew Rei's father as the workaholic, stone-cold businessman who sponsored her father's racing team and provided them with the supplies for their sport. It was hard to picture someone like that being likeable or caring, especially since he treated his own daughter, her best friend and practically little sister, as a business pawn. Since the racing team was still under contract with Hino Sporting Enterprise, Haruka had to work with Takashi every once in a while due to taking over the team after her father passed. Professionally, she had to admit he was great to do business with. Personally, she deeply resented him for how he treated Rei and tried her best to keep their interactions to a minimum lest she exact revenge of some sort on Rei's behalf.
"Hey, that was awesome how you sensed that mob of teens from so far away," Haruka said after a long silence, changing the subject, "You really got us out of a jam there. Have you been practicing?"
"A little," Rei shrugged. A thought came to her and a proud smile graced her lips as she turned towards her best friend, "Actually, I was able to read your aura over the phone yesterday."
"Whoa, really!?," Haruka said with awe, "That's fucking cool! How did you come up with that?"
"I figured since touching someone makes it easier for me to tap into auras, a phone technically does connect me with someone since they're holding it so close to their body and so am I," Rei explained, "I've been trying it for a couple months now for fun. It does takes some effort since it's a fake connection, but it works!"
"Shit, you're getting really creative with your abilities, Rei," Haruka exclaimed proudly, "Michiru hasn't had any changes, but I know she's still working with that scientist-friend of hers who's been doing research on it."
"Did she find anything?," Rei asked enthusiastically.
"I'm not sure. She tried explaining it to me once but I didn't really understand it," Haruka responded with a shrug, "It didn't sound like it though."
"Mmn, I see," Rei replied with disappointment.
"But at least it seems like your senses are nice and sharp today," Haruka said, "That's good! You're going to need it for later."
"I'll be fine, Haruka," Rei huffed as she flicked her hair over her shoulder, "I know you're worried, but you don't have to baby me."
"All I'm saying is you better not overdo it today, alright? I don't want to see you get hurt," Haruka said sternly. Haruka rarely pulled out her 'dad' voice, as Rei called it, but, when she did, it was wise not to argue.
"Ok, I understand," Rei responded with a sigh, Sometimes Haruka can be just as stubborn as me!
"Also, thanks for picking me up today," Haruka said as she began pushing the speedometer closer to 162km/h, "It would have been a hassle to rent a car just for a few hours."
"Don't forget about me getting your clothes from the tailor too," Rei reminded. She shook her head, "I still can't believe you forgot that."
"I know, I know! I swear I thought I had it with me when I packed!," Haruka said defensively. She smiled, "I can't fucking wait for you to meet everyone. But you have to make sure you watch out for yourself also."
"Yes, ma'aaam," Rei sighed as she leaned towards the radio and turned it on. She flipped through the stations until a song caught her attention,
- You think I'm pretty without any makeup on. You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong. I know you get me, so I let my walls come down. -
For a miko who lived most of her life at a shrine in the woods, Rei had always liked music. Though she told people she hated karaoke or singing, she secretly would sing in the privacy of her room, in the shower, or in the car to songs that streamed from her online station and she was actually pretty good at it. She even took up guitar for a little bit when she was in high school before she sold it to help pay off some of the bills. She loved that she could always find a song that could express her feelings.
Though she knew the words to this song by heart, she didn't really listen to them until now.
I can't stop thinking about her, she thought to herself as she sighed, I wonder if she's thinking of me right now, too.
"How much longer, Mamo-chan?," Usagi whined.
"Almost there, Usako. About 15 minutes or so," Mamoru replied patiently.
Usagi turned her head towards the back seat to look at Minako, who was sound asleep. The twins had caught each other up on practically everything...except for what happened last night. All Usagi knew was that Minako stayed over at someone's house.
And stayed up late, apparently, Usagi thought with a smirk. During their conversation, Minako had fallen fast asleep from exhaustion.
Don't think you're going to get out of this one that easily, Mina-chan!, Usagi thought mischievously, I will get details from you one way or another!
"We're here!," Haruka said cheerfully as they pulled up to the valet of The Elegancia. Rei was pleasantly relieved to find a tight security detail around the perimeter of the hotel that made it virtually impossible for anyone to get in past the front gate. As they drove up, she noticed more security around the entrance of the hotel and could see a few that were inside the lobby. She allowed herself to relax.
"How you feeling?," Rei asked casually as she turned towards her best friend.
Haruka beamed as she calmly reached over and placed her hand on Rei's shoulder. Rei jumped a little at the contact. Haruka's royal-blue aura was always aggressively strong, playful, and fairly consistent and steady, truly reflecting her personality. But, mixed within the familiar, royal-blue aura, Rei felt a giddy sensation and a hint of…Nervousness? Rei had never known anything to shake her best friend and couldn't help but be surprised.
"You tell me," Haruka said softly as she released Rei's shoulder.
Rei smiled reassuringly, "It's going to be the best day of your life, Haruka. You're going to be fine."
"Rei, you know I'm more than 'fine'," Haruka said mischievously, "I'm fucking irresistible!"
Rei groaned and rolled her eyes as her best friend burst into laughter. As both women exited the car, Haruka popped open the trunk as a hotel porter with a luggage cart approached. They unloaded the car, gave the keys to the valet, checked in, and headed up to their rooms.
"Mina-chan? Mina-chan," Usagi whispered as she gently shook Minako's shoulder, "Hey, wake up, we're here."
Minako yawned as she groggily opened her eyes, "Oh, wow, I didn't even realize I fell asleep. We're here already?"
"Yup, just pulled up," Usagi replied cheerfully.
Minako stretched and stepped out of the car. Mamoru was busy unloading the car as a hotel porter approached with a luggage cart and spoke loudly into a handheld transceiver, asking for backup luggage assistance.
"C'mon, let's go check in! I'm super excited!," Usagi squealed, jumping up and down. She grabbed her sister's hand and ran towards the lobby, "Mamo-chan we'll check in and meet you at the room!," she called over her shoulder, dragging Minako along.
"O-Oi, Usako!," Mamoru called. As the twins ran off, he sighed. Sometimes his girlfriend can be such a princess. He continued to unpack the car as a third luggage cart was being rolled out by a third porter.
"Wow! It's so big!," Usagi gasped.
"Yeah! Better than the photos they had online!," Minako agreed.
The massive studio suite was themed in beige with black accents that gave a modern yet warm look to it. On the left wall of the entryway, at the very end, was a door that led to a large and luxurious bathroom while most of the right wall of the entryway was occupied by a closet with sleek, bifold, blonde wood doors.
In the left-corner of the suite, beyond the entryway, was an expansive, beige, L-shaped, velvet couch with black piping that framed a circular, blonde wood coffee table. A couple feet away, following the left wall, was a nightstand with a lamp next to a king-sized bed on a blonde wood frame with a slat headboard that came out perpendicular to the wall. The bed had pristine, white sheets and pillows with a black accent blanket at the foot of it. Next to that was a matching nightstand and lamp which stood a couple feet away from a window that spanned the length of the far wall with a recessed window bench that had beige cushions with black piping and black accent pillows. Mounted on the right wall, across from the bed, was a flat-screen television. Across from the couch, in the right-corner of the suite beyond the entryway, was an office desk and chair complete with computer, internet access, and printer with paper for guests' convenience.
Minako immediately went to the window of their 13th story room and opened the sheer window curtains to look at the view. She was awestruck by a view of the city of Kamakura and the vast beach and ocean beyond that.
"You sure you're ok sleeping on the pullout sofa bed, Mina-chan?," Usagi asked, "We can always switch to a room that has two queen beds instead."
"No, no, I'm ok! Thanks, Usa-neechan," Minako replied cheerfully as she continued to stare out the window. She turned to look at her sister who had happily thrown herself backwards onto the king-sized bed, "Hey, do you think we have time to go to the beach sometime today?," Minako asked hopefully.
"Mina-chan, we're not here on vacation. We're here to support our friend!," Usagi chided gently.
"Awww," Minako whined disappointedly.
Usagi sat up and looked up at the ceiling as she thought, "Well...if we don't get too crazy tonight, we may be able to go tomorrow after we check out of the hotel." Minako's eyes lit up at her sister's comment.
"But, remember, Mamo-chan and I have a meeting to get to in Tokyo so-Oof!," Usagi gasped as the wind was knocked out of her. Minako had pounced on her sister at full-speed, body-slamming Usagi into the bed.
"Thanks, Usa-neechan!," Minako squealed as she hugged her sister tightly.
"Mou, Mina-chan!," Usagi wheezed, "I can't breathe!"
"Oh! Sorry!," Minako apologized as she rolled off of her sister. Both were still laughing as a knock came from the door and four porters entered with their bags, followed by a tired-looking Mamoru. As they unloaded the bags from the luggage carts, Mamoru rested his hands on his hips and shook his head, "Mataku, Usako, Mina-chan, are all of these bags really necessary for just a one-night stay?"
"Mou, Mamoru-kun!," Minako pouted, "I only brought one bag of clothes and a garment bag!"
"Yeah, along with your two rolling cases," Mamoru retorted matter-of-factly as he pointed to two, four-feet tall, 15" by 10", rectangular, black rolling cases.
"Don't listen to him, Mina-chan. He's just grumpy from driving and being jetlagged," Usagi said as she brought a hand up and waved it as if waving off Mamoru's comment. She also wanted to avoid the fact that she had brought the most luggage out of the three and they were currently taking up most of the floor-space in the suite.
Brrrrrriiiiinnngg!...Brrrrrriiiiinnngg!
The sound of the room phone's shrill ring interrupted their conversation. Minako jumped off the bed, went to the office desk, and picked up the phone.
"Hello?," Minako greeted.
"Usagi-chan! I'm so glad you made it!," a sweet voice answered on the other line.
"Oh, Michi-chan, it's Minako," Minako replied with a smile, "Yeah, we just got here."
"Ara, sorry, Mina-chan. You sounded just like Usagi-chan on the phone," Michiru replied with a cute giggle, "Ami-chan just got here too and is headed up to my suite. Why don't you two come over so we can get ready together? I'm on the 31st floor, room 3189."
"Ok, we'll be right there!," Minako said cheerfully.
"See you soon," Michiru replied and hung up.
Minako hung up the phone and turned to the porters, "Sorry, can we take these bags up to room 3189?," She said as she gestured towards her orange overnight bag, garment bag, and two rolling cases that had been unloaded. The porters nodded and one began loading the requested bags back onto an empty luggage cart.
"That was Michi-chan," Minako said as she turned towards Usagi, "She wants us to go to her room so we can get ready. I have to bring all my bags, is there anything other than your garment bag you need to bring up to get ready?"
"Nope," Usagi replied, "I'll just borrow some of your stuff when we're up there." Minako gestured to a bright pink garment bag and asked the porter to load that up with her bags as well. The porters quickly finished and left the room.
"Well, Mamo-chan, looks like you'll have the room to yourself for a while to nap," Usagi said cheerfully as she hopped off the bed. She skipped towards Mamoru and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, "We'll see you later, ok? Love you!"
"Mmn," Mamoru grunted, still looking anxiously at all the bags that were on the floor as Usagi and Minako left the room giggling.
Author Note: I've never been to Japan, but I've always wanted to go. In writing this story and doing research for it, I feel like I'm indirectly finding out about different areas I want to visit whenever I get a chance to actually go there myself!
Fun Fact: See A/Ns at the end of Chapter 5.
13th Floor - Someone's initials (last-name first). More than one answer...Actually, now that I think about it, if you do it first-name first, you get someone else's initials too. Oh, the intricacy! =D
Room 3189 - The only Sailor Senshi with 4 letters.
Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated!
(updated 09/2013)