Author Note: We're going to be spending some time at the Elegancia so hang in there with me!
Stephanotis flowers = These flowers usually represent happiness in marriage
Kampai = [Japanese] "cheers"
I don't own Sailor Moon or any 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.
The Armani brand belongs to Giorgio Armani and the Fireball Whisky brand belongs to the Sazerac Company (cited September, 2013). These brands are used merely as descriptors for this fiction piece.
Chapter 10:
Rei showered and changed in her room before going over to Haruka's deluxe, one-bedroom suite. The suite was of the same style and color-theme as the regular suites but, instead of entering straight into a bedroom, the double-door entrance opened into a large, wide room that acted as a receiving room and living room.
Immediately to the right of the doors was a long, blonde wood table that spanned to the right corner of the room. Evenly spaced on the table were three, bubble ball vases with a bouquet of Stephanotis flowers delicately arranged within each of them. Following a short distance away from that on the right wall, perpendicular to the front door, was a door that led to a full guest bathroom. Farther still along that wall was a large, flat-screen television that was recessed into the wall and sat across a huge, curved, velvet couch that could easily seat seven to ten people. A long, blonde wood coffee-table, which usually sat between the television and couch, was pushed up against the wall underneath the television to allow for more space to move around. In the far-right corner of the room was a full-length floor mirror.
The back wall was all windows and overlooked part of the city of Kamakura, the beach, and the ocean. In the far-left corner was another set of double-doors that led to a luxurious bedroom with it's own, private, full bathroom. In the left corner of the room, across from the windows and immediately to the left of the double-door entrance was a full-sized, blonde wood bar where patrons could entertain visitors with various liquors and spirits. On the black, granite counter top of the bar were two, square serving plates, one with freshly cut fruits and one with freshly cut vegetables Haruka ordered for her and Rei to snack on while they were in the room. Across from the bar, in front of the windows and in between where the bedroom doors and the couch were situated, was an office desk and chair with a computer, internet access, and printer with paper to allow for guests' to enjoy the view while they worked at the desk.
Rei was lounging casually in the curve of the couch closest to the entrance, wearing a white, two-piece suit with a black, leather belt, royal-blue dress shirt with the top two buttons undone, and black heels. Her right leg was crossed over her left and she had her left arm draped over the backrest. Her amethyst eyes stared blankly at her best friend who was standing in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting her bow tie.
Though it appeared as if Rei was intently watching Haruka fuss over her bow tie, her thoughts were far from that. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling of a familiar, warm aura tugging at her senses and she found herself puzzled by it.
It's almost like I can still feel her. Like she's still near me, Rei mused. She shook her head slightly, No, that's silly, she rationalized to herself, Maybe what I'm feeling is just residual aura from last night. I mean, I've never been that physically close to anyone before so maybe this is just a lasting effect from it? I should just forget it. Haruka's right, I need to stay focused for later today.
Her amethyst eyes went back to her best friend, Maybe if I tell her about it, I can get it off of my chest.
"Hey...Haruka?," Rei said timidly.
"Hmm? What is it Rei?," Haruka said over her shoulder without turning, still fiddling with her bow tie. Her brow furrowed at her reflection and she huffed in frustration as she undid her royal-blue bow tie for the fifth time, "I don't know what the hell's wrong with me! I can't get this fucking thing right!"
"Here, let me do it," Rei said calmly as she got up from the couch and walked towards the irritated race car driver. Haruka lifted her hands in defeat and sighed as she let them fall to her sides. She reluctantly turned to face Rei who skillfully began tying the material.
"So," Haruka smirked as she watched Rei, "The pupil becomes the teacher, huh?"
"Like I said, I learned from the best," Rei smiled as she finished tying the material into a perfect bow. Once she finished, she ran her hands swiftly over Haruka's shoulders, brushing the jacket straight. She stepped back to examine her best friend from head to toe. Haruka was wearing a handsome, black tuxedo with a white dress-shirt and black dress shoes. Her royal-blue bow tie matched her royal-blue vest and Rei's dress shirt. Rei chuckled to herself as she noticed that the blue of their outfits matched Haruka's royal-blue aura perfectly.
"So? What do you think?," Haruka asked, turning in a slow circle to give Rei a full look, "Do I look stupid?"
"Meh," Rei said with feigned disinterest as she shrugged, "You'll do."
"Thanks, asshole," Haruka replied sarcastically as she smirked. She turned back to the mirror to look at herself. Her face softened as she looked at Rei through the reflection, "It's ironic, isn't it? One day I'm teaching you how to tie a bow tie, the next you're showing me how it's done." She turned to her childhood friend and smiled, "You've really grown up, Rei. I hope you know I'm really proud of you."
A slight blush tinted Rei's cheeks as she looked away. She hated to admit how much she loved hearing her idol say she made her proud. Haruka turned back to the mirror to look at herself, pulling at the ends of her vest to straighten it.
"So, what were you going to say?," Haruka asked. Rei's blush was now no longer out of flattery, but out of nervousness and embarrassment.
"W-Well, I…I-I wanted to tell you...umm...," Rei stammered.
"Yes?," Haruka said. She turned to face her best friend. Once she saw how flustered and nervous Rei was, she became serious, "Spill it, Rei. Did something happen between you and your father? If it has anything to do with him, I swear to the Gods next time I see him I'm going to-"
"No!," Rei huffed in frustration, "Fuck, Haruka, it's not about him!" She took a breath and began again, "I-I wanted to say…thanks…for yesterday," Rei stuttered.
"Yesterday?," Haruka looked at Rei with confusion, "I don't follow."
"Well…when I was getting your suit at the tailor shop, I…I met someone," Rei stammered, bracing herself for how Haruka would react.
"WHAT!?," Haruka practically shouted with surprise. She hadn't expected to hear her best friend say those words! Sure, Rei would make passing comments about celebrities or models in magazines, but Haruka was almost convinced that Rei was asexual rather than gay growing up, "REI! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING EARLIER!?"
She grabbed Rei's hand and dragged her to the couch, practically throwing her down to sit as she sat next to her,
"You're going to tell me everything that happened yesterday! Right now!," Haruka said enthusiastically.
"Ami-chan!," Usagi and Minako squealed at the same time as a petite, short-haired blunette opened the double-doors of Michiru's deluxe, one-bedroom suite after they knocked on the door.
"Usagi-chan! Mina-chan!," Mizuno Ami gasped happily as she saw her high school friends. She was dressed in a mid-back, teal, knee-length, silk chiffon dress with a v-neckline that was held up by a self-tie sash that tied around the back of her neck. The three hugged each other tightly before shuffling into the suite, which was an exact mirror image of Haruka's suite.
"How's California?," Usagi asked Ami as she closed the door behind them.
"It's wonderful! I'm learning so much! The hospital I'm working at also has lots of opportunities for me to do research at the same time!," The genius resident physician beamed.
"How're the beaches?," Minako asked excitedly, "I heard they're awesome!"
"U-Ummm…," Ami stammered as she looked away nervously and brought a hand up to scratch her cheek.
"A-Mi-Chan," Usagi said disapprovingly, emphasizing every syllable of her petite friend's name. She looked at her friend sternly as she brought her hands to rest on her hips, "Please tell me you've seen things outside of the hospital, library, and your apartment since you've been there!"
Ami gulped audibly under her long-time friend's gaze, "W-Well…I-I've been busy…," she stuttered.
"Mou, Ami-chan!," Minako whined, "Remember how much work it was for Usa-neechan and me to get you to come out of your shell in high school? Don't let our hard work go to waste, now! You need to relax and have fun too, you know!"
"M-Mmn," Ami nodded obediently, blushing.
"Well, in any case," Usagi sighed as she relaxed, smiling warmly at the petite woman, "We're glad you're home, even if it's just for a little bit."
"Mmn, it's good to be back," Ami smiled at her two friends.
"So, where's Michi-chan?," Minako asked as she looked around the room.
"Ara, did someone call me?," a sweet voice asked as the bedroom double-doors opened to reveal a stunning, teal-haired woman. Ami, Usagi, and Minako could only stare at the woman wide-eyed with jaws dropped in amazement.
"Michi-chan," Usagi whispered, breaking the silence and fighting back tears at the sight of her college friend, "You look...so beautiful!"
Kaioh Michiru, who was half-a-head taller than the twins and a full-head taller than Ami, had always been alluring and today was no exception. She stood before the three in a ball gown wedding dress with a sweetheart neckline. A four rows, saltwater, white pearl, bridal necklace adorned her graceful neck, which matched her saltwater pearl stud earrings. Her arms were adorned with elbow-length, white, satin gloves and her wavy, shoulder-length hair rested perfectly over her bare shoulders.
"Thank you, Usagi-chan," Michiru said sweetly as she smiled warmly at her college friend, "I'm so glad you and Mamoru-kun could make it, I know how busy your schedules are."
"I wouldn't have missed it for anything!," Usagi replied cheerfully. She rushed towards her friend and hugged her with all she had as Michiru returned the hug in kind. When the hug ended, Minako was right behind her sister to give Michiru a hug of her own.
"Ara, Mina-chan," Michiru said with slight surprise as she looked at the gorgeous blonde once the hug ended.
"What, Michi-chan?," Minako asked with concern as she looked up at the taller woman with questioning eyes.
A knowing smile played across Michiru's lips. She shook her head, "Nothing," she giggled, "Thanks for agreeing to help us today," she said, changing the subject, "I felt bad asking you but, then again, I couldn't think of anyone better than you to help us and I wanted today to be perfect."
"Of course! No problem, Michi-chan! It's the least I can do!," Minako said reassuringly, "I also brought stuff to do hair as well if you or anyone else wants." She grasped Michiru's hands and took a step back to examine her friend from head to toe, "Wow, Michi-chan," was all she could say in awe.
"C'mon, Mina-chan!," Usagi said excitedly as she grabbed her sister by the arm and began dragging her away, causing Minako to release Michiru's hands. Usagi led Minako towards their bags, which were dropped off in the suite near the front door by the porters, "We don't have much time. We still have to shower, get dressed, and you still have to do everyone's makeup."
"Alright, alright," Minako replied cheerfully. She turned back towards Michiru, "Michi-chan, you sure you don't mind us using your bathroom to get ready?"
"No, go right ahead," Michiru replied sweetly, "It'll be more fun with all of us together here instead of in our own rooms anyways." She gestured towards her bedroom and the guest bathroom, "Usagi-chan can use the bathroom in my room and you can use the guest bathroom so you both can get ready at the same time." The sisters nodded and began gathering their things.
"Plus…," Michiru said as she let out a giggle, causing the three smaller women to look at her questioningly.
"'Plus' what, Michi-chan?," Usagi asked.
"Plus, I thought having you all here would be a good way for us to catch up," Michiru smiled mischievously as she looked at Minako, "Especially Mina-chan. I got the sense when I looked into your eyes that something interesting might have happened to you fairly recently?"
"Really?," Ami asked as she looked at Minako, who began to turn bright red.
"Oh, right!," Usagi exclaimed, "You have to tell us about that friend of yours whose place you stayed at last night!"
"What!?," Ami gasped as a blush began to form on her cheeks from the implication of Usagi's words. Michiru continued to giggle as she watched her friends' reactions.
Minako gulped audibly. She quickly grabbed her overnight bag and garment bag and ran to the guest bathroom, locking herself inside.
Damn Michi-chan and her intuition!, Minako cursed to herself as she heard her sister beyond the door yelling about how Minako was no fair for running away and how she couldn't hide in there forever.
"Hah! Way to go, champ!," Haruka exclaimed as she slapped Rei on the back, almost causing the raven-haired woman to fall off the couch.
"Ow! Damn it, Haruka!" Rei scolded. She had just finished telling Haruka about her flirtatious encounter with the makeup artist at Kirei, how she had invited herself over to Rei's condo, and how they talked and drank sake for most of the night. She skipped over the part where the gorgeous blonde hugged her, knowing Haruka would probably get worried for her sake. She also skipped over their first kiss and make-out session. Even though those were her favorite memories of the night, she wanted to keep those intimate moments private.
"Haha! Sorry! I'm just so fucking happy for you!," Haruka apologized as she laughed, "You lucky bastard, having the first girl you like chasing you down! Remember how long it took me to get Michiru to even go on a date with me?"
Rei chuckled at the memory, "I told you Seika said if you just stopped using those damn pick-up lines and asked her out properly she would have said 'yes' the first time you asked." She flicked her hair behind her shoulder, "You should be thanking your lucky stars that Michiru stayed with you this long! She's way out of your league!"
Haruka responded by slugging Rei in the arm, "Ow! Fuck you, Haruka!"
"No thanks, Rei," Haruka said as she let out a laugh, "I'm way out of your league!"
"Asshole," Rei muttered under her breath as she rubbed her sore arm.
"So, what's her name?," Haruka asked, returning to the subject at hand. Before Rei could respond, she felt something and she sat up straight, staring blankly ahead of her.
"Rei, what is it?," Haruka asked with concern. She could tell Rei had sensed something.
"Someone's coming," Rei said flatly, still in a slight trance, "No…two people. One female, one male. The male is tall, short-black hair, wearing the same outfit as me. He's really tired, his aura's wavering a lot."
"That's probably Mamoru-kun," Haruka responded.
"The female works here and is walking a little bit ahead of the male," Rei continued, "Brunette, ponytail, tall, wearing a chef uniform with some type of cap, a little stressed, and…bringing the ice and glasses we asked for."
"Oh, good! That must be Mako-chan then," Haruka said.
"They're here, the woman has a master key to the room," Rei said, blinking out of her trance.
Knock, Knock!
"Come in!," Haruka called towards the door.
Shick...Click Click!
The sound of a key card being slid and the front doors unlocking were heard and a tall brunette, dressed in a pristine, white chef outfit walked in with a room-service cart that had a green gown-bag hanging off the handle. On her head, she wore a white, professional chef's head wrap that covered the top of her head and allowed her long, low ponytail to come out the back. To Rei, she also had a green aura that matched her eyes. On the cart was a tray with four, empty high-ball glasses and a full ice bucket next to another tray of four, empty champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne chilling in its own ice bucket.
Before Haruka or Rei could get up to help the chef, a tall, handsome man with short, black hair, dressed in the same outfit as Rei, managed to make it to the door and was able to hold it open from behind, allowing the chef to wheel the cart into the room with ease. Rei noted that the man's aura was silver.
"Thanks," The chef said over her shoulder to the man behind her.
"No problem," The man replied as he turned to close the door behind him.
Once the two were inside, Rei looked over smugly at Haruka, who smiled proudly and brought a hand up to squeeze Rei's shoulder, "Way to go, Rei. Good job." Rei beamed as Haruka got up to greet her guests.
"Hey, Mako-chan! Mamoru-kun!" Haruka said happily as she walked towards the two new-comers, "I'm so glad you two could share in this special day with us." She went to her college friend first and gave her a hug, "Thanks for hooking us all up at your hotel, Mako-chan. It really means a lot to me and Michiru."
"O-Of course, Haruka-sempai!," Makoto blushed as she bowed slightly. Though she mostly saw Haruka as a good friend, she couldn't deny that a small part of her always had a small crush on the handsome tomboy ever since Haruka recruited her to their college rugby team her first year, "It's my pleasure."
"And thanks for being here, Mamoru-kun," Haruka said as she turned to the tall, dark-haired man and shook his hand, "It was really important for Michiru to have Odango be her Maid of Honor. It means a lot to me that you also agreed to be one of my groomsmen," Haruka chuckled as she released Mamoru's hand and brought it up to rub the back of her head, "Plus, Michiru couldn't stand the idea of having an uneven number of bridesmaids and groomsmen in the pictures!"
All four of them laughed and Mamoru replied with a winning smile, "It's my pleasure, I'm honored to be a part of it."
"Oh! Shit, where are my manners!?," Haruka exclaimed, "I don't think any of you have met each other yet, huh?" She turned to Rei first, "Mako-chan, Mamoru-kun, this is my best friend and best woman, Hino Rei. She and I grew up together and we're practically sisters." Rei stood up and politely bowed.
"This is Kino Makoto," Haruka said, gesturing to the brunette chef, "We played rugby together in college my last year. She's the Executive Chef of the Elegancia and the one who got us all the really sweet deals on our rooms." Makoto shook hands with Mamoru and nervously bowed towards the gorgeous, raven-haired woman across the room.
"Thank you for the accommodations. It's nice to finally meet you," Rei said in a reserved and polite manner to the brunette who was half-a-head taller than her, "Haruka has told me so much about her time in college, it's nice to put a face to a name."
"L-Likewise," Makoto said nervously as she blushed, "It's the least I could do. I have to say, I-I'm a huge sports fanatic and it's such an honor to meet Haruka-sempai's closest friend and the infamous Flame Sniper in person." Rei nodded politely in acknowledgement.
"And this is Chiba Mamoru," Haruka said, gesturing to the tall man, "I'm sure you've seen him before, he's Odango's long-time boyfriend and one of the top, male supermodels in the country."
"Odango?," Makoto asked curiously.
"Tsukino Usagi," Haruka answered, "I'm sure you've seen her before, too. She's one of the top, female supermodels in the country and one of Michiru's closest friends. She's probably over in Michiru's room right now getting ready."
"Oh, wow!," Makoto said with surprise, "So the rumors are true that you two are dating!? I always thought they just paired you two up all the time for ads because you were top models."
"Yes, we've been going out for years," Mamoru explained, "But our agency thinks it's best to keep that detail a secret for our images. They think we can appeal to a wider audience if we give off the impression we're single and available."
"Wow!," Makoto exclaimed as she turned to Haruka, "Now I see what you meant by needing the extra security. This is quite the star-studded event!"
Rei nodded towards Mamoru, "It's nice to meet you. Haruka's told me about you and Odango many times," she said in a polite yet distant manner, using the nickname she'd heard Haruka use for Usagi for so many years, "I thought the campaign you two did last year for Armani was quite elegantly done. I'm sure you must have enjoyed doing that shoot together."
"Yes we did. Thank you," Mamoru replied with a smile, "I have to confess, I'm with Kino-san in that I'm a fan of yours as well. I actually began my career doing commercial print modeling and did some work for your company for a brief period of time before going into fashion. That gig was actually where I met Usako so it's a real honor to finally meet you." He began walking towards Rei with an outstretched hand. Haruka quickly stepped in front of him before he could reach Rei.
"Rei doesn't shake hands," Haruka said, trying to casually deter Mamoru from getting closer to her best friend. She didn't want anyone getting too close to Rei today, especially since Rei needed all the strength she could spare for later on.
Rei knew Haruka was being over-protective again and rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her stubbornly, Mataku, I can take care of myself, Haruka! Though she felt a little annoyed by Haruka treating her like a baby, she was a little grateful that she didn't have to come in contact with the handsome man, no matter how close of a friend he was to Haruka.
"O-Oh, my apologies, Hino-san," Mamoru said as he bowed towards Rei.
"It's fine, Chiba-san," Rei replied evenly as she nodded. She flicked her hair with her hand, "And it's not my company, it's my father's."
"I-I see," Mamoru nodded. He cleared his throat awkwardly, "W-Well, anyways, it's nice to meet you."
"Ok, then. Shall we?," Haruka said, changing the subject as she walked to the cart and picked up the tray with the four high-ball glasses and ice bucket. She went to the coffee table and set down the tray, "Mako-chan's probably really stressed today since she still has to deliver the champagne to Michi-chan's room, change, and meet with the makeup artist before getting back to the kitchen to make sure everything's ready." She began putting two cubes of ice into each glass.
"H-How did you know?," Makoto asked with surprise. Haruka glanced over to Rei.
"Just a…feeling," Haruka smirked as she winked at Rei. Rei scoffed quietly and rolled her eyes at her best friend.
"U-Ummm, Hino-san?," Makoto said timidly, getting the attention of the intimidating archer, "Haruka-sempai told me I didn't need to bring anything because you would be doing the honors?"
Rei nodded as she reached inside her jacket to the chest pocket. She pulled out a silver flask, wrapped in red leather, and unscrewed the cap. Once Haruka had finished putting ice in the glasses, Rei walked over and carefully poured a shot of auburn liquid into each glass. Mamoru and Makoto approached and the four stood in a circle as Haruka handed out the glasses once all of them were filled. Once they all had a glass, they looked to Rei.
"To love and eternity," Rei said as she lifted her glass, looking at Haruka, "May you always have both with Michiru. Kampai."
"Kampai!," Haruka, Mamoru, and Makoto said as they all clinked their glasses and shot the liquid. Mamoru looked at his glass with pleasant surprise.
"Hmmm," Mamoru said as he smacked his lips softly, "Cinnamon?"
"Fireball Whisky," Rei replied, "It's imported from Canada."
"Good choice!," Makoto complemented.
"Fitting," Haruka smirked snarkily.
"Shut up, Haruka," Rei replied as she refilled Haruka's glass with another shot, "Drink up. This one's for your nerves, you poor bastard. You're a hot mess."
"Whatever, I'm not nervous!," Haruka scoffed indignantly.
"Uh-huh," Rei replied sarcastically under her breath as she put her glass down on the tray. She screwed the cap back on to her flask and returned it to her jacket pocket, "Tell that to your aura."
"Shut up, Rei," Haruka replied as she knocked back the whisky. Rei could see Haruka's aura begin to calm and smiled secretly, satisfied with the knowledge that she was right. Haruka, Mamoru, and Makoto placed their glasses back on the tray and Makoto picked it up and set it back on the cart.
"Ok, I'll see you all in a bit!," Makoto said cheerfully as she wheeled the cart out and left the room.
"Hey, Haru-kun," Mamoru said, turning to Haruka, "I don't mean to impose, but do you mind if I-"
"Sure, go ahead," Haruka said, gesturing to the bedroom, "We'll wake you up when we're about to leave. You can tell me all about the shoot in Australia later. I'm sure you're still jetlagged and I bet Odango made you take care of all her bags today, huh?"
"U-Ummm...yeah," Mamoru replied with slight shock and confusion, "How'd you know?"
Haruka turned to Rei and winked, "Call it a hunch," she said with a smirk. Rei rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms in a huff. She went to the couch and reclaimed the seat she had before Mamoru and Makoto arrived.
"Ok, well…thanks," Mamoru replied as he eyed the two women with a puzzled look. He went to the bedroom and shut the door.
After half an hour or so, Usagi and Minako were dressed in the same teal outfit that Ami was wearing. The instant Minako stepped out of the bathroom, she went to work expertly setting up her two rolling cases side-by-side. In a matter of seconds, she had her very own professional makeup and hair-styling station.
Her makeup station rivaled the one she had at the store, her collection boasting all possible combinations of colors, shades, and products known to man, allowing her the flexibility to do an infinite number of looks for any imaginable occasion. Her hair-styling station had different hair clips, feathers, ribbons, extensions, brushes, combs, irons, blow dryers and attachments, scissors, razors, clippers with an array of guards and blades, hand-held mirrors of varying sizes, and a vast variety of products used to tease, tame, and color hair to any style.
She quickly dried her hair and tied it up neatly with a satin, teal ribbon to match her dress. Once she finished her own makeup, she had Michiru sit on the couch and worked on her makeup, skillfully pulling from different palettes to go with her complexion and occasion. She used a light spritz of hairspray to hold Michiru's hair in place and added a clip in the shape of a delicate, white rose to keep one side of her bangs out of her eyes. Once she was done, Michiru got up and went to the full-length mirror in the corner of the room to examine herself.
Next, Minako moved on to Ami, who had been waiting patiently next to Michiru on the couch in the curve closest to the entrance. Knowing the petite woman liked keeping her makeup simple, she finished with her fairly quickly and used a curling iron briefly on her bangs. Upon finishing, Ami happily put her glasses back on, curled up on the couch, and picked up where she had left off in reading the latest edition of a thick research journal on genetics. Minako shuddered reflexively at the thought of reading something so utterly boring...for fun. But, she was always amazed by how Ami was able to still be engaged with them in conversation while simultaneously reading extremely complex, scientific material.
Minako purposefully saved Usagi for last since she knew her hair would take the longest to put up into her signature buns and twin-tails and she would need to do that before doing her makeup.
All the while, the three women were grilling Minako about the friend she spent the night with. Actually...Usagi grilled her while Michiru and Ami were only able to squeeze in one or two questions of their own. Minako told them about the stunning client that came to Kirei, how she invited herself over to the woman's condo, and how they talked and drank sake for most of the night. She, miraculously, managed to evade questions about any of the more intimate moments of the night. Though Minako was usually open to sharing details about her relationships with her sister and close friends, she had developed quite a protectiveness over Rei and got the sense that the raven-haired beauty would prefer keeping such things private for now.
"Mou, Usa-neechan! Sit still!," Minako scolded as she applied the finishing touches of mascara to her sister's eyelashes, "I don't have time to redo this if you make me mess up!"
"I can't help it! I'm just so excited for you!," Usagi squealed giddily.
"There! Finished!," Minako said triumphantly as she quickly stepped back to allow her sister to bounce off the walls as much as she wanted. She turned to her two stations and packed them up with ease.
"So, when are we going to meet her!? What's her name!?," Usagi asked excitedly. She jumped up from the couch and bounced up and down, clapping her hands.
"U-Ummm, well-," Minanko began nervously.
Knock, Knock!
Before Minako could continue, a knock came from the door, effectively interrupting the conversation. Minako breathed a sigh of relief, Whew, saved!
"I'll get that!,"Minako said a little too eagerly as she went to the door. When she opened it, a tall brunette in a chef outfit and chef head wrap entered, wheeling in a room-service cart with a green gown-bag hanging from the handle.
"Thanks," The chef smiled at Minako as she entered, "I was going to key myself in but I would've needed help keeping the door open. I hope I'm not interrupting?"
"Ara, Mako-chan," Michiru said sweetly as she gracefully turned from the mirror to greet the new guest, "Everyone, this is Kino Makoto," she said as she gestured to the brunette, "Haruka was her rugby sempai in college. She's the Executive Chef of the Elegancia and the one that got us the discounts on our rooms."
She gestured towards Usagi, who happened to be standing closest to her, "Mako-chan, meet Aino Usagi. She and I went to college together and she's my Maid of Honor. You might know her better as Tsukino Usagi and as one of the top female supermodels in the country."
"Mmn, it's nice to meet you," Makoto nodded towards Usagi with a shy smile, "I just came from Haruka-sempai's room and met Chiba-san. You two make a really cute couple."
"Thanks!," Usagi beamed as she nodded, "It's nice to meet you too."
Michiru then gestured to Minako, who was closing the front door behind Makoto, "Behind you is Aino Minako, her twin sister. She's the genius makeup artist we mentioned who would be doing our makeup today. She's also a professional cosmetologist and has graciously offered to do our hair as well."
"Nice to meet you," Makoto turned and nodded to Minako who nodded back, "I'll be using your services in a bit if that's ok?"
"Mmn, of course!," Minako replied cheerfully.
"And over here on the couch is Mizuno Ami," Michiru continued, gesturing to the blunette who still had her nose in her book on the couch, "She went to high school with Usagi-chan and Mina-chan and we all became friends after Usagi-chan and I met in college. Ami-chan's studying to be a doctor in the States but is already a well-known scientist in her own right for her research on genetics and DNA."
Ami quickly got to a good stopping point in her reading and stood up as she placed her book down on the couch. As she turned, she took off her glasses and was about to give a polite bow towards the new guest until she fully took in her image. Immediately, Ami's cheeks were painted with a soft blush as her baby-blue eyes locked onto the chef's forest-green eyes.
Being the only person on the other side of the room besides Makoto with a full view of Ami's face, Minako raised an eyebrow as her azure eyes darted from Ami to Makoto. She smiled slyly and cleared her throat loudly.
The abrupt sound caused Ami to jump a little and bring her out of whatever musings she was lost in. Blushing deeply now, she gave a polite bow towards Makoto, "I-It's n-nice to meet you...K-Kino-san," Ami stuttered as she straightened and kept her eyes fixed on the ground in front of her bashfully.
Makoto couldn't respond as she was staring in awe at the petite, shy blunette, practically gaping at her. Minako's playful sapphires darted from Makoto to Ami to Michiru, who was smiling knowingly and winked at Minako from across the room. Being closest to Makoto, Minako smirked as she gently nudged the chef with her elbow.
"O-Oh, sorry! N-Nice to meet you too!," Makoto stammered, turning a shade of pink as she continued to stare at the flushed scientist. After a slight pause, it was Michiru turn to clear her throat.
"Mako-chan, we'll have plenty of time to catch up later tonight. I'm sure you have a lot of things to do downstairs right now," Michiru said sweetly. She gestured towards the bedroom, "Why don't you use my bedroom to change and Mina-chan can do your hair and makeup once you're done?," she suggested.
"Wh-What?...O-Oh! Yeah! Right! Sorry!," Makoto said quickly, shaking her head slightly as she snapped out of her one-way staring contest with Ami, who still had her gaze firmly affixed to the floor, "I-I'll just leave these for you all then. Thanks, Michi-chan."
Michiru nodded as Makoto grabbed her gown-bag and quickly went to the bedroom.
Once Makoto had closed and locked the door of the bedroom, Minako and Michiru looked at each other and giggled while Ami turned a darker shade of red from embarrassed.
"What's so funny?," Usagi asked. She was dumbfounded as she looked between Minako and Michiru, "Did I miss something?"
"Ara, Usagi-chan, you didn't notice how Mako-chan was smitten by our little Ami-chan?," Michiru asked in a stage whisper.
"WAIT, WHAT!?," Usagi squealed with surprise, "WHEN!? JUST NOW!?"
"Mataku, Usa-neechan," Minako sighed as she facepalmed, "You're so dense sometimes!"
"Mou, Mina-chan!," Usagi whined as she pouted.
"Nevermind, we'll talk about it later. C'mon, let's do this," Minako said, changing the subject to save Ami from anymore embarrassment, If poor Ami-chan gets any redder, she might pass out!, Minako thought.
Minako wheeled the cart to the middle of the room, unscrewed the cage from the champagne cork, and carefully uncorked the bottle. Once she had filled the four flutes, the other three women came to stand around the cart, "Usa-neechan, you should do the honors," Minako suggested.
"Sure," Usagi said cheerfully. She raised her glass, and looked at Michiru, "Michi-chan, we love you and wish you and Haru-chan all the happiness in the world. And, remember, we'll always be here for you so just because you're married doesn't mean you become a stranger, ok?," She winked at Michiru, who smiled and nodded firmly, "Kampai."
"Kampai!," The four women clinked their glasses and sipped their champagne. Minako looked at the clock and quickly put her glass down on the table after taking a sip, "Ok, while Kino-san is changing, I should go over to Haru-chan's room to see if she's ready for me."
"Good idea. She's in the suite that's two-doors down and to the left," Michiru said as Minako grabbed her rolling cases and began wheeling them to the front door, "The key card to that room is the one on the table by the door. Just make sure to bring it back, ok?"
"Yes, ma'am!," Minako replied cheerfully. She grabbed the key card from the table near the door and headed out with her cases in tow.
Author Note: Cliffhanger, I know. The way the story broke down just happened that way.
Even though there's hints of Ami/Mako, I'm not really going to delve that much deeper into it for this story. Though I think they're a cute pairing, I don't even know where to begin to write about them getting or being together so I'll just leave that to more talented writers.
Fun Fact: Anyone catch the very subtle ocean-reference for Michiru? For anyone that's curious, the number of rows in the item I'm talking about represents each member in her 'household' including herself to keep them close to her heart ^_^
Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated!
(updated 09/2013)