Author Note: The inevitable has happened. I've had to tweak some of the older chapters to fit the newer ones. =( Only very slight changes in the timeline, nothing major. You might not even notice it unless you've read and re-read this as much as I have. But still, I was trying to avoid rewriting/changing older chapters at all. Hopefully it won't be a common occurrence or require any major overhauls as the story unfolds.
Pop-Quiz: 1 Question
1 - What's the rating of this story?
I don't own Sailor Moon, Princess Mononoke, Girl Friends, 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.
Miyazaki, H. (1997). Princess Mononoke. Tokyo, Japan: Toho Co. Ltd. Liberties were taken with a surname for the character
Gottwald, L., Kelly, C., and Martin, M. (2009). My Life Would Suck Without You [Recorded by Kelly Clarkson]. On All I Ever Wanted [CD], New York, New York: RCA Records.
Diamond, S. and Frampton, A. (2009). According To You [Recorded by Orianthi]. On Believe [CD], New York, New York: Geffen Records.
Levine, A., Levy, M., Martin, M., and SAMM (2012). Daylight [Recorded by Maroon 5]. On Overexposed [CD], Los Angeles, California: A&M Octone Records.
Morinaga, M. (2006). Girl Friends. Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan: Futabasha Publishers Ltd.
Chapter 19:
It was noon and Rei had already gone to the gym in her condo complex, showered, and was reading a newspaper while having a light lunch and tea outside of a small, quite café just down the street from her complex. She was wearing a light blue polo, dark jeans, and a white newsboy cap that was pulled low over her face that matched her white flats. Leaning back in her chair to sip her tea, she felt a small, sand-colored presence near her that emitted Awe and Nervousness. She smiled and closed her eyes to focus her energy briefly on the aura. When she opened them and turned towards the aura, she found a small boy, no older than six years old, with short, dark-brown hair, and dark eyes, standing a few feet away. He was wearing a white and black Kyudo-gi and holding a notebook and a pen close to his chest.
"U-Ummm …" The boy hesitated as he nervously looked at Rei.
Rei smiled warmly and put down her tea and newspaper on the table. She turned towards the boy and leaned towards him with her elbows on her knees, "Hello, Emishi Ashitaka, are you meaning to ask me for an autograph?"
The boy's eyes widened, "H-how did you know my name?"
"Just a guess," Rei shrugged casually with a smirk, "Are you headed to Kyudo class?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm on my way there," Ashitaka replied shyly.
"Well, we don't want you to be late now," Rei said. She motioned for him to come closer and to hand her the notebook. He stepped towards the raven-haired archer and placed the notebook and pen in her hand. Rei took the pen and placed it back in Ashitaka's hand,
"It's ok, I don't need this. You're going to help me instead," Rei said. She opened the notebook and flipped the first couple pages. Ashitaka looked at her with confusion as she pulled out a small ofuda sheet from her back pocket. Holding it between her index and middle fingers, she closed her eyes and whispered a few words over it. When she finished, she opened her eyes and held it in front of Ashitaka and smiled, "Snap your fingers."
Ashitaka looked nervously at the paper then to Rei. Rei nodded encouragingly and curiosity got the better of him. He brought his hand up and snapped his fingers softly.
Instantly, the ofuda sheet caught on fire in between Rei's fingers and Ashitaka jumped in surprise. With wonderment in his eyes, he watched as she carefully placed it in the notebook and shut it quickly, snuffing out the flame. Smiling, she handed it back to Ashitaka,
"There you go," Rei said warmly. Ashitaka nervously took the notebook and opened it hesitantly. White smoke escaped from between the pages. On the page the ofuda sheet was on, the edges were seared black but the rest of the pages were unscathed. In the middle of the page was a note in beautiful calligraphy,
"To Emishi Ashitaka,
Stay focused and keep practicing. Thanks for your support.
- Flame Sniper"
"Wow…," Ashitaka said in awe as he stared at the page wide-eyed. He looked back up at the beautiful archer, "How-"
"It's a secret," Rei said with a wink as she brought her finger up to her lips signaling him to not tell anyone. She smiled warmly at him as she reached out and ruffled his hair, "Now don't be late for class."
"Mmn! Thank you, Hino-sama!" Ashitaka exclaimed with a wide smile. He turned and ran down the street, hugging his notebook, and giggling excitedly.
Rei smiled as she watched the boy leave. When he was out of sight, she returned to her newspaper.
Ba da da Ba da da Ba da da da!...Ba da da Ba da da Ba da da da!...
Before she was able to continue reading, her phone rang and began vibrating on the table. She glanced at who it was, smiled, and flipped it open,
"Are the arrangements made?," Rei asked once she answered the phone. Though she got right down to business, her voice showed a hint of excitement, "Mmn, 6:00pm…Just the two of us. Well, and you, of course…4:30pm then?...Great. Did you also get…Perfect…Mmn, thank you. See you later today," Rei flipped the phone closed and placed it in her pocket. She finished her tea, folded up her newspaper, left enough money on the table for the meal and tip, and walked back to her condo.
- 'Cause we belong together now, yeah.Forever united here somehow, yeah. You've got a piece of me and, honestly, my life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you -
The upbeat tunes of a popular pop song was streaming through the computer speakers as Minako struggled to focus on inventory and shipments for the store's supplies.
The workday seemed to drag on and on and never end. Not that she disliked her job, on the contrary, she loved her new position and her new office. She felt a little weird at first since she still thought of it as Karin's office, but her employees and friends supported and respected her leadership and she eased into claiming the space as her own. The transition from Karin's leadership to her own was smooth and went without a hitch.
Her eyes darted to the clock, willing it to be 2:00pm. She looked away and continue working, but when she looked back at the clock, expecting a few hours to have gone by, she would sadly find that only minutes, or even seconds, had passed since she last looked.
No, the only thing that could get Minako to want the day to end was the anticipation and excitement she felt about going out with a certain sexy archer after work.
- Here I am staring at your perfection. In my arms, so beautiful. The sky is getting bright, the stars are burning out. Somebody slow it down. This is way too hard 'cause I know when the sun comes up I will leave. This is my last glance that will soon be memory. And when the daylight comes I'll have to go. But tonight I'm gonna hold you so close. 'Cause in the daylight we'll be on our own but tonight I need to hold you so close. -
Minako's eye slowly opened when she heard soft music coming from the foot of the bed. She turned over to look at her laptop in confusion. Forcing herself to sit up, she leaned over, pulled the computer to her lap, and hit the Enter button to wake her computer up. The music stopped and the screen illuminated with a bright glow. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and squinted at her screen, adjusting to the abrupt change in light. As her eyes adjusted, she realized that her Internet browser was set to an Internet alarm clock that played songs once the desired time had passed. Next to the browser was an open word document,
"Dearest Mina,
I hope you enjoyed your alarm, I didn't want you to be late for work. You're so beautiful when you sleep, it was hard to leave you this morning.
I want to take you out for dinner tonight. Bring a change of clothes with you to work, something nice. Meet me at my place afterwards and we'll go from there together.
Until then, you'll be on my mind.
Yours,
Rei"
Minako pouted when she realized Rei had stayed with her all night and must have recently left.
I wish I wasn't such a heavy sleeper, I would have liked a good morning kiss at least!, At the thought of Rei's lips, Minako blushed heavily, Ok, so maybe Rei-chan had a point when she left. I would have never gone to work if she stayed!
She smiled as she saved the document on her desktop. She typed into her web browser and music from her online radio station began streaming through the speakers.
- But, according to him, I'm beautiful, incredible, he can't get me out of his head. According to him, I'm funny, irresistible, everything he ever wanted. -
Rei's message and the energetic guitar song that began streaming gave Minako the boost she needed to get out of bed and get the day started. She slid out from the covers and began her morning routine.
And here she was, counting down the seconds before she could call it a day, trying to get work done, but failing miserably.
It had been a week since a certain raven-haired beauty walked into her life at this very store. And, since then, both women had seen quite a bit of each other.
At least…Rei-chan has seen quite a bit ofme!,Minako thought as she blushed. Due to Rei's fame, they decided to keep their relationship private and mostly hung out at each others' homes once Minako got off work. They would make dinner, perhaps watch a movie, but mostly they would enjoy each other's company. Occasionally, what with their close proximity and easy access to a bed, they also partook in more…physical activities…that ended with Minako exhausted, yet thoroughly satisfied.
Throughout their time together, Minako respected Rei's tactile sensitivity. Though it was growing harder for her not to want to rip the archer's clothes off at any given moment, she had to admit she was enjoying having the attention all on her when it came to more…intimate matters of their relationship.
Though Minako enjoyed just being with Rei, she was excited to go out and have a real date with her beautiful raven. The last time they were out and about together for a significant amount of time was at the beach in Kamakura.
Knock, Knock!
The sound of knocking on her office door broke Minako out of her reverie.
"Come in," she called as she quickly straightened in her chair and pretended to be hard at work on her computer. The door opened and a cute woman with amber eyes and layered, sun-kissed, light-brown hair that went past her shoulders came in. Appearing to be no older than 19 years old, she was half a head shorter than Minako and wearing a makeup artist uniform.
When Minako saw who it was, she smiled brightly, "Akko-chan, what's up?," she asked cheerfully to her mentee and new head artist.
Though Minako had great relations with all her coworkers, Oohashi Akiko, or Akko for short, was more than just a coworker. Akko was hired two years ago by Karin and started at Kirei in her last year of high school as a part-time job. Having seen a glimmer of natural talent in the young girl, Karin wisely placed Minako in charge of training the young woman. Both women hit it off almost immediately and Minako, seeing so much of herself in the young woman, took Akko under her wing not just as a trainee, but as her protégé.
When they met, Minako was going through cosmetology school, specializing in makeup, and encouraged Akko to do the same due to her talents, which the younger woman did once she graduated from high school. Under Minako's caring guidance, Akko had blossomed in the profession, nearly rivaling her mentor in talent and skill. And here she was, a year later, with the same cosmetology degree, certificates, and licensures that Minako obtained once she completed the program. When Minako was promoted to manager, there was no question at all who would take her place as head makeup artist. She couldn't be any prouder of her mentee.
"Sorry to bother you, Mina-chan," Akko replied cheerfully, "But there's a call for you on Line 3. She said her name was Bunny and that it was urgent?"
"Oh! Ok, thanks, I'll pick it up from here," Minako replied quickly as she turned to reach for her desk phone. Akko nodded and shut the door again to give her privacy.
"Usa-neechan, it's me," Minako began worriedly once she picked up the phone, "What's wrong? Is everything-,"
"TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Usagi yelled into the phone. Minako almost fell out of her chair in surprise and had to pull the phone away from her ear to save her eardrum.
"Mou, Usa-neechan!" Minako scolded into the phone as she stabilized herself in her seat, "You scared the shit out of me!"
"You never called me after the wedding!," Usagi squealed on the other line, ignoring Minako's chiding, "One minute I'm watching Haru-chan push Hino-san out the elevator and the next I get a note saying she would take you home! Then all I get are texts that you got home safe but nothing else! What happened? Start from the beginning! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"
"U-Ummm…," Minako hesitated. She knew she was never able to lie to her sister. Avoid topics, yes, but not lie, "W-Well…after you all left in the elevator, I slept over in her hotel room and-"
"Hmmmmm?" Usagi teased, cutting Minako off, "Are you sure you just slept over? You sure you didn't do other things?"
Minako blushed beet-red. How could she tell her sister what she and Rei did that night? Or, rather, what Rei did to her!
Usagi took Minako's silence as confirmation of her suspicions and continued, "So? How was it?," she asked knowingly with a hint of a smile, mercifully allowing Minako to avoid the intimate details.
Minako thought back to that night and dreamy look came over her, "Mind-blowing," Minako sighed, "Absolutely mind-blowing."
Usagi smiled on the other line, "So what happened after that?"
Minako was more than willing to share the more platonic details of the rest of her and Rei's time together. She talked about their trip to the beach, how sweet Rei was, and how they've hung out every day since. She also mentioned how Rei invited her to dinner that night and how nervous and excited she was about it. She did, however, decide to skip over Rei's panic attack as that seemed more of a private matter.
Usagi, being Minako's twin and close friend, knew her younger sister pretty well. But, when it came to her love-life, she was sometimes left perplexed. She watched Minako go from dating one person to another, male or female, always ending up dumping them after a month or so for one flimsy reason or another. She enjoyed listening to her sister's escapades and how Minako would talk excitedly about her new 'flings', as Usagi dubbed them, but never understood how Minako would shrug them off when things seemed to get serious. Though she would never tell Minako outright, she always hoped that she would eventually settle down from 'serial dating' and find someone special. Like what she had with Mamoru.
No, Usagi didn't want Minako to 'find' someone special. Minako already dated a few promising people in the past, like Karin, but she would always find some reason to end it. Rather, Usagi wanted Minako to 'allow' someone special to treasure her for the beautiful person she was.
And now, listening to Minako talk about the statuesque archer, she could tell by the way Minako would explain even the most minute details dreamily that this was more than just a 'fling'. Minako might not have known it yet, but Usagi could tell her sister was falling hard for the raven-haired beauty.
"So, I take it she's a keeper then?" Usagi teased cheerfully once Minako finished.
"Yeah…," Minako sighed dreamily. Once she realized what she said, she began quickly backpedaling, "I-I mean, I don't know. It's too early to tell. We're just dating right now, that's all."
"Mm-Hmmmmm," Usagi sang playfully.
"Mou, Usa-neechan, now you're just teasing me, meanie!" Minako huffed.
"Nyahahaha! Sorry, Mina-chan," Usagi laughed on the other line. Her tone changed to more sincere, "But really, I am happy for you. She sounds really great! And from what Michi-chan told me, she thinks you two are good for each other."
"U-Uh, mmn," Minako replied quietly. She was caught off guard by Usagi's words and began to feel self-conscious. Usagi could tell Minako was starting to feel uncomfortable and decided to change the subject and not push the matter.
"So where are you two going tonight?" Usagi asked, changing the subject.
"Umm…I don't know," Minako said, "She didn't say. All she said was to wear something nice so I decided on the silver dress you got in Milan with the matching peep-toe slingbacks?"
"Ooooh!" Usagi sang, "I loved that dress! You're going to look so good!"
"I just hope it's ok," Minako sighed worriedly.
"You'll be fine, that dress is perfect!," Usagi said cheerfully, "Anyway, I have to go. Mamoru and I have to review the photos they took in Australia with the agency. Tell me all about it at Karin-chan's tomorrow, ok?"
"Ok, love you. See you then," Minako said.
"Love you!," Usagi said before hanging up. Minako hung up the phone and looked at the clock, 1:58pm! She thought excitedly. She silently thanked the Gods and began saving her work on her computer. Once she was finished, she grabbed her things from her office, locked the door, and waved to her coworkers on the way out.
When she got to her car, she looked in the backseat at the gown-bag and shoes she brought with her.
I really hope this outfit is ok,Minako thought worriedly, I wished Rei-chan gave more details about where we were going so I could have chosen the right outfit.
Author Note: As of now, I don't believe Mari from Girl Friends will be making a guest appearance in this story, but she's here in spirit since this would be after their high school days =)
Fun Fact:
In the DIC and Cloverway adaptations of Sailor Moon, Usagi's nickname is "Bunny" and the word "usagi" in hiragana means "rabbit". Again, these refer to how she styles her hair and is a pun of sorts since her full name "Tsukino Usagi" means "Rabbit of the Moon".
In Princess Mononoke, Ashitaka doesn't have a surname. After doing some research, I settled on "Emishi" as a surname because there was a specific tribe of Emishi that used horse archery during warfare. Even though he actually rides an elk, I thought it was close enough. =P:::
Emishi. In Wikipedia. Retrieved May 29, 2015, from wiki/Emishi
Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.
(updated 05/2015)