Author Note: I just realized that the site removed some of the formatting I had in ALL my chapters -_-;;;. The OCD in me can't leave them that way, so I'm trying to go through and re-enter them. In the meantime, here's another chapter for you!

Himitsu = [Japanese] Secret

Tokushu Sakusen Gun = [Japanese] The Japanese Special Forces Group

Tanto = [Japanese] Traditional Japanese dagger used by samurai

I don't own Sailor Moon, Princess Mononoke, any brand names,, 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.

The restaurant 'Himitsu' that appears in this work is fictitious. Any resemblance to real businesses, existing or defunct, is purely coincidental.

Chapter 22:

"You bought out the place for tonight, didn't you," Minako stated more than questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Nobuo had expertly landed the plane and chauffered them in a black limo to their destination, which was located on the top floor of a tastefully opulent hotel. A velvet rope blocking the entrance of the restaurant with a sign that had the words 'Closed for Private Party' in bold type. Next to the entrace was the word 'Himitsu', which Minako deduced was the name of the establishment.

Rei blushed sheepishly, "You can blame Nobuo-san for that," she said quietly. She turned to Minako apologetically, "'Mother on steroids', remember?"

Minako couldn't help but giggle in understanding. She wrapped an arm around the embarrassed archer's waist comfortingly and leaned in to kiss her softly on the cheek, "Good, that means I get you all to myself," she whispered.

Nobuo went to the entrance, unclipped one end of the velvet rope, and knocked on the door. He stepped aside as the door opened and a young woman in a canary-yellow, long-sleeved blouse and dark-teel, knee-length pencil skirt appeared. Her red hair was short and wavy and was held together in a half-ponytail at the back with a dark-teel ribbon.

"Good evening, Hino-sama. Welcome back," the woman greeted cheerfully as she bowed respectfully towards Rei.

"Good evening, Osaka-san," Rei replied in a reserved, formal manner as she bowed politely towards the woman.

"I see you've brought a friend with you this time," She said as she straightened and turned slightly to address Minako, "And any friend of Hino-sama is a friend of ours. Good evening, welcome to Himitsu," she said as she bowed respectfully, "My name is Osaka Naru and I'll be your maître d' for tonight."

"Good evening, Osaka-san," Minako replied as she bowed in return.

Naru straightened and opened the door wider, "Please, come in," she said as she gestured for them to enter.

Naru led the two women to a table at the far-end of the restaurant, the only one in the establishment that had place settings, glassware, and a small, lit tealight candle. Here, Rei and Minako had a beautiful, panoramic view of the Kyoto night cityscape through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The lighting in the restaurant was soft and romantic, which matched the elegant piano-music that played quietly through the speakers overhead.

Once they got to the table, a young man in a navy-blue suit and white dress-shirt jogged over and eagerly pulled the chairs out for both of them. As he slid them back to the table, Naru placed the prix fixe menu in the middle of the table,

"This is Umino Gurio, he'll be your waiter for tonight," she said, gesturing to the young man. He had short chestnut-brown hair that was spiked messily and most of his features were hidden by his thick spectacles.

"I-It's a pleasure to s-serve you tonight!," Gurio said nervously as he bowed a little too enthusiastically after the introduction. Though his eyes were mostly hidden by the glare from his glasses, it was obvious his gaze was darting between the two women.

Minako smiled and nodded politely at the waiter. She briefly caught a glimpse of Rei across the table from her. Her beautiful face was stoic, her features guarded in a distant sort of way. Others who might not have known Rei as well as Minako did wouldn't have noticed the slight twitch in her lavender eyes and how they narrowed at the young waiter ever so slightly. Rei quickly nodded to the young waiter and looked away.

"I-I'll be back w-with some green tea!," Gurio blurted out before he quickly left the table.

"Please enjoy yourselves," Naru said cheerfully, "I'll be back to check up on you two later-"

"Osaka-san," Rei interrupted assertively as she continued to look out the window, "We won't be needing Umino-san's services. Please dismiss him for the night and have one of the kitchen staff serve instead."

Minako looked to Rei in surprise, taken aback by her sudden request. Sure, the Flame Sniper was known throughout Japan as being aloof, but the beautiful raven-haired woman was bordering on pompous. Something was definitely up and Minako began to worry about the archer.

"…O-Oh!," Naru replied, recovering from her surprise, "O-Of course…Of course, Hino-sama. I'll take care of that immediately. Excuse me," she bowed low before quickly following after the young waiter.

"Baby?," Minako asked with concern once they were left to themselves, "What was…that all about?"

Rei closed her eyes tightly as she took a deep breath and released it quickly, "He's a fan," she stated in a low voice, dripping with annoyance.

"Mou, Rei-chan, is that all?," Minako asked with a hint of relief and disbelief, "So he's a fan. That's no reason to-"

"No, he's a really big fan," Rei replied as she leaned forward to rest her right arm on the table, bracing herself. She brought her left hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose, "They're the worst….their auras are so…loud. It's like they're screaming at me." She shook her head slightly as if trying to rid herself of the memory.

Minako's heart broke seeing the woman she cared so much for in such a tense state. She reached out and gently rested her hand on Rei's forearm, rubbing her thumb in small circles, trying to comfort the beautiful archer as best she could.

At Minako's touch, Rei felt her familiar, warm, orange-gold colors seep into her being protectively. She relaxed and brought her hand to rest on top of Minako's, instantly feeling her nerves settle from being shaken so abruptly by the young waiter's accosting aura.

"Thank you, Mina," Rei said as she opened her intense violet eyes, allowing herself to be taken by the image of a gorgeous blonde sitting across from her.

Minako smiled warmly as she squeezed the beautiful woman's forearm endearingly, satisfied with knowing she was able to help in a small way.

"Here we are," Naru announced a little before approaching the table to let the women know she was on her way. Both women reluctantly parted to allow Naru to come and set their beverages on the table. Following Naru were two kitchen staff members carrying their meal. They set them on the table, bowed politely, and returned to the kitchen.

"Let me know if you need anything else," Naru said cheerfully before leaving to allow the women to enjoy their meal in peace.

As they ate, Minako talked about work and how it was mostly a blur since she was so distracted by her excitement to see the beautiful archer again. Rei mentioned her encounter with her small fan at the café.

"You're such a softie when it comes to kids," Minako teased. She set her empty plate to the side and rested her elbows on the table, bringing her hands up to rest her head in her palms, "It's really cute."

Rei blushed, "There's just something about them, how they're fascinated by everything."

"Mmn. They're amazing, aren't they?," Minako said. A thought crossed her mind, "Have you ever thought about having kids?"

"Mmn," Rei replied with a nod, "I've always wanted kids but I don't know if I ever will."

"Why not?," Minako asked curiously.

"You mean other than the obvious fact that I'm into girls and there's no way for two women to have kids?," Rei replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, there are ways, you know," Minako replied matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I know," Rei conceded, "I mean, I wouldn't mind adopting, but I've always wanted to have kids of my own. I think it'd be nice if they had abilities like me so I could teach them how to use it like Grandpa did for me."

She wrinkled her nose and flicked her hair back with her hand, "But the thought of me getting pregnant with some guy's sperm like insemination is just…repulsive!" She leaning back in her chair and crossed her arms in a huff, "I just really don't like men."

Minako giggled at Rei's actions, "Mou, Rei-chan, so stubborn," she chided playfully.

"Well, how about you?," Rei asked as she blushed, trying to get the attention off of herself, "Have you thought about having kids?"

"Mmn," Minako nodded a few times with a smile, "I've always wanted kids. The thought of being pregnant is amazing to me. Our bodies are biological wonders! I mean, we can create and sustain life!"

A flash of sadness came to her eyes as she sighed and her face fell, "I just don't want it to be like what happened to my mom where my dad left and Usa-neechan and I were on our own most of the time because she was working to support us. If I have kids, I'd want to be there for them and not have them come home to an empty house."

Rei could see the topic was making Minako's aura shift from its playful glow to a shade that reflected Loneliness and Sadness. There was something else in there too: a trace of that same elusive emotion that had been presenting itself throughout the day.

As Rei was about to ask Minako about it, she felt company quickly approaching from behind,

"Was everything to your liking?," Naru asked as she came to the table.

"Mmn, it was," Minako replied politely with a welcoming smile, glad for the interruption. The uneasiness that had begun to creep into her chest faded as the tension from the previous conversation lifted.

"I'm glad to hear it," Naru replied warmly. She turned to address Rei, "Shall I clear the table and bring some after-dinner aperitifs?"

"M-Mmn," Rei replied with a nod, disappointed by the interruption. As she watched Naru and her staff cleared the table and set after-dinner cocktails on the table that were paired specifically for their meal, she saw the fleeting emotion disappear from Minako's aura, subdued by strong waves of Relief. She decided to table her question for another time when they were in a more private space and couldn't be interrupted.

"So, baby," Minako began before taking a sip of her drink, "Tell me about Kobayashi-san. You two seem close. I thought you said you didn't like men."

"Are you jealous, Aino-san?," Rei asked teasingly with a smirk as she raised an eyebrow.

"Should I be, Hino-san?," Minako quipped playfully.

Rei glanced over to the handsome man who was seated at the very opposite end of the large restaurant near the entrance. He appeared to be deep in thought as his fingers worked swiftly on the keyboard of a small tablet computer. The soft light from the screen illuminated his furrowed brow. She smiled softly, "Nobuo-san's different."

"Oh, really?," Minako replied with overexaggerated appall.

Rei rolled her eyes and chuckled at Minako's teasing as she brought her attention back to the smaller woman, "Grandpa and his father were in the military together," she explained, ignoring Minako's ribbing, "They were really close so Nobuo-san's always been really loyal to Grandpa. The day I was born, Grandpa was reading some tealeaves and had a premonition that I would be in danger right before I turned nineteen. He predicted Nobuo-san would be the one to save me."

Rei looked towards her bodyguard, "He was already in the military following in his father's footsteps at the time. When Grandpa told him about his prediction, he took it really seriously and trained hard to become one of the top weapons, transport, self-defense, and tactics specialists."

"Wow, that's impressive," Minako said with amazement, taking in Rei's story.

"Mmn," Rei nodded as she returned her attention to the table and sipped her drink, "He was even part of the Tokushu Sakusen Gun for a bit."

"Whoa, Special Forces!?," Minako gasped with astonishment, "That's so cool!"

"Yeah, he's pretty cool," Rei smiled proudly. A chuckle bubbled up as she reflected on their time together, "I actually hated him when I first met him."

"Really? Why?," Minako asked curiously.

"I never knew about him growing up and Grandpa never really mentioned him or the premonition," Rei replied, her face turning pensive, "The year I turned eighteen was the same year Nobuo-san requested and was granted a military discharge so he could come home and prepare for me turning nineteen per Grandpa's prophecy. It's also the year I signed the contract with my father. Papa hired him on the spot when he applied to be my personal bodyguard due to his experience and training."

Rei looked down to the drink in her hand, swirling the glass aimlessly, "I just remember being so livid about having to sign the contract in the first place that when I found out my father hired a male bodyguard to babysitting me…"

Rei shook her head to clear her thoughts and returned her gaze to Minako, her violet eyes tinted with a touch of sadness and guilt, "Let's just say I took a lot of my anger out on him that first year. But he was always so patient with me."

Rei's brow furrowed and her lips pressed into a thin line as her amethyst eyes became distant as she thought, "Then at my first collegiate competition, a little before my nineteenth birthday, I was finishing my set and was walking back to my seat when a delusional fan broke through the stands and tried to attack me with a tanto. The rest of the security for the competition was busy keeping reporters back so they didn't notice him heading towards me."

She looked towards her bodyguard with concern, "Nobuo-san came out of nowhere and took him down pretty quickly but was stabbed pretty badly a couple times. Luckily the wounds weren't life-threatening. He also got a pretty nasty cut on his face from the guy."

"That explains the scar I saw earlier," Minako said mostly to herself.

"Mmn," Rei replied with a nod, "I felt terrible for how I treated him that whole time. Even worse when Grandpa finally told me all about Nobuo-san's connection to our family while we were at the hospital."

A curious look crossed Minako's face, "Wait…you didn't know about that beforehand? Why didn't they tell you?"

Rei chuckled as a smile pulled at the corner of her lips, "Grandpa knows me too well. If he told me beforehand, I would have probably tolerated Nobuo-san out of respect for Grandpa but I probably would have never really come to trust him. Having that type of relationship with someone who's supposed to protect you can be dangerous in itself. Too many variables, too many opportunities for mistakes. I needed to come to trust him on my own."

She turned back to look at Minako and smiled, "And Grandpa was right. Ever since then, Nobuo-san's been with me and protected me for the past four years. I trust him with my life and we have a really good understanding of each other."

"Wow," Minako said in awe. She turned to look fondly at the burly man who was sipping tea as he contined to work on his tablet, I'll have to remember to thank him for saving Rei-chan's life.

"So…I should be jealous of him," Minako challenged teasingly with a smirk, her playful cobalts taking a side-long glance at the beautiful raven-haired woman across from her.

"Oh yeah, most definitely," Rei replied with dry sarcasm, causing both of them to laugh.

As their laughter died down, Rei glanced at her phone and saw that it was already 7:30pm, "Well, shall we head back?," she asked.

"Mmn," Minako nodded. Both women stood up and pushed their chairs in. As Rei began walking to the front of the restaurant, she was pulled back by a strong tug on her hand that made her spin around.

"Aah-mmm!," Her yelp of surprise was swallowed by soft lips meeting her own. Once Rei's mind caught up to what had happened, Minako ended the kiss and rested her forehead on Rei's,

"Thank you…for everything," Minako whispered shyly. Rei smiled,

"No, thank you, Mina," Rei whispered. She closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss Minako on the lips. Minako wrapped her arms around Rei's neck, bringing the taller woman closer as her tongue gently teased the archer's lips. Rei wrapped her arms around Minako's waist and parted her lips to allow Minako's tongue its requested access.

Rei felt Minako's aura revert to that wonderful soft flame she adored as their kiss deepened. Their tongues explored each other gently, savoring the feeling. Both women became so lost in each other, there was nothing else in the world but the two of them. Neither wanted the moment to end.

A loud cough brought them back to the real world and they abruptly ended the kiss to turn towards the sound.

"We should be going, Rei-sama," Nobuo said evenly, allowing a hint of teasing to enter his tone as he tried really hard to keep a straight face.

Minako blushed and tried to hide her face behind Rei. Rei's annoyed, dagger-like gaze stayed on Nobuo, watching his white aura swaying with mirth.

"Yes, Nobuo-san," Rei said coldly. She turned back to Minako and smiled softly, "We'll continue this later, ok?"

"M-Mmn," Minako replied softly as she continued to blush. They parted and Rei led Minko with her right hand to the entrance where Nobuo was waiting. Rei glared at Nobuo as they approached. Nobuo allowed himself to smirk at his young charge.

In the blink of an eye, Rei pulled her left arm back and threw a strong punch at him. Without flinching, Nobuo easily caught her fist with the palm of his hand. They stayed like that for a moment before a genuine smile spread across Nobuo's face. He winked at Rei who, in turn, smirked and nodded as she lowered her hand.

"Rei-sama," Nobuo said as he nodded his head and turned to lead the way back to the limo.

Minako watched the interaction with a puzzled look. Rei could sense Minako's confusion and turned to look at her with a wide smile, "Like I said, we have an understanding," Rei explained simply, "Come on."

Author Note: And we're heading back to Tokyo in Chapter 23!

Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.

(updated 06/2015)