Author Note: Took a while to get all the details down for this chapter, had to do a lot of research. I think it's as good as it's going to get =P:::
Chapter 32 Pop-Quiz Answer:
1 - In Chapter 12, what is the explanation Minako gave to Rei when she asked why Usagi decided to use 'Tsukino' as her last name?
She didn't want people to know her real name.
Pop-Quiz: 1 Question
1 - In Chapter 10, who did Rei say that suggested Haruka should stop using pick-up lines to ask Michiru out?
Jinja = [Japanese] Shinto shrine
Torii = [Japanese] Traditional Japanese gate that marks the transition from the profane to the sacred
Dōjō = [Japanese] Training facility for Japanese martial arts
Genkan = [Japanese] Traditional Japanese equivalent to a 'mud room' where shoes are removed before entering the house.
Fusuma = [Japanese] Sliding panel doors made of opaque material that separates rooms in traditional Japanese architecture. Usually used inside the home.
Shōji = [Japanese] Sliding panel doors made of translucent paper over a wood frame used to separate rooms in traditional Japanese architecture. Usually used to separate the inside from the outside to allow light to come in from the outside.
Oshiire = [Japanese] A linen-closet of sorts used to storing futons, pillows, blankets and sheets.
Hakama = [Japanese] Loose trousers with many pleats in the front. Typical bottoms worn by caretakers of a Shinto shrine
Haori = [Japanese] A hip- or thigh-length kimono-like jacket. Typical top worn by caretakers of a Shinto shrine
Okaeri-nasai = [Japanese] A more formal/polite way of saying "Welcome home"
Jinja Honchō = [Japanese] The Association of Shinto Shrines.
Becoming a Shintō Priest or Priestess: Titles-Roles of Men & Women Serving Shrines. (2013). In Buddhism & Shintōism in Japan. Retrieved August 15, 2015, from . . (Type "onmarkproductions, how to become a shinto priest" into your search engine and it should be the first link.)
I don't own Sailor Moon, Girl Friends, 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.
Kotecha, S., Martin, M., Nilsson, T., Payami, A., Salmanzadeh, I. (2015). Love Me Like You Do [Recorded by Ellie Goulding]. On Fifty Shades of Grey: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [CD], Los Angeles, California, Gothenburg, Sweden, and Stockholm, Sweden: MXM Studios, The RedRoom, and Wolf Cousins Studios.
Morinaga, M. (2006). Girl Friends. Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan: Futabasha Publishers Ltd.
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 33:
- You're the light. You're the night. You're the color of my blood. You're the cure. You're the pain. You're the only thing I wanna touch. Never knew that it could mean so much, so much. You're the fear. I don't care 'cause I've never been so high. Follow me to the dark, let me take you past our satellites. You can see the world you brought to life, to life. -
A slow, driving, electro-pop song hummed through the speakers of a lone, red, Lexus LS 460 F Sport as it made its way leisurely up a mildly winding road. Large, Japanese Maple, Elm, and Kobushi Magnolia trees filled the landscape and lined the edges of the road as the dark pavement cut an elegant path through them up the gradual incline of the hillside. The late, morning sunlight shined through the trees, illuminating the radiant greens, reds, golds, and whites of the colorful leaves and flowers that swayed gently in the wind.
Rei drove with the windows down, enjoying the light, flora aroma that filled the air and brought nostalgic emotions and memories to mind.
She slowed as she approached a tall, stone sign with the words 'Hikawa Jinja' etched neatly on it and made a slight turn off the main street down a worn, dirt road. She continued on this path through the trees for some time, passing a turnout on her left that dead-ended into a wide, pebble-lined, rectangular area that was bordered by a thick rope, outlining the designated visitor parking lot of the shrine. At the far end of the lot was a set of wide, stone steps, fifty to be exact, grouped into sets of ten with a small landing in between each flight. At the top of the steps was a sizeable, white torii that seemed to frame the clear, blue sky above.
Rei smirked to herself mischievously as she drove past the parking lot, continuing up a moderate incline that curved around towards the back of the shrine. On her right, she passed an inconspicuous, dirt road that curved around and behind a thick grove of trees, effectively concealing the road's destination. Rei smiled as she glanced towards her right, side-view mirror. With this new angle, she was able to briefly see a small, wooden dōjō and a row of archery targets across from it before the curve of the road caused the training ground to disappear again behind the dense plant-life as she continued on her path.
Once the car made it to the top of the incline, the dirt road transitioned to a level, stone-paved driveway that curved towards the left and ended next to a simple, single-story, traditional-style Japanese home. She pulled her car up next to the building, parked, rolled the windows up, turned off the ignition, and gracefully stepped out of the vehicle.
The beautiful archer inhaled the fresh, hillside air deeply as she shut the door of her car and locked the vehicle. She closed her eyes contently as a gentle, cool breeze brushed against her face, her raven locks fluttering elegantly as it passed. The sun's rays warmed her exposed skin and she smiled softly at the familiar sound of distant cicadas chirping, providing a pleasant melody over the sound of leaves rustling from the surrounding trees and the soft, low sounds of trickling water.
A calm sense of peace washed over her as she took it all in, reveling in the feeling of being one with her surroundings. She exhaled slowly as she opened her intense lavenders.
Tadaima, she thought quietly to herself. She didn't realize until now just how much she truly missed being home. Eager to see her grandfather, she began walking around the car towards the front of the house.
"Tadaima," she called cheerfully as she entered the house and shut the door behind her. She stood quietly for a moment in the genkan, waiting for a response, but was only met with silence.
Rei's violet eyes narrowed slightly. Thought there was nothing she could readily see that seemed out of the ordinary, it felt like something in the air…was just…somewhat…off.
A knowing smirk began pulling at the corner of her alluring lips. It had been a few years since she felt this way. She quickly slid out of her flats and set them aside before she straightened and closed her eyes. Taking a deep, meditative breath to focus and clear her mind, she began reaching out with her senses, silently agreeing to take part in an old game that pitted her against the clock.
After a moment, she opened her intense, amethysts and looked to the floor towards the far-right corner of the genkan. Tucked away there was a small, tumbled, petrified wood stone. Its color matched the wood floor so perfectly that anyone would have missed its presence entirely. But, to Rei, the faint, yet distinct, light-green glow that it gave off made it stand out just enough from its surroundings to be noticeable.
The archer went to the corner, knelt down, and picked up the small item. A small smile graced her lips as she felt the faintest sense of a familiar Playfulness seep into her as she held the item in her hand. She could tell by how light the color was that she didn't have much time.
One down, seven more to go, she thought to herself with a soft giggle as she closed her hand around the stone and continued into the house.
The simple house had an equally simple layout. Once past the genkan, one would find themselves at the bottom of a U-shaped hallway that bordered three sides of a rectangular, 10-mat room in the center of the home. Plain, fusuma doors separated the front and sides of the room from the hallways, while the back had shōji doors separating the room from the backyard.
Immediately to the left was a moderately-sized kitchen. Following down that hallway was a small, round table pushed up against the wall with a black, rotary telephone sitting on top of it. Next to that was a small bathroom, then the entrance to an 8-mat room that extended beyond the back wall and belonged to Rei's grandfather.
The layout down the right hallway was similar, but began with a 4.5-mat room that was used for tea ceremonies or receiving guests, followed by an oshiire, another bathroom, and the entrance to an 8-mat room that also extended beyond the back wall that Rei's grandfather, save the occasional dusting, kept just the way Rei left it the last time the archer visited.
The hallways themselves ended where the 10-mat room did and also led to shōji doors towards the backyard.
Rei quickly made her way throughout the house, gathering the rest of the hidden stones she was able to sense with her abilities.
After a minute or two, she found herself standing in front of her room at the end of the right-hallway, staring down at her open hand, utterly baffled. In her possession were various types of small, smooth stones, all of which were now only emitting a breath's worth of rapidly fading, light-green color,
Only seven?, Rei thought to herself with confusion. Whenever they played this game, there were always eight items for Rei to find. Having already used her abilities to sweep the house twice while standing in her current position, she was confident that there were, indeed, no other stones left to find.
Maybe Grandpa's just shaking things up today, the raven-haired beauty rationalized to herself. Ignoring the gnawing sense of doubt in the back of her mind, she slid the shōji door open and headed to the backyard to find her beloved grandfather.
A U-shaped deck separated the back of the living room and one side of both bedrooms from the backyard, creating a U-shape border around the open space. On the left, passed Rei's grandpa's bedroom, the deck continued beyond the end of the house to the back of a long, large, dark-wood building which happened to be the back of the shrine itself, allowing for them to access the shrine from their home without having to go around to the front of the building.
The backyard itself was landscaped in a traditional, Japanese garden style, complete with small, green shrubs, miniature Japanese Maples, and sand-colored, pebble paths that curved elegantly throughout the grounds with the occasional stone bench to allow visitors a place to rest if needed.
To the far-left corner, closest to the end of the shrine, was a small, short, natural water feature that gently poured out of the side of the hill into a sizeable pond, creating a soft, bubbling noise that echoed soothingly throughout the backyard. The pond was bordered by low, wide, white stones and was home to a number of large koi fish of varying colors. The overflow of water continued to flow down a predetermined path, also bordered by white stones, and made a soft, trickling sound as it weaved its way gracefully along the back edge of the outdoor space. The gentle stream ran alongside a small, plentiful, vegetable garden towards the far-right corner of the yard before continuing on its path down the hillside just past Rei's bedroom. Between the koi pond and the vegetable garden towards the back of the space was a wide, rectangular, Japanese rock garden with delicate rake lines that spiraled around the larger stones and miniature trees that dotted it sparingly. At the edge of the rock garden was a long, simple, stone bench.
And a stout, bald, tanned, diminutive figure, giving off a calm, light-green aura, wearing a pale-green hakama and a white haori, was sitting there with his back towards the house.
Rei's lavender eyes lit up eagerly as they landed on the figure. She slipped on a pair of wooden sandals and began making her way towards the person she was looking for.
Once Rei approached the bench, she went around it to stand in front of her grandfather, who had his arms crossed over his chest with his eyes closed as if deep in meditation. She knelt down in front of him on the floor and brought her right hand to rest gently on his knee. A warm smile began forming on her grandfather's face at the contact and he slowly unraveled his arms to bring one of his hands to rest gently on Rei's. A soft smile came to Rei's alluring lips before she closed her eyes.
They both stayed that way for a while. To the average person, it would appear as if they were simply sitting in their respective positions in silence. However, to those who possessed abilities such as their own, they would have seen light-green and flame-red colors blending together where their hands met. They silently communicated with each other, better than they ever could with words, transferring a multitude of events and emotions that they wanted to share with each other since the last time they were together over a year ago. More than anything, they silently conveyed how deeply they missed one another during their time apart, how eager they were to see each other again, and how happy they were that Rei was home, even if only for a short visit.
They both opened their eyes at the same time once they finished with their silent exchange, dark orbs meeting intense, clear amethysts,
"Tadaima, Grandpa," Rei whispered warmly.
"Okaeri-nasai, Reiko," he replied endearingly in his raspy, kind voice, "It appears a lot has happened since we last saw each other."
"Mmn, seems like it," Rei nodded as she stood gracefully and moved to sit next to him on the bench, "So, an apprentice, huh?," she asked curiously, referring to one of the many visions she received from him during their connection.
"Mmn," Rei's grandfather nodded, "He is in his last year of school at Kokugakuin University and asked to train here a few times a week before returning to Sapporo to sit for his Jinja Honchō exam." He turned to look towards his beautiful granddaughter, "He usually comes on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays so you may meet him later this week."
Rei scoffed petulantly as she wrinkled her nose in response.
"Now, now granddaughter," Rei's grandfather tisked lightheartedly with a playful chuckle, knowing how much Rei detested the male species, "He is a guest to our home, not to mention he has been very dedicated to the shrine and a great help to me around the place. I hope you can at least be a gracious host if he comes?"
"Yes, Grandpa," Rei conceded obediently with a nod, unable to deny her beloved grandfather whenever he made a request.
They sat in silence for a moment before Rei's brow furrowed slightly. Her beautiful countenance became pensive as she hung her head guiltily.
Rei's grandfather, sensing overwhelming Sadness, Guilt, and Regret forming in his granddaughter's strong, flame-red aura, brought a hand to rest on the young woman's shoulder reassuringly, "My dear Reiko," he said soothingly in his raspy tone, "There is no need for you to punish yourself for not being here with me. We must play the hand we are dealt in life and all we can ask is that we do it with grace, integrity, and dignity. The past cannot be undone. I'm happy that you are here now."
"…Mmn," Rei nodded softly in response to her grandfather's words. His steady, light-green aura soothingly comforted her guilty conscious. She looked up towards his kind face, a small smile pulling at one corner of her lips, "I'm really happy to be home."
Rei's grandfather patted her shoulder gently before bringing his hand to hold it palm-up in front of her expectantly, "Now, what has my beloved granddaughter found for me today?," he asked, referring to their version of 'hide-and-seek' he created for his talented granddaughter to test her abilities when she started living with him, a game he continued to play with her well into her adolescence until she left for college.
Rei chuckled softly at the line her grandfather used every time they played this game. She brought her left hand up and deposited the seven, small stones she collected from the house into his awaiting hand. Rei's grandfather silently counted them before looking back up to the beautiful, young archer, "Only seven, Reiko?," he asked curiously.
Rei sighed heavily, allowing her shoulders to slump. Based on her grandfather's reaction, she knew now that she had indeed missed a stone and didn't succeed in completing the game. She averted her violet gaze to the ground, "That's all I could find," she replied defeatedly, "I thought maybe you decided to hide seven items instead of eight this time just to mess with me…but I guess not."
Rei's grandfather softened as he watched his granddaughter. It had been well over a decade since Rei wasn't able to successfully complete this game of theirs and he could see her flame-red aura emitting deep strands of Disappointment. He set the stones aside on the bench before bringing his hand to rest on hers comfortingly, "Tell me, my dear," he said soothingly, "Before I questioned you, were you confident that there were only seven stones?"
Rei thought for a moment and nodded, "Mmn, I was," she replied softly, beginning to feel a little foolish for believing that to be the case.
"And why was that?," Rei's grandfather encouraged gently.
"…Because that's all I could sense," Rei replied honestly with a shrug, "I checked the house three times: once when I came in and twice before I came outside. I couldn't feel any other stray auras before they faded away."
"Then you were right, granddaughter," Rei's grandfather said kindly. Rei brought her confused amethysts up to meet his gentle, dark eyes as he smiled warmly and squeezed her hand before releasing her to cross his arms over his chest, "Have confidence in yourself and your abilities, Reiko."
"So...there were only seven stones?," Rei asked with curious clarification, "Why the sudden change? We always play with eight items."
"Mmn, indeed we do," Rei's grandfather replied with a nod and a playful chuckle, "You should always have faith in what you know to be true, my dear."
Rei looked at her grandfather with puzzlement, struggling to understand this riddle he was presenting to her. She began seeing his light-green aura flicker Mischievously, "There is an eighth one, isn't there," she stated more than questioned.
"Perhaps," Rei's grandfather replied casually with a shrug as he smirked mischievously.
Rei thought for a moment, her intense violets staring off into the distance as she began analyzing her grandfather's words, "You said I should have faith in what I know to be true and I know we always play with eight items that have your aura signature infused in them so I can find them. If that's the case, then there has to be an eight stone hidden somewhere," she thought aloud, "But...you also said I should have confidence in myself and my abilities and that I was right in believing there were only seven stones."
She paused for a moment as she tried to processed this conundrum, "So, if there is an eighth stone, why is it that I couldn't sense it even though I scanned the house more than-"
Rei's eyes widened slightly as she began comprehending the words she was saying. Yes, she had swept the house with her abilities more than once and knew there was nothing left to find there. What if the eighth stone…wasn't in the house?
Rei's grandfather began seeing strands of Realization forming within his granddaughter's flame-red colors and tried to hide the smile that wanted to appear on his lips, "Perhaps you would like to try again, my dear?"
Rei brought her attention down to the seven stones on the bench, only barely able see a pencil-thin, light-green aura signature still glowing around their round shapes. Though the colors were faint, it was just enough for her to pick up if she concentrated. Rei smirked confidently before she adjusted to sit up straight. She closed her eyes, took a deep, meditative breath, and began using her abilities to search the backyard for any stray, light-green colors, carefully combing the area.
After a moment, she let out a groan of frustration as she opened her intense violet eyes.
"Did you sense anything, Reiko?," Rei's grandfather asked innocently.
"No," Rei sighed with slight exasperation as she allowed her shoulders to relax, "I couldn't feel anything other than these stones and you sitting next-"
She suddenly stopped herself and turned to look at her grandfather, who was intently watching her with an innocent look in his dark eyes. His light-green aura was swaying playfully around his form, as if giddy with excitement. She narrowed her intense, amethyst eyes analytically at him, studying him for a moment, before she smirked and silently brought her hand, palm-up, in front of him.
A proud smile graced Rei's grandfather's worn countenance as he reached into the pocket of his hakama and deposited a small, smooth, oval, jade stone that fit perfectly in the palm of Rei's open hand.
"Well done, my dear," he said warmly to his beloved granddaughter.
"That wasn't very fair, Grandpa," Rei reprimanded lightheartedly as she brought her intense gaze to the cool, jade stone in her hands. She studied it between her fingers, feeling the playful, light-green aura radiating off the small object into her hand.
"No, it wasn't," Rei's grandfather conceded as he chuckled softly in response, "But, you see, Reiko, when you began to trust yourself and your abilities, you were able to think clearly and creatively and eventually solved the problem."
He turned his attention towards the rock garden as he continued to address his beloved granddaughter kindly, "There is an old idiom that says, 'One cannot see the forest for the trees.' Do you know what that means, Reiko?"
"I think so," Rei replied with a nod as she brought her lavender eyes back up to her wise grandfather, "It means if you're too close to or immersed in a situation, you may not be able to see the 'big picture' and need to take a step back to get perspective."
"That's correct, my dear," Rei's grandfather confirmed with a hint of pride in his voice, "Sometimes life will presents challenges where there is more than what meet the eye, where things aren't always what they seem nor as straightforward as they appear to be. More often than not, there are external factors at play that you may not be aware of during those times and you may begin to question your abilities and what you know to be true. Once you allow your judgement to become clouded, it is difficult to see a situation for what it really is. It is in these moments where it becomes more vital to believe in yourself and to remain calm and focused in order to uncover the truth."
"Yes, Grandpa," Rei nodded obediently in acknowledgment, taking in the lesson her grandfather was imparting to her. She brought her gaze back down to examine the jade stone in her hand, which seemed to perfectly match the light-green aura that was glowing softly around the object and gradually fading.
Rei's grandfather turned his kind gaze back to the young archer, "Do you like it?"
"Mmn, it's beautiful," Rei replied with a soft smile, "I like that it matches your aura."
"Then it's yours, my dear," Rei's grandfather said warmly, "Let it serve as a reminder to you of your lesson for today."
"Mmn," Rei nodded in appreciation as she pocketed the stone in the front pocket of her dark-grey shorts, "Thanks, Grandpa."
"You're very welcome, my dear," Rei's grandfather nodded in reply. He turned so that he was facing his beautiful granddaughter, "Now, let us discuss more pressing matters," he said, a grave tone underlying his raspy voice. Rei brought her attention back to her grandfather, looking at him with concern as she waiting for him to continue,
"Tell me, granddaughter, who is this 'Mina' person in your life?," he asked with a teasing tone as a sly smile began forming on his worn lips, "You chose not to share anything about her while we were connected, yet she seems to be the dominant thought in your mind."
Rei began blushing heavily and looked away quickly as her grandfather laughed good-naturedly at his beloved granddaughter's reaction.
- Fading in. Fading out. On the edge of paradise. Every inch of your skin is a holy grail I've got to find. Only you can set my heart on fire, on fire. Yeah, I'll let you set the pace 'cause I'm not thinking straight. My head's spinning around, I can't see clear no more. -
Knock, Knock!
"Come in," Minako called as she lowered the volume of her computer speakers and brought her attention to the door. The door opened slightly and Akko peeked her head in,
"Hey, sorry, Mina-chan," Akko said apologetically, "I know you're busy trying to get stuff done before you leave today and go on vacation tomorrow, but...were you expecting anyone to come by and see you today?"
Minako looked at Akko with confusion and shook her head, "No, I wasn't expecting anyone. Why?"
"Well, it's just that…there's a man here asking for you," the young woman explained with a hint of teasing, "He said he wanted to see you personally."
Minako looked at her young mentee skeptically as she got up from her chair and followed Akko out of her office, through the locker room, to the storefront.
Once she was there, her eyes widened when she saw who it was Akko was referring to,
"K-Kobayashi-san!" Minako said with slight surprise.
"Good afternoon, Aino-san," Nobuo greeted in his soothing voice and a kind smile. The tall, handsome man was wearing a sharp, black suit, white dress shirt, and a black tie. Draped over one of his arms was a garment bag and, in his other hand, was a bouquet of the most perfect, dozen, long-stem, red roses. He bowed politely to the gorgeous blonde, "I'm glad I was able to catch you before 2:00pm when your shift ends. It's good to see you again."
Minako could practically feel the questioning eyes of her staff on here as they started gathered a ways away to watch. She began to feel self-conscious and blushed heavily.
"I have some…personal business I need to discuss with you," Nobuo said as his chocolate-colored eyes glanced at Akko, who was still standing close behind Minako.
"O-Oh! Sorry! I'll leave you two alone then!," Akko said quickly, taking the hint. She quickly went to the other side of the store where the rest of the staff have begun congregating to give them privacy. Minako quickly looked over her shoulder, her wary sapphires darting to where her staff was located. Satisfied with how far they were from them, she turned back towards the handsome man.
"It's good to see you, too, Kobayashi-san," Minako said sincerely, "But…what are you doing here?," she asked curiously.
"Miyabi-sama wanted me to personally deliver your dress to you from the dry-cleaners along with these roses," Nobuo replied as he presented the items in his hand to the gorgeous blonde.
"…Who?," Minako asked with a puzzled look.
Nobuo chuckled softly, "Yoruno Miyabi is my employer who I serve and protect," he replied, unfazed by Minako's perplexed look. He leaned in and spoke in a low, discrete voice, "If I said the name 'Tsukino', would you understand?"
Nobuo watched as Minako's expression changed from confusion to realization as it dawned on her what Nobuo was trying to say, "The alias is for her protection when discussing her private matters in public," he explained.
"Mmn, I understand," Minako replied with a nod. She took the items sheepishly from the handsome man, "Th-Thanks, Kobayashi-san."
"Not a problem, just doing my job," Nobuo nodded back in return. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said as a thought came to him. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and quickly typed a couple keys. Minako watched him curiously as the sound of a sent text message came from his device before he closed it and returned it to his pocket.
Beep Beep!
Minako turned towards the sound of a received text message on her phone. She carefully placed the flowers on the check-out counter and pulled her cellphone out from her pocket. She flipped it open and found a blank message from a Tokyo number.
"That's my direct number," Nobuo explained, "Please save it in your contacts." He took a slight step back and bowed low towards the gorgeous blonde, "My services are yours now."
Minako brought her confused, cobalt gaze up towards the handsome bodyguard, "Wait…what?"
Nobuo smiled as he straightened, "When you lost your phone, Miyabi-sama became very concerned and I offered to take you on as another charge to ensure your safety. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to text or call anytime."
"…I see," Minako replied slowly, taking in Nobuo's words, "I mean...though I…I appreciate the offer, Kobayashi-san," she said hesitantly, "I…I don't know if…if I-"
"I insist, Aino-san," Nobuo interjected gently, "It's not just for Miyabi-sama's peace of mind, it's for mine as well. I would feel much more at ease knowing that you were in my care and safe as it would make my job much easier having one less thing to worry about when it comes to Miyabi-sama well-being."
Minako thought for a moment and sighed as she shook her head in amused exasperation, "I can see now why you two get along so well," she said with a soft chuckle, "You both are so stubborn."
"Mmn, yes we are," Nobuo replied with a chuckle, "So, is that a 'yes', Aino-san?"
"I guess I don't have much of a choice," Minako replied with a smirk as she shrugged.
"It will be an honor serving you, Aino-sama," Nobuo said as he bowed again respectfully. Minako raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in honorific to her name. As she was about to comment on it, a thought suddenly dawned on her, "Wait, Kobayashi-san, how did you know my shift ends at 2:00pm?"
Nobuo shook his head in amusement as he straightened, "You're very perceptive, Aino-sama." He coughed nervously, clearing his throat, as he kept his chocolate eyes trained on the ground, "That's…another thing I needed to discuss with you. As I will be serving you in my capacity, it's important that we establish trust with each other to ensure a safe and cohesive relationship." He brought his chocolate-colored orbs up to meet Minako's questioning ceruleans, "While we were in Kyoto, I performed a very detailed background check on you."
"You…what?," Minako asked in shock.
"Please don't be alarmed, Aino-sama," Nobuo reassured soothingly, "It's a standard procedure for anyone Miyabi-sama associates with for security reasons." He brought a hand up and tapped his index finger lightly on his temple, "And I don't keep any physical files. I store everything in here," he said with a wink.
Minako's face flushed with embarrassment, Gods, what information does he know about me?!
"U-Ummm…," the makeup artist began nervously as she looked away and brought her hand up to scratch her cheek nervously, "D-Did you…uhhh…find anything…ummm…" she allowed her sentence to trail off.
Nobuo softened as he watched the nervous, young blonde, "I can assure you, Aino-sama, if I found anything that would signal you as a possible hazard or threat, even in the smallest of ways, I would have terminated the event in Kyoto immediately."
"M-Mmn," Minako nodded in acknowledgement. She continued to sit in silence in case Nobuo had more to say regarding her question.
Nobuo took the hint that his response wasn't satisfactory enough for the gorgeous blonde. He brought his hand to the young woman's shoulder, getting her attention as Minako brought her nervous sapphires to meet his kind, chocolate eyes, "There's nothing to be worried about, Aino-sama," he said reassuringly, "From what I found, you're quite impressive. No criminal record, clean financial record, glowing educational and employment record, not even a parking ticket on your driving record. Most importantly, no questionable associations that could put my employer in jeopardy. If anything, I'm surprised you two didn't know each other before you met, given the company you two keep."
He winked playfully at the makeup artist, "You're quite the upstanding citizen, aren't you, Aino-sama?," he said with a hint of teasing.
Minako blushed as she let out a sigh of relief and smirked, "I'll take that as a compliment, Kobayashi-san."
"I can assure you, it was one," Nobuo responded playfully.
He was taken aback slightly as the young woman moved quickly towards him and gave him a warm hug,
"Thank you, Kobayashi-san," Minako said sincerely as she hugged the bodyguard, "For caring so much about…your employer…about both of us. I really appreciate it."
Nobuo smiled softly at the young blonde and returned her hug in kind. When they parted, he remembered where he was and cleared his throat, "Just doing my job, Aino-sama," he said professionally, bringing his hands behind his back to stand at ease, "It's my duty to ensure the well-being of my clients and your respective well-beings are my top priority."
Minako smirked at the tall, handsome man. She could tell he was trying to hide behind the façade of his duties.
"Hey, Kobayashi-san?," Minako began, getting the bodyguard's attention, "Can I ask you for a favor?"
"Of course, Aino-sama," Nobuo replied attentively, "What can I do for you?"
"Well, you know, since we've exchanged numbers and you basically know everything about me now," Minako began teasingly, "Could you…well…not call me 'Aino-sama'?," she asked sheepishly, "I mean, I'm just a regular girl and it…kind of makes me uncomfortable. I'd rather you call me Minako instead."
Nobuo was silent for a moment, contemplating Minako's request, before a small smile appeared on his lips, "If that will make you feel better…Mina-sama."
"Mou, Kobayashi-san!," Minako whined as she rolled her eyes, "You don't have to use the '-sama' honorific. Even though I'm under your care, it's not like I'm your boss or anything, you know what I mean?"
"I understand, Mina-sama," Nobuo replied warmly, "But, if you don't mind, I'd prefer to keep it there as a sign of respect for my duties."
"Ok, fine," Minako compromised with an exasperated sigh, causing Nobuo to chuckle at her expense.
"Mataku," she continued with feigned annoyance, "Your employer's stubbornness is bad enough as it is. I don't know how I feel about deal with both of your stubbornness."
"Well then, as a good-faith gesture, please call me Nobuo," Nobuo replied politely.
"Mmn, Nobuo-kun it is then," Minako nodded with a sincere smile.
"I believe I've kept you long enough," Nobuo said apologetically, "I'm sure you have a lot to take care of before your shift ends." He bowed low towards the gorgeous blonde, "Have a good day, Mina-sama."
"Mmn, you too Nobuo-kun," Minako replied. She watched as the tall, handsome man turned and exited the store.
Minako giggled to herself as she began picking up the roses from off the counter once the bodyguard left, Nobuo-kun may be a bad-ass and seem intimidating, but he's such a big softie on the inside!
"U-Ummm, Mina-chan?," Minako, having forgotten where she was for a moment, was startled by the sound of Akko's voice coming from behind. She turned to find her mentee standing nervously behind her with the rest of the staff huddled close behind with looks of eager excitement,
"W-Well…," Akko began hesitantly as she looked over her shoulder at the staff, who each gave her encouraging looks and nods to continue. Akko sighed and shot her mentor an apologetic look, "T-They wanted me to ask you…who that guy was and…if he was your boyfriend."
Minako blushed bright red having so many eyes staring at her. She caught her mentee mouthing an apology before she turned away sheepishly, "N-No, he…he works for…someone I'm dating," Minako answered bashfully.
She and Akko winced at the sound of loud, high-pitched squeals of delight that suddenly erupted from the staff. They all began talking at once as they approached their manager:
"Aphrodite strikes again!"
"Why didn't you tell us you were dating someone new!?"
"What's his name?"
"Who is he?"
"How'd you two meet?"
"How long have you two been dating?"
"Is he handsome?"
"Who cares if he's handsome? If he has people working for him, he must be wealthy!"
"What's he like?"
"Does he have any single brothers?"
"What's the name of the guy that was just here? He's kind of cute! Is he single?"
"Ok, ok, everybody!," Akko's voice rang out above the din as she made her way to her mentor and began shuffling her towards the back door that led to the locker room, "Show's over, let's all get back to work."
Minako mouthed a quick 'thank you' to her mentee as she escaped to her office. The sounds of whining from her staff about not getting any answers from their manager echoed down the hall before Akko shut the door to give Minako space.
Once in the privacy of her office, Minako let out a sigh of relief. She hung her garment bag on the back of her closed door and went to her desk to set the roses down.
Of course she had to get the brightest red roses she could find!, Minako thought to herself cheekily with a smirk, knowing how much the raven-haired woman loved that particular color.
She noticed then that there was a small envelope embedded within the flowers. She pulled it out and opened it to read the typed message inside,
"Dear Mina,
I hope Nobuo-san made a big show of bringing you your dress and the flowers. I wish I was there to see you blush. I hope your coworkers gave you a hard time. ;)
I can't wait to see you tomorrow. I've included directions to the shrine on the back of this note. Drive safely, ok?
Until then, I'll be dreaming about you.
Yours always,
Rei"
"Mataku, Rei-chan," Minako sighed as she shook her head softly. She touched her locket fondly, "What am I going to do with you?"
Author Note: Hope you got all that. Next stop, Hikawa Shrine!
Fun Fact: The number 8 is considered a lucky number in Japan due to how it looks when written.
Kokugakuin University is one of the main universities in Japan that has a Shinto Studies department and offers a required degree in the field needed to become a priest/priestess at a Shinto shrine.
Why a jade stone? Jade is often considered to have healing and protective properties. It can also signify good luck, friendship, love, and "wisdom gathered in tranquility, dispelling the negative and encouraging one to see oneself as they really are". It is said to be "the stone of calm in the midst of storm" and can "increases trustworthiness and fidelity. It also inspires love later in life…[and] protect against deception…"
Jade Meanings and Uses. (2015). In Crystal Vaults. Retrieved August 15, 2015, from crystal-encyclopedia/jade. (Type "crystal vaults, jade meaning" into your search engine and it should be the first link.)
The average thickness of Mars' crust is about 50 km so that's why I made there be 50 steps for the Hikawa Shrine.
I'm sure most Sailor Moon fans know that, before Sailor Moon, a proposal for a hypothetical Codename: Sailor V anime was presented and it had a character named Miyabi Yoruno ("Elegance of Night") who was a shrine maiden in the story. Creator Naoko Taekuchi later said this character was the original prototype for Rei Hino's character when she created Sailor Moon.
Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.
(updated 08/2015)