Author Note: I mentioned before in the A/Ns that a version of the condo scene in Chapters 5 through 8 was what started this whole story.
But this chapter was the very first chapter I ever wrote down for this story back in 2013. I'm so excited that it's finally being published after all these years! Though some small details have changed in the story from my original vision, about 90 percent of the dialogue in this chapter is the original stuff I wrote way back when and I've just been sitting on it, working my way from Chapter 1 to now where I can finally bring it in! It's not necessarily a fun chapter to read by any means, but nevertheless I hope you enjoy.
I don't own Sailor Moon, X, 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.
Ikeguchi, K., Iwase, Y., Kadokawa, T., Kokoyama, K., and Maruyama, M. (Producers), & Rintaro (Director). (1996). X [Motion picture]. Japan: Bandai Visual Company.
Galoyan, S., Kierszenbaum, M., Polienko, V., and Shapovalov, I. (2003). 30 Minutes [Recorded by t.A.T.u.]. On 200 km/h In The Wrong Lane [CD], Santa Monica, California: Universal Music Group.
Scannell, M. (2000). Everything You Want [Recorded by Vertical Horizon]. On Everything You Want [CD], New York, New York: RCA Records
Bareilles, S. (2007). Gravity [Recorded by Sara Bareilles]. On Little Voice [CD], New York, New York: Epic Records.
Swift, T. (2010). Haunted [Recorded by Taylor Swift], on Speak Now [CD], Nashville, Tennessee: Big Machine Records.
Gordy, S.K., Jepsen, C., and Koma, M. (2012). More Than A Memory [Recorded by Carly Rae Jepsen], Vancouver, Canada and Santa Monica, California: 604 Records and School Boy Records and Interscope Records.
Caillat, C. and Reeves, J. (2009). Droplets [Recorded by Colbie Caillat]. On Breakthrough [CD], New York, New York: Republic Records.
Rose, L. and Swift, T. (2011). All Too Well [Recorded by Taylor Swift]. On Red [CD], Nashville, Tennessee: Big Machine Records.
Mercedes-Benz is a division of, and belongs to, the Daimler AG Corporation (cited June, 2015). The brand is used merely as a descriptor for this fiction piece.
The condo complex 'Incendia' that appears in this work is fictitious. Any resemblance to real businesses, existing or defunct, is purely coincidental.
Chapter 40:
- Out of sight, out of mind. Out of time to decide. Do we run? Should I hide for the rest of my life? Can we fly? Do I stay? We could lose. We could fail in the moment it takes to make plans or mistakes. 30 minutes, the blink of an eye. 30 minutes to alter our lives. 30 minutes to make up my mind. 30 minutes to finally decide. 30 minutes to whisper your name. 30 minutes to shoulder the blame. 30 minutes of bliss, 30 lies. 30 minutes to finally decide. -
The slow, haunting song that played softly over the speakers of a black Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard fill the space of the cabin as a distraught, gorgeous blonde rode silently in the back. Glassy cobalt orbs absently stared out the window as the cityscape outside passed by, replaying events that happened only just a bit ago.
"My men will take care of your personal affects and other arrangements for your relocation as outlined in the contract," Takashi explained quickly once he had finished briefing Zurui, who was now on the phone, busy making arrangements for this new assignment, "In the meantime, once Hamada-san is off the phone, he'll take you to my daughter's residence so you can terminate things officially with her."
Minako's head shot up in response, her tear-stained countenance reflecting that of shock, "You…You want me to…," she whispered hesitantly, unable to finish.
Takashi only responded with a look of puzzlement, "Aino-san, I thought I made the situation perfectly clear: You are contractually obligated to end all associations with with my daughter and then we will relocate you per the contract."
"But…," Minako began quietly, her melodic voice wavering, "But why would you need me to-"
"Perhaps you don't know my daughter as well as you think," Takashi stated matter-of-factly in his usual authoritative tone, "She can be exceptionally stubborn…a character flaw she got from me of course," he commented with a hint of amusement coloring his words before he subtly cleared his throat and continued, "If what you said is true, that she has feelings for you, and you were to simply disappear without a word, then she would stop at nothing to try and find you again. So it's imperative that you break things off completely with her so she will not have a reason to do so. Once that's done, you'll be relocated to prevent any opportunities for your paths to cross. That way, she can focus her attention fully on her obligations to the family business."
Minako was silent as she took in this unexpected twist in her situation. Not only had she been made to choose between her friends and family and the love of her life…
…she was expected to be the very one to break her.
"…I," Minako began, her voice cracking as she spoke, mirroring her very heart and how she felt given her situation as she began realizing what she had inevitably agreed to. She began to shake her head, "I can't-"
"You will and you must," Takashi cut in plainly, "Let me paint this picture for you, Aino-san. It's not just because you agreed to it in writing, which you did, nor is it because of the information we've gathered on your friends and family that would be detrimental to their well-being, which we have, if released to the public. But because my daughter is still on contract with me and the company until she takes her rightful place as Shacho. So even if you decided to not comply and continue on with all of this, given all the information we've found on you and everyone you care about, you would inevitably be the cause of her downfall once word got out about your relationship. How could she become Shacho then of such a infamous company after that? You would be forcing my hand into moving forward with the consequences of her contract at that point. In other words, you would give me no choice but to do away with Hikawa Shrine and my father-in-law's, her grandfather's, home."
He stepped closer to the young blonde until he was right in front of her, "But even without all of that, really, what kind of a life did you honestly expect to have with her? Given who you are and who she is-"
SLAP!
The sudden sound paired with a force causing his face to turn to the right stopped Takashi's words before he was able to finish. The sting on the left-side of his face lingered as he turned his attention back to the young, volatile make-up artist before him, whose hands were balled into fists by her sides, tears streaming down her cheeks from midnight-blues that were filled with abhorrence directed fiercely towards his being.
He nodded formally towards the young woman, "Consider that a personal gift from me to you for your troubles, Aino-san," he said before turning and heading towards the door. Zurui had finished with making necessary arrangements over the phone and held the door open for him, "Brief her on the details of her contract on the way there," he commanded to Zurui as he handed him the files without stopping, "Text me when it's done," he said over his shoulder as he walked out.
"Yes, Shacho-sama," Zurui bowed low as Takashi left.
"Aino-san?...Aino-san, we're here," Minako blinked a few times at the sound of her name being called by Zurui.
Zurui had pulled the car into the parking lot of the Incendia and parked it at the front curb of the building and turned off the engine. Minako looked at the building with dismay. She felt nauseous, absolutely hopeless, but mostly…just…numb.
Zurui subtly cleared his throat as he looked over his should at his solemn passenger, "You understand what you're supposed to do?," he asked gently. The young blonde only nodded her head slowly in response as evidence of acknowledgement of his statement, "And you understand the non-disclosure agreement in the contract that prohibits you from revealing its existence to anyone, including Hino-san?," he continued, referring to Rei in the manner all employees of the company were instructed to do, save Nobuo given his duties in relation to Rei. Minako nodded again in response.
"Per the contract, I'm prohibited from reviewing the other files Shacho-sama gave to me," Zurui continued professionally, "Once you complete your obligation, I am to get rid of all the documents within them. If you are unable to complete your obligation, I am required to release any and all information I find in these files to the authorities or the press."
He brought his wrist up to look at his watch, "We're on a pretty tight schedule, Aino-san. I'll give you as much time as I can, but it won't be much," he said softly.
"How long?," Minako asked quietly, her melodic tone uncharacteristically monotone.
"The longest I can hold off for is…a little over 35 minutes…starting now," Zurui replied softly, almost apologetically.
Minako couldn't help the mirthless chuckle that bubbled up in response as she shook her head cynically.
35 minutes. It would take about 5 minutes to get to and from Rei's condo in itself, leaving only 30 minutes.
30 minutes…just half an hour…It was inconceivable, almost pitiful, how little time she would have left to be with the love of her life.
30 minutes to say goodbye.
30 minutes to break her heart into countless pieces.
Minako leaned over and buried her face in her hands, shaking her head slightly.
Zurui pursed his lips, his brow furrowing sympathetically at the sight of the young woman so distraught by the daunting task ahead of her that he knew would not be a pleasant one by any measure.
But he also had a job to do.
"Time to go, Aino-san," Zurui urged quietly, "I want you to have as much time as you need."
Minako took a deep, shaky breath before she sat back up, composing herself as best she could, before slowly opening the passenger door, carefully stepping out, and shutting the door behind her as she made her way hesitantly into the building.
- I am everything you want. I am everything you need. I am everything inside of you that you wish you could be. I say all the right things at exactly the right time. But I mean nothing to you and I don't know why. -
Rei was busy lounging on her bed, lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows. She hummed quietly to herself as she casually kicked her feet in time with the song playing through her speaker system, happily enjoying a new manga she had recently purchased. She casually turned to look at the clock she had on her nightstand, 2:07pm. Minako should have gotten of work only just a moment ago and was probably on her way over. She smiled giddily to herself as she brought her attention back to her manga, waited patiently for the love of her life to arrive.
...knock, knock, knock...
Rei jumped at the unfamiliar sound. Actually she knew what the sound was, it just took her by surprise given she hadn't sensed anyone approaching her door. Her intense amethysts narrowed, her brow furrowing as she grabbed the teal, satin hair ribbon she had next to her on the bed that she had secretly pocketed as a keepsake from that night she spent with Minako after Haruka and Michiru's wedding, repurposing it as a makeshift bookmark for her mangas. She placed it neatly within the pages of her manga, closed the book, and returned it to its rightful place in her nightstand before she rolled off the bed and headed cautiously towards the door, ignoring the music that still streamed through the speakers in her condo.
It wasn't until she had stepped within the foyer that her lavender eyes widened at the feather-light familiar sensation that tickled her senses, hinting at who it was just beyond the door. She found herself now rushing to the door, flinging it open quickly with a bit more force than she intended,
"Mina! Wha…," Rei began worriedly with a touch of urgency in her smooth tone before the image of her lover caused her words to die at the back of her throat in shock. The gorgeous blonde appeared absolutely downtrodden, her head down but just visible enough for Rei to tell that she had been crying. And, Kami-sama…her aura…it was so faint Rei could only make out a soft, almost transparent, golden hue…
…that transported her back nearly 18 years to the last time she saw someone she cared for with that same glow.
The beautiful archer was so taken aback that she found herself frozen in place as Minako quietly made her way into her condo, slowly coming to a stop in the middle of her living room.
Rei shook her head slightly, bringing her out of her initial shock, prompting her to shut the door and make her way quickly to the distraught make-up artist, "…Mina?," she asked softly, concern weighing heavily in her tone once she went around and was standing in front of the gorgeous blonde. When she didn't receive a respose, she quickly wrapped her arms around the smaller woman, stroking her silky hair between her fingers gently, "What happened? Are you ok?," she verbalize softly, her tone full of worry.
Her eyes widen as she began to feel a heavy, painful sensation seeping into her. Given her close proximity to Minako, she was able to read her faint aura a bit better. It exuded so much sadness with a hint of…guilt? She also noted there was something else within the faint orange-gold colors. A sort of…conflict…within it. As if it were warring with itself.
Kami-sama…so much…pain, was all she could comprehend given the intensity of the distraught emotions being emitted from the smaller woman.
- But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone. Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity. Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be. But you're on to me and all over me. -
She's so warm, Minako thought as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to be comforted by the taller woman she had fallen so in love with. Once Takashi had made clear to her what her contract entailed, the consequences if she didn't' comply, and what she was expected to do and why, though Minako detested every word he said…they hit a deep nerve that shook her down to her very core.
And as she rode in the car on the way to Rei's place, replaying the entire event with Rei's father in her mind, his words began eating away at her, feeding into her insecurities.
Minako hated to admit it, but what Takashi said…more specifically about her dragging Rei down…had some valid truth to it. She'd seen enough of what Usagi and Mamoru and even Haruka and Michiru had to deal with when it came to their public image to know how much the media loved scandalous stories. And Minako would have enough fodder in her personal life for them to drudge up and inevitably pull Rei down with her. It was one thing for others to criticize her, she couldn't care less what others thought about her…
…but it was quite another when those criticisms could potentially involve and slander those she cared about, especially those she loved.
She mentally kicked herself. She knew it…she just knew it…that this was all too good to be true. That she should have ended this long ago when she had the chance. Before it got messy, before there could have been any way for her and her fucked up life to hurt or bring harm to Rei. She felt so naïve, so foolish for ignoring her own early doubts and allowing their relationship to get to this point. How could Minako honestly think that she could ever measure up to someone like Rei? How could she, a simple manager of a make-up store, who didn't even know exactly what she wanted to do in life, who couldn't even keep a relationship for any longer than a month and some change…ever think that she could fit within Rei's life? How could she be so stupid in thinking she would ever be able to walk side-by-side with someone like Rei in this lifetime?
She loved Rei, yes. There was no doubt in her soul that she was in love with Rei. Not at all. If anything, along with Takashi's words, it was one of the motivating reasons that caused her to sign the contract.
Because she loved her enough to want to protect her…from herself.
She loved her enough to let her go.
And as she made her way up to Rei's condo, she steeled herself for what she was about to do, practically shutting down emotionally in preparation for how hard she knew this would be. Not just for her own sake, but for Rei's as well. Better to give her a clean break than leave her with any questions or doubts that could lead to festering wounds given her trust issues when it came to her abilities, her physical person, and who she was socially. She wanted to at least give Rei a fighting chance at possibly allowing herself to love someone again…even if it wasn't her. Rei deserved at least that.
But now, after seeing the archer's beautiful face, being held so tightly within her embrace, that initial resolve began to fade.
- Come on, come on, don't leave me like this. I thought I had you figured out. Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted. -
Rei felt the smaller woman stir within her arms. She loosened her hold just enough to allow the gorgeous blonde to lift her head. When her anxious violets were met with those breathtaking sapphires, she could see the heavy despair and bitter strife within them and her heart ached painfully at how much she could feel Minako suffering.
- Are you gonna just stand in front of me pretending I'm not your destiny? I'm not over you. Are you over me? Are we gonna be more than a memory? -
Minako's cerulean eyes were met with the taller woman's breathtaking amethyst, she became lost in them. Unconsciously, she reached up with her hand and slid it to the back of Rei's neck, urging her to lean down.
Rei felt more than saw Minako's hand reach up, sliding to the back of her neck to gently pull her closer. Rei found herself complying, her eyelids falling closed as soft lips met her own in a gentle, chaste kiss. Even the kiss was filled with so much sorrow, so much…sadness. Rei wanted nothing more than to ease Minako of her grief.
As Rei held her tighter and began to deepen the kiss, Minako's eyes shot open, No…No, I have to end this…for Rei.
And as she quickly took a mental note of every detail of Rei's embrace, her warmth, her lips, her vanilla scent, every inch of her body as it pressed up against her own, she could feel her heart beginning to crumble…knowing that this would be the last time.
- I'm leaving you. I'm not sure if that's what I should do. It hurts so bad. I'm wanting you, but can't go back. -
The gorgeous blonde ended the kiss gently and Rei slowly opened her worried amethysts as Minako pulled out of her embrace and took a step back, just out of reach.
"I…" Minako began hesitantly. She turned her gaze to the floor, unable to look into Rei's intensely worried, lavender eyes. Her hands balled anxiously into fists at her sides in preparation for what was to come after these next few words, "I can't be with you anymore…I'm sorry." The words came out as barely a whisper but seemed to echo throughout the room in the silence.
Rei stiffened. Did Minako…really just say what she thought she said? She couldn't believe what she just heard. Her mind went blank with shock and her senses took over.
It felt like time had stopped. She suddenly felt cold…so very cold…almost to the point of shivering. Was she about to pass out?
The silence in the space seemed as if to increase in volume. It was deafening to the point it almost hurt her ears.
She began struggling to breathe, as if the air from the large room had been sucked right out. The silence was now ringing so painfully in her ears it was disorienting. The last time she felt this way was back then…when her beloved grandfather told her her mother had left this world.
"…What?," the word cut through the silence so abruptly that Rei almost didn't recognize that they came out of her own mouth. It helped her come back to herself and she took a breath, realizing that she had stopped breathing during the brief silence that felt like a lifetime.
And that's when she could feel her world crashing down as Minako's words finally sank in.
"M-Mina! Wha-What are you saying!? Why!? Why are you doing this!?," Rei vocalized a little louder than she meant to. Without her permission, the thoughts that were forming in her mind as it began catching up to what was happening were being said out loud as they came to her. Rei felt like she was no longer in control of herself. She didn't recognize the raised voice that was coming from her own mouth. Her mind was racing now, working at lightning speed as if to make up for the brief inactivity that came from Minako's words. Images of their time together flashed before her. Moments of happiness she was beginning to register she might never have again with the stunning blonde who stood before her with her head down, looking as if she had lost the will to live. Her heart begin to race, her body was heating up drastically and she was beginning to experience a low-grade hyperventilating. Somewhere in her mind, it was slowly dawning on her what was happening: she was panicking.
Minako held her breath as she struggled to force her emotions down as best she could, digging her nails into her palms as she tightened her fists, focusing all her energies on keeping her emotions at bay, "It's…It's not you," Minako began, "It's me-"
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!?," Minako flinched at Rei's sudden outburst. "You're seriously going to use that line on me!? How dare you!," Rei was livid. Though she was having a hard time reading Minako and understanding what she was trying to do, she didn't need her abilities to sense that Minako's words were bullshit. And she was surely not going to let the gorgeous blonde get away with any of this that easily, especially with such a cliché line, "Don't give me that shit! Tell me the truth! Why are you running away?"
Somewhere in the back of her mind she could feel tears beginning to form in her violet eyes, threatening to cascade down her cheeks. Given her heightened emotional state, her abilities had significantly diminished and she tried desperately to slow her breathing and calm down in an attempt to regain her focus so she could at least attempt to use them to track Minako's faint aura, which the smaller woman seemed to somehow purposefully be subduing.
"…Is it because you're scared?," Rei's voice cracked as it got softer. Her distraught amethysts went to the floor between them, trying to focus on something solid to ground herself, "Mina, I…I am too. I'm…terrified. But I…I love you. Please, Mina, don't…don't do this."
Please, Reiko, don't make this any harder for me to leave than it already is, Minako couldn't believe that the most confident and collected person she knew was standing before her, close to tears, pleading with her. Her heart shattered as she listened to Rei's broken tone. She wanted to comfort the taller woman, wanted to step forward and gently wipe the tears from Rei's beautiful face and hold her close, tell her how much she loved her, how it was ripping her apart inside that she was hurting her, and how badly she wish she didn't have to.
But that's exactly what would happen if I stay with her, Minako's thoughts brought her back to her senses, If I stay with her, I'll only be hurting her more and I can't do that to her. She deserves so much better than me. I have to let her go.
As Rei looked up and watched Minako through slightly blurred vision, she was able to calm herself down enough from her emotionally charged state to get a small read on Minako's aura again. She could sense Minako's inner turmoil, but nothing more. She desperately tried to follow the light golden thread of her aura but was unsuccessful in getting any type of other reading from the smaller woman as to why she was trying to break up with her.
It suddenly dawned on her then that, though she had told the gorgeous blonde how she truly felt about her at the shrine last night and even earlier that day just before Minako left to go to work, and though she was confident in her abilities and those warm, orange-gold flames that was Minako aura…the smaller woman had yet to say the words back to her of how she felt about Rei.
She searched Minako's image then, ready to latch on to anything at this point, really, to try and make sense of the situation, "Mina…do you…do you love me?"
Though Minako was doing her best to keep her feelings hidden from the archer, given Rei's words, she could tell Rei was struggling to read her aura due to how distraught she was now. Rei's question echoed in her mind and she thought of their time together and how she had never felt happier or more complete in her entire life. She knew she would cherish those moments forever, quite possibly until her dying breath.
Fighting back tears that threatened to surface, Minako took a deep breath as she reached deep into herself and summoned all her courage. She was going to have to push Rei away and hard, knowing that it would take more than just her words to convince the beautiful archer. She needed to convince her with her aura as well.
She knew what she had to do and hated herself for it, resenting what she was about to say.
She replayed every time someone she dated asked her to be their girlfriend, wanting her to commit to them, re-living them in her mind, tapping into her deeply-seeded fears of commitment and that innate ability of hers to shut down and go numb in those moments. She gave herself over to the feeling fully, allowing it to overtake her.
Until she felt absolutely nothing at all.
Rei watched as the smaller woman straightened and brought her clear, sapphires up to look deep into Rei's anxious, lavenders.
"No. No, I don't," Minako responded coldly.
Rei was stunned. Her eyes narrowed, trying to get a read on Minako's aura. She couldn't sense anything from Minako that contradicted her statement. In fact, she couldn't sense…anything at all from the blonde woman. It was as if Minako had…shut down.
"You're lying," Rei replied softly.
Anyone else would have thought the elegant archer was confident in her statement. But Minako wasn't just anyone and she heard the hesitation in the beautiful woman's tone, saw the way her wary amethysts twitched slightly. She could tell Rei was bluffing and having a hard time reading her aura, which is exactly what she wanted.
She knew she couldn't keep her own façade up for long, already feeling her emotions trying to fight their way to the surface and breach the walls she had contained them in. She needed to capitalize on this moment.
"Am I?" Minako challenged in the same cold tone, "You asked me to tell you the truth, so here it is: When you came to Kirei that day we met, I was bored and saw a pretty face and thought you'd be a nice fling. Once you told me you were a virgin, I thought it'd be fun to see what you'd be like in bed. I've told you before, I didn't want anything serious and I don't do the 'girlfriend' thing and never have. You're really sweet and you had money and I'm sorry I let it go on for longer than I should have because I was enjoying myself and having some fun. Now that I know you've actually fallen in love with me, I just don't want to lead you on anymore. I mean, last night was fun and it's been nice and all, but I don't love you and I'm done. I just want both of us to move on."
For the second time in a matter of minutes, Rei was frozen with shock. She couldn't believe what she had just heard come from Minako's melodic voice that seemed so distant and unfamiliar now.
"Remember what I said about playing with fire?," Minako asked softly, bringing Rei back to her sense.
"Is this some kind of sick joke?," Rei challenged lowly.
"No, this is life," Minako replied matter-of-factly, "People come and go, that's what we do. And it's my time to leave. It's been fun, but I'm done. I'm sorry, but let's not make this anything more than what it was, ok?"
Rei's instincts were screaming at her, telling her what Minako was saying didn't make sense, that there had to be some logical explanation for what she was doing. Given her years of experience with her abilities and her fame, she was acutely keen on sensing negative auras and knew that if Minako's aura gave off any inklings that matched what she was saying now, Rei would have undoubtedly picked up on it and stayed as far away from her as possible. On the contrary, Minako's aura always warm, kind, caring, ever protective of her and so very sincere. Her gaze floated down to the floor as she processed Minako's words. She shook her head slightly, No, my abilitiles couldn't have been wrong this whole time!
Minako stared at the raven-haired woman, could see her warring within herself through those distinct, intense amethysts that were now trained on the ground as she thought. She could tell Rei was resisting, not wanting to believe the hurtful words or portrayal of lies that Minako had offered up as explanation. She could tell Rei was torn and just needed one final push to convince her.
Using ever fiber in her being, Minako swallowed hard…
...and it felt as if she were killing a part of her very soul.
Make a clean break, end it now.
"You promised me," Minako continued softly, though her tone continued to remain hollow. Baffled violets darted up to the sound and were met by a pair of seemingly lifeless azures, "You promised that you'd stay with me, by my side, for as long as I wanted. Well, I'm telling you now that I don't want this anymore. I don't want…you…anymore. I'm done."
Minako's words hit Rei hard. She felt the air in her lungs escape through her open mouth as she stumbled back slightly from the shock of it. She couldn't hold Minako's image any longer and her gaze fell hopelessly back to the ground. Though the gorgeous blonde before her looked like Minako, the stunning woman's demeanor made her practically a stranger. Rei's logical mind continued its assault on her instincts., Was I…Was I so blinded by my feelings that I only saw what I wanted to see? Did I want this to be real so badly that I missed all the warning signs? Maybe Mina's just… that manipulative? I mean…she really understands how my abilities work…and she has a way of control her emotions in such a way that she's capable of shutting down to the point I can't even sense…anything from her...maybe she…
Suddenly, it hit her. She had seen this before…in that new vision she had at the shrine. The shadowy woman, the unbearable silence, the black emptiness that threatened to overcome her. Was Seika trying to warn her about this? About Minako?
At this last realization, Rei's mind won the battle over her instincts and a dangerous flame began to ignite within her, burning with rage, Kami-sama, it was all…a lie! How could I…How could I have let this happen!? Fuck, I can't believe I diluted myself into thinking she actually had feelings for me! I gave up…everything for her.
Minako noted how the beautiful archer shook her head slightly and watched as her hands slowly began clenching into tight fists by her sides. Her tall, lithe frame began to shake slightly as her alluring lip began to curl up slightly in a subtly snarl. She could tell that Rei was becoming enraged, and that only meant one thing,
She bought it, Minako thought sadly to herself. Though the outcome was what she was intending and wanted, it still caused an unparalleled pain to shoot in her chest to see the love of her life in such agony by her own hand, I'm so sorry, Reiko.
"Get out," Minako almost didn't recognize Rei's voice. It was low, laced with venom, and carried a deadly edge to it that cut Minako deeply.
Unable to hold her emotions in check anymore, tears began to form in Minako's eyes. She raised her right hand slowly, reaching out towards Rei, Fuck the consequences, I can't...I can't do this to her.
"Reiko…," she began softly as she took a step towards Rei, "I…I'm so sor-"
SMACK!
Minako let out a quiet yelp, startled by the light sting she felt on her hand. Before she could finish her sentence or get closer, Rei's hand had suddenly shot up, abruptly smacking her hand away. The archer slowly lifted her head, revealing intensely narrowed eyes that glared right at Minako. No longer the beautiful amethyst tones that Minako loved to lose herself in, they were now a darker, deadlier shade of indigo. She could almost feel them burning through to her soul.
"Don't. Touch. Me," Rei said in the same tone, this time through clenched teeth. She made her way swiftly with purpose passed the gorgeous blonde and towards the front door, yanking the handle sharply and holding it wide open. "Get. Out."
A single tear fell from Minako's eyes. It was too late, the damaged had been done. She absently rubbed her hand where Rei had swatted her…the same hand the archer had kissed so sweetly when they first met that fateful night at Kirei.
With the weight of the world squarely on her shoulders, she walked solemly towards the door and out into the hallway. Once she had barely crossed the threshold, the door slammed violently behind her. Though muffled by the door, she heard an enraged cry, followed by loud sobbing, the sounds of a broken woman and a destroyed heart.
Goodbye…my love, Minako thought as she stood numbly in the quiet hallway.
...rrrrrrr…
A soft, humming sound coming from above her and to the right caught her attention. She turned towards the sound and saw a small, security camera up in the ceiling tucked away in the far corner of the hallway. From any other angle, it would appear as though the security camera were aimed generally down the hallway, assumingly for security purposes. But, from where Minako was standing, she could absolutely see that its lens was trained directly on her and the door of the condo she had just come out of, its blinking red light signaling it was on and live.
Rei's audible sobs, the camera trained directly on her, Minako couldn't take it anymore. She dashed down the hallway, down the stairwell, and out the front door as fast as she could. In one swift motion, she opened the back, passenger door of the black Mercedes-Benz S600 Guard and threw herself in the car.
And as Zurui started the car and pulled away from the curb, Minako curled up into herself as tightly as she could and sobbed loudly, mourning the love of a lifetime.
Beep Beep!
The sound of a text message being received caught the attention of a certain tall, darkly handsome businessman sitting at an ornate, wooden office desk in a high-rise corporate building. His attractive features were illuminated by the soft glow of a computer screen on his desk. He pulled his phone from his jacket pocket and flipped it open:
HAMADA ZURUI: It's done.
Takashi pursed his lips as he began typing a few keys:
HINO TAKASHI: Good. You know what to do.
He pressed a button and the sound of a sent text came from his phone. Steel-greys went back to the computer screen as Takashi's left hand went to the mouse. He hovered the cursor arrow over the "Rewind" button on the digital media player on his computer desktop and clicked it, causing the footage he was looking at to play in reverse. Once he got to the image he wanted, he clicked on the "Pause" button and was met with the image of a gorgeous, young blonde standing in front of his only daughter's condo, staring straight into the camera. Even from the camera's angle and distance, one could clearly see the disgust and unspeakable sorrow within those teary midnight-blues.
Takashi took a deep, long breath and let it out slowly. Not taking his eyes off the image on his screen, he pressed a button on his phone and brought it up to his ear.
Brrrrrrrp…Brrrrrrrp…Click!
"Good afternoon, Shacho-sama," Satsuki answered professionally, "How may I assist you?"
"Afternoon, Yatōji-san," Takashi replied as he closed the media player window on his computer and began moving the video file he was watching and a number of other video, image, and document files from his desktop into a thumb drive that was plugged into his computer tower, "Delete all the information you've uncovered from the F.S. account from all our servers. Do everything necessary to eliminate or block anyone's ability to search for or recover any of the information you've found."
"Yes, Shacho-sama," Satsuki replied obediently on the other line. The sound of computer keys drummed in the background, "Would you like me to cease surveillance monitoring as well?"
"Yes, we won't be needing that anymore," Takashi responded as he finished his task and unplugged the thumb drive from his computer. After pocketing the small drive into his jacket pocket, he leaned over to reach his printer and collected some photos that he had printed out from his computer earlier that day.
"Terminating surveillance now," Satsuki replied as the computer keys continued to rattle in the background again, "Anything else, sir?"
"No, that will be all. Thank you," Takashi said as he carefully slid the printed sheets into an unassuming manila envelope and set it down on his desk before he shut his phone and returned the device to his jacket pocket. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, his steel-grey gaze going to the ceiling as he let out a heavy sigh. After a moment, he turned his attention to the top-right drawer of his desk. He leaned over, pulled it open, and reached in to pull out a crumpled sheet of paper, yellowed and worn from age. On it was a drawing in crayon of three stick-figures towards the left and middle of the page, each with different colored squiggly crayon lines around their bodies, and a rudimentary airplane on the top-right of the page.
Booooop!
"Shacho-sama," a young, male voice interrupted the silence in a professional tone over the intercom, "Your next appointment has just arrived. They're getting settled in the main conference room."
"Mmn, I'm heading there now. Thank you," Takashi responded absently. After a moment, he carefully returned the drawing back into its drawer and placed the manila envelope carefully on top of it before shutting the drawer softly with care. Once complete, he got up, straightened his jacket, and heading quickly to his next meeting.
- Hey, you call me up again just to break me like a promise. So casually cruel in the name of being honest. I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here… -
The solemn song that filled the space in Rei's condo went unheard as she stared blankly ahead of her, slumped on the floor, with her back leaning against the front door. After what seemed like hours, Rei had finally cried herself out. She felt exhausted, every part of her body felt heavy.
After slamming the door on Minako, she collapsed to the floor and sobbed. She cried tears of anger for allowing someone to take advantage of her so completely. She cried tears of shame for not being able to sense Minako's manipulative nature and falling in love with her. She cried tears of hurt for being used in so many ways.
But most of all, she cried tears of loss. Minako was her first after all. Her first kiss, first date, first sexual partner, first love…
And the first cut is always the deepest.
She cried knowing that she would never have those moments again. And somewhere, deep inside of her, though she couldn't readily admit to it now, she also mourned the fact that she would never have those moments with Minako again. That the embrace and kiss they shared only moments before her heart was broken so violently by the blonde make-up artist was their last.
What do I do now?, was the first conscious thought Rei had. It echoed in the silence of her mind, unanswered. She felt as though she didn't know much of anything anymore. The only thing she was very aware of now was that she felt…empty.
Ba da da Ba da da Ba da da da!...Ba da da Ba da da Ba da da da!...
The sudden sound of her cellphone ringing startled her out of her stupefied state. She reached into her pocket and pulled the device out of her pocket. Once she saw who it was, she quickly composed herself, clearing her throat so as to sound as normal as possible when she answered, and flipped it open,
"Hi, Grandpa," Rei said warmly with only a touch of raspiness in her voice from crying, "How was-"
"Hino-sensei, it me," a young man's voice responded solemnly, interrupting Rei's words.
"…Kumada-san?," Rei replied in a perplexed tone, not expecting to hear Yuuichirou's voice when she picked up the phone.
"You have to come back to the shrine. Now," Yuuichirou responded in the same tone, which was uncharacteristically grave given his personality. A shiver went down Rei neck and a foreboding sensation came over her once she registered the young apprenctice's words and his tone.
"What happened?," Rei asked intently, a touch of panic now bleeding into her words, "Where's Grandpa?"
"I was checking up on Sensei once I finished cleaning up and closing the shrine since we were going to have dinner together," Yuuichirou replied calmly, "When I went to wake him up, I noticed he wasn't breathing."
Rei could feel the blood draining from her face.
"I called the paramedics and did CPR on him until they arrived," Yuuichirou continued softly, his voice beginning to crack slightly, "B-But they said he…h-he had already passed before-"
Clack clack!
The phone slipped out of Rei's hand and fell onto the dark, bamboo flooring of her condo. The sound broke her from her frozen, stunned state and caused her to spring into action. She quickly got to her feet, stuffed the phone into her pocket, grabbed her keys, and raced out the door.
Author Note: It's getting quite a bit darker now as the plot thickens…
Thank you so much to those who have reviewed these last couple chapters. Though it's hard for me to find time to write, I do read all of them and reply if I'm able to. They really motivate me!
I noticed there's a lot of animosity towards Rei's father, and rightfully so! As I told one reviewer before, I'm ecstatic as a writer if you feel really strongly (good or bad) about the characters that I've developed. They've been living in my imagination now for 4 years and counting so I've grown pretty attached to them. It's nice to see that I'm not the only one who's come to believe in them as people and that my writing has been able to elicit genuine emotions from readers. It really is one of the highest complements as a writer so thank you again for those reviews and letting me know how you feel!
But I also like the idea that nothing is as it seems so stay tuned for more as the story moves along ;)
Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.
(updated 11/2017)