"You still remember my name, I'm honored." Rei's bitterness snapped Minako from her shock. Dread washed, no, crashed into her like a tidal wave as she realized she was standing before the woman she had hurt beyond description. And suddenly, all the glamour and luxury she had earned seemed completely insignificant. The miko tried to calm her speeding heart. Of all the ways she thought they'd meet again, Minako standing there gaping at her like a fish while she stood with her arms crossed wasn't one of them. It did, however, make her feel triumphant. She had the upper hand. For how long was a different story. "Are you going to say something or continue to gape?" The singer winced, unable to stop herself. How well she knew the taunting and the anger hidden behind the sweet voice that dripped with venom. For years it had been directed at youma, then boys that treated Minako like trash, and finally those who didn't approve of their relationship. But never had the blonde been on the receiving end. It cut deeper than anything she's ever known. "What's wrong, Aino? Thought you'd come sneaking around the shrine but not run into me? Sorry, but things don't work out the way you want them to." What Rei said hung in the air, reopening old wounds that had yet to heal. Minako couldn't think of a single thing to say, her mind failing her during what she knew to be an important moment. "Can't think of anything to say without your publicist, agent and personal aid? God, show business must have really rotten your brains. After all, you don't have to think for yourself anymore." The raven-haired woman didn't know what was coming out of her mouth, but it didn't matter. That hurt look on her ex's face was soothing her shattered pride far better than any of her accomplishments did. But to see those blue eyes darken... she'd be a fool to say it didn't pull at her heartstrings. "Still silent? You're such a fool, Aino. Now, kindly get off my property. You're not welcome here." One look at the burning lavender eyes convinced Minako that the miko wasn't joking. It's been six years, but Rei still had far more power over her than anyone else in her life ever had, or probably ever will. In a slow walk and while trying to salvage what was left of her dignity, the star headed back on the trail from which she came. But that meant walking past her ex. 'She's right,' Minako thought bitterly. 'I am a fool to think I can come here without seeing her. You don't revisit past haunts without stumbling upon the past itself.' The singer dared to look at the miko as she walked past. God, she was still as beautiful as ever. No, she was more beautiful. She had matured a great deal, her body taking on the shape of a woman in her full bloom. She was lean, but curvy, muscles hidden by her feminine appearance. Her attire was a simple white baby Tee and a pair of light blue jean shorts. When she was sixteen, the outfit made Rei appear innocent but pretty. Now, she radiated with a kind of natural grace and confidence that made her absolutely ravishing, even in her casual outfit. Her face was still as perfect as it had been when the singer left. But now she seemed worldlier, her features that of a strong and confident woman who knew just how beautiful she was. Plump lips, a strong nose, high cheekbones and her eyes... God, her eyes. As intense as they were in her teens while the hard earned wisdom clashed with the brightness of their color, almost. But now there was something much darker, something that caused her dreams to extinguish. There was a sadness that went beyond her loneliness, and Minako saw it all in her eyes. The star lowered her head when she passed her lover. Ex-lover. Ex. She had lost one of the most amazing things she'd ever had and was a fool to think she could make things right just by going back to a few of the places they used to frequent. It had only made things worse. Rei's eyes remained straight ahead as her ex passed. She ignored the smell the blonde always carried that bombarded her senses. The eyes that took her in meant nothing. They had meant everything once, but no more. No more. The star tried to break into a run the second she passed Rei. It was a harder task than she thought. It occurred to her to say something now that she wasn't in the direct line of vision of those lavender eyes, but what could she say? Nothing could make everything all right. Nothing could undo the damage that's already been done. And nothing could make the hatred in Rei's eyes go away. The miko leaned against a tree for support after she was sure the blonde was gone. She released the breath she had been holding, feeling everything wash over her. Six years. A meeting that took six years in the making. And it was over in less than five minutes. 'The past doesn't deserve even that much time.' Aino Minako was her past. She just happened to exist in the present. That meant nothing. She meant nothing. 'So why does it hurt?' Minako felt something against her shoulder and looked over to find Mei's head there. With a motherly smile, she reached over and wiped a bit of dirt off the young woman's cheek. Sitting across from her, Jen and Patrick weren't in much better shape. The two of them were leaning against each other, eyes closed. Barbara was talking on her cell phone, though more subdued than usual. Even her bodyguards seemed exhausted. There was a very good reason for that. She had signed a contract with The Siren Agency last week, giving all publicity responsibilities to the company. And they had, in turn, booked her full for her entire trip, which is scheduled to be for one month. Already she's been on more talk shows, radio shows and news programs this week alone than she usually is on in a month. "Okay, time to get ready, everyone," Babs commanded while snapping her fingers. "One more minute, Mommy," Mei mumbled. "No, Li Ting Mei. Not later, now." The Chinese girl grumbled under her breath as she came to. Minako giggled softly at her cursing, which was a mix of Chinese, Japanese, English and Spanish. As the limo stopped, the occupants could see an endless sea of flashes. The bodyguards positioned themselves, looking at Babs for the signal. The redhead sent one look at her employer and waved to the security detail when she received a nod. Rocko, an ex-Pro football player walked out first, his giant stature making it impossible for the cameras in front to get a shot of Minako as she exited the car. The singers' other bodyguards appeared, creating a barrier around the blonde as she headed toward the building. The Japanese native ignored the questions buzzing around her and the flashes that would have blinded her if not for her sunglasses. A microphone was suddenly shoved in front of her face. "Aino-san, how do you feel about the fact that your popularity is dropping rather than rising?" She was saved from having to answer when Brad pushed the reporter back, but the question lingered in her mind. Her popularity was dropping? It couldn't be, right? The backstage area was a mess when the group arrived. It seemed that the host was out with a bad case of food poisoning and the show was cancelled for the night. Babs was busy calling The Siren Agency to tell them the news. "I say we feed her to the media next time," growled a still groggy Mei as she pointed at the redhead. The others laughed at the grumpy Chinese girl. "So, Minako, how was your day off last week?" The blonde frowned at the reminder of her meeting with Rei. She had kept herself from thinking about that day, from thinking about how beautiful the miko had looked. Not even Catalina could compare with her ex sometimes. While the supermodel was hot as hell and sexy as a bitch, Hino Rei was a beauty few could ever dream of seeing. Besides, Catalina has been cheapened by her willingness to attach herself to any big name. Rei, no matter what she does, will always be far purer than low lifes like her. "Well?" urged Mei impatiently. Minako smiled weakly, causing the members of her glamour squad to move in closer. "It was... something." Jen arched a brow. "Gotta be more specific than that." The internationally famous singer sat down on a bench, a far off look in her blue eyes. She shook her head, squeezing her them shut as if to ward off bad images. "I met someone." Mei brightened immediately, plopping down next to her boss and grinning like there was no tomorrow. She tugged on the blonde's arm. "Well?" "Yes, well?" Jen growled, rolling her eyes. "What's so special about this beauty? How's she different from all the girls you've met and took to bed?" Minako looked up at the frowning face of her stylist, confused beyond reason. Patrick chuckled, draping an arm around the black-haired woman. "Don't worry, Jen's just jealous." The spiky-haired American pushed his arm off, glowering at the grinning Texan. "Will you spill already? Who's this new girl?" The blonde singer sobered, rocking back and forth slightly. "It's not someone new." "Damn it," Jen growled softly, her Australian accent slipping through. "Will you make sense?" Minako swallowed, looking down at her hands. "It's my ex." The glamour squad deflated, either rolling their eyes or sighing. "I thought it was someone important," Mei pouted. "Just an ex. You have hundreds of those," Patrick teased. Jen eyed her boss, on whose face a smile had yet to appear. Something was definitely off here. "No, no, no!" Minako whispered heatedly, standing and pacing about. "This isn't an ex. This is the ex." "The ex?" The star stopped, leaning against the wall for support as she looked up at the ceiling. Her voice was thick with emotion, something none of her friends was used to. "She's the one I left behind. She's the one that made me smile when I was down, the one that gave me strength when I was ready to quit. She was with me when I was no one, when the only thing I had was her." Minako paused to wipe the tears from her cheeks. God, it was about time she admitted everything to someone. How could she think she could forget about Rei? Forget about all she did for her and meant to her? "She's the one you wrote 'One of These Days' for." Mei stared with wide eyes when her boss nodded to Patrick's question. Wow. Despite what the singer had told Luna the other day, she always thought the song was just a piece written to fill the album, not anything of sentimental value. "So, you met her again?" Jen tried to ignore the pang she felt when Minako nodded again. She always knew there was someone her ex-lover treasured beyond anyone and anything else in the world. Why wouldn't she be in Japan, the place the blonde left behind? "And how did that go?" The crushed look was enough of an answer for Patrick. He really did pity Minako. 'One of These Days' clearly meant so much to his employer/friend. The person it was written for must have been quite special to the blonde. "So?" "So what?" Mei took the singer's hand into her own, smiling with the innocence that she was known for. "Are you going after her?" Minako paused, the question surprising her more than she wanted to admit. She never even thought of going after Rei, not even once. But even if she did try to get the miko back, the chances were slim beyond description. Besides, who was she to try and rekindle the relationship? She had been the one to let the woman go, she didn't have a right to beg for Rei's forgiveness, must less deserve another chance. Whether or not the woman would even talk to her was another issue all together. "I don't know." "Think about it," Mei urged with a reassuring grin. The singer nodded grimly. "I will." Utena opened her brown eyes, trying to blink away the rays of the rising sun. Her shades were open, so that meant... She looked to her side to find Rei tangled in her sheets and... well, her. The Japanese woman sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. What exactly happened? She remembered Rei calling her at four, shortly after she had left work. The miko sounded close to hysteria and demanded they go out to dinner together. After eating at a nice French restaurant they often frequented, they went to a nearby club. There were drinks and dancing and the rest was a blur. But judging by the fact that they were both naked, it's safe to say there was sex involved. Utena sighed and grabbed the remote control for her apartment off the floor, shutting the shades. As the room was plunged into darkness, she lay back down and looked up at the ceiling. Rei seemed to sense her movements and snuggled closer to her. With an adoring smile, the short woman looked over at the sleeping features of her friend. Being friends with benefits with a beautiful woman like Hino Rei had, well, its benefits. Whenever either of them had a particularly bad day or just felt like spending a night with someone they knew but who wouldn't attach any strings, they came to each other. Neither Utena nor the miko had a short supply of suitors, but sometimes it's just better with someone you know. A soft hand began to lazily caress her stomach, a sign that her bed partner was awake. Brown eyes looked at the beautiful woman lying on her side to find a pair of sleepy lavender eyes staring back, a somewhat dopey smile on her lovely face. Utena smiled back. "Good morning." Rei grinned and pressed her body against her friend's side, face nuzzling the elegant curve of the older woman's neck and her jet-black hair. "Morning." The older woman absentmindedly ran her hand up and down her lover's arm, causing the miko to purr softly. The brown-eyed woman chuckled and pulled the spare sheet she kept in bed over their nude bodies. A few minutes later, Utena couldn't keep in her curiosity anymore. "So, what caused you to seek refuge in my bed?" Rei instantly stiffened, causing her friend to sigh softly. Brown eyes sought the scowling face as the miko pulled away. "Well?" The younger woman hooded her eyes with her long lashes and rolled on top of her partner, a pleading look in her clouded lavender orbs. "Can't we just skip this and go back to sex?" Utena's own eyes closed and she titled back her head, an action which caused a pair of rub lips to miss their mark and end up kissing the shorter woman's chin instead. Rei paused, leaning back and placing a hand on either side of the black hair topped head. "You've never cared before," snapped the angry 23-year-old. "Wrong," the older woman shot back, just as annoyed. "I've always cared. You've never told me." "What do you mean, 'I never tell you'? I tell you everything." Brown eyes flamed as the petite woman sat up, forcing Rei to back up and sit on her heels. "You don't tell me shit. I know I'll never be as close or trusted as your damn 'Inner Council,' but I'm your friend, too. You think I like being the one you always fuck but never tell anything to? You think I like it? I don't. But what can I do but bear it, hoping you'll someday open up to me?" Utena jumped out of bed, stalking out of her bedroom. The miko sat there for a minute, stunned, before scrambling after her friend. Too bad her legs were still tangled in the sheets, which forced her to fall quite ungracefully off the bed. The miko banged on the door of the bathroom, yelling for the other woman to open the door. After a while of continuous knocking, the door suddenly opened, causing Rei to very nearly smack Utena on the head. The shorter woman glared up at the embarrassed miko, dripping wet. The lavender-eyed woman gulped and smiled sheepishly. "Can't I take a bath in peace?" Utena very rarely got angry, as opposed to her younger counterpart, who gets enraged easier than you can say 'shit.' And now, Rei realized that that was a very, very good thing. "I'm sorry?" The wet woman turned, walking back toward her Jacuzzi. Her anxious friend stood there, not sure of what to do. "You might as well join me." Rei smiled as Utena slipped into the bubbling water. She approached, but sat on the floor instead, watching her bed partner with half-closed eyes. It took a lot for the brown-eyed woman to explode. Apparently, her actions caused the soft-spoken woman more hurt than she imagined. Her eyes slowly closed as she leaned against the tub. She didn't blame Utena. She knew better than anyone what it felt like to think you're not good enough and that you're only being used. Her superior seemed so much stronger than her, not needing anyone to lean against. But inside, she was just as weak as everyone else, if not more so. She allowed Rei to see inside her, yet didn't get the same in return. Gentle fingers caressed her shoulder, pressing down lightly but hard enough to cause pain to shoot down that arm. Lavender eyes opened to see Utena gazing in concern at Rei's right shoulder. The miko followed her gaze to find a rather large bruise marring her skin. "What happened?" The hot-tempered woman shrugged casually, though she felt a blush coloring her cheeks. "I was rushing after you and... fell off the bed." Utena's face twisted, caught between guilt, amusement and exasperation. She settled for a small smile and a brief shake of her head. Rei smiled back, glad to be on the woman's good side, even if it meant an annoying shoulder for a couple of days. "I talked Minako yesterday." The miko could see the shock in her friend's brown eyes, but whether it was because of the news or the fact that she told her, she didn't know. "What?" Rei sobered. "She came to the shrine." One of the reasons the senshi liked Utena as much as she did was because the woman knew when to speak and when to stay silent. This time, she wisely chose to do the latter. Half an hour later, after the older woman had slipped out of her bath and her houseguest had showered, they were both getting dressed. Of course, finding all of the miko's clothes was a bit of a challenge, but they managed to accomplish the task... eventually. Rei stood at the door, unsure of what to do. Usually, they went to work together and so the awkwardness was gone by the time they were at the office but today, her superior had the day off. The miko looked at her friend, who leaned casually against the wall with a brow arched to convey her curiosity. Ivory skin tinted with red as the younger woman blushed cutely. Without thinking, she leaned over and brushed her red lips against the other woman's cheek before heading out the door. Utena's voice reached her just as the elevator doors were about to close. "Minako's popularity is dropping." Wide lavender eyes watched the double doors shut. Mei blew another bubble as her form of protest. Barbara sent her an annoyed look, causing the Chinese girl to whimper and scoot closer to Minako. The singer smiled at her little dysfunctional family, shaking her head. They must have made a hilarious sight: the famous pop idiot Aino Minako sitting between a Chinese girl in pigtails blowing bubbles with her gum and a punky looking woman staring into a compact mirror and messing with her spiky black hair, of which blonde was beginning to show a the roots. Next to her was a beautiful, for there was no other way to describe him, African American man dressed in cowboy boots, a black muscle tee and tight jeans, who was flipping through a copy of some magazine or other. To Mei's other side was an elegant looking woman with fiery red hair in a bun, dressed in a black business suit and busy with her Palm Pilot. Fortunately, her publicist and agent weren't there or else it'd be a real zoo. "Babs, how much longer?" Mei whined. "I don't know," snapped the annoyed redhead. "Why are they making Minako wait, anyhow?" mumbled Jen. "Their damn big shot isn't here yet," Babs reminded for what seemed to her like the 800th time. "Why are we signing with Athena Management when we have a contract with Siren?" Minako was amazed (and relieved) Barbara didn't explode. She'd already explained this twice, but dealing with Mei required patience, something her manager just did not have. But she was clearly as disconcerted with the recent events as everyone else was, since she only sighed and shut off her Palm Pilot. "Because Siren, instead of raising Minako's popularity, has lowered it." Mei nodded dutifully, causing Barbara to actually smile tiredly. "But I thought you said Athena Management was geared more toward actors." "Yes, but apparently they recently acquired a young genius that specializes in music publicity to try and expand their ground." "So, he's the one we're waiting for?" To everyone utter disbelief, the fast-mouthed manager smiled again and patted Mei on the head. The hair stylist grinned adoringly. "I'm sorry for the delay," a pretty young woman said with a deep bow, "but our department head has just arrived." Even though the girl spoke in Japanese, Barbara obvious understood what she meant since she stood, mumbling under her breath. The group of four women and one Texan was led through the obviously recently redecorated hallways, which were done in a mix of modern architecture and wood furnishings. "Please wait here," the girl said in English as she showed them into a large office. "Our department head will be here in a moment." "Thank you," Patrick said, smiling flirtatiously at the pretty young woman. "Quit flirting," scolded Jen, hitting his shoulder. "Sit down, all of you." The two quieted at the first appearance of the Nazi bitch tone. Minako could see Barbara's poker face falling into place. In another few seconds, The Shark, as many dubbed her, will be ready to handle anything Athena Management threw at them. Just then, the door opened and everyone turned expectantly towards the sound. First, the young woman that showed them in re-entered, holding the door open for a beautiful Asian woman and- Minako's eyes widened. "Rei." Sorry that took so long to type up, but I really hate doing it. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I left a couple more hints as to Rei and Minako's breakup as well as hints of Rei's relationships while Minako was gone, as some of you wanted. The singer wasn't the only one that got busy in the five years. I hope I established a little more of the relationships Rei and Minako have with the OCs I've introduced in this fic, there's one more major OC yet to appear but for those that have read 'Fallen,' you'll know who he is. He's coming out soon, though he'll be a bit different in this fic.
Back to 1000 Words Index - Back to Sailor Moon Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction