The miko seemed just as surprised since her expressive eyes were wide, her full lips parted to form a tiny, perfectly round "o." Minako couldn't think of anything to say, her mind having shut down the second she saw the beautiful woman at the door. She had not been expecting her ex of all people. She hadn't even thought Rei was into publicity and all that. The lavender-eyed woman snapped out of her stupor and wordlessly grabbed Utena's arm, dragging her out of the office and shutting the door. "You never told me she was my next client." The shorter woman winced at the volume of her friend's scream, which caused the entire floor to stop and stare. However, one look from the angry miko had them returning to their work quite quickly. "If I told you, you would've said 'no.'" "So?!" Utena waited for a few minutes to give the flustered woman time to calm. Finally, Rei took a deep breath and stared at her superior. "I told you last week that her popularity was dropping, you should have known that she would come to us eventually." "But why me? Why don't you handle her case? You know my past with her." "First of all," Utena retorted calmly, "you're the best music publicist in the market, of course when a big name like Mina comes, you'll be on the case. Second, I've told you many times, business and personal life have to be separate." "Business and private life become the same thing when it concerns her. She's my ex! She left me for music. And now you expect me to help her advance the very thing she left me for?!" The shorter woman placed a hand on the hysterical woman's shoulders, piercing her lavender eyes with her cinnamon ones. "So, you'll let her be reduced to another pop star that came and went? No matter how much she hurt you, Rei, you're not the type to just let her suffer like this. And this is Minako, the love of your life, not some one night stand." The miko gave a grunt, a sign that, as much as she hated to admit it, her boss was right. Regardless of the past, she couldn't let Minako's career fall to pieces. "Besides, it's your job we're talking about, Hino. Turning down a client as big as Minako will greatly harm your standing in the company, especially if it's made known that you refused the case on account of personal reasons." There was another grunt of reluctant agreement. Utena could tell her friend was as good as on the job. "Third, think of how much it will help your career if you manage to help Minako. You will have salvaged what Siren destroyed." Rei sighed weakly, her shoulders sagging enough for the shorter woman to wrap an arm around them. The brown-eyed Utena smiled, pinching the fiery woman's cheeks. "Besides, I'm willing to see if I can convince the board to give you three weeks off with pay and a ticket to England if you pull this off." The miko's disbelief was enough of a reason for her to ignore that fact that someone was pinching her cheek. Her friend almost laughed at the excitement in her lavender eyes. "Are you serious?" The older woman smiled and nodded. Rei ran a hand through her hair and sighed again. "Fine, I'll do it." Utena smiled motherly at the younger woman, lifting her chin with a finger and looking into her eye with a reassuring look. "You'll be fine. I'll go in there with you if you want." "Will you?" The miko's voice sounded unusually hesitant and scared, making it appear child-like and so very adorable. She received a nod as her response. The lavender-eyed woman could not, however, make the butterflies in her stomach go away. Utena fixed Rei's pinstriped blouse and her necklace. "You can do this. Minako's your past, not your present, nor your future. There's a reason you're known as one of the best, you can do this." Rei nodded and took a deep breath. She watched Utena's hand intently as it turned the knob. Minako was snapped out of her shock when she heard the door close. She shook her head, looking around to see if anyone noticed her whisper. Fortunately, everyone was too preoccupied with Rei's abrupt exit. "That was... strange," commented Patrick. "And rude," added Mei with a pout. "So that was their expert." Everyone turned to Jen, who sat on the couch with her arms crossed and a peculiar look on her face. Babs shrugged. "I guess so." There was silence for a few seconds before Mei spoke again. "They were both preeeeetty." Minako tired to ignore the bubbly tone that the Chinese girl used, but couldn't. Her statement was correct, for the most part. As far as she was concerned, Rei was more along the lines of beautiful but the woman that was with her was very pretty. She had the classic petite figure that Asians were known for, delicate and shy. "Of course, you'd notice that," Jen commented. "You love pretty things, after all." "As if you didn't notice them," Mei shot back dryly. "Your eyes were glued on the one with the really long hair." "I was simply admiring her blouse." Even Patrick rolled his eyes as if to say 'nice try.' Minako, however, felt her heart skip a beat. Jen noticed Rei. Okay, so her fellow senshi was drop dead gorgeous and her stylist had excellent taste in women. Besides, neither woman was her girlfriend now. She shouldn't have a problem with it. Again, there was silence and for that, the blonde singer was glad. It gave her time to think, though she didn't much want to. Whether or not Rei will be handling her case didn't matter, though it certainly seemed like she wasn't just another employee. Okay, that was a complete lie. The woman she had hurt and abandoned might be handling her career in Japan. While she knew Rei was not the type to let her feelings interfere with her work, she couldn't help but be afraid. And how was she going to face her ex-girlfriend after what she had done? Their last encounter did nothing but show her how much the miko hated her. "I hope this expert of theirs speaks English," commented Barbara suddenly. "Was Siren so lacking that they could not provide you with even that much?" The confident and amused voice that spoke, in perfect English without an accent at all, caused everyone to stand. Minako's heart pounded as she set her eyes on the woman she'd abandoned for the second time in less than five minutes. She felt her mouth go dry. Rei was standing by the door, the shock and disbelief from earlier completely gone. She had reverted back to her elegant, confident and graceful self. It was one thing seeing the miko in all her glory and poise when she was in a T-shirt and shorts, it was another to see her in business attire. She looked absolutely delicious. A blouse and black leather pants would look either completely tacky or inappropriate for a publicist, but not Rei. It was acceptable and only added to the kind of dangerous presence she radiated. "I'm sorry about my behavior earlier," the miko continued, a dazzling smile on her face as she approached the group of Americans. "I suddenly remembered there was some... business, to take care of." Minako hated the way her ex's eyes turned to her at the word "business" and wished those lovely lavender orbs would stay on her, but they didn't. Rei was announcing to her loud and clear that she saw their old relationship with nothing more than detachment, or else she wouldn't have used the word "business." "That's quite all right," assured Barbara with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I don't believe I know your name." "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Rei, Rei Hino." The miko shook the redhead's hand before turning to the somewhat stoic woman beside her. "This is my superior, Utena Takahashi, Junior Vice President of Athena Management." The blonde singer didn't know why her stomach dropped when she saw the brown-eyed woman. Perhaps it was her stoicism that bothered her. Whatever the case, she just didn't get a good feeling from her. "A pleasure," Barbara responded, shaking Utena's hand. "I'm Barbara O'Reilly. My client, Minako Aino." Minako tried to calm her speeding heart when Rei turned to shake her hand. The lavender eyes she once adored above all else pierced her own sapphire ones, the intensity of the gaze contrasting with the forced smile on the lovely face. The singer felt the blood rush to her ears, and her palms, to her utter dismay, started to sweat. The fiery woman offered the blonde her hand, her heart pounding in her chest. Minako stared at the offered hand for a second, the shock plain on her face. Her eyes then wandered back to the miko's eyes before slipping her hand into her ex-girlfriend's. The singer felt a buzz jump from the fire senshi's hand onto hers and then travel up her arm, leaving her skin tingling. She let go of Rei's hand as she stared into the familiar pools of lavender. The miko was just as surprised when she felt a tingle and a spark of something. She thought it was impossible to get that feeling, at least with the blonde. Her eyes never blinked as Utena shook hands with the star she will, with luck, sign to the agency. "This is Jennifer Allen, Minako's stylist." The black-haired Aussie shook Rei's hand, her green eyes taking in the beautiful Asian. If Minako was beautiful in that radiant and innocent kind of way, this woman was beautiful in the sexy and dark way. Perhaps she'll give her a try... "Next to her is Li Ting Mei, Mina's hair stylist." The senshi of Mars felt a genuine smile tug at her lips at the energy the shorter woman exhibited. She was kind of like Usagi, a bundle of cuteness, fluffy and hyperactivity. "And last, Patrick Jackson, the makeup artist." The African American man flashed Rei a pearly smile when they shook hands. The woman returned it with a sexy little half-smile of her own, hooding her eyes with her long lashes. "Please, sit." Minako silently took her seat between Jen and Mei again as her ex-girlfriend and her superior sat across from them in two armchairs. The young woman that showed the singer and her crew in returned, waiting by Rei's chair. "What would you all like to drink?" "Coffee!" Mei answered enthusiastically. None of the occupants of the room thought that was a good idea, but allowed the young woman to ask for her desired drink. "Tea, please," Minako said with a small smile. "Me too," Patrick added. "Coffee for Babs and me," Jen finished. The girl made her exit quickly, leaving the room silent for a few seconds. It was Barbara that spoke up first. "Miss Hino, I heard you originally worked for The Siren Agency." Rei was obviously surprised, though she covered it quickly with a warm smile. Minako felt her face heat up just from the sight. "Yes, I did." "Siren was the company that discovered your talent, was it not?" It wasn't unusual for the redhead to be on the offensive, but for once, her client was rather annoyed. Her manager knew so much about the beautiful woman that was the blonde's ex, but didn't even feel the need to tell the star they'd be working together. 'Why should she, Aino? She has no idea you even know Rei, much less what she meant to you.' "That is correct." The Japanese superstar tried her damn best to stare at the miko without being noticed. "May I ask why you're currently working for Athena Management then?" It was then the secretary decided to return with their drinks. Placing the cups down in front of the people that ordered each beverage, she took her leave. Minako took immediate notice that Rei didn't move to make her coffee the way she liked it. To her annoyance, Utena took the miko's cup, and added two creams and three sugars, the way the miko loved her coffee. "Of course. It's something most wonder about." The lavender-eyed woman shot her superior a warm, little smile when she was handed her coffee. She took a sip and closed her eyes to enjoy the feel of the warm drink move down her chest. "While I'll always remain thankful to Siren for giving me a chance," she said, opening her intense eyes to regard Barbara evenly. "I couldn't stay where I was not allowed to reach my full potential. Appreciation and gratitude can only tie you down to a place that doesn't treat you properly for so long." "I see." The blonde's manager liked the way Rei Hino wasn't falsely sweet and kissing her ass like most people she dealt with. There was an honestly and aloofness that she found refreshing. "So, what can you do for us, Miss Hino?" The raven-haired publicist smiled confidently and made eye contact with the redhead, the assurance that lay in her own confidence oozing off of her. "I can give you all that you lost with Siren and more." Barbara arched a brow, surprisingly not finding the younger woman arrogant. "Oh?" "Miss Aino-" Minako winced at the cold tone with which her ex said her name. "-has always been one of the biggest names in Japan. But seeing as how she hasn't returned for a long time-" The accusation in Rei's voice was well deserved, but painful. "- the fans have begun to lose faith in her. So, when she returned, they were ecstatic. Siren used the buzz generated to get her on every big name show they could. It's having the reverse affect because of overexposure." Minako's crew nodded, finding the truth behind the beautiful woman's words. The public was simply sick of seeing the star on the newspapers, hearing her on every radio show and her always beign there whenever a TV was turned on. "So, what do you propose?" The raven-haired woman sipped her coffee, a casual action to all but to the blonde singer. It was what the miko did occasionally to heighten the anticipation or, sometimes, to stall for more time while she thought her plan through. She wasn't sure which it was this time, but it certainly created the suspenseful wait. "To start off, we take Miss Aino off the map for a while, not long, maybe a week or so just to get the public interested again." "That makes sense," Mei murmured with a nod. "Yes, but we didn't plan for Mina to be here for too long." The young woman in question looked at her manager, surprised she was thinking about the time limit they'd put on her vacation when her career in her native country was in jeopardy. "Unfortunately, when you hit a snag like this, careful planning often flies out the window. You'll have to extend your stay, I'm afraid." Rei hated the suggestion and she took another sip from her cup to keep herself from showing it. Having her ex-girlfriend stay in the country any longer would eventually kill her, especially now considering they'd probably be working together closely. "Okay, say we do extend our trip and go with your plan to keep Mina out of the spotlight for a while. Then what?" "We re-introduce Miss Aino to the public, but not the way Siren did." Rei shifted in her seat to avoid looking at her potential client. That would make things a lot easier... theoretically. "Siren wanted max publicity and as many appearances as they could squeeze in, sacrificing the bond between your client and her fans. This time, we would try a low-key approach. Fewer shows, but staying for longer periods of time to give the host ample time to ask questions and get the fans reacquainted with Miss Aino." Babs nodded. Everything so far would seem to work. But she wasn't about to jump into anything else as quickly as she had told her client to sign with Siren. She had been impatient and that had cost Minako dearly. She wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. "You can consider it, of course," the miko said with a mix of assurance and a hint of a warning. "But not for too long. Every second you're under Siren's contract, the more Miss Aino's popularity drops. I'm afraid it doesn't leave you with much choice." Minako admired the way the hot-tempered woman handled herself. She was confident in herself and her abilities without being obnoxious, suggestive without being overbearing, and understanding but keeping her own best interest first. Barbara turned to look at the blonde singer, who seemed to be in dreamland at the moment. She nudged her and arched a brow. The blonde shrugged nonchalantly, a little too casually since she was making an important choice regarding her career in Japan. "I've already said it once, Babs," Minako said simply, "do whatever it takes." The redhead nodded firmly before turning to Rei. "We accept." The miko was torn as to whether she should cry or jump for joy. On the one hand, she just landed the case of a lifetime. One the other, she just signed on to work with her ex for at least a month. She settled for a warm smile. "Good choice. Of course, since you're under contract with Siren, we won't be able to sign anything to insure our partnership." "We don't go back on our word," Barbara responded. "Nor do I plan on leaving with career a mess." The singer's serious and firm comment caused everyone to look at her in surprised. She shrugged again and leaned against the back of the couch, suddenly feeling very self-conscious, what with Rei staring at her. "We'll get it straightened out," the miko said to the singer without malice and then, before she could stop herself, added, "I promise." Minako felt a warm fire burn its way through her entire body at the two simple words. It was all the reassurance she needed since she knew Rei never broke a promise. "But we're still under contract with Siren." Mei's whine popped everyone's bubble. Well, Minako's, anyhow. "Yes," the publicist said with a frown. "We'll take care of that too. We can't sign Miss Aino until we release her from Siren." The lavender-eyed woman turned to Utena, who had been silent through the entire meeting. The older woman stood and walked towards the large desk by the window. "We'll have our best attorney on it." The miko looked at her watch and frowned. "Kenji should be in the middle of a department meeting right about now." "So? He'll be out of there the second I tell him you're the one that needs his expertise." Rei rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "No way." "How much do you want to bet?" The senshi of Mars weighed her choices. If she was took this bet, she could wipe that smirk off her superior's face if she was right, but would face endless teasing if she was wrong. If she backed down, she'd be mocked anyway. "Dinner at La Noche." Utena smirked and picked up the phone. "Remember I like white wine, Hino." The office was silent for a second as Utena wanted for Kenji to pick up. The miko chewed on her bottom lip. "This is Takahashi, put Kenji Parker on the phone, please. Hello, Kenji? It's Utena. Yes, I know you're in the middle of a meeting, but you're needed." There was a slight pause and Rei shifted in her seat. "Come on, Kenji, you know I wouldn't call you if it wasn't important." The wait was killing the poor lavender-eyed woman, who was busy trying to figure out which wine she would order, assuming that she lost. "Yes, I know. But it's Rei that needs you up here." The miko swallowed and leaned forward unconsciously. Everyone except Mei and Minako watched with amusement, since Utena had been speaking Japanese. Utena smirked. "You'll be right up? Good. See you later." The Junior Vice President turned to Minako and her crew before speaking, in perfect English. "He'll be up in a second." The leather-clad woman groaned and ran a hand through her raven hair. Utena walked over and wrapped her arms around the younger woman's neck. "When are you picking me up tomorrow night?" she half-purred in her native Japanese. Rei shook her head as a smile made its way onto her full lips. "Seven thirty sound good?" "It sounds great." "Wear that dress you bought last week," the miko added as an afterthought. Utena walked over to the miko's desk again and picked up a few documents to skin through while they waited. "You know I got that for the charity auction." "I don't care," the younger woman found herself protesting almost childishly. "I want you in that dress. I'm dishing out a couple hundred for dinner here, you can at least humor me." "Oh, fine. But you'll have to go with me to find a replacement to wear to the auction." "My pleasure," Rei said in a husky whisper. Minako bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying something she knew she'd regret. She'd finally figured out why Utena bugged her so. She and Rei were obviously more than just friends. The door opened just then and in walked a young man, completely out of breath. He didn't seem to see Minako and 'her people' as he made a beeline for Rei with a huge grin. "Rei-san, I got up here as soon as I heard you needed me. How may I be of service?" Utena snickered, though she hid it behind the document she was reading. Babs and Jen didn't know what was going on, but thought the exasperated and annoyed expression on the miko's face was very cute. "Thanks for coming up, Kenji. But first, I'd like to introduce you to our latest client, Miss Aino Minako." The man's face lit up as his brown eyes widened. He turned and took one look at the blonde singer before freaking out. He started thinking out loud in Japanese about how much hotter the singer was in person and some things that were better left in his mind. Minako tried desperately to keep from laughing, more amused by the young man's enthusiasm than disturbed by the scenarios he imagined her in. Mei, on the other hand, was blushing like crazy. Rei groaned softly, not even wanting to know how embarrassed she looked. She was sure Utena was caught between amusement and wanting to throttle the ranting lawyer. "Kenji?" No response. The miko cleared her throat loudly. "Kenji." She was once again ignored as more fantasies sprouted from the young man's mouth. "Kenji!" The lawyer finally stopped and turned to look at the annoyed woman. "Nani?" "Kenji, what's Aino-san's nationality?" Rei asked in Japanese, trying to keep her temper in check. "Japanese, of course." "What languages does she speak?" "English and Japanese." "What language were you screaming your dreams in?" "Japanese, why-" Minako and Mei watched in amusement as it dawned on Kenji that the singer had understood everything he's said. He bowed repeatedly, begging for forgiveness with a flushed face. His idol smiled. "It's all right, no harm done." Rei thought it was nice of the singer to respond in English, to save the poor man from any more embarrassment. "So, what did you need, Rei-san?" "Aino-san wishes to sign with us. But, she has to break contract with Siren first." "Ooooooh, a Siren contact, eh? This should be fun." Barbara smiled slightly at the young lawyer's enthusiasm. The miko, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "First things first, this is Kenji Parker, one of our best lawyers." After the young man shook hands with everyone, he turned to Rei to await further instructions. Utena returned to her seat by the miko and waited. "Would you happen to have the contract with you?" Babs pulled out an envelope and handed it to the lavender-eyed woman, who passed it on to an expectant Kenji. The envelope didn't stand a chance. "Standard contract, it seems." "It binds Aino-san to Siren, it can't be standard, Ken." "No, of course not. But they kept most of your suggestions." "I got them from friends, don't look at me," Rei snapped almost defensively as she shifted in her chair. Kenji shrugged and arched a brow. "Were you the one that suggested all clients be required to wear only swimsuits to all McDonald commercials?" "What?!" Minako's entire crew was shocked as Babs and Mei jumped to their feet. Jen looked annoyed and Patrick just looked disgusted. Even Rei blinked at that one, she thought she'd heard everything. "Are you sure?" Utena asked, since everyone else wasn't quite in the right frame of mind to speak. "Says right here." Kenji pointed to a line of fine print and the two other members of Athena leaned over to read it. Rei's expression twisted into one of disbelief and disgust while Utena just rolled her eyes. "That one isn't mine." The young lawyer nodded and went back to reviewing the contract. After a couple of seconds, he sighed. "This is pretty much packed. I'll need at least a day or two to get through all of this." "Will that be acceptable?" Barbara, still a bit shocked and more than a little angry about the swimsuit thing, managed to regain her composure. "I don't suppose we have any other choice." "We'll do everything we can to speed up the process," the miko replied. "Here's my number," the redhead manager said with a nod, handing the younger woman a card. "Call me when you have something." "Will do." Minako, sensing the meeting over, stood. She wanted nothing more than to run out of the office as fast as she could, while another part of her wanted to stay with Rei. Even if the beauty was ignoring her and hated her beyond description, simply being in her presence made the singer feel more... alive. "Thank you for your time." Barbara was pleased with the meeting and Athena management in general. Something about Rei Hino and the whole dynamic of the three in the room made her feel she was leaving her client's fate in good hands. "Thank you for considering us. It was a pleasure meeting you." The miko felt her chest constrict as it came time to shake Minako's hand once again. Her mouth went dry, though she kept that ridiculous grin plastered on her pretty face. She was even more nervous when she saw not even a flicker of anxiety in her ex's baby blues. Utena watched with a guarded gaze as Minako and Rei regarded each other hesitantly. The singer was the one to offer her hand this time. The miko, wanting to appear as in control as ever, took the hand and shook it firmly. Both women were excellent actresses, but the brown-eyed Junior V.P. would see the emotions playing in their eyes. Though the blonde singer knew her ex hated her as much as she did at the beginning of the meeting, she felt that the hostility had lessened. Maybe it was the way the forced smile was a little larger than when they shook hands the first time. Maybe it was the way her lavender eyes weren't as cold as steel. The leader of the senshi wasn't stupid enough to believe that anything other than their business agreement was the cause of these changes. But she basked in the thought of "just maybe" anyway. "It's great to do business with you and a pleasure to meet you." 'Again,' Rei added mentally. She felt her heart skip a beat when she received a bright smile in return. She could tell from the singer's eyes that she knew exactly how the she felt about her, but the smile seemed genuine, for some reason. 'The Minako affect,' the miko thought dryly, with a hint of unconscious fondness. "Same," was the blonde's short, but genuine, reply. The 5.8 seconds hand shake seemed to last forever to the two before they parted. The star moved to shake Utena's hand while Rei turned to Jen. As the elevator door closed, Kenji told his two fellow Athena Management employees that he would get to the contract as soon as possible. Utena thanked him while Rei returned to her office. She didn't bother closing the door; her superior would just walk in without knocking anyway. Her secretary had already cleared off the coffee table by the time she sat down in the large, leather chair behind her desk. She stared blankly at the black computer screen while Utena entered a second later and closed the door quietly behind her. "That could've been worse." "Oh, yes, of course," was the sarcastic reply. "Hey, at least you landed the contract, in a way. You know what this means?" "Cha-ching?" Utena rolled her eyes as she sat down on the miko's desk. "No, your reputation, along with Athena's, is going to sky rocket." "If I can pull this off." "Don't be ridiculous," the Junior V.P. scolded. "Of course you can. You wouldn't have been assigned to it if you couldn't." "I don't know, Siren's made a complete mess." "And you'll clean it up." The older woman supped Rei's cheek, causing her to smile. They were both silent for a split seconds before spoke again, softer and gentler this time. "Besides, you promised." Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, everyone. How're you guys doing? Good, I hope. So, I decided to get off of my fat ass after three months to update. I know it's taken a while, but this chapter has been exceptionally slow in coming to me. Why? Because it's BOOOOOORING! It's just a filler of sorts, and I tried to keep it relatively emotion-free so you can see how this meeting really affected Rei and Minako as the story progressed. Ah, Kenji makes an appearance, as a perverted lawyer this time and not a shy little guy. Oh well!
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