"What do you mean Minako's back in Japan?" Makoto winced. She didn't think her princess could sound that angry. Apparently, she could. "She went back just last week." "Why didn't I know about this?" The restaurant owner gave her a lover a look, begging for help. She, along with Ami, had never dealt with an enraged Usagi before and was a lost. "We thought you knew," was the young doctor's calm reply. "Do I sound like I knew?" Usagi was rarely sarcastic. Okay, make that never. "Yes, well, what's important is that she is back there." There was a soft sigh and the two senshi could practically see their princess' shoulders slump and her eyes close tiredly. None of them were ready for this. "Does Rei know?" Makoto bit back a sarcastic retort. It seemed, however, that Usagi realized the stupidity of her question and laughed mirthlessly. "Of course she knows. She's in the business after all." The guardian of Ice shared a look with her lover, unsure of whether to break the news to their charge. In the end, however, they both knew it had to be done, lest she finds out from someone else. "Rei's met her, actually," Ami added, not trusting her girlfriend to sound impartial. "What? When?" "Just today." "Why?" "Minako's planning on signing with Athena Management." "So, they're going to be working together closely?" "Yes, since Rei's their top dog right now." "This wasn't supposed to happen," Usagi whispered, her tone bordering on desperation. Makoto nodded grimly in agreement, though her friend couldn't see it. "Setsuna's never been wrong about anything." The blonde Japanese woman wondered if Ami was as calm as she sounded. She knew she was a nervous wreck right now, and as pretty sure Makoto wasn't that much better, if at all. "Do you think this will altar the timeline?" The brunette chef wasn't aware she had spoken out loud until she heard a sharp intake of breath over the speakerphone. "No," her girlfriend answered firmly. "I have a feeling this is just between Minako and Rei." Rei checked herself in the mirror before stepping out of the bathroom. Armed with a sly little smile, she made her way through the tables draped with white silk and tried her best to ignore the lovers whispering sweet nothings and staring into each other's eyes. She paused when she saw Utena sitting at their table by a window, the silver moonlight playing with her white dress, giving it a heavenly glow. The candle made her skin seem honey-gold while the roses in the case accentuated the blush on her smooth cheeks. "Sorry." Utena looked up and smiled as Rei took her seat. The remains of their dinner had yet been cleared away. The miko took a sip of her wine, eyes taking in the woman across from her. "You really do look gorgeous in that dress." The brown-eyed woman smiled and shook her head. "That's the fifth time you've told me tonight. I'm starting to have trouble believing you." "It's the truth," Rei defended with a warm smile. "Flatterer." "Only with you." A comfortable silence fell over the two as the string quartet started a new tune. A waiter came and cleared away the main course before placing their desserts before them. "I will ever understand your obsession with caramel apple pie," Utena commented lightly. Rei blushed faintly, embarrassed to be reminded that it was the only dessert she ever ordered. She broke off a piece and lifted the fork to her lips, closing her eyes as she basked in the taste of caramel, cinnamon, and apples. Her eyes opened to find her date watching her with an amused smile and no small amount of lust. "So when are you going to tell me the story behind it? It's the only time you'll go anywhere near cinnamon or caramel." The miko put down her fork, a frown marring her face. Utena calmly took a bite of her chocolate éclair, driving her wild with the way her pink lips wrapped around the fork. "It's how Minako tasted someimes after lunch." If the confession shocked the older woman, it didn't show. She knew it wouldn't, anyhow. Very few things surprised her. "She usually wore caramel lipgloss, except on certain occassions, and had an obsession with cinnamon mints. Sometimes, when she had a lot of work to do, she'd skip lunch and just have an apple." Rei sighed softly and looked dwn at her dessert, feeling anger at herself building up inside. How stupid was she? "But just before 6th period, she'd always come find me and give me a kiss before going to class. I can always tell when she had too much work, because she'd taste like apples, caramel and cinnamon." "Hence apple pie." The fire senshi nodded. She took a bite of the damned treat, letting the taste wash over her and bring her back to those brief kisses in the bathroom before running to class. "Nothing else compares." The knowing smile Utena had chased away all desire to lie. Rei just nodded, a sad smile on her face. "Speaking of Minako, have you come up with a plan yet?" The change in topic was abrupt and gave the miko enough distance from her former object of affection. "Yes. Like I said, start small and private before promoting on the national level again." "I like that sund of that. Now, the most important question: can you handle working with her?" The taste of the apple pie and white wine mixed in Rei's mouth, leaving a trail of fire down to her stomach. She nodded, her characteristic confidence sparkling in her eyes when she spoke. "I can handle anything." Minako felt like she was on fire. Every cell in her body buzzed and hummed. Her thoughts were a chaotic jumble with no beginning and no end. Rei Hino. Damnable woman. She was the rock that disturbed the calm, still waters of her life. Even with the singer's numerous relationships and breakups, even with the ups and downs of her career, along with the insufferable paparrazi, her life had had an unusual stability. The kind of stability where you knew one day it could all come crashing down. The kind of stability where your next single or lover could determine your entire career. Minako Aino had grown used to the safety of instability and, in essence, the stability built on the fact that her life was anything but stable. She'd become accustomed to always having to stay alert, of changing who she was with, what she sang, how she dressed, and how she acted to keep up with the ever-changing demand. But Rei Hino, she was the antithesis of everything. As a teenager, the blonde had held two things to be absolutely true: Usagi will always be the same deep down, and Rei Hino will always be there for her. The stars could cease to shine, the moon could cease to revolved around the Earth, Usagi and Mamoru's love could fail, and her body turn to dust, but Rei will never leave her to fall. And that was still true, it seemed. She didn't seem to love her anymore, that was true, but she was still there for her. Still there to clean up her mess. It may be her job, but that much remained the same. It destroyed the dogma of her life: that change was the only stability in her life. Despite how badly she'd screwed up and how much she'd hurt the miko with her departure, she was still there to catch her before she hit the ground. Part of her was relieved beyond words. There were very few people she trusted completely, and Rei Hino, no matter what happens, will always be one of those people. If she gets burned, she was the only one to blame and never her ex-girlfriend. But that didn't erase the fact that Rei hated her. Minako knew the miko like the back of her hand. And the one thing she detested and feared more than anything else in the world was betrayal. And if what she had done didn't count as a betrayal, then she didn't know what did. 'And now you have to deal with her again, not only on a personal level but a professional one. Damnit, Aino, you've dug your own grave.' Minako took a deep breath, wiping her mind clean. She looked down at the notebook in her lap and pickced up her pen. Okay, time to get back to work. -When winter comes in summer, When there's no love forever, Yeah, that's when I'll stop loving you.- Minako growled, crumbled up piece of paper, and hurled it across the room. "It looks like a battlefield in here. The singer cursed her luck as her manager's voice echoed in the large, empty suite. The heels of Babs' shoes clicked against the hard wood floor as the redhead approached her. One look at the cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table and pad on her lap told the Irish woman all she needed to know. "Care to tell me what's wrong?" As expected, the idol said nothing. Babs sighed and sat down on the couch, crossing her legs. "You've been off ever since we went to Athena. Is there a problem?" "No," Minkao lied, her throat closing. "Do you not like Hino? Or maybe the problem is you do like her." It was always a game of cat and mouse with the two of them. The manager didn't bother to pretend she didn't know. There was something bugging her client and it had something to do with Athena's top dog. "Nothing of the sort." The singer looked into her manager's eyes, determined to keep her history with Rei a secret, even if it killed her. It probably will, seeing as how being near the miko brought back feelings she thought long gone. "Are you sure?" Barbara wasn't convinced, but knew better than to press. As long as it didn't affect her client that much, she'll let it slip. For now. "Fine. How's the writing coming?" Minako gave the older woman a hard look. The redhead sighed. "Minako, you only have three songs so far. We're running out of time." "I know that," the singer whispered heatedly. "I've got bad news." The senshi love Love felt like screaming. Just what she needed. As if life wasn't bad enough as it was. "Siren controls most of the recording studios, either that or they have ties of some kind. If we rent one now and then break contract with them, it'll blow up in our face." "So, not only can't I seem to write any songs but I don't have a place to record what I have?" Babs nodded grimly. Her client stood and growled, pulling on her long hair. "So, what do we do?" The redhead sighed. "Hope Athena calls soon with good news." "You never told us this was going to happen." Haruka gave Setsuna a sympathetic look. She's never heard her love quite this mad before. Good thing she was on the phone and not talking to them in person. "To be honest, I didn't know." The Guardian of Time chose to ignore the disbelieving look on her blonde companion's face. The senshi of water snorted uncharacteristically. Okay, so Michiru wasn't on her side this time, but Haruka was. That didn't sit well with the beautiful woman. "Setsuna, how do you expect me to believe that? You're the Guardian of Time." "Michiru, I'm being honest. I didn't foresee it happening this way." "So, they're changing destiny?" Haruka refilled her friend's tea, earning her a small smile. "I'm not sure about that, although they are changing the timeline. At least their own." "I didn't think that was possible." "Neither did I. But a big cause was the sudden death of Rei's grandfather." "Wait, that wasn't supposed to happen either?" Haruka asked, looking confused. "No, at least, not the timing." "I didn't think we could change the timeline without knowing it. I thought everything happened according to what's supposed to be." Setsuna didn't want to admit it, but this baffled her. There had been a series of unexpected events, true, but she never thought it'd cause this big a change. This wasn't something small that would only affect the lives of one or two people. This will affect all of them, considering it was happening to two of their own. "So, what do we do?" Setsuna couldn't answer, because she plain didn't know. "We pray." "We p- what?" Haruka didn't like the answer. Pray? "I don't know what else to say." "We're doomed," the blonde mumbled. Rei tossed the Tubawear into the garbage, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Nothing like month-old Chinese takeout to settle the stomach. She didn't feel like ordering something, having eaten out for the past five days. But there was absolutely nothing in her fridge. Her face suddenly lit up. She was sure there was a microwaveable pizza in the freezer somewhere. After several minutes of digging through uncharted territory- a right at the tub of chocolate-chip ice cream, past the frozen pie from last year, and a left at what appeared to be ice of some sort- she found a box of instant pizza. Checking the expiration date (still fresh... somehow), she grabbed a plate and tossed the cardboard-like frozen food into the microwave. She sighed in relief and plopped down on the couch to relax. The world, though, had a different idea and the phone rang. With an annoyed grunt, Rei abandoned her comfortable couch and grabbed the cordless phone off the top of the TV, where she left it for some bizarre reason. "Hello?" "Rei-san? It's Kenji." The miko sat back down and moved around to get comfortable. "Hey, Kenji. Sup?" "I found a loophole," the brunette said in excitement. "What? Really?" "Yeah. They hid it pretty well, but it's in here. And quite simple too." "Thanks Kenji, I knew you can do it." Rei could imagine the blush on her co-worker's face, but decided to ignore it for now. Maybe she'll treat him to lunch tomorrow or something. Yeah, that should do it. "So, here's the thing..." Barbara grunted as a production assistance brushed by her. She hated being backstage at a talkshow. It was always so damn chaotic. "Mina, I swear, I'm going to chop off all your hair one of these days." It was a bad sign when Mei starts getting stressed and cranky, and the redhead knew it. The hair stylist was attempting to put Minako's hair up in a semi-formal bun, but the blonde mane was refusing to cooperate. Everyone was exhausted. Jen was barely speaking, grunting and glaring as a response to every question. Patrick wasn't trying to cheer everyone up with his charming smiles. The bodyguards were half-slumped and Minako herself was barely alive. But a little makeup and acting could do wonders. 'You've fucked up bad this time.' Babs shook her head. Beating herself up over it wasn't going to help matters. All she could do now was be more careful in her future decisions. She had a gut feeling it was a good idea going to Athena, not that they had much of a choice. The blaring of one of Minako's older songs snapped her from her reverie. She cursed, forgetting she'd turned her cell off of silent. A barely there blush painted her cheeks once she saw The Crew (as she called them) and Minako looking at her with unrestrained amusement. Okay, so she'd just ruined her image of the stuck up, aloof, big bad manager, but at least they were all smiling. "Hello?" "Miss O'Reilly? This is Rei Hino." The redhead's heart fluttered, though not for the reason most girls' do upon hearing from the beautiful woman. She had to admit, though, the voice fit her perfectly, low, sensual, and confident with a hint of indifference. It was also sexy as hell. "It's great hearing from you, Miss Hino." Her statement graced her with a soft chuckle that sent shivers down her spine. Damnit, what is it about this woman that affected her so? The only other person capable of doing that was Minako, who was very interested in the phone call, Babs observed. "I have to admit it's good to call you, bearing good news." Barbara resisted the urge to throw her arms up in the air and jump for joy. Oh, she knew she'd been right to trust Hino. "Oh?" Only with years of practice could the manager keep her tone calm and sounding almost bored. Now she can fix this mess. "Talking about it over the phone is a bit difficult..." "I understand. When can I meet you?" "I'm free tomorrow. Say... around two?" "Sounds great," Barbara sad, lying through her teeth. She knew Mina's day was booked solid tomorrow, but to hell with it. "Glad to hear it. I'll explain everything then." "Thank you." "Just doing my job." The two women quickly said their goodbyes and Babs turned to The Crew, who didn't bother to hide the fact that they'd been listening in on the conversation. She sighed and shook her head, marvelling at how they can act like children sometimes. "Well?" Mei asked, barely able to stand still. "We have a meeting with Rei Hino tomorrow at two." The four let out a collective sigh of relief. Minako beamed at her. She'd done good this time. Minako knew her heart was pounding. She was going to see Rei again. Four days after their last meeting and she was still recovering from it. 'You always knew exposure of any kind to Rei Hino causes loss of brain function and a permanent lowering of I.Q.' The truth of the statement amused the singer, but didn't help her nerves. Her ex was still as striking as ever, it seemed. Not a surprise, really. Barbara was tense beside her, overly stiff as she walked through the hallways. The pretty secretary leading them was silent. -Flashback - Rei relaxed as Minako ran her long fingers through her raven mane. Her head was cradled in her girlfriend's lap, eyes closed. The blonde watched the figures on TV move. "I can image you in business." The miko lazily opened her lavender orbs and found herself staring in amused pools of sky blue. She snorted softly. "Me? In a stuffy suit and office all day? As if." The senshi of love's pink lips formed her infamous little smile, as innocent looking as a baby lamb but really disguising the wolf inside. "Yeah. But all those pretty secretaries would certainly keep you busy all day." Rei snorted again, closing her eyes. "I suppose I'll have to keep myself busy while you enjoy the adoring fangirls." All of a sudden, the miko was pulled into a sitting position, her girlfriend's grip on her chin firm. She opened her eyes, shocked by the action, and saw her girl's smirk. "Then I suppose I'llhave to make sure you hire male secretaries only." "You always ruin things for me," Rei sighed, though her eyes betrayed her. The blonde laughed softly and pushed her girlfriend back onto the floor before kissing her full lips. -End Flashback - Minako looked up and found herself in front of the door that led to a part of her past. What a time to go digging up memories better off staying buried. "Come in." A tingle ran down the star's spine at the commanding voice. This was insanity. If her voice alone got such a reaction from her, she was screwed. The secretary opened the door and the blonde felt time slow. Rei stood behind her desk, her right hand holding the phone to her ear. The other hand browsed through one of the many binders before her as she spoke rapidly in Japanese. She looked up and smiled when she saw them. Minako's heart skipped a beat, even though it was one of those polite little smiles. "Sorry," the miko said, covering the receiver with a hand. "I have to take care of this first. Please, sit." Barbara nodded and led the group over to the couches. Minako sat down between Mei and her manager, taking a deep breath. She let herself observe her ex-girlfriend as she worked, her voice calm but firm, leaving no room for argument. Her lavender eyes scanned the pages at a furious pace and the singer could see the corners of her eyes crinkling, the way they always do when she was concentrating. "What would you all like to drink?" "Coffee," Minako replied without thinking. The Crew looked at their boss, somewhat surprised. She only drank coffee when she was stressed (something they couldn't understand since coffee wasn't exactly calming...), but said nothing. "All right, so send over the demo and we'll see what we can do." The words brought Minako back to a time when she had heard those words over and over again. Difference was, Rei had been the one to comfort her when she was frustrated and lost hope, not the one delivering those painful words. She wondered if whatever aspiring star her ex had given a chance had someone as strong and loving to comfort them as she had had if it didn't fall through. "I'm sorry," the publicist said with a soft sigh, effortlessly slipping into English. Rei walked over and shook hands with all of them. Ths time, she didn't even bat an eyelash when her hand touched Minako's. "It's all right, you're a busy woman." The miko simply smiled at Babs before taking a seat. The secretary returned with their beverages, placing a cup of hot tea in front of her boss. Rei shot her a charming grin, causing the girl to blush cutely before she bowed and raced out of the room. "How have things been?" "The same." Minako watched as her manager and her ex engaged in a battle of wills, lavender clashing with gray. She ddin't know whether she was surprised when Babs looked away first. "You said you have good news?" Rei sipped her tea, trying to hide her smirk. For now, she held all the cards in her hand. "Yes. Kenji found a loophole in the contract." The air seemed to buzz the second those words fell from the ruby lips. Mei visibly leaned forward. "The contract will be considered null and void as soon as Miss Aino is out of the country for two weeks. Meaning..." "Meaning we're free to negotiate with other agencies after that period," Babs finished with a hint of excitement in her voice. "Exactly." "Seems a bit strange. Most companies would make sure a big name like Mina's is with them for as long as possible." Rei turned her attention to Mei and the hair stylist felt a shiver dance down her spine. The woman's eyes were beyond intense, and a color she'd never seen before. She was utterly beautiful when she smiled. "I think Siren believed history would repeat itself." "You mean that Mina wouldn't be back for years?" Patrick asked. "Exactly. And by then, they believe Miss Aino will be nothing but a name of the past. Since she will no longer be a hot commodity, the different agencies won't be clamoring to represent her. Plus, she'll only be familiar with Siren and so automatically sign with them again." "They underestimated Mina." Jen's sudden comment said exactly what four out of the six people were thinking. The star herself and her ex, however, knew better. "No, it's perfectly logical for them to think that. Most stars last barely for a year or two, much less five. I'm already over the industry maximum." Rei didn't want to admit it, but she was impressed. The blonde understood the market and her position perfectly. She knew it was about staying hip and cool in whatever trend there was. "So, what are we going to do to break this contract?" "Well," the miko said, never missing a beat. "We get Miss Aino out of the country for two weeks." "Won't they be suspicious?" "Not if you have a reason to leave." "Okay, now we just need a reason." "It's my mother's birthday next week." Minako sounded hesitant when she'd said that and it took Rei a moment to realize why. The blonde had always had a rough relationship with her parents. The only thing they'd agreed on was that Mnako was beautiful. Physically, at least. "You've never mentioned your mother," Mei murmured. "Perhaps there's a good reason for that." The singer didn't know who'd heard the publicist's whisper, but she sure did. It made her pulse race to know she remembered. She even sounded like she cared. "Great! Where is she?" Babs asked enthusiastically. "In France." "France? That'll be perfect. We can do some publicity there." "That would be counter-productive. The point is for Siren to willingly let Miss Aino leave without making a big deal out of it." "True," Babs said with a sigh, not believing her old habits had resurfaced. "Good. Now that that's settled, there's the small issue of insuring you'll come back and sign with Athena." "We keep our word, Miss Hino." Rei nodded, casually sipping her tea. She levelled her gaze at the redhead that sat next to her ex, looking almost protective, and tried to crush the hint of jealousy bubbling up. "I'm sure. But you can understand why the agency cannot take a chance in this case." "What do you suggest? We can't very well sign a contract or agreement with you." "We decided it might be best if we sign one of Miss Aino's crew for two." "You want a person as insurance." The miko didn't bother to seem embarassed by Jen's question. "Yes. Money means very little in this business, and would violate Siren's contract. Hiring someone for a short period of time, however, does not." Minako looked at the three members of her crew, feeling a pang of guilt that one of them would be used as simple downpayment. "I'll do it." Jen surprised everyone by volunteering. They all knew she hated being away from her blonde employer for too long, though their relationship was offically over. "Are you sure?" Babs asked, thankful that someone stepped up. "Yes. Mei and Patrick need to be around to Minako's hair and makeup in case something comes up. But I'm not really needed, since Patrick and Mina can throw together a passable outfit, if Mei keeps her mouth shut, that is." The hair stylist whined, hitting Jen's arm lightly. Rei felt herself smirk, liking the woman's spunk. Everyone looked to Minako for approval, which she gave along with a sigh. "Good, it's settled. Here's the contract." Babs took it before Jen could sign. "You understand I need my lawyers to look at this, not as a sign of distrust but merely-" "Business," Rei finished with a nod. "I understand perfectly. Feel free to call Kenji of myself if you have any questions." "I will. I believe that takes care of everything?" The miko ignored Babs' curtness. She was a woman that liked to stay in control of the situation, and because of her own actions, she was now completely powerless. "Yes. It was a pleasure seeing all of you again." The blonde's manager stood, shaking Rei's hand before the publicist could do the same with everyone else. The miko escorted the group to the elevator again and bowed as the door closed. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Another meeting down." Sorry for not updating for so long. Been more lazy than usual lately. This chapter's kind of a filler I guess, but most chapters are, aren't they? I know Michiru and Usagi are out of character in this chapter but... I don't know, I like the two of them being sarcastic and freaking out. Kind of cute, ya know? Not that Michiru needs to be any more attractive and perfect... All right, keep an eye out for the next chapter, in which there will be a little suntin' suntin' going on between Jen and Rei, if you know what I mean. Come on, what can be more confusing for Mina than two of her exes getting busy with each other? Or Rei getting busy with anyone... damn is she hot... moving on! Went back and cleaned up all the chapters. It's a pain in the ass, wouldn't have needed to if I just kept my head on straight while I wrote it. But what can you do? Noone's perfect, cept maybe Ebil, but that's not the point, now is it? Oh, yeah, the song is N'Sync's "That's When I'll Stop Loving You."
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