Rei was sitting in her room, flipping through a book that she had recently purchased. The sun touched the wooden floor and lit her room with a slight orange tint. It was almost past five in the afternoon, and the air was beginning to cool. Rei loved this time of the day. It reminded her of when she was younger and would fall asleep in her mother’s arms after a time at the park.
A few letters were scattered on her table, each sent from her friends. The familiar, sloppy handwriting was from Usagi. She had been writing more often these days, wondering when the miko would be coming back to Tokyo. She still had a little more training to do in Kyoto before visiting her home.
“Hino-san?” asked someone as they peeked into the room.
Rei looked up and it was one of the apprentices who had called her.
“Hai. Come inside Mikayo, is something wrong?” The young girl nodded and slowly walked in. They seem to get smaller and younger as these years pass.
Meanwhile, at a local flower shop in Tokyo, Makoto was seated in the separate room, thinking about a new flower arrangement. Her sketchbook was propped open and she began to draw a few ideas here and there.
“Mako-chan. I really like this one!” exclaimed Usagi.
Makoto looked up to see which flower arrangement Usagi was talking about, and it was on of her latest creations.
“Ah. You have better like that one. I worked especially hard on it.”
Usagi had decided to visit Makoto’s shop since she was on her way home. The girl was always excited to see any of her friends drop by the shop. However, it has only been Usagi and Ami who have been stopping by lately. Minako was on an international tour, and Rei had spent nearly two years at Kyoto.
“So, anything new with you Usagi?”
“Well, other than Mama’s desperate but futile attempt at teaching me how to cook, everything is grand.”
Makoto sensed a little sarcasm in Usagi’s voice.
“Usagi. You could have just asked me to help in that field.”
“But you are already busy with the flower shop. I did not want to trouble you.”
“Cooking has always been a part of me. It would be wrong not to ask at all.”
Usagi was now smiling. “So, you will help me?!”
Makoto looked at her friend and answered, “Hai.”
Usagi jumped up and down from her excitement and ran to Makoto to give her a hug.
“Oh this will be so much fun Mako-chan!”
Makoto smiled nervously at Usagi, when she just realized how poor the girl’s skills were at cooking. Last time they tried baking cookies, Usagi nearly burnt the kitchen down. I’ll just keep a closer when it comes to the oven, thought Makoto as she continued sketching a flower arrangement.
“Oh! Roses!” Usagi was now eyeing at a set of roses nearby the window, and began to run towards that direction to get a better look.
“No!! Usagi watch out for the-“
Before Makoto could finish her sentence, there was a loud crash that echoed in the shop. Makoto sighed and was now standing in front of a pile of mess from the chaos that befell on the poor girl. Usagi accidentally knocked a whole stack of freshly placed orchids, and they fell like a chain reaction of dominoes. The odango haired girl winced at the sight, and looked at Makoto who was now glaring at her.
“Ah. Well, what lovely orchids you have here.”
“Usagi.”
“Mako-chan aren’t they pretty!”
“Usagi.”
“I mean… I have never seen such beautiful ones.”
“U...SA...GI!!”
Usagi winced at the call, “You’re still going to teach me how to cook, right?”
Makoto glared at Usagi and then sighed. “Just help me clean up this mess.”
They began to sweep the broken glass, and dirt that scattered in the ground.
Ami was in the lounge with a few of her fellow residents at Juuban Hospital. They were talking about the recent successful surgery they had to observe that day. She glanced at the clock and sighed. She still had to complete more of her tasks before calling it a day. Sometimes she disliked the amount of hours she would have to work, for it drained her physically.
“…and so I was thinking that maybe we should go out after work and celebrate.”
Her co-workers’ voices were always muffled whenever she was lost in thought and could only pick up a few of their fragmented conversations. Then, she felt someone nudge her left elbow and Ami snapped back into reality.
“What do you say Ami-chan?” asked one of her co-workers.
“Eh?” she replied in confusion.
“Yuki was just wondering if you would like to join us tonight.”
“Oh,” Ami shook her head in reply, “Gomen, I can’t go tonight. I already have some things planned out.”
Ami fiddled with her food, and felt something jerk in her pocket. Everyone was reacting to the same thing, and their pagers all started to beep. In a synchronized fashion, they all got up and began to throw away what was left in their trays.
Rei was now outside the temple breathing the fresh air that filled her lungs. She closed her eyes and began to meditate, allowing her mind to float freely beyond time and space. She enjoyed the feeling of her mind soaring beyond its limits, and all her tense muscles started to relax. Just then, she heard somebody clear her throat and Rei opened her eyes, slightly annoyed by the intrusion. She turned around and found that her sensei was standing behind her.
“Kaori sensei!”
“Rei.”
“What brings you here?”
“I wanted to discuss something with you.”
“What’s wrong? Is everything okay?”
“I was wondering why you haven’t decided to visit your home in a while.”
“Well, I feel I have not completed my training yet. I have no reason to go back. I love it here.”
“Don’t get me wrong Rei. You are of great importance to us, seeing that you will be running the Hikawa Shrine in the near future, but it seems there is something keeping you from returning there.”
“Kaori-sensei, I want more than anything to run the shrine I’ve grown up in.” Rei was taken aback from that the elder miko had just told her.
“And I want to see that too. There’s a great amount of potential in you. After all, your grandfather was a very good friend of mine, but you still need to grow more Rei. You complete your tasks successfully, but it is as if your heart is not in it, as if trying to bury some things, and failing to notice the crucial lessons in life.”
“But, this is what I want to do.”
“How about you take a break for a while. This will be good for you, and I am sure you would want to visit home. From what it seems, you have not been back in Tokyo for a while. Perhaps there is something you left behind there? Or rather, running away from.”
“There is so much I can do here.”
“That is a command Rei, take a break.”
“When do I come back here?”
“You will know when the time comes.”
“Understood.”
The miko sighed in defeat and bowed to her sensei, then slowly walked towards the entrance to the temple. Kaori was eyeing the young miko until she was out of site.
“Hopefully, you’ll be able to find what you’ve lost Rei.” she said quietly
Minako settled in her bed after a long day of promoting her album and going to photo shoots. Not to mention her concert tours that engulfed the remaining of her time and slimmed it to a mere two hours to sleep. The idol sighed in relief, for she was finally able to close her eyes. Before she could drift off into a deep sleep, her cell phone rang and she quickly glared at it. Now frustrated, she looked at who was calling her at this hour and it turned out to be Usagi. She really didn’t want to take any calls right now, but since it was her friend she made an exception.
“Moshi moshi?”
“Ah! Minako-chan, did I catch you a wrong time?”
“No, I’m not busy at the moment. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to know when are you arriving here in Tokyo. That way Mako-chan and I will know what time to pick you up.”
The idol suddenly remembered that she was going back to Japan in a few days. Her tour was near its conclusion, and she could finally go back home. However, it is usually hectic towards the end and she began to get crammed with work, that the thought of returning home had slipped her mind.
“Ah. I’ll be arriving in the evening, but no need to pick me up. My manager had arranged a limo to take me to my home as soon as we land.”
“Awww. Honto? I really wanted to see you.”
“You will. How about you guys come over when I arrive? I would sure love to see everyone again.”
“Ah. Well, we’re not all complete yet.”
“Eh?”
“Well, Rei-chan hasn’t been back since she left for Kyoto.”
Minako was surprised to hear that. She and Rei rarely spoke to each other, due to fact that the miko rarely carried a cell phone these days. She could write, but with her busy schedule, Minako found that impossible. It saddened the idol that their relationship had slowly drifted apart. They used to be so close back then. Really close.
“Minako, are you still there?”
“Huh? Oh yeah, I’m here. I’m a bit exhausted, so I think I’ll call it a day. I’ll call you when I arrive?”
“Hai. See you in a few days! And safe trip!”
“Arigato. Ja.”
Minako closed her phone and looked outside her window. For some reason, she had lost her will to sleep. Rei was in her mind again, and she realized how much she deeply missed the miko. Minako closed her eyes and tried to remember the familiar aroma the Hikawa Temple would emanate every time she would step foot there. Incense and candles. Minako started to remember fond memories with the miko, and slowly drifted into sleep.
“Rei,” she said from the bottom of her breath before completely dozing off.
Three days later, after her very hectic schedule, Minako stepped outside the plane and was greeted by the familiar atmosphere of her home. She had a wide grin in her face when her manager began to escort her outside the airport. There was a rush of paparazzi and adoring fans that crowded her as they made their way towards the limo. Suddenly beyond the crowd, Minako spotted someone familiar, a very very familiar frowning face that was struggling with some luggage. It can’t be! The idol’s heart began to beat rather quickly and she felt excitement build up in her.
Meanwhile, Rei was grumbling about how she hated carrying luggage. She had not even informed any of her friends that she was back in Tokyo, partly because she wanted to settle down first before seeing everyone. Being back was a completely different feeling. Rei had mixed emotions about returning, and was not yet ready for this. She was quietly waiting for a taxi, with a frown plastered on her face when she heard someone’s familiar name being yelled.
“Minako! Minako! Over here!” screamed one of the paparazzi.
Rei scrambled to get up and turned towards the crowd. They were a good distance away from her, but she could see a distinct baseball cap moving along the crowd. Of all days! Why me? Why!? The miko was fuming and she didn’t know why. She caught the idol’s glimpse and for a moment it felt like time froze. Then, Rei turned her back and waved her arm for an incoming cab.
As Minako finally struggled to get away from the crowd, Rei was already getting inside the car and it drove off leaving the idol to see it disappear in the distance. She was confused and stood there in shock until her manager finally escorted her into the limo. That was Rei. I’m sure of it. A little hurt by the miko’s harsh gesture, Minako sat silently in the car. Why would Rei do that? What was up with that? Now frustrated with her thoughts, Minako hands began to form fists. She was angry and hurt by the fact that Rei would just shun her away like that. She finally slammed her fists on the side of the door and ordered the driver to head straight to the Hikawa Shrine.
Back to I'll Be Your Distraction Index - Back to Sailor Moon Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction