“Do you have to leave so soon?” asked Rei.
“Of course, I have to continue the tour. I only came back for Usagi’s wedding,” replied Minako as she neatly folded one of her skirts into her suitcase. Rei could only sit quietly on the couch and stare outside the window. Only for the wedding? thought the miko as, she felt a slight annoyance towards Minako once again.
“Besides,” continued the idol, “Aren’t you also leaving town? To continue training in Kyoto as you have told me.”
“Mm,” replied Rei.
“What are you’re plans after you’ve completed the training?”
“Well, maybe by the time I return, I’ll be able to take care of the shrine. It’s my home and I can’t leave it behind. So…when will the famous Aino Minako finish her almighty touring around the globe?”
There was a sense of sarcasm in the tone of Rei’s voice, but Minako dismissed it easily.
“I’m not sure,” replied the idol as she walked back to her closet to grab more clothes. After a few moments of silence, she turned back to Rei with a smile on her face, “I know. How about we do something before we go our separate ways. Just you and me.”
Rei looked curious now as she turned away from the window, “Hm?”
“Amusement park….”
“Rei? Rei? REI!!” exclaimed Usagi as she waved her hand in front of the miko’s face. Rei felt something cold trickling down her fingers and she looked down at her melted ice cream cone. Ami handed the miko a napkin to wipe her hand. Motoki, who had met up with the girls, was over at a booth and he tried valiantly to win a prize for Makoto, who watched from behind with Minako. After missing a few shots, Makoto stepped in and threw the last ball, which hit the target perfectly. Motoki shrugged when they were given an enormous stuffed turtle.
As Ami accompanied Usagi to the stand to obtain more food, the other three were making their way towards Rei. The miko got up from her seat and tossed the cone into the trashcan. They passed through the crowd and rejoined Usagi, whose face was suddenly hidden behind a whole wad of cotton candy.
“So, anything you want to check out?” asked Makoto.
“As long as I don’t have to be in an enclosed space,” replied Motoki nervously.
Taking Motoki’s comment in consideration, they decided to ride the Ferris wheel. Due to mixture of who should be paired up, Rei once again ended with Minako. This is starting to become an annoying trend, she thought as she glanced up at the compartment Motoki and Makoto were seated. They were slowly ascending and getting a better view of the city below them.
When the ride was over, Usagi looked around the area scouting for something lighter and fun, while Ami pointed towards the carousel. She pulled her friend towards the direction while everyone trailed behind. As they made their way to the carousel, Rei could not help but stop in front a souvenir stand. Amongst the t-shirts that hung along the racks and little trinkets that were placed beneath the glass, Rei spotted a familiar cap. Her thoughts began to drift away once more.
“I refuse,” said the miko sternly.
“Why? It looks so cute on you,” replied Minako as she grabbed Rei’s arm and led her towards the small mirror, “See? Fits you perfectly.”
The miko grimaced at the amount of glitter one cap could hold. On top of that, it had bright pink stitches sewed along the black tip. Rei slowly took it off her head, looked at it and then at Minako. “My answer is still the same. No.”
Placing the cap back into the stand, Rei walked away with her hands in her pockets. Minako sighed and joined the miko in her march. The idol quickly grabbed her arm and Rei felt her pulse quicken at Minako’s touch.
“Come on, let’s ride the carousel….”
Rei snapped back into reality when she heard the voices of her friends calling to her. She looked past the crowd and found everyone, except Minako, waving cheerfully from their ride. The miko surveyed the area and spotted the idol walking towards her.
“Find something here?” asked Minako.
“Nothing,” replied Rei as she began to walk away from the stand.
“Hold on,” said idol as she picked up something familiar, “Do you remember this?”
Rei looked back and found Minako holding the very cap from the last time they visited the stand. The miko sighed and then rolled her eyes as she took the cap from Minako and looked at it.
“How could I forget? You were practically forcing it on my head.”
“It was cute on you.”
“I hated it… and I still do,” replied Rei as she gave the cap back to the idol. The miko walked back towards the carousel and stood behind the metal fence that allowed her to wave back at her friends. She suddenly felt someone shove something on her head, and Rei could not help but fling her arms and quickly turned around. Minako was standing with her hands behind her back and smiling at Rei.
“It still looks cute on you,” replied the idol.
“Why did you buy it?” asked Rei as she looked at the familiar stitches.
“I never had the chance to do so last time.”
Rei was about to oppose but felt someone hit the tip of the cap, causing the miko to loose her vision under it.
“Hey! What’s the big deal?!” she frowned as she lifted the cap.
“It suits you perfectly. Keep it on,” replied Makoto.
Rei looked around and realized that the ride had ended and her friends, who had taken notice of what she was wearing, now surrounded her. Usagi walked up to them and then tilted her head.
“Rei, is that you under that?” asked Usagi as she inched closer to the miko.
“Don’t even say a word.”
“Hey, how about we take a group shot. We haven’t done so since Rei and Minako arrived,” said Makoto as she handed her camera to Motoki.
Minako grabbed Rei’s arm and tilted her head towards the miko while flashing the V-sign. Usagi grabbed both Makoto and Ami while the doctor gave a nervous look at the camera. Rei looked at Minako for a moment, wondering how she had gotten into this situation.
“Rei, look at the camera!” exclaimed Motoki.
The miko glanced back towards where he was waving and frowned. Makoto gave Rei a little nudge, which made the miko frown even more as she glared back at her friend. Minako looked at the miko with a puzzled face and then laughed. She let go of Rei’s arm and then shifted behind her.
“You have to smile…like this,” whispered Minako as she placed her hands on Rei’s cheeks and pulled them up to force a smile upon Rei’s face. The idol was so close that it caught Rei off guard. Her eyes widened as Motoki quickly snapped the picture. The flash seemed to engulf Rei’s sight and she froze in her spot. She quickly pushed away from Minako, and placed her own hands upon where the idol had just touched. Her facial expression was blank. Being in the amusement park brought back too many memories, and the moment Minako had placed her hands on the miko’s cheek, Rei could not help but recall some of them.
“Don’t go,” said Rei with a pleading look.
They were back in Minako’s hotel, passing through a few people in the lobby as they made their way into the elevator. .
“I have to Rei. If I want to keep up with this career then this is my choice,” replied Minako as she looked at the miko. Suddenly being approached by a middle school girl holding a notebook and marker. Minako smiled and signed the notebook, later bidding the girl a goodbye and walking along with Rei once again.
“Why…why do you have to always base things on your career? If it’s not about the past life, it’s living as an idol.”
“You also have your career to worry about. I wish it were as simple as quitting.”
“So do it then. Quit. Live a normal life for a change. What if…what if it wasn’t just the stresses of being a senshi that caused you to…in the past when you.”
“When I what?”
“You already know what I am talking about! Don’t pretend like it didn’t happen.”
“Technically, it didn’t. When Usagi revived us, that tumor never existed.”
“What if there is a chance that it might…”
“Rei, stop worrying. It’s behind us now. I’m still here see?” The idol displayed her happiest smile as she cocked her head towards the idol and flashed a victory sign.
Rei put on a sour face and looked away from the idol. She wanted to tell her at that moment how she really felt but with their being in a public area; she did not have the courage too. Coward, she thought inwardly to herself.
“In two years, I’ll be back and maybe by then you’ll be an expert from your training in Kyoto.”
“Two years is a long time.”
“Don’t worry so much. Why such a sad face?” asked the idol as they were inside the elevator, “You know Rei, you should really smile. Like this.” Minako slowly placed her hand on Rei’s cheeks and forced a smile on her gloomy face.
“Minako!” exclaimed the miko.
“Rei? What’s wrong?” asked Usagi.
The miko was flushed, “N-nothing, it just startled me that’s all. It was a bad idea coming here. ”
Rei slowly turned around and began to hastily walk away from the group, later breaking into a run.
“Rei! We were just playing around! Rei!” yelled Usagi as she tried to run after the miko. Makoto stopped Usagi, and Minako ran past them, chasing after her best friend.
“Rei! Stop!” bid Minako, but the miko would not listen. Kami-sama! What are they training her in Kyoto? Thank goodness I decided to wear sneakers today, thought the idol as she broke into a sprint.
As Rei heard Minako calling out to her, she dug her shoes deeper against the gravel to increase her momentum. I can’t deal with this right now. I can’t deal with her right now.
“Rei! You’re being silly! Stop already!” yelled Minako who was nearly out of breath. She tried to keep up with the miko’s pace and refused to give up on Rei easily. Not this time, thought the idol as she quickened her pace. She was merely a hand’s reach from the miko and was about to grab Rei’s sleeve. The miko felt the idol inching closer, and then heard a thump on the ground behind her.
“Itai!”
Rei felt a sense of dread overwhelm her gut as she stopped in her footsteps and turned around. Minako tumbled on the ground and was now sitting on the sidewalk, clutching her ankle. The miko ran back to the idol and kneeled in front of her. First, Rei checked if she was okay. Minako winced in pain and her head was spinning. She was unsure if it was because the lack of oxygen from the amount of running they had just done, or the fact that she had injured herself after missing to grab Rei’s sleeve. I should have just thrown a rock at her! she thought as she clutched her ankle tightly.
“BAKA!! How can you be so clumsy?! Why do you always have to follow me!” yelled Rei as she looked at Minako’s swelling ankle.
“Well, I didn’t want to give you the victory to getting away from me the second time…plus if I recall it well, you were the one who kept following me back when we were teenagers. I thought, I’d return the favor – ITAI!!” cried out the idol as Rei began to put pressure on her ankle.
“Calm down, I’m trying to make sure it’s not broken.”
Rei looked around the area. If she was correct, they both ran a good distance away from the amusement park, and there was no way they were heading back in that direction with Minako in her current state.
“Come on, the shrine is not too far from here,” ordered Rei.
“I think that will be a problem,” replied Minako as her head swayed.
The miko sighed and then grabbed one of Minako’s arms and threw it over her shoulder.
“Wha..what are you doing?”
“If you can’t walk, the only thing I can do is to carry you on my back…unfortunately,” she added.
Rei picked the idol from the ground and began to walk towards the shrine. She could feel the warmth of her friend against her back, and hear the idol breathe in and out. I can’t believe I’m doing this!! she thought angrily, At least she’s not heavy.
Minako rested her head on the miko’s shoulders as her arms wrapped around Rei’s neck. Despite the idol’s head spinning and ears ringing, Rei’s perfume drifted into her nostrils. A slight hint of incense lingered on the miko’s clothes, and Minako could not help but silently laugh at the situation. It must be an awkward sight seeing Rei carrying a pop idol on her back.
As they made their way through the empty streets, Minako could only listen to silence. It was a familiar silence that caused a great deal of awkwardness between the two girls. The idol could not see the expression in Rei’s face, but she already knew the miko had a frown plastered in her face. Minako tightened her grip on the miko. This was probably going to be the only time she’ll be this close to her.
They reached the shrine and Rei made her way into her room, allowing Minako to settle on the floor as she brought out a futon.
“I really have no choice but to allow you stay here. Do you have your cell phone with you?” asked the miko.
Minako dug into her pockets and realized that she must have left it in Usagi’s house before arriving at the shrine to pick up the miko earlier that day. She sighed and then shook her head. Rei got up and then helped Minako into the futon.
“I’ll be back,” she said as she walked away and then closed the door behind her.
Walking down the dimly lit hallway, Rei entered the office. She reached out to the phone and then started to dial Ami’s number.
“Ami-chan, it’s me.”
“Kami-sama! Rei-chan! Where are you guys? We were worried sick scouting the area for you! Do you know how late it is?!”
“Gomen, I’m at the shrine and I need you to come here.”
“Something wrong? Rei-chan, you’ve been acting strange lately. Running off like that. Is it because–”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now. Minako fell and injured her ankle.”
“Eh?!”
“How fast can you get here? She’s feeling pretty out of it.”
“With Mako-chan’s driving, maybe in a few minutes. In the mean time, place some ice on her ankle, keep it leveled and give her some painkillers if necessary. I’ll see you soon, ja.”
The miko made her way into the medicine cabinet, and glanced at the different bottles that sat on the shelves. She was not amazed by the amounts of herbs that were stored inside, due to the fact that she has used some of them in the past. She suddenly spotted a bottle of codeine and picked it up. Reading the label, she realized that it was the bottle prescribed to her after she was badly injured by Mio. Rei sighed and saw that it was not yet expired. She made her way back into her room and found the idol’s back turned towards the door. Minako turned around, her forehead soaked in sweat as she smiled weakly to the miko. Rei sat down and helped her sit up.
“Here. I’m pretty sure it’s hurting right now,” said Rei as she placed an ice pack on the idol’s swelling ankle and then handed her a glass of water. The miko felt Minako’s forehead and sighed as she handed two pills towards the idol, “You’re starting to have a fever. Here, take this.”
“Rei, you’re not trying to drug me are you?” joked Minako as swallowed the pills and took a gulp of water.
“Don’t kid yourself. Ami is on her way, just stay here.”
Rei was about to get up and Minako felt a mesh of colors swirl her. The medicine was working quite well. She reached out to the miko and grabbed her arm.
“Wait.”
“What now?!”
“ ‘Don’t go.’ ” quoted Minako as she started at the ceiling, “If I recall it well, you said those words to me the last time we were in Tokyo.”
“And what of it?” asked the miko as she turned around.
Minako sat up once more and looked directly into the eyes of her friend. They were soft yet piercing when she was angry. “I never forgot about you, and I came back for that reason. It’s my turn to tell you know, don’t go. Stay here.”
Rei never broke their eye contact and gave in. She shook her head.
“Baka. Those painkillers are working quite well. Are you that afraid to be left alone? Maybe if you just –”
Minako immediately took the miko in her arms and held her there tightly. Rei’s eyes widened as she felt the idol lightly pressed against her. Still unsure about how she would react, Rei froze in her spot, and Minako could only hold her in her arms. Finally, the miko slowly returned the embrace. The idol felt the Rei soften a bit and she smiled at this realization.
“Maybe it is the medication doing it’s job. Maybe I’m just crazy but, I missed you Rei. I missed you so much,” whispered Minako as she felt herself slowly drifting into a deep sleep. The miko could not say anything witty to respond to what the idol had just confessed. Deep inside, Rei knew that she felt the same way. She missed Minako terribly. There were times when she would be distracted during her training just having the idol linger in her mind. That was what Kaori-sensei had sensed, and no matter how many times Rei tried to erase Minako from her mind, she still would be lingering there. Minako was Rei’s distraction.
Back to I'll Be Your Distraction Index - Back to Sailor Moon Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction