Blue eyes opened sleepily, blinking away the drowsiness. After a few
seconds of just laying there, the young woman sat up, slipping out her
room and into the bathroom for a quick shower.
Rei didn't even look up from her paper when she saw Serena stepping into
the bathroom from the corner of her eyes.
'Oh well,' Rei thought, reading the latest news on the 'Tsukino
Kidnapping,' 'she's making this easy.'
"Morning, Rei!"
The assassin looked up to see the blonde in a pair of black sweats and
an oversized white sweatshirt. She smiled slightly, complimenting
herself for buying the clothes, although Serena hadn't ordered them
"Rei?"
"Hm...?"
"Thanks."
Lavender eyes met blue for a second before she stood, placing the paper
on the kitchen table.
"No problem. Thank god you're finished. I've been dying for a shower."
Serena only smiled as Rei walked into the bathroom.
The blonde was watching TV by the time the taller woman emerged from the
bathroom, hair wet and plastered to her forehead.
"Serena?"
"Yeah?"
Rei seemed hesitant about something as she sat down on the couch, legs
crossed as her eyes darted around the room.
"I want to go out tonight."
"Oh, have fun."
The assassin shook her head and smiled at the disappointed look on the
girl's face.
"I'm bringing you with me, idiot."
Serena ignored the insult as she immediately perked up. Rei was letting
her go out?! Where to? Who cares! She was going out!
"But," the taller woman continued grimly, "I need you to promise me you
won't run."
The blonde nodded. She hadn't even thought about running away, to be
honest. Not at that moment, anyhow. She didn't mind spending time with
Rei and might've loved it even if it had been her own choice.
"Besides, we're going to a black market bar. Running will get you hurt
or killed."
Serena was a bit afraid when she heard the news. It was logical though.
Rei wouldn't bring a hostage to a place where it would be easy to
escape. She was, however, a bit worried around going.
"You shouldn't be concerned. I know the owner of the bar and I won't let
anything happen to you."
The reassurance made Serena feel safer than it should have. But that
didn't matter right now.
"Thanks."
Serena tugged on her shirt nervously as she sat in Rei's car. The
assassin had purposely told her to wear something a little daring, but
not to draw too much attention. She didn't want the blonde sticking out
like a sore thumb, or at least, any more than she already would.
So, that was why she wore a pair of tight, black jeans, a low cut white
Tee and a leather jacket. The jacket was Rei's and her hair was braided
instead of her usual hairstyle.
Rei parked the car and Serena stopped panicking long enough to realize
they were in the bad part of town. The assassin looked over at the
fidgeting blonde and smiled softly.
"Hey," Rei murmured as she tapped the blonde's nose with her finger.
"Just stick close to me, all right?"
It admittedly amused Rei to see the blonde nod nervously. She stepped
out of the car and her companion did the same seconds later.
Rei waited for Serena to join her before heading for the building. There
was a large metal door that blended into the dark coloring of the wall.
The lavender-eyed woman knocked three times on the door.
A small, rectangular sectioned the door slid open, revealing a pair of
cold eyes. Serena suppressed her laughter. She thought those things only
existed in old, corny detective movies and 'Lord of the Rings.'
"Who's the blonde?"
"She's with me," Rei answered simply.
The door swung open and the assassin stepped into the building. Serena
followed timidly, staring at the gruff looking man that let them in.
The place was a mix of a rundown bar and a club. The center was dark,
bodies moving as on mass while dancing to the beat of the music coming
from the huge speakers lining the walls. There was a bar to the left and
a couple of tables along the outside of the dance floor. There were very
few people not dancing, all of them older than those who were losing
themselves to the beat. To the right were a flight of stairs and a
couple of booths big enough to fit four people.
"Come on," Rei said as she took Serena's hand and led her to the stairs.
The blonde tried to ignore the lustful looks she got and the approving
catcalls. Her companion, however, was not as forgiving. Rei shoved one
of the men a little too hard into he wall, resulting in a sickening
crack. The others remained silent from that point on.
The second floor was a lot quieter, overlooking the dance floor below.
The blonde smelled smoke faintly, but not enough to send her into a
coughing fit. This floor was well lit compared to the other and made a
much more mysterious and mellow feel.
Rei weaved through the tables, bringing Serena to the small bar. The
assassin took a seat and motioned for the blonde to do the same.
A young man, looking not much older than Serena herself, walked over to
them, his grin warm and easy going. Dark blonde bangs covered his high
forehead as his blue eyes studied the kidnapped girl with interest,
"Well, Rave, it's the first time you've brought someone, though I can't
say this is the best place for a date."
The politician's daughter blushed at the misunderstanding and looked
over to find Rei's cheeks an adoring but faint rosy color as well.
"Get yer mind outta da damn gutter, Motoki!"
Serena's brain took a second to translate what the assassin said from
English to Japanese, but there was a reason why she took English classes
at the University. And no, they weren't just so she'd impress her
Father's associates.
"So, you're not dating this gorgeous girl? Can I take her?"
The blonde barely had enough time to blush at the young man's bold
question when her captor leaned over and grabbed his color with her
hand, pulling him to her forcefully. The blonde man was clearly
frightened as she stared into the flashing lavender eyes.
"Motoki, I will say this only once: even think about it again and I'm
going to castrate you."
The poor guy nodded furiously before the assassin released him and sat
back down. He gulped and apologized to Serena profusely in Japanese.
"No problem," the blonde girl said in Japanese. For some reason, she
didn't want Rei to know she spoke English. "It's quite all right."
The young man looked at the assassin hesitantly before asking her what
she wanted. The dark-haired woman shrugged and ordered a beer before
asking Serena what she wanted. The blonde blinked several times before
Rei chuckled and ordered her a Rum and Coke.
Motoki served them the drinks and Serena sipped hers carefully. She's
never had it before and it wasn't half bad.
"So, Motoki, where's your boss?"
The hostage's blue eyes looked innocently between Rei and the bartender
as she continued sipping her drink. His boss? The owner of the bar, most
likely.
"Oh, Haruka? Around here somewhere."
"I'm right here."
Serena turned in time to see a handsome young man walk over to them his
sandy blonde hair falling into his crystal blue eyes. The politician's
daughter had a hard tie not drooling. He was tall with classical Greek
features-
"Haruka, you fucking bitch. Where've you been, crazy woman?"
A woman?! What the hell?! Serena tried hard not to let her jaw drop and
flat out gawk at the woman standing before her.
She suddenly felt Rei's intense eyes on her and the assassin's
strangely soothing laughter reached her ears. For some reason, it caused
the blonde to blush as she snuck a glance at the woman sitting beside
her. The blush darkened.
The assassin had leaned in and was close enough for Serena to smell her
scent of jasmine and vanilla. Her smoky lavender eyes were half-closed
and peered at her with barely hidden amusement. Her ruby lips were
quirked on one side into that arrogant and yet charming smirk of hers.
"R-Rei?"
The dark-haired woman reached over, fingertips so close to the blonde's
cheek. The blush on the older girl's cheek darkened. What was Rei doing?
The assassin tapped the tip of Serena' nose with her finger, causing the
blonde to cross her eyes. The action caused the other woman to laugh, a
velvety chuckle this time.
"Don't tell me, Serena, that you fell for Haruka's devilish good looks
too? Too bad she's not a guy, right?"
Pink lips parted to deny Rei's words, but closed quickly. Haruka and Rei
laughed at her reaction, causing the poor girl to blush even harder.
"All right, as fun as it is making fun of your date-"
"She's not my date, for the last time!"
The tall blonde rolled her eyes and ruffled the assassin's hair, much to
her annoyance and Serena's surprise.
"All right, Rei, down to business. Why are you here?" Haruka asked, her
deep ('And sexy,' thought Serena) voice suddenly serious.
"Recognize Serena?" The blonde's captor asked after looking around to
make sure no one was looking.
Haruka scrutinized the girl sitting next to the assassin, her eyes
narrowed in concentration.
"She is very pretty, but I haven't dated her, if that's what you're
asking."
She rolled her eyes and pulled off the cap on her captive's head. The
owner of the bar gasped and her blue eyes widened.
"Serena Tsukino!"
The kidnapped girl squealed and tried to sink into her chair.
The dark-haired assassin's eyes grew dark as she leaned over, her voice
a harsh whisper when she spoke.
"Keep it down, will ya? What do you want to do, alert the whole place?"
Haruka nodded grimly then continued to study the fidgeting blonde.
Minutes later, as if finally realizing that she was staring, the owner
of the bar looked away, causing Serena to sigh softly with relief.
"Rei," Haruka said in a heated whisper as she leaned forward, "what's
she doing here?"
The assassin shrugged casually as if they were talking about eh weather
and sipped her beer,
"I figured this place is safer than anywhere else, right?"
Haruka frowned and pulled out a bottle of Russian vodka, pouring herself
a glass.
"What I meant was what are you doing out with her? Last I heard, you
were in some motel somewhere outside the city."
A perfectly curved raven brow arched.
"Oh? And where did you hear this from?"
The taller woman shrugged and sipped her drink.
"Places."
"Right," the dark-haired assassin stated skeptically. "And how long
before this information leaks out to the police?"
A malevolent smirk appeared on Haruka's face, her twinkling eyes
suddenly going cold and took on the steely quality Serena saw once in
Rei. The kidnapped blonde's grip on her drink tightened. Dear god,
Haruka was an assassin also.
"How long do you want?"
Rei stared at her glass with a kind of detached interest, her eyes
half-closed with what seemed like boredom before lifting them to stare
in the bartender's eyes.
"A couple of days, when they start tightening security around here."
Haruka gave a curt nod before turning her attention to Serena. The
captive felt her heart pound and herself stiffen until she saw the
bright blue eyes, which calmed her almost immediately.
"So, Serena, how's living with Rei? Is she a complete bitch?"
The lavender-eyed woman shot an indignant glare toward her friend before
studying her beer with detached interest.
"Don't worry," Haruka continued with a grin, "you can tell me the truth.
Rei won't do anything. She knows she's a bitch."
The longhaired blonde couldn't help but giggle. She slapped a hand over
her mouth and turned to look at her captor nervously. Rei didn't seem
upset at the laughter but was glaring daggers at the owner of the bar.
"To be honest, Rei's been very nice to me, Miss ummm..."
A flash of realization passed over the tall woman's face as she smiled,
offering Serena her hand. As the younger blonde took the hand, she
watched in fascination as those sandy locks of the tall woman moved back
and forth.
"How rude of me not to introduce myself. Or rather, how rude of Rei not
to introduce me. My name is Haruka Tenoh, humble owner of this
establishment. A pleasure to meet you, Serena."
The blonde smiled so charmingly Serena couldn't resist smiling back
warmly.
"A pleasure to meet you too, Tenoh-san."
"Please, call me Haruka since I'm calling you Serena."
Rei snorted as she traced the rim of her glass with her dinger. She
didn't look at the blondes when she spoke, her tone dry and flat.
"She never asked you to call her Serena."
Haruka smiled roguishly and turned her sparking eyes to the bored
assassin sitting at the bar.
"You're just jealous, Rei."
The assassin in question finally turned her gaze to the smug blonde and
raised a brow.
"Oh?"
"Yes, very much so, in fact."
Rei turned n her seat, her body facing Serena as she leaned her arm on
the counter and rested her head against her hand.
"Of what?"
"Me."
The bored expression never changed, but Serena did detect a faint spark
of curiosity in those purple orbs.
"You? Why?"
Haruka crossed her arms, leaning back slightly as she looked down at her
friend, the smirk on her lips growing.
"Simple. Serena's focused all of her attention on me for the past couple
of minutes. You're jealous."
Serena watched in amusement and amazement as the area around her
captor's eyes twitched. She couldn't decide if Haruka was very stupid or
very brave. But to see that surprised and confused expression on Rei's
face must be worth bodily harm.
"What?"
Haruka laughed and shook her head.
"God, Rei, ease up."
The assassin grunted softly and sipped her drink. Haruka shook her head
and turned her attention to Serena again.
"So, princess, you sure Rei here hasn't picked on you?"
Serena smiled and nodded firmly, causing he owner of the bar to sigh.
"Damn, can't hurt Hino then."
The blonde captive giggled while Rei just glared at the owner of the
bar.
"Where's your mistress, Tenoh?" Rei snapped, her growl sending shivers
down Serena's back.
"Right here."
The blonde immediately noticed that the voice was very, very familiar.
She turned, prepared to see a hardened assassin since that seemed to be
the type of woman to control someone like Haruka. Her jaw dropped and
her blue eyes widened when he set her sights on the woman standing by
the stairs.
"Michiru?!"
The aqua-haired woman smiled back, her blue-green eyes twinkling with
amusement at the shocked expression on the young blonde's face.
"hello to you too, Serena."
The captive closed her mouth, blushed softly when she felt all eyes n
her due to her shout. Michiru giggled and walked over to the bar, taking
a seat on the other side of Serena.
"Hello, Rei."
The assassin nodded curtly before going back to her drink. Michiru
turned her attention back to the blonde beside her.
"How have you been?"
Serena nodded. "Fine."
"wait, you two know each other?" Haruka asked, blinking in confusion.
"Yes, we met... how many years has it been?"
"Eight," the still blushing girl answered.
"Ah, yes, seems like longer."
"How?" The owner of the bar pressed.
"I was invited to perform at Ken Tsukino's birthday party."
Serena moved closer to Michiru, a huge grin on her face.
"I remember seeing Michi-san play, it was my first time seeing her in
person. I remember my father making me listen to her CDs, but I never
really liked classical music. When I saw her play, however, I was so
amazed! She looked so beautiful."
Rei watched with interest as Serena blushed, making her look all the
more adorable. Haruka had a faint smirk on her lips.
"I told Minako and... well..."
The blonde trailed off, her blush darkening. Michiru smiled and shook
her head n amusement.
"After a while I remember seeing two pretty blondes heading in my
direction. Sure enough, it turned out to be Minako dragging a blushing
Serena over to meet me. Minako told her how her cousin thought I played
wonderfully," Michiru smirked, something Rei wasn't used to seeing, "and
told me Serena thought I was gorgeous."
The young woman groaned softly and buried her face in her arms,
remembering the embarrassment her cousin put her through. Haruka tried
to contain her laughter, an attempt that clearly failed when she
snorted. The musician continued with a soft smile.
"I figured the company of the two young ladies was better than those of
the businessman and politicians at the party and spent the rest of the
evening with them."
The aqua-haired woman paused for a second.
"Though Minako did flirt with me for the entire night..."
Rei snorted as Serena giggled. Haruka, on the other hand, had an annoyed
expression on her handsome face, which caused Michiru to lean over the
bar and kiss the angry blonde.
"That does sound like Minako," the lavender-eyed assassin commented
dryly, though her eyes danced with mirth.
"She might have been young, but she was very charming," Michiru said
with a grin.
"as charming as me?" Haruka demanded.
"A different kind of charming, love."
Serena flushed faintly as Haruka kissed her girlfriend rather roughly.
She turned to find Rei studying her beer intently. The blonde leaned
over and stared at the glass as well. After a while, her captor turned
her eyes to her, brows furrowed.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to figure out the mystery of the glass," Serena said without
taking her eyes off of said object.
Rei frowned slightly. "What?"
"The mystery of the glass," the blonde repeated. She finally turned her
eyes tore her eyes away from the glass and looked at Rei with a
child-like seriousness. "There has to be a mystery to it. Why else would
you stare at it all night?"
Haruka's deep laughter resounded on the second floor of the bar and soon
after, Michiru's soft giggles joined in. Serena hopped off the stool and
bowed to the laughing couple a smile on her face. She turned to look at
Rei only to find an adoring but faint blush on her cheeks while her
purple eyes glared at her.
This caused the hostage to giggle and Haruka's laughter to become
louder. The dark-haired woman turned back to the glass, sending a death
glare at the subject that caused her embarrassment while her blush
darkened when the other women only laughed harder.
Finally, she stood and hurried toward the stairs. Serena stopped
laughing, afraid she'd actually upset the woman.
"Rei? Where are you going?" she asked timidly.
"To dance," was the gruff response.
Serena gazed worriedly at the disappearing back of her captor. God, she
was so stupid!
"Don't worry about it," Haruka managed after her laughter subsided. "Rei
usually goes to dance anyway."
"You mean she's not mad at me?" the blonde asked hopefully.
"Maybe a little," Haruka paused when she saw the crest-fallen look on
the younger girl's face. "But not really. She's more embarrassed than
anything. Rei doesn't do embarrassment well. Actually, at all."
"Oh."
"It's okay, Serena," Michiru reassured with a smile. "Rei's quick to
anger but it fades just as quickly. She'll be back in a second, acting
as if nothing happened."
The girl nodded absent-mindedly as she played with the end of her braid.
The couple she was with sent each other knowing looks before Haruka
leaned over the bar and tapped Serena's nose. Blue eyes looked up in
shock, only to be met by a charming smile.
"Hey, it'll be fine. You should know by now Rei's bark is worse than her
bite."
Serena did, but that didn't help. She was, after all, the assassin's
captive and the raven-haired woman held her life in her hands,
literally. Her mind wandered back to her time at the filthy motel and
remembered what it was like for the younger woman to have slapped her,.
She knew she had gotten off easy with a stinging cheek when she
remembered what Rei did to the sleazebag that had hit on her.
"How's Rei treating you, Sere-chan?"
The blonde focused on the smiling musician next to her, mind reeling to
process what she had been asked.
"Oh, great, actually."
"Really?"
"I've been through this with her, Michi," Haruka drawled from behind the
bar. "I've even told her I'd beat the crap out of Rei. She's sticking to
her story."
The aqua-haired woman nodded, though she didn't look the least bit
convinced.
"Has she ever hit you?"
The stinging in Serena's cheek returned for a brief second and she
forced herself not to reach up and touch the spot the assassin had
slapped less than a week ago. It never did hurt very much though.
"No."
Both women looked completely unconvinced. The need to defend Rei
appeared out of nowhere, though Serena didn't dwell on it.
"really, she treats me very well. There's always food, I have my own
room, she lets me roam her house-"
"Wait," Haruka interrupted, her brows knitted. "You're staying at her
house?"
"Yeah," Serena answered, a bit confused. "Why?"
"Well, for starters, very few people have been to Rei's house and never
a..."
"Captive," Serena finished casually. She suppressed a shiver but the
word didn't bring as many emotions as she thought it would.
"Right," Haruka said, a bit uncomfortable.
"Well, I guess I'm lucky then."
Silence. Motoki suddenly walked up and whispered something in his boss'
ear. Haruka excused herself and walked to the stairs. Michiru smiled.
"Well, just the two of us, I guess."
Serena smiled back at the beautiful musician before sipping her Rum and
Coke. It really was quite good.
"So, Michi-san, how'd you meet Haruka-san?"
The other woman smiled fondly, her eyes glazing over for a split second
before refocusing on the longhaired blonde.
"Actually, Ruka kidnapped me."
"What?!"
Michiru laughed softly as Serena stared at her in disbelief. Haruka
kidnapped Michiru and they were... the blonde flushed... going out?
"Yes, surprising, isn't it? But it's true."
"Wow."
The two were quiet as the violinist gave her friend a moment to process
the information. Aquamarine eyes flickered over to the dance floor on
the first floor, trying to catch a glimpse of a certain raven-haired
woman.
"What happened?"
Michiru was brought back to the situation at hand by the shocked voice.
She turned to find Serena gazing at her intently.
"Well, Haruka was hired to kidnap me three years ago-"
"Wait," the blonde said heatedly, "you mean she was the one that
kidnapped you?"
The musician nodded, leaning over to squeeze her companion's hand when
she saw the frown on her face. She remembered how relieved and happy the
young blonde had been when she had been 'released.'
"Yes, Haruka was the one. She was hired to kidnap me for ransom."
"I remember," Serena growled softly, surprising her companion.
"Well, I spent over a month with her. Something just... happened."
Michiru hated how much she was simplifying their way to becoming a
couple. But Serena didn't need to know about how badly they things
turned out before she and Haruka realized they were in love. The path
was rocky and difficult, and no matter how much she loved Haruka and how
proud she was of their relationship, it was better if her young friend
didn't know the whole story. At least, for now.
"So... you two just fell in love?"
Serena's expression was one of child-like innocence and wonder, causing
Michiru to smile.
"Something like that."
"Oh."
The two were silent for a second. Michiru could see the gears turning in
the blonde's head. Too bad she would not be able to understand right
now. Maybe not ever.
Serena's relationship with Mamoru came so easily. They just fit
together. The smart and handsome actor with the innocent and beautiful
politician's daughter. No one had to put any thought into it to know
that their relationship was a fairytale romance. Bt sometimes the
perfect relationship wasn't the best relationship for a person. She
hoped Serena would find the best relationship, but without as much pain
as she went through.
"You two seem deep in thought."
Michiru turned to see Rei walking towards them, her normal confident
smirk present as sweat dripped from her chin.
"Huh?"
Both women turned to Serena, who seemed surprised to see the
lavender-eyed woman. Rei arched a brow but didn't comment.
"How about we head back?" the assassin asked instead.
Serena nodded, though a bit reluctantly. She bid a quick farewell to the
violinist after giving her a tight hug. Michiru hugged her back just as
tightly to let the blonde know she was there before nodding her farewell
to Rei. As the two disappeared down the stairs, her eyes remained glued
on their backs, thoughts running around in her mind.
"What do you think?"
Aquamarine eyes closed as the musician pressed her petite body against
Haruka's. She felt the blonde's lips on her neck and smiled softly
before answering.
"I think neither of them know what they're in for."
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