Rei nodded to the doorman as she walked into her apartment building. Sweat dripped off her chin and onto her already soaked tank top while she casually opened the door leading to the stairs. As she started climbing, she allowed her mind to wander. It's been two days since she took Serena to Abyss and it's been relatively uneventful. A routine has developed in the short few days her hostage has been here, a surprise, really. Every morning, she would go to the gym and work out for a few hours. By the time she came home, Serena would have a breakfast takeout waiting. The assassin would eat and read the paper while the blonde took a shower, since she hated getting up early. After Rei had her shower, the two would start watching TV, go on the net, read or just listen to music for a couple of hours. Then the assassin would order lunch and after that, more of what they did in the morning. Dinner was ordered usually by Serena and they would watch TV together, pretty much the only time they spent doing something with one another. The blue-eyed young woman was always the first to sleep, going to bed at around midnight. Rei would turn in an hour or so later and wake at six to continue the cycle. The assassin paused in her climb and closed her eyes. It was all too normal, too comfortable and too familiar. Their relationship was captor-hostage, not two friends. It made things easier, true, but it was just weird. It's true Rei's never kept a person alive for more than two days before, but no way in hell was this supposed to happen. She's even checked with some of her acquaintances. She didn't tell them what was happening, since they'd just laugh her out of Tokyo, but from their experiences, the relationship between a kidnapper and the kidnapped was one built on fear, hatred and caution. Not whatever it is she had with Serena. "Whatever, as long as she behaves, why question it?" Rei continued her climb and after a few minutes, she arrived on the top level. Pulling out her keys and unlocking the door, she took a deep breath before entering. The smell of breakfast reached her nose as she dropped her on the floor. Looks like she'll be having pancakes again. The assassin made a note to tell Serena to order French toast for the next day. The blonde finished her shower surprisingly fast on that day. Rei was only halfway done with her breakfast when her hostage appeared, dripping wet as usual, what with her long hair. "Rei? I umm..." The assassin looked up to find her houseguest fidgeting where she stood while her eyes darted around the room, looking at anything but her host. With an arched brow, she put down her newspaper. "What's the matter?" "I... er..." Despite her best attempts to control her temper, Rei could feel herself starting to become quite angry. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs, all the while reminding herself not to explode. "Yes?" "Ibrokeyourhairdryer." Lavender eyes blinked as their owner tried to decipher what the blonde had just blurted. Serena was becoming increasingly nervous as the silence stretched on. She chewed on her bottom lip while fear slowly ceased her. Will Rei kill her? Oh god, so stupid. She's going to die because she broke a hairdryer. "You broke my hairdryer?" The whisper, along with the shock on the assassin's face caused the nervous blonde to gulp and smile weakly. She waved a hand vaguely at her long hair. "Well, you know, my hair's kinda long and all..." Rei's eyes narrowed, causing her hostage to trail off. She broke her hairdryer?! "I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean it. Really, I didn't!" The fear on the blonde's face was too much for the assassin to take. The next thing Serena knew, her kidnapper was laughing loudly. "Umm... Rei? Are you okay?" When the laughter continued, the petrified blue-eyed woman took a step back. That's it, the assassin's finally lost it. God, she was going to die now, wasn't she? There's no way around it. If only she hadn't used that infernal thing, she'd be able to live a few more days. Maybe the assassin will use her hair to choke her. Irony like that can't be lost, even on people like her. Serena was getting more and more anxious as the seconds ticked by and her captor still didn't cease laughing. Before the blonde knew what she was doing, she joined in with what started as giggles and soon turned into full-blown laughter. Rei wiped the tears from her eyes as she finally calmed herself. God, she hasn't laughed that hard in ages. She looked over at her hostage, whose cheeks had turned an adoring pink. Unconsciously, the assassin just watched the blonde for a few seconds, entranced by beautiful she looked, so carefree and innocent, as well as felt the melodious laughter send pleasant shivers down her spine. Serena shook herself out of her giggles just in time to see Rei approach her with a smirk on her lips. Her amusement disappeared as fear ceased her once again. She took a step back and gulped. "I can't believe you broke my hairdryer," the assassin commented with a shake of her head. "I'm sorry, I really am." To the blonde shock and relief, the taller woman shrugged nonchalantly and walked back to her chair. As she sat down and picked up her paper again, she regarded her houseguest with an even gaze and a smirk on her lips. "I should have known it'd happen, what with hair as freakishly long as yours. Whatever, it was about time I get a new one, anyhow." "Yeah, it was really old!" Serena chirped, happy her kidnapper wasn't angry. "At least it was working until the poor thing met you," Rei said simply, shooting her hostage a look. The blonde blushed and smiled sheepishly. She stood there for a few seconds, just staring at her kidnapper. Finally, starting to get annoyed, the lavender-eyed woman looked over at the shorter girl. "Anything else I can help you with?" The blush on the blue-eyed girl's cheeks darkened as she fidgeted with the hem of her white T-shirt. She stuttered when she spoke. "C-can you... I mean... Rei, can you help me dry my hair?" The question caused the sitting woman to arch a brow in question. Her houseguest waved her small hand dismissively, nervously giggling. "Forget it, stupid question." The chair scratched the floor as the assassin pushed it back and stood, setting her paper on the table. "Fine. You're dripping all over the floor, anyhow." Serena grinned and brightened, causing her captor to smile crookedly and walk over to her. As the younger girl walked toward the bathroom, the blonde followed behind with a bounce in her step. AS Rei grabbed a couple of towels from the closet inside the bathroom, her companion sat down on the bench by the window and stared out at Tokyo. The blonde closed her eyes as she felt a towel being dropped on the top of her head. Slowly and with a surprisingly gentle touch, the assassin began drying her hair with the fluffy towel. They were silent for a few minutes as the raven-haired woman worked her way slowly through her houseguest's mane. She tossed the towel in her hand aside and picked up another, which became just as quickly soaked. "Why would anyone want hair this long?" she mumbled softly under her breath. Serena smiled as her blue eyes took in the beauty that was her city. "When I was little, my mother would read me stories after my dad tucked me in." Rei said nothing and just listened to the dreamy tone of the blonde's voice as she worked. "She'd read me all the different stories about princesses and how their prince would come and rescue them. But my mother's and my favorite story was Rapunzel." The kidnapped young woman placed her hand on the glass, feeling the cold pass from her hand up her arm and through her entire being. The gentle hands working their way through her hair with the towel relaxed her, putting her in a trance-like state. She could see her mother in her mind's eye. "So, ever since I was five, I've been growing out my hair. My mother loved it, she would brush it for me every day until..." The assassin knew what was coming next, but stayed quiet. Serena took a deep breath. "Until she died. I couldn't cut my hair, though I probably should, right?" Rei released the breath she hadn't known she was holding when she heard the cheerfulness return to the blonde's voice. She didn't allow herself to think about how worried she had been about her hostage during her trip down memory lane. "Nah, you have nice hair." Serena felt herself blush. "So, is Chiba your prince charming?" The blue-eyed girl felt her heart stir at the reminder of her boyfriend. She pushed away how much she missed him and the confusion that came with the whole situation to focus on the present. "Yeah, pretty much. He's everything you want in a guy." The standing girl tried not to roll her eyes at the giddiness in the older woman's voice. Once again, she wisely stayed quiet and just listened half-heartedly. "He's sweet, nice, kind, charming, handsome and he can do just about anything. He cooks and he always brings me little presents for no reason." "Sounds like the perfect boyfriend," Rei sneered without meaning to. "Yeah, he is." Silence descended over the pair, Serena in dreamland thinking about her Mamo-kun while Rei continued to dry her long hair with a slight frown on her face. "There we go, done." The blonde began turning to thank the assassin when she felt a hand on her cheek, pushing her face back to face the window. "Wha-" The sentence was left hanging as the blue-eyed woman felt long fingers comb through her hair. They were soon replaced by a brush. Serena relaxed almost immediately, finding the rhythmic action soothing. She let her thoughts drift, thinking about nothing in particular as she stared out the window. As for Rei, she had no idea why she was doing what she was doing. She supposed it didn't really matter, in the end. She felt the sun on her face and watched as the light caused her houseguest's hair to shine like spun gold. The blonde's skin seemed to darken to a beautiful, light tan, though still creamy. Her own skin lost some of its paleness, becoming almost rosy because of the heat. The metal handle of the brush shined brightly, though not enough to hurt her eyes as she ran it through the soft mane. Her left hand rested on Serena's shoulder, the long hair brushing against her skin and tickling her. Before she knew it, her usually busy mind stilled and sighed softly in pure contentment. Serena bounced from one foot to the other, hands behind her back as she stared at the clock. She looked over at her host, who sat on the couch, watching some show or other. She walked over to the assassin, trying to look casual. "So, is it done yet?" Rei didn't even look at her and just concentrated on the television screen. "Is it?" Lavender eyes tore themselves away from the episode of 'The Simpsons' she was watching to shot the blonde an annoyed look. "What do you think?" The older girl took the hint and went back to pacing back and forth under the clock. A few seconds later, she returned to her spot behind the couch. "Is it ready now?" The raven-haired girl actually twitched as she spun around, glaring at the blonde, who just took a step back and smiled nervously. "It's done when the microwave beeps!" "Beep!" Serena took off toward the kitchen, causing Rei to groan softly and cover her face with her hand. She mumbled under her breath before standing and following in her hostage's footsteps. She found the blonde blowing on her fingers as she entered and rolled her eyes. Grabbing the oven mitt, she pushed the whimper girl away from the microwave and reached in. "Grab plates," the assassin ordered as she carried the dish back to the living room. Lavender eyes didn't even blink when a blonde blur sped past her and jumped onto the couch. Rei casually walked over and placed the pizza down on the coffee table, but not before grabbing a book to place the hot dish on. She took off the mitt and grabbed the red plate her houseguest offered her. Serena had trouble controlling herself when she smelled the scent of the pepperoni pizza. She reached over to grab a slice when she was hit lightly on the back of her hand. "It's still hot, remember?" The blonde smiled sheepishly before nodding. She fidgeted, wanting to eat as her stomach growled loudly. "We don't have drinks." Before Rei could even make a move to get up, her hostage sprinted back into the kitchen. She grumbled under her breath and leaned back, waiting for the speeding bottomless pit to return with soda and cups. Another two days have passed without incident since the day she'd dried and brushed Serena's hair. That afternoon, she went out and bought a new hairdryer. It wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed doing what she did for the blonde. The problem was, she enjoyed it too much. She had allowed herself to get lost in the simple task and allowed herself to actually relax. That was the very thing she wanted to avoid. She was, admittedly, getting too attached to the blonde. It wasn't like she cared for Serena or anything, but she did feel things around her. Things she never expected to feel around a job. They were the feelings that she had around her friends, a contentment and a lightness that made her feel peaceful inside. Besides, it was way too tedious drying and brushing all that hair. She'd never tease the girl about taking so long in the shower again. "Here we go!" Rei snapped from her thoughts as Serena took a seat next to her and handed her a cup before placing her own on the coffee table and unscrewing the cap of the soda. She poured the assassin some before filling her own cup. "Is the pizza cooled yet?" The blonde knew she was practically drooling, but didn't really care. She wanted pizza and she wanted it now! The taller woman rolled her eyes before taking a sip from her cup. "Yes, it should be cooled enough." Serena grabbed a slice and took a big bite, moaning softly as the cheese melted in her mouth. Rei gave her a look but knew better than to say anything before taking a slice herself. She turned to the television to find that her show had already ended. She pouted in annoyance. Okay, so she'd watched that episode 100 times already, but it was her favorite! "Can I change the channel?" "Yeah, sure." The blonde smiled at the cute expression on the assassin's face before grabbing the remote. She flipped through a couple of channels before stopping when she saw an American girl with blonde hair wearing all leather. "What's this?" The two watched as the young woman flipped a large man over her shoulder and stabbed his chest with a wooden stick. He exploded in a cloud of dust. "What is this?" "'Buffy the Vampire Slayer.'" "It's American, right?" "How can you tell?" Rei asked, sarcasm dripping from every word. Serena ignored the remark and continued to watch as Buffy took on several more vampires, jumping, somersaulting and fighting with ease in her seemingly painted on leather outfit. She wondered briefly how she even managed to move, since she had some experiences with leather herself, courtesy of her cousin. "Wow. I've never seen this show before." Rei shrugged as she took another bite of her pizza. Pretty soon, she could tell her houseguest was completely sucked into the show. That didn't, however, stop her from stuffing her face with pizza. After the fight Buffy had with the vampires, the camera turned to a pretty redhead sitting on a bed. The assassin sat up a little straighter once she recognized the room being Willow and Tara's in Buffy's house. She swallowed nervously for reason unknown to herself. Serena watched as a brunette entered the room and the redhead looked up from her book with a smile. Tara crossed the room, greeted Willow and placed a kiss on her lips. The blonde felt a blush warm her cheeks as she stared openly at the pair, whose kiss deepened. She didn't know why she was feeling so... nervous or whatever it was she was feeling. She's seen Minako kiss and dance with pretty girls all the time. Okay, so she usually blushed like a maniac during those times too, but this was a TV show! Not real! Rei sighed softly in relief when Tara and Willow broke apart. She had no idea why she was acting this way at all. That innocent kiss was nothing compared to what she's done with Minako and many... many other women. She looked over at Serena to find the blush still on the older girl's cheeks. Wanting to rid both her houseguest and herself of the uneasiness that seemed to claim them, she asked the other woman to change to another channel that was playing another show that she liked. Her hostage complied without pause, though still seemingly a bit dazed. The two chatted a bit about 'Friends' as they ate their dinner, though a nervous tension remained. Serena pulled her tank top over her head as she grabbed her jacket off the chair in her room. She quickly grabbed a lollipop from the kitchen as she passed before running to the door. Rei was already waiting for her, leaning against the wall and looking quite bored. The blonde gave the taller woman an apologetic smile before putting on her black jacket. As the assassin locked the door, the other woman felt a smile appear on her lips. She was going out again! Okay, so they were only going to the Abyss, but out of any kind was good. Besides, maybe she'll even get to see Michiru again. As the lavender-eyed drove toward the club, Serena couldn't help but feel that something important was going to happen that night. Okay, sorry about the long delay and how short this chapter was. It's basically filler, since every fic needs them sometime. I tried making the scenes a little humorous to balance the tension and everything and I'm fairly happy with it. The 'Buffy' insert was inspired by "Buffy Night at the Hikawa Shrine" by Desslok, which is a nice fic that you should read it you haven't already. So, I don't own the idea, as much as I wish I did. Props to Desslok. Well, anything else? I guess not. The next chapter will move the plot along more, I swear.
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