chouso@aur.alcatel.com (Soumitra Choudhury)
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Mars Fire Ignite
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Chapter 1: A Secret Admirer
"Another one? Wow, this is getting kinda freakie, don't you
think?" Serena said over Rei's shoulder as Rei picked up the
figurine. It was a beautiful figurine, really; one of a phoenix
spreading out its wings, getting ready to take in flight. Carved of
gold and opalescent gemstones, it was, by far, the most gifted piece
of work to have graced the front steps to Rei's temple.
That was what worried her the most, though. This was the fifth
figurine in the span of a week, and she stilled had yet to see who was
leaving them. Being 15 and the target of a secret admirer is
flattering, but somehow, Rei thought to herself, this is getting a
little out of hand.
"Look at the way it sparkles! Oooo, it's soooo pretty!" Serena
continued, her eyes wide and dreamy. "I bet it costs a fortune to have
all that gold on it. So, have you found who's sending you these neat
gifts yet?"
Rei sighed. "No Serena," she replied with a hint of
exasperation. "I don't know who it is, and it's starting to bother
me. What if this person is a stalker or something?"
Serena got one of those far-off dreamy-eyed looks. "Oooo, that
would be so romantic, unless he was mean and wanted to kill you, but
then," and the dreamy look went pensive and concerned, "that wouldn't
be too good, now would it? Then we'd have to destroy him like those
Negaverse monsters. Hmmm..." She started pacing on the steps.
*****
It was a bright and cheery morning at the Cherry Hill Temple,
a typical warm summer day. Summer vacation was going fairly well for
the scouts, for the Negaverse attacks were few and far between in the
last few months (which worried Luna to no end, but no one wanted to
waste the summer). As usual, the scouts would get together and go
shopping, vacationing, or play around in Tokyo, everything a group of
pretty teenage girls normally do during Summer vacation.
It was at the end of one of their skiing trips to the
mountains that they returned to the temple to find a small box wrapped
up in velvet cloth and a black ribbon, marked for Rei. With all the
girls huddled around her, she tentatively unwrapped the box, and
inside found a note and a gorgeous figurine of a ruby broach carved in
the shape of a phoenix. While Lita, Mina and Serena oohhed and ahhed
at the pretty statuette, and Amy pulled out her computer to analyze it
to make sure it was not a Negaverse trap, Rei read the note:
I hope you like this mere bauble, Miss Rei, which is not
nearly as beautiful as you are.
- Secret Admirer
After that, gifts ended up on the front stairs of her temple
almost every night for the last five nights. And here was a sixth,
this gold and gemstone phoenix statuette, which had inscribed
underneath its stand:
To Rei, the Phoenix's fire is nothing compared to the fire in
your spirit.
- Secret Admirer
"I know!" cried Serena as they walked back into the
temple. "We'll have a sleep-over over here and stay up all night and
wait for him. That way, if he's dangerous, we'll be here to back you
up!" Serena had a smirk on her face for having thought up such a
brilliant plan all on her own.
Rei considered this. "I don't know Serena ..." She WAS really
curious about her secret admirer, and it would be safer to have the
scouts here, just in case he is a wierdo. "Wait a minute!" she
exclaimed, "why don't I just stay up and see him and tell you
tomorrow?"
"Oh, pish-posh, Rei. If you don't, I'll do it anyway, and
maybe, oh, I don't know, maybe I'll go talk to him myself when I see
him." Serena gave Rei the most innocent smile she could muster.
Rei was about to blow-up into a fit, but it came out as a
combination sigh/chuckle. "Oh, all right. Besides, this might be
fun..."
"But, of course it will be fun!" Serena began hopping up and
down. "Gosh, I better go call Ami and Lita and Mina. Should I get
Luna and Artemis also?"
"I-"
"Sure I'll get them! They wouldn't want to miss this. Oh, I'm
so excited! Rei's gonna have a boyfriend! Rei's gonna have a
boyfriend!" Serena started jumping down the stair, running for home,
singing and bouncing. She turned as she ran and cried, "Oh, yeah, and
I'm borrowing some of your Sailor V comics!" as she held up some comic
books in her hand.
"What! You bring those!... Oh never mind." Rei turned around
with a smile and continued back into the temple, humming a particular
tune and daydreaming about all good looking guys and such. She
returned to her room, and stared at her dresser for a moment, with its
new decorations carefully placed on it. Moving the silver phoenix and
the ruby phoenix statues out a bit for some room, she placed the gold
phoenix down. Sighing dreamily, she gazed at herself in the mirror
above her dresser. After a year of being Sailor Mars, she was still
the deadly beautiful, raven-haired girl from before, with a pools of
black for eyes, coupling her creamy skin for contrast. "So, who are
you, my romantic admirer," she said outloud to the mirror, "that knows
me well enough to send me gifts of this fiery being?"
*****
Rei had just finished the herbal tea when their was a knock on
the front doors. Rushing over, she opened it to let in Lita and Mina,
each with her own duffle bag. "So, we'll get to meet this mystery man
of yours, will we?" Lita asked with a devilish grin.
"I don't know, we'll have to stay up to see," Rei replied with
a similar grin.
Mina chuckled. "Don't you guys worry. We'll be up, cause I
brought..." she began digging in her bag until she brought out a case
of soda pop, "... JOLT! Twice the sugar, Twice the caffeine! He he
he!"
Rei groaned mockingly. "You haven't started already, have you
Mina?"
"Why, of course I have? What a silly question!"
They went into the main room, when a second knock came from
the door, followed by a "Yoo-hoo, is anybody here?" It was Serena, of
course.
"In here, Serena!" Rei replied, as she started pouring out tea
into cups.
Serena and Amy walked in with duffel bags of their own. "Hey
guys! Got any food? I'm starved!" Typical Serena entrance.
Rei gave one of her magnanimous sighs. "Yes, Serena, I made us
some cookies, and I was hoping-" she looked at Lita.
"I made a cake for everyone!" entered Lita happily, knowing
everyone enjoyed her cooking so much. Serena squealed in delight, and
ran into the kitchen with Lita in tow.
Ami pulled something out of her bag and handed it to
Rei. "Here, Rei. I know we are going to watch for this secret
admirer, but this will make things easier." It was a small metal box
with a glass circle on one side.
"What's it do?"
"Well, it's a motion detector of sorts," replied Ami. "All
we'll have to do is set it pointing towards the stairs from some bush,
and whenever this person shows up, I'll know because my computer will
start beeping."
Mina jumped up and down. "Cool! Let's go put it in its
place. I can't wait to meet him!" She grabbed the box and ran out the
door. Rei and Ami looked at each other. "We're going to have to keep
her away from the caffeine!" they mumbled together, and burst out
laughing.
*****
Three hours and two cans of Jolt apiece later, the girls were
stuck in fits of giggles. It was close to midnight, but they were
having too much fun.
"So Serena," Lita started, "How's Darien? Where's Darien? You
didn't have a fight again, did you?"
At the mention of his name, Serena eyes glazed into her dream
state and she grinned stupidly, just like someone hopelessly in
love. "Darien's fine, he's out of town visiting some college buddies,
and we didn't have another fight." Lustful sighs fill the air, and
everyone fell into another fit of giggles.
"Guys!" Ami whispered loudly, and everyone instantly became
silent as they heard her computer beeping continuously. They all
turned to Rei, who all of a sudden was pretty pale.
"Come on, Rei! Don't be a chicken!" Serena whispered as she
grabbed Rei's arm and started dragging her to the designated window to
which they were going to spy on the perpetrator.
As soon as everyone was situated, Rei slowly opened the blinds
so that they could get a view. Outside was pitch dark, except for the
street lights down at the street, and the lanterns that Rei lit every
night in the front so that the stairs were always illuminated for
visitors. Crouching on those same steps was a cloaked and hooded
figure laying down a flat rectangular box wrapped in the same red
velvet and black ribbon as before, but the box was bigger, like a box
that you would give that had clothes in it as a gift. The hooded
figure then took out a note and slipped it through the ribbon. Then he
stood, turned around and began to leave.
"Oh no you don't!" yelled Serena, and she took off for the
front door. It took a moment to register to the others what she was
going to do, but it hit them all pretty much at the same time. Lita
and Mina leapt off after her, giggling hysterically. Ami seemed
hesitant, but Rei burst to her feet, hoping Serena wasn't going to do
what she thought Serena was going to do.
Serena did.
"Stop right where you are!" Serena shouted as she stood
outside pointingat the cloaked figure. Lita and Mina crowded around
her with their hands on their hips, trying desperately to hold stern
expressions rather than falling over laughing.
The figure turned around slightly, but the hood prohibited the
girls from seeing who was underneath. "Greetings, ladies. I did not
realize I had an audience tonight." The voice was soft, but definitely
masculine.
"Why don't you show yourself? You cannot get away," Lita said
sternly. Mina nearly broke into a smile.
"Now, now, that would just shatter what little self-esteem
that I have, ladies. Besides-" and suddenly he faltered as Rei came
barging out the door.
"Serena! What the hell do you think your doing?!" Rei cried,
fighting the urge to strangle her right then and there. Then she
glanced at the figure, and began blushing. She was in her nightgown
after all.
The figure, meanwhile, had fallen to one knee. "La ... Lady
Rei," he stammered, gazing at her, "You are even more beautiful in the
luminous rays of the Moon's pale gaze."
Rei, by now, was blushing tremendously, while Lita and Mina
giving that girlish "Aaaawwwwwwwww" that they are known so well for,
and Serena had those dreamy eyes again.
"Please accept this simple token of my affection, Lady Rei. I
know that its beauty is less than nothing compared to that which my
eyes are feasting upon now, but it is all I can do with the poor
supplies that this plain world provides me with." And with that, he
turned and ran back into the darkness.
"Wait!" cried Rei, but he was long out of earshot. She looked
at the rest of the girls, Ami now joining them. They all were looking
at the figure with those love-struck eyes goggling about (except for
Ami, who merely smiled at Rei impishly). Feeling her embarrassment
wash away, and fighting the urge to slap Lita, Mina, and Serena all in
a row, she stepped down to pick up the gift, and walked inside.
The scouts crowded in around her again, eager to see what was
in the box, but Rei purposefully opened the not first:
I hope this dress looks as good on you as I think it will.
- Secret Admirer
"Oooo, a dress!" Serena exclaimed, "Hurry, Rei! The suspense
is killing me!"
"I know someone who's going to kill you if you don't calm
down!" hissed Rei in her typical Rei-Serena argument tone. She
careful began to open the box, and gasped audibly as she held out the
dress. It was a long, brilliant scarlet, oriental style dress made of
simmering silk, with patterns of phoenixes flying about in darker
shades of crimson. The long dress was split up both sides of the dress
to the upper thigh to expose a lot of leg.
"Oh my god! This is gorgeous!" Rei cried happily, and stood up
to put it against her, seeing how it would fit.
"Rei, there's something else at the bottom," Ami said,
pointing to a flat black velvet box, about 6"x5" in dimensions. Rei
carefully put down the dress, and with shaking hands, picked up the
velvet box. She stood up, and all the girls scrambled to stand up
also, as she opened the box... and promptly fell to her knees ground
in shock, closing it quickly.
"What?! What was it?!" Serena yelled.
"Yeah!" Lita and Mina cried together.
Ami patiently waited, a fabulous grin on her face, for she had
managed to catch a glimpse of the contents.
Rei hesitantly opened the box again, gasping for breath, and
showed them the gold necklace with three rubies the size of marbles
situated on the front of the necklace that was inside.
It took a moment for it to register for the girls, and then
they all squealed at the same time, even Rei.
"Are they real?" asked Mina after they had stopped.
Ami pulled out her computer and punched a few
buttons. Grinning too herself, she calmly put it back in her bag. Then
she stood there, smiling.
"Well?!" Lita spat.
"Well," Ami began, agonizingly slowly, "the going rate for
rubies of that size nowadays, assuming they are real, is roughly
$5,000 apiece."
"But are they real?!" That was Serena.
Ami smiled wickedly for a moment, then nodded affirmative. Rei
fainted to a cacophony of screams of delight.
*****
She awoke a few moments later to the smiling faces of the
scouts hanging over her. "You okay?" Mina asked.
"Yeah, but I had this dream of-" and she saw the ruby necklace
and the dress. "oh. It wasn't a dream." Suddenly, she leaped to her
feet. "I've got to find him! I can't keep this stuff! He's sent me too
many valuable stuff! And I don't even know him!"
"Yeah..." Lita trailed off dreamily. "It's so romantic. Hey
Rei! If you don't want him, I'll take him off your hands."
"Yeah, I bet you will," Rei replied sarcastically. "Come on
you guys! We've got to go after him!" And with that, she ran into her
room to get dressed.
The rest of the girls stared at each other, knowingly. It was
going to be a long night.
"Good evening, Master Cole. I trust your trip was successful?"
said the tall, brawny man in the butler's suit as he took the figure's
cloak.
Cole sighed, somewhat discontentedly. "Yes William, but it's
not enough. She is constantly running through my thoughts, whispering
in my dreams. Why, William? Why her? She's 15, for God's sake!" Cole
marched down the foyer, leaving the butler to hang up the cloak.
William found Cole a few minutes later in the fencing room,
practicing away viciously with his katana, whirling the blade with
astounding speed as he watched himself in the mirror. At 18 years of
age, Cole had had to go through a lifetime's worth of hardship, with
losing his parents when he was young to a car accident, and having to
fend for himself, though most of this was made easier by having
inherited an electronics company, and the several hundred million
dollars that came with it. Still, Cole was content to let the
executive board of directors handle the company, while he struggled to
find some meaning in his life. He couldn't open up to people very
easily, and thus had very few friends. This was made even more
difficult because he didn't attend a public or private school (his
tutelage was done strictly through private tutors). He was by no means
stupid, however, as he had made it through "high school" by the age of
15. Cole had decided to put college off for a bit, though, and so,
with William as his only true friend and confidant, he traveled the
world, searching for something, anything, to alleviate the sense of
loss he felt in his solitary, if opulent, life.
William watched him for a few more minutes. Cole had grown
into a fine young man, something his parents would have been proud of,
thought William with fatherly pride. Lean and tone, agile as a cat,
and as smart as most college degree-bearing individuals, Cole was a
sight to see. Perhaps a bit on the plain side as far as looks went,
with his simple brown hair and eyes, he was, nonetheless, a powerful
presence. He had a glib and witty tongue, and a wry sense of humor,
coupled with a profoundly sensitive heart and an almost overpowering
determination. Being perhaps one of the wealthiest individuals in the
world did not phase him in the least, and in fact, he rarely used any
of his money for extravagance. At least, until now.
With his personal flame of hope slowly dying away to the cold
winds of personal despair, William had watched Cole begin to whittle
away into depression, and had been unable to stop it, and so it had
been with great joy that William had opened the front door one day to
let Cole in, and have his young master fairly knock him down in
jubilation as he began spouting off excitedly about some girl that he
had chanced upon at the mall. Apparently, Cole had bumped into her
while not paying attention, then had been dumb struck by the beauty he
had run into, a 15 year old raven-haired goddess of some sorts. It was
difficult to make out much else, but William was deeply grateful for
whoever this girl was as he watched Cole dance about the penthouse in
a joyful daze.
And the gifts! After following the girl for a while (he found
out that her name was Rei Hino), Cole got some insight in some of
things that interested her, and started having these fabulous gifts
made for her. With the dress and the ruby necklace, the last tally had
Rei now owning over $25,000 in valuables. William wasn't worried,
though. It made Cole happy, and that was all that mattered.
"I saw her tonight," Cole said to his friend, pulling out a
towel and wiping off his face from the slight workout. "Apparently,
they were waiting for me."
"They?" William asked, arching one eyebrow in curiosity.
"Rei and her friends. Serena, Mina, Lita, and Ami. They seem
to be together all the time." He looked contemplative for a moment. "I
wonder if I can get one of them to introduce me to Rei. Ah well,
anyway. Oh gosh, William! You should have seen her! She was in a
nightgown, and she looked sooo good!"
William arched his other eyebrow, disapprovingly.
"Well, er, that is..." Cole stammered, "I didn't get a good
look, what with it being dark and all." He smiled sheepishly.
The butler sighed as he led Cole to a bathroom for a shower,
listening to his ramblings.
*****
Rei forced the girls to go with her to scour the town, and it
was close to 5am when they returned, struggling desperately to stay
awake long enough to get to bed. It was a fruitless task, as they
found no sign of the mysterious stranger. And so, they piled into
their sleeping bags and quickly fell into slumber. Needless to say,
Rei's dreams were filled with visions of a cloaked figure beckoning
her towards him through the mists.
"Oh! I have a great idea!" yelled Serena, shattering everyone
from their much needed sleep. Sunlight was streaming through the
windows, and birds cheerfully sang the morning away in the cherry
trees outside the temple. The scouts, however, were staring daggers
into Serena, grumbling viciously at such a rude awakening.
"Serena," mumbled Mina from somewhere deep in her sleeping
bag, "your a good friend, and I love you, but if you ever do that
again, I will personally rip your tongue out and eat it for
breakfast."
"You'll have to wait your turn," hissed Lita, her hair tangled
and messed up from the night. She fixed Serena with a cold, hard
stare.
Ami and Rei slowly emerged themselves from their bags, each
looking none-too-pleased themselves. "What is it?" murmured Ami,
trying vainly to keep her eyes open. Rei's hair was in her face, so no
one could see the malevolence in her eyes.
"Well," Serena replied cheerfully, "it's obvious this guy is
following Rei, which means he probably follows her around town. Why
don't we go somewhere, like the mall, and split up into two groups:
Rei and I will wander about shopping, while the rest of you keep an
eye out behind us for any guy who looks like they've taken an interest
in us. Then, we can meet up at lunch time and discuss what to do with
him." She blinked for a moment, noticing that all the girls were
staring at her in amazement. "What?" she cried.
"Why, that's actually a good idea, Serena," Rei said after
another moment. "Maybe you're not a stupid as I thought."
Serena beamed for a third moment, then glared at the
priestess. "Thanks, Rei," she grumbled sarcastically. Just then, Luna
and Artemis strolled into the temple.
"Morning, girls. How was the slumber party?" asked Artemis,
curling up next to Mina's sleeping bag.
"Not done yet," Mina replied, and promptly fell asleep again.
Cole awoke instantly, smiling broadly as he thought of what
the day had to hold. People might think him foolish, but he was having
the time of his life following Rei around. Leaping out of bed, he
quickly showered and cleaned up, gobbling down a breakfast that
William had ready for him. Then, getting dressed, he called for his
car to be ready.
"Shall I be expected to have dinner for two ready?" William
said, handing Cole the car keys.
Cole grinned foolishly. "No, no. Nothing so drastic yet. I'm
just going to see what she's up to today, that's all."
"With or without her permission, sir?"
Cole stepped into the elevator. "Without, of course."
*****
The girls took until about lunch time to get up (with careful
proddings from Luna and Artemis), and then they were off to the mall,
eager to find Rei's mystery man. Luna decided to stick with Serena and
Rei so that she could pay perhaps scan for the guy, and Artemis,
somewhat reluctantly, ended up with the rest of the girls to help spy
him out.
Cole, having watched from afar the girls leaving the temple,
followed them discreetly, until it was obvious that they were headed
for the mall, then took off for it to park and spy. Once again, his
heart fluttered as he saw Rei in her cute white blouse and pink
overall shorts. As he drove by them, he was ecstatically pleased that
she was also wearing the necklace he had given her, but some deep
corner of his mind became slightly worried that she was wearing the
valuable token in public. No telling what fool would get envious of
such treasure... and the necklace. He dismissed the thoughts as he
parked.
"Alright, this is what we'll do," Serena said as they grouped
in front of the mall entrance. "Rei, Luna and I will start wandering
around and pretend shopping-"
"That'll be REAL difficult," whispered Lita to Mina, who
giggled.
"-and the rest of you follow somewhere behind and keep a
lookout for him. If you see him, then come meet us. Otherwise, we'll
meet in one hour at the food court. Okay?"
"I don't know about this," Rei mumbled, shifting her feet
nervously and blushing ever so slightly.
"What's not to know? Do you want to find out who it is?" Mina
asked.
"Well, yeah, but-"
"No buts. Unless you can think of something better, this is
what we're going to do. Besides," Mina continued with a sly grin, "it
can't fail if Ami approves of it."
Ami gave Mina a startled look. "Hey! That's not true! And,
anyhow, it seems like fun."
Now it was everyone else's turn to give Ami an amazed look,
who shrugged and began walking inside. Lita and Mina quickly caught to
her, with Artemis grudgingly in tow.
"Well, ready to find your hunkster, Rei?" Serena was fairly
bouncing out of her clothes in excitement.
Giving a mock sigh heavenward, a smiling Rei entered the mall.
"Ohh, isn't this cute?!" Serena crooned at the stuffed animal
in the window of the store. They had been there only ten minutes, but
already Serena seemed to have forgotten the original goal of this
particular mission. Rei, standing beside her, glanced around
nonchalantly, and once again, couldn't see any guy following them. She
came up close to Serena's ear and said "Aren't you the one who's
supposed to be looking?"
"No, no. Luna's doing just fine, aren't you?" Serena replied,
looking down at the black cat. Hissing back, Luna continued to scan
the crowds.
Just then, Lita, Mina and Ami came running up, with Artemis
clutching at Mina's shoulders. "We found him!" cried an excited Mina.
Rei could feel her face blushing, and she stepped behind
Serena to try and hide herself. "Where?" she whispered.
"About four stores down. He's wearing a T-shirt and khaki
shorts and the black baseball hat," Mina replied.
Serena popped her head out into the walkway. "Where? I don't-
Wait! Now I see him! Ooo! He's cute!"
Lita glanced her in puzzlement. "How can you tell? He's still
far enough away that you can't make anything out."
"Oh, believe me. I have a knack for these things. He is
cute. Come on Rei! You look!" and she pulled Rei out from behind her,
and about that time, the guy turned to look at them. Rei, blushing
ferociously now, smacked Serena's hand away and leaped into the store
to avoid being seen, which, of course, was too late.
Cole, though, was alarmed that the group of girls, especially
Rei, had managed to find him. Mentally slapping himself for his
stupidity, he stepped into the store he was currently hiding in front
of.
Not one to let such a fortuitous event get away, Serena
grabbed Rei again. " Oh no you don't! I spent a good bit of brain
power getting this plan going, and by the Moon, you are going to meet
him," and she calmly began to drag Rei towards the guy's hidey-hole.
Scratching and clawing, Rei struggled desperately to get out
of Serena's grasp while the rest of the girls watched in amazement at
Serena's audacity, even Luna and Artemis, not to mention the number of
onlookers who had nothing better to do than to be at the mall at this
time. "Serena, let go of me! I'm going to hurt you if you don't! OW!
Let go!"
Somewhat amused, Cole watched the blond girl with the funny
balls of hair on her head drag the dark-haired beauty. Suddenly, he
noticed the rafter far above their heads swiveling slightly, as if it
was ready to break...
"Let go!" Rei cried, and managed to snatch her arm back,
causing Serena to lose balance and fall forward. "Don't you ever do
that again!" She began to dust herself off, glaring at her friend. At
that moment, something cracked above her head loudly, and at that
moment, the cute guy who had been following them began running out of
the store and right at Rei.
Damn, Cole thought as her sprinted towards Rei, I thought
these situations happen in corny romance novels and movies.
Rei glanced up and saw the iron rafter falling from the
ceiling right on top of her, and knew instinctively that she wouldn't
get away in time as close as it was. In that brief moment, she felt
extremely sorry for having picked on Serena so much and not being able
to continue protecting her from evil anymore. She wondered-
Cole leaped straight at her and dove/tackled her about the
waist a split second before the beam smashed into the ground with an
earth-shattering smash, kicking up chips of tile and granite, along
with great gouts of dust. People were screaming and running, not the
least loudest being Serena herself at having such imminent danger miss
her by mere feet. The breath flew from Rei's lungs as they landed on
the far side of the beam, and she began choking on the dust as she
inhaled deeply.
"Rei! Serena!" Ami yelled as the she, Lita and Mina rushed
over to their aid. Mina and Lita helped Serena to her feet, hugging
her as she began to cry in hysterics. Ami found Rei trying to cough
out the dust as she lay underneath the guy who had just saved her
life. He rolled over onto his back, grimacing in pain, and noticed the
blue-haired girl looking down at them in concern. Thinking to himself
that this was all going a bit fast for him, Cole smiled wanly at her,
"Hello Ami."
Ami looked a bit startled. "You know-? Rei, are you alright?"
she asked, helping Rei to sit up.
"Ohhh, I think my head split open when I landed. Are my brains
laying around anywhere?" she returned, rubbing the back of her
head. Then she remembered the cute guy and turned to him. "Don't you
think that was a bit risky?" she asked him in a tone reminiscent to a
mother speaking to a child.
Cole grinned impishly as he sat up. "No mother, but thanks for
asking." Actually, he was trying his hardest not to collapse in
pain. He thought the rafter had smashed into his left arm when he had
dashed under it, and that it might be broken, but he didn't need to
tell Rei about that. Besides, he chided himself for not having
cushioned her fall better, even with the faulty arm.
"Are you really okay?" Rei asked in concern.
Having her show this much interest in his well-being set off
fireworks of joy in his mind. Forgetting about his arm, he tried to
wave the question aside as insignificant, but instead ending up
gasping in pain. Yup, the arm was definitely broken.
"What?! You're hurt!" Rei exclaimed, and forgetting about any
embarrassment, began shouting out orders to the nearest people to go
get help. Ami wrapped an arm around Rei's shoulder. "It's okay
Rei. It's just broken. I'll tend to it." And with that, she began
administering to him until help would arrive, trying to make him more
comfortable.
"Really, Ami, I'm fine," Cole tried, pushing her away gently
with his other arm. She gave him a glare that nearly froze his bones,
though, and so thought best about fighting her help anymore.
"Rei! Are you alright?" The other girls approached from the
other side of the fallen beam. Serena looked fine, but concerned.
Rei smiled at them. "Yeah, I'm okay, but my savior here seems
to have broken his arm." She turned to the handsome young man. "By the
way, I can't keep calling you 'my savior' and stuff. What's your real
name?"
Cole looked somewhat nervous at that, but gazing into Rei's
deep onyx orbs, he couldn't resist her question. "Er, Cole. Cole
Gishumi." Ami gasped and nearly dropped his arm, but the other girls
didn't seem to understand the nature of her surprise.
"You mean, of Gishumi Electronics?" Ami asked, somewhat awed.
Cole nodded, examining the girls reactions, which were still
ones of ignorance.
Ami turned to the rest of them. "This is owner of one of the
largest electronic corporations in the world! Its headquarters are
right here in Tokyo, the big glass building that we alway think looks
like a rocket!"
The girls all had shocked looks on their faces, especially
Rei. Cole chuckled weakly and nodded his head in a bow towards
her. "Well, now you know my little secret. I hope that doesn't bother
you?"
"Bother me? What for?" Rei replied.
"Why, when I ask you out, of course." He smiled as he saw the
gorgeous black-haired goddess blush a rosy pink and look away in
embarrassment.
"I, well..."
"No, no," Cole chuckled, waving his good hand discountingly,
"I can't ask you out now. The situation is all wrong, so you don't
have to think about it right this moment." He winked at her
conspiratorially. "But, rest assured, I will ask you, Lady Rei."
Before she could respond, the paramedic s and police arrive,
cutting off any further discussion as they began questioning everyone
and tending to their needs. Rei wanted to get another chance to talk
to Cole, to tell him how much she had appreciated the gifts, to tell
him that she wanted to get a chance to know him, and a whirlwind of
other questions that ran fleetingly through her surprised mind, but
nothing would come out of her mouth. She lacked her normal courage
that made her who she was to chase down the paramedics and ride to the
hospital with Cole, as much as she wanted to. She didn't know him well
enough to know whether or not she liked him, but he definitely
intrigued her. For the first time in her life, Rei Hino was confused
by her emotions.
*****
The next day, Rei woke up feeling drained. She had not gotten
much sleep last night, worrying about Cole, though she didn't know
why. She hardly knew him, and their was no reason he should have been
taking up so much of her thoughts. It irritated her, for she always
considered herself to be in control of herself at all times. Being
confused and emotive was Serena's job, and maybe Mina's.
She slipped out of bed and sat down in front of her dresser to
look at herself in the mirror. Picking up a brush, she began the chore
of removing the tangles from her luxuriant hair, a task she found that
calmed her tremendously. As she did this, Rei noticed the sparkles of
the ruby necklace she still wore, and she stopped brushing to fall
into the beauty of the jewels. Suddenly, she jumped out of her seat
and quickly dressed in shorts and a blouse. As an after thought, she
retrieved her communicator, though she didn't feel like she would need
it. Chances are, the girls would not be able to find her, and then
they would call her and find out. Oh well, she shrugged, better safe
than sorry.
Of all the seasons, summer suited Rei the most, with the
cherry blossom trees surrounding the temple in full bloom. She would
make her rounds daily, and occasionally a flutter of wind would sweep
by, causing a storm of petals to rain down upon her with there
enticing aroma and girlishly pinkish hue that contrasted so well with
her silky locks and onyx eyes. Today, she just ran through the drizzle
of cherry blossoms, not noticing that one particular bloom had
tenaciously grabbed hold of her hair.
When Rei reached the hospital, the nurse told her that Cole
had been released last night to go home as the injuries were not
serious enough to justify an overnight visit. Somewhat deflated, Rei
moped back outside. Now what? she thought dejectedly. She didn't have
his number, and didn't know where too-
What a minute! She slapped her hand to chastise herself. What
was it that Ami had said? Something about Cole being an owner of a
company. Scrunching up her face in concentration, Rei struggled to
remember the conversation from yesterday, a feat that received looks
of amusement from passers-by.
Electronics company... building in Tokyo... rocket - looking
building... Ggg... ggish... gish... Gishumi!
Eyes snapping open in glee, she smiled to herself. The Gishumi
Electronics Building downtown! And then her face fell again. The
building was several miles away, in downtown proper. Glancing in that
direction, she could see the reflection of the glass that was so
predominant on it, and still so far away. Oh well, I didn't plan
anything else for today, she thought to herself resignedly, and began
her considerable stroll.
*****
Two hours and many wishes for bus money later, she stood in
front of the famed spire. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Rei
pushed through the revolving doors and emerged in a vast entry room
that would rival that of the Rockefeller Center of New York. She felt
incredibly small in such a vast room with a considerable number of
people wandering in and out of side hallways and the seven large
elevators located on the far wall. Steeling up her courage, she
wandered over to the security desk that lay in the center of the room.
"Excuse me sir," she said nervously to catch his attention.
Expecting another adult, the guard was taken slightly aback at
a 15 year old girl, especially one of such breathtaking beauty. "Yes
miss? Can I help you?" he replied in a deep, rumbling voice.
"Yes well, you see, I am looking for someone," Rei began,
wringing her fingers unconsciously. "Umm, a Mr. Cole Gishumi."
The guard stared at her for a moment, deciding whether or not
this teenager was worth the trouble to bother the head of the
company. "Do you have an appointment?"
Rei swept a strand of hair out of her faces and behind her
ear. Eyes somewhat downcast, she shook her head and started turning
around to head out again.
Suddenly feeling extremely sorry for her, he picked up the
phone. "Hold on there," he called out to her. "I'll see if he's
available." Smiling at her, he dialed the extension. "Yes, this is the
front desk. Is Mr. Gishumi available? Yes, I realize that,sir, but
there is a young woman here to see him. No, I've never seen her
before. Pardon me? Uh, black, sir. Black, long and straight. yes sir,
I send her right up." He turned back to Rei. "Alright, miss. Just sign
in here, and take the side elevator to the floor marked 'PH'."
Relieved and somewhat elated, Rei quickly signed her name, and
walked over to the elevator on the east wall. There was no button to
open the doors, but just as she was about to return to the guard, the
doors opened. Waving back at the man, she stepped in and pressed the
button marked 'PH'.
After some 70 stories, the doors finally opened to a grand
foyer, complete with a plush red carpet running down the middle, a
soaring ceiling, various statues lining the small hallway, and a burly
butler.
"Ah, Miss Hino, so good of you pay my master a visit. I hope
you are feeling better after yesterday's unfortunate accident." The
butler bowed and gave her a warm smile that took away a bit of the
edge to her nervousness.
"Er, I'm fine, thank you, sir. Is Mr. Gishumi okay?"
"Please, please. There is no formality here," he replied as he
led her into the penthouse. "The master is fine, if somewhat irritated
at being forced to remain indoors and inactive. A broken arm doesn't
suit him well, it seems." At that, the butler chuckled.
Rei looked somewhat uncomfortable at that, but the butler
continued. "No need to worry yourself, miss. He knew what he was doing
and what consequences could occur. There is absolutely no blame on
you, so think nothing of it. By the way, if there is anything that I
can help you with, all you have to do is ask. My name is William." he
bowed again to her as they came to a set of oak double doors. William
knocked firmly, then opened them up, revealing a fabulous study
complete with walls of books, a number of carved pine tables, a VERY
large globe in one corner, and an ornate cherry wood desk almost
against the far wall, which was nothing but a huge window. The
high-backed swivel chair was turned around, and whoever was sitting
there was facing the window and out into the city of Tokyo this fine
summer morning.
"Yes?" came a familiar voice from the chair, though the
individual remained facing the window.
"You have a visitor, Cole," William responded.
"Can't the Board handle whatever it is?" Cole sounded a little
miffed.
William was about to respond, but Rei held her finger to her
mouth to shush him, a sparkle of humor in her eyes. She walked up to
the desk and leaned on it nonchalantly. "Well, I suppose so, but that
seems kind of roundabout, doesn't it?" She asked, pretending to
absently examine her fingernails.
The chair swiveled around in a hurry at that, but stopped
abruptly when Cole's leg banged into the desk. "Oww!" Cole yelped,
grabbing his stinging shin with his uncast arm. Rei burst into a fit
of giggles, and even William cracked a smile.
Groaning in irritation, Cole got out of the chair, and limped
around to rid himself of the pain. "I hope you're both satisfied. A
broken arm, and now a bruised shin. This is the thanks I get for
saving you?" Cole's grimace was quickly replaced with that of sly
glee, and then elation.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, bubbling inside with awe
and giddiness. He watched her eyes go from dancing with merriment to
timid and insecure, and he realized she didn't quite know why she was
here either. Smiling gently, he waved aside the question. "It doesn't
matter. I'm just very surprised to see you. Are you alright?"
Feeling a little less flustered, she nodded, taking a seat in
one of the plush chairs pulled up to the desk. "I wasn't really hurt,
except for some minor bruises here and there. I... I wanted to
... thank you." She was wringing her hands for all they were worth. It
frustrated her that he could cause her to be so nervous, but she
couldn't do anything about it.
Cole kneeled down in front of her. "Your welcome, Lady Rei,"
he whispered to her, tilting up her head gently by the chin.
In the background, William cleared his throat
conspicuously. "Will the lady be staying for lunch?"
Cole waited for her response, hoping with his whole being that
she would. Rei considered it for a moment, thinking that perhaps she
should return to the temple and see the girls, but one look at the
Cole dismissed that. "Sure, I would love to."
*****
After the tour of the penthouse, the idle chit-chat, the
touching upon the life stories, and lunch, which consisted of a finely
organized three course meal of Chinese food (most of which Rei could
not eat, there being so much), Rei's communicator started beeping in
her pocket.
"What's that?" Cole inquired as the elevator took them to the
roof for a view of the city.
"Huh, that's my, um, beeper. Can I use your phone?"
Arching an eyebrow in amusement, he said "Aren't you a little
young to have a beeper? Sure, there's one on the roof."
They continued on their way and the doors opened up onto a
large balcony that went around the whole top of the building. Cole
pointed to a glassed-in patio room where the phone was, and Rei
excused herself. Shielding the phone from Cole's view, she pretended
to pick up the receiver and dial a number, while at the same time
pulling out her communicator and clicking it on. Serena's perky and
cheerful face showed up. "What is it?" Rei hissed.
"Hey Rei! Where are you? We came by to get you to go swimming,
but you weren't at the temple. Tell us where you are so we can pick
you up."
Rei pulled the communicator closer to her face. "Not now
Serena. I'm busy. I'll call you guys later," she whispered.
Suddenly, Serena was pulled out of the screen and replaced
with Mina. "Come on, Rei! We can't go swimming without you! Hey! Is
that a patio your in? Just where are you?"
Rei groaned silently. "Goodbye Mina." She clicked her
communicator off and deactivated it, against her better
judgment. There was no way the others were going to ruin her
afternoon.
Cole watched her walk out onto the balcony. Enchanted, he
marveled at the way the breeze swept through her dark waves of hair,
the strands blowing to and fro. She reached up with a delicate hand
and ran it through her locks in an effort to keep them in control, but
it was pretty useless. Shrugging resignedly, she looked up at him, and
noticed his stare. "What? Haven't you ever seen wild hair before?"
Snapping out of his reverie, Cole coughed nervously. "Um, yes,
well... This is where I come sometimes to watch the sun set, and
sometimes the sun rise." He hoped that would deflect her from his
staring at her.
Gazing around, she gasped softly at the sheer volume of the
view. Tokyo stretched out before her in every direction on this
crystal clear afternoon. Easily discernible, the modern heart of
downtown spoke of soaring skyscrapers reaching for the heaven's,
though none as high as the Gishumi tower. Suffused with a
technological artistry of glass, steel, and concrete, along with a
number of other materials, Tokyo's downtown symbolized humankind's
restless urge to grow from a firmly established foundation,
personified by the calm demeanor of the city's rural
suburbia. Forested and groomed, the surrounding countryside was filled
with the old style temples and homes commonplace to traditional Japan,
not to mention the beautiful gardens Japan was so famous for.
She wasn't sure, but she thought she could see the Cherry Hill
temple from here, so clear the day. Inhaling deeply, Rei marveled that
even the air up here was pristine, pleasantly cool and light. It
seemed the perfect place to meditate in serenity. "Mmmm," she sighed,
stretching lazily, basking in the breeze. "This is so marvelous. I
wish the temple were here. It would be wonderful to be able to
meditate to the rising and setting sun. So comforting."
Cole scratched his head absently. "Well, if you'd like, you
are quite welcome to use it whenever you want."
Rei smiled slightly, fully expecting the charming young man to
give her the invitation. Giving him a sidelong glance, she replied
"Perhaps I'll take you up on that."
They spent the next several minutes in companionable silence,
enjoying each other's presence. The solemnity of the mood was most
soothing, or so thought Cole, occasionally stealing glimpses of this
rare blossom that he had had such pleasure in getting to know.
Suddenly, she twirled around towards him and grabbed his good
arm. The shining gleam of her carefree spirit erupted from her eyes,
notifying him that Rei had just come up with something.
"Let's go somewhere!" she cried, some vast reserve of joy
bubbling over into excitement.
Arching that eyebrow in amusement again, he replied "
Somewhere? That's pretty general. Anyplace in particular you have in
mind?"
Rei shrugged happily.
Cole, the perceptive individual that he was, realized she
meant something akin to the mall, the arcade, or any other hang-out,
maybe even the park. He didn't think, however, that she realized
exactly who she was talking to and what that really meant. With a
private plane of his own, and a yacht to boot, a general "somewhere"
for him could easily mean out into the Pacific ocean for a cruise, or
a hop over to the United States. His particular favorite was Key West.
"Well," Cole started, tapping a finger on his mouth as if in
deep thought, "I'm particularly fond of Key West, you know. Fresh
tropical breezes, beautiful scenery, and a great Sunset Festival every
evening. On the other hand, I might be convinced to shoot over to the
mountains for a little skiing, though it is high summer. And then
there-" Cole continued on for a few more minutes, careful to gauge
Rei's reaction. He wasn't too disappointed.
Rei's eyes widened slightly, and her mouth hung open a bit as
she listened to his tirade. She shook her head after a moment, as if
trying to clear it, then tried again. "No, no," Rei said, stopping his
fun, "I meant the arcade or something."
"Ahh," he replied with a knowing grin. "Then you should have
said so."
Suspecting Cole was poking fun at her, Rei narrowed her eyes
suspiciously, leading them back to the elevator.
*****
"When I get my hands on Rei, I'm gonna kill her! How dare she
go off without us! I thought we were a team! She gonna-" Serena went
on and on, pacing back and forth on the steps of the temple. The rest
of the girls sat quietly, for the most part amused that Serena was,
for once, the one chastising Rei, and not the other way around. They
were still plenty concerned with the whereabouts of Rei, though. She
had turned off her communicator, and now it was dusk. No one knew
where she was, not even her grandfather.
Artemis was curled up in Mina's lap, trying to grab a quick
cat nap, while Luna paced right behind Serena. She wouldn't admit it,
but Luna was of like mind with Serena. Rei was never this
irresponsible. What if the Negaverse attacked? They were a team, and
Luna didn't know how the team would do without Sailor Mars. Sighing
irritably, Luna sat down. "Serena, calm down," the black cat said,
"I'm sure she's just fine. She purposefully turned off her beeper
after all."
Serena whirled on her angrily. "How come your so understanding
with Rei and are always nagging me about keeping my communicator and
stuff! Isn't that a double-standard?!"
Luna nearly fell back under that onslaught, but Serena blinked
a moment later and sat down beside her, picking of the feline. "Oh
Luna. I'm sorry. I'm just worried about her."
This nearly dropped everyone else on their backs. It was well
known that Serena and Rei cared for each other very much, just as much
as any close sisters, but to get either of them to admit it would have
taken the better parts of centuries.
Lita placed her hand on Serena's shoulder. "Rei would have
called if she was in any trouble," she said, hoping to offer some
measure of relief.
At that moment, a stark black stretch limousine pulled up in
front of the temple, pulling everyone's thoughts away in
curiosity. The chauffeur got out of the limo, tipped his hat towards
the girls, and proceeded to open the door for the occupant... Rei.
"Umm, thanks, Mr. William," she offered, unsure of herself in
the face of the extravagance in front of her friends.
"Tsk, tsk, what did I say about the formalities, Miss Rei? I
shan't have any of it. Now then, we will be looking forward to
Friday. Shall six o' clock be fine?"
Rei nodded, and gave William a pleasant hug. "Six it shall
be." Turning away, she steeled herself for the berating she expected
from the scouts.
As the limo drove away, Rei sucked in her breath, let it out
in a whoosh, and boldly strode up to them. "Alright," she began, "I'm
sorry about turning off the communicator, but I knew you guys wouldn't
stop... What's wrong?" She trailed off as she noticed that the girls
were staring at her in shock, even Luna. Artemis, after getting a
glimpse of the limo and Rei, had gone back to sleep contentedly.
Mina spoke first. "You... you were with Cole?"
Rei nodded, a tad sheepishly.
There was a moment of silence as the girls absorbed
this. Luna, then, was about to begin on the scolding, but Serena,
Mina, and Lita pounced on Rei with all the prying questions they could
think of all at once. Rei, not one to look a gift horse in the mouth,
began her tale.
Luna turned to Ami, and whispered forlornly, "Ami, where ever
did I go wrong?"
Ami's only reply was an amused shrug.
"So, where are you going on Friday?" asked Mina after Rei
finished her story.
"Oh, just to a movie or something."
Lita frowned. "That hardly sounds like a date. You can't wear
that dress to a movie. You'd look way out of place."
Rei rolled her eyes. "It's not a date, Lita. We're just going
to hang out. I don't even know if I like him. Hell, I just met him
today! Besides," she added with a sly grin, "he told me he wanted to
ask me out on a date, but he wanted to wait until his arm healed."
Serena gained that dreamy look in her eyes again. "This is
perfect! You can double date with Darien and I! Now I don't have to
worry about you chasing after Darien anymore-oops!" She clapped her
hands on her mouth in surprise.
Everyone else fell silent, waiting for Rei's flaming temper to
take over at such a callous slip of the tongue. Rei felt that familiar
rush of fire nearly burst through her at what Serena said, but just as
quickly she stuffed it back into her and smiled warmly at the
blond-haired friend. "That's okay, Serena. Not even your stupidity can
ruin my day." And with that, she started humming to her self as she
strode into the temple.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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