Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and its characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi.
Aphrodite, Goddess of Love:
or was that Venus goddess of love?By sailor Nena
"That’s it, Mina. Work with the camera!" The photographer kept snapping pictures as Mina kept changing into her classic Sailor V poses. "That’s a rap! Good job, Mina. I’ll let you know how they came out."
"Thanks Ralph."
"When do you return to Tokyo?"
"In a few days."
"Well, we have to go out and celebrate this last shoot. It is sure to put Sailor V back on number one."
"I hope you are right."
"Mina," her manager, a woman of thirty-five-years-of-age with long dirty blond hair and a light pink suit, approached her, "do not forget your interview with the Times this afternoon. The reporter will meet you in your hotel room around four. Be ready."
"Don’t worry Ange, I will." Mina assured as she got into her limousine. "To the hotel, Miles." Miles started the car and drove off. When Mina was sure she was safe, she pulled out her communicator and contacted the Scouts. "Hey guys, how are you?"
"Fine. Thanks for the wake up call." Serena yawned.
"When will you be back?" Lita whispered
"In a few days. Amy, I got the fax with the progress summery. Anything new since then?"
"No," Amy began, "The Negaverse hasn’t attacked since you left. It is almost as if the rip between our two universes was suddenly repaired."
"Hey, I’m not complaining. I could use a vacation. This being a teen idol is hard stuff."
"You mean getting paid for sitting on your behind, signing autographs and looking pretty can tire a girl?" Raye teased.
"Sometimes, specially when everyone wants a piece of you. I got to go. I have an interview in half an hour. I’ll call you after the Anime convention tomorrow." The limo stopped in front of the Plaza Hotel. A young valley opened the door for her and she stepped out. She was wearing a mini leather skirt with a loose gray silk shirt. She had silver ankle boots and a matching small backpack. Her hair was in its usual manner, except the bow matched her shirt. She was still wearing the make-up from the shoot, which help add a few years to her appearance. No one would doubt that she was a star.
She went immediately to her room. It was a large suite with a Jacuzzi in the bathroom. She scanned it. Its walls were painted a light pink to match the drapes and the bed, which was made of the finest oak. The king-size bed had two identical oak nightstands, one on each side. There was a wooden closet with a large screen television and some junk food goodies in front of the bed, and to the right of the bed there was a closet for her clothes. A round table, where she usually ate breakfast, divided the bedroom from a little reception area. An antique beige loveseat and matching sofa formed a V-shape and face another television. This was definitely where she was going to have the interview.
She called room service and had them bring up a pitcher of lemonade and three glasses. If her memory served her right, most of the reporters that interviewed her had a photographer with them. She decided against removing the make-up due to this. She set the pitcher in the center of the coffee table that was in front of the sofas turning the V into an A.
She went into the bathroom and retouched her hair. "Thank God for hairspray and professional hair stylists." She mumbled. She eyed herself in the mirror and ironed a few wrinkles with her hands. "Three forty-five, I still have fifteen minutes to get ready. Maybe I should order some cookies for them." She went into the cabinet with the junk food and found a box of imported British cookies she had had with her tea while she was there. She placed them on an empty tray and heard a ring on her telephone. "Hello?"
"Hello Ms. Aino, a Ms. Joanne McCoy to see you. She says she is with the Times." A cold male voice informed.
"Yes, send her up." She said.
There was a knock on her door a few minutes later. She opened the door and smiled at the curly red head with a lightly freckled face on the other side. "Hello, I’m Mina Aino; you must be Ms. McCoy. Would you please come in?"
"Thank you." The twenty-nine-year-old reporter answered. She was alone. "I hope you don’t mind, but my photographer will be a little late. He had to take his finals today."
"Oh, of course not. Is he still in college?"
"No, he is a high school intern." She smiled as Mina offered her a seat. Ms. McCoy sat on the love seat, and Mina on the sofa."
"When ever you are ready, Ms. McCoy."
"Please call me Joanne." She took out a tape recorder and a little pile of note cards. "Let me see. How about you confirm my basic information first."
"OK."
"Your full name is Minako Aino?"
"That’s right, but when Sailor V reached the Western Hemisphere it was shortened to Mina. It started innocently with some of my younger fans who couldn’t pronounce the whole thing, and it stuck.
"You are Japanese, but you lived in England through the beginning of the Sailor V."
"That’s right. In the beginning of the series, we wanted to authentic English look. I was studying abroad in England at the time, so the opportunity appeared and I accepted. After the first year, I returned to Japan, and the artists have been able to recreate the streets from memory. I only show up for recordings; they know my face so well."
"You attend Cross Roads Jr. High?"
"Yeah, I’m in the eighth grade."
"REALLY? I would’ve never guessed."
"It’s the make-up." She smiled.
"Alright, the things I don’t know. What does V stand for?" There was a knock on the door and Mina stood up to open it. "That must be Travis, my intern." Mina opened the door to find a handsome, sandy haired, green eyed, six feet one, well-dressed photographer with a sexy smile.
"Travis?" She asked smiling.
"Yeah."
"Come in." She let him in, and he sat down next to Joanne.
"Sorry I’m late, but I went home to change." He said, smiling at Mina.
"So where were we?" Joanne skimmed through her note cards. "Oh yes, what does V stand for? Victory?"
"Or Venus?" Travis interrupted.
"Someone has done his anime homework." Mina flirted.
"So it does stand for Venus?" he insisted.
"That would make me the Sailor of Love. Do you really think I could carry that Sailor Suit as well?"
"You tell me." Joanne demanded. She wasn’t very familiar with anime, so when she overheard Travis complain that he couldn’t get tickets for the anime convention, she begged him to come with her. She ended bribing him with the press tickets the paper had given her. She had no idea who Sailor Venus was, but it seemed to be a question Mina avoided, and Joanne knew she had to press the questions that her "victims" avoided.
"I have school six days a week, acting classes, recording sessions, cram school, autograph signings, tours, conventions, gym, and a social life in desperate need of saving, which includes friends, free time, my kitty Artemis, and any dating I get. This is without counting the crisis that happen in all girls’ lives, for example friction between friends. Does it sound like I have time to fight the evils of…what is it called…that thing where the monsters that Sailor Moon fights come from?"
"The Negaverse?" Travis aided.
"Yeah, that."
"With that busy schedule, I did not hear you include a boyfriend." Joanne decided to bring the conversation back to something she understood.
"Well, that is because I don’t have one."
"What happened to the last one?" Travis asked, but he immediately realized his mistake and tried to remedy it by adding, "If that is not too personal."
"No, the last one didn’t believe in long distance relationships, so we sortta broke up when I left England. Last I heard, he was with someone else."
"What type of friends does the modern teenage super heroine hang out with." Joanne tried to liven the subject.
"You want names, or descriptions?"
"Both."
"OK, Lita is a great cook and boy crazed. She is sweet, funny and extremely loyal. She is also the perfect person to go shopping with, but don’t try her temper because she is pure thunder. Her biggest dream in life is to start her own restaurant.
"Amy is sweet, very smart and quite. She is the "brains" of the group. Computers are really her thing, and she is as adaptable as water. She is whom you need and what you need when you need it. If you are in trouble, she is the person you want to talk to. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up, just like her mom.
"Raye is a priestess of the Sacred Fire, and her temper is a hot as the flame she uses to look into the future. She is stubborn and a loud mouth, but she is as loyal as fire is hot. You mess with her friends; you mess with fire. She can’t wait to finish school to help her grandfather with their temple. It is so peaceful there, that we use it as our main hang out.
"Serena has to be the laziest, the most spoiled brat and biggest cry baby in the world if not the universe. She is as stubborn as Raye, but she knows when and how to ask for help. She is there when you really need her, and if you push her, she will move all the seven seas to set things strait. She is the most sensitive of the five, but also the most understanding. She may be a klutz, but as a friend, she is a princess. Always there when you need her, and if you need to cry, her shoulder is right there. She may not have much brains, but she has an incredible heart.
"The last has to be Darien. He is Serena’s boyfriend, and a huge mystery. He lost his memory as well as his parents in a car accident when he was little. We aren’t even sure if his name is Darien. He may seem cold and distant, but he is there giving you all the confidence in the world when you think you can’t go on. He is studying to become a doctor." Mina finished proudly.
"How old is he?" Travis asked surprised.
"Oh, I guess around twenty-one, why?"
"And your friend Serena?" He continued.
"We don’t have these taboos about age in Japan." She stated coldly.
"Why, how old is she?" Joanne asked curiously.
"Off the record?"
"Of course."
"We are all fourteen and in the eighth grade."
"Seven years older than her? At that age it makes a huge difference!" She exclaimed.
"Like I said, it is a different culture."
"Mina, may I call you that, or do you prefer Ms. Aino?" Travis began, "I couldn’t help noticing that you described your friends using the elements of the four of the Scouts, and this Darien, well he matches up pretty well with the infamous Tuxedo Mask…"
"Again with Sailor Moon! Are you in love with her, or something?" Mina asked exasperated. She didn’t like the subject. She was always afraid of spilling something.
"No, but why does it bother you so much." He pushed one last time. This is why she hated the subject. She was such a bad liar.
"Because…Sailor Moon has caused Sailor V’s ratings to go down." She answered too nervously.
"So," Joanne began wanting to end the subject she knew nothing about, "there is no connection between Sailor Moon and Sailor V."
"No."
"So, there is!" Travis exclaimed.
"Yea, we are both blonde, we both have long hair, we have silly posses, we both fight evil in extremely short skirts and sailor suits, we both have cat guardians, and…"
"And what?" Travis’s curiosity was peaked.
"Haven’t you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat?"
"Then it is a good thing I’m not a cat!" He flirted.
"You really want to know?"
"Of course."
"It’ll cost you?"
"How much?" Now he was really intrigued. She quickly thought of the one thing he would never be willing to pay.
"Dinner." She answered calmly and very self-assured.
"You’re on." He smiled. "Tomorrow at eight." Mina was caught of guard. She had never expected him to accept. Joanne quickly excused herself and dragged Travis outside. The interview was over.
Artemis came out of the bathroom. "Did I hear right, Kitty-Kat?" he asked. "You and that boy are going on a date?"
"Well, it’s not like he’ll know my schedule, or where to pick me up!"
"So, what are you going to tell him?"
"The truth." She smiled.
"What was all that about?" Joanne screamed down the hall as she pulled him by the ear. "First, the boyfriend bit followed by the age thing, and finally a date! You were NOT hired to get dates! YOU WERE HIRED TO TAKE PICTURES! Something you DID NOT do!"
"Because you pulled me out of there before I could!" Travis protested.
"NO! I pulled you out of there BEFORE you proposed or made a bigger @$$ of yourself!"
"She asked me out!" He protested.
"SHE WAS AVOIDING THE QUESTION! You should have backed off then."
"I NEVER back off."
"Well, there is a first time for everything.
Mina had been signing autographs for the past three hours, and the line still reached China. "Hey Ange!" She smiled as she saw her manager.
"It is seven thirty. You have done your bit; you can leave, or you can continue until eight. The doors will officially close then." Mina looked at the line of loyal fans, then at the finger that looked like it was ready to fall off.
"Anything for the fans." She assured.
"Angela, the pictures came out fantastic." Ralf said as he came up to them. Ralf was a young man about twenty-eight. He had black long hair, which he tied in a low ponytail, and hard facial features. If he hadn’t become a photographer, he could have worked the doors of any nightclub. "You are going to love them, V." He winked at Mina, who was wearing a silk orange dress that was plated from the hips down. It was held up by two thing strips of silk tied around her neck. She also had a matching bow.
"Show them to me before I leave." Mina smiled as she signed a little girl’s magna.
Half an hour latter, she was done with all, but one, fan. "Who should I make it out to?" She asked without looking up.
"Travis." A familiar male voice answered. She looked up in surprise.
"How-how did you know where I was?" He was wearing a maroon polo shirt and light blue jeans.
"Your agent told me a half an hour ago when I asked her if you would still be here at eight." He smiled seductively. She signed the magna,
To Travis, with love,
Mina Aino,
V is for Veritable
"Veritable? That was one of those SAT words I wasn’t suppose to ever see again. I would expect it to mean unreal, not real."
"It is one of the many possibilities." She smiled.
"So you ready to go eat?"
"I’m not really hungry…"
"Perfect. We can have a light dinner in the park." He grabbed her hand and led her away. They stopped at a nearby deli and ordered two sandwiches and two drinks. They continued to walk into Central Park.
"Are you sure this is safe." She asked as they walked by the well light area, which was frequented by many young couples.
"As long as your father doesn’t decide to chase us down with a riffle." He smiled seductively.
"What high school do you go to?" She asked trying to make conversation.
"Fordham Prep, or at least I went there. I graduate next week."
"Congrats. What college will you be attending next semester?"
"I don’t know?"
"That’s not a good thing not to know."
"I’m most likely going to go to NYU, but…"
"But what?"
"I got a once in a lifetime opportunity to take a year off and work with my uncle’s friend in Tokyo. Something that this anime maniac loves, but…"
"But what?"
"I don’t speak Japanese, and I don’t know anybody over there."
"You know me."
"But I will still be leaving all my friends and family for a year."
"Why don’t you just admit it?"
"What?"
"It’s your girlfriend you don’t want to leave. Your probably afraid that long distance relationships don’t work. Take it from someone who’s been there, risk it. If it was meant to be, she’ll wait. If not…hey, you deserve better!"
"Nice speech, but you are all wrong!"
"Am I?"
"Yes. I don’t have a girl. We broke up after the prom."
"I’m sorry."
"Don’t be. It was a relief to get rid of her jealous rages."
"I know what you mean."
"Do you?"
"My last would have a fit every time my co-star would have to hold my hand. You can’t imagine how he got when I had to kiss him on screen."
"Hey, he was probably afraid of losing you."
"Like she was afraid of losing you?"
"You got me Mina." They walked back to the hotel and when it was time to say good-bye, Mina said,
"I guess I owe you an answer."
"Huh?"
"That last comparison. Naoko is thinking about creating a spin-off staring Sailor Moon. It is not definite yet, but it looks like Sailor V is going to step back and leave the stage for a new breed of Sailors."
"What will happen to you?" He asked worriedly.
"Vacation followed by retirement, if the spin-off is successful. Other wise, I stay the main and only Sailor." She said laughing. "I don’t need to tell you that this must stay between the two of us. It should not have been leaked to the press until it was confirmed. I trust you know how to keep a secrete."
"Of course." He kissed her cheek goodnight and left.
"Hey, how did it go, Kitty-Kat?" Artemis asked as soon as she walked in.
"How did what go?" She asked innocently.
"Don’t give me that! You are two hours late! So, spill it!"
"He bought the spin-off story."
"Na, I want to hear about the good stuff. Did he kiss ya?"
"Yes." Artemis whistled at her response. "On the cheek!"
"Ah, a gentleman. That’s good. Where did he take you?"
"Artemis!"
"It doesn’t matter. I’ll over hear what you tell the others."
"OH MY GOD, I forgot to call the others!" Mina rushed to her bag and took out her communicator. "Sorry to interrupt lunch guys, but I didn’t get a chance until now."
"She was out with a boy." Artemis teased.
"A BOY?" The Scouts screamed.
"You have thirty seconds to give us all the details girlfriend!" Lita warned.
"Or we will take the next flight to New York and find out for ourselves!" Serena finished.
Mina woke up the next day with the knock on her door. "Room service."
"I didn’t order any room service." She whined as she opened the door. The bellhop gave her a bouquet of orange begonias. She found the note that said,
Flowers to match your dress. Meet me at the Park for breakfast. You know where. Travis
"So?" Artemis asked impatient.
"I don’t know what to wear!" She whined.
Mina walked through Central Park in classic black Levi shorts and an orange top. She put on a pair of guy’s Timberlands and a pair of designer sunglasses. She had no idea what to expect. She found him sitting on bench wearing a pair of black jeans and a faded blue jean shirt. He was also wearing Timberlands. He stood up to greet her. "Thanks for the flowers."
"You’re welcome." He smiled as he gave her a white Starbucks coffee paper bag he was holding. "The best breakfast you can get in this city."
"Better than last nights dinner? I doubt it!" She opened the bag and found a toasted bagel with Philadelphia cream cheese and a cup of hot tea. "Then again, I could be wrong." She smiled seductively. "So, what’s the occasion? Or do you always buy a girl breakfast after taking her out to dinner?"
"No. I just thought it would be a nice thing to do; besides, I couldn’t let you leave New York without tasting the better things of the Big Apple. Speaking about leaving, when do you leave?"
"In a couple of days."
"Oh," he began disappointed, "you are going to be working until then?"
"No, I’m through for the season. I get two days to recover from the tour and catch up on my summer reading. I’m five books behind."
"Ouch! So, whatcha going to do to recover yourself?"
"I don’t know. Recommend anything?"
"How about shopping."
"Every girl’s dream. Any place in particular."
"I know a place that has brand names for reasonable prices, plus it is close to a tourist trap. You get to do two things at once."
"Sounds like fun. Where?"
"I’ll show you." He led her to the subway and taught her the magic of the one-day fun pass. The one day unlimited ride Metro Card. They took the number four train to Fulton. There, they walked a couple of streets until they reach Century 21. The main floor was devoted to man’s clothing.
"I can see why you like this place." She teased.
"Gifts are a floor below, women’s clothing and shoes are a floor above us, and the top floor is devoted to European designers. Where do you want to start."
"Bottom up." She smiled. They went down the escalator and had the greatest shopping experience of their lives. "You are the first guy I know that likes shopping."
"Well, it’s not that I like shopping; it’s that I hate exchanging merchandise, so I got use to going shopping with my mom. I learned a thing or two. Anything else you want to buy?" He looked at her eight bags.
"No. Now, what did you say about a tourist trap?"
"This way." He said as he led her outside and pointed at the Twin Towers.
"I didn’t know we were this close to the World Trade Center!"
"Come on! I’ll race you to the top." They went into the tower that allows visitors and went to the roof.
"Everything seems so small from up here!" She leaned against the railing. He put his left arm around her and stood at her side.
"Everything seems so big from down there." He smiled and leaned closer. She fell into a trance and let him kiss her lips slowly. She didn’t know what else to do but to kiss him back. When their lips parted, neither knew what to say. Something had happened between them, but they did not know what it was. She needed to know if he had felt it too, but he did not dare say anything until she admitted it first. The silence became deadly. She looked away from his enchanting green eyes. Cowardly, he led her away. "Another good shopping street is 59th and Lex."
They took the four train to 59th street. When they got off he showed her what he meant. "You got Bloomindales across the street. Zara, a Spanish store, Levi’s, and Nine West are on this street. On the next street, we’ve Banana Republic, Gap and Express, and on the street after that you have Claire’s and Coconuts. Across from that is Speedo. Where do you want to start?"
"I’m in heaven. Where should we start?" She asked as she looked at her watch.
"Claire’s." He raced her down the street and beat her to the store, but was courteous and let get her go in first. She was amazed by the amount of Sailor V merchandise the store held, but was more interested in the accessories. She bought a tiara for Serena, a silver star choker for Raye, a golden ankle bracelet with silver lightning volts for Lita and a silver bracelet with tiny seashells for Amy. For herself, she bought a new orange bow and a Sailor V cupid that was suppose to bring love and luck.
Travis and Mina left the store laughing. They had come to the conclusion that the kiss had been an accident and that the other was only interested in a friendship. Mina insisted on going into Coconuts next. There she went to the new releases section and picked up the Backstreet Boys’ Millenium, Enrique Iglesias’ Bailamos and Ricky Martin’s Living La Vida Loca.
"You like these guys?" he asked surprised.
"Yeah, I’m a sucker for good looking men that can hold a note." She flirted.
"Laaaaaaaaa." He teased
"OK, now if you where only good looking." She taunted.
"Hey!" he complained. "It’s getting late. How about lunch?"
"Sounds delicious." She smiled as they left the store. He took her to a nearby pizzeria to enjoy one of the city’s favorite fast foods. After lunch they resume shopping and only stopped when they couldn’t carry any more bags. They returned to the hotel to drop them off.
Artemis rushed out to meet her and bit his tongue as he saw she was not alone. "Hey there, Kitty-Kat." Mina teased as she picked him up. "Travis this is my kitten, Artemis."
"Hello." He said as he petted him. Artemis liked him. "He looks allot like Sailor V’s guardian cat."
"Well, now you know where we got the idea."
"And the crescent moon?"
"Birth mark."
"I bet he is the only cat with it!"
"You are wrong. My friend, Serena, her cat has one too."
"And Sailor Moon’s cats have one each, if I’m not mistaken."
"You know, if you keep bringing up references about Sailor Moon, I’m going to start thinking you know something else about her. For example, HER IDENTITY!"
"Well, you’re wrong. Besides, Venus is my favorite, not Moon."
"More of a favorite than V?" she flirted.
"No, V is still number one." He flirted back. He looked at his watch. "Jesus, it’s six thirty already! I got to go, or I won’t make it home tonight. We have to get together before you leave."
"That sounds nice." He kissed her cheek and left the room.
"A gentleman to the end." Artemis sighed. "Now, why can’t I get admirers like that?"
"He is just a friend!" she protested
"Sure!"
"No, I’m serious! He kissed me today, and it was a disaster!"
"He doesn’t look like the type that can’t kiss!"
"No, it’s not that! He…he kisses incredibly! But he doesn’t feel the same way about me. I didn’t rock his world like he rocked mine!"
"Ouch! It sounds like you got it bad for this boy!"
"I do. It is worse than one of Lita’s crushes. I don’t think I can ever get over those green eyes of his!" Mina whined as she sat down to ordered dinner.
Travis was ridding the overcrowded subway home. "Thank God for air conditioning. We would fry without it." He thought as the train picked up more passengers. "Minako Aino, who are you? What type of love spell have you put on me? How cold are you not to feel the power of my kisses? When you where in my arms, I could sense you falling for me, but when you left them… What do I have to do to conquer your heart? I would do anything for you!
"Hold up, Travis! What thought just crossed your mind? You never fall head over heals for the girl! The girl falls head over heals for you! What has this one done to change things? Could I have fallen in love with her? Could these butterflies that dance in my stomach when she smiles or flirts be telling me something? Or is it just the excitement of dating the girl, whose poster has been hanging over my bed since Sailor V was introduced to me?
"Oh, that kiss!" He touched his lips lightly. "That was fire, earth and water in one. Was it just me, or did the Earth move when I kissed her? If only you felt the same way…"
"These were the ones chosen for the promo, and these are yours to keep." Ralf said as he showed Mina the pictures he had taken. They were in El Charro Español, which was a restaurant on 6th avenue that served Mexican and Spanish foods. Ralf had chosen this restaurant because it was small and personal. He was sure that no one would recognize Mina here.
Mina had ordered cheese enchiladas, and Ralf ordered paella. They were in the middle of their appetizers, which included cheese croquets, fried shrimp, Spanish tortilla (it is like an egg and fried potato omelet), and fried calamari. She was drinking a diet coke, and he had a normal Sprite. The bread had already disappeared between the two of them.
Mina was wearing a light blue, short sleeve dress that had a black see through fabric over it. She combined it with silver heels and a matching purse. Her hair was in a half twist with curls coming out of it. She had been cautious with the make up, which left her as the most stunning girls in the restaurant. Ralf had a gray suit with a light dawn tinted, polo shirt. He hated ties, and avoided them any way he could.
"This one came out fabulous! Why didn’t kids like it?" Mina asked. The "kids" where a group of teenagers from ages thirteen through eighteen, who helped pick out the photos with the most promise. They were nicknamed the "Kids" by Ralph.
"They said that it would add more wood to the fire about V equals Venus." The picture Mina was referring to, was one where Sailor V was standing in front of the planet Venus. The letters, if the picture had been chosen, would have read "Summer of Love." It was the title of the new Sailor V movie.
"I hope you kept the negatives because I want a mural size one." She teased as Ralph wrote down her order. It was part of her contract to get the pictures the studio didn’t want. A little boy tapped her on the arm. He was about six years old, and the little girl next to him was five. "Yes?"
"Are you Sailor V?" he asked hopefully. Mina looked at Ralph who just shrugged.
"Do you promise not to tell the bad guys?" The kids nodded.
"Yes I am."
"Can I get your auto-gwaf?" he asked shyly.
"Sure." Mina took one of the pictures she didn’t like and signed it. "Do you want one too?" She asked the little girl, who nodded. She signed another one. The kids returned running to their tables.
"Kids, gotta love them." She sighed as the kids began to scream,
"Twavis! Twavis! Look wa we got!"
"Anything else Ms. Aino? Mina? Hey APHRODITE?"
"Huh?"
"Where were you? Better yet, with who were you?"
"Ralph!" she whined. He knew her too well. "There is a boy that I’m sorta interested in."
"He wouldn’t be tall, blonde, good photographic complexion and emerald green eyes?"
"How did you know?"
"Because he has been staring at us like he is going to kill me for the past five minutes." Mina turned around in surprise to see Travis. She smiled and waved. He just nodded and forced himself to tend to the children, who were getting ready to leave. He kept hearing her words in his mind over and over again:
"We don’t have these taboos about age in Japan …it is a different culture."
"Mina!" Mina and Ralph turned to see Angela rush to them. "Thank God I found you. My sister just went into labor; I am taking an early flight to Tokyo. Here is your passport and ticket. Do you think you can manage to call a cab and be at the airport on time?"
"Of course."
"Good girl. I have to go. Oh God, I hope I get there in time. Bye."
"Ange!"
"What?"
"Two hundred yen it’s a girl."
"You’re on." Angela said as she rushed out of the restaurant. Mina opened the envelope on a hunch and noticed something.
"I’ll be right back, Ralph!" Mina rushed outside. "ANGE!" She yelled as Angela was getting into her cab. "Your passport!" Angela looked in her purse and found Mina’s passport. She had picked up the wrong one.
"Thanks love. You are a regular goddess."
"Yeah, just like Aphrodite."
"Or Venus. I’ll see you in Tokyo." The yellow cab rushed off, and Mina turned to return into the restaurant, when she saw Travis with the two kids and an older woman, who was tying the little boy’s shoe. She smiled and he approached her.
"So, having a romantic evening in the town?" he asked bitterly.
"No, just dinner with an old friend, if you must know." she smiled a bit annoyed. Why did he suddenly have an attitude with her?
"Really? And what were you discussing? The favorite posses of Sailor V?" he asked sarcastically.
"Actually, yes!" she answered indignant. "Ralph is my photographer and the most important parental figure I have on these tours next to Ange. My parents work and can’t join me. HE is kind enough to take CARE of me!" She did not like anyone insinuating anything about one of her friends. The little girl came closer to Mina and pulled on the hem of her dress.
"Um, Saila’ V, can you come ta my birthday patty next week?" she asked shyly. Mina kneeled to her level and answered,
"I’d love to, Hun, but I leave for Tokyo tomorrow." The little girl had Travis’s green eyes, which had turned sad and watery. "Tell you what, why don’t you give me your phone number and the day of your party, and I’ll give a happy birthday phone call?" The little girl looked up at Travis for her answer.
"Her party is next Friday, and our number is 718-824-5044." Travis answered. "You leave tomorrow?"
"Yup. Tomorrow at three."
"We never got to go out again."
"I know."
"Maybe next time…"
"Hey, I have your number. I’ll give you a call."
"You remember it?"
"718-824-5044?"
"Yea. Bye." He said as his father pull up with the car. She waved good bye and went inside.
"Ralph, gi’me your pen and paper." He did as he was told and Mina quickly jotted down the number.
Mina sadly descended the stairs of Raye’s temple. She had arrived that morning, and her friends had picked her. They immediately brought her to the temple to hear the latest gossip and fashions, but Mina wasn’t much help. She kept staring nostalgically out the window. "It’s that boy, Travis," Artemis had explained, "who has her like this. Don’t ask why because I don’t know. He only took her out to dinner, behaved like a gentleman, sent her flowers the next morning, bought her breakfast, took her shopping, kissed her like she had never been kissed before, and acted like a jealous fool when he saw her with Ralph."
"Mina," Lita had encouraged, "maybe you should call him."
"But he doesn’t feel the same way. He didn’t even come to say good-bye."
Mina took a deep breath to fight back the tears. She knew she had it bad for this boy. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, or would ever feel again. She thought she had heard him call her name in J.F.K. airport and again when she had changed planes in California. Now, she wanted to get home, lock herself in her room and cry her heart out.
"Mina." She heard his voice again.
"Am I going crazy? Next I’m going to start seeing." She said to herself. A pair of arms embraced her. Before she could see who it was, a pair of lips kissed hers. She immediately knew who it was. She had only been kissed like that once before, on the top of the World Trade Center, but how could it be him? "Travis? What are you doing here? How did you get here? How did you find me?" she asked not believing her eyes.
"I raced to the airport to say good-bye, but you where boarding and didn’t see me, so I took the next flight to Tokyo and got to California when you where boarding. I had to wait the longest hour and a half to get on a plane that would take me to Tokyo. When I got here, I had some problems with customs, but that was fixed. It took me half an hour to find a taxi that spoke English and took it to your house. When I didn’t find you there, I remembered hearing you mention that you hung out with your friends at a temple, but you didn’t say which one, so I asked someone on the street, who by luck spoke English perfectly, if he knew any temples in the area owned by the grandfather of a girl named Raye. He told me that it sounded like the Cherry Hill Temple, and he was going that way, so he brought me here."
"You traveled across a continent, crossed an ocean, found your way around Tokyo without knowing a word of Japanese JUST to say good-bye to me?" She asked shocked.
"That and to say I love you." He smiled and kissed her once again. "I wanted to say it at the top of the Twin Towers, but I wasn’t sure how you felt. When you said you were leaving, I thought I could convince you to stay the summer, but I got stuck in one of the notorious New York traffic jams. I’m taking the year off and working with my uncle’s friend. In that time, I would like it if we could be more than friends. Do you think that is possible?" Mina couldn’t believe her ears. She wanted to cry, to laugh, to scream, and to hide under her bed, so she did the one thing she could do. She kissed him. She kissed him long and hard and passionately. She gave everything she had to give in that kiss and more. When they parted for air he said, "I’ll take that for a yes."
"So, Darien, who is your friend?" Serena asked impatiently.
"What friend?" He asked innocently.
"The one who is making out with Mina!" Lita protested, "We saw him come with you!"
"Oh, him! He is not a friend; he is some guy from New York, who doesn’t know any Japanese. He asked about a temple owned by Raye’s grandfather, so I brought him here. I guess he knew Mina from some where." Darien explained.
"Do me a favor, Darien."
"What do you want, Lita?"
"Next time you meet at foreigner that does not speak a word of Japanese and is that good looking, make sure I see him first."
"Is that the famous Travis you’ve been telling us about?" Amy asked Artemis.
"Yup, that’s him. I actually like this one, and I think she might too."
"Really?" the girls asked sarcastically and they all started to laugh as Mina led Travis away. It was her turn to show the city to him.