~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 35 Millimeters II: Behind the Lens by Lady Aishiteru Chapter 7 - No Return ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I stared at the phone for what seemed like the longest time, though in reality, it couldn't have been any more than three seconds. Have you ever noticed that time is elastic? I mean, when you don't want something to happen, time seems to zoom ahead to that point, the point when what you've been dreading doing or experiencing comes into play. When the point of dread is reached, however, time seems to come to a complete stop, trapping you within it. I didn't have any idea what to do, or not to do. Should I even be talking to Kunzite? It could be dangerous, or even lethal. On the other hand, we were having a good time before we went to the casino. I had just been getting to know him, and then he pulls a despicable stunt like that. My fists clenched at that thought. I mean, how dare he! "That creep sure has some explaining to do," I thought to myself. I cast a withering glare at the telephone and picked it up off the hook. "Hello?" I said in an extremely irritated tone. I knew I had every right to start this conversation with a chip on my shoulder. "Minako? It's me, Kunzite." "I don't even know why I'm talking to you now," I said. "I mean, I thought we were really connecting, and then you pull a lame- brained stunt like that! How dare you leave me alone in the dark! You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do!" I screamed into the receiver. "I'm sorry," he said simply. I could imagine him wincing and pulling back from the receiver. "Good," I thought. "Let him have it!" I smiled wickedly, then took in a deep breath before releasing the full extent of my anger, "Well, sorry's not going to cut it, Kunzite!" "I wish I could say more," he amended lamely. "You wish? You wish?! It's a little too late for wishful thinking!" I returned. There was silence on the other end of the receiver, and then Kunzite spoke again, "You said…we were connecting?" "Yeah," I said, my posture relaxing slightly. "We were." "Well, at least the evening wasn't a total loss," he said. I could picture him grinning his stupid, smug grin. I wanted to wipe it off his face with my spiked heel. "Well, unless you have a VERY good reason for leaving me alone last night, I will end this conversation with me slamming this receiver on the hook!" I said. "I can't," he said. "It's too dangerous." "Oh, like letting me stay by myself in the dark wasn't?" "Touché," he responded. "And by dangerous…do you mean the yakuza?" I said, adding extra emphasis to the last word. There was an awkward pause, and I filled the silence by saying, "I need to know, dammit! I deserve to be informed!" "Yes," he said. "You mean you're involved with the Crimson Fist? I knew it, you scum bucket." "No, I didn't mean that. I meant, yes, you deserve to know. The short answer is no, I'm not involved with the Crimson fist." "And how am I supposed to believe that?" I demanded. "Your credibility is seriously lacking here." "You'll just have to trust me, Minako, that I'd never do any- thing to intentionally hurt you." "Trust? You? Hah! That's the last thing I'm going to do," I said, finishing my statement with a scornful laugh and hanging up the phone. "Atta girl!" said my brain. I strutted over to my couch, my head held high. The phone was ringing again, but I wasn't about to answer it. Nobody does this to Minako Aino. Nobody. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The phone continued to ring until I had decided that I have had enough of its nonsense for one night. I yanked the stupid thing off the hook and dressed down in my newest disguise, borrowed from work, which consisted of a brown wig, sunglasses, jeans and a sweater. I walked over to my car in the parking lot, and then I drove over to the Sweet Shoppe. Seeing my friends always cheers me up when I'm blue, and at that moment, I was seriously depressed. I walked into the Sweet Shoppe and waved at Usagi. "Hey, Minako, how's it going?" she asked. I smiled, and despite what had happened, what I said next came out naturally, "Good, and you?" "I'm married to the best looking man in Tokyo. What's not to like?" she said, grinning. "Oh, please," said Rei, rolling her violet eyes. "Spare us your sap." "You're just jealous," said Usagi. "Whatever," returned Rei, dismissing Usagi with a flip of her hair. I laughed despite myself. At least some things never change. "Usagi, I hate to say this, but are you gaining weight?" "Yeah, you are getting a little on the chunky side," said Rei, poking Usagi's stomach. "Oh, shush. I am not," she said, glaring daggers at Rei. "Oh yeah? Then why is your belly sticking out like a water- melon?" retorted Rei. Usagi opened her mouth like she was going to say something, but no words came out. She closed her mouth and stared off into space, tapping the table pensively. "I honestly have no idea," she said. "Could it be that your metabolism has caught up with you?" said Makoto, who was sipping her lime seltzer. "Could be," responded Usagi with a frown. "I sure hope not." "Yeah," I responded with a chuckle. "That would be bad." The doorbell chimed, and in walked Ami with a dreamy look on her face. She looked as if she was walking on air, and only one thing can do that to a girl. "Hey, Ames, you're looking especially cheerful today," said Usagi, briefly interrupting my thoughts. Ami nodded, still smiling. "I guess I am," she said. "So what's the good news?" asked Rei. "I know what it is," I said. Things with Zoisite must be going better than I had hoped. "Oooh! Oooh! What is it?" asked Makoto, leaning over Rei's shoulders to get a better view of Ami's moonstruck face. "It's...nothing, really," Ami said, blushing as if she hid a great secret. "It's just that-" "You've been kissed!" I blurted out. "Do you MIND? You're hurting me!" yelled Rei, whipping her head to face Makoto. "Sorry," said Makoto, who had the grace to blush. She took her hands off of Rei's shoulders. "Ouch," I thought. "That's got to leave a mark." "Well, is that true, Ami?" asked Makoto. Ami nodded her head yes, her face becoming even redder "Ohmigosh! Our Ami is becoming a woman!" shrieked Usagi. "Can it, Odango, she's over twenty," Rei retorted. "Like you should talk. You've never even held hands!" Usagi said triumphantly. I smiled at Usagi; sadly, she was speaking the truth. Rei cast a withering glare in Usagi's direction, but other than that, she didn't respond. "So what was it like, Ami?" asked Usagi. "Fireworks," she said simply. "Wow! Really?" Usagi asked. Ami nodded, and Makoto pulled out a chair for her. "Come on, Ames, you can't leave us hanging like that," I said. I mean…fireworks? Damn! Zoisite must be a really good kisser. I envied my friend, and I wondered what else Zoisite was good at… "You know I don't kiss and tell," Ami replied modestly. "Since when?" asked Makoto. I nodded in affirmation. She did have a point. Besides, I don't think Ami had been kissed like that since, well, ever. "Mako-chan! If she wants to keep it to herself, let her do that!" said Usagi, but I could tell she was just as eager to know as the rest of us, well, except for Rei, who couldn't care less. Ami let out a loud sigh. "Okay, it was like this..." she began. "When we all left the Sweet Shoppe, he took me out to see a movie." "Where did you go?" I asked eagerly. "I was getting to that," Ami responded imperiously. "He took me over to his apartment." "Oooh! His apartment! How intimate!" I crowed. Ami gave me a Look, then continued. "And get this," Ami said, grinning. "I fell asleep during Spaceballs!" she exclaimed. "You watched Spaceballs?" Makoto asked. "You?" "Why does everyone act so surprised?" she asked honestly. "You fell asleep? Get out!" Usagi yelled. "Yes. And when I woke up, I was in the same bed as Zoisite." We all gasped. "Oh, Ami," said Usagi sympathetically. "You didn't....did you?" asked Rei. "No, I didn't," said Ami, and we all sighed with relief. "My clothes from the previous night were still on, and there wasn't any... evidence...left behind." "Evidence?" asked Rei. I whispered the details about how a woman leaves a bloody discharge after her first time having inter- course. I grinned fiendishly as I pulled back, seeing my naive friend turn bright red. "Then he made me breakfast. I'm telling you, the man can cook!" she said, licking her lips. "Wow," said Makoto. "I have to meet this guy." "Mako!" said Usagi, elbowing Makoto. "Just kidding. Sheesh." "Then he took me home, walked me to the door and he kissed me." "I'll bet he can't kiss like my Mamo-chan," said Usagi, swooning, at which point Rei stuck her tongue out and gagged. "Well, I don't think I can compare the two, seeing as how I haven't been in your position," Ami said, smiling in reminiscence. "But I'll tell you this much; he's really, really good. I mean GOOD." "Come ON Ames! You HAVE to tell us more!" I demanded. Ami sighed, knowing that she had to go on. "Well, he said to me, 'Ami, I think you forgot something." I made a gesture with my hand, and Ami continued. "I said, 'Did I leave something in the car?' Of course, I hadn't, so he said, 'No, you forgot the goodbye kiss." "Then what did he do?" asked Makoto. "Well, he placed his hand on the small of my back, then he pulled me in." "And then he kissed you?" asked Usagi. "Yes, and no," said Ami. "He kissed my forehead, my nose, and each cheek. I thought, 'Well, this is very strange.' I even asked him what he was doing." I laughed a little. That sounded like Ami, all right. She flushed bright red, then continued her story. "He responded by putting his lips smack dab on top of mine. I didn't even have time to blink," she said, smiling. "Annnd?" I asked. "Well, it would be…unladylike to elaborate," said Ami, folding her hands. "Aw, come on!" I said, frowning. "We're all adults here." "Well, some of us are," said Rei, her head propped up on her knuckles, looking straight at Usagi. "I really don't know how to describe it," Ami said. "It was just…magical," she gushed. "Try us," I said. Ami told us as best as she could exactly how Zoisite kissed her, by which point my own body temperature had been raised a few degrees. "Why couldn't Kunzite have done that?" I wondered. "And... would I want him to?" I wrung my hands under the table, distressed that I really didn't have an answer to that question except maybe, maybe if things would have been different. If the date had ended with him on my doorstep instead of with me knocked out cold in the dark, then maybe I would have kissed him. I might have even welcomed, no, I would have enjoyed it. But now? Now was an entirely different story. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I opened the door of my apartment and I gasped. A trail of crimson red rose petals started at my door. I removed my wig and placed it reverently on the couch, not willing to disturb this thing of beauty that was my apartment, lest I ruin it. Curiously, I followed the trail to see where it led, my heart pounding in my ears. I wasn't sure if I should be scared out of my wits or incredibly turned on. I mean, how could anyone get into my apartment without my knowledge? Was it someone I wanted in my apartment, or was it some kind of sick joke? My feet tread delicately next to the trail, and I quickly discerned that the trail led straight to my bedroom. I nib- bled on my lip. Only one man would dare to do such a thing, and as I entered my room and raised my head, I was not disappointed. Kunzite sat by himself on a chair that faced my bed, and he looked up at me. "What are you doing here, Kunzite?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips. "I wanted to see you," he said simply. "You have some nerve coming in here like this," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "Nerve? More like…desperation. I really messed things up, Minako." "Yes," I replied. "Yes, you did." "I was thinking…maybe you'd forgive me if you saw me face to face." "Why on earth would that make any difference?" I asked, narrowing my eyes and choosing to ignore the throbbing pulse in my stomach. "Because," he said, walking over to me and placing his hands on my shoulders. "Because I love you." Startled, I stepped back, but for every step I took backwards, he took a step forwards, his hands still on my shoulders, until I had backed myself into a wall. "What the hell kind of answer was that?" I said, my breath coming out as ragged gasps. "Well," he said, smiling, "Maybe this would be a better answer." At that, he leaned his head forward, and then he began to close the distance between our lips. "What the-" I began, my words being cut off succinctly when his mouth formed a seal over mine. I wasn't expecting anything like that, and once again, I, the self- proclaimed goddess of love, was stumped. Now what? He seemed to sense my question, as he led the kiss with surprising expertise. By the time he had finished, my lips were tingling, and my thoughts were in complete disarray. I opened my eyes and saw for the first time, that Kunzite had truly meant what he said. He smiled nervously, as if he were a shy schoolboy, earnestly seeking my approval. I had never seen him look so vulnerable. Still, I was confused, very confused. Wasn't this the man with whom I was not even on speaking terms? Didn't I hate that man? What, in God's name, had just happened? And why did I like it?