Drabbles by music
21st Century by Red Hot Chili Peppers
“Sometimes, I look at him and I don’t think it’s worth trying.”
Rei's eyes remained carefully downcast, watching as the two pairs of delicate feet walked over the sand, side by side, one set perfectly manicured and the other with toes coated in pink nail polish. “What do you mean?”
Mina looked at her dark haired friend, the two as contrasting as night and day. “You, above all people, should understand.”
Rei met her eyes at that, different hues of blue clashing with each other. “I see.” A wry smile crawled onto her lips, traced by the strands of her hair that blew into her face by the warm, salty wind.
“Between trying to be a Senshi, dealing with my parents and just…life, I don’t want the extra hassle.” Minako was obviously frustrated. She wracked her hand through her lemon blonde locks as much to fix it as to ease her nerves. “It must sound silly. The goddess of love, thinking love is a hassle. Does that qualify as irony?”
Rei gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders. “Being Venus doesn’t mean that you have to be head over heels twenty four seven.”
Mina sighed. “I know.” A seagull cawed overhead. As the two women walked - neither of them saying anything - the white bird dove suddenly towards the ocean before shooting back up, missing its prey. She looked back at Rei. “Sometimes I wonder why we were reborn now.”
“As opposed to…”
“The future,” the blonde’s hands flew open wide, “Like during Crystal Tokyo! Or maybe just before. Wouldn’t it have been easier? Just Senshi duties, nothing else.” She stepped a few paces in front of Rei and turned around to face her, walking backwards, her smile broad. “Just one thing to concentrate on," she said exuberantly, liking the idea, "one thing to worry about.”
Rei knew could give many answers to that question and they would all be practical responses, from ‘it was fate’ to ‘well, we’re the ones who need to set up Crystal Tokyo’ but they weren’t what her friend was looking for, Mina was being wistful. “It's not like you to be afraid.”
Minako stopped walking, letting Rei catch up to her. “I’m not scared. I’m just sick of it.” She stood looking back at their footprints in the sand.
Rei said nothing, understanding what her leader meant.
“I’m tired of being pulled in every direction, of constantly feeling like I’m missing out on something because I have to hide who I am.”
“I thought you were happy with him?” Rei went straight to the point, this wasn’t a new train of thought for any of the Senshi. They all knew what it was like to have to remain slightly outside the rest of the world, each hating the need to lie to those closest to them. Minako airing such a grievance meant that here was something in particular bothering her, and the conversation earlier gave her a rather obvious clue as to what it was.
“I think so,” Mina said, deciding to be honest.
“I may not be the best person to give advice about love and relationships, but even I know that’s not the right answer.”
It was Minako’s turn to smile cynically. “We have history, I don’t know if we’re together anymore because we love each other or because it’s comfortable and easy.”
“I think ‘history’ is an understatement. You two are more off and on than Ross and Rachel.”
"Oh my gosh, Rei, could your TV references be any more out of date?" She received a nudge in response, but the force of it caught Mina off-guard and she stumbled into the water, splashing little droplets onto her summer dress. “Hey!”
“Whoops,” Rei deadpanned, her dark eyebrows cocked in amusement.
“Whoops?” Mina asked, indignation turning into mischief. She dipped her cupped hands into the cool, saline water. “I’ll give you whoops.”
Rei’s violet eyes widened when she realised that Minako was actually going to carry out her plan. “No! Mina!” She shrieked as the water flew at her, landing with soft thuds on her feet and hair and catching the attention of a man who was sitting on the bank. “I just washed my hair!”
“You started it!”
His white hair swung like silent chimes in the wind, soft and solid. He’d taken off his shoes, his tie lay haphazardly in the sand next to him and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone. He rarely let the stress get to him, but today had been a particularly bad day,culminating in chest pains and panic. Having barely made it through the meeting he practically fled the building, throwing himself into his car and driving like the devil had been chasing him. He'd needed somewhere open, somewhere calming. He'd needed to see something beautiful. He had only stopped driving when he found the beach.
He watched with silver eyes as the two women chased after each other in the distance, laughing and splashing with increasing enthusiasm. The blonde in particular seemed to have a certain air about her that he just couldn’t ignore. It was strange, even a little worrying, but all he knew was that suddenly, he felt like he could breathe again.
Sign Sealed Delivered (I’m Yours) by Stevie Wonder
The café was busy, it always was during lunch and she was being run off her feet serving customer after customer. She was just grateful that the boss never assigned the crowded shift to employees two days in a row; she wasn’t sure she’d be able to cope, not between college and Senshi duties. She gave the woman in line her change and told her politely to pick up her drink at the end of the counter.
The next customer moved forward, she gave the standard spiel at around a mile a minute, not even bothering to look up. “Welcome to the Coffee Café, my name is Makoto, how can I help you?”
“By having dinner with me tonight.”
Makoto froze, only her forest green eyes looking up at him, fine eyebrows cocking up with incredulity. “Excuse me?”
“Have dinner with me...Makoto.” He said her name in a rich, baritone voice, like he was playing with it.
She regained movement almost instantly, he certainly wasn’t the first customer who’d tried to pick her up, but she had to admit that he was definitely the hottest so far. But there was a certain smugness about him which she didn't exactly approve of. Especially combined with the over-inflated grin, his expensive-looking sunglasses shielding his eyes and his dark, chocolate hair, slicked back to the nape without somehow looking greasy.
“There’s a long line of customers sir, are you going to order anything?” She kept her voice polite, though perhaps not as cold as she would have liked. After she’d said it, she had a sneaking suspicion that she’d just let herself issue a challenge. She almost smacked her own forehead for even toying with the idea of flirting with this random stranger, let alone giving into the temptation of actually doing so.
He took off his sunglasses and looked into her eyes with that smile still plastered on his face. “If I did, would you go out with me later?”
He’d paralysed her again, only this time it wasn’t as easy to snap out of it. His eyes were stunning, one a rich light blue and the other the wholesome colour of soil. Earth and Sky. He’d caught her, hook, line and sinker. She’d do him right there on the counter if he asked. Damn it! When she’d finally found her voice, she smiled. It must have been a trick he’d used on all the girls: hit them with the unexpected and then when they think they’ve found their footing again, bring out the secret weapon. “It would take a lot more than buying a cup of coffee.”
His confidence didn’t seem to deflate, but the people behind him looked a little irritated over the hold up. “But is it a start?” he asked.
Don’t be an idiot Makoto, this guy’s obviously a player. Her eyes flicked up to his again and her brain took a back seat. “You’ll just have to order and find out.” She had to physically restrain herself from twirling the end of her auburn ponytail like a blushing sixteen year old.
“Then I’ll have a white Americano to go. No sugar.”
Strong. Uncomplicated. Smooth.
“That’ll be four fifty please.”
He handed her the change. “So I’ll see you tonight?"
"Nope." She felt very proud of herself for managing to say that one little word.
"Tomorrow then, for another coffee date?”
Makoto did her best to look unflustered, shrugging her shoulders lightly. “If I’m working that shift.”
He smiled at her lack of committal, picking up his beverage at the end of the counter and taking a small sip. “Good coffee,” he said. “Bye, Makoto.”
She looked up from the next customer and shot a final glance at his rather fine, retreating form. She made a mental note to ask Kirsty if she wanted to work Friday instead of tomorrow afternoon. The crowded shift two days in a row? The pain would be worth it. Maybe. She'd have to find out.
Shelter by Ray Lamontagne
They all reacted differently to the memories.
He wasn’t like Ceithin, so wracked with guilt and self-loathing that he’d shut himself off from everyone, especially Mamoru and Minako, ironically becoming more like the cold beast he hated so much from his past life.
Neither did he feel the overbearing drive to work his mind into oblivion like Jared was doing, suddenly becoming devoid of the humor so integral to his soul and using his occupation as a desperate excuse to numb the pain.
More than anything he wasn’t Zach, who simply couldn’t cope and who Mamoru had found, pale and clammy, lying in a bloody bathtub, reeking of an almost deathly slumber.
No, Noel’s life simply changed. Now there were two reasons for living. He was going to serve his master, and he was going to love and shelter his beloved Senshi of Protection for as many lifetimes as it took for him to forgive himself.
Unicron Theme (Hip Hop Remix) by Tony Bacala
“So you…but…wait. What?” Jared didn’t understand.
“It’s not exactly difficult,” Mamoru rolled his eyes. He wasn’t the only one either. Rei was getting sick of listening to the conversation, more than irritated by the fact that her boyfriend’s attention was so distracted for such a ridiculous reason.
“But…you lived in Japan.” Even Noel felt the need to chip into the conversation. "You're from Japan."
“So?”
“That’s where it came from.” He made it sound like that was meant to be obvious.
“I had a life.”
“You obviously didn’t.” At Zach’s comment Mamoru became genuinely annoyed. It seemed like all his present Shitennou were ganging up on him. He was pretty sure that wasn’t how it was meant to work.
Rei had had enough. “For crying out loud, it’s just a cartoon.”
Jared nearly gave himself whiplash, “It was not ‘just a cartoon’.”
“I think you’ll find it was. One with nothing but ridiculously corny dialogue and shitty eighties music at that.”
At her description, Jared suddenly brightened up. “So you have seen it!” He turned back to Mamoru, who by this point had flopped himself on the couch and started channel hopping. “Even Rei’s seen it. And she’s Rei. That makes you a loser.”
“Who cares if I haven't seen it?” Mamoru felt Jared was taking this too far.
“I do. You’re going to be king of the world someday.”
Before he could respond Mina and Ceithin came home. The silver-haired man noticed the tension within seconds. “What’s up?”
“Our lord and master hasn’t seen Transformers: The Movie,” Zach supplied from the love seat.
“So?”
“Thank you! At least one of my damn guardians is doing his job.” The channel hopping became less erratic.
Zach scoffed. “Our job is not to agree blindly with you. It’s to point out your flaws and fix them.” His green eyes were locked on the remote in Mamoru’s hands, ready to snatch if he didn't stay on one channel soon.
“How can you not have seen it?!” The outburst came from Jared.
Ceithin gave him a look that told him to stop getting carried away. “That’s enough.”
“I don’t get why it’s such a big deal,” Mina said, sitting herself next to Rei.
“You wouldn’t understand,”
Before Mina could retaliate against Zach, Rei silenced her with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t bother trying. It’s not worth it.”
“I suppose it could be worse,” Noel said in an attempt to dispel the tension, “It’s not like it’s The Godfather or anything.”
There was a tiny pause before Mamoru responded, his hand freezing on the button for just a moment before continuing. “Yeah, exactly.” He did his best to sound convincing.
“Oh Jebus!” Jared looked like he was about to have a coronary.
“Pulp Fiction?” Noel tried. "Raiders of the Lost Ark? Scarface?"
At this point Mamoru was looking pretty helpless.
“You must have at least seen Top Gun.” Zach sounded hopeful.
“Ooo! Val Kilmer was totally hot in that movie! And it was so sad when Goose-” Mina stopped talking at Mamoru’s vicious glare.
Jared made a last ditch attempt. “What about Die Hard? Anyone with a Y chromosome has seen Die Hard. You do have a penis, right?”
“That’s enough.” Ceithin’s voice cut through before Mamoru tried to do something stupid like beat Jared’s head in -which in all honesty wouldn’t really have been such a bad idea- there were more important matters to attend to. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some cash, handing it to Mina.
She looked at him quizzically, “What’s this for?”
“You and Rei are going to have to go now.”
“What?! Why?”
“I’m sorry, it’s a guy thing. You girls take the money and go have a nice night out or something.”
Mina stood up, her stance hostile and rigid. Rei stood right behind her. “Why can't we stay an watch movies with you? Alan Rickman is really sexy in Die Hard."
"That exact comment is why you can't stay. You'll dilute the required level of testosterone."
“You can’t tell us to leave!” Rei yelled, now becoming indignant at the fact she was basically being kicked out by her own boyfriend.
“Babe, please. I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” Jared pleaded dangling his keys, “Take my car home.”
She looked like she was about to explode. She snatched the keys. “You will regret this.” She stormed out, followed by a seething Mina. Ceithin somehow knew his girlfriend was already plotting revenge.
When the door slammed shut with enough force to shake the walls Mamoru finally found the voice to speak. “What was that about?”
Ceithin ignored him for a moment as he gave out orders. “Zach, beers. Noel, we’re going to need to need take out.” He didn’t even need to tell Jared to crack open the dvds. “We’re educating you.”
“You do realise you guys are going to be in the dog house for forever, right?”
Jared simply shrugged as he selected what they were going to watch. “You’ll understand once you see what you’ve been missing out on.”
Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye
“Ow! Mother f- just fucking OW!” Jared hissed as he clutched at his finger for a moment before violently trying to shake the sting away.
“What’s wrong?” Rei asked as she entered the kitchen, concern etched in her voice.
He shook his head, slightly embarrassed at being caught. “Uh, nothing.”
“I didn’t sound like nothing.”
He gave in and showed her. “I cut my finger.” A tiny droplet of bright red blood formed perfectly along an almost invisible slice.
Rei smirked. “You big baby, that’s barely a scratch.”
“Yeah well, it hurt.”
“Aww,” she pouted, taking the finger and placing it to her lips, lightly sucking the blood away and then kissing it. “There we are, the boo-boo is all gone. Does Jared have anymore owies?” she asked, her pout turning into an amused smile as she dropped his hand.
Jared suddenly grinned, taking her sarcasm in stride. “There is one more.” He pointed downwards.
She almost hit him, any possible retort being stuck in her throat from the audacity with which his comment was made. She stopped herself however, thinking of a much better way to wipe the smile off of his face.
She went down on her knees and undid his zipper.
His jaw dropped.