Story: In Her Burning Eyes (V2) (all chapters)

In Memorium of my dearest Kasumi, I present to you the new and improved In Her Burning Eyes. This is the story as she wanted it to be, complete with all the editing, reorganizing, and added content that she never had the chance to finish. The changes made aren't really all that drastic but they go a long ways in smoothing out the flow of the story.

Basically, if you loved the story before, you're still going to love it. If you were upset with all the errors and the flow of the story when you read it before, you might just get a little more out of it now. And for all of you new to the story, enjoy a wonderful look into Kasumi's early work. Enjoy.

In Her Burning Eyes

Chapter One: Hope Against Hope

Most of the time I don't want to think about it, my one tiny ray of hope. It was the only thing that's ever led me to believe I had any type of future that I could truly be happy in. It was right there, right in front of us all this time and so far I believe I was the only one that noticed. Well, I'm sure Setsuna knew the truth... for better or worse.

The woman always had that all knowing smirk of hers whenever she looked at me. But that makes me wonder sometimes... does she know how much pain this causes me? Does she know how cruel hope can be to someone so used to being hopeless? I had never imagined that she'd be so cruel to me, dangling this in front of me, torturing me with the truth I seek. Does she want me to beg? Does she want me to fall to my knees and plead for her to give me the sweet release from this nightmare?

If this goes on much longer... then maybe I will...

–

A dream realized...

–

   “What's wrong Rei-chan?” Usagi asked, cocking her head to one side in that oh-so-cute way of hers.

   “Nothing, I'm fine,” I lied.

   “Rei-chan, you wouldn't happen to be lying to me, would you? You know what happens when you lie to me...” It was all there, that playful hint in her voice, that lopsided grin on her face, that twinkle in her eye. It was over before she even made her move. “Usa!”

   There she was, future Queen Serenity, the benevolent ruler of the Moon Kingdom, the one who would bring true peace and tranquility to the universe... tickling the living hell out of me. The punishment was made even worse by the fact that she knew all of my most ticklish areas by heart, her expert fingers instantly finding them and going to work. It wasn't until I was barely gasping my protests that she finally ceased her torturous ways by collapsing on top of me, almost as out of breath as I was from her own laughter. My hands seemed to move of their own free will, one to gently stroke her silken blond tresses, the other to find its way to the small of her back. I thanked my lucky stars that she either didn't notice, or simply didn't care.

   “Rei-chan?” she asked, lifting off of me just enough to look down into my eyes. Her gaze was suddenly piercing, like she could see every one of my deepest and darkest secrets.

   “What is it Usa?” I somehow managed to keep my voice steady despite the butterflies dancing in my stomach.

   “You have such beautiful eyes. I get this really funny feeling in my tummy when I look into them.” I swallowed hard, my composure was slipping fast under the weight of her words. “I'm not sure where but I swear I've seen 'em somewhere else...” I was beginning to fear that my thundering heart would give away the nervousness I was trying so desperately not to show. “Actually Rei-chan, I wanted to tell you something, it's kinda why I called you over here in the first place. I know you're gonna think I'm crazy and call me Usa-baka, but I think...”

   With a bright flash of light and a rush of wind, seventy-five pounds of pink haired irony appeared out of thin air above us. Usagi screamed and dove sideways to avoid the falling girl, allowing her to land square on my chest with a thud.

   “Hi Rei-chan!” Chibi-Usa chimed happily, seemingly unaware of the exorbitant amount of pain I was in. I wanted to be angry, hell, I actually tried to be but I just couldn't manage it. The instant my eyes met with hers I felt nothing but tender loving adoration. I reached up to pinch her cheek lightly before ruffling her hair, barely holding in a giggle as she tried to fuss her way out of my reach.

   “Hey Chibi-chan, how have you been?” I cooed sweetly.

   “Oh you know me Rei-chan, I always have trouble two steps behind me,” she said with an almost ear to ear grin. “I'd ask you the same but from what I saw when I came through I could see you were taking good care of my baka-mama,” she said, her grin becoming rather sly, almost lecherous even. I didn't even have time to blush as Usagi let out an ear splitting squeal and tackle hugged the little girl off of me.

   “You called me mama!” the blonde squeaked happily, nuzzling her cheek against the smaller girl's, seemingly unaware of the rather scathing protest Chibi-Usa was giving her.

   “I called you baka-mama because you're the dumber of the two! Even in the future!” My ears perked up upon hearing that.

   “Hey, Chibi-chan, what'd you just say?” The pink haired girl stopped her struggling to look at me curiously.

   “What, about her being dumb as a brick?” she asked, pointing to Usagi's face which immediately adopted an angry glare and bit the accusatory finger. Howling in surprise, the struggle continued anew and my question was quickly forgotten, at least by the two of them. I realized that I'd probably have to get her alone to get a straight answer and settled in to watch the battle come to a close, ending with Usagi receiving a rather hard pinch on the behind. She crawled over to me in a pitiful state, eyes shining with tears.

   “Will you kiss it better Rei-chan?” she asked, flashing mischievous puppy dog eyes.

   “Like hell I'm kissing your butt better!” I screamed, causing her to shift tactics and take on a rather sultry expression.

   “You'd do it if you loved me,” she whispered with a throaty purr that not only made me blush from head to toe, but also had the hair on the back of my neck standing on end. She giggled and pointed at my blushing face. “Oh ho, Rei-chan! Did I just catch you thinking naughty things about me?!” Regaining my composure I glared down at the giggly blonde, knowing full well that revenge was a game both of us could play. Plan in mind, I clasped my fist to my chest and bowed slightly.

   “As a Senshi of the Moon Kingdom and your private bodyguard, it would be an honor and a privilege to kiss your butt until it's all better my princess,” I said in as respectful a tone as I could manage before reaching down to hike her skirt up around her waist. Her eyes flew open in surprise and she attempted to scamper away but I was able to hook my fingers under the waistband of her panties. Abandoning her escape, she locked her fingers around mine to prevent her underwear, and her dignity, from being stripped away.

   “Stop it please, Rei-chan!” she squealed, giggling in spite of the situation.

   “Oh no my princess, I insist! Please let me kiss it for you, I wish to do it so very much! Just let me remove your royal panties, and I'll kiss royal butt until it's all better!” I shouted, making lewd kissy noises in between fits of giggles.

   “Oh my goodness!” a voice squeaked from the doorway. Usagi and I turned in unison to see Hotaru standing in the open doorway with more color in her cheeks than I'd ever thought possible for the pale girl. I turned my attention back to what I'd been doing and found that we were in a rather provocative position and the dialog certainly couldn't have helped.

   “Hey there, Hotaru-chan...” I said shakily. I tried to be as nonchalant as possible while letting go of Usagi's panties but was left cringing as they snapped loudly against her skin causing the blonde to moan slightly. “What brings you here?” I asked, not able to meet her eyes.

   “Um... I... Setsuna-mama said that Chibi-Usa would be here so I...” the blushing girl managed, her voice even more demure than usual.

   “Taru-chan!” the pink haired girl called out, leaping over Usagi's prone form to run and hug her friend. “I missed you so much I just had to come visit!” I wouldn't have thought it possible but Hotaru's blush managed to deepen a few shades.

   “You mean... you came back just to see... me?” the shy girl asked, eyes cast downward.

   “Well mostly. I did kinda want to see Rei-chan and that baka there on the ground but it looks like they're having enough fun with each other,” she said with a grin.

   “It's surprising...” Hotaru murmured quietly, almost to herself.

   “What is?”

   “I... I thought only Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa did those kinda things...” My heart seemed to skip a beat at the comparison to the couple.

   “Oh, it's not all that surprising actually. Come on, let's go the park and leave the two hentai lovebirds alone,” Chibi-Usa said coyly, taking Hotaru by the arm and leading her out the doorway. All embarrassment was quickly pushed aside as I saw my plan to get my questions answered walking arm in arm out the door.

   “Hey, Chibi-chan!” I called after them, untangling myself from Usagi's legs and shuffling over to them. “You're gonna come back later, right? I haven't seen you for a long time and I want to catch up,” I said, my hand involuntarily finding its way to her cheek again. Her eyes seemed to light up slightly.

   “Of course, Rei-chan! You know I love spending time with you and...” she leaned in close to whisper, “my baka-mama over there,” she finished, tilting her head at Usagi who's ears seemed to perk up at the mention without even being able to actually hear it.

   “Thanks Chibi-chan, I'll be looking forward to it,” I said, smiling down at her lovingly. Without thinking, I leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead. Blushing, she backed away and waved goodbye before turning and dragging Hotaru out the doorway by the hand. Still smiling, I turned around to see Usagi grinning at me, a warm glow surrounding her. “What?” I asked, suddenly self conscious.

   “Rei-chan is so cute when she's being sweet to my Chibi-Usa,” she said, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. Feeling the shift in the mood I sat down next to her so she could lean her head on my shoulder. Deciding to press my luck, I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her a little tighter against me.

   “How could I not be?” I asked quietly, almost whispering to avoid disturbing the moment. Every time I looked into that sweet little girl's eyes I saw hope for the future, hope for a life that wasn't shrouded in crushing loneliness. I don't know how, I don't why, I just knew my salvation was there in those crimson orbs. After a while I could feel Usagi trembling against me so I held her a bit tighter to give her some comfort. When it didn't stop I tilted her chin up to face me, finding that what I'd mistaken for quiet sobbing was actually an attempt to suppress her laughter.

   “What?” I asked defensively.

   “I was just thinking about what Hotaru-chan said,” she said before breaking into a fit of giggles. “You're so the Haruka!” I groaned and shoved her backwards, instantly finding myself on top of her. I'd been planning to tickle her without mercy until I saw the way she was staring up at me. She had an expression of such deep seeded confusion, almost like she was seeing my face for the first time.

   “Usa...” I could barely whisper the word and she didn't even seem to notice.

   “Rei-chan... I...” she reached up with one hand to lightly run her fingertips across my forehead and down to caress my cheek. “Whenever I really look into your eyes I get all fluttery in here,” she breathed, using her free hand to take one of mine and and rest it on her stomach. “Can you feel it, Rei-chan...?”

   The sight of her laying there, hair splayed out beneath her like a river of golden silk, eyes half lidded as she reached up to caress my face... It was simply too much to bear. I leaned down slowly, allowing my eyes to drink in as much of this beautiful image as possible. I was so close now that I could feel her trembling breath upon my lips as our eyes locked together and I saw such longing reflected in those sky blue pools. With a sense of elation I had never before experienced, I closed the remaining distance and pressed my lips to hers...

–

On the other side of town in the Outer Senshi's house, Setsuna couldn't help the smile forming on her lips. “So it begins...”

Destiny in motion...

   I could feel something tickling the back of my neck and squirmed in agitation to make it go away. A few seconds later it was back again, forcing me to swat at it with my hand. Whatever it was darted away to a safe distance and giggled. It returned a third time, forcing me to roll over and open my eyes to take better aim at the annoyance. My vision was instantly filled with a very happy, very naked, Usagi.

   “Morning Rei-chan,” she cooed in a much-too-sweet voice, leaning down to kiss me on the nose.

   “U-Usa! Why are you naked?!” I sputtered, pushing myself away from her, face ablaze. She stuck her tongue out at me.

   “Like you're one to talk,” she giggled, pointing down at me. Too enraptured to look away I simply felt at my torso, discovering that I was indeed completely nude. I looked around the room, finding myself on Usagi's floor amid a pile of hastily discarded clothes by the looks of it.

   “I'm dreaming,” I said to myself simply, continuing to stare at Usagi, fully intending to take in as much as possible before I woke up.

   “Oh, you dream about me naked, do you? That would explain your... eagerness, from earlier,” she said with a wink before crawling towards me. Too stunned to move, I simply lay back as she slid on top of me. “See Rei-chan?” she whispered, reaching down to pinch my cheek. “You're not dreaming.”

   “You mean we...” I couldn't even say the words.

   “A couple times,” she said, laying down on top of me to nuzzle my neck. “And I know I don't really have anything to compare it to... but it was wonderful!” I brought my hand up instinctively to pet her hair, finding the action was remarkably difficult to perform. I'd been too surprised to notice it before but my body felt like it was made of stone. “Wait,” she said, lifting up suddenly, “you don't remember?” Her face started to blur, forcing me to close my eyes to keep the room from spinning.

   “I feel so tired Usa, like I just fought a hundred Youma and completely drained all my energy.” I could feel her lips nibbling at my neck for a moment before pulling away.

   “I wonder if that means I was really good or really bad at it?” she asked, more to herself than me.

   “Usa...” I paused as a flood of memories washed over me. My kisses traveling down her neck as my fingertips danced up and down the inside of her thighs. I remembered holding her in my arms as our nude bodies pressed together, our lips barely parting. I remembered how it was like I knew every single inch of her body by heart and how it made making love to her feel as natural as breathing. “Oh... I remember. But still, even with...” I could tell I was blushing, “...all of that, I don't think I should be this tired.”

   “Well then, why don't we just lay back and relax for a while?” she cooed, snuggling up against me and draping my arm around her neck. I gripped her as tightly as I could manage, tears sliding down my cheeks. “I'm not hurting you, am I?” she asked nervously, that familiar Usagi concern making it even harder to control my tears. I managed to shake my head.

   “It's just... I never thought I'd be able to hold you like this. I'm so happy and yet... so sad at the same time...”

   “Why would you be sad, Rei-chan?”

   “Because you're the future queen... you'll get married and... we already know you have a daughter. It's like destiny is laughing at me! I... I love you Usagi, I've loved you for so long and it's tortured me so much to know that I don't have any place in your future other than as your bodyguard and if I'm lucky, your friend. I've always told myself that I would be okay with that. That if you were happy I would be happy too. But then I found something to hope for, a possibility for happiness... and now this... you here in my arms. It's just too much!” I said, breaking down completely into wracking sobs. Usagi was silent for a long time, simply holding me tight to offer what comfort she could.

   “What was it that you found?” she asked quietly after my tears had slowed to a stop. “Your hope?”

   “It really surprised me the first time I noticed it but from then on it just seemed kind of obvious, like I always knew it somehow, just like how I've always felt about you. It was the first time I really looked into her...”

   “Hey Usa-baka, is Rei-chan still... oh my god you're having sex! Eww!” Chibi-Usa shouted from the doorway, eyes going wide as she dropped the bag she'd been carrying. The ensuing scramble for clothes was made even more humiliating by my lack of strength, forcing Usagi to help me dress myself under the stunned gaze of the pink haired girl. Finally clothed, Usagi was the first to attempt an explanation and unsurprisingly it wasn't well received.

   “You saw a bug on her clothes?” the pink haired girl asked incredulously. “How stupid do you think I am?! Even if that were the case, why would you be naked too!” she held up a hand to stop Usagi's further explanation before slapping it to her forehead. “Puu-chan told me this would be happening around this time but I didn't expect to see it! Gah, I'll never be able to get that image out of my head!” Hearing this I sat bolt upright, wincing as I did.

   “Setsuna knew about this! Oh that manipulative little... she's been letting me suffer like this for all these years! When I see her I'm gonna...mmph!” My rant was cut off as Usagi pinned me down to the bed with a long kiss. “What was that for?” I asked breathlessly when she finally pulled away.

   “I... I don't know. It's just... hearing you say it's been years and seeing how much you've been hurting... I feel like an idiot for not noticing!” she wailed, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

   “Not surprising,” Chibi-Usa muttered from her chair, Usagi turned to stick her tongue out at the girl. I sat up slowly and looked between the two of them, they were definitely mother and daughter, that's for sure.

   “Chibi-chan, can I ask you...” the pink haired girl in question raised her hand and wagged a finger back and forth.

   “Sorry Rei-chan, you know the rules. I'm bound by the magic that brings me here, I can't reveal anything that would upset the flow of time.” I had to bite my lip hard to keep my frustration from spilling out. “Besides, Puu told me you'd be okay because you won't have to wait very long. I know you can handle it Rei-chan, you're the toughest girl I know!” she finished encouragingly and Usagi added in by squeezing my hand.

   “And you'll have me to keep you company while you wait, Rei-chan, don't forget that. I may not know what the future holds or even fully understand the feelings I have for you now... but I'll never let you feel the pain of loneliness again, Rei-chan, I swear it as your best friend and as the future queen of Crystal Tokyo.” I was always stunned when Usagi made a serious speech like that but this one hit much closer to home. Even more surprising where the sniffles coming from Chibi-Usa.

   “You sounded so much like her just then...” the girl murmured.

   “Like who?” Usagi asked. I noticed the gleam in her eyes and scooted away a little to avoid the upcoming chaos.

   “Like mama...” she paused, realizing her mistake just a little too late. She didn't even have time to run before Usagi scooped her out of the chair and nuzzled her cheek to the smaller girl's.

   “You called me mama!”

   I couldn't help but chuckle at the absurd nature of their love/hate relationship. I found myself slumping down on the bed, discovering I'd only forgotten about the weariness that consumed me. Pulling the covers up to my chin, I settled in and drifted off to sleep with the lullaby of Chibi-chan explaining to Usagi that she was still an idiot.

–

   Far, far into the future, Sailor Pluto's grin grew ever wider as the facade she had revealed to the Senshi during their trip to the future melted away to reveal the true Crystal Tokyo in all its glory. “Forgive me girls, it was the only way to set things in motion... but then again, you always did like a challenge...”

   “Who are you talking to?” a sleepy voice asked from beneath the mound of blankets on the bed behind her.

   “Just musing to myself about something from the past.” I didn't need to see the girl's face to know she'd rolled her eyes.

   “You're such a weirdo.”

   “You'll be grateful for it, or were rather. It was only a thousand years ago...”

–

To be continued...

For any questions involving he-who-must-not-be-named (heh) please check the reviews where I've already answered them ^_^

Sentence and dialogue cleaning, plus the addition to Setsuna's scene at the end to hopefully lessen any confusion about what's going on and tie into the new stuff I'll be adding to the Epilogue.

Please drop a review if you're feeling up to it, I'd love to know what you think of the updated version or just to hear of a fond memory you might have from this story.

Chapter 2

In Her Burning Eyes

Chapter Two: Destiny Revealed

People hope and pray that their dreams will come true all the time. I can tell you firsthand that the shock that comes with having your deepest wish granted can throw you off so much you might not even see the consequences of your actions until it's far too late to do anything about them.

Don't get me wrong though, even with everything bad that can happen, a dream come true is still a dream come true...

Keeping a secret... or not...

   “..kidding... felt like... explosion!” a muffled voice shouted excitedly. I cracked open one bleary eye to take in two vaguely human shaped blobs on the floor in front of me, both of which had blonde hair. “I'm telling you, I've never felt a burst of love like that, not even anything that comes close! I just had to come and see for myself!”

   “Hey Minako,” I rasped, finding my throat unbearably dry. The two turned on me, both squealing with delight. I slowly raised myself to a sitting position, finding the exhaustion from before had been traded in for horrible soreness.

   “Wow Rei-chan! You look like crap!” Minako announced with typical Minako bluntness before turning to Usagi. “You must either be really good or really bad at it!” Usagi stuck her tongue out sheepishly.

   “I said the same thing,” she said with a grin before her eyes settled on me. “Seriously though, are you okay Rei-chan? Is there anything I can get you?” The concern in her eyes was already warming over my sore body.

   “Maybe some hot tea? My throat is killing me.” She seemed to perk up at this.

   “Yes! Tea I can handle! You just sit tight while I go make you Usagi's super healing miracle tea!” she shouted happily, leaping to her feet only to wince and slowly open and close her legs.

   “You okay Usa?” She looked at me and smiled nervously.

   “Yeah, just a little sore from... well... when you took it,” she managed, before scampering out of the room.

   “Took... what?” I asked myself quietly. I could hear Minako sigh as she came to sit next to me.

   “Baka! She was a virgin,” she said, pointing to a small red stain on the carpet. The realization that I had taken Usagi's, the Princess's, the Future Queen's innocence hit me like a ton of bricks. Remembering the look on her face, my shoulders slumped.

   “Do you think she resents me?”

   “Double baka! Couldn't you tell how happy she was? Jeez, you serious types are all so clueless. Still can't believe it took you this long to try to steal her up.”

   “You knew!”

   “Going for triple, are we?” she asked with a giggle. “It was obvious!” I couldn't hide my grimace, wondering who else had figured it out. “To me at least,” she added quickly upon seeing my expression. “I am the goddess of love after all!” she said with such enthusiasm that I couldn't help but laugh. “That's more like it!”

   “Thanks Mina.”

   “Seriously though girl, I was worried about you, it's not good to keep all that desire bottled up. If you'd waited another week, I was going to offer myself to you for some relief!” I burst out laughing only to stop and swallow a lump in my throat when I saw she was dead serious.

   “You'd have really done that for me?” She looked insulted.

   “Of course I would, not only are you my friend but it's also one of my duties,” she said before leaning in to whisper, “and I happen to find you quite sexy there fire-hime,” she finished with a wink and a kiss motion which instantly set my face to maximum blush. Usagi chose that unfortunate moment to come through the door, blue eyes flicking back and forth between us.

   “What's all this about?” I frantically waved my hands and shook my head to indicate nothing was happening but Minako simply slid closer and threw an arm around my shoulders.

   “Rei said we could have a threesome!” Chaos promptly ensued.

   After cleaning up the tea, uprighting the chair, and putting the mattress back on it's frame, Usagi finally calmed down and was able to laugh at the joke.

   “Honestly Usagi, if I'd known you were this protective I wouldn't have said anything,” Minako giggled, holding an ice pack to the rapidly swelling bump on her forehead. I, not being quite as easy going as Minako, had my back turned to the two of them and was glaring at the wall.

   “I really am sorry Rei-chan,” Usagi begged in her sweetest possible voice. I refused to turn around, knowing that the instant I looked into those tear-rimmed eyes I'd have no choice but to forgive her.

   “Think about it Usa, do I really seem like the 'threesome' type of girl?!” I called out angrily, feeling her cringe behind me.

   “Umm, no?” she offered weakly. When I didn't respond I could sense a shift in the mood of the room behind me. “Honestly Rei, I don't know what came over me...” I could feel my armor starting to crack, “...it makes me wonder, is this how Rei-chan has felt all this time when she thought of me spending my life with somebody else? If it's my fault that you've had to deal with these feelings for all these years then I really don't deserve somebody like you, Rei-chan...”

   “Oh, who am I kidding...” I said quietly, turning around to give her a wide grin. “I could never stay mad at you, Usa!” She went from teary eyed to bursting with glee in two seconds flat and made a diving tackle for the bed... only to come up a bit short. Stumbling awkwardly to the side, Minako made to steady her but caught only her collar, the tug sending the blonde spinning. The motion from the spin made short work of her shirt buttons and sent her off course to bounce backwards off one of the bed posts, unsnapping her bra in the process. I managed to catch her around the waist before she fell to the floor and pulled her into my lap. It was a maneuver only Usagi could pull off and I would have laughed until I cried if the door hadn't opened to reveal the stunned faces of Ami and Makoto. Neither of them so much as moved an inch.

   “What's wrong with you two?”

   Minako, who was already on the ground in tears from her laughter, could only point at Usagi. Curious, I looked down to see that not only was her shirt unbuttoned and spread wide open, her bra had come lose with my hands slid right up underneath it. I groaned inwardly, figuring I may as well explain everything and get it over with.

   “You can all come in now, I've finished the examination,” Ami called out to the door as the the last of her Mercury fuku faded away. Not two seconds later a worried to tears Usagi came plowing through and wrapped the first thing she could get her hands on in a back breaking hug.

   “Usagi-chan, I can't breath!” Ami squeaked, probably wishing she'd kept her Mercury form a bit longer. Realizing that Ami wasn't me, she dropped her like a sack of potatoes and dove for her intended target, only to meet face-first with my open palm.

   “Hug me like you did Ami and you might just finish me off! Now apologize to poor thing!” I growled, pointing to the blue haired girl on the floor.

   “Apologize for what?” she asked, turning to see Ami wincing and rubbing her now sore bottom. “Oh my gosh, Ami-chan I'm so sorry! I've just been so worried since you said you'd need to give her a Mercury scan.” Usagi helped the shorter girl to her feet and flashed her sappiest puppy dog eyes. “Will you ever forgive me?!”

   “Of course I'll forgive you Usagi-chan!” the blue haired girl replied without a moments hesitation. I smacked a hand to my forehead, realizing that I was just as helpless against the blonde's charms.

   “So, what's the diagnosis, doc?” Minako asked as her and Makoto joined us in the room.

   “Severe exhaustion. It's as if her body was taken to it's absolute limits.”

   “Wow, Usagi, you must either be really good or really bad at it to do that to her,” Makoto said with a chuckle, patting the princess on the back.

   “Yeah, I keep wondering about that myself...” Usagi murmured, more to herself than anybody.

   “This is serious!” Ami said with surprising force, causing everyone in the room to fall silent. “It's only an estimate, but I'd say about ninety percent of her sailor power was drained from her body!”

   “Will it come back!?” I asked frantically, not liking the sound of that at all.

   “Calm down, Rei, I'm fairly certain it will return to you in time. You'll just need to take it easy for a few months,” Ami assured me.

   “So, she sucked the life right out of you, eh Rei-chan?” Haruka asked smoothly as she entered the room in her usual confident nature. “Sounds like you two are married already,” she finished while flashing a charming grin, only to squeak girlishly as Michiru's purse hit her in the back of the head.

   “Oh excuse me there, sweetie, didn't see you,” the aqua haired woman said with a smile, walking past the cringing blonde as if she wasn't even there. “Here you go, Rei-chan,” she said, handing me a warm container, ”brought you some soup. While it may not be as good as Makoto's, I'm sure it'll warm you up a bit.” Surprise from Michiru's gesture quickly turned to irritation as Haruka approached, eyes locked on Usagi.

   “Usako, I'm heartbroken! You promised your first time to me didn't you?” the tall blonde asked, acting as if she was wiping away a tear.

   “I... well... I always thought...” Usagi was stumbling on her words, I didn't like this one bit.

   “I think I could live on, my fair princess, if you would but give me a kiss,” she continued, reaching out a hand as if to caress her cheek but pulled it back sharply upon hearing the low growl in my throat. “Right... I see you're not the sharing type,” she said, actually appearing a little crestfallen until Michiru's purse hit her a second time.

   “I can vouch for that,” Minako giggled, pointing at the rather large goose egg on her forehead. The laughter that followed was soon interrupted by the arrival of Setsuna with Chibi-Usa and Hotaru in tow.

   “Ah, good, everyone's here!” Setsuna called out, clapping her hands together happily as she made her way to the middle of the room. “I've got a big announcement to make that I think all of you are going to enjoy!” Both her unusually perky demeanor and the grand promise had everyone's attention riveted on the Senshi of Time. “Things are about to change!”

The letter soaked in tears....

   “Can you believe this, Usa?!” I asked incredulously, still in shock from the announcement. Usagi didn't respond.

   “We've just entered into what I call the Calm Era. A three-year period where no Youma will attack. All of you will be able to live your lives as you see fit during this time. I'm not saying you won't encounter any hardships, indeed it will be quite difficult, I'm sure. However, if you can get through them, you'll all be well on your way into the Golden Age of the universe.”

   “Three years with no Youma! This couldn't have come at a better time! I mean, yeah it sucks that we still have a year of school but after that we can be together whenever we want!” She still didn't turn to face me so I crawled over and put my hand on her shoulder, feeling it trembling beneath my touch. “Usa, what's wrong?” I asked, moving around in front of her only to recoil at her miserable, grief stricken expression.

   “I...” she began with a hiccup ”I miss her so much already!” she wailed. My heart practically melted with her sadness, but unfortunately, I wasn't in very good shape to comfort her on that one... I felt the same way.

   “Unfortunately, Small Lady here won't be able to visit from the future during this time but don't any of you worry, she'll be back before you know it!”

   It had been devastating to hug that sweet little girl and say goodbye. It felt like a piece of my heart had been broken off and hidden from me. Usagi had been nearly unapproachable for a whole week after that, at least from the others. The two of us had barely left each others sight, trying to soak up as much time with the other before school began again the following Monday.

   “I know what you're going through, Usa, but you can't let it destroy you like this,” I reached out to cradle her cheek and delighted when I felt her nuzzle my palm.

   “I know Rei-chan, once the shock passes I'll be able to keep my promise to stay strong,” she said with a sniff, leaning her forehead onto my shoulder. “And I know it sounds pretty unlikely, but I have a feeling we'll be able to open her letter soon.” I had to fight back a cringe at the mention of it.

   “What's this, Chibi-chan?”

   “I think it holds some of the answers you've been looking for Rei-chan. It's really hurt me not being able to help with what you've been going through. Even this is going to cause you more pain because you have to promise me you'll wait to open it at a certain time.”

   “What do you mean?”

   “It's going to sound corny but Puu-chan said... you have to wait until Sakura have fallen in the heartfelt rain.”

   “I... I swear to you that I won't even peek until that time.”

   “Oh Rei-chan! I'm going to miss you!”

   “I'll miss you too sweetie, it's not going to be the same without you popping in from time to time.”

   “You'll... you'll take good care of her for me, won't you?”

   “Of course Chibi-chan, I love her too, ya know.”

   “Yeah, Usa, me too,” I half lied, still confused over the odd conversation. “But for now, I'm only worried about you, you're going to make yourself sick if you keep this up!” As if on cue she made a sound that was like a mixture of a gurgle and a burp before something warm and wet splashed onto my legs. “Usa...” I managed, eyebrow twitching slightly, “did you just throw up in my lap?”

   “Um, would you prefer it if I lied and told you no?”

   “Usa!”

   Sadly, things didn't improve much and she was ill through most of our remaining time off. She managed to recover enough to be ready to return to school when the time came but that was only a small comfort since being able to go to school also meant that we couldn't spend a large portion of the day together. The sappy emails she would send me between every class weren't really helping, and the worried emails from the other girls were even worse.

   I wasn't exactly making things easy on myself at my own school either. The first time I'd gotten the message “Usagi says she doesn't feel like eating lunch, COME QUICK!” I'd really put myself in a mess. Apparently barreling out of class to handle the dietary concerns of your girlfriend isn't quite proper behavior for a Catholic school girl. Combine my relationship with my Shinto heritage and I wasn't exactly the most well liked person in school by the students or the teachers. I was seriously considering dropping out until Grandpa and Usagi teamed up to encourage me to stick it out.

   Speaking of which, the two of them had really buddied up overnight. The old coot had figured our relationship out somewhere along the line and one day simply greeted Usagi as 'my granddaughter's love'. The goofy blonde pretty much became a new addition to the shrine with how much time she was spending with me, occasionally even donning some Miko robes and helping me with the chores when she felt good enough. Apart from her being snippy, depressed, or sick most of the time, the next few weeks passed in a comfortable rhythm.

   That's when it happened...

   “Rei-chan, I'm sure she's fine,” Minako said around a mouthful of cookie, obviously becoming irritated by my pacing around. I ignored her.

   “She's late, Rei, I'd hardly call that an emergency. This is Usagi we're talking about, I'd be more worried if she'd showed up on time!” Makoto chimed in, earning giggles from the rest of the study group. Everyone but me at least.

   “I'm gonna go look for her,” I said, ignoring the protests of the others as I left. I could feel it in my heart that my princess needed me. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry for very long as I found her at the top of the steps, staring off at the trees and appearing oblivious to the world. The image of her there, hand over her heart, with the trees swaying behind her was so beautiful that I had to stop for a moment to drink it in before approaching her. “There you are, Usa, you had me worried.” She turned to face me, the look in her eyes holding such worry and confusion that I instantly took her hands in mine. “What's wrong?”

   “I'm sorry, Rei-chan, I've been trying to think of how to tell you something...” she said quietly, so much fear and sadness in her voice.

   “What is it? You know you can tell me anything.” She nodded and took a deep breath before answering.

   “I'm late...” she said quietly, I breathed a sigh of relief.

   “Usa, that's not something you need to apologize for, you're always late, it's no big deal.” She shook her head.

   “No Rei-chan... I'm late.” The serious edge that entered her voice had me confused.

   “Usa, I'm telling you, it's no big deal, I...” She shook her head again, tears of frustration welling up in her eyes.

   “Rei-chan... I... I'm pregnant.” Everything but her disappeared from the world around us. It was as if I could feel every facet of her being through our joined hands. I knew she was terrified. There was a fear in her that I would think she had betrayed my love for her, a fear that she would have to bear the burden of the future on her own. But hidden away behind that fear there was love. Love for me, love for our friends, love for the world around us... and love for our baby growing inside of her. There was no way I was going to allow that love stay trapped behind that fear.

   “I love you, Usagi,” I whispered, leaning in and taking her lips with my own. Her eyes went wide at first, surprised at my acceptance, then slowly they warmed over and closed, squeezing out the tears of joy that were quickly building. I pressed my palm against her belly, a tingling feeling passing through my fingers as they brushed against the source of my missing energy. We had created a life together... my ray of hope had shown through. As I pulled away from the kiss I noticed something colorful dancing toward us on the wind. When Usagi's eyes opened she was met with me staring at her face in stunned disbelief.

   “What is it, Rei-chan?” I reached out slowly and plucked the pink petal that had become trapped in the trail of tears on her cheek. She too went silent as the implication settled into her mind. A gust of wind stole the blossom from my fingers, almost acting as a signal to set things in motion.

   “Sakura falling in the heartfelt rain!” we shouted in unison. I quickly dug the letter from my pocket, having been keeping it with me at all times of the day just in case the moment came. Hands trembling, I carefully removed it from the envelope. It was a small note, scribbled in Chibi-Usa's messy handwriting and stained with teardrops.

   “Dear Usa-baka and Rei-chan:

   By the time you read this, you'll already know all of the secrets I've had to keep from you. All that's left for me to do here is say goodbye. With the little me now growing in your tummy, I'm no longer able to return to visit with you. I just wanted you to know that I'll cherish every second I was able to spend with the two of you in your time. I love you both so much... my mother and my papa-chan.

Love,

Your kawaii Chibi-Usa”

Fresh tears joined our daughter's on the letter as we held each other and cried...

“You once asked me what it was that had given me hope, and I never got the chance to answer you. It was her eyes... Every time I looked into her eyes I saw so much of myself reflected in them. It was our daughter's eyes that gave me hope...”

To be continued...

Some snippets of dialogue were changed and a lot of the sentences were cleaned up but nothing major in this chapter.

Chapter 3

In Her Burning Eyes

Chapter Three: Living The Dream

Things are rarely as easy as you expect them to be but this situation came with more troubles than I ever could have imagined. They always make it look so easy in the movies...

It's amazing how much a dream come true can resemble a nightmare at times... but even then I wouldn't have traded it for the world because no matter how hard things get, a love that's strong enough can always... always... endure.

Catching up on old times...

   For the second time in two minutes I cringed at the sound of snapping wood as Haruka tried to force two parts of the crib together.

   “Rei-chan...” I could hear Usagi's intake of breath and instantly knew that just like everything else that had gone wrong recently, “...this is all your fault!” she wailed as she waddled into the room. Despite her frustration, she still managed to pause long enough for me to kiss her swollen tummy as she stormed over to the half finished crib. “Look at it! You've broken like twenty pieces! It's ruined!”

   “Only two pieces, sweetie, and she's the one who broke them!” I said, pointing to the short haired blonde who was trying to blend into the background to avoid any leftover wrath. “What gives, Haruka? I thought you were good at this kind of thing!” Usagi swung around to glare at the woman who instinctively slid back a little further.

   “Hey now, I never said I knew anything about this, I'm only good with cars and stuff. I'm sorry, Usako, I really am!” I would have chuckled if I hadn't known it would only make Usagi even angrier, it sounded like Haruka was pleading for her life.

   “Can it be fixed?” Usagi asked darkly. Haruka nodded furiously but I couldn't tell if she actually thought it could or was just trying to save herself. Usagi's face suddenly lit up with a wide smile. “Good!” she said, clapping her hands together cheerfully and giggling. “Well, I'm gonna go help Michiru whip you girls up some tea and sandwiches!” she exclaimed happily as she waddled out of the room, pausing for another tummy kiss as she did.

   “Those personality changes are scary!” Haruka said with a low whistle when Usagi was out of earshot. “You're a braver woman than I could ever be.” I chuckled to myself, still staring out the doorway after her. “I'm serious! I thank my lucky stars we came across Hotaru like we did. Just imagining Michiru pregnant is enough to give me chills!”

   “Yeah right,” I said, sticking my tongue out at her. “You'd be fawning over her day and night and you know it! Besides, it's really kind of sweet in a way. It's just her way of showing love right now.”

   “I don't hear working!” Usagi sang from the other room, somehow managing a perfect mixture of sweet and threatening at the same time.

   “Now let's hurry and get this done before she poisons our food or something!”

   After making sure our guests and grandpa were comfortable I went off in search of my pregnant princess. I made my way back to our room and smiled when I saw her gazing out the window, hands resting on her belly. I crept up behind her and slipped my arms around her waist, resting my chin in the crook of her neck. She sighed contentedly and leaned back against me as we watched the trees rustle in the wind.

   “It was sweet of you to invite them over again,” she said after a while. “They've probably been so lonely with Setsuna gone and Minako practically kidnapping Hotaru every day.”

   “I figure it's the least we could do for them, they were so supportive while we were adjusting to everything,” I said, holding her a little tighter. “The extra company is good for you too since you refuse to...”

   “Rei-chan... not now please,” she cut in quietly. I hesitated, wondering for a moment if I should press the issue before deciding to let it go.

   “You looked so beautiful today, Usa...” Even though I couldn't see it I know she rolled her eyes.

   “Please, I'm disgusting, even Ami-chan says I'm too fat.”

   “She did not. She said you've gained a few pounds more than the average woman has by this point,” I said with a small chuckle, remembering how terrified Ami had been when she had relayed that message.

   “See! That's the same as saying I'm too fat!” she pouted.

   “Considering how thin you were before I say a few extra pounds are a good thing. Besides,” I said, kissing the side of her neck lightly, “I'm the one who decides how cute you are and I say you've never been sexier.”

   “Rei-chan...”

   “Especially in that cute little top you had on today with your belly showing and your legs spilling out of those short shorts,” I shivered against her, “I was tempted to lay you down and have my way with you right there in front of Haruka!”

   “You're such a hentai, Rei-chan!” she groaned, turning around in my arms and trying her best to give me a scathing look but failing miserably. “But it's sweet that you still think of me like that...” She looked away, blushing slightly. I leaned down to nuzzle her cheek before pressing my lips to her ear.

   “And you're even sexier when you're acting all demure,” I whispered, feeling a shiver roll down her body. “How about I give you a foot massage and then we go for a little...” I trailed off suggestively, planting a few kisses down her cheek before pulling away. She looked up at me, eyes half lidded, and smiled.

   “Nope,” she said simply, effectively crushing the mood in an instant.

   “Why the hell not?!” I demanded, she simply smiled and kissed the tip of my nose.

   “Because you have school tomorrow, and no, you can't skip!” she said, halting my argument before I could even try. “You've missed too many days already, any more and you won't be able to graduate and yes, you're going to graduate so let's not go there either and just get some sleep,” she said with finality before heading off to the bathroom.

   “Party pooper...” I muttered under my breath.

   “And just for that you're still going to give me a foot rub!”

   “Damn that hearing of yours!” I called out, hearing her giggles fade away as she made her way down the hall. Despite having come out on the losing end I couldn't help but smile as I grabbed a bottle of lotion and waited near the bed. She looked surprised when she returned to find me waiting and ready.

   “Wow, I wasn't actually serious, you don't have to do that Rei-chan.” I waved her complaints aside and helped her into bed.

   “Don't be silly, Usa, I know they've been bothering you lately even though you've tried to hide it,” I claimed as my hands went to work.

   “Remind me to make this up to you tomorrow when you get home.”

   “Will do,” I giggled.

   “I love you Rei...”

   “I love you too Usagi...”

   Things had been so hectic at first. I mean sure we were ecstatic in the beginning, how could we not be? Not only was she having a baby but it was our baby, and not only was it our baby... it was our sweet little Chibi-Usa. Once the initial glamor wore off, however, we started to realize just what we'd gotten ourselves into. Truth be told, everything went sour because of one stupid mistake on my part. It was just like Usagi was always saying, it really was all my fault.

   'I still can't believe you're pregnant Usa!' was what the message had said. Technically there was a little more after that but that's where her teacher had stopped reading it to the class when she realized that what she'd said already was far more damaging than a punishment for cell phone use in class should be. Before the day was over Usagi had been run ragged by students and faculty hounding her with questions and ridicule. But that was just the beginning of it all, someone had called her parents...

   I sat with her through an hour or so of red faced screaming from her father with her nails digging so hard into my clasped hand that they drew blood. At one point he had called her a slut and my resolve broke. I got right up in his face and told him to never speak to her like that again. He backhanded me pretty hard but I barely even flinched, my blood was on fire from the look of fear that had found it's way into his eyes. Don't get me wrong, I never would have touched him out of love for Usagi, but it had felt good to see him cower like that. Usagi ended the ordeal by silently packing a few suitcases, taking my hand, and leading us out the door. We haven't seen or heard from them since.

   Grandpa had completely waved off her apology for causing so much trouble and embraced her warmly as he welcomed his new granddaughter home. It was all so terribly depressing to see such a dream come true be riddled with so much heartache. Usagi had cried for three days straight and I found myself crying alongside her for most of it. Up until that point I'd never had a negative experience with the Tsukino's and with all the time I spent with Usagi they had almost been like a second family.

   Family problems weren't the end of the misery caused by her impromptu outing. School life for Usagi had gone from slightly lonely to absolutely unbearable. After another month and a half of being mocked by her classmates and treated like unwelcome garbage by her teachers, she'd simply had enough and stormed out. Unfortunately she wasn't thinking straight after that and came right to my school. Though I can hardly blame her, as I was glad she'd come to me, it had certainly caused another big mess. Apparently having your sobbing, pregnant girlfriend come bursting into your class and curl up in your lap was a pretty big issue at a Catholic girls school. I had to bite my tongue to keep quiet while Usagi begged the Head Sister to let me stay. School life for me, it's safe to say, was nothing but a downhill slope after that.

   It hadn't ended up all bad though, thanks to some fast thinking on Ami's part we were able to enroll Usagi into a home schooling program with the blue haired genius acting as instructor. All of this happening so quickly, however, had dealt a major blow to Usagi's self esteem. Her failure to stand up to the people at her school combined with the situation with her parents sent her into her very brief 'I don't deserve to be a mother' phase. I broke her out of that quickly enough but the seeds of doubt had been sewn in both of us. That's when they stepped in...

   Haruka and Michiru had acted like a guiding light for us, spending day after day talking with us about what we were going through. Our fears and our worries just seemed to melt away under the 'married couple's' tutelage and before we knew it, the future seemed a whole lot brighter. Out of all the Senshi, they were the only ones to grow closer to us during this time. I'm sure easing their own loneliness had a little part in it but there was so much genuine desire to help that Usagi and I were happy to oblige. As for the others... well I wish I could say the same.

   Ami, due to time constraints, was usually only able to help Usagi with her school work before she had to go. Occasionally, she'd stay to have dinner but the conversation barely ever strayed very far from their usual subjects.

   Makoto was currently on an 'only visit if Rei wasn't around' schedule. The two of us had gotten into a bit of an argument when I told her that she should just tell Ami how she felt. It hadn't gone over at all like I had hoped and now she refused to speak to me. She would still call Usagi if she wasn't able to come visit though so that made me happy.

   Minako was almost non-existent from day one. She would stop by or call maybe once a week or so but for the most part she was glued to Hotaru. She had apparently scooped up the heartbroken girl after Chibi-Usa left and seemed to have no intention of letting her go. From what we could tell the two of them were happy as could be so it didn't bother us too much. This had also helped add a little fuel to Haruka and Michiru's desire to spend time with us so in a way we were also deeply grateful. I was even starting to suspect that Minako had somehow known things would turn out like they did but I kept those suspicions to myself.

At around four months came our next little obstacle to overcome. It seemed as if overnight Usagi had went from just knowing she was pregnant to being able to see as plain as day that she was. However, along with the cute little swell on her tummy came the ugly monster known to those that have suffered it as 'Preggo Bitchiness'. It seemed to strike at random too, with Usagi going from all smiles to practically foaming at the mouth in no time flat. Sure her mood swung in other directions as well but 'angry for no reason' was the only one I had any trouble dealing with. While I was able to adjust to this fairly quickly it only served to further dampen our friendships with all but Haruka and Michiru.

Just as the dust brought about by her suddenly shifty mood was beginning to settle I noticed the most difficult issue yet. Or I should say that everything had sort of congealed together into one big issue that had both its ups and its downs. On the up side she was generally more perky around the house and our sex life, despite her assurances that she was a disgusting cow, had returned to something akin to the glory days when we'd first learned she was expecting. On the down side she practically refused to leave the house unless it was absolutely necessary. At first I thought she was just worried about the stairs but even after Ami helped me rig up a slow moving pulley sled to bring her up and down she was still hesitant. Realizing that my sweet and fun loving Usagi had become so terrified of people was certainly a sobering experience. One that I wasn't going to stand for...

I tore my eyes away from the swaying trees to look over at my sleeping lover. She always went out like a light during my foot massages and it usually left me with some time to reflect on the past and ponder the future. Smiling to myself as she mumbled cutely in her sleep I crept over to the bed and eased myself in behind her. I slowly wrapped an arm around her to rest on her tummy and lightly kissed her neck before snuggling in close and drifting off to sleep.

Making amends...

   “I'm home!” I called out as I kicked my shoes off at the entryway. Frowning slightly when no giddy blonde came waddling over to greet me I did a quick search of the place, chuckling when I found her and grandpa both crashed out on the sofa. Shutting off the cheesy soap opera they'd been watching I made my way to the kitchen to get started on dinner. A few minutes in I could hear someone knocking on the door and hurried to answer in fear of them waking the sleeping duo. In retrospect it probably would have been a good idea to put the knife down before I had, but then again, it only took about ten or so minutes of pleading before I was able to convince Makoto that I wasn't planning to kill her.

   “Honestly girl, did you think I'd attack you because of some stupid argument I started?” I asked with a laugh as I went to work chopping some carrots.

   “Sorry, I've just been really stressed about coming here like this, I've been arguing with myself for weeks about doing it.” Despite her nervousness I could see that she was watching my slicing techniques with an appraising eye.

   “Something on your mind?”

   “Oh sorry, I was just going to say they hold more flavor if you use an angular cut.”

   “As much as I appreciate the cooking advice, I meant about why you're here,” I said with a giggle. “How about you grab an apron and we'll talk while we cook?”

   “That sounds perfect actually! I'm always at my most thoughtful while I'm cooking,” she said excitedly, grabbing an apron from the pantry and going to work beside me.

   “It was kind of scary at first... but all those confusing feelings I'd been having about other girls all started making perfect sense when we discovered what we were. With our near immortality it almost seems like we're destined to either find love amongst each other or be left wanting in countless doomed relationships,” she said, tasting the stew a final time before replacing the lid and leaning against the counter.

   “I'd come to the same conclusion,” I said from my seat at the table, having been bustled out of the way by the taller girl enough times to just give in and let her take over. “After Chibi-chan showed up I thought I was doomed.”

   “I remember that, you were snapping at everybody for weeks and wouldn't tell us what was bothering you. If I really think about it, that's when this whole mess between us started,” she said, unable to look me in the eyes.

   “What do you mean?”

   “Well, I do love Ami with all my heart and I couldn't imagine feeling this way about anybody else. But in the beginning... for a while there I...” she paused, wringing her apron nervously in her hands.

   “Mako-chan?”

   “I was in love with you!” she blurted suddenly, raising her eyes up to meet mine, she looked absolutely horrified.

   “Are... are you okay?” I asked, just before hearing the throaty growl behind me. “Oh crap...”

   “You what!?” I could hear Usagi scream just before something hard smashed into the back of my head.

   “I'm so sorry Rei-chan! I know I said it would never happen again but... oh... I was just confused!” she pleaded through the bathroom door.

   “Well so am I! You threw the remote at me because someone else said they used to be in love me! That doesn't even make sense!” I shouted back.

   “It was just... I smelled such good food so I wondered who could have been making it. Then I saw the two of you there and...”

   “Oh, so I can't be trusted around other women AND my cooking is so lousy it stinks?!”

   “No... that's not it all Rei-chan!” I could hear her hiccuping as she lost control of her emotions. “I love you so much... I feel like such an idiot! I'll just.. I'll leave you alone.” She sounded so miserable that it broke my heart. I let out a long sigh and opened the door.

   “Come here, Usa,” I said, holding out my arms, “you know it's not good for the baby to get so upset.” She waddled into my embrace and buried her face in my neck.

   “I'm so stupid!” she cried, her body trembling in my arms. “I always ruin everything...”

   “You're not stupid, Usa, and you've never ruined anything so don't ever let me hear you say that again,” I whispered as I petted her hair. “And I'm not mad at you or anything so don't even start on that,” I finished, stopping her next argument before it could come. There was a light knocking at the door before Makoto poked her head in, pressing an ice pack to her right eye. I gave her a pleading look and she nodded her head in understanding.

   “Hey now, what's all this crying about?” she asked, smiling brightly as Usagi turned to look at her.

   “I'm so sorry Mako-chan! You went through the trouble of cooking us dinner and making that confession to Rei-chan and I...” Makoto waved it aside.

   “Don't you worry about it Usagi-chan, I'm not mad or anything. I just thought you should know that I'm not upset or anything and...” she was cut off as Usagi latched onto her, “and that the food is ready.” I couldn't help but laugh as Usagi, still holding tight to Makoto, began inching herself towards the door.

   “Five more minutes,” I pleaded sleepily, holding her a little tighter.

   “You've been saying that for half an hour and I'd love to let you keep going but I swear I'll pee on you if you don't let go!”

   “Small price to pay,” I murmured, snuggling closer with a smile on my face.

   “Rei-chan!” she whined as she struggled to get free before pausing suddenly as a familiar rumbling sound came from her belly. Recognizing it instantly I helped her out of bed and quickly led her to the bathroom, holding her hair while she was sick. After freshening up we bumped into Makoto whom Usagi had convinced to stay the night.

   “Never a dull moment with you two, is there?” Makoto asked, I noticed she looked somewhat disheveled.

   “What do you mean?”

   “Well, ignoring the incident from yesterday and seeing Usagi eat five and a half servings at dinner... does the two hours of wild monkey sex ring any bells?” she asked, giggling at the looks on our faces. “What you guys talked about afterwards was really sweet though, it's good to know that you still worry about all of us like that.” Ice cold dread flooded my veins at those words and I could feel my hands tense at Usagi's waist. “I'm just wondering how your poor grandpa hasn't had a heart attack or something!”

   “He told me he started wearing ear plugs right after I moved in as a precaution,” Usagi said, setting the two of them into a fit of giggles but the humor was lost on me. I was relieved that Usagi hadn't realized the possible implications of this and managed to hide my fears behind a smile just as she turned to face me.

   “So, what do you want to do today, girls?”

   I had done a pretty good job of masking my emotions around the girls the rest of the day but now that I found myself standing alone in the darkened hallway I nearly lost my nerve. It took ten minutes just to gather the willpower to knock on the door.

   “You may enter,” I heard him call out and slowly raised my hand to grip the handle. Never in my life had I been so nervous as when I opened that door and saw his smiling face. “What is it my dear?” I couldn't speak, I could barely even breath. “What's wrong?” he asked, noticing my nervousness. I steeled myself with every last bit of determination I had.

   “How long have you known?” I asked, barely breathing out the words. His smile fell from his face and for the first time I could remember he looked every bit his age. He turned his back to me and let out a long and tired sounding sigh.

   “Are you wondering for how long I've known that my granddaughter was in love with her best friend?” He turned to look over his shoulder at me, a weary sadness in his eyes. “Or that my granddaughter is Sailor Mars?” I cast my eyes downwards as I fell to my knees, unable to bear the weight of his gaze.

   “I wanted to tell you so many times... but... I could never bring myself to place such a burden on you... please forgive me!” I was gripping my clothes so hard my knuckles were white.

   “I just want to know one thing,” he said sternly as he stood over me, I braced myself for his next words. “The little one with the pink hair, she's your daughter, right? The one Usagi's pregnant with?!” My eyes flew up to see him on his knees in front of me, eyes twinkling with mischief. I clapped my hand to my mouth, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Well?” he asked excitedly. I could only nod through the shock and joy mixing together in my system. “Ha ha! I knew it!” he exclaimed, slapping his knee with joy.

   “W-What?” I managed to choke out, his eyes seemed to light up even more.

   “Right from the first time I saw that adorable little thing's eyes I just knew I saw your fire in them. After I overheard that she'd come back from the future I always figured she was yours. Makes me feel a little less guilty about sneaking her all those sweets now that I know for sure she was my great granddaughter!”

   “You... you're okay with all of this?” I asked, still stunned.

    “Well, I was a little apprehensive at first about you fighting those things... but this isn't the type of family that stands in the way of destiny now is it?” he asked, eyes twinkling. My excitement managed to break through the shock and I threw myself at him to lock him up in a tight hug.

   “Thank you so much, grandpa!” he patted my back lightly as he held me, chuckling the whole time. I pulled away after a time, trying to find the words but not knowing what to say.

   “Where did you go, Rei-chan?” Usagi called out sleepily from down the hall. I was torn between staying to speak with him more and easing Usagi's worries.

   “You don't need to say anything else, sweetheart,” he said after reading my expression, “just go to your princess,” he finished, pulling me up to my feet. I smiled and hugged him again before turning to leave. “Chibi-Usa, wasn't it?” he called after I'd gone a little ways down the hall.

   “That's right, short for Usagi after her mother,” I said, looking back over my shoulder. “Something bothering you?” He shook his head and waved me on.

   “I'm just glad I was able to spend some time with her.”

–

To be continued...

Chapter 4

In Her Burning Eyes

Chapter Four: The Gift of Comfort

I always found it amazing how the smallest thing at the right time could bring so much relief. Even the most simple gesture can really make your day or even change your opinion about someone entirely. If the littlest thing can do all of that then imagine what it could do if it wasn't quite so little... it might just change your life...

–

Something unexpected...

–

   “..and some people's minds are narrow enough to accept such disrespect to Kami-sama as an acceptable way of life. Isn't that right, Hino-san?” The woman asked in her usual smug tone sending a ripple of snickers across the room. I made no effort to hide my glare from the woman at the front of the classroom as that had been her third verbal jab at me since class had started. Not respecting my Shinto heritage or my sexuality was one thing, but openly mocking me for them was another and I'd had more than enough for one day.

   “But then there are many intelligent people who are able to look beyond what a few vague passages in a musty bronze age text say and respect people enough to live their lives how they so choose. Isn't that right, Fukino-sensei?” I practically spit out the last two words. A murmur began to spread across the room until the chalk broke in her hands and she pointed furiously towards the door.

   “Hallway! Now!” she screamed, practically trembling with pent up rage. Shrugging as if I couldn't care less, I collected my bag and strutted out of the room. Ten minutes of screaming and spitting fury later she managed to calm herself to the point where the familiar cruel gleam appeared in her eye. “You're aware of the dance we are having with the boy's school across town this Friday, are you not?” I nodded, vaguely remembering the announcements for it. “As punishment for your... insolence, you will solely be responsible for the cleanup after it has finished. Should you fail to complete this punishment you will be expelled, is that understood?”

   “Yes, Fukino-sensei,” I growled, trying to put as much hatred and disgust into my reply as possible.

   “Now, as I feel your... presence... would only serve as some foul distraction you needn't bother returning to class,” she said as she made her way towards the door, pausing as she gripped its handle. “One more thing, I'll expect you to be in the proper attire when you arrive for your punishment. And do have fun, that's what the dance is for.” I stood trembling with barely concealed rage until I heard the door click behind her. Glaring at everything I passed, I made my way down the hall towards my locker.

   “Me and my big mouth! Her and her big...”

   “Is that really a sentence you wish to finish, Hino-san?” I spun around to see who had spoken, an angry retort dying on my lips as I came face to face with the Head Sister.

   “No Sister, I'm simply upset from receiving more 'divinely inspired' punishment from Fukino-sensei.” I said softly, showing a modicum of respect for the only person in this school who's face I didn't want to burn off with a little Mars Fire.

   “Oh dear, how did you manage to upset her this time?”

   “Showed up to class as a 'heathen lesbian' and a 'fire conjurer' apparently,” I muttered, clenching my fists till my knuckles popped. “As punishment she's making me clean up after the stupid dance by myself,” I finished sourly, noticing the woman looked rather thoughtful upon hearing this.

   “Are you not still young, Hino-san?”

   “What do you mean?”

   “A dance is supposed to be a place for young people to have fun, is it not?” I found myself chuckling at the implication.

   “Somehow I think I'd be less than welcome to join the fun if I showed up for anything but cleaning.”

   “Oh I don't know,” she said, walking over to a nearby bulletin board and pulling off a flier for the dance. “As long as you follow the rules I don't see why you shouldn't be able to attend as you are.”

   “As I am?” I asked, honestly intrigued.

   “A young girl looking to have fun,” she said with an honest smile before turning to walk down the hall. I stared at the woman as she left for a moment, trying to figure out what she had been getting at before shrugging and walking the short distance to my locker, reading the flier as I went. My heart seemed to swell as I realized what she had been implying. By the time I reached my destination I was practically skipping.

   “Maybe this won't be such a pain after all,” I said to myself, grinning as I opened my locker. “What the...?” There at the bottom of my locker was a small envelope with a heart drawn on it.

   “I'm home!” I called out happily, smiling as Usagi came waddling out to give me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

   “Um, Rei-chan...” Usagi said, fidgeting from one foot to the other as I dropped to my knees and pulled up her shirt so I could nuzzle her belly.

   “Don't think I forgot about you sweetie! Your papa-chan missed you so much while she was at school!” I cooed, planting butterfly kisses across her tummy.

   “Um, Rei-chan... I think you should...”

   “Lemme finish Usa,” I said, shaking my head in mock exasperation. “Can you believe her?” I asked her belly, “here I've been missing my little sweetie-chan all day and she won't even let us catch up!”

   “Rei-chan it's not that...” Sensing something was actually wrong I looked up at Usagi's face to see her giving me a nervous smile as someone standing behind her cleared their throat. Slowly, ever so slowly, I leaned to the side and looked around Usagi to see a woman in a crisp gray skirt suit standing in the entranceway and looking very uncomfortable. If Usagi had been a brick wall I would have rammed my head against it.

   “Rei Hino, I presume?” the woman offered to clear the silence. I stood slowly, blushing so badly I could feel it in my toes, and stepped to the side to face her.

   “Please tell me that you have a gun and are prepared to end what is quite possibly the most humiliating moment of my life.” The woman, for her part, played it off rather well with a laugh.

   “No need to worry too much, it was rather adorable,” I smiled, still blushing, and bowed to the woman who returned the gesture.

   “Yes, I'm Rei Hino, how can I help you?”

   “Is there some place we can sit down? I have some rather important matters to discuss with you.” A trickle of dread entered my mind at her suddenly serious nature.

   “Yes, right this way please,” Usagi said, leading the way down the hall. In spite of my nervousness, a rather dopey grin spread across my face at seeing her acting in such a mature manner. We were led into the main sitting room and positioned ourselves around the table.

   “Now, how can I help you, Miss...?”

   “Ah forgive me, my name is Kimiko Suza but please, call me Kimiko. I represent Tokyo Bank, I'm here to discuss an issue that has come up with an account there.” The trickle of dread from before suddenly became a raging river.

   “Please tell me I don't owe any money or something! Things are going to be tight enough as it is with the baby coming!” I shouted, banging my fist on the table in frustration. Usagi moved a little closer and took my clenched fist in her hands, interlacing our fingers together. The endearing action had the desired effect of calming me down a little. “Sorry... things have just been a little hectic lately.”

   “That's quite alright but you don't need to worry, you don't owe any money.” I let out a relieved breath. “Quite the opposite in fact. I'm here as a representative for the account of Setsuna Meioh. She left instructions that we were to transfer a sum of money from her account into one in your name on this day,” she said, pulling some documents out of a small briefcase and sliding them across the table with a pen. “You simply need to sign these at the bottom to authorize the creation of the account and the the transfer of funds.”

   “That's so sweet of her!” Usagi squealed, giving my hand an excited squeeze.

   “That certainly is good news!” I said, totally surprised at the kind gesture from the Senshi of Time. “Just out of curiosity, how much is she giving to us?”

   “The total is there at the top of that paper,” she said, pointing to one of them. Removing my hand from Usagi's I picked it up and scanned for the number.

   “Ah, here it is. One mill...” I nearly tore the paper in half as my body spasmed in surprise.

   “What is it Rei-chan?” Usagi asked nervously as I dropped the slightly crumpled paper. I rubbed my eyes before picking it up again and studying the numbers carefully. Sure enough there they were right there, plain as day. “Is something wrong?” I shook my head, trying my best not to tremble.

   “It's... one million yen!”

   “What?!” she blurted, tearing the paper out of my hands to see for herself. “Oh no, that's too much, we could never accept that!”

   “I'm a little bothered too Usa, but think about it... with that much money plus what we already have here at the shrine I wouldn't have to take that job at the restaurant. I'd be able to be here for you and the baby...” Usagi was still shaking her head but with noticeably less urgency.

   “I know it would help out a lot... but it's just too much Rei-chan,” she was pleading now, as much to herself as she was to me.” I took the paper from her hand and smoothed it out on the table. I carefully weighed all the options in my mind before making my decision and, swallowing hard over a sudden lump in my throat, hurriedly scribbled my signature on both papers. “Rei-chan!”

   “I'm sorry Usa, but think about it. This is Setsuna, you know how she is about knowing when things are needed,” I said suggestively, after a moment I could see the realization sink in. “We can trust her judgment.” She nodded and took my hand in hers again, squeezing it gently to show her support. “Is that all I need to do Kimiko-san?”

   “We're almost done,” she said, removing two plastic cards and sliding them across the table towards us. “These will give you full access to your account, the funds will be available in about two hours. Please sign the back before you use them.”

   “That's so fast!” Usagi shouted, causing the woman to giggle behind her hand.

   “That's how we do business,” she said, standing from the table.

   “Wow, thank you so much Kimiko-san!” I said, standing as well and bowing to her.

   “Ah, there is one more thing,” she said suddenly, reaching inside of her breast pocket and pulling out a sealed envelope. “Miss Meioh personally asked me to give you this should you accept,” I took the letter and stared at it, wondering if I'd have to wait until some mysterious moment to open it. “Feel free to open it at your leisure.” I let out a deeply relieved breath and could hear Usagi giggling behind me having guessed what I was thinking.

   “Well, I'm sure the two of you have a lot to talk about so I'll take my leave and get this paperwork processed. It's been a pleasure doing business with you.”

   “The pleasure is all ours Kimiko-san, thank you so much!”

   “I'll just show myself out,” she said before pausing slightly, “and congratulations on the baby, I can tell it will be very loved,” she finished with a slight blush before walking off down the hall and exiting the house.

   “Open it, open it!” Usagi squealed happily as she pointed at the letter. Being taken in by her excitement I pulled her close and tore open the envelope, a folded note dropping into my hand. Pausing for only a moment, we both took in a deep breath before I unfolded the paper and we began to read.

   “Dear Rei (and Usagi as I'm sure she's latched onto your side)

   If you're reading this then that means you've accepted my gift! It's a good thing too because if you hadn't I left orders for it to be given to Ami to spend on you however she saw fit. Poor Small Lady would have been drowning in books!”

   Off to the side was a chibi-style drawing of a terrified Chibi-Usa running from a giant pile of toppling books.

   “I know it's a lot to put on your plate out of the blue like that but I don't want the two of you saving a single yen of that money in some attempt to feel less guilty or something. Worrying about money is the last thing the two of you need right now, and that's exactly why I did this. This way, the two of you can be comfortable and she can be even happier having her papa-chan around.”

   Next to this one was another chibi-style drawing, this time it was Sailor Pluto scolding me and a comically pregnant Usagi.

   “I wish I could be there to enjoy it myself but unfortunately I'm a busy lady and the things I'm taking care of right now will help everyone's future be a little bit brighter. Now, before you start worrying about me princess I'll tell you I'm in a place where I can really be happy. Even though I'm working so much I've got someone here that just loves taking care of me!”

   Underneath this was another drawing inside what looked like a manga panel. It had Sailor Pluto coming through the door of a house with “Honey, I'm home!” in a speech bubble. On the other side of the room was an older looking Sailor Chibi-Moon running to greet her and calling out “Puuuuuuuu-chan!”   Beneath this drawing she had scribbled something before continuing on.

   “Just kidding... or am I?

   Well, I should probably leave you to it, I'm sure Rei is bursting at the seams to start the plan she's been cooking up since accepting the money. Please give MichiRuka a hug and a kiss from me and tell Hotaru-chan not to do anything with Minako until she's absolutely ready or she'll be grounded for a month! Wish Makoto good luck from me and tell Ami I recommend she go with the black ones (she'll know what it means). Make sure you give Small Lady lots of hugs and kisses and presents and remember to take LOTS of pictures!

Love

Setsuna 'Puu-chan' Meioh”

   A final chibi drawing of Setsuna blowing kisses ended the letter.

   We turned to each other slowly, both of us wondering if we had really just read all of that properly. Usagi cracked first and burst into laughter with me mere seconds behind her. We had to clutch each other for support and eventually even that wasn't enough, forcing us to lower ourselves to floor.

   “Quiet and broody Setsuna,” I managed between bursts of laughter, “a chibi fanatic!” This only sent Usagi deeper into her giggle fit but after a while a panicked look shot across her face.

   “Rei-chan, help me up! I need to pee!” she squealed. I managed to compose myself enough to help her to her feet and down the hall to the bathroom, both of us still bursting into small fits of giggles along the way. By the time she was finished we had sobered up enough to really take in the situation.

   “So, now that we've got some money how are we going to use it?” Usagi asked, groaning slightly as I helped ease her down onto the sofa.

   “Well we already make enough with the shrine to pay for bills and food and stuff,” I answered, laying down with my head in her lap, smiling as she began stroking my hair. “So that leaves the money going to diapers, toys, clothes, and every other important and non-essential baby thing we're going to spoil her rotten with. Other than that I think we can afford to treat ourselves every once in a while,” I said, then upon noticing her stern expression added, “wouldn't want to get scolded by Chibi-Pluto!” We shared a short laugh before settling into an easy silence.

   “Hey, Rei-chan?” she asked quietly, continuing to stroke my hair.

   “Hm?” I was already drowsy, I usually didn't even last this long with her petting my hair.

   “What are you planning to do with the money? The letter said you had something in mind.” There was a hint of mischief in her voice that my tired mind barely registered.

   “Well first I was going to...” my eyes shot open to glare at her, “you sly little minx! You were trying to soften me up!” She grinned sheepishly and stuck out her tongue. “Well just for that you don't get to know until Friday!” I said with a grin, only to yelp as my hair was tugged sharply.

   “Sorry, there was a tangle,” she said, flashing me a sweet smile. I eyed her warily for a moment.

   “My hair doesn't have tangles and you know it,” I said, still finding myself grinning at the banter. “Speaking of my secret plans, I should probably get going.” I turned my head to kiss her belly a few times before rising up to my feet, finding my legs a little shaky. I took her hands in mine and kissed my way across her fingers, bringing a blush to her cheeks. “These babies are magical, I swear.”

   “You never fail to make me feel special, Rei-chan. I just wish...” she shook her head, deciding not to continue. I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding, hoping she'd open up about what was bothering her.

   “You want me to stay?”

   “No, you seem excited about this, you should go.”

   “You sure? I don't need to do this today.” She gave me a nod and an honest smile. “Will you be okay for a few hours?” She leaned back a little and turned towards the hall.

   “Grandpa?!” she shouted.

   “You need something, my dear?” came his muffled reply. She looked back at me and grinned.

   “I'll be fine.” I tried to frown in disapproval but failed miserably.

   “You've got the poor man wrapped around your little finger.”

   “Can't help being this lovable! Now go on to your little mystery plan,” she said, swatting me away. I leaned in and stole a quick kiss before heading off down the hallway. “Rei-chan, wait!” I hurried back hopefully only to see her pointing at the coffee table a few feet away from her. “Can you hand me the remote before you go?” her eyes were pleading so effectively that I couldn't even give a frustrated insult.

   “I swear I love you too much,” I said, retrieving it for her only to steal another quick kiss as I handed it to her.

   “If it keeps the kisses coming then I'm not gonna complain,” she said, munching from a bag of chips she seemed to produce from thin air.

   “Tell me you're not still hiding those things between the cushions?” I frowned. “Probably have all kinds of butt fuzzies falling into them.”

   “I roll them up first thank you very much! And don't say gross things or you'll ruin my appetite!” I went to say something but clamped my mouth shut when I saw the glare she was giving me. An idea suddenly struck me.

   “Hey, you should call all the others and tell them to come over, they should probably know about this. Oh! And I'll pick up some dinner for all of us on the way home to celebrate! It'll be good to see everybody as a group again, it's been ages since... what?” I asked, noticing Usagi giving me a loving smile.

   “Nothing, I just love seeing you so happy.” I couldn't help myself from leaning down for a few more kisses.

   “I need to get going if I'm gonna have enough time, you having any special cravings?” Her eyes lit up at this.

   “Oh! Bring me the usual!” I couldn't stop the grimace from spreading across my lips. “Don't make that face, it's good!” she pouted.

   “Whatever you say, princess,” I said, dodging a pinch and laughing. “I'll be back in two or three hours so tell them to come by around seven o'clock,” I called out, giving a recently appeared grandpa a kiss on the cheek as I passed.

   “Did you need something, my dear?” I heard him ask as I made my way to the entrance.

   “Oh no, I was just checking to see if you were here, but now that you mention it...”

–

To be continued...

Not much to say here other than tons of little formatting flubs that needed to be worked out.

Chapter 5

In Her Burning Eyes

Chapter Five: Bittersweet Fairytale Part One

Much like dreams come true, a fairytale dance is something that just doesn't work out like it does in the storybooks. Even without the problems that are no doubt going to creep up on you it takes a ton of effort to pull it off. Keeping it a surprise, making sure your timing is just right on everything, and even simply getting her to agree with what you have planned can be more of a hassle than you can imagine. You just have to ask yourself if it's worth it to see just how beautiful she looks on that dance floor.

For me that was a very easy question to answer...

One step forward...

If you've never shopped for a prom-style dress for your seven months pregnant girlfriend then you have no idea just how difficult it is. While already having a suitable dress of my own at home helped me narrow it down to one color, that still left everything else to consider. It had taken two hours, seven different stores, numerous embarrassing explanations, and even a few arguments but it was worth every last second of it... I had found the perfect dress.

My adventure in fashion left me with just enough time to pick up Usagi's special request from the grocery store and the takeout I had ordered in advance. I even managed to make it back to the Shrine with fifteen minutes to spare which allowed me to set down down my bundles and take a much needed rest.

   “She's going to look so beautiful in this!” I mused to myself, slipping off into a daydream of the two of us swaying back and forth across the dance floor, her head resting comfortably on my shoulder. The spotlight suddenly shining onto us from the side, almost blindingly bright... I opened my eyes to see a pair of headlights blasting me from a few feet away. “What the hell?!” I sputtered, jumping to my feet to escape the blinding beams.

   “Rei, I can't believe you'd keep something like this from us!” Haruka called out after cutting the engine and exiting the car. Even with how angry she sounded I noticed she still took the time to go around and open Michiru's door for her.

   “What are you talking about? Why do you think we called you all over?” I asked, thoroughly confused by her tone. She stomped over to me and all but shoved an envelope into my hands.

   “What's this?” I asked.

   “Look, I know it might be a little embarrassing but just take it, okay?” I was at such a loss for words that I decided to just open the envelope, finding several ten-thousand yen notes inside.

   “Haruka I really don't understand what's happening here,” I said, completely at a loss. She looked like she was struggling for the words so Michiru stepped in for her and motioned for Haruka to get the bags I'd been carrying.

   “Why didn't you tell us you were a little short, sweetheart?” she asked with motherly concern.

   “What the heck are you talking about? Where did you get that idea?” She looked at me confusedly for a moment before pulling her phone from her purse and hitting a few buttons before handing it to me. It was a group message from Usagi.

   “Hey everyone, Rei and me wanted all of you to come by so we could talk about a money situation we're having. We'll have some stuff to eat too so be here around seven please!”

   I couldn't even look the woman in the eyes as I handed her back her phone. I was just starting to imagine how Usagi could have left such a desperate sounding message without realizing it when I noticed Haruka had finished peeking through one of the bags I'd brought only to whisper to Michiru.

   “Nothing but prepackaged fish dumplings and peanut butter... they're worse off than I thought!” I fell to my knees and groaned.

   “Okay, I admit I worded it pretty badly,” Usagi murmured.

   “You made us sound poor and desperate! Look at them!” I shouted, pointing to the other Senshi who were all holding similar envelopes to Haruka's. “They probably spent the last three hours worrying about us and scraping together everything they could spare!” Seeing them all nod in affirmative, Usagi sank down a little deeper into the sofa and lowered her head. “Thank you so much, Usa...”

   “Look I know I screwed up but... say what now?” She looked up to see me grinning from ear to ear.

   “I'd been thinking that all of us were starting to grow apart but this shows me we were only growing closer together in a different kind of way. You brought me exactly what I needed to make me happy,” I finished, leaning down to kiss her still stunned lips before turning to face the others. “And thanks to all of you too, seeing you all here like this so willing to give... it just makes my heart melt!”

   “You can keep your thanks, give us kisses like you just gave Usagi!” Minako called out, playfully shoving Hotaru forward, “You can start with this one, that'd be some sweet action!” Hotaru for her part managed not to faint despite the majority of the blood in her body suddenly gathering into her cheeks. Eventually Minako dragged the girl back to save her from further humiliation. I was slightly surprised to see the intimate way she was whispering into the girl's ear while she teased her still red cheek with a fingertip and was simply amazed when Hotaru nipped at the finger playfully. Those two had apparently come a long way in these peaceful times.

   “So you forgive me, Rei-chan?” Usagi's voice pulled my attention from the budding lovebirds.

   “Of course I forgive my bunny-chan!” I cooed sweetly as an evil grin spread across my face. “But now I really am going to make you wait until Friday to find out about your surprise!”

   “That's not fair!” she whined.

   “Oh? Would you rather I stay mad and not give you any foot rubs for the rest of the week?” Her eyes shot open and I could almost see her impatience warring with her selfishness in them. In the end they softened and she smiled up at me.

   “I'll be okay with waiting for my surprise so long as I have my fire-hime to keep me company,” she said softly, reaching up to caress my cheek. Smiling, I nuzzled against her hand for a moment before taking it with mine to kiss the back of her fingers, relishing in the blush that graced her cheeks. “Rei-chan...” she whispered embarrassedly, eyes motioning to the others. I turned to see a room full of smiles and adoring looks.

   “See something interesting?” I asked, fully expecting a wolfish reply from Haruka or Minako but was pleasantly surprised when Ami took a step forward.

   “It's just such a relief!” she exclaimed, then upon noticing everyone staring at her she lowered her voice and continued, cheeks slightly red. “I don't know about the others, but I've always been very worried about who Usagi-chan would end up with. I don't think any of us would have trusted some guy that just showed up out of the blue. Seeing her with you, Rei-chan, seeing how much you love each other... I know I don't have to worry anymore!” she finished, a lone tear rolling down her cheek. The others all murmured their agreement as Makoto stepped forward to put a comforting arm around Ami's shoulders.

   “Thank you, all of you... I can't even imagine how much more difficult this would have been without your support,” Usagi said, teary eyed and hitching slightly.

   “Yes yes, we're all happy and love each other,” Haruka chimed in. “Some clearly more than others,” she added, eying each of the pairings. “But this is supposed to be a celebration, isn't it?! Let's save the mushy stuff for another time and have some fun! I, for one, am pretty interested in seeing this note that nearly made Usako piss her pants!”

   Even the grogginess of sleep couldn't keep the realization that I wasn't curled up against Usagi's back like I should be from upsetting me. My hand moved to check behind me on the off chance I'd rolled over and managed to land on a breast that was too small to belong to Usagi. Groaning inwardly I turned to see that I was groping Minako who had been laying back to back with me.

   “Little harder, Taru-chan,” she mumbled in her sleep. I pulled my hand back quickly and used it to stifle a giggle, noting that even in her sleep she was still as perverted as ever. I looked around to see most everybody asleep on the futons spread around the room. Memories of the night before slowly began to return to me, mainly my head in Usagi's lap as she played with my hair as we listened to the banter around us. Most of which consisted of Minako flirting shamelessly with everybody and Makoto pestering Ami about what 'the black ones' were. Yawning, I stood and began my search for the pregnant blonde.

   My original sense of worry was quickly growing into full scale panic when I didn't find her in our room, the bathroom, or the kitchen. Quickly slipping into a robe, I made my way outside and, finding nobody near the front steps, made my way around to the back. Relief washed over me when she came into sight, standing just outside of the back entrance. Removing my robe, I walked up behind her and slipped it over her shoulders.

   “What's a pretty girl like you doing out here all by herself?” I teased, placing a kiss on her cheek as I slipped my arms around her waist. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she hadn't been crying and felt very relieved to be performing our nightly ritual.

   “I couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep on that futon and it wouldn't feel right in our bed without you there.”

   “Baka, you should have woken me up.” She leaned back into me a bit more and shook her head.

   “I notice you doing this all the time when you can't sleep, figured it was my turn.” I had to grin at that.

   “If I'd known you were awake, outside of the bed is the last place I'd want to be.” We shared a light laugh before settling into our usual relaxing silence. That is, until I felt something bump against my palm. “Hey, is she kicking?!” Usagi nodded a little.

   “I've felt it a few times, didn't want to tell you until it was happening so you wouldn't be asking me about it every five minutes.”

   “I would not!” I lied. She giggled and pinched my arm. “Okay I would, but only like every ten minutes!” I felt another kick and couldn't fight the squeal that rose in my throat. “She's not even born yet and she's so darn cute I can't stand it!”

   “You know, for being the papa you sure are pretty girlie.”

   “Well you'll have to forgive me for not being as chic in a suit as Haruka. Besides, even though it'll be so cute to hear it from her I don't see why I'm automatically the papa.” I could feel her tremble against me as she laughed.

   “Because you're the one that did the knocking up!”

   “You're the one who sucked the life out of me!”

   “Don't remind me!” She pinched my arm again. “I was worried to death about you!” I chuckled as something came to mind.

   “Well, I'm just glad we know the answer to one of the big questions from that day.”

   “What question?” I kissed the nape of her neck before leaning in close to whisper in her ear.

   “You're absolutely incredible in bed...”

   “I'm just asking you to slow things down a little Mina, she's still a little young for all this,” I heard Haruka saying as I came down the hall. Having woken up a little early, I was going to see if the others had left to get ready for school yet.

   “Hey now, I've let her set the pace from day one!” Minako responded huffily as I came into the room. “And just so you know, she might not be as innocent as you think, she totally felt me up in the middle of the night!” I quickly turned on my heel and made my way to the bathroom to freshen up and change, coming back just in time to see Minako giving Hotaru a goodbye kiss. She noticed me after pulling away and waved before turning and heading out the door, leaving a blushing Hotaru in her wake.

   “They really are cute together, I'll give them that much,” Haruka said suddenly from right behind me, causing me to jump. “I really wasn't too sure about it in the beginning but what can I do? I've never seen either of them so happy.”

   “You're a good papa, Haruka, my role model actually,” I said with a laugh, nudging her with my shoulder. “Just don't expect me to start dressing like you anytime soon.”

   “I don't blame you, your butt is definitely too cute to not show off in a skirt!” she said with a sly grin, only to yelp girlishly as Michiru's purse hit her in the back of the head.

   “Sorry hon, didn't see you there. Rei sweetie, we're about to leave, would you like a ride to school?” she asked, smiling sweetly.

   “Hey, that'd be great! Just let me say goodbye to my Usa.”

   “Oh and, Rei?” she called out to me as I made my way to the bedroom.

   “Yeah?”

   “Haruka's right, your butt is very cute,” she said with a wink, setting off Haruka to mutter darkly about everything being so unfair.

Never in the storybooks...

I'd be pretty hard pressed to remember a happier week of my life. In spite of Usagi's rather embarrassing mistake the celebration-turned-sleepover with all the others had ended up way better than I ever could have hoped. It seemed that without the worry of money looming over me everything seemed to be a little bit brighter. The change in Usagi however was much more noticeable, it was like a switch had been flipped on inside of her. Not only was she less moody around me and the others but she had taken to donning her Miko robes and moving around the shrine to interact with visitors, completely surprising grandpa and me with how much she remembered about the Shinto heritage.

All the improvements in my home life even managed to make my school life that much more bearable. I was in such a good mood that even the verbal jabs from that horrible Fukino-sensei couldn't get me worked up. It would seem even my fellow students had taken notice of my airy mood and weren't so quick to avoid me, a few of them even going so far as to ask me questions about Usagi. Now I was not only excited about taking her to a dance, something I knew she'd always dreamed of, but I was going to be able to show off just how beautiful she was to everybody. I was so giddy and lost in daydreams that Friday had arrived before I knew it...

   “Come on Rei-chan, tell me already!” she whined pitifully. “I was a good girl all week and didn't pester you about it or anything!” Technically this was true but I knew for a fact she had turned the house upside down trying to find it while I was at school.

   “Hm, I don't really know about calling you a good girl after that little stunt you pulled in the garden yesterday,” I said, a blush creeping across my cheeks at the memory of it. “Come on Rei-chan, nobody will see if we do it really fast!” I imitated her, setting her cheeks ablaze as well. “Now I see why Chibi-chan is such a hentai!” I claimed, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

   “Oh like you're one to talk with your, 'I've always wanted to take naughty pictures of you on the shrine altar!'” she fired back, also pointing an accusatory finger at me. We stood there pointing for a moment until what we were saying caught up to us and broke into a fit of giggles.

   “Wow, the poor thing didn't stand a chance, did she?” I asked as the giggles finally ebbed off.

   “She's still perfect, though,” Usagi said with finality, patting her belly as she did.

   “How could she not be with when the two of us made her? Although I do wonder sometimes if she's actually got any of me in her...” I said, somewhat sullenly.

   “You must need glasses or something, Rei-chan!” Usagi said as she waddled over to the closet and pulled out a photo album. “Let's see, there was a really good one in here,” she muttered to herself as she flipped through the pages for a moment before settling on one. “Ah, here it is!” she chimed happily as she eased down beside me on the bed and handed over the book. “Isn't it just adorable! It's one of my favorites.”

   “Mine too...” I said quietly, my heart instantly warming over at the sight of it. Chibi-Usa, grinning from ear to ear, had her cheek pressed against my obviously sleeping face. From the slightly crooked angle and only the fingertips of the victory symbol she was flashing being caught in the picture it was obvious the pink haired girl had snapped the shot herself.

   “Look at that, she totally has your nose and the shape of your lips even though they're a bit more pink like mine. Plus you can just kind of see it in the cheekbones and then there's the eyes of course. Those fiery, passionate eyes where when you look in them you just can't help but be swept up by whatever they're feeling.” Blushing from the comments I studied the features she had pointed out and found that the similarity was pretty striking, and almost obvious when I thought about it. “She's also stubborn as a mule, just like you are.”

   “I am not stubborn!” I shouted stubbornly.

   “Are too!” She smiled.

   “Am not!”

   “Are too!” Her smile widened.

   “I am not!”

   “Oh really?” she said with a giggle. Realizing I'd been caught in a trap I stood up and walked away huffily.

   “Maybe she got her stubbornness from me but she definitely got your klutziness!”

   “Oh! I am not klutzy!”

   “Who are you trying to fool? Are you forgetting that you managed to undress yourself while tripping?” I accused, noting the sly grin spreading across her face.

   “All I remember about that was somebody feeling me up in front of our friends. I'll never forget the look on poor delicate Ami-chan's face when she was exposed to your lecherous ways. Honestly, Rei-chan, you're like a dirty old man!”

   “Oh I'll show you a dirty old man,” I said, raising my hands and making groping motions while I advanced on her only to be stopped by my phone going off from inside my bag. Cursing at the interruption I picked up the bag and fished it out, brightening considerably when I saw it was Haruka.

   “Hey Ruka-chan!” I teased, earning a giggle from Usagi.

   “Ruka-chan, eh? If it's coming you Rei, you can call me anything you want! Especially if we're in...” I could hear the telltale sound of something smacking her in the back of the head which was followed my the most unmanly, “Owie!” I had ever heard.

   “So what's up?”

   “Well, I figured you'd probably end up playing some naughty games with Usako and lose track of the time so I decided to call and remind you that you need to start getting ready if you're going to make it on time.” Blushing at the fact that she was right, I checked the clock and noticed that it was indeed time to start getting ready. “Not that either of you need any help to look sexy or anything, I just want to make sure you're ready when we get there which is in about two hours so peel yourself off of her and get that cute little butt of yours into a dress!” There was another, much louder, smacking sound this time.

   “Thanks for the heads up Haruka, I'll see you then,” I said, laughing at her flirting antics.

   “Gods, what do you keep in that thing, rocks?!” I could hear Haruka shouting, which was followed immediately by Michiru giggling. Deciding to leave them to it, I snapped the phone shut and tossed my bag onto the foot of the bed, cringing as the contents spilled out across it.

   “Rei-chan, you're such a slob!” Usagi said happily, still infected with the day's good mood.

   “Sorry,” I murmured sheepishly. She shook her head and waved it off.

   “You can clean it up later, just tell me what that was all about.”

   “Oh nothing, just Haruka reminding me about something for the big surprise,” I said, trying to sound mysterious as I pulled my winter coat from the closet and laid it out on the bed next to her.

   “A little warm for your coat isn't it?” she asked, eying me suspiciously. Grinning at my own cleverness, I unzipped the coat so she could see the box I'd taped to the inside of it. “Oh you sneaky little... I looked all over the place and it was hanging right in front of me the whole...” She froze upon realizing what she'd just confessed.

   “Oh, I thought you were being a good girl this whole time? You naughty little minx! Just for that, you can wait a bit longer!” I said, scooping up the box and making my way out the door.

   “Rei-chan, that's not...” she started to complain but stopped suddenly. “What's this?”

   “You okay Usa?” I asked, poking my head back through the door, noticing her quickly hide something behind her back.

   “Yeah, I'm fine,” she said, sounding a little odd. I decided to count it as a blessing and turned to head for the bathroom where I'd stashed my dress.

   Finally finished with my hair I took a step back and gave my reflection an admiring look. The little red dress clung to me like a second skin and was just barely long enough to be considered decent. The matching lace bra and thong set that lay underneath it, however, didn't even come close to qualifying. While I had never been a big fan of makeup I had to admit that a little touch up here and there did wonders to accentuate my eyes and especially my lips. I had even managed to tease a lock of my stubbornly straight hair into a bouncy curl on either side, framing my face rather nicely. Slipping on a pair of matching pumps to complete the outfit I did a little turn and blew myself a kiss.

   “This is going to be so perfect!” I squealed, checking the clock to see I was ahead of schedule. I couldn't help myself from humming a happy tune as I picked up the box that held her dress and made my way to the bedroom. I had more than enough time to get Usagi ready and be off for the dance, I was practically giggling with excitement as I thought of the night to come. Smiling brightly, I walked into the room to see Usagi still on the bed, head hung low as her shoulders trembled.

   “What's... wrong...” my voice drifted off as I saw what she was holding. A folded slip of paper lay in one hand, a torn and crumpled envelope in the other, a heart still visible on the front. She raised her head up to face me, an expression of such anger and hurt that I had never seen the likes of sending a wave of heartache through my chest.

   “It all makes sense now... how you could act like you were still so happy with me...” she murmured, the sadness in her voice threatening to tear my heart in two.

   “Usa... it's not what you think...”

To be continued...

As you might have noticed, all the rearranging and added content have pushed this story a few chapters further than before. This was originally where the Epilogue was.

Chapter 6

In Her Burning Eyes

Chapter Six: Bittersweet Fairytale Part Two

It's a little surprising that one person's pursuit of their fairytale can so easily destroy another's, how one simple innocent act of affection can do so much damage to so deep a relationship. In spite of that and with everything seeming to be stacked against them I think most girls would still cling to the hope of seeing that storybook moment whether they realize it or not.

Much like our dreams though, the effort it takes to bring them to reality can simply be too much to bear...

–

Two steps back...

–

   “Not what I think? Not what I think!” she shrieked, proceeding to unfold the crumpled letter in her hands. “To my dearest Rei-chan. All the time I've known you has been like a wonderful dream. The feelings you awakened within me were so confusing at first but seeing them come to life has been like a fairytale. I can't wait to show you just how much they've blossomed after the dance this Friday. Your secret lover, Emi-chan...” She screamed as she tore the letter into pieces and threw them at me. “What the hell am I supposed to think?!”

   “Usa, you have to calm down and listen to me. I can explain this, I promise!” I could feel the tension in my arms as I gripped the box in my hands as if my life depended on it.

   “What's that you're wearing, Rei?” she asked, glaring up and down my body. “A pretty little dress for your pretty little girlfriend? You going to go have some fun while your fat cow lover sits at home stuffing her face?!”

   “Usa...” I could feel hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

   “Shut up!” she shrieked. “I always wondered how you still managed to have sex with me. You were thinking about her... your little Emi-chan! I knew it was too good to be true... after the people at school... and my parents... I should have realized I wasn't good enough for anybody!”

   “Don't...” I said, my voice sounding so hollow in my ears.

   “Don't what?” she sneered

   “Don't you ever talk about my Usa like that again!” I screamed, causing her to recoil slightly. I took a deep breath to calm myself and continued. “I'm going to explain this very slowly because I know you're hurt and confused.” I found myself unable to stand and fell to my knees. “I have never, not for a single second, stopped loving you with all my heart Usagi. These last seven months with you have been the happiest time of my life!”

   “Rei...”

   “Let me finish!” I shouted, setting the box on the floor and wrapping my arms around myself. “Through all your depression and your moodiness and your random bursts of anger I have never even once regretted being with you. Every single time I've told you how beautiful you are I've meant it from the bottom of my heart.” The air was catching in my throat as the sobs I was holding in grew stronger. “This note,” I said, reaching out to clutch at the pieces, “I found this in my locker on Monday. I didn't throw it away because it would have felt like I was hiding something from you and I could never bring myself to do that. I forgot all about it after that whole thing with the money, I don't even know who this person is.” I let the torn pieces in my hands fall to floor with my tears.

   “Don't... don't lie to me!” she shouted, although it was obvious her resolve was wavering.

   “Tell me Usa, if I was lying to you so I could go see someone behind your back...” I picked up the box and stood shakily. “Then why would I take you with me!” I screamed, throwing the box to the floor. The lid came off as it bounced, the upper half of the dress unfolding around her feet. Slowly, she bent down and lifted the dress from the box with trembling hands.

   “Rei... I...” I just kept talking over her, knowing I'd never be able to finish if I hesitated.

   “I'm not mad, Usa, I know how hard it is to control your emotions right now.” I took a few steps back towards the door. “But this shows me that we have a very big problem in our relationship.” I turned and walked to the doorway. “After everything we've been through... you still don't trust me,” I said, the words barely coming out as more than a whisper. With one last look at her heartbroken face, I turned and left.

   I wasn't there to see her clutching the dress to her chest as she sobbed. I wasn't there to see Haruka and Michiru run to comfort her when they saw the state she was in. I wasn't there to hear her say, for the very first time, that it was all her fault...

The essence of love...

I had taken to wandering the streets for an hour or so until I found myself standing outside the school, the soft throb of music emanating from within. Resigning myself to my fate, I entered the now hated building. At first I had tried to hide myself backstage, only to be stopped by the last person I ever wanted to see. She mocked me for being alone, then she mocked me a little for being a lesbian, then she told me I wasn't allowed to leave for any reason besides using the restroom. Interacting with that wretched woman had been the last thing I needed, managing to take my already depressive mood and turn it downright sour.

I'd been rather annoyed to find that I couldn't blame anyone for things turning out as they had. At first I'd planned to give the girl who had left the note a piece of my mind but quickly realized I couldn't bring myself to be angry at someone just for having a crush me. I obviously couldn't bring myself to blame Usagi for it, sure she'd overreacted but if we had switched places I'm sure I'd have done the same thing as her. Most irritating of all I found that I couldn't even be mad at myself. It would have been so much easier if I could focus my foul mood on something, at least then I would have been able to ignore the biting pain in my chest.

Being unable to hide backstage or even wander the halls I had to settle for the next best thing. I was currently sitting at the darkest table I could find with my legs crossed tight, arms folded, and a glare on my face that would have told anybody with the slightest amount of intelligence that I was not to be messed with. Unfortunately that didn't apply to everybody...

–

   “I'm a lesbian, so piss off,” I muttered darkly.

   “Excuse me?”

   “I said piss off!” I shouted, running off the third, and hopefully last, boy brave enough to approach me.

   “That's hardly appropriate, Hino-san,” a voice said disapprovingly from behind me.

   “Like I give a flying...” I stopped upon meeting the stern yet kind glare of the head sister. “Sorry...”

   “This is quite disappointing,” she said, placing a cup of punch in front of me before sitting down in the chair next to mine. “You seemed so happy all week, I thought for sure you'd be having a wonderful time with your girlfriend. I have been very much wanting to meet with her on better terms than the last time we spoke. I take it she's grown quite a bit since then,” she said, motioning an over sized belly. My armor cracked slightly and a small grin escaped.

   “Like she swallowed a basketball,” I said with a laugh. “She's so unbelievably cute too. I swear you can't look her in the eye and not just instantly be a little happier. You always hear people talk about how pregnant girls just seem to glow but Usagi... she's just so... she's always... she's not here!” Everything came crashing down and before I knew it I was sobbing into the woman's shoulder, wailing about how much I missed my lover. After the initial outburst had passed I found myself telling her everything that had happened in a depressive, hiccup riddled fashion.

   “..and... and then I just walked out,” I finished, finding a surge of relief had washed over me at releasing so much pent up misery.

   “I'm obviously not any kind of specialist on relationships,” she said with a slight smile, “but it would seem to me that you did the right thing by leaving when you did.”

   “What do you mean?” I asked with a sniffle.

   “Well, it would seem that you gave her something very important to think about and by leaving you gave her the time she would need to do just that. Hino-san, in all my years here I've spoken with many young women who were having difficulties in their relationships but I've yet to come across one like yours before.” I smiled wryly but she shook her head. “I'm speaking of the nature of your troubles and the depth of your feelings for her.”

   “What do you mean?”

   “Up until now they've all been silly little girls who were only playing at romance. You... even before this current situation, you've always had the eyes of someone who had experience beyond her years. I have every bit of confidence that you'll not only be able to work through this current problem, but any that should follow it.”

   “I... wow... you really mean that?” I asked, completely blown away by the woman's words.

   “I'm not the type of person to lie,” she said with a smile, glancing at something behind me. “Will you do me a favor, Hino-san?”

   “After how much better you've made me feel, just name it!”

   “While it might not have turned out like the fairytale you dreamed of, please try to have some fun while you're here,” she said, pointing over my shoulder. I could hear a girl clearing her throat behind me and my heart froze. Swallowing hard over the sudden lump in my throat, I turned around slowly to see an utterly adorable little girl with curly black pigtails standing nervously in a puffy white dress. Upon meeting my gaze her cheeks instantly went scarlet. She couldn't have been a day over thirteen...

   “Emi-chan?” I offered meekly. Her blush darkened and she nodded, sending her little pigtails bobbing. It took every last bit of willpower not to smack myself in the forehead.

   “Um... senpai... would... um... would you...” she mumbled quietly, her voice barely a whisper. I decided to take mercy on the poor little thing, it was a wonder she'd even been able to write that love letter without killing over.

   “I would love to dance with you,” I said, offering my hand. She looked as if she were going to faint at first but managed to take my hand and help me stand. I barely managed to stifle a giggle when I saw that the top of her head barely came to my breasts. I was lead out onto the dance floor and waited for a few moments as she fidgeted with her hands, too embarrassed it would seem to put them on my waist. I fought down the urge to tease her with one of the lines from her letter and instead took her hands and put them in place, slipping my own around her neck.

   “This is... so romantic, senpai!” she exclaimed, holding my waist from arm's length. I laughed lightly as we swayed slowly back and forth, earning odd looks from most of the couples around us. I did however, notice a group of first year girls who were cheering Emi on, some of them even looking rather jealous.

   “I can't believe you'd do this to me!” I heard someone shout from behind me and there was no mistaking who it was this time. It's safe to say my heart skipped a couple beats. “So you really were lying to me!” This couldn't be happening, two times in one day was just too much. “You told me there wasn't anybody else right to my face!” I couldn't speak, I couldn't even breathe. “And here I find you in the arms of this beautiful woman!” It took a moment for the laughter in her voice to register with my panic stricken mind. Confused, I turned around to face her, my breath instantly catching in my throat. She looked so beautiful in her dress...

   It was light pink and strapless, taking full advantage of her swollen bust and belly to hold it up. Though you couldn't tell from looking, the midsection was actually a cinch used to expand to fit her belly but from the outside it was perfectly seamless. It puffed out slightly at the waist in the style of a ball gown, the many ripples and folds lined with a swooping beaded seam. My eyes traveled upward, seeing that her hair was done up in her familiar odango style wrapped around matching pink stones. Our eyes met and she smiled, sending a ripple of warmth through my body to settle in my chest. She moved towards me in a slow and measured waddle, managing to appear more graceful than any seven months pregnant woman should.

   “We both know what the other is thinking about saying, right?” I nodded, tears in my eyes. “And we both know how the other is going to respond, right?” I nodded again, realizing what she was trying to say. “I know we still have something to work through but that will come over time so for tonight let's just have a good time.” She reached out to caress my cheek.

   “Usa...” I whispered, my voice shaky as I took her hand to kiss the back of her fingers in our familiar intimate gesture. She blushed and smiled, glancing around herself nervously for a moment until her eyes settled on the diminutive girl behind me.

   “Ah! You must be Emi-chan, Rei's secret lover?” The girl blushed bright scarlet and gave a tiny nod. Usagi turned to me and mouthed the words 'so cute!' before turning her attention back the girl. “You did a wonderful job keeping her company but I'll take over from here, okay?” The girl looked a little disappointed but nodded just the same. I noticed Haruka and Michiru out of the corner of my eye and formed an idea.

   “Hey, Emi-chan, would you like to do me a favor?” She brightened considerably and nodded, pigtails bouncing madly in her enthusiasm. “Would you please grab one of your friends over there,” I pointed to the group of squealing first years, “and see if you can keep those ladies company,” I finished, pointing to Haruka and Michiru. “They're very good friends of mine, but they're a little shy. Do you think you could show them a good time?”

   “Um... is that... really a girl, senpai?” Usagi and me looked at each other and burst into giggles, Usagi managed to recover first and explained.

   “Oh yeah, it's a girl, and she's quite lovely too, she just dresses like that for fun.”

   “I'll do it... for you, senpai!” the girl exclaimed before flitting off through the crowd towards her group of friends. Suddenly alone with Usagi, I smiled as the music changed to a more mellow song.

   “Care to dance, my princess?” I asked, offering her my arm. My smile cracked slightly when I saw how terrified she was. “Don't worry about them, Usa, just focus on me, okay?” She considered it for a moment, then looped her arm in mine and allowed herself to be led to a less populated area of the dance floor, squeezing tight against my arm as people stared and whispered around us. Upon reaching a suitable spot I tried to wrap my arms around her waist and found it impossible without being at arms length or leaning over her swollen belly awkwardly.

   “How humiliating,” Usagi sniffled, “I'm too fat to dance with my lover!”

   “Hey now, that's my baby you're talking about there,” I said, patting her belly lightly and receiving a tiny kick in return. “We'll just have to improvise a little.” I moved around behind her and slid my arms through hers to rest comfortably on her belly, my chin resting in the crook of her neck. Usagi sighed and leaned back against me, resting her hands on top of my own and interlacing our fingers. After a bit of swaying to the music I noticed her trembling against me.

   “Everybody's staring at me Rei-chan, they're making fun of me, I know it!” There was more than just a hint of panic in her voice.

   “Just close your eyes and imagine it's just the two of us looking out our window,” I whispered into her ear before placing a light kiss on her neck. “You look so beautiful tonight, Usa...” I smiled as I spoke the all too familiar words, feeling a bit of the tension drain out of her.

   “It's all the dress,” she said airily. “It's absolutely beautiful and it fits like a glove.”

   “Well I do know your body like the back of my hand.”

   “You're such a...”

   “What is the meaning of this!” the familiar nasally drawl of my least favorite teacher assaulted us. Usagi tried to pull away but I held her close.

   “Dancing,” I said simply, not even bothering to look at her.

   “This is sacrilege and I won't allow it to continue!” the woman all but shrieked. I waved her away lazily.

   “I read the rules, they said rather specifically that I could bring a date from outside the school so long as they were a proper age and not once did they say I couldn't dance with a woman. You yourself told me to have fun and that's exactly what I'm doing so please, leave us be.”

   “Why you little heathen...”

   “That's quite enough!” a rather forceful voice interrupted, this time I actually turned to see the head sister glowering at the woman.

   “But... but this is...”

   “Oh I know exactly what this is! You're forgetting who it was that welcomed you into the parish!” The woman leaned in a little closer to whisper through clenched teeth. “You couldn't bear the shame of being abandoned by your lover all those years ago and your still taking out your frustrations on others. It is you that is committing sacrilege here!”

   “I... you...” The Head Sister ignored the woman and raised her voice so that everyone could hear.

   “Here at this school we have always taught that Kami-sama is love and that love is what brings people together. That,” she said, pointing at the two of us, “is the very essence of love! All that narrow minded bigotry does is spread divisive thinking and hate so before you start condemning others I suggest you look yourself over first!” She then turned to us and smiled sweetly. “I do apologize for the interruption girls, please continue. Oh and, Hino-san?”

   “Yes?”

   “Don't worry about staying to clean up afterwards, Miss Fukino will be taking care of it.” She then proceeded to drag the stuttering woman off the dance floor and out of the room.

   “That was... unexpected,” I managed after a while.

   “Can... do you think we could sit down for a bit, Rei-chan?” Usagi asked, eyes pleading with mine. I nodded and led her off to my darkened table which, not ten seconds later, was engulfed with girls cooing about how pretty her dress was and how beautiful she looked in it. It wasn't long before it turned into an impromptu round of twenty questions with Usagi gaining more and more confidence as it went along. I turned to see Haruka and Michiru each dancing with one of the first year girls. Almost simultaneously they had to reach down to pry the girl's hands off their butts... only to have them return a few seconds later.

   Usagi lay with her head on my shoulder, already sleeping blissfully with me not far behind. The day had been an emotional roller coaster and it was finally time to step off the ride. It really had turned out just like a fairytale I thought to myself as the sounds of Haruka and Michiru in the front seat seemed to be getting further and further away.

   “Honestly, with how far she got she should have to buy me dinner!” Haruka huffed.

   “And what about that teacher, the one wearing the blue dress? She kept pestering me to come up to her office for a little scotch and some 'late night fun,'” Michiru added.

   “What a weird school, I swear half the girls are...”

To be continued...

After the original posting of this, there were a lot of complaints brought up (from here and other sites) about the supportive Head Sister. The scene was intended as a homage to me as I had a similar experience in my youth and remember it as one of my only fond memories from my time spent as an orphan. Kasumi stood up for it though in spite of the negative feedback and left it in for me... such a sweetie!

This is as far as I've gotten with the editing for now but I figured I may as well just go ahead and post it. The last chapter will probably be done and posted in a couple days and the Epilogue (which has the most changes and added content out of any of the other chapters) a few days after that barring any large emergencies coming up.

Chapter 7

In Her Burning Eyes

Chapter Seven: The Cycle of Life and Death

Life really is all about maintaining balance. It's a sad but all too true part of the world we live in that when one thing begins... so too must another end...

Confrontation...

Another month had passed in a state of near bliss. Now a little more than eight months along, Usagi looked like she was ready to pop at any time but was nevertheless bustling about the shrine in her usual bossy, but loving, manner. This, however, was counteracted slightly by the presence of a new addition to the shrine. Grandpa, claiming that he would prefer I placed my motherly duties above my responsibilities at the Shrine, had taken on an apprentice to take his place as Shrine Master. It had taken three tries to find one that was accepting of our relationship but I was rather pleased with the results.

Hisame was a motherly sort of woman, seeming to radiate warmth and comfort despite her stern nature. She was also unique in that, unlike everyone else who had continued contact with Usagi, she proved immune to the princess's influence. While it did work wonders for preventing her overly selfish tantrums, the maternal nature of the woman's scoldings also served as a painful reminder of what Usagi had lost...

   “Rei-chan please put the phone down... I... I just can't do this right now!”

   “Well when will you be able to, huh? Five years? Ten? Hell, why not just wait sixty years, then you won't even have to bother!” She cringed as if I'd slapped her and my heart pained at the sight. “I'm sorry, Usa, I shouldn't have said that. But... despite how mad at them I am for how they acted, they deserve to know how you're doing.”

   “It's okay, Rei-chan, I know I'm being stupid about this but... I'm scared. Even with how things are right now I still feel like they're a part of my life. If I tell them the truth about who we are...” her hands moved to rest on her swollen belly. I put the phone down and sat beside her on the bed, her head falling comfortably onto my shoulder. “If I tell them they might not want anything do with me anymore. I'd really have lost them...”

   “It'd be their loss, Usa, not yours.” She sniffled and shook her head against my shoulder. “I'm serious! Anybody who really knows you and doesn't want be a part of your life has to have a few screws loose. You're perfect, Usa.” I could feel a little of the tension drain from her body.   I didn't have to see her face to know she was smiling.

   “You're so sweet to me, Rei-chan, I don't know where I'd be without you,” she said, snuggling a bit closer. “Still though, I can't shake the feeling that I'm the one that messed things up.”

   “It's because you're still a child,” Hisame said suddenly, seeming to have materialized from thin air.

   “Do you ever knock?!” I shouted, trying to pry a terrified Usagi's arms from around my neck.

   “I tried it out once and decided that it's just not for me,” the gray haired woman said with a smirk.

   “Well then I don't want to hear any complaints next time you walk in unannounced and catch an eyeful of Usagi butt!” I countered, earning a broad smile from the woman and a blush from the girl next to me.

   “Yes, well... as I was saying you only feel the way you do because you're young. Because of your youth and inexperience you lack the foresight to see the big picture.”

   “You blame everything on youth and inexperience,” Usagi said cattily, sticking her tongue out at the woman.

   “And I'm usually right,” she said, reaching out to tousle the blonde's hair affectionately. “Look, what I'm trying to say here is that you should listen to your lover on this one. I've seen the two of you in my fire readings many times, even before I came to live here. Rei is like the guiding light that will lead the two of you to a very long and happy future, I'm certain of it. You'd do well to listen to her advice.” With that, the woman gathered up the clothes from the hamper and left the room.

   “I... I'll do it,” Usagi said with finality after the woman had gone.

   “It's okay, Usa, I trust you to do it when you're ready,” I said, a little worried about this sudden resolve. She shook her head.

   “No, she's right. You've always done what's best for me. I'll tell them if... if you'll be there to do it with me...” I took her hand in mine and gave it a squeeze.

   “Wouldn't have it any other way,” I said, leaning over to kiss her forehead. “Do you want to go now?” She shook her head again.

   “The festival's tonight and I know we've both been looking forward to it, I haven't been to one in years.”

   “Of course! Not only is this the first time we've ever gone to something like this together, but I'll get to see how yummy you look in a yukata. I could never resist something that adorable,” I said, pulling her a little closer.

   “I love you Rei...”

   “I love you too Usagi...”

   “Hey, are you two lovebirds ready for... good lord do you two ever stop?!” Haruka shouted as the two of us scrambled for the sheets to cover ourselves. “She's eight months pregnant for hell's sake, that can't be healthy!” Michiru made no attempt to avert her eyes and unabashedly came over to sit on the bed.

   “Oh hush, it's perfectly healthy and I think it's so romantic!” the aqua haired woman said, clasping her hands together and swooning.

   “Rei-chan! After all this time why haven't we got a lock for the door?!” Usagi wailed from the pile of sheets and pillows she was hiding under.

   “Do you two mind?!” I shouted, noticing the women were making no attempt to leave and were instead making themselves comfortable.

   “No, not at all, please continue,” Michiru said, giggling behind her hand. I stared at her in open mouthed shock before turning to Haruka.

   “I hope you're happy, you've gone and completely corrupted her!”

   “Don't look at me!” Haruka said, waving her hands defensively. “She's always been a closet hentai!” The two of them quickly broke into an argument about who was more perverted, one which I was content to watch from the safety of the covers until I felt Usagi nudging me.

   “Rei-chan,” she whispered, one hand escaping her fortress to point towards the pile of clothes on the floor. Nodding, I slowly crept out of the bed with the sheet pressed to my body for cover. Too late I realized that Michiru was sitting on part of it and was tugged off balance by the unexpected resistance and toppled to the floor. I don't know how long I laid there, bare naked and face ablaze before Hisame decided to pop into the room.

   “Oh dear!” the woman gasped, setting the stunned silence off into an eruption of laughter. I tried desperately to recall a more humiliating moment in my life to ease the embarrassment but came up with nothing.

   “And you said Chibi-chan got her klutziness from me!”

   “Usa!”

My nude acrobatics were momentarily forgotten during the scramble to get ready when Hisame reminded us of the time. Michiru managed to make short work of the normally arduous and complaint filled process of dressing Usagi. The woman claiming she had lots of practice from helping Haruka with hers. Bright pink and butterfly printed, it expanded greatly around her swollen belly making her pregnancy even more noticeable. Finished with a touch of makeup and her hair in it's usual odangos around matching colored stones, she looked absolutely gorgeous. By contrast I felt rather ordinary in my unadorned maroon yukata, that is until I saw the two of us together and quickly decided we matched up perfectly.

   “Seriously Rei, how do you stay so fit?” Haruka asked as she weaved through traffic towards the fairgrounds, albeit at a much easier pace than before Michiru had threatened her with celibacy if she didn't slow down. “Every time I see you you're just lounging with Usako.”

   “She tortures me every morning with horrible stretching and exercise,” Usagi sniffled from beside me. “She's like a slave driver! No mercy for the poor pregnant girl...”

   “You'll thank me when you're not torn in half and bedridden from squeezing out that little cutie in your belly,” I said with a chuckle.

   “Yeah, well, I still say you've always loved to pick on me,” she said, pinching my arm slightly.

   “Of course, it was the best way to get close to you without having you realize I was in love with you.” She started giggling to herself. “What?”

   “Nothing,” she said, leaning over to kiss my cheek. “I'm just happy I ended up with my hentai-chan.”

   “Before you two start going at it in the backseat, which is surprisingly comfortable by the way,” Haruka said with a wolfish grin, “I just thought you'd like to know that we're here.”

   “I hate him!” Usagi said with finality.

   “He's just doing his job, Usa.”

   “I still hate him! It's not fair!” she continued, crossing her arms tightly and glaring at me.

   “Wait, you didn't actually expect to be able to go on the fast rides, did you? You're eight months pregnant, you should be happy they let you ride anything!” Her glare softened slightly. “Besides, I just remembered you telling me a long time ago that...”

   “Hey, you know you're supposed to make out while this thing's going, right?” Haruka called out from above us, her and Michiru's gondola having already reached the top of the Ferris Wheel. Usagi looked up first, then outwards, then down over the edge, then slowly, ever so slowly, she turned to look at me.

   “...you're scared of heights.” She let out and ear splitting shriek and all but threw herself onto my lap, burying her face in my chest. “Honestly, Usa, how could you forget something like this?” I asked incredulously, stroking her hair in hopes of calming her.

   “Rei-chan we have to get off!”

   “I don't think they'll just stop it to let us off, Usa, and if you're like this it shouldn't be too bad, right?”

   “It's not that!” she wailed.

   “What else could possibly be wrong?”

   “I don't think I can pull myself off of your lap and...” she turned her face up, tears streaming down her cheeks, “...I have to pee!”

   “Let us off this damn thing!”

   “I told you, I'm not mad so please come out of there,” I said to the bathroom stall door.

   “Yes you are. You've been looking forward to this for weeks and I ruined everything!” came her sniffled reply.

   “How many times have we had this conversation, Usa? How many times do I have to tell you've never ruined anything? How many times do I have to tell you that I love you no matter what?” I asked desperately, just barely stopping myself from leaning my forehead against the door. “I've said it all so many times that I'm sure you know it by heart so I'm not going to stand here repeating myself. There's a food court right across from this place, I'll be waiting there for you with a treat when you're ready to come out. I love you Usa...” With that, I turned and left, making my way across to the food area to buy a few candy apples and settled in to wait.

   “Rei?” a voice asked from behind me. Surprised that Usagi had recovered so quickly I turned, my heart skipping a beat when I saw who it was.

   “Mrs. Tsukino...” I managed after a few drawn out moments. I noticed Usagi coming from the restrooms over the woman's shoulder and prayed she wouldn't notice me. She did, and with her eyes cast downward she managed to walk right passed her mother without even noticing the woman.

   “Rei-chan, I'm so sorry I... oh candy apples! You're the best Rei-chan!” she squealed, waddling over to give me a quick peck on the lips before taking one of the treats from my trembling fingers. I stood there completely stunned as Usagi took several bites, smiling happily and totally oblivious to the disaster that stood not three feet behind her.

   “Usagi...” The name was barely whispered but it resounded in my ears like a thunderclap. Usagi's eyes went wide and the treat she was holding fell to the ground as she started trembling, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks. She shook her head, eyes pleading with mine, begging me to tell her it that it wasn't who she thought it was. “I've missed you...”

Atonement...

Usagi had tried to flee and, being eight months pregnant, only succeeded in making it to the darkened lot behind the food court before I was able to get my arms around her and calm her down. A glare at her mother told the woman to keep quiet long enough for me to get Usagi back into a manageable state. Ten minutes of encouraging and loving whispers gave her the courage to turn and face the woman which unfortunately only caused her to break down once more. I cursed myself for my inability to act quickly enough to prevent this mess. This was way too important to start off this badly...

   “Maybe I should go...” the woman muttered, the heartbreak in her voice was almost as unbearable as Usagi's own misery.

   “Wait!” I was surprised to discover it hadn't been me to call out to her. I looked down to see Usagi gazing up at me, a hint of confidence peeking through in her tear filled eyes. She tilted her face up and gave me a gentle kiss before leaning in to whisper a quiet “thank you” into my ear. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before turning to face the woman.

   “Usagi I...” the woman began but Usagi cut her off with a raised hand.

   “You hurt me... You have no idea how hard it was to work up the courage to talk to you about what had happened and you treated me like I was garbage! You let him insult me and my lover repeatedly and even... you didn't even say a word after he hit Rei-chan! I never expected you to be happy with what had happened but I still expected you to accept me! To love me...

   “Usagi...”

   “Let me finish!” she shouted, causing the woman to take a step back. “But you didn't... you didn't do either of those things! You just stood there and watched like it didn't even matter! You didn't try to stop us when we left... you didn't even call to say you were sorry... or to ask how we were doing. You didn't care... you don't love me...” she broke off, breaking down fully into sobs.

   “That's... that's not true! I wanted so much... so much to tell you that it was okay but your father... and I did call! I called right after you left and told Rei's grandfather...”

   “He's my grandfather too!” Usagi shouted suddenly, taking us both by surprise. “He welcomed me with open arms and love! Not some excuse eight months later after running into me by accident! He accepted us...”

   “I'm sorry Usagi... I've never regretted anything more in my life than my own cowardice this past year. I was so afraid that anything I could say would only push you away further. I didn't want that to happen... I didn't want to lose you completely! That's the truth, I swear it!”

   “That... that's...”

   “That's exactly how she felt,” I finished for her. The two locked eyes for a long moment before the woman ran forward and embraced her daughter.

–

Over an hour and a half had passed while the two of them caught each other up on what things had been like. It was pretty touch and go in the beginning, but after they'd gotten everything out of their systems it was almost like they'd never been apart... almost.

–

   “Well, the two of you have certainly had an... interesting year,” the woman said when Usagi finally paused to take a breath.

   “A wonderful year despite all the hangups,” I said, giving Usagi's hand a squeeze. Though everything appeared calm on the surface there was still one matter that had yet to be discussed. It was a question that I, and I'm sure Usagi as well, had been bracing for since the woman made her presence known.

   “There's just one thing I want to know... and I'm not sure how uncomfortable a subject this is with your relationship and all...” the woman started. I felt Usagi's hand go rigid in my own and I was sure her heart skipped a beat as well. “The father...”

   “Rei... I can't!” Usagi whispered frantically into my ear, all the progress she'd made in steadying herself going right out the window. It wasn't the question itself that was so difficult, it was what must come if she were to answer it honestly. I'd been with Ami when she'd told her mother who we were, Ami herself having been the one to insist on telling her since she was Usagi's doctor and would be delivering the baby. It had gone over fairly well too, the woman having already had some suspicions. However, the two of them were calm, rational people... the same could not be said about Usagi and her mother.

   “It's... well... it's complicated,” I started, hoping to be able to ease Usagi's nerves enough to go through with it.

   “Do you... not know?” she asked, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of there being more than one possibility.

   “It's not that,” I said evenly, I could feel Usagi beginning to tremble with pent up emotion.

   “Does he not want to claim responsibility or something? Because you know there are tests you can...”

   “It's Rei!” Usagi shouted suddenly.

   “I know that's what you say with your relationship and all but I mean the real...” Usagi rose to her feet and shook her head.

   “I know what you mean, mom! It's Rei... Rei-chan got me pregnant...” The woman stared at her daughter for a moment before a strike of realization hit her.

   “You don't mean... that's impossible!”

   “I know it's crazy but you have to...” Usagi started, pleading with her eyes.

   “Rei's a man?!” the woman exclaimed, looking at me with her eyes practically bugging out of her skull.

   “...believe me when... what now?”

   “But... but... she's so pretty! I never would have guessed she was a...” the woman was leaning to the side, seemingly trying to look through the fold of my yukata.

   “I'm a girl, damn it!” I shouted, slapping a hand to my forehead. Despite the horribly tense and gut wrenching situation I couldn't help but laugh as I shook my head. With these two I really shouldn't have expected any different.

   “Okay, you've really lost me now, Usagi,” the woman said, scratching at the side of her head. Usagi turned to me and whimpered, I could tell she was getting close to the breaking point.

   “Just tell her,” I offered quietly.

   “Tell me what? You're starting to worry me sweetie...” Usagi slowly turned and faced the woman, taking several deep breaths before she started.

   “This baby is ours... Rei-chan is the only person I've ever slept with,” she said slowly.

   “But that's...”

   “Please just let me talk mom, you have no idea how hard this is for me!” The woman nodded, looking a little stunned at the serious tone in her daughter's voice. “It's something I've kept from you for several years now, a secret that me, Rei-chan, and our friends have had to keep from everybody because knowing it would have put you in danger...” I was holding my breath as she spoke, waiting to step in just in case she faltered. “It's something... so unbelievable but you have to trust me... you have to take me seriously. Can you promise me you will?”

   “I promise sweetheart. You can tell me anything,” the woman said firmly, clearly taken in by her normally flighty daughter's resolve.

   “You see... all of us... we're really...” she paused, a look of horror flashing across her face as she turned to face me. I cursed inwardly, having thought she was going to be able to do it on her own. “Rei-chan... we have a problem here...” she groaned and clutched at her belly. Disappointment quickly turned to worry and I rushed to her side, joined instantly by her mother. The second my fingers made contact with hers our fukus erupted around us, hers in swirl of rainbow colored light and mine in a whorl of flame. Mrs. Tsukino suddenly straightened up and tapped at her chin with a finger for a moment.

   “Ah, so you and your friends are the Senshi...” she said thoughtfully, just before her eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed flat on her back.

   “Make that two problems... the baby... she's coming!”

The completed circle...

   “Well, since you're not answering I'm guessing you've already gone off to bed. I wish I didn't have to tell you like this but... congratulations Great Grandpa! Well, probably by the time you hear this anyway, they told us it's going to start any minute now so this is likely the last time I'll have free for the next... 18 or so years of my life!” I said with a laugh. “We really wish you could have been here, we were going to ask you to bless the baby but I guess it'll have to wait until tomorrow. Oh! It looks like they're calling for me so I have to go soon. I just... I wanted to tell you that I'm so grateful for you always being there for me, I can't even imagine what my life would have been like had you not been there to take care of me. I love you grandpa...” Sighing, I flipped my communicator closed.

   “So it's true...” Every muscle in my body clenched tight as I turned to see Mr. Tsukino standing in the hallway. My eyes narrowed.

   “You have some nerve showing your face around here,” I said evenly.

   “I know I don't have any right after the way I disgraced myself but...” with a pained look he lowered himself to his knees and bowed low to the ground in front of me.

   “You know, I actually used to look up to you. I admired you as the competent father I never got to have... but it doesn't matter anymore. You're begging forgiveness from the wrong person, I don't care about you one way or the other... but Usagi does.” He cringed at the mention of her name. “That's right, your beautiful, absolutely perfect daughter that you treated like garbage still has a place for you in that all forgiving heart of hers. She's the one you need to seek forgiveness from... but not today... this is our day. You can find us at the shrine once things have settled down.” With that, I turned around and walked away.

“I love you grandpa...” came Rei's last words followed by the beep of the answering machine. The old man smiled as he replayed the message a third time, tears sparkling in his eyes.

“Such a sweet child...” he whispered to himself, a surge of pride swelling through him at the thought of helping raise such a strong young woman. He took a long slow walk around the living room, stopping to gaze at each of the pictures adorning the wall. He took his time when he reached the photo of his daughter holding Rei on the day she was born, so proud of the little miracle she'd produced. “For good reason too!” he chuckled. He then made his way to the newer photos, laughing outright at the photo of him and Usagi passed out amidst a pile of junk food wrappers. Then finally, to a picture he'd snapped of Rei holding her lover from behind as they gazed out the window in their room. “Made this tired old man's day when you finally opened your hearts to each other...” he said, letting out a tired sigh as he rubbed the tears from his eyes and left the room to get ready for bed.

   “Rei! I've been calling you for five minutes, do you want this baby or not?!” Dr. Mizuno scolded when I finally arrived at the room. I quickly donned a hospital gown over my fuku and stripped off my gloves to wash my hands.

   “Grandpa?” Usagi gasped as another contraction seized her body. I shook my head sadly as I walked over to her and kissed her forehead.

   “No answer, but I left a message,” I said, taking her hand in mine.

   “That's too... oh god this hurts!”

   “How far along is she?” I asked, grimacing as my hand was practically crushed as another contraction tore through her. A quick look between Usagi's propped up legs brought a smile to the doctors face.

   “From the looks of things she's ready to come out! How about you two, you ready to become mommies?”

   “Yes! Yes! Damn it! Now get on with it!” Usagi shrieked. We groaned in unison as another contraction hit her and was transferred into me through our clasped hands. After it passed, however, I was met with an odd warmth in my fingers that was quickly spreading down my hand and into my arm.

   “Usa... do you feel that?”

Hisame sat in front of the alter gazing at two sets of flames, one beginning to dwindle while the other blazed ever brighter. A sad smile formed on her face, knowing that things must end just as they must begin anew.

   “The little person shredding my insides as she tries to claw her way out? Yeah, I freaking think I feel it!” she shouted, glaring at me through her pain filled haze.

   “She's crowning, go ahead and give me a big push.”

   “Ow ow ow ow ow!” she groaned as she made the attempt. I could feel it. I could feel her pain deep down in the pit of my stomach. “Rei, it hurts! It hurts so much and it's all your fault!” I smiled, tears rolling down my cheeks.

   “I know sweetie... but I'm going to help. Focus on me, Usa, I'll share your pain... we'll do this together.”

   “Rei, what are you...” I leaned down and kissed her, pulling away slowly so I held her gaze with my own. As violet locked with crystal blue the connection strengthened and a bond stronger than anything we'd ever felt washed over us. “Rei... how did you...” I shook my head.

   “Give me another big one sweetie, you're doing wonderfully.”

   “I don't know, Usa, but let's not worry about that now... let's have a baby.” With tears to match my own she nodded and with my support, gave another long hard push.

   “I love you so much, Rei...”

   “I love you too, Usa... so much...”

   “One more push should do it...”

And so it was that as the baby girl, so full of wonder and curiosity, opened her eyes for the first time... An old man, content at the end of his many years, closed his for the last...

–

Fin...

[End notes: *sniffs* gods I cried so much writing this chapter! I don't know what compelled me to throw such a tear jerker in at the end but I'm glad I did. It turned out beautifully, don't you think? Please review and tell me what you think!

This chapter probably had the least amount of changes and edits. It was written months after the rest of the story so she'd really been able to improve.

Only one more to go, and it's a doozy. Lots of new content coming in the Epilogue!

Chapter 8

In Her Burning Eyes

Epilogue

Many years later...

   I stared out over the desolate battlefield and grimaced, rubbing at the bandage covering my left eye with the back of my hand. It had been an ugly battle, and in spite of the white flares glowing in the distance, I still felt like we'd lost. There were many that wouldn't be returning with us, I didn't even know how to begin to grieve the loss. I must have been lost in thought because after a time the unmistakable metallic clink of an armored fuku approaching rang in my ears, forcing me to quickly lower my hand.

   “How many times do I have to scold you to stop picking at it?” Makoto asked with a quiet laugh. “You do want them to be able to fix it once we get back, don't you?”

   “This is one war trophy I definitely don't want to keep.”

   “Then knock it off, the Queen did give me permission to bonk you on the head if you were doing something stupid, ya know!” We shared a quiet laugh before settling into a mournful silence. “It's sad... seeing that surrender flare should be the most wonderful thing we've laid eyes on in twenty years but I just feel empty inside...” Makoto trailed off, digging into a pouch to pull out an ancient photograph that modern preservation techniques had only done so much to keep intact.

   “How does she look?” I asked with a chuckle, glancing over at the worn photo of Ami wearing a set of skimpy black lingerie.

   “Better than ever! How about yours?” she shot back. I opened the locket around my neck to look over the pictures of my wife and daughter.

   “I miss them so much...” I said, my voice wavering.

   “Me too... so what do you say we get off of this rock and get back home to them, eh?” she asked with a broad grin.

   “That sounds pretty damn good if you ask me! The message from last week says Chibi-chan just got back from her latest trip to the past and I'm just dying to hear all about it!”

   “Oh and Rei... I just wanted to say thank you for... you know, not giving in to me. I never would have forgiven myself...”

   “Hey, twenty years is a long time to avoid getting lonely, and I'm sure you'd have done the same for me.”

   “Actually...” she started with a dopey grin, I rolled my eye.

   “Oh shut up and let's get home to our girls!”

   I pushed my way through the throng of reporters, well wishers, guards, and anybody else that had the nerve to stand in my way. I could feel them, even after twenty years their presence was unmistakable. My only pause on my way to the throne room was to pay my respects at grandpa's shrine, the old man's smiling picture acting like a balm on my tired soul. Finished, I made my way past another flurry of maids and advisors and at last pushed open the door to the great hall... only to be sent flying backwards as seventy-five pounds of pink haired love dove into my arms.

   “Papa-chan! I've missed you so dang much! I got to spend time with you in the past so it wasn't as bad but I was still so so sad to not have you around! Oh! I have so many things to tell you about! Just the other day I...” The girl launched into her story, barely pausing to take a breath as she told me about all the memorable things I'd missed. I listened with utter content as one of the two missing pieces of my heart wormed it's way back into place.

   “I've missed you too, sweetie... more than words can say,” I whispered, my hand reaching out on reflex to pinch her cheek and tousle her hair.

   “Gah, you did that in the past too! Even before you knew you were my papa!” I laughed and pulled her close into a warm hug.

   “How could I not? You're the cutest thing ever! Now... where's that mother of yours?” With a grin she took my hand and pulled me towards the council room, stopping just short to bring a finger to her lips.

   “You have to be quiet, we didn't tell her you were coming in today so it could be a big surprise,” she giggled, grinning mischievously. She opened the door a crack and peeked in, nodding to herself before she walked around behind me and shoved me through the door. Stumbling to catch my footing, I found myself standing right behind her, close enough to smell that glorious scent that could only belong to her. The throng of councilors she was addressing all froze in place and Usagi, slowly, began to turn...

   “What is the meaning of... Rei-chan!” she shrieked, dropping all pretense as she, much like our daughter, dove into my arms. Before I'd even stumbled back against the door I'd practically been smothered with kisses. “All of you, thank you for your time but kindly get the hell out!” she called over her shoulder, returning to her attempts to kiss me half to death.

   “But my lady, we still have...” she turned and shot them all a glare so foul that the room was empty within seconds.

   “All these years and you're still such a lousy Queen,” I said, smiling as she turned to stick her tongue out at me.

   “You're one to talk, gallivanting around the universe on some pleasure cruise. Leaving your sweet, beautiful, and still in great shape after so many years, wife all alone.” I put my hands on her slender waist and squeezed.

   “True, round is a pretty great shape at times.” She managed to grin and glare at me at the same time as she slapped me on the arm and turned around with a huff. I slipped my arms around her waist and rested my chin in the crook of her neck.

   “You never told me about your eye...” she whispered.

   “Didn't want you to worry, it's not permanent.”

   “How are things with Makoto?” she asked, I couldn't help but pick up on the hint of irritation lacing her voice.

   “No hard feelings... and I don't want any from you either. It was hell out there... I really can't blame her.”

   “You're amazing Rei-chan... all that ways away and you could still make a girl feel special. You do know I wouldn't have been mad if you'd gone through with it though, right?”

   “Liar.”

   “Okay I would have, but I would have forgiven you eventually!” she said, I could tell she was smiling.

   “Really? I could call her up now if...”

   “Rei-chan!” she shouted, pinching my forearm.

   “Okay, okay, no sex with the others, got it.” We shared a quiet laugh before she turned around in my arms and rested her cheek against my shoulder. We stood for several minutes, relishing in the contact we'd been denied for so long.

   “I've missed you fire-hime...”

   “I've missed you too bunny-chan...” She lifted her head from my shoulder and placed a tender kiss on my lips before pulling away and proceeding to drag me out the door and into the main corridor.

   “Rei-chan... do you remember what we talked about right before you left?”

   “Of course I do, Usa... I've thought about it every day since. It would be wonderful if we could...”

   “So you still want to?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder with eyes brimming with hope.

   “Of course, Usa, we'll try no matter how many times it takes!”

   “Good! Then let's get you to medical, can't have you looking all scraggly if you're going to be a mother!” I froze in place, almost pulling her off balance.

   “What do you...” she silenced me with a kiss.

   “Well, Puu-chan... well, I guess it was future Puu-chan, managed to figure out the trick to it! That's what she left to figure out all those years ago! And there's already been a success!” she squealed happily.

   “You don't mean... wow! So who's the lucky...” before I could ask, the unmistakable banter of Haruka and Michiru came from the other side of the door. “You're kidding me?!” Usagi giggled and nodded her head. “Ha! I guess Haruka didn't escape the horrors of living with a preggo after all!” I said, nearly doubling over with laughter.

   “Um... not quite...” Usagi started, only to be cut off by someone shouting from inside.

   “Onions?! You know onions make me sick! You're trying to make me sick, aren't you?! You hate me now that I'm all fat and gross!” An extremely frazzled looking Michiru stumbling out into the hall and leaned against the wall in exasperation.

   “I'll make you another one... um... sweetums. I'm so sorry!” she shouted back into the room. She let out a long sigh before looking up and finally noticing us standing there. Eyes going wide she rose up quickly and tried to make herself look more presentable.

   “Rei! It's so good to...” she was cut off by the doors being thrust open once more, a comically pregnant Haruka waddling through them.

   “Michi-chan, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to say those... Rei!” she squeaked, bustling over to wrap me up in a hug.

   “Oh, you have got to be kidding me!”

   “Feels so good to be home, seeing all the girls and this old palace is like a breath of fresh air! And pregnant Haruka... I never would have imagined!” I said once the doors of our bedroom had closed. Usagi merely laughed as she flitted off to the closet to change out of her dress. A hint of nostalgia managed to work it's way into my heart as I looked around the room. After twenty years in a combat tent the room was like paradise. Scratch that, the nude and stunningly beautiful Usagi approaching me was paradise. I leaned forward to kiss her but was stopped by a finger pressed to my lips.

   “Let's take a bath first, you know I like to look you over when you get back,” she said quietly, dragging her fingertip down my lips as she turned and made her way to the bathroom, swaying her hips the whole way. Grinning, I started undoing my top only to spin on reflex as the doors burst open, a pink haired missile firing itself right into my gut.

   “Hey Chibi-chan,” I grunted as air slowly returned to my lungs.

   “Alright, Papa-chan, time for you to talk!” she said seriously, pulling a small recording device from her pocket.

   “What's all this about?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

   “I need your stories for the CT Tribune, silly!”

   “Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that! You still posting all the awesome mysteries you uncovered and... the... things... where...” Coherent thought ground to a halt as Usagi exited the bathroom wearing nothing but some conveniently placed bubbles. Chibi-chan turned and bolted to her feet, hands at her sides balling up into fists.

   “Mama! You promised you wouldn't take her to do sex stuff until after I got my stories!” Usagi, seemingly forgetting her own nudity, put her hands on her hips and gave a haughty laugh.

   “Sorry, short stuff, you were too late! You can do your little article thing tomorrow, she's all mine!”

   “No way, you bimbo! I had dibs!” Chibi-Usa shouted back, sticking her tongue out at the woman with Usagi following suit.

   “You two are totally mother and daughter!” I said, unable to keep from laughing.

   “You stay out of this!” they shouted, turning in unison to glare daggers at me.

   “Yes, girls...” I murmured obediently, sitting down on the edge of the bed to watch the ensuing argument. It was definitely good to be home...

–

“Okay, Usa, what's so important that I had to come to the Grand Hall at this ungodly hour?” I asked in a voice that implied no mystery, knowing full well what what I was walking into. Makoto, who had also been roped in by Usagi, merely giggled as we were led into the darkened room.

“SURPRISE!” all the girls shouted in unison as the lights flicked on, well, all except Haruka who was already wolfing down a piece of cake and Setsuna who hadn't yet arrived. Even without there being any real surprise I found myself wiping tears from my eyes as I looked around the heavily decorated room. The massive 'Welcome Home!' banner in particular got the emotions flowing because seeing all of their smiling faces... that's exactly how I felt...

–

   For nearly twenty years I'd dreamed about this moment... and the sheer joy I felt from seeing all my favorite girls again certainly didn't disappoint.

   Michiru and Haruka were positively glowing as they mingled with the others. The proud mom-to-be was even wearing a gown that only served to enhance the look of her pregnancy, making it obvious that no matter how much she complained about it, she was simply overjoyed to have the little one growing inside of her. The most heartwarming moment of the night was her and Michiru telling me that their only regret about the whole thing was that I hadn't been here to share in their miracle as they had been to share in ours. The two of them were the first to retire from the gathering, Haruka complaining that her feet hurt and we would all be here to adore her and nuzzle her belly tomorrow.

   Ami and Makoto never left each others sides for a moment. Much like Usagi and I they seemed to have decided to make for lost time by never losing any more again. The blue haired genius's eyes were filled with tears as she embraced me and thanked me for taking care of her Mako-chan for all the years we were gone and bringing her back safe and sound. She also, much to my overwhelming joy, scheduled Usagi and I for an appointment to begin the process of safely impregnating me with Usagi's baby. For the rest of the night after that I could feel both my and Usagi's hands subconsciously finding their way to my belly, sheer joy coursing through us from what was soon to be. They were the second pair to leave in spite of the party being for Makoto as well. They didn't really give a reason for going so soon, but then again, we really didn't need one.

   Minako and Hotaru, I have to say, had changed more than anyone in my absence. The normally flighty blonde, while still being the life of the party, had a sort of serious edge in her eyes whenever they found their way to her dark haired lover. When I managed to get her alone for a moment she confessed that she was considering asking Hotaru if she was ready to have a baby but had yet to work up the courage. I couldn't help but laugh as she described the times she'd hinted at the idea subtly to Haruka and Michiru only to get a swarm of 'We're too young to be grandmothers!' type comments. Hotaru herself was no longer the pale, introverted young girl from my memories. There was a dazzling new light in her eyes as she happily relayed to me and Usagi that she thought Minako would want a baby soon and had already secretly gotten the blessing of both of her mothers. The two of them were the third pair to go, Minako claiming in true Minako fashion that they were going to find some quiet corner of the castle and make it not-so-quiet, leaving only me, Usagi, and Chibi-Usa in the massive hall.

   “Oh... this was so sweet...” I sniffed, feeling Usagi's arm wrap around my waist and her head fall on my shoulder.

   “I wasn't the only one that missed you, ya know. They said they wanted to do this right after you got back but figured you'd want some quality time with me and Chibi-chan first.” Usagi said with a little laugh.

   “Our friends are the best!” I said happily, leaning my cheek against the top of Usagi's head.

   “It's not fair...” I heard Chibi-Usa whisper. I turned to see her staring at the door Minako and Hotaru had just exited through and smiled sadly, realizing that the adorable little thing was jealous. With that realization came the surprise that I'd actually become old enough to really have to worry about such things.

   “Well, I think it's way past the time I be getting to bed, you know, just fought a war and all that,” I said, standing and helping Usagi to her feet before turning to the still-pouting little girl. “You wanna spend the night with us, Chibi-chan? It's been way too long since I had a sleepover with both my girls!” Despite the anxious look in her eyes she shook her head defiantly.

   “I'm too old for sleepovers Papa-chan! But...” she lamented, standing up to take one of my hands, “I guess I could walk you and Mama to your room...”

   “That's very mature of you sweetheart,” I said quietly, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. I looked over to see Usagi watching with tears in her eyes and stood to place a quick kiss on her lips before taking one of her hands with my free one. “Lead the way, Chibi-chan...

–

   “Puu-chan!” Chibi-Usa shouted upon opening the door to our room. I looked up in surprise to see the woman standing just inside the doorway, a wide grin on her face.

   “Hello, Rei-chan, it's so good to see you back safe and sound.”

   “Well hello there stranger, too good to come to the party?” I asked, sticking my tongue out at the woman.

   “You know I was never one for parties in the past,” she said, a little hint of that all knowing smirk of hers finding its way to her lips.

   “So what brings ya here, Puu-chan?” Chibi-Usa asked excitedly. The woman bent down to look at the girl with adoring eyes.

   “I actually came here to ask you for a favor, Small Lady.”

   “Me?” I felt Usagi's hand tighten slightly in my own.

   “You see, I was wondering if you could go back to the past and keep Hotaru company for a little while I'm busy. Do you think you could do that for me? I know you just got back and want to spend time with your papa but I'm sure Hotaru would really appreciate it.” That last little bit got the girl's attention and she instantly spun to face Usagi and me with puppy dog eyes at maximum power.

   “Of course you can go, sweetheart, like she said, it's only for a few days. I'll make sure we can spend tons of time together when you come back.” The pink haired missile fired into my stomach once again as she attempted to squeeze all of her love into me.

   “You're the best, Papa-chan! I love you so much and I'll miss you a bunch even with past you around!”

   “I love you too, Chibi-chan...” I whispered, my eyes never leaving Setsuna as Chibi-Usa hugged Usagi goodbye as well and then stepped over to the woman. The Senshi of Time snapped her fingers to make a swirling portal appear and then bent down to bring herself to eye level.

   “Now, just so you know, your mama and papa are going to be getting really close to each other at this time so be extra careful about what you say. Past me will also find you and explain something to you eventually so be sure to do as she says. Okay?”

   “Okay, Puu-chan!” the girl said with a nod, then turned to wave goodbye to Usagi and me before stepping into the portal which closed behind her.

   “Starting to get close to each other... you don't mean...” The woman laughed.

   “She should be interrupting what would have been your first kiss right about now.” I turned to Usagi who was blushing furiously.

   “You were gonna kiss me after that little confession Chibi-Usa interrupted?!”

   “Maybe...” Usagi said with a little grin. I turned to look at Setsuna suspiciously.

   “Why...” The woman held up a hand to stop me.

   “It was my guess that you wouldn't have wanted to wait another year for the two of you to work everything out and get together. Right?” she asked, the smirk reappearing in full force.

   “I guess I should be grateful then that you're so nosy!” I said with a laugh, only to feel Usagi's hand tighten in mine once more.

   “Um... not that it's not always good to see you Setsuna... but why are you here?” Usagi asked nervously.

   “Usa! That's not very...”

   “Oh don't worry, Rei-chan, I'm not offended. And you shouldn't worry either my Queen, I really did just stop in to say hello and welcome back.” Usagi and I both looked at the woman skeptically, nothing Setsuna ever did was so spur of the moment. “Okay, you got me,” she said with a laugh, snapping her fingers again to summon another portal, “I totally wanted to show off my beautiful wife!” I could hear Usagi let out a gasp that mirrored my own as a very tall, poised, and stunningly beautiful pink haired woman walked through the portal.

   “Black Lady! But how...” the woman lifted a hand to her mouth and giggled.

   “Oh Papa-chan, you're always such a goof! And mother, you look absolutely stunning as always!”

   “Ch-Chibi-chan?” Usagi whispered, I didn't even need to look at her face to know there were tears in her eyes. The pink haired woman shared a giggle with Setsuna as the woman came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

   “It's Usagi now where I come from... Usa to some,” she said, interlacing her fingers with Setsuna's and squeezing gently. The smile and tears came all too easily as I took in the beautiful couple the two of them made.

   “So this is why you always seemed so lonely...” Setsuna nodded somberly.

   “Unlike the rest of you, I had to wait a long... long time for my special person to notice me,” she said quietly as the two of them leaned their heads together for a tender moment.

   “Oh... so beautiful!” Usagi wailed as she ran forward to wrap both of them up in her arms. I stood back and watched the spectacle as the tears began to flow. Seeing Setsuna so happy and content in addition to getting to see just how beautiful Chibi-chan would become being too much to keep inside.

   “Easy mother, easy,” the pink haired woman said with a laugh as she gently pushed away from the sobbing blonde. “I can't stay long, but something happened recently and since the two of you were really busy in our time... oh I just couldn't wait to tell you!” she shouted excitedly. Usagi made her way into my arms as the woman exchanged smiles and nods of approval with Setsuna before turning to us, her hands going to the slight swell in her belly that I'd been too stunned to notice before. “You're gonna be grandparents!” Usagi and I went still for a moment, both slowly turning to face each other, nodding, and then turning back to the happy couple.

   “We're too young to be grandmas!” we shouted in unison.

–

   “I just remembered something, Usa...” I whispered as we lay in bed, exhausted from all the happenings of the wonderful day.

   “Hm?” she murmured.

   “You once asked me what it was that had given me hope, and I never got the chance to answer you. It was her eyes... Every time I looked into her eyes I saw so much of myself reflected in them. It was our daughter's eyes that gave me hope...” Usagi pressed her head to my chest as she began to tremble with held in giggles. “What's so funny?”

   “It's just funny you should say something like that because back then I always saw my hope for a happy future right there in front of me... deep down inside your beautiful... burning eyes...”

Awww, I feel kind of sad, this story was like my baby in the writing world. But I'm still relieved, it was a hell of a journey, frustrating at times, but I'm glad I chose to make it.

Special thanks to my lover for helping inspire so much of Rei and Usagi's sweet mannerisms and for supporting me through the writing process.

Special thanks to my lover and my little ones for being so sweet and adorable and cheering me on every time I finished a chapter or got a review (so cute!)

And super special thanks to all you readers for experiencing this wonderful story with me! Please drop me a review and tell me what you think, what it made you feel, or even what you think could be improved. I'd love to hear from you! Thanks in advance to any of you who choose to do so!

I've never felt closer to Kasumi's writing than I do as I post this... it's such an incredible feeling. Please, if you review only one of the stories I post, let it be this one. It would be really sweet if you'd share your experiences with this story or any of her writing. I would love to hear them.

Story: In Her Burning Eyes (V2) (all chapters)

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8