Now I have to write for the other Sailor Senshi. I hope I stay in character enough; it's been awhile since I saw BSSM and my memories may have been corrupted by watching the dub. What Rei does at the shrine with the fire is called fire reading right? I'm not very familiar with the Shinto religion... And finally, prepare for shoujo-ai goodness from here on out... yay! ^_^ - Kirika ****** Sailor Mars knelt down to Sailor Moon and wrapped her arms around her neck, drawing her into a close embrace. The Moon Princess continued to cry on her bodyguard’s shoulder, crushing Sailor Mars to her tightly as the other Sailor Senshi watched on. Mars' wounds were disturbed, but she was aware of no pain. She stroked Sailor Moon's back softly, comforting her princess. It felt so right, holding her only love in her arms; Mars didn't want the moment to ever end. Sailor Moon pulled gently away from Sailor Mars, looking into her tear-filled lavender eyes with blue eyes equally full. She reached a shaky hand up to Mars' face and tentatively touched her cheek with her fingertips. "I-Is it... is it really you...?" Sailor Moon asked in a small voice, as if she were afraid of the answer, while tears still fell from her eyes. Sailor Mars gave her princess a small smile. "Who else would I be, odango atama?" she said quietly. Hearing Mars call her by her nickname caused Sailor Moon to squeeze the Fire Senshi into a tight hug again with a sob, fresh tears springing to her eyes. "It's alright," murmured Sailor Mars soothingly, "I'll never leave you again..." Mars carefully stood, bringing Sailor Moon up with her. She couldn't stop smiling; a slight grin was plastered permanently to her face. Sailor Mars felt like it had been so long since she had genuinely smiled, not to taunt an enemy or in bitterness, but because she was actually happy. Sailor Moon released Sailor Mars from her arms and then attached herself firmly onto one of the raven-haired girl’s own with both hands, before proceeding to simply gaze at her face intently, a smile mirroring Mars' curving her mouth. It would have made Sailor Mars uncomfortable if someone else had looked at her that way, but this was her princess... all the miko could do was stare back, the small smile still gracing her lips. Sailor Mars turned her head towards the other Sailor Senshi as they approached. All three looked fairly wide-eyed and astonished. Mars was caught off guard as Sailor Jupiter suddenly delivered a stinging slap to her face, wiping her smile away. "Makoto!" cried Sailor Moon, looking at the brunette in shock. "You were alive?! All this time and you were alive?! Do you have any idea what it was like, thinking that you were dead?? DO YOU?!!" Jupiter screamed in anger, her hands clenched into fists by her sides, trembling with fury. Sailor Mars kept her head lowered to the side where the impact of the slap had pushed it. Her face throbbed rather painfully, but she endured the pain like all the others she had suffered. "We even had a funeral for you! You should have seen the state everyone was in! Your friends, your family!!” Sailor Jupiter raged on, before stabbing a pointed finger in Sailor Moon’s direction, the blonde now clinging even more strongly to Mars as her friend ranted and raved. “And look what you've put Usagi through; she cried for days afterwards, DAYS!! And you couldn't even tell us that you were okay, that you were alive?! You, you..." Jupiter trailed off and turned her head away as words failed her, tears brimming in her eyes. Sailor Mercury put a comforting hand on Jupiter's shoulder and squeezed slightly. The tall girl let out a breath slowly and unclenched her fists, but her face was still red with anger. "What she means is; why have you been away for so long? And why didn't you feel that you could contact us to say that you were alright?" reiterated Mercury in a much calmer tone than her friend. "It's... it's complicated..." Mars mumbled lamely, her head still lowered. "These things always are," remarked Sailor Uranus, who then sighed and rubbed one of her temples briefly. "We shouldn't talk about it here. Jupiter?" Uranus turned her head to look at Sailor Jupiter expectantly. The brunette nodded to the woman. "We should go back to my place. It’s where we meet now after you..." Sailor Jupiter trailed off again and began to walk away, shaking her head. Sailor Mars raised her head and met Sailor Mercury's gaze. She smiled fondly at Mars. "I'm glad you're alright," she said, and then quickly followed after Jupiter, most likely to find a place to detransform with her. "I am too," said Uranus. "It'll be good to have another Sailor Senshi to help out. Things have been... bad... lately." A shadow passed over her eyes, the Outer Senshi no doubt recalling unpleasant memories. Sailor Uranus turned around and walked towards a dense patch of trees, most likely to detransform herself, leaving Sailor Mars alone with her princess. The Fire Senshi’s smile quickly returned as she looked at Sailor Moon, who still held tightly onto her arm. "Come on, odango atama, we don't want to be left behind," Mars prompted gently. Sailor Moon merely nodded and then resumed staring at Sailor Mars, as if the girl would disappear if she even blinked. Mars manoeuvred her love towards some trees and detransformed, as did the blonde. Usagi looked at the coat Rei was now wearing and raised her eyebrows. Rei blushed faintly; she had forgot she had worn it. It wasn't her usual style of clothes but she had gotten used to wearing the black duster back in Yokohama. "It suits you," said Usagi, returning her gaze to Rei's eyes. Rei’s cheeks reddened a bit more. "It was a present," she admitted, a little sheepishly. "A present?" questioned Usagi, tilting her head curiously to one side. "Yeah, I'll tell you about everything when we get to Makoto's," Rei replied. At least, she would tell the blonde *almost* everything. The two girls walked out of the park and met up with their three waiting friends. Haruka raised an eyebrow and smirked when she saw what Rei was wearing. The Senshi of Fire rolled her eyes skywards and felt the blush return. "It was a present!" she explained defensively through clenched teeth. "Right. Well come on 'dark avenger', let’s go," Haruka said, her smirk growing. Rei ignored the blonde's tease and followed behind her, Ami, and Makoto with Usagi. She glanced down to where Ami and Makoto's arms and fingers were intertwined and blinked in mild surprise. The pair had certainly gotten a lot closer since she had been gone. Rei shifted her eyes to where Usagi was latched on to her arm next to her. Although, she supposed it didn’t mean that much. If there was similar youma activity in Tokyo as there had been back in Yokohama, together with the fact that Rei was believed dead, it stood to reason that there would be a little extra camaraderie amongst the other Sailor Senshi. Besides, Ami and Makoto had always been sort of close. Rei walked along the street towards Makoto’s apartment with the other senshi, enjoying the feeling of Usagi hanging onto her arm. If she let her mind wander, she could almost imagine that they were a couple just off on a nightly stroll with their friends. Rei's smile grew at the thought but quickly disappeared as she frowned. The calling she had followed to the park was still present, deep inside of her. Except that it now seemed to have grown a little easier to feel. Instead of a minute tug, it was now a tiny tug. Not much of a change, but a noticeable one to the miko. However, Rei decided to ignore it as she usually did and focused on her fantasy walk with her princess instead. ****** Rei stuffed more cookies into her mouth, eating like Usagi normally did. She had forgotten how good Makoto's cooking was, plus it had been a while since she had last eaten. Setsuna had ordered room service for her back at the hotel in Yokohama, but that had been ages ago. Rei was seated on Makoto's couch in her apartment with Usagi beside her. The odango atama had one arm laced with one of Rei’s, still not letting go, as if Death would take the raven-haired girl away from her again if she did. Of course, Rei didn't mind at all. Usagi smiled broadly at the Fire Senshi as she ate, the action confirming to her that her best friend was indeed alive and well. "Take it easy there, you're eating like the odango atama," said Haruka with a grin from an armchair. "It's just that I haven't eaten in awhile..." replied Rei through a mouthful of cookie before grabbing the last remaining one and taking a healthy bite out of it. "So where have you been?" asked Makoto as she came from the kitchen, putting another plate of cookies down on the coffee table, then sitting next to Ami on the two seater sofa by the couch. "Somewhere important, right? It would have to be if you didn't tell us you were alive, or maybe you just never got around to it?" Makoto went on in a voice gradually filling with more and more sarcasm, obviously still angry with Rei. "Makoto!” Usagi scolded. “It doesn't matter where Rei was or why she never told us she was okay, all that matters is that she is here now and is perfectly fine," the blonde finished in a content sigh, giving the miko the intent look from earlier once again. "Yes, but I'm still curious," Ami said, taking a cookie from the new batch, "you have been gone for quite a long time. You must have been doing something during that period." Rei finished chewing down the last cookie and swallowed. "I was... in Yokohama," she confessed. "Yokohama?" Haruka said. "Why were you there? Did you get amnesia from the building collapsing on you or something?" "Uh... well maybe a little..." Rei lied, improvising with the Outer Senshi’s assumption. "I was... drawn to Yokohama because... um... there were youma there to fight." "Damn it! There are youma everywhere! Now we have Yokohama to clear out as well!" cried Haruka in anger and frustration as she banged a fist on the armrest of her seat. "Its alright, I took care of it," Rei said with a dismissive wave of her hand. Makoto raised a sceptical eyebrow. "You 'took care of it'?" "Sure. I was there at the time, so I thought, 'why not?'" Rei grinned without a hint of modesty, her usual bravado returning. "There are probably some youma left but without their headquarters and most of them destroyed, including the leader, they shouldn't pose too much of a threat. We can just leave them be for now." All the other Sailor Senshi simply stared at the raven-haired girl for several moments, as if not totally believing her claims. "Wow Rei!" exclaimed Usagi in awe, breaking the silence. "You did all that? I knew there was a good reason you didn't tell us you were okay; you were just busy!" She laughed and squeezed Rei's trapped arm tighter. "Yep, piece of cake!" Rei winked at her princess, the multitude of bandages itching under her clothes. There was no need to mention how the battles really went down and unnecessarily worry Usagi. The Fire Senshi’s eyes clouded over for an instant as she remembered the torment she had been through. Ami and Makoto shared a disbelieving look, knowing that Rei sometimes embellished things. "Then why did you come back?" Makoto persisted, interrupting Rei and Usagi's happy moment. She winced slightly as Ami elbowed her lightly in the ribs, but her gaze remained fixed on Rei. Rei blinked stupidly at Makoto while she wracked her brain for a plausible reason. "Uhh... with the youma dealt with, I thought I should come back to Tokyo in case you needed help or anything," she said with a forced smile. "Good call. Yokohama was probably a fun fair compared to this city. We've been fighting a non-stop wave of youma for days now," reported Haruka with a heavy sigh. "Yeah..." said Usagi, coming down from her high, "and now Minako and... a-and Mamoru..." The blonde swallowed hard, and Rei noticed that she was trying to keep tears back. "And Michiru..." Haruka added quietly. A depressing air settled over the other senshi, confusing Rei. "What's going on?" the Senshi of Fire inquired carefully. "The youma... they took Minako and Mamoru last night," said Ami solemnly. "Yeah..." continued Makoto, "it was like they wanted both of them specifically. We tried to stop them of course, but the youma were absolutely determined to get them and brushed off the rest of us. They must have known how important Minako and Mamoru both are." "Michiru's in the hospital," said Haruka without inflection. “...It happened a couple of days ago. Michiru and I had encountered a lone youma... or that was what we had thought. We called for the other senshi anyway, and attacked in the meantime... but it turned out to be an ambush and she was... hurt pretty bad..." The woman cast her eyes downwards, looking at the carpeted floor, remembering. There was an uncomfortable silence once Haruka stopped talking, Rei's friends no doubt recollecting the state Michiru had been in. After a moment, Ami spoke. "We know there is an organization to the youma here in Tokyo. They also have a commander; they must have one to know to capture the leader of the Moon Princess's bodyguard and the prince. The youma we have attempted to interrogate have also alluded to a head figure of sorts." "Who knows what those things are doing to them...?" Usagi whispered. Rei moved her free hand over her princess’s, where it was holding on to her right arm. She rubbed Usagi's hand tenderly in support; feeling her soft, smooth skin beneath her own. "I know who the leader of the youma is, at least, I have a general idea what they will be like," Rei said, returning her gaze to Ami. The blue-haired girl blinked at Rei. "You do?" The miko nodded. "I was... told, that there are three other creatures here in Tokyo like one I faced back in Yokohama. It was some kind of huge demonic looking thing." "And you destroyed it?" asked Haruka. Rei simply nodded once more. "It must have been a tough fight..." Makoto said contemplatively, causing Usagi to look at Rei curiously. Rei cursed inwardly and hoped the blonde odango atama wouldn't press her for details. "But if it's related to the demon back in Yokohama, they might operate the same way," Rei said quickly before Usagi could ask any questions. "The thing I fought, Khairephon, had a main base for his youma and summoned more through 'gates'. I've never actually seen one, but that's probably where all the youma are coming from." "We surmised it was something like that," said Ami thoughtfully, one finger on her chin, her eyes distant, "but we could never find one. Every youma we managed to question seemed unquestionably loyal to their 'mistress', fanatically so." "Yeah... they wouldn't spill no matter what we did to them..." murmured Makoto, causing a sickly expression to pass over Ami and Usagi's faces. Haruka sighed once again and got to her feet. "It's getting late, I should go visit Michiru and tell her that Rei's alive... she'll be glad to hear some good news for once." The woman said her goodbyes and left Makoto's apartment. "Maybe we could get more of an idea of what we are facing through a fire reading," pondered Ami. "W-Well I haven't actually..." Rei began in a stutter. "You haven't even told your Grandpa that you're alright yet?!" cried Makoto before the miko could finish, appalled. "Makoto..." Ami groaned in a long-suffering tone. "Look, I just arrived, alright!?" Rei yelled, her temper finally getting the better of her. "I'll visit the Hikawa Jinja in the morning, will that satisfy you?" "But where will you stay tonight, Rei?" Usagi asked, forestalling a potential shouting match between her two friends. "Don't worry, odango atama, I'm staying at a motel," Rei smiled at her princess, her anger forgotten. "A motel?" questioned Usagi. "Yeah, it's a dump, but it's cheap. I stayed there before when I was waiting to watch my funer-" Rei cut off as she realised what she was saying, but it was too late. Makoto's eyes widened. "WHAT!?" she shrieked incredulously, jumping to her feet. "You actually watched your OWN FUNERAL?! What, did you enjoy watching everyone cry for you? I can't believe this, that's perverse!" Rei leapt to her feet also, causing Usagi's hold on her to break, the Fire Senshi's anger resurfacing. "I was curious, OKAY?!" the fiery girl shouted back. "Who are you to judge what I do anyway?!" Ami pulled on one of Makoto's arms desperately, trying to get her to sit down and control herself. Usagi looked back and forth worriedly between the two arguing Sailors. "I think I'm justified to be pissed off! We all thought you were dead for nearly *two* *whole* *weeks!* And have you even apologised? Of course not! We were all devastated, do you know that?! How heartless can you get?! Do you even care what you put us all through?? What you put Usagi through??" Makoto pointed furiously to the now demure blonde girl sitting on the couch. "Of course I care!" Rei yelled back, suddenly on the defensive. Makoto snorted and folded her arms. "Right. You cared so much that you let us think you were dead. Why the hell did you leave anyway? Do you really think I buy that 'amnesia' story? Why *did* you leave?!" "Makoto, don't..." Ami whispered fervently, her eyes flicking anxiously to Rei. Rei closed her eyes as she remembered why she left; how painful it had been to go, but how even more painful it would have been to stay. Now that Rei had returned to Tokyo and the euphoria of seeing Usagi again had started to wear off, she felt the torture of unrequited love once more. Rei wouldn't abandon her princess ever again, it was clear that the girl needed her protection especially now with what Setsuna had said, but in reality nothing had really changed at all. Rei would still always be alone, looking on as *he* held her only love in his arms. Mamoru. The Fire Senshi felt the forgotten hate ooze back into her heart for the man who had stolen her one true love. The coldness and apathy to all things but one person that Rei had experienced back in Yokohama started to corrupt her heart again, her temper simmering to a constant slow burn, though still capable of flaring periodic spikes of fury. Rei opened her eyes and gave Makoto a cold, dead stare that would have chilled the bravest of souls. "I had my reasons to leave and I don't have to explain them to you. I don't need this," Rei stated clearly and firmly, but without emotion. She grabbed her coat and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door hard behind her with a satisfying bang. The Senshi of Fire’s temper started to boil over as soon as she was out the door and marching down the hallway. Gods! She couldn’t believe Makoto; one would think she would have been happy that her friend was alive! That- "Wait, Rei!" Rei's mental tirade was interrupted by a sweet voice calling her. She stopped stomping down the hall and turned to see Usagi. The blonde ran up to her, still pulling on her jacket. "I'm sorry about Makoto, Rei. She's just upset that you never called or anything. Ami will calm her down. Things have been... tough, recently and everyone is on edge, you know?" Usagi said. Rei felt one side of her mouth pull up into a slight half-smile. Just seeing her princess was enough to cool her temper and warm her heart once again. "Yeah, sure Usagi, it's alright. I'm certain things will be fine between Makoto and I later," she humoured her love. “We just need some time, that’s all.” Usagi surprised Rei by interlocking an arm with hers like before. The miko looked down at their entwined limbs and blushed. She didn't think that her princess would do it again, but definitely wasn't complaining. Rei prayed her hair and high collar of her coat covered her red face and then led Usagi out of Makoto's apartment building. While they walked together, Rei tried to occupy her mind with the problems at hand, anything to stop her doing something she shouldn't to the beautiful girl beside her. She thought about how to rescue Minako and that... man. Unfortunately Mamoru would have to be rescued too, if he was somehow killed Rei's princess might never recover from the loss. "What did you tell Minako's parents?" Rei asked. "Their daughter is missing after all." "We forged a note that said she was staying at a friend’s house. It was all we could think of on such short notice. I'm not sure they totally believed it though..." replied Usagi. "Hmm. The faster we rescue her the better," Rei murmured. "Yeah... and Mamoru..." Usagi added quietly. "Yeah... him too," said Rei, a little coldly. Thankfully Usagi didn't notice. As they walked down the street to the motel, Usagi kept glancing at Rei then looking away quickly. The raven-haired girl found it amusing at first, but then started to wonder if maybe she had something on her face. When she was about to confront Usagi on it, her princess spoke. "Rei? Do you wanna stay at my house tonight?" she nervously blurted. "I mean you just got back after so long and I, well... it's just that I've missed you a lot... thinking that your best friend is dead is not fun." The blonde gave a strained chuckle. "Want to make sure I'm not a ghost that will disappear in the morning, huh?" smirked Rei. Usagi blushed prettily. "I know it's stupid... but I feel if I let you out of my sight I'll wake up in my bed, realising that this was all just a cruel dream... that you're really still... gone..." She looked down at the footpath, her eyes becoming misty. Rei thought carefully about her princess's suggestion. It probably wasn’t a good idea. What if Usagi wanted Rei to sleep next to her and the miko got one of those... good... dreams? She might grab her love in an intimate way by mistake or something. Then Usagi would really freak. But then again, how was Rei supposed to protect her otherwise during the night and who knew when the 'moment' Setsuna talked about would occur? Usagi could get attacked when she's asleep... the youma could find out she is Sailor Moon and where she lived... yes, sure they could. Yes, it was Rei’s duty to sleep- stay with Usagi. Rei felt a blush of her own coming on. She knew that her reasoning was pretty weak, but she truly didn't care. "Sure, odango atama," Rei said cheerfully, "I'll stay at your house tonight. We just have to get my things from the motel." Usagi gazed at Rei with sparkling blue eyes. Rei tried her best not to get lost in them. "Great, Rei! Thanks! And don't worry about my parents seeing you, I'll sneak you in if you want!" Usagi grinned enthusiastically. Rei returned Usagi's grin with one of her own. Feeling the comforting grip of her princess’s hands on her arm, the Fire Senshi continued walking with the blonde to the motel. This protecting thing certainly had its perks. Rei’s blissful grin stayed on her features all the way to the motel and to Usagi’s house. ****** It was quite late by the time Rei and Usagi arrived at the Tsukino residence, which was a good thing because the blonde’s parents and brother, Shingo, would be asleep. The two snuck into the dark, quiet house and made their way to the Usagi's room, being careful not to wake Luna just yet. They could deal with the feline in the morning. Rei asked if she could use the shower and her princess readily agreed. While Rei was in the bathroom, Usagi got out a futon, pillow, and blankets for her best friend plus grabbed something more substantial than cookies from the fridge for the miko to eat. Rei carefully washed all her wounds and changed her bandages using the medical supplies she kept in her bag. She made sure to wear bedclothes that covered most of her body. While having Usagi fret over her substantially injured form would probably be enjoyable, Rei didn't want her love to worry. Rei was disappointed but also relieved when she saw the futon prepared for her beside Usagi's bed. It was probably for the best anyway. Once Rei had eaten the meal her princess had prepared for her, both girls settled down in their respective beds. Usagi switched off her bedside lamp. "Rei...? You never said who gave you your coat," Usagi said into the darkness. "Oh... it was just from some guy I saved in Yokohama. He was my neighbour in the apartment building where I stayed," explained Rei, yawning. Usagi remained quiet for a while then spoke once more. "Rei? ...You'll be here when I wake up, won't you?" she whispered, her voice thick. Rei gave a small smile into the dark and whispered back, "Always..." ****** To be continued... Author's ramblings: I decided to keep Rei's brooding dark side around. Everything would be too happy happy if I didn't. Plus mixing it with her hate for Mamoru will be fun. ^_^
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