I wasn't sure what if the fire Rei mediates in front of has a special name. So I called it a fire. But capitalised. LOL. If anybody knows if it has a special name please tell me. - Kirika ****** Sailor Venus knelt on the richly carpeted floor with her arms and legs in shackles. She had certainly been in better situations. Venus looked to her left where Tuxedo Kamen was in a similar condition, his mask and hat removed. It was time for another 'session'. The pink clad woman strolling in front of Sailor Venus and Tuxedo Kamen had introduced herself as Laodameia shortly after the both of them had returned to consciousness, locked in chains. Venus' head still ached where she had been struck during her battle with a company of youma the night before, but surprisingly, her injuries had all been cared for with great delicacy just as Tuxedo Kamen's had been. Yes, at least Laodameia had healted them both. Someone who did that couldn’t be all that- Venus scowled hard and clamped down on the thought. She had learnt that those kinds of musings could be extremely dangerous. It was obvious that Laodameia was the leader of the youma the Sailor Senshi had been fighting, even though her entourage appeared to be human. She simply knew too much about what was going on. And she also had powers. Venus could hear the whispers in her mind just like in all the other sessions with Laodameia, all saying different things but with the same undertone: give in and worship. The longhaired blonde took a slow deep breath and concentrated on the image of an impenetrable steel wall in her mind. Sailor Venus' eyes followed Laodameia as she walked gracefully back and forth, admiring her prisoners. Venus really, really disliked that woman, if that was what she even was. While she had to admit that Laodameia was absolutely gorgeous, Venus now truly understood the meaning of one of the only sayings she knew correctly; 'beauty is only skin deep', first hand. Laodameia hadn’t even asked Sailor Venus or Tuxedo Kamen any questions about the Sailor Senshi, despite both of their status in the group. But Venus guessed that the pink nightmare could ask any questions she wished and get truthful answers once she was done brainwashing her two prizes. Sailor Venus looked back at Tuxedo Kamen. He was holding up pretty well so far; Venus could see his jaw moving as he ground his teeth, the determination not to falter in his eyes. But then he had experience in brainwashing during his time with Beryl of the Dark Kingdom. Tuxedo Kamen even had something to hold on to, an anchor for his will: the princess, Usagi. Who did Sailor Venus have to focus her mind onto? The Moon Princess? Duty was no substitute for love. Laodameia stopped in front of Venus and bent elegantly downwards, cupping the blonde's face with one satin-smooth hand. With her free hand she ran one finger down Sailor Venus' cheek, smiling seductively. The Senshi of Love was distantly aware of a shorthaired brunette woman frown in the background, looking at Venus with hatred and...something else. Sailor Venus could hear the whispers getting more prominent in her mind as Laodameia continued to stroke her cheek, the woman’s coy yet alluring smile seeming to melt the tension from her muscles. She focused harder on the steel wall. The youma leader tilted her head to the side, and Venus could almost hear the creature's sweet, melodious voice inside her head. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. It was like everyone had somebody special in their lives but Venus, someone to hold them, comfort them... love them. She was so tired of just fighting all the time; she had been fighting nearly her whole young life. When would the Senshi of Love find her prince? Sailor Venus’ blue eyes glazed over as she looked at the pink-haired goddess before her. It didn't even have to be a prince... Laodameia really was a beautiful woman; even her eyes were a lovely shade of pink... "Sailor Venus, resist!" Venus shook her head clear of the thoughts and roughly broke Laodameia's grip on her face, Tuxedo Kamen's voice bringing her back to reality. She desperately refocused her mind on the steel wall image again. Laodameia's smile fell and she stood up, placing her hands on her hips. The brunette woman in the background smiled slightly. "You can't keep this up forever," Laodameia said, somewhat impatiently. "All your resistance only delays the inevitable. You will be mine eventually, mind...” She smirked suggestively, her gaze raking over both Tuxedo Kamen and Sailor Venus’ kneeling forms. “...And body," she finished, licking her luscious lips lecherously. "Never... you'll have to kill us first!" Tuxedo Kamen spat defiantly. "That can be arranged!" sneered the brunette woman, glaring at the prince. Laodameia held up a delicate hand, silencing the woman. She let out a small, polite sigh. "I really thought this would go better... I might have to make do with just one new pet," she said, disappointed. Laodameia looked down at Sailor Venus and gave her that seductive smile again. Venus shivered in disgust. They had to find a way to escape, and soon... Sailor Venus was starting to enjoy the scent of Laodameia's perfume... ****** Rei eyes snapped open as something landed on her chest. She sat up quickly, half expecting some horrible youma in Usagi's bedroom, about to attack her princess. "Rei! It really is you!" Luna exclaimed from the miko’s lap, having fallen off Rei's chest with the girl’s abrupt movement. Rei rubbed her crusty sleep-filled eyes for a second and then looked down at the cat. "Yes, it's me... back from the dead," she said without much feeling. "It is so good to see you again; where have you been? We all thought you had died in that building a fortnight ago," the black cat questioned. "Well I didn't. I've been killing youma in Yokohama," Rei said simply and began to stand up. Luna leapt off Rei's lap and onto the floor as the Fire Senshi got to her feet and stretched. Rei was aware of her right shoulder still being a little stiff after it had been dislocated a few nights back. But it was just one of many old wounds. "Youma have appeared in Yokohama?" Luna asked, quite alarmed. "That's what I said. Don't worry though, they're all dead," Rei said absently, distracted by a soundly sleeping Usagi. The raven-haired girl gazed upon her princess as she slept, her chest rising and falling slowly. She looked so... innocent, and peaceful... and of course, beautiful. Rei felt her lips curve into a smile. She wondered what Usagi would do if she woke her up with a kiss. It *was* the traditional way to wake a snoozing princess... Rei imagined a fairytale outcome. Rei, the prince, would bend down, placing a light kiss on the sleeping princess’s soft lips, waking her from her slumber. Then, the princess would kiss back the prince passionately, confirming her undying love for the prince and sealing their lives together for- "All dead? All the youma were destroyed?" Rei's daydreams were rudely interrupted by Luna's voice. "Yes," stated Rei, starting to get irritated. "Why don't you go and tell Artemis I'm alive or something; he doesn't know yet." Luna, picking up on Rei's mood, decided maybe that was a good idea. She bounded up onto the bedroom window ledge and after a glance back to the miko, leapt out the window. Rei breathed a sigh of satisfaction and then returned to watching Usagi sleep. She frowned as she noticed that her princess was somewhat restless; her eyes were moving beneath her eyelids and the occasional mumble escaped her throat. Rei sat down on the edge of Usagi's bed and leaned down, her face coming closer and closer to the blonde’s. Just when their lips would have met, the Fire Senshi turned her head and whispered in Usagi's ear. "Usagi... wake up..." Usagi squirmed in her bed but remained asleep. Rei whispered again and gently shook her princess awake, breaking Morpheus' grip on the girl. Usagi's eyes fluttered open and focused on Rei's features close in front of her. "Rei..." she whispered. "Were you expecting somebody else?" Rei said playfully. Usagi gave Rei a rather forced smile. "Maybe... bad dreams... no, bad memories more like. But at least one dream turns out all right in the end," Usagi said softly, a lone tear trickling out of one blue eye as she gazed up at her best friend. Rei caught the teardrop with a finger as it rolled down her love's cheek and wiped it away delicately, enjoying the feel of Usagi's silky skin. "I'll get them both back... I'll get your prince back," swore Rei. "...For you," she finished, the slight, meaningful pause not entirely picked up by the recently awakened princess. "Thank you, Rei..." whispered Usagi, staring into her bodyguard's lavender eyes. Rei was suddenly acutely aware of how close they were together. She could feel her princess’s breath tickling her face. Rei held Usagi's stare, gazing into her lovely blue eyes. All Rei had to do was lean forward just a little bit more... "Rei! You're here! Haruka told me and Hotaru that you were back, but I didn't really believe her!" exclaimed Chibi-Usa as she banged open Usagi's bedroom door, ruining the moment. Rei cursed inwardly and sat up on the bed, turning to face the pink-haired girl. As the Senshi of Fire looked at Chibi-Usa, any lingering hope for Usagi returning her feelings that had been rekindled a moment ago were ruthlessly crushed. Rei put on a smile as Chibi-Usa ran up to her. Rei didn't hate the girl by any means, she was Usagi's after all, but it just hurt to be around her, to be reminded of the future... of destiny. Usagi sat up in her bed, rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Did you have a good time with Hotaru?" she asked through her yawn. "Yes, Usagi!" Chibi-Usa replied cheerfully to her future mother. "It's always fun with Hotaru!" Chibi-Usa returned her attention to Rei. "So where have you been for so long? Usagi was really sad without you..." Rei struggled to keep the fake smile on her face, having been reminded of how she had let her princess down by leaving. "Oh, here and there," said Rei with false cheer, "nowhere near as good as this place though." She smiled broadly at Chibi-Usa, a genuine one this time. "Chibi-Usa, why don't you go downstairs and tell my parents Rei is here and to make sure there is enough breakfast for her too," suggested Usagi, glancing at Rei to see if it was all right. Rei nodded in acceptance and thanks. She was back and it was time everyone knew that. Including the youma. ****** Rei began to walk more slowly as she approached the Hikawa Jinja with Usagi hanging onto her arm, as was the girl’s habit now. The miko wondered how her Grandpa and Yuuichirou would react to her apparent rise from the grave. Initially, Rei had assumed that they would be overjoyed, but with Makoto's reaction still fresh in her mind, now she wasn't so sure. But if Rei used the tale she had spun for the Tsukino family, she had an excuse for her disappearance. "Come on, Rei, don't chicken out now. You have to do this eventually, unless you want to live with me for the rest of your life," Usagi joked. However Rei wasn't completely adverse to the idea. The pair climbed the many steps up to the shrine and Rei spotted Yuuichirou sweeping the grounds near the entrance. Rei was glad he had remained at the Hikawa Jinja to help her Grandpa. Yuuichirou looked the same as he always did with his wild, unkempt hair hiding his eyes. However there were some subtle differences. Yuuichirou's shoulders were slumped as if the weight of the world were on them, he weakly shuffled his feet when he walked, and he held his broom somewhat limply. He must have taken her ‘death’ badly, Rei thought idly, not truly caring that much. Yuuichirou had always had an inane crush on her. As Rei and Usagi approached Yuuichirou, he glanced at them then did a comical double take, dropping his broom and causing the odango atama to giggle. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and just stared for a few seconds at the pair, looking stunned. Then Yuuichirou suddenly ran at Rei shouting her name and for her Grandpa to come while letting out whoops of joy, which Usagi seemed to find quite amusing. Rei took it all in stoically and prepared herself for the inevitable bear hug that would follow. Predictably, Yuuichirou grabbed Rei in a tight embrace, tears of happiness coming to his eyes. Usagi let go of her bodyguard and stepped back, smiling at the man’s antics. Rei would have traded Yuuichirou's hug for Usagi merely holding her arm in a second. "Rei! Rei! I knew you were all right, I just knew it!" Yuuichirou cried ecstatically. By the sight of him earlier, the Fire Senshi didn't believe him. Just then, Rei’s Grandpa came out of the shrine and looked over to see what all the fuss was about. His normally scrunched eyes bugged open and he ran to join Yuuichirou in squeezing Rei to death. The Fire Senshi tried her best not to wince when her Grandpa and Yuuichirou continued to hug her tightly, her injuries starting to hurt. However, she was unable to stop biting her lower lip and the slight tightening that appeared around her eyes. She spared a glance at Usagi and saw her brow furrow. Rei prayed her princess chalked her rather pain-wracked expression up to the moving reunion. "Rei, my granddaughter, you came back to us..." Rei's Grandfather said in a voice thick with emotion, breaking down into sobs. "Yes, I'm back now... you don't have to worry anymore," Rei said honestly, her own tears coming, her hardened heart unable to resist her Grandpa. "First thing I'm gonna do is pull up that gravestone!" laughed Yuuichirou. "And dig up the coffin!" added her Grandpa, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. It took several pain filled minutes for Rei to pry herself free of the two insanely happy men. Her Grandpa then insisted that Usagi and her come in to eat a late breakfast and tell Yuuichirou and himself where she had been all this time. At the mention of food, Usagi got a gleam in her eyes that Rei found hard to ignore. Besides, the miko was eager to resume her duties at the shrine and spend time mediating in front of the Fire. Her mind had been too... chaotic lately. Plus she could use the Fire to gain insight on where Minako was being held. And Mamoru of course. Rei had sworn to her princess that she would get the prince back, and she would not let her down. No... she was determined to never fail her love again. ****** While Usagi was filling her seemingly bottomless stomach with breakfast treats, Rei went to her old room in the Hikawa Jinja with her bag to unpack. Rei had told her Grandpa and Yuuichirou that she had been struck in the head when the clothing store had collapsed and gotten amnesia, spending nearly two weeks as a Jane Doe in a hospital. She told them that only recently she had regained her memory. While Rei's Grandfather and Yuuichirou were puzzled why they hadn’t found her despite checking nearly every hospital in the city, they seemed to believe her story for the most part. Rei walked to her old room with her bag in hand and opened the sliding door. The miko's room looked just like it always had... not a single thing she could see was out of place. Rei smiled tremulously and felt her eyes beginning to well up with tears. She should have known that her Grandpa wouldn't let his precious granddaughter go so easily. As Rei began to unpack, she noticed that one thing was out of place; her rather large collection of mangas were missing. The raven-haired girl wondered if maybe Yuuichirou had taken them or something like that. Rei replaced the framed picture of Usagi and her on her dressing table from where she had taken it when she had fled to Yokohama. At that moment, Usagi strolled in. The blonde glanced at the photograph Rei was putting back and grinned. "You really should get a more recent picture," Usagi commented, surprising Rei with her pleasant voice. "Oh... well... it's the only one I have with the two of us together," Rei explained, then blushed slightly as she realised what could be implied. Thankfully, Usagi seemed to be oblivious. "Well then we should take a new one soon," she said with a smile. Rei smiled back at her princess. "Yeah, I'd... I’d like that," Rei replied gratefully. Usagi's bodyguard was hit by a sudden thought. "You haven't been in my room since I've been gone, have you?" she asked curiously. Usagi blinked at Rei for a second and then something seemed to dawn on her. She fidgeted with her hands and looked around the room, appearing very suspicious to the Fire Senshi. "No..." Usagi said, in a tone that told entirely the opposite. Rei directed a mock glare at her. "Usagi..." she growled. The blonde fidgeted more. "Really! I haven't, I didn't take your mangas," she stated defensively, before realising she had slipped up. "Oops..." "Usagi! I can't believe you! You thought I was dead and you still came in here to get my manga collection?!" exclaimed Rei in fake anger. "You ghoul!" "Wait, Rei, it wasn't like that! Your Grandpa said that you would have wanted me to have them! I swear!" Usagi insisted in her defence, putting a hand over her heart. Rei looked dubiously at Usagi, as if considering what she said. "Well all right then... but I want them back, and they better not be all dog eared!" the raven-haired girl warned. "Of course they're not dog eared, I hardly read any of them... they always just reminded me of..." Usagi trailed off, her expression turning sad as she remembered how it felt to think Rei was gone and never coming back. Rei mentally chastised herself for reminding her princess of painful events. The miko walked over to Usagi, put a comforting arm around her shoulders, and then guided her to the futon on the floor. They both sat on the futon, Rei still with her arm around Usagi. "It's all right, odango atama, you know I'll never leave you again," Rei said soothingly. Usagi shook her head slightly. "You don't know that Rei... I know it's your duty to protect me, but I don't think I could bear it if I lost you, or any of the Sailor Senshi, because one of you had to save me from something," she said quietly. "I've already experienced what losing you would be like... I never what to go through that again." Rei wasn't sure what to say. It was the Inner Senshis’ duty to protect the Moon Princess, giving their lives if need be. Rei knew that she wouldn't hesitate if it came down to her life or her princess’s; Usagi would win every time. The Fire Senshi sighed. "I guess it's the burden you bear, Usagi. Your life is worth more than ours," Rei said. "...So much more," she finished in a whisper. Usagi looked at Rei sharply. "But that's not true! You're no more important than I am!" Rei gave her love a half-smile. "You know you are... you're the princess," Rei explained simply, "you're worth dying for..." "I wish you wouldn't say things like that..." Usagi whispered, looking away from her best friend. Rei shrugged lightly and squeezed Usagi closer to her with the arm over the girl’s shoulder. "It's just the truth." The blonde said nothing and leaned into Rei. The Fire Senshi flinched as Usagi's elbow came into contact with the old stab wound she had gotten in Yokohama, in the youma ambush. Usagi pulled away from Rei and looked at her in concern. "It's nothing," Rei said quickly, beginning to draw Usagi back to her. Usagi moved out of her bodyguard's grip and started to pull up Rei's sweater before the miko could react. She gasped as she saw all the bandages wrapped around the Fire Senshi's stomach, some marked with red. "They're just flesh wounds," Rei lied, "they don't even hurt very much." Usagi ignored her and continued to pull up the sweater, lifting it over Rei's head and removing it completely. Her mouth opened slightly as see took in the damage to her best friend’s torso. "Oh, Rei..." Usagi whispered, tears appearing in her eyes. She reached out a shaky hand and traced two large bruises on Rei's chest with a feather light touch. "I told you, it's nothing," Rei said again, catching Usagi's exploring hand with hers, "just souvenirs from Yokohama." She let go of Usagi's hand and grabbed her sweater, quickly putting it back on. "It's not just there, is it? You're hurt all over... oh, Rei, you must be in so much pain..." Usagi said sympathetically, her voice breaking. "It's nothing that won't heal," Rei said nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders, playing down her condition. "Don't worry, I'll be just fine." Usagi nodded dubiously, looking at her with teary eyes. Rei put her arm around her princess's shoulder again and drew her close. "Don't worry, they really don't hurt much at all," Rei repeated. "Now why don't we go get my mangas and then we can spend the day together, just the two of us. We can maybe get that new picture." The miko flashed the blonde a reassuring smile. Usagi gave Rei a laboured smile but nodded in acquiesce anyway. Then her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh, about your mangas, well I did actually read one or two, just to try and take my mind off things for a while, but I kinda got some dirty..." Usagi babbled out. "Dirty?" Rei said in a low voice. Usagi swallowed nervously. "Yeah... just a little bit dirty... maybe if you wiped them with water the chocolate will come out." The blonde odango atama nodded, agreeing with her own suggestion. "Chocolate... you got chocolate on my mangas..." Rei stuttered, as if she couldn’t quite believe it. "I told you never to eat while reading my mangas!" she then shrieked loudly. Usagi leapt to her feet, breaking Rei's steadily tightening hold on her shoulders. "It wasn't my fault! It was Shingo, that brat, he surprised me and I dropped my ice cream-" Usagi's excuses were interrupted by the miko yelling and chasing after her, threatening that if any of her special limited edition mangas had chocolate ice cream on them there would be hell to pay. But inside, Rei's heart was soaring. ****** To be continued... Author's ramblings: manga = comic book
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