The door to the apartment opened. She stiffened immediately, her blood running cold in her veins. There was no delicious aroma... no warmth. Only darkness. The fear and panic she felt was different from that of battle. Those feelings stemmed from physical danger. This was... far worse. "Hotaru?" When she was met with silence, Rei broke into a run, searching the apartment. Burning eyes peered into every room, checking and rechecking. Still, no signs of the girl. A shaky hand found its way to a messy mane of raven locks as the miko chewed on her bottom lip. Damn it, where the hell was she? Did she leave? At the thought, a new wave of panic struck her. No, no. Hotaru would never leave her. 'Are you so numb that you don't even realize her love for you?' Rei collapsed in a heap on the couch. Did Hotaru think the same as Utena? That she doesn't know? She did. Not always, but after a while, she figured it out. Everyone's been dropping her hints, from Makoto to Setsuna. No, she wasn't that numb. At first Rei thought it was a silly, school girl crush, though Hotaru was by no means a silly school girl. She was very flattered, to be honest. She could remember the exact moment she figured it out. It was after that dinner from hell. She was sitting on her bed, staring at the wall while replaying the whole conversation with Minako in her head. She remembered the fire in Hotaru's eyes when the college student yelled at her for degrading herself. How could she forget the hate and contempt in those violet eyes as they gazed at Minako? And the way Hotaru held her, as if she'd break if she tightened her hold. And the love, falling into an ocean of unconditional love every time Hotaru looked at her. She was numb, but not that numb. And Rei went out immediately after that and got laid. Great, just... great. She couldn't handle the knowledge she gained. It needed to be forgotten, drowned out by mindless pleasure. Love brought pain and confusion, emotions that has surrounded her for many years. And the other night, after her realization... when they were in the kitchen. The kiss that, once again, almost happened. What scared her was how much she wanted to kiss Hotaru. It wasn't t like this the first time. The first time, she realized Hotaru deserved more than a one night stand. She deserved a person who loved her, who would take care of her. But she still lusted for her, pure lust. The second time, she knew Hotaru loved her. If she kissed her, she would break the girl's heart. It wasn't just a kiss or sex with the college student. It was about what the girl deserved and what she could give. And what she could give was far less than what her friend deserved. There was also more than lust. It was... a want and not a need. Rei wanted Hotaru, wanted to kiss her and hold her. And not just for one night. It was... for eternity. It was the same feeling she got when she realized Usagi was truly her friend. It was the same feeling she experienced when Minako first told her to give the blonde a chance. It was the same feeling when Rei realized she loved Usagi. And it was the same feeling she had when she gave Minako that chance... and fell in love. So, did this mean what she thinks it means? Is that why the thought that Hotaru left without saying goodbye hurt almost as much as Usagi's rejection? Why her heart feels like it's breaking the same way it did when Minako broke up with her? "Rei?" Her head snapped up at the sound of her name. Her eyes found the figure who said her name. It was her. And the miko felt true joy for the first time in years. "H-Hotaru?" She almost winced at how hoarse her voice sounded. The college student approached her, taking in the miko's defeated and crushed appearance. Her business suit was wrinkled, her hair a mess and her eyes hesitant. "What are you doing in the dark?" Hotaru found herself pulled to a warm body, slender arms wrapped tightly around her. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a quivering voice. "I-I thought you left... without saying anything." The shorter girl blinked, Rei's fear-filled voice reaching her ears. She smiled sadly in response, arms reaching out to embrace the miko. One hand found its way into the mane of long hair. "It's all right. I'm right here." Rei's arms tightened around her friend's body, eyes closing. A tear made its way down her cheeks. She didn't leave. She stayed. She stayed. Hotaru just held Rei, the barely there smile still on her face. The miko wanted her to stay, needed her to stay. The emotions she felt were indescribable. She was needed. She felt Rei bury her face into her shoulder and her own eyes began to tear up. She was needed, here... now. By the woman she loved. She'd never tell Rei she did leave. All that matters is that she came back. And she was here. She was here. Rei opened her eyes, taking a deep breath. She felt so alive, so energized. The sun poured in through the open windows, the morning breeze waking her. "It's so early." Her eyes softened when they fell on the body snuggling against her, the same one that had mumbled. A smile touched her lips before she shifted slightly to block the sun for Hotaru. After a while of holding each other last night, they both laid down on the couch. Hotaru held her the entire night and fell asleep sometime at five in the morning. She, however, stayed up a while longer to watch Hotaru sleep. She loved the feeling of the younger girl's arms around her and her own around the petite body. They molded together perfectly, just as she and Minako had. The miko watched Hotaru, just like she was doing now. The way the girl pouted slightly in her sleep was adorable. The way her long lashes brushed against her pale cheeks was mesmerizing. The way she looked, so peaceful, was utterly beautiful. Rei buried her face in Hotaru's hair for a split second. As always, the smell of vanilla and cherries invaded her senses. She cared for Hotaru, obviously. But was it love? "Rei?" The miko's attention turned to the body beside her. Hotaru's eyes opened sleepily to see Rei's smiling face. The sight made her smile in return. It was a sight to behold- one she wished could be the first thing she saw everyday for the rest of her life. "Morning. Sleep well?" A yawn was the only response the miko got. Her smile grew. "Go back to sleep." Hotaru didn't need to be told twice and fell back to sleep instantly. Her friend's smile became a goofy and very large grin. "Sleep tight." Detaching herself from the younger girl's arms was harder than she'd thought. And to let go of the petite body was even harder. But at last, Rei managed to get off the couch with one last, affectionate look at the girl. With a sigh, her lean form disappeared into the bathroom. Hotaru blinked lazily, trying to get rid of the last remnants of sleep. The first thing she noticed was Rei was no where to be seen. She sat up and looked around, hearing music coming from the study. Pausing by the doorway, Hotaru was greeted by the same sight as two nights ago. The businesswoman sat behind her desk, long hair in a messy bun while a pair of black rimmed glasses perched on her nose. "Hey." The businesswoman looked up at the sound of the sleep-filled drawl. "Hey yourself." "Aren't you going to be late for work?" Rei looked amused as she leaned back in her chair. "It's past noon, so yes, I'm be late for work." Violet eyes widened in surprise. Past noon? She slept for that long? A blush darkened her pale cheeks. "Then what are you doing home?" Rei stood, walking over to her guest. The smile on her lips reached her eyes, the sight making the short college student's heart hammer in her chest. She barely managed to speak. "W-well?" The miko ignored the flutter in her chest when Hotaru said 'home.' It was uncalled for since this was her home, but just maybe her guest meant it was her own home as well. "Well," the taller woman started in a low whisper, "you've been here for over a week and we haven't done much. What with me being sick and then work. So, I took the day off." "Y-you what?" The low and sensual laugh echoed in the room at the incredulous look on the younger girl's face. "I took the day off." "Really?" "Yes." Hotaru stared at her friend in disbelief. This earned a sigh from the other woman, who wore an expression of mock-disappointment. "If you don't want me to, I'll-" "No! That's not what I meant at all! I'm just surprised." Rei smiled and tapped Hotaru's nose with a finger. "Good. Why don't you find something to eat while I finish these reports? Then we'll go the Laundromat. I'm sure you have clothes to wash too." Hotaru nodded and all but skipped out of Rei's office. The miko sat back down at her desk. Was she supposed to get a warm feeling when she was going to do laundry? Rei smiled at the doorman as she and Hotaru walked out of the apartment building, a large laundry bag on her back. Usually, most of her clothes would be dry-clean only, but since she hasn't been to work that often, there wasn't that much. Whatever dry cleaning there was, Hotaru was carrying. "You sure you don't want me to hold it?" "Hotaru, this bag is as tall as you are." Hotaru glared at her friend, but remained quiet. Whether Rei knew it or not, they were going to clean up that huge and very messy apartment. It was adoring to see the miko in a pair of gray sweats and a simple, white T-shirt. No black, red, tight clothing or anything that showed a great amount of cleavage. Actually, she was even more beautiful like this. Completely relaxed, the long mane was pulled back in a high ponytail. Lavender eyes were completely unguarded, the smug smirk replaced by a small smile. "So, how often do you do laundry?" Rei looked over at the girl walking beside her. Hotaru was looking at her with a curious but very motherly expression. She sighed inwardly. The girl was a damn neat freak while she, well, wasn't. "Once or twice a month." Hotaru's jaw dropped at the answer. Rei continued, not wanting to be scolded. "Most of my work or clubbing clothes are dry-clean only. I rarely wear anything but one of those two, so there isn't that much laundry to do. I drop of my dry-cleaning every few days." The younger woman seemed to accept this answer, much to the poor miko's relief. The two stepped into the large Laundromat and first dropped off the dry-cleaning. The woman behind the counter seemed surprised Rei wasn't leaving the rest of her laundry, though she had enough time to stare at Hotaru approvingly. The two senshi looked around the empty place. With a shrug, Rei set down the large bag and opened the door to three machines. Without a thought, she started throwing things in. "Rei!" The miko looked up to see Hotaru scowling at her. Lavender eyes blinked, confused. "Don't you separate your colors?" Hotaru watched as Rei stared at her with a cute, puzzled look on her face. The college student groaned and shook her head. "Light colors, dark colors and jeans?" Rei straightened as her houseguest set to work, separating the loads and throwing them into the appropriate machine. "You know, most people just do light and dark." "Yeah, but you have three machines and a lot of clothes." The taller woman shook her head in disbelief at Hotaru's level of neatness. The other girl only glared. "Make yourself useful and get the detergent!" "Yes, master," Rei answer, doing an Igor impression by dragging one leg behind her and making one eye smaller than the other. Hotaru growled and threw a white shirt at the woman mocking her. The miko grabbed it off her face and tossed it into a machine... the one for dark colors. "REI!" The two sat in the plastic chairs, watching the machines spin the clothes around and around. Hotaru sipped her soda. "Waiting is so much fun." The miko rolled her eyes at the comment and took a bite of her ice cream sandwich. "Want to play video games?" Hotaru looked over as a mischievous smile formed on her lips. "Thought you'd never ask." Rei rolled her eyes again as they headed for the machines. One of them caught their attention at the same time. Sharing a look, they approached the game, inserting two coins each into the slots. It only took them seconds to select their characters. Next thing they knew... Sailor Saturn and Sailor Mars stared at each other in font of a forest backdrop. "Oh... my... god..." Hotaru blushed at the comment from Rei, who was openly gawking at Sailor Saturn on the screen. The creators had gotten Mars right, but Saturn? For one, Saturn did NOT have the measurements: 42", 26", 42". Also, she did NOT wear purple short shorts. And she most definitely didn't have a plunging neckline as part of her fuku. "Guys made this." The comment caused Hotaru to blush even more. All right, they went way too overboard. "Mars isn't exactly flat-chested either." Rei just gave her that cocky smile. "At least she's around a 38" and not a 46" like Saturn!" "Hino!" The miko laughed, the indignant and embarrassed expression on Hotaru's face too cute to resist. "All right, I'm sorry. Let's just fight." And fight they did. Hotaru started laughing when Mar's kick was basically a split in midair. And after that attack, 'Mars' paused and fanned herself, giving the players a wink. "I do NOT do that!" Hotaru smirked, revenge was fun. But the smirk faded when one of Saturn's attacks involved the already tight outfit to rip in several places. Rei snickered, but said nothing. "I'm going to cream you," the college student mumbled. The miko didn't reply, but grinned when she reached the MAX on her power bar. Mars unleashed her most powerful attack and... Rei gawked. Wind surrounded the miko's alter-ego, causing her skirt to blow upwards, revealing a red thong. Hotaru was laughing hysterically, until Mars grabbed Saturn and kissed her. Two pairs of purple eyes stared at the screen, shocked to say the least. After the light died down, Mars stood triumphantly over Saturn's prone body. Neither could look at each other after that very... interesting attack. 'Why am I blushing?'they both thought to themselves. Rei licked her lips. The move only reminded her of the times she could have kissed Hotaru, but didn't. Damn, where was the urge coming from now? 'Well,'Hotaru thought bitterly, 'if you can't kiss her in real life, video games come close.' She couldn't deny she wanted to kiss Rei, never could actually. But the desire was becoming harder to ignore as each day passed. They were so close yet light years apart from each other. To be honest, she envied her video game counterpart. "Interesting attack, eh?" Both snapped out of their thoughts to look at the woman behind the counter. It was then Hotaru noticed that she was not much older than herself. The teller jumped over the counter and approached them. "Err... yeah," Rei forced out finally. "I take it you two aren't very open to the idea of homosexuality." "No, we're not," Hotaru said quickly. Realizing her mistake, the college student smacked her forehead with her hand. "I mean, no, we're not not open. I mean-" Seeing the guilty expression on Hotaru's face, the young woman laughed. "It's fine if you're not." The miko could see how flustered Hotaru was getting. Wait, Hotaru's never nervous. So did this mean she liked the blonde woman before them? A jealous flame engulfed Rei's heart for a split second. Wait, why was she jealous? "She's just flustered," the miko offered, staring the blonde down. "We're perfectly fine with it. Most, actually, all of our close friends except one are lesbians." Hotaru arched a brow at Rei in question. The miko blushed, understanding her friend's gaze. "We both know far too much to think I'm straight." The college student only smirked, causing Rei's blush to darken. "Hey, you're the one raised b the cutest lesbian couple in the world and the woman that's dating my ex-girlfriend." It was the younger girl's turn to darken and darken she did. The teller watched the exchange with interest. "How rude of me, I'm Yumi Ono." Rei took the offered hand, her grip strong. "Rei Hino. And my blushing friend is Hotaru Tomoe." Much to the women's amusement, the college student's blush darkened. "I'm a big girl now, Rei-san," Hotaru said instead, clearing her throat. "I can introduce myself, you know." The miko blinked several times as Hotaru shook hands with Yumi. "Did you just call me -san?" The shorter girl just smirked smugly. "Yes, I did." Rei wiped an imaginary tear from her eye. "I thought we were beyond that, Hotaru-chan." Violet eyes were rolled upwards as the pale girl gave her friend a playful shove. The businesswoman beamed, causing Hotaru's glare to worsen. "So, what did you two think of the attack Mars used?" At Yumi's question, Rei blushed, much to the Laundromat worker's confusion. Hotaru fought the urge to blush herself and took this chance to embarrass her host. "I thought Venus was the senshi of Love and Beauty." "Oh, she is," Yumi answered without missing a beat. "But the creators of the game were Saturn/Mars fans." Rei's lavender eyes blinked in confusion. Hotaru, however, seemed to understand perfectly. "Sailor Saturn and Sailor Mars coupling fan," Yumi explained to the confused miko, which didn't seem to help any. "Coupling as in fan fiction." More blinked. Hotaru gave Rei a pat on the head, causing the miko's confused gaze to her. "Forgive her," the college student said to Yumi, stroking her friend's hair since the taller girl was now sitting. "She works lot and doesn't get out much." "I play too!" Rei mumbled under her breath. Hotaru missed the comment, but Yumi didn't. She only smiled. "It's all right. Fanfiction is, just as the name suggests, fiction written by fans. Even though no one knows a lot about the senshi, they're very popular as fanfic characters. There are your straight couples, and then there are the 'shoujo-ai' couples." Rei nodded, slowly grasping it. Yeah, she'd read Card Captor Sakura fics (Tomoyo is just too damn cute for her not to), Gundam Wing (Noin and Une were just plain hot) and InuYasha (okay, so Sesshoumaru and Kagome is a straight couple but what the hell!). Never did she imagine the senshi being written about! The thought alone caused her to blush. People writing, using her. Well, not her, Mars. "There are a lot of couples for 'shoujo-ai.'" The comment was almost enough to send Rei flying to the door. A lot of couples? Damn, she was getting interested. "There's Uranus and Neptune, they're one of the hottest couples." Good to know that even in the world of fandom Haruka and Michiru are together. They deserved it. "Mercury and Jupiter is also a very popular couple." Rei's blush faded when a grin touched her lips. The memory of disturbing Makoto and Ami resurfaced. Ah, those two. "Mars and Moon." Lavender eyes widened as the miko froze. Mars and Moon. She and... Usagi? A-a couple? Hotaru noticed the dark look passing over her friend's face. Desperate, she scratched Rei's head, right above her right ear. The action seemed to shock the miko back to reality. When she looked up in surprise, the college student only smiled, blushing slightly. "Well, Mars floats around the most, to be honest. Sure, there's a few Uranus and Moon fics out there." A shiver went down Rei's spine at the new information. The Princess of Wind and of Light? Hotaru once again noticed how Rei trembled. This time, she paused her stroking of the long mane. The miko looked up as Yumi continued. "Neptune and Pluto-" Wow, so many couples she never would've thought of. Well, Setsuna and Michiru did go well together. No, don't think like that. "And basically anyone and Moon." Well, they all loved their Princess. It's not surprising people think it actually was that way. "What about Saturn? Does she ever get paired up with Moon?" The stiffening of Hotaru's body was ignored by her friend and host. Her and Usagi-hime... whoa. "I don't think so..." "Good." Rei felt the college student's confused gaze on her. To be honest, she didn't know why she said 'good' either. But she knew it wasn't because she didn't want Usagi with anyone else. "There's Saturn and Pluto." The businesswoman lost her cool and almost fell off the chair. Saturn and Pluto? An image of Setsuna and Hotaru kissing flashed in her mind. Her fists clenched. Why did they actually look good together? Damn Setsuna. Damn her. She got Minako- "And Pluto and Venus coupling is very popular." Rei squeezed her eyes shut as Hotaru pulled her back into her seat. Even in the fanfic world, Setsuna gets Minako. And Hotaru too. How was this fair? "There's Pluto and Mars, on occasion." Oh, just her luck. She also ends up with the woman she hated with a passion right now. "Can't forget Jupiter and Venus." Oh, hell with it. Basically, everyone could get together with anyone. If you think about it, that's 72 possible pairings. "Mars and Mercy, Mars and Venus." Wait, back up. Mars and Mercury? Rei shuddered again. That was not right, at least in her opinion. She's never even looked twice at Ami in that way. Not that there was anything wrong with the girl. Actually, she was quite pretty and very smart. Intelligence was a very big turn on- Did she say Mars and Venus? So, there's one place where they'll be together. Hotaru grew nervous when Rei sat completely still. Not stiff, just still. She couldn't say anything in front of Yumi. So, she just buried her fingers in the raven mane. The touch seemed enough to get the miko back. "Wow." Okay, that was not what she expected her friend to say. Wow? She finds out her alter ego is paired with her love's alter ego and all she have to say is 'wow'? "Cool, isn't it?" Rei smiled, one Hotaru couldn't tell whether it was fake or real. Though, it shouldn't be real. "It's something." The miko was taking this well. Too well. Hotaru placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. The businesswoman looked at her and smiled. Then, she placed her hand over Hotaru's. Yumi watched with both amusement and interest. Were these two blind or stupid? They didn't seem to be the latter, though they weren't together yet. So maybe it was the latter. "I should go, nice talking to you two." Yumi smiled as the two bid her farewell. She'd give them a week max to get together. Hotaru stared at the large bag of clean laundry as Rei continued to stuff clothes in from the machines. Two hours. Two whole hours with the miko after that very interesting conversation. Can any say, 'awkward silence'? "Well, what's the last of it," Rei announced with a relieved sigh "Thank god." The miko chuckled and threw the bag over her shoulder. Wordlessly, the two walked out, still feeling as uncomfortable as can be. At the apartment, Rei emptied the bag on her bed and sighed. So much laundry to fold. "Need a hand?" Rei looked over to Hotaru, who stood in the doorway and smiled. "Sure, come on in." The college student walked over and the two started to fold the endless sea of clothes. "Interesting," Hotaru said, holding up a pink, lacy bra. "Hey! Gimme that!" The blush on the miko's cheeks was enough to cause Hotaru to laugh. "What time is it?" "Four thirty," Hotaru answered, setting one of her own shirts aside. "We've leaving in two hours." "What? Where to?" Rei smiled at the confused and annoyed expression on Hotaru's face. "We're going to watch a performance." "What? When did this happen?" "This morning while you were still sleeping." Hotaru blushed at the reminder of being asleep for so long. And... she was going out with Rei. It wasn't a big deal. And the last time they went out, it ended in disaster. But this time... it would be different. It would be her and Rei, at a performance, by themselves. Okay, by themselves in a crowd of people but that's beside the point. "Do I have to dress up?' "Nope. I didn't think you'd like the whole 'be a vision of perfection' thing. It's outdoors in a nice field with a stage built especially for this." At the news, Hotaru felt like she could kiss Rei. Well, she always felt like she could kiss her friend but this time, it was out of appreciation. She always felt so out of place at formal events, even if it was one of Michi-mama's performances. The fact that Rei knew her preferences only made her love the miko more. "You can go get ready. I don't feel like folding anymore clothes." Hotaru thanked Rei and raced off to the shower. The miko smiled. It was to know her friend was excited. She certainly was.
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