Serena yawned as she sat up. The smell of food reached her nose, causing her eyes to focus quickly. Whatever, it was, it smelled pretty good! She got out off... wait, the couch? Why was she sleeping on the couch? Memories of the night before flooded her mind. The lust... the pleasure... the kisses... the reject... Her mood dampened as she headed for the kitchen. She paused at the door, watching Rei cook. The assassin hummed softly to the radio, swaying her hips a little in beat to Shakira. The blonde swallowed, a blush forming on her cheeks. A very nice sight to see first thing in the morning, yes, but it only brought back the feelings from the night before. "Take a seat." Serena blinked, surprised by the emptiness of Rei's voice. She felt a little hurt by it, especially after everything that happened... She shook herself out of it and walked over to the table, where Rei had placed a plate of waffles, bacon and scrambled eggs. She smiled, her mouth watering at the smells. Serena looked up, grin on her face, which faltered when she saw Rei walking out. "Aren't you eating?" "No," was the only answer she got as the assassin left the kitchen. Serena stared at where the woman once stood before quietly looking down. The food smelled great still, but she wasn't very hungry anymore. "I'm going out." Serena looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt. "Oh." Rei paused, looking at the blonde sitting on the couch. Her shoulders were hunched over and she seemed to curl into herself. Her jaw clenched as she looked out the window. It was a beautifully clear day, not at all very cold, despite being winter. 'Don't even think about it, Hino.' "Would you like to come with me?" The assassin turned away to hide her twitch. Well, so much for listening to herself. "Really?" Despite herself, Rei felt herself warm at the bright smile Serena gave her. The twinkle in her blue eyes was worth the worry. "All right, we have to disguise you a little." Serena's long hair was really too much to hide under a wig. And Rei wasn't about to try and convince the girl to cut it. So that pretty much just left the option of braiding it. Which took far too long. The blonde giggled as she remembered her companion's muttered curses as she went to work braiding her long hair. She'd been ordered to wear something that let her blend into the crowd easily, which meant blue jeans and a dark green jacket with a furred hood. The assassin then roughly pushed a black trucker's cap into her hands. For the sake of blending in, Serena noticed Rei ditched the leather duster. She giggled again, never having the heart to tell the assassin that the last thing she did was disappear into the crowd when wearing that. She traded it for a black bomber jacket and replaced the tight black jeans with a pair of khaki cargoes. Blue eyes blinked in confusion as Rei pulled the silver SUV to a stop in front of a Shinto shrine. She looked over at the driver, giving her a questioning look, which was ignored. She shrugged a little, getting out as Rei locked the car. She opened her mouth to ask why they were there, but the tight look on the other woman's face made her hold her tongue. She watched as Rei started to ascend the stairs leading up to the shrine and sighed before she started to do the same. She decided half-way up that the visitors must come to the shrine for more than just to pray. It was a workout! Of course, as she admired Rei who climbed the stairs effortlessly, she'd probably visit just to see people as in shape as the assassin. Rei felt her lips twitch when the blonde finally made it up, panting as she bent over and braced herself on her knees. She felt the calm of the shrine embrace her and allowed herself to relax. She took a look at the shrine and the pristine beauty that always seemed present. A few people were offering prayers and asking for help from the spirits. Without a word, she walked towards one of the smaller trails. Serena blinked, following quickly after the woman. None of the snow falls that year were heavy enough to stick around, so the trees were completely bare for the most part. She sighed when they came to a small hill. More things to climb? Really, maybe she should've just come to shrines instead of the gym. She was getting the same kind of workout. She looked around curiously, wondering what was so special about this particular hill as she began to climb it after Rei. She noticed there was a small black fence at the top and sped up a little, wondering what it encircled. Serena paused when she noticed the white marble tombstone. Her blue eyes quickly darted over to Rei, whose face was expressionless. She longed to be able to see her lavender eyes, which the blonde realized long ago, was the only real way of seeing what the woman was feeling. But the assassin's long bangs hid them from view. The blonde respectfully stayed outside of the fence, watching as Rei entered and walked up to the tombstone. She was still for a moment before kneeling. "Hello, mother. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to visit again. Things have been... a little crazy." Rei took a deep breath, her eyes twitching to see if she could hear the blonde accompanying her. She couldn't. "Everything's... everything's good." Lavender eyes closed. "No, no everything's not good. Mom... I... I don't know what I'm doing. She..." Rei opened her eyes, looking over her shoulder subtly. Serena was watching her intently, but far enough to respect her privacy. Their eyes locked for a moment and the assassin felt warmth flood her body from the understanding she found in her captive's eyes. She tore her eyes away as she focused on her mother's grave again. "She... Serena's... so different, from anyone I've ever met. She's so... innocent and sweet. Naïve, yes, but it's so... becoming on her. It fits her so well. And I..." Rei swallowed, trying to calm her thoughts. "I don't know what I'm doing with her. I feel... different around her. Like – I feel like I have to protect her. But how can I? I've been hired to... Mom, I don't understand. I've tried to. I've... I want all of this to make sense. Like last night... Mom, she makes me feel..." Serena closed her eyes, letting the breeze caress her cheeks. She understood the obvious pain Rei was in. She missed her mother horribly. There were days she wished she had just died with her mother. But she didn't. Rei kissed the tombstone before standing slowly. She look one last look at the stone that marked her mother's life before turning away and walking away, closing the door of the fence. She walked by Serena without another word, leading them away from her mother's grave. Serena followed the assassin quietly, leaving the shrine behind. She saw her chance when Rei stopped to open the door of the SUV. Silently, she walked up behind the woman. Rei stiffened when she felt the blonde draw close to her. She opened her mouth to scold her for not getting into the car when she felt slender arms wrap around her waist. She stiffened as Serena pressed against her back. Blue eyes closed as Serena basked in the warmth her companion seemed to naturally radiate. She held on tightly, but not too much so, and started rubbing her thumb against Rei's stomach through the thin fabric of her T-shirt. Rei stopped breathing for a moment, every nerve in her brain telling her to move away. To tell Serena to stop. This can't happen. But it was happening. She could feel Serena's cheek pressed against her shoulder, even through her jacket. Her stomach muscles trembled at the small contact of the blonde's thumb rubbing soothing circles. She heard Serena sigh contently. Lavender eyes slowly closed as Rei tilted her head back, feeling the sunlight on her face. She felt her head rest naturally on top of Serena's, being just a hint taller. Her body relaxed despite the screams her mind made. Then, in a final act of shutting it up, she placed a hand over Serena's and squeezed gently. She felt the blonde's arms around her tight for a moment in response before loosening again. A chuckle bubbled up out of her that she was helpless to stop. To be honest, she didn't have much of a desire to stop it. "What do you say we go get some food?" Serena pulled away, her stomach rumbling at the mention of sustenance. Rei laughed at the cute blush appearing on her cheeks as she opened the door to the driver's side of the car. "Come on, I know a great seafood place." "I can't believe you ate that much." Serena blushed, nudging Rei in the ribs as the assassin walked out of the restaurant. The lavender-eyed woman grunted faintly but smirked at the indignant pout on the blonde's face. "I didn't eat that much." "Didn't you see the look the waitress was giving us? Serena, you had more to eat than a construction worker! Where does it all go?" Serena squawked when Rei made a motion to grab at her stomach. She took off, and squealed when she looked over her shoulder to see the assassin chasing her with a smirk on her face. The blonde raced down the boardwalk, weaving through unsuspecting people. Rei gave a faint growl, but couldn't keep the smile off her face. Did the girl really think she could outrun her? "Watch it, you crazy kids!" Serena let out a short yelp when she felt Rei's strong arms wrap around her waist from behind, effectively stopping her. She was heaving heavily, but couldn't stop herself from laughing at the indignant yell of the man they'd just raced past. The blonde felt her companion's laugh before she'd heard it, her chest rumbling with barely suppressed laughter before the assassin let it out. Rei smirked when she felt Serena lean against her in exhaustion. She looked back to see they were actually a few blocks from the restaurant and the car. She felt herself behind dragged by a panting blonde to the nearest bench, where the lithe body of her captive plopped ungracefully. Baby blues opened when she felt a drop of water on her nose. She was met with a smirking Rei, holding a bottle of water over her face. With a grateful smile, she sat up and unscrewed the bottle, draining it eagerly. The assassin settled herself on the bench next to Serena and looked out at the sea. People passed by them quickly, not taking time out of their busy schedule to take a look at the Tokyo skyline and the natural beauty around them. "Do you come here often?" Rei blinked, looking over to see the blonde beside her entranced by the scene before them. "Not as much as I'd like," she confessed softly. "You ever..." Serena shook her head. "No. I've been here a few times, but I've never noticed how pretty it is here." "Most people don't." "I'm not most people." The blonde knew she'd set herself up with that one, and expected some of Rei's trademark teasing. To her surprise, all she got was a gentle sigh. "No, you're not." She looked over and found the assassin staring at her quietly. Serena swallowed, feeling herself lean over. Rei's eyes widened for a moment, before slowly sliding closed. A siren startled the two, causing them both to jump. The blonde blinked in confusion, turning to see five squad cars spinning to a stop. Before she could even process what was going on, a megaphone blared to life. "Freeze, Raven!" Serena was suddenly pulled to her feet by Rei, whose grip on her wrist was steel tight. She almost whimpered in pain before her mind processed what was going on. The police had found her. She felt herself pulled along, a group of American tourists conveniently blocking the police from seeing them clearly. Serena found herself in a supermarket, Rei's hold on her wrist tightening. "Fuck, how'd they..." The assassin cut herself off, pining Serena with her lavender eyes, which were almost black with anger. The blonde swallowed. The police were right outside. She could be rescued today. "Come on." Rei's quiet but growled command snapped her back to reality as the assassin guided her through the supermarket toward the side entrance of the market. She walked at a leisurely pace, looking around at the products. She'd stuffed her hand into her pocket, bringing the blonde's hand with her. Serena swallowed, noticing a few stares they were getting despite the situation she suddenly found herself in. She could be going to home today. Rei exited the supermarket and casually pulled them into an alley. Her pace sped up and Serena found herself jogging to keep up. Why wasn't she screaming? Rei jerked her roughly into another alley, her jaw clenched. Because she was still dealing with Raven, a dangerous assassin, who would probably shoot her. Lavender eyes scanned the alleys quickly as her ears twitched, listening to the direction of the sirens were coming from. She changed directions last minute, causing Serena to yelp softly in surprise. She could be seeing Mamoru and Minako again today. Rei navigated them to the docks, where workers were unloading the newest shipment that had arrived off the massive tanker anchored at the harbor. The two of them were out of place amongst the yells of men working as quickly as possible, the din of their voices and machinery drowning out all other noise. She could be seeing Rei for the last time. The thought caused a brief twinge of pain to shoot through her heart. Never see Rei again? 'Don't be ridiculous, Serena. What's wrong with you? This is the woman who kidnapped you here.' That may be true, but the thought of never seeing her again... Rei cursed herself for leading them here. Here where she couldn't hear the approach of the police easily, if they were on their tail, that is. She forced herself not to sigh in relief when she saw her car in the parking lot. "Freeze!" The assassin looked over her shoulder for the briefest of seconds to find two officers pointing their guns at them. She felt her blood run cold. No, they weren't going to take her like this. Not due to her own stupidity. "Run," she whispered fiercely to Serena. The blonde didn't know why her body was suddenly racing toward the car. Shouldn't she be hiding behind a crate, waiting for them to take Rei out so she could go home? Shouldn't she want to go home? She heard shots fired and turned to see the two officers slumping to the ground, blood quickly oozing from their bodies. Her eyes widened as backup soon arrived in the form of several officers appearing with their guns drawn. No, what surprised her the most was the cold look of the promise of death on Rei's face as she set her hard lavender eyes on the officers she'd just shot so effortless. Yet she felt no fear. 'I want to stay with her...' Rei cursed when she saw the other officers quickly duck behind some crates to avoid her barrage of gunfire. She felt fear wash over her when she ran out of bullets and the police start to take aim. Two shots were fired off, and Rei felt the bullets passing by her as she was trained to do. Surely their aims weren't that bad... She felt the cold invade her body when she realized they weren't aiming for her. They were going after Serena. Everything felt like slow motion as she watched the other officers ready their guns. She turned, finding Serena watching the scenes unfold with wide eyes. She willed her body to move, running toward the blonde. 'You have to be safe...' She tackled Serena, effectively covering the shaking body in her arms with her own. Their eyes connected for a moment as they heard the shots being fired. 'I'll keep you safe.' The blonde let out a brief scream as Rei's body suddenly jerked, the smell of blood reaching her nose. She watched in horror as the woman's lavender eyes widened. She felt her own arms wrap around the lean body that just shielded her own, feeling herself take a shaky breath, but not looking away from the eyes that captivated her from the moment she saw them. 'I know. You promised everything would be all right.' Rei grunted as the momentum knocked the two of them behind a crate. The gun fell from her hand, clattering to the ground as the blood flowed freely from her right shoulder. She bit down on her lip to focus herself as she did a quick exam on herself. Three bullets. One in her right shoulder. One in her side, probably wreaking havoc on her internal organs. And another in her right thigh. Serena clenched her jaw to keep a soft gasp of pain from erupting when she felt her back connect with the wall of the warehouse. She knew something was very wrong the moment Rei slumped weakly against her as they came to a stop. Blue eyes widened as she saw the amount of blood staining the khaki material of the other woman's pants. She bite back the urge to throw up as she realized the same liquid was quickly staining her jeans and washing her skin in warmth. Rei looked up, the desperation on her face making the blonde freeze. 'This is it...' Serena felt her lips moving before she even knew what was going on as her brain seemed to come to a decision for her. "Do you have another gun?" Rei blinked, taking a moment of process the words that just came from the blonde's mouth. The sounds of the police quickly advancing snapped her back to reality. She quickly reached into her jacket, pulling out her second gun, biting back a grunt of pain. Serena took it from her with surprising quickness. Lavender eyes closed as she prepared herself for the inevitable. The great Raven, captured at the gun point of a woman she'd kidnapped. A shot was fired and she braced herself for pain. But none came. Rei opened her eyes to find Serena holding the gun shakily, having fired into the air. The blonde was pale, her lips quivering. The urge to sooth away her fear easily crushed her confusion. "Here." Serena thrust the gun back at the assassin, who look it with a dumbfounded expression. She grabbed the other gun that had clattered to the floor, knowing it might come in handy later. "Can you walk?" "I..." The blonde took that as a no, knowing Rei would never admit weakness. She steeled herself for the decision she made without knowing it as she pocketed the other gun. She shifted, her back to Rei as she grabbed the hand not holding the gun and pulled it over her throat, resting the woman's hand on her shoulder the way she's seen gunmen do to hostages in the movies. She slowly stood, feeling herself shake at the gasp of pain the assassin couldn't bite back. 'Everything's going to be all right, Rei...' The assassin couldn't believe the ridiculousness of the situation as the blonde hauled her to her feet. Her leg throbbed, threatening to collapse but Serena bent forward slightly to support her weight. She felt the blonde's hands on her arms in a way that seemed like she was trying to keep the assassin from choking her. In reality, Serena's hands were there to keep Rei's arm from slipping. Rei fired off a shot at the police as the two of them slowly made their way from behind the crates. A crowd had gathered, all cowering behind crates to watch the drama unfold. The assassin let out a brief sigh of relief. They wouldn't try to fire at Serena again with that many witnesses. "Stay back!" Rei ordered, pressing the gun to the blonde's temple. The two made their way slowly toward the car, not just a few feet away from them. But each step was agonizing for Rei, who was sure the bullet had hit her femur. "Please! Don't let her kill me!" Serena's pitiful scream was enough to pull at the heartstrings of the crowd watching the standoff and the officers. Their guns wavered as they hesitated in firing. The blonde opened the door of the SUV, feeling warmth on her cheeks. She realized with a start that she was crying. The two somehow maneuvered into the car with Rei on the passenger side and Serena in the driver's seat. The hand holding the gun to the blonde's head shook as the assassin did her best to keep the pain from showing on her face. Serena stared through the windshield at the officers who stared back at her. It would be so easy to take the gun from Rei's hand and go back to her life. It would be so easy to go back to Mamoru. Go back to Minako and Ami. Go back to the world Rei had ripped her from. As she closed the door of the SUV with force and snatched the keys from a shaking Rei, she realized the decision wasn't hers. She started the car, turning to make sure there were no cars in the way as she peeled out of the parking lot. The choice ceased to exist the night before. I apologize that it's taken this long for me to update. Life got in the way, as usual, though that's no real excuse. For those of you still around, I'm glad you are. Because the ride's just getting started.
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