A/N: I hope everyone in this story seems in-character. Rei is my favorite character from the whole Sailor Moon franchise, but I find it really hard to write about her, and the way she acts and feels. I guess because she's so different in PGSM, compared to the anime. It's like she has three different personalities: anime, manga, and live action. Maybe she should think about seeing a therapist.:( Anyway, on with "Someday, Hold Me Close To You"! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "... and then Chibi-Usa puked ALL over my strawberry pukka candy! I was so upset!" Usagi angrily bit into her steak. She made approving noises while she chewed. The others simply stared at her, mostly out of disgust. "Usagi-chan... How can you talk about such things while eating?" Ami asked, adjusting her glasses and pushing her plate away from her. Minako and Rei continued with their food, but they weren't eating as vigorously as they had been before. "And how can you happily eat after explaining all of the colors of chibi-Usa's throw-up?" With Makoto's question, both Rei and Minako dropped their forks onto their plate and pushed them away as well. Makoto however, even though she came off as being disgusted, kept on eating. "Well," Usagi began, her mouth full of food. "You get used to it. You'll see what I mean one day, Mako-chan." Makoto smiled nervously and ran her fingers through her shoulder-length, light brown hair, which for once, wasn't tied back into a ponytail. "I don't know about that Usagi. I'm not so sure about having children...especially this soon." "Motoki-kun probably wants dozens of children though, right?" Ami questioned. Makoto nodded once. "Mm. You got that right." Rei and Minako -who were sitting next to each other- didn't bother to participate in the conversation. Rei was too busy being nervous, and Minako was wondering what was running through Rei's mind. What had made her snap like that? And so soon? They'd been, for the most part, close before. Had everything really changed that much? "REEEIIII-CHAAAAN!" Usagi exclaimed, causing the startled Rei to bang her knee against the bottom of the table. She winced at the bruise she knew was already forming. "What, Usagi?" Usagi wasn't fazed one bit by Rei's annoyed tone. "When are YOU getting married, huh?" She grinned with a wink. Rei's eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights. "M-marriage? I-I... I'm not sure if I...if I actually want to get married. Not anytime soon, at least..." Rei looked away from the girl's gazes, particularly Minako. Dating and anything of the sort was not exactly Rei's cup of tea. Nor were men. But she couldn't see herself marrying a woman either, so what did that leave her with? "You should! I need you guys to have kids as quick as you can so chibi-Usa has someone to play with! I can tell," Usagi brought her hands together dramatically, "That she's beginning to grow away from me. She only wants to play with Mamo-chan now! Oh, how can she do this to me? Play with my emotions like that? I'm her mama!" "Don't worry, Usagi. Motoki and I will have children someday. Just hang on a bit longer," Makoto said. "...How long?" Usagi asked with wide-eyes. "About 10 years." Makoto grinned and dodged Usagi's playful smack. "Mako-chan! Stop teasing me!" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- As the girls headed out of the restaurant, whatever tension there was in the air about two hours ago, had lightened up drastically. Sure, it'd taken a teensy-weensy bit of alcohol, but it was all in good fun. "Ami-chan, are you sure you don't want to take a taxi with Mako-chan and I?" Usagi asked. Ami smiled and nodded. "I'm sure. I only had half a glass of wine. I'm perfectly fine." "Alright then! How about you, Rei-chan? Minako-chan?" "No thanks," Rei and Minako chimed in unison. They looked at each other briefly before turning back to Usagi. "The shrine is only about 4 blocks from here. There would be no point in wasting money," said Rei. "The same goes for my hotel," Minako spoke up. "I'll see you tomorrow. Give me a call on my private line. But not at 6 in the morning, like I know you have a habit of doing." "Gomen!" Usagi clasped her hands together and lowered her head. Minako smiled. "It's okay." Usagi grinned. Before she got into the taxi Makoto had so valiantly caught for them, she exchanged hugs with Ami, Rei, and Minako. She shouted promises that she would make sure she'd call them (and not too early), and that they'd all get together for a welcoming party for both Rei and Minako soon. As they drove off, Rei sighed. "Always the same Usagi, no matter what." "But that's what draws us to her. She never changes. She's always there to make us feel welcomed and loved," Ami said in reply. Rei nodded with a faint smile. "Goodnight, then?" Ami smiled and gave Rei a light hug and then did the same to Minako. "Ja." The two remaining ex-soldiers watched as Ami got into her black sports car, and then drove off. Minako reached into her pink bag and pulled out a black hat that matched her outfit, which consisted of a black mini-skirt, a black t-shirt, and a black and white hoody, not to mention white leg warmers that went with her black and white converse. Rei watched in amusement as Minako adjusted her hat to make sure her hair wouldn't become too messed up by it. "So where's the hotel?" she asked. Minako shrugged. "I think right around the corner, but I'm not completely sure." "Can't you just call one of your minions to come and pick you up?" Minako began walking slowly, Rei following her pace. "I could," she said, a smile slowly creeping onto her glossy lips. "But it's such a nice night." Rei looked up at the moon. "And you and I also haven't really gotten to talk as just Rei and Minako for way too long," Minako added, making sure to look away from Rei's general direction. Rei of course, looked at Minako to see if what she'd just heard was correct. As just...Rei and Minako? She smiled. "So are you free tomorrow, Mars Reiko-san?" Rei frowned at Minako's nickname for her, but she decided against picking a fight... For now at least. "I have a few things to take care of at the shrine until about 2 in the afternoon. But after that, I'm completely free." "Mm," Minako replied. "That's nice." Rei cocked an eyebrow. 'That's nice'? What the Hell did that mean? She hesitated in asking the next question, but went for it anyway. "You weren't...going to ask me to, you know...spend some time together or something?" Minako widened her eyes and gave Rei a mock-surprised expression. "Oh! Was I supposed to?" Rei reddened in embarrassment and looked towards the street. "Um... I-I guess not..." Minako giggled and playfully shoved Rei, who grunted in reply. "What's so funny, Minako?" Minako examined Rei's features. Yes, she'd seen this look plenty of times before. The perfect, evil scowl, eyes narrowed, and her eyebrows furrowed. This was the look she usually gave youma, and of course sometimes Minako. Personally, Minako herself found it humorous. "Oh, Hino. Calm down, will you? Of course I was going to ask if you wanted to get together tomorrow. Still high-strung, I see." "If I do recall," Rei chimed in, "you were worse than me back in our senshi days." "Bringing up the past, huh? I thought you were against that?" Minako raised a questioning eyebrow. Rei scoffed and crossed her arms as the two rounded the corner. "Whatever. Where's your hotel anyway?" Minako stopped walking, as did Rei. "I thought it was down here, but I guess it's not. Maybe one more block?" Rei rolled her eyes. "What, am I your escort now?" "I didn't ask you to walk me anywhere. If I remember correctly, you followed me. Just like back in our senshi days," Minako said with a smirk. "Well, it was more like you were stalking me. Usually I can get rid of the everyday stalkers with ease, but you were a tricky one; not your everyday-stalker." "I wasn't stalking you!" Rei exclaimed, catching even Minako off-guard. A few people eyed them strangely, but most people just ignored them. Rei again grew red when she took notice of the people walking by them. She shook her head and then shrugged. "I just wanted to discuss some things with you. That's all," she whispered loudly. "Right. I bet, Hino." Minako sighed dramatically as they started walking again. "You just couldn't resist my charm and grace. No one can. I understand." "Usagi told me about when you backed into that pole that had just been painted blue. I wouldn't exactly call that graceful, Aino." It was now Rei's turn to smirk defiantly. Minako frowned. "Whatever." The two continued down the street in silence. But thankfully, it wasn't really an awkward silence—more like a comfortable one than anything. The two-for the most part-had talked to each other like normal human beings for the first time in years. Minako, though she didn't show it, couldn't have been any happier. She always knew they'd make good, even great friends. Their family life as teen-agers wasn't exactly the same, but they did relate in some things, like loneliness, and the big one: stubbornness. "In some sick way," Minako thought to herself. "That brain tumor brought us closer than we probably would have been, had I not been sick. I wasn't always so miserable and serious when I was younger. I was a lot like Usagi, actually. But when I found out I had that tumor, and then the whole senshi bit... Well, I guess you could say I had to grow up faster than the average teen-ager. I had to understand it, understand that I could, and probably would die. Understand that I couldn't be close to anyone anymore, because if I was, I'd only hurt them. But... I couldn't stay away from her. She was, to me, something different. Not like the people I grew up with. She had a taste of the real-world. Her mother's death, her father abandoning her. But she survived all of that, and just lived life. That's what drew me to her, what made me admire her so much. She was so brave. So strong." Minako knew she'd probably never tell Rei any of that, maybe because she was too proud to. But then again...maybe one day she would. She wondered if Rei would be surprised, or just shrug and dismiss it, and then mock her later. "Is that it?" Rei's voice cut into Minako's daydream, and she snapped back into reality. She looked over to where Rei was pointing, and surely, that was the hotel. It was so high, it probably went on for miles. Luckily for Minako, she was staying in one of the lower rooms. She didn't feel like standing in an elevator for the next twenty years of her life. "Oh, yes. That's it." Another silence washed over the two, and this time it was awkward. Rei was staring at her shoes as they scraped against the cement, and Minako glanced at her nails. "Well... You can call me anytime after 2. I still have the same line, so..." Rei cleared her throat. "Alright. I have some small work to do as well at the studio, so expect my call around 3 or 4. Don't hold your breath, though. Sometimes it takes longer than expected." "I wasn't planning to. And don't be offended if I miss your call. I won't be carrying my phone around with me, so if I get your call, I get it." Minako nodded at Rei. She was playing over in her head when Rei had so willingly hugged the other girls. If Minako were to even try to get that close to her, would Rei recoil? Would she accept it like she did with the others? Well, she was known for being quite impulsive. She leant over, and wrapped her arms around Rei. Like expected, Rei went completely stiff. Minako was going to pull away when suddenly, Rei relaxed and brought her arms up and lightly brought them around Minako. "It's like she's hugging a cloud. She's barely touching me." Minako said to herself in her mind. "Oh, well. I guess it's better than her pushing me off, or better yet, clobbering me in the face." Minako could have sworn they'd been standing there for hours, but really, it'd only been 30 seconds. She wished it would've been hours. She hadn't been this happy since she'd won her first musical award in America. As they broke apart, Rei made sure to avoid eye contact. Minako however, couldn't help but grin. "Ja then, Hino." "Mm," Rei mumbled, looking very much like the awkward teen she once was. "Oyasumi nasai (goodnight)."
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