Rei supported her head in one hand as she gazed out of the train window, absently watching the scenery fly by. She let out a deep sigh. She was on her way back to Tokyo, back to her old life... back to *her*. But there had never been any choice in the matter; Setsuna had said Usagi needed Rei and that had been enough to make the Fire Senshi return to her former home. By the time Khairephon had been defeated, the glowing light of a rising sun shone on the horizon. Rei wearily set out, with Tsubasa and Setsuna, for Sanjuro's apartment to retrieve the miko’s things. She had been anxious to leave Yokohama immediately despite her injuries and obvious exhaustion. Setsuna, however, had stated that there would be plenty time and had insisted that the Fire Senshi come to her hotel room and stay until she was rested. Rei had reluctantly conceded; she had been utterly drained from her long night of fighting. Shortly after arriving at Sanjuro’s apartment, Tsubasa had left with his luggage to return to his own apartment. Since the youma threat had ended in the city, he had felt secure in the fact that it would be safe to do so. Before he left, Setsuna had informed him of which train station Rei and herself would be leaving from and what time the train departed. Rei wondered why the Senshi of Time had bothered. Usagi was in danger and the miko would go to her; but it changed nothing. Rei would eventually have to return to Yokohama alone and resume her solitary life there. Rei Hino and Sailor Mars were still dead. But when her opinions had been voiced, Setsuna had merely given Rei a look that told her it would be best if she said goodbye. Setsuna had then taken the raven-haired girl to her hotel room; Rei figured a person would have to be able to foresee the future to actually get one in Yokohama. The Guardian of Time had helped Rei treat her wounds, never asking about the multitude of other bandages that covered the miko’s body, and then had told her to sleep. But Rei had wanted answers to questions like who, or what, was endangering Usagi and exactly what were Tokyo's state of affairs. Setsuna had refused to indulge her, silently demanding compliance by simply pointing to the bed. It was late into the afternoon by the time Rei had awoken from her long sleep. Already packed, the two Sailor Senshi had then departed for the train station to head back to Tokyo. When they had gotten there, Tsubasa was waiting for them on the station platform with a flat box carried under one arm. He had presented it to the Senshi of Fire, explaining to her that since she didn't seem to have one, he had gone out and bought one for her. Anxious to leave Yokohama, Rei had accepted the present with a simple goodbye. Tsubasa had assured the Fire Senshi that he would check up on Sanjuro and wanted her to say hi to Usagi for him. Rei had shot him a cold expression, and then promptly boarded the train to join Setsuna. The Senshi of Time had already boarded and was waiting patiently for her. Rei had never told Tsubasa her real name. Rei let out another sigh, her breath clouding the window. She was scared to return to Tokyo, to her friends, and to her family. She had every intention to remain hidden from them if she could, helping her fellow Sailors from the shadows and never revealing her true identity to any of them. She was afraid, too, that once she saw Usagi all of her will to leave Tokyo again would desert her completely; even after all of the danger to the blonde had been dealt with. It had taken everything Rei had to leave the first time. To do it a second... the miko didn't know if she possessed that level of determination. Rei squirmed restlessly in her seat. The calling sensation she had first felt during the fight with Khairephon was still there inside her and hadn't abandoned her since it had appeared. While the Senshi of Fire wondered what it was, she decided not to dwell on it; there were other more important matters right now to be concerned about. Rei turned her head towards Setsuna who sat in the seat next to her as calm and as peaceful as ever. "Will you tell me why I'm heading back to Tokyo now?" the raven-haired girl asked, slightly frustrated with the Outer Senshi’s lack of forthcoming information. "You know why. You are needed," Setsuna replied simply, never taking her eyes off the book she was reading. Rei ground her teeth, controlling her rising annoyance. "I *know* I'm needed! But I want details. How much danger is Usagi in? What type of enemies are we facing? How many? What is happening to Tokyo?" Setsuna took her time marking the spot in her book and closing it, irritating Rei to no end. She then turned her timeless crimson coloured eyes towards the girl. "You already know what kind of enemies they are. The creature you fought last night in the factory is one of four. The other three are in Tokyo, but only one has made herself known at this time," Setsuna revealed. Rei turned her head away from the Senshi of Time, looking at the back of the seat in front of her. Three others. There were three other creatures with the kind of power that Khairephon had running around in Tokyo. Rei didn’t want to even imagine what kind of damage they could do to the city... or to its populace. She narrowed her eyes and clenched one hand into a fist. No wonder Setsuna had come for her. The Sailor Senshi would need all the help they could get tackling those... demons. "But that is not the reason I contacted you," Setsuna continued, as if reading Rei’s thoughts. Rei turned sharply back towards Setsuna, frowning in confusion. What could be more important than destroying Khairephon's three evil cohorts? "I told you once before that there are many possible futures, many threads in time...." Setsuna paused for a moment, looking away from Rei as though contemplating something. After a second the Guardian of Time apparently reached a decision and returned her gaze to the girl. "But all of the futures I have seen so far seem to end up at the same point." Setsuna let out a small sigh, staring deeply into the miko’s lavender eyes. Setsuna's eyes shone with the light of astute wisdom that could only come from over a millennia of life. It made Rei uncomfortable; it was as though the woman was looking into her very soul. "There will be a moment; a defining moment in the near future. I don't know exactly when it will occur, but it will soon." the Senshi of Time concluded. Rei swallowed hard at the news. "It has to do with Usagi, doesn’t it...." she whispered, instinctively knowing it to be true. Setsuna nodded gravely. "Yes, it has to do with the princess... her life...." she trailed off, causing the Senshi of Fire’s stomach to start churning in fear. Rei looked away and gripped the armrests of her seat tightly, her knuckles white. "And you don't know when?" she asked quietly. Setsuna shook her head slightly. "Not precisely, only that it will happen in the near future. I'm having trouble seeing past the moment, also. The threads beyond it are clouded; hidden from my view...." the green-haired woman paused and her brow ceased faintly for the briefest of instants before she continued, "but I do know that in some of the futures I have seen you are there--" "--And that's why you came to Yokohama for me," Rei finished for the Senshi of Time. She was quiet for a moment. "I'm glad you did," she then said softly. Rei returned her gaze to Setsuna, looking into her eyes. She could tell that there was more the Guardian of Time knew, but didn't press her. All Rei needed to know was that Usagi was in life threatening danger and she would protect her from it. When Death came for her princess; Rei would meet its blow with her own. Rei leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes and wiping off the nervous sweat from her palms onto her pant legs. "Have you told any of the others about this?" she inquired after a moment. Rei heard Setsuna resettle in the seat beside her. "No. I didn't want to interfere with the timeline. The only reason I contacted you was because you asked it of me back at your funeral," the woman replied. Rei smiled without humour, her eyes still closed. "And this isn't a necessary time to 'interfere' with the timeline?" she asked acidly. Setsuna didn't answer. ****** While the train journey from Yokohama to Tokyo only took half an hour, it was dark by the time Setsuna and Rei arrived in the capitol city. They had to take a second train to get to Minato-ku, and once there, Setsuna asked Rei if she would like to stay overnight at the mansion she shared with the other Outer Senshi. Rei declined. She didn't want her presence in Tokyo known to anybody else. Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru would surely see her if she stayed with Setsuna. As Rei bid Setsuna goodbye, the Guardian of Time gazed into her eyes with another soul-searching look resembling the one she'd given back on the train. Rei stared back, somehow unable to turn away. "Good luck," Setsuna finally said in a soft voice, breaking her gaze with the miko, then turned and walked off into the night. Rei watched her go. Setsuna was always sort of strange and mysterious. Rei shrugged her shoulders dismissively and forgot about the Senshi of Time. She had to find a place to spend the night. After considering her options for a few seconds, the Fire Senshi decided to go back to the cheap roach motel she had stayed at previously when waiting for her funeral to take place. After Rei checked into the motel, she went to her room to pass the time; it was still early evening and she doubted if the Sailor Senshi would be active at the moment. The Fire Senshi needed time to determine how exactly she would go about protecting Usagi without being noticed, anyway. Rei dropped her bag and Tsubasa's box onto the floor, and then flopped backwards onto the bed with her hands clasped behind her head. Rei stared blankly at the ceiling, one finger tapping on a hand behind her head. Now that she was in Tokyo she felt very fidgety for some reason. She tried to ignore the nagging voice in her mind that told her to go see Usagi. Rei knew she would have to see the girl eventually, but she was afraid that one look at her beautiful princess would cause her to crack and never leave her love’s side again. Rei’s eyes darted around the room, trying to find something to occupy herself with. Her gaze rested on Tsubasa's box on the floor. Maybe looking at what Tsubasa had given her would engage her mind for a while... at least long enough for her to forget any ideas about seeing Usagi. It was probably just something lame or useless like flowers however, Rei thought rather ungratefully. She sat up on the bed and reached over to pick up the flat cardboard box from the floor, then pulled the top off. Inside was a long black coat similar to the one she had worn when she had transformed into Sailor Mars back in Yokohama. Tsubasa; that idiot. Why would she need this? Although, it could come in handy as a disguise.... Rei laid the coat on the bed and carelessly tossed the empty box back onto the floor. She sat on the edge of the bed and idly kicked her legs. She was still restless. Despite how small it was, the pulling sensation inside of her was still there and growing hard to ignore. Rei cursed and got to her feet. Picking up the new coat, she slipped it on. It seemed that Tsubasa had guessed her size correctly; the black coat fit her perfectly. Maybe she could walk by Usagi’s house... just to check on her, of course, nothing more. Yes, that was a good idea. What if the blonde girl was in trouble at this very minute? It *was* a possibility. With that flimsy excuse in mind, the Fire Senshi flicked up the collar of her coat and left the motel room. ****** As Rei walked to Usagi's house, she contemplated visiting her own grave. After all, she had never seen the actual gravestone. The miko wondered what was written on it. Lost in thought, Rei continued straight on ahead instead of turning down Usagi's street. Rei stopped when she realised what she had done; she had followed the call inside of her. The Senshi of Fire frowned in irritation. The pulling was starting to annoy her. She let out a sigh and decided to just give in to instinct; she would let whatever the feeling was inside of her choose her path. As Rei continued walking, she realised that she was being led to the park. Rei wondered what it was she was feeling. The sensation was barely there, but she could still tell in which direction it was drawing her towards. When she approached the park, the miko could hear shouting. Her initial thought was that it was a little late to be playing games. But when strange, loud, insect-like chirps were added to the shouts, the Senshi of Fire quickly ran the rest of the way to the park. Rei moved from tree to tree, her black coat aiding in her stealthy approach to the source of the noises. She was certain it was a battle between the Sailor Senshi and some youma, but she had to be totally sure. Once Rei had finally reached the origin of the shouts, she leaned out from behind a tall tree trunk and took a cautious peek. There were four senshi fighting two youma. Rei saw that Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Uranus were there. And Sailor Moon. Rei gasped and gazed longingly at her princess. This must be what a person dying of thirst felt like when finding a crystal clear oasis in front of them. As Rei took in the divine vision that was Sailor Moon, the heart she had thought dead stirred in her chest once more after what seemed an eternity. She already felt her resolve to keep hidden from the girl weakening. Rei swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and forced back the tears that were starting to come to her eyes. No. She would not let this happen again. Rei had sworn after breaking down back in Yokohama that she would shed no more tears over a hopeless love. Rei frowned a little as she looked at Sailor Moon. There was a slight tightness around her princess’s eyes, eyes that seemed dull. The princess's hair had lost some of its usual sheen, too. Rei’s eyes moved to the other senshi and wondered where the rest of them were. And where *he* was as well. The Fire Senshi balled her fists in anger. Tuxedo Kamen should have been here defending Sailor Moon! Rei moved completely behind the tree and climbed nimbly up into its branches to give herself a better vantage of the battle. Someone had to protect her princess... and that was why *she* was here. Using the tree’s thick foliage as cover, Rei whispered the words to change her into her alter ego and quietly transformed. Transformation complete, Sailor Mars felt the familiar feeling of a long coat on her; but there was something... different. She felt the weight of the hat that had appeared that first time before in Yokohama and her hair piled underneath it. The crimson veil still covered her face as always. Mars looked down at herself and her eyes widened. She was wearing her Sailor Senshi fuku under her coat. Sailor Mars blinked down at it, wondering why it had come back. Perhaps all of the thoughts regarding Sailor Moon--and possibly Tuxedo Kamen, also--had affected her transformation. Or maybe it was affected by Mars' will to protect her princess as one of her personal bodyguards. From her high perch in the tree, Sailor Mars had to strain her eyes to observe the mêlée through the leaves. Both youma the Sailors were fighting looked vaguely humanoid and distinctly female. One was a giant half-woman half-scorpion abomination. The lower part of its body was that of a scorpion having six legs and a large tail capped with a wicked stinger. The top part of its body resembled a woman's, except that its hands had been replaced with large chitinous pincers that snapped menacingly. The other youma was similar to its partner, except that it was half-spider and half-woman. It walked on eight hairy legs and possessed two web shooters that sprouted from human-looking forearms. "WORLD SHAKING!" Sailor Mars watched as an orange energy ball smashed into the scorpion youma and threw the creature onto its back. The spider youma shot out strands of web from its arms at Sailor Uranus and Sailor Mercury, forcing both senshi to dodge out of the way. One of the silk threads, however, managed to wrap around Mercury's ankles, causing the youma emit an insect-like chitter. Mars suspected that the sound was its equivalent of laughter. The giant half-spider fired another web strand at the blue-haired genius’ prone body effectively tying her arms up. Sailor Jupiter glanced at Sailor Mercury and glared at the youma responsible for the girl’s predicament with hatred. "SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!" Sailor Jupiter hurled a ball of electricity at the spider youma. In a split second the creature spun a solid web shield before it, letting the large oval shape absorb the electrical blast. Jupiter let out a growl of frustration. Meanwhile, the scorpion youma had used its clawed forearms to flip itself back onto its legs and now snapped its pincers at Sailor Moon, trying to grab her. The blonde odango atama hastily turned and ran away, then leapt to her left as the half-scorpion's tail pierced the ground where she had once stood, clumps of dirt flying upwards. Sailor Mars breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her princess’s narrow escape. "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" Sailor Uranus fired out a blinding white light from her scimitar, which crashed into the spider youma's web shield, turning it instantly to dust. The spider youma launched a ball of silk threads at Uranus in retaliation. The projectile splattered onto the Senshi of Air, rapidly encasing her within its strong gluey substance. The force of the hit was enough to knock Uranus to the ground. The shorthaired blonde cursed and flexed her arms in an effort to snap the strands with sheer strength. In the meantime, the scorpion youma seeing easy prey, had scuttled over to Sailor Mercury as the girl wiggled on the ground endeavouring to free herself of the sticky threads that surrounded her appendages. "Leave her alone, you ugly bug!" yelled Sailor Jupiter, running in front of the prone Sailor Mercury to intercept the youma. "No, look out!!" Mercury warned in a desperate shout. Sailor Jupiter cried out in surprise as she was caught off guard by the spider youma, taking a web blast to the face. She pulled frantically at the webbing that covered her mouth and nose, but only succeeded in getting her hands stuck, too. Sailor Jupiter stumbled backwards and tripped over Sailor Mercury as she fervently tore at the web as best she could with her imprisoned hands before she asphyxiated. The scorpion youma chittered like the spider youma had in amusement and raised its tail in preparation to strike a deadly blow. A clear drop of fluid appeared at the end of its sharp stinger; it didn’t take a genius to know what the liquid contained. Sailor Mars watched anxiously on as a look of utter horror came over Sailor Moon's face. "Nooo! Jupiter! Mercury!" screamed Sailor Moon, who seemed close to hysterics. "MOON TIARA ACTION!" Sailor Moon's tiara flew at the youma, slicing through the tip of its tail. The stinger fell to the grass in a spray of putrid green while similarly coloured blood splattered out like a fountain from the amputated end of the creature’s tail. The scorpion youma roared in agony and whirled around to face Sailor Moon, skittering along the ground on six legs directly for her. Sailor Mars tensed as the sneaky spider youma shot strands of silk around Sailor Moon's legs, tripping her over onto the grass. Mars heard a shout of triumph as Uranus tore apart the web ball that had enclosed her. "Sailor Moon!" Uranus yelled as she saw the scorpion youma bearing down on Mars' vulnerable princess. "WORLD SHA-- umph!" The spider youma had deftly fired a sticky silk glob over Sailor Uranus' mouth, silencing her attack. Meanwhile, its scorpion companion picked the helpless Sailor Moon up by one of her arms with a pincer. It then raised and opened its other pincer, ready to impale the blonde girl on its sharp twin pointed ends. Sailor Mars cursed loudly and knew she had to act. She couldn't just sit idly by and watch her princess be in danger like this. Mars' powers of fire would identify her; but she never hesitated for a second. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!" An arrow of flame burst out from the tree branches, setting some of the foliage alight. The blazing projectile ripped into the giant insect's shoulder and exploded, tearing the limb clean off and cauterising the wound instantly while the creature howled in torment. Unable to use her feet, Sailor Moon dropped heavily to the ground with the youma's pincer still attached to her arm. All of the Sailors’ heads turned at the same time to look up into the tree where the bolt of fire originated from; including Jupiter who had succeeded in pulling the silk threads from her face. Sailor Mars leapt boldly out of the tree and into the air with her arms stretched out behind her, head tilted back and eyes closed. Her long coat slipped off of her shoulders to expose her Sailor Senshi fuku, while her black hat fell backwards to loose her long hair, which spilled luxuriously down her back. The veil flew from her face into the air, uncovering her beautiful features. The Senshi of Fire landed in a crouch, her coat, hat, and veil fluttering to the ground around her. Sailor Mars stood and opened her lavender eyes to reveal herself in all her glory. There was collective gasp as all of the other senshi realised who was standing before them. Mars said nothing and turned sharply to face the spider youma. The spider youma made a clicking noise and shot two web balls at her in response. Obviously it was unaware of just who it was dealing with. "FIRE SOUL BIRD!" The phoenix shrieked at the spider youma, burning the web balls to ash and continuing on to smash into it. The fire bird set the creature's furry lower insect body aflame. The other Sailor Senshi, bar one, recovered at the sound of the screeching youma as it burned alive and quickly took the initiative. "SPACE SWORD BLASTER!" A white beam tore through the spider youma-turned-inferno, disintegrating its human-like upper body. Sailor Mercury finally squirmed out of her web bindings and stood up, the majority of the silky threads still hanging from her fuku. "SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!" A geyser jetted from Mercury's hands and collided heavily with the scorpion youma, freezing it where it stood still screaming in pain from Sailor Mars' maiming attack. "SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!" A dragon made out entirely of electricity came roaring at the frozen youma and engulfed the petrified creature completely in its crackling maw. As the dragon gorged itself, it charged the monster's body with an electrical energy that was heightened by the frozen water encasing it. The ice shattered and the youma collapsed to the ground, its internal organs cooked and its outsides oddly chilled. Upon the youma's deaths, their remains began to melt away into the ground. With the enemy dealt with, all of the Sailors’ turned wide disbelieving eyes onto the Fire Senshi. But Mars was only interested in one Sailor. Sailor Moon still sat where she had landed, the decaying web and arm from the two youma still attached to her. She looked up at Sailor Mars, not blinking. Sailor Mars stared mutely back at her princess. She had thought about what she would say if it were to come to this, but now all words fled her. So Mars simply stared, her mouth slightly open. As Sailor Moon got slowly to her feet the decomposed web threads around her legs pulled apart easily with the movement and the youma's pincer fell to the ground. She walked slowly over to Sailor Mars with unsure steps, hands raised a little in front of her. Mars looked at Sailor Moon a little warily, not sure what her princess would do. Would she slap her? Yell at her for hiding? But then the raven-haired girl noticed tears in the odango atama's eyes, twinkling in the moonlight. Sailor Moon fell to her knees in front of Sailor Mars and wrapped her arms tightly around the bodyguard's waist, the side of her face pressed against the Fire Senshi’s stomach. And then she cried. The tears kept pouring from Sailor Moon as the stress of loss and battle came out all at once. Sailor Mars tilted her head back and shut her eyes as her own tears started to squeeze out from behind her eyelids, leaving cold wet trails down her cheeks. She lifted her hands to the top of her gorgeous princess's head and ran her fingers through the silky blonde hair. All of Sailor Mars' will to leave again caved in; the miko felt alive once more. It was as if her once cold and hardened heart had started beating again, as if the eternal fire of love that always burned for Sailor Moon inside her had become an unstoppable inferno. How completely stupid she had been to leave the darling angel before her. Never. Never again would she. Sailor Mars would never, ever abandon her princess's side again. How much damage had she done to this beautiful creature because of her actions? These tears were all her fault. Mars had never felt such guilt and relief in all of her life. She and Sailor Moon were reunited at last. Sailor Mars heard Sailor Moon mumbling her name over and over again through sobs. Rei. That was her name and Sailor Mars was who she was. She would always be Rei Hino and Sailor Mars, defending her princess to the very last. Sailor Mars opened her wet eyes and looked at the full moon that shone above them. Rei Hino was reborn here today. She was reborn to protect her princess... the true love of her immortal life and her *only* love of her immortal life.... ****** To be continued.... Author's ramblings: I decided to let Rei and Usagi meet up. Having Rei being a mysterious Tuxedo Kamen-style character wouldn't work out. Besides, they had been apart for long enough. And yes, I have a thing for girls in long black coats. ^_^;
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