Rei strolled with new purpose down the hallways of Minato General Hospital, humming happily to herself. She brought the rather large and extravagant bouquet of pale pink carnations up to her nose and inhaled their sweet fragrance. The girl smiled, pleased with the scent and the aesthetic appearance of the flowers. Yes, her princess would like them. This was the type of thing Rei had wanted to do from the start of her special relationship with Usagi; lavish all sorts of loving attention on the blonde. And now the miko was determined to do such things, starting with this gesture. A bunch of flowers were fairly traditional after all. Rei had decided against also getting chocolates; she would save giving those for another time. The senshi intended to buy the finest chocolaty treats she could find for Usagi, since the girl loved to eat such foods. Rei had thankfully left Tsubasa and Sanjuro behind, after a few casual and not-so-casual threats of bodily harm. Both men had wanted to follow her no matter where she were going, but there was no way the miko would let either of the pair near her princess again. Besides, Tsubasa and Sanjuro irritated the Fire Senshi to no end. Before she left, Rei had been forced to constantly assure the two that she would contact them on their mobile phone whenever she was going after any youma. The raven-haired girl smirked as she walked along. Like she would ever do *that*. It was safer for Sanjuro and Tsubasa to stay well away from youma. Despite the men's annoying natures, Rei didn't want to see either of them get hurt or killed. And they would only get in her way during a fight. After a short detour to a flower shop, Rei had proceeded to Minato Hospital to meet up with Usagi and keep her company watching over Makoto. The bouquet of carnations would also serve as an apology for being so late. The miko hoped her princess wouldn't be too mad at her. Rei smiled broadly. No, Usagi wouldn't be angry, and whatever annoyance the blonde odango atama felt for her bodyguard would surely vanish when she saw the flowers. Rei ceased her leisurely walk when she realised she had just gone past the corridor that led to Makoto's room. She blinked and then turned back to the right hallway, ready to proceed down it, but stopped yet again. The raven-haired girl stared down the corridor to Makoto's hospital room, idly noting the security guard standing vigilantly in front of the door in the distance. Usagi was probably in there, but... Rei frowned and glanced back to the corridor she had been previously walking along. Giving in to instinct, the Fire Senshi decided to follow that hallway instead. After a few minutes, Rei arrived in the hospital's cafeteria. She halted at the open entrance and surveyed the large area's occupants, expecting to see... the miko shook her head, trying to clear away the foolish thoughts. Why would she think Usagi were here? Just as Rei was about to turn around and go back to Makoto's room, she spotted a familiar couple out of the corner of her eye. She did a double take as she noticed that Usagi was sitting at a round white table with Mamoru, about to eat lunch. So Rei's intuition had been correct after all. The raven-haired girl smiled faintly, and began to make her way towards the pair, her gaze focused on her true love. As what she was doing dawned on her, Rei quickly darted behind a square support column, out of Mamoru and Usagi's sight. She couldn't very well stroll up to Usagi and present her with a bouquet of flowers, right when the girl's boyfriend was sitting next to her. The Fire Senshi wanted to make her romantic relationship with her princess more blatant, but that would be a bit too much. She had thought Usagi would have been with Makoto, where she could give her the carnations in relative privacy. If Rei proceeded now, it would be a bold step. But perhaps she could make up some elaborate story as to why she was giving Usagi flowers, for Mamoru's benefit. The Senshi of Fire's lips curled up into a devious grin, causing a few passers-by to look at the girl warily and avoid her. What had Setsuna said? 'Fortune favours the brave'. However, Rei had heard a variation of the saying: 'fortune favours the bold'. She nodded determinedly to herself. She would be bold... Rei took a deep breath and put on a cheerful smile. She moved out from behind the pillar, and took sure steps directly towards her princess and the prince, both of whom were unaware of her approach. As the Fire Senshi got closer, Usagi raised her head and stared right into Rei's eyes, dropping the big double-decker sandwich she had been eating. The blonde abruptly stood up from her chair, causing the plastic piece of furniture to make a loud scratchy sound along the floor. Mamoru glanced at his girlfriend from his seat and then to what she was staring wide-eyed at. The prince raised a single eyebrow as he saw Rei standing by the table, holding a large bunch of pink carnations in the crook of one arm. "For me?" Mamoru joked with a half-grin. "Thanks, but I'm more of a rose guy and I don't think my girlfriend would approve." He turned his head to Usagi, no doubt to witness her response, but was obviously surprised to see that she was still somewhat shocked at the sight of Rei, and especially at the bouquet of flowers. The Senshi of Fire gave Mamoru a withering look, but quickly put the happy grin back on her face and returned her attention to her true love. "Sorry lover boy, but these are for Usagi," she smirked, gazing intently at her princess. "Oh?" said Mamoru, intrigue written all over his face. Usagi held her mouth open for a second, looking as if she were trying to force some words out. She then swallowed hard, glanced at the pink carnations her bodyguard was holding, and then looked at the raven-haired girl with apprehension and shock showing in her blue eyes. "There h-has to be some m-mistake," Usagi stuttered out. "Nope," Rei said brightly, holding out the bouquet to her only love. "They're for you. From a 'secret admirer'." She winked at Usagi with her left eye, out of Mamoru's field of view. The blonde started at the wink and her cheeks flushed pink. She swallowed hard once again and, with slightly trembling hands, took the proffered pink carnation bouquet from Rei’s out stretched arms. "A 'secret admirer'?" Mamoru questioned, and then furrowed his brow. "How did you get them, Rei?" "The 'admirer', knew that I knew Usagi," Rei replied simply, continuing to watch her princess eye the flowers followed by Mamoru with some trepidation. The prince appeared thoughtful, his brow creasing even more. "What did... what did he look like?" he said slowly. "Oh, about my height," the Fire Senshi said, grinning at Usagi's startled expression, "with a slim build and dark hair." Mamoru shook his head slightly. "Could be anyone..." he said softly to himself, still deep in thought. "Yes, I guess so," Rei said absently. She gestured to the carnations in Usagi's arms. "So, do you like them...?" she asked her true love, her expression turning mischievous. Usagi took a deep whiff of the flowers, a small smile coming to her features. "Yes..." she sighed contentedly, gazing at the pink carnations. The smile was suddenly wiped away from the blonde's face as her eyes shot up to lock with Rei's. "But it was an inappropriate and *badly* *timed* present," Usagi added, glancing at her boyfriend to probably make sure he didn't read anything into her words. But there was no danger; the prince seemed to be on another planet, lost in his thoughts. "Well, can you blame the 'secret admirer'?" Rei replied while grinning impishly with her hands clasped behind her back. "Who could resist your wily charms?" Usagi spluttered for few seconds before closing her eyes and visually calming herself. "Mamoru," she said with a slightly unsteady voice, "I think Rei and I should go back to Makoto's room, just to be safe." The prince came out of his thoughts as he heard his name being mentioned, and looked up at Usagi. "Alright... I should go back to watch over Haruka too," he said, though Rei could tell his mind was somewhere else. Mamoru got to his feet and gathered his lunch. He turned to depart and then, almost as if it were an afterthought, kissed Usagi on the cheek. The man glanced down at the carnations Rei's princess held, and frowned yet again before leaving the miko and Usagi. Usagi began to walk away from the table, but stopped when she realised she had left her barely touched lunch behind. The girl turned back, but halted once more, blinking bright blue eyes at her bodyguard standing near her. Rei dangled Usagi's lunch in front of her nose and waved it gently from side to side. "I've got it," the Fire Senshi grinned. "Did you think I'd forget about your appetite?" Usagi opened her mouth to say something, but instead closed it and started to head for Makoto's hospital room, with the bouquet of pink carnations in hand. Rei smirked and then followed closely behind. ****** Rei and Usagi entered Makoto's room, not a word having been spoken throughout the entire journey there. The miko was a little worried, but was confident that Usagi wasn't too ticked off. She just knew it for some reason. Rei closed the door behind her and put Usagi's lunch on a table, then turned around to see that the girl was placing the carnation bouquet carefully on a nearby chair. The odango atama looked at the flowers for a moment, and then slowly faced her bodyguard. Rei watched her true love somewhat warily, despite the confidence she felt inside herself. "It was a nice surprise..." Usagi began softly, glancing back to the pink flowers. "But what were you thinking?! Mamoru was right there!" she cried, her voice much louder. "He could have figured out something was going on! You know, I think he does know that something is going on; did you see his face?! Ohhh...!" The blonde put a hand to the side of her head as she rambled, obviously panicked. Rei folded her arms firmly. "Maybe it's good that he knows something is going on," she said, causing Usagi to look at her in dismay, "it's about time he knew about us." "Rei!" the odango atama moaned out. "I said I was gonna tell him soon..." "Yeah, sure," the Fire Senshi scoffed. "I bet this would have went on for months with him none the wiser." "That's not true," Usagi pouted. "I said I would tell him. Don't you trust me?" She blinked moistly at her bodyguard before lowering her head. "I do," Rei said emphatically, all irritation disappearing as she quickly moved up to Usagi and placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "You know I do," she continued gently, "more than anyone in existence." Usagi raised her head to gaze into her bodyguard's lavender eyes. "And I trusted you too... but then you went and did this..." she said quietly. Rei squeezed her princess's shoulders lightly, looking pained. "I'm sorry Usagi, but it's hard to feel this way about you and not be able to tell the world," she argued. "I want everyone to know, I want do be able to declare my feelings for you out in the open, in public," she went on. "I want to... 'shout it from the rooftops', so to speak," she finished with a small half- smile. Usagi sighed and lowered her head again. "I know you do, Rei," she said, "and I'm sorry too. I trust you..." She let out a stress-filled breath. "I'm just... I don't know what everybody is going to say when they do find out about us. I've been with Mamoru for so long now, and we've been through so much together. If he finds out I'm cheating on him behind his back with my best friend, who happens to be his ex-girlfriend too, he'll... he might leave me again," she finished in a small voice. Rei swallowed. "Oh..." she whispered, the hurt she felt evident in her tone. The blonde quickly lifted her head. "But that doesn't mean I've chosen him over you!" she hastily blurted out. "I... I just need more time. It's... so difficult and confusing!" she added in frustration. Rei let go of her princess's shoulders and stepped back. "It's alright," she said without much emotion. "I-I can wait." She looked away from her true love. Usagi looked at the Fire Senshi sadly. "No, you can't, Rei. I can see that now," she said. The blonde bridged the small gap between herself and Rei, tenderly wrapping her arms around the girl's slender waist. "I'm so sorry, Rei," Usagi apologised again, "you shouldn't have to hide your feelings for me. I'm sorry for making you do this, but..." Rei turned her vision back to her true love, meeting her intense gaze. "Please, please... just a little bit longer, I promise... just wait a little bit longer," the blonde pleaded. Rei smiled faintly at her princess. She brought one hand up to Usagi's face and with a feather-light touch, trailed her fingertips down one soft smooth cheek, as if the girl before her were the most precious thing in the entire universe. But to Rei, she was. "I can wait," the Fire Senshi assured her true love in a whisper, "I could wait until the end of time if I had to... for you." Usagi stared deeply into her bodyguard's eyes. "Thank you, Rei," she replied just as quietly. "But I promise it won't be that long..." Rei nodded slightly and enclosed Usagi in her arms, delicately pulling the love of her life closer to her body. "I trust you," she murmured before capturing her princess's lips with her own. Usagi readily returned the kiss with no inhibitions, eagerly exploring every crevice of her senshi's mouth. Rei moaned low in her throat as she revelled in her only love's taste, her tongue licking sensuously along the inside walls of Usagi's mouth. After a time, the blonde odango atama broke the kiss, freeing her wet tongue from Rei’s. "Thanks for the flowers," she smiled at Rei. The Senshi of Fire smiled widely back at the girl, and then a thought struck her. Rei's smile turned innocent, and she caressed the back of Usagi's neck soothingly with her hands. "You know what would help pass the time I have to wait?" the miko said carefully. Usagi tilted her head curiously at her bodyguard, waiting for her to continue. "A date. A real date. We've never been anywhere romantic at all, and I would really like it if... if we went on a date together." Rei blushed and squirmed a little in her princess's embrace. "Like we were a real couple, with no other... baggage." She looked away from Usagi, holding her breath as she waited on her true love's answer. Usagi looked at Rei dubiously. "A... date?" she said slowly. "I dunno, Rei... what if someone saw us? What if Mamoru-" "No one will see us," the Fire Senshi swiftly said, cutting off her princess's nervous excuses. "I'll find a place to go where no one will know us." Usagi turned her head away from Rei, pursing her lips in thought as she considered her bodyguard's request. "When would we... when would we go out on this, 'date'?" she asked. Rei shrugged. "How about tomorrow night? It's Friday tomorrow, so you won't need to come home early to get up for school the next day," she said. The raven-haired girl grinned rakishly at Usagi. "Plus you can spend the entire weekend... recovering." Rei bit her lower lip, restraining the giggle that threatened to spill out, as she watched her princess's expression expectantly. Usagi reddened and batted Rei's arm playfully with one hand, catching onto her senshi's innuendo. "What kind of girl do you think I am? Do you think you'll get *that* lucky on a first date?" she said with mock indignation. Rei rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and shrugged lightly, still biting her lip. "I can hope, can't I?" she said, the amusement easy to hear in her tone. "Wow, things certainly have changed. Just how long was I out for?!" a weak voice suddenly said. Both Rei and Usagi's heads snapped towards the bed where Makoto was lying, their eyes wide as they saw that the injured senshi had awakened from her long comatose condition. Usagi left her bodyguard's arms and swiftly moved to Makoto's side. "Makoto! You're awake!" the blonde gushed happily. "Are you in pain? Are you okay? How do you feel?!" she said, badgering her friend with questions. "My insides feel like they've been in a blender," the tall girl said in a strained voice. "Ohhh!" Usagi cried in despair. "But don't worry Makoto, you're going to be fine! I just know it! ...I should call Ami!" The odango atama bolted for the door and threw it open, startling the security guard on the other side. Rei raised one eyebrow as she watched her princess go, the blonde no doubt running for the nearest phone. Usagi certainly could move fast when she wanted to. Rei looked back to Makoto and saw the sickly pale girl smirk at her. "So... finally got the girl, huh?" the bed-ridden senshi said. The miko walked over to her friend's bedside and sat in a nearby chair. "Not entirely. But I'm working on it." "What did Mamoru say when you told him?" Makoto asked. Rei turned her head away from the tall girl. "Uh... well, he doesn't really know yet..." she confessed. "And at this rate, I think everyone is going to find out before he does," the miko added. How many people knew about Rei and Usagi's 'close' friendship now? "He doesn't know?" Makoto repeated. "I don't think I need to tell you that you should tell him..." "Yeah... we will soon," Rei said. I hope, she silently added. "I'm glad you've finally gotten a break," the injured senshi said, smiling broadly at her friend. "But I'm sorry I missed the awkward 'budding romance' stage." Makoto chuckled faintly, barely holding back a cough from spoiling the laugh. Rei shrugged her shoulders. "There wasn't that much to miss. At least, from your limited point of view," she smirked at the girl. "Things started to change after you were..." the miko trailed off, motioning to Makoto's damaged body beneath the bed sheets. Makoto nodded her head as best she could in her prone position. She was silent for a few moments. "Ami... how is she?" she finally asked. "She's been better," Rei said truthfully. "She hasn't been getting much sleep lately and misses a lot of school just so she can watch over you." "She- she watches over me?" Makoto said quietly, staring up at the ceiling. "We all do; the youma somehow know who you are. But Ami spends the most time by your side. If we hadn't insisted on her getting rest she would probably never leave," Rei went on. "She even single-handedly defended you from a youma assassination attempt." "Ami..." Makoto whispered to herself. The Fire Senshi could see light glisten off her friend's green eyes. "She'll come to see you as soon as Usagi contacts her," Rei said, smiling indulgently at the love struck senshi. "The odango atama and I will go when she comes, to give you two some privacy." Makoto nodded absently, no doubt lost in deep personal thoughts about her love. Rei hoped that Usagi and herself would be like that someday, able to feel a strong love for each other without Mamoru creeping up into their conversations and minds. But perhaps that day was soon. Fate didn't seem to be such a powerful enemy after all. Look at where Rei and her princess were now. Things were progressing along rather nicely; Usagi had even agreed to go out on a date with her tomorrow night! The only real obstacle left was Mamoru, and Usagi had said she would tell the prince about her feelings for her bodyguard very soon. Destiny; Fate, was an overrated foe. Tomorrow night... Rei was going on a date with her true love tomorrow night. The raven-haired girl was determined to make it the most special and enjoyable night of Usagi's life. ****** To be continued... Author's ramblings: Hmm... nothing.
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