Never Imagined
Author's Note & Disclaimers:
As usual, I am using the name Serenity, for linguistic and artistic
reasons. I am also using the persona of the Rei from the manga, but
endowing her with the experiences of the Rei of the anime, thus
creating a kind of uber-Rei, bwahahahahah! Ahem.
One last note, the term "dogi" is pronounced doe-gee and it is the
white shirt and pants that Rei wears as a uniform at the shrine. It is
also what karate practitioners wear. The "hakama" is the split red
skirt that she wears over her dogi pants at the shrine.
If you find this story pleasing, then by all means let me know .
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"My name is Hino Rei. I am 17 years old. When I was 14, the most
extraordinary thing occurred - I found out that I had a destiny. It
was difficult thing to accept, but I did my best. I became one of the
companions of Sailor Moon, the Sailor Senshi, protectors of the Moon
Princess. The first days were hard, especially when I realized that
for all my discipline and prescience, I was not to be leader of the
group. In fact, our leader, Sailor Moon, Usagi, was an irresponsible,
whining brat. Or so I thought. I couldn't stand her incompetence and
lack of commitment, so I challenged her for the leadership of the
senshi, but the others supported her against me. For a long time I was
unable to forgive them. I especially resented Usagi. Then the Dark
Kingdom's attacks became stronger and our Sailor Moon turned out to be
the Moon Princess herself. And Usagi, the crybaby, became Serenity,
our beautiful and gracious sovereign. And I saw, finally, the nobility
and strength in her. At that moment, I, who have been called aloof and
cold, grew to love her and pledged my life to protect her. I have
loved her since. And with love, came something else..."
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Rei stood in the courtyard, sweeping sluggishly in the unusual April
heat. Her body was on automatic, her mind far away. She was finding it
difficult these days to focus on her tasks. Her thoughts ranged
randomly, like a monkey in the forest. In the maelstrom of images and
thoughts, one constant remained. A sweet face, with golden hair and
large blue eyes returned incessantly to her mind. Rei shook her head
in frustration and disgust, wrenching her mind back to the present and
the task in hand. Unable to concentrate, Rei was also finding it
difficult to sleep. She had begun staying up late, meditating in front
of the sacred flame far into the night, trying to bring on an
exhaustion that would lead to peace. But there was no peace in front
of the flame and her fortune-telling had brought her no rest. Her eyes
felt as if they were burning in her face.
Rei finished up her sweeping, put the broom away and plucked her dogi
away from her sweat-soaked body. The day was thick and humid, the heat
adding to her feeling of heaviness and unease. No breeze came to offer
any relief.
She stood still for a moment, sensing someone approaching the temple.
She knew it would not be tourists or fortune seekers, not at this late
hour of the afternoon. A moment later, footsteps sounded on the
flagstones of the stairs, then approached across the courtyard. Rei
sighed quietly. She had hoped that lack of sleep would at least dull
her prescience, but if anything, she found it becoming sharper, more
sensitive. How frustrating.
Rei turned back to the courtyard, trying to pull herself together to
greet her guest. She knew perfectly well who had come to see her.
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"Rei-chan! Where are you?" Usagi's voice came across the empty
courtyard.
"I'm here, Usagi, hang on..." Rei called around the corner. She came
into the courtyard and saw Usagi look up, smiling uncertainly. Then
Rei saw, in a flash from Usagi's mind, the image of herself that Usagi
saw. Pale, drawn face, with dark circles under her eyes,
sweat-darkened dogi and hakama clinging to her thin body. She looked
awful. The pity in Usagi's eyes made Rei turn away in shame.
"You didn't come to the study meeting." Usagi began, carefully
omitting the word "again."
Rei faltered. "I'm sorry. I've had so much to do..."
Usagi nodded, accepting the empty excuse.
"Rei-chan, we're worried about you." Usagi stepped forward. "If you
need to talk..."
Rei stood still, unable to answer. She looked into blue eyes she knew
so well. "I'm really sorry, Usagi. I wish I could... I'm sorry." Rei
clamped her mouth down on words that ached to be spoken. Usagi now
stood an arm's length away. She lifted a hand to touch her friend,
then withdrew it when she saw Rei flinch from the touch. Usagi's eyes
filled with tears. Rei dropped hers, looking at the grey flagstones
beneath them.
"Oh, Rei..." Usagi paused, forcing herself to lighten her tone. "Well,
please let me know if I can...if you want to talk." Rei's eyes did not
rise, but she nodded.
"Thanks, but I'll be okay." There was silence, profound and brittle,
between them. "I'll be okay. Please tell the others that I will come
to the next meeting."
Usagi nodded, reached out and grabbed Rei's hand quickly, then turned
and ran across the courtyard and steps. Rei watched, as her hair
flying behind her caught the last glint of the setting sun and shone
with fire.
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Rei lay back in the bathtub and closed her eyes. The water lapped
across her abdomen. She let her arms float, trying to release the
tension she could feel trapped in her body. Blue eyes, dark with
concern, filled her mind. She clenched her hand, feeling again the
hand that held her own. Water moved across her stomach, licking at the
bottom of her breasts and Rei caught her breath. In her mind, she took
the hand that held her own and brought it to one breast. Fingers
splayed across her chest, then slowly, they began to move. She could
feel herself respond to their touch. Rei moved herself closer to the
face before her, placing a light kiss on cool lips. She moaned softly
as Usagi moved down to kiss her throat. Rei dragged one hand down her
body between her legs, feeling the touch burning on her skin. She
gasped as a finger entered her and moved around in the wetness, so
different from the water which surrounded her. She could feel another
hand move down her body, joining the first. Rei cried out softly as
one hand moved within her, the other bringing her closer to ecstasy.
Rei pressed Usagi backwards, laying her down on a soft bed, her hair
splayed out like a shining halo around her. Rei moved above her, then
entered her. As Rei's fingers played across her own center, she could
see the back above Usagi, darker skinned, muscular, rising and
falling. Short dark hair adorned the head that lifted with a soft cry
of "Usako!" as Rei peaked in her own orgasm.
As she relaxed her body, Rei leaned her head back on the edge of the
bath. A tear trickled out of her eye and dropped from her cheek, where
it mingled silently with the bath water.
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Rei finished her chores at the temple as the sky darkened. The evening
was still sticky, providing no relief from the day's heat. She peeled
off her hakama and dogi, until all she wore were shorts and a t-shirt.
She felt as if she would explode if she did not get out. Despite the
heat, Rei laced on a pair of sneakers and headed out to the park for a
jog. Her easy movement throught the air cooled off her body, but her
mind raged like an inferno.
It would be, she mused, much easier if someone would just attack her.
Then she could transform into Sailor Mars and fry him to a crisp. She
smiled grimly at the thought.
Rei ran until her body burned with fatigue. She turned back to the
temple, walking to cool down her aching muscles. Ascending the stairs,
Rei considered the evening ahead of her, She looked towards the shrine
that contained the sacred flame, but rejected the idea. There was no
comfort for her there.
Rei approached her own room and immediately sensed a presence. Her
stomach churned as she slid open the door and stepped into the
twilight of her room. Someone sat silently on her bed. Rei slid the
door closed, reminding herself to breathe from her hara, her center.
The form on the bed stirred.
"Rei-chan?"
Rei started at the soft voice. Lilting, almost musical, it was not
Usagi's.
"Ami-chan?" She could picture Ami's face in her mind. Intelligent dark
blue eyes considering her gravely, blue-tinted hair that framed a high
forehead. "What are you doing here?" Rei asked, confused.
"Usagi-chan sent me." Ami shifted on the bed, then stood. Rei's
stomach clenched. "Rei-chan, she came to me right after she left you."
Rei remained silent, until Ami had to continue.
"She sent me to tell you she is sorry. She...this afternoon she
realized why you haven't been coming to our study meetings. She told
me that she is so sorry to cause you this kind of pain." Ami's voice
cracked with emotion. "She's sorry she can't give you what you want,
what you need."
Rei was tense, anger and embarrassment warring within her. When she
spoke, her voice was bitter. "She sent you to express her pity for
me?" Rei could not believe what she was hearing. Could Usagi be that
cruel? There was silence, as Ami gathered her thoughts. She was not
usually this reticent, but where emotions were concerned, she was not
on comfortable ground.
"No, Rei-chan. She sent me...because she knows how I feel about you."
"What?" Rei was unprepared for this. Her mind reeled.
Ami continued, as Rei tried to wrap her brain around her friend's
words. "Do you remember, shortly after you joined us, when you 'won'
the tickets to the romantic cruise?" Rei nodded, then softly grunted
her assent. "I commented to you that we were the only people on the
boat who were not a couple. And you said..."
"That we could have fun anyway." Rei answered.
Ami's voice dropped to a whisper. "When you said that, my heart
soared. You were so strong, so intense. I thought you meant..." she
paused and sighed. "But then Jadeite interfered and the Dark Kingdom
got stronger and we were trying to find the Princess." She paused. "It
was a long time before I realized that you had only taken me along to
make Usagi-chan jealous. It took me a long time to understand why you
had done it."
"You told Usagi?" Rei was trembling with the effort of remaining calm.
"Yes, I did. She's known for a long time. But today, after she left
you, she came to me. To ask me to see you, to talk to you. And to give
me this." Ami held up an object in her hand that glimmered in the dim
light.
Rei stiffened as she recognized it. "The disguise pen?" she cried. A
shock ran through her as she realized the implications of the gift.
And with this realization, the dam burst. The wall of composure and
discipline that she had been barely maintaining, cracked, then broke
completely. Rei fell to her knees, racked with great heaving sobs.
Ami dropped to the floor to cradle Rei, holding her as the sobs were
wrenched out of her, the emotion pouring out in a torrent of pain and
desire. As Rei cried all the poison out of her system, Ami stroked her
head, rocking her slowly and whispering into her ear reassuringly.
Rei's breathing finally evened, and she leaned into Ami, as new tears
flowed. Rei now recognized the depth of the madness she had been
facing - the abyss into which she had almost lost herself. And with
this knowledge, the tears brought cleasing, wholeness, and finally,
peace.
When finally Rei stopped crying she lay for a moment, listening to her
friend's heartbeat. She lifted her head and looked at Ami's face, pale
in the greyness. Dark eyes regarded her solemnly. Rei leaned slightly
forward, her left arm snaking out to pull Ami closer to her. They
kissed softly, lips barely brushing against each other.
Ami pulled away slightly, reaching her arm out to the floor, grasping
for the disguise pen. Rei clasped Ami's hand in her own and brought it
back towards them.
"Don't." Rei's voice was thick with emotion. She could feel Ami pause,
then relax. Again Rei drew her close and this time the kiss was deep,
their lips parted, tongues gently carresing, teasing. After a time,
Rei leaned back, breathless. She shook her head in amazement.
"I wonder," she said, "how many things about you I don't know?"
Ami laughed. "Quite a bit, I should imagine. Why do you say that?"
Rei sat up and faced Ami. "I never really thought about it, but, I
wouldn't have expected you to be such a good kisser."
Ami looked down quickly, then back up, a small smile on her face. "I
don't read only math and science books, you know."
Rei chuckled, then caught her breath as she felt Ami reach out and
pull her in. Her lips, so cool and soft, became more demanding. Rei
felt herself growing warmer, her body burning with a growing need. She
growled low in her throat as Ami pulled her close, biting lightly at
the skin of her throat, just under Rei's ear.
Ami was like a cool breeze in the thick night, her finger raising
bumps on Rei's skin, where they passed. Ami could feel Rei's hands
burning their mark on her body.
Ami's mind exploded with sensation as Rei pulled at her blouse,
unbuttoning it quickly, crudely, then buried her face in Ami's chest.
Rei held her hands under Ami's breasts, running her fingers along her
ribs. Ami threw her head back, lifting her breasts towards Rei. Rei
followed them, finding one nipple with her mouth, the other with a
free hand. Ami pressed Rei harder into her, crying for Rei to possess
her. Rei pushed Ami backwards against the bed and Ami arced her back.
Rei leaned into the blue-haired girl, teasing Ami with her tongue
until Ami was moaning uncontrollably. Rei stopped, sitting back a bit,
amazed at Ami's passion. With a shock she realized that this night was
the enactment of nearly 3 years of desire that Ami had felt for her..
She sat next to the blue-haired girl and took her face in her hands.
"Ami-chan, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to cause you... Ami's eyes
opened slowly and she took a moment to focus on Rei's words. A slow
smile spread over her face. Ami pressed one finger to Rei's lips, then
followed it with her own lips. When they broke apart some moments
later, Ami was smiling.
"You cannot imagine how often I have thought of this."
"No," Rei agreed seriously, "I never imagined..."
She felt so happy, she couldn't imagine why she had never looked at
this beautiful young woman who had stood by her side for so long. Ami
reached over and helped Rei out of her shirt, then unfastened the
shorts. Rei stood, and Ami and she both pulled them down. When she was
naked, Rei lay down on her bed, her body lean and pale in the dimness.
Ami removed her clothes and joined her friend on the bed.
They spent a long time, just touching each other, learning each
other's bodies. They kissed for what seemed like hours. Rei pressed
her lips to the hollow of Ami's throat and smiled as the smaller girl
moaned. Ami put her hands on Rei's head, drawing her downwards towards
her chest. Rei felt one nipple harden in her mouth, then left it,
smiling evilly at the cry of disappointment from Ami. Rei moved
downwards, lightly stroking incredibly soft skin. She could feel
strong legs beneath her hands, and she parted them carefully. Ami
sighed so softly that Rei wasn't sure she had heard it.
She kissed the legs that now surrounded her, spending a few moments to
tease the skin at the junction of leg and pelvis. Small gasps and
cries punctuated her efforts, but finally Ami took control and
redirected Rei's energy. Rei felt her head being moved, and she led
with her tongue. Ami's hands let go of Rei, and parted her cleft,
holding herself open, vulnerable. A wave of desire shot through Rei
and she buried her face in Ami. She could hear Ami moan her name, then
she could hear nothing at all, as lust and her own blood pounding
filled her mind. Rei licked, sucked and nipped at Ami for what seemed
like a heavenly eternity, until Ami's hands returned to her head,
pulling her close, forcing Rei to enter her with her tongue. Ami
thrashed her head from side to side, crying unintelligably, then
relaxed, contracting around Rei's tongue, until Rei thought her head
would explode from pleasure. Eventually, Ami let Rei move. Rei laid
her head on Ami's stomach, listening to her heart pound, letting
herself be soothed by the steady rhythm.
Ami ran her hand through Rei's hair, playing with the loose strands,
draping them across her naked body. Ami's let her hands find Rei's
shoulders and begin to massage them, finding tension and releasing it.
Rei sighed, remembering again what it was like to relax. It had been
so long.
Ami's hands become more inquisitive, sliding down Rei's torso, feeling
back muscles, ribs, just brushing at her breasts. Rei could hear Ami's
heartbeat quicken and her own sped up in answer. Ami rolled Rei over
and pinned her arms above her head. Rei laughed silently, then caught
her breath as she felt Ami lower herself to Rei's chest, pulling at
one nipple with her lips.
"Oh, gods, Ami-chan..." Rei mumbled. She let her eyes close and the
vision of blue-hair and azure eyes looking up at her came to her. She
searched in her mind for the disquiet of the afternoon, but could not
find it. Rei sighed, as the last vestige of darkness, flickered and
died, drowned in the light from a pair of intelligent, deep blue eyes.
She saw Ami, strong in will and body, Ami with sad, knowing eyes, and
Rei knew that she would never let those eyes be sad again.
Ami had moved her hands down Rei's body, and was slowly, tantalizingly
parting her lips, teasing her, drawing wetness out of her and moving
it around. One hand moved deeper, playing at Rei's opening and Rei
begged Ami to enter her. Ami laughed, and moved away, fondling soft
skin on inner thighs and strong buttocks. Ami teased Rei mercilessly,
until only incoherent moans and begging came from the taller girl.
Finally, Ami entered Rei, and began to tantalize her with her other
hand. Rei couldn't take it a moment longer. Aching for release she let
her own hand trail downwards, and assisting Ami, she brought herself
to a crashing orgasm that took quite a while to subside.
When Ami was free to move, she laid herself next to Rei, her head on
Rei's arm. Rei pulled her close, letting Ami's coolness wash over her
like a stream of water. Ami pressed her face into Rei's body, soaking
up her heat. She sighed happily, then kissed Rei lightly.
The silence that enclosed them was deep - they felt protected by the
night. Exhausted by emotion and release, they fell asleep, entwined in
each other's arms, the moon watching over them from above.
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