Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Conflict and Courage ❯ Truth Be Told ( Chapter 2 )

An Unaccepted Love

by Damien Frost

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Oh, disclaimers help, huh? Well, I disclaim all of you then!

Wait…

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Chapter Two: Truth Be Told

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As they walked to the shrine, Rei thought back on how her life had changed since Usagi had walked into it three years ago. She had found she was a princess in a past life, had died at least twice, had saved the world four times, the galaxy twice, and still managed to make it into a decent high school.

Rei started to chuckle.

"What's so funny?" Usagi asked, confusion apparent in her eyes.

"Nothing, I was just thinking about life."

"Oh…" Usagi blinked. "What about it?"

Rei stopped and looked at Usagi for a moment. "Why?" she asked softly, not quite understanding why she was being defensive about it.

Usagi looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "I was just wondering," she smiled sadly.

Rei found herself at a loss for words. Usagi was standing under a street light, and the light illuminated her hair to an almost surreal glow, snow fell around her like an ethereal being, and her eyes…

"Hey, are you all right?" she heard Usagi ask. `Better than I've ever been,' she thought, a small smile gracing her lips. "Yeah," she said, almost too quiet for Usagi to hear. Then regaining her composure, "Let's hurry and get there, I don't want you to catch a cold."

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"Do you mind if I take a bath?" Usagi asked. "I really need to relax."

"Sure. You know where it is," Rei said, turning to go to the kitchen so Usagi wouldn't see the blush rising to her cheeks.

As Usagi drew the water for her bath, she thought back to the look in Rei's eyes when they had stopped. She had seen the look on her face several times over the last few weeks, but couldn't place where else she had seen it.

Usagi sighed as she let down her hair and looked into the mirror. `Kami, I look like crap,' she thought, shaking her head.

Stepping away from the mirror as she undressed, Usagi couldn't help but think of Mamoru. "I wonder if he really likes her, or if he just got tired of me?" she asked to no one in particular as she stepped into the hot bath.

She closed her eyes and played the image of them together in her head again and again, trying to gain more insight into her ex-boyfriend, but all it brought were more tears. She sighed and cleared the image out of her head and tried to focus on a puzzle that seemed to have an easier answer: Rei.

She thought of all the things she had been through with the miko and smiled. Through everything, all the battles, all the doubt, and all of their play fights, Rei had stayed. Well, all of her friends had, but she sensed they stayed close more out of a feeling of duty than anything.

`Mina-chan wanted to just leave, to be able to see what else was out there. Ami-chan wanted to take off abroad to study medicine, but she stayed around because of her obligation to me. Mako-chan would have followed her lead, if nothing more than to try confessing her feelings for the blue-haired genius.' Usagi smiled. `I have got to get those two to tell each other how they feel.' Usagi almost laughed at the notion of playing matchmaker between her two friends, but then a thought struck her.

`The look on Rei's face,' Usagi blinked. `It's on Makoto's face every time she looks at Ami.'

Usagi sat in shock for a moment before the thought registered completely. "Is Rei… in love with me?" she whispered. Usagi shook her head at the absurdity of it. `Of course not, she couldn't be. She has Yuuchiro, doesn't she? Well, they've never really been a couple.' Usagi slumped a little more in the tub. `Actually, I've seen her turn him down flat time and again.'

"Aaarrgh!! I don't want to deal with this right now!" she practically screamed.

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Rei stopped suddenly when she heard Usagi scream from the bathroom. `Well, more like yell,' she thought as she walked over and knocked on the door. "You all right in there?"

"No," came the weak response. "I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Okay," Rei said, confused. `She was probably thinking about Mamoru-san again. Poor girl.'

Rei walked into her room and unfurled the sleeping bag next to her bed, then left to find some pillows. When she returned Usagi was already there, in the middle of changing into the robe Rei had left out for her.

Rei turned away quickly. "Gomen," she said quickly, feeling the blood rise to her cheeks. `Kami, she's even more beautiful than I imagined.' The thought came unbidden to her mind and only helped to deepen the crimson on her cheeks.

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Usagi stiffened as she heard Rei's apology. She turned to see the miko standing in her doorway, looking ready to crawl into a hole. Usagi smiled faintly. `She really is cute like that,' she thought.

"We need to talk," she sighed.

Rei looked up sharply, confusion written on her face. "About what?"

Usagi flopped down on the miko's bed and tried to control her emotions. "About us."

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Rei's heart stopped. `She knows.'

As she looked at Usagi lying on her bed, she almost burst into tears. She didn't want to do this, not right now. She didn't want to lose her best friend over some stupid feelings.

"What about us?" she choked out.

Usagi sat up and looked straight into Rei's eyes, her face, for once, betraying no emotion. "You're in love with me."

Rei looked at the ground, ashamed. "Yes."

She heard her princess get off the bed. She felt her hand under her chin, lifting Rei's face to look into her own. `She's not mad,' Rei thought. `Of course she's not. This is Usagi we're talking about here.'

"Rei," the miko looked at her, giving her full attention to Usagi. "You have no reason to feel ashamed or embarrassed. Feelings are something you can't help, and you shouldn't hide them. I feel privileged to have your love, but…" Usagi looked away for a moment, trying to find the right words. "I… I do love you, but not in the same way. I am your best friend, and you are mine. You are beautiful, dedicated, and intelligent, everything I always wanted to be. But my heart still belongs to Mamoru," Usagi's eyes began to fill with tears. "I love him even though I shouldn't."

Rei looked at her princess, tears falling unchecked. "Just like I love you, even though I shouldn't." Rei turned and walked away. She grabbed her jacket and left.

Usagi sat on the miko's bed and cried.

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A/N

So, what did you think? I know it's not that long but hey. Not done yet. Oh no, not by a long shot. Things are starting to fall into place for my mental picture of things. Things are going to get a little more actionsy (Yes, I made that word up) because, well as great as romance stories are, there has to be some excitement.

Once more,

THANK YOU FOR READING!!!