Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Her Battle ❯ New Beginnings ( Chapter 34 )

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Chapter 34 - New Beginnings

 

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As soon as they touched the ground, Sailor Moon could feel Mars' grip on her hand loosen. She looked over to the dark haired girl questioningly, her eyes widened at what she saw. Rei's eyes were closed and she was no longer in her transformed state. Scariest of all, she seemed to be falling forward towards the ground. Moon quickly let go of Hotaru's hand and caught the falling girl in her arms. “Rei! Rei!” Sailor Moon called as she slowly brought the other girl the ground. When she was on her knees she too undid her transformation. She rested the other girl's head on her lap and brushed the strands of hair away from her face. She could feel tears well up in her eyes as she asked, “Ami, what's wrong with her?”

 

The blue hair girl already had her mini supercomputer out and was typing on it as quickly as she could. After a few moments, the device disappeared from her hands and she sighed. “She's just exhausted, Usagi.”

 

“Can't you do anything for her Hotaru?”

 

The young girl smiled, “She's not injured, not seriously at least. She just needs to rest and I can't heal tiredness.” She said, laughing a bit at the end.

 

“She's not supposed to fall asleep. We still have a lot to talk about.” Usagi said, though she sounded much more at ease than a few moments ago. She looked down at the resting girl and she couldn't help but smile. She looked so peaceful, but that wasn't entirely why the Moon Princess was smiling. Rei was back! On top of that, things were going to very different when she woke up. With their actions on the moon nothing could ever be the same. Usagi had no intention of taking back anything she said, she spoke from her heart and she couldn't be happier with the result of her confession. Of course, that still left Mamoru….but there would be another day to talk with him. He'd already seen and heard everything they said to each other and even at that time he didn't seem shocked. Usagi's thoughts were solely on one person and that person was sleeping in her lap.

 

“It's understandable that she'd be tired. She's been through a lot.” Makoto added.

 

Usagi nodded her head slowly. Rei told her herself that she was tired, so it's no surprise that she'd finally give in with no more fighting left. The blonde teen, stroked the other girl's dark tresses silently until she felt Rei snuggle closer to her. She looked her over for a moment and noticed she was once again the state she was in prior to transforming, naked. Not only that, but she was noticeably shivering. She was only wearing a light denim jacket, so her eyes were drawn to the others in her group. Her eyes settled on one among them who was wearing a long tan coat, “Haruka, is it okay if Rei barrows your jacket?”

 

The tall blonde looked a little surprised at the sudden question, but one look at the girl cuddled up against Usagi answered her question. Haruka wordlessly removed her jacket and draped it over Rei's shoulders. Usagi could feel the dark haired girl responded quickly to the warmth offered by the coat, because she'd clearly stopped shaking, much to her relief; she didn't want Rei to catch a cold.

 

“So…what do we do now?”

 

“What do you mean, Mako-chan?”

 

“Well, it's getting late and we can't very well drop off Rei on the steps of the jinja.” She explained.

 

“Of course not, Rei'll come home with me.” Usagi stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, though to her it was and after all that had transpired it should have been to all of them as well. “What time is it?” Usagi asked as she looked up at her friends.

 

Ami looked at the watch around her wrist before answering, “Nearly two.”

 

Usagi nodded her head in acknowledgement before saying, “All of us should probably make our way home then, before it gets too much later. Tomorrow's not a school day, but all of us should still get some rest. Today was a very long day.”

 

It had been a long night and the long they stayed in the park; the more likely they'd draw the attention of someone. “Usagi's right, we should call it a night.” Minako said after being unusually quiet since they'd gotten back.

 

The other girls nodded. Makoto leaned next to Ami and seemed to whisper something to her causing the blue haired girl to nod. A couple seconds later Ami turned her attention to the Moon Princess. “We'll see you later, Usagi.” Ami said as she stood next to Makoto.

 

Usagi smiled and nodded her head quickly, “Yep, tomorrow!” she said and watched both Makoto and Ami walk off together. A thought popped into her mind as she watched the two girls walk away…she'd have to ask them about it. She turned away from them with that thought on her mind, but first she'd had a different question to ask someone else. Usagi looked up at Haruka, drawing her attention, “What is it, Usagi?”

 

“I hate to ask this of you, but would you mind taking Rei and me to my house?” Usagi asked.

 

“You ask that as though it would be some kind of trouble, it isn't. Right girls?” Haruka said and looked at the two girls beside her.

 

“Absolutely, we couldn't just leave you without a means to get home.” Michiru responded.

 

“It's no problem Usagi-san.” Hotaru said with a smile.

 

The Princess of the Moon smiled gratefully, “Thank you.” She said and was about to make a move to get up, but remembered the sleeping miko in her lap. One more time, Usagi looked up at the guardians of the outer planets apologetically.

 

“Don't worry, I've got her.” Haruka said before the blonde could voice her request. She crouched down and picked Rei up carefully, so as not to wake her. She barely even made a sound, expect for when she pulled away from Usagi, but otherwise she continued to sleep.

 

Usagi got up and stood beside Haruka, looking at Rei for a moment before looking around. Minako was looking in her direction, but wasn't saying anything. After a moment, she realized Usagi was looking at her, so she smiled and waved good-bye. Usagi waved back, “See you tomorrow.”

 

Minako nodded, “Yeah.” Afterwards, she still continued to stand there but was no longer looking in her direction; instead she was looking where Makoto and Ami had gone.

 

The goddess of love was acting a bit strangely, but Usagi let her be because it seemed that was what she wanted. Eventually her scan of the area continued again, this time her gaze fell on Mamoru. She stared at him before taking a deep breath and turning back to Haruka and the other outers, “I need to do something really quick, so would everyone be able go to the car before me?”

 

“S-Sure, see you in a few.” Michiru spoke for the group and together they began to walk away.

 

Usagi nodded and looked back to Mamoru. She shut her eyes for a moment before making her over to him. It only took him a few seconds to notice that someone was approaching and for him to notice exactly who that someone was. He didn't say anything, but once she was within earshot Usagi spoke.

 

“We need to talk.”

 

“Yeah, I think we need to…”

 

Usagi looked at the ground and found herself shuffling her feet nervously. What did she have to nervous about? She'd already decided in her heart what to do…so what was the problem? The more she thought about it, she released the answer, he was going to hurt him. She'd never knowingly hurt anyone, like how she was preparing to hurt Mamoru.

 

“Usa-ko…”

 

“Mamoru, I do want to talk, but right now isn't the time. I-I'd like to meet you some place tomorrow.”

 

The dark haired man let a small smile break past his stoic expression, “Sure, if that's what you want.” He replied calmly.

 

Usagi nodded slowly, but otherwise remained expressionless. “I'll give you a call later.” She said and

 

“Alright.” He said simply.

 

She nodded and started to walk away from him. She was grateful he didn't say anything that would prolong their awkward exchange. Usagi walked in the direction she remembered her friend park her car earlier. In retrospective it might have been better to have finished everything tonight, but after everything that happened she wasn't sure she had the strength to say everything she wanted to say at the moment. It was better to have good night's rest first. Soon she found her destination visible. She was a little curious to see someone standing by the car waiting for her.

 

“I'm glad you're here.” Haruka stated sounding almost relieved to Usagi's ears.

 

“What do you…?” Usagi started to ask when the tall blonde opened to the door to the backseat for the girl. As soon as she opened she could hear soft crying of someone inside. She quickly got inside and took Rei in her arms, “Is something wrong?”

 

She shook her head, “She's been like that since Haruka-san put her in the car.” Hotaru explained and watched as Usagi cradled the girl against her chest. The blonde leaned close to her ear and whispered something only Rei could hear, which seemed to calm the girl quite a bit, “I don't think she likes being separated too far from you.” The Moon Princess didn't say anything in response; her focus remained on the girl she was currently holding.

 

“It seems all she really wanted was you.” Haruka said as she took her seat behind the wheel. She turned the car on and said, “I guess we can be on our way now then.”

 

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“You're…okay with this?”

 

Mamoru jumped slightly at the question, he hadn't even paid enough attention to notice he wasn't the only one there. He looked over his shoulder to the self proclaimed goddess of love. “You know what I'm talking about don't you?”

 

“Yes.” He answered and turned around to face the girl fully.

 

“Then?”

 

“Let me ask you something first.” He said and took a couple steps closer to the blond haired girl, “Why do you want to know?”

 

“Honestly…” Minako was quiet for a time afterwards, but eventually she took deep breath and said, “I'd prefer that you don't do anything that can break up what they can have.”

 

Mamoru ran his hand through his hair, “I guess that's about as straight forward as you can get.”

 

He looked to the ground after his statement and unless her ears were deceiving Minako, it sounded almost sounded as if he laughed a bit at the end. “So, what's your answer?”

 

“Since you were honest with me, it's only right that I return the favor.” The dark haired man sighed and looked at Minako, “If you're asking whether I've accepted it, then yes. Her heart hasn't been mine for some time now. It would be wrong of me to try to deny it now.” He said and afterwards looked off into the direction Usagi left, just a short time ago.

 

Minako observed him quietly as she thought over what he'd just said. The more she thought about it, something he'd just said didn't really make a whole lot of sense, “If you seemingly realized that awhile ago, why not say anything to Usagi? As far as I'm aware you haven't done anything like that.”

 

“I'm afraid anything I would have told her…she wouldn't have accepted it. If she could come to the realization on her own though…” He trailed off, allowing Minako to fill in the blanks. It was clear enough where his thoughts were taking him. Minako remained silent as it seemed he was going to continue. “I've always tired to do the right thing by her, but too many times everything turned out all wrong. Back when I had those dreams, I pushed her away…I wasn't right. When I felt her heart become divided, I abandoned her…I wasn't right at that time either. Now I'm going to take a step back and give her the choice of what path to take. I'm not going to force her down a path that's not of her choosing…if that makes any sense.” Mamoru stated and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

His answers were honest as far as she could tell, but that still left one other thing that could pose a problem, “And what about your feelings?”

 

Mamoru looked surprised to hear that question. It took him a few moments to collect himself once more; when he did he looked over to the blonde haired girl and said, “Of course, I still love her.” He said and looked away from the girl's serious gaze, “How could I not?” he added quietly.

 

Minako smiled, somewhat sadly as she said, “Usagi's certainly one lucky girl.” She could see the Prince of Earth look at her strangely and when seemed like he was going to say something, she quickly spoke before he could, “That's very gallant of you to step aside like you are even though you still love her. For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to be hurt in the process.”

 

“That's kind of you to say, but I don't think I would have been able to look at myself in the mirror if I selfishly kept her in a relationship when she loved someone else.”

 

“But still…”

 

Mamoru cut her off before she could say anything further, “I'm not looking for praise or pity or anything else. I simply want Usagi to be happy, that's all I want. So please, just leave it at that.” He said and turned away from Minako.

 

“That's not it!” She said quickly, prompting the dark haired man to stop. When he looked back to her, she continued, “It's true my main concern is Usagi and Rei, but I understand. I understand your perspective as well. I meant no disrespect.”

 

Mamoru lowered his head, “No, I'm sorry. I think I just need some rest.”

 

Minako nodded slowly. It had certainly been a long day and while it ended on a high note, it was also the culmination of a number of bad events. “Yes, it'd probably be best to go home.” She conceded and turned toward the park's exit. “See you around.” She said before walking off.

 

The Prince of Earth continued to stand in the same spot as Minako made her way out of the park. He looked up at the nearly cloudless night sky. He raised arm upwards in the direction of the moon and stretched out further before closing his hand around the full moon. After a moment he opened his fist and lowered his arm, but his eyes remained fixed on sky, “She's forever out of my reach now too.” He said quietly before lowering his head and proceeded to walk to his car.

 

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Hotaru looked across to the two girls in the backseat with her. Rei was still out cold, but it had probably been forever since her last truly restful slumber. She couldn't help but smile as Rei pressed closer to Usagi. The Moon Princess leaned against the door, while Rei rested virtually on top of the other girl. Usagi had her arms wrapped around the darker haired girl's waist possessively, while Rei's head rested on Usagi's shoulder. It looked as though the blonde had fallen asleep herself because her eyes were closed and her head rested against the window behind her.

 

“I'm happy everything worked out for you, Usagi-san.” Hotaru said quietly. The dark haired girl was surprised to see her yawn just after her statement.

 

Usagi opened her eyes and looked over to the younger girl, “Thank you Hotaru-chan and not just for that, for everything you did.”

 

The pale girl noticeably blushed even in dark car, “I thought you were asleep.”

 

She smiled in response and added, “I did doze off for a bit there, but I can't really fall asleep here. Despite, what you may have heard I can't just fall asleep anywhere.” She looked forward and saw Haruka turning down her block and smiled before turning back to Hotaru, “And besides that, I knew it wouldn't take very long for Haruka to reach my house.” She could feel the car come to a stop just as she finished her sentence.

 

“We're here, Usagi.” Haruka called from the driver's seat.

 

Usagi carefully repositioned herself so that she was no longer leaning against the car door; instead she was against the car seat. She moved Rei with her, so the girl was no longer laying on her. Now she lay mostly beside her, though she still leaned against her. She looked to her left when she heard the door open and smiled her thanks to Haruka. She slipped out of the car and stretched, she hadn't been in the most comfortable position through the drive but it didn't bother her too much because Rei was comfortable. Usagi made a move back toward the backseat, but Haruka blocked her with her arm.

 

“Don't worry, I've got her.” She said and leaned into the car and carefully removed the sleeping miko.

 

Usagi watched Haruka for a moment, but soon turned to her house, knowing Rei was in capable hands. She walked closer to the building and looked up at her window. It was probably a better idea for the outer senshi to carry Rei up to her room; she'd already had practice doing just that.

 

Haruka walked up to Usagi, with the dark haired girl in her arms and look up to the same window her Princess currently was, “We did this not long ago didn't we?”

 

Usagi smiled, “Yeah, but this time Rei isn't going anywhere when she wakes up, even if I have to tie her down to my bed.”

 

The taller girl raised an eyebrow and stared at the younger girl curiously. As the silence dragged on, Usagi finally looked over to the tall blonde. The teen's cheeks turned a light pink and she looked away from the other girl. “Hentai, it's not like that…”

 

“Of reaallly….so that display you and her put on up there, was all for show?” Haruka asked, causing the other girl to turn a brighter shade of red.

 

“I thought you were busy fighting youma…”

 

“I had to keep an eye on you in case something happened.” The taller girl said matter-of-factly. She glanced down at Usagi, who was looking down, apparently embarrassed by her previous comment. The taller girl looked forward once more before saying, “Of course from what I saw, it looked like Rei was doing a good job of keeping you safe all by herself.”

 

A smile spread across her lips, “She was really amazing up there.”

 

The taller girl smiled as well, but her smile was more of a result of the grin Usagi wore. “Alright kitten, lead the way.”

 

Usagi shook her head, “R-Right…” She said and started toward the tree next to her house. She expertly climbed the tree to reach her window. She quickly pushed the window open and jumped inside.

 

Haruka chuckled a little at the teen, `She's not as clumsy as she acts sometimes.' She thought and followed a similar path as Usagi and in a matter of seconds she was making her way through the opened window. She gently placed the resting girl onto the bed beside where she just entered. The taller girl turned away from Rei and faced the other girl, “Do you need any help?”

 

Usagi shook her head and walked past her friend, over to her bed. She knelt on the floor next the bed, her eyes focused on the girl lying there, “I should be fine.” She leaned forward and tucked a bit of stray hair that covered Rei's face.

 

Haruka stepped up behind the Moon Princess and put her hand on her shoulder, “Don't worry. She'll be up and be her usually fiery self after a little rest.”

 

Usagi looked up and saw Haruka standing over her. After they made eye contact, she turned back to Rei, “It's not that…I believe Ami.”

 

“Then what is it?” She asked and walked over to the corner of the bed before sitting down.

 

The kneeling girl could feel the other girl's eyes on her, waiting patiently for her answer. She rested her elbows on her bed and stared at the sleeping girl there. She smiled at the content expression on the girl's face and began to stroke her hair with her right hand. She continued the same actions as she spoke again, “We didn't actually come out and say anything, but you told me yourself, you know what happened between Rei and I up there.” She stopped her musings and looked over to Haruka, “You aren't upset that I may have destroyed the future we've worked so hard to protect, are you?”

 

Haruka looked at the other girl for a moment before shifting her gaze to the ground and sighing, “Usagi, who you wish to spend your life with, is your decision and yours alone. If you love Rei and she loves you, you should go for it. I don't know what the future holds, but if she's the one you want to be with you should be with her.” The senshi of wind looked back to Usagi as she added, “It's true we've fought for the existence of the Crystal Tokyo, for your union with the Prince, and for that peaceful future. It's also true that if you are with Rei that that future will likely cease to be. However, who's to say what kind of future awaits us in its place. It might end up being something that's worth fighting for even more.”

 

The Moon Princess' eyes widened, `Something that's worth fighting for even more…' It was true; she and Rei could create an even better world. There were no limits to their future and their future has only just begun. Usagi bowed her head, “I'm sorry.”

 

“For what?” Haruka asked.

 

“For doubting you.” She answered quietly.

 

Haruka stood up and walked to the bedroom's widow which she entered through only a short time ago. “Our past actions give you reason to.”

 

“But…”

 

“Don't worry about it.” She said quickly, cutting off the other girl. Haruka put one foot on the window's ledge, “Anyways, I should be off. Michi and Hotaru are waiting in the car after all.” Just as she started to lean out the window to leave, she looked back at Usagi once more, “You might want to get her into a proper set of clothes, she can't be very warm wearing only jacket.”

 

Usagi watched the other girl leap through the window after that state, still a bit surprised by her sudden departure. It wasn't long before her eyes were once again drawn to the girl on her bed, what Haruka said was true, she couldn't exactly allow the girl to sleep in only a jacket. She went over to her dresser and opened to second drawer from the top. After a little looking she pulled out one of her looser fitting t-shirts before shutting that drawer and opening the one just below it. She rummaged through the different pants before finding some pj bottoms she rarely wore. She shut the third drawer now and turned around to face Rei bowing her head slightly, “I'm sorry to do this again without your permission, but it's really for your sake.” She said even though she realized the other would likely not even remember her saying anything. Usagi stepped over to her bed and took a deep breath, “This will take a few, Rei.”

 

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Haruka slipped into the driver's seat and turned the keys to start the car. She glanced in to the backseat and saw Hotaru was stretched out across the seat. The young girl must have fallen asleep some time after she left the car to help Usagi. She smiled apologetically at the girl in the passenger seat, “Sorry for the wait.”

 

“Is everything alright?” Michiru asked curiously.

 

The blonde checked her mirrors for any oncoming cars as she answered, “Yeah. I asked Usagi if she wanted any help, but she declined.”

 

“What took so long then?”

 

Haruka looked over to her companion in the passenger seat before putting the car into gear and driving away from the curb. “It was Usagi actually. She needed to hear something.”

 

Michiru tilted her head to the side in thought, “Oh, and what was that?”

 

“She essentially wanted to know that we aren't mad at her for wanting to be with Rei.” She explained.

 

Michiru shook her head slowly, “That's our Princess for you, always worrying about other people's feelings before her own. Obviously this changes some things, but I don't believe any of us would sacrifice our Princess' happiness for anything.”

 

“Exactly, but as you said, she concerns herself with our feelings over her own. She just needed to be told to do what she desires and worry about anything else later. Throw caution to the wind, so to speak.” Haruka said, finishing with a smile on her face.

 

“Of course there's the Prince…and…”

 

“I know she's very much aware of that. The Prince…he was there and despite that he didn't offer any indication of what his feeling were. However, he didn't seem very surprised and that's very telling.” Haruka said and paused for a moment before continuing, “As for Chibi-Usa…I don't know. I'm sure she's already crossed her mind, but what ever happens it'll be Usagi's decision.”

 

“True and if we know Usagi, she'll come up with something.”

 

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The early morning rays of sunlight snuck past the drawn curtains and soon made their warming touch felt by two sleepy teenagers. The one with dark hair lay on her back in the bed with covers covering most her expect her chest up. The other girl rested on her side, facing the other girl, with her body half on the bed, half on the futon pushed against it. The blonde's arm lay across the other girl on what was likely her stomach, though it was hidden beneath the blanket.

 

The dark haired girl's eyes scrunched up, disapprovingly, as the light reached them. She reached her left arm up lazily and covered her eyes, in hopes of blocking bright sun. She only succeeded partially. She groaned and turned her head away from the light, to her right but her nose made contact with something. One eye fluttered open to investigate, as soon as saw what it was she'd made contact with her other eye opened. Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her, she was nose to nose with Usagi. While the blonde wasn't an unpleasant sight, she was a surprising one.

 

Her mind tried to wrap around the events after they arrived back on Earth but she came up blank. She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about the last thing she remembered. Her eyes opened after a couple seconds, the realization of what occurred dawning on her. She could remember teleporting back, but she could barely even recall making it back, everything kind of went black at that point which could mean only one thing…she passed out. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling, `I probably scared everyone half to death.' She thought sighing once more. After looking upwards for a little longer, she turned her head toward the blonde beside her.

 

With the initial shock having worn off, Rei found herself staring at the other girl. She closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. `She's still here. This isn't some kind of dream.' She told herself. Usagi was sleeping peacefully and she was resting so close that Rei could feel her soft breathing against her face. The dark haired girl could feel a smile spread across her lips and her heart swell with joy, as she finally let the reality of everything sink in. She brought her free hand towards Usagi, but stopped just short of touching the girl.

 

Rei was unsure of what exactly to do; her princess was sleeping so soundly it felt like it would be a sin to disturb the girl yet she couldn't deny her desire to do just that. She wanted to see her beautiful eyes staring back at her, but that would mean waking the girl. What a dilemma. As she watched Usagi, she noticed a bit of hair fell into her princess' face and obscured a portion of it from her view. She frowned at the defiant hair and brushed it back but continued to run her hand through the long blonde hair. She marveled at exactly how long it was, as she let the golden tresses slip from her fingers. She seemed to have forgotten its length when it wasn't contained by her `odangos'. `I have to get Usagi to wear her hair down sometimes.' She thought as she continued to play with her love's hair.

 

A wide smile found its way onto her lips, which she was distantly aware of but she'd waited forever to show any kind of affection towards her princess. She was so entranced by the feel of Usagi's hair that she didn't notice the girl had begun to stir.

 

Usagi's eyes tightened slightly and she adjusted her arm that lay across Rei, so it rested a little higher than where it was before. She inched closer to the girl beside her and when she did she could hear what sounded like soft laughter. She could also feel that the rhythm at which her chest would rise and fall was slightly different. She cracked up on eye and looked at the other girl. Immediately she could see that Rei wasn't asleep any longer, but she did have a smile on her face as she looked at her, though she wasn't looking at her face. That meant she didn't know she'd woken up, but that would last long as she opened her eyes and yelled, “Rei! You're awake.” Usagi lunged forward before the dark hair girl respond.

 

Rei looked surprised at the sudden voice and tried to say something but only managed a muffled form of some word could be made out as Usagi smothered her against her chest. She tapped the blonde on her shoulder as the girl held her tighter prompting the other girl to loosen her hold and allowed Rei to pull away a little. Rei gasped for her first breaths before staring at the blonde, “Are you trying to suffocate me?”

 

Usagi laughed at her suggestion, “Sorry, I got a little excited there.”

 

Rei looked up at the ceiling sighed audibly, “Jeez…at least try to think…” She started to say but found herself trailing off when she felt her Princess' eyes so focused on her. She looked over the girl and blushed when she saw the expression on her face, “Wha…?”

 

“I'm not used to seeing you embarrassed.” Usagi smiled and moved her face closer to Rei's, causing the dark haired girl to turn even redder. “You look cute when you're flustered.” As soon as the words left her lips, she closed the small distance between them and Rei's.

 

Amethyst eyes closed as she returned the kiss eagerly. She could feel her desire to deepen the kiss and when she felt her Princess' tongue lick her lips she could barely hold herself back, but she couldn't ignore what she felt. It took a great amount of effort on her part, but she forced herself to pull away from Usagi, “Wait…” She turned her face away from the other girl and frowned, “We can't…you're still linked with End…” Rei shook her head, “I mean Mamoru-san, I can feel it.”

 

Usagi was silent after the miko's statement and closed her eyes in thought. There was still something there, she couldn't deny that, but her feelings for the girl she laid next to dulled that connection to the point where she barely even noticed it herself. She had to be honest with the other girl though, “You're right…I'm still connected to Mamoru and I will be until we can talk to each other. I'll tell him my feelings at that time and I'm sure he'll understand.”

 

`Mamoru, she never called him that before.' Rei thought to herself. “Understanding and being able to let you go are two very different things, believe me I know that.”

 

The blonde haired girl nodded her head slowly, “I'm sure, but I know Mamoru though. He wouldn't force me to stay in our relationship if he knew I loved you. Since he came back I haven't really spent any time with him. Outside of the fights with youma, I haven't spoken to him much either. Things were different while you were gone.” She looked down for a moment before looking back to Rei, with more conviction in her eyes, “Besides, I know what I'm feeling and this feels right…”

 

Rei saw the other girl leaning closer to her and she bit her lower lip. God she wanted to give in to her desire for the other girl, but again she resisted, sitting up allowing Usagi to only make contact with air. She moved to the end of the bed and sat at its edge, looking at her feet. She didn't enjoy rejecting Usagi once let alone twice, but she couldn't shake the feeling in the pit of her stomach. At first she used Mamoru as an excuse, but that wasn't what was bothering her, she could tell that now. She could feel a lump form in her throat; she tried to swallow it back, but was having a difficult time. She could feel Usagi shifting on the bed to behind her, so she decided to say what she needed to before she could be distracted by her love again, “Can't you understand that I don't deserve any of this…I certainly don't deserve to be with you after everything.” Rei said, doing her best to maintain her composure. She found to be a near impossible task no matter how hard she tired. She was a little surprised when she felt Usagi slid down bed and sit beside her.

 

Usagi reached her hand over to the girl next to her. She put her hand under Rei's chin and gently turned her head toward her. Once they were face to face again Usagi smiled, “Why don't you let me decide that for myself?” She said and ran her thumb over the other girl's lower lip. “I love you, Rei. And I have to follow what my heart tells me.”

 

“And that is…” Rei said, encouraging her to finish.

 

“…Exactly what I'm doing right now.” Usagi said and dropped her hand from Rei's chin and leaned forward. Before she could say anything in response, Usagi had covered her lips with her own. Rei didn't do anything to break the kiss this time; instead she closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the feel of her Princess' lips against hers. She pulled back and stared straight into Rei's eyes, “I meant everything I told you while we were on the Moon and I hope you do as well.”

 

“Of course I do!” She replied quickly and bit louder than she intended. She looked away for a moment, feeling a little embarrassed. She could hear giggling coming from her companion. She looked over to the girl and saw she had her hand covering her mouth as she tried to stifle her laughter. “It's not funny. What if someone were to come up here and see what's going?”

 

Usagi stopped laughing, but continued to wear a big grin on her face as she spoke, “Don't worry. If anyone were to come, I'd come up with something.”

 

Rei sighed and shook her head, “Usa, you never cease to amaze me.” Usagi smiled even wider at the other girl's statement, but she stared at her curiously when she hunched forward and lowered her head, so she was now looking at the floor. “My feelings for you have never changed, if anything they've grown stronger. I don't think the words even exist for me to describe how I feel about you. What I do know and can say honestly is that with everything I am, I love you, I always will as I always have. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to finally tell you that…but…”

 

Usagi could feel her cheeks warm as she listened to Rei's words, as long as she loved her there wasn't any else that mattered, “No buts. You can't say that and then expect me to hate you for something that wasn't even your fault.”

 

“You're too sweet, Usagi. How can you forgive me?” She asked and looked up at her Princess.

 

“Silly, that's what I'm telling you, there's nothing to forgive because you didn't do anything wrong. That's the truth. You can ask any of the girls and they'll tell you the same.” Usagi stood up abruptly and pounded her fist into her open hand. “That's it!” She pulled Rei up to her feet, “I order you to go see all of the girls and talk to them.”

 

“Usagi…” The miko began, but the other girl could tell exactly where she was going and immediately cut her off.

 

“That's an imperial order, Hino Rei, from your Princess.” Usagi countered quickly.

 

Rei stared at the blonde, “That's a misuse of power!”

 

“Tough, I'm not taking it back.” The Moon Princess said and stuck her tongue out at Rei. The dark haired girl lowered her head in defeat, but also muttered something under her breath; which Usagi couldn't completely make it out, but the little she understood was something to the effect of `that not being how a Princess should act'. It didn't bother her in the slightest though. Her expression became more serious as she added, “Besides, I have something I need to do anyway and promise afterwards, you'll take me seriously.”

 

Rei wasn't sure she was up to talking everyone. After they arrived back to Earth, exhaustion essentially overtook her, there was no more fighting to be done so she could finally allow herself to give in to the fatigue. Consequently, she didn't speak with the girls, outside of just after the fight. It wasn't like she didn't want to talk with them, she loved her friends, but wanted to look them straight in their eyes and she wasn't sure she could do that right now. Even with how many times Usagi told her that nothing was her fault; she was still having a hard time forgiving herself being in that position in the first place.

 

Usagi reached out suddenly and cupped Rei's cheek in her hand, “I don't want you to beat yourself up over what happened. No one else would have faired better. You aren't weak for falling for her manipulation. You're one of the strongest people I know and I'm not just talking about physically. You fought her control the entire time; I could feel that from the very first moment she assaulted your mind even if I wasn't fully aware of what happened.”

 

Rei marveled at her princess, `It's like she's reading my mind.' She covered Usagi's hand with her own and smiled, “I give up Princess. I can't argue with you over this. I want to see them even though I'd rather stay with you.” She said and paused, “Can you at least tell me where you're going?”

 

Usagi tapped her forefinger to her chin thoughtfully for a moment before saying any thing, “Alright, that's fair I guess. I'm going to go see Mamoru.”

 

The miko was surprised to hear that, but did her best to hide it. Though when she thought about it, seeing him did coincide with what her Princess said earlier. “So you're going to tell him right away?”

 

“Yes, it's best this way.”

 

Rei nodded and looked to the ground as she said, “Tell him I'm sorry that I hurt him at that time.” She remembered what she did to the Prince of Earth and she also knew that if she hadn't been stopped, she probably would have killed the man.

 

Usagi looked sympathetic as she said, “Rei…”

 

“Please Usa.”

 

The Moon Princess nodded her head, “Okay, I tell him.”

 

“Thank you.” She said and looked up with a small smile on her face. She was relieved to hear Usagi say that she'd tell him; she didn't want that hanging over her head. “Usa, do you think I can get cleaned up before going to see the girls?”

 

“Go ahead and take yours first, I'll get some clothes ready for you.” Usagi said, nearly pushing the other girl out the door.

 

“You don't think anyone will see me, do you? I don't want to cause any trouble for you.” Rei said and stopped at the door.

 

“No, and if anyone does see you I'll come up with something, like I said earlier.”

 

The Shinto priestess tilted her head to the side curiously, “Like what?”

 

Usagi waved her hand in the air and said, “I don't know…maybe that my girlfriend slept over and she just wanted to clean up after last night.”

 

Rei's mouth opened and then shut again, she didn't know how to respond to that. Part of her thought the other girl didn't fully understand the connotation of her statement, but the sly smile she wore told her otherwise. “Usagi! Do you want your parents to throw me out of your house?” She said finally finding her voice.

 

The blonde rolled her eyes at the question, “Come on Rei, I wasn't being serious.” She lowered her head for a moment before looking back up, “You don't have to worry, I promise.”

 

Rei gave a quick nod, “Ok, I'll still be as quick as possible.”

 

Usagi shook her head slowly, “You can take as long as you need.” She assured her. The dark haired girl simply smiled and exited the room as stealthily as possible.

 

Usagi shook her head once more at the other girl and walked over to her phone before quickly dialing a number, one she'd dialed more times than she could count in the past. After a few rings someone answered on the other line, “Mamoru?” She was silent for a moment, obviously listening to the response. “Yeah, do you think we can get together in…” She looked the clock in her room, “…in about an hour?” She silently listened to him reply again. “Somewhere quiet…how about that park across from your apartment?” She became quiet once more before saying, “Alright thanks. I'll see you then.” She said her last sentence as cheerfully as she could it but only sounded fake to her. She placed the phone back down on its receiver and sat on the edge of her bed, waiting for Rei to return.

 

~~~~******~~~~

 

Haruka entered Setsuna's study or what was her study quietly. It felt strange being in the room knowing that her green haired friend wouldn't be returning to this room, that she so much of her time in. She looked around the room briefly before walking the desk on the other side of the room. Even though Michiru, Setsuna, and she all lived in the same house, she rarely entered the study. Nothing was ever stated directly, but it was more or less inferred that this was Setsuna's room and despite what happened the night before Haruka still felt as though she were trespassing.

 

As she approached the desk she noticed something sitting in the center of it. On the desk sat a small pad of paper. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she walked behind the desk to get a closer look. She grabbed the pad and read the words inscribed there. The blond haired woman's eyes widened at the words on the page. She tore the page from the pad and held the paper tightly in her hand before she ran out of the room to find the other residents of the house.

 

~~~~******~~~~

 

Rei was already about a block away from Usagi's house when she looked back to see her Princess leaving the building in a far more conventional than she did, through the front door. She watched her go in the opposite direction than where she was. She'd offered to walk with her to his apartment, but she said it wasn't necessary. A part of her wanted to follow the other girl so they could talk to everyone together, but another part of her realized this was something she should do on her own. Watching her walk away with confidence only gave Rei strength, what she was going to do was a lot more difficult than what she had to do.

 

Not wasting anymore time, she began walking. Rei thought in her head about who would be the closest to get from where she currently was and after a short time she came to the conclusion that Makoto's would be closest. With her destination firmly in mind she set off on a brisker pace than what she was walking at a few moments ago. It took a good fifteen minutes of walking before she reached the block her friend lived on, but after that she found her self in front of the girl's apartment in no time. Rei took a deep breath and rang the door bell. As she waited for Makoto to answer, the thought that she probably should have called prior to showing up on the girl's doorstep occurred to her. Of course, that was a moot point because she was already there. After a few more seconds of waiting, Rei heard the door unlock before the turning of the doorknob. She looked forward expectantly, but once the door opened completely she was quite surprised, “Ami?”

 

The blue haired girl seemed just as surprised to see her, “O-Oh hi, Rei!”

 

`What was Ami doing at Makoto's so early in the morning?' Rei thought as she looked around, still confused, even wondering she'd gone to the wrong house at first.

 

“Why don't you come in, Makoto should be back in a few.” Ami said breaking the silence.

 

Rei nodded and stepped inside, `This is definitely Makoto's place…' The dark haired miko took a couple steps inside, giving Ami more than enough room to close the door. Once Ami had turned around faced Rei, she voiced the question that was on her mind from the moment the door opened, “Why are you at Makoto's place?”

 

Barely after the words left her lips both girls looked at the door upon hearing it being unlocked once more. Ami rushed towards the door, but it opened before could reach it. Makoto stepped inside with a brown paper bag in her hands. She shut the door without looking up and said, “Hey honey, I'm…” She looked up before completing her greeting to see both Ami and Rei staring at her, “…back?”

 

Ami hit her forehead with the palm of her hand before sighing and looking the girl at the door, “Makoto, we have company.” She said and gestured toward the other girl in the apartment. For her part, Rei simply waved somewhat awkwardly at Makoto.

 

The brown haired girl walked forward and said, “Hi Rei, make yourself at home I'll be right back.” Repositioning the bag in her hand, “I've got to go put all of this away.”

 

After a couple seconds the blue haired girl said, “I'll go help her with that.” After that Ami hurried into what was apparently the kitchen, leaving Rei all alone.

 

The miko was more amused by the two girls now more than anything. She walked over to a recliner that was situated across from a love seat and sat down to wait for her two friends to return. She could hear them talking, but they weren't talking very loud so she couldn't really make out anything they were saying, not that she was trying to eavesdrop or anything. It was several more minutes before the talking stopped and both girls left the kitchen, Makoto carrying a tray of something.

 

“So, what brings you here? I thought you'd still be resting or something.” Makoto said and placed down a tray of snacks on the coffee table. Ami and she both sat in the love seat.

 

“I need to talk to you…I mean; I need to talk with both of you about something.”

 

“What is it Rei?” Ami asked curiously.

 

“I'm sorry…” Rei started to say, but she couldn't finish since the rest of the words she wanted to say caught in her throat. God this was going to be harder than she thought.

 

“You don't have to apologize for any…” Ami said, but Rei managed to get her voice and cut her off.

 

“No, I do! I'm sorry for what I did…for what I tried to do.” Rei said sadly.

 

“It wasn't your fault.” Makoto said honestly.

 

“I should have been able to stop myself. I knew what I was doing deep down and yet I still couldn't stop myself. I could have killed the two of you.” Rei said remorsefully.

 

“If you could have stopped yourself, we know you would have.” Ami said.

 

“Yeah.” Makoto said, backing up her girlfriend. She didn't hold anything against their friend and neither did Ami. They were more relieved then anything to finally get her back. “Besides, you fought the manipulation. We saw you save Usagi despite everything.”

 

“But I could have gone after anyone and…” Rei said grimly.

 

“Stop that! Stop beating yourself up over something you couldn't control. I'm fine, Ami's fine, and so are you; that's what's important. She could have forced anyone of us into that situation.” Makoto argued.

 

“But she didn't use anyone else; she used me to hurt everyone.” Rei countered.

 

“Please listen to her, Rei. All of us knew that that wasn't you and we don't blame you for it, so you shouldn't blame yourself either.” Ami said.

 

Rei lowered her head, “That's easier said than done.” She said quietly.

 

“I know you have a lot of resolve and if there was anyway anyway for you to stop what was happening, you would have. I also know you're not used to having things out of your control, but some times you have to depend on someone else.” Makoto said truthfully. She smiled slightly when she felt her girlfriend's hand over her own.

 

Rei nodded her head, “You're right.” She said and paused before smiling, “Don't get used to hearing that.” She couldn't help but stare that how the two girls held hands, with their fingers intertwined. After everything she'd seen since arrived it only led to one realization, “So when did this happen?” Rei asked.

 

Ami blushed while Makoto smiled, “Only a little while ago.” Makoto said cheerfully. It was really like a dream that everything turned out so well. Usagi was able to bring Rei back like she promised. Ami and her were together and everything seemed right.

 

“And only after Minako's urging.” Ami added. They owed a great deal to the self-proclaimed Goddess of Love. Ami noticed that she took Rei's situation worse than all of them, expect for maybe Usagi.

 

“Minako did that?” Rei asked.

 

“Yeah, she was pretty…insistent.” Makoto admitted.

 

The miko couldn't help but smile; she could only imagine what `Goddess of Love' did… “Actually speaking of Minako, I should be going. I have to see her as well.”

 

“Her too?” Ami asked.

 

“Yeah, I promised Usagi.” She said and got up.

 

“Let me walk you out.” Makoto said and started to stand up, but Rei held up her arm.

 

“It's fine. You two just continue what you were going to do before I showed up.” She said with a mischievous smile before quickly making her exit.

 

~~~~******~~~~

 

Usagi approached the park's entrance slowly. It had been a little more than an hour since she spoke to Mamoru on the phone, so she was sure he would already be there, though she didn't specify where so she hoped he was near the entrance. Much to her relieve she could see him stand by the park sign, near the entrance. She walked up the man because he had noticed that she'd arrived, “Hi Mamoru.” She said startling him, as evident by him jumping a bit.

 

He pushed off the fence, “Hi, Usagi.”

 

Without another word they both started to walk into the park. It was still rather quiet inside, outside of the runners and occasional old couple walking around. They walked for a fair amount of time before they came across a bench overlooking a small, but good size pond. Despite it being so close to where he lived he very rarely came to this park. He did usually run in the morning, but he usually just ran near the street.

 

They sat in silence for what seemed like a long time, but it couldn't have been much more than a couple minutes. Since she was the one who arranged their meeting he'd somewhat expected her to start the conversation. Really though, there was no reason to beat around the bush, he already knew why Usagi wanted to `talk', even though there wasn't much talking going on.

 

“I guess that's what it took. You just needed to tell Rei how you really feel about her.” Mamoru said, not only surprising her with what he said, but the fact that he was the first to begin the conversation.

 

“You mean that you knew…” Usagi stared but Mamoru spoke over her before she could finish. He already knew what she was going to say any way.

 

“I didn't know it was Rei exactly, but I did know that you were falling in love with someone else.” Mamoru said and Usagi only looked at him with a confused expression on her face. “I should be one hundred percent honest with you. When I left for America, I didn't leave because of some job offer. I left because I wanted to give you the space you needed to sort out your feelings. So I made the decision to leave and in hopes that you would be able to realize how divided your heart had become. I didn't want to hurt you, but also didn't want to stay and make things more difficult for you. In retrospect, it may have been best for me to have told you everything rather than leaving you to figure out everything on your own and hurt you in the process.”

 

Usagi didn't know what to say, so she said the first thing take came to mind, “Was it that obvious?”

 

“Perhaps not to everyone…well maybe Minako…but to me yes.” Mamoru said and paused for a few seconds, “I felt my connection to you slipping for some time, but I ignored it for a while before it became too hard to ignore. Outside of sensing when you were in danger I was losing my connection to you. Whether you were subconsciously closing me out at the time I didn't know, but either way I knew I was losing you even if you didn't realize it yourself.”

 

She shook her head, hardly believing what she was hearing, “How? Why didn't you say anything to me?”

 

“I didn't want to hurt you…actually it might have been more about hurting me. I think I was trying to spare myself from having to actually see you go to someone else.” Mamoru laughed a little at his statement, “I guess that worked out really well…”

 

“Mamoru…”

 

He cut her off before she could finish, “All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy and if you are happier with someone else, I can accept that. I am a little sad though, now that it's actually happened. Despite already making up my mind to let you go if truly wished to be with someone else, i-it's h-hard.” His voice wavering a little at the end.

 

“I'm so sorry.” Usagi said quietly.

 

Mamoru laughed a little at her apology, not mockingly, but at the foolishness of it, “Usagi…why are you apologizing?”

 

“Because…I really don't want to hurt you.”

 

“You can't control you feelings. You are only human after all.” He said as cheerfully as he could. He could see out of the corner of his eyes that she was nodding her head. “I-I can't completely break our connection. You have to do it.”

 

Usagi could feel the tears start to well up as she opened her mouth, “I-I can't spend the re-rest of my life w-with you be-because I l-love someone else.” She said before the dam broke, so to speak.

 

“See, th-that wasn't so h-hard.” He said and looked away. He didn't want her to feel sorry for him and he knew if she saw the expression on his face right now that would be exactly what would happen. He stood up and took a few steps away from the bench, “Usagi?”

 

“Y-Yes?”

 

“I don't want you to cry, you've already done enough of that the last few days. That look doesn't suit you.” He said and turned around and smiled. “I wish you…and Rei the best. Truly I do.” Mamoru started to walk away at the time, but stopped when he heard Usagi's voice.

 

“You'll be okay, right?”

 

He nodded his head, “I'm sure I will be.” He said and continued to walk and as he did he thought about whether he should have told her about his concerns for what the future had in store, but there was time for that later, he told himself. Besides, he didn't want to place any doubt in her mind with his own anxiety about the future. He didn't have any doubt that the future did enter into her thoughts when she chose the path she did and yet she still chose Rei anyway. Mamoru smiled sadly to himself, that was the kind of love he thought he had a one time with Usagi, a love that could overcome anything.

 

~~~~******~~~~

 

Rei rang the doorbell and leaned against the railing as she waited for some to come to the door. She lowered her head and sighed, Minako was the one she really wanted to apologize to, but not just for attacking her…

 

“Hello, how may I help you?”

 

Rei's head shot up as she looked at the woman at the door. The woman was very much a striking image of Minako, only older, obviously her mother. “Uh…sorry, I'm here to see Minako-chan.”

 

“And you are?”

 

The dark haired girl bowed slightly, “Oh sorry, my name is Rei. Hino Rei.”

 

The woman continued to look at her curiously and while Rei didn't intend to, she was beginning to get irritated. `Why hasn't she even asked me to come inside? Isn't that the courteous thing to do?' Rei was about to say something she probably would have regretted later, when she heard her friend's voice.

 

“Oka-san, who's…?” Minako started to say when she stood next to her mother, “Rei?”

 

She waved to her friend, “Hi Minako.”

 

The young blonde quickly opened the screen door and motioned for her friend to enter, “Don't just stand there come in.” She said and held the door open. As soon as she was inside Minako grabbed her hand and started to pull Rei up the stairs with her, “We'll be up stairs in my room, Oka-san!” She called as she continued upwards.

 

Rei allowed her friend to lead the way, since she'd never been in her house before. Two doors away from the top of the stairs, Minako stopped and opened the door. She guided Rei inside and closed the door once they were both inside. Rei looked at the senshi of love oddly, “What's with your mother?”

 

The blond haired girl looked down, “She's a little over-protective.” Rei nodded her head in response. Minako stepped a little closer to her companion and leaned forward, as though she were inspecting her friend, “So, what do I owe the pleasure? I don't believe you've come over to my house before now.”

 

“I came here to apologize for everything that happened.” She explained.

 

“You don't…”

 

“No, let me finish Minako.” She paused and took a deep breath, “I'm not just talking about while I was being manipulated. I'm sorry about everything before that too. I'm sorry I put you in the position I did. I'm sorry for the burden I put on your shoulders.”

 

Minako shook her head and wiped her eyes with her hands, “Silly, you don't need to apologize for anything.” She said and stepped closer to the dark haired girl before embracing her, “That doesn't matter. All I wished for while were gone was for your safe return”

 

“Minako…” Rei whispered apologetically into the other girl's ear.

 

“I know…just let me have this moment.” Rei nodded and held her back, “I was so worried about y-you.” Minako said her voice failing her a little at the end.

 

“I'm sorry, you were right all along. I shouldn't have ever been so stupid.” Rei said and pushed herself slightly away from Minako so she could look into her eyes, “I know you'll find someone who will love you how you should be loved, cause I'm hopeless you know that, right?”

 

Minako shook her head, “You're not hopeless, if anyone is…I am. Please don't worry about me though I'm happy for you and I'm glad you and Usagi found each other again. I want you to be happy more than anything. You deserve it, perhaps more than anyone.”

 

“Still, I never wanted to hurt you.” Rei said.

 

“You never hurt me, I hurt myself. You were never mine in this lifetime or the last…your heart always belonged to her.” Minako conceded.

 

“Minako…” Rei started but was cut off.

 

“Rei, you don't need to say anything. Don't worry about me; I'm sure I'll find someone else…eventually. Just do me a favor and always be honest with yourself and Usagi because if you are, there won't be anything that can tear you two apart in this lifetime. I'm sure everything else will work out in time as well, because in the face of love, destiny is no match for it.” Minako said and gave Rei the brightest smile she could muster.

 

Rei smiled too, “Thanks Minako, I have no intention of losing her this time.” Rei said and realized it was starting to get late `Usagi must be almost done with talking to Mamoru', “I should be going though, but Minako I want you to know that if you ever need to talk I'll be here.”

 

“I know Rei. The same goes for me, if you ever want to talk…”

 

“Thanks Minako.” She said and smiled before taking a step toward the door. “I mean it Minako; if you ever need anything don't hesitate to call me. I'll be there for you no matter what.” She turned around and reached for the doorknob when she felt a hand on her wrist.

 

“Then can you do one thing for me…”

 

Rei turned to Minako. She had her head down as though she couldn't look her in the eye as she spoke. As her eyes remained fixed downward she added, “Just once can you kiss me…like you would Usagi?” Minako looked up and saw her friend was looking away from her. She silently cursed herself for being so selfish, “Never mind, I should have never asked you to…mmff…” Her words were cut off by a pair of lips against hers. Rei held the back of her head with one hand and her shoulder with the other. Minako felt herself being pushed up against the wall beside the door and gasped at the impact. The action allowed Rei full access to her mouth, which she took advantage of by exploring the new territory with her tongue, causing the other girl to moan in the back of her throat. All too quickly Minako could feel the moment coming to an end as she could feel Rei pulling away. She blushed hotly as the kiss ended and she could no longer feel her friend's lips.

 

Rei rested her forehead against her friend's, “I do love you Minako…just not the same way you do. I didn't want to kiss you because I didn't want to make this any harder for you, but if this was your one wish, how can I deny you it after all you've done for me?” She said and moved back even further, “But I can never do that again. I can't betray Usagi, I love her too much.”

 

Minako nodded, she knew it would never happen again, she knew that Rei had done that for her sake and she'd never forget that. “I know.” She said and smiled the truest smile she'd done in a while, “I can feel your love for her radiating off of you. It's powerful. Both of you will be happy together.”

 

Rei smiled and opened the door, “Thank you, Minako.” She said and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

 

“No, thank you.” The blond teen whispered before pushing herself off the wall and touching her lips.

 

~~~~******~~~~

 

Michiru stared at the paper Haruka had just handed her, “This means…”

 

“She knew.” Haruka answered, even before Michiru finished her sentence.

 

Hotaru walked into the front room and looked around to see what the commotion was all about. She looked between the two women curiously, “What is it?”

 

Michiru handed the younger girl the paper she was holding, “From Setsuna.”

 

Hotaru took the paper and read the words written on it, there wasn't much there, a mere five word were inscribed, but Setsuna's meaning was very clear. She looked up to her guardians, “She knew she wasn't coming back and she left this behind to remove any doubt we might have.”

 

Haruka nodded her head in agreement, “It definitely seems that way.”

 

“Should we tell the other girls about this?” Michiru asked and looked at companions.

 

“I don't think there's really any need. Nothing's changed for them; they don't need any direction as to what path to take. They will follow Setsuna's wish even without seeing this note.” Haruka said with a smile.

 

“That's true.” Michiru said and nodded. “What should we do first then? The note wasn't very specific.”

 

“It didn't need to be. She obviously left this out in the open for us to find it and with it being so general it simply means there's no immediate threat. However, I don't think we should let our guard down because of that, there are still threats out there we just need to keep a watchful eye over them. This was her last wish, after all.” Hotaru stated and placed the paper down on the end table beside her.

 

“Why don't we go for a ride then?” Haruka suggested and grabbed her keys from the coffee table in the center of the room.

 

~~~~******~~~~

 

Rei smiled as she reached the familiar stone steps, she was home. She'd told Usagi that she would return to the jinja to see her Grandfather once she'd spoke to her friends as she was told to do. She touched the torii at the base of the stairs for a second before skipping up the many stairs before she reached the main shrine. Many people found it tiring, but Rei always saw it as a form of training especially since she had to climb up and down the steps several times a day on many occasions. When she reached the top she simply stepped inside. Since today was a part of the weekend and it was the middle of the day, the doors were wide open for any customers.

 

“It's good see you're finally back!”

 

Rei looked to her left to see her Grandfather holding a broom with a cheerful look on his face, “I'm sorry it took so long.”

 

“I guess it was unavoidable.” The old man said quietly. He closed his eyes and said, “Your spirit is calmer. Something must have happened while you were away.”

 

The miko smiled, “Yeah, you could say that…”

 

“You don't want to tell your poor old grandfather what that was?”

 

Rei rolled her eye at his act, but inside she smiling like fool, he always tried to pull the sympathy card, “You're not that old Jii-chan. And perhaps I'll tell you, just not right now.”

 

“I see.” He said sounding as sad as he could, “I guess that'll have to do.”

 

“Jii-chan, I'm going to go inside and change now. I want to do a fire reading. It feels like it's been forever since I've done one.”

 

“Alright, I thought that'd be one of the first things you would do once you returned.” He said and started to sweep the walkway as he had been doing before she showed up.

 

Rei nodded and ran up to the shrine. She slid open the doors and hurried down the hall to her room, but stopped a short distance from her intended location and stared at the man a little bit away from her, `Yuuichirou…' She bit her lower lip before swiftly moving forward toward the scruffy looking man. Without any hesitation she bowed her head, starling him slightly, “I'm sorry.”

 

“Wha…?”

 

She kept her head lowered as she continued, “I'm sorry for how I acted that night. My mind was so focused on something that I took my frustrations out on you a bit.”

 

“I-It's alright, it's in the past now.” Yuuichirou said. He seemed a little unsure how to respond to an apology from the miko, mostly because it wasn't something he heard often from her.

 

Rei stood up straight and looked at him, “Thanks.” She said and even flashed him a small smile before hurrying down the hall again, leaving a very perplexed looking Yuuichirou. She entered her room and sighed, it was good to be home. She stood there for a little longer before walking over the room's only closet. She opened the sliding door and saw her miko robes hanging there. She smiled at the welcome sight and looked down at the clothes she currently wore, they were Usagi's. It seemed so long ago that she had to barrow a different set of clothes from the girl, but under similar circumstances. She silently removed the clothing when at thought occurred to her, she was wearing a set of pajamas when she woke up, but she knew there was no way she was wearing any when her transformation faded when they arrived back on Earth. In fact, she was fairly she wasn't wearing anything… Rei suddenly turned beet red. She resumed removing the clothes she was wearing slowly, `If I don't stop thinking about everything that Usagi saw, I'll never be able to concentrate.' She told herself and took a deep breath to ease herself.

 

After a few minutes, Rei found herself in her miko attire. She then left her room and headed toward the room with the Great Fire. She arrived at the room quickly, as it was not very far from her room anyway. As soon as she entered she walked in front of the tall fire and sat down. Again she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. `I know I'll be able to do this.' She assured herself and after one more deep breath she performed the hand signs she'd memorized many years ago and concentrated. She felt like smiling as she connected with the fire as easily she done in the past, but she kept a calm expression so she didn't break her concentration. She remained still for several minutes more before she felt another presence in the room. Except this time she allowed herself to smile, she knew that would mean she'd likely lose the connection she had, but it was worth it. Besides, she didn't really get an answer to her first question and she figured it was unlikely to come if it hadn't already.

 

Usagi smiled mischievously and tip-toed over to the unsuspecting girl. She didn't look like she was doing anything other then just sitting there; she didn't seem to doing a fire reading at that time. The blonde haired girl held her arms out at her sides and seemed ready to pounce at any moment when…

 

“Usagi…don't even think about it.” Rei warned gently, without turning around.

 

The Moon Princess pouted slightly, “How'd you know?” she asked the other girl's back.

 

Rei looked over her shoulder at the still pouting blonde, “I'm physic, remember?” She said and smiled at the end. She turned back to the fire and closed her eyes, but she could hear the sound of retreating foot steps. Without turning away from the fire she said, “You don't have leave. Just take a seat, I'm almost done.”

 

Usagi nodded even though the other girl wasn't looking and sat on the floor with her legs crossed. She watched Rei in amazement, she didn't often get to see Rei in front of the great fire and seeing her now, made her wish she got to witness this more often. Though there weren't any doors opened a wind seemed to surround her, blowing back her hair from the fire, and surrounding her a glowing light, though that was most likely from the fire itself.

 

Rei got up after only a short time longer, but continued to face the fire, “I've missed this.”

 

“What?” Usagi asked curiously.

 

She turned around and walked over to her Princess, offering her hand to the other girl. Usagi quickly took her hand and found herself being brought to her feet with ease. She took Usagi's other hand in her own stared straight into her eyes. “Life.” She said with a wide smile.

 

Usagi smiled in return, “Are you a philosopher now?”

 

Rei shook her head, “I'm just being honest.” She let go of Usagi's hands and stretched her arms out at her sides and spun around once, “All of this; my home, my family, my friends…” She stopped and faced Usagi, “You. I've missed everything. What I was doing, just yesterday, I couldn't call that living. I guess you can say I have new perspective on things now.”

 

“So does this mean a kinder gentler Rei-chan?” Usagi questioned playfully. The miko frowned slightly at the question and when it looked like she was about to say something, Usagi thought a change of subject was in order. “So, how did everything go? I was right wasn't I?” she asked cheerfully.

 

Rei looked down and smiled, so it couldn't be seen, “Yes.” She looked up with a more serious look on her face and added, “Don't rub it in.”

 

Usagi smiled and nodded, “I wouldn't.”

 

Rei smiled despite her disbelieve that her love was telling the truth. That smile faded moments later as she thought back to her time in front of the Great Fire.

 

“What's wrong?”

 

The miko looked sideways and tried to give the girl her best smile, though she wasn't very successful, “I guess I'm just disappointed in myself.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I resisted coming back. I felt the pain you were in and I could only selfishly think of myself.” Rei said looked at Usagi sadly. Rei noticed she was looking at her with a confused look, so she explained further. “When everyone gave you their power and you transformed into that new form with the wings, you succeeded. At least you did until I didn't allow myself to come back.”

 

“I still don't understand. I thought I wasn't successful.”

 

“There was a part of me, a small part of me, that didn't wish to come back. I was weak and stupid enough to listen to that part of myself, I'm sorry. I feared the certain rejection from you, I feared what would happen to the future if I told you how I felt, heck I feared just telling you. But then, I also didn't want to come back if it meant everything would return to the way it was.” Rei smiled dejectedly and looked up at Usagi. “All of that probably sounds so stupid.” She added as a few stray tears fell down her cheeks.

 

Usagi let go of Rei's arm and stepped in front of her. She covered her cheeks with her hands and wiped away the lingering wetness. Usagi shook her head `no', “It doesn't. You were afraid and no matter what you may have felt I'm sure it wasn't you that was holding back.”

 

Rei shook her head, “No, it was me. Kei's manipulation didn't have anything to do with that.” She could see her Princess was already going to counter her statement, but she shook her head once more, “I already meditated on it, it was me subconsciously at least.” She paused to observe the other girl's reaction, “Tell me what you're thinking.”

 

“It doesn't change anything. You were afraid and really so was I, which is part the reason I wanted to wait until you were back to normal to tell you. I was delaying it, but when I finally told you how I felt it just felt right, you know?” She asked causing Rei to nod her head in agreement. “Besides, you came back to me in the end and that's the most important thing.”

 

Rei nodded her head slowly; her Princess had absolved her of any wrong doing again. She wouldn't make her have to do that again. “I love you.” She said and brushed the back of her hand against her love's cheek, “Have I even told you that yet today?” Usagi shook her head yes, “I still have a long way to go for all those other days I wanted to tell you though.” Rei leaned forward and the two girls shared a quick but tender kiss. The avatar of Mars took the blonde haired girl's hand in her own and lead her out of the fire room. They walked slowly and mostly in silence until they reached the miko's room. Once they were inside Rei shut the door and looked over to Usagi, “So how did everything go with Mamoru-san?”

 

“It went…well. He was more understanding than I expected.” She said and paused to take a deep breath before continuing, “It was hard, but I don't regret it. It would be unfair to not be honest with him.”

 

“So it's done.” Rei muttered softly and received a nod from her…girlfriend? That was appropriate at this point wasn't it? She dropped to one knee and looked seriously at Usagi.

 

The Moon Princess almost laughed but she didn't when she saw how resolute the other girl looked, “Rei, what are you doing?”

 

It was only right to make it official, “Usagi, will you be my girlfriend?”

 

She did laugh this time, “Of course! I thought you'd never ask!” She said and moved forward and hugged Rei tightly, which was returned with equal enthusiasm.

 

~~~~******~~~~

 

End Ch. 34

 

That leaves only one more chapter to go. Though it's really not much of a chapter, since there's not a lot of content, but everyone will be able to see what I'm talking about a little later when it comes out. It should be out in like a week or so. I've been working on that as well as this chapter as well as the rewrites of the first few chapters. I wanted to get them all done at the same time, but that didn't work too well. I think I put too much on my plate at once. Other technical issues came up that delayed this release, but I won't go into all of them here (there's no need to waste time naming them). I hope everyone that's still with me has enjoyed this (very) long ride or at least part of it :P