Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Power Of Fire ❯ Chapter 5

Rei pulled back suddenly, falling backwards off her bed at the unexpected and accidental touch. Her eyes locked on Ami as terror seemed to alight in her eyes, Rei felt the need to say something but she knew that whatever she said would probably only make it worse.

"Ami…" tried Rei anyway, desperately scouring her mind for anything that might comfort her suddenly stricken friend.

"It was an accident!" Ami's voice was scared, high-pitched and it pierced Rei's ears with a shock.

"It's okay Ami, really it's okay," said Rei putting her hands up in front of her in an act of showing that it really was okay.

Ami seemed to crumple slightly on the bed, her spine looking as though it couldn't support her properly anymore. It's all wrong, thought Ami angrily as she closed her eyes and begged the tears not to overflow down her face.

"Ami, look at me, its okay, it really is," Rei was staring down at her with concern, a hand on each of Ami's shoulder as if she were about to give her a firm shake and hopefully shake some sense into her.

"It's wrong," whispered Ami, pulling her legs up in a protective gesture, "I'm wrong."

Rei stared with disbelief at her friend, How on earth could she possibly think that she's wrong? The question was unanswerable, so Rei filed it away for later examination.

"You're not wrong," said Rei angrily, trying to draw any other type of reaction out of Ami, "I'll prove it's not wrong."

Ami looked at her with an odd expression on her face as if she couldn't understand what Rei was saying.

"What do you mean?" murmured Ami, resting her chin on her knees, silently wishing that Rei meant what she thought Rei meant.

Rei was taken aback, she wasn't even quite sure what she meant but her inspiration was quick to come as she grabbed both sides of Ami's face in her hands. This isn't as hard as I thought it might be… Thought Rei as she leant in towards Ami slowly, gauging Ami's reaction to her movements.

Ami flinched slightly but she leant forward all the same as Rei leaned into her, pressing her lips deliberately and firmly to Ami's.

Rei wasn't sure what exactly she was doing or if it really was a good idea but the idea had come without any reasoning behind it. It was just an urge, an urge to make Ami feel as if she belonged, to make Ami feel happy again but as she felt the soft, tender flesh of Ami's lips against hers again the, sharp, shocking feeling of loss overwhelmed her as she realised that the kiss had to end.

Ami didn't lean in to prolong the kiss but moved away in motion with Rei. This can't be healthy, thought Ami as she bit her bottom lip, now unwilling to look at her friend.

Ami waited for Rei to say something to dismiss what she had just done but when Ami looked over at her friend again it was an oddly tortured expression on Rei's face that she met.

She regrets it, thought Ami instantly, the tears unable to keep themselves from spilling over onto her cheek.

Ami watched Rei in the reflection from the glass as the ice that had held Rei slowly unfroze her and allowed her movement. The hands which had been held stationary in the air, as if still cupping Ami's face, dropped slowly to her sides.

What was that? Rei asked herself as the feeling slowly dissipated, I didn't want to let go of Ami…

Unwilling to dwell on the exchange Ami picked up the first comic book that met her hands and buried her face in it while she waited for Rei to do something.

Why wouldn't I want to let her go? The feeling that had overwhelmed Rei had no basis, she was sure of it, I've never thought of Ami that way, she said to herself, starting to worry if she had completely done the wrong thing for both of them.

 

~~~~~

 

"How's Ami?" asked Mamoru as she sat across from Ami at the dining table, "Is she any better at all?"

Rei shook her head, "Not really, she's completely closed off from me. I don't think it was the pills that made her act the way she did. I think it's just her and I don't know how to break down the walls." Rei's voice seemed rocky, it went high and low, loud and soft, it sounded as if someone was rubbing her throat raw.

"But she seemed a bit better you said," replied Mamoru, his brow furrowing in concern.

"She was but then something happened…" Rei trailed off, she felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest. Rei wasn't very close with Mamoru but even just telling him of what had happened made her feel as if she wanted to throw up. Is this how Ami feels? Thought Rei as she continued to stare into her cup of tea held delicately between her hands. No, it's nothing like how Ami would feel. I'd have no reason to feel that way!

"Rei?" said Mamoru, trying to shake through Rei's haze, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm okay, its okay," replied Rei hurriedly, giving her head a definite shake. "It's just there was an accidental kiss…" Rei's voice went quiet at the end, not really knowing how to tell Mamoru what had really happened.

"An accidental kiss?" Mamoru's voice quite clearly told Rei that he didn't believe her in the way he should.

"Yes, she was tossing and turning so I went to wake her up and she just sort of, shot up into the air and right into me," Rei explained the details as best as she could remember, but she had to admit it all seemed a bit hazy, the only real things she could remember was the swooping motion in her stomach that both made her feel terrified and safe in the same instant.

Even to her own ears the story sounded like a bad lie, a very bad lie. He's not going to believe that, Rei thought, tapping against the ceramic of the cup with her fingernails, waiting for Mamoru to respond to her.

"I guess Ami's similar to Usagi in that way then," stated Mamoru, taking another drink from his tea.

"What do you mean?" questioned Rei, her brow furrowing as she studied Mamoru's face for any indication what he was talking about.

"Usagi always has a way of waking up that usually involves moving too suddenly and somehow breaking something or someone," Mamoru laughed as he remembered the many moments Usagi had fallen asleep on his lounge and he had had to wake her up. There was many an instant when he was sure he would have a bruise on his face from her.

"Oh, I see," Rei inwardly let out a sigh of relief, there was too much tension in her and she knew it. Everything she heard sounded like it held another connotation. You're getting paranoid Rei, she thought to herself as the room grew silent, both parties thinking of different things.

"Um… Mamoru, I was thinking maybe we should keep the news about the pills from the girls. It might make them a bit… crazy," Rei's eyes were uncertain as she looked up at Mamoru, trying to gauge his response but to her amazement he slowly nodded his head on agreement.

"I think that would be the best idea. Have you had a chance to talk to her about them yet?" asked Mamoru as he finished off his cup of tea.

"Not yet, I'm kind of scared to ask her really. What if this has been going on longer? What if she had started taking the pills earlier?" Rei's voice was raw again, her stomach somersaulting at the idea of Ami being so… wrong, it was the only word she could use to describe Ami at the moment and just thinking the word made Rei want to scream at herself. I'm going to be torn apart at the seams, thought Rei as the distinct needs she had contradicted themselves. She wanted to protect Ami in anyway possible but she also wanted to help her, and they didn't seem to fit into one category anymore.

"I don't think she would of. Ami's a smart girl and she's probably got a smart reason… well, maybe not a smart one but a fairly sensible reason at least," replied Mamoru as he stood up, offering to take Rei's empty cup into the sink.

Rei handed Mamoru the cup as she continued to think over the past occurrences of the morning. Oh Ami, what have I done? The voice was angry at Rei and she felt she deserved it in a way. What on earth had she been thinking when she had kissed Ami, of course it wouldn't have made anything better, in fact it had made everything worse.

"Stupid Rei," said Rei aloud as she stared down at the wood grains in the table, trailing her fingers over the movements of them.

"What's stupid, Rei?" asked Minako, peaking her head around the corner as Usagi came bounding around the corner with her.

"Rei, stupid? First time I've heard that before," said Usagi as she crashed into the kitchen and into Mamoru's arms.

"Hey Usa-ko," laughed Mamoru.

"So what's going on Rei? I heard Ami was staying at your house but when I called there I got no-one," Minako came to sit by her raven-haired friend, clearly ignoring the disgruntled expression on Rei's face.

"Ami is staying with me, she's probably still in bed. She got a cold the other night," said Rei obstinately, kind of hoping that Minako would say something against it so that she could vent a little.

Suddenly there was a loud crash in the kitchen.

"Usa-ko!"

"Damn-it Usagi can't you NOT break something for one bloody day in your life? You are such a klutz," Rei's voice short-circuited right into the path of her anger, causing the yells to soon become screams as her own indignation at her actions was thrown at Usagi.

"Whoa Rei, what was that?" asked Minako, staring wide-eyed up at her friend who was now standing, her chair had fallen back against the floor in Rei's rage.

"It was nothing! Can't any of you mind your own god-damned business around here?" Rei's voice was thunderous and she couldn't seem to get a hold of her temper as it flared repeatedly, thrumming a soft beat of adrenaline through her blood in rhythmic time with her heart that again felt as if it were about to pound right out of her chest and end up on Mamoru's dining table.

Mamoru and Usagi suddenly came out of the kitchen, Usagi obviously in tears at Rei's words; Mamoru looked as though he were going to throw Rei out of his apartment.

"Rei, can I speak with you alone for the moment?" asked Mamoru through slightly gritted teeth.

Rei's temper instantly abandoned her as she stood in the aftermath of her rage, instantaneously feeling guilty as the adrenaline subsided in her system.

Rei followed Mamoru to the door of his apartment. "I know you're upset Rei but you can't just take it out on them. Go and have a rest, we can finish our conversation later," said Mamoru as he gave her a gentle shove out the door.

Rei unintentionally flinched at the touch, her anger flaring again but this time it felt as though her mouth couldn't even move. What is wrong with me? I don't usually get that worked up, thought Rei as she angrily stomped her way out of the building.

Ami's scared of them, and again the image of Ami's crumpled and scrunched face made an appearance in her mind, reminding her of Ami's pain causing the rage to flair in her chest again, making it hard to breathe.

Is this all linked to Ami? Questioned Rei as she clutched her hand to her chest, throwing open the door to the building and marching into the freezing cold even though the sun was high in the sky.

What the hell is going on with the weather?!

 

~~~~~

 

Makoto swung the door open for Michiru and Haruka, "I wasn't expecting you," said Makoto as she looked hesitantly at her two older friends.

"We just came to talk, could you turn on the weather report please," said Michiru sweetly as she took a seat on the lounge right in front of the TV.

"Sure," replied Makoto, flipping the TV on and scrolling through the channels until she came to the weather.

"And we're looking at more rain, hail and little sunshine for the next month; we might even get some snow. We're in for a very extraordinary summer this year folks!" The TV presenter was a man about in his 50's with a very bad spray tan and a thick, unruly mop of grey hair.

"He's right," said Haruka, sitting down next to Michiru, Makoto taking Michiru's other side.

"But its summer, what on earth is going on?" thought Makoto aloud, her left eyebrow kinking upwards as she stared at the rainfall chart that had now covered the screen.

"No idea, but it's bad, and I have a feeling it has nothing to do with a new enemy either," replied Haruka, taking a glance down at her lover.

"What do you mean? Who else could do this? Or, who else would do this? It's ridiculous," replied Makoto, now looking thoroughly confused.

Haruka shrugged, wrapping an arm around Michiru's shoulders tenderly as the tangerine-coloured weatherman came back on the television, ready to tell the public of the coastal disturbances that had been ripping the beaches apart slowly.

"And again, not a good day for any surfers out there! The waves are pounding and it would be greatly unwise for even boats out in the harbour today so my advice is stay inside for the next couple of days, and stay out of the water. And here is the tide table for the coming week…"

The TV flashed again as the tide table was now displayed; it played erratic numbers that could not have been correct.

"That's completely wrong," said Makoto remembering back to her Physics class and learning about waves and their structure.

"Of course it is, but what they've predicted has all been correct so far. That's what's so wrong," said Michiru, looking wearily at the TV, picking up the remote Makoto had discarded and switching it off just as the weatherman came back on the screen.

"But that's not mechanically possible for waves, it's just… It's far too erratic for those motions to actually work, it would completely disintegrate the coast!" exclaimed Makoto, looking wildly at the couple next to her.

"And that's what is happening, have you walked past Juban dock lately? There's nothing there anymore, all the boats have moved to safer docks around the area. It seems Juban is getting barraged with waves of late and no meteorologists can explain why exactly. They think it might be another climate shift, but unless we're going back to an Ice Age I seriously doubt the climate has anything to do with it," replied Haruka, a distinct edge in her voice that Makoto hadn't heard before.

"So, what is going on out there?" murmured Makoto, leaning down to rest her elbows in her knees, her hands cupping her chin as she took a glance out the window to see the sun riding high in the sky just like every other summer, but this time it seemed to be obscured with the distinct shimmer of wind and rain.

"We don't have any idea, but if it keeps going on the whole of Juban might end up under water eventually, so we've got to figure this out fast. Do you think you can help us Mako-Chan?" asked Haruka, making sure to use Makoto's affectionate nickname.

Makoto looked slightly taken aback by Haruka's approached but nodded in agreement anyway. "Sure, but what are we going to have to do?" she asked, her brow creasing as she tried to explain the phenomena.

"It probably won't be pretty," replied Haruka, looking out the window as the clouds slowly converged to block out the sun completely.