Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ The Power Of Fire ❯ Chapter 7

Rei woke up feeling as if she had been sleeping for a million years. Rubbing her eyes she felt the soft movement of Ami as she stirred in her arms. Rei's resolved wavered slightly as she looked out the window to see that it was yet again raining.

The weather's almost gone as whacko as us, thought Rei, unintentionally refereeing to her and Ami as a whole.

"Rei…" Ami's voice was quiet, muffled slightly against Rei's neck as she spoke causing a small shiver to run down Rei's entire body, Ami's breath teasing her skin.

"Ami," said Rei in reply, murmuring the word into Ami's hair, closing her eyes again, the somersaulting motion filling her stomach.

Rei kept her eyes closed; she felt Ami move in her arms, raising her head but the softness that brushed her lips was more unexpected than any other touch.

Reflexively Rei opened her lips, breathing in Ami's sweetness, her brain recognizing as soon as Ami reciprocated the motion.

Her thoughts wound around her brain in a reckless train, some of them worrying and others not so much. What if someone sees us? How could they? What if I was wrong? It doesn't feel wrong does it? Why me? Why do you care so much? The questions answered each other and for a moment Rei was sure the negative part of her brain was going to win out but when Ami wrapped her fingers in Rei's hair and hungrily pulled her in closer only certain thoughts pounded in her head, and as much as they unsettled her, Rei chose just to accept them.

She's so sweet… Her hair's so smooth… Her body's so… Just so… Perfect…

Reacting to Ami's sudden burst of enthusiasm Rei pushed herself roughly up against the girl who had once only been a friend.

We're perfect.

Each curve of Rei's body seemed to fit in correlation to Ami's and it made her skin burst into fire at the touch.

Rei didn't hear as three loud knocks came at the door of the Temple, she was too distracted but it seemed Ami heard them all too easily and quickly recoiled from Rei, leaving Rei's arms feeling vulnerably empty.

The cold morning air stung at her exposed, raw skin. Why do I feel so… sticky? Rei asked herself, running her finger over her neck she soon realised the dew there was sweat.

Keeping her eyes from Ami's, Rei got up, wrapping her robe tighter around her body.

Reaching the door she could easily see the silhouette of Makoto waiting, and it made her stop dead before opening the door. Her hand was only centimetres away from opening it but a gut-wrenching feeling threw Rei's whole body into tortured rejection.

What will she say? Feeling completely naked Rei forced herself to open the door, but the smile she gave Makoto when she saw her felt more like a grimace than anything else.

They don't know, the little mantra forced itself around and around as Rei tried to keep from breathing to hard or fast as she turned to walk into the lounge room, Makoto following.

"How's Ami?" asked Makoto. Rei didn't turn around to look at her friend as she answered.

"She's going as well as can be expected," replied Rei, her voice trembling a little bit.

"Has she talked about… Well, about IT," said Makoto, obviously a bit put out by trying to use the word gay.

"No, she shouldn't have to," replied Rei through gritted teeth. Why do I feel so angry? Makoto would never do anything to hurt Ami, so why am I reacting this way? No matter how many times she questioned her logical mind Rei still felt the anger flare.

"No, she shouldn't. But it might help a bit. I mean, she should know we're still her friends," whispered Makoto a bit taken aback by Rei's attitude.

Are you still her friends? The words shocked Rei to a standstill as they reverberated around her, causing her to bite down on her tongue to stop them from being spoken aloud.

"She knows that," said Rei, trying to bring calm back to the situation, and also trying to sound sure of the fact, but to be truthful she wasn't sure. I'm not even sure you'll be my friends at the end of it, concluded Rei to herself, admitting to herself why she didn't really want Makoto here.

"Listen Mako-Chan, now isn't really a good time, would it be alright if you came back a bit later?" Rei worked to sound more light-hearted and forced her lips into the closest conclusion of a smile she could gather, hoping that it looked real.

"I understand," replied Makoto, looking down at her feet as she felt Rei's feet begin to move again, this time to the kitchen.

"It's okay Rei, you don't have to do this alone," whispered Makoto, making sure it was just loud enough to reach her friend as she turned back the way she had come.

Rei stood silently in the kitchen, hearing the parting words of her friend. What would she know? She's not me, the words were cruel and mocking, not just to Makoto but to Rei also. We're friends, why do I feel as if we're at war all of a sudden?

Rei waited until she heard the distant footsteps of Makoto's feet on the steps before she let out a sigh of relief.

Looking up she saw Ami's face near her's, looking very worried.

"Rei… Are you alright?" asked Ami, seeming to remind Rei of the friend she used to know.

"I don't know," murmured back Rei wishing that she could collapse and let sleep steal her away for awhile.

"Now you understand," whispered Ami, turning to look down at the bench that opened up to see into the lounge room.

"It's okay Ami-Chan. I'm safe. I'm safe here," replied Rei softly, repeating the words to herself that she had used to calm Ami a week ago.

"We're safe," corrected Ami.

An awkward silence fell on the two but it wasn't like the awkwardness Rei expected. Even though it's Ami it doesn't feel awkward the way it should, it feels the same as dating a guy for the first time, you just have to get to know them a little bit. The only difference is I know Ami… Reasoning with herself, Rei's hand found itself entwined with Ami's, and the touch had something so pure about it that a flourishing feeling of joy wound itself inside of Rei, wrenching out all the negative emotions she had felt before.

It's awkward because although I know Ami as a friend, I don't know her as… As a lover… Rei didn't recoil from the word 'lover' like she thought she might, instead she amazed in it, the way it tied her to Ami so exclusively and the way it held them together, no longer as separate people, but as one person who simply had two halves.

"This is the first time you've been out of the room in days," stated Rei, still too intimidated by her emotions to look fully into Ami's eyes.

"I heard Mako-Chan," replied Ami, obviously referring to the words that Makoto parted with.

"Maybe you were wrong Ami-Chan, but you were wrong in the most right way," said Rei, taking a glimpse out the window as the rain faltered to a drizzle.

"What do they know?" whispered Ami, leaning against Rei's side like she had seen Michiru lean against Haruka.

"I don't know. I'm amazed Usagi's been able to keep away for so long though," said Rei, her eyebrows lifting slightly as she thought about it, "Actually I'm amazed they all have. They really love you Ami."

Ami's eyes filled with tears at Rei's last words, "They don't know what they love though," replied Ami giving Rei's hand a gentle squeeze.

"I think they've known for awhile," murmured Rei in response, a few rays of sunlight peering out from behind the clouds that had started to part the sky.

 

~~~~~

 

"How did it go Mako-Chan?" asked Haruka, giving the shorter girl a soft punch on the upper arm in a playful manner.

"I don't really know," replied Makoto leaning against the wall in Michiru and Haruka's apartment.

"It's been three days already though, I think we should all go over," said Usagi, sitting in Mamoru's arms on the lounge.

"But we don't really know what's going on and it'd be rude to just barge in," stated Chibiusa as she leant tiredly on Usagi.

"That's right, we don't know what's going on," agreed Michiru as she sat elegantly reclined in a lounge chair.

"Did you talk to Ami?" asked Minako, her eyes looking intently at her friend, begging for an answer.

"No, but I heard her," replied Makoto, letting her gazes slip over the crowd of familiar faces in the room.

"Maybe we should just let them be for a day more?" considered Hotaru, looking up at Setsuna who stood above her and then over at Makoto.

"That might be the wisest choice at the time," correlated Setsuna, putting a hand on Hotaru's shoulder protectively.

"But the more time they spend alone might just make them more alienated from us," offered Mamoru, putting into speculation the 'they' part of the equation.

"How much of 'they' do you think they are? I mean Rei has always been a bit overtly protective of Ami but that seems to have skyrocketed now. And what if there isn't a 'they', then what the hell is wrong with Rei? One minute she's nice and normal and the next she bites anybody's head off for no reason," Minako's spout of words rebounded around the group, causing looks of concern on some faces and looks of deliberation on others.

"Either way, we need to see how Ami is soon," stated Michiru looking across at Haruka as she said it.

"You two will go then," said Usagi miserably, she had been missing Ami a lot recently.

"And if it's alright we'll give the rest of you the all-clear. It just might help if there is a 'they' to maybe give them some perspective on the matter," said Haruka giving Usagi a small smile.

"I hope they're alright," sighed Usagi, sinking into Mamoru's arms more.

"Even if they are a 'they'?" asked Michiru, her brow quirking as she scanned the faces of Usagi, Minako and Makoto.

"I don't care, I just want my friends back," stated Minako defiantly.

"I want them to be happy," murmured Makoto.

"I just… I want… I want Ami to smile and I want Rei to lend me her comic books," said Usagi causing a few breaks of laughter to circulate.

"You should be concentrating on your studies too Usagi!" said Chibiusa giving her mother-to-be a swift little glare before the weariness crept back onto her face.

"Okay, so we'll call you after we visit," said Michiru, getting up to stretch and thus signalling to the group that it was time to leave.

"Come on Hotaru, time to leave," said Setsuna, keeping her hand on the young girl's shoulder as she led her from the room.

"Usagi, let's go to Mamoru's place. Come on," said Chibiusa, instantly over her fatigue.

"I've got come muffins left at my place; want to come over Mina-Chan?" asked Makoto as she followed the waft of blonde hair out the door.

"Thanks for the tea girls," said Mamoru as Chibiusa dragged on his hand out the door.

Haruka chuckled to herself as she watched the group troop off, she always found it so amusing how they all interacted.

"What's so funny?" questioned Michiru walking over to Haruka and leaning into her, reaching up on her tiptoes to meet Haruka's lips.

"Nothing too amusing," replied Haruka bending down to plant a sweet, delicate kiss on Michiru's lips, "Now let's get going as well."

 

~~~~~

 

Ami answered the door, feeling a little frumpy in one of Rei's robes.

"Ami-Chan," said Haruka, giving the girl a good once-over check. Taking in the rosy cheeks, the bright eyes and the newly washed and tousled hair of Ami, Haruka walked in to find Rei on the lounge reading a comic book.

"Hey Rei," greeted Haruka sitting down in a lounge hair opposite the girl.

"Hey Haru-Chan," greeted Rei back as she closed the comic book and flung it on the table.

Ami walked in silently next to Michiru who was still staring at the small girl worriedly.

"We came to chat," said Haruka, stating the obvious to Ami and Rei who didn't look surprised by the news.

"We thought you might have, Mako-Chan came over earlier," replied Rei while Ami still kept silent but took a seat on the other side of the lounge to Rei.

The noticeable distant they put between one another was quickly assessed by both Haruka and Michiru, both instantly gathering the relationship change.

"The others were worried, they were wondering if you'd like some company now Ami-Chan," said Michiru, taking the other un-occupied lounge chair, next to Haruka.

"They can come over if they want," said Ami, only flinching slightly to the suggestion.

She seems so much better now; I wonder how recent this change has been? Thought Michiru watching the couple and how they both unconsciously reacted to each other's movement. It didn't escape her notice that when Ami flinched, Rei's hand instinctively grabbed at her side, like she had wished to stretch her hand across the short distance and hold Ami's.

"We'll let them know that. You seem better Ami-Chan," Michiru continued with the conversation, shooting a quick look at Haruka who was already studying the couple intently.

"A little bit better," corrected Ami, in the usual way. Michiru could see that all the passion and fire wasn't back in Ami's eyes yet, that her skin was still too pale and sallow, and that she still held herself more protectively than was normal but there was a simple air about her now and Michiru could see that a lot of the anxiety Ami had felt had since been erased.

"So, have you two seen the weather report lately?" asked Haruka, her eyes flicking to the small TV in the room.

"No, but I've been thinking about how crazy the weather's been lately," said Rei, leaning slightly to the left where Ami sat only a metre away.

"Yeah, it's been wild, but apparently a lot of the pre-forecasted weather conditions have been re-forecasted and they're saying it's going to be relatively clear from now on," said Haruka. The weather forecast had actually done no such thing but Haruka wanted to see how they reacted, her intuition flaring as Ami glanced hesitantly at Rei.

"We haven't been watching the forecasts," said Ami in reply, leaving the room in a dull silence as the two couples sat observing each other.

Michiru broke the silence saying the first thing that came to her, which consequentially could probably have been the most worst she realised later. "So, when are you two going to tell your friends?"

Ami sat up so straight it looked as though her spine were going to snap with the pressure she was putting on it while Rei slumped back slightly to her right as if to make what they were implying untrue.

"You're going to tell them right?" question Haruka with her eyes wide, staring at the girls.

"Why do they need to know?" was Rei's measured response but the threat in it was clear and it yet again thrust the group in a silence that thrived with tension.