OUR HAPPY ENDING
Minako stared at Rei sweeping the yard in front of the Shrine, nervous sweeping as she kept her eyes closed. The blond Senshi had a step to the raven-haired one, "You are angry, aren't you?"
Rei opened her eyes wide, fierce and angry purple eyes into blue eyes. Her knuckles turned pale on the broomstick, "Of course I am angry! We haven't managed to save Mamoru, yet, and I can't stand to see Usagi's crying!"
Minako bent her head on her right shoulder, her blue eyes still into Rei's ones, "Just for Mamoru and Usagi, or also because – "
"Stop it, please!" Rei turned round and looked at the ground.
"It's also because I revealed the real identity of the Shitennou to you and the girls, isn't it?"
"Listen! Everyone! They aren't our enemies!" Rei shivered, Venus' words still in her head, and, after her words, memories flowing from a distant past: the image of Jadeite, the General of the Dark Kingdom, the enemy she was fighting, fire against ice, faded, at his place the image of the Knight of Patience and Harmony. With the memories, her hate for the General melted and her love for the Knight surfaced.
Rei turned to Minako, "Why in the middle of the battle? You nearly killed us because of the shock … " she had a deep breath and closed her eyes, pushing the words outside her throat and so fighting against her pride "… and because I wasn't able to fight against Jadeite any more. I CAN'T fight against him anymore. It's too painful! I didn't want these memories, I don't need these memories."
Minako lowered her head, "I have regained these memories long before you, and I know how painful is fighting against the man you once loved," she had a sad smile, "against the man you still love because of these memories."
Rei averted her eyes and whispered, realizing the pain of the blond Senshi, "Minako."
Minako stared at Rei, "We can save them from Queen Beryl's control. Our Planet Attack can bring their memories back. I know it. I saw it into Kunzite's eyes. Even if just for a second, I saw his eyes as they used to be. If I hadn't awaken your memories, the Planet Attack wouldn't have worked."
Rei nodded.
"If the Shitennou regained their memories, for sure they would help us to save Mamoru and to fight against Queen Beryl and Metallia."
Rei nodded again, "And what if our Planet Attack fail again?" She stared into Minako's eyes, in those eyes determination but also fear and pain.
"If we'll fail and if they'll try to stop us from protecting our Princess, we will have no choice but kill them. Our duty is to protect the Princess, first."
Rei shivered, her heart crashed by a heavy weight.
Minako smiled, "But we won't fail. Our love will save them. We'll fight against Queen Beryl and Metallia. We will save our Princess and they will save their Prince. Metallia killed all of us during the Silver Millennium, but we have Sailor Moon, now, and she'll learn how to use the Silver Crystal. We won't fail. We will have our happy ending."
Rei nodded and mirrored Minako's smile, "No. We won't fail."
THREE YEARS LATER
Rei stopped sweeping the yard in front of the Shrine and stared at Minako walking along the stairway.
Minako reached the yard and smiled, "This is a beautiful day. Come on, Rei-chan, let's go and have some shopping with Usagi, Ami and Makoto."
Rei shook her head, "Sorry, but I am busy with the Shrine."
Minako sighed and sat on the stairs, "How boring, Rei-chan! We can live in peace, now, and we can act as normal girls. Stop being so serious!" She rested her hands on the ground and stretched her legs, looking up at the sky.
Rei followed Minako's gaze, "Six months of peace. I can't believe it. This is the first time we have a so long quiet time."
Minako shrugged, "I hope Galaxia was our last enemy, the strongest enemy ever." She shivered and shook her head, her blond long hair fluttering around her, "I don't want to think of it." She stood up and stared at Rei, a big smile on her face, "I am a normal girl, now, and it means I have to find a boyfriend." She rested her right forefinger on her lips and looked at the sky, "There are really cute guys at Juuban High School," she finally looked at Rei and winked, "I don't know how you can stand your school, Rei-chan, just nuns and girls."
Rei folded her arms and closed her eyes, frowning, "I don't need any boyfriend. I don't trust men and I don't want to fall in love. I don't know why girls want so badly a boyfriend, sincerely! And you too, how can you content of a guy just 'cause he is cute?" She waited for Minako's amused answer but the answer didn't come. Rei opened her eyes and looked at Minako.
Her head lowered and her blond bangs covering her blue eyes, her previous smile gone, Minako whispered, "The only guy I really want, the only guy I have always wanted and loved, is gone. So I have to be content, and try to have a normal life as normal girl."
Rei stared at Minako, her voice a soft whisper, "Mina-chan!"
"We faced several enemies and several fights. We had no time for thinking, no time for feeling, no time for anything except the fights and our duty. I am having the time of thinking and of feeling thanks to this peaceful time, now, but, you know, Rei-chan, sometimes I would prefer thinking of nothing at all." She stared at Rei and had a sad smile, "I'll get used to it, and the pain someday will be gone."
Rei looked at the ground, raven bangs on purple eyes.
"Rei-chan, do you ever think of Jadeite?"
Minako's question made Rei shiver. She shook her head, "I don't want to fall in love ever again, Mina-chan. With Jadeite, I realized how much strong my feelings might be and how much possessive I might become. If I fell in love, I would want all of that person to belong to me, and it would hurt both him and me in the process. I don't want to fall in love. Never again."
"You haven't answered my question." Minako had a step to Rei, "Do you ever think of Jadeite, Rei-chan? Do you dream of him? Do you want him back?"
Rei's cheeks tinged a slight red. Her voracious kisses on him, his seraphic smile, his soft and sweet voice, his way to kiss her and to –
"Stop it! What's the matter if I think of him or not? He is gone!"
Minako smiled, "Yes, you are still thinking of him. You are still thinking of everything about him. For sure, the poor Knight of Patience and Harmony needed tons of patience to balance the Soldier of Passion and Flame." She winked, "Both outside and inside the bed."
Rei blushed furiously, "Mina-chan! Think of your Knight of Purity and Affection, instead!"
Minako laughed, "He stopped being pure not much after he met me. I am the Soldier of Love, after all."
Rei blinked, then burst out laughing.
They laughed, their clear laughing fusing and then changing into a softer and softer laughing; before to realize it, their laughing turned into a choked crying and tears rolled along her cheeks. Before they could realize it, they were crying for the guys they once loved, and still loved; before they could realize it, they were crying desperately for their loss.
"MINA-CHAN! REI-CHAN!" Usagi's voice erupted from the device on their wrists.
Rei and Minako stopped crying and stared at each other in surprise, both for their sudden tears and for Usagi's frantic voice.
"MINA-CHAN! REI-CHAN! COME TO MAMORU'S PLACE! RIGHT NOW!"
"Usagi-chan! What's going on?" Minako and Rei's voices fused in the same question and same worrisome.
"COME HERE! RIGHT NOW!"
Minako stared at Rei and Rei nodded. They ran down the stairs, Rei still in her miko robes, dashing to Mamoru's place, in their mind images of new enemies and fights.
Finally in front of the door of Mamoru's place, they had a deep breath, opened the door and stormed inside. And they stopped, their eyes opening wide in surprise.
A long-brown-haired guy was hugging Makoto, her face buried against his wide chest while he caressed her hair, while a long-blond-haired guy was hugging Ami.
Minako and Rei realized what's going on. Minako's blue eyes moved to the tall and long-silver-haired man standing with his back against the wall; he smiled and had a step to her, and Minako's heart raced. Rei's purple eyes focused on the guy with short blond hair knelt at the table of the living room; he stood up and stared at her, a calm smile on his face, and Rei's legs became rubber.
Before to realize it, Minako and Rei were crying into the arms of the guys they once loved, and still loved.
Tears of joy, finally, in their happy ending.
