Heiwa

by Lady of Earth

After the death of one of her friends, she can't seem to find peace. But a certain cold ex-pilot seem to have brought her something more than the peace she's been searching for.

Heiwa

Story by: Lady of Earth

Edited by: Cher Chan

Disclaimer: I have neither the money or time or talent to create any of these characters. Contact their owners respectively, if you wish, just to make sure. (Yeah...right...)

Just a couple of things:

Kaori - Fragrance

Heiwa - Peace

Eien ni - Forever, eternally

She placed the bouquet of flower gently on the white marble, brushing off the dust that had settled since her last visit. She brushed a strand of her golden hair from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear. Her blue eyes glazed with unshed tears. She drew out a long, shaky breath. A hand touched her shoulder, causing her to look up. She smiled in appreciation at the owner and nodded her head.

She got up and looked at the gravestone again.

Hino Rei

1981-2002

Beloved friend and grand daughter,

Believer of all that is righteous and keeper of flame.

May you burn eternally,

In our hearts.

It had been five years since her passing and the grief hadn't yet left her heart. It all came so suddenly. A crashing blow to all the senshi. One of them was lost forever and there was nothing they could do about it. The crystal kept its silence at all times, despite the constant pleas and cries from its mistress.

They all faded away. Minako left first, drowning in her dream of stardom to forget her grief. She never really forgotten, she never could. There was an absence of the light that was the senshi of love in her eyes. It was as if everything she believed in had died. Everything they held onto had died with their friend.

Ami closed herself in her world of knowledge, never again to feel the warmth of the human spirit. It was as if she lost all faith in people. All that existed was just her world and that was enough for her. Leaving Tokyo for America, for her studies, it was an escape for her.

Makoto found a more permanent way, she simply left Tokyo all together. She left right after Minako did. Mako found herself a place to live as well as a job in Osaka. Again, she also lost all faith in people. Because despite the fact that they put their lives on the line to save people, In the end, it hadn't been a youma that killed one of them. It was a person.

He found her when she was in her deepest hole, wandering through the streets aimlessly, seeking for the answer to the question she always asked, 'Why?' She hadn't even remembered how exactly she had walked into the traffic in central Tokyo. The car horns and people's shouts went unheard to her ears.

She trudged on, not even looking at the car speeding to her direction. She felt a sudden tug at her arm before falling back and hitting the ground. She faintly remembered someone asking her how she was, before the world around her turned black.

The sun's ray hit her dead in the eye, causing her to flinch and squirm away from the lights. But she felt something strange with the bed she was sleeping in. Her bed usually have a faint aroma of daffodils, from the softener her mother usually use, but this bed...it smelled of roses. Her eyes flew open and she jerked up suddenly. The motion caught her system by surprise and she soon found herself holding the edge of the bed for support.

Her breathing rapid, her eyes darted around the unfamiliar room. She felt faint and the room began to spin, she released her hold on the bed and clutched her aching head. Releasing her grip on the bed was a mistake, as she found herself falling over to the floor. But her fall was broken by a pair of arms catching her in time.

She looked up to gaze into the depths of deep blue. His dark hair unruly and face impassive as he helped her into a comfortable and yet stable position on the bed.

"Daijoubu ka?" He asked in a monotone, not even a waver in his voice. She winced and looked away, she really didn't want anyone asking her that. It's all she's been getting from her family.

"Daijoubu." She answered softly, eyes cast on the floor. She didn't dare to look at the stranger's piercing gaze, whether he be her savior or not.

"Why didn't you get away from that car?" He asked. She closed her eyes, Rei's face vivid in her memories. It was as if they were punishing her, for all the times she never really was there for her best friend. She looked at him, eyes filled with pain, looking into his own orbs of Prussian blue.

"Why can't you just let me die?" She asked softly, agony filling her voice.

He set the cup of tea down on the table in front of her. She stared at it for a moment, before returning to look at the window once again. There was nothing specifically interesting outside of course, but that had become a habit in the past few days. Why she hadn't even gone home never crossed her mind.

He never asked her where she lived or that if anyone was waiting for her. It was as if he was waiting for her to tell him herself. There was no rush with him, he took close observations of her behavior and was able to figure out her patterns of thinking in just two days. He knew when she would need silent support or even a little comfort. He was even there when she cried herself to sleep one night.

It was unnerving at first, his gaze especially, but she had grown used to it quickly. Funny that she should find comfort from a stranger instead of those closest to her. He knew exactly what she needs and when It was as if he could read her mind.

Seeing her reaction, or rather lack of, he took the cup from the table and walked to where she was sitting. She looked up at him and he placed the cup in her hands, icy blue eyes clashing with her once sky blue ones.

"Drink." He commanded. She raised an eyebrow at the command, but the glare she received in return made her shrink back slightly. No matter how many times she had seen that glare, her reaction had stayed the same. The piercing glare was nothing compared to a death glare from him. Not even her sensei or even okaa-san could get a reaction out of her as quickly as he could.

As she sat and sipped the cup of tea, he turned the television on. After some channel surfing, he finally settled on a music channel. He wasn't really one to watch it, but he knew she would watch it sometimes. She stared into her cup, the music vaguely at the background.

The next second, her eyes widened as a familiar voice sang a tune too familiar to her ears. Her eyes flew to the screen and her mouth parted slightly as she watched a brunette singing a song Minako used to sing. The voice, the face and the song...the singer was Minako all right. With exception that she dyed her hair.

The haunting tune caused something inside of her to spark for a moment. She stared wordlessly at the screen, at the image of a girl she once knew. A girl she once called her friend. The lyrics of the song Mina sang played back in her head, each word clear in her mind. (*See note*)

Softly, a tear trickled down her cheek, the tea cup in her hand long forgotten as she stared blankly at the television.

His hand reached out and brushed the tear away, the icy tone that used to be a void of emotions had melted away, concern and compassion shone in his eyes. She closed her eyes, shaking her head softly.

"Rei didn't have to die." She whispered softly. "It should have been me. I don't deserve to live."

"No one deserves to die." He told her. She opened her eyes, looking at him with confusion. "It's hard to let them go, I know. But there's no reason for you to die as well." She was about to turn away, away from his searching gaze, when he cupped her chin and made her look at him.

"It's all right for you to live." He whispered. The magnitude of his words was incredible, a simple sentence and yet, it lifted a great load off her chest. She began to sob, for a best friend she had lost and a life she tried to leave behind. He took her carefully in his arms, whispering soothing words into her ears and rubbing her back affectionately.

"I'll be here for you."

"Ohayo." She said quietly, sitting down on her seat. He looked up, half-surprised that she was actually joining him for breakfast for once.

"Ohayo." He replied, before getting up and getting her a cup of tea. She shook her head gently at the gesture. She didn't really feel like eating much. She didn't even know why she had even bothered to get out of bed. Perhaps it was guilt.

"It's not necessary." She said. "I just wanted to sit here, that's all." He watched her for some time, before finally sitting back down again. He was reading some papers, most likely from work, and sipping his coffee. She looked away, out of the window.

For some reason, she couldn't find any reason to leave that house, despite the fact that she had probably long overstayed her welcome there. But there was something so comforting about the apartment and something so comforting in him that made her didn't want to leave.

"Some of my friends are coming over today, if you don't mind." He suddenly said. She whirled around, eyes filled with fear at his words. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he got out of his chair and walked over to her. He placed an arm on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"You have to face people some time." He told her. She nodded slowly, not really knowing why she would comply. She could have been difficult and lock herself in her room or something...but there was something in his eyes that prevented her from doing so. It was the compassion that he showed her. The gentle, caring nature around him. It almost seem as if it was all directed towards her, as if he had never done so before.

"You never told me of your friends." She said quietly. He looked at her and shook his head slowly. He knew why he hadn't told her of his friends. She, of course, knew of his past life as a Gundam pilot. But nothing much, it was all that she knew of his past.

"They're very different from me. You'll probably like Duo, he's too cheerful for words. Either he cheers you up or drives you crazy." He paused for a moment. "In my case, it's the latter." Suddenly, she did something she hadn't done in too long, she giggled.

She couldn't really help it. From what she had seen of him, he wasn't really one to be cheerful with. In fact, he's probably the coldest person she had ever been around. Although that coldness is really a facade, he's actually warm once you get to know him really. He has his own ways to show his warmth.

His eyes widened slightly at the sound of her giggles, but suddenly something unexpected happened, he smiled. "That's the first time I have ever hear you giggle." He said. She smiled, a genuine smile for once.

"And that's the first time I ever saw you smile." She said, drawing a blush from him. She giggled once more, the blush on his cheek too cute for words, even for him.

She sat, staring at the television. It was her turn to choose which movie to watch and he can only comply to her wishes, despite the fact that she had chosen yet another romantic comedy. He cringed slightly at her choice, just barely visible. About two months ago, she would never have guessed if he was cringing or not, because he rarely showed his emotions. But after living with him for 9 weeks, she began to know him too.

"Here." He said suddenly, handing her a can of soda and the bowl of popcorn. She smiled warmly at him and took the can and the bowl. He looked at the case of the movie they were watching, gave a sigh and then sat down beside her.

"Didn't we watch this yesterday?" He asked her. She grinned and shook her head.

"No, two days ago actually." She corrected. He groaned and shook his head, then leaned his head on the pillow.

"Tired?" She asked softly.

"A little. Duo decided to tease all of us mercilessly about our love life today, it wasn't pretty." He said grimly, in reminiscence of the events that took place that morning. It was rather amusing to see Wufei chasing Duo around with a katana and a gun at hand. Apparently Milliardo had given his gun to Wufei because Duo had teased him and Noin. It had been a unanimous vote from the ex-Gundam pilots and the ex-White Fang leader that Duo was to be 'eliminated' whether it be by the use of force or black mail. They decided on force.

"Lack of, you mean." She teased. He glared at her comment and she giggled. The only way she would retaliate to his glare of course, is by kissing him on the cheek. Soldier or not, he sure can blush like a 14 year old.

"Hey, isn't your birthday coming up?" He suddenly asked, anything to keep her from giggling at his flushed cheeks. She paused for a moment, eyes looking at the calendar hanging on the wall. Sure enough, it was 19th of June. Just a couple of weeks before her birthday. There was a sudden sadness that gripped her heart. She and her friends had such a fun time on her birthday last year. Rei was still alive then.

"I still remember her." She said, out of the blue. He looked at her with concern, knowing exactly who she was talking about. She had thought of Rei less and less and it was doing wonders to her life. At least that way, she was able to go on with her life. Whatever was left of it anyway.

"Are you sure you want to talk about it?" He asked. She looked at him and thought of it for a moment, before finally nodding her head. He meant everything to her. He had become her best friend, not to take Rei's place, but one that kept her sane in all the insanities that went on in her life.

"We didn't exactly seem to be the best of friends, that I have to admit. We fought constantly, over little things. She'd tease me about my hairstyle, calling me with that insulting nickname, which she knew too well I hated. Of course, I wasn't exactly a saint either. The names I called her ranged from hag to pyro." She paused for a moment when he raised an eyebrow.

"Don't ask." She told him, he shrugged and then nodded for her to continue.

"But she had always been there for me. Hiding her silent support in her teasings. Her ways of cheering me up is to tease me, she knew that I would forget all about my worries then." She laughed softly, recalling one event in particular when she had chased Rei around the temple with everyone else laughing at the both.

"I didn't even know, the day before she died...Everything was so...surreal. I try to tell myself that she's not really dead. She's still around. It was just a really lousy joke that someone tried to play. Rei will come back, she's just at the temple, sweeping the steps.

I ran to the temple, not even caring that I'd probably get myself killed at the rate I was going. All I could think of was that I has to reach the temple in time. But no matter how hard I shouted for her, searched the whole temple...She never showed up.

I waited for hours at the steps, just refusing to believe it. I didn't want to believe it...yet another innocent has fallen victim to this cruel world. No matter how many tears I cry it won't bring her back...ever." He drew out a sigh, after the long silence that passed between them.

"I'm glad you told me. I know it must have been hard." He told her. "Maybe someday I'll be able to tell you something out of my life too."

"A mission?" He whispered to the receiver. Duo chattered on excitedly on the other line, not even recognizing the shock that could have been heard from the other man's voice. It had been so long since they had a mission. This was a time for peace, not at all time for missions. He missed them sometimes, that much he'd admit. But he didn't want them again, not when his life was finally taking shape.

The day she stumbled into his life, was the first day he felt human. And now it was as if someone had taken a hold of his dreams and was ready to rip it out of his hands. He wasn't about to do that without a fight. As Duo kept on with the details of the mission, his eyes fell on the form sitting on the couch. She looked at him with questioning eyes. Most likely because she saw his horrified expression.

"I'll see Duo." He said finally. He could picture the braided pilot's eyes widen with disbelief, before he stuttered his response.

"N-nani? Y-you're turning it down?" Duo asked.

"I promised, I won't go back there again." He said, looking at her. "I was a soldier once, killing people for the sake of the war. I don't want to walk that path again. I don't want to kill yet another innocent." Her eyes widened when she heard the words, a flash of fear went through her eyes, it did not go unnoticed to him.

"But that was an accident!" Duo protested.

"It doesn't matter that it was an accident. I killed that girl. I will have to live with that fact for the rest of my life. But if I kill yet another, I know I won't be able to live again, to forgive myself." Her eyes shone with compassion this time and she stood to her feet, making her way to him quickly. The receiver fell with a clatter to the floor as she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly.

"I didn't know." She whispered. "What you've been through...I'm sorry, I should have been there for you, as you have to me." It was a great relief for him, to be held like that for once. He knew then the comfort of having someone else holding him protectively for a change. It felt strange, yet it felt so right. He felt a pang at his chest, as he looked down at the girl.

He had taken her in because he saw her heartbroken, intrigued by the sorrow she held, even at her young years. But during the course of days, he had began to think more and more of her. Feelings that he felt, it was more than what he feels for his friends. It was an undying will to protect her from harm, from anyone who will hurt her again. All he wants is for her to be safe and to be by her side.

"Aishiteru." She looked up at him in surprise, but then her lips curled into a soft smile as she whispered the words back to him. Faces mere inches apart, he slowly leaned down and brushed his lips to hers. They faintly heard Duo's voice on the other line calling out repeatedly, but they were too lost in their own world to notice.

"Koibito?" He whispered softly, unsure of whether or not she was asleep already. He had come home late that day and found her asleep on the couch. Never been one to wake her up, he sighed and sat on the floor, watching her sleep. He reached out to brush strands of her hair from her face, only to cause her to stir. A moment later, she opened her tired eyes.

"You're home?" She asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes. He nodded.

"Gomen, it wasn't suppose to take this long." He said. She shook her head, pushing herself up to a sitting position.

"You were busy. I'm not angry." She told him with a smile, but the smile faded when she saw the frown on his face. Unbelievable, but it had been more than a year since she first met him. Even more unbelievable, not once had she contacted her family. They had no idea whether she was alive or not. The only reason they couldn't find her really, was because she's currently living in Osaka and not in Tokyo.

"You know what day's today, ne?" He asked her carefully. She froze, chills running down her spine as she realized she had forgotten. Just a year and she had forgotten, it was as if her whole body became cold as the guilt washed over her.

"I-I forgot." She whispered, looking at him helplessly. Seeing the expression on her face, he quickly drew her into his arms. She had always found comfort in his embrace, no matter how painful the situation was, if she was in his arms...she was safe.

"I'm always here for you."

The ringing of the telephone finally registered in her mind and she struggled to get up and answer to phone. She had barely slept when it rang and her head was spinning slightly. Slightly disoriented, she picked up the receiver.

"Moshi, moshi?" She said groggily into the receiver.

"Ren-chan?" She recognized Duo's voice immediately. Stifling a yawn she finally asked,

"What's wrong Duo?" There was an uncomfortable pause in the other line that made her think that something wasn't right.

"Ren-chan...I don't know how to tell you this," Duo confessed, sounding as if he hated the fact that he had to be the one who was going to tell her whatever information he knew.

"What is it?" She asked, fear suddenly gripping her heart. Millions of questions swimming in her mind, but she forced herself to be calm. It could be nothing, after all, Duo could just be calling to ask a favor because Wufei was ready to kill him again.

"There was an incident at the headquarters, assassination attempt. Relena came for a brief visit but apparently someone knew of this and...someone fired a shot...and he..."

"Is he all right?" She asked immediately, knowing exactly who the 'he' Duo was talking about.

"He's at the hospital right now, demo Ren-chan-"

"Which hospital?" She asked, cutting him off completely.

"Yukei International, demo Re-" She hung up the phone before Duo could say anything else. The only thing on her mind is him. Images of Rei's death flashed by her mind, the screams she heard that same day and the sight of Rei crumpling to the ground...And the blood...the red blood that was the same shade of red as Rei's senshi fuku.

Tears were blurring her vision as she took her coat and the car keys. Thank Kami for her ability to drive, if not, she wouldn't have any idea of how to get to the hospital. She could hardly think straight. The moment she started the car, she sped away, breaking every single rule in the book.

Finally reaching the hospital, she abandoned her car and rushed to the desk. Her hair was tousled because she had been sleeping and because of the wind and her eyes were still slightly red. She opened her mouth to ask about his whereabouts to the slightly stunned nurses behind the desk when she caught sight of him.

Relief crossed her features at the sight of him. She ran to his side and threw her arm around his neck and began to sob uncontrollably. He placed an arm around her waist, the other was in the confine of the arm sling.

"I'm fine, Ren." He whispered reassuringly. "Don't cry." She shook her head softly, her crying dying down.

"I thought I lost you." She whispered, her voice wavering. "I thought I had lost someone I love all over again." The heart wrenching vision of her eyes filled with tears and fear was all that he could take. He looked at the doctor, who had been ready to tell him to stay the night and gave him the coldest glare he could muster.

"I'm going home." He said matter-of-factly. Seeing the crying girl in his arms, the doctor's eyes shone with sympathy and nodded. He was a professional, but there were exceptions to the rules. And a crying woman is all that he could take, especially a crying woman with a ready-to-kill ex-pilot as a boyfriend.

*later*

"Your probably think I'm an idiot for acting the way I did." She said softly. They were lying down on the couch, both his arms holding her protectively. Her head was on his chest and he kissed the top of her head softly.

"No, I don't. You had every reason to." He told her. She sighed softly, shaking her head.

"I can't believe I did that!" She exclaimed. "If I had waited for Duo to finish, he'd tell me that you were all right."

"Would that have stopped you from coming?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She giggled softly and shook her head.

"No. I would have come anyway, just to make sure you're all right." She confessed. "And I'm glad you are." She added in a whisper. His normally cold eyes filled with warmth at that moment and he tightened his hold on her.

"Aishiteru." This caused her to smile and sigh contently.

"Eien ni." She whispered.

*present day*

"Daijoubu ka?" He asked her. She nodded and smiled at him. Her eyes lingered at the headstone again. She hadn't talked to her in a while, that's why she picked today.

"Gomen ne, Rei, for visiting so late. I would have come sooner, but there were complications." She said softly. She looked up at him and he nodded at her encouragingly. She turned to the gravestone and grinned.

"Bet you didn't think I'd end up with anyone besides Mamoru, ne?" She said, voice light with teasing. "You know that he had never been more than a brother to me. Luckily I found it out before anything could happen. I'm glad he took it well though, you should have been there." She giggled softly.

"It's been three years, Rei, but I haven't forgotten. I know it's not worth much, now that you're not around and all, but I do have to say this or else I won't live with myself." She drew a deep breath, imagining the dark haired priestess to be sitting in front of her. "You were my best friend and my protector. My comrade and my guard. You taught me things that I thought meant nothing, but I know better now. I know how much you sacrificed for me."

"Rei-chan, you're the best friend anyone could ever have...Arigatou." Her eyes were glassy as she finished. She drew her hand to her face, wiping the tear that had fallen. A tug at her skirt caused her to look down.

The sight of Prussian blue eyes and golden curls greeted her eyes. The pink sundress and stuffed rabbit that she held tightly in her hand completed the adorable picture. Her blue eyes filled with confusion as she looked at her otou-san and okaa-san.

"Why are you crying, okaa-san?" The little girl asked, face crumpled up. It looked as if the little bunny was near tears herself. Her mother laughed softly, gathering the girl in her arms and kissing her forehead gently.

"Sometimes, musume," She told, "It's good to cry." Arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she looked up at her husband, smiling softly before looking back at the little girl in her arms. "Don't worry, aino-chan."

"Hai, your okaa-san gets a little emotional sometimes." Her husband said, his dark hair unruly as usual. The little girl giggled, just as his wife threw him a glare.

"Hiiro," She said warningly. He cringed slightly, knowing then he was in trouble. The only time she would call him with his real name is when she's upset or angry, usually she calls him by 'Hii-chan' or something similar.

"Gomen, Usa." The little girl grinned up at her apologizing otou-san and then looked back at her okaa-san.

"Can we go for ice cream now okaa-san?" She asked happily.

"Of course Kaori. I did promise, didn't I?" Her mother said. The little girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Otou-san's buying this time!" She exclaimed, drawing a groan from her otou-san and a giggle out of her okaa-san.

"I didn't think she'd remember that." He said, causing his wife to laugh harder. The little girl took a hold of her otou-san's hand and her okaa-san's hand and began to pull them away.

"Chibi-hime, you should really slow down! The ice cream isn't going to walk away." The chatter and laughter from the little family faded away, as the young girl, blonde woman and the dark haired man walked out of the little cemetery. Unknown to anyone around, soft wisps of wind came through the trees, sending a shower of sakura petals on the grave.

Under the sakura tree, just a foot away from the grave, an apparition with long dark hair and amethyst eyes stood smiling at the scene. She shook her head once before drawing out a sigh. "For your happiness, Odango. Serenity Usagi Yui." She said softly. Her eyes then moved to the bouquet of snow drops laid on the grave. On the card, in clearly Usagi handwriting it says,

"Eien ni." Tears fell from the apparition's eyes, but her pale hand move to her face to brush it away. Arms wrapped around her waist and she didn't even look around at the brown haired man holding her tightly. A blue fabric tied around his head like a headband. Two chopsticks were tucked under his blue belt.

"Time for you to go koibito." He whispered softly in her ears. She nodded, her dark hair moving, even though there was no wind around.

"Arigatou Serenity-sama." She whispered for the last time, before both she and the man disappeared. A soft wind blew in Tokyo, causing Usagi to look up in the air. There was something about it...

"Okaa-san?" Kaori asked, holding her ice cream cone tightly. Usagi gazed back at her musume.

"Don't worry musume, it's nothing. Absolutely nothing." She told her, before looking back at the blue sky. Perhaps finally, after three long years, she can finally find peace. As her husband placed a soft kiss on her forehead, she finally smiled. Yes, peace will come.

Just some end notes:

The song Minako was singing is "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

I don't know if you're wondering but the guy with Rei is none other than Yuuhi from Ayashi no Ceres. I absolutely ADORE that anime. It's the saddest anime I've ever seen. And now, I believe that there are no such things as happy endings. I'm not being a pessimist, really I'm not, but you get that after watching AnC. I think that Yuuhi deserved a happy ending, so does Aki for that matter. At least Ceres has her own happy ending.

If you haven't guessed, this fic was inspired by Ayashi no Ceres.