Hopefully, I'll be able to maintain my regular writing schedule and I'll be posting new chapters of this story about every week and a half. This is my first fic posted here, I'm glad it's a return to Sailor Moon, as it was the first anime I became obsessed with, oh so many years ago.

Notes: I decided to have Usagi and Mamoru, just after the Special Act, getting on their motorcycle and driving to their reception, rather than driving off into the sunset for their honeymoon. Considering they had a western style wedding, it makes sense as receptions are pretty common in Japan, even after Shinto ceremonies. This was originally going to be a prologue, as well, but it took on a brain of it's own and took off, I hope you enjoy.

Glossary: (Only one for this chap, but this section will be quite full in future chapters, as I want to be as authentic as possible with Shinto phrases and rituals. Otherwise, I'm going to limit the use of Japanese to honorifics and words that have no sufficient English equivalent.)

Shoji - A translucent screen consisting of a wooden frame covered in rice paper, used as a sliding door or partition in a Japanese house.

Chapter One

Dedicated to MelsT

Smiling widely, the happy crowd waved enthusiastically as the newly wed couple sped off on their shining motorcycle, like a modern day steed whisking them into the sunset. Hino Rei winced as she lowered her arm, cradling the bandaged limb tenderly as she glanced between her best friends, content despite the throbbing pain in her arm. To her left, Mizuno Ami had a wisp of a half smile gracing her lips as she stared dreamily in the direction their best friend Tsukino-ne, Chiba Usagi and her husband Mamoru had disappeared, a hand held to her chest demurely. Next to her Luna bounced enthusiastically in her puffy white dress, resembling a giddy snowball as she chatted excitedly to Artemis while next to her their Jovian compatriot, Kino Makoto, glowed in her lovely sheer green dress, lost in her own world of expected marital bliss as she turns into the embrace of her betrothed, Furuhata Motoki, who similarily beamed as he came up behind her. Ami turned to look as well and they both started giggling as Motoki first shuffled his feet, then undulated his body before he broke out into a full jig, prancing in place with Makoto swinging loosly in his arms, a large toothy grin plastered across his face. She watched for a moment before turning to the wayward leader of their rag tag group and, though she was loath to admit it out loud, the closest person to her out of them all, Aino Minako.

She looked stunning, as usual, in a short sleeved black dress that was no doubt designed and tailored just for her, as it showed off the innate strength in her slender body while still illuminating her feminine, delicate beauty. The front of her hair was swept back in a barrette, the rest falling into soft curls about her shoulders and she was genuinely smiling, her cheeks flushed as she met Rei's eyes, devoid of hostility and shining with open mirth. Rei couldn't help but smile widely back, almost giddy in the other girls gaze, letting go of the competitive urges to just enjoy the fact that she was with the girl who had been on her mind so much lately.

Alone and contemplative, she had spent the past week mostly in the hospital and the last time she had seen Minako was the day after their battle with Mio, waking up to the idol fast asleep in a chair next to her bed. When she had woken the girl, Minako had first quirked her lips, blearily focusing in on Rei before blinking rapidly, a look of surprise overtaking her features as she realized she had been sleeping, as if she had meant to sneak in under cover of darkness and leave in much the same way. Quickly, she had recovered by throwing a barb out about letting her do all the work in the battle yesterday to distract Rei from the tenderness of the scene. They had sniped at one another, bantering back and forth before Minako informed the injured girl that she had to fly back to England and do damage control before the wedding; Rei shrugged and looked away, oddly disappointed, to which Minako just smiled, brushing her fingers against Rei's forehead and telling her to be a good little girl by staying in bed. Much to her chagrin, she had been ordered to do so by the doctors as well, leaving her to deal with many conflicting resurfaced emotions.

Though she hadn't physically been there, she had felt every movement of the battle on the most intimate of levels, as if she herself were possessing Minako's body by seamlessly flowing into the other woman's essence, feeling the weight of their two weapons clutched in her (Minako's? Their?) hand, the sweat sliding down the back of her neck, each twirl, twist, and feint down to the wind in her hair and the metallic twang and reverberation of the seed like projectiles she blocked left and right. It had been just as exhilarating as when she had called Venus to her in the final battle , but this had been far different for Minako was heart breakingly alive and her power had overwhelmed Rei, the nature of love and light filling her senses, igniting a conflagration of emotion deep in her core. She had been mortified when the nurses had burst into her room, finding her gasping in bed as her heart beat wildly, looking for all intents and purposes like a woman in the throes of passion. She thought back to that day, remembering the breathless, light headed feelings vividly and again she questioned why they had been able to do that, why this girl standing in front of her could so easily access and unlock her very ess-

Minako flicked her in the forehead, startling her from her reverie. "Ow!" She raised a hand to her head, rubbing it gently as she glared at the smirking pop Idol. All previous thoughts vanished in a flash of familiar annoyance, her face burning at the smug look directed at her.

"Being in those mountains, isolated from society, obviously wasn't good for your mental acuity, Mars," Minako said cheekily, nodding her head in the direction of the limosine that their other friends were stepping into.

"And living a life dictated by Manager-san is any better?" She replied, rolling her eyes and pushing past the other girl somewhat forcefully, while Minako continued smirking, following behind without a retort, knowing her self-righteous smile at having caught Mars spacing out so effectively would be salt enough.

****

The building the reception was being held in was a nondescript, concrete monstrosity that belied the elegance held within; as their group entered, even Minako, used to grandiose social gatherings, was suitably impressed with the large room. The back wall was comprised entirely of French doors opened wide to the courtyard beyond, where cherry blossoms were fluttering in the mild breeze and the sunlight reflected brightly off the still waters of the small pond built in the direct center, shrubs surrounding it neatly. The room was full of people while still more trickled in from the various entrances, easily tripling the amount of people that had attended the actual ceremony.

Tsukino Ikuko, Usagi's mother, waved enthusiastically from the head table, where she stood with her husband over the newly wed couple, having obviously made it to the reception faster on his motorcycle. Their group moved towards the table, though Minako turned to her left to see Rei walking away.

"I'll see you over there, I see someone I know," She turned briefly to speak before threading through the tables towards a middle aged couple entering from another door, an 11 or 12 year old girl between them. Shrugging, Minako continued on, noticing various aspects of the decor, from the simple beige and white color scheme to the elegant crystal dishes, especially liking the delicate origami flowers sitting on the plates at each setting, various different styles of flower all in white, with calligraphy bearing the names of each guest.

"Ahh! Minako-chan! So good to see you! Come, sit," Ikuko was standing behind the newly wed couple and happily waved to a seat just to the left of where Makoto sat, which Minako took gracefully. Ami was to Usagi's right, already chatting amiably while Mamoru was turned completely to his left, congratulating Motoki on his manly proposal. She realized that Usagi's family was sitting at the table next to theirs, while the head table consisted only of the Senshi and Motoki, who knew the truth of their powers and also had to be sat with Makoto regardless.

Looking down at her plate, she noticed it also had an origami figure in the center, though those placed on hers and in front of her friends were far different than those she had seen on the rest of the tables. Gently, she picked up the small intricate bird, studying the details carefully: not quite a crane, with a fiercely sharp face, it was made of a thick, glossy paper that was a rich gold with a criss-crossing crimson pattern overlaid, giving it a beveled, sparkling texture. Delicately, upon the wide tail in precise strokes for such a small symbol, was the sign for Venus. It was quite beautiful and was obviously made with care for her specifically, as each of the birds in front of her friends was quite different.

Usagi and Mamoru both had traditional cranes that were bright red with white wings, their names upon each wing in the same strong black ink. Ami's was a solid royal blue with fat, almost curved wings that arched upwards as if in motion, the symbol for Mercury upon the larger than usual head. Makoto's was a squat, boxy bird with a long neck, a sedate beige and brown interlocking pattern with Jupiter painted on it's back and Minako giggled at Motoki's green frog, his name in bright pink along it's flank. Rei's, on the plate next to hers, was a simple red crane, made of solid, thick paper; it's simplicity was not marred by the mark for Mars and, while delicate and perfectly made, did not seem to match the others.

"Do you like the origami, Minako-chan?" Usagi asked eagerly, turning towards her with a wide smile. "Rei-chan made them all as gift; though I don't know why she didn't make one like ours for herself!"

"She likes to be austere and enigmatic, but yes, I do. They're all beautiful," She said, absurdly touched as she idly stroked the slick paper.

"Ah, so true! Did you know I was afraid to go visit her at the shrine before we became friends? She was so pretty and distant… kinda scary." Usagi giggled, "But you get to know her and she's so sweet. She really helped with the wedding, even being so far away."

"I'm sorry I couldn't help more," Minako said apologetically, thinking about her hectic schedule and the busy tour she had just finished, remorseful that she hadn't been here to share in those experiences with her friends.

"No, No! You and Ami-chan both had very important things you had to attend to, we understand. Plus, you really did give us such a great gift, right, Mamoru?" Usagi replied cheerfully, turning to her husband, who looked over from Motoki with a polite smile. She was referring to the fact that Minako had provided their honeymoon, despite their protests.

"Absolutely; thank you so much, Minako-san. You truly are an amazing and talented person." He said cordially, looking quite fetching in his suit as he casually slid his arm around Usagi, pulling her to him gently.

"You're welcome, it really was the least I could do," Minako ducked her head at the compliment, her hair falling in front of her face as she looked again at the small bird in her hands. She fiddled with it, twirling it between her fingers languidly, contemplating the crisp lines.

Rei walked up from behind, quirking her eyebrow as she watched Minako bob the small head and pretend to make it fly around her plate. She put a hand on her shoulder as she slid into her chair, smiling happily.

"Do you remember Nana-chan from when you stayed at the Minato-ku Juuban Hospital?" She asked casually, choosing to refrain from teasing the girl about the origami bird. She had spent a long time working on all of the figures, but out of all them the one Minako held in her hands was by far the most special to her, though she didn't quite know why. Before the other girl could reply, though, Usagi's father had cleared his throat into the microphone, drawing the crowds attention to him as he stood to welcome the crowd. Minako shrugged, mouthing later before they both turned their attention to the evening's dinner and speeches.

***

The evening had been full of laughter and good humour, from the various speeches from family members to when Motoki had feigned tripping as he stood up to speak, bursting into a funny account of when Mamoru and he had first met. Mamoru had wrapped up the dessert with a solemn monologue about his lonely childhood and his continued aspirations, with all of that meaning so much more with Usagi to light up his life and support him through it, now no longer so alone. Rei had drank a couple of glasses of champagne throughout the dinner as she listened to the various anecdotes and found that the throbbing in her arm had considerably lessened to the point that she was actually relaxing a little bit, lounging back in her chair. Minako had wandered off to talk to her manager while the rest of her group was in a similar state as herself: Makoto had her heels kicked off while Ami had her head cradled in the palm of her hand, leaning against the table with a sedate look on her face. Even both the boys had their jackets off and their shirts loosened from their pants, obviously full though Usagi was still smiling widely, her energy hardly spent and her stomach more than capable of digesting the incredible amount of food that had been served.

"Aha! Time for karaoke!" Usagi exclaimed enthusiastically after eating the last bite of her entree, jumping up quickly. She rushed over to Rei, the one she wanted to sing with most due to her constant refusals. The dark haired girl shook her head rapidly, putting up her hands in an attempt to wave off the grasping hands, obviously not having a change of heart.

"Come on, Rei-chan! It's my wedding day, you have to do this for me. Come sing with me, please?" She pleaded in a high pitched voice, grabbing her hands and squeezing, a huge pout upon her lips.

"No, I hate it, there are too many people!" Shaking her head vehemently, she pried each finger off of her hand and pulled her arm back to cradle it against her chest. "I'm hurt, remember? I have a good reason."

"Mou! Rei-chan's no fun at all," Usagi pouted, before huffing and turning towards the stage herself with a determined look, her hands on her waist.

"I'll just have to sing by myself!"

Rei sighed, turning back to the table. Motoki and Mamoru were standing, taking orders for drinks before walking off while Ami moved over, bridging the gap between Makoto and Rei, the last three at the table.

"Usagi-chan really did do a wonderful job and the flowers are gorgeous, Mako-chan," Ami murmured quietly, looking absolutely beautiful in her dress with her hair piled in two messy buns, framing her face elegantly.

"Thanks, it was a lot of fun helping out. Now, I guess I have practise, huh?" Makoto said

"Well, you have been such a good housewife to Motoki-kun the last few years anyway, it only makes sense," Rei replied saucily, smiling to emphasize that she meant it in a good natured way.

"Oi! It's not like you have anybody to do that for, you can't talk." The Florist replied strongly, "You need to work on that, come to think of it. All of you, but especially you, Rei-chan. It'd soften you up, I think."

Rei snorted, waving her drink at the other girl, "I don't need men, I'm perfectly sufficient by myself."

"Maybe it's not a man," Ami said, looking out over the crowd. Rei stared at her incredulously, but the other girl casually didn't meet her glance.

"Either way, a little of "this and that" would do you some good, definitely loosen you up," Makoto declared, taking a gulp of her soda, being the designated driver once she and Motoki returned to his car. At Rei's look, she laughed a little.

"Come on, you know it's true. I think if you could let go with someone, you'd be happier and more.. oh, I don't know, more relaxed."

"Whatever, I'm not that stuck up, Mako-chan," Rei said icily, suddenly irritated. Determined, she scowled, looking up to the stage where Usagi was finishing up with her song. Shaking her head, she put her glass down before pushing her chair back and standing, looking pointedly over at Makoto before she turned and made her way to the front of the room. As she was coming up to the small steps, she bumped into Minako who was heading in the same direction.

"Is this the return of my Mars Reiko?" The pop idol remarked, raising her eyebrows at the other girl. She flushed, touched by the girls choice of words yet confused at the same time, bewildered by Minako's ability to fluster her so easily.

"Ah, well,--"

"Oh! Are you going to sing with Minako-chan at least?" Usagi burst in, having stepped down from the raised platform.

"I convinced her that she should for your wedding day, as a special treat."

"Um, no, we were both just going to-" Rei stopped when she heard what Minako said, turning to her with wide eyes.

"Really? That's so sweet! I'm so glad you could convince her! Thank you soo much!" The brunette gushed, reaching out to hug Rei and Minako in a whirlwind before she bounced off, practically humming with joy.

"Effective tactics you have there, Minako," Rei commented dryly as she watched their Princess rejoin the head table, throwing her arms around Mamoru's shoulders happily, before pulling him to his feet. Minako picked a song on the electronic jukebox near the stage, turning back to her with a grin.

"I learned from the best, Manager does that to me all the time. But come on, Mars Reiko," Her smile turned soft as she spoke and she gestured to the stage, "Sing with me."

Rei had no choice but to obey and as she stepped onto the wooden platform, she could feel the heat of the subtle spotlights shining upon her but could feel the eyes of all the people seated beyond those lights even more. She focused in on Minako, trailing her eyes along the straight set of her shoulders and the curve of her lips, taken aback at how radiant she was. Being in front of the crowd was like a beloved second skin to the other girl and she practically glowed as she took the mic, introducing the two of them. Rei took her place next to her, feeling the warmth of the other girls arm at her side as she pressed against her ready to sing, facing forward. Hearing the first few notes of C'est La Vie, she gripped her microphone and stepped forward, facing the crowd with Minako by her side. Naturally, as if they had practised a thousand times, they traded parts back and forth, their voices coming together in perfect harmony for the chorus.

***

The night was late when it finally came to an end, with their group being the last to meander out into the slightly nippy evening air. Artemis had decided to accompany Luna to the Tsukino residence while the happy couple was staying in the hotel before flying out in the morning to England, where Minako had booked them a stay at Lindeth Howe, overlooking Lake Windermere, a beautiful and intact castle she had thought befit a prince and princess. Rei was flushed with a slight buzz from the glasses of champagne and she leaned casually on Ami, having thoroughly enjoyed herself proving Makoto wrong about being uptight. They had danced, reminisced and had shenanigans involving cake being smeared on unsuspecting victims. Rei still had a bit of white frosting on her nose, but nobody felt inclined to clue her in on it and she was blissfully unaware as she breathed deeply of the fresh air.

"Are both of your cars at the church?" Minako asked Motoki and Ami amiably, walking backwards on the cement towards her limousine that sat idling in a no parking zone, blithe in it's disregard.

"Yes," They both replied at the same time, laughing a little as they realized it.

"Well, I'll drop you off and then get this drunk over here home," She teased, using her thumb to point at Rei whose eyes were glassy and half shut, forming a scowl as she heard this.

"You've had far more to drink than me, I wouldn't be calling the kettle black," Rei replied snarkily, folding her arms across her chest, holding back a wince at the dull pain it caused.

"I've more practise, you're a teetotaller I'm dead sure." She said as she reached the limo, opening the door and waving them in.

"I could drink you under the table, I have no doubt," Rei replied while shifting into her seat, caught in the middle between Ami and Minako, feeling overheated and seeing double of Mako and Motoki, the streetlamps light glowing eerily upon their faces, smeared in her hazy vision to resemble a painting she had seen once, but of what or when she could not recall.

"We'll have to prove that point, sometime," Minako replied cheekily, but, truth be told, she herself was much drunker than she let on, having practise from the endless amount of parties she had attended due to her career.

"I think that might be disastrous," Makoto broke in with a humorous smile, her hand resting on her fiancé's leg as he lolled his head back dramatically on the seat, obviously worse for wear. She rolled her eyes at him, lightly patting his stomach as he groaned.

"Maybe so. She might burn the bar down if we were to do that," Minako said happily, bumping shoulders against the girl who seemed to be falling asleep.

"I'll just light you on fire and be done with it," She mumbled, crossing her legs and shifting as her lids fully closed. She was lulled by the moving car and the silence that suddenly seemed to envelope it, the streets outside quiet at this time of night and the only sound she could hear was the rhythmic breathing of her companions and the gentle hum of the engine. She remembered times like this when she was younger, before her mother died, when they would go to pick up her father at the office, something her mother insisted on, the three of them sitting next to each other in the back of a limo that was nearly as posh as this one. She would curl up with her mothers hand upon her forehead, smoothing her hair back in silence as her father would look over documents, a stern look on his face that would melt every so often when he would look at his wife and daughter.

She must've fallen asleep, because when she blearily opened her eyes, she made out empty space across from her and couldn't feel the car moving. Stiffly, she shifted, realizing that Minako was still right next to her, moving to open the door and step out. Shaking her head, she looked over at the girl in the orange glow of the streetlamp above, her hair shining and her eyes like black coal in the semi-darkness. She didn't say anything, reaching out to grasp the doorjamb to pull herself out, instead, feeling a rush of blood to her head, slightly dizzy at the movement. Minako silently put a supporting hand on her back, walking her towards the shrine steps that were dark and eerie at this time of night, even to her familiar eyes.

The night was balmy, with the full moon in the night sky casting silvery rays upon the earth, illuminating the trees in twisted shadow forms, half alight with a grey luminescence while the rest of the leaves and branches receded into the darkness, like creatures dodging for cover. She felt cloudy and disconnected as they walked through the courtyard, the sound of their heels loud in the still evening air. They came to her door, which she slid open with relief, almost bashful when she turned to the other girl.

"Ah, thanks for getting me home," She said quietly, tilting her head to glance up through her eyelashes as she leaned against the doorjamb.

"Don't flatter yourself, I didn't think you were capable of making it alone," She replied sardonically, nodding to her sagging frame with a half smile on her lips. Rei rolled her eyes, pushing off the door with a hmph, turning to her room.

"Thanks for the concern, however unnecessary it is," She replied cattily, embarrassment wrenching her stomach. Minako raised an eyebrow at her stumbles, putting a hand to the shoji door while watching her with a droll look upon her face. She turned to go when she saw the girl make it safely to her wardrobe, but stopped briefly to look into the room she had never stepped foot into. It was simple and elegant, just as she would expect from Rei, and as she glanced over it, her eyes were drawn to the small cluster of photo's on one of the small desks, which held one of the girl and her parents before her mother died, one that held a much older version of Rei and her father standing stiffly next to one another, and finally the group photo they had taken together after they had found Usagi and reunited after the final battle. Three simple cranes sat next to the first photo, simple designs made of green, pink, and red but she noticed another, more intricate piece next to and slightly behind the photo of their group. She was thrilled to see it was a sharply folded bird, just like her own tucked carefully into her purse, but in the meagre lamplight that the other girl snapped on, she could tell it was inversed in coloring, with a red base and a filigree fine gold overlay. Blinking at the light, she saw the expectant look on Rei's face, flushing slightly for being caught lost in thought herself before hastily turning, shutting the door with a thud before hurrying back through the shadowed courtyard.