Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

A/N: This story is the sequel to Once Upon A Time. Just like with that story, I've gone through this one a few times since it was originally published and made a lot of minor changes and edits. Enjoy this second edition and feel free to let me know what you think!

A/N 2: As with all of my stories, the main romantic pairing of this story is between two women. If that is not something you enjoy, this may not be the story for you. If it is, prepare to revisit the the pairings of the first story! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Normal

Rei leaned back against the tree, staring through the branches at the afternoon sky. She'd gotten out of class two hours before but it was a beautiful spring day and much too nice out to start on homework yet. The sound of furious scribbling beside her indicated that Ami was already working on hers. Rain, sleet, snow or gorgeous sunny afternoon, she thought, nothing keeps that girl from homework. She smiled to herself as she dropped her gaze to her two companions. Ami was sitting cross-legged with her book bag open beside her and a notebook in her lap. Makoto was sitting close beside her, propped up on her hands and looking half asleep. They were on the front lawn of the high school, waiting for the last two members of their group.

"Reiiii!" a shrill yell caused the miko to tense and sit up. She looked around warily for the source and was immediately knocked flat by a mass of blonde hair and pompoms.

"Usagi," she grunted, trying to wriggle from under the blonde. She heard laughter from the others and grimaced. Why does she always have to do that? she wondered as the weight shifted and she was allowed to sit up. She glared at the grinning blonde.

"I wish you went to our school," Usagi whined playfully, shaking a pompom at her. "You know things just aren't the same without you."

Rei snorted softly, pushing the fluffy implement away from her face. She noticed that Ami and Makoto were watching the conversation with amused expressions and bit back the comment she'd been about to utter. "How was practice?" she asked instead.

"Great!" Usagi shouted, causing Makoto to wince and Ami to sigh.

Ami shut her notebook and placed it carefully in her bag. "Where's Minako?"

"She's not here yet?" Usagi asked, looking around blankly. She shifted to sit between them and shrugged. "I guess they ran later than us." Usagi was on the cheerleading squad and her practices usually coincided with Minako's volleyball.

At that moment, Minako appeared jogging down the path toward them. She had her sports bag over her shoulder and her wet hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Hey, guys!" she called as she skidded to a stop next to them. "I'm starving!"

"Let's go to the Crown!" Usagi cried, leaping to her feet. The blondes caught each other's hands and began jumping up and down in a small circle. Rei rolled her eyes and Makoto let out a snort of laughter. You would never know that two weeks ago we defeated Galaxia and came back from the dead, she mused. Her smile faltered slightly. Don't think about that, she ordered firmly.

"Absolutely not," Ami said sharply over them. They stopped dancing and gave her identical puppy dog looks. She pushed her reading glasses up her nose, clearly unmoved. "We have a test Monday. We will order take out and go study."

They both turned pleading blue eyes on Rei as she stood and gathered her things. She raised an eyebrow at them. "The only reason we sat around waiting for you two was so we could all study together."

"But…"

"Rei…"

Rei sighed heavily. Those two are going to be the death of me… She grimaced internally at the choice of words. "Well…" She shifted her gaze to Ami, who responded with a resigned eye roll. "Alright, maybe if we get a lot done we can go later," she grumbled, looking back at the blondes. She winced as there were two ear splitting squeals and both girls ran to hug her. "Alright, alright," she growled, "Let's get going."

-One Hour Later-

"So are you coming to my game tomorrow?" Minako demanded, poking Rei in the shoulder.

Rei turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "You have a game tomorrow?"

"Rei!" the blonde pouted, grabbing her arm, "I told you about it almost a week ago!"

Rei feigned serious contemplation for a moment, then smiled when they reached the door of the Crown. "I'm just kidding, of course I'll be there." She was rewarded with a not so gentle punch to the shoulder. "Hey!" She raised her arms defensively and stepped back.

Cerulean eyes narrowed at her. "Jerk." Then she caught her arm again and leaned closer to kiss her cheek. Rei flushed darkly and gave the smaller girl a sideways look. "Thanks for remembering," she said with a playful smirk.

"Minako! They're having a half-price sale today!" Usagi cried, skipping up to them. Rei watched in amusement as they giggled and shot off toward the counter.

More demurely, she followed them inside and took a seat at their usual booth. Absently, she touched her cheek where Minako had kissed her and shook her head. That girl is such a flirt, she drives me insane, she thought as she glanced up at the counter.

Ami and Makoto grinned as they slid into the opposite seat from her. "What did they do to you?" Makoto asked teasingly.

Rei glanced over at her in confusion. "Do?" she repeated.

"You're as red as your fuku," the brunette pointed out. Rei started to sputter a response but was saved by the arrival of the blondes.

"I wanted to sit on the inside," Usagi whined, looking between them. Makoto and Ami glanced at each other but showed no sign of moving so Rei sighed heavily and wordlessly stood up. "You're the best, Rei!" Usagi cried.

She attempted to hug the taller girl while balancing a huge bowl of ice cream. Knowing her Princess, Rei snatched the bowl from her and set it safely on the table. She sat after the blonde and a root beer float appeared in front of her. Minako sat on her other side, smiling slightly but keeping her focus on her milkshake.

Rei smiled at her and took an appreciative sip. "Thanks," she said softly. Minako smiled around her straw but didn't comment. She sat back and studied the other two across the table. They were talking quietly with their heads close together. Finally, Ami huffed and sat back with her eyes narrowed. Makoto grinned and got up to head to the counter.

"What's up?" Rei asked the bluenette.

Ami pursed her lips and shot a look across the table at them. "Tomorrow, we are definitely studying for that test."

"But my game's tomorrow!" Minako said in outrage. "You're not coming?"

Ami sighed when Makoto returned, sliding a strawberry shake in front of her. Rei waited while she took a long sip and considered. Finally she smiled. "Alright," she relented. "But we're definitely going to study after!"

Rei smiled to herself as she watched the exchange. It seemed that after everything they'd been through, they were finally going to get the chance to be normal girls.

Minako grinned up at the stands, waving at her friends as she strode onto the court. Usagi had her pompoms and was waving them wildly, much to the annoyance of the people sitting behind her. Ami was beside her, looking mildly uncomfortable with being so close to the excitable blond. She did, however, flash a genuine smile when her eyes met Minako's. Next to her, Makoto was grinning and waving happily.

Minako's eyes narrowed when she noticed one person conspicuously absent. She scanned the area around them again to make sure, then frowned. Rei wasn't there. She turned and jogged to her team's bench, forcing a cocky grin when her teammates greeted her.

They high-fived her and pulled her into the huddle. The captain grinned around at them. "Alright, team, tonight we're gonna- ooh!" she broke off, her eyes drawn to something behind them. "That pretty girl from T.A. is here!" she said excitedly.

Minako felt her heartbeat quicken as she turned and found Rei trying to make her way toward their friends. She scowled at several younger boys who whistled as she passed and Minako giggled. Always so serious, she thought with a small shake of her head.

As though she felt Minako's eye on her, Rei abruptly turned and met her gaze. Minako grinned and waved at her, then blew her a kiss. Rei smirked, then blushed, scowled then rolled her eyes. Minako giggled and was rewarded with a grudging smile from the other girl.

She turned back to the huddle, still grinning. Rei's presence had fueled her confidence and now she was ready to play.

-Two Hours Later-

Minako pulled her wet hair into a messy ponytail, not wanting to take the time to fix it. She stuffed her bag into her locker, shouted a hurried farewell to her teammates and sprinted out of the locker room. There was still a decent sized crowd milling around in the gym when she entered. People cheered and yelled congratulations to her as she passed. She smiled and waved but didn't stop. She was focused on one destination.

She saw them at a corner of the bleachers. Makoto was standing and leaning over the side rail with Ami sitting on the bottom row. Usagi was standing on her other side, occasionally waving her pompoms as she spoke. Rei was sitting beside Ami, looking stoic and mildly bored. She was the first to spot Minako, however, and stood with a rare grin.

"We won!" Minako cried, running toward them. She saw Rei tense and giggled as she leapt on the miko. The taller girl swayed for a moment as she found her balance, but didn't drop her. Minako pressed a kiss on her cheek and hugged her tightly. When she let go she was delighted to see the fantastic blush she had caused.

Rei cleared her throat and stepped back to allow the others to engulf her in hugs. "Minako you were amazing!" Usagi gushed. "That last set I didn't think you were going to get it, and then that diving save…" Minako smiled fondly at her Princess as she continued the play-by-play.

Once they'd all calmed down she glanced at all of them. "What do you want to do now?"

Ami straightened and fixed them with a beady stare. Minako felt her heart sink. She knew what that look meant. "We have a test to study for," she said firmly. Then to everyone's surprise, she smiled. "After we take Minako to the Crown to celebrate."

"Yay!" Minako and Usagi squealed together. They hugged her, then caught each other's hands, doing a quick victory dance around the bluenette.

"Alright you two," Makoto said with a good natured grin, "let the girl breath." She maneuvered them away enough to deftly pulled Ami from between them. Rei chuckled softly, catching Minako's attention. She shot the raven a wide grin and caught her hand, leading them all out of the gym.

The sun was just going down and the cool evening air was refreshing. Minako took a deep breath and smiled to herself. Life had become so peaceful and, dare she say, normal. No youma, no sadistic evil beings, no more death… Her mood deflated slightly at the thought. She refused to dwell on it, however. We're alive, all of us. It's like it never happened. She bit her lip. Except for the dreams. She knew the others were suffering them too, she could see it in the dark circles under weary eyes. How many deaths is too many? she mused.

A gentle elbow to the ribs brought her out of her dark thoughts. "Why so serious?" Rei asked softly, giving her a half smile. "You just kicked ass in that game and you're about to get free ice cream."

Minako smirked at her friend. "Free?"

Rei shrugged. "Sure, you're the star tonight."

Minako smiled happily at her and linked their arms together. "Thanks, Rei." She knew the other girl understood that she was being thanked for more than the ice cream.

"Please, Mako?" Usagi pleaded, bringing their attention to the three in front of them.

"Usagi, I…" They watched the princess give the taller girl a watery puppy dog look. "Fine," she huffed as she stopped. "But just this once." She bent down and Usagi gleefully clambered onto her back. Ami laughed lightly at them and Makoto shot her a look.

"You're going to spoil her," Ami teased.

Minako looked from them to Rei, who was watching her warily. She grinned brightly and the miko sighed. Wordlessly, she jerked her head, inviting Minako closer. With a giggle, Minako jumped onto her back and wrapped her arms loosely around her neck. She leaned forward so that her lips were right against her ear. "You're the best, Rei," she said softly.

Rei grumbled something incoherent and Minako could imagine the glare in front of her. "Don't get used to it," she grumped as she resumed the trek toward the Crown. Minako just smiled and tightened her hold on the miko.

She loved the way Rei would growl and snap at everyone, but still do everything she could to make them happy. Even little things like carrying her and buying her ice cream. She's so loyal and protective and sweet, and no one else gets to see it. She hugged Rei's neck a bit more and could feel the vibration as she growled, "Minako, you're choking me."

She loosened her grip, but only enough so she could rest her chin on a strong shoulder. She could feel slight tremors running through the muscles, but she knew Rei would never admit to being tired. They reached Crown a few minutes later and she placed a soft kiss behind Rei's ear before hopping off her back. Rei mumbled a response, but it was lost in the excited squeal Usagi let out as she leapt from Makoto.

She and Usagi raced to the counter and, gasping for breath, placed an order for the five of them. "Minako," Motoki said happily, "I heard about your game! Everything is on the house tonight. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," she said, flashing him a bright smile. Usagi had gone eerily silent and, when Minako looked over at her twin, she found her in a state of misty-eyed shock. "Come on," she chuckled, tugging the other blonde to the table.

The other three looked mildly alarmed at Usagi's silence. "What happened?" Ami asked as she studied them suspiciously.

Rei stood and helped Minako settle Usagi into the booth before sitting again. Minako sat on her other side and leaned forward slightly. "Motoki heard about my game and he said-"

"IT'S FREE!" Usagi suddenly exploded, making them all jump.

Rei instantly clamped a hand over her mouth and looked around in alarm. "Keep it down, Odango, or he'll change his mind," she hissed.

Usagi nodded, blue eyes going wide at the prospect. Slowly, Rei removed her hand and the blonde launched into a whispered recounting of what had led to the free ice cream.

Rei raised an eyebrow at Minako who could only shrug. "You know what this means," she said with a smirk, amethyst eyes twinkling. "She's going to be on a sugar rush for hours. There's no way we're getting any studying done tonight."