She sat in front of the fire, legs crossed, her fingers held at a specific angle. It was there that Sailor Mars, known on Earth as Rei Hina, famous for her temper, finds peace.

The battles were over. At last, it was over. The Sailor Senshi can now go back to their normal lives, whatever is left of it, anyway. That is why Rei spends each day at the temple. A promise made to her grandfather made her all the more determined to be the Shinto priestess she wanted to be.

She felt his presence. Without changing positions and keeping her eyes closed, she spoke softly. "What are you doing here?"

The blond man stepped forward. He wasn't surprised. Even in their past life, Sailor Mars had always known when he was around. "I came for you."

"What for?" Rei asked. She made a movement. Jadeite thought she would reach for one of her an ofuda scroll and instinctively tensed, and then released his breath when he saw that she just changed her finger positions.

"To ask for forgiveness," he said simply.

"Why? You weren't the one in control. You didn't do that by choice."

For the princess of fire, her voice was icy.

"Even so..."

"Enough." And it was then that Rei opened her eyes, revealing the purple depths Jadeite used to drown himself in back in the Silver Millennium. Still, she didn't rise. "Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Jadeite almost smiled at the blunt question. Typical Rei. "King Endymion was gracious enough to bring us back." He gave a small smile then. "Zoisite, Nephrite, and Kunzite are now with..."

"Makoto, Ami, and Minako," Rei finished his sentence for him. "It figures."

"Your friends forgave mine, Princess. Why can't you do the same for me?"

"They weren't forced to kill the man they love," Rei answered, a note of pain in her voice.

Love. Not loved. Jadeite felt hope blossom in his chest. "Yeah. Don't do that again, alright?" He said lightly, and was rewarded with a small smile.

Rei sighed. "I can't do this anymore, Jadeite."

"Why not?" Jadeite practically pleaded, kneeling down beside her. "I love you. You love me. Isn't it all that matters?"

"It wasn't in the past," Rei smiled sadly at him, and Jadeite remembered what happened with a pang. "Besides, I've already promised the Queen that..."

"But nothing," Jadeite interrupted.

Rei looked at him in surprise. "You would have me forget my duty?"

"No. What I mean is, I will talk with the King and Queen," Jadeite said, his voice filled with resolve. "The universe is at peace now. There are no more battles. She has no need for warriors now. I am not saying that you would leave her," Jadeite said, correctly interpreting her swift movement, "But you could be on standby. As I am with the King."

Rei laughed softly. "You make it sound so simple."

"Because it is," Jadeite said. "I messed up in the past, Rei. I won't make that same mistake again. I mean to have you by my side as my bride." His voice had a tinge of his old arrogance, but his eyes, more than his words, showed Rei his intentions.

With that, the ice around the Fire princess's heart finally melted.