Upon the Breeze

By LowFlyer1080

Disclaimer: I do not, have not, nor ever will own Sailor Moon or any of its rights, titles, etc. therein, no matter how much I want Setsuna. :( Woe is me.

A/N- I'm sitting here at work, nothing to do. No orders that need filled (I work at a company that refills ink jet cartridges for printers), we're kinda low on ink here at the store I'm working at tonight, so I'm not supposed to do any prefilling. I left my cash at my apartment so I'm s.o.l. for dinner. And to top it off, I also wound up leaving my flash drive at my apartment too. So I have to email this to myself so I don't forget any of it. sigh Now if I could just figure out a pairing for this Sailor Moon fanfiction, I could get on with writing it.

Things in single quotes are thoughts, double quotes are dialogue.


Soft white snowflakes fell from the dark sky that night. A lonely young woman with blonde hair done up in odangos and pigtails walked the street, huddled up in a blood red parka; her black boots shuffling through the few inches of snow that had collected on the ground. She had run from her boyfriend's – no, ex-boyfriend's – apartment after discovering him in the arms of another woman. Heartbroken and alone, she wandered the streets of Tokyo; walking alone amongst the few people out that night in the snowfall. Christmas lights twinkled merrily in store windows and in office buildings that were otherwise dark, but they did nothing to raise the girl's spirits. She had gotten permission from her parents weeks before to spend Christmas with Mamoru while they and Shingo went to her Aunt's house out in the country, 3 hours north of Tokyo. Now she had nowhere to go, except back home. A silent tear slipped down her ivory cheek, flushed red from the cold. 'Where am I going to go now?' she thought to herself as she sniffled, half from the cold, half from crying as she fled the apartment complex, 'I don't want to spend Christmas alone. Mako-chan is at Ami-chan's house, spending it with her and her mom. Mina-chan is off at the Outers' house with Hotaru.'

Her wandering eventually led her to the bottom of the Hikawa Jinja's long stone staircase. The temple looked dark and foreboding in the chill winter night, only a small flicker of light coming from within. 'I need to get inside and warm up; I don't want to freeze on my way back home. I hope Rei or her grandfather is home.' She huffed a sarcastic laugh, 'Better hope they don't mind company, Usagi-baka. Who would want to spend more than 5 minutes with you anyway?' A strange wind picked up, an unseen entity wafted about the blonde, remaining unnoticed as the snow began to fall harder. Usagi almost didn't hear someone calling out to her in the night as she turned to leave.

"Usagi! Usagi, sweetheart, what are you doing out here on a night like this?! Get up here now before you freeze to death!" Rei yelled out as she made her way down the long stone steps as she clutched her own parka around her shoulders, her red boots looking very odd against her black silk pajama pants, reaching the blonde a minute later who had stopped and turned after hearing her call out. The miko took one look in her princess's eyes and knew immediately that something was wrong.

"C'mon, let's get you up to the temple and out of the cold before you catch one." She slid her arms through her parka and wrapped her arm around the blonde's waist, pulling her tight against her as the pair ascended the temple stairs, ignoring the feelings that stirred deep within her at feeling her unrequited love this close.

Rei had always called Usagi 'hon' or 'sweetheart' just to be affectionate, but from the cold and exhaustion or from something else, Usagi didn't know, she leaned into the embrace, resting her head on Rei's strong shoulder and closed her eyes, putting her trust in the miko to guide her safely to the temple. Rei had never steered her wrong before, and, despite all the teasing, she was stronger because of the fiery miko. Rei had always been there for her, was always there to protect her in battle, and was always the first one Usagi ever confided in. She had done so much for the blonde that Usagi was at a loss. She'd done so much for her, yet what had she done for Rei in return?

They made it up the slick stone staircase and into the temple as the wind picked up and the snow began coming in driving sheets, it looked like a blizzard was upon them. Rei led Usagi into the temple, pausing to shut the door behind her. She led the princess down the halls and into her room, which Yuuichiro, she, and her grandfather had remodeled over the fall. She now had her own fireplace, her grandfather having conceded to her after her constant complaining that her room was always cold, as well as her own bathroom after she had threatened to kill Yuuichiro in his sleep if he picked the lock to the common bathroom again while she was taking a shower. Rei pulled off the wet, and now very heavy, parka from Usagi's shoulders and draped it over her desk chair, which she pulled in front of the fireplace to dry. She threw another log on the fire and turned to Usagi who had sat down on the miko's bed and was trying, unsuccessfully, to untie her boots with her frozen fingers.

"Usagi-baka, don't you know you should wear gloves." Rei said quietly, a small smile gracing her lips as she knelt down and gently moved her princess's hands out of the way, helping her out of the boots. The friendly jab did nothing to raise her from her melancholy. Usagi was shivering, despite the warmth of the room. "C'mon, Usa. I'll draw you up a nice hot bath. She pulled the blonde up and tugged her into the bathroom. She turned on the water, added some jasmine and lavender bubble bath and turned to helped Usagi undress. Rei's feelings raged just under the surface, begging to be let out, but her mind would have none of it. She turned the other way, allowing Usagi to take off her bra and panties in privacy, only turning back around when she heard the slight sloshing of water, seeing her beloved under the cover of bubbles. She turned off the water and placed some towels behind Usagi's head to cushion it from the hard ceramic. The odango leaned her head back and into the towels, closing her eyes as the images once again filled her head: Mamoru in his apartment with another woman, on Christmas Eve; a Christmas Eve that they were supposed to spend together. Her tears began anew but she made no sound, as Rei knelt there by the bathtub, watching the pain cross her love's face as tears slipped down her cheeks.

"I'm going to go get us some hot chocolate, Usa. I'll be right back." As Rei made to get up, her wrist was caught in an iron grip. She looked down to see turbulent sapphires gazing into her own blazing amethysts. The pain she saw within them nearly brought Rei to her knees, and what the blonde said next, shattered the miko's heart.
"Please, Rei. Please don't leave me. You're all I have left." Usagi whispered desperately.
"I will never leave you Usa-chan. I promise I will be right back." She whispered back, cupping the blonde's cheek in her warm palm. Her heart fluttered as she watched, and felt, Usagi press into the contact, her eyes closing, the sad look still upon her heavenly features.

They stayed like that for a few moments before Usagi finally released Rei's wrist.

"I'll be right back, Usa. I swear to you I will be right back." She whispered, daring to kiss the blonde's forehead before retreating from the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

'Whoever did this to you Usako will pay. That I vow.' She thought, leaning against the door for a moment. She pushed off, hurried to the kitchen, and quickly made up two mugs of hot cocoa, putting them in the microwave to heat them up. Once they were done, she added a little whip cream to each one, set them on a tray, and made her way back to her room. She stopped and set the tray on the desk, reaching for the bathroom door when she stopped. She heard Usagi on the other side of that doorway, very quietly crying to herself. However, it was somehow different. Not like her usual crying when she was teased by her friends. It was as though she had lost someone she had loved. Rei's heart broke again, and it physically hurt the miko, making her stop to catch her breath; the pain in her chest almost sending her to the floor. She heard whispered words through the door.

"Why, Mamoru? Why? What have I done to deserve this? I've loved you so much, for so long. What did you mean we weren't meant to be?"

Rei's own tears fell at feeling the blonde's broken heart as feelings of venomous malice and freezing anger boiled up within her soul against Mamoru. That rotten bastard would pay for hurting Usagi again. She had stood by once before without doing anything and had had to deal with the repercussions of it. Not this time. She would not let Usagi go through this again. She composed her self and opened the bathroom door, grabbed the tray and moved inside, shutting the door behind her. She set the tray on the counter and knelt back down by the bath.

"Sweetheart? Are you okay?" she asked, mentally kicking herself, 'You baka, of course she's not okay. What the fuck is wrong with you?'

Usagi shook her head, collecting herself. "Mamoru and I are through, Rei. I'm never going back to him again." She paused for but a moment, "He left me Rei. On Christmas Eve, he left me. I caught him in his apartment with another woman. He told me he was sorry that I had to find out that way, but that he and I weren't meant to be together in this lifetime. I ran before he could say another word." She said calmly. "We were supposed to spend Christmas together. I even begged my parents to let me spend it with him. Saying he had never really had a Christmas before." Her voice cracking as she continued, "It hurt, Rei. It hurt so much to see that. I didn't know where to go; I wandered around Tokyo for hours before I found myself in front of the shrine. I was about to head home when you called out to me. I'm sorry I've bothered you on Christmas Eve, Rei. I should probably head home." She said as new tears welled up in her eyes as she moved to get out of the still warm bath when two hands gently held on to her shoulders, holding her down.

"Hon, it's okay. I'm alone for Christmas too. Yuuichiro went to his grandparents' house and Grandfather had a business meeting to go to in Kyoto he couldn't get out of. You don't need to go home if you don't want. You can stay here with me. As for Mamoru, he'll get what's coming to him. He doesn't deserve you, Usa. As if he could find someone better to spend his life with. You're perfect, Usa-chan. At least to me you are." She added that last part quietly, without thinking. The bunny either didn't hear her or didn't read that much into it.
"Why can't I find love, Rei? Everyone else has someone to care for and to be cared for by. Why does destiny have to be so cruel to me? Memories of my past have been filled with me with different people. And each time, something happens and they always leave me. Even in past lives Mamo-chan has left me a few times. What have I done wrong Rei?" she whispered through tears, "Why doesn't anyone love me?"

For all her heart had been through tonight, she didn't think it could break any more for her precious Usako, yet it broke again at hearing her Light say that. She didn't say a word, couldn't say a word, as Usagi stood up, the bubbles clinging to her nude body. She stepped out of the bathtub as Rei stood and helped her dry off. Still wrapped in the towel, Rei handed her one of the mugs of hot cocoa. "I'll get you something you can wear, Usako. Stay here where it's warm." Rei said as she opened the door and moved quickly across her room and over to her dresser drawers. She pulled out a pair of blood red silk pajamas that matched Usa's parka and hurried back into the bathroom where Usagi was taking a long drink of her cocoa.

"Here, Usa-chan. You can wear these while your clothes dry. They may be a little big, but they're warm, despite the fact they're silk." Rei said, "I'll let you get dressed in private." Blushing heavily she turned to go back out into the bedroom when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"Rei?"
"Yes Usagi?"
"Am I…I mean…am I really perfect to you?" Usagi bit her lip as her eyes cast downward to avoid eye contact with the beautiful miko, a blush coming to her cheeks as Rei turned back around. Sure she had always had stronger feelings for Rei than the other Senshi, but damn was she confused as all holy hell now. Why was she suddenly so embarrassed in front of the exotic-looking priestess, unable to even look at her? And what was this fluttering in her stomach? Her heart beat faster just being in Rei's presence and her breath caught in her throat. She felt nervous and excited all at the same time. What were these feelings that Rei was stirring within her? She had never had feelings like this with Mamoru. Sure she loved him, but if that was supposed to be love, then…what was this?

"Sweetheart, perfect can't even begin to describe you." Rei began, "You may not always show it, but you are quite smart, you're funny despite being a klutz, you're sweet and innocent and you seem to have no limit to the amount of love and devotion you can give. Anyone would count themselves lucky to be with you. And people do love you, Usagi. Your parents love you, the senshi love you... I love you." 'If only you knew how much I love you Usagi.'

Usagi bit her lip again, as she glanced up at Rei's face. Their eyes locked; sapphire and amethyst, gazing into each other. Usagi saw something in those eyes, something she couldn't quite identify. But she knew there was more to it than what Rei just stated. Could she mean…? Usagi took a small step forward, and slowly raised her hand to cup the priestess' cheek, who's owner closed her eyes and leaned into the touch, covering Usagi's hand with her own.

"You've done so much for me, Rei-chan. I've done nothing for you in return. I wish I knew where to start…"
"You owe me nothing, Usagi. Nothing at all. Your friendship is more valuable to me than anything I own, or ever will own. And I would do nothing to you that might jeopardize that." Rei opened her eyes and looked at the blonde standing in front of her.

Usagi knew this was her chance to confirm her suspicions. This was her chance to confirm what these feelings were. "Is that why you won't tell me the truth? The truth about what you feel for me? Is it because you value what we have so much that you won't risk it for something more?"

The words caught Rei off guard, but not as much as what Usagi did next. Closing the distance between the two of them, the blonde slowly wrapped her arms around the miko's neck, threading her hands through the black tresses, feeling them flow between her fingers, soft as silk as her towel fell to the floor. Her left hand dropped to hold Rei's neck, her thumb stroking the miko's cheek, as her right hand slowly pulled her head closer. Usagi's eyes fluttered shut as their lips met softly. At the contact, Rei's eyes closed and her arms moved of their own volition, wrapping themselves around her princess's bare waist, drawing her closer. Usagi's lips were softer than Rei had ever dreamed of, and tasted of strawberries, evidence of her lip-gloss. Rei responded, kissing Usagi back as she moaned softly, feeling their bodies press together, Usagi's modest breasts pressing into Rei's own larger ones, her silk pajamas slick between them. Rei opened her mouth and licked Usagi's lips with her tongue, requesting entrance, to which Usagi did not hesitate. She opened her lips in return and deepened the kiss; her tongue dancing with Rei's as they explored each other's mouths. Rei took Usagi's lower lip with her teeth and gently tugged on it, making the blonde moan. Rei let go and gave Usagi another heart-stopping kiss, suckling on her lower lip again as their tongues danced in each other's mouths, trying to memorize every recess of each other, before slowly pulling back. Usagi followed her for one last light kiss before she drew her head back as well.

"Tell me the truth, Rei. I promise I won't run away...I haven't yet." Usagi, eyes still closed as she nuzzled the miko's neck, kissing her just under her ear as she waited for a response. Rei held her precious Light to her as close as possible, those strawberry lips making her go weak in the knees as they kissed her sensitive neck. After a few moments she whispered under her breath.

"I've loved you so much, Usa-chan; so much, for so long. I would willingly take my own life if you wished it. I would not hesitate. Seeing you in pain causes me to hurt as well, sometimes so much so, I can't breathe. I would never hurt you Usagi, never on purpose. No matter how bad my day goes, just seeing you smile is enough to wipe away all of it. When I see you, my heart skips a beat and I want nothing more than to hold you in my arms and kiss you; to fall asleep next to you at night and wake up right beside you every morning. I love you, Usagi. I always have…and I always will." She closed her eyes and buried her face in the blonde tresses, praying that this was real. That her mind was no longer playing those cruel tricks on her: taunting her endlessly in her dreams with visions of her and her Usagi together.

Usagi kissed the nape of her neck once more, lingering a moment, before drawing back just enough to look Rei in the eyes, "And I, you." She whispered, drawing back and taking Rei's hand in her own, pulling her out of the bathroom and towards the priestess' bed. She paused only to turn down the bedsheets before turning back to Rei.

"But, what about Crystal Tokyo?" Rei half-heartedly whispered, hoping this last obstacle that still hung over their heads would be shot out of the sky.

Usagi smiled slightly, before encircling Rei's neck with her arms and pulling her close for another kiss, her nude body pressing fully into the miko's, the pajamas Rei had gotten her left forgotten in the bathroom. "Now is as good a time as any to discover our past Silver Millennium." She said, pulling back. The symbol of the moon began glowing upon her forehead, as the miko immediately felt her power respond of its own will, the symbol of Mars flaming into life upon her own forehead. Usagi closed her eyes and touched her forehead to Rei's, the symbols flashed as they made contact. Images of the past suddenly appeared in their heads: two golden thrones that both had a combined symbol upon them, Mars and Moon; Endymion in the Grand Marshal's armor reminiscent of the Captain of the Guard. They saw the birth of Chibiusa; Mars and Serenity smiling as they held the little child with pink hair and crimson eyes. All the senshi were there, congratulating them both.

Usagi drew back, the images ceasing to appear. "Have you not wondered why Chibiusa has pink hair and crimson eyes?" She whispered to Rei, whose eyes were still shut, "It's what you get when you mix red with white." She giggled a little and kissed Rei on the cheek.

"Odango." Rei smiled, rubbing her cheek against Usagi's own, the soft touch of sensitive skin giving both of them goose bumps.
"Pyro." Usagi grinned, pulling Rei down and onto the bed, drawing the covers up around them, their symbols still glowing upon their foreheads.

They lay like that, listening to the fire crackling merrily in the hearth and the blizzard's howling winds outside, holding each other as Usagi's head rested in the valley between the miko's large, pillowy peaks. She listened to her love's heart beat strongly and steadily. Pressing a kiss to Rei's chest, right over her heart, Usagi looked up at her, who in return looked down at her. The blonde slid slowly up from her resting place and kissed Rei for all she was worth. Rei kissed back, pouring all the love she could into the intimate contact as her arms wrapped around Usagi's back and squeezed the blonde softly against her, earning her a soft moan in response. They drew back and Usagi peered through the lowlight of their glowing symbols into Rei's amethyst orbs, now darker from her passion for the blonde. Usagi was sure her eyes had darkened as well, now knowing of her feelings for the beautiful priestess.

"Thank you for loving me." Usagi whispered, a sad smile upon her face.
"I will always love you, sweetheart. And I will never leave you." Rei vowed back.

Usagi lay her head down and nuzzled the miko's neck, sliding her arms under Rei's back so she could hold her, as Rei held her.

"Merry Christmas, Rei. Aishiteru." She whispered under her breath.
"Merry Christmas, Usagi. Aishiteru." Came the quiet reply.

The miko kissed the princess' cheek and rested her head against the blonde's as the comforting embrace of sleep took hold of them both. Their bodies intertwined upon Rei's double bed, safe and warm under the covers. Outside the shrine, the cold winter winds calmed and the sky grew clear as if by magic, the snow clouds chased away from the perfect skies above. A full moon hung in the night sky, alight with stars all around. Through the window in Rei's bedroom, the moon's soft glow washed over the sleeping lovers, silently standing guard. A red star appeared just to the right of the moon: the planet Mars had finally come into alignment. A slight gust of wind blew around the temple for only a moment. And upon the breeze, whispered words were heard from a queen of an era long gone, transcending time and space…

"Be happy, my daughter... my dear, dear Usagi."


The End

A/N- Love it? Hate It? Don't give a fuck? Questions, comments, and reviews are more than appreciated. Any and all flames shall be redirected back to their sender by my cute Dark Magician Girl and her trusty Magic Cylinders. Torch yourselves if you feel like it.