Preface:

So, in doing my best to stimulate this dying category, I've challenged myself to not only pick twenty Wing/Moon couples (a tough task in itself), but to write a fic for each, and do a short video. Obviously, fics will be released here (as well as on my blog), and every five fics a new video will be released featuring couples from the lineup. Please note: these are my top twenty GW/SM couples. I didn't take any polls, and I really didn't use a scale of any sort beyond "Do I like this couple better or this one?" If you disagree with my choices, feel free to let me know! If enough people show interest, I might be willing to try this project again with couples people actually like.

Without further adeiu, Number 20.

Let Me Go

"One more kiss could be the best thing

Or one more lie could be the worst.

And all these thoughts are never resting.

And you're not something I deserve."

-3 Doors Down

--

J takes him to the Dogstar for two reasons. Number one is that it's the only establishment left for the other members of the rebellion to gather. The Alliance found out about the other bars and shut them down, then arrested the owners and employees for harboring terrorists. They firebombed the safehouses, hacked the communication lines, and set curfews. But the Dogstar stays open, for the second reason that J brings him there.

The piano player has a pretty face.

Caleb, the owner, claims she's the only thing keeping the place up and running. Even the Alliance soldiers come by to listen to her, and she's got enough high-ranked fans to keep the establishment safe. Of course, with so many soldiers around, the bar is one of the last choices for an underground meeting place, but the girl at the piano helps with that too. She puts the soldiers into what could almost be described as a state of hypnosis. Only rarely do they notice the people who go into the back rooms and upstairs of the tavern, and even when they do, they find them playing cards or watching TV (or in one case, fucking on an air mattress in the attic). Caleb makes sure cameras and monitors stay hidden and in good condition. No one's ever caught unaware at the Dogstar.

J doesn't bring his boy to the Dogstar too often, only when he deems it necessary. It's a distraction. The boy's job is to take orders and fulfill them, not to give and debate them. He is a weapon, more or less, not even named yet, though he's been tossing around "Heero Yuy" (sick bastard, using the name of peace in such a way...). But the engineer knows the boy's safer in a place like the Dogstar than left roaming on the streets when not in use. And "Heero" himself seems content enough to watch the girl play piano and drink black coffee Caleb lets him have for free, because it's just one more little thing he can do for the rebels.

The pilot is soothed by the music. It's one of the few things that reminds him he is indeed a human, not a machine that operates in tandem with the mechanical masterpiece waiting for completion at the hidden facility near the spaceport. The girl's songs are usually sad, but if you listened to the words you can pick up something very stirring about them. They remind him of the dying embers of a fire: almost gone, but ready to spring back to life as soon as they catch hold of something to consume.

And yes, he agrees with J, Caleb, and every other man in the bar. She is pretty. There's a very exotic look about her, with her long black hair and burning dark eyes. Her body's still young, not quite as ripe as it will be in a few years, but instead there's a tautness and potential in the long limbs streaming from the close-fitting dress, guillotine blades ready to fall and deliver a deadly blow at any given moment. She's a fighter, this girl. 01guesses she's a veteran who cut out early, or who had perhaps cut and run entirely. Or maybe she just practices martial arts for the fun of it. But no normal bar singer has energy inside her like this girl does.

--

Rei knows he's watching her. He always does. He comes in with the old cyborg, who ditches him to play cards in the back, then sits and watches her play. She's asked Caleb about him several times, but Caleb knows better than to pry into his patrons' business. "The Cyborg's Boy." That's who he is. Rei is frustrated. She could have figured that one out on her own.

The Cyborg is only one of the strange customers that come in. In her mind, there are three types of people who go to the Dogstar: the soldiers, horny as dogs and always inviting her upstairs; the civilians, good people who come in because they know Caleb and they like his prices and her voice and are always respectful, because after all, someone should set an example for the Alliance and treat a lady like a lady; and the others, the strangers who go upstairs or in the back for maybe an hour or two then head back out and aren't seen for a few weeks or months. The Cyborg and his boy, both of whom come around rather regularly, are this category simply because the Cyborg gives her the creeps and the boy is neither a civilian nor a soldier.

She wants to talk to young man. It's become an obsession. He watches her so closely, so objectively. It's not like with the soldiers, who undress her with their eyes, or the regulars, who are only paying attention to be polite. It's almost as if he's studying her, trying to peel back the layers of skin to see how her muscles fit together, and then going past the muscles to examine the structure of her bones. And beneath that...her soul? Her power?

Rei suspects he might know about what exists at the foundation of her being, the Sailor Crystal that burns almost painfully now that the battles have been over for two years. With her grandfather dead and the shrine only a number (albeit a large one) in her bank account, she'd come to space to find herself. To find a new battle. But she'd been too late. The Alliance had finished playing nice, and now you couldn't breathe without permission on the colonies. The rebellions were either crushed or driven so far underground that there was no hope for a her, a child of an Alliance representative, to get in.

But the fire is still burning inside. How couldn't it be? You can't quench the desire to fight by playing piano in a bar. At one time, Rei had toyed with the idea of joining the Alliance military, or maybe OZ. But no, she wouldn't fight just for the sake of fighting, especially not when innocent lives were at stake. There had to be a cause, a purpose.

It was harder than it sounded.

--

"Heero Yuy" is sitting at the bar, drinking a cup of coffee and watching her. She meets his eyes on more than one occasion, and he never drops them, never smiles, never lets that emotionless mask slip. He just continues his long-term survey of her, focusing on the minute details now that most of the big-picture things had been taken in. Every move she makes is precise, he notes. There is energy in her movements, yes, but none are unplanned. The grace is particularly noticeable in her neck. It holds her head up with pride and determination, an Amazon's neck. Her wrists are similar, almost more beautiful than her hands in a way.

He still doesn't know her name. Of course, the pilot could have asked probably anyone in the bar, but he doesn't. It's cheating to ask. He wants her to tell him herself, or else he wants to figure it out on his own. There's no rush. Operation Meteor is still under debate, and with his training complete, he has time to come here on his own now. It's been nearly two months since he first saw the girl at the piano, and although he still knows nothing about her beyond what he can see and sense, he cannot deny the connection he feels with her.

Which is why he doesn't move when she sits beside him at the bar. Why he nods when she says, "You've been watching me." Why he follows her to the secluded table in the corner.

"You come in with the old man a lot. The Cyborg. Where's he tonight?" she asks, setting a glass of water beside his half-empty coffee cup.

The boy shrugs. "Business."

A reasonable answer. "Is he your grandfather? You don't look alike."

She asks a lot of questions. He doesn't like it, but he's not about to up and push her away. A deeper self desires this girl, not just her body, but her mind, her heart. And why shouldn't it? There was no shame in companionship. His training had not cured him of that need yet.

"I was adopted." It's a lie, but God knows it's far from the first he's ever told.

A softness enters the girl's eyes. "I see." She hesitates, seemingly unsure of the direction she should take the conversation. Eventually, she makes the simplest choice. "I'm Reiko. Reiko Kumada."

--

Her name is not Reiko Kumada. But Rei knows better than to use her real name on the Colonies. Her face might not be recognized here, but with the Alliance around the name Hino would definitely be picked up by the wrong ears sooner or later. And for what it's worth, she isn't about to ruin her father's life by tainting his name with her ambitions of rebellion. So she borrowed from her dead mother and dear Yuchirou, whom she'd loved as a brother but who she had rather shamelessly left behind on Earth. Reiko Kumada was the name on the paychecks Caleb gave her, the name registered at the hotel where she lived, and the name on her fake ID.

And the boy buys it. To be honest, she is surprised he's even speaking with her. He had struck her as the cold and distant type, and while he was far from being friendly, he wasn't being hostile. Thank God for small favors, she supposes.

"Reiko Kumada," he repeats, before raising his mug to his lips. "Odin Lowe."

An alarm trips somewhere in her mind. She knows that name. Why? Where had she heard it? Not from the senshi...her father? Or was it the news? Maybe even here in the tavern? Odin Lowe. There was someone named Odin Lowe, somewhere. He'd done something. But what?

She shakes her head. Odin certainly isn't a common name, but Lowe is. And the boy sitting beside her hardly looks capable of doing something to attract either the Alliance or the media's attention. Coincidence, nothing more.

"Odin Lowe, hm?" A smile crosses her face. "I was wondering if you had a name to go with that stare."

The surprise of the night comes, he smiles back. And she sees him in a new light. Well, actually, she can't really call it a "new" light at all, since there hadn't been any light in his face at all until this point. But his smile changes the planes of his face, melts the icicle gaze, makes him seem more like a kid than a stalker. She doesn't find it hard to warm up to him with a face like that.

Still, he doesn't wait for her after her next set. Disappointed, she walks back to the hotel she calls home by herself, thinking about the gentleness that hid behind the stone mask on Odin Lowe's face. There is more she wants to know about him, much more. Does he go to school up here on the colonies, or had he dropped out, like her? Where does he live? Is it just him and the old man? Or does he have siblings? Other relatives? A girlfriend?

Girlfriend? Why would you care about that?

Well, he's cute, when he smiles. Not a bad body, either. What, can't she be allowed one little crush? Nothing else to pass the time up here. But...she's hesitant. Odin Lowe is an island to her; an island that, once you put your feet on it, turns out to be a whale ready to leap into the air and throw you to your death. There's just something dangerous about him...

When she goes to sleep, she sees his face in her dreams. He isn't smiling.

--

He starts going to the Dogstar on a regular basis. To see her. It's a dangerous move. All it takes is one raid and one weak-willed member of the rebellion to recognize his face and point him out. In other situations, he knew the drill. Gun to the temple, pull the trigger quick (the Alliance will not get the Gundam). But in front of civilians, where the bullet could exit and harm innocents? Not an option.

But he can't help himself. She's become an addiction. Every night he waits impatiently for her breaks between sets, when she comes over with a fresh cup of coffee for him and a glass of water for herself. They talk for fifteen minutes or so, or rather, she talks. There isn't much he has to say to her, really. Nothing much he can say. On top of that, the things he does tell her are rarely true, and yes, he feels slightly guilty about it. But if he can't give her the truth, then he can still give her the next best thing.

When her break is over, she goes back to the piano in the corner. When she's on her last set, he usually only stays for two songs, then gets up and leaves. He's always afraid that if he stays longer, he'll be there until closing time. She'll catch up to him, and he won't be able to get away at all then. It's too big of a temptation. If he meets up with her at closing, he could end up walking her home. If they get home and she invites him in, he won't be able to help himself. He'd be there until morning, maybe even longer.

It isn't worth the risk.

And yet, his old mentor's words keep ringing in his ears. "Do as your heart tells you." Right now, his heart was telling him to fuck everything, go right up to Reiko Kumada, and ask her if she wanted to get out of this dingy little bar. Catch a flight to Earth, a different colony, anywhere. He could find other, less dangerous mercenary work, she could find a different place to perform. When it comes down to it, there isn't anything holding either of them there. All he has to do was walk up and ask. He knows her answer will be yes.

The temptation is maddening. Maybe things would be easier if he'd never come across her at all.

He doesn't regret it though, when she joins him at the bar right on schedule. Right away, he knows she senses something wrong. He can feel those dark eyes boring into him like drill bits piercing his brain. She remains quiet at first, swirling the water in her glass and send the slivers of ice into a miniature whirlpool.

"You seem worried, Lowe. That's not like you."

She always addresses him by his the last name he'd given her, a habit that seems both impersonal and at the same time affectionate. To her, every other customer is a first name, as well as the proprietor. But he's different. It's as if she's speaking to a comrade on the battlefield.

When he doesn't respond to her remark, she moves on. "I can't blame you, though. The Alliance is getting more aggressive. Someone's got to stand up to them soon, before things get even worse."

"Don't you think that'll cause an all-out war?" the pilot comments offhandedly.

Reiko shrugs. "It's better to die fighting for something than living for no reason at all."

He can't agree more.

--

Rei arrives at the Dogstar at 6:00 PM as usual. It's a Friday, usually one of the busier nights of the week. But as far as down the block she can see the bar is unusually dark. Something isn't right. It couldn't be closed, Caleb would have told her. Even last night, he'd said "See you tomorrow," when she left. It wasn't evil she sensed, per se. Not the evil of a youma or something supernatural. Just a sense of something wrong.

Going up to the door, she pulls on the handles. Locked. Peering in the window, she can't see a thing. There are no lights on, but also no signs of a struggle. Really as if...

"Bar's closed."

Something cold and hard presses into the small of her back. At first, Rei can't think of what it is, but when she looks in the window again, she sees the reflection of an Alliance soldier staring back at her, the barrel of his rifle making an indent on her leather jacket. She lets out an indignant little snarl, but he pays no attention to it.

"Hands behind your head. Now."

Although she can feel the rage building inside her, she does as he says. The solder herds her like a sheep around the building to the back entrance. Tapping three times on the door, he announces that he's "got another one." Another what? Rei wonders. The doors open, and she's ushered down a small flight of stairs to a utility room. Perhaps a dozen people are sitting in the middle of the floor, three other soldiers all pointing guns towards them. Particularly at Caleb, who is leaning dejectedly against a hot water heater.

"Caleb! What's happening? What's the meaning of this?"

He looks up at her, shocked to see her. "Reiko? What are you doing here?"

"A damn good question." She turns her head and glares at the soldier holding the gun to her. But he's a no-nonsense guard, and apparently not a very gentle one either. Jabbing the butt of his rifle into her back, he knocks her forward onto the ground. If she hadn't had the reflexes to put her hands out in front of her, her head would have shattered on the cement and all the fine people in that utility room would have had the privilege of seeing her brains spill over their feet.

"Bastard!" she spits, brushing herself off.

"Shut up and sit down," he orders. Rei is about to argue with him, but Caleb gently takes her by the arm and pulls her back.

"Please officers, she's not involved. I swear to it. She just works here, that's all. Let her go," he pleads. "She doesn't know anything."

"Hmph. A likely story from a man whose been hiding spies and radicals for months!"

Rei blinks. Caleb? Hiding spies and radicals? Her synapses suddenly fire. The back rooms. Upstairs. The strange people who came and went, like the Cyborg, and...

"Odin," she murmurs. Would he come tonight? If so, he'd certainly be caught. And while Rei might be able to get off okay once she revealed her real identity, if Odin was involved in whatever the Alliance had stumbled onto, he'd be lucky if he got off with jail time.

She can't let it happen. This had to end, before anyone really did get hurt. Which meant there was only one thing to do. Reaching into her jacket, she wraps her hand around her henshin stick. Rei hadn't transformed in years, but she always kept it on her. Just in case. And while she still can't directly attack a human, she has to do something. She shuts her eyes tight and leaps to her feet.

"Rei?" There is worry in Caleb's voice, and shouting from the soldiers for her to sit down.

"Mars Crystal Power! Make up!"

It is like being embraced by a lover who's been gone for years. The heat, the power, the energy, everything enfolds her and fills her with all the strength she could ever need. It burns in the most delicious way possible, and when Sailor Mars opens her eyes to stare down the shocked soldiers, she feels invincible.

"You fucked with the wrong girl, soldier," she hisses. Her hands are glowing, and the flaming bow returns to her grasp, shortly followed by it's companion arrow. She poises herself, aim locked on the soldier who'd thrown her down.

"Caleb!" she calls, drawing back the arrow. "Get ready to run!"

"She's going to shoot! Open fire!" one of the soldiers yells.

Mars smiles. "Fire is right. Mars Flame Sniper!" She unleashes the arrow, but not before changing the target. It shoots straight between two soldiers and hits the back doors at the top of the stairs, igniting them and instantly spreading to the walls. "Go! Run!" she screams, feeling the heat gather again in her hands, preparing for another shot. There's yelling all around her, and running. Even the soldiers are starting to flee, all but one...

All of a sudden, there is a sound like thunder, and a pain in her side...

--

Dr. J had told him to stay away from the Dogstar because an off-duty Alliance soldier had found one of the hidden cameras in an upstairs room when he'd been looking for a place to entertain his mistress. It would only be a matter of days until it was raided, he'd said. Any rebel with half a brain would know to stay away. Both J and his young charge had been blessed with full brains, but many other members hadn't been so lucky. Still, J thought it would be best to just lay low and cut their losses. Besides, Operation Meteor was a go. T minus sixty hours on the record, forty-eight off. The pilot had been officially named Heero Yuy, and was getting his affairs in order for his descent to Earth.

Of course, the only affair the young man had ever had was a woman by the name of Reiko Kumada. A woman who played piano at the bar where a fire had broken out following a suspected Alliance raid.

Heero drives stolen jeep well over the speed limit towards a column of smoke approximately seven blocks ahead. There aren't any fire engines, a bad sign. The Dogstar wouldn't be burning if someone didn't want it to burn, and burn to the ground, most likely. As he approaches, he can see other members of the rebellion running out from behind the bar in a blind panic. All save the bartender, who spots him right off and makes a beeline for him. He stops the jeep, and the man runs up to his side.

"Reiko's still in there."

It's all he needs to hear. Vaulting over the jeep's door, the young man races across the alley and down an opening into the basement of the building. There's smoke everywhere, so he tries to stay low to the ground. Holding his breath, he crawls on his stomach towards a figure laying beside a burst hot water heater. It's Reiko, except it's clearly not Reiko. She's dressed strangely, in a modified middie blouse and skirt, with a red light emanating from a crystal that somehow appears to be both inside her and hovering over her chest. But none of that's really important. What's important is that she's unconscious, and bleeding. A gunshot in the side.

He gathers her into his arms and gets to his feet. The crystal and the red light vanish, and suddenly she's coughing violently. "Odin...?" Her voice is barely audible over the roar and cracking of the fire.

"Hold on." She does so, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her face into his shoulder. He can feel her breathing through the fabric. Clutching her tighter, he heads for the door, stumbling up the steps as the ground shakes. The pair fall forward at the top, then manage to scramble away as the entire building comes down on itself.

Rei's eyes are wide as she watches the event, but Heero's not done yet. He holds out a hand. "Can you walk?"

It takes a moment before she can respond, but yes, she nods. Taking his hand, he pulls her over to the jeep just as rain starts to fall from the weather system overhead. The jeep isn't covered, but it doesn't matter. The rain feels good on their hot skin, and the feeling of wet needles stinging them in the face as they speed away from the scene is gentler than bullets.

He drives to an abandoned building and parks in the alley beside it. Glancing over at the girl in the passenger's seat, he sees pain and weariness on her face, and despite her protests that she can make it on her own, he places her arm over his shoulder and helps her inside and up the stairs to the top floor. The place used to be an apartment building, and he breaks down a door to find an abandoned unit still decently furnished.

Sitting her on the couch, he glances down at her side. Her hand is covering the wound, and there's a defiant look on her face. "It's fine," she grumbles.

"Let me see it."

"What did I just say?"

But she doesn't have the energy to stop him when he takes her by the wrist (it seems so fragile in his callused hands) and reveals a deep gash in the fabric of her outfit. The edges are ragged and stained red, and he can see a mess of rusty brown blood caked onto her skin beneath it. A look of surprise crosses his face. Only ten minutes or so had passed since finding her, and she'd been bleeding badly back in the Dogstar. And while the wound is far from healed, it had clotted already as though it were no more than a papercut.

His eyes meet hers. "It's fine."

Grumbling, she crosses her legs. "I told you."

Heero stands up. Rei braces herself. There's no affection or caring in his stance, only suspicion and--was it possible?--a sense of betrayal.

"How did the fire start, Reiko?" he demands.

She takes a deep breath. "I...don't know."

There's a click. Raising her eyes, all the color drains from her face. He has a gun pointed straight at her head. "I'll ask you one more time, Reiko. How did the fire start?"

So there was no other way, was there? Rei clenches her fists. It's over then. The whole truth and nothing but the truth, because everything else had been burned to ashes at the Dogstar. She gets to her feet, and the flames again cover her body. Heero shields his eyes from the brightness and the heat, but when it fades away a few seconds later, she's standing before him just as she had all those other nights he'd seen her. The outfit is gone, replaced by the red dress and a leather jacked he'd seen on her a million times before.

"I started the fire, Odin. It was the only way I could think of to get Caleb and the others out. And I wanted to scare you off, in case you decided to show up tonight."

"And you did it--"

"With my power, yes. The same power that kept me safe in the bar. It's my Sailor Crystal. That was what's been healing the wound as well." she cuts off. "I am Sailor Mars, the senshi of fire and war. And..." The next revelation is more difficult than the last. "My name isn't really Reiko Kumada. It's Rei Hino. My father is Takashi Hino, the J.A.P. Area Representative to the Alliance."

Heero stares at the girl before him, the girl he thought he'd known only hours ago. Here she was, not just a child of the Alliance, but possibly not even human. His every instinct tells him to fire on her, to finish the job that he shouldn't have interfered with at the Dogstar. She is an enemy and a threat. And a temptation. Always a temptation. For her, he would throw away his mission, his very life...

He drops the gun, then turns his back on her and stares out the window at the rain coming down through the black outside.

"Odin?"

"That's not my name. It's Heero Yuy."

Heero Yuy. She's heard about him in the history books, of course. But elsewhere as well. Her father hadn't been a fan of the man's policies, for one. He'd said it was one of the best things to ever happen when Odin Lowe gunned the bastard down.

Odin Lowe. Of course. How could she be so stupid? Code names.

"You're a member of the rebellion, aren't you?"

"Yes." He has nothing to hide from her anymore.

"You didn't tell me."

"It wasn't a risk I was willing to take."

"But you were willing to run into a burning building for me?"

Checkmate. There is nothing he can say to that. Suddenly, he feels arms wrapping around his waist, and a warm body pressing against his back.

"I thought I loved you," Rei murmurs. "But I don't even know you, do I? And you don't know me. Even so..." She squeezes him tighter. "I want it to be real." Her arms slip, then drop as she steps back, settling into herself. Or, at least, trying to. "I'm sorry. You should go. I can get back on my o--"

Her words are cut off as his lips seal against hers. One hand catches her by the wrist while the other grabs her waist and pulls her possessively closer. Her eyes widen grow to the size of dinner plates for a moment, then squeeze shut to hold back the tears. Why was he doing this? It wasn't real. She was still a senshi, he was a rebel, they had both lied, none of it had been true...

"I'm leaving."

She doesn't even notice him pulling his lips away. He is still holding her close, showing no sign of releasing her. But his words are enough. Taking a deep breath, Rei does her best to appear brave. "I understand. You should--"

"Not yet." His gentleness is unbelievable as he wipes a tear from her cheek. Hadn't he just pointed a gun at her? Closing his eyes, he presses his forehead to hers. "I'm going to Earth to fight OZ and the Alliance."

Now she's caressing his face, placing light kisses over his closed eyes. "You're not coming back."

"If I live--"

"If you live, there won't be anything for you here. Remember what I said? Dying for something is better than living for nothing. That's what I've been doing: living for nothing. But after tonight..." Her hand moves from his cheek down his neck and chest, until finally it clasps his. "That's going to end. I'm going back to Earth, and I am going to do something about all of this. Either as my father's daughter, or, if that fails, as a senshi."

"A senshi..."

She nods, then kisses him again. "We have our own battles to fight now, Heero. Any illusions we had...they have to go. How many do you think died tonight? How many more will die when the Alliance retaliates? We don't have any business together with other peoples' lives at stake."

He squeezes her tighter, because he knows she's right. No doubt after the raid Operation Meteor will be pushed up. Dr. J would come looking for him soon, he would launch, and that would be the end. The chances of holding her like this again, of kissing her, would be slim to none. Why had he been so stupid before? He could have had this all along. Now it was too late.

"Tonight..." She murmurs.

"Hm?"

"Stay with me...just tonight..." Her mouth is on his neck and her hands are tugging on his shirt. He stills himself and allows her to remove it before sliding onto the couch with her. His fingers move through the thick mane of black hair as she kisses his chest. "If this is all I can give you, then take it. But I wish..."

Her voice trails into nothingness as desperation gives over to passion. They are each other's first, though they don't say this aloud. When it's over, they lay there entwined, sleep nowhere in sight. And strangely enough, they talk. Not about the war, not about what just happened between them. The conversation they hold for the next three hours is typical of any that might have been held in the Dogstar. Books, music, stories from the past...and neither one questions the truth anymore. They even laugh in a few places, then cling tighter to one another when it fades away.

An alarm goes off on Heero's watch. 4 AM. He looks at her one more time, the temptation he finally succumbed to and did not regret one bit. She meets his gaze evenly, no tears, no sadness, just strength.

"You should get going."

He nods, then leans down and kisses her "Thank you," he whispers.

"Thank you." She watches him dress and leave without a word.

He does not look back even once.

--

"There's no doubt the Alliance knows what's going on. They failed to assassinate Vice Foreign Minister Darlian, and they apprehended a number of us at the Dogstar raid. No doubt someone leaked about Operation Meteor," Dr. J remarks over the radio.

In the cockpit of Wing, Heero Yuy makes his final adjustments to the launch sequence. "But this is different from the true operation."

"Yes, this is the operation you chose. But you'll be risking your life."

"Don't worry about me. Life comes cheap. Especially mine."

It's better to die fighting for something than living for no reason at all.

--

"REI-CHAN!"

The petite blond emerges from the small group of girls waiting at Gate 33C of the Tokyo Spaceport and launches herself at her friend as she exits the concourse. "I missed you so much! You were gone forever!"

Rei laughs, hugging her friend back. "I missed you too, Usagi. Everyone." Her gaze drifts from Ami to Makoto to Minako, all of whom are smiling and fighting their way to her, wanting to welcome her back. Nothing has changed since she's been gone. Nothing for them, anyways.

After another round of hugs, they start towards baggage claim, talking and giggling like old times. A weight settles on Rei's shoulder, and she looks up to see Luna perched there comfortably, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Hello Rei. Glad to have you home."

"Hi Luna. Glad to be here."

"Did you find what you were looking for up there?" she asks.

Rei gazes skyward. A shooting star streams through the clouds, a rare sight in the daytime. A smile tugs at her lips.

"You know, Luna, I did."

--

"In my head there's only you now.

This world falls on me.

In this world there's real and make believe

and this seems real to me."

Fin