Rei slid the door of her room open to let in the cool breeze of autumn. A crisp wind mingled with her long jet-black hair. She felt something in the air, but she couldn't quite place its significance. She peered into the dark of night as she waited for a sign of events to come. As she was never content with waiting, Rei began to cross the shrine grounds to a private pavilion in which she could chant to connect with these mysterious energies. Wrapped only in a light kimono over a sheer nightgown, she threw sticks and brush into the pit and lit them ablaze. Soon, a raging flame licked at the ceiling and she seated herself in front of the fire. Lacing her fingers together and furrowing her brow in concentration she muttered her chants over and over again. After an hour of this, she still hadn't seen anything ominous. Concerned, she chanted one last time.

"Rin, Pyo, Tou, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!" Rei opened her eyes quickly to catch a glimpse of a face in the fire. She gasped and jerked backward as the fire suddenly billowed up in one large ball of fire and then abruptly went out. Her heart pounding, Rei clutched her chest. I know that face…it seems so familiar…for a moment I felt something like…No! No…I couldn't have. Her thoughts raced endlessly. She didn't want to admit that she felt some kind of affection for the face she'd glimpsed in the flames. She wracked her memories, but to no avail could she remember how she knew the features in the fire. Unsettled and exhausted, Rei sauntered out of the pavilion feeling some relief in the cool of the night enveloping her sweating skin. She slept restlessly, but, morning soon came and Rei donned her traditional clothing for working at the Shrine. She grabbed a broom and began sweeping the fallen leaves from the temple stairs.

"No! No! Please don't hurt me!" Rei heard shrieks coming form the street. She threw her broom down and bolted to the street. Jadeite was terrorizing a child who had been waiting for the bus. Ugh! This jerk, again! She thought with annoyance as she transformed into Sailor Mars.

"Leave that child alone, Jadeite! Have you no decency?!" Sailor Mars snarled at him as she barricading herself between him and the child.

"My, you are a pest," Jadeite smirked.

"You better run and get out of here, little one," Sailor Mars whispered over her shoulder and the child took off down the road.

"Now look what you've done. You let that rodent get away," Jadeite sneered looking down the road as the child got smaller and smaller in the distance, "I guess I'll deal with you, instead," he said turning his cobalt eyes to match her fiery stare.

"Ha, yeah, bring it on, lowlife!" Sailor Mars invited as she posed with her arms up ready to fight. Jadeite stared intensely at her for a moment before shrugging.

"My pleasure," he smirked as a growing ball of darkness formed in both of his upturned palms. Laughing, he quickly dealt her a powerful blow, which she skillfully dodged.

"Nothing more?" Sailor Mars asked in a condescending tone regaining her stance. Jadeite's mind suddenly went blank at her words and he felt, for a moment, the presence of a memory. Though, he quickly regained his composure and prepared to throw another mass of dark power at her, he felt something like sorrow inside. Sailor Mars conjured the fires within and her and threw Burning Mandela directly at Jadeite.

"Sailor Mars! No! Be careful!" Sailor Mercury's voice was shrill as she came running up the street.

"He might be—" Sailor Mercury (who had recently be reunited with Zoicite) tried to warn Sailor Mars that Jadeite might be much more than just an enemy, but it was too late. Their blows met with powerful force and flames seemed to engulf both of their bodies. With a flash of bright flames, Sailor Mercury witnessed both of their bodies disappear. Oh, Mars…hang in there…Mercury thought as she contacted the other senshi with her wrist communicator.

I feel so rested…what is this…where am I? Rei opened her eyes as she took in her surroundings. Her sailor suit was gone and the only coverage she had was her long, midnight hair, but she didn't seem to mind. A warm body floated with her in a dimension that seemed to be made of red, lustrous gel. She felt as though she and this body were encapsulated in the orange glow of a dying ember. She looked at the person near to her and saw it was Jadeite slowly awakening. His bright blue eyes radiating, penetrating her.

"Jadeite!" Rei gasped.

"Rei…where are we?" Jadeite softly asked. They effortlessly floated into each other's arms. Rei nuzzled her face against his neck.

"I'm not sure…but I…we were fighting," she sighed. They stayed holding each other close until Jadeite suddenly broke the spell.

"Rei…do you remember why we were fighting," he asked cautiously, not wanting to abruptly incur this young woman's wrath.

"Hmm…something is slowly coming to me…" she said, "we were fighting…why were we fight—AH!" She gasped and pulled away. Her eyes suddenly narrowed with anguish.

"Wait!" Jadeite held tight to her waist, "Remember before that…long before that…" her eyes flickered again and sorrow replaced her anger.

"What happened…what happened to us?" She asked. Jadeite shook his head slowly.

"Beryl. In the Silver Millennium…a battle. We died defending Endymion and she took our bodies…and now…" he commented in broken thoughts, but Rei's memories began rapidly flooding back to her filling in his gaps. "Oh, Rei, I'm so sorry…I didn't even, I couldn't…she just took my body," he stammered.

"Jadeite…you used to be so cool and calculated," she said coyly. "It's…well, it's not alright. You should have remembered and not fallen so easily under Beryl!" Rei said sternly, her eyes coming together in anger. Jadeite knew she probably wouldn't budge on this one at this point in time and the corner of his mouth went up into a half smile.

"Mmm…you're very right, my love," Jadeite conceded. He wrapped his arms tightly around her waist pressing their naked bodies together. Rei softened and draped her arms around his neck.

"How long can we stay like this"? She whispered into his ear.

"I don't know, but let's enjoy it while it lasts," he replied. He snaked a hand up her back and holding her head, pulled her lips to his and kissed her. His soft lips rested against her own. Rei laced her legs with Jadeite's and let out a soft moan. At the sound of her pleasure, Jadeite's kiss became more eager and intense. He parted her lips with his tongue and kissed her deeply, feverishly. Rei clutched his chest and tangled her fingers in his silky yellow locks. They remained in each other's arms for what seemed like hours. But soon, Rei sensed the need for urgency.

Knowing their moment had to come to an end, Jadeite brought their kiss to a close. Looking into her eyes, he knew what had to be done.

"Rei, do you know?" He asked, assuming she did through her psychic powers.

"Yes…I know." She choked, her eyes brimming with tears. Jadeite would pass his life into Rei to give her his remaining strength and power just as Zoicite had passed on his power to Ami.

"This has to be," Jadeite said, his own voice filled with grief. She nodded, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Will we ever…" she could barely bring herself to ask if this was to be the last of their love.

"I'll find a way to return to you, beautiful," Jadeite reassured her holding her cheek in his hand as his thumb wiped away her tear.

"I swear, Jadeite, if you are lying to me I'll…I'll…" she tried to think of something, but he only chuckled at her stubbornness and put a finger to her lips to quiet her.

"I know," he said, his eye gleaming, "You'll throw me in the flames," he laughed softly.

"Yeah…or I'll make you work for my grandfather," she said crossly. Jadeite let out a belly laugh that Rei felt reverberate throughout her entire body. Every moment with Jadeite was bringing back memories and long ago forgotten senses. She didn't want to part from his embrace. They gazed deep into each other's eyes, silently communicating a deep love that had survived through millennia.

"Jade—" Rei began, but Jadeite pulled her tightly against himself and silenced her with their last kiss. Suddenly, Jadeite disappeared as if eaten up by flames and Rei found herself cold and almost entirely nude on the concrete where she had challenged Jadeite.

All Rei could hear was the clicking of heals as the Sailor Senshi ran to her body. Their voices were muffled as they protectively surrounded her. Sailor Moon wrapped her shivering in her arms that the senshi carried her to the bathhouse in the shrine. They all entered into the water with Rei as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. Usagi had almost scrubbed off all of what seemed to be charcoal covering Rei's body.

"Usagi, what are you doing?!" Rei weakly shouted at her friend. But, Usagi just continued scrubbing.

"You returned to Earth covered in coal, Rei," Minako explained. Rei stared at Minako blankly and just let Usagi continue scrubbing.

"I'm so tired," Rei confessed quietly.

"Let's put you to bed," Ami said, stepping out of the bath and grabbing a towel for Rei. As the Senshi wrapped Rei's body up, Rei suddenly grew weaker as she thought of Jadeite and all of the memories of their previous romance. His power coursed through her veins and her mind raced as memory after memory flashed across her mine. She stumbled, but Makoto picked her up swiftly and carried her to bed.

"Get some rest, Rei, you can think everything over when you're feeling better" Makoto said with a comforting smile as she tucked her friend under the blankets, "You can process all of this later." Rei quickly drifted off into a restless slumber.

No! No! Jadeite, come back to me! Rei sat bolt upright in bed, sweat consuming her body. Just as they had done when Ami returned, the senshi had settled in for the night in Rei's bedroom. Usagi was sprawled out on the floor, her leg over Minako's back. The sight brought a smile to Rei's face as she tiptoed around their precarious bodies to the porch. She slide the door back to let the brisk night air cool her skin. She sighed deeply and turned her gaze to the sky. Jadeite, where ever you are…come back to me…Rei thought as she felt a presence beside her.

"All we can do is wait for them," Ami said, putting her arm around Rei, "I'm sure they'll find their way back to us." She said confidently. This coming from Ami, Rei felt a little relief.

"I miss him," Rei said and silently began to cry. Ami only hugged her friend tighter.

"We have to be strong for Sailor Moon and defeat Beryl. Zoicite and Jadeite know that. And they've given us the best thing to help us help Sailor Moon: their life force. We just have to stay positive and believe that they'll find a way back to us again in this lifetime…"Ami's voice trailed off as she tried to reassure Rei. Although, still weeping, Rei put her hand over Mercury's and they cried softly together.

Months have passed, the battle with Beryl has taken place and the Senshi's memories have all been revived.

Rei's smile was so big as she witnessed the return of Zoicite, that she couldn't contain her excitement. Her faith in Jadeite's own return was renewed and she knew she only had a matter of time to wait. Yet, that time was beginning to destroy her.

Weeks passed and still, only Zoicite had returned intact. Everyone tried to reassure Rei that Jadeite would find his way, but she couldn't seem to take solace in their promises. She felt herself resigning to the fact that she may never see him again, and this thought brought her to tears. She was losing sleep and praying late into the night. On a winter evening, Rei wrapped up in a warm kimono and went to take a last walk around the shrine grounds before returning to the pavilion to chant. She neared the area where the prayer tree stood. Rei. Her mind registered his voice. Rei…suddenly, she realized there was nude body lying listlessly on the ground behind the tree! She ran to it and immediately recognized the blonde hair and broad shoulders. Hot tears blurred her vision, but she ripped off her kimono and wrapped it around his shivering body.

"Jadeite! Jadeite!" She frantically called him to consciousness as she helped him sit up. Propped up in her arms, he surfaced from the darkness and saw clearly her radiant, stunning face.

"Rei," he mouthed, attempting too quickly to embrace her. He was extremely weak.

"Jadeite, can you stand? Lean on me. You can't stay out here, it's freezing," Rei gently helped him to his feet, but he leaned heavily on her.

"Rei! He's back!" She heard Mamoru yelling as he approached their wavering figures.

"How did you know? Never mind, help me carry him to the bathhouse before he catches pneumonia or something!" Rei barked.

"Hang in there, Jade," Mamoru said as he supported his general's weight. They both helped Jadeite to the bathhouse and into warm water.

"I think I can take care of him from here, Mamoru. Thank you for helping me…so…you can sense when your men return, then?" She asked.

"Yes. The moment their bodies touch my Earth, I feel it. I'm just glad he landed in your shrine," he said, "I'll let the others know." He smiled and waved good-bye as he left Rei to nurse Jadeite back to health.

Rei dropped her clothes to the wooden floor panels and slipped into the water with Jadeite who was able to prop himself up against the bath walls. She waded over to him and pushed back the hair from his face.

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly.

"Mmm…I'm so tired, Rei," Jadeite confessed. They stayed in the water until its heat faded, but by then, Jadeite was able to stand with Rei's aid. They stepped out of the bath and Rei helped him dry off. Standing there, their two bodies pure and unclothed, Jadeite leaned down to kiss her. Their mouths pressed together as their tongues softly met. With their bodies touching, Rei could measure his strength and she sensed him growing weak, again.

"Come," she whispered and took his hand leading him to her bed, "sleep here tonight." She said helping him into some sleeping clothes. Jadeite lay down and Rei pulled a mini bench over to the side of the bed. She leaned over and kissed his lips goodnight.

Rei would stay by his sleeping form and pray silently over him the entire night.