summary: Rei and Jadeite speak about names and the importance of them
rating: T, language
The only thing she knows for sure is that he is dangerous. Nothing more, nothing less. He makes her knees weak and her back stiffen and her palms sweat. There is no other being -living or dead- who can succeed in this act; besides him. Her blood literally boils when he walks into the room. She glances down at her arms and notices the traces of pink lingering on her skin, from the fire burning within. She can feel the anger rise in her chest as she tries so hard not to leave a burn on every fucking thing she touches.
She grinds her teeth nearly to dust when she sees him set his jaw- hard and firm. He does this when there is a point to be proven, and she should not know this about him. She is angry with herself, as she always is.
She knows that this is entirely her own fault. Her childish games always turned into something more serious when she played a little too long. She believed in karma, and she believed this was exactly what she deserved.
"Mars-"
"It's Hino Rei. I'm not in a fuku," she spits, clutching the handle of her broom so hard she fears she might snap it.
He seems to think it over for a moment, like he might actually be choosing his words carefully. She knows him better than that. "Does Rei really suit you, though?"
Her name sounds like poison honey when it falls from his lips, and she hates him for it. She knows that she will forever hear his sultry voice when someone calls her name.
She sweeps imaginary dust from the steps of the shrine, nearly smacking a squawking Phobos and Deimos. They cry out and flutter away, like they are trying to tell her this man can only bring trouble.
"It doesn't matter if it suits me, Jadeite, it's my name whether you like it or not," her dark eyebrow raises, willing him to challenge her, and she knows he will.
He leans close, trying not to visibly cringe and her use of his name, "I prefer Mars."
"You killed Mars."
She says it so easily- and just like that the cement steps are replaced by eggshells, crushed beneath their feet. His face falls and she sincerely wishes that it satisfied her. Instead, she feels pricks in her eternally beating heart, a reminder that the blond man in front of her holds it in his palms. She turns her face into an unreadable mask.
"Jadeite killed Mars," he breathes, eyes locked on her own- of course he wouldn't back down.
"Yes," she starts, ready for war. "If you believe me to still be the Mars I was back then, why shouldn't I believe that you are the same Jadeite?"
He doesn't respond or even looks like he's going to respond, so she continues her tirade. "You will never ever change, Jadeite. Mark my words, you will kill Mars again in this life."
She says it with such conviction that even she really believes it for a moment. How stupid could Minako and Makoto be? Their respective Shitennou would undeniably betray them once again, leaving them to spend an eternity in Crystal Tokyo heartbroken. She could see it in their eyes the second the Shitennou returned with their memories- it would be chaos, she didn't need the fire to tell her. Sometime after the heartache, there would be a nemesis that the Senshi would succumb to, and they'd be reborn again, only to repeat their same mistakes. She thinks it must be a cruel joke, or some sins from a past life they are paying for.
He sucks in a breath, "It doesn't matter, Mars, because you will always love me anyways."
The broom turns to ash between her fingers in less than a second, and he doesn't even flinch. It takes every inch of her self-control not to watch him burn right there on the steps of the Hikawa Shrine. She turns on her heel, miko robes flowing around her like water, and stomps into the shrine.
He smiles, without his teeth, because the cuts she leaves are deep and bleeding and raw.
"Rei," he mulls it over in his mouth, tasting it, deciding that it does suit the ray of fire that stalked into the shrine. He turns and starts down the cement steps and decides that he will leave her to seethe in peace, counting this one as a win for himself. He will be back tomorrow, and every single day after.
fun fact: Rei's name directly translates to ray of fire- or at least that's what I read on wikipedia ^.^