This challenge was issued by Nerf-or-Nothing's 'Rei Challenge-1' in the forum Peace and War.

Silence: I am so happy about all the feedback I am getting on this story. I am expecting it to be lengthy, so I hope you don't mind!

Raiden: I mind...

Silence: No you don't. This fic has more violence than any of my other ones.

Raiden: Very true... I take back my previous statement.

Silence: Good. Disclaimer?

Raiden" -ahem- Neither Silence nor myself own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing. Do not steal anything about this plot because if you do, Silence, Nerf-chan, and I will kill you.

Thank you to: Nerf-or-Nothing, Dani, Darkbadkitty, Toowhiteprincess, Mandamirra10, Lady Light, Angel-eyes56, firnoviel, Rena H.M., and LadyNightFyre.

Also, my YuGiOh fic is in the works. I am trying to get a hefty amount written before posting.

Condolences

Chapter Six: So Small

"While you sitting around thinking about what you can't change
And worrying about all the wrong things
Time's flying by, moving so fast
Better make it count, cause you can't get it back"

I hate my life, I hate my sling, and I hate the cold weather… but most of all, I hate Wufei Chang.

I soon discovered that he is the bane of my existence in this world, always charging at me and degrading me with the term 'woman'. I really am trying my best to stay calm, but it is getting so difficult.

We are now sitting in my living room/dining room area, one of the four rooms in the apartment. My bedroom and bathroom were to the right and the kitchen was just outside the hallway when you first walked in. This place is crammed compared to the space I used to have at the temple.

Oh, sweet memories.

"So, what can you tell us Rei…?" Quatre asked calmly, his hands folded in his lap and back up straight. "Please, take all the time you need."

I feel all of their eyes on me, watching me sit and ponder over the situation. It was now I realized how tacky I looked… black sweat pants, white t-shirt, blue and green striped socks, sling, complete with my hair in a ponytail and no make-up. If this had happened around say, my father's house, I would probably have been beheaded. But, we won't get into the discussion of my father.

What we will discuss however, is how I am going to answer all these guys.

I really don't feel like telling them my entire life story, but I feel as if it is inevitable. The entire start of this story begins when the senshi began. I guess, I will tell as much as I wish as carefully as I can, trying to avoid all possible conflict.

"Well… it's not that complicated…" I look up to the group, hands under my chin. "I just saw it…"

Wufei gave a harsh laugh. "You saw it? You saw a bullet flying through the air and decided to jump in front of it?"

I glare at him. "Shut up!"

"Ok, please calm down…" Relena mumbled. "I don't want anymore fighting."

Hearing her voice, worry inscribed throughout its pleading tone hit a string within my heart, I guess. It pained me to see her hide it all back, trying to keep everyone happy while her life was at risk. There she goes, reminding me of Usagi again.

It was then I made my decision.

"I saw it in a vision ok?" I huffed out, burying my head in my hands, not completely believing what I just said. "I looked at the window, and I had the vision. About the time it was over, it really happened, so I was prepared and acted without thinking."

All in the room was still, not a word being spoken. I could almost hear myself screaming inside, scolding my big mouth for letting lose something so personal. It is one of the only remnants I have of my old life, and I just let it out.

"W-what…?!?" Relena stammered, her eyes as wide as saucers. "Excuse me… but is that even possible?"

"Of course it isn't! It is all nonsense!" Wufei barked, walking in front of me and shoving his index finger in my face. "She speaks lies!"

"Kindly back away from me." I speak calmly, but he doesn't budge. "Kindly remove your finger from my face before I break the damn thing off!"

He still doesn't move; only taunts me with his stares.

"Tell us the truth woman!"

I stand up and put my face close to his, challenging him. "I asked you to move you finger… so I suggest you back off!"

Wufei scowls and moves his hand, but does something that I completely did not expect. He placed both of his hands on my shoulders, shoving me back down onto the loveseat, holding my face roughly with his hand.

"You challenge me?" He spoke harshly, his fingers digging into my face. "Well, I challenge you! I will be damned before the person I am sworn by oath to protect dies because you can't tell us the truth!"

"Wufei! Sit down!" I hear Relena call from her place on the couch. "Let go this instant!"

Before I realize what I am about to do, I do it anyway. It wasn't that the way he was holding my face or the insults that made me take the next action, it was something else altogether. For some reason, I was overcome by a sense of grief. I was thinking about my final day back in my world.

Hence the single tear that began to roll down my face, making Wufei back away.

"Please, stop!" Relena cried again, this time making him completely leave me alone. The other guys just sat there speechless, either looking at Wufei in disgust or at me with worry.

"Rei, are you alright?" Quatre asked, beginning to get up from his place on the couch. "Here, let me get you some-"

"No. Sit down." I instruct him roughly, my pride already damaged from letting my emotions get to me. "I am going to tell you my story. If anyone interrupts me, I swear to the God in heaven I will jump off that balcony."

No one moved.

"Ok…" I rub my face with the hand on my good arm. "Ever since I was a small girl, I have always had these visions. In the past, I was a temple Priestess, so maybe that had something to do with it. I moved here a couple of months ago, trying to leave behind a few bad memories, and a few months later, the city got pummeled with bombs. I found Relena on my way to find help, and since then I keep running into her. I work at the orphanage, my favorite color is red, and my blood type is O."

As I finished my story with that smart ass statement, everyone was still quiet. It was then I remembered my threat.

"Oh, I'm done now. Speak."

Heero was the first to do so.

"There were a lot of uncovered time spans in your story."

I shrugged, looking at him with indifference. I knew there was, but I don't feel like divulging my entire life. I gave them the essentials.

Of course, forgetting to mention the whole senshi bit.

"Babe, I have a question." Duo, the brunette pilot with the long braid, asked while gazing out the window. "Why are those two birds outside your window, staring us down?"

"Oh, they are my pets; Phobos and Deimos."

"You keep crows as pets?" Duo looked confused.

"You wouldn't understand." I give a small smile to the birds outside the window.

"What I want to know is the reason you moved here in the first place." Wufei spoke, this time not using as much malice in his voice. "It had to be pretty bad to move away from everything you once knew to something completely different."

I knew someone was going to ask this question, but instead of it being painstakingly impossible for me to answer as I believed it would, it was sort of simple, easy you might say.

"My best friends were all killed." I look at him, pain filling my eyes. "Is that a good enough reason?"

The room was silent.

"All of my friends were killed, and my best friend saved me… and it was I that was supposed to perish… not her. She was so innocent, so kindhearted! It was my duty to protect her, and I failed! I couldn't even complete my duty! Instead, I was saved by the one I vowed to protect through death!"

I knew my voice was getting louder, and I was almost to the point of screaming. But, I didn't mind so much.

"None of you can understand how that feels. She was the first person to make me smile, the first one to ever care if I was ok. I was supposed to be there for her until the time came for me to die protecting her! I should have died!

"If that wasn't enough, all of my friends died! Every single one of them! I got to watch them all get stolen by the cold fingers of death, their lives slipping out of my own. I had to watch them die!"

I bury my head in my hands again, sobs racking my body. I couldn't control it anymore. I tried to hide it all away, but I just couldn't do it. Just like I couldn't save her, I couldn't save anyone.

"Rei…" I could feel Relena coming closer, but I didn't want her to right now. I wanted her to stay away.

"Leave. All of you kindly escort yourselves out."

Without a word, all of them left, leaving me alone to cry myself to sleep on the loveseat.

I don't think I have ever felt as worthless and degraded as I do right now.

It is currently six o'clock in the morning, the moon still present in the sky. I have been trying to go back to sleep, but I am entirely too restless. After the discussion I had with everyone today I just cannot make myself do anything. My head hurts and my body aches… everything terrible you can imagine that could happen to the human body.

My room is completely dark, my own hand not visible to me when it's an inch away from my pupils. Funny, I don't remember turning out the lights.

Pushing back my covers and discarding my sling on the floor, I make my way to the door, already feeling helpless enough without having aide from that stupid hindrance. My shoulder hurts still, but I will be back in bed in a second, right after I get a drink.

The light to my living room is off as well, the only sound being that of my footsteps. I am suddenly chilled, my arms getting goose bumps and the hairs on the back of my neck rising. Looking to my right I see my window is cracked, letting in a draft.

Someone is in my apartment.

I stop walking upon this realization. I know for sure I didn't leave that window open, and I'll be damned if I am taken down here. I have already made it this far.

"Come out, you son of a bitch." I state while taking a defense stance. "I know you are here. I feel your presence all around this place."

I got no reply, only the echoing silence I heard before.

I always wondered how I would feel if a situation like this only turned out to be paranoia. I would have given a speech and freaked out for no reason. Not to mention the horrid blow to my self esteem, as if it could get any lower anyway. But, I knew this was real.

I could feel the intruder, as if his heart beat was my own.

"I don't know who you are, but you do not scare me." I say more to myself than out loud. "Show yourself!"

My eyes are beginning to adjust finally, but the location of this stranger is still unknown to me. I hate feeling so vulnerable.

"I believe you are more scared then you are letting on."

The stranger speaks, but I cannot tell where his voice is coming from, I look all around the room, but I cannot see him.

The scary part is, he can see me.

"I am not scared of you."

Right after I said that, he grabs me in a chokehold, my neck being strangled between his bicep and forearm. I can feel his hot breath on my ear, his words taunting me.

"Oh, I do think you are."

I try to use my hands to pry myself loose, but his arm is pure muscle, keeping me from causing any damage. My breathing is becoming strained; I feel my head pounding more than it already was.

"What… do… you… want…"

He pushed his arms tighter together, constricting my breath intake even more. I knew he was laughing at me in his mind.

"I want to tell you that along with Relena, I am going to come after you. I want you to be prepared. I can sense that you have potential." He bends down low now, his mouth just centimeters away from my ear. "You aren't the only physic in this world."

I know my eyes widened, for I could feel them. However, I had run out of most of my oxygen, so when he let me go, I promptly passed out and hit the ground.

End of Chapter Six

So... more plot developement...