Author's Note:

Hey everyone! How are you all doing?

I've been a little busier than I expected lately so this chapter isn't that long, but I wanted to add on to the story as soon as possible! Hope you guys enjoy it~

Have a great week!


She looked up at the tall skyscraper of an apartment building in front of her, taking note of the architectural design. Somehow, the clean lines gave her comfort. They reminded her of her own single story home, despite the vast differences in style. His place was completely westernized. Hers, on the other hand, was the epitome of Japanese culture.

Her feet walked by themselves. Past the doorman who asked her for identification (he did, right?), to the elevator and eventually, on his floor. She doesn't know how she got there. Heaven knows she doesn't drive. She just… arrived, somehow.

A sharp, tangy taste—acidic—rose up her throat as she rang the bell. She didn't call ahead of time, hoping that by showing up randomly she could chance it, and he wouldn't be there. It'll give her a little more time to put herself together. To thi—

"Rei?"

Her breath caught. She looked at him wordlessly, feeling as though it was the first time she's seen his face in years. His eyes. Have his eyes always looked that tired?

"What are you doing here?"

Rei took a deep breath, pushing down the heat that crept up her throat, threatening to come out. She knew this day would come, but she never thought it would come so soon. She still remembered the day she last saw her. She was so broken then; her pain was so fresh, its image burned into her soul.

"Usagi's back."

"Perfect!"

Makoto walked up to the tiny platform where Usagi stood to get a better look at the dress. The wedding was now only four weeks away, and everything seemed to be going as planned, mostly thanks to her bridesmaids. Even the dress Usagi was currently wearing had been chosen ahead of time, on the off-chance that she would suddenly show up (which she did), or that Makoto would change her mind and ask one of the other girls to become the maid of honor. That one was thanks to Ami, who considered the possibility months ago.

"The bust still feels a bit tight, but I think the rest looks good, too." Usagi looked at the dress on the three-way mirror one more time. It was gorgeous. Pastel pink (different from the pale green color of the bridesmaid dresses) with a modest sweetheart neckline and a delicately beaded empire waste where the fabric begins to drape just oh-so-beautifully.

"I do wish the best man was here so we could see how it looks on some arm candy," Minako added gleefully from where she sat on the couch. "You guys will be walking down the aisle together too, after all."

Usagi focused on the intricacy of the beadwork on her dress, pretending not to hear what Mina said. She had to remind herself that Mina has no awareness of her past with the best man. Furthermore, there was really no need to bring it up and make the others uncomfortable.

The bride cleared her throat, sensing the discomfort that seemed to radiate Usagi's entire body. She often found herself in this position lately. Mina would bring Mamoru up while Usagi would quietly shut down, and she'd be stuck in the middle. But she couldn't blame the former; the girl didn't know a thing. She was just concerned about what the topic was doing to Usagi.

"What about him?" Makoto pointed to a lone man standing in front of another three-way mirror, looking over the details of the tuxedo she assumed he was buying. Before the other girls could get a word in, she managed to walk over to where he was and started talking to him.

"She works fast, doesn't she," Usagi chuckled as she watched the bride. She turned her gaze to Minako, who was sitting on the couch with a magazine on her lap. "Wanna have lunch with me sometime?"

Mina looked up from the magazine she'd been perusing. "I'd like that," she responded. Mina felt a sense of relief. She wasn't sure how Usagi felt about her; the girl was so unreadable. She showed up out of the blue, and truthfully... she'd felt a bit out of place ever since. Everybody in their circle of friends knew who she was, but never mentioned her existence. It still seemed odd to her that the random girl she ran into at a restaurant bathroom was now the maid of honor for her friend's wedding.

"Okay girls, this is Alan."

The girls looked over to the man walking arm in arm with Makoto.

Usagi felt bad for the guy immediately. "I'm so sorry for the trouble; you don't have to do anything she tells you," she told him with a smile.

"But he's cute!" Mina looked the guy over openly. She had to give it to Makoto; she had a good eye. He was tall, with at a medium build, almond-shaped blue eyes and thick chestnut-colored hair. "Are you Japanese?" she asked him.

"Half," he admitted. "My father is. My mother is European." He glanced over at the girl in the pink dress. He had noticed her way before Makoto came up to him, and was pleased to see that she was more beautiful up close. "You must be the maid of honor," he walked over to shake her hand and stood beside her. "Like this, right?" he asked, looking at the other two.

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Rei shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She wondered how she could have possibly thought that this plan, or non-plan, to show up at Mamoru's place and talk to him would ever work. She looked at the coffee table in front of her, still trying not to look at the tall figure who was sitting on the couch next to Mamoru.

This meant quite a bit, considering the fact that Rei wasn't the type to get intimidated easily. But this was Setsuna, Mamoru's older sister. The confident, yet mysterious figure that Mamoru looked up to and perceived as faultless in almost every aspect. And besides, she—

"There's no need to avoid talking to me, you know."

Rei looked at her slowly, smiling tightly as their eyes met. "It's not that," she responded. "It's just—"

"I know. But you should know by now that I'm capable of keeping secrets."

Rei nodded, aware that this was true. She looked over to Mamoru, who was in the kitchen preparing tea for the three of them. She needed him to hurry up.

"At least it seems like you guys are still on good terms," Setsuna noted as she followed Rei's gaze.

Rei shook her head. "Nothing really changed with us, that's all." Setsuna was, as far as she knew, the only person aside from Motoki who knew about the incident that occurred the night Usagi left. "We weren't really friends before, and it's not like we got together after."

"I disagree," the older woman replied. "You're not in love with him anymore."

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Minako watched as Usagi continued to talk to Alan. "Does she have a date to the wedding?" she whispered to Makoto.

They had finally finished the fitting for Usagi's dress; Mina and Makoto were now standing with Mina by the counter waiting to talk to the seamstress about making the necessary alterations on the dress.

Makoto looked over at Mina and shrugged. "She hasn't mentioned anything to me," the brunette replied, suppressing her own curiosity about Minako's sudden interest and whether or not Usagi was, indeed, dating.

"I think they look cute together," said Minako.

Makoto laughed, somehow feeling relieved. "She looks good with everyone," she told the blonde. "But I think it's whether or not she looks right with someone that matters more," she added.

The blonde gave her friend a confused look, and was about to ask what she meant when her phone started ringing. She pulled the device from her purse and smiled.

"Hi honey," she greeted, mouthing the words Sorry, one minute to Makoto as she moved to step away. "I'm at the dress shop with Makoto and her maid of honor, Usagi."

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know I won't make it to dinner tonight. Something came up and I have to fly to Osaka right away."

"Oh, okay." Mina sighed. It was the second time this week Yaten cancelled their dinner plans. She'd grown accustomed to his busy work schedule, but it still made her feel lonely each time it happened.

"Are you talking about Usagi Tsukino? Blonde hair, NYU, white Range Rover?"

She raised a brow and looked at where Usagi stood, still talking to Alan. "You know her?" she asked almost too quickly. She knew it was unreasonable, but a sinking feeling started to form in the pit of her stomach.

She heard him chuckle on the other line. "Relax babe, she went to college with Seiya."

Minako pouted, although she couldn't help but admit that she felt somewhat relieved by this information. "Yeah, well, that's the one."

"That's great! Can you let her know that I'm going out of town too, and that I'll see her when I get back. You girls can call me on my private line if you need to reach me."

"Okay," she responded, ignoring the questions that she really wanted to ask. There would be time to wonder about those things later on.

"I'll call you when I get back then."

She looked at her phone's screen after he had hung up. Typical Yaten not to say goodbye at the end of a call. Even more typical of him not to throw in an I love you or I miss you in the mix, not like she does whenever she has to end their phonecalls first. She looked towards the blonde who was now standing next to Makoto at the counter talking to someone, possibly a sales associate or a seamstress. It seemed like Usagi knew everyone, from her circle of friends to her boyfriend and his family. She definitely wanted to know her story now.