To think this started out as an L-Word-esque excuse to use as many pairings as possible. My need for character development has saved all of us and… well, effectively doomed all of the Senshi. Don't worry! They'll figure it out!

Of course, not right now. That would ruin all my fun.

Floodgates: Chapter Nine

She felt silly out here on her own, like a child after a tantrum. Setsuna had that effect on you – at least she did on Rei these days, with her stripping, critical gaze.

Her sigh came out as a huff as she struggled to recompose herself.

Something about the look in Setsuna's eyes bothered her. It was like the older woman had some kind of expectation of her – ridiculously high, yet hushed and somehow hateful, like a disapproving in-law or an arch-rival.

From that glare, Rei had the feeling that the time she had been granted for something had expired. From the fact that it was Setsuna delivering it - wiser, stronger, and all-around better than the miko - she got the impression that the time designated was not so much an equal opportunity as it was a head start, a handicap she had failed to take advantage of, and she bitterly resented the notion that she needed one. Yet simultaneously, she felt uneasy. She felt there was somewhere she should be, some event she should intervene in.

She stood and dusted herself off, angrily wiping her wet eyes with her arm. That was it. She wanted to find out what the hell Pluto wanted from her.

Mars stalked towards the doors. Then she stopped, consumed with the belief that she had made her bed without Minako, and now she must lie in it. The motion detectors still caught her, however, and the doors parted, silently but tauntingly awaiting her.

Thankfully her decision was taken from her hands, however, as Usagi appeared on the other side.

"Hi, Rei-chan," she greeted almost breathlessly. Admittedly she had been looking for the brunette frantically for a good few minutes whilst trying desperately not to bump into Mamoru again, but it was actually seeing the miko that had winded her so.

"Hey, Usagi-chan."

The blonde smiled a big, dopey smile. It almost seemed too big to Rei, bordering on inappropriate considering where they were and why; but then again, she herself was so miserable that maybe she would have felt that way about anyone right then.

"What're you doing out here? Shouldn't you be with Minako?"

"Shouldn't you?" Rei responded rhetorically, to find the guilt she felt inside plain on Usagi's face. "Never mind, I'm sorry. She and I had an argument again. So I think I'm just gonna go home."

"Oh…" Usagi looked disappointed, her pretty blue eyes falling to the floor. Then as usual she snapped straight back out of it, bouncily asking, "Mind if I walk you?"

"I… sure. But aren't you going back with Mamoru?"

Usagi fidgeted. "Uh…"

Aware that she had said the wrong thing again, Rei waved off the answer. "It's okay. You don't need to explain anything. I'm just glad for the company."

Was it a lie? A part of her desperately wanted to be left alone at that moment, but another knew how often she got her way and how little it benefited her. Perhaps it was time to break the cycle. Besides, Usagi was the one person who wouldn't pass judgement on her, other than…

Rei stopped herself before she could turn on the waterworks again. Admittedly it was far easier now someone else was here. Her pride acted as her floodgates.

Suddenly she realised they had started walking, and that she was being unsociable again. She wanted to break the ice properly after a couple of weeks without really talking with her best friend, but she couldn't actually think of anything to say. It used to be so easy, but now all the secrets she was keeping – she wasn't even sure why she bothered keeping them anymore – hung over her, making it hard to think of anything else.

She looked across at the other girl, who was alarmingly quiet and thoughtful.

At least one good thing had come from this, though – from what she could tell, her feelings for Usagi had changed. She still loved her deeply, but now it was just as her princess, her best friend, almost her kid sister, rather than the mess of desperate, romantic feelings she had felt before.

The silence continued for most of the way there, until finally she resolved to use a different, tried and tested tactic. She casually leaned in closer to Usagi, nudging her with a shoulder butt.

It was only light, but its unexpectedness sent Usagi falling flat on her ass.

"Rei-chan!"

The tone came as a warning. Rei's grin, an expression she had desperately missed over the last twenty-four hours, spread over her face.

Usagi swung her foot out, taking the miko's legs out from under her. Rei hit the ground, blinking in disbelief. "Somehow it seems wrong that the princess of love and justice thought and acted the quickest in her life… for revenge."

Usagi pouted. "Shut up!"

"…On a fellow Senshi."

"Hmph!"

"Now come on, out with it." Rei got up and held a hand out for her friend. Usagi grabbed it grumpily, and she pulled her to her feet with a groan, "Fat-ass."

"Hey!"

Rei ignored her. "What's up?"

"I thought you said I didn't have to tell you?!"

"Well, yeah, because I thought you'd crack in a couple of minutes!"

They started walking again, the atmosphere far better than before. Rei's hands dropped from her jeans pockets to her sides, and she edged a little closer – Usagi could feel her body heat now. She blushed furiously.

"Besides, that was when I thought it was minor – but it's gotta be serious if you aren't chattering away like a spider monkey."

"You weren't talking either!"

"That's because I'm me!" she retorted. "So…?"

"…Okay." Usagi gave in. "It's just that… you're a miko, right?"

"You've been hanging out at Hikawa for over six years, but I'm glad it's finally sunk in."

"No, I mean… with your… expertise…" she said uneasily. "If something is 'meant to be'… do things tend to keep… getting in the way?"

"Uh…" Rei mused. Something about the way the miko imparted wisdom was captivating – majestic like she was a deity in her own right. Indeed, whenever Usagi tried to picture her friends as their royal past selves, Rei was always the easiest to place.

"I don't know. There are often obstacles to overcome in our lives… but my feeling is that destiny always gets its own way in the end."

"What if the person whose destiny it was… wanted to change it themselves? What happens then?"

Rei stopped her, seizing her arm. She looked concerned. "Usagi… is this a Senshi thing?"

"What? No! No, of course not!" the blonde assured her quickly.

"It's kind of more about … you."

Rei frowned in confusion, but before she could ask why, Usagi had wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her into a deep kiss.

At first she didn't respond, frozen in shock. But then she found herself reciprocating, remembering the last person she had done this with and how much she wanted to have it all back. She would have given anything, anything else, but not Minako herself.

As she wrapped her arms around Usagi's waist, she knew that something was missing – perhaps the heat and the rivalry; the empowering feeling of an equal partnership.

By contrast, this kiss was filled with love in its purest form – it was like drinking undiluted alcohol or eating chocolate that was one hundred percent cocoa. Too much of a good thing could be lethal – and she didn't want to be floored by crushes anymore. Usagi used to make her feel like she was an awkward teenager again, and it was a giddy, painful, all-consuming state that was hard to withstand. Not to mention Rei felt that she would never be deserving of Usagi, because she wasn't innocent – she could never deliver the same kind of love in return.

But despite knowing that, one crazy, selfish, hideously cruel thought flashed through her mind as she tore her lips from Usagi's, grasping her hand as she led her, hurried and giggling, back to the jinja:

She'll do.

Funny how the tables can turn…

It was strange that the lights were all on, but they crept in anyway – by this point it was past four in the morning.

Setsuna had a supporting arm around Minako's back, both their bags over her opposite shoulder and the key in her hand as she tugged it out of the lock.

"Michiru? Haruka?" she called in a whisper.

A scream. The two Sailor leaders exchanged a panicked glance and dropped their belongings. They ran upstairs, transformation wands at the ready.

Somewhere, Hotaru was delivering soft coos of comfort, but more pronounced were the disquieted mutterings on the landing. As they rounded the corner they saw the worried faces of Michiru and Haruka. The two Outers faced them, looking grave.

"It's Chibi-Usa."

It took only that for the oldest Senshi to charge straight between them, into Hotaru's room. Saturn was holding Chibi-Usa, pale and frightened as her girlfriend convulsed in pain.

"Small Lady!" Setsuna cried, dashing to her side. "What's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

"Everywhere!" she whimpered feebly.

Haruka turned to Michiru. "I'll get Mamoru."

She strode out of the room, taking her cell out of her pocket. She pressed it to her ear, thundering back down the stairs, but like Usagi's, Mamoru's phone went straight to voicemail. They were probably still at the hospital. She rolled her eyes in frustration, shoving her feet into her shoes.

Back in the bedroom, Michiru heard the door slam, then turned her attention back to Setsuna.

"She's been like this for a while." The bluenette's lyrical voice came out strong and serious. "We were just about to call you."

On an instinctive mothering impulse, Setsuna put her hand to the teenager's forehead to check for a fever. There was a sizzling sound; she shrieked and yanked it away, cradling her palm as it blistered and smoked.

"Oh my God!" Minako shouted the words involuntarily, the smell of burning flesh making her eyes tear.

"That hasn't happened to any of us!" Hotaru exclaimed.

"That's because it's time energy – she's falling into a rift."

Michiru's eyes grew wide. "A flaw in the timeline?"

"How do we fix it?" demanded Minako. She seemed so determined and mature as a leader, but it was sweet how straight-forward she still took these situations to be.

"We can't – not yet." Setsuna met their gazes. "It's a delicate process. If we go into this blindly we could make it ten times worse. We need Serenity or Endymion – whatever's going on must have something to do with them."

The tension visibly left Michiru and Minako, feelings of uselessness taking them over.

Hotaru felt Chibi-Usa clutch onto her, now barely conscious. She tightened her grip on her protectively. "So… we wait."

Yeah, I wrote most of this in a day, hehe. It probably shows :( Also, sorry there's no more Ami/Makoto! I was going to, but then I realised it didn't fit in with the chronology, so I can't…

Oh yeah. False college alarm, it turns out – not actually going back till next Tuesday. I was only actually in for Monday morning to re-enrol and give my timetable to my psychology lecturer so he can figure out how to merge his original four classes, in different time slots, into ONE.

I laugh. And I leave. Love you, guys!