Author's note: Please enjoy the new chapter! I wanted a little interaction for certain members of the group following their revelations. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 10

Rei stood in front of the door that led into the room with the great fire. She reached out to grab the doorknob and saw her hand shake. She took a breath and yanked the door open, walking in. She stood looking at the mess left behind from the youma attack. She turned, her grandpa's slippers catching her eye. She knelt next to them and picked them up in her hands. They must have fallen from his feet when Kasai attacked him. Kasai. She knew something was off about her. She let her head drop into her fists full of the slippers and felt tears well behind her eyelids. This youma was almost a perfect replica Kigaan, the first one she ever encountered upon her first awakening as Sailor Mars. She rubbed her eyes to keep the tears away. With what she had now, she wouldn't have made that mistake, to get caught up in her own pain. She sat back on her feet and looked around the room, noticing for the first time that the great fire was reduced to the dying embers in the grate, the glow of the little flames still flickering among the shadows.

"Rei?"

She looked up, Jadeite framed in the doorway. She allowed her full weight to rest on her feet as she sat back, clutching her grandpa's slippers. He came over and crouched down next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noting the tears glistening in her eyes, the natural colour of her eyes appearing a deep violet.

She nodded silently. He sat back and reached out to touch her hand. She flinched. He frowned and pulled her chin up so that she was forced to look at him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded, the hurt evident in his eyes.

"How could I?" she whispered. "I thought I was going crazy."

"Did you not think I would understand?"

"I didn't so how could I expect that you would? You heard Zoicite. It took him time to accept Ami, even though she didn't understand herself either." She pulled away from his grasp. "I can't explain to you what I went through because it was…" She took in a breath and stared up at the ceiling. "To know what I know and not understand any of it, was the loneliest thing in the world. Just add on top the supernatural power that I had no control over that could hurt anything that lived and breathes, then we have the cherry on the cake," she said sourly.

He pursed his lips. "It wasn't your fault. You saved your grandpa, Rei-chan."

"It wasn't enough," she said brokenly.

"Rei," he replied.

"You don't understand what it's like to be her," Rei interrupted. He looked questioningly at her. Mercury, Jupiter and Venus all stand for wisdom, protection and love. Mars is the guardian of war. No one feels the world like I do. If you could hear what the world was feeling… the loneliness. The confusion. It looks quiet out there. It's not. It's deafening. I was caught up in my own pain and I was too late to see anyone else's. The reality of pain is that every single person out there is ignoring our pain because they're too busy with their own. As Mars, I walk through fire and I don't get burned. It doesn't mean that I don't feel it, though." She stared at the floor blankly. "I can see pain before it happens. And it was plaguing my every living moment before I could understand why."

Jadeite looked at her and sighed gently. "How can I help you?"

"You can't," she replied, looking at him.

"Do you need help getting the great fire going again? I've never seen it so low before," Jadeite tried.

"It's never been like this before," she murmured. "But without the prayers and meditations of a priest or miko, the hope is gone." She straightened herself and raised her hand towards the dying fire and swished her hand in a brisk circle, immediately bringing the fire to life once again. It flickered big and strong.

Jadeite raised his eyebrows. "Control?"

She snorted quietly. "It's like riding a bike when you remember how."

He pulled her into his side as they sat by the warm fire, staring into the deep, rich colours of the flames.

Makoto answered the door to Nephrite and let him in. He wrapped his big, strong arms around her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She smiled into his chest. She had always been insecure because of her tall stature at 5 feet 6 and being the tallest of her friends. Her height had kept people away in the past, but she had always craved the warmth of another. Nephrite stood taller than she and his head could rest on top of hers. She felt like she was in a protective bubble with him.

She stepped back and smiled. "I didn't expect to see you today. I feel like everyone's gathering their thoughts after yesterday."

He followed her into her little kitchen and shrugged. "I'm still me and my feelings for you are unchanged. Why would I stay away?"

She smiled as she glanced at him, filling up a watering can. He watched her fill a second and frowned when she handed it over to him. "I'm glad."

He watched her water the first plant and then couldn't help himself. "Why are you doing that?"

She turned raising her eyebrows. "Watering my plants? I do that every day. The heat of Japan kind of makes it a requirement."

"No, I mean why are you doing that? You can keep them alive by your will alone. Surely, you needn't go through this effort." Nephrite looked at the watering can in his hand perplexed.

"Nephrite, you just said that even after yesterday, you came out with your memory intact, but you are still you. Well, I am still me. I want to go about my day like any normal girl would. My duty is to protect, and I won't stray from that. It expels great energy to use my gifts, so I don't want to do that." She frowned, turning her attention back to the plants.

"I suppose at least now we know why you become electrically charged when you're sick," he smirked.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she said, her attention still focused on her various plants decorating the room.

"Is anything bothering you?" he asked, noticing the temperature of the room drop.

"No," she answered shortly.

Her watering can was taken from her hands and he pulled her onto her couch. He squeezed her sides. After a few moments of silence, she let out a big breath of air.

"Okay, I'm scared of it. Is that what you wanted to hear?" she admitted, looking up at him. "I loved who I was. I knew who I was. When the weirdness happened, I just shrugged it off. I feared the storms because I knew that I reacted badly to them, but everyone has fears. One excellent example is Usagi-chan. I don't want anything to take away this life. It happened once," she said sadly.

He recalled the memories that he knew were tormenting her. The worries, the fights, the losses, the pain, the chaos and destruction. The death. He sighed, pulling her close to his side. "It won't happen again."