Usagi walked up the steps to the shrine, unsure of what she was even doing there. The only thing she knew was that, despite everything and how hurt she was, she couldn't stand by while Rei made a huge mistake. Once there, she saw Rei outside, sweeping away leaves. The other woman had seen her, but barely acknowledged her. Usagi leant against the railing, casually.

"She won't even be in the country tomorrow."

"Uh-huh" Rei grunted.

"So what are you doing sweeping?"

"I have responsibilities!"

"She's leaving tomorrow!"

"I know!" Rei said, her voice choked up and hoarse, as if she had been crying.

"You know Rei," Usagi said after a slight pause, pushing herself up. "You're really selfish."

"What?" Rei asked, turning her head to look at the blonde.

"You heard me." The other girl said. "You kissed Minako while we were still dating, and now you're all depressed, and I have to comfort you! That's not how this goes! I'm the one who's meant to be upset! So why is this all back to front?"

"I-I didn't mean to…" Rei stuttered.

"Didn't mean to what?" Usagi asked. "Kiss her? What, your lips just got stuck on hers somehow? You just fell on them?"

"I…"

"Or was it a spur of the moment thing? It was, wasn't it! It didn't mean anything to you! You broke up our relationship over nothing didn't you?"

"No I…"

By this point, Usagi was right beside Rei.

"You're not even going to the airport to drop her off; Ami and Makoto are! So, you don't really care she's leaving at all, do you?"

"I do!" Rei yelled. "I do care! I love her!"

When she realised what she had said, Rei looked at Usagi fearfully, surprised when she saw a lopsided smile on her face.

"Then go get her." The blonde said.

Rei looked at her for a moment, before pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you, Usagi." She whispered in her ear, before running off.

Usagi watched as she disappeared from sight, the smile disappearing before a tear ran down her cheek. Someone walked up beside her.

"That was a very good act you put on back there, princess."

Usagi looked to her right and gave a soft smile.

"Thank you, Setsuna-san."

"They were together back then as well, weren't they, during the Silver Millennium?"

Setsuna looked up from her green tea, sighing slightly as she looked at the princess. The blonde was sitting opposite to her in the little café she had taken her to, stirring her hot chocolate intently and deliberately not looking up.

"Yes." She replied simply. "They were."

She left out the part about how long it had taken for them to get together, and how, up until they did, it had generally been suspected that Mars had feelings for Serenity.

"Was this destined to happen, Setsuna-san? Could Rei and I have never ended up happily together?"

Setsuna hesitated before replying.

"There are many paths in the future. In some, one ends up with one person, in others with another. It is the choices one makes that will determine who that person is, or if they end up with anyone at all."

"But isn't there someone whom you're meant to end up with? Like your soul mate?"

"There are certain people." Setsuna said, emphasising the plural. "…that you will feel more of a connection with than other people, romantically. For example, Mamoru was someone you felt very closely connected to, your 'soul mate', but you were able to move on, to someone else who also had another part of your soul."

She slipped a hand over the counter, placing her hand on top of Usagi's.

"Don't worry. Someday, you will find the one you can be with."

Usagi smiled at her, and nodded her thanks as Setsuna withdrew her hand.

As Rei parked her car she steeled herself internally for what was to follow, for any possibility. She knocked on the door softly, so much so that no one could possibly hear it. Reprimanding herself for being a coward, she reached up and rang the doorbell, able to hear the chime even from outside.

Waiting five minutes, as nothing happened, Rei became terribly worried that Minako was, in fact, not in or even worse had decided to leave early and not tell them, as ridiculous as that sounded. Finally however, the landing light switched on, and the door opened. As soon as she saw Minako's face, Rei began to talk at full speed, afraid that after the silence of the last week, the blonde would never want to talk to her again, and in her opinion, quite rightly so.

Instead, the blonde turned and walked back to the sitting room, leaving Rei to close the door and follow. The other girl sighed, it was, after all, still better than getting the door slammed in her face. She too moved to the living room, only to find Minako sitting on the couch, looking down at her hands.

"I...I'm sorry I haven't come before" she said in a hesitant tone of voice.

Minako kept looking down at her hands, not saying a word.

"I just didn't know what to say, you know? I needed some time to think."

This time Minako smirked. When she looked at Rei, the raven haired girl was surprised to see how blank the blue eyes were, how much self loathing they held.

"Just say that you want to see me as little as possible outside of the senshi stuff and leave Rei. I…I'd like to be friends, but I know that's probably not possible anymore…"

Rei paused, flabbergasted. She would never…Minako really thought that this would end their friendship? That Rei would let something that she too was responsible for ruin everything they had ever had? She sat down on the couch and took the hands in her own, pausing to note how perfect they felt there.

"No Minako, you don't understand. That's not why I'm here."

Minako's eyes shot up to meet her own and Rei smiled, trying to reassure the other girl before continuing.

"I…I broke up with Usagi a week ago. I stayed away because it felt wrong to be here so soon afterwards, but…Usagi has the biggest heart out of us all. She made me realise that I…I can't help who I'm in love with. Maybe I should put this off and chase you through the airport in a terrible panic, reaching you just before you leave. Or even arrive there as your plane takes off, falling into deep and utter despair, only alleviated when you return so I can woo you. After all, I know you love your soap opera endings…"

A tiny smile graced Minako's pink lips but she still held herself back, unable to believe what she was hearing. Rei, on the other hand, had never looked quite so confident as she did now, her posture erect and her violet eyes holding a calm and collected gaze, even as she smiled slightly.

"I love Usagi as my best friend, as my princess, as I would one very dear to me. When you and I kissed… it made me realise, or at least stop denying, that I'm in love with you Minako. I think I have been for a very long time."

Minako's eyes filled at the declaration and she raised a hand to her eyes to wipe away the tears that threatened to spill. Rei smiled at her before continuing.

"I know that tickets to England aren't cheap and that you miss your parents. So you should definitely still go Minako. I'll still be waiting for you when you come back, whenever that is. That is, if this is what you want as well…"

Minako stood absolutely still for a moment, before she began to nod her head vigorously.

"Yes, Rei I would, that is, I wa-, it would be…" she stopped for a moment, looking sheepish.

"I would really like that." She finally finished the last sentence before adding "Especially since I phoned my father last night."

This time their positions were reversed. Rei's eyes widened with surprise and looked worried, while Minako had become the self assured one.

"I told him that I would go and see him and Mom but that I wanted to come back here to finish my studies. After everything that's happened…"

Here both girls blushed slightly.

"And some very wise words of advice were given to me about running away by Haruka; I figured out that whatever happened between us, going to England wasn't the right way to solve anything. Besides, we'd all get terribly bored, where would we all be without the drama that the five of us being together brings?"

Rei smirked before she reached out and took Minako's soft hand in her own, running her thumb gently over the knuckles.

"So you're coming back."

"In August."

"A month from now."

"It's quite a ways away."

"And you're leaving tomorrow."

"Yes."

"And you love me too…"

This time, her voice was softer, questioning almost.

"Of course." was Minako's reply, a soft smile playing upon her lips.

"I'm going to kiss you now."

"Maybe we should wait until August to be sure of our feelings…."

Rei, who had been leaning in towards Minako, back peddled rapidly at this statement, taken aback.

"What!?"

"Kidding," Minako grinned. "I think we've waited long enough, don't you?"

Rei let out a sigh of relief and the blonde leant forward and captured the raven haired girl's lips with her own. It was warm, soft and gentle and like the last one they had shared, deepened gradually as it continued. Rei's hands gently caressed Minako's face and Minako's came up to rest on Rei's shoulders as she was pushed backwards on the couch, with Rei half on top of her.

When they separated however, it was utterly different. This time, when Rei whispered "Minako", they simply smiled at one another, before leaning forward once more.

THE END

A.N-I did say that eventually, it would be complete. I originally had Rei chase her to the airport, but it was so cliche...fitted this fic perfectly, but I decided to try this instead. And on that note...IT'S DONE!!!