A/N: I finished writing this, so I'm going to post it two chapters today and tomorrow, and the last chapter on Sunday. =D (More than that, I can't help but feel the cliffhanger at the end of this chapter was cruel.)

Disclaimer: see previous chapter.

"You're late, Mako. Is everything alright?"

The brunette sighed, feeling much older than her 20 years. "Not really, but it will be. I'm sorry I'm late; a very close friend of mine went suicidal and I waited in her hospital room for her to wake up. It won't happen again."

The old man smiled at her. "Hopefully, you're right and your friend will never be in the hospital again."

Makoto left work as soon as she could, not staying until close as usual. She had a stop to make before she went to see Rei.

"Hey, buddy."

The creature looked worried. Makoto was sure if it could cry, it would.

"Is she alright? She is alive, right?"

"She's fine. She woke up this morning.

"I'm glad. Is her head-"

"That's what we're about to talk about. How exactly did she get that headache?"

The creature looked down to the grass beneath it's small body. "She was fighting one of the younger guys, and I didn't want her to get hurt, so I offered to fight her because I know her limits better. I tackled her and she hit her head pretty hard. I didn't think I threw her to the ground as hard as I did. I was trying to be careful and-"

"Relax." Makoto picked the creature up from the ground. "You don't need to worry about anything. She's going to be just fine. I'm sure she'll be out here getting on both of our nerves and acting like an idiot in no time."

The creature shifted in the brunette's hold, refusing to meet her eyes. "I know, but I still feel bad. I should have been more careful."

Makoto gave the creature a thoughtful look. "How long was Rei passed out before Yuuko came?"

The creature met her eyes for the first time. "I don't know. Maybe twenty, thirty minutes. Why?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "There is no possible way she could have survived that long, especially considering blood thinners, with no one clotting her blood, and no one else was here."

The creature dropped it's gaze.

"That was you, wasn't it? You protected her, didn't you?"

"Don't tell her. She'll kill me if she knows I was in the shrine. I just couldn't let her die."

The brunette smiled gently. "You did good. If you hadn't been in there to save her, she wouldn't be alive to kill you. She owes you."

The creature looked up at her again. "Don't tell her. Please."

Makoto sighed. "I won't."

"Ugh. I feel like shit."

Makoto laughed. "Shrine, Rei. Remember?"

The miko was very short of flicking her friend off. Her legs were unstable and she was still dizzy, but refused to let anyone help her to walk. She was more than able to take care of herself.

The miko had been released from the hospital earlier that day. Minako had to leave for the start of her tour a few days before, but called her every few hours to make sure she was okay. Rei never answered her phone, so Makoto answered it for her, more often than not forcing the stubborn miko to talk to the idol. Rei's phone rang and she groaned.

"Either you answer that or I will."

Rei reluctantly reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Rei. How's it going?"

The miko sighed. "Slowly. I still hurt, but I'm okay."

"That's good. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to pick you up."

"It's fine. I understand your schedule. Mako got me."

"That's good. Tell her I said hey. And try to take care of yourself. No more stupid miko stunts, okay?"

Rei smiled, feeling the concern and appreciating it. "I'll try."

The tone on the other end was warning. "Rei-"

"I'm kidding. I'll take care of myself. I'm a big girl."

"Oh how I know. Look, I have to go, but I'll try to come see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Later."

"Bye."

Makoto raised an eyebrow at the smiling miko. "I'm guessing that wasn't Minako."

Rei shook her head. "Nah. Yuuko says hi."

Makoto grunted and wore an expression Rei couldn't quite figure out.

"She's back?!"

Makoto smiled down at the grinning creature. "She is. Come on. I'm sure she'll forgive you leaving the woods just this once."

The creatures bounced behind Makoto jovially toward the shrine.

"Rei," Makoto called out, "these little guys missed you."

The miko looked out of her open window and frowned. "You know-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Save it. They wouldn't be out here if you were a good little senshi and took care of yourself like the capable woman you say you are. Now let them show you how much they missed you and stop frowning."

Rei had begrudgingly done what Makoto had asked, and was now laughing with the little black creatures that jumped up and down on her bed beside her making her bounce. Her friend had disappeared a while ago, but never said where she was going, and Rei was too busy acting angry to ask.

The miko's rare happy mood was not broken, even when her cell phone rang. She answered it without looking at the ID, and some of her humor rang through her greeting.

"Wow. You sound happy. Can I assume this is because you want to talk to me?"

Rei's smile fell just short of a frown. "Assume what you want."

The creatures bouncing on her bed stopped moving and looked at her with concern. She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling. She didn't feel like being questioned by their silent eyes.

"Rei, how have you been?" The idol wisely altered the conversation - she didn't need any more reminders of how much she irritated, annoyed, angered, etc. the other woman.

"I'm fine."

"Is that all? I heard you got out of the hospital today."

"Yeah."

"Rei don't be so cold!" When the idol received no response, she checked that her phone was still connected. When she saw that it was, she took that as a good sign.

"I miss you, Rei."

The miko felt herself frown. "Minako, I don't want to do this."

"You're not doing anything, Reiko. Nothing at all."

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Then what do you want to talk about? We can talk about anything you want."

"I don't want to talk to you." Rei felt no more need to sugar-coat the fact.

"I'm aware. You don't have to rub salt in the wound, though. I find this whole situation ironic, you know?"

Rei wasn't sure she wanted to know, but asked anyway. "What do you mean?"

"You're the one who wanted to be with me, you're the one who pursued me and then you were the one who broke up with me. You started dating my ex after you accused me of falling in love with someone else. And you're the one who always took care of me and worried about me and stuff, but you winded up in the hospital half-dead. And for you to be so upset about losing your best friend, you're not making any effort at rectifying that. Instead, you just insult me every chance you get and push me away when I try to get closer.

"Don't get me wrong, I understand it. I really do. But if you're going to act like that then stop fucking telling me that you're in pain. This shit hurts me too, damn it.

"Now I'm going to ask you again, and you're going to be cordial, you got it? How are you doing, Rei? I heard you got out of the hospital today."

Rei was very short of snarling. She hated when Minako was right. She hated more when she was a douche about it. "I'm fine."

"That's good. Has Mako been taking care of you?"

"She has."

"This conversation is going no where fast if you don't talk to me, Reiko."

"I don't know where you expected it to go, but I never planned to have this conversation."

"You want me to just ignore you while I'm travelling the world for six months? To not try to contact you? To act like you don't exist?"

Rei should have thought before she answered - she knew she should have - but she was still upset that Minako had called her faults a few moments before. "Yes."

She heard the change in the idol on the other line. There was no need for her to see the other woman to know that she was making the face she wore into battle. "Fine. This is it, then. I'll remember to ignore you when I get back as well. Goodbye, Hino-san." Rei felt the sting of the name; now she knew how Minako felt a few weeks before. "Oh, and fuck you."

Rei knew she had just ruined her relationship beyond repair when she heard her phone click in her ear. She sat up and sighed. The creatures on her bed all looked at her with hurt in their eyes. One of the younger adults asked, "Does that mean we'll never see Minako-chan again?"

Rei met its eyes. "I can't say."

Makoto eyed her angrily from the doorway, cell phone open in her hand. "What in the hell did you just do to Minako?"

When the idol touched down in Tokyo for the first time in four and a half months, she expected her friends to be there waiting for her. A small part of her wished that Rei would be there as well, but she knew better than to think too hard about that prospect; Rei was still avoiding her like the plague. Minako didn't dwell on that thought either, she was about to land, and she had to be happy when she met her friends. She looked down at the sleeping face of her lover and smiled. "Time to wake up. We're home."

Minako was right; Rei didn't show up. She smiled as she greeted the rest of her friends, not minding that Kei was holding her hand. They left the airport and the two idols got into Haruka's car while the rest piled in the cars they had come to the airport in. Everyone ended up and Makoto's house to celebrate the couple's international success.

The brunette tried not to frown too much. She saw the easy smile of her friend whenever she was with Kei and that bothered her. She had a feeling that Rei was staring unseeingly into the fire in her shrine just as she was the last time she saw the woman, and Minako seemed to not have a care in the world. While she was happy for the idol - she finally made her dream come true and was genuinely in love - she couldn't help feeling bad for the miko who had given up love so the woman she was celebrating could be happy. Now Rei wasn't even partaking in this happiness. She decided a long time ago to leave the two women alone and mind her own business, so she poured herself another shot of vodka and willed herself to forget that Rei and Minako even knew each other.

The others were all feeling much the same way, with varying opinions on how to feel about Rei. Usagi felt horrible for her friend, and knew Rei wasn't letting anyone see how affected she was by Minako's relationship. However, she was so glad for Minako she could no longer be mad at the woman. The two had reconciled after Rei got out of the hospital, and Usagi was careful not to choose sides between her senshi anymore. Ami wasn't truly aware of everything going on in anyone's life, but she was as happy for Minako as anyone else and just as concerned about Rei as all of her friends.

Setsuna was only sure of what was going on with Minako because she wasn't friends with the miko and seeing Minako's distress first hand was taxing enough. Only Kei and Setsuna knew the extent of the pain that Minako felt daily over losing her best friend, and the two did their best to keep her from dwelling on it too much. Setsuna knew that only her age and patience kept her from hating Rei. She knew that Rei must be hurting and tried her best to be considerate of that fact when she was wiping tears from blue eyes.

Haruka wanted Rei and Minako to get back together, if only because it would get rid of the man who had invaded their midst. Michiru didn't really care either way, so long as Minako and Rei could be happy. Minako was already there, and Rei should find a way to get there herself, but Michiru knew that the woman needed time. Hotaru didn't have any real opinion on the matter at all. She would let the silly adults be silly and worry about her own teenage angst problems.

Overall, the party was a full day and night of ignoring the fact that a very large part of their lives was somewhere, doing something, and not there with them like she should have been. The fact was at the back of everyone's mind all night, but no one felt the guilt as strongly as Minako did.

"She's coming back today."

"She is?! Are you going to see her?"

"No, but you always say I don't tell you anything."

The creature on the ground frowned up at the smiling woman. "You should get over yourself and go talk to her. This grudge isn't good for either of you."

"I don't want to talk to her."

"Rei, stop it. You've still been collecting everything she has ever made, watching every show she has ever put on, and stalking her every movement. I bet no one told you that she was coming back today. You know because you're still watching her."

"I won't deny that, only because I know you watch me harder than I watch her. You need to stop that, by the way."

"Don't change the subject. You need to talk to her, Rei. If she'll even still talk to you."

"I have no desire to do so."

"You are the most hard-headed, stubborn, pig-headed, douchebag-"

"You can stop that now."

"Rei, go see her. Try to reconcile before it's too late."

Rei shook her head. "I don't want to."

"You are a spoiled brat! You're destined to die lonely and bitter if you keep acting like this."

"I can live with that."

The creature sighed. "I'm beginning to think you're hopeless. I guess this means I'll never get to see her again."

"I don't know about that, but I can't say that I'll help you to see her. Ask Mako."

The creature looked down and bounced off silently. Rei watched it disappear into the ground and walked back to the shrine much in the same matter: slowly, silent, head hung.

She felt like shit.

"Rei, come to a party with me tonight."

"Didn't we decided that me going to parties with you was a bad idea?"

Yuuko laughed, thinking of Kei's birthday party the previous year. "I promise there will be no blond idols there. There probably won't be any idols there at all."

"I don't want to party."

"Don't be a lame, Rei. You're too pretty to sit in here all alone and hide your gorgeous face from the world. Come with me. Please?"

Rei looked up into the green eyes of the model. "Fine, I'll go." She grinned. "But I'm not drinking, and you're not coming home with me tonight."

Yuuko pouted. "That's not fun!"

"You want me to go, I'm going. And I'm not dancing, either."

"You are not going to a party with me and standing around being a wall flower."

"Then I guess I'm going to be sitting the entire time."

"Rei!"

The miko grinned wider. "I'm kidding. But make sure no one gropes me."

Yuuko raised an eyebrow. "Only if I'm exempt from that rule." She grabbed the smaller woman's behind, smiling when she didn't move away.

"Just not in public and you got a deal."

The model frowned. "That's no fair. Can I do it like, three times in public?"

"Nope. None."

"Alright, whatever. Deal. But just know that my beliefs on what's public and yours are probably very different."

"It's your birthday?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

Yuuko smiled. "I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"I could have gotten you something."

"You still can."

Rei frowned. "There's no time. We're already at your party."

"I don't need anything physical. Besides, that's not what I want."

"What do you want?"

The taller woman laughed. She leaned down to the other woman's ear and whispered, "I'll tell you when we're alone. In your room. Tonight."

Rei smirked. "I already told you you aren't coming to my room tonight."

Yuuko's arms snaked around the miko's small waist. "Aww, not even to give me my present?"

"Nope. That was the deal."

"You said that before you said you were joking!"

Rei laughed. "Fine. You can come over."

Yuuko kissed Rei's ear and nibbled it.

"Stop doing that!" The reprimand would have sounded more serious had the miko not been giggling as she said it.

The model relented after she kissed Rei's ear one more time. "Only because I have a party to host. Try to enjoy yourself."

The two went in different directions: Rei went to the bar, and Yuuko went to the dance floor. Three martinis found Rei dancing just as excitedly as everyone else at the party, her mind as far from Minako as it had been in a long time.

"Marry me. Not now, but later. I love you."

Minako stood from the bed, her eyes never leaving those of the boy under the covers. "Kei, you know-"

"I know you can't. I know you don't love me too. But we have something good here, and I love you. I want you to marry me. I'll let you fall in love with me first; I'll give you all the time you need. I'll-"

"Stop it, Kei." Minako sighed. "We can't."

Kei sat up and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to the bed. She kneeled beside him. "Is this because of her?"

He knew it was when the woman didn't say a word and refused to meet his eyes. "Mina, you need to get over her."

The blond sighed. "I know I do. I just need time."

"I'll give you that. I'll give you anything you need."

Minako sighed again. "I still can't marry you, Kei."

The boy frowned at her. "Don't say that. You can't marry me now, and I'm sorry for asking - it just kind of slipped out. That doesn't mean you can't marry me in five or ten years, though. Just think about it."

He kissed her temple and laid down, still holding her wrist. "Lay down. Try to get some sleep. We have a long two weeks in front of us."

Minako complied, and was reminded again why she could never marry Kei. He reminded her too much of Rei.

"He asked me to marry him."

Makoto didn't appear phased. "And you told him no. Good. End of story."

Minako smiled at her friend. "Not exactly."

"What does that mean? That you didn't tell him no, that it's not good, or that this isn't the end of the story."

"I didn't say no exactly, but I told him that I can't."

"'You can't'? What the hell is that? You have to say 'Boy, please. I wouldn't marry you if it would confirm world peace forever.' Something drastic like that to make sure he gets it."

Minako sighed. "But what's the point? I mean, he's been there for me when Rei wasn't. She won't even talk to me."

The tall brunette walked to the table in her kitchen and sat beside her friend. She could finish mixing cake batter later. "Minako, you deserve to be happy. That is the bottom line of everything that I've ever said to you. Stop thinking about the woman you haven't talk to in almost a year, and do something for yourself. I'm not telling you to marry Kei, but don't let Rei continue to be the reason you turn him down."

The blond let her eyes fall to the table. "It's not just that. I mean, I do still love her, but I've given up hope on that relationship. It's just- He's so similar to her it's almost scary. His over-protectiveness, the way he talks sometimes, and the way he looks at me and holds me. Even his name sounds similar. It's hard to try and forget about Rei when I'm with him."

Makoto nodded. "I completely understand. Here's the crazy thing about the whole situation though. No matter who you date, no matter how you feel about them, or how they feel about you, you will always compare them to Rei. There will always be something that will remind you of her. If there isn't, you probably won't find yourself interested enough to stay around. I'm sure if you think about it you can find similarities to any of your exes in Rei."

Minako didn't think about it. Not only did she not feel like thinking about the past, she didn't want to think about Rei.

"Minako, don't make any more excuses. Find an actual reason. Why did you say you can't marry Kei?"

"Because I can't."

"We established that you can't, but why?"

I don't want to hurt her any more. I don't want her to hate me. I can't ask her to be my maid of honor like I always wanted to. "I just can't."

"If Rei is your only reason, then you don't have a reason. I know it hurts, but you can't hold on to the pain in your past forever, Mina."

"I know."

"She what?"

"They found her body in her dressing room."

Setsuna stared wide-eyed at her friend. "You've got to be kidding me. She wouldn't do that. How long has she been on it?"

"I've heard rumors, but she always denied them. I've been hearing about it for over a year now. The doctors haven't checked her system to find out excatly how long she was using yet, though."

"But- Heroine? How could she let herself get into that?"

"It seems we'll never know, now."

The two women looked at the body being carried out on the stretcher. It was covered with a white sheet, testifying to the dead body that lie beneath it.

The other woman walked to her car, leaving a stunned Setsuna standing in the street. "How on Earth am I going to tell Rei?"

A/N: I had tears in my eyes as I wrote the last scene. It hurts so badly I just UGH! I need an emo corner moment...

Da Pyro's Love: while I do see Sets as being the cryptic "mage of time" I don't usually make her as flawless as she seems in the series when I write her. (Like, seriously, she can't see the future. She just lived long enough to be able to predict what might happen with accuracy - history repeats itself and whatnot - and she can visit a possible future.) Everyone has their hypocrite moments, and that was one of hers. She's just trying to look out for Minako. And really, Usagi has no place attacking one senshi in defense of another. As for not meddling, she's mostly just watched those two make a mockery of their friendship for over a year, only commenting twice. I'm not a person to write youma because I don't feel I could do them justice. I may do a parody on one, but I can't put one into the seriousness that this fic has become. And thank you so much for the wall of a comment you left me. :D

Honulicious: Sets was trying to make sure Mina could focus on what she had to do for the day. She was going to tell her when she saw Usagi yelling at her. Mina didn't tell Rei because just like Rei didn't want Mina to see her weakness, Mina doesn't want to show her weakness to Rei, especially since she was the cause. Unfortunately, Rei held a grudge about it and now... Well, she's an angry angst-fest.

Jedi Caro: how about I make his caucus a living sacrifice for a Martian ceremony in the shrine? I kind of like the sound of that, actually...

yuuki yami: I'm sorry! It'll get better! Maybe... You'll have to see... I'm gonna get Kei for you, though. Don't worry.

WolfPeaceMonster: I've been waiting for someone to point that out: they're all stupid. Every single one of them. It's just a part of their humanity, though. And if I were in this, I would have already done something unfathomable to Kei, but that's not the case. I'm glad you like the creatures. I didn't really know what I was thinking when I made them, but I do kinda want one lol. Thanks for the review!

Fireandlove: life is just like that. Sometimes we fall in love with unlovable people.