A/N: Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and support! I promise things will start picking up soon ;)

Chapter: Two

Only a few short hours had passed since they arrived at the Tsukino-Chiba household; Rei had already washed and retired to the guest bedroom leaving Usagi with only Chibi-Usa keeping her company. Usagi simply could not believe one of her closest friends had suddenly appeared out of the blue. She was beaming with excitement, and desperately wanted someone to share her excitement with and unfortunately her little pink princess was not quite ready to fulfill such tasks yet. On the other hand, she was determined to keep the promise she had made to Rei, not wanting to spook her friend away after having only just arrived. Still… it didn't stop her from wanting to burst. Oh, how she hated having to keep secrets!

Usagi stopped her pacing and crouched next to Chibi-Usa, who was affectionately playing with a Luna-look-a-like plushy, to calm her excitement and racing thoughts. She remembered the cat guardian herself picking out the toy for her baby, though, Usagi was pretty sure it was less of a kind gesture and more a way of keeping the babe from constantly grabbing the feline's tail, ears and whiskers. There was definitely no need to contribute more to the small army of stuffed animals which already littered every room of the house.

Watching her little princess play always seemed to calm her a bit. There were times when Usagi never thought these peaceful days would come. Days where she could watch Chibi-Usa growing and hopefully inheriting Mamoru's more logical characteristics over her own whimsical personality. But… if the child's toy preferences were any indication… the results weren't favorable. Usagi grabbed the boldly colored abacus, a gift Ami had purchased for Chibi-Usa a few months back, and desperately tried to get the small girl interested in the educational toy, even though Usagi personally doubted whether an abacus should be considered a means of entertainment at all…

Oh no… Ami…

Usagi rushed to her pink and white smartphone, located on the sofa laying just out of reach from Chibi-Usa's inquisitive little hands, and quickly scrolled through her calendar. To her dismay, she noticed a notification of an overdue appointment. Chibi-Usa was due her second set of vaccinations from the doctor. Rei's appearance had completely side tracked her! She quickly punched in Ami's personal cell number, already formulating the sweetest apology she could think of. One she reserved for only special occasions.

Ami answered after two rings, "Hello Usagi, did you manage to sleep in again?"

Feeling a little indignant at the, albeit, understandable accusation, Usagi welcomed the excuse. "Yes. It was so chilly this morning and my warm bed just wouldn't let me leave." She laughed nervously. "I really am sorry, when would you like to reschedule? You pick when this time."

Ami laughed with good nature, "Well, I appreciate your apology, but I had a suspicion this would happen. So, I've rescheduled the appointment for 10:30 today."

"That's only in a few minutes!" Usagi squeaked. It was a silly thought, but she was afraid if she had left the house, Rei would no longer be present upon her return. Who knows when she would next see her? The fire senshi's appearance was like stumbling on a rare 75% off shoe sale; it was an opportunity of which she refused to let it slip through her fingers. "It'll take me a little bit to get Chibi-Usa ready, but we could make it to the hospital in a few hours…" She hoped her friend would reconsider.

"No, I wouldn't put that burden on you Usa." Usagi felt relief but only for a second. "I'm on my way to your house now."

"Y-you are?" The odango head tried her best to not sound panicked. She was at a cross between wanting to barricade the door to the guest bedroom, where Rei was sleeping, or madly dash about the house picking up baby toys and dirtied coffee cups. "But don't you have other appointments today? I live pretty out of the way." She negotiated, biting her lip nervously.

"Like I said, I had a sneaking suspicion you would mysteriously not make it today, so I temporarily shifted some of my patients over to the other doctors on duty today." Ami patiently explained. Before Usagi could counter, Ami quickly stated, "Look, I'm almost at your door now. We'll see each other soon."

The line died and Usagi was in full panic mode. What was going to happen if Rei woke up and saw Ami prowling around? In all actuality, Usagi knew Ami was only going to stay long enough to administer Chibi-Usa's booster shot and maybe get around to a small check-up. Yet, she still couldn't shake the image of a nasty, fire-breathing Rei calling her a "promise breaking odango head". The horrible daydream stopped short as there came a knocking at the door, startling both her and her pink haired princess.

Usagi scooped her babe up from the soft plush carpet she was playing contently on and opened the door, allowing Ami entrance to her home.

Ami greeted both them both with a smile. She was still wearing the white coat Usagi became accustomed to seeing her in after Ami had completed her residency and specialty requirements. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were dreading this vaccine more so than Chibi-Usa." The doctor pinched Chibi-Usa's nose gently, only to be awarded with giggles.

Usagi transferred Chibi-Usa to Ami's waiting arms, following the two towards the kitchen, where she assumed Ami was planning to set up shop. She didn't know if she was more nervous about the pyro sleeping in the guest room or her baby having to endure another needle. The child was slightly over due for her second shot, but the little girl's fat tears and screams of "mah mah maaa!" was ingrained in her memory from the first appointment. As a result… well let's just say Usagi may or may not have invented excuses to reschedule this long awaited appointment on three different occasions.

Ami sat the baby atop the center island's cool granite counter, causing Chibi-Usa just a slight bit of discomfort as it came in contact with her skin. Usagi had the girl adorned in the cutest pair of lime green shorts and a white top decorated with a pattern of adorable orange slices. There was something so uncomfortable about seeing her cute little daughter playing with Ami's harsh metal stethoscope next to a bag of, what Usagi dubbed, were child torture devices.

"She's going to remember you as the evil Auntie Ami, ya know?" Usagi couldn't help but pout.

Ami must have sensed her apprehension and graciously ignored her comment, "Can you find Lune?"

The odd request for the stuffed cat distracted Usagi from her funk, "Lune? What for?"

"If we can distract Chibi-Usa long enough for me to administer the vaccination, she may not even notice she's had the shot." Ami calmly explained, never once breaking her hypnotizing entertainment schemes, which Usagi had to admit, seemed to have completely enthralled her daughter. A teasing slyness then entered Ami's voice, "Or would you have Lune occupy yourself instead, since Mamoru hasn't returned from his business venture yet?"

Usagi scowled at the jibe. She childishly blew a raspberry in response, Chibi-Usa immediately copying and giggling at the gesture and went to go retrieve the stuffed cat from where Chibi-Usa was previously playing. It's true, the only reason she hadn't snatched her child from the doctor last time was because her husband was standing by her side, whispering reassuring words in her ear and stroking her hand as she watched. She had felt as though she betrayed her daughter's innocent trust.

As Ami began rummaging through her medical bag and while her daughter was still having a ball with the stethoscope, Usagi eased her way over to the room where Rei resided. She creaked the door open, hoping to warn Rei of the small invasion currently happening on her kitchen island. Unfortunately, the other woman was still fast asleep, facing away from her wearing nothing but a grey undershirt and maroon sweats. Usagi wondered if she should have given Rei a fan before she fell asleep; the room was a little warm and the many quilts Usagi provided her were folded neatly on a chair in the corner of the room.

"Rei…" Usagi whispered. She didn't want to wake the girl and had no idea if Rei was keen on being woken by panicking, clumsy blondes but it seemed the best idea at the time. "Rei!" She tried again, but only marginally louder this time.

"Usagi!" Ami called from the kitchen, though evidently not enough to stir the sleeping girl as she continued her soft, even breathing. "Did you find Lune? I'm ready to start."

Torn between what she should do, Usagi frantically glanced between the sleeping Rei and an impatient Ami. Softly closing the door, Usagi returned to the pair, stuffed cat in hand, and plastered on the most innocent smile she could manage. "Found it." She situated herself next to the doctor and began wiggling the toy in front of her unsuspecting victim-child. "Is this good, Ami-chan?"

"You're both doing great." Ami said brightly, readying the syringe. "Just keep her focused on you. Let's hope she hasn't inherited mommy's attention span." Usagi felt that last part could have been left out. Maybe her repetitive no-shows had annoyed the young doctor more than she'd thought.

To her great surprise and relief, the entire procedure was over before she even knew it had begun. Ami's skills were no joke; she moved quickly and effectively, already applying a brightly colored adhesive bandage. With any luck, Ami would be returning to her hospital duties and Rei would find that she indeed was the best secret keeper ever. Score!

Then, to Usagi's utter horror, Chibi-Usa had noticed the bold yellow bandage freshly placed on her shoulder and distinctly recognized the syringe Ami was just now placing into a disposable biohazard baggie. No, no, no… Usagi wiggled the toy cat frantically in front of the child's face and even threw in a silly voice to boot but it was too late. The pink haired cutie turned into a little monster, taking poor Lune and throwing her an impressive few feet away. And so the crying started… not just any crying, but a howling, or wailing, ensued. Only few were able to console Chibi-Usa when she tumbled down this path, Usagi and Mamoru being the only two experts currently known to mankind.

"WHAAaaaa! Maahh…" The little girl thrashed, throwing anything her tiny palms could acquire. Usagi personally thought Ami was fortunate, only having to dodge a salt shaker. Imagine what could have happened if they were situated next to the silverware drawer…

The expert that is Ami was hardly phased, probably due to the number of children she endured on a daily basis. She calmly packed her bag and rummaged for the traditional sweet to assist calming the little beast down. "Well," referencing her attempt at a peaceful resolution, "it was worth a try, I suppose."

Usagi was bouncing her child gently on her hip, speaking the sweetest nothings she could think of. "Come on princess, Auntie Ami had to." She then added quietly, "But if you ever remember this, remember I couldn't stop her."

Ami must have heard her because she rolled her eyes before handing the child some baby friendly sweets. Chibi-Usa took them eagerly, but not before eyeing the doctor suspiciously. She sniffled between tiny bites.

"Well, I'm glad we finally got that over with," Ami said while gathering her bag. Usagi could feel that victory was in sight. "We should finish up the shot series in three months but until then—"

"Usagi…" Came a tired voice just now entering the kitchen, "Is everything ok? I heard—"

Amethyst eyes met ocean blue and Usagi hung her head in defeat, because all hopes of victory had now been shattered in less than a second. If the past was any proof as to how Rei would react, she knew for a fact that the pyro would see her lack of promise keeping skills as an act of treason. The battle, sadly, was lost.

Rei could feel the gears spinning in Ami's head. First shock, then disbelief, and last… was it anger? Whatever emotions Ami was feeling, a calm mask had eased her features and Rei stilled her own emotions to match. She always thought of Ami as the wild card, never really knowing what would push her over the edge from annoyance to anger.

"R-Rei, I…" Usagi was still holding a sniffling Chibi-Usa.

"Were you hiding her?" Ami asked Usagi incredulously, clearly trying to make sense of it all.

"I asked her to." Rei started but quickly corrected herself, "Not to 'hide' me but… I just wasn't ready to face a crowd –"

"A crowd? After all we've been through—"

"—and Usagi happened upon me at the shrine so I asked her to—"

"Why would you place on her a weight like that? She has a child to care for and—"

The cutoff battle ended due to an abrupt noise the now calmed Chibi-Usa made. She clearly was not enjoying herself and their bickering wasn't helping.

"I… I'm going to take her to the other room… If that's alright." Usagi muttered pathetically, her defeated tone breaking Rei's heart. Rei felt fully responsible for Usagi's gloom and wished she could take back her request. Hell, she'd have karaoke night every night for as long as Usagi wanted if it would bring back the girl's pep. She didn't want to be responsible this. Fuck, she didn't want to even be capable of causing such a stir.

"Usagi," Ami must have been feeling the same as Rei, because she was no longer sharp, but calm and welcoming, "it's your home. You never have to ask permission to do anything here, you know that." Ami added a soft laugh at the end of her response. Rei knew she was trying to lighten the air around them.

It didn't work; Usagi simply nodded her head and shuffled into the living area, avoiding eye contact with either woman.

This was not how Rei wanted things to turn out at all. She wanted her return to Tokyo to affect everyone's lives as little as possible and yet somehow, she had managed to do the exact opposite. Yet as angry with herself as she was, she felt no ill feelings towards Usagi. Still, she was unable to reassure Usagi - she just couldn't bring herself to. I'm always letting everyone walk away…

"I'm going to save us both some time." Ami cut through Rei's train of thought. "Do you even plan on telling me why you left to begin with?" Though calmer, there was still plenty of bite in Ami's words. She was certainly much bolder than the young girl she'd met when they were both sporting sailor fukus. Was it that Ami was finally coming into her own, or a forced transition from working in a dominantly male career field? Not like I was here to know either way, Rei thought bitterly. Was it truly that big of a mistake to leave?

Rei motioned to her bag, "I don't want to keep you from your other clients –"

"Are you really going to avoid the question?" Ami's impatience was stinging to Rei.

"No." She said, maybe a little too forcefully. "I ask because you want answers. Because… the answers you want aren't simple for me to explain and, to be honest, I'm not even sure I know what the answers are right now." The words came tumbling out before she could dress them any better. "I admit, this conversation is not something I ever wanted to have, with myself or anybody for that matter," Rei swallowed a growing lump in her throat, "Ami-chan, if you have the time, then I have the will to try." I have to stop letting everyone walk away…

She felt Ami scrutinized her for what seemed like several minutes. Finally, her friend's gaze dropped, and Ami began rummaging through one of the overhead kitchen cabinets. Standing on her toe tips, she pulled out a small coffee set from the mocha colored pantry, probably only used by Mamoru as she remembered Usagi not caring for the bitter taste of coffee.

"Sit." Ami said as she plugged in the machine. Rei felt silly for forgetting she was still standing and obediently occupied a chair at the table.

"I was telling Usagi earlier. I shifted some clients around to make a house visitation for Chibi-Usa's second booster. She's been avoiding the appointment, so I planned ahead." The drip started and was Rei's only source of comfort amongst another awkward silence.

"So," Rei desperately wanted to avoid the silence, "You're Chibi-Usa's doctor?"

"Everyone's actually," Rei could here Ami pouring the coffee now. She instinctively knew that by "everyone", Ami was referring to all the senshi and Mamoru. "Everyone except for you that is."

She winced slightly but said nothing. They were both calm now and she would like to keep it that way.

"Cream or sugar?" The question startled her.

"One sugar cube, please."

A cup of black, slightly sweetened coffee was placed in front of her. "Thank you." She mumbled softly before taking a sip. The adrenaline was leaving her and the short naps she prescribed herself were not enough for her to recoup. As she sipped the coffee, Rei felt her body absorbing the caffeine and sugar.

"You look exhausted. Usagi can be tiring, but not that tiring." Ami said. Even though it was probably just safe small talk, Rei started to smooth down her ruffled hair. Damn, was her bed head really so bad to concern everybody who saw her?

Trying not to feel self-conscious at the idea of possibly resembling the crypt keeper, Rei explained, "I've had a rough few days." She then caught herself, not wanting to give Ami another reason to think she were dodging her questions, "I actually just arrived in the city early this morning. About three or four a.m. early."

"So you returned in a rush?" Questioned Ami, trying again to put the unknown pieces together.

"On a whim," Rei corrected, glad they were speaking comfortably. "Because of some… family legal matter, I just now inherited the Shrine. If I don't accept the responsibility to manage the Shrine, who knows what will happen to it."

Ami seemed to be choosing her words carefully, and Rei appreciated the other girl's effort to maintain their peace. "May I ask where you've relocated to before returning here?"

"Kazuno." Rei said briskly, not wanting to imagine what Ami could be thinking of her right now.

"Kazuno…" It took Ami a minute to search through a, surly, endless abyss of knowledge. She finally seemed to have recalled the small village-like town. "Kazuno?" Translation: Really? All the way up to middle-of-nowhere-Kazuno?

Rei made a sound of approval. "My mother left me her property when she passed. I don't know why my father never touched it… but it was available." And far, far away.

Ami sighed; she was becoming frustrated again which caused Rei in turn to become aggravated. What more could the girl possibly want from her? She was being truthful and confronting haunts she, in all actuality, never had any intentions of confronting. On top of that, why was their 'argument', for lack of a better term, so weird? With any other human being on the planet, a battle of bravado and sarcasm would ensue, but no, not with Ami Mizuno. It was all a battle of remaining calm, and the loser would surely suffer should either woman step out of line.

Ami held her hand up to keep Rei from unleashing her famously fiery temper. "I'm mad at you."

"Who isn't now-a-day's?" Rei snapped.

Ami glared at her, choosing to ignore her comment. "But," she stressed, "I'm more upset with myself."

Rei didn't know how to react to the confession. She sat dumbfounded, unsure how to process the information.

"You have to understand, Rei." Ami explained, "I want… no, I must understand what happened, and I just can't figure you out. When you left without so much as leaving a forwarding address, we all went through a detective phase of trying to find out why you would just leave. I mean, were you upset at one of us or could you just not handle the burden of being Sailor Mars—"

"Never." Rei had to stop the direction Ami's thoughts were taking. She loved her friends and had always been willing to give her life for any of them. That had never changed, and never would.

Ami had the grace to look apologetic. "It was all just speculation, Rei. No offense was meant."

Another silence passed, and Rei feared she had been too forceful in her denial of Ami's speculations. She didn't want to shut a wall in between them, not when she herself had a chance of understanding why she abandoned them all.

Abandoned… you abandoned them… Just like your father…

Rei shook her head, ignoring the small spike of pain in her temple and shied away from the negative thought. Another long silence had passed between the two women before Rei could summon up the courage needed to give Ami the answers she wanted. "I had a bit of a-an episode one night." She initiated the conversation, hating that, to her ears, she sounded like a small child. "I sort of had a break down when I saw some belongings of Grandpa..."

She knew Ami could tell it was hard to speak of her experience and was thankful the other girl's face was carefully showing no emotions. If Rei was to continue her retelling, it was Rei's choice. Ami was not pressuring her into speaking and that meant the world to her.

Another deep breath. "I think maybe I dropped the tea I was making or… threw it and some other dishes. I don't know." Her heart was beating fast. Could Ami hear if she was in danger of having a heart attack? "I don't remember the rest."

Ami looked concerned and confused. "You don't remember?" She gently prodded.

"No," Rei ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly unwilling to look Ami in the eyes. It was becoming incredibly hot as the hours shifted from morning sun to high noon. "I woke up early next morning - in my bed I woke up I mean. I-I didn't pass out on the floor or anything. But I s-saw all the broken china and just… I just needed to leave. I felt too overwhelmed with everything that had happened. Ya know… Grandpa dying and all…"

Before Rei could lose herself in the memory Ami interjected, "Rei," she said calmly, a voice Rei expected a doctor to use when addressing a patient, "I just want to clarify. You said you don't remember the time between when the china shattered and when you woke up the next morning."

"No, nothing." Rei didn't know what the question was leading to and didn't like not knowing.

"And when did you leave Tokyo?" Ami continued, not an ounce of judgment in her tone.

"I cleaned the mess when I discovered it the next morning. A guess would be maybe five…six a.m.? I remember it was just shy of dark." Rei's concern grew. "Ami, where is this going?"

Again, Ami was choosing her words carefully, "We learned of your disappearance from Minako."

"Minako?" Rei asked disbelievingly.

"Rei! Stop!" A frantic voice screamed, "Stop! What are you doing?!" Somebody grabbed and held her arms behind her back. Somebody was breathing hard next to her ear. "Stop… It's going to be okay…."

You need not remember.

Another sharp pain stabbed her temple, this time more severe. Pressing the right side of her forehead into the palm of her hand, she was oblivious to knocking over her coffee cup until feeling Ami's presence at her side, cleaning the spill and asking simultaneously, "Rei! Are you alright?"

"M-Minako…" Rei stuttered, still recovering from the intrusive pain in her head. "Minako was there?"

"Your head, Rei," Ami said, now clearly more concerned for Rei's health than the answers she was so desperately seeking. "What's going on?"

Rei eased her hand away from her forehead, blinking her eyes to rid them of the blurred vision, "It's nothing." Ami gave her an incredulous look. Translation: "You know I'm a doctor, right?"

"Look, I've had virtually no sleep and I'm currently running on adrenaline fumes and a karaoke party promise I made to Usagi." Rei reassured. "Please, go back to what you said about Minako."

It looked as though Ami was about to insist further, but after another thoughtful look, said, "You should ask Minako what happened."

"Please," Rei was desperate. This new information regarding the pop idol had shaken her; she didn't even want to begin to reason why. "I want to know what happened."

"The truth is that I don't know. Mina just said you were upset and left." Ami was studying her reaction. She hoped the doctor could read what she was feeling because she certainly felt clueless.

Neither woman spoke for several minutes. Ami's phone rang, jumping them both from their thoughts. Rei hardly paid attention to Ami's conversation; her mind was still swimming in confusion. If it was true that Minako was present during the time of her breakdown… why did she let her leave? Not that she was blaming her absence on Minako, but it didn't make any since. If anyone's temperament could rival her own, it was Minako's.

"Rei," Ami captured her attention.

"Hmm?"

"You need to talk to Mina."

She nodded absently.

The energy in the room had dulled and Ami clearly had somewhere she needed to be. She placed both cups in the sink and began grabbing her belongings.

"Hey," Rei started, before Ami could leave the house on whatever duty that called. "Now that I'm here, does this mean you're going to be my doctor too?" She smiled, wanting them to part on a good note.

Rei could tell Ami was fighting a smile, making her giddier than it should have. "You don't have a choice," The young doctor stated pompously, "but when you get sick, I'm prescribing you the vilest medicine on the market as retribution."

Rei laughed at the response.

"Your annual checkup is this Friday. Two p.m. on the dot." And as an afterthought she added, "Ask Usagi, I don't like tardiness."

"I've never been late in my life." Rei didn't feel the need to inform the doctor that she had actually recently attended her annual checkup in Kazuno.

It was Ami's turn to laugh. "See ya around, Rei."

Rei smiled as she watched Ami leave. It was perhaps the happiest thought she had conjured all week. Yes…I'll be seeing all of you around for now on.