Flashbulbs

....an isabel original!

Rating: PG-13 still.... stay with me, people!

Category: Sailor Moon, Anime

Genre: Romance *so get lost if you don't like it!*

Disclaimer: I don't own a bloody blooming blighty thing.

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I will now proceed to trouble you for the.... goodness, the THIRD time with my silly Rei/Usagi fantasies. Hope you all were looking forward to it, and that it meets your expectations!

Oh, and on an inspirational note: I was once a writer too scared to share my work with others. When I read the work of authors I respected and admired.... well, that's what pushed me to get serious and get better. And when I got to the point where I was ready to go public, I realized that the best way to grow as a writer is to learn how to accept the constructive criticism of others and manipulate it into something that will make you better. So, for anyone out there who thinks they may be ready to share their work.... go for it!

Sorry to bother you with my babbling. Enjoy the show! ^_^

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Chapter 3: The Dam Bursts



Before heading toward the door again, she walked silently over to the bed, where Rei still slept so peacefully. She meant to bend down and simply kiss the girl on her cheek, but.... oh, as she leaned close, the smell was intoxicating, just like roses.... her head turned at the last instant and her lips landed on Rei's soft ones. Then she walked through Rei's doorway, and out of the temple.



There was something Usagi, however, hadn't realized.

Rei's eyes had snapped open the minute the princess had turned away and walked to the door.

The raven-haired girl listened to her friend's light footsteps dance down the staircase, down the hall, and out the door. Usagi's scent still hung about her bedroom, something sweet and light and not at all trespassing. It smelled like it belonged there, within the four walls of her bedroom, where Rei could keep it always close.

She had just been kissed by her princess.

Like Usagi's smell, the feel of her soft lips lingered. The brief, gentle touch, delivered as if Rei's mouth were made of the most delicate china, still tickled, feather-light.

Rei touched a finger to her lips, trying to relive it.

She couldn't put her mind around the idea, though. Had it been just a friendly kiss -- and Rei knew it hadn't been, some things you just knew -- she would have been much more up to the task of understanding it. After all, Usagi was a sweet girl who loved all her friends very much. Chances were, Rei reasoned, even Usagi didn't realize why she had kissed her friend; it had just been something spur-of-the-moment from a wonderfully good, loving, giving soul. But Rei knew.... and that was what mattered.

Lying there in bed, Rei suddenly knew something else, too. Something big. Isn't it odd, she mused, that my mind and heart are most often complete strangers?

She loved Usagi. Painfully. She hadn't known how much until that moment. It had taken the kiss, the shattering of a dam, to release Rei's longing, and now it poured through every inch of her in a great torrent. Rei closed her eyes. An image of Usagi, blurred around the edges, danced behind her swimming eyelids. She opened her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek.

That's when she spotted the note.

Moving over to her desk, she stared down at the piece of paper that had been tossed onto it. To Rei, it read on the outside, in girlish, curling handwriting. Rei opened it, smiling goofily.

I'm sorry to rush out on you like this, but I'm late (as usual ) for a breakfast date. Mamoru will be wondering where I am! Thanks for letting me stay at your place.... I feel a lot better. Love, Usagi

Mamoru. Rei's eyelids fell shut in quiet defeat. Mamoru.





"Here I am, Mamo-kun! Hey! Mamo-kun!"

Usagi's shrill, high-pitched voice flew across the cozy dining area of Irasshai, a favorite café of local Tokyo residents. Dozens of heads turned her way, as well as that of a tall dark-haired man at the far corner of the room, who also winced and shrank down into his seat.

Usagi sprinted up to him, dodging full tables and irritable waiters. "Sorry I'm... late," she gasped, bending down. "Rei and I slept in."

"Quite all right," he said, as the other diners turned back to their meals and conversations. "Have a seat? I got here rather late myself.... and they're busy this morning. They've only just brought me my tea."

Usagi collapsed into the chair across from him and slumped down onto the table, resting her head in her hands. "Thank goodness you're not angry."

"Angry?" He looked surprised. "Usako, I'm quite used to your habits of punctuality, or, rather, the lack thereof. Don't worry about it. Want tea?"

She made a face. "Urg, no. Make it a Coke."

Mamoru flagged down the nearest waiter and gave him Usagi's order. He then leaned across the table and kissed his girlfriend gently. "I've been thinking about you a lot lately, Usako. We haven't seen each other in a while, what with me so busy with all my classes. I've felt a little guilty about that."

Usagi shrugged, more interested in her drink, which had just arrived. "Wow, that was quick. They must not be so swamped any more."

Mamoru gave her a pointed look.

"Right, sorry. Um.... don't feel bad, Mamo-kun, I know that your classes are important to you. Besides, the girls have been great to me lately. We've been really bonding," she added, thinking of Rei.

"Speaking of the girls.... how did your magazine shoot go? When do I get to see it?"

Usagi made another face over the fizzing of her soda. "How does 'never' sound?"

"Oh, come on, it can't be all that bad. I'm sure you all looked beautiful."

"Strange," Usagi corrected. "We looked strange. Well, at least I did. I just.... I just felt so dumb, Mamo-kun. All the others are so pretty.... especially Rei. She looked born to wear that skimpy stuff. And I just looked, well, strange."

"Rei is pretty, Usako, but so are you. Like I said, I'm sure you looked beautiful. And you shouldn't be ashamed of what makes me love you so much."

Usagi gave him a funny look. "You mean my body?"

But the waiter had arrived. "Good morning, sir. I apologize if the wait has inconvenienced you. May I take your orders?"

They gave him their selections, and he walked away with their menus. Mamoru poured himself some fresh tea, and Usagi watched him, thinking about their relationship and what he meant to her. She loved him very much, of course, and he was drop-dead handsome.... but physical beauty wasn't what she cared about, although it could be a big bonus. She just wanted them to connect more. At times, it seemed that all they had was their past, their very distant past, and other than that they were complete strangers that had simply wandered into a life together. Could it be that all this was.... well... was just leftover love?

After breakfast, Mamoru had to run off to the university library, and so he and Usagi parted ways outside the café. He took her in his arms, kissed her, and waved goodbye one final time before setting off down the sidewalk. Her heart was racing, like it usually did.... but why was it that every time he kissed her, he swept her back into the past? His lips made her a princess again every time they met hers, a princess who had lived thousands of years ago. She felt.... stale. Wasn't the present worth living for, too? Usagi walked back to her house, feeling confused about something, but not really sure what, which just made her more confused.

I wonder if Rei has read my note yet, she suddenly thought. And she smiled, remembering last night and that morning. Warmth flooded into her for the second time, from the much more recent past, in this case. Rei. Strong, beautiful, kind.... she was beginning to realize how much she really looked up to the girl. Yes, that was it, she looked up to her. Admired her. Even wanted to be her, really, some of the time.





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So, poor Usagi hasn't clued in yet. But luckily Rei has, and we'll see how she deals with this in the chapters to come. Sorry this one was kinda a shortie.... I wanted to get this part out of the way. 'Night, all! (It's 1:12 am!)

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