Disclaimer: I still don't own Gundam Wing and Sailor Moon, blah blah blah…Stop rubbing it in already!
Dedication: To Duckie who is still beta reading my fics and hasn't killed me yet. Also to A-chan who has given me so much support and some great ideas and 90%DevilChild whose praise has encouraged me to write more!
" " – Spoken
' ' – Thought
Rei felt trapped in a dark, heavy fog. It seemed like she was being immersed in thick molasses, not only her body but her mind as well. There was no sound, no feeling, like she had lost touch with all of her senses. Slowly, she began to concentrate on freeing herself from this morass of heaviness. 'Ugh. This is killing me. My mind feels like it's been stuffed with cotton and my eyelids feel like 50 ton weights have been put on top of them. I don't remember death feeling like this so I might still be alive. Just concentrate, Rei. Use the training you've received all your life and push through this. I can do it. I will not let those guys defeat me. I don't know what they've done but I'm not out of the fight, not by a long shot.' Concentrating, she focused on regaining her senses, starting with her hearing, trying to find some clue as to where she was.
"…so now what do we do," asked Duo.
'Duo! Well, at least I know those jerks didn't kill me. Where am I though? I don't hear any other sounds, so we can't still be in the city. I just have to remember to keep my cool and not let on that I'm awake. I'll get more information if they think I'm still unconscious.'
"We don't have any right to keep her here. The scientists tested her and there is no sign of Ravager genes in her at all. We made a mistake and we owe her an explanation as to why we jumped her, not to mention an apology," Quatre said softly.
"An apology? Are you crazy, Winner? I am not going to apologize to some weak onna! We're soldiers. We suspected she was a Ravager and we subdued her. We tested her and she's not. We let her go. End of story. To think of apologizing is an injustice. Not to mention, she gave almost all of us bruises," grumbled Wufei under his breath.
'Jerk. I should have beaten him to within an inch of his life. Weak! I was holding back so I didn't kill him by accident. I'd love to see Mako-chan or Haruka-san hear him call them weak. No one would recognize him after they got through with him,' Rei thought testily. 'Whoa. I better calm down or I'm going to blow this whole unconscious act.'
"You're just mad that a girl beat you, Wu-man! Yeah, a girl in a short skirt and high heels no less," taunted Duo.
"Stop it," came the quiet voice of Trowa. "We still need to decide what to do."
"That is correct, Trowa," replied a different voice. "We've confirmed the girl is not a Ravager but she does have some abnormalities in her blood. They might explain her "abilities" but we don't have any conclusive proof on that. I've never seen a cell structure like hers before. In every other way she is a completely normal girl, but her blood… Maybe if we were able to test her in her transformed state, we could get more data to work with. I am intrigued about what you told me about the powers she displayed while in this other form, but we haven't been able to trigger this transformation ourselves. She might have to be conscious and we haven't found the wand you mentioned either."
'Shimatta! I so don't need this right now. Oh well, I guess I knew what I was getting into when I transformed in front of them. Ami-chan always fixed our results when we had to go to the doctor so they wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary. I never thought this would happen though. At least they can't find my henshin wand and a good thing I de-transform when I'm unconscious. I can only imagine what my medical readings would look like as a Senshi.'
"Hey, Dr. Q, why don't you just wake her up and then have her transform," asked Duo.
"Baka! We just defeated her after a huge fight! Do you really think she's going to just do whatever we ask and do the little light show and transform so we can test her," asked Wufei incredulously. "Are you really that naïve?"
"I am not a baka, Wu-man! I just think that maybe we can get her to cooperate if we explain why we did what we did," said Duo.
"Wufei! The name is Wufei, you…," began Wufei.
"Enough, gentlemen. Let's get back to the matter at hand. You mentioned a light show, Wufei," inquired Dr. Q.
"Oh yeah, the light show! Her clothes just melted right off and then the outfit we told you about appeared on her. Talk about a surprise! It was a nice surprise though," said Duo excitedly, jumping in before Wufei had a chance to respond .
'What a pervert! Sigh. I guess it's too much to ask that a guy his age could be mature about seeing a naked girl. It must've been quite a shock though, I'll have to admit. If they have no magic here, then stuff like what the Senshi do is probably not a common occurrence,' thought Rei.
"What about when she lost consciousness? Did the transformation into her current clothes happen in the same way," queried the voice of Dr. Q.
"Well, sort of. It wasn't quite as flashy as when she first transformed. The costume she wore just sort of melted off and then got replaced with her regular clothes without the fire effects. Heh. Lucky Heero had a naked babe in his arms and he didn't even do anything about it. You are such a stiff, Heero," Duo said jokingly. "Eeep!"
'Wonder what's going on,' thought Rei. 'That doesn't sound normal. What's that scuffling noise?'
"Urgh…get off me, Heero," gurgled Duo.
"Heero, please stop," begged Quatre. "Duo didn't mean anything, did you, Duo? Please, Heero, get your knee off of Duo's windpipe. That can't be healthy for him. Trowa, Wufei, help me get Heero off of Duo! You'll wake up Rei-san!"
"She's already awake," said Heero quietly, with his knee still firmly planted in a now purple-faced Duo's windpipe. "She's been awake for several minutes."
"A couple of minutes? Did you think to maybe give us some kind of warning before I go shooting off my mouth about how hot she is," complained Duo, who had finally squirmed out from under Heero's foot.
"Doesn't matter, Maxwell. Warning or not, you would have shot your mouth off," Wufei replied, smirking but shifting nervously from one foot to another and darting a glance at the still prone figure of Rei.
'How the heck did he know that? Oh well, I've been busted so I might as well stop playing possum and maybe get some more answers,' Rei thought grumpily.
Rei opened her eyes, having slowly regained her senses and feeling in her body while eavesdropping on her captors. She sat up slowly, still feeling a slight pain at the base of her skull. 'Yep, I'm definitely alive.' She looked around and saw that she was in some type of medical facility, sterile-looking and in shades of white and silver metal. She finally turned her head towards the group of men and got her first real look at the men who had been discussing her. First off, there was a tall, stoop-shouldered man with gray hair and wearing glasses (a la Umino/Melvin) who was staring at her intently, like she was a bug under a microscope. 'Must be Dr. Q. I wish he would stop staring though. It's kind of creepy,' thought Rei. She then turned her head and saw a slim young man with pale blond hair and large, gentle-looking blue eyes. He smiled at her softly and extended his hand towards her for a handshake.
"Hello, Rei-san, my name is Quatre Winner. I'm glad you are finally awake and okay. Please let me extend my sincere apologies for what happened earlier. Things have been rough recently and suspicion is high. We could not take the chance that you could be a Ravager and endanger the people of the town."
Rei smiled bemusedly to herself as she thought, 'Normally, I would take his head off and tell him where to shove his apology, but his smile is so genuine and nice that I can't find it within me to be angry. He reminds me of Ami, with her gentle demeanor. She was always able to make me calm down, which is saying a lot. Hmmm, that was stupid, Rei, thinking of them again.' She snapped out of her reverie as she heard another voice snap, "I told you, Winner, that I will not apologize to some weak onna about what we had to do. It's not our fault she was defeated." She turned her head in the direction of the voice and saw another young man with slicked back black hair held in a short ponytail. He had dark eyes and a scowl planted firmly across his Chinese features.
'This must be Wufei. Not only do the name and features match, but he looks like an egotistical, chauvinistic jerk too,' Rei thought angrily.
"Please, Wufei, try to be polite," pleaded Quatre, throwing a look of apology to Rei.
"It's not necessary," said Rei, tossing her hair and wincing inwardly at the pain that shot through her skull at the action. "I know whatever apology he gave me wouldn't be heartfelt and I don't have time to waste on the foolish prattling of a boy anyway," Rei exclaimed, stressing the word 'boy'.
Wufei made an attempt to lunge at Rei, but was held back by a tall, brown-haired young man with his bangs sweeping down to cover one eye. The other eye, Rei noted, was a deep forest green. He was currently holding Wufei back with one hand and had his other hand firmly clamped over Wufei's mouth.
"My name is Trowa Barton. Please excuse the hothead. He hasn't been fed yet," deadpanned Trowa.
"Holy crap," exclaimed a chestnut-haired young man, who was lying on the floor and rubbing his throat gingerly. "Not only did you get Trowa to say three whole sentences, short as they may be, but you also got him to crack a joke. I gotta record this day in a journal or something! By the way, I'm Duo Maxwell, Gundam pilot extraordinaire a.k.a. Shinigami!"
Rei shifted slightly to take a closer look at Duo and was astonished to see the chestnut hair bound in a long thick braid that reached past his waist. 'He has hair almost as long as myself and Minako-chan. Actually, he reminds me a lot of Minako-chan. The same sunny personality, the same energy, the same fearlessness. Minako-chan…I have to stop thinking about them. They hate me now and it's not like I can see them and try to explain things to them anyway,' Rei thought resignedly. She stared at Duo some more and returned his bright smile with a wary smile of her own. She also noticed that he had violet colored eyes, slightly lighter than her own dark violet orbs.
"Oh, the silent one who's shooting daggers at me with his eyes is Heero Yuy, the guy who got to cop a feel on you when you passed out," grinned Duo, agilely ducking a cuff to the head from Heero.
Heero turned his head to look at her and she vaguely noted the dark brown hair that was somewhat spiky and messy. She also dimly noted the strength that seemed to radiate from his athletic frame. However, it was the eyes that held her attention captive. They were an icy Prussian blue, but she swore she could see a small flame reflected in them. 'Why do those eyes seem to haunt me? I've never met him before, but I swear I would know those eyes anywhere. I feel like those eyes have touched me in a way I've never felt before and yet I've always yearned for. What is this feeling,' Rei wondered, her eyes still locked with Heero's. The other five men in the room shifted nervously, even Duo and Wufei, feeling as if they were intruding upon something momentous. Long minutes ticked past, the silence thickening and almost smothering to the other occupants in the room, but Heero and Rei were oblivious to it all. Finally, Duo let out a nervous laugh which broke the tension in the room as Rei and Heero turned their heads to look at Duo, who was scratching the back of his head sheepishly.
"Heh, you guys looked like you were having a staring contest or something. It was getting kind of creepy. Usually no one can stare Heero down, but it looked like both of you were just going to keep staring at each other until your eyes dried up. Was it some kind of alpha male ritual thing going on or what," asked Duo.
"Ah gomen nasai. I was lost in thought. I hope I did not unnerve you, Heero-san," Rei said apologetically, slightly bowing her head in Heero's direction. 'If they knew what I was really thinking, they would think that the bump on my head has scrambled my brains.'
"I am Dr. Q., a medical scientist with the United Earth and Colony Alliance. I'm sure you must have many questions, Rei-san, as do we. Perhaps we could have an exchange of information," inquired Dr. Q.
Rei turned and looked at the stoop-shouldered older man and warily assessed him. She needed information and she could understand why they would want to know more about her abilities but she had never had to explain who she was to someone who hadn't had the same kind of abilities. She still regretted never telling her ojii-san or Yuiichiro about her other life as Sailor Mars but the time had never seemed right. She was also too much a soldier to want to willingly give away information that might expose anything important or give away a potential weakness. However, she knew that she wouldn't get far in this new situation without allies and these men hadn't hurt her… too much. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and concentrated on the men in the room, trying to sense their auras and see if she could sense evil or trickery in them. After a few more moments, Rei opened her eyes and smiled, relieved to feel no evil in the men surrounding her.
"I will tell you what I can, but you probably won't believe much," Rei replied seriously.
"We shall see," responded Dr. Q. "First, where do you come from and why are you here?"
"Hmm, let's see, I come from Tokyo, Japan and I don't know why I'm here," Rei said thoughtfully.
Several shocked gasps greeted her statement and Rei watched as four of the men looked at each other in astonishment. Trowa and Heero were calm but exchanged meaningful looks that Rei couldn't interpret.
"Miss, are you sure about all that," inquired the doctor. "Because Tokyo was destroyed several hundred years ago. There is nothing there. The entire island of Japan sunk like a stone and there were no survivors."
"NANI??? How can that be," exploded Rei, her mind whirling in shock over the news that the doctor so offhandedly gave her. "Minna, gone? Onegai, tell me everything! I have to know! What year is this and why was Tokyo destroyed," Rei said shakily, rocked to her soul at the thought that her friends were dead. 'They can't be dead! We parted on such horrible terms. Did they die thinking I had betrayed them? Deserted them? Kami-sama, what do I do now?'
"Daijoubu? Maybe we should continue this later. You're looking very pale. You might need some more rest…," trailed the doctor.
"I don't need rest! I need to know what happened! I can't just sit here and rest not knowing what has happened to my country, my friends," screamed Rei, slowly getting hysterical. If any of the Inner Senshi had been there, they would have realized that Rei hadn't looked this upset since she had thought Usagi had died on Fiore's asteroid. (A/N: Sailor Moon R movie for those who don't recognize the name).
"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down! It's okay! We'll tell you everything you want to know. Go ahead, Doc. My history isn't that great, especially ancient history," said Duo in a calming tone, his palms upraised.
"Ahem, well then. It is currently 198 AC. Japan was destroyed during the Planetary War of 3015 AD as well as most of Southeast Asia and Australia. The war ended a year later after almost 10 years of continual warfare and the rest of the world had to rebuild their mostly decimated civilizations. That took almost another 100 years in itself. The globe had another 200 years of peace and prosperity when it formed the United Earth Alliance and then grew so successful and fruitful that much of Earth's population had to leave for space and create new colonies for the inhabitants to live on. That's when we changed the numbering of the years and switched to AC. As to why Japan was destroyed, the Planetary War came about because of the jealousy of the different countries of each other. The United States had wealth and resources, Japan had enormous technological advances, Europe had history and valuable artifacts, and the other countries had valuable land resources like minerals and oil that other countries coveted. The greed and jealousy became so intense that war broke out and the US and Europe allied first against Africa and then the rest of the North American continent. Japan and the rest of Asia allied with Australia until all that was left was the two sides. The rest is, as they say, history," concluded Dr. Q.
Rei sat in silent shock, unable to fathom that more than 1500 years stood between now and when she had last been in Tokyo. 'How could this have happened? What happened to Crystal Tokyo,' Rei thought.
"What about Crystal Tokyo? What about the Sailor Senshi? What happened to them? Why weren't they there to help," Rei asked desperately.
"Huh? What are you talking about? I've never heard those terms before. What's a senshi? What's this Crystal Tokyo place, Duo questioned, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Obviously, the onna is delusional or insane. Trowa, I think you thumped her head too hard and she's lost her mind," snorted Wufei in disgust.
"Stop it," Trowa said quietly
As the petty bickering continued, Heero stood leaning against a computer terminal, watching Rei intently. Anyone looking at him would think he was studying Rei for weaknesses or maybe trying to discern whether or not she was telling the truth. In reality, Heero had far different things on his mind. 'Who is she? Why does she affect me this way? No one has ever made me feel this way, not even Relena. Huh, in comparison, Relena is a struck match compared to this blazing inferno. I feel in awe of her yet I want to protect her too. When I looked into her eyes, I felt as if I could see eternity in them. I could read her soul in them and I'm almost sure she could read mine. That's enough to take me aback right there. I have no soul so why does she make me feel as if I do and the key to it is in her hands? She fell into my arms and when I held her, all I could think was that she belonged there. Yuy, snap out of it! Thoughts like these will get me killed in the warzone our world has become.' He continued to observe Rei, his eyes wandering from her luscious violet tinted dark hair that flowed down her back like silk to pool on the examination table to her perfectly oval face. Her eyes were a deep violet, the color of a moonless night. He saw the deep sadness in them, buried even deeper than the shock that was reflected in them currently. He remembered locking eyes with her as he caught her and being ensnared in the wonder he saw radiating from them. He had seen the flames reflected in her eyes and had thought how much they suited her fighting spirit. His gaze continued on and his gaze continued to sweep downward to her rosebud mouth. She was currently worrying her lower lip with perfect white teeth as she tried to keep herself from going into shock. He also noted that she had wrapped her arms around herself and was hugging herself tightly. He snapped out of his involved observation to note that Duo and Wufei were still arguing and the rest were trying to either ignore it or get them to stop. He calmly reached over and nerve pinched both combatants, forcing them both to their knees and halting their escalating argument.
"Continue, Dr. Q.," Heero said flatly.
"Ahem, well yes, as to your questions," Dr. Q. said nervously, shooting Heero an anxious look. "These Sailor Senshi and this Crystal Tokyo that you mention, I've never heard of them. However, there was a lot of information that was lost during the Planetary War. Most of the history we have now is from the war onward and a little bit before that is scattered and incomplete. If there were senshi or a Crystal Tokyo, it must have been before the war and they most likely were not around by then… I hope that answers some of your questions."
"Hai, it does answer some but not all," Rei said sadly, thinking that she must have been catapulted forward in time. 'How did this happen without Pluto knowing about this and preventing it from happening? Unless, when she left to take care of things in the timestream, time somehow became corrupted or she was…. killed. Iie, I won't think like that. This must be happening for a reason. Maybe I'm here to learn something or…or…or…or I was sent here at my princess' request. That seems to make the most sense. I was probably sent here so they wouldn't have to be with me, but as a Senshi no one can take away my powers and I might as well be put to good use. Well, if that is what has happened, then I will fulfill my duties as a protector of the innocent. Obviously, this universe needs the Guardian of War.' With that thought, Rei slowly straightened. She knew her duties and she would not fail, regardless of whether her princess was alive or not. She had a duty as the only remaining Senshi to protect the innocent lives that were being threatened by these Ravagers. Slowly, she lifted her head and stared at the pilots and doctor standing silently in the room, waiting for her to digest the information given to her.
"Tell me about these Ravagers that are threatening your galaxy," Rei demanded, the light of fire and a newfound sense of duty blazing within her eyes.
Slowly, bit by bit, piece by piece, Rei learned of the horrible history that had preceded the Ravager attack and then of the actual invasion attempt itself. She was enraged by the gruesome descriptions of what Ravagers did to their victims. Slowly, her fists clenched, Rei stood and declared, "Whatever help I can give you, I will. I cannot tell you everything about me as there are some things that you would not believe and some things that I cannot fully explain since I don't fully understand them myself, but what I can, I will gladly share with you."
The pilots glanced at each other and a look of agreement flashed between them, although Wufei snorted contemptuously before Quatre shot him a reproving look. Dr. Q. seemed to be in paradise at the thought of the information Rei might reveal. He mentally rubbed his hands in anticipation of the breakthroughs he might discover.
"Well, let's start by how you got here," Dr. Q. inquired.
Rei then spent many long minutes detailing how she had found herself hurtling through a portal, only to be dumped unceremoniously in the colony where Heero had found her. Everyone looked at her disbelievingly and Rei shrugged her shoulders, remarking, "I told you that you wouldn't believe everything."
Dr. Q. nodded his head quickly and continued to ask her questions, rattling off inquiries into the Senshi, her powers and how she had gotten them.
Rei responded with brief answers, uncomfortable with talking about the Senshi since her grief was still so new. She detailed that there were 9 Senshi and 1 Earth guardian (Tuxedo Kamen) and gave a brief rundown on the planets and powers of each of the remaining Senshi but was reluctant to go into further detail. Finally, Dr. Q. asked her to demonstrate her powers and transformation. Rei nodded and began her transformation. She was so involved in the rush of power that swept through her during her transformation that she never noticed Wufei's sudden nosebleed, Duo's foolish grin and elbowing of Heero, or Quatre's deep blush. After her transformation, Rei turned to see Dr. Q. gaping at her in astonishment, Wufei turned away from her and rubbing something on his face, Quatre looking down with an adorable blush staining his fair complexion, Heero and Trowa standing impassively, and Duo rubbing an enormous bruise on his jaw and glaring furiously at Heero. 'I don't even want to know,' she thought, rolling her eyes.
After several tests and demonstrations of her powers, Rei detransformed. As the fire in her was banked to a low burn, she suddenly slumped, feeling drained. (A/N: I feel all the Senshi have their powers running through their systems at all times. It just takes them the act of transforming in order to fully use it. Think power rush. So far, only Rei and Hotaru can consciously use their powers outside of transforming fire reading and healing, but Michiru and Haruka can subconsciously sense their powers ocean and wind speak to them.) Quatre rushed forward to catch her, but it was Heero who got to her first, easily scooping up her exhausted body.
"Rei-san! You're exhausted! When was the last time you ate or rested," Quatre asked anxiously, worry etched across his face.
"Well, does sleeping count for the time I was knocked out? If so, then that was the last time I slept and I haven't really felt like eating recently," she responded, smiling weakly.
"Doctor, do you have everything you need," Quatre asked politely.
"Yes! Yes! In fact, it will take me several days to analyze all this information and see if there is anything here that will help us defeat the Ravagers besides Rei-san using her powers directly on them," Dr. Q. muttered distractedly, already lost in his research and calculations.
"Good! Then we will take Rei-san home and let her recuperate," Quatre beamed.
"NANI? Are you talking about taking her back to the mansion and letting her stay with us? No way! Absolutely not," Wufei shouted.
"Quit your complaining, Wu-man. It's not like you have any say anyway. Sure, we all live there, but it's Quatre's home and he can do whatever he wants or invite anyone he wants," Duo said teasingly, dodging from Wufei's sudden lunge and laughing.
"I don't want to impose," said Rei softly. "I'm sure I can stay here. I'll be fine."
"You could stay here, but why would you want to? No offense to the doctors and scientists here, but they're boring as hell and not anywhere near as handsome as we are. Not to mention Quatre's mansion is a beaut, not all sterile and bland like it is here. You know you want to stay with us," Duo wheedled charmingly.
Rei smiled softly and nodded her agreement. 'It would be nice to be around somewhat friendly faces and I want to find out about this strange connection I feel to Heero,' Rei thought to herself, shifting slightly in Heero's arms as he carried her out of the room and down a long white corridor. She snuck a peek at him from under her long eyelashes and was surprised to see him looking down at her with a slightly bemused expression on his face. It quickly disappeared however, when he noticed her looking at him and he turned his face forward and continued to stride down the hallway.
"Whoohoo! We finally get to have a pretty face to look at! No offense, but staring at you guys and the Manganacs all day is not exactly my preference. Hey Rei-chan, did the other Senshi look as good as you and have a sexy outfit like yours too," Duo asked eagerly, his eyes lighting up.
"DUO," came a chorus of voices.
####***
Rei quickly settled in at the Winner residence and began to learn as much as she could about her new surroundings. She was given her own room in the west wing of the house, away from the other pilots who all resided in the east wing. Quatre had explained that he wanted to give her privacy and not ruin her reputation by having her live in the same wing. Rei was touched by Quatre's concern. She soon found endearing qualities in all of the pilots even Wufei. Quatre was always looking out for her and treated her almost like a little sister, which she discovered that she enjoyed and that Quatre also enjoyed since he was the youngest child and only boy among 29 older sisters. Duo always found some way to amuse Rei and she found herself looking forward to his antics, even though she might roll her eyes at him occasionally. He always knew a way to get her out of her depression over the thoughts of her ex-teammates. Trowa had been a big surprise to her, as she had thought his silence would drive her crazy but he surprised her with his thoughtful insight. He didn't speak often, but Rei knew that when he did speak, she should listen. She even found Wufei to be useful in a way, as he obliged her by fighting with her verbally. The other pilots often found themselves in the middle of a huge screaming match between the two that would start from nowhere and quickly build to astronomical proportions. They would also always be dumbfounded when the fight would suddenly end and Rei would sigh in satisfaction from being able to vent her volatile emotions. However, it was with Heero that she found herself always drawn towards. Their stoic souls seemed to recognize each other and the other men were shocked to find Heero teaching Rei how to aim and shoot a gun one day. They had never seen him voluntarily come out of his shell to approach someone before and were even more shocked when after a particularly brutal mission, Heero and Rei quietly discussed battle tactics.
She often found herself alone in the big mansion while the Gundam pilots went off to fight. She stayed up always to wait for them to return home. She would never admit to it, but she was afraid they would not return and she would be left alone…again. Her relief at their safe return each time was almost palpable. (A/N: Rei does not go on missions…yet.)
Two weeks went by and the doctors of the Alliance had assessed the data gathered by Dr. Q. and were unable to come up with anything conclusive beyond the fact that Rei had powers that could destroy the Ravagers as easily as the Gundams if not even better. They extended an invitation to her to join the Alliance, but Rei refused gently, stating that she couldn't join them at that time officially but would go on missions if the situation warranted it. She didn't have to tell the pilots why, but they all knew it was because she was still mourning her ex-teammates. Rei had used all the resources available to her and to Quatre to see if she could unearth any information about the fate of the Senshi but was unable to come up with a single thing. It was as if they had never existed and Rei had been devastated for several days, finally coming out of her depression after she realized that she was not honoring her fellow Senshi by retreating into herself.
"I won't let you down, minna. I will fight! I will not let this world surrender quietly to the dark forces threatening it. I will fight as if you were by my side. I will never forget you even though we parted on harsh terms," Rei vowed. "Maybe we will see each other again some day…."
####***
Ta da! Another chapter finished! I hope this meets expectations and sorry if it seemed slow, but all of this needed to be explained before we moved on to the next chapter. (Building a foundation…building a foundation…damn, I think I broke a fingernail!) And finally, what you all have been waiting for! Next chapter: What happened with the other Senshi?
