Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or Sailor Moon. Very talented and powerful people who are now obscenely rich own them, so you know it's not me.

Dedication: To all the people who have reviewed and to Baker for getting me into Gundam Wing in the first place. Eternal dedication to Duckie for all his hard work (it's easier this way!)

A/N: This chapter happens during the same time as Chapter 3, which is to say about 2 days after the big fight between the Inners and Rei.

**Spoiler Alert** There are some spoilers to Sailor Stars here. If you don't want to know, please skip the sections with a # sign (Hopefully they will show up).

####***

A slim blonde with her hair in two odangoes and streamers of hair flew down a crowded city street, skidding around a corner, her mind in a dazed whirl. The pedestrians quickly moved out of the blonde missile's way, recognizing the familiar hurried pace and knowing that if they didn't move, they would become street pancakes. The blonde finally reached her destination, Crown Arcade, and dashed inside, frantically looking for her friends. She spotted them sitting in a corner booth and dashed towards them.

"Huff…pant…wheeze…huff…Have any of you seen Rei-chan?…gasp…It's important that I talk to her…wheeze," Usagi said, her hands resting on her bent knees as she tried to catch her breath.

"Why would you want to talk to her and why are you calling her Rei-chan after what she did to you," demanded Makoto, her arms crossed and a frown appearing on her usually smiling features.

"Mako-chan…onegai, don't start on that again," Ami began, only to be cut off by Makoto's hard stare.

"She betrayed Usagi-chan! How can you try to defend her," Makoto bit out.

"Pant…gasp…No, wait…huff," Usagi tried to interject but was ignored.

"Mako-chan, I know what happened but it doesn't mean that Rei-chan wasn't our friend too. It's not like it doesn't hurt to hear about what she did," Minako said, biting her lip to keep from crying. She had been extremely close to Rei and felt as if she had somehow betrayed her friend for not standing up for her or listening to her when she had pleaded with them, her huge violet eyes drowning in the sadness she normally never showed anyone.

"Wheeze…puff…pant…But you don't…," Usagi again tried to interrupt without success.

"Gomen, Minako-chan. I know it hurts you since she was your best friend, but you have to face facts and realize that Rei wasn't the friend you thought she was," the brunette replied, her face softening as she saw the sadness on Minako's face.

"Iie. Minna, that's what I wanted to talk to Rei-chan about," Usagi finally got out after finally catching her breath.

"What do you mean, Usagi-chan? What do you want to talk to Rei-san about," Ami asked gently, her face settling into a small frown of confusion.

"I talked to Mamo-chan late yesterday night. He told me everything! He was over at Rei-chan's, helping her get her ojii-san's business matters in order and then she started to break down and cry. You know she never does that so Mamo-chan told her to cry on his shoulder since we weren't there. That's all that happened! I walked in while he was drying her tears. I'm such a baka! I never gave either of them a chance to explain," Usagi said, finally breaking down and sobbing.

Minako sucked in her breath, feeling the pit of her stomach drop. She recalled Rei's eyes quite vividly from that day and saw the plea for understanding there and she also remembered her own silent refusal to trust in her best friend. 'Kami-sama, you were trying to tell me it wasn't true, weren't you, Rei-chan? And all I could do for my best friend was turn away from her.'

"Are you sure Mamoru-kun is telling the truth, Usagi-chan? Could it be that he's trying to allay your fears by lying," Ami asked, hating to ask the question but having to make sure that all sides were looked at. She shuddered as she thought of what they might have done to Rei by not listening to her side. Ami prided herself on not making judgements until all the facts were known, but it had been hard to think with her mind and not her heart when it came to Usagi. 'Of course, when we heard Usagi-chan we knew it was the truth, but maybe only because it WAS the truth to Usagi-chan. Kami-sama! What have we done'

"Hai. I'm sure! I would know if Mamo-chan were lying to me. I would feel it in my heart! Well that… and the fact that the ginzuishou told me it was the truth too. So you see, I have to talk to Rei-chan and apologize," Usagi said sheepishly.

"I'm so relieved," said Minako. "But you better prepare yourself, Usagi-chan, because Rei-chan is going to be soooo mad. You might want to get some firefighting gear before you go over or she might just toast you! Maybe we should go and get some of those cookies that she likes so much to sweeten her up a little."

Minako was privately relieved and scared at the same time. She was relieved that Rei hadn't betrayed Usagi, but scared at seeing her best friend again and seeing the reaction she would have to them after the big blow up in the park. 'What kind of friend am I? I let her down by not giving her a chance to explain or giving her the benefit of the doubt. I feel like I've betrayed her. I know she has a hard time showing her gentler side since so many have abandoned her in the past and this will seem like we've abandoned her too. She might not ever trust us again. We might have permanently scarred her heart in a way that can never be fixed. Well, I won't let it happen! I won't give up even if she spits in my face. Ewww! I hope she doesn't do that. That would be so disgusting! Look out, Rei-chan! Sailor Venus is coming to make sure you don't lock your heart away again!' Minako looked around and noticed everyone staring at her. She then realized that sometime during her private thoughts she had stood up and planted one foot on the bench and raised one hand in the air, her fingers making the "V" sign. She laughed nervously, a huge sweatdrop appearing on her head and quietly sat back down, shrinking into her seat.

"Well, ahem, anyway, maybe I should make her favorite cookies instead," suggested Makoto, looking at Minako nervously. "I said some horrible things to her and this would be my way of apologizing. I should have known she wouldn't betray you. She's as protective as I am about you. I really don't know why I said those things to her except maybe I was just too upset, after seeing you crying."

"We all owe her an apology. We all said some things that were pretty harsh. Let's get started on those cookies and then go over to the shrine as soon as we can. I don't want to let her think too long on what we said," Ami said, getting up and gathering her books. "As is, we haven't spoken to her since that day on Friday in the park and she's had the whole weekend to be upset."

"Right! Let's go," exclaimed Usagi, taking off running again. The other senshi followed, close on her heels.

####***

"That's funny. No one's answering the phone at the temple. I know Rei-chan went back to school today but she should be home by now. It's already after 4 p.m. and I know she was worried about leaving the temple unattended," Usagi said, putting down the phone.

"Maybe she went grocery shopping. If what Mamoru-kun said is right, then she hasn't really been doing anything except getting everything done in regards to the temple. Let me bring over this bento box along with the cookies. She probably hasn't been taking care of herself. By the time we get there, she should be home from whatever errands she's been running," Makoto said, digging in her spacious refrigerator and hefting out a huge bento box that looked like it could easily feed even Usagi's appetite.

"Whoa! Are you going to stuff Rei-chan into forgiving us, Mako-chan," asked Minako, giggling at the sight.

"No. She's just going to make sure that Rei-chan can't run while we apologize," Ami giggled, as she watched Makoto also heft an enormous platter of cookies that looked like it could be used at a reception. "Do you need any help, Mako-chan? I could take…"

"It's all right. I'm used to lugging stuff like this around. Not to mention, the rest of you might just keel over from the weight, Senshi strength or not," Makoto joked, beginning to feel happy. She had been upset to think how she might have unwittingly hurt her sensitive friend. She knew that Rei hid her feelings behind a tough façade just like she did and she had missed their fiery friend. It hadn't seemed right without her. 'I hope she lets down the wall enough so we can get past this. I hope she understands that I was shooting my mouth off and that I was upset because of Usagi-chan's pain. I'll cook for her for a month, even a year if she lets this go,' thought Makoto.

"Well, let's go then. Hey, do you think Rei will want to share all those cookies and goodies in the bento box," Usagi asked, her face brightening at the prospect of making peace with her friend and sharing in the delicious creations Makoto had tormented her with in the kitchen.

Bright laughter pealed out from 3 girls as they shoved a questioning Usagi out the door and made their way towards the Hikawa Shrine.

####***

"Hmmm. The place looks deserted. Do you think she's arrived home yet," asked Ami, looking around. Normally, the temple would be bustling with quiet activity. People came to buy charms or offer prayers, Grandpa Hino would be making passes at pretty girls, Yuiichiro would be doing heaven knows what, usually running from Rei's broom, and Rei could usually be seen sweeping the steps or selling charms. However, on this day, the temple was eerily quiet. Even Phobos and Deimos were conspicuously absent.

"People have probably been staying away because they know Grandpa Hino passed away. Maybe they aren't as confident in Rei's Shinto abilities or maybe they're just giving her time to mourn," Minako offered weakly, not really convincing herself.

"Well, let's sit on the steps and wait for her. She shouldn't be gone for much longer, ne," asked Usagi. "Maybe we should contact Luna and Artemis and see if they'll help us patch up with Rei-chan."

"Sounds like a good idea," Minako agreed.

The two blondes both contacted their respective guardians and agreed to wait while they made their way to the shrine. Makoto carefully settled the bento and platter on the top step and then sat down on the step beneath it. Minako and Ami flanked her on either side, with Ami pulling out a book to pass the time. Usagi however, paced back and forth, doing a subconscious imitation of an impatient Rei. After a half hour had gone by and both cats had arrived with still no sign of Rei, they became worried and were just about to get up and search for her when they heard the sound of a car door slam and running feet.

"Hotaru-chan! Michiru-san! Haruka-san! You're back," exclaimed Usagi. "What are you doing here? Is Rei-chan with you?"

"We were just going to ask you that. She was supposed to meet me after school and then we were going to come back here to the temple. She never showed up. Rei-chan is never late and she never breaks her promises to me. I finally called home after about an hour and Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama came and picked me up. We drove over to her school but she hasn't been there at all today. I'm getting worried," Hotaru said, her face flushed from anxiety.

"After we drove to her school, I looked in the mirror and couldn't find her. The breezes from the sea feel chilling. I'm afraid something may have happened to her. Have you checked the temple yet," said Michiru, her normally calm face creased in worry.

"The temple is deserted. There's no one here but we haven't gone inside yet. We called earlier and no one picked up so we assumed she was out," said Minako, beginning to panic. "Usagi-chan, call Mamoru-kun and see if he's seen her today. Maybe she went to talk to him or told him where she might be."

"Hai," said Usagi, digging out her cell phone. After a brief conversation with her boyfriend, Usagi hung up, her face on the verge of tears. "He says he hasn't seen or heard from her since Friday. Minna, let's check the temple!"

The group of young women and cats rushed up the temple steps, with Makoto making sure to bring her goodies. They swarmed over the grounds looking for their friend and after a thorough search, came up with nothing. They were about to walk inside the house part of the shrine when Usagi collapsed on the ground, sobbing.

"What's wrong, hime? Don't worry. We'll find Rei-chan. Come on," Haruka said, trying to pull Usagi off from the ground. However, Usagi refused to budge and continued to sob, mumbling softly between breaths, her head buried in her hands.

"Hey girls, help me get Usagi off the ground," Haruka started only to look up and see the other three girls looking on helplessly, a look of guilt in their eyes. She looked over to Michiru and Hotaru and they both shrugged, not understanding what was going on between the four girls.

"Do you girls know something," asked Michiru softly. "Has Rei-chan been so depressed since the funeral that you might think she's done something rash? Tell us and we'll help you. We can't do anything unless you tell us though."

Suddenly, Hotaru spoke up, "They know something. I know they do. You can read it in their eyes." Hotaru was upset, but for far more than the simple fact that Rei was missing. Ever since Chibiusa had left to return to the future, she and Rei had grown much closer. It had started with simple understanding between two very powerful and dedicated Senshi and blossomed into a wonderful friendship between two who had endured some of the worst that mankind had to offer. Though they were all Senshi and had battled monster after monster, only Rei and Hotaru had seen how monstrous their fellow humans could be. Their abilities had set them apart, even from their fellow Senshi. Rei's psychic abilities and Hotaru's healing touch were gifts, rare gifts, but those who could not understand shunned and feared them. It was Rei who had begun to teach Hotaru how to fully appreciate her gifts and exude the confidence needed to repel unwanted attention. Rei had had to learn these lessons herself and had done so remarkably well, to the point that her fellow students looked up to her in awe and admiration. Under her tutelage, Hotaru had finally realized she was special and not a freak. She now had confidence in herself and was accepted at her new high school. Though she had friends at school, Hotaru still felt a special bond with Rei and often hung out with her. She narrowed her eyes at the four older girls and commanded, "Tell us what happened."

"We had a fight with Rei over the weekend and accused her of some horrible things," Minako finally confessed, hanging her head in shame.

"What kind of things," Haruka gritted out between clenched teeth. "The more you hesitate, the longer it takes for us to find Rei-chan so I suggest you tell us the whole story."

Ami, Minako and Makoto haltingly described what happened with Usagi still sobbing on the ground and occasionally adding some little detail. Luna had curled around Usagi's feet, trying to comfort her charge while Artemis stood by Minako, silently encouraging her. Both cats had known something was wrong but hadn't been able to get their two girls to reveal anything. Artemis had watched over the weekend while Minako had dragged herself through the days only to quietly weep at night. When he had suggested she speak to Rei, Minako had burst into tears and thrown Artemis out of the room. He had suspected a fight, but nothing like what he was hearing being described. Luna, on the other hand, had seen how upset Usagi had been and had been able to glean that she was upset with Mamoru. #Thinking it was another fight between the destined lovers, Luna had said nothing, having seen the couple break up and reconcile many times over the last couple of years, the last big fight being after Mamoru had found out about Usagi and Seiya's relationship while he had been gone.# Confident the two would make up again, Luna had just watched, ready to give advice and console Usagi when necessary. It had never crossed her mind that there were problems within the Senshi like this.

Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru listened with growing disbelief as they heard about the accusations that the Inners had hurled at Rei. One of the things that the Outers had always envied about the Inners was their solid sense of friendship and loyalty. Though the Outers worked well as a team, were united against the threats from outside the universe and readily saw the evil in all things, it was the Inners who had always pulled the large group together. The Inners had always let their soft hearts dictate their actions, like healing monsters instead of destroying them. It had caused a lot of friction over the years, but the Outers secretly had always admired the Inners for that special quality of not letting themselves become cynical and jaded. It surprised them to no end to hear of the ugliness that had happened while they were away.

"How could you say that to her without getting to the bottom of it? I thought you girls had matured beyond that stage. You call yourselves soldiers of love and justice and then accuse one of your friends of cheating and betraying without getting any real evidence. I'm just as protective of the princess and I'd die rather than see her hurt, but even I wouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that," Haruka railed.

"Calm down, 'ruka. You're not helping matters. They feel bad enough as is and this isn't productive," Michiru said soothingly, laying one hand on the taller woman's shoulder.

"How can you forgive them so easily, Michi? Didn't you hear them," asked Haruka in disbelief, turning towards her aqua-haired companion.

"I heard everything just fine. I don't agree with what they did or how they did it, but it's in the past. The only important thing now is finding Rei-chan. After that, we can hash it out to your heart's content. Right, Hotaru-chan," asked Michiru, turning to her "daughter". But when Michiru turned towards Hotaru, there was only empty space. The water senshi caught a glimpse of Hotaru's uniform skirt disappearing into the house section of Hikawa temple. "Maybe Hotaru-chan has the right idea. Search first, argue and place blame later." With that, Michiru followed Hotaru and the rest of the senshi followed suit. Usagi heaved herself off the ground shakily and ran after them. 'Please let her be okay," she prayed as she hurried to catch up to the others.

Inside the house, it was eerily silent and the darkening evening sky cast shadows upon the walls. The girls broke into pairs and roamed through the house searching for their missing friend. All was silent except for the soft gliding of socks on the wooden floor until a cry from Hotaru broke through the silence. The girls rushed downstairs towards the Fire room where Hotaru had been. The door slammed open and Haruka was the first to see Hotaru crying in the middle of the room.

"Hotaru-chan! What did you find? Are you okay," burst out Haruka, rushing towards the slim figure.

Hotaru threw herself at Haruka and sobbed into her shoulder. Haruka was shocked. Hotaru hadn't done this since she was a small child, almost 2 years ago.

"Haruka-papa," Hotaru sobbed.

"What's wrong," asked Michiru, coming up behind Haruka and looking at Hotaru worriedly.

A small gasp broke the sounds of sobbing. Minako pointed at the Sacred Fire, her face completely white. Everyone turned to look at what she was pointing at and was shocked to see the scene before them. For where the Sacred Fire normally blazed there was now nothing but ashes.

"This can't be right," said Ami in a daze. "Rei-chan said that the Sacred Fire never goes out. It's one of its mystical properties. It doesn't need fuel to burn so long as there is a true priest or priestess of the shrine…Kami-sama! Iie! This can't mean what I think it means!" Minako and Hotaru looked on in unspoken horror while Usagi, Makoto, Haruka and Michiru shot Ami looks of confusion. The tension hung in the air like a palpable entity.

Ami sat down with a thump and scrabbled for her mini-computer, digging into her subspace pocket and pulling out the blue miracle machine. She hurriedly typed and waited impatiently for the results, her face pinched with worry and a slight trace of fear. Seeing the normally placid Ami looking so pale, Usagi panicked.

"What's wrong, Ami-chan? What are you doing? What did you mean about the Sacred Fire burning without fuel with a priest or priestess present? Tell me," Usagi demanded, her voice becoming higher and higher.

"Rei-chan told me once that the Sacred Fire here at the Hikawa temple is different from all other temple fires. Unlike the rest, which need to be constantly watched so they don't run out of fuel and die out, this one will burn indefinitely as long as a true priest or priestess of the Hino line lives on. The fire is tied to their life force and is a part of them. That's why they are so successful with their fire readings," Ami replied distractedly, her eyes glued to the small screen in front of her.

"Masaka, Usagi breathed, her eyes wide. She turned to Makoto. "Stuff like that can't happen! Tell her, Mako-chan!"

"Usagi-chan, look who's talking! You're a princess who has been reincarnated from over a thousand years ago and we are your senshi. We have the powers of guardian planets and transform into sailor suited pretty soldiers. You have an all-powerful crystal that is tied to you and a destiny that spans milleniums. And you're trying to tell us that it's not possible for a temple fire to be tied to someone's life force? Look who you are talking about! This is Rei-chan, the senshi of fire, one of two senshi who can actually use some of their abilities outside of transformation that we're talking about," Minako yelled. She slumped and her beautiful golden blonde hair fell forward to cover her face. "Gomen, Usagi-chan. I didn't mean to yell at you. I just don't know what to do if Rei-chan is…."

"Stop that! Rei-chan isn't dead! She isn't! She wouldn't leave us this way! She knows that the Outers still care for her. We wouldn't have treated her this way," Hotaru screamed from the circle of Haruka's arms. "This is all your fault!"

Michiru stood between the two groups and watched everything with sad eyes. On one side sat Ami, busily typing into her computer, Minako, who was rocking back and forth and desperately trying to keep from crying, and Usagi and Makoto, who were still reeling from Hotaru's outburst. On the other side stood Hotaru and Haruka, who was trying to comfort Hotaru by rubbing her back and making soothing sounds. Hotaru was still glaring at the Inners; her violet eyes alight with a fire that reminded Michiru of Rei. She sighed silently, her maternal heart breaking for both sides. She did understand what had caused the Inners to act the way they did. They were so passionate about their princess, blithely forsaking their lives for her. She was sure that the attack on Rei must have seemed trivial in comparison to what all of them had done before for the moon princess. #She still remembered the incident from over a year ago when they had battled Galaxia and the Inners had jumped in front of an attack that would have taken the star seeds from Sailor Moon and the Starlights, effectively killing them. The 4 Outers had been shell-shocked, seeing the vibrant lives cut short so quickly. Their nobility and love for their princess had been so evident that the 4 Outers, who had seen so much horror and thought themselves immune, had choked with grief.# It was after that when the 4 Outers had begun to cooperate with the rest of the Senshi, their admiration allaying any differences in motive and execution. It was no wonder that they, the Outers, were upset over this meaningless squabble. It seemed to fly in the face of the devotion the Inners had towards each other. 'Maybe it's because this kind of tender emotion touched us so late in life that we are so protective of it. No one wants to see the death of pure love, whether it is the love between lovers or the true bonds of friendship. Neither do we want to see the dimming of the light of optimism that seems to surround each of the Inner senshi. I don't agree with what they have done, but I understand. I know Rei-chan would want to work things out so I'll try to remain impartial,' Michiru mused.

After long moments, the clicking of computer keys finally ceased. Ami sat dumbfounded, grief pouring from her in waves. She clicked the mini-computer shut and put it away, too numb to even speak.

"Iie…Ami-chan, onegai…tell me you can find her…onegai," Usagi pleaded, her hand stretched out towards her blue-haired friend.

Minako held her breath, waiting for Ami to look up and smile that reassuring smile of hers and tell her that everything was okay. 'Surely Ami-chan can find Rei-chan. Ami-chan can find anything with that computer of hers. She even found my lost earrings once. Please, Ami-chan, look up and tell me you found her.'

Makoto felt drained, all of her strength seemed useless. All she could remember was accusing Rei of horrible things and seeing her friend's face, closed off but begging for a chance to explain. She clapped her hands over her ears, hearing her screams in her head echoing over and over.

Haruka felt Hotaru stiffen in her arms and she bit her lip, trying to keep calm and not lash out at the girls. Hotaru stared at the floor, her eyes unfocused as she began to withdraw into herself. As she stood there, her eyes finally focused on something that caught her attention. It was a piece of paper lying near where the fire used to burn. Hotaru gently broke Haruka's hold on her and knelt down to pick up the piece of paper. The action seemed to shake everyone out of their private horror and they watched curiously as Hotaru examined the piece of paper.

"What is it, Hotaru-chan," asked Michiru, walking closer to her.

"It's a piece of paper but there's no writing on it. It's that heavy parchment paper, the kind usually reserved for scrolls or important writing. The only thing on it is some ashy smudges and there's a red ribbon attached to it," Hotaru replied, turning the paper over and over, looking for some clue of her friend's whereabouts.

"I wonder if Setsuna would be able to help us find Rei-chan. I refuse to believe that Rei-chan would do something so stupid as to die over a fight with her friends, no matter how harsh it was. If anything, she should have become blazing mad and she knows she could always come over to our house. Even though Haruka, Setsuna and I were gone, Hotaru-chan was still there. Has Setsuna come back yet," asked Michiru, carefully trying to ponder all the alternatives. 'Maybe the Inners' optimism is rubbing off on me.'

Everyone shook their heads as they looked at each other. Makoto seemed deep in thought and then spoke up, saying, "Normally, what you said would be true. Rei-chan would have blown up at me for accusing her of something untrue or at least tried to roast me alive, but things have changed. Ever since her ojii-san's death, she's matured, grown more quiet and introspective. It's like…I don't know…like she's learned to control the fire inside of her."

"That may be true but I agree with Michi. We should try to contact Setsuna and see if she knows what has happened. If nothing else and Rei-chan has…followed her ojii-san, we could go back in time and prevent it," Haruka said.

"You know Setsuna-san would never allow us to meddle in the time stream like that," stated Minako. "As much as I would love to, Setsuna-san would probably blast us for even thinking about doing something like that."

"Why? She let Chibiusa-chan come back to the past," asked Haruka, her chin jutting out stubbornly.

"This argument is pointless. Setsuna-san hasn't been back since she left right after Rei's ojii-san's funeral. You know we can never contact her. It's always been her who contacts us," Ami said, finally shaking out of her stupor. Her mind had gone blank as she saw the red words flash across her screen Not found while trying to locate Rei on a global scan.

The group of young women were frustrated beyond belief and under it all, a keen sense of fear coursed through all of them at the thought of losing a friend. However, something happened that distracted them. A young woman in a tattered and torn fuku stumbled through a mysterious portal they had never seen before, her long hair trailing behind her. Bloody scratches and bruises covered her from head to toe.

"PLUTO!"

Gomen minna but I had to end it somewhere and a cliffhanger is always good right? (Dodges heavy objects being chucked her way by angry readers) Gah! Alright already! Next chapter is coming soon, I promise! You might not like this chapter because it's kind of depressing but it fits into the storyline. (Hey! You'd be pretty sad if you thought you caused a friend to disappear because of something you said. And you'd probably be pretty mad if a friend of yours caused another friend to disappear.) Gomen to all my fellow Rei enthusiasts for not having Rei in this chapter but I had to tell the other side. Next chapter: What happened to Pluto and how do the Senshi fix it?