Disclaimer: Do I have to continue with these stupid disclaimers that tell everyone that I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing

Disclaimer: Do I have to continue with these stupid disclaimers that tell everyone that I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing? They're beginning to get on my nerves! I bet Heero and Rei and the others would like to be owned by me, but the big companies don't care about that, do they?

Dedication: To The Firey for all of her awesome fics (I just love Phoenix Soul and Phoenix Soul II!) and her much appreciated reviews. Also to everyone who has reviewed, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

A/N: I know I had Hotaru's age posted as 15, but due to romantic considerations, she is being advanced to 16 (Sounds like a soap opera, doesn't it? Sailor Moon will be played by blah, blah, blah due to an injury.).

Ages: Inners are 17, GW boys are 18, Haruka and Michiru are 19, Hotaru is 16, Setsuna is way freaking old, and Mamoru is 22.

" " - Spoken

` ` - Thought

####***

"REI-CHAN!"

Rei hit the ground hard, her back smashing into the concrete. She felt the weight of several figures on top of her and briefly panicked, thinking she had been ambushed by a set of overlooked Ravagers. Suddenly, she realized that she didn't feel an evil aura and that the auras she did feel were very familiar. Tears pricked her eyes as she remembered who the auras reminded her of. "Minna," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion and tears.

"Rei-chan is down," screamed Quatre over the vid-comm. He had seen her go down amid a tangle of bodies, but the dimming light from the setting sun hadn't let him see how many or who had attacked her.

"We'll save her. Get ready to fire," exclaimed Duo, panicking at the thought of Rei being attacked by so many Ravagers.

"Calm down, Duo! If we fire then Rei-chan could get hit. These Ravagers look smaller than the ones we've been fighting recently. I think we can take them in hand-to-hand combat. Get ready to eject from the Gundams," Quatre responded. The other pilots quickly agreed, even Wufei. However, their eyes widened as they noticed that Heero was already on the ground and running towards the tangle of limbs.

"Why does he always have to show off," grumbled Duo, scrambling out of the cockpit of Deathscythe Hell and jumping from the massive mech.

"He's only thinking of protecting Rei-chan. I don't think he's even thinking of anything else but that," Trowa replied, his long legs easily eating up the distance between him and the nearest of Rei's attackers.

The other pilots also reached the mob of flailing limbs and dove right in, anxious to save Rei. None of them registered the fact that the bodies they came into contact with were female in shape, nor did it register that their opponents were wearing fukus similar to Rei's, so intent were they to free their friend and fellow teammate. Trowa tackled a tall figure with a single antenna, crashing into it and sending it sprawling several feet away. Duo sent a smaller figure with a glass visor flying with an uppercut to the jaw. Quatre was currently kicking a teal-maned figure off of Rei, still trying to see past the flailing limbs to check if she was okay. Heero had single-handedly (of course!) sent a medusa-like creature (A/N: Medusa had long hair that was alive.) crashing into another tall figure, knocking them both away. Wufei had arrived just in time to see a slender figure with a spear-like limb pick itself up from the ground and approach Heero's back, wielding its limb to attack from behind. He jumped and tried to kick it, but its limb tangled with his leg and he felt pulled towards the Ravager. He collided with it, a small thud resounding from the impact. Before he could do anything else, he felt a strong grip grab hold of his flight suit and yank him away, sending him in another direction. He then felt a solid crack to his jawbone.

"Get away from Hota…Sailor Saturn, you bakayaro," a voice snarled.

`Hotaru? Sailor Saturn? That voice! It's Haruka-san,' thought Rei frantically, shaking her head and trying to shake the dull ringing that echoed in her head from her impact on the ground. She looked to see her friends, both male and female, fighting furiously, blinded by eagerness and desperation.

"Yamete," Rei screamed, anxious that her old friends might be hurt by her new friends and vice versa.

All movement ceased, the figures that had been engaged in combat frozen like statues. All eyes turned towards Rei, who had gingerly picked herself up off the ground and was watching them with tears in her large violet eyes. "Minna," she said simply, her large liquid eyes filled with questions and uncertainty. She saw them all: Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Her eyes widened when she realized that Moon, Tuxedo Kamen and Pluto were missing. `Usagi couldn't forgive me. I never thought that she wouldn't give me a chance,' she thought numbly, her heart freezing at the thought. `Maybe the rest aren't here to forgive me either. Maybe they're here to punish me,' she thought despondently. She looked up to see Venus staring at her, tears streaming from her big sapphire blue eyes. Rei's heart thudded, feeling too big for her chest, afraid to hear what Minako would say.

"Rei-chan…," Minako began, her voice faltering at the sight of her best friend. All the past weeks meant nothing to Minako now that Rei was standing in front of her. All she wanted to do was hug her friend and let her know how horrible she felt about not standing up for her and giving her the benefit of the doubt, but the words wouldn't come. She took a step forward, her feet feeling like lead. Suddenly, her feet seemed to sprout wings and she flew towards her best friend, launching into a hug that left both of them breathless. "Gomen, Rei-chan, gomen," she choked out, her throat clogged with tears. She felt Rei hesitate for a brief second and then return the hug, her own soft sobs sounding in Minako's ears.

The five pilots watched silently as they saw 5 other sailor suited young women rush towards the embracing pair and converge upon Rei, each crying yet smiling as they welcomed their lost comrade. The five men exchanged questioning looks before Duo shrugged, saying, "Hey, they're all babes. What else could you ask for?"

"I believe these women must be the friends that Rei-chan had believed lost to her," Trowa remarked, smiling slightly as he watched Rei's face suffused with happiness.

"She radiates so much joy that it takes my breath away," Quatre said quietly, his own heart full to bursting with happiness as his empathic skills absorbed the ambient pleasure around him.

"All I see is more weak onnas," humphed Wufei, his arms folded across his chest and a scowl plastered across his face, his jaw still aching from where he had been hit earlier. He couldn't repress another scowl just for the tawny-haired woman who had dared to hit him.

Heero stood silently, not offering any remarks or moving at all. His thoughts were chaotic, pulling his brain and his heart in different directions. `Her friends are here. She'll return home with them and forget all about us…all about me and I can forget about her. I should be thrilled, but my heart…hurts? I wanted her gone so I wouldn't have to deal with these emotions she's making me feel, but now that I know she'll be leaving, I don't want her to go,' he thought, unconsciously rubbing his chest right above his heart.

Unbeknownst to the pilots, they were being watched as well. Haruka narrowed her eyes as she looked Wufei over. `He's the guy from the Moon! The one who was sparring with Hotaru-chan and telling her he loved her. The one who kissed her! Oh, he is so going to get it,' Haruka thought, mentally cracking her knuckles and imagining herself beating him to a pulp.

Michiru was slightly shocked to recognize the chestnut haired pilot with the lavender eyes as the same young man who had made Ami so confident in the Grand Library of the Lunar Palace. She looked from him to Ami and back again, her dark teal eyes noticing that neither one of them looked at each other twice. `Hmmm, that's odd. They're acting like they don't know each other, but I saw them kiss and hug. I never got a chance to ask Ami-chan about it when we were still on the Moon, but this doesn't seem right somehow,' she mused.

Further away, Prince Endymion held an unconscious Sailor Moon in his arms while Sailor Pluto sat nearby, her legs having given way as soon as they landed. He watched as the majority of the Senshi reunited with Rei and he smiled to see them all so happy again. `It's like a dark cloud has been lifted from them. I suspect that it's the same for Rei-chan,' he thought to himself in satisfaction. His eyes roved over the band of young men that had mistakenly attacked the Sailor Senshi. When they had first burst upon the scene and began throwing the Senshi around, Mamoru had been hard pressed not to defend them. However, the unconscious bundle in his arms meant the world to him and he had been hesitant to leave her unprotected. Sailor Pluto, who had simply told him, "Don't" had cut his internal struggle short. The sight of a young man with messy brown hair suddenly arrested his gaze. He was brought up short by the realization that this was the man that had held Rei so lovingly in his arms while they had been in the gazebo on the grounds of the Lunar Palace. `Is this Rei's destiny? To meet her beloved again, just like Usako and I met and found each other again. I pray that she finds happiness in his arms again. Matte! Do they recognize each other? I remember that Usako and I had no clue about each other until it was revealed to us,' he fretted, his arms unconsciously tightening around his sweetheart.

Usagi whimpered as she felt the loving arms around her constrict slightly. Her eyelashes fluttered as she tried to open her eyes and finally her eyelids opened despite the two-ton weights she felt were placed upon them. She looked up to see her Mamo-chan looking off at the distance and followed his line of sight until her blue eyes widened at the sight of a brown-haired young man with bangs partially concealing his left eye. `That's Mako-chan's lover from the Silver Millennium! He's here! What is he doing here,' she thought confusedly, her mind jumbled from fatigue. She made another whimpering sound, drawing the attention of both Setsuna and Mamoru.

"Daijoubu, Usagi-chan," asked Setsuna, her garnet eyes filled with concern and secrets.

"Daijoubu, demo, where is everybody? Did we find Rei-chan," Usagi eagerly asked, struggling to sit up, her mind now totally focused on her lost friend.

"Everyone else has already hugged Rei-chan to death. She's fine, Usako. We found her. We'll be able to go home as soon as you get some rest and recuperate your energy. I know you're drained from doing two Sailor Teleports and using the Ginzuishou," replied Mamoru, his dark blue eyes filled with concern and worry.

Setsuna blocked out the murmurs of concern and love that followed, her mind wandering. She looked over to Minako, who was happily chatting away with Rei and hanging on to Rei's arm as if she would never let go. She then turned her gaze unerringly to the platinum-haired young man standing several feet away. `So, Quatre-kun, your love is near you again. What will you do? What will all of you do? And will you be torn apart as you were last time? More importantly, will you be able to forgive my part in your separation,' she thought sadly, bowing her head in remorse, her long dark green hair falling forward to obscure her sad face.

Rei, meanwhile, was overcome by sheer emotion. Her friends, whom she had thought were dead, were actually alive and they were apologizing to her! She almost wept when Makoto came up to her hesitantly and asked softly, "Can you ever forgive me for being so heartless to you and not giving you a chance to explain yourself?" Rei had seen the vulnerability and self-loathing in the tall girl's eyes and could feel the sudden tension as the other Senshi had held their collective breath, waiting to see what her reaction would be. Rei had no choice but to ruefully smile and reply, "Of course I forgive you, Mako-chan. How could I not? You were only doing what you thought was right in protecting Usagi-chan. I can't say that I would like to go through that again, but my experiences here have taught me that life is too precious to go around hating someone forever just over pride, especially when that person is one of your best friends." Makoto had cried then, swept into a tender hug by Rei. She knew she had been vulnerable and had opened herself to a world of hurt when she had laid her soul bare before Rei, but Rei hadn't taken advantage of that fact and had forgiven her and accepted her as a friend again. The others sighed with relief, their breath whooshing out as one.

Ami also was hesitant about approaching Rei. The two girls were polar opposites in almost every way. She was ice and Rei was fire and their elements suited them perfectly. Where Ami was shy and gentle, Rei was bold and tough. Ami would try to be tactful and get her point across without hurting anyone while Rei would forthrightly speak her mind and was often considered outspoken. Their similarities were few, but the one major one was that because they had so few close friends, they treasured the ones they had with all of their heart and soul. Ami felt she had betrayed that by letting Rei think she had condemned her. Her blue eyes were filled with remorseful tears and she found herself at a loss for words when Rei's violet gaze touched her. She looked up, her lip trembling and lifted one hand in supplication, unable to put into words what she felt. Fortunately for her, Rei was very intuitive when it came to emotions and she knew that Ami's soft heart was bleeding from the pain she was inflicting upon herself. She let go of Makoto and approached Ami, her arms spread out slightly for a hug, waiting to see if Ami would understand and step forward into her arms, a sign that she (Ami) had forgiven herself and would accept Rei's forgiveness. Ami smiled tremulously and almost stumbled into Rei's arms, so happy was she to be reunited with her friend. "Gomen, Rei-chan," Ami whispered, her words muffled in Rei's long hair. "It's okay, Ami-chan. Everything will be all right now that we're all together again," Rei reassured her friend.

Hotaru stood to one side, watching her friend's face suffused with the soft glow of contentment. `She really does forgive them. It would be mean of me to hang on to my resentment. Michiru-mama was right. I have to let it go or I'll hurt Rei-san when she should be happiest,' thought Hotaru, smiling softly. She touched her heart, feeling the last dregs of bitterness drain away and leaving her feeling whole and clean once again. Her smile widened when Rei let go of Ami and turned towards her, her violet eyes staring back into another set of violet eyes. Both girls smiled and ran toward each other. Hotaru stopped a step away from Rei and said warmly, "We found you. I'm so glad."

"I'm glad you found me too, Hota-chan. I missed you guys more than anything," Rei replied, her smile warm with friendliness. The two girls then hugged, happy to be together again.

Rei then looked over and saw Haruka and Michiru watching her fondly, like older sisters. She grinned at them and returned Haruka's thumbs up before running over to them and being enveloped in a huge bear hug by Haruka which swept Rei right off her feet. Michiru just rolled her eyes in exasperation and calmly waited for Haruka to let go of the now wheezing fire Senshi before embracing Rei gently. Pulling back slightly from the hug, Michiru held on to Rei by her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes, looking for any lingering signs of sadness or unhappiness. "What's wrong, Rei-chan? You still look a little sad," Michiru murmured.

"I'm really happy to see all of you here, demo, where's Usagi-chan? Is she still mad at me," Rei asked, a tinge of fear coloring her voice.

The other Senshi looked blankly at each other and then looked around wildly. Minako was almost frantic. "Do not tell me we finally found Rei-chan and then lost Usagi-chan in the process! And where are Setsuna-san and Mamoru-san? Argh! How am I supposed to explain this to Luna and Artemis," she exclaimed, her baby blue eyes beginning to glint with a manic light.

"We're right here," stated Mamoru calmly, carrying Usagi in his arms and with Setsuna following closely but leaning heavily on her Time Staff. "Usako and Setsuna are both exhausted from using so much power, so we decided to stay back and let them catch their breath first. Not to mention, we couldn't get past all of you to get to Rei-chan anyway," he finished wryly.

"Rei-chan…," Usagi breathed, hope shining vividly in her eyes. She had missed all of the other reunions, having been mostly unconscious at the time, so she was extremely nervous and she braced herself for a thorough tongue lashing from her fiery friend. She looked up quizzically when there was no response from Rei-chan and had to bite her lip to keep from sobbing when she saw the softness in her best friend's eyes. It was the final straw for Usagi and she burst into tears in Mamoru's arms. Rei immediately rushed to Usagi and hugged her fiercely, patting her back and murmuring, "Daijoubu, daijoubu, Usagi-chan. Everything is forgiven. There can never be hard feelings between us for long, ne?"

"I was so horrible to you, Rei-chan! I treated you like you were the enemy and I threw all the good things you have done for me out the window. I let all of my insecurities out on you and I drove you to leave us. Yet you can still forgive me and still be my friend. I'm a crybaby, a klutz, lazy, and…," she broke off, gulping in air between her anguished sobs.

"And I will still love you, Usagi-chan. You may be all of that, but you're also sweet, loving, gentle and compassionate. You have the potential to be something truly great and I wouldn't miss out on that for the world. You're my princess and I'll always protect you for that, but you're also my friend and it's why I choose to be with you," Rei replied, her eyes misty with happiness. The last of her doubts had dissolved like a fog in sunlight. She caught the eye of Setsuna and smiled to see the pride in the Time guardian's eyes. Mamoru also was smiling, happy to see his "girls" happy and reunited once more.

"Oi, Rei-chan, who are those guys who attacked us," said Haruka, jerking her thumb in the direction of the Gundam pilots, who had been silently witnessing everything and not understanding a single thing.

"Ara, I totally forgot to introduce you," exclaimed Rei-chan, a flush spreading across her face, mortified that she had been so impolite as to ignore her newfound friends. "They are the young men who found me when I first came to this time. They have befriended me and given me a new purpose and life here with them. I don't know what I would have done without them. Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Heero Yuy, Quatre Winner, and Chang Wufei meet Tsukino Usagi, Chiba Mamoru, Meioh Setsuna, Tenoh Haruka, Kaioh Michiru, Tomoe Hotaru, Mizuno Ami, Kino Makoto and Aino Minako, otherwise known as the Sailor Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen," she finished, almost winded from the long list of names.

"Hey, Rei-chan, you never told us your friends were so gorgeous and sexy," Duo said, leering slightly. His eyes widened comically as Ami's hand shot out and covered his face, effectively shutting him up. Ami, on the other hand, was blushing furiously at what she had done and at the incredulous looks her friends were giving her. She stared at her hand as she removed it from Duo's face, as if unsure it belonged to her. `What just possessed me to shove my hand in someone's face? I am so mortified,' she thought in horror.

"You were so asking for that, Duo-kun. Maybe you'll learn to think before you speak next time," Rei giggled, shocked but pleased at Ami's sudden bout of aggressiveness.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say that we are pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm glad Rei's friends have returned to her. She's missed you," Quatre said, his smile sincere and warm with pleasure. He was valiantly ignoring the antics of his fellow pilot, Duo. He brushed a lock of light blond hair out of his eyes, inadvertently catching the eye of Minako. He blushed as he noticed her interested stare and beaming smile. `She's so pretty. It's like the sun has just come out of hiding,' he thought dazedly. "I also apologize for any harm we may have caused you. Our only excuse is that we were concerned for Rei-chan's benefit. We thought she was being attacked by monsters."

"You have monsters here," asked Minako, her voice sharp with concern. She had instantly fallen into Senshi leader mode and business and the safety of her princess became her foremost thought.

"It's probably better if we explain everything at our home. As is, the city is waiting for us to leave so that they know the threat is over and the citizens can return to their homes. If you don't mind, we can transport you via our Gundams," Quatre responded.

"Gundams," inquired Michiru, testing the unfamiliar word on her tongue, her brows crinkling in confusion.

"It's better to see them first. Trust me, the ride will be awesome! If nothing else, Haruka-san will enjoy it," enthused Rei, her face alight with enthusiasm.

After a few seconds of looks being exchanged between the Senshi, followed by helpless shrugs, the Senshi followed the pilots and Rei to the towering machines and gazed, awestruck, at them. Arrangements were quickly made as to who would ride with whom and on which Gundam. Hotaru and Rei went with Wing Zero, Usagi and Mamoru were on Deathscythe Hell, Minako and Setsuna were on Sandrock Custom, Makoto and Ami were on Heavyarms Kai, and Haruka and Michiru found themselves settled on Altron. Haruka wasn't happy with the arrangement and grumbled under her breath until Pluto shot her a sharp look, making her subside into a sulking fit. Michiru shook her head at her companion's odd behavior, but didn't press for information, having caught Setsuna's look as well. `Rei looks very comfortable with the arrangements here, almost as if this were second nature to her,' Michiru thought as she watched Rei settle comfortably on Wing Zero's shoulder, her hand having unthinkingly wrapped around the small handhold by the Gundam's head. Rei beamed down at Hotaru, who was ensconced in Zero's hand. All the others were riding in the hands of the Gundams, not being as comfortable with just standing on the shoulders and hanging on for dear life.

####***

"What a rush! That was amazing," declared Haruka, her short sandy locks windblown and her dark blue eyes sparkling with pleasure. She had just spent the last 30 minutes whooping in excitement and leaning into the incredible winds generated by the speeding Gundams. She had communed with her element to her heart's content and was still flushed from the rush it gave her.

"I knew you would like it," stated Rei, her own eyes dancing with enjoyment. She was reveling in the knowledge that her friends were here to experience some of the wonderful things she had gone through in the last couple of weeks. Her eyes never left her friends, enjoying their looks of awe and wonder. Her eyes dimmed with concern though, when she saw Usagi, who was pale with fatigue and looked a bit green around the gills. `Oh dear, I forgot that Usagi hates heights and extreme speed. She has that same look as when she threw up after riding the Sonic Speeder rollercoaster last year at the carnival,' Rei fretted. She jumped down gracefully from the Gundam, landing on its still outstretched hand before jumping again and landing on one of the docking clamps that held Wing Zero in place in the docking bay and finally landing on the floor. She rushed over to a now wobbling princess and recognized the short, shallow breaths and clammy looking face that were a precursor to a vomiting fit. She hurriedly snatched Usagi from a puzzled yet worried Mamoru and heaved a huge sigh of relief as they made it to the clearance of the bay in time. Holding back Usagi's pigtails to keep them out of the way while her hapless princess knelt, heaving out the contents of her stomach, Rei blew out a breath and grinned at her companions. She gingerly rubbed circles into Usagi's back with one hand, trying to soothe and relax her, while her other hand held back her long ponytails and kept her princess's head from falling.

Minako began giggling uncontrollably, stuttering out, "Good thing you're here, Rei-chan, to do your duty." This caused the other Senshi to smile before they too broke out into fits of laughter. Soon, the entire room was awash in fits of laughter. Only the miserable Usagi and confused pilots and Maganacs were silent, Abdul scratching his head at the antics of Rei-sama and her friends. Usagi finally completely emptied the contents of her stomach and sank to her knees, head hanging in exhaustion. The Senshi gathered around her and rubbed her back soothingly, offering her love and support. The laughter had died down by now and there were only faint murmurs and soft soothing coos between the girls until Usagi lapsed into a light doze. Mamoru scooped her up once again into his arms, his face warm and gentle with loving care as he snuggled his precious burden in his arms. Usagi unconsciously burrowed deeper into his arms, burying her face into his chest.

"Um, what just happened here? First, you're all laughing your butts off at her pitching her stomach out of the bay and now you're all fuzzy and sweet towards her. Are you all friends or do you like tormenting people," said Duo, scratching his head in confusion.

"Gomen, but it's a long-standing thing with all of us. Usagi-chan hates heights and speed together. She's fine if it's just one or the other, but if you combine them, then she tosses her cookies. It's just too predictable and we should have told you about it so we could go slower, but we've been so giddy since finding Rei-chan that it slipped our minds completely," answered Minako, blushing slightly in embarrassment, but still giggling slightly.

"Of course, it doesn't help that it's Rei-chan who's doing the head-holding duty either. Back home, it's always Rei-chan who recognizes when Usagi-chan is about to hurl and it's also always her who ends up doing the honors of holding Usagi's head and hair out of the way while she takes care of her business. It's kind of a personal joke," added Makoto, her green eyes still sparkling with mirth.

"Nice to know I fulfill a deeply meaningful spot in your lives," Rei dryly retorted, but her eyes were soft with contentment. She then shook herself lightly and added, "We should go into the library or living room to explain everything. Quatre-kun, is there a room where we can put Usagi so she can rest? She looks totally fatigued."

"Of course, Rei-chan. Rashid, please lead Mamoru-san and Usagi-san to a room where she can recuperate peacefully," Quatre directed, gesturing for Mamoru to follow Rashid. "You can put her in one of the rooms in Rei-chan's wing. Mamoru-san, we'll wait for you to join us before we begin. Rashid will lead you to the living room when you're done."

"Arigatou, Quatre-san," replied Mamoru before exiting the room, his cape swinging out in a flourish behind him as he turned to follow Rashid out of the room.

"Shall we," asked Quatre, his head tilted towards the door. Everyone filed out of the room silently, awaiting the explanations they all craved.

####***

13 people were currently occupying the luxurious living room, gathered into several smaller groups. Haruka and Michiru stood side by side against the cold fireplace, their hands entwined, surveying their surroundings nonchalantly yet keeping an observant eye upon their younger companions. Pluto was slumped into a large armchair, her staff held loosely by the very tips of her fingers. Her usually unreadable face had very noticeable signs of tension around the corners of her mouth and in her normally impassive eyes. Her eyes darted from person to person, never staying for long before flitting to another occupant of the room. She fairly radiated anxiety and all of the others unconsciously avoided her, the Senshi knowing that something must be very wrong for the stoic Pluto to be so tense and the Gundam pilots subconsciously followed suit. The rest of the Senshi, the Inners and Hotaru, were grouped around Rei, who sat on a window seat overlooking one of the many lush gardens surrounding the estate, like scared sheep. Minako's cornflower blue eyes seemed to bulge from their sockets as she soaked in the opulence of the room she was in. The Gundams seemed almost trivial to her compared to the brilliance of the massive chandeliers that hung from the ceiling or the large shelves lining massive marble walls that supported statues carved from gold and priceless gems. She had never seen so much luxury in her life and the other Senshi weren't too far behind her in their reactions. Hotaru had enough control to not visibly gape, since her home with the Outers wasn't exactly shabby, but even she was awed by the display of wealth. Makoto and Ami were much like Minako, simply agog over the living room. Both lived in modest middle class type apartments, with Ami's being slightly larger and slightly better furnished. Ami's mind was torn as to which was more impressive: the technology of the enormous Gundam she had ridden on or the evident richness of her new surroundings. Makoto, however, was simply freaked out over how fragile and delicate the ornaments littered about the room seemed to be. She had narrowly missed upsetting a side table that held a delicate lamp constructed of spun glass and gold and her heart was still pounding from the close call. She huddled closer to Rei, afraid to touch anything unless absolutely necessary. Rei smiled bemusedly, her own initial reaction to the Winner household still fresh in her mind. She too had been terrified yet awed by the palace Quatre simply called home.

The five pilots were seated on the two sofas, quietly watching their guests' reactions. Duo, Heero, and Trowa were seated on one sofa while Wufei and Quatre were seated upon the other. Wufei shifted uncomfortably and scowled when he noticed the tall sandy-haired woman glaring at him again. `What is her problem? She's been staring at me like that ever since before we were even introduced. Surely she can't be upset because I fought with that little onna. Are they related somehow? The little one looks to be more like Rei's sister than any relation to her. Humph! Onnas are just plain strange,' he mentally grumped, his scowl deepening as he saw that her glare had intensified, looking as if she would happily skewer him alive.

Trowa scanned the room, his forest green eyes staring intently at each figure before moving on to the next. He hid a smile at Wufei squirming under the hot glare of the one named Haruka and wondered why she seemed to hate him so intently when it had been Heero who had tussled with her. His gaze then drifted to catch the sight of Haruka's and Michiru's loosely clasped hands and one eyebrow rose in question before he shook his head and dismissed any questions, feeling it wasn't his place to ask or wonder. He frowned slightly at the sight of Setsuna, crumpled in the armchair. They had asked if she wanted to rest, but the mysterious woman had declined, citing that she needed to be there. Trowa felt very uncomfortable around Setsuna, feeling as though she brought trouble and misery with her. His face lightened and softened as his gaze finally fell upon the group around Rei. He laughed silently, his shoulders shaking with the soft exhalation, as he saw Minako's eyes bulge with wonder and her mouth gape comically. He felt as though she was wonderfully transparent with her feelings and marveled that there were still people like that. His gaze dropped to the smaller form of Hotaru and he was struck by how she held herself proudly and her eyes seemed a little too aware of the harshness of reality. Ami caught his eye next and he was bemused to notice that she had stopped her perusal of the room and was now quite absorbed in the gel-comm that she had taken from Rei. She was gently prodding the clear ball, testing its texture, before bringing it up closer and squeezing it. His eyes then wandered to Makoto and he watched as she tried to make herself smaller, obviously not wanting to touch anything for fear of breaking it. She didn't know that Quatre placed little value on material objects, but was more concerned with human feelings. Rei was the last to receive his attention. He watched as she chatted with Minako, desperately trying to get her friend to stop gaping and act natural. There was a more relaxed feeling to her. She didn't hold herself as rigidly as before, almost as if she were afraid she might break at any minute from the emotions she was holding inside.

Duo was amused to see how different the girls were. They ranged from the stunningly beautiful and exotic like Rei to the fragile and delicate like Ami and Hotaru. He had before him a veritable smorgasbord of feminine beauty and his eyes drank it in like a man thirsting in the desert. His only complaint was that the girls had all transformed back to their normal selves before they left the Gundam bay. He missed those short skirts, even though Haruka had almost belted him for staring at her legs too long. 'Man, most guys would have thought they had died and gone to heaven when faced with a situation like this, but I'm stuck with a bunch of guys who didn't even blink when confronted with a bunch of gorgeous women in short sailor outfits. They have no appreciation for the finer things in life,' Duo mentally sneered and shook his head at the stupidity of his fellow pilots.

Quatre sighed as Wufei's unease impinged on his consciousness once more. The levels of discomfort were rising and he knew it wouldn't be long before the Chinese boy exploded or did something rash to cover up his anxiety. He wondered what he could do to forestall the almost certain argument Wufei would start. His mind wandered from that idea quickly as he felt tension arising in Heero. He looked over and saw his fellow pilot sandwiched between Duo and Trowa, his hands clenched tightly into fists and resting on his knees. He was staring fixedly at Rei, almost as if the strength of his gaze would turn her attention towards him. It was surprising that no one else seemed to notice Heero's condition, but Quatre admitted to himself that the events of the recent past were pretty distracting. He probably wouldn't have noticed either if it weren't for his empathic abilities. He stared thoughtfully at Rei before returning to watch Heero and nearly started to see Heero glaring at him furiously, almost challenging him to say something. Quatre smiled softly in return, his hands held up palms facing outward, signaling that he would not interfere in Heero's situation.

Heero felt himself relax slightly at Quatre's look of appeasement. He had not meant to glare at the young Arab, but his emotions were volatile and roiling within him, almost out of control. He didn't like this feeling of uncertainty and he wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible, but Rei, the object of his emotions, was currently untouchable and he would not, absolutely would not, approach her while she was surrounded by her currently giggling friends. He gritted his teeth silently and swore to himself that he would not let this feeling get to him. He knew she would be leaving soon, going back to wherever she came from with her friends and he was bound and determined to forget her, to cast her out of wherever she had occupied in his mind. He scowled fiercely, already battling the demons inside of him.

Rei chose that moment to look up, feeling something pulling at her. Her deep purple eyes widened as she took in Heero's fierce expression. Her heart sank, thinking that he was mad at her. `He wants us to leave. He wants me to leave. He's probably wondering why we're still here and wasting his time. I thought I was connecting with him, but maybe I was just fooling myself because I'm attracted to him. I'm probably just another Relena to him. Trowa-kun was wrong. It's obvious Heero doesn't feel anything for me except maybe a little bit of respect for my fighting abilities. I'm so torn inside. I want something from him, but I don't know what yet and I am not going to make a fool of myself in front of him, especially if he doesn't feel the same attraction I do,' Rei fretted. Her outside face remained neutral, schooled into a mask of carefree indifference learned from years of surviving childish taunts from those who didn't understand her. Rei noticed that the room had lapsed into silence, each occupant mulling over their own private thoughts.

The short bout of silence was broken by the arrival of Mamoru. "Usako is resting now. The teleport took a lot out of her. She was out like a light before her head even hit the pillow. Arigatou, Winner-san, for loaning us the use of one of your rooms," Mamoru said amiably, his previous expression of worry smoothed out since his beloved was being cared for. The Maganac who had led him to the room had assured him that he would personally stand guard by the door and monitor her rest. Mamoru located an empty armchair across from Setsuna and settled into it, frowning slightly as he noticed her haggard appearance. He was about to say something about it when he noticed her frown at him and shake her head slightly. Sighing, he said instead, "So, why don't we get started on the information exchange? Rei-chan has been missing from our dimension for a little over two weeks. Summer break has started, so school is officially out. We decided to give the excuse that Rei-chan had decided to take this time to meditate and formally grieve for her ojii-san. The Hikawa temple is being taken care of by acolytes from the main temple in Kyoto, Rei-chan. Your otou-san is currently subsidizing and supporting the temple while you're away." He looked at Rei-chan, trying to judge what her emotions were, knowing that she didn't get along with her father at all since his cruel abandonment of her after her mother's death when she was a small child.

"My otou-san? Now he decides to help? Where was he when I really needed him? He couldn't even show up at the funeral to give honor to his own father-in-law. If it hadn't been for the rest of you, I would have had no one with me," Rei spit out bitterly. She was shocked to her core to hear that her father had actually done something for her. She bit her lip and hesitated, trying to release the negative emotions inside of her. `I won't let his memory taint my reunion with my friends. I won't let him destroy one more happy moment of my life. I've already been scarred by his neglect. I let his coldness keep me from accepting love. I won't let him do it anymore,' she vowed silently. "Arigatou, minna, for helping me. Ano, how did you get here though," Rei asked, her eyes reflecting her puzzlement. She had calmed down greatly looking at her friends' concerned faces.

"We discovered you were gone the Monday following the fight. Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san talked out their differences over the weekend and she learned the truth of what really happened from him. She came to us immediately and told us everything. We were so ashamed…," Minako finished in a near whisper. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, dashing away the tears that were forming in her eyes.

"Fight? What happened to cause a fight? We never knew about the circumstances leading up to Rei-chan's arrival here, and her eyes were so sad when we did ask that we didn't want to push any further," Trowa explained, his face full of concern for his fiery yet fragile friend. He swept his long bangs further to the side, bringing attention to his deep green eyes.

Makoto was riveted by the simple yet elegant gesture, noting how attractive his eyes were. Minako nudged her taller friend gently in the side, bringing her attention back to the continuing discussion.

"Rei-chan's ojii-san and a close friend died in a car accident. Rei-chan was in mourning but she was overwhelmed by the responsibility her ojii-san's death left her with. She now had to take care of the family temple and her own well-being as she is basically an orphan since her otou-san hasn't shown any interest in her welfare since her okaa-san died when she was a young girl and left her with her ojii-san. I decided to go and offer my help since the others were either away or still in school at the time. We spent a lot of time talking since I was trying to get her to let go of her sadness. She finally cried and as I was wiping her tears away, Usako walked in on us and thought that I was cheating on her. She threw some pretty harsh accusations at Rei-chan before running away. I didn't even stop to think before I was out the door and after her. Gomen, Rei-chan. I should have checked to see how you were taking it," Mamoru finished, his cheeks burning with guilt.

"It's not your fault, Mamoru-san. Usagi should come first with you. You two are joined eternally. I would have done the same thing if she had hurled the blame on you. She's our princess, but she's your beloved. I think I would have been upset with you if you had stopped to check on me first. I would have wondered what was wrong with you," Rei said simply, her eyes honest and shining. "Anyway, to continue with the story, I went to follow but I couldn't find her. I did run into Mako-chan, Ami-chan, and Minako-chan…," she began.

"But we had already seen Usagi-chan and heard her side of the story, so when Rei-chan came up to us, we…I was horrible to her. I called her a traitor and insulted her, her honor, her feelings, her loyalty and friendship," Makoto interrupted. She broke down abruptly, unable to go on. She had been forgiven, but the memory of the pain she had so eagerly heaped on her friend was still fresh in her memory. Rei hugged her, her face sad and regretful. She slowly rocked her friend, gently soothing her until she stopped her sobbing and was able to regain control of herself.

"I wasn't much better, Mako-chan. I was so used to following the strongest willed person that I never questioned the veracity of Usagi-chan's statements. I forgot that Usagi-chan sometimes jumps to conclusions or that Rei-chan is too forthright to lie. I hate fighting, so I didn't want to challenge Usagi-chan," said Ami, tears running down her face. She was seated next to Rei-chan on the window seat. Rei reached over and gave Ami's hand a soft squeeze and a reassuring smile, not letting go until she received a watery smile in return.

"I was the worst of all. I was supposed to be your best friend, but I was the real traitor. I didn't defend you or even question Usagi-chan at all even though I knew better. I know how much you hate liars and how your otou-san's political mask has made you completely intolerant of any kind of trickery. I couldn't forget the look on your face as you left. It haunted me, but I didn't know how to apologize and I was so scared you wouldn't accept it that I kept putting it off until suddenly the weekend was over. We went to find you on Monday after Usagi-chan told us the truth but you were nowhere to be found. We were so worried. We thought you had died," Minako said, her voice breaking pathetically. Her normally cheerful face was crumpled in misery and tears streamed down her face while she hiccuped between heart-rending sobs. Rei reached over Makoto and whispered, "Daijoubu, Minako-chan. Everything is all right now. Please don't cry anymore. I still love you. You're my best friend and I'll never forget that." Rei's heart broke to see her friend so miserable.

Quatre watched the interplay between the four friends and could feel the love and concern between them flowing freely. His light blue eyes were soft with sympathy. `How strong these young women are, and yet, they're still full of love. They haven't lost their softness or their love for their fellow man even though Rei-chan says they've had to fight horrible monsters in the past,' he pondered.

"How are you three involved," inquired Trowa, staring at Haruka and Michiru by the fireplace before turning his regard to Hotaru, who was seated on the floor at Rei's feet. There were plenty of chairs still left in the living room, but she hadn't wanted to be separated from Rei for even a second.

"I didn't know about the fight until Monday when Rei-san missed an appointment with me and we went looking for her at the temple. We found the Inners there and they told us everything," Hotaru said, bowing her head in shame. She turned and looked up at Rei before continuing, "I blamed the Inners for your disappearance. I was very cruel and unforgiving towards them. I didn't stop to think or care about the pain they were already feeling." Hotaru leaned her head against Rei's knee, afraid to see how disappointed her friend would be with her for hurting the others when she was so forgiving.

Minako had stopped her crying at Hotaru's soft statement and she was compelled to get up from her seat next to Makoto and drop down next to Hotaru. She wrapped an arm around the slim girl and said softly, "I understand your anger. We all do. You had every right to be mad at us. We blew it as friends and we almost cost you your closest friend next to Chibiusa-chan. I would have reacted in the same way." She wagged a finger in Hotaru's face and winked at her playfully. "But I don't want to see you that way again. If I do, I'll Love and Beauty Shock you into respecting your elders!"

Rei joined the others in laughing and telegraphed her gratitude over Hotaru's unswerving loyalty to her younger friend, signaling that she didn't have any ill will towards Hotaru's outburst towards her other friends.

The laughter died down and was broken by a dry voice interjecting, "You're only a year older than Hotaru-chan, Minako-chan. Don't speak as if you're an ancient wiseman yet. And what are you going to do about me? I'm older than you by two years. I wasn't exactly sweetness and light after finding out about our favorite firebird." Haruka smirked at Minako, sure of the upper hand she had. That certainty died a quick death as another voice broke in.

"You're never sweetness and light, `Ruka. You're as changeable as the wind you control," said Michiru fondly, her soft smile taking the sting out of the words. "None of us were thinking that day. We let our emotions get the best of us. Rei-chan's disappearance almost shattered the Senshi team. It's a miracle that we were able to unite again to find Rei-chan after all the harsh words we threw around." Michiru's face turned serious and thoughtful as she remembered how close the Senshi had come to self-destructing and possibly losing Rei forever.

"Let's just say that we all made some mistakes and didn't handle everything as calmly as we should have," Mamoru added, wanting to disperse the melancholy that had filled the room.

"Well, that sort of explains what led to Rei-chan coming here, but you still haven't answered our question on how you were able to track Rei-chan and find your way here," Duo said, his lavender eyes filled with curiosity.

"We had no idea what had happened to Rei-chan until Setsuna-san came back through time and was able to find out how Rei-chan had disappeared. Ami-chan and Setsuna-san then spent the next two weeks researching where Rei-chan went and how to get her back. Good thing for Ami-chan's computer or we would have never figured out how to get here," Makoto responded.

"You said technology wasn't that advanced in your time," said Heero accusingly to Rei, his eyes narrowed. The soldier in him wanted to know every possible way his world could be breached and he suspected everyone after the invasion of the Ravagers. He watched as her eyes flashed in anger at his intimation that she had been lying to him. `Her eyes look gorgeous when they spark with fire that way,' Heero thought absentmindedly. His thoughts were broken by Ami's voice.

"Actually, it was a combination of magic and technology. It's true that regular technology from our time can't even begin to compare with yours or even know where to begin when it comes to tracking through time and space. My computer, however, is actually a product of a more advanced age that utilized crystals imbued with science and arcane lore. We used it to pinpoint your location to this dimension and time period. I'm still curious as to how and why you arrived at this particular place though. We had to Sailor Teleport with all of us combining our powers and focusing them into Usagi-chan and the Ginzuishou and Setsuna-san leading the way," Ami replied in a matter of fact voice. The Senshi and Mamoru exchanged significant looks with each other as they remembered the slight detour to the moon on the way. Minako blushed hotly and grinned sheepishly.

"So this is another dimension and time? I thought it was just the future of our world. I could never have imagined that I would have crossed both boundaries. They told me they had never heard of the Sailor Senshi and I couldn't find any information in the history databanks on us. I thought you had all died…," Rei said wonderingly before shuddering lightly in remembrance of the despair she had felt at that time. "It was why I decided to help the Gundam pilots." Rei stopped and gestured to the five seated men. She smiled warmly at them, remembering how they had taken her in, even Wufei. Her eyes lingered on Heero a fraction longer before turning her attention back to her other friends. Minako noticed her friend's hesitation and on whom her attention had rested on. Her eyes began to sparkle with mischief.

"How did you end up with so many handsome guys anyway, Rei-chan? It's not fair of you to monopolize them all. You get enough attention from all of the men back home. You'll have to pick a favorite and share the rest. Which one will you pick," Minako said outrageously, batting her eyelashes and leaning towards Rei, her elbows resting on her knees and her hands cupping her face.

Rei frowned sternly at her friend and remained silent, her mouth firmly clamped shut and her eyes tried to warn her friend away from this topic of conversation. Her fierce expression was marred somewhat by the light rose tint that suffused her face but she steadfastly refused to answer. The entire room watched the interplay between the two friends, waiting to see who would break first. Minutes passed and Minako's eyes began to cross in vexation at her close-lipped friend. Finally, she blew out a huge sigh, her bangs fluttering lightly, and broke eye contact. She flopped backwards to rest her weight on her elbows and eyed her friend before saying, "Fine. Be that way. But don't think I'm going to let you off that easy. I will find out who you like or I'm not the Senshi of Love!"

"Eh, why don't we explain how Rei-chan came to live with us," asked Quatre, feeling how uncomfortable Rei was getting with her friend's determination. He was instantly rewarded with a bright glorious smile from Rei, her eyes practically screaming her gratitude.

"What a wonderful idea, Quatre-kun! I landed in this dimension after reading a scroll from ojii-san's belongings in front of the Sacred Fire. It opened up some sort of portal and I got sucked in and the next thing I saw was the muzzle of Heero's gun. After a very interesting and stimulating conversation of him demanding answers from me and ignoring my own questions, I finally learned I had landed in the Sank Kingdom during a Ravager raid," Rei began, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes at Heero. He grunted slightly before turning his head away, but his eyes secretly remained fixed on her.

"Then she met us, the pilots who actually have a personality. Actually, Wufei's personality isn't very pleasant, but at least it is a personality. She was about to be wowed by my abundant charms and dashing good looks when we heard the scream of a young girl and she transformed right in front of us," Duo exclaimed, his eyes still sparkling with the remembrance of the eyeful he had gotten of Rei and flashing a devilish smile.

Haruka growled softly and turned a menacing eye on the braided pilot. "You better have not looked too long or too hard, little man, or I might just have to make sure you won't be able to look at another girl again," hissed Haruka threateningly.

Duo held his hands up and scooted farther away on the sofa, muttering, "It's not like I knew she was going to lose her clothes. Heck, I didn't even know she could transform," Duo said placatingly, not liking the look in Haruka's eye.

"Don't worry so much, Haruka-san! I can take care of myself. I would have torched his eyebrows off if I thought he was being a hentai. Anyway, I went to see what happened and saw this little girl being attacked by four monsters. They're called Ravagers here, but they kind of remind me of the youma we used to fight back home. Well, magic isn't common here. In fact, only the Ravagers are able to wield it so when they saw me attack the Ravagers with magic, they thought I was a Ravager too. That misunderstanding led to them attacking me and finally subduing me. Even though it was a sneaky, behind the back attack," added Rei, shooting a small smile at Trowa, who shot back a smirk of his own at her.

"Whatever gets the job done," he said quietly, but his eyes were shining with suppressed laughter.

"Well, after that, we brought her back to our HQ to be tested. The scientists ran some scans on her and discovered that she wasn't a Ravager at all, but a human with genes and a blood type we had never seen before. Rei-chan woke up several hours later and we all discussed the events that led to our situation, with Rei-chan deciding to help us as she didn't see any way of getting home. I offered my home to her in exchange for the inconvenience of our attacking her and in gratitude for her assistance against this current menace threatening us. She has been living with us ever since and I, for one, have been most grateful for her presence both in battle and in my home. I think we have all come to care for her very much," concluded Quatre, smiling sweetly at the gently blushing Rei.

"Arigatou, Quatre-kun, for everything. You've made me feel so welcome here and I have come to care for all of you very much as well, even you, Wufei," replied Rei, who had to hide the twitch of her lip as Wufei snorted. He played like he didn't care one way or the other but she saw the telltale streak of red that crossed his high cheekbones. "I love being able to help you fight these Ravagers and do my part," she continued.

Setsuna's eyes deepened with worry at Rei's words. She didn't like the emotions she heard in the Senshi of Fire's voice. She looked up from her seat and studied her closely, watching every nuance of her expression before sighing silently. She gripped her staff tighter, her knuckles white. She hadn't sent the Time Staff away when she had changed back to her normal form, causing Haruka and Michiru to raise their eyebrows at her, but she had ignored them, preferring to stare at the patterns in the rich Aubusson rug at her feet. `I had no idea the scroll was in Rei-chan's possession. I should have known though. It makes perfect sense that it would end up with her. Only she is capable of using it and invoking its true power. I never thought it would happen though. I never saw it coming. Has this changed time irreparably? Should I even try to fix it or should I let things take its own course? Are they strong enough to take control of their own destiny or will it destroy them,' Setsuna asked herself. She had no answers for once and she was deathly afraid. `I need to speak to Prince Endymion, Princess Serenity, Uranus and Neptune. They have to understand certain things before they ruin everything completely.'

Minako smiled happily, her hands clasped together in front of her. "This is wonderful! I'm so glad you made friends while you were here, Rei-chan! I would have been sad to think you were alone in a strange place and having to adjust with no one to help you. I wonder if we can visit once we return to our dimension? Oh, I've been so rude! Arigatou for taking care of Rei-chan. We'll always remember you with extreme fondness. As soon as Usagi-chan and Setsuna-san have had some rest, we'll be on our way back to our dimension. We don't want to be a burden on your hospitality and good will," Minako exclaimed, standing up and bowing deeply to the pilots who were still seated on the sofas and now frozen in disbelief at her startling words.

"Nani? I can't leave! I won't leave," said Rei, her face a mask of shock.

####***

And so ends another chapter of my pet project. Please review and let me know what you liked or what you hated. Rest assured that I have plenty of good stuff coming up so don't be fooled by the lack of action in this chapter and I'll hopefully have the next chapter out a little sooner than this one.

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