After much bugging from a certain fan, I decided to update. I hope you enjoy this next part. Dun dun DUN! What will happen?!
Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon.
Warnings: Sexual themes. Cussing. Yeah.
Flames
Chapter Three
"I think it was food poisoning." Yuuchirou told Rei at breakfast the next morning. "Maybe you should complain to the restaurant."
"I haven't been feeling that good lately. No big deal." Rei tried to make it seem small and insignificant as she drank her morning cup of tea.
"Are you sure?" Yuuchirou frowned. He frowned an awful lot lately.
"Yes, stop nagging me!" Rei slammed her cup down in frustration, splashing some of the hot liquid on her hand. She ignored the burning sensation.
"I'm not nagging you Rei!" Yuuchirou seemed to be a little aggravated. "You've been acting weird and I know something's wrong! Just tell me."
"There's nothing to tell." Rei's face was strangely devoid of emotions. "I'm going to go take a bath." She got up to go to the bath.
"I trust you Rei, so if you say there's nothing wrong, then I guess there isn't." Yuuchirou sounded defeated. Rei paused for a moment before leaving the room.
Yuuchirou looked at his tea and thought miserably about how he had some how blown it with the woman of his dreams. Five years of marriage and somehow Rei was beginning to slip away into her own world that she wasn't willing to share with him. It seemed to him that Rei wasn't always perfectly honest with him and it tormented him to no end.
I'm just trying to make her happy…
Yuuchirou tried not to think of what could happen if Rei decided she wasn't happy.
* * *
It was that afternoon that Jadeite appeared again. Rei had just finished sweeping and she was just about to put the broom away. She wiped the back of her forehead with a sleeve. Every time she went to sweep the steps, she swore there were five more.
"Miss, I'd like to buy a love charm." The familiar voice made Rei whirl around. Jadeite had the most innocent look on his face that she had ever seen.
"We're out." Rei went on her way to where the broom was stored, doing her best to ignore the blond-haired man.
"Too bad." Jadeite spoke thoughtfully. "There's a woman I need to make fall in love with me. Actually I'm sure she already is; she's just not very honest."
"Or maybe she hates you." Rei said in almost the same tone of voice as him.
"There could be that. She seems to have developed a certain dislike for me." Jadeite grinned. "Good afternoon Rei."
"Go away." Rei put the broom away. "We went over this yesterday."
"And since yesterday, a woman could have changed her mind a thousand times. Especially if her name is Hino Rei." Jadeite explained.
"If her name is Hino Rei, she's happily married." Rei rounded on him. "She'd also appreciate if it you'd stop doing whatever it is you're doing to her mind."
"Well, she should be informed that I have absolutely no powers left unless you count my amazing charm." Jadeite gave her another smile.
"Which obviously isn't a power." Rei snapped. "What did you do?"
"I haven't done anything." Jadeite told her.
"Yes you did!" Rei insisted. "What happened to me last night…"
"Let me guess, you remembered something about the two of us?" Jadeite raised his eyebrows.
"There's no way we did something like that!" Rei felt heat rise up in her cheeks. She was a grown woman, not a blushing teenager! "I…I would have remembered!"
"Oh, so it was one of those memories." Jadeite's confident look came back ten fold. "Which time was it? Do you know? I remember all of them. Do you want me to tell you about the first time?"
"You bastard!" Rei slapped him. "Those memories can't be right."
"They are. Unless you think that we sat around playing hopscotch during the Silver Millennium." Jadeite rubbed his cheek. "Did you have to hit me so hard?"
"You deserved it!" Rei went to slap him again but he caught her wrist with his hand.
"Stop that." Jadeite gave her a humorless look.
"Then let go of me! Leave me alone!" Rei tugged her hand away from him. Jadeite seemed to have lost his interest in her as he looked at the temple and turned away from her.
"You must be in some marriage." Jadeite commented.
"What makes you say that?" Rei's eyes narrowed. What would he know about it?
"I mean, if you're willing to stay in your marriage after remembering sex that good, you must really be in love with him." Jadeite turned to her and for a second, he didn't look arrogant or full of assumption. His eyes were vulnerable and full of pleading. He blinked and looked back away from her.
"Why did you come back?" Rei asked him. "I mean did you think I'd take you back with open arms?"
"I was hoping…Well, you could say that's exactly what I thought." Jadeite turned back completely towards her. "I thought you remembered."
"Well I don't. And I don't want to either." Rei crossed her arms. "You can't make me remember."
"I know I can't. You're the one who's making yourself remember. Why don't you consult your fire about it? Or are you too busy to do that?" Jadeite asked her.
"Rei, I-" Yuuchirou stopped mid sentence when he saw Jadeite there.
"Thanks for the explanation. I didn't realize there was so much history to this shrine." Jadeite bowed his head like he had done only a few days before and walked off.
Damn him…
"Rei?" Yuuchirou tried to keep his voice from shaking. "Who was that?"
"A tourist." Rei calmly straightened her robes, which didn't really need straightening.
"Wasn't he here a few days ago?" Yuuchirou's voice bordered on suspicion.
"Was he?" Rei feigned ignorance.
"Yes he was. He was asking for directions." Yuuchirou kept on the subject.
"I can't remember every tourist that comes through. Maybe he asked for directions and then decided to come back to the temple." Rei tried to sound natural. Once again, she was lying to Yuuchirou.
"That could be. Why don't we quit early today and go out for dinner? Then maybe we could go see a movie." Yuuchirou suggested. He had been thinking this morning about how to get Rei out of the slump that she seemed to be in.
"Actually…I wanted to consult the fire about something." Rei spoke absently.
"Can't you do that later?" Yuuchirou asked her.
"No." Rei answered more sharply then she wanted to. "After I finish." With that she went to see the fire, leaving Yuuchirou cursing himself behind her.
* * *
Rei was surrounded by flames; it was wonderful. It was just like how she remembered it. It was exhilarating to feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins as visions danced across her mind.
Images of Usagi with a baby in her arms smiling, of Ami winning an award, of Minako holding an ace of hearts, and Makoto with a chef hat on her head. Then the next vision pulled her in. There were few that did this.
"Gods Rei…don't you get it?" Jadeite grabbed her hands. Rei's eyes widened as he did so. "I love you!"
"Don't you dare…don't you dare say that…" Rei tried to pull away. "It's forbidden for you to even think that! The Terrans aren't allowed to love us."
"Do you think I care about all that?" Jadeite asked her fiercely. "I love you."
"Stop." Rei lowered her eyes. "Don't you understand that we can't be together?"
"Don't you understand that I'd rather die then pretend I felt nothing for you?" Jadeite kissed her. At first she resisted but soon, she gave in, her mouth parting a little and his tongue began to move into her mouth. He pulled away after what seemed like a lifetime.
"I can't let anything happen to you…because…I love you." Rei hugged him tightly.
Rei's eyes opened up and she was back in that room, watching the fire burn. Adding more wood to it, she bowed to it before leaving. She closed the door and leaned back against it.
"What does it mean?" Rei asked the night sky which did little more then twinkle at her.
Is it possible that we were really in love? Minako said we were but I guess I didn't really believe her.
Back in the Silver Millennium…why are you haunting me like the ghost that you should be? I'm beginning to realize things that I don't want to.
She decided to find Yuuchirou, maybe dinner and a movie would be good. Rei opened the door to their room but all the lights were off and Yuuchirou was in bed. He wasn't actually sleeping he was staring at her in the small amount of light that the lanterns outside were providing.
"Why are you in bed so early?" Rei asked him curiously.
"It's midnight." Yuuchirou answered in a candid voice.
"It is?" Rei looked over at the clock which confirmed what he said. "I guess I must have lost track of time. We can go out to eat tomorrow."
"It's up to you." Yuuchirou's blue eyes looked so sad and tired.
"What's the matter Yuuchirou?" Rei began to slip out of her robes and into her nightgown. "You look like someone just died."
"I don't know…it's just…lately you seem so far away." Yuuchirou exhaled heavily.
"Oh Yuuchirou, you shouldn't worry. I was feeling weird but I'm fine now." Rei forced a cheerful smile as she approached the bed. Yuuchirou scooted over so she could get under the covers with him. He put his arms around her.
"Do you know how much I love you?" Yuuchirou lifted an arm and shifted so he could trail his fingertips up and down her arm. "I knew I wanted to be with you since I first saw you."
"Why are you bringing this up now?" Rei turned and give him a small teasing smile.
"Because…I'm afraid that if you don't know…" Yuuchirou trailed off. "You might leave me." The last part was in a very small voice. Rei turned over and hugged him, his arms wrapped around her very tightly.
"That's silly. I'm not going to leave you." Rei thought the words sounded hollow. Of course she meant them! Why was she suddenly second guessing everything she said?
"I love you Rei." Yuuchirou buried his face in her hair. Maybe he had been stupid and maybe he was just imagining everything. She was here right now, holding onto him. He almost didn't realize there were a few minutes of silence from the raven haired woman. He pulled away from her when it struck him. "Rei?"
"Hmm?" Rei tilted her head to one side.
"I said I love you." Yuuchirou repeated. Rei blinked at him in confusion.
"I know, I heard you." Rei seemed to be waiting for him to say more. She still hadn't said anything. Yuuchirou felt his heart began to beat faster in fear.
"Rei, I need you." Yuuchirou kissed her neck. A hand went to the straps that were holding up the nightgown. Rei sort of shrugged his hand away.
"I'm kind of tired tonight. Let's just go to sleep." Rei said into his ear before starting to let her head drop onto the pillows and snuggling against him.
"You're tired?" Yuuchirou asked. Rei opened one eye.
"It's not easy sitting in front of that fire for so long." Rei told him.
"Well forgive me for imposing on you." Yuuchirou flipped over and didn't face her.
"What's with you?" Rei sat up. Yuuchirou sat up next to her.
"You've practically ignored me since last night, you brush off dinner with me because you want to do fire readings, then you just brush me off when I tell you I love you!" Yuuchirou gave her an accusing look.
"You know what?" Rei got out of bed. "I'm not tired after all." She took off her nightgown and started to get dressed in some regular clothes.
"Where are you going?" Yuuchirou looked alarmed.
"I'll be back in the morning when you've grown up!" Rei snapped at him before walking out the door. Yuuchirou winced as the door slammed shut.
"You've really done it this time Yuuchirou." Yuuchirou wanted to hit himself.
* * *
I'm so bored…
Jadeite was sitting on the tiny balcony, watching the stars. This is what he had done every night. Gah, this was not how he should be spending his nights. Instead he should be with Rei, not let that imbecile keep making her unhappy.
That was of course in his completely unbiased opinion. It didn't take that much to figure out that Rei had deluded herself into thinking she was happy, just because she was so stubborn. She wanted to prove to the world that she could do anything. Why the hell did she feel the need to prove this?
She was beginning to remember things. The more she remembered about the two of them, the more she'd begin to realize that there was only one person who could make her truly happy.
Unless he really could make her happy…
Jadeite wanted to scoff at himself. That guy? Make Rei happy? He was probably nice, but when it came down to it, Rei loved assholes like him. She loved challenges. And she loved him. It was a perfect little arrangement in his opinion. Besides the fact that the sex was great. That was just a bonus.
"Oh that's it." Jadeite got off his balcony. "I'm going out." Jadeite grabbed his jacket, turning off the lights, and walked out the door.
* * *
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