Author's Notes: Well, this story was originally going to be one of my A/M's for Kenshin, but then I thought of Sailor Mars.

Interestingly, for the longest time I HATED Rei. I thought she was such a brat but after seeing more of the Japanese version and stuff, I realized she's not THAT bad. Better than Chibi-Evil. And Seiya. ::shudders::

Oh yeah, this was inspired by the song 'Devil Inside' by Utada Hikaru off her US Debut CD Exodus.

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Devil Inside

By Silver Miko

Chapter 1: Everybody Wants Me to Be An Angel

As the autumn wind blew and shook sensitive leaves off the oak tree in the courtyard of the Hikawa Shrine, Rei looked up and sighed. Brushing strands of black hair out of her classically beautiful Asian face, she was oddly bored with the monotony of sweeping around the shrine. Usually it calmed her with its almost meditative quality, but lately it grew tedious.

It had been that way more and more as of late.

The things in her life that had always been a comforting routine were suddenly making her feel restless. It was frustrating and strange, as if something in her was sparking and changing. Maybe it was just related to getting older.

She had turned seventeen in April. It had been a great birthday with all the girls taking the day off from school and hitting the town, going from Crown to karaoke for the afternoon then back to the shrine where a huge party was held in her honor.

Everyone was there: the senshi, Mamoru, the cats, her gramps, Yuuichirou, some classmates, Motoki, Unazaki....everyone she knew. Of course there was still some embarrassment on Yuuichirou's part towards Haruka after the little misunderstanding two years before.

How things had changed since those days, since the day she had become the Senshi of Flames, Sailor Mars.

Chaos had been defeated and things were currently peaceful. The girls were all studying for college entrance exams under Ami's careful tutelage and Usagi had even improved remarkably in her studies in the past year. She simply stated that it was time she got more serious to prepare for being queen. After the initial face-vaults it became an acceptable norm.

Yuuichirou had left the shrine, gone to Hokkaido for college where his family was. The relationship between him and Rei had come and gone, and it was a bittersweet memory for her that she would treasure. It wasn't that she didn't care for him or he her, but it was simply not meant to be.

It had saddened her that day. For she really had loved him.

But then summer came and went and as the weather grew colder her woes had lessened, or merely exchanged for different woes. Compared to battling youma or the threat of world destruction or even dying, she really shouldn't complain. It could be worse.

But she hated feeling like this. Not understanding herself. She was always in control of herself, assured. She didn't feel like that Hino Rei.

"Rei-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!"

Blinking, she looked up to see Usagi bouncing up the steps followed by Minako and Makoto and smiled.

"Hey guys. Where's Ami-chan?"

"Cram school. Honestly, she's sooo smart she doesn't need it." Minako exclaimed with a sigh.

"Perhaps you should follow her example." Rei teased, setting her broom against the steps and sitting down.

"Rei-chan, where have your crows been? I haven't seen them around lately." Makoto asked as she sat down next to Rei.

"I don't know. Phobos and Deimos haven't been around in a month and I'm kind of worried."

"Maybe they flew South?" Usagi suggested.

"No, they've always been around in all seasons." Rei said, slight wariness in her voice. The crows had always been around since she was young, and they were like friends to her. She wondered if something was spooking them away.

'But that's foolish, Rei.' her mind whispered.

"Hey Rei-chan, wanna hear something weird?" Usagi said.

"What?"

"At the airport near the water a mysterious burn spot appeared last week. It was supposed to be in the news, but Papa said the airlines asked the news to not take it to press."

"And why is that weird?" Rei asked, wondering where Usagi was going with this. She always habitually jumped from one topic to another.

"Well, don't you remember? The airport three years ago?" Usagi asked, her large blue eyes questioning.

Three years ago....

The sky warning. Planes. The Dark Kingdom.

"That was the place where we last fought Jadeite."

"Yea! Isn't that weird?!"

"Who's Jadeite?" Makoto asked.

"It was before you became Sailor Jupiter. Jadeite was Queen Beryl's first general. He was a pretty scary guy. We fought him at the airport and then he just disappeared. We assumed he died. Though for being creepy he was...sort of cute."

"Usagi-chan!" Minako gasped out.

"Oh come on Minako-chan, this was before me and Mamo-chan were actually together. Besides, like you've never thought any enemy was cute? Tiger's Eye...Hawk's Eye..."

"Mou...Okay okay. I got it. I should of learned my lesson in my Sailor V days."

"Eh?"

"Uh..nevermind!" Minako said laughing nervously.

"Jadeite..." Rei whispered, thinking of the blonde general with eyes like ice. She remembered her first meeting with him. Not as a Dark Kingdom general, but as a simple man. Sort of. He was posing as a young man to help her grandfather at the shrine. It was funny how even dying once or twice her memories still managed to remain somewhat in place.

'Rei-chan, I want you to meet someone. This young man is going to be helping us around here.'

A fourteen year old Rei glanced over the tall blonde man dressed in white and light blue and gave him a silent appraisal that probably came across as quite haughty. He merely smirked at her, a slight glimmer in those blue eyes.

"It's nice to meet you, Rei-san." he said, his voice deep.

She had sensed it then, something off with him. A coldness. A darkness. But she was young then and shook it off. But more strange vibes kept reaching her. Then Usagi had stumbled into her life, and her life was forever changed.

She had been right about him. He was the one responsible for degrading the name of her family's shrine. He was evil. He had never figured out that Hino Rei was Sailor Mars. Not until that last battle. She had wondered briefly what he had thought of that? That he had been in constant nearness for some time to Sailor Mars before she had come into power. He was probably put off by that fact.

Yes he was an evil one. But when she thought of that face, it made her shiver. But not in fear. And that disturbed her.

Even then, when she had met him, something struck her. A faint deja vu that she couldn't quite grasp. At first she had assumed it was that he was similar looking to Kaidou, the first man to ever break her heart when she was thirteen. But it was something else she had, to this day, never quite been able to put a finger on.

"Rei-chan...oi...Rei-chan!!"

Rei blinked at Usagi's voice.

"What?"

"You were spacing out."

"Oh? Isn't that normally your job?" Rei taunted.

"Rei-chan, you're mean!" Usagi said, sticking her tongue out quickly.

"Yeah yeah." Rei said, waving her hand.

"Hey, are we still on for Seraphim tonight?" Minako asked Rei.

"Sera-what?" Makoto asked.

"Seraphim. It's a club in Roppongi." Minako answered.

"Oh! I want to go!" Usagi cried.

"Ah, Usagi-chan we've got to study for our English test." Makoto reminded, though secretly she wanted to go clubbing too.

"Studying sucks! Damn English!!" Usagi sobbed.

"Ah, too bad. Yes, Minako-chan, we're still on for tonight."

"Great cuz no offense but you've been kinda mopey lately."

"I'm not mopey."

"No you've definitely been a little mopey." Makoto commented.

"Yea, what they said. You still miss Yuuichirou?" Usagi asked.

"It's not that. I'm over that. Guys, there's nothing wrong! Really!"

But it was a lie. Sort of.

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It was cold and dark, with no trace of warmth to be found. The empty hall of ruins held no sound but faint echoes of a kingdom fallen to the decay it bred. And in this place of cold and dark sat one trace of life, waiting.

In calloused hands was a mirror, old and cracking, but visions could be seen. In this ancient mirror a vision was reflected. A living flame, a flashing goddess, the exotic beauty. How much she changed, but how much she was the same.

How could he have ever forgotten what once was his? Oh, in those grand old days before it all fell apart. Before he knew what it was to be in Hell, before he served its court. She was so beautiful then, so alive. She was beautiful now, but wasn't quite the same. Like a picture that is never quite the same as when it is first created. It will look the same at face value, but its composition changes.

Ah but they all changed. She had. He had. He was not himself from then, but not as he was when they met again in this time.

He was both. He was neither.

Either way, he was going to take back what was his.

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Okay, for anyone who got lost here.

In S, Yuuichirou thought Haruka was a guy after Rei. He tried to fight her.

Phobos and Deimos are the names of Rei's crows in the manga.

In SuperS Minako was dating both Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye in an episode.

Kaidou is from Rei's manga side-story, Casablanca Memories.

Minako's reference to learning from her Sailor V days refers to Kaitou Ace/Danburite/Adonis

I think that's it. Erm. Yea. Ok.