After hearing Rei and Serenity talk the girls finally regained consciousness and Rei closed her eyes and fell back into Heero's waiting arms as she passed out, sensing rather than seeing that the other girls had also fainted. Serenity fondly gazed upon her unconscious senshi then looked to the men who were holding them. Quatre scooped Ami up in his arms as he had the first day he had seen her and the others did the same.
"I am going to take them home to recover, this has been a trying day for all of us," Quatre said and Serenity nodded her head in agreement looking to Endymion who came to stand beside her, Small Lady clinging to his hip.
"Is Rei okay?" Small Lady asked curiously and Endymion looked at Heero, who was protectively bundling Rei to his chest and Endymion smiled.
"Yes bunny, I think she is now," Endymion said and Serenity rested her head ono his shoulder.
Quatre had arranged for cars to pick them up and Heero, and Duo carried Rei and Minako in one car, the Crystal Family went in another car, Quatre and Ami in one car and in the last car Trowa and Wufei with Relena and Makoto. Once they reached the mansion, the girls were deposited in the library, Relena upstairs in her room, and everyone else went to talk in the dining room.
Minako was the first to wake up. She cracked out the kink in her neck then crawled over to Ami and nudged her awake. Ami moaned as her eyes fluttered open and Makoto shifted, waking at the sound of Ami's voice. The three of them then crawled over to where Rei lay, flat on her back, her body shaking, and wet with sweat.
"Rei, are you okay?" Minako whispered reaching out to touch Rei's sweating forehead but Rei didn't wake up. Minako shared worried looks with Makoto and Ami who both shrugged their confusion.
"Nooo!" Rei screamed out loud frightening the other girls as she sat straight up struggling to take deep breathes.
Rei looked around her wildly and when she saw her friends worried faces and calmed down slightly allowing Minako's arms to encircle her shoulders and Mako grabbed her hand squeezing it gently.
"Rei what did you see?" Ami asked placing a soft hand on Rei's shoulder and Rei shook her head.
"My children, our children, the war…" Rei started mumbling to herself dropping her head into her hands.
"What war?" Mako pressed but Rei didn't answer.
"Our children?" Minako repeated confused and Rei sighed deeply.
"I…never mind…I don't know what it means."
Minako kissed Rei's forehead, feeling for their little psychic. It was so hard on Rei. Rei had once told her that the things she saw were very vague. Her visions could have been of the past, or of the future, or an eventuality that may not even occur if certain steps are taken. Ami looked around and noticed there was no one else in the room.
"Where's Serenity?" Ami asked her voice becoming a little panicky and Minako stood up helping Rei and Makoto to their feet.
"Let's go find her," Minako said decidedly and Rei closed her eyes, thinking of Heero.
"They are in the dining hall."
As the girls approached the dining hall, they could hear people talking. No; they weren't talking, people were arguing and the girls stopped to listen.
"We plan to return home as soon as possible, I have many crystals to melt, and my people to free, and when my court is finally reassembled…" that was Serenity's voice speaking and they could hear the rumble of their husbands voices.
"Your court? The onnas?" Wufei asked gruffly and Mako pressed a hand to her heart, hearing in his voice a waver of emotion she had never heard before.
"Yes of course they are coming with me, they would never leave me alone, they were destined to protect me," Serenity said surely and Wufei was heard to curse loudly and expressively.
"But…Queen Serenity, we were but married two months gone," Quatre put into the conversation and there was a long silence.
"Oh, I see," Serenity finally said and they could all just imagine her shrugging as she replied quite happily, "well then, the choice is theirs, I will love them no matter what"
Ami chose that moment to walk into the room and Quatre was by her side in a moment reaching for her.
"Ami…" he said ready to ask her to stay with him forever but Ami pressed her finger to his lips silencing him before he could ask. She knew if he asked, she would not be able to do her duty.
"I'm going Quatre, I'm sorry," Ami said, the tears spilling from her eyes and Quatre tried to grab her hand to plead with her but Ami wriggled out of his reach and went to stand behind Endymion.
"Ami please," Quatre pleaded but Ami couldn't meet his eyes.
"I can't Quatre, its my destiny."
Quatre took his rejection like the gentleman he was and slunk off to a corner, silent, his lip quivering slightly, but he managed to keep himself together. Trowa came over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him but Quatre could only stare at Ami who refused to meet his eyes as she moved to stand behind Serenity.
Wufei thought he would try his luck next, hoping he would get a better result than Quatre. Makoto's heart near dropped into her boots as she realised the difficult choice she would have to make.
"Onna…Mako…stay," Wufei pleaded in his simple way and Makoto wanted to be so strong, but at the open look in his eyes, Makoto broke down.
"I'm sorry, so sorry but I can't," Makoto turned away and ran to bury her head in Ami's shoulder and Ami stroked her hair trying to comfort the girl. Wufei didn't beg. He was too proud to beg. He merely bowed his head and backed away.
Duo came forward last. He was afraid. He had lost Hilde, and from the look of it he was about to loose Minako as well.
"Minako?" Duo asked softly going over to his wife and Minako allowed him to take her hand, but she didn't look at him, and she didn't say a word and Duo shook her hands again trying to get her to speak to him, "Minako"
"I'm staying," Minako said surely looking to Duo's eyes and Duo nearly died with happiness and disbelief.
"What?" he asked needing her to say it again and Minako hugged him.
"I'm staying, Rei will understand," Minako said turning to look at Rei and Rei nodded.
"Yes I understand."
Serenity smiled warmly at Minako, and then fondly, yet a little sadly at Makoto and Ami before she turned her blue eyes on Rei who was staring at Heero. Heero stood by the window, not looking at anyone.
"And you Rei what will you do?" Serenity asked and Rei sighed deeply walking over to Heero to take his hand. It felt cold in her fingers.
"I have to go back, and when I am gone you will move on with your life, that's the way the story ends Heero, I'm sorry," Rei said her voice shaking with sadness and Heero grabbed her other hand and pulled her closer to him.
"I waited for months to hear your voice, I did not expect those words to be the first that passed your lips," he said softly, but Rei shook her head.
"Heero, you know your destiny is here protecting your princess, mine is elsewhere protecting my princess," her words rung true to both of them, and Rei hugged Heero tightly whispering in his ear so only he could hear, "and those weren't the first words I spoke to you."
"No, you saved my life, I'll not forget that," Heero said and brushing his lips across hers briefly before he stalked from the room.
Quatre threw a forlorn glance Ami's way and followed, with Wufei and Trowa in tow. Duo looked at his ladylove and Minako smiled regretfully as she kissed her best friends in the world goodbye.
"This is goodbye then," Minako said sadly staring at the best friends she had ever known and Rei smiled.
"Its never goodbye, not for us," Rei said surely and Serenity nodded her agreement.
"You can visit whenever you like, I don't know what we would do without our Goddess of Love," Serenity assured her and Minako smiled winningly.
"I promise I will visit many times," she said then disappeared with Duo to follow the other Gundam Pilots. Serenity turned to her three remaining senshi and noticed that there were tears in all their eyes.
"My senshi, my best friends in the world, are you sure this is the choice that you want to make? You can make the choice Minako made with no regrets for I will always love each and every one of you," Serenity said this to her three senshi and Ami sniffled a little covering her mouth with her hand.
"But how can we protect you if we live so far away? In an attack you would be without us, we wouldn't be able to protect you from here while you are in Crystal Tokyo," Makoto said sensibly brushing away her tears wanting to be strong for her princess.
"We will find another way," Serenity tried to tell them but Rei shook her head. A lifetime ago, Rei had thought for years to try and find a way for her to be with the man she loved and protect her princess and his princess at the same time. Rei hadn't been able to come up with an answer. Nothing had changed in this lifetime either. Rei had her princess and her husband had his, it wouldn't work. Makoto and Ami were only just beginning to discover the pain and hardship of separation, they were beginning to understand how Rei had felt back then.
"No Serenity, there is no other way, not for us, we will always stand by you," Rei said honestly, still feeling guilty for her betrayal that had happened oh so many years ago.
"Always," Ami seconded Rei's claim in a small voice and Serenity smiled fondly at them as she went to join Endymion and Small Lady on the couch.
"Oh my senshi, I fear you love me too much," Serenity told them and her now three sensih bowed their heads and disappeared to their rooms to pack and make ready for their trip home.