As usual, I disavow any rights to the characters from Pretty Guardian SailorMoon. They all belong to Takeuchi Naoko and Bandai.

And as usual, "Hi, aserene!" (smile) And all my quiet readers out there, too. (wider smile) I'm sorry it's another short chapter... I didn't realize I had so many short ones. But, there are long ones ahead... Chapter 8 at least. In the meantime, enjoy!

- Raya

Lonely Harp

Chance Encounter

Gently, Rei pushed hew way into the bookstore. She raised an eyebrow, and shook her head with a little smile as she saw the jaunty skeleton which pointed the way to the special holiday section. Halloween was everywhere these days.

'I should do something for the kids,' she thought to herself as she walked towards the occult section. 'Maybe a costume party and a test of courage...' The thoughts receded again as she reached her destination and began to look through the books on meditation.

As she was walking slowly along, she bumped into another patron. Immediately, she turned to bow an apology.

"Rei? Hey. What are you doing here?" Makoto asked in surprise, holding a book in front of her.

"Makoto? Hey. I was just looking to see if anything new had come in. What about you?" Rei answered, studying her athletic friend curiously. Makoto smiled and held up the book so that Rei could see the cover.

"I was looking for a new fish recipe," she said as she lowered the Szechuan cookbook once more. "I've been wanting something a little spicier lately. Something with a little more pizazz."

"I see..." Rei said nodding a little. "Have you tried a Thai cookbook? Their food tends to be a little spicy, but with an entirely different flavor than Chinese or Japanese." She glanced back towards the occult shelves once again, then reached out and snagged one to her. Her shoulders sagged a little as she let out a sigh.

"Dancing on Fire?" Makoto asked curiously. "Are you trying to learn how to walk on hot coals now?"

Rei snorted as she shook her head and put the book back on the shelf. Another book caught her attention. Slowly she pulled it out and studied it.

"Dreaming of Elysian..." Makoto read curiously. "What's it about?"

"Dream interpretation," Rei responded absently as she flipped through the pages. She stopped as a chapter title caught her eye. "Religious and Mystical Richness..."

"Hmm... That sounds like you," Makoto said, scanning the first paragraph over her shoulder. Rei looked at her a little defensively. "A strong psychic who works in a religious temple..." As Rei snapped the book shut and moved away, Makoto spoke again. "Have you been having weird dreams lately or something?"

Something in her tone of voice caught Rei's attention. She turned to look at her tall friend. "Why? Have you?"

Makoto nodded slowly. "Not anything I can specifically remember..." Quickly she looked at Rei and waved her free hand in the air. "I wasn't asking you to interpret it or anything. I was just mentioning..."

Rei rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's okay. Why don't we find your cookbook then go sit somewhere?" As Makoto gave her an uncertain look, she smiled a little. "You've got me curious now..."

They left the store a few minutes later, and walked down the street to sit near a fountain. Rei studied her tall friend out of the corner of her eye as the silence stretched comfortably. Finally, she broke it.

"Ami-chan has been having dreams, too," Rei said abruptly, turning to look at Makoto. "Different ones, but dreams that worry her."

"Mmm..." Makoto said, shifting uneasily. "Somehow... I think it would take a pretty special dream to make Ami-chan admit she was worried about it."

Rei nodded. "She doesn't actually say she's worried about it, but... She calls me about them sometimes, and I can hear the fear, worry, and sadness in her voice even though she tries to hide it."

"Really?" Makoto asked curiously. "Mine aren't like that at all. They seem pretty good to me. Except..."

"Except?" Rei prompted as she trailed off into her thoughts.

Makoto jumped a little, and made a questioning sound. "Oh, except... There is something lonely in it. A sound? A woman?" Rei nodded. "How about you, Rei? Have you been having weird dreams, too?"

Rei sighed and looked at the ground irritably. "Sort of. I haven't been able to meditate in months. There's something in the fire. And at night..." Makoto looked at her curiously, waiting expectantly. "At night... I dream of dancing in flames."

Makoto's eyes widened as she slowly nodded. "Dancing... yes... But not in flames... In the woods? Something bright and sharp... Like lightening..."

Rei studied her, mentally noting the descriptions. When it was obvious Makoto wasn't going to say anything more, Rei spoke again. "Ami-chan dreams of mist. Walking in the mist. And there's a harp playing somewhere. She thinks Usagi is playing it, which makes her sad for some reason."

"A harp?" Makoto said sitting up abruptly. "Yes, that's it. That's the sound. That's not what I'm dancing to, exactly, but it's there." She turned to look at Rei, feeling her stomach clench for some reason. "She thinks Usagi is playing the harp?"

Rei spread her hands and shrugged. "That's what she told me one time. It's hard to get her to talk about them. You hear a harp, too, huh..." She sat in silence for a moment. "I think I do, too," she admitted softly, almost absently.

Makoto shot her a sharp look. "That's weird. Three of us? How about Usagi? Or Minako?"

Rei shook her head. "I don't know. I haven't seen Minako in a while. I think she's been on a tour somewhere. And... Somehow, it doesn't seem right to ask Usagi." 'Almost like I'm afraid of what I will find,' she added to herself.