Title: Unlock My Heart
Author: Stephanie aka chiigusa
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and smoochies
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon characters.
Summary: Rei still doesn't care about the past life, but Minako knows something she doesn't about it and knows why she should especially care about it. Will Rei discover the meaning of her past life?
Note: The only thing based off PGSM here is the characters and basic storyline, everything else I am just making up because I can. Also, please excuse any cheesiness because it is Sailor Moon and it's naturally kind of cheesy.
With a school bag swung over her shoulder, the young temple priestess walked down the path from her school towards the usual meeting place of Crown Karaoke. As the days passed, Rei dreaded going there more and more because she was sick of hearing about the 'past life'. Everyone was obsessed with it, but she could care less. She didn't want to hear another word about it. She was still willing to fight, but she cared more about living in the now. She considered her present life more important.
When she got to the Crown, she entered and held her year-long passport up to the turtle cage into which Motoki was staring. She wanted to roll her eyes slightly at his various cooings to the turtle, but refrained and didn't even wait for an 'okay' from him before she went to the room.
She saw that Usagi, Ami, and Makoto were already sitting at the table discussing something with Luna on the table. She set her school bag on the table and took a seat in her red chair.
"We need to uncover more about it," Ami was saying.
"About what?" Rei asked, though she was sure she already knew the answer.
Ami shrunk down in her chair slightly. She knew Rei's stance on the past life and never liked being the one to bring it up around her.
"The past life," Makoto answered for her, glancing at Ami who gave her a grateful half-smile.
Rei rolled her eyes, "You guys should stop worrying about it. Nothing good is going to come from dwelling on the past."
Usagi frowned, "But, Rei…if we don't find out more, how are we going to stop it from repeating?"
"We can stop it from repeating by not focusing on it," Rei said defiantly, standing up to leave.
A figure stood at the top of the stairs. "That's where you're wrong," the voice was light, but confident. The girl came into view and Rei met eyes with Minako.
Rei narrowed her eyes, "Whatever, I could care less about it. You all can sit here day after day worrying about what already happened instead of focusing on what's going to happen."
Minako shook her head as she walked down the stairs, "You just don't get it."
"What? What don't I get?" Rei said sharply, "Well, I know that I don't get why you all are obsessing over it so much. If it's called a past life, why do we care so much? It's in the past—key word there. We should be focusing on the now."
Luna frowned, "Rei, we're not obsessing. We're just concerned."
Minako folded her arms, smirking slightly, "You, of all people, should care about it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rei shot at her.
"I think you'll find out when the time comes. Your memory hasn't come back all the way yet, but when it does, you'll care," Minako told her.
"We'll see." Rei said under her breath, almost not wanting to remember anything just to spite Minako. She couldn't help the competitiveness she always felt around her, but she didn't want her to be right, especially concerning something she felt so strongly about.
"You will see and you'll care. I know it," she turned to the other girls, "We all have a deep connection to something or someone in our past. It's just up to you all to remember it."
Rei stomped up the stairs, not wanting to hear anymore. She suddenly stopped, jerking her head to the side as she sensed an evil presence nearby.
Luna's attention turned towards the door as she, too, sensed something, "Youma!"
Rei turned back to look at the others and nodded as the others stood up. Usagi grabbed Luna as the five girls rushed up the stairs, passed Motoki, and ran out the door towards the evil presence.
Nearby was a large group of unconscious people and a horrific being standing over them, sucking out their energy.
The girls came upon this and in a moment, they were transformed into Sailor Soldiers. As a group, they attacked the creature, each barely getting a hit. The creature was stronger than they had anticipated and each girl had suffered a hit to themselves. Rei looked up and saw Nephrite standing against a pillar, watching the scene with a malicious smirk upon his face. She pushed herself up and held her hands out in front of her as she called upon her power of fire towards him. His eyes widened as he dashed out of the way in the nick of time and the fire blast hit the pillar instead. She narrowed her eyes in frustration and came towards him as the other girls continued attacking the Youma.
"Rei! What're you doing?" Makoto yelled after her.
"I'm dealing with him," she called back, the fire of anger apparent in her eyes. She did not want to lose. She was not in the mood for letting one of the Shitennou get away. He smirked again, running away towards a more deserted place to fight her. He liked his privacy in battle. He had been looking forward to a one on one battle with one of the Sailor Soldiers and now was his chance to fight and defeat one. He needed something to gain favoritism with Queen Beryl. He couldn't let the others be favored again. He clenched his fist as he ran.
Rei watched him run and knew this was her chance to fight him. They had been after the Shitennou for a long time and it would make her feel better to know that one of them had been taken care of, especially if he was taken care of by her.
He stopped running and turned around to face her as they were only a few feet apart. "You sure you want to fight me? I can't believe one of the sailor soldiers would throw away her life so easily," he said smugly.
"Don't underestimate me," she said, setting her jaw confidently. She knew she was powerful and had a chance against him. She never gave up in battle and her mind was set on defeating him. She started forward, sending a couple punches and kicks towards him. He dodged them with ease, taking out his sword and striking her in the side. She fell forward with a yell, holding her side.
Suddenly, there was a flash in her mind as she turned her head to look up at him. She saw and even felt herself holding someone's hand and the distinct feeling of contentment. The flash ended. She pushed herself back up into a standing position, looking around in confusion. The flash was disorienting, and she didn't know where it was coming from. She knew that she had never had a boyfriend since she considered boys to be a waste of time, but she knew it was herself that was holding a boy's hand. It was her memory, but she couldn't place it. She shook the thought away, remembering she was in the middle of a battle.
She concentrated another blast of fire at him, but it only managed to hit him in the arm, causing him to stumble backwards a few feet. She barely had time to react to this before something else flashed across her mind. She put her hand to her head in anger, "What is this?" she shouted as she saw and felt herself resting her head against the shoulder of someone, a distinct smile on her face. The flash ended again. She couldn't remember a time in her life when she felt as happy as she did in that image. 'Could this be the past life everyone's been obsessing over…? No…it couldn't be. No!' she thought, trying to suppress the thoughts with all her power.
Nephrite looked as though he couldn't care less what the girl was going through. He was even more aggravated that his shirt has been slightly charred from the power of her attack. He approached her and struck her with his sword quickly and effortlessly. She fell to the ground with a quiet moan. She started to push herself up when she suddenly felt a hand grasp her neck. How could she have let her guard down so easily?
She felt his grip tighten as she began to gasp for breath.
The sound of a piano was heard playing in the distance. Rei couldn't tell if she was imagining it from losing oxygen or if it really was playing. She saw Nephrite looked confused as well, so she knew the music must have been surrounding them. She coughed as his grasp tightened more, "Stop…" she breathed out. He looked down at her with menacing eyes as a voice sounded around him, "Just…remember, Nephrite…"
Nephrite knew the voice; it belonged to the man playing piano. "Zoicite!" he shouted, looking around to see if he could connect the voice to anyone nearby, but the two were still alone. "Remember," Zoicite's voice continued dreamily, "Dig into your past…" He put his free hand against his head as the same memories Rei had seen flooded into his mind. "No…!"
Rei stared up at him, still gasping for breath. He looked down at her, eyes still full of rage, but it was now accompanied by confusion. "Remember…" Zoicite's voice called out to both of them.
Kunzite appeared near them, sensing something was amiss. "Don't listen to him! Finish her off, Nephrite. Now!"
Nephrite swallowed hard, his grasp tightened so that Rei would lose consciousness at any moment. However, their eyes met and something clicked. Memories flooded into both of their minds of times spent together in their past life. The final image and feeling was that of a passionate kiss. Both of their eyes shot open, though his gaze softened and his grip on her neck loosened. She stared at him in disbelief, breathing hard. He moved away from her quickly, still staring into her eyes. What had just happened?
Rei held her neck, rubbing it softly. Kunzite groaned in anger at them. "Dammit, Zoicite! Why now?" He moved his cape of the still staring Nephrite and the two vanished before Rei's eyes.
'What just happened?' she wondered, her breathing slowly returning to normal as her gaze was still on the spot Nephrite had stood.
"Rei!" a female voice shouted. She heard footsteps running towards her, and Usagi bent down in front of her, "Rei, are you all right?"
She didn't look at her, but simply nodded, "Yes..."
Minako watched her knowingly, "You remembered, didn't you?"
Rei glanced up at her, "What…? No, I don't know what you're talking about." She got up slowly, wincing quietly. "I'm going home." She walked away; her Sailor outfit disappearing and her regular one resurfacing.
"What's wrong with Rei?" Usagi asked as her eyebrows knitted together.
"She's remembered something," Minako said, watching Rei's figure slowly disappear.
"Remembered? You mean--" Makoto started.
"She's remembered something about her past life. Or rather, someone from her past life."
"He's remembered, Queen Beryl," Kunzite told her, "He's remembered his relationship with Sailor Mars."
"This cannot be! I suppressed those memories! They should be long forgotten from the curse upon him," Beryl told him.
"Your curse is obviously not good enough if Zoicite can penetrate it," Kunzite said with an eyebrow arched in amusement. He enjoyed annoying his so-called Master.
"Enough!" Beryl shouted at him. "Get out of my sight!"
"As you wish," Kunzite bowed, a smirk apparent on his face as he departed.
Kunzite saw Nephrite kneeling in the corner and holding his head, "Ignore those thoughts; they will do you no good here."
Nephrite looked up at him, "Ignore? How can I ignore this? This---she was a huge part of my past. How can I ignore her now?"
"Simple. We end her life," Kunzite said.
"We? I can't do that—She…we--"
"Enough! Stop prattling on like a giddy schoolboy. Your past life means nothing now. Ignore it and let's destroy those annoying girls together, starting with Sailor Mars."
Nephrite knew he was right, but the feeling from those memories couldn't be ignored. He had never felt as complete as he had in his past life. How could he ignore something so amazing? He couldn't ignore it. And a part of him didn't want to. He remembered for a reason. He knew they both did. How could they have forgotten?
He watched as Kunzite formed a stone in the palm of his hand that transformed into a Youma. "Go. Find the Sailor soldier known as Sailor Mars," he ordered, and then watched as it disappeared.
Nephrite clenched his fists, glaring at Kunzite's back. He wasn't going to let him get away with this. He needed a plan.
The next day, Rei walked down the sidewalk alone, her bag swung over her shoulder. She didn't feel like going to Crown today. She just couldn't face anyone yet. The memories were too much for her. She couldn't explain how complete they made her feel and that frightened her. The memories made her feel like she had known Nephrite forever and that the two had been together since she could remember. But, she couldn't remember in this lifetime, only that they had been deeply in love in the past life. How was she supposed to consider him the enemy now?
She let out a soft sigh, her bag falling to the crook of her elbow as she walked. This was all too much for her. She preferred when she couldn't remember anything. And she hated the fact that Minako was right. Minako knew everything and knew how her memories would affect her. Why didn't she prepare her for this? On some level, she couldn't be surprised. Usagi was connected to Mamoru by the past. Maybe they all had a connection to someone in the past that could transpire in the present. Maybe…
She gasped, she felt a presence nearby. No, two presences. Could one of them be…? She heard screams and ran toward them. She saw a Youma stealing people's energy and Kunzite nearby. A part of her was disappointed, but she couldn't think about that now. She had to stop Kunzite and his Youma.
"Good, you came alone as I had hoped," Kunzite said with a slight grin.
She clenched her fists before transforming into Sailor Mars. The Youma turned to her immediately as it had been trained to only target her. She dodged it and sent a few punches towards it, watching it stumble backwards. She wanted to call the others, but had no time to pause in her fight. She only hoped Luna could sense the Youma and the Shitennou. She continued fighting, readying herself for the final attack. She stood back from it, closed her eyes and concentrated her power on it, sending a large blast of fire toward it. The Youma dissipated and was destroyed. She smiled to herself before turning to the sounds of clapping coming from Kunzite.
"You truly are strong. I wonder how you will do against me," he raised an eyebrow as he extended his sword towards her. She bit her lip for a moment, trying to think of the best way to fight against him. She had no connection in the past to him that she could remember, but what if one of the other girls did? Could she destroy someone that maybe Makoto or Ami felt strongly about?
She got into a fighting stance despite her thoughts. This man cared nothing about her and wanted to destroy her; she knew that for certain. So, she couldn't let him get the upper hand. He came forward, sword at the ready, but she dodged his first strike. She had used a lot of power when battling the Youma, so she had to be careful. She sent a kick towards him, knocking him back only a couple feet. She was discouraged that she couldn't have fought him first, but she had to try her best. He struck her quickly, knocking her back. She felt blood trickling down the side of her arm from a fresh cut. It strung, but she ignored the pain. She got back up immediately and readied her fire blast, but before she had a chance to hit him, he knocked her back into the wall. She winced, shutting her eyes. He grinned, walking towards her, his sword ready to strike her down with a final blow.
"Stop!" A voice shouted from afar before the speaker stepped in front of Rei, his own sword connecting with Kunzite's.
Rei opened her eyes to see Nephrite standing in front of her to protect her. She was usually not the kind of girl to get giddy over a boy, or care for boys at all, but she could describe what she felt at that moment as 'dreamy'.
Kunzite narrowed his eyes at Nephrite and shouted, "What the hell are you doing? Why are you saving her?"
Nephrite didn't have an answer; he just knew he had to save her. Rei watched them carefully. She was in pain and was trying not to show it too much in case the fight was going to continue.
"You don't want to get in my way!" Kunzite's tone was more than a little aggravated. He stepped back from them, putting his sword away and shaking his head "You are a fool for saving her." He knew that Nephrite would be punished for this and was looking forward to that. He knew that Nephrite also knew he would be punished, which was why he could not understand his actions. Could Nephrite really care about his connection to her that much? He didn't want to think about it anymore, or even look at them. He moved his cloak around himself and disappeared.
Nephrite relaxed and turned to look at Rei, who had slumped to the ground after watching Kunzite leave. He bent down to her level and watched her carefully. He swallowed hard and noticed the cut on her arm. "Are you okay?" The question sounded awkward as he said it. He never before cared if anyone was okay. But, for some reason, he needed to know she was.
She nodded slowly, watching his eyes. She couldn't understand why she felt so calm around him. How could the past life's memories get to her so easily? How could they affect her emotions so much?
He took her arm gently in his hand, while taking a crimson handkerchief out of his pocket with the other. He meticulously wrapped the cloth around her cut, making sure it wasn't too tight, but so that it wouldn't fall off.
"Thank you," she said quietly. He nodded to her, still watching her. He did not know what to make of their situation. Yesterday she was his enemy and today he wanted her to be safe. She bit her lip slightly before speaking, "Why did you…save me?"
"I--" he started, but paused to think, though he already knew the answer, "I felt like I had to." She nodded; somehow understanding what he meant perfectly well. She let her lip turn up into a small smile. "Thanks…for saving me, too." He nodded, feeling a smile slowly appear on his own face.
She paused before asking the question that was weighing on both of their minds, "What do we do now…?"
"I don't know, but I don't want to fight you anymore," Nephrite told her, his voice softening. Usually, he said everything with a tone of anger, but he didn't feel angry around her. He felt calm and relaxed, even happy.
"Me either," she said, looking away from him for the first time, "It's just…all these memories—I don't understand how I can feel like this just from memories."
"I don't understand either, but the feelings are strong and I--" he grabbed her shoulders, finding her eyes again and gazing into them, "I don't want to leave your side."
"I don't want you to leave… This all seems so strange though. I feel like we've known each other for a lifetime," Rei said, not wanting him to let go,
"We have. It may have been our past life, but it was real. And we remember," he said, reaching a hand up to brush away a few stray strands of her hair.
She felt herself blush slightly, "I don't remember everything though…I just remember that we were together and I remember feeling as though I were in love. I'm afraid to know the ending." She couldn't believe she was talking so openly with someone she had practically just met, but it didn't feel like that. She was usually so closed off to others, but she wanted to share everything with him; her heart, her soul, her love.
"I don't remember the rest, but I think we could--"
"Pick up from where we left off?" she asked, her voice almost sounding eager. She couldn't believe she was saying these words. But, she didn't want to miss her chance with him. She truly wanted to be with him. Her memories had transpired to deep feelings, and she couldn't ignore them, especially since he was not ignoring them.
He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb, "Yes, you read my mind. You always do that--"
She smiled and let out a light laugh, "Yeah, I did always do that."
He leaned in slowly, but when their lips were barely inches apart, the sky darkened. Nephrite was thrown away from her by an invisible force and an angry female voice boomed from the sky. "Nephrite! Return to your Master!" A dark force encircled Nephrite, and he disappeared. The sky soon returned to normal and Rei stared dumbfounded in front of her.
She stood up with a quiet wince, her regular clothes resurfacing as her powers were no longer needed. She hoped nothing terrible would happen to him. She wished she could help him, but she didn't know how to get to the Dark Kingdom. She hoped he could find a way to escape. She hugged herself as she walked towards her home. Should she tell her friends about this? She wasn't sure, though she had a feeling Minako already knew. She kicked a rock on the ground and sighed. She hated that Minako already knew, and she hated that Minako was right. She did care now. She cared because it was affecting her present life in a big way. She didn't care how different each of them were now. She didn't care that Nephrite had been their enemy. Her feelings were real and that's all that mattered to her.
She just wished she could see him again.
The pain wouldn't cease. Nephrite slowly fell to the ground, clutching his head.
"This is what happens when you defy me!" Queen Beryl shouted at him, sending continuous waves of her power at him. He moaned in pain as another wave hit him. "You chose to save the Sailor soldier instead of destroying her like I wanted!" She stopped her power for a moment as she watched him through narrowed eyes. "Your memories are worthless here…Get out of my sight!" She sent a final blast of power at him, watching him scream out in pain before falling unconscious. She waved her hand and he vanished from her sight. She turned away with a disgusted shake of her head.
A few hours passed before Nephrite awoke to see Zoicite standing over him. He sat up quickly, almost startled to see him there, "What do you want?"
Zoicite leaned against the wall with his arms folded, a gentle smile on his face, "So, you've remembered your past."
Nephrite looked away from him, "Yeah, I guess I have you to thank for that," he said, though his tone was far from thankful. Even though he was glad to have regained his memory, he did not like the painful consequences. He reached up, rubbing his temple.
"I knew this day would soon come. You both remembered far better than I could have hoped. I am glad," Zoicite said, looking to the wall as if searching for a window that wasn't there.
"Yeah, we remembered, but it's not doing either of us any good!" Nephrite was getting angry. Both of their lives were now in greater peril from regaining their memories. He wanted to blame someone for it because he wasn't ready to take responsibility for almost getting Rei killed twice now. He stood up quickly, ignoring the pain still in his body, "It's all your fault! She's in danger…Queen Beryl is punishing me. This is no good! Erase these memories from both our minds!"
"I can't do that," Zoicite said, shaking his head. "You two are destined. I can't change fate. I was meant to help you two remember so that you could discover your past and continue it," he suddenly sounded sad, "Your time before was too short…"
Nephrite didn't like the sound of that. He hadn't remembered the end of their time together, except that his Master had turned on him and the other Shitennou. But, he didn't know what happened to Rei. He really didn't want to know.
Zoicite continued, not wanting to dwell on what had happened to the couple, "Sailor Venus was meant to help Rei remember hers, but she does not possess the power I do in order to do that. So, I had to step in and help you two remember... before you killed each other."
"Sailor Venus? You're working with her?"
Zoicite smiled slightly, "We were together in the past life as well. However, we decided not to be together in this one until it was time. We both have missions to fulfill and have many duties."
Nephrite sat back down. This was another piece of information he hadn't been prepared for. "I see," he said simply.
Zoicite watched Nephrite with a furrowed brow. He was worried about how the two would come together in this life, especially with the threat of Queen Beryl and the other two Shitennou that would not accept the past life. He remembered how happy Nephrite had been in the past when he was with Rei and remembered how heart-breaking it was for her to find out that he was killed. He pushed those memories to the back of his mind, knowing his life ended only a few minutes after Nephrite's. "Follow me," he said after a long pause.
"What?" Nephrite said.
"I can send you to her," he told the other man, crossing the room. He led Nephrite to his own room in which his piano was located. He sat down and began playing. Nephrite felt strange as though his body was no longer his and it was floating through the air. He closed his eyes and felt himself being transported from the Dark Kingdom.
Rei had her blanket over her head. The warmth of the fire was doing her no good to how cold she felt. She shivered, wondering if she was getting sick. She then realized how ridiculous that was, considering she never got sick. It wasn't her body that was sick, it was her heart. She hadn't been contacted by him all day. She didn't know if he was still alive or if he had been killed for saving her. The thought made her want to cry, but she held it back. She wouldn't jump to any conclusions.
Suddenly, a large gust of wind blew into the room, putting the fire out, and she felt another presence in the room accompanied by the sound of a piano playing in the distance. She pulled the cover down slowly to see Nephrite standing beside her bed. Her eyes widened, and she sat up, her mind full of questions and unsure of what to ask first. "Nephrite…how—why—are you okay?"
"I'll be fine…I was punished for saving your life… I don't know how I will be able to leave there again," he told her softly.
"Then, how are you here now? Won't you get in more trouble?"
"Zoicite is sending me here for a little while. My presence is still in the Dark Kingdom, so they won't know I'm not there."
"How long can you stay…?" Rei asked carefully.
"I'm not sure, but I'll try to stay as long as I can," Nephrite said as he sat on the edge of her bed.
She finally was able to smile and nodded, "We better make it count then."
Nephrite matched her smile and reached up, stroking the side of her face softly. Rei couldn't help but feel her cheeks redden. She just wasn't used to being with a boy like this, but somehow it felt right. She decided she needed to stop trying to make sense of her feelings towards him. They were simply unexplainable. She put her hand over his, squeezing it softly. He leaned in slowly, their eyes closing as their lips met. They kissed one another for a long time, both passionately and gently. As they kissed, their problems and worries drifted away, leaving nothing but the two of them.
They slowly lay back, facing one another on their sides. She smiled shyly at him as he stroked her hair. She felt incredible and her heart warmed over just being next to him. She didn't want this moment to end. He put his arms around her gently, holding her close to him. "Just stay like this until I fall asleep…okay?"
He pressed his forehead against hers, "I will." He only hoped he was able to stay that long, though she looked as though she would fall asleep at any moment. He wanted her to fall asleep thinking he was still there. She deserved that.
She yawned softly as she closed her eyes, a small smile still apparent on her face. "Goodnight," she said softly as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Goodnight, Rei," he told her barely above a whisper as he watched her sleep.
Rei's alarm went off much louder than she thought it usually did. She reached over to press the sleep button with a yawn, and then rubbed her sleep-filled eyes. It was then she realized she was the only one in her bed. She looked at the spot Nephrite had been the night before. 'Was that all a dream…?' she wondered as she got up and readied herself for school.
Rei walked from the school building to Crown. She was in a good mood, and she didn't care if it had been a dream or not, she was happy about it. She waved to Motoki cheerfully as she entered Crown. He looked at his turtle with a confused expression and asked it, "Was that really Rei?"
Rei practically skipped into the room. "Rei?" Usagi asked her.
Rei hugged the other girl, "Hey, Usagi! How are you?"
Usagi's eyes widened, "Rei…?" She looked at Makoto and Ami for confirmation.
Makoto looked at her, "Are you okay? Luna said that there was a Youma presence yesterday that you fought."
"I'm great, actually. And yes, there was, Makoto. I fought it and Kunzite," Rei said proudly.
Ami's mouth fell open, "By yourself?"
Rei nodded confidently, "Yes—say, Usagi, do you have any sweets?"
Usagi arched an eyebrow and looked at Rei closely, "Are you sure you're okay? You usually don't like sweets very much."
"How can I not like sweets, Usagi? I'm a girl, aren't I?"
Usagi nodded with a wide smile and pulled out her big bag of lollipops, "I have this!"
Ami and Makoto's eyes widened, while Rei and Usagi both reached in and unwrapped a lollipop. Ami and Makoto looked at each other and shrugged before getting one for themselves.
Rei sat down and looked at the other girls, who were still eyeing her curiously. "What?"
"Did something happen? We didn't see you yesterday and you didn't call us about the attack," Ami said carefully.
"I--I was tired after the fight and just went home. And I didn't have any time to call you guys before the fight started," Rei said nonchalantly.
"Okay, well, you still should have told us about the fight afterwards. We need to know what's going on," Makoto said, feeling a little disheartened that she wasn't able to take part in a fight.
Rei nodded, "All right. If it happens again, I will."
Makoto wasn't sure she was convinced yet, but decided to let it go for now.
"Rei! Do you want to karaoke?" Usagi asked excitedly, figuring now was her chance.
Rei raised an eyebrow, "No, I still hate karaoke," she said and laughed lightly.
Minako walked down the stairs, looking at Rei carefully, who smiled at her, "Hi, Minako, what brings you here?" Minako wasn't a usual visitor there, so her appearance was rather unusual and usually meant she had something important to tell them.
Minako paused for a moment, caught off-guard by Rei's demeanor towards her, "I'm here about you actually."
"Me? Why?"
Minako knew already, mostly because she was in contact with Zoicite. She and Zoicite were the only ones who fully remembered the past and knew when someone else gained a memory, "Because you've remembered."
"Remembered...? Remembered what?" Rei asked, not really wanting to give it away.
"Rei…? Is that true?" Usagi asked, feeling sad that Rei had not shared it with them. But, maybe this was the cause of her good mood.
Rei looked at Usagi for a moment before glancing back at Minako, "I…well, yes, I've remembered."
Gasps came from Makoto, Ami, and Usagi, while Minako couldn't help but smile. She wasn't feeling victorious, but was glad that she remembered something, especially since she knew the wonderful memory Rei had recovered. "Tell them, Rei. They should know," Minako told her.
Rei bit her lip slightly, "Well…as Minako said before, we're all connected to someone from out past. And I…I recovered those memories. And so did he."
"He? He who?" Usagi asked eagerly. She knew she had a connection to Mamoru and had always wondered if the other Sailor Soldiers had a connection to someone in their past, besides each other.
Rei swallowed hard and almost blushed before answering, "Nephrite."
Minako smiled slightly, while the other girls' eyes widened. "Nephrite? No way!" Usagi exclaimed.
Rei nodded, "Yes…we were in love in the past life…and well, those feelings seem to have transferred to now."
"I think fate has decided to give you a second chance because your time together was so short before," Minako told her.
"What does that mean…?"
"It means that you were both killed or died before you could really develop your relationship. Same with the Princess and the King," she nodded her head to Usagi. "I think we're all getting a second chance."
"But…what about me?" Makoto asked quietly. "I thought I was always alone in the past life."
Minako smiled at her, "I think you were the one exception. You were alone and I think that's why you and Motoki seem to be getting along pretty well." Makoto blushed at this remark and nodded. It was all making sense.
"Who was I with?" Ami asked her.
"I'm sorry, Ami, but I can't tell you. You have to uncover those memories yourself," Minako said sadly. She really wanted to help her, but it wasn't her time yet.
Ami nodded, "I understand."
Minako turned back to Rei, "I hope you understand why I care about the past life so much now."
Rei nodded, "I do…and I'm sorry for doubting you. I wish I could have recovered these memories sooner. I…I don't want to run out of time again."
"You remembered them when you were meant to," she then smiled at her, "I hope you have a lot of time."
Ami furrowed her eyebrows, "But, what do we do about fighting the Shitennou now?"
"I don't think Nephrite is going to fight us…He has been trying to protect me in the last two battles I've been in."
"Zoicite won't attack us either," Minako said.
"How do you know?" Makoto asked.
"Because…he's the one I was with in the past. We have an understanding."
Usagi tilted her head in confusion, "Understanding? Why can't you two just be together and happy?"
"I wish it were that simple, Usagi," Minako said, a hint of sadness in her voice, "We both have duties in our current life and we can't ignore them. We…we decided that we would be together when it was the right time."
Rei saw Minako in a new light. She must have the same feelings for Zoicite that she had for Nephrite. How could Minako ignore them so easily? Even now, all she wanted to do was see him again.
Usagi stuck out her bottom lip, "I hope the right time is soon, Minako! You should have a boy!"
Minako smiled at her, "I hope it's soon, too."
Rei looked away from them suddenly, closing her eyes, "I…sense something. I sense more than one Youma and the presence of a Shitennou."
The girls stood up, rushing out of the room and the building. They ran for a long time before coming upon the site of two Youmas sucking out the energy from the innocent civilians, as Kunzite watched nearby. The five girls looked at one another before nodding and soon transforming into Sailor Soldiers.
The Youmas turned their attention to their new opponents. The girls attacked them with punches and kicks and their special attacks. "Target Sailor Mars!" Kunzite commanded the Youmas. They turned away from the other girls and headed for Rei. Rei's eyes widened, and she ducked between them, causing them to collide into each other. Kunzite appeared rather frustrated by this, but watched as the Youmas continued for her.
"Why are they only after Rei?" Usagi asked quickly.
"I think Kunzite knows about the memories, and he wants her gone," Minako replied, though she had her suspicions... This all seemed rather strange. She pursed her lips in thought before she and the other girls soon attacked the Youmas as well, trying to distract their attention from her.
Makoto looked at Minako after sending a lightning bolt at one of them, "Could this be a trap?"
Rei looked at them, kicking the Youma away from her and regrouping with the other girls. "A trap? For me? It's not much of a trap since we're all here."
Minako furrowed her eyebrows, "No…I don't think so."
Ami nodded, "This isn't right. Something's going on."
The Youmas sent blasts of power at the other four girls who were sent spiraling in opposite directions. They soon resumed going after Rei and attacking her. She narrowed her eyes and sent blasts of fire at them, but this was doing no good. It seemed they were immune to their attacks. "What?" she yelled out as she saw the Youmas just shake off her attack and continue going after her.
She felt another presence suddenly, though she couldn't see it. However, she knew that presence… Suddenly, the Youmas were destroyed by an unseen attack. As they disappeared, she saw Nephrite standing only a few feet from her "Nephrite?"
He rushed over to her, "Rei, you need to get out of here, this is a trap!"
"But…the Youmas are gone," she told him. She didn't understand any of this.
"Those weren't Youmas. They were some sort of illusion," he told her quickly.
"Rei! Watch out!" Usagi's voice called as she tried to get up.
Nephrite turned his head to see Kunzite standing behind her, ready to strike. He moved in front of her in an instant, having no time to draw his sword as Kunzite plunged his sword forward as quickly as Nephrite had stepped in front of her. The sword slid into him with ease, killing him in an instant. Gasps were heard from all, except for Rei as she stared blankly at the scene in front of her. Her mouth fell open as Kunzite pulled the sword out of him and let Nephrite's body dropped to the ground. Rei felt her body trembling as she stared at his now lifeless body. "Nephrite…?" she asked barely above a whisper, hoping and praying for a response that she knew would not come.
Kunzite smirked down at her, "This trap was never for you." He laughed at her, "I knew he would try to save you if he overheard my plan. This worked out perfectly."
She couldn't hear anything he was saying as she knelt down beside his body. "Nephrite?" she asked again, reaching down and pulling him against her.
"Rei…" Usagi said quietly as she watched her. Makoto and Ami put their hands over their mouths in shock. They wanted to cry for her. How could this have happened to her? She had been so happy earlier.
Minako clenched her fist angrily. Sure, she and Rei were usually at odds, but no one deserved this. And this wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to have more time. She thought the past wasn't repeating. She thought they were moving beyond it.
Rei felt all the air escape her as she watched him for any sign of life. She felt the tears well up in her eyes as the scene played out in her mind again. It had happened so fast that she wasn't sure it had even been real. She let the threatening tears fall onto his cheek as she hugged his body to herself. Why did this happen? She had been so happy the night before. She knew it couldn't have been a dream. She just wanted him to be safe. Why did he have to be taken away? She thought they were going to have more time…
Kunzite was getting bored. He had no reason to be here anymore and had no reason to watch this pathetic scene unfold. "This is what happens when you meddle with the past life," he said, and swung his cape over Nephrite's body, as he and the body vanished from their sights.
Rei's arms dropped to her side as he stared at the ground. "Neph…rite…" she let her tears fall freely, reaching up to hold her face. The four girls walked over to her carefully. Usagi and Minako put a hand on her shoulders. Ami and Makoto bent down in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Rei," Minako said softly. "This…wasn't supposed to happen."
Rei pushed them away as she stood up angrily. "Wasn't supposed to happen? What's that supposed to mean?"
Usagi and Ami took a couple steps back as Minako folded her arms, "I just mean, you two were supposed to have more time than you had in the past life," she sighed, "It seems like the past life is repeating."
"Well, that's that, then. I guess that means we're going to be unhappy and everyone's going to die and Usagi's going to destroy the world. Is that what you're saying?"
Usagi frowned. She knew Rei was just upset and didn't mean what she was saying.
Minako shook her head, "No, but I guess some events are unavoidable in every life."
"Great! I'm so glad to know that in all my lives I'm going to fall in love and then he's going to die," Rei said, tears still pouring down her face as she turned away from them.
Minako didn't know what else to say. She was never one for comforting and decided now was not the best time to talk to Rei.
Usagi approached her slowly, "Do you want me to walk you home?"
Rei shook her head and began walking away, her regular clothes reappearing.
Makoto sighed sadly, "Poor Rei…I hope she's going to be all right."
Ami watched her walk away, "I hope so too…Losing someone you love has got to be horrible. I wish she would let us help."
Usagi nodded, "Yeah, I want to be there for her."
Minako turned and looked at them, "I don't think that's what she needs. I think she just needs to be left alone for a while. She'll come when she needs to."
A soft piano was suddenly heard playing all around the four girls. Minako turned to see a faint image of Zoicite standing near them. "Zoicite?"
He nodded his head to her, "Hello, Minako. I've…heard about what has happened."
Minako let out a quiet sigh, "Yes…it's terrible. What should we do?"
The others looked at each other. Usagi arched an eyebrow and mouthed to Makoto and Ami, "Zoicite?" They both shrugged and turned back to the scene in front of them.
"Perhaps…it was not the right time for them," Zoicite said.
"But, it just seemed so right," Minako said sadly.
Zoicite took a few steps closer to her, "I think I should take the memories away from her. That way she will no longer grieve."
Minako's eyebrows knit together in confusion, "But--"
Zoicite waved his hand, "Don't worry…they will resurface when the right time comes."
Minako tilted her head slightly, "Are you telling me everything? Do you know something?"
Zoicite smiled coyly, "Perhaps, but this is something I cannot share with you, Minako. I am sorry for that."
She nodded, "All right…but, someday will you tell me?"
"I think you'll see it for yourself sometime soon," he replied. Minako's eyebrows rose in surprise. Zoicite was always such a mystery to her and that was probably why she was so drawn to him. "By tomorrow morning, all memory of her past life with Nephrite and the past few days she has shared with him will be locked away in her mind until it is time for her to unlock it." He turned to the other three girls, "You will all have the memory of this day, but she will not. Try to act as normal as you can around her. Understand?"
The girls nodded in sync.
"Good, then I shall return to where I am supposed to be," he said, bowing to each of the girls, but sending a smile to Minako, who matched his.
"Good-bye. Please visit again on better circumstances," she told him.
He nodded, "As you wish." The soft music played again and Zoicite disappeared from sight.
"What do you expect me to do with this!" Queen Beryl shouted in disgust at Kunzite in regard to the lifeless body of Nephrite.
"I thought you could think of a more suitable punishment for what he did, Master," Kunzite said in a fake respectful tone.
"What is more suitable than death? It seems as though you took care of that," Beryl told him, looking away from the body.
"I was thinking more along the lines of life as a human without any powers," Kunzite smirked.
Beryl raised a curious brow, "Perhaps…That does seem quite the suitable punishment." She turned away and was silent for a while as she thought of this proposition.
"Queen Beryl?" Kunzite asked, not wanting to interrupt, but also not wanting to wait there all day. He had more important things to do.
She turned back to him, "Fine. He can be human without any powers," she waved her hand and his body disappeared. "Now get out of my sight," she told him impatiently.
Kunzite couldn't hide the grin of satisfaction as he bowed and left her.
Rei awoke the next morning still feeling tired. She stood up to comb her hair and saw that her eyes were puffy. Had she been crying the night before? She couldn't remember. She couldn't think of any reason why she should have been crying. Maybe she had been dreaming about her mother again since that usually caused her to cry in her sleep. She shook the thought away and got ready for school.
Nephrite awoke to a cold, stone ground. Where was he? What happened? He pushed himself up to realize he had awoken in a deserted parking garage. Great, how was he supposed to get to the Dark Kingdom from here? He stood up and walked out into the sunlight. He squinted and put his hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun. Something felt different. Why wasn't he at the Dark Kingdom? He looked down at his clothes. They were regular clothes; a t-shirt and black pants. What happened to his Shitennou uniform? He reached up to run his hand through his hair; it also felt different. He gritted his teeth in anger. How could this have happened to him? Was he powerless now? What did he do to deserve this? He punched the nearest wall, wincing at how much it actually hurt. Great, he was human now. This day could only get worse.
Rei held her Crown Passport up to the turtle cage Motoki was staring into, and then went to the usual room. The three girls were already seated at the table. They all turned their attention to Rei as she came down the steps. Usagi rushed over to her, "Rei, are you okay?"
Rei raised an eyebrow at her, "Yes…why wouldn't I be?"
Usagi waved her hand, "Oh, no reason! We just…um, thought we sensed a Youma!" She turned to Ami and Makoto, "Right guys?"
Makoto and Ami nodded emphatically. Rei set her school bag on the table before sitting down, "Well, I didn't sense anything. I would have called you guys otherwise."
Usagi nodded and sat down again, "Right! Right! Of course!"
Makoto sent Usagi a threatening look. Usagi then mouthed 'I'm sorry' to her while Rei wasn't looking.
Ami looked at Rei carefully, "What do you think we should do about it?"
Rei eyed her curiously, "About what?"
Ami cleared her throat, "The past life."
Rei rolled her eyes, "Haven't I told you guys this a million times already? Just forget about it! It's not doing us any good here."
Makoto spoke up, "But, Rei, it's important for all of us. We need to think about how it's going to affect this life."
"You guys are starting to sound like Minako." She stood up and grabbed her bag, "If all you guys are going to do is talk about the past life, then I'm out of here." She walked back up the stairs.
"Rei! Wait!" Usagi frowned as she disappeared behind the door.
Makoto looked at them, "She's definitely her old self again."
"I can't believe she doesn't remember anything. Zoicite is definitely powerful," Ami said.
Makoto then said, "What happens when she does remember though?"
Ami nodded, "Zoicite said she would remember when she was ready."
"I guess we just have to be ready to comfort her! I mean, I can't imagine losing the person you loved," Usagi said sadly, not even wanting to think about what would happen if she lost Mamoru.
Ami said, "Me either…but, I think she'll remember when she's ready to handle it all."
"How can you handle losing the person you loved?" Makoto asked, her thoughts drifting to Motoki momentarily.
"I don't know, but Rei is strong. I think she'll remember eventually. I just hope everything works out okay," Usagi said, still looking at the door.
A couple weeks passed and Rei seemed as though she did not remember anything about her past life or what had happened between her and Nephrite. Her friends were worried but tried their best not to show it around her. They were afraid her memories would resurface at any moment, and Rei would go into a deep depression. But, she seemed the same as usual, for which they were all thankful.
She made her way towards her home, deciding not to go to Crown today. She didn't want to have another talk about the past because it would only frustrate her. She looked at the shops as she passed by. Maybe she would ask Usagi to take her shopping tomorrow; she hadn't done anything fun like that in a long time.
As she gazed into the shop windows, she suddenly collided into someone, causing her to stumble back a few steps, her cell phone falling onto the ground without her noticing.
The man looked down at her harshly, almost yelling, "Watch where you're going!" He was in no mood to be bothered by anyone.
Rei narrowed her eyes at him, "Jeez, sorry, you don't have to be so rude." She rolled her eyes and brushed passed him quickly.
He bent down to pick up the pink phone. He knew it belonged to her and decided he could maybe be nice, even if she hadn't been. He caught up to her, his voice still full of annoyance, "Hey! You dropped this!"
Rei let out an aggravated sigh and turned around to look up at the man. She held out her palm, and he placed the phone on her hand, their hands lightly touching. Their eyes met and suddenly they both gasped. Memories of the past and the days before flooded into both of their minds. A tear fell from Rei's eye as she remembered everything and realized she was looking up at the man whom she had seen die only a couple weeks ago. "…Nephrite?"
Nephrite stared at her in disbelief. How could he have not remembered all that had happened? Had his memory been erased when he became human? "Rei..."
"How—I thought you…I watched you--"
"I don't know. I woke up in the city and I was human," he said, putting his hand over his stomach where he had been stabbed.
Rei was not one for public displays of affection, but she didn't care. She dropped her belongings and wrapped her arms around him. He did the same to her, putting his hand on the back of her head and stroking her hair gently. "Rei…I can't believe I forgot."
She buried her face in his chest, holding him tightly. "Why did we forget? How could we have forgotten?" She wasn't really asking him; she was asking whoever held the answer.
He kissed the top of her head before loosening the hug and looking down at her. "Maybe we are getting more time, after all."
She smiled up at him, "I hope so. I didn't want things to end the way they did. We didn't have enough time either times." He nodded and leaned down, gently kissing her lips.
The two walked hand-in-hand towards Crown. "You're going to have to get a job since you're human now. I'll ask Motoki if you can work for him. He's always saying he wished there were more workers."
Nephrite let out a sigh, "I guess…but working with humans? This is such a low point."
Rei frowned up at him, "Hey, if you want money and food and all that stuff, you have to do it."
"If you say so," he conceded to her as they walked into Crown, where Makoto was talking to Motoki with slightly flushed cheeks.
"Eh? Rei?" She asked as she saw Rei holding hands with someone she didn't recognize.
Rei smiled, "This is him. I'll tell you later, Makoto." Makoto was still confused, but nodded anyway. Rei looked to Motoki, "Um, I was wondering if he could get a job here since he's new to the city and needs work."
Motoki stood up and looked at him carefully, "I don't know…Is he a good worker?"
Rei nodded, "Definitely! And if not, well just talk to me and I'll straighten him out." She laughed lightly as she looked up at him. He glared at her, trying to hold back a smile.
Motoki crossed his arms, "Well, okay. I'll give him a chance. What's his name?"
Nephrite looked abashed. Give him a chance? If only he had his powers, this man would wish he never said that to him. He clenched his other hand into a fist, "My name is Nephrite." Makoto's mouth fell open.
"Nephrite? That's a weird name. I'll call you Nephikichi instead," he nodded to himself and bent down to fish around for an apron. He held it out for him, "Here you go, I'll get you a nametag tomorrow."
Nephrite took the apron and put it on awkwardly. Rei smiled to Motoki, "Thanks. I have to talk to Makoto now." Rei linked her arm with Makoto's as they made their way to the door. Behind them, she could hear Nephrite already complaining about the work he had to do.
Makoto was still in shock as they made their way down the steps, "Rei…was that…?"
Rei nodded with a smile, "Yes, he came back. I don't know how, but he's human now."
Usagi stood up eagerly, "Who? Who? Who?"
A crash could be heard above them, and Rei tried to suppress her laughter. "Nephrite."
Ami stood up, her mouth falling open, "Nephrite? He's alive?"
Rei nodded. Makoto looked confused, "Wait, how do you remember all of that stuff?"
"Well, we bumped into each other a few blocks away and it just clicked. All those memories came back," she told them.
"Minako and Zoicite did say that they would come back when she was ready to remember again," Ami said. "I guess them meeting again was the right time."
Rei smiled a little, "I guess so. And I'm glad."
Usagi hugged Rei tightly, "I'm so happy for you! You have your boyfriend back now! You can be together!"
Rei laughed lightly, "Yes, I'm sure we can." Another loud crash was heard above them, "I got him a job here."
"Poor Motoki," Makoto said, looking towards the stairs with worry.
"Rei! Now us two, Mamoru and Nephrite should all go on a double date!" Usagi exclaimed.
"I don't think so," Rei said.
Usagi stuck out her bottom lip, "Why not?"
"Because he doesn't seem to be very…controlled around anyone else but me. He's kind of hot-tempered," Rei said, cringing at the sound of yelling from above.
"You two were made for each other," Makoto said lightly.
Rei narrowed her eyes at her, "Hey!"
The four girls laughed together.
A few weeks passed and Motoki and 'Nephikichi' seemed to be getting along better. Less yelling and crashes were heard above them, so the girls took that as a good sign.
Rei and Nephrite were getting along very well. They went on many dates and were falling madly in love with each other. She and Minako were even getting along now, so everyone took that as an even better sign.
Soon, however, Rei decided that she wanted to see Nephrite more than in her free time or when she went to Crown. So, she had a question to ask him.
She stepped into Crown and saw him standing behind the counter. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Are you busy right now?" she asked, noticing he had a broom in his hand.
He threw it to the ground instantly, "Not anymore!"
She nodded, not really wanting him to shirk his responsibilities, but she really needed to talk to him, "Can you come with me then?"
He hopped over the counter, which seemed pointless considering the exit space was barely a foot from him, but she was used to his antics by now. He took her hand and led her outside to a bench. The two sat, and she suddenly felt very nervous. He eyed her curiously, "Is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?"
"What?" Rei asked, almost shocked that he would think that, "No! You didn't do anything wrong. I've just been thinking a lot lately."
He took his hand from hers, "Oh…I get it." He stood up and turned away from her angrily.
She was puzzled by this and got up, moving in front of him, "No, this isn't a bad thing."
"Hmph, I've been watching TV lately. I know what happens when a girl is going to dump a guy."
Her mouth fell open, "I'm not dumping you!"
"Then, what is it?" he asked, not sounding convinced and still not looking at her.
"I just want to tell you that I miss you…and I don't see you as much I would like to," Rei began, looking downward. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "And…well, I have a lot of space at the Temple. I mean, I'm there all alone…and it gets so lonely." His expression softened as she spoke. "And…um, I thought maybe you would like to move in with me." He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "But, you don't have to. It was just a dumb idea I came up with...You know what? Forget it. I'm an idiot. I'll be going now." She started to walk away, her head still down.
He grabbed her arm gently and pulled her back to him. He put his fingertips underneath her chin to lift her head and gaze into her eyes, "I would love to move in with you."
She smiled shyly, "Really?"
He nodded and leaned down to kiss her forehead, "Yeah, I'll get my stuff now."
"Well, you still have work…"
"Oh, right. Well, after work! I'll bring my stuff over and get settled in."
She leaned upon her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck, "Great. I'll be waiting." He kissed her softly as she embraced him.
They knew their lives together were only just beginning now. Instead of reliving the past life, they were changing it. They still had so much time left and were not going to waste any of it.
The End.
Thanks for reading!