It's that time of year again. The time Rei knows and loathes. The time of year where, no matter what, she can't avoid spending time with her father. And to make matters worse, this year Usagi is trying to interfere. Mixed anime/manga canon. Written to celebrate Sailor Mars' birthday 2022.
Rated: T - Family/Friendship - Words: 4,389 - Rei H./Raye/Sailor Mars, Usagi T./Serena/Bunny/Sailor Moon, Yuuichirou K./Chad, Takashi H./Mr. Hino
A/N: This story is a gift for warriorblood1, ReisPinkOveralls00 and LillieBell.
This story is a sequel to an older fic of mine 'Dinner with Dad'. /works/30734438
Nevertheless, you should be able to read this story independently, although I make references to possibly obscure manga canon, chiefly the side story 'Casablanca Memory'.
Also, please bear in mind that this is a mixed manga/anime canon fic so Rei's characterization might feel a bit off or wonky to you. This is because anime and manga Rei are very different, probably more so than almost any other characters between the two versions (at least as far as the main cast are concerned).
I'd like to thank Jubbles Bubbles for beta reading this fic for me several times over! You can find her at the following.
/users/Jubbles
u/1401129/JBubbles
Also thank you to my Moonlight Legends buddies for the description of Rei's dress.
Rei hated April.
She dreaded the fortnight or so leading up to her birthday, and the experience left her feeling furious for the remainder of the month.
Now the 17th had finally rolled around, it was as though every step she took weighed a hundred pounds. And unfortunately, there were a lot of steps leading to her family's shrine. Whilst trudging through the torii, Rei encountered the very last thing she wanted to see that day.
"Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey, Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeei!"
The shrine maiden closed her violet eyes, silently praying for strength.
Usagi practically bounced towards Rei from across the shrine grounds. Rei loved the blonde bun-head, but today of all days she really didn't have the tolerance for her bunny-like energy.
"Haaaaaaaaaappy birthday!" Rei winced at the chiming, sing-song quality, to her friend's voice. And when the blonde hugged her, she was tempted to actually shove her away.
How was it that Usagi could be Rei's closest friend and yet be the only person to not get the memo?
Rei. Did. Not. Like. Celebrating. Her. Birthday!
Of course, she'd never spelt this out to the others; although she suspected her Grandfather might have informed them. Granted, she'd appreciated the effort Usagi and Ami had made on her fifteenth birthday, but that hadn't exactly worked out great for anyone. And, as she'd matured, Rei's attitude towards her 'special day' had grown ever more sour.
Everyone else in her life had clearly deduced this, and knew it was best to keep their distance whenever April came around. And yet none of them seemed to have clued Usagi in on 'the routine'. Or, they had clued her in, and she'd just ignored (or more likely forgotten) what they'd told her.
Either way, every year Usagi would never fail to bring up Rei's birthday and attempt to give her a gift. Usagi being Usagi, though, her would-be-birthday plans rarely panned out. However, she'd been a lot more successful over the last couple of years, making Rei's eighteenth and nineteenth birthdays extra arduous.
Remembering those years, Rei did her best to brace herself for what was to come.
"So, I know Yuichiro is out of town with his parents, but the way I see it, that puts you and me in the same boat this year." A vomit inducing whimsical quality came over Usagi. "Two maidens at the height of their youth, sadly bereft of their beloved boyfriends on a day meant for celebration, all while their friends are caught in the passionate grip of love...I mean Mina isn't, but once we get to Roppongi it probably won't take her too long, you know what she's like. That is, I know you know what she's like because...Wait! I didn't mean it like that! I mean I meant it as... You know... Because you've got Yuichiro, so I meant it as... um... Now I've confused myself…"
Rei suddenly felt very nostalgic for the times she'd been tortured by various enemies.
She knew Usagi's heart was in the right place, but the blonde just didn't get how it made Rei feel. Admittedly a lot of that was her own fault. Even if her Grandfather had given Usagi the surface level facts, Rei had never truly opened up about that part of her past. She'd never gone into detail about her relationship with her-
Rei's chest tightened at the sound of a car. Then her breath caught when she sensed who was getting out of it.
Normally her father had someone come and fetch her, but this year he'd come in person and even arrived early. Something was up.
Things became all too clear when she broke free of Usagi and looked around. There was a small spattering of news people photographing and filming her father as he made his way up the stairs.
"Rei, is that your Dad?"
Rei rolled her eyes before replying in a robotic tone. "Yes. Unfortunately." She muttered the last word.
"I've only ever seen him on the news or in the papers. He's a lot taller than I imagined."
Since her father was nearing the top, and given Usagi's typical noise level, Rei knew he must've heard them. Disdain flared within her as she saw the rapid calculations behind his bespectacled eyes. As he approached them, Rei could tell he'd adjusted his body language, drawing upon his years as a career politician to cast an aura of dominance. This left her unfazed, although she detected Usagi stiffening beside her.
"Hello, Rei. Happy birthday. This is for you... darling..." He didn't exactly stumble over the last word, but even Usagi seemed to realise he'd delivered the line less than convincingly.
Her father handed over the bouquet of lilies and a neatly wrapped box. Rei didn't need to be psychic to know its contents.
"Thank you...Daddy."
The corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, pleased at the 'point' she'd clearly scored.
Ever the politician, her father began to switch gears.
"Good afternoon, young lady. I do not believe I have had the pleasure of meeting you."
Rei felt a sting of annoyance at her father's over politeness. She was all too aware that, were it not for the media people behind him, he wouldn't have bothered addressing Usagi herself.
"Oh... um... I'm Usagi Tsukino, your... your Honour?"
Her father let out a chuckle that might have been convincing to anyone other than Rei. "There is no need for such formalities, I am not a judge. Mr. Hino shall be fine."
"Oh... Okay..."
"Do you know my daughter from the T.A. Academy?" Her father had raised his voice slightly, intent on reminding the reporters of the connection between his family and the prestigious school.
"Er...no." Usagi sounded faintly surprised. "Me and Rei have never gone to the same school or college."
"I see. Then how did you meet?" There was the faintest trace of annoyance in her father's tone.
"We met here about five years ago." Usagi sounded slightly hurt. Rei's brow furrowed with confusion for a moment. Then, with a pang of anger, Rei realised Usagi had clearly presumed that she had told 'Mr. Hino' something about her best friend.
"Ah, so you were a customer."
With great difficulty Rei managed to repress her anger. Her father's faux casualness disgusted her.
"No. I actually followed Rei off the bus because I thought she was really pretty and then me and my friend Ami, well she's also Rei's friend too but she was my friend first and we actually did go to the same school, we decided to look into the disappearances of people on this demon bus right? And everyone thought the shrine and Rei were the ones causing those disappearances but it actually wasn't! But we didn't know that at the time and Rei didn't know us at the time so she wound up knocking me out and that's how we met."
If Rei didn't know Usagi better, she might've thought the completely casual tone of her little speech was deliberately intended to make her father uncomfortable. As it was though, she knew Usagi, as she was prone to do, was simply talking without thinking first. Granted, maybe she was being a bit more open than usual due to her father's unnerving presence.
Despite his stony exterior, Rei soon realised her father was in damage control mode. In contrast to earlier, she felt like giving Usagi the warmest hug of her life.
That feeling didn't last long.
"That is a very fascinating story, young lady." The pretence at friendliness had given way to a cold neutrality. "However, if you would not mind, I would like to take my daughter out tonight for a birthday meal. It is a little daddy-daughter tradition we have. Is that not right, Rei?"
Rei wasn't fooled. The words had been chosen carefully for the microphones below.
"Yes, father. It is," she replied mechanically.
"Oh but," Usagi began, clearly without thinking, "I was planning on taking Rei out tonight to Roppongi."
Rei actually felt scared for Usagi as her father's nostrils flared and he fixed her with a death glare. Like the glare, his tone was careful enough that the news people wouldn't think anything of it. Nevertheless, it conveyed his point all the same.
"My daughter will be going to dinner with me this evening. She will not be going to Roppongi."
"...Al... Alright... sir." Squeaked Usagi.
Rei's eye twitched and for a split second she fantasised about pushing her father down the stone steps.
"I think it best if you head on home now and allow my daughter to get changed so we can be on our way."
"I... um..."
"Usagi was actually going to do my make-up for me, father."
He switched his gaze to her, raising an eyebrow.
"Really? Twenty years old and you can't do that yourself?"
"I can do it myself, but Usagi is better at it. I just want to look my best for my birthday. And for my father. And…" her voice grew lower, "...for anyone who might see me with him."
His mouth formed into a hard, thin line before he gave them a curt nod.
"Very well. But don't take too long. I will be waiting right here... with my security staff, of course.
Rei knew that was code for 'Don't even dream of sneaking off'.
Gently, she took Usagi's wrist, a gesture she noted made her father twitch, and led her towards the house.
"Your Dad is... um... Well... I see where you get your… willfulness from, Rei."
Rei wanted to scream. But, like almost all her birthdays, she repressed the urge and remained quiet.
"Still, his present was beautiful." Usagi held up a flowy shirtwaist white dress with a wide collar and cuffs. "I wish I had a dress like this!"
Silently, with only the faintest hint of aggression, Rei leant to the side and opened her wardrobe.
"Whoa!" exclaimed Usagi.
Out of the corner of her eye Rei watched her friend approach the wardrobe and marvel at the racks of near identical dresses. The only truly noteworthy difference between them was how they ranged in size.
"I... I don't understand, Rei? Why do you have so many?"
"Every year 'my Dad' buys me a dress just like that for my birthday and pretends he picked it out himself."
"But... you can't grow out of them that fast? Why get you the same thing over and over again?"
"Because it is less effort that way. No need to think about what I'd like. No need to ask me what I want." At the back of her mind Rei was aware of how uncharacteristically matter-of-fact her tone was.
"Hey, wait a minute!" Exclaimed Usagi. "These all look really expensive!"
"Yeah? So?" Rei replied flatly.
"But if your Dad can afford these every year, and he sends you to the T.A. Academy then he must have a lot of money, right?"
"That is correct." She ground her teeth slightly. Not at Usagi's comment. But at how she'd reflexively replied in the same manner her father would have.
"But you and the shrine hardly ever have that much cash? If your family can afford this stuff, why did we ever need to, I dunno, take vacations to haunted hotels just because they were cheap?"
Some of Rei's regular fire flared within her. However, it swiftly died down; she just didn't have it in her today.
"I don't like taking money from him. I don't like talking to him. I don't like him much at all actually."
"Oh... Is... Is that because he doesn't care too much about your birthday?"
Rei paused in the middle of her make-up. She stared into the mirror. Usagi was off to the side and no one else was in the room. Her's was the only face reflected in the mirror. And yet, only now, did it strike her how it wasn't just her own face. It wasn't uncommon for her father, her grandfather or whoever else to bring up the resemblance, especially around her birthday. She'd ignored such comments in the past but now that she was older, she couldn't help seeing the similarities herself. She really did look like…
"No. That isn't why."
She finished her makeup as quickly as possible and shifted away from the mirror, promptly changing into the dress.
"White looks good on you, Rei."
"I prefer red."
Usagi giggled, trying to lighten the tension. "No surprises there. Maybe you could wear this one," she pulled out a low cut scarlet dress from the wardrobe, "when we head out to Roppongi."
Rei let out a small sigh of exacerbation. "Usagi, I'm not going to Roppongi. I am going to have dinner with my father." Once again, she hated how much she sounded like him.
Usagi tittered. "I didn't mean tonight, Rei! We can just reschedule to next week or something. Hey! By then Yuichiro will be back, right? So, you could even make fun of me being the only sin-"
She cut herself off at the look Rei gave her. It wasn't threatening, but it was stern. Final.
"I am not going to Roppongi for my birthday. I am not doing anything for my birthday after today. I do not want to do what I am actually going to be doing for my birthday. I do not want you, or anyone else, to do anything to celebrate my birthday. I have never wanted you, or anyone else, to do anything to celebrate my birthday. Understood?"
Usagi was frozen in place for a moment.
"I just thought that... I just always thought it was so sad not to celebrate the day you were born because...Well... Because if you weren't born then I'd never have met you and..."
Slowly, she lowered the dress and carefully returned it to the wardrobe.
"I understand, Rei. Next year I promise I'll leave you alone like the others. I'm... I'm really, really sorry."
Usagi bowed her head apologetically.
Something was caught in Rei's throat. She couldn't quite bring herself to speak, but she started to move towards Usagi. Unfortunately, that was when the door slid open. Usagi's head snapped back up and Rei whirled around. Her father dominated the doorway.
"Rei. We really must get going. My staff have dispersed the news crews, so we won't have to worry about them. But if we do not hurry our schedule will be thrown off and I have a press conference scheduled for later."
"I'm sorry, father. I would never want to make you look bad for something like that."
Out of sight of the cameras, her father was free to project his full disdain.
"You are clearly ready, and I trust your little friend over there can make her own way home. So, no more delays. You are coming now. Understood?"
Rei stared daggers at her father. He didn't baulk in the slightest.
"Yes. Father."
No matter what, every year Rei was taken aback at the cognitive dissonance.
There'd been many times she'd fantasised about romantic evenings at this or that swanky locale. But those times always fell outside of April. In April she was unable to tune out the memories of previous birthdays where she'd been subjected to no end of high-class establishment. Even the years he'd been (mercifully) absent, Rei's father always had a presence wherever she wound up on her birthday, inevitably tainting the place for her.
She didn't hate those places. She just hated the experience. And this year was no exception.
"I have been told that you have been seeing someone."
Her father laced his fingers in front of himself as he stared her down.
Rei knew he'd never allow it, but right now she desperately needed a drink. She enviously eyed up the glass of red wine her father had been sipping from.
"Your cronies tell you that?"
He didn't dignify that with a response.
"Yes. I have. For a long while now actually."
"From a good family I'm told."
Rei's jaw clenched at the violation of Yuichiro's privacy.
"I think so. She's not too fond of her mother, but I liked her well enough."
Her father's expression remained stoic, but she noticed his fingers tense. "Why doesn't he like his mother?"
Rei crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair. "You know. I've never really been able to figure that one out. I'm just glad she turned out as nice as she did."
"This game is not funny, Rei."
Rei shrugged. "If you wanted funny, you should've let me invite her along. She's a hoot. She does this thing where she deliberately misquotes famous phrases. She'd go down great at that press conference you've got scheduled for later."
Her father straightened himself up, sitting back into his chair as though it were a throne.
"I see you have deduced why I came in person today."
She glared at him. "Aren't you glad? Your 'investment' in my education didn't go to waste. Money well spent."
Rei raised her glass, pretending to toast the sentiment.
Her father remained still.
"Your demeanour was pleasingly different at the shrine earlier today."
"I just didn't want to make a scene."
"How oddly considerate of you."
"Well, people are usually considerate of the people they care about." Her father raised his eyebrow. "And I really care about Usagi." The stoicism returned to his face.
"Then I advise you to imagine your friend amongst the press within half an hour. I will not tolerate you conducting yourself in the pathetically aggressive way you do whenever we are together."
"Aggressive? Me? With you?" Rei pretended to look aghast.
"Yes. Pathetically so. But then I should not be so surprised."
At that moment Rei didn't care how right or wrong her father was about her. Rei just wanted to get to him. And she knew him well enough to see the fault lines in his deceptively calm composure. On instinct, she pressed on, intent on making those fault lines rupture.
"Oh? And why is that?"
She saw his temple twitch ever so slightly.
"Because I'm like this every year?"
His fingers tighten upon the arms of the chair.
"That is, the years you actually bother to show up"
Rei noticed his jaw clench and knew she'd 'won'.
"Because you're just like her!"
Had Rei been thinking more clearly earlier on, she might've been braced for this. After all, rare as it was, it wasn't the first time either of them had brought up her mother in these confrontations.
However, what she hadn't expected, what she couldn't have expected, was the way he had spoken.
On the one hand, that was because he'd never spoken like that before. On the other hand, it was because Rei had always presumed father's neglect of his wife was due to loving his career more than her. Now though, the sheer venom behind his words had convinced her otherwise.
They glared at each other, projecting their mutual disdain like laser beams.
Maintaining eye contact, Rei tilted her head slightly to the side.
"Would Mom have done this?"
With Senshi honed reflexes, Rei grabbed the glass of red wine.
Her father's eyes quickly darted from the glass back to his daughter, his tone remaining cold and controlled. "Do not be foolish, Rei. You are-"
"Twenty. But don't worry. I wasn't planning on drinking it."
Instinctively, her father pushed back from the table and brought the napkin on his lap up to his shirt.
"You will waste our time, but that is all you will accomplish. I am a busy man, do you really think I do not keep spare clothes for myself in the car?"
"Just for yourself?"
Rei relished the mild confusion behind his glasses. "What? Yes, of course. Why would I-"
Her father's eyes widened in horror and fury as Rei emptied the scarlet liquid onto her snow white dress.
Abruptly she dropped the glass on the table and stood up, raising her voice for the whole restaurant to hear.
"Oh no! I spilled my drink all over my new dress! I'll look like such an embarrassment in front of the press! If only I had time to change! I just can't face the shame! Father, please, please, please don't make me go in front of all those cameras like this. Not on my birthday!"
Rei almost laughed. No Youma or Daimon had ever looked at her with the kind of murderous intent her father had for her now; and she couldn't have been happier.
His eyes darted briefly around the room, very much aware of the other patrons' attentions upon them.
"Of course you don't need to go on camera. Why don't you let my driver take you home... Darling?"
Rei didn't need to be psychic to sense the pain it caused him to speak the words. But it did make it all the more satisfying.
"Oh, thank you! I knew you'd understand! I love you so much… Daaaaaaaaaaddy!"
At that moment, Rei regretted that she wasn't on camera. It would've been nice to know just how close her imitation of Usagi had been.
She strolled out of the restaurant; her face lowered to look convincingly upset. Once outside, she walked straight past her father's car and headed towards the bus stop. As she approached, she pulled out her communicator and activated the visual display.
Usagi's face popped up on the screen.
"Rei? Is everything alright?"
"Terrific. Are you home?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Do you know if the others are too?"
Usagi shrugged. "Last I checked they were."
"Perfect. Then start getting ready, we're all heading for Roppongi tonight."
"Wait what?" Usagi tilted her head in confusion. "But you said-"
"Urgh! Nevermind what I said earlier, bun-head, listen to what I'm saying now!"
"Hey! You don't need to be so mean!"
"Honestly, you're so hopeless! I can't believe you saved the world like three whole times!"
"It was more than that!"
"Oh? You're better at math now. That's great, because you've only got half an hour to get your blonde butt to the shrine before we all leave without you."
"That's not enough time!"
"Well, then just get down to the shrine now. I'll let you borrow one of those dresses you liked earlier."
"Really?!" Usagi squealed, her face lighting up.
"Yeah, really. Just get in gear already, I've gotta contact the others."
"Alrighty then, see ya in half an hour," chirped Usagi as she hung up.
Rei knew she wouldn't be ready in half an hour, but she'd already accounted for 'Usagi time'. She even knew that they'd inevitably waste an hour just hanging out at the shrine before any of them would even begin heading for the bus stop.
Nevertheless, as the smell of the wine wafted into her nostrils, Rei let out a long, satisfied, sigh.
This was going to be the best birthday she'd ever had.
A/N: As I said I have combined anime and manga canon here. And because Rei is so different my approach was to try and generate a scenario wherein manga Rei might display flashes of anime Rei's personality and where anime Rei might withdraw into herself and act more like manga Rei. Please let me know how successful I was at making either take believable.
I've been sitting on this story for a long time. Way back in March 2021 in fact. Back then my plans for this anthology were far more limited and I resisted the idea of doing anniversary fics for both the anime and manga versions of the Inner Senshi. So my compromise was to make the birthday fics mixed manga/anime canon, perhaps skewing a bit more towards the manga however. Obviously my plans changed but I still wanted to mark the Senshi's birthdays in their anniversary year(s). As such I wrote up two sets of complimenting stories for each of them for 2021 and 2022.
Also just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!