By
Moonlight Bunny
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the SM characters. Takeuchi Naoko-sama owns them.
Summary: Usagi and her friends finally graduate and live a normal life, after their last battle against Galaxia. Just as they thought that everything would be ok, something happens which put the whole future in danger. Mamoru goes back to the States to finish his studies, the Three Lights are back and accidents starts to happen, as well as broken hearts.
A/N: Ohayo, minna! sorry for the late update, but I got some problem because the file was too big so I had to shorten it and put them in the later chapters. It was kind of difficult cause I had to change the storyline. TT so... this is my favourite chapter so far. You'll know why. ;D anyway, on with the story! yay!
Previously
"Our… our princess…" Minako started.
"Usa-chan, loves…" Rei continued.
"Seiya-san." Ami ended.
"Hai, she loved him all this time." Makoto nodded as she watched the two of them stare at each other.
-
"Now the Starlights have come back and Yaten… I'm afraid. I don't want to go back to how things were. But…Meeting Yaten-kun last night woke up unwanted feelings. The same feelings that I felt the last time he was here. Oh kami-sama! Am I still in love with him?"
"It can't be!"
"It can't be what?" said a voice behind Minako, as she felt two strong arms around her waist.
-
"I can't fall in love again…"
"I can't go through this again…"
"What will happen to Ryo? I can't do this to him. I love him as much as Taiki, but…"She then went to a mirror and put on the golden necklace and tried to smile.
"I have a boyfriend now and he makes me happy, so I have to forget him." Ami sighed, as she looked back at the picture frame where it had a picture of her and Ryo.
The couple on the picture looked happy as they stood in an amusement park. Ami was smiling, while Ryo was grinning as he had his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin on top of her head.
-
She opened the top and started to dig among the clothes. It was here somewhere. She knew it was here. It had to be here, she thought as she dug frantically. A smile formed on her face as she found what she was looking for. She held it up triumphantly and twirled around before clutching it close to her chest.
It was a letter. Not any letter, but the letter. The letter he had left for her, or as she thought. But she could've been wrong. Maybe he had just thrown it away, never having any intention of giving it to her. But it had somehow come to her and it was now hers.
Usagi could still remember that day, in details. How could she not? The letter was everything she hated, but also loved. It was the object that kept her wanting to forget and at the same time remember.
-
"Why are you here?"
"Is that how you greet friends nowadays? I came because I was worried. You call me and ask me questions and then you hang up on me before I can answer."
Chapter eight: Revelations
"No, not there! The painting should be over there." Usagi yelled out smiling as she pointed at a direction, but then stopped and thought that the painting would do so much better where it was hanging a couple of seconds ago. Seiya who stopped on his track, stood and waited for Usagi's instructions and then went back to hang it there, when,
"On the other hand, maybe it should be there so it matches the theme. But the colours are all wrong… Nope… Seiya, put it over there instead and…" Usagi said, frowning as she thought for a while to what she was going to do with the painting Seiya was holding. But then Seiya went towards her and put the painting down and sighed,
"Odango, when I offered you a hand, I thought I'd only be helping you with loading your stuff in the car and out of the car and not run around with a painting."
"Heh… gomen ne, Seiya-san. I guess I get a little bit bossy sometimes. I'm just nervous 'cause my big opening will be in a couple of weeks and I'm still not finish with two more arts and my manager is on my back all the time." Usagi sweat dropped, then took the painting from Seiya and went to hang it on a different place.
"You should take it easy. If you stress too much, then you'll get sick and your dad might get angry with me. You do know, that your dad's scary?"
"Aaa… well, you should feel lucky 'cause somehow dad seemed to like you earlier. If he didn't then you'd be running for your life. I know, because he's chased away a lot of guys and even Mamo-chan's afraid of being at the same place as he."
"Chased away guys?" Seiya asked with a worried face, his right eyebrow twitching from hearing the word 'chased'.
"Hai! Let's say that every guy who's ever laid their eyes on me or even tried chancing with me, have faced daddy's wrath. He's not that bad, he's just overprotective. Maybe it's because I'm a girl? Maybe it's because he remembered when he was young and was just like all those other boys? I can't really tell, but I'm thankful for having him as my dad. And you should be thankful too for him not pulling out his shotgun." Usagi smiled cheerfully as she put her left hand on her left cheek.
"You mean your dad chased away your admirers with a shotgun?.!" Seiya stared widely at Usagi, horror written all over his face.
"He's not that crazy, Seiya! Yes, he has a shotgun, but he's never pulled it out before. It's among his collections, besides it's too antique and valuable. If he used it, don't you think it'd be ruined? And dad has a reputation to uphold, what would his colleagues and his boss think? Other than that the guys run before they even get the chance to encounter with the shotgun." Usagi laughed and went to get a brush for the retouch of a painting she was holding onto before she took the painting Seiya was holding. Seiya stood still at the same spot he was standing on, not believing what he had just heard and that Usagi was taking it lightly.
-----
At the recording
"Rei-san, are you finished with the lyrics for Minako-san's new song?" A man around 30 asked the young raven beauty before him.
"Hai! I hope you'll like it." Rei smiled as she handed the music sheets to the producer.
Before she handed over the music notes, Rei could have sworn that the producer was checking her out, but she ignored it and replaced her frowns with a smile. She was used to men staring at her, and ever since she and Ami started to work with Minako, she'd notice how the male staffs would stare at them all with lust and love in their eyes, while the female staffs would give them jealous looks and sometimes looks of admiration when the three of them weren't looking. Too bad for them, Rei was a psychic and ever since she trained harder, her psychic abilities became more focused and better. So whenever something would happen like a jealous female deciding to trip Ami, Rei would pull Ami away and then stop the woman's foot with her own foot and then glare at her or if another man was staring at Minako, then Rei would walk right up to him smiling before telling him off in a low, husky voice. No one dared to do anything when Rei was around or to Rei as a matter of fact. Minako thought that it was funny, while Ami just shook her head.
"Rei-channn…!.!.!" a high-pitched voice yelled behind Rei and before she even gets the chance to turn around, a blur of gold and red jumps onto her and then hugs her right arm.
"Mina-chan, don't yell out too loud. And please, don't hang onto my arm. You're heavy." Rei scolded the blonde woman, before winking and smiling gleefully at her. If it weren't for the fact that they already had boyfriends, then Minako's manager, producer and rest of the staff would've thought that they were lovers, just by looking at how the two stood close to each other like lovers and not like best friends.
"Mou… Rei-chan, you're mean!" Minako pouted, still clinging on her friend's arm.
"Yeah, well so will you're manager too if you don't get your ass in that booth. Now!"
"Hai! Hai! By the way, can I take a look at the lyrics before?" Minako said, smiling as she held out her hand.
"Sure, here you go."
-
Outside, a young man was walking back and forth. He was irritated for not finding the studio anymore and cursed those who had moved everything. He even cursed Taiki for leaving him and going to library. What was so fascinating with books, really? Sure, he'd read a few good books, but other than that they were a pain in the neck, just like the fan girls he stumbled upon when heading to the studio. They had recognized him immediately and started to swarm around him, bombing him with questions about where he had been over the years, why he was back and if he was going to do a comeback, even asked for his autographs. He had thought that they had forgotten about him and the Three Lights, but unfortunately they didn't. And where was that baka-Seiya? Earlier he had been talking on the phone and then without saying anything to them, he had just gone out. Then there was their manager, why did he call for a meeting now and then is late for it?
Yaten yelled in frustration over the bad planning and decided to look more, before going back home, when,
"Now where's that stup…" Yaten heard a familiar voice singing in the room on his left side. Curious over whom it was he went in without knocking.
Cross my heart and hope to die
I'm just looking
There's nothing cooking
Please don't start to wonder why
You know I love you
Would I lie to you?
In there he saw a blonde woman singing in the booth. She was smiling as she sang with her eyes closed. A raven-haired woman stood outside and smiled as she listened. Yaten recognised them immediately as Rei and Minako. He was impressed by Minako's singing and found his foot tapping in rhythm. He'd already heard Minako singing from before, but was amazed at how she had improved. But what amazed him more, that she was singing in English, pronouncing every words right, pouring all her feelings into it. This was a side of her, he'd never seen before. Why didn't she say anything ? But then again, he never cared and discarded her as an airhead.
I don't know what I'm going to do
Should I put all my faith in you
Believe what you say is true?
Rei was sitting beside the producer and listening to Minako. She smiled when Minako opened her eyes and looked at her through the glass and smiled. Rei was proud over Minako for many things and this was one of them. As she listened to Minako's singing, she couldn't help but feel sad. She cared a lot about Minako and loved her, and Minako knew that. But she also knew that nothing good would ever come out from their relationship because of the past tensions.
"Minako…" Rei whispered sadly.
Inside, Minako was singing fully, pouring all her emotions in it. Thoughts were running through her head. She was lost. She had her boyfriend who loved her more than anything. Alex was her knight in shining armour. He had helped her and pulled her out from the darkness. She loved him for that and maybe more. Then there was Rei… She loved Rei, always. In early times they were once lovers, but now they were nothing more than best friends. They both know that, but promised to love and care for each other no matter what. Then there was Yaten. She loved him for what he was and more, but he never considered her love more than just a fan's obsession. But still… she loved him. What was she going to do now? He'd come back, Alex feels threaten and Rei's sad.
Minako opens her eyes and smiles at Rei as she continued, but then she sees a third person in the room where Rei and the producer was. It was a male and he had silver hair. Minako recognized him as… Yaten! What was he doing in this studio? How did he know that she was recording here?
Minako shrugged the questions off as she ended the song.
Cross my heart and hope to die
I'm just looking
There's nothing cooking
Please don't start to wonder why
You know I love you
You Know I love you
"So, what did you think?" Minako asked as she took of the headphones.
"Good, Minako-san. Maybe we…" The producer started, but was cut off by another voice.
"You should repeat it."
"Huh?" Rei quickly turned around, knowing fully well who it was. Earlier she had felt a presence enter, but didn't care cause she was busy listening to Minako' singing.
"I said, take it again… I'd like to hear the whole song, please?" Yaten repeated, giving Minako a smile.
"Hai…" Minako smiled and signalled for the producer to start over again.
As soon as the music started, Minako waited for her cue to sing,
I saw my dreams come true
The day I met and talked to you
I thought I got it made
Dreams like this could never fade
You call me a jealous girl but I'm not blind to see
When I see you looking round at other girls instead of me
You say
"Cross my heart and hope to die, I'm just looking
There's nothing cooking
Please don't start to wonder why
You know I love you
Would I lie to you…
(A/N: Cross my heart by Ayaka Komatsu)
-
"What brings you to this studio, Yaten-kun?" Minako asked after she was finished with the recording. Rei had gone to discuss the materials with the staff. Minako was supposed to be at the meeting, but was told by Rei that she could talk with Yaten instead. Besides, it wouldn't take long and Minako was waiting for Alex 'cause he had promised her a date.
"I heard from our manager that someone had booked our studio for the next week, so I had too see who it was who stole our place." Yaten explained.
"Well, that was me. Gomen…"
"You were really good in there. I didn't know that you were good with English."
"Aaa, well I lived in London earlier before I came back to Japan and join with everyone here." Minako blushed as she stood up and turned around, looking at the poster where an old Sailor V-poster was hanging. She then turned her attention back to Yaten and smiled, which caused Yaten to blush.
"Sorry about yesterday."
"It's ok. I was shocked though over seeing you all three back."
"So, was it you who wrote the lyrics?"
"Nope, it was Rei-chan. You know, Rei-chan's a good singer. She used to perform a lot on festivals and other big events. I envied her, because she was everything I wish to be. She was a good singer and performer, intelligent, beautiful, talented in every way and a very good fighter. She's pretty rich also... because of her father. He's a powerful politician." Minako exclaimed. Happiness and admiration glittered in her eyes when she spoke about Rei.
"I always wondered cause the private school she went to were only for those who had parents that could afford it."
"There's your answer. Well, I admired her a lot and was a bit disappointed when she decided to not become a singer. Her chances of becoming a singer had come many times, but she never took it. I can understand why. Her father thought it was unsuitable for her to be a singer, especially if she was the daughter of a very respected and powerful politician. Then there's the shrine and her grandfather. She's the only heir to the shrine and her grandfather's old and needs help with keeping the place still popular for the visitors. Although her dream is to become a singer, she dreams also of taking over the shrine and become a priestess. Being a priestess is what everyone in Japan sees as the highest position. At first I thought that she only wanted it because of the position, but there's more to it than what the eye meets." Minako continued smiling as she told Yaten about Rei. Yaten could see that Minako was proud and happy over Rei, but there was something that bothered him though,
"So how did she become your songwriter?"
"I made her, threatened, cried and even whined. Even if she chose the dream of being the priestess, I still want her to hold onto her dream of becoming one with music, so I made her a songwriter. And she's good with writing. So… what brought you back here to earth, really?" Minako explained, sticking out her tongue, before laughing when she remembered those times she bothered Rei about being her songwriter and when Rei sighed at defeat and agreed to.
"Well, we're finished with the re-building and Kakyuu-sama rewarded us with taking a long vacation."
"Well, I hope that you enjoy your stay here and…" Minako was cut off, when a pair of arms sneaked around her waist and a familiar voice yelled out.
"Minako!" Alex called out, making Minako jump and in return bumping her head towards his chin, while Yaten who was standing near her frowned and wondered who the blonde guy was.
"Ahh… Alex! How many times have I told you? Never sneak up behind me."
"Never sneak behind you." Alex mimicked, still smiling.
"Stop that!" Both Minako and Alex said out loud.
"I'm serious, Alex!"
"I'm serious, Mina!" Alex whispered into her ears, making the blonde woman blush.
"Hey, you two lovebirds! Stop it already!""Oi, Rei-san! Nice to meet you again." Alex greeted, when hearing the familiar voice that belonged to none other than Minako's beloved best friend, Hino Rei. He let go of Minako for a moment and walked towards Rei. He then took Rei's right hand and kissed it, making Yaten stare at them with shock written on his face. Minako giggled on the other hand when seeing Rei blush. Rei didn't see it coming and was as shocked as Yaten, and so she took her hand away quickly as if she had been burned.
"Ditto…" Rei rolled her eyes.
"Oh, by the way Alex, you've met Yaten-kun already, but I never got the time to introduce you to each other." Minako then ran and hugged Alex's left arm and smiled as she gestured towards Yaten.
"Yaten-kun, this is Alex, my boyfriend."
"Nice to meet you, Yaten-san!" Alex greeted politely and shook Yaten's hand, before turning his attention back towards Minako,
"So shall we go then, my love?"
"Hai! Where to?"
"Oh, I was thinking to the park."
"The park…?" Minako asked, when it dawned on her,
"You remembered! Ah… thank you, thank you, thank you!" Minako happily jumped onto Alex and pecked his cheek over and over again. Rei rolled her eyes and turned around, muttering about something that wasn't good for her karma, while Yaten stared at them wide-eyed, jealousy showing from his green eyes.
"Maybe I should promise to take you out on all those places you want to got to, if this is the kind of reward I get." Alex laughed, his arms still wrapped around Minako's waist. Minako waved goodbye quickly to her friends, before turning her fully attention towards Alex as they walked off.
At the distance both Rei and Yaten could hear Alex telling Minako about how good it went on his photo shoot and that his friend Gyo had told him to congratulate on her rise to stardom. Minako was laughing melodiously and smiling heartedly as she held onto Alex's arm, while joking about Gyo.
"She has a…" Yaten said, but then stopped.
"Yes, Yaten-kun. Minako has a boyfriend. He's also an idol, quite famous among the female population. They kept it a secret, afraid that the ones they cared for would get hurt by the media and not to forget, the fans."
"For how long?"
"Five months…"
"I see."
"You know, you can't expect her to wait for you forever. You should have seen her after you left. She was devastated, nearly collapsed from her depression. Then he came. If it wasn't for him, then I don't know what she would've done. I don't know if you coming back were a good idea. Whatever happens now, I'll be there to help her, just like I've been there for the others." Rei said, staring at him with anger in her eyes. Yaten have never seen Rei like this. Was she jealous?
"You care so much about her."
"Hai… I love her. She means more than anything to me." Rei nodded and continued to stare at Minako and Alex who were by now far away. She then turned her gaze at Yaten and smiled bitterly,
"Don't think of something indecent now. I didn't mean that way. Minako and I've been the best of friends since we met the first time. Somehow we understood each other, saw each other's soul. I don't know why, but maybe it's because of our past lives. Long time ago, Venus and Mars were lovers but they're love couldn't be. Time passed after it and two princesses of each planet were born. Those two became friends and allies, if it weren't for the moon princess meeting the earth prince, then they wouldn't have met his generals and fallen in love. The two princesses would have become lovers like their ancestors, but instead fell in love with someone else. And then they were betrayed and killed by the hands of their own lovers. They were re-born into our forms." Rei continued, remembering every detail of the past.
"Minako and I were the princesses of Mars and Venus, and thus carried forth our identities as Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, just like in the past. Though we have other lovers, we still love each other."
"You talk too much!" Yaten retorted, causing Rei to raise her perfect eyebrows up.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You say that you two were past lovers, that you love her very much and yet you couldn't help her with her unhappiness."
"Don't you think I tried? You talk so much yourself, but you don't even know the whole truth! When you all left, what did you think happened to Ami? To Minako? To Usa?" Rei snapped and Yaten saw how her eyes changed from anger to sadness. Rei forced a smile as she looked into Yaten's eyes with sadness,
"You three were important to us, but mostly to Ami, Usa and Minako. Ami lost all her senses and became unfocused for a while on her studies and duties! Usa was torn between her destiny as the future queen, being the future wife and mother to Mamoru and Chibi-Usa and with her wish of wanting to be a normal girl and run after the one she truly loves! And for Minako, who was the love goddess. Seeing you off was the hardest she ever did. She nearly became insane with trying to find out why she was born as the goddess of Love and yet be unhappy in finding love herself. How do you think this affected me and Mako?" Rei asked, tears forming in her eyes.
"We both tried hard to find a way to get them out from their state of conditions. We were worn out, tired and sad. We all became depressed and at times we were hoping for a miracle. Usagi had somehow pulled it, Ami met her old friend who helped her, but Minako…"
/Flashbacks\
A girl entered the room. She had long raven hair, violet eyes and her complexion was white. She was considered a beauty and there were even those who said, that if Snow White was a real live person, than the Snow White would be her.
As she entered the room she gasped at the sight before her. It wasn't that the curtains was pulled close that made the room dark, nor was it the untidy bed or the clothes that laid scattered all over the floor or the posters of Three Lights that were ripped from the walls. No, it was the sight of another young girl that was sitting on the floor. Her golden hair was uncombed and the red ribbon she usually wore was nowhere to be found. She was pale and had bags under her eyes. Her eyes were red as fresh tears started to fall.
The raven-haired girl stared at her blonde friend in horror and ran immediately to her. Her footsteps caused the blonde to look up and whisper,
"Rei-chan…"
"Minako! Kami-sama! Look at you! Please stop this, you have to get out of this… please…" Rei pleaded softly as she kneeled in front of Minako.
"Why are you here?"
"Your parents called. They were worried, but were afraid of doing anything that might get you worse. I came as fast as I could after they called. Have you eaten anything? Did you sleep?" Rei asked worriedly as she brushed off strands of hair from Minako's face, and then wiped her face with a handkerchief.
"I tried eating a piece of bread earlier, but it felt like it was choking me. I couldn't sleep either…"
"Stop this! Please, Mina… you have to try. I can't stand seeing you like this."
"I… I can't… It won't stop hurting." Minako replied, choking on her words as more tears started to fall. Rei put her hands on Minako's shoulders, making the blonde look up to her, as she asked,
"Hurting? Where? Did someone hurt you?"
"It won't stop hurting here… Here inside… Why?" Minako whispered silently as she took Rei's hand and brought it up to her left chest. She smiled for a bit, but then cried as she continued,
"I don't understand why? Why was I even born to be the love goddess, when I can't find love for myself?"
"Mina…" Rei whispered as she stared at her friend sadly.
"They all left me. Every man that I've ever loved has left me. Even Yaten-kun and he was a girl."
"Minako!" Rei cried out, making Minako to stare at her wide-eyed. Rei looked at her intensely, her violet eyes reflecting anger. But the anger soon turned into sadness and Minako saw tears forming in Rei's eyes. Tears of sadness that fell on Rei's cheek. Minako brought her right hand up to Rei's left cheek and wiped the tears.
"What about me?" Rei asked as she started to cry.
"Rei…"
"What about me? I loved you in our past lives and I love you still. How do I feel, when I hear you talk about those other men? What do you think I feel when I see you like this?"
"Gomen ne. I've forgotten you. I forgot our love from our past." Minako smiled sadly, knowing fully well that there could never be between them.
"Minako, you have to get out from this condition you're in. Can't you try to fight? For me?" Rei hugged her friend, as they both cried onto each other's shoulders.
"Rei-chan… H-hai! For you, I'll try…" Minako whispered.
/End of Flashbacks\
"She became better, butshe was still in the samestate until Alex-san came... I guess I was angry because he was the one who managed to bring her out from her depression and not me, but I was happy. I'd rather see her happy in the arms of another manthan being unhappy and alone." Rei sighed sadly as she looked once again at the direction where Minako and her boyfriend had taken.
"But don't you have a boyfriend? Don't you love him?" Yaten asked curious, remembering Rei kissing a brown haired man last night.
"I do love him. But Minako have a place in my heart and she had gotten before him. Maybe there can never be anything between me and her, but I know that we will continue to love each other and be there for each other. That's why I'm telling you this now. If something happens, then don't dare hurt her again. She's been through this and so have the others. If you do, then you'll have to face me."
"Is that a threat?" Yaten raised a brow as he looked fiercely at Rei, getting a glare back.
"I don't do threats. It's not my style to stoop down so low. This is a warning. I'm only saying this to you, cause you're the only one who have the capacity to put her back in her old state. And I don't want to see her in it again." Rei said calmly, as the two young adults stood still and studied each other carefully.
-----
At the library
A young couple was in a library. The young blue-haired woman was sitting and reading on the back of the book, while the brown-haired man was searching for something through the shelves. He then finds it and takes it, while walking back to his girlfriend. A smile was plastered on his face as he held the book triumphantly in front of her.
"What about this book, Ami?" Ami looked up and stared at her boyfriend questions written on her face. She then smiled when recognizing the cover,
"I didn't know you liked reading Lord Byron."
"Well, I only do it 'cause you love reading his poems." Ryo winked.
"You don't have to read the same ones that I do."
"But I want to, as long as it's your favourite."
"Ryo…" Ami whispered and started to blush when she saw Ryo's face near her. She smiled and was going to give into the kiss when,
"Oi, you two there! This is a public place, if you want to get all lovey dovey, then do it at your place or better yet, go, get a room!" a man, who seemed to be around 20, yelled.
"Be quiet and mind your own business." Another male voice yelled, who was sitting not far from them.
"Yeah, leave those two alone. Don't you know that they're love will last forever?" a young teenage girl shouted, causing Ami and Ryo to blush even more.
"Maybe we should go before anything more happens." Ami suggested.
"I agree." Ryo nodded as they collected their things and the books that they were going to borrow.
"So university will start soon. Did you get all the materials you needed?"
"Hai! I bought them as soon as I found out that I got in. I'm so excited, meeting new people, stepping into a new environment, learning more." Ami laughed happily.
"Already? I haven't gotten all the materials. I talked to Shinozaki earlier and he also got accepted so he'll be taking up law."
"Minako and Makoto didn't apply. You already know why, but Rei and Usagi got accepted. They haven't gotten their books yet. They should do it fast if they want to do well." Ami shook her head and sighed.
"Don't worry. I'm sure they won't find it hard in keeping up. By the way, I can go and borrow these, so just rest your pretty feet and wait." Ryo smiled as he gave her a quick kiss and disappeared. Ami stared at her boyfriend and smiled. He was everything to her, then and now. She did the right decision, but now she was questioning that decision.
Ami turned and started to walk to a nearby bench. She was thinking hard cause she didn't notice that she bumped into someone until she landed on her bum, hitting the ground hard. Ami winced from the pain, before realising that she had bumped into someone and probably hurt the person more than she hurt herself. She apologised and started to get up, when she saw a hand stretched out to her.
"Gomen nasai! I wasn't really looking. I'm really sorry!"
"Taiki-san!" Ami said, when she looked up to the owner of the hand. She took his hand and got up. She then brushed off some dirt from her blue dress and bowed in apology.
"So… How are you?" Taiki asked politely.
"I'm… I'm just fine. What about you?"
"I feel the same here too."
"Ami! Shall we go before… Hello? Hey, I know you! Weren't you one of those men from the restaurant yesterday?" Ryo exclaimed, after he had gone to look for Ami.
"Yes, I am."
"Ahaha… um… Ryo, this is Kou Taiki-san. He's an old friend of mine and Usagi's and the others. He's visiting us… Um, Taiki-san! This is Ryo, my…my…" Ami stammered nervously.
"Oh, god. I don't think I can handle this."
"Her boyfriend!" Ryo said extending his hand in a firm handshake with Taiki's hand, before putting his right arm around Ami's waist, making sure that the tall man before him saw it.
"Well, it was nice to meet you."
"Ditto… I hope I didn't interrupt anything important here."
"Oh no, you weren't."
"Okay, then… shall we get going? We have reservations." Ryo asked Ami, who was blushing by the awkwardness.
"Hai! Sumimasen, Taiki-san."
"That's ok. Maybe we could meet another time?" Taiki suggested.
"Hai." Ami replied and soon walked off with Ryo.
Taiki remained at the same spot as he watched the couple disappear. Ami had a boyfriend. Of course she had! She never felt anything more than just admiration towards him back then. Besides, it was just a matter of time when she'd find somebody. Not like she found it hard to find somebody. She didn't only have brains but she had a nice personality and she was beautiful. Of course she would be taken by the time he'd come back to Earth.
Taiki suddenly felt a pang inside his chest. Why was he feeling pain and sadness? Most importantly, why was he jealous?
Later at a restaurant
A young couple was sitting at a restaurant. They were talking about the old times, while they were waiting for their orders.
"Want to know a secret, Seiya?" the blonde woman said all of a sudden.
"Do I want to?" Seiya raised a brow and smirked.
"You know, I'm not that perfect as everyone thinks. Yes, I have my Mamo-chan, my friends and family. I have a career and I'll soon be attending Todai. And to top that, I'm a princess soon to be the queen, but…" Usagi paused before she continued,
"What if I didn't have this? What if I never discovered my truth? What if I never met everyone? I would've lived differently. I am thankful for everything that I got, but inside I really didn't want this. I wanted to be a normal girl. I never wanted to be the princess. I didn't want to have a burden on my shoulders. Rei, Mina-chan, Ami-chan, Mako-chan and Luna knew about this. They knew that my biggest wish was for me being an ordinary girl. All of them have told me that I can do it, but they know that I really can't. We've sacrificed too much for the future. Sometimes I think that we're just merely pawns in a game that fate and destiny play." Usagi gave Seiya a smile, but Seiya wasn't the one to be fooled and he could see the sadness reflecting in her eyes.
"I love everyone and they love me, but I'd be selfish if I threw away everything that was given to me. There were times when I wished to run away from all of this. I've had my chance a lot of times, but the picture of this little girl would always come up and that's where I stop to run away and go back. It was for her sake that I kept going on, living with this burden."
"Little girl? Who is she?" Seiya asked, wondering who that girl was that stopped Usagi from following her own needs.
"Someone who has a big place in my heart." Usagi answered and gave a smile, which showed that she really loved the little girl. Usagi realised that she had something to say,
"By the way, I've read your letter."
"What lett…" Seiya asked, but stopped when he saw Usagi take out a familiar envelope from her bag.
"This one. I hope you don't get mad."
"Where did you find it? How did you…?"
"Few months after you all left, I was walking around in town. I had gotten back my test that day and I remembered being happy, because I got another 98 points on my math test."
"You got a 98?" Seiya asked with wide eyes, not believing what he had just heard.
"Don't be so surprised. I studied really hard, days before the math test. And yes, I was studying and doing my lessons. Everyone was surprised because of the changes, but they were proud and happy that I decided to take a hold of it and focus on my work... Anyway, I was thinking hard that day that I didn't think of where I was going and how long I've been walking, and before I knew it I stood outside your place. I found it very strange that I'd be walking all the way to your old home, that when I was going to turn around…"
/Flashbacks\
The wind suddenly blew hard and right as she was going to head home she suddenly tripped. Usagi sighed, knowing that if she was going to prepare for her duties, then the first she had to do was overcome her clumsiness. She knew that Neo queen Serenity was very graceful in the future as princess Serenity was in the past. She stood up quickly and brushed of the dust from her uniform. It was going to be a hard transformation, but if she could handle the life of a senshi, then could definitely handle the life of a queen. She looked down at her feet, shaking her head in frustration. The wind blew once more and Usagi covered her eyes just so she wouldn't get anything in her eyes. When something caught her attention.
"Are…? What's this?"
There on the ground in front of her feet laid an envelope. But there wasn't any address written on it.
"Ahhh… this is a letter! But there's no saying who it is to or who wrote it? Maybe there's a name inside. No! Usagi baka! You can't read someone else's letter. It's like reading someone else's diary. What to do? What to do?" Usagi frantically waved with the letter in her hand as she was looking if there was any person near who could have dropped it. Seeing that nobody was around she looked at it again.
"I can't return this if I don't know who's letter it is. Maybe if I just read the first line where it says 'Dear…' and the last line 'From or Love….' Maybe then I'll have a clue who's the owner of this letter. And if the person asks, I can just apologize for reading it and explain why I read it! Yes! That's a good excuse!"
"Besides… it might be a love letter… hihi…" Usagi squealed in delight, thinking back at when she'd get thousands of letters from her Mamo-chan.
Usagi opened the envelope carefully. Taking a peek inside, she suddenly gets a strange feeling, yet so familiar. The letter wasn't perfumed or anything, but she recognized this scent. For some reason it was as if it was meant to be found by her. She didn't know why, but she just knew. This was a feeling she hadn't felt for so long. Usagi started to read,
/End of Flashbacks\
"… I realised that the letter was from you when I started to read the entry."
"So…"
"I didn't mean to read it. I'm sorry, but…" Usagi stuttered, seeing Seiya quiet.
"And you kept it all these years…"
"Hai… If you don't mind, I'd like to keep it." Usagi blushed.
"Did you like the poem?"
"Poem?"
"Yes, a poem. It was never a letter."
"I loved it. I'm sorry for never returning your feelings, but I had my reasons to why. I never wanted to hurt you…" Usagi exclaimed, but became sad when she remembered what the letter had contained.
"Odango, it's ok. I already knew from the beginning that I was in a one-sided love. Besides if being friend is what you only want, then I'm happy with it. Maybe I can't be close to you as a lover, but at least I still can be close to you as a best friend." Seiya smiled as he put his hand on top of Usagi's hand.
"Seiya…" Usagi whispered as she blushed.
"Koneko-chan, why are you…" a familiar voice appeared behind her, but stopped on its sentence,
"What are you doing here?" Haruka snapped. Apparently she was surprised to see him back and at a fancy restaurant with her Koneko-chan. What was going on? Usagi tensed as she saw Haruka glaring furiously at Seiya.
"Oh no…" Usagi thought, surprised by the sudden appearance. She had to do something quick otherwise the restaurant would soon turn into a battlefield. And as if her prayers were answered, Michiru suddenly appeared. She put her hand gracefully on Haruka's shoulder and smiled as she looked at each and every one,
"Konbanwa Seiya-san! Konbanwa Usagi-chan!"
"Konbanwa, Michiru-san and hello to you too, Haruka-san." Seiya smiled towards Michiru, but smirked towards Haruka, which made Haruka even madder. She didn't dislike him. Oh no, she just hated that damn smirk that always mocked her. And she hated him for being so forward towards her Koneko-chan. Doesn't he have any idea?
"Cut the formalities, Kou, and tell me why you're back?" Haruka nearly shouted out in anger, causing disturbance from those who was sitting near and awkwardness in the group. At the same time Haruka earned a smack on the head by none other than her own lover.
"Haruka, don't be rude! It appears that he's visiting us and why can't he? After all, we did tell them that they could visit us whenever they want to." Michiru said and smiled, putting her index finger on her chin.
"But Michiru, he's an…"
"Come now, Haruka. Let's not disturb their lovely dinner. You promised me a romantic night and no fighting." Michiru smiled as she dragged Haruka away, winking at Usagi who started to blush once more.
"Michiru, chotto matte! Ow… you're hurting me, be gentle." Haruka whined, but stopped when Michiru pressed her finger on Haruka's lips and smiled,
"Oh, don't be such a baby. I'll be gentle later…"
At the shrine
After her confrontation with Yaten, she went all the way back home. She was supposed to have one of those meetings again with her father, but called and said that she didn't feel well and asked if they could re-schedule. Her father's new assistant had tried to change her mind, but shrugged it off and merely stated that this father-daughter dinner was going to be with a reporter. If he knew what was best for his career then he would let his daughter stay at home and rest, otherwise she might collapse right under the dinner and then unwanted questions would come up. After she said that, she had ignored the assistant's protests and hung up.
She wasn't really feeling bad like she told her father's assistant. In fact she lied, cause right now wasn't the time to attend the father-daughter dinner. Not after she had poured all her thoughts and feelings to a mere stranger, even though they were friends.
Attending their dinner would have ended in a disaster again, like the last time when Kaidou-san went and married another woman instead of her. Just like Minako, Rei was unfortunate when it had come to love. But then again, she had despised men since the beginning of time.
First was Jadeite, her lover from the past life, who had killed her cold bloodied. It couldn't be blamed though, he was brain washed but it wasn't an excuse. But when he was reborn, he had been evil and tried to kill her, just like his other comrades tried to kill her friends. That couldn't be accepted and when he died, she never shed a tear.
Then there was this second man who had a very big role in her life, her own father. She didn't hate him, she just doesn't want to forgive, and for good reasons. He had put his own career over his wife and daughter. When her mother was lying on the hospital, on her deathbed, he hadn't come. Rei waited and hoped that he would come to see her mother for the last time, but he never showed up. She was disappointed and soon her disappointment was replaced by anger and then hate. He had come with an excuse that he had to work over and to top it all, he had moved her from their house and to her grandpa'. Not only did she lose her mother, but also her home where it had her mother's scent and memories. His old assistant, who she couldn't remember the name of, had apologised and said that it was for the best since her father would work over and come home late. With that, he left. It didn't help that she looked at him directly in the eye with her innocent, big violet eyes. As soon as the man disappeared, she had started to cry on the steps of the shrine. She was afraid and lost, until her grandpa' came down the steps and comforted the little girl that reminded him so much of his late daughter.
Then there was man number three, Kaidou-san. He was her father's new assistant then. As soon as she saw him walk up on the steps of the shrine, holding a bouquet of her favourite flowers, she had fallen in love. She was young, but she knew it was love and he in return loved her. She was so sure that he would wait until she grew up and then marry her, because of their love. But little did she know what would come. She had just turned 13 and waited for Kaidou to appear with her favourite flowers and of course the usual white dress from her so called father. He had come just like before and they talked for long. Days after that, something happened and that was seeing Kaidou walking with a woman and they were laughing and looked like a real couple. It was later afterwards that Rei found out that he was engaged and to be married. She had been so heartbroken and what more bothered her was that whenever she imagined his face or stared at him on the pictures, Jadeite's face would appear and replace Kaidou's face.
And lastly, Mamoru Chiba. Before they found out the truth of their past, both were going out. When she let him go for Usagi's sake, she had thought that he would treat her well. But her theory crashed to the ground, when she and Minako found him in bed with another one.
Surely there were other guys, she'd been with, but none of them had big impact on her life like those four men. After that she had started to despise men and ignored their pleas and questions of getting a date with her. Of course there were exemptions, like her grandpa'. He had raised her, taught her the important things in life, and trained both her physical and psychical abilities. He was the father she had wanted. And not to forget, Yuuichirou. She didn't know why, but she found liking him. It took a long time before she realised it herself. For Yuuichirou it was love at first sight. No matter how much she yelled at him, threatened him, chased and hit him with a broomstick and even got in danger during her senshi duties, he had stood by her. He had helped her, gave her good advices and told her what he felt. It was at that point that Rei realized that maybe starting to love again wasn't a bad idea.
As Rei walked up the steps, she couldn't help but think. She loved Yuuichirou, but she also loved Minako. Before everything, Rei and Minako only needed each other and their friendship. But she had to forget the past and start living in the presence, before it started eating her. That's why she never thought of anything more about Minako's and her relationship. She had Yuuichirou now, and that was what she needed, but still she couldn't help but get jealous at times when seeing men stare at Minako or Minako run after men.
As she entered her home, she went directly to her room and changed. Today have been tiresome. Tomorrow she was going to townand buy the materials for her university. Her father disliked her change of school, but was proud when he heard that she kept her grades up and that she had been accepted to several universities, especially Tokyo's university. He had wanted her to take politics, but as expected, she had taken philosophy. She wanted to get back at him by choosing philosophy, but she also chose the course cause it'd caught her interest. At first he was furious, but then calmed himself down because that was the next best thing and he accepted that. And to show that he was proud, he had given her a credit card on her graduation and said that he was going to pay for the bills, no matter how high it was.
Rei saw this as a nice gesture, but still didn't forgive him. She wasn't easily bought, but she accepted it cause she needed money for her tuition and materials and other things and she didn't want to burden her grandpa'. Sure she had her other job as Minako's songwriter and it gave a nice, hefty salary, but that salary went to the shrine.
Rei walked out of her room and into the bathroom. She was going to take a nice, warm bath before going to bed.
-
Rei had dozed off quickly after the bath. She was more tired than she had thought and went directly to sleep.
Hours passed and Rei started to rock back and forth in her sleep. She was dreaming, but by the look on her face it didn't seem like a pleasant dream. Sweat beads fell on her forehead as words escaped from her lips. All of a sudden she opens her eyes and looked at the ceiling. After a moment of staring she closed her eyes again and went back into dreaming.
/Dream Sequence
Rei was walking through a long hallway. It was dark and narrow. Rei continued walking, but suddenly got a strange feeling of that someone was following after her. Turning around, she saw no one. She continued to walk, but then started to hear sounds of clicking from a pair of shoes.
"Who's there?"
"Show yourself!"
"I know someone's out there!" Rei yelled in the dark.
Turning back towards her destination, she mumbled,
"When I get my hands on you, whoever you are, I'm going to bang your head up to the ceiling, and rip you limb from limb. And then serve them as steaks."
Rei continued walking and she was even muttering curses at the unknown person, when she sees the hallway separate into two different ways. Rei didn't know which way to take, so she took the left one. But then suddenly, a voice started echoing through the halls,
"You're going the wrong way."
Rei turned around to see whom it was, but saw that no one was there. Determined to find out who it was, she continued on the left side but was once again stopped by the same voice that had warned her earlier.
"You're still going the wrong way."
The voice was serene and melodious. It reminded her of someone she knew, but couldn't place a finger on whom.
"Who are you? Why should I listen to you, when you don't even show yourself?" Rei cried.
"You'll find out soon, if you listen to me." said the voice.
Rei sighed and admitted to herself that she didn't have any choices and therefore took the other way. She hoped that the voice wasn't misleading her, cause if it did, then she would find the owner of it and then he or she would feel the wrath of Mars.
As she kept walking through the dark corridor, she suddenly sees a light at the end of it.Rei strted to run towards it and while she was running she felt lighter and lighter. It was like she was floating among the clouds instead of running through a hallway. And there at the end, she saw a woman.
The woman was beautiful and looked majestic. She was walking elegantly while her lower part of the dress flowed. Her hair looked like spun gold, which shone in the light and flowed gracefully. Who was she? Was she an angel? Did Rei die in her sleep and then went on to heaven?
Rei couldn't see who it was, but she could guess that the person was smiling at her. Walking towards the person, she saw,
"U… Usagi? Usa-chan, is that you?"
"Rei-chan! So how was your vacation?" Usagi asked smiling.
"Vacation? What are you talking about, Usa-chan! And what's with the dress?" Rei asked, while looking at Usagi from top to toe.
Usagi was wearing a dress that reminded her of Neo-Queen Serenity's dress. But instead of those shimmering butterfly wings, she had real angelical wings. Around her neck hung a golden moon pendant, with a blue star in the middle of it. And her crown was kind of different too. It was more like a tiara made out of diamonds with a golden moon pendant in the middle and on top of it was a blue star.
"What's what with my dress? Are you feeling okay? "
"Huh? What?"
"Oh dear. Maybe you should rest. The trip must have exhausted you. I'll go tell them that you can't go with them to the park tod…" but Usagi was cut off of her sentence, when two little kids ran to Rei, each one hugging her legs.
"Mommy!" a raven-haired girl squealed cheerfully, while the blonde girl laughed and said,
"Aunt Rei! Aunt Rei! You're back! How was your visit on Mars?"
"Huh?" Rei was clueless on who these little girls were.
Both of them seemed to be six years old. They looked like night and day, just like she and Usagi. The girl, who called her "Mommy", had raven hair, which flowed freely behind her back, but her eyes were blue. The other girl had her silvery blonde hair up into two pigtails and had indigo eyes.
"Girls. Rei can't take you to the park today." Usagi said to the girls.
"Oh, mommy. Why not? Keiko-chan and I wanted to see all the flowers," the blonde girl pouted.
"Because, small lady, aunt Rei is tired from her trip. Maybe we can all go tomorrow instead and look at the flowers?" suggested Usagi.
"Okay, mommy. Oooh, I forgot! Daddy wanted to give you this." The blonde girl said, taking out a red rose.
Usagi accepted the rose and said,
"Oh, what a beautiful rose. Can you say thank you to daddy for me?"
"Okay." The little girl smiled at Usagi.
"ChibiUsa-chan! C'mon now, maybe we can play with aunt Minako, aunt Makoto and aunt Ami." suggested Keiko.
As the girls ran, Rei could have sworn that the blonde girl's hair shone pink while the other girl's hair shone red. After the girls had gone, Rei turned to Usagi and said,
"Was… was that… Is that my daughter? And the other girl is ChibiUsa? Your… Your daughter?"
But before Usagi could answer to all Rei's questions, it suddenly got dimmed and Rei fell into a bottomless pit.
She was screaming for help, but no one could hear her. When Rei started to think that she was going to hit the bottom, she woke up. Sweat pearls were streaming down on her forehead, as she was breathing hard. She could feel her heart beat fast. Who was that girl that looked so much like Usagi. Was she ChibiUsa? But why was she blonde? Weren't she supposed to have pink hair? Who's the father then? And who was the other girl? Was it her future daughter?
Rei was so deep into her thoughts that she didn't notice the sun rising. She had to find out if Usagi really loved Seiya. The thought of the future changing had scared her, but after seeing her dream she didn't feel frightened now like she did before.
Rei went and took a shower before changing into her temple outfit. Outside was her grandfather training with Yuuichirou. Rei smiled and went to do her chores. Maybe she'll stop by Usagi's gallery later and see if Usagi was there. Then maybe she could ask her.
At the art gallery
Usagi was hanging up her paintings, when she saw a picture that wasn't meant to be there. She held it up and looked at it as she smiled sadly. The painting was of a woman stretching out her hand to the night sky. Reaching for a star that seemed so far away. It looked like she was trying really hard to reach it, by the look in her eyes. Determination, sorrow, love and fear showed all the same time. As she was trying hard to reach it chains were around her feet, her hands, all over her body. Winds were swirling around her.
Usagi put down the painting and wiped away a few tears. Weren't she already happy with Mamoru? Didn't she have a bright future? Why was she so unhappy? Or was she selfish? Thoughts ran through her mind. Questions that she needed answers to, but couldn't find.
"No, I'm only being selfish. Stop it Usagi-baka!" Usagi said to herself, putting down the painting.
As she continued to hang up more paintings she heard the door open. Turning around she saw Rei. She gave her a smile before turning back to her work.
"What? No hi, how are you?" Rei teased as she raised a brow.
"Hi, how are you?" Usagi then replied.
"I'm fine, thank you. And you?"
"I'm fine."
"A lot to do?"
"Iie, this is the last one." Usagi said.
"Okay, need some help?"
"No thanks, I got it." Usagi answered as she hung the last painting.
"Usa-chan, want to eat lunch?"
"Sure, I'm a bit hungry. I didn't had the time to eat this morning because of the paintings." Usagi said as she went to get her bag.
-
As they walked out of the gallery, Rei sensed something and turned around. Usagi noticed that Rei was tensed and asked,
"Is everything okay?"
Rei stood for a moment and looked at a different direction. Something was going to happen. She didn't know what, but it gave her the shivers. It was a presence, a negative one. It wasn't an evil presence, she would've recognised it. No, this was a human and it was filled with hatred. Rei thought that this was odd. Could a person really be filled with so much hate that someone like her would sense this? She was worried and thought that she would ask the sacred fire later for answers.
Rei suddenly felt a hand and remembered that Usagi was with her. She turned to Usagi and smiled as if nothing had happened,
"Huh? Oh, yes everything's fine. I just… well, never mind."
The two women walked towards Usagi's car and soon drove off. A few metres away stood the same shadowy figure that was hiding among the trees earlier at Usagi's house.
"Soon I'll get what should have been mine a long time ago."
-
Usagi and Rei drove off to the Crown. As they went inside they see Motoki talking to his sister Unazuki. It seems like Motoki was talking of something important with his sisters because of the look she was giving him. Unazuki suddenly spots Usagi and Rei and wave at them, leaving her brother behind.
"Konnichiwa Motoki-kun o Unazuki-chan." Usagi and Rei greeted.
"Hi Usagi-chan, Rei-chan!" Unazuki smiled as she hugged each of them.
"Ogenki desu-ka?" Motoki greeted as he walked up to them.
"We're fine." Rei smiled.
"Do you want to order something?" Unazuki requested.
"Yes, I'll have a cheeseburger with fries and a diet coke. What do you want Usagi?"
"I think I'll have two double cheeseburgers with large fries, fried chicken, one strawberry milkshake and one diet coke and strawberry shortcake." Usagi ordered eagerly and laughed, while Rei, Unazuki and Motoki sweat dropped.
"Sure, I'll come with them later." Unazuki smiled as she trailed off.
Usagi smiled and turned her attention to Motoki. Motoki stared at her for a second and said,
"By the way, Usagi-chan. Did Mamoru-san call you?"
"No, I haven't heard from him since he left." Usagi replied, looking down at her feet trying not to show the disappointment.
"That's weird. He should have called you as soon as he arrived." Motoki frowned.
"Well, you all know Mamoru-san. Always busy." Rei said, forcing up a smile as she thought,
"He's busy alright. Busy screwing with that trash."
-
Minutes laterUsagi, Unazuki and Motoki were happily chatting about her upcoming event. Rei was sitting quietly thinking, when she suddenly sat up straight and looked into nothing. Motoki, Usagi and Unazuki noticed this and waved a hand in front of Rei's face, but got no response. All of a sudden, Rei started to breathe heavily, which scared her friends. Usagi shook her a couple of times before Rei woke up from her state. Rei shrugged and saw Usagi's terrified eyes and Unazuki's and Motoki's worried looks.
"What?"
"Rei-chan you were breathing hard a couple of seconds ago. What happened?" Motoki asked worried as Unazuki nodded her head.
"Ehm… nothing."
"Nothing? Are you sure? Are you okay?"
"Hai, Motoki-kun. Gomen-nasai if I scared you all to death."
"It's okay, you really got us worried. Do you want me to take you home?" Usagi requested.
Rei nodded and said,
"Okay, I think I'm a bit tired."
Usagi and Rei said goodbye to Motoki and Unazuki, reassuring them that they will be fine. Usagi helped Rei into the car and drove off. As Usagi was driving, Rei thought of what she had seen earlier. Did she just have another premonition? But compared to the dream she had hours ago, this was scaring.
/Flashbacks
Rei was running through a thick fog.
"Help!" a voice cried out. It was full of fear and sorrow.
"Who are you? How can I help you?" Rei cried out as she turned around trying to see the person.
"Help me!" the voice cried, as it went further and further away.
"Wait!"
Rei was running, not caring to where she was running.
"Somebody, please!"
A scream was heard, then silence.
"NO! Wait!" Rei panicked as she ran faster to where she heard the scream.
As she neared the spot, she saw a woman hanging in the air. Chains were around her hands and arms. The woman seemed to be beaten up as if someone had tortured her. Rei couldn't see her face, so she went closer. As she went closer she noticed that the woman chest was bleeding. She also noticed that the woman had blonde hair. Pulling away a few hair strains, she saw the woman's face.
"U… Usagi?" Rei gasped.
Usagi's face was full of bruises and it looked like she has been crying because of the tearstains.
"Usa, no!" Rei cried as she tried to free her dear friend from the chains, but without any luck.
"Noooo…!" Rei screamed in agony as tears fell down her cheeks.
/End of Flashbacks
"Kami-sama, please let not this one premonition go true." Rei prayed silently as she looked out through the window. She then looked at Usagi who was driving and said,
"Usa-chan, could you please drive to the park. There's something I have to ask."
"Sure, Rei." Usagi nodded and turned.
-----
At the park
Usagi and Rei sat at a nearby bench. They were in silent when they drove to the park and when they got out and walked from the car.
"So what was it you wanted to ask me about?"
"Usagi-chan, I have to know." Rei said out loud, causing her friend to frown.
"Okay…?"
"You love Seiya-kun, don't you?" Rei asked.
Usagi stared at Rei for a moment, shocked over the question,
"What makes you think that?"
"Well, by the look in your eyes and plus that I've been knowing you for so long that I can sense that you're trying to hide something. And right now, a million thoughts are disturbing you, am I right?"
"Yes…" Usagi looked down for a minute and sighed,
"I don't know, but I think I'm falling in love with him. Please don't get angry with me, but I can't help it. But… but I'm trying my best not to 'cause… "
"Why should I be angry with you? It's your feelings not mine. I don't decide who you have feelings for, but I wished you could have told me sooner instead of hiding it. Then maybe I could have helped you instead of seeing you become more and more distant." Rei gave Usagi a sympathetic smile.
"I know, but I had to."
"For Chibi-Usa's sake, right?"
"Maybe I'm being selfish? I mean who wouldn't want this future."
"You don't."
"You feel trapped, don't you?"
"Yes, but I'm horrible by thinking of not following the path that was meant for me." Usagi said out loud as she tried to hold back her tears.
"Usa, don't say that! You're not horrible and you're definitely not selfish." Rei exclaimed.
"You're warm and kind and generous. Heck, it should be us who should be called selfish. We wanted you to stay with Mamoru-san, when we really knew that you didn't want to. And for what? Because we wanted to live in that future."
"Rei, it's not like I don't want to stay with Mamo-chan, but it seems like we've been drifting apart lately."
"You have no idea." Rei thought.
"Rei, what am I going to do? I feel torn apart. I feel like I'm being caught in the middle of nowhere. And either which way I choose, I only end up hurting the other one."
"Usa-chan, that's how life goes. Some things that we do may bring joy to some and those decisions can hurt some, whether we like it or not. You know what? You should do what your heart tells you to do! God, we're not senshis of love for no reason." Rei smiled as she held Usagi's hands.
Suddenly it started to blow hard and out of nowhere two cats fell from the sky and onto Rei's and Usagi's head. Rei and Usagi, who didn't see that coming, fell backwards on each other. The cats jumped down from their head. One was white, while the other one was black and both had a moon crest on each foreheads. Usagi recognized them as Artemis and Luna and said,
"Luna, back early? I thought you wouldn't come back from the future until next week?"
The black cat stepped forward, worries were shown all over her face as she replied,
"Usagi-chan, something happened!"
"What!" Both Usagi and Rei sat up quickly.
"The future is falling apart!" Artemis started to tell.
"What do you mean falling apart?" Rei replied angrily.
"We don't know when it happened, but it was horrible. We saw the scouts' death, the Crystal Tokyo's downfall." Luna cried.
"King Endymion vanished and for Chibi-Usa… she faded away quickly."
"The queen, Artemis and I were the only ones left."
"Darkness surrounded us, especially the queen. She fought hard against it, but then soon fell on her knees out of exhaustion." Artemis held his head down.
"She used her last strengths to send us back here, but before we got through the tunnel we saw the queen grasping for air before… before…" Luna cried.
"Before what? Luna? Artemis? Before what? What happened to Neo-Queen Serenity?" Rei asked worried, fears were showing on her face.
"We saw a black fog surrounding the queen. She used the silver crystal and then we saw her fall into oblivion. And after that we saw a bright light and then nothing."
"And before we knew it, we fell out of the sky and landing on your heads." Artemis ended.
The cats turned to Usagi, wanting to ask her of what had happened while they were gone. Something must have happened and the moment they turned their heads towards Usagi, they saw fear and sadness. A few tears fell down as Usagi wiped them away quickly. Shaking her head she stood up and said,
"It's me. I'm the cause of it. It's happened…"
"Usa-chan, don't say that. We don't know that yet." Rei said, trying to calm the blonde.
"No, it's me! I'm the one who has caused it and because of my actions, the future, the people, Chibi-Usa. All of them paid the price."
"Usagi-chan, please calm down. We'll sort things out." Artemis said.
"No. We can't sort this thing out. What's done is done and nothing we can do or say can erase the fact of that I caused the destruction. I'm… I'm sorry!"
And with that Usagi started to run away from them, crying. Rei and the cats started to run after her. Usagi was too sad to even notice that something was coming at her. Too late she noticed the car that was driving fast. Usagi barely had the chance to run out of the way when she got hit. The last things she thought of before darkness engulfed her was,
"Chibi-Usa… I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, Seiya…""USAGI!.!.!" Rei, Luna and Artemis screamed as they saw in horror a red car hit Usagi.
A/N: Here's the chapter eight everybody! Hope you liked it, especially Rei revealing her feelings about Minako. I was fascinated of the friendship between those two from both manga and pgsm, and from those rumours about them having a special relationship in both manga and pgsm. And Ayaka Komatsu, Sailor Venus from PGSM, sang "Cross my heart". First time I heard it, I was stunned cause this was Ayaka Komatsu singing a song in English and how good her song was. A bit 80ish style, but I love it. I thought that the song would be perfect, because Minako Aino was after all good with English and this is the type of song that she would sing. And the lyrics were perfect for the love Rei, Yaten and Alex has towards Minako and vice versa.
Ooh… and the meeting between Ryo and Taiki. D I'm being mean towards Ami. And Usagi and Seiya's discussion. Ohohoho… I'm just getting started, but sadly I kept Usagi's accident too. I told you that I'd keep some from the old story, but have surprises. There'll be more surprises in the next chapters, especially the Alex-Minako-Yaten-Rei love problem and the love triangle between Taiki, Ami and Ryo. Probably I'll be bringing Mamoru back and more outers will take part in the later chapters.
Don't forget to R/R!
Also right now, I'm working with a new story. And for those who love the shittenou/senshi pairing, I will soon post the new story with Rei and Jadeite!
Ja!
/Moonlight Bunny