1.) Cross Your Hard Heart

The course of love never did run smooth.

- William Shakespeare

REI

A sudden buzzing caused me to jerk violently. I awoke from my dream as I tumbled off the couch, landing on the hardwood floor with a crash. I made it to my hands and knees before lifting a shaking hand to my chest, covering the place where the shadow had pierced my heart. I rested my forehead on the cold floor before taking a few deep steadying breaths to calm my shattered nerves. I reached for my buzzing phone. A quick look at the screen told me that it wasn't exactly an emergency.

I shifted position, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the couch I'd fallen asleep on sometime last night... or rather earlier this morning. I dragged my thumb across the screen as I brought the phone to my ear.

"What do you want?" I demanded as I ran a hand through my hair, trying to tame it as well as wake myself up.

"Good morning to you too, sunshine." Makoto greeted sarcastically. I grunted in response, bringing my hand back to my chest and massaging it gently. It was aching, I could still remember the sharp pain I had experienced in the dream as well as the past life.

"Did you sleep in or something? It sounds like you just woke up." Makoto asked, sounding far too chipper for my liking.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Had a late night." I replied, doing my best not to growl at her.

"So I take it you're not meeting Ami and I for coffee...?" Makoto commented. I groaned, trying not to swear into the phone.

"That was today?" I asked weakly, already knowing the answer. Makoto laughed.

"Yeah, that was today." Makoto replied, I looked at the clock on the wall. Seven thirty. Generally I was up by now, even if I'd worked until closing... I guess since I'd been out until the early hours of the morning was excuse enough for my disrupted sleep schedule.

"Ah, fuck. Sorry about that, Makoto..." I apologized, running my hand back through my hair again. I always seemed to be doing this to them. It was so difficult for me to maintain relationships outside of work.

"Don't worry about it, Rei." Makoto told me, having that familiar forgiving tone in her voice. "How about we get together for dinner tonight instead? Ami's got the evening off and..."

"If she has the night off, why the fuck would you want to spend it with me? I mean shouldn't you be having date night or some shit?" I asked, slightly surprised by her offer. The two of them had such busy schedules I was surprised they had the time to be together... let alone have a functioning relationship.

"You're a piece of work, you know that right?" Makoto asked, sounding both exasperated and extremely amused. "You're one of our best friends and we don't see you enough. So you're dragging your ass over here for dinner and that's final."

"Asshole." I muttered under my breath before chuckling. "But yeah, it'd be good to see you two. You want me to bring wine or something?"

"Nah. I've got it under control... and, you know, for owning a club your wine choices are shit." Makoto taunted.

"Ha. Ha. You're a riot, you know that?" I replied, rolling my eyes while I tried not to betray my amusement.

"Dinner's at six. See you then, okay sunshine?" Makoto asked. I could almost hear the smirk in her voice.

"Go to hell." I replied, doing my best not to smile. She chuckled.

"I'll tell Ami you say hi. See you later." She told me before hanging up.

"Yeah, see you then." I said to the empty air as I tossed my cell on to the coffee table, a smile was now firmly planted on my face. At least in this world she never failed to cheer me up.

ARTEMIS

I woke to Luna slipping her arms around my waist and cuddling close to me. I rolled over, allowing myself to curl around her.

"Where'd you disappear to last night?" She asked, letting her head rest on my shoulder.

"As with most things that drag you out of bed at three in the morning, it wasn't exactly good news, Lu." I told her softly. "Rei encountered two of the shadows last night and all in all, they're appearing with greater frequency. We both think that means that Beryl's back, starting to exert some control over those things."

Luna jerked up out of my arms, causing me to roll on to my back again and throw an arm over my face as she whipped open the blinds.

"You should have woken me when you found out Artemis, we should have been planning, and..." She said, almost falling into one of her frantic lectures. I clenched my eyes tightly shut for a moment before opening them to the cold light reflecting the dreary weather outside. I sat up.

"Luna, calm down." I told her, grabbing her about the waist and pulling her back into my lap. "There's nothing we could do at the moment. It's not like we can suddenly call a team meeting, we need to ease the others back into this."

I allowed her a few seconds to think this over before I continued talking.

"Everyone who needs to know, knows now. We can take some time with the others, maybe try and get them together and tell them all at once." I paused again, this time swallowing down a bit of guilt. I covered it up with humour as best I could. "That would certainly save Rei a bunch of angry lectures from her friends. Everything will be fine, Rei can keep an eye on things until we get a handle on the situation."

MAKOTO

I looked over at Ami as I hung up the phone, a grin still toying with my expression.

"You were right, she slept in." I chuckled.

"I heard." Ami replied as she stirred her tea absentmindedly. The paper lay spread open across her lap, she seemed to be engrossed in whatever article it was she was reading.

"Anything interesting in there?" I asked, leaning over the back of the couch so I could read over her shoulder. Ami shrugged as she shifted to make it easier for me to see. It seemed to me she was focused on an article about the string of grisly murders that had the police baffled. There was a sigh from Ami as she folded the paper and put it away. She looked conflicted.

"What's up?" I prompted, reaching out and settling my hand on her shoulder briefly before straightening. I still had things to do, despite the fact I wanted nothing more than to waste the day away with her.

"Just thinking about Rei..." She replied softly, setting the folded paper on the coffee table beside her. She cradled her mug of tea in both hands. "I'm worried about her."

"Yeah?" I asked, moving back towards the kitchen to finish packing Ami's lunch. She followed behind me, taking a seat on one of the kitchen stools and sipping at her tea. A quick glace in her direction told me her expression was inscrutable.

"She just seems... different." Ami finished lamely, not to want to get into what was concerning her about Rei. I let out a laugh.

"She's always been different." I pointed out, still chuckling as I met her eyes. "And you stressing yourself out over it isn't going to make life easier for you or her. She's coming over tonight so why don't you talk to her about whatever it is that's worrying you?"

This coaxed a smile from her

"I guess I'm just thinking about things too hard again." She murmured.

"That always was your problem. Good thing you have me around to simplify things for you." I told her with another laugh, she smiled at me in return and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you for that Makoto." She told me simply but in her eyes I could see so much more. I grinned, happy that we'd finally reached the point where we could just admit that we loved one another. Things were easy between us.

REI

I let myself rest against the couch for a moment longer, feeling the hardwood flooring beneath my feet. I was still absently rubbing at the old injury.

I got up slowly off the floor, applying slight pressure to my chest where the ache seemed to have set deep within my bones. It was the same sensation I'd felt in my arm the night before. I glanced down at the front of my shirt where the bruise would be and I gave a deep sigh as I made my way to the washroom. As I opened the door I moved my hand up to my eyes, rubbing at them momentarily as I tried to rid myself of the exhaustion I felt.

When I opened my eyes again I was facing the mirror, again my gaze was drawn to my cheek; looking for the series of scars I knew should be there. It was odd seeing my body unmarked. Something about seeing those scars would have been reassuring to me. Maybe it was because seeing them on my skin would confirm to me that I wasn't completely insane.

I sighed, turning on the shower. Perhaps the hot water would drown out these thoughts.

However as I got into the shower I only became more consumed with my thoughts on the past and present. I braced my hands against the tiled wall of the shower and hung my head, letting the water run down my face, hoping that it would wash away some of these negative thoughts and memories. The water was certainly refreshing and it was doing wonders for soothing my aching body... but it wasn't necessarily helping me clear my head.

It was only after the water had begun to run cold that I decided to stop trying to drown myself in the shower and get on with the day. I dried off quickly, ignoring the ripples of pain that echoed throughout my body. Another glance at the mirror showed massive bruising that appeared to be consuming me whole.

Again my eyes flicked across my form, searching for scars I knew no longer existed. There were some days I wanted to carve those marks back into my flesh, almost like I wanted to try to do something to bring back the others memories of our past. I hung my head again, letting out another shaky breath. I quickly splashed some cold water over my face before throwing on my sweats and t-shirt again.

I reached to pick up the phone. I needed to call her, I needed to talk about this before I completely lost my mind. Before I did something idiotic.

I dialled quickly, bringing the phone to my ear as I grabbed my smokes from the other room then returned to leaning back against the wall of the bathroom, staring at myself in the mirror as I brought an ember to life at the end of my cigarette.

I just needed some reassurance right now. After that I'd be less likely to cause damage to myself or to something around me. Over the past few years I'd thrown out more broken mirrors, cups, and plates than I cared to admit. I was at the point that I avoided glass whenever possible.

The phone only had time to ring once before she picked up.

"Rei?" She asked, her voice sounding concerned. Instantly I felt more stable and grounded. "Is everything alright?"

I gave a weak smile as I breathed out smoke.

"Yeah, Michiru, everything's fine. I just..." I paused doing my best to think of how to phrase it as I carefully studied the glowing tip of my cigarette rather than my own reflection in the mirror. "I just needed to hear your voice."

"You're having a hard time, aren't you?" She asked softly. In the background I could hear Hotaru and Haruka making noise, getting ready for the day no doubt.

I couldn't think of what to say to her. I still never really knew how to talk about this kind of thing with her. I knew she was used to me not necessarily liking myself but it was still hard for her to hear. I inhaled another dose of nicotine, tar, carcinogens, and smoke. I could hear Michiru exhale softly through the phone. A door shut on her end, drowning out the sound of Haruka and Hotaru.

"I had the feeling you'd be giving me a call." Michiru told me gently. "I drew a picture of you this morning... of the old you. I just got that feeling, you know? That one where inspiration just hits me and I have no idea where it comes from... and then when I get far enough into it, I realize that it was from you."

There was silence between us for a time, I could hear her soft breathing on the other end of the line; I simply shut my eyes and just listened to that familiar sound as I smoked. Michiru cleared her throat before she continued talking.

"I drew you with such pained eyes I could hardly bring myself to finish the sketch. I still hate seeing you like that." Michiru continued. "Sometimes I forget how beautiful you were, how beautiful you are. This drawing just reminded me of all of that, of everything that you've meant to me over the years."

I could hear the worry coming through her voice more clearly now, it sounded like she was trying to talk me back from the edge. I finally found the courage to speak again.

"Don't worry about me, Michiru. I've just been thinking too much lately." I told her. I could her hum in what sounded like agreement; it could have just been her trying to avoid an argument though.

"Do you mind if I ask what you've been thinking too much about?" She asked me. I could hear the underlying question though. Why did I draw the old you? Why was there such a focus on the scars?

"Is it wrong that I miss them?" I asked her, not sure I should even be bringing this up.

"Miss what, Rei?" Michiru questioned, I knew from experience she wanted to be as clear as possible with me. With the others she would allow vagaries and muddled conversation but with me she always wanted clarity.

"The scars. I feel like an idiot for saying it but..." I said, feeling more and more ridiculous bringing this up as I went on. I almost brought my finger brushing along the smouldering, red-hot end of my distraction.

"Rei. No, it's not stupid. There was so much of your history written over your body that... I imagine seeing yourself now is a bit alarming." Michiru told me firmly. I nodded, flicking the cigarette butt into the sink. "Sometimes when I see you, I can hardly believe that your skin is unmarred. I don't miss seeing that evidence of your pain... but I can understand what you might miss about it. It was a such a big part of you, it showed that you had survived."

"Thanks." I murmured lowly, running a hand over my face. "I needed to hear that. I just need to know that I'm not completely crazy."

"Any time Rei." Michiru replied, sounding like she was smiling. I let out another breath, this time it wasn't shaky. It was calm and much more controlled. I had the feeling that I'd be able to make it through the day. I would be able to cope now, cope without doing anything ridiculously idiotic.

"We should have you over sometime soon, for breakfast or something. Its been far too long since we've seen you. Too long since you've been around..." Her voice trailed off slowly as if she didn't know how to finish that sentence. I understood though, she was thinking I hadn't been around those with the memories enough. "The four of us have left you alone for too long."

"You all have lives, you're busy – I'm busy, that doesn't mean that you've left me alone."

"You say that, but I don't believe you. Rei, just know that you can always talk with me about anything, okay?"

"I know, Michiru. You'll always be there for me, I have no doubts about that." I said, hoping that I sounded reassuring and positive. I was about to start saying goodbye when Michiru spoke up again.

"Rei, just one more thing I wanted to bring up."

"Yeah?" I asked, suddenly feeling concerned over her tone. Was something wrong with her or her family?

"That drawing, in it the wound you got when you.." Her voice hesitated slightly, I could sense the swell of emotion behind it. "Died... Well, it was bigger than I remember it being. Is there something going on with you that you're not telling me?"

"I honestly don't know. Give it a few days and I'll get back to you, okay?" I admitted, knowing that I could trust Michiru to give me time and space to sort things out on my own... and not pester me for my thoughts on the matter.

"I'll text you later to figure out when we'll have you over. And when we get together I want to hear about all of it then, you hear me?" Michiru stated, her words taking on a vaguely commanding edge. "Even if it turns out to be nothing I expect you to share your thoughts and concerns, okay?"

"Yeah, sure thing Princess." I told her with a grin, the tightness that had been wrapped around my chest released slightly. Talking to Michiru always made me feel better. "Talk later okay?"

"Bye Rei. I'll say hi to the rest of the family for you. Hotaru will be pleased, she's been missing you." Michiru replied before hanging up. I tossed my phone onto my bed as I walked towards my closet. It was time to get ready to meet the day.

MICHIRU
"I take it that was Rei?" Haruka asked me as I walked back into the kitchen, she had a light dusting of flour across her jeans and there was pancake batter splattered across her shirt. A quick glance at Hotaru showed similar evidence of a tussle of some sort. I sighed.

"I leave you alone for two minutes..." I stated, doing my best to sound disapproving rather than amused. Honestly, if Haruka didn't grow up soon Hotaru would leave her in the dust.

I got two matching grins in return before Hotaru returned to her breakfast and Haruka took a few steps closer to me.

"So?" She questioned, with an upraised brow. I gave a bit of a laugh and a shake of my head, I should have known I wouldn't be able to put her off.

"Yes. That was Rei." I told her.

"Everything alright with her, love? You don't normally leave the room when you two talk."

"Well, I'm not generally trying to compete with World War Pancake." I replied drily, getting a chuckle from Haruka and causing Hotaru to stifle her laughter. "But yes, it did sound like she was having a bit of a hard time. I invited her over for breakfast sometime in the near future, any idea when we'd all be free to get together?"

"She's available Christmas morning" Setsuna commented as she breezed into the kitchen. She was already prepared for the day which wasn't all too surprising; Setsuna was generally the first one up in the mornings so she'd probably been up for a couple of hours. If not longer.

"Good to know." I stated, smiling at her as she poured herself what I imagined was her third or fourth cup of coffee. Then my attention turned back to Hotaru. "How about you? If Rei comes over on Christmas for breakfast are you going to get out of bed early enough to see her?"

All I got in reply was an exaggerated roll of the eyes. I smiled fondly at her, sometimes she did things that reminded me so much of Haruka. Though I kept having the feeling that as time went on she would turn out more and more like Rei, her past would come to weigh heavily on her shoulders as well.

"Alright, so what's the plan for today?" Haruka asked, drawing our attention to her again. "I know you've got to be at office downtown in half an hour Sets, but what about you Michiru? Who's dropping the Firefly off at school? You or me?"

I glanced at Hotaru quickly, her gaze was focused on Haruka eagerly.

"I was planning on dropping by the recording studio later today, I wanted to work a bit more on those new compositions of mine. If I get all that sorted out at a reasonable hour I was planning on coming back here to finish of that painting I started a few days ago." I replied, knowing that Hotaru wanted Haruka to drop her off.

"I think it's your turn today, Haruka. For a stay-at-home dad you certainly don't do enough of the pick ups or drop offs." Setsuna commented, obviously catching Hotaru's look as well.

"Not my fault that you two both pass by the school on your way into town. Plus I work from home, that's not the same as being a stay-at-home dad." Haruka replied seeming annoyed but she sent Hotaru a wink." But I'd love to give Hotaru a lift to school. Maybe we can swing by..."

"Oh sweetie...driving her to school does mean that you have to get her there on time." Setsuna chided her, drawing a laugh from Hotaru and I while Haruka looked vaguely guilty.

"Alright, alright. I'll get her there on time." Haruka surrendered. "Speaking of which kiddo, you all packed? Generally now is about the time you start panicking about being late."

Together the three of us watched as Hotaru's gaze jerked to the clock on the wall, her eyes widened slightly and I could just imagine her spitting out some of the swear words Haruka and Rei were guilty of teaching her. Only a stern look from Setsuna and I stopped them from slipping out.

"Well, I should be on my way, the traffic will be terrible this morning. Do try and keep that in mind, Haruka." Setsuna said, kissing her on the cheek softly before settling a hand on my shoulder. "And don't worry about Rei too much today, alright? She'll work things out in her own time."

I nodded, sharing a brief hug with her before she left the house. It was then that Haruka leaned back against the counter, looking at me again.

"I saw that picture you were working on earlier." She commented with a frown. I sighed.

"I think she's struggling with this whole situation more than she lets on." I finally admitted. Haruka's frown deepened.

"Yeah, I get that. It's what's worrying me. If you..." Haruka stated, obviously starting to bring up our past physical intimacy and relationship. Rei and I had a history in this world similar in many ways to our history in the old world. We'd been close growing up and that closeness had only increased as we grew older. It wasn't surprising that Haruka felt as she did.

"It won't come to that Haruka. We... we're past that now, you know that. We have been since you and I got married." I reassured her, knowing that all this time she was probably still more insecure about Rei's presence than she let on. "It's been three years since we've even thought about getting involved like that."

"I'm just saying I know what happens when you see Rei in pain. You get this..." Haruka started to reply and I felt like the old disagreement from our past life was resurfacing.

"And I'm telling you that you don't need to worry..." I cut across her, only to be silenced by Haruka. A rare show of actual annoyance on her part where I was concerned.

"Michiru, shut up and listen for a moment, okay?" Haruka said, a bit of frustration coming into her tone. I held my tongue. "All I'm trying to say is that if she needs it and you want to provide it..."

Her voice trailed off and she nodded.

"I get it." She finished, giving me a bit of a grin. "Just do what you feel you need to. We all love her and we don't want to see her rip herself apart again, yeah?"

I felt my love for Haruka swell within me again, I crossed the kitchen; bringing my lips into contact with hers. Her hand slid up the backs of my legs, coming to rest on...

"God you two. Get a room." Hotaru muttered, sounding disgusted. I parted our lips, resting my head against Haruka's chest for a moment, just taking pleasure in hearing her heart beat. Haruka's hands came to rest more innocently on my back.

"Love you, babe." Haruka said, leaning down for one last quick peck on the lips. "But I should get Hotaru to school before she decides to wash her eyes out with bleach or something."

I heard Hotaru grumble something under her breath as she turned towards the door, slipping her feet into her shoes as Haruka sauntered after her.

"Have a good day you two." I called after them, hearing their laughter as they exited the house. I cast one quick look over the kitchen, which had seemingly served as their battlefield, before deciding I'd just leave it for Haruka. When they made messes like this... I felt absolutely no inclination to clean them up.

REI

I ended up heading in to work later than usual, deciding that the paperwork I had with me would allow me to stay at home a bit longer. I was still working but I got to avoid my actual place of work for as long as possible... though that did bring with it certain complications.

I had hardly stepped through the door of the office at headquarters when I was confronted by several frantic looking employees. I gave a deep sigh, knowing that this day would not pass quickly. I had only planned on staying here for a few hours before going to my actual place of work and dealing with the more mundane problems... but it seemed that yet another catastrophe had befallen the company.

Just another typical day at A.E.D. headquarters.

I passed off the paperwork I had completed to my father's secretary before meeting the eyes of the CFO, he probably had the most urgent problem I had to deal with. I nodded for him to take a seat before looking to the others.

"There's a perfectly comfortable waiting room just outside this door. Go use it." I growled, watching as they scattered.

I took a seat at my desk, doing my best to conceal the lingering soreness I was feeling.

"I forgot how charming you were." The CFO chuckled, I raised an eyebrow causing him to clear his throat and get down to business.

It was the typical shit; asset procurement, financial stewardship, and strategic expansion. The moment I had seen him in the room I knew what this meeting would entail; he was basically running through the status of the company so I could pass on any new information to my father when we next met up. It was fairly basic stuff, so I barely paid attention to him.

Instead I found my mind wandering to Minako, as it so often had of late. More and more I was questioning if it was all worth it, everything I did or was going to do. Sometimes I just wanted to get away from it all and go back to how things used to be. Back to when things were simple.

I could still remember with remarkable clarity the night that we had officially broken up. It wasn't so much of a break up really, it was more that we had been headed in two separate directions. I was tied to a path even though I wanted to follow Minako to the end of the Earth; but I couldn't bring myself to abandon the path I was on. I still wanted her to chase her dreams just as much as she wanted to pursue them. I saw no real reason to stop her from leaving if that's what she wanted.. And she saw no reason to stay... Not that I asked her to.

Probably a mistake looking back on how things were going. She was mad at me for not joining her or not asking her to stay. Either way were hadn't parted on the best of terms, my parting quip probably hadn't helped much either.

Let me know when you figure out what you want. Who the fuck says that as a goodbye? I mean sure I was sore over the fact that she didn't see our relationship the same way that I did but I'd been dealing with that for the last decade or so. I should be fucking used to it by now.

I sighed, realizing I should probably let the past stay in the past as much as possible and concentrate on the problem at hand. The shadows weren't going to take care of themselves.

There was the sound of someone clearing their throat, I looked up from where I was glaring at the financial summary.

"Um. Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted." The CFO asked cautiously. I frowned.

"Fine. Other than the fact this is shittiest summary I've ever read. Why the fuck did your department print it out in size 8 font? I'm too young to be wearing reading glasses." I replied, doing my best to act as though I was actually paying attention. I catching the slight smile he gave me, he was probably relieved something wasn't actually wrong.

"Now if that's all, I'd appreciate it if you sent in the project manager for site 7. It seemed like we needed to go over the development schedule for the fifth time this week." I told him, he nodded as he stood up.

"Say hello to your father for me when you see him. We've missed seeing him around the office."

"I assume you want me to give you an update on his condition when I can as well?"

"That would be wonderful. Thanks kid." The CFO said as he left the room. I scowled again. Sometimes I hated the fact that I grew up around the guys at my father's company. They all seemed under the impression that my father and I actually got along. It made things tiring, my father wanted us to keep up appearances... which I had little interest in doing.

I glared at the door while waiting for the next problem to enter my office. Sometimes I wished I wasn't so worried about people finding out about my abilities. Lighting this place on fire was far too tempting sometimes.

MINAKO

"You do realize that this is your fault, right?" A familiar voice asked me, the tone riding the almost indistinguishable line between amused and annoyed.

I refrained from saying what was really on my mind, we were at work; I had to keep things professional. We could work together and I would not let whatever personal feelings I may or may not have get in the way. I'd given up too much of myself for this career to do anything less.

"Yes, Kunzite, I do realize that." I replied, my voice dangerously close to a snarl despite my best efforts. He sent me an easy, taunting, grin. "Fucking asshole."

"Just so long as you realize that, beautiful" He replied, leaning back in his seat. I fought the urge to roll my eyes and gave a theatrical sigh. He drove me absolutely insane sometimes. The amused, cocky, expression on his face had yet to fade. Finally my resolve broke and one of my feet snaked out and connected with the leg of his chair; a shame as I had been aiming for his leg.

"You're my manager, its supposed to be your job to stop this kind of scheduling conflict from happening." I

"You do know that's not actually my job, right?" He asked with a raised brow. This time it was my turn to send him a smile

"It is if you want to keep your job." I replied in an almost taunting tone. He lowered his feet from where they rested on my desk with a sigh... there was a hint of a smile in his eyes though and a very noticeable warmth in his emotions.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that right?" He prompted as he got to his feet. He paused in the door way. "And you know you haven't eaten yet today... you want me to pick something up? You do have a show tonight, I don't want you to push yourself too hard.

"You know you love me." I quipped, unable to help myself. He rolled his eyes. "And don't push myself too hard? You're worried about that now, usually you''re all ' there's a deadline, Minako. You need to focus on work'. You're obviously just concerned that I might have to take time off and your company would lose money."

"Exactly,... because what other possible reason could I have to be concerned about your health?" He remarked. "Anyway, let me know when you figure out what you want. I'll go an pick you up something to eat, because apparently I'm your personal assistant."

I nodded thankfully before he turned and exited the room, leaving me to my work. I'd been having trouble with a few of the songs for my next album... and add that to an extremely busy schedule crowded with touring dates and the premier of one of my films, I was fairly close to exhausted.

I sighed, already wishing that Kunzite was back in the room with me. Without him here the silence and pressure seemed almost overwhelming... only problem with that was it was really hard to do work with him in the same room as me. It always seemed that there was a distraction of some sort or another with him around. Sometimes he caused more problems than he solved.

AMI

As I scrubbed down for surgery, I couldn't help but let my mind wander back to Rei. She had been one of my best friends growing up but over the last few years she had become increasingly distant. I was fairly certain I knew what was going on with her. She was hiding more and more from us... or at least she was trying to.

I'd noticed over the past few months that she was constantly trying to conceal various aches and pains from me. I couldn't help but be concerned even if I was always too afraid to ask what had happened. I didn't want my suspicions to be confirmed... especially since it meant she was in danger still.

In danger and enjoying it probably, she'd been coping poorly over her break up with Minako... well, poorer than I was expecting her to. It was like there was something else at work there too. Like she wanted to blame Minako for the whole ordeal but just couldn't.

I was used to watching the two of them cycle through their endless series of break ups and reunions, for five years they did that and then suddenly five years ago it all ended... and it seemed like this time maybe it was over for good. They both refused to speak to one another for a year after it happened but slowly they had begun to talk again.

And by talk I mean occasionally text one another with congratulations over important events or send along birthday greetings. I still wasn't sure if they'd had a conversation that lasted longer than five minutes... that wasn't done through writing. Actually I wasn't sure if they'd even spoken over the phone, let alone in person.

All I knew for certain was that Rei's anger was turning inwards and she was taking risks now.

"Ami, you ready?" My supervisor asked, nudging me in the ribs with his elbow as he pulled on his gloves.

"Yes sir." I replied, immediately dispelling all of my previous thoughts and focusing on the matter at hand.

"You sure?" He asked, meeting my eyes for a second. I knew he was concerned over the fact that the surgery we were prepping for was going to be a nasty one. He was a good mentor, he'd taught me more about surgery and actually dealing with patients than the rest of my schooling and supervisors combined; he kind of treated me like his apprentice, focusing more on me than was probably necessary.

"You're wasting time." I pointed out, getting down to business. We really didn't have any time to screw around.

"That's my girl." He commented with a smile before stepping through the door. I followed him, shaking my head at the term of endearment.

And then all smiles died as we took in the amount of damage we were going to be dealing with. I'd be lucky if I wasn't late for dinner.

SETSUNA

I idly scrolled through the news site as I waited for my dinner companions. As usual Hotaru was making them late but I suppose I couldn't blame her for that. She deserved to be a normal teenager for once, the time would come where she would have to give up that normal life but we would do our best to put that off for as long as possible.

I paused at one of the articles on the upcoming election, seeing it accompanied by a familiar face. I smiled at the phone before navigating my way to my contact list. It seemed that I would be skipping dinner with the rest of the family to pursue something more... dangerous.

I didn't focus on the text I was writing to Michiru but rather I looked across the restaurant to the bar, where the subject of the news article sat. Her red hair cascaded down over her shoulders in luxuriant waves. Despite the fact I knew she would be there her beauty still took me by surprise.

I rose from my seat and approached her, feeling like it was the most natural thing in the world... Like I was finally right where I was supposed to be.

"I suppose it's time that I buy you a drink." I stated, seating myself on the bar stool next to her; gesturing at the bartender to draw his attention. Beryl looked over, the words telling me to fuck off died on her lips when she saw who I was.

"Setsuna." She breathed, her voice sounding reverent, looking almost at a loss for words.

"You were just wondering if, and when, you would see me again. Speak of the devil and all that, I find it somewhat amusing how that happens. Well, for people who aren't me I suppose."

"You're really here." Beryl noted, still somewhat disbelieving.

"I'm always here." I told her with a smile, it had been extremely tempting to contact her before this point but somehow I resisted the urge. I knew it would be an enjoyable evening together if I waited for it.

"The Senator will have a Cognac and I'll have another glass of wine." I said to the bartender as he approached the two of us. Beryl smiled.

"From anyone else that would be annoying." She commented, reaching over and brushing her fingers against mine. I smiled, enjoying the fact that I finally got to see her again. It had been a long wait.

"So, how is the campaign going?" I questioned.

"As if you don't know." Beryl laughed. "But it's going well enough, that doesn't stop it from being exhausting though."

"It doesn't leave much time to look for old friends does it?" I prompted, knowing that she hadn't found any of the others from the past life yet. I was the first she had come in to contact with.

"No. It doesn't, not that I didn't try; it was just..." Beryl let her voice trail off as the bartender set down our drinks in front of us.

"The world is far bigger than it used to be." I commented, enjoying the amusement I saw play across her face.

"That it is." Beryl agreed, sampling her drink before continuing. "I wasn't even sure where to begin my search, I was hoping that with my name and face plastered across the news one of them would contact me but it seems I'm not that lucky."

"It's worse than you think. None of them remember what they've been through, none of the Terrans at least. Queen Serenity's... reset affected them just as it did the old guard. Well, aside from a select few."

"They don't remember?" Beryl asked, seeming torn between relief and loneliness.

"No." I told her, sipping at my glass of Merlot.

"You said a select few do remember, who?" Beryl asked me cautiously. I knew the conflict she was feeling. She partially believed these memories were a bit of a curse, with out them we would all have been able to pursue our hopes and dreams without having to worry about this responsibility.

"Artemis and Luna, the Queen's advisers to start. They were the only ones to have their full memories that Serenity planned on. She had them remember everything so they could try and steer the others towards the outcome she wanted."

"You say that like others remember... and Serenity didn't want them to."

"She wished to spare them the painful memories, just as you do for your generals. However not everything went according to plan. Haruka remembers everything, though I blame that on my influence. She and I have known each other... forever." I explained.

"And what of her partner, surely she remembers as well."

"She does but not for the same reasons. I believe that the power Serenity used on them was more closely focused on the Princess' protectors...it's the only reason I can see that both Haruka and Michiru's memories awakened and not the others. Anyway, Michiru remembers because someone she loved triggered her memories. Some part of Michiru couldn't stand to see her dearest friend suffering alone and so she fully awakened."

"Wait, are you saying Rei remembers everything?" Beryl asked sounding hopeful yet horrified.

"I am not sure how she remembers what she does... she simply does. One of the many mysteries surrounding her I suppose."

"She's going to be a turning point again this time around, isn't she?"

I couldn't so anything but nod. Beryl sighed.

"I almost wish I could just be a politician, those situations are so much less complicated than these ones can be."

I did my best not to bring up any more of the knowledge that I possessed... so we sat in silence for a bit, just enjoying our drinks and trying not to think about anything other than the moment.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Beryl asked. "Go some where we can catch up with out having to worry so much about what others hear?"

I gave her another fond look, knowing this was an attempt to get me to join her at her home. I placed a fair amount of cash on the counter and got to my feet.

"Shall we be on our way then?" I asked her, she gave me a dazzling smile and stood as well. Just as we reached the doors to the restaurant I paused.

"Ah, yes, one more item of business before we settle in for an enjoyable evening. This is where I'm supposed to tell you that Rei works at The Gaslight."

"What?" Beryl asked sounding shocked.

"You've been looking for her more intensely than you have been for the Terrans you used to know." I stated, it would work well enough as an answer. "And telling you this is supposed to get things in motion, however that can wait until tomorrow. She's having dinner with friends and you... are busy."

REI

I slowly made my way up to the front door of Ami and Makoto's apartment, sliding my key into the outer lock. They'd gotten sick of me dropping down on to their balcony when I wanted to talk so they'd given me my own key. Still didn't solve the problem of actually having to wait around for them to come to the door but it was dry in here at least.

I shook my head slightly as I stepped inside, trying to rid my long hair of what water I could. The weather had taken a turn for the worse around noon today and hadn't cleared in the slightest. The world was probably just conspiring to make my night as miserable as possible... especially since the appearance of a shadow was almost guaranteed tonight. They'd been popping up with more and more consistency lately.

I made my way up to the fifth floor and went to the corner apartment, knocking on the door. Inside I could hear the faint sound of music being played... and the swift sound of footsteps coming to answer the door.

"Rei, how was work today?" Ami asked as I removed my jacket. The movement caused pain to radiate through my body. I gave a smile, trying to cover it up.

"Work was the same as always. How about you? Anything exciting going on?" I questioned, folding my jacket over my arm.

"At the hospital? Always." Ami replied with a bit of a grin as she took my jacket from me.

"Saving the world one patient at a time, huh?" I asked, knowing that Ami prided herself in her medical prowess. It was something she loved doing and it was good to see her have that in this life. I had the feeling that this was her calling in life.

"I wouldn't quite go that far." She told me with a bit of a laugh. I smiled at her, knowing that this modesty was a very significant part of what made her who she was.

"I'm fairly certain your patients would." I told her. "I mean you are finishing up your trauma surgery fellowship."

She gave a shrug, she never saw herself as a hero or even someone doing something remotely worthy of praise. She just did it because it was what she loved. The intelligence. The learning. The saving. I decided to let the matter drop and move on. No point in flustering her.

"So it smells amazing in here... What does the master chef have on the menu tonight?"

"Why don't you ask her? She'll knows better than I do." Ami laughed, gesturing for me to follow her into the dining room.

"Hey Sunshine." Makoto greeted tauntingly from where she stood in the kitchen, in front of her there was a wide array of food set out on the counter. "Finally decided to make some time for your friends, hey?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I already apologized for this morning." I muttered. "I really hope this dinner isn't just some elaborate ploy to poison me or something as revenge."

Makoto laughed.

"And ruin perfectly good food? Sorry Rei, but you're not worth that." Makoto told me. I smiled.

"So what food aren't you ruining on my behalf?" I questioned, Makoto chuckled to herself again.

"For the appetizer were having a pesto chicken flat bread followed by beef fillets, butternut squash and..."

I smirked, deciding to try and annoy her back.

"So do you need help making this pizza or steak?" I asked. Makoto tossed a dish cloth at me.

"Shut the hell up Rei." She told me, Ami laughed at the two of us. "And you'd think that after all this time you'd have some more respect for the art that is cooking."

"Hey, I am financing your restaurant. I figured that would be enough respect between the two of us." I quipped back, then leaned forward against the counter. "But seriously, you were cooking all day at work, you sure you don't want help?"

"No. I got this. Go sit your ass down." Makoto told me with laughter in her voice, pushing me towards the living room.

"Have it your way then." I told her, smiling as I left her alone in the kitchen. Once in the living room I took a seat on one of the couches. Ami sat down beside me, giving me a soft, almost shy, smile. It was an expression I hadn't seen in years.

"Where'd all that hard won confidence go there, Doc?" I asked, nudging her lightly. She gave a small shrugging motion.

"It always seems to disappear when I have to talk to you about something important..." Ami admitted.

"You wound me." I commented dryly. Ami nudged me in the arm, rolling her eyes.

"Don't give me that. You're still kind of an intimidating person even after all this time. Especially when I know you won't like the conversation." Ami told me. "And sometimes I think you like that... being intimidating, I mean."

I chuckled.

"It's a handy skill to have sometimes." I replied. "But you can talk to me about anything. Even if I won't particularly like it. We've been through a lot together, you've earned that right, Ami." I reassured her, even knowing that she couldn't remember most of the times I was referring too.

"Okay, I'll just get to the point then." Ami said sounding reassured. She gave a sigh, then the words came out in a rush like she just wanted this talk over with. "I saw you wince when you were taking off your jacket. Add that to the myriad of other anomalies in your behaviour over the last five years... I know you're hiding something. And I'm fairly certain I know what it is."

I looked away. I had known this talk was coming, she was always the most observant one on the team.

"Rei, I know you're keeping this a secret for a reason. I don't know the reason but I know you have one, so I'm going to respect that. I just – I just want you to know that I know. And I want you to come see me if you have problems."

"That an order, Doctor?" I asked her with a smile.

"Yes, that's an order." Ami said sternly, not amused by my attempt at a joke. "Now, while we're waiting for Makoto to finish cooking, is there anything else I should know about?"

I knew that tone. Her words weren't a question; instead, she was demanding the truth about my injuries.

"Some bruising. Nothing serious." I told her, not mentioning the event with the shadow the night before. There was no point in bringing it up until I knew what exactly was going on, if it had been a severe injury I would have spoken but the fact that it was less intense than I was used to was... puzzling.

There were too many questions I couldn't answer so I was just going to ignore it until I had more to go on.

"Nothing's broken? No broken bones or stab wounds that need tending?" Ami asked, there was an oddly relieved tone in her voice and I almost felt guilty about leaving out the incident from last night.

Physical contact of that type with a shadow was rare and usually it left very distinctive wounds. The fact that I hadn't been harmed in the typical manner was... disconcerting at best. The lasting ache seemed almost ominous.

"No. Nothing serious." I reassured her, keeping my concerns to myself. I'd trouble her with it when I actually knew what was going on.

"What happened? I mean, how did you get hurt?" Ami asked, relaxing a bit.

"I fell... into a building." I said, giving a bit of a shrug. At Ami's skeptical expression I amended my answer. "Well, actually I was thrown."

"How bad is it really?" Ami asked, cringing a bit. I decided to be completely forthright with her over this one.

"Got some bruising on my back, stomach, and chest. Had a bit of road rash but the worst of it has healed."

"You didn't crack any ribs did you?"

"Might have. Hurt a fair bit last night but I'm doing better today." I told her, wondering what she'd do if I had.

"I assume this is why you missed out of out coffee date this morning?"

"Actually, I just slept in. It wasn't like I was housebound due to the severity of my injuries. It was an honest mistake." I told her, rolling my eyes. Even if my injuries had been more severe I would have met up with them. I'd just overslept.

"Nothing about you is honest, Rei." Ami muttered, sounding amused. "I'm glad to hear you're okay though."

I smiled at her, choosing not to question her comment about my honesty. She was probably right, I hadn't been completely honest with any of them in years. And she knew it.

And she still trusted me despite all that. She didn't care about my honesty, or lack thereof. If anything, it seemed to be one of my more endearing traits in her mind. I shook my head, a certain familiar fondness building up inside of me again as I felt myself give a bit of a smirk; trying to hide the guilt that was lingering.

AMI

"You're too nice to me, you know that?" Rei commented with a smile, it wasn't her usual smile... it seemed almost sad. I nudged her in the side.

"And the day you no longer deserve it is the day I'll stop." I told her, I sincerely doubted that Rei could do anything to make me believe she didn't deserve my friendship. She had been there for me without question or judgement any time I needed her. And every time she felt I was having trouble she would step in and do her best to make my problems go away. It was something I had never really understood about her; she had a driving need to try and fix things.

Some times I wondered why Rei put up with our crap like she did, she always seemed so much more content interacting with people outside of our main group of friends. People like Michiru and Setsuna. They were still dear friends but when we were younger... well, it was just the five of us. The others flitted in and out of our lives but Rei was really the only one who seemed to connect with them on that next level.

Rei looked more at home and more at peace with them than she did with us. Every time she saw us it was like she got sad or wistful for something I didn't understand. She enjoyed herself but there was that sense of... pain or nostalgia about her. It had lessened somewhat when Minako and her broke up but occasionally I could still see it.

"You two done talking in here?" Makoto asked, poking her head into the room. I nodded, getting to my feet as Rei followed suit.

"Do you need us to do anything?" Rei asked, earning herself a dish cloth to the face.

"Just go sit down Sunshine." Makoto ordered to which Rei gave a smile and a sarcastic salute. I laughed, glad to see her and Makoto interacting like this. They had been good friends practically since the day they met and they were good influences on one another. Makoto helped Rei loosen up and enjoy herself where Rei helped Makoto by being someone who she didn't have to worry about relying on. Makoto, for some reason, trusted Rei more completely than anyone else she knew.

Together, Rei and I sat down for a long over due get together; watching as Makoto loaded the table with food.

"Is an army joining us for dinner?" Rei asked, raising an eyebrow at the amount of food Makoto had cooked.

"No dumbass, I just am sick of you eating take out every damn meal."

"It's not every meal." Rei retorted, Makoto rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, 'cause you skip the others." Makoto muttered under her breath. Rei opened her mouth to reply but I cut across her.

"How about you two children eat now nad fight later?" I suggested, both of them shrugged and began loading up their plates. Makoto paused before eating.

"Either of you two want something to drink while I'm up?" Makoto asked, looking to me first.

"I'll have whatever you're having."

"Sure thing sweetheart. One glass of wine coming up." Makoto replied with a grin and I caught the smirk on Rei's face as my face pinked a bit at the term of endearment. I still wasn't used to this between the two of us... at least in front of others. I aimed a kick at Rei under the table, fully aware of how funny she found me and felt a small bit of satisfaction when I saw her wince. Makoto chuckled and watched Rei, waiting for her answer.

"Just water thanks." Rei replied.

"Mmm. Right, I forgot you don't drink." Makoto hummed. Rei rolled her eyes.

"I don't drink often." Rei corrected. "Plus I think one bad habit is enough."

"Why the hell am I wasting good food on you anyway?" Makoto asked from the kitchen, her voice sounding amused. "It's not like a smoker can enjoy it to its full extent anyway."

Rei laughed and I felt my disapproval stirring again. It was good to see her and Makoto acting like this but really, they should not be making light of Rei's disgusting habit.

"I'm sure I'll enjoy it just fine Makoto. Your cooking is always nothing short of fantastic." Rei returned, then she caught the expression on my face.

"And Makoto, do you know how to lower the disapproval setting on your Ami-bot? It's getting a bit unnerving." Rei asked, looking at me instead of in Makoto's direction, a teasing expression on her face.

"Kissing usually works but I will send you through the window if you try that. Maybe try grovelling a bit. Or hey, novel idea, promise to stop smoking?" Makoto commented as she returned to the room with three drinks in hand. Rei sighed.

"Alright Ami, you win. I'll quit smoking." Rei said and for a second I believed her, until I caught the twitch at the corner of her mouth. I smiled as I gave a shake of my head.

"Liar." I acknowledged as both she and Makoto laughed, taking us back to younger simpler times. Time passed by quickly and before we knew it three hours had gone by and we were all starting to fade. I accompanied Rei to the door while Makoto packaged up some leftovers. Rei looked over to me as I rummaged in the closet for her jacket.

"Mm. Right, I forgot to ask over dinner. How are things going with your mother lately?" Rei prompted as she took her coat from me. This was a ritual she'd started years ago, knowing that my mother and I didn't always see eye to eye. I imagined that it was because of her own relationship that she had with her parental figure. I guess she thought my mother and I had a better chance at working things out than she did with her father.

"It's actually going quite well this time around. I mean we're not at the point where she's going to be coming for Christmas... But she's finally accepted that I'm not dropping everything I've built here to take that job across the country. I mean I can understand that she wanted us to work at the same hospital but..."

"You've got a good life here Ami. Just don't let your mom drift too far away. You take after her a fair bit. You're intelligent, driven, and just a tad too independent for your own good. It makes you both a bit lonely." Rei paused. "Just remember she doesn't have her own Makoto to look after her, what she's got is you... so don't give up on her, yeah?"

I stepped forward giving Rei a hug, I'd never heard anyone other than Makoto so aptly describe why my mother and I were so often at odds. Her insights never failed to surprise me, sometimes it was like she had a strategy guide showing her how to interact with each of us. Well each of us except Usagi but to be fair she was a bit... complicated.

"Are you sure you're okay managing that side project on your own?" I asked her, stepping back making sure she couldn't hide her face with a hug if she decided to lie to me. I knew all the tricks to picking up on her half truths, white lies, and intricate fabrications. She smiled at me, catching on to what I was doing.

"Yeah Ami. I got it for now, just waiting for a few more things to fall into place. I'll let you know if I need anything." She replied, this time I could see she was trying to be as transparent as possible with me. She still had things she wasn't bringing up but I didn't need to know everything. I just needed to know she wasn't struggling to cope with her task.

"Well, Rei I think it's about time you get out of here so Ami and I can have date night... or some shit." Makoto said as she leaned in the doorway, for some reason Rei laughed at this rather than getting offended at the unceremonious verbal eviction.

"It was good to see you too." She replied. "And thanks for having me."

"You really should come by the restaurant more often, you are technically a part owner." Makoto grinned, clapping a hand against Rei's shoulder.

"Nah, money has nothing to do with it; you're the owner and nothing is going to change that. And besides, if I went to see you there I'd never get to see Ami. We'll just have to try and have coffee on mornings where I don't sleep in." Rei joked.

"Well, just know you've always got a table reserved." Makoto assured her, passing the bag of leftovers that she'd packaged up for Rei.

"I'll consider it. Good night you two." Rei said before opening our door and stepping out into the hall.

"Don't get into too much trouble." I warned her, making sure to keep my tone light and teasing so as not to tip off Makoto. Rei lifted a hand in a half wave without turning back to face me as she walked down the hallway.

Hopefully she'd listen to me.

KUNZITE

I dried off quickly, pulling on a pair of pyjama bottoms before leaving the bathroom. I knew Minako would be waiting to have a shower before bed. It was always the final stage in her relaxation process. It was the thing that calmed her busy mind just before bed, lulling her into sleep.

I looked out through the glass door to the balcony, watching Minako stare out at the bright lights of the city. She would always go outside to decompress after a show, no matter the weather. She needed space to let herself relax before doing anything else. If she skipped this step it would show for days. Her irritability would skyrocket, turning her into the most endearing mess of emotion and energy. Good for her creativity and sex life, not so much for mental stability.

I smiled at the thought of the few times I'd actually seen her like that and knocked on the glass twice, when she turned around I nodded my head in the direction of the bathroom.

"I'm done in there." I told her, knowing she'd understand my words even if she couldn't hear them. This was a common enough ritual for the two of us. "Come in whenever you're ready."

She flashed a small smile at me, her dazzling expression lighting up my world before she turned away again to look out at the skyline. I watched her for a moment longer before going to sit down. I sank down into the soft leather couch as I propped my still aching feet up on the coffee table. Today had to have been the longest day in existence.

I let out a long contented sigh as I reach for the remote and turned on the TV. Even with the distraction of the television I found my attention drawn back to the woman of my dreams. Seconds stretched into minutes as I just found myself watching her. The gentle sway of her hips as she shifted position, the way her hair fell down her back just barely blowing in the breeze. And exhausted as she was, she was still the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. Everything about her just radiated warmth and kindness, it was like everything that made this world good was shown in her and her alone.

"What are you looking at?" She asked as entered the room and caught me staring.

"Just you." I replied, not knowing what else to say. There weren't words to convey what exactly I saw when I looked at her.

"Just me? No compliments in there? You're slipping Kunzite." She told me with the first hint of laughter in her voice as she leaned down for a kiss. I brushed my lips against hers briefly, catching the look in her eyes. She was tired. I leaned back against the couch, the fondness in my eyes never leaving.

"C'mere." I told her, patting the seat next to me trying to tempt her into sitting down for a few moments. She joined me, curling against my side, her face rested against my bare chest as I ran my hand through her hair. My arm was draped around her body, holding her as close as I dared.

"I shouldn't be doing this right now." She told me, her voice hushed like she was admitting something illicit. The amused tone of her voice let me know her mood.

"And why not?" I asked her lightly.

"Because I'm gross right now, all dried sweat and exhaustion." She replied, even as she said this her eyes were dropping shut. Her protest was nothing but a front.

"You think I care about that?" I asked quietly. "You're perfect... aside from the exhaustion."

"You always did find the best moments to cuddle." She remarked, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. I smiled, letting my head rest against the cushions. It was the most ordinary of days for us, and that was what made it so infinitely important.

"Minako, I need to talk to you." I whispered, softly running my hand up and down her arm. The motion was slow and deliberate, it was meant to relax her even though it was probably the only thing keeping her awake at the moment.

"Hmm?" She murmured, clearly meaning for me to continue.

"I'm going to sound like a pathetic sap when I say this but I've known you were the only one for me from the first moment I met you. I looked at you and I saw... everything I could ever want. It was like looking at eternity."

I could feel Minako's expression change, the slightest hint of her muscles shifting against the skin of my chest. I looked down, catching sight of that smile of hers. I returned it with an easy smile of my own as she opened her eyes and looked up at me.

"I know. Corny as hell, right?" I asked, catching sight of the laughter around her lips. I reached down with my free hand and stroked a thumb along her bottom lip. Her eyes were shining with emotion as I continued. "Minako, when I say that I saw eternity in you I mean that you're the first person I've ever considered a future with. You're someone I want to be with forever. Minako, what I'm trying to say is will you marry me?"

AN: Sorry that took longer than expected. I ended up working in the middle of nowhere again and the internet access is shitty. I'll try and be better about updating the stories but I can't promise anything. Just know that I am still trying to make this whole updating thing work.