Chapter 14-Mourn the Dead

Rei slowly opened her eyes. She was back in the house. There was a sharp, stabbing pain on her shoulder and Rei winced as she tried to sit up. What happened? The last thing she remembered was Jadeite shooting at her with a machine gun…she tried to shoot back…and then she was hit….

Beside her, Minako was sleeping in a chair, her head hung uncomfortably low.

"Mina…." Rei opened her mouth to speak but she could barely squeeze the words out. Her throat was parched and a sharp pain of hunger stabbed her in the stomach…how long was she out?

Her girlfriend's eyes flew open. "Rei? Rei...you are awake..." She ran to the door and yelled for Ami to come. "Okay, don't move yet..." Mina ran back to prevent Rei from sitting up.

"Did everyone get out okay? Did we save the girls?"

"We all did and we saved everyone...oh, you missed how bad ass Ami was." Mina smiled and wiped away her tears.

Ami entered and gave Rei a hug. She quickly assessed the wounds and gave a thumbs-up to everyone. "Okay, I know you hate not doing anything but please listen to me. You have to stay in bed, restricted activity, for at least a week."

Rei nodded solemnly. "Guys, how long was I out? I felt like I haven't eaten in days."

Mina held up her fingers, indicating two days. "We fed you water and soup using pipettes. We fed you like you were a tiny little baby bird." She teased.

A gentle knock came from the door and then Mako came in with a food tray. "Hi, Rei. You must be hungry. Here... Sorry, it's not solid food yet but we will build up your strength gradually."

"Let me guess, Ami's order?" Rei opened the lid and leaned in to smell the food. "I guess I can do congee for a couple of days."

Suddenly, a loud wail came from the hallway. Usagi burst in, crying. She started to walk towards Rei and then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Rei asked. She had actually warmed up to Usagi last week, but Usagi was still scared of her.

"I am just glad you are okay. Sorry, I promised I won't be a crybaby." Usagi sniffled.

Rei pretended to roll her eyes and then burst out laughing. "You don't have to be scared of me. Come here..." Usagi tentatively took a step, and then ran the rest of the way and hugged Rei.

"Oh my gosh, I am hurting you, I am sorry." Usagi let go when she noticed Rei winced.

"Quite a grip for the princess." Rei rubbed her shoulder and couldn't help but smile. The worry on Usagi's face, mixed in with fear...Did she scare Usagi that much? Sure, Rei knew she was a hard ass sometimes and she didn't believe in holding back honest opinions. Perhaps the apocalypse made her less friendly than usual; she didn't mean to traumatize Usagi.

"Okay, eat up and rest. Everybody out." The doctor ordered. "Mina, you should get some rest too. "

Mina nodded but sat back down on the chair. "I will. Later."

Rei finished the congee and let out a happy sigh. Minako took the tray and then came back to tug Rei in. She felt uncomfortable being taken care of, but she obliged.

"I am glad you are okay." Mina reached over and took Rei's hand. "You really scared me, seeing you passed out in that huge pool of blood."

Rei smiled weakly and squeezed Mina's hand. "I will be better next time. No one will be able to hurt me."

"Rei-Chan!" The door burst open and Chibiusa and Hotaru entered. Mina let go of Rei's hand and stepped aside. The two chipmunks climbed onto the foot of the bed and showed their gifts to Rei, a drawing of an archer shooting flames and a giant wild flower bouquet. "Ami said we could talk to you for five minutes and then you have to sleep."

"Thank you, guys." Rei beamed and happily accepted the gifts. "Aww...this is beautiful."

"Does it still hurt?" Chibiusa asked. She put her hand over Rei's, her eyes wide with worry.

"It's much better now. Seeing the both of you make me forget the pain."

"Rei..." Hotaru whispered. "I am glad you are not dead."

Rei held her head high and put a hand on her heart. "Yup, still very much alive. Good people always wins, right?" Hotaru frowned and squeezed her eyebrows tighter together.

Rei sighed and pulled the two girls closer. "Look, I promise I will try my hardest not to get hurt in the future, okay?"

Hotaru and Chibiusa looked up and nodded.

"Okay, Rei needs to rest now. Time to go." Minako ushered the kids out.

"Sorry we interrupted your love love time..." Chibiusa said as she closed the door. Minako's face turned rosy.

Rei smiled and felt unusually happy. This is her family now...


September 23, it's Autumnal Equinox day. A national holiday dedicated to pay respect to deceased family members and visit their graves. Rei put an x on the calendar and sighed. Everyone had lost someone, and there were no graves to visit anymore.

She wondered if grandpa was still wondering around as a zombie. It ate away at her conscience that she didn't put him out of his misery. She relived that scene over and over; how he sacrificed himself so she and Minako could get away...she should've done something.

"Earth to Rei..." Chibiusa popped up out of nowhere and jumped into Rei's bed. "What are you doing?"

"Just thinking." Rei forced a weak smile on her face. "So, how is the feast coming? Mako told me you and Hotaru were suppose to be helping out in the kitchen...did someone get lazy?"

Chibiusa held up her finger, where there was a fresh cut. "I did until the peeler slipped and sliced my skin. So, Mako told me to go. See, I helped."

Moments later, Hotaru walked into the room and plopped down on Rei's bed. "I got kicked out too."

Rei raised an eyebrow. "So no one is helping Mako?"

Hotaru looked apologetic. "Turns out I was making things worse. Mako had to restart the soup. I accidentally put sugar in instead of salt...do you think she's mad?"

Rei gently patted Hotaru on the head. "I am sure Mako was happy to have you two helping out. And hey, maybe sweet miso soup is going to be a huge hit..."

Rei shifted herself to the edge of the bed and slowly got up. "I don't know about you guys, but I am going crazy just sitting here, doing nothing. I am just gonna go talk to Mako, see if she needs anything...Oh, did you guys finish the homework Ami gave you?"

Both girls shook their head. "Why do we still have to do homework? The world ended, remember?" Chibiusa whined.

"It's for your own good. I want you two to finish it by tonight, okay?" Rei bent down and put on her slippers, wincing in pain when she accidentally moved the injured shoulder.

The girls nodded and headed upstairs to their rooms.

Rei made her way to the kitchen, trying hard to ignore the mess the house was in. She couldn't deal with laziness, and she let her chores slide. Poor Mako probably shouldered all of the chores...

"Rei? What are you doing here?" Mako turned around in surprise. Her hands were covered in sticky rice and a pot was boiling over on the stove.

Rei went over and turned down the heat. She took a spatula and stirred the red bean mixture. "Because you are overwhelmed. How many ohagi are you making? This is enough to feed an army..."

Mako returned to mixing her sticky rice paste. "One for each of us, and the rest for our lost family members. I don't know the exact number so I made a lot. I just think this is the least I can do, to honor them and to remember them. Ami's mom, my parents, Minako's parents, your grandpa, your mom, Usagi and Chibiusa's parents, Hotaru's parents...the list just gets longer and longer.." Mako's voice cracked and she quickly turned away...

Rei turned away as well, giving Mako the privacy she needed. They had all been so busy with surviving, none of them had a proper chance to mourn the dead. Rei knew she shut that door on purpose, so she could focus on what needed to be done. Today, however, Rei couldn't close that door anymore.

Last autumnal equinox day, she and Grandpa woke up early and traveled to her mother's grave. They spent the morning cleaning it, presenting flowers and incense, and then just sit at the grave and talked all day long.

That night, they made tons of food and they ate and ate until they couldn't anymore. She and grandpa had laid on the grass and just looked up at stars.

Rei regretted not spending more time with him near the end. She was busy with university, she was busy with her new social life...how many times did she turn down grandpa's dinner invitations? If only she could go back...


When dinner was served, everyone gathered around the table. The atmosphere was solemn, as they were each confronted with their belated mourning.

Michiru brought out a bottle of sake and poured a little for everyone. "We will never forget...and for their sake, we will keep on surviving. Kanpai!"

Everyone clinked their cups and settled back into their own thoughts.

Rei looked at the wildflower bouquet the girls prepared and smiled sadly. She looked around the table and felt lucky that she was able to find a new family. Surviving in this harsh world would only get harder and harder, but she knew if they all stick together, they might just be able to get out of this alive...


A.N.

This chapter and the next chapter are the "filler episodes". The final arc is coming...