ACT 12 – HUG

Sitting on the couch, Satoru sighed and rolled a lock of his long hair around his forefinger, glancing at Nobuo, "Nothing? No sign of him, yet?"

"He is driving me crazy. When I'll finally meet him, I'll knock him down and drag him here." Nobuo's right fist hit the palm of his left hand, physical show of his intention.

"Keep your temper at bay, Nobuo." Kazuo grunted.

Mamoru smiled and handed Kazuo a cup of tea, "I don't think there's the need to – "

"So, what? Have you some idea?" Nobuo interrupted Mamoru and stared at Kazuo, his hands on his hips, "Are we going to stay here and wait until Knight Patience will decide to show himself?"

Minako placed her right hand on her mouth and giggled.

Mamoru grinned, "Jadeite is going to - "

"It doesn't seem your wandering around Arisugawa Park and around Pedagogy Department at Tokyo University is producing some effect," Satoru casted Nobuo an annoyed look, his forefinger still playing with his curly hair.

Nobuo walked in front of Satoru, towering on him as Satoru remained sitting on the couch, his legs crossed and his upper leg gently swinging; he folded his arms and provoked the younger guy, "Are you planning to use some sort of math formula in order to find out where and when Jadeite will show himself?"

Satoru simply snorted.

Mamoru had another try, "Please, Nobuo, sit down and – "

Vain attempt.

"I can't stand this wait!" Nobuo flopped on the couch by Satoru's side.

Mamoru repressed an amused laugh and sipped his tea, observing the scene ongoing in his living room, almost the same scene along the last two weeks: Nobuo ranting against Jadeite and moving inside the living room as a lion in cage, Satoru provoking Nobuo's rage with his impudent attitude, and Kazuo grunting. Sitting on the armchair, Mamoru kept observing his friends, waiting for the right moment to reveal Jadeite's visit.

Minako sighed, "Poor Rei. She wants to meet Jadeite so badly but she acts as this wait doesn't upset her." She glanced at the clock, "Please, guys, when she'll be here, stop this quarrel."

Makoto nodded, "Mina-chan is right. We can't keep talking about Jadeite this way every day. It's like rubbing salt into the wound, for Rei."

Satoru stood up and stirred. He reached the girls at the table, he knelt down and grabbed a cookie, "Where's Rei?"

Ami closed the big book in her hands, "Still at her school, busy with her new club. She has decided to join the music club."

Satoru blinked, "Music club?"

Usagi smiled, "Rei plays piano. And she sings, too."

Minako nodded and stared at Satoru, her serious eyes into his ones, "But she usually doesn't show this side of her so often. She is really discreet about her artistic skills. We saw her playing piano just one time, some years ago; she learnt to play piano from her mother, and I think she is why she doesn't play piano so often: she likes it but it's also painful, for her."

Satoru had a gentle smile, "Now, Rei has a new reason for playing piano. Jadeite can help her to enjoy it, erasing the painful memories it brings."

Mamoru stood up and walked to kitchen, "I think we should stop calling him Jadeite. We know his name is Jun, now. Jun Higashi."

Nobuo snorted, "I'll call him Jun when I'll finally meet him."

Mamoru came back from the kitchen, "Get ready, 'cause you are going to meet him soon. I think in the next couple of hours, when he'll be here." He remained serious, fighting against the laugh tickling his throat.

Kazuo's right eyebrow rose in surprise, "What are you talking about? How do you know he'll be here in the next couple of hours?"

Mamoru shrugged, his serious mask still on, "This is what he told me when he left my apartment, this morning, after spending the night here."

Silence, finally broken by Minako's shout, "WHAT?"

Mamoru burst out laughing and revealed the visit of the past evening.

Kazuo sighed and placed his hand on his forehead, his tone as he was reproaching a spoiled child, "Why didn't you warn us, yesterday, when he came here? And why didn't you tell it as soon as we arrived, today?"

Mamoru scratched his nape, a bratty smile on his face, "Sorry. It was late evening, Jun and I started talking – we spent almost the whole night talking, he asked me everything about you, any of you - and we decided to wait until today for telling you everything. But when I was trying to talk about it, you kept interrupting me."

Usagi stood up in excitement, "We have to warn Rei-chan!" She rolled up her school uniform's sleeve and freed the communication device on her wrist, ready to use it.

"No, Usa! Please! Don't call her!"

Usagi blinked, her surprised eyes on Mamoru, "Why?"

Mamoru gently blushed, "Jun wants to meet Rei outside her school. He wants it to be a surprise."

Satoru winked, "What a plotter, Mamoru."

Minako half-closed her eyes and had a naughty smile, "I'd like to be a fly and spy their meeting."

Usagi nodded, "A fly. Me too."

Kazuo smirked, "You'd be two buzzing and pesky flies, for sure."

Mamoru blushed furiously, repressing a laugh, "Kazuo!"

The snow cracked under her feet as she walked, her eyes focused on her lonely shadow standing out on the white blanket. Rei sighed and her breath condensed into a white cloud in front of her mouth.

She gently tuned the song trapped in her mind since her past life, a song revived during the concert of two weeks before.

A new shadow paralleled hers, and a male voice joined her soft singing.

Rei stopped and turned to the guy by her side, her eyes open wide in shock.

He smiled, "You were singing one of my songs, weren't you? I am glad you like it."

He was there, staring at her with a calm smile, his hands into his jacket's pockets and his head softly bent toward his left shoulder. Rei tried to recollect all her confused thoughts and surprise into just one willing: finding a way to bring him to Mamoru so he could regain his memories. Her hand gently caressed her long hair near her neck, perfect show of her usual nonchalance and grace, "My friends too enjoyed the show and your songs. I'd like you to meet them. Would you like to - "

A soft laugh, his head lowered and his eyes closed. He finally scratched his nape, "Yes, Mamoru liked it. I know. I am happy."

Confusion, and Rei finally understood, "Do you remember everything? Did you meet Mamoru, already?"

Jun nodded, his look now serious, "I met him yesterday evening, and now I remember everything on my past life. And of you, Mars."

Rei blushed and averted her eyes, "Rei Hino, now. Please, keep in mind I am Rei Hino, a different person from the one you once knew. I am not just a Senshi but a normal girl, human, with a past, a family and so on. And you too, you are a normal guy, now." She bit her lower lip, facing her inner fears: was Jadeite going to love her as Rei Hino? Was she going to love Jadeite as Jun Higashi? Why was she so scared to fall in love again?

"You know, Rei-chan, I think you have always been too scared about falling in love, then and now. You are afraid of the dark side of Love: possession, jealousy and dependency. This is why you tried to resist to your attraction to Jadeite, hiding behind that vow, and now you are wondering if Jadeite is the same or has changed; you're trying to resist falling in love again." – Minako was right.

"Yes. I am Jun Higashi, now. Don't worry, I don't want to force you: keep all the time you need for knowing me and showing me who Rei Hino is." He walked past her, looking at the terse sky, "Would you like to have a walk at Arisugawa Park?"

"Arisugawa Park? A walk? Now?"

He stopped and turned round, "Yes. A walk. I love Arisugawa Park in days like this. It's calm and silent."

Rei nodded and smiled.

That feeling: the feeling of walking by his side, silently, with no needs of words. It was the thing she loved the most, in her past life.

The feeling of his hand in hers … Rei blushed, when did they start holding hands? It didn't matter: they walked along Arisugawa Park and then along Tokyo's streets, hand in hand, until they reached Mamoru's apartment, just the cracking of the snow under their feet.

The door opened and Rei entered the apartment, followed by Jun. She walked to the small table, knelt down and took a cookie, indifferent of the girls' eyes staring at her.

Finally, Minako's voice, "SO?"

Rei slowly ate the cookie and glanced at Minako, "So? What?"

Usagi bent forward, her chest like a bridge crossing the small table, her face in front of Rei's one, "How's your meeting with Jun?"

Rei tossed her hair behind and closed her eyes, "It isn't your business, Usagi-chan!"

Usagi crossed her arms around her chest and whined, "How unfair. We wanted so much to see your meeting with Jun." She moved her eyes from Rei to Mamoru; her disappointed grimace changed into a sweet and loving smile; a whisper, "Everybody, look! They are finally together. Mamo-chan has finally them back with him. He is so happy, now. They are so happy."

The Senshi observed Mamoru hugging the Shitennou, all the five guys finally enclosed in a same hug, tight and silent hug.

I had the idea of Rei playing piano because of Casablanca Memories (I think this the only scene where Rei plays piano, in Naoko Takeuchi's work).

Just the epilogue left. THANKS for following me until the final. Hope you liked it.