A/N: Heads up: there will be a section of darker, more mature concepts and language in this chapter. Viewer discretion is advised.

But on a lighter note, the first part was definitely inspired by a Bob's Burgers episode.

"Usagi? Can you hear me?"

Mamoru held the orb tightly and stared into it, listening carefully.

"Usagi! It's Mamoru! Where are you?"

There were long moments of silence.

"Are you sure this thing works?" Makoto asked, turning to Jadeite.

"Positive," he said. "Sometimes it just takes a minute to start up and get a response."

"Usagi!" Rei shouted. "We're all here trying to rescue you. I didn't risk my life in a sky city for you to just ignore our call! Where are you?"

"R-Rei?" came a muffled voice.

"Usagi!" Mamoru gripped it even harder.

"How are you talking to me right now? Am I hallucinating?"

"No, we're using a magical orb. What happened to you? Where are you?"

"I'm… well…"

"Are you hurt?" Minako asked. "Do we need to call backup for this rescue?"

"No, not at all," she said. She started to become visible in the orb. Her surroundings looked dark and empty, almost like an alley.

"Well would you tell us where you are so we can come get you?" Rei grew impatient.

"I'm… in Windkeep."

"…Seriously?" came the group's response.

"Yes! Okay? Please don't hate me."

"Windkeep? You mean the fort that Chibi-usa built inside that opening in the alley behind my parents' diner?" Makoto asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yes it is, and last week I came here to leave her a care package as a surprise, but then this huge delivery truck parked right in front of the entrance, so I've been trapped in here."

"You've been trapped in there for a whole week?!" Mamoru freaked out. "Why didn't you call anyone?"

"There's no service in here."

"Well how have you been surviving? You've been without food and water all this time!"

"Not exactly. I ate everything in the care package."

The group all sighed. "Oh Usagi… well, we're just glad that you're all right and weren't abducted or anything."

"That's great, now would somebody PLEASE come and get me out of here?"

"We'll be right there."

The group ventured downtown to the alley where the large fort was. There's no way Usagi or Mamoru would let Chibi-usa in there ever again after this.

The large semi was literally parked right in front of the entrance, and evidently hadn't moved all week. It was a strange parking job, no doubt.

"How are we gonna move this truck without destroying it?" Minako asked.

"With all of our strength combined, we should be able to push it a few inches, enough for Usagi to get out," Kunzite said.

The Shitennou and Mamoru went to the back and started pushing. Their strength alone seemed like it might suffice, but the Senshi got behind and started pushing too. The truck started to budge, slowly rolling away, though they were all struggling like crazy, wearing themselves out trying to get it to move even that much.

Usagi squeezed through the opening and ran up to hug Mamoru.

"Oh Mamo-chan… it was terrible. Please don't ever let me do anything this stupid again!"

"There's no way you could've seen this coming," he said as he held her. "This driver is terrible at parking."

"Thank you for coming for me!"

"Don't thank me," he said, looking up at the two heroes. "Thank Rei and Jadeite. They were the ones who teleported into the sky sanctuary and got the orb. Otherwise we never would've found you."

She turned to look at them. "You two… went… together?"

"Don't look at me like that!" Rei barked. "We were the only ones they'd let into their city! Otherwise blondie here would've taken Mamoru as his ally."

Jadeite looked over at her, saddened that she still seemed to loathe him so much. She hadn't even looked at him since they got back.

"Thank you," Usagi said. "Both of you."

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Rei was at home, doing homework alone since it wasn't one of the girls' weekly study nights. She had fallen behind on school due to all the recent distractions, so she would be spending the whole night catching up.

There was a knock on the door. Before she had time to utter a response, Yuuichirou swung the door open.

"Hey Rei! Studying hard? How about I keep you company for a while? You look lonely without your girlfriends here."

"No thanks. Please go away. I'm really not in the mood for this right now."

He sat down across from her. "How about I grab my guitar and play some soothing music while you study?"

"No."

"Bring you some cocoa?"

"NO."

"Tell you some stories?"

"Yuuichirou, PLEASE!" she roared. "No means no! Now go away and try to make yourself useful for once!"

He stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him. He was used to her bad tempers whenever he tried to hit on her, but this time it was especially bad.

She got back into the zone and started plowing through her homework. She was making progress, but still had a long way to go.

After a long while, there was another knock on the door. She groaned.

"Yuuichirou, I thought I told you to leave me alone!"

The door opened and Jadeite stood there, looking at her with loving eyes.

She sighed. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"No offense, but I'm insanely busy here. Can't really talk now."

"I won't stay long. I just wanted you ask y-"

"Hey, I said I'm busy!"

He sat down after a moment. Quiet. Sad. "Why do you still resent me so much?"

She set her pen down. "Shouldn't that be obvious? Haven't we all been over this already?"

"I know you hate the monster that I was. But that's not who I am anymore. And I just thought…" he trailed off.

"You thought what?"

"I thought things changed when we were at Cloud Temples. We talked. We connected. When I pulled you back up when you fell over the edge, and when I held you on the whirlwind… I don't know, I thought you trusted me after that?"

"You saved my life and I thanked you for it. That doesn't make you the knight in shining armor who I'll just go running back to. You would've done that during the Silver Millennium too, but look what happened."

"Rei, I don't know what else I can do here. Please, tell me what you want from me."

"I want you to leave. I need to get back to my homework."

"Rei…"

"Leave now, please."

He stood up and started walking towards the door, before turning around and looking frustrated.

"You know, I may have said that I'll give you time and space, and maybe I've crossed the line a little. But what you're doing now, it's not fair. The other three girls haven't even been this closed off. They've started opening up to the other Shitennou and are trying to move towards having relationships with them. You and I had an amazing adventure together, and tons of them in the previous life, might I add. And I saved your life. You need to tell me: why do you hate me so much? Why don't you trust me even a little?"

"It's not just you who I don't trust, okay?"

"I know, you don't trust any of us."

"No, I mean I don't trust men, period!"

"But why?"

She breathed out heavily, crossed her arms and looked away. Her eyes started to water in anger.

Jadeite noticed this and went over to sit down by her. He placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Rei… please tell me why. Do at least that much for me."

They sat there for probably a half an hour in complete silence. Finally, she started to speak. She told him about growing up with her mother; about the men she would bring home; about all of the abuse.

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Rei hid in her room with the door locked. Again. She could hear them arguing downstairs, screaming at each other and breaking things.

"Get out of my house!"

"Make me, bitch!"

Her mother tried pushing him out with all her strength, but he was far more powerful. He shoved her down to the ground and started kicking her around.

All Rei could hear was screaming and wailing. She moved her desk in front of her door to make sure he wouldn't get in.

He was gone the next morning. Rei went downstairs and found her mother still asleep on the kitchen floor. She lied down next to her, gently waking her. Her mother stroked her daughter's hair and face, saying, "Rei darling… I want so much better for you. Don't end up like me. Promise me that. Don't trust men. They will all seem nice, but that all changes when you bring them home. Don't end up like this, lying broken on the kitchen floor. Promise me."

Months later, one of her mother's ex-boyfriends barged into the house, demanding money that she supposedly owed him.

"I owe you nothing! Now get out or I'll call the police!"

"I'm not leaving without my money! Fork it over!"

They started fighting again. Breakables were shattered on the ground again. Rei heard her mom screaming in pain, and couldn't just sit in her room and do nothing. She ran out and entered the scene, angrier than ever.

"No! Stop! Leave her alone!"

The man looked at her menacingly, walked over and smacked her in the face, so hard that she went flying. He walked over to her, prepared to continue.

Her mom cried out from the floor. "No, please! She's only eight! Leave her alone!"

He turned back, pulled out a gun and shot her, and then proceeded to grab her purse and run out the door.

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Jadeite wanted to pull her into his arms and hold her, but knew she wouldn't want that. All he could do was try to find the right things to say.

"So that's why you moved here with your grandfather?"

She nodded.

"And that's why you get angry so easily? And why you feel like you can't trust men, because of what your mother said?"

She nodded again.

"Rei, I'm sorry… I had no idea."

"I don't need your pity. I've recovered a lot over the years."

"I'm glad to hear that. But if that's the case, why so many trust issues now?"

"The memories are still there. Just because I don't have so many flashbacks or night terrors so much anymore, doesn't mean that I trust men. I don't want to experience anything like that again if I don't have to."

"I promise I'll never hurt you. I swear on my life."

"Doesn't matter."

"What does it take, then? What more can I do to help you trust me?"

She looked at the time. "Look, I've really gotta get back to work. You wanted the story, and you got it. Can you please leave now?"

"Rei, please…"

"Now. We're not buddies, and we're certainly not lovers. Stop pushing this!"

"I love you, Rei. I always will."

"Well good for you! Now please leave! Get out of my house! I don't want you here! There are only two men I will ever trust, and that's Mamoru and my grandfather. Nobody else. EVER."

With that, Jadeite left without a word, heartbroken.

Rei collapsed back to the floor, sobbing. She lied. She desperately wanted him to stay. She wanted to let him. But she couldn't.