A/N: HAHAA! I have FINALLY finished this chapter! WOOO! Go me~! Go me~! Keep in mind that in this fanfiction, things are not set in stone, and as life has a funny way of changing things, I like to do the same. So, don't you worry. A LOT will be explained. Also, I opted to sneek a few bits from Betrayed Destiny into this chapter. If you know who the voice is in the later part of this, you earn a free cyber cookie with all of my love.
Reminder: Frozen Hearts I am having writers block with, and the Harry Potter fic is really sprawling in the next chapter, so it may take a week to get up.
WARNING: DARK THEMES, violence, blood, language, yuri, blah, blah, blah... You guys really already kinda know what my warnings are about by now for this fanfiction.
With love,
Korrupted.
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Sailor Moon. But I will be watching the second episode of Crystal on Saturday. WOOOO! Dark Jupiter artwork is available to be seen on Deviant Art. Hallow-Quinn created the very first visual and you should totally look at it right now in her gallery.
Rei sat next to Makoto as the others joked and teased the warrior, the brunette noting their subdued joy at having her back to normal. She could sense that the miko understood her need to try to understand her feelings, even if she didn't completely like it, the thunder warrior sitting up with a wince; the scar was notably sore. Michiru was whispering something into her girlfriend's ear, the taller woman blushing darkly and scowling at whatever it was, Makoto swearing that she heard the butch growl in reply, "I do not, Michi."
'Obviously, you do. Whatever it is.' The Jupiter soldier mused, hearing the aqua haired musician hiss back, "Hai, you do. Haruka, you sit upon a throne of lies. I know it, you know it."
The green eyed senshi had to grin at the fact that Michiru also knew that the stubborn woman had been lying about whatever topic they were discussing, her gaze moving to a rather subdued Ami next. She could sense resignation from the bluenette mixed with what could possibly be stubborn conviction; as if she both accepted something and yet was going to try to change it at the exact same time. A small part of her yearned to choose Ami over Rei, but the rest of her heart was strongly siding with the more temperamental miko. As much as she loathed the idea of needing someone to protect her, she knew that Rei was the one that could do so, and would happily reprimand her for any stupidity that she may attempt. And yet, she was partially scared of allowing herself to fully admit falling for the fiery young woman, knowing that it would mean that she would be vulnerable to heartache that she had sworn never to let herself feel again. If she fell for Rei, she would never be the same.
However, Haruka moved to stand closer to her bedside, gently ruffling her brunette locks with a worried grin on her lips, "I think you and I need to spar again later, Kitten. You certainly had more force behind your blows today." The woman teased, earning a huge grin and a giggle from the younger senshi.
"Absolutely not. She is on the mend again, and I personally don't care if you are humans, senshi, or magical talking turnips, she will NOT be sparring for at least a week." The firm voice of Saeko informed the group, Haruka practically jumping out of her skin in shock at the sudden words.
The warrior of Uranus issued a very quick, "Hai, Saeko-sensei." Before retreating back to the side of her laughing lover. The doctor strolled over to her patient, looking over the charts before her blue gaze met emerald hues, her stern voice stating, "You are getting injured far more frequently than I care for, Mako-chan. However, you are fine. I will draw up your discharge papers, but I fully expect you to take it easy." The elder Mizuno let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. "But knowing you, that means you'll be stubborn and try sparring later today. LIGHT activity for today, and see how you feel tomorrow. I suspect the scar will remain, much like the one on Rei-chan's shoulder. I will return."
The moment the woman left, Makoto rounded on the suddenly shy Rei, her eyes narrowed and her lips pursed. "Scar? What scar on you?" Did she do something to her? She could feel her heart racing in worry.
The miko shifted her shirt to the side, turning to show Makoto the small scar on her left shoulder blade, her violet eyes on the floor. "When I gave you CPR, I was hit with lightning, but a particularly strong bolt caught me here. It's nothing, really." The miko whispered.
The Jupiter guardian hesitantly reached out as if to touch the marred skin, retracting her hand halfway as a pained expression etched it's way only her face. She had done this to Rei. She had scarred the beautiful shrine maiden when she had been saving her life, proving that the fighter still hurt the people she loved even without meaning to. The warrior of Mars allowed her shirt to return to it's place, turning to see the sad features on the tall soldier of courage, granting her what she hoped was a kind smile. "Mako-chan, it's okay. I knew the risks. To save you, it was worth it."
To save her? Makoto internally winced at how much she had needed saving in the last several months. She was supposed to be the protector, not the one in need of protection! 'But, I suppose everyone needs saving sometime.' The green eyed fighter bitterly mused, shifting slightly as her stomach ached again. Makoto leaned back and watched Jadeite stuffing his mouth with a candy bar as Mamoru shook his head at the sight, Haruka once again edging closer to catch her attention. "Michi and I should go. We will stop by your condo later to check on you, hai?" Her tone was less of a question and more of a statement, leaning forward to press a feather-light kiss on the brunette's forehead. "See you then, Kitten." The blonde finished, retreating swiftly with a slight pink hue on her cheeks to her girlfriend's side before the both of them waved their good-byes and left the room.
A tiny smile curved onto the injured young woman's lips at the display of affection from Haruka. It seemed such acts were always reserved for herself and Michiru, and a very small part of her wondered if the butch possibly had a crush on her, but she brushed that notion aside quickly. Haruka was utterly devoted to her girlfriend, and probably saw her as a little sister. Kunzite ushered Jadeite away with a nod to the others, insisting that he do so before the blond general raided the vending machine, the younger male instantly pouting at being removed from being near the glorious sweet stash only ten paces away from the room. Part of Usagi wondered if Saeko had given Makoto a room close by the machine just because she knew that Jadeite couldn't resist the temptation. "Mako-chan?" The Princess asked in a hesitant tone, the girl in question looking at the blonde in concern.
Usagi looked worried, scared, sad, and a bit happy, speaking to Makoto alone regardless of the others in the room with them. "I know you said to stop apologizing, but gomenasai. I should have done more for you. You were ra-" She seemed to choke on the word, opting for a different one that didn't make bile creep up her throat. "attacked in my stead. You needed me, and I failed you, Mako-chan."
The words hung heavily with sadness and regret, the senshi of the storms picking over her next words very carefully. "I knew there were risks, but not what kind of danger I was putting myself into that night. Neither of us did. But I would do it again if I had to, Usagi. It's my duty to protect the princess, but also to protect my friend." Her green eyes slid shut as a gentle hand squeezed hers, knowing it was Rei trying to comfort her. "I know you wish things could have been different, but this is the way they are. Life goes on, and so must we all."
Suddenly, the lightning soldier felt arms firmly hugging her, her eyes flying open to see blonde hair in irresponsibly long pigtails in her face, feeling the smaller young woman trembling slightly from soft sobs. After a moment, Makoto wrapped her arms around her princess as well, holding her firmly against herself. "I... I st-still wish you hadn't needed t-to go through that..." She heard the future queen whisper in a voice too soft for anyone but the two of them to hear.
The tall warrior felt her lower lip tremble just a little, ducking her head down to hide the tears that were welling up in her eyes. "So do I..." She admitted just as quietly, for the first time allowing herself to rely on someone else being strong instead of her, taking comfort in the embrace and feeling a little better for it.
"And here we are, Mako." Mamoru stated as he carried her into her room, the blushing brunette in his arms obviously angered at being treated like an invalid.
Saeko had told her to take it easy for the day, not that her entire body suddenly was made of the finest of china. The fighter was currently resisting the urge to verbally destroy the boyfriend of her princess, though the infuriated glare already was a clear warning that he would do well to not push the fact that she was supposed to be on bed rest. He placed her onto the futon, the young woman sighing as she squirmed carefully under the covers to prevent aggravating her new scars, flopping to lay back onto her pillow when she recalled what Dark Makoto had done with her body earlier, possibly on this very bed. She snarled at the thought, mentally vowing to get a new futon and linens as soon as possible. "Thanks, Mamoru." She muttered a bit begrudgingly, yawning shortly after.
The man smiled and nodded, waiting until she had drifted off before going back out to Usagi in the main room, the blonde waiting patiently for him on the couch. "How is she, Mamo-chan?" She questioned gently as she stood, her blue eyes concerned.
"It's Makoto. She could be in horrible pain and she would try her damnedest not to let it show." Was the half-chuckled reply. "But she is sleeping now. Perhaps we should tell Haruka-san and Michiru-san to wait until tomorrow."
Yet as if on cue, there was a knock at the door moments before it was unlocked, the two women entering. "Ah, Mamoru. We were just stopped by to see Mako-chan." Michiru informed them, seeing the princess sheepishly shuffle her feet. "She's asleep, isn't she?"
"Hai. Gomen, we were just about to call you... Haruka-san!" The younger woman was stunned at the butch woman walking towards the bedroom, though her aqua haired lover raised her hands in an attempt to calm her.
"Iie, iie. She won't wake Mako-chan, I promise. She's probably just going to watch over her. She was very worried about her when the other had taken over." She assured, the young blonde hesitantly returning to her boyfriend.
Haruka stood just past the doorway of Makoto's room, the door shut behind her as her midnight blue eyes softened at the sight of the sleeping brawler. It was almost bizarre seeing the senshi of protection so small and vulnerable in her sleep, the older warrior so used to the rambunctious woman ready to Supreme Thunder anything and everything into submission. Even after sparring, Makoto seemed so strong, so full of confidence, but now Haruka was so very aware of the fact that she, like the rest of the Senshi and Shitennou, were human. They were able to be weak, to be hurt, to be broken. Cautiously, the soldier of the winds padded towards the futon, casually thinking how a regular bed would be a bit more comfortable as she knelt down on the floor beside the slumbering brunette, watching her face with a tender gaze.
She had always told herself that Makoto was just like the younger sister she never had, the only other brawler in the senshi very much like what she would have been like if she was more of a loner. They had sparred often after the initial meeting, which had not been a particularly happy occasion; they had let a strange creature attack her to see if she had possessed the power of the Moon Princess. When she had been able to transform, the green eyed girl of nearly seventeen had taken great offense to that and tried to attack her. Haruka had thrown a solid strike into her stomach to down her and prevent her from harming herself more. It had taken months for the Jupiter soldier to forgive them for that. And yet, Haruka had become fiercely protective of the girl, and then the small yearnings had started. Tiny glances at the tall girl while she trained to appreciate her lightly muscled form, standing closer to her than she used to while they spoke, casually wrapping an arm around her shoulder when they hung out, finding an odd comforting solace in the delicate scent of roses that always seemed to cling to the powerhouse. Haruka wasn't sure exactly when she had started developing feelings for the brash senshi, but she didn't dare to even admit them to herself.
Midnight blue eyes slid shut sadly, her hands on her knees as the tall butch clenched her jaw. And then had come that night. She hadn't gone to the café since Michiru had a concert, her beautiful girlfriend playing so perfectly that her very soul hummed with each note of the violin. They had been walking back to her dressing room when the call from Kunzite had arrived, and both of them went as white as a ghost. The very notion that Makoto had lost a fight was alien to them, even more so that she had been raped. No one could beat Makoto in a fight, let alone weaken her enough for that to be a possibility! They had driven at break neck speeds, getting pulled over but worming out of a ticket once they had explained everything. They had been forced to join the others in Usagi's room since Makoto was in a coma in the ICU. No matter how much she had fought her feelings, Haruka wanted to find and kill whoever had done this to her Makoto. It had almost been a relief when Michiru had deduced the truth, but she couldn't be tell Makoto about that; she feared it would only complicate things. "Oh Mako, I wish I could tell you how I feel..." She muttered, slumping slightly.
Haruka resolved to remain by the warrior's side as she slept to guard her, to protect her. She could provide that to her crush at the very least.
Makoto woke up to the sound of soft snoring, her emerald eyes opening to see the first rays of golden dawn hitting a sleeping Haruka's face as she sat next to her futon, dozing. The recovering brunette blinked sleepily as she tried to make sense of the woman there, yawning heartily and wincing as the act tugged on the burn scars on her stomach. Those would take a while to get used to. Makoto sat up gingerly, smirking at the sleeping woman impishly before wetting her pinkie with saliva and wiggling it into the butch woman's right ear.
"Hrrruuuhhhrrkkkk...! What in the hell- MAKOTO! What in the name of Kami-sama is wrong with you?!" The butch half screeched, yanking her head away as she futilely rubbed her ear to rid herself of the sensation, the lightning warrior laughing at her discomfort.
The senshi of the wind was scowling, a slight flush on her features as she crossed her arms over her bound chest. Sometimes, her friend could be so damn childish! Michiru poked her head in to see the green eyed woman grinning widely in clear mischief, looking at her unhappy lover as she entered gracefully, a kind smile on her lips. "Mako-chan. It's good to see you awake. Did you rest well?"
The grinning girl nodded, brandishing her pinkie at Haruka impishly as the butch scurried backwards, pouting. Michiru could see the frustration in Haruka at being caught off-guard, though the Neptunian had other things that needed to be tended to; such as the spare futon she had slept on, and making breakfast for the three of them. The graceful woman turned and left, waving at Haruka with a wink. Maybe Makoto might just get her tall girlfriend all riled up for her. That would make it easier on her when it was just the two of them later.
"You're a really great cook, Michiru-san. I can see why Haruka wants to keep you!" Makoto praised, her chopsticks still working on her omelette and rice, her face completely at ease.
Haruka and Michiru were elated to see Makoto back to normal, neither realizing just how hard it had been to see her go insane like that. The warrior was the closest to the two Outer Senshi of all of the Inners, likely due to her ruling planet residing within the realm of the outer portion of the solar system. It was a great relief to see her laughing and smiling again, even if she winced from time to time due to the new burn scars on her stomach. "Why thank you, Mako-chan. I do hear that you are quite the cook yourself, though." The humble musician replied with a smile.
Haruka was simply eating with a grin, happy to be in the company of her two favorite females. While she was in the service of the Moon Princess, she was utterly devoted to her own princess; Michiru. But Makoto had somehow wormed her way into the butch woman's heart. Now, an internal war was raging within the senshi of the winds. Part of her wanted to keep denying her feelings, but any part wanted to admit them. However, she had to put all that on hold when there was a knock on the door, walking over and opening it to admit Rei and Minako.
Makoto looked up from the plate when she saw the two women entering with Haruka in tow, blushing at the sight of Rei. The miko was wearing her shrine attire like normal, the thunder warrior almost completely certain that the maiden likely smelled of spicy fire and tangy metal like usual. The scent had been her comfort when she had resided in the shrine before losing to Dark Makoto, a familiar thing amid all of the confusion that had become ingrained into her mind as something that was peaceful and wonderful. Something that made her happy. "Oh, hello guys. Gomen, Michiru-san was just cooking for us so I would have something to eat." She told them, gesturing them to the large table; she had gotten a large dinner table once it had become more common for the senshi to meet at her home, opting for something that they could all be comfortable with.
Minako noticed the blush on Makoto's cheeks, practically shoving the raven haired miko into a chair on the other side of Haruka, planting herself next to Michiru. The blonde idol was all too happy to play cupid for the moment, watching how Rei glanced at Makoto nervously, the barest of blushes on her cheeks. To be honest, she half hoped that the Jupiter warrior would crack a bit early and give Rei her decision so she wouldn't have to hear the temple priestess worriedly ramble about how she was afraid that Makoto wouldn't want to be with her anyways. "Mako-chan. Rei and I were going to go to see a movie today. Would you like to come with us?" The singer inquired, half shocked at the shake of the brunette's head.
"Iie. I think I should rest a bit more. I'm still a bit sore, and to be honest, I'm tired. Gomenasai." The tomboy informed them in a hushed and apologetic tone.
The warrior of love pouted openly. She had been hoping to set the two up on a sort of date, but it seemed that her powerful friend was still on the mend. She would have to wait to plot again at a later time. However, the idea of Zoisite going on a date with her erupted into her mind, causing her to blush deeply. The pianist had never spoken of love, nor of any desire to date her. She was half afraid of trying to bring her feelings up to the man out of fear of rejection. Minako had to suppress a chuckle. She was the senshi of love, and yet she was unwilling to follow her heart. "Hey now, Kitten. You stay seated. I'll handle the dishes. After all, Michi cooked, so I get to clean. Off to bed with you, and no buts, you got that?" The stern voice of Haruka interrupted the blonde's thoughts, seeing that Makoto had been trying to clear away the now empty dishes when the guardian of Uranus had halted her.
Makoto did as she was told, sticking her tongue out at Haruka on the way past her, her emerald eyes catching a glimpse of violet hues. She wanted to spend time with Rei, of course, but the worry of somehow injuring herself and going back to that dreaded hospital was enough to make even the stubborn martial artist desire to take it easy. With a huff and a sigh, the brunette walked back to her room, into her bathroom, and pulled off the black shirt she had been wearing to investigate the burn scars again. She could see small tendrils where Rei's fingers had been, remembering the look of worried fear in those purple eyes as the senshi of flame had straddled her in front of the shrine. 'Do you trust me?'
She had answered without hesitation, nodding since the struggle to keep Dark Jupiter from reclaiming control and killing Sailor Mars had been growing to be too much for her to hold out much longer. She truly did trust Rei with her life, to keep her safe and to stop her from allowing Dark Jupiter to take hold again. Makoto stood with her shirt in her hands, clad in only shorts and a green satin bra as she looked at her reflection. A very tiny part of her hoped that the other Makoto would show up, just so that she would have someone to talk to about her whirling thoughts. As insane as the other entity had been, she had also genuinely cared about her, wanting to keep her safe from being hurt again. After all, Rei and Ami had already been the ones to...
Makoto blinked in confusion. For the barest of moments, she had glimpsed a memory that wasn't hers, something that was laced with both familiarity and pain before it had vanished. What had Ami and Rei done? She struggled to grasp that fleeting image in her mind, seeing crystal walls, angry sapphire hues, gentle midnight, and adoring royal blue. She could see the trail of olive green hair in the wind, and heard the laughter of little girls. All of the images were of things that she never had experience, and yet Makoto could feel cold metal encircling both of her biceps, the warm wooden floors as she raced through the halls of a palace in a forest where it was almost always raining, the cold crystal floors she walked on as the soft green material of her gown brushed against her legs.
'I know you'll be lonely at Court, but I wanted you to have me near you anyways. So you could always remember me.'
Makoto shook her head hard to try to clear her thoughts. Just who was she supposed to remember? What was this court that the girl voice had been talking about? Her emerald eyes looked up into her reflection once more. Had Dark Jupiter been one of her previous lives, not just a dark and twisted version of herself? If that was indeed the case, just what had happened to her in the past that had caused her to turn evil?
Rei sighed as she returned to the shrine after the film, changing back into her miko attire to once more tend to the sacred hearth. The movie had been alright at best; she wasn't really much for sappy romances. Kneeling by the flames, the woman gazed into the dancing fires, thinking about how Makoto had seemed earlier. She seemed worn out, a bit on the weak side, and distracted. Perhaps it was after everything that had been going on. At least she had Haruka and Michiru there to help take care of her. Rei settled a bit more as she closed her eyes, meditating.
"Ah! Rei! How is Mako-chan? Is she doing alright?"
The voice of her grandfather had startled her, the miko flailing about before flopping onto her back. "Oww... Nani? Oh, Makoto is doing well. A bit sore, I suppose. Did they finish fixing the concrete?" Was the gentle reply.
The battle against Dark Jupiter had damaged much of the courtyard of the temple, leaving large chunks taken out of the stone where Makoto had deflected the attacks of Dark Jupiter. Her grandfather had managed to wrangle all of the children into the shrine for safety the moment he had hard Dark Jupiter shouting, keeping them all unharmed. The old shrine priest shook his head, mentioning coolly that they would be back in the morning to continue working on it. "I do miss Makoto being here. She had been such good help at reaching things too high for my old body to manage." Rei blushed at the memory of Makoto wearing her gi after doing meditation, reaching up for a jug of what her grandfather had called 'water' (his private stash of sake) for a drink. The brunette had spat the liquid out the moment she had tasted it, coughing wildly as both of the Hinos laughed at her plight. "That, and there had been a lot more young men coming to pay their respects. I wonder if that was connected to her being here..."
The old priest stroked his chin and walked off, leaving Rei blinking and then rolling her eyes. Of course he knew that Makoto's presence had brought the arrival of more male patrons; she was unusually tall, busty, and strikingly beautiful. The miko turned crimson at the fact that she had just realized that if she had been on the street and seen Makoto at the shrine, she would have instantly come to 'pay her respects' just to catch a glimpse of the woman. Her heart was thumping in her chest, a knot of worry resurfacing. She truly did hope that Makoto would choose to date her, she really did love the strong guardian. She would do anything to see her happy and safe.
Nephrite was woken up by his phone going off, the general growling as he notice the time on his clock. It was a little after five in the morning. Whoever was calling him had better have a damn good reason. "Moshi moshi?" He grunted.
"N-nephrite-kun?"
The voice was Ami's, the man sitting up as the anger instantly fled from his body. "Ami-chan? Are you okay?" He questioned, his brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she calling him at this hour? Was she in danger? Was she hurt?
"Hai. I'm just... Ano... I just need to talk to someone. After all this time of worrying about Makoto-" Nephrite winced at the eternal reminder of why Ami would never be his. "I just have no idea what to do now that she's safe again."
A bit miffed now that she had woken him up to only to talk of her love interest and his rival, he stated in a sharp voice, "Then just be glad that the one you love is safe and let me sleep. Ami, it's five fifteen in the morning, and I am very, very tired."
For a few moments, Nephrite heard nothing, half thinking she had hung up as guilt began to nibble at his mind. She had called him for a reason, and he was just going to bite her head off? What kind of jerk was he? Especially after she always made for him those incredibly nasty tasting cookies.
"I... I just wanted to ask if it was alright to come over. I can't sleep, and maybe just being with someone might help."
The red haired man blinked several times, realizing that he might want to put some clothing on. "Hai. You can come over. Bring a few books, and we can study more medical notes if that helps you any."
"Arigatou, Nephrite."
The gratitude in her voice was so overwhelming, Nephrite couldn't help but grin, hanging up the phone to stand up, his cover dropping from his now otherwise naked body, the pale moonlight tracing his strong yet scarred chest, shadows claiming the lower part of his abdomen. He needed to at least put on some pants, stalking over to his dressers and pulling out a pair of tan boxer briefs, then black jeans. The topless general strode out sleepily to his kitchen, starting the coffee pot and yawning. At least he would be able to spend some time with Ami, no matter how frustrating it would be for him.
"HARUKA! MAKOTO!" Michiru shouted in fury as she watched the two tall warriors start going into a full out fist fight, the elegant female exasperated at their violent antics.
Haruka had pinned Makoto to the couch in an effort to get the brunette to stop tickling her, looking up to freeze at the expression of anger on her girlfriend's face. She could even feel Makoto stiffen up, knowing that the younger senshi was likely wondering if she was about to feel the wrath of planet Neptune. "Uhhh... Michi? It's okay..." The blonde tried to soothe, her lover glaring even more.
"She is supposed to be resting, not rough-housing. I swear, Haruka. Sometimes you both act like children!" The aqua haired woman scolded, her arms crossed over her chest in her displeasure.
Midnight blue eyes looked down at emerald, blushing slightly when she realized that she was kneeling between her legs, her hands pinning the senshi of courage's wrists over her head. Quickly, Haruka let go and scrambled to escape the highly compromising position, not even seeing Michiru fighting to suppress a giggle at the sight of her lover being so flustered. It had been like one of her dreams of the tall brawler; the brunette pinned under her, panting, moaning, writhing...
"I... I need to get some air." The warrior of the winds stated quickly, hurriedly sitting up and making a mad dash for the front door, her face a deep blush of crimson. She didn't know how to process everything that was swirling around in her head, and she just needed to take a good, long walk. Maybe even hit the gym to punch out her frustrations.
Makoto remained on the couch, looking at the door that the other fighter had just exited through, a very different scene playing in her mind.
-Makoto was panting, her emerald eyes looking into deep midnight blue as her body trembled agreeably. Had the guardian of Uranus just kissed her?! They hadn't even seen each other in years, and now, only three days after she returned from the uprising on her home planet, she had kissed her in front of Michiru?! The princess of Jupiter could feel her face nearly glowing with her blush, the golden bangles on her biceps a reminder of what she had sworn for the Moon Princess, that what Haruka had just done wasn't supposed to happen, even if she did enjoy it. "I... I need to get some air." The warrior of storms stated breathlessly, grateful that the armor clad woman shifted to allow her to quickly escape.
Her feet pounded on the cool crystal floor, her face still dark with her blush, struggling to make sense of all of the emotions that were churning up within her. The gardens. She decided that the rose gardens were the best place to think. Maybe she would ask Setsuna later on about what it all meant...-
"Mako, hey!"
Michiru's face was a scant inch from hers when she snapped out of the vision, the woman looking concerned. "Makoto, are... Are you having memories?" Was the simple question, Makoto hesitantly nodding. "I can use my mirror to help you with them, if you-"
"You will do no such thing."
The voice was female, older, wiser, and commanding. Makoto was trying to think of why it sounded so familiar to her. Did Dark Makoto know her?
"It is not yet time for her to know. Nor for you to know these memories either, Michiru."
The violinist narrowed her eyes angrily, looking about for the source. "Who are you? What do you want?" She demanded, her transformation pen in hand.
The voice chuckled. "We will meet in the distant past when everything ends, but I knew you long before this life started. Forgive me, but it is not yet time for us to say our final greetings in this life." Her voice turned very gentle. "And Makoto, as per your future wishes of the past, I apologize for this."
Makoto felt something in her mind as time seemed to halt, the memories not her own vanishing from her mind as if they were simply being reversed into nothing. Time itself started to go backwards, finally seeing the door shut being Haruka as she stared at the portal, the strange sensation of deja vu striking her. The thunder warrior shrugged it off, looking at the smirking Michiru who shook her heard, muttering something about Haruka being stubborn.
She pursed her lips and pondered a moment, lifting her communicator phone up and dialing a number, the sudden desire to see someone stronger than before. The phone rang once. "Rei-chan?"
Rei stood at the pier, staring out at the water nervously. Makoto had sounded a bit anxious over the phone, the miko changing into a pair of jeans and a red shirt that flowed along her body in all the shades of the sacred hearth. Her amethyst orbs scanned the horizon before she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to see Makoto in a pair of ripped jeans, a baseball cap, and a shirt that was a gentle green. "Mako-chan. It's good to see you out and about." The shrine maiden admitted, gaining a grin from the strong warrior.
"Hai. It's good to be moving freely again." Was the equally honest answer, the brunette moving to stand next to the shorter girl.
After a moment of nervous, but comfortable silence, the thunder senshi opened her mouth to speak once more. "Rei... You know that I have been alone most of my life. My parents died when I was seven, and I just have always been by myself to some degree. I have always relied on myself." She took a moment to think over what to say next, settling for something she knew was tragically cliched. "Until you and the other senshi. I started to rely on all of us, but I have always trusted your judgment. I trust you with my life, and... I think I want to trust you with my heart."
Rei felt her heart skip a beat, a smile growing on her lips as Makoto turned to face her, both of them blushing slightly. "I want to date you. Not out of responsibility, but because I do love you. Because I think you might be everything I need. Hino Rei, would you please go out with me?"
The warrior of Mars didn't speak, she just leapt into Makoto's arms, pressing their lips together. She didn't care that the taller woman's lips were dry, nor that they both stumbled a bit, just that the brunette was holding her tightly and kissing her in return. Once they parted for air, they both licked their lips, emerald eyes meeting amethyst.
"Hai. I would love to be your girlfriend."