Rei was completely speechless. She stared at Jadeite and tried to answer him, somehow unable to make the words come out. Jadeite looked at her worriedly, silently cursing himself for being so blunt. Rei could feel her legs shaking violently, and before she could reach for anything to steady herself, she sank to the floor.
"Rei!" Jade cried out, jumping up and running over to her. He knelt next to her and pulled her into his arms, jumping slightly as the bedroom door opened. Mamoru and the others rushed into the room, surrounding the two of them.
"What happened?" Mamoru asked, looking down at Rei, then at Jadeite. Jadeite bit his lip and cleared his throat before answering him.
"I…I asked her to marry me…and she passed out." The others chuckled and poked fun at him for several minutes, stopping when Rei began to stir. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at everyone, slightly embarrassed to have caught so much attention. Jadeite held her tightly, loosening his grip a little when she tried to reposition.
"What happened?" she murmured.
"You passed out. It must be dehydration or something…I'll get you some water" Mamoru said suddenly, walking out of the room.
"We'll help him" Zoicite said, ushering Nephrite and Kunzite out of the room and leaving Jadeite and Rei alone. Rei sat up slightly, still in Jadeite's arms, and began to piece together what had happened.
"That can't be right…I never get dehydrated. Wait, I think I remember. I was showing you my new dress, and you said…" Before she could say anything further, Mamoru was back in the doorway, holding a glass of water.
"Here's your water. Is everything alright?" Rei nodded and took the glass, taking a sip from it.
"Yeah, I guess I just had a long day or something" she said softly. Mamoru nodded in response, then turned to leave the room.
"Let me know if you need anything else…I'm going to order Chinese food for dinner. Is there anything specific you want?" Rei shook her head and giggled, slightly embarrassed by all the attention she had been getting while she stayed there.
"Anything is fine…just no seafood" she said, making Mamoru chuckle slightly.
"You got it. I'll let you know when it's here." Rei had finally gained enough strength back to stand up, and quickly walked to Mamoru, catching him before he got too far.
"Actually…I was thinking of going back to the shrine to get my clothes, since they never made it here" she said softly. Mamoru furrowed his brow as she spoke, trying to think of something to say.
"You're not going alone, are you?" he asked. Rei shook her head and turned to look at Jadeite, who had suddenly walked up next to her.
"I'm going to take Jade with me. We'll be back in a bit…if we're not back when the food gets here, save some for us." Mamoru nodded in response and Jadeite raised an eyebrow, wondering why she would think it would take longer. Rei smiled and took his hand, then walked out of the apartment. As soon as they were alone, he decided to ask.
"How long do you think this is going to take?" he asked. Rei looked at him, a playful smirk on her face.
"It's hard to say."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Jadeite asked, poking her side playfully. Rei let out a squeak and giggled, still not ready to tell him just yet.
"You'll see." When they arrived at the shrine, Rei quickly gathered up as many of her clothes as she could and stuffed them into large bags, setting them by the door. Jadeite watched and helped her, finally becoming too curious to let it go any longer.
"I have to know…what else are we doing here?" he asked. Rei brought out the last of her clothes and giggled, sighing a little.
"Have you always been this impatient?" she teased, taking his hand and leading him out of the shrine to a smaller building out back of it.
"What is this?" Jadeite asked. Rei opened the door, revealing a steaming bath.
"It's a private bathhouse" she said with a smile, leading him inside and closing the door.
"I never knew this was here" Jadeite murmured as he looked around, looking at all the plants around the room, and the pictures hanging on the walls.
"I wanted to come here so we could talk without being interrupted" she explained, untying the halter strap on her dress and letting it fall to the floor. Jadeite watched her as she walked to a small room, returning with a couple towels for them. She set them on a nearby stool before she finished undressing, and Jadeite quickly stripped out of his clothes, giving her a smirk.
"Is that all?" he teased.
"Maybe" Rei said, winking playfully. The two of them stepped into the water and sat, but before Rei could touch the seat, she was pulled into Jadeite's lap. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her skin lightly.
"So, what did you want to talk about?" he asked, having the feeling he already knew.
"You…you asked me to marry you…" Rei murmured.
"Was that not okay?" Jadeite asked, worried that he had scared her.
"No, it was…I'm just surprised that you would ask me so quickly."
"I honestly hadn't been planning on it. Not yet, I mean. It was just…seeing how beautiful you looked, I realized in that moment, I never wanted to look at another woman the way I was looking at you." Rei teared up at his words, turning to face him. she pressed her lips gently to his, feeling at though the entire room was spinning. After a few moments, she pulled away and smiled.
"Jade…" He leaned in to kiss her again, letting it deepen naturally as he pulled her closer to him. Her fingers danced lightly across his skin, causing a soft moan to escape his lips. He pulled her hair out of the way and began to scratch her back lightly, repositioning to press her to the side of the tub. He slowly brought his lips down to her neck and nibbled her lightly before continuing onward.
"I love you…" he murmured, his words barely audible against her skin. His hands continued to glide over her skin, causing her to shiver.
"I love you more" Rei giggled, gasping as his breath tickled her neck once again.
"Sorry, what did you say? I missed it" he whispered in her ear, leaning in to nibble her again.
"I said, I love you more" Rei whispered, sucking in a sharp breath as the two of them suddenly became one.
"That's not possible" Jadeite argued, leaning in to kiss her before she could protest. After several moments of complete closeness, the two of them decided it was time to head back home before the others became worried. They quickly got out of the tub and dried off, got dressed, and headed back into the shrine. Jadeite looked at the multitude of bags, then at Rei, smirking.
"Are you moving in or something?" he teased. Rei giggled and leaned in to kiss his cheek.
"Well, it would be silly to be married and live apart, wouldn't it?" Her bluntness caused Jadeite to stop and look at her, stunned.
"What did you say?"
"I said, it would be silly to be married and…" Rei was suddenly interrupted by Jadeite's lips on hers once again. He pulled her close to him and ran his fingers through her hair, smiling as he pulled away.
"So, that's a yes?" Rei nodded, and he kissed her again.
"Yes" she whispered, smiling. Jadeite's eyes wandered to the bags again, and he pulled out his phone to call Mamoru and have him bring the car over so they could transport them easier. When he arrived and saw the bags, he chuckled.
"You moving in?" he joked, picking up some of the bags and putting them in the trunk.
"Would you guys let me live alone?" Rei giggled. Mamoru shook his head and grabbed more bags.
"Absolutely not" he said sternly. "Usagi would murder me if I let you do that." Rei nodded in agreement, knowing fully well that an angry Usagi was scarier than any enemy they ever faced.
"Thank you…I do feel bad for taking over your apartment, though" she sighed.
"I already told you not to worry" Mamoru reminded her. "Besides, Jadeite would never let me turn you away." Jadeite nodded at Mamoru and chuckled, opening the car door for Rei. She climbed in and smiled as Jadeite got in behind her and reached forward to stroke her hair. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, thinking about what the future would hold for them. Mamoru pulled away from the shrine and drove back to the apartment, where he and Jadeite proceeded to carry all of Rei's bags up themselves. Rei timidly followed them, feeling slightly guilty for not helping, even though they refused to let her. After they got everything inside, Rei and Jadeite heated up some of the leftover food and decided to sit out on the balcony to stargaze while they ate.
"Mars looks beautiful tonight" Rei murmured, gazing up at the red planet.
"She always looks beautiful" Jadeite said, causing heat to rise to Rei's face. He chuckled and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. When the two of them got too cold to stay out any longer, they came back inside and put their dishes in the sink before heading to bed. After getting changed into their pajamas, the two of them climbed into the queen sized bed and smiled at one another, still in shock that they were getting married.
"I can't believe you want to be stuck with me" Rei murmured, no longer fighting sleep. Jadeite pulled her close and held her, drifting off to sleep himself.
"I love you, my fireball" he whispered into her hair, kissing the top of her head before his eyes drooped shut.
