After taking the bus to Juban, Rei and Jadeite headed to the jewelry store. They walked inside and Rei was instantly overwhelmed by the cases of glittering accessories. Jadeite slipped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, instantly making her anxiety melt away. After explaining to a store clerk what they were there for, the woman led them to the case of bridal jewelry. Rei looked through the glass at the rings, trying to find something simple.

"Pick whichever one you want" Jadeite said, keeping his arm around her. She blushed slightly and looked up at him, putting her hand on top of his.

"I don't need anything fancy. It doesn't even have to be one of these. I would be just as happy with one of those" she said shyly, pointing to a case with more "casual" rings. The store clerk wrinkled her nose at Rei's choice, prompting a glare from the shrine maiden. Jadeite immediately picked up on the tension and leaned in to whisper to her.

"Prison clothes wouldn't suit you, my little fireball."

"Shut up" Rei hissed, giving the store clerk another look before walking to the other case of rings. Her eyes immediately fell on a diamond and ruby one, and she asked to see it. After the clerk took the ring out of the case and put it in Rei's hand, she slipped it onto her finger and looked at Jadeite, holding it out so he could see. The ring fit her perfectly, which was another sign to her that this was the one.

"I like this one" she murmured. Jadeite gave her a nod and smiled slightly.

"Are you sure? Or do you want to look around some more?"

"I'm sure" Rei said with a smile. She handed the ring to Jadeite and waited while he paid for it, still shooting an occasional glare in the direction of the judgmental store clerk, who she had caught staring at Jadeite on several occasions during their visit. After they left the store, they walked hand in hand down the strip, trying to find somewhere they could go to avoid the storm that was brewing. Without warning, it began to pour. Rei and Jadeite ducked into a quaint coffee shop, deciding to stay there until the rain stopped. Jadeite walked up to the counter, ordering each of them a chai latte and a piece of cheesecake to share. He brought everything to a small table in the corner that Rei decided to grab before it was taken. As the two of them drank their chai and talked, Rei couldn't help feeling she was being watched. She casually turned to look behind her, only seeing the top of someone's head behind a newspaper. She bit her lip nervously and turned back to face Jadeite, who was giving her an odd look.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just thought I…heard something. That's all." Jadeite furrowed his brow, but nodded in response and continued talking.

"So, have you given any thought to when you'd like to get married?"

"Married?" a voice repeated, making Rei's breath catch in her throat.

It can't be…She turned slowly, finding herself face to face with Kumori. "Great…it's the penny" she muttered, quickly turning back to Jadeite, pretending Kumori wasn't there.

"You never told me you were getting married, Rei…" Kumori said quietly, trying to make himself sound hurt.

"Why would I do that? I don't owe you anything" Rei muttered, staring down into her chai.

"It would have been nice of you to admit you were cheating on me" Kumori hissed, trying not to draw too much attention to them. In an instant, Rei was on her feet, staring into the eyes of her former lover.

"I never cheated on you!" she shouted, causing other patrons in the shop to turn.

"Rei, calm down" Jadeite said calmly. "People are staring…"

"Let them stare. At least we'll have witnesses" Rei hissed, keeping her glare fixed on Kumori. Kumori glared back and rose to his feet, stepping closer to Rei, using his height at his advantage against her.

"Stay away from her!" Jadeite commanded, jumping up and stepping between the two of them. Rei ignored Jadeite's protesting and stepped around him, bringing her face as close as she could to Kumori's.

"What do you want with me?"

"I still love you, Rei" he whispered before forcefully pressing his lips to hers. Rei quickly pulled away and stumbled backward, tripping over a chair. She wiped her mouth off and glared at him, praying he would burst into flames and she'd be free from him for good. Jadeite quickly caught her before she hit the floor and pushed her behind him before approaching Kumori himself.

"Let me make this perfectly clear. You are not to come near Rei ever again. You are not to talk to her if you see her, or anything. Just leave her alone. She's done with you." Kumori's face fell at Jadeite's words, and he moved his head slightly to look at Rei, who was still safely hidden behind Jadeite.

"Is that right?" he asked. Rei nodded, and Kumori sighed. "Alright, if that's what you want…but don't come crying to me when this joker abandons you again." Without another word, Kumori left the coffee shop. Jadeite turned to look at Rei and she smiled, relieved that their confrontation had not gotten any worse.

"Thank you" she whispered. Jadeite leaned in to kiss her, pulling back after a moment and smiling.

"I'll always be here for you, you know that, right?"

"Of course I do" Rei said, smiling back at him. Sunlight streamed into the window, signaling to them that the storm was over. They looked at one another and decided to head to the park, avoiding the confused stares from the other patrons as they left. They walked to the park hand in hand and nestled underneath a tree next to the lake, silently watching the ducks float along the water's surface. Rei leaned in toward Jadeite, nearly falling over into the damp grass, as he was standing up at the same time. Rei looked up at him, confused.

"What are you doing?" Jadeite only smiled in response, reaching out for her hand. She grabbed onto his hand and he pulled her up, the smile still plastered on his face.

"I can officially do this right now" he said happily, pulling the ring out of its box. He lowered himself down on one knee and grabbed Rei's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Rei Hino, will you be my wife?"

"Of course I will" she said tearfully, even though he had already asked her once before. He gently placed the ring on her finger and stood up, pulling her to him and kissing her tenderly.

"I promise, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy. I was miraculously given a second chance at life, and I don't want it to be for nothing. I love you, Rei."

"I love you more" she whispered, leaning in to kiss him once more. He pulled away quickly, giving her a stern look.

"That's not possible." He kissed her again, startling her slightly. She stumbled back and fell into the grass, pulling him down with her. He chuckled and pressed his body against her, continuing to kiss her and not caring who would see them. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled away so the two of them could catch their breath.

"Call it even?" Rei said with a giggle. Jadeite nodded and kissed her forehead before getting up off her and pulling her up. She snuggled into his lap, prompting him to wrap his arms around her waist. The sunlight caught her ring, sending little reflections of red and silver dancing across the grass. Jadeite took her hand in his, brought it up to his lips and kissed it before releasing it.

"We can call it even, for now" he teased. "Let me know when you're ready to go home." Rei nodded and closed her eyes, laying her head on his chest.

"Let's stay like this forever" she murmured.

"We will" Jadeite reminded her, twisting the ring around her finger. "You're always going to be my little fireball."

"I know…" Rei murmured. "And you'll always be my…snowball" she giggled.

"What?!" Jadeite chuckled.

"I was trying to think of something that would fit with your ice powers, and that was the first thing that came to mind." Rei was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. Jadeite frowned slightly and tickled her side, which only made her laugh harder.

"Take it back" he demanded, trying not to laugh.

"No!" Rei squeaked, squirming away from his touch. The raven haired priestess soon found herself on her back in the grass, with Jadeite hovering over her. His face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her face.

"Take it back, or else" he murmured.

"Or else what?" Rei challenged. Jadeite's lips were suddenly on hers again, and his hand was inching its way up her sweater. "Jade…what are you doing?" she asked, grabbing his hand and pulling it out from under the wool.

"Do you think for one second I won't take you right here?" he teased. Before Rei could answer, she heard a voice behind her.

"Miss Hino?" She froze momentarily, trying to figure out why the voice was so familiar to her. When it dawned on her, she quickly pushed Jadeite off her and sat upright, turning toward the source of the voice.

"Sister Angela…" The woman nodded in response and approached her.

"You've missed quite a few days of school…now I know why" the woman said blankly, turning her gaze to Jadeite.

"It's…it's not what you think…"

"Oh, is that right? So I didn't see the two of you rolling around in the grass moments ago, like a couple of dogs in heat?" Before Rei could respond, Sister Angela spoke again. "It's very unbecoming for a young woman with your upbringing to be acting so careless."

"We're engaged!" Rei argued, instantly biting her tongue. She knew this argument would only make the case against her much worse.

"Isn't that nice?" Sister Angela mused. "The other nuns will be interested to hear about that, I'm sure." She bid Rei and Jadeite farewell before turning to walk away, leaving Rei shocked to her core. The two of them decided to return to Mamoru's, and the walk home was silent and awkward. When they arrived back at the apartment, Rei walked to the bedroom without a word and shut the door behind her. Mamoru and the other generals looked at Jadeite, concerned.

"What happened?" Mamoru asked. Jadeite sighed, and explained the whole thing to them.

"Wow…" Zoicite murmured after Jadeite finished the story. "What do you think is going to happen now?" Jadeite turned his head to look out the window, hiding the tears that were forming in his eyes.

"I…I don't know."

A/N How's that for a cliffhanger? If you don't know who Sister Angela is, she's an actual character from the 90s anime, in the Stars arc. Hope you liked that chapter, and I promise, this story will end well for our favorite little fireball and snowball.