Rei woke up the next morning, immediately noticing two things: she was still in the clothes she had been wearing the day before, and Jadeite wasn't sleeping next to her like she had grown accustomed to. She sat up in the bed and sighed, gazing out the window. Memories of her encounter with Sister Angela began to flood back to her, and her mood instantly soured. She thought it would be best for everyone to stay out of their way, and rolled over with the intention of sleeping the day away. Her plan, brilliant as it seemed, was instantly squashed by a knock on the door. After a moment of silence, Rei could hear the door open, and Jadeite's voice softly calling out to her soon after.
"Rei?" The fire maiden groaned and rolled over, hoping he would think she was asleep and go away. She pulled the blanket up over her head, prompting Jadeite to do the exact opposite of what she had hoped for. She could hear the floor squeak under his feet as he walked over to the bed and sat beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "Please talk to me. I'm worried about you." The tone of his voice instantly shattered the wall Rei had tried so desperately to put up, and she reluctantly rolled over to face him.
"What do you want, Jade?" He bit his lip slightly before answering, unsure of what he wanted to say. He could sense she wasn't in the mood to talk about what happened the day before, so he quickly thought of something else to bring up.
"Are you hungry? You haven't eaten since we've been home."
"If I was, I'd eat" Rei snapped, instantly regretting her response. "I'm sorry" she sighed, sitting up and holding her head.
"You don't have to apologize" Jadeite sighed, rubbing her back gently. "I know you're upset, and you should be. She had no right to treat you like that."
"I'm not bothered by her anymore" Rei said quietly, breaking eye contact with him.
"What is it? Can I help?" Jadeite asked, keeping his hand on her back. Rei looked up at him and shook her head, sighing.
"I don't know if I can tell you…" she protested, wringing her hands nervously in her lap. Jadeite put his hand on hers and squeezed them gently, bringing his other hand out to lift her head. Before he could say anything, she continued to speak. "It's nothing personal, it's just something I've been dealing with for a while. I haven't exactly been myself…I cheated on Kumori, I agreed to marry you after what, three days? This isn't me…" Jadeite listened calmly as Rei spoke, understanding exactly what she meant.
"I understand" he said softly. Rei pulled her hands away from him and looked down at them, shaking her head.
"No, you don't. There's something I haven't told you."
"If you don't want to, I won't make you. But how can I know how to help you if I don't know what you're dealing with?"
"You got me there" Rei chuckled, cracking a small smile. "I'll tell you, because I sort of have to. You'll see why. Do you remember one of my first nights staying here, when I had that nightmare I wouldn't tell you about?"
"I remember" Jadeite said with a slight nod, pulling Rei closer to him to try to stop her shaking.
"Well…the nightmare was more of a memory. A very unwelcome, but unavoidable memory. One night, I was sitting at the shrine meditating. Kumori showed up drunk out of his mind due to a fight we had earlier that day. I didn't know he was there until he came barging into the room screaming at me. He kept going on and on about how much he hated me for not…giving myself to him. I got annoyed and tried to leave, but he followed me and made me come back inside, and he…" Jadeite put his hand up to stop her, not wanting to make her say what had happened.
"Don't say it, please…" he whispered shakily, pulling her close to him and holding her tightly. "If I ever see him again, I'll kill him…"
"Prison wouldn't suit you, dearest" Rei teased, chuckling through her tears. Jadeite gently wiped them away and kissed where they had fallen on her cheeks, smirking a little.
"They'd never catch me. After I killed that monster, I'd cut him into little pieces and bury each of them in a different country." Rei giggled and smacked him playfully, shaking her head.
"You're ridiculous" Rei giggled, pulling off the blanket and swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and sitting next to him. "I missed you last night..."
"I missed you too. I'm sorry I never came to bed. I was up all night worrying about you, and I wanted to give you space. I do want to know, though…do you not want to get married?"
"I do, I just think we need to take our time and not rush into it, that's all" Rei explained. A rush of nausea soon washed over her and she jumped up quickly, making it worse. She bolted across the hall to the bathroom to throw up, followed closely by Jadeite, who pulled her hair out of the way. After she finished, she leaned her head against the toilet bowl and attempted to steady her breathing.
"Are you okay?" Jadeite asked worriedly, reaching for her hands to pull her up.
"I think so…" Rei answered, standing and walking to the sink to brush her teeth. Jadeite watched her carefully and reached out to stroke her hair.
"Maybe telling me all of that made you sick…"
"Maybe" Rei murmured. The two of them could hear Mamoru's footsteps coming down the hall and a moment later, he poked his head in the door.
"Breakfast is ready. Is everything okay?" he asked, noticing the sweat glistening on Rei's forehead.
"I'm okay. I think I caught a flu bug or something" Rei said, not wanting Mamoru or anyone else to worry about her.
"I'm sorry to hear that. If you'd like, I can make you something else."
"I don't want you to go through any trouble for me" Rei insisted. "I'll just make myself some tea and a piece of toast."
"No, you'll go lie down, and I'll make it for you" Jadeite protested, gently grabbing her shoulders and leading her back to his bedroom. After getting her settled back in bed, he kissed her forehead softly.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked once more before going to make her tea and toast.
"I'm fine, really" Rei said with a nod, scooting the trash can closer to the bed in case she needed to use it.
"If you aren't better in a couple days, you're going to the doctor" Jadeite ordered. "I won't let you suffer like this." Before Rei could protest, Jadeite was out the door, walking toward the kitchen. Rei curled up in the bed and sighed, draping her arm over her belly and sitting up suddenly. Something felt…different.
"It can't be…" Rei murmured, jumping slightly at the sound of Zoicite's voice.
"Can't be what?" he asked, walking over and handing Rei a package of saltine crackers.
"N-Nothing" Rei stuttered, discreetly moving her hand from her belly and taking the crackers, silently praying Zoicite would believe her.
"Alright" he said with a shrug. "If you need anything, let us know." As soon as he was gone, Rei felt her belly again, instantly knowing what was going on. She could hear Jadeite coming with her tea and toast, so she quickly repositioned herself, trying to act as normal as she could.
"Here you are, love" Jadeite said softly, putting the tea and plate on the table next to the bed. He sat next to her while she ate, and was able to see that something was bothering her, but decided not to ask.
"I love you" he said softly, squeezing her hand.
"I love you too" Rei said with a smile, squeezing his hand back. After she finished eating, she swallowed the last bit of her tea and laid back down, yawning. Jadeite started to get up, but Rei quickly grabbed his hand. "Stay…" she murmured through another yawn, Jadeite gave her a slight nod and climbed under the blanket beside her, draping his arms around her as the two of them drifted off to sleep.
