Chapter 6-Bliss

"Rei..." Usagi shouted at the top of her lungs. "Rei...where are my keys?"

Rei poked her head out from the shower, her hair dripping water as she stood and stared at Usagi judgingly. "How do I know. Don't tell me you lost it."

Usagi flipped her purse upside down and emptied out the contents on the bathroom counter. "Nope. Not here." She let out an exacerbated sigh and then closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Chibiusa appeared with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth. Except her hair was no longer pink. It was black, like Rei's.

Rei stared at the little child, confused. Something wasn't right, but it felt right...

"Rei-mama, did Usagi do something stupid again?" Chibiusa came over and gave Rei a hug. "Oh, and are you coming to the parent-teacher meeting tonight?"

Mama? When did she become a mom? Rei's smile stayed frozen on her face, while she nodded to the little child. "I will be there. Seven-o-clock. Sharp."

"I am glad. Out of the two mommies, you are the reliable one." Chibiusa skipped off to finish her morning routine.

Usagi walked over and planted a big kiss on a Rei's lips. "Okay, honey. I will be home around five. I will see you after work, okay?" Usagi frowned when Rei didn't respond. She brought a hand to Rei's forehead. "Are you okay?"

"Mamoru. What happened to Mamoru? Why is Chibiusa calling me mama?" Rei was starting to wonder if she might have a fever and was delirious...

"Rei? Are you okay? We broke up like ten years ago. Ever since I lost my power, remember? Maybe I should call the school and ask for a substitute teacher. I am staying home."

"No, you go. I am fine..." Rei quickly put on her clothes and exited the washroom. On the dining table, there was a newspaper spread open. Rei glanced at the date and paled. 2027. What?

Rei slapped her face hard. Nope, still here. She walked over to the window and looked out. Apparently, now they live in one of the high rises and Tokyo looked nothing like the Tokyo before.

Brrrrrng. Her communicator rang and she jumped. Hesitantly, she flipped it open. "Hello?"

"Sailor Mars, where the hell are you? Neo Queen Serenity is making an important announcement today and we need you here for extra security." Minako' voice boomed uncomfortably loud. "You are 30 min late."

"Um, what? Uhhhhh okay okay where are you?"

"The royal court, duh..." Minako hang up before Rei could ask more.

Rei put down the communicator and rubbed her own head. What the hell was happening? The last thing she remembered was wrenching out the compact from Usagi's hands...

The light in the room flickered once and the room turned dark. The front door opened and Usagi entered holding two giant bags of grocery. "Okay, before you yell at me...there was a giant sale at the market and I was hungry..."

What? Rei looked out the window and it was dark already...

Usagi put down the bags with a thud and then ran over to Rei. Throwing her arms around the confused girl, Usagi leaned in for a kiss.

Every fibre in Rei's body was screaming...This couldn't be happening, but Rei returned the kiss nonetheless. She knew it couldn't be real. Perhaps she was cursed. Perhaps she was thrusted into a parallel universe...Deep down, Rei wanted this!

"So, shall we get started on dinner?" Usagi started to walk towards the kitchen. She looked back once and beckon Rei to follow...

The light flickered again when Rei got to the kitchen. It was empty. Dirty dishes stacked tall in the sink, the room had a faint smell of curry, and Usagi was nowhere to be seen.

"Rei?" Usagi appeared behind her, holding a small candle. Rei turned and blushed. Usagi was wearing a transparent nightie, her hair was down and she had a dreamy look on her face.

"Come to bed...make love to me." Usagi leaned in closer and whispered to Rei, sending shivers down the fire soldier's spine.

The flame started to dance, casting weird shadows on Usagi's face...

"Wake up, Rei. Wake up..."

"Huh?" Rei slowly opened her eyes. She was back at the shrine. Minako stood beside her cot and she looked annoyed.

"Took you long enough. Didn't know you could sleep so soundly." Minako got up. "Princess Serenity wanted to talk to the both of us."

"Oh. Okay..." Still disoriented, Rei replied slowly. It was just a dream...she couldn't help but feel disappointed.

The witch crackled and took a sip of her wine. "Oh, Mars..." The spell she put on Rei was quite powerful and the witch was pleasantly surprised at how detailed the "dream" was.

"You could have her, you know?" The witch talked to Rei's image in the mirror. "The fate of the world lays in your hands..."