Author Note: When I started this story two years ago, I already had quite a number of chapters completed or partially completed, especially the more key chapters, before I even started to publish. These became quite handy when it did come time to publish. Now, after returned from such a long sabbatical from writing, I find that I depend on them to re-orient myself to my characters. I imagine the ones I will be using for later chapters will also serve me well as this story progresses.

With that being said, it's been a very long time (years!) since I've had to write an entire chapter from scratch…until now.

-kohai = [Japanese] roughly translates to "junior", "protégé", or someone with less experience in an organization

Naginata = [Japanese] a pole weapon consisting of a blade fitted to the end of a long shaft, usually a weapon most associated with female warriors of the Japanese noble class during the time of samurai

Okage = [Japanese] help, support, aid, favor.

Ojiisan = [Japanese] grandfather

I don't own Sailor Moon, Mai-HiME, or any brand names and have tried to the best of my ability to site my references.

Takeuchi, N. (1991). Sailor Moon. Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan: Kodansha Ltd.

Obara, M. (2004). Mai-HiME. Suginami, Tokyo, Japan: Sunrise Inc.

The Ducati brand belongs to the Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (cited June 2015). The brand is used merely as a descriptor for this fiction piece.

The Ducati Desmocross concept belongs to Oberdan Bezzi. The concept is used merely as a descriptor for this fiction piece.

The 'Okage Foundation' that appears in this work is fictitious. Any resemblance to real businesses, existing or defunct, is purely coincidental.

Chapter 27:

vvvvrrrrOOOOOOOMMMM!...vvvvrrrrOOOOOOOMMMM!

The sound of two motocross motorcycles speeding through a moderately-sized, outdoor, dirt-covered arena echoed off the metal bleachers that line one side of the track. As they passed, the wind from their speed caused silky, raven and wavy, teal hair to flutter gracefully as Rei and Michiru watched from only a handful of rows away from the edge of the track.

The racers appeared to be neck-and-neck with each other as they rode down the straight and headed into the last curve of the track. As the racers entered the turn, the taller racer, who was closest to the inside, wearing a royal blue helmet, black, armored bodysuit, and riding a royal blue bike, was forced into the curve first. In order for the bike to stay on the track, the racer cut across the curve and took the wider turn.

The smaller racer, wearing a black, armored body suit, black helmet with red racing stripes, and riding a silver bike with yellow accents, made a daring move by slowing just enough to trail behind the taller racer then cutting hard from the outside towards the inside of the curve. Once inside the curve, the smaller rider's bike lurched forward as it went full throttle, passing the taller rider.

Once the smaller rider was past the competition, the rider stood up and expertly engaged the clutch while jerking the handlebars back, causing the front wheel to come off the ground into a wheelie. Seconds passed before the rider expertly brough the front wheel back down to earth and hunched low to take the last two hills before the finish line.

As the smaller rider confidently rode over the first hill and became airborne, the rider noticed the taller racer had caught up along side and expertly scrubbed the jump by whipping the bike to obtain a lower trajectory. The taller racer landed first, sped towards the finish line, and cross it just seconds before the smaller rider.

Once both riders had slowed and came to a halt, facing the two elegant women in the stands, they turned off the ignition on the bikes, effectly silencing the roaring engines. The taller rider lifted the goggles so they rested at the top of the royal-blue helmet and grabbed both sides to pull it off,

"That was a nice move, cutting to the inside like that," Haruka said proudly as she brought the helmet to rest on her bike and ran a gloved hand through her sandy-blonde hair. She looked towards the smaller racer who was removing the goggles and pulling off the black racing helmet.

The smaller rider, who was easily a head shorter than Rei, pulled the helmet off to reveal a young girl, no older than eleven years of age. Her thick, dark-blue hair fell half-way down her slender back and she brought a gloved hand up to comb through it, trying to smooth it out. She tucking the helmet securely under her other arm,

"Yeah, but I still lost," the young woman replied with a slight grimace. Her deep, emerald-green eyes and ice-blue aura reflected disappointment.

"That wheelie and the air you got on the last double cost you," Rei said matter-of-factly. She was also wearing a black, armored bodysuit, her flame-red helmet sitting next to her.

"I thought I had her, though!," the young blunette replied indignantly as she pouted.

Haruka shook her head and brought a hand up to rest on the younger woman's shoulder, "Never celebrate a victory before it happens, Kuga-kohai."

"Yes, Tenoh-sempai," Kuga Natsuki replied obediently with a nod.

…clapclapclapclap!…

Soft clapping could be heard from the stands and they all turned towards the noise to find a young brunette in a middle-school uniform sitting at the very top of the bleachers, clapping happily.

"Whose that?," Haruka asked curiously as she squinted and shaded her eyes to try and make out the person clapping.

"Ara, a fan," Michiru giggled sweetly with a knowing smile. She was wearing a flowing, light-blue, ankle-length, summer dress that had butterfly sleeves and a modest v-neck.

"Mmn, a fan of Natsuki-kohai it seems," Rei replied teasingly with a smirk as she read the lilac aura coming of the young girl.

"Isn't she one of Setsuna's students? The beginner naginata class?," Haruka questioned aloud as she looked at the young brunette.

Natsuki blushed heavily, her emerald gaze quickly looking to the ground, "S-She's just a friend in my dorm who h-happens to go to the same s-school as me, that's all," she stuttered.

Rei, Michiru, and Haruka looked at each other knowingly before Haruka smirked and reached over to pulled Natsuki into a friendly headlock, startling the smaller woman,

"O-Oi, Tenoh-sempai!," Natsuki said with slight annoyance caused by embarassment.

"Well, since I was able to beat you on the double, why don't we practice your scrubbing so you can have a faster lap-time then we'll do a final four-lap scrimmage so you can put it to practice" Haruka said playfully. She gestured her head towards the girl at the top of the stands, "Maybe now that you know you have an audience, you won't be so cocky."

"M-Mmn," Natsuki replied with a small nod, embarrassed by her friend's enthusiastic support and the attention she was getting from her sempais for it.

Haruka looked to Rei, "Want to join us, Rei?"

"Not yet," Rei replied casually as she shook her head and crossed her legs, "I'll keep Michiru company while you work on that. I'll jump in for the scrimmage later."

"Alright, I'll let you know when we're ready," Haruka said as she put the helmet and goggles back on and turned on her bike.

vvvvrrrrOOOOOOOMMMM!

She motioned for Natsuki to follow as she steered the loud machinery back to the two hills near the finish line on the opposite side of the track.

Natsuki twisted her hair up before replacing the helmet snugly on her head. Before she put her goggles back on, she paused as a thought came to her,

"Hey, Rei-sempai," Natsuki asked through her helmet, getting Rei's attention, "Were you planning on going to the gala tomorrow?"

The gala that Natsuki was referring to was one of the two annual fundraising events for the Okage Foundation, a charity that Haruka and Michiru co-founded two years ago that catered to troubled and orphaned youth to help them build self-esteem through positive after-school and weekend sports and fine art activities. Using their fame and connections, the two were able to build a sizeable establishment to house the juveniles and provide facilities for such activities, part of which included the arena in which they were currently sitting.

The two were also able to rope some of their famous friends like Rei into volunteering as either a teacher, coach, and/or mentor to these young minors and be a role model to encourage them. Unable to deny her 'sisters's request for help, or turn down an opportunity that would support kids, Rei gladly did what she could for the foundation when she was available.

When Kuga Natsuki was brought to the facility as one of their first minors, she was already a ward of the state and a terrible truant. She was cold, aloof, defensive, and had already seen her share of battles on the streets. The archer and the young blunette immediately gravitated towards each other as kindred spirits, having both tragically lost their mothers at a young age and fathers who wanted almost nothing to do with them. Since Rei was often busy with work, school, or competitions, she never officially became Natsuki's mentor. But, whenever she came to volunteer, she always made a point to spend time with the young girl, who slowly began opening up over the years. She started making friends, began attending school again, and was mostly passing her classes even though she had to be held back a year due to her extensive absences. Rei couldn't have been prouder of the young woman.

Rei could see Natsuki's ice-blue aura glowing with Hope as her pleading emerald-eyes looked intently at her, waiting for an answer. As part of the gala, donors could sponsor one or more of the minors to attend so they could experience and enjoy a formal night out with their mentors and friends. It was practically the event of the year for them.

Rei's face softened, knowing what Natsuki was really trying to ask, "Mmn," she nodded firmly in reply, "I'll sponsor you."

Natsuki's emeralds lit up gleefully and, though they couldn't see her smile due to the helmet, Rei could tell through her aura that the young woman was elated, "Score!," she exclaimed, "Thanks, Rei-sempai!"

"Sure," Rei smirked as she nodded to the small rider. The young woman secured her goggles, over her eyes and started her bike.

vvvvrrrrOOOOOOOMMMM!

With expertise, Natsuki rode off happily towards the tall, racecar driver who was waiting for her.

Rei looked over her shoulder towards the young brunette at the top of the stands, who was busy watching the blunette on the track fondly with her wine-colored eyes.

"It would be easier for me to put the young woman down as your second beneficiary if I had a name," Michiru's said with a smile as she kept her gaze on the track, already predicting what Rei was planning.

"I'm sure it would be," Rei replied with a smirk. She closed her eyes and focused on the young brunette briefly, "Fujino Shizuru."

"Noted," Michiru stated with a nod.

"Add Nobuo-san to the guest list also," Rei said as she turned back around to watch her best friend and unofficial mentee run some drills, "I'll need him to keep those pretentious, jackass donors at bay."

"Ara, language, Rei," Michiru chided gently as she shook her head.

"S-Sorry," Rei replied as she blushed slightly, her gaze going to the ground guiltily.

Michiru giggled sweetly as they continued to watch the two racers on the track. They sat in comfortable silence until Rei spoke up, "So, how was the honeymoon?," she asked as she turned her lavender eyes towards the stunning artist.

"It was wonderful," Michiru replied absently but with content. She turned and Rei's violets were met with solemn, teal-colored orbs, "But that's not what you wanted to talk about."

Rei could see her 'older sister's teal-colored aura flickering with Concern and knew Michiru's intuition had struck again. She turned her gaze to the ground, unable to hold Michiru's searching gaze,

"No," Rei replied with a quiet, heavy sigh, "No, it's not."

"What's on your mind, Rei?," Michiru probed gently.

"You don't already know?," Rei asked with a small smirk and raised eyebrow as she gave the artist a sidelong glance, attempting to lighten the mood.

"I have a hunch, of course," Michiru replied, her sweet voice carrying a worried undertone, undeterred by Rei's teasing, "But this is yourconversation. Perhaps you could start us off?"

Rei pursed her lips as her brow furrowed slightly. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Her lavender eyes were trained on her hands as she fiddled nervously with her riding gloves, "I just don't know what to do, Michiru," she said, her voice filled with hopelessness.

"About Mina-chan," Michiru stated more than questioned.

"Mmn," Rei nodded softly. Due to her heightened intuition, it didn't usually take much for Michiru to catch on to whatever was going on. The archer was always grateful for it, not having to explain herself before getting down to the issue at hand. Thought it didn't make more difficult conversations any easier, she appreciated the efficiency of it, being able to tackle a problem head-on without having to set the scene or beat around the bush first.

"I see," Michiru replied with a knowing nod. She sat in silence for a bit before turning her teal-colored eyes towards the track with a distant gaze. Thought it appeared as if she were watching the two racers, her mind was far from it.

Rei looked towards the artist with concern, sensing a hint of Apprehension in her teal aura, "You ok, Michiru?"

"Mmn," Michiru replied with a nod. After a brief moment, she tenatively scooted closer to Rei so they were side-by-side and slowly brought her arm to wrap around her, pulling her into a gentle side-hug. She rested her head carefully on the smaller woman's shoulder.

Rei began feeling traces of Worry within the teal strands as they flowed into her through their contact, "Hey, I'm ok, Michiru," she said gently as she sat up a bit, trying to comfort the taller woman with her words, "I mean, I'm just trying to figure stuff out, that's all. There's no need to be worried about-."

"You misunderstand, Rei," Michiru said softly, interrupting Rei's words, "It's not for you that I'm doing this."

Rei blinked in confusion as she processed Michiru's words, "What do you mean?"

Michiru smiled softly, "People are creatures of habit, pursuing desirable outcomes and avoiding less desirable ones. As we grow and learn, we tend to follow and repeat the patterns that provide those desired outcomes and avoid the ones that provide less desireable outcomes. At times, it's for the sake of those desired outcomes that we follow certain patterns, no matter how flawed they may be, as long as they work."

She let out a heavy sigh as she held Rei closer, "I will never forget that day you collapsed at school and Ojiisan brought you back to the shrine to recover," she whispered, referring to Rei's grandfather in the manner she usually did, "I sat by your bedside all that day and the next, praying that you would be ok and wake up."

"Mmn, Grandpa told me about that," Rei replied softly as she tilted her head to gently rest her cheek on Michiru's head, as if trying to comfort the older woman. She was still trying to understand where Michiru was going with this and how it related to her concerns with Minako.

"When Ojiisan explained to us that it was caused by someone coming into contact with you and your abilities not being able to take it," Michiru continued, "I knew I never wanted to see that happen to you again, much less be the one to cause it."

She lifted her head from Rei's shoulder to look at the younger woman, her mature, teal eyes meeting intense violets, "It's hard to break an old habit, especially when it is driven by fear."

She gently released Rei and brought her hand up to tuck a stray, raven-colored strand of hair behind the younger woman's ear. She smiled endearingly, "Growing up, I accepted it as fact that I would never be able to hold you or show you how much I love you outside of only brief and minimal contact. For fifteen years, I believed it in my heart to be true and that it was for your sake."

She giggled sweetly, "And on the happiest day of my life, you gave me the greatest gift I could have never imagined. You shattered my reality, shined a light on my fears…and I was able to hold my 'little sister' for the first time. Even now, it's still hard to believe that it happened."

She rested her hand on Rei's back, rubbing it in small circles, "I know I still have pieces of that long-held, misguided fear. After so many years, they will not go away anytime soon. But, with time, I'm sure they will. So, you see, it's not for you that I hugged you just now. It was for me…to change a pattern."

Michiru could see in Rei's intense, amethyst eyes that she was beginning to understand what she was trying to tell her. She squeezed Rei's shoulder gently before turning back to look towards the track, bringing her hands together and folding them in her lap,

"I'm certain that I don't know much more about Mina-chan's past than you do," she said apologetically, knowing the archer was looking for solid answers she couldn't provide, "Even if I did, it wouldn't be my story to tell. All I can say about Mina-chan is that she can be…guarded…in her own way with others and perhaps moreso with herself. There is definitely more to her than meets the eye. I get the sense she tends to shy away from commitment and is afraid of abandonment. I would venture to say they are perhaps two sides of the same coin, one she herself may not truly understand or is even ready to understand yet. If that is the case, it may be even harder for her to see it and have a reason to change her pattern."

They sat in silence for a moment, allowing the echoing sounds of the motorcycles to fill the space between them before Michiru spoke,

"If you truly love her as much as I perceive you do, I'm sure it will give her the strength and desire to change her pattern," she said encouragingly.

Rei shook her head and smirked, half-amused and half-astonished, Damn Michiru and her intuition.

"But it may be a long and difficult road," Michiru cautioned. She turned her head towards the archer, her teal eyes searching Rei's lavenders, "Are you prepared for that?"

Rei looked back at her 'older sister' with determination and conviction. She nodded firmly, "Whatever it takes."

"Then everything will work out in the end," Michiru replied sweetly as she smiled.

Rei couldn't help but smile back sincerely at the artist. She reached over and squeezed Michiru's hand affectionately, "Thanks, Michiru," she said, feeling much lighter and more at ease than when they started the conversation.

"Of course," Michiru nodded kindly towards her. Content with knowing that Rei seemed to feel better, she was about to return her gaze to the track when she noticed the younger woman lifting her hand from her lap.

Rei brought Michiru's arm up and over her head, guiding the older woman's hand so that it came to rest on her shoulder. She could feel Michiru hesitate at first, her aura rippling with small strands of Nervousness and Anxiety, before the older woman allowed herself to relax and let Rei do what she wanted.

Once Rei was within Michiru's embrace, she brought her knees up to her chest, curling up into the artist, snuggling close. She brought her head to rest on the older woman's shoulder, enjoying her comforting, teal aura. Rei had never noticed before…never had the opportunity, really…that it had a quiet, rhythmic hum to it. It was soothing, almost like listening to the sound of distant ocean waves gently brushing the shore.

"Ara," Michiru said quietly with a hint of teasing once Rei had settled. She pulled her closer, bringing her hand from Rei's shoulder down to rub the young archer's arm comfortingly, "I never knew Rei was such a cuddle-bug."

"Me neither until recently," Rei chuckled amusingly. She closed her eyes and sighed contently, "I love you, Mimi. It makes me happy to be close to you like this. I really like it."

Tears began to form in Michiru's eyes. It had been years since Rei called her by that name. It was one she used to refer to Michiru when her young tongue was unable to pronounce her full name properly. She almost couldn't remember the last time she heard Rei say it.

Ara, Mina-chan, what have you done to our Reiko?,Michiru thought to herself amusingly. A soft smile pulled at her lips as she brought her hand up from Rei's arm to pet her head lovingly. She placed a gentle kiss on the top of Rei's head before turning to rest her cheek on the spot,Whatever it is…thank you.

"Ooooiii, Rei-sempaiii!," The sound of Natsuki's voice in the distance calling Rei's name made her open her eyes and lift her head to find her unofficial mentee. She was at the starting line of the track with Haruka, waving her arm to get Rei's attention, "We're going to start the scrimmage if you want to join!"

"Alright, I'm coming!," Rei called back. She turned her gaze towards her 'older sister', who smiled warmly in return,

"Pin Haruka against the wall before the last curve so she has to slow down and let you pass before taking the turn. Brake check Kuga-san before she's able to block pass you while you're in it," Michiru said sweetly before she gave Rei an endearing squeeze and released her, "Have fun and be safe."

Rei smirked and nodded as she stood up. She collected her gloves, helmet, and goggles and began stepping over the bleachers towards a flame-red Ducati Desmocross that was parked close to the bleachers and away from the main track. She made a mental note to text Minako later about her updated plans for tomorrow.

Author Note: I know Natsuki usually rides a dark-blue Ducati DRIII, but since this would be pre-Mai-HiME, she wouldn't have it. So, instead, I had her bike be more like her Child, Duran. But the nod to her character is still there through Rei's bike. I'd like to think Natsuki would be drawn to a Ducati later in life due to her mentor's tastes.

I also know Sailor Pluto actually wields a key-shape staff, but I figured if she knows how to handle that, she'd be a great teacher for Shizuru and maybe even her niece Hotaru in this alternate universe since she eventually masters her glaive, which is pretty similar to a naginata...and here I go again meshing my dream universe with the universe of actual animes/mangas. ^_^

As I mentioned in the A/Ns of Chapter 5, I'm very detail-oriented and like when elements in a story have meaning or purpose ;)

Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.

(updated 06/2015)