Author Note: I'm so excited to write what's to come that sometimes it's hard to get through writing the chapters that have to lead up to those important moments. But I guess they're important too as they have to set the tone. The reviews have definitely been helpful in keeping me motivated to continue so thanks so much for those!

This chapter jumps around a little so I hope it's not confusing. Also, if you haven't noticed already, I try to warn readers when lemons will be appearing in the story.

Oji = [Japanese] "uncle"

Chapter 29 Pop-Quiz Answers:

1 - What's the rating of this story?
Rated M(for some language and some lemon)

I don't own Sailor Moon and have tried to the best of my ability to site my references.

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

Arbuckle, T., Peiken, S., and Thomas, K. (2000). I Wanna Be With You [Recorded by Mandy Moore]. On I Wanna Be With You [CD], New York, New York: Epic Records.

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

Chapter 30:

"THAT FUCKING PRICK!," Rei exclaimed as they reached the car, her voice echoing off the walls of the designated parking garage that was attached to the event hall. Now that she was safely away from the gala and could sense that they were alone in the garage, she couldn't contain the irritation, anger, and frustration that had been building and eating away at her from the night's events any longer.

She slammed her fist onto the top of the car, "WHO THE FUCK DOES HE THINK HE IS!? I'VE ALREADY GIVEN UP MY EDUCATION, MY HOME, THE REST OF MY FUCKING FUTURE FOR HIM AND THAT FUCKING COMPANY! WHAT MORE COULD HE POSSIBLY TAKE AWAY FROM ME!?"

Nobuo stood silently behind the archer as she exploded, allowing her to vent. She always despised and loathed the social elitists that she occasionally had to interact with due to her position at the company and her athletic fame and knew it took a lot for her to be at that gala, knew how much his young charge cared about her 'older sisters' and unofficial mentee to put herself in such a situation. He admired how she would be able hold it together in the midst of it, be at least civil and professional in those spaces, though he could always see how much it truly taxed and exhausted her.

Because of that, he knew how much she needed this. From his experience, once his young charge's temper was ignited, it was best to let it run its course. Any motion to try and curb it would only make the situation worse. She needed space to just be herself and blow off some steam, especially after that tense exchange she had with her father.

He watched as Rei took slow, heavy breaths to calm herself down as she brought her other arm up to brace herself against the car. Though he was deeply concerned about his young charge and was ready to do anything and everything he could for her, he waited patiently for her to make the first move.

He heard a low, mirthless chuckle come from the raven-haired beauty, "…a life sentence," Rei said quietly as she shook her head, her voice heavy with cynicism, "No chains…no bars…no cell…but a prisoner nonetheless…serving a life sentence."

She turned her head to look at her bodyguard, her lavender eyes heavy with despair as a wet trail led from one of them down her pale cheek, "…and I agreed to it, Nobuo-san," she whispered, her smooth voice wavering. She pursed her lips and looked to the ground, "I signed my life away…Kami-sama, the fucking irony…," she whispered.

Nobuo's heart broke seeing his young charge so distraught. He approached slowly, resting his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, "You didn't have a choice, Rei-sama," he said softly in his low, soothing tone, "You did what you had to do and what you thought was best at the ti-,"

His words were cut off as Rei suddenly pushed herself off the car and turned into his arms, causing him to take a slight step back from the force of her colliding into him. He was taken by surprise as she wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her face into him as she continued to cry softly, "I'm just so fucking sick of it, Nobuo-san," Rei whispered hopelessly through her tears, "I'm so tired of pretending. I just feel…so alone."

Nobuo softened at Rei's words. Though his young charge was usually so strong, so composed, even in her most trying moments, she was still a young woman just trying to make her way through a very difficult and complex life…and everyone has their breaking point. He enveloped the young archer into a comforting hug, "I know, Rei-sama," he said soothingly, "I know how hard it is for you."

He gently pulled away and brought his hand below Rei's chin to tilt her head up so their eyes met, "But you're not alone. You've got Aino-san, and Oji-sama, Haruka-sama and Michiru-sama and they all care about you and your happiness very much," he smiled softly as he brought his hand up to stroke her head, "And you have me. As long as I'm around, no matter what happens, I won't ever let anything happen to you or Oji-sama or the shrine, ok?"

A small smile graced Rei's alluring lips as she felt Nobuo's comforting white aura flowing with Confidence, Determination, and Sincerity, "Mmn," Rei nodded, feeling a little better after being able to let her feelings out. She stepped closer to hug her bodyguard again, who returned her hug in kind, "Thank you, Nobuo-san," she said sincerely. She took a cleansing breath and chuckled softly, "Why couldn't you have been my father, huh?" she asked half-jokingly to lighten the mood.

Rei's eyes widened slightly as she felt strands Regret, Sadness, and Longing ripple through Nobuo's white aura. Flashes of nostalgic visions passed quickly before her glazed eyes before they abruptly stopped as Nobuo ended the hug and pulled away, breaking the connection. He cleared his throat subtly and stepped around her to open the car door, "Shall I take you home or to Aino-san's place?"

Rei's intense amethyst eyes gazed sympathetically at Nobuo before she sighed and wiped her tears away with her hand, "Mina will be coming over to my place tonight."

"Your place it is then," Nobuo nodded with a kind smile as Rei gracefully got into the car and he shut the door behind her.

Rei's lavender eyes followed Nobuo as he went around the car. She sighed and shook her head disappointedly, Baka, stubborn Nobuo-san, she thought sadly, How different would things have been if you had just told Mama how you felt about her?

Ba da da Ba da da Ba da da da!...Ba da da Ba da da Ba da da da!...

Her thoughts were interrupted by her cellphone ringing in her purse. She quickly pulled out her phone to see who it was and her eyes lit up. She flipped her phone open and brought it up to her ear,

"Grandpa," Rei answered the phone warmly, "How are you?"

"Hello, my dear Reiko," her grandpa's raspy voice replied kindly, "I'm doing well, granddaughter, but perhaps I should be asking how you are doing? My readings told me that today would be a particularly trying one for you?"

"Yeah," Rei half-chuckled, half-scoffed in reply as she reflected on the events of the day. She took a breath and let it out quickly, "Yeah, it was." She looked fondly towards her bodyguard through the rearview mirror as he drove them out of the garage, "But I'm better now," she continued reassuringly, "And I have Nobuo-san to thank for that. He stopped me from going off the deep-end more than once today."

"I'm glad he was there for you," her grandpa replied warmly, "Is he with you right now?"

"Mmn, he's driving me home," Rei said with a nod.

"Tell him I say 'hello' and that I found the recipe that I mentioned to him the other day," her grandpa replied.

"Mmn," Rei said as she moved the phone away from her ear to her shoulder, "Hey, Nobuo-san, Grandpa says 'hello' and that he has a recipe or something for you?"

Nobuo's chocolate-colored eyes darted to the rearview mirror briefly to look at his young charge before they returned to the road as he continued to drive, "Mmn," he nodded knowingly, "Tell Oji-sama 'hello' and I'll give him a call him once I'm home."

She raised her eyebrow suspiciously as she watched her bodyguard through the rearview mirror. She sensed a flash of something in his white aura that dissipated quickly before she was able to read it, "He says 'hi' and he'll call you later when he's home," Rei said into the phone as she brought it back to her ear.

"Wonderful, I also wanted to talk to you about coming to visit," her grandpa responded, changing the subject and bringing Rei's attention back to him, "I checked my calendar and it looks like this…Tuesday to...Friday would be best. I know it would be a short visit, but does that work with your schedule, Reiko?"

"Mmn, that's perfect, Grandpa," Rei replied eagerly. She softened as she thought about being home again, "I just really miss you," she said sincerely, "I can't wait to be home and to see you again."

"I miss you too, Reiko," her grandpa said fondly, "And I know the girls will be very excited to see you again."

Rei giggled as she thought about the twins, "I'll bring them something from Tokyo as a surprise."

"I'm sure they'd like that, my dear," her grandpa said kindly with a chuckle, "Ah, speaking of which," he said as if recalling something, "I have a few projects I need help with around the shrine while you visit. When we last spoke, I mentioned that you could bring a close friend to come with you to help out. Would that still be possible, Reiko?"

Rei rolled her eyes at her grandpa's inquiry. Yes, she did remember the odd conversation she had with him. How could she not? It was also the day she met Minako. She already suspected at that time her clairvoyant grandpa may have already known about the gorgeous blonde. Now, from the feigned innocent, yet teasing tone she could trace in his raspy voice, she was positive that he knew about Minako or at least that she hadsomeone in her life other than her 'older sisters' and bodyguard.

She knew he was just setting her up with his question. If she danced around the topic rather than come clean, not only would he find out eventually due to his advanced and diverse skills in fortune-telling, he would just end up playfully teasing her relentlessly about it later.

"I'm not sure if she can take the time off work, but I'll ask and see if she can come with me," Rei replied straightforwardly with a smirk.

"I look forward to meeting her," her grandpa said warmly with a hint of eager excitement in his tone. Rei raised an eyebrow at her grandpa's words and the tone in his raspy voice that seemed to imply Minako would be coming, "Alright then, my dear. I will see you in a couple days."

"Mmn, see you soon," Rei replied warmly, "I love you, Grandpa."

"I love you too, Reiko," her grandpa replied sincerely, "I love you very much. Have a good night, my dear."

"Good night," Rei said before shutting her phone and placing it back in her purse.

Rei's grandpa pressed the switchhook on the old-school, rotary, landline telephone, ending the call with his beloved granddaughter. He closed his eyes tightly as his bushy grey eyebrows knitted together. He took a deep, almost shaky breath, fighting the emotions that wanted to surface, before he was able to bring himself back to center. His countenance turned serious as he released the switchhook and began quickly rotating the dial to call a number he knew by heart. Once he finished, he listened for the person to pick up on the other end.

"It has begun," Rei's grandpa said gravely once he heard the other line pickup. He listened for a moment as the person on the other line spoke, "No, it appears I've seen all that I can," he said with a defeated sigh.

He face softened, "Please, I should be the one apologizing for putting such a burden on you, child. I'm sorry I don't have anymore information for you. But it's up to her now…and you. Guide her, but she must choose the path on her own, otherwise there will be no hope of saving her."

He began chuckling softly in response to what was said, "Of course she will, my dear." His voice turned to a comforting tone, "But have faith in her…and have faith in yourself. You're the only one who will be able to help see her through this."

He smiled softly, "I know you will, child. You always have," he replied sincerely.

He took a deep breath as tears began to form in his dark orbs, "As will I," he replied softly, his voice wavering slightly. He cleared his throat, composing himself, "But I'm sure I'll never be very far."

A content smile pulled at the corner of his lips, "Yes, until then…I love you too, my dear."

He brought the handset of the phone away from his ear and returned it gently to its cradle on the telephone base, ending the call. He sighed heavily as he walked down the hall towards a sliding, wooden door and opened it to the backyard. He slipped on a pair of wooden sandals, shut the sliding door behind him and went to sit on a simple, stone bench to read the stars in the night sky and take in the cool night air.

While Minako was packing her overnight bag, she felt a giddy excitement to see a certain devastatingly beautiful archer. Had it really only been just yesterday morning since she last saw her!? She suspected the anxiety she felt yesterday regarding their relationship, the worry throughout today from not hearing from Rei, then her panicked fiasco with her missing cellphone also made their time apart seem so much longer and tumultuous that it would have been under normal circumstances.

- I try, but I can't seem to get myself to think of anything but you. Your breath on my face, your warm, gentle kiss, I taste the truth. I taste the truth. We know what I came here for, so I won't ask for more. I wanna be with you, if only for a night. To be the one who's in your arms, to hold you tight. I wanna be with you. There's nothing more to say. There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way. I wanna be with you. -

As she was on the road headed towards Rei's condo, the music from her radio not reaching her ears, she slowly began to feel anxious. Even under normal circumstances, their relationship still seemed uncertain to her. Though Rei did ease some of her worries by confirming that they were ok before she left, and the time she spent with Karin talking out her concerns did make her feel better and more secure, their situation was, undoubtedly, left unsettled.

Once she parked her car in a designated guest-parking spot at The Incendia and grabbed her overnight bag, she suddenly began to feel nervous. It was one thing to take time away for a bit and think objectively about their relationship, but it was very much another to face it and be back init again…especially with the one person she wanted nothing more than to be with and do anything in her power to not hurt.

Wrrrrrr…

The last time she saw the raven-haired beauty was the morning she left Rei's place, which was only on the heels of their intense conversation the night before. As she rode the elevator up to Rei's floor, she tried to imagine what it would be like to see her again after all that. What if seeing Rei again now turned out to be…awkward? What if these elephants that were beginning to pile up in their proverbial room were too much for their relationship to handle? What if…what if this was it for them?

She absently reached up and began worring the locket she had on her neck. She swallowed hard, keeping a surge of emotions that wanted to surface at bay. This was definitely uncharted territory for Minako and it made her insecure not knowing what to expect. More than anything, she didn't want to lose Rei.

Wrrrrrr…Ding!

She took a deep breath and let it out as she stepped out of the elevator and headed towards Rei's condo. No turning back now, Rei could probably sense her already. She tried to calm herself down as the sound of her own heartbeat began increasing in volume in her ears.

As she approached Rei's condo, she saw the door start to open. Putting on a smile, she began to greet the archer just beyond the door casually, attempting to hide her nerves, "Hi, bab-mmm!"

Her words were swallowed by fervent lips and a tongue that aggressively invaded her mouth. She inhaled the familiar scent of vanilla as strong arms wrap around her lithe body, one hand fisting the silky hair at the back of her head urgently as another pulled her closer to a familiar, toned form that seemed to fit hers perfectly in every way.

Minako's body responded before her mind caught up to what had just happened. Her eyes closed as she gave in, her tongue battled Rei's for dominance. She sucked at Rei's lower lip while her teeth grazed it needily. Her hands grasped desperately at the back of Rei's shirt, trying to pull her impossibly closer. Every breath that came from her alluring lips was laced with a desperate moan or gasp.

She didn't know how they ended up inside Rei's condo. She only realized it when Rei broke their fervent kiss to take a breath and her sapphire eyes fluttered open. Rei was panting heavily, her intense, hooded amethysts were burning as they stared at Minako hungrily, raking her being as if drinking all of her in. She could see the lust in them, could hear it in the heavy exhales of breath that hit her face due to their close proximity. What little space between them seemed to hum with the archer's desire for the gorgeous blonde, as if radiating off of her.

Minako's breath doubled in pace. The image made her insides ache for the beautiful archer, made her bite her lip in erotic anticipation. Words almost couldn't describe how much she wanted…no…needed Rei to take her at that moment and satiate her own burning desires.

…clickclackclack…click, click, clack...

The sound of plastic buttons scattering loudly across the dark, bamboo floor seemed to echo through the condo. Minako's breath hitched, her cerulean eyes widened slightly with desire. Rei had swiftly brought her hands to the front of Minako's short-sleeved, button-up blouse and tore it open. She proceeded to rip the fabric off the gorgeous blonde's shoulders and down her arms, removing it completely, and quickly tossed it aside before she brought those perfect lips to Minako's creamy neck to capture the sensitive skin between her teeth.

"Aah!...Fuck," Minako moaned loudly in Rei's ear as her cobalt eyes rolled back before she closed them again. The sensation that shot from her neck straight down through her body made every nerve seem to come alive. The raven-haired woman reached up and tugged one end of the red bow holding that lustrous, golden mane in place. The thin piece of fabric gave way and slid to the ground as the archer wrapped her arms around the smaller woman tightly, holding her close. Minako's knees nearly gave way to collapse from erotic excitement and need. She quickly wrapped her arms around Rei's neck for stability, bringing one of her hands to back of Rei's head, silently urging her on. She could feel how ready she was to be taken by the beautiful raven-haired woman, how much she needed that mouth…that tongue that was now teasing the shell of her ear…to be somewhere else lower on her body.

She felt herself becoming weightless and instinctively brought her legs up to wrap around Rei's lithe body as the taller woman lifted her and began walking towards her bedroom. Rei continued with her ministrations, moving lower to drag her teeth across the skin just above Minako's breasts. Minako moaned and licked her lips in reaction. She felt herself beginning to rock her hips against the archer, desperately trying to satisfy the growing need between her legs.

She almost didn't notice one of Rei's hands on her back roughly unclipping her bra before she found herself swiftly falling backwards. A startled gasp escaped her as she landed on Rei's large bed, her head hitting the soft pillows, causing her eyes to open from the sudden impact.

She watched through hooded eyes as Rei sat up, pulling the bra off of her, and tossing it over the edge of the bed. Her cerulean eyes followed Rei as the taller woman crawled lower, her lavender gaze focused intensely on agile fingers as they made short work of undoing the clasp and zipper of Minako's skirt. As Rei hooked her fingers under the elastic of her underwear, Minako lifted herself from the bed slightly, allowing Rei to remove her skirt and underwear together in one swift motion and discard them over the edge of the bed as well.

"Aah! Oh my Gods!," Minako screaming. Her eyes shut tightly, unable to hold her gaze on the archer any longer as Rei moved to dip her tongue between Minako's wet folds and slip inside her. A low moan tumbled from Minako's lips as that tongue moved upwards to tease her sensitive mound of nerves. Rei's strong hands held Minako's hips firmly in place as Minako's back arched from the shockwaves of pleasure that rippled through her body in time with the movement of Rei's tongue. Minako couldn't stop the needy gasps and moans that continued to escape her parted lips in reaction to the sensations Rei was causing.

As Rei's lips enveloped the small mound and began sucking while her tongue continued to tease and flick at her relentlessly, Minako's hands desperately grasped the blankets beneath her.

"Fuck…Rei-chan…," she whimpered, her voice higher than it usually was, "I'm…I'm going to-," She couldn't finish her sentence as she came loudly, her body tensing and shaking from the force of her orgasm.

She slowly returned to herself, panting from the exertion. Her body continued to twitch slightly as Rei slowed and eased, but didn't stop, her tongue's movements. Minako's eyes fluttered open as a satisfied smile began to graced her alluring lips,

Well...that went way better than I thought!,she giggled to herself, referring to her earlier anxiety of what it would be like to see the devastatingly beautiful archer again. She could almost feel her fears being expelled from her through her orgasm, caused by a certain raven-haired beauty.

"Shit," she panted breathily, a soft melodic giggle punctuating the word. She brought her hands from the bed to rest over her chest, feeling her own heart beating hard just underneath the surface, "Gods, Rei-chan…That was…That was fucking amaz-aah!"

Minako's azure eyes shut tightly as a loud gasp escaped her lips. Her head tilted back sharply, her hands flew above her head to grasp at the pillows fiercely. Her back arched off the bed due to the sudden, delicious sensation that shot through her. Rei had plunged her fingers deep into her, curling them inside of her, moving them in and out of her at an even pace that was slowly beginning to increase. The archer's mouth and tongue, which hadn't stopped their ministrations, began sucking and teasing her bundle of nerves in the same rhythm.

Still having not fully come down from her orgasm, the sudden addition of Rei's fingers inside of her, paired with the simultaneous, maddening, electric shocks that Rei's mouth was causing on her already sensitive bud, made Minako's mind almost shut down. Her body bucked as if urging on Rei's actions, trying to keep up with her increasing pace. An urgent and growing need began building inside of her again.

"Gods…fuck me, Rei-chan," Minako moaned desperately. She moved instinctively in response to what Rei was doing to her, savoring each intense bolt of pleasure that surged through her, working her back up to a second release.

"Please…don't stop," Minako gasps before swallowing hard. She could feel herself being pushed to the edge again, her muscles tightening in delicious anticipation. She turned her head to the side and brought a corner of the pillow to her mouth, biting it hard. She screamed loudly into it through her gritted teeth as she came for the second time. The intensity of this second orgasm was exponentially more than the first one, having been built upon its waves.

As she came down, all she could hear was the beating of her own heart pounding loudly in her ears. The edge of the pillow slowly slipped out from between her teeth as her muscles began to relax. She was panting heavily, her mind only able to think about one tragically beautiful, raven-haired woman who had just brought her to ecstasy for the second time in a row. She felt weightless, as if she were about to float away from herself in the wake of her intense orgasm. Laying bare and exposed, with nothing but this out-of-body feeling running through her, she needed something more than just her now loose grip on the pillows to anchor her back down to a world that was quickly disappearing from her consciousness.

She shuttered reflexively as Rei gave a final flick with her tongue before moving upwards. A soft moan came from the back of her throat as Rei began to leave a trail of kisses up her stomach. Her long hair felt like cool silk against Minako's warmed skin as the archer moved up her body. Minako turned her head and opened her eyes slightly to take in the sight of the taller woman kissing her way up her torso, her eyes closed in focused concentration.

As the archer reached the crook of Minako's neck and kissed up towards her ear, a delicate gasp escaped Minako's lips. Her sapphire eyes closed as she tilted her head upwards, providing Rei with more access to her sensitive skin.

Minako felt the beautiful, raven-haired woman gently settle herself down on top of her and Minako brought her shaking arms to wrap as best she could around the taller woman, grateful for the familiar weight that helped her to find solid footing again, literally and figuratively, in the real world.

She bit her lip as she heard Rei's wavering breath against her ear, panting softly. There was something so incredibly erotic about that particular sound. It was one Minako knew very well. She savored every time she heard it, cherished it even. It was a tell…a confirmation…that Minako was not the only one being affected during these intimate moments. Rei was being affected as well.

She was so taken by the sound, she didn't notice that the archer had moved her right arm underneath Minako's left leg, bringing her knee up to her chest, opening Minako up more.

"Mina," Rei breathed, her smooth voice was low and laced with desire, "I'm not done with you yet."

"Aah!," Minako gasped needily as she tried to curl into herself but was prevented by Rei's form holding her down. She could only manage to bring her forehead to Rei's shoulder, her arms tightened around the taller woman above her in reaction to a different sensation that was taking over her being. With her legs opened wider, Rei had added a third finger and pushed them firmly and deeply into her, curling them when she was fully inside, pulling out in a steady pace, only to repeat the process.

Minako started to feel herself wanting more…needing more…and she brought her other leg up to wrap possessively around the woman pinning her down. Her fingers grasped tightly at the fabric of Rei's shirt. She no longer had control over her traitorous body as it moved without her permission and found a rhythm that matched Rei's thrusts. She was powerless, hopelessly at the mercy of Rei's fingers as they continued to draw passionate moans and gasps from her lips.

Gods...was Rei trying to kill her!? She hadn't even come down fully yet from her first two orgasms, she couldn't believe Rei was pulling her to the edge of ecstasy yet again! Her mind was having trouble forming coherent thoughts, only able to focus on sensations.

As Rei's pace quickened, Minako let out a soft moan of pleasure, silently begging Rei to continue and give her what she so desperately needed. She felt her muscles beginning to tighten again in response to the overwhelming urge that was building inside of her.

"Rei-chan…," was all Minako was able to whisper breathily before her head jerked back suddenly as an impassioned scream tore from her lips. Her back arched into the archer, her arms and legs clenched around her, holding her in a vice grip as her body erupted with heat and she came loudly for a third time in a row.

As the world around her disappeared into nothingness, as she fell headlong into an altered state of consciousness while her body convulsed and rode a tidal wave of ecstasy towards an indescribable peak, somewhere in the distance, Minako heard a soft gasp tumble from a familiar, smooth voice. It served to prolong and add to Minako's already earth-shattering orgasm that seemed to never end.

She crashing back into herself as she came down, trying desperately hard to remember how to breathe as the world began slowly returning to her. Her body tensed again slightly and she let out a delicate whimper as she felt Rei's fingers slip slowly out of her, releasing their hold on her, returning what little control was left of her body back to her. She almost thought she had lost the ability to move her limbs before her muscles slowly began relaxing on their own and she was finally able to release her death grip around Rei's body.

She felt Rei shift above her then, gently untangled herself from Minako so she could bring her hand up to her mouth and clean her fingers. Minako was unable to open her eyes due to her exhaustion, but she could hear the archer's soft panting, could feel the bed shaking slightly under Rei's movements, which weren't as smooth and controlled as they usually were. Minako could tell that Rei was having a little difficulty balancing and finding stability while hovering over her.

If Minako had the energy to do so, she would have smiled to herself. It seems she wasn't the only one exerting herself during this passionate session of theirs.

She felt herself being gently turned as Rei rolled off of her and carefully pulled her close so the smaller woman was enveloped within her arms. Minako wanted to curl up into the taller woman, to be immersed within her warmth, but found she only had the strength to nuzzled her face gently into the crook of Rei's neck, taking in her comforting, vanilla scent. Rei responded by scooting closer so they were pressed up against each other.

"I missed you, Mina," Rei whispered softly to the gorgeous blonde she was holding tenderly in her arms. She inhaled Minako's intoxicating strawberry scent before placing an endearing kiss on the top of her head, "I missed you so much."

Though Rei's words were simple, Minako could almost feel the depth of her emotions in them. Tears began forming behind Minako's closed eyelids in response. Having no energy to hold them back, she allowed them to slowly trickle down her flushed cheeks as she leaned up and softly kissed Rei's neck, silently letting the beautiful, raven-haired woman know that she felt the same way.

She knew now, was more confident than ever, that whatever this was, this undefinable thing between her and Rei, with all of its flaws and complications...that they would make it work. No matter what obstacles they had to overcome within themselves or with each other, as long as they were together...as long as she was with her...everything would be ok.

Rei smiled softly as she felt a calm sense of Confidence develop within Minako's aura. She held her closer as she felt it begin to turn into that soft, gentle flame she cherished so much. She sighed contently, enjoying its warmth, before they both slipped into a much needed, deep sleep.

Author Note: I grew up using a rotary phone in my house. I miss the way they feel and sound when you dialed someone's number. Using a touch screen to dial like they have on these newfangled smartphones is definitely not the same!

Constructive feedback/reviews would be greatly appreciated.

(updated 06/2015)