AN: It's been a crazy long time since I've updated, but once again I am in no way abandoning this story. I love it too much to do that. Time just hasn't permitted me to write like I would like to. Anyways I hope there are still some people interested in this story and will continue to read it. It's only about halfway done so there is still a lot more to come :) This chapter was inspired by three songs really. Haunted by Evanescence (old as fuck, I know haha), Make Me Cry by Noah Cyrus, and Jolene covered by Miley Cyrus. Don't know what inspired this sudden Cyrus family love, but when inspiration hits I don't question it. Anyways, if you're still reading this story I hope you enjoy the new chapter and leave me your thoughts at the end.
Chapter 14: Don't Ever Fucking Forget
The sun flooded in through Rei's windows causing the still slumbering fire senshi to stir. Rei wasn't one to skip her chores and sleep in, but today she felt no desire to wake up after the night she had. For now she wanted to stay in her dreams away from the real world, but things seldom went her way these days.
"Ughhh . . ." Rei groaned as her eyes fluttered open, squinting when the sun pierced her eyes. She rolled onto her side to block the blaring sunlight, but jumped when she rolled onto her wounded arm. "Fuck." She hissed as she sat up inspecting her freshly stitched arm, letting out a relieved breath when she realized she didn't rip anything. "At least something went right . . ." She mumbled, putting her head in her hands as the memories from the night before and her dream came flooding back into her head. She sat there for a moment with her eyes closed tightly, trying to clear her head of those thoughts that she swore she would keep out no matter what the cost. 'I can't keep doing this . . . She doesn't feel the same way for me that I feel for her . . . right? I mean if she did she would say something . . . but if she didn't she wouldn't have kissed me back . . .' Rei let out a sigh, flopping onto her back, and covering her eyes with her hands to hide from the sunshine that seemed to be mocking her. "What do I do?" She asked out loud as if someone would reply and give her all of the answers she needed.
She laid there for a moment, indulging in the memories of her dreams, but jolted back up when she felt another presence. The goosebumps and the chills running down her spine were almost instant. Her heart rate quickened to a dangerous pace as she stood up, looking left and right. "Who's there?" The fire senshi tried to put on a brave face to hide something she seldom ever felt. Fear.
She stood there completely still, trying to listen for any hint of who was intruding in her house. She started to sweat and her breathing came out ragged as fear gripped her entire being. "I know you're there. Come out now and I'll let you off easy."
Rei could have sworn she heard a soft laugh, but the second she thought she heard it it was gone. "Alright. Have it your way then!" Rei kneeled down and lifted her blanket hanging off the side of her bed to check underneath to find absolutely nothing. She stood up, quickly turning around expecting to find something there, but was met with an empty room.
She slowly walked to her door, trying to steady her shaking hand as she reached for the handle, her heart pounding in her head as panic rose in her chest like bile. The inexplicable fear she was feeling was crippling and as a warrior of Mars she had always prided herself in being brave, but at this moment all she wanted to do was curl up and hide from whatever danger waited for her. She gulped, hiding her fear and opening the door with a stern look on her face to be met with an empty hallway. 'What in the fuck is going on!?'
She looked both ways down the hallway and when she saw the coast was clear she transformed and held out her hand, trying to form her famous fire sword. "W-what the Hell . . .?" Mars' heart dropped into her stomach when she found her hand empty. She closed her eyes, furrowing her brow in concentration, trying to block out all of her feelings, trying to focus on the task again, but when she opened her eyes her trembling hand was still empty. "Shit . . ." Rei ran as fast as her legs would carry her down the stairs and into the kitchen, her eyes darting everywhere for what could be possibly doing this to her. When she reached her destination she grabbed the biggest knife she could find, searching her house for the intruder.
When she found another room empty she felt a small bit of relief that whatever was after her wasn't there, but despite her desire to go hide in her bedroom and call it a day she pressed on, heading outside to her meditation room. "Where the fuck are you . . .?" Rei said softly to herself as she quietly crept towards her destination. Her heart thrashed against her ribs as her hands got sweatier and sweatier, making it increasingly difficult to hold the knife.
As she was about to enter her meditation room Rei whipped around when she felt something touch her shoulder, slashing at the air.
"Whoah! Watch it!" Makoto grabbed Ami, yanking her girlfriend back before Rei sliced her.
"M-Makoto . . .? Ami?" Rei stuttered, a small sense of relief washing over her.
"What are you doing in your sailor senshi form? And why are you trying to cut people with that big ass knife . . .?" Makoto knit her brow in confusion.
"I-I . . . Th-There's something here . . . or was here . . ." Mars looked off to the side, obviously confused herself by what had just occurred. "And my fire sword . . . I couldn't form it!" Rei looked up at her friends, panic still obvious in her eyes.
"Where is it?" Ami stepped forward, looking around.
"I don't know. I couldn't find it." Rei looked down, gripping the knife tightly in her fist.
"We'll find it." Makoto nodded her head as she and Ami transformed.
Ami quickly formed a shield around her eyes, using her high tech to try to locate the presence of a monster while Makoto ran into Rei's meditation room spear in hand.
"I'm not picking anything up." Ami frowned as she looked around, trying to detect any heat signatures.
"It's all clear here." Makoto walked over to her friends.
"That's impossible . . . right?" Rei looked to her friends clearly confused. "I . . . I was so sure something was here. I know it was!" Mars stepped forward to grab Ami's arms, but stopped when she saw the blunette take a step back and glance at her knife.
"Oh . . . Uh sorry . . . Forgot I was holding it." Rei dropped the knife, taking a step back.
"Rei . . . Did you hit your head during the fight last night . . . " Ami looked worried at the fire senshi who was more frazzled than she had ever seen her.
"My head? No. Why?" Rei knit her brow in confusion, unable to understand why her friends weren't panicking too.
"Because you're acting strange Rei . . ." Makoto grabbed the fire senshi's arms. "There's nobody here . . . And I don't feel any evil presence."
"I know what I felt! I'm not crazy!" Rei pushed the Jovian's arms off of her.
"Hey now, no one here is calling you crazy Rei . . ." Makoto held up her hands.
"How about we go inside and I check you out your injuries." Ami smiled kindly, trying to calm the frantic fire senshi.
"Y-yeah. Okay." Rei nodded while Ami and Makoto shot each other a worried sideways glance before following the fire senshi.
Once they got inside Rei laid down on the couch and Ami took a seat next to her friend, using the scanner on her shield to check for any injuries, specifically to the head ,she didn't know about, but frowned when she found nothing. "Well Rei . . . you didn't sustain any blows to the head that would effect you like this . . ."
"Then what the Hell is going on?" The fire senshi looked up to her friend for answers.
"Well . . . this could possibly be from stress . . . We have an unknown enemy targeting us which could definitely cause some paranoia plus you have that whole thing with . . . well never mind." Ami blushed.
"What thing?" Rei sat up, raising an eyebrow.
"Does she really have to say it Rei?" Makoto sighed, crossing her arms. "You have that whole thing with Minako and Lucy going on which I'm sure is causing a lot of stress. Don't get me wrong. We believe you when you say you felt something, but all of this stress could be throwing your senses off. It's not a bad theory."
"You think that I had this episode because of stress?" Rei frowned, unconvinced.
"Has this happened before?" Ami tilted her head to the side.
"No . . . well actually yeah . . . kind of. Last time it was more fleeting." The miko furrowed her brow thoughtfully.
"Was this before or after the whole . . . Minako thing." Ami's cheeks turned slightly pink again. She wasn't one to get into others personal affair.
"After."
"Well then I think that is probably it. I wouldn't worry too much Rei. You just need to relax and not psyche yourself out." Makoto nodded with a smile. "Everything is going to be okay."
"Yeah . . . you guys are probably right. I was just being silly." Rei shook her head, smiling up at her friends. "Not that I'm not grateful for you guys showing up when you did, because I am, but what are you doing here anyways?"
"We just wanted to check up on you. You kind of darted off last night and I wanted to make sure your arm was properly taken care of." Ami smiled.
"You didn't trust me to take care of it?" Rei huffed, crossing her arms.
"Come on Rei . . . You aren't necessarily the best medic." Makoto laughed.
"Hey! I think I've stitched myself up enough to know how to do it properly at this point." Rei stuck her tongue out at her friends.
"Well we still worry anyways. The last thing we need is for you to get an infection and lose your arm." Makoto smiled cheekily.
"Gee thanks." Rei narrowed her eyes at the Jovian.
"How about we go back to our civilian form and get some shakes at the usual spot? We're supposed to meet up with Usagi and Minako. Getting out and relaxing will do you some good." Makoto sat down next to her friend.
"Minako . . .?" Rei blushed, remembering the night before. "I, um . . . don't-"
"We're not taking no for an answer." Makoto glared at the blushing miko.
"Alright . . . " Rei sighed.
"I'm bored." Usagi whined as she sat at a table with an unusually quiet love senshi.
"It's not my fault Makoto and Ami are late." Minako frowned, moving her straw around in her untouched strawberry shake.
"Do you want to go in the arcade and play some games?" The princess jumped up and down in her seat excitedly.
"I don't really feel like playing right now . . ." The love senshi sighed.
"You're usually more fun to be around Minako-chan. What's going on?" Usagi put her chin on her hand.
"Nothing." Minako shrugged. "I'm just . . . not very talkative today."
"Is it Rei-chan?" Usagi crossed her arms while Minako paused her slow stirring, looking down.
"No . . ."
"Yes it is. Mina-chan . . . what's going on?" Usagi reached across the table, grabbing her friends hand.
"Nothing is going on Usagi. I just . . . I don't know." Minako shook her head, biting her lower lip.
"Rei-chan is just being stubborn. I wish you two would just stop and realize that you . . ." Usagi trailed off, unsure if it was her place to tell Minako what her true feelings were.
"Realize what?" Minako looked up at her friend, confusion written in her eyes.
Usagi let out a sigh, being serious for once. "That you lo-"
"Sorry we're late." Makoto rubbed the back of her head, interrupting her two friends.
"What took you guys so long?" Usagi glared up at the Jovian.
"Usagi! Don't change the subject!" Minako glared at her princess.
"I uh . . ." Usagi blushed, unsure of how to continue when she saw the fire senshi walk in with Ami. "Rei-chan! I didn't know you were coming!" Usagi smiled, standing up to hug her guard.
"It was a last minute thing." Rei pulled away, looking over Usagi's shoulder to see Minako already sitting in the booth. "H-hey Minako." Rei smiled tentatively at the love senshi.
"Sorry guys. I have to go." Minako stood up, letting anger replace her sadness when she saw the girl that was plaguing her thoughts.
"But everyone just got here." Usagi pouted.
"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow or something." Minako smiled a small smile at her princess before looking over at Makoto and Ami. "See you guys later."
Rei stood there with her mouth hanging open, desperately trying to think of something she could say to make the love senshi stay, but Minako just brushed coldly past her without so much as a second glance. 'Don't go . . .'
"What in the Hell did you do this time?" Makoto glared over at the fire senshi.
"I-I well . . ." Rei blusehd, rubbing the back of her head.
"Rei-chan!" Usagi stomped her foot, glaring at the Martian.
"Hey! She started this whole mess!" Rei glared back at her friends. "Why am I the bad guy all of a sudden?"
"I'd say you're both guilty." Ami sighed, sitting down.
"Me? Guilty? Definitley not." Rei crossed her arms as she sat down next to the blunette, her stubborn Martian heritage kicking in.
"Cause you would never do anything that could possibly be hurtful right?" Makoto rolled her eyes, sitting down next to Usagi.
"Nope." Rei stuck her nose up, her pride outweighing any guilt she could possibly feel.
"You're an idiot." Makoto sighed, but decided to drop the subject so they could have a nice day.
-Flashback-
Mars kicked some sand around in the training pit, impatiently waiting for her secret lover who was already nearly an hour late to arrive. 'What in the Hell is taking that damned woman so long?' Flashes of the guard flirting with the blonde pierced her brain, but Mars was quick to push them back out. 'I'm just being foolish. She wouldn't do that to me . . .right?'
"U-Um excuse me?" Came an unfamiliar voice causing the Martian to whip around. There standing a couple feet away from her was a girl about her heigh with long flowing orange hair and light brown eyes dressed in white and silver, the moons colors, with a rapier on her hip.
"Yes?" Mars raised an eyebrow.
"Y-you probably don't know me, b-but . . ." The girl cleared her throat, standing up straighter as if she suddenly gained some confidence. "I'm Asuna Yuuki. I'm one of the commanders for the special assault team."
"Special assault team?"
"Oh well basically we will be sent out with you and the other sailor senshi in case of an attack on any planet." The commander blushed.
"Interesting. I didn't know we would have back up. That's good to know." Mars nodded her head while the other girl shifted from foot to foot. "Was there something you came here to tell me?" The Martian sighed, already growing irritated with this girl.
"I . . . well . . . I heard you and Commander Venus were the first and only to encounter those . . . monsters. I also saw how you fought those Venusian soldiers and I was just hoping that you would . . ." Asuna bit her lower lip, trying to find her confidence again. "I was hoping you would train me." She finally spat out.
"Train you? I don't think that-" Mars started, but Asuna prepared herself for the possibility of the fire senshi sending her away.
"Please Mars!" Asuna grabbed Mars' hands, a very bold move for anyone to make with a Martian. "I want to protect the kingdom and all of the others just like you and the other senshi! I don't have powers, but I want to be useful against whatever waits. I'm ready to do whatever it takes."
Mars opened her mouth, but closed it, debating on what to do. 'I suppose there would be no harm in training her especially if she will be on the battlefield with me and the other senshi.'
Unbeknownst to Mars Venus had strolled in to the training grounds only to see the orange haired girl desperately clutching her girlfriends hands. The blonde immediately took a step back to watch the interaction. 'Tread very carefully Rei . . .' Venus grit her teeth.
"I . . . Well . . . Sure. Okay. I'll do it." Mars sighed.
"Really? Thank you so much!" The orange haired girl let out an excited squee, pulling the fire senshi into a hug while a very pissed Venusian stood watching from afar. "Can we start now?" Asuna let go of Mars while Venus left the training pit, too pissed to deal with her lover.
"I can't right now. I'm supposed to uh . . . meet someone." Mars rubbed the back of her head, looking over Asuna's shoulder to see if the blonde had arrived yet.
"Oh, well that's fine. I didn't know you were seeing someone . . ." Asuna blushed, looking down.
"I-I'm not." Mars waved her hands, quick to cover her bases. "I was supposed to spar with someone but they're running late."
"Oh, well that's a -" Asuna started with a smile.
"I should actually go find them right now just to make sure everything is alright. I'll let you know when I'm free to train you." Mars gave Asuna a small smile before she made her retreat from the training grounds in search for her girlfriend.
Mars walked the hallways looking left and right in hopes to see a glimpse of blonde hair. 'I know she's around here somewhere.' When she got to the Venusians' room she pushed the door only to be met with resistance. 'It's locked?' Rei felt an irrational wave of jealousy take over at the thought of what she could be doing in there. "Venus?" Mars pounded on the door to be met with nothing but silence. She even put her ear to the door and heard no movement. 'Maybe she's no here or maybe she's . . . no . . . don't think that way.' Mars chided herself as she moved on to the garden.
While the Martian was walking along next to the high bushes that led to the flower garden she suddenly stopped in her tracks feeling an odd presence she couldn't put her finger on. It made her hot Martian blood suddenly run cold and made every hair on the back of her neck stand at attention. "What -"
Before Mars could even begin to interpret the feeling a hand suddenly shot out from the hedges and yanked her in to a secret section of the garden hidden by the hedges. "Hey!" Mars tried to draw her sword, but her wrist was grabbed and she was flipped onto her back, knocking the wind out of her.
Mars laid there, her vision blurry from the knock to her head and the bright sun shining into her eyes. She felt someone straddle her waist and the sun was replaced by shimmering blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. "V-Venus." Mars' vision and breath slowly came back to her only for Venus to steal it away again with a searing kiss.
Mars leaned up, starting to run her hands up the back of Venus' thighs locked in a deep and sudden kiss only for the blonde grab her hands and pin them above her head while she pulled away, a fire burning in those bright blue orbs.
"Who the fuck was that?" Venus glared down at the confused Martian.
"Huh?" Mars looked up at the blonde with clouded over eyes.
"Don't play dumb." Venus growled, gripping the back of Mars' hair and tugging hard, turning the fires senshi on even more. "That girl that was all over you. Who the fuck was she?"
"Oh." It all clicked in Mars' head.
"Yeah. Oh." Venus' grip tightened on Mars' hair.
"You were late." Mars glared defiantly back up at her commander.
"So you decided to fuck around with-" Mars' laughter interrupted the jealous Venusian's rampage. "What's so fucking funny?"
"Do you want to fight me? Or fuck me?" Mars smirked up at the blonde.
"Both." Venus growled, but let out a surprised gasp when Mars suddenly flipped them over and pressed her lips against the blonde's, pinning the commander's hands above her head.
"That was Asuna." Mars pulled away, smiling down at the blonde glaring up at her. "She's a commander for one of the special assault teams that will be fighting with us. She wants me to train her and I agreed. That's it."
"Oh." Venus blushed.
"Yeah. Oh." Mars mocked her girlfriend, making the blonde glare at her again.
"Well it's obvious she wants you." Venus retorted.
"And it's obvious I have no interest in her. I'm fucking yours." Mars let go of the Venusian's wrists and lifted her arm scarred from the Venus love me chain to show proof of her statement to her lover. Venus looked over to the hearts on the Martian's wrist, but also noticed Mars had given her an opening so naturally she took it and flipped them back around.
"Yeah you are." Venus grabbed the front of Mars' shirt, pulling her torso up so the miko was in a sitting position, face to face with her lover. "And don't ever fucking forget." Venus said in a low dangerous tone before she crashed her lips into the Martian's.
Mars was all too happy to comply, kissing back just as hard, wrapping her arms around the blonde, pulling her as close to her as humanly possible. The blonde's hips started moving on their own accord, grinding into the warrior beneath her as the fire that started in her chest settled down into the pit of her stomach, burning hotter and hotter by the second.
"Minako . . ." Mars pulled away to catch her breath, using the blonde's actual name to get her attention, but was met with clouded over blue eyes and swollen pink lips.
"Yes Reiko?" Minako replied breathlessly.
"I . . ." Rei blushed, looking down trying to find the courage to say what she wanted to say. 'How do I tell this goddess that I . . . I love her when I can barely admit it to myself.'
"Reiko I want you." Minako practically moaned out, biting her lower lip as her libido took over and she ground her hips into the Martians'.
"M-Minako. What if someone sees us?" Rei turned a brighter red, but all thoughts of confessing her love to the blonde left when Minako grabbed one of her hands, running it up under her shirt to cover her breast.
Minako leaned forward so their lips were just centimeters apart and Rei could feel her hot breath on her lips. "Then we'll tell them to leave." The blonde said softly before capturing her girlfriend's lips in another hot slow kiss that made all the protest Rei could possibly have die in her throat.
-End Flashback-
The latest flashback had Rei reeling and it took everything she had to stay away from the blonde after that one, but she let her stubborn side take over. 'Let the past stay in the past.' Rei repeated that in her head over and over again like a mantra to keep her sanity while she swept the stairs to the shrine a couple days later, but stopped when she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. She turned around to find a very pissed off Lucy.
"Why the fuck haven't you called or sent me a text?" The pink haired girl put her hands on her hips.
"I . . . I uh thought you wanted space or something." Rei stammered, taken completely off guard.
"What in the world made you think that?"
"Well . . . the last time we talked you were pretty heated and you didn't contact me after that so . . ." The Martian trailed off, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot under her girlfriend's scrutinizing gaze.
"So you don't try to talk to me at all? Maybe I was waiting for you to say something to me." Lucy glared at the miko.
"I-I'm sorry Lucy . . . I-"
"You were hanging out with Minako weren't you." The pink haired girl spat out.
"Minako? What? No!" Rei held up her hands defensively. "Her and I barely even talk anymore." Rei looked off to the side.
"Bullshit." Lucy stepped up to her girlfriend.
"Why are you so obsessed with Minako and me?" Rei sighed. 'This is the last thing I need right now.'
"Because I know her kind. She only wants what she can't have. She had her chance and she ruined it." Lucy frowned.
"Lucy . . ."
"Tell me you don't love her." Lucy grabbed Rei's shirt, her eyes welling up with tears.
"L-Lucy I . . ." Rei stuttered, interrupted by Lucy pressing her lips against her own.
"Please Rei . . ." Lucy pulled away, looking into the fire senshi's dark eyes. "Just say it."
"I . . ." Rei gulped, finding the words hard to say. 'Don't ever fucking forget.' Minako's words rang through Rei's ears, but she pushed those thoughts from her mind, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I don't love her Lucy. I love you." The words felt so wrong coming out of her mouth and she felt as if she had rocks in her stomach.
"Good." Lucy smiled. "So you won't have any problem staying away from her then right?"
"What?" Rei felt her heart drop.
"Stay away from her Rei. If you love me you'll do it. I mean if you really don't care about her it shouldn't be a problem." The pink haired girl played with Rei's shirt.
"Yeah. Of course." A small smile was all Rei was able to muster. 'Don't ever fucking forget.' The words rang through her head again, torturing her. 'Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!' Rei tried to look as normal as possible as she fought herself internally.
"Good." Lucy smiled, kissing her girlfriend again. "Now ditch your chores and lets go see a movie or something."
"I can't just skip my chores." Rei sighed.
"Fine. I'll help you so we can speed them up and then we'll go out on a date. Deal?" The pink haired girl held out her hand to the miko.
"Deal." Rei smiled, shaking her hand.
Meanwhile Minako chewed on her lower lip, her new bad habit, as she headed towards Rei's place. 'Maybe we should be adults about this and just talk . . . There has to be a reason why we keep having these flashbacks . . .There has to be a reason why she did what she did . . . right?'
Doubt filled the blonde's gut as she reached the shrine, taking in a brave breath to face the problem head on, stepping up onto the first step of the Hikawa shrine, but distant laughter made her stop in her steps. She looked up to see Rei laughing with Lucy as they swept the steps and her heart dropped to the floor. 'Of course . . .' The blonde looked down bitterly, clenching her hands into a tight fist. 'How could I be so stupid?'
Minako took a step back, glaring up at the raven haired girl as she flirted with her girlfriend, playfully ruffling her pink hair. "Liar." Minako said softly before she turned on her heals and walked away with tears pricking her eyes.
AN: Well, that's it folks! Hopefully you liked the new chapter in all its weird creepy, angsty, fluffy, depressing glory. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes or whatever. I didn't get much time to proof read and make corrections. New chapter will be coming soon seeing as it's already mostly written. Pretty please leave a review and let me know what you think. I always love hearing from you guys :D