The next morning, Lucy awoke feeling much better, though she was still bothered by the dream she had. Who was that woman with the long dark hair? What was she there for? As she continued her attempts to analyze what she had seen, she rolled out of bed and got dressed, then made herself a cup of tea. While she drank it, she decided to write down everything she could remember about the dream so she could ask Levy about it when she got to the guild. After she finished her tea, she slipped her shoes on and headed out the door. As she walked down the street toward the guild, she could hear noise coming from inside. "I guess it's just another day…" she murmured as she neared the door.
She walked inside to find that she was right. No one seemed to notice her arrival until she reached the table where Levy was and greeted her.
"Lu! You're back! Are you feeling better?" The noise in the guild suddenly stopped as everyone turned to look at the blonde wizard. In a matter of seconds, the guild erupted into cheers. Lucy blushed slightly and looked at the floor.
"You guys really missed me that much?" she giggled.
"Aye!" Happy answered, hovering above her head with a fish between his paws.
"Of course we did. You're part of the family now" Natsu agreed, nudging her playfully. Lucy smiled and sat down, still trying not to overdo it until she was completely better.
"Thanks, Natsu" she said shyly. A moment later, she pulled out the paper and turned to Levy. "How good are you at interpreting dreams?" Levy looked at her curiously.
"I could probably figure something out…why, what's up?" Lucy handed her the paper, and after reading over it, Levy thought for a moment. "Nothing really seems weird about it.. I think you may have had a premonition about someone coming to our guild for help. Did she say who she was?" Lucy shook her head and sighed in response.
"I woke up before I found out who she was. She didn't seem like she was from here at all…"
"So, was she like an alien?" Natsu asked. Lucy jumped slightly, not realizing he was still there.
"You idiot, she was probably someone from a different world" Gray snapped, smirking a bit.
"Who are you calling an idiot? Come over here so I can wipe that smirk off your face!" The two of them began to fight (again), and everyone around them groaned. Lucy and Levy continued trying to figure out what her dream meant, but the escalated noise made it hard to think. Moments later, Erza returned from a job, and instantly put a stop to the brawl.
"Enough, you two!" she commanded. The room fell so quiet that the drop of a pin could deafen someone.
"Yes, ma'am" Natsu and Gray said quietly, getting up and dusting off their clothes. Erza nodded and walked over to the table to join Lucy and Levy.
"It's good to see you on your feet again. Are you feeling better?" Erza asked.
"I'm getting there…I probably should have stayed in bed today too, but something was bothering me."
"What is it? Maybe I can help." Levy handed the paper to Erza and she quickly skimmed over it, mumbling to herself. "Interesting…we'll have to keep an eye out for anyone like her."
"Do you think she's dangerous?" Lucy asked, somewhat fearful for her friends safety if her dream were to come true.
"It doesn't sound like it. I'm sure if she shows up here, everything will be fine.
"I hope so" Lucy murmured, looking over the paper again.
Meanwhile, in Tokyo, Rei was at the shrine, conducting business as usual. She wasn't her usual cheery self today due to lack of sleep the night before, but she put on a good face. She had a feeling that at least one of the generals would show up to torment the senshi, and she dreaded having to fight any of them now, especially Jadeite. As she began to sort and organize the charms she sold at the shrine, her mind began to wander. A man's voice brought her back to reality and she looked up, still somewhat dazed. A man with short blonde hair was walking up the shrine steps, and something about him felt familiar, and threatening, all at the same time. Still, she would treat him just as she did any other visitor.
"May I help you?" she called out. The man removed his sunglasses, and Rei's breath caught in her throat. Jadeite…She cursed under her breath, knowing there was nothing she could do if he attacked her right now.
"Yeah, you can, actually. I was hoping you had a charm that could help a person reunite with someone they love." His eyes never left her as he spoke. Rei listened to his words intently, unsure what to make of it.
"Can you give me a little more detail? I don't want to sell you the wrong one" she answered, her voice quivering slightly. The man approached the hut, stopping just short of it. He leaned against the counter nonchalantly as he began to explain.
"It's kind of a long story…a long time ago, I fell in love with someone, but I lost her. She looked just like you, actually" he purred, reaching out to caress her cheek. Rei stepped back, trying to keep her composure.
"I-I'm sorry to hear that…" she replied, the quiver in her voice now completely noticeable. The man stared at her a while longer, and it seemed like he was thinking about something.
"Queen Beryl, I believe I've come up with a perfect plan to get rid of the sailor guardians" Jadeite said as he knelt before his queen.
"You always say that" Beryl hissed. "But, I'll humor you. What is it this time?"
"Those foolish girls seem to believe we were once their lovers. I can use that to get rid of one of them."
"You're certain this will work?" Beryl asked, never taking her eyes off him.
"I'm absolutely positive it will" Jadeite assured her, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Very well. You may proceed."
"Are you alright, sir?" Rei asked, tilting her head slightly.
"I'm fine, sorry. I was just thinking about her, that's all." He turned to face her head-on, leaning in close to her. "You really do look just like my Mars…" In that instant, Rei's heart stopped. Could he be back?
"Jadeite…" she murmured, not realizing she did. He looked up at her, his eyes wide.
"It is you…" She nodded, mentally kicking herself for being so eager to sell herself out. What if this was a trap? She could feel that thought disappearing from her mind as her eyes locked with his, and she walked out of the hut, barely feeling her legs move. Jadeite wrapped his arms around her, and in that moment, she knew she had made a terrible mistake. His grasp on her was so tight, she felt she might snap in half if it was any tighter.
"What are you doing, Jadeite?!" she gasped, struggling to break free. He smirked at her, then opened a portal and threw her into it, never giving her a chance to fight. That smirk was the last thing she saw before everything went black. As soon as the portal closed, Jadeite chuckled to himself.
"That was almost too easy." He proudly transported himself back to the Dark Kingdom to report his success to Queen Beryl.
Back at the guild, everything was business as usual. Everyone was wrapped up in conversation, when a sudden strange noise outside stopped everyone in their tracks. They all looked at one another, and curious murmurs filled the air. Lucy, Levy and Erza immediately jumped up to investigate, followed closely by Natsu and Happy. The small group walked outside, finding a strange woman unconscious in front of the guild. After inspecting her further, Lucy's breath caught in her throat.
"The woman from my dream…" she murmured. The others looked at her, then back at the woman. After getting her inside, they gathered around her, waiting for her to wake up. After a while, she began to stir. She tried to sit up, but instantly fell back onto the couch.
"Where am I?" she murmured, holding her head.
"You're in Fiore, at the Fairy Tail guild" Erza explained.
"Fiore…" the woman whispered.
"Can you tell us who you are, and where you came from?" Lucy asked, carefully placing a cool cloth on the woman's forehead.
"My name is Rei Hino, and I'm from Tokyo."
"Are you from another world?" Lucy asked. Rei murmured to herself for a moment, something about a vision, and nodded slightly.
"Yes, I suppose I am" she said, her voice laced with emotion. Once she was finally able to sit up, she began to look around. She looked at the people gathered around her, noticing a strange mark on each of them.
"That mark…I saw it in a vision yesterday. What is it?"
"It's the emblem of Fairy Tail. We're a wizard guild" Lucy explained.
"Wizard guild…I must be dreaming" she said quietly, feeling as though her statement was somewhat hypocritical, considering she too had powers.
"How did you get here, anyway?" Natsu asked.
"I don't remember…wait…it's starting to come back to me." She replayed her interaction with Jadeite in her mind, and clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white. She explained the situation to them, and they nodded sympathetically.
"Don't worry, Rei! We'll help you get home" Lucy assured her. Rei nodded, feeling comforted by her new friends.
"Thank you…" Rei said softly.
Usagi and the others ascended the steps of the Hikawa Shrine, finding it strange that Rei was nowhere around. They saw the hut in its disheveled state, and instantly knew something was off, as Rei never kept it like that.
"Rei…what could have happened to her?" Usagi murmured, her voice laced with worry. A voice behind the four girls caused them to jump.
"The same thing that's going to happen to all of you pathetic girls" Jadeite hissed as he stepped out of the shadows.
"What did you do to her?!"