Stone Ashes
Chapter 1
by - DreamHeart (a.k.a. - smileybecka)
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Sailor Moon or any of its characters BUT I DO OWN the story. Remember plagerism is bad.
The Crown Arcade was busy today; as usual there were a bunch of giggly teenage girls hanging around the counter batting their eye lashes trying to get the clerk's attention and the sounds of the various video games buzzing in the air. All of this fell on deaf ears, or at least it did to the young woman in the corner booth.
She had long raven black hair that fell absently around her as she kept her head bowed, anxiously rubbing her hands together. Every now and then she would slightly raise her head to let her violet eyes dart, only for a moment, to the window – looking for someone.
But she didn't have to wait for long because just then a young blonde with a strange hairdo slid into the booth and plopped her purse down on the table.
"Hi, Rei. I got your message and came as soon as I could," the blonde smiled.
"Hey, Sere. Thanks." Rei smiled a bit but continued to stare at her hands.
Worried the blonde gently placed her hand on top of Rei's. "Rei, what's wrong?"
Rei shut her eyes and whispered, "I saw it, Serena."
"Saw what?" Serena's brow was now furrowed, her once crystal blue eyes were now tumultuous with worry.
"It's coming. It won't be long now. We could have days, hours, or even minutes left before it hits."
Serena nodded. "Crystal Tokyo. It's ok to be nervous. I'm nervous about it, too."
"That's not it, Sere. I'm ok with being the fire senshi, with helping you establish your kingdom, with having to rebuild Mars and the rest of the planets but . . ."
"But what? Please, Rei, tell me."
"What will he think? I know that I've never been great with men but this just seems doomed. I mean at least Darien knows and he's married to you. But Chad doesn't. He doesn't even know that I . . . that I . . . like him."
Inwardly Serena gave a sigh of relief. Though her friend, her best friend, was clearly upset she had at least not had another vision filled with death and destruction. "Why haven't you told him?"
"He's my friend." Rei ran a hand through her long raven locks. "I don't want to jeopardize that. I think he feels same way about me but then again I could be wrong. Been wrong before. Besides what's he going to think when he finds out who I really am? Everything's going to change."
Serena got up and sat down next to Rei wrapping her arm around her friend's shoulders. She leaned her head against Rei's and absently began to play with the long inky locks. "And who are you?"
"I am the Fire Senshi, protector of the Moon Princess, and the Martian princess."
"Oh, sweetie," Serena hugged her tightly. "You are so much more than that. Look beyond all that. You are a warm, kind, and loving person. True you can be a bit stubborn and pig headed." Rei gently hit Serena's hand and smiled a bit. "But you are my best friend. Give him a fighting chance, Rei. Listen I love you - we all do, and if he doesn't understand then his loss ok?" Serena gently tilted Rei's chin so that she was looking at her. "But I think it's time we had a Senshi meeting, don't you?"
Rei nodded.
Serena released Rei from her grip. "Good. Can you get in touch with everybody? I've got to get back to work." With that Serena grabbed her purse and began to get up, but a hand on her back stopped her.
"Thanks, Sere. I needed that."
Serena turned back and gave her a hug. "No problem, hon. But I want my spitfire back by the time I see you at the shrine later, ok?"
"Ok." Rei then watched Serena leave and looked after her long after she could no longer see the blonde's trademark meatball pigtails. Then she lightly shook her head, 'I'm such an idiot. I don't do this . . . over any man. Then why this one? I have to believe that you're right, Sere.'
Rei had walked home not long after Serena left her; she now stood just outside the shrine blankly staring at all the stairs before her. After a moment, she shook her head bringing her back to reality and began to climb the long and winding staircase.
As she walked she deeply breathed in the sweet aroma of the cherry blossom trees and listened to the sweet songs of the birds that nested in their branches.
At the top of the stairs, she was greeted by a young man dressed in his usual ceremonial attire - a billowy white shirt and a blue pair of hakama. He had dark chocolate colored hair that fell in his eyes, his soft brown eyes. "Hi, Rei, I'm just finishing up my chores and then I'm going to make some lunch. Would you like some?"
Her violet eyes lit up and her pulse raced but only for a moment. She had caught herself again, the millionth time. "Hi, Chad. Yes, I would like some lunch thanks. Just let me change, ok?"
"All right. It shouldn't take me long; I've just got to finish the sweeping." With that Chad left her.
She smiled and looked after him for a moment. Then sighing Rei turned and went to her room.
After closing her door, she pulled the communicator out of her pocket. Plopping down on her bed she called Ami and after a moment the blue-haired genius appeared on the small screen.
"Hey, Rei, what's up? Is anything wrong?" Ami inquired.
"Nothing serious, Ames," Rei assured her. "I just wanted to let you know that there's going to be a meeting later. Probably about five o'clock, ok?"
"Ok, see you then." And with that Ami's image disappeared from the screen.
She had similar conversations with Lita and Mina a few minutes later. She knew that they would tell Luna, Artemis, and Darien when they saw them. Now fully satisfied that she had done her duty, she began to change into her own ceremonial attire – a billowy white blouse and a pair of red hakama.
She was nearly finished when a gentle knock came at her door.
"Yes?" she called through the paper screen door.
"Rei," Chad gulped and then after a moment. "Lunch is ready."
"Oh, ok, thanks. Be out in a minute."
He watched her shadow through the door. She was tying back her hair with a ribbon, a red ribbon, he knew. That silky black hair that fell down her back in waves – it had to be so soft. He placed a hand on the door reaching, reaching to touch it. His mouth was dry. He blinked hard and withdrew his hand from her door. He shook his head as he walked back to the kitchen, 'I'm just a friend. Whew, I'd better make myself a cup of STRONG tea.'
Inside, Rei smiled to herself, 'He stayed. What an interesting development.' Then she allowed herself to float down to the kitchen while her heart and mind were hopelessly lost up on cloud nine.
He was seated at the island drinking a cup of tea and before him was a tray of sandwiches and a tea pot. Rei sat down across from him and poured herself some tea as well. Then as she reached for her first sandwich she smiled, "This looks great, Chad. Thank you."
His soft chocolate brown eyes were huge and he blinked hard. 'She's actually complimenting ME.' "No problem, no problem at all, Rei."
The rest of the meal was spent in silence, each unsure of what to say and both a little afraid to make the first move.
When Rei had finished her meal she quietly sipped her tea as she waited for him to finish. Once she was fairly sure that he was done she picked up both of their plates and carried them to the sink. Turning the water on she waited a moment letting it get warm and then turned to the still seated Chad and tossed a towel at him. "I wash. You dry."
He shot her a toothy grin. "Sure, it's fine by me." Then he picked up their glasses and the teapot and handed them to her.
She set them gently in the sink and then squirted some soap on a sponge. As she began to wash the dishes she began to list the things that needed to be done. "Chad, I know that there are some leftover sandwiches from lunch but could you make some more for later? Everyone is coming over later and you've seen Serena eat." She chuckled lightly.
He took the plate from her as he reveled in the sweet music of her laughter before snapping back to reality to reply, "No problem. I'll whip up a smorgasbord for them."
"I also need you to prepare the main room for a fire reading. I'm going to go do some meditation first and then probably after everyone is here I'll do one."
"As you wish."
brump! brump!
Rei had been meditating for about an hour when she heard these strange noises. 'It's probably nothing,' she assured herself. 'Chad will take care of it.' With that she resumed her meditation.
But the noises only grew louder.
Brump! Brump! Brump!
Rei's eyes flickered open. 'Focus, Rei, focus. Chad will take care of it. It's nothing to worry about.'
BRUMP! BRUMP! BRUMP! BRUMP!
She sighed. "I'm never going to be able to focus with all that racket." She pushed herself up and opened the paper screen door. Frustrated she stepped out of her room and looked up and down the hallway, but there was no one there. She decided to follow the noise – heading off to the right toward the kitchen.
As she neared the kitchen's swinging door she noticed that the floor was unusually wet. 'Oh, no.' She gulped and gently pushed the door open.
The sight that greeted her was a kitchen entirely submerged in a sea of bubbles. Her hand flew to her mouth as she surveyed the mess with wide eyes.
In front of her the bubbles seemed to be moving. Her eyes grew wider. Out of this blizzard of bubbles a very flustered Chad emerged flailing a broom about clearing a path for himself - nearly hitting Rei with it. Once he realized it his hand flew to her arm. "Omigosh, Rei, are you ok? I'm so sorry. I don't know what happened. I just put a load of laundry to wash. I think that I might have put in a bit too much soap, but I didn't think that this would happen. I'm really sorry, Rei, for all this commotion and I promise to clean it up."
But before Rei could respond they were interrupted by someone giggling hysterically behind Rei.
Irritated she spun around to face the culprit. It was Mina. Tears were now streaming down the blonde's face and she could hardly breathe, she was laughing too hard. Rei's violet eyes gleamed dangerously with anger. "You think this is funny, do you?" The priestess motioned to the kitchen and Mina tried desperately to stop laughing. "I don't even want to think about the state the laundry room is in. So, if you don't want to help him clean it, I'd advise that you wipe that stupid smirk off your face." Then Rei grabbed the broom that Chad was holding and thrust it at Mina. "And as for you," Rei started as she turned back to Chad, "you clean up this mess. And pray that I find the main room to be to my liking when I go to do my fire reading." With that Rei turned on her heel and stormed back to her bedroom.
Mina choked down her laughter and gave Chad a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry that probably would've gone over better if it weren't for me. . . . I just couldn't help it. It was just too funny. By the way, how much soap did you put in there, really?"
Chad stared down at the floor for a moment, but it seemed like ages to him. Then he ran a hand through his dark hair and mumbled, "Six or seven cups." He looked up at her, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "But the clothes were so dirty, Mina. I didn't think it could hurt. I mean, I had dug out a flower bed, I . . ."
Mina cut him off. "It's ok." Her crystal blue eyes danced and she struggled not to laugh again. "It made my day. Don't worry Rei won't be mad for long. Why don't I give you a hand until everyone else shows up? It'll give Rei a chance to cool down a bit." Then she took her trademark red bow out of her hair and placed it in her purse. She let the broom lean against the wall as she pulled the long blonde tresses into a ponytail with a hair tie and rolled up her sleeves. "Ok, then, let's get started." She grabbed the broom and started to head off into the wall of suds but paused just inches from them and turned, "You did turn off the washing machine, right?"
"Yea, I had just done that when Rei got here."
"Just checking." With that she headed fearlessly into the suds, flailing the broom about to clear herself a path as she headed toward the back door.
Chad sighed gratefully and headed toward a nearby closet. Then after grabbing a couple of buckets and the mop he followed after Mina.
Mina smiled gratefully as she reached the back door. 'Who knew that six cups of detergent could make so many suds!' "Chad! Chad, are you almost here?"
"Almost," came the muffled reply.
'Ok, no time like the present.' Nodding to herself, she unlocked the door and swung it open. She stepped outside and took a deep breath, grateful for a bit of fresh air. After a moment or two she noticed that the door would not stay open on its own, so she started looking around for something to prop it open with, but had little luck.
The yard was pristine as usual thanks to Rei and Chad. The plum trees were blowing gently in the wind. The only thing that could have been of any use to her were a couple of wooden benches nearby that of course were bolted to the ground to make sure that they survived both storms and thieves. Frustrated she turned back to face the door only to find Chad just making his way out of the disaster area. Then it hit her. Smiling sweetly she batted her long lashes at him. "Chad could you do me a favor? Could you go back inside and get a chair to prop this door open, please?"
Chad sighed inwardly in defeat and then quietly set down the buckets, let the mop lean against the wall, and walked back into the storm.
Mina giggled quietly to herself and picked up a bucket to start shoveling out the suds while she waited for Chad. But it turned out to be just a bit harder than she had originally thought it would be. Every time she went to fill the bucket with suds the door would either hit her in the rear or push her inside completely. After a few failed rounds with the door, she in frustration threw her bucket in the yard and leaned up against the door thoroughly irritated.
A moment or two later, Chad appeared with the chair. "Hey, are you ok?"
"I'm all right. I just had a little trouble with the door."
He chuckled lightly. "Well problem solved." Then he picked up the broom in one hand and the remaining bucket in the other. "Choose your weapon, milady – broom or bucket?"
"Broom."
"And I'll take the bucket. Shall we?" He motioned toward the doorway filled with suds.
"Of course." With that they began the painstaking task of shoveling the sea of suds out of the laundry room and kitchen.
At first, of course, their efforts seemed to be all in vain. The sea of bubbles just seemed to have no end. After about thirty minutes, however, she could just make out the faintest outline of the washer and dryer. She smiled contently to herself and carried on with her work.
A minute or two later she heard a loud noise and turned to see Chad going back to refill his bucket. Mina immediately dismissed it, deciding that he had just probably hit the doorframe or something when he went to empty the bucket. After a few more minutes, though, she heard someone groan and glanced back in the direction she had first heard the noise. Sure enough there was Serena sitting on the ground pouting and covered in suds.
"Serena! What are you doing?" Mina offered the blonde her hand and once again fought hard not to laugh, though this time proved to be a bit more difficult to resist and she finally caved into a fit of giggles. Falling to the ground, she hugged her sides as she rolled around in the suds laughing uncontrollably.
"A lot of help you are, Mina." Serena pushed herself up. "What do you think I'm doing here?" Then she frowned as she noticed that her friend was still rolling around in laughter. She put her hands on her hips and quietly began to tap her foot impatiently. "Are you quite finished yet?"
Mina held up a hand to her and Serena begrudgingly pulled her up. Mina took a deep breath and surely but slowly the giggles subsided.
Serena shook her head and continued. "I was just curious where all the bubbles were coming from. With all the wind you can see them all the way down the block. Darien told me to wait, but you know me."
Mina poked her playfully in the side and giggled once more. "Are you going to tell him that your curiosity got you clocked with a bucket?"
"Shut up! You were probably the one who did it anyway."
"No I swear it wasn't me. Scout's honor."
"Hmmm. Then who?"
"Chad but don't say anything, Sere. He feels bad enough about making this mess – six cups of laundry detergent. You can only imagine the state that Rei's in right now."
Serena laughed, "I guess I'm thankful that Darien's never pulled a stunt like this. I bet she's madder than a wet hen."
"Probably worse."
"C'est la vie. Anyways, can I avoid this mess or do I have to go through it?"
"No, it's just in the kitchen and the laundry room."
"Aww, that means no snacks. Oh well, be in in a minute? I want to get this meeting started as soon as everybody gets here."
"Sure just let me give Chad a head's up and then I'll be right in." Serena smiled and then left. Mina then turned just in time to narrowly escape being Chad's second victim.
His eyes were huge and his brow furrowed with concern. He immediately dropped the bucket and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Mina! Mina, are you ok? I didn't hurt you, did I?"
She shook her head. "No, Chad. Don't worry about it. It was an accident."
His head went limp and his chin fell to his chest. "I've been having a lot of those lately."
"Don't worry about it Chad. Listen you know how big of a klutz Serena is and we still love her to death. Think of it this way, you're not half as bad as her so we're bound to love you too." She playfully punched him in the jaw and smiled. "I've got to go meet up with everyone. Do you think that you can handle the rest by yourself?"
The twinkle returned to Chad's eyes and he picked up the broom. "No problem. Thanks again for all of your help."
But she stared at him for a moment or two trying hard to figure out whether or not he was really being sincere. Mina was so swept up in her thoughts that she did not hear him let out a heavy sigh nor did she notice that he moved to swipe at her with the broom, but her instincts saved her rear from being swatted with it. The dark rich tones of his laughter brought her back to reality. "Earth to Mina. Anybody home?"
She blinked hard.
"Go on now. Don't want to make Rei any madder."
"Right." Then turning on her heel she ran through the disaster area and straight to Rei's room.
She stood in the doorway for a moment just absorbing every detail of the room and her friends.
Lita was lying on her stomach in the middle of the room lazily reading a magazine. Amy was sitting at Rei's desk showing Luna and Artemis something on her computer. Serena, meanwhile, was sitting with Rei on the bed trying to get the still fuming priestess to calm down.
Mina sighed, 'It might not be heaven but it's still pretty damn good.' Strolling nonchalantly into the room she failed to notice that Darien was leaning against the wall adjacent to the door. As she passed him, he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder and was just about to greet her . . . but after centuries of training Mina's reflexes had split second timing. Before he knew it, Darien was flat on his back at Mina's feet, just centimeters from where Lita was lounging.
"Omph!" The wind escaped his lungs as Darien hit the ground.
"Mina!" Lita exclaimed as she collected her wits. "What the hell was that for? The man was only going to say hello and you nearly flipped him on top of 'me'!"
Amidst this a blonde streak flew from the bed to Darien. Serena gently stroked his jaw line and studied his deep ocean blue eyes. "Are you ok, Darien?"
"Been better," he managed to choke out. "But I've been worse too."
Mina, meanwhile, just stood there like a statue in disbelief. Her eyes were wide with both shock and regret. "Darien, I'm so sorry. Are you ok? I didn't think . . . it was just instinctive. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry." Her chin fell to her chest heavy with guilt.
Darien slowly sat up and gave her a smile. "Hey, don't worry about it. No harm done."
Mina heaved a sigh of relief and then went rushing to give her friend a hug. "You're sure you're ok?"
Meanwhile, Serena smiled at the pair and then threw the still glowering Lita a disapproving glare.
"You may be tough little girl but I've taken worse," Darien chuckled.
Mina plopped down happily next to Rei's bed and raised an eyebrow at him mischievously – knowing where he was going with this. "Really? From who?"
Obediently Lita shrugged off her angry mood and returned to reading her magazine.
"Sere."
"Huh?" The sound of her name caught her attention. Then seeing Mina giggling and Darien feigning innocence, she knew that he had said something about her. She poked him playfully in his side. "Better watch it mister. I'll give you a run for your money."
"Oh, you know I love you."
"Mmmhmm," she smiled. Then thoroughly satisfied that peace had been restored, Serena decided that playtime was over. "Let's get down to business. As you know we are here because of some new developments, but we'll talk about that in a few minutes. I think that we would all agree that we've grown complacent over the last couple of years due to the lack of attacks. Am I right?" She paused and allowed her sapphire eyes to survey the group for their responses. Their nods were enough to convince her of their mutual agreement. "Then I think that it would be prudent to step it up a notch in our training. I want each of us to take one round with everyone everyday. If you lose then make it two rounds with the victor. Mina, of course, will supervise the training sessions as usual. We'll begin this new regime tomorrow bright and early – no excuses. I know that the Outers aren't here because of Michiru's tour but I'll see to it that they are well of aware of what's going on. Now, Rei, let's bring everyone up to speed."
All eyes turned to the priestess. Calmly Rei took a deep breath and began, "Crystal Tokyo and the great freeze are coming. I have foreseen it."
Mina furrowed her brow with deep concern. "Don't be so cryptic. What exactly does that mean? And when is it going to hit?"
Amy, always quick to answer, chimed in, "The great freeze is exactly what it sounds like. The entire Earth will be completely frozen and every living organism will be put into a state of suspended animation. Only Serena, Neo-Queen Serenity, and the power of the Imperium Crystal will be able to awaken the planet."
"Thank you, Ami. Mina," Rei sighed, "I really don't know when it is going to hit only that it will be soon."
It was then that Luna jumped down from the desk and onto the bed. "What exactly have you seen?"
Rei gulped. 'This is no time to lose your nerve. Go on, you must, go on.' "I want to show you." Quietly Rei stood up and strode out of the room.
After a moment or two of sitting in an uneasy silence the rest of the party followed – knowing full well where she had gone. The main room of the temple. Indeed, as they approached it, they could tell that the paper screen door was open and it seemed like it was patiently waiting for them to enter one by one.
Serena was the last one in and she quietly closed the door while the rest of the group went to sit down alongside the farthest wall facing the hearth. She then went and joined them taking a seat next to Darien. He took her hand and gently squeezed it. She gave him a knowing smile and kissed his cheek to ease his worries.
Meanwhile, Rei was fluttering about the room making sure that everything was to her liking but she stopped dead in her tracks in front of the hearth. "CHAD!"
A minute later the screen door flew open to reveal a very flustered Chad in its midst. "Yes?"
"Where are the ashes?"
"They should be in their little bag in front of the hearth." He gulped when the priestess's gaze turned even colder. "They're not there?"
"No. I wouldn't be calling for you, would I, if they were." Her voice was ice.
"I'll go and fetch some for you."
"Th—. " Rei was interrupted by someone placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. Irritated, she glanced back to see that it was Serena. Knowing what it meant, she ordered herself to breathe for a moment. "It's ok. I can manage. I'm sorry for snapping at you."
Chad gazed suspiciously at her for a few moments and then respectfully bowed to her. "Do you require anything else?"
"No, thank you." She then returned his bow.
Quietly and respectfully Chad then left and shut the screen door behind him.
Once the door was shut, Rei turned to Serena, "I'm ok, really. He just drives me crazy sometimes."
"Just breathe, ok?" With that Serena returned to her seat next to her husband. She rested her head happily on his shoulder and sighed. "I think the coast is clear now."
Rei nodded. "Mars Crystal Power!" In an instant the priestess was surrounded by swirling ribbons of fire and the next standing before them in her sailor uniform. 'You know someday I won't have to transform to do this.'
Quietly Rei walked toward the hearth. Her violet eyes blazed with a fire of their own. She knelt down beside the hearth, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Leaning over she blew into the hearth, almost instantaneously the fire sprang to life. Smiling she went and sat a few feet from the fire. Taking a deep breath she allowed the warmth of the growing fire to envelop her. As always it burned away all the thoughts, worries, and fears that clouded her mind. To her the fire was not a gift or her power but her friend, her sanctuary. And now it beckoned to her. It was ready. Time to begin.
She scooted closer to the hearth and once again closed her eyes. She folded her hands together and began to chant. It was a strange and ancient chant that at times seemed to be not of this world nevertheless, however, the words spilled from her mouth perfectly as if they were her native language. It caused the fire to dance and sway before her.
After about five to ten minutes of this Rei began to pray, "Great Fire, show us the secrets you hide. Show us the great freeze and the creation of Crystal Tokyo. Show us, show us, Great Fire, your wisdom."
The fire grew brighter and shadows began to dance at the edges of the flames.
"Show us your secrets, your wisdom."
Several figures could now be made out but just as quickly as they had formed, they began to fade away back into the shadows.
Calmly Rei took up her chant again causing the fire to grow until its flames licked the ceiling harmlessly. Slowly she opened her eyes and whispered, "Show us."
Again the shadows appeared dancing within the flames – slowly but surely forming the figures that were there before. Tantalizingly bits by tantalizing bit the figures came into focus one by one. It was a group of animals in a forest. Some were playing, some were grazing, and others were drinking from a nearby stream. Then in an instant the stream began to freeze and the animals that were drinking from it were frozen in icy coffins. Frightened the other animals began to run and hide into the heart of the forest. The ice, however, seemed to disapprove and lunged at them with its icy tentacles. One by one it caught them and encased them in ice until everything in its wake was frozen and barren. Still, though, the icy tentacles searched and they seemed to be reaching for the Senshi, even through the flames, thirsty for life.
The images vanished and the fire began to die down. Knowing that there was still much more to be seen, Rei took up her chant once more. The flames grew once more. Its flames again licked the ceiling and its eerie glow rivaled that of the sun. Once the flames were again dancing in time with her words, she whispered, "Show us your wisdom. Show us Crystal Tokyo."
The flames became unusually still at her last command. The shadows that had been agonizingly slow to form any type of image before now sprang to life. In a moment the image of Serena appeared peacefully sleeping in her icy coffin.
Instinctively Darien squeezed his wife's hand as his eyes remained transfixed to her lifeless face nestled amidst the flames.
The crystal began to gleam at her chest, its warmth melting the icy tomb. Once the ice that encased her completely melted her eyelids began to flutter. Then slowly but surely her sapphire eyes opened and she struggled to prop herself up. She allowed her eyes to gaze upon her husband's icy tomb for a moment and then forced herself to stand up. As she surveyed this icy world, a single tear managed to escape and trickled down her cheek, where it turned to ice. Not noticing it she took the still gleaming broach from her chest and revived her husband. She watched his chest rise and fall as he began to breathe. Bending down she kissed his still chilled lips and then left to fulfill her destiny.
As she reawakened the world, she paused only once at a single though massive block of ice. She stared at it as if it confused, frightened, and amused her all at the same time. Then those eerie knowing eyes turned to look at them, purposely, seemingly asking them what she should do. After a few moments she turned back to her icy world and reached out to touch it . . . .
And as her fingers barely grazed the ice, the fire immediately died.
Meanwhile, someone unbeknownst to the scouts shivered. Chad had seen everything. It wasn't that he had meant to spy, he was just bringing Rei the ashes she needed for the fire reading. He was just about to open the door when he heard Rei shout and he would have but he saw an eerie glow coming from underneath the door. His curiosity got the better of him and instead of racing into the room to see if Rei was all right he simply crouched down and cracked the door just enough to let him see – just in time to see Rei transform into Sailor Mars. His mind was spinning. His Rei, his sweet little Rei, was the beautiful unearthly warrior Sailor Mars. Overwhelmed by all the millions of thoughts and emotions that were running through him, Chad quietly closed the door and began a seemingly endless agonizing walk back to the kitchen.
Never even glancing at the door, Rei turned to the group. "What do you make of it? It's that last part that that confuses me."
"It's coming soon. I mean you wouldn't be seeing Sere awakening the planet if it wasn't," Mina stated as she started to get up and stretch.
Rei, however, only heard bits and pieces of her friend's reply. There was a sudden ringing noise in her ears, blackness started to form at the outskirts of her vision, and she collapsed.
Mina was the first one to reach her and she pulled her into her lap. "Rei, Rei! Are you ok?"
She could hear their voices calling he name and tried desperately to get to them, to consciousness, but just could not. The darkness came for her.
"Keep trying to get her to wake up. I'm going to get some smelling salts from my car," Amy instructed Mina and then ran out of the room.
"I'm going to go get Chad!" Serena told them as she too ran out of the room.
She found him sulking at the island. The room was still covered in suds but he was just sitting there with his head in his hands.
"Chad! We need your help. Rei's collapsed. Come on, let's go." She grabbed his hand to help him up but he just jerked it away.
"She's a big girl. She can take care of herself."
"She needs you. Don't you understand that? So get off your high horse and come with me. Please!"
"Yeah right, she needs me like she needs a hole in the head. After all, I'm only the hired help."
"Chad! Stop it! Why are you acting like this? Please come with me. She needs you."
He slammed his fists into the island before him. "Go and ask your Sailor Mars! Now just leave me alone woman!"
Her sapphire eyes flashed with anger. "Fine then you don't deserve her. You're not even worthy to kiss the ground she walks on." With that she turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen.
Inwardly he knew she was right – about everything – and he regretted every callous remark he had made to her. He was just hurt. Hurt that the woman he loved hadn't trusted him enough to tell him the biggest secret of her life. True, she didn't know that he loved her but at least she thought of him as a friend and friends trust each other. Damn it, any way you looked at it she should have known that she could trust him. And that's when it hit him – 'I love her. She's hurt. She needs ME. I'm such an idiot.'
Fuming Serena was already at the door to the main room when she heard him yell, "I'm coming!" And then came the sound of his feet pounding against the hard wood floor and before she knew what was happening he nearly bowled her over and flung open the door.
Chad rushed to Rei's side and took the smelling salts from Ami and passed them under her nose. Meanwhile Serena stood shell-shocked in the doorway.
After a few moments Rei regained consciousness. She forced her hand to go to her forehead and tried to sit up but that only made the room spin.
"Hold on a minute. You're just going to hurt yourself." Chad pulled her back and forced her to rest in his arms. Strangely enough for once Rei did not protest.
Meanwhile Mina went over to check on Serena, who was still standing in the door way while everyone else was taking care of Rei. "What's wrong with you?"
"He knows."
"Knows what? Wait, hold on. Who knows what?"
"Chad. He knows that Rei is Sailor Mars."
"What! Did she tell him?"
"No, I think he saw everything just now and let me tell you – he's not taking it well."
"What do you mean? If he wasn't taking it well, why is he over there taking care of her? It looks to me that you're wrong, Sere."
Frustrated Serena began kneading her hands together. "I know. I'm really confused. Just a few minutes ago he was sitting in the kitchen making remarks about being," she made air quotes for emphasis, "'just the hired help' and that Rei was 'a big girl who could take care of herself.' To top it all off he had the audacity to tell me to get lost and called me, me, woman! Does that sound like he's taking it well?"
"True but he's here now and that at the very least is a sign of good faith. We both know that they have a crush on each other and the very fact that even though he's upset and was able to cast that aside for her, implies that it's much more than that."
Serena rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I hate it when you are so damn logical. You couldn't just let me be mad him could you?"
Mina laughed. "You know you love me. I do think you have every right to be mad at him. I know how afraid Rei has been about how he would react to the news and his initial reaction to it more than justifies that fear. And I know that no one here wants or will allow, if it can be helped, her heart to be broken. I mean, those were some pretty vindictive and bitter things that he said but actions always did speak louder than words. Don't you think he deserves a chance to redeem himself?"
"I suppose you're right but what do I tell Rei the next time she's frightened by her visions of Crystal Tokyo and what he'll think?"
"You'll tell her what we've always told her – 'If it's meant to be, he'll understand and nothing will change between you.' Let them work it out on their own, Sere. It'll either break them or make them stronger. Trust me." She flipped her ponytail with a quick wave of her hand and winked. "After all I am the Senshi of love."
"Let's get her to her room, so she can get some rest," Darien told the group.
"That's a good idea," Amy nodded in agreement. "Chad, will you carry her?"
In response, Chad gently scooped the priestess in his arms and stood up. Still a bit dazed and groggy, Rei allowed her head to fall limply into the comfort of his chest.
"I'll get the door," Lita jumped up and, for the first time of any of them, noticed Serena and Mina in deep conversation in the doorway. Walking up to them she asked, "Anything wrong?"
"No, not really," Serena folded her arms across her chest. "Don't worry we'll fill you in later."
"No problem. I wasn't worried about that. I can pry anything out of either of you when I really want to, but we're going to move Rei to her room now. Could you please move?"
Mina nodded and stepped out into the hall way out of the way. Lita and Serena followed suit. "How is she?"
"You know Darien and Ami they wouldn't move her unless it was ok."
"I bet they gave her a complete and thorough examination then," Serena teased.
"But of course," Lita giggled.
Just then Chad passed them carrying Rei out of the room and down the hall with Darien, Ami and the two cats in tow. Serena, Mina, and Lita quickly caught up with them.
Darien held open the door for Chad and Ami turned down Rei's bed for her. Then Chad gently set Rei down and tucked her into bed.
"She's going to be ok," Darien wrapped an arm around Serena's waist. "She just needs to get some rest."
"We can talk more later," Amy assured the group. "What's important now is that we let her rest.
"You take good care of her now," Lita ordered Chad. "She's everything to us."
"I know," Chad smiled. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her, always."
With that final statement Ami ushered everyone out of the room and turned off the light. As she shut the door, she whispered, "Get better Rei. We love you."
Rei woke up the next morning with a pounding headache and feeling sore all over. Her body felt like lead as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. 'Where am I?' She glanced about the room. 'I'm in my room. How did I get here? I don't remember ever leaving the main room of the temple.' Despite her aching body Rei struggled to sit up. As she stretched she was caught off guard by the sight of Chad sitting in a chair at the foot of her bed fast asleep. 'What's he doing here? Did he sit up all night with me? No, of course not, but then why is he here?'
Determined not to allow her aching body or pounding head ruin her day she swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Taking a deep breath she tried to stand up – and she did if not only for a moment. As she tried to walk the room once again began to spin and she fell to the floor beside her bed with a thud.
Chad woke up immediately when he heard the noise. Though he was thoroughly relieved that Rei was awake he was alarmed at the fact that she was still dizzy and did not seem able to walk. He rushed to her side, scooped her up into his arms, and once again tucked her safely in bed. "None of that today. You're going to stay in bed and get some rest. Lay back down and I'll get you some breakfast."
"Chad, that's not necessary. I'm fine, really I am. I just got up a little too fast that's all." To prove it Rei tried to get out of bed again.
"Oh, no you don't. Doctor's orders – you are to stay in bed until further notice. I'll tie you to the bed if I have to, Rei."
Rei's eyes flashed in defiance, "Oh really, I'd like to see you try it."
"Fine," Chad threw up his hands in defeat. "If you hurt yourself, it's your own fault. I'm going to get you some breakfast." With that Chad left her alone with only her thoughts as company.
In the kitchen, Chad was fuming. 'Who does she think she is talking to me like that? Sailor Mars or not she had no reason or right to be nasty to me.' He paused for a moment as he took a couple of pans out of a cabinet and then slammed them down on the stove. 'Woman, couldn't you let some one take care of you just once! Why do you always have to be so stubborn? No, of course not, Sailor Mars can do anything. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself – she needs no one.'
Then as he began making breakfast a little voice in the back of his mind kicked in. 'Don't you think that you're being rather hard on her? All she did was respond to your smug remark. Tie her down to the bed, eh? Doesn't that sound like a challenge? Do you think under any circumstances that she would allow that? Let alone allow anyone to speak to her in such a manner and get away with it? You would have said the same thing and you know it. Face it, man, this isn't about what she said to you, this is about what and who she is – Sailor Mars. Whether you like it or not that is who she is and she will always remain so. She will never and would never allow you or anyone change her. The question is – can you deal with that?'
He sighed inwardly knowing that the little voice was right. She was Sailor Mars. Hell, she was practically a goddess. He sighed again as he transferred the scrambled eggs from the hot frying pan to a plate. She was out of his league. He had always known that but now more than ever. Painstakingly he took the bread out of the toaster and began to butter it. He kept trying to put the issue out of his mind but one thought, one question kept nagging him at the back of his mind. Why? Why hadn't she trusted him enough to tell him the biggest secret of her life?
He twirled a Casablanca in his hand, her favorite, her favorite flower. After a moment or two of just staring at it spinning in his hand, he placed it gently in a vase on the tray. 'Maybe it's for the best. Could I really have taken care of her or loved her the way she deserves to be?' He shook his head as he took a plate of eggs and toast and put it on the tray trying to rid his mind of such thoughts. 'No, it's not about that. Maybe it's better if I don't talk to her about this not until I'm really sure about how I feel about all this.' With that final decision, he picked up the tray and began to make his way back to Rei's room.
Once there he gently knocked on the door of her bedroom.
"Come in, Chad!"
He quietly opened the door, "Breakfast is ready." Forcing a smile he motioned to her with the breakfast tray.
Rei propped herself up with the pillows, "Thanks, Chad."
He placed the tray down carefully before her, "Careful, it's very hot."
"Mmm, it looks delicious," Then Rei's face lit up as she noticed the Casablanca. "Chad – a Casablanca! Thank you. You remembered it was my favorite flower – how sweet of you."
Chad sat down beside her on the bed and the twinkle returned to his soft chocolate eyes as he tried hard not to blush, "It was nothing. I just, I mean, I . . . . The laundry room and kitchen are spotless. I finished cleaning up after everyone left. I'd thought you'd want to know."
She smiled and covered one of his hands with her own, "Oh, thank you. I know that you didn't mean to make such a mess."
Chad's gaze fell to the ground remembering the harsh reality of yesterday's events. Biting his lower lip he quickly remembered his place, "Do you require anything else, miko?"
Startled by the formality Rei withdrew her hand and stared him wide eyed for a few moments.
"Miko? Are you ok?"
"Huh? Yes, I'm fine. Did you just call me 'miko'?"
"You are my boss and the priestess of this shrine. You deserve the respect of those . . . "
She cut him off knowing fully well what he meant. "Those who are employed by me and this shrine -- its maidens and caretakers -- who are under my authority."
"Yes, miko."
"I see." Masking the hurt she felt from the harshness of his words she hardened her face, voice . . . and heart. "Very well then, since I cannot attend to my normal duties, you will pick up the slack. In addition to your normal duties you will clean the main room, in which I did my fire reading last night, make sure that it is ready for any future readings, and tend to any visitors and the various shrine maidens and caretakers. Do you understand?"
"Yes, miko."
"My friends will be coming over later to use the yard to brush up on their sparring. Make sure you tend to their needs."
"It will be done."
"Thank you again for breakfast. You may go now."
Nodding he quickly stood up and went to the door. He hesitated to leave, however, and turned back to face the priestess. "As you wish, it will all be taken care of. Take care." With that he took his leave of the room and gently shut the door behind him.
Afterwards she sat there and quietly ate the breakfast he had made for her. When she was through she took the vase, placed it gently on her nightstand, and put the rest of the tray down on the floor at the foot of her bed.
Then pulling the covers over her head Rei buried her face in a pillow and let the tears fall freely from her eyes. Her proud heart tried desperately to make them stop but they just would not. And just as all those tears were lulling her to sleep she could've sworn that she felt two strong arms pull her close.
Rei stretched in bed and began to rub the sleep out of her eyes. It was then that she heard the door open and close with a quiet click.
He stood there a moment soaking in every detail of her. The way her long dark locks pooled around her and the way she was able to steal his breath away every time. "Glad to see you're finally awake. You gave us a real scare last night."
Sitting up Rei drank in every detail of his face as he walked toward the four poster mahogany king sized bed. His short blonde hair was tousled as always and the twinkle in his clear blue eyes told her that he was genuinely relieved to see her awake. Raising an eyebrow at him, she teased, "Like you ever had any doubt?" Her hand flew to her forehead and she mockingly fell back into bed. "Really, Jed, I'm hurt."
He sat down on the bed beside her. Smiling he smoothed the navy silk sheets. "Sit up, Raven. You gave us all a scare. I'm not exactly accustomed to seeing my wife pass out in the middle of a fire reading." He kissed her gently on the tip of her nose. "You nearly fell into the fire and Sailor Mars or not you're not exactly flame retardant."
She crossed her arms and pouted at his smug remark. "Hey, you don't know that for sure."
Chuckling Jed sidled up to her and took her into his arms. "I'd rather not find out. Anyways Ami checked you out and sorry kiddo, you're on bed rest today."
"What! Jed, I'm fine."
"No, I'm not arguing with you about this. I'm not willing to let you jeopardize your health. I'll tie you down to this bed if I have to, Raven."
Smirking at his challenge, Rei taunted, "Oh really? I'd like to see you try."
Grinning mischievously Jed decided to call her bluff, "Fine then, I think I will." Then he started to tickle her mercilessly.
Squealing Rei tried to get away, "No fair, you're not ticklish."
"Not my fault that you have two weaknesses – me and being ticklish. I just like to exploit them."
"Fine, I give! Just please stop!"
"Nope, gotta promise first, Raven."
"Ok, ok, I promise."
"To?"
"I promise to stay in bed all day."
"Good," Jed scooped her up into his arms. "You know I love you, Rei. Tell you what I'll bring you some Casablancas later.
Her eyes lit up, "Really?"
"Really. I've got to go help Kunzite inspect the troops. I'll be back to check on you a little later. I love you, Firebird."
"What did you call me?"
"'Firebird' – I like it better than 'Raven,' don't you?" Then he passionately kissed her for what seemed like ages.
As he got up to leave she caught his hand, "Jed."
He smiled as he looked down at her knowing what she was going to say.
"I love you."
Meanwhile, Chad had come to take away her breakfast tray and check on her. Standing in the doorway for a few minutes Chad admired the sleeping priestess. Hungrily his eyes drank in every detail from the way her long black hair cascaded around her to the gentle rhythm of her breathing. 'An angel,' he firmly decided, 'she looks like an angel.'
Then forcing himself out of his revelry he went to pick up the tray from the foot of her bed and that's when he heard it.
"Jed," she murmured, still fast asleep.
Standing back up, praying that he had misheard her Chad moved to the head of the bed to make sure that she was still asleep.
"I love you."
Later . . .
"Knock, knock," Ami popped her head into Rei's room to check on her.
"Hmm," Rei moaned. "Ami? Is that you?" she asked groggily as she began to rub the sleep out of her eyes.
"Yea, sweetie, it's me. Shh, go back to sleep. We'll check back on you after the training session, ok?" She gently squeezed her hand and then left the priestess to her dreams.
Meanwhile, the others were waiting, a bit impatiently, in the yard for Ami anxious to hear how their friend was doing. Taking turns pacing they waited in an uneasy silence.
It was not Ami, however, that broke their silence. It was Serena as she let out a heart wrenching sigh. "Do you think she's all right?"
Smiling Darien took her hand to comfort her. "She's going to be fine. She just needs a little rest, you'll see. The fire reading took a lot out of her. Don't worry, Sere, we'll have our little spitfire back by tomorrow."
Knowing that just standing around and pacing wasn't doing them or Rei any good, Mina ordered, "Let's start warming up that way when Ami gets back we can start the training session sooner. She should be back any minute now."
The others nodded in agreement knowing that it would do them all some good to get their minds off it for a few minutes.
Mina, however, was still worried about Rei and opted to reopen the topic once she was thoroughly satisfied that everyone was stretching. "Why do you think that this particular fire reading took so much out of her? She's done it a million times and never collapsed before."
Lita stopped stretching to tighten her ponytail and chimed in, "Maybe it was the content and the intensity of the reading that did it. Those were some pretty mind blowing images, after all." Resuming her stretches, she continued, "I mean did you see the way Serenity looked at us? We all knew or at the very least suspected that the fire reading drained Rei, at least a little, every time. I know I did."
"You're right, Lita, we did know," Ami answered as she strolled into the yard. "But we never knew that it could drain her to the point of collapsing. Anyways," Ami paused glancing at their worried faces. "Rei's going to be just fine. She's sleeping peacefully right now. That's what she needs the most. We'll check on her after we're through here." She smiled as she watched them all quietly sigh knowing that they were thoroughly relieved to hear the good news."
"Good, I'm sure we're all glad to hear that," Mina told the blue haired genius. "In light of the images we saw last night the sooner we start this training session the better. So, Ami, you get warmed up and we'll get started." She motioned them to continue. "Ok, for the first match it's going by rank. So that means – Sere versus Darien and Lita versus Ami. Seeing that my usual partner is unavailable, I'll . . . ."
"What do you mean 'unavailable?'" a voice coming from the yard entrance cut her off. "Bring it on, Mina."
It was Rei. Her long midnight black hair was tied up in a bun and she was dressed in her usual work out clothes – a tank top and shorts.
The minute they saw her, the entire group ran to her, nearly bowling her over, and hugged her – grateful and thoroughly relieved that she was all right. After this initial reaction, however, came the tirade of scolds and questions.
Rei threw up her hands in defense – enough. "Guys, I'm fine. I know that I scared you and I'm sorry. I'll admit that I was still a bit out of it earlier but with a little sleep I'm as good as new. I'm not going to miss this training session, so just give it up."
The group gave a collective sigh knowing that there was no use in arguing with her and then resumed their stretches.
After a few more minutes of this Mina stopped and stood up. "Ok, that's enough for now. Good job. Rei, stretch some more and we'll start our match as soon as you're ready. Everyone else, take your places and begin. Remember same rules as always apply – first one flat on their back loses – and two rounds with everybody. You heard what Sere said yesterday."
And so one by one the pairs began and the training session got well under way.
After the long and exhausting training session, Rei went and collapsed on her bed. She felt drained physically, emotionally, and mentally. But even then those icy blue eyes haunted her every moment. Maybe the others had been right earlier, she needed to rest.
And it had not gone unnoticed.
Rest? Rest meant meditation or even sleep but the thought of that now frightened her. She wasn't even sure that if she did muster up the courage to meditate that she would be able to focus. It was so unlike her to be unglued or afraid and that scared her even more. What if the dream came back or worse if she had more dreams similar to it? Damn, why did everything have to be so confusing?
While the others had all gone home to shower and get some much deserved sleep, Mina had hung back and now gently knocked at Rei's door.
"I'm fine, Chad! Go away and let me sleep," Rei barked through the door.
Popping her head in, Mina smiled sweetly at the priestess. "Sorry, it's just me. Do you mind?"
"Hmm?" Rei turned and glanced at the door. "Mina, yea, sure, come in. Sorry, I thought you were Chad."
The golden haired angel smiled mischievously as she let herself in. "I know. I heard, remember? Are you sure that you weren't just hoping that it was him, eh?"
Rei threw one of her pillows at Mina in response. "Shut up!"
Her sapphire eyes sparkled with laughter as Mina climbed into bed with Rei. Folding her arms behind her head she stared up at the ceiling and the sparkle faded. "You know he has a crush on you. He took care of you, didn't he?"
Rei laid back and stared sadly at the ceiling. "Because I'm his boss. He made that perfectly clear. I don't think he even wants to be friends anymore. But then again he could've just been having a bad day or in a bad mood." She shrugged trying to convince Mina, and herself, that she didn't care.
"Is everything ok?"
Rei forced a smile as her eyes studied the contours of the ceiling. "Yes of course. Why do you ask?"
"You seemed distracted during the training session. You missed key moments which could've won you the match several times, which you never do unless something's bothering you."
Rei shifted uneasily and turned to face the wall inwardly cursing the fact that Mina was able to read her like a book. "I'm fine, Mina." She bit her lower lip – knowing that she had just blatantly lied to one of her best friends.
"Ok," Mina conceded, knowing that pressing the issue would be of no use so she opted to change her tactics. "You know there's something I haven't told you. I haven't told anyone."
Still facing the wall Rei shut her violet eyes tight. "Yea?"
"Yea. You dreamt of him, didn't you?"
Rei shot up and carefully studied her friend's face wondering how she could have possibly known.
Mina gave her a sad smile knowing all too well the questions that were flying through her friend's mind. "I know because I dream of him every night. I stopped trying to block them out years ago. They chilled my blood, heart, and soul with the knowledge that the man in my dreams, my past, was the same man that had betrayed and -- " She stopped just short of breaking the unspoken rule of the Inner Senshi, never to speak of their deaths. Then taking a deep breath she opted to plunge on and tell her friend everything that she needed to hear whether she liked it or not. "But that was then and now they warm my heart. They're not memories of the betrayal or of our . . . but of a time where I wasn't lonely, of a time where I truly felt like I belonged. Not that I don't love any of you, it's just that . . ." The words were sticking in Mina's throat now as tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. "I loved him. He was my soul mate." Mina forced herself to sit up and took Rei's face into her hands. Then looking her straight in the eye she told her the one thing that Rei was dreading the most. "Just like Jadeite was yours."
Rei tried to break out of Mina's grasp and look away. 'No, no she's wrong. He didn't . . . . He wasn't . . . .' She just didn't want to hear what she knew was all too true but Mina refused to let her go.
"You have to face it. It'll eat you alive if you don't. You can't bottle it in forever . . . . You don't want to lose your humanity. You love him. You'll love him forever. He's a part of you." The tears now flowed freely down her cheeks. "Just like I'll always love Kunzite. The same is true for Ami and Lita. There's no use in hiding from it anymore."
Trying desperately to regain her composure Rei murmured, "Then are we cursed? Cursed to be alone forever?"
"No, of course not. You'll see we'll all find happiness." 'Eventually.' "And we'll always have each other." Then as she took Rei into the comfort of her arms a single tear managed to escape from the confines of the Fire Senshi's eyes and quietly trickled down her cheek.
Author's Notes: Just a couple of things to comment on in this chapter.
First, think of this as a blend between the anime and manga. I've stuck to the English names because I'm not very familiar with the Japanese language. Just a safety precaution.
Second, on Rei's character, if you haven't read the manga she may seem out of character. But frankly I refuse to depict her as the anime does. In the manga, she's much more calm, graceful, beautiful person.
And lastly, yes this is a creation of Crystal Tokyo fic. So stay tuned and don't forget to review. .