A/N: This is kinda tied in with Snow's Tranquility. It's simply further down the road and after their big fight with Gal. Or, it can simply stand on it's own. Either way, I hope you enjoy it.

"You'll get burned," she says softly, watching closely as the blond leans forward towards the fire blazing in front of them.

The blond's nose wrinkles before her lips downturn into a pout.

"Why are you always in here meditating? Don't you get bored?"

The black haired priestess sighs softly. She'd explained many a time why she was in here and what she did. Sadly, the blond forgets.

"I'm making sure things are settled."

"Settled?" asks the blond, brows scrunched together cutely in confusion.

"Yes. I want to know if something is trying to attack us again, so we can prepare for it."

It's the blond's turn to sigh as she backs away and flops down on her back on the mats. "It's not helping. We still don't know anything."

As much as she agreed, the priestess keeps her calm and merely lets her gaze travel back to the fire. "Fire reading requires patience."

Snorting, the blond tries to hold it back, but her giggles escape into the silent room. It earns her an irritated glare from the black haired priestess. "Y-you?" gasps the blond between giggles. "P-patient?!"

Her giggles grow into peals of laughter as she rolls around on the floor. Unfortunately, living up to such an accusation, the priestess rounds on the blond.

"Hush! I have plenty of patience!"

This only serves to make the blond laugh louder. "R-rei! You have no patience! You're too hot tempered!"

The raven haired girl flushes, an angry pout on her lips. "Be quiet! Meatball head!" She hovers over the blond threateningly.

Rolling onto her back and wiping at a few stray tears from laughing so hard, the blond smiles innocently up at the raven haired girl. Unfortunately, it flusters the priestess. Usually such a nickname got the blond riled. However…

"Rei, you're so silly." The smile on the shorter girl's face becomes soft, almost adoring.

All the more flustered by the odd mood change, the priestess huffs and whirls around to face the fire again to hide her embarrassment. "Quit bothering me. I'm trying to see if everything is well."

"Rei, you've checked three times already. If there were any danger, you'd have seen it by now." Moving slowly, almost carefully, the blond moves to kneel next to the priestess. "You should take a break."

"If you're bored, go find the others! They said they were going to the arcade, didn't they?" Rei retorts impatiently. She tries to focus on the fire again, but a soft sigh distracts her. She finds herself peering at the blond out of the corner of her eye.

"Rei, you'll burn yourself out," she says softly, blue eyes locked on the dancing flames before them.

"You realize how ironic that is, right?" Rei comments, deadpan.

A creeping blush spreads across Usagi's cheeks. So the blond hadn't realized. Rei has to force herself not to roll her eyes.

"I-I'm just saying!" stutters Usagi, hands fidgeting in her lap.

"Usagi, the others are probably expecting you. Go get Mamoru to buy you a milkshake."

Usagi shakes her head back and forth like a stubborn child. "No! I'm not leaving til' Rei-chan does!"

Upon hearing 'Rei-chan', the black haired girl can't help but smile slightly. She shakes herself, regaining her poise quickly, lest the blond see her slip.

"I have to finish this fire reading. If I miss something and we're attacked…" She lets her words die out. Usagi merely watches her with sincere eyes.

Before the priestess can say more, Usagi hunkers down and stares at the fire with a childishly solemn face. Rei almost smiles again, but merely sighs and forces herself to focus on the fire again.

Slowly, painstakingly, she forces the blond from her thoughts. She calms herself, relaxing until her only focus is the flickering flames. Time drags on as she searches. She digs as deep as she can, hoping, seeking… But nothing appears. No alarm is sound, no danger announces itself. The fire is silent, silent as the room…

… But for the snoring that is now breaking her concentration.

Rei whips her head around, fully intending to berate Usagi for her callousness… Yet, she stops short.

Usagi is curled up into Rei, hand clutching the priestess's robes. Her head is resting on Rei's shoulder, her brows scrunched with worry in her sleep. Rei's anger slips away from her as she stares down at her sleeping princess. Try as she might, she can't force herself to remain upset.

It'd been weeks since Usagi got a decent nights sleep. None of them had been sleeping well, but Luna had told her that Usagi had been waking up in fits of terror, crying out brokenly in her sleep. Though she'd remained bubbly and bouncy, the strain was easily seen if you looked past the cheery smile. Rei'd been staring at it time and time again, trying desperately to figure out how to help her distraught princess.

Nothing had been forthcoming. She'd been forced to watch as Usagi grew more tired during study sessions and struggled to keep up with her usual chipper visage. Yet, once again, Usagi put her troubles on the backburner and was voicing her worry over Rei's nearly obsessive need to check for danger.

"Rei-chan… you promised," mumbles the blond sleepily, hand clutching Rei's robes tighter.

Rei inhales sharply, eyes widening. Her bottom lip trembles slightly as her eyes tear up. She has to look away from the innocent young girls face to regain some of her composure.

She'd tried to forget that fateful day as much as the others had. They'd each walked away from there carrying scars not visible to the eye. As always, their Princess had walked away with the most, and the deepest. Though the young blond's visage is still innocent, if you look into her eyes, really look, you can see the understanding, the experience there. You see the haunting memories that threaten to spill crystalline like drops of water from those large beautiful blue eyes.

She'd always berated their princess to grow up, to take charge… and oh, how she regrets it. She wishes she could take it back, carry the load for Usagi instead. Seeing Usagi's eyes darken from pain, from memories… it made her heart cry out, made her want to reach out and pull the blond close, murmuring condolences, hoping to erase the misery she sees hidden behind those expressive blue eyes.

But Usagi never wavers. She doesn't fall down in shambles, like she had done so many times before. She doesn't bawl her eyes out, or beg to be free of her destiny. She just keeps walking, just keeps smiling… And Rei is so proud, yet so guilt ridden…

Rei sniffs softly, hand reaching up to absently run her fingers through Usagi's blond locks.

"Oh Usagi… how you've grown…" she says softly, almost wistfully. "You've grown up so beautiful… I just… I almost wish… I could take it all back." A few of the raven haired girl's tears fall and land lightly on the blond's head. A soft, humorless chuckle escapes her lips. "If I had Pluto's power over time…" Rei shakes her head reproachfully. "I probably might… I'd condemn myself… to give you one more chance."

"Rei…" murmurs Usagi, nuzzling into Rei's shoulder. Rei's heart breaks.

"Ah, Usagi…" Rei wraps her arms around the sleeping blond. "If I… changed it, if I… gave you your second chance… I'd steal you… I'd keep you, and never let… let him…" Unable to finish her sentence, Rei mutely puts a chaste kiss on the corner of Usagi's lips. "I would destroy destiny, and I would do everything within my power to keep you safe, to protect you… so you never have to go through any of this… ever."

Absently brushing Usagi's bangs from out of her eyes, Rei frowns sadly. "I'm afraid, all I can do though, is protect you while you sleep." Cuddling the young blond close, Rei slowly lowers them both to the mats. "You will never be alone." With a heavy sigh, she scans Usagi's face one more time before closing her eyes and whispering a small prayer.

Usagi snuggles close, the crease of worry between her brows smoothing out as a small relaxed smile lifts her lips. "Rei-chan…"