Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon and its characters. I do not own the song Pictures to Burn.

*AN* My work with this challenge completed. Since I updated a one-shot, go easy on me with the late updates on my multi-chaps. :P

How could she!

After all of the dedication she spent these years to make Rei hers, how could Rei just suddenly vow her love to some unknown boy from the Tokyo University! Minako cursed and threw Artemis - the poor thing - all over her room. Artemis gasped, and choked; he made all of the sounds he could make to inform Minako that he was suffering from her grasp. However, much to his dismay, she was so concentrated on Rei that he was nothing more but a plush doll that she could squeeze, tug, and all those other you-must-not-do-to-your-cat-advisor actions. Minako was frustrated. Sure, Rei was not her perfect original fantasy. Her romance fantasy was like most girls' fantasies were: a Mr. Prince Charming riding on his gallant white stallion to fetch her away. She was definitely nowhere near a "Mister." Yes, her looks were charming but her personality? One would not define it as charming, but she was the silent gallant type. Once you get used to her and know the strings to pull and the ones to not, her stubbornness and hot-headed temper was actually rather cute. As for the fetching part, she was swayed off her feet every time Rei said or did anything romantic for their relationship. Now that she thinks of it, Rei never stated out loud that she was into girls, but she vocally expressed how and why she despised men.

Minako gasped.

Could it be?

Could it be that Rei have just used her to check her sexuality?

Oh, no. This was a major backlash. And nobody, even someone whom she loved very much, gives Minako Aino a stab on the back and silently withdraws from her life.

Minako hushed Usagi as they spied on Rei's current date with that "thing." Do so help her soul; she just couldn't state that thing as Rei's new boyfriend or just a boy that is a friend. Again, Usagi ignored her attempts to be quiet and asked Minako if she would really activate the plan which did not seem like a good plan, or revenge. Minako waved away Usagi's concerns. Revenge is best served wet as they say. Minako stomped over to the table where Rei was sitting. Rei seems shocked. The thing? Minako doesn't even bother to look at it. Minako starts a casual conversation, telling the thing about the inside-outs of Rei. Funny, the thing doesn't show many responses. As if it was just some stone that is listening to her story. Hmm, maybe she should just call it the stone. Nevertheless, Minako continues on. Minako peeks at Rei's face. Nothing. Her bangs covered her face way too much. It was only days ago Rei had those bangs trimmed. How did those grow so quickly? Strange. Minako doesn't remember what she was talking about at the moment but she knows that she has to tell the thing - correction, stone - that Rei hates men. Of course, she quickly states that Rei never openly stated that she was gay. But then again, Rei's first true relationship was herself, Minako Aino. She laughs out what a coincidence that is.

Suddenly, Rei jerks her out of the booth and drags her all the way to the shrine. More specifically, they end up in Rei's room. Rei didn't even bother to close the door. Instead, she just twirls Minako around and shouts out how crazy and obsessive she is acting.

Crazy? Obsessive?

She used to love her jealous side, Minako cries out. What made her Rei change? Rei says something but she can't make it out. Does it matter? No. All that matters is her tiny bits of hope that their relationship could be fixed shattered into smaller pieces. In fact, those pieces shattered again into much, much smaller pieces that the final pieces are mere dust! Minako ran out of Rei's room and went to the fire room, the meditation room. She doesn't know why, but Rei followed her all the way. Perhaps she has something more hurtful to say. But she doesn't want to listen. All she wants to do is to shout at Rei. She rambles on how she didn't care if she was really a crazy jealous person as long as she was jealous of and because of Rei. She screams out that she really trusted Rei the most, so much that she never dreamed - not even in her worst nightmares - of Rei betraying that trust. Perhaps, she slows down and her voice lowers, that trust was one-sided. After all, Rei, too, must have had her own romance fantasies. It is unlikely that a blonde girl like herself was Rei's original, just as Rei was not hers originally.

Minako opened the box of pictures she kept since they were together. She stared at the many pictures, each containing a story of its own. All of which were delightful times, but perhaps that was just it. Perhaps they were not for each other. It was just a passing crush. But it didn't, it doesn't feel like that to her. Minako wants to hold onto Rei, but Rei seemed ready to move on. Hell, she already did with that stone. Minako lets her tears fall as she dumps the whole box into the fire. As the box, along with the pictures burn into ashes, a sudden wind gusts from the fire. Minako doesn't let that unrealistic fact bother her; she was at Rei's shrine, a place where anything unreal could happen. Minako bows to Rei as her final goodbye, and dashes out to the door of the fire room. She dares not to look at Rei's emotionless face.

Oh, my. Oh, dear Aphrodite. Of all the times she had to be a ditsy blonde and trip, did she really have to trip now?

Thud. She did.

And all went black.

"Papa! Mama fell off the couch!"

"What? How?"

"She was sleeping and moving and fell right now!"

Voices. She heard voices. Two voices that seemed to belong to two small girls and one that seemed to belong to an adult. But that's that. Why is it so hard and uncomfortable? Oh. A sigh. The adult sighed.

"You two make sure you don't be as clumsy as your mama, okay?"

"Okay!"

Hmmph. Whoever their mama is, she should be offended.

"I'll go put mama on our bed while you two go get dinner ready for the family."

"Okay, papa! Aiko, I'll go give Blackie her dinner and you make the table."

"What?" Aiko whined, "But Risa, you know that giving Blackie's food is more fun than setting the table!"

The voices faded as Minako felt being lifted up, which she was grateful for, by the way. Instead of being uncomfortable, she felt very comfy in this someone's arms. Then she felt lowered onto something soft. Perhaps a bed. Then something inside of her ears was pulled away and her eyes snapped open. And when she did, she saw the most beautiful woman giving her a surprised yet amused smile.

"Hey, sleepy-head. You just woke up in time for dinner."

"What- Rei?"

"In the flesh," Rei said as she lowered to give Minako a slight peck on her lips.

"But, but... how and why? The stone...!"

"Stone?"

"Usagi was not shutting up! Your bangs were too long!"

"What do you mean? I just got them trimmed them a few days ago."

"Ugh and all the yelling and shouting. Oh and all the pictures that I've burnt!"

Rei looked at her wife with concern. Good thing she closed the door, or else their daughters would have witnessed one of their mothers going crazy. While Minako continued to ramble on, Rei's attention slowly shifted to the earphones of Minako's mp3 player. It was still on and music was coming out of them. She reached out to turn it off, but-

'I wonder...'

Instead she plugged one of the earphones into her right ear and listened to the current song Minako was listening. Actually, it appeared to be the only song she was listening to when she drifted off to dreamland. Minako must have - for some strange reason - liked the song and put it on "Repeat One" mode.

"Minako, calm down and take a deep breath for a moment."

As a good wife should, she listened.

"Good and let it out."

She did.

"Now, before you start rambling on again, listen to your mp3 player and what song is it playing?"

"Um, Picture To Burn by Taylor Swift?"

"Yes, and don't the lyrics sound a bit familiar?"

Minako's eyebrows burrowed, then realization hit. She sheepishly smiled at Rei. Rei smirked and gave her wife a reassuring kiss that nothing in that song could happen between them. After all, she was happy: a loving wife who is Minako Aino and two wonderful daughters. No, her and Minako's pictures are and continuously will be definitely fire-proof.

*AN* did anyone notice the difference i made between the dream and the reality?