Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.
-Epilogue-
-Rei-
Rei winced a little as she slid her injured arm into the sleeve of her jacket. The healer had grudgingly allowed her to go without her sling for the duration of the ceremony, provided she keep her injured arm as still as possible. She grimaced and began the painstaking process of buttoning the shirt.
"Here, you're not supposed to be doing that," Makoto said sternly, pushing her hands away. The Jovian frowned in concentration as she took over the process.
Rei sighed softly. "I'm not an invalid," she grumbled. Makoto arched an eyebrow but otherwise ignored the comment.
"Don't worry, no one thinks that," Hotaru said soothingly from behind her. She had been examining the design of the jacket and moved forward as she spoke to touch an embroidered sleeve. "How did you get this made on such short notice?"
Rei smiled a little, glancing at her reflection. "I already had it. Minako had it made while we were still on Venus."
"Huh." Hotaru smirked and crossed her arms loosely. "If I didn't know better, I'd think she had planned this all along."
Rei was saved from answering as Makoto straightened and cried "Done!" She stepped back and gave Rei a quick once-over. "Looks good," she decided with a decisive nod.
Rei looked down at herself, focusing on the braids at her shoulder. The new white one had been added above the gold, marking her new status. She shook her head in amazement at the way things had turned out.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asked worriedly. "Thinking about all of those wild Venusian parties you're going to miss out on now that you're getting married?" She patted Rei's shoulder in sympathy.
Rei grinned and shrugged off her hand. "Have you seen Minako? I think I'll survive."
Hotaru chuckled in appreciation. "Anyway, you'll probably be in the same boat soon," she added, poking Makoto lightly. Makoto scoffed, trying to hide a blush and failing miserably.
"Yea, what about that?" Rei demanded, rounding on the taller girl. "I heard that she'd applied for some kind of planetary study exchange."
"She did," Hotaru confirmed, dark eyes sparkling mischievously. "I wonder why Scholar Mizuno would want to go study Jovian natural healing?" She tapped her chin with a finger and made a face of intense concentration.
"Alright, alright," Makoto cried, throwing up her hands. "I may have suggested she apply for it. And it might put her in the same city where I'll be stationed." Then she grinned and winked at them. "Maybe when she's finished I'll find an excuse to go to Mercury."
Rei laughed with the others, feeling herself relax. She glanced in the mirror again, grinning to herself. Makoto was going to stand with her during the ceremony and, since she was a member of the Lunar knights now, Hotaru had volunteered as well. She was a little nervous about keeping all the foreign traditions straight, but it was overshadowed by the excitement she felt whenever she thought of Minako.
"Let's go check on them," she said, turning back to her friends. They nodded and they made their way across the palace. Rei couldn't stop grinning and she waved happily to everyone they passed in the halls. It had been a week since she'd arrived on the Moon kingdom and she'd been dreading this day. Now every thought she'd had about a stranger standing with Minako had disappeared, to be replaced with the image of the two of them. It was surreal in a way, but she'd never been happier.
-Minako-
Minako turned and studied her reflection critically. Her hair and makeup artists had already come and gone, and now only Ami and Serenity remained to help with the finishing touches. She glanced at the corner where Rei normally stood and smiled, thinking of the reason the guard wasn't at her usual post.
"Do you think she'll like it?" she asked, turning again to face her companions. Serenity clasped her hands and nodded excitedly. Ami's eyes slid slowly from the glittering tiara in her hair to the flowing white and gold gown. "Ami?"
The Mercurian gave her a rare grin. "I think she'll love it."
There was a knock at the door and all three girls turned as it opened. The king and queen of Venus swept in, wearing identical grins. "You look beautiful, Honey," her father said, taking her hand.
"Stunning," her mother agreed, circling her to take in every detail.
Minako smiled at them both. "And you're really okay with my choice?" she asked hopefully.
"Of course!" her father replied, patting her shoulder. "We adore Rei, you know that."
"But-"
"Oh, Scholar Mizuno," her mother cried, focusing on Ami with a suddenly sorrowful expression. She pulled her into a crushing embrace, earning a startled squeak from the reserved girl. "I hope you're not too disappointed!" She held Ami out slightly to look her over. "But don't worry, a beautiful girl like you is bound to find your true love soon!"
"Well, I… T-thank you, your Majesty," Ami replied shakily as she extracted herself from the Queen's embrace. She curtsied and offered an uncertain smile.
Minako turned away, trying to school her expression. She'd forgotten all about how Serenity's had convinced her parents that Ami was interested in her. She shot Ami an apologetic smile and received an eye roll and long-suffering smirk in return.
"We'll let you finish getting ready," her mother said, hugging Minako tightly. She looped her arm through her husband's and the two of them gave her one more hug before leaving.
It wasn't long before they were interrupted by another knock at the door. Minako called for the visitor to enter and grinned when Rei stuck her head cautiously inside. "Hey," she said uncertainly. "We wanted to see how things were coming."
Minako rushed forward and pulled her into the room then gave her a long, affectionate kiss. When she pulled away, Rei was blushing crimson but grinning happily.
"Hey!" Serenity cried indignantly. "You're not supposed to be in here!"
"I'm not?" Rei looked between them worriedly. Minako caught her hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze. Marriage didn't really exist on Mars and she knew Rei was trying hard to follow the Venusian traditions.
"It's bad luck to see each other before the wedding," Serenity scolded, poking Minako's arm.
Minako chuckled and glanced over her shoulder at the princess. "You've been spending too much time with your Earthling. That's just a superstition." Serenity gave her a scandalized look.
Rei took a step toward the door, but then stopped and smirked mischievously. "Well, since we've already seen each other I might as well stay right?"
Minako laughed and wrapped her arms around Rei's neck, pulling her close. "Yes, you can stay." She kissed her lightly then pulled back to stare into the soft amethyst eyes she'd fallen in love with. "Always."
Rei closed the distance between them, sealing the promise with a kiss. "Yes Mina," she agreed softly. "Always.
-The End-
A/N: Thanks to everyone who read this, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Also, thank you to ChronoCresentFlames for giving me the idea!
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