Hi minna-san!!  Thank you all for being so patient while I try to finish up
school!  I’m glad that you’re still with me!!  Well, I’m really sorry, but
this is a REALLY sad chapter.  Gomen nasai.  This is Rei’s story, so
prepare yourself for some sniffles.  And I don’t own Sailor Moon.
(*sigh*)  Now that I’ve said that, on with the story!

New Snow by Chichiri
Chapter 8- Rei’s Story

“Sailor Moon!  It’s time for your decision,” Jedite said from behind Usagi
and Rei, who hadn’t transformed out of their Senshi uniforms yet.  “Give up
now and your last friend won’t get hurt.”
     Usagi was about to agree when Rei burst out, “No!  It’s me you want,
not Sailor Moon!  I have what you’re looking for.”
     “And what would that be?” Jedite asked.
     “The Dark Crystal,” Rei replied.
     “Well,” Jedite said, turning to Rei.  “Where is it?”
     “First, bring back the other Senshi,” Rei answered.  “Then I’ll give
you the Dark Crystal.”
     “I don’t believe you,” Jedite sneered.  “I’ll just have to take both
of you!”
     “No!” Rei shouted.  “Mars Firebird Strike!”
     “I’ll be back,” Jedite warned as he disappeared.
     “Rei, what were you talking about?  What is the Dark Crystal?” Usagi
questioned.
     “I’m sorry, Princess Serenity,” Rei sighed looking down at the
ground.  “I’m a horrible person.  I never meant anything I said about you
and I’m very sorry that I hurt your feelings.  I think that you’re a great
leader and you’re the best friend that I’ve ever had.  You’re such a sweet
person and you remained a true friend even though I was always insulting
you and making fun of you.  I don’t deserve to be forgiven, so I won’t
ask.”
     “Well, I forgive you anyway,” Usagi said.
     “I can’t accept your forgiveness,” Rei protested.  “I really don’t
deserve it.”
     “Rei-chan, as your Princess I say that you are forgiven and I won’t
listen to any objections,” Usagi commanded.
     “Thank you, Usagi-chan!” Rei cried.  Usagi smiled and hugged her.
     “You deserve to know the whole story,” Rei said gravely.  “Let’s go to
the temple.”

When Rei and Usagi reached the temple, they had already transformed back
into their Earth identities.  Usagi and Rei sat down in the fire-reading
room.  Usagi waited patiently while Rei gathered her thoughts.
     “Long ago, when we were first reborn here on Terra after the
destruction of the Moon Kingdom, something happened to me,” Rei explained.
“The Moonbeam Crystal that I was encased in was tainted somehow by the
Negaverse and I was born on Terra with a Dark Crystal in my heart.  It’s
brought me bad luck my whole life.  The Dark Crystal gave me power, but I
couldn’t control that power when I was little.  Other children were afraid
of me because whenever I cried I would be surrounded by a glowing red light
with black streaks in it.  So I never had any friends.  I lived in England
when I was very young, like Mina-chan.  When I was three, something really
bad happened.”  Rei took a deep breath and continued, “One day, my parents
and I were walking in a park.  We were happy and laughing, but then
something happened.  I don’t remember exactly what happened, but something
happened that caused me to release my power.  The next thing I knew... my
parents were... dead, and... it was my fault...” Rei broke off crying.
     “Rei-chan,” Usagi soothed.  “I’m so sorry.”  Usagi wiped her own tears
away.
     “It’s okay,” Rei continued, taking a shaky breath.  “Well, after that,
I moved out here to Tokyo to live with my ojii-san.  He was very nice to
me.  When I first arrived, he took me to a hospital to see if I was sick
because I never talked, not a single word.  All the tests said I was fine,
but I still didn’t talk much.  While I was in the hospital, a little girl
with a meatball hairstyle gave me a rose to cheer me up.  She told me she
was there because she just got a little brother.  She made me smile for the
first time in a month.”  Rei looked at Usagi and they smiled at each
other.  “My powers hadn’t shown up because I never showed my emotions, I
was afraid to.  I didn’t talk much until about a week before my fifth
birthday.  I don’t know why, but all of a sudden I felt I had to tell my
ojii-san what happened to my parents.  He was so nice about it.  He tried
to banish the evil from me with one of his spells, but it didn’t work.  So
instead he began to work with me on controlling the Dark Power.  He showed
me how to be free of my burden.  I could show my emotions again without
releasing my Dark Powers.  On my fifth birthday, my ojii-san taught me how
to read the Sacred Fire.  It was the day that I first saw my destiny as the
Warrior of Flames, Sailor Mars.  I saw the other Sailor Senshi, too, and I
was very happy that I was going to have such nice friends.  I recognized
the meatball hairstyle of the leader of the Senshi.  Over the years, my
ojii-san protected me and watched over me and helped me deal with my Dark
Power when it appeared from time to time.  That’s why my ojii-san is so
important to me.  Then, about a year ago, right before I was awakened as
Sailor Mars, I saw something in the Sacred Fire that frightened me.  I saw
the other Senshi dying because of my Dark Power.  I decided to stay away
from the Senshi, but that didn’t work because the Sailor Senshi are based
on teamwork, so there was no way I could stay away.  So instead I tried to
make you hate me, but that didn’t work either because you have such a
caring heart, Usagi-chan, that you refused to let any of the Senshi hate
me.  And now the other Senshi are gone because of me.  It looks like I was
never meant to have friends.”  Rei smiled bitterly.
     “Rei...”  Usagi couldn’t think of anything to say.  “It’s okay.  We’ll
get the other Senshi back!  The Sailor Senshi will be a team again!”
     “Usagi, you’re always so cheerful.  Even when you’re not inside, you
always pretend to be happy on the outside.”  Rei smiled.  “See?  You made
me smile again, just like in the hospital.  But how are we going to get the
other Senshi back?”
     “The only way we can,” Usagi determined.  “And I don’t mean giving you
to the Four Generals, I would never do that to a friend.”
     “How are we going to get them back then?” Rei asked puzzled.
     “We’re going to fight for them,” Usagi declared.  “We’re going to go
into the Negaverse.”

All right, I know it was short, but it was sad wasn’t it?  I’m sorry this
story has been so sad lately, but just wait.  There will be a happy
ending!!  Really.  I promise.  E-mail me what you think:
runnerup2001@netscape.net
Thank you once again to my great friend V-chan!!!!  (I’ll dedicate the
first happy chapter to you!!)  That’s it for now!!  Talk to you all
later!!  Ja ne!
~Chichiri