flameandpassion | 52 [Accidental Video]

[There's a series of slammed doors, when the PCD turns on -- anyone who has been inside of it will recognize the Temple of Heaven -- and anyone who pays attention will see that the reason for the slammed doors is quickly approaching the device.

Rei is opening doors, looking inside rooms, and slamming them shut.

Over. And over. And over. And over. And over.

It's a large temple, after all. There are a lot of rooms to look through.

But once Rei has reached the final door, the one closest to the PCD, she is breathless, her fingers are trembling, and she yanks it open with much more force than absolutely necessary. The door slams into the adjacent wall and the PCD manages to look inside it, quickly -- an empty, unused room -- before Rei slams the door shut so hard that the wall shakes.]

Damn it --

[It's choked through a sob as she turns away from the PCD, her shoulders trembling, as she struggles to get ahold of herself. The trembling soon turns into full out shaking and Rei turns, her back hitting the wall, so she can sink to the floor, her hands burying themselves in her hair as she cries.

Sometimes, it's just one last straw to finally break the camel's back.]

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[She doesn't have to look up to know Michiru is there. She simply knows. But she doesn't look up.

Her dignity has been taken away from her enough, these past two weeks. She refuses to have one of the outer senshi -- Michiru, no less -- see her sobbing.

Even though, dimly, Rei realizes that she already has.]

Rei. [She knows she's repeating her name, but she isn't sure what else there is to say. Michiru isn't good at comforting people, isn't good with helping others through pain; even consoling Usagi usually consisted of things like calm, rational talks and food.

That isn't what Rei needs.]

Usagi-chan would be disappointed in us, wouldn't she?

[There's a hitch in her voice. Rei isn't the only one crying.]

[She's silent, for a long moment, as that sinks in. Rei bites on her tongue -- she can almost taste the blood -- in order to stop crying. But she's still shaking like a leaf and, finally, she manages to choke out:]

If the Animus can take her away, what hope do the rest of us have?

[It's not easy to say, and she's got that sad, sort of wistful tone to her voice as she speaks.]

It's what she wanted, Rei. She hated this place. She's back home with Mamoru now.

[She knows, she's being selfish, and she's being ridiculous, and she needs to stop crying and be the soldier she has to be, but Rei is tired.

She slumps against the wall slightly, finally looking up at Michiru. Her eyes are red and her cheeks are stained with tears.]

I know.

[She knows what it's like to miss someone. The princess's loss has her in tears; losing Hotaru hit her hard, and never having Haruka here at all? She's been weak, too, and couldn't fathom faulting Rei for that.

Michiru just leans forward instead, gently touching the side of Rei's face.]

You're allowed to be upset. Don't be embarrassed.

[She doesn't move away, at the touch -- but her breath hitches, at the contact.]

Nothing makes sense in this place anymore.

[It's muttered -- Cloud went away, came back, and has no interest in seeing her, after the last event. She betrayed the senshi -- Toushirou killed Hinamori -- and now, Usagi is gone.]

I think your first mistake was expecting this place to ever make sense at all.

[But it's gentle. She stems her own tears, drawing the back of her sleeve against her eyes.]

You should be in your room.

I don't want to hide.

[It's murmured, and her forehead rests against her knees again.]

The floor's dirty. Can I at least bring a chair?

[With Usagi's or Hotaru, she'd play with hair, bring up silly things. Thinking about doing any of that just seems like an insult to Rei.]

['The floor's dirty'.

Hitsugaya spent hours scrubbing at a floor that's already clean. To get rid of the blood, that Hinamori spilled --

Suddenly, Rei's stomach clenches and she lurches forward, almost to get up, before thinking the better of it. Her back hits the wall again, but a hand is over her mouth, clamped tightly against it.

The stress, nerves, and trauma of the past week are finally catching up to her.

But Rei is not going to throw up on the floor of the Temple in front of Michiru.]

52 [Accidental Video]

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