74 [Voice]

[flameandpassion]

[There's a silence, for a long moment -- before Rei finally works up the nerve to say something. She sounds tired.]

It's getting a lot harder to keep believing everything has a purpose in this place.

[There's a long rush of air as Rei exhales.]

It's almost as if the Animus don't want us here -- but if that's true, then why have I been here for over a year? Why have some people been here longer? What makes some of us different?

-- if anyone's got any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

[The only people Rei would need to tell, about Haruka vanishing, would be the senshi themselves. And the senshi, being the senshi, already know. So why repeat something painful?

But all the same, she seems to want to say more -- before she ends the feed.]

Comments

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

[It might not help much, but it's all she can offer right now:]

I'm still here, Rei-chan. Just like we promised. Remember?

[Video]

[flameandpassion]

[There's half a smile.]

Right. I remember.

[Except, really, even Usagi had left -- even if it had only been for a week. But Rei keeps that idle thought to herself.]

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

[She didn't want to. She never would have chosen to leave, if it couldn't be everyone who wanted to leaving, too.]

Michiru-san must be lonely now, too. And she only came a little while ago.

[Video]

[flameandpassion]

[But that only makes it worse. Their fate is in the hands of something they can't fight against.]

She has us. And she'll see Haruka again.

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

Mm. I'd like it if we could all spend some time together soon.

[Video]

[flameandpassion]

[She opens her mouth to agree, before she hesitates for the barest moment.]

... not today. But soon.

[It's so selfish of her, but Rei needs time to herself. To mend from the past week. To shake out all of that -- bottled up emotion from the last event. Pretending everything is okay with the others would only make it worse.]

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

[She understands. She's been slower to meet with others herself since this happened. So she nods.]

Soon. Thanks, Rei-chan.

I hope we have some good times soon.

[Video]

[flameandpassion]

We can hope for them.

[Whether or not they'll actually happen isn't up to them.]

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

I still hope for it. But even thinking about it, a lot has happened lately. Usually something good happens, too, by now.

It should be coming.

[Video]

[flameandpassion]

Everything in this place is a cycle. These past two events were pretty easy, compared to the ones from last month.

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

[The consequences were too great for her to think of it as easy - but then, she's thinking of the stirring up of everyone's anger.]

A cycle, huh? I guess that's true. Coming and leaving. The events.

Good times and bad times.

It helps having good times to look to forward to, doesn't it?

[Video]

[flameandpassion]

...It does.

It's just getting harder to keep thinking that.

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

Rei-chan, you can't let yourself forget it. Or you really will start to lose hope. Don't let this place do that. Please.

[Video]

[flameandpassion]

I still have hope.

[She just has hope in different things than she did from a year ago. Going home seems a lot farther away after a year away from the shrine and her grandfather and Yuuichirou.]

[Video]

[buntails.livejournal.com]

I know. And I know it's hard here. You've been through a lot. [All of them have.]

You were the one who told me maybe we were here to learn something, or do something. But right now, don't you think we're all here for each other? All our friends from home and the ones we've made here.