Unforgotten Part 2
Sleep would always bring him back. Jadeite, one of the Shitennou, Guardian of Earth, who had a place in this world, and duties that left little room for the woman whose mortal life was being used up in favor of his immortal one.
Rei knew it wasn't his fault, but it still hurt each time she saw it happen.
He looked so peaceful and innocent in his sleep. She used to hate him because she thought his innocent looks masked nothing but malice. But then she had gotten to know him better, and discoverd how much of the innocence on the outside went through to the core. It had been one of the scariest discoveries in Rei's life.
Mamoru said Jadeite was pure. Which only proved for Rei that Mamoru was an absolute hopeless romantic and maybe not the most perceptive man in the world. But it was true that Jadeite posessed a core of kindness and devotion that not even the Dark Kingdom had been able to corrupt.
A kindness that had made him give up his first evening at home after weeks in favor of someone he didn't even know very well.
Deep inside, she sensed why Jadeite was the one who dominated the Hanako/Jadeite arrangement. She loved Hanako, who was a hundred times more sensible and mature than Jadeite could ever dream to be, and a hundred times more passionate as well. But she needed Jadeite, who was driving her insane with his stubbornness, and his endless and often unneccessary Shitennou duties, and with being unreasonable about absolutely everything.
But he was a Guardian, like Sailor Mars, they would always be reincarnated together, he was the one person in the world that she would never lose, he was the one who could always calm her down just by being so indestructibly stubbornly stupidly Jadeite.
A tiny smile worked itself onto her tear-stained face as she watched him sleeping naked and in blissful ignorance in Hanako's playful transparent night thingie with fluffy accents. One of Hanako's little pranks on him, no doubt, and he looked absolutely silly and adorable. It was hard to believe that they were the same person, they didn't even share their memories, but their auras were identical.
She slung her arm around Jadeite and buried her face in the folds of the thin fabric to inhale the last traces of Hanako's scent. It was still there, but it already got mixed up with Jadeite's.
She felt Jadeite stir and put an arm around her, half awake.
"What happened, Mars? Anything wrong?"
Rei already felt herself getting calmer. His presence was always soothing her. No use upsetting Jadeite as well. She usually didn't even wake him.
"Nothing. It just gets at me sometimes."
But Jadeite knew her too well. He pulled her closer to himself and planted a kiss on her nose.
"What is it? Tell me."
Rei sighed deeply and wiped away her tears. "Hanako was so sad... and she wants us to have another baby."
Jadeite's face brightened immediately.
"Doesn't sound so bad to me."
"Of course not, you don't have to be pregnant, and you are always mysteriously on duty when it gets tough with the kids. Did we really promise her a baby girl?"
"I have no idea, but I can tell she's dead serious about it. Look at yourself, when was the last time she left you messed up like that? She even made you drunk." He grimaced. "What did you tell her about us? She seems to think we don't even talk to each other."
"I would talk to you if I saw you more often. And she knows you best, so obviously she thinks you would take advantage of me if she pushed me in your arms looking for a bit of emotional support."
Jadeite smirked and ran his free hand up her leg. "Boy, does she know me."
"That's not funny, Jadeite."
Suddenly, Rei became aware that Jadeite had been inhaling the scent of her and Hanako's love for several minutes now. She blushed. If that wouldn't push him over the edge, nothing would, and she was so mixed up right now... Hanako had set them up real well.
His breath, his touch, that certain tone in his voice were enough to furnace her still glowing desire again and her heart began beating faster.
"So what are you waiting for?" she growled.
"You know, there is only one problem," he grinned and kissed her lips lightly. "I have totally forgotten how to make babies. You know how bad my memory is."
Rei still had a last lingering tear in her eye, but this made her smile.
"Oh, what a rotten liar you are!"
Of course he knew. So she kissed him just as lightly.
"There. Did that help?"
"No, sorry. Still don't have a clue. And you know what sometimes happens if I try too hard to remember things. Ow, that terrible headache..."
"Aw, poor thing." She kissed him again. "Remember nothing at all?"
"I'm really sorry..."
Playing the innocent... it was unbelievable how often he tried that one. It was even more unbelievable that it still worked. She really wanted to do the gentle awakening game to him when he looked at her with this round eyed surprise.
But she was also mad at him. Mad at him for stealing Hanako's life, mad at him for always being on duty when she needed him, mad at him for jumping at this outrageous baby idea without even asking her for her opinion. And furious for this mischievous old trick of just not putting up any resistance at all.
Very well. If that was how he wanted it, he'd get it. He'd get it real well.
But he'd pay for it...