Serenity opened the door as quietly as she could and slipped into the dark, windowless room, lit only by a bright fire in a fireplace on the wall farthest from the door. A lone figure sat, silhouetted against the dancing golden flames. Serenity stepped up behind the woman and sat down behind her. The head, laden with raven hair, raised a fraction.
"I'm here." Serenity smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress. "You wanted to see me?"
Rei turned to her, the fire making shadows so deep they rendered her face unreadable in their light. "Your voice is shaking, Serenity. Are you frightened of something?"
A dam broke, and Serenity threw herself forward into Rei's arms with a sob of purest pain. "You're the only one I have left, Rei. They've all given up, they've all left me!" Tears of grief flowed down her cheeks. "I try so hard to be strong, to be understanding, but I hate it! I want them back !" Her voice rose into an angry shout as she raised her face toward the dark ceiling, the veins on her neck standing out in sharp relief. "I want my friends back, healthy and whole and happy !" She sank back down to the floor as if exhausted. "Is that so much to ask?" she whispered sadly, wiping her face. Rei looked at her silently. She slowly raised her eyes to her friend's face. "Well, aren't you going to yell at me for being a baby? Aren't you going to tell me I should grow up and be a queen?"
She shook her head slowly. "No, Serenity, I'm not." She sighed and got to her feet, holding out a helping hand to the queen. "You already know it. What's the point?"
Serenity accepted the help up. "What are you saying, Rei?"
"I don't have the energy to play these little games anymore, Serenity. You're nearly four thousand years old. You know exactly what behavior is fitting for a queen, and what isn't." She took Serenity's hand and began to lead her out of the fire room. As she reached the door she turned around with a sigh. "I almost live in this room, now. It's the only place where there's any mystery left in the world." She silently pulled the heavy door shut. It slid into place with a loud boom. "Let's go outside. The cherry trees are beautiful this time of year." Her voice was flat and almost emotionless as she led Serenity into the palace gardens, toward a bench by a calm pool of crystal clear water. Petals drifted down from the pink trees to float like pixie crafts on the water.
"Rei?"
"Yes, your Majesty?"
"Why are we out here?"
"Don't you like it here, Serenity?"
"Well, yes, it's very pretty, but..." Serenity paused for a second, then plowed ahead. "What's going on, Rei?"
"I understand how worried and hurt you are by the other senshi leaving, but I can't work up the same emotion." She looked into the water. "Only the fire ever holds any brightness for me anymore, and now even that's fading." She shuddered. "You're so strong, Serenity. You keep going, keep living, keep experiencing each day as new." Serenity's eyes were wide with despair as Rei looked up, her hands hidden away in her large white sleeves. "You feel each grief keenly, and each joy. I haven't felt as strongly as you have in my whole life, but I think I came pretty close for the first three thousand years. After that, everything started leaching into expressionless gray." Rei brought one hand out to pick up a dead stick and dip it into the water to watch the ripples disturb the tranquil water. "I don't know if the others noticed so soon, but it started a long time ago. It's only recently that it's been unbearable."
"Rei...Rei...iie! You won't leave me too, will you?"
Rei looked up at her, slow tears appearing in her eyes. "I've tried so hard, Serenity, and I'm the last one. I held on longer than the others." She reached out a hand to put it on Serenity's shoulder, but the queen angrily jerked herself out of reach and Rei pulled back again. "Did you know it's only around you I can even cry anymore?" She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "But I'm so tired , Serenity. I tried so hard to hang on a bit longer, and than a bit longer still, all for you...but I can't anymore." She tried to get Serenity to understand. "I thought it would be cowardly of me to leave without saying goodbye." Serenity head was turned away and she refused to look at her. "Please tell me you understand...Serenity...Usagi..."
Serenity kept her head turned away, and the silence stretched thin and tight. Rei sighed and began to get up when Serenity suddenly whipped her head around to face her. "I do understand. That's the problem! I've felt the same thing, leaching away at everything...but when Usagi returned I held on, knowing I'd have to train her. And for a while, I saw the purpose if life again, through her young eyes." She dropped her head into her hands. "Pluto kept me waiting so long. It drove me to a distraction...but finally she returned. And now...now everyone's going...I can feel myself wanting to end this all too..." She looked over at her friend and gasped to see her disappearing. "Iie! IIE! You can't leave me Rei! I can't keep going without you! DON'T LEAVE ME!!!!" Her scream throbbed with despair. She watched in surprise as Rei stopped fading, and slowly became more visible. She smiled happily, reaching out to take Rei's arms in her own. "That's right! Don't go! Don't leave me! Stay with me until I have to go too!" She watched Rei tortuously pull herself back from wherever she was going, watched her face twist with pain and weariness. She stopped her babbling with horror as she realized what her plea was costing Rei. She began to cry in earnest again and reached out to brush Rei's sweat-dampened bangs out of her eyes. "I'm sorry Rei. I'm being selfish. You can go. I-" she swallowed weakly, "I'll be fine, Rei. Don't worry about me..." She bowed her head and sobbed. She felt a ghostly touch on her shoulder and raised her head.
Rei was smiling transparently down at her through the pain.. "Baka odango atama...can't you even make up your mind?"
Serenity reached up. "Rei, I-"
But Rei was gone.