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Carrying the delicate and white card box in one hand, Makoto tirelessly trekked up the mountains where Rei had located herself for purification before her 15th birthday with the others trailing far behind.
She had been planning parties and presents for all of the Sailor Guardians but Rei’s present had her stumped. Makoto did have ideas for gifts, but she could not just pick one out of them all, and as much as she wanted to buy her everything she could think of, she figured that probably would not end well for her wallet. Eventually though, she settled on the homemade cake, topped with fresh red and juicy strawberries, decorated with pink icing and a small iced bunny, that she carried in her hand and a couple of small amulets and aromatic candles that she carefully picked out.
Although Makoto genuinely cared lots for all of her friends, she wasn’t sure why the thought of Rei disliking her gifts plagued her mind constantly. Perhaps she placed Rei on a pedestal because she was from a different, prestigious school or because Rei wasn’t exactly the type of girl who was open with her likes and dislikes so she was never sure what would please her the most, so she decided to play it safe with shrine-like gifts and called it a day.
She noticed an opening between the trees accompanied by the sound of water splashing viciously and hurriedly dashed over while supporting her cake with her other hand. “Rei! We came to see you!”
Standing beneath the waterfall in a white robe stood Rei who halted her prayers at the arrival of her unexpected guests. “Mako? Why are you here?”
Makoto hauled her bag off her back and gently rested the box on top of it. She carried over the large towel left by Rei on the riverbanks and passed it onto the soaked girl, who bowed in appreciation. “Are the others here too?” Rei asked, while wringing out her long, raven hair.
“Ah… I think… I might’ve left them behind haha… They’ll eventually find their way, I hope. Do you have dry clothes here? I’d assume that you wouldn’t want to walk around in that soaking robe of yours.”
“It’s in my bag, but it’s a bit embarrassing changing now that I know those guys could show up at any time…” Rei said, reaching for her bag tentatively. “Would you um… Mind shielding me? I’ll be quick.”
Flushed, Makoto nodded stiffly as Rei lead her back into the forest and gestured for Makoto to hold up the towel like a curtain around her, who did as she was told. “I-I won’t look or anything…”
Makoto gulped as she felt Rei’s slight and elegant movements through the towel, every tiny jolt was enough to make her breathing more ragged as she hardened her grip on the towel. The half-dressed girl peeked over the towel curtain and whispered into Makoto’s ear. “I trust you Mako, so it’s okay even if you did.”
“W-Wha- R-Rei? Y-You t-trust me…?” She jumped, but quickly returned to her prior position.
“Mhm. I trust all of you. You’re my dearest friends. Anyway, I’m done. Thank you Mako.”
Relaxing her arms, Mako quickly backed away from Rei, who returned to the waterfall area to greet the others who had finally showed up, collapsed in a pile on top of each other. She folded up the wet towel and slumped against a tree, pulling the towel close into her. “That Rei… Why is she getting me all hot and bothered over this, agh.”
The rest of the day flew by as the Sailor Guardians relaxed and gamed (and studied!!) in one of Rei’s shrines in the mountains. It hadn’t felt very different from usual, even though it was a day before the T.A. girl turned fifteen, which may have been a good thing, especially as there was no one and nothing that could bother them in the mountains.
Around eleven in the night, the three Guardians, Usagi, Minako and Ami soon fell to their slumbers, due to their exhaustion from mountaineering despite yelling moments before that they would stay up until midnight to be the first one to wish Rei a happy birthday. Glancing over at the sleeping trio, the pair looked at each other and giggled while wrapping blankets around the others who were huddled together during the movie they watched earlier.
Standing by the window, the clock struck twelve and Makoto grinned. “I guess I’m the one who gets to say it first. Happy birthday, Rei.”
Basked in the moonlight, Rei smiled back at the taller girl, which was enough to cause her to spontaneously combust as she vividly recalled the events that happened earlier in the day. “Thanks, Mako. I’m glad we were able to become Sailor Guardians again. I’m glad you’re all my friends. I’m glad I can fight alongside you… There’s nothing that makes me happier than being with you guys.” Rei closed her eyes and turned towards the window with her hands in prayer, in which Makoto subconsciously followed suit. “I hope our days will continue like this.”
“Yeah…” Makoto trailed, to which a silence soon followed. Makoto panicked, thinking of something to talk about, while for Rei, it was nothing but relieving. “U-Um…”
“Mako, do you want to go for a walk? I’m definitely not wasting the morning of my fifteenth birthday holed up in bed.” Without leaving Makoto a chance to reply, Rei grabbed her hand and the two quietly left the building.
The two silently strolled into the forest, almost close enough for their fingers to brush against each other’s, but not close enough. The raven-haired relished in the peacefulness as the gentle night breeze blew against them. Sensing that Makoto seemed to have calmed down compared to when they were back in the shrine, Rei subtly brushed her fingers against Makoto’s teasingly, causing the latter to stiffen up like earlier. “A-Ah… Rei…”
That confirmed it for Rei, who was anything but new to this sort of progression. After all, she went to an all girl’s school for all her life. Playing along however, Rei spoke up. “I wouldn’t have thought that out of everyone, you’re the one who’s scared of walking through forests at night huh, Kino Makoto.”
“I-It’s not that I’m scared of walking through forests at night or anything… It’s just…”
Rei cupped the taller girl’s shivering hands and halted in her tracks. “It’s okay if you want to go back now. We should probably head back soon in case the others wake up.” Failing to pick up the teasing tone from Rei, Makoto shook her head and continued forwards with Rei’s hand in hers.
“I’m okay. You wanted to stay out, right?”
“Hmm… If it's alright with you then. Let’s find something that makes this trip worth it.” Rei said, with a slight smirk as she fully expected this from Makoto. “Although being out here with Makoto has already been plenty for me.”
Sooner than later, they wandered back to the waterfall that Rei had been using to purify herself earlier that day, except that the scene was thousands of times more mesmerizing than during the day. The ripples in the water glowed much more prominently in the moonlight, with the reflection of the stars decorating the surface, like picturesque sequins carefully sewed into the most invaluable of dresses, which complemented the shine of the moon on the water’s surface brilliantly. “Wow. Imagine if I found you here at night.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rei replied, with a slight chuckle and gently swung their arms. “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. The stars too. And…”
“And…?”
Panicking, Makoto swiveled around and cursed the hypnosis of the water, which almost made her tongue slip. “A-And it’s time for us to go back. If the others woke up, t-they’d be pretty worried, huh?”
Chuckling, Rei watched as the other girl sauntered off ahead. “Mhm.”