Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Simple Tale... ❯ Part III- The Beginning ( Chapter 7 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

AN: Okay before I start, GOMEN! I took a long needed break this summer, I was busy as hell half the time, I had school things to do this summer, can you believe that? And no not summer school, I make As and Bs thank you. I had a Yearbook staff class to go to. So sorry It took me so long, and then I volunteered out of the goodness of my heart (That IS unlocked by Rice *glares at Palace and Rei-chan*)

So, I took a break to sit and chat/RP with Palace, and to dance in the streets as Rei-chan FINALLY got her long awaited Computer, And cry for an hour or two the day my Cable internet without, on 4th of July too! Ai-chan was feeling so alone by not getting to talk to Midori-chan that day...(For those who don't know, AKA anyone who doesn't talk to me on AIM, Ai-chan is my computer.) So to shut up here, I just finally got off my Lazy ass and am writing, Without being forced and yelled at by Palace! Oh, and this isn't the ONLY thing I wrote all summer, I have like 3 or 4 random stories on Ai-chan, but those are for Mine, Rei-chan, and Palace's eye's only!

****Princessyuy****: That's not the only reason I choose Rei and Trowa together, and that's not even final. The only two couples that are final are Hiiro/Usagi (I have my reasons) and Minako/Quatre, if you wish to discuss this with me more, please feel free to email me at, minakowinner04@hotmail.com , or to IM me on AIM under the screen name MinakoWinner04.

Disclaimer: I own none. Leave me be! Or I'll tell Koge you hit on his wife! (*smirks at Palace*)

Oh! And the character of Tikvah belongs to my WONDERFUL, KIND, LOVING, and NON-violent Onee-chan, Palace! *prays * Onee-chan you love me too much to kill me, right? ......Right? *looks scared * I couldn't ask you about using her(because it's 1 AM as I wore that part!)! I'm sorry! But hey! You've used Dj and Ryan before in a story! Don't kill me!

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A Simple Tale...
Part III- The Beginning


Rei snorted as she heaved the pack on to her mare, turning she leaned back against Morning Star. Biting her tongue in her mouth to keep from complaining about the fact they were packing way too much, or at least in her opinion they were.

"This is shit." She mumbled as tugged on her shirt uncomfortable in the heavy layers. Kicking at the dirt she glared at the new thick soled boots she was wearing, very uncomfortable compared to her old worn in leather ones.

"Uncomfortable out of the forest, Rei?"

looking up the archer's piercing violet glaze meet the enchanting sapphire of the mage.

"What do you want Aino?" Rei said spitefully draping her arms back across her mare's bare back.

Minako quickly noticed Rei was still upset after the years. Crossing her gloved hands across her midnight cloak she glared a little and snapped out in a hushed whisper, "You know it wasn't my fault, and you'd think that after these years you'd know how to grow up."

"Not your fault!" Rei said loudly, before hushing her tone so only Minako could hear, "Me, your sister, and you. You were the selfish one. It was so your fault!" Rei hissed out, her lips tight.

Minako inwardly winced, "Please Rei, this is not the best time to discuss this." Glancing at the stable hands loading horses here and there and the other members of the party starting to look at them.

"Fine, what do you want Minako." Rei said after a few moments of a debated submission.

"I've never seen any of them work, Rei. But I know what you can do, and it's clear they have no clue what they're doing when it comes to Dorothy. They are getting themselves into too much. Rei, you are the only one I can depend on during this trip, and no matter what you say you can't change that. I trust only what I know is a fact, and I only know what you, and you only, can do."

Rei watched her for a moment before giving her a small nod, "I understand." Holding her hand she looked at Minako giving her a small nod.

"Thank you Rei."

"Whatever, this is only temporary. As soon as Dorothy's dead, I'm gone." And with that Rei climbed on Morning Star and started towards the knights as they too mounted.

"I guess I should be happy I got that and not shot by her." Shaking her head Minako pulled her hood on and moved to Beautiful mounting also.

"Ready?" Hiiro called mounting his chocolate Stallion after helping the princess mount her golden mare.

"Of course your Highness." Ami said nodding, "Will you lead us out?"

"I don't know the area..." Hiiro said as if cursing the fact he wasn't raised here.

"I-"

"Minako and I know the area we're going into very well, the two of us will lead if you want." Rei said cutting Minako before she said something wrong.

"You do Lady Hino? Lady Aino?" Quatre asked moving his Stallion into ranks with Trowa.

"Well then lead on ladies." Hiiro said glancing at Wufei giving him a warning glare not to say anything, they were all stressed enough and did not need to deal with his smart comments of weak women.

"Of course, Your Highness." Minako said nodding and with a sharp kick to Beautiful she galloped out of the courtyard, Rei a few feet behind her.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

They first half of the ride was in blissful silence, the only real talking being done between the prince, princess, and the knights. Ami had found a way to balance a book between the horn on her saddle and her horse's black neck.

"Hiiro, love, when will we stop to eat? I'm tired of riding and I'm hungry!" Serenity hissed quietly as not to let others hear.

Hiiro sighed. Yes he and the knights were trained to be able to go without a lunch, as he bet Lady Hino was, but Serenity, Lady Mizuno and Lady Aino would surely need to stop and eat soon. Nodding to his betrothed he kicked at his stallion forward and in line with Minako and Rei's mount's.

"My Ladies, shouldn't we be stopping to eat soon? I'm sure you're both quite hungry as it must be at least an hour after midday, would you two know of a place sheltered from this wind that we could stop to eat in?" Hiiro said, not liking to be slowed down but he know his Usagi would get even more irritated if she didn't stop to eat.

Minako glanced at Rei, and Rei looked at Minako.

"There is..." Rei started.

"Tik would kill us and you know it."

"So, you know you want to talk to her anyway, after all there is the matter of Dor-"

"Hush! Fine, we'll go there, but you may be the one for Tikvah to yell at." With that Minako smiled at Hiiro and then addressed him. "Your Highness we do know of a place to stop at about a half an hour away, it will seem...odd. And we ask is that the place is not talked about to the court. These people moved there for a quiet life, and we ask you respect it."

Hiiro nodded, his face emotionless, but his mind ticking. What could the mage mean by odd, and who was this Tikvah, and by now he was really wondering how Lady Hino and Lady Aino knew each other.

After a moment of being lost in his thoughts he nodded again and let his horse fall back to relay this information to his knights, Serenity, and Lady Mizuno.

~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~*~~~

After the time Minako had said the eight came over a hill and upon a large group of willow trees, the group seem to be about as large as middle size village. After a moment Minako and Rei halted their mounts and nodded to the others to do so. Sliding down Minako and Rei looked at each other once again.

"Good work women, we can go eat now." Pulling a pack of his horse Wufei started to go into the trees as to be in.

"Wait!" Rei said quickly stepping in front of Rei before he could go into the trees.

"What are you doing! Get out of my way you disrespectful woman!" Wufei roared, about to push her out of the way, by Minako actions quickly drawled his attention, "Are you insane!"

Minako paid him no mind and finished pulling her cloak off, then silently pulled her skirts off, draping them over her mare. Kneeling a little she started to unlace her boots and pull them off, and continued to remover layers until she was left in only her thicker white chemise that went to her knees and her bodice.

Quatre blinked at the girl, blushing and trying to keep his mouth closed, glancing at Rei he noticed she too now only stood in her leather leggings and her deep red loose shirt she had put on as a first layer. "My Ladies, really you can't go around like that!" He almost choked saying it.

"Disgraceful!" Serenity snapped, turning her face away.

"My Lords, My Highnesses, Lady Mizuno, I know we must look insane but trust us, and Lady Mizuno, Princess, you should strip down to my layer of clothing. Prince Hiiro, My Lords, you should to Rei's." Minako said not showing any embarrassment.

The Knights seem to look at each other for a moment before Trowa started to do as Minako told.

"Trowa are you insane too?!" Wufei roared again at him.

"They know the area better, and I've seen Lady Hino fight. I trust them." He said quietly and finished so he was also barefoot and in only in his worn leather breeches and dark green cloth shirt.

Quatre shrugged after a moment, he'd known Trowa most of his life, and never known him to be wrong, so he too started to undress, as did Hiiro after a moment and Lady Mizuno after a longer moment, blushing red and leaving her last skirt on also. And then finally grumbling Wufei gave in also.

"Your Highness," Minako started looking at the princess, "You won't want to go in there with all that clothing on. At least take your cloak off."

Serenity looked at the others and then at group of trees before removing her cloak and laying it across her mare, but removing nothing else.

Nodding Minako and Rei quick tied their mares to a branch here or there, the others following their example.

Nodding again to Rei, Minako slipped into the trees Rei following her a minute later.

Quatre stared at the trees, then the others, no one was going to move, so he did going in after them, Trowa following.

"Oh my gods and goddesses..." Quatre said in awe the moment after slipping it to the willows, completely stopping in his tracks causing Trowa to walk into him a moment later as he entered.

Instead of more trees here they saw a hollow space and circling what seemed to be a small village was a long steamy river, smelling some what comforting and peaceful but, with a hint of something else. Next to everyone of the small but charming little houses was a garden of vegetables and flowers it seemed. The stone of the house's mossy green in places, and flowery vines growing here and there. In the middle of the houses was a town square where a few children played joyfully, some little girls dancing around an aged well. Even the air in this place seem serene, and all the people of the place seem to be dressed as Minako and Rei had them be.

After a moment Lady Mizuno, the Prince and Princess, walked in, awed quickly after seeing the place. Grumbling Wufei walked in, looking down, and walked straight into Hiiro's back. Glancing up to apologize he almost fell over.

"My dear god Mars!" He reached up rubbing his eyes roughly, then pulling his hands away and blinking taking it all in. "Is this place real?"

"AUNT MINAKO!"

Looking to the right at that, they saw Minako and Rei walking across the steaming river on a long wooden bridge, and the call had come from a young strawberry blonde boy, running toward Minako from the square.

Laughing loudly Minako scooped the boy up into her arms spinning him around. "How's my favorite nephew?" Minako said to him, swinging the boy over her shoulder, before most of the children in the square broke up from their playing running in every dictions calling out for parents, aunts and uncles.

Rei turned a little, "Come on, no one here will hurt you!" Motioning for them to come she continued walking with Minako and the little boy, who was now waving cheerfully to the new comers.

"Welcome!" He called from his place over Minako's shoulder, "Are you friends of Aunt Minako and Lady Rei?" He asked as Rei poked him.

"Hush Ryan."

"Yes Ma'am!" He said with a giggle toward Rei who couldn't help but smile now.

Looking at the others Quatre took to lead again and started out, running a little to catch up to Minako and Rei, Trowa and Hiiro steps behind him, and Wufei and the women taking their time.

After a moment men and women started to appear from houses, a small red head, Minako's size stepping in front of them all, her hair pulled into a loose braid, curls escaping. But her blue eyes were the same as Minako's enchanting ones.

"Minako? Rei? Together?" The woman questioned quietly, her tone unbelieving.

Minako dumped the little boy on the ground at the red head's feet. "I believe he belongs to you sister."