Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Rei?" Mako called as she stepped onto the Hino shrine grounds, the other Senshi following behind her. 

"Reeeei! Are you there, Reeeei?" Usagi cupped her hands around her mouth and stumbled forward, nearly tripping over her own feet. 

"Maybe she's asleep?" Ami wondered aloud.

"At this hour? I don't think so..." Mina said, skipping ahead as the others tried to keep up.

Going forward a bit more, Mako turned and held up her hand, motioning for the others to stop. 

"Ugh, seriously?" 

Rei was there, talking on her phone. Well, not so much talking as shouting into her phone, pacing awkwardly around the wooden floor.

"Is it really that hard to actually check your documents?" 

The other Senshi were too far away to hear who was on the other line, but whoever it was seemed to be making Rei more agitated than normal.

"I'm 16, Grandpa handles all the legal documents, you gave full guardianship to him years ago... You just have to do this one thing, why is that so hard?"

As the person on the other line responded, Rei froze, a look of bewilderment on her face, before seemingly becoming even angrier than before.

"You're still calling me that?! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not your son anymore! I'm your daughter, my name is Rei, not Shingo!" 

Mako's eyes widened slightly, while the other Senshi furoded their brows. Was this going where Mako thought it was going?

"Grandpa's way older than you, and he understands just fine! Why can't you- No, I'm not being dramatic! Why do you never take me seriously?! GUH! I'm hanging up." 

And with that, Rei snapped her phone shut and began fidgeting with her hair in an attempt to calm herself down.

An attempt that failed when she turned her head and saw the other Senshi standing there.

She shrieked, flinched and nearly dropped her phone in surprise. "Wha-What? How long have you guys been there?"

"Long enough." Mako said, stepping closer to Rei with the other Senshi following behind. "So, who was that?"

Rei blushed and lowered her head. "My... My dad. He calls sometimes, usually because he forgot about paying child support."

"And... About the... not being his "son" part?" 

Rei blushed even redder and fidgeted nervously, before-
"I wasn't born a girl!"  She blurted out.

"Huh-" Mako said in confusion, before being cut off by Rei holding up her hand.

Rei continued to explain. "I was born as a guy, bu-but I never really felt like it. My heart and soul is one of a girl. I love being a girl, even if dad never really accepts that... No matter how many times I tell him... Is that... Alright?" 

Rei stood there, eyes squinted shut, waiting for any kind of response. Until...

"Rei, I'm like that too."

Rei opened her eyes to see Mako smiling warmly at her.

"Body of a guy, soul of a girl, right?" Mako gestured at herself.

"Re-Really?" Rei's face softened slightly.

"I am somewhat like that too." Ami leaned forward, also smiling.

"Wait, really, Ami?" Mako turned to her.

"Yes. From the way I see it, gender is but a concept made by society to group people into boxes, and I prefer not to categorised like that."

"...I have no idea what most of that meant, but cool!" Mako said awkwardly.

"The crystals obviously see you as a girl too." Mina chimed in. "You're a Senshi after all." 

Rei smiled slightly. "Ye-Yeah, I guess so." 

Mako, Ami and Mina nodded. "No matter what, you're still you, Rei-chan." Mako said.

Rei nodded herself, and turned to Usagi. "And... What do you think?"

"Hmmm..." Usagi cocked her head like a confused puppy. "I don't really understand... But I want to!" Usagi leaned forward and grinned. "I still want to be your friend, Rei-chan."

Rei scoffed and turned her head away, blushing. "Typical."

Despite her actions, Rei couldn't help but smile at the fact that she had friends that accepted her for who she truly was.