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April 17th was a day Rei Hino would always dread…. It was her sixteenth birthday, birthdays were supposed to be happy and celebrating life well not for Rei, while she could hang out with her friends who truly cared and loved her, she had to have dinner with her estranged father; the person who she hated most…...“Rei! Your ride here” Rei’s grandpa called her straight after she got changed into a white dress, the one her father gifted her, like every single year.
It wasn’t actually her father who would drive her, it was always one of his random body guards, she knew her father was extremely busy being a successful politician but he could at least pick his daughter, his only child up , he would only see her once a year….
Rei was a reserved person, she would hardly tell anyone about how she felt about her birthday not even Minako nor Makoto, Ami or Usagi, she would just stay quiet not wanting to make them worried. Well after what felt like an eternity, the car pulled into the restaurant, Rei thanked the driver and slowly paced towards the restaurant. As she entered, she was greeted by the lady at the front desk asking her about a reservation.“Yes, I have a reservation for Hino Takashi.” Her long black hair flowed as she spoke. “Oh yes, you must be the person he is waiting for. He is sitting over there” The lady guided Rei to a table for two where her father was sitting.
“Thank you.” Rei replied with as she nervously walked towards the table, her violet eyes were almost in tears at this point. “Good to see you, Rei. “Takashi gave a slightly cold greeting to his daughter.
“Thank you, Papa, it’s been nice to see you for once this year.” Rei faked a smile as she sat down. As much as she resented her father, she just wanted to keep it to herself.
“So how is everything going?” Takashi asked Rei.“Well high school has been alright so far; my friends go to a different school, but they honestly make my life so much better. How is your party going and everything else in the world of a politician?” Rei asked.“Well, I’ve been extremely busy of course, running a campaign and everything is extremely time consuming. Have I ever told you this Rei? But you are so much like your mother, not just in looks but your mannerisms , your personality and everything.” Takashi smiled.“Oh wow that’s intense and no, grandpa will tell me many times after all she was his daughter. I’m surprised you mentioned Mama, it’s a day like my birthday were I always miss her the most.” Rei’s eyes lit up, surprised her father mentioned his late wife Risa, Rei’s mother. He was the one who never visited Risa in hospital or cared when she was sick, Rei always thought her father would never bring up her mother again after she passed.
Rei’s violet eyes started to shed tears, she tried to stop them not wanting to show emotions to her father but she couldn’t.
“Yeah, I know. She did mean a lot to you, and she loved you more than anyone did. This day sixteen years ago was the best day of her life, I got a call from her saying that we had a daughter that she named Rei , a name which she knew was just perfect for her and she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. I remember visiting her in the hospital that day and she would not let you go or wouldn't stop kissing your face, she thought you were the most precious and beautiful baby in the universe. “Takashi sighed. “I know, she would tell me that a lot before she passed. I still have the photos of Mama and I, mama looked so happy when she held me for the first time “ Rei smiled slightly surprised at what her father said, Rei loved her mother more than anyone , she wished that her mother could her watch her turn sixteen she knew she would have been proud. While her father was being nicer than usual , he still never really showed affection or love to Rei.The rest of the dinner was silent and awkward, she knew her father was being his true self not all lovey dovey like that moment. When Rei arrived back at the shrine she was greeted to a voice saying.
“Happy birthday Rei-Chan, we love you!”
She turned around and saw long blonde pigtails, of course it was Usagi , not just her but also Minako , Makoto and Ami. Makoto had baked a cake just for her and Rei’s room was all decorated.
“We bought you a gift Rei-Chan!” Minako said handing Rei a small box.
Rei carefully opened the box and it was a beautiful music box , playing the tune of “moonlight detsu”. Rei smiled and said.
“Thank you, guys. I love it and will treasure it forever” Rei smiled.
After her friends went home , Rei decided to look through some old photos of her mother. Her favourites were of her mother and late grandmother at the shrine, (also the fact Risa was a miko just like her own self herself), some old photos of herself as a little girl some of Risa too. As she dug through the box of photos, she found the one she was looking for the most, the one of her and her mother the day she was born. Rei smiles at the photo , her mother looked happier than ever and was holding the tiny baby Rei and kissing her face.
"Oh Mama, you looked so happy, ever since that moment you really loved me more than anyone." Rei criedWhile shedding tears Rei felt happy not just upset about loosing her mother at such a young age but what made her smile was thinking about her friends. Her birthday was wonderful because of them , She was proud to always be fighting as Sailor Mars alongside , Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus. Her sixteenth birthday was one she would never forget , she could hear her mother say..
"Happy birthday Rei, I can't believe my beautiful baby is sixteen. I know I'm not here with you but I am proud of you. I love you more than anyone could , I am always watching you. I love you more than anyone my princess "While Rei thought it was her mind playing tricks , perhaps maybe it wasn't and that she could still hear her mother from up above... Even if it was, Risa would have been proud to watch her baby girl turn sixteen.