Author's note: Inspired by various "Shadow Senshi" posts at Jet Wolf's Tumblr page.

Rei sat in meditation before the sacred fire. It had only been a few days since Minako had joined their ranks and the five of them together had begun to show the world Usagi's love through the powers of the Sailor Senshi. Of course, there was resistance. That was to be expected. But they would come around in time. Rei had, after all.

"Rei-chan."

Rei looked over her shoulder to see Usagi standing there, smiling as she could only smile. That wonderful, terrible, close-lipped smile. Rei felt the cold shiver flow through her. The shiver that only Usagi could give to her. So biting, so bitter, and oh so wonderful.

"Communing with the fire again, huh?" Usagi asked, kneeling next to her.

"It keeps me focused," Rei replied. "But I can stop if you need me for something," she added quickly. Whatever Usagi wanted, she was there to provide. There was no duty greater or more sacred to her.

"I just wanted to ask you a question," Usagi said, staring into the flames.

"What do you want to know?"

Usagi was silent for a moment and Rei wondered if she had upset her princess by asking the question. Of course she had. Usagi was their ruler, their mistress, their goddess made flesh. Why had she presumed such informality? It wasn't right, no matter how devoted or close they were. Rei began to form ideas on how to make it up to her-

"You love me, don't you, Rei-chan?" Usagi asked, still not looking at her. Rei blinked, surprised at the gentle tone Usagi had asked the question.

"Yes, of course, I do," she replied.

"You are utterly devoted to me, aren't you?"

"Totally and completely."

"And you would do anything for me?"

"All you have to do is ask."

"Transform into Sailor Mars, please."

Rei was confused but if that was what Usagi wanted, then she would have it. Rei pulled her transformation wand from the sleeve of her robe.

"MARS ECLIPSE POWER! MAKE UP!"

Within seconds, Rei stood in the long sleeved black fuku that made up the base of the senshi uniform. Her collar, and skirt were red, as were her high heels, long the envy of the others as Usagi had said she thought Rei's shoes were the cutest of all the footwear of the other senshi. Red rings surrounded her biceps. Short black gloves covered her hands, and a large purple bow adorned the front of the uniform, held in place by a heart shaped brooch. A crack ran down the center of the brooch, looking like a jagged lightning bolt.

Sailor Mars had arrived.

Usagi still did not look at her. "Now, please stick your arm in the fire."

Rei blinked. She had not expected this. "Usagi?" she asked uncertainly, certain she was going to draw the other girl's ire for merely hesitating.

Usagi finally looked up at Rei and smiled gently. " I need to know how much you love me, Rei-chan. I worry that you don't sometimes. That you'll go away. But I need you, Rei-chan, and I need to know how much you love me so I won't have to worry anymore. So if you love me... put your arm into the fire."

Rei swallowed. She wasn't certain about this, but if Usagi wanted proof of her love and loyalty, then she was going to get it. Rei knelt back down, closed her eyes, took a deep breath to focus herself, then thrust her right arm into the sacred fire.

The black material of the uniform burst into flames almost immediately and it wasn't long before Rei smelled her own flesh begin to burn with it. Her last thought before the pain overtook her was how it smelled remarkably like roasted pork. Any further thoughts wer elostin in a blinding haze of pain and heat. She moved to pull her arm back out, but felt something keeping it in the flames. She forced her eyes open and saw Usagi holding her in place with an iron grip. Her princess's face was calm and collected. She looked at Rei with cold blue eyes.

"Do you love me?"

"Y-Yes!" Rei hissed through clenched teeth. Usagi pushed on Rei's shoulder, driving her arm deeper into the fire. the skin of Rei's arm was bubbling and blistering with sickening pops and sizzles. Amazingly, the red bicep rings of the fuku were undamaged, but were still burning hot. Rei's eyes were streaming tears and her vision began to blacken at the edges. She bit her lip. She would do this. She would prove herself to Usagi.

"Do you love me?" Usagi asked again.

"Yes!" Rei cried out, trying to keep her voice from breaking. The pain was still excruciating but she couldn't tell where the fire began and her arm ended. She became aware of a new sensation near her right hip and saw that Usagi had positioned her so that her skirt was also being set alight by the flames.

"Do. You. Love. Me?"

Rei found herself unable to articulate words. The pain and the heat was blotting everyhting else out in her brain. She felt a flood of tears roll down her cheeks and she began wailing gibberish, trying to say anything to make Usagi believe her.

It apparently worked as Usagi quickly pulled Rei out of the flames and smothered her smouldering skirt. Rei cradled her injured arm, not daring to touch it. It was blistered and red in palces, and charred in others. The sleeve of the fuku was completely gone, but the rings remained. The glove had partially melted and Rei wasn't certain if she could remove it without removing the skin of her hand. A part of her mind idly wondered what was going to happen when she de-transformed later.

She felt strong hands pulling her upright and soon found herself looking into the calming blue of Usagi's eyes.

"Do you still love me, Rei-chan?"

Rei swallowed and took a hitching breath. She fought her way through the pain and tried to sound confident.

"I l-love you, U-Usagi-chan."

"And you would do anything for me?"

"Y-yes."

"Would you die for me?"

"Yes."

"Would you kill for me?"

"Y-yes, Usagi-chan."

Usagi stood up, towering over Rei. Rei swallowed and looked up at her princess. Usagi's face was shrouded in shadow, the fire highlighting the odango atop her head. When Usagi spoke again, it was gentle and loving.

"I believe you, Rei-chan."

Rei let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She closed her eyes as she felt Usagi's fingers brush through her hair, lightly scratching her scalp. Rei closed her eyes and enthused in the feelings. The pain in her arm didn't go away, but it was reduced as she felt Usagi's love for her seep in through the roots of her hair and into the rest of her body. Usagi believed her. She had proven her love, and her princess believed her. There could be no higher honor.

Suddenly, Usagi's fingers twited into Rei's hair sharply. Rei let out a yelp of pain as Usagi bent her over at the waist and pulled the hair back form the right side of her face with her free hand.

"I believe you love me, Rei-chan... but I have to be sure."

With that, Usagi shoved Rei's face halfway into the flames. The screams went on for a while.

Rei's proclamations of love for Usagi went on for much longer.

"She'll need to keep the bandages on for a few days, but the ointment I created should keep out any infection until the scar tissue forms," Ami said, in her usual clinical manner. "Nothing can be done about that, of course. Although, if you want, I have some new surgical techniques I've been developing-"

"That's okay, Ami-chan," Usagi said, cutting her off. "I love Rei-chan the way she is. Don't you?"

Ami looked at Rei, her right arm bandaged from fingertips to just below her shoulder. A large gauze pad covered most of the right side of her face. Rei had been lucky her nose and mouth hadn't been burned as well. Rei would be blind in that eye for the rest of her life, of course, but Ami had some ideas on how to work around that. That is, if Rei's own psychic aptitude and iron will didn't cause her to develop a work-around of her own.

"I suppose so, Usagi-chan. Do you need anything else right now?"

"No," Usagi answered, "I'm sure you have studying or research to do. I'm going to stay here and look after Rei-chan for a bit. I'll call you if I need you."

Ami nodded, and looked at Rei. "Change the bandages every six hours. If something doesn't look right call me immediately, okay?"

"Okay, Ami-chan," Rei mumbled, her speech slurred from the painkillers Ami had acquired through judicious uses of one of her mother's prescription pads. Ami adjusted her glasses, nodded again, and left.

When they were alone, Usagi gently helped Rei to sit up and placed some extra pillows behind her back so she could sit upright. Usagi sat down on the bed and took Rei's injured arm in her hands. Rei tensed up, but Usagi expected as much, and she cooed softly to Rei.

"It's all right, Rei-chan. No more pain. I'm very proud of you." She ran her fingers over the bandages surrounding Rei's arm. "You proved yourself to me. Like the others are going to prove themselves. Not in the same way, it needs to be somethign special for each of you. But now, now you can rest for a while and get better before we begin the real work."

Usagi brushed Rei's hair out of her face and slowly removed the gause form the other girl's face. Rei's face was a scarred, angry red wasteland. Her right eye was milky and gray. Her ear looked like a twisted piece of jerky.

Usagi thought it was the most beautiful face she had ever seen. She reached up and gently carressed the scarred and puckered skin. Rei flinched as tingles of pain shot through her face but did not cry out.

"Your arm was to prove your love for all of us," Usagi said, looking Rei in her good eye. "This," she caressed Rei's damaged face again. "Was to prove your love for me. These scars are ours and ours alone. No one else sees them unless I want them to. Understand?"

Rei swallowed and nodded, unable to pull her gaze away from the glittering icy orbs in front of her. Usagi smiled, took her hand away and arranged Rei's hair so that it covered the scars.

"I think that will look lovely, once Ami-chan says the bandages can come off for good, don't you?"

Rei turned to look at herself in the mirror over her dresser. Her hair fell in a wave over the right side of her face, although tiny edges of the scarring could be seen. Using only one eye was going to take some getting used to, but she was Rei Hino, she was invincible, and she had the love of Usagi Tsukino.

Rei smiled at her reflection and the reflection of Usagi hovering over her shoulder in the mirror.

"I think it's lovely too," she said quietly.