Hey, everyone! How y'all doing? Does anyone read Primal Forces? Oh, well. I'm practically, like, halfway through it, so I might as well finish it. I haven't written as much in Soul of the Shell, but I got at least two chapter done. Here's the first one and I hope you guys like it. Remember, it's rated M so I'm taking a big step from Sailor Galaxy Chronicles. Let's go!

The Wedding

The night sky finally cleared up after the seemingly endless rain. Streets and gutters were drenched, not to mention the dirty pavement and dirt itself.

Soaking and fatigued, she crossed the street slowly and entered the business district. Many times over did her mind command her to turn back and go home, but the thirteen year old girl wouldn't move a muscle, being as fickle as ever.

'No way,' she thought. 'No way am I going back now.'

She restarted her trek, letting the purple hair flow freely in the cool wind. The rare blue orbs searched for a place of rest as her tender body shivered. Very few street lamps were on and only one row of stores was still open. She gratefully thanked the gods as she walked towards them.

They chuckled behind the swordsmanship training facility as she neared the building with oblivious knowledge. None of them thought of the ambush being "wrong"…hell, they were juvenile delinquents. But they didn't give a damn. Any girl would be nice to do. Their lives were already messed up as they were.

Once she was in a cornering distance, two young men jumped out with smirking faces as the girl lightly gasped. But when she realized the situation, the gasp turned into a groan. "Evening," she greeted with a disgusted tone.

"Hey there, cutie." One of them already started to flirt. "Lookin' for some fun?"

"What do you have in mind?" she asked, but obviously not sounding eager.

"Some friends of ours are having a party. Wanna be my date?" His friend started to laugh before she gave a sly smile.

"How about you take a sugar frosted fuck…" She pointed to the friend with a hideous laughter. "Off the end of his dick?"

"Oh…" the friend guessed. "So you wanna see them, huh?" Both of them guffawed with absolute perverted stupidity.

"Well, that depends on who you're asking, because obviously, your friend has a bigger dick than you. And just because you have one doesn't mean you need to be one."

Their slow, inadequate minds absorbed her taunt and twisted their faces into mad glares. The men regretted taking her for granted because of her age.

From behind, they took out a shinai and bokken, wooden swords which are originally meant for training kenjutsu. The men chuckled devilishly as they pointed their weapons at the stunned girl.

"Fuck me…" she cursed.

Just then, a whole group of inexperienced students jumped out with similar weapons, each grinning sinisterly as she whined at the outnumbering. "Fuck me sideways!"

The next thing she knew, the flock of mindless youths tackled her to the ground. Her small chest absorbed a substantial amount of pain, her elbows and knees were scraped, and a strong hand grabbed her hair from her scalp. The girl's head was pulled up as a bokken lifted her chin.

"Don't underestimate us, little girl." The bokken was held by the boy who tried to hit on her earlier. "We're under the tutelage of our master at the dojo, who's only sixteen!! Be glad you're not facing him!" He raised the bokken up high, waiting to bring it down on her head. The girl closed her eyes shut and lightly whimpered.

'Crap!'

A hand grasped the bokken and forced it out of the boy's hand. He wheeled around to stare into the ice blue eyes that excreted a cold expression. The boy froze in place as his confidence retreated into fear. "S…Sensei…"

The bokken was twirled at such a speed, the boy didn't see it smack his head with unthinkable power. The bruise on his temple expanded before he hit the ground unconscious.

"No!!"

"It's sensei!!"

Half of the delinquents tried to run while the others dragged the young girl along. They turned their backs on the dojo, running from their previous beliefs into the mentality of a kindergartener. But as they turned, their sensei immediately appeared with the callous look on his face, striking fear into all his students. His slender tall body stood perfectly straight while gripping the bokken tightly.

"Well…" he spoke. "This is unfortunate for all of you." He began to tap the bokken on his shin in rhythm. "This is a misuse of kendo training."

Their fears hit the limit. Some of the thugs tried to run past him while others ran the opposite direction.

But it wasn't difficult in the least bit.

In one swing, the master bashed the bokken on his student's skulls, knocking them out cold. The agility and strength he used was invisible to the naked eye.

He returned his attention to the students running away. It was hard to believe that they were taught well under him. Disappointed, he hurled the bokken like a boomerang, making it swerve and knock them senseless one by one.

"You're all expelled," he announced.

They collapsed next to the girl, who didn't give a care of their well being. Using all her remaining strength, she forced herself to crawl away from the man that surpassed his students.

'If they did this to me…' she thought quickly. 'What would he do!?'

As the girl crawled, she heard footsteps coming from behind. Seeing how all the others were lying unconscious, she could easily assume it was their master approaching. She moved and flailed her limbs. The footsteps got closer…and faster…or was it her heart that was beating at an unnatural pace? By the time she could feel his presence, the girl knew it was too late.

'I'm done for.'

She raised her arm in a blind attempt of self-defense. Hoping to somehow slap him across the face, her wrist was caught by a firm hand. The girl gasped with fright…at the thought of retaliation. She closed her eyes instantly and flinched for any strike.

"Are you okay?"

The eyes snapped wide open. Her blue orbs looked towards the ice blue eyes, which weren't as cold as she thought. He had lightly tufted black hair, looking too young to be a dojo master. Despite the thoughts that filled her head a few seconds ago, the man seemed…kind.

Feeling relieved and exhausted, the girl's head reeled back. He caught it before it could hit the ground and damage the skull. The man scooped her up in his arms with his surprising strength, resting her unconscious head on his shoulders. Although she looked battered on the surface, the man knew she had a graceful appearance.

'This guy...' The thoughts emerged deep within her conscience. 'He saved my life and we don't even know each other's names.'

"Aoshi!"

After hearing his name, he stopped working on his cuffs and walked to the bedroom. Aoshi laid eyes on her body in the silver strapless dress with a white band around her abdomen. There were only light frills at the bottom; her hair was up and kept still with a barrette. Her corsage held a red rose on her right wrist that contrasted with her blue eyes.

"Got everything packed?"

It took him a few seconds before realizing she asked him a question. "Yeah. Nothing got left behind." Aoshi quickly returned to the living room to avert his eyes from her hypnotizing image.

'Anna Onodera…has it really been five years…since that day?'

When they met, Anna was barely out of middle school. Now she's out of high school and been living with him for 2 months. She grew so much through his eyes, but Anna was 18 while he was 21. It didn't bother him one bit.

They felt comfortable with each other for so long, Aoshi wondered if it was the right time…

He fixed his tie one last time in front of the mirror and went toward the suitcases. They spent a lot of money on the tux, but they both managed it. Most of their money went to the apartment after Anna graduated. Her parents believed she moved to another state for college; they began to trust her after the incident with Galaxia.

All their things were packed when Anna finally stepped out in her dress.

"Ready to go?"

Aoshi nodded with his indifferent face. She walked up and picked up some of the luggage. "Should we wait for Miss Tomoe?" he asked.

Anna shook her head. "She said she would be busy preparing for the ceremony. No worries; I still got the power she gave me."

"The wedding? Already?"

Hotaru nodded. The 15 year old girl smiled sweetly at the friends she didn't see for so long. Anna and Aoshi stood surprised in their new apartment.

"Yes. Like you, Serena and the others just finished school and are preparing to start a new life."

"Well…" Anna ruffled her hair. She looked over at Aoshi for his consent. They both saved up money for their new home and they're already told to prepare for the wedding.

But Aoshi only smiled. "We should have expected this. No worries."

It was true. Once the wedding was done, Anna and Aoshi planned to stay permanently in Tokyo. She sighed and chuckled.

"Okay. We got it handled."

Anna held out a palm and created a dark oval portal. It didn't appear any different as it was from two years ago. Anna could already feel the distant memories come back from her days as a solar scout.

Aoshi took her hand and led her through the portal, like any man would do to a lady. They abandoned the apartment and immediately reappeared in a crowded banquet hall, filled with guests and honored friends.

It was just like her dream during her stay at Serena's house. All guests were blithe and proud of the bride and groom. The favors and food were elegantly set; caterers made eclectic dishes. All seemed perfect.

"Anna!"
"Sir Aoshi!"

Raye and Mina rushed up with ecstatic faces, Chad and Jerry were following. They bought special red and orange dresses for the occasion.

Mina was the first to come up and give Anna a bear hug. "It's been so long! Never go back there without my permission!"

Anna laughed with delight. "Don't be stupid. We're staying here from now on." Raye came up and tightly hugged her, more gentle than Mina's.

"Glad you're back."

Chad and Jerry were equally glad of their return.

"How was America?"

Chad questioned. Neither of them had yet to know to scouts' deep secret, let alone Anna and Aoshi's real origin.

"Oh…great. You guys should go there." Anna nervously chuckled, being careful not to spill the beans.

"Hey! You're here!"

On her other side, Anna found Lita and Amy partnered with Jason and Greg, like before. Jason was another civilian that didn't know the secret. The team was relieved that Greg knew the truth; another oblivious friend would put pressure on keeping it discreet.

"We thought you wouldn't make it," Lita whined. Despite how strong she was among the team, she always held a soft spot for friends.

"Well, here we are: live and in-person." Anna noticed the silent Amy, crying at the sight of them; looked like she had an even softer spot. She leapt and wrapped her arms around Anna, releasing her happiness.

"You're back! You're really here!"

Anna greeted her as well. The Inner Senshi reunited…

"Hey…long time no see."

Along with the Outer Senshi. Amara, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru walked up maturely and smiled in a sophisticated way.

"It's been a while, Miss Tenoh," Aoshi greeted.

"How was 'America'?" Michelle was careful since the others were around. Trista and Hotaru embraced Anna with delight.

"It's all good," Anna replied. She answered truthfully, ignoring the fact that the others were there. She was glad to be back. "Hey, where's Serena?"

"Oh…" Amy finally spoke up. "I'll show you there. It's not far."

As she was directed to Serena's dressing room, Aoshi slipped away to see an old friend.

Darien fixed his bowtie on his white tuxedo as he looked in the full view mirror. He was finally able to wed the girl he was destined to love, destined to be with forever. Anticipation wracked his body until someone knocked on the door of his dressing room.

"It's open."

The doorknob was turned and Aoshi appeared at the doorway. Darien was glad he could make it.

"Hey, man. Welcome back." Aoshi walked up and shook his hand after 2 long years. "How's Anna?"

"Doing well," Aoshi replied. He dropped on the couch and began to relax from tension. As he sighed, Darien took notice and cocked an eyebrow.

"Something bothering you?"

Aoshi seemed surprised for a moment, but he should have known nothing could be hidden from the future king. He scratched his head, finding a way to release the thoughts. "How did you do it?"

Darien gave a confused look. "Do what?"

Every passing second made it harder for him to say it. After all, he was talking to Anna's best friend.

"How did you…propose to Miss Tsukino?"

The groom started to create a wide grin; he knew where conversations headed. But he decided to play along.

"Well…" He went on fixing himself for the ceremony. "Her class was so busy getting ready for graduation; I had a hard time getting to it. The night before grad night, Serena cried about not seeing her friends or that I might travel to America to study. There was no way I would go, so to prove it…I proposed to her that night. Once she said yes, Serena smiled throughout graduation."

Aoshi kept lightly nodding, coming up with ideas for the right time. When Darien was finally ready, he turned to Aoshi with an innocent grin.

"I think Anna would be ready anytime."

Aoshi immediately became flustered, but decided to accept it. Perhaps Darien was right: any time would be good for Anna because her heart was always pure. And he wanted to protect that heart.

Anna was found talking to the team before she noticed Darien and Aoshi come up to them.

"Hey, lucky bastard." She gave Darien a tight squeeze as he embraced her back. Two years was a long time. "Got butterflies in your stomach?"

Darien shook his head. They all acted as if nothing changed. The Sailor Senshi reunited once more. "I gotta go meet some people for appearance. I'll see you later, okay?"

Anna nodded. As Darien turned around, he glanced over to Aoshi, who understood what he meant.

'Just say it when it's right,' he thought. He left the team and mingled with some other guests.

Aoshi looked over to Anna talking with the others. He heard her delicate laughter and saw the sweet grin across her face. What would happen to that smile if they never met? What if no one was there to protect her? That was what Aoshi desired to achieve since day one: to be there for her whenever she was in need. A promise was a tying bond. What would he do if he never made that promise?

He would have still loved Anna. Aoshi closed his eyes.

'Not now. She's not ready.'

Marriage only proved the bond. He never really cared about proof. Aoshi stuck to the present and did all that he could do for her. But someday…he knew Anna would say yes.

Silently, he walked to Anna's side and held her hand. She immediately wrapped her arms around Aoshi with no hesitation while talking to the others. He treasured her petite innocence and placed a hand on her shoulder, resting her head under his chin.

"What did you and Darien talk about?" Aoshi looked down at her curious self. Anna took no notice of his deep fervor, but it didn't bother him.

"Stuff."

After a few seconds, she smiled again and turned to the girls, resting her head on his chest. The ceremony began minutes later, with Serena revealed in a lavishing white gown, smiling joyfully. Darien gently took her hand, joining at the altar. As the priest spoke, Anna and Aoshi held hands for comfort, hoping they would get the same opportunity.

'Someday,' Aoshi thought.

Whew! First chapter. It feels relaxing to be back on this story. I know it's like uber long, but that's life: I make up stuff and stick with it as I go along. This was planned way before Primal Forces and I didn't find time to post this one up. The coolest super special awesome gifts are reviews. Can't live without them! See ya later!