Even in Death
The atmosphere in the graveyard was heavy and suffocating, as it always is at the funeral of someone who was well loved by many. The sky was dreary and grey, denying the mourners of any sun light. On the muddied gravel, a humble group of people stood huddled by a dark marble tombstone, faces grim and gazes lost in their own memories and thoughts.
The service had finished not too long ago, and the majority of people who had come to pay their respects had already left, leaving only those closest to the diciest to grieve.
It was not uncommon for a member of the Elements Network to pass away, especially one who was constantly on the battle front. However, this death was unexpected, and no one was prepared for it.
In the back of the crowd stood a few members of The Wall, flown across the globe to gather for this ceremony. Foxtrot and India stood together, heads lowered to conceal their tear-brimmed eyes and the silent rage simmering beneath their skin. They had both been working on a mission in the heart of New York, but when they received the message they refused to stay dormant and insisted on attending. If not for curtsey, then at least to support the two women of The Wall, who both took the news very badly.
Upon receiving the message that was sent to all members of the Elements Network regarding the death of a prominent member, Juliet had shut herself in her room, neglecting her work and health, opting to stare silently in the dark at her ceiling, unaware of the tears that continuously rolled down the sides of her tanned face.
Today was the first day she had left the house since the notice, and the dark circles were poorly hidden behind the large sunglasses she wore despite the absence of the sun.
Glancing her tired eyes to the front of the group, Juliet calmly observed Sierra's trembling form, blonde hair falling onto her tear stained face, her strong facade crumbling under the recent loss. Looking back on the events of that day, Sierra and Igawa were the two that took the news worst. At first, Sierra had denied everything, claiming that they weren't true and that there was a mistake. When all she received from her team was devastated and pitying looks, she had thrown herself out of the room and disappeared for a few days. When she returned, they noticed that her fire had dwindled, and she seemed to always be partially absent from her body. Her behavior had terrified some of her team mates, but it was understandable, so they all gave her enough space to go through the mourning period, however long that may be.
Juliet barely felt the empty smile that curved her painted lips when she saw Alpha place his large hand comfortingly on Sierra's shoulder, and she place her slender one on top of his in return. It seemed Alpha wasn't quite as hopeless at comforting women as he claimed to be.
Said man had a stoic expression, tense yet still calculating as he gazed ahead, going through the facts of the event and already planning out future missions to hunt down the culprits of this unforgiving crime, and possibly break a few of the Network's regulations when they found the criminals. He was sure that enough people would be for this act of vengeance that the punishment wouldn't be too severe, and even if it were, he honestly didn't care. Not after what they did to the person he and his team mates cared for.
Senji, too, had shown up, since he had been officially accepted as a member of the Elements Network a few years prior after displaying his loyalty to their cause through many battles. He had changed his signature pale suit for a plain black one, his silvery hair blowing gently in the breeze, face contorting in guilt and remorse. The accusation that he was a failure had been playing through his mind like a mantra, and he felt haunted by the thought, knowing that it was true. It was no secret to the other members that after the death, he had turned to alcohol to drown his sorrow, as he was sometimes seen heavily intoxicated and crying, screaming desperate apologies to his lost ward.
Igawa stood at the very front of the group, wearing a full suit for the first time since his sister's funeral many years ago. Surprisingly and possibly even chillingly, the techie stood completely motionless, his eyes dull and face blank, his entire being apparently drained of life. Unlike many of the other members, his eyes were completely dry at the service, as he had already emptied all his sorrows on the first few nights since the event. He just stood there, staring at nothing, as though he were the personification of apathy.
Every individual who was gathered there had all lost someone dear to them, and this was a merciless grim reminder of the cruelty of the world, and the reason why they all had to fight; to prevent any more people than necessary from experiencing the same torment as they were going through then.
Mamoru watched the group silently, situating himself at the back of the crowd. Through the numerous forms of his team mates and possibly even friends, he could see the outline of the tombstone, and with the advanced upgrades on his glasses over the past seven years of working with his partner, he could just make out the cursive lettering running down the length of the stone, carved out into the name of the diciest;
Tohyama Haruka
The design was simple, stating nothing else but the name. There was an argument between the members whether to use her real name or an alias, after it was decided that they were going to officially inform the police force that the young girl who was 'abducted' at the age of twelve seven years ago was still alive, and had recently passed away after being found by her pursuers. Mamoru was the one to settle the debate, saying that the relatives and friends that Haruka had before she 'disappeared' had the right to pay their respects properly, and that they should not be kept in the dark for the rest of their lives. This was the least that they could do for them.
The members of the Network had refrained from attending the cremation ceremony of the nineteen year old girl, reserving it for Haruka's family and friends. Instead, they held a separate funeral for the Elements members only after the official one for the family and friends to avoid suspicion as to why there were unknown individuals attending the service of a girl that was abducted and presumed dead for seven whole years.
Mamoru had also been watching their surroundings, noting the people that entered the graveyard and stopped at a distance from them, and after a few moments simply left without doing anything more. At first Mamoru had been suspicious of them, ready to attack if necessary, but once the data in his glasses informed his that some of them were registered, he realized that they were also members, perhaps some people who had never even met the girl, but still came to offer their respect to the fallen soldier.
Haruka's reputation had grown within the network until she had become one of the most respected and valuable members over the course of her seven years of service. She had even earned the trust of Daiba, which was a major achievement in itself.
So there was no surprise when he fleetingly saw the three dimensional outline of the crippled male in his peripheral vision, a bubble icon displaying the man's name in a simple font.
He could have also sworn that he felt the presence of Pyro, but the mysterious man did have an uncanny talent of concealing himself, but the subtle waft of cigarette smoke only strengthened his suspicion. The man did seem to possess a loyalty to the young pre-cog.
Mamoru tilted his head back slightly and caught the subtle change in the smell carried by the wind, recognizing it as an indication that it was going to rain soon. Not wanting to get caught in it, the blind man turned on his heels, breaking the stillness of the group and slowly made his way towards the exit. He could distinctly feel the venomous gaze directed at his retreating form, no doubt by a certain blonde woman.
The tingly sensation on his neck made him grind his teeth together in annoyance, remembering the heated conversation the two had less than a week ago.
Mamoru was splayed across a three seater couch, taking a light nap in the comfort of the safe house he was currently residing in for a mission. The rain was beating heavily against the roof and running down the sides, creating a flowing waterfall effect on the windows.
Despite the lulling noise of the rain, Mamoru's slumber was disturbed by a heavy thump in the distance, recognizing it as a car door being slammed shut. The swordsman was instantly alert, though he was pretty sure what was coming. It was not very hard to deduce after the notification he had received earlier that day regarding the passing of a certain Network member.
Before he was able to pull himself onto his feet, the front door was thrown open with unnecessary force and Sierra stormed through, dripping water all over the entrance floor. Despite his restricted sight, Mamoru could recognize the woman's tremors and dishevelled appearance.
When the woman spotted the man she was looking for on the couch, seemingly relaxed and rested, her body froze in a mix of confusion and unfiltered rage.
A moment of tense silence passed between them, both waiting for the other to say something. Sierra was the first to speak. 'Haruka is dead.' The silence returned, this time heavier and thicker than before. Angered by the man's lack of response, she continued more harshly. 'Did you not hear me? I said that Haruka is dead.'
'So I heard.' He mumbled, annoyance lacing through his words.
Irked by his response, Sierra advanced towards the man, standing toe to toe, their equal height giving neither of them an advantage. 'Then what the hell are you doing, Mamoru?' She sneered, eyes blazing with fury. 'Haruka was murdered on a mission, and what were you doing? Taking a fucking nap?!'
'She was on a solo mission. There would have been nothing I could have done.' Mamoru retorted, voice low and dangerous as he returned the gaze with unseeing eyes.
'It was your responsibility to look out for her! It was you who was supposed to protect her!' Sierra screamed, hands fisted by her sides.
'We're all going to die some time, Sierra. Haruka's death was unfortunate, but it was inevitable.'
Unable to take his aggravating responses any more, she drew her arm back and threw a punch at his face with all her body weight, uncaring of the consequences of her actions. 'Don't you give me that bullshit Blade!'
Predicting the obvious assault, Mamoru swivelled his body to the side, bringing his arm up to push the advancing arm away from its course, bringing his other arm in front of the woman's torso and swinging his leg around to sweep under her long ones, flipping her body onto her back with a resounding crash.
Mamoru looked down at the form below him, obviously annoyed, but lacked any real resentment. 'Don't let your emotions drive you to do irrational things. You'll only get yourself killed.'
Sierra sat up, cringing at the pain in her back. 'So what? You expect me to do nothing?' She spoke through gritted teeth, eyes burning with nothing but hate for the man above her.
'That's not what I mean.' Before Sierra could retort, Mamoru stepped away from her to lean against the wall, crossing his arms in front of him. 'Acting in the heat of the moment will get you nowhere. Even you should be able to understand that.' Mamoru took a deep breath, regaining his composure and continued to speak. 'Haruka's death was unexpected, and no one was ready for it. We all tell ourselves that we are prepared to die, but so often we aren't ready to see those close to us go. If we try anything now, without any proper planning, we'll only be rushing to our deaths. The Network doesn't need that sort of loss any time soon.'
Sierra sat quietly on the ground, feeling hot tears form along her eye against her will. 'You, above most, should know what Haruka was to so many people. You weren't the only one who considered her family.' At this, Sierra released a broken sob, curling in on herself as her body started to heave with the force of her cries, moans of pain leaving her mouth.
'And that's why,' Mamoru said, pushing himself off the wall to collect his cane from the couch, 'there is no way in hell that those fuckers who did this are going to go unpunished.' The end of the sentence came out as a growl, promising an excruciating experience for whoever got in his way.
Ceasing her cries, Sierra turned her face up at the man making his way to the front door that was left open. There was something in how he walked, and the way he had said those words that sent a shiver running down her spine, chilling her damp skin.
Just as Mamoru stepped out of the doorway, he spoke quietly over his shoulder 'And don't think you'll get to have the pleasure all to yourself. I know a few people who would want to join in on the hunt.' With that Mamoru closed the door, leaving Sierra in the empty house, a wicked smile curving her lips.
Mamoru sighed heavily, picturing the blood bath that he was sure was going to be inflicted upon the agents of Galboa and Exsolid. He was also pretty certain that all those he left behind at the cemetery – as well as a few others – would be more than willing to take part in his plan. He was never one for glorifying revenge like a good portion of the Elements Network seemed to be – at least in secret – but he couldn't help the immense pleasure he felt from imagining the assault he had planned to take place in the not-so-distant future.
He had passed though the main gates of the cemetery and began to make his way to the local train station when he felt someone looking at him. He stopped and turned to face a lone figure standing across the road from him. The person appeared to be an elderly woman, wearing neat upper-class clothing, glasses and hair tied back in a loose bun. At first he was uncertain as to who she was, but suddenly he remembered the encounter he had seven years ago with a certain pre-cog's grandmother in a police station while fighting a number of drones.
'From now on, if you remain involved, it's likely that you'll get hurt as well…
Just pretend that Haruka has died…
For her sake, that is what you must do…
Though… You should know that I'm employed as Haruka's bodyguard…
I will devote all my strength to her…'
Though the image projected into his retinas was a little hazy, he thought he could just make out a smile on the elderly woman's lips, before she leant forward into a respectable bow. It was obvious that she had waited outside the cemetery for him, just to give him this silent 'thank you'.
When the woman came back up from the bow, Mamoru returned a nod of his own, telling her that he understood her message.
Without another word, Tohyama Minori turned and walked away, never looking back at the man who had kept her granddaughter alive for the past seven years.
Just as Mamoru had predicted, the clouds had darkened and rain started to fall in heavy bullets against the earth. The unsuspecting people of Tokyo had cursed their misfortune and ran for cover to shelter from the brewing storm.
By the time the sun had set, however, Mamoru was miles away from the busy metropolitan, instead walking along a poorly cobbled pathway up a heavily forested mountain. The scenery was very different from the high-rise office buildings and apartment complexes he was used to, but the natural vegetation brought back a wave of nostalgia from his childhood, training at the dojo to master the way of the sword.
It was a lot quieter here in the rural area of the district, which was a welcomed rest for his overly keen senses. The air was cleaner, less movement, and certainly less people, which he greatly appreciated at that moment. With his trusted cane in one hand, and a fold-up umbrella in the other, Mamoru took his time to enjoy the peaceful walk through the calm terrain.
Finally the path he was following seemed to have come to an abrupt end, leaving Mamoru facing a wall of vegetation. At least, that was how it seemed at first. However, Mamoru's practiced eye spotted a narrow opening between two thick trees to the side, so after folding back his umbrella and stuffing it into his pocket, he wedged himself in between them to fall onto a dirt path leading through the thick forest. Grumbling at the unconventional obstacle, he held his cane in front of him and made his way further up the mountain.
The sun had just fallen behind a line of distant mountains in the horizon, but the lack of light made no difference to him. As though nothing had changed, the swordsman kept trekking along the path until he entered a clearing, meeting the outline of a small traditional hut, well concealed by the thick layers of leaves and branches reaching over the small house like a blanket of green. The main building was a simple rectangular shape with a simply tiled roof, a few of the tiles missing like missing scales on a snake. The house looked old and worn, but still held its shape proudly among the weedy grass.
Unfazed by the out of place building, Mamoru made his way to the side of the house where he was greeted by a row of sliding doors behind a narrow wooden balcony.
Once he reached his intended destination he easily climbed up onto the open area and sat down to remove his wet shoes. Leaving them next to the wall, he slid open one of the multiple doors and stepped inside. The room was as he expected, stuffy and slightly musky from the years of never seeing a human within its walls. However, the smell wasn't unpleasant, almost comforting in its homeliness.
The room was small and empty, the floor lined with worn tatami mats. Another door leading into what looked to be a corridor was open, but Mamoru chose to ignore it, opting to lie down on the floor after removing his damp jacket and tossing his cane, umbrella and glasses to the side.
For a few minutes he just lay there, his scarred face emotionless as he noted to himself that it was raining like this when he learned of Haruka's death only a few days ago. The moisture in the air made all the smells surrounding the area all the more pronounced, and he took a minute to breathe in and try to identify the different scents.
He had mentally made a list of different trees, plants, flowers, materials of the building when he caught a floral scent, one that definitely didn't belong here naturally.
With this realization he also caught the sound of creaking floorboards coming from the open door. There was someone in the house. Despite this knowledge, he felt no threat and continued to lie there, wondering what perfume he was smelling.
He didn't move from his comfortable position when the footsteps crossed into the room he was occupying, nor when the unknown person sat down behind him with a rustle of fabric.
'So, how was my funeral?'
A small smile stretched Mamoru's lips at the sound of the soft voice, and broadened when he felt the owner of the voice lie down and press their body against his back.
'I'm sure you already know, Haruka.' He felt air brush against the nape of his neck as the woman behind him chuckled, wrapping her slender arms around his frame.
'Yes, I saw bits of it in my visions, but not all.' She whispered tiredly, smiling broadly when she felt Mamoru's calloused hand grasp her smaller one.
'Well, in the service that I attended, quite a few people came, but most of them left pretty quickly. Dai wanted to stay longer, but he was needed for something so had to leave early as well. Quite a lot came later, but didn't really do much. They were probably some members who didn't really know you, but felt obligated to at least show up. Igawa, Senji, Sierra, Juliet, Alpha, and a few other Wall members stayed back, and then it started to rain so I left. Oh, and Daiba and Pyro also showed up briefly.' Mamoru concluded with a sigh, brained from the long day he had.
Haruka was silent as she absorbed the information, until she spoke up again 'Were any of them too upset?' She felt Mamoru give a humourless laugh against her, 'Yeah, stupid question. Of course they were.'
'Juliet was a mess, Igawa looked dead, Senji looked ready to tear himself apart, the male Wall members looked like they were going to kill someone – which was probably what they were thinking about – and Sierra was,' he paused for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate word to describe the state of the woman that day, 'broken.'
Haruka flinched at the word, her chest clenching with guilt at the grief she had inflicted upon her family.
Feeling the woman behind him tense, Mamoru sighed and turned around to face her, bringing his hand up to gently cup the side of hr face. 'We talked about this before, right? It may seem cruel now, but this is the best thing we can do. For you, and for them.' Mamoru spoke gently, brushing his thumb against the soft skin of Haruka's cheek. 'You remember what that asshole Turus said back when this all began; as long as you're alive, his country will continue to target you, and a war will break out in the underworld over who gets to you first. Well, this war of his had started, and so many people have either died of lost someone close to them. You, too, have lost so much – too much.' Mamoru brought Haruka's head closer to his so their foreheads were touching, both sets of eyes closed as they shared each other's warmth. 'If we had of let it go any longer, who knows what could have happened.'
As soon as he finished his sentence, he was struck with a thought which had not occurred to him before. Separating their heads, he opened his foggy eyes to stare into the direction of Haruka's silver ones. 'Or, was it that you knew what was going to happen? Is that why you asked me to help you fake your death?'
After a little hesitation, Haruka nods her head in confirmation. So that's why, Mamoru thought, thinking back to the day a couple months back when Haruka had snuck into his room when the rest of the team was out for the day, pleading him to assist with her plan. Mamoru was startled at the sudden proposition, but after the woman had frantically explained to him the reason for doing it, and briefing him with the process, he had inevitably accepted the offer, though uncertainly at first.
Mamoru was about to ask what it was that she saw in her predictions, but when he felt the light tremors that shook her body, he refrained and pulled her closer to him, rubbing comforting circles into her back. He had learned over the years that some things were best left in the dark, especially when it came to something as delicate and fragile as the future.
Once the woman had calmed down they both sat up, hands firmly grasped together. 'I saw your grandmother today, outside the cemetery.' Haruka glanced up through damp eye lashes, looking at Mamoru's soft expression. 'I think she wanted to thank me.'
Haruka's heart swelled at this, thinking of her frail grandmother waiting in the cold, just to offer her gratitude. It was definitely something she would do.
A few minutes passed in comfortable silence, until Mamoru asked a question that had been nagging him the whole day. 'Are you ever going to tell them? That you're alive, I mean.'
Haruka hummed quietly as she thought over the question. It was something she had been contemplating for a few weeks, trying to find what the best path would be for the most secure future. 'One day, I may tell them. But not any time soon. We'll definitely have to wait until the news of my death has become well known in the underworld, and make sure that there are no rumours that I am still alive. Once I've been forgotten, then it may be safe for me to tell some people. But, not as myself, of course.'
Smiling, Haruka brought one of Mamoru's hands up to her hair, watching his eyes widen slightly in surprise. 'You cut it.' He stated, running his fingers through the now shoulder length hair.
'And dyed it.' She added, leaning against the man's broad chest. 'It's a dark brown color now, like chocolate.' Mamoru hummed while continuing to finger the tresses of hair.
'Ana Riddle has been helping me with creating an alias. She's asked me to visit her at Siren next week. Really, none of this would have been possible without her.' Haruka said sincerely, thinking of her mysterious friend. She had been very understanding of her wish, and supported her through the months leading up to her faked death. She had even promised to keep it from Karito as well.
Ana had been the one to supply them with a corpse resembling Haruka, and manufactured evidence to make the death seem legitimate. Mostly, Haruka just had to provide a decent blood sample, and it was a matter of replacing it with the sample that was collected from the crime scene, which was actually from a few bags of donor blood. And then just leave a few other personal items and disposable body samples at the scene, like a few strands of her gold hair, and a few fibres caught on a nail near where the body was found for good measure. Naturally, they also had to mutilate the face enough so it was unrecognizable, even for those that saw her on a daily basis
Her musings were cut short when she heard Mamoru's deep voice rumble next to her 'So, what now?' When he received a look of confusion, he elaborated patiently 'I mean for you, what will you do now that you are restricted with how often you can show yourself in the world? I mean, I highly doubt you will be able to stay hiding in this shack forever and do nothing while everyone else is fighting crime.'
'You know me too well.' She said teasingly, standing up and pulling him up onto his feet while handing him his glasses to lead him out of the room, weaving through more corridors until they entered an even smaller room, furnished with multiple monitor screens and computer sets, tangles of cords running along the perimeter.
Once his eyes adjusted to being projected with the computerized image, Mamoru looked around, taking in the drastic change in the interior design. 'Are you trying to make this house into a time machine or something?' He asked sarcastically, secretly enjoying the tinkling laughter he was rewarded with by the woman now settling in front of one of the screens, pulling a keyboard into her lap.
'Not quite.' She said amusedly, bringing up a web page on the screen, and with a few rapid clicks of a mouse had it projected into Mamoru's vision. 'Although I can't be a member of the Elements Network as Tohyama Haruka, I can still help under an alias.' Within a few seconds she had the Network's chat room up on the web page, a random name showing on her user. 'I've made a few accounts, some with names, some anonymous. I've got a few in most of the major countries, but most of the accounts are set to be from Japan, which I would know the most about, and my visions would be of most use.'
Mamoru nodded his head, impressed with her plan. 'It should work, I suppose. You may not be able to help directly, but if you are able to give a few hints and nudges in the right direction without giving yourself away, it would be invaluable.'
'Yeah, but the hardest part with this would be to stay undetected by SPARK, or any other member. If I were to accidentally raise any suspicions, I've pretty much blown my cover and the plan would all go to waste.' She said, her tone turning serious as she spoke. She fully understood the severity of what she was doing, as not only was the safety of the people she loved riding on her staying 'dead', but if she was not careful, it could very easily re-start the war that was revoked with her disappearance.
With a long sigh, Haruka closed the tabs and shut down the computers, returning to Mamoru's side to wrap her arms around him. Mamoru didn't return the gesture, but rested his chin on the crown of her head. After a long pause, they both filed back down the corridors into the room they previously occupied. They both sat against a wall, gazing out of the open door into the pouring rain.
'So,' Haruka began, hesitating with the words she used, feeling as though she were about to tread through a land mine, 'seven years ago, when we made the contract for you to protect me, I said it was "until death do us part".' Haruka paused, fidgeting her feet as she received no response from Mamoru. 'And, well, technically I died a few days ago, and so that means, you don't have to protect me anymore.' Her voice had turned lonesome and hollow, yet she persevered to finish what she wanted to say. 'And now that I most likely won't be pursued any more, you don't need to be with me.' She sucked in a ragged breath, clenching her hands in her lap for what she was about to say. 'Now that I'm dead, perhaps we should part.'
A tense silence stretched before them, almost suffocating Haruka where she sat. She was afraid to look at Mamoru, fearing what she would see on his face.
'You're right.' Mamoru said simply, almost causing Haruka to choke back tears. 'Our contract has ended, and I no longer need to stay with you. And, as you already know, I don't like doing more than necessary.'
Despite having told herself that she was prepared for these words, Haruka couldn't help the tears that had begun to burn her eyes, or the painful churning in her gut. Just as she was about to escape the room, Mamoru's calm voice stopped her from any attempts to flee. 'However, that's not the only contract we made.'
Haruka turned her head towards the swordsman in confusion, puzzled as to what he could be referring to. Mamoru raised a full brow at her reaction, 'You don't remember?' When Haruka shook her head uncertainly, Mamoru sighed and shuffled so he was sitting cross legged in front of her, denying her of any escape route. 'Didn't I tell you in that warehouse, when you were dangling from a hook, bomb strapped to your wrist, which in turn was connected to another one in my mouth, that if we were to make it out of there alive, I would accept you?'
It doesn't take long for the memory to flood back to her, and her cheeks to heat up at what he was saying.
'And if I'm not mistaken, wasn't the contract of marriage also "until death do us part"? And I'm pretty sure that the woman I accepted as my wife didn't die a few days ago.' While he said this, Mamoru's hands slowly took Haruka's into their warmth.
Haruka was unable to form any words, too overwhelmed by so many emotions battling to take over her heart, but Mamoru swiftly saved her the trouble by gently pressing his lips to hers, sealing them together as they both leaned in, forgetting about all the pain, the losses, the battles, and the sadness, if only momentarily. But for those few blissful seconds, all that existed in the world was the rain, an old room nestled among towering trees, and the two of them; a pair of lonely soldiers that made each other whole.
In the early hours on the next morning, Mamoru was tying the laces of his shoes, preparing to depart from the serene peace of the hidden house. Although he longed to stay with his wife a little longer, he had promised a bloody revenge to a certain blonde woman, and he was never a man to go back on his word.
He had intended to let Haruka sleep longer, but could hear her coming towards him in the room. 'No good bye?' She asked jokingly, leaning down to press a light kiss to his temple before settling down beside him. 'How long will you be gone?' She asked curiously, watching Mamoru finish with his shoes and stand up to put on a leather jacket.
'I'll probably be required to stay with Igawa to plan a few upcoming missions, but I should be able to come visit within the week. After that, I probably won't be able to come back for a while.' He finished, collecting his cane from where it was lent against the door.
Haruka hummed in response, trying to see a little into the future to see what exactly Mamoru was up to.
Just as a few pieces of information were forming in her mind, she felt warm lips press against her brow, looking up to see Mamoru retreating after giving her a kiss. Before he could leave her reach, she grasped a fistful of his shirt and brought him back down so she could press her lips firmly against his.
After a moment they broke their kiss, Mamoru stepping away as he gave a half-hearted wave in her direction, walking towards the entrance to the clearing. Just before he disappeared behind the layer of leaves, he heard Haruka call happily to him, 'Have fun avenging me!'
With a soft chuckle, Mamoru continued down the muddy path, feeling spots of heat warm his face from the young sun peeking through the foliage. In a quiet voice he replied, 'I will.'