It was a rainy day. For some people, a resounding warning disaster; slow traffic, buses would surely be overcrowded and if you somehow missed your umbrella, there was no way you could get to your destination intact.
For others it was a blessing; it was the perfect excuse to don't leave the house, watch movies or just spending time with loved ones, talking or doing nothing and everything.
To Mamoru however, it was cause for reflection and sometimes nostalgia.
The rain reminded him of ancient times, times of swords and princesses; of magic and castles ... times where his main concern was to properly comply with established protocols and be on time for training.
Sometimes he was assailed by waves of melancholy, he could clearly remember the jokes Jade made to Zoi or Nephrite strange obsession to consult everything with all the stars ... occasionally he missed the rare but wise advice Kunzite , leader of the Shitennou gave him.
They had been not only his guard, they had been his friends, his confidants, his accomplices ... maybe not blood, but they had really been his brothers. They met at a very young age, and having an age close to the Prince, Zoicite and Jadeite, planned all sorts of mischief ... which was concealed by Nephrite and supervised by Kunzite. If someone discovered them, there was no way to determine who of the 5 came with the idea, because their loyalty was such that everyone preferred to be punished instead of only one bearing the punishment.
Years passed and together they shared their first wine, accompanied by the first party and first hangover in a day of hard training. Together they fought their first battles, strategies were planned and wars ended.
Until Serenity appeared.
The moon princess certainly added flavor to their lives, as she did not come alone. Like Endymion, she had her own guard, who share a link almost as strong as theirs.
Sadly, good things tend to come to an end. Among envy , greed and hate, war broke out ... one by one he saw them fall, one by one he watched them disappear in the battlefield until he was the only one of that group .
Until he saw them again on the night of the final battle. But one look at them, and he knew that those before him were just soulless puppets, manipulated at the whim of an evil witch.
Looking out the window of the balcony, Mamoru couldn't stop thinking about the irony of life. If you ask any of the girls, including his Usako all would say without a doubt that the battle with Beryl, is something they definitely wish had never happened, that the only thing that it brought them was suffering and bad memories ... maybe the only thing good thing was that it helped strengthen the friendship between them ...
But he would not entirely agree. Probably without her being aware of it, Beryl gave him one of the most precious gifts of his life: his Shitennou.
He has never been certain of the circumstances, he can not remember exactly how they got back into his power, his memory as dark prince is almost as diffuse as that of his childhood, but he knew that it was her who gave them. Perhaps as a form of torture , perhaps as a reminder of what would happen to him if he failed , perhaps simply because she had no other use for them and would not bother to destroy them... the truth was that he got back the four stones that contained their souls... and has not been separated from them since.
He smiled, remembering the first time their spirits manifested themselves through the rocks. He was worried about not finding a solution to deal with the new enemy, the situation with the pink haired little girl so similar to Usako, and later discovery of her identity as their future daughter, he was highly stressed ... he strongly desired to discuss things with Kunzite, who always had a different point of view, or listen to the logic behind Zoicite's words ... even a joke or hasty decision by Jadeite ...
And that's when he heard them.
Zoicite, Nephrite, Jadeite and Kunzite ... all in front of him ... but without being there. Their souls were being projected through the rocks containing them. Mamoru did not know whether to laugh or cry.
They were really them, he could instantly feel that missing link, just one look he knew though they were not physically there, there were real, not those horrible puppets serving that witch...
he wished he could hug them. But one cannot hug spirits.
Since that day, he consulted with them all of his life major decisions. True, he had other friends, Motoki and Asanuma being the closest... but the camaraderie he shared with his generals was simply irreplaceable.
One day everything changed. One by one they stopped answering his call.
Souls do not die, right?
However, when even Kunzite did not answer, he knew he would never see his old friends again.
It was a rainy day like today ... when Chiba Mamoru, hugging a surprised Usagi, wept bitterly, for the first time in centuries for the loss of his friends.
Still looking out the window, and with the rocks of his missing friends in his hand, Mamoru sighed deeply as a treacherous tear rolled down his cheek. It has been about three years since that day... and although the pain was still there, with the help of his now wife was going slowly healing.
Life was not entirely fair, because if it was, his generals would have had the same opportunity to start again as himself or the Senshi ... he just hoped that wherever they are now, his Shitennou have finally found peace and happiness they deserve