***Hello there! Here you have finally the next chapter of my story! Sorry for the late update, it´s been a crazy week! Hope you enjoy it and like reading about our favorite couple SxU ^_^. Looking forward for your comments and opinions! ***
***Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or its characters, but i´d love the owners to end the story just like this! ;-)***
Japan
Usagi was alone in the street, with Seiya dismayed in her lap. She was worried to death and did not know what to do. She cursed the day when they decided to take off their senshi communicators since there were no more enemies around. She called her friends to their mobile phones but none of them responded. That afternoon, she remembered, they were all really busy with several things: the shrine, the audition, the research, the boyfriend… She decided to search in Seiya´s pockets for his mobile phone, in order to call his brothers for help. She found it soon and nervously dialed Taiki´s number and prayed for him to answer.
After several tones, a very low voice finally answered.
"Seiya, I´m at the library, can we…"
"Taiki!" Usagi cried desperately "It´s me, Usagi! We have been attacked!"
"What? What do you mean attacked?"
"Someone… something… appeared in the street and fired at us, Seiya was injured and has fainted! I don´t know what to do, if I call an ambulance… you know… they are going to ask, and it was not a normal attack…"
"Ok, calm down. First of all, you have to leave. Can you try waking him up and carrying him to our house? His keys should be in one of his pockets, I´ll tell you the address"
"Yes, yes, ok…"
"We´ll be there right away, Ami-san is with me"
Usagi was finally able to bring Seiya back. He was not fully conscious but at least he managed to stand and move his feet while leaning on Usagi, in order for her not to carry his full weight. His skin was burning with fever and the wound was developing some green ramifications around it. She cried silent worry tears while they slowly reached the Starlight´s apartment.
When Usagi opened the door, she heard a voice from inside.
"Seiya? You sure return early, I did not expect you to come back until dusk, knowing you were hanging around with your beloved Usagi…"
"Yaten!" Usagi cried from the entrance.
Yaten recognized the voice and swallowed… she had heard what he said! Nevertheless, the urge in her cry made him forget about it, stand in a jump and run to where she was.
"Usagi-san! Seiya! What has happened?" he asked concerned, taking Seiya from Usagi so she could rest, since she was visibly exhausted from carrying him.
"We were attacked in the street!" she explained while running into the kitchen
"Attacked? Like a robber, or… attacked like a senshi" Yaten was worrying more and more, fearing a new enemy could be appearing. He gently placed Seiya in the sofa, upside down.
Usagi rushed out of the kitchen, carrying a bowl with fresh water and ice cubes, and a cloth she had found rummaging around.
"senshi kind of attack…" she answered while wetting the cloth in the cold water and cleaning Seiya´s burning face with it, which made him moan weakly "three strange creatures fired at us, and one of their shots hit Seiya in the shoulder" she said, while gently uncovering his wounded shoulder, slowly tearing the broken shirt around the wound.
"Oh my…" Yaten exclaimed "That does not look good…"
Usagi looked at him with worried eyes, and was going to say something when the door was heard opening. Ami bursted inside the house.
"Usagi-chan! Are you ok?"
"Ami-chan!" she cried and embraced her friend. "Ami-chan I´m so scared! Something hit Seiya, and he has a fever and the wound…!"
"Ok, don´t worry, let me see…" Ami said while getting near Seiya. She sensed Taiki silently approaching them and staring at the wound, so she said "It looks like poison of some kind…"
"Yes it does" Taiki agreed
"Poison?" Usagi was desperately crying.
"Don´t worry Usagi-chan. You reacted fast. We need antidote soon, that´s all." Ami said, trying to calm her down. "My mother has some at home. I´ll go and get them and return as fast as I can"
"I´ll take you there, it will be faster. We´ll get Seiya´s new car" Taiki offered.
"Great, we´re off then" Ami agreed, not wanting to loose a second
"What should I do meanwhile?" Usagi asked
"You are doing great, just try to lower the fever with those cloths, and put another one over the wound"
"Ok, ok…" Usagi responded, wetting again the cloth in the freezing water.
They returned a little more than half an hour later, but it was the longest time ever for Usagi, she was so worried… Ami injected three different substances around his wound, to cover up more possibilities, since they weren´t sure what the poison was, and then bandaged the area after applying a cicatrizant gel.
"That´s it. These cover most poison types, it should be better soon" Ami said, throwing away the empty syringes.
"It´s good you already have quite an extense medical knowledge Ami-san" Taiki said
"Thank you" she answered and blushed. "It´s my dream to become a good doctor someday, to be able to help people as much as I can"
"You already do" he said softly while directing at her his elegant smile
Yaten rolled his eyes from his observing position in the couch next to Seiya. Usagi was not really paying attention to the flirting going on in between her friends. She was kneeling right beside Seiya, checking his temperature with the back of her hand every minute.
A pair of hours went by during which Usagi did not leave Seiya´s side. Taiki and Yaten had prepared something to eat for their guests, and Ami had tried calling the rest of the girls again and had finally succeded. They were all in their way to the apartment.
Usagi was changing again the cloths she had placed over Seiya´s forehead when he finally moved.
"…..Odan…go…"
"Seiya…!" Usagi said softly into his ear, while caressing his face. She was so relieved to see him better that tears started flowing from her eyes.
Seiya raised his left arm which was hanging off the sofa, and tried to reach Usagi´s face. She got his hand and covered it with hers, unconsciously pressing it towards her heart.
"Please…. Don´t cry…"
"No… no…" she said, wiping off the tears. "These are happy tears, because I am so glad you are ok now… I was so scared…"
"Odango…" He said, and smiled slightly.
It was already dark when the girls arrived. Seiya was awake and feeling better but the poison had left him very weak and feverish. He was still lying along the sofa, bare chested and with the bandage covering most of his left side. Usagi was sitting on the floor next to him, she didn´t move away from him. They all gathered around them and she told everyone all she could remember about the attack.
"So a new enemy has appeared… and it is not one of the usual phages" Makoto stated
"It seemed to be a totally different creature, like a nasty alien or something" Usagi said
"Hey! What do you mean by nasty alien?" Yaten responded "We´re technically aliens too, you know?"
Everyone laughed softly.
"So, what are we going to do about this?" Rei asked, serious again
"There is not much we can do for the moment, this is their first appearance. We don´t know why they´ve come or what they want" Ami said
"…They wanted Odango…" a tiny voice was heard.
"Seiya…" Usagi turned around to look at him trying to stand a little to give his opinion.
"They aimed at her…" he continued, with a low and broken voice "only that I stepped in the way. They were really surprised when I transformed and fired back at them. I think they were expecting her to be alone…"
Usagi looked down. Alone. She would have been, had it not been for Seiya who was always there when she needed him most. They all directed concerned looks at the princess.
"Ok, first thing, everyone get your communicators back on. We must be reachable every moment, to gather fast if something happens" Minako proposed.
"Also… it would be a good idea not to leave Usagi alone, until we know something more about these new enemies" Rei pointed out.
"I can escort you home tonight. It´s already late anyways for any girl to walk around alone" Makoto suggested
"Yes, that´s a good idea" Rei said, and they all nodded.
"No." Usagi´s voice was heard
"Usagi-chan, please understand. We know you don´t like feeling as if you need bodyguards, but it is not that we don´t think you can take care of yourself, it´s that someone out there is trying to kill you. Your powers are not fully active right now, and we don´t know if they will be any good against them." Minako replied
"Usagi, we care about you. Everyone here will be very sad if something happened to you" Makoto added, looking at Seiya.
"I understand" Usagi finally said "but I will feel the same way if anything happened to any of you for my sake, like it has happened to Seiya today…"
"Odango, I´m fine…" Seiya said
"Seiya please rest..." Usagi said, helping him back in a lying position, and then added "I´m staying here tonight. I don´t want to leave his side" she said, directing a supplicant look at Minako, who nodded in response
"Ok, Usagi-chan. We´ll make up the story that you are staying at my house tonight. We´ll call your parents from my mobile phone so you can talk to them and they don´t get alarmed"
"Thank you, Minako-chan" Usagi smiled and turned to check on Seiya again.
After arranging Usagi´s alibi, the girls left the apartment to go home. It was already very late, and the streets were dark.
"I´m worried about all this… a new enemy? I thought by vanquishing Chaos all evil had been finally defeated" Makoto commented
"Yes… this is indeed strange… we have to try and find out more about it so we are not caught off guard again" Ami said
"By the way, any advances with Taiki´s research?" Makoto asked
"Actually yes, we´ll tell all of you about it another day, to see what we can do"
"That´s ok then"
"Do you think we should tell the Outer senshi about this?" Minako asked
"Maybe we should…" Ami responded "We don´t know how powerful this enemy might be, and we may need their help. And anyways, they should be aware, for their own safety. The enemy targeted Usagi-chan specifically… that means they know our civilian identities…"
"Right…" Minako answered, preoccupied "We´ll arrange that too"
"Girls" Rei interrupted "What´s going on between Usagi and Seiya?"
They all suddenly stopped talking and looked at Rei. They all knew, but no one wanted to say it.
"I see… should we worry about it?" Rei continued
"I don´t think there´s nothing to worry about. What is destined to happen, will happen." Minako answered.
"Yes but… are the Starlights changing destiny with their presence?"
"What are you trying to say, Rei?" Ami was annoyed by this comment "do you think that all this is their fault? "
"No, I suppose not… I´m not sure, Ami, to be honest… Usagi´s changing. Her feelings are changing, I can see that very clearly, and I think you all see it too. Can that change the future? Are we messing with something too big for us?"
"Love is love, Rei-chan. It will happen if it has to. Nothing we can do" Minako said
"But… she has Mamoru-san, and they are destined to be together, the future depends on it…" Rei protested, but Minako interrupted her again.
"None of our business, Rei. That´s for Usagi-chan to deal with, not us"
And with this they said goodbye to each other for the night.
At the Starlights' apartment, Taiki finally convinced Usagi of having something to eat while he and Yaten moved Seiya to his bed. He instantly fell asleep, still having a slight fever. Once she was done eating, she went into Seiya´s room and kneeled in the floor right next to his face, covering her back with a blanket that Taiki had given her. The whole room smelled like him, and it made her feel heady… it was such a delicious scent… every time she smelled it she felt millions of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. She looked at him and calmed down by hearing his steady breath.
Taiki stuck his head into the room.
"Will you be ok there?"
"Yes, thank you Taiki-san. I´m fine. I want to be by his side" Usagi responded softly
"Ok, just try to rest a little"
"Don´t worry, go sleep and I´ll take care of him tonight"
"Good night, Usagi-san" he said and left the room.
She was checking Seiya´s temperature placing her hand in his forehead gently not to wake him up, when Yaten came into the room and half closed the door behind him, leaving them in semi-darkness. He leaned on the wall and crossed his arms in front of him. He had a bothered expression.
"Are you aware of how much he loves you?" he just said, looking straight at Usagi.
She was very surprised by this. Her eyes opened wide first, looking at him and not knowing what to answer. She realized he was totally serious about it. She then looked down and nodded.
"I understand that you cannot respond to his love, I really do. But if this is so, please don´t make him suffer any more by being so much around him and maintaining his hope alive" he clearly said, and without giving her time for any replies, he left the room.
Silent tears were now falling from Usagi´s eyes. She knew Yaten was right.
Usagi watched over Seiya for most of the night, but completely exhausted, she ended up falling asleep for two or three hours with her head and arms resting on Seiya´s mattres. Seiya woke up briefly in one occasion troubled by nightmares caused by the fever, and saw her sleeping, her head right beside his. He felt better that same instant; her only presence healed him inside. He couldn´t help feeling like the happiest man in the entire universe. She was so beautifully asleep, so close to him… he could hear her steady strong breath which was almost like snoring and sounded so sweet and calm, he could see her golden hair all messy and spread over the bed and the floor shining in the dim light that came through the half-closed door, and he could smell her candy scent which made him feel so good. He grinned from ear to ear and moved to kiss her head, which caused a sharp sting in his shoulder. But it was worth it. Usagi muttered something in her sleep, and she said his name. He felt so filled up with joy… He held one of her hands in his and fell back asleep, the most pleasant sleep of all he had ever had.
Usagi woke up with the noises of people moving in the apartment. She checked the time. Nine in the morning, Taiki and Yaten must be up already. She was going to stand when she realized her hand was being held by the sleeping Seiya. She smiled contented, but then remembered what Yaten had told her the night before. What could she do? She loved so much being with him… she did not even imagine her life now if he was not a part of it. Was that love perhaps…? 'Oh no… have I fallen in love with him without realizing it?' she thought to herself. That would be such a big problem, and… so wrong! But it felt so good to be with him… She caressed his face with her free hand and started singing for him one of the Starlights' songs in a really soft and low voice.
"You are completely out of key…" a voice said suddenly
"Seiya!" Usagi was half shocked to death because she thought he was deep asleep, but was really happy to see he had recovered and was teasing her as always. "How are you feeling?"
He started moving, tying to sit up in the bed, and Usagi helped him do so and sat beside him.
"mmm… it still hurts a little, but I have had the best sleep ever…" he answered, smiling at her.
She blushed a little and smiled back. She loved to see him like that, just out of bed with his long black hair loose over his perfect back, his firm bare chest… he looked awesome.
"You shouldn´t have stayed all night watching over me… you must be very tired" he added
"I was really preoccupied for you; I wanted to be by your side in case you needed something…"
"You are always so sweet and caring, Odango…" he said, moving closer to her and tucking one of her tangled locks of hair behind her ear and then moving his hand from there to the tip of her chin while caressing all of her face in the way, and looking into her eyes with those deep blue eyes of his where she could get lost forever…
Her face was deep red now and she was melting with their contact. She would have loved to abandon herself to her true desire and embrace him right there, right then, and never let go. But that would have been wrong; it was not meant to be, so she needed to put a distance in between them, in order not to harm him. She just wanted the best for him, she didn´t want him to feel miserable. So fearing what she was starting to feel by being so close to him, she used all the will she had and stood up, moving away from him.
"I´ll go get you something to eat, you must be starving!" she said smiling while exiting the room.
Usagi had breakfast with Seiya and his brothers, and then left them to go home. She made Taiki promise her he would call if there was any change at all in Seiya. He was looking better, but it had been a really strange attack and she was still preoccupied. When she reached her house, the only thing she had in mind was getting into her bed with all the lights off and sleep until the afternoon, not thinking about anything. Her mind was so busy with all that had happened and what she had felt that she only wanted to rest.
"I´m hoooome" she announced apathetically
"Usagi-chan is that you?" Usagi´s mother voice said
"Yes… I´m going straight to bed, mom. We haven´t slept that much tonight at Minako´s house" she told her mother when she appeared in front of her
"Ok darling, but… maybe you would like to know that Mamoru-san called"
Usagi froze. She was stunned.
"He… he did? When did he call?"
"Yesterday night. I told him you were staying with the girls at Minako´s house… He left the phone number of his new apartment in America. Here it is" she said, taking a piece of paper out of her pocket.
"Thanks mom. I know it´s a long-distance call and it´s expensive but… can I call?"
"Of course, honey"
Usagi took the phone and rushed upstairs. She closed her room door and sat in her bed looking at the phone and the little piece of paper with the number. She was crazily nervous. 'How is it possible? He hasn´t called for weeks and he calls precisely the night I am staying at Seiya´s house? It´s as if he knew it!' Usagi thought 'But it can´t be, right? How could he? And I have not done anything wrong, have I? He´s only a dear friend of mine with whom I stayed yesterday because he had been badly injured…'
She took a hold of herself, breathed in deeply and dialed. Her heart was beating hard. After a few seconds, the so familiar voice answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Mamo-chan…" just by hearing his voice, she was already about to cry, but she did not know why.
"Ah, Usa-ko, it´s you. How are you doing?"
"mmm… I miss you, Mamo-chan. You have not called me for such a long time…!" she cried
"Please… I told you I would be busy… I´m calling you now, right?"
"…yes, but…"
"Anyways, you have been having fun, have you?"
"Huh?" Usagi was getting more and more nervous. She held her breath.
"I called you yesterday and your mother told me you were at a pajama party at Minako´s…"
"Ah! yeah…" she lied. She didn´t know why, but she did not want to tell Mamoru about the attack. Also, she did not want him to know about her spending the night at Seiya´s apartment, he won´t understand it for sure… but she had to tell him about the Starlights. He was going to end up knowing it sooner or later, and she preferred to be the one to tell him, so he saw it as something normal that did not mean anything at all and that she had no reason to hide from him.
"Also, Mamo-chan… do you know what?"
"Yes?"
"The Starlights have returned to Earth"
A huge silence took over them. Usagi was so nervous she was shaking slightly.
After a pause that seemed eternal, he finally responded "Oh have they? And what for?"
"Well, apparently they are doing some research about their origin and so, and wanted to talk to Ami-chan about it and see what we could know or if we could help them with it..."
"Research? I see…" his words were curt. He didn´t like them being around Usagi. Specially one of them… he knew perfectly what that man´s feelings for Usagi were, and although their compromise was strong, it was not a confortable situation. "And are you meeting them often?"
Usagi was surprised by the question "Huh? Nnn… no, not really…" she lied again, sensing her boyfriend´s voice tone "Just to say hello and such."
"Ok, that´s good." Mamoru stated "And will they be staying long?"
"…Actually I have no idea about that…"
"Well, I suppose if it is just for researching and asking a pair of questions they have returned, there is no reason for them to stay too long in our planet, is there?" he stated
"….hmmm…" Usagi was shocked by his words and did not react. He was talking about her dearest friends as if they were some kind of invaders! What was he thinking? They had saved her life, they had saved the planet! When she was about to respond, Mamoru interrupted her.
"Listen, Usa-ko, I have to leave now. I´ll call you again in some time, ok?"
"Yes…" she answered, feeling uneasy.
"Goodbye"
That had been the most unconfortable conversation ever. They had not really talked about anything, nor had he told her he missed her or he loved her… no couple´s words, no feelings. It had been a duty kind of call, calling her because he had to, in order for her not to worry. She was fed up with this… she felt she was stuck in a relationship with a man who did not love her at all; it was like one of those arranged marriages between members of royal families, where couples had to marry because of someone else´s interests and not because they loved each other. Also, she had noticed that as soon as he had known about the Starlights, the conversation had been all about putting clear that he did not like her to be with them that much. She did not enjoy talking to him anymore, it just made her unconfortable and nervous.
She looked at the ring in her finger and in an impulse she decided to take it off and put it away in a drawer, together with their photograph that she had placed there several days ago when he left her and she still had not taken out. She did not feel good wearing a ring from a man who did not love her, and for who she did not feel love herself anymore… She thought to herself that she would wear it again when she fixed things with Mamoru.
She then layed on her bed and thought about Seiya… when she closed her eyes, the image of his eversmiling face always appeared. That smile that made her feel so good… She was herself when she was with him. She felt comfortable, safe and happy. Nevertheless, she could not be with him. Her destiny was already decided, and it was with another man. For the future´s sake, which she had the duty to protect. She had to make the effort of not seeing Seiya or at least not as much and especially not alone, in order not to harm him, as Yaten had told her yesterday. Moreover, she was starting to have very strong feelings for him, and she was afraid not to be able to control her heart´s true desire when it was just the two of them. She closed the curtains, tried not to think about anything and took a long nap.
Darkness
"FAILED? What do you mean failed?" The strongest voice ever was heard
"Sorry my Lord… I sent my most powerful warriors for the task, but they failed…"
"Your warriors? For a mission as important as this and you send mere warriors? Why didn´t you do it yourself?"
"I was busy… with my other duty…"
"THAT COULD HAVE WAITED" It was a sentence. It was said with such anger, the voice so deep that it scared the life out of every living being around. "You should have gone yourself! Are you aware that it may have been our only chance of getting her alone? Now they will all prepare themselves and will be ready the next time we attack!"
"I know, my Lord, it was very unfortunate indeed but… she was not exactly alone"
"What?" this statement surprised him
"The Starlights… one of them was with her. She was the one to finish off my warriors"
"How is that possible? They have made contact already? That is a really big problem we have. We must stop that as soon as possible! She needs to be attacked alone, just make sure that happens"
"Yes, my Lord"
"And which one was it?"
"We cannot know, all my warriors were killed in the attack"
"We cannot assume that kind of risk… If the Star and the Moon get together, it will mean our end…I think it´s about time we start with the elimination phase… all the objectives are targeted, I assume"
"Well, all except one… we are having trouble with one of them"
"Talk with whoever has still not targeted his objective because that is not acceptable at all. ALL must be targeted, we need to start elimination phase right now. And we need to do something about those pesty Starlights… They shall not bother our plan"
"We will, my Lord"