Rising Darkness

By Sillabub 429

Chapter Eleven – Restraint

". . . I should know. I'm supposed to be able to read the signs and be prepared for anything." - Hino Rei

It was late. Much too late to be closing up shop, but that's just what Makoto was doing. Her keys jangled in her hand as she turned the lights out in the bakery, flooding the shop with blackness. She shivered; it felt as if the darkness sucked out every ounce of warmth left in the bakery. Makoto hugged herself to keep warm as she moved to the door, but before she left she turned to survey the dark shop.

She had only opened her bakery six months ago, but already it was thriving and had developed a reputation for being among the best bakeries in Tokyo. Makoto had worked hard making it the best, doggedly working at perfecting her recipes, becoming obsessive almost at the cost of her own health. It was ultimately worth it to Makoto; knowing how successful she had become and seeing the happiness her pastries and breads brought to her customers was the greatest reward for her hard work and the best motivation to keep working just as hard. However, since Hecate's first appearance and subsequent attacks, Makoto had been worrying that she didn't have the time or peace of mind to continue working as hard. She only hoped her business didn't suffer now that she was powerless and a bit of a nervous wreck.

Shaking her head and shivering with cold as she walked out the door and shut it, Makoto wondered how much longer this battle would last. Although, she mused as she put her key in the lock of the door and turned it, calling it a battle implied that the senshi were fighting back, something they were hardly in a position to do since they were powerless.

A male voice suddenly called out to her, startling her.

"Kino Makoto?"

She jumped in surprise and turned to face the man who had spoken, her body taut and ready to attack if needed. However, when Makoto saw who it was, she let out a startled cry and dropped her keys in shock.

"Sh-Shinozaki-kun!" exclaimed Makoto as her keys clattered to the ground. She blushed, then stooped to pick them up, not realizing Shinozaki had also dropped down to retrieve them. She reached the keys first, with his hand on top of hers, and they both stopped at the touch, staring at each other for a moment.

"Erm . . . it's been a while," said Shinozaki, rising and brushing show from his pants. He paused, smiling and lowering a hand to help Makoto stand.

"Thank you," she said, rising and staring at him with wide eyes. The shock suddenly wore off and, joyfully, Makoto threw her arms around him. "It's so good to see you!"

The force of her hug almost sent him toppling over, but Shinozaki managed to remain standing and return the embrace, wincing only slightly as he felt Makoto's powerful arms squeeze him a little too tightly. The hug lasted a little longer than was necessary, and the strength with which Makoto hugged her childhood friend conveyed a sort of desperation that did not go unnoticed by Shinozaki. Curious, he pulled back at looked at her, and for a moment Makoto had a look on her face that was reminiscent of a child who was lost and had just been rescued, but the look passed quickly and was replaced by a friendly smile.

"I'm so glad to see you," Makoto said. "You have no IDEA how glad I am to see you."

Shinozaki cocked his head to the side and grinned at her. "How long has it been?" he asked. "Two years? Three?"

"Three years," said Makoto, pulling back as she studied her childhood friend. He was a little broader in the shoulders, and the brown hair was a little bit longer, but his eyes were just as gentle as they had always been. For the first time in weeks, a sense of elation and joy was settling on her. "How was France? I still have your letters."

"It was good, full of wine and cheese," he said. "But that gets old after so long."

Makoto sighed longingly. "I bet the food was wonderful."

He grinned. "It was, but from what I hear nothing can compare to the sweet dumplings you make in that bakery of yours."

She flushed. "You have not heard that."

"I have," he insisted. "Why, just this morning I heard a man say he was picking up a dozen for his daughter's birthday. He said yours were the best in the Juuban district, if not in Tokyo."

Makoto grew redder and giggled nervously. "Oh, stop," she said bashfully. "I'm just living my dream. If I make other people happy along the way, it means I've succeeded."

Shinozaki studied her for a moment, then smiled gently. His smile made her giggle even more, and Makoto mentally chided herself for behaving so girlishly, especially in the midst of such a serious situation. The wind whipped around the two, chilling them despite their warm exchange, and Shinozaki offered Makoto his arm.

"Let me walk you home?" he offered.

Makoto chuckled and pointed to the level above the bakery. "You're looking at it," she said with a grin. "I have an apartment right above the shop."

He blinked, then grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Oh, right," he said.

Makoto smiled at the gesture, then took the arm he had offered a moment ago. "I was going to grab some coffee, actually," she said, even though she had really been planning a late-night run to a convenience store for a few groceries. It was a harmless lie, and besides, it had been ages since she had seen Shinozaki. "Want to come?"

Shinozaki smiled. "As long as you let me treat."

As they began to walk, Makoto glanced sidelong at him. "If I let you do that, you have to come by the shop tomorrow and try some dumplings."

He sighed reluctantly, as if she was asking him for a huge favor. Then, smiling slightly, he looked over at her. "However," he said, "if I do that, you have to come to dinner with me tomorrow night."

Makoto stopped walking, her eyes widening as her heart rate sped up. "What?"

Shinozaki's face reddened. "I mean, you know, just to catch up," he said quickly. Laughing nervously, he ran a hand through his bangs and glanced at Makoto. "I wasn't trying to be presumptuous," he added quietly. "I've just . . . you know. I've missed you."

Makoto took a long moment to stare at her childhood friend, a faint blush staining her own cheeks as she took in his state of embarrassment and knew that his nervousness was the type one felt when trying to rekindle an old relationship. It was the same feeling she had at that exact moment, and, smiling gently, Makoto grabbed Shinozaki's arm. "Dinner sounds perfect," she said as they continued walking down the street. "And by the way," she added, and her smile grew a little bit larger, "I've missed you too."

Shinozaki grinned.

They walked down the snowy street together, arm in arm, an unspoken yet obvious aura of happiness around them. It was only hours later when she reflected back on their random meeting and the shy kiss they had shared when he walked her home that she realized she had never felt more content or peaceful than she did with Shinozaki.

Seiya let out a heavy sigh as he propped his elbows up on the window frame and gazed up at the night sky. It was strange, he mused, that no matter where he was in the universe, the stars were the only things that always remained constant. Whether on Kinmoku, Earth, or another distant planet, they always loomed overhead at night, looking over the inhabitants of that particular planet and offering anyone who cared proof that no one in the universe was alone, as long as the stars existed. A tiny smile curved the edges of his lips. That was comforting to Seiya in this time of uneasiness and fear, and he found himself able to relax at night because of such a simple comfort. After a while of looking at the stars, however, his thoughts moved to Usagi, as they had a knack for doing lately. Seiya pursed his lips as he thought back to their arrival on Earth.

He had been surprised, and even relieved, when he discovered he felt no jealousy or resentment toward Mamoru for marrying Usagi; on the contrary, he was honestly happy for both of them. A part of Seiya had been afraid that seeing Usagi would bring back all the feelings he used to have for the blonde, while another part of him was simply curious to see if their reunion would clarify for him which feelings had been stronger - his feelings for Usagi or his feelings for Kakyuu. And while he knew in his heart that he still loved his Odango, over the past six years, Seiya had done a lot of thinking, and he had come to the realization that the love he felt toward Usagi and the love he felt toward Kakyuu had evolved into two very different things. His loved Kakyuu passionately and deeply, like a lover, and he loved Usagi purely and platonically, like a sister. After arriving back on Earth, this difference became all the more evident and clarified to Seiya, finally, that he was completely in love with Kakyuu and wanted to be with her forever. If she would have him.

The soft sound of footsteps behind him reached Seiya's ears, and he turned away from where he sat at the window to look at the person who had entered the room. "Kakyuu?"

A small smile graced the face of the Princess, and she approached him timidly, her long red hair, free from its usual ceremonial style, brushing the floor behind her. She looked beautiful in the moonlight, like an angel, and Seiya found himself watching her closely as she stood beside him and gazed out the window.

"Er . . . You can't sleep either?" Seiya asked, clearing his throat looking away as he realized he had been staring.

Oblivious, Kakyuu shook her head and let out a small sigh. "I have too much on my mind."

Deep blue eyes closed briefly, then Seiya turned back to the window and gazed at the dark city. "I know how you feel."

A chill passed down Kakyuu's spine, and she shivered, moving closer to Seiya. He looked down at her.

"You okay?" he questioned in concern.

She was quiet for a moment, then she looked up at him. "I . . . I'm just frightened," she admitted softly, wrapping her arms around herself. "I can't help feeling as if something horrible is going to happen . . . And if something does happen, we can't do anything. We're so . . . powerless. I'm afraid of what's going to become of us."

"Don't be," Seiya said gently, although deep down, he was just as frightened as she was. "Now isn't the time to be afraid."

Kakyuu sighed, looking down as she idly played with the lace on the sleeve of her nightdress. "I can't help it, Seiya. I know Usagi-san is strong and perfectly capable of protecting everyone . . . but she is always in danger, especially now . . ."

Seiya blinked, caught off-guard. "Why now?"

Kakyuu stopped playing with her sleeve and looked up at him. "Don't you know? Usagi-san's pregnant."

"What?" Seiya asked, his eyes widening. "Pregnant? But . . . b-but how?"

Kakyuu blinked. "The usual way, I suppose."

"I didn't mean it like that," Seiya said quickly, looking embarrassed. "I mean . . . wow." He grinned. "I guess that explains why she's been acting so funny lately."

"Quite a few things make more sense now," Kakyuu said thoughtfully. "Like why Setsuna-san and Chibi-Usa-chan have been so secretive . . ."

Seiya cocked his head to the side and blinked down at Kakyuu. "How did you know about all this?"

The Princess smiled and looked a bit sheepish. "Makoto-san overheard Setsuna-san and Chibi-Usa-chan talking about it, and she told Ami-san, who told Taiki, who told me. I thought for sure he told you, too."

"Nope." Seiya grinned and shrugged. "But that's okay. So he and Ami-chan have been spending a lot of time together, haven't they?"

She smiled. "They have. I think he's quite fond of her."

"He always has been. And she sure likes him. Every time Ami-chan's around Taiki, she blushes like a schoolgirl."

"I think it's sweet," Kakyuu murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't think I've ever seen Taiki as happy as when he's around Ami-san."

"Yeah," Seiya said, looking amused. "Although all they do is study."

Kakyuu rolled her eyes at him, but she was smiling.

They sat in contented silence for a moment, and Seiya couldn't help but notice with surprise Kakyuu's enthusiasm over the possibility of Taiki in a relationship. Of course, she had always been selfless, wanting the best for everybody, especially her guardians. He smirked, mentally predicting the question that was coming next.

"What about Yaten?" Kakyuu asked after a moment, looking up at him.

He grinned victoriously, happy to have predicted her thought process. "What about him?" he teased.

She threw him an exasperated look, then smiled at his boyish grin. "He likes Minako-san, doesn't he?"

Seiya shrugged. "I think so, but you never can tell with Yaten."

"I always thought he did," Kakyuu said. "But it is hard to tell with him, isn't it? He just . . ."

"Refuses to let himself care for anyone?" Seiya suggested. "Yeah, but I think he already cares a lot. And whenever I ask him about anything concerning Minako-chan, he gets really touchy."

Kakyuu looked thoughtful. "Really? I simply cannot imagine Yaten being touchy about anything."

Seiya laughed. "I know. He's normally so sweet and mild-mannered."

"Temperamental as a saint . . ."

"Lovable . . ."

"Humble . . ."

"And he never gets offended . . ."

Kakyuu shook her head. "No, no, this is wrong," she said, her eyes sparkling in amusement. "We shouldn't talk about Yaten like this."

Seiya waggled his eyebrows at her. "You started it."

That authoritative tone of hers entered her voice. "Right, and now I'm finishing it."

He chuckled. "Fine, fine."

Kakyuu smiled up at Seiya for a moment. "I suppose when everything's over, we'll be coming back often, won't we?"

"Probably. But not just for Taiki and Yaten. I missed everybody last time we left."

"Even Haruka-san?" Kakyuu asked, coyly raising an eyebrow.

But instead of cringing, Seiya frowned and nodded. "In a bizarre way, yeah."

"It's not bizarre," smiled Kakyuu. "Everyone's so kind and unselfish here. I haven't even been here as long as you three have, and this planet has already become like a second home to me."

"Mm," Seiya agreed sleepily.

Ruby eyes stared up at him for a moment, then Kakyuu shivered and moved closer to him. "Seiya," she said softly, "no matter what happens in the future and despite everything that has happened thus far, I want you to know that I'm very glad to be here, helping them out." Then, blushing a little, she rested her head on his shoulder and said, "And I'm glad to be here with you."

Seiya smiled gently at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her against him affectionately. "Me too," he replied.

She smiled and yawned, covering her mouth with a hand, and Seiya grinned.

"Get some sleep," he said, nudging her towards the door.

Kakyuu nodded, then blushed and got on tiptoe, kissing him on the cheek. "You too."

Seiya reddened a little as she turned away and began to walk from his room, but then the slender woman paused at the doorway and looked back, resting a hand on the doorframe.

"Seiya?"

"Yeah?"

She looked flustered, idly twisting a long lock of red hair, then she murmured, "I love you."

He stared after her with huge eyes as the Princess hurriedly exited the room, blushing profusely, and, when all was silent, a gentle, hushed reply was whispered after her.

"I love you, too."

Rei sighed and turned over in bed, lying on her back with her eyes wide open.

She couldn't sleep.

Truth be told, she hadn't been sleeping very well since Hecate had first attacked, which felt like so very long ago. It was as if the situation was causing her to be so miserable that she had truly lost track of time. For one of the first times in her life, she felt out of control, helpless, and without a clue as to what was going to happen next. As someone who could read the signs that foretold future events, Rei was surprisingly unsure of what was going to happen next, and that frustrated her to no end. On some level she felt some responsibility for all that had happened, as if, had her psychic skills been better honed, she would have known such a huge threat existed and could have warned everyone. And Usagi's pregnancy . . . how could they not have known it would happen? They had seen the future themselves; they knew Chibi-Usa's birth would take place at some point. Having no clue as to what would happen next made Rei feel, in a word, useless.

Frustrated, Rei climbed out of bed, careful not to wake the sleeping Yuuichirou, and walked through the shrine. She reached the fire altar, and, after watching the fire apprehensively for a moment, walked into the room and sat down, cross-legged, before the fire.

The fire crackled before her, warming her skin and bathing her pale face in gently flickering light. Rei had always found the fire to be therapeutic; she never ceased to see passion in its flames and comfort in its warmth, and she almost never ceased to see some sign of the future in its midst.

Rei tried to clear her mind, rid herself of all distracting thoughts and focus only on being a receptive source of cognitive spiritual energy as she meditated before the fire. After a few long moments, for her mind was so full of thoughts she had trouble clearing it, Rei found that absolute stillness and peace that she had been seeking.

She began to chant softly, her eyes sliding open to gaze fixedly into the flames dancing before her as she moved her hands into various mudras, increasing the psychic receptivity of her body and her mind. She had to know what was going to happen.

After several intense seconds of chanting, Rei's voice grew louder and she suddenly stopped, thrusting her hands straight ahead and staring unblinkingly into the fire.

The fire flared impossibly bright and, startled, Rei let out a cry and shielded her eyes as best she could while still keeping a clear view of the flames. She glared in concentration as the flames died back down, waiting anxiously for a sign, anything at all to help her along.

She found nothing.

Frustrated, Rei let out a strangled groan and dropped her head into her hands. Why wasn't it working?

"You're hunching," a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Rei didn't have to turn around to know it was Yuuichirou. "And . . . ?" she asked tiredly, her voice muffled through her hands.

"That means you're doubting yourself," said Yuuichirou sagely.

"Oh, good," mumbled Rei sarcastically. "You can add 'mind reader' to your résumé."

Yuuichirou chuckled softly but then stopped, sensing how tense and uneasy his fiancée was. He watched her for a moment, taking in how tiny she looked all hunched over in front of the huge fire, then he moved quietly to her side. He remained as silent as possible, knowing that Rei didn't like to be disturbed when she was doing a fire reading but sensing her current need for solace outweighed her dislike of disruption.

Gently, Yuuichirou sat down beside her. Rei made no move to stop him; she only raised her head and stared into the fire, expressionless. Yuuichirou waited in patient silence for her to speak.

Rei waited for a long moment before whispering, "I've never felt so powerless."

Yuuichirou's eyes were focused on her face as he tried hard to read her expression, but he did not know what she was thinking. Rei was suddenly so guarded.

"You?" he said. "Powerless?"

Rei lowered her head and hugged her knees to her chest, nodding into her knees. Yuuichirou stared at her in confusion.

"How could you say that?" he asked. "You're the most powerful woman I know."

She sighed and shook her head, thinking he was probably just saying that because Yuuichirou was frightened to anger her. "No, I'm not," she whispered. "Not anymore."

"What, because your powers as Sailor Mars are gone?" he asked.

Rei raised her head and turned to look at him. Her violet eyes were glassy as she exhaled heavily. "That and because the fire . . . I haven't been able to read it. I have no idea what's going to happen."

"Do you always have to know?" asked Yuuichirou.

"Yes," said Rei automatically, without thinking about it. When her fiancé raised an eyebrow at her, she relaxed a little and sighed. "Well, I should know," she admitted. "I'm supposed to be able to read the signs and be prepared for anything."

"No one else was prepared either," he pointed out. When Rei sighed in response, he regarded her seriously. "You put too much pressure on yourself, Rei. You're not just Sailor Mars, and you're not just a psychic. There's much more to you than that."

Rei blinked at him. "You think so?"

He squeezed her against him. "Of course. Did I fall in love with Sailor Mars or the mysterious Hikawa Jinja psychic?" he said softly. "No. I fell in love with Hino Rei, a woman who's passionate, beautiful, and way out of my league."

A smile graced Rei's face, and Yuuichirou reveled in the fact that he could make her smile no matter what. "You're grown up a lot since we met," she said fondly.

He smiled. "Yeah?"

Rei grinned. "Yeah," she replied. "But you're still a complete doofus."

Leaning over, Yuuichirou kissed her cheek. "I know, I know."

Chuckling, Rei allowed herself to relax against him, thinking about what he said. It was nice to hear, of course, but she felt a twinge of guilt thinking about her own life and her own happiness when she knew what danger Usagi was currently in and how thoroughly unable she and the others were to protect her.

I know much didn't go on in this chapter, and it was relatively short as far as my chapters go, but I really like writing out how characters deal with stress and how they interact with one another, so it feels necessary to me. I wasn't planning on bringing Shinozaki in, but as someone pointed out in a review, Makoto never has anyone. So we'll see where it goes. Don't worry, more action is definitely coming up!

Please review! Suggestions and comments keep me happy!