Divinity: fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Twenty-Five
AN: Reviews are my fuel and my motivation to keep going... thank you so much for your support. It really means a lot to me to know how much you are enjoying the story. It's awesome!
Rei woke up early the next morning to begin on her shores at the shrine before it opened to the public. Religiously, and like every morning, she delivered her grandfather his usual breakfast and tea and stayed with him for a while to talk about what was up for the day. She enjoyed her mornings with him, she enjoyed to pray alongside him and talking with him about everything and anything all at the same time. He was probably the only man she really loved, the only one that has never let her down or broke her heart and now, she was afraid for his health which was becoming weaker with the passing of time.
She walked out of the main temple and towards one of the small cottages in the back and knocked on the door, before walking inside. Her eyes widened when she looked at the four men sitting in a circle, already awake and what appeared to be meditating. Nephrite sensed a new presence in the room and opened one eye to confirm his suspicions "Good Morning Sailor Senshi." his warm, deep voice startled the priestess "G-Good morning."
She looked surprised at the four heavenly kings as they slowly came back from their meditating state and all turned to look at her. She had to admit, their presence was intimidating; they all had a serious expression and well, she knew they could match them in terms of skill and strength but there was something that made her feel at peace. After everything that has happened, she never imagined she could be standing in front of them again and not being concerned about her life or the life of others. She walked back to the door and grabbed a tray with a pot and cups she had left outside and put it in front of the generals "I brought you some tea, to start your morning," she pressed her lips together and finally looked up at them, "Breakfast should be ready any time now."
Zoisite looked at her and gave her a soft smile full of thankfulness, "We very much appreciate your hospitality, Sailor Mars."
"Rei—Rei is alright." The priestess tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear, "Nobody here knows me by that name." she sat in traditional Japanese style in front of them, resting her knees on her legs and looked at them with curious eyes, "Did you sleep alright?" As soon as she asked, she felt her question fell flat when she looked around the room and noticed it lacked some maintenance, she sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry... we don't use this place as much as we used to..."
"You do not need to worry, it is alright—Rei." Kunzite looked at her, "We do not need much space to do our daily meditation and to have some rest."
"Still, you are Prince Endymion's Shitennou... you are probably used to something more..." Rei waved her hand, trying to come up with the word, "—elegant." she said, slightly embarrassed. Jadeite was sitting across from her, next to Zoisite and crossed his arms and arched his brow with amusement, "We are not high maintenance if that is what worries you. We grew up on a training field and slept in stiff cots—this is more than we could ever ask for."
"I see..." Rei lowered her gaze, "Well then, you are welcome to stay here as much as you need to."
"You are worried," Nephrite said softly, startling the priestess "W-What?" she asked softly. The shitennou looked at her and slightly shook his head, "Your eyes show concern."
Rei pursed her lips and exhaled a puff of air, "Well, considering what happened yesterday—I am worried about Usagi."
All four Shitennou frowned; Zoisite took the lead, "Because of what the Lord of War confessed to Endymion," the blonde sighed softly and shook his head, "Our Prince would never hurt your Princess—I think we have that clear by now. He will not leave her, that, I am certain."
"Aren't you worried about your Prince?" Rei frowned, "You were left here without any indication if he would be talking to you again."
"He will come around to his senses," Kunzite said looking at her and crossed his arms, "Endymion may be strong-willed and stubborn but he is not a rancorous man." Rei tilted her head and narrowed her eyes with curiosity, now that it was only them she felt free to finally ask more than they were granted on knowing back then, "Did you know? Everything Ar—he said?"
Kunzite sighed and lowered his gaze for a moment, then locked his grey eyes with her amethyst ones and nodded, "Her Majesty the Queen told us the story of the Protector of Earth. We learned that by decree of both, hers and His Majesty the King, her identity as Goddess was never to be mentioned again, turning the story into a myth. We were informed about Prince Endymion's true identity and powers when we came back from our training and were chosen as his Shitennou. We swore our loyalty to her in keeping the information secret but we did not know she was part of a dynasty that strong—we are as shocked as you are, we did not know the extent of their power. Now that we do, I can understand Queen Gaia as to why she wanted their nature and identity to be concealed from her son."
"Knowing that is what made us so overprotective of him when Princess Serenity crossed paths with Endymion," Zoisite said softly "It was not because we did not think she was a marvelous Lady for him but because we knew the relationship would cause havoc between the two realms. Queen Gaia not only wanted to protect him—she was trying to avoid another celestial war by not confessing the truth."
"Countless times we were close to broke our vow," Nephrite joined the conversation right after, and smiled sadly; "It was truly a shame how things happened... the Prince grew impatient with time, this was inevitable, one way or another he would have found out."
Rei looked down and sighed sadly "I am afraid he will want to push Usagi away... because of this truth." She shook her head, trying to fight her tears, "I am afraid he will walk away as a way to protect her..."
"Like I said, Endymion is not a rancorous man," Kunzite leaned his back on the wall, "And he would never leave her, not even after this."
"How do you know? He was very upset last night."
"Would you not?" Jadeite arched his brow, "Anyone who would have taken all that information in just one day would be upset. He was upset, yes, but he is the most sensible of us all. This is a man that fought his own kind to keep her safe, he saw his Kingdom fall right in front of his eyes—he saw us die and still stood by the Princess side until the very end. Do you really think he will give up on her just because of this?" He chuckled and crossed his arms "Come on Sailor Mars—have a little more faith in us mortals." Jadeite's words made sense to Rei; behind every fight where Usagi risked her life, Mamoru was right behind her supporting her. Every battle, every argument, every hardship they were always together.
Like a premonition, the door behind her slid open showing Mamoru on the other side minutes after, Rei widened her eyes surprised to see him there, at that precise moment. Kunzite closed his eyes and gave the priestess a knowing smile "I told you he would come around." Rei blinked, still surprised to see him there, "Mamoru,"
Mamoru walked in and closed the door behind him "Good morning Rei," his eyes then stared at the four men sitting behind her and sighed softly, "I hope this is not a bad time."
"We just finished our daily meditations—you know, to keep our sanity in check." Jadeite arched his brow and tapped his temple "If there is any left in us." Zoisite frowned and turned to look at him, "Are you listening to yourself?"
"I am Zoisite, I am." Jadeite crossed his arms proudly. Zoisite rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed "Heavens, have some mercy with this man,"
"Timing is never bad for us, Your Highness." Nephrite looked at him with reassurance, "Circumstances are the ones that keep putting our patience to the test."
Rei looked at Mamoru with close attention and just like it happened with the heavenly kings, she felt intimidated by the prince in front of her; there was something different in him she could not quite place. His appearance was the same, his voice the same, even the way he spoke was still the same but she felt a new energy coming from him, a stronger aura and then she noticed it: his eyes; his blue eyes slowly changed in color, from prussian to azure and to cobalt; from sapphire to cerulean and ultramarine, to name a few. They held knowledge and determination, they showed authority and compassion all at the same time as they slowly changed into different shades, like a prism moving in the light. Without thinking it twice, she stood up and walked over to him and looked at him with worry lurking in her beautiful eyes, "Usagi-chan?" her natural guardian instinct flourished quickly, Mamoru looked down at her and smiled softly "She's at Juuban," Rei looked at him puzzled and shook her head, "W-What?"
"She wanted to buy some things—I just dropped her there with Megumi on my way here."
"Huh?" Rei frowned, still confused.
Mamoru noticed there was still doubt in Rei's eyes and sighed softly "She is a very strong woman, you know this well—when she makes up her mind about something, she is a force to be reckoned with." His words made perfect sense to Rei and made her smile, finally ditching the heavy layer of worry on her shoulders, "Of course... and you don't know just how glad I am, her stubbornness served a purpose."
"That it did, thank you Rei." Mamoru patted her shoulder in a brotherly manner and walked over to the Shitennou and sat in front of them. Rei looked over her shoulder at the four generals paying their most high respect to the Prince and widened her eyes in awe, "I will give you some privacy, if you need anything please let me know," turning on her heel she left the cottage, knowing they needed their time to clear things between them. Kunzite's lips curved into a faint smile while crossing his arms once the priestess left them alone, "She was deeply concerned about you two," he looked at him, "She was worried that you were going to leave Princess Serenity."
"I thought about it—I tried," Mamoru looked at the General and longtime friend and sighed, "I thought it was best for her to be away from a descendant of evil."
"But you—" Jadeite tried to interrupt him but Mamoru lifted his hand to stop him, "But... she helped me think that there is much more to this dynasty than just Chaos."
"That is exactly what I was going to say," Jadeite argued and shrugged his shoulder, Mamoru arched his brow, "Yes, of course, you were."
"So, you have finally understood things then," Kunzite ignored Jadeite and continued his talk with the prince "You understand you are not linked to that being."
"Oh no, I am linked to evil," Mamoru said, changing his sitting position to Buddha style, imitating the one from the shitennou. "I am still raging inside, I'm mad, I'm hurt and confused... I still have so many questions pulsing in my mind," he sighed and shook his head, "I cannot change the fact that he is related to my mother... to us, and it disgusts me but, I was raised by Gaia and grew up with other ideals—her ideals, not his." he looked down and shrugged his shoulder, "I still feel like I am two people at the same time, I still feel disturbed by all this. Am I mad about not knowing this up until now? Yes— because I could have done more to protect Elysion when I had the chance. I had the power to protect my family, to protect Serenity and I couldn't do anything because I didn't know any of this. I could have avoided the tragedy on the Moon and the oblivious state I left this planet when you were captured by Beryl." he looked up at Kunzite, "When you asked me what would I do if I could fight the Gods, it's because you knew about this all along."
Kunzite sighed, "We swore our loyalty to Her Majesty, Endymion. We were bound to be silent about the matter, no matter what—our lips were sealed the moment we took our oath to become Shitennou."
"We did not know this much about the Queen's past, we only learned the legend of the Goddess was real and that the Protector actually existed." Nephrite seconded Kunzite. "We did not even know we were chosen by Queen Gaia herself to be your Guardians way ahead of our time," Zoisite said with genuine surprise, "It was all well planned."
"Yes, but it almost did not happen," Jadeite looked at both Kunzite and Prince "You two hated each other,"
"What did the Princess do to make you change your mind?" Zoisite asked, completely ignoring Jadeite's sarcastic intermission, "You left very upset last night... normally, it would have taken you days to process all this,"
"I still am Zoisite," Mamoru ran a hand through his hair, "Every battle we faced I felt like I didn't do enough to help her, no matter how much I fought. She had to carry this heavy weight on her shoulders all this time. Mortality has always been the label put on me and every enemy made sure to make it clear. The enemy always knew this weakness—that is what infuriates me." Mamoru sighed "But she did say something with much sense and truth—I was raised under another type of faith."
Nephrite lowered his gaze "We did not mean to cause you harm, Master."
"I know Nephrite," Mamoru looked at him then at the rest "You did everything in your power to help me until it was no longer possible."
"We did not even know it was possible for us to cross to this realm," Zoisite said still surprised, "I thought we were dead and that every time we communicated with you through the stones, it was just our spirit."
"Helios, the Priest, rescued our souls when we fell by Metallia's hand," Kunzite said, "He kept us in Elysion but he did not have enough power to send us back... he said he got special aid to prevent us from going to the land of the dead."
"How did the girl..." Jadeite frowned and shook his head, "That girl was a maid at the Palace, right?"
"Aurea assigned her to assist me," Mamoru said softly "She was the only survivor left when Beryl invaded Elysion—the real Elysion." he sighed softly and furrowed his brows when the image of that horrible night played in his head like a vivid film, making him relive all those emotions and that hopeless sense that invaded him during that time. "The night I returned to Elysion, I found Obelix under a pile of rubble and debris on the verge of dying and asked me to pray to the Gods—that is how I managed to open a portal through time and space. That is how I got to the Moon... all the prayers and chants he taught me had a purpose."
"So, the sword..." Kunzite frowned, "Where is it now?"
Mamoru extended his hand and made the sword appear secured in its onyx and gold sheath and surrounded by a faint golden energy flowing around it like silk ribbons; he looked at the weapon and narrowed his midnight blue eyes, "My first guess would be to think that when I died, some of the energy from the golden crystal nested in this sword went through her and granted her a longer lifespan. She was protected by it—but that doesn't mean she didn't suffer all this time."
"You can now summon your powers just like that?" Jadeite asked, surprised. Mamoru shrugged his shoulders with and snapped his fingers, making the sword disappear into thin air "I suppose, yes," he looked at the gold sparks left floating in the air "Like I told Serenity yesterday—I can feel everything, I can hear everything. It's all too fresh in my mind, my senses are very keen."
"What is going to happen now?" Jadeite asked, "I suppose that man will return more insane that he did before."
"I don't know what will happen next Jadeite, but whatever it is—I have to fight against it," he looked at his Generals with determination, "But I can't do it alone—if he finds a way to break that seal like Ares warned us, I have to be prepared, they will not come for Serenity, they will come after me. He said it."
"Who?" Kunzite frowned.
"The Andromedian," Mamoru's voice fell a decibel at the mention of Athamas and frowned, "The man that died on my watch at the hospital—they are connected. They were all trying to challenge me."
"What did he say?" Nephrite frowned, concerned. Mamoru's jaw clenched "Venit et de eo nihil potestis facere," he looked at the Generals, Nephrite pursed his lips for a minute and frowned, "He is coming and there is nothing you can do about it."
"There had been other incidents then," Kunzite narrowed his grey eyes, "What happened yesterday is not the first attempt."
"We didn't have a lead or anything. The girls found Megumi wandering in the city but it took them days to find out she was looking for me. Still, after Serenity brought her to my apartment, Megumi wouldn't say much, she didn't even mention the sword was the object she had been carrying in that cloth."
"Why?" Jadeite shook his head confused, "She had found you—what was stopping her?"
"You weren't the Endymion she remembered," Nephrite said softly, "She was waiting for the right time,"
"I couldn't remember her," Mamoru nodded softly and frowned, "I couldn't remember anything, I was only given the basics, what eventually came obvious and clear once we found the Silver Imperial Crystal—Serenity's crystal." He lowered his gaze "I know there is more to know about all this. I know Ares kept things to himself but I will wait for the right time to ask him."
"Such as?" Zoisite frowned softly, "What happened to my mo—Gaia and to the rest of my family." Mamoru looked at the blonde, "He said they condemned her like a criminal, but I was never given a resolve as to what happened to her. She might be in hell like they wanted all this time... I don't know." he closed his eyes and shook his head, "I have more than just one purpose now and I cannot let them get away with it."
Kunzite arched his brow in admiration "You sound more convinced and determined that you did all those years ago,"
"If I am granted this sort of power then I have to do something about it," Mamoru looked at Kunzite with a challenging glare, "I could not fight enough for this planet back then, but now I can and I will."
"Well, it is settled then," Kunzite showed his pride for the prince's words with a half-smile, "That girl had so much hope in her heart that she somehow gave the Priest enough power to send us back. Now, we cannot let you do all the work."
"Yes, but what now?" Jadeite snorted "Are we going to stay locked in here in the meantime?"
Zoisite exhaled heavily, "Two thousand years were not enough for you to change," he looked at him slightly annoyed "You have no shame."
"Things would not be the same without me, admit it, Zoisite." Jadeite joked making the blonde roll his eyes "My, my—no, of course not." Zoisite exhaled, "They would be so much calmer." Zoisite rubbed his temples, Jadeite's triumphant smile vanished and turned his blonde comrade with wide eyes, "Oi!"
Mamoru smiled and shook his head, he had to admit that he missed them greatly and he was glad that after all that time, after battling to death they were granted another chance to do good. He stood up, startling the four men in front of him "Master?" Zoisite asked confused.
"Master, Highness or Prince are not titles that will work on this era, you have to call me by my name," Mamoru shook his head, "I told Megumi the same, but she is against the idea."
"She is not that crazy," Zoisite said softly. Kunzite arched his brow, "We were friends before Guardians—your royal title is something you never appreciated us using when alone. You may be called different in this era but to me, or to any of us you are Endymion." Mamoru smiled and put up his arms defensively "Alright, alright. Call me whatever you want," he sighed with defeat and pointed his finger at the shitennou's uniforms, "But you certainly cannot go around the city wearing that uniform—come on." he looked for his car keys in his pants' pocket.
All four men widened their eyes "W-Where?" Kunzite frowned, puzzled. Mamoru exhaled heavily and shook his head, "I'm not much of a shopping kind of man, but you need new clothes, so, come on—the girls are waiting."
All four generals stayed petrified on the floor "The girls?" Mamoru quirked a brow, "What? Don't tell me you are expecting me to choose clothes for you?" he waved his hand, "Come on, I took the day off from work and they are waiting, Serenity told me the girls could find something else for you to wear and the sooner we get there, the sooner we can be done with it."
"Do not tell me that angry Senshi will be there too—because if she is..." Kunzite's frown deepened, Mamoru chuckled "Haruka? No, she won't be there—trust me." Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair again, "That is another issue I have to handle at a later time. Come on—we have to go," he pointed at Kunzite's cape "Take that off."
"What!?" Kunzite widened his eyes "Are you insane!? This is part of my regal uniform—it is like if I asked you to give up your medals, it is what gives me the—what are you doing?" He turned to Zoisite, Jadeite, and Nephrite who stood up and took their capes off without complaint, then walked out the door with Mamoru "What the hell are you are doing?!"
Jadeite looked over his shoulder at Kunzite, "The cape is heavy—snap out of it." Kunzite blinked surprised at the blonde's reaction, "Wait, are you ignoring my rant?"
"That is exactly what we are doing." Jadeite said and turned to Rei, who was helping a girl bless a charm she just bought. There was something about her that made him wonder if she had changed as well, she was too calm, too silent, a complete opposite to whom he remembered as Mars.
The priestess gave the girl the charm and bid her farewell then walked towards the five men and smiled softly at Mamoru "I got a call from Usagi-chan. You were right, she's at the Juuban, unbelievable." she turned to the four generals and chuckled, "I see there is a purpose to that," Mamoru smiled, "She went to look for a dress for Megumi, then came up with that idea," he pointed at them with his thumb, "And they, well... they need more than that." Jadeite widened his eyes in pure shock and turned to look at him, "Oi!" he snapped, "What is that supposed to mean!?"
Rei chuckled and nodded, "Minako will be picking me up soon, she said she had some things to find first so I guess I will see you all there in a while." Mamoru nodded and frowned slightly with concern, "You okay?" the question caught the priestess off guard "Yes, why?"
The Prince looked up and saw Yuiichiro standing close to the Chōzuya, where the visitors would wash their hands and mouth and raised a brow "Ah, I see..." he gave the priestess a knowing look "Rei-chan..." Rei sighed softly and nodded several times, "I know, I know—but like I told the girls, more than wanting him to stay here because I have feelings for him it's more because he helps me keep the shrine working," she looked at him slightly blushed "I know—I am a Miko and my actions are of pure selfishness—I'm horrible. I'll go to hell."
"You are not horrible and you are not going to hell, plus, I am no one to judge," Mamoru said softly "I am just worried about you. In the long run this could hurt you," he sweatdropped "—More." she turned and followed Mamoru's stare and spotted Yuiichiro standing near the temple looking back at them without even pretending to be doing something else, "He is dying to know who they are and what we are talking about," she chuckled "That will keep me entertained for a while."
Mamoru shook his head and smiled, joining the cause of making the man feel uncomfortable with his presence and by talking to Rei with such casualty and closeness, "He deserves it, that and more—he may be helpful but he's a parasite." Rei chuckled and nodded, "Yes, that he is..." she turned and saw another group of girls were gathered near the shop and smiled, "I will see you then in a little while? They all look like they want a love charm."
"Alright then, don't make them wait," Mamoru smiled and started to walk the long trail of steps to go down. Jadeite turned and saw Rei talking to the girls with an elegant smile and could not help feeling a warm feeling in his chest; his green eyes soon landed on the man a few feet away still staring back at him with blunt jealousy and narrowed his eyes, wondering about what was beyond this simple relationship between priestess and assistant.
O—o—O
All five men finally got to Juuban's shopping district, immediately catching the attention of all the girls walking around. Kunzite frowned with discomfort, clearly feeling outside of his element "What is this?" Mamoru sighed softly, thankful he had sunglasses on to avoid any eye contact with his friend or any of the gaping girls, A shopping district,"
Kunzite frowned, "I feel overwhelmed—I do not like it. How can you be alright being in such place like this?" Mamoru chuckled "Yeah, well—it can be overwhelming." he looked down at his phone and saw an incoming text from Usagi "They're close to the food court."
"Why are we here again?" Kunzite hissed, Nephrite patted his friend on the back "Now, now—you cannot be frustrated about this all the time. We have been in these sort of places before."
"You probably may have—I was doing my job," Kunzite muttered dryly. Jadeite sweatdropped, "By helping that crazy woman? How marvelous example you have given..."
"Be quiet Jadeite, you did it too." Kunzite's face darkened, Mamoru tried his best not to pay much attention to Kunzite's sudden rant and continued walking until they reached the specific area slightly private where Usagi was waiting for them. Minutes after, he saw her sitting on a round table under a big red umbrella with Megumi, Ami and Makoto sitting all around "There you are!" Usagi waved her hand, "I was beginning to worry—since you are usually on time."
"Yes—I was on time, but they were reluctant to come, well, Kunzite was... as expected." Mamoru sighed and looked at the frappuccino the silver blonde had in front of her on the table and took a sip, consequently making a grimace and stuck his tongue out, "What is this?!"
"A double fudge espresso frappuccino with a caramel swirl and extra chocolate sprinkles," Usagi smiled as she twirled her finger in the air "Good, huh?"
"Are you telling me there's coffee in here?!" Mamoru looked at the large transparent cup and frowned, Usagi tilted her head "Yes, it has espresso... it's iced coffee."
"Usa, seriously—this isn't coffee," Mamoru gave her the cup back "It's loaded with sugar."
"Thank you!" Ami raised her hand, "I was just saying that."
Mamoru smiled at the bluenette as a silent greeting, "The sprinkles are not even necessary, I am surprised she can even finish these things, they're impossible to swallow." Usagi pouted her lips "You are going all doctor mode on me and I don't appreciate it. Besides, Megumi liked it too, so I'm not the only one," she looked at her beverage and took another guilt-free sip, "You know what's worse? Your hideous black coffee. There is no flavor in that, it's bitter and boring."
"That is what coffee is supposed to—alright, this could go on forever so," he sighed softly and waved his hand, "Here they are, what are we supposed to do now?" Usagi widened her eyes and blinked "Mamo-chan?"
"Mmm?"
"What's the matter with Kunzite?" she looked at the poor man who was obviously suffering from all the staring from the people passing by. Mamoru took a seat next to her on the table and grabbed the cup again and took another sip "He is hating the attention," he frowned and put the beverage aside again, "Seriously Usa—" he turned to Megumi as he put the condensed cup on the table again, "Don't let her corrupt you with these bombs of sugar." Megumi giggled and blushed.
"Why did you take another sip if you didn't like it in the first place?!" Usagi sweatdropped, "Because I need the boost of sugar to keep my patience at bay," Mamoru muttered, "I can wait for you here—going in and out of stores has never been my thing."
Usagi blinked "No, no, no... why? —I want you to come with me... please?" she tapped her fingers on the table playfully and nudged his arm with her elbow. She knew he was still struggling with many things in his mind, but her mind was set on helping him on every step of the way to make him feel better. She had to be strong for the two of them and she was on a mission to accomplish it. "You know what we could look for? A new cologne." Mamoru sweatdropped, "I will keep using my trusty old one, thank you."
"I can offer you a good deal if we go and take a look," Usagi wiggled her brows with mischief, Mamoru arched his with interest, "Sounds tempting... but no dear, thank you." Usagi widened her eyes, "Oh, come on!"
Nephrite watched closely at the couple talking and turned to Makoto who was taking a sip of her iced tea and smiled at her softly, trying to break the awkwardness of the silence between them, "Are they always like this?" Makoto smiled in return and scooted on the bench around the table to make room for him to sit, "All the time. They know how to press each other's buttons—it's adorable," chuckling she slid down her sunglasses again and looked at him, "I am glad what happened yesterday didn't affect their relationship, I was worried."
"Endymion isn't rancorous," Nephrite said softly "He is angry but not at her, or any of you. There are bigger issues around this whole situation that he is slowly trying to process and come to terms with them—he needs time and he needs her. I must say, she is doing a marvelous job at keeping him distracted," He turned to look at the couple teasing each other again and smiled, "He loves her, he loves her deeply."
Makoto smiled and nodded, "There is no question about that. I could say the same about her, she's crazy about him." she turned to look at him and arched her brow, "So, I've been told you guys need some help finding appropriate clothes for this era."
Nephrite chuckled and nodded, "Apparently royal military uniforms from two thousand years ago are not in fashion, anymore," he turned and saw a very serious and very uncomfortable Kunzite still bickering with Jadeite and Zoisite, "I don't mind, really, but he is going to be a challenge to deal with—he is set in his ways, you know what they say: you cannot teach an old dog, new tricks."
Makoto chuckled "Well—we shall see. He will have to learn the tricks if he wants to keep up with the pace of this time," Nephrite widened his eyes and sighed, hoping for the best. Minutes after, they all turned their eyes to Minako and Rei who had their arms wrapped two large plastic bags. Mamoru tilted his face down, his blue eyes peeked from above his dark shades and arched his brow, "Should we be worried?" Usagi chuckled and took another sip of her sugary drink, "No, I sent those bags to her office—I know what's inside." Mamoru looked at her "You didn't go to work today."
"I have influences," Usagi chuckled, mentally thanking Mika for the favor. Minako finally caught up with them and put the bags on the table and smiled widely and with much relief at Usagi and her fiancé sitting next to her "Oh, thank goodness, you're together!" she greeted with glee. Usagi nodded with a smile and wrapped her arm around Mamoru's shoulders and turned to kiss his cheek with endearment. Rei soon caught up and put the other bag over the table "Well, this isn't heavy but it sure is a lot."
"What's in there?" Makoto tried to peek inside the bags with curiosity, Minako pushed back her cat-eye shaped sunglasses and opened a bag, "Usa-chan sent these to my office, they're clothes. Male clothes." Usagi nodded to Mamoru, "Maya wanted to get rid of them because that is who she is so, I asked one of my co-workers to send it to Minako-chan's office and see if they fitted the Shitennou."
"Wouldn't have been easier to send all these to the apartment?" Mamoru frowned and peeked inside the bag "Why did you make Minako carry all these clothes around?"
"Because they still need stuff," Usagi said softly and turned to the four men "And they can't wear that on a daily basis." Minako blew her bangs and turned to Kunzite but unlike Makoto who easily started a friendly conversation with Nephrite, she better decided on focus on the bags in front of her and ignored the white-haired man looking at her, "Uh... I think now it's a good time for them to go and try these, they can't go around wearing that." Kunzite arched his brow and turned to Mamoru who shrugged his shoulders in response, "I told you—don't give me that glare."
"But—" Kunzite tried to argue but sighed in defeat. Minako pointed the door to her left, "You can go and get changed there," she turned to Usagi and high fived her "Way to go Usa-chan, you found the most deserted area in this mall." Usagi wiggled her brows and smiled with pride, "I'm a badass—I know."
The four shitennou had no other option but to go to get changed, leaving the six girls and Mamoru alone at the table. Minako sighed and sat next to Ami, "So, am I the only one that actually went to work?" Usagi chuckled, "Apparently—how responsible of you,"
"Did you, really?" Rei frowned and turned to a very casually dressed Minako waving her hand, "Pff no... I just picked the bags at the station's reception but I must say... Ami-chan—you skipping work?" Then she turned to Mamoru "And you? Now, that's new."
Mamoru smiled but preferred not to say anything about it, Ami widened her eyes once she realized why he was there and how he probably hasn't mentioned anything about the investigation with the medical board to Usagi. She figured that after what happened the day before, it was the last thing on his mind or at least something he felt like doing, add another dilemma to his already complicated situation. "Nobody seemed to be in the mood, I guess." The bluenette said softly. "Yeah, you're right Ami-chan." Minako smiled and turned to Mamoru with a worried look on her face, "On a more serious note, how are you?"
Mamoru sighed and shrugged his shoulders "It's hard to explain... overwhelmed would be a good word to use,"
Minako shook her head and exhaled softly, "I can't imagine how you must be feeling right now... with everything that happened yesterday... we were worried about you after you left."
"Is there any way we can help?" Makoto asked with concern. With years all of them became very close, they became their own family and when one was feeling down, the rest was always going to be there showing their support. Mamoru smiled with gratitude and appreciation and shook his head, "Thanks, Mako, it's still too much for me to process but... I have to get through this, one way or another."
"You know you are not alone in this, we are a family—we can deal with this and more." Rei said softly; Minako nodded "Yes, we are in this together."
Ami gave him a warm smile, "We're here for you both,"
Mamoru looked up at them and for a minute was very glad to be wearing very dark shades to cover the tears pooling in his deep blue eyes. He wanted to say something in return, something that would express his deep gratitude for their support and understanding but the tight lump in his throat would break his very hard attempts on keeping his composure. Usagi knew this, after their conversation the night before, she knew he was still feeling raw and exposed. Despite his calm appearance, she knew his emotions were still a mess, but like she always said, she was the only one who got to see the vulnerable side of Chiba Mamoru and she was on a mission to pull him out of his emotional bump.
Makoto smiled and leaned forward to pat his arm softly to show her support then leaned back, "So, here's another interesting question: Have anybody spoken to Haruka, Michiru or Setsuna?" she turned to look at Minako and the others around the table. "To be honest, I'm not sure if I am ready for it just yet," Minako said softly "After what happened yesterday—they could go all defensive again and we don't need that."
"That is a possibility," Rei sighed and sat between Minako and Makoto "But it's pointless to try to do something we don't want to do and they will have to come to terms with it."
"Like what?" Makoto frowned.
"Like splitting them apart," Minako pointed her thumb at the couple next to her "Rei-chan's right but also, Haruka is very stubborn."
"That is something I have to deal with later on," Mamoru sighed "Haruka is overprotective and after what happened, she has reasons to become aggressive,"
"Yeah, but you agree that if she goes against you she would be hurting Usa-chan in the end," Minako said softly "They have to understand, I am putting my trust in Michiru, she is good at calming her rage." The blonde smiled, "I am just glad to see you together, that is what matters," Usagi smiled at her friend "Thank you, Minako-chan."
"Maybe this is not the perfect place and time to talk about what Ares told us yesterday—everything is still fresh, you need time to process all this." Minako turned to Mamoru, "With your awakening, another part of our lives came clear to us too—we remember things we didn't back when the silver crystal appeared."
Makoto nodded, "There are so many things that make sense now, like pieces of a puzzle finally falling into place—I remember you." Rei frowned and turned to Makoto, "You didn't remember him?"
"I did... I-I don't know how to put it... I knew he was the Prince, I knew he was with Princess Serenity but I couldn't actually remember him being Prince... am I making any sense?"
"In a very weird way, you are Mako-chan," Mamoru smiled softly, "The same happened to me... I knew who I was but I couldn't remember anything from my life, nothing..." he turned to Megumi, "Not remembering you, was the worst... after everything you have done for me and my family," Mamoru sighed and tilted his head low, "You are right Minako, it's hard for me to talk about it all... I am still reluctant to believe what I learned about me and my family, it's something I must work on my own..." he looked up, still with his shades on "I was very upset last night and I was going to make the biggest mistake of my life... gladly, I have a strong warrior by my side to help me stay grounded."
The comment made the girls smile, Minako especially since she was sure Usagi was going to be the one to keep him close. It was obvious that despite their closeness the only one who knew Mamoru like an open book was Usagi, and being the determinant woman, she knew she was, she was hopeful her friend and Princess would take matters into her own hands and deal with the situation the best way she could—and she did.
Ami frowned, finally realizing something, "Hey... where are Luna and Artemis?" she turned to Minako, "They haven't been around much lately, are they okay?"
Minako sighed, "They are still at it,"
"They're still at it? What are you talking about?" Usagi and Mamoru frowned, "Did something happen?" he asked with surprise. Minako sighed heavily, "They have this drama going on," the blonde pursed her lips, "I think they're mad at each other."
"Artemis could never be mad at Luna, he adores her." Mamoru frowned, intrigued. Minako exhaled deeply "I thought that too—but something really bad must have happened between them because he is very distant and she is being uncharacteristically silent, it's strange to see them like that. Yesterday, they were together for the sake of the situation unfolding but when we were back at home, they didn't talk to each other and it's mostly coming from Artemis' end."
"Has Artemis has said anything to you?" Usagi frowned, Minako shook her head "No, he is barely around."
"This isn't good," Makoto pouted her lips, "They are always together—they are meant to be together."
"That is why she wanted me to go home with her last night," Usagi said softly, "I will see if she mentions something tonight."
"So—have you packed everything already?" Minako smiled winking her eye at her silver-haired friend, "The wedding is in two days."
Mamoru crossed his arms and exhaled, waiting to hear Usagi's response. The blonde blushed and waved her hand "I have everything under control—don't worry." she turned to Mamoru and smiled, "Really, I do..."
"That only means you haven't packed a single pin." Rei narrowed her eyes at her, Usagi sweat dropped "I do—I started packing the other day but—"
"But?" Makoto asked Usagi "Well—things have been crazy at work lately..." the silver blonde sighed with defeat.
"I bet," Minako leaned her head on her hand and sighed "Look at you, all busy at work right now."
"I'll be done before the weekend gets here, I promise," Usagi raised her hands defensively "I'll bring Megumi with me to help me with the boxes, right Megumi?" Megumi widened her eyes and nodded "Y-Yes of course, Your Highness." Mamoru shook his head and looked at the young maiden, "I must warn you Megumi, she has so many things... it's going to be quite the challenge."
Usagi smiled and turned to Mamoru, "The challenge will be to put all my things in the apartment,"
"Yes, that I already know," Mamoru crossed his arms and shook his head. Minako smiled at the couple and turned when she saw the four shitennou walking out of the bathroom and carrying the plastic bags with them; her blue eyes widened when she saw Kunzite wearing a crisp white t-shirt and a pair of distressed jeans "Wow, they look—normal." she cleared her throat. The blonde was giving herself a moment to admire Kunzite's handsomeness and obviously well-toned and tall physique. Since the moment they appeared to help Mamoru in battle, her mind began drifting back to the memories she had of him and with him while her heart constantly skipped a beat, longing to connect with his. She was aware of those feelings but her pride was bigger than her emotions, and after all, she struggled to find love, she was decided not to give in so easily, not even for the man she dearly held close to her heart those years ago. She had already lost him three times, that a fourth time would end up breaking her completely and permanently.
"I look like a criminal." Kunzite mumbled and turned to Mamoru, "And I just realized we are wearing similar clothing." Mamoru looked down at his tee and arched his brow, "Mine's blue and—thank you?"
"The pants are almost similar."
"Mine aren't torn," Mamoru pointed at the small hole in Kunzite's knee and frowned "And I don't dress like a criminal, just to clarify."
"These are actually not that bad," Jadeite said with a smile as he looked down at his red and black, light flannel shirt "I like the squares and it's comfortable." He looked at his matching dark jeans and shoes. Mamoru pointed his thumb at him and turned to Kunzite "See? He likes it." Kunzite frowned "Jadeite could wear a paper bag over his head and be happy with it."
"It is called being positive," Jadeite pulled his collar up proudly, "You could use some of that."
Zoisite stood next to his blonde comrade and put one of the plastic bags on the table "This is not as a bad as I thought it would be." He was wearing a denim shirt with grey colored pants and dark grey casual shoes. Nephrite stood next to the blonde and smiled, "I agree, I actually have a good feeling about this." The always so polite general wore a deep green light sweater with the same style of jeans Kunzite was wearing and casual dark chocolate boots.
"I'll go put these bags in the car—" Mamoru stood up and grabbed the bags with clothes, "It's so weird to see you wearing those clothes... you look normal,"
Kunzite narrowed his eyes, "Look who's talking..."
Mamoru chuckled and grabbed the bags with clothes and began walking back to the car. Jadeite flashed a smile and chuckled "See, even the Prince approves."
"He is right though," Minako said softly "It's weird to see you wear those clothes."
"Yeah, we got used to see you being all evil with your uniforms," Makoto joked and turned to Megumi with a smile, "We are like this all the time, we joke a lot, all of us including the Prince as you can see—we are this one big family," she chuckled, "You'll get used to it."
"I'll easily get used to that as well." Jadeite chuckled. Megumi smile widely, she could learn how to live this way, she thought. She loved this new phase they were all living because despite being aware of their descendance it was nothing to how she remembered things were at the palace. It was refreshing to see the Prince joking with the Princess and vice versa, it was endearing to see them together and free of any repercussion. It was fun to see the girls interact with each other with no title boundaries or protocols, they all acted like a big family that seemed to be growing with time and Megumi felt lucky and blessed to be part of it now, she felt happy—she felt like one of them. Like she finally had found her place in the universe.
At this point, none of them knew how much longer this peaceful era would last, things had drastically changed in a matter of weeks but they tried to make the best of it, one minute at a time and Megumi, well, she was happy to join the cause and battle as well.
It was long before Mamoru returned from the car and sighed with slight defeat, "Okay, let's go."
Usagi smiled with excitement and stood up grabbing her melted frappuccino and she took a large sip only to flinch in pain seconds after, startling Mamoru "Are you okay?"
Usagi nodded and rubbed her temple, "Brain freeze."
"It's the freaking sugar in that thing," Mamoru frowned and took the cup from Usagi's hands "Hey!" she snorted "That's mine!"
"Usa..." Mamoru laughed, "This is all melted, it doesn't even taste what it is supposed to taste anymore,"
"It's still delicious to me!" Usagi snatched the cup again from Mamoru and took another sip, Mamoru sighed and shook his head. Minako giggled and patted his arm "Allow me," she cleared her throat "Usa-chan, you do realize that you won't fit in your dress if you keep drinking that thing, right?"
Usagi froze and stopped in her tracks "What?"
Minako turned and pointed the frappuccino cup, "There is nothing worse for a bride than not fitting in her wedding gown. Trust me, I've seen my share. I've been in a lot of weddings." She turned to Usagi who had widened her eyes and turned to Ami by her side, the bluenette shrugged her shoulders "It's true... Usa-chan,"
"No... No..." Usagi looked at them horrified "No, chocolate is my friend—sprinkles are my friends!"
Rei turned with a devilish smile on her face, "Friends with your hips and thighs, that is."
"Whaaat?!" she turned and threw the cup into the trash and continued walking in silence still with the image of her wedding dress being ripped apart because she could not fit in it. Mamoru looked at Minako with a shocked expression, "You are a wizard." Minako chuckled and patted his back, "You're welcome."
"We should go inside this store and see what we can find." Makoto suggested "Megumi-san still needs to find a dress for the wedding..." she peered at the men walking behind and blushed softly, still in disbelief to see the men hanging out with them so casually and with very fashionable clothes.
"You are right." Minako said and walked inside, pulling Ami's and Megumi's arms with her, "Come on, we will find something cute for Megumi to wear!" Usagi looked at the girls talking to the Shitennou and could not help to smile, "They missed them," she said softly, Mamoru nodded "Yeah..."
"Do you think they will—you know, resume what they had back then?" Usagi wrapped her arm around his and looked up with hopeful eyes, Mamoru sighed and pursed his lips in thought "I don't know Usako, we would have to wait and see what happens,"
"That would be so great," Usagi smiled widely "They would finally get a second chance—they deserve it."
"They do." Mamoru smiled at her and intertwined his fingers with hers, Usagi looked at him with loving eyes "If only I could see those pretty eyes of yours—" she frowned and pouted her lips "But you always cover them with those dark sunglasses." Mamoru leaned down to comply with her fiancés wishes and slid his shades up before he gave her a peck on the lips and wink an eye at her; Usagi blushed "Ah, that's more like it," she cupped his cheek and smiled, "I missed to look into them, so deep... like the color of this planet."
Mamoru smiled then pulled back when he noticed Usagi diverted her gaze and fixed it on something else, "Usa?"
"Let's go there!" Usagi pointed a small shop in the distance; Mamoru turned to look over his shoulder and sweatdropped when he saw what shop it was and slid his dark shades over his eyes again "No—I don't want to go in there."
"Why? Come on it'll be fun!" Usagi pulled his arm as she walked towards the store, "I promise this time it will be fun," she turned to Mamoru with a smile "Come on, I saw this new ad on a magazine and—"
"I wonder what kind of stench this one will have..." Mamoru muttered with sarcasm, "Love, I don't need a new one, I already have one... I trust this one, really..."
Usagi stopped and looked at him, "Okay Your Highness, who told you that one smelled good?"
Mamoru arched his brow, "Uh, you did? You bought it for me for our anniversary... or did you already forget?"
Usagi smiled, "Okay, okay but... see? You need to trust me on this one."
Mamoru exhaled in defeat "Fine. No matter how much I try—my faith is in your hands,"
Usagi giggled and wrapped her arm around his waist "I know—it's the best," she looked up "And I love you for that."
"I am helpless when it comes to you Luna Bunny... if you want me to smell like chlorine, fine, I will smell like a toilet cleaner if that is going to make you happy..." Mamoru mumbled as they walked to the store. Usagi stopped and tug his arm, making him stop as well and looked up him, "I love you Endymion,"
Mamoru cupped her cheek with his hand and leaned down until his forehead rested on hers, and rubbed her nose with his, "*Te amo quoque mea, mea Luna Bunny."
"I promise this one will smell nice..."
"Oh, Usako..."
"What?"
"Don't ever change,"
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I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.
*I love you too my love, my Luna Bunny.