Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Fifty-Four


Megumi walked out of her room wearing a soft pink chiffon midi dress Usagi gave her a couple of weeks back; as soon as she entered the living room area she was surprised to find Mamoru working on his laptop at the dining table in silence wearing a mid-dark denim shirt and black casual pants. He was so into the letter he was typing on his laptop it gave her a few seconds of silent bliss and making her think that it didn't matter what he wore, the man would always look impeccable and the fresh scent of his cologne was a nice plus to the whole picture. "G-Good morning, Prince Endymion," her soft voice made him turn to look at her with a soft smile, "Good morning, Megumi—did you sleep well?" He turned to grab his black mug and took a small sip of his coffee before putting it down again.

"Yes, Your Highness, thank you,"

"Good,"

Megumi blinked and pursed her lips in thought, "Uh, Your Highness?"

"Mm?" Mamoru kept working on the document he had open in his laptop but his quick answer was clear enough to let the maiden know he was paying attention; Megumi tilted her head with curiosity, "I know my question will sound somewhat obvious but... are you planning on going out?" Mamoru nodded as he continued typing, surprising the maiden with the fastness in which he moved his fingers across the keyboard without ever needing to move his gaze away from the screen, "Yes," he said softly and directed his intense prussian gaze at her, "I have to go to the hospital to let them know I am still around,"

"B-But you cannot be moving much!" Megumi widened her eyes and shook her head, "You are still injured and you need proper rest," her protective response made Mamoru crack a gentle chuckle, "I know, but I need to go and do the necessary paperwork to get a medical leave, don't worry, I'll be back soon." He gave her a reassuring smile, "I'm feeling okay,"

"It is so of you to say such thing..."

"What?"

Megumi frowned, "You could be feeling your very worst and you would still pretend to be alright."

Mamoru chuckled again, "You know me quite well, Megumi, but I promise you I am feeling fine. Actually, I feel better than I did yesterday."

The maiden sighed softly and shook her head, "Well, I believe I have no other choice but to believe His Highness' word."

"Are you alright?" Mamoru squinted his eyes a little bit, "Why do I feel there is something else you want to tell me?"

"Umm well," Megumi bit her lower lip with worry and peered back down the hall and pursed her lips, "Is Her Highness aware of your outing?"

"Yes, in fact, she's coming with me," Mamoru said softly and continued typing, "She's finishing getting ready—actually," he stopped and quickly turned to look for something in his brown leather messenger bag and put a small amber-colored bottle on the table for Megumi, "I need you to help me with something but—" he raised his finger in warning, "It has to be a secret between us two." Megumi widened her eyes, "Your Highness?"

Mamoru drew in a long breath, proving that just like her, and everyone else, he was concerned for his wife's health, "It's no secret Serenity is not doing very well, her mood might be back to its usual quirkiness but her health... not so much. She is weak and undernourished and I know it's not because you didn't try... it's something else."

"And... that?" Megumi tensed her shoulders, showing worry; Mamoru pointed the small bottle in front of him, "This is a liquid multi-vitamin that will help her feel much better. It's very easy to take but she really hates it when I try to suggest anything that would make me act like a doctor with her so..." he shrugged his shoulders, "I have to take other measures. It's for her own good." The maiden nodded and leaned closer, she was liking where their conversation was going. Mamoru wasn't wrong, she did try to make the princess eat but nothing made to seem to catch her appetite, she had been too depressed to even care about food, "What do I do with this, Your Highness?"

"She likes to—" Mamoru made an abrupt pause when he heard noises coming from the bedroom and quickly turned to check if she was close and exhaled with relief once he made sure she wasn't coming out yet, "Serenity is not a morning person, with that being said—" he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "She doesn't like much to eat breakfast so she prefers to compensate it with a fruit and protein shake or what she likes to call a power smoothie." He jerked his head in the kitchen direction and pointed the refrigerator, "I have protein powder in one of the doors next to the fridge. You put one scoop of that powder, add two tablespoons of this liquid, and blend it with a banana, a bunch of strawberries and a cup of almond milk—she loves that and she won't notice the supplement because lucky for us, it doesn't have any flavor."

Megumi blinked and could not help to chuckle, "You know Her Highness too well, my Prince." Mamoru smiled and turned to continue typing, "That I do Megumi. She say's I'm stubborn, but she can also be a little too set in her ways, especially when it comes to convincing her to eat something else besides pancakes for breakfast, so, whatever catches her attention—I'll take it as an opportunity."

"I will go make this right away," Megumi grabbed the small glass bottle and walked towards the kitchen to start making the secret concoction just in time before the moon princess walked out of the bedroom with slight hurry wearing a black and white striped bateau top with ankle length skinny black pants and black five-inch stiletto heels with a black bow tied around her ankles. It had been long since she decided to style her hair in her usual odango style with a much more relaxed and tousled twists on her buns giving it a much more updated touch to her look added with her minimal makeup and rich matte red lips that made her icy blue eyes stand even more behind her long dark lashes. "Morning, morning!" she said in an apologetic tone before leaning down to give her husband a soft peck on the lips, "How long you have been here? Why didn't you wake me up?" she turned and looked at the cup next to his laptop and gave him a scornful glance, "You made coffee?!"

Mamoru turned to look at her and shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly, "Of course,"

"Seriously?" Usagi frowned, "What is the matter with you?"

"I can move much easier with the crutches Ami brought me, it's fine—I'm fine." Mamoru continued typing, completely doing his best to ignore the piercing glare Usagi was giving him, "Besides, it's not like I have to be there at a specific hour—it's okay, don't worry." he smiled, his eyes briefly diverted from his laptop screen to her wife now sitting across him on the table and extended his arm at her to reach for her hand, "You look beautiful, by the way." The comment and the light tone in his low voice made Usagi blush and made her think how it didn't matter how much time it has passed or how long they have known each other she could never get tired of hearing such simple but incredibly sweet compliment from him. To her, it was always like the very first time—the flutter in her stomach, the heart flips in her chest, the flush in her cheeks and the bliss of being around him; it was always like the very first time they ever crossed words. Usagi grinned shyly and tugged his hand gently, "You too."

"Good morning, Princess."

Usagi turned to Megumi who was walking towards them from the kitchen, "Good morning, Megumi."

The maiden interrupted their little intimate moment and put a chilled mason jar on the table, right in front of her, "I have noticed you do not like having breakfast so early in the morning so I took the liberty to make you a strawberry-banana smoothie." Usagi's crystal blue eyes sparkled with glee as she looked at the glass jar in front of her, "Oh, Megumi, thank you! That's actually my favorite blend on a smoothie! How did you know?" she leaned forward to give the cold blend a sip and turned to Mamoru, "This is really, really good—you should try drinking one of these instead of that bitter coffee you like to drink so religiously."

"Hmm..." Mamoru hummed as he continued typing, there is nothing wrong with me drinking coffee."

"You like it way too much," Usagi took a small sip to her smoothie and frowned, "When did you even start? You just woke up one day and decided it was weird enough to fit with your lifestyle?"

"What?" Mamoru cracked and laugh, "Drinking coffee is the most normal thing to do in the world, everyone does it."

"Well yes," Usagi leaned back in her chair, "Everyone, but you drink it in the darkest and most bitter way possible, and you have ever since I have known you." she tilted her head with genuine curiosity, "Is it a habit you picked up randomly?"

"No," Mamoru stopped typing and looked at his wife with a faint smile, "My relationship with coffee is just like everyone else's who drinks it every day, I got instantly hooked by the caffeine boost; I was fourteen when I started. I worked at the store I was also going through the long process of getting into Moto Azabu, I had to study had to keep my rhythm and not fail and lose my scholarship and my job. That's when I discovered the marvels of coffee, the reason as to why I like it black... well, I am not a sweet tooth like you are my dear, that's just a preference. I guess it has to do with the fact that the owner of the store was also a serious coffee lover and she always had coffee brewing for everyone to drink; she said good quality coffee is never bitter, never bland and that it doesn't need sugar or milk and it's true."

"This is nice,"

"What is?" Mamoru blinked, startled. Usagi smiled "This... knowing these little things. It's like there is always new to know about you. I know you don't like to talk about it because I understand it's hard for you, and that's why I don't ask, but, it's nice whenever you do."

"It's not I don't like to talk about them..." Mamoru gave his wife a melancholic smile, "I honestly didn't know it was something important to tell or something you were interested in knowing."

"Everything about you interests me," Usagi looked at their hands still holding across the table, "Would you tell me more?" Mamoru tugged her hand gently and winked an eye at her, "I will. I promise."

Usagi gave him a wide smile before taking another sip of her smoothie and got distracted by her phone ringing inside her purse, "Oh, I need to get that—" she stood up and gave Megumi a quick, sisterly hug before going for her phone, "It's delicious, thank you so much," Megumi was surprised to see the drastic change in the princess' mood and turned to the prince who silently mouthed a thank you for her support. Blushing, the maid pulled back and waved her hand, "I-It's nothing, Your Highness."

Usagi barely got to answer her phone and softly nibbled her lip to avoid any smudges with her makeup when she saw who her caller was, "Hi Mika—yes, I will stop by today for the—what!?" she brought her free hand up to her waist, expressing her frustration, "That bitch..."

Both Megumi and Mamoru turned with a surprised look on their faces since it was very strange and unexpected to hear the now mature and elegant voice of the always so sweet and bubbly Usagi use such words to refer another human being. Mamoru cocked a brow with surprise and turned to finish his document, "I guess it's time for us to leave—" he closed his laptop and put it inside his messenger bag along with a few folders and widened his eyes as he continued to listen to her flourish choice of words, "And for the sounds of it, we will have to stop by her office first," he sighed and turned to Megumi, "Would you like to come with us? I know she sounds like she could murder someone right now but she's not mad at us..."

Megumi blushed, grateful to be included in their everyday lives and giggled softly, "I think it will be better if I stay here and give a little maintenance to the room, with all the visitors I have hardly had any time to keep it as neat as I know you like to keep your living space, some things never change."

Mamoru pursed his lips, "Whenever I hear you say things like that, it makes me feel like I keep you here as a maid, which I don't appreciate, by the way. I value your efforts and I am thankful for all your help but you are free to go out whether is with us or by yourself whenever you want."

"I know my Prince, I apologize, I may have not expressed myself correctly," Megumi waved her hands, "What I was trying to say is that I like being here, and you might be surprised to hear this but I actually like to do those things, it makes me feel useful and occupied," she gave Mamoru a sad smile, "In this time and age, there is not much I can do with the little knowledge I have... I was just a girl with no education who happened to be lucky enough to work at the Palace."

"Don't say that Megumi," Mamoru shook his head, "You didn't happen to be lucky enough, you were part of our family because you earned that position with honesty—you say you have no education? I highly disagree. You are very capable of doing whatever you want if you set your mind to it; you are far more educated than many of those who call themselves world leaders,"

"B-But you are our world leader, my Prince." Megumi inched forward with a puzzled expression on her face, the obvious confusion made Mamoru chuckle, "Not in this time and era my sweet Megumi. A lot has changed ever since," he turned and pushed himself up from his chair slowly shifting his weight from one foot to another with the help of his crutches and turned to look at her, "Don't ever think of yourself that way, you are valuable to me, to Usa, to the girls and the Shitennou. There are plenty of opportunities for you out there if you want to study, if you want to do something else, just ask, we can figure something out."

"I keep every word close to my heart, my Prince." Megumi smiled, "I do and I thank you for your support."

"Always," Mamoru pinched her nose in a brotherly fashion, "Alright, so... I think we will be out all afternoon, are you sure you want to stay here? We might have to stop by a market to buy more groceries after leaving whatever workplace we get to go last." The young woman shook her head, "I will be alright, I will take care of dinner; you do whatever you have to do without a single worry." both prince and maiden turned with wide eyes at Usagi when they heard her cursing under her breath as she hung up her phone with anger and throw it carelessly inside her black satchel handbag, "Usako?" Mamoru dared to ask, not really sure of what to expect. It took Usagi a couple of minutes to deal with her emotions and whatever was going on and finally turned to her husband and exhaled heavily, "Is it okay if we stop by my office first? There is something I must do—urgently." Mamoru nodded, "Sure, I won't ask what happened... your face says it all."

"I will explain it on our way there," With a heavy sigh charged with annoyance, Usagi turned to grab her phone again and started typing something and let out another puff of air, "Okay, so our drive should—"

"Huh?" Mamoru quickly interrupted and looked at her with a frown masking his handsome face, "I'm sorry, what?"

Usagi turned with a puzzled look and blinked with confusion, "What?"

"Our drive?"

"Yes," Usagi waved her phone proudly, "I am using this app on my phone to call for a ride,"

"Why?"

"Because... we need to go and do things?"

"Usa, we have a car and its parked downstairs." Mamoru squinted his ocean-blue eyes, marking his confusion. Usagi copied his face gesture with a hint of added sarcasm, "True, but you can't drive in your condition."

"Who says I'm driving?" Mamoru shrugged his shoulders carelessly, startling his wife, "W-What?"

"You're driving,"

"What!?"

Mamoru pointed the large bowl in the foyer, completely ignoring the shocked look on her face, "The key is over there," he turned to secure his *terraluna watch on his wrist and grab his wallet, phone, and the flash drive he was using on his laptop minutes ago, not paying attention to Usagi's panicked gaze, "You're kidding, right?" That was the only retort she could come up with; Mamoru turned and shook his head still confused, "Why would I be kidding? You know how to drive—Motoki taught you, Haruka taught you, I taught you, and your dad also taught you."

"Yes..." Usagi nodded and walked over to him, desperate to change his mind, "But did you forget how long it took me to learn?"

"You did in the end, come on." Mamoru grabbed his messenger bag and put the thick strap across his chest and waited for her to take the lead to walk out of the apartment but Usagi wasn't having it, instead, she shook her head to make a point and reason with her husband and stomped her foot on the floor with frustration, keeping her ground on the matter "No, no, come on—Mamo-chan!"

"Usako," Mamoru frowned, "It's not a car with a stick, it's automatic. You know how to drive an automatic car. I changed the other car for this one because you said it would be good if you could drive too,"

"Well, yes but..." Usagi rolled her eyes and puffed with exasperation, "Fine! Just don't judge my driving skills. Don't judge my distance or how I step on the brake or accelerator. I don't want to hear a peep, alright?" She pouted her lips, "I can't park between two cars... you know that." Mamoru smiled in reassurance, "I am not going to judge you, come on, the sooner we leave the sooner we get back." Usagi growled and stomped her way to get her purse, "I hate it when you do that."

"And I love you," Mamoru tried his best not to laugh when he saw her fuming at him and noticed she had yet not finished the secret concoction he asked Megumi to make and pointed the jar on the table, "Ah-ah, don't forget your smoothie."

Usagi was about to snap back at him again but then realized it would be too rude of her to misprize Megumi's kind gesture of preparing it for her so she turned and without saying anything else took one gulp after another until she finished it all and put the empty jar again on the table and turned to give the maiden a soft smile, "It was very tasty, Megumi, thank you again."

"Have a nice day, Your Highness," Megumi waved her hand and watched the princess return to her rants and fumes as she walked out the door with Mamoru just nodding patiently behind and smiled, "There is no doubt those two belong together."

O—o—o—o—O

The morning was quiet, everybody was doing their own routines as they moved and went in and out of buildings, cars, and public transportation. It had been a quiet morning, especially for a certain couple. After running some errands and grocery shopping, Haruka and Michiru walked back to the car and drove back home.

Michiru turned her attention from the view outside her window to the woman driving at the other side of the car and took a deep, silent breath. After the attack, things have been a little complicated between them and even the interaction the blonde had with Setsuna and Hotaru had become a little strained; for starters, she had gone silent on the matter to the extent of not even asking about Usagi's state or Mamoru's. She was angry, that part was obvious to Michiru she knew well what triggered that defensive almost aggressive attitude towards her and the rest of the world.

While she kept in touch with Minako, she still wished things would be less chaotic and for Haruka to swallow whatever was boiling in her mind. She wanted to see the Princess but with Haruka so upset it would not be the best of choices, at least not for now. "You missed the exit," the aquamarine nymph said softly as she pointed the exit in question pass by her side. Sighing, she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes, "Just how long is this strange phase going to last?"

Haruka stopped on a red light, her fingers curled tight on the steering wheel as she looked straight ahead with her dark shades well in place and covering her blue eyes, Michiru already knew were cold and filled with anger. "My, we continue with the silent phase..."

"I don't know what you are expecting me to say, Michiru," Haruka mumbled as she continued to wait for the light to change colors. Michiru frowned, "You don't? Well, explaining your sudden change in attitude would be a nice start."

"It's something I must deal on my own," Haruka frowned. Michiru sighed and turned again to look out their Porsche's window, "Then I don't know why I am here with you," she noticed the blonde parked the car at the next block and but remained in silence for another couple of minutes, "What do you want from me?!" she snapped and finally turned to face her lover, "What do you want me to tell you?!"

"I want to know what's wrong with you! You've been in the worst of moods since the attack happened... you haven't even asked how the Prince or Princess is doing, and it's been more than a week. We haven't gone or called so we wouldn't have any problems with you... Pluto is at the Gates of Space and Time and Saturn is being dragged to the Underworld more and more and it is like you don't care about anything that's been happening..."

"You have told me what I need to know, the Princess is fine because the Prince is finally awake."

And there it was, the one sentence Michiru needed to hear from her lover to finally begin to peel the many layers and reasons for her anger like an onion. She was angry not at them but at the royals, her position as sailor senshi, and her obligation to serve was in the way. She had a duty but she was on a strike. Michiru sighed and shook her head, "You seem to be bothered by the fact that the Prince is awake,"

"It sickens me," Haruka blurted her anger out, like a snake spitting venom. Michiru frowned and shook her head, barely recognizing her blonde lover but Haruka was fast enough to interrupt whatever she was about to say, "It's always like this... she always puts herself in the line for others, in this case, him." She narrowed her eyes in rage, "I don't need an update to know how she is doing, I know how she is... I know how she has been and what she has done, but she doesn't realize her love for him is dangerous—he is dangerous."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Michiru shook her head in disbelief, "Yes." Haruka nodded, "Yes, I know what I am saying and I have never been so sure about something. They are not supposed to be together, not then and not now, there are valid reasons for it. All that has happened is a sign that what they have it's a curse. He is a curse."

"Haruka!"

"She died because of him! She killed herself because of him! And that is the way it has been every time there is an enemy! She gives her life for others and doesn't give a damn about her. I know I got along with him, he's cool to hang out with but the truth is obvious. I thought I could come to terms with their affair and support her because I love her. She is my Princess but I cannot continue supporting her constant sacrifices for him, a Prince that has done nothing but put everyone in danger with his shady past and dark family."

Michiru widened her eyes in disbelief, Haruka clenched her jaw, "You asked me what was wrong with me? This is what is wrong with me, I am angry! I am frustrated!"

"What you are saying is cruel,"

"What I am saying is the truth."

"You're blaming the Prince, you're blaming the Princess—our Princess."

"He is related to everything that has been putting our Princess in danger, Michiru. What he did that night was selfish, and stupid."

"He saved her life!" Michiru raised her voice, "I am not defending him, I am stating something obvious! We were being attacked from all sides, we were surrounded!"

"I will not serve a Prince that is linked to darkness, he's a monster, Michiru," Haruka snapped angrily, "And if my Princess decides to continue sharing and risking her life for him, then I resign my position as Sailor Senshi."

The words felt like daggers on Michiru's chest. Since she found Haruka again they had been partners in everything and they were probably the only ones that never questioned or cursed their destinies as Senshi. They always worked as one, they thought as one and now it felt like they were parting ways, which made the whole situation more painful. Michiru still believed in the princess' light of hope and she believed in the future Pluto once foreshadowed. She wanted to fight for the cause but Haruka was on the other side of the spectrum and not only that, she was also losing her, as her lover and life companion. The violinist shook her head with disbelief but her deep aquamarine eyes gleamed with tears, "I am only going to say this one time—you are angry... not at him, not at her, but at yourself. It angers you that you were not the one with power enough to save her. You are angry for not being able to even come close to Asteria or the Andromedian—it angers you it was him, instead of you. I believe in Princess Serenity and I believe in a world where we all can live in peace, whether is under our true selves or as mortals, but I believe in it. It's not my problem, nor Pluto's or Saturn's... is yours, you and your ego. It's not Mamoru's or Usagi's problem either, it's yours and your overprotective shadow over her. He risked his life for her and it sickens you because what you saw that night, the power he showed it was something you were not expecting to come from him. You are angry because you realize how much you underestimated him because as strong as you are, you were not even close to doing what he did, it burns you to the very core." Michiru sighed and pulled the handle on her door to open it, "That is why we are a team, that is why we are together but if you can't accept it—then I cannot be with you,"

Haruka's blue eyes widened, "Michiru..."

"I can't—" Michiru stepped out of the car and slammed the door as she walked away without looking behind. Her words felt like crashing waves in her heart, stumbling her feelings and insecurities. She loved the woman and now, she was slipping away and despite feeling the angst and the desperation to go after her and stop her with a kiss, her body didn't respond. She looked at her vanishing in the distance, her flowy cream-colored dress dancing around her legs with every step she took further away from her; the love of her life was parting ways and it was breaking her heart.

"—I'm sorry." Haruka put her dark sunglasses and turned the engine on and pulled back into the traffic, "I'm sorry, my love."

O—o—o—o—O

Usagi let out a long puff of air and arranged the rear-view mirror for the hundredth time as she waited for the red light to turn green. Her delicate fingers tapped nervously the leather-like material on the steering wheel thinking how her once perfectly painted matte lips might be all smudged for rubbing her teeth over them so many times since she turned the car engine on and drove the car out of their building. Mamoru's brow peeked up from his classic ray ban's and turned to face his nervous wife on the driver's seat, "Why are you so anxious?"

"I don't like driving when there is so much traffic," Usagi pursed her lips nervously and frowned, "And I happen to know how expensive this freaking car is—if I scratch it, I won't hear the end of it."

"All cars are expensive, Usa, not just this one." Mamoru leaned forward to look up at the thick clouds floating in the sky through the windshield, "It's going to rain soon..." he pointed the green light above them, "Green."

"Yes, cars are expensive but this one's ridiculous—it's too fancy. It makes me nervous..." Usagi stepped softly on the accelerator to continue their journey and frowned, "You make me nervous,"

"Buns, I am the last person that should make you feel nervous—we've done more risky things than this." Mamoru looked outside his window, "It's actually nice not being the one driving, I am going to ask you to take the wheel more often... oh look, a new ramen place,"

"You drive way better than I do,"

"You're doing great, you need to relax,"

"You need to relax!"

"That's the thing, my dear, I am relaxed,"

Usagi stopped at another red light and turned to him with a pout, "You're so mean, you know that, right?"

"How am I mean?" Mamoru cracked a chuckle and pinched Usagi's cheek gently, "I am stating a truth. Plus, you once told me it was good that you knew how to drive in case any of us needed help, well, your husband needs your valuable help and driving skills."

Usagi could not help to smile whenever she heard him say the word husband. She loved to hear him refer to himself as hers not because she didn't think she owned him or that she was being possessive of him. After the incident with Chieko, she finally admitted on being a little jealous, yes, but she understood that after so many years together, being married was more powerful and meaningful to both of them than just wearing a ring on their fingers. It was an ancient promise, finally fulfilled.

After twenty minutes more that felt more like an eternity, Usagi turned the wheel on the next block with much more ease and feeling a much more confident of her driving skills, thinking Mamoru was right when he said it was much easier to drive with this car than the one he previously owned but its luxury still made her feel a little uneasy because she wasn't that good with measuring distances and parking any vehicle. She made another stop and like her husband predicted, it started to rain giving a gloomier feeling to the day ahead as she spotted the building where the magazine offices were located. She felt it, the uncomfortable tug in her chest that warned her what she was going to be dealing with in a couple of minutes and felt like she needed to vent her worries, "Yuki-san has been acting strange lately, Mika-san told me there is this rumor going on that she's being promoted—" the princess leaned back in the driver's seat once she finally managed to park the car outside of the tall and fancy building and turned the engine off. The sound of the thick water droplets crashing against the windshield summed to the uncertainty of what was going to happen once she walked inside the building and it was keeping her glued to her seat. "But at other people's expense, most likely mine," she closed her tear glossed eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm scared, Endymion."

Mamoru pulled his dark shades away from his face and turned to his wife, "If that woman gets a promotion is only because she likes to flatter your boss to an extent of falling into ridicule—people like her feed from appearances and do whatever to keep an image to others, trust me, it's not worth your time or attention. Don't give her the right to see you crumbling. Serenity, baby, you need to thicken your skin and stand up for yourself—it's good to be kind to others but that doesn't mean you can let anyone stomp on your good will. Sadly, the real world can be a scary place and not everyone has good intentions. Not everyone lends a hand expecting nothing in return. Not everyone is trustworthy," he cupped her cheek lovingly, "Not everyone is like you."

"Thicken my skin?" Usagi frowned and shook her head, "How am I supposed to do that?"

"By not letting her put you in this mood." Mamoru pinched her nose gently, "You are giving that woman way too much importance and power, my dear,"

"You make it sound so easy..."

"Because it is,"

Usagi pressed her lips with a slight frown for a second, "No, it's because you are a natural at being apathetic." The frustrated comment from his wife made Mamoru smile with nostalgia. He leaned closer to her and combed her long fringe aside to look her in the eye, "No, dear. It's not something that came naturally, it's something I learned the hard way. One thing is to be approachable but other very different is to allow others to make you feel vulnerable." his thumb caressed her lips gently, "I don't want you to go through the same I did, so I am saying it to you now—don't give them the right to drag you down."

Usagi sighed and leaned her head on his hand, "Care to switch places with me?" looked into his deep blue eyes and giggled nervously. Mamoru held her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers in a tight hold, "Would it make you feel better if I went with you?"

"Would you?" Usagi felt hopeful as silly it was, she really didn't want to go in there alone; Mamoru nodded and kissed her hand in support, "Of course,"

"You don't think this is silly of me?"

"No,"

"Even if you wait for me at the reception?"

"It's fine, love." Mamoru shook his head, "For you—anything. Come on... let's go," he turned to the back seat to grab an umbrella he had for these types of cases of unexpected rain and handed it to his wife, "Here, don't get wet." Usagi grabbed it and quickly got out of the car to help him with the crutches and closed the door behind him. As they made their way through the building lobby, Usagi slid her card on the slot that allowed them to cross the front desk all the way to the elevators and pushed the button to take them to the magazine's floor. Mamoru leaned his back on the elevator wall and looked at his wife fidgeting nervously next to him; "Everything is going to be fine," he murmured as he ran his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. The soft bell from the elevator interrupted their little moment of affection and soon both were welcomed by the hurried sounds of telephones ringing, loud and indistinctive chatter and clicking heels all around the modern office and lobby. Mamoru jerked his head slightly in the direction of the fancy waiting area close to the front desk, "I will be waiting for you over there, alright? Breathe, you got this," he whispered in her ear and kissed her temple before walking away. Still not sure why she felt so anxious, Usagi took a deep breath and nodded as she walked out of the elevator and greeted the receptionist who was typing something on her computer, "Good morning Mei-san."

"Usagi-san! Ohayo!" The young receptionist grinned, "It's been a while since I saw you around... you even changed your look—I love the new hair color by the way! Very chic," Usagi smiled shyly, not really wanting to go much into detail about it, "Oh, t-thanks,"

The girl smiled and widened her dark brown eyes when she saw Mamoru taking a seat at the lounge area while looking down at his phone, doing little to no effort to socialize with anybody, "Oh my," the young woman gasped, catching Usagi's attention as she signed a format to send to her boss, "What?"

"The hottie that just got here,"

"Huh?"

The young blonde girl bit her lower lip in a flirtatious way and wiggled her brows without taking her eyes off her target, "Look at that super-hot model over there—he's probably coming to shoot the new ad campaign. Maya sure has a good eye, he sure is one tasty piece of candy..." she leaned on the counter and sighed, "I could spread that hunk on a cracker and eat him in one big bite..."

Shocked by the young woman's choice of words, she turned to glance over her shoulder and felt her blood run cold in her veins and the most uncomfortable chill all over her body when she realized who her co-worker was talking about. This was probably the first time Usagi felt this angry when somebody made a reference about Mamoru's looks but know that she knew more about his relationship with the word 'hunk' and what it actually meant in his life she couldn't help feeling overprotective of him. It was like Minako so much wanted her to understand, it wasn't his fault, the man was utterly attractive and he had a unique and mysterious vibe that only magnified the strong presence he imposed whenever he went without even trying and without a single care. Usagi knew the Mamoru-effect firsthand, and even now, two thousand years later, she still got caught in it like if it was the very first time. Mamoru had a magnetism impossible to ignore, that she understood, but this was the first time—aside from the conversation she overheard between him and Chieko the other day—that she could see how women looked at him. As blunt and awful as it sounded in her head, Chiba Mamoru—Endymion, her Mamo-chan, was a beautiful ornament to everyone else. His feelings, intentions, or even his impressive level of intelligence were constantly overlooked and sadly, it's what had made him level up his sarcasm and seriousness to others. Mamoru was the man any girl dreamed to marry; a man with a future, with money to spend, and a handsomeness to admire with no end, and it hit her how after two thousand years, nothing really had changed.

Usagi finally understood why Mamoru was apathetic and what he meant when he said he learned to be like that, the hard way. In this or any other lifetime, he was a man whose his skills or character were often overlooked, making obvious as to why he handled his personal life with so much hermetic and seriousness nature. It was clear to her now, what the word hunk represented in his life and the way Mei was talking about him was the best example of it and it bothered her—it bothered her greatly. The girl was not just admiring his looks anymore, no, she was actually lusting over him the same way Yuki did on their wedding day, and the same intoxicating way Chieko did when they were signing the papers on the house. Sad enough, it wasn't a casual glance of admiration, this was not a platonic way to look at him but of pure lewdness and it sickened her—it angered her without measure, and she had to make it stop. With a long sigh, Usagi turned and gave the girl the coldest of glares, one that could even cut through anything, "He is not a model,"

"What?"

"He is my husband, Mei-san."

With this new piece of information, Mei felt her blood freezing in her veins and turned pale in a matter of seconds, realizing what she had done. It was then when she remembered hearing from Yuki that Usagi had gotten married and the reason for her absence was because she used her vacation days for her honeymoon. But along with the news of the young illustrator's wedding, also came the gossip and Mei was perfectly aware of Yuki's usual way to overelaborate stories and whenever she heard her talking non-stop about the groom she thought the redhead was over exaggerating as always until now that she got to see him in person and totally see why. With the same panic that couldn't seem to leave her face, Mei slowly turned to face the silver-blonde and shook her head, "O-Oh—Usagi-san, oh my god, oh my god, I-I'm so so sorry! I—"

"He is not a hunk, he's not a hottie or tasty piece of eye-candy and he is not something to spread on anything. You need to learn how to talk to people," Usagi arched her brow, "You need to learn to respect others, even if he wasn't someone I knew, that's not a proper way to speak of someone behind their back."

"I-I'm so sorry... I didn't know—"

"You don't have or need to know anything to be polite, it's called manners. Learn them, they're useful in life." Usagi sighed to try and shed some of her anger boiling inside her; knowing this was not going to take her anywhere any time soon so she decided to ignore the girl's weak attempts to apologize and turned in the direction of her boss' office, "Is Maya here?"

"Y-Yes, she is in a meeting with marketing, but—" Mei widened her eyes in shock when Usagi walked past her without saying anything else, clearly still upset for what just happened. The steady clicking sound of her high heels soon caught Mika's attention and looked up at the silver-haired woman walking inside their shared office, "Usagi!"

"Hey Mika—I was on my way to Maya's office but Mei told me—" she rolled her eyes in annoyance, "—Among other things—that she was in a meeting with the marketing team so I thought it would be a good time to catch up with what's been going on here before I head over to her office," Usagi turned and frowned when she saw Yuki's desk was no longer next to Mika's and that her desk was not exactly how she left it, "Mika... what happened in here?"

Resigned, Mika sighed, "This is what I was trying to tell you over the phone the other day—Yuki, she's being promoted to head of this department. It's been confirmed."

"Meaning?" Usagi frowned and walked over to her computer to check on some things but before she could say a thing the answer came clear right before her beautiful eyes, "My work... why does—" Mika sighed again, "She took full credit for it." Usagi's eyes widened with anger and turned to her co-worker and friend, "She what?!"

O—o—O

At the lobby, Mamoru stopped an email on his phone and paid close attention to what he was sure was his wife having some sort of an argument with another person. Judging by her tone, he could already tell whatever was happening inside wasn't good news. As much as he wanted to intervene in her defense, he had to remain low-key, this was a battle she had to fight for herself and a boss she had to face with dignity and the same brave stance she did whenever she fought as Sailor Moon. This was a trial she had to overcome, a lesson she had to learn like he did, so many years back. With a soft sigh, he looked down at his phone again, the corner of his lip curled in a confident smile, "You got this, Serenity."

O—o—O

Back in the office, Mika shook her head, "She's been doing a whole mess after your wedding. Maya was putting so much pressure for all of us to finish the designer's campaign and—"

"—She stole my work and claimed it as hers! She freaking hacked the security code on my drive and stole my work! I can't believe her!" A wave of anger and disillusion crashed over Usagi over the unexpected turns her dream job had taken. She was disappointed to see how far envy and jealousy could go and that how it had to happen to her. If something she was dead sure about, was her efforts and many sleepless nights trying to push herself to excel in her career as an illustrator and designer. Her eyes burned with angry tears, thinking how much all her hard work wasn't paying off and that her value as a person was not appreciated in a job she cared for and loved so much. That was the worst part of it, she loved her job, and she had become friends with her co-workers, but this was a brutal reminder that just as there were good people in the world, there were also those who couldn't stand other people's success or happiness—like Yuki.

Usagi shook her head and took a long and deep breath, "I can't wait here and see how she steals my work. I can't give her or anyone such benefit, not anymore."

Something inside Usagi snapped like the cork of a bottle of champagne did under the pressure of being pushed up. She thought about all the things she had to endure to earn her place in that department and how much effort, love, and passion she had put to everything she has done since she started working there. It was her first official job as an illillustratord designer, that was true, but the platform the cult magazine was giving her was something she could not ignore and the emotional and now professional abuse she got from her boss at moments like these was what made Usagi lose her last drop of patience giving cue to Mamoru's advice when telling her how she deserved to be where her work spoke for itself and she felt appreciated.

It was the most bitter irony, now that she put more thought into the whole situation. She had fought monsters, aliens, have challenged people from the future, and has gone into the depths of the universe. She has saved the world more than once and now here she was, taking crappy attitude from a woman that didn't really care about anything but herself—since when she accepted this situation as something normal? Was this being normal? No. She angrily thought, this isn't normal, she didn't want this type of normality. Not when she was taught how to fight. Not when she had friends who were warriors as well, not when she was married to a warrior.

No, this isn't normal. She is not normal. She is Sailor Moon—Princess Serenity of the Moon, for heaven's sake.

Usagi turned on her heel and walked to Maya's office, surprising Mika for her unexpected reaction, "Usagi!" The silver-haired walked past by Maya's secretary despite her warning of not going in and opened the door, interrupting the meeting her boss was having with Yuki and the managers from other departments. Maya turned furious at her and frowned, "What do you think you are doing Tsukino-san?"

"Good morning Maya, sorry for the abrupt interruption but I need to have a word with you, alone." Usagi gave Yuki a fiery glance, making a great emphasis on the last word. Maya let out a sarcastic chuckle, "Excuse me?"

Usagi stood her ground and didn't either budge or flinch with embarrassment like she normally would, thinking how maybe her royal side was finally showing through or that maybe it was because she knew Mamoru was close by waiting for her and that made her feel safe. She didn't feel alone and also, she felt she had to homage her new name and borrow some of Mamoru's scrappy attitude to protect her dignity and reputation by letting them know she was not someone to be toyed with. Maya noticed the sudden change in her too and turned to her associates and peers, "We will continue with this later this afternoon." she muttered dryly and she closed the portfolio in her hands. Without a single question or contradicting argument everyone in the room silently left her alone with the silver-haired, being Yuki the last person to close the door behind her. Maya walked from the long oval table she had at the other side of her office for meetings to her modern desk and started to put some images into different separators and folders, "So, you finally decided it was appropriate for you to show up." The older woman glanced up quickly at Usagi and scoffed with sarcasm, "Blessed my eyes,"

Usagi frowned, "I didn't decide it was time, I took my vacation days—"

"Your vacation leave ended days ago," Maya interrupted Usagi and arched her brow defiantly, "And based on what Nakamura informed me, you still need to take more days but, sure—that gives you the right to come in here and interrupt my meetings as you please like if you owned this office,"

"It's not as I please," Usagi shook her head, "I tried to reach you and you never took my calls. I have been taking days because I had an emergency—"

"In this business there is no room for emergencies," Maya raised her voice to prove her authority, "Either you come here and deliver 200% or do not come at all." The older woman narrowed her eyes, "Did your marriage ended already or something? Why the bitchy attitude?"

"What?" Usagi was clearly offended by the woman's snarky comment. Maya took a seat behind her desk and looked at her, "You went as far as doing that stupid hairstyle again—I told you I didn't want to see you wearing that, it makes me and the magazine look bad."

"My hair, the way I dress, my weight... any of those things affect my work—you know I am good at it, but you preferred to promote someone who doesn't have a clue of what she's doing." Usagi clapped back angrily, "Shimizu Yuki didn't do the designs you have on your desk—I did, and I did not give any authorization for her or anyone to take them without my permission." She walked to Maya's desk and grabbed the prints, "I made all of these on my computer, at my house, and out of office hours which makes it personal artwork—it's copyrighted and she stole it from me but you being the egocentric woman you are, you didn't even care to do a little research and gave her a promotion—one I have been working my ass off for months to get!"

Maya widened her eyes, this was a new side of the always sweet and respectful she did not know of Usagi. "Who the hell do you think you are? I will not allow you to speak to me this way!" she pounded her fist on her desk and slowly stood from her seat, "You don't even have the slightest idea of who you are talking to—I can ruin your career in a matter of seconds."

At this point, Usagi knew there was no turning back. She knew she had gone a little too far but she was too angry to even filter her feelings and ask for forgiveness for her behavior. This was it, the moment to thicken her skin and not giving anyone the right to make her feel bad, "The designs are mine, you may want to try and ruin my reputation and career—but what can you expect from women who can't stand competition?"

"You little brat," Maya laughed bitterly, "Competition? To me? Please,"

"I studied for this! You have no idea of how much effort and sacrifices were made in order for me to have my career and you are not going to ruin it for me." Usagi gave Maya the coldest of glares, "And I am going to do it with or without buns on my head—because a hairstyle does not affect my talent and skills."

"We'll see about that," Maya snarled and walked away from her desk, towards Usagi, "Don't you even think you are allowed to come back to the magazine," she shook her head and clicked her tongue as she looked at her up and down, "You are a wasted talent, I had hopes for you and you had to ruin it by getting married. Well newsflash little girl, men are unreliable! They are disposable! The minute you turn your back they leave you stranded." She frowned angrily, "Don't come back here crying and begging for another opportunity when you get your ass dumped by a younger version of yourself."

"None of this has anything to do with me getting married," Usagi shook her head angrily, "I have endured too much ambition in my life and I have encountered so many horrible things in the past but this... your words are beyond it." she shook her head, "It's needless to say I won't be coming back so I don't care, I don't care what you think or what you say. I won't give you that right, not anymore. You can say as much as you want about me but this work is mine, and I will hire whoever I have to hire to make sure you can't use it for this or any other campaign in the future. I know how much money this brought you—well, let's put that money into use to pay a lawyer for the lawsuit coming your way."

Maya laughed, "You? You are going to sue me for the rights of these? These belong to the company! They belong to me!" she shook her head, "Please, you probably don't have a single penny to spend... let alone the courage to go through a long, devastating lawsuit."

"I will after I win." Usagi arched her brow with defiance, "I never gave my authorization and those were stolen from my encrypted drive, my personal encrypted drive. All those designs were there for my personal use—you can check my computer, you can check any computer from any cubicle in this office—you won't find a single trace." Usagi narrowed her eyes, "I won't let her take credit for my effort and knowledge. But just think what will happen to this magazine's reputation after the competition learns your shady strategies of marketing?"

"Are you threatening me?"

"I am defending what is mine."

Maya looked at her and for a reason she could not really explain, she felt intimidated by the younger woman in front of her. There was a presence and a courage she had not seen coming from her before, her pride didn't want to admit it and it did not let her flinch in weakness, instead, it provoked the envious vibes she didn't know she had going so strong. Where did she find this new aggressive courage? She thought with wonder. Whatever it was, she could not look away.

O—o—O

Mamoru glanced down at his watch and pursed his lips, it has been a while since they got there and there were no signs of Usagi anywhere, fearing something was going on. He thought of asking the receptionist if she had any information on his wife when he saw Yuki talking to the girl and pursed his lips with annoyance; he quickly decided to put his initial thought aside and keep waiting when he accidentally overhead their conversation.

"She went inside the office acting all crazy mode and demanded to speak to Maya, like if she owned the place."

"But hasn't she been missing work lately? Why is she here acting all bitchy?" Mei asked with a hint of annoyance, Yuki shrugged her shoulders, "She thinks she's entitled because she claims the designs for the summer and autumn campaigns for this big designer are hers, I mean hello? I came up with the idea of creating a design inspired in cosmic romance,"

Mamoru's blue eyes widened when he remembered the countless nights Usagi stayed up working on her ideas and hearing her say the magazine was competing to feature an exclusive line and how it was the perfect opportunity to earn a promotion. He remembered how excited she was when sketching and talking to him about her ideas and how she would use her experiences as senshi and princess to pitch a campaign called 'Cosmic Romance'. But now, and for what Mamoru could hear from the women gossiping close by, they were claiming her work as their own without her permission and for him, that was the last straw.

Mei bit her lower lip and leaned closer to Yuki, "By the way... speaking of Usagi-san... guess who came along with her?"

Yuki blinked with curiosity, "Who?" Her eyes widened, "Wait," she turned to look over her shoulder at Mamoru sitting at the lounge and gasped; Mei smiled "Okay, so, I have to confess that I didn't believe you when you first told me about him but—" Yuki turned with a grin, "Right?"

"Oh my god!" Mei mouthed with shock and sighed, "Can life be any more unfair?"

"Unfair? No," Yuki undid her ponytail and shook her hair in a flirtatious way, completely taking Mei by surprise, "Yuki, what are you—"

"Men are men, and I know how to crack them." Yuki smirked, "I did it with Orochi, remember?"

"You're such a flirt, Yuki,"

"No, I know what I want—and I want that candy over there," Yuki smirked with confidence, "Excuse me,"

Mamoru was so into his thoughts he didn't realize he was no longer alone until the uncomfortable chill one has when someone scratches a chalkboard with their nails ran all over him, "Hi!" He closed his eyes in frustration when he heard Yuki's high-pitch voice ringing in front of him, "Mamoru, right?" Yuki looked at him with a confident smile. Mamoru sighed and put his phone back in his black pants before he looked up at the red-head, "Yes," his voice showed zero interest in establishing a deeper conversation with her but for the looks of it, he was already condemned. Yuki gave the man an excited grin as she put to work the wide arsenal of charming tricks she had for whenever she wanted to catch a man's attention, "I didn't know you were here! Why didn't you ask for me? I could have totally hooked you up—you know, with some coffee."

"Classy," Mamoru muttered under his breath and tried to divert his attention to something else but the woman in front of him wasn't taking the hint. Yuki blinked "Are you looking for Usagi? Or should I say, your wifey?" A single nod was all she got in response from Mamoru, another hint she didn't pick up. Yuki smiled and flicked her long hair back, "She's in a meeting with the Editor in Chief. I honestly don't know how long she going to take in there... why don't you come with me and have a cup of coffee while you wait? Come on, my treat,"

Mamoru turned to look at her and leaned forward. He rested his arms on his lap and gave Yuki an analytical glance, his deep blue eyes narrowed with wonder, "Are you always like this?" he muttered, partly interested and partly disgusted. The question startled the young woman and shook her head, "E-Excuse me?"

"Is this your lifestyle every single day?"

"Well, yes—it's what I am used to."

Mamoru quirked a brow, "What you are used to?"

"You know," Yuki shrugged her shoulder casually, "Moneywise,"

"Hmm... sure," It had been long since Mamoru lost all interest to be polite to someone. Usually, he would give anyone the benefit of the doubt or even preferred to ignore them and avoid feeling annoyed by stupid comments but the woman who now decided to sit in a chair in front of him had an innate talent to push anyone's buttons and put anyone's patience to the test, even his. He knew Usagi is far more open and permissive than he ever was, and while she had taken much mistreat from her, he was not going to fall for that game—he knew how to play it and actually win, again, he learned it the hard way. "It's exhausting, don't you think? Waking up every morning trying to figure out how to keep proving your made-up status to those around you," his voice deepened, sending Yuki a sharp chill down her back, "I-I don't know what you are talking about..."

"Sure you do, you just like to pretend you don't." Mamoru never took his intense gaze off her, Yuki widened her eyes and blinked nervously, "I really do—"

"M-Mamoru-san!" Another voice interrupted their conversation, Mamoru turned to look at Mika walking towards them and waved her hand, "Ohayo!"

Mamoru's cold stare slowly shifted to a more approachable one the second she came close, "Ohayo, Mika-san."

Mika smiled softly, "A-Are you looking for Usagi?" she blinked when she saw the pair of crutches next to him, "Oh my goodness, Mamoru-san, what happened?"

"I had an accident," Mamoru answered softly but with no opening to any more questions about the matter. "I came with Usagi, I know she is in a meeting with your boss." His eyes changed colors again as he fixed his intense gaze on Yuki, who was still sitting in front of him and way too close to his liking, " couldn't help overhearing your previous conversation and I want you to confirm me what this is about,"

"Me?" Yuki blinked with wide eyes, Mamoru nodded "Yes, you."

"Listen Mamoru, Usagi—"

"First of all, let's be clear about something." Mamoru raised his hand mid-way to stop her, "Since when you can speak to me with such confidence?" Mika widened her eyes and looked down at Yuki who was having a hard time to find the right answer to give to Mamoru, "Ah... well..."

"Well?"

"I-I thought... well... you see... Usagi is a friend of mine and I thought—"

"No, you're not—not even close to being one." Mamoru narrowed his blue eyes, "You don't know me. I've only seen you once in my life and I don't recall ever giving you any sort of invitation to approach me so casually," he traced an invisible line between him and the redhead with his hand, "Also, you need to re-think on how you approach others, you're invading my personal space, so please, if you don't mind..."

Yuki blinked and quickly obeyed by leaning back. Mika saw the intimidating shade Mamoru was throwing Yuki with surprise. She was very impressed to see how he managed to do something not even Maya was able to do since it was nearly impossible to shut the woman up less to make her understand any sort of boundaries or respect. Mamoru kept his position with his arms on his lap and narrowed his sapphire eyes at Yuki who was feeling completely helpless at this point, "I did not need to hear much to understand what's going on,"

"W-What do you mean? There is no situation, Mamoru... san," Yuki added the honorific with a trembling voice and shook her head nervously, "You probably misunderstood—"

"No-no, I don't misunderstand the obvious." Mamoru cut through her words and arched his brow with defiance, "I want Usagi's drive, the very one with all of her work, the one you stole and I don't want to hear you don't know where it is or any other stupid excuse because I know you have it well hidden."

Both Yuki and Mika widened their eyes at his bluntness, with the redhead trying her best to keep her image intact, "I-I don't... I don't have it,"

"You're a terrible liar, who are you trying to fool? Just you?" Mamoru leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "What you are doing to Usagi is called plagiarism and even if she decided to keep things peaceful, I am a totally different story. I don't like excuses and I don't like wasting time, so, if you do not want to be in the middle of a serious problem with me and my lawyer, you better go get me that drive, now."

"But, Mamoru-san—" Yuki tried to insist but Mamoru shook his head, not having any of it anymore and didn't give the woman any other chance to redeem herself, "I said now,"

Yuki froze in her place, putting his handsome features aside, she never imagined sweet Usagi's husband could be this intimidating, blunt and cold. She bit her lip nervously and quickly went back to her office without saying another word. Mika turned to an exasperated Mamoru, who was sighing with heavy annoyance. He looked at the young woman and shook his head, "Please excuse my outburst, Mika-san,"

"Oh," Mika shook her head and waved her hands in front of her, "No, no... please, don't worry. Someone really needed to put her in her place, but I should tell you she won't stay quiet for too long, she likes to talk a lot."

Mamoru shrugged his shoulders, "I couldn't care less whatever she has to say," he looked at Mika and shook her head, "She doesn't know how to measure the consequences of her actions, it's typical behavior of an insecure person who feels intimidated by others."

Mika was impressed by Mamoru's ability to dismantle a person with a glance and the right words. It surprised her to see he didn't even need to raise his voice to prove a point and impose authority when needed. She had to admit that looking at him was hypnotizing and admirable, immediately understanding why Usagi felt so drawn to him despite the obviousness of his good appearance. There was no doubt of the tight commitment and respect they had for one another by the way he was looking after his wife's interests, it was truly endearing and it made sense to Mika as she remembered how Usagi's eyes would always lit up like two sparkly stars every time he talked about him, or how the two of them looked at each other on their wedding day, proving just how deep was their love for one another.

Mika was a true believer of how opposites attract each other and this was the perfect example to strengthen those beliefs. It was crystal clear how they had different personalities; unlike Usagi's much sweeter approach to deal with things, Mamoru was colder, much more fearless and direct and if his patience ran low she could tell it meant serious trouble if he ever ran out of it.

"I'm glad you put her in her place," Mika let out a soft chuckle, "This will last for a while and I must say, I will enjoy it very much." Mamoru gave Mika a sympathetic smile, "I have the feeling this is not the first time something like this happens, right?"

"You're right, Mamoru-san," Mika sighed, "It's not the first time. I've been working here for two years and it has happened several times before." She shook her head, "I ashamed to say I was one of those times, but as much as I hate to confess, I guess I linger too much on the idea of finding a better opportunity out there but Maya is a little inflexible, which makes it a little hard for me to make a decision."

"Of course," Mamoru scoffed and shook his head, "It doesn't surprise me at all. I have heard enough from Usagi to know how things roll in this place." Mika half smiled and nodded, "Yeah, what you think, it's what it is—in this media, respect is so underrated." she exhaled deeply, "Well, Mamoru-san, I have to go back to work—is there anything I can bring you while you wait? Water, coffee?"

Mamoru shook his head with a smile, "No Mika-san, I'm fine—I'll keep waiting for Usa here, thank you." Mika nodded, finding the endearing nickname, "Okay, but if you need anything, let me know, okay?"

"Sure thing, thanks." Mamoru watched the young woman walk back inside and with a sigh, he leaned his head back silently hoping for his wife to return soon.

O—o—O

Like a prophecy, Usagi stormed out Maya's office minutes after and walked back to her office and began taking out her things from her desk, startling Mika in the process, "Usagi?" she asked softly and widened her eyes when the silver blonde sat on her chair and covered her face with both hands, "I'm leaving Mika-san, she fired me and I don't care that she did." She took a couple of hasty breaths. Mika walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder for support, "What!? Usagi, what happened?!"

"I told her," Usagi moved her hands away and shook her head, she was clearly upset but was making the best of efforts to stay calm and not cry. "I told Maya the designs were mine, I told her Yuki stole my drive but she didn't believe me." she turned to look at her friend and co-worker and narrowed her watery eyes, "I honestly don't know what came over me but I was so angry I even dared to say I was going to sue the magazine for plagiarism."

"Usagi!" Mika widened her eyes with surprise, "I know, I know..." Usagi cracked a soft chuckle and continued packing her things in a box she got from the storage room, "I don't even know if it counts as plagiarism but I guess it doesn't matter now. She fired me and I quit at the same time." she exhaled softly and clicked her tongue, "It's not even the designs I am so mad about, you know? It's the fact that Maya believes so much in Yuki-san and Yuki-san barely does anything, she is like a leech stealing other people's energy. I just couldn't take it anymore."

Mika knew to perfection what Usagi was talking about, she herself had been immersed in a very similar drama but unlike the silver blonde, she wasn't as brave and have remained quiet the whole time. She understood how her friend was feeling; the anger, the disillusion, and the sense of devaluing. It broke her heart to see such talented girl being cracked by the system of ambition and envy that flowed in the office like creeks all over. With a soft smile, Mika leaned closer to her friend and patted her shoulder, "Hey, do you want to hear something that will cheer you up a little?"

Usagi nodded, "I could use some cheerful gossip right now, yes." Mika chuckled and started helping Usagi put some folders and other things inside the cardboard box, "Your awesome husband just put Yuki in her place." Usagi blinked and looked back at Mika, "What? Mamo-chan?" She shook her head, still confused "What do you mean?"

"Yuki saw him waiting for you at the waiting lounge but your husband didn't give her much to talk about—he slammed her whole little charade in a matter of seconds and left her speechless." Mika chuckled with pleasure, Usagi widened her eyes, "Oh, that must have been priceless, when he's annoyed... beware,"

"It was glorious!" Mika giggled and exhaled softly, "He is very intimidating..."

"He can be a little, when he runs out of patience, yes." Usagi's giggle was soon shadowed by an annoyed sigh, "Mei probably told her he was here or something—they're friends." Mika shrugged her shoulders, "Most likely, it all started because she called him by his name a few times and he stopped her right away and told her to not talk to him so casually because she didn't know him," Mika clapped with joy, "He even pushed her away saying she was taking too much of his personal space—you should have seen the look on her face. That was enough for her to shut up and leave."

"Oh my god," Usagi gaped with surprise, "That's glorious, I am going to ask him about it later," Mika smiled widely and nodded, "Please do, it sure was." The moment soon had a sour turn when both realized that this was the last time they would be talking like this. They had gotten along very well since the beginning and both could even say became good friends and even when they knew they could see each other outside the office for lunch or do some shopping, their gossip and time in the office was never going to happen again, it was like the end of an era and it hurt both of them because they became a team. Them against the world. "This is so sad and unfair," Mika said with melancholy, "I am going to miss you so much, I feel responsible in a way... I advised you wrong,"

"No Mika, don't blame yourself for this. It was really an emergency and I wasn't going to put it aside to come and check on Yuki-san," Usagi sighed, "There are things going on that are far more important than them." She gave her friend a sad smile, "I have to go... Mamo-chan is waiting for me and well, if Maya sees me hanging around a minute longer she will call security or something." she leaned forward to give her friend a warm hug, "Thanks for everything Mika-chan. I know this is not a goodbye, I will see you soon." Mika smiled and nodded her head with reassurance, "See you soon, Usagi-chan."

The blonde turned to grab her box and walked towards the lobby but soon realized she was being followed by Yuki and then by Maya herself, spitting her venom like a jealous snake, "If you think things will end this way, you are wrong Tsukino-san. Mark my words when I say your reputation is ruined by now. You won't be able to find a job like this anywhere else."

Usagi sighed and put the cardboard box on the reception counter and turned to her now-ex boss with a daring glare, "It's sad that you gain your power and authority by installing fear. If you want to destroy my reputation, I can't stop you, you can go on and do whatever you want to do, but that doesn't mean I won't fight back."

"Please, you don't have the means to do it." Maya snarled and crossed her arms, "You don't have the pow—"

"Oh, for goodness sake, this is ridiculous..."

All eyes, including Mika's, were now fixed on Mamoru sitting with his arms crossed in the lobby. He turned to who he immediately knew was the editor in chief and shook his head with disapproval, "What a poor way to talk to people. For an influential woman, like yourself, education should never become a trivial attribute. There is an image you must keep, otherwise, it would be disastrous." He arched his brow "I would keep those caprices in check if I were you."

"Mamo—ru," Usagi blinked surprised by her husband's fearless intervention, noticing it was something different he would normally have chosen to do, just like it happened to her moments ago; his royal side was showing through to defend the obvious abuse of power from the woman on his wife, nonetheless. Maya widened her eyes and frowned in defiance, "Who the hell are you and who gave you the right to pry in a private conversation?"

"Private?" Mamoru scoffed and went over to the front desk to stand by Usagi's side, "You see... the minute you raise your voice in a public space, whatever conversation you are having turns to be public domain. But, since you are literally threatening my wife, I have all the right to step in." he frowned and narrowed his eyes with defiance, "Don't ever dare to threaten her again or I swear I will do whatever it takes to give you a brutal reminder of what it's like being humble."

"Are you threatening me?" Maya snarled angrily, Mamoru's intense gaze didn't change, neither the stoic look on his face, "I am warning you."

Maya's eyes widened with shock, "So, you're the husband... the responsible for her pointless ideas."

"And you are the boss that jeopardizes her employees' future for the sake of your own image." Mamoru crossed his arms; Maya frowned angrily, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," Mamoru's dark blue eyes landed on a nervous Yuki cowardly standing behind a very shocked Maya, "You should really keep a close eye and learn how to value the people that work for you—stealing someone else's work is a crime, have you no shame?"

"It's the magazine's property," Maya said dryly, trying to keep her astonishment at bay for finding out such handsome and fearless man was no other than Usagi's famous husband. "Even if Tsukino-san truly made them, she can't take them with her."

Mamoru looked at Maya with a mocking grin on his face, "Sure, you keep telling yourself that. It will be interesting to see how much it lasts, you know, that lie of yours." He narrowed his eyes, "The social circles you move in, the people you talk to and mingle with—they don't like being lied to their faces and they certainly don't like wasting their money. You have an image to keep and a reputation to maintain, so why risk it? Izuki Irasumi."

Maya felt her blood run cold in her veins at the mention of that name—her real name. The one only a few knew and that unraveled both her past and the truth behind her success and he knew it. It was right then and there when she realized the status the man in front of her had in society, making total sense as she remembered the name next to Usagi's on her wedding invitation. Maya widened her eyes in shock when she realized she has heard that name before more than once and she knew it had a respectable place in society. Never in a million years, she would have thought that he, of all people, was who Tsukino Usagi ended up marrying. At this point, she knew if she went against them, him in particular, was putting her whole image in jeopardy putting his question in a bigger, much heavier scale, so, why risk it?

Mamoru didn't need to threaten her, needless to mention his surname as a reference but it was more than clear that if she ever did something to hurt his wife he would do anything to defend her and that there would be serious consequences. If this man was really who she thought he was, she knew the people he surrounded himself with and the damage would be much than if it was from a celebrity or an influencer because it was the people that actually invested high amounts of money in her business and without such investments, there would not be magazine and there would be no Maya.

At the other side of the spectrum and completely ignoring Maya's internal battle, Mamoru turned to Usagi and combed her fringe to the side and tucked a long strand behind her ear with tenderness, "Ready to go?" Usagi smiled with appreciation and nodded, "Yes," Mamoru smiled softly at her, "After you,"

Maya grunted and walked furiously back to her office between yells and bitter name-calling. Usagi grabbed her box and walked towards the elevator without looking back; Mamoru turned and narrowed his eyes at Yuki who was still frozen in place, "You could have avoided all this by just not taking it in the first place, now, face the consequences." he turned on his heel and followed his wife who was already inside the elevator, waiting for him to go down.

O—o—O

The couple walked through the building's lobby in silence, Mamoru took the key from Usagi and pressed the button on the control to unlock the car so Usagi would put her box in the trunk, "Mamoru-san..." Yuki's shaky voice made him stop and turn as she slowly walked towards him like a dog with its tail between its legs and handed him a flash drive; Mamoru looked at it then at her and arched his brow, "Is all my wife's work in here?"

"Y-Yes," Yuki nodded quickly, "I—Mamoru-san, I swear I—"

"I told you I don't like excuses, save it." Mamoru shook his head, "I hope you learn from this and stop following that woman's every step—it's pitiful, have some dignity. You think being like that will give you class and position with socialites? I am sorry for bursting your bubble, but that's not how it works." Without giving Yuki any other opportunity to redeem herself, Mamoru walked to Usagi who was already waiting for him to help him get in the car. Once outside, Mamoru gave her the crutches and closed the door right after she took her seat behind the wheel again. After a long silent pause, Mamoru turned to look at her, "Usako," his hand reached for hers and slowly intertwined his fingers with hers in support.

"I know Mamo-chan..." Usagi turned to look at him with a sad smile on her face, "I just," she shrugged her shoulders, "I loved my job... but it's true what you said... I should be where I am truly valued. And it's not even that, I am not that sorry about the job, it's about how I will just have to make peace with the fact that all the work I did for that campaign is now lost." she sighed and turned the engine on but still hesitated to take the wheel and drive away. Usagi felt her opportunities would leave along with her once she took the car out of the parking spot and it slowly began to sink in, breaking her into sad, soft sobs "It's so unfair Endymion, I feel like a failure," Mamoru shook his head, "Don't say that, Serenity, you are not a failure,"

"I feel like I failed mama and papa..." Usagi turned to look at her husband with tear-glossed eyes, feeling an immense wave of sadness taking over her, "I feel like I failed you... you helped me so much with my career and—" Mamoru pulled her closer to him and rested his forehead on hers, "Usa, there is no way you would ever fail me. You stood your ground and claimed your rights; you did what many people haven't had the guts to do... my warrior Princess—I am so proud of you."

Usagi closed her wet eyes and tightened her grip on his denim shirt, "I love you so much... so, so, much..." she breathed and planted a chaste kiss on his neck, "I love you more," he answered softly and pulled back, grabbed her hand and placed the flash drive in her palm, "And you didn't lose anything,"

Usagi looked at the tiny object in her palm and blinked with shock, "Mamo-chan... h-how?" she looked at him dumbfounded "How did you get this?!"

"Is it yours?"

"Yes!" Usagi nodded, "I looked for it everywhere!" Mamoru pinched her nose softly, "I know," he cupped her cheek and caressed her lips with his thumb, "You are not alone, you have me to lean on... rely on me, Usa, I'm your husband and your friend." Usagi pulled his shirt again to bring him closer to her and crashed her lips on his with raw emotion and let her tears run freely down her cheeks. She knew she could always count on him, whenever she needed him, no matter the time or the situation, he would always be there for her every single day. The moon princess opened her eyes slowly and looked into his with a smile, "You're my best friend," she mumbled against his lips; Mamoru smiled and kissed her again, "You're mine," he kissed her again and winked an eye at her, making Usagi put an end to her bitter moment and leave it behind her just like that, a bitter moment. "Alright, Your Royal Highness, where to now?" Usagi drew back and turned her full attention to the wheel as she slowly pulled the car away from the building's parking space. Mamoru leaned his head back feeling more relaxed to see Usagi slowly shedding what had been mortifying her for days, or so, it seemed, "The hospital my love, now it's my turn."

Usagi chuckled as she joined the crowded streets of Tokyo and turned around the corner, feeling much more confident in her driving skills and the vehicle under her control, "Ok so, I have to bring this up..." she smiled but kept her eyes on the road ahead, "I was told you left Yuki-san speechless. Mika told me what happened."

"Ah... that," Mamoru put his dark shades again when the sun began to filter through the fluffy rain clouds and sighed softly, "I have zero tolerance for people like her... it shouldn't come as a surprise for you, luna bunny,"

"That, Mika told me," Usagi smiled, "Thank you, for defending me."

"Of course, Serenitati, anytime,"

"I'm still worried though," Usagi sighed softly and tightened her grip on the wheel, "Maya said she was going to sue me and ruin my reputation, what if I don't find somewhere else to work or something else to do?" she sighed softly, "No matter how I see things, the woman is powerful."

"Usa," Mamoru frowned, "Don't pay mind to that. That woman is the kind of person who feeds on other people's fear, her fame is based on that. She likes to intimidate because she knows that's the only way she can be safe and noticed. She's not going to do anything because that would cost her too much money and too much of her image, and she knows the kind of reputation she has."

"You called her differently,"

"I called her by her name,"

"She freaked out, I could tell..." Usagi said with wonder, Mamoru let out a sardonic chuckle, "Of course, naturally."

"You're merciless,"

"When it's about you, I don't forgive anyone who attempts to do you harm,"

"Mamo-chan," Usagi stopped at a red light and turned to her husband with surprise, "How in heaven's sake do you even know her real name?"

"I know people who know her and I've heard enough about her to know what I am talking about," Mamoru turned to look at his wife once they made another stop at a red light and took his dark shades off to look at her with his intense azure gaze, "You stood your ground and proved to her that you are much more than what she thought you were, you intimidate her and your talent and presence speaks for itself. Despite being famous, she doesn't have many people on her side to support her. This has happened before, so she's not going to do anything about it, and if she does... you are not alone, we know how to fight and we have the means to do it."

Usagi smiled widely, "You are truly my best friend, I love you."

"You are mine," Mamoru kissed her hand, "Also, the owner of this heart of mine."

"In this and every other life?"

"In this and every other life."

"To the Moon and back?"

"All the way to the world we belong, luna bunny."

Usagi blushed crimson red, there it was again, that beautiful charm of his that dismantled her little by little. "So, what are we doing at the hospital again?" she turned around the corner again and saw the large building in the distance, "I am here to ask for a medical leave," he pointed the entrance to a private parking building, "Turn here, this is for the staff only,"

Usagi nodded and took Mamoru's credential to show it to the security guard to allow them to get in, "Are you going to need me to step in and defend you?" Usagi smiled, Mamoru chuckled "Probably, yes—it's your turn." The silver-haired looked for a free spot and parked the car with perfection, surprising herself by the achievement. Both stepped out of the car and walked inside the hospital and after a few waves and short greetings, the couple took the elevator that would eventually take them to the fifth floor where Mamoru spent most of his time. "I think this is the first time I come with you this far, I've always waited for you in the lobby or in a consultation office," Usagi pouted her lips shyly, "Remember the *Thai curry incident?"

"That one time you didn't want to take a shot?" Mamoru arched a brow, "How can I forget?"

Usagi lightly smacked his arm and cracked a chuckle as she walked out of the elevator and accompanied Mamoru to the nurse's station. Maki turned on her chair and widened her eyes when she recognized the young doctor, "*Isha-san!"

"Ohayo, Maki-san," Mamoru said softly and leaned on the large booth, Maki blinked "Dr. Furuhata mentioned you got injured! How are you feeling "Dr. Chiba?"

Mamoru gave the older nurse a soft smile, "I'm alright Maki-san, it's healing slowly but having a wonderful nurse by my side sure helps a lot—Maki-san, meet Usagi, my wife." Maki's eyes widened double in size as if she had discovered the deepest of secrets and blinked, "Ohayo, Chiba-san, it's so very nice to meet you." she said softly, startling Usagi who still found it strange to be called Chiba Usagi, instead of her good old Tsukino. Mamoru turned to Usagi, "Maki-san is who deals with all of us every day, all day. This floor would fall to pieces if it wasn't for her." Usagi smiled and bowed her head, "Nice meeting you, Maki-san,"

There was an air of familiarity in the way they talked to each other, Usagi could not help to find adorable as she looked around and took in all the little details as she was now in Mamoru's element. "Is Dr. Furuhata somewhere around these halls?" Mamoru mumbled as he signed a paper Maki assigned him, Maki chuckled and looked through the schedule chart, "In fact he is, also Dr. Mizuno—I believe they are in a consultation right now." Maki gave the young doctor a playful look and shook her head, "It is very strange to know you got hurt for being distracted, Dr. Chiba,"

"I can be clumsy too," Mamoru smiled and wrote down his signature in another paper, "I am going to request a disability leave due to my accident, is it too much to ask if you could print the format that I must send to human resources?" I've brought with me other necessary paperwork to send to human resources but I need the one from the hospital,"

"Not at all, Isha-san, gladly," Maki said and turned to her computer and began typing, "I must say, it feels quite lonely, even Dr. Furuhata has been a little blue lately,"

"You are right about that Maki-san,"

Both Mamoru and Usagi turned to Motoki walking towards them and immediately went to give Usagi a warm hug, "Usa-chan!" he greeted her happily, making Usagi squeal with joy as he lifted her off the floor like the big brother he was to her, "Ohayo, Motoki-oniisan!"

"Ah look at you all smiley, this is more like it," Motoki smiled and leaned to whisper in her ear, "I told you, he is too stubborn to let you go,"

Usagi smiled and nodded, "Thank you for everything, Nii-san,"

"My pleasure, little sis," Motoki pinched her nose with endearment and turned to Mamoru and patted his shoulder with tremendous glee and relief, "And you? I'm glad to finally see you up and about—you had us worried." Mamoru arched his brow and smiled, "What? I don't get a lift?"

Motoki laughed, "Nah, you're too heavy and your wife has priority like the little sister she is to me," he started to check one of the files from a patient and turned to his friend, "Let's go and evaluate that injury of yours and see where you stand so I can write a full report and add it to your file," Motoki turned to Maki, "Maki-san, if Mizuno-san comes by, let her know we're at one of the consultation offices,"

"Sure thing, Dr. Furuhata," Motoki smiled at the older nurse and turned to the couple, "Follow me,"

The three of them walked in silence down the long hall and entered one to one of the offices Motoki mentioned and closed the door behind him, he sighed softly and followed Mamoru who sat in a gurney, "Let's see how these wounds are healing," Motoki said softly as he took the bandages and gauzes slowly, "Though, I already know this is mere protocol and precaution," he eyed at Mamoru, then turned to Usagi, "How long is this leave going to take?" The playful tone in his voice was replaced by one full of worry and uncertainty, Usagi could tell by the look in his eyes and how tired the always so dashing doctor looked, "Motoki-oniisan," she stood next to Mamoru, "How are things doing?"

Motoki couldn't keep the truth from them, they were too close and too dear for him to pretend everything was going well in his marriage and at the hospital, "Difficult," he managed to say, with a sigh he looked at his friend again, "It's happening again, the deaths... since the attack nothing's really have been the same—Reika is doing better but she still has to take medication to help her sleep at night and keep those anxiety attacks under control." The blonde doctor pulled a chair and sat in front of his wounded friend and proceeded to follow the routine of cleaning and treating Mamoru's injuries and roll a lighter gauze around his ankle after he was done, "You're healing faster than I expected," Motoki pulled back and crossed his arms, "The board is continuing to ask questions about what happened to that patient but since it has happened again with other doctors, you are most likely in the clear."

"What happened?" Usagi frowned; Motoki noticed Usagi's confused look and arched his brow at Mamoru, "She doesn't know?" Mamoru shook his head in response.

"Know what?" Usagi turned to Motoki then to Mamoru, trying to understand the conversation, "What happened, Mamo-chan?"

Mamoru sighed heavily and turned to Usagi, "I went under investigation by the medical board due to the case of the patient that died so suddenly under my watch. They questioned my ethics and medical skills—I was put on trial and had several meetings with them and they put me on hold until further notice." he gave his wife a sad smile, "I know what you're going to say but all this happened so close to our wedding day—I didn't want to spoil the moment for any of us."

"But then, what happens now?" Usagi frowned and turned to Motoki, who clicked his tongue "Mamoru is in the clear for now, but my question here is what's going to happen with you. How long is this disability leave going to be?"

"We don't know, Motoki," Mamoru shook his head, "I really don't know."

"Ami told me about the responsible behind those wounds—about you two being a cosmic Monarchs..." Motoki frowned, "Mamoru, is that true?" he turned to Usagi with the same confused face, "Are you really Royals?" Usagi bit her lower lip and nodded, "Yes, it's true. But just because we are, it doesn't we're any different and you don't have to stop being yourself around us—we're family."

"You better," Motoki sighed, "And what is going to happen to you... in the future?" the blonde doctor tried to understand but beyond that, he was scared. "I have known your secret for years—since you wrecked the control center below the arcade. I know you have a power we don't have but I am worried, look at what happened to you!" he pointed his finger at Mamoru's leg, "Who the hell are these people?!"

"Divine beings, Furu-chan—gods if you want to call them that way," Usagi said softly, "It's true, we can't keep this information from you, but we are not lying when we say we still don't understand what they are exactly after but it is most obvious it has something to do with the recent discoveries,"

"Gods? Wait, is what the news been saying true? Is what the archaeologists found real? Is the Cosmic Monarch they are talking about you?!" Motoki widened his eyes in shock, Mamoru nodded, "Yes,"

"This is so surreal," Motoki rubbed the bridge of his nose, "There are things we can't see but you do, and not just that, but you also have the power to fight it, it's like—" a soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation making the three of them turn to see a very shy Maki opening the door, "Uh, please excuse the interruption—" she looked at Mamoru, "Dr. Chiba, I received a call from Dr. Osaba, they were informed you are here and wish to see you in his office, I told him you were being evaluated at the moment,"

"Thank you, Maki-san, I'll be there in a minute." Mamoru saw Maki close the door and gave Motoki a knowing look, "I wonder who told them I was here—" Motoki nodded and scoffed, "Of course,"

Mamoru sighed and moved away from the gurney and turned to Usagi with an apologetic smile, "I have to go see these people, I'll try not to take too long but they are the ones that will give me the authorization after all." Usagi nodded and flicked a strand of hair covering his left eye playfully, knowing it was his time to face the ugly people from his work, "Don't worry—I understand,"

Mamoru took a deep breath and turned to grab his crutches and walked out of the room leaving Usagi alone with Motoki who was writing a few notes in a file. She could feel there was a slight tension hanging in the air and wished she could be able to help him as much as he helped her when Mamoru was unconscious but not even she knew what was going on anymore, one day things would get chaotic and the other would be normal, like today. "You are probably busy and I am here stealing your time—I should go wait for Mamo-chan at the lobby,"

Motoki stopped writing and looked up at his darling friend, "Usagi-chan," his tone was back to his usual warmth and playfulness, "Don't be silly—you never steal my time." He looked down at the chart in his hand and continued writing, "I am writing a medical report on your husband's condition to add it to his file," he smiled softly, "He has to prove he is incapable of working for the time being and for what I am writing here, he won't be able for quite a while." He looked at the silver-haired again, "Like I told you, this is my way to help you—as insignificant or little it may be,"

Usagi walked over to her blonde friend and wrapped her arms around his neck, "It's not insignificant, it means a lot to us—" she pulled back and looked into his green eyes, "Motoki-oniisan, I promise you, we will make things right. Just take good care of Reika-san, and take good care of yourself too,"

Motoki smiled, "Do you know who should take care too?" Usagi blinked, "Who?"

"You." Motoki pressed his pen on Usagi's nose, "You need to take care of yourself. As your friend and your oniisan I have the right to tell you that you are on the verge of falling ill and if you do, then, who's going to save our butts from those gods? Eh, Sailor Moon?" Usagi chuckled by his comment, appreciating his brotherly attitude towards her, Motoki gave her a more serious look, "I am sure Mamoru has noticed, and I bet he is worried."

"Why didn't you tell me he was being investigated, Motoki?" Usagi frowned, "For how long this has been going on?"

Motoki sighed, "Usa-chan, it was not my secret to tell—Mamoru didn't want to worry you and I stand by his side on this one. Things had already started to happen and this would only have made things worse; he's innocent and he had the way to prove it. The problem was not entirely about what happened to the patient is about the people who put the complaint but, it's being settled. This happened days before the wedding and fortunately, it's over."

"Why would somebody put a complaint?" Usagi shook her head, still confused, "Mamo-chan would never do something wrong to a patient," Motoki leaned closer and held her hand, "Usa-chan, sometimes is not about you, but others who feel intimidated by how well you do your job—in his case, he is very good at it and others just can't take it." he chuckled softly and shook his head, "But your husband is stubborn, and he knows how to fight back, so don't worry."

To Usagi it was ironic how both were dealing with similar situations at work, it was surprising for her to learn Mamoru had to deal with jealous co-workers and that he also had to defend his position and prove his worth. He was good and he had put a lot of effort into his studies and career; what he had, were also things he earned it fair and square which made her admire him even more. Motoki leaned back in his chair and crossed his leg, "My point is, Usa-chan, that you are his rock. He is strong because of you and everything he has done is for you so please, take care of yourself."

"I know," Usagi bit her lower lip softly and nodded, accepting Motoki's words and now making more sense, "I was actually hoping to have a private moment with you and ask you to grant me a consultation. I know it's not your area of expertise but I was hoping to keep this a secret. I know I could go to Mamo-chan or Ami-chan but... I can't... not yet... there's so much going on and I..." she sighed with anxiety, Motoki noticed, and put a hand on her shoulder in support, "It's okay, don't worry about it Usa-chan. It doesn't matter if it's my area of expertise or not, I'm still a doctor and if we need a second opinion, we can do it without anyone finding out if that's what you want. If you want to keep this a secret, you know you can trust me. This stays between us," Usagi nodded with a soft smile, "Thank you, Motoki-oniisan,"

"Always, little sis," Motoki crossed his arms and turned serious, "Alright, so, tell me—what's going on?"

O—o—O

It had been a complicated day for Ami, for starters she had to work with Akashi since for some reason Dr. Osuna asked her to assist him for most of his consultations. It wasn't new for the bluenette to work with the older man but after what happened with Mamoru and the board, she had grown little to zero tolerance for him and his protégé.

Things haven't been the same between her and Akashi and she preferred to keep a proper distance from him and keep things strictly professional, no longer giving him any hints of trust like they used to have before the whole investigation with the board happened. "Mizuno-san," Akashi caught up with her and handed her a couple of files, "Thank you for your help on this one," he looked at her with a soft smile, one Ami didn't return, "Sure," she said bluntly and looked down at the annotations inside the folder, "We work together, we have to help each other..."

Akashi felt the hint and continued walking in silence next to her for a couple of more minutes, "Mizuno-san, I know—"

"It's better if we leave this matter behind us and just do the best we can to help others." Ami turned to look at him, "Nothing good will come out if we continue with this... you have a different point of view and so do I, we differ in opinion, and it's alright." Without much else to say, Ami turned around the corner of the hall and was surprised to see the nurse's station a little more crowded and busy than usual, "A little busy today, huh?" Ami looked at the clock on the wall and sighed, "Oh, it's noon already, time sure flies."

"Oh, Mizuno-san! Good afternoon," one of the nurses responded excitedly, Ami smiled and gave a file to Maki "Good afternoon, Ika-san." she frowned and turned to Maki, "What's going on?"

"Oh," Maki chuckled, "About that, it's because they just heard Dr. Chiba is here—with his wife,"

"Usagi-chan is here?" Ami's blue eyes widened, Maki blinked surprised "Y-You know her?"

Ami smiled, thinking how it was futile to try to keep things secret anymore. With everything that's been happening, she felt it was time to set the record straight, starting with why or how come she was so close to Mamoru in the first place. "She is my best friend," she finally confessed, "We've known each other for a very long time—we went to school together."

Akashi stood next to her with an astonished look on his face, Maki widened her eyes, "Really? Oh, she is gorgeous."

Ami chuckled and nodded, "We have been friends since junior high, and she has been dating Dr. Chiba ever since. That's why we're so close, and yes, she is very beautiful,"

"What?!" Both nurses widened their eyes in shock, "They have been dating that long?!"

"Yes," Ami chuckled, "We've been friends for a very long time." she turned to look around and frowned, "Do you know if they're still here? I would like to say hello." Maki nodded and took the folders Ami left over the desk, "Actually, Dr. Furuhata asked me to inform you that he was going to be in one of the consultation offices with them, I imagine he was going to evaluate Dr. Chiba's injury to justify his disability."

"Ami-chan," Ami turned to see Usagi walking alongside Motoki, who turned to the nurse behind the desk and handed her Mamoru's evaluation, "Maki, here's Dr. Chiba's evaluation to add to his file and..." he handed her another chart with a new file, "Please send this to the second floor, it's a case I am handling on my own—I added a tag of confidentiality to it so please inform me immediately when you get word on this matter, it's very important."

"Yes, of course, Dr. Furuhata, right away." Maki nodded as she typed the information on the computer with the specifications the blonde doctor just requested.

"Usagi-chan!" Ami smiled widely and pulled her in a sisterly hug, "I knew Mamoru was coming but I was not expecting to see you too!"

Akashi tried his best to conceal his shock when he saw the young woman with long, platinum hair hugging Ami with so much endearment and closeness. She was beautiful—he thought. Her hair was tied in two high buns and the rest flowed like a silver cascade behind her; her long, choppy fringe playfully covered her crystal blue eyes and perfectly groomed darker brows. The young doctor studied her in silence, noting that despite her petite figure, he could tell she was curvaceous and had a toned, lean body. He turned his attention back to the conversation Ami was having with her and heard her mention Mamoru's name with much less formality with the added respectful honorific to his name. "I wanted to come with him, I knew he was going to struggle with those crutches," Usagi sighed softly and smiled, preferring to keep what happened earlier for another occasion.

Ami smiled and tucked a loose strand behind her friend's ear, imagining the real reason why she was there with him. After was happened it was understandable for her to don't want to leave his side, and found it adorable. "Where is he, by the way?" Motoki finished filling a form and turned to both women, "Genjiro Osaba, he asked to see him," his green eyes soon landed on the young doctor standing behind Ami, "Can I help you with something, Dr. Satomura?"

"U-Uh, yes—Dr. Furuhata, um, Dr. Osuna asked me to give you these charts, it's from one of the patients we just visited." Akashi handed the blonde the file he had in his hand and cleared his throat, "Thank you, Dr. Satomura," Motoki gave a quick glance at the notes inside and frowned, "Would that be it?"

"Y-Yes,"

"Alright," Motoki arched his brow and smiled, thinking how much he shouldn't waste the glorious opportunity to rub in the young man's face all of his mistakes, on treating Ami wrong and for throwing his friend under the bus for just pure jealousy, "Oh, how rude of me... Dr. Satomura, I didn't introduce you, she is Dr. Chiba's wife—Usagi."

Satomura widened his eyes and bowed his head with respect at Usagi, "Nice to meet you, Chiba-san," he fidgeted slightly when the introduction was more than confirmed by the person who walked behind her in silence. Usagi narrowed her beautiful blue eyes in thought, she could sense the different tone in Motoki's voice and wondered if the young man in front of her had something to do with what she was talking with her blonde friend in private. "Nice to meet you," she said softly and jolted with unexpected surprise when she felt a warm hand resting on her lower back and turned to see Mamoru writing something in another form given by Maki, "Maki-san, I will leave my pending cases under Dr. Seta's supervision but if there is an urgency or a question, please call me on my cell,"

Maki nodded and took Mamoru's paperwork, "Of course, Dr. Chiba—" Mamoru gave the older nurse a warm, friendly smile "Thank you, see you soon, Maki-san. Take care." He turned to Usagi and could not help notice Akashi standing behind Ami in silence, "Dr. Satomura," he said dryly "What a surprise to see you here. You are usually not assisting this floor." There it was again, the same tone Usagi recognized coming from Motoki but somehow hearing it from Mamoru the tension was even more obvious, Akashi nodded "I-I have been asked by Dr. Osuna to fill in for other residents on this floor,"

"I see..." Mamoru mumbled with disinterest as he closed the binders with his cases and handed them to Maki. Akashi felt the coldness in Mamoru's voice, coming to the conclusion that by now he was already aware that he had to do with the complaint and the board's decision to suspend him for a few days. "I better continue with my consultations..."

"Yes, you do that." Mamoru mumbled again and he continued making a few annotations for the other doctor that would take his cases. Akashi tightened his jaw, "I hope you get better soon, Dr. Chiba," the young doctor felt a cold rush when he saw Mamoru turned to him and narrowed his eyes; there was something different about him—Akashi thought, something he couldn't quite place but it was intimidating him and almost pushing him to ask for forgiveness. Mamoru arched his brow "I appreciate your good wishes, anything else, Dr. Satomura?"

"N-No,"

"Well then, you have a good day." Mamoru looked at the young doctor turn on his heel and walk to the elevators then turned his attention to his wife and smiled at her "Hungry?" Usagi's smile widened and nodded, "Pancakes?" she asked softly making him chuckle "Pancakes it is then,"

Motoki chuckled, "Man, I hope he learns the lesson," he turned to Ami, "Ami-chan, stick with me for the rest of the day, I need you on my next case." he turned to Mamoru, "Could you give me your opinion before you leave? I mean, you're back, right?" Mamoru nodded and grabbed the file, "Yeah, I'm back, they pardoned me—what's up?"

"She is scheduled for surgery but not before we try with a treatment first—of course, after we know which tests to run. Hikashi-san already did a general scan but it might be something else there that doesn't allow her to lower her high-rates," Mamoru flipped through another page to continue reading Motoki's annotations, "She has a history of heart problems, high blood pressure in its entirety for what I can see here—" he turned to grab the phone in Maki's desk and dialed an extension on the second floor, "Dr. Okada, this is Dr. Chiba Mamoru—yes, partly—thanks, listen, do you have in your care Ariwa Mariko's blood samples and results?"

Usagi looked at Mamoru with great interest. This was one of the few times, if not the first time she saw him full doctor mode and not like her husband who was trying to be a doctor every time he suggested something for her benefit. She saw him bit his lower lip and immediately recognized it as a common gesture every time he was in deep thought about something, "I need you to run me another full count of red and white cells—the patient has been taking Angiotensin II receptor blockers but it seems to be causing a deficiency in her livers, her medication is obviously no longer working properly but she's scheduled for pancreatic surgery—Dr. Furuhata is doing it, but she can't go under the knife if there is a potential problem with her cauterization, her high-pressure, and now her livers." he nodded and made a quick annotation on Motoki's file "Right, alright—the results, can you email them to me once they're done? I won't be at the hospital for a while but it's urgent—thank you Dr. Okada, Dr. Seta will cover for me while I'm gone, I'll let Dr. Furuhata know this too—thank you, you too." He hung up and turned to Motoki, "She needs to switch medication immediately, she will probably have to switch to Eplerenone to help with the swelling in her livers,"

Motoki sighed, "Why Dr. Seta?" Mamoru arched his brow, "What?"

"I mean, he's good—I've worked with him, but..." Motoki ran a hand through his hair, startling Mamoru "But?"

"He's incredibly slow with his work." Motoki mumbled, "Again, he's good, but he's very slow with his diagnostics and consultations—you and your stupid wound and... other responsibilities." Mamoru patted Motoki's shoulder and smiled sadly, "He's the one the board suggested to cover my absence, there is nothing much I could have done to prevent it. I'll be back soon—I'll do my best." Motoki smiled and nodded, knowing the deep meaning behind his words "You better,"

Ami smiled and rested an arm on her friend's shoulder and leaned her head on Usagi's, "He's different," she said low enough for only to Usagi to hear. The lunar princess smiled softly and nodded, "Without changing, if that makes any sense." Ami smiled, "You too Usa-chan," her comment made Usagi blinked, "You're stronger and together you are surely invincible. That is all that matters and if the future changes, then it is because it was meant to be."

Usagi turned to Ami with a shocked expression, "Ami-chan... are you being serious?"

Ami nodded, "I know there is a brighter future ahead, and if it's in my hands to fight for it, then, it's all worth it. We are Sailor Senshi, we were never meant to have normal lives, and that is fine with me." she winked her eye at her friend, "You are not alone Usa-chan, we will fight this... we will win."

There was something in Ami's words that made Usagi feel secure and warm inside; it gave her the reassurance she needed to clear her mind and think beyond what has happened in the past and focus on the kind of future she wanted for all, she was right—Ami, their lives were not meant to be normal. Their lives in the past were printed in their souls and just because they were reborn into this planet it didn't mean they needed to become someone different. Their renaissance was an opportunity to choose different paths not to stop believing in themselves and become someone different; they were tied to their divinity and it was something they could use to their advantage. Usagi chose not to be a tragic princess ever again and with that, she took full responsibility and stepped in as a sailor senshi and while she has encountered malicious enemies along the way it only confirms that she is part of a league of soldiers with different qualities and strengths but fighting for a common goal—peace. Unlike the rest that wanders and inhabited the universe, they were one of a kind and that was what Usagi needed in order to fight for what was next as the sailor senshi she truly was, next to her husband, the polemarchos of the earth.


The Divinity Series is rated M, readers discretion is advised. Violence, cursing, and intimacy may happen.

I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.

A/N: The Terraluna watch and the Thai food incident: You can find the reference to these in "To the Moon and back to the world we belong" from the side story, Divinity: A day in the life.

*Isha: Doctor in Japanese.