A/N: Another Friday, another chapter. A big thank you to SilverAngel1010, Flareup4Ratchet, Guest, kera69love, Serenity Morrison and Become's one with the story for your awesome reviews and birthday wishes. I hope you like this chapter and as always, let's keep the good vibes flowing. Have a nice weekend.

Note: Oh, I wanted to clarify that when in phone calls and the dialogue is in italics, it means it's the other person talking over the phone.

Divinity: The Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Sixteen

O.o.o.o.o.o.O

Taking advantage of the calmness of her day and that her grandfather finally decided to take a nap after spending most of his morning outside meditating and watching the visitors go and see the shrine maiden to buy amulets and lucky charms, Rei thought it would be the right moment to go and meditate in front of the fire since she hadn't had the chance at dawn, like she usually did every day. With the elegance only she could master, she walked to the room where she knew the fire was waiting for her, anxious to reveal its majestic power.

With a soft smile, she entered and closed the door behind her and bowed in respect once in front of the big fire. It had been weeks since she last saw and experienced those strange happenings she could still not explain up to this day. After what happened weeks ago and her meeting with the girls, she didn't have another encounter or reading of that kind; it was like nothing had happened and even when she tried to dig deep into the matter to gather more information there was no trace of it, not a single one. There was no clue that could give her a good reason to tell the girls while she convinced herself it was her personal turmoil what caused so much chaos these past few days.

Rei closed her eyes and brought her hands together and began whispering her usual prayers to the fire, prior the readings. "Rin, Pyou, Tou, Sa, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen," she opened her amethyst eyes slowly and looked at the fire slowly bend and twirl in response to her words, "What are you trying to say to me?" she whispered and continued with her chants "Sacred fire, tell me what it is… allow me to know the truth,"

Much to her surprise, the flames in front of her roared and showed her the image of a young woman, one she did not recognize and who appeared to be around their age if not younger. Her face was blurry and could not really see anything that could relate her to someone she might know. "Could it be a lost girl? Someone might be looking for her, maybe?" Rei whispered and widened her eyes when noticed something else was on the fire next to the girl, now, it was the reflection of a man, a man, with some sort of power she has never seen before, "What?" she narrowed her eyes and tried to move closer to get a better look but just like it happened with the girl, his face was also blurry, there were no features clear making it close to impossible to find a resemblance to anyone she might know or seen in the past. "Is it possible?" she whispered and looked down at her hands, "Is it possible that these visions are connected?"

"My child." she heard a strong whisper and jumped with surprise at the voice coming from the blazing fire. With a strong flick and change of pace, it abruptly returned back to normal and she no longer could see the silhouettes she was sure she saw just minutes ago. Rei felt a tug in her chest and walked out of the room thinking it wasn't new that she had visions of missing people or delinquents who were needed to be found, but despite being something she commonly found in the fire, her heart was trying to tell her that it might be something else, something more like "A calling." she whispered to herself. Soon after, she heard the telephone ringing inside the shrine, surprising her before taking the call. "Hello?"

"For a moment I thought you were not there."

Rei smiled, recognizing Minako's voice "I almost wasn't."

Minako closed the restroom's door and took a deep breath, worrying the priestess on the other end "Are you there?" she heard her say and smiled "Yes, I'm here."

"Everything okay?"

"Yes… I'm fine. I just needed to talk to someone who could bring my spirit back." Minako sighed heavily and leaned on the wall while looking up at the bright cold light on the ceiling. The Priestess on the other end of the call smiled more warmly, "Tell me about it."

"Usagi-chan called me."

"Everything okay?" A slight, almost invisible frown crossed the beautiful Miko's face at the mention of her friend and smiled "Yes, she told me she had been very busy at work lately but wanted to know if we could all meet."

"Anytime." Rei said softly over the phone, "She doesn't even have to ask that silly question… but I know what she means. Of course, you are always welcome at this humble Shrine, you know that."

Minako chuckled, "Thank you Miko-san, so, should we schedule something for tonight?"

"Sure, I have a new bottle of sake in case you are interested in making it a tradition."

Minako widened her blue eyes and blushed, she remembered their last meeting and how it ended in tears, curses, and jokes about the most stupid things also, how it reminded her that sake was not always on her side with the horrible hangover she had the next day. "Wait, sake? You've been having a lot just hanging around lately."

"Of course I don't buy it! but since it is here why not take advantage of it?"

"Alright then, I'll call Mako-chan and Ami-chan and see how their schedules are… I promised Usagi-chan I was going to call her later today and let her know."

"Perfect,"

"See you later Miko-san."

Rei chuckled at Minako's sweet and silly joke "See you tonight Aino-san," she hung up and stayed silent for a couple of minutes. Her mind still felt like a haze after the strange reading she had and pressed her lips together, "I can feel something coming close. I can feel it."

O.o.o.o.o.o.O

Minako arrived at the shrine right after Makoto and Ami who, fortunately, had her day off from the hospital. With a wide smile, she showed them a bottle of wine she brought to celebrate. "Oh, fancy!" Makoto said playfully and cracked a chuckle, "I bought it on my way here." Minako looked at the bottle and waved it proudly, "I thought the label was too cute to be ignored, so I just bought it-it's rosé."

"Nice way to choose your wine Mina-chan," Ami said in between laughs. Rei stood up and went to greet Minako while grabbing the wine bottle, "Well, it is a nice label."

"I know, I just happen to have an eye for these things…" Minako said with a smile on her face, "Call it a talent—I don't know."

"No wonder why you are the most fashionable girl I know!"

All four girls turned to Usagi, who was standing at the door with a big smile on her face, "Usagi-chan!" they all said in unison and went quickly to give her a hug. Usagi greeted each girl with a wide smile; the moment she stepped foot at the shrine, she felt at ease and welcomed, and made her forget the bittersweet moment she had with her boss earlier that day. "I feel like it's been ages since we last saw!" Makoto cheered and went to sit on the floor around the small table in Rei's room, just like in the old days when they spent their afternoons studying for entrance exams or just chilling, listening to the radio while reading a manga.

"Me too!" Usagi lifted the bag she was carrying with her, "I'm sorry I'm late, I had to do some urgent stuff at work but," she waved the large paper bags in her hands, "I got you some goodies from the magazine!"

"Oh yay!" Minako waved her hand and took a seat next to Rei and Makoto and watched Usagi take out a long fancy box with silk scarves in different colors. "I picked out the best things, of course." Usagi gave Makoto a deep forest one with pale pink and gold embroidery, Minako a pale golden one with a heart broach attached, Ami a baby blue one with a watercolor print effect and Rei a fiery red one with silver thread embroidered all around its ends.

"These are so pretty… and so meant to be ours," Makoto extended the wide scarf and looked at it with awe, "And they're so soft." Ami caressed hers with delicacy while wrapping it around her neck, "Thank you so much Usa-chan."

Usagi smiled and got more stuff out of the bags "Wait, there's more…"

"You do realize you got these things from work, right?" Minako asked, puzzled.

"Yes," the silver blonde chuckled, "There was a photo shoot and the sponsor donated a lot of stuff to the magazine but my boss being the woman she is, she doesn't want much of it, so all the staff could choose from a big pile of stuff." Usagi smiled and gave each girl a bottle of perfume in different scents and a little box with a pair of silver earrings "I just couldn't let go this amazing opportunity, I mean, it almost never happens."

"You shouldn't have bothered!" Makoto said.

"Not at all." Usagi waved her hand and leaned back to rest her back on Rei's bed. "So, how's work? Getting free stuff sounds like it's going well." Minako asked softly but soon was surprised to see Usagi sighed heavily, "Well, it has its ups and downs but I believe it's part of the charm." she grabbed one of the porcelain cups Rei brought to her room and poured herself some of the wine Minako brought and took a small sip, "I love my job, really, the people working there are nice, of course with a few exceptions here and there,"

Ami smiled softly "You fit perfectly in that place, they should value your effort."

Usagi blushed, knowing what the bluenette meant. She patted her friend's hand and smiled, "I'm just so glad to be here with you guys."

"Awww and so—are—we!" Minako patted the blonde's hand with each word "But, what about Mamoru, where is he?"

"Still working." Usagi looked at the blonde and put the empty paper bags aside, "He told me he would be working until late today, there is something going on at the hospital, board—patients... he has been in late meetings concerning a case. Things like that," Ami arched a brow; she did not remember Mamoru saying anything about staying until late at the hospital. Before her shift changed once again, she knew his regular schedule and since he became a resident doctor, his shift didn't change as much as hers still did. She knew he still attended emergency calls but it was very rare to see him on his free days or in after hours, the same happened with Motoki. She knew about the case but she found it strange Mamoru would misguide Usagi and tell her something that to her was obviously not true since knowing for a fact that he had left the hospital earlier that day. Now that she thought about it, she did remember him having a mysterious call during the day when she was helping him with a consultation, but never really thought it could be something that he would be doing behind Usagi's back. It was not like him but now it made her wonder. Her silence caught the Miko's attention and turned to her, "You okay Ami-chan?" Rei asked softly, Ami blinked and nodded with a soft, kind smile "Y-Yes."

Rei began pouring more wine on her traditional porcelain cups "I'm sorry you guys, I don't have appropriate glasses for the wine, this is all I have."

"These are perfect, don't worry." Makoto said softly and turned to look at her with a puzzled face, "Hey, Rei-chan how are you? You know... about that. Is he here?" Rei sighed and nodded while she poured wine into another cup to give to Minako and Ami, "Yes, he is with my grandfather."

"So, I have a question: How long is he going to stay here?" Minako asked, "Or is he staying permanently?"

Rei sighed again, she was tired of the whole drama with Yuiichiro and the girls were the only ones who knew the truth about how she really felt about the whole situation with him. "I don't know anymore, I asked him to leave but he is, of course, reluctant to the idea. It's wearing me out, even if I wanted to settle things with him and live a peaceful life, I don't see him as the man I could share my life with—at least, not anymore."

"You don't love him anymore, it's only natural," Minako said and took a sip of her wine. "It's more than just not loving him anymore, it's the trust we had for each other, it shattered into millions of pieces and I am too prideful to let things go," Rei added and took a sip of her wine, her delicate fingers slowly tracing the rim of her porcelain cup in thought.

"And what are you going to do then? Are you going to continue living in this hell for the rest of your life?" Makoto asked softly, Rei pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't know Mako-chan."

"You are not thinking of living like this for as long your grandfather lives, right?"

All four girls turned to Ami, who took a sip of her wine with the same delicacy that always characterized her. Like always, Ami was a woman of few words but when she decided to speak up about something, it was always straight to the core, she was that assertive. Her blue eyes fixed on her friend's Amethyst ones and took a deep breath, "Maybe now that your grandfather is more at peace, he can understand why the relationship is not working anymore."

"Ami-chan is right." Usagi said softly and turned to Rei, "You don't necessarily need to tell him the whole truth, just talk to him and tell him that things are not working the way you hoped they would. Relationships are not easy, and sometimes they end. I am sure he understands this concept."

"Even if I did, he is his Master." Rei said and ran her hand through her dark hair, "He is somehow bound to this Shrine since he works with me—he is devoted to his duties."

"If he is so devoted to his duties in this Shrine, the least he could do now is to find another place to stay." Makoto said dryly, "I feel bad because we all had faith in him. None of us ever imagined he could do something like that and now it's all uncomfortable to see him around, knowing what he did to you. Makes me want to crack his bones, one by one." she turned to Minako and arched her brow, "Speaking of finding another place to stay…" Minako widened her eyes startled at Makoto's sudden change of pace in the conversation, "Have you thought something about the apartment?"

Minako nodded "Yes, I just spoke to the landlord, he will give me an extra month to decide and pack because he is going out of town."

"Well, my offer is still open, you are more than welcome."

"Thanks, Mako-chan." Minako smiled and took a sip of her wine, "Oh, and by the way… what happened to this guy you liked?"

All eyes were now on Makoto "Masao-san?" she blushed, but as fast as it came it went and was replaced with a frown, "Nothing, he…" she trailed off and looked away for a minute, "He barely crosses a word with me, unless it is work related and if it is really necessary." Usagi frowned and turned to the girls, then to Makoto "Okay, I believe I am not following this story, what happened Mako-chan?" Makoto sighed, "There is this guy at work I like, remember I mentioned him before?" Usagi nodded and put her cup with wine down, "Yes, the Sous Chef,"

Makoto nodded, "Well, somehow, he thinks I am sleeping with my boss."

"What?!" Usagi's crystal blue eyes widened, "For real?"

The brunette nodded and shrugged her shoulders, "For real, and I know Suzuki-san has something to do with all this drama."

"Yes, but your boss is a stalker." Minako crossed her arms, surprising Usagi again "What?!"

Rei turned to Usagi and nodded, "He tried to get involved with her… you know…" Usagi flushed fiery red and turned to Makoto "WHAT!?"

"Of course, I made it clear I am not that kind of girl, I wanted to quit but I can't because he said that he would trash my reputation and I would never be able to open my own business," Makoto said dryly. "What a son of a—" Usagi muttered with anger, "—Anyways, what are you going to do Mako-chan?" Ami waved her hand with a sweet smile, interrupting Usagi's flourished choice of words. Makoto shrugged her shoulders dismissively, "Hang in there, what else is there for me to do? I really want to open my own place." she said softly and drank all of her wine in one gulp "He won't bring me down. I can handle this."

"And I thought I had the meanest boss and co-worker ever." Usagi finished her wine, everyone could tell she was getting tipsy by the blush on her cheeks and her loose tongue; this time, all girls widened their eyes at her, "What, you?"

"My intentions were to get here earlier, I swear." she raised her hand and continued, "But my co-worker, the one who assists the editor in chief kept me changing the designs for the cover of the magazine I was supposed to deliver before I left on Friday and today at work, my boss immediately called me to her office and said all kinds of things to me to the extent of saying that my marriage will eventually fail."

"WHAT!?" all girls said out loud, "What a bitch," Minako muttered bitterly, finishing what Usagi meant to say in the first place. "Minako!" Ami exclaimed, surprised. Minako shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her wine in response to her friend's exclamation, "Well she is a bitch! Are you going to deny that?"

Ami sighed and shook her head, "Well, no but—"

"But what?" Minako arched her brow, Ami pursed her lips "You could have used another choice of words."

Usagi sighed tiredly, "Well, she is..." she bit her lip, knowing that Ami felt uncomfortable when they cursed, "A little mean, it is no surprise. Everyone knows she is not the nicest person in the world and that she is obsessed with everything that is on trend, like this blonde girl." Minako narrowed her eyes "The one that is taking every casting job off my hands?"

"The one and only."

Minako narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips "Ugh, she is so fake. What a bitch."

"Minako-chan!" Ami exclaimed again, making the blonde sigh and wave her hand "Alright, alright! I'm sorry!"

Rei frowned, "Why did our lives have this sudden change?" her eyes showed a very concerned, sad look. Almost like if she was disappointed at what everything turned out to be with their lives after their battles. Ami looked at her and tilted her head with curiosity, "What do you mean?"

The priestess took her glass and looked at the soft pink liquid and took a moment to continue. She knew this was a delicate topic and that she had to treat the matter as cautious as possible. "Since when we are okay to deal with these kinds of people?" she turned to Makoto, "Your boss is a sexual assaulter," then to Minako, "Yours a misogynist, my ex-boyfriend is an a-hole," she turned to Usagi "Yours is a diva, and…" turned to Ami but stopped and sighed, "No, you're fine."

Ami blinked "Huh?"

Makoto shrugged her shoulders "But I guess it's all part of the charm like Usagi-chan just said."

"What charm?" Rei asked, slightly annoyed "Where is the charm in being harassed or insulted? We are Sailor Sen…" she widened her eyes and bit her lip. With a guilty look, she avoided eye contact with the girls and took a long sip of wine "Sorry." she muttered softly. Silence fell in the room and none of the girls knew how to handle what just happened, somehow talking about their days as Senshi had become some sort of taboo, like if someone ever mentioned something, their lives as normal civilians would be jinxed. Makoto being the toughest of the crew understood the priestess' point of view and nodded but before she said anything she was interrupted, "You're right." All eyes were on Usagi, who took a sip of her wine "You're right Rei-chan. It's true."

"Usagi…" Rei looked at her with surprise. "It is obvious that there is something bothering you, and it bothers me too." The blonde said softly, "You are right, we are Sailor Senshi and we shouldn't take any bad attitudes from nobody… we know better than this and we have handled worse things in the past."

"But?" Rei arched her brow, knowing that it was not the end of her opinion. Usagi took a moment to continue and pursed her lips, "But it is part of our normal lives. We must learn from every experience, improve and move on."

"What if we are not meant to be normal?" Rei asked, defiant "What if…"

"Rei-chan…" Ami moved closer and rested her hand on top of hers, "Do you miss it?"

Rei sighed and shook her head. She felt a tug in her heart and wished to say everything that has been crossing her mind lately and what has been happening in the past few days when she did her meditations in front of the fire. She wanted to tell them that something has been ringing in the back of her mind and that suddenly has become feeling more like a common girl and less than the one who once held some kind of magical, strong power and fought for the sake of the galaxy but again, a sense of guilt invaded her and urged her to stop ruining what Usagi had built with so much effort: A normal life, with its ups and downs but a normal life in the end.

She looked at her friend and smiled sadly "I don't know how to explain it. It is not like I enjoy fighting enemies or be the witness of deaths and tragedies but—it was just the fact of feeling stronger, you know? I am too heartbroken to see things clearly, but there was this nice feeling to know I was doing something good, that no matter if I had a rough day I was helping the people on this planet be safe and happy."

"I think I understand your point." Makoto said softly, "You think it is unfair that we, being Sailor Senshi have to deal with these stupid situations that somehow manage to pull down our spirits."

Rei sighed softly "Yes… that is probably it."

Minako looked at her friend in silence and took a sip of her wine while thinking there was more than meets the eye with Rei. She could feel the confusion, the anger and even longing in her voice but also knew why she decided to put the matter aside. She took a deep breath and turned to a smiling Usagi who was more than happy to be with them, a tug in her chest made her realize what the Miko was doing deep down her constant questioning. You are protecting her—she thought.

With that heavy moment behind, the girls continued their chit chat like if nothing had happened and talked about most everything. They finally had the time to catch up and put up to date with everything that has been happening in their lives when they are not together, like in the old days; they gossiped, laughed and cried all at the same time.

"Hey Ami-chan, you are the only one who hasn't told us what is really happening in your life." Minako arched a brow and smiled while pouring more wine into her cup, Ami blushed and shook her head, "What do you mean? I just told you what happened at that dinner thrown by this young nurse the other day."

"Was the guy there?"

"What guy?"

All girls looked at Ami with great interest, "You know, that guy. The one Mamoru-kun and Motoki-kun were talking about the other day." Minako said softly and wiggled her brows, "Oh yes my friend, they talk and we know."

Ami's cheeks burned and turned crimson red "W-What about him?"

"Have you gone on a date with him?" Minako smiled.

"No."

"Why not?" all four girls asked, curious. Ami pressed her lips together and shook her head nervously, "It's not like that, he's just a co-worker—a friend."

"Oh come on, it's so obvious that you are interested in him," Makoto said with a chuckle. Usagi nodded, "Mamo-chan has said he likes you too." Ami bit her lip and looked down, "It would complicate things…"

"Why?" Minako frowned, "You two like each other—I don't see the problem."

Ami chuckled and shook her head, "Of course you don't, you are the Goddess of Love, but it's not that simple… we work together…"

"And?"

"What if it doesn't work out?" the bluenette finally exposed her feelings, "What if it does?" Rei asked softly, surprising everyone. Usagi blinked and tilted her head, "Have you spoken to him?"

"No…" Ami sighed, Makoto smiled and nudged her blue haired friend "You are so shy it makes all this too adorable to be true."

"Well… why don't you do the same with the young Sous Chef from the restaurant?" Makoto blew her bangs, "Because he's in denial. He preferred to trust a girl who just lives to be envious of everyone else."

Ami pressed her lips for a moment and let out a soft sigh, "I don't want to feel stupid in case he says no. Besides, I really want to focus more on my career… I barely have time for myself, much less to have a relationship with someone."

"But do you feel like something could happen between you two?" Minako asked in a more serious, sisterly tone; she was no longer being playful but this time she was being more understanding. Deep inside she felt a little jealous of the situation her friends were living and she secretly wanted to have a person with who she could share everything or at least someone she could visualize as such. She analyzed each and every one's situation and even Rei had it better than her, even when she no longer felt anything for the man she lived with, he still wanted to win her heart back, he was fighting for her.

She had nobody to fight for or that wanted to fight for her in her life and it was breaking her heart. Was it too difficult to find someone who could really understand her? Who could be with her without asking anything in return? —she thought. Ami looked at her blonde friend and smiled, but before she could say anything Minako cleared her throat and put her glass of wine on the small table in front of her, "Well… this blondie is going home."

All four girls looked at her with wide eyes, Minako slowly stood up and fixed her skirt "Why are you looking me like that?"

"Why are you leaving?" Makoto asked softly and looked at her watch, "It's only 7:30. Do you have to be somewhere else?" Minako shook her head and turned to look for her purse trying to avoid all visual contact with her friends, "No, not at all, I just…" she trailed off and bent to give Usagi a hug, "Thank you for the gifts, I loved them." Usagi felt a hint of melancholy in her voice and looked at her with worry, "Minako-chan… what's wrong?"

Minako smiled and shook her head "Nothing's wrong you silly! I'm tired, that's all." she leaned down and gave her friend a tight hug, "I had a very long day—I promise I will call you, say hi to Mamoru-kun for me." Usagi looked at her with concern and had no other option but nod. Despite she wanted to help her, she couldn't force her to stay if she wasn't feeling like it. With a soft smile, Minako turned to Makoto "I'll call you." then to Ami, "Be good—give the poor man a chance." and then at Rei, "Be strong and thank you for everything." she turned on her heel and walked out of the room closing the door behind her and making her way towards the entrance where her she left her heels when she arrived. Rei kept staring at the door in silence before Makoto interrupted her thoughts, "What was that? She normally is the last one to leave…"

"Could it be that she felt bad because of something?" Ami said softly and turned to the girls, "Maybe our talk about guys was making her feel uncomfortable."

"I don't think so… Minako is not like that." Makoto said and scratched the back of her neck. Usagi turned to Rei and gave her a knowing look, one she took as a sign to go after her and see if she was still around the shrine to have a word with her. With a quick step, she indeed found the blonde struggling with one of her heel's ankle strap "Stupid shoe…" Minako mumbled, unaware that her raven-haired friend was coming her way "Minako."

The blonde looked up and saw Rei standing in the hall with a serious look on her face "Rei-chan, what are you doing here?"

"What happened?" Rei frowned, "What do you mean?" Minako shook her head, confused. Rei crossed her arms and sighed softly, "Why are you leaving so soon?" The blonde bent down again and continued dealing with the strap on her shoe, trying her best to avoid any eye contact with her Miko friend, "I told you, I'm tired… I had a long day. Ugh, I should have thought better when I fell in love with these stupid shoes!" she growled with frustration.

"That doesn't sound like you at all." Rei frowned when noticed the blonde's excuse to not look at her, she knew her too well to decipher there was more than what she promised. "Minako whatever it is, you can tell me." Rei took a step closer to her friend, "Was it something we said, something we—" Rei widened her eyes in surprise when saw Minako looked at her on the verge of tears and a sad smile on her face. "Mina—"

"It has nothing to do with you." Minako tried her best not to break, "Really—I'm fine. I will be fine."

Rei walked towards and tilted her head "Then what is it?"

Minako wiped her tears with the back of her hand and sniffed softly, she hesitated at first but then took a deep breath and looked at her friend, "I am really happy for Usa-chan, I really am. I am very happy that she finally is going to have her 'happily ever after' it's just that..." she turned to look away and bit her trembling lip, "Looking at her so happy, reminds me how lonely I am and it hurts, you know? From time to time, it hurts."

Rei contained her shock when looking at her friend in tears. Minako was a very special woman; she was the one who took control of situations like a good leader, made everyone feel better whenever they felt down, the one to see the bright side to everything. Her usual bubbly and energized personality didn't match with the one she was witnessing right now. Without saying another word, she walked towards her and wrapped her arms around her friend, breaking her protective shell, "I don't want to look like I envy Usa-chan or that I don't want her to be happy… I mean, after everything they have been put through, it's about time they can share a life together in peace. I feel terrible just to say these things." Minako said between heavy sobs.

"I know Minako, I understand. It's something you just wished to understand. Why these kinds of things can ever happen to you when all you have been doing is good for others and you just want to love somebody who can love you the same way without any conditions or sacrifices—I know."

Minako widened her eyes and looked at her friend, Rei nodded, "I know how you feel, believe me when I say my mind is a turmoil too."

"Is there something else? Did he..." the blonde trailed off and turned both sides to make sure nobody was listening to their conversation, "Did he do something to you?" she whispered, her face was one of pure concern and slight anger. Rei took a moment to answer and looked down, she shook her head and pressed her lips tightly. Minako frowned "Rei-chan, what is it?"

"Nothing." Rei bit her lower lip and looked at her friend with a sympathetic look. "Please, don't be a stranger…"

Minako smiled in response. It didn't matter how much she wanted to hide from the world, her desire couldn't last much longer because she cared too much for her friends, they were soul sisters and that was a bond too difficult to break. She knew how her friends, especially Rei, had been these last few months. Deceived, heartbroken and also scared for the health of the only remaining relative that actually cared for her since her father never ever showed his face again. "No worries, I'll be okay. I promise."

With a quick hug and a comforting smile, the blonde parted ways and walked her way back home where her usual dose of ice cream and her load of unread magazines were waiting for her at her apartment.

O—o—o—o—O

The sound of keys crashing against the hard wooden door and the natural click of the lock being pushed aside was the only thing that received Mamoru when he finally went back to his apartment after a long day at work. He saw the place was in complete darkness and frowned when turned on the spotlights in the foyer, "Usako?" he asked softly, a part of him hoping she would be there since it was a custom of her to arrive and fall asleep on the couch or his bed. He walked into the living room and saw everything was off and neatly arranged, meaning that she hadn't been home all day. His protective instinct immediately reacted, making him look for his cell phone in his pocket and after typing his password he noticed he had a missed call followed by a text message from her. With a sigh of relief, he read through the words,

"I tried to call you but got no answer, I imagined you were with a patient.

I'm meeting the girls after work at Hikawa Shrine, I'll be there soon.

Love, Usako."

His lips curved into a smile and turned the lights on while walking into the kitchen to grab a drink and fix something quick to eat because he knew that once Usagi met with her friends, time wasn't really an obstacle and that they could go on for hours. After a while, he walked back to the dining table with a tall glass of cold stout and very reluctantly took a seat on the table, yawning heavily and wishing to be able to go to bed early. He opened his laptop and took some papers from inside his laptop carry on and began studying the case of the young patient that was still inconclusive and had everyone at the medical board at the edge of their seats with anxiety. His dark blue eyes looked closely at the notes written on the many pages of the report given to him this afternoon by another fellow doctor and turned to type some notes on his computer.

The sound of his quick typing was his only company as he continued doing his research when he suddenly felt a tug in his chest, very similar to those he constantly felt whenever something happened to Usagi and needed his urgent attention. His fingers stopped typing as he remembered the brief mishap he had earlier that day when the same vision of a woman looking for him came while attending a patient at the hospital. His mind quickly was fixed on the image of the woman calling for him and tried to find a reasonable explanation to it—if there ever was one. Frustrated, he rubbed his face with both hands and took a deep breath, "Why is this happening?" he muttered, "Why is this person looking for me?" he narrowed his deep blue eyes, "Who is this woman?" with a heavy sigh, he turned to the document where he was working on his laptop and stayed silent, the soft light coming from the screen and the constant blinking of his cursor kept him from going too much into thought. There was no reason to why he was having these kinds of images at this time, the more he thought about it the more absurd he found the whole thing.

After their last battle, he continued sensing and reading the status of Earth and even stayed constantly alerted by reading the papers and surfing the internet whenever he didn't have a chance to watch t.v. but this new and heavy feeling was slowly nesting in his chest and this time, it was something different, something stronger. He felt curious to use his hidden power to read the status of his planet but the answer kept him hesitant. A part of him wanted to know while the other was reluctant to face a truth he was not really sure it actually existed. He did not want open his eyes and realize it wasn't over—that their days of fighting were still not over.

Mamoru sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, thinking if it was it too much stress from work? or if it was just an excuse to think of something else rather than the many issues happening at the hospital at the moment? Despite having a very prolific career as a doctor and with many recommendations from his previous teachers and superiors, he thought that this entire situation with the medical board was wearing him down a little. Nowadays, he spent more of his time attending meetings with the directors, creating justifications for his previous work, and competing for a permanent residence at the hospital for the sake of his sanity. He wanted to achieve the goals he set himself since he was a child, he always wanted to become someone who could be of help, he wanted to become a doctor to help those in need and never leave another child as alone as he was when his parents died but he had to admit, that sometimes working shifts of more than ten hours wasn't exactly a walk in the country. He dealt with a lot of stress on a daily basis and not always that stress came from the patients but from the same staff at the hospital. Many people wanted the same thing he wanted: stability, and it was a race to whom achieved it first. It was no surprise that Mamoru had the advantage, being known for his high intellectual, knowledge, and abilities, it was only natural for the board to consider him for cases like the ones he had now in his hands, but also gave him more responsibility to prove that he had what it took to get a permanent position and be a future member of the selective medical board.

Mamoru turned to grab his drink and after taking a long, refreshing sip, he let out a heavy sigh and prepared to continue with his work, trying his best to ignore the tingling sensation in the back of his mind. He pursed his lips and stopped for a minute, the tips of his fingers barely touching the keyboard as he studied the words in his mind before start typing again and put the mysterious matter aside.

"Endymion."

Mamoru stopped and widened his blue eyes, he turned both sides to make sure he was indeed alone and ran a hand through his dark hair again, he was sure he heard that voice again. Now frustrated, he leaned his head on his hand and took a deep breath, "What the hell is going on?" he said softly to himself.

He wanted answers, he needed answers, why this person knew that name, and why was she calling for him specifically? he peered into the small hallway that would lead to his bedroom and saw a little girl in a blue dress. Mamoru narrowed his eyes, trying to recognize the girl and without realizing it, he was having another vision. He frowned and stood up to follow her, but soon everything around him slowly disappeared and was left alone in this cold and empty space he no longer recognized. Mamoru turned to look around and indeed, he was no longer at home, but instead was standing in the same field he visited in his dreams several nights ago and again, that same overwhelming feeling of loss was taking over him. He turned and widened his eyes when she saw her there, the woman, crying again behind a cherry tree. "Who are you?" he asked softly, not sure why it was breaking his heart to hear her cry, "Why are you calling for me?"

"You have to wake up,"

Mamoru exhaled heavily, "Wake up, from what?!"

"You have to remember… You have to come back," the woman shook her head with grief while looking into the nothingness that was beyond her standing place.

"What do you want from me?! What do you want me to remember?!" Mamoru raised his voice with anger, "I don't understand!"

The woman of his dream slowly turned to look at him, but before her face was fully visible she was covered in raging flames. "No!" he tried to move and go after her but his body did not respond again. "No!" he called out again, trying to prevent her from falling into the pit of flames.

Mamoru gasped for air and unconsciously moved his arm and stumbled the tall glass from the table, making it crash against the wooden floor. His blue eyes widened and soon realized he was back at his apartment and back to reality. With heavy breathing, he turned around and saw nothing out of the ordinary but just the glass pieces and the beer splattered all over the floor. "Dammit…" he said between gasps and turned to his laptop monitor and the cursor blinking on his word processor, like if nothing had happened.

He cursed under his breath again and shook his head before heading back to the kitchen to grab something to clean the mess he just made. He bent and started to dry the foamy liquid with a thick cloth while thinking of a million ways on how to handle this situation and immediately thought about his girlfriend, "Usa…" he muttered with heavy sorrow.

Mamoru began picking up the glass pieces carefully and put them on the cloth that later threw with anger in the sink. His wet hands banged the countertop loudly as he cursed once again what was happening to him, "This cannot be happening—not now." he closed his eyes for a moment and bit his lower lip, "Whatever is calling to me, I cannot involve her." he growled slowly, "I can't..."

He leaned on the kitchen countertop and shook his head. He was angry with himself, cursing the situation and cursing himself for having such ability. He rejected the simple idea of exposing Usagi to anything that would worry her or make her fight again, because whenever they fought, Usagi tried to find the good in everyone and put that as a priority and that was why she suffered the most, because she felt disappointed every time she realized real evil exists and that it targets innocent lives.

After the anger along came the guilt. Mamoru opened his eyes and hung his head low with a heavy feeling in his chest. His priority was her, his life was her, and he would give everything in his power, his life if necessary, for her. Just the thought of having something that would disturb the life he was sharing with Usagi made him feel restless and useless. Mamoru was well aware of his limitations as a soldier. He was limited in many ways, despite knowing carried the Crystal of Earth. Unlike Usagi, he had no team of guardians, he did not have the same power she did, he had little to no relevant background other than the fact of him being a Prince in another life, besides that, there was nothing else. It didn't matter how many times he gave his strength and power to Usagi in battles, the feeling of being powerless was still overwhelming and he hated himself for that because in the end, she had to sacrifice herself for his sake and the sake of others. Mamoru was too immersed in his internal battle that he didn't hear the door being opened, showing a very tired but happy Usagi walking down the small foyer. Her big pale blue eyes looked at him with surprise and greeted him with a smile "Mamo-chan!"

Mamoru snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look at her, his heart melts every time she smiled at him that way; it was like it was specially crafted for him. She had the power to weaken whatever armor he pulled out for the day, with just that one smile. With a warm, still worried smile he greeted her softly, trying to recover from his existential problems. "Hey Usa,"

"What are you…" Usagi blinked and walked to the dining room where she saw he was working on his laptop, but the floor was a mess with all the splattered beer "What happened?"

"Oh… that." Mamoru pursed his lips and turned to squeeze and drain the cloth he was using to clean the mess, "I broke a glass." he was surprised to see her standing right next to him, there were times like these when she was the best of ninjas and appeared out of nothing right next to him without making any noise, "Usako?"

"Are you okay?" she asked softly while looking at him with a puzzled expression on her delicate face. Mamoru froze, was his worry too evident? —He thought. He pressed his lips and turned to squeeze the excess of water on the cloth again and shrugged his shoulders "Sure, why?" his eyes widened when he felt her hand resting on his forearm, "Mamo-chan!" she said with surprise, stopping him from what he was doing and looked at her, "What?" he asked softly, trying to remain calm.

Usagi pointed his hand and took a deep breath, "Your hand,"

"What?"

Usagi held his hand up and looked at his wound, "It's bleeding. You must have cut with a shard of glass," she looked at him, "Let me help you, I'll go get the—"

"I'm fine," Mamoru said softly, interrupting her and turned to grab another clean cloth to finish cleaning his mess, he wasn't even sure what he was doing. Usagi shook her head, slowly feeling the anxiety of seeing his blood pooling from his hand and it made her feel weak and nervous, very nervous. "But you're bleeding..."

Mamoru looked at his hand and closed his eyes for a second while cursing himself in silence for being that careless, "I'm fine. It's just a small cut, I'll handle it." Usagi shook her head and went to get the first aid kit she bought months ago in case she hurt herself from a fall or a cut with a knife whenever she decided to cook. Never in a thousand years, she would have imagined, that of all people he would need it first as a consequence of being clumsy. "Wait for me in the living room."

Mamoru tried to hold his chuckles when turning to grab a paper napkin to clean the blood from his wound, "Usako, I'm fine."

"Living room!"

The dark-haired man shook his head and went to sit on the couch while giving light pressure to the wound on his hand, he could not deny that it hurt but he mentally thanked the pain, because it was keeping him from going loose into another strange dream. Usagi didn't last long to come back and joined him on the couch, she bit her lower lip when she saw the napkin drenched with his blood and hesitated for a minute. Mamoru noticed and chuckled softly, "Usa, I can do it myself,"

Usagi frowned and shook her head, "No, no. I can do this." she took a deep breath and moved the napkin away from his hand, exposing the deep cut on his palm; her blue eyes widened when she realized it was a wound bigger than she imagined. Her hands trembled as she grabbed the alcohol and the cotton pads from the kit "Usako…" Mamoru moved his hand away "It's nothing, I can take care of it."

Usagi never had too much tolerance when looking at blood but in this case, she looked at the situation like it was a matter of life or death and tried to hold her gut and not to faint as soon as she got a good view of the wound. "No! Let me help you!" she opened the small bottle containing the alcohol and soaked one sterilized gauze with alcohol and started to clean his wound with it. Mamoru squinted his eyes for a second when he felt the uncomfortable burn on his hand and looked at her when he heard her powdery voice, "What were you doing before I got here?"

Mamoru pressed his lips together and looked at his hand in silence, opting to ignore her question. Usagi continued cleaning the wound and turned to grab an antiseptic and started to clean it with another sterilized gauze with light pressure. Mamoru smiled when he saw she was sticking her tongue out in concentration as she carefully took care of him, once done she looked for a large band aid and took the wax wrapping off and placed it softly right on top of the cut and smiled at her medical accomplishment, feeling like the best doctor in the world "There, all done."

Mamoru caressed her cheek with the back of his hand and gave her a soft smile in gratitude. Usagi giggled, still proud of her achievement and began taking the band aids and the alcohol out of the way and into the small white box. While doing it, Mamoru looked at her and made the decision of not saying anything about the previous events. He liked to see her in peace and he was going to do everything in his power to keep her life that way, since he swore his life to always protect her. As her Prince and as the man that loved her beyond his reason, he was going to take care of the situation himself and deal with it on his own.

"Mamo-chan?" Mamoru snapped out of his train of thought and blinked with surprise at her, "Yes?"

"You didn't answer me; how did I do?" Usagi tilted her head, still waiting for a positive feedback on her act of bravery. Mamoru looked at her expectant eyes and smiled "You did perfect," he moved his hand slowly and looked at the girly kawaii bandage she had put on his wound and frowned, "Kittens and flowers?"

"I never thought you would be the first one to use this kit. I actually bought it for myself so I could be stylish and cute while healing any wound." Usagi shrugged her shoulders "But, here you are, with a cut on your hand so I had to use what we had."

Mamoru made a face of approval and chuckled, "Kittens and flowers it is."

"What were you doing?" Usagi frowned, still surprised by his clumsiness. A part of him wanted to come clean and tell her about the woman he has been seeing in his dreams, asking for his help. It was truly strange for someone who needs help to look for him specifically. Normally, they would come asking for help from her, the girl with the pure heart; the girl that fights for love and justice and not the Prince that holds another kind of abilities.

"I…" he trailed off and looked at the coffee table in the living room, "I was working and I moved my arm carelessly without realizing I pushed the glass until I heard it shattering against the floor."

Usagi frowned softly, she knew Mamoru and it was not like him being that distracted. Something must have really been taking his full attention. She knew him too well and felt something was bothering him, something was too important to worry him at that level. Mamoru had been stressing out too much with everything that has been happening at the hospital lately and despite he was not the kind of person that complained about his job or whatever happened to him on a daily basis, she could tell there was something more that really dragged his attention away from his usual light and sharp personality when around her. "Is there something I can do to help?"

Mamoru widened his blue eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Well, is there something I can do to help you with whatever is distracting you?"

"Usa..." Usagi moved closer to him on the couch and looked at him straight in the eye for a moment and smiled softly, her hands reached for his face and rested on each side, "Whatever is happening at the hospital is making you clumsy. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" her voice despite being soft, it held a hint of worry. Mamoru lowered his gaze for a moment and nodded, "I know Usa. I'm tired, that's probably it." he looked at her and tried to lighten the mood with a smile "But now that you mention it…" he arched a brow in a boyish manner "I may be turning clumsy as well."

Usagi blinked "What do you mean?"

Mamoru smiled and kissed her hand, "That we may need more design options for our band aids,"

Usagi giggled, understanding his joke and slapped him in the arm in a playful manner. Mamoru leaned closer to her and sniffed her softly, "Usa,"

"Mm?" the blonde was looking down at her first aid kit and putting the rest of the bandages inside the small box, Mamoru arched his brow "Are you tipsy?"

"What?" the blonde widened her eyes and shook her head, "No... why do you say that?"

"Honey, you reek, your cheeks are all red," Mamoru said softly, "And there is no other explanation as to why you could handle seeing all the blood." Usagi blushed and bit her lower lip, her crystal eyes met his deep blue ones, "I just had one teeny tiny glass of wine."

Mamoru chuckled and shook his head, "Usako, I don't mind you drinking, but I would have preferred if you called for me to pick you up at the Shrine."

"It's okay Mamo-chan." Usagi said softly and hiccuped softly and all so adorable, Mamoru pursed his lips, "I think you need something to take off the smell before I take you home, your dad won't like it if you go back smelling like a drunken sailor."

Usagi looked at him wide eyed and started to laugh, small hiccups in between her sweet chuckles, "Papa won't mind."

"I mind." Mamoru said softly and stood up, startling the blonde "Wait, where are you going?"

"You won't like the answer, my love,"

Usagi blinked, "Why?"

"Because I am going to make you some coffee."

"Eeek no!"

"Usa, I cannot take you back home smelling like this, I won't hear the end of it and I really want to marry you."

"Papa won't notice." Usagi slouched on the couch and giggled, "I don't smell that much. It's the beer you splashed all over the place," she gave him a mischievous smile as she lay on the couch, "Or maybe, I should just stay here for tonight."

Mamoru crossed his arms, "You are evil, Tsukino Usagi."

Usagi widened her eyes and brought a hand to her chest, pretending to be hurt, "You offend me, Chiba Mamoru." she rolled herself off the couch and walked over to him, slowly putting her arms around his neck and looked into his eye dreamily, "But you cannot deny the fact that you are liking the idea." Mamoru blushed and smiled, "I would be lying if I said I wanted you to go home." Usagi let out a playful giggle "I know, drunk or not drunk, you want me here."

"You still reek."

"And yet, you still love me,"

"I do, yes."

Usagi smiled and traced the line of his jaw, "You are you so handsome..."

Mamoru chuckled, "Okay, you need to go and take a shower."

Usagi tilted her head and looked into his eyes, "You are so beautiful..."

"Usa..." Mamoru blushed, "Come on, I believe you have clean clothes in one of my drawers, go get them and take a shower."

"You are so perfect..." Usagi stepped on her tip toes, "You know that, right?"

"I am far from being perfect," Mamoru said softly, "It's the wine, kicking in."

"No," Usagi smiled and kissed him softly on the lips, "It's love."

Mamoru leaned his forehead on hers and closed his eyes, now, more than ever he had to find an answer to this calling. She was the love of his life, her laughter was all he wanted to hear, it was like music to his ears. Mamoru might be smiling but deep down worry was still overwhelming his heart, he had to do something and he had to do it fast in order to keep her the way she was now, safe and happy.

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