Divinity: The Fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Twenty
A/N Oh my goodness-thank you for all of your reviews! Good vibes surely help in continuing writing more chapters (though, I am ahead of this one)
Thank you SerenityMorrison, kera69love, Guest (s), TropicalRemix, TamoumatheStarWarrior, thank you for the support and for sticking with me and this story. Until next time!
Up in the highest level of Tokyo Tower, a man looked out to the city invisible to the people admiring the view, just as he did. His grey eyes studied the city, its colors, sounds, scents and vivacity. For the last couple of days, he has gone there to admire the different scenarios played by the different stages of the sun dancing in the sky. Ares' face was marked by the passage of time, he looked tired, he felt tired and the energy he had to use to be able to cross to the mortal realm also took its toll on him.
He looked in wonder at the planet he once knew as primitive and condemned to its own tragic mortal nature and wondered how many times he came down here to visit the Terran Goddess—his apprentice. A Goddess these people probably didn't even know existed and that later protected them as their Queen. He looked around at the people and the many couples admiring the same view just like him while talking a different language, all smiling and clueless to their true nature. With a sad smile, he hung his head low and closed his eyes "I have to avenge you, my dear. Your legacy must prevail, your dynasty must rise once again—that I wish." Looking up, he remembered the last time he was standing on terran ground. The memory of being against her and threatening her life was still pounding in his chest like if it just happened yesterday.
"Get up." His own voice echoed in his mind, remembering the moment he vowed to look out for her. "Get up, this is not what warriors do—we do not know the meaning of weakness." His lips curved into a nostalgic smile and closed his eyes.
O—o—O
Ares looked at the girl on the floor and frowned "I said—get up." The girl's sobs caught his attention but did not show any signs of sympathy. It was not new to know that the Lord of War wasn't soft and condescending when it came to training his soldiers, "How long are you going to keep whining down there?"
The girl looked up, her green and hazel eyes slowly morphed to a golden color. Her tear streaked face was muddy from all the times she fell to the ground and her blistered hands exposed the intensity of her training. "I see—you are still holding yourself," he muttered. "I do not train conformists nor those who hold their true selves within."
"I am not holding anything," she snapped at him and dig her sword on the ground to use it as support to stand up "You just do not see that whatever you are doing is pointless—I am not a conformist."
"Why are you acting like this all out of the sudden?" Ares frowned "Look at me—Gaia,"
"He is going to find his way back," Gaia said between hoarse breaths and looked at him with both fright and anger in her beautiful prismatic eyes, "You think a hole will stop him? —That is only going to make him stronger. You and I both know how strong and vicious he can be—that is the reason why I am here, is it not? Cho was right, you are training me to use me as your weapon for when things get out of your control."
"Why are you saying this to me?" Ares frowned, the young Terran Goddess and Senshi in training, Gaia, looked at him with fearful eyes, "He whispered it in my ear before Hades dragged him to hell."
Ares grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to him, his intense gray eyes looked into her prismatic hazel ones "The reason you are here and he is in hell is because you are stronger than he is. I do not train weakly minded. Do not let him play with your mind and thoughts. It does not suit you—do not forget the lineage in your blood." He leaned for her sword and put it back in her hand, "If you do not ever get to use your power, at least you will know how to get rid of unwanted suitors." The joke behind his always intimidating voice made Gaia snap from her own frustrated thoughts; the God of War turned on his heel and began to walk away to take his place and stand to continue their training.
"Are you doing this as a favor to my father?" Ares heard her ask and stopped mid-track and turned to look at her over his shoulder, "Are you?"
Gaia shook her head "No—I want to be stronger and honor my family,"
Ares turned to look at her fully and smirked "Well, there is my answer. Now, on position... first stance, show me what you are made of, Gaia of Terra."
O—o—O
The cold evening breeze played with his sandy blonde hair, as he looked at the city lights blinking in the distance. Narrowing his eyes, his grip on his sword tightened "It is all a matter of time now," he sighed with a knowing smile on his face, "It is all a matter of time now—Gaia."
O—o—o—o—O
The next morning, Megumi opened her eyes and took a moment to realize where she was. She felt hazy from her sleep and thought if it was all had been just a dream. Looking at the ceiling in her room, she slowly came back to reality, it had not been a dream. Everything happened. She was there—he was there.
A soft but lingering scent reached her senses, waking her up from her hazy state. She hears soft sounds coming from outside her window and the door of her room. Slowly she sat on the bed and looked around, then proceeded to slowly make her bed thinking how crazy this felt and how surreal it was when it had been so many years without her having a decent bed to sleep on since anything made sense. Megumi opened the door and turned in the direction of Mamoru's bedroom and noticed the door was open enough for her realize he had woken up since his bed was already neatly made.
Megumi closed the door behind her and walked down the short distance between the hallway and the living room and saw the prince in the kitchen dressed in a plain white t-shirt and dark blue jeans. She slowly walked towards the kitchen bar, catching his attention in the process. "Good morning." He smiled. Megumi could not help her cheeks blushing and bowed her head with respect, "Good morning, Your Royal Highness."
Mamoru chuckled and turned to grab the milk jar from the refrigerator "Did you sleep well?" he turned to give a quick glance at her, Megumi nodded "Very well, thank you."
"Good," Mamoru said, still with a warm and friendly smile in his face, "Are you hungry?"
Megumi widened her eyes slightly and nodded, a gesture Mamoru found quite endearing "I can make you something, or having what I am having."
"I can cook you something, Your Highness," Megumi's old maid habits began to resurface as she made her way towards the kitchen but Mamoru shook his head, immediately interrupting her intentions "No, it's fine—you may find this surprising but, I know how to cook." he chuckled playfully surprising Megumi and making her chuckle "You know how to cook, Your Highness?"
"Who would have thought, right?" Mamoru smiled "But, yes. I kind of had to—in order to survive." he looked at her "So then? Do you want something in particular or do you want the same thing I am having?"
"The same thing you are having is fine with me, Your Highness," Megumi still found it difficult to be the one being served by him, instead of her doing it for him, thinking this would be the time she would go to his chambers with his morning dose of caffeine and help him have everything ready for his day. She noticed he looked more relaxed and at ease around her, giving her enough confidence to take a seat at the bar that worked as a counter on its opposite side facing the kitchen where Mamoru was busy having his usual dose of coffee. She looked at him move so casually around the kitchen while he grabbed a couple of plates and mugs from the fancy cupboard and could not help to want to know more about this new life of his; then it hit her—he was alone. Megumi looked around and frowned when she remembered that Usagi had stayed there last night and now she was nowhere to be found, "Is Her Highness will be joining us, My Prince?"
Mamoru turned and put two mugs, two plates, milk and sugar in front of her on the bar and poured freshly brewed coffee on her cup and a warm toasted bagel on her plate, "She had to go home early," he turned to the fridge again to grab cream cheese for the bagels, "She had to take something to her office but she will come by while I am at the hospital." He took a bite of his warm, crispy bagel.
"Hospital?" Megumi blinked, Mamoru nodded "I'm a doctor."
"Oh, you are?" Megumi widened her eyes, the gesture genuinely surprising Mamoru, "Why?" he asked, curious. Encouraged by the kind tone in his voice, Megumi smiled and proceeded to tweak her coffee to perfection, with a teaspoon of sugar and a touch of milk "Back then, His Highness used to be very interested in medicine."
Mamoru widened his eyes "I was?"
Megumi nodded as she stirred a spoon inside the mug, making a soft clicking sound "Yes, His Highness used to have many books about it," she looked at him with slight sadness in her eyes, "You were desperate in finding a cure for Her Majesty the Queen."
Mamoru frowned and rested his arms on the bar, "Her Majesty—my Mother?"
Megumi nodded and took a sip of her coffee, holding the cup with both hands. "It was known around Elysion that Her Majesty had weak health. You spent hours reading all types of medicine books at the library and your chambers whenever you were not working."
"And—did I ever found a cure?"
Megumi gave the Prince a sad smile and shook her head. Mamoru exhaled deeply and went to sit next to her at the bar, bringing his mug with him, feeling more at ease around her and open to talk about it. "I have very few memories from then, I know Helios, I know who I am—it's interesting to know there are things I took with me through time, like my interest in medicine but, essential aspects of my life—that life, are still a mystery somehow." he took a sip of his coffee and took a minute to process and verbalize his emotions, "I see Usa and the girls with their memories back but I never understood why I never did, not entirely, but like I said yesterday, I kind of just—" he pursed his lips in thought, "I focused on the future rather than my past, I figured that if I didn't remember all of it was because it was something not worth knowing anymore." he looked at her and smiled sadly, "But to be honest, knowing that I treated you fairly, makes me feel much better."
Megumi smiled and looked down at her steaming mug, "You were always very kind and respectful to all of us, Your Highness," she turned to look at him with the same warm smile on her face, "You were very much admired and respected throughout the entire Kingdom." Mamoru smiled and patted Megumi's back softly then turned to look over his shoulder at the clock in one of the bookshelves in the living room and widened his deep blue eyes "Oh," he stood up. "I have to go—" his voice showed slight disappointment for having to leave and interrupt their conversation. Megumi widened her eyes and looked at him turn off the coffee machine, "Y-Your Highness?"
Mamoru walked back and put his hands on her shoulders with reassurance, "I won't take long, I just have to go check on a patient and will come straight back. Can I trust that you will be alright for a couple of hours?" Megumi could see specks of that worrisome Prince she knew, always thinking of other's safety before his and blushed, responding with a single nod.
"I promise I won't take long—Usa will be here soon too so you won't be alone for too long," Mamoru pinched her chin in a brotherly fashion and turned to look for his phone. Megumi's blush deepened, "I will be alright, Your Highness."
Mamoru smiled, "Thank you." He went to the sound system next to the t.v. and turned the radio on, surprising Megumi, "H-How did you...?" Mamoru turned and gave her the small remote, "If you don't like what you hear, you can change the stations by pressing this," the girl looked down at her hand with amazement and nodded. How did the sound fit inside a box was beyond her. "I will be out for at least an hour. Don't open the door to anybody, Usa has her own key—most of the time," Mamoru sighed as he made his way to the door and grabbed his keys from the large platter at the foyer, "Please have yourself whatever you want from the fridge, make yourself at home." Mamoru looked at Megumi nodding again, silently admitting he was not comfortable knowing that she would be alone when was being chased by someone but trusted Usagi would get there soon keep her company like she promised countless of times. Still reluctant, Mamoru turned on his heel, grabbed his phone and wallet and walked out the door.
Megumi stared at the door for a minute before looking around the apartment, this time with more detail and feeling more at ease. It felt odd to be on her own in a place where she knew she was safe, a wave of nostalgia washed over her, making her feel like she was in the Palace ready to start another day and allowed her old self slowly come back and feeling like she was in his chambers, ready to tidy things up the way she knew he liked them to be organized.
Wandering on her own, she went to look for something she could use to dust the furniture and walked back down the hall, not really sure what she was doing or why when she saw Mamoru's bedroom door slightly open and felt immediately attracted to go back inside not really knowing what to expect or what to look for, she just wanted to feed the curiosity blooming in her. Pushing the door wide open, Megumi noticed the room had a different feel—she even dared to think it looked different, like a field post-war. She had been there, she was aware of that but maybe, just maybe, she would be able to find something else that could give her a hint or more information about him and his life, something else that could nurture the words he shared to her earlier as she mentally questioned:
Did he really not remember?
Did he really lose all attachment to his previous life?
Was him the same Prince Endymion she admired and secretly had an innocent crush on?
Guilt tried to sneak in into Megumi's mind but curiosity was a much stronger sentiment for her to keep at bay. She sat on the bed and looked at the room, memorizing every little detail in her mind as she breathed in the so musky masculine scent still lingering in the air along with another big question popping in her mind.
If he was the rightful Prince of this planet, how come the object she had been carrying around hasn't shown any signs of it? How come she was not summoned to return? Why it took him two thousand years to bring her back?
Was he even the one that brought her back?
After all, it was his in the first place. Was it? Right? she asked to herself again. She turned around to look at the glass case with the stones inside asking herself why did she have the feeling that he was just a memory of who he was in reality. She turned to what she guessed it was his nightstand and slowly slid the drawer open. With curious eyes, she rummaged through the sticky notes inside with random scribbling, numbers, names and other things she could not understand, already feeling like a thief for invading his always well-kept privacy. The emotional storm happening inside Megumi now took her through frustration by not finding anything that could give her an explanation as to why he was deprived of from knowing what happened in his life or if in fact, he was really him and not just an illusion. She had to admit that she was more frustrated that he did not remember her in the first place rather than hurt, why the Princess could and not him? She wondered slightly annoyed.
Why not him?
Sighing in defeat and in guilt, she closed the drawer and went back to her initial plan—being a maid, again. She walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her and walked towards her room with the mission of finding something to use to clean the apartment. She slid the door of her closet open and was met with a very strange and very much intimidating object known as a vacuum cleaner.
Megumi stared at the object with wide eyes and pulled it from its hiding place marveled at its design and wondering what it was; like a kid playing in a store, she grabbed the cable attached and pulled it all out only to regret it minutes later when the dust container soon fell off the machine sprawling its dusty contents all over the girl and the room, making a mess. "Oh..." she mumbled, immediately regretting her curious nature.
A while after, Usagi opened the door to the apartment holding her usual bunch of new magazines under one arm and a small tray with a couple of frappuccinos on the other as was welcomed by the music in the living room thinking cheerfully that she might see him before going to the hospital, "Mamo-chan?" she quickly dropped the question but got no reply "Megumi-san?" she asked and again, no reply. Usagi tossed her keys and things in a hurry with evident worry when she heard strange noises coming from inside the apartment "Hello?" she called, now with a more defiant ton as she walked down the hallway. Turning to the door of what would be Megumi's bedroom she widened her eyes at the sight of Megumi tangled with the vacuum's long and unforgiving cable, covered in dirt and dust "Megumi-san!" she quickly stepped in to help her, "What happened here?!"
Megumi tried her best to free herself from the trap she put on herself and stood up with Usagi's help, "Your Highness..." she bowed her head deeply embarrassed for the mess she had caused. Usagi looked wide-eyed at the room and then at the dirty girl in front of her and tried not to crack a laugh, "What happened? What were you doing?"
The brunette sighed in defeat and looked up at Usagi, still very embarrassed, "I-I... I was just trying to—" she turned to give the vacuum cleaner the deadliest of glares and then at the blonde, "I was trying to clean His Highness' chambers... then this... thing came to life and trapped me in its web and..."
Usagi blinked, then chuckled feeling guilty about it right afterward, thinking it was unfair to laugh when practically everything was new to the girl, "Come, Megumi-san," she grabbed her by her hand and motioned her to the bathroom "Princess?" Megumi blinked with a little worry.
"You are covered in dirt, you must take a shower," Usagi turned to look at her with the determination of a big sister in her icy blue eyes. Megumi saw the princess open the bathroom door and turned the hot water knob to one side, letting the water run from the shower. "B-But..."
Usagi started to prepared a bubble bath and sat on the tub's edge and looked over her shoulder while waiting to level the water, "But?" Usagi quirked a brow "How long it has been since you took a proper shower, hm?"
Megumi shook her head with flushed cheeks, "I-I don't... remember."
Usagi looked at her with more sympathy and gave her a warm smile "Nothing is going to happen to you, this is just a tub and a shower, you'll be fine—come on, I'll help you," she looked around and blinked, "Wait, is Mamo-chan here?"
Megumi shook her head "He left some time ago."
Usagi turned and frowned "Did he say where?"
"Hospital—he is a doctor," Megumi said proudly. Usagi found the gesture endearing and chuckled "Yes, he is a doctor and a very good one I must add." she smiled "Okay, this will work out perfectly because we will have enough time to clean all this mess up before he returns and realizes I didn't clean the vacuum's deposit like I was supposed to... I won't hear the end of it if he finds out I didn't stick to my side of the deal," she looked at the girl in front of her, trying to keep her blush in check when she remembered the truth behind that deal, "Take off your clothes."
Megumi widened her eyes, "Y-Your Highness?"
Usagi touched the water in the tub and poured some salts and lush bombs to make it extra foamy and luxurious. She looked up "Yes?" she realized what she asked and how the girl probably felt, "I'm sorry, you must feel embarrassed by everything but it's okay, I am here to help you—"
"It is not Her Royal Highness' duty to help a maid being washed up." Megumi tried to divert her teary gaze from Usagi but the sweetness in her eyes was too beautiful to ignore. Usagi sighed and shook her head, "Megumi-san, I am just a girl in this world," Usagi tried to lift that heavy burden off her shoulders, the one that obliged her to lower herself before them, "Think of this as a new start—a new life," the blonde smiled, "You are now with us, let us help you. Those times when you had to serve as a maid in a Palace are gone; these are other times, newer times. Think of me as a friend," she nodded reassuringly and extended her hand out for her to grab, "A friend who wants to help another friend."
"Princess..." Megumi breathed with emotion.
"Let's surprise Mamo-chan with a brand-new Megumi," Usagi chuckled, "Come on, I even brought you new clothes for you to try out, it will be fun."
Megumi watched Usagi's welcoming hand and thought about her words; true, everything was new and she had to start seeing things as a new beginning, one where she could easily fall in love with its simplicity and endless wonder.
A new start... this is a new life.
O—o—o—o—O
Across the city, on top of the hill where the Hikawa Shrine stood proudly, Rei was doing her usual priestess chores. With a broom in one hand and some food for her crows on the other, she wiped the small droplets of sweat, trickling down her face. Sighing, she looked at her crows Phobos and Deimos eating peacefully on the ground where she just sprinkled some seeds for them to catch.
She turned to walk back to the shrine's entrance and turned to walk inside the prayer room when something caught her attention, a man, standing in front of the sacred bells looking at them with great interest and evident curiosity.
"They are to bring peace to any troubled soul." she told him softly, the man lowered his head and smiled sadly without parting his gaze from the polished bells, "Troubled souls..." he whispered, surprising the priestess. "Troubled souls easily get corrupted. They need more than just a prayer to find their path towards redemption."
"It depends," Rei said.
"In what?" The man asked, his interest was now captured by the maiden. Rei turned to the bells "Courage. If the person in question has the courage to face whatever troubles its soul, redemption will eventually come along with peace."
"So you believe it is a matter of courage rather than just praying for something they cannot see with their bare eyes."
"Is it a question?" Rei asked, puzzled. The man lowered his head allowing his blonde hair cover his face making it difficult to her to look at him clearly "It was more an affirmation than a question."
"Is there something that is troubling you?"
"Time—time troubles me." he simply answered and shook his head, "But one cannot do anything to control time."
"Time may be uncontrollable but also helps heal deep, old wounds." Rei frowned, "Why do you wish to control time?"
The man finally turned to look at her and gave her the saddest smile she has seen in someone, "So I can make it stop and rewind it to better times. Change things that weren't possible and make them possible, make other decisions—better decisions."
Rei widened her eyes, her stoic face did not express the surprise she felt inside her. The man before her looked no older than a forty-something-year-old, but somehow, she could feel a very different yet strong energy coming from him, a wiser aura; something she would normally sense from an old man, like her grandfather. There were no signs of him being any different from her but there was something she could not describe that caught her full attention or better said, demanded her full attention.
She could not help to feel divided by his words and her own beliefs, it was like he was trying to tell her something and yet, she could not decipher his words or intentions. A familiar and very nostalgic feeling soon took over her making her feel sad. His eyes held so much sentiment, so much regret, his face showed signs of war, of suffering and despair but also, knowledge, much knowledge. There was more he was giving her than she was giving him in return to lighten the heavy burden she obviously knew he was carrying deep inside him.
"Is you soul troubled?" she dared to ask him but there was no verbal response to her question, just a kind smile. Bowing his head low, he turned on his heel and walked away "Not anymore." he said softly as he walked towards the steps to go down the hill.
She looked at his back slowly becoming smaller with every step he took away from her. Strangely, she felt like if he had seen him before and wondered if he was a regular visitor after this being the first time she ever spoke to him, whatever it was and surprising for her, she wished it wasn't the last time.
O—o—o—o—O
Makoto was finishing cleaning her station, it had finally been the end of her shift for the day and she could not wait any longer to get out of there. Despite mostly ignoring all the weird glances towards her from Suzuki, Haruto, and even Masao the air still held some density too heavy for her to bear. It was not new to her to be misunderstood, she came to terms with that. People often tended to think she was a tough girl with masculine activities to pursue when her dream in life was to be around flowers and good food, was that too much to ask? She thought with annoyance.
As she packed her belongings and grabbed her purse from her locker she noticed Masao was there too but decided to ignore him. She turned on her heel and silence and walked towards the back door when he decided to break the awkward silence between them "You are leaving so soon?"
Makoto turned surprised by the gesture and half smiled, "It's the end of my shift."
"Oh, I thought you were leaving later today," the young sous chef said with slight interest. The brunette shrugged her shoulders and pursed her lips, "Does it really matter at what time I leave? It doesn't make much difference to any of those inside that kitchen if I am there or not."
"I don't..." Masao tried to excuse himself but was soon interrupted by Makoto "Look," she sighed softly, "I am not trying to be rude or anything but, I have to meet a friend—so..." she pointed at the door with her thumb in a casual way and smiled at him, "I'm sorry, I have to go." she turned on her heel not giving the young man any cue to continue with whatever excuse he would come up with and closed the door behind her. Sighing again, she looked down and surfed through her phone's screen looking for a familiar number to dial—she lied—she did not have any plans with anyone but the last thing she wanted to do was to give more reasons for them to question her integrity, to lurk into her life like he owned it. She was tired of that—of giving her heart and attention to the wrong man.
She dialed a number and smiled when it was answered right away "Hey," she greeted "Can I come over?"
O—o—o—o—O
Minako opened the door to her apartment to be greeted by Makoto on the other side "Hey—so glad you came," she said happily and closed the door once the brunette walked in. After taking off her red loafers, she put her bag and purse on the coat rack next to the door and walked into the living room while Minako went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine and two glasses and joined her friend on the couch, "Though day huh?"
"When isn't?" Makoto sighed and slouched back on the couch with a frown on her face, "It's wearing me out."
"You should look for something else." Minako mumbled as she poured some chilled rosé on both glasses "Before you become insane,"
"If it only was that easy," Makoto muttered and took a sip of her wine. Minako leaned back with her arm resting on its backrest for support, "It kind of is."
"Haruto could do anything that would eventually harm my reputation—I don't want that, I want my own place," she looked at her friend and shook her head "I work hard for this... I can't throw everything away."
"So, what are you going to do?"
"I am going to keep swimming." Makoto smiled and shook her fist in the air, "I'm a tough girl."
Minako smiled in sympathy "You are softer than you think—than everyone thinks, actually," Makoto chuckled and nodded, "You are the only ones who know me for real," she took another chilly sip of her wine and looked around "Are you alone?"
Minako nodded "Yeah..." she said lazily, "I think—" she paused and bit her lip, "I think Luna and Artemis are mad at each other or something."
"Marital issues?"
"Well, they aren't married—technically," Minako shrugged her shoulders, "But, yeah, something like that."
"Did you hear anything?"
"Artemis was acting strange this morning and didn't even wait for Luna like he usually does. He just went out."
"And Luna?" Makoto asked, looking down the hall hoping the black cat would not be around, like the ninja she always was, "I would only suppose she went back to Usagi's house."
Makoto raised her brows and shook her head in disbelief "I never thought they would be arguing and having problems." Minako chuckled lazily, "I know, but I think it had to do with the whole situation with Megumi-san."
"Are there any news about it?" Makoto frowned "Has Usagi-chan talked to you or something?" Minako sighed and nodded "Nothing much, things are still pretty much the same. Mamoru-kun doesn't remember anything about her, Megumi-san gets scared from time to time. She sent me a text saying she is helping her take a bath. She did mention that she is more open and relaxed and not on that defensive side we saw from her."
Makoto bit her lip "What do you think will happen if Mamoru-kun does not remember anything? Or if... I don't know... if something happens to her."
"Things are very confusing. I hate it when I don't know what's happening..." Minako said absently while looking at her glass of wine, "My mind is hazy, it's funny how I remember seeing her, I remember what happened but I feel that there are things still hidden between each memory. Have you felt that?"
"I know what you mean." Makoto nodded "What is strange is that neither Rei, Mamoru or any of the outer girls can tie the missing loops to this story."
"This whole deal is strange but we have to see the bigger picture," Minako looked at Makoto and smiled "We have to be there for Usagi, she is getting married in two weeks."
"I know, I just bought all the ingredients for the cake a couple of days ago." Makoto smiled "She is going to look so beautiful in her dress... I am also making her a flower bouquet as a surprise."
"Aww, that is so sweet!"
Makoto smiled and looked down at her glass of wine, "Say, Minako chan—what do you think it will happen?"
Minako blinked, taken back by her friend's question. She widened her blue eyes and shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing what to answer, wishing she could help in some sort of form to clear the fear in her friend's eyes, "I—I don't know."
Makoto bit her lip and looked at her "What will happen to us? Does this mean Setsuna's premonition was correct?"
"Setsuna-san's premonition was set to happen years ago." Minako sighed and put her glass on the coffee table, "I stopped paying attention to those words a long time ago."
"Usagi-chan is twenty-four years old..."
"So?" Minako arched her brow "I am twenty-four years old, you are twenty—"
"—Usagi-chan was supposed to become Queen and mother at twenty-two. I stopped thinking about this a long time ago too Mina-chan but I don't know why this has been ringing bells in my mind ever since Megumi-san appeared."
The blonde knew Makoto's point but deep down, she did not want to go there. It was too complicated; their emotions would get tangled up and they would end up hurting and longing for better times. She tried her best to ignore it and make her friend feel better but her actual mood was not helping at all to the situation. "You are just upset because you had a rough day at work, don't overthink this too much." she sighed "I know, and I am very aware of what Setsuna-san said but that time has passed. I don't—"
"Then why do you think this girl appeared?" Makoto frowned, still trying to tie any loopholes to this messy situation. "Maybe because she had to," Minako said nonchalantly "Because, in some way, she is Mamoru-kun's relative. He is getting married and bam! She magically appears—"
Makoto sighed, interrupting her friend's logical approach "You are just trying to make me feel better,"
"Well, duh," Minako threw her hands up in the air and on a more serious note, she sighed "Look, Mako-chan—nothing good will come if we stay wondering what is going to happen. We have enough on our plates, we have very demanding jobs and we are trying to pursue our dreams, let's just leave it like that... for now." she gave her friend a smile, one Makoto knew she was masking very well from her own sadness and worry "We need to be there for her, no matter what."
Makoto returned the same smile and nodded "I know and we will. You're right—bigger picture—bigger picture." she sighed "I have my dress ready, by the way..."
"That's more like it," Minako smiled and looked at the magazines on her coffee table, she leaned forward to grab one and surfed through the pages of a thick magazine and pointed at one of the models with a smile, "Look, what do you think of this hairdo? I am thinking about doing it on myself..."
O—o—o—o—O
Mamoru entered the hospital and put on his white coat right away as he made his way to the nurse's station and grabbed the binder with a report on his patient and began reading his progress quickly "Wow, I did not expect to see you here this soon!" Mamoru looked up at a very surprised Motoki and chuckled before looking down again at the papers in his hands "How is he doing?" he asked softly. Motoki sighed, "We did remove most of the contaminated tissue in his colon but the real battle begins after he recovers from this."
"Quimo." Mamoru commented, making his friend nod "Quimo, that's correct. He will be starting in the next couple of weeks. I need his defenses strong so he can put up a good fight—I trust your best judgment in deciding what is the best treatment for him,"
Mamoru nodded "Is his wife here right now?"
Motoki crossed his arms, "I already spoke to her and explained what needs to be done. I know I could have spoken to you about this over the phone but—"
"I know." Mamoru smiled while looking down at the papers again "He is still under my observation and care. I ran the tests, he is my responsibility until he's free of cancer."
"Chiba-san!" A nurse called him with surprise, her big brown eyes showed concern and also some sort of relief "I am so glad you are here!" she exclaimed. Mamoru blinked, trying to suppress his own amusement and frowned "Seta-san?"
"I wonder if anyone is glad to see me." Motoki muttered sarcastically at the scene happening in front of him. The nurse took deep breaths and then continued, "I need your assistance down at E.R. there is something wrong with a patient but nobody seems to find the cause of his disease or what kind of disease he has... it's serious, very serious."
"And you are asking Chiba-san—why exactly?" Motoki quirked his brow; Mamoru sweatdropped, the usual comical Motoki tried to lighten the mood even when it was obviously a serious matter, or so it seemed to be. "Chiba-san is an Internist—maybe he can find what we're missing," The nurse responded, part hurried, part annoyed. Mamoru sighed, giving Motoki the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and chuckle a little more, "Chiba-san has sub-specializations... you just demeaned his position in this hospital by 50%"
"Motoki..." Mamoru turned to him with a warning glare while shaking his head.
The blonde doctor was known to be funny and often a tease, but it was that same playful attitude that often led to being misunderstood and making him look like a jerk most of the time. Mamoru knew the level of his skill, he mastered the art of sarcasm way faster than he did but unlike him, Motoki did keep some of the charms Mamoru was aware he had lost with time, turning him more somber than his lit and cheerful friend—that's the secret to his mysterious vibe—he thought constantly. Some nurses learned to crack his codes and find him funny, others just laughed it off without really understanding because, in the end, he did no harm, he was just too playful but this time and with this case, in particular, the nurse was not having it, it was obvious there was more to the joke and now it was backfiring at Motoki.
"Where is he now?" Mamoru asked, trying to divert the attention back to the topic at hand, hoping to diminish the tension falling over them. The nurse sighed and pointed the elevator "He is still on E.R. but the interns have already checked everything and they can't seem to find anything wrong with him—but still, his face..." she trailed off, with a horrified look on her face. Mamoru frowned and gave his binder back to Motoki, "I will come back after I go and see this patient. Are you going to be here?"
"I am a Specialized Surgeon, Mamoru. Unlike you, I don't have a schedule like yours..."
Mamoru sighed, letting the comment pass him by "Um, sorry?"
"Go, go—I'll catch with you later." Motoki waved his hand dismissively, he knew well how to play with Mamoru's sarcasm and watched both doctor and nurse take the elevator down to E.R. As they waited to be taken to the floor, Mamoru turned to the middle-aged woman probably in her mid 40's was fidgeting like a child waiting to leave school on a Friday afternoon and noticed she was still dealing with the discomfort she went through minutes ago. Mamoru felt the need to lighten his friend's reputation once again and do some damage control, once again. "Seta-san, about what happened..."
"Dr. Chiba, you don't need to defend him. I know Furuhata-san is—well, like that."
Mamoru sighed, thinking to himself there was no way to recover from the blow this time, but his thoughts were soon interrupted by the nurse's apologetic stare "What?" he simply asked.
"I didn't mean to diminish your position in this hospital, Dr. Chiba,"
"You didn't," Mamoru said in a more reassuring tone, "I know what my job is, I know what I have to do and as long I can help people I don't mind being confused for something else. It's okay—it's not the end of the world."
"You really are something Chiba-san." The nurse said with a tone of amusement. She has heard the many stories about the young doctor and she has seen him work. That is why of all the internists in the hospital she went looking for him the second she heard he was in the building on a day he usually takes off. He was that good.
The elevator doors opened and quickly walked towards the cubicle where the mysterious patient laid on a hospital gurney attached to many wires that monitored his vital signs. As they came closer she began giving Mamoru all the information available at this point, "Sato Takashi—58 years old. He was brought here already in a crisis, almost unresponsive. He was having seizures and coughing blood according to one witness—he was at a Park near Azabu when he was found and was sent here but by the time he arrived he was already on the verge of a cardiac arrest." The nurse said as Mamoru took a quick look at his chart in silence, then at the monitor "His blood pressure?" he asked quickly.
"180/97" another nurse that was already assisting the patient answered. "He was barely awake when he was brought in but after we started checking his vitals he fainted and has been unconscious ever since."
"Where are his blood tests results?" Mamoru looked at another reading from the monitor and grabbed the chart with the information requested, "Any records of cardiac disease on him?"
"No," the younger nurse answered. Mamoru tried to tie mental knots as he continued asking basic questions so he could eventually be led to a common pattern that would take him to a proper treatment but the information he was given was off and unpredictable "Any record of diabetes?"
"No *Ishi-san" Seta Ikumi, the nurse that took him there to analyze the patient spoke again, "We checked everything but there is nothing that could give us a hint as to why he's in this catatonic state."
Mamoru proceeded to check on the patient, "His pupils are dilated, his mouth and throat are dry." he muttered to himself as he continued doing mental notes for quick reference. He looked down at his hands, studied his nails when suddenly the man opened his eyes and grabbed on Mamoru's wrist with impressive force, taking everyone by surprise "Vos omnes ad mortem..." he mumbled with a creepy tone in his voice. It sounded like if it wasn't his and more like if he was being possessed by something, it was unnatural. Mamoru immediately noticed his unnatural movements and frowned, "What?"
The man looked at him with obvious pain; his eyes were turning red from his blood, indicating his body was collapsing from within, "He's having internal bleeding!" he informed with urgency to the nurses before taking a needle from the tray and a stabilizing serum to inject the man, "Vos omnes ad mortem..." The man continued repeating, Mamoru's frown deepened with frustration, "What are you saying?!"
The man turned to look at him and smirked, no longer looking human, "Et circa hoc nihil potestis facere." his eyes widened and gave in to whatever was devouring him inside, crashing all his vitals after a loud growl echoed from within. Everyone in the room was left in shock staring at the man lying dead in front of them.
"He is..." the young nurse stuttered with a pale face, "H-He..." the sound of her hitting the ground pulled everyone from their shock; Mamoru turned and carried her to another gurney and turned to another nurse "She fainted. Look after her," he turned his full attention back to the man who, by now had a very distressed and deformed expression on his face, one that clearly was causing panic among the medical staff. "Take everyone out of here," Mamoru turned to a young doctor who quickly recognized was Satomura Akashi, who just like the rest of the current present staff had a face of horror on his face, "Dr. Chiba—what..."
"Take everyone out of this area, now!" Mamoru frowned and turned to the man on the gurney while waiting to be alone with the corpse. His shock was evident; in all his time studying medicine he never came across a case like this one. All his vitals were unpredictable, strange, "Unnatural..." he muttered as he removed all the wiring taped to his chest, nothing made sense and he could not do anything to save him. He exhaled with heaviness and proceeded to check the man once again and frowned when he looked into the man's skin and noticed it was starting to take a waxy feeling to the touch, he looked into the man's eyes and saw them vacant and... "Black?" his frown deepened as he moved closer to keep study the corpse.
Mamoru pulled back and made sure nobody was there to see what he was about to do and put his hand on the dead man's exposed chest and closed his eyes and summoned his power to try and decipher what just happened. A series of events flashed through his mind, like a film. He could see the older man eating breakfast, walking down the street, running errands before everything started to become a blur. After that, that same voice that came through him made him stop and step away from the corpse.
"Vos omnes ad mortem" he muttered, "Et circa hoc nihil potestis facere." Mamoru narrowed his deep blue his eyes in thought "What does it mean?"
Soon later, he took every sample he could and sent it to the laboratory. Blood, saliva, skin, nails, hair and everything in between and stayed to clean the blood from the corpses' body and prepared it to make it look less disturbing than he already was. Mamoru walked out of the cubicle and looked at the older nurse with the most serious look on his face, "He is ready to be taken to the morgue."
"W-What happened in there, Chiba-san?" The nurse finally dared to ask, giving Mamoru little to no time to come up with a good answer "I-I don't..." he trailed off and shook his head, still confused "His body just—it collapsed. Everything in him failed."
"He was chanting those weird words since he got here." Another nurse jumped into the conversation, startling Mamoru "Did he say anything else?" The young nurse shook her head, still horrified by the man's distressed face "He just kept repeating it like if he was mocking us, he was laughing at times... it was so creepy,"
"Does he have a family?" Mamoru asked the nurses, one of them shook her head "No, he was a widow."
"He must have relatives, a mother or father? A brother, perhaps?" he asked, again, and hoping to get an answer that could lead him to investigate more on the matter. Something that could explain what just happened.
"We are looking into it, in the meantime, he will be taken to the morgue. We will have to follow the usual protocol and inform the police about this so they can help us find his family—" The nurse added. Mamoru nodded and exhaled, it didn't matter how many times he did it, he could not calm himself. His chest felt heavy because he knew what it was and he couldn't do anything to save the man's life. Mamoru walked out of E.R. to the nurse's station and began writing a medical record and causes of death of the patient in silence and slowly re-played the previous events in his mind.
After signing the medical death certificate, he walked back to the elevator to take him to the fifth floor again and closed his eyes as he leaned his head back while waiting in silence for the doors to open again. Motoki was there talking to a nurse at the station while he filled a report on a patient he just visited clearly unaware of what happened, he smiled "Well, look who's back. That was fast, did you work your magic on the patient?"
Mamoru gave Motoki a serious glare, his face showed a very gloom and somber expression "He died."
Motoki frowned, the tone in Mamoru's voice was uncharacteristically cold and distant. They both have had experienced bad situations and both have witnessed death at first hand and true, it's difficult, but they manage to deal with it in their own way but this time it was something different. Mamoru was acting different, he was greatly affected by whatever happened down there. "Come, I'll buy you a cup of coffee," he turned to the nurse at the station and gave her the binder he had minutes ago "I will see you later to check the patient status."
Both doctors walked silently towards the cafeteria, after buying both coffees Motoki followed Mamoru to a secluded area in the back and sat across from him on the small table. He took a sip on his hot beverage and looked at his silent and still very disturbed friend, "What happened?" he asked in a more serious tone this time. Mamoru looked down at his coffee for a moment and then looked at his friend with a lost stare, "I don't know," the ambiguous answer made Motoki frown with concern, "What do you mean you don't know?"
"I don't—" Mamoru frowned as he tried to revive the events in his mind all over again "E.R. took him in the middle of a crisis. As soon as I got there I started looking for something the interns and doctors could be missing but—" he shook his head, still confused by everything "Everything was off. Nothing made sense—he had no reason to be in the sate he was, he was healthy yet—he was dying in the worst way a human being could possibly die—if that makes any sense."
"What do you mean?" Motoki frowned and took another gulp of his coffee. Mamoru rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly, "He was a 58-year-old male with no available records present, unresponsive, with no heart condition registered, the electro was normal but had sustained ventricular tachycardia, no diabetes but his Glucose was at 1500—and the list goes on." Motoki's frown deepened but before he could ask something else, Mamoru sighed "His body ended up collapsing. The blood vessels in his body gave in, he began bleeding from his ears, eyes, from his mouth and... everything in between, his veins exploded—it was a mess—it was horrible. One of the nurses couldn't take it and she fainted, while everyone else stood there in shock—including me."
"But—" Motoki shook his head, "Was there any heart failure? Any heart disease background?"
"Nothing, nothing." Mamoru closed his eyes and finally took a sip of his coffee, allowing the hot liquid slowly comfort his shaken mental state, "The mystery itself is what shook us all, I took samples of everything I could and sent them to the lab for further examination."
"Keep me informed—this is too strange, it makes no sense..." Motoki sighed, "I'm so sorry Mamoru, I know it's always hard when you see a patient pass away and more if this person was suffering and such complicated as this."
Mamoru pursed his lips and nodded "Exactly like that," he looked at his friend and took a deep breath "I will go check on Furikawa—" his blue eyes widened when he saw Motoki grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back in his seat "What are you doing?" he asked, confused. Motoki finished his coffee and looked at him "Go home."
"I have to—"
"Go. Home." Motoki repeated in a more authoritative tone, "I'll take care,"
Mamoru blinked "But—"
"If something comes up, I'll call you." Motoki let go of his arm, "Besides, you are working extra hours—this is not your regular schedule. Usagi-chan must be waiting for you at home." Mamoru looked down and closed his eyes, "She understands."
"She may understand, but isn't she a good reason why you took this branch in medicine? So you two could have time together?" Motoki crossed his arms, "All the sacrifices you made and decisions you took were in order to benefit you two in the future,"
Mamoru sighed "She is the reason for every decision I have made since I found her and no, I am not complaining."
"Well then, go home. Do wedding stuff—I don't know, go have some cake samples, a drink—whatever—just don't be here." Motoki cleared his throat and looked at him "Mamoru, go."
Mamoru looked up, silently thanking his friend for the gesture. With a nod, he followed Motoki's suggestion and walked out of the cafeteria with the blonde doctor following behind. He later turned to the opposite side of the hallway to go and check the Furikawa before leaving, against Motoki's petition. "Hey." A soft voice caught him off guard, making him turn, his lips curved into a faint smile, "Ami." he greeted halfheartedly. Ami walked towards him and flashed him her usual friendly smile, "This is new... what are you doing here on a Saturday? Is everything alright?"
Mamoru inhaled deeply and shrugged his shoulders, not really knowing what kind of answer he should give her, taking the bluenette by surprise "What happened?" her face quickly changed to one of worry, once she noticed there was something wrong with him.
"A patient died on me—just a while ago."
"I heard." she said softly, Mamoru then remembered who might have been the source of information, "Ah yes, Satomura-san, of course."
"I asked you because you don't normally come on a Saturday—unless is very, very urgent and important. Where you called on the case?" Ami asked with honest interest and concern, Mamoru exhaled deeply again and tilted his head, pointing to one of the clinic offices at the end of the hallway "Come with me."
Both doctors walked in silence until they entered one of the rooms, Mamoru closed the door behind him and leaned back, "Something was not right about that man." Ami frowned and sat on a chair, in front of a desk "What do you mean?"
"I just saw Motoki and explained what happened in medical terms, but to you, I can tell you what exactly happened." Mamoru frowned and crossed his arms, "Medically and to sum up, his body gave in, his veins literally collapsed and bled himself to death," Ami widened her eyes and gasped, "What?!"
Mamoru nodded "I took samples of everything. I will study them once I get the results but, that man was not human."
"What?" Ami's blue eyes widened in horror "Are you saying he was some sort of youma?"
Mamoru shook his head, "It was something else, it was not an actual monster, but, there was something that possessed this man. I didn't see it, but, I heard it—talking to me."
Ami found this appalling, a man possessed by a strange creature until it literally devoured its host, causing it to explode to its dead. "What did..." she trailed off, Mamoru frowned and shook his head "He spoke in another tongue, ancient tongue. I can't—" he looked away and sighed heavily, "It frustrates me because I have heard that language before and yet I can't understand anything." he looked at her, "It was mocking us, it was mocking me." he closed his eyes for a moment "He smiled, the creepiest smile you could ever imagine." he opened his eyes and looked at his friend "It was unnatural—inhuman."
"This has to be the enemy, the ones after Megumi-san," Ami frowned "There is no other explanation."
"There hasn't been any other case like this," Mamoru felt his chest tighten, "This will cause a commotion, I must handle this as silently and smart as possible—what?" Mamoru noticed a sudden change in Ami's expression "But it has..." she looked at him and nodded, "It has happened before..."
"When?"
"When Megumi-san was found," Ami said softly, surprising Mamoru "What?"
Ami nodded "I remember Haruka-san saying something of being chased by possessed people..." she looked at him in horror "The enemy might be making its way to this planet by using people as hosts."
"That might explain the blackout—" Mamoru mumbled with a frown, "—And Rei-chan's visions..." Ami ended his sentence, "What should we do Mamoru-kun?"
Mamoru sighed and sat on a chair next to her and rubbed his chin in thought, "We don't know who is going to be possessed next until it happens. We don't know who or what this enemy is, I don't get any visions about it, I don't hear or feel anything rather than exhaustion. We must be on guard because if this is indeed the enemy it will happen again and it will happen soon."
"We need to tell the girls."
"We need to be sure about this and confirm if the same happened when Megumi was found by Haruka and company."
"And Usagi-chan?" the tone in Ami's question gave Mamoru the hint of what she meant; with the wedding coming in a couple of weeks it was something that could totally devastate Usagi. He admitted it and frustrated him as well, he hated things this complicated and dangerous would happen at this particular time when he was about to marry the Lunar Princess and sighed heavily. He turned to his friend and shook his head, thinking how it was like if destiny knew something he did not and just wanted to keep them apart. The fates could be funny like that—know he knew.
"I will talk to her,"
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I do not own Sailor Moon, just this plot and some of the characters.
Glossary for reference:
*Ishi-san: Doctor (Japanese)
*Youma: Monster
**Vos omnes ad mortem: You all are going to die
***Et circa hoc nihil potestis facere: And there is nothing you can do about it.