Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife
Chapter Twenty Four.
AN: I feel like I've been gone forever. Is it time for me to be back on schedule? I think so.
Thank you for reviewing, I am glad and happy to read how much you liked it. I know, it was a packed chapter... there was a lot to process and while some of you were expecting it to happen, others were still shocked and that was awesome. Thank you for leaving a note, it means a lot... it's the fuel to my motivation, so thank you. Have a lovely weekend and let's keep the good vibes flowing!
After a dead silent drive that felt like hours, Usagi finally stepped out of Haruka's car and closed the door behind her and looked up; they had finally parked in front of Mamoru's apartment building. Usagi knew this new rush of information would put the outer senshi on an edge and that would even make a plan on their own to counteract any after effect in order to protect her, especially Haruka.
During the whole ride, she thought about that word—protect. She thought about its meaning and how they took the word between them and now, it was taking another turn. Usagi felt Hotaru's hand holding hers softly as if she was asking for some sort of forgiveness for Haruka's sudden overprotective and brash behavior. The young girl looked at her and leaned her head on Usagi's shoulder, a gesture the blonde could not ignore and gave the girl a smile before looking at the rear-view mirror into Haruka's eyes.
Usagi knew Haruka would do nothing else but keep her from any harm, it was in her nature. It was a part of her, even if meant keeping her away from the man she has loved all of her life. That was the difference between the inner senshi and the outer senshi; despite all caring for her and having a common interest in saving the world, the inner senshi understood her and supported her ideals, they were witness to their past and they lived it with her unlike the outer senshi who had to stay away in their posts and just see it happen from a distance.
"Are you going to be okay?" asked a very worried Michiru who was leaning on the window and looked at Usagi with a pleading stare, almost begging her to step back into the car. "We can drive you here tomorrow, once things have cooled down."
Usagi shook her head and turned to look at her "No. I'll be fine."
"You don't know how is he going to—" Michiru widened her eyes at Usagi who was giving her a very determinant glare, once that she has not seen in a very long time and immediately felt urged to concede to her wishes. The violinist took a deep breath and nodded. "Please call us if there is anything you need," she looked at Usagi and pulled back in her seat. There was nothing else she could do but to support her blonde friend and leader; the situation was complicated, this was not about a man that was 'threatening' to change the future, this was not a wicked man obsessed with the Lunar Princess, this was not a crazy Queen threatening to kill her; this was her lover and Prince. The same man that has been protecting her for a millennium and the same man that has died for her and sacrificed his own power for her to continue living despite being suppressed by the power he was meant to have.
Usagi nodded and turned on her heel and walked into the building without looking back at the girls waiting in the car. She made her way to the elevator as she looked for her set of keys inside her pale pink purse. Once the doors of the elevator opened she walked out and felt as if the hallway had suddenly become longer and darker, making it feel endless. With her keys in hand, she finally reached for the door and opened the door slowly to walk inside; as she passed the foyer she turned to the kitchen and noticed the little stove light he always left on every night was turned on, meaning he was somewhere in the apartment.
After taking off her heels, she walked inside and saw the rest of the lights were off and the curtains shut closed, almost as if Mamoru was prohibiting the light from the city at night filter its way to bother his mood. Usagi began feeling the stress of the situation and what she was doing as she walked down the hallway but her thoughts and urge to be there for Mamoru was what helped her feel grounded. She stopped outside of Megumi's room and opened the door. Peeking inside, she noticed the girl was deep asleep and tucked in her bed alone and closed the door carefully so she wouldn't wake her up and walked towards the door at the end of the hall and repeated the action by opening the door as careful and silent as possible.
The ambient was as somber and heavy as it was in the living room, no lights on, no music, no sound, not even his phone flickered with the constant alerts from incoming messages that became something natural for her to see. Her eyes finally landed on him standing in front of the large window, staring absently at the night sky.
There was something in the way he was standing in silence that she could not describe but it was different, it felt different—he was different, she thought. "Mamo-chan..." she called out to him softly to let him know she was there. Mamoru kept staring out the window for a minute before reacting to the sound of her voice "Usa..." he answered the same way but didn't make any attempts to look at her. Without saying anything else, Usagi walked into the room and turned to put her purse on a wooden shelf and walked towards him.
"Why are you here?"
The cold tone in his voice made her stop in her tracks and shook her head, confused by his strange and hostile reaction. "I was worried about you," she saw Mamoru hung his head low in response and again, avoided any contact with her as if he was trying to keep things from getting worse. It was typical of him, to swallow his feelings to keep them under control. "Mamo-chan..." her tone was soft and moved closer to him, making him react defensively in return. "Don't..." Mamoru raised his hand, motioning her to stop. "You need to leave."
His response was enough reason for Usagi to ignore whatever shell he was trying to build around him and walked to him without caring of what might happen and stood next to him. She looked down and silently thanked the full moon hanging in the sky for giving her enough light to look for his hand but as soon as her fingers touched his, Mamoru pulled it away with rejection, "I said... don't." his voice fell another decibel, like a warning for her to stay away.
"Mamo-chan..."
"Don't..." Mamoru leaned his head on the cold window and closed his eyes, "I want you to leave, Usagi."
Usagi frowned at the sound of her whole name, it felt foreign and unnatural; coming from him, it was unacceptable. They have spent so much time together to keep any formalities between them, plus, she didn't like it when he called her that. They barely ever fought, sure, like any couple, they had arguments and differences but they always came through and solved them. That was the beauty of their love—she thought; they knew each other so well that they knew how to make things work, time after time.
But even then, Usagi couldn't help thinking that every time Mamoru was upset, he would warn her of his mood in advance by putting any nicknames aside and call her by her name, and right now, he was giving her that warning. She knew he was angry but she also knew he was in deep pain and confusion and she couldn't leave him alone; not when she knew he was broken inside, she was his family and he was hers, Chaos or no Chaos involved, period.
Usagi ignored the warning in the cold tone of his voice and reached for his hand again and took control by intertwining her fingers with his, startling him in the process. The gesture was enough to stir his emotions and turned to look at her, instantly reminding himself why she had his heart in her hands. Since he laid eyes on her, in this or his previous life there was something in her that always complimented him; her laughter was always contagious, her bubbly personality, being ditzy and distracted but also passionate, kind-hearted, innocent and brave—very brave.
Usagi widened her eyes when she saw tears rolling down his cheeks and catching the light coming from the Moon outside and felt her heart break into hundreds of pieces; Mamoru felt exposed and immediately turned to look out the window again and sighed, trying to keep his emotion at bay, "I want you to leave Us—" his eyes widened when he felt Usagi wrapping her arms around his waist tightly and pressed her face against his chest. Her fingers curled tight on his shirt, hanging on to him to dear life. "No. I won't go away." she shook her head.
Usagi felt her world was slowly crumbling right in front of her eyes, first peace was disturbed and now the man she loved was trying to push her away, slowly letting her own frustrations and fears sink in and take over her. She was scared of losing the man that always kept her with her feet on the ground, the man that despite everything, always made her feel safe and very much loved. Mamoru meant more to her then he knew, more than he ever imagined and she couldn't let him step away from her life, not after everything they have been through. "Can't you see?" she mumbled against his shirt, "Can't you see I love you? That I can't be away from you? No matter how much you try to push me away... I won't leave—don't push me away..."
Mamoru looked down at her and shook his head, "Usagi," his mind told him to be away from her because he was disgusted with himself, but his heart wanted to hold her the closest possible to him and never let her go. "No!" Usagi shook her head more effusively this time and tightened her grip on his shirt, "I know what you are trying to do! I know you too well but I won't let you—not now, not ever! Do you hear me?! I won't let you lose yourself in this madness!"
"Usagi, let go of me!" Mamoru tried to free himself from her grasp and with every pull, his patience began to run thin, "You need to go—let go of me! Let go of me Serenity!" he raised his voice with anger. "No!" Usagi yelled louder and looked up at him, "Do not push me away! Do not push me away Endymion!" Mamoru widened his eyes with surprise by her determination. Usagi looked at him with tears streaming down her crystal blue eyes and shook her head, "Do not push me away—not me. Why do you want me to go? What have I done to you to reject me like this? We promised to stay together no matter what... you are my rock and I am yours... You said that we were going to find our way to be together... this is it... don't..." she shook her head, "Endymion I can't see my life without you in it!"
Mamoru closed his eyes and kept her at arm's length and shook his head, "You don't understand..."
Usagi frowned between sniffs, "I don't understand? What's to understand!? We are here alive! We were given another chance to be together! That's all I need to understand—that's all I know!"
"Can't you see I am the reason why we couldn't be together in the first place?!" Mamoru snapped, his patience was gone at this point, "I am the reason the Silver Millennium went to ruin, I am the reason he was always threatening your life—your life has always been threatened because of me! Because I am tied to that damn dynasty!"
Usagi shook her head, her body already missing his warmth, "No, I don't see any of that." she walked close to him again and reached up to comb his midnight hair away from his eyes, "All I see is the man I have loved all my life," she cupped her hands on each side of his face, "You can't seriously think that—you are speaking out of anger and frustration." She shook her head, "Back then, we couldn't be together because they couldn't deal with the fact that a strong warrior like your mother chose her heart over power and divinity and was be able to find happiness. There was too much jealousy around us... the Silver Millennium fell to its demise because of the ambition of a woman manipulated by a jealous spirit—it has nothing to do with you."
"Usagi—I'm linked to Chaos," Mamoru closed his eyes and frowned with disgust while growling with frustration "I have the same blood that demon has. Do you even know what that means?!"
Usagi shook her head, "I don't care what it means! You are different! You are the son of a warrior who believed in good, in her people, who believed in love—you can't possibly think that you are evil just because he is part of that dynasty... that doesn't make you his shadow. You are not him!"
"Don't say stupid things, open your eyes, you are being blinded by love—you are not seeing things straight." Mamoru narrowed his eyes and moved away from her and paced around the room. Usagi frowned with pain as she saw Mamoru struggling to embrace his nature, it was like seeing two different people fighting to come through and earn a place in this world. They have talked about this several times, and while he knew he was a Prince in the past he never felt like one because there was nothing for him to make him welcome that part of him; he didn't remember anything or anyone from that life but now, not only he remembered, but he learned there was much more to know and realized there was much more to him than just a mortal Prince in a castle.
"I feel disgusted Serenity, I'm angry because I was kept from knowing all this for too long, I am part of a family that it is considered a curse among the divine world and that will be hunted down until it goes extinct." He growled with anger, "All those years I lived in that Palace—it didn't matter if I went to war, if I trained, if I bleed, if I was scared—I lived in a fucking bubble and oblivious to who or what I really was. I always felt there was more to know about her—Gaia. I always knew there was something wrong with me but—this..." he ran his hands through his hair and sighed with exasperation as he continued to pace around the room, hoping the movement would bring some order to his disturbed mind, "I could have done more! —I could have saved them!" his patience reached its peak when he stopped in front of his drawer and grabbed a bottle of cologne and threw it with force against the wall, smashing it into hundreds of pieces startling Usagi by his sudden outburst. "All this time they kept an eye on me, thinking of ways to kill me and I was—" he sat on the bed on the verge of a nervous breakdown and took several harsh breaths, his always stoic and persona trying to resurface and fight the fresh batch of tears pooling in his eyes from falling. "I could have done something to defend you from that bastard. How many nights I felt frustrated and cursed my damn mortality, for not being good enough. Well, obviously I am not good enough—I am Chaos' nephew for fucking's sake..."
Usagi looked at him with teary eyes, the pain and the anger were evident. He was disappointed and he felt guilty for everything that happened to them in the past. He now carried a heavier weight on his shoulders than he did back then and it made her feel helpless; because she wanted to help and she didn't know how. It angered her just to know that all those years back and even now, he was constantly seen as a useless object, a target that needed to be destroyed, someone easy to manipulate—an obstacle in her life when he was clearly so much more and now it made perfect sense why they went after him as well, every enemy was aware of his heritage and knew he was in his most weak state to be attacked.
The moment he woke up as Endymion, new memories as Serenity awoken along with him and could see flashes of the many nights they spent together talking and laughing. The time he taught her how to defend herself with the same sword she used to take her life, their first night together, the times they danced to their own imaginary music. Everything slowly came back to her, making her feel even more against the idea that he was like the Gods claimed he was. "Is this how you been feeling all this time, an obstacle?" she finally had the courage to ask and turned the switch on the lamp on his nightstand and kneeled in front of him while holding his hands. "You are not useless—you were not useless," she said softly and looked into his eyes, "Can't you see? You made me who I am now—you and your strong desire to always be fair and good." she wiped the tears rolling down his cheeks with the back of her hand, thinking how strange it was to see him in this state, helpless, broken and disappointed. Mamoru was not the man who cried easily and when he felt like he needed to vent, he always had other ways to do it, so for Usagi to see him cry even if he did it quietly, it was strange and heartbreaking.
"You inspired me to become a soldier of justice—you were the first and only one who saw me as a woman rather than a silly, pretty Princess. You saw beyond all of that. You believed in me and gave me the courage to believe in myself and fight for a good cause—to fight for us, the same way you did." Usagi sobbed and pulled his hands closer to her chest trying to make him react and break free from the dark place he was deeply trapped, "You didn't put my life in danger—you made me want to defend myself and this world with you by my side. You helped me break the mold and be free without caring about other people expectations."
Mamoru looked at her and sighed heavily between his silent cry. He slowly slid down from the bed to the floor and kneeled in front of Usagi, completely dismantled, "I don't know who the hell I am anymore Usa..."
Usagi put her hands on his face again and smiled softly at him, her teary icy blue eyes never leaving his prismatic darker ones "You—you are a man who believes in good. A man who fights for justice. You are a man who had a hard childhood in this time and that had to mature ahead of his time in his previous one to protect his family and Kingdom." she sniffed softly and moved closer to him, her nose almost touching his, "You are my protector and also the love of my life, my soulmate, my best friend—the only man I'll have eyes for in this or any era." she shook her head and leaned her forehead on his, "I don't care if that evil creature is your mother's brother. I don't care—I don't care about him and I would fight him again and again—but with you by my side. You are nothing like him or any God in the sky." Her hands slowly began combing his hair back, allowing see into his deep colored eyes "I love you, Chiba Mamoru—I love you, Endymion. To me, you are the same—you have always been, don't try to fight it."
Mamoru widened his eyes and felt moved by her words. It was funny to see how the tables had turned with him being the vulnerable one and she was the one keeping him afloat in a sea of madness and dark thoughts. There was no doubt about the strength and determination inside the petite woman's heart, there was no doubt she was the light to the darkness nested in his heart. No doubt in his mind that she is her fated opposite, like day to night. Like the Moon and the Sun.
Her words made sense, the word same brought some calmness to his demons of self-doubt and confusion. He was the same and the woman before him loved him unconditionally despite the background and circumstances that made him who he was. For a minute he felt like of his soul was finally attached to his body once again and let out a heavy sigh with guilt, "I'm sorry..." he slowly wrapped his arms around his Princess and rested his head on the nook between her head and shoulder, "I'm so sorry—Luna Bunny."
Usagi shook her head with relief and widened her eyes when she heard the nickname and blinked surprised as it came back to her and pulled back to look at him, "You remember..." she blushed. Mamoru leaned back and rested his head on the bed and closed his eyes, starting to feel the strain of been crying for a long period of time, "I remember everything—I can feel everything."
Usagi noticed his whole aura and demeanor had changed and while it was not entirely back to normality, it no longer held any hostility like when she walked into the bedroom; the overprotective shell he had created to prevent him to explode was slowly crumbling and revealed a very vulnerable man, the one side only she got to see. After a minute of silence, she crawled to sit next to him and wrapped an arm over his chest and leaned her head on his shoulder, "You really can feel everything?"
Mamoru opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, "The ground pulsing like a heartbeat. The rain that it's about to pour, the wind up on the mountains, the waves crashing on the shore—your heart beating." He sighed softly and closed his eyes again for a minute. "I hear the whispers of people praying... it's like I have taken a cloth that was keeping me numb, I don't know how to explain it but everything is so vivid, so intense. This is what it meant—for me to wake up."
"You felt this, you know... back then?" Usagi blinked and looked up at him, trying to learn and understand more to what has happened to him with his awakening and also to distract him from the other matter, "Is this why you always said you were tired?" she saw Mamoru nod and widened her eyes in awe, "You never told me you could hear people's prayers... you never told me any of this,"
"I didn't want you to know I was weird," Mamoru mumbled as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I grew up feeling like I was a freak of nature."
"I am glad you got your memories back," Usagi whispered and patted his flat stomach in a playful manner, trying to lighten the mood, noticing she was slowly making progress by bringing him back. "Why?" Mamoru opened his eyes and looked down at her giving him the warmest smile she could muster, "Because you get to remember your family. Now you know you belong somewhere and no longer feel like a leaf all lost in a stormy ocean. You have a reason to fight for their legacy—the one that truly matters."
Mamoru finally managed to smile and caressed her swollen cheek with the back of his hand, "You are unbelievable," Usagi blinked, surprised "What do you mean?"
"You, talking to me like this—scolding me, that is my thing." Mamoru sighed softly and brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly, "You are a very strong woman, you know that, right?"
Usagi blushed and shrugged her shoulders, "Well—I don't know about that, but I had to do something to bring you back from that somber place you were stuck in." Mamoru leaned down and graced her lips with his and looked at her with love and gratefulness, "I am so proud of you... my Warrior Princess." Usagi widened her eyes and felt fresh tears started to pool on them, "Really?"
Mamoru wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer, still with a soft smile on his face "You were the only one who was never afraid of me—the only one who despite having all the divine world against you, still came to see me. I know you heard the term monster up there one too many times, and now I know they were talking about me."
"Earth never had a monster to me, you proved it yourself, remember? When we met," Usagi said softly, "You are nothing like that to me and I am sure it goes the same with your family, the Shitennou or Megumi." Mamoru sighed heavily, "It breaks my heart to know all the things she had to go through to keep that sword safe."
Usagi tightened her lips and nodded, feeling bad for being upset with her for appearing at this particular time. The poor girl had gone through hell and nightmares all to keep the sacred weapon safe from the enemy. Her being a mortal girl with no power or knowledge how to wield a sword that heavy and powerful, managed to survive all those years to protect the memory of her fallen Kingdom and her beloved Terran Prince. No cake or wedding could be more important than what was happening now. "I don't think she will appreciate seeing you all moody and depressed," she looked up at him, "If you keep blaming yourself for whatever happened way before you were even born, all of her efforts will go to waste."
Mamoru widened his eyes and looked down at her. She had a point, a very valuable point, "Usa, seriously—stop it."
Usagi chuckled "What?!"
"Stop being me—I am supposed to be the reasonable one." Mamoru frowned making the blonde laugh softly "Well somebody had to be reasonable under these circumstances. But now that you mention it, I think I hang out with you way too much—we need to start seeing other people."
Mamoru wrapped both arms around her waist tightly and pulled her close to him, "No—you are mine and mine alone. I'm sorry for being so stupid." Usagi smiled in his arms and shook her head, "You are not stupid, just a little silly... and stubborn." she looked up at him and kissed him fully on the lips, "But in the end, you are my silly and that is all that matters to me."
Mamoru arched his brow, "Yours alone... I hope you can handle it." Usagi smirked proudly and did Rosie the riveter's pose, "Bring it, Your Highness."
After a soft chuckle, Mamoru turned to look where he smashed the glass bottle of cologne and sighed, "I better clean that up before either of us get hurt with a shard of glass." Usagi looked at the pieces of glass over the wooden floor and shaggy carpet and sighed with sadness; this was the first time he saw him lose his cool and react the way he did by throwing something in raw anger. This was probably the first time he lost control over his emotions and thought how since she met him no matter how upset he was, he would always keep composure and think with a cold head. It startled her to even see him cry, never in her life, she had heard him sob and sweat-dropped when she realized that even then, he kept it classy, unlike her who always ended up a freaking mess, runny mascara and all.
"A cologne bottle, really Mamo-chan?" she said, trying to lighten the mood and dismiss his guilt by mocking the result of his rage. She did not blame him, in fact, she didn't know how would she feel or react if she learned all that load of heavy information about her and her past. Everything happened too quickly, and it was a lot to process and she knows, that even when he is calmer and more like himself, he still was trying to understand it and accept it all. But again, that is why she wanted to be there, despite everything and anyone's opinion because it was her time to step up and take control of offering him the comfort and support he has given her since he stepped into her life. Usagi pursed her lips, "You could have better used—I don't know, a brush or something." Mamoru sighed with regret, "It was the only thing close enough for me to throw. Now the room reeks of cologne, I should have known better."
"Well, at least it smells nice."
"I'm already getting tired of it and now that I think about it, it doesn't smell that great," Mamoru grimaced with disgust, "And I just bought the damn thing—and to make things worse, it was the larger size so there is more than an average amount spilled on the floor and this shaggy white carpet you so much insisted on buying."
"Don't mess with the rug, it's pretty!" Usagi smiled and ran her hand over the shaggy carpet, "It looks like there was a massacre of stuffed animals," Mamoru rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to fight the nauseous feeling caused by the overwhelming scent impregnated in the room. Usagi laughed at his comment soon after infecting Mamoru with it "Why did you buy the bigger size?" she asked between laughs. Mamoru wiped his tears with his hand and shrugged his shoulders "According to you, it was on sale," he frowned and looked at her "Hey! You made me buy that thing in the first place! I didn't want it." His rant made Usagi laugh louder, "Well—it was the newest version of that label. I thought it would smell nice on you, plus, you needed to change it up a bit—but now that you mention it, it's starting to smell a little funky."
Mamoru sweat-dropped "A little?" he rolled on his side and stood up with a light groan, "I hope my little tantrum didn't wake Megumi." he walked into the adjacent bathroom to get a towel and start cleaning the mess he made, "Yeah, this doesn't smell good at all, ugh... it's beginning to smell like fermented beets," he made a face of disgust when he began to pick the glass shards from the wooden floor. Usagi laughed, "Are you saying you didn't even like it even when you put it on the first time?"
"I never got to use it. I was still using my trusty old one—my good one. The one that never fails. Remember you dragged me into that new perfume store and said I should get it because you made the advertising..." Mamoru threw the pieces into a nearby trash can and sighed with displeasure, "Yeah, this will permeate on the carpet and floor for the next thousand years,"
"Light a candle," Usagi looked for her trusty pomegranate scented candle on her nightstand but Mamoru bit his lower lip, "Yeah no... I wouldn't risk it."
"Why?"
"Because this thing is loaded with alcohol, it's too strong—the candle will only make it worse. I don't think mixing fermented beets and pomegranate would make a nice combination... I don't want the room to smell like a red district joint." Mamoru walked into the bathroom again to wash his hands, Usagi fell on her back and started laughing again "This is what happens when you get tricked by marketing!"
Mamoru came out of the bathroom, trying to wipe the odor off his hands with a wet wipe and frowned at the heavy scent impregnated in his skin, "Oh my god... this is awful." he looked at her and chuckled "What did you say? That I was tricked by marketing? No, I was tricked by you! You made me buy it..." he narrowed his sapphire colored eyes, "Now that I think about it, you are the worst person to make a deal with."
"Ah, what deal?" Usagi looked at him from the floor where she was laying on the fuzzy carpet. Mamoru threw the wet wipe in the trash and arched a brow at her, "Similar to the one we made when you promised to clean the vacuum filter..." Usagi pressed her lips tight and blushed, "Oh, those deals..." she pointed an accusing finger at him, "Hey! I kept my side of that deal intact!"
"Well, the one we did when you made me spend a ridiculous amount of money for this stinky cologne was never fulfilled." Mamoru frowned, Usagi bit her lower lip with mischief, "You know we can solve that pretty easy..." Mamoru narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "You are unbelievable,"
Usagi rolled on the carpet laughing at how the situation dramatically switched from a very serious matter to a very expensive but awful smelling cologne and naughty displays of affection. Mamoru walked to his drawer and grabbed a clean light grey t-shirt and handed it to the silver blonde "Yeah, you keep laughing at me but that stinky cologne will stay with you forever if you don't get up from that carpet." he frowned and rubbed the bridge of his nose "God... seriously, what is in that thing?!"
Usagi stopped and widened her eyes, in a flash she jumped back up and tried pulled her blouse to smell it "No, no! This is my favorite blouse!" Mamoru shrugged his shoulders, "Sorry." Usagi got startled when she saw him grabbing the pillows from his bed, "Mamo-chan?"
"You are not expecting us to sleep in this stench, or do you?" Mamoru arched his brow and looked at her "Let's go to the living room, come on."
"B-But..." Usagi pointed the bed and pouted her lips, "The bed is so comfy..."
Mamoru looked at her "You want to sleep in here?" he chuckled when pointed the spot where the bottle broke "Alright, be my guest, but I'm warning you—it will eventually feel like it's burning every cell in your brain."
Usagi sighed and rolled her eyes, "I will take my chances... I don't have super keen senses like you do. I don't smell the rain or the ocean, I don't hear people's wishes like a genie... I think I'll be fine." Mamoru opened the door, "Alright, but don't get mad at me when I say I told you so."
Usagi widened her eyes when she saw he was serious about his intentions as he walked out of the room, "Wait, are you really going to leave me here alone?!"
"Yes!" she heard him say from the living room; Usagi sighed and began to undress and put the large t-shirt on, "Fine—I will enjoy the whole bed for myself! Enjoy your stiff and uncomfortable couch!"
"Good night!" he heard him say from the couch. Usagi hopped on the bed and snuggled with the comforter with a nostalgic smile on her face, "I'm glad you're back," and slowly drifted herself to sleep.
O—o—O
Inside her room, Megumi snapped her eyes open when she heard Mamoru raised his voice. She rolled on the bed and turned to look at the door and could clearly hear Mamoru's voice arguing with someone else, "Prince..." she mumbled groggily. She remembered she had fallen asleep at the temple and that for a moment she woke up when they were driving back to the apartment. She remembers opening her eyes, still heavy with sleep and looked out the window to the city lights moving fast, she slightly turned her head and saw Mamoru sitting next to her, steering the wheel in his hands. His face was serious but she could tell he was struggling with his own thoughts as he drove back home. She saw a gleam in his eyes, one she later recognized as tears and felt guilty for the pain her presence in this world had caused him. Exhaustion began to claim her again and slowly drifted back to sleep not realizing when did they got home or when he put her to rest on the bed.
She sat and walked to the door and opened it "No!" she heard a woman's voice inside the room arguing with Mamoru. Megumi widened her eyes as she continued listening to the discussion occurring inside the bedroom.
"Do not push me away! Do not push me away Endymion!"
Megumi blinked surprised "Princess Serenity?" she whispered when recognized the female voice, "The Princess is here... but..." she frowned not fully remembering if she was with them on their way back. She was sure it was only him and her in the car.
"Can't you see I am the reason why we couldn't be together in the first place?! I am the reason the Silver Millennium went to ruin, I am the reason he was always threatening your life—Your life has always been threatened because of me!"
Megumi hung her head low when she heard the distress in Mamoru's voice and remembered Ares telling the story of his true nature, a truth, not even she was aware of. Megumi remembered the strong presence the Prince had anytime he walked inside a room; there was an air of authority and security in him that she always admired. Despite being the strong Prince she knew he was, he had a gentle, caring heart and never treated her like a servant. He never lost his temper, he barely ever raised his voice to make a point or to make himself heard. This was the first time he could hear desperation and confusion in his voice; the hurt was evident and the anger too, and it was all too raw for her to witness.
"Usa—I'm related to Chaos. I have the same blood that demon has. Do you even know what that means?!"
"I don't care what it means!"
"All those years I lived in that Palace—it didn't matter if I went to war, if I trained, if I bleed, if I was scared—I lived in a fucking bubble. I was oblivious to who I really was, I always felt like there was more to know about her—Gaia, I always knew there was something wrong with me but—this..."
Megumi's eyes widened when she heard the sound of glass breaking, startled and with worry she walked towards the Prince's room but stopped when she realized they were still talking "All this time, they have kept an eye on me, thinking of ways to kill me and I was—" she heard him say and felt her eyes burn with tears of her own. To even think that he would be related to something so evil was puzzling to her, she shook her head not accepting what Mamoru was saying. The Terran Queen never showed any signs of being malicious, she remembered as a beautiful woman with a kind heart. None of the Royals acted out of malice, now why was the Prince talking like if he was a bad person? —She thought. Silently, she leaned closer to the door and listened to a few more minutes before everything went silent, thinking that maybe they had fallen asleep. Sighing softly, she turned on her heel and walked back to her room and closed the door behind her.
She sat on the bed and could not help the tears pooling in her eyes roll down her cheeks slowly. She stayed in silence, thinking of Mamoru's words and Usagi's constant repel against his allegations. Minutes passed and she heard no more noise coming from the room, that until an unexpected laughter caught her off guard, surprising her.
With wide eyes, she heard Usagi's soft laughter soon followed by Mamoru's warm voice. Megumi blinked, still in amaze by the sudden change from the argument they were entranced into to the jokes and the laughter. She was soon surprised by the sound of his voice coming down the small corridor.
"Alright, but don't get mad at me when I say I told you so."
Megumi blinked and tilted her head, startled "What is happening?" she muttered. "Wait, are you really going to leave me here alone?!" she heard the princess exclaim from the bedroom.
"Yes!" Mamoru's voice came from the living room, making this the most strange argument in the world, the maid thought"Fine—I will enjoy the whole bed for myself! Enjoy your stiff and uncomfortable couch!"
There was no door slam, no more noise coming from either side and apparently, they had finally gone asleep. She never thought the couple ever argued, every time she saw Serenity visiting Endymion, they were always happy. Megumi went back to her bed and pulled back the thick covers, slowly falling asleep once again and hoping for a better day tomorrow.
O—o—O
Back in the bedroom, Usagi opened her eyes and rolled to her opposite side on the bed. She rubbed her eyes and searched for a watch or something that could tell her the time; after several attempts she finally found Mamoru's phone and frowned when she realized it was still dark outside but late enough to know it had been a while since they went to sleep, "2:33 a.m." she mumbled and looked to the other side and found it empty slowly recalling why he was not there next to her. Rubbing her eyes, she squinted her face in annoyance and grabbed her pillow before walking out of the bedroom. No matter how much she tried, it was no longer possible to sleep without him lying next to her.
She stood in front of the couch and saw Mamoru sound asleep with his arm lazily over his eyes. For a minute she was annoyed to see him sleep so peacefully when she had been having a crappy night thanks to the heavy smell impregnated on the floor and carpet, "Hate to say I told you so..." he mumbled groggily. Usagi widened her eyes at Mamoru's sudden comment and frowned, "Yeah well—the stench of rotten beets in your room just intensified. My head hurts..."
"Mhmm..." he hummed, "I told you..."
"So, where am I supposed to sleep?" Usagi pouted her lips and stomped her foot on the floor when she didn't hear a clear answer from him, "Mamo-chan!"
Mamoru did not answer to Usagi's little tantrum, instead, he lifted his blanket he took with him, allowing her to snuggle with him on the same couch turning this a deal Usagi could not let pass. Silently, she cuddled in his chest and wrapped one leg around his waist to secure her place on the couch and waited for him to put the blanket over them again, "Hmm..." he muttered again, "You're right..."
"What?" Usagi mumbled softly.
"You stink like rotten beets."
"Shut up and hug me,"
O—o—O
Soon after morning came, and Megumi was the first to wake up. The sun filtered its rays through the curtains in her room, slowly bringing her back to reality. She blinked several times before finally deciding to get up from the bed.
Walking towards the window, she looked outside and noticed the once dark grey clouds were supplanted by big fluffy white clouds that looked like a cotton field across the sky. Considering the events that happened the day before, it was as if the storm never happened with a view this pretty.
She looked over her shoulder and heard no sound coming from outside, Megumi walked out of her room and saw Mamoru's bedroom door slightly open but the living room still dark. By this time, every curtain and blind would be open allowing the place being basked with warm sunshine and the welcoming smell of coffee would be lingering in the air. Megumi turned to her left and walked towards the living room to open the curtains, imagining that by this time they were already gone without saying a single word but soon was surprised to see them snuggled in one of the sofas, deeply asleep. She widened her eyes and tried to go back to her room to give them privacy but hit a lamp inadvertently, making a sound. Mamoru opened one eye and was surprised to see her standing there "M-Megumi..." he said softly, his voice still hazy from his sleep.
"Please forgive my intrusion, I-I thought..." Megumi pointed at the door then blinked not sure of what to say or how to justify her presence. Mamoru frowned and tried to turn on the couch but Usagi's leg was securely wrapped around his waist making it impossible for him to move. With a sigh, he tried to find the clock and blinked when he noticed it was later than he thought "9?" he muttered. Megumi looked at him and nodded "I am sorry—I will go back to..."
"No... No," Mamoru shook his head and slowly tried to move Usagi's leg to free himself from her strong grip, "I was already awake but as you can see—" he pulled the cover away, showing the princess snuggled close to him, "I can't move." After a couple of attempts, he finally managed to move away and let her take full ownership of the couch and covered her again with the light blanket. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to at least look less like a mess and more like himself but at this point and after everything that happened, he knew it was futile. He turned to look at the girl who was trying her best to be invisible and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in a loving brotherly hug, forgetting about all stupid protocol as he kissed her on the top of her head, "Thank you Megumi, for all you have done, for me—for my family."
Megumi's eyes widened her eyes and felt startled by his sudden action. The way he was speaking to her was different from before, she felt it more intimate and he was acting more like a friend; the friend she remembered she had in him. As an immediate reaction to his action and words, she responded to the hug and took a deep breath "I will always serve my Prince and Kingdom." Mamoru smiled and looked down at her, Megumi immediate noticed the change in his eyes and blushed when she saw they were back, those enchanting prismatic blue eyes.
"I'm sorry—for not remembering," Mamoru sighed softly and shook his head, "For not remembering you..."
Megumi shook her head and smiled widely, finally freeing herself from the silent, heavy shell she created to protect herself. "I understand Your Highness—but, you do now and you remember your family and that is all that matters." The words family somehow tasted bitter in his mouth, but tried to dismiss it at least for now, "Come, help me make breakfast." Megumi nodded happy to see him in a much better mood than the day before and followed him to the kitchen, "Your Highness—why did you sleep here instead of your bedchambers?"
The question made Mamoru crack a soft chuckle as he looked for a bowl, "My bedchambers?" he shook his head and chuckled more, "Oh no Megumi, my room is very far from being a royal chamber." He turned and grabbed a pan and put it to heat on the stove "Could you please pass me the eggs, butter, and milk from the fridge?"
Megumi nodded and turned to get the items and put them on the counter seconds after and saw him whisking them with flour and other dry ingredients making her look with awe, "Your Highness... what are you making?"
Mamoru smiled "Mamoru, Megumi—call me Mamoru," he looked at her "It's been a long time since I was referred to as Highness or Prince... or Endymion."
"You do not like your name anymore, Your Highness?"
Mamoru froze and stopped whisking for a second, thinking what would be the best answer to give the young maiden. Despite having talked to Usagi, he still felt weird to be two identities at the same time, "I—I..." he pursed his lips and continued whisking, "It's not that I don't like it... it's just that... I suppose I lost custom, it's been a long time since somebody called me that."
Megumi blushed and bit her lip, realizing that she had touched the subject a little too soon. "I could never allow myself to disrespect you, Your Highness," her eyes were fixed in his movements Mamoru noticed as he greased the pan with some butter and put some batter to cook slowly in it, "They're called pancakes," he tried to lighten the mood again by putting the topic aside, "It's a very western breakfast. I learned how to make them when I studied medicine in America and soon became Her Highness' favorite thing to eat every morning... though, it's been a while since I made a batch." He followed Megumi's example by referring to Usagi with a royal title. Megumi widened her eyes as she saw him flip the perfectly round pancake on the pan without any utensils and let it cook on its other side, "But she is still asleep..."
"Oh, just give her a minute," Mamoru turned to put the coffee machine to work and waited for the classic and familiar scent impregnate the kitchen and living room. Like magic, and as he predicted, the silver blonde soon began to react to the smell coming from the kitchen "Are those pancakes I am smelling?!" she asked from under the cover, startling the young maid. Mamoru arched a brow and smiled at Megumi, "See?" he put a stack of three on a plate and put it on the counter "I don't know—maybe." he answered her.
Usagi pushed the cover away and jumped from the couch like a jolly bunny and went to open the curtains and blinds to let the sunlight filter through the large windows and walked back to the counter with a smile when she saw Megumi standing next to Mamoru. Before sitting she leaned closer and gave her a quick, loving hug, "Good morning Megumi," Megumi blushed and smiled softly, "G-Good morning, Your Highness,"
Usagi looked down at her plate and blinked, still trying to adjust her eyes to the light "What time is it?"
"Nine-ish," Mamoru said softly as he flipped another perfectly rounded pancake. Usagi growled as she sat on the wooden stool behind the counter, "Ugh, Maya is going to kill me."
"Why?" she heard Mamoru asking from the kitchen but preferred to ignore the question, instead, she patted the stool next to her, motioning Megumi to sit and gave her the plate with warm pancakes, "Have you ever tried these?" she asked softly, Megumi shook her head making Usagi smile as she poured some syrup over them, "I have a feeling that you are going to like them,"
"B-But... these, His Highness..."
"His Highness over there can make more, don't worry," Usagi said in a playful tone and waved her hand, mocking Mamoru. She looked at Megumi and winked an eye at her "He's the pancake master," she stood up and walked to the kitchen, "Besides... after what he made me go through last night, I think it's fair."
"You still reek, by the way," Mamoru made a face of slight disgust, making Usagi giggle "You broke the bottle." Usagi walked towards Mamoru and hugged him from behind "As your punishment, you will have to cook attached to a stinky Luna Bunny."
Megumi smiled while seeing them joking on each other, the scene was too sweet for her to ignore. But the question still lingered in her mind, what happened the night before and why did they sleep on the couch? She was about to ask when the scent Usagi was referring to soon caught her nostrils, Usagi noticed and chuckled, "Stinks, huh?"
"W-What is that?" Megumi made a funny face that made both Usagi and Mamoru laugh out loud. "His Highness broke a bottle of cologne and the scent is impregnated in the bedroom making it unbearable to sleep in there and as you can tell, it smells horrible—that's why we had to sleep on the couch." she walked back to her seat, Mamoru put another plate with a stack of pancakes in front of Usagi "You made me buy it that thing, I didn't need it in the first place..."
Usagi laughed, "It did on the sample that came in the magazine! And yes, you needed a new one!"
Mamoru poured a cup of coffee and waited for his English muffin to be done in the toaster, he took a sip and put two cups in front of each lady and poured the coffee into both cups, "Why is Maya going to kill you? I noticed what you tried to do a while ago—stop avoiding the question."
"Hmm... I tend to forget you know me well, too," Usagi pouted her lips and sighed as she charged her coffee with a good amount of sugar and milk, "Because I didn't go to work." Mamoru arched his brow and looked at her as he took a sip of his coffee and leaned on the counter, "You are not going?"
Usagi shook her head and exhaled as she took a sip of her coffee and cut another bite piece of pancake "Nope," she swallowed, "I don't feel like it," she frowned "Wait a minute—I should be the one asking you the same thing. Why aren't you at work?"
Mamoru grabbed the muffins from the toaster and spread some butter on them. It has been a very intense week, with everything that happened the day before he forgot for a minute about the whole situation with the board, something, at this point he preferred to keep to himself. Mamoru had too much drama for now, he didn't want or needed to add more to the mix of emotions still brewing inside him. "I don't have to go today—which reminds me... excuse me," he walked to his bedroom, leaving the two women startled in the kitchen. Usagi blinked surprised, it was strange to hear him say that he was not going to the hospital on a weekday but considering the events of the day before it was understandable, he was probably exhausted and with a fair reason. She turned to Megumi who was finishing her breakfast and smiled, "Those things are good, right?"
Megumi widened her eyes and turned to Usagi with a smile as she cleaned the syrup off the corner of her lip, "Very much." Usagi giggled and took a sip of her coffee, "Ever since Mamo-chan made me those, I ask of nothing else... he has a gift for cooking. He is better than I will ever be."
"Mamo-chan..." Megumi mumbled the nickname with wonder, "Why do you call His Highness by that name?"
Usagi smiled as she swallowed another bite. It was nice to see Megumi more open to talk and more relaxed when around them; finally, the invisible barrier between them was finally down making the ambient much lighter. "I call him that, because that's the name he was given by his parents in this era. I met him before we all found out about our true selves... as Mamoru," she looked at her "Just like he met me as Usagi," she took another sip of her incredibly sweet coffee and looked at Megumi biting her lower lip in thought, "But you call him differently than the rest..."
Usagi smiled "Oh, Mamo-chan? That is a way to show my endearment to him. It's a custom here and I have been calling him that for so many years now that it got stuck." tilting her head she looked at her "But also, you might find interesting that his given name actually suits who he is,"
"What do you mean?" Megumi blinked surprised, Usagi pointed her finger up and smiled, "Funny enough, his name, Chiba Mamoru translates as Earth Protector."
Megumi's eyes widened in surprise, Usagi giggled and nodded "See? That is why it doesn't matter if his real name is Endymion, Mamoru still suits him. Makes sense, no? But, between us two..." She leaned closer to her "Though, I do like Endymion a lot." Usagi winked an eye at her, making Megumi smile with fascination by the many little details that permeated with them through time, "Does your name also has a meaning, Your Highness?"Usagi giggled and nodded, "Actually... it does, mine translates as Moon Bunny." she gave the young maid a peace sign, as if he was making bunny ears making Megumi giggle with endearment.
Mamoru came back just minutes after looking down at his phone for messages and quickly dialed a number, "Hey—listen, I won't be going in today," he turned to pour himself more coffee and frowned, "Have you heard anything from—you know?"
—o—
Motoki shifted his phone to his other ear as he walked away from the nurse's station and sighed, "Nothing new to what we already know but I guess your case will be put to rest—at least for a while. I don't know if you are aware of this but something happened yesterday and several victims are being treated here."
Mamoru sighed as he poured the freshly brewed coffee in his favorite black mug "I am aware of what happened."
"Where you there?" he heard Motoki ask from the other end as he took a sip of his coffee. Mamoru looked at Usagi cheerfully talking to Megumi and bit his lower lip, "You—could say that."
"Are you guys back at it?"
"You could say that," Mamoru looked down at the steaming mug in his hand, "How bad is it? How are they?"
"For what I heard, they're weak. Some are still in Intensive Care but they are expected to be fully recovered and released in a few more days." Motoki frowned, "Mamoru, what happened? Ami-chan also didn't come to work today—is this serious?"
Mamoru trusted his friend but he did not want to make him worried, he did not know how to explain all that happened because at to some point he did not know how much he would understand. Motoki was not a man that judged people, neither less judge them for being who they were but just as he did, Motoki was happy with his life as it was and Mamoru did not want to take that away from him, "All I can say is that we will do something about it."
"You okay?" Motoki asked Mamoru who frowned puzzled by the question "Yes, why?"
"I don't know—you sound different. I mean, not like it's bad or anything but... you sound like, less troubled for this whole ordeal with the med board."
Mamoru took a sip of his coffee and turned to look at Usagi and Megumi still talking like long lost friends and sighed softly, "Let's say... there are other matters occupying my mind,"
"Something I can do to help?"
"I will alright Motoki... it's just... there are things I need to put in order," Mamoru took another sip of his coffee and looked at Usagi, "For our sake..."
Liked it, leave a comment below!
I do not own Sailor Moon just this plot and some of the characters.