Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Twenty-six

AN: I sincerely apologize for not keeping my usual posting schedule, I fell under the weather and I am feeling like I was hit with a golf club-yeah, I'm down. It's been going on for a while now despite me having gone to the doctor and taken medicines I'm still beaten and tied to my bed like a hermit. I took a moment to take a final look at this chapter before posting, so here goes... I hope it goes well, and I hope you like it. Until next time.

Haruka opened the door of her house and heard Michiru was playing her violin. She walked inside the living room and stood close to the window and stared at the afternoon sun slowly go down "The Golden Crystal..." she muttered and narrowed her deep blue eyes as she remembered the conversation they had with Ares the previous night. Sighing, she closed her eyes and thought about the situation slowly developing in front of them "Odango..." she said softly and shook her head "You just can't seem to catch a break."

"Haruka?" Michiru said, surprising her. The blonde turned to look over her shoulder and smiled at her "When did you stop playing?" Michiru walked inside and put her violin aside on the dining table "Just a while ago."

Haruka hummed and closed her eyes, remembering the sweet melody Michiru was playing when she got home "That melody, I have never heard it before," she opened her eyes "Are you working on new material?"

Michiru smiled "I composed it for the wedding—it's my gift to the couple."

Haruka's face stiffened and bit her lower lip, Michiru noticed her sudden change and stood next to her at the window "I know what you are thinking," Haruka sighed with annoyance, "Do you?"

"You're worried about her,"

"Aren't you?"

Michiru took a deep breath, thinking her words carefully and nodded "I am yes, but not for the same reasons you are." Haruka widened her eyes, Michiru looked at her with a soft smile on her glossy lips "You know you can't separate them. The gods couldn't do it back then—what makes you think you can in this time and era?"

"You sound careless," Haruka muttered and looked away. Michiru crossed her arms "Maybe, but I am realistic." she turned on her heel and sat on the couch, "I understand how you feel, believe me, I do, but you have to admit that knowing about the Prince's past won't change his feelings towards her or her feelings towards him,"

"He is linked to evil, Michiru." Haruka frowned with disgust, "He is relative to every enemy we had encountered in the past." she let out a soft frustrated growl "Am I too crazy for being the only one to see this?"

"He may be linked to evil like you say but he also fights against it," Michiru retorted, "He has since we can remember. There is a reason why Queen Serenity granted him another opportunity to live beside her daughter and why the Terran Queen also kept that information from him. She was trying to protect him not only from the gods but also from judgment," The aquamarine haired beauty leaned back on the sofa, "Think about it."

"Michiru..." Haruka turned to look at her, there was some sort of warning in her voice. It was only a few times they did not agree on things, and she knew she never won against Michiru's reasoning. "You are being one of those gods Haruka," Michiru shook her head with disapproval, "The mirror never lies."

Haruka closed her eyes and hung her head down "I love that Princess more than you can ever imagine... I care for her greatly,"

"I know," Michiru smiled, "I love her too, we all do very much—but he loves her the most. We've all been witness of that love... you can't ignore the way he looks at her and the attention he puts into every little thing she does," she leaned forward and looked down at the golden mirror in her hands, "When he grabbed that sword, the mirror reacted—there was a very heavy charge of power coming from him but even with all that strength there was no threat... he became aggressive when Sailor Moon was in danger." Haruka turned surprised at Michiru who had a knowing smile "Do you remember back then when the word monster echoed between the halls of Olympus? It was in everyone's mouth but at the same time, the marvel held in their voices was unmistakable. They all secretly admired what the Terran Goddess had brought to life." she looked down with melancholy "Father once confessed that we were creating more ripples in the water than necessary regarding this matter," she looked at the blonde, "Just imagine you one day discovering all the life you thought you had was somehow a lie... imagine that you weren't born to be a Senshi but your Father forced you to do his dirty work, like Hades has done with Saturn."

Haruka tightened her lips, the more Michiru spoke, the more she realized she was creating more chaos than it already was around them "But I was born to be a Senshi."

"I know— and Hotaru was born to be the Senshi of Silence but we don't want him to destroy her," Michiru blushed when she heard her words. Haruka tilted her face forward "We once tried..."

"And we realized it was a mistake, now, she is with us and we love her to pieces. It is not her fault being Hades' daughter." Michiru regained the lead in the conversation, "The Prince was born in a family surrounded by mysticism and power—it's not his fault being related to Chaos."

Haruka went to sit next to Michiru and held her hand "I suppose you are right—but, I can't help it, it still echoes in my mind how this could have happened."

"Of course, I am right you dummy," she smiled and ruffled the blonde's hair playfully "Please, I beg of you, don't ruin their wedding day with those stubborn thoughts of yours. The best thing we can do is to let her make her own decisions... she's an adult and she is a Senshi too—she earned that title."

Haruka sighed and combed her hair back with her fingers, then sighed part relieved and part in defeat "I suppose I owe her an apology..." Michiru arched her brows in surprise "You? Apologizing?"

"What?" Haruka arched hers "Is not like I don't do it."

"Well—I do agree that you should apologize to Usagi-chan. She's the one who had to deal with your frustration and yelling." Michiru smiled and caressed her lover's face "Deep, deep, deep, deep down that stoic personality of yours... there is one amazing woman I love."

"You could just have stopped at the first deep." Haruka sweatdropped, Michiru chuckled "Besides, we should be all happy they are finally getting married. Honey, I think they have struggled enough. I know what you are thinking, I know what you are feeling... but do it for her." Haruka sighed softly "I guess you are right," she turned and wrapped an arm around her and kissed her forehead "I don't like it when we don't agree on something."

Michiru giggled "Oh? I think what you don't like is to be beaten in an argument."

"That too." Haruka smiled, "That too..."

O—o—o—o—O

Usagi walked inside her house with some shopping bags on her hand, she took her shoes off and walked inside the living room where she knew her parents would be having tea at this time, "I'm home." she said softly to her parents who were watching t.v.

"Usagi, hi," her mother smiled, "How was work today, dear?" Usagi smiled nervously, thinking it was best to let her think her mother that she, in fact, went to work. "Good, good." Kenji turned and looked at her and frowned, "Did you come to sleep last night, Usagi?"

The silver blonde blinked and shook her head, "No, I stayed at Mako-chan's last night. She is baking the cake for the wedding so I stayed to help her... in any way I could..." Usagi mentally cursed she had to lie to her parents especially being so close to the wedding, but her father was still as overprotective as if she was still 10 years old if she ever told him she spent the night with Mamoru it would literally break his heart. Ikuko's smile widened and looked at her shopping bags, "What did you buy honey?"

"Oh," Usagi looked down at her bags and smiled, "Some last-minute stuff I needed for the wedding."

Kenji turned to volume down and looked at his daughter, his eyes held all the nostalgia of a father who was about to give his daughter away to another man. One he learned to care for and respect with time, but he had to admit to himself that he gave Mamoru a very hard time the first years of their relationship "How is Mamoru, Usagi?"

Usagi blinked with utter surprise, "Huh?"

"I heard there is a strange virus in the air and some of the victims have been treated in the hospital he works at..." Kenji sighed and shook his head, "They still haven't found a cure." Ikuko blushed and frowned, "Why do you have to become so somber when you are being nostalgic, Kenji Papa?"

The man widened his eyes and shook his head "I am just asking—I haven't seen him around much lately." his face darkened a little, "And he is taking my little girl to live with him."

Usagi sweat dropped "Um, Papa?" she bit her lower lip and sighed softly, "Yes, he's been busy at the hospital—that virus you mention, he's been treating a patient with that strange disease," she went to sit next to her father and put the shopping bags aside, "Papa, are you okay?" Kenji nodded but stayed silent; Usagi put her hand on top of his and looked into his eyes "Papa?" she asked softly.

Ikuko smiled, knowing to perfection what was going on with her husband. She never had any problems when her daughter brought Mamoru home for the first time as her boyfriend, she loved the boy and grew to love and care for him like a son but Kenji always had contradicting feelings toward the whole situation. He was feeling his precious daughter was being stolen from him by a thief. "I will go make some tea." she stood up and walked out of the room, giving her husband some privacy with his daughter.

"Papa," Usagi looked at him worried that something bad had happened during her absence "Papa, what's wrong?"

Kenji shook his head softly and looked at her with teary eyes "I just..." he smiled softly, "It's just that I am going to miss you very much." Usagi widened her blue eyes "Is this why you have been acting so strange these past few days?"

"Since you were born I promised myself that I would never let you go out of my sight, not for a single minute," Kenji said with nostalgia, "I promised you that I would always look out for you and that I would give you everything so you wouldn't need anything else. You are my baby girl and now—I have to give you away."

"Papa..." Usagi patted his hand, "You know—"

"I know dear," he nodded and put his left hand on top of his daughter's and caressed it tenderly "I knew you were going to grow up, find a man to marry and leave... it's just—I didn't expect it to happen so soon."

The blonde wrapped her arms around her father and smiled "Papa... Mamo-chan is not stealing me away from you," she leaned her head on his shoulder "He is not a bad person."

"I know that dear," Kenji said, surprising his daughter "Your mother welcomed him into this family since the very beginning but to me he was a thief. I admit that at first, I thought that relationship wouldn't last more than a few months, with him being older than you—I thought he would get distracted by other things and leave you without notice..." he sighed, "And when he decided to study abroad I thought: this man will never come back for her—he will break her heart... I was afraid of that moment..." he turned to look at Usagi and caressed her face with his hand "But he did come back, and not only that, once he returned, he asked for my blessing to marry my most precious treasure, my little girl."

Usagi's eyes gleamed with unshed tears at the story. She never knew Mamoru had come to talk to her father, he never said a word and she didn't even think of asking him anything; she was just happy to know she was marrying the man of her dreams. His actions gave a whole new meaning and had a new admiration for her lover because despite being constantly questioned and sometimes mistreated by her father, he still considered him and asked for his blessing "Mamo-chan did that?" Kenji nodded with a tender smile, "Remember that summer vacation when you couldn't go pick him at the airport because he said his flight got delayed until further notice?" Usagi nodded surprised; Kenji continued with a proud look on his face "Well, he told you that because your mother and I had already made plans to meet with him without you knowing. He called from America the night before his flight and asked me if we could meet him at a very nice place for lunch, near the airport and so, we did."

Usagi widened her eyes, immersed in the story "It may have passed a couple of years after that day but I suppose it was the way destiny wanted it to happen. Of course, I was hesitant, but we talked and later learned that he helped you study when you applied at the university," Kenji looked into his daughter's eyes "I was hesitant, but then he said those words that made me change my mind immediately, he said to me: I swear my life to always look after her, there is nothing she will not have, there is nothing she will ever need and there is nothing I won't do for her. I have prepared myself to give her the best life possible because she is and always will be, my treasure." The older man smiled softly "He promised the same thing I promised you when you were born."

Usagi could not hold her tears and hugged her father tightly, "I love you, Papa..."

"I love you too my little bunny," Kenji patted her hand and sighed heavy with resignation, "Your mother always knew he was going to take you away."

"Papa..." Usagi looked at Kenji with one brow arched, "You have to stop saying that Mamo-chan is taking me away, I will come and see you—we'll be here all the time, so much you will wish for us to actually leave."

Ikuko walked inside with a tray with cups and a teapot "Who wants tea?" she smiled then looked at her daughter and husband crying "W-What happened? Why are you crying?"

Usagi sighed and closed her eyes, "Because Papa is certain that Mamo-chan is stealing me and that I will never, ever come back."

Ikuko rolled her eyes "Ugh, Kenji Papa—why do you have to be so somber when you are melancholic?" she sighed and poured a cup of tea for her daughter, "He is not stealing her away, if any case, you stole me from my Papa too,"

Kenji sweatdropped, "Easy for you to say—you loved him since he stepped foot into this house." Kenji frowned when he noticed Ikuko had only poured a cup of tea for her and her daughter, "What? No tea for me?"

Ikuko sighed and gave him the cup of tea she had prepared for herself, "I welcomed him because he loves my daughter, you don't see that gleam in somebody's eyes very often. He is a good man and you know it, he's polite, educated and prepared," she turned to her daughter and arched her brow, "You better be here often because I know how much he loves my plum tart,"

Usagi chuckled "I Promise."

Ikuko took a sip of her tea and sighed softly, "It's true, this house will feel a lot lonelier. Shingo is studying very hard at this very demanding and high-end University, he is barely at home,"

"I know, Mamo-chan wrote a letter of recommendation for him." Usagi said softly and took a sip of her tea, "Shingo went to visit him one day and asked him personally for the favor and also some tutoring to apply and do the exam."

Ikuko widened her eyes "H-He did what? Shingo too?" she turned to her husband and frowned "And you still can't love him?! Look what he did for your son too!"

Kenji sighed, "I knew he was asking for help, but I didn't know who he was asking. I'm proud of Shingo—he's always been very studious, very academic. I knew he admired Mamoru but I didn't know to what extent."

"You kidding me?" Usagi chuckled, "He's like..." she frowned and sweatdropped, "…The brother he never had."

"He never mentioned anything when he came to visit, he never said he was tutoring Shingo. He never mentioned he helped you too." Kenji frowned, still surprised by this new information. Usagi smiled and tilted her head, "And he never will, he will never brag. Besides, he helped me because I just couldn't understand a single thing that was coming in the exam and I was driving him insane because I couldn't stop moping about it. With Shingo it was a lot easier, he has a way with words and numbers... just like Mamo-chan,"

"What about me?" The young man startled everyone in the room. Usagi sighed softly and put her empty tea cup on the coffee table, "Papa didn't know Mamo-chan helped you with your entrance exams for Tech-U."

Shingo widened his eyes "Oh, yeah—I needed several letters of recommendation from professionals, explaining why I qualified to get in and he wrote one for me, he helped me study too—those tests are hard!" he blinked and sat in front of the table "Hey, is this tea?" Usagi nodded and handed him her cup "Here, you can use mine."

"Uh—no. I don't want your germs, thank you."

Usagi arched her brow, "You share your germs with your girlfriend with all the kissing you do but you can share a cup of tea with your sister?" she frowned "Don't go all preppy on me just because you are an elite college student." Shingo laughed and pointed at her "Exactly, that's why! I don't want you to infect me your clumsiness..." He blushed, "And I don't do a lot of kissing..."

"Shingo," Ikuko slapped his hand softly "Usagi did very good at her University—she wasn't that good in junior high or high school but—" Usagi sweatdropped, "I did fine!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Honestly, what does Mamoru sees in you?" Shingo teased his sister and got up to go and get a cup for himself. "See? The house won't feel that lonely," Usagi turned to her father and chuckled, "He's a handful and for what I've witnessed, his girlfriend too."

"Yes well—let's see how long his relationship with that girl lasts." Kenji said dryly, "She is too young to have a boyfriend and he needs to focus on his studies."

Usagi chuckled "Papa, she is his same age—I think. You will never change," she leaned and gave him a peck on his cheek "I will go to my room. I need to start packing," sighing she grabbed the bags from the floor "Thanks for the tea Mama."

Ikuko smiled, "You know you should have everything packed by now, right?"

Usagi hung her head low and walked out of the room "Yes... yes... I know... I will be done by tonight! It's easy!"

*An hour later in her room*

"This isn't easy! Where did all these things come from!?" A very exasperated Usagi said when noticed the piles of clothes, makeup, perfume bottles and personal items she had scattered around on the floor, "Like—how?" she sighed and went to open another cardboard box.

"You said you would be done with this weeks ago."

Usagi turned to her window and saw Luna sitting on the rail "Luna!" she said happily and went to hug the black cat, startling her longtime mentor in the process "Yes?"

"How is my favorite kitty of all time?"

"Usagi-chan?"

Usagi giggled and cleared her bed, throwing her winter clothes to the floor and patted the comforter effusively, "Come, sit. It's cold outside, you'll get sick."

"Are you alright?" Luna frowned.

"Great!" Usagi exclaimed, ignoring the giant mess behind her "Perfect, or better said, purrrrrfect." she winked her eye at the black cat and tapped her head with her finger and laughed out loud, "Man... I'm so funny." Luna exhaled heavily, "Minako told you about Artemis and I, didn't she?" Usagi's smile died seconds after and sat on a pile of clothing on the floor, "Yes... she did," Luna nodded and went to sit on the bed, "I figured, you have never been so creepy." Usagi blinked, "I wasn't trying to be creepy—I was being funny. Was I too creepy?"

"When you are trying to tell a lie yes, you are." Luna looked at her. Usagi blew her bangs "So, that's how everyone knows I am lying..."

"Usagi-chan, you are a terrible, terrible liar." Luna shook her head, "Terrible, terrible..."

Usagi frowned, "Alright, I understand." She sighed, with a more serious look in her eyes, "So, how long have you been mad at Artemis and pretending everything is alright?" Luna laid on the bed while trying to avoid eye contact with the blonde's icy blue ones, "I am not mad at him,"

"Then what is it?" Usagi frowned, "Is he mad at you?"

"You could say that... I don't know—it's complicated." Luna said softly, startling Usagi "Luna, what happened?" her voice had finally shown the serious side of Usagi, clearly showing much concern about the situation and her mentor and friend. Luna looked up at her pupil with teary eyes, finally admitting her troubled feelings, "We had an argument that turned ugly—I think I broke his heart and I am certain that he doesn't love me anymore."

Usagi's eyes widened and leaned closer to Luna, "That's impossible... why do you say that?"

"He hasn't spoken to me ever since," Luna sniffed, "He is avoiding me—even yesterday, when we were at the temple, he didn't look at me, he didn't speak to me..."

The blonde looked at Luna with the saddest eyes and grabbed her, wrapping her arms around in a tight embrace "There is no way he couldn't love you anymore—there's no way." she said softly, "I'm so sorry for not being here yesterday... if I only knew." Luna shook her head and sniffed once more "It's alright—I really didn't want to tell anybody about this and you had other matters to take care of, " she widened her burgundy eyes realizing the situation, "Mamoru—what happened?"

Usagi sighed and put the cat on the bed again, "We are okay," she looked at her mentor and gave her a sad smile, "But you should have seen him, Luna, he looked so lost. He was angry, vulnerable... and he still is, I know he is just trying to be okay to keep things under control but I've never seen him like this before... it's heartbreaking." Luna blinked and shook her head "I only can imagine, none of us expected any of this... much less him."

"Luna..." Usagi frowned and crawled to sit in front of her bed "Did Queen Serenity never mention anything? Like, never ever? For what God Ares said—it was a big taboo."

Luna sighed softly "Queen Serenity knew about it, of course. I knew Goddess Gaia was a very close friend of hers and I remember her mentioning how much she missed her very often but she never went deeper into the matter. She was aware of the problem and she constantly tried to make the High Gods understand that Earth and its inhabitants were not a threat, but it never happened. It only ignited their anger even more... she was tied in the end; the faith of the Silver Alliance was at stake and if they knew about her intentions that would only have made things worse."

Usagi sighed heavily and shook her head, "If only they could have understood back then—it's so sad."

"Are things really okay?" Luna looked at Usagi with hopeful eyes, "Are you still together?" Usagi nodded in reassurance, "I was scared Luna, very scared... I thought he was going to leave—he was so hostile at first, so angry... he wanted me to leave at any cost but how could I do such thing, Luna? How could I leave him when Chaos' name echoed in both of our minds? It rumbled, like a thunder between us but I just wanted him to understand that he doesn't define who he is."

"So what did you do to make him understand?" Luna asked; Usagi looked at her and smiled softly "I hugged him for a long period of time—what else could I do? I hoped for the best and held to dear life until I broke his protective shell,"

"Haruka was very worried."

Usagi sighed and nodded "I know. She didn't want me to go see him—she thought he was going to hurt me."

"Not in a million years." Luna muttered, "Everyone knows that, even her."

"I know, I understand but that is how she is," Usagi petted Luna behind her ear "The same goes for Artemis, he would never hurt you or leave you—not in a million years."

Luna sighed "I said terrible things to him Usagi—I wasn't thinking. Megumi-san had just appeared, nobody knew what was happening, there was no trace of anything I got frustrated and I took it out on him."

"Have you tried apologizing?" Usagi leaned closer to the beautiful black cat, Luna nodded sadly "Yes, but like I said... he is avoiding me."

Usagi bit her lower lip "Give him time, he'll come around... you two are meant for each other."

"What if we are not? I don't know Usagi-chan—I don't know anymore." Luna leaned her head on Usagi's shoulder and started to sob "I don't know anymore..."

"Luna..." Usagi said softly and hugged her again, "Cry my little friend, let it out... I'm here for you."

"But you have to pack..." Luna said between sobs, Usagi closed her eyes and tightened her arms around her furry friend, "You are far more important than anything, I can do that any other time—you come first, I want to be here for you... so just, let everything you've been keeping to yourself out, you need it."

"Thank you, Usagi-chan..."

"Anytime my dear Luna, anytime."

O—o—o—o—O

Mamoru was back in his apartment, after their afternoon with the girls he left Kunzite, Jadeite, Zoisite, and Nephrite at the shrine as they asked to give the prince time he didn't think he needed alone. Megumi was already asleep in her room, after the busy day they had it was only natural that she felt exhausted leaving him alone and with no other option but to occupy himself with something—anything that could keep him busy and away of any thought about his past and current confusing life.

After reading for most of the afternoon, he then went to clear the kitchen from the pans, bowls, and plates he used for the pancake feast he gave Usagi and Megumi earlier that morning, Mamoru went to his bedroom to start organizing what would become his space once Usagi settled in. He started taking some of the clothes he was no longer going to use out of the walk-in closet to leave room for Usagi's massive load of things he was sure she had and started to put them in plastic bags when his attention was soon caught by the doorbell ringing two times. Startled, Mamoru looked down at his watch and frowned with puzzlement, thinking who that might be since it was almost eleven in the evening.

He walked to his door and opened it, but he was surprised to see nobody was on the other side, "Down here." Artemis' voice startled him "Artemis!" Mamoru widened his eyes, "Are you okay? Has something happened?"

The white cat shook his head "No, no—everything is fine, at least for now."

"Please, come in," Mamoru stepped aside, allowing the white feline walk inside the apartment. The prince closed the door behind him and went to the kitchen to pour some water on a plate he had for when Luna and he visited. Artemis smiled softly at the gesture "Thank you."

Mamoru put the stainless-steel plate on the coffee table in the living room and sat on a couch, "I'm surprised to see you here, it's been a while since we talked..." Artemis nodded nervously, "I—I was hesitant to come, to be honest... with everything that has been happening, I did not want to barge," his green eyes looked into Mamoru's blue ones with concern, "But I needed to know how you were doing,"

"I appreciate your concern," Mamoru tried his best again to show at least one smile of gratitude but nothing really could match what he was feeling inside, instead, all he could come up with was a soft shrug with his shoulder, "If you want an honest answer—I am frustrated and angry." he slouched back on the couch and sighed, "It was not easy to listen to Ares say all those things, not while I was still remembering things... but it wouldn't be fair for Usagi to see me struggle with all this, so I have to do my best attempt to be okay... for our sake."

"Our main concern was what would happen to you two, what would you do with all that information in your hands,"

"My main concern is Usagi, but she is too strong... I can't just push her away. She said things to me that made sense and well, I am slowly digesting everything but I have to admit that it's been more difficult than I thought."

"You left so distressedly yesterday, I was worried... we all were." Artemis's worried stare didn't budge, nor the nervous undertone in his voice; Mamoru noticed. "I'm sorry—never in a million years I thought all that has happened to us is somehow linked to my..." Mamoru paused and clenched his jaw for a minute, "—Family."

"I know it's not information easy to digest, but I knew you would come to your senses." Artemis said softly and sighed, Mamoru smiled softly, "I appreciate your support Artemis, I really do and I thank you." He narrowed his blue eyes, "But I am sensing there is more to that worried look in your eyes than just coming here to check how I was doing,"

"I did want to know." Artemis said in a serious tone, "But you are right, I also came here to talk to you about something else because I know you can understand..." he frowned, "Wait, how did you know?" Mamoru waved his hand around Artemis face, "It's all over your face,"

"But, I am an expert at making a poker face," Artemis's frown deepened, Mamoru arched his brow, "I'm an expert at decoding poker faces."

Artemis sighed heavily, "Ah... I forgot about your keen training as a military strategist..."

"It's about Luna, right?" Mamoru leaned back more casually, putting the matter aside. Artemis widened his eyes "H-How..." he frowned and narrowed his green eyes, "Wait, Minako say something to you, right?"

Mamoru crossed his arms and nodded, "She did." he frowned softly, "Artemis, what is going on between you two?" Artemis looked at Mamoru for a minute, thinking his next words. He meant it when he said Mamoru was the only one that truly understood him since he was the only male in the group beside him and even when the prince could not remember a single thing about his past, he still had the principles and had very similar opinions and a way of thinking to his. Artemis wished he had more time back then, to actually speak and learn more about the Terran Prince's discipline and why the Lunar Princess was so inspired by him to pursue a path as Sailor Senshi; the present was now a good start—he thought to himself. "Mamoru, can I ask you something, now that you can remember your life as Endymion?"

"Sure." Mamoru blinked, surprised. Artemis jumped from the coffee table to the couch and sat next to Mamoru and took a deep breath; this was the first time he allowed himself to talk about his life with somebody else, "Did you ever question your relationship with Princess Serenity?"

"What do you mean, exactly?" Mamoru frowned, "Are you asking me if I ever had second thoughts about being with her?" Artemis nodded with a serious but worried glare, Mamoru shook his head "No."

The white mauian cat widened his eyes, "Not even when you knew you were mortal and that you were going against the laws of nature?"

"Not even then." Mamoru noticed the white mauian's internal struggle, this was obviously the answer Artemis was not expecting and he did not even know how to process it resulting in a confusing frown, "What made you so sure about your decision then? Where you not aware of the situation you were in?"

"Yes, of course I was aware, I knew my limitations and deficiencies but... she was all worth it," Mamoru leaned closer to the white advisor, "Artemis," he looked at his feline friend and gave him a sad smile "Instead of asking if I could continue my relationship with her, I rather asked myself how I could be worthy of being with her. In my case, I knew I had limitations—my mortality, for example, now, there are obviously other reasons." he sighed softly, "I knew it was not going to be easy, I was aware of what I was getting myself into—once they found out, all Olympus would come to rip my soul off of my body, spit on it, and send it to the underworld but I didn't care—I still don't care because I love her... I know I wanted to stay away, with everything that just happened, but the truth is... it would be too stupid of me to throw away all that we have built together."

Artemis sighed, "So, what did you do when you could not see each other often? Wasn't it hard for you not being able to be together?"

"It drove me insane—really," Mamoru nodded, "But your Princess has a strong will and she was brave—very brave. We managed, now, I won't say it was easy or the right thing to do—we sneaked behind everyone's back, we lied, we disappeared constantly but it was because we really couldn't be apart. We found things in us nobody else saw; since I met her, it was like if I had found my other half, the one I didn't know I was hoping to find, and I held on to that feeling and so did she—the rest is history." he frowned with concern, "Now, do I dare ask? Are you questioning your relationship with Luna?"

Artemis widened his eyes and hung his head low with slight deception, "Maybe," he sighed tiredly, "I don't know," he shook his head, "I don't know if what we have is strong enough to survive the strains of time."

Mamoru leaned back on the sofa and exhaled softly, analyzing what's behind Artemis' cryptic words. "Interesting choice of words." He turned his head to look at his fellow friend, "Artemis, if I may ask, what happened between you two?

Artemis smiled sadly, "What hasn't..." he looked up at Mamoru and took a deep breath before continuing, "I have always admired your relationship with the Princess... since the moment I found out she escaped to Earth to see you, I thought that if you, being from different worlds could be together then it shouldn't be impossible for me to be with Luna," he shook his head, "But even when we are from the same realm, there is still a huge wall that keeps separating us."

"I see..." Mamoru sighed, finally understanding what this is all about, "Social class."

Artemis nodded, his stoic expression slowly turned into one with melancholy, "Back in Mau, my family is known for being at the service of many royal houses from all over the universe. They are well positioned, they are noble blood and I was born into that world—I didn't choose to be who I am, I had the same education my ancestors did and became of service to Queen Serenity, but Luna... she doesn't see it that way, she did not have a simple, easy life and somehow she has this idea that I did. She struggled and she had to make an extra effort to achieve her position in Queen Serenity's court—that has always been a smoke curtain between us two. She has always been upset that I do things differently and immediately blames my noble background while I don't think about that, ever, because, to me, that is not important." he sighed tiredly, "When Megumi-san appeared, she was very upset and worried about Usagi because she knew it could affect her but... she didn't like my reaction towards the situation and brought this issue back again to stomp over us all over again."

Mamoru arched his brow in thought, "So, this is why you said that I was the only one that could understand..." Artemis was right, Mamoru could understand him and not just because of his newfound truth but because he knew what it was like to live under a certain shadow, an image that didn't entirely show who he truly was. He remembered the many times he complied to his grandmother's wishes and attended many of her famous social gatherings with the court, he remembered being always under the microscope and just being admired by his status and title. They all wanted the crown, the title, the luxury of living in the Golden Palace and claim his bed as their own. With a heavy sigh, Mamoru nodded, "When you are born with certain privileges you have to follow certain rules and you have to comply whether you like it or not, you have to keep a certain image about you to others in order to gain your weight in the world. Being born in a family like that comes with great responsibility because you have to live up to that image and keep the lineage intact. I do understand, I was misjudged constantly, first for wanting to become a warrior and then, for being a royal who made decisions, but it's something that comes attached—with both position and title. You are born with many privileges but with that comes specific obligations; you are constantly observed and they have a very different concept about you than who you actually are."

"That is why I am here, you, as the Prince of Earth, have more responsibilities, obligations and misleading concepts about yourself than just an advisor would, you better than anyone would understand how I feel about this." As he looked into Mamoru's eyes, he shed the stiffness of his position as advisor and finally came forward as a friend seeking another friend for moral support and advice and the gesture could not make Mamoru feel more welcomed, despite his current situation. The dark-haired man pursed his lips and nodded in agreement, "Well yes, it's true... I often found myself frustrated because I had to earn my right to speak and be respected. Artemis, it's important to keep in mind that you have to set some boundaries and think you have the right to choose what you want for yourself and how do you want to live your life without others blocking your way, you have to be decisive on your mission and you have to be certain of what you want."

Artemis looked at Mamoru with high regard, while he was still the same centered, calm young man he could notice the weight of his presence, it was different—it was truly regal and imposing despite his approachable character. The white cat exhaled heavily, "I wanted nothing more than to live my life with her, I care for her very much but it kills me not to be able to give her what she wants—whatever that is. It kills me not being strong enough to be in my human form to protect her like she deserves, to not being able to hold her hand or not being able to hold her in my arms."

Mamoru felt bad for the mauian man sitting next to him, the anger he had been nesting inside him was not towards her but to him. He was punishing himself by being away from the one he has loved for so many years. He blamed himself for not being the man he is supposed to be; Artemis was right, he did understand how he was feeling because he has felt the same vulnerability. He too has been inside that deep dark hole of negativity and he too understands how hard it was to pull yourself back together—whatever the cost or result. Mamoru stretched his arm and gave Artemis a brotherly pat on his back in support, "You are being too hard on yourself, Artemis."

"Am I?" Artemis asked frustrated, "Because, it doesn't matter what I do or how much, nothing is good enough."

"If you keep thinking that way, those thoughts are going to eat you alive," Mamoru gave him a knowing glare, "You need to talk to her."

"I have in the past..." Artemis growled softly and shook his head with frustration, "I—I don't know what to say anymore."

"Yes, you do, of course, you do," Mamoru patted him again, "You love her, don't you?"

"Very much," Artemis hung his head low, "Everything I told you, she already knows it."

"Well, you will have to tell her again, and as many times necessary," Mamoru leaned forward, "When you are angry you say many things you don't really mean and you also can't listen to any reason. When you are angry, you are angry—period. There's no more to it and I know you don't really want to be away from her... you just, got very upset and at that moment you didn't want to continue with the discussion so you preferred to step away,"

Artemis frowned with puzzlement, "Wait, have this happened to you? Have you walked out in the middle of a discussion?" Mamoru blinked, "If you are asking me as Endymion, yes... unfortunately, I have."

"With the Princess?"

"No... other... people..." Mamoru sighed heavily, not really wanting to go into much detail about it since he now remembered the bitter moments in his past. "But we are not talking about me—tell me, do you want to be away from her?"

"I don't—I want to be with her." Artemis frowned, "I really want to be with her,"

"Well, for starters, avoiding any contact with her will not help to solve this situation anytime soon," Mamoru tapped Artemis' head softly, "You feel limited because you see yourself as a cat but you are much more than that—you both are."

Artemis felt the honesty coming from Mamoru's words and felt grateful to have him as a friend. He gave the Prince a hopeful smile filled with gratitude, "You think so?" Mamoru nodded, "Of course I think so, you have been with us along the way, Usa would not be Sailor Moon if it wasn't for you two."

"Well, Usagi is Sailor Moon because of you." Artemis sweatdropped, "She was fascinated with everything that had to do with a warrior's discipline and we later learned it was because you were inspiring her to become one."

Mamoru crossed his arms over his chest, "Serenity got fascinated with it, Usa is the one who became Sailor Moon in this time and era— our roles were different back then, now it's a different story." he arched his brow, "But, do you remember how she was when she started? If it wasn't for you and your constant support, she wouldn't be the soldier she is now. She has always been brave but she needed guidance, Luna needs to remember that too," Mamoru smiled softly, "When you love somebody, you have to fight for that person and it goes both ways meaning she also has to fight for you, but it has to be something you both want and you will not know it if you don't go and talk to her."

"I don't know where she is." Artemis frowned.

"She is with Usa," Mamoru looked at him "She's been staying there since that fight happened."

Artemis sighed, "Well, I guess that conversation will have to wait until tomorrow because it is a little late, they're probably sleeping." Mamoru let out a soft chuckle as he leaned back on the couch and propped one leg on the coffee table lazily, "Oh, I hardly think they are sleeping." The white cat frowned with curiosity, "How do you know for sure?"

"Because Usa is supposed to be packing and she has way too many things," Mamoru crossed his arms, "At this point she will take any help she can gather to put everything into boxes before the weekend arrives," he smiled, "You are always more than welcome to stay here you know that, but don't let this argument settle any longer—talk to her."

Artemis smiled and nodded, "I will... thank you, Mamoru."

Mamoru returned the smile, "Hey if I can be of any help... you are more than welcome. But I must admit, it is a little ironic that you have come and talked to me about something like this, given the situation I am currently in..."

Artemis sat straight and shook his head, "I suppose you have answered the question more than enough... that is why I haven't gone too in depth, but we are all worried about you. I am terribly sorry for the way you had to learn all of this... I wish I remembered more, I feel I could have done something more to help and make this a little less painful or traumatic." Mamoru shrugged his shoulder casually, "Traumatic, that's an interesting word to use in this context..." he pursed his lips and propped his left leg on top of his right one already resting on the table and sighed as curiosity lurked in his mind like a mischievous ghost, "Did you get to meet her Artemis—Gaia?"

Artemis shook his head, "No... by the time I took my place as Queen Serenity's political advisor Goddess Gaia was already an unspoken myth,"

"Unspoken myth..." Mamoru mumbled and chuckled dryly, "An unspoken myth that none of the gods wanted to put to rest... I am sure you heard the word monster one too many times up there, right? I have been more of a piece of entertainment, something to keep them occupied for too long now—it's annoying." He turned to Artemis and saw him frowning and not very sure of what to say in response that wouldn't make him look like he was one of those gods, "I don't blame you if you ever believed in those myths..." Mamoru quirked his brow, "I was no saint, I still ain't one—clearly, my hands will forever be tainted and my nature will forever be an aberration."

"The gods may have thought many things... but Queen Serenity was not one of them... she never agreed." Artemis turned to look at Mamoru, "She always thought highly of the Terran family," the white cat patted Mamoru's arm with his paw and sighed, "Yes, I heard that word many times while on duty but I always thought it as an infatuation from the gods... I never understood where that term came from, why were you called that way,"

Mamoru smiled sarcastically, "Because I am the result of the union between a goddess and a mortal, Artemis." Mamoru tilted his head back, "That is reasoning enough for me to be considered heresy to them, but to make things more complicated I was trained to kill—yes, I agree it was a choice I made for myself when I was very young, but still... I was not too forgiving or merciful..."

"But—you did it because you had no other choice," Artemis frowned, "It was your duty as a warrior..."

"As bitter and horrible as it might sound, I did it because to me, it was a way to cut the root of many problems without wasting much of my time," Mamoru muttered dryly and peered at Artemis, "I did it because I wanted to feel connected to this planet somehow, I wanted to protect it, and, I wanted to protect her then—Gaia. I wanted to become somebody of service, someone aside from the image of a man with a royal heritage; I wanted to make of this planet a safe place for everyone," he sighed heavily, "But everything comes with a price Artemis, everything—even if it is meant to do good, in the end, you have to do terrible things to bring good to the surface." Mamoru smiled sadly and looked out the window from his place on the couch, "That is why I didn't want Serenity to hold a sword—no matter how much she asked. Her strong desire to learn was something special and great to see but I couldn't allow her to go down that same path... I always believed there were other ways for her to fight and succeed without actually having to take a murderous weapon, she doesn't need that and I still stand by those beliefs."

Artemis looked at Mamoru with eyes of admiration; the mauian always knew Mamoru was well educated and strong-willed despite his deficiencies, but this was a totally different side of him that completely changed the good image he already had of him. The man speaking next to him was no longer the aid of the Sailor Senshi, the man who stood in the shadows, this were words from a man who had experienced war first hand and who had many encounters with death in the past. The way he spoke so eloquently and regal showed the real sentiment behind his awakening, and maybe because he understood his words. Artemis could see the aftermath of his long experience and knowledge as a trained warrior in his deep colored eyes and the tone of his voice. The more Artemis looked at him, the more he realized that the man sitting next to him was no longer just Chiba Mamoru, the civilian with an alter ego but Endymion, the rightful Prince of Earth and it was something really great to witness and look forward in the future if he'd take his place as King.

Artemis remembered clearly the night he showed up before Queen Serenity, the moment when Athamas had captured him and everything was revealed. Deep down, while everyone was in shock, he wanted to learn more about him, what discipline and education he had considering the lack of such things with the commander they had guarding the Moon at that time. He wished to have more time to work with him and see just how different he was from the rest of the soldiers he had met in the past; but it never came—that moment, because Beryl's invasion happened too soon.

Now he had that opportunity to know and learn more about that man the princess held so close to her heart and that secretly inspired her to become a soldier for justice. This is what it meant for him to be awakened, Artemis thought, and it impressed him because as Tuxedo Kamen he learned from being a common thief to actually find and manipulate some of his inner power and become an ally to the Sailor Senshi but now, things were different, Prince Endymion was in another level of strength, skill and power; he was no longer an aid or someone who would create an alibi to give the girls time to attack, no, the man sitting next to him was a living weapon, a military trained commander that wanted things done fast and with precision, the Terran Prince was his own kind—a force to be reckoned with. Artemis could feel the strong energy flowing inside him and he could see the slight changes his awakening brought to his physique, starting for his prismatic blue eyes. Not that they were drastic or obvious, the changes in the prince were more internal than physical. Artemis noticed them in the way he expressed himself, in the way his voice had a warmer undertone making it sound slightly deeper than before and showing more authority; the elegant way he spoke and modulated his voice depending on the seriousness of the matter, his regal posture and imposing presence. This was the image of a prince waiting in line to be king, no question about it—Artemis thought proudly.

"I never considered you a threat," Artemis shook his head, "Athamas was more of that threat with everything he was doing on the side and behind everyone's back."

Mamoru sighed, "Gods have a very miserable way to insert ideas into people's minds," he rolled his head to the side and looked at Artemis, "The Andromedian harvested an unhealthy obsession with power that eventually made him commit all those atrocities—but he made three great mistakes that condemned him," the prince raised one finger, "One: He put Serenity's life in danger," he raised another finger, "Two: He wanted to bite off more than he could and, three," he raised his third finger, "He crossed to the wrong realm to do so,"

Artemis nodded, "The more I looked for his background, there was nothing I could find..."

"That man made a pact—he sold his soul for power, the same way Beryl did," Mamoru turned to look out the window again with evident disgust in his voice and narrowed his sapphire colored eyes, "And considering how things are developing now, I wouldn't be surprised if the owner of that soul is Chaos' himself." Artemis widened his green eyes with surprise at the mention of the prince's unwanted relative, but Mamoru gave him a side glare and smiled sadly, "Come on Artemis, let's take things the way they are,"

"He wanted to kill you to earn the rank of Polemarchos," Artemis sighed, Mamoru's chuckles were wrapped in sarcasm, "Of course, what else? My head was one hell of a prize... I believe it still is,"

"I'm sorry..." Artemis shook his head in embarrassment, taking Mamoru aback "Why are you apologizing?"

"The more I chew this situation and think about everything that happened with Athamas, the more responsible I feel for not taking a more straightforward or aggressive approach with the Queen concerning him." Mamoru pursed his lips and shook his head, "The Andromedian is not who I am concerned about Artemis—it's who is lurking inside him, the one playing with his mind."

"And here I am... a mere cat," Artemis huffed with annoyance, Mamoru turned and arched his brow, "You are not a mere cat, you are a royal advisor and a strategist—give yourself the credit you deserve, Artemis." his hand ruffled the fur in his head, "Cheer up, my friend," Mamoru smiled softly, "Things will change,"

Artemis tilted his head, "What do you mean?" He saw Mamoru sat straight and gave him a serious glare, "What you want... what you ask for, is not a crazy ideal."

"How can you be so sure about it?" Artemis frowned; Mamoru gave the mauian a knowing smile "I just do, you can call it a hunch or a premonition... whatever you like. Things aren't happening the way they were supposed to—the way Pluto predicted. That being said, it gives us one good lead because it means we have the power to change things the way we think it's best for us and actually make a difference regardless of the cost."

Artemis felt a rush of hope lifting the heavy fog that was making him feel miserable; Mamoru's determinant words made sense to the mauian advisor, he had the power to choose, he had the power to decide to either continue following a line that was predestined for him or actually take the risk and fight to change things. Artemis felt revived by Mamoru's support and complicity and that was all he needed to remain faithful to his beliefs and to his eternal love for his beloved Luna. Things were clear, he wanted Luna and he was going to continue fighting until he crumbles that invisible wall between them; he now understood what Mamoru was trying to say with his words of encouragement: everybody can be his own kind of warrior and fight for good and happiness and that is exactly what he was going to do—in his own way.

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