Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Twenty-seven

The next morning Usagi got earlier than usual to be at work before anyone would arrive to get ahead with her pending work. Since she had asked for her vacation leave to use as some sort of honeymoon break, she wanted to get things done before Maya could use that against her and ruin her plans—something she could not risk at this particular moment.

Mika arrived half an hour later and widened her eyes when she saw the blonde working on her station, very much concentrated doing her thing while listening to music with her earphones on, smiling, she waved her hand startling the blonde "Good morning you," Mika greeted "Long time no see."

Usagi took her earphones off and smiled "Morning—long time? I just didn't come in yesterday!" she chuckled. Mika walked around her desk and turned her computer on then walked back to Usagi's desk "So, how was your day off? Did you get the rest you needed?" Usagi blew her long bangs from her face and pouted her lips, "I never get enough sleep," she let out a graceful chuckle as she tucked a piece of her long, wispy fringe behind her ear, "I wished I had more free time. I spent all night packing, I barely had any sleep but—I am so ready to do this."

"A bride must have tons of beauty sleep, you must not stay up until very late," Mika smiled and took a chair in front of Usagi's desk, "Are you nervous?" Usagi bit her lower lip when she felt her cheeks flush with slight shyness, "A little, but not in a bad way... it's just the fact of stepping into something completely different, you know?"

Mika nodded and leaned on Usagi's fancy white desk, "Oh well, I guess that's normal—it's a new phase in your life, no matter how much you know someone, living together is a whole different thing. I have to say there is a learning curve when living with somebody but... it's worth it—every second of it," Mika gave her co-worker and friend a more supporting smile, "I am very happy for you Usagi, I wish all the happiness in the world for you and your fiancé."

Usagi smiled and leaned forward to pat Mika's hand, "Thank you Mika-chan," she raised a brow quizzingly, "You are coming tomorrow, right?" Mika's smile widened, "Of course I am, dummy! Wouldn't miss it for the world. I want to see your boyfriend's face when you walk down the aisle; that's the rawest, most honest and beautiful moment in a wedding. The groom's face when he sees his bride walking down the aisle, wearing her fluffy white dress and ethereal veil—ugh, it's so, so beautiful..."

Usagi smiled softly, the way Mika spoke about the wedding made her feel she was feeling nostalgic about the whole idea of getting married. She felt guilty for being that happy when she knew her friend has had rough times with her previous relationship, "Mika-chan—I know this whole wedding thing must be a lot to you... I'm so sorry..."

Mika arched her brow "Why?" she waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, don't worry about it Usagi, if you must know, I happen to love weddings—I am a sucker for those events. It is the purest declaration of love," she smiled at the blonde "I may have had some missteps in the past but that doesn't mean I will give up on finding the right one for me. Maybe I won't have a fancy wedding, maybe I won't even get married but—I know I will find the right person. He's out there—I know it."

Usagi was about to say something when she saw Yuki walk inside the office with her overwhelming amount of fancy expensive perfume, her designer bag hanging from one arm and her tall fancy brand latte on her left hand, "Morning," the obnoxious flair in her voice made Mika roll her eyes, already knowing this was going to be one of those days. She didn't know how she could tell, she just did; she turned on her chair to look at the woman over her shoulder and sighed, "Morning." then turned to Usagi and made an annoyed grimace before walking back to her desk.

"So, you didn't come yesterday," Yuki turned to Usagi, "Maya asked for the designs for the latest campaign but you weren't here so—who knows what she is going to say or do." Usagi sighed, this was something she didn't need to start her day, but it seemed to be something inevitable. "Can't you just be on our side for once?" she kept her gaze fixed on her sleek screen while she looked through her email and turned her monitor for Yuki to see, "I sent the file to the printing department the day before yesterday, Maya probably has it on her desk by now. Why do you have to make a fuss all the time? I don't get it." she frowned and turned her monitor back to her and puffed with annoyance.

Yuki crossed her arms and stayed silent, she actually didn't know why she had to be so mean to her. She knew both were a hundred degrees of separation in terms of duties and responsibilities in this particular job, so she really couldn't understand why she did have to feel intimidated by the blonde and it kept her wondering. The red-haired woman huffed and turned back to sit on her desk in silence, "Don't go all snob with me, I know exactly what you want." Usagi widened her eyes and turned, "Oh wow, you do? And what is that?"

"Yeah Yuki, enlighten us." Mika joined the conversation, Yuki huffed and shrugged her shoulders while logging herself into the system, "You want my job, you want to be Maya's assistant and head of this department." Usagi arched her brow and looked at Mika who had the same astounded expression, she couldn't believe she was actually hearing those words and couldn't help the red-head's absurdity making her crack a chuckle and shook her head with disbelief, "What? Uh—sorry, but no, I don't want your job."

Yuki looked at the blonde and narrowed her eyes, showing her annoyance, "Of course you do."

Usagi shook her head and took a sip of her sweet coffee, "No," she turned to look at her monitor to continue sketching a new design for an ad with her digital pen, "I really don't—I like my job, this job."

"Wow—getting married sure puts you in a bitchy mood," Yuki muttered, Mika blinked surprised "What did you just say?"

Usagi frowned and closed her agenda but reserved the right to go all frantic on her, instead, she did what Mamoru would have suggested her to do if he heard Yuki's words. She could hear his warm voice in her head, like a charming echo,

"Take the high road, Usa."

"You are very rude Yuki-san," she said softly and as polite as ever, "But it's okay," she turned to look at her and gave the woman a soft smile, "You don't have to like me and I don't have to like you. We don't have to be friends, we don't have to get along when we're alone but we do need to keep things professional." Usagi sighed and continued working, "I really don't have the time to get upset and follow your bickering... I have things to do—important things. So, if you excuse me," she put her headphones on, "I'll get back to work—call me if there is something important, something work-related."

Yuki widened her eyes in surprise, it was rare to see the always sweet and friendly Usagi being this stoic and determinant, sarcastic even. Now that she thought about it, there was something different about her, something she could not quite place. Was the way she styled her hair? Was the defiant and secure tone in her voice? Her posture? The way she handled her intimidating taunting and how she didn't break or show any signs of distress? What happened to her? she thought with wonder, she noticed there was a stronger vibe around her—somehow. Mika noticed the internal battle Yuki was having with her thoughts and could not help to chuckle as she turned to look at her with pride, "Touché."

The light mockery in Mika's voice made Yuki blink out of her thoughts and huffed with annoyance at her before fixing her attention to her pending emails, "Shut up, Mika."

O—o—o—o—O

Later that morning, Luna was sitting on Usagi's balcony looking outside. Her mind was still troubled for what has been happening between her and Artemis, thinking this was probably the first time they spent so much time without speaking to each other and it was beginning to mortify her. Normally, things would have softened by now and he would be back to his old self but there was something in the way he looked at her that night that changed the situation. She thought about going to see him, but wondered if he would want to speak to her? The black cat let out a loud, heavy sigh and shook her head, "Silly Luna, of course not..." she muttered to herself and turned to go back inside when a familiar voice caught her by surprise.

"Good morning."

Luna's burgundy eyes widened and turned to see Artemis on a tree, close to the balcony doors, "A-Artemis..."

Artemis jumped from the tree and stood in front of her still with an unreadable expression on his face, "Good morning," she looked at him, still surprised to see him there. The white cat looked at her "Well, this is odd," he looked away with shame. For the first time, he did not know what to say, it was odd indeed since they had known each other for a long time that it was surprising to see he still had trouble expressing his feelings towards her.

"It is indeed odd," Luna said softly, "What can I do for you Artemis?"

"I came..." Artemis trailed off and frowned, but before he would sabotage his own intentions, he remembered his previous conversation with Mamoru and armed himself with courage and followed the prince's advice,

'Fight for her Artemis, if you love her—fight for her.'

"I thought of many ways to come close to you and talk about what happened that night, but I just could not find the right words to say, I did not know how to talk to you, how to make myself be understood."

"Artemis, I—" Luna hung her head low and took a deep shaky breath, "I have wanted to apologize so many times for my behavior, I never meant to—" she widened her eyes when she saw the white cat walk towards her, "We both said things we did not want to say, Luna." he sighed softly, "We both were upset and we were both worried but—we happen to react to situations very differently."

"But I—"

"Luna," Artemis interrupted her, "This is stupid, what are we doing? Why are we suffering when we clearly have feelings for each other?" Luna looked at him sadly, "Because Artemis—we come—"

"Don't say we come from different worlds," Artemis shook his head "We both come from the same place,"

"But we lived different lives."

Artemis sighed and shook his head, "Does it even matter in this time and era Luna?" he frowned, "Who is here to judge? The way we lived back then... does not have to define how we decide to live our lives now. You do not know how my life truly was when I was in Mau... you only had an idea but it always falls in misconception. You know what is like to live under others expectations, I was taught to be reserved and to think with a cold head because of my jurisdiction, but it doesn't mean I looked down on you. I would never do such thing."

It was like a new revelation to hear those things from him; it was the first time Luna heard Artemis talk about his life as an aristocrat with such melancholy, with such heaviness and bitterness in his voice. He was right, she always had a different perspective of how he lived in Mau. It was no secret to anyone that his family was well positioned and that they lived with luxury and comfort but since he was always so private about his life, she never thought that he lived his own kind of turmoil; living under a shadow was not exactly a walk in the park, she knew it well and if Queen Serenity hadn't granted her an opportunity to work as her advisor, she probably would have already died to try to prove her worth. But the truth was, that Luna has always cared for Artemis since the moment she met him; she always felt attracted to his elegance and sharpness and obvious beauty; she remembered his elegant face and even when they were cats in this era, she could still see that handsomeness and beauty in his deep green eyes.

Not sure why, Luna always felt like she didn't match him, she never saw herself as his equal not even when they worked together as advisors to the Lunar Queen and it broke her spirit, it broke her heart because like he said, there was always an invisible wall between them, a wall, she didn't know how to tear down. "You want to be with me because I am the only one of your kind... I am your last resort."

"I want to be with you because I love you." Artemis came closer, "I have loved you since you were introduced as Queen Serenity's court lady when she was still a Princess and stepped foot on the Moon Palace for the very first time."

Luna's eyes widened with shock, "A-Artemis..."

"It is easy to judge but nobody knows our true feelings. What are you so afraid of? Why do you always put this unnecessary weight on your back, why do you punish yourself for being different? There is no wrong in that, I just want to be with you." Artemis tilted his head, "I have been thinking about it all this time, I have been troubled because this is an issue that has always been between us and I am tired of it—I am tired to be away from you despite being so close for something so stupid like Mauian social rules,"

Luna felt her eyes burn with tears and looked down, "I am afraid you realize one day that I am not good enough,"

"What?" Artemis frowned, "Are you being serious? Luna—you are the most precious being to me. The strongest Mauian I have ever met, why do you even think that?"

"I know the standards in your family." Luna said dryly, Artemis shook his head, "I am not my family Luna, I am my own person—cat, and I love you."

"Artemis..." Luna broke into tears, "But—"

"Luna, I was educated and trained to deal with problems differently than you do. I was never good enough to my mentors, to my family—you have no idea how much I struggled to be worthy of their appreciation and respect. It is something all of us have to go through to earn a position and fulfill our family's wishes and expectations."

Luna looked at him, that was something she never knew or imagined ever happened to the always so poised Artemis. She never thought about the many trial and error he must have to go through to become a political advisor to a royal; that was her problem. That has always been her problem since day one; she immediately put the tag on his forehead and thought that he did not work hard to get to where he is now. They had been long gone from Mau for centuries now, his family probably wasn't alive anymore or maybe, they thought they died when the Silver Millennium came to its tragic end but he stayed with her, through good and bad times, always supporting her, always by her side and now there he was, exposing his heart out to her once again.

"I just want to know one thing Luna, and whatever the answer is I will respect it and never bother you with it again," he looked at her in the eye, "Do you care for me enough to fight for this love?"

Luna looked at him for a minute in silence, thinking of what to say. Considering it was time to put those negative thoughts aside and to just look forward. She has seen a possible future with him by her side as a partner. She has seen what it would like to be to have a family with him and she liked it, it made her feel happy and complete. Whatever they had to overcome to be who they are had to be left in the past if she wanted a new and brighter future and that future was happening at that precise moment. She took a step closer and rubbed her face against his, purring with adoration, "Yes Artemis—I do."

Artemis widened his green eyes, surprised by her sudden answer and loving gesture. Luna looked at him in the eyes and smiled "I love you."

Artemis rubbed his face against hers again, "I know I am a cat, I know I cannot hold your hand like I wished I could back then but I will do whatever I can to make you feel loved, to make you feel special and valued." Luna looked at him lovingly, "I am sorry for everything I said."

Artemis purred in her ear "Now it is not the time to be apart, I love you. We have to be united to support Usagi and Mamoru and for what might be coming their way. Things have been surprisingly peaceful like nothing happened, and that worries me." Luna sighed and sat next to Artemis, "It worries me too. Athamas seemed to have vanished and there haven't been any other incidents. Do you think he just decided to go away?"

"If he is still how I remember, I do not believe he has, much less now that he knows the Princess is alive and living a happy life with the Terran Prince." Artemis sighed heavily, "That is why we have to stay alert..." he turned to look back inside of Usagi's room and frowned, "What happened in there?!"

Luna sighed, "Oh—that. Well, she is supposed to be packing her things to move in with Mamoru but—I don't see that happening anytime soon. She has so many things, we stayed up until very late trying to categorize what's important for her to take and what not but we eventually gave in and fell asleep."

"Poor Mamoru, I wonder if he has enough space in the bedroom for all that." Artemis sweatdropped, knowing for a fact that the prince was much organized than their beautiful but very messy Princess. Luna chuckled, "Well, I don't think there is enough space in any room for all of her belongings. She will have to give some things away, but she is being stubborn—she puts an emotional value on everything."

Artemis turned to look at her and curled his tail around hers, "Stay with me tonight." Luna felt a rush of happiness all over her and smiled at his gesture, "How about forever?" Artemis blinked with surprise at her comment and smiled "That sounds perfect to me."

O—o—o—o—O

Rei woke to follow her daily chores at the shrine. After taking her grandfather's breakfast, she went to clean inside the temple, did her daily meditations while constantly avoiding Yuiichiro. It was no longer news for him that she had taken guests and that she personally assisted them with anything they needed, which was too strange for him since he had never seen them in his life and she acted like if she did and very well.

The miko walked towards the cottage and knocked the wooden door frame to let the shitennou know she was there and just like the day before, they were sitting in a circle meditating in silence. Nephrite opened one eye and looked at her "Good morning—Rei." Rei slid the door open and smiled, "Good morning, how did you sleep?"

"Very well, thank you." The northern general answered for everyone, "And you?" Rei was gladly surprised by his friendly behavior "Uh—um, good. We did walk a lot yesterday—I am really not sure when I fell asleep, I was very tired."

"My feet still hurt," Jadeite muttered and finally opened his eyes and turned to look at her, "Good morning."

Rei smiled and nodded, the rest followed with their greetings. "Breakfast should be here any minute now, I asked Jun, a family friend who gives us a hand with all the cooking here at the temple to bring it personally," Kunzite smiled at the kind gesture and took the tray with cups and teapot from Rei's hands, "Allow me to be of service, at least with this."

"Oh," Rei blinked surprised, "Thank you, Kunzite," she chuckled softly, "I see you are wearing your new clothes."

"Yes well—we kind of have to... there is not much I can do to prevent it," Kunzite muttered and let out a soft sigh, "I suppose I have to admit they are not as bad as I thought." Rei chuckled, "No, they're not bad. I know it's not something you are used to but they're certainly not bad."

"Busy day?" Zoisite asked politely while serving himself a cup of tea. Rei shrugged her shoulders, "The usual, it is never too crowded, only during festivals but we haven't done one since my grandfather fell ill."

"I am sorry to hear that. If there is anything we can be of service, please let us know." Zoisite looked at her with interest as he took a sip of his hot beverage. "I will, thank you," Rei felt more at ease around them now that they looked more like human beings and less like stoic, killing soldiers with their military uniforms; Nephrite followed in pouring himself a cup of tea and looked at her "So, are there any plans for today?"

Rei tilted her head and nodded, "Yes, well, just with the girls—since it is officially Usagi's last day as a single lady. We are going to hang out and celebrate but not until too late because she has to get up very early tomorrow and she is not much of a morning person."

"Ah yes—their last day as single people," Jadeite said softly with a soft grin in his boyish and handsome face, a charm only he could pull due to his witty personality. "It is strange to realize they are actually getting married." Zoisite closed his eyes and blew the steam from his teacup, like the gentleman and constant analyzer of Jadeite's words, always so polite and meticulous, his calmer personality was always mirrored in the delicate features of his face, and also, paired well with Jadeites' playful character, "I hope you are going somewhere with that comment."

"We tried so much to keep them apart and now—well now, they are finally going to be together." Jadeite's warm voice was full of enthusiasm, "They succeeded, against all odds. See? I was getting somewhere."

Kunzite frowned and took a sip of his tea, trying to ignore the brotherly but constant bickering between his two blonde soul brothers and peered at his other comrade, "It is not a bad idea," he heard Nephrite join the conversation, "We should celebrate with him."

Jadeite rubbed his hands with pure cheerfulness, "Oh, yes, yes... like in the old days. Remember when we went to that small pub at one of the villages close to the training camp?"

"Yes, just do not go all mental again," Zoisite said in his always tranquil, monotone voice. Jadeite blinked and blushed, peering the martian soldier and sighed, "Oi Zoisite—manners, please."

Rei chuckled, "Sounds good, I am sure Mamoru would very much appreciate it, you're his longtime friends, I think it's fair." she stood up and turned to walk to the door, "Well, I feel like I have taken much of your time, I will leave you to continue with your daily meditations," she turned on her heel, "If there is anything else you need, just ask,"

"Where are you going?" Jadeite asked with slight anxiety in his voice, startling the other generals. Zoisite looked at him surprised by his sudden change and blinked a couple of times, realizing in silence what was happening with his fellow friend. Rei smiled and looked over her shoulder at him, "I need to do some chores before my mid-day prayers."

Nephrite elbowed Zoisite, who nodded in agreement to what they were witnessing. This was too entertaining and interesting to see and they didn't want to lose any small detail they could use to their advantage in the future. They may be royal guards and strong soldiers, but deep down they were a bunch of guys who liked to mock each other like the brothers they are.

"Do you need any help?" Jadeite's interest made Rei blink with puzzlement by his approach, finding it adorable. "It's alright, it's no big deal—it's something I very much do every day," she waved her hands nervously and giggled, "But, thank you for your offer."

"It is the least we can do since you are allowing us to stay here...cost-free." Jadeite said politely. Rei tilted her head and smiled, "It's not a problem, but if it makes you feel better—I will let you know if I need help with something in the future." Jadeite smiled in return and nodded as he watched the priestess walked out the door and close it behind her, to give the men some privacy. Zoisite took the moment as his cue and chuckled, breaking Jadeite's chain of thought, "What?" the short-haired blonde asked, half annoyed and half confused. The relatively younger blonde smiled, "What was that?"

"What?" Jadeite raised his hands up in the air with exasperation, "I was trying to be polite."

"It looked to me like you were trying to woo her," Zoisite smiled and poured himself another cup of tea, "Which is surprising because you do not believe in love and all those sorts of things." Jadeite sighed and shook his head, "So, are we going to celebrate Endymion's marriage with the Princess or what?"

"That sounds like a plan to me," Zoisite looked at his older blonde brother, "It is certainly not difficult to find him. His aura is quite strong, I can sense it from here." he turned and arched his brow when he saw Kunzite with his head low, "Kunzite, are you alright?" The white-haired general frowned and crossed his arms, "I find it strange that we are still here, that is all."

Three pairs of eyes peered at their comrade and leader with a strange look on their faces. Kunzite was aware of the tumult he was about to bring abroad with his comments but it was no surprise, coming from him. "What do you mean?" Zoisite frowned as he put his cup down, Kunzite turned to Nephrite and narrowed his cold grey eyes, "Have the stars spoken to you?"

Both blondes now turned to Nephrite who was looking back at the white-haired general with the same intensity he was staring back at him, "They have been silent," he lowered his moss-colored eyes and shook his head, "But—there is something."

"Why are you asking this, Kunzite?" Zoisite asked again, Kunzite stayed silent for a moment before inhaling deeply "It does not matter how many eras we cross, our vow still goes strong. Our mission is to aid Endymion and look out for him as his guardians; nothing has really happened after that day but we are still here."

"I do not understand where you are trying to go with this," Zoisite frowned "You sound like if you were against the idea of being here."

"When Endymion is in danger, we are always summoned to assist him," Kunzite looked at him, his grey eyes now showing equal parts of concern and confusion "But in the end, we are always pulled back. Since Beryl, we never got to cross to the physical world again, it was like if we had stayed in Limbo, between worlds and without really belonging anywhere, anymore."

"But the Priest—Helios, he kept us in Elysion," Jadeite said confused "You speak of Limbo like if we were actually dead and paying for our sins."

"In some way, we are," Kunzite looked at the fourth in command with shame, "I do not understand how our whole selves managed to cross here and actually live like rightful inhabitants of this world."

"You think we are here only to accomplish a mission and then get pulled back to Elysion," Zoisite said with disappointment. Kunzite shrugged his shoulders "It is not Elysion, that land is not what we used to remember as our home—I just... I do not understand anything that is happening."

"Is this why you have been reluctant to everything?" Nephrite raised his brow and crossed his arms, "Why you have been so distant towards the Prince?"

"We grew up together, we spent half of our lives together—all of us." Kunzite sighed, "But the circumstances separated us, we tried to kill the one we swore to protect."

"But that is in the past," Jadeite frowned, confused and reluctant to Kunzite's reasoning. The white-haired general looked at Jadeite with slight hurt in his eyes, "We represent the past Jadeite—we are part of Endymion's past. Do we really have a place in his present and future?"

Jadeite sighed softly, he knew where this conversation was going and he was not liking the gloomy turn it was taking. "You think our time here is limited." Nephrite startled Kunzite, being the second one to have a deep tone of voice it was hard to ignore whenever the always reserved and thoughtful general would give his two cents in a conversation. "You want to find a wider explanation for our presence here since what we were supposed to do, has been done. That is why you are asking me if the celestial creatures have spoken to me,"

Kunzite nodded and turned startled by the proximity coming from Zoisite, who patted him on his shoulder with empathy, like one brother to another, "If our time here is limited, we might as well enjoy it and spend it with our friend—it has been long since we last saw him," Kunzite widened his eyes "Zoisite..."

"If we cannot fight against heaven's will, if we—like you say, are condemned to return to Limbo, we have to at least enjoy and take advantage of the time we were given to spend here; that is how I see it."

Jadeite lowered his gaze and tried his best not to feel so blue about the whole situation. It did not make sense until Kunzite put the words out there, what was their mission then? What was the reason for their presence in the living world? He thought. "Are we—are we really dead?"

Zoisite blinked with surprised by Jadeite's sudden and unusual serious tone in his voice. Nephrite shook his head softly, "We are not dead Jadeite, we just belong to another realm—to another time." he looked at the blonde and tilted his face forward, "We were granted another opportunity to live and serve our Prince and Kingdom but we are not part of this era. But also, it makes me think that just as we were forgiven and released from Beryl's curse and were allowed to live in what we see as Elysion all this time, we might now be granted to live here."

"Nothing good will come up if we continue questioning our fate in this world, Kunzite," Zoisite patted the silver-haired man and stood up, "I know you hate uncertainty but... this is how we have lived our lives ever since Beryl."

Kunzite stayed silent, thinking about what Zoisite just said and it made perfect sense. Their lives have been uncertain since they were captured by Beryl, living between guilt and duty. Between the living and the spirit world. Unlike Serenity's guardians, they did not get another chance; they were indeed reborn but everything came to waste when they were found once again by the dark witch, stripping any remaining opportunity to reunite with the prince and the girls. "Venus..." he thought sadly.

Maybe the other part of the deal came to close any gaps and unfinished business. Maybe they were brought back to do what they were meant to do from the very beginning. This was their third chance to make things right and they had to make it worth. "So, a celebration, eh?" he finally managed to say in a more hopeful tone as he looked up at his comrades with a familiar snicker brightening his handsome face, "Let us remind His Royal Highness how we used to celebrate back then,"

Jadeite gave his older brother a toothy grin and stretched with glee and excitement, "Coming from you, I will take it as a good omen," Kunzite smiled as he looked at his fellow brothers talk with much more lightness in their voices, leaving their troubled thoughts behind, at least for this moment. He looked down at the cup of tea still steaming in his hands and closed his eyes for a minute, allowing the image of the girl with golden hair come to his mind.

"I do not want to waste any more time..."

O—o—o—o—O

Motoki walked down the hallway reading some papers in his hands, he was so deep in thought that he completely ignored Ami was at the nurse's station giving the status of a patient to one of the nurses to add to their medical history. She turned and smiled, "A penny for your thoughts?" Motoki blinked and turned to see Ami waving at him, always so sweet. Sweet, sweet Ami. "Hey," the blonde smiled softly, "How long have you been here?" he showed her the papers in his hand and chuckled "I'm sorry—I was too into these documents."

"What are those?" Ami frowned and pointed the papers, "A new medical case, possibly," Motoki said softly, the answer did not sound very convincing to Ami, making her quirk a brow with puzzlement, "Possibly?"

Motoki sighed softly and turned both sides to make sure there were no people snooping around, "I need Mamoru for this, he is the one I trust to run all the tests and give the proper treatment needed for this patient."

"Okay...?" Ami frowned but immediately widened her eyes realizing what the blonde meant by the tone in his voice, "Oh."

"Exactly." Motoki tapped her forehead with his pen in a playful manner. Ami blinked and turned to look for the dark-haired man, "Where is he, by the way? Did he take another day off?"

"Ami, he is not taking days off—he is under investigation." Motoki tapped her head again with his pen "But no, he is here actually—I just saw him a while ago."

"What is going on with the board?" Ami leaned closer to make the conversation even more private, "Are there any more news?"

"Ah—you don't know the whole thing," Motoki muttered and pursed his lips, "You haven't spoken to him, huh?" Ami nodded softly, "I saw him yesterday but he didn't mention anything... that's why I figured he was taking days off."

"Was Usa-chan there?" Motoki raised his brow, Ami nodded "Yes..."

"There you go," Motoki motioned her to follow him to one of his consultations, "He doesn't want her to know—not yet at least. He hopes this whole deal clears by the time he returns from his honeymoon."

"Motoki... how bad is it?"Ami looked at her fellow friend with worry, Motoki sighed and shook his head, "I am not going to lie Ami-chan, things are more complicated than even he expected them to be. He has proof of everything, but this issue has had an unexpected turn—a more personal one."

Ami frowned, "What do you mean?"

"There are some people conspiring against him. There are people who are trying to pressure him to give his resignation," Motoki sighed, startling Ami "B-But who would do such thing?! He is a good doctor in this hospital, he even got here with enough merits to shorten his internship—what the hell is going on?"

"Jealousy Ami-chan, pure jealousy and lack of professionalism that is. I don't want to go into much detail because it's Mamoru's decision to tell the whole shebang and well, it's his battle to fight and win but—it's not too hard to imagine who is behind all this." Motoki opened the door and greeted his patient, realizing there was somebody already there waiting for him "Satomura-san," he blinked surprised to see the young intern there, "Dr. Furuhata, I was assigned to work with you today," he spotted Ami standing behind him and smiled "Dr. Mizuno, good afternoon."

She noticed there was a different vibe coming from the young doctor, he looked more confident, more relaxed—more in his zone. The way he stood next to Motoki and how he addressed the patient gave her a hint of what was going on. Her sharp intuition suddenly stated the obvious, clearing the mystery behind Motoki's voice and cryptic words, "Akashi..." she muttered low enough for anyone to let it pass. Motoki soon realized what was happening and looked at her face of slight disgust towards Akashi, "Dr. Mizuno, could you do me a favor and call Dr. Seta for me, please?"

Ami felt it strange to hear Motoki ask for another doctor rather than his friend to assist him with any medical case. They were known to be the perfect dynamic duo, and it made it nearly unbearable to even think how one person could be manipulating an entire medical board to ruin someone's career, just because he felt like it, just because of jealousy. There was more to this issue, she was sure about it, and to know the guy she once cared for was involved in it was igniting an anger she didn't know she could bottle up in her heart.

Turning on her heel she exited the room and went to look for the person she was asked while quietly thinking of the many ways she could express her anger towards Satomura Akashi. It infuriated her, it made her feel helpless because she was witness to Mamoru's efforts to succeed in his dream to become a doctor. All those days she remembered Usagi breaking into tears when he was studying abroad and she missed him terribly. All those many efforts both made to make their relationship work; those nights when Usagi stayed up until too late keeping him company while he studied for his specialization and the many short dates they had because of his on and off hectic schedule that demanded more time that he had when he was an intern. Everything Mamoru did, every sacrifice, every sleepless night, every drop of sweat and effort it was for their sake, to have something good and stable to put on the table and offer Usagi once they decided to go on with their wedding plans. The field he chose, while still very demanding, gave him the liberty to have more time with her and compensate for all those days they stayed apart, she knew it, because she witnessed it. She comforted her friend many times in the past, and now that they were finally where they planned to be, this intern showed up acting like a spoiled kid and causing a ruckus to make him lose everything her friend had built with hard work and dedication.

The hallway seemed endless to her no matter how much she walked. She finally stopped at the nurse's station and asked them to monitor and call the doctor Motoki asked her to call; she knew deep down that Motoki did it to keep her away from Akashi, now that he was supposed to assist him in this particular case. With a heavy sigh, she leaned her head down on her arms that were lazily resting on the large, circular desk, completely unaware that she was no longer alone, "Ami?"

Ami widened her eyes and turned surprised to see Mamoru looking at her with a worried look "Mamoru," she said softly. Mamoru gave the nurse a binder and signed some papers for her, "Are you okay?" Ami felt a rush of melancholy, like if she hadn't seen him in a very long time—her friend and mentor. Mamoru sighed softly and looked at her with resignation, "He told you."

"He didn't have to, he just gave me the clue and I solved the riddle." Ami muttered and frowned, she knew he was talking about Motoki "Akashi-san, really?" Mamoru turned to the nurse as he signed another form, "Thank you Ika-san." he turned to the bluenette "Walk with me," Ami nodded and followed, "How serious is this, Mamoru?"

Mamoru closed the door to one of the medical offices they used for meetings and conferences and sat behind the desk. It was then, when Motoki's words fell into place when she noticed Mamoru was not wearing either his white coat or any formal clothing, but instead a pair of dark grey casual pants and a plain white button shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his forearms, "There is a whole wave of speculation Ami-chan, it's not just Satomura-san. It's how they can't grasp the idea of a man dying under such brutal circumstances."

"But he is involved!"

"He is just working as a spy."

"What?" Ami widened her eyes with confusion, "Who's spy?"

"Dr. Osuna," Mamoru's tone felt dry and distant, showing his obvious discomfort towards this situation, "Since I started to work here he has been reluctant to my methods and work ethics. Not that they are different from any others but—he has always had the idea that I take a very much modern and alternative approach to diagnose and do my job—whatever that means. He doesn't think I am as traditional as he is and that is something he does not approve."

"That is what being up to date with medical research, medications and technique means—it's obvious." Ami frowned, "Hasn't he taken any certification courses lately?"

"He doesn't see it that way Ami, and he didn't say anything before because well, there was no reason, he had no material to work on—until now." Mamoru leaned forward, resting his arms on the impeccable white desk, "Look, I am not here to complain, if he thinks his approach is better than mine, that's fine, I have proven my innocence—the board has all the results from every test I ran, they have the complete report of what happened—whatever it is happening is just a tantrum from this man and even that has to calm down eventually."

"But Motoki said you were under investigation, what does that mean? That you can't practice until further notice?"

Sighing, Mamoru shrugged his shoulders softly "That is something I can't avoid—it's true. I am not allowed to take any new cases until they make their final decision—I am just delegating my work and patients to other fellow internists and just giving my final consultations for those I started treating before all this happened. I haven't lost my job if that is what you are asking—but I am on hold."

"But,"

"Ami," Mamoru looked at her with endearment, his azure eyes soon changed to a deep prussian blue shade, "Don't say anything to Usa, I am asking you as a friend."

"She will find out, two thousand years together and you still haven't learned." Ami sighed and crossed her arms, "She is like a bloodhound when it comes to finding out about anyone's secrets—it's like she can smell them."

"I know, but at least I want to wait until the wedding is over," Mamoru leaned back in his chair and sighed softly, "I don't want her to be worried about this too, enough has been happening with me to drag her into this as well. I will not give my resignation because I earned my position in this hospital. That is what Osuna wants, but I trust everything will be cleared soon enough and things will go back to normal."

"Speaking of normal, I checked on some of the victims that were involved in that incident, most of them have already left the hospital fully recovered." Ami said softly and frowned "But—I still feel uneasy."

"Me too Ami," Mamoru narrowed his eyes, "But, at this current time, I don't sense any threat."

"That is why you didn't say anything yesterday—you didn't want to worry her more," Ami looked at his friend with empathy, "Even if it is mortifying you inside."

"I don't want to ruin the moment Ami," Mamoru smiled softly, "I have made Usa wait for too long now, it was either my studies or hers, the time wasn't right for us to marry but this is and I cannot give those people the pleasure of seeing me mortified."

Ami blinked, surprised by his determination. It came as no surprise, Mamoru has always been very straightforward and he has always had very clear what his goals are but this time there was something else; he did not show any weakness or uncertainty, he was not afraid of any outcome, instead, he challenged those who were blaming and judging him to realize that he has done nothing wrong. He was not just Chiba Mamoru the civilian anymore, that she realized; he was acting like a true royal, speaking fairly and fighting for a just cause. Smiling, he combed his hair back with his fingers and looked at her, "Are you girls doing something later today?"

Ami blinked, "Huh?"

Mamoru chuckled, "I am just trying to lighten the mood—there's no point in me giving Osuna-san and Satomura-san more of my interest and time."

"Oh," Ami nodded with a big smile on her face, "Minako pulled some strings and used her status at the station and made reservations at this nice restaurant and later we are hanging out at Usagi-chan's house," with the last part of the plan, Mamoru sweatdropped, "You are going to help her pack, right?" Ami hung her head low and nodded, "Yeah..."

Mamoru chuckled softly, "Of course,"

"I was actually going to ask you if Megumi-san could join us, I mean, she is a girl and it's a girls' night out... so..." Ami blushed, "Unless you are planning on taking her out somewhere?"

"I have nothing planned Ami-chan," Mamoru smiled, "You know Usa constantly says I'm a boring person—and she's not wrong. This is the perfect example. It's actually a nice gesture from you girls to consider Megumi to join you. I will take her to Usa's house in a while, I just got a text from her asking me for the favor."

"She is very nice," Ami smiled softly, "And she deserves to have some fun too. It's not her fault anything that happened."

Mamoru enjoyed having her around at the hospital. Ami's kind nature had this calm and soothing effect Motoki's character did not offer on a daily basis and he was glad to have her on his side. "No, it's not," Mamoru smiled sadly, "It's mine, it's Beryl's—the Andromedian's and even Ares'."

"You seriously can't be blaming yourself for that..." Ami frowned and shook her head, "Ami," Mamoru looked at her "Don't lie to me, I know all of you got worried about Usa when Ares told the truth about... that."

"Honestly? We were more worried you were going to leave her rather than you being a danger to her." Ami sighed and sat on the other side of the desk, across from Mamoru. "I am a danger to you all," Mamoru muttered bitterly, "Not because I'll go all violent mode on you but because of who I am related to, and the worst part is that I never knew... until now."

"Mamoru-kun," Ami looked at him with seriousness, "I am going to say this once because you probably have heard this a lot but—"

"I know Ami," he looked at her and exhaled heavily, "And I appreciate the support, really, it's just that—this was unexpected—I am still having flashbacks and getting used to all these new things happening to me right now," chuckling he looked down at his watch and stood up, "Hey, weren't you supposed to be free by now?"

Ami sighed and shrugged her shoulders "I'm leaving in an hour, but—I don't want to leave this room. I don't want to look at Akashi's face." Mamoru ruffled her hair in a brotherly manner, trying to lift the gloomy mood in the room, "Ami—don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Ami looked up at him and narrowed her eyes, Ami looked up at him and narrowed her eyes, "Easy for you to say but unfortunately for you—you have become like a big brother to me, I can't just ignore what's happening to you and what's going through your mind." Mamoru smiled and leaned down to meet her eye to eye, "I know Ami, you're like a little sister to me too and I really value your words,"

Ami nodded, "Good because I mean it." Mamoru chuckled, "I know you do, you don't joke around," he pulled back and crossed his arms when he saw a curious look in Ami's eyes, "What?"

"By the way how are you going to keep this matter private from everyone, are you guys leaving for your honeymoon? Or are you coming back on Monday?"

Mamoru leaned on the door "We are leaving for a few days but since I have to be here for another set of meetings with the board I still don't know when we will have to return, they will let me know, but also because well—I don't know if the Andromedian will appear again."

"Maybe that was it," Ami said hopefully. Mamoru smiled but remained silent. He preferred to keep Athamas' threat to himself. The situation has been ringing in his mind since it happened, making it feel uneasy but for Usagi's sake, he preferred to keep it to himself, complying to anything she would suggest and do whatever he knew would make her happy. Being the trip to the mall the day before one of those secret concealing agreements.

Every time he felt fed up with hogging situations like these, he tried to keep his mind occupied with more positive thoughts. Right now, his wedding was what kept him hopeful for better days. He was excited to finally share his life with Usagi, to wake up next to her every morning and go to sleep with her by his side every night. All those nights when they promised themselves how they would find their way to be together finally we coming true. Their ever after was about to begin and he was going to make whatever was necessary to keep that life plan intact.

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