Divinity: Fates and the Afterlife

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Okay, I put the things you want to take back home in the car—let's go Us—" Mamoru returned to the table he was sharing with the girls and his wife just a while ago looking more relaxed, but also more tired than an hour ago with his tie and the first two buttons of his shirt undone. He widened his eyes when he saw Usagi with her head resting on the edge of the table, making her best effort to keep her balance in her chair. "Usa?"

"I'm so tired..." Usagi mumbled, "I can't move a finger... I can't get up... my feet hurt so bad..." she rolled her head and gave her husband a lazy and very hazy look, "What if we find a place to sleep here and we go home tomorrow morning?"

"Usa... we can't stay here, and it is already morning,"

"What?"

"It's 2 a.m."

"What?!"

Minako chuckled and leaned on her friend's shoulder "Yep, your wedding lasted a whole day—literally. And there are still people here that are reluctant to go home... you have such an energetic family," she patted Usagi's arm softly and turned to Mamoru and gave him a pat on his shoulder as she pulled back, "Good luck," Mamoru blinked surprised, "Yep, thanks,"

Usagi tried her best to look surprised but her tiredness was much stronger than her own will to move, "I can't get up... my legs hurt..."

Rei walked back to the table and arched a brow as she watched Usagi trying her best to move and turned to Mamoru with a sly smile, "I guess you will have to pull the oldest trick in the Prince charming's book,"

Mamoru chuckled, "Yeah... seems so," he walked to Usagi and crouched next to her trying to figure out how to pick her up and deal with the yards of tulle and organza of her gown, "Okay Usa, put your arms around my neck so I can pick you up," he looked down at her high heels peeking from underneath the layers of fabric and arched a brow, "No wonder why your feet hurt—those are killer shoes." Usagi chuckled, "You're too tall! I always have to wear killer heels when I am around you!"

"Take off those murderous things already!" Mamoru took the stilettos off her feet and tossed them aside with a dramatic flair and put his arms around her waist and carried a laughing Usagi in his arms, "Hey! My shoes! I just put them back on!"

Rei laughed at their little rant and walked closer to the couple, "I will take them with me, don't worry Usa-chan. I'll give them back to you next time I see you," she picked the sky-high stilettos from the ground and widened her eyes with genuine admiration, "Wow... you have been walking in these all day and night without tripping or falling? They are really high... I'm impressed."

"Hey..." Usagi narrowed her crystal blue eyes, "I know how to walk in high heels, I learned the hard way,"

"I am truly impressed,"

"Thanks, Rei-chan." Usagi smiled and waved her hand to the girls, "I'll call you!"

"Sleep, you both need it," Rei waved her hand and turned wide-eyed to a mischievous looking Minako, "Yeah, like if that's going to happen..." Rei laughed in response, "You never know, right?" Minako laughed and shook her head as she watched the couple walk away, "Nope."

Mamoru moved his head to get a clearer view of his way ahead, making Usagi chuckle and pat the thin layers of fabric away from his face, "Too puffy?" Mamoru smiled, "The way you look in it makes it all worth it," Usagi blushed and leaned her head on his shoulder with a smile on her face, "I love you... to the moon and back—" Mamoru smiled and kissed the top of her head, "—To the world where we belong,"

The newlywed and very tired couple finally went home after a long series of congratulations and hugs from their friends as they made their way to their car. Haruka had already left with Michiru, Setsuna, Hotaru and their new guest, Megumi.

After a while, Minako was one of the few remaining and she was more than ready to leave and have some well-deserved sleep. The blonde let out a heavy sigh and looked down at her phone, silently admitting she was a little drunk; she did not want to admit it, but seeing the other girls talking and dancing with the shitennou always made her want to have another glass of wine but she counting with how much they were going to dance during the night, condemning her sobriety and her sanity leading her to her current state.

Rei looked at her stumbling friend with worry as they walked towards the garden's entrance, "Let's share a drive, Minako-chan, I don't—" Minako shook her head and turned with a smile at her friend, "I'm fine Rei-chan, I already called for one," she showed her phone "See? It's on its way."

"I just—"

"Go," Minako looked at her with reassurance, "Not every day you get to be at a beautiful wedding, wearing a beautiful dress and be accompanied by a gentleman. Let the man accompany you, it's not like you are marrying him, he's staying there too." Rei looked at Jadeite opening the car's door and then turned to her friend with genuine concern, "I am worried about you, please let me take you home."

Minako smiled and held her friend's hands "Rei-chan, I'm fine. My apartment is not too far away from here and it is not that late also—remember I can defend myself, so go—I will talk to you tomorrow... or later today... or... well, you know what I mean," Rei sighed with resignation by her friend's stubbornness and nodded before she turned to leave, "I will call you—and we will have lunch, okay?"

"Yes, Priestess." Minako giggled "Go! The others had gone too, I'll text you the minute I get home, I promise."

Rei nodded and turned to Jadeite, who was offering his hand to help get in the car that was going to take them back to the shrine. Minako smiled as she saw the two leaving and waved her hand, silently thanking the general for giving her friend the attention and care she knew Rei needed much at this time. Sighing with tiredness and resignation, she sat in one of the pebbled steps at the entrance and closed her eyes as she listened to the trickling sound of water in the fountains behind her distracting her completely from any other foreign sounds coming close to her.

"You are still here."

Minako opened her eyes wide when she recognized the sound of that voice—his voice. She froze in her seat and forbid herself to grant a single glance back at the man, she could feel him close behind her but he was trying her best to ignore it and all the emotions attached to his presence. She needed to distract herself and the most natural thing for her to do it was to look for her phone and looked at the hour, hoping the driver would be there to pick her up already. Kunzite sighed and looked at her as he walked around the fountain, "Why are you here all by yourself?"

Minako frowned, trying her best to keep her calm "Nephrite helped Mako-chan take home the things she brought to carry the cake, Zoisite left early with Ami-chan, and Jadeite left with Rei-chan back to the shrine—I don't live there so I am waiting for my ride to take me home."

"I saw you had too much to drink."

Minako chuckled with sarcasm, "What, are you stalking me now?" she stood up and cursed under her breath while looking down at her phone "Where the hell is my ride?!"

Kunzite sat on the same step she was sitting minutes before and looked at her frantically trying to reach the driver that was supposed to pick her up, "He is not coming to get you." he said dryly. Minako frowned as she sent another text to the driver, "What!?" she muttered with anger when her phone rang a notification from the driver telling her he was sent back by a man with white hair just a while ago, giving her enough courage to finally turn to look at him with a deadly glare, "You sent my driver away?!" she stormed back towards him "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Venus,"

"Don't call me that!" Minako raised her voice; Kunzite sighed tiredly, his patience was being put to the test by the screaming blonde in front of him "You cannot resolve things by screaming, calm down, you are drunk. You cannot go by yourself at this time of the night with a man that had inappropriate pictures of women inside his vehicle."

"What the hell do you know!?" Minako screamed, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were wide with anger, "And why do you care anyway?!" she turned on her heel and began walking away "This isn't of your concern, unbelievable,"

Kunzite frowned with worry, "Where are you going?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?! I'm going home, by myself—thanks to you."

"Are you insane?!" Kunzite widened his eyes and quickly went after her, "What did I just tell you?! It's late and it's dangerous for you to be wandering the streets alone!"

"I know how to take care of myself, or did you forget that as well?" Minako muttered angrily as she continued walking down the long path to the gates and realized she was being followed. She turned and glared at him with both rage and hysteria, "Stop following me! Get away from me!"

Kunzite looked at her and frowned "You had too much to drink! You cannot wander alone in your state, why is it so hard for you to understand?! Why are you so stubborn!?"

"I am not drunk!" Minako pushed him away and turned brusquely but to her bad luck, one of her high heels could not support the stress put on it and broke making her lose her balance and fall flat on the ground hurting herself in the process. Kunzite went quickly to her aid but his hand was slapped away the second he tried to take a closer look at her ankle, "I told you to leave me alone!" her voice sounded strained and tired; she looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Why are you here?!"

"I am trying to look after you but you keep doing these stupid things that only end up hurting you!" Kunzite said frustrated, "I am trying to help you!"

Minako slapped his hand away again, "I don't need you to help me." her voice fell a few decibels, "I don't need you to look after me—I don't need you here!" she turned to look away, "I've been fine by myself all this time without anyone looking after me! Just because the others have been getting along it doesn't mean I want to be friends with you! I don't need you here! Go away, leave me alone!" her tears could not stay controlled anymore and began pooling from her eyes, ruining her perfect and well-maintained makeup. The image of the graceful maid of honor was now turned a mess on the muddy ground and it was too much for Kunzite to bear, "Venus," he tried one more time.

"Why did you have to come back!?" she turned with a cold glare at him "What makes you think I need you!? I don't need you! I have been great without you! I was doing fine living my life! The life I always wanted!"

The fog clouding Kunzite's perspective and troubled thoughts finally dissipated, the reasons behind her cold attitude towards him became crystal clear, she was not angry at him but hurt. The woman crying in the mud felt abandoned, and she was heartbroken, no matter how much happiness she tried to portray to others. She was emotionally dismantled and he felt responsible for it; Kunzite kneeled in front of her and looked into her eyes, "I am sorry."

Minako looked into Kunzite's grey eyes but couldn't say anything in return. Kunzite rested his arm on his flexed knee and shook his head in admittance, "Things were not meant to happen the way it did; our fate was strained since the very beginning because we were bounded by our duty and unlike Endymion did with Princess Serenity—I could not deliver, I failed you. I did not look for you—I left you alone all this time and I am sorry Venus, I am deeply sorry."

Minako looked at him wide-eyed, the pain on her ankle becoming the least of her problems. There it was, the words she never thought she would hear from the man she never thought she would ever see again, alive.

"I have respected your space, I have respected your silence and your cold attitude towards me. I accept it and I will take it with me because it is what I deserve." Kunzite looked at her with an unaltered stare, "I am not asking you to forgive me, I am not asking you to welcome me into this new life of yours—this hectic life of yours. I am only asking you to allow me to take you home, safely."

Minako felt dismantled and vulnerable, she no longer had the strength to even stand up by herself or to fight anymore; her ankle was beginning to swell, automatically adding itself to her list of bad decisions. With a nod, she finally put her arms around Kunzite's neck, allowing him to carry her home, "My apartment is not as close as I told Rei." she mumbled, softly. Kunzite adjusted the weight of her body in his arms and shrugged his shoulders, "Let me worry about that," he answered her the same way, "Which way I should take?"

Minako pointed to her right and stayed silent for the rest of her unexpected ride home. Soon after, her body slowly began giving in to the effects of the wine she drank during the reception, silently blaming Usagi and Mamoru for not skimping on the wine, it was too good—she had to admit. After what seemed an hour, Minako realized they were now in her apartment building; as they stepped into the elevator she pressed her floor number and waited to be led to the corridor she knew by heart, "Look for number 22, that's my number." she mumbled as she remembered being excited about having an apartment with the same number as her birthday, a sign she took as a sign of good luck and prosperity, thinking it was probably time to reconsider. She turned and wiggled her keys inside the locks and opened the door for them. Kunzite spotted a couch in the distance and went to lay her there and sighed when he saw her swollen ankle, "We need to treat that before it gets worse."

Minako waved her hand, dismissing the comment "I will be alright."

Kunzite turned on his heel and made his way to her kitchen and grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables from her freezer and walked back to the living room and put the cold bag on her injury, "You have not changed," Kunzite muttered under his breath, "Still as stubborn as ever." Minako widened her eyes and turned to look away, "I'm not stubborn."

Kunzite took a deep breath and left the bag lay over her ankle by its own and stepped back, "Keep it there as much as you can tolerate the cold—it will help you with the pain and to diminish the swollen." Minako gave a nod as she looked at her muddy gown and sighed, "Thank you... for helping me."

Kunzite gave the blonde a respectful nod, "Take care, Venus. Do not do any more reckless things... please," he turned on his heel and began walking back to the door, startling Minako, "W-Wait," Kunzite stopped mid-track and turned to look at her "Yes?"

"W-Where are you going?" Minako turned to see the clock and then back at him. Kunzite frowned "I am going back to the shrine, I said I was going to bring you home safely, I did, so now it is my cue to go."

"It's three in the morning," Minako said softly "Rei-chan's shrine is not close from here."

"Do not worry about me Venus," Kunzite said softly and turned on his heel again, Minako felt her eyes burn with tears again, letting the feeling of abandon reigning her heart once again, "You see... that's the thing," she mumbled with resignation as her voice barely caressed her lips, "I do worry."

Kunzite turned to look at her with wide eyes, Minako sniffed and wiped her mascara smudged tears with the back of her hand, "Even after all this time... I still worry about you," she lowered her gaze and shook her head, "Seeing you here just reminds me how I was never able to forget you. That is why I get so angry," she halted at the feeling of his hands on her shoulders and looked up to see him so close to her with surprise in her eyes. Kunzite looked at her apologetically, "Venusian girl—as always, so prideful." His hand cupped her cheek and his thumb softly dried her falling tears. Minako sniffed softly "Why are you here, Kunzite?" she whispered, "Why have you come to torment me with your musky scent and those intense eyes of yours?"

"I do not know Venus," Kunzite breathed and shook his head, "The only thing I know for certain is that I never stopped worrying about you either. Your memory and the few moments we had together remain engraved in my mind." He lowered his gaze and frowned, "I was not strong enough to fight for you, I should have fought the same way Endymion fought for your Princess—I should have fought for you in any way possible. You were the last thing on my mind the moment I died and the first when I was brought back."

Minako shook her head and responded to the gentle touch on her face, "Why can't you?" she sniffed and frowned with confusion "Why can't you fight this time?" she looked at him "What is stopping you?"

Kunzite smiled softly "Uncertainty."

Minako widened her eyes "W-What?" Kunzite looked at her "I do not know how long I will be here and I cannot keep hurting you anymore—the only thing I can do now is to look after you from a distance." his thumb traveled slowly from her cheek to caress her swollen lips causing Minako to jolt slightly to his sweet touch, it has been so long since someone touched her with such care and attention, "Then everything you just said is pointless, your words are only lies coated in sweetness—this is the sweetest way to say goodbye," she pulled back and looked away, "And the best thing for you to leave things as they are and leave."

Kunzite frowned "I have told you the truth."

"Please go Kunzite, leave me alone."

"Venus—"

"You complain about how you weren't strong enough to fight for what we had, you complain about how Prince Endymion was brave enough to fight for my Princess but then, you are here... you didn't have to look for me in this era like he did with her, you didn't have to figure out who you are like he did, you didn't have to face countless of enemies like we did. You are here, free from all that and you rather give up than to do what you said you should have done in the first place." she looked at him "I don't understand you,"

Words fell into place, making perfect sense to Kunzite. He felt awakened, like if a bucket of ice cold water was thrown to his face. She was right and she was right there, in front of him, like he always wanted. He has been so worried about his reasons for being there and almost as if he was counting for his minutes before he leaves again, he finally understood what Endymion meant that night.

"When that time comes and we have to cross that bridge, we will think of something. Until then, stop punishing yourself and stop being angry at the world."

Kunzite smiled and shook his head, cursing the prince under his breath for being right, once again. She was worth it, she was worth any battle that could be ahead of them. He realized it was worth to cross any goddamned bridge, any bridge, just to get to be with her. He leaned closer and turned her face to look at him while caressing her cheek, "Venusian girl—" he looked at her with the most loving stare, "You are right—I don't understand myself either," his nose rubbed hers, "But I am more than willing to try..." his lips finally caressed hers and slowly locked them in a soft kiss than soon ignited the longing and nostalgia of being apart for so long.

Minako ran her hands through Kunzite's platinum hair as she gave in to the passion blooming between the two of them. She knew she had missed him, she was aware that it was going to be difficult to find someone like him, one who could keep up with her erratic, yet passionate character. One that could challenge her and still love her with all his might.

Minako slowly decided to let any remains of anger melt away from her as she wrapped her arms around the general's neck and looked into his grey eyes "Don't leave—stay with me." she breathed.

Kunzite rubbed his nose on hers and smiled, his hand began taking the pins off her hair to let it fall like a cascade of golden beams and wrapped his arms around her waist, Minako responded to his touch by leaning closer to kiss him again. They did not need to say anything else to express what they both were feeling; their touch was enough to let them realize how much they have missed each other. Without breaking the kiss, Kunzite carried Minako in his arms again and walked towards the bedroom without thinking of anything else, but her beautiful Venusian girl.

O—o—o—o—O

The next morning, Rei walked out of her grandfather's room and towards the kitchen to prepare some tea to bring the shitennou. Walking towards the back door, she went to the cottage they had learned to feel more like home than just a place to spend the night and did her usual routine of knocking the door until one of them welcomed her to come inside.

"Good morning," Nephrite greeted her with a smile, "Please, come in."

Rei bowed her head in her usual graceful way and put the tray over the coffee table in the small room, "Good morning," she widened her eyes when she noticed Nephrite was the only one around, "W-Where is everybody?"

Nephrite smiled and went to pour himself a cup of tea and took a sip, "We will sure miss this tea."

"W-What?" Rei frowned with confusion; Nephrite took another sip and exhaled, enjoying the sweet taste of the warm beverage "I suppose I am the one to give you the news, Sailor Mars."

"What do you mean? What news?"

"My brothers and I are leaving the shrine. We were offered a place to live, it is time for us to rejoin the world—this world." Nephrite looked at her, "Zoisite and Jadeite are packing their belongings as we speak."

"Where are you going?" Rei sat in front of Nephrite feeling a little shocked by the news, "When did you find this place?"

"Sailor Uranus offered us a place to live, it is closer to Endymion so we believe it is more appropriate since we are his guardians." Nephrite looked at her and let out a soft, warm chuckle, "You look surprised Sailor Mars, it is almost as if you did not want us to leave."

"A little, yes, you are more than welcome to stay here. I don't want you to think I was pressuring you to leave the Shrine." Rei said with slight guilt.

"That is not the reason, Mars," Zoisite joined them in the small living room and poured himself a cup of tea with the same grace Nephrite did, "We are more than grateful for your attention and considerations towards us, you most certainly have our loyalty and respect forever." Rei blushed and saw Jadeite come out from the back room, his grey-blue eyes widened the second he spotted her talking to his friends and smiled, "Good morning."

Rei smiled politely and nodded her head, "Good morning," then turned with a frown, realizing the oldest and leader of the shitennou was nowhere around, "Kunzite is not here?"

"He did not come to sleep last night," Zoisite said before taking a sip of his tea, Jadeite sighed with a nod, "I already packed his belongings, if I forget something I do not want him yelling in my ear because something got lost." the blonde chuckled, "Not that we have so many things to carry but he can be a little too obsessive..."

"He didn't come home?" Rei widened her eyes; Zoisite shook his head, "No,"

"And you are not worried about him?"

Zoisite sighed and shrugged his shoulders lazily, "Kunzite is the last person we should be worried about, he knows very well how to defend himself also, we haven't felt any threat."

"This is typical Kunzite." Jadeite said as he sat down next to Zoisite, "He tends to disappear, he will come around."

"So, when are you leaving?" Rei asked softly, still trying to assimilate the news. Nephrite blew the steam of his tea and looked at her, "Probably later this afternoon, if you do not mind." he blinked with curiosity in his moss-colored eyes, "Mars, could you give me the address to Jupiter's workplace—I promised I would accompany her to have lunch."

Rei blinked and smiled, "Sure," then turned to Zoisite who was quietly finishing his tea, "I will not be as blunt as Nephrite as to ask you about Mercury's workplace," he opened his green eyes, "I am already aware she is very busy most of her time." The comment took Rei by surprise and raised her hands up in defense of her friend, "Alright, alright she is—but you know? She could use some time off once in a while."

Zoisite looked at her with a complicit smile, "Thank you, Mars."

Rei chuckled and stood up, already given up on trying to convince them to call her by her civilian name. She actually started to find the gesture quite endearing, it was almost as a friendly reminder that she was much more than just a Shinto priestess or a girl with a strange gift. "Well, I must say—I am quite sad that you are leaving, I am going to miss you but if you made up your mind about it, I cannot stop you but please keep in mind that you are always welcome to return and stay here." All three men smiled at Rei in gratitude, "Thank you," Nephrite bowed his head in respect, "For everything."

Rei bowed her head and left the cottage. Sighing, she began wondering about how Kunzite did not come home last night and that not that she remembered, Minako never sent that text message she promised to send and worried about her friend and if she ever made it home safely. If something happened to her, she would never forgive herself—she thought. She bit her lower lip turned on her heel, surprised to see Jadeite standing behind.

"Is it true?" He asked softly. Rei widened her eyes "What is?"

"Are you really going to miss us?"

"Of course," Rei smiled, "You were very nice and helpful around the shrine."

"And... will you miss me too?" Jadeite took a step closer to the Miko. Rei was taken aback by his blunt question and chuckled, "O-Of course, you too." Jadeite bit his lower lip and held her hand, "Would you like me to stay, Mars?"

Rei widened her eyes "W-What?"

Jadeite smiled softly at her "I would like to stay—help you around the Shrine, help you, and being around you. I can learn whatever there is to learn,"

"J-Jadeite I—" Rei looked at him sadly and let out a soft sigh, "I don't want to hurt you..." she took a step back and pulled her hand away from his, startling the blonde general, "But?" he chuckled, "There is always a but, right?"

"I can't correspond your feelings..." Rei looked at him sadly, "I'm very sorry,"

Jadeite felt like cannon just went through his chest with rabid force, smashing his heart with all its hopes and feelings. The confession was not enough to wipe the sad smile off his face but he felt like he could not look into her beautiful eyes, he took a minute to process her confession and lowered his gaze, "I see—"

"Jadeite... I—"

Jadeite shook his head and looked at her with the same smile, "N-No, I understand—it is alright."

"I am very sorry—I really am." Rei said softly; she hated being the reason of a broken heart especially because she knew how a broken heart felt from vivid experience, "I know we learned to be friendly to each other back then but—times here are different, I am different."

Jadeite nodded and bit his lower lip, not really buying her weak excuses. He looked at her and frowned, "Is it because of him—the man that lives in that house with you," His serious gaze made Rei a little nervous, "It's much more complicated than you think."

"Why?" Jadeite crossed his arms, "You do not love him, you can barely stand being around him—why are you so attached to him?"

"I am not," Rei responded more defensively, "And how do you know it's because of him, or that I do not love him?"

"Mars—it cannot be more obvious."

Rei shook her head and turned on her heel, "You can believe whatever you want, in the end, it is my life and I make my own decisions whether you like it or not..."

Jadeite watched her walk away, "That is true, it is your life but is that the life you want to live forever?" His defiant question made Rei turn without showing any kindness in her amethyst eyes anymore, "Who has given you the right to comment on my life?"

"What are you so afraid of, eh?" Jadeite frowned, "Back then, nobody could touch you, nobody could do you wrong. It is like if you are allowing your own fire go extinct—why? That is not the Mars I remember."

"Exactly," Rei pointed at him and pressed her finger against his chest, "I'm not, I am not that Mars you remember. I have changed, things are different now." Jadeite shook his head and sighed with disappointment, "You know? I lied. I do not understand; I do not understand why you are so tied to the idea of being unhappy."

"It is so easy to judge when you don't know the whole story," Rei muttered with anger, Jadeite sighed again, "There is not much to know, he broke your heart but you do not want to let him go because you are afraid that you will ever find somebody who gives you something remotely close to what he gave you," he frowned "But you know? There is somebody who has been wanting an opportunity to make you smile for a very long time—you have him right in front of your eyes but even still, you decide to remain blind."

Rei widened her eyes with surprise, her brain could not come up with a good set of words to reply. He was right, she was afraid to leave Yuuichiro because she never believed she could find somebody else. He was the last resort she slowly but surely reconsidered to come back to, even if that did not make her happy in the end. It disgusted her, but she also felt lonely, very lonely.

"Endymion warned me, he warned me not to hurt you. He asked me to give you your space and to be careful with you or otherwise he would make me regret it but I just—I cannot stay quiet. It is infuriating... to see you like this," Jadeite raised his hands in frustration, "I have been noticing this since you allowed us to stay here, it is in the air—your unhappiness. How can you pray and help others with love charms and good wishes when you do not want good things for yourself? Is that not hypocritical?" he frowned and shook his head, showing genuine confusion, "If you do not want me to step into your life that is alright—I understand, I do, but I just cannot stand to see you like this; you may say whatever you want, times may have changed and I may be the one who does not fit in this world but you will always be a Senshi and not just any Senshi, but one who was born to fight. I mean, you are Ares' daughter for goodness sake!" he sighed and shook his head, his gray-blue eyes full of emotion, "I hope one day you realize just how precious you are—I really do and I hope it is not too late before you realize how much time you are wasting on being unhappy and unfulfilled." he sighed partly resignated and demotivated, "I believe it is better for me to leave, I have to return to my brothers and get ready for our departure... thank you for your hospitality and all your considerations towards us, you have my eternal gratitude, Sailor Mars—excuse me." Jadeite bowed his head in respect and walked back to the cottage and closed the door behind him, leaving a very torn Rei standing under the cool shade of a cherry tree. She hung her head low and could not fight the tears pooling in her eyes when she realized his words while blunt and hurtful were also true.

Yuuichiro once made her feel the stars in the sky but also made her feel the devouring solitude his betrayal left behind because he made her feel worthless as a woman pushing her close any possibility to heal and move on with her life. A part of her was enraged, another hurt, but for the most part, she felt broken. Rei sighed and turned to the house when a feeling of loss suddenly began overtaking her reason, right now she needed to leave, she needed to stay away and that, she did.

O—o—o—o—O

The sun slowly filtered through the soft, wispy curtains letting the blonde girl realize it was morning. She opened her blue eyes and looked at the man sleeping next to her and blushed once she realized that just like him, she also had anything else to cover her but the tangled sheet around them. Her mind played every caress, every kiss and every loving word that escaped their lips between their breaths as they gave in to each other in their intimate act of love.

Minako wondered if everything that happened was a dream and if he was really there sleeping beside her. Her hand slowly reached for a strand of his platinum hair and played with it for a moment and let herself be pulled to reality; without really remembering what happened to her ankle earlier that morning, she moved her leg and flinched with pain when she turned to grab her phone to see the time and noticed there were several missed calls and messages from Rei, "Shoot, I completely forgot..." she whispered and turned on the bed with the most care so she would not wake Kunzite and after a long struggle, she made it to the bathroom and put her pj's on.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror and brought her hand to her still swollen lips and smiled softly before washing the remains of her makeup from the night before, silently cursing herself for doing such stupid thing as to sleep with a full face of makeup, but the situation unfolding was way more important at the time to care about it then and there. Minutes after, she slowly made her way to the living room and saw the bag Kunzite grabbed for her swollen ankle already melted and went to pop it in the fridge and turned to move around the small but neatly kept kitchen and put the coffee machine to work while she sat on the counter and began surfing through her messages as she waited for the coffee to be done. Biting her lip, Minako began typing back at Rei when a soft knock interrupted her inspirational message. The blonde combed her hair back with her fingers and tied it in a messy high bun and frowned, finding it unusual for someone to be knocking on her door at this time of day and on a Sunday, "Yes?"

"Minako-chan—it's me."

Minako widened her eyes and opened the door to a very distressed looking Shinto priestess, "Rei-chan?"

Rei exhaled as she patted her hand on her chest with tremendous relief, "Ugh, thank goodness you are alright!" she frowned and slapped her arm right after, "I was so worried! You didn't answer your phone! You didn't respond to any of my messages—what the hell?!" Minako bit her lower lip and blushed, "I'm sorry—I'm so sorry, I completely forgot!" Rei arched a quizzical brow, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Minako smiled softly "Why?"

"I don't know, you look—different."

"Different?" The blonde blew her bangs away from her face "Because I am the one with a bun on her head?" Rei sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "Yeah, that is maybe it—I guess." Minako frowned with worry, "Rei-chan, what's wrong? I think I should be the one asking you if you are okay,"

Rei shook her head "I needed to clear my head, to get away from the shrine for a while—I'm sorry to bother you, but I didn't know where else to go." The blonde stepped aside to let her friend walk in, "Don't apologize, come in, come in!" she limped her way to the kitchen and went to grab a clean a mug from her cupboard, "Do you want some coffee?"

"Oh my god, Minako what happened to you?!" Rei pointed the blonde's swollen ankle. "Sit, I will grab the mug myself—do you want some?" Minako took one of the chairs of her kitchen table and sat before giving her friend a nod, "I fell," she sighed and watched her friend move around her kitchen to grab some milk, cream, and sugar and placed them on the table before serving the freshly brewed coffee on two mugs, "One of my heels broke, I lost my balance and hurt my ankle," her eyes rested on the two steaming mugs in front of her and then at her friend joining her at the table, "You need to treat that ankle, otherwise it will get worse—you should call Ami-chan," Rei said while customizing her coffee—one teaspoon of sugar and two of cream. Minako followed sweetening hers and took a sip and peered down at her swollen ankle, "It was worse last night, or, this morning—you know," she sighed softly, "Yeah, I will call Ami-chan, I need a prescription to buy some painkillers," quickly enough, Minako jumped back to the start of their conversation and frowned "So, why did you need to clear your head? Did something happen with Yuuichiro?" she widened her blue eyes, "Did he try to do something to you?" Rei shook her head "No, it doesn't have to do with Yuuichiro—well, not entirely."

"What then?" Minako put her spoon aside and looked at Rei. The priestess sighed heavily and looked down, "I sort of had a fight with Jadeite." Minako widened her eyes "What?!" she frowned with disbelief, "And... why?"

Rei bit her lower lip "They are moving out of the Shrine, Haruka offered them a loft she doesn't use anymore and they are going to take it." Minako widened her eyes "Oh, wow," she raised her brow, "And you got upset because they are leaving?"

Rei shook her head "Jadeite caught up with me and confessed his feelings," with this new piece of information, Minako gaped at her friend and put her mug down quickly, "He did what?!" covering her mouth with both hands when she remembered she had a guest still sleeping in her room and looked at Rei with shock "What did he say?" Rei looked at Minako with sad eyes, "Well, he asked me if I wanted him to stay, he wanted to stay to help me around the shrine... I felt terrible Mina-chan—I wish this never had to happen."

"Oh my god—" Minako blinked with a smile on her face, "Rei-chan..."

"No, no," Rei looked at Minako and frowned, "No!"

"Why not?"

"Because it's not that easy, Yuuichiro lives there—my grandfather..."

"It looks like you are making a list of silly excuses to avoid him getting close to you."

"Minako-chan..."

"Rei," Minako narrowed her eyes, "Yuiichiro lives there because you allowed him to stay. He could easily find some other place to live—he has the means. Come on Rei-chan, why are you so attached to him?" Rei widened her eyes "What?! You—you think so too?"

Minako sighed and put her hand on top of her friend's "Sweetie, we all do, but we know how you feel about it. It's your life, your decision... but that doesn't mean it is the best decision you have ever made."

"Jadeite said Mamoru warned him about it," Rei looked at her friend "But that it was too hard for him to see me in the condition I am—I mean, what condition?" she shrugged her shoulders with annoyance and took another sip of her coffee, "Anyway, he ended up things by wishing me the best and turned on his heel and left. I didn't have a romance with him, back then. Yes, I found him adorable and very funny but—it wasn't a romance like the one Serenity had with Endymion or the one you had with Kunzite whom by the way, didn't return to the shrine," Minako blushed and bit her lower lip, taking her mug she blew some steam off the hot liquid and took a sip, "I know."

Rei frowned and looked at her "You know what?"

"That he didn't return to the shrine,"

"Minako?" Rei arched her brow, curious. Minako licked her lips and put her mug down again, "We also had an argument... I was so upset, he wanted to take me home and I didn't want him too," her finger played with the rim of her mug as she thought her following words, "I broke Rei-chan, okay? I—I just couldn't take it anymore," she looked at a very serious Rei "I couldn't be friends with him—I couldn't be like you guys, I couldn't be happy around him, and last night at the wedding—it really hit me."

"Is this why you have been so defensive whenever they were mentioned?" Rei frowned, Minako nodded "But it was a thing I had against Kunzite, I was angry at him." Rei narrowed her eyes, "You were?"

Minako sighed "My heel broke in the middle of our argument, I tried to push him away and I fell. My ride never arrived, we talked, and he carried me all the way back here,"

"Minako..." Rei widened her eyes "Wait, what are you trying to say?"

"What I am saying Rei-chan, is that I do not want to be miserable, not now. Not ever, ever again." Minako bit her lower lip "I was angry because I missed him, I was angry because I had to face so many things alone—unlike Usagi-chan, my knight in shining armor did not come after me because he was killed and when he had the chance to come back, he was taken away all possibility, again." her eyes slowly began shining with tears, startling the miko "I realized that I am not an ordinary woman and that after all this time I have always waited for him to come back. He did not get back to the shrine because I asked him to stay—with me."

Rei's amethyst eyes widened two sizes larger and turned to the direction of Minako's room and leaned closer to her friend, "He is here?" she whispered, still in shock. Minako took a sip of her coffee and stayed silent for a minute, "Nothing happened." she said softly and looked at her ankle, "He just put a bag of frozen vegetables over my injury and we stayed up talking until very late."

"Of course, like if I am ever going to believe that." Rei narrowed her eyes. After a few seconds, she smiled and patted her friend's hand, "I'm glad, I couldn't stand to see you—" Rei trailed off and widened her eyes, suddenly it hit her—reality. Minako smiled sadly and tilted her head, "Exactly, see my point?" she leaned back "Rei-chan, we don't know for sure what's going to happen—what it's coming next but whatever it is, I don't want to go through it alone. I don't want to be miserable or wondering what could have been."

Rei listened to Minako hesitant to admit the truth, she felt exposed, vulnerable—weak. She had come up to a point where she lost herself in other people's problems and in a never-ending battle of identities, wondering if she was Mars, Rei or just a girl leading two different lives.

Minako's revelation put her feet back on the ground, it made sense, how she said she was different, she was too and she also did not want to live miserably, she has done it for the past 4 months. She looked at her friend in front of her and realized what was so different about Minako, her aura looked calm, she looked determinant and like a person who truly believed in the goodness of love. It was beyond the fact that she had spent the night with her long-lost lover, it was more about she rediscovering herself and accepting whatever trials came towards her. Suddenly, her duty as a soldier of justice made sense, like Jadeite said, she was more than just what she thought she was worth. Smiling, she put her cup aside and grabbed her purse "I have to go."

Minako looked at her determinant friend with wide eyes, "Where are you going?"

Rei stood up and went to hug her friend "You are not expecting me to stay here until he wakes up, now, do you? this is a moment you need to have on your own—I just needed to vent and well, since Ami and Mako are working and Usa is on her honeymoon—I think? You were my only available option—well, kind of." she smiled and tousled the large bun on Minako's head "Thank you for taking the time to listen to my whining and for coffee," the blonde chuckled "Hey, what are besties for? You know I love you, right?

Rei smiled "I do, and I love you too." she turned to walk towards the door, Minako tried to walk her out her but Rei insisted she stayed put, "Please Minako, call Ami to treat that ankle for you." The blonde smiled and waved her hand from the table, "I will—bye."

As soon as Rei closed the door, another one opened with a shirtless Kunzite walking to the kitchen. Minako looked at him and blushed, "Good morning," she greeted him softly. Kunzite smiled at her and turned to the machine in the corner of the counter, "Good morning," the smell of coffee caught his attention "Is that...?"

Minako motioned him to go help himself and took another sip of her own coffee, her bright blue eyes never leaving his bare, well-toned back. She felt like she could not get enough of the man, thinking she could devour him in one bite if she had the chance. She thought this might be what Usagi meant every time she said she feels helpless whenever she is around Mamoru, admitting that love was addictive, but it was the most beautiful drug. "Was somebody here?" she heard him ask, popping her little bubble of thought, "Uh, yes—Rei-chan."

Kunzite poured the hot liquid on his cup and walked back, "Everything alright?" he sat on the chair next to Minako and lifted her injured leg and put it over his lap, "You should keep your leg up," he took a sip while his hand caressed her soft skin underneath the silky pajama pants. Minako bit her lower lip to fight her growing desire for the man, "So, everybody has noticed you didn't go back to sleep." Kunzite put his cup down and looked at her "I know,"

"Aren't you worried?" Minako arched a brow.

"Why would I be worried?" Kunzite frowned and shrugged one shoulder, his actions startling Minako, "Well, because you didn't go back to the shrine and because you are still missing and it's almost noon."

"But I have not gone missing and you already told Mars I was here so," the white-haired general took another sip of his coffee and looked at a still startled Minako, she frowned with confusion, "So?" Kunzite looked at her as sternly as always. His charm was to be serious, it was nearly impossible to get a smile from that man, but it once he did, it was the most charming, beautiful prize Minako thought, "They will get worried."

"Venus," Kunzite sighed, "We grew up together, all five of us. If one of us goes missing for one night it is not a big issue—they understand. We all know we can take good care of ourselves—also, I have done it for too many years is a natural thing for them,"

"You go missing?"

"I like to have time for myself." Kunzite frowned and arched his brow "What is wrong with that? All of us do it, even Endymion—you do not know this because you do not live with him but ask Princess Serenity. He probably wakes up from two to three hours earlier than she does, drinks a cup of coffee while reading a book or goes for out for a run, meditates or something that falls in that category."

Minako widened her eyes in shock, it was impressive how he could describe to perfection one of Usagi's constant complaints about her now husband's weird habits. "Wait—how do you..."

Kunzite smiled at her and took another sip of his coffee, "Nephrite does it too, he gets up in the middle of the night to pray and ends up falling asleep outside and goes back to his bed by dawn. That is why he is always falling asleep through his morning meditation. Zoisite is not a morning person, no matter how much he tries to convince you that he is, he is not. He hates being woken up—he does not vanish a much as any of us, but he does it too from to time." he looked at Minako "Like I said, we grew up together." Minako leaned closer "Okay so, what can you tell me about Jadeite?"

Kunzite looked at Minako with a puzzled stare, "Jadeite is a terrible liar, but also he is more than he appears to be."

"What do you mean?"

"Jadeite often portrays himself as a sarcastic, funny man but in fact—he is very centered. He is a good strategist, he detects when there is a problem right away and targets a solution." Kunzite said softly as he continued to enjoy his coffee.

"Ah—so it's no surprise then." Minako pushed her cup away and pursed her lips, "What is no surprise?" Kunzite frowned. Minako looked at him and sighed "He has feelings for Rei-chan."

"I know," Kunzite took the final sip of his beverage and put the cup down, "What?" he arched his brow at a gaping Minako "You know about this?"

"Everybody knows he has feelings for her."

"So what, you tell each other everything?" Minako frowned, Kunzite widened his eyes and chuckled, "Well, we are very close. We consider ourselves brothers but why are you asking me about this?"

"Jadeite confessed his feelings to Rei-chan and well—" Minako pursed her lips, Kunzite frowned "What?"

Minako bit her lower lip and tapped the table with her palms down in a playful manner, "Well, let's just say they didn't end up the same way we did last night." she looked at him and blushed. Kunzite sighed heavily, "His feelings were not reciprocated—I see, well, that is going to be interesting. Jadeite is not one of those people who takes no for an answer."

"Would you have accepted it?" Minako leaned closer to him "If I have said no."

Kunzite closed the gap between then and looked at her in the eye "That is not an option anymore."

Minako blushed again and bit her lower lip, "What is going to happen next Kunzite? You didn't answer what I asked you earlier—why are you really here?"

Kunzite intertwined his fingers with Minako's and looked at their hands together "I was being honest when I said did not know, Venus," he looked at her "The only theory we have is that the power Endymion emitted when he woke up was strong enough to bring us back." His face turned serious "But—whatever the reason, it all sums up to the fact that we are Endymion's guardians and we must follow our duty in protecting him. This only means that we have to keep the oath we made to the Queen—he also is our brother and we cannot leave him alone." frowning, he tilted his head and gave her an apologetic look, "I have to go." anxiety curled in Minako's chest, "Leaving?" she asked with a nervous tone in her voice, her fingers tightened around Kunzite's "Why?"

Kunzite looked down at their hands "There is something Endymion asked us to investigate in his absence,"

"What is that?" Minako looked at him, curious "That is strange, he never mentioned anything before."

"Apparently the ruins of an ancient civilization have been discovered." Kunzite looked at Minako, "And they might be connected to him—and us." Minako widened her eyes, "The archaeologists' discovery?" she turned on her chair and moved her leg away from his lap, "Venus, what are you doing?" Kunzite widened his eyes, "You have to stay put!"

Minako went for some papers she had in her work bag and showed them to Kunzite "He must be talking about this," she pointed her finger under the names of the archaeologists and the headlines on the articles, "Reika-san also mentioned something about an exhibition they are working on for the museum she works at."

"I heard her mentioning it before the ceremony," Kunzite frowned and kept reading with deep interest, Minako leaned closer and bit her lip, trying her best to keep focused on the matter at hand and not the temptation of running her hands through his tousled hair and exposed chest, "Kunzite, do you know what this might be about?" Kunzite paused his reading and looked at her, "We have our suspicions but we haven't felt anything unusual, neither Endymion, which is why it has captured his attention."

Minako smiled and leaned back on her chair "It's so strange to hear you calling him Endymion," Kunzite looked at her and put the papers over the table, "Well, that is his name." Minako arched her brow, "His name is Mamoru, just like mine is Minako but you prefer to call me Venus."

"You never stopped being Venus, you are still a Sailor Senshi. You remember your past life like it happened yesterday." Kunzite caressed her face and frowned, "What is it with all of you denying your true nature? I do not understand." The comment took Minako by surprise, "W-What?" she asked between chuckles "What are you talking about?"

Kunzite shook his head "The names you carry these days are only that, names—but that is not who you really are."

"What we really are?" Minako frowned, "You make it sound like if it is a bad thing."

"It is not a bad thing but it does not make any sense," Kunzite moved his hand away from Minako's "It is almost as if you are against the idea of you being different."

"We know we are different—but we also yearned for normality. After the battle with Galaxia, everything turned peaceful—our duties as Senshi had to be put aside and we had the chance to live a normal life, we have to in order to survive in this world. We all have dreams, is that so bad?"

"The thing is Venus—you never put your duties as Senshi aside. You are not allowed to do that." Kunzite leaned closer, "Just like we are not allowed to leave our position as Shitennou," he sighed "I have been watching you—and you have limitations, something you did not have back then... why is that?"

"Limitations?"

"What has been of this new life of yours? What have you done with it?" Kunzite looked at her with interest while Minako just looked at him in silence and gave herself a minute to find the right words to say, she had to confess she had seen other people and even fallen in love with other men after him and it was not an easy thing to do, given their current condition. Somehow, Minako was ashamed to tell her fears and dreams to Kunzite, suddenly her achievements were shadowed by her long list of failures while he was the same perfect royal guardian and advisor. He had done no wrong with his life, not even when he fought against her as a part of the clan of the Dark Kingdom, despite his malicious actions, he performed each task with threatening results—his reputation was spotless on either side of the spectrum.

"My life—that is not important." Minako tightened her lips and looked down, "There is nothing to learn about it. What you see is what you get—that's it." she felt his hand softly caressing her chin and tilted up her face up until her blue eyes met with his grey ones "That is a lie," he narrowed his eyes, "And you know it."

"Kunzite," Minako sighed, hating the sudden gloomy change to what has been a perfect night and lovely morning "Venus," he responded the same way, his eyes still locked with hers, searching for an answer.

Minako sighed softly, feeling completely defeated by his intimidating and hypnotic gaze, "Aino Minako dreamt to become a star but her unconventional and disfunctional family always questioned her decisions," she broke visual contact with him and looked away, "As soon as I had enough means to become independent I moved here with the intention to pursue that dream of mine and I did achieve many wonderful things but I also met deception one too many times." she licked her lips and tilted her head low, "I was doing fine until I met someone and since then, everything changed." Kunzite looked at her and nodded, "I see—a person you loved."

Minako looked at him, her eyes trying to justify her actions. She felt like if she had betrayed him and that she was confessing her crime "I—It's not what—"

"Venus," Kunzite patted her hand softly, "Do not feel guilty for having moved on without me. You had every right, does it hurt? Yes, it hurts but I understand. I accepted my fate a long time ago."

"But—you are here, with me." Minako leaned closer, she wanted to kiss him, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and never let him go again; after their heated conversation it was like her own Pandora's box opened and resurfaced all the emotions she did not want to admit she still had for him. Suddenly, picturing herself crying over a man who never committed to anything made her feel stupid, very stupid. Kunzite felt like he swallowed a bucket of shards of glass and prepared himself for the answer that was coming next, "Did you love him—that person?"

Minako bit her lower lip and nodded, "What happened to him?" she heard him ask, his voice was still serious and calculating. Sighing, she rubbed her hand on her face and looked at him, "He left me, he um... he was a model and he was also pursuing an acting career but didn't get too far and that brought many problems to our relationship. He felt like I was surpassing him and he could not deal with that—we lived together for some time but he never really committed and ended up leaving without notice." Kunzite narrowed his eyes, "Coward."

Minako looked at him surprised and saw his face showed tension, his voice had turned cold and distant, like if he blamed himself for the misfortunate act of her meeting this man that eventually broke her heart "Why do you say everything changed since then?"

"Because I lost motivation..." Minako answered simply, "After that, I haven't really found a good acting job,"

"He does not define you, Venus." Kunzite looked at her "Whatever failure you have encountered in the past—they don't define you. You are more capable than you think."

"Easy for you to say," Minako sighed heavily, startling Kunzite "Why?"

"You have done no wrong," Minako looked at him with slight annoyance, "You are this honorable high ranked general who also is a royal advisor—you have honor badges and things like that, you can do no wrong and I know what you are going to say about being brainwashed and turned against your own Prince but that doesn't count. It was far from your control and even when you worked for the enemy you excelled at your job. You were perfect and you still are—it embarrasses me to even be talking about this with you—okay, bye." Her words made Kunzite chuckle, "Why are you laughing?" she asked with annoyance.

"That is what you think about me?" Kunzite smiled, "I am honored—really."

"What?" Minako shook her head, confused. Kunzite sighed "I am far from being perfect, Venus. Everybody has a past and I am no exception, I have made mistakes, I have made terrible decisions, I have regrets and I have held grudges."

Minako looked at him surprised "You have regrets?"

Kunzite nodded, "I do, yes." he looked down and took a minute to continue, "My origins are ones of a family with low resources. My mother served the Queen of the Southern Point of Earth as a maid but we did not live at the Palace like most of them did and she was married to a man that mistreated her. That man was said to be my father, but, I never considered myself his son." He looked at Minako with sadness in his eyes, "I was thirteen when I left home. I could not stand living there and that made me make the decision to join the army so I could become a soldier and be able to protect her from him one day but when I came back, I learned he had gone missing for several years but he had found his way back and that things were worse than before, he had become more drunk and violent. One day I decided to stop visiting her because it was getting harder to see her in the condition she was and she would not accept it. I was angry at him for being the bastard he was but I was angrier at her for allowing him to do whatever he wanted with her." He sighed heavily, "Endymion being the only one who knew about it, always tried to encourage me to go and see my mother but it only became more painful with time. All my efforts became worthless, my dream to protect her did not come true." he gave Minako a sad smile, "I brewed anger in my heart and used it as motivation during my military training that consequently ended in many malicious acts against Endymion and the others."

Minako blinked with surprise, "You were a bully?"

Kunzite chuckled softly, "You could say that—I was angry at everybody and I wanted to be the best of all but in the end, I learned the hard way that things do not work that way." Minako moved from her chair and wrapped her arms around Kunzite's neck and took a deep breath, "I love you." Kunzite widened his eyes and pulled back to look into her teary eyes, "W-What did you just say?"

Minako caressed his face and leaned her forehead on his "I love you, Kunzite."

"Venus..." he breathed, surprised. She looked at him and tucked a strand of his silver hair behind his ear, "You didn't fail your mother—she was afraid, and this was her best way to protect you from him because she knew that if you returned and saw him there you would have killed him and that only would have fed your heart with more anger and despair. Who knows what would happen to you if you did such thing.."

Kunzite's eyes widened, the truth behind her words made him feel vulnerable "I wish you didn't have to go through all that—but you are not alone." she whispered and brushed her lips on his "Not anymore."

Kunzite's first instinct was to respond to her loving gesture and wrapped his arms around her and lock his lips with hers in a passionate kiss that lasted for several minutes. Minako slowly made her way to sit on his lap without ever breaking the kiss, her hands ran through his silver hair, tangling every strand between her slender fingers as she let a soft moan escape her lips when she felt his lips caressing her neck making her lose all control over the situation; they both were dedicated to each other, making the rest disappear. Nothing mattered right now, only them, only now.

A/N: Hello! Happy New Year everyone, I hope you had a wonderful holiday time surrounded by good food and your loved ones. So, I guess I'm back-I was planning on returning last Friday but FF was making it an impossible task I decided to postpone my efforts and try again the following week.

For some, this was a moment very much awaited, almost as much as the wedding. Thanks for following me, (those who are) and reading this story (those who are). Thanks for reviewing and your support, it truly means a lot.

I want to take the opportunity to let you know (in case you don't or haven't found out) that there I started an adjacent story to this one called Divinity: A day in the life and you may wonder, well, what's it about? Basically, the story is really a collection of chapters that did not make into this story and I thought that since they have been written for a while, I might as well publish them sporadically. As I've written in my notes at the end of each chapter, you don't need to familiar to the story to read and understand them, but if you do, you will see the connection between chapters and that they are actually easter eggs mentioned in some of the chapters of this story. I will keep posting more-there a few that are still sitting in my drive, but until that happens... here is the continuation of our main story.

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